Knicks try to recover from illness, offensive woes vs. Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS | A sick feeling is emanating through the New York Knicks.

OFFBEAT: Lorna Luft's Judy Garland doc event cancelled, Asner still on the mend

Phil Potempa's daily entertainment news column.

OFFBEAT: Readers have Chicago radio questions about big changes

Phil Potempa's daily entertainment news column.

Probiotics: The good bacteria gains in popularity

We don't often think of bacteria as a good thing, especially in our bodies. Antibacterial soaps fill drugstore shelves, and antibiotics treat countless diseases. But now, a new kind of "good" bacteria is taking up shelf space in the same stores as hand sanitizers.

Roddick's career ends with Open loss to del Potro

NEW YORK | Chants of "Let's go, Andy!" rang out between points during the last service game of his career, and again before the start of what would wind up as the last return game.

Legionnaires' disease linked to Chicago hotel

CHICAGO | Health officials say they are investigating three confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease among people who stayed at a Chicago hotel.

Parents advised to 'abandon' children in order to secure mental health services

John and Amy, of Roselawn, decided their best option to get their 17-year-old son Zachary mental heath services was to "abandon" him. John said he now is relieved Zachary is getting the services he needs. "For me to take this neglect charge ... I would do it again in a heartbeat for any of m…

Parents advised to 'abandon' children in order to secure mental health services

John and Amy, of Roselawn, decided their best option to get their 17-year-old son Zachary mental heath services was to "abandon" him. John said he now is relieved Zachary is getting the services he needs. "For me to take this neglect charge ... I would do it again in a heartbeat for any of m…

10 infected with measles in central Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS | Ten central Indiana children and adults are infected with measles, including one who visited Indianapolis' Super Bowl Village on Feb. 3, the Indiana State Department of Health confirmed Monday.

Benefit dinner set for father of four

EAST CHICAGO | A spaghetti dinner fundraiser in honor of Rich Nawrocki Jr. will be held from 4 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1104 Knights of Columbus Drive, East Chicago.

Family has hope as tot battles illness

SCHERERVILLE | Most little girls think their daddies are heroes, but the family of 5-month-old Abbie Leah Drzewiecki is praying that hers actually may be able to save her life.

Food allergies: firstborns pay a heavy price for their ranking

21,000 had whooping cough last year, CDC says

Federal health officials say more than 21,000 people got whooping cough last year, many of them children and teens. That's the highest number since 2005 and among the worst years in more than 50 years.

Study finds zinc effective against common cold, but debate continues

People who begin using zinc lozenges, tablets or syrup at the first signs of a cold are more likely to get well faster, researchers reported Tuesday. But the new findings probably won't be the last word on the issue, which has been the subject of back-and-forth debate since the idea was firs…

Herbal remedies offer cold and flu relief

Herbal specialists offer basic ways to boost the immune system during winter's cold and flu season.

Free flu shot vouchers offered by state health department

NORTHWEST INDIANA | Northwest Indiana Community Action Corp., 5240 Fountain Drive, is distributing free flu shot vouchers in partnership with the American Lung Association and the Indiana State Department of Health.

Born with less vitamin D? You may be more likely to wheeze, catch cold

Even as a high-profile panel of experts recently disputed the conventional wisdom that Americans don't get enough vitamin D — and that vitamin D deficiencies create greater risk of disease — new research shows that newborns with low levels of vitamin D have higher rates of respiratory infect…

Testing of Jimmy John's workers under way

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. | State public health workers will be working through the Christmas weekend investigating a salmonella outbreak linked to Jimmy John's restaurants Illinois.

State sees rise in whooping cough cases

Lake and Porter counties have seen double-digit numbers of cases of pertussis in a year that's seen the state's largest outbreak of the illness since the 1950s.

Probiotics critical to digestive health

Winter is just around the corner, which brings the sniffles and sneezes. Recent trends show more people are turning to natural products to fight these nasty germs.