Author: Serkadis

He never got to attempt a Double McTwist 1260 to finish a halfpipe, but Don Burgeson of Glen Ellyn used to get stoked riding his snowboard long before Gold Medal snowboarding icon Shaun White was born. The word snowboard didn’t even exist when Burgeson first hopped on his.

“We used to call it a bunker,” Burgeson says, toting the 12-pound, oak “first snowboard” invented by his father and two other relatives more than 70 years ago. “I don’t know if that’s Swedish for snowboard or not.”

Just 18 when he immigrated from Sweden in 1926 as the youngest of 11 kids, Gunnar Burgeson, his brother Harvey and their relative Vern Wicklund invented a “new and improved type of sled” that allowed the rider to stand up by wedging a boot under a leather strap. The Oak Park trio were awarded a patent in 1939.

With the economy in the dumps and war looming, no one wanted to invest in their newfangled snowboard. Gunnar worked with his uncle’s Albin Carlson & Co. construction company, raised his family in Oak Park and stuck his snowboard invention in the closet.

“We just had it and used it,” remembers Don Burgeson, who turns 67 on Wednesday and is retired from the family construction business he sold in 2004. “We just thought, ‘Here’s this thing we had.’”

In pursuit of bigger hills to tackle, “we’d look at a farmer’s field and hop the fence,” he says, sounding just as rebellious as today’s snowboarders.

A rope attached to the front of that original snowboard helped the rider keep his balance, and made it easier to tote the board back up hill.

“Pull up on the rope and that was your brake,” Burgeson adds. Riders also carried a stick in their other hand to help them balance.

When Burgeson and his wife, Norma, raised their daughters Stephanie and Jeni, the family favored their big, wooden toboggan, traditional skies or more modern saucers and sleds over the old bunker.

“It’s kind of dangerous for kids to do,” Burgeson says. “It was kind of stuck away and not used very much.”

It wasn’t until the last Winter Olympics, when Sports Illustrated ran a story about snowboarding that credited his father and uncles with inventing the first snowboard that Burgeson realized the importance of what he had.

“The patent didn’t make anything for anybody,” says Burgeson, who is fine with that. “Money isn’t everything.”

Looking through old family movies, he discovered an 8 mm film of the three inventors hopping on the board to zip down the hills and between the trees of a DuPage County country club.

“It was a marketing movie, more or less,” Burgeson says of the 71-year-old film, “and it is pretty cool.”

The trio mostly go straight down hill, but their patent notes the board can be used for “jumping.”

“I’ll tell you, the sport has come a long way,” says Burgeson, still gushing about gold-medalist Shaun White’s gravity-defying twists and turns. “How they balance and do all this is beyond me.”

A soccer player in high school and as an adult until he blew out his knee during a game at age 42, Burgeson understands athletes who push it a bit. As a grade-schooler, he fashioned a pole vault out of bamboo and cleared 7 feet during his playground jumps. He went on to pole vault in high school.

Burgeson’s 10-year old grandson, Jake Pastors, now says snowboarding is his favorite sport. Granddaughters Abby Pastors, 10, and Dylan Marie Dorn, 6, might grow to like it as much.

“I’ve never been on a (modern) snowboard,” says Burgeson, who gave up skiing after his knee surgery. But his eyes gleam as he talks about the halfpipe competition in the Olympics. Had the halfpipe and those fiberglass, space-age snowboards been around when he was a kid, Burgeson smiles and says, “I’d have been on a snowboard.”

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

On his first day in office, Patrick Corvington, the new CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, speaks about his background in the nonprofit sector and the unprecedented opportunity to address the nation’s challenges by expanding service and volunteering in the United States.

See the YouTube video.

WOODSTOCK — A homeless man has been charged with child abduction after police said he tried to lure a girl into his car Wednesday night.

Bond was set at $50,000 for 42-year-old Theodore J. Miller. He must post $5,000 to be freed.

About 6 p.m., Woodstock police responded to the parking lot of the Walgreen’s at 305 S. Eastwood Drive for a report of an attempted child abduction.

Officers met with a woman who said her 10-year-old daughter had been walking into the store from the parking lot when she was approached by a white male who made repeated attempts to verbally lure the girl into his car.

The mother, who was in her car in the parking lot, saw the interaction and called her daughter back to the safety of their car.

Miller then fled, police said, as the woman called 911.

The offender was described as a white male, about 6-feet tall, weighing between 175 and 200 pounds with long brown hair and facial hair. His vehicle was described as a gold or tan 1996 Toyota Corolla with a broken driver’s side tail light.

Miller was in custody by 9:30 p.m., said Woodstock Police Chief Robert Lowen.

Court records show that Miller was convicted of burglary in 2006 and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

Lowen said he did not know whether the attempted abduction was related to recent attempted abductions in Crystal Lake, but that the Crystal Lake Police Department had been notified of the arrest.

In the first Crystal Lake incident near West Elementary School last week, the suspect was described as a man between 30 and 40 years old, clean-shaven, with tan skin and dark brown or black hair.

The 9-year-old female victim picked out a Volkswagen Passat when shown different pictures of cars, but said the car was gold colored and had four doors.

On Tuesday, a student near Coventry Elementary School was approached by two unidentified men during the afternoon.

The vehicle involved in this incident was described as a black, two-door, older model with a “boxy rear” and partial license plate of “646.”

Read the original article from the Northwest Herald.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Good news. If those minis come at a price a little too big for the mini-punch they pack, then take a look back at the European PlayStation Store and find that the mini-priced collection has gotten a

We’ve seen our fair share of bad legal rulings come out of France over the years (remember when they declared Yahoo a war criminal? And, of course, we’re all familiar with France’s ridiculous three strikes “Hadopi” law, that will kick people off the internet based on accusations (not convictions), and which apparently doesn’t apply to the government itself, which has been caught infringing on the intellectual property of others multiple times. But, apparently, that was all just the warmup for a law that will turn France into the China of the west when it comes to Internet censorship and ISP secondary liability.

Kevin Donovan points us to a report noting that a bill cruising through the French Parliament would massively increase state-backed internet censorship and surveillance with a bill called Loppsi 2. Beyond requiring ISPs to completely block access to a list of sites the government doesn’t like, it would also:

“[make] it the responsibility of each Internet service provider to ensure that users don’t have access to unsuitable content.”

That’s the kind of secondary liability for ISPs that is used in China to create the “Great Firewall” of censorship, and it’s the same sort of thing that is currently being pushed in ACTA negotiations by certain parties as well.

But, that’s not all. Loppsi 2 also would allow for massive government surveillance via trojan horse applications that would let the government spy on computer usage:

Police and security forces would be able to use clandestinely installed software, known in the jargon as a “Trojan horse,” to spy on private computers. Remote access to private computers would be made possible under the supervision of a judge.

So why is France doing this? From the article linked above, the speculation is that it’s a really base political ploy by president Nicolas Sarkozy, worried about his and his party’s poll ratings, and looking to be seen as a “tough on crime” and “for the children” kind of candidate:

In the face of a rampant economic crisis, growing unemployment, a devastatingly large budget deficit and various political scandals, Sarkozy is pulling out a presidential trump card. He is hoping that fear of criminals will convince voters to come to the polling booths.

In that respect, there is no more suitable issue than child pornography on the Internet and the hunt for pedophile criminals whose only desire is to seduce innocents via their home computers. According to that argument, it is necessary to impose controls on the digital world and introduce state surveillance, so that a pro-active Big Brother can fight the cyber world’s sexual deviants who are, in all likelihood, lurking on Facebook or Twitter.

Please tell me French citizens are smart enough not to fall for something like that. In other places, proposing such strict censorship and surveillance legislation has been known to backfire, and already it does look like Sarkozy’s political opponents are screaming in protest over this. Taking away people’s rights over a bogus “but think of the children” scare, seems like the kind of old school political tactics that hopefully will start to backfire more often than succeed as people realize that they’re being lied to.

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Low-invasive weight loss technology is getting there, believe it or not. Zeltiq Aesthetics, out of Pleasanton, CA, and Erchonia Medical, out of Texas, have both developed a fat-zapping cold laser gun which they say can and will realize a realm of weight loss heretofore claimed only by late night fitness infomercial charlatans: spot reduction. Yes – Erchonia’s Zerona anti-fat laser offers targeted weight loss by using low-level beams to cause “fat to seep out of a cell, almost like a balloon being struck by a needle,” into the lymphatic system, where it can be used as energy by the body. (Hmm, fat as an energy source? Now that’s just crazy talk.) Zeltiq’s system utilizes “selective cryolipolysis,” or cold-enabled fat cell homicide. Weight loss doesn’t happen immediately, though. It takes up to six forty-minute sessions to work (for Zerona), and a Zeltiq session kills fat cells over a two-month period. Patients in Zerona’s clinical trial lost an average of 3.5 inches total (give me two months and I’ll get you more than that). Okay, so it’s not quite strip mall insta-fat burn clinic territory just yet, but it appears to work on some level, enough to dethrone the likes of Suzanne Somers’ epic Thigh Master collection or the amazing electric ab stimulator.

I’m undoubtedly an enormous fan of lifehacks – of shortcuts that get you to your health or fitness destination without compromising the integrity of the trip. It’s why I’m partial to sprints (because they work both the anaerobic and aerobic energy pathways in a short amount of time), intense strength training using compound movements (because it promotes the best anabolic hormonal response without requiring hours in the gym), and the Primal Blueprint diet (I hate counting calories and stressing over food) itself. These shortcuts are proven to work without shortcutting the actual results or the many benefits. They’re only shortcuts compared to what Conventional Wisdom is peddling (Chronic Cardio, meticulous calorie counting, etc). My kind of shortcut isn’t really a shortcut; it just describes the simplest, quickest way to achieve a health or fitness goal. Does this laser technology represent a viable shortcut to weight loss?

It’s absolutely a shortcut, technically, if fat loss is your only goal. If it works, the lasers remove fat without resorting to scalpels in your flesh or vacuum cleaners embedded in your adipose tissue. In that respect, it seems to be a far better, safer choice than liposuction.

I’ve got to say, though, this certainly doesn’t qualify as a Primal shortcut. As a guy who’s mostly concerned with health, long-term sustainability, and fat loss as an ulterior benefit, rather than ultimate, expressed goal, I’m a bit dubious of the new technology. Provided they actually work as advertised – and there’s decent evidence that they do – I worry about the implications of a readily available, incredibly effective band-aid that completely covers up the symptoms of a problem. Traditional weight loss confers a number of benefits beyond just visible abs or looser pants. It also results in improved lipid numbers, increased lean mass, healthier organs, increased energy levels and longevity, and improved insulin sensitivity. Will killing your fat cells with a laser confer the same added benefits? Prohibitive pricing aside (and I’m sure this stuff will be pretty damn expensive, at least for the foreseeable future), if fat loss required absolutely no dietary modification and no exercise commitment, it isn’t a stretch to suggest that fat loss via technology won’t be as beneficial as fat loss via the old fashioned way. Tech-assisted weight loss probably wouldn’t be as sustainable, either, simply because bad dietary habits are best curbed by changing lifestyle behaviors. If you can simply kill your fat cells in a clinic without resorting to surgery, what’s stopping some people from eating just as poorly as before?

I wonder how this compares to bariatric surgery, which is usually used on only the most morbidly obese patients. Bariatric surgery isn’t so much about aesthetics so much as it’s about fighting the progression of obesity-related diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc). Most accounts say it works pretty well; there are a relatively high number of complications arising from invasive bariatric surgery, but the ones that work, seem to work quite well. People lose weight and reduce the impact of metabolic syndrome. If Zeltiq and Zerona can manage to do that, I’d be impressed. I doubt they do, though. Here’s why:

Bariatric surgery is still akin to going on a diet – albeit an extreme, forced, calorie-restriction diet. Whether your stomach is stapled or your nutrient absorption is surgically impaired, the end result is similar: dietary modification leading to fat loss and health improvements. The fat loss laser technology doesn’t require dietary modification, but it does burn fat. Where’s the ultimate benefit coming from? Is it from the loss of fat tissue, or is it the change in nutrition? The track record of liposuction – targeted fat loss and spot reduction without the need for changing your diet or exercise habits (sound familiar) – doesn’t bode well for the laser. There is a possibly minor, perhaps major difference between liposuction and Zerona tech, though, that should be noted; whereas liposuction breaks down the fat and physically removes it from the body, Zerona spurs the breakdown of fat cells and allows it to be used as fuel by the body. If the health benefits derive from the internal consumption of body fat stores for energy, Zerona might have an advantage over liposuction.

I’m not against technology. I love the stuff. I’m just immediately suspicious and skeptical of definitive claims by companies promising to use technology to streamline a millions-of-years-old physiological process as basic (and yet incredibly complicated and complex) as adipose tissue mobilization. Could it work? Sure, it could, and I’ll be paying close attention. I’m not going to hold my breath, though, and I’d advise anyone who’s struggling with their weight to do the same.

Remember – there are already proven, time-tested methods to lose weight and ensure you obtain the multitude of accompanying health benefits. It may require some actual commitment, plus the shunning of Neolithic foods like sugar and grains, along with a few bits of regular, intense exercise, but it isn’t hard. And best of all, it’s been working for hundreds of thousands of years. It’s not often that you’re privy to the results of an ongoing case study of billions as it evolves before your eyes.

That’s me, though. What do you guys think? Would you try this technology out if you had the money and a few stubborn inches to lose?

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Currently, the Dow is up 17 points at 10,326. The NASDAQ and S&P are both up a point and could head into the negative range very soon.

Oil is up $0.81 to $78.14 a barrel.

Gold is down $3.30 to $1116.80 an ounce. Silver is down $0.07 to $16.03 an ounce.

As mentioned, futures are starting to fall, with equities, grains and bonds leading the charge.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Mid-Day Markets: Equities Give Up Some Gains, Commodities Climb
• The Stock Rally Peters Out As Equities End A Mixed Bag, Oil Prices Drop Over Increased Supply
• Jobs Data Saves The Day As Stocks Start Mixed

A Nissan no dejan de lloverle las buenas noticias. Los datos son referidos a ejercicios fiscales, que acaban el 31 de marzo de cada año. Así que durante el pasado 2009 (que fiscalmente no ha terminado aún) esperan producir un total de 57.000 unidades, una cifra muy lejana de sus expectativas para este año en donde situan la cifra en 84.000 unidades.

En definitiva, Nissan espera una producción adicional para el ejercicio fiscal 2009 del Nissan X83 de 11.900 unidades y de los modelos Pathfinder, Navara y NV200 de 3.600 unidades.

Nissan ha afirmado que ha cumplido con creces sus compromisos adquiridos en el Plan Industrial y da un toque de atención a la Planta de Barcelona que debe ponerse manos a la obra y mostrar que son capaces de ser competitivos cumpliendo con las nuevas cargas de trabajo impuestas por la sede central.

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Chicago’s third annual Restaurant Week starts Friday. It’s a chance to get a five-star meal and save some cash.

Restaurants will be serving three-course meals: dinner costs $32 and lunch is $22.

Over 160 Chicago restaurants are participating this year, up from 35 in 2008.

David Burke’s Primehouse, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo and Japonais are just some of the restaurants taking part.

The event will run through the end of the month.

Participating restaurants and their menus can be found on the Chicago Tourism Bureau’s Web site.

Read the original article from FOX Chicago News.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

It’s been a long wait, but now we’re an inch closer to reliving the straight up street-hustling life of Kiryu Kazuma. Sega Europe announces that the demo for Yakuza 3 has just hit the PlayStation Store.

Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Coupe, Chevrolet

When pictures of a camo-clad coupe surfaced earlier this week, the rumormill went into overdrive, with speculation that the Camaro-based prototype was the second coming of the Z/28 or one of the rebodied Firebird replicas we’ve seen making the auto show rounds in the last year. The truth, as always, is far more interesting.

Exodus Pictures, a Michigan-based production company currently working on a new feature film, created the custom body kit for the 2010 Camaro for its lead role in an upcoming movie Jinn. The FireBreather was designed by the film’s director, Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad – an Art Center College of Design graduate – and created by Classic Design Concepts, which helped create the Mustang-based Knight Rider GT500 for the recently canned TV show.

Although the photos we published earlier this week were taken without the vehicle producer’s knowledge, Faisal Ahmad’s decision to cloak the Camaro in camouflage was part of a marketing campaign that was set to begin next week. That plan is out the window now, and the FireBreather will be unveiled at the Detroit Autorama next weekend.

Although a single bespoke movie car isn’t that compelling, Ahmad disclosed to us that Exodus plans to create 50 limited edition models of the rebodied Camaro. Originally, there were discussions with a few aftermarket companies to create the body kit, but the size, scope and capacity of the endeavor was apparently too much for the small outfits to handle.

We’re hoping to have live shots of the FireBreather from its unveiling next weekend, and look for another update on this newest hero car in the coming days.

UPDATE: According to our man on the inside, the FireBreather will be packing a supercharged V8 churning out around 630 horsepower.

UPDATE 2: Full release on the movie and the car after the jump.

Continue reading Behold the FireBreather: Camaro-based movie car is more than meets the eye

Behold the FireBreather: Camaro-based movie car is more than meets the eye originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peter Molyneux may be making games only for the Xbox 360 these days, but that doesn’t exclude PS3 and PSP owners from playing his older releases. The ESRB has rated two more games as future PSOne Classics,

Ingenia announces a new release of its popular 16bit PIC CAN bootloader.
The 16bit PIC CAN bootloader is a standalone program that allows download and replacement of any program module within a microcontroller or digital signal controller (e.g. ECUs).
It includes a firmware part, to be uploaded in the microprocessor, and a PC software interface (both graphical user interface and command line versions are available).

The bootloader firmware is located into the non-volatile memory of the MCU/DSC and allows the device to be reprogrammed by using a CAN bus and a master device that guides the process.
The PC software acts as the master in the process and among other features allows for selecting the CAN hardware to use (Kvaser, IXXAT, Vector Informatik, Peak-System, ESD, etc.), the baud rate, the message IDs of the bootloader commands, and the particular CAN bus node on which to run the bootloader operation (specific node bootloading).

The 16bitPIC CAN bootloader package also includes an encrypt/decrypt software solution which allows developers to deliver encrypted HEX files to their final users. Only the PC bootloader software can decrypt them.

The 16bit PIC CAN bootloader works for all 16bit MCU/DSC Microchip CAN devices (PIC24H, dsPIC30F and dsPIC33F) and the complete list of features that includes are:

Dresden, Germany 29 January 2010 – ITI, international innovation leader in virtual system engineering, today announces the release of the latest version of SimulationX, the software standard for physical modeling of mechatronics systems. Version 3.3 provides numerous functional enhancements and will be available with on demand software licensing for the first time. With the new release ITI again lives up to its name of developing the best simulation tools in terms of handling, intuition and reliability. The palette of ready-to-use, real-time capable models and physical components was expanded by ten percent. Highlight of the new release is the first independent SimulationX Modelica Edition. The all-in-one installation package simplifies the installation process by installing all required program components via a single setup automatically according to the user’s particular needs and profile.

SimulationX 3.3 is easily adjusted to the different profiles of users and is now available in two editions, SimulationX Professional Edition and SimulationX Modelica edition. With the Modelica edition, Modelica experts can now design and exchange individual models by using Modelica language inside SimulationX. Users benefit from the remarkable combination of the most user friendly simulation software with the flexibility and formalism of a true Modelica platform. Delivering this new edition quickly to the market, ITI has responded to the growing demand for an open standard for exchanging models. Manufacturers, OEMs and service providers can now design, exchange and re-use simulation models.

The even more convenient program handling safeguards the overview of the complete model even during later changes and enhancements. Thanks to manually editable connections between model components and highlights in colors for dynamic visualizations, the user can immediately detect changes in the model. Quality of models and reliability of modeling results are increased while time for validation is reduced as, for instance, deviations from admissible values are observable at a glance. Another enhancement in ergonomics is achieved by additional views: The structure view and 3D model view are enhanced with additions of documentation and text view, enabling models to be changed and enhanced directly in the Modelica text format.

Eriez ®, world authority in magnetic, vibratory and inspection applications, now offers next-day shipment on a select number of Plate Magnets through the EriezXpress™ Program. This quick order processing system helps speed up delivery of in-stock Eriez equipment when a customer needs an immediate solution.

Through EriezXpress, Plate Magnets ordered by 4 p.m. can be shipped the next business day (upon credit approval). This method streamlines the order-to-shipment process by simplifying product ordering, modifying inventory control and designating a team of Eriez employees to handle the last-minute requests. The Plate Magnets available though EriezXpress fall into three product lines:

Super Power Plate creates a 2-3 inch magnetic field to reach into thin burdens of material to remove large tramp metal contamination. The magnet measures 7 5/8 inches long and 2 1/16 inches thick. It is shipped with one tapered step to enhance separation performance and hinge and latch for ease of installation. Width sizes available through EriezXpress include 8, 10, 12 and 14 inches to match chute and conveyor width.

Maxi Power Plate creates a 3-4 inch magnetic field to reach into thin burdens of material to remove medium tramp metal contamination. The magnet length measures 10 5/8 inches and is 2 11/16 inches thick. It is shipped with one tapered step to enhance separation performance and hinge and latch for ease of installation. Width sizes available through EriezExpress include 8, 10 and 12 inches.

Rare Earth (RE) Plate Magnets are ideal for shallow burdens where product purity is the number one priority. The RE circuit removes fine and feebly magnetic contaminants. The magnet length measures 5 ½ inches and is 1 3/16 inches thick. It is shipped with one tapered step to enhance separation performance and hinge and latch for ease of installation. Width sizes available through EriezXpress include 6, 8, 10 12 and 14 inches.

For more information, visit http://en-us.eriez.com/Products/EriezXpress/.

IDM3000 is a 3-kW intelligent servo drive that embeds motion controller, drive and PLC functionalities in the same unit. Based on the Technosoft MotionChip™ technology, IDM3000 is specially designed for servo applications requiring high peak torque, dynamic response and flexible integration features. It can be used to control brushless, induction, and DC motors up to 3 kW. IDM3000 drives 10-A continuous and 30-A peak currents, at a supply voltage ranging from 160 to 325 V.

The drive is programmable in the high-level Technosoft Motion Language (TML). The motion programming can be done from a CANopen master, via a PC / PLC using the appropriate motion library, or directly at drive level, using the built-in motion controller and the EasyMotion Studio platform. Through the powerful TML programming, you can really simplify complex applications by distributing the intelligence between master and drives. Thus, instead of trying to command each step of an axis movement from the master, you can program IDM3000 in TML to execute complex tasks, and to inform the master when these tasks have been completed. Motion modes as contouring, profiling, gearing, electronic camming, PVT are easily executed in stand-alone or multi-axis operations. Communication can be done over CANopen, CAN and RS-232 networks.

IDM3000 is equipped with different sensors: digital and linear Halls, incremental encoder, SSI and resolver. The addition of resolver feedback increases the versatility of the drive in motion control projects that involve very high temperature, vibration, shock and dirty environments.

Flexibility and easy implementation make the IDM3000 an ideal solution to fulfilling today’s high-power motion axis control needs, using modern distributed intelligence architecture. It is perfectly suited for applications such as pick-and-place, CNC, robotics and military apps requiring high servo performance and enhanced compactness.

A Wayne State University business professor says opponents are overstating the cost of closing Chicago shipping locks to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.

John Taylor says closing the locks would boost transportation costs by $70 million a year. But many fear the $7 billion Great Lakes fishing industry would be in jeopardy if the unwanted carp become established there.

Taylor analyzed potential economic losses for Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who wants the U.S. Supreme Court to order the locks closed and require eventual separation of the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River system.

Taylor is scheduled to discuss his findings with reporters Thursday.

Many Chicago barge and tour boat operators say closing the locks would ruin their businesses.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

CHICAGO — It was seven years ago yesterday that 21 people died and scores more were hurt when panic seized those in the E2 nightclub on Chicago’s South Side.

The families of those who died said they are looking to the federal government for help.

Photos of those who died were laid out on a table in front of family members who gathered at an Austin neighborhood restaurant to plead for assistance, although they were hazy on the specific help they believed the U.S. Justice Department could provide.

The families have no lawyer.  Instead, they are beginning an effort to pass petitions at local churches and outside nightclubs, asking the Justice Department to review the case.

They are especially interested in obtaining access to security video from the nightclub, and said much of it appears to have disappeared over the intervening seven years.

Sheretta Patterson-Pennington lost her 22-year-old daughter Nicole in the stampede.  She broke down in tears as she said that every conceivable door locally has been slammed in their faces.

“Security team – not responsible.  DJ – not responsible.  The promoter – not responsible.  But we have 21 lives that we still have to account for,” she said.  “And you mean to tell me that no one’s responsible?  Are you kidding me?”

Patterson-Pennington and fellow parent Howard Ray, who lost his 24-year-old son DaShand Ray, said they would like to see the shuttered nightclub, at 2347 S. Michigan Ave., transformed into a memorial for those who died and a safe haven for troubled young adults.

“We’re not going to go away quietly,” Ray said.

Bob Roberts reporting

Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

CHICAGO  – The CTA and its unions now expect to meet Friday to discuss possible concessions that would allow service to be restored and laid-off employees recalled.

CTA Chairman Terry Peterson set up the meeting in a mid-afternoon phone call Wednesday with the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

But Peterson said he made it clear to Rev. Jackson that what CTA’s operating unions have offered in the way of concessions won’t work.

“We actually have gone through it point by point,” Peterson said.  “It would actually cost the agency $78 million on top of the $95 million deficit that we have.”

Peterson said he would be pleased to defer next year’s pay increase until July, and would like to extend the existing contract to freeze pay in 2012 and 2013, as proposed by the union.  But he said he needs $95 million in savings in 2010, and a pay freeze two years out won’t work.

CTA distributed a 10-page response given to the unions.

Among the items proposed by the unions:

• Substitution of the existing CTA requested days off policy for furlough days would cost CTA $1 million instead of saving it $20 million, as anticipated by the unions.
• Deferral of 2011 pay increase until July 2011 would save CTA nothing this year, although it would save $12.7 million in 2011, more than the union’s own estimate.
• The savings from a pay freeze in 2012 and 2013 were not calculated by CTA, but Peterson said they would save nothing this year; the union estimates the savings down the line at $55 million.
• Prohibiting security personnel from performing customer assistant duties would cost CTA $23.3 million a year.
• Restoring conductor positions would cost CTA $37 million a year.
• Elimination of maintenance management positions at bus garages would cost CTA more than $600,000 a year instead of saving $1.2 million.
• Elimination of other bus operations management positions would cost CTA $500,000 instead of saving the $2.4 million anticipated by the union.

Peterson spoke with WBBM several hours after the unions renewed their accusations that service cuts and layoffs were made in an unfair fashion, a charge CTA has consistently denied.

Amalgamated Transit Union Division 241 Executive Board member Michael Taylor, whose local represents CTA bus drivers and maintenance personnel, said CTA had no reliable figures on which to base Southeast Corridor cuts because no audit of the service had been done in seven years.

Peterson called the accusation a “distraction” from efforts to resolve their differences.

A CTA spokesperson said service has been reviewed on much of the south and west sides far more recently than that, and said service is “tweaked” quarterly throughout the CTA system.

CTA again contended that its service cuts passed a Title VI review by the Federal Transit Administration and other federal regulators for fairness, and said it still believes all sides of town are sharing equally in the sacrifice.

Bob Roberts reporting

Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services