Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL) articles from August 2001

Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL) archives from August 2001

Delays rise in June, reversing trend.
August 1, 2001... Byline: John Schmeltzer CHICAGO _ After gradually improving on-time performance for the first five months of the year, the nation's airlines took a step backward in June, hampered by summer thunderstorms akin to those that severely...

If you go on the S.S. Badger ...
August 1, 2001... Byline: Toni Stroud GETTING THERE, WISCONSIN The S.S. Badger sails from Manitowoc, Wis., about 175 miles from downtown Chicago via Interstate Highways 94 and 43. GETTING THERE, MICHIGAN The Badger also sails from Ludington,...

Badger shortcut: Manitowoc to Ludington in 4 hours of ferry magic.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Toni Stroud LAKE MICHIGAN _ Wince at the metallic grinding as the ramp closes. Jump at the startling blast of the ship's horn. Breathe the oily coal-smell belching from the engine stack as the deck shudders to life beneath your...

New faces pay off as Cubs win.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Teddy Greenstein SAN DIEGO _ St. Louis took a step back by trading lefty reliever Jason Christiansen. Houston took a step forward by acquiring starter Pedro Astacio and reliever Mike Williams. But the Cubs believe they...

Money well spent: acquisitions of Machado, Fassero and Cairo got scant attention, but all have played key roles for Cubs.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Teddy Greenstein SAN DIEGO _ Robert Machado couldn't remember the exact day he signed with the Cubs. He recalled that it came in late November while he was playing winter baseball in his native Venezuela. "I was happy," Machado...

Memorabilia shows now just keep bobbing along.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Michael Hirsley CHICAGO _ When Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were slugging it out for the major league home-run record three summers ago, they shook the doldrums out of more than the baseball-viewing public. Another...

`Asian Vegetables' guides cooks through a new world of produce.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Kristin Eddy One great benefit of America's globalized kitchen is the introduction of so many new kinds of produce. Chief among them are the wrinkled napa cabbage, bulbs of bok choy, crunchy soybean sprouts and various mushrooms...

Promoters deny deals are done.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Michael Hirsley CHICAGO _ In boxing, news is often yesterday's news denied. Chinese promoters deny reports that Oct. 6 is set for the World Boxing Association heavyweight title fight in Beijing between challenger Evander...

Brutal `Bully' has more heart than the drek in `Shrek'.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Julia Keller If I advised you to see "Bully," the new film about a group of casually homicidal teenagers with beautiful bodies and withered souls, and if I further advised you that "Bully" is actually purer in spirit than a...

Cuba's Carnival a spectacle rich in history _ and government rule.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Laurie Goering SANTIAGO, Cuba _ The conga line snakes up the dark street to the hypnotic pounding of drums, kids whacking steel sticks on old tire rims, old men shuffling their feet and blowing kisses, bodies swaying and sweating....

Nebraska judges treat whites, minorities same in death-penalty cases.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Judith Graham LINCOLN, Neb._Nebraska's system for administering the death penalty shows no evidence of racial discrimination and appears to limit capital punishment to the worst offenders, a major report released Wednesday found....

Dinner tonight: Curried Beef with Vegetables.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Raeanne S. Sarazen If you love Indian food, you'll love this quick weeknight meal of curried beef. It is surprisingly low in fat: 95 percent lean ground beef has only 5 grams of fat per 3 ounces. For comparison, 3 ounces of ground...

Ashcroft pledges $30 million to whittle down DNA-test backlog.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Naftali Bendavid WASHINGTON _ Attempting to reduce a massive backlog of DNA samples across the country, Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft announced Wednesday that the Justice Department would spend $30 million to help states speed up their...

Favorite tag hangs over Northwestern; Michigan, Ohio St. also among favorites.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Andrew Bagnato favorites CHICAGO _ In what may be turn out to be a curse, Northwestern has been blessed by the media as the favorite to win the 2001 Big Ten football title. The Wildcats, who return 10 starters from their...

Backups get chance in exhibition opener.
August 1, 2001... Byline: John Mullin PLATTEVILLE, Wis._With the Bears grappling with the emotions surrounding the death of Minnesota Vikings tackle Korey Stringer, preparations continued for Saturday's exhibition opener against Cincinnati at Soldier...

Sometimes, bigger just isn't better in the NFL.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Rick Morrissey CHICAGO _ Korey Stringer was part muscle, part flab and all big. His biceps were so large that if he had wanted to tattoo the names of his Minnesota Vikings' teammates on them, he could have, with room left over...

Well-conditioned not immune from heatstroke.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Julie Deardorff CHICAGO _ With high school football practice beginning, marathon training escalating and Chicago suffering its stickiest stretch of heat in nearly two years, medical authorities are increasingly concerned about...

Shocking news of Stringer hits Bears' home.
August 1, 2001... Byline: John Mullin PLATTEVILLE, Wis._Maybe it was the loss of someone they knew, or maybe an unwelcome glimpse of their own mortality for a group of young men for whom death is normally a far-off thought. But a pall hung over...

College coaches more cautious in heat than in the past.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Andrew Bagnato CHICAGO _ When the temperature soars at preseason football practices, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr occasionally blows a whistle and orders Popsicles to be passed around. The idea is to give his panting players a break...

Stringer remembered as a player always willing to give.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Don Pierson CHICAGO _ Listed as high as 353 pounds in 1997-98, Korey Stringer was one of the biggest players in the NFL. When he was drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings out of Ohio State in 1995, he was only 20...

Stringer's death sends shock waves through NFL.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Don Pierson Because nobody in the NFL could remember a player ever dying from heat stroke, the death of Minnesota Vikings' offensive tackle Korey Stringer early Wednesday morning sent shock waves throughout the league. ...

Show satisfies food-fact cravings.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Renee Enna and William Rice Did you know that 96,000 bowls of Cap'n Crunch cereal are made each hour? That 20 million pounds of marshmallows per year go into Lucky Charms cereal? That Lou Gehrig was the first sports figure on a...

FTC approves PepsiCo acquisition of Quaker Oats.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Ameet Sachdev CHICAGO _ Narrowly dodging an objection from antitrust regulators, the marriage of PepsiCo Inc. and Quaker Oats Co. received the government's half-hearted blessing Wednesday, allowing the $13.8 billion merger to...

HEA.
August 1, 2001... The Gulf of Suez is an extension of what sea? Answer: Red Sea.

Health benefits of whole-grain products go beyond fiber.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Betsy Hornick Fiber is the word most often trumpeted when nutritionists discuss the benefits of whole grains. But the latest research focuses on an array of vitamins, minerals and hundreds of phytochemicals found in whole-grain...

Investigate that loaf.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Betsy Hornick Just because that loaf of bread is brown, or a box of crackers trumpets such phrases as "stone ground," "100% wheat," "cracked wheat," "multigrain" or "bran," doesn't mean that what's inside is truly made from whole...

In a house in the redwoods, students push conservation to the limit.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Karen Brandon ARCATA, Calif. _ In the kitchen stands the pedal-powered blender, in the living room is the pedal-powered television, and at various times all manner of appliances around this unusual 1930s-era bungalow have run on...

New gas-electric Toyota yields high curiosity per gallon.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Vincent Schodolski You get used to the questions after a while. How does it work? Do you have to plug it in? You get how much to the gallon? Ever since my wife and I acquired our new Toyota Prius sedan a few months ago, we...

Japanese prime minister declares war on government corruption.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Uli Schmetzer TOKYO _ A few hours after Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's government won a solid majority in this week's election for the Upper House, the winds of change began blowing through the often stale and complacent...

Ex-employees of Mitsubishi sue company over discrimination.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Robert Manor CHICAGO _ Five former employees of the Mitsubishi auto plant in Normal, Ill., sued the company in federal court Wednesday, asserting that they faced discrimination because of their age and, in some instances, because...

National Park Service must expand into education, report finds.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Michael Kilian WASHINGTON _ The National Park Service should expand to become a major part of the nation's educational system, with a special emphasis on teaching history, according to a report on the future of the 384-unit park...

British, Irish officials outline peace proposals for Northern Ireland.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Liz Sly BELFAST, Northern Ireland _ In a last-ditch effort to salvage the ailing Good Friday peace accord, the British and Irish governments Wednesday presented Northern Ireland's political parties an all-or-nothing package of...

Norwood, Bush deal on patients' rights leaves some congressmen fuming.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Jill Zuckman WASHINGTON _ After weeks of lobbying and negotiations, President Bush said Wednesday that he had struck a deal with a key Republican congressman who had fought him over legislation to protect Americans in their...

The resourceful traveler.
August 1, 2001... Byline: June Sawyers Travel guides: _"Scarlett Slept Here: A Book Lover's Guide to the South" (Citadel Press, $15.95) If any region of the country cries out for a literary guidebook, it must surely be the word-drunk South....

Rhine River Valley Q&A.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Alan Solomon Q. What's the best way to see it all? A. Probably from the river, I guess, either by luxury cruise boat _ where you stay overnight on the boat, with most meals taken onboard _ or by improvising your own cruise by...

Beyond the Valley: Five side trips.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Alan Solomon In today's Germany, the transportation is far better than it was during the time of Charlemagne. Trains can take you almost anywhere, rivers teem with boats carrying passengers for long and quick journeys, and the...

Lure of the Rhine: Prepare to be seduced by a river and its legends.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Alan Solomon COLOGNE, Germany _ Great rivers have their own wonder. The Mississippi, the Congo, the Nile, the Amazon, the Danube, the Rio Grande, the Volga, the Colorado, the Ganges, the Mekong, the Hudson _ they wind their way, in...

The Top Ten travel list: Inn love.
August 1, 2001... The most romantic inns of 2001 (in alphabetical order, by state), as selected by American Historic Inns Inc., publisher or more than 2.5 million B&B guidebooks: Hacienda del Sol, Tucson, Ariz. Agate Cove Inn, Mendocino, Calif. The...

Biopic uses style to explore actor James Dean's talent, character.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Allan Johnson There's a scene in the alluring TNT biopic of iconoclastic actor James Dean where he interviews with director Elia Kazan about a part in the 1955 film "East of Eden," which would eventually be Dean's memorable screen...

List of video movie release dates.
August 1, 2001... Following is a partial schedule of upcoming movies on video. Release dates are subject to change. (DVD) indicates a DVD-only release. (also DVD) indicates a simultaneous video/DVD release. AUGUST 07: Fly Away Home: Special Edition _...

Chicago Tribune Blair Kamin Column.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Blair Kamin Aug. 1--It was The Donald. And he was ready to talk architecture. Funny. I'd just been speaking about him with Stanley Tigerman, the Chicago design maven who can spit venom like a snake. "He's Mr. Glitz,"...

Chicago Tribune Market Report Column.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Bill Barnhart Aug. 1--As the wreckage of technology stocks continues to mount, brokerage firm stock analysts took it on the chin again Tuesday in congressional hearings into their conflicts of interest. But this time, in the...

Chicago Tribune Inside Commercial Real Estate Column.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Thomas A. Corfman Aug. 1--Developer Dan McLean is close to a lease with Jillian's, a rapidly expanding restaurant/entertainment chain, which would round out the retailing at River East Center, the huge mixed-use complex in...

Consumer Spending Rose in June but Confidence in Future Waned in July.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Janet Kidd Stewart Aug. 1--With a day off from summer jobs, Indiana high schoolers Becky Knutson and Beth Burr on Tuesday snapped up a tank top for $8 on sale at a Michigan Avenue boutique and a few luxury bath-shop items. ...

Extent of Heller Financial-GE Job Cuts Unknown.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Melissa Allison Aug. 1--Although General Electric Capital Corp. officials say it is too soon to know how many jobs and other resources they will eliminate to make a success of their planned acquisition of Chicago-based Heller...

Chicago Tribune David Greising Column.
August 1, 2001... Byline: David Greising Aug. 1--Motorola executives told a roomful of skeptical analysts Tuesday all about their strategy for a winning "triple play." Apparently, whoever coined the term is not much of a sports fan. In baseball, a...

Chicago Tribune Marketing Column.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Jim Kirk Aug. 1--What now for the promotional products company Ha-Lo Industries? On Tuesday, that was on the minds of the Niles-based sales staff which remains the gut assets of the company driven into bankruptcy largely by...

Motorola CEO Blames Company's Falling Stock Price on Company, Not Economy.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Rob Kaiser Aug. 1--Motorola CEO Chris Galvin said Tuesday morning that despite the sweeping technology slowdown, the blame for the company's sagging stock price is due to one reason: Motorola. "We understand clearly that the...

Communications Firm Lends $15 Million to Chicago Online Coupon Distributor.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Delroy Alexander Aug. 1--CoolSavings.com Inc. was handed a lifeline Tuesday as Landmark Communications Inc. agreed to pump $15 million into the cash-strapped online distributor of coupons. Along with the cash injection came a...

Pepsi Heads into Round Two with FTC over Quaker Buyout.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Ameet Sachdev Aug. 1--For PepsiCo Inc. and the Federal Trade Commission, this is round two. For months, the commission has been trying to determine whether to approve the company's agreement to buy Chicago-based Quaker Oats...

Nation's Largest Office Building Owner Posts Rise in Earnings.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Thomas A. Corfman Aug. 1--Seemingly immune to the slowing economy, billionaire financier Sam Zell's Equity Office Properties Trust reported second-quarter results Tuesday that met expectations and offered rare reassurances about...

United Pushes O'Hare Expansion.
August 1, 2001... Aug. 1--Hoping to build support for the expansion of O'Hare International Airport, United Airlines officials indicated Tuesday that a significant reduction in flight delays could be accomplished by undertaking only a portion of the project. ...

New Altima prepares for heavyweight bout.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Rick Popely CHICAGO_Nissan has ambitious sales goals for its redesigned Altima, which goes on sale in September, but it will have to compete head-on with the two best-selling cars in the U.S. to achieve those goals. Last year,...

Avalanche goes midsize for GMC.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Jim Mateja CHICAGO _ GMC confirms that it will offer "an exclusive midsize sport-utility truck in a couple of years with all-new and unique capabilities in this important segment." Yes, that "exclusive midsize utility truck...

Wright's stuff good enough; rookie gets win, Canseco gets 2 homers.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Paul Sullivan CHICAGO _ The White Sox keep drifting along in the American League, managing to keep themselves on the edge of contention despite playing .500 ball since the last week of June. "We're not in the middle of a...

Canseco performs a Ruthian feat; slugger's 2 homers deliver on promise to sick children.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Paul Sullivan CHICAGO _ Jose Canseco did his Babe Ruth imitation before Wednesday's game when talking with four children who were guests at Comiskey Park on Cancer Survivors Night. During batting practice, Canseco promised two...

Cubs, Heredia let one get away.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Teddy Greenstein SAN DIEGO_It could have been a breakthrough night for the Cubs. Todd Hundley hit his first homer in almost three months Wednesday and Kevin Tapani was en route to earning his first victory since June 2. But...

McGriff's effort wasted by Cubs.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Teddy Greenstein SAN DIEGO _ Fred McGriff said he'll need more time before he feels fully comfortable with his new team in a new league. "I'm trying to learn the guys, and it has been four years since I've been in the National...

Here's why Jordan will play next season.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Sam Smith CHICAGO _ Yes, he's going to play. That's the question I am asked most often these days. OK, the second most, after, "So what did you think of Rush Hour 2?" Michael Jordan is going to play in the NBA next season...

Chicago hit by floods.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Crystal Yednak and Monica Davey CHICAGO _ A fierce, swift thunderstorm dumped up to 4 inches of rain on the Chicago area during Thursday morning's rush, flooding out the network of expressways and rails and drowning chances that...

Erotic Picasso in Baltimore.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Michael Kilian If you can't get to Canada this summer for the Montreal Fine Arts Museum's provocative and not a little scandalous "Picasso Erotique" exhibition, there's a terrific new Picasso show at the Baltimore Museum of Art...

White House now sends its energy plan to the Senate.
August 2, 2001... Byline: William Neikirk WASHINGTON _ The economy trumped the environment in the House's approval of a major energy bill that would allow oil companies to drill in Alaska's pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Opponents fear the same...

Call them the eraser brigade; with some starting jobs only penciled in, several players are making training-camp bids to force lineup changes.
August 2, 2001... Byline: John Mullin PLATTEVILLE, Wis._Each year training camp produces a handful of surprise players who impress coaches and challenge for roster spots. Then there are surprises at a higher level, sometimes involving a starting job that...

Milburn must prove himself; veteran returner faces competition.
August 2, 2001... Byline: John Mullin PLATTEVILLE, Wis._In a scenario that highlights the serious competition for the job of kick returner, veteran Glyn Milburn is slated to handle the Bears' first kickoff return Saturday night against Cincinnati. The...

Parallel universe of sad franchises; similarities abound among NFL's also-rans.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Don Pierson also-rans GEORGETOWN, Ky._To peer into the future of the Bears, look at the Cincinnati Bengals, Saturday night's first exhibition opponent. The two flailing franchises are running neck and neck at the back of...

Former trainer says cease 2-a-days, says players getting beat up.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Don Pierson CHICAGO _ NFL teams are beating up their players with unnecessary two-a-day practices in training camp, according to former Bears trainer Fred Caito. Caito, now fitness coordinator for the city of Niles, said...

Vikings turn focus to healing.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Steve Rosenbloom MANKATO, Minn. _ The Minnesota Vikings practiced football Thursday, the day after Korey Stringer died in the prime of his career. What made it tougher was the realization of getting through life without their...

Sweating It: `Moisture management' has become a national pastime.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Judy Hevrdejs CHICAGO _ It begins ever so slowly. A bit of moisture gathers on your skin. Then it picks up momentum _ especially on a stifling hot, humid day. Then it becomes a rivulet before turning into a full-fledged...

Week's heat not quite cooking.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Bill Hageman CHICAGO _ This week's heat gave us a chance to try the old it's-hot-enough-to-fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk trick. We consulted weathermen Brant Miller of WMAQ-TV and Tom Skilling of WGN-TV on where Chicagoland's hot...

Winger Daze signs deal with Blackhawks.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Bob Foltman CHICAGO _ After struggling in the early part of last season and asking for a trade, Eric Daze rebounded to have his best year in the NHL with the Hawks, scoring a career-high 33 goals and 57 points and becoming a solid...

When death is accepted.
August 2, 2001... The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Thursday, 8-2: X X X Israel's airstrike assassination of Hamas leaders _ along with the deaths of two children who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time _ has...

House passes patients' rights bill.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Jill Zuckman WASHINGTON _ Handing a major victory to President Bush, the House bowed to his veto threat Thursday night and narrowly approved his brand of patients' rights legislation, giving Americans greater rights to sue their...

Finally out of the blocks: LaTasha Jenkins' lane from Calumet City to the world meet has been littered with adversity, but she's aiming at a 200-meter medal.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Philip Hersh EDMONTON, Alberta_LaTasha Jenkins was born with what her mother calls "twisted feet." She wore braces with special shoes from the time she was a month old until nearly her second birthday. She never was able to crawl,...

Coach keeping Jones dangling; star's missing camp may cost her relay spot.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Philip Hersh elay spot EDMONTON, Alberta_It wouldn't be a major track meet without a controversy about U.S. relay team selection. This one involves Marion Jones and the 4x100-meter relay at the World Track and Field...

Sears to pare corporate positions.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Susan Chandler CHICAGO _ Alan Lacy has decided it's time to trim a little fat at Sears, Roebuck and Co.'s sprawling Hoffman Estates-based headquarters. Sears' new chief executive issued marching orders to his management team...

Keeping teens safe from harm.
August 2, 2001... The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Thursday, 8-2: X X X A new study tells us something our teen-agers never would: An alarming number of them are being physically or sexually abused by a dating partner. ...

Study shows that TV ratings don't rate with viewers.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Steve Johnson If print media had the same token constraints TV does, this column would be rated Newspaper-14 due to references to sex and violence and some big words they indubitably don't teach before high school age. And most...

Mexican farmers fault NAFTA for low-cost imports.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Teresa Puente AHUATEPEC DEL CAMINO, Mexico _ Hard-pressed corn farmers here are echoing complaints more commonly heard in rural communities of Illinois. International trade, they say, and the tide of imports it brings are...

Flight Delays Rise in June, Reversing Trend.
August 2, 2001... Byline: John Schmeltzer Aug. 2--After gradually improving on-time performance for the first five months of the year, the nation's airlines took a step backward in June, hampered by summer thunderstorms akin to those that severely disrupted...

Illinois Governor Scores One Victory, One Loss on Airports.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Mike Dorning Aug. 2--WASHINGTON--Both sides in Chicago's aviation tug of war claimed victories Wednesday as a procedural barrier to construction of a Peotone airport was lifted, and House Republican leaders revealed they would not...

Allstate Insurance Agents Sue over Independent-Contractor Plan.
August 2, 2001... Byline: James P. Miller Aug. 2--A group of Allstate Corp. agents filed suit against the insurance giant, contending that the Northbrook company violated federal age-discrimination law when it forced them to convert from company employees...

Chicago Tribune Market Report Column.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Bill Barnhart Aug. 2--Pop quiz: Who was Nicholas Leeson? If you remember the 28-year-old blamed for singlehandedly bankrupting a venerable British bank, Barings Bank, in 1995, you're ready to evaluate the current spin...

Chicago Tribune Car Notes Column.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Rick Popely Aug. 2--Nissan Maxima prices increase as much as $1,750 for 2002 with the addition of a new 3.5-liter V-6 engine and more standard equipment. The biggest increase is on the base GXE model, now $24,699, which gains a...

Internet Stalkers Can Go to Prison under New Illinois Law.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Christi Parsons Aug. 2--SPRINGFIELD, Ill.--It is now a crime to commit "cyberstalking" in Illinois, under a new measure signed into law by Gov. George Ryan on Wednesday. Passed by the General Assembly without dissent this...