* Check out the body language. Caption contest, or too federal?
* The Department of Revenue once again gives the SJ-R a scooplet an hour before it reaches anyone else’s in-box…
New projections from the state Department of Revenue, provided first to The State Journal-Register, show the state could get $800 million less in money it was counting on from three major tax areas by next summer unless the national and state financial picture turns around.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich must continue to use Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office to defend him in a lawsuit over his planned move of the state’s traffic safety division from Springfield to southern Illinois.
Sangamon County Judge Roger Holmes this morning rejected the governor’s bid to get Madigan’s office removed. Holmes said Blagojevich could raise the question later as the case proceeds but right there is no direct conflict in having Madigan defend him.
These people are in court more than an asbestos attorney.
* From a press release…
Continuing Illinois’ efforts to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today announced that he would co-host the international Governors’ Global Climate Summit to be held later this month in California.
The governors’ summit was announced in September. It will be held next week in Beverly Hills. Nothing like waiting until the last minute.
One can’t help but wonder whether another gubernatorial fundraiser at some posh Beverly Hills hotel might be in the offing. They’ll have to do it without Rezko’s help, however. He’s otherwise indisposed.
The good news is that the California summit will be held November 18th and 19th. The General Assembly is scheduled to be in session on the 19th, so the guv will be far, far away.
* The DC press corps is sometimes just too batty for words…
So we obsess about [Michelle Obama’s] clothes, searching for clues to how individualistic she will be, how modern, how typically Washington?
Obsess? Really? Does anyone truly obsess over the first lady elect’s clothes?
Was Barack and Michelle sending a message to the whole world with black and red? Do those colors point back to their core beliefs? Do they point to their religious value system?
Let’s write the color choice off for now to basic social naivete and suggest that the Obamas had no idea that their black and red attire choice would suggest to some a deeper, hidden meaning.
OK, I stand corrected. Some people apparently do obsess about clothes.
* I tried cutting off comments a few years ago, but readers rebelled. Zorn may have better luck for numerous reasons. Since he’s big media, he attracted a broader audience so no real “community” could develop in comments like it has here.
* This post at 538 refers to presidential strategy, but it could just as easily apply to Illinois…
The Bush-Rove team of 2000 and 2004 understood the importance of appealing to suburban voters … that is a viable strategy. Pitching your appeal to rural voters, on the other hand, probably will not work. They’re outnumbered by the city dwellers in the first place, and if your attacks are strident enough that the suburbanites start to side with the urbanites, you’ve given yourself a big problem.
* YDD, posting at the newly revamped Illinoize, wonders about the placement of the constitutional convention question.
* Partnering with Mother Tribune on the Cub sale could be a disaster? So saith the Sun-Times…
Tribune Chairman Sam Zell has been trying to hold firm on his billion-dollar asking price, offering seller financing.
But sources said buyers are reacting coolly to that plan because they think a partnership with Tribune could be a disaster.
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the Illinois secretary of state’s office does not have to issue specialty license plates bearing the slogan ‘’Choose Life'’ favored by anti-abortion forces.
Officials are within their rights in trying to keep either viewpoint on the emotional issue of abortion off of Illinois license plates, the court said, reversing a 2007 order.
‘’It is undisputed that Illinois has excluded the entire subject of abortion from its specialty plate program,'’ the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said.
‘’It has authorized neither a pro-life plate nor a pro-choice plate,'’ the court said. ‘’It has done so on the reasonable rationale that messages on specialty license plates give the appearance of having the government’s endorsement, and Illinois does not wish to be perceived as endorsing any position on abortion.'’
* The SouthtownStar dumps some much-needed cold water on all the “We’re gonna get us some pork!” cheerleading since Barack Obama’s Tuesday victory…
If we expect a pipeline of cash to flow to the Chicago area from the White House, we’re in for a surprise. […]
Since Election Day went to Barack Obama, locals have been busy dusting off their wish lists for the new president, writing down items such as a new Chicago Transit Authority circle line connecting the North and South Sides, an airport for the south suburbs and some extra dough to rebuild clogged expressways.
In Little Rock, Ark., home to President Bill Clinton, the presidential pork never came.
“That doesn’t happen,” said Skip Rutherford, dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. […]
Rutherford could not point to one particular project delivered to his area while Clinton was president.
Arkansas politics is dirtier and more self-centered than ours in many ways, so if they didn’t get anything in Little Rock, we may not either.
* The Post-Dispatch’s story doesn’t throw cold water on the idea of an Illinois Obama boom, but does include some reservations…
“There will be some concrete benefits” for Illinois, predicted Leo Ribuffo, a presidential historian at George Washington University in Washington. Among predictions by some is a change to the federal formula for dispersing highway money, which doesn’t currently favor high-population states like Illinois.
“If anybody in Illinois expects a New Deal ‘works’ program like LaGuardia Airport (FDR’s gift to his home state of New York), they’re going to be disappointed,” said Ribuffo. “But undoubtedly, the connections will help somewhat. … It’s going to improve Chicago’s image.”
* The tourism angle is already getting some play, however…
In Chicago and Springfield, tourism officials already are scrambling to capitalize, putting together new advertising strategies built around Obama’s life story and Illinois’ role in it. The Illinois Bureau of Tourism is adding him to its online “Presidential Trail” feature, which already outlines the Illinois legacies of Lincoln and Grant, as well as Ronald Reagan’s birthplace.
It will outline “Obama’s life and journey throughout Illinois,” especially Springfield’s Old State Capitol, where he launched his presidential bid, said bureau spokeswoman Ashley Cross. “We think there will be national and international interest.”
* The question isn’t what’s on the list, but what isn’t…
When you’re governor, people give you all sorts of things. An Al Franken book. An Abe Lincoln Christmas ornament. A sterling silver spoon.
And that’s just from givers who’ve been convicted of federal crimes or are under federal indictment.
Blagojevich has been given hundreds of gifts since taking office in 2003 — from politicians, lobbyists, self-published authors, unknown musicians, foreign dignitaries and since-convicted felons.
His office’s gift log stretches 56 pages, detailing $16,475 worth of goodies — most of which accumulate in his downtown Chicago office at the Thompson Center.
* There are some on the list who probably wish they weren’t because it could impact any future statewide bids…
* Comptroller Dan Hynes — book, Illinois 24/7, $24.95 (2004)
* State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) — “Serbian sausage and vegetable spread,” $9.50 (2005)
* State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias — Eli’s Cheesecake, $28 (2007)
Sure, they’re all noted Blagojevich critics. But a couple thousand advertising points can twist a $24.95 book into something totally different. Judy Baar Topinka was one of the most ethical politicians I’ve ever known and kept her distance from President Bush. But by the time Blagojevich’s ad campaign was finished with her in 2006, she was a George H. Ryan hack and a George W. Bush fangirl.
By the way, I’m probably on the guv’s gift list as well. I sent the governor an Elvis DVD this year. I bought the Vegas Comeback show (which has previously unseen footage) for my dad, so I figured I’d just get two of them.
The difference between myself and those three gifters above is I won’t have to explain that DVD during a campaign.
* The Sun-Times editorializes today on behalf of a capital plan, but doesn’t really say how we should fund it and dismisses real concerns over how the money will be distributed by the governor as mere intra-party bickering…
Illinois’ legislators convene in Springfield on Wednesday, likely their last session this year.
It’s easy to anticipate what will be on the agenda: bickering, recriminations and politicking.
It’s also easy to anticipate what won’t be: a desperately needed construction bill that would create jobs and rebuild roads, bridges, schools and mass transit across Illinois.
Sure, we need a capital plan. But does the Sun-Times trust the governor to hand out the projects? That’s the question.
Rumors have circulated for months that House GOP Leader Tom Cross is interested in a 2010 statewide bid. The message was first announced on a former staffer’s blog, which is not working at the moment. There is an admission on the new Cross blog that the website in question was, indeed, set up by Jake Parillo.
It’s Time for Tom is an effort to get Tom Cross, the Illinois House Minority Leader, to grab the mantle of the Illinois Republican Party and run for Governor in 2010. This movement has come out of a desire to drive change in the great state of Illinois. We’ve become fed up with the way things are: Governor Rod Blagojevich is rotten, Cook County Board Chair Todd Stroger is inept, and the Illinois Democratic Party is trying to install their sons and daughters into more leadership roles across the State.
Parillo even compares this effort to the draft Ike movement. A bit much, but whatever.
FYI, Cross’ House Republicans lost four seats last week and picked up one Democratic seat in a race that wasn’t contested by the HDem organization.
A Democratic state senator from the Quad-Cities said he plans to spend the next three months traveling the state to determine whether he will run for governor in 2010.
Key to state Sen. Mike Jacobs’ decision will be whether he can raise enough money to compete against better-known foes.
“I think I will need to start with at least $1 million,” said Jacobs, an East Moline resident who has served in the Senate since 2005.
Bloomington Republican Senator Bill Brady on Thursday told his supporters in an e-mailed newsletter of his intentions to make another run for governor.
State Sen. Christine Radagno is one of the other Republican names being talked about for Governor and State Sen. Dan Rutherford may run again for Secretary of State. DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett may run for Governor or Attorney General.
Those of us hoping for dramatic and immediate change are getting bad news and good news. The new health panel is asking for a $930 million budget for fiscal 2009—an increase of $77 million from 2008—and permission to hire more than 400 new workers, mostly doctors and nurses. But there are also plans to cut 900 positions—more about this in a moment—creating a net downsizing of 500. On Friday, the Cook County Board approved the plan, which will be included in the overall ‘09 county budget that County Board President Todd Stroger will propose.
Stressed Central Illinoisans are experiencing pain, losing sleep, abusing drugs and alcohol, and arguing with their spouse and kids more than several months ago, according to professionals who deal with the aftermath of those problems
It was that second line that intrigued Gierczyk. He’s been working on getting a station for it for five years. The second line will have four New Buffalo stops a day, seven days a week — one in each direction in the morning and one in each direction in the afternoon.
The trip from Chicago to New Buffalo on the Amtrak line will be nonstop. One of the two trips back to Chicago will be nonstop, while the other would have flag stops in Michigan City and Hammond, Ind. The commute takes a little over an hour.
The city of Chicago could save money by transferring its election board’s responsibilties to Cook County. Mayor Richard Daley says he’s open to the idea. But others are skeptical it can be done.
The state of Illinois will make $190,000 in grants to help research, treat and prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
The money comes from donations Illinois taxpayers made on their tax returns to the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Fund. Gov. Rod Blagojevich has proclaimed November Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in Illinois.
You might think Sangamon County Republicans, who have bragged lately about how well they run county government, would have the sense to avoid an outrageous practice that got statewide officials in trouble.
On the eve of the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) on Sunday called for Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George to resign as the organization’s president.
* What an amazing week, eh? The repercussions are gonna be far and wide in Illinois, so our work is far from done. I realized yesterday that there’s more activity since the election than before it. Whew.
Anyway, head to all new and very cool lookingIllinoize for more. We signed up a couple of new writers, including next year’s Capitol Fax intern Mike Murray and my pal Aviva Gibbs. Also, don’t forget to check out InsiderzExchange. It’s the place to be seen.
* I wonder what Joe Strummer would’ve thought about this week’s big event…
Lord, there goes Martin Luther King
Notice how the door closes when the chimes of freedom ring
I hear what you’re saying.
I hear what he’s saying
Is what was true now no longer so
* This sounds like a good idea, but pulling it off will be much harder than it looks…
Former Gov. Jim Edgar said in Springfield Thursday the viability of the Republican Party nationally might depend on whether the GOP can recover support it has been losing in the Hispanic community.
“We cannot lose the Hispanic vote like we’ve lost the African-American vote, or we’re going to be a minority party forever,” Edgar said.
I don’t think he realized it, but Edgar actually diagnosed the problem…
President George Bush “did a very good job of bringing Hispanics into the Republican column,” Edgar said, but congressional Republicans have “undone all that” by rejecting Bush-proposed reforms of immigration laws that included a path to staying in America for many illegal immigrants.
The conundrum for Republicans is that their coalition is deeply divided on the immigration issue. The business wing loves the cheap labor. The populist wing despises the very idea of all these people streaming into America. Reconciling those two sides, as Bush and John McCain both discovered, is nearly impossible. The Latino vote may be gone for a good long while.
* Edgar also repeated his mantra about nominating centrist Republican candidates…
“If we don’t move to the middle, there will not be a viable Republican Party in the state of Illinois,” Edgar said.
Edgar was a moderate to liberal Republican. Pro-choice, for gun control and open to other social liberal ideas. He wasn’t averse to tax hikes except during his 1994 reelection campaign. He succeeded, the moderate to liberal Jim Thompson succeeded, George Ryan moved to the left and beat Glenn Poshard in a good Democratic year.
But the gulf between the IL GOP’s right and center is so huge and bitter that it’s become almost impossible to win a primary without suffering fatal damage.
* The Republicans have been on the decline in Illinois ever since the GOP took over Congress and tried to move the country to the right. The one-two punch of George Ryan’s corruption and George W. Bush’s massive ideological-driven failures have been poison here.
Rod Blagojevich, whose job approval rating was never above about 45 percent in 2006, essentially ran against both George’s two years ago and beat Judy Baar Topinka by ten points. The governor is massively unpopular now, yet the state is still solidly Democratic and getting more so.
* A long string of flawed, bizarre and hopeless statewide candidates starting with Jack Ryan has made voters look at the GOP like they’re a bunch of freaking aliens. For crying out loud, Jim Oberweis still refuses to get off the stage…
So, while Oberweis said Thursday he has no plans to seek political office “right now”, he’s also not saying he never will again. While the latest wound heals, Oberweis said he’s seeking ways to serve as a consultant and fundraiser for his fellow Republicans, particularly in Kane County.
* Sen. Bill Brady, who is a darned good state legislator, ran as a smiling culture warrior in 2006 and he wants to run again…
Bloomington Republican Senator Bill Brady on Thursday told his supporters in an e-mailed newsletter of his intentions to make another run for governor.
Brady ran in the GOP primary for governor in 2006, garnering about 18 percent of the vote behind winner Judy Baar Topinka and Jim Oberweis.
Cook County went huge for the Democrats this year, and the collars also gave Obama big margins. A strong personality may break through that trend, but righty stances on guns. abortion and the culture war are gonna hurt bad.
But conservatives should note what their current condition demonstrates: Opinion is shiftable sand. It can be shifted, as Goldwater understood, by ideas, and by the other party overreaching, which the heavily Democratic Congress elected in 1964 promptly did.
Basing your future success on the hope your opponent will massively screw everything up is not a plan. It’s desperation.
* The Question: What can Illinois Republicans do to get back in the game? Explain fully.
* I’m getting a real fear deep down that the Sun-Times won’t survive unless something drastic changes very soon…
Sun-Times Media Group Inc. said it lost $168.8 million in its third quarter as revenue sank amid a weak economy.
Ad sales in Chicago dropped 19% in the quarter, and likely won’t begin to increase again until 2010, CEO Cyrus Freidheim said in a letter to investors that was released along with its earnings report Thursday. The company plans to cut $45 million to $55 million in expenses over the next nine months to survive in the meantime.
Newspapers are struggling amid the worst advertising environment in years, and the operator of the Chicago Sun-Times and 70 other community newspapers is no exception. Its latest cost-cutting plan comes on top of a $50 million expense reduction that came in the first half of 2008. All told, the company will have trimmed its costs by 30% by the middle of next year, Mr. Freidheim wrote.
“In view of the worsening market conditions, the company is taking even more aggressive actions to reduce costs,” he wrote. “Our organization understands the severity of the situation and the need for urgent action.”
The latest cost-cutting plan will include “outsourcing, downsizing and the elimination of poorly performing products,” he wrote. No further details were available.
There was a time, not long ago, when I thought about putting together some financing to buy the chain. It wouldn’t cost much. The problems are many, however. The structural deficit is crazy scary. Uncollectable ad revenues are huge. You’d basically have to declare bankruptcy, break the union, strip the pensions, tell the banks to kiss off and try to start all over. But even then, it’s an iffy proposition.
…Adding… To be clear to my fellow union members, the top management would have to be swept out as well, along with their salaries. Everybody just take a breath, OK?
* These may be good intentions, but the moves could spell the death knell of even more newspapers…
President-elect Barack Obama will try to use his office to hinder media concentration and to increase local TV news coverage, objectives that have stirred resistance from industry groups.
The Illinois Democrat, who will succeed George W. Bush on Jan. 20, “is going to push for a more open, more diverse media,'’ Gloria Tristani, a former Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission, said in an interview.
It’s just not right that the Tribune can own TV and radio stations and yet no TV station can buy the Sun-Times. We may need more consolidation between broadcast and print to save both industries. Print, except for a few papers, won’t last on its own.
Don’t look now, but NBC is rolling out some sharp-looking local news sites for its owned-and-operated stations in New York, Washington, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and elsewhere.
Using URLs like “NBCWashington.com” and the tagline “Locals Only,” these are quantum leaps over the usual crappy local TV news sites for a very simple reason: They’re actually focused on local news, and eschew the usual mindless over-promotion of the local NBC news team and primetime schedule. They’re also not limited to NBC-produced content–the sites promise to aggregate content from other local sources, as well, a la the very smart Examiner.com model.
I love the look of Channel 5’s new site. The parent company even offered me a spot over there, but I politely turned them down for various reasons. Right now, the site is more concept than execution, but it should improve over time.
* Meanwhile, the Tribune Co. needs to sell the Cubs to pay off its ginormous debt, but that’s in trouble now as well…
Tribune Co. may end up holding 50 percent or more of its storied Chicago Cubs baseball franchise as the credit crunch stalled sales talks, the Wall Street Journal said.
In recent weeks, an early plan to sell a 95 percent stake has fallen to about half as suitors’ ability to buy the team and its stadium on Chicago’s North Side waned, the paper said citing two people involved in the negotiations.
On Thursday, bidders were preparing to receive a request to submit new purchase proposals with financing details, those people told the paper.
Tribune is selling assets to help pay down debt, which stood at $12.5 billion at the end of the second quarter. Declines in readership and advertising dollars at such newspapers as the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times have added to the pressure on the company to secure funds to avoid default.
* Related…
* Obama campaign’s text/mobile effort: A model for newsrooms?
U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez said today he would like to be named to fill the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
[ *** End of Update *** ]
* I really didn’t think this would happen, but I’m starting to think it might…
Chicago Democrat Emil Jones is retiring from being Illinois Senate president but he won’t rule out being Illinois’ new U.S. senator in Washington.
Jones told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday that he would consider it a great honor if Gov. Rod Blagojevich chose him to be Barack Obama’s successor.
The 73-year-old Chicago Democrat said he’s too young to retire and has several options to remain active.
* The Sun-Times offers up some Obama replacement ideas…
• • Valerie Jarrett: Obama confidante, former city official, real estate executive and housing expert.
• • Frank Clark, ComEd chief executive, active on more than a dozen civic boards and organizations.
• • Eric Whitaker, former state public health director and University of Chicago Medical Center executive.
• • Miguel del Valle, a thoughtful and committed former state senator and current city clerk.
• • Gery Chico, former chief of staff to Mayor Daley, Chicago Board of Education president and U.S. Senate candidate.
On a well-regarded Illinois political blog recently, anonymous bloggers were asked to give their choices for the appointment should Obama win. They were also asked to give a rationale for the appointment. What followed was a fascinating exercise in how insiders think. The candidates suggested were a rather exclusive group, the rationales pointed, ruthless, Machiavellian, funny, surprising, depressing, and deeply, deeply cynical.
In one sense they were universal: no one suggested competence as a rationale. I don’t think that those hopeful faces in Grant Park were hoping that the deciding factor in the choice of what man or woman fills President Obama’s Senate seat for the next two years be who can best help our embattled Governor.
Whatever. When has competence ever had anything to do with Illinois politics?
Discuss below if you care.
* The Chicago media has always been extremely parochial, along with the rest of the state, so the drumbeat about “what Obama’s win does for us” continues at a feverish pace…
* The national press is all atwitter that choosing mean ol’ Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff is some sort of major shift in tone…
Barack Obama is signaling a shift in tactics and temperament as he moves from candidate to president-elect, picking sharp-elbowed Washington insiders for top posts.
What the national media has never really been able to comprehend is that Obama has from the start been a sharp-elbowed politico as well as a high-minded “reformer.” He challenged all of his competitors off the primary ballot in his very first race for public office, for crying out loud. He’s not a guy who avoids trench warfare.
President-elect Barack Obama’s first personnel decision sends a strong signal that he plans to be a pragmatic, get-it-done leader. You can expect that Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s choice for chief of staff, won’t let the next White House get bogged down in ideological warfare.
Emanuel helped secure a Democratic majority in the House two years ago by recruiting a broad mix of candidates, including fiscal conservatives and some Democrats who oppose abortion rights and support gun rights. That angered some on the left, but it got the job done.
* This bit from today’s Tribune story was better, however…
Clearly, Obama is sending a no-nonsense message by naming Emanuel and considering Gibbs. While Obama intends to lead the nation as the hopeful, inspirational figure who soared to the pinnacle of American politics, he obviously has no intention of assuming a deferential position in the capital.
DC is a horrid place teaming with snakes and weasels. Show weakness and you’re dead meat. Emanuel may be a lot of things, but he ain’t weak.
* Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham probably said it best…
“This is a wise choice by President-elect Obama.
“Rahm knows Capitol Hill and has great political skills. He can be a tough partisan but also understands the need to work together. He is well-suited for the position of White House Chief of Staff.
“I worked closely with him during the presidential debate negotiations which were completed in record time. When we hit a rough spot, he always looked for a path forward. I consider Rahm to be a friend and colleague. He’s tough but fair. Honest, direct, and candid. These qualities will serve President-elect Obama well.”
* Meanwhile, the line to replace Emanuel in the US House is almost as long as the line for Tuesday night’s Grant Park rally…
Aldermen and County Board members, Democratic loyalists and self-styled reformers—even a newly elected member of Ald. Dick Mell’s (33rd) political dynasty—worked the phones and met with allies to seek support for a potentially crowded special election.
Among those expressing interest in the seat or considered to be potential contenders were: Cook County Board Commissioners Mike Quigley and Forrest Claypool; Alds. Thomas Allen (38th), Gene Schulter (47th), Patrick O’Connor (40th) and Manny Flores (1st); state Rep. John Fritchey and Deborah Mell, the governor’s sister-in-law and daughter of the 33rd Ward alderman.
The federal judge who handled the corruption case of Edward R. Vrdolyak is considering fining the former 10th Ward alderman because of his decision to plead guilty Monday — after potential jurors had arrived at the courthouse.
U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur said fees for potential jurors added up to nearly $6,000. He said Thursday he might make Vrdolyak pay it.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture has expanded its emerald ash borer quarantine area to include all or part of three central Illinois counties.
Woodford and McLean counties and part of Marshall County was added by the agriculture department to the quarantine area because the invasive insect was detected in those areas.
A total of 21 counties now are fully or partly quarantined
Green lanes got a green light during a Thursday hearing sponsored by the state tollway into a plan to introduce carpooling and improve interchanges.
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority unveiled a $1.8 billion construction program in October that includes creating “green lanes” on highly used tollway segments, which vehicles with two or more occupants could use at no extra cost starting in 2010. Officials promise it will reduce congestion and air pollution and create jobs, but some have argued that after the agency spent years and billions on widening I-355, the Jane Addams, I-88 and the Tri-State tollways, it’s unfair to take away a lane for carpoolers
The ordinance originally called for an outright ban on using a bullhook on an elephant. But that clause was deleted after proponents failed to garner enough support for it, said Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th), who introduced the measure two years ago.
Smith said some aldermen withheld their votes because they feared they would be scorned for spending time on this issue, as they were after passing—and then rescinding—a ban on serving foie gras in Chicago restaurants.
At this week’s City Council meeting, Reilly proposed crackdowns that target two of Natarus’ pet peeves: billboards put up without permits and construction noise that keeps residents awake.
The billboard ordinance would dramatically increase fines for putting up a sign without a permit — from $6,000 to $10,000.
The long renovation of Chicago’s “incredible hulk,” the old Chicago post office that spans the Eisenhower Expy., should start later next year, with office tenants probably the first new users in the space a couple of years after that, a developer of the project said Thursday.
