Mildred “Millie” Reiniche, 81, of Kankakee, died Wednesday (Nov. 26, 2008).
Joan M. McConnell, 65, of Claytonville, died Tuesday (Nov. 25, 2008).
NEW YORK (AP) — Police bolstered security in subways and trains Wednesday after the government warned that al-Qaida suicide bombers were contemplating an attack on New York’s mass-transit systems during the holiday season. An internal memo obtained by The Associated Press says the FBI has received a “plausible but unsubstantiated” report that al-Qaida terrorists in late September may have discussed attacking the subway system.
The internal bulletin says al-Qaida terrorists “in late September may have discussed targeting transit systems in and around New York City. These discussions reportedly involved the use of suicide bombers or explosives placed on subway/passenger rail systems,” according to the document.
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — A former University of Illinois gymnastics coach has been charged with secretly videotaping a gymnast in a campus locker room. John Valdez, who coached U.S. Olympian Justin Spring at the Beijing Olympics, was charged Tuesday with one count of unauthorized videotaping, Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said. The charge is a Class 4 felony and carries a potential sentence of one to three years in prison. Valdez resigned from the university in October, citing personal issues. A gymnast training on Sept. 25 with Valdez in the gym used by the men’s gymnastics team noticed a handheld video camera partially hidden under a T-shirt in an open locker, Rietz said. The 22-year-old gymnast, who is a student, reported the camera to Valdez, but later called campus police and found the incident had never been reported to them, the prosecutor said. Police who later searched the 40-year-old Valdez’s Urbana home found the camera. “The images had been deleted, but the technicians were able to restore the deleted images,” Rietz said. She didn’t immediately comment on what was on the tape. Lance Northcutt, a Chicago attorney representing Valdez, did not immediately return a call Wednesday from The Associated Press. Valdez has no local telephone listing, and neither Rietz nor the university’s athletics department knew how to reach him Wednesday. Valdez is scheduled to appear in court in Urbana on Dec. 12. Rietz didn’t believe other recordings were made and said no other charges were planned. Illinois sports information director Kent Brown said the locker room isn’t used by the general student population, and school officials have no reason to believe cameras were placed anywhere else on campus. The university plans no changes in its security based on the charges against Valdez, Brown added. “I think we’ve done everything possible to ensure the safety and security of our student athletes,” he said. Valdez also faces a drunk-driving charge in Waukesha County in Wisconsin after a Sept. 18 arrest. He’s pleaded not guilty. Valdez coached at Illinois from 2000 until his resignation on Oct. 17. He also was the personal coach for Olympic gymnast and fellow Illinois assistant coach Spring. Valdez accompanied Spring to the Beijing Olympics, where the U.S. men won the bronze medal. Earlier this year, the university announced that Valdez would succeed head coach Yoshi Hayasaki when Hayasaki retired following the current season. The university has since hired a new assistant coach, two-time Olympian Ivan Ivankov from Belarus. |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government released a trio of reports Wednesday that paint a bleak picture of the nation’s economy: jobless claims remain at recessionary levels, while Americans cut back on their spending by the largest amount since the 2001 terrorist attacks and orders to U.S. factories plummeted.
The Labor Department reported that initial requests for unemployment benefits fell to a seasonally adjusted 529,000 from the previous week’s upwardly revised figure of 543,000. But claims remain at recessionary levels. The four-week average, which smooths out fluctuations, rose to 518,000, its highest level since January 1983, when the economy was emerging from a steep recession.
One minor bright spot showed the number of people continuing to claim unemployment insurance dropped unexpectedly to 3.96 million, from the previous week’s 4.02 million, which was the highest level in 25 years. The labor market has grown by about half since 1983.
Visitation and video tribute for Patricia Anne Matthews, 75, of Coal City, will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the Reeves Funeral Home, Coal City.
Ruth M. Benedino, 86, of Pontiac, formerly of Essex, died Sunday (Nov. 23, 2008) at Tjardes Health Care Center at Evenglow Lodge.
• Local Democratic leaders have voiced support for a pardon for former Illinois Gov. George Ryan of Kankakee.
• Four candidates to succeed state Sen. Debbie Halvorson were interviewed by the Kankakee County Democratic party leaders on Monday.
• Former mayoral candidate Theodis Pace is collecting signatures for another run for the city’s top office, but he still has not formally announced he is a candidate.
• Columnist Dennis Yohnka says that Joe Walz is somebody you should know. Plus Yohnka empties his mailbag in his weekly column today.
Ethel E. Aldis, 92, of Kankakee, formerly of Aurora, died Monday (Nov. 24, 2008).
Walter R. “Walt” Robertshaw, 83, of Kankakee and West Palm Beach, Fla., died Saturday (Nov. 22, 2008) in West Palm Beach.
