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* Forecasters: tough road ahead for the economy

It’s something that hasn’t been felt in the local steel industry since the 1980s: layoffs. U.S. Steel is laying off 675 union workers in the United States and Canada, or about 3-percent of its North America workforce. Fifty-eight of those employees worked in Gary.

* Markets ice hospital plans

The financial crisis is forcing many Chicago-area hospitals to delay expansions or pay more for them, putting the brakes on a decade-long building boom.

* MidAmerica airport to loses last carrier

* No next season: Cubs sale is on

* The heroes of the wrongfully convicted

* Diabetes must be seen as health crisis it is

Diabetes and the illnesses related to it are killing more people in the Third World than AIDS.

If the numbers continue on their current pace, no health system in the world will be able to handle the consequences, according to experts in the field. Not even health systems in the wealthiest nations, no matter how efficient or advanced.

* Activists back drive for Illinois Clean Car Act

* Get the lead out

Last spring, the Lead Poisoning Prevention Act—requiring manufacturers to attach a label to any product used by children that has more than a trace amount of lead—passed the Illinois House with near unanimity, 105-1. The Senate? That chamber never got around to bringing the bill to a vote. It remained stuck in the Rules Committee.

Until Wednesday. On the first day of the November veto session, the bill was voted out of both the Senate’s Rules Committee and its Public Health Committee. It’s expected to come to a floor vote before the veto session concludes this week.

Senators, pass this bill.

* Tollway, arboretum turning new leaf on drab interchanges

* CTA leaseback jeopardizes CTA Green Line

* RTA Budget Hearings Get Into Full Swing

* When these governments compete, we may win

The prize is who gets to provide public transportation for suburban residents to O’Hare International Airport, and some of that needed public transport north and south between suburbs.

* Metra, Google team up for trip planner

* Cost of Downtown parking ’skyrocketing’

Thirty dollars is the median price for daily parking in downtown Chicago — up 20 percent, from $25, since 2005, according to the authoritative Colliers International parking-rate survey.

Monthly and “early-bird” rates also have gone up — with the monthly unreserved rate climbing from a median of $289 in 2005 to $310 this year.

Prices will get even higher in 2009, if the City Council passes a proposed 75-cent increase in the city parking tax for fees of more than $12.

* Want a break? Get there early – very early

* Newspaper that gives teens a voice is at risk

* Aldermen ring up $40K from circus

* Is it Time to Abolish the Office of City Clerk?

posted by Kevin Fanning
Monday, Nov 17, 08 @ 8:46 am

Comments

So lets see …. retailers are tanking, hospitality businesses are suffering declines, commercial vacancies are on the rise, consumers are being pressured by wage stagnation and cost increases. What can the government do to help out?

A whopping increase in parking fees.

I am sure that no one will consider that they can go to Old Orchard or Oakbrook and spend that 30.00 on something that they can take home from the same retailers who are downtown.

Thanks Mayor Daley.

Comment by Plutocrat03 Monday, Nov 17, 08 @ 9:00 am
And after Chicago passes the parking tax increase, they can return State Street to a pedestrian mall! Then they can start charging drivers tolls for downtown usage, like London is doing!

Then they can just close downtown completely.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Nov 17, 08 @ 9:17 am
This CTA Green Line leaseback story should sound an alarm about the easy money from the privatization of public assets. Who’s backing the easy money, and what’s in the small print when the easy money boys go bust?

We’re through the looknglass now. AIG, a bulwark of capitalism run by the Best and Brightest the MBA factories could produce, goes down the tubes and is bailed out by federal taxpayers. AIG management takes the money and goes on retreats in California and hunting parties in Scotland.

Meanwhile, because of AIG mismanagement, working stiffs, mostly on the South and West Sides, who pay every day to mostly stand through rush hour to get to work on the Green Line are in jeopardy. Pay for AIG, pay to ride.

Baby, that ain’t Capitalism. It’s Bizarro Socialism.

Illinois and U.S. taxpayers paid a couple of hundred million to redo the Green Line about twenty years ago. We’re going to find out in a hurry if Chicago has any clout in Washington.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 17, 08 @ 9:55 am
I laughed very hard this morning when I heard on WBBM about the gov and Career Builder. Apparently the gov’s way to help the economy of Illinois is to team up with that worthless webpage called Career Builder or “Career Killer,” which it is known in jobless circles. I’ve known many people who have started their day in hopes of finding a job and spent years doing searches on that webpage.. I don’t know anyone who ever found a job through “Career Killer.” I’ve been told that no human even looks at the replies and a computer only scans for key words.. If an applicant isn’t a young person then their app gets dummped. I even challenged Career Killer to find me a suitable job and they didn’t even reply…Doesn’t the gov know that times are tough? If there are any jobs, people do not get jobs through dumb sites like that which just want to sell advertising space and hope people read their stupid articles. If so many people weren’t out of work the folks who run Career Killer would not have positions themselves. You never hear about job websites doing massive layoffs… Jobs are gotten by hitting the pavement with resumes…Besides even the job counselors tell us that 70 per cent of people hired, get jobs because of word of mouth or having inside information about vacancies. By the way, the governor took my job and gave it to one of his cronies in May of 2004. Is that all the gov can do to help the people of this state get on their feet again?. C’mon Fitz do your job, indict the bum….

Comment by John Ghrist Monday, Nov 17, 08 @ 12:18 pm
I laughed very hard this morning when I heard on WBBM about the gov and Career Builder. Apparently the gov’s way to help the economy of Illinois is to team up with that worthless webpage called Career Builder or “Career Killer,” which it is known in jobless circles. I’ve known many people who have started their day in hopes of finding a job and spent years doing searches on that webpage.. I don’t know anyone who ever found a job through “Career Killer.” I’ve been told that no human even looks at the replies and a computer only scans for key words.. If an applicant isn’t a young person then their app gets dumped. I even challenged Career Killer to find me a suitable job and they didn’t even reply… Doesn’t the gov know that times are tough? If there are any jobs, people do not get them through dumb sites like that which just want to sell advertising space and hope people read their stupid articles. If so many people weren’t out of work the folks who run Career Killer would not have positions themselves. You never hear about job websites doing massive layoffs… Jobs are gotten by hitting the pavement with resumes…Besides even the job counselors tell us that 70 per cent of people hired, get jobs because of word of mouth or having inside information about vacancies. By the way, the governor took my job and gave it to one of his cronies in May of 2004. Is that all the gov can do to help the people of this state get on their feet again?. C’mon Fitz do your job, indict the bum…. (typo fixed)

Comment by John Ghrist Monday, Nov 17, 08 @ 12:23 pm