Awesome timelapse video by Joshua Mellin more ›

A sculpture dedicated to the victims of the February 2008 campus shooting was unveiled earlier this week. Created by NIU alumni Bruce Niemi, the piece is made of stainless steel and called, "Remembered." Niemi said of his sculpture, "When I create a work, I try to make it be positive and uplifting. No matter how bad things are, there's always something good that can come out of it. I hope people can walk away with this with a feeling of calmness and piece of mind.'' The cost of the sculpture and its installation - $150,000 - was paid for by a special fund created for such a memorial. [Sun-Times, Northern Star] more ›

Fox 32 is reporting Michael Jackson's father Joe Jackson, as well as other unnamed family members, will be at tomorrow's memorial for the dead pop singer at Gary, Indiana's baseball stadium. Meanwhile, that House resolution for Michael Jackson? Nope, not gonna happen. more ›

Lots of media outlets will be live-streaming the Michael Jackson memorial, which starts in about 20 minutes, but we're going to pimp our sister site LAist who will be streaming it. Also, be sure to check out the main LAist site for all the latest on the Michael Jackson memorial and news. more ›

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 ›

It's been one year since a peaceful Valentine's Day on the campus of Northern Illinois University was shattered just after 3 p.m. by gunfire. Former student Stephen Kazmierczak opened fire on a class in a lecture hall in Cole Hall, ultimately injuring 21 and killing five; Kazmierczak then took his own life, bringing the death toll to six. It was the fourth deadliest university shooting in United States history and occurred less than a year after the Virginia Tech massacre. At a press conference the next day, NIU President Dr. John Peters said, "We will get through this together as a community." Classes were canceled and wouldn't resume until February 25th. more ›

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the tragic fire at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic school that ultimately claimed the lives of 92 children and three nuns. Over the past weekend, several vigils were held to remember the victims of the fire, including yesterday's public mass at Holy Family Church. Della Maffiola remembered her son Joseph, who was 10 when he was killed in the fire. "It feels like yesterday," she said. "It was like going back 50 years. I went back in time. You wait for your child's name. I couldn't light the candle. My hands were shaking." The ceremony also honored the survivors, firefighters, and other first responders involved in the tragedy. more ›