Swine flu factor

Chicago is bracing for the return of swine flu to keep back-to-school from becoming back-to-sick.

Children -- the flu's prime spreaders -- are starting to return to classrooms in the area and across the nation.

But the swine flu vaccine won't be available until October.

And only this week will U.S. researchers start blood tests on test patients who received early vaccinations. The tests will answer how many doses of swine flu vaccine are needed for protection. That will determine whether people need to line up for two flu shots -- one against swine flu and one against regular flu -- or three.

The world's most dominant flu strain is especially dangerous to …

Letters

Afghanistan Assessment

* GEN David H. Petraeus, commander of the international Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. F orces- Afghanistan, issued the following letter on January 25.

To the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen and civilians of the NATO International Security Assistance Force:

I thought it might be useful to provide my assessment of the situation in Afghanistan as we enter 2011.

Up front, I want you to know that you and our Afghan comrades did tremendous work in 2010. Indeed, ISAF and Afghan forces made impressive progress in our mission - a mission that is of enormous importance not just to each of our countries and …

Senior NYC crane inspector accused of corruption

A senior city buildings official signed off on crane inspections he didn't perform and helped crane operators cheat on licensing exams in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes, but his actions do not appear to be connected to two recent fatal crane collapses, authorities said Friday.

James Delayo, acting chief inspector with the Department of Buildings' cranes and derricks division, was released without bail after he was arraigned Friday. He is charged with bribe receiving, tampering with public records, falsifying business records, filing a false instrument and receiving unlawful gratuities. He entered no plea and his lawyer, Lawrence Linzer, declined to …

Using the newspaper to learn geography lessons

Ten years of reform in geography education have led to widespreadacceptance of geography as a core subject in American schools. It isnow believed that for students to earn a decent wage, enjoy life tothe fullest and be responsible citizens, they must be geographicallyliterate.

Geography for Life, the national geography standard developed in1994, states: "All individuals need to have an understanding ofgeography, which means that they need to have an understanding of thespatial contexts of people, places and environments on Earth. Anisolated geographic fact does not constitute geographicunderstanding."

What constitutes geographic understanding? It requires, …

Sears Shareholders Approve Allstate Spin-off

By an overwhelming margin, shareholders of Sears, Roebuck and Co.Friday approved spinning off Allstate Corp. in what would be thelargest corporate divestiture in U.S. history.

More than 80 percent of outstanding Sears shares were cast infavor of the $10 billion spin-off at a special meeting Friday at theChicago Historical Society.

Sears hopes to hear from the Internal Revenue Service later thisspring on whether the spin-off would be considered tax-free toshareholders. As planned, each Sears shareholder this summer wouldreceive an estimated 0.93 share of Allstate common stock for eachSears share owned.

Divesting the stake in Northbrook-based Allstate is …

Court overturns conviction in killing of officer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a man who fatally shot a police officer in Florida in 1998.

The high court on Thursday said the lower court should reconsider the conviction of Charles Fowler, who was given life in prison for the shooting death of officer Todd Horner.

Fowler was convicted under a federal law that bans people from trying to keep U.S. …

UK Supreme Court considers prenuptial agreements

This city filled with high-flying investment bankers is also known as the divorce capital of the world, thanks to the hefty financial settlements awarded by London courts and their willingness to ignore prenuptial agreements.

That reputation was put to the test Monday as the Supreme Court began hearing a dispute between a German heiress and her ex-husband, a case that hinges on the issue of whether prenups can be enforced in England, one of the few countries in which they have no legal standing.

If Britain's highest court rules such contracts do have weight, it will mark a major change _ and make the divorces of the rich and famous much more predictable …