Free Republic

CHICAGO — The Chicago City Council narrowly approved Wednesday Mayor Lightfoot’s plan to handout prepaid gas and mass transit cards to Chicago residents. The vote was 26 to 23.

Millionaire businessman Willie Wilson plans to give away $1 million worth of gas in Chicago as the White House recently confirmed prices would keep rising. Wilson said Friday he would donate the gas on Thursday at 50 locations in the city and Cook County, ABC 7 reported. “Starting at 7 a.m., each vehicle at those gas stations will get $50 in gas until $1 million is exhausted, as residents struggle with high gas prices,” the outlet said.

An effort to give away free fuel across the city began unraveling Saturday amid reports of miles-long lines, people re-selling cans of gas for up to $200 and police admitting they have "lost control of the situation" at one location. At the Brooklyn Armory in Crown Heights, desperation turned to anger as the line of cars waiting for fuel stretched for miles. Those not waiting for gas about 3:45 p.m. were told to keep away from the head of the swelling line by one police officer, who stated that "we do not have control over the situation." Some in line...

PEGGY JOSEPH, DUMB AS A BA-ROCK

NORTHBROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 2005--Residents of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, rank as the safest drivers in the U.S. according to the Allstate Insurance Company's (NYSE:ALL) inaugural "America's Best Drivers Report." The first-of-its kind ranking of U.S. cities with populations 100,000-plus, revealed that the average driver in the central Iowa city will experience an auto collision every 15 years, compared to the national likelihood of a crash every 10 years - making them 33.28 percent less likely to have an accident than the national average. Allstate researchers analyzed internal data to determine the likelihood drivers in America's largest 196 cities would experience...