chicago public schools is revving up its first official week with the longerrlass * yoyo emanuel pushedd f f t tsese extended daysn n ee f feeff strong o oosition f fmmhehe teachers' union good afternoon i'm dina bair >>and don dan ponce we welcome our viewers who are watching us around the country on wgn america and on the web ... julian crews spoke exclusively with mayor emanuel about how it's all going so far >>shoe they have been here since monday ... we're getting our first close-up look about how

things are going: >>essentially we are getting 20 additional minutes in literacy 15 in math ... we are able to implement recess for the first time ... 25 minutes and additional time in the resource preparation ... he likes the flexibility he has to utilize the extra 52 minutes of classroom time as he sees fit the veteran chicago public schools principal is fitting needs to his students most to live in the austin neighborhood here on the west side we spoke with science teachers here said they have more instruction time and are able to focus more on specific areas ... using i pads the elementary students at spencer are preparing power point presentation is on the elements of english grammar and speech ... according to the

mayor technology and longer time makes it all happen ... the mayor pushed for the longer school day pressuring the legislation tulare chicago to extend the day for the city's 500,000 students he said he's happy about what he is seeing so far >>making sure our kids in the chicago schools have more time with teachers and that's a no- brainer ... >>each and every school is being given the latitude to utilize the minutes tailoring instruction based on school needs as principal in chicago's spanish speaking pilsen neighborhood can allocate more language instruction minutes ... when the mayor announced this plan he was criticized by the teachers' union and the complaint was was that there was not enough detail on the plans about how the teachers were going to utilize the extra time but ironically the strength of this plan according to the

mayor and the principle here at spencer is that they have flexibility that they can decide what they would like to do the extra time should the kids need more help with massacre science they could devote the time to that flexibly fifth across the city of immigrants the flexibility to adapt to the needs of any particular community the illinois house is voting right now and they are expected to expel state representative derrick smith ... he is facing federal charges of taking a bribe to help a day care center get a state grant under state law even if the house expels him and he wins in november he can return to his job in january the expulsion vote could come anytime derrick smith plans to speak to reporters at 2:00 p.m. here in chicago hirsch also in springfield

illinois lawmakers are holding a special session to try to work out the state's public pension crisis but so far in irresolution the state owes current and future retirees $93 billion but the money to pay them is not there republican leaders want house speaker mike madigan to accept a plan to require state employers to choose between lower pension payments and the loss of their retiree health-care benefits madigan wants to gradually shift of pension burden to local governments will speak with tribune political reporter rick pearson live from springfield later on this hour a pedestrian was struck and killed while crossing the street in the roseland neighborhood that happened early this morning in front of roseland hospital on west 111th street 43 year-old kenneth edward collins worked at the hospital in adolescence mental health if he was on his way to pick up his paycheck his mother tells wgn news that he was a ph.d.

student at depaul and active in african american juvenile justice police are investigating the cause of this accident members of the guardian angels and the morning escorting women in lakeview as they headed to work this comes after chicago police issued a community alert after mantra to sexually assault the woman in her apartment with her roommate nearby police said the man broke into the apartment in the 800 block of west newport early yesterday morning while the two women were sleeping he tried to attack one of them she fought him off and the noise woke up her roommate the man ran off another way after stealing a few items from the apartment and man died after suffering a heart attack at the white sox blue jays game in toronto last night the white sox third baseman was the first player to notice something was wrong he told umpires to stop the game when he spotted the man receiving cpr in the stands medics rushed to him and

ambulance but he was pronounced dead at the nearby hospital there police in the southwest suburbs are looking for vandals spray- painted muslim graves with racist graffiti it happened at the evergreen cemetery in evergreen park the council on american islamic relations says that a man from graffiti when he went to visit his father's grave later that afternoon members of the council will join leaders of other religious and ethnic communities for demonstration downtown there will be protesting what they say is a disturbing spike in violent attacks against minorities in chicago and across the united states prosecutors in the drew peterson murder trial continued to chip away at the finding that his third wife's death was an accident jae milller is live at the will county courthouse with the latest ... there could be dicey testimony today and both sides are

prepared to handle it accordingly >>we will get into the gray area let's hope will make it through without mistrial ... the prosecutor made his way for the 12th day of testimony already three objections over whether dr. jean neary can testify as an expert he was the doctor to kathleen savio jurors were escorted out of the courtroom while the discussion ensued ... >>they are probably getting annoyed their issues is like watching gone with the wind and every 15 minutes you have to get up to make a big bag of popcorn and you are missing the continuity it could be problematic testimony to do with stacy peterson the missing fourth wife of drew peterson could also pose some controversy prosecution is expected to get into a gray area having to do with peterson and

hearsay testimony from a friend of stacy peterson ... the coercion drew peterson put upon the friend to help with a false alibi the weekend she disappeared ... >>i'm sorry the jurors know something about stacey this does not happen in a complete vacuum >>back to the doctor for kathleen savio on the witness stand he said a trader for 1999-2002 he said during that time he prescribed anti- depressant ... was asked if any medication could predispose her to slip and fall his response was no

... a former mail carrier was found guilty of stealing money intended for charity ... he stole nearly 30,000 letters conceding ... thousands of dollars were in them ... he took the and also working as rare as a mail carrier in berwyn he faces five years in prison and his sentencing is set for november ... federal officials issue an emergency warning to motor coach companies about tire pressure on double deck buses the federal motor carrier safety administration is telling bus companies to increase tire

pressure on real rules to the maximum fee when carrying heavy loads on august 2nd to make a bus carrying 70 passengers from chicago struck a pillar in southern illinois after a tire blowout killing one person in during dozens on august 8th to make a bus caught fire on a georgia interstate also after a tire blowout nobody was hurt in that incident coming next the latest out west as crews tried to contain the severe wild fires which are causing major damage and forcing evacuations plus the mayor of dallas texas declares a state of emergency a

again today ... >>that as dozens of wildfires burning cross large sections of the western united states. at least 70 large fires are burning across 13 states west of the mississippi river. california has the most with 13 followed by nevada with 12 and idaho with tam conditions could get worse in some places of the next few days because of high temperatures low humidity and strong winds ... >>if it burns fast and hot and when the wind fans those flames it looks like a tidal wave coming ... wild fires burned for nearly six and half million acres this year the record was 9.8 million a. set back in 2006 ... crop damage from the drought may have reached its peak the

u.s. agriculture secretary says that we may have seen the worst of the impact of the drought that has had on crops but the drought conditions are expected to stick around for november nationally corn prices have reached record highs this year here in illinois though mild weather in february and march means many of our favorite fall crops will come early plenty of watermelon winter squash and pumpkins are expected to be ready early this autumn >>it is the largest spike in west nile virus cases in eight years the federal government says nearly 700 people across 32 states have been infected with this virus so far 26 people have died texas has seen the most cases and has had at least 16 deaths dallas county in the city of dallas surrender state of emergency airplanes are spring grass sod over the dallas area to combat the virus mosquito's are responsible for spreading this virus their new medications to treat it or acting vaccines

to prevent it health experts say that you can protect yourself by avoiding mosquito bites and using insect repellent ... and a rare virus may be to blame for killing at least one man in sickening one woman who can get a 70 national park over the summer the disease is called hand-eye virus pulmonary syndrome and it comes from rodents health officials said that the virus was found in the faces of deer mice in the park the man who died late had stayed at the popular large in area curry village in june the woman who is seriously ill stayed in a canvas tent cabin near him there is no specific treatment for this virus about 30 percent of those who contract it will die ... an afghani policeman shoots and kills two u.s. service members and other afghan policeman officials say that it happened on a firing range in the far village province today they say the off officer suddenly turned his gun on the troops and other policemen that shooter was

killed by coalition forces in the last 11 days nine u.s. military members have been murdered in those so-called insider shootings it is a case that has drawn international attention involving russian president vladimir putin and three members of a female punk rock band it court has found all three women guilty of hooliganism earlier today they were sentenced to two years in prison hundreds of fans had been camping it said the court house awaiting the decision in showing their support for the banned several months ago that women stormed the cathedral in moscow and performed a song asking the virgin mary to regression of vladimir putin madonna and paul mccartney have also spoken out in support of these women to it's ok for 16 year-old to ask

for their friends for gas money but we're not sure the same rule applies on an airplane passengers on an air france flight asked to open their wallets and help pay for gas it happened during an emergency layover in syria [ "i'm only human" plays ] humans -- sometimes life trips us up. and sometimes, we trip ourselves up but that's okay. at liberty mutual insurance we can "untrip" you as you go through your life

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retail sales report says that consumers are spending more than this money and keeping economic recovery on track we could see hiring in the construction industry the associated press says that the obama administration is releasing a half billion dollars in unspent highway funding to states that promised to use it to an proof transportation and increase jobs ... which country do believe is the wealthiest in the world research says that singapore beat norway the united states and hong kong as the wealthiest nation per-capita by gross domestic product it should hold till 2050 the number million hallett heiress there is growing ...

next - inside the special session in springfield.... we're talking with chicago tribune political writer rick pearson. and just ahead -- a sweet treat without all the calories... scientists create a chocolate with half the fat. and live music this midday from world renowned cellist zuill bailey. he'll be performing tomorrow night at the bennett gordon hall at ravinia in highland park.

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nancy loo has a preview of the annual air and water show ... this can get loud and the crowd loves it ... this is a rehearsal day for the air show and many believe that this is better than the big show this weekend ... the tour is back and the weather is just about perfect from rehearsals for the chicago air

and water show is always a full run through thousands of people know it's the best day to see the annual extravaganza without squeezing between ... >>generally is less crowded it's still all the same show so it's a great time >>the weather in the last three years on friday has been coincidently better than any other day on the weekend today is just perfect its spectacular >>the u.s. army golden knights parachute team is back along with the navy's blue angels who say flying in chicago poses a unique challenge: >>when the wind is imbalanced it makes the wind turbulent but it's a challenging place to fly and we would miss it for the world ... >>and then there's the red bull airforce their precision stunt pilots who will well the crowd ... >>how dangerous is all of this? >>we practice a lot we are

really trained ... it would be dangerous retrain alonso we think it's pretty safe ... the actual show will run from 10 in the morning till 3 in the afternoon tomorrow and sunday as always they are free. navy pier mike will be next to tell us about the forecast and we will speak with rick pearson from the chicago tribune on all happening in the capital downstate today hi, anne. how are you doing? hi, evelyn. i know it's been a difficult time

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we are looking perfect the visibility is great for the air show ... we are looking at lake michigan this morning we have a few fairweather cumulus clouds but that will not cause problems there's no shower activity near chicago for the next couple of days ... but whether changes have happened of the last couple of weeks ... the jet stream has collapsed across the central part of united states the jet stream is bringing in decidedly cooler air that will stick around for a few more days we will slip out of that pattern their signs we will warm up once again later in the week next week ... 37 degrees in wisconsin this morning and beaver bay along lake superior was in the thirties ... we will not be that

cool here in chicago we will be in the 40's in some areas however ... we are in pretty good shape here the burn times with that sunshine as high around 20 minutes of the noon of our ... there's in northwest breeze bringing us that color canadian air ... the humidity will stay low for the next several days ... 71 degrees at this hour ... we have not seen much of this this summer ... it is only in the 40's and '30's across much of ontario north of the border ... big problems with the allergy counts moderate to high allergy sufferers having a tough time

these past few days hopefully the dry weather will help you out ... the front moving through yesterday continues to progress east for the big storms are well to the southern part of the country ... we are sliding slowly with some chances of showers the pressure system is saddling and we will have good swimming whether tomorrow and sunday there will only be 1 ft. waves the rip currents situation should be easing ... there's a few scattered showers and maybe our rumble of thunder by sunday the that that will hold off until late in the day ... the high today will be in the mid- 70s tonight down into the 40's

and 50's at o'hare and midway it's a close night we have had since early june ... '70s again tomorrow cooler tomorrow night a few degrees warmer as sunday arrives ... the rainfall forecast has a big doughnut hole over illinois doesn't look like we'll see any of the next couple of days the water temperatures on lake michigan are hovering at 70 degrees near the chicago shoreline little bit warmer near michigan and indiana... just watch out for any rip currents for tonight it will cool off

from our 75 degree high- temperature today we will drop down to 49 degrees inland 53 degrees at the loop ... tomorrow a few degrees cooler by the lakeshore 72 at the beach this 76 inland with light winds and clear visibility increasing clouds on sunday ... tomorrow a picture-perfect day here in the city... that sounds like autumn is arriving... illinois lawmakers are in springfield today for a special one-day legislative session. they're deciding on the future of stete representative, derrick smith.. and they're trying to solve the state's public pension crisis.

chicago tribune political reporter rick pearson joins us live from springfield: what is the latest? >>that afternoon from the illinois house of representatives right now the lawmakers are voting on whether to expel their colleague derrick smith he was accused by federal agents of taking a $7,000 bribe in exchange for a $50,000 grant it takes a vote of 79 votes to expel him there seems to be no opposition that debate is happening right now meanwhile the big issue is the state pension fund governor quinn met with the four legislative leaders for one hour to one-and- a-half hours today republicans left the meeting saying there is no agreement the democrats still want to do the cost shipft....

>>can you put into perspective how much the lawmaker's vote makes a difference in the derrick smith matter? even when he was facing these accusations people still voted for him and i can once again? >>the vote for smith and the primary election as he was facing charges was because of the fact that the democrats encouraged him in hopes they could get him off of the ballot and replace him but he never left the ballot so now it's a matter of expelling him if he does get expelled he will still end up on the ballot so the democrats will have to back the independent candidate running for him againstnovember against him

in november and the democrats vowed that they will prevail ... >>will anything get done today? >>the governor and the democrats met on their own and may try to bring a new bill into the legislature today but really the republicans say that it they don't know what that will be a a small reform will not be supported once in the more comprehensive that's what the republicans want something more comprehensive there's the issue of the public employees unions there's lots of them gathering today in the rotunda and lots of pressure on lawmakers asking

whether the public interest outweighs the professional ... >>can you see with the numbers are >>they have not yet begun the roll call they are laying the groundwork for the vote that is coming shortly that was rick pearson reporting from springfield we will also be speaking with derrick smith who is having a news conference at 2:00 this afternoon it will be interesting to see what he has to say in the meantime we have breaking news the chicago tribune reports that the teachers union has begun painting on strike signs in preparation for a walkout next month union officials say that the bargaining is continuing but they are making preparations of those two sides can't reach a deal negotiations are scheduled

through labor day the cps students return to classis september 5th by state law the union is required to file attend a notice for strike real more details as they

good afternoon everyone here is your midday winning lottery

numbers for friday august 17, 2012 ... here are the winning pick three numbers: 0 4 1 the mega-millions jackpot is $45 million for tonight's drawing ... here are the winning pick four numbers: 5 3 3 5

time for sports: beth brian urlacher still says his goal is to return from his recent knee surgery in time for the bears' season opener. he was back in bourbonnais yesterday, and walking around just fine.

urlacher and the bears maintain this was his first surgery even though comcast-sportsnet reports he had a similar knee procedure right after the season and again in the spring. when he does return, the plan is to limit his practice time... probably down to two days a week. francisco liriano pitched into the seventh against the blue jays last night. the sox are down a run in the fifth, when dayan viciedo ties it with a solo home run to left. the next batter is tyler flowers, and he hits a blast to the upper deck in left field... it goes an estimated 462 ft. the sox only had six hits, but five of them were home runs. they win 7-2 and take three of four games for their first series win in toronto since 2006. the sox visit kansas city tonight, while the cubs are in cincinatti at 6:00 tonight right here on wgn. that's a look at sports. why let why let constipation slow you down? try miralax. mirlax works differently than other laxatives. it draws water into your colon to unblock your system naturally. don't wait to feel great. miralax. [ female announcer ] with swiffer wetjet cleaning better, doesn't have to take longer. i'm done. i'm

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on the medical watch... health officials have issued a warning for baby boomers. they say anyone born between 1945 and 1965 should have a hepatitis-c test.the centers for disease control and prevention believes 2 million americans may be infected with the virus. hepatitis- c is transmitted through blood contact, and destroys the liver. it kills about 15,000 people a year. a simple blood test can detect hepatitis-c. it is not always curable but there are new drugs available that can eliminate 75% of infections. can chocolate with half the fat still taste as good? british researchers think they've discovered the recipe. the new formula cuts the fat in half by adding juice to replace some of the milk. scientists say the chocolate was just as tasty as the original. to cut the juice flavor from the chocolate, scientists plan to try using water with a small amount of vitamin c.

lunchbreak is next. we're learning how to make some easy recipes with an in-season shellfish... lobster.

it's time for a lunchbreak... chef diego burgos from jack binions steak house at the horseshoe casino in hammond is here with us. we have four different lobster dishes here today ... >>we have a coach to lobster salad very healthy it is made with a field cream mix with

raspberries and candied walnuts and blue cheese ... this is a grilled lobster tail with all of oil and garlic and citrus >>i love the presentation of the squash in the zucchini >>it's very simple we use a m elon baller and we cook them adding some honey ... and then we have everyone is guilty pleasure ... lobster mac n' cheese with pancetta finished n the oven with buttered bread

crumbs ... >>you don't want any cross contamination when you do these preparations when handling a lobster ... we are opening the lobster shell with these special scissors you want nice chunks of lobster meat we have some clarified butter in this saute pan ... we're going to let this sizzle a little bit lobster cooks quickly you never

want to overcook ... as it begins to get white and opaque we will hit this with some minced shallots those cook quickly as well you do not want to burn those they turn better at some white bitter u.s. and some white wine and take it off the flame when you do it ... let the juices reduce that will cut downook down i had a compound cajun better ... onion powder chili powder parsley chopped garlic

and cumin all mixed in with softened butter i am making what they call a buerre blanc... season to taste with salt and pepper ... we have some fresh tomato that we ed at the end we do not want to overcook those either ... you don't want to much of the sauce ...

generous morsels of lobster we put some green garnish with some scallion on top ... >>we have some great meals here ... thank you for showing us jack binions steak house is located at the horseshoe casino 777 center drive in hammond indiana. for a recipe, or to watch the segment again, log on to: wgntv.com/midday.

it's really hard to look fierce when your clothes don't match so i switched to tide total care to keep all my colors looking great. and by all her colors she means... black. my wife's a ninja. i'm not a ninja. i'm a ninja. that's my tide for keeping blacks black. >>a beautiful day today and tomorrow some clouds may be sure late in the day sunday but we of the gorgeous beginning to the weekend temperatures are on the cooler side we are into the '70s

... the canadian cold air will hang around for a few more days we will see nothing close to the warming trend we've experienced earlier this summer when it arrives next week ... we have to shots of rain one coming sunday another as we head to next friday most of next week will be dry ... cool tomorrow 77 degrees on sunday the showers may hold off until late in the day sunday ... >>thank you mike thanks for joining us today. we hope you have a great afternoon and weekend. we leave you with more music from world-renowned cellist zuill bailey.