Topic: Illinois

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Where do things stand at Guantánamo? Six basic questions answered.

President Obama this week pledged to “reengage” with Congress to find a way to close the terror detention camp at the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, naval base. The renewed focus comes as 100 of the 166 detainees are reported to be engaged in a hunger strike. Here is a brief look at where things stand now.
Presidential libraries: from Boston to Honolulu ... or maybe Chicago

Presidential libraries can be found coast to coast, and may even go beyond that once a site is selected for President Obama's future repository of documents and artifacts. To quickly hopscotch around to the 13 official presidential libraries and museums overseen by the National Archives, plus that of Abraham Lincoln, check out this library list.
Thanksgiving Day by the numbers: 10 mind-stuffing facts

Data from the Census and other sources provide some numerical insights into Thanksgiving, arguably the most cherished national holiday.
Hillary Clinton: 10 quotes on her birthday

Here are 10 quotes from Hillary Clinton – politician, public servant, and US Secretary of State.
Election 2012: top seven super PACs

Decoder profiles the seven top super PACs, the organizations that have spent the most trying to influence the elections – and still have the most money in the bank.

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Robert Remini dies, leaves legacy as Andrew Jackson scholar

Robert Remini dies: The Andrew Jackson scholar wrote at least 10 books about the former president. Robert Remini also wrote books about Mormon leader Joseph Smith and President John Quincy Adams.
Tax VOX Stockton to enter bankruptcy. What happens next?

Stockton, Calif., will be the largest US municipality to enter bankruptcy. The question, Gordon writes, is: Who will be left holding the bag?
Opinion: Liberal hypocrisy on Bloomberg's moneyed fight for gun control

President Obama heads to Colorado today in his push for gun control – a cause NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has spent millions to support. Liberals who usually oppose the influence of money in politics are now praising Bloomberg. Such hypocrisy undermines their cause.
For Keystone XL foes, oozing Canadian crude in Arkansas spill is black gold (+video)

Thousands of barrels of Canadian crude spilled from an ExxonMobil pipeline in Arkansas Friday. Opponents of the proposed Keystone XL say the black goo in backyards makes their case.
Connecticut responds to Newtown with groundbreaking gun control laws

Connecticut's gun-control package includes a dangerous-weapon offender registry and a requirement to obtain 'eligibility' certificates to buy bullets, rifles, and shotguns.
Business, labor reach immigration deal on guest workers. Will it stand?

The US Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO have reached a deal on guest workers as a part of comprehensive immigration reform. That was a major issue, but more remain including border security and a pathway to citizenship.
Zombie foreclosures: 300,000 'undead' properties stalk ex-owners

Zombie foreclosure: (noun) A home whose owner has abandoned the property but which the bank never finished foreclosing upon, leaving the owner legally and financially responsible for the decaying building.
Obama's $2 billion plan to wean US off foreign oil (+video)

During a visit to Argonne National Lab, President Obama proposes using royalties from offshore drilling in federal waters to create an 'Energy Security Trust Fund' to pay for research into battery and clean-fuel technologies.
600-year-old coin found in Kenya

600-year-old coin found: A museum in Chicago today showcased a rare copper-and-silver coin which dates back to the time of the China's Emperor Yongle in 1400s.
Sinkhole swallows golfer: Friends come to the rescue

A sinkhole swallowed golfer Mark Mihal at the 14th hole of a southern Illinois golf course. He stayed in the sinkhole 20 minutes before his friends pulled him to safety.
Washington sinkhole: What's with all the sinkholes anyway?

The appearance of a small sinkhole Tuesday has closed down an entire block in Washington D.C. Why are there so many sinkholes?
The Monitor's View: Illinois and Greece as penitent cookers of books

The SEC exposes Illinois's misleading reports on pensions while Greece cleans up its financial data to help end the euro crisis. Clean accounting, like light on a dark street, helps eliminate financial deceit.
Gun trafficking bill passes Senate panel. Is that it for Obama gun agenda?

A gun-trafficking bill picked up important Republican support Thursday, improving its chances for passing the full Senate. But other parts of President Obama's gun-control agenda are in limbo.
Chapter & Verse Sherlock Holmes fan to estate: Sherlock belongs to all of us

Leslie S. Klinger, editor of Holmes anthologies, has filed a civil complaint against the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle, alleging that Sherlock Holmes is in the public domain and that the fees writers pay to the estate are unnecessary.
Storm Kings

Lee Sandlin offers a compulsively readable history of America's first tornado chasers.
1,000 flights canceled due to major Midwest snowstorm

1,000 flights canceled in midwestern US on Tuesday. Another major winter snowstorm has resulted in more than 1,000 flights canceled in Chicago and Minneapolis.
Chapter & Verse Jesse Jackson Jr. plans memoir

The former Democratic representative from Illinois, who's recently made headlines for misusing at least $750,000 in campaign funds, is planning to write a memoir to 'clear up his legacy.'
Does Keystone XL report let Obama off the hook on climate pledge?

The State Department report on the Keystone XL pipeline does not oppose it on environmental grounds. Critics say this allows Obama to back away from his pledge to combat climate change.
Obama on Prop 8: How sweeping is administration support for gay marriage?

Even if the Supreme Court agrees with President Obama's brief arguing that California's Prop. 8 is unconstitutional, that doesn't mean there will be a nationwide right for gays to marry.
Plight of the bumblebee: Disappearance?

Honey bees aren't the only ones in trouble. The fuzzy American bumblebee, once the most dominant bee species in the Midwest, seems to be disappearing.
Canada minister 'cautiously optimistic' US will approve Keystone XL

Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said Thursday he does not expect the US to veto the proposed Keystone XL pipeline from the Alberta oil sands to Texas.
Marines T-shirt ban: Superintendent on student's side, not teacher's

A de facto Marines T-shirt ban by one Illinois teacher came under fire by school district administrators who say the shirt worn by a 14-year-old student is within the limits set by the dress code. Now the boy's father wants the dress code to be explicit so Marines T-shirts are not banned again.
Immigration reform: A GOP point man envisions (circuitous) path to citizenship

GOP Rep. Bob Goodlatte outlines a possible sequence of steps on immigration reform, at the end of which undocumented immigrants could seek US citizenship, standing in line with all others. A compromise both right and left can support?
Antigun candidate wins race in Illinois, with big assist from Bloomberg PAC (+video)

Michael Bloomberg's PAC pelted the airwaves with ads against a former congresswoman vying for the Illinois seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr., citing her record on guns. She lost Tuesday. The winner: an avid backer of more gun control.
First lady's anti-obesity campaign ignites change in food industry

First lady Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign, "Let's Move," has inspired some in the food industry to change. Wal-Mart, doing its part to incorporate the first lady's anti-obesity campaign into its stores, has started labeling foods. Others ignore her recommendations as government intrusion.