The lockdown at the Rubloff Building on Northwestern's Chicago campus has been lifted after a thorough search didn't turn up the reported gunman. However, according to one reader who emailed us from another building on the campus, police are still restricting access to all buildings. more ›

• Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg was completely evacuated this afternoon after a citizen reported seeing a man with a gun. After a subsequent search by police turned up nothing, the mall was reopened.
• A federal judge sentenced Paul Schiro to 20 years today. Schiro is the first defendant from the Family Secrets trials to be sentenced. While the jury had only convicted Schiro of racketeering, his sentence was longer because, according to the Sun-Times, "U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel found that the prosecution had proven by a preponderance of evidence that Schiro had helped kill [Emil] Vaci."
• Box maker Smurfit-Stone, who has a headquarters located here, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Such a filing would allow them to restructure their debt.

An unknown gunman went on a rampage inside a Lane Bryant store at Brookside Marketplace shopping center in south suburban Tinley Park earlier today, opening fire and killing five women. A police source is speculating that robbery was the motive, but the source had the same question we did -- why pick a clothing store to make your big score? more ›