An increasing number of Evanston homeowners currently offer rooms of their homes, or their entire homes, for rent on the internet on a short term basis, nights and weekends. The City of Evanston regulations currently prohibit homeowners in residential neighborhoods (e.g., R1 zoned districts) from renting out rooms of one’s home to transient guests. The City does not enforce this law. For at least 5 months now, a group of concerned neighbors in Evanston have been asking the City to enforce its laws. The City has refused to do so. Instead, the City responded by announcing its intention to craft legislation that would allow residents to rent out rooms to people for as little as 24 hours. We are law-abiding, tax-paying, voting citizens of Evanston who are opposed to these illegal rooming houses that are spreading in our town through the use of advertisements on craigslist, airbnb.com, and many other websites that promote overnight room rentals to the world at large. The rooming houses are affecting our property values and they threaten our security and the safety of Evanston children. NO ONE WHO RENTS OUT ROOMS IN THEIR HOME BY THE NIGHT CAN ADEQUATELY SCREEN TENANTS FOUND ON THE INTERNET FOR CHILD PREDATORS OR CRIMINAL BACKGROUNDS. Please sign this petition to show our elected politicians that we are opposed to illegal rooming houses that will change the character of our neighborhoods forever.

Presented with Mayor Ford’s removal from office the most cost effective yet constitutionally sound decision would be for Council to appoint Deputy Mayor Holyday as interim Mayor of Toronto for remainder of the electoral term. He is very experienced and able to follow through on the mayors mandate.

in lieu of all the violence that these dogs have spread, owners should be required to place muzzles on their dogs when walking out on the street or any public place with their dogs. These dogs have harmed, maimed and killed people without provacation.

I am the first person in New York to be convicted for "illegal voting" since 1872. The defendant in that case was Susan B. Anthony. I have an application for a pardon before Governor Cuomo. I have the support of the editorial boards of the New York Daily News, The Albany Times Union, The Irish Echo and The Amsterdam News. A petition asking Governor Cuomo to grant a pardon would correct a horrible precedent that now subjects dorm students and homeless people to prosecution if they vote from a place that is not their "principal and permanent residence". www.freejohnohara.com

The Pat Mullen Cinder Pit is just 1/4 mile from our house. We cannot safely hike that way anymore, since the target shooting has escalated, nor do we enjoy the peace and quiet in our own home that should be our right. The shooting goes on all hours of the day, every day of the week, and includes semi-automatic weapons. The shooters shoot at targets including garbage and live trees (which are now dead or dying) and leave all kinds of litter behind, including lead bullets and shell casings.

Mean spirited news hosts who don't understand what it is like to be poor.

In years past, World Wars and the military draft did a lot to familiarize and equalize people from different ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds in this country. I believe our sense of an overall American ethos would be regained if we instituted compulsory service of some kind for everyone.

Show some respect and refer to our president as President Obama. All talking heads are paid and good manners are important!

GoApe is a zipline course renting municipal park space in Indianapolis and other states. There are no safety regulations requiring helmets or padding on the trees. On September 30, 2012, I sustained a traumatic brain injury, whiplash, concussion, neck and shoulder injuries while on their zipline course. Children participate and are at risk, similar to the unregulated inflatable domes rented to families, where thousands of children are injured each year.

From what I have heard, General Petraeus is an exceptional general, and as such, it is in the best interests of all of us in the country to have him working for us. Let's not let his personal issues remove him from service he is willing to provide for our country.

I get tired of unwanted automatic calls with recorded voice.

Arizona Senator John McCain, falsely accused U.S. UN Ambassador Dr. Susan Rice of deliberately misleading the public regarding her explanation on national TV of the tragic attacks on our embassy in Benghazi, Libya. We urge the US Senate to apologize to Dr Rice as a body and censure Senator McCain for his actions to slander a fellow public servant.