By Steve Rhodes

“Twenty two candidates met a Monday deadline to file paperwork for a spot on the ballot in the special election to succeed former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.,” the Tribune reports.
“The field of 17 Democrats and five Republicans still could be winnowed, however, as campaigns try to knock opponents off what would be a crowded Feb. 26 primary ballot in the 2nd Congressional District.”
Indeed. And there are probably a half dozen candidates at most who really have a shot at this. You can see the whole field here.

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Posted on January 8, 2013

By Steve Rhodes

“In one suburb, weeds grow chest-high on long-dormant youth baseball diamonds. And the village’s water is drawn from wells so laced with a toxic chemical that the state had to drag in a new filtration system,” the Tribune reports.
“They are the kinds of problems that could prompt a village to hike taxes, and Sauk Village did just that in recent years, raising them even higher than the tax-capped town is usually allowed.
“But the extra cash hasn’t gone to the ballfields or to the water system.
“Instead, the money is going to pay off a gleaming Village Hall – for which officials borrowed big to build, without seeking voter approval.”

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Posted on January 7, 2013

By Natasha Julius

Happy New Year, everyone. Welcome to 2013, the Year of the Respiratory Flu.
Market Update
Now that we’ve technically survived going over the fiscal cliff, it’s time to choose the apocalyptic nickname for the next impending budgetary disaster. Would you rather:
1. Be locked out of the fiscal season;
2. Be jilted at the fiscal altar;
3. Or be crushed by the fiscal boredom?

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Posted on January 5, 2013

By Steve Rhodes

“The Chicago City Council is about to lose its second-longest serving member – and a healthy chunk of its colorful personality and institutional memory,” the Sun-Times reports.
“Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) – powerful chairman of the City Council’s Rules Committee and father-in-law of convicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich – has told associates he is preparing to step down within the next few months after 38 years as a Chicago alderman.”
His replacement has already been decided upon.

Looks like I have a new Alderman….Ald Mell. Oh Chicago. soc.li/u9L9LuE

— amisha patel (@gulabjammin) January 4, 2013

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Posted on January 4, 2013

By Steve Rhodes

Wondering how those tax subsidies for NASCAR, Disney and Goldman Sachs got into the fiscal cliff bill, even as a payroll tax cut was rescinded?
The White House insisted on it.
Four more years!

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Posted on January 3, 2013

By Steve Rhodes

The Tribune reports that not a single food truck application has been approved by the Emanuel administration after the city council passed an ordinance ostensibly allowing the practice but which many critics said was geared more toward protecting brick-and-mortar restaurants than nurturing a new and potentially lucrative industry.
No food trucks for you!

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Posted on January 2, 2013

By Steve Rhodes

Posting will continue to be sporadic until we return in full on Wednesday, though we might not really return in full until Monday. We still have a lot of end-of-year housecleaning and beginning-of-year planning to do. And by “we,” I mostly mean me.
Still, the Beachwood rolls on . . .
* America Tweets Jenny McCarthy’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve.

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Posted on January 1, 2013

By Steve Rhodes

Posting will continue to be sporadic until January 2nd – and maybe even then!
But we do have a few posts today:
* SportsMonday: Lovie Smith Is Fired And Trending.
* QT: Wring Out The Old, Ring In The New.
* The College Football Report: Today’s Bowls Brought To You By Franklin American Mortgage, Hyundai, AutoZone & Chick-fil-A.

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Posted on December 31, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

Posting will continue to be sporadic until January 2 – and maybe even then!
Hence, there was no Papers column on Friday. We do have a couple new posts elsewhere on the site, however.
* Chicagoetry: More Than A Feeling.
Dude brought a rifle to school,
Naperville Central, 1978.
* The College Football Report: Specialty Yarns, Pinstripes And The Triple-Option.
Thirty-five bowl games is about a dozen too many.

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Posted on December 29, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

Posting throughout the site will be sporadic until January 2nd – and maybe even then!
A few items of note.
* Corporate Tax Rate Overhaul May Be Part Of A ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Deal.
“Amid the wrangling over the so-called fiscal cliff, President Obama and congressional Republicans can agree on something: They want to lower the corporate tax rate.”
We interrupt this news story to bring you this important reminder:
Corporate Profits Hit All-Time High As Wages Drop To Record Low.

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Posted on December 27, 2012