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Friday is the last day low-income flood victims can apply for extra food stamps. People have been forming long lines all week long, and Friday morning was no different.

Viviana Rossi initially denied helping steal a pricey exotic bird from a Naperville pet store. Then police searched her purse and found several feathers, along with bird seed, DuPage County prosecutors said Thursday.

Two men were charged with attempting to murder two Chicago Police officers Thursday, a day after the officers were shot while executing a search warrant on an alleged gang member in Englewood. Antonio Jones, 20, of the 7700 block of South Hoyne, and Demario Thomas, 21, of the 200 block of East Garfield, are each charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to police. They will appear for a bond hearing today. Both officers were treated and released at Advocate Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

A man doing maintenance work on the Washington Street bridge fell 30 feet into the structure's gear mechanisms after he slipped on a catwalk early Thursday.

Poring over crossword puzzles, reading and listening to tunes might slow or delay brain decline at first, but being mentally active might speed up dementia once it hits, Chicago researchers have found.

When Bridget Polaski stored naked pictures of herself on her cell phone, she never dreamed they would fall into the hands of cops.

Christopher Barbee was among a handful of reputed gang members summoned last month to a meeting with Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis and other local and federal law enforcement officials. "They said, 'Stop the violence or we'll lock you all up,' " Barbee said.

They were left with swollen, scarred hands, arms, legs and faces. They're just 8 and 5, but the Reyes sisters were burned so badly in a 2008 arson fire, they still cannot go into the sunlight. For 23 hours a day, they wear clear masks and special garments to help heal their tender skin. On Thursday, in an emotional hearing that left even the judge and court reporter dabbing their tears, the two little girls personally pleaded to put away the people who started a fire that nearly killed them. "Make them go to jail until they have no more birthdays," 5-year-old Alondra Reyes wrote on a victim-impact statement.

She survived cancer and was about to get a Make-A-Wish dream, but then she developed a second cancer that kept her out of class her entire junior year at Shepard High School in Palos Heights. But Kahla Harper worked hard with tutors and was able to keep up and graduate with honors. Now Harper, 18, of Calumet Park, finally is getting something really special from the Make-a-Wish Foundation -- not the trip she originally asked for, but a scholarship that will make it possible for her to go to college.

McHenry County Republican power broker Al Jourdan told a 911 dispatcher she could check his "qualifications" and "credentials" with the county's sheriff and undersheriff when he called to report his conversation with Metra Executive Director Philip Pagano on the morning Pagano killed himself, a copy of the recording indicates.

Chicago Public Schools students who show up for the first day of classes next Tuesday will find more than new classmates and teachers awaiting them.

The first week of the final season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will include a selection for Oprah's Book Club.

Four males died after being shot Thursday night in a garage on the Southwest Side, officials said. Noel Casares, 25; Roberto Riviera, 30, and Alonzo Pena, no age available, were found dead about 8:30 p.m. in the 6100 block of South Kildare. Another victim, who had duct tape on his body, died at a local hospital. The shootings were drug-related, police said.

It's been a good year for frogs and toads in the Chicago area, experts say.

A Little Village woman seriously injured while participating as an extra in the movie "Transformers 3" remained hospitalized Thursday.

Grabbing a metal butter knife from a food tray, an Aurora man repeatedly stabbed an elderly woman sharing a room with his mother at Provena-Mercy Hospital in an apparently unprovoked attack, authorities said Thursday.

A man who broke into a Skokie home repeatedly apologized to the homeowner before taking several hundred dollars and jewelry from the woman, police said.

With the passing of Sept. 1, Cook County failed to make its formal deadline for mailing out second-installment tax bills for the 33rd straight year. The question is, when will the bills go out?

More than 211,000 fliers will descend on O'Hare International Airport today, as Labor Day travelers try to squeeze as much as possible out of the waning summer.

Two years ago, Elgin students didn't exactly dig into the red cabbage and pomegranate when it was served up at Highland Elementary School.

Downtown Huntley, prepare to be revitalized. The Huntley village board on Thursday put the finishing touches on a Downtown Revitalization Plan, signaling the 18-month process of developing the plan is nearly through.

The DuPage County Board is expected to vote on a $70 million capital improvement package at a special meeting Tuesday.

Activists and parents of victims of gang violence reacted to the news conference held by a group of self-described gang leaders.

As many as three people may be dead of gunshot wounds on the South Side.

Prosecutors have charged an older brother in connection with the shooting death of an 8-year-old Dolton boy.

Chicago ranks near the bottom of a list of safe cities for driving.

A north suburban woman was arrested and charged with DUI in connection with a fatal Wednesday night crash in Gurnee that killed a 20-year-old pedestrian.

A St. Charles man and former gymnastics coach was convicted Thursday of nine counts of possession of child pornography.

Funeral services were held Thursday for Chicago Heights mayor Alex Lopez.

Soldiers who spent a year in Iraq returned home to friends and family at O'Hare Airport Thursday.