Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
I’ll have a bunch of Papers-type stuff in The Weekend Desk Report.
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The Beachwood Radio Hour #74: Untitled
Is in pre-production.
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The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #91: Cubundant™
The only fans sadder than the ones in Baltimore today are the ones on the South Side, because Cubs.
Plus: Blackhawks Deal Tops Cubs Deal; Follow The Bouncing Bulls; Mocking The Bears; and Up The Toffees!
Posted on February 26, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“Hours after a police officer shot and killed two people on the West Side on Dec. 26, the new leader of the city agency responsible for investigating such incidents was on the scene,” the Sun-Times reports.
“But even as Sharon Fairley oversaw interviews and the collection of evidence, she was in communication with top aides to Mayor Rahm Emanuel – who had tapped her less than a month earlier with vows that the Independent Police Review Authority would truly be an ‘independent arbiter.'”
No doubt, Fairley shouldn’t be part of the City Hall team. But I was even more appalled by the second half of the story, in which Emanuel and his team pimp out one of the victim’s family for public relations points.
Posted on February 25, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
Tribune Publishing’s new CEO is basically not allowed to speak truthfully about the company unless under oath. From the non-disparagement clause of Justin Dearborn’s contract, via Footnoted:
“Executive agrees that Executive will not at any time during Executive’s employment with the Company (whether or not such employment continues beyond the Employment Term) or thereafter take (directly or indirectly, individually or in concert with others) any actions or make any communications calculated or likely to have the effect of materially undermining, disparaging or otherwise reflecting negatively upon the reputation, goodwill, or standing in the community of the Company, or any of its respective subsidiaries, business units, other affiliates, officers, directors, employees and/or agents, provided that nothing herein shall prohibit Executive from giving truthful testimony or evidence to a governmental entity, or if properly subpoenaed or otherwise required to do so under applicable law.”
Posted on February 24, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“Jack Griffin has been ousted as chief executive of Times owner Tribune Publishing Co. and replaced by a longtime associate of the company’s new top shareholder,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Griffin’s unexpected departure appears to have been engineered by Chicago entrepreneur and investor Michael Ferro, who less than three weeks ago became the largest shareholder and chairman of Tribune Publishing.”
There’s no “appears” about it; this is Ferro’s move.
Posted on February 22, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“Graduation rates at almost every Chicago high school over the past four years have been revised following an investigation last year by WBEZ and the Better Government Association,” WBEZ and the BGA report.
“Mayor Rahm Emanuel touted improving graduation rates as he campaigned for re-election last year. But an investigation by WBEZ and the BGA found that graduation rates were inflated, because many principals were regularly labeling students as transfers out of the district when they should have been classified as dropouts.”
Posted on February 22, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“After years of grand plans and empty promises, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is moving to seize control over a giant civic embarrassment: the vacant Main Post Office that hovers over the Eisenhower Expressway,” the Sun-Times reports.
“British developer Bill Davies, who purchased the dilapidated hulk of a building eight years ago, was notified Friday of the city’s intention to use its sweeping condemnation powers to acquire the building and solicit bids to redevelop it.”
Good. I’m with Rahm on this one – at least at first blush. Davies has had his shot.
Posted on February 20, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“Citadel is trimming its investment division following the firm’s losses in the early part of 2016,” CNBC reports.
Citadel, of course, is the Chicago hedge fund run by Bruce Rauner and Rahm Emanuel patron Ken Griffin, the dude who’s complained that the “ultrawealthy” have “insufficient influence” over the political system.
“CNBC has confirmed that Citadel has cut more than a dozen employees from Surveyor Capital, one of the firm’s divisions, as The Wall Street Journal first reported.
“A person familiar with the situation confirmed to CNBC that Citadel’s flagship Kensington Wellington fund has fallen 6.5 percent year-to-date as of Feb. 12.”
The Kensington Wellington fund. I think at the club they just call it the Ken Welly.
Posted on February 19, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday framed the state’s precarious financial situation as a choice for lawmakers this year: work with him on a long-term mix of budget cuts, tax hikes and his pro-business, union-weakening agenda – or steep cuts will have to be made,” the Tribune reports.
“‘You choose,’ Rauner said in his second budget speech at the Capitol. ‘But please, choose now.’
“Should lawmakers continue to resist striking a thus-far-elusive compromise, the first-term governor said he would wield the budget ax himself if the General Assembly gives him special powers to do so.”
I’m confused by Rauner’s logic: If the General Assembly doesn’t do what he wants, he’ll just do what he wants without them, if the very people refusing to do what he wants give him “special powers” to do what he wants?
Posted on February 18, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“Rauner to deliver second budget speech in Springfield before passing his first,” the Tribune reports.
Won’t that screw up the space-time continuum?
Next he’ll be fending off passes from his mother and skateboarding to the clock tower, or something.
When Brucey said he was gonna shake up Springfield, no one knew he meant the calendar.
Posted on February 17, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“Protesters blocked traffic on Congress Parkway at LaSalle Street for more than an hour Tuesday morning to protest immigration policies, resulting in about 12 arrests,” the Tribune reports.
For background, read the exclusive Reuters report we’re carrying today: Immigrants Arrested In U.S. Raids Say They Were Misled On Right To Counsel.
Posted on February 16, 2016
