The [Thursday] Papers

At first I was angry about the governor's proposal to raise revenue by putting speed cameras on interstates. Then I remembered that the governor's proposals tend to have a shelf life of one news cycle, so I don't think we have too much to worry about.

Camera Shy
Sure enough . . .

"The idea is in its infancy with no budget and no timetable."

At The Fair
The governor has called a special session for next week, coinciding with the Illinois State Fair.

We've got the inside scoop.

And in case you missed it, While Daley's Away is pretty funny too.

Power Play
About 35,000 people are still without power after Monday night's storm. It won't be turned on until they pay their parking tickets.

Prison Ho
"[Arenda Troutman's] lawyer Sam Adam Jr. that she will not cooperate with federal investigators in any continuing probe," Mark Brown writes.

"'Never,' declared Adam, fresh from his successful defense of singer R. Kelly. 'She's a stand-up woman with a stand-up counsel.'

"Meaning no disrespect to Adam, who is hardly alone in the usage, but is there another city in America where being a 'stand-up' person means they won't give information to law enforcement authorities concerning criminal activities about which they have personal knowledge?"

For example:

"Troutman's surprise guilty plea came just months after her reputed onetime boyfriend, Donnell 'Scandalous' Jehan, surrendered after four years on the lam," the Sun-Times reports. "Jehan reputedly is a high-ranking gang member charged in a drug conspiracy."

If the mayor was in town, I would ask him this:

1. Should Jehan cooperate with authorities or be a stand-up guy?

2. He should cooperate? Well, should Troutman cooperate then?

3. And what about Robert Sorich?

4. Who hired Angelo Torres?

*

Wouldn't it be interesting if Daley cooperated with authorities? Really, what if he told them - and us - everything he knows?

Beachwood Troutman
We'll miss her.

* Arenda Troutman: A Beachwood Primer.

* "Troutman actually had the gall to (allegedly) accept a bribe to develop a property that wasn't even in her ward."

* Tank vs. Troutman.

Lincoln's Bedroom
"Barack Obama, heavily reliant on major donors and celebrities despite his public emphasis on small contributors, upped the ante this week to enter his VIP donor world. A new high was set Monday for hosting or chairing an Obama event; chairs of his birthday fund-raiser in Boston had to raise $285,000; co-chairs needed to collect $142,500," Lynn Sweet reports.

"The higher price tags in the Boston event were reflected down the line: dinner and the 'photo line' were $28,000 per couple or $15,000 a seat."

Good thing Obama declared independence from a broken system.

Lovable Losers
"It looks like the Cubs may never build the 400-space parking garage adjacent to Wrigley Field promised to area residents in exchange for a 1,791-seat bleacher expansion," the Sun-Times reports.

Next time Wrigleyville signs a deal with Tribune Company, they should make sure there isn't cork in the pens.

Loyal Opposition
"Labor leaders press Daley for deficit details."

Fills niche where city council used to exist.

The Wimp Factor
"The Obama campaign finally tapped an Arab-American and Muslim-American coordinator July 26 - Chicago lawyer Mazen Asbahi. Monday, he stepped down after questions were raised by the Wall Street Journal about his brief tenure on the board of an Islamic investment fund. The episode exposes the Obama team's struggle to woo Muslim voters while denying Obama ever embraced the faith and as he looks for Jewish support," Lynn Sweet reports.

"Asbahi, an associate at Schiff Hardin, e-mailed the campaign Monday, before the story was published, saying he was quitting the volunteer position in order to not become a distraction.

"'In 2000, I agreed to serve as a member of the board of trustees of the Dow Jones Islamic Index Fund. I served on that board for only a few weeks before resigning as soon as I became aware of public allegations against another member of the board.'"

If that's really all there is to it, Obama should have been a man and stood by Asbahi while proclaiming that his vision of a higher form of politics in America means acting like adults. Maybe he was too busy looking for his flag pin.

Succeeding Obama
Bob Reed has an intriguing scooplet.

Division Street
More posts over there, including The Beijing Transit Authority and Burning Out On Barack.

Programming Note
Apologies for the column seeming to appear later and later each morning the last couple of weeks. I've just been overwhelmed with everything I'm trying to do to both maintain the site and actually try to conduct some business, which continues to be a struggle. Thanks for your patience.

The Soriano Spill

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