All articles from Mark Guarino
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Smarter automakers, confident consumers driving car sales back up
Despite being near collapse four years ago, the US automotive industry is seeing annual sales that are climbing steadily back up toward pre-recession levels.
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Pennsylvania suing NCAA over Penn State sanctions. Does it have a case?
Gov. Corbett says the NCAA sanctions against Penn State in the Sandusky case irreparably harm Pennsylvania. One hurdle for the lawsuit: The university did not challenge the punishment.
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Chicago registers its 500th homicide of 2012 – the highest number since 2008
Public-housing and school policies, gang activity, access to guns, and budget cuts for social programs have all been cited as factors in Chicago’s homicide rate.
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Peter Parker death (gasp!) roils Spider-Man fans. Why they're taking it hard.
Peter Parker death in the current 'Amazing Spider-Man' issue caught readers and fans off guard – and will probably deliver a sales kick for publisher Marvel Comics.
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Los Angeles collects most guns ever, in post-Newtown buyback event
Police collected more than 2,000 firearms Wednesday in Los Angeles, during a gun buyback event held less than two weeks after the mass shootings in Newtown, Conn. Do such city initiatives help reduce gun violence?
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Video games and shooting: Is the NRA right?
The NRA says the problem with mass shootings like the recent one at the Sandy Hook grade school in Connecticut is not too many unregulated guns but violent video games. But most academic and government research does not support the gun lobby's charge.
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How is winter storm affecting holiday travel? (+video)
The storm has already dumped up to eight inches of snow in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Every region receiving snow this week is expected to have a white Christmas.
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Escape down high-rise jail has Chicago wondering: how'd they dare? (+video)
The two convicted bank robbers, cellmates, apparently escaped the high-rise prison in downtown Chicago by rappelling down from the 15th floor on knotted bedsheets in the middle of the night.
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Drought's winter toll: Mississippi barges face losses while US blasts river (+video)
Traffic along 180 miles of the drought-stricken Mississippi will be curtailed for a month, at a cost of billions to the barging industry, to allow the US to blast rock formations and raise river levels.
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Christmas shopping: Did retail season already go over the 'fiscal cliff'?
Holiday retail sales were hampered initially this year by the the aftermath of hurricane Sandy and more recently by shoppers' fiscal cliff fears. The run-up to Christmas will make or break the season.
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Chicago Muslims aim to reclaim meaning of 'jihad' from extremists
New ad campaign on Chicago buses, launched Friday, aims to raise awareness of how most Muslims experience 'jihad' – as personal struggle, not 'holy war.'
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With Illinois concealed gun ban struck down, some say 'Fight on' (+video)
Even as Illinois lawmakers contemplate a new law allowing concealed weapons, as ordered by a US Appeals Court, some plan to take the fight against the 'wrongheaded' ruling to the next level.
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Ravi Shankar bridged cultures by bringing sitar to the West, but at a cost
Ravi Shankar collaborated with some of the biggest names in rock, jazz, and classical music. But in India critics said he was commercializing spiritual sitar music that was not properly understood.
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Should Michigan GOP brace for reprisal over 'right to work' law?
When Republicans in Wisconsin and Ohio took on Big Labor, unions fought back ferociously. But Michigan's GOP lawmakers, calculating the political risks of pushing a 'right to work' law, may have looked to Indiana as a better precedent.
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Are moves to add jobs to US factory floors a harbinger, or outliers?
Apple, Lenovo, LG Chem, and now Daimler AG have all recently said they plan to add manufacturing jobs in the US. President Obama hopes it's a sign of the times, but economists say it's, at best, a nascent trend.
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Are polar ice sheets shrinking? Report offers definitive answer at last.
Numerous studies in recent years have offered different – and sometimes conflicting – views about ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. But a new report offers unprecedented scope.
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Can people record police officers? Illinois ban gets no help at Supreme Court.
Supreme Court justices refused to hear an appeal on behalf of Illinois' tough eavesdropping law. A federal appeals court had ruled that the law 'likely violates' free speech guarantees.
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Detroit mayor announces furloughs to avoid bankruptcy
Detroit City Council is balking at next step in a state plan to restore financial stability to the embattled city, delaying a $30 million infusion of state funds.
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Hostess, union to give mediation one last try. Can Twinkies be saved? (+video)
A judge asks Twinkies maker Hostess and union lawyers to participate in mediation Tuesday to resolve their differences. If they fail, bankruptcy motions will resume Wednesday and 18,000 jobs will be lost.
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The Vote
Want to be Obama's neighbor? You can for $899,000 (and a security check).A vacant lot next to President Obama’s home in Chicago hit the market this week. But to get a showing of the lot, prospective buyers must submit information to the Secret Service.
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