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The [Monday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

For completists, there was no column on Friday. Weekend Desk Reports have also become sporadic. Sorry.
“This week for the first time, Illinois is issuing every public school in the state one of four designations: exemplary, commendable, underperforming, or lowest performing,” WBEZ reports.
“Hundreds of schools will be assigned those bottom two ratings of ‘underperforming’ or ‘lowest performing.’ But state education officials stress that the new labels aren’t a punishment, and struggling schools will get access to resources and extra help to improve.”
I also have a new rating system, and I label this plan “underperforming.”


Today’s Worst Liars In Illinois
“Somewhere, somehow, a memo must have gone out to Republican lawmakers who voted for the American Health Care Act, the Republican bill to repeal and replace Obamacare: If you are attacked for undermining protections for people with existing health problems, jab back by saying the claim got Four Pinocchios from the Washington Post,” the paper reports.

That’s not true. Republicans are twisting an unrelated fact check and are misleading voters. We have found at least seven politicians who have done this.
Rep. Peter J. Roskam (Illinois’s 6th District): In a debate on Oct. 22, he said: “Sean [Casten] has falsely accused me of being against protecting people with preexisting conditions and that was fact-checked by the Washington Post, who gave that four Pinocchios.”
Rep. Rodney Davis (Illinois’s 13th District): In a debate on Oct. 18, he said: “The lies about preexisting condition coverage being taken away have been scored a Four Pinocchio by the Washington Post. Read the bill. In the bill, it specifically says, ‘Nothing in this bill shall allow insurance companies to deny anyone coverage for preexisting conditions.'”

Here’s the kicker:
“We asked these lawmakers whether they would be willing to withdraw the citation of the Pinocchios. None agreed to do so.
“That’s dismaying. These lawmakers have been put on notice that they are peddling a falsehood – and politicians who care about their reputation should acknowledge they made a mistake and offer an apology.
“Instead, they apparently believe it is politically advantageous to continue to deceive the voters in their districts. It is especially galling because many accuse their opponents of spreading lies – and then cry Four Pinocchios.”
Pizza Puffery
“Chicago restaurant supplier El-Greg Inc. owes competitor Illinois Tamale Co. $220,000 after an Illinois federal court jury found Thursday that it had infringed Illinois Tamale’s trademark on Pizza Puffs by selling a similar product,” Law360 reports.
“Jurors agreed with Illinois Tamale’s stance that El-Greg infringed its trademarked Pizza Puffs by labeling its product ‘Pizza Pies (Puffs)’ and awarded $30,000 in damages and $90,000 in profits on Illinois Tamale’s trademark infringement and false advertising claims. The jury also found that El-Greg violated a 2004 legal settlement with Illinois Tamale that it would not describe its pizza pastries as ‘puffs’ and awarded $100,000 for breach of contract.”
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When I grew up in Minnesota, our thing was Totino’s Pizza Rolls.
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Also, what was school lunch without pizzaburgers?
I couldn’t find a photo that adequately represents what I remember those looking like, but I could go for a couple right now, perhaps with tater tots. Second only to Taco Tuesday.
Cox Pox
“Tucked away off the main drag in this northwest Indiana town, not far from a busy plasma donation center and a former Tepe’s Department Store that serves as the town hall, sits a cluster of nondescript apartment buildings,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“The Chapelle Le Grande, with its garden-style units, is among the more than 22 Midwest apartment complexes that have made Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox a wealthy man.
“Cox has tapped into the profits from those real estate ventures, combined with the proceeds from his Illinois-based law office, investment firm and property management business, to bankroll two decades of ambitious – and thus far unsuccessful – forays into politics. This year, that wellspring of cash has helped take Cox all the way to the November election and a one-on-one face-off with Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.”
That Cox, a failed Illinois pol, has gotten as far as he has out west is a puzzle – or a testament to how weak the GOP is in California these days. His only political success here was winning the presidency of the Cook County Republican Party, whose membership could probably all fit on a CTA bus.
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“Cox loaned $1 million to his quixotic bid for president in 2008; more than $1.1 million for his failed U.S. Senate runs in Illinois in 2002 and 2004; and more than $750,000 on other political runs in Illinois.”
“Almost all of that money leads back to apartment buildings in blue-collar towns scattered across Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, which Cox began buying up with the help of outside investors beginning in the 1980s. In all, Cox’s firms own and manage more than 2,600 apartment units.
“Cox’s tale of self-made success is the central theme of his campaign. He casts himself as a political outsider with the business smarts to put California back on track after a rise in homelessness, poverty and housing prices, problems Cox attributes to the state Democrats in power.
“He often talks of his humble beginnings growing up on the South Side of Chicago after his parents divorced. Cox was raised by a single mother who scraped by on a public school teacher’s salary.”
Yeah, that’s not quite right.
Go read the rest of the Times story, though, there’s plenty of Illinois in it – including the time Jay’s, the potato chip company, sued him.
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New on the Beachwood . . .
Watch Warner Saunders Discuss Racism With Studs Terkel
“We are saddened by the recent passing of news anchor and Chicago native Warner Saunders. To commemorate his legacy, watch a clip of Saunders and Studs Terkel discussing racism on Saunders’ show, Common Ground.”
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How Bush, Obama & Trump Made The Walton Family Obscenely Rich
To the tune of at least $6.5 billion – of your money.
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How America’s Tax Laws Encourage Inequality
“Instead of reflecting a society constantly striving to better itself, U.S. tax laws are mired in the past as they reinforce the social and economic marginalization of women, racial and ethnic minorities, the poor, members of the LGBTQ community, immigrants and people with disabilities.”
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Recall! Buddy’s Pork & Chicken
These items were shipped to institutional locations in Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and New Jersey.
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Painting The Floating World
“This exhibition, the first public showing of Roger Weston’s comprehensive ukiyo-e painting collection in the United States, showcases how artists of the period captured ukiyo, or the ‘floating world,’ where people of all ranks shared in the enjoyment of the floating world’s attractions – brothels, kabuki theater and seasonal festivities.”
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SportsMonday: TCB
“The bottom line I suppose, and I will admit I am stretching, is that whatever negative impression may have been created by this game, it was at least matched by a positive.”
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From Friday . . .
The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #223: Bears Breakdown
It’s special teams, stupid. Plus: Blame Ryan Pace For Setting An Impossible Standard Mitch Trubisky Will Never Meet; Check Back On The Bulls Around Christmas; Corey Crawford Is The Khalil Mack Of The Blackhawks; The Boston Red Sox Are Ridiculous; and Gold Glove Finalists Of Interest.
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ChicagoReddit

Callin all chicago games heads and nerds- its that time of year again, Saturday from 10 to 4pm International Games day at Harold Washington! :0 from r/chicago


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ChicagoGram

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Although I must say, Three Musketeers is clearly the superior bar.
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ChicagoTube
Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers / “Reality Bites”

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BeachBook
The Suffocation Of Democracy.

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Healthcare Companies Saving Billions From GOP Tax Bill.

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How Vacant Storefronts Rise From The Dead As Halloween Costume Shops.

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The Menace Of Eco-Fascism.

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TweetWood
A sampling.


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The Beachwood Tip Line: Moments of truth.

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Posted on October 29, 2018