As they watched the wrenching images of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan on TV, Asako Kobari and her parents tried desperately Friday to call family members in the country.

— First lady Michelle Obama shuns cable television. She's an early riser who e-mails aides before they've arrived for work in the morning. And she misses her trips to Target on Chicago's Roosevelt Road.

In TV ads and automated phone calls, the two leading rivals for Chicago mayor are turning up the heat on each other prior to Tuesday's election.

New Fox series has yet to approach 'The Wire' territoryMary Schmich: The fight against corruption is theater here, and we're ripe for a great TV show that tells that drama in a modern style for the whole world to share. If "The Chicago Code" is going to be that show, however, it needs a little work.

Takes on front-runner with first TV attack spots of mayor's race Candidate Gery Chico is up with the first TV attack ad of the Chicago mayor's race, a spot in which he blasts opponent Rahm Emanuel's idea for a sales-tax swap.

Some alleged torture victims see 'complete injustice,' but one of their lawyers calls judge's decision 'courageous'Moments after former Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge was sentenced Friday to 4 1/2 years in prison for lying about his role in torturing criminal suspects, Mark A. Clements stood before a wall of TV cameras, his hands shaking and tears rolling down his face.

Finance reports show Emanuel raising $11.8 million, Chico $2.4 million, Braun $446,000Mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel will spend nearly as much for a single TV ad during Sunday's Bears-Packers game as opponent Carol Moseley Braun had in her campaign fund to begin the year.

Pilot for reality show tells compelling stories while testing culinary skillsProducers hope to sell "A Plate Apart," a cooking competition and reality TV show in which Chicago students compete for a $25,000 scholarship.

Rise in support attributed to city's economic problemsA Chicago casino has gained the backing of nearly half of city voters following long-standing public opposition to the concept, a Tribune/WGN-TV poll found.

Being Web-savvy helps, experts say, but it can't replace good parentingEvenings at the Svanascini home in Palos Heights, Kathy, Mike and their two teenage sons are as likely to be huddled around their laptops as they are the television set.

Defeated commissioner denies claim after court hearingRobert Baloga said he was watching TV when he heard a noise outside his apartment in tiny suburban McCook, then looked out his window and saw Cook County Board Commissioner Tony Peraica using a stick to whack a campaign sign on a wooden restaurant pole.

Children's Memorial Hospital's TV network helps young patients focus on fun rather than illnessThe television network with the smallest audience in Chicago might have the biggest impact.

Police chief calls for burglar to return remainsChristopher Washington doesn't care about the TV, the jewelry or any of the other property missing from his northwest Indiana home. All he wants is the return of the ashes of his late wife, a Chicago schoolteacher, stolen during a recent break-in.

Emanuel, Davis, Meeks to announce; Emanuel to follow up immediately with TV adsThree Chicago mayoral hopefuls are scheduled to formally launch their campaigns this weekend, but former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is rearing back for a second punch — hitting the airwaves with nearly $750,000 in commercials.

Hoping to sway voters in tight statewide races, political groups pump cash into IllinoisAn unprecedented influx of political cash — most of it from outside Illinois — is feeding an inescapable wave of television attack ads aimed at manipulating voters in the final weeks of high-stakes campaigns for U.S. Senate and governor.

Tribune analyzes campaign claims in governors raceDemocratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bill Brady are trading charges and countercharges in TV attack ads and during debates.

Governor candidate opposes abortion, even in cases of rape, incestThe sponsors of a TV ad attacking Republican Bill Brady's opposition to abortion said Wednesday that too much is at stake in the governor's race to worry about whether the sharply worded message may offend some voters.

In video, actress offers dining tips, including fries, sandwichesBefore she was a celebrity New Yorker with her own Manhattan-based TV show, comedian Tina Fey was a Chicagoan — one who apparently loved a good, cheap meal.

White House highlighting importance of science, math WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Monday he will appear on "MythBusters," a television series that uses science to separate fact from fiction.

On Columbus Day, politicians ply parade route for votesFrom Chicago's Columbus Day parade route to rallies held across the state, Monday marked the first day of early voting for the Nov. 2 election — a point where politicians shift from primarily concentrating on hard-fought, TV-driven campaigns to focus on the nitty-gritty of cranking out the vote.

WASHINGTON — The leading contenders for Illinois' open U.S. Senate seat debated their character issues Sunday on TV, with Democrat Alexi Giannoulias insisting he knew little about convicted felons who got loans from his family bank and Republican Mark Kirk acknowledging he is accountable for embellishing his military record.

One-time Schiller Park resident killed by explosive in AfghanistanDan Johnson garnered a little limelight after "The Hurt Locker" won the Best Picture Oscar earlier this year. A California TV station featured him in a news report about U.S. Air Force explosive disposal experts, similar to those portrayed in the film.

With 17% of voters undecided, U.S. Senate race is still a toss-up, Tribune/WGN-TV poll showsThe trust factor could well determine the tight U.S. Senate race between Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Mark Kirk with a month left in an attack-driven campaign, a new Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll found.

Temperature will only keep rising in U.S. Senate, governor, congressional contests The first major wave of TV political attack advertising assaulted Chicago-area viewers last week, and the barrage is only expected to grow stronger as candidates in high-stakes U.S. Senate, governor and congressional contests try to woo voters.

Fresh off a week of stunning Republican primary victories, several thousand exuberant and newly-empowered tea party followers descended on the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates on Saturday for Right Nation 2010 — a carefully choreographed night of conservative political cheerleading, headlined by radio and TV host Glenn Beck.

Hall of Famer's TV statement doesn't address facts raised in Tribune articleResponding to a Tribune article that reported problems surrounding the charity Gayle Sayers founded in 2006, the legendary Bears running back on Friday attributed the struggles to "growing pains."

Brother Rice old-timers beat Bloom rivals in made-for-TV rematch of controversial 2000 state playoff game Brother Rice earned some payback against Bloom Township, but there really wasn't any loser.

New ads steer away from the negativeWith Labor Day in the rearview mirror and the fall campaign in full swing, both major party U.S. Senate candidates are launching TV campaign ads Thursday.

Tribune/WGN-TV poll finds 54 percent back prosecutors' choice for new trial, 37 percent disagreeRod Blagojevich launched into a media tear following his mistrial last month, complaining to any interviewer who would listen that prosecutors were persecuting him by continuing to pursue their corruption case.

51 percent of Illinois residents approve of Obama's job as president, but that's down from 59 percent last yearEnthusiasm for Barack Obama's presidency in his home state has cooled as Illinois voters have grown increasingly uneasy over stewardship of the sputtering economy, a new Tribune/WGN-TV poll has found.