Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
It’s always special when the city council and school board meet on the same day. That day was Wednesday. I’ll talk about both on this weekend’s edition of The Beachwood Radio Hour.
The Blue & Orange Kool-Aid Report: To The Bearmobile!
Carl cracks the code in this classic.
Posted on November 20, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“Cook County commissioners will consider a proposal Wednesday to cut a $41,640 check to finally settle up with the city of Chicago for years worth of unpaid parking and traffic tickets issued to people driving county vehicles,” the Tribune reports.
“The check would cover more than two decades’ worth of outstanding traffic fines, according to a news release from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. And Preckwinkle says she will go after the employees who were driving when the tickets were issued to try to recoup the money.
“The amount, $41,640, covers the full cost of all the unpaid traffic tickets still on the books, minus any late fees and penalties that have accrued over the years, according to Cook County spokesman Frank Shuftan.
“It covers 773 tickets for speeding, illegal turns, red light violations, parking in restricted zones or at expired meters, and invalid vehicle registrations, according to Preckwinkle’s office.”
Posted on November 19, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority is negotiating with a general contractor for the proposed DePaul arena near McCormick Place, but the two sides are struggling with a price tag that has soared to as much as $250 million, about 75 percent more than the original estimate, according to people close to the bidding process,” Crain’s reports.
“McPier next week is expected to award a design-build contract for the arena and an adjacent 1,200-room Marriott hotel to a venture led by Bethesda, Md.-based Clark Construction Group, those sources tell Crain’s. The cost of the 51-story hotel is expected to be in line with previous estimates, or a total of roughly $400 million.
“But a sticking point is the ‘dug-in’ design of the 10,000-seat arena, which places its playing floor well below ground level. That feature has pushed construction costs above the $140 million that McPier and city officials optimistically projected when they announced the project in May 2013, sources said.”
Posted on November 18, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
1. SportsMonday: Bears Make A Statement.
They will not just stand idly by and let Minnesota take control of third place in the NFC North.
Posted on November 17, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
The Jane Byrne Interchange wlll go dark at midnight to honor the former mayor, who died on Friday; the ensuing rash of car crashes will symbolize her administration. Then we can go back to calling it the Circle.
Posted on November 15, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“Mayor Rahm Emanuel this week distanced himself from the risky derivatives that are draining funds from the city’s school system, declaring: ‘Under my tenure, there have been no swaps,'” the Tribune reports.
“But records show the city of Chicago has entered into at least four interest-rate swaps under the Emanuel administration.”
Rahm is a liar. That’s been shown over and over.
For example:
Posted on November 14, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“Parents picking up their children’s report card [Wednesday] and on Thursday were supposed to find out their school’s rating based on a new, more comprehensive accountability system, but for some reason CPS officials have not released the ratings, nor did they give out the colorful school progress report parents are accustomed to receiving,” Sarah Karp reports for Catalyst.
Posted on November 13, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“In October, the jobless rate for all veterans – 4.5 percent, a six-year low – was below that of civilians,” the Sun-Times says in an editorial.
Oh. That’s good news.
“But unemployment for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan ticked up from 6.2 percent to 7.2 percent, compared with an overall civilian unemployment level of 5.8 percent.”
Well, I suppose that’s because more recent veterans are having a tougher time than their predecessors, as we all are, in an economy that remains in the ditch. That seems to fit the generational profile.
“The jobless level also is slightly higher for veterans who left the military after 9/11 than it is for civilians.”
Um, ditto.
I also suppose a college education and skills gained in the civilian world are more valued than military experience in the job market, despite what recruiting commercials portray.
Also, this:
Posted on November 12, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal to toughen the city’s dog license rules got the go-ahead Monday from a City Council panel,” the Tribune reports.
“The Budget Committee passed rules requiring a person who has a dog in public to be able to produce a registration tag or face daily fines. The change, part of the mayor’s annual management ordinance, will be considered Wednesday by the full City Council.”
Posted on November 11, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
Just glance at the SHOW NOTES and tell me you don’t want to listen to The Beachwood Radio Hour #31: Raunocchio-Elect. Analysis, wit and insight you won’t get anywhere else.
Segments include: Phony Bruce, Quinn’s Rose Garden, Late & Never, Journesia, and The Combine Transitions. Plus: They came to watch Nik Wallenda live, not die.
SportsMonday: The Meatballs Were Right
And they’ve been right all along.
See also @BeachwoodReport for the Bears tweets that won the Internet last night. And if you missed our very own Jim “Coach” Coffman talking Bears on WBEZ’s Morning Shift, we’ll add the audio to SportsMonday when it becomes available.
Posted on November 10, 2014
