Meltdowns and Birthday Cards

Our friend from the far, far, far, far, far, far, far NW, Teri Carns from AK (Alaska, not Arkansas) kindly sent along a couple of interesting pieces. Here's an article on Chicago and Cook County's courts so overburdened that the county prosecutor and public defender are banding together and telling people that the lack of resources and continual budget cuts are placing that system near "meltdown." For our purpose, the mention of the possible state sentencing commission there may be the most relevant, but I liked the section on how Cook County may have a commission to deal with the budget crisis and may recommend legislation to force policymakers to attach costs to their corr sent proposals. The other item is actually cooler. The ABA's journal tells the story of a woman who, after bad luck finding cards for her incarcerated brother, developed a company for that niche market. If you have a need or are just curious, check out the site.