Teachers set strike date:

The Chicago Teachers Union on Wednesday threatened to strike if no agreement is reached on a contract with Chicago Public Schools by Oct. 11. Saying it’s time to move contract talks along, union President Karen Lewis said teachers will “withhold our labor” if an agreement isn’t reached to replace a contract that expired more than a year ago. The union’s approximately 25,000 members walked out in 2012 for 10 days and staged a one-day walkout in April. Although a strike date has been set, teachers can opt to stay in the classroom if talks show progress. Lewis wouldn’t say if the sides are close to an agreement.

CPS to review hiring:

Chicago Public Schools is reviewing hiring practices after a former teacher with convictions for peeping and prowling was accused of hiding a camera in a school bathroom. Cook County prosecutors said Tuesday they learned of 41-year-old Elliott Nott’s criminal background after he was charged last week with unauthorized videotaping and child pornography. CPS spokesman Michael Passman says CPS is performing the review to make sure proper hiring protocols are being followed. The Chicago Tribune reports court records from New Hampshire and Illinois show Nott was convicted of a prowling charge while he was a college track coach and window peeping case in southern Illinois. Defense attorney Mark Basile says Nott’s arrest record was “not relevant” to the current case.

Suburb to pay settlement:

A former suburban Chicago gang member who spent 20 years in prison after being convicted of murder on evidence he alleged was fabricated by police has received a $15 million settlement in a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Chicago Heights. Rodell Sanders, who was freed in 2014, long contended Chicago Heights police knew he wasn’t involved in the December 1993 shooting of Philip Atkins and Stacy Armstrong. Sanders, 51, claimed police manipulated evidence to frame him because of his gang ties. Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzalez said in a statement the agreement, which conceded no wrongdoing by the city or its police and was approved by a federal judge Wednesday, was entered into “to protect the interests of taxpayers and to forge community unity in our diverse city.”

Doctor’s license suspended:

Illinois regulators have suspended the license of a suburban Chicago doctor who allegedly gives young patients modified vaccinations containing cat saliva and vodka. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation on Wednesday ordered the emergency action in the interest of public safety. The order says Dr. Ming Te Lin told investigators he’s been preparing alternative vaccinations for children at his office in Flossmoor, adding alcohol and sometimes cat saliva gathered with a swab from a cat’s mouth for allergies. He also told investigators he uses a device called the “WaveFront 2000” to detoxify vaccinations from mercury. None of Lin’s methods is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. A phone message left for Lin and email seeking his comments on the allegations were not immediately returned.

Man charged in murder:

A Chicago man was charged with the 1992 sexual assault and murder of a 6-year-old one day after a man who served 20 years in prison for the slaying was released. Cook County prosecutors say Osborne Wade is accused in the death of Lindsey Murdock. They say blood on the boy’s clothing matched Wade’s DNA. That evidence prompted the release Tuesday of 55-year-old Mark Maxson, who spent more than 20 years in prison for the slaying. The 42-year-old suspect was denied bail Wednesday. His attorney said Wade worked at a group home for the mentally ill. Lindsey disappeared when he went to a store for chips. His battered and cut body was later found in an abandoned garage. After the boy’s murder, Wade served a prison sentence for killing an uncle.