* Daley defends Chicago handgun ban on eve of Supreme Court hearing

* SCOTUS to ponder Chicago gun ban

* Daley Defends Handgun Ban

* Mayor Daley ‘optimistic’ U.S. Supreme Court will uphold city’s handgun ban

* The Evolution of Chicago’s Handgun Ban

* Chicago gun control case could change constitutional map

* Plaintiffs put sympathetic face on Chicago gun case

* Chicago man explains challenge of city’s handgun ban

* January spending increases but income growth slows

* Unemployed fear losing benefits as Republican senator filibusters to block extension

* Thousands to Lose Unemployment Benefits

* Project Shield a big drain on Cook County taxpayers

Cook County’s post-Sept. 11 security initiative, dubbed Project Shield, which has come under fire for being sharply over budget and years behind schedule, is proving to be an even bigger drain on taxpayers.

* City steps in to block Daley testimony at developer’s bribery trial

The city asks a judge to quash a defense subpoena seeking to call Chicago Mayor Richard Daley to testify at the bribery trial of developer Calvin Boender. Boender is set to go on trial next week on charges he bribed then-Ald. Isaac “Ike” Carothers to obtain support for a large project.

* Ex-congressman’s daughter: Polish-Americans are under-counted in Census

“Why are there no Poles on major boards and commissions?” Pucinski asked. “Why, on the short form for the Census are we not allowed to identify ethnic identity?”

* School Districts Waive Pulaski Day Off

* Naperville City Council to mull 3 measures to fill budget gap

Garbage tax, gas tax hike and fund transfers to be considered

* New commission will help guide La Grange Park’s sustainability efforts

* Deer hits car, ‘crash tax’ hits driver

On her way to work in Glendale Heights on Dec. 8, a deer jumped onto Locklin’s car, crushing the windshield. Locklin slammed on the brakes and caught her breath.[…]

The Westchester resident suffered only minor injuries, a few cuts and scrapes from the damaged windshield.

What hurt far more was a $350 bill from the Glenside Fire Protection District, a fee critics refer to as a “crash tax.”

* Carbondale city council to discuss 2010 budget

* ‘Swipe fees’ a hidden tax on the poor, most of all

“These fees are a hidden tax on all of us, and they hit the poor especially hard,” said the study’s author, Robert Shapiro, who was undersecretary of commerce for economic affairs in the Clinton administration.

To pay for the rewards programs, which are heavily skewed toward the higher-income brackets, the card companies have boosted the processing fees retailers pay. “The result is massive transfer of wealth from poor to rich” in the checkout line, said Shapiro.

* Downstate judge resigns after alleged threats: [Judge] Brunton was suspended for allegedly making threats, though the nature of them never has been spelled out. No charges have been filed.

* A loud, bizarre silence in Island Lake

Two weeks ago, Village President Debbie Herrmann surprised the community by announcing she placed Police Chief Anthony Sciarrone on administrative leave.

* UI Springfield chancellor to retire in October

* Owner of many Peoria radio stations declares bankruptcy

* New broadband network would reach deep into Central Illinois