May 15, 2008
Polar bears are now protected under the Endangered Species Act. [AP, and an excuse to link to one of our favorite Colbert moments]
In a 4-3 decision, the supreme court of California voted to overturn the state's ban on same-sex marriage. [LA Times]
A teenager was impaled with a fencepost in a drunk-driving accident. These are the chapters of MADD in Illinois. [Trib]
The University of Chicago is establishing a $200 million economic research institute in Milton Friedman's name. [U of C]
The Plan Commission hearing about the proposed Grant Park facilities for the Children's Museum has been going for about five hours. Ah, meetings. [Trib]
Eight Illinois lawmakers lease cars on taxpayer money, including Chicago's own Bobby Rush, Luis Gutierrez, Danny Davis and Jesse Jackson, Jr. [CBS 2]
The finalists for the 2008 Alt Weekly Awards were announced yesterday. The Reader only notched one nomination, for Lee Sandlin's TV criticism. [AAN]
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The Green Cleaning Schools Act went into effect in Illinois on May 9, making us the second state in the nation to require that schools develop "green cleaning" plans and use cleaning supplies that meet EPA standards. Great, there goes our idea to sell boiling ammonia cancer splash lunchtable cleanser in a get-rich-quick scheme. Sigh. Guess we're going to have to market bottled hippie tears. Oh, we kid.
The law does not include penalties for schools that don't comply, and no one is conducting inspections to make sure schools are using less-toxic options to mop up barf. According to the Healthy School Campaign, the nonprofit group that promotes legislation such as this, schools need to comply with green guidelines in six categories: bathroom cleaners, carpet cleaners, general purpose and hard floor surface cleaners, glass, window and mirror cleaners, hand cleaners and hand soaps, and paper products. Green green, green green green, so very green, green. [AP, Healthy Schools Campaign, green wall by Chloeloe]
A few weeks ago, a local gallery unveiled an "Oprah burial mask" by Indiana native Daniel Edwards. Now a gallery in NY has what appears to be the same bust, only this time with stuff on top. Art! Sometimes we don't get it.
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May 15, 2008
A judge today dissolved the contract between the Latin School and the Chicago Park District, which means the city owes the Latin School $2 million, but at least public space remains public space. The Park board voted unanimously yesterday to cancel its contract with the cushy private school, but it's not clear yet what's going to happen to the would-be soccer field, which is 70 percent completed. The Park District wants to finish construction, but...
Continue Reading "Park District, Latin School Deal Officially Done"
Janet Weiss, student of yoga, filed a lawsuit yesterday against Wendy Sadler, teacher of yoga, after receiving "severe and permanent injuries" during one of Sadler's classes. Weiss attended a yoga class at Northbrook YMCA taught by Sadler who apparently "grabbed and maneuvered her" and now she's hurt forever. Weiss is also blaming the YMCA for not reviewing Sadler's qualifications before hiring her. Sadler trained at the Himalayan Institute. That's in Pennsylvania. Not in the mountain...
Continue Reading "Student Sues Yoga Teacher"
The CTA released a report yesterday of how the agency is meeting its "performance indicators" for the first quarter of '08. The CTA says its metrics are "ridership, on-time, efficient, safe, clean, courteous." Interesting tidbits from the report: ++ Ridership is up. Over 2 million more people rode the CTA in March than in January or February. ++ The CTA's goal is to have 78 or fewer rail delays of ten minutes or more per...
Continue Reading "CTA Gives Self Mostly Passing Grades"
Working cold cases has gotta be a bitch. Looking to solve crimes that happened decades ago with no new evidence or information must be some terribly frustrating work. But does that justify using hocus-pocus bullpucky to try to unravel some of these cases? We might be a little more skeptical than others, but when police departments bring in psychics to try to help with long-unsolved crimes, we tend to think that there are better ways...
Continue Reading "PD Gets "Help" From Psychic"
A conversation we had with our downstairs neighbor and good friend last night as we were preparing to clean out Sam's Wine and Spirits out of what was left of their closeout sale: Her: Have you tried this beer yet? Chicagoist: What is it? Her: Kalamazoo Royal Amber Ale. Chicagoist: I have. Her: What does it taste like? Chicagoist: Bell's Amber. Her: Why do you say that? Chicagoist: Because that's what it is. You really...
Continue Reading "Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week:"
We've always wondered how we could get out of jury duty if ever called [Ed note: What?! I want to be on a jury so badly! What up, civic duty?], and some members of the Kelly jury pool have given us some great examples this week. One woman was dismissed for singing high praises of Kelly, calling him a "musical genius." When asked to say something negative about him, she reluctantly brought up his feud...
Continue Reading "R. Kelly Round Up: Jury Follies Edition"
Alderman Ed Burke's ordinance to impose mandatory sterilization of domestic animals in Chicago gained new traction yesterday, as Alderman Ginger Rugai (19th) joined forces with him to introduce an ordinance that would require all pets be spayed or neutered in Chicago. The ordinance states that “no person shall own harbor or keep within the city of Chicago a dog or cat over six months of ages which has not been sterilized.” The ordinance would impose...
Continue Reading "Pet Sterilization Ordinance Moves Forward"
Dear Chicagoist, I live in the 1st Ward, which is part of the Blue Cart recycling pilot program. We got information at the beginning on what to recycle and what not to recycle. Specifically mentioned in the "not" category were plastic grocery bags. However some grocery store's bags (and some non-grocery stores' grocery-store-like plastic bags) are clearly marked with the recycling symbol and the numeral 4, which suggests to me that the bags are...
Continue Reading "Ask Chicagoist: Recycle Plastic Grocery Bags?"
It's free iced coffee day at Dunkin Donuts. Here are Dunkin's Chicago locations, and while we stick with regular or French vanilla (we know, we know, diabetes juice, but it's so tasty), you can also get toasted almond, raspberry, hazelnut, coconut, chocolate, cinnamon, caramel, and blueberry. They're hyping "berry berry," which is made with the flavors of berries both rasp and blue....
Continue Reading "Free Iced Coffee"