Historically, it’s not unheard of to dig up graves, move bones to a different site, and re-use those graves. It only becomes problematic when cemetery staff take it upon themselves to re-use cemetery plots already bought, paid for, and occupied, and dump the occupants in a pile of weeds out back. That’s what employees of a historic black cemetery in Chicago did.
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Man Uses New Tracking Feature To Hunt For Stolen iPhone
By 6.24.09
On Saturday, Kevin lost his iPhone in a bar in Chicago, and by lost we mean someone grabbed it within seconds of him leaving the bar, but no one had seen a thing when he ran back in to ask about it. Since he had the Find My iPhone service activated on it, and his friend had a Sprint 3G dongle on his laptop, they decided to see whether they could track it down. AT&T and Sprint: working together to fight crime!
170 Bogus Tickets: Chicago Tests Ticketing Equipment With Your License Plate
By 6.15.09
When I read the headline for this story (it didn’t mention Chicago), I bet myself a million dollars that the man had an Illinois license plate. I am now a millionaire. Or I will be as soon as I pay myself.
Chicago Group Misuses Government Funds To Try To Lobby For More Money For Itself
By 6.4.09
The Chicago-based community organizer group the National Training and Information Center received more than $200,000 to train employees of other community organizations, but instead used the money to send its own employees to Washington D.C. to lobby for more funds. The misappropriated cash was part of more than $3.1 million in total government funds the NTIC received between 2000 and 2002.
Will CVS Ever Pull Expired Medicine, Baby Formula From Their Shelves?
By 5.23.09
CVS stores across the nation regularly stock expired medicine, milk, and baby formula, according to a damning union report. This isn’t the first time CVS has been caught stocking dangerous goods. Last year, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo threatened a suit after his office caught the pharmacy selling goods over a year past their expiration dates. CVS claims that, despite investing over $160 million in a “perpetual inventory management” system, it’s nearly impossible to keep expired items off the shelf because they simply have too much stuff.
Apartment Listing Service Sells Database Of Scammy And Outdated Rentals
By 5.22.09
The Illinois attorney general’s office has filed suit against a Chicago-based rental property listing service for allegedly “charging consumers a membership fee for access to a property database populated largely with fraudulent or outdated rental listings.”
By 5.21.09
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Who Killed Kiddieland? After 80 years the Chicagoland amusement park will be closing in September to make way for an unnamed big box retailer. [Chicago Tribune]
Chicago Bans BPA In Baby Bottles
By 5.13.09
The Chicago City Council has voted to ban the controversial chemical BPA in baby bottles, says the Associated Press.
By 5.4.09
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As of May 1st, Jewel-Osco, the Chicagoland grocery chain, no longer accepts expired coupons. “This practice is being phased out given the wide range of in-store money-saving opportunities, including the use of Jewel-Osco’s Preferred Card, regularly advertised sales, availability of online coupons, and special in-store promotions,” a spokesperson said. [Daily Herald]
Fans Beg The Cubs To Stop Playing Annoying Commercial Jingle At Wrigley
By 4.29.09
If one had a few hours free to try to list all the of the annoying commercial jingles from Chicagoland, one would be remiss not to include the locally-infamous “Luna” tune. If you’re not from Chicago, you do not understand the pain, but after the jump you will. Yes, you will.
Chicago Tribune Fires Reporter Covering The Recession
By 4.23.09
Let’s pause a moment to consider this sentence from Crain’s Chicago Business. “On the same day the Chicago Tribune cut 53 jobs from its newsroom, its parent Tribune Co. asked a Bankruptcy Court to approve of $13.3 million in bonuses and other incentive payments to 703 employees.”
By 4.9.09
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The Chicago Reader has an excellent time line of the events that produced the now-infamous privatized parking meter disaster. [Chicago Reader]
KFC Wants To Fix Chicago's Pothole Problem
By 3.30.09
Will sponsored pot holes sell chicken? KFC seems to think so. They’ve asked the City of Chicago if they can fix potholes — in exchange for including a white stencil saying the spot was “Re-freshed by KFC.”
Parking Meter Revolt: Chicagoans Are Vandalizing Parking Meters In Protest!
By 3.25.09
The Chicago parking meter saga continues today with a post from theexpiredmeter.com, a blog about Chicago parking tickets and how to fight them. The post has photos of parking meters being spray painted, destroyed and otherwise defaced. Guess people aren’t too thrilled with paying 28 quarters for 2 hours in the Loop…
Are Chicagoans Rebelling Against The New Parking Meter Regime?
By 3.23.09
The evidence is purely anecdotal, but it seems that some unrest might be brewing in the City of Chicago. Now that the Mayor has leased the city’s parking meters to a company that jacked up the rates, people might be staying home rather than feed the meters — which now take as many as 28 quarters for 2 hours.
Chicago's Privatized Parking Meters Are An Epic Failure
By 3.20.09
The City of Chicago has gone ahead with a deal to lease the city’s parking meters to a company that raised the rates — and the results are reportedly tragic. It now costs 28 quarters to park for two hours in the Loop, which some say is causing the meters to fill up with quarters and break.
Sears Tower Now Called Willis Tower
By 3.13.09
Sears Tower, the tallest building in the U.S. and abandoned stronghold of the once-powerful Sears, Roebuck & Co., is no more. Its name will be changed to Willis Tower later this year as part of a big leasing agreement with London-based insurer Willis Group Holdings, Ltd. The Chicago Tribune notes that although everyone still calls it Sears Tower, Sears actually moved out in 1992.
Private School Tells 300 Students To Pay Up Or Get Out
By 3.11.09
A new quarter just started this week at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago, and on the first day back, 300 students were pulled out of class and lined up outside the school, then told to contact their parents and pay their outstanding tuition or they’d have to leave. The Chicago Tribune writes that “by lunchtime, about 100 students were sent home-some confused, some embarrassed and a few angry.” The school says parents owe around $450,000 in outstanding tuition payments, far higher than usual, and that they’re trying to avoid layoffs and other budget cutbacks. Will the poor economy lead to higher attendance at public schools? “If you want a good education, you have to dish it out,” one parent told the paper.
