4 Deaths Blamed on Blistering Heat

Searing heat contributed to at least four deaths across the Midwest and sent hundreds of sporting-event spectators seeking medical help. Temperatures reached or neared 100 degrees in several areas, prompting heat advisories and warnings. Deaths blamed on the heat included those of Bradley Deien, 48, of Breese, Ill., and Steve Haskell, 45, of Maplewood, Mo., who had heart attacks at a NASCAR race in Madison, Ill.; Charles B. Crowe, 62, of Moline, Ill., who was walking in a seven-mile race in Davenport, Iowa; and a 60-year-old St. Louis woman who suffered cardiac arrest. Her name was not released. The heat index, measuring heat and humidity, hit 114 degrees in Chicago.