The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for much of the upper Midwest including McHenry and surrounding counties.

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel doesn't face any big-name challengers in his push for a second term, but the former White House chief of staff isn't taking any chances.

CHICAGO (AP) — A winter storm gathering steam over the southern Rockies is headed to the Midwest and could drop up to a foot of snow on parts of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Fred Hamic is a marrying judge: He's performed about 1,000 weddings during seven years as Geneva County's probate judge and considers the ceremonies a highlight of his job.

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 2 million Toyota, Chrysler and Honda vehicles are being recalled for faulty air bags that may inflate while the car is running.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — A NASA satellite lifted off early Saturday on a three-year mission to track the amount of water locked in soil, which may help residents in low-lying regions brace for floods or farmers prepare for drought conditions.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Two pilots in a helium-filled balloon landed safely off the coast of Mexico early Saturday after an audacious, nearly 7,000-mile-long trip across the Pacific Ocean that shattered two long-standing records for ballooning.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A man was detained Friday night in connection with a suitcase that had been found on a downtown San Francisco street stuffed with human remains, authorities said.

CHICAGO (AP) — Fans and friends of Ernie Banks are paying tribute to the legendary Chicago Cubs slugger with a memorial service followed by a procession that will pass Wrigley Field.

PONTIAC (AP) — A museum dedicated to Illinois basketball glory will open to fans by 2016.

DEKALB — Northern Illinois University is beginning a yearlong review of many of its operations and programs as it deals with declines in enrollment and state revenue.

SPRINGFIELD – Two Illinois lawmakers want terminally ill patients to have access to experimental and unapproved treatments.

TOKYO – The fates of a Japanese journalist and Jordanian military pilot were unknown Friday, a day after the latest purported deadline for a possible prisoner swap passed with no further word from the Islamic State group holding them captive.

ISLAMABAD – A bomb blast ripped through a Shiite mosque in southern Pakistan as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, killing at least 56 people and wounding dozens more, in the deadliest act of anti-Shiite violence in two years.

CHICAGO – Illinois State Board of Education officials are threatening to withhold funds from any school district failing to administer a new statewide exam to students.

DETROIT – The federal government is considering allowing those of Middle Eastern and North African descent to identify as such on the next 10-year Census, which could give Arab-Americans and other affected groups greater political clout and access to public funding, among other things.