Chicago Tribune

Man critically hurt in shooting near Millennium Park

A man was shot and critically injured Saturday night following a dispute just outside Millennium Park, authorities and witnesses said.<p>The 54-year-old man was shot in the head about 7:35 p.m. at the northeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Monroe Drive following a dispute with a man who fled on a …

The best things we ate at Chicago Gourmet

Man charged with murder, held on $1 million bail on 18th birthday

A Chicago man who turned 18 years old on Saturday was ordered held on $1 million bail after being charged with fatally shooting a 20-year-old man at a house party earlier this month.<p>Guillermo Romero was at the party in the 5800 block of South Maplewood the night of Sept. 17 when a fight broke out. …

Man tries to rob NW Side bank, walks out before getting cash

A man demanded money from a teller at an Irving Park neighborhood bank apparently thought better of his robbery attempt and left the bank without taking any money, authorities said.<p>The man went into a US Bank branch, 3515 W. Irving Park Road, about 9:30 a.m. Saturday and went up to a teller, …

Parolee in '13 Valentine's Day robbery charged in '16 Valentine's double killing

A man on parole in a 2013 Valentine’s Day robbery has been charged with murder in the killing of two men on Valentine’s Day this year, according to police and records.<p>Marquise Hollerway, 22, faces first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Jeremy D. Hunter, 25, and Steven Tate, 26, who were found …

FBI says possible suspect is apprehended in Matteson bank robbery

The suspect in a bank robbery in Matteson Friday fled the area but was subsequently involved in a vehicle crash.<p>FBI officials believe they have the suspect in custody, said Special Agent Garrett Croon of the FBI.<p>According to the FBI, the robbery happened Friday afternoon at the BMO Harris, 4940 …

Fire closes Barraco's Pizza in Evergreen Park

An early Saturday morning fire at Barraco's Pizza in Evergreen Park has left the restaurant temporarily closed.<p>Owner Danielle Barraco said the blaze broke out before business hours and damaged the kitchen, carry-out area and a new addition to the building at 3701 95th St. The source of the fire …

Lakeview man found dead outside his residence in apparent accident

A 25-year-old Lakeview man was found dead outside his residence in an apparent fatal accident, officials said Saturday.<p>Chicago police were called to the 700 block of West Briar Place about 2 a.m. Friday regarding a man who was found on the ground after taking some sort of fall, authorities said. He …

Body discovered in burning vehicle

A body was found in a burning vehicle in East Pilsen on Friday evening, police said.<p>About 7:50 p.m., crews discovered the body in a burning vehicle in the 600 block of West 21st Street.<p>No information was available about the person's age or gender.<p>Police were investigating.

2 hurt in Near North Side crash

Two people were injured when they were hit by a car in the Ranch Triangle neighborhood late Friday, authorities said.<p>One person was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition after two ambulances were sent to near Kingsbury and Willow streets, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman …

Former St. Boniface church bought by developer who plans to save the structure

The former St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church, a fixture on Chicago's Northwest Side for more than a century, appears to have been saved from the wrecking ball as part of a proposed deal to turn the building into condos and a music school.<p>The city's Department of Planning and Development said the …

Man charged in fatal shooting on South Side

A 25-year-old man has been charged with shooting to death a Back of the Yards man in front of his home this week, authorities said.<p>Lamar Chambers was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail Friday in the killing early Wednesday in the 5100 block of South Honore Street of Bruce E. Smith, 51.<p>Chambers …

Chicago slaying suspect, among FBI's most wanted, arrested after 17 years on run

Chicago auto mechanic Fidel Urbina was free on bond and awaiting trial in the brutal 1998 kidnapping and rape of a waitress when authorities say he struck again.<p>This time, Urbina allegedly sexually assaulted and strangled a 22-year-old woman who'd brought her car in for service at the Southwest …

Chicago Teachers Union tallies strike authorization votes

The Chicago Teachers Union is tallying up the results of its latest strike authorization vote ahead of what could be a pivotal week in the long-running labor dispute with Chicago Public Schools.<p>Teachers spent three days last week signing petitions at schools throughout the city. If 75 percent or …

More than 30 arrested in sweep targeting fentanyl and heroin laced with fentanyl

Local and federal authorities said Friday they arrested more than 30 people in raids targeting the sale of the powerful painkiller fentanyl as well as heroin laced with fentanyl, a combination that has led to a rise in drug overdose deaths in the Chicago area over the past year and a half.<p>Most of …

Bank robbed on Roosevelt Road in Glen Ellyn, officials say

Glen Ellyn police and the FBI are searching for man who robbed a US Bank on Friday afternoon and fled with an undisclosed amount of money.<p>Police said the man entered the bank at 736 Roosevelt Road about 1:30 p.m. and gave the teller a message that demanded money.<p>There was no report the man was …

Cubs, MLB sue vendors over alleged trademark violations

Cubs sue vendors<p>As the Chicago Cubs prepare for their postseason battle, the team and Major League Baseball also are joining forces in the fight over fans' dollars.<p>The Cubs and Major League Baseball filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday against several vendors hawking allegedly counterfeit and …

Firefighters welcome back dog that went missing

Emanuel: Violence 'is Chicago's fight, not the mayor's fight'

A day after offering solutions to Chicago's violence problem, Mayor Rahm Emanuel spent some time suggesting his efforts alone won't solve the problem.<p>The mayor started the day working out with police cadets. Then he went to a South Side elementary school to highlight a new health center. And he …

DeKalb school supt. on leave after principal gets protection order against him

The superintendent of the DeKalb school system was placed on leave this week, two days after a high school principal filed a court protection order against him alleging he threatened to ruin the principal's career when she refused to date him.<p>Without publicly citing a reason, the School District …

1 dead, 2 wounded in South Side shootings

One man was killed and two other people were wounded, including a 15-year-old boy who was critically injured, in shootings Friday afternoon on the South Side.<p>The 25-year-old man who was killed and another man who was wounded were in the 4200 block of South Princeton Avenue in the Fuller Park …

Men facing death argue state law is unconstitutional

As guards stood in front of the exits, Carl Blount sat across from posters of the watchful eyes from F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby" Thursday in a Lake County courtroom. While the eyes may have been pointed at Blount his eyes were locked squarely on his attorney.<p>Blount, who is …

Dead man ID'd a year after being found amid other bodies in Riverdale garage

The body of a man found a year ago in a south suburban garage amid other bodies and human remains has finally been identified, the Cook County medical examiner's office said Friday.<p>Pompey Hicks, 51, died on Sept. 30, 2011, from an accidental methadone and alcohol intoxication, according to a …

Cartel middleman given 8 years in prison for laundering drug money

Edgar Manuel Valencia Ortega grew up in Mexico with the sons and nephews of Sinaloa cartel bosses, so when he decided to get into the drug trade himself he already had the connections to rise quickly to the top, federal prosecutors say.<p>In just a few short years, Ortega became a significant …

Charges in killing of man found shot on West Side porch

A Southwest Side man has been charged with killing a man who collapsed on his own front porch after being shot nearby in the Homan Square neighborhood last month, authorities said.<p>Francisco Saldana, 18, was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail on a first-degree murder charge in the killing early …

Stretch of road where NU student was killed in crash will soon have bike lanes

A stretch of Sheridan Road in Evanston where a Northwestern University freshman was killed in a crash involving her bicycle and a cement truck Thursday night will soon have bike lanes as part of a multi-phase roadway project.<p>NU student Chuyuan Qiu, 18, was involved in the crash while cycling …

Albany Park traffic calming test irks residents

The city is just days into test-driving a traffic diversion plan in one Northwest Side neighborhood, but a fair number of residents are already asking to put the brakes on it.<p>At a community meeting Thursday night in Albany Park, residents vented to 33rd Ward Ald. Deb Mell and others about the pilot …

Police: Round Lake Park man handed gun to child, said 'shoot me'

A 43-year-old Round Lake Park man is in custody Friday in lieu of $50,000 bail after he was charged with placing a handgun in a 12-year-old's hand, holding the weapon to his head and telling her to "shoot me," according to authorities.<p>Armand M. Meyers of the 400 block of East Lake Shore Drive was …

Rhymefest says mayor's crime plan too enforcement-heavy, offers own idea

It helped kick-start the healing process in post-apartheid South Africa — so how about a series of "truth and reconciliation" sessions right here in Chicago?<p>That's the latest brain wave of rapper and community activist <b>Che "Rhymefest" Smith</b>, who said the city needs to do more than hire extra cops …

Blacklisted by the World Bank, Chicago firm still gets millions in new contracts

In 2006, the Mongolian Finance Ministry hired a small Chicago-based consulting firm called Glocoms to strengthen its budget planning. The $1.5 million job, financed by the World Bank, aimed to help a country still grappling with Soviet legacies to reallocate its spending and reduce its …