A man has been charged with first degree murder after throwing a fire extinguisher down five floors to kill a homeless man. more ›

A 54-year-old Elgin woman faces a little extra trouble with the law now, after she showed up drunk to her trial for her sixth DUI charge. more ›

• Eight people were hospitalized when a city worker crashed their pick-up truck into a wedding photo shoot on the Near North Side.
• A 15-month-old toddler in Aurora died after his uncle backed over him with an SUV then fled the scene on Saturday.
• The car belonging to missing model Irma Sabanovic was found in the river near Goose Island.

Sitting at the intersection of Highland and Larkin in Elgin is the Sawyer Mansion, a little known piece of Chicagoland history that Nancy Farquhar and her family helped to restore and preserve for the past 12 years. Now the notable home is on its way to becoming a historic landmark as city council members gave preliminary approval this week to grant landmark status to the Farquhar's home at 806 W. Highland Ave. The decision could be finalized later this month. "It's a beautiful old home and it deserves to be maintained that way," Farquhar said to the TribLocal. "I love the sense of history to it and just feel honored we're able to carry on some of that tradition." more ›

It appears that Illinois isn't lacking in money at all as Elgin Mayor Ed Schock announced this week that Elgin would be receiving a grant of $8 million in state money to help revive its riverfront. Schock told the Chicago Tribune that "the money will enable [his] city to push ahead with a long-planned project along the Fox River." There is also hope that it will lead to other development projects. more ›

• A woman has filed a lawsuit against the CTA claiming she was dragged by a bus back in April.
• More trouble for Fast Eddie.
• FEMA has approved around $150 million in aid money stemming from this summer's floods.

We first heard about the mysterious medical condition known as "popcorn lung" almost exactly three years ago to the date, and now it seems the disease has struck again. Gerardo Solis, 45, a South Elgin factory worker, has been suffering from "popcorn lung" for several years. Since 1987, Solis worked for various popcorn and popcorn-flavoring plants in the Chicago area. Over time, he developed bronchiolitis obliterans--better known as "popcorn lung"--a disease that has destroyed 75 percent of his lungs. Last month, Solis was awarded $30.4 million against BASF, a supplier of a chemical called diacetyl that is found in butter-flavored microwave popcorn and gives butter its flavor. more ›

For local dogs, a round of good news hit the papers. Let's take a look: more ›

Elgin police shot six "aggressive" pit bulls while searching a home, the Daily Herald reports. more ›

• Things got heated at today's Cook County Commission vote on the tax roll back and WBEZ has the sound bites to prove it.
• The CTA is investigating rider claims that a door on a Red Line train stayed open as the train moved from the Addison to Sheridan stops just after midnight Sunday morning.
• A deal has been reached between the University of Illinois and striking graduate assistants.

When an Elgin woman jumped into the Fox River attempting suicide yesterday afternoon, a group of onlookers called 911 to report the incident; rescue divers pulled the woman, still alive, from the river not far from the bridge where she jumped in. It was a decision that officials say was the right call. Elgin Deputy Police Chief Jeffrey Swoboda said, "People like that you don't want to get too close because you don't know what their mindset is. Just keep an eye on them until we can show up...It's normal for people to want to do that, but realistically, it just makes it more difficult for the fire department when they get here. That water's really cold and it can put you in shock really quick, and you're not going to be much of a help to somebody at that point." Karen Beyer, the executive director of Ecker Center for Mental Health in Elgin, agreed that direct action can be risky, but suggested talking to the person threatening suicide. "You might try to bring the conversation around someone in their life who depends on them and loves them and would be hurt deeply if they died and they know it." more ›

It's a Chicagoist Choose Your Own Adventure: You're a mom. Your 13-year-old little girl comes home bawling after school one afternoon. "Why, daughter," you say, "Whatever could be the matter?" more ›

Remember when you found out through a series of zany sitcom plot twists time and again that telling little white lies will backfire on you? Well, an air-traffic control center in Elgin is learning that lesson the hard way; turns out fudging the truth isn’t so funny when you’re in charge of travel safety. more ›