Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
How funny that Bill Daley tries to leverage the (tarnished) halo of Barack Obama in his announcement of a run for governor – or at least in the formation of an exploratory committee, which both gives him an out and allows him to start raising money. Here it is:
Posted on June 11, 2013
By Steve Rhodes
Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence Sandi Jackson to 18 months in prison to be served prior to a a four-year prison term they are asking for her husband, Jesse Jr., so their kids won’t have both parents in prison at the same time.
The Jacksons, on the other hand, will suggest to the judge that the best way to ease the transition and maintain some normalcy would be for Sandi to serve in prison in Chicago during the week and then return to their Washington home to tend to the kids over the weekend, and for Junior to serve in prison in Chicago over the weekend after tending to the kids in Washington during the week.
Also, a third of Junior’s prison commissary fund would go to Sandi for consulting fees.
Posted on June 8, 2013
By Steve Rhodes
“Chicago Public Schools touted a smooth start to the school closing process this week by announcing that 78 percent of students at schools being shut down have been enrolled at another school, most at the one designated for them by the district,” the Tribune reports.
“But the district’s figure may be inflated, as administrators at some closing schools said that because they were under pressure to get children signed up, they went ahead and enrolled students whose parents could not be contacted.”
Has any figure that’s come out of CPS in the last two years not been inflated, deflated, massaged, spun, shaded, invented, fudged or conjured out of thin air?
Posted on June 7, 2013
By Steve Rhodes
“Debt-ridden Roseland Community Hospital’s doors will remain open, at least for the next two weeks,” WBEZ reports.
“Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is giving the Chicago South Side hospital $350,000 in temporary emergency help, which allows Roseland to meet its payroll through June 17. The hospital had asked for $7 million.
“Quinn’s office has said Roseland needs a viable plan amid mismanagement. The money is conditional: Independent financial experts will review the budget and the hospital must hire an independent chief restructuring officer.”
Posted on June 6, 2013
By Steve Rhodes
“The head of Roseland Community Hospital has stepped down, and the facility’s vice president said the state does not owe Roseland $6 million, as the hospital claimed earlier this week,” CBS2 Chicago reports.
What in the world?
“Roseland CEO Dian Powell resigned on Tuesday, a day after she claimed the hospital was in danger of closing because the state owed it $6 million in unpaid bills.
Posted on June 5, 2013
By Steve Rhodes
“Roseland Community Hospital warned that it will stop accepting patients on Wednesday, if it doesn’t receive enough money to stay open,” the Sun-Times reports.
“Roseland is $7 million in debt. Hospital executives say the state owes them $6 million of that in delayed payments for procedures Roseland had performed on patients.
Posted on June 4, 2013
By Steve Rhodes
“The first full session of complete DFL control at the Capitol was marked not just by a hefty tax hike on the rich, but higher spending on education, free all-day kindergarten, a two-year college tuition freeze, significant expansion of union power and legalization of same-sex marriage,” the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported 11 days ago.
“The big stories on the last day of the spring legislative session were the things that did not get done,” Illinois Issues reports today.
“Both chambers adjourned without sending to the governor’s desk Senate Bill 10, which would have legalized same-sex marriage, or comprehensive changes to public employee pensions. (For more on same-sex marriage, see this blog from Meredith Colias.) A gaming bill fell apart. (See blog here.) A bill to gradually shift future pension costs to universities and community colleges, which the institutions agreed to, could not even find enough support to pass in the Senate.”
Just for comparing and contrasting.
Posted on June 1, 2013
By Steve Rhodes
“For the past week – ever since the school board took its final vote to close 50 Chicago schools -the district has been trying to get parents from closing schools to say where they’ll send their children next year,” Linda Lutton reports for WBEZ.
“But getting parents to register for new schools has been a tough sell in many corners of the city.”
This is a problem. Click through to hear/read her report.
Posted on May 31, 2013
By Steve Rhodes
I’ll be on WBEZ today sometime between 2 and 2:30 talking about the wankfest that is Time magazine’s cover story on Rahm.
Now that that’s over . . . some post-show commentary!
Also, almost didn’t do show because not feeling well, so I felt like I sounded anxious and angry. 🙂
— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) May 30, 2013
Posted on May 30, 2013
