However, this most recent incident underscores that this State and this country is facing a crisis in its aging infrastructure. in the Waukegan incident it has been reported that a main ruptured. Mains are not supposed to rupture unless they are so old that they cannot handle he pressure of the gas in the main or they are being ill-maintained. Either way, we have a problem and it will not be fixed unless we get our butt out of Iraq and stop spending the money on a war we will never win and spend that money here at home fixing our infrastructure and education system. OK. Enough said. Thanks for listening.

As you know, Romanucci & Blandin has been very vocal about the safety of our skies -- especially when it comes to our airplane landings. Lately, there have been way too many incidents of overruns and excursions. The NTSB is investigating another such incident from Jackson Hole.

The National Transportation Safety Board sent two investigators to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to investigate an incident in which a United Airlines jet veered off the side of a runway.

The lawsuit alleges the Blue Man actors circled him, held his neck and arms and "forced his head back" to insert the camera. It claims he was restrained from removing the camera from his mouth.

"At the time the 'esophagus cam' was inserted into plaintiff's mouth, it was covered in food, liquid and grime from the Briar Street Theatre floor, including the thick blue paint used to cover the actors' faces," the lawsuit said.

Reaction to this lawsuit has been mixed. There have been very many negative responses, partly due to the wild popularity the Blue Man Group enjoys. R&B recognizes that there are two sides to the story whick is why we are publishing BMG's responses and those of their supporters. One Chicago Tribune reader said:

I was disappointed by your recent article about the Mr. Srodon suing Blue Man Group. It was the most ridiculous thing I've read in the Tribune since the last ridiculous thing I read there. We can only hope the judge throws out the case as the most absurd, senseless, pointless and nonsensical lawsuit in the history of frivolous lawsuits. With any luck, the judge will also jail Mr. Srodon and his lawyer for sheer stupidity.

The R&B response was as follows:

Illinois veterans who have brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder now have access to an array of screening and counseling services, state officials announced Tuesday.

The Illinois Warrior Assistance Program, the first of its kind in the United States, was launched Tuesday by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs and several other state and health organizations.

It provides a 24-hour toll-free help line for veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder, free phone screening for traumatic brain injury for all Illinois veterans and mandatory brain-injury screening for members of the Illinois National Guard returning from overseas.

An Army report released Jan. 17 found that as much as 20 percent of soldiers sustain at least a mild traumatic brain injury while deployed.

The new program's confidential help line can be reached at 866-554-IWAP, and more information can be found at http://www.illinoiswarrior.com .

While the aircraft was stabilised on approach with the autopilot engaged, the autothrust system commanded an increase in thrust from both engines. The engines both initially responded but after about 3 seconds the thrust of the right engine reduced. Some eight seconds later the thrust reduced on the left engine to a similar level. The engines did not shut down and both engines continued to produce thrust at an engine speed above flight idle, but less than the commanded thrust.

Recorded data indicates that an adequate fuel quantity was on board the aircraft and that the autothrottle and engine control commands were performing as expected prior to, and after, the reduction in thrust.

All possible scenarios that could explain the thrust reduction and continued lack of response of the engines to throttle lever inputs are being examined. This work includes a detailed analysis and examination of the complete fuel flow path from the aircraft tanks to the engine fuel nozzles.

The urgent recommendation we issued today addressing landing performance is extremely pertinent to the safe operation of our aviation system," said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. "As we approach the winter months we continue to push for acceptance of a minimum safety margin so that this type of accident does not occur again.

About 1,000 times a year, a surgical sponge is left inside a patient during a procedure.

To keep that from happening at its facility, Loyola is becoming one of the first hospitals in the country to use sponges labeled with bar codes.

As many of you have heard, a Grand Rapids, Michigan Amtrak train destined for Chicago collided with a freight train just miles from the City Loop. Thankfully, this occurrence happened away from even heavier traffic and hopefully, spared many lives. Many were injured despite "the low speed" of the striking train.

Recently, I gave an interview to a well known nationally recognized organization about what to do in the event of mass transit disaster. Click this link to view the interview and please feel free to contact me with any questions.

The oldest child of a West Side man, who was killed after Chicago police officers shot him multiple times earlier this month, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the department. Wisconsin resident Angela Jadoo, the mother of Freddie Wilson's 13-year-old son, filed the suit Monday in the Circuit Court of Cook County alleging that the police acted with little regard of Wilson's life and violated his civil rights.

The plaintiff ― Wilson’s eldest child, a 13-year-old son who resides with his mother in Madison, Wis. ― is represented by the Chicago law firm of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC. Antonio M. Romanucci, a principal in the firm, said that his client is seeking unnamed monetary damages which may include punitive damages.

Research to be published next month in the Journal of Athletic Training suggests that unlike other sports-related injuries, concussions are on the rise among high school athletes. Girls appear to be especially vulnerable, logging higher concussion rates than boys in sports played by both sexes.

Researchers at Ohio State and Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, analyzed injuries among U.S. high school athletes participating in nine sports: boys' football, soccer, basketball, baseball and wrestling, and girls' soccer, basketball, volleyball and softball. They estimate that in the 2005-06 academic year, high school athletes suffered 135,901 concussions -- or 9 percent of all sports-related injuries

In its October issue, the magazine listed Romanucci & Blandin as one of only 12 firms whose settlements topped $10 million between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007. The firm had two cases that settled for a total of $10.40 million.

Hudson was on his way home from his job as a truck mechanic at the time of the May 2001 collision on the Eisenhower Expressway. He sued the city and Officer Sung Joo Lee, who later was dismissed from the suit. Hudson brought both negligence and willful and wanton conduct counts against the city.

A Cook County jury ruled in favor of Hudson on both counts after a March 2005 trial before Cook County Circuit Judge Irwin J. Solganick. Solganick denied the city's motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict or a new trial.

Among the city's arguments on appeal was that it was immune against the negligence count pursuant to the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act, 745 ILCS 10/1-101 et seq. The city also argued that Lee's conduct was not willful and wanton.