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This just in…
Thursday, Mar 12, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 12:05 pm - Quinn to keep Pontiac open…
Pontiac Correctional Center is off the chopping block. In an announcement Thursday, Gov. Pat Quinn said he would halt efforts by his predecessor to close the maximum-security facility.
“Keeping Pontiac Correctional Center open will ensure nearly 600 people in the region keep their jobs, prevent hundreds of families from being uprooted, and allow Pontiac to maintain one of its largest sources of revenue,” Quinn said in a prepared statement.
The decision brought relief to those who had fought former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s effort to close the facility. […]
While Pontiac may be spared, it remains unclear what Quinn intends to do with Thomson, located north of the Quad-Cities.
The biggest supporter of Thomson’s prison is Rep. Mike Boland, who is a longtime Quinn ally, although the governor has appeared to distance himself from Boland somewhat since his inauguration. The decision on whether to fully open Thomson could be the more politically interesting move.
* 12:20 pm - More spending promises…
Quinn received a warm ovation Thursday at the Illinois Education Association’s meeting in Rosemont. […]
He didn’t provide dollar figures to the teachers union. But he told them education is his top priority.
Quinn says he wants to reduce public schools’ reliance on property taxes. And he’ll do what he can to protect their pensions and rebuild schools.
* 12:59 pm - Gee, what a surprise. Another hinky contract by the Blagojevich administration…
A state audit found fault with the way Illinois chose Pepsi as its exclusive soft-drink vendor.
Auditor General William Holland reported Thursday that the Revenue Department didn’t properly document how bids from Pepsi, Coke and other vendors were evaluated, how references were checked, or what evaluators discussed in meetings about the bids.
* 1:22 pm - I asked AFSCME what Gov. Quinn should do about the Thomson prison and here’s the e-mailed response…
Thomson was intended to relieve dangerous overcrowding, not to replace any other prison. If there is additional funding for Thomson it should be for that purpose. The governor should take this opportunity to start turning around a department that was terribly mismanaged by his predecessor: That means hiring adequate staff and relieving overcrowding to reduce inmate violence and lower overtime costs.
Check out this correlation between staff cuts and overtime costs:
* DOC staff, 2001: 16,930
* DOC/DJJ, 2009: 12,700
* DOC overtime cost, FY02: $12 million
* FY08: $44.3 million
Clearly the money wasted on overtime is better spent to restore adequate staffing levels.
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What’s in a name?
Thursday, Mar 12, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oldtimers still call the Aon Center the “Standard Oil Building,” so I’m wondering if this’ll ever stick…
Sears Tower will become Willis Tower.
The insurance broker announced Thursday morning that it will move to the Sears Tower and that the building will be renamed Willis Tower.
London-based Willis Group Holdings said it will consolidate five local offices into more than 140,000 square feet in the 110-story building at 233 S. Wacker Drive. Almost 500 employees will move into the building, Willis said.
Willis said the space is costing the company $14.50 a square foot and that it is not paying extra for the naming rights.
Thoughts?
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Question of the day
Thursday, Mar 12, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The setup…
Federal estimates released Wednesday show that 16.5 percent of Illinois households have dropped landlines to go wireless.
Oklahoma and Utah lead the way in cell phone-only households, with at least 26 percent, according to data released Wednesday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The rate was at least 20 percent in nine other states, including two that border Illinois. The CDC said 22.2 percent of households in Iowa and 21.4 percent in Kentucky are landline free.
But Illinois came out ahead of other Midwest states, including Wisconsin (15.2 percent), Indiana (13.8 percent) and Missouri (9.9 percent).
* The question: Do you have a landline phone at home? If no, why not? If yes, do you think you’ll keep it? Explain.
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Reform and Renewal, Part 9,692
Thursday, Mar 12, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Drip, drip, drip…
Tribune Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Sam Zell hired well-known defense lawyer Anton Valukas and was interviewed in January by federal prosecutors as a “potential witness” in the criminal investigation of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the company acknowledged Wednesday.
Some unanswered questions are finally addressed…
In their subpoena to Tribune Co., federal authorities sought information about potential staff cuts or changes to the newspaper’s editorial board. The company has said Tribune Co. executives did nothing inappropriate.
Tribune Co. also acknowledged state records, recently obtained by the Chicago Tribune, that show Zell making a phone call and giving a gift to Blagojevich. According to records of Blagojevich’s telephone logs, Zell placed a call to the governor Dec. 8, the day before the arrest.
Zell placed “courtesy calls” to several elected officials, including Mayor Richard Daley, that day to notify them the company had just filed for bankruptcy protection, according to the statement from Liebentritt. “Mr. Zell’s call to Mr. Blagojevich was not returned,” the statement said.
A bit of background on that December 8th phone call from Zell…
In an exchange of e-mails between [Tribune Co. adviser Marc Ganis] and [Rod Blagojevich’s chief of staff John Harris] on the day prior to the arrests of the governor and his chief of staff, Ganis provided Harris with a copy of a news story noting Tribune Co. had filed for bankruptcy. Harris responded, “Lousy product. Inevitable.” […]
Ganis also noted the Cubs were not part of the firm’s bankruptcy filing and said “Nils is going to call you and Sam is going to call the Gov.”
Zell and the Tribune Co. were attempting to work out a deal to get state help with selling Wrigley Field.
* Meanwhile, in other corruption news…
A city driver disciplined after five work accidents — including one that seriously injured a co-worker — told a federal jury Wednesday “yes, I am” a good driver.
Denise Garcia Cortez’s remarks came during the corruption trial of Al Sanchez. She testified that she first got her job after doing political work for the Hispanic Democratic Organization. She said she was trained but had little experience.
Last week, a witness testified that Cortez, whose name was Alcantar, won the job after Sanchez chose her from a political hiring list. Her test scores were doctored, former personnel director Jack Drumgould said.
Cortez admitted on the stand she applied for her job, not at City Hall, but at a club where HDO met. She said she left it on the table and was later called in, and eventually hired in 2002.
More…
Other witnesses in the trial, which began last week, have discussed how HDO was an important part of Mayor Richard Daley’s political organization.
But in putting Alcantar on the stand to talk about her checkered driving history, prosecutors clearly hoped to personalize what otherwise might be a relatively dry tale of rigged hiring processes and election campaigns.
* More reform and renewal…
* Woman claims Blagojevich firing for talking to FBI
* Hynes won’t release records of pre-need funeral trust
* Burris mum on pre-need funeral trust matter
* Burris Added to Special Election Lawsuit
* Sanchez Attorney: The Mayor Told Him To
* Let inspector general investigate aldermen
* Illinois man indicted on alleged Wis. kickback scheme
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Worst. Spin. Ever.
Thursday, Mar 12, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oy…
“No money was exchanged. Nobody was naked.”
That’s how Gary Skoien decided to fend off allegations by his wife that she caught him in their children’s playroom with two prostitutes. Skoien is the Palatine Township Republican Committeeman and former Cook County GOP Chairman.
* More…
Inverness Police say former Cook County Republican Chairman Gary Skoien admitted having two prostitutes in his children’s playroom when his wife walked in on him early Sunday morning.
The allegation is in a domestic battery report from Skoien, 55, against his 36-year-old, 5-foot-4-inch, 110-pound wife. He said she beat him with her fists and an electric guitar.
But Skoien said the police report inaccurately stated that he had prostitutes in his home. Skoien said he and a friend were talking in the playroom when his wife came down and began beating him.
Eni Skoien spent two nights in a lock-up before being released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
* More denial…
Skoien said two female friends were visiting around 1 a.m. Sunday, when his wife, Eni, who had returned home a bit earlier, came downstairs and attacked him.
“I was not in a compromising position other than I had friends over to my house,” Skoien said.
* Karma?
Allies of Mayor Daley in both parties had been upset with Skoien since he offered a $10,000 “bounty” four years ago for information leading to the conviction on corruption charges of the Chicago mayor.
The remark got Skoien fired from his real estate job, cost him a seat on the Metra board and resulted in calls for his ouster as county Republican chairman.
But he survived a re-election vote, serving from 2004-to-2007 as the head of Cook County’s Republican party, which has not succeeded in electing a Republican to countywide office in 17 years.
* Republicans take flight…
As word of the incident got around local political circles, two candidates on the Republican slate for Palatine Township board asked the Daily Herald to remove Skoien from their lists of endorsements.
“I think Gary needs to respectfully resign and work on mending his family,” trustee candidate and retired Des Plaines police officer Sharon Johnson said. “He’s not the person of character I had originally thought.”
Sue Johnson (no relation), who’s running for township collector, also backed off Skoien’s endorsement. But later Wednesday she said via e-mail that she was no longer seeking to remove Skoien’s name from her list of endorsers, having made the initial request “without having all the information. … My concern is for Gary and his family during this difficult time.”
A person who answered the phone at the home of Carol Tesmer, the Palatine Township GOP committeewoman, simply called the story “a lie” but would not elaborate.
I think it’s best to keep comments closed on this one. Sorry, but I just can’t stomach the prospect of dealing with this all day.
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* No surprise here, but Gov. Pat Quinn wants to make sure that any income tax hike includes higher personal exemptions to assist lower income taxpayers…
“If you have a generous personal exemption then you can help a lot of families right now ward off higher taxes and also have some income that they can spend to get our economy moving again,” Quinn said.
* But Progress Illinois finds this buried nugget at the bottom of an Aurora Beacon News article…
“I think this economy makes it almost impossible to place an income tax increase on people,” [Attorney General Lisa Madigan] said.
Apparently, the first gauntlet has been thrown in the 2010 gubernatorial campaign.
* Sen. James Meeks also isn’t thrilled with a plain ol’ income tax hike, unless it includes significant property tax relief…
[Sen. Meeks said] his peers in the Senate likely would not support an income tax increase if it didn’t lead to education funding reform and property tax relief.
That’s a tall order considering the huge budget deficit.
* Meanwhile, Gov. Quinn also staked out two areas that shouldn’t be targeted for cuts…
[Quinn] said he doesn’t want to reduce spending on state health insurance programs or education.
He also said paying off the state’s backlog of bills is a priority.
“I don’t think it’s right or proper to see people lose their job because their employer didn’t get paid by the state of Illinois,” he said.
* And the two Republican legislative leaders offered up some alternative ideas to fund the capital projects bill…
The two GOP leaders offered up a menu of gambling-related options that could be used to raise money to pay for a $25 billion construction program, including adding gaming positions at current casinos and racetracks and adding a casino in Chicago.
They also said they could support a plan to allow for the purchase of lottery tickets on the Internet, as well as video poker.
Radogno said some of the ideas already have won support in the Senate, but never advanced in the House. She acknowledged that expanding gambling might be distasteful to some lawmakers, but said it would be fairer on taxpayers because gambling is “voluntary.”
“The fact of the matter is, we have gambling,” Radogno said.
* Related…
* Chicago’s Olympic bid team wants $250 million state guarantee
* More state money wanted for Olympic bid
* Illinois’ jobless numbers highest in 15 years, but could be worse
* Illinois residents not thriving: poll
* Foreclosures up 30 percent in February
* Free services help prevent foreclosures
* Getting jobless pay from state winds up taking loads of work
* Exelon stock hits 52-week low on downgrade
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Morning Shorts
Thursday, Mar 12, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Chicago school leaders say tax hike is likely
$475 million budget shortfall is forecast
* Property tax may be needed to cover CPS deficit
A property tax hike may well be needed to fill a projected $475 million Chicago Public School budget deficit — the largest in at least 10 years, CPS officials said Wednesday.
* CPS Projects Big Budget Shortfall
* Violence claims 26th CPS kid this school year
* 10th-grader is 26th Chicago Public Schools student slain this school year
* CTA service cuts, fare hikes on the table
CTA service cuts and more fare increases must be among the possible options to erase a projected $155 million budget deficit this year, transit officials warned Wednesday, adding that a decision will be made next month.
“We are going to take some type of action at the April board meeting,” CTA Chairwoman Carole Brown said.
Urgent steps to cut costs are required, partly because of the uncertainty over the accuracy of sales-tax projections provided by the Regional Transportation Authority, Brown said.
* Rodriguez Officially Takes Helm At CTA
* CTA threatens fare hikes to close budget hole
* Battered: Examining domestic violence
Overwhelmed Cook County state’s attorney’s unit sees 90 high-risk domestic violence cases a week but can handle only 30
* Train traffic could derail downtown
Merchants fear CN plan would prompt drivers to start taking highway
* Realignment of Sun-Times executives
* View from the middle: The small business owner
* Chu: FutureGen price tag may be $2.3 billion
* $500 million error in FutureGen analysis
* Math gaffe could mean new life for FutureGen
* Energy secretary: FutureGen price tag may be $2.3 billion
* Shelter for the homeless in the Southland
After more than two decades, it looks as though the Southland may finally build a permanent shelter for the homeless.
* Chicago river walk extension keeps rolling along
The latest phase of work to connect existing sections of riverfront pathways is expected to be done in June.
* Fed study says tests show beach safe despite asbestos
* Illinois earmarks. The complete list.
* Durbin’s earmarks, Illinois lands $230 million
* $34 million approved for ash borer fight
Congress has approved $34.6 million for nationwide efforts to combat and prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced Wednesday.
* Durbin, Schumer Propose New Credit Safety Agency For Consumers
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Afternoon this and that
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The stoopid… It burns!!!!
* Reality sucks: Unemployment in Illinois climbed to 7.9 percent in January — the highest levels since April of 1993 — as the state’s employers chopped another 29,300 workers from their payrolls in response to worsening economic conditions.
* My intern’s rough notes from today’s House Executive Committee meeting on HB 12, the “One gun per month purchase limit” bill…
NRA: …The 2nd Amendment says that the right to bear arms will not be infringed upon. Can’t say one book a month, and due to the same constitutional rights you can’t say I gun a month. ….
Rep. Arroyo: How many people are killed with books each year?
NRA: (Now he is yelling) That is not the issue. Guns are not the problem. All these laws do is restrict the rights of law abiding citizens and violent criminals ignore these laws anyway… they are still able to get guns… the problem is the Chicago public schools system that only has a 47% graduation rate.
Rep. Arroyo: You are not answering the question…How many kids do books kill each year…
NRA: Well, Mein Kampf killed about 6 million people.
The bill passed 7-3.
* Hamlet on the lake…
Former Commerce Secretary Bill Daley is inching closer to making a decision about running for the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2010. According to a source close to Daley, he is tying up loose ends with his employer before making any announcement.
“He hasn’t made the final decision, but he’s beyond just seriously considering,” the source said. “He’s very close to making that decision.” […]
The brother of the mayor of Chicago, Daley would presumably enter the race with the backing of his family’s political operation. He has already recruited pollster John Anzalone and media consultant Larry Grisolano of AKPD Message and Media to help him if he decides to run.
* From an e-mail…
I received a written thank you for an on-line contribution to Mike Quigley. It is the first thank you I have received in years. I know that Barack couldn’t have kept up but why isn’t anyone sending thank you letters anymore? Just something I thought I’d pass on to you.
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Hit job
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The theme of a new Village Voice article about the Blagojevich administration is familiar: Blagojevich was a crook who surrounded himself with crooks. The angle is somewhat unique, though: Former Deputy Gov. Bradley Tusk’s alleged role in the corruption. The story’s hook is that Tusk was recently named to run NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign, a job Tusk has never before held. The tone is harsh and conspiratorial…
Unlike so many other onetime Blagojevich supporters, Tusk has yet to say one critical word about the former governor. […]
The Chicago Sun-Times compared Tusk to Karl Rove […]
It’s hard to imagine that Tusk, an alert and 12-hour-a-day man, was unaware of this mire all around him […]
The first 31 pages of the 76-page arrest affidavit recount events that occurred while Bradley Tusk was at the helm of the government and notes that the government began the probe in 2003. […]
The Bloomberg campaign claimed a couple of months ago that Tusk had never been questioned, much less implicated, in the investigations—by either federal or state officials—of Blagojevich. But the Voice has obtained a copy of his June 22, 2006, interview with the state’s Auditor General, William Holland, which establishes his culpability for a flu vaccine program that the state itself conceded, when sued by an unpaid vendor, was illegal. […]
In a letter to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, written just eight days after Tusk’s campaign appointment was announced by Bloomberg, the impeachment committee included him on a list of 15 former Blagojevich staffers it wanted to subpoena. Fitzgerald objected, asking the committee not to question any of them, including Tusk, because it “could significantly compromise the ongoing criminal investigation.” […]
Fitzgerald’s criminal complaint against Blagojevich alludes repeatedly to a Blagojevich flight aboard a chartered private plane to New York in 2003 that Tusk helped organize and that included a press conference with Bloomberg about the drug importation program. Five of the seven people aboard—excluding only Tusk and Blagojevich’s bodyguard—have since been charged with federal crimes, and all but the former governor have pled guilty. […]
Edwin Eisendrath, the former Chicago alderman who ran against Blagojevich in the Democratic primary, said: “It’s unimaginable that Tusk didn’t know about the corrupt selling of public services.”
And on, and on, and on, and on.
You have to get to the end of this very long piece before you see the Tusk that some of us knew…
Regenstein tries to put some perspective on his and Tusk’s efforts: “We knew the governor had flaws. We knew all this was going on, but we had no way of knowing if the accusations were true or not. Brad always said to me, ‘How many people did we help?’ We were trying to stay focused on policy.” […]
Aware, no doubt, that the feds were everywhere, when Tusk got campaign calls on his personal cell phone, says Regenstein, he would leave his office in the government center and “go to common space” in the building so he was not doing campaign work “on government time.”
Tusk was a Blagojevich enabler and willfully ignorant. He got out while the getting was good and has since stayed as far away as possible. But while I’ve had countless disagreements with him over policy or style or whatever, I never thought him to be corrupt - at least, not when compared to the typical Blagojevich insider.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The setup…
The fight to raise the interstate speed limit for semitrailer trucks to 65 mph has raged in Springfield for several years without success.
This year, a roadblock to the plan — former Gov. Rod Blagojevich — has been removed. But whether big rigs will be allowed to drive faster on interstates is still yet to be seen.
Three times, lawmakers have approved raising the interstate speed limit for semis from 55 mph to 65 mph, the limit for smaller vehicles. Three times, Blagojevich vetoed it.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s office said Tuesday the governor hasn’t taken a position on the idea.
* The Question: Should the speed limit be increased to 65 mph for semitrailer trucks? Explain your answer, please. Thanks.
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Rhetorical smoke placates headline writers
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Predictably, the headlines today were all about a proposed pension change that won’t save more than a few dollars (literally) in next fiscal year’s budget, and a few vague proposals for other gubernatorial budget cuts…
* Quinn readies budget ax to chop away at deficit
* Quinn: Job cuts, pension changes possible
* Ill. gov considers 2-tiered pension system
* Budget comes with dose of ‘castor oil’
* Challenges for Gov. Quinn’s first budget
* The Pantagraph also leads with the hype, but its reporters commendably get behind the PR smoke screen to the heart of the matter…
State Sen. Donne Trotter, who is the point man on budget matters for Senate President John Cullerton, said negotiators are discussing boosting the state income tax rate to 5 percent, up from its current 3 percent.
Trotter said officials believe boosting the personal exemption for certain lower income residents could reduce the impact of higher taxes on their pocketbooks. […]
A 67 percent increase in the income tax rate would bring in an estimated $7 billion to help close the gap, meaning additional belt-tightening might have to accompany any increase.
* And those promised cuts? Maybe not so much…
Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said he’s onboard with changing the pension system but thinks government will be forced to cut only if there’s not enough support for higher taxes. He said it sounds like Quinn will be proposing an income tax increase.
“If there’s no tax increases, we will cut,” Cullerton said. […]
[Sen. Larry Bomke (R-Springfield)] said the only possibilities he sees for trimming the budget are in programs expanded in recent years.
“I honestly don’t know where he would cut,” Bomke said.
* There was also this symbolic diversion which won’t save much money, either, but will make newspaper editorial boards happy as clams…
In [House Republican Leader Tom Cross’] plan, all the current lawmakers would stay in their current plan, arguably the most individually lucrative of all the pension plans in terms of how fast members rack up a pension and the added perks.
But freshmen lawmakers and first-time statewide office holders (who are also in the General Assembly pension plan) taking office in 2011 would instead go into the state employees plan.
However…
Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan… currently sponsors legislation that would set up a similar system for the General Assembly’s pension plan, said spokesman Steve Brown.
* Meanwhile, in important news, S&P lowered the state’s bond rating because of the massive budget deficit and pension morass…
Citing the state’s “limited action’ in addressing its budgetary problems, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services lowered its rating on the State of Illinois’s general obligation bonds to “AA-minus” from “AA.”
The debt-rating concern had placed the state’s so-called “GO” bonds’ double-A rating under CreditWatch review for possible downgrade in December, a move that S&P said at the time “reflects our opinion of the state’s growing budgetary shortfall,” as well as concerns about the distraction posed by the legal charges facing the state’s since-ousted governor, Rod Blagojevich.
In marking down the bond rating Tuesday, S&P took the GO bonds off of CreditWatch.
In general, a lower bond rating means the issuer - in this case the state - must pay a higher interest rate to find buyers for its debt offerings.
* And then there’s this…
[Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno] supports Quinn’s call for a $25 billion capital construction plan but, like Quinn, opposes Cullerton’s idea to pay for it with an increase in the gasoline tax.
Radogno would rather reconsider expanded gambling - a voluntary tax, she said - or leasing the state lottery’s management.
It’s gonna take a while before this thing is soup. In the meantime, look through the smoke to the real story. Tax hikes are coming.
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The Egyptian river
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Two Chicago Democratic VIPs have now contradicted sworn testimony in the trial of Mayor Daley’s former Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Al Sanchez. From yesterday…
Former city worker Roberto Medina testified that he was involved in founding the scandal-scarred Hispanic Democratic Organization at the urging of William Daley and others. […]
Medina testified Monday that the meeting was in the early 1990s at a restaurant on Fullerton Avenue and that it also was attended by top mayoral strategist Timothy Degnan, [William Daley], U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and mayoral Cabinet member Ben Reyes.
Yesterday, Bill Daley said…
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the guy,” William Daley said of Medina. “I have no memory of him.”
And then today…
U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) today angrily denied sworn federal court testimony placing him at meeting that led to the creation of the scandal-scarred Hispanic Democratic Organization. […]
In a statement [late yesterday], Gutierrez said: “I’d sue for slander, given that I was never at the meeting, but the settlement would be about as worthless as the witness’ memory.”
In recent years, Gutierrez has heavily criticized HDO and considered challenging Daley for mayor in 2007. But he did not run for mayor and eventually gave Daley a glowing endorsement.
“Given its history, it should never have existed,” Gutierrez said of HDO. “I think they wanted to be god-like and omnipotent.”
Gutierrez has been an HDO target for years, so he may have a point here
* Chicago denials are not always trustworthy, of course. For instance…
Mayor Richard Daley says he accepted flights “once or twice” from a nonprofit company under investigation by the IRS and Congress.
Daley’s spokeswoman Jacquelyn Heard said last week that the mayor took one flight in September 2006 to Singapore courtesy of Educap. She denied a CBS News report the Daleys took 58 flights over a five-year period.
At an unrelated news conference with South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Tuesday, Daley was asked how often he’d flown on the jet. He said “once or twice,” and added that reporters have “got all the facts on that.”
Not quite…
When asked if he was on more than one flight aboard the private jet, specifically if he took it to celebrate his birthday in Cabo, Mexico, the mayor said, “Yes, a private visit.”
When asked about another 2005 trip where the mayor supposedly took six flights in 28 hours, Mayor Daley said, “I was not on all of those legs. I was just on one. I can’t speak. I don’t have all the facts.”
After the mayor’s press secretary cut off questioning, CBS 2 showed her newly obtained flight log details from the private jet. She acknowledged that Mayor Daley likely took eight trips, involving up to 18 separate flights on the charity jet.
Stops included Monterey, California; Washington, D.C.; Cabo, Mexico; Monterey, again; Van Nuys; Reno, Nevada; Kona, Hawaii, and Singapore; and Nassau, the Bahamas. [emphasis added]
* Related…
* Witness blasts feds’ hiring case
* Mayoral aide’s letter surfaces at Chicago hiring-fraud trail
* Sanchez Trial a Parade of City Employees
* Update: Sanchez Trial Sheds Light on City Hiring
* Don’t be fooled: City Hall hiring games aren’t over
* Aldermen: Let Inspector General Investigate Us
* Daley Admits To Taking Trips On EduCap’s $31M Jet
* Daley shrugs off questions about free travel
* Forgive us our negativity — bless the press
* Archbishop Tutu Absolves Chicago Press
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Morning Shorts
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Errors fueled Bush decision to cancel FutureGen: GAO
Congressional auditors found significant flaws in the Bush administration’s controversial decision to kill the FutureGen project last year but stopped short of saying it was politically motivated by the selection of downstate Mattoon over two Texas sites.
The Department of Energy compared apples and oranges when it concluded that the costs for the $1.8 billion clean coal power plant had doubled since the project’s inception, according to a long-awaited report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) obtained by ChicagoBusiness.com.
* Sox, Cubs not cutting prices
* $18 for Art Institute?
Less than three years ago, entry was free
* ‘Monster train’ fears rising in suburbs
* Chicago Suburbs Continue Fight Against Increased Train Traffic
* Nuclear waste has no place to go
In a pool of water just a football field away from Lake Michigan, about 1,000 tons of highly radioactive fuel from the scuttled Zion Nuclear Power Station is waiting for someplace else to spend a few thousand years.
The wait just got longer.
* Too much space for Ch. 2
Station needs to cut costs, so it’s trying to sublease some Block 37 space, including street-level studio
* Ill. treasurer wants to lump pension funds
* Madigan shares foreclosure resources
* Economy’s retreat trapping jobless vets
* Vets need help fighting war in their heads
* Illinois gets ‘D’ for mental health care system
* Mental Health Patients Crusade for Clinics
* NAMI Grading the States Press Release
* Chicago settles reverse discrimination lawsuit
After years of legal wrangling, 75 white firefighters will share a $6 million settlement reached with the city of Chicago in a reverse discrimination lawsuit filed over a 1986 lieutenants’ exam.
* Schock Testifies Before Joint Committee
* The Illinois Congressional Pork Report
* Chicago school is ready for teacher performance pay
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