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The Flint, MI, water crisis is already one of the greatest man-made environmental catastrophes in U.S. history, and now the Chicago Tribune has identified 200 communities in Illinois with lead levels that exceed the federal safety standards. In total, the affected public water systems service more than 800,000 Illinois residents, including many in the Chicago area.

But state officials say those shocking numbers aren’t quite as disturbing as they appear. The Chicago Tribune pored over state data and determined that 200 public water systems have had at least one lead test that exceeded the federal limits during one year or more since 2004.

in fact, some Illinois towns rely on water that regularly contains alarming levels of lead. Locally, the Tribune reports that “Berwyn and Forest View in Cook County, York Township in DuPage County, Barrington and Volo in Lake County, and Marengo and Richmond in McHenry County” also surpassed recommended safe levels of lead. Not only that, but “Testing by those water systems found more than 15 parts per billion of lead in the tap water of at least 10 percent of the homes tested, highlighting the lingering danger from lead pipes and plumbing installed during the past century.”

The Environmental Protection Agency has been criticized for its slow and reactive handling of the Flint water crisis, and now the agency is urging local communities to respond quickly to elevated levels of lead, even if it means supplying residents with bottled water indefinitely.

How Does Lead Get in Our Drinking Water?

For decades the United States has been the largest producer of chemical products in the world. The industry was valued at $770 billion in 2012, and today there are more than 84,000 chemicals on the market, many of which are largely unregulated.

In a 2010 hearing before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health, former Senator Frank Lautenberg said that this lack of oversight turns kids into “guinea pigs in an uncontrolled experiment.”

“Everything from our cars to the cell phones we all have in our pockets are made with chemicals,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said at the hearing. “A child born in America today will grow up exposed to more chemicals than any other generation in our history.”

It’s no wonder many parents have turned into “chemophobes,” who try and limit their children’s exposure to chemicals. But the dangers of lead are well known. Lead poisoning is an incurable disease that can cause developmental delays, learning problems, fatigue, hearing loss, and is associated with a higher risk of violent crime.

In the past, lead was commonly used in household paints and pipes, some of which are still in use today. That means that even if a public water system doesn’t contain lead pipes, a home’s internal plumbing could release lead into the water.

In Flint, chemicals in the water supply corroded lead pipes, releasing it into the drinking water. According to the EPA, there is no safe level of lead, and lead pipes may need to be replaced entirely.

To learn more about lead in Chicago homes, read this 2013 EPA study on Chicago’s aging water system.

An attempt to raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco failed in the Illinois Senate last week.

Legislature promoted by Democratic Senator John Mulroe of Chicago would have prohibited the sale of tobacco products to people under the age of 21; however, Thursday’s vote shut down the proposal 23-25.

Supporters of the bill argued that it would prevent young people from getting hooked, but opponents insisted that 18-year-olds, eligible to join the military, should be able to make their own choices regarding tobacco.

This proposal comes in the wake of California’s new laws, which are tightening the restrictions on tobacco sales in the state. Just last Wednesday, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that has raised the age of tobacco purchases from 18 to 21, making California the second state in the U.S. to pass this law.

“What this means for California is now we can know that our youth are less likely to be addicted to this horrible drug of tobacco,” commented Senator Ed Hernandez, the lead author of the bill. “There’s going to be less addiction to tobacco, [and] we’re going to reduce health care costs and save lives.” The state senator, a Democrat from West Covina, says he’s “ecstatic.”

The law will go into effect starting June 9 and will apply to all 18- to 20 year-olds except military personnel, who will still be able to purchase tobacco. This compromise addresses the concerns brought up by opponents of the bill who argue that if a person is old enough to fight for his or her country, that person should be allowed to purchase tobacco.

A recent report concluded that if all 50 states were to follow suit, raising the legal tobacco age to 21, there would be a 12% drop in the number of young smokers. Advocates of the change hope to improve the overall health of the American people. Smoking is known to cause an assortment of health problems, including heart disease and lung cancer, and can double the risk of age-related macular degeneration, which leads to irreversible vision loss.

In a world where search engines kick off 95% of all Internet experiences, it has become easy to find anything on the World Wide Web. But now, established businesses are getting the state government involved in regulating the cheaper choices available online.

Hotel and bed and breakfast owners are calling for the State of Illinois to investigate and shut down illegal hotels popularized by the website Airbnb.

They believe tourists are coming to Chicago and staying in Airbnb properties because of the low prices their hotels cannot compete with. As Airbnbs function by a homeowner renting out their own house to a guest, they can choose their prices; hotels, on the other hand, typically cannot be that flexible.

The problem, according to the hotels, is not homeowners renting out their rooms for a few weeks a year while they are away. The hospitality industry is, however, urging the government to look into Airbnb users who rent for long periods of time.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association reported that 96% of Airbnb business in the metropolitan Chicago area came from 75% of Airbnb operators renting for more than 30 days a year.

Additionally, 58% of the company’s Chicago-based revenue was from properties available for more than 180 days a year.

Hoteliers and bed and breakfast owners are not only reporting a drop in vacancy, but real estate availability for potential owners is being threatened.

Alderman Michelle Smith, who represents the 43rd Ward, says there is only a 2% vacancy in her neighborhood.

She tells WTTW Chicago, “Every time another person takes an apartment unit off the market and converts it into a vacation rental by an absentee owner-investor, that’s actually taking out space for people who want to live in Lincoln Park year-round.”

In response to this problem, Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed a bill to limit short-term rentals to 90 days. After this time period, the city would implement strict licensing.

This bill has come with criticism, with the opposition calling for action from City Council.

As of May 10, additional proposals are still on the table.

In Chicago, a recent donation event was hosted encouraging local fishermen and fishing companies to donate their gear to give to veterans for “fishing therapy.”

Joseph Lomalie, 34, from Oak Lawn, was injured in Afghanistan in 2008. Like so many other veterans, he currently suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression.

The Chicago Tribune reports that in 2014, Lomalie founded Helping Veterans Go Fishing after realizing it was fishing that helped him deal with his trauma.

There are more than 38 million Americans who hunt and fish, and there are many reasons as to why these activities are so popular. But for Lomalie, the therapeutic benefits are what drive him to go fishing.

“I realized when I was fishing, it helped me keep my mind off my pain — and brought peace to it — and got me motivated to get out of my house and be active,” Lomalie said.

According to VeteransAndPTSD.com, more than 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD and/or depression.

The event, held at VFW Post 5220 in Oak Lawn, held a raffle to win even more fishing equipment, a guided fishing tour from Army Major and professional bass fisherman Mike Rasco, and a $1,500 boat.

It is the Helping Veterans Go Fishing foundation’s second annual event, and this year more than two dozen veterans attended.

All proceeds from the event will go to a free fishing outing and barbecue in September for veterans and their families.

“We go out fishing to relax,” said Ed Sturtevant, a 48-year-old veteran from Wauconda. He served 17 years in the Army before being discharged in May of 2001. He, too, suffers from depression and believes fishing helps him take his mind off the trauma.

“When we’re out fishing,” Sturtevant said, “we’re not thinking about anything except for the fish.”

Last Thursday’s MRI results revealed that Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant’s ankle sprain would keep him out of service for a full weekend; however, he returned to the field for Sunday morning’s game against the Braves.

Bryant rolled his ankle while rounding second base on Thursday and was forced to sit out on Friday’s victory over the Braves. Due to Saturday’s rainout, Bryant was able to get in another day of rest.

“I had a really bad angle going into second, so I tried to make up for it and cut a corner a little too tight,” the third baseman said. “The ankle went the other way… I’ve dealt with a lot worse.”

Manager Joe Maddon expected Bryant to get back into the game on Monday, but Sunday morning’s warmups showed that the player was feeling well enough to jump back in early. “The training staff said, ‘He’s fine. Go for it. Don’t worry about it,'” Maddon said.

Reports estimate that as many as 25,000 Americans suffer from an ankle sprain every day. It is an incredibly common injury, especially among professional athletes.

Bryant has suffered from ankle problems in the past and usually tapes his ankles before every game. Because he had been feeling so well recently, he had actually stopped taping his ankles, which is what caused last week’s injury.

Bryant says he will go back to taping his ankles in order to prevent further harm.

“The [risk] with sprained ankles is to re-jam it somehow,” said Maddon. “That’s the problem with the ankle. You could be feeling fine after even a week or two weeks and you just hit it wrong and you feel it.”

The relaxed dress code movement grew out of the “Casual Fridays” trend of the ’90s and swept across a variety of fields. However, professional industries such as accounting and banking have hesitated to join in due to the nature of their work.

“The overwhelming majority [of people] that are coming in to get your guidance on taxes — they look at you, and if you’re wearing an $800 suit, they think: She must know something,” said human relations expert Edward Yost of the Society of Human Resources.

However, as the job market landscape evolves and a new generation moves into the sight of recruiters, workplace values and incentives have begun to shift as well. Even financial companies are looking to appeal to the masses of Millennials who are now entering the workforce, which may mean compromising on certain office policies and relaxing the dress code.

Over the past six months, Chicago-based accounting firm Crowe Horwath has been experimenting with what they call the “Dress for your Day” policy, an extension of the “Casual Friday” practice, which is allowing employees a little more freedom when it comes to daily office attire.

The firm’s accountants still must dress business professional when meeting with clients; however, they are now enjoying the comfort of wearing jeans on days spent in front of the computer.

Like many trending office perks popular among startups and other companies led by young professionals, the freedom to dress down is a recruiting technique. Millennials just leaving college and entering the working world have a different set of values than the baby boomers they are bound to replace in the near future. Workplace happiness and a sense of autonomy have replaced high salary as the number one driving force behind young employees’ work ethic.

Studies show that well-lit, well-ventilated, comfortable workplaces increase productivity by as much as 16% and that comfort extends beyond desk chairs and air conditioning. Workers are more productive when they are comfortable in their clothes as well.

Chicago is one of the premier destinations in the U.S. for trade shows, but the proposed demolition of a local convention center in favor of a new art museum could change that moving forward.

According to the Chicago Tribune, McCormick Place’s Lakeside Center seems to be Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s sacrificial lamb in a last-ditch effort to keep the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Chicago.

Many Chicagoans view the Lakeside Center as an eyesore, but the building plays an important role in the local economy due to the massive trade shows that it hosts. Most notably, the building is home to the International Manufacturing Technology Show, which draws more than 100,000 visitors from all over the world every two years.

The Lakeside Center is also used for several major medical conferences in the area, including events for the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

“It could certainly cause a major challenge,” said Steve Drew, assistant executive director of RSNA.

About 50% of the largest 200 shows in the U.S. take place in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Orlando. Chicago’s economy is greatly influenced by these trade shows, and the proposed demolition would force the city to find new ways of generating fast revenue.

Much of this revenue should come from the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which would replace the Lakeside Center if Mayor Emanuel’s plans are approved. The museum is the brainchild of “Star Wars” filmmaker George Lucas, who is expected to commit nearly $743 million of his own money to the project.

As Arch Newspaper reported, the Lucas Museum is currently involved in a legal battle with Friends of the Parks, a public space advocacy group that is concerned with how the museum would affect the city’s parks. This snafu has caused Lucas to reconsider the Chicago location, which prompted Mayor Emanuel to expedite the Lakeside Center demolition.

Blare Kamin, a Chicago Tribune architecture critic, recently backed the mayor’s decision to demolish the Lakeside Center, referring to it as the “shoreline’s Berlin Wall.”

There is still much left to be determined, but it seems as if the brash nature of the building’s aesthetics, paired with Mayor Emanuel’s infatuation with the Lucas Museum, could spell the end of the Lakeside Center.