* High court won’t hear casino license case
‘’The case is over with as far as I’m concerned,'’ said Aaron Jaffe, chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board. The board will soon begin the process of auctioning the license off to a new casino company, he said.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the decision moves Illinois ‘’a significant step closer to being able to reissue the license to suitable owners and generate much-needed revenues.'’
* Casino ruling narrows Emerald’s options
* Court ruling may end Emerald license battle
* Emerald Casino rolls snake eyes at Illinois Supreme Court
* Kadner: Hoosier casino czar scoffs at Illinois
But here’s what Yelton said, according to the newspaper.
“One of our advantages to Illinois is they, historically, seem to do everything wrong. Everything they seem to do has backfired, and it’s been to our benefit.”
I’ve stated the same thing in this column, but hearing Indiana officials giving our state lawmakers the horse laugh ought to make the competitive hairs of every taxpayer in Illinois stand on end.
I mean, we’re talking about Indiana here, the land of fecal greaseballs. This is the state that has slimed Lake Michigan with its industrial and biological waste products.
* Lawmaker urges Feds to do more for veterans
* Editorial: Elected officials shouldn’t get special legal treatment
* The loss of Henry Hyde; more here and here and here and here
* Tribune Editorial: The principled Henry Hyde
* Editorial: Henry Hyde, eloquent statesman
* 18th-CD candidates sound off
* Michael Sneed: Sheriff Dart begins ‘hotbunking’ program
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is “hotbunking” it these days.
Explanation: Taking a page out of the military’s handbook to solve jail overcrowding, Dart has instituted a new pilot program at Cook County Jail.
Translation: In the new sleeping arrangement at the jail, three inmates, assigned to one bed, will now sleep in eight-hour shifts … hence, the term “hotbunking” — ‘cuz the bed is always hot due to continuous use.
* Ald. Brookins sued over failure to pay rent
Brookins, a Democrat, learned of the lawsuit from the Chicago Sun-Times, but said he and his landlords at 100 N. La Salle had been “going back and forth” about the rent owed and he was surprised it had advanced to legal action.
“I need to go talk to them and figure this out,” Brookins said. “I’d been working with those guys and I was not aware of this.”
* Editorial: Beavers is wrong on facts and political tactics
* McQueary: Policy, not racism, causes Stroger’s budget failure
* Budget blowup may be coming at County Board
* Tribune Editorial: Stroger, Daley, and chicken
Why is Todd Stroger obeying his inner Blagojevich — trying to revive a dead-on-arrival tax plan that infuriates voters? Why is John Daley complicit in Stroger’s game of “chicken” with the Cook County Board? And why do these two officials expect taxpayers to give one more cent to an agenda that Stroger advanced, Daley echoed and both of them failed to deliver?
* Daley picks FBI agent to lead Police Dept.; more here and here
* London to Chicago: Be clear on Olympic costs
Officials say releasing a detailed tally before submitting their bid plan in February 2009 for the Games would put it at a competitive disadvantage with other cities also vying. Chicago officials said they would make the bid book public only after it is submitted to the International Olympic Committee.
British Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, speaking at a downtown business luncheon, put the London Games price tag at about $18.5 billion — a figure that is almost three times the cost estimate submitted in 2004.
* Friday Beer Blogging: Beer Maid Edition
LIVE session coverage...
- Greg - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 8:49 am:
I attend the National Conference of State Legislators every year and have been to ALEC meetings, as well. Believe me it’s a lot more than Indiana legislators chortling over Illinois’ governing incompetence. It’s only in the last two years that Michigan has overtaken Illinois as the bad example that no one should follow.
- Ghost - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 8:53 am:
The emerald casino case is done; but the general assembly is looking to increase gambling in IL so there will be plenty of more windmills to tilt at.
- Unqualified - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 9:15 am:
Brookins has proven on several fronts; in the City Council, through his campaign, and in his private affairs that he is not ready fir prime time, and certainly not at all well suited to be the leader of the Cook County States Attorney’s office. We can only hope that the electorate has begun to learn a valuable lesson about the consequences of nominating, and then electing someone that is either unqualfied, or inexperienced for such an important position.
Plenty of helpful examples have been readily on display lately. Simply having your own agenda, even a popular (populist) one, does not qualify an individual for an elected position, and those that accept or adopt the candidates un-realistic or unattainable vision are doomed to live under the consequences.
The sad part is; that I do not think he is alone in this regard in this race.
Caveat Emptor!
- Anonymous - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 9:17 am:
Rich,
One of your bloggers mentioned this yesterday and I’m surprised the media has not written more about state vendor payments or lack of. There was a memo sent out a couple of days ago to all state fiscal officers from the Comptroller. This state is in fiscal critical condition.
Because of misguided future state revenue predictions,and a slowing economy, there is not enough funds collected to cover expenses.
The Comptroller stated vendor are at least 30 days behind and things will not be looking up in the future. That’s an understatment. Most payments are 6 months behind. Business’ doing business with the state of Illinois will soon find themselves out of business. So much for small business set asides.
This state is going belly up. I can’t remember what happened when California went bankrupt but Illinois is headed down that path.
- Future - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 9:29 am:
Blago and Ryan “hotbunking”
- Cassandra - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 9:40 am:
Instead of “hotbunking” why doesn’t Dart implement some type of risk assessment and arrange to let some of the less dangerous offenders out on bond or house arrest or whatever.
The problem of overcrowded prisons is not going to go away and the solution is not to build even more prisons and jail even more people for longer periods of time. Taxpayers can only afford to pay for a completely free life in jail for so many.
The future may be seen in Japan, where government coffers are being stretched by having to maintain an increasing number of elderly long-term prisoners who can’t be discharged because they have no place to go and no place to support themselves. If they are let out, they do whatever is necessary to get back in. It’s their only option. And it’s very, very expensives, especially since many of these (mostly male) prisoners have
serious chronic health problems.
Prison nursing homes are the future unless we radically reform our poorly run, patronage-ridden
and very expensive (and racially biased) corrections process.
- beavis - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 9:53 am:
Rich
In today’s fax you mentioned that Blago didn’t want to break his promise to the Blackhawks.
Perhaps he didn’t want to break plans with one of his top sponsors either. Clearly seen in the footage from the game is the person sitting next to Blago on the other side. Multi-multi-millionaire Bruce Liimatainen the CEO of Finkl Steel.
FYI
“huh huh, he said testicular”
- beavis
- anon - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 9:58 am:
Cassandra…I think releasing less dangerous criminals is the responsibility of the courts, not the Sheriff. I applaud Dart. He’s done a great job with what he has been given He can give specifics about how he has cut his budget whereas Todd Stroger just keeps saying we need to tighten our belt. What have you done Mr. President?
- Carl Nyberg - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 11:07 am:
Henry Hyde… Wasn’t he the guy who forced women stationed overseas with the U.S. military to go to non-English speaking doctors for abortions?
And wasn’t he the senior Republican on the House banking committee the same time he sat on an S&L board? And weren’t all the other members of the board of directors convicted? Doesn’t it seem sorta, y’know, like Hyde got special treatment?
So the Republican newspaper calling Hyde principled is less than the whole story.
- fedup dem - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 11:29 am:
Gentlemen: Your attempted link to Ms. McQueary’s column was unsuccessful. Please check it out.
- Cassandra - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 11:51 am:
I’m not absolutely certain, but I believe the
prison management has some discretion. A system in which they didn’t would be seriously dysfunctional.
If not, Dart should be working with the state’s attorney and the courts to cut down on the frivolous incarcerations. And there are those.
- Captain America - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 1:40 pm:
Brookins inablity to manage his personal affairs strongly suggests he is seriosly unqualified to manage the State’s Attorney’s office.
- Captain America - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 1:52 pm:
Concur with anonymous that the state’s appears to be approaching a fical meltdown.
Considering the problems we had last year without a fiscal crisis, 2008 is shaping up to be a real barnburner.
I hope they resolve the mass transit funding issue before the “stuff” really starts hitting the fan. another barnburner.
Woe to those vulnerable citizens and service providers who depend on state funding in Illinois. They are about to become collateral damage to the political conflict and dysfunctiion that has paralyzed State governmnet the last 9 months.
- Mad as Hell - Friday, Nov 30, 07 @ 4:20 pm:
Brookins can’t run a small law office. How can he run an office of 900 lawyers?