Author: Peter Doocy

“He looked like an orangutan swinging-swinging around. It was scary, very scary,” said Chicago resident Wilma Ward about her recent run-in with a raccoon. Ward, who lives in Chicago several miles away from the nearest forest, found herself face to snout with a raccoon she described as being almost her height. She was forced to barricade herself in an upstairs bathroom until morning, and when she emerged she discovered the raccoon had bent steel window-bars to get into her kitchen. Others in the neighborhood have described these raccoons as being the size of German Shepherds.

While Wilma’s story is extreme, it is becoming more common, as the ring-tailed rascals are increasingly taking up residence in the concrete jungle. It isn’t hard for them to find a place to stay, either, since over 75,000 homes have been foreclosed on in the last year. Most people don’t properly board up their homes when the bank kicks them to the curb, which gives raccoons easy access to a habitat fit for a human.

Raccoon infestations aren’t a bother to former homeowners, but rather to the people still living in the neighborhood. No raccoon in Illinois has ever tested positive for rabies, according to Dr. Donna Alexander of the Cook County Animal Rabies Control, but that’s not the only concern. She fears that many urbanites, who have never seen a wild animal except for maybe a squirrel or rat, might mistake the raccoons for a furry play-thing. “The most important thing is that it is not a pet, it is a wild animal,” she explains.

Local government officials are trying to prevent further problems by educating the urban communities about the proper way to deal with raccoons. They explain that raccoons are just looking for something to eat and a place to stay, so if trash cans are properly sealed and foreclosed homes are effectively boarded up, they will search for shelter somewhere else.

Something else communities are beginning to notice is property damage. Most of it goes unnoticed for months or even years, as these homes go uninhabited for extended periods of time, but James McClelland of Mack Industries, who purchases foreclosed homes and fixes them up for future sale, says the cost can be sky high…or at least ceiling high. It is common, he explains, for raccoons to fall through roofs and ceilings, which are expensive to repair. Often, when they fall into a home from above, it is impossible for them to get out, so they try as hard as they can to scratch and bite their way out-attempts which are often in vain, and often leave serious damage. McClelland says the damage done by raccoons can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

A Windy City restaurant is putting the Midwest’s most hated fish-on a dish!  Diners at the Lockwood Restaurant inside downtown Chicago’s famed Palmer House Hilton Hotel now have the opportunity to try an “Asian Carp Ceviche”, or a cleverly named “Carp-accio.”  A few months ago, the Asian Carp was a topic of heated discussion throughout the region, amid fears that the invasive species would enter the Great Lakes, and subsequently destroy it’s ecosystem.

Chef Phillip Foss says the Asian Carp doesn’t deserve the bad reputation it has gained in the United States, and he hopes to raise awareness about the species by putting it on his menu.  Foss says he has already changed many opinions of this misunderstood fish, and he doesn’t do it by talking- he does it by treating his customers’ taste buds.  His experiment has also been a treat when the check comes-he has been offering the Asian Carp dishes free of charge to start out, since otherwise nobody chooses to eat it when they have more familiar fish selections, like halibut, as alternatives.

While the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far, Foss is considering a name change, from “Asian Carp,” to “Shanghai Bass,” to appeal to a broader audience.

I was in the kitchen with Lockwood Restaurant’s Chef Phillip Foss and Chef James Tolan, check out the video below.

There are big crowds at stores across Illinois today, with people rushing to buy new government-labeled Energy-Star refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, air conditioners, and freezers as part of the “Cash for Appliances,” program. Anyone that purchases a qualifying appliance gets an automatic and immediate 15% discount from Uncle Sam, who has set aside $300 million for this initiative, $6.5 million of that here in Illinois. To make the deal even sweeter, anyone willing to trade in an old appliance gets an extra $75 rebate. Similar to the “Cash for Clunkers,” program that dealt with automobiles, a good way to understand this program is by thinking of it as, “Cash for Kitchen Stuff.”

Given the state of the economy the last few years, retailers are excited about this program, because any business at this point is good business. Robert Bevilacqua, the CEO of Grant’s Appliances in Chicago, optimistically expects a very profitable weekend. Bevilacqua said, “we are kind of forecasting about four times the amount of business through the weekend.”

Many retailers, including Sears, are slashing prices even more, in an attempt to maximize the number of shoppers at its stores before the money runs out. Recently, this program was employed in Arizona and Iowa, and the interest was so great, the money was gone within a few hours.

The Chicago Cubs have not won a World Series in 102 years, but starting today their long-suffering fans have new reason to be excited about ballgames at historic Wrigley Field (and for once, it doesn’t have to do with a new pitcher or outfielder).  This year, the team’s new owners have hired twenty Wrigley Field Ambassadors, tasked with making sure every fan at every game has the ultimate baseball experience.  The Ambassadors have been added, in part, to keep people coming to the ball park, which is something many people cannot afford to do any longer, since a day at baseball’s “Friendly Confines,” for a family of four costs almost $330.

Think of the Wrigley Field Ambassador as the “fan’s agent,” says program coordinator Jahaan Blake.  The Ambassadors will be available to answer fan questions, but will also act pro-actively to offer advice and directions to confused looking patrons.  The Ambassadors will also be in charge of keeping restroom and concession lines under control by directing people to the men’s and women’s rooms that aren’t as crowded.

Over 700 people applied for only thirty Ambassador positions at the North Side Chicago stadium, which has been the site of some of the most memorable moments in American sports history, including Babe Ruth’s “called shot.”  Even though the team is under new ownership this season, the franchise has been trying to please fans for decades.  In fact, in 1916 the Cubs became the first Major League team to allow fans to keep the foul balls they caught in the stands.  There is no word yet about whether or not fans in 2010 are allowed to keep anything manager Lou Pinella throws into the stands (famous for yelling at umpires and tossing whatever he can get his hands on, after being ejected by the umpire).

By most accounts, the Democratic members of the Texas State Board of Education have not been able to accomplish much in today’s session.  Now, they will be facing an even more difficult challenge against the powerful conservative majority, as Mary Helen Berlanga (D-Corpus Christi), just stormed out of the meeting, saying she won’t be returning to her seat until tomorrow. Immediately after excusing herself for the evening, she told a gaggle of reporters in the hallway of the William B. Travis state office building that she felt her voice wasn’t being heard, and the final straw came during an argument about whether or not schoolchildren can be taught that sometimes stereotyping isn’t bad.  One side argued that it is okay to stereotype people like firefighters and soldiers as heroes.  Berlanga argued that stereotyping needs to focus only be taught with regards to negative effects on racial and ethnic minorities.  Outside the hearing room, she also said she does not feel an obligation to her constituents to stay in the meeting, but that they should not be worried about her absence, because she feels she wasn’t going to have the opportunity to have an impact for the rest of today, anyway.  And so, the Texas Textbook Wars continue…

The highly anticipated public hearing on the standards for the Social Studies curriculum is underway at the Texas State Board of Education. Over fifty people are signed up to speak, however it is highly unlikely they will get to all of them-especially since they granted the first member of the public over 20 minutes at the podium (after the chairwoman explained each speaker would be granted three minutes). Before today, the board has heard 17 hours of testimony from 116 speakers, and has been sent over 14,000 e-mails regarding the curriculum. Today’s speakers have primarily expressed concern that their ethnic group or religion is being excluded from the Social Studies curriculum-and those religions include Christianity, Judaism, and Sikhism. One speaker pleaded that different genocides will taught to children in the future. Another begged the board to include war heroes and Congressional Medal of Honor winners in its standards. The mood inside is subdued, especially following a scolding from the chairwoman regarding audience applause.
There was some conflict inside when one of the board members seemed to take issue with a speaker’s suggestion that the United States should always be portrayed positively in lesson plans. Just now, a man suggested that if the new curriculum is going to include the historic 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama, then it should also include the 2009-10 backlash against his administration. The man was then peppered with questions by members of the school board, igniting the most passionate exchange so far. The turmoil over the Texas textbooks continues…

When the Texas State Board of Education meets at the William B. Travis state office building in Austin later today for the start of their meetings that will run through the end of the week, one of the items on their agenda will be potential changes to the Social Studies curriculum.

This subject matter is proving particularly controversial in the Texas textbook battle because unlike Math or English — where there is only one way to teach the subject and answers are easy to define as right or wrong — Social Studies focuses on history and world events. It is easy, educators and parents argue, for a textbook’s author to tell stories about things in the past in a way favorable to their personal political or religious beliefs.

That’s exactly what people think is going on in Texas this week, as their state Board of Education will debate which historical figures and events are worthy of being taught to schoolchildren.  Among the contested subjects this week will be the Vietnam War, the Korean War, the Civil Rights movement, the Cold War, Reconstruction, and the Great Depression.

All Americans need to keep an eye on what the Lone Star state’s BOE settles on, because over 90 percent of American textbooks are based on Texas’ curriculum.

So, if the politically charged 15-member board in Texas decides to get rid of Daniel Boone in favor of Cesar Chavez, or to drop a biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower altogether – all of which have been proposed – then children from New Mexico to New Hampshire might not have any idea about a great American pioneer, or the 34th President of the United States, among other things.

A quick survey of parents picking up their textbook-using children at a school a few blocks away from where the hearings are taking place yielded a surprising result. When asked: “What do you think about the Board of Education’s curriculum and textbook hearing this week,” the general response was: “What textbook hearing?”

Click here: Textbook Battle, Who Has the Final Word?

Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Gene Cernan are among the most famous living Americans, and last night they were all getting on the same plane at Chicago O’Hare airport. This particular aircraft travels several thousand miles slower than they are used to, as it wasn’t heading to outer space. Instead, this American Airlines flight was going to Germany for the first stop on the “Legends of Aerospace” tour, where the innovative and inspirational aviators will share their life’s stories with our brave servicemen and women abroad. Armstrong, Lovell, and Cernan will be joined by the last Air Force Pilot Ace Steve Ritchie, SR-71 Chief Test Pilot Bob Gilliand, and former “Good Morning America” host David Hartman, who will serve as their emcee. These five airmen have inspired millions of Americans with their heroic efforts, yet they still seem to find themselves genuinely humbled by the opportunity to give something back to the country that has given them so much support over the years in their many endeavors. They also all seem to feel a strong bond with the troops they will be visiting, since like the troops, they used to put their lives on the line in the name of their country. Before they were allowed to take even ‘one small step’ onto the jet-way, though, they all had to show their boarding passes. I wonder if you need one of those to get on the space shuttle? In the video below, Armstrong, Lovell, Cernan and Ritchie tell us how excited they are about their big trip.

6.3 million people-41.2% of all Americans that are out of work-are classified as ‘long-term unemployed,’ because they haven’t had a job for at least 6 months.  The problem isn’t getting better anytime soon, because employers aren’t enthusiastically hiring the long-term unemployed- if they can help it.  Employment expert John A. Challenger explains that, “what happens is the company finds they have one person here out a month and one person here out eight months and they say, all things being equal, maybe someone else saw something in that long-term unemployed that I’m missing, maybe it’s a safer bet to hire the shorter unemployed person.”  He also explained that when people are continuously denied jobs because of their ‘long-term’ unemployment status, they develop other problems.  He stated that, “more of those people begin to think there’s no job for them, so they drift into alcoholism and other kinds of issues.” 

Experts say it is important for people who have been unemployed for six months or more not to fall into a routine of laziness at home.  Instead, they need to stay focused on getting back into the job force.  One way to expedite the process is by taking advantage of support programs offered in your city or state.  In Chicago, for example, one such resource is the Career Transition Center, which provides the unemployed with spiritual and emotional guidance.  Rob King, who has been out of work for six months, said that the Career Transition Center taught him to approach his job-lessness like a job.  He explains, “I try to keep that same kind of regular schedule, so from 9 o’clock to 5 o’clock I am actively looking for work and doing the things I need to do.”  Rob is hoping his work-while-out-of-work will pay off, and if it does, it will provide a valuable lesson to any of the other 6.3 million long-term unemployed Americans: help is out there, all you have to do is ask for it.

Yesterday, Chicago got more snow than any other February day in 102 years. Today, standing downtown, that is hard to believe. By morning rush hour, all the main roads downtown were clear, and the two major airports- O’Hare and Midway- were not reporting any delays (although they did preemptively cancel some flights heading to the east coast because of their snow storm). Mother Nature wasn’t done with Chicago after dumping over a foot of snow on it, though- at about 4 am central time, there was a magnitude 3.8 earthquake in the suburbs about 45 miles from the city. The rumbling was felt all the way downtown, but no damage has been reported. Cities on the east coast should follow Chicago’s example- in spite of a minor earthquake and a major snowstorm in the course of 24 hours, Chicago has been able to keep everything running smoothly-so far. The snowflakes have stopped falling, but now motorists must contend with high wind gusts that threaten to blow snow from huge piles alongside roadways and onto surfaces that have already been plowed, which could create headaches all over the midwest.

Thousands of screaming people lined the streets outside the President’s polling place, Beulah Shoesmith Elementary school in Chicago to see the Obamas vote…last November. Today, we returned to the scene of November 2008’s hysteria on the snowy day of the Illinois primaries to take Hyde Park’s pulse. Generally, primary voters tend to be among the most enthusiastic of all political observers, and the crowd today was no different. They seemed equally informed and dedicated, as the weather was snowy and very cold, but of the handful of people we spoke to, nobody seemed particularly excited about voting today-especially when compared to the way they felt the day President Obama cast his vote. Since they know the lay of the land around Shoesmith Elementary better than anyone, I asked voters to compare election days. Check out a sampling of their responses in the video below.

It’s primary day in Illinois, so I headed down to Beulah Shoesmith Elementary school in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood-the polling place where then-candidate Obama cast his vote in last November’s general election.  The President wasn’t there today-but we did run into another famous Hyde Park resident- William Ayers, the controversial professor and former Weather Underground member.  Ayers had already voted, and didn’t seem interested in discussing today’s primary, or the lack of fanfare surrounding it at the polling place he shares with the President.  He did, however, offer his thoughts about the President’s performance and the change he thinks needs to happen in the United States.  Check out my encounter with Ayers below.

Last night, I attended a State of the Union viewing party at a bar in Chicago, coordinated by “Organizing for America,” part of the DNC and President Obama’s organizing and fundraising machine.  All of the big screen TV’s, that on a normal night would have a Cubs or Bulls game on, were all tuned into the big speech, and people were watching intently.  There were a few dozen people in attendance, and I asked a bunch of them for their reaction on both the State of the Union address, and also on Obama’s first year as President.  Even though the bar was full of enthusiastic clapping and cheering throughout the speech- especially after a few drinks- roughly half the people I surveyed were not impressed by President Obama’s first year as commander in chief.  It was very surprising to see such a divided reaction to the President/hometown hero, especially since many Chicagoans have been following Obama since long before he was a national figure.  See for yourself in the video below.

If you live in Michigan and are either out of a job, about to be out of a job, or in a job, but have a family income less than $40,000, you are in luck.  Michigan’s “No Worker Left Behind,” program is helping the unemployed and underemployed learn the skills they need to succeed in a state economy that is rapidly transforming a lot of manual labor into more computerized fields.  How?  By offering free tuition- up to $10,000 over two years at any Michigan community college, university, or other approved training program.

Susan DiVanni is taking advantage of the program, and she says, “You have two schools of thought when you lose your job: you can either sit and cry about it, or you can do something about it.”  Dale Newman is learning to weld because he was laid off after 26 years as a parts manager at a GM plant.  He said he has no prior welding experience, but the “No Worker Left Behind” program is helping him get back to work.  He isn’t alone: in the first two years of the program, about 110,000 people have gone back to school under the program and of its graduates, 72% have jobs so far.

“No Worker Left Behind,” has been extremely popular in the Great Lakes State, which has had the nation’s highest unemployment rate for much of the last four years, and whose 14.6% unemployment is currently America’s highest.  The program initially outgrew expectations, and hit 100,000 enrollees back in November- ten months sooner than projected.  To keep the program alive, the state issued emergency grants, and now the state seems to be adjusting well to the added demand- even with a waiting list of 16,000 eager residents.