* Putting people to work will restore trust in government

More than half a million people are out of work today in Illinois. Almost half of those people lost their jobs in the last year.

It hasn’t been this bad since 1983.

* StreetWise halfway to goal

A dire financial situation may have improved Wednesday for StreetWise, the Chicago publication to the homeless, after a series of well-timed donations and funding challenges carried the magazine halfway to the $75,000 total it says it needs to survive.

By the end of the day, donations had reached about $41,000 said StreetWise board vice chairman Pete Kadens—including a single donation from Jim and Kay Mabie for $20,000 that came with a matching challenge to other potential donors. Another board member, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, also donated $1,000 at the news conference. Smaller donations have been pouring in as the magazine’s plight has been publicized.

“Unreal,” Kadens said. “I’m on Cloud Nine.”

* Aldermen vow to save StreetWise

* StreetWise donations pour in

* Zell says Tribune acquisition a mistake

The real estate mogul, who took Tribune private in an $8.2 billion deal in 2007 that loaded the company with debt as revenue started to slide, also said the acquisition was a mistake.

“I was too optimistic in terms of the newspaper’s ability to preserve its position,” he said.

* Mayor Daley will lay off 1,600 City of Chicago workers unless unions agree to givebacks

They were told that plummeting city revenues threaten to poke a $250 million hole in Daley’s 2009 budget. And unless the $2.5 billion deal to privatize Midway Airport is revived this year, the shortfall would approach $300 million.

The bottom line: Without another painful round of union concessions to be chosen from a pick-your-poison menu presented to organized labor, as many as 1,600 city employees could lose their jobs. That’s on top of the 420 city workers laid off Jan. 1.

* Truth In Politics: Cook County Tax Rollback

Palatine is one of 12 suburban townships that voted overwhelmingly in a referendum against the 1 percentage point sales tax increase imposed last year. Stroger said voters were misinformed.

“I think that just goes comes from, they don’t really know where their money goes,” Stroger said. “Most of the money that goes to government does not go to the county.”

“I mean, it’s insulting to me,” said Arlington Heights resident Francesca Spatafora. “Why even bother making the change? It’s not gonna do much to help us.”

* After hiking sales tax, Stroger proposes rolling back county tax

Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), who is expected to challenge Stroger in next year’s Democratic primary, branded the tax rollback a desperate attempt by an embattled incumbent to salvage his re-election bid.

“Other than fact that the election is closer, what’s happened in the last month to lead people to believe we no longer have need for the money?” she said

* A race to cut Cook taxes?

Oddly, Stroger’s bitsy rollback proposal is one of three competing tax-cut plans: County Board member Tony Peraica wants to kill the full increase this year. And four other board members propose eliminating the entire increase over four years: The four are Larry Suffredin, Forrest Claypool, Tim Schneider and Bridget Gainer, a board newcomer we’re pleased to see as a sponsor.

We prefer the Peraica plan. Saving taxpayers close to $400 million in 2010 would force the long-overdue economies that Stroger has promised but failed to deliver.

* Stroger Critic Questions Cook County Sales Tax Proposal

* Cook County May Roll Back Some Of Its Sales Tax

* Cook County taxes: Board President Todd Stroger asks commissioners to pare back sliver of tax increase

* Sheriff’s corruption unit to probe suburbs

Dart has formed a new Financial Crimes/Public Corruption Unit, the first of its kind in the sheriff’s office, to investigate allegations of corruption in school districts, park boards and municipalities.

“That’s been a special interest of mine ever since I was an assistant state’s attorney and began investigating corruption in the Ford Heights Police Department many years ago,” Dart said.

* Chicago Park District hiking summer camp fees

* Ice storm cleanup in state parks cost $500,000

* Iroquois County — Attempt to reopen budget defeated

* Area taxing bodies feeling the hurt; don’t expect relief

* Dear Gina’s MySpace Wall: I’m From JP Morgan, And I’m Here For Your Father’s Car

* Northern Trust making more loans: report

* AptarGroup profit falls 28%

* School districts share $654,000 in federal money

* States seek stimulus money for high-speed rail

* Airport will get $7.3 million in recovery act funds

* Planning commission monitoring ‘wish list’ for stimulus funds

* Waukegan Harbor nets stimulus money

* Quigley hopes never to lose his sense of ‘Wow’

* Durbin gets star treatment at Barbour Language Academy

* Committees agree: Drive without a valid license, vehicle will be seized

* Cars may be impounded for motorists without license

* Chicago police and drunken driving: 13 officers were arrested in ‘08 for drunken driving, officials say

* Chicago police send wrong message with court no-shows

* Olson: More power for state AGs bad for banking industry

* Powerful Women Strike A Delicate Balance in South Suburbs

* Ron Burke: OK clean-energy law to help achieve 2 goals

* New law helps Illinois kids get therapies

* Holocaust museum: Sunday’s opening in Skokie to have powerful message of hope amid the horrors

* Museum acquired ideal location in Skokie

* A Holocaust Survivor Hands Off Her Story

* Unfiltered: Cipora Katz’s Story of Holocaust Survival