Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
“The Illinois House might expel one of its members Friday, but Rep. Derrick Smith remains on the November ballot and still could be re-elected,” AP reports.
Heh.
But wouldn’t they just expel him again after the election?
“The Illinois Constitution prohibits either house of the General Assembly from expelling a member more than once for the same offense.”
Heh-heh.
Posted on August 17, 2012
By Steve Rhodes
“Two years ago, Roy McCampbell said in a Tribune investigative story that he earned every penny of his $472,000 salary by holding 10 different village positions,” the paper reports.
“Today he faces indictment.
“The former Bellwood village administrator, McCampbell, 57, of Schiller Park, faces eight felony counts of theft and four felony counts of official misconduct, according to court records.
“The grand jury indictment accuses him of stealing more than $500,000 from the west suburban village, in part by manipulating his employment contracts and deceiving the Village Board about them.”
Posted on August 16, 2012
By Steve Rhodes
“A federal grand jury has demanded that a City Council committee led by a powerful alderman turn over records related to a program that last year alone paid out $115 million to disabled city workers, according to documents obtained by the Tribune,” the paper reports.
Yay!
Posted on August 15, 2012
By Steve Rhodes
Bits, pieces.
1. United Welcomes Olympic Athletes To O’Hare With Super-Exciting Water Cannon Salute!
Next time try shooting the Spice Girls out of those cannons; then you’d have something.
2. Investors Would Like To Aim Water Cannons At Groupon.
And then themselves.
3. CPD Would Like To Aim Cannons At CeaseFire, No Water Necessary.
Rahm-backed publicity stunt won’t end well; might as well bring the Spice Girls in.
Posted on August 14, 2012
By Steve Rhodes
“Motorola Mobility is laying off about 700 employees in the Chicago area, representing about 23 percent of its local workforce, as part of broader job cuts and restructuring measures announced Monday,” the Tribune reports.
“After the local layoffs, Motorola Mobility will employ about 2,300 people in Libertyville and Chicago, Motorola Mobility spokeswoman Jennifer Erickson said. The Libertyville-based smartphone maker is laying off 20 percent of its 20,000-strong global workforce, affecting 4,000 employees worldwide, Google Inc. disclosed Monday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Mountainview, Calif.-based search giant acquired Motorola Mobility in May for $12.9 billion.
“The disclosure comes less than one month after Motorola Mobility and Mayor Rahm Emanuel made a high-profile announcement about the company moving its headquarters and 3,000 employees from Libertyville to the Merchandise Mart in 2013.”
But because the company hasn’t been outwardly against gay marriage, Emanuel proclaimed them still a symbol of Chicago values.
Posted on August 13, 2012
By Natasha Julius
The Weekend Desk Report has been held together with this stuff for years.
Market Update
According to the USDA, this year has provided a brutal season for corn. Fortunately, it’s also been a historically strong season for pure, unadulterated cheese.
Posted on August 11, 2012
By Steve Rhodes
Really jammed up this morning, just a few items and then we’ll crank it back up next week.
1. “There was no Jay Cutler, no Matt Forte, no Brian Urlacher, no Julius Peppers and practically no offense for the Bears on Thursday night at Soldier Field,” Joe Stevenson writes for the DeKalb Daily Chronicle in Whole Lot Of Nothing.
“Backup Jason Campbell started in place of Cutler and played the first quarter before Josh McCown took over. The offense gained only 41 yards in the first half and 132 for the game.”
Posted on August 10, 2012
By Steve Rhodes
The usual suspects.
1. Dear Patti Blagojevich: Now you know how Children’s Memorial felt.
*
This part of the court transcript is already finished, though, and it’s one of my favorites:
Patti: Tell them to hold up that fucking Cubs shit. Fuck them. Fuck them. What kind of bullshit is that.
Later:
Patti: Just fire them . . . What would William Randolph Hearst do? Say, ‘Oh, I can’t interfere with my editorial board?’ They’re hurting (the paper’s) business.
Posted on August 8, 2012
By Steve Rhodes
A member of the defense team in an ongoing trial offers to blog for a local newspaper and neither the editor of the paper or one of the town’s few media critics can think of a reason to say no?
Here’s one: He’s a member of the defense team in an ongoing trial!
My God.
If I have to explain why that’s a problem, neither of you deserve your jobs.
Posted on August 8, 2012
By Steve Rhodes
“Former Gov. George Ryan’s longshot – and likely last – chance to get out of prison early was denied Monday by an appellate court in Chicago,” the Sun-Times reports.
“Lawyers for Ryan, who is nearing the end of his 6 1/2-year prison sentence for corruption, had argued last month that prosecutors had failed to prove he took bribes. But in a 16-page ruling issued Monday, the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, denying the 78-year-old Republican’s appeal.
“The appeals court previously had rejected Ryan’s arguments for overturning his 2006 convictions but was ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court in April to take another look at Ryan’s arguments, saying it should consider whether the instructions given to jurors in Ryan’s corruption trial were flawed in light of another high court ruling dealing with an arcane legal issue known as honest services fraud.”
That puts the issue to bed; Ryan will be out soon anyway, as noted. And then we can pelt him with tomatoes on his way home to Kankakee.
Save some for his lawyers, too.
Posted on August 7, 2012
