Morning Shorts
Thursday, Oct 7, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Poverty on rise in ‘burbs
Most suburbs examined experienced more than 50 percent increases in the number of poor from 2000 to 2008. In Aurora, the number jumped nearly 62 percent to 19,479, and in Joliet, it rose 39.5 percent to 15,266. […]
“Poverty rose in almost every Chicago suburban community that we looked at,” said Scott Allard, study co-author and associate professor in the U. of C. School of Social Service Administration. “More recent data would show that these trends have only continued.”
But few suburban communities have a social services infrastructure in place to address the challenges of increased poverty, he noted. In Cicero, there are 3,648 poor people per social service non-profit, the study revealed. In Carpentersville, there are 3,013 for every nonprofit, in Aurora, 1,299 for every one and in Skokie, 1,274 for every one.
* Blagojevich appointee pleads guilty in fraud case
Bamani Obadele, 37, stepped down as a deputy director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in 2005 after an internal investigation found he had profited from state contracts.
In pleading guilty Tuesday to one count of mail fraud in federal court in Chicago, Obadele admitted he had DCFS vendors buy tote bags, magnets and other items from a promotional company he secretly owned. He also directed DCFS contractors to subcontract work to a company in which he held a board seat.
* Unable to post bail, Oglesby to spend another night in jail
* Who else will follow Huberman, Daley out the City Hall door?
* Huberman departure may be tied to Daley’s
Many of Huberman’s signature initiatives are still unrealized. The district is in the midst of creating a new teacher evaluation, implementing a $40 million anti-violence initiative, and trying out Huberman’s favored performance management system, which attaches performance metrics to everything from transportation to teaching.
* Huberman Says He’s Focused on Schools, Even As He Plans Exit
* Huberman’s Been Looking for Some Time: Source
* Daley Livid Over Huberman: Sources
* Mitchell: Now might be best time for CPS chief to fly coop
* Chicago Teachers Union Calls for Restructuring of District Leadership
* City Council calls on CPS to turn heat on at school sit-in
The protesters at Whittier Elementary School should not be made to suffer while staying in the building at 1900 W. 23rd St., said Ald. Daniel Solis, 25th. The parents on the site want another assessment of the building, which they have occupied since mid-September.
“But in the meantime, the Board of Education cannot make a very dumb mistake, in my (opinion), of turning off the gas because the issue of safety comes up again,” Solis said.
* Brown: If city’s so green, why not require water meters?
* Daley blasts real estate groups for stalling renter protections
* ‘L’ stop named for Mayor Harold Washington
* Sporting News names Chicago best sports town
* Naperville kills overnight parking
* Naperville City Council rejects ROLC zoning district
* Kendall might ask unions for concessions
* Boone County Board to see balanced budget proposal
* Central Illinois may gain 2,000 turbines in 5 years
* First Latina state senator visits SIUC Wednesday
* Airman with Chicago ties killed in Afghanistan
Twenty-three-year-old Daniel Johnson was a newlywed. He got married just four months ago.
Johnson died Tuesday as he tried to deactivate a bomb near Kandahar, Afghanistan when an improvised explosive detonated, injuring the sergeant and killing Johnson. He lived in northwest suburban Schiller Park before moving to California.
He had one of the toughest assignments in the military - explosive ordinance disposal - commonly known as the bomb squad. Every job is literally a life or death operation. But his family says he loved it.
* Suburban Airman Dies In Afghanistan
* Recipient was ‘born to lead,’ Obama says at ceremony
- wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:19 am:
That’s not a very tight crew Todd Stroger is running. You’d think they’d be able to pass the hat to raise the $25k cash to get Oglesby out of jail.
If they think it through, they’d realize it’s probably be in their own best interests to get her out of jail and feeling loved in a hurry, or she might get lonely and feel the need to talk to just about anyone about anything.
- IrishPirate - Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:45 am:
What no stories about Rahm?
You do know the President is going to be in town today and what does that say about Rahm’s campaign?
Huberman leaving?
WWRD(What Would Rahm Do)
- cassandra - Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 10:02 am:
Obadele was more than just a deputy director. During the transition he was practically running the agency. And he still had a lot of clout under Bryan Samuels who did apparently catch on to Blago and leave at the end of Blago’s first term.
However, it is puzzling that Obadele on his own was able to set up these comparatively small but nevertheless corrupt scams. Didn’t anybody have to co-sign on his activities? Where was Samuels?
Where was CMS? It’s kind of scary, in uber-corrupt
Illinois, to think that a comparatively unsophisticated political hire, albeit with clout,
could get away with this and there were no financial controls to stop him.
Further investigation of this matter is unlikely but maybe one of the first “forensic audits” should they occur should be of DCFS’ finances and financial controls. Taxpayers believe that money
they pay for DCFS 1.5 billion budget is going to help kids. Not all of it, apparently. And probably not all of it still.
- Wumpus - Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 10:30 am:
Huberman is like the Pharoh’s servants. Will he be buried with Daley too?
- Honest Abe - Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 11:18 am:
I have never understood Huberman’s reputation as a political troubleshooter. I cannot think of any positive results that were achieved in any of the agencies or departments that he has headed. It seems as if he is the embodiment of the “Peter Principle.”
- He gone... - Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 11:22 am:
I wish they would look into some of the personnel recommendations that Obadele made to agencies like DCFS and IDOT in Rutan covered positions….very incompetent folks..
- jack the dog - Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 11:29 am:
Wouldn’t the Section 8 people displaced from areas near Downtown and other inner city spots, and who moved to Oak Lawn etc.have an impact on poverty levels in the burbs?
- Concern Citizen - Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 4:25 pm:
We meet at the CHA cluster where I was impressed with a young man that I thought devoted himself to needy children. I later found to my dismay that he was a low-life parasite that feed on the needy and helpless. These incidents that he plead guilty were deliberate and with malice. He along with others at DCFS both conducted in unethical and illegal behaviors. I remember as it was yesterday when he came to me that he was visited coming back from Florida buy law-enforcement agencies. He would later tell me that he was offered a deal of being indicted on one count of fraud with probable probation. It sickened me as I distanced myself to him than. There is a story to be told here and that is he could not do what he did without the help of others. What’s interesting he wasn’t worried about being indicted but how it would affect his ability to get grants and contracts. The African American community need to examine and look into their heart & soul and ask themselves” Is this what we want representing our community”. He is the worst of the worst as he deserves not respect as he has taken from those that were the neediest.
- Concern Citizen - Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 4:26 pm:
Or you need more information