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CHICAGO (CBS) ― We have some very sad news about someone who has helped us say good morning for a very long time in Chicago.

CBS 2 morning anchor Randy Salerno was killed last night in a snowmobiling accident. He was snowmobiling with friends in Mercer Wis., near Eagle River, late Thursday night when his snowmobile broke down. He was picked up by his childhood friend, Scott Hirschey, and was riding on the back of that snowmobile when it slid off the trail and struck a tree. Hirschey was thrown from the snowmobile, while Salerno took the full force of the impact.

Despite attempts to revive him, Salerno was pronounced dead at the scene. Hirschey, in his 40s, also of Crystal Lake, has been cited for operating a snowmobile while intoxicated and charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle are pending, according to Vilas County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Joe Fath.

Salerno, 45, has been with CBS 2 since September 2004. Prior to working at CBS 2, he worked at WGN-TV (1993-2004), as anchor of the midday newscast. Previously, he served as a general assignment reporter and as the weekend morning news anchor (1994-1999).

“Randy was a talented news anchor and a major reason for our recent morning show success,” CBS 2 President and General Manager Joe Ahern said in a statement. “But it was Randy’s sense of humor and quick wit that separated him from the rest. He was a skilled journalist, trusted colleague and dear friend to many in our newsroom–especially to our morning team.”

In the CBS 2 newsroom this morning, reporters, producers and photographers tearfully hugged each other and also laughed as they shared their stories of working with one of Chicago’s most gifted television journalists. At the same time, they all were preparing for the next newscast–a difficult, but necessary task.

Before working at WGN, Salerno was a reporter and weekend anchor at WNYT-TV in Albany, N.Y. Prior to that, he worked at WMBD-TV and WHOI-TV in Peoria. He began his broadcasting career at WIFR-TV in Rockford as a general assignment reporter.

He won a local Emmy Award for his work on CBS 2’s 2004 broadcast of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

Salerno lived in Crystal Lake, the town where he grew up.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Irene, their three children, and their extended family at this very difficult time.

Memories have been pouring in from those who knew Salerno – either personally or just through the TV screen.

“He was a really good and funny guy… he was a good broadcaster, and there aren’t that many of those around,” Steve Dahl of 104.3 JACK-FM said on his show Friday morning. Salerno often worked with Gary Meier on his show on the former WCKG-FM radio. Dahl, Meier’s longtime radio partner, said Randy was “very funny” on Meier’s show.

Numerous CBS 2 viewers have been email their thoughts and prayers.

“I could not believe the tragic news when I heard it on the radio. He really grew on me and I loved his humor,” wrote Carol Walters. “He will be sorely missed.”

“I just loved his personality… his smirk… his sarcasm,” added Mary Ann Knepper. “He was just a “real guy”… in a suit!”

He always made us all laugh, and that is how we will always remember him.

 SPRINGFIELD – State lawmakers Thursday passed a bill to fund Chicago-area mass
transit with a s
ales tax increase, but Gov. Blagojevich said he would sign it
only if lawmakers agreed to provide free bus and train rides for the state’s
senior citizens.

The governor’s unusual demand capped a frenetic 24-hour
round of legislative negotiating that raised hopes of an agreement to end the
monthslong funding fight and avert the Doomsday service cuts and fare hikes
scheduled for Jan. 20.

"What I will do is essentially take what I believe
to be a lemon and turn it into lemonade," Blagojevich said. "I’m going to
sweeten the bill, I’m going to improve the bill."

But the governor’s
decision sends the legislation back for further consideration in the House and
Senate.

"We can’t say that all’s well that ends well, because this is not
over yet," said Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston).

Blagojevich had vowed
repeatedly to veto the sales tax-hike plan over the last year but began to
soften his opposition in recent weeks as it appeared lawmakers would send it to
him anyway. He said he saw the free rides as a way to ease the sting for people
on fixed incomes.

"This was the only option I had as we approached the
precipice," Blagojevich said at an afternoon news conference following the
bill’s one-two passage in the House and Senate.

Transit officials, who
pushed for the bill passed by lawmakers, stood next to the governor and
reluctantly supported his change. But they and their supporters worried that the
funding bill might not survive a second trip to the legislature next week. They
warned they would not abandon their plans for a Jan. 20 doomsday price increase
and route cuts until the legislation is final and signed.

"Until that
piece of paper is done, the wheels in motion continue," said CTA President Ron
Huberman. "I’m very, very optimistic, but we’ll see what happens."

Sen.
Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) called the idea of giving seniors free rides
ridiculous without establishing some income limits or other minimum
qualifications. She suggested the plan would allow a 66-year-old partner in a
prestigious law firm to ride free but require a fare from a "poor working mother
struggling to get to work."

The legislation would increase the sales tax
by a quarter of a percentage point in Cook County and a half percentage point in
the five collar counties. The sales tax package eventually would be worth $530
million.

The bill also would give Chicago the power to raise the city’s
real-estate transfer tax, a move that Realtors maintained would slap another
closing cost surprise on homeowners.

Blagojevich said he would not change
the bill’s tax provisions, but would add language requiring transit agencies to
allow people 65 and older to use "main line and fixed route public transit
service for free."

He said a senior using public transit twice a week
could save more than $150 a year on Chicagoland buses and $400 annually on
commuter trains. It would cost about $20 million a year, according to The
Associated Press.

Both the House and Senate would have to approve the
governor’s changes as written to enact them into law. Or they both could reject
the changes by super-majority votes, which would mean their original version
becomes law.

If both chambers don’t agree on whatever action to take, the
entire bill remains in limbo–and the CTA Doomsday scenario would begin Jan.
20.

With the exception of the governor’s new twist the legislation is
largely the same bill introduced during the 2007 spring session of the
legislature. But it quickly became mired in an ongoing, three-way power struggle
between Blagojevich and two fellow Democrats, House Speaker Michael Madigan and
Senate President Emil Jones.

Madigan said he wanted to "congratulate the
governor on breaking his campaign promise" not to raise income or sales taxes,
according to spokesman Steve Brown. The governor sought information about senior
ridership a month ago and could have settled the issue then without the
"additional razzle-dazzle," Brown said.

However, Madigan said he believes
lawmakers will approve the change and is surveying them for a convenient time to
return to Springfield for action, according to Brown.

Six police cars surround home; Spears leaves in ambulance

LOS ANGELES – Attorneys for Britney Spears and Kevin Federline were in
court Friday for a closed-door meeting in the former couple’s child
custody battle after the pop star was hospitalized in a bizarre
incident that brought police and paramedics to her home.

Tara Scott, representing Spears, and Federline’s attorney, Mark Vincent
Kaplan, spent about 30 minutes in chambers with court Commissioner
Scott Gordon, who has been handling the custody case. They made no
comments to reporters afterward.

A court hearing was scheduled later Friday.

Kaplan said through his publicist, Michael Sands, that it would be
"inappropriate for him to speak to the media … because of what’s
happened last night, because of the serious nature of what we’ve all
read about."

Sands said Kaplan had been at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after Spears
was admitted Thursday, but he declined to provide any details about the
26-year-old pop star, Federline or their two young sons.

"Just say prayers," Spears’ mother, Lynne Spears, told celebrity news show "Access Hollywood" by phone Friday.

Spears was taken from her home on a gurney late Thursday after police
were summoned because she wouldn’t turn over her sons to Federline.

With paparazzi swarming the ambulance doors, Spears was whisked away,
nearly three hours after police first arrived at her home in a gated
community.

"For her own welfare, she was transferred to a local hospital for
medical treatment," Officer April Harding said, declining to elaborate.
No injuries were reported.

Police initially said it appeared that Spears was under the influence
of an unknown substance but Harding said Friday she could not confirm
that or other reports that Spears was hospitalized for mental
evaluation.

Spears was conscious as the ambulance left her home escorted by a row
of police cars. A horde of paparazzi chased the ambulance, their
strobes going off as they held their cameras up to the vehicle’s rear
window.

Another group of videographers met the ambulance at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, banging on the ambulance doors.

Cedars spokeswoman Simi Singer said she could neither confirm nor deny
that Spears was at the hospital, citing patient confidentiality laws.

Officers were called to Spears’ house around 8 p.m. Thursday for an
issue involving the custody of her sons, 2-year-old Sean Preston and
1-year-old Jayden James, Harding said.

By about 10:30 p.m., six police cars, two ambulances and a firetruck
had entered the gated community, where Spears has a $4.5 million,
five-bedroom, six-bathroom home in the Santa Monica Mountains above
Beverly Hills.

Several police cars were seen in the area earlier in the night.

Spears turned over the children around 10:50 p.m., Officer Jason Lee said.

Spears and Federline have been involved in a long and very public
custody battle. Federline has temporary custody of the children because
Spears, who has limited visitation rights, has defied court orders. The
two were married in October 2004 and divorced in July.

Spears’ life has spiraled downward during the past year. She has been
photographed without underwear and appeared to be drunk and
out-of-control in public. She shaved her head, beat a car with an
umbrella, spent a month in rehab and has had a handful of fender
benders, including one in which she ran over a photographer’s foot.

Earlier Thursday, Spears appeared for a deposition in her custody
dispute. Spears was questioned for just 14 minutes, Kaplan told
reporters after Spears left.

Spears called in sick for a Dec. 12 court-ordered deposition, but was
photographed that day driving with a friend. She also didn’t show up
for a session Wednesday, Kaplan said.

Spears’ attorneys from the firm Trope and Trope on Wednesday filed a
court motion asking to be relieved due to a "breakdown" in
communication with their client.

Kaplan said Spears’ attorneys were present for what became a very
abbreviated session, which had been scheduled to last two hours.

"You can imagine in 14 minutes there’s not a lot of time to develop questions," he said.

Kaplan said another deposition would be scheduled.

LOS ANGELES –

Britney Spears’ lawyers in her custody battle with ex-husband Kevin  Federline are quitting.

The law firm Trope and Trope asked a court Wednesday to be relieved as
Spears’ attorneys. The firm says there’s been a "breakdown" in
communication with the pop princess that makes representing her
"impossible," according to the filing, obtained by CelebTV.com.

A message left with a publicist for Spears’ record label was not  immediately returned.

According to people.com, Spears appeared at a deposition at the office of Federline’s attorney on Thursday.

Spears and Federline have been wrangling for months over custody of
their sons, 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James.

Federline has temporary custody because Spears, who has limited
visitation rights, has defied court orders. The two were married in
October 2004 and finalized their divorce in July.

On a separate legal front, an attorney for Spears wants the city
attorney’s office to prove that the pop star is a permanent California
resident and is subject to state laws that require her to have a valid
state license.

Spears faces up to a year of probation if convicted in a misdemeanor
case of driving without a valid license, a charge to which she has
pleaded not guilty. The case stems from a videotaped fender-bender in a
parking lot in August.

After a two-month hiatus, TV’s late-night funny guys packed up their punch lines and returned to the air Wednesday night.

Dave Letterman, who came back with his writers, walked on stage amid
dancing girls holding picket signs, according to the Associated Press.
His Top 10 list was delivered by striking writers, offering their
strike demands, including "Complementary tote bag with next insulting
contract offer." Hillary Clinton appeared on tape from Iowa, and Lupe
Fiasco performed.

Conan O’Brien, who came back without his writers, opened with a
commentary supporting the strikers and quipped that with all of the
late-night shows off the air, "Americans have been forced to read books
and occasionally even speak to one another, which has been horrifying,"
according to NBC transcripts.

Both Dave and Conan grew beards during their break—with Conan saying
his was in solidarity with his writers.
Over on Jay Leno’s stage, presidential candidate Mike Huckabee appeared
as a guest. Craig Ferguson (with writers) and Jimmy Kimmel (without
writers) also were back at work Wednesday.

Besides being without writers, Leno, O’Brien and Kimmel will be unable
to perform many familiar comic bits, including traditional monologues,
because of strike rules.

The East 63rd branch of the CTA’s Green Line will be closed for this morning’s rush hour due to a power outage.

The CTA will have bus shuttle for riders this morning trying to
catch trains at the two stations on that branch of the line – East
63rd/Cottage Grove and King Drive, Chicago Transit Authority spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said.
The bus shuttle will take riders to the Green Line’s Garfield station
where they can board an inbound train, she said.

The rest of the line’s service was not affected.

Gaffney said crews are hoping to have power restored in time for the evening rush hour.