Hi!

I'm looking to comment on Darien's increasing use of Flock cameras throughout the city, and I want to review the actual contract with Flock for possible language to include in my comments to city council.

Before submitting a request for a copy of the contract, I thought I would ask to see if anyone has already done so and has a copy of it. I know people have become increasingly active on this topic (yay! Be civically involved, and please look into whether your municipality is utilizing Flock surveillance), so maybe someone already has this.

I would also be interested in seeing other contracts, if anyone has one from other cities/towns.

Thanks!

Two days in a row now the largest portion of the paper’s opinion section has been given to authors who wrote pieces defending either Israel or AIPAC. I just started regularly reading the paper and wondered if anyone else noticed this.

If someone wanted a suburb where you could actually hear birds in the morning instead of traffic, what would you recommend?

Streets of Woodfield has clamped down on groups of motorcycles. Any other areas that have large meetups

Does anyone know what’s going on with all of the water main breaks in Chicago Heights this week? I reported one yesterday and was told that a crew was already a few blocks away working on another one and that water mains were breaking all over town. They fixed ours overnight but there’s already a new leak on the other side of the street. Obviously the infrastructure is old and crumbling but I’m just wondering if anyone knows why so many are bursting at once during mild weather. I’m also curious why there isn’t a boil water order in place, if anyone has any input.

Howdy ya'll. I'm a plumber here in Chicagoland and I'm a big fan of providing help to the Reddit community. Just wanted to share some insights from my experience around this time of year. Not trying to sell anything either.

From my title, most people call their HVAC guy when they should be calling a plumber first.

When your AC runs hard in July and August it produces a significant amount of condensate water. That water drains through a line that runs to either a floor drain, a utility sink, or outside. In older homes especially that line hasn't been touched in years.

What happens is algae and sediment build up in the line over the winter when the AC isn't running. First hot stretch of summer the unit kicks on full time and suddenly that line is moving more water than it has in months. If it's partially blocked the water backs up into the drip pan. If the pan fills you get water where you don't want it. If it's been going on a while you get the musty smell people assume is coming from the unit itself.

The fix is usually simple. A wet/dry vac on the exterior drain end clears most clogs. Flushing with a 50/50 vinegar and water mix a couple times a season keeps it clear. Condensate tablets in the pan help with algae.

If you've already done that and it's still backing up the line may need to be properly cleared or re-routed. That's a plumber, not an HVAC tech.

Point is - before you schedule an AC service call for a musty smell or water near your unit, check the condensate drain first. Saves you a service call half the time.

There has been a helicopter flying over Wheaton for the last half hour. I checked the radar and based off the callsign it is the ABC7 copter. Their website doesn’t mention anything going on, but there have been a lot of sirens the past hour as well. Anyone heard if anything is going on?

While driving east on 90 I saw a smoke plume in Arlington heights and another one in des plaines, I couldn’t get a photo of the plane but I saw one burning up on the runway. Any idea what is going on? Are people ok?

I believe this individual is rather unhappy with my car bumper sticker and happened to be by our house while we sold some plants. Wild the amount of energy and using money for postage for this!

I got tickets for me and my guy to attend their “Kink” event tomorrow night. I was wondering if anyone has ever been to one of their events, or even just the Gold Room on a normal night? What was your experience like?

I’m honestly not exactly sure what I bought tickets for either. 😅 I’m not worried about having fun, but would like to know what I’m walking into. It sounds almost like a club with a DJ and performers walking around, but is this separate from where the dancers are, or is everything all together?

Also just curious about the Strip Club side of things in general and have a few questions:

1. How much are lap dances? The Champagne Room?
2. How expensive are the drinks?
3. What is the dress code like in practice? (I know what the website says)
4. What are the girls like? What are the other staff like? What are the over all vibes?
5. What is the layout of the club? What do the private/semi private areas for dances look like?
6. Pro Tips?

TYI!

TLDR: Looking for info on the Gold Room including cost and people’s experiences, especially in regards to their events. Going to their event Kink tomorrow with my partner.

Looking for a trustworthy and affordable plumber in north Lake County.

Hi folks

I am looking for a good and reliable event photographer for my baby shower in the month of August in the Chicago Suburbs. Event is going to be in Oakbrook. Any recommendations?

On July 20th at a Naperville 203 Board Meeting, a parent of an elementary school said that a Highlands Elementary teacher allegedly engaged in bizarre and highly inappropriate behavior—including growling at students, blowing in their ears, making physical contact during spelling lessons, and feeding children directly—culminating in a teacher sending a video of two students alone in the class with the teacher from a personal phone to a parent at 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday night. Even more alarming, when parents reported these boundary violations and potential grooming red flags, district administration allegedly omitted key evidence from official meeting notes and shrugged off accountability with excuses like "there's only so much I can do." Why is District 203 leadership failing to enforce board policies protecting student safety? Local reporters need to look into how administrators are handling these staff conduct complaints and why transparency is being buried.

The meeting is linked here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvSiLPIh1ko
The time stamps relevant are 6:25 to 11:21 minutes.

Hi, looking for recs for a PROFESSIONAL boudoir photographer in the Chicago/north suburbs area. I’m very self conscious when taking photos especially when my husband asks for sexy ones. He always compliments me on my body and he reminds me that I shouldn’t be shy about it but I can’t help it. I don’t have a big bust but I work hard to stay fit as a busy mom. But I continue to struggle with my self confidence. I want to do a boudoir photography session not only for my husband but mostly for myself…to empower, love , and remind me of who I am.

If you can share photographer who specialize in boudoir photography, I would greatly appreciate it. 🙂

Also, what is the average cost of hiring one?

Has anyone else heard about Mary Alice Love being killed by police in Mundelein during a mental health response? This happened back in May, why is this just going around now?

I have a friend coming from out of country to stay in Chicago, and she plans on using the trains to get around and between the city and suburbs. Her phone, being on Mexican services, is unable to download the ventra app for one reason or another. I've only ever used the app to buy metra tickets and everything I see online says to get the app. I know at least for CTA she can buy the physical cards. Is there a way to ride metra without the app?

Saw this parked at the Hanover Park Train station today. Seems like they have people actively installing cameras.

It is awesome and has a ton of stuff for the kids, but holy moly I don't think anyone considered the amount of static electricity the astroturf creates. My poor kid, I've zapped him HARD at least a dozen times helping him around the place. I got him in the face and he looked at me like WTF 🫪. I feel so bad. 😭

I'm relocating to the Schaumburg area this September for work. Since I'm not familiar with the area anymore, I'd love to hear your recommendations.

Here are my must-haves:

In-unit laundry

Central A/C

Garage (attached or covered preferred)

My budget is ideally under $2,300/month including utilities. Lower would obviously be ideal. 1bed or 2bed preferred.

Ideally, I’d like to be in Schaumburg but I’d be open to Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village, or Rolling Meadows if it’s within a 15-20 minute commute from Woodfield Mall.

If you've had a great experience with a particular apartment community (or know of any to avoid), I'd really appreciate your recommendations. Thanks in advance!

I am currently using Wheaton Orthodontics for my invisilign. Has anyone here (preferably an adult) used them? I am nervous about my progress so far. I am supposed to be done in two months and something does not feel right. I am worried I was pressured to use this business and it will have a poor outcome.

If it is helpful, I have straight teeth but an edge to edge bite.

Eugene Lipov, MD, is hosting the inaugural Digital Toxicity Awareness Day event in Westmont on August 2.

The event will focus on smartphone overuse, doomscrolling, sleep, attention, and the possible biological effects constant phone use may have on the brain and body.

The idea behind “digital toxicity” is to create one clear umbrella term for the different problems associated with excessive smartphone use, including disrupted sleep, reduced focus, stress, brain fog, and mental exhaustion.

This is not about saying technology is bad. The goal is to have a practical, evidence-based discussion about how people can use technology without allowing it to take over their attention, sleep, and wellbeing.

Location:
Stella Mental Health
1 Oak Hill Dr, Suite 100
Westmont, IL

Date: August 2
Time: 12:00 PM Central Time
Cost: Free

There will also be a free YouTube Live option for anyone who cannot attend in person.

More information:
digitaltoxicityawareness.com

Do people in the area think this is a useful topic for a public event?

Currently in chicago looking to move in the next few year. We have 1 child and plan to have another soon. Both would be 5 or under. One parent is an educator who would have to get a new job in this suburb or nearby. Other parent works off I-90 near hoffman estates. No pets. Politics don't matter much to us please no comments about red or blue. My parents live in CL which is why we want to be close so they can help with the kids. We live subdivisions or more rural but not too rural.... we don't really go out much or drink so that is not a factor. So far we like Algonquin, Huntley (although its a bit far). Any advice?

I like to work in libraries sometimes. I'm looking for one with a relaxing atmosphere, private quiet rooms and easy parking. Any recommendations?

I'm curious what your favorite spots are along UP-N. I live in Rogers Park, Chicago near a UP-N train station and I realize I really haven't explored much of the North shore, north of Evanston. I am planning on taking a day to just ride the rail and check out the most interesting things I can find along the way. I'll probably bring my bike so your recommendations can extend a couple miles from a station, but probably not much more than that.

I'm interested in good restaurants, bars or breweries, museums, and oddball attractions.

What are your recommendations?