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* Oil spill at CAT facility hits Des Plaines river

A holding tank broke open Sunday spilling about 65,000 gallons of oil sludge at a Caterpillar facility in Joliet.

The spill contaminated a three mile area around the Des Plaines River, but officials said it will not have any effect on human health.

The US Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency and Joliet officials placed a floating wall to keep the oil from spreading, and they are working to get it cleaned up.

* 65,000 gallons of oil sludge spills at Caterpillar facility near Joliet

* State firms to cut nearly 4,000 jobs: report

* Hundreds May Lose Jobs at U of C Hospitals

* Aurora revenue from casino hits 5-year low

* Economic problems put pressure on suburban mayoral candidates

* Chicago Tribune to cut jobs, freeze pay

* CN ready to move freights but needs limit numbers

* Daley: Economy Won’t Affect Olympic Bid

* Chicago stimulus package

Back when Wal-Mart first proposed opening stores in Chicago in 2004, the nation’s unemployment rate was 5.6 percent and the City Council thought it could afford the luxury of turning the company away. Big labor was at war with Wal-Mart because the company doesn’t have union workers. So Chicago politicians said Wal-Mart jobs weren’t good enough for Chicagoans. One store was allowed to open, but the company’s bid for more was spurned.

Now unemployment is at 7.6 percent, the economy is in desperate shape, companies are shedding workers. Nearly 600,000 Americans lost their jobs last month.

And here comes word that Wal-Mart still wants to put Chicagoans to work. The company is renewing its Chicago push. John Bisio, Wal-Mart’s Illinois director of public affairs and governmental relations, told us Friday that it is looking at “roughly a dozen potential locations” in the city.

* The President’s Mayor

* Tribune poll: Support for Chicago Olympics tempered by opposition to using taxes for Games

* Caterpillar chairman named to Obama’s economic advisory team

* Two Unions in Marriage Now Face Divorce Talks

With great fanfare in 2004, Unite — formerly called the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees — merged with Here, the larger Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union. But now Mr. Raynor and many of his supporters think the merger should be undone.

“This union has irreconcilable differences,” Mr. Raynor said. “The union should have a divorce.”

* Illinois will appeal ruling that allows Ryan to keep part of his pension

* AG pushes for open records reform

* You need to fight for public information

* When vacancies occur, voters should be allowed to pick

* Primary should be moved

* PJStar View: Next election shouldn’t always be around the corner

After all, nominating petitions will be starting to circulate as the summer draws to a close. Already prospective candidates for statewide office are publicly mulling over which office they intend to seek in the February primary - in 2010, not the one coming up in a couple weeks.

Welcome to the perpetual campaign.

Unless, of course, Gov. Pat Quinn or one of several legislators with competing proposals gets his way and rallies enough support to push back the Illinois primary to sometime when the temperatures are above freezing. Quinn is keen on September. Several others appear to favor August. Peoria Sen. Dale Risinger has a measure that would land the primary on the first Tuesday in June.

* Call one, call them all

* Twitter Congress: IL Legislators

posted by Mike Murray
Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 9:03 am

Comments

ANY change in the primary date would be helpful
in getting us out of “perpetual campaign mode”.

Comment by Esteban Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 9:14 am
The WalMart opposition never made any sense to me. Inner-city investment, building on vacant lots, goods and groceries in under-served neighborhoods and jobs.

Are the stores at Clybourn and North unionized? Maybe it was all a shakedown and WalMart wouldn’t play ball.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 9:22 am
The WalMart opposition never made any sense to me

In affluent times, we can focus on such minutiae as Wal-Mart and foie gras bans. In a full-blown recession where we are looking for any sort of lifeline, not so much.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:00 am
Move the primaries? Again? And to September? So the pols aren’t “distracted” by standing for election? That’s goofy.

Moving the primary to September makes it really hard for a person winning a hard fought primary to raise the funds necessary to fight in the general.

Comment by cermak_rd Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:11 am
The major political parties will resist September primaries, because it lengthens the primary season while shortening the general election season. This means that candidates spend more time bashing members of their own party than bashing their political opponents of the other party. Not good for party unity…

I have no idea how September primaries work in other states. They must have an expedited elections review process. In Illinois, the election clerks claim that the timeframe needed for primary election challenges, recounts, and certifications all take too long. There is no time to print out absentee general election ballots with the final names on them, or even get ballots ready for the November general election.

Comment by Capitol View Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:21 am
Caterpillar Inc. Chairman Jim Owens was one of 16 business leaders named to the Economic Recovery Advisory Board.

Now these appointments were not determined by Ray LaHood, but I wonder if the former ‘Caterpillar’ Congressmen from Peoria had some impact behind the scenes.

On a similar note, it should be interesting to watch LaHood dole out money from the stimulus package. Just a hunch, but I would bet a pretty penny that Caterpillar will be a major recipient of infrastructure contracts.

After all, it pays to have friends in high places.

Comment by Mike Murray Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 11:11 am
I would bet a pretty penny that Caterpillar will be a major recipient of infrastructure contracts,

As it is when any infrastructure bill passes. Cat is the major domestic manufacturer of construction equipment. Non-story, unless you’d prefer the business went to Komatsu.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 11:29 am
Many candidates will announce their campaigns in August. If the primary is moved, from Feb. to Sept., the primary campaigns will last 13 months, instead of six months.

Comment by ConservativeVeteran Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 11:44 am
*As it is when any infrastructure bill passes. Cat is the major domestic manufacturer of construction equipment. Non-story, unless you’d prefer the business went to Komatsu.*

Maybe so, but they certainly are not the only competitor in town and in theory contracts should be given to the lowest bidder whether they be domestic or foreign.

I would agree with your point that CAT is a major winner in any infrastructure bill.

What I was trying to get at was that the ratio of CAT based contracts MIGHT be noticeably higher for this particular bill where LaHood plays a crucial role in selecting worthy infrastructure (transportation) projects.

Though, as of now it is a non-story, as I do not currently have a ratio of CAT contracts from previous infrastructure projects and of course we must wait until the contracts for stimulus projects are handed out.

Just figured it might be an interesting train of thought.

Comment by Mike Murray Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 11:52 am
Mike-

Cat does not “bid” on construction contracts. Contractors buy equipment as needed, in a competitive market where equipment price, reliability and good service translate into profits. There really are no major US-owned players in the domestic construction market other than CAT - John Deere, etc. focus mainly on the ag market. There are foreign-based companies like Komatsu, JCB, etc. who are starting to manufacture product in the USA (Cummins Engine is now owned by Komatsu, for instance). But unless CAT competes with the other firms on price, reliability and service, contractors have no “gun to their head” so to speak to buy their equipment over some other firm’s.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 12:10 pm
Six Deg of Sep. U r right. My bad

Comment by Mike Murray Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 1:24 pm
Wal-Mart may employ how many?

In the meantime, the ma and pa stores within shooting distance will be forced out of business and the samll strip malls will have more pock marks. and for lease signs.

Well at least if they close, there will be fewer robberies and also store owners shot. Fewer lads caught stuck in the heating duct overnight, too. That will be a good thing.

There will also be fewer precinct captain tickets sold and building inspector shakedowns.

Underserved is a relative term. The minorities that own these stores surely do not understand it.

Jobs? Well if you discount the owner and his wife and one employee walking around to keep an eye on the shrinkage from the shelves, I guess the Walmart will provide more employment — and recordable sales.

Much of the temp employment in the small stores is from the Gray market, cash wages at the min wage but without deductions for taxes, social security and medicare.

Comment by Truthful James Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 4:44 pm
If Mayor Daley truly believes that the economic collapse won’t affect the Olympic bid, then he should be removed from office immediately on the grounds of Insanity!

Comment by fedup dem Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 12:13 am