A man wanted for the murder of his bride who was found stabbed to death Sunday in Burbank was “very possessive” and jealous and called a relative Sunday to say he left his new wife bleeding after a “bad fight,” the dead woman’s sister said Wednesday. Police are urging the man, 30-year-old Arnoldo Jimenez, to turn himself in “for the sake of his family and especially his children,” Burbank police Capt. Joseph Ford said. “I am sure they are very concerned for his well-being.” Jimenez is accused of killing Estrella Carrera, 26, in her Burbank condo shortly after they celebrated …

People who continue learning new things are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. So if you have never learned a second language, try it. If you have never learned to read music, or paint or play an instrument, try it.

Soon after what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life, her wedding day, Estrella Carrera, a mother of two young children, was found stabbed to death in a bathtub in her Burbank home. Carrera was found still wearing her wedding dress, sources said. Police were saying little Monday, calling the death a domestic incident. Carrera, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Monday ruled the death a homicide, police said. Carrera got married in a small, hastily planned wedding to the father of her younger …

In unveiling a new look for its stores, with a Chicago Ridge shop serving as the template, officials with Gloria Jean’s Coffees hope to make sipping coffee more of an experience.

Patricia Mroz and her daughter, Roberta Schultz, took to the Beverly Breast Cancer Walk wearing black pants, pink shirts, pink sunglasses and feathered boas. “We thought this is where we would ‘hootch it up’ for today,” Mroz quipped. Mroz, of Bridgeview, had a special reason to get dressed up for the 13th annual event. Not only was it Mother’s Day, but Mroz is a breast cancer survivor. She has been cancer-free since undergoing a mastectomy seven years ago. “It’s such a scary thing to go through and I’m here seven years later, happier than a pea,” Mroz said. Mroz was …

As libraries in some parts of the country decline to carry the steamy “Fifty Shades of Grey,” Southland librarians say there has been unprecedented demand for the book.

In the end, the Jennifer Hudson factor didn’t matter, said jurors who convicted the superstar’s former brother-in-law Friday of killing her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew. Despite special security and other hoopla surrounding the Oscar winner and her entourage at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse, once the six men and six women of the jury took their seats for 13 days of trial, the singer’s star power faded from their minds and their focus turned to the witness stand.

Metra plans to step up security for NATO Summit — including closing 26 stations on Monday, May 21. It’s also banning backpacks and food and drink on trains that day and advising riders to arrive early.

Despite raindrops sputtering from a gray sky, Trish Morgan and her 6-year-old sheltie named Lexy were eager to walk against cancer Saturday morning. They were among about 100 people and 65 dogs in the Bark For Life cancer walk that had people and pooches walk a mile around Union Creek Community Park, 19900 S. 80th Ave., Tinley Park. Each participant paid a $20 registration fee. But Morgan dug deeper, chipping in $100 to honor late friend Bill Nelson, 75, who recently lost his five-year fight with lung cancer. “He liked animals, so we’re doing this for him,” said Morgan, who …

Would-be wrongdoers who are considering committing a crime in Lynwood may think twice, thanks to a new software application the police department soon will be rolling out. Another option is to smile for the camera as they are caught in the act. Using a new free app, nearly anyone with a smart phone who witnesses a crime will be able to send text messages, photos or videos to the Lynwood Police Department even as the crime is being committed. A number of cities nationwide are using the application, and Lynwood Police Chief Michael Mears envisions a day when other Southland …

If you’re going to be unlucky when it comes to health, you could use good fortune in the care department. My mother first visited Dr. Sivaramaprasad Tummala in 1980, after her first heart attack. Right from the start, she took a liking to the soft-spoken cardiologist. He was calm, nonjudgmental and patient. He would sit and explain everything again and again, if necessary. She found the attention reassuring, comforting and unusual in the typically rushed world of doctors and nurses. My mother belongs to the generation that treats doctors as if they are heaven-sent. An appointment is something to get …

When it comes to making moms feel special, the Southland offers a number of ways to mark Mother’s Day. These suggestions should help people of all ages to celebrate the holiday.

Attorneys for Keith Nicks and Terrence Nicks, brothers accused in the Burr Oak cemetery scandal, quit the case Friday, telling a Cook County judge the men could no longer afford to pay them.

Will County jurors convicted Greg A. Voegtlin, of Lemont, of repeatedly molesting a teenage girl between 2003 and 2007.

An only child with aging parents, Bob Cycon thought people who needed vital information related to senior citizens should have somewhere to go for answers. “He didn’t want people coming to the house or his parents being bothered by a telemarketer,” said his wife, JoAnn Cycon. So Bob Cycon, owner of Silver Star Expositions, organized the Active Senior Expo, which debuted with one event in Niles in 2002. It since has grown to include six shows at various Chicago locations, including an inaugural appearance Wednesday at Gaelic Park in Oak Forest. About 60 vendors were on hand, and perhaps a …

Share Your Soles, an Alsip-based nonprofit that has sent 1.5 million pairs of shoes to less fortunate people around the world, is being shooed from its warehouse and is looking for a new home, founder Mona Purdy said Tuesday. “We need some help, a vacant warehouse that would be donated,” Purdy said. “All ideas are welcome.” Share Your Soles has been at 5623 W. 115th St. in Alsip since January 2011, but the warehouse’s landlord has found someone who wants to lease the space, Purdy said. Share Your Soles paid some of the overhead but not rent, Purdy said. The …

Twenty-seven stories. From the ground up, not so high, especially when standing amid a row of skyscrapers. From the roof down, well that’s another perspective — one that left 25-year-old Michael Murphy feeling high on adrenaline Sunday. Murphy, of Evergreen Park, rappeled 280 feet down the front of theWit Hotel in Chicago’s Loop as part of the weekend’s Skyline Plunge, an event sponsored by Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago to raise money for lung disease research and educational programs. Murphy, a self-proclaimed daredevil, signed on for the event to honor his mother, Maureen Murphy, who died from lung cancer …

In what was described as “perfect” weather by many, more than 1,978 runners hit the pavement around 7:45 a.m. Sunday morning to a crisp and overcast 52 degrees in the fifth annual First Midwest Bank Southwest Half Marathon in Palos Heights. The 13.1-mile race followed College Drive, beginning at 76th Avenue, west to Archer Avenue and back again. Mel Diab, owner of Running for Kicks in Palos Heights, organized the race this year and said the natural setting sets it apart from most other races. “The course is very green,” Diab said. “Most half marathons are held downtown (Chicago) near …

People of all cultures enjoyed May Fest at Toyota Park in Bridgeview this weekend. The inaugural three-day event was created to celebrate the Polish Constitution of 1791 — the first democratic constitution in Europe and second in the world after the United States — and there certainly were plenty of polkas and pierogies to mark the occasion. “What the Fourth of July is to Americans, and what Cinco de Mayo is to Mexicans, May Fest is to Polish people,” said Paul Markiewicz, one of the fest organizers. “But it’s not just for Polish people.” People danced under the tent to …

About 20 Southland day care operators who receive state subsidies to provide services to low-income families gathered Friday at Children’s Home Center in Calumet City to hammer out plans they hope will push the state to find $73 million needed by June 30 to cover a funding gap. Their plans include possibly shutting down their day cares for a day later this month to make a trip to Springfield. “We have to unite. We have to network. You’re in competition, but you have to support each other,” said Tanya McKinney, owner of Bright Visions Learning Academy in Oak Forest. Families …