Haley Pelock, 19, of Chicago Heights was shot dead on Friday night inside a Chicago Heights home. She was believed to be home for Spring Break from college. As of late Saturday, police were questioning a person of interest. An autopsy of Pelock determined that she died of a gunshot wound to the chest. Her death was ruled to be a homicide. more ›

On Saturday night a man was struck and killed by a southbound CTA Red Line train, officials said via the Chicago Tribune. The collision occurred at the 87th Street stop, just before 9:30 p.m., CTA spokesman Wanda Taylor said to the Tribune. Details of how the collision occurred are not available. According to the Cook County medical examiner's office, the man appeared to be in his 30s and was dead on the scene. Power was restored to the track around 12:15 a.m. on Sunday. During the shutdown, service was normal between 79th Street and Howard, with shuttle buses operating between the 79th Street and 95th Street train stops, Taylor said. Two left lanes on the Dan Ryan Expressway were also closed until 11:35 p.m., according to an Illinois State Police District Chicago trooper. more ›

Candis Ricks, 29, a Streets and Sanitation department worker and mother of two, was killed on Saturday after an SUV and a car plowed into each other in Pilsen. Although there was an arrest following the crash, no charges have been filed as of Saturday night. The crash occurred in the 2100 block of South Damen around 1:30 a.m., as Ricks was traveling northbound on Damen in a Ford Escape SUV when her car was hit by a Ford Focus going west on 21st Street. The crash caused both vehicles to jump the curb and roll onto the sidewalk. more ›

Megan E. Duskey, 23, of the 3600 block of Melanie Lane in south suburban Crete, fell to her death at a Halloween party on Friday night after attempting to slide down a railing at the mezzanine level of the Palmer House Hotel, and instead falling to the basement level at about 10:30 p.m., police said to the Chicago Sun-Times. Sources said that Duskey was dressed in a black and yellow costume. Police said that she suffered head trauma and was pronounced dead on the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for later Sunday. Central District police are still investigating. more ›

Tragic news to begin the morning: a CFD firefighter died overnight from injuries sustained while battling a fire at West Loop restaurant Avec. Christopher Wheatley, 31, sustained fatal injuries when he slipped and fell 35 feet off a ladder as he was heading to the roof, carrying 75 pounds of equipment, to help battle a grease chute fire. The incident occurred just after 12:30 a.m. last night; Wheatley was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition where he was pronounced dead a short while later. Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff said at a press conference, “He was very, very well liked. He was a very hard worker. He was a paramedic firefighter, who always had a smile on his face. And he was extremely well-liked by all the men that worked with him, and the women. He was a paramedic for a long time, then he crossed over to be a firefighter." Wheatley was a paramedic from 2000 until 2008 when he joined the CFD. There was no word on the extent of damage to the restaurant. more ›

Earl Tavin, 18, of the 9100 block of South Cottage Grove Ave., died in car crash early Saturday on the Dan Ryan (I-94) at 69th Street, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office via the Chicago Sun-Times. Yet somehow, his body ended up in a South Side alley almost a mile away. Police are investigating how Tavin was struck and potentially dragged in the crash, which could have led to him winding up in the alley. more ›

The violent holiday weekend finished with another shooting death overnight, one of five people shot in the weekend's final hours. A 30-year-old man was found in the 200 block of East 115th St around 3:20 a.m. and was taken to Oak Lawn's Advocate Christ Medical Center where he was pronounced dead less than a half-hour later. It's the sixth reported death from weekend violence. Five other men were injured in separate shootings last night. more ›

Up to 20,000 bicyclists took to Lake Shore Drive yesterday morning for the annual Bike The Drive event and were greeted by beautiful, warm weather. But the event was marred by the death of a rider, identified as Larry Williams, 54, of Dolton. Witnesses say Williams fell off of his bike around the 2300 block of North Lake Shore Drive around 8 a.m. yesterday morning. Volunteers and fellow bikers responded, calling 911, and Williams was transported to Northwestern Memorial where he was pronounced dead. While the official cause of death won't be known until an autopsy is performed later today, reports indicate that Williams suffered a heart attack. Bike the Drive spokesperson Margo O'Hara said, "Every year we work to ensure all riders' safety during our events. We are very sad to hear of the death and we send our thoughts and condolences to the family." more ›

On Saturday, Chicago mob hit man, Harry Aleman, died of a terminal illness in a Downstate correctional center. He was 71. Aleman was serving a 100-to-300-year sentence for the 1972 murder of a Teamsters member. Sharyn Elman, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Corrections, confirmed that Aleman died at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, while in the prison infirmary at Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg. "There was no foul play," she said to the Chicago Sun-Times. more ›

A male body was found on Friday night inside a bag in an alley at 21 N. Dryden Place, just east of the Arlington Market Shopping Center in Arlington Heights. According to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office, the body was pronounced dead at 9:02 p.m. on the scene. An Arlington Heights police sergeant confirmed the location of the bag, but did not comment on its contents. The medical examiner's office said that an autopsy was scheduled for later in the day on Saturday. Arlington Heights police are still investigating, reported the Chicago Sun-Times. more ›

Four women died around 2 a.m. this morning when the car they were traveling in smashed into a tree in the South Side neighborhood of Englewood, Chicago police said. Police and paramedics responded to the crash on the westbound side of Garfield Boulevard just west of Morgan Street, said Police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro to Chicago Breaking News. The car was traveling west at a high speed when it went off the road and struck the tree, Alfaro said. more ›

Four men ranging in age from their early 20s to 30s died this morning when their car crashed and flipped over in Crest Hill, officials said. The names of the four men have not been released, but a family member of one of the deceased informed officials that they were all friends who had grown up together in Romeoville. more ›

Mahab Hassan, 26, of the 6700 block of N. Sheridan Rd., has been charged with starting an apartment fire in the Far North Side Rogers Park neighborhood on January 14 that killed one man and injured five other people. Hassan was charged with aggravated arson, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and first degree murder, according to police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli. Hassan was found on the North Side on January 15 with a loaded handgun. He was taken into custody and formally charged on Saturday at 11:30 p.m., Mirabelli said to the Chicago Sun-Times. more ›

Gaines Adams, a defensive end the Chicago Bears acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this season, has died according to a report out of South Carolina [via the Sun-Times]. Not other details are known other than he was taken to the Emergency Room at Self Regional in Greenwood, South Carolina. An autopsy will be performed today. more ›

At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, eleven-year-old Ryan Rames left his southwest suburban Minooka home to walk Sammie, his 1-year-old pet Yorkshire-Shih tzu mix. Around 12:45 p.m., his family reported him missing. A set of human and animal prints were spotted near a water retention pond. At 1:42 p.m., authorities pulled Rames and his dog from the water, however both later died. more ›

Kristina Rodriguez, 13, was crossing an intersection in Lake Zurich with another girl, 12, on Thursday when one of them dropped a cell phone. As Rodriguez leaned down to pick up the phone, she was struck by a van driven by a 60-year-old Barrington man, police said. Rodriguez died of her injuries early Saturday at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office said. more ›

Police in Aurora are investigating the death of an area man who died after a physical altercation with his roommate in an area nursing home, Chicago Breaking News reports. Randy Moons, 57, was pronounced dead "on Thursday at about 6:14 p.m.at Provena Mercy Medical Center" after the fight with his 55-year-old roommate, the report said. The roommate was questioned and released; an autopsy to determine the cause of death and whether criminal charges will be filed is pending. more ›

Today, there's a bittersweet addendum to the tragic story of Chicago boxer Francisco "Paco" Rodriguez who died late Sunday night after suffering fatal brain injuries during a boxing match last week. According to a statement on the boxer's website [via the Tribune], some of Rodriguez's organs have been donated, including a kidney that was given to his uncle; organs were reportedly donated to seven other recipients as well. more ›

A tragic story from Philadelphia where a Chicago-based boxer, Francisco Rodriguez, has died just two days after a fight. According to ESPN, Rodriguez's fight on Friday night with Teon Kennedy - for the vacant USBA super bantamweight championship - was stopped by technical knock-out in the 10th round after which Rodriguez collapsed; he was rushed to Hahnemann University Hospital where he underwent emergency brain surgery. Dominic Pesoli, his promoter, released a statement, saying, "Francisco was family to us and we all loved him very much. He was very popular with fight fans in Chicago and will be deeply missed." Rodriguez was 25. The Philadelphia Daily News has more on the fight and the fallout. more ›

Media outlets around the city are reporting that a body pulled from the Chicago River near Merchandise Mart early this morning is that of CPS Board of Education President Michael Scott. As of 9:00 a.m. this morning, police have yet to confirm the news but outlets such as the Tribune, Sun-Times, and ABC 7 (where Scott's wife, Diana Palomar, was vice president of community affairs) have reported the body as being Scott's. The body was discovered around 3:15 a.m. and Scott's car was found parked in a lot near the river; the body was pulled from the river around 4:30 a.m. Scott had last been seen yesterday evening around 6 p.m. after visiting his sister in a South Loop care facility, something family members said he did every Sunday. Scott's family later reported him missing. Neither police or the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office have confirmed the body was Scotts, though ABC 7 reports the CCME confirmed the body is an unidentified man, black, in his 50s. more ›

Jayla Ray, a two-year-old of the 1100 block of San Francisco Avenue, died of smoke inhalation after a fire on Friday night in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, officials reported to the Chicago Tribune. more ›

Derrion Albert, 16, was beaten to death in the midst of violent brawl yesterday afternoon. The brawl occurred yesterday afternoon around 3 p.m. near 111th and Wallace in Roseland. According to the Tribune: more ›

Two days after his death, while pieces of what happened are falling into place, plenty of questions still swirl around Christopher Kelly. An autopsy of former Blagojevich adviser Christopher Kelly proved inconclusive and the Cook County medical examiner's office claims they'll need more tests and investigations before they can rule on an official cause of death. Kelly was found by his girlfriend in his SUV late Friday night, parked in a lumber yard, and having swallowed a large number of pills - the Trib reports, "Tylenol wrappers and a large container of pills were found in Kelly's SUV." more ›

The Chicago Tribune is reporting two sources as saying that Christopher Kelly, a key player in the Rod Blagojevich investigation, is dead. more ›

Jesse Fortune, known the "Fortune Tellin' Man" and a contemporary of many Chicago's most famous blues legends has died. Fortune, 79, collapsed on stage during his first performance at Gene's Playmate Lounge (4239 W. Cermak). Fortune was pronounced dead at Mt. Sinai Hospital at 12:51 a.m. According to his biography, he performed with many of Chicago's all-stars, including Otis Rush and Buddy Guy. Fortune is one of several notable blues deaths this year including Koko Taylor on the eve of Bluesfest. more ›

U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) has passed away at the age of 77 from brain cancer. Our mother site Gothamist has more on the passing of the legendary (and occasionally embattled) Senator and the Sun-Times has some great photos of Kennedy on visits to Chicago. more ›

• The tragic story of a 9-year-old boy who died while visiting a South Side construction site with his father today.
• Chicago Public Schools are pushing for a $43 million property tax increase; that breaks down to about $18 more a year for property owners.
• That fuel surcharge on city cabs goes back into effect on Thursday.

A DuPage County woman has been accused of attempting to defraud her employer of $25,000 by claiming her daughter and husband had died, the Daily Herald reports. more ›

An Irish student died Saturday evening, days after suffering injuries from jumping off the North Avenue pier, according to Chicago Breaking News. While walking on the pier with his girlfriend and friends, Keith O’Reilly, 22, dove off the pier and into the shallow water below early Thursday morning. O’Reilly struck his head on the rocks at the lake bottom. According to Chicago Breaking News, there are “unconfirmed reports” that O’Reilly had been drinking. [Chicago Breaking News] more ›