Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
1. “Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois thanked Mayor Richard Daley on the floor of the U.S. Senate for his years of service to Chicago,” AP reports.
Durbin then joked that if Daley had been a Republican with a similar record of scandal and corruption he would have led the charge to remove him from office long ago.
Posted on May 13, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
1. Oprah Gets Chicago Street Named After Her.
But you have to sign a confidentiality agreement to see it.
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Because Oprah is known for her confidentiality agreements.
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This is harder than it looks, folks.
Posted on May 12, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
1. City Stickers Will Actually Stick This Year.
And parking tickets will actually tick.
2. The Schockuation.
Posted on May 11, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
1. Oprah Mulling Broadway Roles.
“I have a stack of plays in my bag right now that I am reading,” she said.
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Such as The King and I, in which she would play both roles; and Rent, in which she would play the landlord.
Posted on May 10, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
“In the annals of Daley administration scandals, the name Duff still ranks high,” the BGA reports in the Sun-Times this morning.
“The politically connected Duff family – campaign supporters of Mayor Daley – won about $100 million in city business, in part through what prosecutors said were bogus claims that they deserved breaks that are set aside for women-owned businesses. Those claims unraveled as James M. Duff pleaded guilty in 2005 to fraud and racketeering, among 33 federal charges.
“Daley knew the Duffs, went to their parties, benefitted from their campaign fund-raisers – but downplayed his ties to the family, which, during his tenure, got city cleanup and janitorial work from City Hall at Taste of Chicago, O’Hare Airport and the Harold Washington Library Center,among other lucrative city business.
“For anyone keeping score, newly released FBI files show that agents who were keeping tabs on the late John F. ‘Jack’ Duff Jr. – the family patriarch who was an ex-con, disgraced union boss and self-described pal of the late Chicago mob boss Anthony Accardo – had a source who told them ‘it was common knowledge that Jack Duff Jr. and Mayor Daley were close friends and that Jack Duff Jr. had direct access to the mayor.'”
Posted on May 9, 2011
By Natasha Julius
Be nice to your mother this weekend. Trust us, she doesn’t get enough credit.
Market Update
A paradox emerged this week as April’s jobs data and unemployment figures appeared to contradict each other. Analysts now suggest that, although there are more positions available, less people will be able to fill them.
Posted on May 7, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
Light posting continues until Monday, when we hope to finally catch up with Daley’s departure, Rahm’s arrival, Blago’s trial, the new police chief, the new schools chief, and various and sundry other things. Nonetheless, we have a few offerings today:
* Rahm Biggest Campaign Fund Cheater; Used Loopholes To Keep Donations Secret
* Midland Authors Awards: Poison and Poetry
* TrackNotes: Touting The Worst Derby Field Ever
Posted on May 6, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
Posting may be light until Monday, when we hope to finally catch up with Daley’s departure, Rahm’s arrival, Blago’s trial, the new police chief, the new schools chief, and various and sundry other things. We do have a few posts on tap for Friday. It just might be a bit touch-and-go for the next few days due to colliding circumstances overriding my brain circuits.
We do have a new Carl’s Cubs Mailbag today which, among other items, reveals the best porn names in the Cubs clubhouse. A-Ram did not make the cut; nor did Fukudome.
Posted on May 5, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
Were the White Sox just on the losing end of the Worst No-Hitter Ever?
I watched the game on TV and when the Twins’ Francisco Liriano finally put it to bed, I kind of just shrugged. Eh.
Posted on May 4, 2011
By Steve Rhodes
“A few momentary blasts, flashes of orange light, and the Mississippi River began pouring through a wide hole in a Missouri levee, intentionally blown open by the Army Corps of Engineers in the hope of saving a small Illinois town,” AP reports.
“The Army Corps exploded the Birds Point levee after nightfall Monday, sacrificing 130,000 acres of rich farmland and about 100 homes in Missouri to spare the Illinois town of 2,800 residents that is at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.”
Posted on May 3, 2011
