By Steve Rhodes
It’s 5 p.m., so this is the column. I have to say, I think we’re finally figuring out how to do the Radio Hour.
Posted on June 20, 2014
The [Thursday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“Federal officials released incorrect and incomplete information about how new O’Hare International Airport flight paths would affect residents during a legally required period of public comment, the Chicago Sun-Times has found,” the paper reports.
“Nearly three-quarters of the figures in one key table – on the now-contentious issue of what percentage of traffic each runway will carry – were quietly changed online months after public hearings ended, the Sun-Times discovered.”
Um, what?
“Some changes doubled, tripled and even quadrupled the percentage of flights the runways were predicted to direct over Bensenville, Wood Dale, the city’s 41st Ward and Schiller Park by the time the $8 billion O’Hare Modernization Program is completed.”
Holy freakin’ cow. Well, that explains a lot.
Not addressed in the article: What did Rosemarie Andolino know and when did she know it?
Posted on June 19, 2014
The [Wednesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
1. “In Chicago and in Dallas, the hottest job for the first part of the year was accountant/financial analyst, a job that has a 2.8 percent projected growth rate in the Windy City and 4.3 percent in Dallas for the next six months.”
The City, too, may be hiring in this sector.
Posted on June 18, 2014
The [Tuesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“A federal judge declared Monday that Chicago can finally be trusted to keep politics out of government hiring, releasing City Hall from a 42-year-old court settlement that was supposed to ban patronage – often with mixed results,” the Tribune reports.
“The end came quickly at a two-hour hearing Monday, after years of failed efforts to end the decree that began with former Mayor Richard J. Daley, whose patronage army prompted the case, and continued through his son, Richard M. Daley, who saw top aides sent to prison for running an illegal hiring scheme. And it provided a timely victory for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was praised for stepping up efforts to end political hiring.”
Sure, Rahm, pull the ladder up behind you.
Posted on June 17, 2014
The [Monday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
On Mondays, I go to the Sun-Times first when preparing this column because their “Watchdogs” piece usually qualifies as the lead item. This week is no different.
“When Mesirow Financial Services – a Chicago company that manages millions of dollars in pension funds for the state of Illinois – and its partners wanted to fight the property taxes on their new skyscraper, they called the law offices of Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan,” Tim Novak reports.
You can see where this is going.
Posted on June 16, 2014
The Weekend Desk Report
By Natasha Julius
If NBC needs another bullshit correspondent, the Weekend Desk is available for half the price.
Market Update
All signs indicate the next big crash will come in the sub-Prime working conditions market.
Posted on June 14, 2014
The [Friday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
It’s always fun fighting with Donald Trump but let’s not take our eye off the ball.
Posted on June 13, 2014
The [Thursday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“The latest chapter [of the Rob Ford saga] involves Chicago-based outfit RR Donnelley and Sons, which, according to the Globe and Mail, the brothers Ford were helping get the inside track on the city’s lucrative printing contract,” NOW Toronto notes.
“According to the Globe, there were meetings involving the company, the Fords and senior city staff, at which the message was implied, if not given directly, that the boys from Chi-town would be a good fit for Toronto.”
And vice versa!
Posted on June 12, 2014
The [Wednesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Catching up . . .
“Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration has long said its troubled, $54 million anti-violence program didn’t spend a dime before the governor’s 2010 general election, despite opponents contending it was a rush-job, ‘political slush fund,’ the governor used to drive critical voters to the polls,” the Sun-Times reported Friday.
“New e-mails obtained by the Sun-Times, however, indicate the administration had attempted to move large amounts of tax dollars into the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative three weeks before the Nov. 2 election, a critical period when Quinn was in a tough contest against Republican challenger Bill Brady. Quinn eventually prevailed, winning by about 31,000 votes.”
This story reminds me of the Curie ineligibility story and even Derrick Smith’s conviction for accepting a bribe of relative chump change: “Everybody” does it but you never know if you’re going to be the one to get caught. It’s like someone has to be sacrificed to the gods of corruption every once in awhile in order to maintain some sort of cosmic balance to the system. The formula seems to include one alderman a year – and this year might include a governor.
Posted on June 11, 2014
The [Tuesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“A week after Curie High School won the city basketball championship, a Chicago Public Schools investigation revealed that seven Curie basketball players had been ineligible for the entire season because the correct paperwork hadn’t been filed,” the Sun-Times reports.
“The Sun-Times’ No. 1-ranked team was stripped of its city title and 24 victories for the season.
“Now, a Sun-Times investigation has found that CPS officials can’t say for sure that basketball players at every school – including the top teams – were eligible.”
Also, a renewed effort by the Sun-Times to mention the Sun-Times in every paragraph.
Posted on June 10, 2014