Morning shorts
Tuesday, Jan 8, 2008 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Democrats huddle in search for a congressional candidate in 18th district
* 18th CD hopefuls hold foreign policy debate
* Press Release: Lee calls for debates in 11th Congressional district
* Editorial: Solve major problem in toll collection
Boudreau said she had not been aware that her credit card had expired and that it wasn’t paying the tolls. But let’s assume the worst — that she willfully blew through the tolls without paying.
Even if that were the case, would the penalty fit the crime? For $179.50, would $4,619 be fair? Would a two-week deadline to pay be little more than heavy-handed coercion?
Would $15,739 be fair? For $179.50 in unpaid tolls?
No, it’s outrageous.
* Toll officials draw a blank on cheats tally
* Interchange has good news and bad news
The long-awaited, long-stalled plans for an interchange between Interstates 57 and 294 will enter the new year with a whopping new price tag.
In the works for nearly two decades, the project now is expected to cost at least $480 million, state transportation officials disclosed at a hearing Monday in Oak Forest. The figure is twice as much as previous estimates.
* Phil Kadner: Solutions, not slogans needed for public schools
This is a battle for the hearts and minds of our children. The ultimate cost to the country is beyond computation.
While taxpayers complain about teacher salaries, they are willing to pay billions of dollars to fight crime. Each year the costs increase for police officers, judges, prosecutors, prison construction and prison guards.
More money is spent on social programs to help children who give birth to more children. Businesses find it more difficult to hire competent employees.
* Short end of funding for U46 school district
Prince estimated that U46 will see an increase of $3.5 million in general state aid, only about a fifth of what $400 multiplied by U46’s approximately 40,000 students would equal — $16 million.
U46 is shortchanged by the state because of the large amount of dollars the school district collects through property taxes, Prince said. During the 2006-07 school year, U46 collected nearly three times as much in property taxes as general state aid, according to district documents.
* Bush boosts Olympic bid; more here
Bush said Chicago has “a great plan,'’ adding, “I can’t think of a better city to represent the United States.'’
Ryan said “we didn’t really get involved” in how the federal government could help. The feds typically help pay for security and some transportation costs during Olympic games held in the United States.
* State looks into Canton plant’s bankruptcy
* Mary Mitchell: Aldermen give Weis a free pass; more here
* Governing.com: The origins of lethal injection
* Smoking ban may cause more litter
* Fired up over smoke free law
* Some Brand-Name Bloggers Say Stress of Posting Is a Hazard to Their Health
“The trouble with a personal brand is, you’re yoked to a machine,” said Paul Kedrosky, a friend of Mr. Malik’s who runs the Infectious Greed blog. “You feel huge pressure to not just do a lot, but to do a lot with your name on it. You have pressure to not just be the C.E.O., but at the same time to write, and to do it all on a shoestring. Put it all together, and it’s a recipe for stress through the roof.”
- Ghost - Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 9:54 am:
This bit of news from the SJ-R is distrubing.
===State’s backlog of bills at $1.7 billion===
(http://www.sj-r.com/News/stories/23184.asp)
Particuarly since neither the GA or the press seem to be talking about how we cover old debts before adding bills on new things like CTA/RTA and capitol projects.
- KenoMan - Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 11:19 am:
Based upon the latest stories in the Daily Herald, do the folks who run the Illinois Tollway know what they are doing? So much for “Reform and Renewal”. Seems like nothing really changes in that agency.
- BehindTheScenes - Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 11:32 am:
From recent letters to the SJ-R, it appears the people at the IL Tollway Authority have picked up on Chicago’s parking meter revenue booster, and are now dunning downstaters for tolls incurred when they were no where near the toll roads.
- Leroy - Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 11:56 am:
For $480 million, I would rather have Blago’s health care program than a damn I-57/I-80 interchange.
Get real…$480 million?
- Cassandra - Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 12:18 pm:
Chicago taxpayers seem to have fallen down on the job of monitoring their politicians again. Jody Weis, the Mayor’s new police superintendent, hardly sounds like a change agent. Of course, we’ll have to see what he actually does. But so far, it sounds like the same old stuff. More training. Hold field management accountable. Stop cops from beating up bartenders. Maybe a little tinkering with beat assignments. A new Ops deputy.
Meanwhile, teenagers are routinely mown down by gunfire in Chicago’s neighborhoods. Sure, those neighborhoods are partly responsible, since they tolerate drugs and gangs, many of whose members are part of the fabric of those neighborhoods and have been for generations. But what are we paying
all these billions to law enforcement for?
But, for Chicagoans, the lack of a change agent in law enforcement doesn’t seem to matter. They’ve stopped thinking. They don’t hold anybody accountable for anything. If it’s OK with the Mayor, it’s OK with them. So the kids will continue to die.
- Go dems! - Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:57 pm:
Last Spring I was without change and mowed through 8 tolls on a trip. I went to the Tollway headquarters out in Downers Grove and paid the eight tolls by check, in person - $6.40. I recieved a letter last month telling me I owed $3.20 for 4 missed tolls - with fines the total came to over $80.
I sent them an e-mail that explained that I had in fact missed 8 tolls (not four, as they had claimed, and that I had paid them last spring in person by check. I gave them the check number. I hoped it would go away.
Nope. The reply was a one sentence long: I was given an 800 number to call to contest the violations.
Which is not what I want to do. I didn’t/don’t contest the violations, I have ALREADY paid the missed tolls months ago.
Due to time constraints, I can’t concern myself with this until after the February election. As I am sure nobody at the tollway is going research what they did with my money after the check cleared, I will continue to rack up fines for not paying in the meantime. This is sure to be loads of fun next month.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:09 pm:
The cost of the I-57/294 interchange could be cut considerably if it were not made a full interchange and only included the most likely movements. It could be cut further if a cost cutting study were done as was done on the recent I-355 project. And ISTHA should pay half of the final cost, from toll revenues or bonds backed by them, since 294 is “their” road.
- Illinois Tollway Rocket Scientists - Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 8:25 pm:
Illinois Tollway officials draw blank -
That sums up the last 5 years at Club Illinois Tollway. With all the very high-priced consultants and Blagojevich’s high-priced inept deputies you’d think they’d be able solve anything.
The Illinois Tollway’s procedure for solving any problem is to throw money at it, till it goes away. If that doesn’t work, throw more money at it.