Wednesday, May 16, 2012

LiLi Tan/MEDILL

"It's absolutely ridiculous," Nora Carroll (left) said, of Gov.Quinn's proposed cigarette tax hike. Her friend Sasha Smile said higher prices would "make [him] more financially conscious."

Fewer kids might start smoking, if Quinn’s cigarette-tax hike to help Medicaid passes

by LiLi Tan

A new study comes out last week that claims the 2009 federal tobacco tax curbed youth smoking in the short term. Last week in Illinois, Gov. Quinn proposed raising the cigarette tax by $1 per pack to fund Medicaid. But diminishing returns and cigarette smuggling may offset revenues.   

Despite recommendations, FAA still not budging on mandatory bird strike reports

by Nolan Peterson

Last month the FAA announced it has a new plan to prevent bird strikes on aircraft. The updated strategy uses research and wildlife management to build predictive models, yet fails to make reporting bird strikes mandatory – a move some experts say will likely hinder the effectiveness of the program.

Video: Bird strike prevention at O'Hare

First aid for NATO protesters

by Will Mendelson

Grassroots group trained to provide basic medical care at protests.

April U.S. retail sales increase slightly, in line with expectations

by Elise Menaker

U.S. retail sales edged up 0.1 percent from last month. Economists said some usual spring spending had shifted to this year's unusually warm winter months. They expect the job market to dictate future spending.

In male-dominated industry, female artists realize there’s ‘no crying in tattooing'

by Linyi Zhang

Twenty years ago, tattoo industry was made up of predominantly men. Women who wanted to be tattooists suffered from discrimination and even harassments. Even though the industry appears to be more accepting of women, inequality still exists.

Video: Female tattoo artists in customers' eyes

Dream Town Realty breaks the mold

by Julia Zhu

Dream Town Realty, a Chicago residential real estate broker, created an innovative business model and built itself a reputation in the industry. Founded by an Israeli immigrant in 1998, the boutique firm achieved $365.7 million in sales in 2011. The company even opened a new office in Lincoln Square while some brokers shut down offices during the tough real estate market a few years ago. What is the secret behind Dream Town's success?

A date with the stars, the moon and the sun

by Michael Ahene, Eric Eckstrom

The skies will offer a "ring of fire" solar eclipse May 20 and a unique host of celestial events throughout the remainder of the year. Chicago sky watchers should keep their eyes and telescopes facing upward for the next few months and Adler Planetarium Astronomy Director Geza Gyuk explains why.

Video: Solar eclipse coming our way

U.S. consumer prices unchanged as gas price fell

by Aimee Yuyi Chen

The U.S. Consumer Price Index in April was unchanged on a seasonally adjusted basis, largely due to a decreasing price index for energy, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Tuesday. The Chicago-Gary-Kenosha April food index rose more than national average and the energy index was also up despite a decrease nationwide.