* Majority of Illinois voters favor gov’s recall

* Arbitrator urged for cable dispute

Sen. Dale Risinger, R-Peoria, said Monday he believes cable companies want to keep channels they own, such as Comcast’s Sports Net, Versus and the Golf Channel, on basic plans “because it’s cheap to run them. And then they charge us extra for the things that we would like to see, like the sporting events.”

He is proposing legislation to have an arbitrator decide where programming should be carried when independent channels compete with channels owned by cable companies.

Risinger said the cost of attending sporting events such as football games is out of reach for many families.

* Ameren electric rate hikes expected to be a tough sell

* Schools have homework to do, parent survey finds

* Editorial: 18 year olds entitled to run for office

* Roskam’s first year in D.C.

* Illinois’ Lauzen runs hard to the right

Russell and Green speculated that the entry of a Hastert-picked candidate will set up an eventual Lauzen victory by siphoning off Oberweis supporters and encouraging typically conservative primary voters to organize around Lauzen.

But Lauzen said he sees his formula for victory in the primary as simple, and he said the contest involves two issues: “performance versus promises and … I win campaigns.”

Still, Lauzen acknowledges that his biggest asset going into the primary — his far-right base of conservative diehards — could prove problematic in a general election with Foster, when heavy swing-voter turnout is expected in 2008 presidential election.

“Primaries are easy because people generally agree with you,” Lauzen said. “General elections: you need all the people you can get.”

* WurfWhile: Lauzen risks running too far right for general election

* Former Peoria councilman formally launches campaign to replace LaHood

* How taxes affect our bottom line, a close look at the numbers [.pdf]

* Ominous letters are baloney says Cook Co. treasurer

A new Cook County fee requires mortgage firms to pay $5 in order to pay your property taxes electronically.

But instead of paying that $5, mortgage companies are sending letters to thousands of homeowners indicating the firms “may” not be able to pay the property tax bill on time.

“It will be necessary to obtain the original real estate tax bill from you to ensure timely and accurate payment,” a letter reads. “We must receive your bill no later than (Nov. 16). If the tax bill is not received by that date, we may be unable to pay it by the delinquency date (Dec. 3) and the tax collector will impose additional fees for which you may be held responsible.”

That’s baloney, says Treasurer Maria Pappas.

* Report says taxing hospitals could net $241 million for county

A report released Tuesday shows that if the county’s 54 not-for-profit hospitals were required to pay property taxes, they could be forced to cough up as much as $241 million a year. But those findings are so heavily couched and compiled using incomplete data that the results were immediately ripped by hospital officials. The report also doesn’t make allowances for the appeals or court challenges to assessed values

* Tribune Editorial: Singing he recycling blues

* New idea to shave property tax hike

They’re calling it a “public safety assessment.” It amounts to a property tax increase of 40 cents per square foot on businesses with more than 5,000 square feet of commercial or office space in an area bounded by Congress, Halsted, Michigan and the Chicago River.

The concept is simple. Since it takes more equipment and manpower to respond to a high-rise fire or other downtown emergency than it does in the neighborhoods, downtown businesses should pay more for that service.

* Daley ‘trying’ to trim tax hike further

* CPS may limit military recruiters

* Ordinance makes sure people with strollers don’t get the shaft

* McLean Co. inmates sent nearly one hundred miles away

* Let’s say Thanks to the troops