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* Suspended Daley aide lands new six-figure gig at police department

As a deputy director, Picardi will oversee the police department’s general support division, which includes the city auto pound, equipment and supply, and document services and graphics, according to police department spokesman Roderick Drew.

The new gig comes after Mayor Richard Daley suspended Picardi without pay for three months in January for contracts involving Central Auto Body in the Logan Square neighborhood. The shop’s owner, John Szybkowski, was convicted nearly 30 years ago of faking work orders on police department vehicles and giving kickbacks to city workers.

* Suspended city commissioner moved to Police Department

* Tribune: Thanks, aldermen

The post the aldermen want to create would be so ineffectual that it can achieve little beyond attracting ceaseless scorn. As Ald. Joe Moore, 49th, told the Tribune, “It is probably worse than doing nothing at all. It tries to give the impression that we’re doing something, and I think that just breeds public cynicism because it’s transparently a paper tiger.”

* Some Aldermen Dispute Value of Proposed Inspector General Office

* Aldermen Look to Eliminate Illicit Massage Businesses

Thirty-first Ward Alderman Ray Suarez says most massage parlors are legit, but he’s proposed an ordinance to eliminate the questionable ones by banning new massage businesses in areas that are mostly residential.

* Aldermen Propose Power Plant Exhaust Rules

* Aldermen Introduce Clean Air Ordinance

* Power Plant Owner Slams Proposed City Rules

* The Dirtiest Plant in Chicago

Crawford and its sister station, the Fisk Generating Plant in nearby Pilsen — a decidedly Mexican neighborhood — date back to the 1920s, making them the “oldest, dirtiest plants located in any urban neighborhood” in America, according to the Chicago Environmental Law and Policy Center.

* City Contractor Charged with Under-Reporting $2.5M in Taxes

* IRS charges pal of ex-Blago aide

The investigation, led by the Internal Revenue Service, charges that Robert C. Blum, 57, bought a 37-foot yacht and built his personal home in New Lenox with money from his business. Blum claimed they were business-related expenses, charges say….In 2005, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Blum — a friend and business associate of the late Chris Kelly, who was Blagojevich campaign fund-raising chief at the time — had been awarded nearly $25 million in state contracts.

* Contractor Robert Blum slapped with tax fraud charges

* Oak Lawn approves sales tax rebate with Napleton

* Harvey mayor named school superintendent

* Aurora council OKs YWCA purchase

* Hainesville votes to outsource police protection

Hainesville Mayor Linda Sota cast a tiebreaking vote Tuesday night in favor of shutting the village’s 2-year-old police department and contracting for patrol service from Grayslake or the Lake County sheriff’s office.

* [Danville] Council votes against governor’s plan

* Is a smaller Champaign County Board better? Officials still can’t decide

* [Coles] County approves changes to comply with information act

* Knox County courthouse fate may be up to voters

* East Dundee’s spending has exploded by 177% since 2007

* Candidate turns down police chief job; East St. Louis mulls bankruptcy

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 14, 10 @ 10:28 am

Comments

My mom’s church had a Chicago police officer appear as a speaker yesterday.

He said that the way to deal with youth is for people to beat them.

The pro-brutality mentality is so ingrained in the Chicago PD they don’t even bother to hide it in their community outreach.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Apr 14, 10 @ 10:35 am
The headline in the BND says East St. Louis is contemplating bankruptcy, but the story doesn’t even mention it.

I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if East St. Louis or some of the small south suburbs pursued bankruptcy.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 14, 10 @ 10:41 am
Yes! Bring coal scrubbers to the coal mining industry in Illinois! Not only would it help bring this valuable plant up-to-speed, but downstate coal mines have needed scrubbers FOREVER! Big part of why our coal doesn’t sell, won’t work, etc. If this issue helps those mines downstate…then let’s get them the scrubbers! More jobs, better Illinois.

Comment by Fan of Cap Fax Wednesday, Apr 14, 10 @ 11:05 am
We hear that Illinois can’t declare bankrupcy - can a municipality do that? I know E St Louis had to turn over title to City Hall, or something like that, years ago after losing an expensive lawsuit to an individual. I don’t remember the outcome of that but I suppose the city could turn over assets to creditors. I don’t know the legalities - just supposin’.

Comment by dupage dan Wednesday, Apr 14, 10 @ 11:06 am