Patch Flash: Chicagoland Comfort Dogs Sent to Newtown

Members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity started to surrender after 22 arrest warrants were issued Monday. According to reports, five people were charged with felony hazing, and 17 face misdemeanor charges.

Two male prisoners escaped from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago's South Loop early Tuesday. The men have been identified as Jose Banks, 37, and Kenneth Conley, 38. The two were last seen Tuesday morning in the Tinley Park, Ill. area, about 25 miles from the Chicago facility. A search is now underway for the men -- cellmates and both recently convicted bank robbers. Patch reports that the Cook County sheriff's K9 unit was out in Tinley Park early Tuesday afternoon in an unsuccessful attempt to track the duo. 

Which zip codes are the priciest in Chicagoland? The Chicago-area real estate continues to show signs of recovery as both the total number of units sold and median sales prices were up in November compared to the same month one year earlier. Looking more closely at Chicagoland pricing trends, Realtor.com shared their most recent, November 2012 data with HuffPost Chicago.

Kenilworth was the priciest zip code with a median home price of $1.735 million, followed by Winnetka and Glencoe. Lake Forest was sixth on the list. 

One day after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a group of golden retrievers from the Chicago area made a cross-country journey to comfort the affected community in Newtown.

Lutheran Church Charities sent approximately 10 dogs for grieving residents to pet while speaking to or praying with the animals’ caretakers. The initiative aims to provide a bridge after a difficult event like Friday’s shootings, which left 20 children, seven adults and the gunman dead.

"Dogs are nonjudgmental. They are loving. They are accepting of anyone," said Tim Hetzner, the organization’s president. "It creates the atmosphere for people to share."