Three Woodstock characters standing in a column with the top holding a red flag with black text. Image has pink background in outline around it with white background.

The yellow birds in Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz first appeared in 1960. Eventually, the yellow birds inspired the character Woodstock, Snoopy's sidekick, who was introduced in 1968 as a consistent character. The birds chirp a language that only Snoopy can understand and are often seen with the onomatopoeia "sniff."

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The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1847 and is one of the foremost American newspapers, particularly in the Midwest. 

On July 18, 1985, over 1000 union production workers walked out after the failure of contract negotiations. The crux of the issue was the Tribune’s desire for complete control of the hiring, assignment, and direction of production workers. Thus began a years-long strike and many stalled negotiations. Within the first year, 68 bargaining sessions were held, and the unions and the Tribune both filed charges alleging unfair labor practices by the opposing side before the National Labor Relations Board. Many of the workers who had gone on strike were replaced, and even when unions offered to return unconditionally in 1986, few workers were rehired. The printers’ union sued the paper, alleging that their actions violated a 1975 agreement in which they were guaranteed lifetime employment. 

The printers’ union and the paper settled in 1989 with an $8.56 million settlement fund, a new three-year contract, and the withdrawal of a union lawsuit. However, even after the printers settled, the pressmen and the mailers remained out on strike, and hearings regarding labor relations between the pressmen, mailers, and paper continued into the 1990s. In 1992, a federal appeals court decreed that the Chicago Tribune did not violate federal labor laws

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Thornton Junior College was founded in 1927 as an extension of  Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois. The 1965 Illinois Community College Act enlarged the service area to include additional high school districts, and in 1969 the school’s name was changed to Thornton Community College to better reflect the mission and goals of the college.

The school relied on tax dollars to support its mission, and throughout its history urged residents to vote yes at tax referendums. 1986 was a particularly fraught year for the school, when the need for a tax increase coincided with a six-week long teachers’ strike that led to the temporary closure of the school. 

In 1987, the two referendum proposals meant to address the college’s projected $1 million deficit failed. At the time, it was the eighth time in 21 years that voters had turned down a tax increase, and the school had both the lowest tax rates and the highest tuition of any of Illinois’ community colleges.   

In 1988, the name was changed again and the school became known as South Suburban College, which better reflects its geographic location and the fact a majority of its students hailed from outside of Thornton Township. The name change was also part of an advertising strategy to show a break with the college’s past and the many changes that were made following the tumult of the 1986 teacher’s strike. By 1989, a school that many had feared would go bankrupt was back in the pink.

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The Village of Tinley Park, formerly named Bremen, was settled in the 1830s, but finally incorporated as a village in 1892. Bremen was located on the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad lines as the railroad industry was rapidly expanding in the second half of the nineteenth century influencing the growth of the area. In 1890, the name Bremen was changed to Tinley Park, in honor of the Village’s first railroad station agent, Samuel Tinley Sr.

Tinley Park is best known throughout the Chicago area for its world-renowned Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre entertainment venue that seats 28,000. After its centennial (1992), Tinley Park has been working on preserving the appearance of the downtown historical district. Store owners are encouraged to maintain the historic storefronts or to mimic that architectural style in newer buildings from the past 30 years.

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Thornton Junior College was founded in 1927 as an extension of  Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois. The 1965 Illinois Community College Act enlarged the service area to include additional high school districts, and in 1969 the school’s name was changed to Thornton Community College to better reflect the mission and goals of the college.

The school relied on tax dollars to support its mission, and throughout its history urged residents to vote yes at tax referendums. 1986 was a particularly fraught year for the school, when the need for a tax increase coincided with a six-week long teachers’ strike that led to the temporary closure of the school. 

In 1987, the two referendum proposals meant to address the college’s projected $1 million deficit failed. At the time, it was the eighth time in 21 years that voters had turned down a tax increase, and the school had both the lowest tax rates and the highest tuition of any of Illinois’ community colleges.   

In 1988, the name was changed again and the school became known as South Suburban College, which better reflects its geographic location and the fact a majority of its students hailed from outside of Thornton Township. The name change was also part of an advertising strategy to show a break with the college’s past and the many changes that were made following the tumult of the 1986 teacher’s strike. By 1989, a school that many had feared would go bankrupt was back in the pink.

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Tinley Park’s Fire Department was founded in 1901. They have been providing the area with fire services and information through community outreach and programs focusing on fire prevention, investigation, and education to advance public safety, making them very active in the community. The Tinley Park Fire Dept. was once volunteer based, but as the town of Tinley Park has expanded, the fire department has had to expand as well to better serve the community. There are now 4 strategically placed fire houses in the area. To ensure they are all fully staffed, firefighters are scheduled and paid per call, this change happening in 1976. The over 125 firefighters are scheduled part-time at one of the 4 fire-houses with a few key positions, such as fire chief, being full time.

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The Village of Tinley Park was incorporated in 1892, but the area was already being settled as the 1830s. As the country’s railroad empire was growing, the Village of Bremen was located on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad lines in 1853. This influenced the Village’s rapid expansion, and in 1890 the name Bremen was changed to Tinley Park, in honor of the Village’s first railroad station agent, Samuel Tinley Sr.

Today, Tinley Park is best known throughout the Chicago area for its world-renowned Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre entertainment venue that seats 28,000. After its centennial (1992), Tinley Park from the late 20th century to the present has been focused on renovation of its downtown historic district. Landowners are encouraged to maintain the historic edifices or to create new, historically friendly facades for otherwise non-historic buildings built in the last 30 years.

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GEM Electric Supply Inc., located in Illinois, is a wholesale distributor of "electrical supplies, lighting fixtures, hardware, and home furnishings”. The company was founded in 1970 by Bill Conrad and John Manning. There are four different store locations; the Alsip location was opened in August of 1994. The Alsip building was the largest acquired by GEM, and the extra space allowed the business to expand to more goods than just electrical supplies. The company is family owned and run with three generations having managed the stores.

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Illinois Bell was a local operator of the Bell Corporation starting in 1877. In 1984, the Bell Corporation was determined to be in violation of antitrust laws, and was ordered to break up into seven, "Baby Bells," including Ameritech, which inherited the Illinois Bell Company. Illinois Bell kept its name until the 1990s when Ameritech changed it for marketing purposes. Several of the baby bell companies have gone on to become major phone providers in the US, such as AT&T and Verizon.