Gotta love it when the class you've been fervently studying for the past weeks keeps coming up in local news from back home. The Park Ridge Advocate has been following an interesting (really, only for the combination of me being from the town, one of my best friend from Jr. High's father being the person bringingthe suit and my property professor's unhealthy obsession with zoning) suit that has been filed against my home town. Essentially, as must as I can gather from the tidbits I've been following is as follows:
The city is redesigning our "uptown" area. They have a contract with a developer and that developer had plans that didn't coincide entirely with the previous zoning requirements. PR makes a few changes in the zoning guidlines, project continues. Old best friend's father gets wind of this, isn't happy. He moves into this "retirement hotel" for a few weeks to gain standing so he has a real property interest in the development project. He files suit, alleging, among other things, conspiracy, procedural due process, and property damage claims (nuisance?). In any event, the city responds, essentially being like "um, no. you don't really live there." So, as he put it, he acted as the "booster rocket to the space shuttle" and he jumps off the suit and the "retirement hotel" and another resident jump on board. And that's where we are right now. They also randomly threw in a conspiracy allegation, just for good measure. Fascinating stuff.

Now, as per my property outline (which, really, ranks right up there next to the Constitution), there are more claims to be made! Come on now Chuck, if you're going to file [baseless?] lawsuits against the government, at least make them interesting. Let's throw some equal protection clause issues in there re: the eldery. I think you're toying with a takings claim, let's go all out! It seems like you're alluding to the construction being a nuisance - let's make sure you cover all the bases. Traffic, property value, bright light, noise, crowding, and our favorite, spite. Because we all know there is no social utility to spite.

Troubling when you start looking at every news story as a possible exam question hypo. But I personally think it's remotely interesting.

Other than that, absolutely nothing is new. Study study read read. Such is life. But Christmas is coming! :)