Well, this seems inevitable. The insane amounts of hype and anticipation around Next restaurant's new Thai menu led to a collapse of their computer systems last night when tickets finally went on sale. What Time Out's David Tamarkin called an "explosion of bourgeoise anger and first-world vitriol" (and we call just another example of why anonymous internet commenting leads people to be idiots) happened on the Next Facebook page, reminding us that you're only popular until you're not. more ›

Apparently, Facebook has been crashing all afternoon. And, apparently, it's really big news. We're sure some offices across the city are only moments away from something similar to this. more ›

Two people were killed and three injured in an overnight car chase involving police that began in Calumet City and ending in Chicago. The incident began shortly after 1 a.m. when a motorist called police to report that someone in a vehicle driving alongside hers flashed a gun at her. Police found the suspected car and tried to pull it over as it was a car that had been reported stolen in a carjacking but the car took off. A chase ensued through through Riverdale, Dolton and Calumet Park and ended on the far South Side when the car crashed near a McDonald's at 114th Street and Halsted. All five people in the car - two women and three men - were ejected; one woman was reported dead at the scene and a male was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center where he later died. The three other passengers were last reported in extremely critical condition, the second woman at Advocate, the two other men at Stroger Hospital. No pedestrians were hurt and police reportedly recovered a weapon at the scene. more ›

No, it wasn't a scene from Transformers 3 filming around downtown. It was a very real crash that hurt seven people and sent four to the hospital as a crash sent a cab into a 7-11 store at the corner of Wabash and Adams late last night. The cab was travelling west on Adams when another driver, shooting south on Wabash in a Toyota Corolla, ran a red light at the intersection and crashed into the cab, sending it careening into the store. The offending car crashed into a newstand outside the store. Both drivers, a passenger from the Corolla, and a pedestrian were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries and three people hurt at the scene refused treatment. The driver of the Corolla was charged with with disobeying the traffic signal and no insurance. more ›

Count us among the people woken up by those big overnight storms that rumbled through the area. Besides providing us with a vivid edition of Mother Nature's Fireworks show, the storms also caused a bit of havoc. Residual minor delays were still being felt this morning at the city's airports as some East Coast-bound flights at both O'Hare and Midway were facing delays in the 20-30 minute range. The storm also cut power to almost 19,000 ComEd customers both in the city and in the suburbs. Lightning is being blamed for several small fires that were reported overnight. And as of this morning, one traffic death was being blamed on the storm. The accident occurred on 47th Street near Halsted; police say a driver was speeding - as fast as 70 mph - in torrential rains when wet streets caused him to lose control of his car and crash into a telephone pole. The deluge prompted a flash flood watch for the area and the National Weather Service isn't ruling out even more storms later this afternoon and evening despite the break - and sunny skies - we have now. more ›

Police have arrested a man in connection with a Monday morning burglary that Sgt. Alan Haymaker was responding to when he crashed his patrol car and died. Larry Brown was arrested on one count of felony burglary but there have been no murder charges filed against Brown. Earlier this week, Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis mentioned murder charges would be considered in the case. But upon Brown's arrest, Cook County State’s Attorney spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said, "There is not sufficient legal basis to charge the offender...in connection with the death of Sgt. Haymaker. While we certainly understand the pain and anguish felt by the Chicago Police Department in the wake of this tragedy, we don’t have the evidence that would be required to meet the burden of proof to sustain a felony murder charge.” more ›

As the Chicago Police Department reels from the death of 21-year department veteran, Sgt. Alan Haymaker, CPD Supt. Jody Weis is mulling murder charges for burglary suspects who he suggest should be held responsible for Haymaker's death. Haymaker died early Monday morning when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving down Lake Shore Drive and slammed into a tree. He was responding to a reported burglary at a cell phone store in the 3100 block of N. Clark Street. Weis says that he's now in talks with the Cook County state's attorney's office about possibly charging the burglars with felony murder should they be caught. Said Weis, "Under Illinois statutes it appears they could be charged with murder... that is something I think that we'll be looking at with the state's attorney's office. But I think it's something that we certainly will consider." Experts the Tribune talked to seemed skeptical about the possibility such charges would stick because it would have to be proved "the burglar should have foreseen his actions could cause the death of a police officer responding to the burglary." more ›

More information has been released on the Chicago Police officer who died this morning after his patrol car struck a tree on Lake Shore Drive near Irving Park Road. The officer was identified as 56-year-old Sgt. Alan Haymaker, a 21-year veteran of the CPD assigned to the Town Hall District and a second generation officer (his father and uncle were also officers). Sources told the Tribune that Haymaker was en route to the scene of a reported burglary when the crash occurred. The Trib has more on Haymaker including testimonials from friends and family. more ›

Sad news to start our week with. A Chicago Police officer has died following an early morning crash on Lakeshore Drive near Irving Park Rd. The accident occurred around 5:15 a.m. this morning when the officer, driving southbound, struck a tree in the median. Additional details of the accident, including the officer's name, haven't yet been made available. [Tribune, WBBM] more ›

• Two Metra workers have been suspended after a weekend incident in which a young boy's foot got caught in a train's closing doors.
• Our thoughts and prayers go to the family of Sergeant Albert Ware, a Chicago soldier killed by an IED in Afghanistan last week.
• Edward Stapinski, the Lockport police officer involved in a deadly car crash on the Stevenson Sunday night, is being held on $750,000 bond. Stapinski's blood-alcohol level was allegedly three times the legal limit upon his arrest.

A CTA bus crashed into a South Side home this morning, injuring four; none of the injuries were described as life-threatening. The crash happened at a house at the intersection of 115th Street and Vincennes Avenue. The bus, a No. 111 Pullman/111th/115th bus, was, according to the Tribune, "traveling south on Vincennes when it hit the south side of the house." According to the Sun-Times report, vehicles (it's unclear if that includes "CTA buses") have narrowly missed barreling into the house twice in the past year. A neighbor told the S-T, "Every time the buses take the left turn [southbound on Vincennes onto 115th Street] they speed. They go fast around that corner." That said, the CTA is still investigating and hasn't given an official reason as to how the bus missed the street and hit the house instead. more ›

• On again, off again: the abortion notification law is on hold once more after a judge issued a restraining order on it this afternoon at the request of the ACLU.
• According to prosecutors, the man accused of causing a wreck that killed a pregnant mother and the baby - delivered by emergency c-section after the crash - had cocaine in his system at the time of the crash.
• Mick Dumke breaks down Mayor Daley's interview with WBEZ from earlier in the week.

• A barricade situation on the city's West Side was peacefully resolved this afternoon.
• An off-duty Chicago Police officer was killed in an early morning car crash on the Kennedy Expressway.
• Kirk Dillard got an endorsement in his race for governor from former governor Jim Edgar.

After six years of silence, former Gov. Ryan chief-of-staff Scott Fawell and his co-defendant and fiancée, Andrea Coutretsis finally spoke out on Ryan, prison, and even the 1994 crash that killed the six Willis children, appearing on WTTW's Chicago Tonight to talk to Carol Marin. more ›

Aside from the usual fender-benders, the Bishop Ford Expressway has had a rough week that's made travel on the highway treacherous. First was yesterday's chemical spill which closed the outbound lanes for a good chunk of yesterday. And today a crash between a car and truck shut down two southbound lanes near where the chemical leak happened yesterday. Six people were injured in the wreck - three children - but reports say none of the injuries were serious. more ›

• CPS officials are boasting about higher test scores, but are they misleading?
• Police caught a man accused of a rape in Logan Square.
• An Amtrak train bound for Chicago crashed into a sedan today, killing all five people in the car.

Several passengers on a CTA bus were injured last night when a teenager trying to escape a police chase crashed the stolen car he was driving into the bus. The incident happened shortly before midnight last night. One officer saw the reported stolen car and began pursuit; other officers followed and a chase ensued. The driver blew through a stop sign at 79th and Perry and crashed into a No. 79 bus. Eight people on board the bus were injured but were all listed in good condition at Stroger Hospital as was the driver of the car who is now in police custody. A passenger who was in the car was in good condition but not charged with anything. [CBS 2, CBN] more ›

• Amid the latest controversy for Sen. Roland Burris comes word his counterpart, Sen. Dick Durbin, will not support Burris in the 2010 election.
• A judge ruled that residents near Grant Park who oppose the new Children's Museum were given proper notice of the new plans.
• Strange story out of Gary where four bodies were found in a vacant funeral home that was recently sold at a tax sale.

Yesterday, on the 30th anniversary of the incident, we looked back at the horrific crash of American Airlines Flight 191. Now, families of some of the crash's victims say they think a memorial is in order. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole talked to sisters Kim Jockl and Melody Smith, whose parents died in the crash. Said Smith, "If people can find some peace, they need to have a place to do that." There's currently only one local memorial: a park in Northbrook named after Larry Fink. But the sisters have started an online petition they hope spreads the word and will lead to a more permanent memorial to all the victims who died in the crash. more ›

A crash between a CTA Brown Line train and a truck on the Northwest side (near Lawrence and Kedzie) has caused some major delays on the Brown Line (and snarled traffic). Be sure to follow the CTA site for more details. more ›

more ›

A No. 67 bus traveling west on West 69th Street was involved in a collision at South Racine earlier this afternoon. While details are still coming in, it appears as if another vehicle and a bicycle were involved in the crash. A total of 16 people were examined at the scene and nine have been sent to area hospitals as a result of the crash, including one in serious-to-critical condition. more ›

More than 20 people were injured this morning when a vehicle rear-ended a No. 12 Roosevelt bus near the intersection of Roosevelt Rd. and Blue Island Ave (close to St. Ignatius College Prep). Over 15 bus passengers required medical attention, all from minor injuries according to a CTA spokeswoman. A Chicago Fire Dept. spokesman said a total of 23 people were reported in fair condition and one in serious-to-critical condition at the scene. Over a dozen ambulances were ready to take injured passengers to hospitals though exactly how many would require hospitalization is still unknown. more ›

A crash between a cab and a car sent the cab careening into the Starbucks at North Ave. and Wells St. early this morning. Each car only had a driver and no pedestrians were hurt. Both drivers were being treated for injuries at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, but neither were believed to be serious. more ›

Despite earlier statements saying that WBIG's tower lights were lit at the time of the Air Angels crash that killed 4 people, station owner Rick Jakle certainly breathed a sigh of relief when security video independently confirmed that the lights were indeed illuminated. The Tribune reports that a security camera at the Route 59 Metra station, pointing north, indicated that the lights were flashing up to 11:58 pm, the time of the crash, and Suburban Chicago News reports that the NTSB has confirmed it as well. Neither the helicopter or the crash were visible on the video. more ›

Four people, including a one-year-old baby, were killed when a medical helicopter bound for Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital clipped a WBIG radio tower and crashed in a field in Aurora. Besides the girl, a pilot, nurse, and paramedic were killed by the crash; no one on the ground was injured. The Air Angels copter flight had originated from Valley West Hospital in Sandwich. The helicopter clipped the tower shortly before midnight, but officials are speculating there may have been problems with the flight already because it was flying so low; under normal conditions, the copter should not have been flying low enough to hit the tower (the height of which ranges from 690 to 750 feet, depending on which media outlet's info you believe). Residents of a nearby apartment complex were evacuated for fear of damage from guide wires in the event the damaged tower collapsed. more ›

Trib says four, Sun-Times says three people were taken to area hospitals when when a car driven by an elderly woman plowed into a West Rogers Park Starbucks. There is no evidence the driver of the car was intoxicated, or hyped up on cafinated beverages. [S-T, Trib] more ›

American Airlines has been taking it on the chin in recent weeks, from having their flights grounded for inspections to their announcement this week that they're charging an extra fee for luggage to make up for rising fuel prices. This week, we revisit one of the more tragic moments in American Airlines history. more ›

Truck driver Vincente Zepeda was sentenced to four years in prison for reckless homicide for a 2003 tollway crash that killed eight women. They were tour bus passengers on their way home from a garden tour in Rockford, Il. The crash, which also injured 15 people, happened at a high traffic construction zone near the Hampshire-Marengo toll plaza on the Jane Adams Memorial Highway. more ›

ABC-7 hasn’t missed a beat in their 10 p.m. broadcast, despite a minivan crashing through their glass-front studio. Their Web site says the news team was startled, and police arrived on the scene shortly after. By the sports segment at 20 minutes past the hour, the crew was joking that it was chilly in the studio like a Bears game. more ›