* Analysis: 49-0 vote deceiving

Aldermen OK city’s Olympic liability, but get big concessions […]

They forced Ryan to line up $1.4 billion in private insurance to insulate taxpayers and spend 50 long nights conducting public hearings in all 50 wards to shore up public support that started to falter after the mayor’s overseas about-face.

* Chicago approves Olympic host city contract

* Chicago Takes Full Responsibility for 2016 Olympics

* Obama to boost Chicago’s 2016 bid next week

* Stiff tab for Oprah encore?

If talk show diva Oprah Winfrey decides to reprise this week’s Michigan Avenue block party to open her 25th season, it could cost her a pretty penny.

Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) wants to require promoters and sponsors of outdoor special events in the central business district to pay the same hefty lane-closure fees that developers pay to make way for construction projects.

* Loud dogs may draw fines in Chicago

Owners’ penalty could be up to $250, City Council proposal says

* Grassroots Organizers Gear Up For Wal-Mart Battle

The Good Jobs Chicago Coalition is pushing for wages of at least $10-15 an hour. Members want Wal-Mart to provide health care and they want the retailer to purchase supplies from local vendors.

Conventional political wisdom says the Wal-Mart debate will jumpstart again in a few weeks. That’s after Chicago learns whether it will host the 2016 Olympic Games.

Alderman Howard Brookins wants a Wal-Mart in his ward, at a vacant site on 83rd and Stewart.

Wal-Mart sent him a letter with community promises. But the jobs coalition wants an ordinance.

* CTA rail stations to get high-resolution digital security cameras

The Chicago Transit Authority board approved a $4.3 million contract with Teleste Corp. of Georgetown, Texas, to install high-resolution digital security cameras and related equipment at all 144 CTA rail stations by 2011.

* Decatur getting new buses with federal funds

* ISBE announces budget hearings for education

The Illinois State Board of Education is scheduling hearings around the state for input on the public school budget for 2010-2011.

* New University of Illinois Trustees to Meet Today

Several new faces will be present for today’s University of Illinois Board of Trustees meeting. Seven of the nine board members were appointed in recent weeks during the aftermath of the school’s admissions scandal.

* U. of Ill. trustees to take up admissions

* SIU-Edwardsville’s enrollment hits record

* Home weatherization program to launch in Illinois

* Illinois to receive $2.8M stimulus for forests

* State to offer free fishing day at state parks

* Report on global warming predicts dire Illinois consequences

* Illinois smart grid collaboration gets support from Gov. Quinn

Led by the Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Illinois Smart Grid Collaboration seeks to develop smarter, stronger and more secure electric grids. Gov. Quinn joined over 60 organizations, including electric companies ComEd, Ameren, and the Galvin Electricity Initiative, as well as the City of Chicago and Village of Oak Park in supporting the proposal.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has set aside nearly $4 billion for smart grid advancement, with more than $615 million for regional demonstration projects. The Illinois Smart Grid Collaboration is competing for its cut of $60 million available in regional ARRA demonstration project funds.

If federal funding is received, the State of Illinois will invest up to $30 million in matching funds for two smart grid development and testing centers. According to Gov. Quinn’s office, the centers will work in partnership with energy providers and individual communities to ensure consumers and industrial users benefit from the collaboration’s technological advancements. Total costs for the proposed project is estimated to be $120 million.

* Internet Grows 37.5%, Traditional Media Declines 30%, 2006-2009

* Six workers per job opening?

If you’re looking for a job, five others are knocking on that same door. There were six workers for every one U.S. job opening in July, according to data released by the Labor Department Wednesday.

There were 2.4 million job openings, in July, according to the government’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover report, the lowest number in the history of the report.

* Foreclosure filings in Cook County dropped in August

Foreclosure filings in Cook County dropped 9.5 percent in August from a year ago and plummeted 32 percent from July, according to a report from RealtyTrac released Wednesday.

* Illinois Army National Guard soldiers returning from Afghanistan