Police still looking for store gunman
As police continued their search Sunday for a gunman who killed five women at a suburban Chicago strip mall a day earlier, passers-by erected a memorial of five white crosses and flowers to the victims.
Police released few details about the Saturday shooting at the Lane Bryant clothing store. Investigators believed it was a robbery that was interrupted, but declined to say how it was stopped or who called 911.
The Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune, citing unnamed sources, said on their Web sites that a sixth woman was shot and survived the attack, and was treated at a hospital. Police would not confirm the reports.
St. James Hospital spokeswoman Sherry Sissac confirmed the facility received one female shooting victim Saturday but declined to give further information.
The five who died were identified as Connie R. Woolfolk, 37, of Flossmoor; Sarah T. Szafranski, 22, of Oak Forest; Carrie H. Chiuso, 33, of Frankfort; Rhoda McFarland, 42, of Joliet; and Jennifer L. Bishop, 34, of South Bend, Ind.
Chicago-area Lane Bryant stores were closed Sunday in honor of those who died.
NEW YORK
4 film companies settle with writers
Striking writers have reached interim contract agreements with four New York-based independent filmmakers, ending their 12-week walkout, the two sides said Sunday in a joint announcement.
The settlement appeared to be another step toward ending the national work stoppage by the Writers Guild of America that has brought film and television production on both coasts to a virtual standstill.
The announcement did not offer details of the agreements but said they were “similar” to agreements reached earlier between the WGA and 13 other film and TV production companies.
The latest agreements with the Writers Guild’s east and west units enable the four indie producers, GreeneStreet Films, Killer Films, Open City Films and This is that corporation to “resume business immediately,” the statement said.
The announcement follows weekend reports in Los Angeles of a possible breakthrough in union talks with Hollywood studios.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.
Display brings obscenity charge
Police confiscated two display photos of scantily clad people from an Abercrombie & Fitch store and cited the manager on a misdemeanor obscenity charge, authorities said.
The police issued the summons Saturday after Abercrombie management did not heed warnings to remove the images from the Lynnhaven Mall store after customers complained, police spokesman Adam Bernstein said.
One photograph showed three shirtless young men, with one man’s upper buttocks showing. The other image was of a woman whose breast was mostly exposed, authorities said.
City code makes it a crime to display “obscene materials in a business that is open to juveniles,” Bernstein said.