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* Ald. Burnett discloses he is a is a “registered security agent” for D.J. Mosier Financial Services while advocating more bond business for minorities…

Burnett wanted a guarantee that 50 percent of future pension business would go to minorities. CTA Chairwoman Carole Brown, who works for the Lehman Brothers investment bank, said she couldn’t make such a promise.

* Feds probe city records on alderman’s zoning changes

* Whistleblower suspended 18 days

* Illinois politicians owe thousands in fines

* Bernard Schoenburg: Davlin gets attention with fiery pension rhetoric

* All aboard? Not quite yet

* Legislators urge staffing for juvenile justice agency

* Not many smoking ban complaints filed

* Shifts at the top

* Is there a lesson from Fenway?

Amid concerns, no matter how unlikely, that the Cubs could flee the Friendly Confines, state officials have shown interest in buying the stadium, with language written in the lease that would force the team to play at Wrigley Field for decades to come.

* Alvarez: State needs more reforms, public input before lifting moratorium on death penalty

* Our Opinion: Do not resume executions

* As the national housing crisis spreads, the Peoria area remains stable

In Peoria, home sales dropped by 5 percent in 2007 over the previous year, but that shows stability when compared with a 12.8 percent drop across the nation and a 16.8 percent decline in Illinois.

* Durbin focuses on foreclosure problems on visit to central Illinois

Some frightening numbers were released today regarding local foreclosures. The mortgage meltdown looks worse here than the national average. […]

A report released Monday predicts Peoria and Tazewell County being above the nationwide average for foreclosures

* Day-care danger: Do you leave your kids too close to a child sex offender?

* Everywhere a (digital) sign

* On Halvorson, Republican claims, and Oboyovich

* Special 14th District election voting to start

* Fifth-graders keep tabs on their candidates

* Bill Foster’s new TV ad

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 9:53 am

Comments

The lesson of Fenway is for govt to keep money in the wallet.
Blaggodiot and JRT & his $1 million babies should work on crafting the jury questionnaire —- i.e. who gave you IL Covered? who gave you free CTA rides?
Get the picture.

Comment by IDTYT Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 10:08 am
>The lesson of Fenway is for govt to keep money in the wallet.

How much of the Cubs worth is derived from the fact they play in Wrigley?

i.e. Can the value of the Cubs go up if they leave Wrigley?

If the answer to that question is ‘Yes’ and they are in the process of being sold, the city/county/state whoever is in jeopardy of losing a huge economic engine to a buyer that is going to be interested in unlocking value.

The government may be doing the right thing here. Sad is it seems, the era of ‘quaint neighborhood baseball’ might be suffering an economic death.

Comment by Johnny USA Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 10:23 am
$1 billion for Wrigley sounds way steep, but if you get to keep the beer taxes on a steady 2-to-3 million gate, it’s probably a good deal for someone.

Zell’s amazing. The way he took control of Tribune Corp. with virtually no risk to himself is a great story for some intrepid author.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 10:27 am
Whoever wrote that opinion about Halvorson isn’t a very honest person. Claiming to vote for the Republican candidate, then smearing the Republicans while defending the Democrat just comes off as a partisan set-up for Halvorson.

It is a partisan piece that can’t hide behind the author’s claim for impartiality. It is fake.

The problem with Halvorson is that she fits her senate district’s politics, which is liberal, while her US congressional district leans Republican. So she needs to explain a myriad of liberal votes that won’t play well outside Cook County and Chicago Heights. She is unabashedly liberal, feminist and honest. These are her strengths and it would best suit her to embrace who she is and run with it.

Baldermann needs to only play defense. So far, however, he hasn’t impressed. He needs to also display a level of honesty on par with Halvorson and she will beat him if this race if it ends up as an personality contest. She is more likeable.

But her politics is her weakest link in this district. She is too mini-Pelosi. She even looks like Pelosi. On issues facing the district, Debbie and Nancy walk hand-in-hand.

Then there is her silent partner, Emil Jones. As Senate Majority Leader, she has the title and gets the crap that comes along with that title. 2007 was the lowest crummiest legislative year in current history. She did not lead. She hid behind Jones and poked her head out to pooh-pooh the situation only when it was safe to do so, and then barely made a squeak.

No, she might not be directly tied to Blagojevich, but her silent partner is married to him politically. And she did nothing but sit there and smile while everything fell down around us. No, she didn’t support the blatantly stupid GRT tax proposal, but so what? She sat quietly behind Jones and watched our GA stumble, cough and implode from the best seat in the Illinois Senate. And did nothing until it was all ruined.

So take you pick Tim. Go after her for being a sweet wonderful lady, but too mini-Pelosi for the District, or go after her as Emil’s silent partner during last year’s General Assembly’s recreation of the Hindenburg, as co-pilot. Halvorson deserves to be treated with care, but her political stands as attested to her Senate votes and her “leadership” as Senate Majority Leader need to be thoroughly explained to moderate and conservative voters in the District.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 10:39 am
Regretfully, I do not see why the Cubs should be tied into playing at Wriggily field forever and a day.

Wherever they play in Illinois all the State sales taxes will continue to be collected. It is only the property taxes and the local sales taxes which will be affected in Chicago. Based on amount of property taxes which are now being paid, I would expect that a mixed use development would generate more. The local sales taxes are another matter, especially since a goodly portion of these comes from consumption by people travelling to Wriggily from outside the City.

But the basic question is, would the Cubs move outside the City to a new stadium in this economic environment.

And a second question, is it in the economic interest of the City of Chicago to maximize the price that Sam Zell gets for the Cubs? If so, why not have the City buy the Cubs, just as Green Bay owns the Packers.

Comment by Truthful James Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 11:07 am
Oboyovich….amusing.

David Wilhelm was the Blagojevich transition leader, and moved away under some specter of federal problems. so the term is amusing, and appropriate.

Comment by amy Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 11:17 am
The daycare story represents more good investigative journalism by Beth Hunsaker and George Pawlaczyk of the Belleville News Democrat. In 2006 they published Lethal Lapses, an award-winning study of 50 or more children who died despite being under the current or past protection of DCFS over the past decade. As a result, our fearless legislators set up a DCFS Oversight Committee which proceeded to do, well, not much. There has been a tragic string of similar deaths in 2007-08, including this month’s horrific death of a Chicago suburban infant who died after what prosecutors described as several days of abuse. DCFS had prior involvement and founded a maltreatment report in October. Not all child maltreatment deaths with
prior child welfare agency involvement are preventable, of course. But it sure looks like
this one was. Maybe the “DCFS Oversight Committee”
should exercise a little actual oversight and take a look.

Comment by Cassandra Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 1:01 pm
It’d be a great idea for the state to buy Wrigley. Of course the question is, where do we get the money? But I have a brilliant solution–let’s sell the Thompson Center! The state shouldn’t be in the business of owning unnecessary real estate anyway, since we’re so strapped for cash. Then we can use those proceeds from the sale for something the state really needs!

Comment by Nate Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 1:12 pm
===But I have a brilliant solution–let’s sell the Thompson Center! ===

Blagojevich had the same idea. It went nowhere.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 1:19 pm
I know. I was trying (unsuccessfully, apparently) to be humorous.

Comment by Nate Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 1:32 pm
:)

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 19, 08 @ 1:33 pm