By Steve Rhodes

“Wade Michael Page, an Army veteran who was a ‘psychological operations specialist,’ has been identified as the gunman in the deadly Sikh temple shooting, officials said Monday morning,” the Tribune reports.
“As authorities searched for a motive in the Sunday attack, the first picture of the assailant began to emerge. Page died in a shootout with police outside the temple in suburban Milwaukee. In all, seven people, including the suspect, were dead and three others were critically wounded in what police have labeled an act of domestic terrorism.”
If authorities are still searching for a motive, I’m not sure how this can be labeled an act of domestic terrorism quite yet.

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Posted on August 6, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

While Natasha Julius has been on missions of national import quite frequently lately, she’s also utilizing The Beachwood Media Company’s generous mommy leave policy to tend to her adorable 2-year-old, Tiki. Natasha has been with us from Day One here, so she’s accumulated an unlimited number of mommy days to keep her fresh, witty and sane. Once again, I step into a breach I cannot fill, but which I can at least hope to contain.
Schock Treatment
“Peoria’s Schock Proposes Tax Breaks For Olympic Medalists.”
Hey, they didn’t do that alone.

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Posted on August 4, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

“A onetime top aide to former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger was arrested Thursday on charges he pocketed nearly $35,000 in payoffs in return for steering county contracts to several acquaintances willing to make the kickbacks,” the Tribune reports.
“The federal charges against Eugene Mullins, Stroger’s childhood friend, come nearly two years after another high-ranking Stroger adviser was charged in Cook County in a similar scheme.”
Oh what a piece of work is a man named Gene Mullins!

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Posted on August 3, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

“As the head of an Illinois nonprofit that provides care and job training to the disabled and elderly, James Starnes was required to report publicly that his compensation more than doubled over four years, eclipsing $428,000 in pay and benefits,” the Tribune reports.
“But because his salary now comes from a private company he formed to run the day-to-day operations of the Galesburg charity, he didn’t have to disclose publicly what he earned last year, Starnes said.
“‘That’s private information,’ he said.
“The use of for-profit companies to manage nonprofits has grown increasingly common in Illinois, a practice that has permitted organizations relying heavily on state money to shield pay levels from public scrutiny, critics say.”

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Posted on August 2, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

Yesterday’s news tomorrow.
1. “Only $623 million remains from the $2.98 billion paid to the city after former Mayor Richard M. Daley privatized the Chicago Skyway and Chicago parking meters,” the Sun-Times notes.
“The windfall was supposed to last for 99 and 75 years respectively and replace the continuing income once generated by those assets.”
Richard M. Daley, now bringing his financial acumen to Coca-Cola.

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Posted on August 1, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

“Chicago’s city council watchdog wants access to aldermen’s e-mails,” WBEZ reports.
At first blush, to some people, that may seem extreme. It’s not. E-mails from city accounts – or from personal accounts to avoid detection but for the purpose of conducting city business – ought to be considered public documents, as they are in many other jurisdictions.
But that’s not the point of this item. Read on.

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Posted on July 31, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

Still catching up, here’s a few lighter items and today’s Beachwood offerings. Almost back to full strength, thanks for your patience.
Brand X
“State Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s office is paying nearly $2 million to a Chicago consulting firm to re-brand and market a program the Pontiac Republican said just months ago was exceeding expectations,” the Daily Herald reports.
“The state will pay Henson Consulting a total of $1.98 million over three years to ‘re-brand and market the Cash Dash program in the state treasurer’s unclaimed property division,’ per the state contract.”
I’ll do it for free right now: Change the name from Cash Dash to Unclaimed Money Could Be Yours! Done.

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Posted on July 30, 2012

By Natasha Julius

Just to be clear, this isn’t meant to be a full Report; rather, it’s an homage to the spirit of Weekend Desk reporting.
Market Update
Cheer up, Zuckerberg. You only lost a metric shit-ton of money on paper.

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Posted on July 28, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

Duty called. Still calling. But trying to catch up simultaneously.
* The Last Two Weeks In Chicago Rock.
Digging Blood Red Boots. Also, the shed in Tinley Park should be blown to bits. They could sell a lot of tickets to that.

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Posted on July 27, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

Getting closer to the end game. In the meantime, please see:
* The Ghosts of Lupe Fiasco’s West Side.
* Open Books Joins Chicago Writers Conference.
* Chicago’s WPA Posters.

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Posted on July 26, 2012