Belleville mayor bans fireworks

Jul. 3, 2012
The mayor of Belleville has issued an executive order temporarily banning fireworks in the southwestern Illinois city.The Belleville News-Democrat reports that Mayor Mark Eckert issued the ban at Monday's City Council meeting due to concerns about fireworks causing accidental fires in such dry w

Kaufmann: Navy Pier's hangover

Jul. 5, 2011
You know when you throw a house party and you wake up to find half empty PBR cans strewn all over the coffee table? That's Navy Pier this morning. I think I saw a rib bone out front of the Starbucks...B story: You cant have it both ways, I guess.

Smaller crowds expected for fireworks show

Jul. 1, 2011
Safety officials in Chicago say they expect smaller crowds for this year's Fourth of July fireworks. The city canceled its main fireworks display this year to save money, relying on Navy Pier's fireworks show Monday to lead the Fourth of July celebrations."

Gov Quinn: Are you ready for your legacy?

Jun. 1, 2011
Yay. New budget. Yay. New casino in Chicago. Yay. Quinn has 60 days to slow this story to a crawl, giving more and more media outlets the chance to speculate on what is next. Yay.Poor Pat Quinn. Remember when his job was all about walking across the state to raise awareness for health care?