You can't make this stuff up if you tried. At about 8 a.m. on Sunday morning on a CTA bus near Belmont and Milwaukee, a man claiming to be a "knife salesman" accidently tripped down the aisle of the bus and stabbed himself in the leg with one of his own knives, police News Affairs Office Laura Kubiak said. The man told police that he was a "knife salesman," selling knives out of his suitcase, and the stabbing was accidental, Kubiak said. Fire Media Affairs Dir. Larry Langford said that although the man lost a lot of blood, his injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

Take a look at the photo on the left -- a recent photo of former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa we first came across on Deadspin the other day. It was shot at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas when the slugger attended the Latin Grammys 2009 Person Of The Year Event Honoring singer Juan Gabriel. In addition to the ghostly skin, it also looks like Sosa's had some eye work done, too. The nose still looks to be stock, but we guess each starts their rebuilding process differently. Nobody can deny he looks very, very different from how he did even a couple years ago, as seen in photo on the right, taken when he testified to Congress about performance enhancing drugs. Some speculate that Sosa may be suffering from vitiligo like Michael Jackson but, in this case, caused by years of alleged steroid use.

In the market for some new digs? Have a couple million saved up for a rainy day? You're in luck: two of the most expensive properties in the Chicago area have just opened up.

By a narrow final margin of 220-215, the U.S. House passed the health care reform bill late last night. With the vote almost completely breaking along party lines, only one Republican - Joseph Cao of New Orleans, LA - voted yes while 39 Dems (none from Illinois) voted no. In an email statement, President Obama said, "This is a night to celebrate -- but not to rest. Those who voted for reform deserve our thanks, and the next phase of this fight has already begun.''

A 25-year-old babysitter received second-degree burns in a fire started by one of her charges in the South Side neighborhood of Roseland, Chicago Breaking News reports.

   

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The unseasonably awesome weather continues today as we'll see more sun sun sun and highs into the lower 70s once again. It's the kind of a day we'll be longing for soon enough, so no excuses. Get out there and have some fun. The turn around to cooler weather begins tomorrow and by mid-week we should be back to normal temperature readings. The pleasant weather will continue tonight, though, with clear skies and a low in the mid-50s.

Four people have been charged in a lottery ticket scam that swindled five victims out of $110,000 and targeted two others for $50,000, Chicago Breaking News reports.

The last three jurors and six alternates were selected in the trial of a man charged with the rape and murder of 11 South Side women in the 90s on Friday at the Criminal Courts Building, according to Chicago Breaking News.

With the 28th edition of Reeling, Chicago's very own Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival already gaying up movie screens all over the city, Chicagoist thought we'd take a closer look at a few of the titles being screened for you queer cinephiles out there. First up: Pornography: A Thriller, a film directed by David Kittredge, playing Sunday, Nov. 8 at the Landmark Theater.

Pantera, a 16-month-old black Labrador, recently joined the Chicago Police Department's organized crime division, as part of a new effort to recruit police dogs from shelters instead of expensive breeders. Pantera was adopted in May for only $98 by Officer Steve Martinez, who visited the Chicago Ridge Animal Welfare League close to half a dozen times before picking Pantera because of the dog's "high degree of maturity and strong drive," Martinez told the Chicago Tribune. Since completing his training in different drug detection techniques, Pantera is now the youngest certified narcotics detection dog in Chicago's history. Pantera has already helped police recover evidence and assisted in search warrant operations with the narcotics team, the department said.

Daniel Vincent, 28, Aurora, was accused on Friday of robbing a First Federal Bank in Lexington, Kentucky. Vincent previously served over five years in federal prison for admitting to robbing 16 banks. On Friday, Vincent led Kentucky police on a 25-mile chase after allegedly robbing a bank in Lexington, authorities reported. Vincent entered the First Federal Bank around 11:30 a.m., implied that he had a weapon, and left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, authorities said.

If you’re a fan of River North Dance (or even if you’re not) - you’re going to want to grab tickets to the company’s “20th Anniversary Fall Engagement” - the company won’t be in town again until February.