Police: 1 person presented as suspect to prosecutor in slayings of Illinois woman, 2 kids

CHESTER, Ill. — Investigators say one person is responsible for last week’s killings of a woman and her two children in their southwestern Illinois home.

East St. Louis mayor resists bid to close nightclubs early, citing needed revenue

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — The mayor of this town in trouble isn’t ready to give up a potentially lush revenue source: nightclubs that stay open until the wee hours.

Suspect in killings of 8 people in Illinois, Missouri, indicted in jail attack

GALESBURG, Ill. — A man accused of killing eight people during a two-state rampage has been indicted on charges he attacked correctional officers at an Illinois jail last month.

Ex-Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive arrives in Illinois for his parole

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A former member of the Symbionese Liberation Army has arrived in Illinois to serve his parole from a California prison.

Chicago Bears agree on one-year deal with TE Michael Gaines

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Tight end Michael Gaines and the Chicago Bears agreed Monday on a one-year contract.

Fumes from bottle in Ill. school hallway send 13 students to hospital; most quickly released

LOCKPORT, Ill. — Authorities in the Chicago suburb of Lockport, Ill., locked down a high school campus after mysterious fumes from a bottle left in a hallway sent 13 students to a hospital.

Mysterious black smoke coming from bottle in Ill. school hallway sends 13 students to hospital

LOCKPORT, Ill. — Authorities in the Chicago suburb of Lockport, Ill., locked down a high school campus after mysterious fumes from a bottle left in a hallway sent 13 students to a hospital.

Drew Peterson’s adult son says dad’s innocent of drowning third wife, praying for jail release

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. — Drew Peterson’s adult son says dad’s no killer.

Thousands still without power after storms that killed at least 7 people in Midwest

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Nearly 100,000 customers in Illinois and Missouri still have no electricity days after a wave of deadly storms socked the Midwest.

Joseph, Reis lift Revolution into draw with Fire

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Shalrie Joseph’s goal in the 49th minute and Matt Reis’ diving save in the closing seconds allowed the New England Revolution to escape with a 1-all draw against the Chicago Fire on Saturday night.

Ill. ex-cop Drew Peterson’s arraignment in connection with 3rd wife’s death pushed back

JOLIET, Ill. — Drew Peterson will have to wait more than a week to answer allegations he drowned his third wife in a bath tub.

Sara Lee’s 3rd-quarter profit falls on consumer pullback; adjusted results top Wall Street

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — Food maker Sara Lee says its fiscal third-quarter profit fell 22 percent as sales dropped on a consumer spending pullback and the stronger dollar. Adjusted results beat analysts’ estimates.

McDonald’s same-store sales rise 6.9 percent in April, helped by sales of coffee, chicken wrap

NEW YORK — Sales of new espresso-based coffee drinks and chicken Snack Wraps helped boost McDonald’s Corp.’s same-store sales by 6.9 percent in April, the nation’s largest hamburger chain said Friday.

Correction: Illinois-Family Deaths story

COLUMBIA, Ill. — In stories May 5 and May 6 about three Illinois family members killed in their home, The Associated Press, relying on information from law enforcement, misspelled the first name of one victim. His name was Garett Coleman, not Garrett.

Former Illinois police sergeant Drew Peterson indicted on murder charge in death of 3rd wife

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. — Authorities say former Illinois police sergeant Drew Peterson has been indicted on a murder charge in the death of his third wife.

Ill. ex-cop Drew Peterson, suspect in 4th wife’s disappearance, indicted in 3rd wife’s death

LOCKPORT, Ill. — Drew Peterson, the former police sergeant who went on a high-profile media blitz after his fourth wife’s disappearance more than a year and a half ago, will make his first court appearance in the drowning death of an ex-wife found dead in an empty bathtub in 2004.

Police say husband called for well-being check before wife, 2 sons found dead in Ill. home

COLUMBIA, Ill. — Illinois investigators say the husband of a woman found dead with the couple’s two sons had asked for a police check at their house after a call to the family’s phone went unanswered.

100 days in, new Illinois governor energizes state capital but his agenda faces rocky road

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — If nothing else, Pat Quinn’s first 100 days as governor of Illinois have shown him the highs and lows that come with being in the hot seat.

Ex-cop Drew Peterson, suspect in 4th wife’s disappearance, indicted in 3rd wife’s death

LOCKPORT, Ill. — Authorities say former Illinois police sergeant Drew Peterson is being held on $20 million bond and faces two counts of murder in his third wife’s death.

Police: Mother, her 2 sons slain in southwestern Illinois home; no arrest made

COLUMBIA, Ill. — A mother and her two young boys were found slain Tuesday in a southwestern Illinois home where police had investigated suspicious activity.

Archer Daniels Midland 3rd-quarter profit drops 98 pct on equity losses, falling sales

DECATUR, Ill. — Agribusiness company Archer Daniels Midland says its fiscal third-quarter profit tumbled 98 percent due to a steep drop in sales and one-time losses related to equity investments.

Kraft Foods 1st-quarter profit rises 10 percent, sales slip as consumers keep cutting spending

MILWAUKEE — Kraft Foods Inc. said Tuesday its first-quarter profit rose 10 percent even as sales took a hit from the stronger dollar. The maker of Velveeta, Oreo cookies and Maxwell House coffee says it plans to focus on its core products, where it can make the most money, to emerge from the recession even stronger.

Some communities lining up to spend federal stimulus money on vital sewage repair projects

CARBON HILL, Ill. — Sewage from toilets flows in open ditches here, spilling into back yards and even onto the lone baseball diamond where children play after school. The nose-wrinkling stench carries throughout this century-old, one-diner village outside Chicago.

Down to 10 men, Sounders overcome Fredy Montero’s red card, rally to tie Fire 1-1

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — The Seattle Sounders overcame the ejection of Fredy Montero and tied 1-1 with the unbeaten Chicago Fire on Saturday night.

Man held for years as ‘enemy combatant’ pleads guilty to terror support charges in Ill.

PEORIA, Ill. — A man whose case sparked a furious legal debate over whether the government can hold terrorism suspects indefinitely entered a surprise guilty plea, admitting to training in al-Qaida camps and coming to the nation’s heartland a day before Sept. 11.

Man held for years as ‘enemy combatant’ pleads guilty to terror support charges in Ill.

PEORIA, Ill. — An al-Qaida sleeper agent who was locked up without being charged for years pleaded guilty Thursday to supporting terrorism in the months before and immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks.

OfficeMax 1st-quarter profit falls 79 percent but beats expectations, helped by cost cutting

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Office-supply retailer OfficeMax Inc. said Thursday that profit fell 79 percent as weak demand from consumers and small businesses persisted. But cost-cutting efforts helped the retailer post results that sharply beat analyst expectations.

No swine flu worries as Club America of Mexico plays Chicago Fire

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — A few fans wore surgical masks and hand sanitizers were installed around Toyota Park as thousands watched the Chicago Fire play Club America of Mexico in an exhibition game.

EPA raids offices of Chicago suburb accused of using contaminated well water for decades

CRESTWOOD, Ill. — Federal agents raided a Chicago suburb’s government offices Wednesday to look for evidence of any crimes related to allegations the village knowingly drew drinking water from a tainted well for decades.

‘Gut-check time’: Ill. officials face tough choices on responding to government corruption

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — With one governor in prison and another under indictment, Illinois officials must choose between patching holes in current ethics laws or attempting a top-to-bottom overhaul that might hurt their own interests.