Police announced today that they believe Anu Solanki is alive and with a male companion. Investigators used her cell phone records to connect her to 23-year-old Karan Jani of California. Solanki, who hasn't been heard from since Monday, was in contact with Jani several times the day she disappeared, and police say they think the two are in a rental car. If you see Solanki or Jani, give the Cook County Sheriff's office a jingle (847-294-4733)--she's still a missing person. And if you have a USC log-in, please let us know what Jani's Facebook profile says. more ›

The Lake County Sheriff says the crash that killed 14 horses was "completely avoidable and inexcusable." The driver, James E. Anderson, 34 of North Dakota, was hauling 59 Belgian draft horses in a double-decker semi truck. He's been charged with disobeying a traffic control device and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and he may face additional charges. Apparently 59 horses is way too many to pack in one truck; according to one... more ›

LAist began the month with a new food series exploring the popular and unknown late night eats around town. If a Top Chef winner opened up a late night spot in Los Angeles, denizens would flock it, yet the LA Times and other media might be wary. Turning to sports, the Dodger season was quite memorable in the way that it imploded and the LA County Sheriff's Department made some games of their own... more ›

Edward Kearns spent Father's Day in jail Sunday. Kearns, who owes more than $112,000 in child support for three kids, was among 130 deadbeat dads who were arrested by Cook County Sheriff's Police during a week-long "Operation Father's Pay." Pretty bizarre: An off-duty Chicago police officer has been found dead in a gangway near his home in Pilsen; They think he possibly fell off his deck. Businesses are making way for Barney's and those... more ›

Vito Zaccaro was working at Cook County ... that is Stroger Hospital as a Cook County Sheriff's officer when the inmate he was guarding pulled a shank on him, stabbed him in the neck and wrestled with him for his gun. Losing blood from his neck, he retained control of his weapon, and chased down Willis Reese in his attempt to escape. Now, two months later, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's office has denied... more ›

Welcome back to This Week in Stupid. TWIS went on a brief hiatus, but we'll be back every Friday to wrap up the week's most ridiculous stories of critters, crime and confusion. Forgive our brevity today, we're just getting back into the swing of things. This week is a hodgepodge of hair, shoes and ... honesty? While the corruption in the Chicago Police Department seems to broaden with each passing day, cops in Wisconsin seem... more ›

Late last month the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to disband the Stroger Hospital Police Department, in response to allegations of abuse and unnecessary roughness. You may remember back in September when three Stroger Hospital police officers were accused of pulling a 77-year-old man from his car and beating him in front of the medical center. And last month Sun-Times reporter Steve Patterson was "roughed up and manhandled" by that same police force as... more ›

Hot property edition: sometimes, stolen goods just have a way of finding their way back home. Usually this is due to the theives themselves; they wouldn't necessarily be in that business if they had good judgment. But if you just can't wait to get your prized possessions back, you can always tell the cops your children were kidnapped. That seems like a good idea. more ›

We hope you're reading this weekend's blotter on a laptop outside somewhere. A homeless woman is being questioned concerning a fatal fire in Wrigleyville Saturday morning. Around 7 a.m. a fire broke out in a three-story apartment building at 3553 N. Fremont in a stairwell, quickly spreading throughout the structure. Three unidentified men and one woman, 24-year-old Jennifer Carlson, were found dead. Witnesses saw an unkempt woman hovering around three smaller fires the previous night... more ›

Here's the scenario: Cook County's in the hole by about $500 million. Infamous Board President Todd Stroger wants to slash jobs without raising taxes, which has many people up in arms, including newly elected Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. Stroger wants to dispose of some of Dart's courtroom staff and police force. What's a rookie sheriff of the most populated county in Illinois to do? more ›

The battle over cuts to the Cook County budget intensified this week, and is expected to get hotter in the coming weeks. Hundreds of people, from county health care workers to community activists to patients turned out en masse at the first of several public hearings over Todd Stroger's proposed budget cuts. Targeting long-term care at some county facilities and slashing the number of Sheriff's police, Stroger, who was noticeably absent from Tuesday's hearing, said... more ›

There are some things in life you just need to know. Basic truths, if you will. For instance, tollbooths, gas stations and nuclear power plants are all very different things and serve very different purposes. Also, firework stores are flammable, don’t run from the cops smelling like tasty food, and the brake is on the left. Just some things to keep in mind. more ›

Chicagoist is an animal lover, which is why it makes us sad when bad things happen to animals. We don’t like to see any animal harmed, even the fake plastic ones. And we also don’t like it when stupid people act like animals. It gives the animals a bad name, and they don’t deserve it. more ›

The primary election results are in, and here are some of the candidates you will see on the ballot in the November election: Governor-Democrat: Rod Blagojevich (70.1%) This was no surprise since Eisendrath never seemed to get his campaign off the ground. We know a lot of people who voted Eisendrath as part of showing their disapproval towards Blago. Governor-Republican: Judy Baar Topinka (38.0%) Topinka held off a late surge from Oberweis, who early on... more ›

Chicagoist believes that the concept of homeland security is all about a delicate balance between feeling safe and being constantly reminded that you're supposed to be wet-your-pants scared every time you set foot in a crowded public place. We were acquainted with this notion when we took our first overseas trip as a teenager. Those soldiers with M-16s in the Frankfort airport sure looked like they could handle any trouble that came our way, but holy crap, what was so freaking scary that they had to wave a machine gun around at the tourists? This concept is old hat in most of the world and it's only made itself comfortable here in the States since Sept. 11, but the same rules apply. Those German shepherds at the train stations look like they can tear ass on any troublemakers, but are any of those bad guys around? Did you see one? What's that guy doing with his bag over there? Shit, get me off this train! more ›

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Okay, so not yet, but there will be. more ›

Chicagoist has never served on a jury so we can only imagine what a mind-numbing inconvenience it is, even with the sexiest of cases. However, we're not so sure even we can condone a juror whipping out a cell phone and texting away. more ›

Not to tread on Will and Kit's territory, but Michael Sneed made a mistake in today's column that could leave some Sneedlings all wet, and cold, for nothing. In her column she reports: Brrrrrr... Police Supt. Phil Cline, whose success at lowering crime stats is being reported nationally, will take a polar plunge this weekend. *Translation: Cline and fellow top cop, Cook County Sheriff Mike Sheahan, will plunge into the frozen waters of Lake Michigan... more ›

If movies about time travel with overweight angels don't convince you that Christmas miracles do occur, try this heart-warming story about "Tess" the cancerous K-9. It didn't convince us either. Tess is a 7-year-old German shepard and a former member of the DuPage County Sheriff's Police Department's K-9 unit. In November Tess was asked to leave the unit after the sheriff learned she'd been diagnosed with kidney cancer. Tess sniffed out human remains for the... more ›