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* Daley goes to bat for South Side Wal-Mart
The mayor acknowledged that he is “raising a political hot potato” by reopening the bitter battle that gave birth to the big-box minimum-wage ordinance he vetoed.
But Daley said the economic climate has changed dramatically in the three years since organized labor spent millions to elect aldermen dead-set against Wal-Mart expansion. Layoffs are mounting. Construction is at a virtual standstill. And there will be no Chicago Olympics to create jobs.
* Mayor Daley reopens debate on Wal-Mart
Mayor Daley today reopened the bitter battle that gave birth to the city’s “big-box,” minimum-wage ordinance that he buried with his first, and only, veto.
* Daley calls ending impasse on Wal-Mart a ‘priority’
* Daley Turns Up The Heat On Wal-Mart Debate
* Burke needs to deliver Wal-Mart to Chatham
It’s now up to Ald. Edward M. Burke to make it happen.
An ordinance to allow for a long-awaited Chatham Wal-Mart Supercenter, which sells groceries, has languished for months in the City Council Finance Committee, which Burke chairs. This is just the latest delay in a five-year battle by Ald. Howard Brookins to get a Wal-Mart at a former industrial site at 83rd and Stewart.
Burke, an unabashed union supporter, has said Wal-Mart is welcome in Chicago, so long as it hammers out a “living wage” compromise with union leaders.
* Walmart Plan Still Stuck in City Council
Burke has said in the past he wants Walmart to come to an agreement with the city’s labor unions who oppose the big box store. Aldermen Howard Brookins and Anthony Beale say the unions and the company are getting closer to reaching an agreement.
* Chicago Community Groups Clamor for TIF Dollars
Weber says scrutiny is emboldening neighborhood organizations.
WEBER: I think they figure if the city can give millions of dollars to large real estate developers, why can’t they give us some as well? So we have seen sort seen this burgeoning of grassroots attempts.
Last year 155 TIF districts collected $570 million of incremental property tax revenue. This year the city council passed a TIF sunshine ordinance for better accountability. Last month Ald. Brendan Reilly rejected a TIF district in his downtown 42nd ward citing that the commercial area didn’t need it.
* Gum maker closes South Side plant, puts up for sale
Gum maker closed facility shortly after promising Daley that it would stay open. Now it’s for sale
* Daley Hopes CTA’s Circle Line Picks Up More Federal Money
* Alderman Takes Aim at Power-Plant Emissions
* Chicago magnet school plan trimmed back
Fewer seats for neighborhood kids, siblings get guarantee
* Chicago aldermen want cops to focus on missing kids
* Helper of the homeless needs a hand
Inner Voice, he says, is $300,000 in the hole and soon may be forced to close 300 to 800 beds. As the single largest provider of beds in the city, that would be a drastic cut. He’s scheduled a press conference for tomorrow at 10 a.m. at 8040 S. Western to explain their plight.
And to argue that the City of Chicago’s reimbursement of agencies like Inner Voice has not taken into account how much private donations have dried up, how the credit crunch has affected cash flow, how costs have skyrocketed.
* Cash-strapped towns look for ways to save
Schaumburg officials have been nibbling at village expenses for years to balance the budget — a box of tissues here, a free mulch program there.
With a projected $17.6 million deficit, it’s no longer enough to cut such small things as paper cups for buildings or bigger ones like the second year of management training for supervisors, said village manager Ken Fritz. It’s time for even bigger bites.
“We’ve seen less and less sales tax growth, if any,” Fritz said. “Then you take the recession. Consumption taxes … just completely slid off the face of the earth.”
Schaumburg is proposing the first property tax in the town’s history, and officials in communities from Lake to Kane counties and across the region are digging deep for ways to balance the books.
* Oak Lawn avoids tax hike, OKs budget
* Evanston taxpayers urged to appeal
* Boeing snags $704M Army contract
* Building boom near SI Airport holds promise
CARBONDALE - With $80 million in construction in the next 12 months, Southern Illinois Airport Manager Gary Shafer sees good things for the area.[…]
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, also has earmarked $4 million for a port public safety building.
Shafer said there will be between 275 and 300 guardsmen at the armory on the weekends and 250 people at the TEC building. With that kind of traffic and facilities in both buildings that can host public events, he said the area around the airport could see some real growth.
“It’ll be quite a time out here,” Shafer said. “This is by far the single largest project the airport has ever witnessed.”
* SIU gets nearly $1.2M in cancer research grants
* Downstate air base to benefit from spending bill
* New chief of staff tapped at troubled Ill. VA hospital
The Marion VA has been under intense scrutiny since August 2007, when a surgeon resigned three days after a patient bled to death following gallbladder surgery.
Investigators later found at least nine deaths between October 2006 and March 2007 resulted from substandard care and another 10 patients died after receiving questionable care that complicated their health.
* Lawmakers back hiking ethanol-gas blends
Schock, Hare join others in call to increase biofuel wall to 15 percent now
* Immigration reform: New bill offers path to legalization for 12 million undocumented immigrants
U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez champions bill, which is drawing fire from both left and right
* Judge OKs Dugan death verdict
* Illinois hunters complete muzzleloader deer season
* Bobby Green 1973-2009
The accomplished son of political professor Paul Green died recently after a lengthy battle with brain cancer.
Robert Green, 36, touched countless lives as the respected choral director at Fremd High School in the northwest suburbs.
posted by Mike Murray
Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 11:02 am
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Condolences to Professor Green and his family on the loss of their son “Bobby” Green.
Comment by Will County Woman Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 11:10 am
My deepest sympathies to Dr. Green and his family. May they find comfort through the knowledge that their son touched all those who heard his musical gifts, and will not be forgotten.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 11:16 am
It is shocking that Chicagoans are walled off from access to the free market that has become 21st Century merchandizing. The Anti-Walmart stand would embarrass even old Soviets.
Mr. Daley! Tear down this wall!
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 11:20 am
Daley’s abuse of TIF districts has to be one of the greatest money grabs in local government history.
$570 million a year to dole out to virtually whomever he wants with no input or oversight from the “strong” City Council. It’s breathtaking. That’s some real money.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 11:28 am
Bobby Green was a tremendous talent who was taken way too soon. Our prayers go out to his parents and sister. Please try to support the scholarship fund named in his memory to the fullest extent possible. Please encourage others will join this effort.
Much thanks to Capitol Fax and the AnimalFarmers at the Daily Herald for spreading the word.
Comment by Steve Brown Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 11:43 am
If the CTA is losing money hand over fist, won’t expanding it mean it will lose even more money?
Just sayin’
Comment by Leroy Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 11:58 am
I never understood how Burke has been allowed to not even call the Walmart issue for debate. Beale vs Burke is not a fair fight. Where are the so called community leaders from the S Side on this issue? So many proposals in Chicago and Illinois fall along racial lines (rightly or wrongly) yet Beale has been left out by himself.
Comment by Hank Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 12:00 pm
The California Air Resource Board has already published data calling into question the hype on ethanol as a motor vehicle fuel. If these guys recognize it is bad for the environment, then why look further?
Raising the content to 15% reduces the amount of energy that is available per tank, so mileage will suffer and there are millions of vehicle on the road whose components will suffer as a result of the chemical effects of the alcohol.
Time to grow up and say no to stupidity.
Comment by Plutocrat03 Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 12:44 pm
Steve, you are certainly right about Bobby Green. His students made beautiful music thanks to his brilliant guidance.
Thanks also for noting the memorial. I had missed that in reading his obituary this morning. Folks, if you can, any donations to the memorial will I’m certain be both appreciated and wisely invested in future music educators.
Comment by Jon Bauman Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:22 pm
Plutocrat03 - The main problem with ethanol right now is that we’re trying to make it from corn. This takes too much energy to produce to call it a true “green” fuel, and it also drives the cost of food up as less corn is available for food products. This is great for the farmers of Illinois who get a good price for their crop, but bad for us consumers. Unless we can develop a better way to produce ethanol, these mandates will only hurt the consumers.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:26 pm
To rely on corn based ethanol as a supplement to fossil fuels is an excercise in ignoring reality. I come from a family of farmers and would want to make sure they have a market for their products. Corn ethanol ain’t that product.
Comment by dupage dan Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:39 pm