Chicago -
Natasha Julius is on special assignment developing new performance benchmarks, drafting comprehensive strategies, launching evaluating processes, identifying ambitious goals, outlining structures for implementation, and designing new data collection systems to provide journalists with the tools necessary to cover the Emanuel Administration. We hope she makes it back next week.
Heckuva Job, Barry
The view from on high.
Posted on August 27, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
“On the eve of a vote that could nearly double tolls for Illinois drivers, Gov. Pat Quinn gave the tollway board the closest thing yet to a green light for a sweeping fare hike and massive road construction plan,” the Tribune reported on Thursday.
“The tollway has to do what’s necessary to protect safety, lessen congestion, make sure that we have roads that are efficient,” Quinn said. “Clearly, there is public support for making sure that we do this and do it right.”
Yes, the public always supports higher fees. I’m sure the governor has a poll somewhere he just misplaced that day.
But sure enough . . .
Posted on August 26, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
“Though Mayor Rahm Emanuel has repeatedly claimed that he’s been making big investments in public safety, the number of Chicago police officers has dropped in the last three months,” Mick Dumke reports for the Reader.
“Last October, 11,178 police officers were on the city payroll. By June, shortly after Emanuel took office, that number had dropped to 10,923. As of earlier today, it was down a tad more, to 10,918, according to payroll data.”
Posted on August 25, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
“Two weeks ago, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) came to Hinsdale to raise money for Republicans to fight the congressional map drawn under the direction of state Democratic Party chief and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan,” Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch report for the Sun-Times.
“The very next night, the congressman broke bread with Madigan (D-Chicago) at a fund-raiser for Boehner’s leadership fund at the Lemont home of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Chairman Terry Duffy.”
Oh, but wait. It gets better.
Posted on August 24, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
“Influence peddlers who once worked for Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi’s regime are scrambling to publicly sever ties with the strongman while their competitors are helping his country’s rebels gain a valuable foothold in Washington,” the National Journal reports.
“In March, The Boston Globe reported that Monitor Group, a consulting firm founded by Harvard professors, had received $250,000 a month between 2006 and 2008 for services intended to generate good press and ‘international appreciation of Libya.’
“In July, the group terminated its relationship with Libya and reported taking in more than $6.7 million in fees and expenses between October 2006 and January 2009, according to disclosures filed with the Justice Department.”
Posted on August 23, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
1. Wow, it’s getting crowded in here.
2. Starlin Castro Still Standing At Wrigley Eating Sunflower Seeds.
3. Rahm’s First 100 Days.
Posted on August 22, 2011
By Natasha Julius
Once again, you’ll have to pardon us as we prepare for the on-coming Apocalypse. Here are the main stories for the weekend.
Market Update
The value of gold has reached record highs over the past few weeks. As it turns out, so has the value of Golden.
Posted on August 20, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
1. “A new telephone survey from Mayor Rahm Emanuel seeks opinions from Chicago voters on public officials, what to cut, school taxes and more,” the Sun-Times reports. “The survey also asks if Emanuel is ‘no better than Mayor Daley.'”
Apparently measuring up to the former mayor isn’t Rahm’s concern.
Posted on August 19, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
Our esteemed local newspapers still can’t quite get it right when it comes to Jon Burge.
“It took many years and untold effort before Burge himself was brought to justice, but in the end the legal system did what was needed to achieve justice,” the Sun-Times editorial page said on Monday.
Convicting Burge for perjuring himself about torture with which he was never charged is hardly achieving justice. Unfortunately, justice will never be achieved when it comes to Jon Burge, and the Sun-Times ought to marshal its forces to explain why – including its own failure to take the torture allegations seriously when John Conroy was masterfully laying out the indisputable facts for years in the Reader. He waited and waited and waited for his reporting colleagues to jump aboard and when they finally did, nearly 20 years after his first expose, it was too little, too late.
It would be awfully instructive to hear reporters and editors talk about the discussions that went on in newsrooms – likely very brief discussions – that led to a virtual media blackout about Burge back then. What was it that led our tough Chicago press corps to doubt the evidence that torture took place – or to dismiss it as unimportant?
Posted on August 18, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
1. Obama Dares Republicans To Block His Coming Jobs Package.
This can’t end well.
2. Obama To Unveil Ideas For Jobs, Growth In September. Because you don’t introduce a new product in August.
Posted on August 17, 2011
