Police sergeant killed by son in Mt. Greenwood, cops say

A Chicago police sergeant lauded as a hero in 1997 was shot andkilled Tuesday by his young teenage son, police sources said.

Francis Skroch IV was returning to his home in the Mount Greenwoodneighborhood about 4 p.m. when police believe he had some kind ofdispute with his son, a source said.

The boy shot his father with a single bullet that hit him in theneck, a source said. Skroch's body was found with his service gunholstered, police said.

"As of now it's a domestic altercation, there was some disturbancefrom the son," a police source said.

The boy was taken into custody and driven to Calumet Area policeheadquarters with other family members Tuesday …

Window of opportunity

New advances in scratch-resistant coatings are making polycarbonate glazing a viable substitute for automotive glass.

On any given vehicle program, body engineers can opt for a variety of materials. All of them, except one, can be used almost interchangeably, depending on the cost target and performance characteristics needed. That one exception is glass, There simply is no substitute.

The scratch resistance of glass is the characteristic that puts it out of reach for virtually any plastic competitor Even lower abrasion applications like side windows have to meet FMVSS 205, the U.S. federal safety regulation which basically requires glass-like scratch resistance. If the …

Timing lousy for emergency communications plan

A government plan to build a nationwide emergency communications network using private money and public airwaves flopped earlier this year when investors stayed away in droves.

On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission was trying again, this time in the midst of a full-blown economic crisis.

The commission was scheduled to vote on a tentative plan that makes the idea more palatable to potential investors _ perhaps too palatable, some say.

The proposed network would be used by police, firefighters and other emergency crews responding to disasters or terrorist attacks.

The basic concept is unchanged, according to people familiar …

Newly-hired Edsall assumes 'dream job' as Terrapins' coach

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Randy Edsall's enthusiasm over the prospectof becoming Maryland's head football coach was a big reason why hegot hired for the job.

That, and his ability to win.

Edsall, who enjoyed unprecedented success during his 12 years atConnecticut, beat out former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach and severalother applicants in a search that began immediately after RalphFriedgen was fired on Dec. 20.

"What really brought things home is that Randy is not justanother football coach," first-year Athletic Director Kevin Andersonsaid Monday. "There was no one - no one - who came forward and said,'I want to be the head football coach at Maryland and …

Famed Austrian Abstract Painter Dies

VIENNA, Austria - Adolf Frohner, a leading Austrian abstract painter and graphic artist who helped found Vienna's "Actionism" movement in the 1960s and gained an international following, died Wednesday. He was 72.

Frohner, who once walled himself in behind brick and mortar for three days to explore what it meant to be an isolated observer, died suddenly of natural causes, public broadcaster ORF said. Details of his illness were not disclosed.

His death came just five days after he ceremoniously broke ground on the Frohner Forum, a new museum being built in his name in the Danube River town of Krems, 40 miles west of Vienna, ORF said. It said the gallery would open later …

Galaxy beat Sounders to advance in playoffs

CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Edson Buddle and Omar Gonzalez scored off David Beckham's free kicks in an 8-minute span of the first half to lead the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 2-1 victory over Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer's Western Conference semifinal Sunday night.

Goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts made three saves for the Galaxy, who will play host to FC …

Rains help Somalia, but 2 million still need food

A U.N. agency says strong rains have cut the number of hungry people in Somalia by 25 percent, but that an estimated 2 million in the Horn of Africa country still need food aid.

The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization said Monday that the gains Somalia has seen the last six months could be reversed if rainfall runs short. Six months ago 2.65 million people needed food …