The great lake robbery
For 55 years, acrobatic water-skiers forming human pyramids and waving American flags thrilled crowds at the Tommy Bartlett Show on these scenic shores. But when the shows resume Thursday, the...
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AIDS epidemic in U.S. ‘worse than previously known’
The AIDS epidemic in the U.S. is far worse than previously reported, the government said Saturday in releasing new findings. About 56,300 people are now thought to be infected with...
Smoke ban often defied Downstate
The sign on the door of the American Tap warns patrons not to smoke. But sitting at the bar, customers merrily puff away, sharing cigarettes with the bartender and the...
Ban’s impact dramatic in region
Across the Chicago area, bans on indoor smoking have had dramatic impacts. Whether through community laws in effect before the state ban, or through the Illinois law, the region has...
Floods tie commerce in knots
If roads, rivers and railroad tracks are the arteries of commerce, then the flooding in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin adds up to a heart attack to the nation's midsection. The...
St. Xavier’s shutdown produces ripple effect
The campus of St. Xavier University was like a well-guarded ghost town Monday, its classrooms empty, its dormitories shuttered and its every entrance patrolled by school security officers and Chicago...
Foolproof gun laws elude states
A week ago, Steven Kazmierczak walked into Tony's Guns & Ammo, a yellow shop in a back yard near the University of Illinois, and bought a Remington shotgun and a...
Ryan ride’s last stop: Prison
On Wednesday, there was no deal former Gov. George Ryan could cut. There was no one to cajole, and no backroom compromise to be struck. After a long drive from...
Ryan reaches end of road: Prison
On Wednesday, there was no deal former Gov. George Ryan could cut. There was no one to cajole, and no backroom compromise to be struck. After a long drive from...
No fences, no violence, no privacy
When he reports Wednesday to the Oxford federal prison camp as inmate 16627-424, former Gov. George Ryan will be issued a pair of steel-toe shoes, a few button-down shirts and...