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* Court rejects appeal by ex-aides to Daley

Over a strong dissent from Justice Antonin Scalia, the U.S. Supreme Court turned away an appeal Monday from a former top aide to Mayor Richard Daley who was convicted of scheming to steer city jobs to campaign workers.

Lawyers for Robert Sorich and two co-defendants questioned whether the scheme to reward Daley’s political supporters with city jobs amounted to a federal crime. The three were prosecuted for “honest services fraud,” and they argued in their appeal that this was hazy and an ill-defined crime.

Only Scalia voiced a dissent, however. “This expansive phrase invites abuse by headline-grabbing prosecutors. … Carried to its logical conclusion,” he wrote, it “would seemingly cover a salaried employee’s phoning in sick to go to a ballgame.”

* Court rejects appeal from former Daley aides

* No, fraud isn’t ‘just politics’

* New report expected to show more gloom on economy

* Editorial — Waste to ethanol

* Census shows number of farms up, size down

The number of farms in Illinois is growing, but average size is down, a trend also reflected in Sangamon and several surrounding counties in a just-released federal census of agriculture.

In fact, the more than 1,100 farms in Sangamon County in 2007 was up nearly 19 percent from 2002.

* Canadian National Railway challenges federal regulators over train overpasses in Chicago area

The Canadian National Railway challenged the authority of federal regulators to make the railroad pay an estimated $70 million for two overpasses, in Aurora and in Lynwood.

* Lawsuit targets predatory tow truck firms

C ook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez on Monday filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against four Chicago-area towing companies, two near Blue Island, for preying on accident victims by charging fees ranging from $1,995 to $6,500.

* Primary elections today in some suburbs

Primary elections for various municipal offices are being held today in Cicero, Berwyn, Calumet City, Dolton and Aurora, among other communities.

The race for Cicero town president is a three-way contest among incumbent Larry Dominick, police officer Roberto Garcia and Morton College trustee Edward Ledvina.

* Suburban voters head to polls

* Today is election day

* Low turnout expected for today’s primary election

* Charter school admits its flaws

* New Board President is the Old Board President

* Michael Scott reappointed to school board

* Huberman saves 6 schools

Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Ron Huberman said today that community input helped convince him to take six schools off a proposed closing list expected to be voted on by the board this week.

* Six Chicago Schools Spared Closure

* Too much power to principals?

* Murder of three teens must spur CPS reform

* Rent car in suburbs, pay Chicago?

How would you like to rent a car in Waukegan or St. Charles, only to be slapped with the 8 percent “transaction tax” that applies to Chicago car rentals?

Brace yourself. With a burgeoning $50.5 million budget gap, Chicago is reaching into suburban pockets. And Enterprise Rent-a-Car has filed a lawsuit challenging the Daley administration’s effort to collect the tax from drivers who rent cars in the suburbs.

* Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan files suit against Caterpillar over oil-waste spill

* State, Will sue Caterpillar over oil spill

* Caterpillar sued over Joliet-area oil spill

* Everything is ‘wunnerful’ on Daley’s YouTube

* Watch rant-free Mayor Richard Daley on YouTube

“I guess it promotes me,” he added later when asked about the political edge the site might provide. “Yes, I’m the mayor of the City of Chicago, and it promotes Chicago.”

* Daley’s Own YouTube Channel

* Illinois: Horseradish capital of America

* Arts center adds extra ‘Blagojevich’ shows

* Ex-inmates win suit over strip searches

* Kane County decides GPS for stalkers may be good thing after all

posted by Mike Murray
Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 8:25 am

Comments

Happy Birthday George Ryan 75 years old today

Comment by Autismmom Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 8:48 am
That rental car fee for the City of Chicago thing is pretty mind blowing when you stop and think about it. How can a ruling like that even be made with a straight face?? Where does the line get drawn? I would expect this to lead to Daley’s declaring his dictatorial rule over the State of Illinois as his next move. Unbelievable.

Comment by BigDog Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 9:20 am
I could not beleive the rental car thing. I presume if one does come to Chciago, one would buy things and pay for parking, etc. I think this is a case where they ask for a foot, but take an inch or two. The audacity of it all is mindblowing.

Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 10:04 am
So exactly how does the Chicago Revenue Department have standing to tax outside its own borders?

Part of the arrogance of not announcing what will be done with the DC pork money. Who will benefit and why does the taxpayer or for that matter the aldermen not have a right to provide input?

Audacity thy name is Daley

Comment by Plutocrat03 Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 10:34 am
Scalia’s comment about calling in sick to go to a ballgame being a federal crime ought to send chills

Comment by steve schnorf Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 11:03 am
It will only send chills if it is opening day-that’s when I always do it and it usually snows. lol

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 11:17 am
Hooray for the Supremes, boo for Scalia. If there is a problem, let Congress pass another law. Remember, Scalia voted against the Rutan decision.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 11:33 am
Suburban car rental companies should refuse to charge the Chicago tax. No one in Chicago can force the suburban companies to charge it.

I researched the city budget and found that according to the budget estimates, on the city government website, the city has about 30 city sales taxes. Some of them can be avoided, by conducting business in other towns. These taxes are the automatic amusement device tax, cigarette tax, employers’ expense tax, home rule municipal retailers’ occupation tax, hotel accommodation tax, liquor tax, motor fuel tax, motor vehicle lessor tax, municipal automobile renting occupation tax, municipal automobile renting use tax, municipal hotel operators’ occupation tax, off-track betting tax and admission fee, parking tax, personal property lease transaction tax, restaurant and other places for eating tax, soft drink tax, and vehicle fuel tax. If you think that the Chicago city government receives enough of your money, please conduct more business, in other towns.

Comment by ConservativeVeteran Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 1:32 pm
There are more people in prison than there are people who have family farms. My family used to have family farms, now they are prison guards. It sucks.

Comment by priorities Wednesday, Feb 25, 09 @ 11:25 am
*Priorities*

RE: There are more people in prison than there are people who have family farms. My family used to have family farms, now they are prison guards.

Have you ever seen the documentary “The American Drug War”. It makes some point you might like about prisons in rural towns. If you’re interested, here is a brief summary of its argument…

1/2 of all inmates are non-violent drug offenders

War on drugs has had escalating costs since its inception, and I think (not sure though) it was at 18 billion in annual funding under Bush.

Private prisons(more prevalent of late)make money from these inmates.

Both private and public prisons act as economic lifeblood for rural towns where factories have shut down or where family farms have been bought up by agribusiness (This was the point you were getting at I think).

Policy won’t change because of political and economic interests listed above that dependent upon a War on Drugs and the inmates it generates.

I’m not saying that this is all necessarily true, and it’s definitely not the whole story. Just something to think about. Provides an explanation as to why your family all work in prisons.

The loss of family farms is a whole other issue, but, in my opinion, it is irreversible.

So the broader point I am trying to make in regards to your comment on the decline of the family farms and their replacement with prisons is this: maybe the U.S should find a more productive way to put rural America back to work.

Comment by Mike Murray Wednesday, Feb 25, 09 @ 2:52 pm
Mike Murray:

From a farmer’s daughter: AMEN!!!!!!!

Thankfully, no one in my family works at a prison. (did have a cousin who was sent to one in California for credit card fraud). The war on drugs is a waste of our tax dollars in so many different ways, and a waste of human life when users are branded felons and spend years that they could be working sitting in prison. At least legalize marijuana and tax it–some of the other stuff needs more study, and some of the other stuff needs to stay illegal.

“Family farms” may stop declining if we think of Community Supported Agriculture and very small farmers (less than 20 acres, not growing grains, but rather produce for local markets) as legitimate farmers.

Comment by Lynn S Wednesday, Feb 25, 09 @ 9:45 pm