If the coyote population in the suburbs were simply content with grabbing a toasty sub once in a while, the western suburb of Wheaton might not have decided to hire a trapper to catch and kill -- er, "euthanize" -- the coyotes wandering around their village. Citing safety concerns, Wheaton officials want to cull the number of coyotes, despite the fact that the only victims so far are pets, not humans. Councilman John Prendiville was a dissenter, telling the Daily Herald that if "a particular animal attacks or actively threatens humans, [he] would take action against that animal... Revenge for the death of a pet is not sufficient reason for killing coyotes." more ›

• The Wheaton Police Department was evacuated today after a box of explosives was found in a parking lot outside the building.
• The unionized workers of another Sun-Times Media Group paper rejected the demands of businessman James Tyree's bid for the company even as STMG CEO Jeremy Halbreich began visiting newsrooms in an effort to drum up support.
• Former Blagojevich adviser Christopher Kelly, who committed suicide over the weekend, was laid to rest today.

• Charges have been brought against the woman who abandoned her baby in a Wheaton yard last week.
• The Sun-Times investigates the use of "company cars" by employees of, ironically, the CTA.
• Chicago Public Schools are going into overdrive this summer to make sure students come back next fall.

• Stop us if you've heard this one before: so the CTA is threatening fare hikes and service cuts...
• The City Council today voted to ban baby bottles and sip cups using the chemical BPA.
• Gov. Quinn is standing by his budget and insisting there's no more room for cuts.

Thomas Urbik from suburban Wheaton is on the crew of the Liberty Sun ship, which was attacked Tuesday by Somali pirates -- one of four ships attacked yesterday as "vengeance" for the five pirates killed in other rescue attempts last weekend. Unlike other ships where "oil for ransom" has been the target, the Liberty Sun was carrying food aid to Africa. Urbik was able to keep in contact with his family at home via email, telling them, "We are under attack by pirates, we are being hit by rockets. Also bullets. We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no one is hurt. a rocket penetrated the bulkhead but the hole is small. Small fire too but put out. Navy is on the way and helos and ships are coming. I'll try to send you another message soon. got to go now. I love you mom and dad and all my brothers and family." Fortunately the attackers did not board the ship, and by the time the USS Bainbridge destroyer arrived to the rescue, they had already left. A French warship that is part of the EU piracy patrol was able to capture all 11 pirates hours later. [D-H] more ›

The recent eviction of a woman from her one-bedroom apartment in Wheaton has left the DuPage County Animal Care and Control Center with a warren of their own after 69 rabbits were discovered in the apartment. Kerry Vinkler, director of the center, said the oldest rabbit was 18 months and that all of the rabbits, save one, were in good condition. They're domesticated Dutch rabbits, which have a life expectancy of six to ten years. They're even the center's Pet Pick of the Week. more ›

Police are still investigating what they think is a drug-related triple homicide that occurred last night in the 7800 block of South Kingston Avenue. [Trib, S-T, CBS2] more ›