A new mom in Palatine, IL turned her baby monitor on and, rather than her baby, she saw two men floating in space. She was viewing images of astronauts in the international space station. She also saw mission control and a map of the station’s trajectory.
sucker state
Billboard Diagramming Female Flaws Causes Backlash
By 6.4.07
A billboard depicting a model wearing little more than a shirt has drawn the ire of the women of Glenview, IL. From the Chicago Tribune:
The 10-foot-by-36-foot sign along Willow Road near Patriot Boulevard depicts a model lying on the beach with lines pointing to “problem” areas on her body, such as facial lines and wrinkles, and corresponding “solutions,” including Botox.
UPDATE: RCN Sales Harasser Actually A Known Rapist?
By 6.2.07
UPDATE: We just called the Lakeview PD and they said that this story, “wasn’t true. If it was, we would’ve heard about it.”
Has RCN Been Harassing You At The Gas Station?
By 6.1.07
Have you been approached at a gas station or other public place by someone who claims to be with RCN? Reader Lenka writes in to share an odd encounter she had with a guy in an RCN polo who approached her as she was pumping gas:
I was pumping gas into my car at a Shell station at the intersection of Broadway and Hollywood in Chicago (a very busy intersection, off the north end of Lake Shore Drive) when I was approached at my car by a man wearing a blue RCN polo, carrying a clipboard. He says, “How are you this evening, ma’am? I’m here to see if we can get you signed up for RCN cable tonight.” I find this odd, and I’m annoyed at being accosted while pumping gas (this does happen occasionally at gas stations in town, but usually by homeless people asking for change) and I respond, “I don’t have cable, and I’m not interested.”
Two Hospitalized After Eating Deadly Mislabeled Chinese Pufferfish
By 5.25.07
Two Chicagoans have been hospitalized after eating poisonous pufferfish that was imported to the US mislabeled as harmless monkfish. Pufferfish is a delicacy in Japan, but
“Chefs must be licensed and usually undergo at least two years of training on how to safely remove the toxic parts of the fish.
Payday Lender Leaves Customer Information Out In The Street
By 5.25.07
As if you needed another reason not to get a payday loan… —MEGHANN MARCO
McDonald's Employee Hides Pot Stash In Happy Meal Box, Gives Happy Meal To Child
By 5.16.07
“Daddy, I got two toys in my happy meal!”
Your Red Snapper Sushi Is Likely Fake
By 5.10.07
Do you like to order delicious red snapper sushi? Joke’s on you, it’s probably fake. The Chicago Sun-Times had, literally, nothing to do, so it ordered 14 pieces of “red snapper” sushi and then had DNA tests done on this fish. Guess what? None of it was red snapper.
$50k For Injury Sustained Holding Open The Door Of A Pizza Hut?
By 5.3.07
Amanda Verett is asking a judge to enter a default judgment in her civil lawsuit againt Pizza Hut and the Pizza Hut customer she was holding the door open for. The co-defendant Clarence Jackson, has not responded to Verett’s lawsuit in the required 30 days.
Illinois Cellphone Lemon Law Approved, Moves On To State Senate
By 4.30.07
We like the basic idea behind this law, which is: If your cellphone breaks 3 times, you can cancel with no ETF. We’re sure it’s more complicated than that, but that’s the basic idea.
Bank Of America Threatens $220 Billion Lawsuit If It Doesn't Get LaSalle Bank
By 4.30.07
In what would be the largest lawsuit in the history of mankind, Bank of America has threated to sue LaSalle Bank’s parent company if it fails to acquire the Chicago bank. Bank of America had a deal in place to buy LaSalle from its parent company ABN Amro, when a group of European bankers lead by the Royal Bank of Scotland stepped in with a hostile bid for the entire company. Just for some perspective on how ridiculously huge a $220 billion lawsuit is:
Bank of America May Not Get LaSalle Bank After All
By 4.28.07
Now, however, a consortium led by Royal Bank of Scotland aims to upset that deal with an uninvited $98.6 billion takeover offer. The Scottish bank would keep LaSalle, while a couple of partners would carve up the remaining ABN Amro operations around the world (see BusinessWeek.com, 4/26/07, “The Making of a Monolith”).
Bank of America Buys LaSalle Bank, Becomes Biggest Bank In Chicago
By 4.24.07
Bank of America’s takeover of LaSalle will vault it ahead of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Chicago, increase earnings and satisfy a goal of Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Lewis to gain market share in the third-largest U.S. city. While Bank of America has been opening branches there since 2003, Chicago remained one of the few major U.S. financial centers where it didn’t rank among the top five lenders by deposits.
You can never escape! Bank of America will find you no matter where you go. It will shut down your coffee shop and it will open a branch. Ha, ha, ha! If you try to use a local bank, it will buy your local bank. It will find you.—MEGHANN MARCO
Illinois: We Want To Cancel With No ETF If Our Phone Breaks 3 Times
By 4.23.07
According to the Chicago Tribune, Rep. Susana Mendoza, a Chicago Democrat is fed up with her lemon cell phone. That’s why she’s sponsoring legislation in Illinois that would :
allow the state’s 8.5 million wireless customers to cancel their contracts without paying early termination fees if a phone must be replaced or repaired at least three times within a contract period.
Did McDonald's Commit A Crime By Giving Hotcakes To Voters?
By 4.13.07
Reader Josh writes us with concerns that a Chicago McDonald’s Franchisee committed a crime by offering free hotcakes to “early voters” in Chicago. He writes:In Chicago, some McDonald’s restaurants are offering free hotcakes to people who early-vote in the local runoff elections!
Comcast: Chicago Going All Digital By July
By 4.9.07
If you’re one of those stone-age-type people who live in Chicago and don’t yet have a digital cable box, you’ll be getting one in July. Comcast has nearly completed a $400 million dollar upgrade and will discontinue analog broadcasts this summer. Customers who plug their cable directly into their TV will receive only local channels following the official switch. From the Chicago Tribune:
Completion of the upgrade means all Comcast customers that have basic service will need to exchange their analog set-top boxes for digital set-top boxes. The cable company will not charge an additional fee or raise rates for current analog customers, Schaefer said.
Downtown Chicago Quiznos Infested With… Coyotes?
By 4.4.07
Of course, it’s a bit odd that a coyote would seek refuge in a Quiznos sandwich, but that’s what Adrian did, strolling east on Adams in the post-lunch crowd. He walked in the front door that had been propped open because of the warm weather. He settled into the beverage cooler after unsuccessfully trying to vault the counter.
Comcast Swallows Delicious Regional Cable Companies
By 4.3.07
Its customers generate twice as much cash flow as the average subscriber, said Comcast spokeswoman D’Arcy Rudnay.
Get ready to be Comcasted! —MEGHANN MARCO
