Results tagged “bottledwater”

After years of dining out, few things can throw me for a loop. Strange or inattentive service, exotic foodstuffs, unbearable dining rooms - all these just make for good stories later, once you’ve survived the experience. But I still remember the first time a waiter asked me if I wanted bottled water with my meal. It was slipped in so nonchalantly - as if anyone who dined at this august establishment wouldn’t dream of touching the simple common stock of hydrogen and oxygen molecules. People like us, the place seemed to silently scream, deserve something better. No other option was given to me, which conjured up the threat of dying a thirsty death if I didn’t agree to order the water.

How goes the bottled water tax? Not so great, actually. The city was counting on bringing in $10.5 million in nickels, but sales have been much slower than expected; at the current pace, only $4.8 million will be collected this year.

You have to love the Sun-Times and their front pages. We love the contrast of the cute little girl, her hair in ringlets, enjoying a cool glass of water (and from the way she handles that pint glass, she must be Irish), juxtaposed against the headline "NEW WORRIES IN OUR WATER." The inference being that, by the time she turns ten she'll have developed a baritone speaking voice, a mustache, osteoporosis, thinning veins and possibly testicles.

The long-threatened lawsuit challenging the city's bottled water tax was finally filed in Cook County Circuit Court yesterday, five days after the tax went into effect.

The Illinois Beverage Association is really, really not psyched about the 5-cent tax on bottled water effective January 1. They're teaming with the American Beverage Association, the International Bottled Water Association, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the Illinois Food Retailers Association to sue the City once the law goes into effect. Oh, and they've sent out a press release every day for the last week to remind us all how unhappy they are about the tax, how fucked up it, how unfair, etc. Looks like all that hard work paid off because today's Trib has a story that effectively backs the IBA and their co-plaintiffs by taking a completely uncritical look at their claims.

The City Council passed Mayor Daley's insane budget with a vote of 36-14. Only in Chicago is that "a departure from the overwhelming victories" of years past. The tax package was a closer call, but still passed 29-21. The approved plans include doubling the phoneline surcharge to $2.50 per month to support the city's 911 centers, raising the tax on wine and beer, a 5-cent tax on bottled water, higher parking tickets, and dozens of...

If you're in Greektown this morning and see a bunch of people milling about at the Halsted/UIC Blue Line station, just go about your normal business. Those folks are from the Think Outside the Bottle campaign staging a protest demanding that Coca-Cola reveal the sources it uses for its Dasani brand bottled water. Bottled water has come under intense scrutiny lately, from a proposed tax on bottled water by City Council being considered to bridge...

Loyola University Medical Center started testing all incoming patients for that drug-resistant staph germ that's been going around. Our version of a spa is where George Ryan's going to prison. Jesse Jackson Jr. throws a "tea party" style photo op, dumping bottled water in the Chicago River. Big talk for a man who opted not to run against His Elective Majesty for Mayor. Does El Cubanito make the best Cuban sandwich in town? You'll...

Giving new meaning to the phrase "money's too tight to mention", a memo from Illinois Department of Central Management Services acting director Maureen O'Donnell set a November 16 deadline for all state agencies to opt out of all bottled water contracts. From the memo: "As Chief Procurement Officer, I am charged with continually seeking ways for the State of Illinois to reduce its expenditures. I am therefore requesting that all State agencies cease purchasing bottled...

First bottled water was cool and tap water was out. Then bottled water was bad (eek! pollution!) and tap water was the name of the game. And now... we say stick with beer, as some scary news has emerged about the people guarding Chicago's H2O.

Crook County Board President Todd Stroger unveiled his $3.2 billion budget Wednesday. Stroger has struggled to give the appearance that his government is small and fiscally responsible, eliminating about 735 positions over the last three fiscal years, and reducing 1,800 positions from this year's budget. Now he claims that bringing the county's tax take to $888 million by 2009 — by tripling the county sales tax and doubling gas and parking taxes — is necessary...

Mayor Daley unveiled his $5.4 billion budget today, and with it the expected $108 million increase in property taxes and the 10-cent charge on bottled water. City stickers for SUVs will be more expensive, parking fines will be higher, the tax on liquor will also increase, and the monthly phone surcharge that covers 911 costs will go from $1.25 to $2.50. Also, every time you hear a baby giggle, you have to give the City...

Bottled water has become something of an unlikely scapegoat in recent months, with corporate watchdog groups pressuring major conglomerates to come clean about how their waters are sourced and our own city council looking at a tax on bottled water to help close the deficit in next year's budget. Tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. the watchdog group Corporate Accountability International, 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas (who proposed the tax on bottled water in August), members...

Yesterday, Northfield-based Kraft Foods announced it reached a deal to sell its Fruit2o bottled water and Veryfine juice brands to Sunny Delight Beverages Co. In announcing the sale, Kraft said the brands no longer fit with the company's long-term growth strategies, even though the brands generated $135 million in revenue.

Now that we've gone 21 days since legislators approved a budget, Governor Blagojevich is starting to talk like he really will veto parts of the bill. You may remember his promise to cut $500 million in pork and special projects from the bill, and to move money around to cover his universal health plan. According to the Associated Press, there's no shortage of ludicrous and silly spending in this budget, including hosting a sister city...

Chicagoist is gearing up for this weekend's annual Air & Water Show along the lakefront. In what's becoming an annual tradition around there, staff member Todd McClamroch even got to fly with one of the participants. Chicagoist's decidedly opinionated readership was also appalled that one of their staffers found a popular local brewpub to be a great place to bring a kid. They also think that an unlikely activist for immigration rights should just take...

Here are some things in the news to chew on while we're eating kabobs at the Velika Gospa. Macy's second-quarter profits don't look too good. Neither does the forecast for the residential real estate industry. A woman was run over by a garbage truck on the north side this morning. Indications are that she laid down behind the rear tires before it happened. Two apartment buildings in the Fulton Market were evacuated Tuesday after...

A couple weeks back, Mayor Daley introduced next year's city budget, complete with a $217 million hole that's going to require some to "take one for the team" to close.

Had a good chuckle this morning reading the Sun-Times. Smack dab in the middle of page 3 was this AP article detailing PepsiCo's announcement that their popular Aquafina bottled water - the most popular bottled water brand in the nation - will literally spell out on the label that the water contained within is filtered from a public source, rather than the somewhat cryptic "p.w.s." that's currently on the label. Show of hands if you didn't know that.

Both Kraft and McDonald's have been busy recently with business moves. Tuesday Crain's reported that Kraft placed a $7.2 billion bid for French snack food giant Danone. Danone, makers of Dannon and Stonyfield yogurts, and Evian bottled water, is the world volume leader in bottled water, fresh dairy, and biscuit (cookies) and cereal products. If the deal goes through, it would give Kraft a foot in the door of emerging snack food markets in Russia and China.

Everyone in Wheaton can rest easy now, Wheaton North High School Principal Jill Bullo told parents in a letter sent home last week. The spooge-spiked ranch dressing poses no health risk to students, so eat up kids!

Well, it's not gonna be outside and we're pretty sure they won't let bottled water in, no matter how much we beg, but Radiohead are playing Chicago! June 19th and 20th are the big dates and the Auditorium Theatre is the place. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, May 6th at 10 am via Ticketmaster. It looks as though Radiohead is taking a cue from the White Stripes, Beck and others to use this intimate...

Chicagoist always hears conservative political pundits say that money won’t solve the problems of the inner city. That giving more money to failing public schools – schools where teachers have to provide their own chalk and where the actual buildings are falling into disrepair – is not the solution to rising violence, falling test scores, and a system that seems to be falling apart before our very eyes.

Peapod, the online grocer, and Wild Oats, a natural and organic foods retailer, are teaming up to make more than 200 Wild Oats products available on the Peapod website. Right now Wild Oats has only 2 stores in Illinois - Wild Oats Natural Marketplace in Hinsdale and People's Market in Evanston. This partnership will allow us to get Wild Oats products - everything from cage-free eggs, organic milk, all-natural cookies, imported Italian sodas, and environmentally friendly paper products - delivered right to our doors.