Morning Shorts
Thursday, May 21, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* AG files suit against alleged fraudulent charities
* Insiders may cash in on meter deal
Two of Mayor Daley’s former top aides — and a security company once co-owned by the brother of Ald. Danny Solis (25th) — are poised to make some serious coin from the $1.15 billion deal that privatized Chicago’s 36,000 parking meters.
Under pressure from aldermen to comply with the city’s minority set-aside requirements, LAZ Parking Chicago LLC has hastily assembled a team of subcontractors that includes former mayoral press secretary Avis LaVelle and Cortez Trotter, who was Chicago’s first African-American fire commissioner before being promoted to chief emergency officer.
Monterrey Security — owned by former Chicago Police Officer Juan Gaytan and once co-owned by former Chicago firefighter Santiago Solis — is in line for $1.2 million in 2009 and has already been paid $413,152, according to a document distributed to aldermen.
* FOP flop: Chicago alderman’s likely heir erred with police signs
* Fitzgerald Threatens Gun Criminals
Murder in Chicago is an all too common occurrence. And for all the hand-wringing that goes on when people are shot and killed, very few people actually know what to do to prevent future gun violence. Federal prosecutors, including U.S. attorney Pat Fitzgerald, think they have part of the answer.
The whole idea that you can reduce crime from meeting in an hour is just to me so powerful as long as we have enough job opportunities and GED opportunities for people at the other end. It’s not going to be very successful if we go around and tell a whole bunch of people getting out of prison, you have a choice and then they make the right choice and then we say, well actually you don’t have a choice because we don’t have a job opportunity.
Fitzgerald says his time as a prosecutor has convinced him that law enforcement is not going to be able to prosecute it’s way out of the gang and gun problems plaguing Chicago. He says employers need to step up and start hiring ex-offenders.
* Arlington Hts. sues Arlington Market developers
* Elk Grove Village launches own stimulus effort
* Illinois to suspend roadwork where possible for holiday weekend
* U of I expected to rein in Global Campus
The university opened the campus in January 2008 as a way to reach more students and generate revenue though thousands of enrollments.
But so far the online venture has just over 400 students.
* Hot dog-makers battle over alleged misleading ad
* Group says CVS sold expired products
* Futures firms fuse as Peregrine buys Alaron
The combined company, which brings together two family-owned businesses in an industry increasingly dominated by global behemoths, will have about $425 million under management, according to executives from both companies. The acquisition is the first of what Peregrine President and Chief Operating Officer Russ Wasendorf Jr. says will be a series of purchases en route to a target of $1 billion under management.
“You need to get to critical mass,” Mr. Wasendorf says in a telephone interview. More acquisitions are in the offing, he adds, particularly as new rules for currency trading that go into effect later this year force smaller brokers to seek bigger pools of capital.
* Fun times running out at amusement park
* Kiddieland amusement park to close after this season
* Versus president says hockey fans finding channel
However, in Wednesday’s entry, I wrote that ratings for game 2 of the Hawks-Detroit series Tuesday were off 31 percent from game 1 on NBC Sunday. It isn’t a complete apples-to-apples comparison and other factors were involved. However, while you would expect some decrease, a 31-percent drop does seem to validate some of Mr. Wirtz’s concerns about people being able to find the channel.
In fairness to Versus, it is only one game, and the network will get another shot Friday when the series returns to Chicago. It also will air games 5-7 if the series gets that far.
So the jury still is out in Chicago.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:00 am:
You missed the biggest news item. State Senate passed the 3 capital bills yesterday.
- Ahem - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:14 am:
I don’t see how Fitz is threatening gun offenders. He seems to suggesting pragmatic improvements that can reduce recidivism.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:16 am:
Six, how long have you been coming here? I’ll be posting the capital bill stuff soon. Patience, please.
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:17 am:
Hockey ratings are never going to be that good. The game just isn’t suited for television. You have to see the whole ice to appreciate the movement away from the puck.
- Former State Employee 2 - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:21 am:
wordslinger, you are correct. Half of the time the action is no where near the puck.
- Hon. Cranial Lamb - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:28 am:
Yeah, really Six Degrees!
Just because CapFaxBlog went 18 hours without posting any updates including stuff about the capital bill doesn’t mean that Rich is off his game. That’s totally unfair of you to say that.
- I miss Sega - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:29 am:
I agree Former SE 2 - everyone knows that hockey is best watched as a video game.
- Anon - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:34 am:
re Fitzgerald and exfelons- amen brother amen. State, local and federal governments need to lift the ban on hiring ex felons to show and lead the way. When you pay your debt to society it should be paid.
- 2ConfusedCrew - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:35 am:
Capt Fax:
Here’s hoping you are planning a full section on Mrs Blagoofette heads to CR to eat another hairy toad. We know there already is tons of breathless media converage, but only the blog can do justice
- Linus - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:46 am:
I swear I thought “Kiddieland amusement park to close after this season” would be accompanied by a photo of bulldozers lining-up against the state capitol
- Rich Miller - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:47 am:
===went 18 hours without posting any updates===
It’s called “working.”
- Dem61350 - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:57 am:
Can’t get versus- My kid and I would watch every game if we could, but this versus deal kills that. BREAKING SOX NEWS??? Internet reports say Sox get Peavy!!!!!
- Stones - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 9:57 am:
I am told that Versus is not available on Direct TV. That might account for some of the problem with viewership of the Blackhawks game.
- Rob_N - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 10:08 am:
Thanks for the shout-out to NW Cook Mike!
That Arlington Market issue has been a growing problem for some time now — big issue in the recent mayoral election.
- Scooby - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 10:30 am:
I can only get Versus in Springfield at the Alamo.
- Amy - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 10:48 am:
Fitzgerald is leaning to the Cease Fire side of the fight against gun violence. there are lots of reasons why there is crime. problem is, there will always be poor people, and there will always be violence. it does not matter what color they are or what ethnic group it is. poverty yields violence.
but, the U.S. Attorneys Office, with a low case load per attorney, should speed up their prosecutions and therefore, they should spend their time on what they are trained to do….prosecute. and if they could add to their case load by handling more cases that are not all tied up in a bow, like state and local prosecutors do, they could help get violent people off the streets.
stop talking and start prosecuting. that will leave fewer violent people out there for the social workers, you know, the people trained to talk to people who need help.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 11:37 am:
===went 18 hours without posting any updates===
It’s called “working.”
Just like going 18 hours without an “enhanced” show tune by VanMan.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 11:40 am:
Newsweek journalist Richard Wolffe, who interviewed Obama a dozen times…
As evidence, Wolffe reports that during the presidential transition period, Biden insulted Valerie Jarrett, one of Obama’s closest friends and confidantes. Jarrett had been considered Obama’s top choice to fill his vacated Senate seat in Illinois, but took herself out of the running just hours after Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich allegedly told a wiretapped conference call he would not heed any Obama recommendation without a payoff.
“Soon after Jarrett pulled out of consideration for the Senate seat, the senior transition team met to discuss cabinet picks,” Wolffe writes. “Biden tried to compliment Jarrett after one contribution. ‘You should be in the Senate,’ he quipped.
This is being ran right now, and it shows that the Obama team knew Blagojevich was selling his old senate seat earlier than they have previously claimed. Has anyone else caught this?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 11:42 am:
VanillaMan, I don’t believe the timeline is new.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 11:45 am:
Enhancing tunes is no work for me. It is very easy, and I’ve been doing it my entire life, so I can come up with one if a flash. My Mom always did it, and now my daughter is already exhibiting the same trait, and last night she sang a song to me based on “This Old Man” with entirely new lyrics she created. Adorable!
Music is vital to sanity.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 11:46 am:
VanillaMan, I don’t believe the timeline is new.
Just wondering…
- Citizen6 - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 12:59 pm:
As a lifelong die hard hockey fan, I feel that I know what I’m talking about when I make the statement that Versus does indeed royally suck. I absolutely cannot wait for the contract to expire. I think that the NHL has proven that it is once again ready for major cable following the two year lockout a couple years back. The fervor sweeping Chicago surrounding the Hawks is a perfect example. Next year? Look for Boston to experience something similiar as they are reputed to be playing host to an unknown opponent in the Green Monster January 1. Further, this years playoffs, featuring three game sevens and the rivalry of NHL megastars Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have reignited interest in the game. I think ESPN would be crazy to not jump in front of this before it’s too late (and won’t miss out because it’s ESPN for pete’s sake! Nuff said) Back to versus…my major gripe: Games are rarely in HD. Contrary to the thoughts above, hockey in my opinion is the best spectator sport but only in HD (physical play, puck danglin finesse, few game stoppages, the occasional tough guy scrap). I’ve said enough…go Hawks!
- Rich Miller - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 1:02 pm:
I wasn’t able to ever watch hockey on TV until I bought a big-screen HD.
- Citizen6 - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 1:16 pm:
I agree. In hindsight, I look back and can’t believe I was able to watch ANYTHING before HD. It’s amazing how acustomed you get to the clarity of an HD picture as opposed to the good old analog tube picture. I still hold the position that hockey in person is by far the best spectator sport to view. There is not a bad seat in any rink. If you sit close, great, you can view the chin scars of the bruisers. If you sit up high, you can truly appreciate the beautiful flow of the game. You are able to see the one timer plays forming before anyone ese, and really appreciate those long across ice passes that will eventually connect with the intended recipient for a breakaway goal.
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 1:24 pm:
I grew up watching Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Keith Manguson, Tony Esposito, et all on a 14-inch black and white screen in a 500 pound “hi-fi set” block of wood, hooked up to an antennae my old man almost killed himself putting on our farmhouse roof.
Of course, there were only four stations, so anything that didn’t come in snow was good.
- Citizen6 - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 1:33 pm:
Ahhh…the good ‘ol days
- steve schnorf - Thursday, May 21, 09 @ 10:57 pm:
Though it may have changed, I am not aware of any state law generally prohibiting the hiring of ex-felons. Most of the problem I saw in my years at CMS was failure to disclose, and lying on the app was a firing offense
- Gnashing of teeth - Friday, May 22, 09 @ 1:19 am:
RCN doesn’t have versus on the standard package, so — since no one ever watched the channel until we couldn’t find it on the usual suspects — we were out of time to pay for the dang thing. And I’m so flippin mad there’s no way I’m paying RCN a premium fee for just a few games. I’ll go to the Lamppost.