* Blago judge: Ruling soon on unsealing documents

The federal judge presiding over former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s corruption case says he expects to decide next week whether to unseal key documents and wiretap evidence.

* Burr Oak Cemetery hallowed again

Blessings rained down Wednesday upon the defiled grounds of Burr Oak Cemetery as an ecumenical rainbow of leaders from diverse houses of worship re-consecrated what was formerly sacred but now is a crime scene.[…]

“Black and white, Jew and Gentile, Protestant and Catholic, Baptist and Greek Orthodox, we are here, all of us with one voice saying, ‘These grounds are hallow again,’ ” said the Rev. Marshall Hatch of New Mount Pilgrim Church in Chicago

He was among some 50 area religious leaders who converged on the beleaguered Alsip cemetery to tour and bless the sites where corpses were allegedly illegally unearthed and dumped in mass graves as part of an alleged grave-reselling scheme.[…]

The clergy were invited and accompanied by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, whose office is managing an investigation that has brought the FBI and high-tech equipment that has recovered more than 200 bones or bone fragments from one four-block-wide area alone.

* Investment firm co-owner charged with embezzling $24 million

Federal authorities Wednesday charged the co-owner of a Chicago-based investment firm with embezzling $24 million from union pension funds.

* Man accused of running Ponzi scheme over 22 years

* Teen mother hoping to leave drugs and violence behind with help from CeaseFire workers

CeaseFire is bolstering its efforts to reach women and girls like Rivera who are caught up in Chicago’s violent street life. The strategy marks a shift for the Chicago-based organization, which historically has worked with men, the primary offenders and victims of crime.

* Daley: Get over Wal-Mart gripes, allow jobs in Chicago

Mayor Daley today urged labor leaders hell-bent on preventing Wal-Mart from expanding in Chicago to “come to grips” with the need for jobs.

After accepting a $700,000 Wal-Mart grant to create “green jobs” for ex-offenders, Daley lauded the world’s largest retailer as a “great corporate citizen” that is “responding” to concerns about wages and health care that have fueled union opposition.

The mayor said it’s “up to the citizens” to pressure their aldermen to give Wal-Mart the go-ahead to build its second Chicago store — and first super-center that sells groceries — at a former Chatham industrial site at 83rd and Stewart

* Daley asks unions to stop Walmart gripes

Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon has threatened to revive the big box minimum wage ordinance vetoed by Daley if the City Council approves a second Walmart.

* Deal to save city money would allow cops to retire at 55

Chicago Police officers could retire with premium health benefits at age 55, instead of 60, under a deal reached Wednesday that could save the city $23 million and pave the way for an infusion of younger officers.

Nearly 700 officers currently fall between the ages of 55 and 60 and could be lured into retirement, if only they were guaranteed affordable health care, said Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Donahue.

* CPD officers may retire at 55 with benefits

* Vote delayed on proposal to crack down on turning condos into hotel suites

Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) put off a License Committee vote on his proposal to crack down on the practice under pressure from a handful of condo owners, some of whom have hired veteran lobbyist Bill Griffin to plead their case.

“It was represented to them when the building was being constructed that this was a perfectly legitimate practice. Make an investment. Buy four or five units and rent them out. Open your own mini-hotel. And folks said, ‘That sounds great,’ ” Reilly said.

“They came in and said, ‘What gives? We made this investment in good faith.’ And I said, ‘I’m very sorry to report that the developer sold you a bill of goods. This is in direct violation of city code. I’m sympathetic to your situation. Let me see what we can do.’ ”[…]

It would allow condos to be turned into hotel suites, only if owners get prior approval from the condo association, secure at least $1 million in liability insurance and obtain a two-year “vacation rental license” for a $500 fee.

* N. Side drivers may not like this parking plan

For thousands of drivers commuting downtown from the city’s Far North Side and near north suburbs, Ridge Avenue is a time-saving lifeline that picks up where transportation planners left off — funneling traffic to and from the dead end of North Lake Shore Drive.

But it turns out the same fast-moving features that make Ridge the in-the-know route for savvy drivers make it a nightmare for local residents who say they can’t even cross the street.

Now, the alderman who oversees one of Ridge’s busiest stretches says she has decided to open it to parking, essentially shutting down two of the four lanes, except during rush hour, in an effort to slow the cars and divert those commuters elsewhere.

* Hiring freeze no better idea despite layoffs, Davlin contends

The fact that the city of Springfield has issued layoff notices to some employees doesn’t make a hiring freeze any better an idea, aldermen were told Tuesday.

* This garbage worth considering

The issue: Several economically challenged suburbs are banding together to try to bring a high-tech, experimental garbage disposal facility to the Southland.

We say: While it may seem far-fetched or foolish, until more concrete plans for sound economic development are brought to the table, we applaud these mayors for at least seeking a solution. We need far more information to decide is if this a good move. But it’s a fair start.

* Deal would bring more trash, cash

ROCKFORD — William Charles Ltd. and the Winnebago County Board are working on a deal that will bring thousands of tons of garbage to county land and hundreds of thousands of dollars to county coffers.

It could also reduce the life span of the landfill by 20 percent.

* Schaumburg moves ahead with “green” parking lot

Wenger said the $1.5 million project should begin in early August and be done by November.

* Mixed signals over Naperville, Aurora emergency radio change

So after this year, Aurora and Naperville will spend more than $20 million converting their analog radio systems to ones that use digital technology. The new radios will be more reliable and authorities say they will also provide better service from inside buildings and allow all emergency responders to communicate with each other instead of through a dispatcher.

* E-mail messages call attention to debate among officials Buffalo Grove before off-track betting vote

Several e-mail messages were circulated among board members and officials at least a month before the final vote June 1 — correspondences that one expert called a violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

* Arlington Heights Park District installing new skate park

* U-46 superintendent says he will not accept salary increase

* School’s green roots go deep

Tarkington, 3330 W. 71st St., opened in 2005 as the Chicago Public Schools’ first “green” building. Since then, the school system has certified two others and has plans this fall for four new green elementary schools and one high school, said Suzanne Carlson, director of environmental affairs. Five more green schools are scheduled to open in 2010, officials said.

* New jobless claims rise, total rolls fall

Unemployment-insurance claims have declined steadily since the spring, but most private economists and the Federal Reserve expect jobs to remain scarce and the unemployment rate to top 10 percent by the end of the year.

The Labor Department said today that its tally of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 30,000 to a seasonally adjusted 554,000. That was above analysts’ estimates of 550,000.

* OSF employees’ salaries frozen

OSF Healthcare System employees were informed Wednesday morning of a yearlong freeze on salaries and other cost-saving measures.

All employees’ salaries will be frozen for 12 months effective this Sunday, Jim Farrell, OSF senior vice president of marketing and communications, confirmed Wednesday. That affects 12,000 employees systemwide.

* Illinois launches program to help home buyers

Under the Illinois Home Start Loan Program, hundreds of residents will be offered a 30-year- fixed rate loan. Available to first-time home buyers, the loan is insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

The program offered by the Illinois Housing Development Authority also gives the home buyers the opportunity to use a second loan to help them make a down payment. This loan allows the first-time buyers an advance loan on the $8,000 federal tax credit that they can pay back once they get the credit.

Besides first-time home buyers, the program is available to veterans and members of the military who are on active duty even if they’ve purchased homes before.

* State debuts new-homebuyers help

Program participants must also pay a $300 application fee, of which they may receive a refund of $100.

* Lottery sales continue to climb during recession

Ticket sales were up a little more than 1 percent over the year before, for the fiscal year ending in June. That meant Illinoisans bought almost $2.1 billion worth of lottery tickets, setting a sales record.

Still, because of the timing of some payouts and other issues, profits for the state lottery were down nearly 5 percent last year. That means less money brought in for the state.

People spent more money on scratch-off tickets but less on more profitable games such as Mega Millions. That means the lottery sent the state about $625 million, down from $657 million the year before, said Jodie Winnett, lottery superintendent.

* FutureGen pays record price for last piece of land

The FutureGen Alliance recently bought the final piece of property needed for the plant for $750,000 from Kurt and Michelle Theriault. The couple paid $155,000 for the wood-frame house and 4.3 acres in 1971.

Coles County Supervisor of Assessments Jean Tipsword says that’s more than anyone has ever paid for a residence in county. The previous record was $548,000.

* Building projects unveiled at LLCC

Work on portions of the $33.8 million construction program — the largest since LLCC moved to its current campus in 1971 — will begin this fall.

* Tribune seeks court approval of bonus plan

In a filing Wednesday, the company proposed continuation of an incentive plan for about 720 employees, including the top 10 executives, with a maximum payout for this year of $45.6 million.

Tribune also has proposed bonuses of up to $10.6 million to be divided among 21 core managers, including the top 10 executives, for operating and restructuring efforts. An additional $1.3 million would be available for lower-level employees.

The Chicago-based company also proposed up to $9.3 million in performance bonuses to be divided among 23 key operations leaders, and permission to pay about $3 million in bonuses earned last year to nine top executives.

* Software group sues CTA over video game ad ban

An association representing computer and video game publishers sued the CTA over the agency’s prohibition of ads for adult-only and “mature 17+” rated games.

The suit, filed in federal court in Chicago today, alleges that the CTA’s ban violates free speech rights.[…]

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s bid to restrict the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games was rejected by the federal courts as unconstitutional. The state had to pay the ESA $544,550, according to an ESA spokesman.

* NorthShore-U of C program seeks slice of transplant market

* Debt reduction pushes Ford to $2.3B 2Q profit

* Your cell phone is your ID? Feds expand paperless boarding at O’Hare

* O’Hare travelers can check in via smartphones, PDAs

* County hospital system wants your opinion on services

Cook County hospital officials will descend on the Southland next week for the first in a series of public meetings asking what people think of their government-run hospital system.

The South Holland stop Monday on the so-called listening tour comes as the system grapples with potential budget cuts due to the county board’s tax rollback and an increasing number of uninsured patients - all while south suburban activists decry services moving to Chicago’s inner city.

* Chicago South Side mapping project shows neighbors live worlds apart

Three young surveyors for an elaborate University of Chicago project aimed at mapping resources on the entire South Side recently discovered what Woodlawn residents long have known — though only blocks away, their neighborhood is worlds apart from the more celebrated Hyde Park.[…]

“What’s really depressing is what you find. There are a lot of liquor stores; you don’t see a lot of libraries or day-care centers,” said U. of C. senior Ruben Ornelas, 21, who is helping map every store, church, social service facility and health clinic in the area. “When you’re in these low-income communities you see things that aren’t going to help anybody.”

Block by block, by foot and car, these paid fieldworkers — many South Side natives and from various universities — are gathering data that will be uploaded to a Web site, giving the public visual proof of the health-care and resource disparities among South Side communities. The site will be available to residents, social service agencies and advocates to use as a research tool.

* Lettuce recall includes Illinois

* Manufacturers brewing new swine flu vaccine

* Former Sox pitcher Jim Parque confesses: Why I juiced

With my career in jeopardy, I turned to performance-enhancing drugs, like some other players did. I never had needed them before, but with a shoulder that wouldn’t heal, it was realistically the only thing I could turn to.

Work harder, you say? Take vitamins and get in better shape? Did it, and I was rewarded with pathetic Triple-A stats, a fastball now in the low 80s and an average high school curveball.