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• Hospital: At least 10 hurt in Illinois plant blast

  March 7, 2013 11:15 AM

  GRANITE CITY, Ill.- Officials say an explosion at a southwestern Illinois steel plant has injured at least 10 people, three critically. Fire officials say the blast happened shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday at American Steel in Granite City, just northeast of St. Louis. A spokeswoman for the local hospital, Gateway... more »

• Former Ill. Gov. Ryan to be released from prison

  January 30, 2013 2:39 AM

  CHICAGO - George Ryan is about to become the latest Illinois governor to go through a prison door. This time he's headed out. The 78-year-old Republican has served five-plus years for corruption. Authorities are expected to release him from a prison in Terre Haute, Ind., sometime Wednesday. He's expected to... more »

• Horses coming from Ill. must be checked for virus

  January 8, 2013 2:50 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Louisiana's agriculture commissioner says any horse coming into Louisiana from Illinois must have a health certificate showing that in the last 30 days it hasn't been at Hawthorne Race Course, where nearly 70 horses have tested positive for a very contagious and potentially lethal virus. The Department of... more »

• Corps: Ridding Miss. River of rock pinnacles close

  December 14, 2012 6:32 PM

  ST. LOUIS - The Army Corps of Engineers says it's close to shoring up how soon contractors could begin removing treacherous southern Illinois rock formations impeding barge traffic in the drought-plagued Mississippi River. The corps says it has hired Newt Marine Service of Dubuque, Iowa, and Kokosing Construction Co. of... more »

• "THE Pie..."

  November 16, 2012 11:00 PM

  It originated as a day to give thanks for the harvest and to recognize relationships between family, friends and new neighbors. A variety of traditions have been furthered from the first Thanksgiving, including the turkey and the pumpkin pie. Long before the arrival of pilgrims, pumpkins were used as a... more »

• Big days from Bradley, Bubba give US 5-3 lead

  September 28, 2012 6:49 PM

  MEDINAH, Ill. - Slow start, fast finish, comfortable lead. The Americans have a 5-3 lead over Europe after steamrolling through the second session of the Ryder Cup on Friday. Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson swept their matches, and Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson flirted with a record score in fourballs.... more »

• Jury convicts Drew Peterson of 3rd wife's death

  September 6, 2012 2:54 PM

  JOLIET, Ill. - A jury has convicted former suburban Chicago police officer Drew Peterson of murdering his third wife. Jurors returned with a guilty verdict against Drew Peterson on Thursday in the 2004 death of Kathleen Savio. The 58-year-old Peterson faces a maximum 60-year prison term. Savio's body was found... more »

• Parents of drowned toddler accused of endangerment

  July 12, 2012 12:35 PM

  ST. LOUIS - The parents of an Illinois toddler who drowned in a lake more than two months ago face child endangerment charges. Thomas and Emilie Pinski are accused of letting their 2-year-old son, Lukas, and his twin brother routinely wander from home through a basement window. Lukas was found... more »

• Women accused of flashing at Illinois golf course

  June 13, 2012 12:41 PM

  EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Two Missouri women are accused of showing off more than their putting skills at a southwestern Illinois golf course. Madison County Sheriff's Capt. T. Mike Dixon says investigators responded to complaints of lewd behavior Monday at the Woodlands Golf Course in Foster Township and saw the women... more »

• Gov. Jindal travels to Virginia, Illinois

  June 7, 2012 5:17 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Gov. Bobby Jindal is back on the road for GOP causes, with scheduled stops including a Mitt Romney fundraiser in Chicago. The Republican governor's office said Thursday that Jindal is attending a Friday fundraiser for Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's political action committee. Later that day, he's headed... more »

• Company pleads guilty in seafood mislabel case

  June 6, 2012 7:08 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - An Illinois-based seafood distributor has pleaded guilty in Louisiana to conspiring to mislabel commercially-sold shrimp. Federal prosecutors say Worldwide Shrimp Company, of Highland Park, entered the plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey in New Orleans. Court documents say the company distributed shrimp to supermarkets, retail... more »

• Unruly passenger sentenced

  March 27, 2012 12:57 PM

  ST. LOUIS - An Illinois man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for trying to open a passenger jet door in mid-flight. 34-year-old Reynel Alcaide of Burbank, Illinois plead guilty to interference with flight crew members and attendents. He was also sentence to three years of supervised release... more »

• Romney looks for Ill. win while Santorum stumbles

  March 20, 2012 6:28 AM

  PEORIA, Ill. - Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are facing off Tuesday in Illinois, a state that was once home to President Barack Obama. Romney was betting his message of economic proficiency would triumph over Santorum's sharply honed conservatism. Both men were competing for 54 delegates in one... more »

• Confident Romney calls for unity, looks to Ill.

  March 19, 2012 6:28 AM

  VERNON HILLS, Ill. - Mitt Romney's campaign is intensifying calls for his Republican opponents to concede defeat before the GOP presidential race's next big election, Tuesday in Illinois. Romney extended his delegate lead Sunday in Puerto Rico by trouncing rival Rick Santorum. He scored all of the Caribbean island's 20... more »

• Ill man gets 3 years in erectile pump case

  February 10, 2012 12:39 PM

  PROVIDENCE, R.I. - An Illinois man has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for shipping unwanted penis enlargers to diabetes patients in a scheme to bilk Medicare of more than $2.2 million. Gary Winner, of Wheeling, Ill. was sentenced in federal court in Rhode Island on... more »

• Chicago man once thought dead arrested in Vegas

  July 22, 2011 1:31 PM

  LAS VEGAS - Authorities say a former Chicago commodities broker who disappeared in 1979 and was declared legally dead has been found living under a false name and working at a casino in Las Vegas. Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles officials say 72-year-old Arthur Gerald Jones was arrested Tuesday... more »

• Quiet Hole in One

  July 12, 2011 7:31 PM

  A six-year-old calmly sank a hole in one on a golf course in central Illinois and calmly walked back to her cart with little reaction. Reagan Kennedy remembered her father telling her not to make a lot of noise on the golf course and she took it to heart. Her... more »

• Jury convicts ex-Ill. Gov. Blagojevich at retrial

  June 27, 2011 2:41 PM

  CHICAGO - Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been convicted of 17 of the 20 charges against him, including all 11 charges related to his attempt to sell or trade President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat. Jurors deadlocked on one charge of attempted extortion in an alleged shakedown involving... more »

• LSP: Counterfeiting fugitive arrested in Orleans Parish

  November 9, 2010 3:51 PM

  ORLEANS PARISH - A man wanted for allegedly manufacturing and distributing counterfeit Illinois driver’s licenses was arrested in Orleans Parish last Thursday. Authorities said 40-year-old Bryan McMillian was arrested after an investigation revealed individuals were purchasing counterfeit licenses and giving them to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles in return... more »

• Naked Gunman Shooting Spree

  October 12, 2010 7:44 PM

  A naked man in East St. Louis, Illinois used an AK-47 assualt rifle to shoot a woman. The woman will survive. The bizarre incident happened as she left to go to work and while sitting in her car she saw the naked guy with the gun. She honked the horn... more »

• Sheriff Finally Fired Who Refused to Quit

  September 28, 2010 7:56 PM

  A sheriff who collected his $40,000 a year salary and who refused to quit after federal drug charges was finally booted by Gallatin County in Southern Illinois. The County Board took just ten minutes to fire him. Raymond Martin has been in jail since May of 2009 and was convicted... more »

• Death Penalty sought in Frozen Baby case

  September 7, 2010 7:32 PM

  Prosecutors in Illinois say they will seek the death penalty for a woman charged with the murder of a newborn whose frozen body was found in a plastic bag and dropped off on a dead-end road. Twenty-nine year old Katie Stockton of Rockford pleaded not guilty to the charge. Residents... more »

• Illinois prosecutors to seek death in frozen baby case

  September 7, 2010 12:50 PM

  Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a woman charged with the murder of a newborn girl whose frozen body was found in a plastic bag on a dead-end road in northern Illinois. The Rockford Register-Star says the Winnebago County state's attorney made the announcement Tuesday in the case... more »

• Judge: Blagojevich jurors have sent another note

  August 16, 2010 11:28 AM

  The judge in former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial says he has called attorneys to the courtroom to read another note sent by jurors. No other details were immediately available, and it wasn't known what time attorneys would gather at Judge James Zagel's courtroom. Jurors returned to... more »

• Flag Flap

  July 27, 2010 8:13 PM

  A man from Skokie, Illinois is in a flag-flap with a ceremtery where his soldier-son is buried. Elie Britton has flown a U.S. flag and a prisoner of war flag at the gravesite for Army Corporal Albert Britton, who was killed in Iraq two years ago. Now the cemetery says... more »

• Ill. inmate died in agony while pleading for help

  June 27, 2010 2:13 PM

  For days before he died in a federal prison, an Illinois inmate named Adam Montoya pleaded with guards to be taken to a doctor. But he never got any help. An autopsy concluded that the 36-year-old prisoner suffered from no fewer than three serious illnesses - cancer, hepatitis and HIV.... more »

• Blagojevich: Feels 'great' as he arrives for trial

  June 3, 2010 11:26 AM

  A smiling Rod Blagojevich says he is feeling great as the former Illinois governor arrived at federal court for the start of his corruption trial. A relaxed-looking Blagojevich climbed out of a white sedan with his wife, Patti, at his side and wearing a dark blue pinstriped suit. He... more »

• Obama memorial day talk delayed by rain

  May 31, 2010 12:35 PM

  Torrential rain, lightning, thunder and strong winds forced President Barack Obama to delay a Memorial Day speech at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Illinois. Obama took the stage at midday under the cover of a large umbrella to tell thousands of people who came to hear him speak... more »

• Illinois lawmakers want National Guard in Chicago

  April 25, 2010 9:08 PM

  Two Illinois lawmakers say violence in Chicago is so bad, the National Guard must be called in to help. Chicago Democratic Reps. John Fritchey and LaShawn Ford asked Gov. Pat Quinn on Sunday to deploy troops. Last week seven people were killed and 18 wounded in one night,... more »

• Man charged with defrauding members of Saints organization

  March 22, 2010 4:37 PM

  A man was charged Monday in connection with the fraudulent sale of Louisiana film tax credits sold to current and former members, coaches and staff of the New Orleans Saints, according to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten. Wayne Read, 46, of Wonderlake, Ill., faces one count of interstate transporation of... more »

• Man who took hostages commits suicide

  February 3, 2010 8:27 PM

  A man who shot up a farm supply store in rural Illinois sent customers bolting for exits and held police at bay when he took hostages before killing himself. No one else was hurt. It happened at the Farm King store in Macomb. Police say he fired a semiautomatic pistol... more »

• Murder for Hire scheme to kill prosecutor and drug agent

  January 19, 2010 8:34 PM

  Two men in Illinois face charges in a murder-for-hire scheme to kill a federal prosecutor and drug enforcement agent. FBI agents say 41-year-old Jack Mann and 39-year-old Frank Caira of suburban Chicago told them they wanted the officials killed because they were involved in prosecuting them on marijuana and meth... more »

• Audit says Recovery School District chief misused state vehicle

  November 23, 2009 10:02 AM

  A new audit says the superintendent of the Recovery School District misused his state-owned vehicle, driving it on personal trips, including dozens of visits to see family in Illinois. The audit says Paul Vallas also used public funds for gasoline on those personal trips and the state paid the insurance... more »