Weekend Reading

A couple articles of interest for a long rainy weekend (thanks, readers who submitted them!):

• ABC News, "Gangs Turn Chicago Streets Into A Battlefield":
  "We have the biggest gang problem in the country. There are more gang members per citizen in Chicago than anywhere else in the country," Farrell said. The FBI works closely with Chicago authorities to try and dismantle gang leadership. The gangs have morphed from social organizations into full-fledged criminal enterprises.
  
• Chicago Tribune, "State Admits Nursing Home Ills":
  The Web site [soon to be active: www.nursinghomesafety.illinois.gov] is part of a broader request for help from the public. Gelder called on citizens to "stop in to nursing homes, make friends with residents, become a volunteer ombudsman. ... Let us know what is wrong." Considering the high concentration of felons in Uptown area nursing homes, and that someone's actually asking for public opinion on the subject, let's take advantage of that.