Sunday Cartoon: Better to Give Than Receive

'Tis also the season for charity.

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Black Friday 2012: What You Need to Know Before You Leave the House

Patch has all the information you need to form a strategic plan this Black Friday, including links to local ads.

As if you needed an introduction, Nov. 23 marks one of the busiest shopping days of the year—Black Friday. The event often brings out the best and sometimes, the worst, in shoppers. Some have been known to wait in line for hours before the doors open—and blistering cold, biting winds or driving rain has proved no match for the avid Black Friday deal-hunter. So far this year, the National Weather Service is predicting mild weather. Thanksgiving night, there’s a chance of showers and mostly cloudy skies, with a low around 33. On Black Friday it should be mostly sunny with a high near 35-  and Friday night, partly cloudy, with a low around 22. Here are a few Black Friday ads: Here are just a few of the Black Friday deals out there. Happy …

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How Early is Too Early for Christmas Shopping?

It used to be Black Friday was for the earliest of early shoppers. Not anymore. Look around. The stores are ready now.

Look around the Chicago area and you'll see all the signs: The early birds no longer wait until Black Friday to do their Christmas shopping. This year, Black Friday is on Nov. 23, but big retailers and mail-order companies are starting well in advance. Amazon, for example, is beginning its Black Friday on Nov. 14. Crazy or crazy smart? Just how early is too early to shop for Christmas 2012 gifts? Take our poll.

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Early Black Friday Deals Nearby

Best Buy and Super Target begin matching prices of online retailers Nov. 1.

So, you just can't wait to get your Christmas 2012 gift-shopping groove on? You don't have to wait until Black Friday Nov. 23 to get some great online deals. Best Buy's announcement that it will allow in-store customers to price-match online retailers by showing the price on their smartphones has been matched by Target and Super Target, according to BFAds.net, a website devoted to Black Friday and gift-shopping alerts. Among other online retailers, the stores will match prices of Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com. Best Buy's price-matching begins Sunday, Nov. 4, while Target's begins Thursday, Nov. 1.

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Patch Poll: Should Possession of Small Amounts of Marijuana be Legal?

Americans’ views on legalizing marijuana are changing and some governmental bodies are enacting or trying to enact laws to decriminalize possession of small amounts of the drug.

Fifty percent of Americans—the largest portion ever recorded—now favor legalizing marijuana, according to an October Gallup poll. That total is up from 46 percent last year. The Evanston City Council last month passed an ordinance amending the city’s marijuana laws so that any individual found in possession of 10 grams or less of marijuana will not be arrested. Instead, violators will be issued a notice to appear for a hearing, fined between $50 and $500 and possibly ordered to seek drug counseling, Evanston Patch reported. On the state level, State Rep. La Shawn Ford introduced a bill earlier this year that would lower the penalties for marijuana possession statewide. Rather than facing an arrest and potential jail time, anyone caught …

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Patch Poll: Has Black Friday Gone too Far?

This year, Black Friday was marred by violence and crime. Is it time for retailers to dial back the hype and promotion?

Should Black Friday be renamed Bloody Friday? Insane Friday? What-Has-This-Country-Come-To Friday? For some shoppers, Black Friday is all about the hunt for a good deal, and even a fun night, or early morning, out. However, in addition to a good deal on the latest electronics, Black Friday brought incidents involving pepper spray, shootings, looting and beatings. “Instead of a nice sweater, you need a bulletproof vest and goggles," Betty Thomas, 52, told the Associated Press Saturday while shopping with her family at a mall in Raleigh, N.C. Has this sales strategy gone too far? Should retailers be encouraged to dial back Black Friday hype and promotion? In addition to Black Friday, football is part of the Thanksgiving tradition, according …

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Joe Parkmoor

12:30 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012

God bless you, gina. You have my sympathies. I would never go shopping on Thanksgiving day or evening. Nor would I stand in line to shop before the crack of dawn the following day. I refuse to participate it an event which essentially robs people like you of their holiday.   more ›