By Steve Rhodes
I’ll deal with the CPS budget and Wrigley Field in separate posts later. So what else is going on?
The [Deb Mell] Papers
Has she ever truly earned any job she’s had? Let’s take a look.
Tik Tok
“Bug experts say they’re seeing an increase in the number of ticks crawling around Illinois this summer,” AP reports.
“Several species of the blood-sucking bugs are found in the state, but entomologists tell the Belleville News-Democrat that they’ve seen a particular rise in the American dog tick this year. The species can host the Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
“Meanwhile, the Lone Star tick has been spotted in portions of southern Illinois. The pest also carries the disease, along with the rare Heartland virus.”
Sin City
“Hours after the Chicago City Council signed off on a $10 million payout to settle his lawsuit, a somber Eric Caine stood in his lawyer’s Near West Side office Wednesday surrounded by relatives of other alleged victims of police misconduct,” the Tribune reports.
“Caine didn’t crack a smile. He said the money could never erase the 25 years he spent behind bars for a crime he did not commit. But he hoped his case brought attention to the plight of other men languishing in prison despite valid claims of police wrongdoing.
“They know they’re innocent, but they have little or no way to prove it, and they struggle to get anybody to hear their cries to help them,” Caine said in a low voice.
“Caine’s case was the latest in a series of lawsuit settlements involving disgraced former police Cmdr. Jon Burge and detectives under his command that have brought the tab to nearly $70 million when legal fees are counted.”
Most Ironic Mayor Ever
“Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday accused the RTA board of being asleep at the switch when the Metra patronage scandal exploded,” the Sun-Times reports.
I know! I mean, how could they not have known what was going on?
County Import Tax Suspended Pending Further Review
That’s the simplistic way of putting it, anyway.
I don’t often side with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, but this tax seems a little funky to me.
Cheap Suit
“Drummer Bun E. Carlos – who stopped touring with the still-spry Rockford, Illinois, power-pop act several years ago, leaving under mysterious circumstances – and the band’s former manager, David Frey, are suing the other three band members (vocalist Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen, and bassist Tom Petersson) in Cook County Court,” the A.V. Club notes.
Courthouse News Service appears to have reported the story first.
Rahm Not As Fast As Reported
“Emanuel declined to comment for this story.”
Truck Stop
“In a barren stretch of Australia, Peoria-based Caterpillar Inc. runs six automated mining trucks,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Traditionally, these trucks would require four drivers to operate 24 hours a day, but now run on their own. Does the project signal the coming extinction of professional truck drivers, as machines take over the work?” (via Crain’s)
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Also: “A global mining industry slump cut into second-quarter earnings at Caterpillar Inc. as companies spent less on equipment and dealers cut inventories more than Caterpillar expected,” AP reports.
In the new world, we mine data, not, um, ore, or whatever.
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Slightly tangentially related: Plan For $1 billion Data Center At Sun-Times Printing Plant Collapses.
Metra Muddle
“Fueled by a growing uproar over a Metra patronage mess, Gov. Pat Quinn Tuesday signed into law a bill barring new Metra and other transit board members from receiving taxpayer-funded health care and pension benefits after they leave such boards,” the Sun-Times reports.
“‘Especially considering the recent problems at Metra, Gov. Quinn does not think it’s appropriate to be providing gold-plated pensions for these part-time, appointed positions,” said Brooke Anderson, a Quinn spokeswoman.
“A lead sponsor of the bill, state Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo), also called it ‘ridiculous’ that Metra, CTA, Pace and RTA board members had been entitled to ‘free health care for life’ after ‘going to a meeting or two a month’ during their board service.”
Wait a minute. Metra board members got free health care for life?
I hate that I’m surprised.
Goin’ To Kansas City
“The Kansas City Council will consider hiring yet another consultant to help fix problems at the much-maligned Kansas City Water Department,” KCTV5 reports.
“The council’s finance committee decided to delay a decison on the contract following a meeting Wednesday. The issue will come back up next week.
“Chicago-based West Monroe Partners LLC would get the contract. City officials say West Monroe is the only company capable of doing the work, which is why they did not seek requests for proposals from other firms.”
The contract would reportedly be worth $12 million.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: West of Rome.
Posted on July 25, 2013