Food truck enthusiasts find themselves in good company these days. If you count yourself among them, check out this petition to allow food trucks to cook on-board after you finish that empanada. more ›

Alderman Tom Tunney (owner of Ann Sather's) is objecting to the new proposal to legalize and regulate food trucks. more ›

Oh, Twitter. Even though you bring us joy sometimes, you can also stir up feuds. Twitter feuds between friends, enemies, and frenemies is nothing new, nor are feuds between, say, media outlets. But the raucous over Twitter has now extended to the Cook County Board of Commissioners. We've posted before about Com. Tony Peraica (Rep., 16th) and his tweeting habit from board meetings. Whether we agree or disagree with his views, the Tweets are also a good way to stay up-to-date on what was generally happening at the meeting and sometimes vote-by-vote reports on important ordinances. But one Commissioner had enough and introduced what he admitted to be an "Anti-Twitter" ordinance. Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno (Dem., 7th) introduced the ordinance to prevent Peraica from tweeting during meetings but the ordinance was shot down earlier today. Moreno expressed concerns about the information Peraica was relaying, calling it often "inaccurate" while Peraica saw it as " a clear violation of freedom of speech." more ›

Looks like we'll be waiting on that food truck legislation a little bit longer. The ordinance, being written by Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) is still being tweaked, according to Mike Sula, so it didn't come up for vote at today's City Council meeting. more ›

The City Council today passed a new ordinance that will cost you if you're caught driving on a suspended or revoked license. Not only will your car be impounded, but you'll pay fees that will total up to $665. The new ordinance will go into effect January 1, 2010. [Tribune]. more ›

Carry an illegal gun within city limits, go to jail. That's what Ald. Ike Carothers (29th) wants. His oridnance has passed committee and could come up for full Council vote next week. According to WBEZ:

Carothers says a first offense for someone violating the city's ban on carrying concealed weapons would get you at least five days in jail and a $300 fine. Jail time would increase with each subsequent offense, but would not exceed six months. more ›

Fed up with owners of dangerous dogs who aren't properly abiding by set rules, Ald. Eugene Schulter (47th) is looking to put down stricter penalties at those who flaunt the current rules. Inspired by an incident in his own ward, Schulter has introduced an ordinance that would ban an offender from owning a dog for five years while multiple offenders could face a lifetime ban within city limits as well as up to six months in jail. [Sun-Times] more ›

Later Tunney acknowledged that there isn’t a consensus in the LGBT community whether to pursue a special category as a qualified minority. He told the Sun-Times: more ›

Pedicabs are a growing business and are going to be making their way downtown, but not without a price. Based on an ordinance introduced to the City Council yesterday, Mayor Daley is looking to regulate the pedicabs on Chicago streets by forcing pedicab bikers to get licensed and pay a fee. The borders for the pedicabs would be approximately Oak Street, LaSalle, Roosevelt and Lake Michigan and fares, while not regulated by the city, would have to be clearly posted, eliminating haggling. The license fee of $400 would only be issued to pedicab bikers who have, per the Sun-Times, "insurance to cover $50,000 worth of property damage, $100,000 to cover injuries to one passenger and $300,000 to cover multiple injuries." Pedicabs would also be limited to weekends and after 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. more ›

For people used to being ignored by City Hall, the whole communication and openness thing radiating from Ald. Manny Flores's 1st Ward must seem downright disconcerting. We're interested to hear about the alderman's most recent push: together with Ald. Ed Burke, Flores hopes to ban the use of BPA in baby bottles and other plastic products intended for children. If it passes on Wednesday, it'd make Chicago the first major city to police the product - on the heels of Suffolk County, New York, and the state of Minnesota. more ›