Good for you

NASA/JPL/UCSD/JSC

The Environmental Protection Agency announced its findings yesterday that greenhouse gases are, in fact, harmful to public health.  The EPA announcement linked greenhouse gas emissions to climate change and climate change to … Read the rest of this entry »

Stimulus funds to the rescue!

Mulitple Chicago news sources have reported that four area mental health centers have been spared from the chopping block  for now with the help of federal stimulus money.

The announcement came last Thursday just days after supporters of the mental health centers in Back of the Yards, Beverly/Morgan Park, Greater Grand/Mid South, and Woodlawn staged a sit-in at Mayor Daley’s office and managed to get a meeting with a top aide. Read the rest of this entry »

http://www.daylife.com/photo/02aU3L4cVYd4Y

On today’s Morning Edition, NPR’s Jon Hamilton reported on the progress of a federal proposal (outlined in this press release) introduced lat month to restrict bisphenol A (BPA) use as a plastic additive. Read the rest of this entry »

Heard this 848 interview of Chicago Reader reporter Mick Dumke who’s story about the leasing of Chicago’s parking meters (cowritten with Ben Joravsky) ran in last week’s Reader.

In the story, Dumke and Jarovsky explore the lack of transparency running up to a deal in which the city signed a 75 year and $1.2 billion lease of its parking meters.

Through the Freedom of Information Act, Dumke and Jarovsky were able to get their hands of documents that shed new light on the negotiations surrounding the parking meter deal that led to higher meter prices across the city.

They, in turn, have mapped it all out for us to see.

2009’s first citywide Clean and Green Volunteer Clean-Up will take place on April 25 and all are invited to attend.

For the past twenty years, the Department of Streets and Sanitation has provided communities with brooms, rakes, shovels and trash bags to help in a citywide clean-up effort called Mayor Daley’s Clean and Green Volunteer Clean-Up program.

According to a city spokeswoman, last year’s clean-up program attracted more than 10,000 volunteers and 480 different community groups throughout the city.

Anyone interested in taking part in this year’s festivities can register by calling the city at 3-1-1.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting possible exposure to tuberculosis of infants and children at three area hospitals: Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Children’s Memorial Hospital, and Evanston Hospital.  According to the Tribune, the exposure may have occurred through a Northwestern University doctor-in-training who was recently diagnosed with active tuberculosis.

The AP is reporting that hundreds of patients and staff at all three hospitals may have been exposed to the infectious bacteria and that, so far,  two of the three hospitals are confirming efforts to contact affected patients and families.

This comes after the Chi-Town Daily News recently reported a historic drop in newly-diagnosed cases of tuberculosis.

Adult symptoms of tuberculosis include coughing blood, night sweats, fever, and swelling a the neck when the lymph nodes become infected.

However, according to to one child health care website, infants and children may not show clear signs of tuberculosis infection.

Click here for more information on how to get tested and treated for tuberculosis in Chicago.

If you’ve ever tried getting around Chicago by wheel, you’ve probably felt the wrath of the Chicago pothole.  As we enter the season of outdoor excursions and urban biking, potholes are becoming even more of a nuisance than they were in the winter — when I was happy to plant myself on the couch rather than take on Lake Shore in sub-zero temperatures.

So, what’s the city doing about the Chicago’s pothole acne?

WBEZ is reporting that the city plans to increase pothole-filling efforts later this month and there are even hopes that the Illinois Department of Transportation might lend a hand.  Mayor Daley has said that so far, the city has filled more than 300,000 potholes this season at a pace of 3,000 to 5,000 a day, seven days a week.

So what do you think?  Is the city doing enough to combat the pothole plague?  They say they will be increasing efforts later this month, but should they have been on top of it all along?

Also, ever wonder where potholes come from?

Here’s a peak at some of the topics Good will be following in the posts to come …

Chicago 2016: good or bad?
Good will post about the different ways Chicago communities would be affected by an Olympic bid. Chicagoans have come out strongly in favor of and strongly against the 2016 bid and we’ll look at what each group has to say.

For more information, check out these links:
Chicago 2016
Tribune’s coverage of the 2016 bid
No Games Chicago Blog

Farmers’ Markets …
… are coming back! All those fresh veggies are not only good for you, they’re also good for local farmers.  Good will find out what to get, when to get it, and why.  We’ll also look at the pros and cons of getting your produce at the farmers’ market instead of at the grocery store, especially when you’re strapped for cash.

For more information on Chicago farmers’ markets, check out these links.
Green City Market
Local Harvest
Chicago’s Farmers Markets Provide Income Boost for Low-Income Residents -The Windy Citizen

Transit Developments
There’s no question that public transit is the greener transit option, but Chicago’s transit agencies don’t always make it easy. Good will post on news from the CTA, Pace, and Metra; the status of current fare hike proposals; and what the chances of the Metra adopting a Metra credit card really are.

With Spring (finally?) on the way, Good will also look at developments on the cyclist and pedestrian fronts. Here are links to more information on Chicago transit issues:

CTA Tattler
Chicago Department of Transportation
CTA