Morning Shorts
Monday, Dec 22, 2008 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Out of her hands
After five years of fighting to keep Chicago Police torture cases from being reopened, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is seeking to shift responsibility for a handful of the remaining cases to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
In a court motion filed earlier this month, Madigan’s chief deputy, Alan Rosen, said the office was willing to continue on eight cases on which it had already invested considerable effort but asked that responsibility for five other cases be returned to State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
* Hundreds of DCFS kids left in limbo in inappropriate settings, Cook County guardian finds
The result: Hundreds of foster children are waiting weeks, sometimes months, in psychiatric hospitals, foster homes and correctional facilities that child welfare officials have deemed inappropriate or unsafe, according to data analyzed by the Cook County public guardian’s office and state records reviewed by the Tribune.
* State school funds fall short
She’s not just talking pennies. More than $4.5 million in late payments from the state are still waiting to be collected by the West Aurora district.
In East Aurora, administrators are dealing with a $5.7 million deficit, said Finance Director Jay Augustine.
“We’re going to meet in early January to go over all different types of scenarios,” Augustine said of the funding crisis. “There’s not enough information right now. All we know is that the state is out of cash.”
State Superintendent of Schools Christopher Koch said that the state is not immune to the economic slowdown, and that the state has more bills than it can currently pay.
* Financial meltdown slowing wind-power boom
* Bad tidings for local retailers
* Can Holiday Cheer Survive Economic Downturn?
* Smoking ban working well in Illinois prisons
* Hospitals seeking infusion
A capital infusion from Washington offers the only real hope of new money for so-called safety net hospitals desperate for cash for even routine upkeep of tired facilities. Facilities that treat mostly uninsured or public-aid patients, such as the West Side’s Mount Sinai Hospital, lack the profits and deep-pocketed donors needed for big expansions or medical technology common at university and suburban hospitals, where the fully insured are more likely to seek treatment.
* City can’t afford 50 aldermen any longer
But in all these talks, not once has it been suggested we lop off something completely unnecessary — so many aldermen.
* Chicago police boss’ 1st year saw major rise in violent crime
Still, the city is approaching 500 homicides for the year, a number the city has not reached since 2003.
* Gun of choice in homicides — semi-automatic
* Arne Duncan’s deputy Barbara Eason-Watkins focuses on reading
* 20 of city’s public schools slated to close or merge
* CTA sheds light on new subway emergency efforts
* Segal heads list of disbarred
More than four years after a federal jury convicted him of looting millions from his Near North Insurance brokerage, Mickey Segal has been disbarred by the Illinois Supreme Court. Segal’s law license had long been suspended, but the court waited to disbar him until his appeals ended. He’s serving a 10-year prison sentence.
The court also recently disciplined three other lawyers who pleaded guilty in high-profile cases:
* Illinois meth address database to go public, but not Missouri’s
* State’s DUI campaign can’t be ignored
* Debbie Halvorson is the freshman
From Crete to the nation’s capital, Halvorson wants you to know she’s a stand-up gal who wants to get things done
* LaHood reinvents himself yet again
* Wife of Gov. George Ryan sent President George Bush a letter on her husband’s behalf
* Tax talk: Cook vs. Will counties
* Cook County sheriff stages holiday ruse to catch fugitives
* Political battles intensify as election approaches
* Are Five-Second TV Spots The Future?
* WLS-TV’s Andy Shaw to retire; Charles Thomas named new Ch. 7 political reporter
Andy Shaw, a mainstay of Chicago media for more than 30 years, is retiring as WLS-Ch. 7’s political reporter at the end of January, the Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC station announced today.
Succeeding Shaw on the politics beat will be Charles Thomas, who joined Channel 7 in 1991 after several years as a Midwest correspondent for ABC News.
Shaw has been covering politics for WLS since 1983, after a 1976-82 run as NBC-owned WMAQ-Ch. 5’s education reporter and editorial director. Shaw covered education for the Chicago Sun-Times before that.
- Anonymous - Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 8:52 am:
There are readers/contributors beyond Cook County….just an FYI
- Narcoleptic - Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 8:56 am:
Sad to see Andy Shaw go. Made you feel like you were home when you saw Andy’s face.
- wordslinger - Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 8:58 am:
Reducing the number of aldermen is one of those great ideas you doubt will ever happen. More aldermen mean smaller power bases to challenge the mayor.
The last alderman to become mayor was…..?
- Rich Miller - Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 9:05 am:
===There are readers/contributors beyond Cook County….just an FYI ===
What’s your point?
- Cassandra - Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 9:17 am:
DCFS has a budget close to 1.5 billion and many fewer wards to place than during the foster care panic of the 80’s, yet once again the ACLU, which had to file a lawsuit in the 80’s to get decent care for foster kids, is raising questions about how Illinois DCFS cares for its wards. Our wards, that is. We as citizens are also responsible for their care.
The Blago administration and the Democrats can’t hide here. They’ve had charge of DCFS for five years. They gave unionized DCFS workers, along with other state workers, a plump contract within the past year, with nice raises and cheap health care and pension credits. Their top managers, including many politically connected Emil/Blago friends and family, make $100-!50k in salary and benefits.
So what are we getting for all this taxpayer money lavished on DCFS? More importantly, what are the kids getting. While DCFS spokespersons whine about a lack of resources, the fact is, for $1.5 billion
a year, they should find the resources. That’s what they are paid to do.
DCFS, unfortunately, is another casualty of the Blago administration and is likely to remain so until our Blago is gone and a new top management
is installed with a sense of mission and urgency about implementing the mission.
Unfortunately for the kids, that likely won’t happen until we have a new governor. They’ll just have to suck it up there in the psych ward.
- Anonymous - Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:13 am:
=whats your point=
Rich, as Al Gore would say (to “W” on election night -”no need to get snippy”). My only point was there was a new name, Mike Murray, attached to this piece and as a downstater conditioned to Cook County ALL THE TIME, I thought a gentle reminder (to supplement YOURS of course) was worthwhile to the new fellow.
- Princess - Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:21 am:
–”They gave unionized DCFS workers, along with other state workers, a plump contract within the past year, with nice raises and cheap health care and pension credits”— oh, Cassandra, are we going to go there again? Union frontline got no raise to begin contract and will get a ‘plump’ 1 and 1/2 starting in January. If they are lucky the ‘plump’ raise will offset the new prescription deductible and increase in care co-pays and the increase in premium. If you have a problem with funds and/or the usage of it, at least place the place where it really should go, it does not belong at the feet of the frontliner.
- shore - Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 12:21 pm:
From an outside perspective Andy Shaw seems like he’s a good reporter and we’ll miss him on t.v. Is Mike Murray the new Kevin?
- The Doc - Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 1:35 pm:
===Reducing the number of aldermen is one of those great ideas you doubt will ever happen. More aldermen mean smaller power bases to challenge the mayor===
Agreed. The next best option would be to overhaul the odious redistricting process that favors entrenched incumbents like Burke and Mell.
- jerry - Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 4:39 pm:
Fewer alderman would also mean that its even harder to remove entrenched aldermen.
The better option would be to remove Daley’s ability to appoint a replacement when an alderman retires/resigns in disgrace/is carted off to prison.
Special elections or even an open seat for the remainder of the term would be better than the status quo.
In general, reducing the Mayor’s power would go far in reforming this city.
Reducing the number of aldermen just increases Daley’s power. If the number of aldermen were reduced, do you really think that Ed Burke or Bernie Stone or Dick Mell would go? Or would it be Brendan Reilly or Toni Foulkes or Toni Preckwinkle or Joe Moore or Scott Waguespack?
The large number of aldermen is good for Democracy and makes it possible to occasionally get rid of a Ted Matlak. One alderman for every 56,000 people.
Cut the number in half, and then it’s one for every 112,000.
More representatives is also better for democracy. More viewpoints are included. You are more likely to be represented by someone who shares the views of your community.
Personally, I’d rather see an effort to increase the number of aldermen to 75 or even 100.
The tiny size of the Cook County Board is a travesty. That needs to be quadrupled. I’m not sure about Springfield, but the House of Representatives has about 700,000 constituents per House member. We could increase the size of the house to 1000, 2000, or even 3000 members easily. The only hard part is drawing new boundries and obtaining a larger chamber for the House to meet.
- jerry - Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 4:40 pm:
oh, and if an alderman is rarely heard from or is doing a poor job, it’s the alderman’s constituents job to assess that performance and decide whether or not s/he is to continue in that role. Sue Ontiveros and the Sun-Times should read up on this whole “representative democracy” thingie.