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* Businessman tries to force Rezko bankruptcy

* Energy Department defends power-plant plan

* Lake County Circuit Court judges have unanimously elected a new chief judge.

* Stroger closer to firing county public defender

* Stroger scheduled to attend bioterror drill at Sears Centre

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger backed out of a appearance in Palatine last week, but he’s got another Northwest suburban visit on his calendar for next week.

* William Beavers asks Earl Dunlap: Do you own a suit?

* Would the capital city be able to gamble on racing?

Harness racing up to nine months a year at the Illinois State Fairgrounds could help raise money for fairground improvements and the Sangamon County emergency dispatch system, according to Rep. Raymond Poe

* Sun-Times, Trib see ad revenue drop

Tribune Co. reported a $1.82 billion profit in the first quarter due entirely to its conversion into a federally tax-free operation

* Press Release: Illinois AG Madigan Bill Requires Lenders To Provide Info To Help Struggling Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure

* Lawsuit seeks $24 million in I-64 crash that killed two sisters - State trooper slammed into their vehicle

* Suspected embezzler pleads not guilty

A former Illinois treasurer’s office employee accused of embezzling $750,000 in taxpayer funds - a good portion of it Pekin Hospital’s money - pleaded not guilty Tuesday in federal court in Springfield.

* Gray gets his day, his highway

* Friday Beer Blogging: PBR Rules the Week Edition

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, May 9, 08 @ 9:12 am

Comments

The struggle between Dunlap, hired as a reformer,
and the corrupt Chicago Democratic Machine plus the unions,is a multiepisode drama in which the good guys (and the kids) are not at all sure of winning. And lets not make the ACLU one of the good guys here. Much of what they have done has been too little and too late.

Just as with the Blagojevich-sponsored debacle over at DCFS, the Dems show us in so many ways
that politics, money, and clout are the only
really important things, despite all the hype about the little guy.

Comment by Cassandra Friday, May 9, 08 @ 9:25 am
From the ST: ‘William Beavers delivered a public dressing-down to its director, mockingly asking Earl Dunlap, “Do you own a suit?” while lecturing Dunlap that “your appearance commands respect” and that he’s “supposed to be a role model.”

‘Dunlap, wearing a white polo shirt tucked into Dockers pants, chimed back, “I command respect by the way I conduct myself,” adding that “the last person I need to be judged by is you.”‘

Can you imagine the sartorial splendor necessary for a suit to command respect for a fool like William Beavers?

Maybe that Iron Man outfit…

– SCAM
so-called “Austin Mayor”
http://austinmayor.blogspot.com

Comment by so-called "Austin Mayor" Friday, May 9, 08 @ 10:36 am
Hopefully, Beavers is the same suit size has Ricky Hendon and Emil Jones. Since Hendon and Jones claim to be a-needin’ food stamps, perhaps Beavers can lend them some of his wardrobe, so that they may command the proper respect.

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Friday, May 9, 08 @ 10:48 am
Sorry it wasn’t covered, but the latest Wiggily field item was moved into the sports pages — the better to avoid Blogger scrutiny.

I’d put the whole item in but better to go to the URL

The URL runs three lines in the orginal, so I have compressed it for youe ease by going to Tiny URL site.

http://tinyurl.com/55jas5

If you can’t bring it up, find it on the Trib web site.

The money quote from the Paul Sullival article

“… In an interview with WSCR-AM 670, Kenney said the funding for the proposed $400 million renovation would come from three sources: Tribune Co.; the next owner of the Cubs; and taxes generated in the ballpark itself. In addition to the Cubs, Tribune Co. also owns the Chicago Tribune.

“Bonds will be issued in the first step of this transaction to pay Tribune for the stadium, and those bonds will be repaid not with tax proceeds, but instead with the rent the team will pay to ISFA,” Kenney said. “The public support that’s being looked for is to renovate the stadium. … The structure that’s being proposed is one where the tax dollars that are spent inside Wrigley Field, so to the extent we generate sales tax, amusement tax and other taxes that go into the general coffers, that above a certain amount, a baseline of 2007 for the incremental tax revenues generated inside Wrigley Field, will go to support the renovation bonds.”

$400 Million is a lot of Bonds, and the market will not support them based on the sources indicated. The Sports Authority will have to get a pledged tax revenue stream from somewhere else.

Comment by Truthful James Friday, May 9, 08 @ 2:35 pm