By Steve Rhodes
1. I’m not quite sure which shell the ball is under, but my instinct is that the state would be better off making a deal with Scott Lee Cohen’s pawn shop than accepting ComEd’s offer.
2. “Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) lost a pair of major airlines and seven other law clients last year, but picked up a dozen new ones and still has 34 clients that did business with the city or other local government agencies, according to his annual ethics statement,” Fran Spielman reports.
“But, like so many other Americans, the City Council’s Finance Committee chairman had a tough year for investments in 2009.”
Ed Burke: Just like you and I.
Oh, except for this part:
“Burke tried to make up for the loss by hustling 12 new clients that do business with the city: Community Housing Partners XI L.P.; Fifth Third Bank; The Habitat Co.; Humana Inc.; International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399; JP Morgan Chase Bank; K-Five Construction; Kenny Construction; MCL Construction; Prairie Material Sales; Walgreens and Wentworth Tire Co.”
3. Either the Reader isn’t very well-read among media folk or media folk are willfully ignoring the paper’s recent reporting that found that claims about Walmart being the only store willing to locate in Pullman Park were, well, false.
The latest offenders are Fox Chicago News and the Defender.
Last night, Fox’s reporter stood by silently as Ald. Anthony Beale told her that “Everyone has turned their back on us” except Walmart.
But representatives from Jewel, Ikea, Costco and Target say Beale has never contacted them.
Likewise, the Defender’s recent cover story, “Beale’s Bundle,” reports that Beale “also courted other big retailers – including Costco, Dominick’s, Ikea, Jewel and Target – to anchor the development, but they all declined.”
So it’s Beale’s word against the word of Costo, Ikea, Jewel and Target. (Dominick’s was non-committal in its response.)
Beale went on to tell the Defender that “They all turned their backs on us. I didn’t want this fight, but Walmart was the only one willing to come” and that “This development hinges on Walmart.”
4. Oil Companies Pay a Pittance in Penalties to Offshore Drilling Regulator.
5. “For an enterprise that’s supposed to be all about taking a ‘fresh, innovative approach’ and creating a brand new model for journalism, the Chicago News Cooperative continues to look a lot more like a job haven for former Chicago Tribune editors and writers,” Robert Feder writes.
True.
Then again, for an enterprise that’s supposed to be all about taking a fresh, innovative approach, Vocalo continues to look a lot more like a job haven for people like Feder.
6. UAL-Continental merger triggers multi-million exec bonuses.
7. Does Ald. Tom Tunney think the street vendors working the sidewalks around Wrigley Field are stupid? Yes.
8. The University of Madigan.
9. What kind of baseball do you play?
10. Life with the Rolling Stones: Part One.
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Suck it, Arizona.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Satisfy your hunger.
Posted on May 5, 2010