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* Ill. spent less than U.S. average per pupil in ‘07

U.S. Census Bureau figures released Monday ranked Illinois 21st in the country in per-pupil spending. On average, each state spent $9,666 per pupil in 2007, the most recent year for which data are available.

* Midwest governors form high-speed rail group

Hoping to pool their clout to land billions of federal tax dollars, eight Midwestern governors and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley agreed Monday to work together to build a vast network of high-speed rail lines.

The agreement envisions a web of high-speed lines radiating out from Chicago to the Twin Cities, Green Bay, Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Iowa City, among other Midwestern cities. The signers, including Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn, hope the agreement will bring the region a large chunk of at least $8 billion set aside for high-speed rail in President Barack Obama’s stimulus package.

* Chicago, 8 states form high-speed rail group

* Midwest Governors Pool High-Speed Rail Efforts

* Second, faster high-speed rail line suggested for Springfield

* Agriculture grants available for Illinois farmers

* Disaster loans available for residents

* South Side Ford plant could grow

An analyst says Ford’s South Side assembly plant could grow to two or three shifts after the Explorer SUV moves production here next year.

* Applause for Oak Lawn

It concluded the village needed to adopt a merit-based pay raise system for nonunion employees and tweak pay grades for both lower level and mid-level jobs, among other recommendations. The village is considering privatization of several village departments, refinancing bond payments, cutting travel expenses, laying off 11 firefighters and, possibly, requiring retired employees to pay a portion of their health care premiums, which the village now covers at 100 percent-a rare perk indeed.

* Buyouts, furloughs won’t be enough to balance city of Aurora budget

* US House panel says cemetery oversight needed

* Ex-Berwyn alderman sues over incident at Wal-Mart

One-time Berwyn alderman Michael Phelan filed a battery and malicious prosecution suit Monday against Wal-Mart and its security staff at the Forest Park store in connection with a year-old incident.

* Obesity carries heavy cost

Extra weight linked to $1,400 a year more in medical expenses

* Tweet about apartment mold draws lawsuit

It was a not-so-sweet Tweet about a Chicago apartment.

So Horizon Group Management LLC filed a libel lawsuit Monday against former tenant Amanda Bonnen, claiming one of her alleged Twitter posts “maliciously and wrongfully” slammed her apartment at 4242 N. Sheridan and the company managing it.

* Mayor Richard Daley appoints Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado to replace Ald. Billy Ocasio

Daley took issue with reporters who asked him if he had snubbed Ocasio by not picking his wife.

“Why did I pick Roberto Maldonado? That is the question,” Daley said. “And I picked him because of experience, his commitment, his working with people, his private-sector as well public-sector [experience].”

* Daley appoints Maldonado as 26th Ward alderman

Pointing to Maldonado’s role in founding the first Hispanic-owned mortgage brokerage firm in the Midwest, Daley said, “In the Puerto Rican community, we forget there’s many, many entrepreneurs, professional people. There are all types of small businesses. … There’s a large entrepreneurship in that community that people don’t realize.”

Although Todd Stroger and Bill Beavers moved from the City Council to the County Board in recent years, Maldonado said he relishes the move in the other direction, which comes with a $25,556 pay raise.

* Cook Co. commissioner leaves, jeopardizing sales tax cut

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley appointed Commissioner Roberto Maldonado, a Democrat from Chicago, alderman of the 26th Ward, and the city council is expected to approve the appointment Wednesday. That means Maldonado won’t be around for the county board’s next meeting, Sept. 1, when it must consider overriding Stroger’s veto of a half-percentage-point sales tax cut.

* New Alderman Vows to Fight for Equality

* Durbin: Senate Committee Close to Health Care Bill

* Southlanders: We need more health care services

* Sculpture to mark 1908 riot to be unveiled

SPRINGFIELD — A sculpture that resembles two ends of a burned-out home will be unveiled next month to commemorate the 1908 Springfield race riot.

* Buehrle presents the ‘Top Ten’ on the ‘Late Show’ tonight

posted by Mike Murray
Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 10:15 am

Comments

–Ex-Berwyn alderman sues over incident at Wal-Mart–

I know this WalMart in Forest Park very well. You might remember it from a few years back from the early-morning, day-after Thanksgiving mini-riot among shoppers trying to be first in line to get a free piece of junk DVD player when the store opened.

It was featured on the Today show.

With the absence of big box shopping on the West Side, this WalMart has often been the main marketplace for Diverse Chicago; all the colors of the rainbow, city and suburb, every ethnicity and every income group — with predictable results at times.

One of the wildest urban experiences of my life was going to a Back to School sale there. It was a cross between an All-Star wrestling cage match and the Tower of Babel: Pushing, shoving, punches thrown and no one listening or trying to understand a word the other said.

But you can’t beat the prices.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 10:26 am
Ironically, two former UofI Presidents suggest Trustees be replaced over the Clout Admissions Scandal. However, they do not suggest that the UofI President, B. Joseph White, who has already wasted millions on the Global Campus folly and allowed the clout to proceed, be replaced. Hmm!

Comment by Abe's Ghost Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 10:28 am
Hey, maybe soon we’ll be able to take high speed rail up to Minneapolis to watch the Sox lose in the “Dome” instead of having to drive.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 10:48 am
No changes in state govt in any agency. What happened to reform and promise of a new day. Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the Governor signs on for almost any cause or committee but we never see change or solutions????

ost

Comment by Capt Blab Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 10:48 am
Any word on who might replace Maldonado on the County Board? I’m guessing one of the committeemen would like to appoint themselves?

Here are the wards, ranked based roughly on their weighted vote:

33 - Mell - 20%
35 - Colon - 19%
26 - Maldonado - 19%
1 - Flores - 12%
31 - Berrios - 11%
30 - Reboyras - 10%
29 - Carothers - 3%
27 - White - 3%
37 - Mitts - 3%
39 - Barnette - 1%
32 - Fritchey - 1%

Mell, Flores and Fritchey really can’t support a candidate who supports the sales tax hike. But that still leaves 66% of the vote up in the air.

As the top two Latinos, Colon and Maldonado hold a lot of the cards. Maldonado will be under pressure to back a candidate who shares his support for a repeal of the tax.

All roads lead back to Daley.

Comment by Yellow Dog Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 10:51 am
If the sculpture is as good as the Rhythm Aces it will be real good

Comment by steve schnorf Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 11:42 am
two high speed rails?

Lets get at least one in place first, and it should be the real 220mph high speed rail; not the slightly faster rail.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 11:43 am
(Disclaimer - I may make a lot of $ if high speed rail of any kind moves forward in IL)

220 mph high speed rail will likely need a completely new footprint in many locations, just like the lines in Europe. There will be no grade crossings, no sharing of tracks with slow moving freight and commuter trains, and the urban congestion at both ends will have to be carefully negotiated.

And we are not in the era of the 1950’s interstate highways, when the government could basically decide what to build and everyone would comply. There will be years of environmental studies, public hearings, lawsuits, and so forth before a single blade of dirt is turned or track is laid.

I fully agree that true HSR is most desirable. But it will be an extremely lengthy and expensive process to get there. From this perspective, I also see the wisdom of upgrading what we already have to the extent possible, so that some public benefits might accrue sooner.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 11:58 am
Six I do not disagree, but the problem with upgradeing what we already have is it tends to cause focus to shift to the stop gap approach and put off making the big decision.

We need brand new infrastructure to keep up with technological transporation changes. Its time to pull the plug and start building the lines we need. An upgrade solution just puts money in the wrong direction and allows folks to further put off or elay making the big deicisons that need to be made.

Better to start the lenghty process now then put it off for another day, after all, the prcoess needed to accomplish a new rail system its not going to get any shorter by delaying.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 12:35 pm
Ghost- HSR will require all the imporvements you mention and I hope the State and Feds figure out how to implement HSR. However, I think Six, even if it is his pot of gold, there is no reason why Illinois cannot seek to have 110 mph rail on its current corridors.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 3:07 pm
Good point, Abe’s Ghost, but I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for it to happen. :-/

Comment by Lynn S Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 11:24 pm