With Illinois still waterlogged from the heavy rains this weekend, Attorney General Lisa Madigan warned consumers to be on the look-out for home repair con-artists ready to prey on flooded residents. "Far too often, we see man-made disasters follow natural disasters. Scam artists know how to take advantage of the aftermath of major storms and persuade people to make snap decisions for repairing their homes or businesses," Madigan said. Madigan encouraged consumers to check out the Attorney General's Consumer Fraud Hotline, where they can find out how many consumer complaints, if any, have been filed against a contractor. She also reminded Illinois residents that the Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act requires written contracts for any work costing more that $1,000. more ›

In case some of you may have forgotten, that's Emmy in the picture. Depending on the time of day she's the smartest mammal in our household. She's unusually happy today, because yesterday the City Council inched closer to allowing her the right to join us for meals at outdoor cafés, a notion that flies in the face of common sense, sanitary concerns, arguments posited by a former alderman and the director of food protection for... more ›