The proposed 12- and 11-story towers at 2293 N. Milwaukee would set a dangerous precedent for out-of-scale development that would lead to more tear-downs, displacement and higher storefront rents in Logan Square. The proposal does not provide sufficient community benefits, such as setting aside units that are truly affordable to local families, and in essence creates a "gated" community. We strongly urge you to postpone the April 16 Chicago Plan Commission hearing until the community has had the opportunity to give real input on the proposal.

Two Republican Presidential hopefuls, Gov. Scott Walker and Gov. Chris Christie, have joined forces to attack an estimated 5 million immigrants with deep roots in their communities. Last November, after months of pressure from millions of immigration reform activists, President Obama announced two new immigration policies to protect millions of people who grew up in America without papers and parents of U.S. citizens who don’t have an immigration status from deportation. This was one of the biggest wins for the immigrant community in nearly a generation, but Gov. Walker and Gov. Christie have joined a host of Republican governors and state attorneys general on a bogus and mean-spirited lawsuit designed to delay the implementation of these new programs. I’m so sick of Republicans playing politics with the lives of so many people. Please join me in demanding that Gov. Walker and Gov. Christie withdraw their support for the bogus lawsuit attacking immigrant youth and undocumented parents of US citizens.

Amid an ongoing series of scandals in Albany, there is one easy step the New York Board of Elections can take right now to crack down on the culture of corruption. They can vote to close to the so-called "LLC loophole," which allows Wall Street bankers and real estate developers to evade contribution limits and funnel millions of dollars to the candidates of their choice.

To help stop electronic surveillance of U.S. Citizens by the NSA.

First there was climate censorship in Florida — and now Wisconsin. A Wisconsin state agency has barred staff from working on climate change, posing real threats to the state’s public lands and showing a deeply troubling trend among conservative state governments to establish climate denial as de facto policy. Sign on to demand that Governor Scott Walker oppose climate censorship — and we’ll hand-deliver the petition to his office next week.

Pennsylvania's public education system has been declining for most of the past 30 years due to many of the problems afflicting public education throughout the United States. Too many students' academic performance declines until they either fail to graduate high school, or graduate unprepared for further education or a career. Pennsylvania's funding formula for public education during this same 30 years has reduced the state share and increased the local share to the point where the inequities between districts with high tax bases and those with low tax bases are egregious, and render it nearly impossible for low-income school districts to close the achievement gap with better-off districts. While Governor Wolf has made education funding a priority, it is important to spell out some specifics without which merely increasing overall funding may not be sufficient to address the breadth of the problems we face.

I believe all people deserve the same rights independent of whom they love or what gender they present as.

The Schools have been neglected for decades and is in a state of disrepair. These children are the responsibility of the state and the governor's recent veto sent the wrong signal to the residents of the Schools. They deserve a quality education in a safe environment.

After decades of promises from the biotech industry that genetically engineered (GE) food would feed the world, cure the sick, reduce agricultural dependence on toxic chemicals, and save countless crops from imminent collapse, USDA has just approved a product they think will solve a problem humans have struggled with for centuries… an apple that doesn’t brown when you slice it… Seriously; we couldn’t make this stuff up. While these GE apples are a waste of time and money, we don’t want to downplay the real concerns about them. Pre-sliced apples are actually a frequently recalled food product. Once the whole fruit is sliced, it has an increased risk of exposure to pathogens. Since browning is a sign that apples are no longer fresh, “masking” this natural signal could lead people to consume contaminated apples, which is why some folks are calling it the “botox apple.” Further, since FDA does no independent, pre-market safety testing of GE food there are several unanswered questions about the safety of GE apples. “Silencing” the genes that make apples turn brown when exposed to oxygen could have unintended consequences that will only be tested by hungry consumers. Although these “botox apples” are primarily targeted to the fresh-sliced apple market they could also find their way into non-GE juice, baby foods or apple sauce at the processing level, all products predominantly eaten by children and babies who are at increased risk for any adverse health effects. Like other GE products in the U.S., no mandatory labeling would be required. While Okanagan (the manufacturer) says they’ll require growers to label their whole apples as “Arctic variety,” the government has announced no plans to require labeling of these apples as GE. If approved, Okanagan’s non-browning “Arctic” apple would be first commercialized in Granny Smith and Golden Delicious varieties, with Fuji and Gala on the horizon. Even the apple industry has opposed this genetically engineered product. The U.S. Apple Association, Northwest Horticultural Council (which represents Washington apple growers, who grow over 60% of the apples in the U.S.), British Columbia Fruit Growers Association and other grower groups have already voiced their disapproval of these GE apples due to the negative impact they could have on farmers growing organic and non-GE apples through contamination, and to the image of the apple industry as a whole. McDonald’s, Wendy's, and Gerber have already indicated that they don’t plan to use these GE apples. If the apple industry doesn’t want GE apples, and consumers don’t want GE apples, who do these apples really benefit? As usual, this product only benefits the biotech industry and big food processing companies. Tell food companies parents do not want to feed their kids GE apples! We’ll send your signatures along with a letter to the top fast food restaurants, supermarkets, and food companies to secure commitments from them that they will not sell or use this risky new product.

Drones open the door to an unparalleled invasion of everyone’s privacy, and create a great potential of false identification. Historically drones are used to commit to acts of war. We are a free people, with rights given to us by birth. We deserve and require that those rights be recognized. We will not be spied on by police drones. We have the right to privacy!

When I wanted to discuss a parking matter with the Chief of Police, It was incredibly difficult to get into the building with so many stairs. The law requires public buildings to be accessible and it is unbelievable that a person in a wheelchair can be denied access to a GOVERNMENT building! A private business owner would've NEVER been able to get away with this.

My daughter and her husband now have a baby boy, because they had the money to have IVF. Many others have no chance! This is a medical condition and should be covered by insurance.