Congratulations to Jamie Riley of North Riverside. The 27-year-old was out celebrating a case involving her that DCFS dropped when she was arrested for public intoxication and child endangerment. Police found Riley carrying her 3-month-old under her arm, like a football. The child was treated for a minor injury. more ›

Police have filed charges against a relative of 5-year-old Jonathan Jackson, who died earlier this week when he was accidentally shot by his twin brother. Antoine Heard, 17, was charged with one count of endangering a child causing death for bringing the gun that was used in the incident into the house where the boys lived. The boys apparently discovered the gun and, thinking it was a toy gun, began playing with it. The gun fired, shooting Jonathon in the stomach. He was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Medical examiners have since confirmed that Jonathan had been shot by his brother. more ›

The grandmother of a one-year-old child who was hospitalized after ingesting traces of cocaine and PCP is now facing child endangerment charges. Yolanda Beck, 37, allegedly left pieces of foil with traces of the drugs in her home within the child's reaching distance, which we believe Benjamin Spock said was a no-no. The child got hold of the foil and put it in his mouth, ingesting the drugs. He was later taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was treated. After a police search of the home, where Beck lives with the child's family, turned up drug paraphernalia, she admitted to smoking the drugs earlier that day. more ›

• Besides the income tax increase, Gov. Quinn is also asking for a sales tax holiday timed to benefit back-to-school shoppers.
• How about that? There's something in the city Mayor Daley sell off.
• Progress Illinois has more on today's CPS student walk-out.

A woman was charged with child endangerment last night for passing out in front of her home with her barefoot two-year-old child. Maria Corona faces the charges after she was allegedly found drunk and passed out in the snow while her only had some light "outer garments" and no shoes. The child was treated for cold exposure. [Sun-Times] more ›

It's almost a cliche: a person is accused of a heinous crime and people come out of the woodwork to tell media that, "that doesn't sound like the person we know. And it's holding true today. Friends and neighbors of Melissa Calusinski, the 22-year-old day care center aide accused of first degree murder in the death of 16-month-old Benjamin Kingan, said that Calusinski was a hard working young woman who spoke of how she loved children. more ›

Charlene D. Cheatem, the mother of three children who died in a fire earlier this week has been charged with three counts of felony child endangerment resulting in death. Cheatem admitted she left the children alone in the house without adult supervision while she took another child to school and visited a sick relative. The three children who died were: Sharell Gates, 3, Tyrel Gates, 2, and Jimmy Gates, 7 months old. A fourth sibling was rescued from the fire and reported in fair condition at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire but initial reports show it could be a space heater as the gas to the building had been cut off. more ›

Erika Ramirez, 29, has been charged with four counts of child endangerment stemming from an early Monday morning fire that killed two of her children and injured two others. Ramirez left the four children - ages 6, 7, 9, and 11 - alone at her house in the 7200 block of South Troy Street so she and her boyfriend could watch a freaking pool game at a nearby bar. The blaze killed Perla Gonzalez, 6, and Carla Gonzalez, 9, and the other two children, Victor Ramirez, 11, and Esmeralda Gonzalez, 7, were rescued by police. While a cause has not officially been identified, an overloaded electrical outlet is being cited as a potential cause. There is also a possibility that one of the children plugged in a small space heater. The kicker? Ramirez has previously pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges in 2000. more ›