The Windy City’s first Shake Shack opened to eager customers this week after a two-year wait, and according to Eater, the burger joint didn’t have to wait long for its first major review.

Kevin Pang, Cheeseburger Bureau Chief and reporter for the Chicago Tribune, reviewed the Shake Shack — which is located in River North, a block away from Michigan Avenue in the old Harley Davidson gift shop — within hours of the chain opening its doors.

Pang’s review gives a brief history of Shake Shack itself, which started as a hot dog cart in Manhattan that was only open during the summers. Eventually the cart became permanent and increasingly popular. These days, there are Shake Shacks internationally and, like the Chicago addition, are spreading across the U.S. itself.

Shake Shack offers a variety of burgers, hot dogs, fries, custards, and — of course — shakes. Additionally, the chain also serves beers and wines for their legal-age customers.

Pang praises Shake Shack’s SmokeShack burger, which he calls “a wonderful sandwich ($6.45 single/$9.15 double), easily best in class within a mile radius.”

In addition to the regular menu, Shake Shack offers items inspired by and incorporating local cuisine, like a hot dog that uses pork sausage from Publican Quality Meats and an ice cream dish that includes chunks of salted caramel doughnut chunks from Dazed and Infused.

The one thing that Pang was not impressed with was the crinkle cut fries, which he found to be too dry on the inside.

According to Pang, what Chicago needs is not just another burger chain, but a quality burger chain, and Shake Shack overall fits the bill.

Aside from Pang’s review, Shake Shack has already gotten some positive reviews on business review site Yelp. Almost one in four people have posted a comment or review online about a product or service they have used. In the two days after the grand opening, Shake Shack comes in at 4.5 out of five stars, though there are only 12 reviews so far. Time will tell how well Shake Shack does in the future — but they’re off to a pretty good start.

As the weather gets colder and winter approaches, many homeowners are likely turning on their heat to make their homes more comfortable. However, it might be wise to have a professional test your gas line before you crank up the gas for the first time this season. As the resident of a Chicago suburb discovered recently, failing to do so could result in a house explosion.

On Monday, September 15, Tim Walkup turned on his heat for the first time before going to bed. Later, around 10 p.m., Walkup awoke to his house exploding around him, blowing out two walls and shattering his windows. The Eglin Fire Department was quickly called and Walkup was admitted to the intensive care unit of nearby Advocate Sherman Hospital. The fire required 10 area fire department companies to control, and caused almost $150,000 worth of damage to the home.

While Walkup was the only person injured in the explosion, many of his neighbors have reported that the explosion was forceful enough to be felt two houses away. Firefighters believe the fire was caused by a gas leak and are taking the opportunity to remind homeowners to have their furnaces checked by a professional before turning the system on for the winter.

Leak detection is a common procedure in many industries, including refrigeration, air conditioning, automotive manufacturing and food packaging. However, these leak tests typically occur before these systems and products are sold, and consumers are often unaware that they may require further testing after installation. Walkup, unfortunately, was one such customer: while his neighbors described his home maintenance as “meticulous,” officials suspect that his furnace may have suffered an issue which caused gas to accumulate. But some experts say he may have been lucky; if the explosion hadn’t occurred, his Walkup’s home could have filled with gas and caused him to become overcome by the fumes.

NICOR and ComEd have visited the scene to prevent any further gas leakages. However, neighbors are reportedly hesitant to approach the property due to the smell of natural gas that still lingers in the area. Walkup is still looking for his cat, who has not been seen since the explosion, although his two cocker spaniels have been recovered.

Today is the last day for motorists in Chicago to have traffic violations they received from red light violations reviewed by a third party, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

With support for the red light camera system at an all-time low in the Windy City, Chicago officials asked Grant Thornton LP, an independent third party, to look over tickets issued after a suspicious spike in red light violations were seen at 12 different Chicago intersections.

Letters were mailed to residents who received red light violations from cameras, generating a total of 3,285 tickets.

A total of 2,953 tickets have been reviewed so far, and roughly 96% have been validated by Grant Thornton LP. Only 4% of tickets in question have resulted in refunds for drivers.

During the review, the responsibility of proving that ticket violations were valid fell upon the city. Drivers were given the benefit of the doubt. A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Transportation noted that the 4% of tickets that were refunded in this review is less than half the amount that were dismissed in court from appeals between 2007 and 2013.

There are 65 traffic tickets handed out every minute in the United States, and more and more local governments are implementing camera-based programs to take over traffic violation watch. Chicago has the largest red light camera enforcement program in the country, and approximately 150 red light cameras have been installed at about 70 different locations throughout the city. The program doesn’t sit well with many residents.

Protesters gathered last Thursday at the intersection of Archer Avenue and Paulina Street, where one of the controversial cameras is located. This particular red light camera has been a point of contention due to its close proximity to Mulberry Playlot Park.

Many view the red light cameras as just another money-making scheme by city officials, arguing that it is a hidden tax. Proponents of the cameras, on the other hand, say it is a valid way to improve motor safety and protect pedestrians, particularly young children in school zones.

A Chicago-area man convicted of felony cyberstalking and residential theft has recently been sentenced to eight years in prison.

According to NBC Chicago, Jicheng “Kevin” Liu, of Lincoln Park, could have faced as many as 14 years for his crimes. He will receive credit for time served prior to Cook County Judge Erica Reddick’s sentencing.

Upon his arrest in 2012, police found some $1 million in stolen merchandise in his townhome, mostly consisting of stolen delivery packages from residential dwellings.

Liu had built a profitable business from selling these stolen goods online — and for those who brought his illegal doings to the attention of law enforcement, the memory of his cyberstalking continues to haunt them.

“We fear that no matter where he is, he will haunt us in this world. If he has access to a computer he will tear apart our reputation,” one victim, who asked to be identified as Sherwood, told the press.

Sherwood and his wife had agreed to sell Liu’s merchandise on their eBay page. Upon learning the merchandise was stolen, they contacted the police, NBC Chicago reports. Soon after, Liu set out to destroy everything the couple had by cyberstalking and harassing them.

“He managed to get our business shut down on eBay, and to this day we cannot use our online store,” Sherwood explained. “We’ve been scared. We trusted Liu. He told us, ‘Keep an eye on your baby while you sleep at night.’ … He took away everything we worked hard for. We lost our business, our lives … we’re shunned online forever.”

Cyberstalking and cyber security continue to be pressing issues not just for individuals, but for small businesses and even larger corporations as well. Over recent years, approximately 57% of small businesses have reported breaches in cyber security. News of companies having their databases hacked continue to make headlines — Target and Home Depot are just two major retailers to have had their customers’ credit card data breached in recent memory.

For individuals like the people Liu targeted online, the best steps to take when faced with a cyberstalker are to keep a detailed record of all the cyberstalkers’ interactions. Xanax is taken exclusively for therapeutic purposes, but not for the prevention of the development of a possible disease. This http://hesca.net/xanax/ is due to the fact that the drug has a huge number of side effects and can provoke the appearance of symptoms of addiction. It’s also advised that one prints out all emails from the cyberstalker and save all text messages received.

In general, it’s always better to contact the police once ample evidence of the cyberstalking has been collected, rather than confront the cyberstalker himself.

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