* O’Hare again nation’s second busiest airport; more here

* Phil Kadner: What people will NOT say in 2008

* Steve Chapman: Think positive about negative campaigning

The spot thus passes the only two tests voters should apply to any campaign attack: Is it true, and is it important? Accusing Romney of having devil’s horns would be unacceptable because, though significant, it’s not true. Accusing him of owning too many sweaters, though true, would be over the line because it doesn’t matter…

Thomas Jefferson once said that he would prefer newspapers without a government to a government without newspapers. Given a choice between politics with no negative campaigning and politics with only negative campaigning, I suspect he would prefer the latter.

* State in rush for primary

* Lawsuit in 14th District: Reasonable deadlines sought for canvassing, absentee voting; more here

Election authorities throughout the 14th Congressional District plan to file suit seeking exemptions from state standards so they can hold a special election on March 8.

Because there are only 31 days between the special primary election on Feb. 5 and the March 8 special congressional election, the local election authorities cannot meet standard election law requirements on such things as canvassing the primary vote and certifying the results, getting absentee voting started and other procedures.

* Bernie Schoenburg: Illinois new primary date puts state in spotlight for Giuliani camp

“Illinois is extraordinarily important this year, much more so than in many years in the past,” said MIKE DuHAIME, Giuliani’s national campaign manager, in a telephone interview from New York City this week.

“A lot of campaigns, I don’t think, have recognized just what a big prize Illinois is and how important it is now that it’s moved up so early.”

* Candidate rejects campaign cash criticism in 8th CD

Morris, 49, said Greenberg is “a hypocrite” for keeping Kjellander’s cash while recently demanding the 8th Congressional District’s Democratic incumbent, Melissa Bean of Barrington, return a campaign donation from the liberal MoveOn.org.

Greenberg, 36, said Kjellander hasn’t done anything wrong so there is no reason to return the $1,000 to him. In federal disclosure documents filed in September, Greenberg contends the donation came as part of a legal political funding system that should be improved.

* Foreign policy center stage in 18th-CD debate; more here

* Chicago Argus: It feels good for state primary to be relevant again

* RubberStampRoskam Blog: Roskam gets perfect report card from big business

* Voter registration deadline looms for IL residents

* Laws on wine shipping leave bad taste in N.J., elsewhere

But laws in some states still prohibit wineries from shipping directly to consumers, two years after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling led many to believe that all states would allow vineyards to ship wine directly to consumers across the country….

“There are ways around it,” he said. “If you have relatives who live in Illinois, you can say, “Hey, hold on to it until I see you next year.’ ”

Unlike New Jersey, Illinois allows direct shipping from wineries to consumers.

A 2003 federal lawsuit working its way through the court system in New Jersey also says consumers cannot get the wine they want because of shipping laws.

* Bars finding ways to aid those affected by the ban

* Editorial: School bus law may be common sense, but it is necessary

Known as the “school bus inspection” law, the act mandates that school bus drivers do a post-trip inspection of their vehicle to ensure no child has been left behind. It specifically calls for the driver to “walk to the rear of the bus and check in and under each seat for sleeping children.”

* Program yields college saving from shopping; more here

The new Bright Start Futuretrust MasterCard contributes a 1 percent cash rebate on the amount of every purchase to each card member’s Bright Start College Savings Program account, according to a release from state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias’ office.

“This is like a frequent-flyer program geared toward families saving for college,” Giannoulias said. “Families can use the cash rewards they earn from the program as another source of college money without changing their spending habits.”

* You don’t have to be a saint to get a street sign

In many cities, a petition is all it takes for an honorary street sign. You don’t have to be a saint…

In Chicago, nearly a third of the 1,225 honorary street names are for religious figures and institutions. Four are for patriarchs, five for rabbis and nearly 300 for pastors, reverends, evangelists, bishops, fathers and monsignors.