• Cook County Regional Supt. Charles Flowers was arrested today on theft charges stemming from, among other things, alleged misuse of public money.
• James Lewis, the suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisoning case, may want to distance himself from that novel of his.
• Life imitates The Hangover: A Kankakee police officer has been put on leave for an incident this week in which he allegedly tasered a junior high school student in an effort to show a few students how the taser worked.

• The Medill Innocence Project got the backing of some of journalism's heavy hitters today in their ongoing battle with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office over the Anthony McKinney case. Chicago Magazine also has a great read on the case.
• James W. Lewis, the main suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisoning case, is speaking out to maintain his innocence.
• Rahmbo is not only doing his best squash those rumors of a mayoral run, he's given Mayor Daley his stamp of approval for re-election in 2011.

James W. Lewis, the lone suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisoning case, made an appearance in Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge, Massachusetts earlier this week, the Boston Globe reports [via the Trib]. The hearing was allegedly addressing a grand jury subpoena Lewis was served with, ordering him to turn over DNA and fingerprint samples. Lewis' attorney, David E. Meier, would not comment on if such a hearing took place, saying such proceedings "are supposed to be secret precisely to protect the reputations of innocent people like James Lewis and his wife. To comment further would be irresponsible, unprofessional, and unethical.’’ Seven people in the Chicago area died in the fall of 1982 as a result of Extra-Strength Tylenol tablets tainted with cyanide. Lewis served time in prison for trying to extort money from Johnson & Johnson, sending them a note demanding $1 million to "stop the killing," but has always denied he was responsible for the tainted Tylenol. more ›

Among the more shocking incidents to rattle the Chicago-area were the "Tylenol murders" in 1982, when seven people died after ingesting Extra Strength Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide. Investigators determined that the pills had been taken from store shelves, tampered with, and replaced. A total of 8 poisoned bottles were eventually found. Area-wide warnings were issued -- we still remember the chilling announcement made over our junior high PA system telling us to avoid Tylenol products. The scare led to a recall of 31 million bottles of Tylenol products, and a revamping of over-the-counter drug packaging. The case was never solved. more ›