Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
I’m not ignoring the NATO3 trial (or, even, last week’s charter school decisions by the school board), I’ve just got so much gathered about what a farce the whole thing is that I haven’t had time to shape it up into something coherent besides “Whaaaaaaaaaa!”
Also, don’t get me started on this. I intend to refute all of its dangerous, misinformed and hackneyed silliness in full.
Posted on January 27, 2014
By Natasha Julius
This is the weekend we traditionally refer to as Super Bore Sunday. This year, however, promises to be more entertaining as we all face the very real possibility of freezing to death. In honor of fortitude we’ll need to get through this, the Weekend Desk humbly presents:
Posted on January 25, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“Republican leaders called Thursday for Susanne Atanus to drop out of the GOP primary for the 9th Congressional District after she told the Daily Herald this winter’s bitter weather is a sign that God is angry over abortions and same-sex marriage,” the paper reports.
God refused to comment.
Posted on January 24, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“A fired executive of Chicago’s beleaguered red light camera company alleges in a lawsuit that Redflex Traffic Systems doled out bribes and gifts at ‘dozens of municipalities’ in 13 other states and says he is cooperating in an ongoing federal investigation,” David Kidwell reports for the Tribune.
“The explosive allegations, accompanied by few specifics, suggest investigators may be examining Redflex’s business practices around the country in the wake of the company’s admission last year that its flagship camera program in Chicago was likely built on a $2 million bribery scheme.”
Thankfully, the city is switching from Redflex to Xerox.
Posted on January 23, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“Thousands of pages of secret church documents released Tuesday as part of a court settlement provide an unprecedented and gut-wrenching look at how the Archdiocese of Chicago for years failed to protect children from abusive priests,” the Tribune reports.
“The documents provide new details and insights into how the nation’s third-largest archdiocese quietly shuttled accused priests from parish to parish and failed to notify police of child abuse allegations.”
Posted on January 22, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“Chicago Public Schools said it will tap into $21.5 million in surplus tax increment financing funds to hire extra teachers for arts and daily physical education classes,” the Tribune reports.
On one hand, yay!
On the other, further evidence – as if any was needed – that TIF is just a slush fund for the mayor. This isn’t in any way what the collection of these funds is meant to be used for under state law.
Posted on January 21, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“For six months in 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his wife Coretta Scott King and their children lived in a run-down, tenement building that once stood here [a ramshackle, West Side apartment building at 1550 South Hamlin], while King campaigned against segregation in the North,” Fox Chicago News reported in August.
He actually lived and what he did in bringing light to fair housing in the world, in America, that we appreciate that. And that’s why we have done, we have started on, right now,” says Kim Jackson of the MLK Fair Housing Exhibit Center.
Kim Jackson said her group needs to raise about $300,000 to open a Fair Housing Exhibit in a first floor space on the site. January 26th is the target date, the 48th anniversary of the King Family moving into North Lawndale.
Beyond that are far more ambitious plans for a “Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial District” that would require millions of dollars.
Posted on January 20, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
1. Oh, OfficeMax.
2. Don’t go with Gusto.
3. Nun fun.
4. The New York Times‘ Most Popular Story of 2013 Was Not An Article.
5. Drinking leaves you smarter than you thought.
Posted on January 18, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“The Chicago Sun-Times has ended its lease at 350 N. Orleans effective at the end of 2014, according to building owner Shorenstein Properties LLC.,” the Tribune notes.
“The newspaper’s owner has been leasing 98,000 square feet at the riverfront building bearing the paper’s name since 2004. It is unclear whether the paper will move to another building or reduce its space.”
Or just ask everyone to work from home.
Posted on January 17, 2014
By Steve Rhodes
“In July 2012, The Chicago Reporter exposed one of the Chicago Housing Authority’s best-kept secrets: The agency was cashing federal rent checks worth millions for empty apartments while a record number of families sat on a wait list hoping for a unit to open up,” Angela Caputo reports.
“The CHA has made little progress on filling thousands of empty units, and there is still no clear plan for how many – or when – they will get filled. Meanwhile, the agency has built a nice little slush fund – mostly with federal money – that is supposed to be used to house poor families.
“The CHA had $661 million in unrestricted assets at the end of last year, a Reporter review of audited financial reports shows.”
Posted on January 16, 2014
