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* IDOT says road are in maintain mode

* IDOT unveils 5-year plan

* Funds for new roads stuck in quaqmire

* Bills would delay utility shutoffs

* End of line for CTA boss

* New CTA boss leader’s track record

For the last two years as Daley’s corruption-fighting chief of staff, Huberman wore out his housecleaning broom while keeping a lid on future troubles.

* Huberman’s CTA transit itinerary

* Can new CTA director get you to work on time

* A shift in tone at CTA’s helm

* Tribune Editorial: Throwing Kruesi from the train

And while there’s sure to be much chatter in Chicago about all that Huberman should do as head of the CTA, his first task is to … not be Frank Kruesi. Legislators, if they do send more money to the agency, probably will dictate their own reform agenda in return for the bucks.

* Chicago spire gets plan commission OK

* Naperville passes indoor smoking ban

* Sun-Times Editorial: Big Box ordinance is best left on shelf

The store’s policies are far from perfect, but in providing goods (including many generic drugs) at lower costs, creating jobs and feeding the city with those tax revenues, Wal-Mart is a force for good. Its plans to build more stores in neighborhoods in need of economic development should be encouraged, not stonewalled.

* Long-time state board employee named schools superintendent

* House votes to ban sex offenders from voting at schools

* Bill would restrict sex offenders at the polls

* New report blasts use of TIF districts

* Pending legislation on pet protection in spousal abuse cases

* Section of I-90 to be named Jane Addams Tollway

* Scare sends two to the hospital at Illinois Department of Revenue

* Olympic organizing committee looking for top executive

* Rosemont casino debate plays out in court

* Editorial: The life and legacy of Donald Stephens

* Cook Co. fires medical examiner

posted by Paul Richardson
Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 7:48 am

Comments

Like the infamous Hilton Hotel in Springfield, which earned its moniker by its shape, the Chicago Spire may, in the future, be known as the “Ladies’ Delight.”

Comment by Disgusted Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 8:01 am
It’s only April and look how many Blago and Daley people have been thrown under the bus. Rich - You should have a daily tally meter showing who’s been sacrificed to date.
Also for good measure throw a meter in for when Blago does or doesn’t address the press. The people need a chuckle!

Comment by Jack T. Colt Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 8:07 am
How appropo…appropriate that the spire gets the go ahead on 4/20.

Comment by Wumpus Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 8:29 am
Actually the Chicago Spire eerily resembles a giant spliff or if owners douse it with glowing red light at night it would resemble Daleyâ€™s red hot poker.
But I like it, it could be a lot of thing to a lot people. It’s ART!

Comment by Opie Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 8:58 am
Commissioner Mike Quigley (D-10) Releases Major Research Report Questioning Effectiveness and Accountability of Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

Commissioner Quigley calls TIF a â€œback door tax hike,â€ urges major reform of the widely-used economic development tool

* In 2005, there were more than 373 TIF districts in Cook County, collecting over $686 million in property tax revenue.

* Several of Chicagoâ€™s TIF districts have failed to grow any more than similar areas where TIF has not been used, calling into question the policyâ€™s effectiveness as an economic development tool.

* Despite taking in over $386 million from Chicago taxpayers in 2005â€”more than Chicagoâ€™s Streets and Sanitation and Transportation departmentsâ€”TIF is effectively excluded from the cityâ€™s annual operating budget.

* Very little information on the hundreds of millions of dollars in TIF revenues and expenditures is easily accessible to taxpayers.

* TIF districts consume 10 cents of every tax dollar paid by Chicago taxpayersâ€”the same amount collected by Cook County government in the cityâ€”yet there are no annual budgets or detailed accounting of how that money is spent.

http://www.commissionerquigley.com/library/taleoftwocities.pdf

Comment by Hugh Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 9:06 am
Berwyn has 3 TIF districts, and I’m impressed with the differences they’ve made in the areas. So I don’t see TIFs as these awful things. The money is allocated in public sessions, so there’s certainly no secrets involved. Perhaps the problem is just that Chicago implemented TIFs poorly. I also don’t see why the “other governing bodies” automatically deserve a piece of the TIF moneys (those taxes collected above the base rate.) Frequently, better lighting and hydrants are part of the redo of the area so the public safety needs are frequently part and parcel of the TIF spending. After all, the idea is to make an area attractive to industrial or commercial buyers.

Comment by cermak_rd Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 10:55 am