LATEST USA NEWS
Woman dies after husband shoots her inside church
Police say a woman is dead after her husband shot her at Calvary Lutheran Church on S. 330th Street in Federal Way Wednesday afternoon.
Fargo learns from mistakes in flood fight
The flood-weary city in North Dakota is well versed in flood preparation because it's learned from its errors, especially after last year's record-breaking flood.
Tug-of-war over repeated records requests
A tiny Arizona school district is suing four women over repeated records requests -- part of a nationwide tug-of-war over open records laws.
Man pleads guilty in 1968 hijacking
A U.S. citizen accused of hijacking a plane from New York to Cuba more than four decades ago pleads guilty in Manhattan.
Immigrants head to D.C. to push reforms
Tens of thousands of immigrants from across the country, many of them undocumented Hispanics, are expected to rally  in Washington on Sunday to dramatize their pleas for immigration reform.
Police: Mom admits killing 'disrespectful' teen
A woman accused of strangling her daughter on a college campus apartment in Purchase, N.Y., told police she did it because the daughter was "disrespectful all the time," according to court papers.
Obama effigy hung at R.I. school
A teacher at a failing Rhode Island school where he and all his colleagues were fired hung an effigy of President Barack Obama in his classroom.
1 killed, 2 injured in fire at small Detroit hotel
Authorities say illegal electricity was being supplied to a small hotel on Detroit's east side where one person was killed and two others were injured in a fire that gutted the building.
65 years later, war photo caption corrected
The AP is correcting the caption on one of the most famous photos in its library - an image that purportedly showed the Bataan Death March during World War II.
'Jihad Jane' pleads not guilty to terror plot
The U.S. terrorism suspect who authorities say dubbed herself "Jihad Jane" online has pleaded not guilty to all counts in federal court in Philadelphia.
American took a twisted trail to terror
The path that brought U.S. citizen David Coleman Headley to the point of pleading guilty to involvement in two international terrorism plots is complicated and twisted.
Island searched for elusive 'barefoot burglar'
Using helicopters and search dogs, police scoured an island off Washington state Thursday for an unlikely fugitive: an 18-year-old suspected of stealing airplanes who is known as the "barefoot burglar."
Seven years of war and an eternity of remembrance
The Iraq war, about to enter its eighth year, came home most recently to Federal Way, Washington, a tiny town outside Seattle where 26-year-old Pfc. Erin L. McLyman lived. Her body was flown back to the United States this week; her parents comforted by memories and the courage of a young daughter felled in combat.
NYC couple: Cops have wrong address - again
New York City police  have raided the home of Walter and Rose Martin at least 50 times since 2002 looking for crooks, but each time  they've found they got the wrong address, according to a report.

Judge postpones ruling on 70-year-old killer
A McHenry County judge says she will not rule until April 8, at the earliest, on whether to release 70-year-old Gary Welsh, who sexually assaulted and killed a young girl nearly 50 years ago. Circuit Court Judge Sharon Prather is considering proposals to release Welsh in either Rockford or Chicago, or to keep the former Harvard resident institutionalized. Prather postponed her ruling Thursday, saying she wishes to consult further with two psychologists who have evaluated him.
School district fires bus driver and boss
The school board in Mount Prospect Elementary District 57 has fired a school bus driver accused of driving dozens of students home while drunk, as well as its director of transportation, who allegedly let her drive despite warnings from co-workers. The board fired 54-year-old Betty Burden and district transportation director Vince Ramirez at its meeting Thursday night.
Lottery Glance
Here are the winning numbers selected Thursday in the Illinois State Lottery:
Chicago man dies trying to catch bus
Chicago police say a 53-year-old man died when he fell under the Chicago Transit Authority bus he was trying to catch on the city's West Side. Officer John Mirabelli, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department, said 53-year-old James Minter of the city's South Side fell under the wheels of the bus near Harrison Street and Ashland Avenue Thursday afternoon.
Balloon Rides to be offered again at Navy Pier
Once again this summer, visitors to Chicago's Navy Pier will be able to soar above the city in a tethered balloon. The city's Plan Commission decided Thursday to approve a plan by New York-based AeroSpace-NYC LLC to sell the balloon rides from early this May to late this September. There is a possibility that the lease may be extended for future years.
Ill. high court: Hospital shouldn't be tax exempt
The state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that an Urbana hospital doesn't provide enough charitable services to qualify for a property tax exemption, a decision hospitals in Illinois worry could lead local governments to try to overturn other exemptions in a hunt for badly needed cash. National hospital groups said they, too, were reviewing the decision. Nonprofit hospitals around the country face similar tax challenges as critics accuse them of operating largely the same as for-profit hospitals.
No more breakfast in bed for Chicago area inmates
No more breakfast in bed for Cook County Jail inmates. Starting next month, inmates who have long had their meals delivered to them at 4:30 every morning will have to come and get it at the dining hall - a change Sheriff Tom Dart said could save the county about $1 million a year because he expects many inmates will choose to sleep rather than eat.
Chicago developer convicted of bribing alderman
A millionaire Chicago developer was convicted Thursday of giving an alderman $37,000 worth of painting, doors, windows and air conditioning for his home in exchange for a lucrative zoning change. Jurors deliberated for less than a day before convicting Calvin Boender, 55, on one count of bribery and two counts each of illegal campaign contributions and obstruction of justice. Boender faces up to 32 years in prison, but he is likely to get a much lesser term under federal sentencing guidelines.
Report: NIU gunman may have been angry at school
A gunman who killed himself and five students at Northern Illinois University in 2008 may have been motivated in part by fury at academic changes the school made that he believed de-emphasized his academic field, according to a new report released Thursday. The 322-page report, the first to speculate in detail about motives behind Steven Kazmierczak's attack, said simmering anger, mental issues and his mother's death may have contributed to his decision to enter a full lecture hall - "Terrorist"...
Terror suspect admits scouting for Mumbai massacre
A Chicago man admitted Thursday that he scouted out the Indian city of Mumbai for a 2008 terrorist attack that left 166 people dead and plotted an attack on a Danish newspaper over cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. David Coleman Headley, a 49-year-old American citizen, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to all 12 counts he faced. Under a deal with prosecutors, Headley will not face execution if he continues to cooperate with their terrorism investigation. He could face up to life in...
Feds to buy Illinois prison even without detainees
The Obama administration still wants to buy a prison in northwestern Illinois even if it's not used to hold Guantanamo Bay detainees. A Thursday letter from the Justice Department to Republican Congressman Don Manzullo says the department would seek to purchase the facility in Thomson even if detainees weren't being considered for transfer.
No more breakfast in bed for jail inmates
No more breakfast in bed for Cook County Jail inmates. That's the word from Sheriff Tom Dart, who says that he will soon start requiring inmates who want breakfast to come and get it at the dining hall rather than wait for it to be delivered to them in their cells.
Developer convicted of payoff
A Chicago developer has been convicted of bribing an alderman with $37,000 worth of windows, doors, painting and air conditioning for his home. A federal court jury on Thursday found developer Calvin Boender guilty of bribing former Alderman Isaac Carothers in exchange for a zoning change.
Toyota sign could loom over Wrigley
The Chicago Cubs owe much of their identity to two things - their 101-year drought without a World Series title and Wrigley Field. The team's new owners are working with automaker Toyota on a sponsorship deal that could put the company's logo on a sign hoisted high above the left field bleachers in time for the home opener next month.
Springfield Livestock
Eastern Cornbelt carcass prices. 0.5 inch bf 67.00-75.27; 0.6 inch bf 66.00-74.07 ; 0.7 inch bf 65.00-72.87; 0.8 inch bf 65.00-71.67; 0.9 inch bf 62.50-70.47.
CAPITAL CULTURE: Designer favored by Obama closes
The signs of Maria Pinto's rise were clear when Michelle Obama entered the world stage wearing her designs, also favored by Oprah Winfrey. Today the signs on Pinto's Chicago shop say something different: "Closeout." "Final Sale."
Wife of former prosecutor charged with arson
Bond has been set at $200,000 for the wife of a former LaSalle County state's attorney charged with arson in connection with a fire at an Ottawa home. Terri L. James is charged with felony residential arson and attempted arson for incidents on Ottawa's south side. The two-story brick house suffered substantial damage to the interior. There was no one home at the time.
Chicago terror suspect pleads guilty
A Chicago man who pleaded guilty to helping plan an attack on a Danish newspaper claims another planner wanted to take captives at the newspaper office and behead them. In a signed plea agreement Thursday, David Coleman Headley (HED'-lee) offered details on a planned attack on the newspaper whose cartoons offended many Muslims.
Chicago terrorism suspect pleads guilty
A Chicago man has pleaded guilty to charges alleging he scouted out the Indian city of Mumbai before a terrorist attack that left 166 dead and planning to attack a Danish newspaper whose cartoons offended many Muslims. David Coleman Headley (HED'-lee) could have been sentenced to death if convicted of the most serious charges he faced - conspiracy to bomb public places in India and six counts of murdering U.S. nationals in India.
Kane County Chronicle names new publisher
A 36-year-old Chicago area media executive has been named publisher of the Kane County Chronicle. J. Tom Shaw starts the job on April 5.
Fashion designer Maria Pinto to close Chicago shop
After making her mark on fashion by creating clothing for first lady Michelle Obama and other celebrities, designer Maria Pinto says she's closing her Chicago boutique because of the poor economy. Signs posted this week in the window of Pinto's store read "Closeout" and "Final Sale" as the designer hosts a liquidation sale through Saturday. Pinto attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and launched her own label in 1991. She has said she makes her clothes for real women, not trends.
Bill to give voters say on U of I trustees fails
A bill that would have given the state's voters a say in who oversees the University of Illinois has failed in the state House of Representatives. House members voted the bill down Wednesday, 69-44.
Court: Champaign hospital must pay tax
The Illinois Supreme Court says Champaign-based Provena Covenant Medical Center didn't provide enough charity services to be exempt from property taxes. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that supported the Illinois Department of Revenue's claim that the medical center couldn't avoid property taxes as a charitable institution.
Agriculture futures fall, livestock prices rise
Agriculture futures fell Thursday on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for May delivery dropped 8 cents to $4.88 a bushel; May corn shed 3.25 cents to $3.7075 a bushel; May soybeans lost 9 cents to $9.50 a bushel; and May oats dipped 0.5 cent to $2.245 a bushel.
Illinois family gets second chance, hits the road
Some time before her death in 2003, Annie (last name unknown) signed a pledge to be an organ donor. Because of that selfless act, Sheri Greiner still has a husband. Their children, Levi, 12, and Chloe, 9, still have a father.
Grants available for children's medical expenses
The nonprofit UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation is seeking grant applications from Illinois families in need of financial assistance for their children's health needs. Qualifying families could receive up to $5,000 to help pay for medical services and equipment such as physical and occupational therapy, prescriptions, wheelchairs, orthotics, eyeglasses and hearing aids.
Welcome to YOLONE,
your local news source!