Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
There was no Weekend Desk Report because I’ve been in Minneapolis since early Saturday morning for my dad’s surprise 80th birthday party, and I’ll be here through Thursday. I’ll still be posting intermittently.
So let’s see what’s in the news . . .
Posted on June 27, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
Abbreviated edition.
“Motorists who park illegally in private lots and return to find their vehicles booted may soon have to pay a little extra for using credit cards to pay the $140 removal fee,” the Sun-Times reports.
“Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) chairman of the City Council’s License Committee, wants to empower private booters now roaming free in more than half of Chicago to charge a ‘convenience fee’ to recoup the processing fee they must absorb when motorists pay with plastic.”
Emma Mitts, you are Today’s Worst Person In Chicago.
Posted on June 24, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
You can find real-time commentary on Wednesday’s clowning in both Chicago City Council chambers and the U.S. House of Representatives at @BeachwoodReport.
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“Protesters on Wednesday repeatedly shouted down members of the Justice Department team investigating civil rights violations by the Chicago Police Department during a raucous public hearing on the South Side,” the Sun-Times reports.
“During a 90-minute meeting at Kennedy King College, Justice Department attorneys were at pains to explain the scope and potential impact of the probe of the Chicago Police that began six months ago, over jeers from about half the members of an audience of about 100 people. The meeting was the second of four planned by federal investigators as they prepare a report on the Chicago Police Department, a likely prelude to a court order that will mandate federal oversight of the city’s police.”
Not to diminish the (justified) anger of those in the crowd, but I found the parameters of the investigation that were laid out the most interesting part of this report:
Posted on June 23, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“Despite swinging for the fences . . . ”
Please, don’t do that. It’s not good writing. It’s neither clever, original nor serves readers in any way. It’s hacky, like a stand-up comic wearing wacky suspenders.
Anyway.
” . . . the Cubs-owning Ricketts family Tuesday was limited to a base hit . . . ”
Oh my god. Take my life – please.
” . . . in its attempt to secure city approval for wide leeway in how and when alcohol is sold at the outdoor plaza they are building next to Wrigley Field,” the Tribune reports.
Posted on June 22, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“Gov. Bruce Rauner typically has been unwilling to offer specifics about what he would accept as concessions from Democrats for a grand bargain on the state budget,” the Tribune reports.
“For more than a year, his requirements often have been presented vaguely as some combination of the items in his turnaround agenda, which includes new limits on workers’ compensation benefits, new rules for civil lawsuits, a property tax freeze coupled with provisions that allow local governments to decide what gets collectively bargained, term limits on elected officials and new rules for drawing political maps. Along the way, the governor has added to the mix a proposal to help fix the state’s pension problem.
“Rauner visited Tribune Tower on Monday and offered a clearer picture of what he would accept.”
Well, that sounds promising.
Posted on June 21, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
Man, there’s a lot of great stuff on the site today. I wrote, assembled or edited all of it (as always), so that’s why it’s too late in the day for a column. Read these offerings instead:
Posted on June 20, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
For completists, there was no column on Friday.
“A Tribune investigation of nearly 700 complaints upheld by IPRA found the agency routinely obscured its findings and misled the public about how its investigations played out, often giving victims of police misconduct a false sense that they had prevailed and eroding the already fragile trust between the police and the community. Indeed, the agency’s already low record of finding allegations credible – 3.8 percent of all cases closed by the end of last year – provides a skewed picture of its work.”
In other words, even at 3.8 percent, IPRA’s rate of sustaining complaints is inflated.
Posted on June 18, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“Almost half of adults living in Chicago are spending more than they can afford on their homes or apartments, and they have dealt with the burden by taking on second jobs, moving to less safe areas, or cutting back on food or the quality of their children’s education, a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation study released Thursday shows,” the Tribune reports.
Almost half of the rest are lying.
Posted on June 16, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
“Firing Chicago Police Lt. Glenn Evans over an allegation of excessive force is no longer an option for the Independent Police Review Authority because the state’s five-year statute of limitations has expired, authorities acknowledged Tuesday,” the Sun-Times reports.
“IPRA spokeswoman Mia Sissac said Tuesday that the window in which Evans could have been fired for the alleged misconduct closed April 11 – and IPRA recommended firing Evans on May 6.
“Sissac said that IPRA chief Sharon Fairley ‘was working under the impression at the time that we were okay under the five-year statute of limitation because the process had already begun.'”
I wonder who gave her that impression.
Posted on June 15, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
After watching #pulse coverage I had it with spin. I took to my garden. To pray for the dead & think in quiet pic.twitter.com/kah6T9PZFS
— John Kass (@John_Kass) June 12, 2016
John Kass had had it with spin. He took to his garden. This is what he came back with:
Posted on June 14, 2016
