Illinois is failing aging population, draining Medicare dollars with inefficient end-of-life care system, healthcare authorities say

Celeste Jacques, a retired third-grade teacher, wanted to die at home in her own bed, not in a hospital. And she made sure her only child knew it.

University of Chicago doctors told Jacques in December 2006 that she had a weak heart valve and less than one year to live. At age 90, her arthritis and chronically high blood pressure made it too risky to operate. Her daughter, Jackie Pope, didn’t hesitate to enroll her in home hospice.

The boom in alternative energies is creating new growth opportunities for Midwest law firms willing to expand their expertise into the so-called clean energy sector.

Jim Greenberger, a Chicago partner at the law firm Reed Smith LLP who has practiced private equity law for more than 30 years, made the leap into clean technology. He and his team financed a large-scale wind farm in central Illinois and are currently working with the developer of the largest solar power energy project in California.

Seasonal weather has again caused white stuff to fall from Chicago skies - and this time it’s not snow.

“The fuzzy seeds floating around are coming from eastern cottonwood trees,” said Sara Calapiz, horticultural specialist at the Chicago Botanical Garden. “It happens annually, during June or July, depending on the weather.”