Morning Shorts
Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning
* Pontiac prisoners’ move halted
* CN, suburb reach agreement on rail deal
Canadian National said Tuesday its agreement with Crest Hill includes creating quiet zones and the use of noise mitigation measures.
Approval of Canadian National’s purchase of remains pending with regulators on the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.
* RTA tells Elgin it can’t make ends meet
Leanne Redden, RTA senior deputy executive director, noted the agency should be spending $1 billion a year to maintain its infrastructure and transportation network, but the 2009 plan has only $470 million for that.
* Transit officials fear rider decline possible
Rockford Mass Transit District officials are afraid service cutbacks could put the brakes on significant ridership growth.
* Transit leaders seek help from Congress
Leaders from 11 transit agencies, including the Chicago Transit Authority, pleaded with Congress for help Tuesday as long-term financing deals with investors collapse amid the global credit crisis.
The officials warned that 31 of the nation’s largest transit systems could face at least $2 billion in payments in the coming months if hundreds of the deals go bad. The fallout could cripple rail and bus systems at a time when ridership is soaring.
* CTA Not Afraid of AIG-Backed Investments
* Just charge it: CTA to offer more ways to pay with plastic
* AAA predicts first decline in holiday travel in 6 years
* Minnesota’s tiered tollway charges are likely coming to Illinois roadways
* Devine’s No. 2 joining U.S. attorney
After serving as the No. 2 man under Cook County State’s Attorney Dick Devine for years, Robert Milan is leaving the office — but he isn’t going too far.
* Attorney general sues Rockford company for mortgage fraud
* Crime down again in Ill., drops in every category
* Illinois crime rate dipped 3.6% in 2007
* State, counties see drops in crime during 2007
* Poshard: Forgiveness ‘greatest strength’ government can have (Video)
* Durbin re-elected as Whip
* No gay high school — at least not in ‘09
Some lead members of the design team had thought that the latest version of the proposal — which deleted all specific references to gay students from the mission statement and changed the school’s name — had been the best way to garner support for the new school, Chicago public school officials said. But on Tuesday, other members balked.
“When we tried to compromise as much as we could with our language, even changing our name, in the end, the design team couldn’t fully agree that this proposal should go through,'’ one team member, Katherine Hogan, told WTTW-Channel 11’s “Chicago Tonight” Tuesday.
Hogan, a literature teacher at Social Justice High School, insisted the design team had the “full support'’ of Schools CEO Arne Duncan and would “absolutely'’ submit an “even stronger'’ version of the plan next year, in time for the school to open in 2010, as planned.
* Gay-lesbian high school plan dropped
* Vote on anti-bullying Chicago high school delayed
* Let’s not give up on ’safe haven’ school
* Des Plaines’ senior center campaigns for city funds
- Wumpus - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 9:10 am:
Sorry, no money for Transit. We have to throw money on the fire that is the failed model of Detroit/Big 3.
Was that a smart move for Milan? Who knows if he wil have a job past 1/20/09.
- Leroy - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 9:19 am:
I’m glad future governor Lisa Madigan is taking on crooked Rockford-based mortgage companies, but her silence on this whole 8% budget grab is deafening.
Could she please speak out once in a while on something relevant, like how Springfield is functioning?
It would be nice to see if she is able to tell right from wrong *without* having to elect her to governor in order to find out.
- Boscobud - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 9:19 am:
Crime rates are dropping because are selling there valuables and the criminals don’t have anything to steel or kill someone for. I don’t know if this is true but maybe people are moving out of Illinois. It would be interesting to find out way?
- Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 9:27 am:
Wumpus-
With a big tent comes many factions to please.
And it’s not that everybody down to the cleaning lady is in jeopardy in federal government with the changing of the guard. In fact, the feds are way more stable than the state, admin to admin, with the exception of top policy makers.
- Sam - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 9:30 am:
Smart move for Milan? Perhaps a telling move. He gets the FBI clearance and can be named acting USAtty when Obama asks for the resignation of all USAtty.s in a few short weeks. Neither he nor anyone else could be put in as acting USAtty without having secured the FBI backround check and ok. Moreover, one suspects that you have to get rid of more than just Fitzgerald, having one of Fitzgerald’s top guys serve as acting USA does’nt shut down the operation looking into political corruption in Illinois. Dont know Milan personally, but do know how these things worked when Clinton took over from GHWB
- Bill - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 9:31 am:
…and if he stayed where he was he almost certainly wouldn’t have a job after 1/20.
- Chicagoan - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 9:32 am:
Since you posted the AAA bit about declines in travel: I volunteer at one of Chicago’s big museums. Normally there would be a lot of volunteer openings around the holiday - about 25% of the volunteers looking for substitutes. This year virtually no one is going out of town — and these are, by definition, upper-middle and upper income people.
- Plutocrat03 - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 9:35 am:
At its best mass transit requires a huge subsidy. In these days of budget shortfalls for everything government related, who do you expect will pay for for the increased subsidy?
Was it yesterday where proposals are being floated to high speed rail with a need for billions of dollars of investment?
We need to employ a system of triage which will direct scarce public money where it will do the most good for the largest number of people.
The collar counties continue to send around large empty busses along routes that rarely have more than a couple riders. It is time to give up on that approach.
The CTA does move large numbers of people. Efficiencies need to be found, but at least within the city people can realistically use mass transit. Unfortunately the system is a total failure in the collar counties who pay a large proportion of the costs without benefit.
- Anon - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 9:40 am:
Hey Rich when will Capitol Fax have an Iphone Application to down load?
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 9:44 am:
Pluto, those empty buses in the suburbs are the result of the RTA funding formula. Per capita ridership, the suburbs get much more money than the city, where people actually rely on public transportation.
It’s curious that during six years of six years of Dem rule, the formula has never been adjusted.
- Cassandra - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 10:05 am:
The issue with Pontiac is a side show although the town fathers should be trying a lot harder to get off the government teat and develop some other sources of tax monies than government entities. A town that predicts economic collapse for itself if the local jail closes is not a town that is being well managed. There must be a lot of local government incompetence in Pontiac.
The problem remains that there are far too many nonviolent drug offenders serving long sentences due to wacky drug laws. Compounded by structural law enforcement racism, which results in a disproportionate number of minorities, mostly African Americans, being incarcerated. This is getting more and more expensive with much higher expenses to come as the prison population ages along with America. A geriatric prison population, with its high need for medical and social services, will greatly escalate taxpayer costs. Don’t believe it? Take a look at Japan, where some prisons have turned into virtual nursing homes for elderly prisoners who have been there so long they have no place to go to die.
One would hope that likely new AG Eric Holder would address the enormous disproportionality of race in prison populatins across the country. One would hope that law enforcement would take a look at its own rampant racism. But one isn’t optimistc. Massive prison costs benefit too many powerful unions and offer “contract” opportunities to too many rich Democratic contributors. Change we can believe may be coming but right now, government contracts and jobs are still for sale in America.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 10:13 am:
Anon, this page loads fine on my iPhone. Until I find a way to display my advertising on an iPone app, there won’t be one.
- j - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 10:28 am:
By the way, Rich…
“Highly controversial” Louanner Peters?
In what alternate reality? Maybe among Madigan’s staff, but that is about it.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 10:36 am:
j, Louanner Peters isn’t controversial? Are you insane? If you can’t read the newspapers then I’m not gonna hold your hand on that one.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 10:37 am:
Also, tell GoBearsss I said hello, since you have the same IP address. Have you signed up for the Bill for Senate FaceBook group yet? lol
- j - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 10:58 am:
Send me a link on this “highly controversial” figure. Just curious.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 11:00 am:
Try searching this site yourself, or using the Google. You Rod people must think we all work for you or something. lol
- Amy - Wednesday, Nov 19, 08 @ 11:16 am:
why would Fitzgerald hire Milan? to get an inside track? to please someone? word in the private legal community is that Devine asked for the hire. this is a very disappointing turn by mr. fitzgerald. didn’t he see Milan’s performance in the debates? the guy seems strange.