Author Archive
Friday, April 27th, 2012
“A study from the University of Illinois at Chicago found Illinois to be the third most corrupt state in the country,” said LaHood.
“The study also named Chicago the number one most corrupt city in the nation,” LaHood stated. “This prevalent culture of corruption in Illinois is something that the Common Sense Caucus is seeking to address.”
Convicted felon and former Republican Governor George Ryan was from downstate Kankakee and ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich was from Chicago. Both are currently in prison.
Read the complete article HERE.
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Thursday, April 19th, 2012
(Springfield, IL) – April 19, 2012. Without consensus by his working group, Governor Pat Quinn today struck out on his own and announced his own plan to cut Illinois Medicaid costs by $2.7 billion from the Illinois’ troubled health care program for the poor.
“We must act quickly to save the entire Medicaid system from collapse, and protect providers and the millions of Illinois residents that depend upon Medicaid for their healthcare,” Quinn said.
The Governor convened a working group – comprised of members from each of the four legislative caucuses – to explore all options to wring $2.7 billion out of the Medicaid system, but the group has yet to reach a full consensus.
Read the complete post HERE.
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Monday, April 16th, 2012
(Chicago, IL) – April 16, 2012. Usually candidates–even victors–in tough primary fights end a campaign with an empty treasury. But not indicted State Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago). Smith apparently made a profit.
On Monday, Smith reported that his successful primary campaign brought in $162,885 in cash and in-kind contributions between January 1 and March 31, but that he spent none of the contributed money.
Smith began the reporting period with $10,047 in the bank and received $94,021.05 in cash contributions and $68,864.49 in-kind contributions from mostly the House Democrats. Meanwhile he reported no expenditures, leaving $104,068.64 in the bank.
Read the whole story HERE.
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Sunday, April 15th, 2012
(Chicago, IL) — April 15, 2014. Special Report: U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Peoria) and Illinois House Republican Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) on Friday held a press conference in Cahokia, Illinois to criticize Governor Pat Quinn and lawmakers’ efforts to move forward with plan to establish an Illinois Health Exchange, a key feature of President Barack Obama‘s health care reform law, while the U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing the constitutionality of the law.
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Saturday, April 14th, 2012
(Chicago, IL) – April 13, 2012. Special Report: On Friday the 13th a federal judge decapitated a lawsuit filed by a former Illinois GOP congressional candidate against the CME Group seeking the court to order the Chicago Fire Department to be stationed at every Chicago Board of Trade emergency exit due to the alleged existence of “locked doors” where fire exit signs are posted.
Lake Forest resident Paul Hamann, who had unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the Illinois 10th congressional district in 2010, filed an emergency motion in federal district court in Chicago on Monday, April 9, asking for both fire department officials to be assigned 24-hours per day, 7-days per week at the Board of Trade and for himself to have similar privileged access to the building for same purpose.
In an interview on Wednesday evening, Hamann, 52, who lives with his mother, alleged that the Board of Trade has had “illuminated fire exit” signs posted above locked doors for past 15 years. He said that he once held a seat a on the Mid-America Exchange 15 years ago and that is when he says he noticed the alleged problem.
Read the complete post HERE:
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Saturday, April 14th, 2012
(Chicago) – April 14, 2012. Special Report: The fate of a plan by Democratic Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin of Evanston to streamline the county property tax system may be in doubt as another key Democratic commissioner is for now withholding support.
Commissioner John Fritchey (D-Chicago), who saw his own $1 million cost-savings plan to merge the offices of Recorder of Deeds and Clerk fall at the county board by one vote in March, acknowledges that county government needs more “efficiency” but is refusing to commit to Suffredin’s approach–for now.
“I think it’s axiomatic that we need to seek out efficiencies wherever we can find them, inter- or intraoffice,” said Fritchey. “I’m unsure as to how I’m going to vote for it…”
Read the complete post HERE:
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Thursday, April 12th, 2012
(Chicago, IL) – April 11, 2012. The March 20 GOP primary races for Chicago Republican Ward Committeemen witnessed four incumbent upsets out of 13 contested seats where incumbents were running, and saw a total of 27 new faces enter the GOP committeemen ranks, plus a jump in GOP voters going to the voting booths in Chicago
The GOP committeemen race outcomes witnessed significantly more turnover and change than was seen in the Chicago Democratic Ward Committeemen races, which THE iLLINOIS OBSERVER reported last month.
There were 23 open seats up for grabs, 26 uncontested seats and 1 seat (22nd) with no candidate.
Read the complete post HERE.
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Thursday, April 12th, 2012
(Chicago) – April 11, 2012. The Art Institute of Chicago may display fine art on its walls, but behind closed doors allegations are flying that top officials have displayed less than fine behavior.
A former Art Institute employee has filed a lawsuit against the institution claiming she was the victim of employment sex discrimination and that she feared for her “physical safety” from her superior.
Susan Luisi, who filed her suit in federal district court on Monday, April 10 and who had served previously as a director of purchasing at the Art Institute, leveled her employment discrimination changes against Art Institute CFOEric Anyah and the man brought in by Anyah to head up the purchasing department, Mike Riordan, theorganization’s current Executive Director.
Read the complete post HERE.
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Thursday, April 12th, 2012
(Chicago) – April 11, 2012. Tammy Duckworth today took a third swing at GOP opponent U.S.Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), calling again on him to sign a pledge to reject Super PAC spending in the general election.
Walsh has ignored Duckworth’s challenges.
Before she won the March 20 primary, Duckworth challenged the Tea Part’s favorite lawmaker on Super PAC cash. Walsh ignored the call. She repeated that challenge on March 27 and today.
Read the complete post HERE.
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Tuesday, April 10th, 2012
After getting an ear-full from parents, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard today announced that Chicago elementary schools will shrink their original expanded schoolday to a 7-hour day next year and high schools will adopt a 7 1/2-hour day.
Emanuel wants to move Chicago from the shortest school day and year of any major city to a calendar aligned with national averages.
“By adopting a longer day and a longer year, we are working to shape the future of our children for the better and give them an education that matches up with their potential,” said Emanuel
Read the whole story HERE.
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Tuesday, April 10th, 2012
(Chicago) — April 10, 2012. As part of a crackdown on traffickers who are trading child pornography online, Attorney General Lisa Madigan revealed on Friday that her office’s investigators have monitored 3,200 Illinois IP addresses trading child pornography in the last 120 days.
Madigan also announced on Friday that Sidney J. Davis III, 37, of Shiloh was arrested and charged with five counts of aggravated possession of child pornography, each a Class 2 felony punishable by three to seven years in prison.
Investigators from the Attorney General’s office made the arrest working with the Shiloh Police Department and the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s office.
The Davis arrest marks the 29th of Operation Glass House, an initiative Madigan launched in August 2010 targeting child pornographers in Illinois. To track child pornographers online, investigators use the unique identifier that each computer is assigned, known as an Internet Protocol (IP) address.
Read the complete article HERE.
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Saturday, April 7th, 2012
(Chicago) – April 7, 2012. A conservative, on-line newspaper is reporting thatDee Beaubien, the widow of State Rep. Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington), intends to run for the Illinois House as an independent against GOP nomineeDavid McSweeney in the November 2012 election.
The Illinois Review reports that Personal PAC Executive Director Terry Cosgrove informed GOP House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) of Mrs. Beaubien’s plans.
Beaubien is a pro-choice supporter, like her late husband, and is a donor to Personal PAC.
If Mrs. Beaubien formally enters the race and secures Personal PAC’s support, it will certainly give House Republicans fits and force them to spend some money and staff-time to support their conservative nominee, pro-life McSweeney who defeated appointed State Rep. Kent Gaffney (R-Lake Barrington), a former House GOP staffer.
Read more HERE.
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Friday, April 6th, 2012
(Chicago) – April 5, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn announced on Wednesday a new “help wanted” system that connects job seekers with employee hunters.
Illinois JobLink, developed by the Illinois Department of Employment Security, enables both businesses to post job ads and job seekers to post resumes for free. Nearly 92,000 job postings and more than 51,000 resumes have been posted on the system.
“During this difficult economy, Illinois JobLink is helping workers market their job skills and allowing employers to successfully find the help they need at no cost,” said Quinn.
Read the whole story HERE.
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Friday, April 6th, 2012
April 6, 2012. The Public Building Commission of Chicago just announced last week on March 28 that it granted a nearly $3.2 million contract award to a clout-heavy firm for the redevelopment of Rosenblum Park on the city’s south side.
The board, chaired by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, voted on March 9 give the $3,183,000.00 contract to F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates of Chicago, whose top executive, Frank Paschen, is a big campaign donor to Chicago and Illinois politicians, including 14th Ward Alderman Ed Burke, 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale and imprisoned ex-Governors George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich. Paschen gave Blagojevich’s campaign $10,000 in 2001.
F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates also got a $8,747,000.00 contract in February for construction work on the Durkin Park Elementary School Linked Annex located at 8445 South Kolin Avenue.
Read more HERE.
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Thursday, April 5th, 2012
Electricity is replacing steam power at the City of Chicago’s Springfield Avenue Pumping Station, as part of “Building a New Chicago”, a comprehensive $7.3 billion infrastructure renewal program put forward by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
In a network of 12 pumping stations, the Springfield Station, at 1725 N. Springfield Avenue in Chicago which will be demolished this week, is one of four being switched over from steam turbines and boilers to electric motors. The move will reduce the station’s carbon footprint, create approximately 200 jobs over the next three years, and save more than $7.5 million each year in energy and operating costs.
Read more here.
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