* Voter registration deadline approaching

Robert T. Saar, executive director of the DuPage County Election Commission, said the last day to register in DuPage County is Oct. 5, for the Nov. 2 General Election.

* Grade school exam scores up; high school results flat

More than 80 percent of grade school students met expectations on the state reading, math and science exams they took last spring, up slightly from 79.8 percent a year ago and continuing the steady climb seen over the last five years.

In high school, 52.7 percent of students passed in math and 52.4 percent of students got over the bar in science — the highest pass rate recorded in the last seven years. But last year’s junior class posted lower scores in reading — 54 percent of students passed, down from 56.9 percent a year earlier.

* Illinois student performance mixed on tests

* Parents See Ups, Downs of Teacher Ratings

The Los Angeles Times published individual teacher ratings recently–they were based on the progress kids showed on state tests—and they sparked a boycott and protests.

In Chicago, Huberman wants to release similar information.

* School days shrinking in Illinois

The newspaper found only one district in Illinois offering 180 full days of school this year: Glenview Public School District 34.

* Ald. Stone retiring? Will announce plans today

* Burge accuser goes free

Victor Safforld said he confessed to two murders only because he was tortured by former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge’s underlings.

And as the 39-year-old walked out a free man late Tuesday evening, he maintained his innocence, even though he pleaded guilty to one of the 1990 gang-related murders last spring.

* Fioretti: Turn McCormick Place East into a casino

Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd) mentioned the 37-acre campus that formerly housed Michael Reese Hospital, the old Chicago Post Office and 67 acres of vacant land at Roosevelt and Clark once owned by convicted businessman and Rod Blagojevich fund-raiser Tony Rezko as possible sites for a permanent casino.

But, Fioretti is not prepared to wait for construction of a permanent casino to stop the parade of gamblers and tax revenues flowing to Indiana casinos.

That’s why he’s talking about turning the underutilized McCormick Place East building known as Lakeside Center into a temporary casino, assuming he can convince the General Assembly to go along.

* Sun-Times exits newspaper delivery business; Tribune takes over duties

* Chicago Communities Overlooked for Promise Neighborhood Grant

* McHenry board mulls spending additional $400,000

The list includes paying for rising healthcare costs for jail inmates, increased costs of psychological and special public defender services through court administration and several new positions in the county’s information technology department.

* Evanston aldermen unconcerned with Tisdahl, Arceneaux real estate transaction

* State OKs location for Eldamain Road bridge

* Red light cameras voted out in Lombard

* Elmhurst moves forward with search for answers to flooding

* Bartlett drug stores OK’d to sell liquor

* Oswego School Board battles questions of growth

* Elgin police to work with TV show to help solve case

* Sandwich names interim police chief

* RR Star: County should lead, say no to tax increase

* EPA OKs demolition of Moline nursing building

* East Moline schools to pay resigning superintendent an extra $40K

* Former ESL official denies lying about Swansea residence

* Candidate wins challenge, is sworn in as Washington Park mayor

* Sewer backups causing a stink in O’Fallon

* Simon’s widow carries on fight for clean water

* Evergreen Park man dies in Carbondale

Police continue to investigate what happened to an Evergreen Park High School graduate who died over the weekend in Carbondale, where he attends Southern Illinois University.

Dan Seidl, 21, died about 4 p.m. Sunday of brain trauma after he apparently fell from a roof earlier Sunday, SIU spokesman Rod Sievers said.

Sievers said Seidl was a journalism major in his sophomore year.