Fourteen of the 21 same-day surgery centers that were inspected in Illinois were cited for infection control problems within the last year. more ›

According to the USDA, pork no longer has to be cooked until it's dry and dead. The previous guidelines, which called for pork to be blasted until it was 160 degrees, white and dry (ok, the last two are our personal descriptors) have been revised, and the Tribune reports that 145 degrees is the new accepted temperature. As chefs have been saying for years, pink pork is safe to eat. This won't change our personal habits (we already cook pork pink) but at least maybe we'll be able to use the built-in alarm on our meat thermometer, which is rigged to conform to USDA guidelines. more ›

Union leaders for city workers have been informed by Daley aides that they should prepare their workers for as many as 1,000 layoffs in the near future due to the city's continuing budget woes. With the city facing a $400 million shortfall, Mayor Daley is slated to unveil the 2009 budget on October 15 and layoffs look to be a major part of saving money. Said Ald. Ed Smith (28th), "Probably everything will have to be done with layoffs." Daley is also eliminating 3,000 vacant positions. The layoffs are projected to save in the neighborhood of $100 million. more ›