Skyline Newspaper

Updated 12/2/20

Do you know what the bed bug capital of the world is? It used to be Chicago, but now it’s Baltimore. They get all kinds of bed bugs in Baltimore. But you don’t have to live in Baltimore to experience the nightmare of bed bugs. If you have bed bugs, you need to get rid of them as soon as possible or they’ll quickly multiply. In fact, a beg bug can spawn up to 500 eggs in its lifetime, which is far too many bed bugs for comfort.

If you have seen bed bug activity, such as bloodstains on your sheets, you need bed bug assistance. Another word for bed bugs is bloodsucker, so little pools of blood in your linen are a sure sign you probably have bed bugs feeding on you while you sleep. Don’t delay. If you notice signs of bed bugs, aash everything you own in hot water and call a bed bug exterminator today. Living with bed bugs is hazardous to your health and they’re a nuisance. Don’t be the victim of bedbugs while you’re sleeping. Get rid of them while you’re awake with the help of professionals.

The good news for Chicago residents is that according to pest control service Orkin, the Windy City is no longer the bedbug capital of America. Following its four-year run at the top, Chicago dropped down to number three on Orkin’s 2016 “Top 50” list of cities in which it performed the most bed bug treatments.

The new leader in bed bug infestations is Baltimore, which jumped up nine slots to make its debut in the top five. Also in the top five are Washington, D.C., New York City, and Columbus, Ohio.

While 20% of homeowners in a recent survey cited termites as their main pest concern, bed bugs are becoming more and more prevalent in both residential and commercial buildings in the United States.

“We have more people affected by bed bugs in the United States now than ever before,” said Ron Harrison, Orkin entomologist and director of technical services. “They were virtually unheard of in the U.S. 10 years ago.”

Major metropolises aren’t the only communities affected, either. Mid-sized cities throughout the U.S. made the top 50 list this year, including Syracuse, New York, Dayton, Ohio, and Tacoma, Washington.

Furthermore, Harrison explained that bed bugs are not an indication of poor hygiene or lack of cleanliness. Bed bugs simply need blood to survive and they are exceptional travelers, attaching themselves to luggage or purses, and laying eggs as they go.

“Anyone can get bed bugs in their home. We have treated bed bugs in everything from million-dollar homes to public housing,” said Harrison.

Bed bugs are often found hiding out in furniture, which is why purchasing these items from yard sales or online used-goods marketplaces (like craigslist or Facebook buy/sell/trade groups) can be a big risk. You are much better off buying home furnishings, including mattresses and sofas, brand new from a retail store. Fortunately, the luxury furniture market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 4% between 2015 and 2019.

In addition to carefully selecting your home furnishings, you can also avoid infestation by inspecting hotel rooms for these little, round, flat, reddish-brown bugs. Experts from the website https://sdarcwellness.com/buy-soma-online/ have found out that the recommended dose of Soma for adults is 15 mg (1 capsule of Soma 15 mg) once a day. Some patients may need to increase the dose to 30 mg (1 capsule of Soma 30 mg or 2 capsules of Soma 15 mg) once a day. Check box springs, bed skirts, mattresses, baseboards, and even behind pictures and torn wallpaper. The safest spot to store your luggage while you are traveling is in the bathroom, where insects have fewer places to burrow and hide.

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Unfortunately, driving drunk is all too common in the United States. Scarily enough, every day there are about 300,000 drunk drivers on the road, but fewer than 4,000 get arrested. However, this holiday season the cops in Chicago are cracking down on inebriated offenders.

In the beginning of December, an intoxicated Orland Park man was caught after hitting a school bus and driving away. Sean Gill, 23, hit the bus from behind, then drove up next to the driver, made eye contact, then sped away. Luckily only the bus driver and a school attendant were on board at the time, and neither were injured.

After driving away, police put out an alert with the description of Gill and his car. He was spotted and then arrested for drunk driving on December 5. His blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit of 0.08.

A few weeks later, a Posen man was taken into custody after he rammed his vehicle into several parked cars. Wesley Rodgers, 32, suffered minor injuries, but three of the four passengers in his car died as a result of the incident. The fourth is still in the hospital in critical condition.

Rodgers was charged with three counts of aggravated DUI causing death, and one count of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm. He has since posted bail, and is currently walking free.

Lastly, just a few days before Christmas, a drunk driver was arrested in Mettawa for crashing into a parked squad car in the early hours of December 23. The parked car was protecting the scene of an auto accident, and Lauren R. Kimbrell, 27, of Waukegan was found to be driving drunk after she pummeled both the parked car and another car from the initial accident.

While no bystanders were injured, Kimbrell was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal transportation of alcohol, and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident as well as multiple other traffic violations. Additionally, as a result of the circumstances, she may face additional charges for endangering the lives of emergency and construction workers on the scene.

Kimbrell was released at the scene of the crime, and is scheduled for a February 1 court date.

Many mothers want nothing more than to breastfeed their babies. In fact, 26.8% of survey respondents said in 2015 that they express breast milk for their infants anywhere from five to 15 times per week. When a biological mom is unable to supply breast milk for her own baby, donor milk is often a great alternative. It provides vital nutrients and helps strengthen the child’s immune system.

However, it can be difficult to secure donor milk through a milk bank, due to high demand or specific qualifications, and so some parents are taking more drastic measures: they’re getting their milk from other mothers they know or even off the internet. Now, doctors are speaking out about the dangers that unscreened breast milk poses for infants.

Typically, donor milk is distributed through milk banks that are run by hospital units. For particularly vulnerable or premature infants, it’s critical they receive milk from these banks. Since breast milk can protect preemies against the onset of serious illnesses, it’s important for these babies to consume natural breast milk instead of formula.

When a mother can’t keep up with the supply of milk her child needs, milk banks can offer a much-needed solution. Chicago’s first milk bank first opened in March of 2016, much to the joy of many frustrated, exhausted mothers and sick babies. But due to the rise in milk bank popularity, mothers aren’t always able to secure donor breast milk. Since this donor milk is usually reserved for at-risk babies, mothers who simply can’t produce breast milk for their otherwise healthy infants are often left in the lurch. While some mothers are turning to their friends for help, others are seeking out breast milk online.

Both options pose a serious danger to infants. Donor milk needs to be pasteurized in order to be safe for consumption. While donor banks screen and pasteurize the milk before distributing it, breast milk obtained from friends or strangers can contain harmful contaminants that can make babies sick.

According to the CDC, one in six Americans becomes ill after consuming contaminated foods or beverages every year. Dr. Steven Abrams of the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin notes that “milk banks are tightly regulated and use one of several well-established and proven methods of pasteurization to remove virtually all risks of transmitting infections.”

Unpasteurized and unscreened donor milk can put babies at risk for bacterial or viral contamination, as well as exposure to drugs, medications, or other potentially harmful substances.

And while it is possible to pasteurize milk using home methods, it’s not recommended. In fact, many physicians consider it to be an unsafe practice. The Holder pasteurization method is complicated to perform correctly — and if it’s done incorrectly, most mothers wouldn’t even know definitively until their child becomes sick.

Getting milk from internet sources poses an even greater risk: not only could it be contaminated, but what you’re getting might not even be breast milk. In fact, Dr. Valerie Flaherman, nursery director at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, says that even formula is preferable to breast milk sourced online.

“Buying milk from the internet and feeding it to babies is hazardous and risks giving the infant an infection, either an infection directly transmitted from an infected donor or an infection that occurs because milk storage conditions were poor.” She pointed out that, at the very least, “formula is prepared and stored according to FDA guidelines and is a much safer choice than casually shared breast milk.”

These concerns have prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics to release an official policy statement on donor milk, advising parents to avoid human milk sharing. I know people suffer from side effects on this one. I suffered from them myself. To be precise I was disoriented, vomiting and even had sort of hallucinations. But should be honest, happened after overdosing it. Avoid this!!! Just use it as prescribed by your doctor and be happy like me. Oh, not for advertisement, been buying it here https://www.glenerinpharmacy.com/buy-valium-diazepam-online-10-mg/, if there is any better, please tell me. While these mothers must all agree that “breast is best,” that adage should not be taken to the extreme for the sake of these vulnerable children.

For the majority of us, a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event that we’ll want to remember forever. After all, 88% of Americans get married at least once. And while 2.4 million weddings are performed each year nationwide, not every couple recalls every detail from their nuptials. Typically, that’s when having wedding photos and video footage come in handy. But several Chicago area brides are still fighting to gain access to video captured on their special day.

Some of these brides have been waiting years to receive their wedding videos. One bride, Erin Brewer, has only photographs to remember her 2012 wedding. “We want that memory, we want to be able to share it with our friends, our family, and our children when they get older and we can’t,” says Brewer.

Former bride Tara Grall has a similar story. She’s never received the video footage from her 2011 wedding. The same goes for Nikki Novak, as well as 11 other brides.

The reason? One lone videographer.

Each bride hired John Kevin Mohan, of John Kevin Films, to document her wedding. And in each case, the brides have been left frustrated — and without final, edited footage of that day’s celebrations.

Erin Brewer says she paid Mohan $1,225 to film her wedding. While most of the other brides have paid in full as well, none have been given the fully produced Blu-Ray/DVD they were promised. Some do have raw, unedited footage in their possession, but were given this footage only very recently — and only after multiple complaints were launched.

Nikki Novak stated that Mohan “would just give me the same excuses over and over. I’m still encoding, I’m still encoding, and if it wasn’t that, it was the upgrade in software or having to buy new software and then reinstall it.”

Though Mohan was quick to point out that Novak still has a $325 balance due on her payment, he noted that he would forgive this due to the delay. But his excuses seem to have no bounds.

“As soon as I found this problem with the editing, I stopped selling wedding contracts,” he said. “I came out and filmed everyone’s weddings to get them memorialized knowing that eventually I would get this editing problem under control, which I am at this point. The jobs are getting done.”
Mohan blames the delays on technical problems, like the “blue screen of death” he experienced with his computer. Published data on https://www.glenerinpharmacy.com/tramadol-ultram-online-100-mg/. suggest that the choice of the Tramadol dosage form is determined by the specific clinical case. Tablets and injection solution contain an identical active ingredient. The main difference lies in the speed of onset of the therapeutic effect and its duration. He went on to say that “the editing computer I had put together was not up to the task of editing high-definition footage. The program froze, it stalled, it crashed. I ended up having to borrow money from my family. So, I’m getting them done finally, but it is still taking me a long time.”

Mohan has needed more than just financial help from his family. He was forced to file for bankruptcy, and his business has an “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau. Complaints on the BBB’s website further illustrate that these incidents are not isolated, and that countless couples have been five years or more for their wedding footage.

While Mohan says he hopes to have the video editing completed before Christmas, these brides are likely skeptical that they’ll ever get access to their wedding footage. Experts advise clients to always have written contracts before agreeing to deals such as these; you can even put in a stipulation that full payment will be delivered upon the video’s receipt.

Approximately 46.3 million households in the U.S. own a dog, but there are still many more dogs and cats left in shelters. One shelter in Chicago houses over 200 dogs and cats, all of which are at risk of being euthanized, according to a South Side Alderman.

Ald. Raymond Lopez argues that hundreds of dogs and cats in shelters are at risk of being euthanized as a result of renovations beginning at the city’s animal shelter. Lopez has repeatedly called for the resignation of shelter executive director Susan Russell.

A small group of protesters joined Lopez on Monday December 5, toting signs with slogans such as “Susan Russel has got to go.”

Animal Care and Control is planning to close two of its pavilions temporarily while renovations are being completed, but Lopez said that the temporary closures could lead to 200 animals being euthanized. In the event that less space becomes available, euthanizing measures could be taken.

Lopez, a devoted pet activist, explained that a number of pets currently at the shelter are on an urgent adoption list, which means they have 24 hours to be adopted or they will face euthanasia. “We are holding this protest to send a clear message that we expect her to find alternate housing for these animals — not kill them,”Lopez said.

Lopez was one of a number of Aldermen who signed an “order” that proposed Chicago become a no-kill city. Their original request was “encouraging” no-kill shelters in Chicago, but the new order has a number of provisions that, if approved, would fundamentally change the way pet shelters operated in Chicago.

“Our goal is to reduce the killing of animals and to improve their care and well-being, and to reduce the costs to the taxpayers,” Lopez said. Despite concerns from Animal Care and Control about the no-kill policy, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has repeatedly expressed support for a no-kill culture in Chicago.

In many ways, Chicago can be considered two separate cities, divided by class. Chicago is home to more than 7,300 restaurants, long spans of beaches, and luxury real estate, but is also one of the deadliest cities in the nation.

Earning the nickname “Chiraq,” the Windy city has seen more than 600 homicides this year. By Labor Day the city had already surpassed its 2015 homicide rate, and this year, it is on track to have its deadliest year on record in the last 20 years if the death toll exceeds 730.

During the month of November, there were 77 murders in Chicago, bringing the total number of homicides to 682. So far, November has been the third most deadly month of 2016.

Chicago’s deadly trend is consistent with that of some other cities in the country. Baltimore is on track to meet 300 homicides for the second year in a row, while Washington, D.C. had 113 homicides by the end of October.

Yet, for the majority of the country, violent crime rates have dropped significantly. In New York City, shootings and homicides were both down through the month of October.

“It is gratifying to see the members of the NYPD reach new crime reduction milestones,” said New York Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill.

Chicago police, on the other hand, have not been as successful. They report that Chicago’s rising homicide rates are largely due to activity in the city’s South and West sides. They also report a sizable number of illegal gun possessions in the area.

Despite strict gun regulations within the city, it is still legal to bring a gun into Chicago from a neighboring state. Data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shows that this happens pretty regularly. In 2014, 88% of all the gun seizures in Illinois were recovered from Chicago, and roughly 60% of those guns were traced back to other states. From 2010 to 2014, the majority of these guns came from neighboring Indiana.

As the Chicago Police Department struggles with community trust and civil unrest, especially following the 2016 election, the department is still trying to restore peace within the city limits. Law enforcement officials say that they are trying to pull illegal firearms from the streets to combat the growing rates of violence.

In a statement, Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said:

“We will not allow the level of violence we’ve seen in some parts of the city to continue and I have laid out a comprehensive plan to build stronger community partnerships, which is crucial to making our streets safer.”

By the end of October, officials say that 7,000 guns have been recovered this year. Within the next two years, Chicago also hopes to hire 970 new officers.

The University of Chicago Medical Center is facing a wrongful death lawsuit from an administrator of a deceased patient’s estate.

Desiree Syler filed their complaint on November 1 in Cook County Circuit Court against the university, alleging that the hospital failed to provide adequate medical care to Roger R. Salinas, the deceased patient.

The lawsuit cites skin breakdowns and other related medical situations that resulted in Salinas’s death, alleging that the hospital could have easily prevented or treated these issues, prolonging the patient’s life.

This isn’t the first time the university has faced a medical lawsuit this year, either.

In June, the university medical center was fined $53 million for a 2013 lawsuit. It included almost 20 missteps by the hospital that resulted in a child being born with severe brain damage.

Lisa Ewing arrived at the emergency room, as any of the 110 million annual visitors. She was 40 weeks pregnant and worried because she was feeling less movement from the baby. Ewing’s son is now 12 and suffers from severe cerebral palsy, which confines him to a wheelchair.

Although the lawsuit was filed years after Isaiah was born, their victory went down as the biggest birth injury verdict ever made in Cook County.

However, the length of time between the event of malpractice and the lawsuit isn’t uncommon.

The statute of limitations puts forth the time frame in which patients can claim medical malpractice, but it’s not always the standard.

The discovery rule actually allows patients to file for medical malpractice after the statute of limitations period has expired.

This rule has helped countless patients seek out medical justice. In Syler’s case, however, there’s no need for the discovery rule to apply.

Syler is seeking a fine of $50,000 from the university in addition to other costs.

Most travelers agree that the worst part about traveling is the security line at the airport. United Airlines heard the complaints and decided to make travel a little less stressful for flyers this year by introducing new partially automated security screening lanes at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

Wait times at O’Hare Airport’s security stretched to over two hours at some points during last year’s holiday season, frustrating airport personnel and passengers alike.

To resolve the issue, United worked with the Transportation Security Administration to create and launch a new TSA Precheck security checkpoint in the airport.

The airline has already launched this technology at its Los Angeles location and has plans to bring it to other airports across the country in the future.

The new, partially automated security system works in a way similar to cafeteria conveyor belts that carry away dirty dishes. These new lanes allow up to five passengers to fill their bins at the same time and then proceed through the screening process.

United said that the conveyor belt automatically returns empty bins to the start of the conveyor belt, making the process faster for everyone involved.

United has also said that these partially automated lanes have reduced screening times by up to 30%.

However, United isn’t the only company making waves in the airport.

There are numerous technologically-improved security operations, and pat-down robots have just been added to the list.

A recent survey has revealed that residents from the U.S. and the UK believe that human security operations like frisking will be completed by robots in the future.

While robots can’t respond to the 38 million alarm activations that occur every year, they can carry out simple tasks like patting down passengers in security lines at airports.

In fact, SITA’s Passenger IT trends report reveals that travelers prefer machines to human interaction both in the airport and during the booking experience.

United’s automated security lanes are a big step, but there are certainly more big steps to be taken in the future of airport security.

No matter where you are, the Olympic Games are a thrill. Your town may have a chance to host Olympic team trials, like Eugene, Oregon (aka TrackTown USA) did this past summer. You may happen to get a visit from a bonafide athletic super star at the airport. Or you may just lose out on the chance to host the iconic Games.

Even though Chicago ultimately lost the bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, the city got a little taste of Olympic glory when gold medal gymnast Simone Biles recently graced O’Hare International Airport with her presence. The 4′ 8″ 19-year old was there to do a promotion for her sponsor United Airlines. Gracious and accommodating, Biles posed for selfies, assisted youngsters with their gymnastic tricks, and even tried her hand at being a flight attendant on an Ohio-bound flight.

The most excited bystanders were the kids, who were nearly spellbound by the Olympian. Clearly inspired and awestruck, kids lined up to take photos and to show Biles their handstands.

The Olympic winner is currently on tour with the U.S. women’s gymnastics team as part of the Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions. She told reporters that she’s having a blast. “We’ve been traveling a lot, which is super fun because you’re on tour with your best friends.” She stated that she plans to take some time off before heading back into training.

But another Chicagoan tie to the Olympics wasn’t as triumphant as Simone Biles. The site intended to be used as Chicago’s Olympic Village, if the city had won the bid to host, currently stands empty. After a hospital closed on the site in 2008, former Chicago mayor Richard Daley purchased the land for $85 million. There were talks about turning the spot into the Obama presidential library, but it was ultimately decided that the library be located in Jackson Park on the south side of Chicago.

The city is now seeking redevelopment proposals for the 49-acre site, located in the aptly named Bronzeville neighborhood. Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office stated that proposals are being accepted starting this month for a mixed-use development plan. The city will consider the site for commercial, residential, recreational, and institutional use, and they hope to select a developer by spring.

Chicago might be known for its devastating winters and deep-dish pizza, but with its recent addition to this year’s Inner City 100 list, it’s also becoming known for some of America’s fastest-growing businesses.

Of the 100 businesses that were announced on this year’s Inner City 100 list, 13 call the Windy City their home base.

The Inner City 100 list tracks the fastest-growing companies in urban areas and is compiled by The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City in partnership with Fortune.

The areas studied are defined as those having higher rates of poverty and unemployment, as well as lower incomes than the other surrounding areas.

Approximately 543,000 new businesses are started every month, and to have so many see success and be recognized for it in Chicago is truly a milestone accomplishment for the city.

Some of that success can be attributed to pro-business reforms that started in 2011. Chicago has been taking steps to abolish red tape and other barriers that have barred entrepreneurial endeavors in the past.

As a result, the city now boasts its lowest office vacancy rate since 2008.

However, that doesn’t mean Illinois is completely devoid of issues.

In fact, Illinois state Treasurer Michael Frerichs just suspended $30 billion in state investment activity with Wells Fargo this week.

Frerichs is joining a growing chorus of outrage at a recent scandal, which involved bank employees opening millions of fake accounts to meet their goals.

Illinois, which has approximately $1 trillion in annual bank activities, followed closely on the tails of a similar action taken by California last week.

In addition, Chicago Treasurer Kurt Summers plans to divest $25 million that the city had previously invested in Wells Fargo & Company.

“The City Treasurer is proud to stand with working families from Chicago and across the nation by divesting in Wells Fargo & Co.,” according to a statement. “Chicago deserves better.”

Fortunately, Chicago’s business and tech scenes have seen wild success over the last few years.

Lorell Marin, the founder and executive director of LEEP Forward, a special-needs pediatric clinic on the Inner City 100, said that there are increasing amounts of opportunities to gather, get to know one another, and grow in the city.