For nine long months, 3-year-old Dominick Mastrino excitedly prepared for his upcoming role as a big brother.

A member of an age group where teasing can sting and youngsters struggle to express themselves, 14-year-old Troy Kraly unapologetically carries a long, rectangular case into a gymnasium and pulls out his baton.

The actions of an elderly Elmhurst man — committing homicide and suicide — inside his family's tidy bungalow last Saturday have fed into a complex debate about death at the hands of family or other caregivers of the elderly and severely disabled.

With just about three more weeks until Baby No. 2's due date, the sleepless nights have already begun. But the insomnia has less to do with frequent bathroom visits and not being able to find a comfortable position for myself and the watermelon that is my belly.

Scott Peters wasn't surprised that a New Jersey couple allowed their 9-year-old daughter to fire a gun at a shooting range near Las Vegas — he let his youngest daughter fire her first weapon when she was in kindergarten.

On a quiet residential street near downtown Hinsdale earlier this week, a white Toyota Prius pulled over and two men in khaki shorts, crisp polo shirts and black helmets climbed out.

While Metra commuters file onto their usual trains at Ogilvie Transportation Center, Fred Van Dorpe frantically weaves from one platform to the next with a hand-held video camera strapped to his palm.

Claudia Harvey wasn't sure what she packed before hitting the road to cheer on her 13-year-old son, Darion, in the first round of the Little League World Series, which begins Thursday in Williamsport, Pa.