I receive gift cards on special occasions from my family and enjoy them very much as I can make purchases that I could not ordinarily afford. More than once employees of businesses have been rude when gift cards are presented. On one occasion recently at an antique mall the owner got angry when I asked that he use my gift card before my credit card was charged. He accused me of having an attitude and I was ordered to leave the store and ... (click for more)

Last week was a typical one for Chicago. The weekly shooting gallery was about normal for the third week of September – 100 people shot, 14 homicides and 86 wounded -- on the downtown streets. But there was one shooting that stood out. A United States Postal Service letter carrier was shot four times when she got in the crosshairs of a drive-by shooting and now the USPS is on the brink of demanding those who live in grisly neighborhoods ... (click for more)