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     *The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Michael Jackson took his three children to the Midwest last Monday for a quick visit – first to Chicago, then onto his hometown of Gary, Indiana.

      "It's all very mysterious, but I've learned Michael Jackson -- joined by a small (for him) retinue of bodyguards and assistants, plus his three children, Paris, Prince and Prince Michael II -- slipped into [Chicago] Monday for a quick overnight stay," wrote Bill Zwecker of the Sun-Times.

       "A spy at Jackson's exclusive Gold Coast hotel reports that the entourage 'did not venture out of their suites and only ordered basics like setups, hot water, milk and juice from room service,'" Zwecker wrote, adding that "the King of Pop traveled with his own organic food, plus bed linens and towels."      

       Zwecker learned that the Jackson entourage left early Tuesday -- 'before the sun was up' -- and reportedly drove (via several SUVs with blacked-out windows) to Gary.      

       "There MJ and his kids supposedly toured his childhood neighborhood in the northwest Indiana city before flying out of the area via private jet. There was apparently no contact with any Gary officials, so it's not known if Jackson's visit was related -- in any way -- to recent efforts to memorialize his family's origins in the city," Zwecker wrote.

       In July, Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, received a key to the city from Gary's Mayor Rudy Clay. Papa Joe also unveiled plans for a proposed Jackson Museum and Cultural Center and unveiled a new street sign in honor of the Jackson family.      

       A month later, those plans were put on the shelf due to "various financial issues -- mainly facing Michael and the other Jacksons," wrote Zwecker. A family spokesman said at the time that the delay was only temporary and the Jackson museum in Gary 'is something that will happen.'