Feeding Illinois birds is a no-no
Since last speaking with you I mustered up an army of 48 people to help clean up 55 th and 57 th Street beaches in Chicago for Adopt A Beach Day. Although we all felt we were doing something wonderful, we found ourselves clearing away trash that should not have been on the beaches. Crap like condoms, baby diapers, tampons, and other stuff were thrown in bushes and trees and found under rocks from people too lazy to walk steps to throw in a trash bin. And the birds were in full battle array! Sometimes you had to almost use sticks to shoo them away. They did not go peacefully. Just so you know, it is now a crime in Illinois to feed birds (any birds) on any beach in the State. As a matter of fact, the fine is $500. The reason the fine is so steep is because of the number of swim bans for the past several summers on our beaches. (Swim bans are when the beaches are closed due to too much bacteria (usually e-coli) in the water.) The reason there is so much bacteria in the wate