By Steve Rhodes
For completists, there was no Papers column on Friday.
1. Newborn Crowned Lemur Makes Debut At Lincoln Park Zoo.
Posted on May 6, 2017
The [Thursday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Multiple Witnesses Report ‘Mothman’ In Chicago.
A huge owl-like creature that looked to be six feet with glowing red eyes. People threw rocks at it.
Posted on May 4, 2017
The [Wednesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Different Countries Try Malort.
“Tonight’s the night you fight your dad.”
Posted on May 3, 2017
The [Tuesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Fly Lufthansa B747-8i Business Class Upper Deck Frankfurt-Chicago:
Posted on May 2, 2017
The Weekend Desk Report
By Steve Rhodes
In lieu of The [Friday] Papers, which did not appear this week.
One Year Ago.
Posted on April 29, 2017
The [Thursday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Speaking of $425 fake muddy jeans . . .
At a Wicker Park boutique on Wednesday, for $78:
*
At Village Thrift on Wednesday, for $6.99:
Posted on April 26, 2017
The [Wednesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“The $30,000 fee Northeastern Illinois University was going to pay former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett was just the latest in a series of big fees the financially troubled state school has paid to snag prominent graduation speakers, records show,” the Sun-Times reports.
“Despite its money troubles – a Wall Street credit agency just dropped Northeastern deeper into ‘junk-bond’ status – the state university has handed out five-figure fees to each of the speakers at its May commencement events the past four years.
“That’s in sharp contrast to what’s done at other state schools, also facing tight-money times, including the three University of Illinois campuses, Northern Illinois University, Illinois State University and Eastern Illinois University. Administrators at those universities and others say they don’t pay graduation speakers beyond travel costs.”
Posted on April 26, 2017
The [Tuesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“A new report issued Monday by a court-appointed watchdog charged with looking into patronage hiring at the Illinois Department of Transportation details how top Democrats clouted relatives and friends into positions under former Gov. Pat Quinn, even as many of those hired had little or no experience,” the Tribune reports.
“House Speaker Mike Madigan’s office successfully pushed a former bricklayer for a job that included ‘maintaining relationships’ with minority road contractors, though the man eventually resigned after being arrested for allegedly ‘physically assaulting’ a then-state lawmaker. Cicero Rep. Lisa Hernandez sent in the resume of a bank manager who was put on the state payroll to inspect roads. And a daughter of 30th Ward Chicago Ald. Ariel Reboyras ended up in another state job after complaints at a different agency.”
While that’s the Illinois we know and loathe, I would just add that we all know this sort of thing goes on in the private sector as well – even in media organizations.
Posted on April 25, 2017
The [Friday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Programming Note: The Papers will be off on Monday and return on Tuesday.
–
“When nature calls, rookie Ald. David Moore (17th) wants Chicago businesses to listen,” the Sun-Times reports.
Moore wants every licensed business with a public restroom – including restaurants, bars, hotels and retail stores – to be required to make washrooms available to “individuals who have an emergency . . . without having to make a purchase” or pay a fee.
Moore introduced the ordinance at Wednesday’s City Council meeting after running into a humiliated woman at a Subway restaurant two weeks ago who had just had an accident after being denied entry to a public washroom.
“A lady was in there crying. I asked her why. I noticed some water by her leg and she said, ‘I had to go really bad.’ She said, ‘I promise you I’ll buy something when I come out of the bathroom.’ And they said, ‘No. You’ve got to buy something first,’ Moore said Thursday.
“As she was going through her purse, she couldn’t hold it no longer. She ended up going to the bathroom on herself. I just felt bad . . . It was humiliating. I would hate to see anybody else go through that . . . For them to have to purchase something in order to go to the bathroom is inhumane.”
Good for the alderman.
Posted on April 21, 2017
The [Thursday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
1. I Was On Bill O’Reilly’s Show Once.
And the topic was sexual harassment!
I was on to discuss this story about disgraced former Tribune columnist Bob Greene.
Unfortunately, the transcript, which used to appear here, is seemingly no longer available.
Let’s just say O’Reilly was more sympathetic to Greene than I was.
Posted on April 20, 2017