THE BIG DEALS

From upscale to low-cal, the Sun-Times' "Big Deals" column brings readers the dish on food and drink specials that will not break the bank.

The following are some of the area offerings:

Take flight

LOKal, 1904 W. North. Looking for an out-of-the-ordinary drink? Belly up to the European-style restaurant's bar for a round of Polish vodka flights, including the Earthy flight ($9), which pairs vodka with Gorzka bitter herbs, Debowa oak and Zurbowka bison grass. Call (773) 904-8113; lokalchicago.com.

Sunday dinner, your way

Quince at the Homestead, 1625 Hinman, Evanston. Design your own Sunday dinner from selections off chef Andy Motto's three-course …

India.Arie, Mary Mary, Bootsy Collins among headliners at African Fest

IndiaArie and several other popular world class entertainers will show up and show out this Labor Day Weekend, Friday-Monday, in Washington Park for the 21st annual African Festival of the Arts. (Enter at 5 1st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue.) The spacious outdoor site is being transformed into an authentic African village, complete with three stages for non-stop entertainment, an African marketplace showcasing art and culture. African cuisine, cultural pavilions and lots of family fun. Over 250,000 attendees are expected to interact with artists and artisans and participate in community forums and village meetings to discuss social and cultural issues.

Record mogul George …

EU approves sanctions against Iran's biggest bank

European Union nations approved new sanctions against Iran on Monday, including an assets freeze of the country's biggest bank.

The Bank of Melli is suspected of providing services to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and was blacklisted by the United States last year.

The EU said it will also announce Tuesday additional financial and travel sanctions _ effective immediately _ on several Iranian companies and "senior experts" linked to Tehran's nuclear program.

The 27-nation bloc is also studying sanctions against Iran's oil and gas sector _ but such a step would probably take several months to implement, diplomats say.

…

Travelers warned to protect against dengue fever

ATLANTA -- Dengue fever has increased among U.S. travelers, with96 cases reported in 2005, compared to 98 cases in the previous fiveyears combined, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control andPrevention.

The trend was reported in the June 30 issue of Morbidity andMortality Weekly Report, and publicized by the Center for InfectiousDisease Research & Policy at the University of Minnesota.

Of the patients with confirmed cases, 17 were hospitalized,including one who died -- a 28-year-old woman who had spent a week inMexico.

Travel destinations among the patients included Mexico and otherparts of Central America, the Caribbean and Asia. …

Strategies to Help You Win Fair Insurance Deals

When a tall maple crashed through the roof of M. A. and EdAllgeier's home in May, their insurance company did exactly what mostpeople think insurance should do.

It came to the rescue.

"They were great," said M. A. Allgeier, who runs a commercialreal estate appraisal company with her husband. "They were there theday the tree fell to actually look at the situation. They basicallysaid, `Do what you need to do to get rid of the tree,' which we did,and they paid for it."

Company representatives agreed to repairs. And they promised tocover any additional problems discovered after work got under way.

When fire destroyed the $390,000 home of Dr. George …

Crucifix from infamous NM prison riot finds home

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A crucifix that survived one of the most violent prison riots in U.S. history has been permanently relocated.

KOAT-TV reports (http://bit.ly/nfrYPw) the crucifix provided a symbol of survival for hundreds of inmates and prison officials during the violent 1980 riot at New Mexico's maximum-security penitentiary.

The crucifix was relocated Tuesday to …

Good camp, bad camp: The shortfalls of Haiti aid

You name it, Camp Corail has got it. And Camp Obama does not.

The organized relocation camp at Corail-Cesselesse has thousands of spacious, hurricane-resistant tents on groomed, graded mountain soil. The settlement three miles (four kilometers) down the road _ named after the U.S. president in hopes of getting attention from foreigners _ has leaky plastic tarps and wooden sticks pitched on a muddy slope.

Corail has a stocked U.N. World Food Program warehouse for its 3,000-and-counting residents; the more than 8,500 at Camp Obama are desperate for food and water. Corail's entrance is guarded by U.N. peacekeepers and Haitian police. Camp Obama's residents put …