Sun-Times columnist Steve Neal dies

[MrPrax]

Steve Neal, Chicago's premiere political columnist for decades, famous for his encyclopedic knowledge of history and political lore, for endlessly swapping stories with political junkies and for his books that ranged from a biography of Wendell Wilkie to the correspondence between Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry Truman, died Wednesday at his Hinsdale home.

He was 54 and had been hospitalized overnight this week at Northwestern Hospital for a heart problem, his family said.

The Hinsdale Police Department said they responded to a "carbon monoxide alarm" at Neal's home Wednesday afternoon. He was found unresponsive and had no vital signs when emergency crews arrived, Deputy Chief Kevin Simpson said Thursday.

Authorities are investigating the death, but it appears foul play was not involved, Simpson said.


http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-xneal19.html

[MrPrax]

1. Follow Up Post

This is intriguing...probably nothing

Reporter's Strange Death Linked To Conrad Black?
By Sherman H. Skolnick
Exclusive Details!

A highly well-informed political columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, Steve Neal, was found dead today under very odd circumstances.

In their report, 2/19/4, the Chicago Tribune apparently tried to cover up the strange event. They said that no foul play was suspected by the police. Other Chicago mass media reports, however, stated that the police were investigating possible foul play. Among other things, it is strange how the invisible poison, carbon monoxide, flooded his house.

The Sun-Times report said in its opening news item, "Steve Neal, Chicago's premiere political columnist for decades, famous for his encyclopedic knowledge of history and political lore, for endlessly swapping stories with political junkies that ranged from a biography of Wendell Wilkie to the correspondence between Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry Truman, died Wednesday at his Hinsdale home."

All the mass media reports, nevertheless, conveniently censored reported details. Such as, that Neal was quietly investigating that his boss, Sun-Times owner, Lord Conrad Black, had ostensibly misappropriated, huge funds, including pension funds of his media empire. Some reportedly informed Neal that the amount of defalcation was at least two hundred million dollars. AND, that Black was apparently hiding business losses of his company, Hollinger, that same way done by the late infamous Robert Maxwell who plundered hundreds of millions, sucked out, from among other places, his media workers pension funds.

more...
http://www.rense.com/general49/expl.htm

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. This will bear watching for further developments

How horrible and very strange!
CO death, and the current investigativing Neal was doing definitely makes watching for more stories.

[Jim Sagle]

3. Rense is wack and so is Skolnick. Verification is advised.

[MrPrax]

4. Agreed

Someone should verify it...maybe someone who is a journalist.

Seems to be a lot of folks winding up dead lately...
Carbon Monoxide?
Dunno...
Wonder what CO poisoning ranks in the cause of death sweepstakes?
Must be up there with slashing one wrist on a lonely country road two months before your eldest daughter's wedding?

dunno...
I was liked Neal's bylines tho...