Free Republic

Hate to this, but I've gotten so many conflicting answers I really wanted to tap into collective FReeper knowledge. I'm in dispute with my endocrinologist over a $350 outstanding balance. They will not allow me access to my medical records until this is cleared up. Do they have a legal right to keep my medical info from me? I'm in Illinois, if that factors into things.I really appreciate any feedback.

Web book reviews could be written by authors' friends By Nara Schoenberg Tribune staff reporter Published June 21 2001, 8:25 AM CDT When it comes to the recent novel "Drowning in Hot Water," a certain Eileen Donnersberger of Chicago is a big fan. "Drowning" is a "fantastic mystery," Donnersberger writes in an Amazon.com customer review. The plot is "extraordinarily interesting." And that's not all: "I finished it in one day because I could not put it down! . . . This is an author to watch! Take note Book-of-the-Month Club: Put this one on your list to review -- it ...

Besides bragging rights and a new dose of civic pride, exactly what do Chicago and Illinois get for the big bucks they have agreed to lay out to lure Boeing from Washington state? It's a company with a marquee name-no question about that-but it comes to Chicago with only 500 jobs, most of which are likely to be filled by transferees from Seattle. Anticipating the question, Gov. George Ryan had a ready answer on Thursday. A state-sponsored study has concluded that the aircraft manufacturer's relocation will generate $4.5 billion in local economic benefits over the next two decades, as every ...

Leaving a mark; not a stain By Gerry Trzupek Lately there's been a lot of talk of legacy in the air. It's mostly a way to try to mask the stench that has wafted over from Washington during the last eight years. For me, when I think legacy, I simply look down the road to Bartlett High. Dick Stephens has been a high school football coach for a long time. He's been at it since 1959, a large hunk of that at Elgin, and for the last three years, Bartlett. Coach Stephens' boys have brought home a victory 199 times ...

Jesse Jackson, Chicago's own "King of Beers," is upset with President-elect George W. Bush. Jackson doesn't like Bush's choice for attorney general, the conservative Missouri Republican and former U.S. Sen. John Ashcroft. So Jackson is blustering and playing the race card, and warning about protests during Martin Luther King Day ceremonies later this month. Jackson is threatening to embarrass Democratic U.S. senators who dare disagree with him and vote to confirm Ashcroft, their former colleague. Jackson says it's all about standards. Silly me. I thought it was all about Jackson helping out his ally, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, and trying ...