A new home business in Riverwest is offering its “professional turd herding” services, so to speak. K-9 Waste Removal Services started its operations several months ago and provides affordable, complete dog waste cleanup and removal. Their rates start at $5 per cleanup and they offer package deals. With a slogan like, “Our #1 Concern is Your #2 Problem,” you know they’ve got a sense of humor. Hey, maybe the city could hire them for some of the public spaces too! Contact them 227-7091 or 628-3420. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Institute for Innovative Concepts (IIC) was named Midwest Affiliate for GrantWriter Pro software. IIC is now offering the software in conjunction with two-day (12 hrs.) workshops, providing non-profits with the tools they need to raise money in today’s highly competitive funding climate. The Institute for Innovative Concepts and GWPro Workshops are also partnering with the Foundation Center, in selected cities across the U.S., to present three-day (18 hrs.) grant writing and donor research workshops. IIC is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt corporation that has worked with some Riverwest organizations, including GreenSalad Organic Gardens. For more information please visit their website at innovativeconcepts.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By a vote of 61-44, workers at Tramont Corporation on Humboldt Boulevard voted to join UE, the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America, in an NLRB election held October 24. Employees galvanized to form their own union after months of wage cuts, elimination of paid lunch and break times, unfair and changing work rules, no respect for workers’ rights or seniority on the job. And they’ve only just begun: next step is for management and labor to come together to negotiate a fair contract.