Wreck chasers give tow operators a bad name
The towing business doesn't have the best reputation, especially in Chicago, where the infamous Lincoln Park Pirates are so much a part of the folklore that some people still remember the words to the folk song.
Wednesday, June 9, 2004
Why this tow truck crew is like a flock of urban vultures
In nature films, vultures always look scary and menacing when they swoop down to pick at a carcass. But as Sol and Harriet Price were reminded a couple of weeks ago, urban vultures often smile and look concerned as they swoop in with offers of help.
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
Tough to resist competitor's tailor-made City Hall scoop
Sometimes the competition beats us with a good story that we can't quite confirm or match on our own. We hate it when that happens, and it doesn't happen all that often, but when it does we're stuck with a difficult choice: run the story and give them credit or just ignore it.
Monday, June 7, 2004
Your parents were right, and Reagan proved it
Our parents used to teach us that any kid could grow up to be president of the United States. If you're among those who still hold to that belief -- or even if you're just curious -- you might want to consider piling the family in the car some slow weekend and taking them for a ride on the Ronald Reagan Trail.
Thursday, June 3, 2004
Pols think they can't afford to back affordable housing
Sometimes in life you just have to be ready to put your money where your mouth is. Case in point: A lot of politicians say they're in favor of creating more affordable housing for poor people, but just try coming up with a specific program with real funding that they'll support.
He comes back home to keep the river out of it
Mike Winandy was supposed to be fishing the other day on the White River in Arkansas. I know this because, instead, he was filling sandbags on a street corner in Des Plaines, hoping to hold back the Des Plaines River from the family homestead he'd left behind eight years earlier when he retired from a job as a secretary of state policeman and moved south.
