CLTV plan extensive coverage today of the first police officer fatality since 2002.

From the Chicago Tribune:

A 27-year veteran Chicago police officer was shot and killed by a woman who grabbed his gun during a struggle outside a police headquarters on the North Side early Wednesday morning, Supt. Jody Weis said.

Officers who responded to the scene at Belmont and Western Avenues around 2 a.m., then shot the woman several times, critically wounding her, authorities said.

Belmont District Officer Richard Francis, 60, was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center and pronounced dead just before 3 a.m., the Cook County medical examiner's office said. The unidentified woman was being treated at the same hospital.

"Our focus right now is on his family. It's a tragic loss for his family. It's a terrible loss for the Chicago Police Department," Weis said in a brief statement outside the hospital. "It's a stark reminder of what the dangers this department and its officers face everyday."

CLTV reporter Regina Waldroup's report from Illinois Masonic Hospital where the woman is under armed guard:

Stay with CLTV as we follow this story throughout the day. We plan to carry live any news conferences or events related to this story.

If you would like to express your condolences, please post them here and we'll read some of them on the air.

Governor Rod Blagojevich could be called the Rain Man of presidential history with his encyclopedic knowledge of the nation's top executives. He's a known admirer of the late President Richard Nixon and even got his picture taken with the 37th president.

Back in the early 70's, as the wolves of Watergate pursued him, eventually driving him from office, Nixon made his now-infamous declaration, "I'm not a crook."

Blagojevich has his own Nixonian problem, with his administration under siege by federal prosecutors.

And today he gave what could be called his "I'm not a crook," statement at a news conference in which he denied he's a target of the fed's probe:

"The answer is I am not, and, and, and, it's a ridiculous question. And you know it's a ridiculous question. Because if you carefully look at the things that have happened, and you're not just interested in sensationalizing something so you can, you know, do your big news story, you wouldn't even bother asking questions like that." - Rod R. Blagojevich

Here's the raw video we shot:

Does anyone but his staff believe him? And does it even matter? Whether he is ever charged or not, the fed's investigation has undoubtedly weakened him and emboldened his political enemies in Springfield like House Speaker Mike Madigan.

More importantly, in the eyes of many, all of this has put his ability to govern in question.

What are your thoughts?

From http://www.chicagotribune.com

Four people were shot, one fatally, in the Loop late Thursday as thousands of people streamed out of downtown after the city's Fourth of July fireworks display and the Taste of the Chicago.

Two of the shootings occurred about 10:40 p.m. roughly a block apart, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said.

Courtney Thomas, 19, of the 500 block of South Wood Street, was fatally shot in the head near Dearborn and Van Buren Streets, police said. He was taken in critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:22 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

A second victim, a 17-year-old male, was shot near Clark and Van Buren Streets, Langford said. Police Officer Laura Kubiak said he suffered a gunshot wound to the arm. He was treated and released from an area hospital.

Nearby, a 15-year-old male suffered a graze bullet wound to the head, and another male was shot in the buttocks. Both were treated at area hospitals and released, Kubiak said.

Police had one person in custody and recovered a weapon Thursday night in connection with the shootings near Dearborn and Van Buren, said Officer Amanda Greer. The shootings appeared to be gang-related, she said.

According to the Mayor's Office, more than a million people crowded the lakefront for the annual fireworks display, which ended shortly after 10 p.m. The Taste of Chicago in Grant Park closed for the night at 9 p.m.

Here's Regina Waldroup's story:

Does this make you think twice if your plans tonight include Grant Park?

Since August I have been to 9 weddings… I was a bridesmaid in 3 of them … this morning when I looked at my mail from yesterday hidden in between my American Express bill and my car note was a powder blue envelope with silver bells spread across.
Instantly I knew what it was … my heart began racing and my hands were shaking as I ripped open yet another invitation to a wedding.
I suddenly felt this intense pressure building up in me as I tried to figure out if I should attend the wedding. My life is sort of reminiscent to the movie “27 Dresses” except I haven’t been in 27 weddings… but the concept is the same … I am always the bridesmaid/wedding guest… never the bride.
But, I never really wanted to be the bride until I started attending all these weddings. A good male friend of mine and I had this conversation just this week. I always thought of myself as one of the chicks in the Destiny’s Child song “Independent Women”… a young Oprah in training – I’ve been always been hell bent on being my own woman.
I have goals and dreams that I want to achieve before I find myself saddled down to domesticity. I want to see the world and find out what it is I want from life before I start making promises and compromises to another
So the question really is do I want to be a bride or a wife? When I mentioned to one of my fellow producers that I would be blogging about weddings today she mentioned how she sometimes feels this overwhelming pressure to be married.
And I noticed that is a recurring sentiment with a lot of my female friends who are entering their late 20s. We have been fortunate enough to group up in an era were marriage doesn’t have to be our only option. We can vote, have an education, have a career … but yet our lives still feel incomplete without a diamond sparkler resting on our ring fingers.
My good male friend, lets call him Bob, Bob so kindly pointed out to me while we had dinner the other night that it would be extremely difficult for me to find a mate (which I already knew) because it would take a strong confident man to be with such a passionate and driven person as myself. It was kind of a backhanded complement, I know it wasn’t intentional – he was being sincere and speaking from the heart. But it made me think, why is a strong confident female a liability in a relationship and not an asset?
The last wedding I attended was one of my closest friends in college. She and her husband are perfect for each other … they are also in the early 20s. So as I sat at the reception I mentally catalogued all the aspects of this wedding (and the other 8 I attended before it) that I would like to some day incorporate into my own wedding.
Bob later asked me if attending all these weddings made me want to get married? I replied that it gave me great insight into planning one.
And so as a result I have it all planned out; the dress, the color scheme, flowers, cake, and table settings... Now, to some people that maybe a little crazy or neurotic but when you have been to so many weddings you can’t help but think of these things… and want them.
I now have almost as many close married friends as I do close single friends. We are 25 were suppose to be club hopping and jet setting… instead I’ve been attending bridal showers and dress fittings.
And please do not get me wrong I am extremely happy for all of my friends who have found their “happy ending” -- their perfect somebody. But I am tired of being asked when I am going to slow down and take the plunge and I am tired of feeling like maybe I should slow down and take the plunge. Like it’s a crime that I would rather pursue my dreams and goals right now then enter into a serious relationship.
It’s hard to be a woman in the broadcast business we have to make a lot of sacrifices.
My friends always think working in TV is a glamorous job … and it can be at time. I work a lot and I am always trying to find new ways to make my shows better. I am determined and driven and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.
My male cousin once told me not to be too picky when it came to guys. WHAT.
If guys can be picky about a women – I am damn sure going to be picky about guys.
Especially when it comes to marriage, it’s not to be entered into lightly. The 7 brides and 2 grooms whose weddings I have attended have all dated there now spouses for long periods of times, so the natural progression for them was marriage.
Each of them understands the role they now play as husband and wife. They understand the depths of what they have just committed themselves to. And they know that those vows are not to be taken lightly and with each thrill in life a tradgey will soon follow and it takes a strong firm relationship to see it out in the end.
But for some of my other gal pals they get overly giddy over the idea of marriage and its then that I know they want to be a bride and not a wife.

These are just the thoughts of a 20-somethinger ... please feel free to leave a comment

Afua
(Uh-fee-yah)
News Producer

I was fortunate enough to have July 4th off from work, to spend some well-deserved time with my family. After enjoying a day filled with good company and good eating, I sat down to watch the news at 10pm. My 6-year old nephew was sitting with me (he refused to go to sleep).

In the first five minutes of the news, we saw stories about a 2-year old boy who was accidentally shot with his father's gun, a followup on the murder of Chicago Police Officer Richard Francis, and a story on the shooting that killed one man and injured three others after the July 3rd fireworks at the Taste of Chicago.

My nephew turned to me and said, "Auntie, there's a lot of people being killed."

He's right.

It was a sobering end to the holiday for me. I'm truly puzzled by the violence. This weekend's shootings downtown once again sparked a bit of talk about how Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid will be affected by the violence in the city.

It's a conversation worth having. But the impact increased violence is having on the city's Olympic bid seems unimportant when you consider the impact it's having on Chicago's families and our young people.

What do you think?

With all the coverage surrounding the funeral of Chicago Police veteran Richard Francis,
I thought I would share a personal story stemming from my involvement in it.

Sunday, I was assigned to report from his wake at Cooney Funeral Home. For those of you familiar with Old Irving Park, you recall that Cooney's is located at the northwest corner of Irving Park Road and Springfield Avenue. Police requested that media remained confined to the southeast corner of this intersection- a request to which we happily and respectfully complied. To say we kept our distance would be an understatement.

But before I continue, I want to underscore that I understand fully and shamefully that the media-especially broadcast- is known to intrude and exploit the most private moments of grief from those who never asked to appear on television.

That's not what was happening Sunday.

It didn't stop two young cops from strutting past me with a smirk- clearly unmoved by this man's terrific sacrifice, to sneeringly spit out: "You're a carp. You're nothing but a bottom-feeder."

"Who me?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, youz," this 'deez, 'dem and 'doze guy proudly shot back.

Maybe he knows carp, but I prefer dover sole.

All kidding aside, bottom feeding was not the media's role in the past week's coverage of Officer Richard Francis.

Stories emerge almost weekly of police shootings of civilians emerging from circumstances to which we'll most likely never be allowed to be privy.

How about police brutality? Remember Commander Jon Burge?

But what have we heard about Officer Richard Francis since his tragic shooting death last Wednesday? Nothing but stories of everyday heroism. Stories about a man who loved his wife, loved his kids, and loved his job. Stories about an everyday guy who protected everyday citizens up until the very end.

At last- a story that illuminates the honest and quiet bravery of many of those who wear the city's blue.

What are 'doze guys complaining about?

Probably that we'll never honor them like we have done a deserving city servant like Richard Francis.

We've all heard about Lisa Stebic and Stacy Peterson but what about a missing 16-year-old named Yasmin Acree? Have you heard much about her? This African American teenager disappeared in January and hasn't been seen since.

Mary Mitchell wrote about it in yesterday's Chicago Sun Times http://www.suntimes.com/news/mitchell/1043755,CST-NWS-mitch08.article

What do you think? Does the news media pay enough attention to missing minorities?

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis is under fire, on the hot seat for the way his department handled security at the Taste of Chicago. I went to the food fest twice and never once felt scared or not safe at Grant Park. I also saw plenty of police walking around the festival, riding on bikes, and stationed at various corners. Some are saying there were not enough officers around Grant Park and not enough wagons to hold the bad guys. What's your thought? Bad guys are going to do bad things if they want to, no matter how many police are at an event. Police can't be everywhere. Do you blame the police or the parents for not keeping a closer eye on their children? Or is this part of a bigger problem? Can Police really stop all the violence or is it up to us to make a difference?

By now you have heard about Jesse Jackson's crude comments about Barack Obama, whispered off-camera during an appearance on Fox News.

Here's Regina Waldroup's report from this morning:

Regina went down to Hyde Park this morning to get reaction there.

What do you think? Text us at CLTV24. Or, you can leave a comment below.

I went on for two minutes Thursday night about the tragic circumstances surrounding the stabbing death of 31 year-old Adelina Weber, but had the constraints of television news allowed, my piece could have stretched much longer.

There's just so much to say.

My story centered on her family's lawsuit against the Waukegan Police Department, which alleges law enforcement showed a "conscious disregard for her safety" in the weeks after Adelina obtained an order of protection against her husband of six years, 58 year-old Clarence Weber.

Let's go over the facts-

He writes a threat on the wall, they say police brushed it off as the ravings of a drunk.

Their home burns down, and Clarence-a convicted arsonist- remained free.

She files for a divorce, and he asked her to meet him to talk.

She did. And she died.

"Had the Waukegan Police Department done what they were legally bound to do on May 5th (the day they found Clarence's threat), it's our contention that the murder never would have occured," says John Karnezis, who represents Adelina's family.

Perhaps not.

But Adelina had a job to do too, says Linda Healy, the executive director of Mutual Ground, Inc., a domestic violence shelter in Aurora.

"When he said let's meet, the answer should have been no," Healy contends. "Let the lawyers handle the divorce- just don't get into it. And knowing his record.....my God, she was just a sitting duck."

A sitting duck in a dangerous time, Healy adds. She says the period immediately following an at-risk woman's petition for a divorce is the time when "she is in the most danger."

Healy and I questioned the reasons behind Adelina's decision to meet with this man.

Healy said her cultural backgound could have played a role- Adelina is Hispanic, and Healy believed her to be most likely trained to submit to whatever her husband desires.

I noted the age difference- 27 years, by my count, which could have cast Clarence in a role more suited to father than husband.

Whatever the reason, Adelina felt obliged to meet him on Saturday, the day police say he stabbed her to death.

Whether there was an order of protection or not, Adelina didn't say no, and now her family has to speak for her.

As for police, their education on domestic violence has a long way to go should the allegations in the lawsuit prove true.

But Healy says in her 22 years in the field, cops have certainly come a long way. When police used to respond to domestic violence calls, she says they would take the man involved to the local bar to cool off- like adding kerosene to the fire.

What women may learn from this could be that the best way to extinguish rage.. is to remain far from it.

Adelina can no longer speak, but her tale cries... order of protection or not, women have to protect themselves.

What do you think? How could this have been prevented?

“I want to be famous” … those were the words this 12-year-old girl I used to mentor said to me when I asked her what do you want to be when you grow up. These are also the words of a song by the Pussycat Dolls.
What I have noticed as of late is that our teens and tweens have no common sense.
I mean when it comes to being tech savvy I am sure these kids could knock me off my rocker. But when it comes to the everyday basic knowledge… they got nothing.
And it bothers me.
These kids today are so busy trying to be grown that they are literally missing out on the best years of their lives. What I wouldn’t give to be 13 again– free of debt and stress.
When I was 12, I was still secretly playing with my Barbies and reading The Baby-Sitters Club books and trying to convince my mom that I was old enough to read the Sweet Valley High series. So forgive me for being thrown by the fact that kids to day are preparing to or are having sex by the age of 12.
I was sitting in my car yesterday outside of a beauty salon waiting for one of my friends to show up so we could get our eyebrows threaded (that’s a whole nother blog), when this little girl – she had to be like 11 -- walked out of the salon with her mother in the shortest shorts I have ever see on a child. She had make-up on and it appeared as if her eyebrows had been freshly arched. I sat in the car with my mouth wide open – thinking-- am I the only person that sees an issue here.
And she’s not the only one. You can’t go to the movies or the mall without running into these children obsessed with trying to look and act older.
Which brings me to Jamie Lynn Spears… omg, I was really upset to hear that Britney Spears’ little sister was expecting a child. You would think having witnessed your sister suffer a mental breakdown from living such an accelerated pace of life --- you would do all that you could not to go down that road. But, I digress… so here she is 16 and pregnant on the covers of magazines and a role model to millions.
ABC Family just launched a series “The Secret Life of an American Teenager” about a 16-year-old girl who gets pregnant and tries to hide it from her friends and family.
Okay, so I get that the big wigs in programming are trying to find topics that relate to teens – but since when did teenage pregnancy become cool?
I can’t help but wonder what happened? Its been 15 years since I was in the 5th grade, but I can tell you that I was not thinking about boyfriends and sex when I was 10. I was trying to convince my mom to let me paint my nails and busy doing my summer reading.
I am not a parent yet, but I have a niece -6 and a nephew -8 and I am so scared for them because if the generation after me is already hell bent on “living la vida loca “ – what is it going to be like for my niece and nephew when they are 15.
I went to this mom and pop store the other day to get some stuff for my mother and the store owner's 13 year old son was behind the register – struggling to add each of the items correctly. He had to re-ring the person in front of me because he added all the items incorrectly. When he got to me I had some items that were 4 for 18 dollars. I gave him a 20-dollar bill. He proceeded to add up each item on the calculator. I wanted to scream back at him – $2 -- you owe me two freaking dollars! You don’t need a calculator for that.
I think its time we stepped up and snatched our children back from the world of reality TV and video games.
So the next time we ask them what do you want to be when you grow up – we just might get a real profession like a doctor or a journalist… not Ali Lohan’s best friend.

These are just the thoughts of a 20-somethinger ...
please feel free to leave a comment
Afua (Uh-fee-yah) News Producer

Here’s a question: what do you do when you have a close friend that you want to be more than friends with?
If you tell the person you like them you risk losing your friend if they don’t feel the same way – plus you also have to face the mega embarrassment of being rejected.
They (the experts) always say your significant other should be your best friend and I couldn’t agree more.
But what happens if the relationship fizzles – can you really go back to being just friends?
Let’s look at Ross and Rachel from NBC’s hit sitcom Friends. Ross had a crush in high school on his younger sister’s best friend Rachel. Unbeknownst to Rachel, of course, its not until years later when they reconnect and Ross goes to China and comes back with a new girlfriend that Rachel realizes that she has a crush on him.
So they risk it all and get together and life couldn’t be any better until they break up… now because this a TV show we never really see just how awkward it must have been for the rest of the gang to hang around each other after the break up.
But if this was a real life situation – each of the friends would have had to coordinate schedules to make sure Ross and Rachel weren’t in the same room at the same time.
So I would like to take the time to look at the pros and cons of dating a friend.
Pros:
You get to skip the whole awkward getting to know you phase
They know all your likes and dislikes
You have the same group of friends
They know your flaws

Cons:
If the relationship fails – your friendship can too
Family and Mutual friends can become divided
Having to watch them re-enter the dating world

I may be missing some crucial pros or cons … but these are what some of my co-workers could come up with on the fly when I posed the question to them.
So what are your thoughts… can your best friend be your best girl or boy friend?

These are just the thoughts of a 20-somethinger ...
please feel free to leave a comment
Afua (Uh-fee-yah) News Producer

The cover of this week's New Yorker Magazine has really pissed off the Obama Camp. Check it out! It's called "The Politics of Fear."

It's a caricature of Sen. Barack Obama as Muslim, standing in the Oval Office with a flag burning in the fireplace and a painting of Osama bin Laden hanging on the wall. He gives a fist bump to his wife, Michelle Obama, who is pictured wearing military fatigues and an automatic rifle slung over her shoulder.

The New Yorker says the cover is meant to satirize "the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign."

The Obama Campaign released this statement:

"The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree."

A joke is only funny when people get it. But can the same be said when it comes to political humor? Is the point lost if the joke, or in this case cartoon invokes anger instead of an "amen" or at least a chuckle? What do you think, does this piece of political satire go too far?

CLTV will provide live coverage of the expected public grilling of Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis Tuesday by the Chicago City Council's Police and Fire Committee starting at 10am.

You can share your thoughts here before, during and after his appearance.

What questions do you think Weis should answer? How is he doing? How did he do?

We'll be airing your comments/questions/suggestions all day on CLTV.

CLTV will provide live coverage of the expected public grilling of Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis today by the Chicago City Council's Police and Fire Committee starting at 10am.

You can share your thoughts here during and after his appearance.

Here are some excerpts:

How is he doing? How did he do? Do you think he's the right man for the job?

We'll be airing your comments/questions/suggestions all day on CLTV.

If you away from you TV, you can watch a live stream of the hearing here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/

I have covered a lot of crime stories in my news career. But the one I covered this morning has made my heart hurt like it never has before.

Nine-year-old Mya Lyons was found as stabbed to death - and possibly sexually assaulted - early this morning in alley near her father's South Side home. Mya's father says the little girl was put to bed, but she somehow got out of the house. He told authorities that he later found her unresponsive in an alley and brought her to Jackson Park Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis responded to the Governor's offer to bring in State Police officers to help curb violence in the city today.

Though he said he's willing to take on more officers to assist in targeting higher crime areas, he added he's not sure why he and Mayor Daley weren't asked about the plan before an announcement was made at a press conference yesterday.

The mayor yesterday and Weis today truly seemed to be blindsided by the offer.

What's the true motivation behind it?

Perhaps it'll become more clear in the next few days.

As a taxpayer, it worries me that our leaders don't seem to be working together to solve this serious issue.

What do you think?

We'll be following reaction, including yours. Tune into Garrard McClendon Live tonight, he'll be taking your calls and asking for your opinion.

This story from the Sun Times caught our eye this morning:

The Chicago Police Department will quadruple its fleet of gas-guzzling Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs this year -- to more than 200 -- under a contract in the works sure to please Supt. Jody Weis.

Weis has argued that the Police Department's fleet -- 36 SUVs and 2,753 sedans -- is in "horrible" condition and that SUVs make more sense to get through Chicago's winters.

Chicago Police will add more than 200 new Chevy Tahoe Police Vehicles this year.

The average beat car is 2.6 years old and has 50,622 miles on it. The average unmarked vehicle is 2.9 years old with 41,285 miles.

Buying 165 more SUVs this year may not seem like the wisest move at a time when gas prices have been going through the roof.

What do you think?

She loved to ride her bike.

She loved to play with dolls.

She loved the color pink.

She was looking forward to going to Great America, and couldn't wait to turn 10.

By all accounts, 9-year old Mya Lyons was a sweet and innocent girl, who was unexpectedly taken away from her family and friends.

On Friday, there was some encouraging news in the case. Police were questioning a "person of interest" in Mya's murder. Her father found the girl dead in an alley near his home in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. Relatives say police told them she had been sexually assaulted and stabbed to death.

But now, nearly a week after this heinous crime, police are back to square one in their investigation. They released the "person of interest" from custody. No charges have been filed.

It's disappointing news for anyone who's been following this tragedy.

Mya was laid to rest on Saturday. The images of her grieving family saying goodbye were just heartbreaking.

I know police officers are working this case to the best of their ability. I hope they can catch Mya's killer soon.

Nothing can bring Mya back, but I think swift justice in this case will ease her family's pain and bring some relief to that entire community.

Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica is leading the charge to get rid of the one percent sales tax increase throughout the county. There are apparently seven commissioners on board in total, but nine are needed to repeal the hike. Do you think this will happen? And am I the only one wondering how in the world could this get voted for and then voted back down. Are taxpayers getting their message through to lawmakers? If so, should we all be paying attention to the power we have as agents of change? There has been outrage over the hike, but not a full taxpayer revolt. It seems some are listening, so this would be the time to have your voices heard by the people making the decisions for you.

I'm exhausted.

Today, I put in an honest day's work at the Chicago Fire Department training facility. I'm not the newest recruit- trust me, I could never make their cut- but today the folks at the C.F.D. were kind enough to welcome members of the media in for a glimpse and a go at the kind of exercises they perform every day.

Their regimen is certainly rigorous.

We started our day at their scuba facility, where I decked out in a "dry suit" and dove right in.

Drew Peterson is making the rounds today on national talk shows responding to yesterday's reports that conversations he had with friends proved his guilt. Friends wore wires and recorded conversations they had with the former Bolingbrook police office relating to the disappearance of his wife Stacy and the death of his ex-wife Kathleen Savio.
Below is a video timeline dating back to last November when reports of Stacy's disappearance first appeared on CLTV.

Greta Garbo and Monroe, Dietrich and DiMaggio.

Years ago, these icons of pop culture held influence over what did, said and thought. So much so that they're in Madonna's "Vogue".

Take a close look at the pictures above. Notice something?

They're all smoking.

Thing is, everyone who was anyone smoked in the first half of the 20th Century. It was a status symbol. Right?

When I looked out my window from the 15th floor of the Renaissance Hotel last week I was floored by the site I saw below. It was a sea of pink and green. There were thousands of African American women roaming the streets of D.C. (around 35,000).
They each had different economic status, different professions, different color complexions, but they all have one fundamental base in common.
They were all members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.
They were all a part of a legacy that preceded a women's right to vote, the NAACP, and the Civil Rights Movement.

The AP reported on a major brawl that broke out last night between the Peoria Chiefs (whose parent team is the Chicago Cubs) and the Dayton Dragons. The fight sent one fan to the hospital and 15 players were ejected from the game along with the teams' managers.
Watch WGN's video of the brawl after the jump.

Well, just barely. But that's what gasbuddy.com is reporting - $3.99 a gallon at the Citgo on the city's south side. They're also noting $3.75 in Glenwood.
So where can you go for a decent price for gas without wasting a tank to get there?

A Hillside bar and restaurant caught fire early this morning burning for hours near the Eisenhower Expressway. No injuries were reported but it too several neighborhood fire departments to get the fire under control. CLTV will be following the story throughout the day. Unedited footage of the fire and crews battling the blaze available after the jump.

As Drew Peterson left Will County Courthouse on Wednesday, he was greeted by the media and some "fans".

First, take a look at the exchange:

Okay, I've seen and heard it all.

"I love the Sisters," he said. Peterson was referring to the African American women who called out to him.

"I love you too, honey," yelled out one of them.

Really? REALLY.

I need to learn how to swim.

In the past few days, two young people have been found dead in swimming pools - one in Morgan Park - the other in Evergreen Park.
I cringed when I saw these stories - because they made me remember my near-death experience in the water.