By Steve Rhodes
1. They were at the Clock Tower.
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So, by the way, was the Chocoholic Frolic.
2. “The Illinois crime lab has identified more than 4,000 cases of unexamined sex crime evidence statewide, and plans to test all of them by 2015, state officials said,” the Tribune reports.
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“Most of the old cases will be outsourced to Orchid Cellmark, a private lab, with cases nearing their statute of limitations given top priority.
“A $276,000 federal grant will help cover the cost of outsourcing, but the crime lab needs additional money from the state to ensure timely testing in-house, [crime lab commander Arlene] Hall said. It is requesting $407,500 in general revenue dollars to fund five new forensic scientists.”
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Hey, let’s not get crazy. It’s not as if the state has any extra money lying around.
3. “The deep cuts to social services spending proposed by Gov. Pat Quinn have left private agencies that work with the state’s most vulnerable residents feeling they are being used in a political game,” the Tribune reports.
“Quinn has enlisted the agencies’ support for his 67 percent income tax increase and asked them to apply pressure on the mostly Republican group of lawmakers who have balked at his plan to borrow $8.75 billion to help pay the state’s giant backlog of bills.”
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Quinn could ask for some of that Groupon money back, but he reportedly doesn’t want to be seen as a Tibetan-giver.
4. “Six Flags Looks To Hire 3,200 Seasonal Workers,” TribLocal Gurnee reports.
That’s an awful lot of employees just to work the rest of the Wisconsin legislative session.
5. “The Chicago-based pizza chain Giordano’s has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but will continue operating with court approval to use part of a $36 million bankruptcy loan to pay employees and vendors,” AP reports.
Perhaps their dishes were too deep.
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“Attorney Michael Gesas, representing the debtors, says the pizza business is strong, but the company defaulted on real estate loans.”
Giordano’s was a bank, too?
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“Creditors included Saputo Cheese USA, claiming $426,700 in payments, Greco & Sons, $214,000 and Heinz North America at $132,000,” Pioneer Press reports.
If the price of ketchup is a leading economic indicator, we’re all in trouble.
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“This case is about the real estate market collapse,” debtor rep Michael Gesas said. “The pizza business is very healthy and very good.”
Really? Pizzeria Uno just got out of bankruptcy last summer.
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“The company had multiple loans totaling $45 million, most of which funded real estate purchases,” Crain’s reports.
Oh, now I get it. Should’ve invested in this instead.
6. The self-parody becomes complete.
7. “A Chicago-area man has been ordered to serve three years and two months in federal prison for trafficking in contraband cigarettes,” the Springfield Journal-Register reports.
Geez, that’s just eight fewer months than Robert Sorich got.
8. “United To Carry On With Economy Plus Seating.”
Here’s what it looks like.
9. “Chicago Zip Code Remains Riskiest For Mortgage Fraud For Third Straight Quarter.”
That would be 60621.
10. Heavy Metal Alderman.
11. Alfonso Soriano’s new workout regime.
12. The Week in Chicago Rock.
13. The Week in WTF.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Deep dish.
Posted on February 18, 2011