Jessica Chasmar

Big Brother? Street sensors to collect data in downtown Chicago

A Chicago project seeks to install as many as 50 sensors to downtown street lamps to track everything from foot traffic to noise levels to pollution in an effort to make the Windy City more efficient. Published June 24, 2014

British Airways mix-up lands Granada-bound man in Grenada: lawsuit

An American is suing British Airways after the carrier sent him and his partner to the Caribbean island of Grenada, instead of the Spanish city of Granada. Published June 24, 2014

Detroit residents can’t pay their water bills, activists lobby U.N. for help

Activists in Detroit have begun lobbying the United Nations to step in and solve the city's water troubles, in which half of residents cannot or are not willing to pay their water bills on time. Published June 24, 2014

Dow Jones offers reward for info on WSJ reporter David Bird, missing since January

Dow Jones & Co. is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Wall Street Journal reporter David Bird, who disappeared Jan. 11 while taking a walk near his home in New Jersey, a local newspaper reported. Published June 24, 2014

Former Gitmo detainee arrested in Spain for recruiting ISIL militants: police

A former Guantanamo detainee has been arrested in Spain for operating a terrorist cell that recruited fighters for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Spanish police said. Published June 23, 2014

Missouri trains teachers to carry concealed firearms in class

School districts in Missouri have started sending staffers to firearms training so they can become an effective first line of defense in the case of a school shooting. Published June 23, 2014

D.C.’s Marion Barry asked about ‘yoga tax,’ sounds off on nonexistent ‘yogurt tax’

D.C. Councilman Marion Barry ranted about a nonexistent yogurt tax after he misheard a reporter's question on the so-called "yoga tax" on yoga classes and gym memberships. Published June 23, 2014

John Kerry: ‘I’m working hard to ensure’ U.S. has LGBT ambassadors

John Kerry said during pride event last week that one of his goals as secretary of state is to ensure that lesbian, bisexual and transgender ambassadors represent the United States abroad. Published June 23, 2014

Ted Cruz files bill prohibiting Gitmo transfers until Obama explains Bergdahl swap

Sen. Ted Cruz filed legislation on Friday that blocks any further releases of Guantanamo prisoners until the Obama administration first explains its May exchange of five Taliban operatives for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Published June 23, 2014

Times Square officials want to regulate ‘out-of-control’ costumed characters

Costumed characters are running amok in New York City, and Times Square officials have decided more regulations are needed to curb their bad behavior. Published June 23, 2014

North Korea: Rogen, Franco film shows ‘desperation’ of American society

A spokesman for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Friday that the Hollywood comedy with Seth Rogen and James Franco that shows the autocrat's fake assassination is indicative of American society's "desperation." Published June 22, 2014

Texas day care accused of duct taping unruly children to nap mats

A Texas day care center is under investigation for allegedly duct taping children to floor mats at nap time, officials said. Published June 22, 2014

Sonia Sotomayor promises Costco run-in with Hillary Clinton wasn’t staged

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor promised in an ABC interview aired Sunday that her Costco run-in with Hillary Clinton last weekend was not a staged photo-op. Published June 22, 2014

Cuomo endorses Rangel for 23rd term; calls him ‘critical voice’ in fighting Tea Party

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has endorsed Rep. Charles Rangel for a 23rd term, saying the Democrat is "a critical voice in standing up to the Tea Party extremism." Published June 22, 2014

ISIL imposes Islamic law in Mosul: ‘We live in continuous fear’

Iraqi residents of the ISIL-controlled city of Mosul say Sunni extremists have begun imposing an extreme interpretation of Islamic law and turning back the clock hundreds of years. Published June 22, 2014

McCain: Todd’s hot mic comments ‘should be embarrassing for MSNBC’

Sen. John McCain is fighting back after MSNBC host Chuck Todd was reportedly caught joking about the Republican having "heart palpitations" upon learning that former Gen. David Petraeus opposed further intervention in Iraq. Published June 22, 2014

Polish minister says U.S. alliance ‘isn’t worth anything’: report

A Polish magazine said Sunday it has obtained recordings in which Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski says the country's alliance with the United States "isn't worth anything" and that it actually alienates the Russians and Germans. Published June 22, 2014