200 years ago, the Battle of Fort Dearborn helped set the stage for the rapid growth of a modern metropolisThe soldiers and civilians holed up in Fort Dearborn already were jittery before the orders to evacuate arrived. A recent Indian attack to the west had sent settlers fleeing to the safety of the wooden stockade on the south bank of the Chicago River.

Lawyers defending former police sergeant in murder trial aren't camera-shyEach day of Drew Peterson's murder trial, his defense team argues his case for several hours in front of jurors in a tiny Will County courtroom. More often than not, they also spend at least a few minutes each day making their case in front of a bank of television cameras that beam their avowals of innocence to the world. ...

A federal judge on Monday rejected a guilty plea by a Chicago woman accused of robbing a suburban bank at gunpoint with an accomplice after she maintained she didn't take part in the holdup.

4-year-old dog helped deputies track down man suspected of robbing bank near GlenviewA 4-year-old bloodhound named Melanie is being credited for finding a man in his 20s who allegedly robbed a bank Monday near Glenview, authorities said.

3 men go to court, trying to find out what went wrongA malfunction in a Chicago sperm bank has endangered the samples of as many as 200 fertility patients, its operators acknowledged after three patients went to court Monday to try to determine what went wrong.

Western Springs bank failed in 2011A former chairman of a suburban bank that failed last year pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to concealing his personal interest in three loans that ultimately cost the bank more than $680,000.

At Downers Grove law firm, she wrote unauthorized checks, forged signatures, authorities sayA former legal secretary who prosecutors said used her employer's bank accounts "as her own personal ATM" pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing more than a half-million dollars over five years.

Hillside man linked to 4 other heists, FBI saysAn off-duty Chicago police lieutenant in the drive-through lane of a Northwest Side bank called 911 when he saw it being robbed by a man also suspected in four previous robberies and an attempted robbery, authorities said Thursday.

Longtime banker was exec at Continental, Elmhurst NationalFrank C. Rathje Jr. spent more than 35 years in banking in the Chicago area, rising through the ranks at Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Co. and later becoming president of Elmhurst National Bank.

Woman is arrested days later outside Albany Bank and Trust on Northwest SideA quick-thinking teller is being credited with stopping a robbery by telling a woman with a demand note that the bank on Chicago's Northwest Side was closed, the FBI says.

Vote ends plans to replace former Pure Oil station with a bankA historic 75-year-old building in downtown Geneva has been spared from demolition, contrary to the wishes of a developer who wanted to use the property for a drive-thru bank.

Physician created first U.S. hospital blood bankThe Cook County Health and Hospitals System this week is celebrating what it says is one of the greatest milestones in medical history — the creation of a "blood bank."

Harris Bank exec volunteered for Evangelical Covenant Church nonprofits in retirementRolland S. Carlson, who started as a teller and worked his way up to be an executive at Harris Bank, spent his retirement as a dedicated volunteer for several nonprofits associated with the Chicago-based Evangelical Covenant Church.

Political bank accounts controlled by Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan received more than $1.5 million in campaign contributions in the final three months of 2011, records filed with state elections officials showed Tuesday.

Bank worker until age 80 once ran a day care center in her Skokie homeElinore Mayster, 85, who ran a day care center and worked in a bank, died of a stroke suffered while volunteering at Skokie Hospital on Thursday, Jan. 5, said her grandson, Alex Mayster.

Former owner lived in drivewayThe former home of John Wuerffel, a Schaumburg man who drew national media attention for living in a car on his front lawn after the bank foreclosed on the property, will be rehabbed and put on the market by its new owners.

Naperville heist netted more than $134,000 A Waukegan man charged with robbing a Naperville bank at gunpoint last month of more than $134,000 was arrested after he tried to use the dye-stained cash at a Hammond casino, authorities said.

Time is up for federal authorities to file bank robbery charges against the Wheaton Bandit, FBI officials said Thursday.

Unknown bank robber last struck 5 years ago; statute of limitations could mean he walksJanet Englund had just received a deposit from a drive-through customer at a branch bank in Wheaton when a voice from behind startled her.

The man police believe is responsible for 16 bank robberies in the western suburbs could get away with the crimes if authorities can't track him down and charge him by Dec. 7.

Two relatives of a 96-year-old McHenry County man have been accused of stealing about $140,000 from him after the man tried to withdraw money from the bank to buy hearing aids and discovered he only had $30, police said.

1967 killing netted bank robber 199 years; 2010 parole quashed by local campaignA former Chicago man whose planned parole sparked outrage 43 years after he killed two police officers in a Northlake bank robbery has died behind bars.

A Carol Stream man was charged Friday with robbing a bank in that western suburb this month, authorities said.

Loop branch hit again WednesdayA man the FBI suspects of robbing a downtown bank branch three times since August held up the same bank again Wednesday afternoon, according to the FBI.

Marathon woman's delivery sparks mixed reactions about safetyAll Amber Miller hoped to accomplish Sunday was to safely compete in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. But after the race, she accomplished far more.

A floor host at a Chicago Heights strip club is accused of robbing a Homewood bank, allegedly arriving at work shortly after the robbery to repay $500 he owed another club employee and flashing an unusually large amount of cash.

Go the extra mile to spot your runner, experts adviseIn a crowd of 45,000, it can be tough to spot your favorite runner. For this year's Bank of America Chicago Marathon, we offer some tips on the best ways to ensure you don't miss your sprinter in the sweaty herd.

Doctor's advice to runners: 'Listen to your body'Warm weather will stick around for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, but experts say it shouldn't be quite as extreme as some recent years.

Several hundred now gather near Federal Reserve Bank, organizers sayAs their kindred spirits in New York City number in the thousands at Wall Street, those involved in the almost 2-week-old Occupy Chicago protest say they are seeing growing numbers coming out to oppose what they say is undue corporate influence in U.S. government policy.

Bank executive "never did anything halfway"George Weldon Fogal rose from humble circumstances as one of 10 kids in a central Illinois farming family to become president and CEO of two south suburban banks.