* Google is buying Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. But what about those supposedly guaranteed Illinois jobs? The Daily Herald takes a look…

Libertyville Mayor Terry Weppler said he talked with representatives of both companies early this morning and was reassured operations here are expected to continue without major changes once deal closes later this year or early next year.

“Instead of losing Motorola, we’re gaining Google,” Weppler said.

However, Google’s announcement that it will acquire Motorola Mobility still left some state officials wondering about the deal that was signed in May to keep the Motorola spinoff’s headquarters in Libertyville in exchange for more than $110 million of tax incentives. As part of that deal, Motorola Mobility agreed to keep 2,500 workers at the headquarters, but Gov. Pat Quinn said the company made “an oral commitment” to keep 3,000 jobs. Motorola Mobility currently employs 3,290. […]

State Rep. Ed Sullivan, a Mundelein Republican whose district includes the Libertyville offices, said if Motorola leaves, the tax breaks would be void. And if Google sticks around and honors the terms of the agreement, they’d get the tax breaks promised to Motorola Mobility.

Also, Sullivan said, the state has yet to spend any money in the deal, so Google wouldn’t be grabbing state money and running.

* The Beacon News also took a look…

Gov. Pat Quinn said Monday morning that, after speaking to Google, he is confident the company will increase Motorola Mobility’s presence here. The state will look at the provisions of incentives package but the money is tied to jobs staying the in the state. Quinn said Motorola Mobility makes the hardware Google wants.

Motorola Mobility was separated from the rest of Motorola in January. The company has remade itself as a maker of smartphones based on Google’s Android software, but has struggled against Apple Inc. and Asian smartphone makers.

“Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies,” said Google CEO Larry Page in a statement. “Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers.”

* Speaking of technology and communications, check this out…

Pundits are panning leaders of San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) subway system for turning off underground cellular service on Thursday from 4-7pm in an attempt to prevent protest organizers from communicating and organizing via mobile devices.

Although critics contend that the move evokes thoughts of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, when government-mandated cellular disruptions were used to try and prevent Egyptian protesters from organizing in a similar fashion this past January, BART officials maintain that the shutdown was intended to keep its service running and subway riders safe. The protest was planned in response to a recent shooting by a BART officer.

“A civil disturbance during commute times at busy downtown San Francisco stations could lead to platform overcrowding and unsafe conditions for BART customers, employees and demonstrators,” says a statement on BART’s official site.

According to officials, BART’s method for blocking cell phone signals didn’t involve any kind of signal jamming–which could run afoul of the Communications Act of 1934, a measure that expressly forbids “maliciously interfering with the radio communications of any station licensed or authorized under the Act.”

An initial statement by BART made it seem as if the organization had contacted cellular service providers and asked them to flip their respective switches, but further interviews with BART officials indicated that the organization itself has the power to, and did, turn off the wireless signals it provides for transit riders. The official decision to cut service was a two-pronged effort by BART police and Sherwood Wakeman, BART’s interim general manager.

* Back to money…

Officials with the Illinois Department of Central Management Services said they have eliminated 1,111 desktop printers, 194 fax machines, 264 copy machines and 276 scanners, for an annual savings of $1.4 million.

The state also has renegotiated its electronic equipment recycling contract to save an estimated $2.2 million on the more than 61,000 electronic devices it generates each year.

The state also has terminated 117 office leases, which represents a 25 percent drop since the governor took office in 2008.

Central Management Services spokeswoman Alka Nayyar estimated it amounts to the elimination of about 1.5 million square feet of leased space.

Although final tallies aren’t in, Central Management Services reported in July that the office space reductions have saved about $1.5 million.

The elimination of 1.5 million square feet of office space saved just $1.5 million? Weird.

* And back to tech…

The District of Columbia is not thrilled that its residents are traveling to Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia to gamble in casinos. Starved for cash, like states across the country, the district wants some of the millions in revenue that gambling generates each year.

So district officials want residents to gamble closer to home — inside their homes, actually. Or in cafes, restaurants and bars. By year’s end the district hopes to introduce an Internet gambling hub that would allow Washington residents to play blackjack, poker and other casino-style games.

“They can do it from Starbucks, a restaurant, bar or hotel, or from a private residence,” said Buddy Roogow, executive director of the D.C. Lottery, who expects the new games to eventually raise $9 million a year. “That’s real money in D.C.”

* Related…

* Patents Are Driving Google’s Purchase Of Motorola Mobility–But Will The Deal Hurt Competition?

* Defunding of state water, geology agencies worries county

* Microsoft’s “decision engine” more likely to lead users to a Web page than searches through rival Google, study finds.

* Kraft, Sara Lee take dog fight over ads to court: The long-running legal battle pits two Chicago companies against each other. Sara Lee Corp. makes Ball Park franks, while Kraft Foods Inc. makes Oscar Mayer. The case could clarify how far companies nationwide can go when boasting that their product is better than a competitor.

* Jakobsson won’t seek to override Quinn’s changes on surveillance camera bill

* Editorial: The Illinois Tollway is a highway system, not a jobs program

* IL panel on race and drivers stuck in park

* Why you should care about the way garbage is picked up: In every other major city in the United States, garbage routes are drawn to cut financial and environmental costs—and collection costs much less. Many cities use software to design the most time- and cost-effective routes, taking into consideration factors as specific as the extra time needed to make left turns, navigate busy intersections, or get past schools when they’re letting out for the day. Over the course of a year, minutes here and there can add up to millions of dollars in wasted labor and fuel costs.