The Daily Herald from Chicago, Illinois • Page 38

Big Picture Focus dailyheraid.com Tuesday, November 21, 2006 PADDOCK O. 38 -SIX SECTIONS Veteran comes home in time for Thanksgiving Recovery from surgery goes better than expected, so soldwr arrives here today BY ASH OK SELVAM Daihf herald Staff Wnltr The day of anticipation is finally here for Bryan Anderson. The 25-year-old Iraq war veteran is slated to return to Rolling Meadows today. Anderson, an Army specialist with the 411th Military Police Com- pany, lost both legs and an arm after a roadside bomb exploded on Oct. 23, 2005, during his second tour in Iraq.

It won't be a fleeting visit this time around. Anderson was in town last month to accept a donation from the Rolling Meadows Rotary Club, but he returned promptly to the nation's capital and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center for more surgery. His homecoming is coming sooner than expected. He and his family thought he would be discharged in January, but the Iraq war veteran responded so well to his recent surgery doctors gave him clearance to return home. A motorcade will guide Anderson at about 1 p.m.

from O'Hare International Airport, stopping at the Des Plaines Oasis where friends and family and the Patriot Guard Riders will join in. Rolling Meadows police will join in about 3 p.m. and take Anderson on a Bryan See HOMECOMING on PAGE Anderson Getting there (gulp!) Obama'S Call Air fares are sky high this holiday season, but don't despair; with the right timing and research, you can find good deals BY JOSEPH RYAN Daify Herald Staff Wriler Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away, but if air travel is on your mind for the holidays, you should be thinking a few weeks beyond. As we come into one of the busiest travel seasons on record this December, millions are jockeying for a seat on fewer planes meaning more green to get airborne. "You definitely need to buy your tickets said Chris McGinnis, a travel expert with Expedia.

"And if you really wanted great deals, you should have bought just after Labor Day." After years of cheap seats and financial tailspins in the airline industry, many of the largest carriers have cut the number of flights, boosting the number of seats filled on each flight from about 70 percent to more than 90 percent While suburban fliers are fortunate to have a plethora of airlines competing for their cash at two busy airports Midway and O'Hare they also are competing against a lot more people. Consider this: Last year for the late December holiday season, O'Hare and Midway international airports were packed with more than 2.5 million people. This year, air travel is expected to increase by at least 3 percent, fare levels are up from 10 percent to 30 percent Indeed, ticket prices have been shooting up all year. But the experts say there still are some things you can do to keep See THERE on PAGE 5 to withdraw His plan includes talks with Syria, Iran Flying vs. About a quarter of will be flying, and a lot of them be at O'Hare Internationa! the busiest landing strip in" the nation this holiday season.

A record 31.7 million Americans will hit the roads this holiday percent more than last year. "In the air are up 10 percent to 30 percent this year. Think before you pack Only 3- ounce bottles are allowed, and those bottles must be in plastic bag. MARK Just a few of the thousands of items confiscated at O'Hare Airport Allowed Scissors shorter than 4 inches Laptops, PDAs, cell phones and cameras formula, breast milk Not allowed or matches Wrapped gifts goods like bats, ski poles If in doubt put it in checked baggage. But consider: Complaints about lost or mishandled bags rocketed by 81 percent in September, the last available federal statistics.

The number of complaints rose to 8.25 for every 1,000 passengers from 4.56 the previous year. On the roadsr Police mil be out ticketing for seatbett violations. Watch out for inactive work zones on the Dan Ryan; the Tri-State's Waukegan Toll Plaza, southern leg and near Dempster Avenue; toil plazas on the Northwest Tollwayandl-88 Naperville Road ramps remain closed. Fill up on the road Suburban gallon of unleaded gas: $2.32 $2.21 Renting a car? Prices up 21 percent this year. Stay with family prices are up 16 percent No shame in bunking percent of travelers will be.

percent of travelers choosing a hotel are doing so because staying with family is too "stressful." Source: Daily HeraW research, U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, expecfia.com, Chicago AAA Motor Club BY ROB OLMSTEAD Daify Herald Staff Riding the momentum of a growing war-weariness that carried Democrats to victory in midterm elections, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama Monday called for the United States to start troop withdrawal from Iraq within four to six months. The suggestion was met with applause by the several hundred people at the Chicago Hilton and Towers attending the speech, hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. "This war has lasted longer than World War II;" said Obama.

"Iraq is descending into chaos based on ethnic divisions that were around long before American troops arrived; The conflict has left us distracted from containing the world's growing threats in North Korea, Iran and in Afghanistan." The White House gave a muted response to the speech, simpry pointing' to President Bush's comments on the Iraq war made Monday in Indonesia. "I haven't made any decisions about troop increases or troop decreases, and won't until I hear from a variety of sources, including our own United States military," Bush told reporters. "As you know. Gen. (Peter) Pace, who is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is in the process of evaluating a lot of suggestions from the field and from people involved with the Central Command, as well as at the Pentagon, And they will be bringing forth the suggestions and recommendations to me here as quickly as possible." The White House also had no response to Obama's call for beginning talks on the region with Syria and Iran.

"(My plan) includes opening a dialogue with both Syria and Iran, an idea supported by both James Baker and the incoming Secretary of Defense Robert Gates," Obama said. "We know these countries, Iran and Syria, want us to fail, and we should remain steadfast in our opposition to their support of terrorism and Iran's nuclear ambitions. But neither Iran nor Syria want to see a security vacuum in Iraq filled with chaos, terrorism, refugees, and violence, as it could have a destabilizing effect on the entire region and within Iran and Syria themselves." Obama conceded that "GILBERT R.BOUCHER III "Neither Iran nor Syria want to see a security vacuum in Iraq," U.S. Sen. Barack Obama told the Chicago Council on Global Affairs at the Hilton Chicago on Monday.

Page? Iranian president invites leaders of Iraq and Syria to Tehran for summit Pages Bush considers next step in Iraq: Send more troops or start pulling out? withdrawal carries risks, but so does pursuing the same strategy the country is currently on, he says. He also called for talks with North Korea, saying the United States and the TJ.S.S.R. had the right idea of a hotline connecting the two enemies back when the Cold War was at its height. He said he did not understand Bush's policy of "not talking to somebody as a punishment and talking to someone as a reward." Obama gave no timetable for completion of a withdrawal from Iraq, saying that should come from military leaders and should be flexible if the situation warrants it He also shed no further light on whether he intends to run for president. DALEY'S FORMER AIDE SENTENCED TO 46 MONTHS Page 11 Don't check your local listings for Hoffman meetings BY ED FANSEXOW Daily HeraldSteffWrilrr The ongoing reality TV craze apparently hasn't caught on with Hoffman Estates village board members, who voted Monday against a plan to broadcast their weekly meetings on the local cable access station.

Trustees voted 4-3 against the proposal, which Mayor Bill McLeod introduced as a to help residents better understand the inner-workings of their local government In the end though, a majority of trustees said the roughly $60,000 it would take to fit the village hall meeting room with cameras and new audio equipment would be better spent elsewhere. "There's much better places in the village to be spending our money," said Trustee Rodney Rusakiewicz, pointing in particular to additional street repairs and improvements to the village newsletter. He joined fellow trustees LJoyd Boester, Ray KLncaid and Karen Mills in voting down the See MEETINGS on PAEE 5 Weather Mild Sunny, high of 55. See the batk of Business. Local Focus Today's headlines Local Rhodes Scholar to focus on ph)5ics.

Page 3. Long Grove forges relationship with Mexican officials. Page 3. Woody's Chicagostyle hot dog shop expands to Barrington. Business.

SK3S5ES Is 'Love' ati you need? Music critic Mark Gtiarino takes a look at the new mash-up Beatles' album, "Love," created for a Cirque du Soleil show. Page 12. Suburban Irving Full house Charities are cashing in on pokers popularity, but critics warn it maybe a bust Section 3. Index Annie's Mail Comics Constable Editorials Help-wanted 3-2 Sec5 1-11 1-10 6-1 Hamscope Lottery Movies Obtiwaies PlEdeS Markets Television 3-2 1-12 3-3 44 Sec5 4-2 3-2.