family tragedy in chicago. toddler pulled from lake michigan. his father, under suspicion. good evening. >> it's our top story seen around the country on wgn america. understandable distraught mother is at area 2 police headquarters, where the toddler's father is behind bars. wgn is there with the latest. >> reporter: that man, the biological father of the child, still upstairs with investigators. still refusing to talk about what happened to dontrelle johnson. even now sources say maintaining the boy is someplace safe. late today, the mother of a missing toddler is brought to komer children's hospital to identify his body. >> she's devastated. she's out of her mind, thinking about her baby. >> reporter: 14-month-old

dontrelle johnson, gone since monday. his father picked him up, then refused to bring him back, threatening to harm the boy, according to a police alert issued today. dad was picked up by police yesterday, refusing to say what he had done with little dontrelle. then, this afternoon near the 68th street water intake, a tiny body found floating in lake michigan, a boater hauled it aboard, called police, and headed for the nearest marina. >> he said that he was out about three quarters of a mile and behind the museum of science and industry and saw the child in the water and fished him out the water. >> reporter: there was no sign of life, first responders were told. still, doctors fought hard to bring dontrelle back. it was no use. >> you don't know if the child was thrown into the water alive, don't know if he killed the child before he put him in the water. those are questions in the mother's head for a long time. unless he tells her what happened, she'll never know. >> reporter: tonight, that grieving mother waits for those answers at area 2, where police have been holding dontrelle

johnson's father. >> no words. i just told her that before i came out. there's nothing nobody could say to her that's going to make it any better. >> reporter: we're being told that investigators, along with the state's attorney, are still upstairs workings on the father's statement. a murder charge is expected late tonight or early tomorrow. >> tom, thank you. another father and his infant son have gone missing. chris miller picked up his 3 1/2-month-old son jackson from day care yesterday, supposed to bring him to a doctor's appointment. neither made it to the appointment and have not been heard from since. chris' wife says he appears to have taken a large amount of breast milk and diapers, more than needed for a trip to the doctor. they may be headed to chris' family in louisville, kentucky. shawmberg police department hoping information may come in on the case. the victim of a baseball bat attack remains in a coma tonight. the 17-year-old boy beaten yesterday at chicago's back of

the yards neighborhood. police say the teen was with a group of friends when a red suv started following them. a male passenger jumped out of the vehicle and hit him with the bat. police are looking into whether a fight at school may be behind the attack. a horrific home invasion, at least three grown men were tied up in their home while robbers stole their valuables. wgn's julie andrews at belmont and western with what happened at police headquarters. >> reporter: we're still trying to put a lot of this together. we do know there were the victims, three roommates, we're told, men in their 20s, possibly a fourth victim in the case, too, tied up and robbed at gunpoint in the early morning hours. the suspect? all we know from the landlord is that it was three males. the landlord went on to tell me over the phone tonight that those guys took computers, cell phones, and xbox, and a whole lot more. it happened very early this morning in the 1300 block of west barry. around 4:30 a.m. to be exact, the landlord and other neighbors all say the

three suspects grabbed a patio chair, put it up to an open first floor window and climbed right inside. brandishing a weapon, one of the bad guys struck a tenant in the face with it. at least two people were tied up, while at least one other person hid in a closet. police made it very clear there have been a series of these types of break-ins going on all over the area. the whole thing has locals on edge. >> i wouldn't expect something like that to happen right next door to my house. this is a safe neighborhood, as far as i'm concerned -- or was concerned. >> will you do anything differently? >> i went and got renter's insurance today. other than that, i'll keep my windows locked when i'm not here, when i am here, too, i guess. that's really all i can do. >> reporter: police issued this community alert tonight. incidents are taking place late at night or early in the morning. officers say, advice from detectives, lock your windows and don't rely on just the screen in a window to keep the crime out.

anyone with information on this particular case on west barry or any other in the area are advised to call area 3 police headquarters. >> thank you, julie. tonight, the hunt for the honey bee gunman, as he's called, intensifies, with a new sketch and new task force. police are circulating this updated sketch of the suspect. he talked about honey bees before shooting two men, one fatally tuesday near beacher, illinois. hours later, some honey bee conversation before wounding a man near lowell, indiana. ballistics tests show the same gun was used in both cases. a bistate task force has been formed. funeral mass was held today for anita kustock, shot last week. her husband, alan, was not at the services. he's been charged with her murder, but says he's innocent and that his wife committed suicide. anita is the mother of comcast sports reporter sarah kustock and former big 10 football star

zach. out of jail tonight, todd stodger, but still in hot water. >> did you do it? they say you did it. money laundering? $300,000 in tax money? what do you have to say about the charges, carla? what are your thoughts? carla oglesby had nothing to say to julie unruh leaving cooke county jail today. oglesby walked arm in arm with her mother after posing $25,000 bail. prosecutors say they did little or no work at a cost of $300,000 to taxpayers. the president, back in town, but now gone. still to come on the wgn news at nine, video just into our newsroom of the president leaving for the white house. we'll break down his quick 4- hour visit to his home city. actually, that's not the video, but we promise we'll bring it to you in a bit. oil spill debacle. new report gives the white house harsh grades on its response to the bp oil leak. and slicing and dicing, sushi latino style.

and here's tom skilling. boy, the forecast has been really good lately. we'll see what it looks like at the end of the week. host: could switching to geico really save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance? do woodchucks chuck wood? (high-pitched laughter)

man: hey you dang woodchucks, quit chucking my wood! vo: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. you're one of the 50 million americans with frequent heartburn. did you know, with prilosec otc, you can stop frequent heartburn before it starts? heartburn happens when stomach acid refluxes, or backs up into the esophagus. this causes the burning sensation in your chest, known as heartburn. with just one pill a day, prilosec otc treats frequent heartburn for 24 hours, providing all-day and all-night protection. here's how it works -- prilosec otc's unique delayed-release system protects the medicine as it passes through the stomach's tough acid. the medicine then gets absorbed into the body, turning off many acid-producing pumps at the source, so less acid is produced. with just one pill a day, you get 24-hour heartburn protection

all day and all night, satisfaction guaranteed. trust the number-one doctor-, gastroenterologist-, and pharmacist-recommended brand to treat your frequent heartburn. to request a free sample, visit prilosecotc.com. prilosec otc. heartburn gone. power on. key lime pie, pineapple upside down cake, raspberry cheesecake... ...yeah, every night its something different. oh yeah yeah...she always keeps them in the house. no no no, i've actually lost weight... i just have a high metabolism or something... ...lucky. [ wife ] babe... ♪ umm, i gotta go. [ female announcer ] over 30 delicious flavors at around 100 calories each. yoplait, it is so good. indulge in yoplait light's two new flavors. triple berry torte and black forest cake. the white house tonight,

defending its response to the bp oil spill last april, because a national commission claims in a report out the obama administration badly estimated, underestimated the amount of oil pouring into the gulf. the report also says the president's team kept scientists from being frank from the public and committed other missteps during the crisis. the white house says it didn't stop signs from revealing how bad the spill had become. they say they were working to protect the coastline and prevent more damage. the commission will issue a formal report in january. company linked to the massive oil leak in romeoville last month, being sued by the state. illinois attorney general lisa mat began and county officials filed the lawsuit against inbridge, claiming the company was negligent by not maintaining the pipeline. the attorney general says the lawsuit will make sure that inbridge pays for cleanup costs, where the spill happened, and the company estimates that will cost $60 million to do all of that.

hard times hitting suburbia, as never before. new study of poverty in 30 chicago suburbs finds rising sharply over the past three years. in joliet, it's up 62% since 2000. in aurora, it's up 39%. naturally, the number of poor in the suburbs jumped by 37%, doubling the increase in the city. university of chicago researchers found the problem is compounded by cuts in human service projects and the perception among human services programs, and perception among charitable donors that poverty is only an urban problem. there are fewer people headed to the unemployment office. the labor department says the number of people filing first time claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, the fourth time -- fewer people are being let go from their jobs, according to experts.

job openings grew by nearly 2% in august. president obama in town tonight to pump up the crowd for democratic senate candidates. don ponce is at the drake hotel with the story. >> reporter: no surprise they sent in their top guy. the democrats could not afford to lose this race. if the republicans were to win, president obama's former senate seat, it would be a huge and largely symbolic win for the gop. as we've been reporting, alexi and kirk are in a very tight race. if she holds on for the democrats, he's going to need all the money they raised here tonight. president's motorcade arrived at the drake hotel for the first of two big ticket fund raisers for senate candidates, paying between 500 and $2400 to attend the first fund-raiser. several high profile chicago democrats were here tonight, hoping to give the campaign a boost. >> of course we've been outspent 3 to 1 with outside money coming into illinois, and alexi's going to need the

resources to get the message out, to respond to the negative ads. rough. >> reporter: half the money raised tonight will go to the campaign, the other half to the democratic senatorial campaign committee. many democrats across the country are fighting to keep their seats. here in illinois, the two are neck and neck. chicago democrats are confident the president's star power will help him win. >> president obama is obviously our favorite son and is uniquely qualified to fire up the democrats for these closing 4 weeks and raising money for candidates who are trying to finish out the campaign the right way. >> reporter: the second fund- raiser tonight was held at a private home in the gold coast. several dozen high rolling supporters paid between 15 and $30,000 a plate. democrats say they will need every penny of that to hold on. >> one of the reasons we need to hold on to the senate seat and the governor's seat is that the president of the united states will be beat up by republicans across the country if we're unable to do so. so it's not just for ourselves.

it's for the democratic party and people of good will across the country. >> this is a race about the future of the united states. at this seminole moment in this country's history, which path will be choose as a nation? >> i know how committed he is to public service. he has been a great advocate on behalf of the people of illinois and in this for the right reasons. >> reporter: tonight, president obama helped raise about $750,000. this, by the way was the president's second fund-raising trips in the last couple of weeks. michelle obama will be back in chicago next month for another fund-raiser. clearly the white house putting full weight behind this candidate. chicago tribune endorsed mark kirk, kirk saying today he does not believe the president's visit today will make any difference in this race.

back to you. >> thank you. everybody's ready to carbo load. the chicago marathon coming up. the city doesn't want a repeat of '07, helping runners beat the heat this year. a behind the look into the kitchen -- the making sensational sushi. [ indescernible ] i'm dean richards in downtown chicago with the harris theater and millennium park, where inside a sold-out audience is watching the first film in this year's chicago international film festival. we talked with its star, edward norton. we'll bring it to you, coming up.

[ female announcer ] this is a strawberry pop tart. but this is warm, fresh-baked strawberry toaster strudel. [ music ] see the difference? pillsbury toaster strudel, the one kids want to eat. eating our loot at the end of the night... especially if it's totino's! ♪ ♪ we're the kids in america

♪ oh, oh, oh as well as the leading wrinkle prescription brand regimen at reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles? presenting the olay professional pro-x intensive wrinkle protocol. okay pro-x works by doing three things. one -- it protects your skin with age repair lotion with spf 30. two -- it treats your skin with deep wrinkle treatment. and three -- it transforms your skin with wrinkle smoothing cream. three easy steps. [ female announcer ] developed by a team of scientists to give you professional results. what the olay professional pro-x protocol does, is help the skin to perform more like it did when it was younger by increasing the skin's surface turnover and repairing the moisture barrier. it actually said, "will diminish fine lines and wrinkles." and they're diminished. you know, it speaks for itself. [ female announcer ] to learn more about olay professional pro-x and get a $5 coupon, go online now.

as we celebrate hispanic heritage month, we take a look at the contributions latinos have made in so many areas. >> music, the food, you name it. think about sushi, for example. >> latino chefs have heard of avocados, stepping up from behind the bar to create sushi with a kick. >> the cutting board needs to be wet because the rice is sticky. >> reporter: it's a secret sushi chefs know well and latinos are catching on quickly, the asian art has become a bit of a punch line. [ indescernible ] >> how you do that, jose? >> reporter: funny, but we've seen it for years. latinos playing a key role in

restaurants across the country. >> we thought it was -- we started with 40. now we've got 1160, a big increase. >> reporter: at st. augustine college, a culinary arts degree made the cut for these students. they are cooking anything and everything, but it may end up at sushi bars. >> 60% are sushi chefs and back of the house chefs are latino. >> reporter: at raw, they hired non-japanese sushi chefs, but making rolls with a kick. >> we get a lot of jalapenos, stuff we use in our rolls every day. >> reporter: realizing a little training goes a long way. >> bringing chefs from overseas to train is very big burden on our expenses. we do have latino chefs. >> reporter: customers are eating it up. >> works for me.

. >> reporter: but it's not just mexican flavors. >> sometimes i have sushi pizza, use a combination of mexican cheese and mozzarella, italian. >> reporter: all sounds good, but not everyone is on board. >> western japanese, not many japanese chefs making sushi. >> reporter: so latino chefs are stepping in, turning what started out as a punch line-- >> mexicans know how to cook it! >> reporter: -- into a profitable bottom line. >> close to 8000 sushi bars nationwide. >> with latinos and asians considered to be the fastest growing minority groups in the u.s., some predict it's likely we'll see many more sushi bars or a mix of fusion between latin american cooking and

asian. if you're thinking about doing apple picking this weekend, you might want to consider pumpkins instead. and warmer than normal summer led to a brief, early harvest. chicago orchards have been picked bare weeks before the usual picking season. in tomorrow's red eye, how they catch cheaters in marathons. long races are all about character, but some characters don't play by the rules. no one will get away with a shortcut in sunday's bank of america chicago marathon. [ applause ] mayor daley may not be running for reelection, but he accepted a name tag if he wants to run the race sunday. 10-10-10. 45,000 elite and amateur runners are registered to compete in the 33rd annual chicago marathon. warm weather, with a high in the 80s, could pose problems for some, but officials say there will be plenty of water and no repeat of the heat problems that caused them to cut the race short back in

2007. >> '07, humidity was a lot higher, too. coming up, med watch, the new way you can check yourself for lung cancer. and holy haunted house! we'll take you to the chronicles of the curse, the haunted sinkhole.

what do you like about working with haunted houses? >> i enjoy making ople scream. it's fun. >> what is the overall theme of the haunted house here? >> it's a giant hole that opened up in the city of chicago, as the explorers came in, or as the people came in to fix the sinkhole, found things that were wrong, things that have gone bad, evil corporation called the tribune starting bad things in the basement. >> doesn't sound like the tribune i know. no way. >> reporter: ken took us on a special tour through the sinkhole, designed to mess with your senses. there's sound. >> we're not sure how far down they go, but if you listen real close-- >> wait, what did you say! [ laughter ] >> what did you say? sorry! >> of course! >> thanks a lot! >> reporter: plenty to touch. >> starting dinner in here. >> oh, great, i was really hungry. oh, my gosh! >> reporter: yes, even smell. >> what is that? >> dead rat smell. when he comes out, smells like-

- >> i just thought it might be my photographer. >> didn't know he was listening! >> we want to talk to one of the actors here, but do you want to get a costume on? [ indescernible ] >> tell the morning team about it, okay? seem like they are more up your alley. >> does it take an actor to do something like this, or can any guy put on a costume and go argh! >> if people like-- >> dental hygiene. >> don't have to show your chompers all day. >> i like to imitate people on the bus. like when you see people on the bus, gaping teeth, you know? >> reporter: chronicles of the curse is opened through weekends through halloween, with high tech surprises around every corner. >> how long does it take to create something like this? >> takes about 2 1/2 to 3

months from scratch. it's an entire body puppet that the person's in, looks from above the face, boots strapped to him, also movement in his arms. >> reporter: when you walk through the haunted house, you end up in the spider room. as you can see, there's a camera right up here. when you get out of the house, you can watch other people going through on this monitor that's outside. >> man! >> oh, boy. chronicles of the curse, located at 560 west grand. you can get tickets online for $15 or at the door for $20. open on weekends until halloween. i do hope he comes back. >> i'll just watch it on tv. >> okay. >> too scared. i am. i'm not kidding. i don't like that stuff! [ laughter ] >> baby! it's the annual chicago film festival. dean richards will join us live with more on this year's lineup. >> pretty funny. some of the big names featured, clint eastwood, nicole kidman

and ed norton. but the weather may be way too nice to sit in for a movie this weekend. tom skilling has your forecast. you've never seen fast. you've never held it in your hand, then unleashed it with a fingertip. never watched pixels whip by at 1 ghz and had your neurons struggle to keep up. you've never seen fast because you've never seen this. the droid incredible by htc. it's nothing short of its name. buy a droid incredible with flash and get any phone free.

you do? your medicare card. [ laughing ] but don't let me or anyone see it except your doctor or their staff. and don't tell anyone your card or social security number over the phone. guard your card. [ woman 2 ] i hear unauthorized card use is a big source of fraud. the new healthcare law lets us crack down on criminals and win against fraud. making medicare stronger. and speaking of winning... [ man 2 ] not again! [ man ] learn more at stopmedicarefraud.gov. everyday i eat your soups instead of going out to lunch, i save a lot of money. that's great. so, your delicious rich and hearty soups have made me, rich and hearty. that's funny. well, i'm rich because... i know, i get it. i laughed. and i'm hearty because of your juicy steak, your potatoes, your pearl onions. well, you know, everything you want to eat for lunch is right in there. so you're really, rich and happy. yeah see, i like rich and hearty better. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. [ crunching ]

[ male announcer ] the closer the wheels are to the front and back of the vehicle, the bigger and steeper the obstacle it can go over. [ crunching ] guess where we put the wheels on the jeep grand cherokee. ♪ visit jeep at youtube.com. hello, tom. >> hello, micah. >> beautiful day again tomorrow? >> beautiful. >> today was gorgeous. >> we had 100% of our possible sun today. that hasn't happened for about three weeks around here. >> wow. >> you called that one. >> boy, it's beautiful, mark. we heard that micah's parents

are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary tomorrow, so we thought-- >> thank you! >> let's do it again! notch the temperature up to 80 degrees, how's that, micah! >> yes! >> less than half the years around here produce an 80 from this day forward. this will be one of them. look at these pictures. these occurred back on tuesday, but they are so dramatic from phoenix, arizona where the sun was out brightly today and their frost and freeze warnings. look at the airport, view from sky harbor airport as the storms moved into that area. great shots. gina over at more tan arboretum shows us the colors in our own backyard, as the fall colors are out in all of their glory. with a day like this, showering us with sunshine, you can see them beautifully. the only thing in the sky today was nothing actually, the blueness. you see the mariners out enjoying. we checked the harbors here, 4 weekends from now, so lots of time for the mariners to get

out and enjoy this weather. this weekend will be a warm one. big changes coming the middle and end of next week to cooler weather, looks like. look how the lake breeze today that will disappear in the gusty west winds that blow tomorrow and blow the warmth up to the lake shore reduce temperatures. at the lake front, lincoln park and highland park, while elgin flirting with 80 today. tonight, this air is remarkably dry. we had humidity at 22% this afternoon. that's really dry. so once that sun goes down, dry air cools fast and there's no wind on top of that. we're down to 57 at o'hare. it's 61 at midway. and these are dewpoints across the area. will not have frost, but you can see we will be getting into the 40s, and maybe near 40 in some locations with a dewpoint of 38 now at aurora. that gives you an idea where the temperature's going, the dewpoint does. that's the view from northfield. here in utah are the remnants of that big system. now, this thing is the one that produced the tornadoes in arizona the last couple of

days. not today, though. big showers, but there have been big thunderstorms in western colorado. and here's another one. this is vernal, utah. you can see the thunderstorms that dropped visibilities there. they have actually had thunderstorm watches out in that area today, so the unusual weather continues. that system, what's left of it, could slide in here as we look at the rains in puerto rico from a tropical storm moving away from that island, but doused that area and virgin islands with big rains today. temperatures tonight, highs during the day today. look at this big thermal ridge right here, enhanced by air rising and venting off the top of a low pressure east of us and west of us and all that air comes crashing down and compresses in the center of the country, building the warmth, as cold air starting to take shape up north. that's the stuff we'll be tapping next week as we bring a northerly jet stream in here. 57 tonight in chicago. we're 10 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago, and yet the month as a whole has been running about

3 degrees warmer than october a year ago. look how fast the temperatures are recovering to the west, which means that tomorrow we'll end up getting warmer even more than today, despite the fact it will start on the cool side because of these light winds and the dry air that allows rapid cooling. moderate mold spore count. there is the system still spinning through the mountains. you know there's even snow coming down on the mountain tops of colorado and utah tonight. we've shown you this pattern and what's gone on up till now is these weather systems have been shooting across the top of this cold air pool. so it's been allowed to sit there and spin. so as our big high pressure right here in this dome of warm air, but we think now this thing's going to start lifting out and eventually it will pull a branch of the jet stream down. there's the columbus day. that's what happens by monday. when you get a dip like this, that's an area of scattered showers. won't be all-day rain, but look what happens next week. this is why we'll turn so much cooler. that's 100 mile-an-hour wind expected by the middle and end of next week to blow in from canada. that will tap some of that

chilly air we were showing you way up north and pull it down here. could be the coolest air of the season. and that after an extremely warm weekend. here are the big thunderstorms still roaming western colorado tonight. this is really strange in october to have this kind of weather going. many viewers, there have been snowstorms out in that region of the country and frost and freeze advisories in mexico and arizona tonight. nothing like that here. just a lovely, quiet night. clear, cooler, 40 in the coolest inland locations. and 54 at chicago's lake shore. light, variable winds expected tonight, but that won't be the case tomorrow. those winds will turn west- southwest and really start to pick up. could be gusting over 25 in the afternoon. that propels temperatures to 80. 14 degrees above normal. tomorrow night, mild, with scattered clouds and temperatures holding to the mid- 50s here. upper 40s inland. southwest-west winds. winds turn southeast on saturday. that could keep the lake shore

in the low 80s, but there will be -- sorry, low 70s. but low 80s are expected inland. and for the big marathon, it's looking now like it's going to be a little more humid than we thought. we'll start with 80% humidity in the morning. >> that's a lot. >> that's a lot for the runners. temperature will probably be in the upper 50s to start with and could be in the upper 70s by midday. so the runners will see it warm up fast, heading for a high in the low 80s on sunday. >> pretty good for the weekend. >> they will be careful. that can be a little dicey for runners. >> absolutely, sure can. we'll come back and tell you about the rest of next week. big changes ahead later on. >> thanks, tom. >> thank you, sir. >> all right. coming up in tonight's medical watch-- >> how gum disease can negatively impact childbirth. what mothers can do to prevent it. it's the columbus day weekend event.

get 50-60% off coats for the family. and now 20% off all craftsman power lawn and garden and outdoor storage. plus get $70 cash back after mail-in rebate when you buy 4 michelin tires. sears ♪ most people like to hear they've done a great job caring for their teeth. that's why i recommend a rinse like crest pro health complete with fluoride.

it helps you get a better dental check-up. crest complete rinse makes the difference because it provides all these benefits. giving you a clean, healthy mouth. a more complete way to a better dental check-up. new crest pro health complete rinse.

on the medical watch, look into your lungs through your mouth. a new test for lung cancer with a cheek swab. it's one of the deadliest cancers, since it is so difficult to detect in early stages. that may change with a new detection tool for lung cancer. local researchers at northwestern university put this test to the test and found it can tell who has lung cancer and who doesn't. first, doctors swab the cheek, then shine diffuse light on the cells. a field effect causes the mouth cells to change, due to the distant lung cancer.

would you help a stranger in need? or someone you know? it's not a gut reaction. it's all in the brain. different brain regions are act vatted when we feel someone is part of our group. scientists wanted to figure out why we can watch tragedy on television and remain cool, yet in certain situations, people would risk their lives for another person. scientists kicked around their theory by scanning soccer fans who felt more com passion towards members of their own team. their finding on brain scans, when you know someone or feel connected to them, neurons fire differently, prompting a call to action. pregnant women should take action to stop gum disease t could protect their unborn baby. dentists often wonder about whether to treat gum disease during pregnancy, but a new study shows not only is it safe to get treatment, it could prevent premature birth. gum disease is caused by bacteria, which invade and inflame gum tissue.

aggressive teeth cleaning, not antibiotics is recommended, meaning better health for the babies. >> thank you. lights, camera, action. coming up, a live report from the 46th annual chicago film festival. jay cutler practices today, but will not play sunday. we'll hear from his replacement, later in sports. first is fast. first is 4g, but plays nice with 3g as well. first has an 8-megapixel hd camera and can stream live video to the web. first has an hdmi out. ♪ first shares wi-fi with 8 devices at once. first is not stephen furst, who played flounder in animal house. first has a kickstand for watching video. what will you do first with evo, the first 4g phone? only from sprint, the now network. deaf, hard-of-hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com.

your baby sister has something to say. this intervention brought to you by niaspan. so now your doctor's talking about plaque building up in your arteries - she called it coronary artery disease. you think that's something you can just stick in an email and that's the end of it? do you know me? look, bonnie. i know you've been exercising and eating a healthier diet. and that's great. but you wrote that your doctor also wants you on this cholesterol medicine - niaspan. i know - another pill. i get it, i do. but i am not taking no for an answer. if you have high cholesterol and coronary artery disease, and diet and exercise are not enough, niaspan, along with diet and a bile acid-binding resin, is fda-approved not only to slow down plaque buildup but to actually help clear some of it away. bonnie, ever since we were kids, you would do anything for me. i need you to do this for you. if you cannot afford your medication, call 1-877-niaspan. niaspan is not for everyone, like people with stomach ulcers, liver, or serious bleeding problems.

severe liver damage can occur when switching to niaspan from immediate-release niacin. blood tests are needed to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you have muscle pain or weakness; this could be a sign of serious side effects; this risk can increase with statin use. tell your doctor about alcohol use, if you've ever had gout, or are diabetic and experience increases in blood sugar. flushing, a common side effect, is warmth, redness, itching, or tingling of the skin. ask your doctor about niaspan. fight back. fight plaque. niaspan. you don't love me anymore do you billy? what? i didn't buy this cereal to sweet talk your taste buds it's for my heart health. so i can't have any? if you can deprive me of what can help lower my cholesterol... and live with yourself. right. mmm, i worry about your mother. cry herself to sleep every night over my arteries, but have yourself a bowl. good speech dad. [ whimper ] [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and its whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. bee happy. bee healthy. ♪

opening night, 45th annual chicago film festival. >> and of course our dean richards is in the thick testify tonight, taking on hosting duties, in fact. he joins us now live. hey, dean. >> reporter: hi, guys. good evening to you. the movie just let out, we'll get reaction to it in just a couple of minutes. the first of 150 films from 45 countries for the chicago international film festival that kicked off tonight, something that i was very proud to be a part of as well. >> good evening, and welcome to the 46th chicago international film festival. here we go this year, how about it! [ cheers & applause ] >> reporter: it was my honor to serve as the emcee for the opening night of the film festival that started back in 1964 and has attracted some of the biggest stars in the world. remember, film festival founder artistic director-- >> jack nicholson, back at the

grenada theater in the '70s. >> reporter: this year's opening night a-lister is no stranger to chicago. >> a man with no fear here tonight, edward norton! [ applause ] >> reporter: norton's breakout film, primal fear, was shot in chicago. tonight, he returned with director john ciewrn for a screening of his latest in which he costars with robert deniro. >> he's weird to work with, because he's so quiet. >> and he hasn't had you killed yet! >> no, no, no, we're old pals. i tease him more than anyone else. but he's great. he's, you know, he's, he's not who he is for no reason. >> what's it mean to you to be back here, where so much happened for you early in your career? >> well, i was looking at the lake and trying to remember where i stayed when i was here the first time. i think i'm in a nicer place this time. >> things have worked out for you, thankfully! >> things have worked out okay! >> reporter: and the movie

"stone" will opened october 15 across chicago. films are showing at the amc river east theater through october 21. so what did you think of the film? >> i thought it was contrived. i thought the ending was predictable. i had a lot of trouble with mr. norton's di cti on. >> so you loved it, then. >> what did you think? >> i thought it was a good movie. it was intense, great acting. i differ from her, but everybody could walk out of this theater tonight with a completely different view of the movie. >> reporter: that's the beautiful part about movies. that's the beautiful part about movies. you will be able to see "stone" october 15. lots of great films at the chicago film festival going on. much more with edward norton on the wgn morning news tomorrow, guys. meantime, back to you in the studio. >> can't wait to hear what you think on ha which side of that review you're on.

that was good. >> it was. hey, tom, how are you? >> very good, micah and mark. dean doesn't mince words. >> neither does that lady! >> we know where he stands on these films, no question. i got to credit dave and robert and brandon spinner for the phoenix, arizona storm shots we showed you earlier. if you missed them, they are up at our website, wgntv.com, actually breaking weather. so check it out. storms are out in the rockies tonight. see the purple areas with frost and freeze advisories? lot of the action in the weather out west, shifting at us as we get into early next week and we'll have warmed up and turned a little more humid then. we could brew a couple of thunderstorms in that whole setup for columbus day, but looks now like many hours will be rain-free and we'll see mixed sun. temperatures should be warm this weekend. high pressure in the area, but the fact the isobars have squeezed together means a strong southwest to west wind will take shape tomorrow. the one wild card, see the high

north of lake superior? if that comes down saturday it, turns winds off the lake. we still think that's going to happen, but could possibly cool the lake shore areas. the swirl there, you're watching a storm go from a nontropical to a tropical storm here. that's otto. it's doused parts of the virgin islands, now moving out to sea where it may briefly turn into a hurricane before it's absorbed by a nontropical low. 80 is the forecast tomorrow. it will seem hard to hit that, but when we start the day out tomorrow, because it will be fairly cool at the open. saturday, 81, but a little deceptive because we think low 70s at the lake shore. but then it's 82 area-wide sunday. that's marathon day. and 78. we boosted the columbus day forecast temperature on monday, with at least some mixed sunshine in there, too. big cool-off, down to the low 60s by the end of next week. real taste of autumn at that point in the forecast. but happy thursday! >> thank you, tom. >> okay, micah, mark.

see you later, guys. in tonight's chicago tribune photos of the day, we're all over town. >> yeah, michigan avenue, the west pullman neighborhood, the swap-orama, all wrapping up in the peace and calm of an apple orchard. n]♪ >> i'm excited -- because it will give me a safe place to go and play.

n]♪ >> more photos on wgntv.com. coming up with jay cutler on the sidelines sunday, one of the bears' all-pro defenders expects his side of the ball to rev things up against the panthers. and the blackhawks in denver. sports is it's the columbus day weekend event. get 50-60% off coats for the family. and now 20% off all craftsman power lawn and garden and outdoor storage. plus get $70 cash back after mail-in rebate when you buy 4 michelin tires. sears but the love i have for strawberry shortcake, red velvet cake and key lime pie, mmm, it threw a curve at my curves. so i threw it right back...

with yoplait light -- strawberry shortcake, red velvet cake and key lime pie. 30 indulgent delicious flavors that satisfy my love for tasty treats. around 100 calories. zero fat. now i love my curves in all the right places. yoplait. it is so good. you've never held it in your hand, then unleashed it with a fingertip. never watched pixels whip by at 1 ghz and had your neurons struggle to keep up. you've never seen fast because you've never seen this. the droid incredible by htc. it's nothing short of its name. buy a droid incredible with flash and get any phone free.

can stop frequent heartburn before it begins? heartburn happens when stomach acid refluxes into the esophagus. prilosec otc uses a unique delayed-release system that protects the medicine as it passes through the stomach's tough acid. then it gets absorbed into the body, turning off many acid-producing pumps at the source. with just one pill a day, you get 24-hour heartburn protection all day and all night. prilosec otc. heartburn gone. power on. prilosec otc. discover customersl are getting five percent cashback bonus at restaurants.

it pays to switch, it pays to discover. how are the blackhawks looking? >> mid season form. they are off in running, in defense of the stanley cup championship, tonight against the avalanche. still in the first period and worth watching. lot of new blood in the lineup, including marty turco. the avs have been all over him, but so far, turco up to the challenge, flopping all over the place. the hawks get a power play. brian bicle, your first goal of the new season, getting it going. right now late in the first, game tied 1-1 in colorado. bulls are going on the preseason road again tonight in dallas to take on the mavs.

they, like a lot of teams, have no answer for derek rode. bulls force a turnover, but right back to jason terry and the little guy clamps on boggan. then joakim noah showing off, very nice to the basket. right now, the bulls trail in dallas, 2 minutes left, 85-79. the bears made it official this morning. jay cutler will not play in the game at carolina this weekend. so todd collins takes the wheel against the panthers. cutler practiced yesterday and today on a limited basis and will do so again tomorrow. but an independent doctor's exam led the bears to sit him for at least this week and turn to todd collins, whose last real playing stretch came three years ago. but the bears playbook will be wide open, so collins won't just be back there handing off. >> you got to make plays to win. you know, managing the game, i mean managing the game to win,

i guess, you know, that's good. but i don't know how you define that in terms of making plays to score points. however you want to put it, the team with more points in the send going to win, so you got to find a way to manufacture those points no matter how they come, running the ball, passing the ball, a mix of both. there will be a lot put on the bears' defense sunday, having to kept panthers in check, keeping the score down. it's the homecoming game for julius peppers. he'll be jacked up. and the bears d as a unit figures to come out flying. more out of necessity than anything else. i would actually -- more aggressive defensemen. more opportunitistic, you know, wanting to get in the end zone even more, to try to help the team in the offense as much as possible. and that's the phases. all of them have to come into play. game 2, yankees and twins, yankees should be smiling.

7th inning, tied game, lance berkman, poo van know struck him out, only the umpire choked on the call, didn't ring him up. next pitch, lance berkman went down and got him to the deepest part of target field and off the fence. yankees beat the twins 5-2. they had back to new york, needing one home field win to end this series. we've seen that story line before. a few hours in game 2 at tampa, michael young up there in the fifth, they had him struck out, but the call was no swing. so on the very next pitch again, that's right, dead center field, a 3-run homer for michael young that broke open the game for the rangers. rays manager joe madden got thrown out after that, as texas takes down tampa bay 6-0. rangers go home with a 2-0 series lead. braves and giants scoreless early on. big rivalry games in college football this weekend. around here, probably none bigger than michigan-michigan state. we don't have to tell you who

major hester is rooting for. spartan through and through. he was scheduled to have a pacemaker put in this weekend, but pushed the surgery back till next week, said he could not put himself at surgical risk without knowing if sparty beat the wolverines. mark dantonio there, heart issues of his own. >> supposed to play. >> i guess so. that's the news for this thursday night. happy you shared time with us. >> for all of us, have a good night. >> bye-bye. hey nick. how's it going with the website?

going great, babs. made it really easy for customers to manage their car insurance policy online. well, you know that's why we have 24/7 support, so customers can call us anytime. [ in a robotic voice ] does not compute. error. [ all ] error. error. error. malfunction, babs. beep. boop. boop. ha ha. very funny. powering down. [ new guy ] we're not really robots. [ thomas ] i thought we were. [ male announcer ] want a great deal on car insurance? go to esurance.