little seems to be done to avoid our coastal waters becoming contaminated w/mercury. There is no separate refuse collection for these items, the only way to safely dispose of them is to drive to the city recycling plant - I believe most people are just tossing them in their garbage where the mercury contaminates the soil and ultimately enters our waterways to the detriment of fish & bird life and us when we consume the fish. I suspect many do not know that these bulbs contain mercury or the damage that it will cause.

Petition Background Considerable research confirms the relationship between school start times and sleep deprivation, student performance, truancy, and absenteeism, as well as depression, mood swings, impulse control, tobacco and alcohol use, impaired cognitive function and decision-making, obesity, stimulant abuse, automobile accidents, and suicide. Mounting evidence about the biology of adolescent sleep, and about the impact of later start times, shows that starting school before 8 a.m. not only undermines academic achievement but also endangers health and safety. Because logistical and financial issues prevent local school systems from establishing safe and educationally defensible hours, however, legislation mandating start times consistent with student health and educational well being is essential. Many high schools today start school in the 7 o'clock hour, a practice started several decades ago to save money by recycling school bus runs. Now considerable research confirms that these school start times are inconsistent with sleep needs of teenagers and young adults and are seriously undermining school performance as well as children's health and welfare. Because politics, money, and other logistical issues inevitably keep most school systems from changing start times, we need a national minimum start time for all public schools to make it easier for communities to do what's best for the safety, health, and learning of all children of every age when they set local schedules. The most recent research in 2014 - by Wahlstrom, K. et al. titled “Examining the Impact of Later School Start Times on the Health and Academic Performance of High School Students: A Multi-Site Study,” from the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement. St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, - suggests that optimum student performance and safety would be achieved by starting school at 830am or later. We applaud those schools that are able to make such a change.

IF OUR HIGHER MONEY MANAGERS CAN GET A PASS AND RUIN OUR ECONOMY AND WE HELP LIFT IT BACK, LET'S ALL GET A BREAK AND INCREASING OUR SCORES TO AUTOMATICALLY TO 700,N OW WE CAN BREAK EVEN.

The health of all Americans is threatened by toxins in the water supply.Voice your concern over the next 60 days. Make Earth Day Count.

Because I am sick and tired of so much of corporate media discussing the negativity of Obamacare, such as Obamacare possibly being an issue for the 2014 elections as well as Democracts possibly losing big time in the elections because of Obamacare. The media needs to discuss a positive aspect to the ACA such as how much the ACA has helped people with all kinds of disabilities.

City of Chicago Municipal Code Zoning ordinance requires Salons/ Spas to be at least 1,000 feet away from each other. Currently, SEVEN beauty salons operate between 4700-4950 N. Damen. An appeal has been filed with the city by Saturn Spa, LLC. to open yet another salon/spa at 4845 N. Damen Avenue. They do not meet the 1,000 feet restriction and neighbors in the area want more business diversity to patron, NOT another salon. Please join other local businesses and Lincoln Square/ Ravenswood neighbors to tell Alderman Ameya Pawar that another spa on Damen is not in the best interest of the community.

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled in Citizens Opposing Pollution v. Exxon that citizens cannot sue for substantive violations of the coal mining statute. IDNR gives illegal permits and we need to sue over permanent site conditions like Exxon's 422 acres of illegally impounded hazardous slurry that has poisoned water formerly used for drinking by everyone in the Albers - Germantown, Illinois area.

I'm troubled with the options for school lunches. There are certainly better options currently to choose from. I say take it a step further and serve non GMO verified food products, whole organic fruit (not from bulk BPA laden cans) & non GMO frozen/fresh vegetables, no chocolate milk, organic milk, hormone/antibiotic free dairy and meats, etc...

Because we lost Venus (my daughter) due to the lack of healthcare insurance, we now fight to help others not have to endure the same thing.One-third of Non-Elderly Alabamians are Uninsured Nearly one-third of Alabamians under the age of 65 did not have health insurance at some point during the last two years, with more than 75 percent of them going without insurance for more than six months. This information, compiled for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. More than 50 percent of those who were found to be uninsured in the national study had incomes of less than $15,000 for a family of three. “Approximately 70 percent of them were employed. And, while the likelihood of being uninsured was greater among 18 to 24 year olds, the vast majority of the uninsured identified in the study were middle-aged.” Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has said he would not expand a "broken" Medicaid system. He signed into law last month a Medicaid reform bill, which turns toward a managed care model. States were given the right to opt out of the Medicaid expansion portion of the Affordable Care Act with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2012. In addition to Alabama, the other states publicly stating they will not participate are: Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. Under the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid eligibility would be raised to nearly everyone with an annual income of less than 138 percent of poverty. "If 14 states opt out of expanding Medicaid, there are likely to be 27.9 million uninsured people - 3.6 million more than if the Affordable Care Act were fully implemented," the study stated. And the 14 states would see their federal transfer payments decrease by $8.4 billion, according to RAND. The states would see an increase in spending in the short term because they would spend more on uncompensated care, the study stated. Under the ACA expansion, the federal government will cover 100 percent of health care expenditures from 2014 through 2016. During these first years, Alabama would be responsible for a share of the administrative costs of the expansion. The federal matching rate declines after 2016, falling gradually to 90 percent in 2020. As a result, the annual costs to Alabama increase from $39 million in 2014 to $222 million in 2020, for a total over the years of $771 millions. A University of Alabama at Birmingham study last year said that the expansion in Alabama will provide Medicaid coverage to an additional 300,000 people and generate $20 billion in economic activity which will add $1.7 billion in tax revenue. This will create jobs from every sector. From the top tier Surgeons, doctors, nurses of every level, office work not just secretarial, dieticians, maintenance, and the list goes on and on. How can we continue to support this kind of thinking and the actions behind them? I can’t and won’t 45, 00 people die each year from lack of Health Care Insurance.

I live minutes away from the draft-permitted drilling site. Fracking will use carcinogenic products benzene and methane to move the water into the earth and deliver oil and gas. The bond posted by the drilling company is inadequate in case of emergencies, and the safety details are nonexistent per a report delivered here last week March 11. Dick Armey (Former House Majority Leader and former Chairman of FreedomWorks) and Rex Tillerson (CEO of Exxon) are plaintiffs in Texas about the same sort of water-well and potential drilling near their homes that will "decrease property values, increase noise and air pollution from fracking water trucks, disturb personal health, safety [wording from the lawsuit]" and more. Our water levels are deteriorating and this new site will lead to further depletion plus storage of millions of barrels of contaminated water with no science to clean it.

The economical and medical benefits of marijuana exceeds any negative it might have on the individual or the society by far. Too much taxpayers money is wasted in Grenada on sending people to jail for a spliff. It's time to change that, legalize now!

I called the SWF office to get information about the upcoming festival and how to become a vendor. I was told and so was someone else, that someone from Brazil, IN already has the spot and has paid for 4 years in advance. So I asked when someone else might get a chance and she said "well, pretty much NEVER". I said I thought it would be nice if the local businesses got a chance before out-of-towners. We ARE the ones who bring our families to the festival and spend money and she said I had a good point and that I should bring it up to the board. So I'm gathering signatures to have in hand at that board meeting. As a local, personal business owner I believe myself and others should have the first chance to purchase booth space at the Swiss Wine Festival. It has come to my attention that certain "out of town" agencies are being allowed to reserve spots up to 4-5 years out and I personally don't think that's fair. As a local patron, I bring my family to the festival and spend money and support the community. While doing this I would like to see that I'm also supporting local businesses. If all the spaces are rented out to others when do local business owners get a chance? There should be a deadline announced in the local paper and on the radio given locals a chance and if the deadline isn't met then open it up for non-local businesses that are in line. If you agree PLEASE sign this petition so our local community has a chance to support and help the growth of the Swiss Wine Festival! Please share with family and friends also. They are the ones who support YOU and we need everyone to support US! SO please if you agree, SIGN & SHARE SHARE SHARE!!!