Morning Shorts
Wednesday, Jan 7, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* State may lose millions in federal wildlife funds
The Illinois General Assembly must act this month to restore $9.25 million in restricted funds “swept” to pay state bills or risk losing millions in federal dollars for fish and wildlife management.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sent Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s office a letter Dec. 19 stating that any transfer of hunting and fishing license fees to pay other state expenses would be violate federal law.
* Daley taking city’s case for stimulus help straight to D.C.
With Gov. Blagojevich facing impeachment, Mayor Daley is trying to engineer a political end-run around Springfield when it comes to Chicago’s share of the $800 billion economic stimulus plan being crafted by President-elect Barack Obama.
* Daley Says He’ll Go Around State For Federal Funds
Mayor Says He Can’t Let Springfield Hold Onto Stimulus Money
* Chicago mayor going to feds for funds
* Republic Windows and Doors workers file labor board charges
Representatives and an attorney for the union representing Republic employees said that they hope the NLRB will order Gillman to return the machinery to the Chicago plant, facilitating the potential reopening of the factory under a new owner. Members of Gillman’s family formed a new company, Echo Windows, which bought a windows-manufacturing plant in Red Oak, Iowa, shortly before the Chicago plant closed.
“The union is asking the board to demand, among other things, the return of the machinery, the clients and the jobs to Chicago,” said Laurie Burgess, the attorney filing the charges. “The workers at Republic are standing up for their rights and demanding a stake in their future.”
* Chicago Union Head Wary of More City Job Cuts
The head of Chicago’s Federation of Labor is bracing for the possibility of more layoffs in city government. That’s after Mayor Richard Daley Tuesday opened the door to additional job cuts as the economy continues to sour.
* Shelters brace for homeless families
Since October, Chicago-area homeless shelters have reported increases of anywhere from 5 percent to 39 percent in people needing immediate housing, compared with the same time the previous year. The number of homeless students enrolled by Chicago Public Schools in November was 9,132—up 28 percent compared with November 2007, a spokeswoman said.
* Durbin, Ill. delegation to stump for FutureGen
* Local union reacts to Cat cuts
The union representing Caterpillar employees reacts to the recent announcement that more than 1500 jobs would be created out of state
* Pontiac mayor says bankrupt plant to stay open
* Will County asks for timeout on EJ&E
* Market takes bite out of Field Museum
* Chicago Ald. Ricardo Munoz’s father sentenced to prison
The father of a Chicago alderman wept moments before he was sentenced to 4 years in prison Tuesday for his role in a fake ID ring operating from inside his Little Village photo studio.
“If I did something wrong, I’m sorry; forgive me,” Elias Munoz, father of Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd), said in a mixture of Spanish and English.
Prosecutors alleged that the elder Munoz took in at least $180,000 a year for about 13 years snapping pictures for phony driver’s licenses and other documents.
* Chicago Adds More Top Teachers
* 5% at CPS earn ‘master teacher’ grade
* Chicago Public Schools’ cappuccino bill: $67,000
* Chicago schools’ espresso machines a waste of money, inspector reports
* Highway workers got paid OT for absences
Last winter, Cook County Highway Department maintenance employees called in sick, took vacation or paid time off on the same days they earned overtime compensation, a Chicago Sun-Times review of payroll records shows.
On February 1, for instance, three employees at the LaGrange Park garage worked seven hours overtime and also were paid sick or vacation time for their regular shift. Each of those workers were compensated for 18.5 hours that day.
* Daley OKs more spending for snow removal
* Chicago reverses snow-clearing cutback on side streets
* The third rail of Chicago politics?
The bleached-white streets of Chicago over the last few decades would seem to indicate Mayor Daley heeded the lesson former Mayor Michael Bilandic learned the hard way in 1979: Chicagoans want their streets salted and plowed immediately after the snow falls.
* Fatal traffic accidents down 16 percent in Illinois
- 4 percent - Wednesday, Jan 7, 09 @ 9:21 am:
With regard to cap fax, I thought initial news reports said it was Sam Adams Sr (not Jr.) that met with the governor?
- Leave a light on George - Wednesday, Jan 7, 09 @ 9:25 am:
DNR employees told Gov. F Bomb that the feds would take away these funds but he swept the dedicated $ anyway. Incompetence (and patronage) has been the order of the day in DNR since he was elected.
- OT should be paid - Wednesday, Jan 7, 09 @ 9:27 am:
I see no problem paying people at an over time rate for working hours outside of their regular scheduled shift hours. Vacation and Sick Time is earned paid time, just as work time is.
Also, these folks came in off of vacation or while they were sick to help plow roads, that should be commended.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jan 7, 09 @ 9:27 am:
It is remarkable to see a mayor appeal directly to the federal government because it cannot rely on the state government.
It is also remarkable to watch federal funds be turned away because our state government doesn’t function.
Our political meltdown has come at one of the very worse times possible. We knew back in 2002 that we were facing troubling times due to 9/11 and remaining concerns over the 2000 dot com bust. Like a turtle watching an approaching truck pulling into it’s shell, instead of soldiering on to escape from the truck’s wheel - we have discovered that our shell wasn’t strong enough this time to keep from becoming economic road kill. Instead of grabbing opportunities to maintain and expand economic growth and cutting back on our budgets, we cowardly fell back to infighting and eating our seed corn, expecting others to go without.
Handing Illinois over to one political party was a disasterous turn of events. The Illinois Democratic Party has no one else to blame but themselves. Even as our economic situation worsens, they can no longer fingerpoint at Bush, since there would be one of their own in the Oval Office.
We needed to reform Illinois when the rest of the country did during the 1980s and 1990s, instead of sitting back and expecting our historical advantages to reaffirm themselves. Times have changed, but Illinois didn’t.
Thanks to Blagojevich, the meltdown has occurred sooner than later, but at the worse time possible.
- Maggie - Wednesday, Jan 7, 09 @ 9:30 am:
WLS just reported the senate is going to seat Burris.
- Maggie - Wednesday, Jan 7, 09 @ 9:33 am:
I would say this is a great day for Governor Blagojevich.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jan 7, 09 @ 9:40 am:
If Burris is seated before Illinoians can determine for themselves the extent of his involvement with Rod Blagojevich, Burris may well end up the loser.
The Illinois GOPers on the Impeachment Committee have an opportunity to dredge up Burris’ connections, contributions and deal making with Blagojevich and sit it upon his head for 2010.
Burris may have wanted to become a senator in the worst way - and it looks like he just has.
- Anon - Wednesday, Jan 7, 09 @ 9:41 am:
“We can have great curriculum, great technology, great textbooks. If we don’t have great teachers in every classroom, it just doesn’t matter,” said Schools CEO Arne Duncan (From “Master Teachers” article posted above).
Fortunately for the children in Illinois, what matters most to CPS is neither technology or teachers. It is $67,000 worth of coffee machines.
- Amy - Wednesday, Jan 7, 09 @ 10:55 am:
Eilas Munoz….a long time coming and lots of people knew this was going on. all they had to do was watch the street action.
- KeepSmiling - Wednesday, Jan 7, 09 @ 11:56 am:
VM, c’mon. Really, c’mon.
Mayor Daley appeals directly to the federal government on every bill. Chicago has long viewed going to the State as a waste of time and downstate, a waste of available dollars. The City is well staffed in DC. This is no more than a warning to the rest of the region (RTA, Metra, Pace, IDOT, CMAP, DuPage County, etc.) that the city is moving on its own. Folks can try to jump with him, or not. He’s got cover and he’s moving fast, and there might just not be enough time to share his plans with anyone.
- Captain America - Wednesday, Jan 7, 09 @ 3:31 pm:
Given the political meltdown in Springfield the last several years, as well as the State’s precarious fiscal situation I think Daley’s end-run around Springfield is entirely justifiable.
Daley has capital matching funds availble from the lease deals he has negotiated.