Who to See at Chicago Ideas Week

Bill Clinton, Warby Parker, Thomas L. Friedman, GrubHub, Michael Bloomberg, PayPal, Sandra Day O’Connor, Pandora ...

In the next seven days more than 100 speakers and big thinkers from forward-thinking companies, initiatives and beyond descend on Chicago to pick each other's brains and discuss innovation as part of Chicago Ideas Week.

With so much knowledge and a limited time to soak it up, here are some of the biggest-ticket items to catch Monday-Sunday.

Mayors from Chicago, Atlanta and New York City kick things off from 6-8 p.m. Monday at the Oriental Theatre to discuss what makes American cities great. Mayor Rahm Emanuel joins Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mayor Kasim Reed, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman and TIME Magazine managing editor Richard Stengel to chat.

On Tuesday, former President Bill Clinton commands Chase Auditorium from 10-11 a.m. for a one-on-one talk with Stengel.

Education is the topic on the docket from 3-4:30 p.m. Saturday at University of Chicago's Ida Noyes Hall, where Justice Sandra Day O’Connor joins a panel about revolutionizing how we think about academic success.

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian is a featured panelist from noon-1:30 p.m. Saturday at the DuSable Museum to discuss global community development.

On Sunday, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and actress Fran Drescher, president of Cancer Schmancer, will discuss what's next in healthcare from noon-1:30 p.m. at Museum of Contemporary Art.

Do you think too many kids go to college? Four people, including PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, debate the topic one way or another from 6:45-8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Venue Six Ten at the Spertus Center.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. For many, many more great speakers and to see them streaming live, head to nbcchicago.com and search Chicago Ideas Week.

 

Long Island Rodeo Rider Killed by Bull in NJ

Devotees of Mexican-style rodeo are mourning the loss of a young rider who organizers say was of one of the most well-known stars on the East Coast circuit.

Rodeo organizers say 24-year-old Rigoberto Flores of Brentwood, N.Y. was killed at a rodeo in Bridgeton, N.J. when he was thrown and fatally injured by a bull on Sunday.     

Flores was known to his fans as "El Andariego'' or "The Wanderer of Izucar Matamoros, Puebla,'' the city in the Mexican state of Puebla where he was from.

He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital in Vineland.     

Rodeo organizer Jesus Santiago says they are busy are planning a memorial rodeo tribute to raise money for Flores' pregnant wife and young daughter.    

Long Island's Brookhaven Lab Halts Radiological Operations After Radiation Release

Brookhaven National Lab on eastern Long Island has halted radiological operations following a Sept. 28 incident where radiation was released.

The lab said in a statement that "no health or environmental impacts are expected" as a result of the release of a small amount of radiation.

The statement was issued Friday and first reported Monday by Long Island Business News.

The lab said the incident involved the movement of radiological material. Low levels of radiation were detected on two workers, a parking lot and in an employee's vehicle.

A comprehensive review of all radiological policies, procedures, practices, and training programs was under way.

The Brookhaven lab in Upton is run by the U.S. Department of Energy. It conducts research in physical, biomedical and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security.

TCU to Make 'Big Announcement' Monday

Officials with Texas Christian University said Monday morning they will have a major announcement later in the day.

That announcement is expected to be that they will join the Big 12 in 2012 instead of the Big East.

The Big 12 issued a public invitation to the university last Thursday. TCU trustees are scheduled to meet Monday, when they will discuss and likely accept the school's invitation to join the Big 12 Conference.

A press conference has been called for 6 p.m. at the Cox Banquet Room of the Kelly Center on the TCU campus.

Should TCU move, they'll have to pay the Big East a $5 million exit fee. If they had been a member, they would have had to give a notice of 27 months.

The TCU Horned Frogs football team finished No. 2 in the country last year after a 13-0 season and a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin. TCU is currently in the Mountain West Conference.

Crews Destroy Offices Where Doc Raped Kids

Demolition began Monday morning at the offices of a former Delaware pediatrician convicted of raping and sexually abusing his young patients.

On October 5, items were removed from Dr. Earl Bradley's offices on Delaware Route 1 in preparation for the demolition.

The demolition officially began Monday morning at 8 a.m. and is expected to last until the afternoon.

Bradley was sentenced last month to 14 life sentences without parole for 14 counts of first-degree rape. Bradley also was sentenced to 164 years in prison for multiple counts of assault and sexual exploitation of a child.

Bradley was arrested in Dec. 2009 after a 2-year-old girl complained to her mother that the doctor had hurt her during an office visit.

All of the alleged victims, including one boy, were caught on more than 13 hours of homemade video recordings, some dating to 1998, that were seized from Bradley's office and home.

Investigators seized dozens of homemade videos of the rapes and abuse from an outbuilding at the Lewes complex, where Bradley had lured patients with promises of treats and toys.

“No one should have to look at those buildings and be reminded of the crimes that happened inside, especially not the victims and their families,” said Attorney General Beau Biden.

“We made sure that Bradley will never be able to harm another child. Now our focus remains ensuring that the victims, their families and the community have every resource and service they need to heal, for as long as they need them. This community deserves to see any visual reminders of these horrible crimes erased from existence.”

Schumer Calls for LIRR Rider Bill of Rights

New York's Sen. Charles Schumer wants the Long Island Rail Road to establish a "commuter bill of rights'' to better inform passengers about service disruptions.      

Schumer said at a press conference in Mineola on Monday that better communication is needed.      

His proposal comes after a series of service disruptions in the past year. Last month, thousands were stranded when a lightning strike knocked out Jamaica station's signal system.      

The bill of rights would be similar to one for the airline industry.      

He wants a better notification system on service disruptions. He wants a standard time for how long passengers should be expected to sit on stranded trains.

When it happens, the LIRR should provide basic provisions, like water.      

A LIRR spokesman said the railroad will work on improvements.      

 

Farmers to Raise Homeowner Rates by 10 Percent in 2012

Farmers Insurance plans to raise homeowner premiums by 10 percent in 2012, the Houston Chronicle reports.

The rates would go into effect on March 16 for 350,000 customers who have either a Texas Family Home Policy or a Next Generation Home Policy.

The insurer also plans to add discounts of 4 to 5 percent for customers who have both cars and homes covered by Farmers.

The move is necessary because the company said they have lost over $250 million in Texas over the past three years, not including claims from Hurricane Ike or the wildfires in Bastrop County.

Farmers raised home insurance rates nearly 4 percent in March of this year, the paper reported.

The increase was filed last Friday with the Texas Department of Insurance.

State Farm announced last month they were planning to raise rates by about 10 percent this month.