Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
This morning was Day 2 of the Tribune editorial board’s series of mayoral candidates debates. On Tuesday, the paper brought in Bill Daley, Gery Chico, LaShawn Ford, Willie Wilson and Toni Preckwinkle. Today it was Susana Mendoza, John Kozlar, Bob Fioretti, Dorothy Brown and Paul Vallas.
I didn’t tweet as much today as I did yesterday, but for the running commentary I (and others) did provide, you can check out #TribEndorse or @BeachwoodReport.
Posted on January 16, 2019
By Steve Rhodes
So I watched – live on Facebook! – the Tribune editorial board’s first mayoral debate this morning, featuring Bill Daley, Gery Chico, LaShawn Ford, Willie Wilson and Toni Preckwinkle.
The Trib is holding a series of these, splitting up the otherwise unmanageable field of candidates into what I presume are randomly selected groupings. This is a really good idea.
Posted on January 15, 2019
By Steve Rhodes
“A decade ago, when Jen Sincero was in her 40s and totally broke – flailing about in ‘Loserville,’ as she puts it – she decided to change her life. And she actually followed through,” the Tribune reports.
Now she’s a successful author. How did she do it? She became a life coach!
Posted on January 14, 2019
By Steve Rhodes
For completists, there was no column on Thursday or Friday; reasons and things.
Check out #1Chi4All as well as @BeachwoodReport for my running commentary.
Hundreds of Chicago residents are packed into the UIC forum to listen to the mayoral candidates. Each neighborhood is represented, and seated in its own section acknowledged with signs reminiscent of a political convention. @WGNNews #1Chi4All pic.twitter.com/dqxuzfRqcV
— Mike Lowe (@MikeLoweReports) January 12, 2019
Posted on January 12, 2019
By Steve Rhodes
“Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan’s private remarks during his 18 months at the Pentagon have spurred accusations that he is boosting his former employer Boeing, people who have witnessed the exchanges told Politico – fueling questions about whether he harbors an unfair bias against other big military contractors,” Politico reports.
“Shanahan, who spent 31 years at Boeing before joining the Pentagon in mid-2017, has signed an ethics agreement recusing him from weighing in on matters involving the mammoth defense contractor. But that hasn’t stopped him from praising Boeing and trashing competitors such as Lockheed Martin during internal meetings, two former government officials who have heard him make the accusations told Politico.
“The remarks raise questions among ethics experts about whether Shanahan, intentionally or not, is putting his finger on the scale when it comes to Pentagon priorities. They also call new attention to a recent decision by the Pentagon to request new Boeing fighters that the Air Force has said it does not want – a request that Bloomberg has reported came after ‘prodding’ from Shanahan.”
Boldface mine.
Posted on January 9, 2019
By Steve Rhodes
1. Chicago Employers Among Those Rushing To Hire Temporary Immigrant Workers.
“Intense demand for seasonal foreign workers has crashed a federal government website, leaving many employers across the country wondering if they’ll be able to hire those workers. Some Chicago businesses rely on temporary seasonal workers, including landscapers and other service workers,” WBEZ reports.
“H-2B visas are for low-skilled seasonal foreign workers in nonagricultural jobs. There are only 33,000 such visas available nationwide. Employers submitted three times as many applications for eligible workers with those visas in one day, crashing the website through which employers submit their applications.”
Posted on January 8, 2019
By Steve Rhodes
1. 3 Failed Gambles Led To Timberwolves Firing Tom Thibodeau.
“As the Thibodeau era unfolded, though, his red flags and hang-ups won out over his bona fides. His arrival didn’t transform the Timberwolves’ poor defense, which ranked 27th and 26th, respectively, in his first two seasons. His all-gas, no-brakes approach to playing time led Towns and Wiggins to rank among the league’s leaders in minutes, even as their play – particularly in fourth quarters – suggested signs of exhaustion. Perhaps most importantly, his role as head of basketball operations did not reveal a kinder, gentler side or a more wide-angle approach. Instead, the gruff coach emerged as a gruff executive, with little interest in making allies within the organization and no interest in overseeing a slow-and-steady construction project.”
In other words, Thibodeau hasn’t learned a thing. He has shown no growth. He is not NBA head coaching material – much less NBA executive material. He is who he is, full stop.
Posted on January 7, 2019
By Steve Rhodes
He will wear the antlers before the week is out!
Posted on December 24, 2018
By Steve Rhodes
BREAKING: Old Grumpy is back on tap at Logan Bar.
That means Grumpy Hour is back – which coincides perfectly with blood test results I’ve also just (finally) gotten back that clear me for a return to beer-drinking, which had temporarily been suspended.
Our very own Mike “The College Football Report” Luce, also co-founder of High Yield Insights and expert pinball reviewer, will be here shortly to commemorate the occasion.
In the meantime . . .
Posted on December 20, 2018
