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Morning Shorts

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* Happy New Year, CapFax faithful!

As you may have guessed or heard via Facebook, the master of the house got himself stranded at an airport while trying to make it back from winter break. I’m afraid you are stuck with me today. Blogging is going to be very light as I, too, am stranded in a sense and have limited battery life on my tablet.

Keep checking back for updates to the list of closures. I have a few calls and texts out to confirm a few I have heard about but need to confirm. And just to make sure you cannot say we don’t do anything here at the CapFax newsroom, here is a morning shorts. Comments are open for discussions.

* Former Chicago Comptroller Amer Ahmad pleads guilty: Ahmad, 38, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery for using his Ohio government position to secure “lucrative state business” for his high school classmate and financial adviser, Douglas Hampton, “in exchange for payments” to himself and others, according to his plea agreement.

Those crimes occurred before Ahmad joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration in April 2011. An investigation by an outside law firm hired by City Hall to review Ahmad’s conduct here revealed no criminal wrongdoing by Ahmad or his staff.

* Found unfit to work twice, ex-gang member got six-figure state job anyway

* Rent, spending questions on Rep. Bobby Rush’s campaign

* GOP gov foes rip Bruce Rauner’s boast of going ‘toe-to-toe’ vs. Quinn: “Mr. Rauner’s finally come clean and admits that his major qualification to be the GOP nominee for governor is that he can buy the election,” said competitor state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale. “Unlike my running mate, who provides geographic balance, being from Downstate Illinois, the Rauner ticket is all [in the] Chicago area. I believe geographic balance is crucial to the Republicans chances against Paul Vallas and Pat Quinn.”

* GOP Gov. candidate Dan Rutherford paid $18,000 in taxes last year

* Hinz: Chicago’s top Democrats face a challenging year

* Illinois concealed-carry gun applications accepted started Sunday

* New Illinois law limits probation in fatal crashes

* Crain’s: Illinois’ tax-disclosure bills are bad for business

* Minority students make up new majority in Illinois: Whites fell to 49.76 percent of the student body this school year, the new data show, a demographic tipping point that came after years of sliding white enrollment and a rise in Latino, Asian and multiracial students.

The black student population also has declined, but it still makes up almost 18 percent of the state’s public school students.

* Emanuel names new business, outreach aides

More headlines available here.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 7:36 am

Comments

happy new year barton. Hope you and the boss are well, bud.

Comment by shore Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 7:39 am
Let’s hope some reporter stays on the McCraven case- it really stinks. Although this is a funny quote from the Sun-Times story: “Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration — citing the high cost to taxpayers of legal battles over employment disputes — then struck a settlement with McCraven.”

The high cost of litigation did not prevent Quinn from spending a lot on his foolish battle to withhold pay from state legislators.

Comment by DuPage Dave Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 8:38 am
You and Rich might wish to consider an external battery. The price is reasonable, and it can keep you going in times like these, when you can’t cram on a charge.

Comment by Pat C Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 8:46 am
Pat - The issue is more he traveled sans laptop, and my tablet’s charger is at the apartment while my wife and I are stranded in our new house across town. Good idea otherwise

Comment by Barton Lorimor Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 8:56 am
Be careful, and don’t rush anywhere. It’s still -15 here, with ice on the roads.

We’ll all be here tomorrow.

Comment by walkinfool Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 9:19 am
As much as I dislike airports, this is the day to be stranded outside the great SOI. I assume it’s in a place where palm trees or cacti in the terminal isn’t an ironic statement.

What Walkin said. It’s sunny with a beautiful white blanket outside my window, but it’s dangerous and Mother Nature is indifferent.

Check on your old-timers or those who have trouble getting around. Everything else can wait.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 9:33 am
Rauner was smart to bust the spending caps early, and not just because he’s rich.

He has a network of big-money boys willing to write five-and-six-figure checks for the primary. The other guys don’t.

If Rauner’s crew is willing to put down that kind of cash to beat Rutherford, Dillard and Brady, just imagine how much they’d spend to beat Quinn.

The holidays are over. The Bears are out of it. People might pay attention now. If the other Republicans have any punch in them, they better start swinging.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 9:56 am
Did FarmerBrucey “launch” the buscapade in Southern IL or did he whisk off to Florida….or maybe he got stranded too

Comment by CircularFiringSquad Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 10:21 am
Uh oh. What happened to the WaPo post? Rich was running away with it!

Comment by A. Nonymous Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 11:27 am
* Minority students make up new majority in Illinois: Whites fell to 49.76 percent of the student body this school year, the new data show, a demographic tipping point that came after years of sliding white enrollment and a rise in Latino, Asian and multiracial students.

That happens when you get a “Free ride”. Duh….

Comment by OLD BRASS Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 11:57 am
OLD BRASS

What “free ride” would that be?

Comment by iThink Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 12:02 pm
Check out the big brain on Old Brass! First racist troll of the year.

Is ol’ Rick Perry giving out free rides in Texas, with its 30% white student population?

You know access to a free public education for all children is in the Illinois Constitution, don’t you, Old Brass? You strike me as a constitutional scholar.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 12:37 pm
Lot of things in the constitution we seem to ignore.

Comment by Leave a Light on George Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 12:47 pm
“free rides”

Silly us, government handouts are for wealthy corporations, defense contractors and billionaires.

Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 12:55 pm
Ex-gang member, failed background check with IDOC, and was still hired. Ok, …but why was he given a badge and gun?
I’m just asking?

Comment by Perplexed Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 2:07 pm
===That happens when you get a “Free ride”. Duh…===

I guess “education” is a perk? If you ‘take’ a free education, you are on the “gravy train”?

- OLD BRASS -, that was a bit embarrassing, unless you can’t get enough of talking points…

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 2:31 pm
All,
You are correct on the general student population and yes, everyone has a right to a free education.

I should clarify, I was speaking on acceptance to college these days. There are some real differenced there.

Lastly, certainly not a racist. In some instances, you just have to recognize how unfair the process is, should you choose to dig deep enough to see it.

Happy New Year to All.

Comment by OLD BRASS Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 3:42 pm
That’s quite a backpedal you have there, Old Brass. You could play cornerback for the Bears.

I guess we all should have assumed you were making some point regarding college admissions in relation to a story on K-12 enrollment.

Curious, though. What “free rides” are you talking about regarding minority students and college? I’m sure that information would be helpful to some.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 4:19 pm
A. Nonymous - Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 11:27 am:

I’m guessing Rich objected to Barton asking for us to “stuff” the ballot box. While I probably understand why Rich would feel that way I’m not sure I see the problem; after all, that IS a time honored IL tradition!

Comment by RNUG Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 4:33 pm
- OLD BRASS -,

So, what part are we suppose to guess was the “college” thing?

It’s a new year, maybe I just read the whole thing wrong… or the talking points of “free rides” is just too broad and you got called on it?

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 6, 14 @ 4:42 pm
@OLD BRASS -

You may not consider yourself to be racist but what you posted sure sounds like something a racist would say.

Therein lies the difference.

The link was about K-12 school kids. You now claim your comment was about colleges.

To those of us who don’t care about the color of one’s skin, neither K-12 nor collegiate levels seem appropriate for a comment like your original.

Comment by A. Nonymous Tuesday, Jan 7, 14 @ 7:39 am