Morning shorts
Monday, Aug 24, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* How Zell botched Cubs deal
His sale of the Cubs also is structured to minimize taxes. It calls for Tribune to retain a 5 percent stake in the team. Otherwise, the $845 million sale would trigger massive capital gains, as Tribune paid only $20.5 million for the Cubs in 1981.
* Safety work actually adds danger to Kennedy Expressway ramps
* Ald. George Cardenas rents ward office from family
* At Cook County Forest Preserve: Top staffers give — and get
On average, the exempt employees were paid $98,071 last year. Nine of them saw their salaries increase 19 percent or more between 2006 and 2008.
Most of the Shakman-exempt employees — 24 in all — have contributed to the campaign funds of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger; his late father, former board President John Stroger; or the 8th Ward Regular Democratic Organization that John Stroger controlled.
The Strogers and the party organization have gotten a total of $49,870 in campaign contributions from the exempt employees since the mid-1990s. The biggest contributor: Deputy Comptroller Alvin Lee ($12,100), followed by district police chief Richard Waszak ($8,050).
That’s their right, says district spokesman Steve Mayberry, who says Todd Stroger never has solicited forest preserve employees for campaign cash.
* Bensenville takes a new tack
New leader drops O’Hare fight to focus on possible benefits of airport expansion
* Political Powerhouse Pairs School Rally with Olympic Promotion
A Latino group with deep ties to the Daley administration is hosting a back-to-school rally to promote Chicago’s Olympic bid.
* Chicago 2016’s ward meetings wind down, but opposition, questions remain
City’s financial guarantees for Olympic Games raise concerns among residents
* Selling the Games, a ward at a time
As it has at times in recent weeks, a community meeting about Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics soon veered off into a heated discussion about other things.
Affordable housing. Jobs. Crime.
* Ill. community reports $10M in tornado damage
* Sun-Times president, COO nominated to industry board
* Governor approves social service helpline
* State beef’s up stimulus Web site, boosts rating with watchdog group
* Teen panel offers ideas on ‘reinventing’ high schools
* Teens have good ideas on fixing high schools
* Alderman’s relative found dead in Hammond
Hammond police are investigating the incident as a homicide, but they have no suspects and no one in custody, said Hammond Police Lt. Richard Hoyda.
* Sun-Times reporters win top national honors
- Downstater - Monday, Aug 24, 09 @ 9:28 am:
Stoger- and people still keep voting for these democrats in Cook county. Go figure!
- wordslinger - Monday, Aug 24, 09 @ 9:29 am:
The Zell deal is even worse than that. The whole game plan was to win a World Series now and then use that goodwill to ram the Blago/Thompson/Zell Wrigley deal down the throats of a drunk-with-victory citizenry.
To that end, the Cubs wildly overpaid on long-term contracts for Soriano, Fukudome and Bradley. What did they care? They were selling. Win now and cash in.
is there an outfield in baseball with a worse ROI? I hope you like them, Cubs fans. Because unless the Ricketts can eat some big-time money to dump contracts, they’re going to be there for a while yet.
- Longtime Listener - Monday, Aug 24, 09 @ 10:16 am:
The WUIS Statehouse reporters also won nat’l honors for their radio coverage of the impeachment. Congrats, Amanda and Sean!
- wordslinger - Monday, Aug 24, 09 @ 11:07 am:
By the way Sox fans, the season to now has been prologue to the murderous 11-game road trip that starts tonight: 4 in Boston, 3 with the Yankees, 3 in Minnesota and 1 at Wrigley.
6 and 5 or 5 and 6 would be a great success and keep us in the hunt for the last home and away series with the Tigers.
But for the next two weeks, as Harry used to say, there’s danger here, cherie.
- CircularFiringSquad - Monday, Aug 24, 09 @ 11:37 am:
Big Murr did you miss the following on Gags Brady bio….Durkin and Whacky Jack McCain….now that is potent.
“The Revolving Door: Sneed is told that Andy McKenna, who abruptly resigned Wednesday as chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, was this/close to being thrown out. “McKenna spent too much time promoting his own candidacy [U.S. Senate] rather than promoting the party,” a top GOP source said.
†Replace ’em: McKenna’s replacement, Pat Brady, is extremely close to Republican National Committee Chief Michael Steele and this/close to state Rep. Jim Durkin, who was Illinois chairman of John McCain’s presidential campaign.”
- Obamarama - Monday, Aug 24, 09 @ 12:12 pm:
Sneed stole “Obamarama” from me in her column this morning. Just sayin.
- Plutocrat03 - Monday, Aug 24, 09 @ 12:33 pm:
So the great multibillionaire democratic patron and his silk stockinged lawyers have figured out how to avoid paying the appropriate amount of taxes an more than 800 million in capital gains.
When you and I get lucky and make a few dollars on an investment, we must dutifully and immediately pay our taxes. When more revenue is needed by the various governments they come to you and me first.
IMHO the couple hundred million in taxes this deal should have generated for the various governmental tills would have been particularly welcome in these times.
Why is there no outrage?
- JonShibleyFan - Monday, Aug 24, 09 @ 1:33 pm:
Pluto, I hate to burst your bubble, but Zell is hardly a “democratic patron.”
He’s donated to both Dems and Republicans (more to the latter, BTW). And the changes at WGN radio seemed geared to making it a poor man’s (or rich man’s as the case may be) WLS, demanding a phony populist edge from their normally chummy, laid back talkers and adding the buffoonish Jerry Agar to the lineup.
- Plutocrat03 - Monday, Aug 24, 09 @ 2:13 pm:
My count has a few more shekels going to the dem side, but regardless of which side he is a patron of, why is there no complaint from anyone about the preferential tax treatment for him and the Tribune company?