By Steve Rhodes
Just like the story about the sleeper agent in Peoria, this feels underplayed to me.
“A Bolingbrook man who worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq and Afghanistan is accused of sending contractors text messages to demand tens of thousands of bribes,” the Sun-Times reports.
Let’s see those texts!
“Pay 2 play my friend!”
Save the Kid Cop!
Let’s not lose him to a life in prison.
Alexi’s Car
“But Giannoulias, who declined to be interviewed before the Tribune’s first story, said Monday the SUV replaced a 10-year-old vehicle so employees have ‘a more efficient, quicker, less expensive’ way to sign up families for the savings plan.”
Um, that sounds pretty weak, but Giannoulias made this story 10 times bigger than it had to be by not talking to the Trib in the first place.
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From the Alexi archives: “Giannoulias Is Elusive.”
Green Theme
Paul Green said on Good Day Chicago this morning that John Edwards was right about there being two Americas – the one where his mistress lived and the one where his wife lived.
Nicely played, professor!
Olympic Education Camps
It looks like a Gold Star for Mayo Elementary!
Top to Bottom
“Filene’s sells Chicago sites to Sears Tower owner.”
Willis’s Basement?
Cook County East
“Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is encouraging the president to consider some Chicago names for the Supreme Court,” WBEZ reports.
Please, no. Chicago Fatigue is setting in.
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“In particular, Durbin mentions federal appeals court judges Ann Williams and Diane Wood, and district court judge Ruben Castillo.
“DURBIN: Let me also add Anita Alvarez, who is the Cook County State’s Attorney.”
Um, are you nuts?
“Let me also add Bob the bartender and that kid cop – he seems like a sharp fellow.”
Duncan Watch
“As CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Arne Duncan boasted about ISAT gains, even though the district showed poorly on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation’s report card,” Sarah Karp reports for Catalyst.
“But now as Secretary of Education, Duncan told reporters at the Education Writers Association conference Thursday that school officials who highlight state standards knowing there is a disparity between those results and performance on national assessments are lying to parents and children.”
Fast Eddie Burke
Moonlights as an alderman.
The Great Chicago Squirrel Census
It’s on.
Facebook Factoid
“[I]magine what sponsorships could mean for Facebook pages belonging to the New York Times, with 447,749 fans so far, National Geographic, with 453,013 fans; or even ABC’s Lost, with 785,093 fans,” Ad Age notes.
If only newspapers on Facebook would stop stealing their services. Oh, and newsrooms should pay every time their reporters do a Google search, too.
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“I would think [Facebook] would prefer that media companies place content there in exchange for a right to sell ads against it in order to keep people on Facebook,” the president of Social Vibe told the magazine.
Budasi!
The Society of Midland Authors has announced its winners for works published in 2008 – including a critic’s award to Teresa Budasi of the Sun-Times, long a Beachwood favorite.
Ready for Reform
It may not sound like the sexiest reading on the planet, but our series of excerpts from the final report of the Illinois Reform Commission is really quite good and gets to the blood and guts of the Chicago Way.
For example, from today’s installment:
“Becker and Demczak testified about specific instances where the state’s procurement process improperly favored politically-connected companies. Becker and Demczak described situations where state employees narrowed contract specifications to favor certain vendors, gave contracts to vendors who provided expensive meals and gifts to state employees, and allowed politically-connected vendors to ‘re-do’ their bids.
“Shaw described former Governor Blagojevich’s extensive fundraising from state vendors, and testified that Blagojevich and his allies bent the procurement rules to ensure that those vendors received state contracts.
“All three testified that these abuses cost the taxpayers money in increased prices and inferior products and services.”
Tough Crowd
“Madrid’s 2016 Olympics bid said Tuesday that accusations it spied on a rival candidate had been blown out of proportion,” AP reports.
Zombie Government
“You can shoot it, outlaw it and drive a stake through its heart, but political patronage in Cook County will not die,” Phil Kadner writes in the SouthtownStar.
En Fuego
“Fire struggling against myths about Toyota Park,” the SouthtownStar reports. “Survey: Many don’t know where stadium is.”
Too bad – the Fire are the last unbeaten team in Major League Soccer and a favorite to win their division.
Liberty City
Yet more problems in the umpteenth trial of the chumps who very allegedly plotted to blow up the Sears Tower.
The Beachwood Tip Line: Soup to nuts.
Posted on May 5, 2009