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Morning Shorts

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* Campers surprised by fee hikes

* Brown: Wide reach of mortgage crisis hits home

* 1,000-plus people show up for giant ‘Save Pontiac Prison’ photo

* Bear Stearns Fund Prosecutors Reveal `Lot of Evidence’ of Fraud

* Bear Stearns Illinois Background…

* Firm with a past gets state biz

* Donor to gov reaps state contracts

* Obscure Board Spawns Illinois’ Biggest Scandal

* For civil unions

* Mississippi River level rises beyond forecasts

* Could flooding’s bite be felt all summer long?

However, Szyska, along with the Illinois Department of Public Health, warn that climbing temperatures combined with stagnant water left behind by flooding and heavy rains create ideal mosquito breeding conditions, particularly for the Culex species that’s the most common West Nile carrier.

* Gov. Blagojevich declares Monroe, Randolph and Whiteside counties state disaster areas for flooding

* Governor’s flood-area tour boosts image

* Aging levee poses threat to impoverished city

* River reclaims its natural floodplain

* Freedom for Bacino: ‘Whether We Like It Or Not

* Stroger, banking on Palatine

But Cook County residents who want this tax hike repealed, and who want a government more efficient than the mess that Stroger’s Friends and Family Plan of nepotism and patronage tolerates, ought to spend more time plotting their election strategy for 2010 and less time imagining secession.

* A truth check on Stroger

* Daley urges NU grads to stick to ideals, promotes 2016

* Future city workers could lose out on lush pension plan

Newly hired employees would shift to the 401(k) plans favored by private industry — instead of the “defined benefits” enjoyed by their older co-workers — under a plan being pushed by the head of Mayor Daley’s pension reform commission.

* The disinfection debate: How clean should the Chicago River be?

* The Decline of Chicago: The City that Doesn’t Work

* Want that 7% property tax cap? Apply by June 30

* Ameren execs change minds about charging customers for consultant expenses

* Drilling for Oil Independence and Lower Gas Prices?

* Great Lakes drilling an idea to be delved

* Sears Tower tenants mull moves

* Wallace opposes Peotone airport

* Illinois lawmakers see world on others’ tab

Members of the Illinois congressional delegation — including two who announced their retirement — have reported nearly $157,000 in travel expenses picked up by taxpayers or private sponsors since last year, according to an Associated Press review.

* Taxpayers pay $20,000 for Hastert travels

* Durbin joins fight against pest

* Halvorson, Jackson clash on airport

* Hearing Is ‘Wake-up Call’ for Horse Racing Industry

* New Lenox 122: Hire me. Please.

* Few county school districts screen all new hires for drugs

* The coming state and municipal financial crisis

posted by Kevin Fanning
Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 8:28 am

Comments

  1. I was surprised to see no mention of the great weekend in Chicago sports in your ‘morning shorts’ section. Sweet sweep by the team with the best record in baseball! Go Cubs!

    Comment by Cubs Win Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 8:57 am

  2. If I did that I may not be writing morning shorts tomorrow.

    Comment by Kevin Fanning Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 9:00 am

  3. Kevin’s right. I’m just grumpy enough this morning to ban him. lol

    Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 9:04 am

  4. a fairl decent article from the tribune on civil unions. I still find it odd that in a society of laws we hestitae to provide those laws to certain people who do not pass our sensibilities. One point they do not mention, providing this benefit in Illinois could help provide insruance coverage for many in Illinois who can not access their partners family plans.

    Comment by Ghost Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 9:17 am

  5. In all seriousness, if the governor’s smart, he will continue his state tour. His unpopularity is fueled just as much by his perceived laziness, contempt for the job and disinterest in the state outside of the North Side as it is by corruption.

    People in Illinois will forgive some corruption, but not someone acting like a big shot with the state planes and goofing off at Cub games in the middle of a work day.

    Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 9:34 am

  6. Wordslinger, everyone knows the Gov has a body double he sends ou for these tours so he does not have to leave Chicago.

    Comment by Ghost Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 10:38 am

  7. Is everyone really surprised of the rising camping costs? I was surprised when I woke up this morning and gas was $4.19, but I still went to work. What about the campers when they went to the store to get supplies, did they see a price jump in food?? We are talking about $16 and some change in the jump of camping fees. If you are really worried about the camping fees, do this. Go to the middle of the forest where you don’t have to pay. Go with out electricity and hunt for your food. Now the jump in camping fees doesn’t seem that bad.

    Comment by Camping prices Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 10:56 am

  8. By the way, there’s a big rally by AFSCME employees in Springfield today. It might even be big enough to be news-worthy.

    Comment by What planet is he from again? Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 11:09 am

  9. The camping fee increase story does not explain all that led up to this decision. First of all let it be said the Rod “The Hair” Blagojevich has had it in for IDNR and any other agency that deals with natural resources from the git-go. His cuts in these agencies have been noticeably heavier than other agencies. Last year the Bureau of the Budget warned IDNR that they might not get as much GR funding as they had in the past. Around April of this year the BOB came to IDNR and told them they better start figuring out what fees they were going to increase because the BOB was not going to give IDNR ANY GR funds in the upcoming budget. All IDNR sites were asked to show where every dollar was spent and on what programs, so Agency heads could figure what programs cost IDNR the most. Through the ensuing discussions an agreement was made that BOB would not cut out all the GR funds if IDNR could show before this year was over that they would raise fees somewhere to provide some of their own funding. So users of IDNR sites and services can thank our anti-nature boy Rod for all of this and all of the other cuts this agency has endured.

    Comment by Irish Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 11:13 am

  10. It’s only $16 extra for camping. If people are that worried about the cost, drop the electricity. This camping fee isn’t bad at all.

    Comment by Camping prices Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 11:46 am

  11. “It might even be big enough to be news-worthy.”
    Apparently not.

    Comment by What planet is he from again? Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 12:24 pm

  12. What Planet–it was a good show up. 4,000 signed on for buses coming into Springfield and then there were shuttles around Springfield to bring in the Springfield workers already in town and of course then the ones who work around close to the route joined us at their lunch.

    Comment by Princeville Monday, Jun 23, 08 @ 8:20 pm

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