If SCOTUS calls, shortlist veteran Judge Wood will answer
By Thomas Vogel As a new faculty member at the University of Chicago Law School in 1981, Diane Wood had two children, both under age 2. Balancing motherly duties with workplace commitments, Wood sometimes tapped one of her colleagues, Antonin Scalia, for help. As the father of nine, he had a steady stream of clutch […]
Olympic golf may need mulligan with local audiences
By Peter Dawson The city of Chicago was well-represented the last time golf was a featured sport in the Summer Olympics. Just four years before the Cubs won their last World Series, H. Chandler Egan won a silver medal in the individual competition and led the Western Golf Association to a Gold Medal in the […]
U.S. manufacturing contracts again but may be on the verge of a rebound
BY H. Will Racke The U.S. manufacturing sector contracted again in February — but showed signs of future renewed strength due to improving production and new orders. The Institute for Supply Management’s latest report showed that its purchasing manager’s index (PMI), a composite indicator of manufacturing activity, rose to 49.5 from 48.2 in January. That […]
Naloxone legal in Illinois, Congressman tries to make it nation wide
By Jack Adams In 2008, Jody Daitchman walked into the room of her son, Alex Laliberte, and found him lifeless. He had overdosed on prescription painkillers. “It’s an experience like no other,” Daitchman said, ”not like your 90-year- old grandmother dying, who’s lived a full life. This was a 20-year-old with his life ahead of […]
Loyola students tie blankets to protect homeless people against cold weather
By Sophie Zhang More than 30 students joined Habitat for Humanity’s Loyola University branch Feb. 24 to make fleece blankets for homeless people struggling to make it through yet another Chicago winter. “One day I actually saw somebody using one of our blankets near Grant Park, and I felt like we were really doing something […]
Meth continues to plague rural Illinois
By Jack Adams Methamphetamine use made up about 2 percent of drug treatment episodes in Illinois in 2012, surpassed by substances like heroin, alcohol and marijuana, according to a report by the Roosevelt Consortium on Drug Policy. Still, the number of Meth lab incidents in Illinois increased by 53 percent between 2010 and 2014, according […]
Medical marijuana has potential to reduce Puerto Rico’s debt
By Hannah Rank Puerto Rico is about to welcome medical marijuana to the island. The action, by executive order, could have potential economic benefits for the debt-ridden country. But it’s also recalling memories of colonial exploitation. Drug policy activist Rafael Torruella, who is based in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, worries the budding industry will mirror other […]
Dollar Tree earnings miss despite Family Dollar lift
By Harvard Zhang Dollar Tree Inc. posted worse-than-expected fourth quarter profits despite positive results — and surging sales numbers – from its recent acquisition of a major competitor. In the quarter ended Jan. 30, the Chesapeake, Va.-based discount retailer reported net income of $229.0 million, or 97 cents per diluted share, up 10.8 percent from […]
Construction spending rise tops expectations
By Kaitlin Schuler Spending on construction in the United States rose by the largest amount in eight months in January, with growth in nonresidential projects counteracting a slight drop in residential construction spending. According to a report issued Tuesday by the Department of Commerce, construction spending increased 1.5 percent from December to a seasonally adjusted $1.14 trillion […]
Parents’ epic road trip following star Wildcat nears last stop
By Michelle R. Martinelli Bruce and Mary Alice Lyon enjoyed their holidays in an unconventional way. They spent Thanksgiving at a basketball tournament in Texas and New Year’s Eve on a nine-hour drive home to Wilmette from Penn State. It’s all been part of a four-year journey following the Northwestern women’s basketball team. The parents […]