Terri Bollinger, the principal at Ridge Central Elementary School in Chicago Ridge, promised back in October that she would kiss a cow if her students read over 10,000 books by the end of the school year. Naturally, then, her students managed to tally a total of 11,014 books read, and she found herself actually kissing a cow yesterday afternoon. The cow, named Stella, is owned by Bollinger’s cousin. more ›

United Airlines is apologizing for its worst December ever. They canceled nearly 5 percent of flights, less than half their departures wer on time, and the average delay was 64 minutes.The company blames the weather; its employees blame mismanagment and understaffing.[Trib] more ›

At first glance, we thought the story of the mom who left her kid in the mall to "teach him a lesson" was a classic case of parents misunderstanding what punishment is — like when a kid is sent to his room full of video games, TV and other toys for a time out. That was before we realized that she actually left the mall, and that the child was just 6 years old. more ›

Illinois-wide roundup. Holla! Steve Skoklo faces up to three years in prison if he's convicted on charges of animal cruelty. He allegedly killed a kitten by slamming it against a door frame and throwing it to the floor. At a bar. In front of a bunch of people who were petting the stray. A Harvey woman who tried to sever her Rottweiler's tail with a meat cleaver — in her driveway — was charged with... more ›

Speaking from experience, pet owners can often go overboard in treating their pets as "a part of the family." Just the other night we treated Emmy to some slices of duck salami and Fleur de Maquis cheese from Pastoral's new Loop location. We've also been known to bake our own dog biscuits. Which makes a story we read in today's Sun-Times warm us even more. Ted Lownik, a part-time Barraco's pizza deliveryman, has been delivering... more ›

"Welcome to our store!" by kookybites. more ›

"Palm Terrace" via kookybites. more ›

"Old St. Mary's" via mattsabo17. more ›

John McNally, author of “The Book of Ralph”, is a prolific writer. Originally a Southside Chicago native, McNally has written two novels; his short fiction has appeared in over 30 publications; he has edited five anthologies and has won countless awards and fellowships. more ›

Your favorite small-screen theater might have a “Closed” or “For Sale” sign on it soon thanks to the AMC/Loews merger. more ›