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* Potential Wrigley purchase by state holds up Cubs sale

* Chicago Pubic Radio: Study says state homeless youth need better resources

* Deadline for certain veteran tax breaks quickly approaching

* Editorial: Illinois town chosen at spot for experimental plant

Research indicates energy produced through the FutureGen process would be significantly more expensive than current energy production prices - perhaps 20 percent to 40 percent more expensive. But as oil prices continue to rise and the wars in the Middle East continue to apply upward pressure, investment in alternative, cleaner energy research needs to continue.

That includes sources such as wind and solar energy, as well as efforts like FutureGen’s to find ways to use traditional fossil fuels without exacerbating global warming.

* Editorial: Mattoon site selection is a giant Christmas present for all

* Sun-Times Editorial: Let states take lead on boosting mileage requirements

Though Illinois has not yet decided whether to adopt the California standards, it will be among the states joining in the lawsuit. “We do like the flexibility individual states have been able to have under the Clean Air Act,” Illinois EPA spokeswoman Jill Watson said. “It’s like when you try on your brother’s pants, they may not fit. Not every state is an industrial state. Not every state is an agricultural state.”

The federal government is no longer in a state of denial about global warming. But in holding back efforts to fight the threat, the EPA remains in a sorry state of suspension.

* Illinois tollway board looks down road to new projects; more here

Among these major projects are the Prairie Parkway in Kane, Kendall and Grundy counties; the Elgin-O’Hare Expressway; and the extension of Illinois Highway 53 through Lake County, some of which have been on the drawing board for decades.

* Illinois bill targets online talk with children

Illinois law already bars sexual predators and con artists from plying the Internet, but the latest measure, filed in Springfield last week, would attempt to expand those protections to include virtually any kind of potentially damaging Internet conversation with a minor. It would make it a felony for an adult to have any electronic contact that “demonstrates a knowing disregard for the health, safety and welfare” of the child

* Editorial: Smoke-free will soon be the law, ready or not

* Every Blog Has Its Day: Politically-interested Internet Users’ Perceptions of Blog Credibility

This study employs an online survey to examine U.S. politically-interested Internet users’ perceptions of the credibility of blogs. The article focuses on the influence of blog reliance compared to motivations for visiting blogs in determining blog credibility.

The study found that blogs were judged as moderately credible, but as more credible than any mainstream media or online source. Both reliance and motivations predicted blog credibility after controlling for demographics and political variables. Reliance proved a consistently stronger predictor than blog motivations. Also, information-seeking motives predicted credibility better than entertainment ones.

* Blog advertising dollars increasing

* Daley bristles when asked about son’s deal, asks that it not be played up; more here

* John Kass: Daley believable? A sick thought

You’re probably wondering how a guy with half a fevered brain could be so certain that the mayor is telling the truth when so many don’t believe him.

They don’t know the mayor like I do. As a teenager, Daley used to shoot spitballs from a booth in my uncles’ restaurant on Halsted Street. I know his ways. The last thing the mayor of Chicago wants is his son making an easy score. Scarfing up taxpayer money in City Hall deals, that’s what cousins and brothers and nephews and lots of friends are for — but not your own kid.

* Daley backs former foe, Ald. Smith for county recorder of deeds

Last year, Ald. Ed Smith (28th) launched into an anti-corruption tirade that spoiled unanimous City Council approval of Mayor Daley’s election-year budget…

Either all has been forgiven or Daley wants Smith out of his hair in the City Council.

* Chicago Public Radio: City mail delivery improves in 2007

* Friday Beer Blogging: Oh Christmas Tree edition

posted by Paul Richardson
Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:02 am

Comments

Yes, as you can see mail service in Chicago has improved… from horrible to merely being lousy.

Comment by fedup dem Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:04 am
Anyone notice the gov’s boyhood best friend, Dan Stefanski, got nailed by the cops again this month? http://www.pionee
rlocal.com/arlingtonh
eights/news/7050
61,AH-blotter-122007-s1.article
Rumor has it he’s still on the state’s payroll somewhere.

Comment by Wondering Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:09 am
I agree with John Kass on this one. It would be an intersting QOTD to ask your readers at what age their parents stopped knowing the factual details of the blogger’s business/financial life.

Comment by Redbright Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:16 am
Wondering
FYI
http://www.dot.state.il.us/press/h032504a.html

Comment by shermans ghost Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:17 am
If this purchse of Wrigley comes up for a vote in the legislature I hope it’s defeated in as worse a fashion as the GRT. I hope it doesn’t even make it out of committee!

Comment by Levois Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:22 am
===… serious enough about trying to sell historic Wrigley Field to the Illinois State Facilities Authority that he’s holding up the sale of the Chicago Cubs to see if the concept has legs.===

This is somewhat of a duh moment in journailsm. Of course he is holding up the sale to see if he can make millions more by saddeling the State with Wrigely.

It looks a bit like Zell may have floated this iddea himself and is manipulating the coverage a bit to have the tail wag the State dog into accepting the idea. Its handy having your own news agency to cover stories. Someone might want to track down the source of this idea and who started floating it about.

Comment by Ghost Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:24 am
Wondering:
It is much more fun & colorful to paste in the item…
Daniel E. Stefanski, 50, 1025 Wrens Gate, Mundelein, was arrested at 8:41 p.m. Dec. 11 on the 2100 block of South Arlington Heights Road and charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, aggravated driving with a revoked license and illegal transportation of alcohol. An officer reported his squad car was on Algonquin Road in the inner lane of two left turn lanes. In the outer turn lane was a gray Chevrolet Malibu that had stopped past the stop line and was blocking traffic, the officer said. When the Malibu turned left onto Arlington Heights Road, it reportedly cut off the squad car. In the center console of the car, the officer reportedly saw a white cup that contained three olives and a clear liquid which smelled like alcohol. Stefanski also was charged with unlawful use of a license, disregarding a traffic control light, improper lane use and resisting a police officer because he reportedly would not sit down in the police station when told to and resisted being put in handcuffs.

Comment by DumberThanYouThink Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:26 am
As John Kass reminds us today, an awful lot of Chicago politicians and their friends and relatives are getting rich, rich, rich off the city and its ever-generous, notice-no-evil taxpayers.

And we already knew that Dems, lots of them, are getting rich off the Blago administration.

So the existence of 10,000 homeless youth in Chicago (and more beyond, no doubt) in the 21st century is, well, distressing The Democrats are always talking up their deep love and concern for children but they seem to have forgotten this group of older kids. Those of us who have raised young people know that few can make it completely on their own at age 18. Or even age 28, in many cases. They need a place to stay between semesters or jobs, the occasional loan, meals, rides, and so on.

Of course, these are the same Illinois Democrats who allowed children to be abused and neglected for decades at the Chicago Juvenile Home and fought reform efforts tooth and nail. We are told things have changed but it’s too soon to tell. And over at DCFS last week, another young Chicago child died a violent death, allegedly at the hands of his mother, who was apparently, according to an evasive press release, getting “supportive services” from DCFS and had been a long-time DCFS ward herself. Since July, at least seven children
have died despite being under DCFS “protection.”
No comment from the Blago administration, of course. The Juvenile Home and DCFS are pork farms
and the Dems don’t like it when you criticize their pork.

Time to get out our wallets again if we want to give the homeless kids a hand. There must be a nonprofit somewhere. It’s Illinois, after all, and there’s not much left for real people after we pay
our corruption tax.

Comment by Cassandra Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:36 am
Rich- why did you delete my comment on Link?

Comment by Team America, World Police Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:37 am
Because it was simply a promo post for your blog. I’ll be posting on this subject later this morning.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:50 am
–> Because it was simply a promo post for your blog.–

Comment by Team America, World Police Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 9:59 am
Sorry- my response got cut off. What I wanted to say, Rich, was that you have been happy to link to my Blog in the last several weeks on the Link scandal– you found my Blog and used it as the source to break this story, not the other way around. Not to mention the extreme skepticism which you gave the story on your original posting on this issue. I’ve always given Cap Fax the hat tip where due, and I thought we had a good relationship going.

Comment by Team America, World Police Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 10:01 am
Daley’s trying to get rid of Smith the same way he got rid of Jim Laski, although I don’t see how giving an opponent a personal patronage feifdom helps him in the long run.

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Friday, Dec 21, 07 @ 10:15 am