Third Generation Chicago Native

Artwork in Chicago

2010-08-17T07:53:00.004-05:00

Around Town at the Pier

2010-07-23T09:58:00.003-05:00

Navy Pier Ferris Wheel View

2010-07-22T09:52:00.001-05:00

Upper Wacker Drive on Foot

2010-07-21T09:42:00.003-05:00

Daley Plaza

2010-07-20T09:36:00.001-05:00

The Belly of the Beast, aka, The Picaso.

Buckingham Fountain

2010-07-19T09:21:00.000-05:00

Yacht Club Lake Michigan

2010-07-16T09:10:00.003-05:00

This is the Chicago Police Marine Unit
The Chicago Police Marine Unit

Part of Yacht Club
Yacht club
This Cruise ship is now Stationary for the Yacht Club

This big Cruise Ship is the permanent Clubhouse, Dining, Banquet Hall for the Yacht Club

Chicago River Walk

2010-07-15T08:58:00.001-05:00

Chicago Cultural Center

2010-07-14T08:51:00.001-05:00

Navy Pier

2010-07-13T22:17:00.000-05:00

North Avenue Beach

2010-07-09T07:45:00.000-05:00

The News

2010-07-08T09:56:00.000-05:00

Some of the Old Buildings

2010-07-08T08:21:00.000-05:00

Big artwork in town

2010-07-07T08:08:00.002-05:00

Boys of Summer

2010-07-06T09:14:00.000-05:00

Where the tourists go

2010-07-06T09:07:00.000-05:00

Trump Tower Chicago

2010-07-02T09:55:00.000-05:00

Happy Fourth

2010-07-02T07:49:00.000-05:00

New Art Museum Bridge

2010-07-01T09:10:00.005-05:00

Taste of Chicago 2010

2010-07-01T07:56:00.003-05:00

Millennium Park

2010-06-30T09:02:00.006-05:00

Oak Street Beach

2010-06-29T09:10:00.000-05:00

Up North

2010-06-28T09:53:00.001-05:00

7 Months left for Stroger damage

2010-05-20T07:55:00.006-05:00

Of course the Board voted to stop Todd Stroger from doing more damage to the County, and of course he vetoed it. Then the Board was unable to overturn his veto. The same bunch caved into the Toddler, helping him keep taxes high by increasing pensions, for years to come.

Excerpt from Tony Peraica's site, see end of blog for link and complete story.

The tally, 9-6 to override, fell short of the necessary 11 “yes” votes. The Stroger Six: William Beavers, Jerry Butler, Earlean Collins, Joan Patricia Murphy, Deborah Sims and Robert Steele. Steele and a seventh commissioner who gutlessly voted present, Edwin Reyes, had been co-sponsors of the original measure to tighten controls on Stroger.

Stroger staff confirms new furniture bought with taxpayer money

April 26, 2010

BY LISA DONOVAN Cook County Reporter
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, who lost re-election in February and has eight months left in office, is using taxpayer money to spruce up his executive offices, his staff confirmed Monday.

While there was talk that a new desk for Stroger's office was on order, a Stroger spokesman said he had to research that and whether he'll be getting any other deliveries.
Why is Todd Stroger hiring and ordering new furniture?

For now, officials would only confirm that in recent weeks a new desk and floor-to-ceiling cabinet were delivered to Stroger spokesman — and long-time pal — Eugene Mullins' office in the president's executive 5th floor offices at 118 N. Clark. The pricetag for those items wasn't immediately available, said another Stroger spokesman James Ramos.

Sun-Times Columnist Michael Sneed broke the news over the weekend that Stroger, who lost re-election, has been buying furniture and hiring staffers.

"Our position is, the county has to still run whether it's seven hours, seven days, seven months or seven years," Ramos told the Sun-Times today.

But with a rollback of the sales tax hike set for July 1 and Stroger voicing concern in recent months over the county's financial health, isn't this the time for the lameduck board president to keep the purse strings tight?

Ramos said the county has to be staffed to keep the business of running the hospital and the court system apace.

While recycling old furniture is sometimes an option, some of the worn pieces date back to 1990s when Richard J. Phelan was board president, officials say.
"I had a folding chair" at one point, Ramos said. "There just wasn't enough furniture to go around. That's the reality of it. Every piece of furniture there, is just broken and messed up."

In March, Stroger's announced that Carla Oglesby, the spokeswoman for his losing re-election bid, would take over as his deputy chief of staff at a salary of $116,000 annually.

While she got a desk, conference table and coffee table plucked from a vacant county office, she did get a new office — within the confines of the 5th floor executive offices — and that cost taxpayers some money.

That's because Oglesby's assistant took the office of former deputy chief of staff Pam Munizzi, who retired, and Oglesby took a new space in Stroger's executive offices, part of a shuffling of staff work spaces in recent months.

The cost of removing three cubicles that once occupied what is now Oglesby's large office, repairing the walls where the cubicles were detached and painting both her office and the nearby executive office waiting area cost $1,132.80 in wages for two days of work, according to James D'Amico, director of the county's Facilities Management Department.
Oglesby requested his office do the repair work and haul in the furniture, a standard request D'Amico said.

But some of Stroger's critics are muttering about the timing.
That's because Oglesby serves in a Shakman-exempt position — which means the employee serves at the will of the president and in December the president will be one of three candidates: Democrat Toni Preckwinkle, Republican Roger Keats or the Green Party's Tom Tresser.

"We're saving the next president from the criticism of ‘you're spending money on new furniture,'" Ramos said.

Stroger defends big raise for top aide
May 7, 2010 1:53 PM
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger today defended the $54,000 raise he gave to his chief financial officer, saying she had taken on extra duties in addition to overseeing the county's finances.

"It is a lot of money," Stroger told WGN-AM host John Williams, who was asking about the raise given to CFO Jaye Williams. "But she actually is a chief financial officer of a $3 billion corporation."

Read more in Clout Street.

A key aide to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger says she's worth every penny of a controversial $54,000 pay raise.

Jaye Morgan Williams, the county's chief financial officer, sent letters to all 17 county commissioners Friday, explaining why Stroger boosted her pay from $176,156 to $230,000 for this year.

In the two-page letter, Williams, appointed by Stroger in August, noted that she helped deliver the county's 2010 budget within 90 days of her start date, finished a "woefully stalled" 2008 audit just 90 days into her tenure and was earning less than two of her fellow CFOs on the county payroll.

She said she's also taken on extra duties despite a 60-hour work week and at one point this year asked for "compensation consideration."

"As a professional with a long career in the industry, I do not want to get caught up in the current maelstrom and only ask that I be treated fairly," she wrote in a letter to the commissioners that was obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

A defensive Stroger echoed those sentiments Friday during a radio interview, saying Williams' salary is a "lot of money, but she actually is a chief financial officer of a $3 billion corporation."

Pay raises for Williams and other Stroger staffers are not only raising fiscal concerns but also questions among commissioners about whether they are legal.

In December, the county board passed an ordinance that freezes the pay of certain political appointees on the county payroll and requires board approval of pay raises for them - and Williams' raise was not approved.

Williams also lobbied commissioners Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston) and John Daley (D-Chicago), pointing out that she earns less than the county health system's chief financial officer ($350,000) and less than Stroger Hospital's CFO, whose salary is $210,000.

"What I said to her is, 'That's for another day. How did you get a pay raise without board approval?' " Suffredin said, recalling their Wednesday meeting.

He said Williams told him that Stroger and others signed off on the raise. Asked Friday whether he'd support the raise, Suffredin said, "I'm not making a judgment on the validity of it because I'm more bothered by the process. But I do think it's a significant jump in a bad economic situation."

In his discussion with Williams, Daley told her that commissioners needed to approve her raise.

"I said, 'There's no justification (for the raise) at this time,' " Daley said. "She wanted my position, and I said the board will have to review it - but as an individual commissioner, I have a serious concern with it."

A growing number of commissioners said the raises for Williams and others should be rescinded until presented to the board.

"I think we can rescind them," Suffredin said. "I think what we're going to have to do is look at each one, and if we determine a pay raise is improper, I would expect we'd create a system where over time (the employee would) repay it."

Stroger aide says mistakes led to contract fuss

May 14, 2010

BY LISA DONOVAN, Sun-Times Media
A top aide to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, back to work after a five-day suspension, admits that she signed off on a no-bid county contract with her public relations firm.

She also admits fast-tracking the $24,975 payment to her firm.

But Carla Oglesby, Stroger's deputy chief of staff, said those actions simply were mistakes made by someone new to government work, adding that Stroger's other executive staffers signed off on the contract, too.

"I didn't steer a contract" to the firm, Oglesby said in an interview Thursday with the Chicago Sun-Times. "Ultimately I don't make a decision about what agencies and firms get contracts."

Oglesby, who joined Stroger's county staff about two months ago, said better training might have helped her avoid this. In addition, she wishes some of the veteran staffers - who knew she owned CGC Communications - had raised a red flag. The dollar amount of the contract is just under the $25,000 mark that requires county board approval.

Still, Stroger laid the responsibility for the situation at Oglesby's feet, handing her five days off without pay for signing the final contract and vouchers for payment.

"He said 'Carla, pay attention to what you sign,' " Oglesby said.

Her firm began work on the county homeland security public relations project in December, the same month that Oglesby was tapped to become communications chief for Stroger's failed re-election campaign.

Oglesby said one of her employees at CGC pursued the contract to get the word out to residents about federal relief funds for the 2008 floods around the Des Plaines River. Ulti mately, Stroger's communications chief, Eugene Mullins, recommended that CGC get the contract, Mullins confirmed Thursday.

Oglesby said she was too busy with the campaign to work on the contract.

After Stroger lost the Feb. 2 primary election, he told Oglesby she had done a good job on the campaign and asked her during a Feb. 10 meeting to join his executive staff, she said. She started Feb. 16 and claims that she divested herself from CGC and vowed not to take a paycheck from the firm this year. But she still is the firm's owner.

Meanwhile, the contract didn't receive final approval until two weeks after she started the job. As deputy chief of staff, she signed off on the pact as part of her duties. Her name also appears on payment vouchers.

"The fact that I signed it, I understand, I guess, why people have an issue with it. But in my mind the work was done," Oglesby said.

But her actions have been criticized because a county ordinance prohibits giving contracts to firms owned by county employees. The matter is being investigated by the county inspector general's office.

Despite the controversy, Oglesby doesn't regret taking the $120,000 county job.

"Are there going to be some mistakes made along the way? Absolutely. It is not intentional. It's not anything done in trying to get around things or do things you shouldn't be doing," she said.

And finally this is how it all unraveled

by Tony Peraica

It was quite a day here in Cook County.

First, the Cook County Board failed to protect the taxpayers by coming up short in a vote to override Todd Stroger’s veto of our hiring freeze.

More to the point — six county commissioners failed the taxpayers by voting against the veto override. The Chicago Tribune editorial board calls out these “Stroger Six”:

The tally, 9-6 to override, fell short of the necessary 11 “yes” votes. The Stroger Six: William Beavers, Jerry Butler, Earlean Collins, Joan Patricia Murphy, Deborah Sims and Robert Steele. Steele and a seventh commissioner who gutlessly voted present, Edwin Reyes, had been co-sponsors of the original measure to tighten controls on Stroger

Illinois embarrassments, Todd Stoger, Scott Lee Cohen

2010-02-09T13:33:00.004-06:00

60 days in jail for figure in Stroger patronage scandal

At least Scott Lee Cohen, who won the Democratic Primary for Lt. Governor has dropped out saving this state from further embarrassment. Now we are worried about who will replace Cohen. Scott Lee Cohen, had so many shady things from his past showing up that the list kept growing each and every day,tax problems, violence problems, drug problems

Reminders of why Toni Preckwinkle won the Democratic primary for Cook County President, keep coming. Tony Cole, and the hiring and firing of him, and Donna Dunnings, another patronage hire, and family member of Todd Stroger will continue to pop up in the news.

February 9, 2010 1:20 PM
Tony Cole, a key player in a patronage scandal involving Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, was sentenced today to 60 days in the DuPage County Jail.

Cole was convicted in December of violating his bail bond conditions in a DuPage County domestic violence case. At the same time, he was acquitted of battery, obstruction and resisting a peace officer charges.
He was taken into custody immediately after his sentence was delivered today.

Cole, 30, was charged with the four misdemeanors in September 2008 after appearing in court on charges of domestic battery for allegedly hitting a former girlfriend in the face.

The bail bond charge stemmed from being ordered by a judge not to have any contact with his former girlfriend. On the day of the domestic violence hearing, Cole argued with the woman in a hallway at the courthouse and tried to stop her from going into a courtroom, according to trial testimony.

Cole pleaded guilty last year to the initial domestic battery charge and was placed on a year's supervision.

-- Art Barnum

Scott Lee Cohen, thankfully resigned.
His ex-girlfriend, it turned out, is a convicted prostitute. And she accused him of holding a knife to her throat, a detail in the police report that Cohen didn't disclose when questioned earlier last week.

Now, a deeper examination of Cohen's past reveals many other instances where there are inconsistencies between his statements and public records.

He has been sued dozens of times for back taxes, had trouble paying his mortgage and has been cited numerous times by the city for building code violations and failing to pay water bills.

His ex-wife accused him of being a serial cheat who shot up illegally obtained steroids, physically abused her and failed to pay child support even as he spent millions of dollars of his own money to get elected. .

Democratic leaders got a serious case of buyer's remorse and called on him to quit the November ticket.

Illinois is no stranger to odd political twists, but Cohen may have set some unofficial speed record for landing on the griddle and appearing to disillusion supporters.

The Stroger Rein has come to an end

2010-02-03T07:56:00.002-06:00

Since the day the Toddler was slid in through the backdoor into this position. From the way we were lied to about John Strogers condition when he first fell ill. Just dirty politics and political control.

And now we have voted in, almost a shoe in, since Cook County is mostly Democrat. And who is the GOP opponent? Who cares, they don't have a chance.

There was Dorothy Brown, the high falutant lawyer candidate, all fancy and flashy, someone most of Cook County could not relate to. Toni Preckwinkle got in on a slam dunk, the soft spoken, everyday person, former teacher, South Side girl had a better chance against all the fast talking glam of Brown.

Todd Stroger needs to find work since he has some financial problems. Maybe his friends and family that were given high paying jobs during his regime can help him. But really do we care?

Deborah Sims making something out of nothing...again

2010-01-27T08:11:00.010-06:00

This is just blown way out of control. Cook County Commissioner Deborah Sims is accusing Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica of using "those folks" to mean something racist. Please Sims, try to not reach so far. Most Europeans, especially Eastern Europeans use this phrase a lot to talk about a group of people. For example "Some folks don't like to wear hats when it's cold out", or "Some folks got to the St. Patrick's day parade early and set up camp" or to refer to another person's family or group of friends, for example, "Were you at your folks for the Holiday'?", or "Are all those folks with you?".

This is a common term used by Eastern Europeans to refer to people, and nothing else. Maybe if Sims wants to make issue out of this then she could say Peraica was referring to Eastern Europeans, which would be less of a stretch than thinking it referred to members of the African American Community.
Deborah Sims needs to spend some time with Eastern Europeans and find out this is a very common way of referring to, and is a common term to refer to a group of people, and nothing else. This term refers to any people, just "people" with no racial or ethnic designation. Folks is a term completely interchangeable with People, constituents, or whatever term for human being you want to use and nothing else should be misconstrued.

Deborah Sims does not realize how ridiculous she is being about this. All your Eastern Europeans are rolling their eyes trying very hard to figure, how common terminology among your Eastern Europeans is now, really,... NOW.... all of a sudden according to Deborah Sims, who gave new meaning to this term, something so totally out of the ballpark, new meaning. No it is not a new term, and Eastern Europeans will support Tony Peraica when he defends himself against such ignorance, the ignorance of Deborah Sims. "Absurd and Ridiculous", is what Tony Peraica says about Sims interpretation of "Folks" and I totally agree with Tony Peraica. Deborah Sims needs to get educated, mingle with some Eastern Europeans, but after this absurd attack they are going to think she is racist against Eastern Europeans.

I could not believe what I heard when I woke up to news radio this morning. Yes, first thing I heard this morning, and half awake could not believe how out of context, rather a whole new meaning to "Folks" by none other than Commissioner Deborah Sims with cemetery issues in her district, calls of which were ignored by her, now she shows ignorance to all Eastern Europeans with this new allegation. This is they craziest interpretation of "Folks" I have ever heard. One more reason Deborah Sims needs to be voted out. Now a common Eastern European term for people has a new meaning, no thanks to Deborah Sims. Let's look at it as extreme ignorance and absurd sensitivity on Deborah Sims part.

The only thing that should be blown out of control and given time in the media is to how ignorant Deborah Sims is to Eastern Europeans.

Later on WGN radio Greg Jarret calling her a speed bump, is so correct. Sims needs to do her job, and forget about all the misinterpretations and all her extreme sensitivities and do her job.

Deborah Sims has now offended the Eastern European Community with this severe ignorance and misinterpretation of common, harmless terminology used by Eastern Europeans. Deborah Sims lost her votes by any Eastern Europeans, and Tony Peraica will have more Eastern Europeans coming out to vote for him. This ignorance is a lose-lose situation for Sims. Sims taking common, harmless Eastern European terminology and blowing it out of proportion, contorting it out of proportion, and manipulating it way out of context and meaning, the original harmless meaning, which translates to people.

This should be a wake up call for any of Sims constituents that she is not working for them. This shows Sims has other agenda's, not beneficial to her constituents. Is Sims giving attention to herself for free political ads? This is such a cheap shot at the Eastern Europeans for Sims to get some airtime and name recognition, if that's what she is doing. Attacking Tony Peraica for using the word "Folks" rather "those Folks" is low, and demeaning to Eastern Europeans making our common everyday speak now, racially charged. It's Sims that needs to be sensitive to the Eastern European Community when she chooses to attack us on common verbiage used in our Community that is harmless. It's Sims that needs sensitivity training, she obviously is insensitive to Eastern Europeans, as well as ignorant to their common language and culture. Is Sims drawing attention to something other than what she is not doing for her constituents, like a diversion for what she is or isn't doing in her position? When you make something out of nothing it is very non-productive.

Sims wondering why Peraica's fellow Republicans don't call him on his behavior? Why aren't Sims fellow Democrats not calling her on her behavior? Shouldn't that be the question? When Peraica used the term "folks" you can be rest assured his fellow Republicans did not flinch because this is not a negative term, for anyone, in any way shape or form. But Deborah Sims is spending too much effort, again, making something out of nothing.

As an Eastern European, I am very highly offended by Sims misconstruing common harmless terms used in everyday speak, in the Eastern European Community and turning them into some sort of racially charged terminology, which is so far off from the terminology, verbiage that it is offensive, ignorant, mean, and upsetting. If anyone is racist it is Sims against the Eastern European Community, taking harmless terminology and manipulating it to mean something she could use to attack. Sims' attack is not only on Commissioner Peraica but the whole Eastern European Community.

Commissioner Peraica accused of using racial slur for saying 'those folks'
Commissioner's criticism of use of phrase 'absurd:' Peraica
January 26, 2010

BY LISA DONOVAN Cook County Reporter ldonovan@suntimes.com
The phrase was "those folks."

But was it a racist slur? Or is that interpretation "absurd"?

Cook County Board Commissioner Tony Peraica discussed how cutting the county's share of the sales tax could help the unemployed.

The controversy began Tuesday at a Cook County Board meeting when Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica delivered another of his windy speeches.

Peraica, who is white and represents the western suburbs, was talking about how cutting the county's share of the sales tax could help the unemployed -- mentioning specifically how the African American community has been hit especially hard by joblessness and how "those folks" could benefit from slashing the tax.

"What we need to do is concern ourselves with the taxpayers. We had 70,000 foreclosures in Cook County last year, we have conventions leaving, we have 11.2 unemployment rate in Cook County," he said.

"In the African American community, it's probably 40, 50 percent unemployment, among males in particular. This is not the way to help them. The way to help those folks is to let them keep their money in their pockets."

At that point someone yelled out "Those folks?"

Peraica quickly responded: "All folks, all folks -- everybody who makes up Cook County."

But the original two words set off Commissioner Deborah Sims, an African American whose district covers Chicago's South Side and the south suburbs.

"I'm offended. 'Those folks?' If that isn't the most racist statement that's ever been made in this board," Sims fired back.

"You know, I'm not a person who ... calls people names, but you are the worst person I think I have ever seen," Sims said.

At one point Peraica, a Republican, interrupted Sims, a Democrat, saying "what does this have to do with anything?"

Sims said: "It's got a lot to do with everything."

But Peraica shot back: "I object to this personal attack -- under the guise of discussing an issue. This is outrageous and to pull out the race card is even more outrageous."

Sims at one point said that Peraica's fellow Republicans don't call him on his behavior, and the media has given him a pass as well.

Asked to respond to Sims' criticism, Peraica said: "It's absurd. I was referring to all the people of Cook County, those in foreclosure, those who are unemployed, underemployed."

Sims crybaby

If Deborah Sims would only do her job

What is falling from the Capital?

2010-01-25T16:04:00.002-06:00

At least it's not hair

By BRIAN FELDT
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Jan 25, 2010 @ 01:56 PM
Last update Jan 25, 2010 @ 03:07 PM
Officials have closed off the west entrance to the state Capitol this week after a piece of limestone crashed to the ground over the weekend.

A fist-sized piece of limestone fell off the west side of the Capitol building Saturday, secretary of state spokesman Henry Haupt said today. The piece likely fell off because of freezing weather during the last few weeks, he said.

A team of brick masons is expected to inspect the area tomorrow for any further damage and also will look at the entire limestone section of the building, Haupt said. The inspection will cost $1,100 and take about a week to complete.

The west entrance -- connecting the Capitol and neighboring Stratton Building of state government offices -- will reopen next week if the inspection doesn't reveal more significant problems, Haupt said.

House lawmakers return to work for session next Wednesday, Feb. 3.

The Tribune got it so right with Joan Murphy

2010-01-19T09:24:00.000-06:00

The Chicago Tribune published more endorsements on Sunday. They got it so right on Joan Murphy. I could not have done a better job.

It appears as though they were harsh on anyone who sided with Todd Stroger, especially on the sales tax issue. Yes, there are a lot better choices other than incumbents for many posts up for re-election, and the Tribune did point many out.

I would be very surprised if Joan Murphy is voted back in. She is definitely one that needs to be voted out, we can only hope her incumbents have even so much as paid some attention to what she has, and has not done during her tenure as Commissioner.

Carlos Hernandez Gomez rest in peace

2010-01-18T18:35:00.005-06:00

Carlos Hernandez Gomez

What a huge, HUGE loss this is for the City, County, State, his family, his wife, and his colleagues. Carlos was one of the best political reporters on the Chicago airwaves. He got the full story, he understood the politics and political relationships, he was very knowledgeable about all of it. In this town where our politicians are the most active, and fluid between, the city, county and state, it's very hard to keep up with them. But Carlos did, and he did it well. Carlos went after them, he made it hard for them to hide. Carlos' passing was covered on all the local Chicago News stations last night, showing that the quality of his work was known throughout the Chicago media. Carlos' hard work and vast knowledge was known throughout this state. It is a very sad, sad day in this City to loose one really good person, and one really good Political reporter. Carlos really loved his work, he really worked hard at it and it showed. He will be missed by all, even politicians. President Obama had a statement, Mayor Daley, Governor Quinn and Senator Dick Durbin. Carlos did high quality work, and earned the respect of colleagues, as well as the politicians he covered.
I remember the night he was on Chicago Tonight with Eddie Aruza interviewing him and doctors on colon cancer. I could not believe how brave Carlos was to be on a panel discussing colon cancer and letting viewers know he too had colon cancer. A very sad day in this City, County and State when Carlos passed.

Carlos Hernandez Gomez, a political reporter for CLTV, died Sunday after more than a yearlong bout with cancer. He was 36.

Mr. Hernandez Gomez was easily recognized for his trademark fedora, thick black glasses, bow ties and machine-gun style of questioning public figures. He filled his reports with his vast knowledge of local political characters and the city's rich political history.

A vibrant reporter, Mr. Hernandez Gomez covered major national and local stories, but mostly focused on local and state politics. He covered the administrations of former Govs. George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich, as well as Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Cook County Presidents John and Todd Stroger.

He also covered legal affairs and the courts for CLTV, especially when some of those same politicians or employees of their administrations found themselves charged with crimes.

Before starting at CLTV in 2005, Mr. Hernandez Gomez covered local and national politics for WBEZ-FM, Chicago's NPR affiliate, and the Chicago Reporter. He also worked in Chicago for Los Angeles' Spanish language daily, La Opinion. He attended DePaul University and graduated from Quigley Preparatory Seminary North.

He received the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award in 2004 for Best Sports Reporting for "The Legend of the Billy Goat Curse."

Mr. Hernandez Gomez was first diagnosed with cancer in December 2008 and fought through numerous procedures, surgeries and chemotherapy. He died Sunday night at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Survivors include his wife, WGN-TV reporter Randi Belisomo Hernandez.

CLTV General Manager Steve Farber said in a statement:

"Carlos was passionate about his work. He was determined to expose the best and worst of Chicago politics, and dogged in his pursuit of a story.

He fought a courageous battle in the last year and was focused on returning to cover the stories he loved.

Our thoughts are with our colleague -- his wife Randi -- and their families."

Services are pending.

Sould Todd be glad or sad?

2010-01-13T11:27:00.008-06:00

This type of advertising is so wrong. So wrong on so many accounts. If Todd Stroger does not come out and denounce this, it will only hurt him. Two candidates endorsed by the Chicago Tribune, Alderman Preckwinkle, Cook County President candidate and Art Turner, Lt. Governor candidate are pictured.
Apparently Gator does not feel Toni Preckwinkle will help split the black vote for Cook County President, only Dorothy Brown and Danny Davis will do this.

The attack on the Daley's, both Mayor Richard, and Commissioner John was surprising since they both supported Todd Stroger so much in the past. Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele is also featured. Robert Steele, and John Daley voted against Todd Stroger for the sales tax repeal. In the past both of them voted with Todd.

This is just so tackless on so many accounts. Ignorant and immature is what the biggest message is. This is at a grade school level, lacking any substance, nothing but name calling.

Gator said he translated this flier because he is an Urban translator, and this is the language that would be understand.

People like Chicago's CLTV reporter Gerrard McClendon who wrote the book Ax or Ask? The African American Guide to Better English, would certainly not approve of this Urban Translation being used in campaign fliers. The flier also used an "S" on Billion, making it billions . That is one of many grammatical errors.

** Update: Todd did come out and let everyone know he is not thrilled with this. See last article.

Background on GatorJust two years ago at this hour of the morning Life would have
been sliding into the apartment after a night of selling crack in
front of his building, fingering a damp wad of bills in his pocket
and thanking his stars for making it through another night. His
credo in those days consisted of three words, "Watch your ass."
The customers would try to rob you," he tells. "The police, the
competition and even your own people might move on you." Life's
own people © then and now © are the Gangster Disciples. ¡

But Life isn't thinking about rock cocaine these days. It is
election day and he is thinking about votes. Life is one of
Bradley's Political Directors. For the past six months he has been
heading a voter registration drive in his project, coordinating
community rallies, and recruiting gang "shorties" for the political
movement. ¡

Life's apparent conversion is one of a series personal
transformations of South Side gang leaders that have left most
Chicagoans throughly unconvinced. Candidate Gator Bradley went to
jail for armed robbery in '75. When he emerged four years later, he
seemed a changed man. During lengthy prison conversations with
charismatic Gangster Disciple leader, Larry Hoover, Bradley
concluded that no matter how much loot he had made on the street,
it wasn't worth the prison time.
Wallace 'Gator' Bradley Sues Aaron Patterson's Attorneys In Burge Torture Case

Gator is also an Urban Translator

CHICAGO, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Edmund J. Scanlan filed a suit today in Cook County Circuit Court on behalf of his client Wallace "Gator" Bradley against the law firms of Avila & Tomic LLC, Barry & Loewy LLP, and individually against Frank B. Avila and Ivan Tomic of Chicago and Adam Loewy and Carl Barry of Texas.

The suit seeks compensation of $238,475 owed to Mr. Bradley by the two law firms for his consulting work on the case involving former Chicago police Lt. Jon Burge and torture victim Aaron Patterson, who spent years on death row. The City of Chicago settled the case last December for five million ($5,000,000) dollars.

The consulting work that Mr. Bradley provided included services as an investigator, urban translator, and public relations advisor.

Despite written assurances from the defendant-attorneys that Mr. Bradley, "would be taken care of for all his help at the end of the case," the attorneys paid Mr. Bradley nothing.
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Stroger and others react to this flier

Wallace "Gator" Bradley, a gang leader-turned-community activist, confirmed that he was among a group of "voters" behind the fliers created in recent weeks to unite the African-American community in Cook County. The flier has been mailed to and stuck in doors of residents throughout the county and posted on social networking sites.

Bradley suspects Irish Democrats in power are pushing the two African-American women in the race to run against Stroger, a move that could split the black vote and hand the Feb. 2 primary win to O'Brien.

"People are real upset, they're upset about a lot of things, they're upset about the campaign," he said, noting that he and others met at Wallace's Catfish Corner, 2800 W. Madison, twice in recent weeks to develop the flier. "We came up with the idea to educate the young generation."

"We put it in a language our community can understand, see, because I am an urban translator," Bradley said. The flier calls for people to join the "Soldiers 4 Stroger."

Told that some politicians are calling it offensive, Bradley said: "We are offended that Dorothy Brown and Preckwinkle are allowing themselves to be used," he said. He thinks white Machine Democrats put them up to running to push Stroger out of office.

On Tuesday, Stroger told reporters he had nothing to do with the flier and wouldn't comment beyond saying this was the first time he heard about it. On Monday, his campaign had issued a much stronger written statement: "The Stroger campaign does not endorse or condone this type of behavior or activity."

Preckwinkle said: "It's pretty despicable." O'Brien declined to comment. Brown issued a written statement: "This type of negative and sickening campaigning is the reason why I am running for County Board president, to bring professionalism, innovation, reform and taxpayer savings to Cook County."

Calls to Quinn and Mayor Daley weren't immediately returned. Steve Brown, a Madigan spokesman, said: "Is this supposed to help someone?"

Peoples Gas discovers 4 new Prehistoric creatures

2009-12-07T08:18:00.001-06:00

If I did not get my "Paperbillasaurus" in the mail this weekend, I would never have been educated on the four new Prehistoric creatures discovered by Peoples Gas. I have to admit that I have been paying bills online for some time, avoiding such creatures like the Stampadactyl, Checkosourus Rex and the Envelopatops. OK, since the Paperbillasaurus came with the Envelopatops, I did encounter the Envelaptaops, but not have to deal with another Envelapatops to put the Checkosouras Rex in, which also would have me deal with the Stampadactyl.
Seriously, most banks have electronic payment, where you put in all the bills you normally pay, Peoples Gas, The Chicago Tribune, ComEd, AT&T etc., most payments are electronically paid overnight without you having to give out your bank account number. With so many companies having breech of security, through hackers, why put your bank account number out there with so many sites? Maybe Peoples Gas should also encourage people to learn how to use their banks online payment as well?
Yes, AT & T emails you a bill, so do others. But with Peoples Gas sending new discoveries in the Paperbillasaurus, why miss out on this new discovery only privy to Peoples Gas Customers? cough,cough

Nice voter buttons to wear

2009-12-04T07:45:00.003-06:00

The Chicago Tribune has some nice voter buttons. These are good reminders of who goes along with Todd Stroger. I am on the fence about whether Moreno needs to be voted out, but certainly agree the rest of the group pictured does.

Business along the Cook County border have signs in their windows or on Marquees. "NO Cook County Taxes" It is not hard to figure out when you have left Cook County by all these signs. I have done shopping many times just outside the Cook County Border myself, and when I am in the parking lot I see so many Chicago vehicle stickers, almost half. I know a few years back Cook County was loosing money on the car sales tax, but that was taken care of with a new law that requires the car dealers to collect taxes where the buyer is from, not where they are buying.

I have heard Commissioner Bill Beavers, talk of retirement. I am sure he will do things the County way, get in, then anoint daughter Darcel to his post, just like he did his Alderman's post to her when he was anointed the Cook County Commissioner post. Commissioner Butler appears to be half asleep at most County Board meetings, I am wondering if retirement isn't so far off for him either.

Commissioners Sims and Murphy, need to be voted out for so many reasons, from joining together to get their workers Shakmann decree exempt, to other things their constituents should be concerned about, should be voted out. Commissioner Sims has had calls on Burr Oak Cemetery before things blew up, and well things blew up, but not on her, Dan Hynes got most of the backlash. Commissioner John Daley has little to no competition, some unknown GOP is running against him. John Daley has the 13th ward in his district, one of the highest populous to come out and vote, whether their Alderman, Olivio who is usually unopposed or not. The 13th Ward is a solid Daley vote always, whichever Daley is running.

Todd Stroger's allies, Sims and Murphy

2009-12-02T09:35:00.000-06:00

It has been said there are only two things certain in life: death and taxes.

What did not surprise me at all was that Commissioners, Sims and Murphy voted together, and voted with Todd. Todd Stroger is already bellyaching this will affect health care. Sims is worried about Oak Forest Hospital in her district. Murphy is in the next district to Sims, but seems to go along with Todd, Sims on most votes.
Commissioner Peraica is always ready to speak out first, especially in a victory against Todd. Peraica's neighbor, or at least a few blocks away is Judy Baar Topinka, in North Riverside.

On Tuesday, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger equated the two in arguing that cutting the county's sales tax increase, imposed 17 months ago, would jeopardize people's lives because less money would be available for health care for the poor and uninsured.

"Some people will die needlessly for lack of access to the health care our system provides," Stroger said, in the heat of his losing battle to prevent a rollback of the tax hike.

In a 12-to-5 vote, county commissioners on Tuesday overrode Stroger's veto of their similar Nov. 17 vote to trim in half the penny-on-the-dollar increase. The lower tax takes effect July 1, exactly two years after the increase was effective. The county's share of the sales tax will drop from 1.75 percent to 1.25 percent.

Most commissioners dismissed Stroger's warnings, saying county government can be run more efficiently and consumers and businesses should be spared an onerous tax during the worst economic downturn of our time.

"This is a $195 million rebate to the people of this county," Commissioner Timothy Schneider (R-Streamwood) said.

Commissioner Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago) called the rollback the culmination of a "full-fledged voter revolt. What people see ... is a county government that is too often a friends-and-family plan, a jobs machine for the politically connected."

"If we don't do something to break the cycle we will never force this government to come into the 21st century to (take) the necessary steps to streamline and modernize" and show that taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly, Claypool said.

Commissioner Jerry "Iceman" Butler (D-Chicago) said Stroger's damaged credibility' with commissioners likely hurt his push to keep the higher sales tax in place.

"No matter how much truth you tell them or how many facts you put on the board, they do not want to hear it because your credibility has been damaged," Butler told Stroger. "Even though you've fired all your cousins, you've still been damaged."

Butler apparently referred to Stroger's cousin Donna Dunnings, whom Stroger fired last spring as the county's chief financial officer amid a controversy over another employee's salary and job duties.

Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston), a pivotal vote last year in approving the tax increase, said he changed his position because "in February 2008, we felt we needed to do something to stabilize this government. We had a $283 million deficit, and we did what was necessary to make this government go forward. But there's been change since (then), there's been change in the economy."

Stroger previously had vetoed three separate measures to roll back the sales tax hike, with commissioners unable to summon the 14 votes then required to kill the veto.

But with the issue taking center stage in the 2010 county election, the Legislature recently approved lowering the board majority required to override a veto from four-fifths to three-fifths - meaning 11 votes would be needed by the 17-member board instead of 14.

THE VOTE

The Cook County Board voted Tuesday to override board President Todd Stroger's veto of a measure to roll back the county's sales tax from 1.75 percent to 1.25 percent as of July 1.

Voting "yes" to override: Democrats Forrest Claypool, Earlean Collins, John Daley, Bridget Gainer, Edwin Reyes, Robert Steele and Larry Suffredin. Republicans Elizabeth Gorman, Gregg Goslin, Tony Peraica, Timothy Schneider and Peter Silvestri

Voting "no": Democrats William Beavers, Jerry "Iceman" Butler, Joseph Mario Moreno, Joan Murphy and Deborah Sims

Going home after the holidays

2009-12-01T09:01:00.001-06:00

I am so glad I did not have to go home via one of our airports. Our local news people have been reporting at the airports live all through the Thanksgiving Holiday. I am sure they are glad to have a change of scenery.
I saw many travelers on the CTA orange line these past few days, with all their luggage. It's a smart way to get to the airport. We are fortunate that the blue line goes right into O'Hare, and the Orange line goes right to Midway.

After Thanksgiving....

2009-11-30T07:46:00.005-06:00

After Thanksgiving, the balloons from the parade are deflated. People rush to travel home. The busiest day at O'Hare Airport is the Monday after Thanksgiving, and the busiest day at Midway Airport is the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Many things just don't add up

2009-11-17T12:08:00.009-06:00

Yesterday when Michael Scott's body being found was all the news in Chicago, along with the Thompson Prison, downstate. Many news radio, and local news stations were calling this a suicide. Yes, some of the things our Republicans in this state were saying about Thomson prison, political suicide, especially those running for office, but also Michael Scott committing suicide. Many things did not add up to me. Yes, John Kass is right, this is not an easy location to navigate day or especially night. Also how do you shoot yourself, end up in the river, fall on the weapon?
Jody Weis is now on all the local news saying it is still a death investigation even though the Medical Examiner says it was a suicide.

With all the blue light camera's in the city, the area Michael Scott was found did not have any. Was this planned on the part of Michael Scott, or the killer?
If one would of wanted a remote location, and one that is away from the blue light camera's you would easily find a remote place, say the Cook County Forest Preserves?

Many things Republicans are saying about Thomson Prison are also not adding up. Why would so many GOP oppose the use of Thomson Prison, something that is favored by the GOP constituents that make up the downstate area, and more so the area around the Thomson Prison. We have an under utilized prison, along with an area that was built up with restaurants, gas stations, convient stores, hotels and the like in anticipation that this would be a viable employer. Now the area does not have this facility, Thomson Prison, up and running, employing people, and supporting the area.
Local residents are angry at what they hear coming out of the mouths of the GOP, especially the GOP candidates. They want the jobs, and wonder why candidates, and politicians talk about creating jobs, when, right at their doorstep is the opportunity.
The area residents most affected by the Thomson Prison being utilized should also be looked at. Why not listen to the people most affected by this?

John Kass certainly makes a lot of good points

Michael Scott made his living in Chicago politics as one of Mayor Richard Daley's guys out front.
The mayor put him on a series of public boards, from the Park District to the Chicago Board of Education. He made a decent living in real estate, and for 30 years he did what all front guys do:

Talk to reporters, sit in front of news cameras and lend his face to the mayor's policies and enterprise.
What's strange is that this very public man found an extremely private place to die.
The place where Scott was found early Monday, with a single gunshot wound in the head, is on the maps as part of the vibrant and high-tech River North neighborhood.

But actually, the place where he fell is a no-man's land along the North Branch of the Chicago River, a difficult place to reach, especially for a 60-year-old stumbling around in the pitch darkness, over uneven ground, with no light and no moon.
Visitors Monday to the spot where Scott died didn't see any police or security cameras that might have recorded Scott's last living seconds. With all the high-tech in Chicago, the spot where Scott died is seemingly off the grid.

It is not a place for public men like Scott. Rather, it is a place for homeless junkies and rats. It is a place to hide.
It's certainly not a place for Daley's 1983 deputy campaign manager and, until Monday, the mayor's president of the Chicago Board of Education.

The Cook County medical examiner's office ruled Scott's death a suicide. But police aren't so sure.
"We know what the ME ruled," said Police Superintendent Jody Weis. "But there are a lot of questions out there."
Scott's blue Cadillac was found in a parking lot next to the Apparel Center building at 350 N. Orleans St. It had been left near a blue trash bin.

From there to where his body was found, Scott would have walked about 20 yards to a fence near an old, deserted railroad bridge. Commuters can see that bridge, its black steel trestle permanently raised skyward, sticking out of the River North landscape like a broken arm.

And in Monday's daylight, after the TV cameras had left, it seemed reasonable that Scott could have easily made his way there.

But the night before, in the dark, it would have been all but unnavigable. He would have had to walk right under the cement counterweight for that old drawbridge, then scramble underneath an iron fence, then down a little embankment overgrown with weeds and strewn with trash.
He'd have walked over broken bottles, old rags from some homeless wanderer. There was a syringe on the ground.
Scott would have walked out along part of the cement river wall running under the bridge. It is about 5 feet below street level, next to an old boarded-up bridge house. It's quiet, even in the day. At night it would be all but silent.
And again, remember: There are no lights, apparently no security cameras to capture the pull of the trigger and the muzzle flash.
After the bullet entered his brain, Scott fell into the shallows along the riverbank, behind some wood pilings. Police found the gun underneath him.

Phil Krone, a longtime Daley adviser and a friend of Scott's, openly questioned the medical examiner's ruling in a short article on the Chicago Daily Observer, an Internet news and opinion site.

"While the news reports indicate it was a suicide I do hope that an appropriate investigation is done to make sure that it was not a murder masked to look like a suicide," Krone wrote. "There are many angry people in this world. and you never know who might act out."
Krone told me later over the phone that he and Scott were to have breakfast next week.

"I don't believe he would have killed himself," Krone said. "And I don't believe he would have done it there. That's why I wrote it. To raise the question."
Those of us who've had friends kill themselves know that there is nothing rational about suicide.

But I just can't imagine Scott, the public man, tromping around down there, exploring during the day, running the risk of being seen. And how would he have found such a place at night, alone, by himself?

For a man who for decades maintained a public profile, it was a sad and desperate landscape. There must have been other, easier places.

This was a guy who made a living giving face time to TV news cameras, and it's difficult thinking of him crawling along that river wall at night. He must have known he'd fall either into the river proper, to wait for March and the long thaw, or onto the shallow bank, to be left for what scuttles around down there.

No man, public or private, should have to end like that.

jskass@tribune.com

One argument against housing Guantanamo Bay inmates at the Thomson Correctional Center in northwest Illinois could already be moot.

Administration officials have floated a plan to hold military tribunals at whichever prison ends up taking the inmates, according to the Chicago Tribune. Right now, it looks as though Thomson is the leading candidate, the Sun-Times reports.

Over the weekend the Obama administration put out feelers about potentially transferring up to 200 inmates from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to domestic prisons. The Thomson prison was mentioned as a destination, but some Illinois Republicans lambasted the plan as a bad idea.

Among their complaints is the idea that carting inmates to and from court would pose a serious security risk.
By holding tribunals at the prison, there would be no need to transport the prisoners to places like Rockford and Chicago for trials in federal courts.

"The current thinking is it will be one-stop shopping," Charles Stimson, a former Pentagon official in the Bush administration and current legal scholar at the Heritage Foundation in Washington told the Tribune.

In order to make the transition easier, some officials recommend that the government house only foreign detainees at the prison and build a secure, on-site courtroom that allowed outside groups to observe and prosecutors to present classified evidence.

The administration official, who spoke to the Tribune anonymously, said it is too early in the planning stages to theorize about what steps the government would take with detainee trials.

Meanwhile, officials who toured the Thomson prison Monday left the impression that the northwest Illinois facility is leading the pack for becoming the next Gitmo.

"My impression is this is probably their No. 1 choice," Dixon Mayor Jim Burke, one of dozens of local officials briefed Monday about federal interest in the prison, told the Sun-Times.

Other’s said it’s too early to tell who is the front-runner, because other prisons need to be inspected.

"This is a very preliminary assessment," said Harley Lappin, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

An early estimate of the economic benefit of housing the detainees in Illinois leads some to believe the prison could create up to 500 new jobs and generate $85 million in payroll.

3 Cadillacs and 3 tragedies

2009-11-16T11:03:00.008-06:00

Another Tragic end to another well known Chicagoan

Anyone in Chicago who turned on the local news, the radio or TV woke up to a body being pulled out of the Chicago River by the Merchandise Mart. If you turned on a local news program you saw a blue Cadillac being towed.

This is the third tragic event of famous Chicagoans that involved Cadillacs, the start was Chris Kelly and his Black Cadillac Escalade, then was Garrard McClendon's parents green Cadillac Eldorado that was taken by their murderers, now a Blue Cadillac belonging to Michael Scott was found by the Chicago River.

The first reaction heard on the news did not specify if this was a suicide or murder. Later on we find out that Michael Scott has a gunshot wound in his left temple, but it is still not known if this was a self inflicted gun shot wound or an act of violence. You would still have to wonder if, it was suicide how did he get in the river?

Still another tragedy. He could be another innocent victim. Still he has done a lot for the CPS, and will be missed.

Chicago School Board President Michael Scott had a gunshot wound to the left temple when authorities found his body in the Chicago River near the Merchandise Mart early this morning, sources said.

An autopsy will be performed later today to rule how Scott, 60, died. He was reported missing from his home in the Monroe police district on the Near West Side in Chicago Sunday, sources said.

Chicago School Board president Michael Scott was reported missing from his home in the Monroe police district on the Near West Side in Chicago Sunday.

His car -- a blue Cadillac -- was found parked near the river where the body was found, police said. It was towed from the scene.
Fire crews arrived about 3:20 a.m. to recover the body just west of the Apparel Center at 350 N. Orleans St., home of the Chicago Sun-Times.

A Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman did not return calls for comment.

Belmont Area detectives are conducting a death investigation.

A stunned Rev. Jesse Jackson showed up at the scene Monday morning after hearing about Scott's death on the news. He said he spoke with him last week -- and Scott sounded normal to him.

"Everyone thought Michael was their guy," Jackson said. "People are so very sad. .. . The suddenness of it all -- midday has become midnight. The sun has been eclipsed."

Jackson described Scott as someone equally comfortable working with Chicago's poorest children or sitting courtside at a Bulls game.

"That's why I think the mayor leaned on Michael the most," Jackson said.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the former CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, issued a statement saying he was "shocked and saddened."

"Michael cared passionately about public education and made many courageous decisions as President of the Board," Duncan said. "He gave his time, energy and talents to improving the life chances of children. Chicago has lost a great leader and the city's schoolchildren have lost a devoted champion. I extend my deepest condolences to his wife and family."

Mayor Daley was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a conference in Michigan today, but abruptly canceled his plans when he heard the stunning news about his longtime friend.

Sources said the mayor had to pull himself together before making a personal visit to the home of Scott's widow, Diana.

"He's not just the mayor's school board president, he is his friend of more than three decades," said mayoral press secretary Jacquelyn Heard. "He was a reliable partner -- someone who unquestionably cared about Chicago neighborhoods, the West Side, and cared about children and people who were down on their luck."

Friends say Scott was extremely distraught recently about the death of his first wife, Millicent, the mother of his children.

Ron Huberman, who replaced Arne Duncan as schools CEO, was at Scott's Near West Side condominium this morning to offer condolences to family and friends. He was joined by schools spokeswoman Monique Bond and Rev. Jackson, who was offering prayers.

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger issued a statement through a spokesman Monday morning offering his condolences.

"My wife and I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Michael Scott," Stroger said. "Mr. Scott was a strong advocate for education. His contributions to the minority communities of Cook County will be sorely missed. In particular, his love for the upward mobility of residents from Chicago's West Side where he spent his life."

Scott was Daley's long-time go-to guy but raised eyebrows earlier this year when he disclosed to the Sun-Times that he had been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury investigating how students were selected for the system's elite selective-enrollment high schools.

Scott insisted he had done nothing wrong, but the system responded with a massive crackdown on college prep principals' ability to handpick up to five percent of their seats outside the normal selection process. An aide to Scott had requested such a pick at Whitney Young High School, but later withdrew the request at Scott's insistence, sources said at the time.

The furor emerged after Daley had appointed Scott to serve a second stint as school board president. Scott had recommended that sports agent Rufus Williams succeed him in that job, but Williams ruffled so many feathers that he resigned under pressure and Daley re-installed Scott to head the school board and oversee the city's public schools -- a top Daley priority.

Scott was an activist president, meeting on his own time with local residents, and even recently visiting troubled Fenger High School to personally observe an effort to bus kids from Altgeld Gardens to Fenger in the wake of the murder of Fenger honor student Derrion Albert. He was a calm and steady leader at sometimes raucous School Board meetings, often diffusing angry outbursts from the audience or speakers.

Scott, a West Side resident, also had served on the Mayor's 2016 Olympic committee and as former head of the Chicago Park District.

In August, he was forced to answer questions about his involvement in a development proposal near the the proposed Douglas Park Olympic site.

He insisted he would not profit from the deal.

"I would not profit . . . not at all," Scott told reporters at a Chicago Board of Education press conference.

He was responding to a published report contending he was "potentially positioning himself to cash in" if the Olympics come to Chicago because he was helping a group of ministers try to turn some city-owned lots across from what could have been an Olympic site into affordable housing. Chicago eventually lost out to Rio de Janiero, which will host the 2016 Summer Games.

Scott noted at the time that the ministers, whom he said he has known for years, came to him with their development idea in the summer of 2006 -- a year before he was appointed to a committee that has been trying to bring the Olympics to Chicago.

Scott said he agreed to advise the ministers on how to put the deal together, navigate city departments and train people on how to sell affordable housing.

Any profits were to be split among the ministers because "I have no monetary interest," Scott said. "These people are my friends. They asked for my help and I helped them on a part-time basis."

The city has shown no interest in the idea for two years, said Scott.

"The city has no formal plan or deal for any lots to be sold or conveyed for any amount of money for this proposal," Scott said.

Scott owns Michael Scott and Associates, a real estate development firm.

West Side Ald. Isaac Carothers (29th) praised Scott on Monday, saying "he was a great individual who added value to every position he served" in city government.

Carothers -- who was indicted in May for allegedly accepting $40,000 in home improvements, meals and sports tickets from a West Side developer in exchange for zoning changes that netted the developer millions -- spent a year secretly recording public officials and real estate developers for the feds, the Sun-Times disclosed earlier this year.

On Monday, Carothers cut off a conversation with a reporter when asked whether he had recorded any conversations with Scott.

He would only say, "He was just a great friend and a great individual. My heart goes out to his family. It's just a tragedy."

Carothers said he has known Scott for "15-to-20 years, at least."

"He was a great negotiator, a great facilitator," the alderman said.

Pressed further about any business dealings he might have had with Scott, Carothers said, "All I have is what I gave you." He then hung up the phone.

A story that keeps getting worse

2009-10-21T10:01:00.006-05:00

More senseless deaths

When this story broke yesterday about a married couple in their 70s being found shot and beaten in a Cook county Forest Preserve, it was bad. I thought: How could anyone do this?, Why?
As the day went on and Chicago News was all over the story, we later find out that it is Garrard McClendon's parents. Garrard McClendon the author of Ax or Ask, and host of CLTV News, and former radio host on other news stations in Chicago.
Later we find out what an asset to the community Garrard's parents, Milton and Ruby were, making this even sadder.
Many of the Chicagoland area, has either watched or heard Garrard McClendon speak out about violence, and senseless acts. This unfortunately hits too close to home for him now.
Many condolences Garrard and family.

The car belonging to the slain parents of a CLTV host was found early this morning on the Dan Ryan Expressway after a woman called police to report she saw the vehicle on which police had issued an alert.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the slayings of Milton and Ruby McClendon--parents of CLTV host Garrard McClendon--shifted from the south suburban forest preserve where they were found to their Hammond, Ind., home.

Tuesday evening, Cook County Forest Preserve police turned the probe into the shooting deaths of Milton and Ruby McClendon over to Hammond police after investigators determined their home in the 1000 block of Field Street appeared to be the crime scene.

This morning, Illinois State Police said the car belonging to the McClendons has been located. Master Sgt. Anthony Hoop said the 1997 Cadillac Eldorado was seen by a female driver who told police she had seen a broadcast report about the murders and missing car and spotted the vehicle on the northbound express lanes of the Dan Ryan around 55th Street about 1:45 a.m.

Police had asked the public to look for the couple's green 1997 Cadillac Eldorado two-door, with Indiana license plate 365ZTN that expires in 2010.

Hoop said the woman said she saw two males getting out of the vehicle. One, he said, was described as carrying a backpack, the other as wearing a red hoody. He said Illinois State Police along with Hammond and Chicago police were on the scene and conducting a general search in the area for the two possible suspects.
Hoop said the woman who called police told them she was on her way to work when she saw the vehicle. Illinois State police turned the car over to Hammond police officials who would not comment this morning.

The couple's bodies were discovered about 12:30 p.m. Monday in the Wentworth Woods of the Cook County Forest Preserve off Campbell Road between Pulaski and Michigan City Roads.
An autopsy performed Tuesday determined that Milton McClendon died from a gunshot wound to the head and Ruby McClendon died from multiple gunshot wounds. Milton McClendon, who was identified through his heart pacemaker, was 78, and his wife was 76, records show.

Inside the couple's Fields Street home, police could be seen conducting their investigation. Outside, longtime neighbors, friends and acquaintances reeled in shock at the death of the elderly couple who were rarely seen apart.

"It (doesn't) make sense," neighbor Tommie Dorsey said. "It would be curious to see how all of this unravels. I just can't see them letting someone in the house," Dorsey said.

The husband and wife had been one Hammond's first African-American residents and were pillars of the community, said Jeff Morrow, whose sister is married to the couple's son, Duane. "They wanted to stay in this community. They took a lot of pride in living here and being from here."
Milton McClendon, a retired postal worker, and his wife promoted education to neighborhood children, while raising their three sons, Garrard, Duane and Theodore.

In recent years, the couple acted in the role of neighborhood grandparents, Dorsey said, with Ruby McClendon as recently as Saturday baking a pie for Dorsey as payment for his grandson cutting the couple's grass.
"You can't say enough about people like this, and you just can't imagine them dying such a tragic death," Dorsey added.

Anyone with information is asked to call Hammond police at (219) 852-2906.

CLTV, in a message posted on Gerrard McClendon's blog, said the station's thoughts are with McClendon and his family.
WGN-TV's Marcus Leshock offers prayers for McClendon and his family on ChicagoNow

Dark Pin striped suits

2009-10-14T09:21:00.002-05:00

I first turned on the television last night to C-Span, there was former Cook County Commissioner and now 5Th District Congressman Mike Quigley speaking in the House, dressed in a dark pin striped suit, with a gold paisley tie. He was saying that our enemies have no borders.

I then turned on local news to see Todd Stroger, also in a dark pin striped suit getting the endorsement of about 100 Ministers in Cook County. Todd Stroger went on to say there were no furlough days, and no black out days in Cook County. He went on to say the City and the State have deficits in there budgets, and his was in the black. He kept Cook County running, the health care system up and running, and Cook County is in the black. Todd Stroger did not mispronouce any words and looked, and sounded like a formidable candidate. One of the ministers pointed out that Todd's opponent's constituents, such as Danny Davis would like him to stay their 7th District Congressman, and that the others also have constituents that would like them to stay in their positions. He was referring to Brown, as Cook County Clerk, and Preckwinkle as 4th Ward Alderman.

Yes Todd Stroger looked and sounded like a good candidate, but in polls he has a 10% approval rating.

Stroger endorsersAbout 100 African-American ministers gave embattled Cook County Board President Todd Stroger their much-anticipated endorsement for re-election today, saying black voters must stay "united" or risk losing the government seats they hold.

Two of Stroger's three African-American rivals in the Democratic primary boycotted the ministers' stated attempt to find a "consensus" black candidate because they said the group was dominated by Stroger supporters, and the outcome was pre-ordained.

Bishop John Richard Bryant said of the endorsement, "It's about the people in this city who need quality leadership."

"Quality! Quality!" shouted a minister in the audience at Quinn AME Chapel.

"You da man!" Rev. Joanne Long said hugging Stroger. That prompted chants of "You da man! You da man!"

"We stand with him as we stood with his father, John Stroger. We stood with that giant as we are now standing with his son," Bishop Cody Marshall said.

Accepting the endorsement, Stroger extended an olive branch to his rivals Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) and Clerk of the Court Dorothy Brown, inviting them to join his campaign. Davis and Preckwinkle did not seek the ministers' support.

All three have said they planned to stay in the race despite today's long-anticipated endorsement. Supporters of the other candidates say they fear Stroger is too unpopular to hold the seat even if he won the Democratic primary.

Only one white candidate, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terry O'Brien, is in the race, and these ministers say he will win if all four African-American candidates stay in the race.

Stroger said these ministers will help tell their congregations "the truth" about what a good job Stroger has done as County Board president

Stroger's ratings tank, and the new Steele rift

2009-09-28T09:21:00.001-05:00

Even though Todd Stroger has a lower rating than Rod Blagojevich ever had, Todd may still be a force to be reckoned with the next Cook County Presidential Election.
OK, I have to give Todd credit for going to Stroger hospital when he injured his head during a basketball game. At least it shows that he is not to be a patient at one of the medical facilities under his jurisdiction.
Robert Steele did not go with the Stroger flow, as his mother, Bobbie Steele who anointed him the position did. Bobbie Steele for the most part supported Todd, as well has his father John Stroger before him.
When Robert Steeles' brother, Byron Steele lost his job, and was told it was due to a higher up decision, that did not set well with the Steele family. I am sure this will affect how Robert Steele supports issues. If this was, and many think it was, of Todd Stroger's doing, then this was not a good move for Todd Stroger.
Byron Steele believes it was revenge. His brother, Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele, had voted twice against County Board President Todd Stroger’s veto of a sales tax repeal.

Today’s firing does not sit well with the politically prominent Steele family.

Bryon’s mother is Bobbie Steele, Todd Stroger’s immediate predecessor in the president’s post, who served as interim head of the Cook County Board after his father, then-President John Stroger was felled by a massive stroke in 2006. Though she considered seeking the nomination herself, Bobbie Steele retired and threw her support behind Todd Stroger.

Reached at home this afternoon, she told NBC5 and the Sun-Times, “I’m angry, I don’t believe in revenge to anybody.”

Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele expressed his own outrage.

“Politics are being played...It’s a terrible thing,” he said by phone, adding, “I’ve stood by Todd on everything. The sales tax veto was the only issue on which we disagreed.”

Commissioner Steele said he called the president, “But Todd is not returning my phone calls.” Commissioner Steele said he believes others are also in the process of being terminated but declined to provide details.

Byron Steele’s $100,000 a year job has been to manage the 5 million square foot physical plant for the Cook County Department of Corrections, supervising the maintenence of the entire jail compound including 180 tradesmen and engineers.

Called in by his boss, James D’Amico, Byron Steele said he was told, “‘This is a decision from the president, it comes from on high.”

From the Conservative paper in town

2009-09-27T11:01:00.003-05:00

I was surprised that the Conservative paper had this article. It was in the Sunday, September 27th edition of the Chicago Tribune. Author Don Wycliff calling Limbaugh, Beck and Hannity the goon squad without one fuctional brain together with no guts and zero decency.

Wow...that is really slamming the self proclaimed voices of the GOP, good. I am unable to turn Fox news on because of these guys, along with Bill O'Reilly. Fox News Network, has become the Faux Nutwork. Fox has so many hosts on that are so far off to the right angry side, with such extreme one sided views, that they are not even in the realm of being considered a news source.
Any time these angry hosts have a guest on with an opposing view, they talk over them, they rant, they rave, and they don't let that guest get a word in edgewise.

It's no wonder President Obama will not be a guest on their show. Will they let him speak? Or will they rant and rave over him while he talks. Beck has lost many sponsors because of his off color remarks, and rightly so, why would a sponsor want to be associated with Beck? This is 2009 not 1909.

Hopefully we will see the end of Faux Nutwork as we know it now. Maybe someone will wake up and get rid of the trash that pollutes the airways, revamp it to real news, not a forum of the angry rabid right wing.

Big relief for Kelly's family

2009-09-25T12:41:00.005-05:00

Charges dropped against Chris Kelly's company

At least this should help Kelly's young daughters out. I am sure they could not collect any insurance money due to the fact their Dad's cause of death was suicide
September 25, 2009 12:09 PM
Federal prosecutors dropped criminal charges today against the roofing company of Christopher Kelly, who died of an apparent suicide about two weeks ago.

The firm, BCI, had been charged with Kelly in a kickback scheme for roofing contracts at O'Hare International Airport.

Kelly pleaded guilty in that case earlier this month, days before his death. Kelly died of an apparent drug overdose Sept. 12.

All charges against Kelly in the case against former Gov. Rod Blagojevich were dropped the week after his death.

A lawyer for Kelly and BCI, Thomas Leinenweber, applauded the decision to drop the case against the roofing company. Leinenweber said the government chose to end the matter regarding Kelly and the firm instead of pursuing fines or other penalties.

The company's assets will support his family, the attorney said, including his three daughters.

"This was a compassionate and just thing for them to do," he said.

DuPage County has the Cook County fugitive

2009-09-18T16:46:00.004-05:00

Let's hope they can hang on to this guy in Du Page County now that they have him. Hopefully they will have extra guards around him. This was the big story in Northern Illinois, you could not turn on a TV or radio without hearing all kinds of tidbits, constantly updated on it. The press conferences on this were nothing compared to the Mayor Welch way of conferences. These conferences were short, and without blow by blow details.

A crowd of about 80 spectators at Route 59 and James Avenue clapped and cheered as Maday was driven away in an ambulance

Robert Maday, the career criminal who was the subject of a massive manhunt in the west and northwest suburbs after escaping from custody Thursday, was apprehended Friday after a police chase ended in a crash in West Chicago.

Maday crashed the stolen Volkswagen Jetta he was driving at James Avenue and Route 59, according to Bloomingdale police.
Robert Maday was caught in West Chicago on Friday after he crashed the stolen Volkswagen Jetta he was driving.

"I couldn't be happier," said Bloomingdale Police Chief Tim Goergen. "I'm glad it's over."

A crowd of about 80 spectators at Route 59 and James Avenue clapped and cheered as Maday was driven away in an ambulance.

Nicole Bratko, 29, of St. Charles, was driving home on Route 59, about to turn onto James Avenue when she saw squad cars with flashing lights coming toward her.

Then she saw the Jetta coming up behind her.

She said the Jetta clipped the back of a black Jeep, smashed into a traffic light and then went through some bushes and into a yard on James Avenue.

"It was like a movie when the cops came out," she said. "He clipped the Jeep and then he hit the pole. The pole flipped up like a toy. Then he went through the bushes, then all of a sudden, the cops cam with their guns drawn."

She credited officers for their quick action.

"I have to say the cops were right on top of it," she said. "I'm still shaking. I was afraid we were going to get shot."

Bratko said the driver of the Jeep was injured, too. Both he and Maday were taken on stretchers to waiting ambulances.

Goergen said West Chicago police officers spotted the Volkswagen and gave chase.

"Mr. Maday is in custody. He was involved in a chase, a pursuit, with West Chicago police who did a fine job spotting the vehicle," he said.

The West Chicago police officer initially pulled Maday over into the parking lot of a Taco Bell on Route 59 near West Chicago's downtown, said West Chicago Deputy Chief Bruce Malkin.

His gun drawn, the officer approached Maday, who bolted north of Route 59 in the Jetta before eventually crashing. He was taken to Central Dupage Hospital and is expected to be released today.

"He will not get away," said Kim Widup, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois.

Both stolen weapons were recovered, including one from Maday's waist band, Widup said.

On Friday, Maday also allegedly included hijacking the Jetta from a woman in Hoffman Estates and robbing a bank in west suburban Bloomingdale, a bank the FBI said he robbed in 2008.

"I'm the guy that's been on the news -- give me the money," Paul Bock, supervisory agent for the FBI, quoted Maday as telling an employee at The First American Bank, 80 Stratford Drive, around 9 a.m. Friday, according to the FBI's Chicago office.

Earlier Friday morning, Hoffman Estates Sgt. Greg Poulos said a woman was driving to her job in a business complex in the 2000 block of Hassel Road at 6:45 a.m. and saw a man sitting on the curb.

As she opened the door, the man approached her, showed her a gun and she gave him her car, Poulos said.

She later identified the carjacker as Maday, Poulos said. He was last seen driving the Jetta west on Hassel Road toward Barrington Road.

The witness told police he was wearing blue jeans, a green T-shirt and a white baseball cap with lettering.

Schools throughout the west and northwest suburbs were on lockdown Friday morning, according to information on the district Web sites.

Sally Daly, spokeswoman for the Cook County State's Attorney's office, said police spent the night and morning combing the suburbs for any sign of Maday, following up on tips pouring in to local police stations.

"We want to bring an end to the disruption that has occurred in the northwest suburban communities," she said. "Understandably

How? What? And other confusion.

2009-09-18T10:32:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I heard on two different news radio stations that an inmate being transferred to court by two armed correctional officers, overtook the officers while in handcuffs. This was hard to believe. Both news stations said they posted his picture on their websites and needed the public help if they saw him. They also said he was 5'6" and 150 pounds. Hm, he does not sound like a guy big enough to overcome two correctional officers.
Many different reports throughout the day. When I turned on the local evening news they said Robert Maday the fugitive, was not only handcuffed but shackled. Some news stations report that he took the pants of one officer, also drove to a store bought things? New reports are out each hour, now they say he has hijacked another car, and robbed a bank.

Yesterday as news was breaking the local reporters were saying it was wall to wall police in armored gear. some reports said he had family at the Apartment complex, some say it was his previous residence. Then other reports said no he just had handcuffs, then some said he did not even have handcuff. Whatever the case is I hope someone can find this guy, he has supposedly hijacked a few cars, robbed a bank, caused lock downs of schools, and cost enormous amounts of law enforcement resources.

He must be a pretty smart guy to outsmart so many and still be on the Liam.

And there were pictures on every local news website and local broadcast news of the Cook County Officer in the orange prison pants. This must of been quite embarrassing for this guy.

The U.S. Marshal's office said Thursday night it considers Maday "extremely, extremely dangerous" and says it is offering a "substantial award for information leading to his capture. Their tip line is (888) 869-4590.

Because of the situation, many suburban school districts are on a precautionary or "soft" lock down. This means students are not allowed outside for gym or recess and, in many cases, volunteers and part-timers are told to go home. Among those include schools in District U-46, District 220, District 211, District 54, and District 13.

Maday was released from a Pennsylvania prison in 2003 after 12 years and was expected to be given 13 years Thursday for local bank robberies which he committed with a toy gun.

Instead, he disarmed the officers, shed his shackles and escaped into Rolling Meadows, leaving the officers handcuffed in their squad car and triggering a manhunt that involved at least a dozen agencies.

Maday then pulled a gun on a woman in a Meijer parking lot in Rolling Meadows, who surrendered her car. When he couldn't get the car started, he ordered the woman back inside to start it for him, Rolling Meadows Deputy Police Chief Dave Scanlan said.

Police say Maday abandoned the car on the 300 block of Algonquin Road in Arlington Heights and from that point moved on foot, as far as they know.

Police from all around the suburbs came to Arlington Heights, making the Wellington Restaurant their staging area. By mid afternoon they narrowed their focus to one apartment building on the 2300 block of Goebbert Road.

But shortly after 5 p.m. police determined he was not inside.

Maday is described as about 5 feet, 9 inches tall, white, bald, with a slender build.

Police are continuing to urge public caution as Maday is thought to have the two handguns still in his possession.

A SWAT team was called in, and several area schools were put on lockdown.
Maday was expected to be sentenced to 13 years for previous crimes.

Maday is white and bald and stands about 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-9 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds, the Tribune reported
Thursday morning, Maday, 39, overpowered two Cook County state's attorney's investigators in a sedan while being transported to the courthouse near Arlington Heights and Central Roads

Fox News is going after Deborah Sims, Chris Kelly is now national news

2009-09-14T07:53:00.011-05:00

Fox news had commissioner Deborah Sims on after she decided to change her vote to keep Todd Stroger's sales tax intact. Now they have been following her around and watching how her $95,000 a year staff member is driving her around in her red Cadillac, which by the way the County is also making payments on. They are following her to church where, yep, her $95,000 a year staff member is driving her on Sunday in the Red Cadillac. Yes, Deborah Sims put up with an unhappy constituent Caller wishing bad things for Sims, Deborah Sims because of her change of vote now is in the spotlight.

Cook County Democrat endorsements Todd Stroger did not get the Cook County Democrat endorsement, but Pat Quinn did, and so did Alexi Giannoulias. Surprisingly US Rep Danny Davis, also running for Cook County President, had a vote as a Democratic Committeeman and could not resist pointing out that this is the first time he can remember the incumbent not getting endorsed.

There are a lot of holes in the Chris Kelly story. Since the story broke we heard he was found unresponsive in his home found by his wife. Lately we have been hearing it was his girlfriend that picked him up at his lumberyard on the far South Side and brought him to a hospital. This story has been all over local news radio and TV, and just when I thought I could turn CNN on for some other news, they are covering it too. We had stations have the video of Blagojevich's response which also had him say he felt bad for Kelly's wife, and daughters. Obviously making things worse that Kelly's last moments were with his girlfriend.

Just this morning I heard on WGN news radio that they had to break into Kelly's Cadillac because there were no keys to be found, and also his cell phone is missing.

There will be a news conference on Wednesday about all of this. Obviously there is a lot to sort out.

Chris Kelly no longer with us
Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch did his best Sunday morning to unfurl a murky chain of events that led to the death of one of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's top aides early Saturday morning.

Christopher Kelly, of Burr Ridge and formerly of Frankfort, died at 10:46 a.m. Saturday at Stroger Hospital in Chicago from an apparent self-induced drug overdose after being taken by ambulance from Oak Forest Hospital. He was just a few days from reporting to federal prison to serve an eight-year sentence for a scheme to get his roofing company to win bids for work at O'Hare International Airport and for hiding $1.3 million in income.

When he pleaded guilty to the O'Hare scheme Tuesday, Kelly spoke of feeling intense pressure by prosecutors to abandon his loyalty to Blagojevich and cooperate with the feds.

His girlfriend, identified by Welch as Clarissa I. Flores-Buhelos, drove Kelly to Oak Forest Hospital in his black Cadillac Escalade after he sent her for help from the parking lot of Forest Lumber in the 17200 block of Cicero Avenue in Country Club Hills.

A Country Club Hills police officer spoke to Kelly, who was sitting up and alert in his room at Oak Forest Hospital.

"Kelly was very hesitant," Welch said. "He was very ill and not feeling well. And he was defensive."

Welch refused to say what they discussed, except to reveal Kelly told the officer he had recently undergone surgery to his genitals. That was about 3:30 a.m. At 4:15 a.m., Kelly, 51, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he later died.

"At this point, we're thinking it's a suicide investigation. But we're treating it like we would a homicide because it's such a high-profile case," Welch said at a news conference Sunday. "Cook County Hospital (Stroger Hospital) is one of the finest hospitals in the nation. So for someone to die after going through those doors is very irregular."

The Coook County medical examiner's office performed an autopsy Sunday but has yet to release its findings. Country Club Hills police continue to investigate the incident, with help from Chicago area detectives and the FBI, an agency close to the case through its investigation of Blagojevich.

While at Oak Forest Hospital, officers also questioned Flores-Buhelos, who has since "lawyered up," as Welch put it, and won't talk to police. Her wallet was found in the Escalade, which officers searched in the hospital parking lot. They also found drugs, though Welch would not comment on whether they were illegal, over-the-counter or prescription drugs.

"Flores told us she moved (Kelly) to the other seat and drove him from the lumberyard to Oak Forest Hospital," Welch said. "She drove a car to (the lumberyard) or got a ride. So there has to be a third party here. There has to be a second car."

A white man with gray hair was with Flores-Buhelos in the hospital waiting room while officers talked with her. A white man with gray hair - possibly the same man, Welch said - approached officers at the Escalade with the intention of driving it away. He had keys, but officers would not allow him to take the sport utility vehicle. Officers did not get the name of the man, or men, in question. Welch said they're looking for him now.

At the scene, officers found vomit in the parking lot, as they did on the Escalade. Kelly's clothing, now in evidence, was also "soaked in vomit," according to Welch. The Escalade had been in the parking lot of the lumberyard, outside an area secured by a locked gate and adjacent to a storage facility. Welch said police are looking into whether Kellly had a vehicle - possibly a boat - or other belongings stored at the site.

Welch showed reporters at the news conference Flores-Buhelos' driver's license. The 30-year-old lives in a downtown Chicago apartment on Columbus Drive. "I'm giving you all this because we're not getting cooperation," he said.

Welch said he'll update the case at a news conference scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday.

"He has three daughters, too, so say prayers for them because this is just awful," Welch said.

On Sims:
"Sims' staff played the voicemails at a news conference Thursday.

"I'm very disappointed in your vote. You flip-flopped, actually lied, and I hope you get f - - - - - - AIDS and die," the unidentified caller said in one message.

The messages were left by the same caller at her downtown office about 7:10 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sims' staff said. She also was repeatedly called a racial epithet, "fat" and a "bitch."

"I feel like it was a threat," Sims said.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office is investigating

Once again, Todd is all over the Chicago Papers

2009-09-04T07:55:00.002-05:00

Introducing Edward Reyes, and goodbye Jim and Jose

2009-09-01T07:33:00.006-05:00

What a news day, first off the White Sox traded Thome and Contreras. I am glad to have been at games where Jose pitched and Thome hit home runs for the Sox.
Edward Reyes is now the 8th District Commissioner, replacing Roberto Maldonado now 26th Ward Alderman. Reyes is a former bodyguard to Blagojevich, and recently current Governor Quinn. Reyes joins the board just in time for the repeal vote of the Todd Stroger sales tax hike.
Today we now have higher sales tax in Illinois. This is probably the most confusing tax hike. Candy, liquor, toiletries are among some of the new higher taxed items. Some things that are considered candy aren't because of flour content, some things that weren't considered candy are now.New higher taxed items in Illinois starting September 1
The Chicago City Council will have a finance meeting today, most importantly on the Olympics.Chicago City Council meet today
And finally Blagojevich has a new tell all book out today. Rod Blagojevich, the author

Thome and Contreras headed out west

MINNEAPOLIS -- With the S.S. South Sider in full-fledge sink mode, Captain Ken Williams was frantically trying to lighten the load with anything that wasn't nailed down.

A big piece of cargo was tossed overboard Monday night after yet another embarrassing loss to the Minnesota Twins, this time 4-1, on a road trip filled with embarrassments.

The White Sox have dealt veterans Jim Thome and Jose Contreras.

With an 11 p.m. deadline for players to be moved and be playoff-eligible for their new team, an ESPN report had White Sox general manager Williams sending out a list of players that were available, including Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, Scott Linebrink, Scott Podsednik, Jose Contreras and Octavio Dotel.

By the time the deadline passed, Thome was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Contreras to the Colorado Rockies.

But that wasn't the only news the team received after dropping to 1-7 on this dismal road trip. The MRI exam of Jake Peavy's elbow showed no structural damage, but there was fluid in the elbow after it was hit by a comebacker in a rehab start Aug. 24 for Class AAA Charlotte.

It sounds like good news, but considering the Sox are 64-68 and six games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers in the American League Central, there might not be a reason to pitch Peavy this season.

It was just Sunday that manager Ozzie Guillen insisted of the series against the Twins, ''The next three games, win or we're out. If we don't win this series in Minnesota, I don't think this ballclub is going to be as high as it can be.''

New Cook County commissioner appointed
May give board 14 votes needed to kill sales-tax hike
Comments

September 1, 2009

BY ABDON B. PALLASCH, Sun-Times News Group
Just in time for a critical vote on repealing Cook County's higher sales tax, a new commissioner has been appointed to the 17-member board.

Democratic committeemen on Chicago's Northwest Side on Monday chose Illinois State Trooper Edwin Reyes to replace Commissioner Roberto Maldonado, who resigned recently to become Chicago's 26th Ward alderman.

County board President Todd Stroger has vetoed the board's rollback of the controversial sales-tax increase, which took effect July 1, 2008 and boosted the county share of the tax by one percentage point to 1.75 percent. Commissioners have been trying to muster the 14 votes needed to override Stroger's veto.

That looked unlikely after Maldonaldo resigned. But Commissioner John Daley (D-Chicago), chairman of the board's finance committee, said that with Reyes' appointment the board now has the 14 votes to rescind the tax hike in a vote scheduled for today.

Meanwhile, Maldonado complained Monday that even though his county board seat has been a Hispanic seat, Chicago Ald. Dick Mell (33rd) got his way in picking a replacement other than the candidate that Maldonado preferred.

"I think was a battle between a group of Latino committeemen and possibly Mell and others," Maldonado said. "Mell thinks he still needs to control the future fate of the Latino politics on the North Side."

Mell denied that, saying "it's very difficult to deny the ethnic background of Ed Reyes."

Reyes, 46, was born in Chicago to Puerto Rican parents and for 18 months ran a Puerto Rican restaurant called Isabel's.

For the past three years, he has served as a state police bodyguard for Gov. Patrick Quinn and for indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Is this supposed to be news? And some real news

2009-08-27T10:52:00.006-05:00

Stroger injured shooting hoops\

August 27, 2009

Sun-Times News Group
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger was injured playing basketball Wednesday, his office reported today.

Stroger received eight stitches above his right eye after a pickup game at Chicago's East Bank Club, his office said. Stroger was injured by "accidental contact" and was taken to Stroger Hospital about 2:30 p.m., his office said.

He was released at 4:45 p.m. with a "small gauze" above his right eye and was ordered to wear the "protective piece" during the evening.

Stroger expects to make all of his appointments today.

But this is really good news. At least the horrific reminder that a 14 year old child was brutally murdered by not one, but a few adult men can be put on display for his senseless and unnecessary murder, rather fall to more disintegration at the hands of the Burr Oak mess.

Till's casket will get a much better homePlans are in the works to exhibit the casket that once held the body of lynching victim Emmett Till at the Smithsonian Institution's planned National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington when it opens in 2015.

The glass-topped casket held the 14-year-old Chicagoan's mutilated body for 50 years after his 1955 slaying in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Till's body was exhumed from Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip in 2005 when the FBI tried to find possible accomplices in the killing.

Till was reburied in a new casket, and the original was recently found rusting in a shed at Burr Oak during investigation of an alleged grave-reselling scandal.

Museum officials and members of Till's family are expected to announce the casket's donation before a ceremony Friday to commemorate 54 years since Till's murder.

More than financial problems are keeping Burr Oak closedBurr Oak Cemetery's parent company and the bank holding money in trust for the Alsip graveyard's operations can't agree on how $450,000 will be repaid.

So the money a court-appointed receiver has requested to repair and reopen the cemetery will remain frozen until at least Sept. 22, his attorney, James Geoly, said Wednesday after a court hearing.

But Roman Szabelski, who's been put in charge of Burr Oak in the wake of former employees being charged in an alleged grave-reselling scheme, ought to get $50,000 this week from a frozen account to rehire eight cemetery workers laid off since Aug. 14, Geoly said.

The bank wants repayment if and when the cemetery is sold; Burr Oak parent company Perpetua Inc. wants the state comptroller to decide, Geoly said.

Robert Fishman, an attorney representing Perpetua Inc. in numerous civil suits, refused to comment on any of the court proceedings.

The cemetery has been closed and in the hands of Catholic Cemeteries' director since late July when Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart declared the cemetery a crime scene.

The Goverment should be picking up costs of reburial for Veterans at Lincoln Memorial Veterans Cemetery

Robert Davis, a past president of the state's premiere black American Legion post, Dorie Miller 915, is among those pushing to move veterans graves to Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, where their perpetual care would fall to the government. His members are livid.

"The Korean War vets are very upset. You know it's devastating to me - it's got to be devastating to them," he said. "Those are the comrades they went to war with."

Reburial costs would also fall to the government once the veteran's body has been delivered to Abraham Lincoln's front gates, said Mike Nacincik of the National Cemetery Administration. But families have to shoulder the cost of disinterring the veteran and having the body moved, he said. Families also have to prove the service member's eligibility for military burial by locating discharge papers. Any kind of discharge but dishonorable qualifies, he said.

If families can't locate their loved one's remains, they still might apply for a memorial headstone at Abraham Lincoln.

"Abraham Lincoln would be a wonderful option," said Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete), whose district contains the national cemetery, and who sits on the Congressional subcommittee overseeing veterans' burial issues.

"We'll do everything in our power to help any family, a family not even from my district," she said.

Usually the government only pays for one burial, but extenuating circumstances at Burr Oak could warrant an exception, she said.

"I think we have to find a fair conclusion to this," she said. "Rest in peace means truly rest in peace."

The Chicago Tribune introduces Blagosphere

2009-08-19T08:59:00.001-05:00

From The Sunday Papers, Tribune Aug 17

2009-08-18T07:36:00.008-05:00

Phone records released on Cole and Dunnings, what we all knew confirmed

2009-07-30T08:28:00.000-05:00

Most people figured out that it was more than a working relationship between, former CC CFO Donna Dunnings, cousin of Todd Stroger, and Tony Cole, questionable hire. Numerous phone calls, at all times of day, and in the middle of the night, on major Holidays, are not normal for a normal business relationship, but this certainly does not look like a normal professional relationship. Donna Dunnings did not use any common sense here at all. Hiring an unqualified person to begin with, not doing a background check, and well not having a professional relationship with that individual. When there is such a lack of judgement, do we really trust this person in a position of CFO for such a large county? Obviously neither was smart enough to use their own private property, as in phones to conduct numerous questionable calls.

Politics is fluid in this State
This appointment of Roberto Maldonado from the Cook County Commissioner post of the 8th district to the 26th Ward Alderman is business, or fluidly in politics in this State as usual. The 26th Ward Alderman Billy Ocasio went to work as one Governor Pat Quinns Senior advisers.
Let's face it: Anyone Mayor Richard M. Daley appoints to the city council is automatically suspect.

You don't work your way into Daley's favor by being an advocate of good, clean, honest government.

You do it by getting your hands dirty - and keeping your mouth shut.

"Why did I pick Roberto Maldonado?" Daley said on Monday when he announced his choice to replace outgoing Billy Ocasio to represent the 26th Ward. "That is the question."

Daley likely picked Maldonado for three reasons: he's confident Maldonado will be a reliable vote for him; he wanted the post to remain in Hispanic hands for political reasons; he wanted to screw the disliked Ocasio, whose own terrible suggestions included a gay-hating reverend and Ocasio's own wife. That part isn't difficult to suss out.

The real question is: Who is Roberto Maldonado?

First the personal, then the political.

"Reminiscent of the hopes of so many immigrants from around the world who have come to America, Roberto’s parents migrated to New York City in 1947 from the impoverished island of Puerto Rico - in search of the American Dream," says Maldonado's website.

"Born in the South Bronx on August 28, 1951, Roberto learned the values of hard work and perseverance from his mother, Carmen, and from his father, Jose, who both worked long hours in factories and small grocery stores in the face of economic exploitation and discrimination."

Long story short after that, Maldonado arrived in Chicago at the age of 27 to pursue his studies at Loyola University while working full-time in the Chicago Public Schools as a psychologist. He opened what he called the first Hispanic-owned mortgage-banking firm in the Midwest, and latched on to Luis Gutierrez, then an alderman, running at least one of his campaigns.

In 1994, he won his seat on the Cook County board, representing the 8th District.

His wife and three children live in Humboldt Park.

Politically, Maldonado has always been seen as a man with a future in higher office, "perhaps in Washington," the Tribune editorial page said in 2003.

Over the years, though, the Tribune has become less enchanted.

"[Commissioners Joan Murphy, Earlean Collins and Deborah Sims] all fell for empty rhetoric from board member Roberto Maldonado, lead sponsor of the cigarette tax hike, about how the new revenue would help treat childhood asthma and other diseases caused by smoking," the paper said in 2004.

"Baloney . . . Maldonado's noble-sounding fiction was exposed when [Commissioner Larry] Suffredin confronted him with an amendment to spend all revenue from the cigarette tax not to balance Stroger's budget, but to treat lung illnesses and campaign against smoking. All that piety about helping children? That suddenly went right out the window."

27 Up 27 Down! Perfect Mark Buehrle pitching!

2009-07-24T08:42:00.001-05:00

First off I would like to congratulate Mark Buehrle on his no hit perfect game!

Next I would like to thank President Obama for using O'hare airport on the North side of town, verses Midway on the South Side of town. Even before Air force one touched down on the Northside, major roads were blocked off during rush hour for the Presidential motorcade. The traffic reports were reporting no less than a traffic nightmare for Northsiders. Again Thank you President Obama for choosing O'Hare.

Mark Buehrle's first 26 outs seemed to fly by -- though out No.25 seemed to stop every one's heart for an instant.

After recording his 27th consecutive out Thursday, Mark Buehrle begins the celebration. Buehrle delivered a curveball that started high in the zone. Tampa Bay Rays No. 9 hitter Jason Bartlett chopped at it and hit a high-bouncing ball to shortstop. Alexei Ramirez glided over a few steps, scooped up the ball and delivered a looping throw to first base.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle is embraced by teammates, including catcher Ramon Castro, after throwing a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday in Chicago. The Sox won 5-0.
(AP)

Mark Buehrle's perfect game

PERFECT GAMES
AMERICAN LEAGUE

David Cone 07-18-1999 New York 6, Montreal 0

David Wells 05-17-1998 New York 4, Minnesota 0

Mike Witt 09-30-1984 California 1, Texas 0

Kenny Rogers 07-28-1994 Texas 4, California 0

Len Barker 05-15-1981 Cleveland 3, Toronto 0

Catfish Hunter 05-08-1968 Oakland 4, Minnesota 0

Don Larsen 10-08-1956 New York 2, Brooklyn 0*

Charlie Robertson 04-30-1922 Chicago 2, Detroit 0

Addie Joss 10-02-1908 Cleveland 1, Chicago 0

Cy Young 05-05-1904 Boston 3, Philadelphia 0

* Game 5, 1956 World Series

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Randy Johnson 05-18-2004 Arizona 2, Atlanta 0

Dennis Martinez 07-28-1991 Montreal 2, Los Angeles 0

Tom Browning 09-16-1988 Cincinnati 1, Los Angeles 0

Sandy Koufax 09-09-1965 Los Angeles 1, Chicago 0

Jim Bunning 06-21-1964 Philadelphia 6, New York 0

Monte Ward 06-17-1880 Providence 5, Buffalo 0

Lee Richmond 06-12-1880 Worcester 1, Cleveland 0

But the last out to secure his second career no-hitter? That seemed to unwind in slow motion.
Buehrle delivered a curveball that started high in the zone. Tampa Bay Rays No. 9 hitter Jason Bartlett chopped at it and hit a high-bouncing ball to shortstop. Alexei Ramirez glided over a few steps, scooped up the ball and delivered a looping throw to first base.

Josh Fields steadied his hands and gathered in the routine throw. Twenty-seven batters, 27 outs.

Buehrle had thrown the majors' first perfect game in five years -- and just the 18th in major-league history -- and he couldn't believe it, covering his head with his mitt as his teammates mobbed the left-hander on the mound after a 5-0 victory Thursday in front of 28,036 thrilled fans at U.S. Cellular Field.

''I don't know how to explain it,'' Buehrle said minutes after delivering just the second perfect game in White Sox history.

''I never thought I'd throw a no-hitter, never thought I'd throw a perfect game, I never thought I'd hit a home run. Never say never in this game because crazy stuff can happen.''

Buehrle has won a World Series ring -- working as a starter and closer in the Sox' 2005 sweep of the Houston Astros -- started and won an All-Star Game and now has two no-hitters, the first coming on April 18, 2007, at U.S. Cellular Field against the Texas Rangers.

Not bad for a 38th-round pick.

30 by 60 foot flag on I-80 Stolen? Why?

2009-07-23T09:37:00.003-05:00

Why would anyone go through great lengths to steal a huge flag? What does one do with a flag this size, beside fly it over a busy interstate?

The Cook County Board is kicking off a series of meetings, for those unfortunate people who have had to use the Cook County Hospital System, because of being uninsured, under insured or whatever unfortunate circumstances that led them to have no choice but Cook County Medical care.

Sheriff Tom Dart will be spending more time at Burr Oak, now that more bones have been found. Dart let clergy take a tour of Burr Oak in Cook County Buses and consecrate the burial grounds. Hopefully this is the only time clergy will be riding in Cook County Sheriff's buses.

It will take one to three weeks before a giant American flag is flying over Interstate 80 again.
Augie Juricic, manager of Berland's House of Tools, said a similar flag has been ordered to replace the30-by-66-foot banner that was stolen about 9 p.m. Saturday from its site behind Berland's, 1695 New Lenox Road, Joliet Township.
The $2,000 flag, which flew 100 feet into the air along I-80, was erected several years ago in memory of Shawn Pahnke, an Army private from Manhattan who was killed in Iraq in 2003.

Will County sheriff's police said it appears two men used a 2-by-4 to crank the flag down to the ground.
Sheriff Paul Kaupas, a Vietnam veteran, called the theft "unfortunate" and said he couldn't understand the motivation for it, other than a prank.
"I've had regular-size flags stolen from my house, but what would you do with a flag that big?" he asked.

Anyone with information about the stolen flag is urged to call sheriff's police at (815) 727-8574.

Cook County hospital officials will descend on the Southland next week for the first in a series of public meetings asking what people think of their government-run hospital system.

The South Holland stop Monday on the so-called listening tour comes as the system grapples with potential budget cuts due to the county board's tax rollback and an increasing number of uninsured patients - all while south suburban activists decry services moving to Chicago's inner city.

"We felt strongly that we really need to have community involvement in this process to seek out from our people their perceptions of the health system, what they feel we're doing good, what are areas for improvement," said William Foley, the system's chief executive officer.

The meetings are part of creating a strategic plan for the county's health and hospitals system board - a nine-member panel created last year to depoliticize the operation of Cook County's massive and cash-strapped health care system.

County hospitals have been on the front lines of the crisis created by ballooning numbers of uninsured Americans. The public institutions serve as the hospitals of last resort - safety nets - for those who often rely on an emergency room for primary care.

"You have a really disgusting situation where people can't get health care and they're driven into bankruptcy if they get ill," said Dr. Quentin Young, an observer and sometimes critic of the county system who once was chair of the Department of Medicine at Cook County Hospital.

And while the hospital system juggles its budget and patient load, Young said, it is trying to address a bureaucratic infrastructure.
"They don't have efficient systems," the doctor said. "People like me who want to support the public sector, and I do, have difficulty because citizens say, 'Look at the misfunction and waste.' Nobody likes that."

Meanwhile, Cook County commissioners voted Tuesday to rollback half of the penny-on-the-dollar sales tax hike passed more than a year ago. The move, which may prove veto-proof, would siphon 10 percent of the hospital system's revenue, or $85 million, and require cuts to the system, Foley said.

"If it happens, then that needs to be in our strategic and financial plan," he said. "We know that we're not going to get more revenues. We know we can't do everything ourselves."
The hospital system makes up the lion's share of the county's budget. For this year it was allocated $882 million.

Another 40 bones surfaced yesterday in back sections where other remains had been found dumped, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said.

We are gathered together to reconsecrate, to say a prayer over this land," prayed one of many ministers who met at Burr Oak Cemetery Wednesday to bless ground that authorities said had been ripped up over the last four years so graves could be scandalously resold for cash.

The 100 or so ministers representing so many faiths - multiple Christian denominations, Jewish - descended on this historic black cemetery in Alsip to tour the 150 acres where some 100,000 have been buried. From 200 to 300 graves have been destroyed, according to Cook County sheriff's investigators who've been overseeing the criminal case.

"We must trust in the Lord to take care of those people and bring them to justice and bring them to the right repentance the right remorse and the right turning away from their sins," he said, referring to the four employees accused in the scam that netted them at least $300,000.

clergy toured the cemetery still closed to the public in sheriff's buses, not permitted to walk around freely. Nor were they allowed to view select parts still walled off as crime scenes where FBI evidence technicians continue to sift through the dirt for more human remains.

Another 40 bones surfaced yesterday in back sections where other remains had been found dumped, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said.

His office plans to launch a searchable Internet database on Friday or Saturday, which relatives of the deceased can search for information about the graves of their loved ones.
Once the database is up and graves have been properly marked, the cemetery will reopen, said Roman Szabelski, head of the Catholic Cemeteries of Chicago now tasked with operating the cemetery. Szabelski said he should have a plan by August 1 for reopening details.

Since Tom Dart is so busy, at the cemetery, CC Board Slips a good one in

2009-07-22T09:54:00.007-05:00

What a week, rather month, the County has had. The County Board voted to rollback the County tax increase, but Todd Stroger may still veto it. If Todd does will he have the usual support? Or will they be worried about the upcoming election?

Tom Dart, the Cook County Sheriff got another big surprise this week. The County board voted to decriminalize smaller amounts of marijuana. Tom Dart thought he would get more say so, or at least things would not move along so fast. Sheriff Dart has been one busy guy, and even more so lately. But Tom Dart has a big mess in the cemetery area, which may get worse as more people come forward with information on Burr Oak, or even other cemeteries. You would have to wonder if the County Board took advantage of how super busy the Sheriff has been to slip this new decriminalization of a larger amount of pot in. Commissioner Earlean Collins led the way on this, and I don't see this hurting her in the election. Earlean Collins has a South Side district which many constituents either know, or have known someone who would benefit from this. This could also save the County money, by keeping people out of the court system. I also have to give Tom Dart credit for always being available to the local news people, taking interviews daily.

The sales tax increase vote comes two weeks before petition filing to run again for County offices, and about 200 days before election. You have to wonder how much this had to do with the roll back vote? Will Todd veto it? Todd must know that he will have some tough candidates to run against for Cook County President, Toni Preckwinkle a favorite of the Daley's, both Commissioner and mayor, and Danny Davis, a long time congressman. You have to wonder if John Daley, Commissioner, who was a very loyal Todd supporter, is not changing his support so as to help Preckwinkle get in Todd's position? The Cemetery investigation at Burr Oak has exceeded the $200K that Todd Stroger said it would cost in overtime. The County Board has decided to sue the cemetery, but does the cemetery have any funds to sue for? Will Todd Stroger use the cemetery expenses as a justification for why the tax should stay where it is?

Joan Murphy and Deborah Sims are loyal Todd supporters. Deborah Sims seems to be having some issues with cemeteries in her district, one of which she did nothing about until the family got the Southtown Star involved. Joan Murphy and Deborah Sims who wanted their staff to be exempt from the Shakkman decree. Murphy and Sims have districts that border each other on the South side, where all the cemetery issues are now.

~~~Something I heard on news radio this morning. In Barrington, one of the Richest, if not the wealthiest Cook County Suburb. The City is now paying for yard work on foreclosed properties. Properties that have been vacant, and it is hard to find out who is the owner, which bank etc. These properties have grass that is growing tall, weeds that are growing tall and trees that need to be cut down due to the Ash Borer, and limbs coming off in storms. Foreclosures cost everyone, and even one of our wealthiest suburbs are affected.

If you’re busted carrying a small amount of marijuana in portions of Cook County patrolled by the sheriff’s police, you may get off with just a ticket.

In a move that caught the sheriff’s office off guard, the county board on Tuesday voted to decriminalize possession of less than 10 grams of pot in unincorporated areas of Cook County. Those are the parts of the county not claimed by Chicago or its suburbs."

Todd Stroger would have to sign off on the plan to decriminalize possession of small quantities of pot.
Cmsr. Earlean Collins lead the charge for the county board to create an ordinance that gives sheriff's police the choice to ticket instead of arrest a suspect in possession of less than 10 grams of pot.
So far, 13 states have passed some form of decriminalization of marijuana. The laws vary, but generally people caught with small amounts face fines or drug rehab programs rather than jail time. In Illinois, possession of 2.5 grams or less is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine. Here are the 13 states:

Source: The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
The measure, which needs to be approved by Board President Todd Stroger to take effect, gives sheriff’s police and sheriff’s deputies patrolling the unincorporated areas the latitude to arrest a suspect on a misdemeanor charge or, under the new ordinance, hit them with a $200 ticket if they’re carrying 10 grams or less.

Leading the charge was Cmsr. Earlean Collins, a Democrat who admitted her grandson was busted for carrying a small amount of marijuana. She said arrests like that clog the jails.

“They got my grandson...he had a half of joint in the car,” Collins said. “They stopped him. They took him to the police station. They impounded his car and let him out the next morning. Why do that?

“A lot of kids make a mistake, have a little marijuana, and they can avoid going to jail or court.”

A spokesman for Sheriff Tom Dart, whose deputies and officers would administer the law, said the sheriff’s office was caught off guard by the timing of the vote.
Spokesman Steve Patterson said the sheriff was expecting a series of public hearings before a vote.

Instead, the vote was taken on the same day the county board voted to scale back last year’s controversial sales tax hike.

The other business of the County Board this week
For months, the Cook County Board has wrangled over what to do with the unpopular penny-on-the dollar sales tax increase that it pushed through a year ago.

But with an election year looming, the board on Tuesday passed a measure that halves the 1-percentage-point increase and that appears to be veto-proof.

The rollback means Chicago's overall sales tax of 10.25 percent - spotlighted as the highest of any big city in the country - would retreat to 9.75 percent.

Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston), who was among the 12 commissioners who voted Tuesday to reduce the sales tax, said it would have a "boomerang effect of people coming back and shopping."

But lowering the county's portion of the sales tax, from 1.75 percent to 1.25 percent, effective Jan. 1, also means the county won't see a projected $130 to $140 million in anticipated revenue next year, according to the county budget office.

"Don't think that tomorrow and the next day and the next day that life will all the sudden get great, that we'll be looking through rose-tinted glasses and we'll all be happy," county board President Todd Stroger (D-Chicago) said, noting that employee contract negotiations are looming and the county will have to cover $104 million in pension payments.

And yet another Cook County Cemetery may have issuesWilkowski pulled out his checkbook and started to write a check for $100 when he was stopped by an employee of the cemetery near Calumet Park.

Barbara Young, of Blue Island, checks the gravesite of her husband, Francis, at Cedar Park Cemetery near Calumet Park on Tuesday.
"As I took out my checkbook, I was asked to pay in cash," said Wilkowski, bishop of the Evangelical Catholic Diocese of the Northwest.
Three years later, Wilkowski's grandparents' headstones still are sinking into the ground.

Authorities have said they've found no criminal wrongdoing at Cedar Park, which was managed by the same woman charged earlier this month in the massive grave-reselling scheme at Burr Oak Cemetery. But Wilkowski's story may raise questions about whether the sister property had similar problems.

The Cook County Board voted Tuesday to sue the owners of a historic black cemetery in suburban Chicago to recover the cost of an investigation of an alleged scheme to dig up graves and resell the plots.

The county board acted after Sheriff Tom Dart said the cost of overtime, materials and equipment poured into the investigation at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip was mounting quickly.

"About $350,000 has been expended on the investigation," Dart said at a news conference. "I can't turn over county assets without receiving compensation."

Dart and Robert D. Grant, special agent in charge of the FBI's Chicago office, said 200 human bones have been found scattered in the cemetery. Those bones may never be identified, they said.

The sheriff described a chaotic situation in which headstones had been removed, some bodies may have been buried on top of each other and pieces of wood that might have been part of coffins were found scattered around the cemetery.

It's only getting worse

2009-07-16T11:54:00.000-05:00

The Burr Oak mess is becoming bigger each and every day. Now we have a utilies worker calling WBBM news radio 4 years ago saying he saw hundreds of bones, skulls, caskets, etc. And nothing was done. He even called the Alsip Police, yet nothing happened. Now this information is coming out. Why aren't they investigating this? Or maybe thats also on the long list which is only getting longer of things that need to be investigated.

Todd Stroger is still trying to find the more money to deal with this. Todd Stroger also said that four times a year cemeteries will be visited by the county, instead of one, with no reference to the cost of this. Todd Stroger said the FBI is there and hopefully they will bring in more FBI. Yes, I am sure that would help Todd with the expenses.

Sheriff Tom Dart showed the records of index cards that were molded together, by green mold. Note to Tom Dart, this needs to done under a biohazard hood in the laboratory, there are all kinds of nasty airborne spores that could cause more problems when released, and there are enough lawsuits going on now with Burr Oaks related problems.

On Garrard McClendon Live, each night on CLTV news he has been taking calls all week from people who have been affected by the Burr Oak Cemetery discoveries. Heartbreaking, you can only listen to so much.

Day-to-day operation of the scandal-ridden Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip has been wrested from the owners and turned over to the head of the Archdiocese of Chicago's Catholic Cemeteries.

During a Wednesday court hearing, Cook County Circuit Judge Stuart Palmer appointed Roman Szabelski, executive director of Catholic Cemeteries, to temporarily oversee Burr Oak, which has been closed by sheriff's police as a crime scene.

The appointment comes a week after four Burr Oak employees were arrested and accused of pocketing about $300,000 by digging up old bodies, dumping them in a mass grave in the cemetery and reselling the old plots off the books.

With lawsuits piling up and cemetery owner Perpetua Inc. a no-show at both the 150-acre site and in court proceedings about the management - and alleged mismanagement - of the cemetery, the judge moved quickly to put the cemetery into receivership.

Szabelski has extensive experience managing cemeteries. Catholic Cemeteries operates 47 cemeteries in Cook and Lake counties, handled 17,500 burials in 2008 and maintains more than 2.4 million gravesites.
Szabelski, who was out of town Wednesday, issued a statement to those whose loved ones' gravesites may have been desecrated at Burr Oak.

"I wish to assure them that I will work diligently to see to the respectful interment of their loved ones' remains," he said, adding that he would communicate with the judge and affected families about his progress.

His appointment was suggested during Wednesday's hearing by county and state agencies involved in investigating the alleged crimes at burr Oak. Attorneys representing the families of loved ones suing the cemetery agreed to the appointment.

What remained unclear is how Szabelski might be paid, but his attorney says he's not concerned about that.

"We're hoping ultimately it doesn't result in work for no pay," attorney James Geoly said. "But if it happens that way, it's a risk he's willing to take."

Also Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-1st), of Chicago, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, asking that the Justice Department open a criminal investigation into the "shameful enterprise" at Burr Oak.

The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs says it has turned over information on 2,000 veterans buried at Burr Oak Cemetery to the sheriff's office.

It is a small piece of the puzzle: 2,000 grave sites out of 100,000 at Burr Oak.

Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs spokeswoman Sabrina Miller says the department has turned over information about the grave locations to the sheriff's office.

"We had not previously been asked, but we do have this information and we believe it will be useful to the sheriff's office, which we're certain is overwhelmed at this point with the criminal investigation. And we did turn that information over to them."

Number one White Sox Fan at the All Star game

2009-07-15T07:48:00.002-05:00

President Obama comes onto the field at last night's All Star game in a White Sox Jacket. He throws out the first pitch. The game went fast because there were many one, two, three out innings. They had a new fresh pitcher each inning which also helped get outs so fast. The American League won again! There was only one White Sox player this year, Mark Burhle, pitcher.

The biggest crime scene ever in Cook County is in Southern Cook County

2009-07-13T07:42:00.009-05:00

They are calling this the biggest and most horrific crime scene Cook County has ever had. Burr Oak Cemetery is closed to the public because of this. They have no idea when it will re-open. Every time I turned on any local news, there is either Tom Dart, Cook County Sheriff, or Reverend Jesse Jackson. CLTV News has had plenty of relative interviews on over the weekend, and I am sure they will continue. CLTV was at Eisenhower High School where the County set up an area for family to inquire about their family members in Burr Oak.

The above pictures are in another cemetery west of Burr Oak, also in Alsip in Southern Cook County, it also has a former Mayor of Chicago, Mayor Daley. The pictures are from Holy Sepulchre. Burr Oak Cemetery has Mayor Washington. But this one is open, now.

Todd Stroger was on News Radio WGN this morning talking to Gregg Jarrett. Todd told him Sheriff Dart said it will be around $200,000 in overtime expenses for the extra Cook County Sheriff's. Todd also said he will be meeting with his CFO and Comptroller about where the money will come from. Todd said they will find the money to fund this crime. Todd also told Jarrett that this is not a disaster area, and they can not use disaster funds because it is not a natural disaster. Todd did say that trucks, generators, tents, and other equipment from all Cook County services, including the Forest Preserve District,are being used at Burr Oaks for this investigation.

Also note, Steve Patterson is now Sheriff Tom Dart's Spokesman. Steve Patterson was a political reporter for the Southtown Star who covered Cook County Politics. Steve Patterson was also arrested covering a story at Stroger Hospital, he was mistaken for a protestor.

Dan Hynes also had a few things to say.

Hynes said his office doesn’t have the legal authority to police the nearly 2,000 funeral homes, cemeteries and crematories it oversees in a “very narrow, limited role.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Relatives of more than 7,000 people buried in Burr Oak Cemetery are trying to find out whether the graves of their loved ones are among those desecrated, authorities said Sunday.
The number of angry mourners grew over the weekend as investigators locked the gates of the cemetery near Alsip and Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes vowed to have the cemetery seized from owners.
Though detectives so far believe at least 300 bodies were illegally exhumed and dumped in a mass grave so their plots could be resold, thousands of dead remain unaccounted for by their families."
Beginning Monday, authorities face the daunting task of identifying more than 100,000 graves.

More heart breaking stories

“Babyland,” which Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart said Friday no longer could be found.
“I heard they can’t find Babyland,” Jackson said. “She’s supposed to be in Babyland, so I want to know where she’s at.”
Jackson last visited Charronda’s grave in May. She has called the hot-line number to get information above the specific gravesite but has been unable to get through. She visited the cemetery last week, but the throngs of people made it difficult to get any answers.
The news that her daughter’s grave might be lost is forcing her to go through the grieving process once again, she said.
“I’ve been crying. I can’t sleep. It’s horrible,” she said. “It’s even worse because I don’t know where she’s at.”
She is not alone.
Elli Patacque Montgomery, a medical advocate for the Cook County Sheriff’s office, spent Sunday trying to help people through the information process and offering them counsel in their grief.
“People are either in denial or they are angry,” she said.
The cemetery where many well-known blacks are buried — including Emmett Till, whose death helped spark the Civil Rights Movement — has been closed since 8 p.m. Friday because it is considered a crime scene. There was no indication Sunday as to when it will reopen.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Sunday that religious leaders will work with will work with Till’s family to start a fund for a memorial. Money that was in a fund administered by the former cemetery manager apparently has disappeared.
On Sunday, Cook County Sheriff’s employees were taking information at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island from those seeking information about burial plots.
“We’re trying to get information from them and give them burial plot information. Hopefully, they’ll find out everything is OK,” said Willie Winters, director of jail diversion and crime prevention.
Steve Patterson, a spokesman for Dart, said there are 100,000 gravesites at the cemetery, according to the maps the sheriff’s department has found.
Richard and Leola Reynolds, of Blue Island, hoped everything would be OK with the burial sites they were seeking information about. The couple went to the high school seeking information about Richard’s father and six of Leola’s relatives who are buried at Burr Oak.
“We visit every year,” Richard Reynolds said. “We have a hunch they haven’t been disturbed.”
By 2 p.m. Sunday, more than 1,000 people seeking information about burial plots had been to the high school to fill out forms. The sheriff’s office was expected to contact them within five days, Winters said. But officials said that as of today, requests for information will be accepted only via e-mail or over the phone. Information will be taken at (800) 942-1950 or (708) 865-6070 or burroakcemetery
investigation@gmail.com.

Money was the biggest Issue with Burris whose tombtone is in Southern Cook County

2009-07-10T09:55:00.002-05:00

The Press Conference this afternoon won't hold too many big surprises

There has been a lot of talk about Roland Burris' legal bills, and lack of contributions to his campaign. It seems like there is not a lot of support, maybe people don't want their names to show up on his contribution list?

I am sure that Roland Burris should be concerned about his Tombstone in Oak Woods Cemetery on the South Side of Chicago, specifically Cook County where there are already two cemeteries with some unethical issues, one, Burr Oak Cemetery hitting the national news now.

Burris Won't Run For Senate In 2010: SourceCHICAGO (CBS) ― Click to enlarge1 of 1
Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) fields questions from the media following a Small Business Administration round table discussion at the University of Illinois on May 27, 2009, in Champaign, Ill.

Democrat Burris, a former state attorney general and comptroller, was appointed last year to fill the vacant Senate seat of President Obama by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But the circumstances surrounding that appointment – including federal charges that Blagojevich sought to sell the seat to the highest bidder – have dogged Burris.

Blagojevich, now facing a corruption trial, was kicked out of office by state lawmakers early this year.

Word of Burris' expected departure from the field of potential Senate candidates comes a day after Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced she will seek re-election to her state office, rather Senate. Madigan would have been a front-runner for the Democratic nomination.

Democrats who have expressed an interest in running include Chicago businessman Christopher Kennedy, son of the late U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Chicago Urban League chief Cheryle Jackson. Meanwhile, Republicans hope to capitalize on the Blagojevich scandal and reclaim the seat for the GOP. North Shore Congressman Mark Kirk is interested in running.

It was apparent right from the moment that he took office Burris had virtually no chance of winning at the polls.

The senator faces not only rock-bottom voter opinion numbers, but he's raised barely any money while others who plan to run statewide next year are preparing to raise up to $25 million each for their campaigns.

Burris scheduled a public appearance for Friday afternoon in the South Loop to make a "major announcement," his Senate office said.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights

No peace now

Meanwhile, more than 700 families with loved ones buried at Burr Oak registered with the Cook County's sheriff's office, which is heading up the investigation.

Throngs of families flooded the graveyard trying to find whether their family members had been victimized in death.

Some headed to their relative's graves on their own. Those who didn't know where to look stood in long lines waiting for assistance from the sheriff's office.

Brenda Ray was trying to find her brother's final resting place.

It's been 14 years since she's visited her older brother's grave and now it seems as if he's gone.

"There's just grass, there's no headstone, not even a stick," said Ray, also from Marquette Park.

Clutching the funeral program from the 1983 ceremony, Ray said this is like reliving the experience of laying a loved one to rest.

"It's like I'm burying my brother all over again," she said.

Only this time, it's worse.

"He don't have peace now," Ray said.

Aurelia Lovett Bey, of Chicago's Morgan Park community found all six graves belonging to her loved ones. The thought of other's relatives being thrown out like trash has her horrified.

"I just feel sorry for the people that it's going to affect, Lovett Bey said. "How could they do this to those people?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dumping graves

On the far north end of the cemetery, a pile of smashed concrete sits among weeds and overgrown grass. It's been the final resting place of some 300 excavated bodies.

"This is going to be very difficult because all the answers were housed here and one of the people involved in this criminal act was one of the people who had all the records," Sheriff Tom Dart said. "This was not done in a very delicate way. This was not replacing graves, it was not moving graves, this was dumping of them."

A team of FBI experts who have worked with mass graves in Serbia are now working in the blue-collar south suburban community.

Assistant special agent Tom Trautmann said the FBI evidence response team will map the graveyard and use thermal imaging to find anomalies in the ground.

They'll also "manage the scene, collected the evidence, properly store it and analyze it to the extent we can," Trautmann said.

And the federal agents may may have to sift the entire back area where the bodies were dumped, Trautmann said.

"We only know once each step is met what our next step will be," Trautmann said. "Right now we don't know what we have."

Brothers and sisters, this is a black on black crime!

When are we ever going to learning?

The cemetery owners had no knowledge of these terrible crimes.

Oh Lord, help us all. Amen.

Tom Dart will be spending a lot of time at Burr Oak Cemetery

2009-07-10T07:31:00.005-05:00

Yet another cemetery in Cook County has issues, in less than a weeks time, instead of getting Commissioner Sims involved, as in last weeks Homewood Memorial Gardens, we now have the Sheriff of Cook County, Tom Dart.
I hope this is not the beginning of things to come in area cemeteries. Pictured is another one of the famous buried at a Cook County cemetery, this one also in Cook County on the North Side, Commissioner Tony Peraica's district, in North Riverside.

Burr Oak Cemetery
Dart: More may be charged in burial scheme July 10, 2009 (ALSIP, Ill.) (WLS) -- As the first lawsuit against Burr Oak Cemetery loomed Friday, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart discussed the progress of the investigation into an alleged scheme to dig up graves and resell occupied plots.
The lawsuit is set to be brought by five families with relatives buried at Burr Oak.
Dart said that while four people are in custody, the investigation will look into whether more people were involved. The cumbersome part of the investigation will continue for some time, figuring out whose body is where and which plots have been double booked.
"The FBI has been phenomenal," Dart said. "They have got a lot of people here doing the forensic analysis. That's beginning today. That's going to go on for months. In addition to that now, we are working with the families extensively to try to connect them to their loved one in the best way possible and give them some assurance that the grave that they are interested in has not been tampered with."
Story continues belowAdvertisementDart said the hardest part is that the cemetery's records have largely been tampered with, or in some cases, are nonexistent because alleged re-sales were done off the books.
Dart said approximately 3,000 concerned loved ones went to Bur Oak Thursday, and more were expected Friday with some showing up as early as 6 a.m.
Dart said his department's investigators are still educating themselves on the basics of cemetery plotting.
"Our staff has been phenomenal in doing that quickly," Dart said. "I can't say enough to you, the people that have been coming here, amazing people, the dignity they have, the patience they have. We have been pleading with people for patience. We're not going anywhere. You do not need to come down here today. If you don't come here today -- we're not trying to discourage you if you want to see the grave of your loved one, but at the same time, there are a lot of crowds here and it takes awhile."
Dart said there have been no conclusions made about any of the disturbed graves, but he said in many cases, investigators and families can tell something is amiss just by looking at the gravesite.
"When I say 'not right,' it seems abundantly clear their loved one is no longer in the location they thought they were," Dart said. "We have had some instances where there was actual holes where there was supposed to be a grave, markers that are either missing or have been completely moved."
For at least four years, investigators said cemetery employees dug up bodies and the reused the same plots for new burials. In some cases, bodies were stacked on top of each other in plots.
Sheriff's Family Info Hotline: 800-942-1950,
Between 200 and 300 bodies were disturbed with 100 of them being throw into a mass grave in the back of the 150-acre property at Burr Oak Cemetery, Dart said.
Dart spoke to the relatives of those buried at Burr Oak who came by the hundreds Thursday to meet with investigators and search for gravesites, reporting whether they appeared to be disturbed.
"Family members have definitely come to us with gravesites in areas we hadn't reached yet where we then went out there and it's clear something has occurred," said Dart. "This was not done in a very, very delicate way, folks. When the digs occurs, they would excavate a grave. They'd excavate the entire site and then they would proceed to dump the remains wherever they found a place to do it in the back of the cemetery."
Four charged with dismembering human body
Carolyn Towns, 49, of Chicago is the former general manager at the historic cemetery. She has been identified as the key player in the scheme. Authorities said she accepted cash payments believed to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars; permitted new burials to proceed; and then destroyed records of them.
Towns and three other employees -- Keith Nicks, 45, of Chicago; Terrence Nicks, 39, of Chicago; and Maurice S. Dailey, 59, of Robbins -- are charged with dismembering a human body, which is a Class X felony. More charges are expected.
During a court appearance Thursday, Towns was ordered held on a $250,000 bond. The others received $200,000 bonds. If convicted, they face six to 30 years in prison.
Towns is also accused of setting up a fake memorial fund in the name of Civil Rights icon Emmett Till, likely the most well-known person buried in the cemetery. Towns allegedly told donors the fund, set up in 2005, would help establish an Emmett Till museum. Authorities said Till's grave was not disturbed. Anyone who may have donated to the fund is asked to call the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
Towns was interviewed by ABC7 in 2004 as she tried to raise funds to honor Negro League Baseball players buried at Burr Oak. At that time, police say she was already orchestrating body dumping and double burials.
Funeral directors told ABC7 the cheapest graves at Burr Oak, called the "select single" sold for $1,200. Top-of-the-line burials cost close to $3,700.
Prosecutors think the grave robbers netted at least $300,000.
"We're waiting for the facts and the allegations to come forward as you are. Again, we are maintaining our innocence on behalf of Ms. Towns and believe she will be acquitted of the charges," said Steven Watkins, Towns' attorney.
"How could this go on and nobody say anything for such a long period?" asked Thelam Smith, sister of deceased.
Patricia Smith's family won a lawsuit against Burr Oak in 2007 after they found a stranger's body buried in their family plot.
"We went to bury my mother, and the day she was going to buried, we received a phone call saying that there was an unknown, unidentified body in the grave," said Terri Blanchard, daughter of deceased.
A former Burr Oak worker says she sounded the alarm about cemetery manager Carolyn Towns four years ago, who she suspected of simply stealing money.
"When I looked up headstones, I see they sold for $200-300. When I asked about 'em, I was told 'Don't come over here starting trouble,'" said Rosetta Hill, former Burr Oak Cemetery employee.
Towns is being held in the psychiatric unit of the Cook County Jail. And while the on-scene investigation is just beginning, it's already sparking calls for stricter state monitoring of what is now the relatively unregulated business of burials.
Families search for graves
At least 600 families went to Burr Oak Cemetery Thursday to try to find out if the graves of their relatives were dug up. But it may take months to get answers.
At one time, Burr Oak Cemetery was the only place where African-Americans in Chicago could be buried. So there was a sense of pride when their loved ones were laid to rest there. But now that feeling has turned to disgust.
"This is unreal. I get out here, and I can't bury my aunt," said Diane Eewbru.
Eewbru attended her aunt's funeral Thursday morning along with family members. And on Thursday afternoon, they came to Burr Oak Cemetery to bury her, only to be told the site that had been purchased was not available because someone else was already buried there.
"When we first arrived here at 2 o'clock this afternoon, we were taken to a backup cemetery to a different plot, and I immediately jumped out of the car and said this is not the spot. And they told me about the situation, and they wanted to bury her there. And I said no," said Eewbru.
Ray Davis' sister, Hazel Ford, died in 1938, but the family didn't purchase a headstone until 1997. When they went to visit her grave that same year, they say they found her headstone lying on the side of the road, and they also made another gruesome discovery.
"About four feet from the gravesite, there was a lot of rubbish. And in that rubbish, there was a skull, a human skull with four teeth in it. I had my camera, and I took pictures," said Davis. "I called Cook County sheriffs, and they said there are a lot of skulls there and laughed."
Davis, a former police officer, says he also talked to cemetery management, but nothing was done.
Corey Weathersby says he has at least ten relatives buried there. He couldn't find the graves of his uncle and grandfather.
"To remove somebody or to, what I've heard, compact them down further and bury of somebody, you have no real soul," said Weathersby.
Weathersby was told that it could be three days before he gets information about his relatives.
FBI involved in identification process
More than 30 FBI agents were coming in to help identify remains and study the grids. The FBI is assisting because the agents have experience from mass gravesites around the world.
"They are experts who worked on cases like this, and they are saying this is a four to five-week process," Dart said. "And at the end of it, is there going to be certainty that specific remains match up with certain names? That will be difficult."
Officials said the work could take months.
"These people were all dumped together and co-mingled. We don't know what we have back there," said Tom Troutman, FBI special agent.

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Politics is in full season in Illinois

2009-07-09T13:45:00.001-05:00

Lisa Madigan will run for third term as Attorney GeneralLast night Lisa Madigan was on Chicago Tonight with a one on one interview with Carol Marin.
Lisa Madigan says she loves her job, and wants to continue doing it. Lisa Madigan also said that when she asked many Politicians what regrets they have had with their careers they always said they wished they had more time with their families, and that resonates with her.
When Carol Marin asked her if she had discussions with Obama, Lisa said that they were State Senators together, and have been friends for many years before he was President and she was talking to him as a friend.
Now that Lisa Madigan will run for a third term as AG, others are considering Governor, or Senator. Some that may have considered AG may not. This is going to get interesting as many consider putting their hats in the ring.
Lisa Madigan's announcement is sure to bring a lot more news, and candidates out.

Back on the Cook County side a lot of interest is in running for Cook County President. Forrest Claypool now said he will not run again. Danny Davis says he is seriously considering it. Tom Dart is certainly in for the run, along with Toni Preckwinkle, and Larry Suffredin. As we all know the rumor mill has Bill Beavers thinking of retiring. Maybe Beavers won't retire until Todd is defeated then anoint his daughter Darcel to the Cook County Commissioner post. When Bill Beavers was first anointed John Stroger's Cook County Commissioner post, he then left his Alderman post to his daughter Darcel, who lost the 7th Ward to Sandi Jackson, wife of Congressman Jesse Jr.
Also in the last elections for Cook County Board members, Bobbie Steele won, or rather was re-elected, only to give up, rather, anoint, son Robert Steele to her post. So even though there will be elections coming up in Cook County, there could be a lot of movement right afterwards.
Come to think of it is Tony Peraica going to run for something other than Commissioner?

Danny Davis might take on Todd Stroger for CC PresidentDanny Davis Strongly Considers Run for Cook County Board President
Produced by Mekea Williamson on Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Davis says a poll he took could influence some candidates not to run for Cook County Board president in 2010.

DAVIS: Some of them may find out before its time to file that running for them would be rather futile.

But Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown says she's not backing down.

BROWN: It's my understanding from Congressman Davis, his intial interviews that he did not poll Dorothy Brown. Therefore, he cannot indicate that he is far out in head of Dorothy Brown, because he did not poll Dorothy Brown.

Meanwhile, Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle says she's not concerned about any polls right now. The alderman says she has already raised more than $400,000 for her campaign. Other candidates considering a run include incumbent Todd Stroger, Commissioner Larry Suffredin and Sheriff Tom Dart.

Things that should make the Blagojevich's nervous

2009-07-09T07:17:00.000-05:00

All Blagojevich's, Rod, Patti, and Robert should be getting nervous with John Harris' guilty plea

Ex-Blagojevich aide pleads guilty, will testify
July 8, 2009 12:49 PM
John Harris, the last chief of staff to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, pleaded guilty today to a single count of wire fraud in federal court -- and agreed to cooperate in the federal probe against his former boss in return for a recommended prison term of just under 3 years.

Harris was accused of aiding some of the former governor's efforts to leverage the powers of his office in exchange for favors and campaign contributions. Among the accusations against Blagojevich is that he attempted to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.

Harris entered the plea after Assistant U.S. Atty. Carrie Hamilton detailed discussions in which Harris talked with Blagojevich about how the then-governor could personally benefit from naming a successor to Obama in the Senate.

The discussions began long before Obama's election victory, Harris said. He said he aided Blagojevich by researching his ideas or counseling him and at other times "expressed opposition" to some of the plans to profit off the Senate appointment, Hamilton said.

In reading a summary of Harris' plea agreement, Hamilton alleged that Blagojevich met with an official from the Service Employees International Union -- a person he understood to be an emissary working on behalf of Obama -- hoping to get something for himself in exchange for appointing the right candidate to fill the Senate seat.

Blagojevich was hopeful that by naming a person identified only as "Senate Candidate B" -- previously disclosed to be Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett -- he could secure an appointment to become secretary of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services, according to the plea agreement.

Blagojevich also was interested in a possible job at a private foundation in exchange for naming Jarrett and asked Harris to look into it.

"Defendant told Blagojevich that the private foundation option would give President-elect Obama a buffer, meaning that it would not be obvious that Blagojevich was getting a position in exchange for making Senate Candidate B the senator," the plea agreement said.

Blagojevich then began to discuss the possibility that Obama supporters could set up a non-profit organization for his benefit in exchange for the appointment, the plea agreement said. Harris was asked by Blagojevich to reach out to an unidentified U.S. congressman about that possibility, but Harris did not follow through on the instructions, according to the plea agreement.

Taste of Chicago 2009 review

2009-07-08T09:32:00.004-05:00

This year at the Taste of Chicago they rearranged the vendors. Instead of having the vendors back to back in the center of the road they put them on the edges so people would have a larger area to walk in.
There are a lot of people that still don't know how to go with the flow of traffic, and also people with strollers want to stop where ever they feel like so as to bottleneck the foot traffic. All in all it was an improvement for foot traffic flow.

The Budweiser Clydesdale were in an area north east of Buckingham fountain that was under trees, which was good. They had them right by Buckingham fountain before, where there was no shade, even though they are in tents.
Buckingham fountain has had some renovations over the Winter and Spring, where they replaced that fine gravel for paving stones. The paving stones were a nice improvement, especially when you wear sandals and get gravel in your shoe. They also added and International market this year around Buckingham fountain for the Taste of Chicago. It did not look like a lot of people were buying much of anything. I just walked by them, so I can't comment if the prices were outrageous or not.

The taste portions of most items were 4 tickets, most were 3 last year, and I can remember when they were 2 tickets. It seems most items cost more tickets overall this year.

This year they had a flash frozen popcornciscle at Garrett's. It was 6 tickets, my son was the one who tried this. It quickly de-thawed and tasted like cold popcorn I was told. Costo's had a decent size Gyro, and their taste portion of Greek Sausage was a full sausage in a smaller pita, it could have used some type of sauce though, but it was the biggest taste portion there. The Canady Le Chocolatier ran out of the Chocolate Gelato, while we were there, and that was also the taste portion flavor. They said more was on the way, but they substituted the peanut butter gelato for the taste portion, and many left the line. My son was in line for the peanut butter gelato anyhow so we stayed in line. The C’est Si Bon was new last year with it's sweet potato cheesecake, my son thought it was so good last year that he had to have it again this year. He thought it was just as good as last years Sweet potato cheesecake.
Lagniappe-Creole Cajun Joynt was out of crawfish. My other son went to Oak Street Beach Café and got shrimp on a skewer which was 12 tickets this year instead of the 10 tickets last year. He said it was very good, but he got two servings of it since one was not enough.

The water ride was not here again this year, just the Ferris wheel by Balbo. Also by Balbo another music stage was set up, and the Olympic promotion area was there as well. There was also another Olympic promotion area by the main entrance.

This year there were only a few entrance points where you had to stop and have your bags checked by either security or Chicago Police. It was about the same as going to The Cell when you enter through the gates.

How can this be new news?

2009-06-29T09:06:00.001-05:00

Honestly, Alderman Burke has been a Chicago Alderman for as long as I can remember. He has been an Alderman back in the day when it was normal and customary for Aldermen to give out City deals. And now there is news he helped get some city deals? Ok, so maybe it is an issue now where it's always been a non issue?

Why does Cook County Commissioner Deborah Sims have to wait until the local South Side Paper gets involved for something to be done in her district? This was not the first time there were problems in her district with the same cemetery, what was she waiting for? Oh, ya, it to get newspaper coverage.

How can this be new news?Ald. Edward M. Burke wrote a letter in his official capacity that helped a client of his law firm win City Council approval to develop a blighted stretch of land near Midway Airport.

It's the second time Burke has written such a letter so someone he's done business with could get a zoning change from City Hall. After writing those letters, Burke abstained from voting on both cases to avoid any conflicts of interest.

Ald. Edward Burke removed himself from voting on two development deals for his associates. He did however write letters of support for each project.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)

In the most recent case, Burke wrote a letter July 18, 2007, endorsing a development project for Calvin Boender -- who was indicted last month along with Ald. Isaac Carothers (29th) on bribery charges stemming from a different project.

Boender, who has been a client of Burke's law firm for at least four years, hired Burke to seek property tax cuts on 14 properties -- only one in the city of Chicago -- since Aug. 15, 2005, records show. Seven of the cases were filed before Burke wrote a letter endorsing Boender's plans to redevelop the corner of 43rd and Cicero in Burke's 14th Ward.

Deborah Sims had a complaint, her only comment, "She has had other complaints"Barbara Bell, of Chicago, was "in a bad way" last month and wanted to visit her mother's grave to talk out her problems. Unfortunately, her mother, or at least her mother's grave marker, was not where Bell was figuring it to be.

Instead she found the stone stacked up with a couple of dozen other markers along the side of a maintenance building at the east end of Homewood Memorial Gardens cemetery.

Bell had not been to the cemetery in four years. On her visit in 2005, Bell discovered her mother's marker had been removed so the cemetery could do landscaping work. Cemetery workers assured Bell that her mother's grave marker would be back in the ground in a few weeks.

"It was lying on some two-by-fours and I went over and cleaned it off," Bell recalled. "It hurt me to think she'd been in an unmarked grave all that time, but I didn't cry and act like a fool. I started making some phone calls instead."

One of those phone calls was to Cook County Commissioner Deborah Sims, whose district includes the cemetery property.

"I had talked to the cemetery again and they told me it would take a week, but it was in the ground two hours after contacting (Cook County Commissioner) Deborah Sims - this after four years."

Sims said she has heard other complaints about the cemetery, so she made a conference call to Homewood Memorial Gardens with Bell. "I told them four years was unacceptable," Sims said. "They were polite about it, and they resolved it then and there."

Returned to the wrong grave?
Though Bell appreciates the marker is back in the ground, she worries if it has been put down in the right place. She said she remembered it being closer to a road that runs along the section of the cemetery where her mother is buried, and she remembers another tree being nearby.

"What if this is not where my mother really is?" Bell said while standing near the replaced marker. "If it's not right, I may as well have been standing by her marker over at that maintenance shed."

Tom Flynn, owner of Homewood Memorial Gardens, said the cemetery uses steel rebars that stick out of the ground to mark every grave site when workers remove grave stones for any reason. The cemetery also has maps indicating where people are buried. He said the area has been reconfigured and trees have been removed since Bell was there four years ago.

"Not getting that marker back in the ground sooner was our fault. She has a right to be upset about that," Flynn said.

"But it is exactly where her mother is. We've taken trees down in that area in the last few years so it may look different. I understand her concern."

Flynn argued that the tombstones and markers piled up near the maintenance shed may fall into several categories, including recently shipped markers or ones that have been swapped for other markers by family.

"Markers are sometimes replaced by military markers or added to a family monument. Some of them may belong to areas we're now landscaping," he said. "Cemeteries accumulate a lot of markers."

Lawsuits

Bell's marker mishap is only the latest in a string of problems at Homewood Memorial Gardens.

In a grisly incident last June, a mud-covered human leg was discovered sticking out of the ground in an area of the cemetery where indigents are buried.

Five families filed a lawsuit against the cemetery in December 2007, citing such problems as misplaced bodies and broken coffins strewn. They also complained they were not informed where their family members were buried.

A Dolton man, Rayfel Harrison, has filed a lawsuit against the cemetery claiming his brother Teddy's marker was also removed in 2006 then relocated to another site.

Harrison said he was "perplexed and confounded trying to figure out where Teddy's grave was" when he went there on Mother's Day in 2006. Harrison said he rediscovered the marker two and a half weeks later, a good 30 yards away from where he thought it belonged.

Flynn denies Harrison's version, saying the marker was never moved, only covered with mud after being pushed down in the ground by a backhoe doing work on a nearby grave.

"It was never moved and his brother is where he's always been," Flynn said. "Markers get mud on them when work is being done."

Harrison did not buy the excuse. "Saying it was covered with mud and lost is unacceptable," he said. "There's a principle here. I want them to acknowledge their wrong and offer compensation for our distress."

Alan Henry, a spokesman for Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes' office, said the office has received 42 complaints in the past 10 years, including three last year and two this year concerning the Homewood cemetery. The complaints range from deplorable conditions to the deceased not being buried deep enough. "Most involve indigent burials," Henry said. "Their expectations of how the grave site should be and how it actually appears causes problems."

Flynn has owned the 152-year-old cemetery for 40 years. For the past 30 years, the cemetery has had a contract with Cook County to bury the indigent. Flynn said his cemetery is often the only bidder.

Flynn said his family and cemetery workers know how to run a cemetery and take pride in providing a site for people who can't afford it. "This is a nice cemetery. We care deeply about it. People talk to newspapers but they don't know a damn thing about the cemetery business. Anyone can sue anybody. It's aggravating."

John K. Ryan can be reached at jryan@southtownstar.com or (708) 802-8807.

For help with cemetery problems

What kind of friends and company did Blagojevich keep?

2009-06-25T08:59:00.006-05:00

I figured Burris was smart enough not to get himself in trouble. Yes his answered the questions vaguely, and that way purposely I am sure. After all he was the Attorney General for the State of Illinois at one time, and he should know a thing or two about the law, and being evasive, and not incriminating himself.

On Chris Kelly, gambling problems, drinking problems, and Blagojevich had him for a fundraiser? I guess he will have time to sober up while in jail. It was probably smart of him to plead guilty, instead of dragging this all out and having more skeletons come out of the closet, also this way the judge gave him a lighter sentence. ~~Rumors have it that Harris and Monk will also plead guilty. That is looking like a lot of possible cooperating individuals, and this should make Blagojevich nervous.

Patti Blagojevich, wife of the former Governor, is now on a reality show in the jungle. I give her credit for not putting her head in the bug cage. I could not watch much of the show since they had contestants drinking bug cocktails with pieces floating. I don't have that strong of a stomach, and there are better uses for my time. But Patti bailed out of the jungle and is expected to land in Chicago sometime today. I am sure she stayed long enough to get the amount of money the Blagojevich's need to live off for a while. ~~Rumors have her making $200-$250K, which is at least four times what your average Chicago family lives off in a year.

A prosecutor in central Illinois did and he's now saying there isn't enough evidence to charge Burris with perjury for statements he made before the Illinois House Impeachment Committee.

Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt said today that while some of Burris' statements were vague, they wouldn't support a perjury charge.

"I cooperated at every phase of the process and I have said from the beginning, I have never engaged n any pay-to-play, never perjured myself, and came to this seat in an honest and legal way, " Burris said in a statement.

Burris was appointed to President Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich after the FBI arrested Blagojevich on corruption charges. Those charges include allegations that Blagojevich tried to sell the seat for political
donations.

In January, Burris was called before a House committee investigating Blagojevich. Burris initially said he had no contact with Blagojevich or his supporters. Later, he changed his statement, saying he had talked to several aides and had discussed
hosting a fundraiser for the governor.
"I am glad I can now put this matter behind me and get on with my work in the United States Senate serving the people of Illinois," Burris

Ex-Blagojevich Fundraiser Gets 37 Months In Prison
Roofing Contractor Pressured By Feds To Testify Against Blagojevich In Upcoming
A roofing contractor who helped ousted governor Rod Blagojevich raise millions of campaign dollars has been sentenced to 37 months in prison.

Chris Kelly of Frankfort was accused of hiding company funds to buy a house and pay gambling debts. The 50-year-old Kelly is the former chairman of the Friends of Rod Blagojevich campaign fund.

His voice cracking with emotion, Kelly told Judge Elaine Bucklo, "I am deeply sorry to the court, and my family, and people I embarrassed by my actions. I know they're wrong. I'm sorry, your honor."
Kelly also must pay $600,000 in restitution for tax fraud.

The question now is whether Kelly will maintain that silence with the feds, or whether he'll start singing about his dealings with Blagojevich.
"I think it's fair to say that as of right now he's not cooperating, but you never know," CBS 2 legal analyst Irv Miller said. "When you've got to pack your toothbrush and start marching off to a penitentiary, you sometimes re-evaluate your position."

Kelly pleaded guilty in January. He admitted not only using company funds to pay a bookie and a casino but to buy and furnish a home.
The tax case is only the start of Kelly's problems. Kelly has also been indicted in a kickback scheme involving O'Hare terminal roofing contracts.
As as the one-time top fundraiser for Blagojevich

Could anyone more stupid with finances work for Todd?

2009-06-24T08:44:00.004-05:00

What I can't figure out is why Todd Stroger would hire someone this stupid? Donna Dunnings is no better than Todd, maybe even worse since he worked for her, she bailed him out of jail twice, and let him work in the finance department with her.

Tony Cole did not belong in the finance department for many reasons, but making $61K a year and not having to pay for housing should have kept a single guy, living in Chicago, not a high priced area like LA, in enough funds to stay out of trouble. There are many raising a family and paying a mortgage or rent on that kind of money or less, he obviously could not handle his own finances.

But will this come back to haunt Todd for the next election? Or will he be Teflon Todd because he fired Donna Dunnings? Not that Donna Dunnings was all that sharp with finances either, and certainly the finance Chair John Daley could use a finance course or two.

On a sad note today, we lost long time Chicago Tonight Newsman John Callaway passed away last night.

Former County Staffer Cole Was Paid While In Jail
Cole Was Released Monday In Most Recent Case CHICAGO (CBS)Sparks could fly at Tuesday's Cook County Board meeting, after the man in the middle of a hiring scandal was released from jail, and new revelations said he still collected a paycheck while incarcerated.

Tony Cole held a $61,000-a-year county job, but he was fired by County Board President Todd Stroger for failing to report a felony conviction on his job application. He had been convicted of writing bad checks.

"Taxpayers really should be outraged that at this time in our economic situation monies are being spent on a two-time felon who was charged and put in jail twice within a month after her was hired and is given a promotion on top of it? This is only happening in Cook County, nowhere else in the world," Republican Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica said. "I am outraged."

"My understanding is that the state's attorney's office is investigating. I think that's pretty serious allegations of fraud here that ought to be investigated and the facts ought to be brought to light," said Democratic Commissioner Forrest Claypool.

The former steakhouse busboy and onetime college basketball star ran from a mob of cameras as he ran out of the security gate at the Cook County Jail on Monday and boarded a waiting CTA bus on California Avenue.

Cole was an assistant to former county Chief Financial Officer Donna Dunnings, who is Stroger's cousin.
She signed off on paid excused absences for Cole's three times.

Tony Cole, the convicted felon at the center of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's patronage hiring scandal, has called the McGill Terrace Apartments on the South Side home since February of last year.
The apartments are provided either free, or at reduced monthly rent, for those with a low income. Now a government agency is asking a simple question: How did Cole worm his way into a federally funded free studio apartment?
Federal rules say Cole could only live in the subsidized studio apartment if he made less than $24,000 a year

This cop got off easyChicago police Officer Anthony Abbate was sentenced to two years probation today for beating a female bartender in a drunken rampage at a Northwest Side bar.

The Feb. 19, 2007, incident gained worldwide notoriety when surveillance-video footage of Abbate pummeling Karolina Obrycka streamed across the Internet. The videotape was instrumental in former Police. Supt. Phil Cline’s resignation.

Obrycka, who was in the courtroom for the sentencing, said she was disappointed with the sentence — and because Abbate never said he was sorry.
“I’m disappointed that he didn't apologize for what he did,” she said.

Cook County Circuit Judge John Fleming also imposed a home curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and ordered Abbate to perform 130 hours of community service.

Analyzing the fans of the Chicago Sports teams

2009-06-15T09:20:00.001-05:00

This was an interesting piece in the Sunday Edition of the Chicago Tribune. Some of these results are of no surprise. Some are. I did not realize the most college graduates, and the highest income people were hockey fans. I also expected more single people to be Cubs fans, given the demographics of Wrigleyville.

Two Seasons in Illinois, winter and construction season

2009-06-10T09:24:00.000-05:00

Construction worker hit on Dan Ryan
Sometimes the construction gets so bad, and so do backups, that people actually make better time getting around town in the Winter.
Our other season is upon us now, and it's construction season. It's time to watch out for more than slick ice and snow. You have to slow down because construction workers are on the roads.

The White Sox at the Cell had some construction going on during the off season. A new scoreboard that shows all happenings of all the other games being that day. I am not too impressed, it's pretty, but more light up and too bold.
The other area is a family area, where kids can bat, throw balls, and meet Southpaw when he's out and about over in that area.
There are bronze statues of Fisk, Cominsky and others.

Comments

June 10, 2009

Sun-Times News Group
A construction worker suffered leg injuries when he was struck by a vehicle while picking up equipment early today on the Dan Ryan Expressway.

The worker on foot was picking up equipment about 4:30 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway near 26th Street when he was struck by a vehicle, Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Joe Donley said.

The worker was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious to critical condition, fire spokesman Joe Roccasalva said. Donley said the worker suffered leg injuries.

The incident happened near where the local and express lanes meet; the driver remained on the scene, according to Donley.

Information on citations or charges were not immediately available.

State police are investigating.

It's good to be a South Sider

2009-06-04T08:32:00.000-05:00

As if the cost of gas getting close to $3 a gallon in the City isn't high enough, now there are other fees to driving that are.
Here is where it is good to be a South Sider. We don't have the parking issues associated with the rest of the city. Rarely do we have to worry about paying a meter in our day to day activities, almost all local businesses have enough parking.

We all know where the red light camera's are by now, and know how to spot them if they add more. Well, mostly if you don't blow red lights and stop when you see a yellow before you get to the intersection,.... well if you go back to basic Driver's Ed principles taught in the CPS, now you can put them to use to avoid a red light ticket, and a refresher driver education course at $25.

Most South Siders I know, myself included, take CTA when going into the Loop, or North Side. Yep, when I venture to the North Side, which is not frequent.

Why public transportation is the answer
Motorists nabbed by Chicago’s Big Brother network of red-light cameras already get slapped with $100 fines.

If the City Council’s most powerful alderman has his way, they’ll also have to go back to school — at a cost of $25.

At today’s City Council meeting, Burke introduced an ordinance directing the city’s Department of Administrative Hearings to launch a “red light education program”—both on-line and in person—bankrolled by charging red-light runners a $25 fee in addition to the $100 ticket.

Motorists who fail to complete training would pay an additional $50 fine.

Burke noted that teen drivers who receive traffic tickets in Illinois are already required to complete mandatory education programs, contributing, in part, to a 40 percent drop in teen deaths in 2008.

As if parking your car wasn't high enoughChicago motorists will now have to fork over more money at parking meters thanks to a plan that privatizes the city’s 35,000 meters. Mayor Daley unveiled a $1.15-billion bid today that would lease the city’s meters to Chicago Parking Meters LLC, which is made up of Morgan Stanley infrastructure funds. If the 75-year deal is approved by the City Council on Thursday, parking meter fees will jump to at least $1 per hour. That means the days of spending only a quarter for an hour are over. Parking spots that already charge $1 per hour are now bumped to $2 and meters costing $3 per hour will now be $3.50. But aldermen must approve any further rate increases after the first five years. The deal also includes more pay-and-display boxes and pay-by-phone options, which eliminates old-fashioned “pay-by-cash” meters. So the days of driving up to a meter and finding it’s already

Number 550 for Jim Thome

2009-06-03T07:32:00.002-05:00

Pictured is the fireworks from Jim Thome's 3 run homer, number 550.
Andy Shaw is a good choice for the executive director of the BGA. He has a lot of experience dealing with politics, he also knows what the tough issues are. He also knows how to get answers. When I heard the news, I thought, this ia a good choice.

Andy Shaw Executive director of the BGACHICAGO– May 26, 2009 –The Better Governor Association (BGA), an 86-year old nonpartisan government watchdog, today named veteran political reporter Andy Shaw as its executive director.

"I've spent my entire career asking politicians from presidents to park supervisors the tough questions about the governments they run with your hard-earned tax dollars. I've held their feet to the fire. And now, after a short break to recharge my batteries, I'm back,” Shaw said.

Shaw covered local, state and national politics for the past 26 years at WLS-TV. Shaw resigned as chief political reporter for WLS-TV in January, capping off a 37-year news career that included stints with WMAQ-TV, the Chicago Sun-Times and the City News Bureau.

‘The Better Government Association is Chicago's pre-eminent corruption-busting civic watchdog group, so I pick up the torch in the fight against waste, fraud and corruption with a keen knowledge of history and a deep sense of appreciation,” he added. “Let's get it on!"

Shaw is a graduate of University of Illinois at Chicago. He and his wife Mary live in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood and have three adult daughters. Shaw replaces Jay Stewart, who left the position in January to join the staff of Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

A vote of "Present" is a vote for Todd

2009-05-21T07:24:00.004-05:00

The newspapers voted Commissioner Murphy the most confused on this issue, because she changed her mind so many times. I personally think she is always confused. Commissioner Murphy has District 6 which borders the next county, maybe her businesses put pressure on her? Murphy must get calls and emails daily from her businesses that see their customers drive accross the nearby border to do business, maybe that's why she changed her mind again.

Commissioner Sims on the other hand, who I knew would vote along Stroger lines gave me no surprise. Sims claims she has no businesses in her district (5) but she forgets that she needs to keep whatever businesses she has, and to encourage new businesses. Sims also forgets she has constituents that pay taxes. I would give Sims the runner up award for most confused.

Commissioner Moreno voted with Stroger on this one. I can't figure out why, he has a lot of businesses in his area. He also has a nice tourist destination, China Town. I don't know what he is thinking. Honestly, I can't figure out what is up with Moreno, his district is right next to mine, and it is full of businesses, many I frequent. I am still surprised on this one.

Commissioner Steele voted "Present", maybe because he will have to win his district on his own next election. As you recall, his Mom, Bobbie Steele, who was Commissioner Steele, had district 2, and Robert was annointed this post from her. This district includes Hyde Park, University of Chicago, well, President Obama's area, which is full of businesses. What a chicken out vote that helps Stroger out.

Commissioner Collins, in a district (1) full of business and constituents voted "Present". I know she said she wanted more time to go over everything, and to figure out where revenue would come from to replace the tax. But this could cost her votes the next election.

I was not surprised that Todd Stroger's biggest ally, Bill Beavers voted with him, he is part of the South Side boys club, along with Jerry Butler. I wonder if Joseph Moreno is going to join the South Side boys fan club of Todd's?

How can we trust Todd Stroger with any tax issue when he has personal tax issues?

2009-05-13T08:59:00.003-05:00

Todd Stroger has tax problems everywhere he goes, at home, and on the job. Todd said his cousin Donna Dunnings was so good with finances when he hired her, why didn't he consult with her on his personal taxes? Or did he? If he did not consult his cousin Donna, he certainly is making enough money to hire an accountant. If he can't take care of his personal taxes, how are we to trust him with the tax issues of Cook County?
Todd Stroger has personal tax issues

As he takes political heat for blocking a push to lower county sales taxes, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is in hot water for a more personal tax issue:

He owes Uncle Sam nearly $12,000 for unpaid income taxes, recently filed records show.

The Internal Revenue Service slapped a $11,668.10 lien on Stroger and his wife earlier this year. The Strogers have yet to fully pay that debt, meaning the federal government could hold up a sale of the Strogers' house or other property if payment terms aren't reached.

Gene Mullins, a Stroger spokesman, told the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday night that Stroger and his wife already have made plans to pay the tax man.

But Mullins couldn't provide details beyond that, including how the Strogers let the situation get to the point where the IRS determined it needed to hold their feet to the fire by filing the income-tax lien with the Cook County recorder of deeds.

"It's a bill that him and his wife have made arrangements with the IRS on," Mullins said. "They made arrangements with them, and they're paying it off right now. They worked out a payment plan with the IRS."

The IRS refuses to discuss individual tax cases. Agency officials have yet to file a public notice -- called a "release" -- that shows they're satisfied that the Strogers have paid or are repaying the debt.

The $11,668.10 in the lien stems from the Strogers' 2007 income tax return. It reflects what the IRS claims Stroger and his wife, Jeanine, owed the federal government as of May 19, 2008, including any monetary penalties.

The IRS filed its lien on the Strogers' property -- including their home on South Blackstone -- about nine months after coming up with the $11,668.10 figure. The lien was signed March 12 and filed at the recorder's office March 23.

Typically, the IRS contacts taxpayers so they can dispute its findings or work out payment terms before filing liens, said a nationally known tax expert who went over the fine print of the Strogers' lien with the Sun-Times.

"You could surmise there were several attempts on the part of the IRS to get him to pay -- or at least make a payment arrangement -- and he either did not respond, or, to the extent he did respond, he responded in a way that was insufficient or uncooperative," said Julian Block, a tax lawyer, author and former Chicago IRS revenue officer who now lives in New York.

Together, the Strogers made at least $226,000 in 2007: Todd Stroger pulled in $170,000 as County Board president and Jeanine Stroger made $56,700 as Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White's equal-employment opportunity officer, according to county and state payroll records.

The lien names an IRS "small business/self-employed area" as being involved with the Strogers' tax debt, meaning the overdue taxes might stem from other income earned by the couple.

The Sun-Times' disclosure of the lien comes as Stroger faces increasing criticism for vetoing a repeal of his controversial increase in the county's sales tax rate. Stroger says a full repeal of the penny-on-the-dollar increase is irresponsible in light of county health care needs, among other things.

Todd at Provident Hospital
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger came out swinging Tuesday, saying he blocked the repeal of a sales tax increase to save the county health care system, which caters to a growing number of uninsured patients.

At Provident Hospital on the South Side on Tuesday, he defended his veto of legislation to roll back the tax increase and blasted County Board members for using the giveback as a political ploy

Of course Todd Vetoed the sales tax roll back

2009-05-12T07:48:00.005-05:00

Everyone knew he would veto this because this is his bright idea, the sales tax increase. Commissioner Liz Gorman complains that much of her district borders other counties, and the businesses in her district have been hurt financially more than others. I am sure part has to do with the economy getting worse during the sales tax increase, but when people live on a border and don't have to go out of their way much to save money, they are going to do it.
Yes, it takes 14 of 17 Commissioners to override the veto. Something that is a long shot. He has the South Side guys on his side for sure, Butler, Beavers and Steele. I am quite sure Sims will go along with Todd. So there you have it. No override.
On Monday, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger vetoed the decision by commissioners to repeal the one percentage point increase.
But commissioners aren't giving up.
Now they're trying to come up with enough votes to override Stroger.
County commissioners ABC7 spoke with say although they're disappointed by the veto, this is far from over. If they can get just two of the five commissioners who did not vote with them last week to come to their side, they can override the veto. And they say it is possible because two commissioners weren't even present for last week's vote.
"I hope we can override this veto next Tuesday at the meeting, and if we can't then I will fight to have this phase-out be faster than he's projecting," said Larry Suffredin, (D) Cook County Commissioner.
Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin made a vow to fight on Monday night.
His vow came after county president Todd Stroger used his veto power to block the repeal of a controversial sales tax increase that gave Cook County one of the highest tax rates in the nation.
In an exclusive interview with ABC7 political reporter Charles Thomas, Stroger said repealing the entire tax increase now would really mean dismantling the county's health system, including closing one of the major hospitals, Provident or Oak Forest.
"We know that more people need our services and that if we pull back now there will just be a lot of people without any healthcare whatsoever," said Todd Stroger, Cook Co. Board president.
But on Monday night, Republican Commissioner Tony Peraica says that is simply not true and Todd Stroger knows it.
"They are now coming out with scare tactics saying the hospitals are going to close, the clinics are going to close, prisoners are going to be walking the streets...these are just lies&lies to justify the unjustifiable," said Tony Peraica, (R) Cook County commissioner.
Peraica was one of several sponsors in favor of repealing the entire 1 percent sales tax increase right now. If they're unable to get two more votes to override the veto, there is another plan already in the works. It would roll back a quarter of a percent every year for the next four years.
Larry Sufferdin is one of the sponsors.
"It at this time has become the symbol of bad government and it has become the symbol of bad economic policy for Cook County," said Sufferdin.
At least part of Larry Suffredin's plan is something Todd stroger could support. He has said that he supports a roll back of a quarter of 1 percent. But Stroger says anything more than that would depend on the economy improving.
Next Tuesday's vote should be very interesting

Stroger accused the commissioners who engineered the roll-back vote of having no plan to replace the revenue that would have been lost and said the vote was "a political effort really to try to embarrass me."

Stroger appeared confident he could find one more commissioner to join the three who supported him last week by opposing the tax repeal.

"I don't think the votes are there to override the veto," Stroger said on WVON.

Stroger declared last week he would veto the repeal after county commissioners surprised him by approving it on a 12-3 vote that included support from four commissioners who had voted to increase the tax last year.

It takes an extraordinary 14 of 17 county commissioners to override a veto, a threshold repeal supporters said they were unlikely to meet.

In his press release, Stroger accused the board of pandering to voters ahead of the 2010 elections.

"Someone has to show leadership," Stroger said in the statement. "I will not jeopardize the well-being of County residents by allowing this faction of commissioners to end funding for vital services and destroy our health and public safety operations. There is too much at stake -- for residents who desperately need these services, and for residents who deserve a government that is responsibly funded."

Stroger said rolling back the penny-on-a-dollar sales tax increase would have resulted in closing at least one of the county's three hospitals, as well as some health clinics.

None of the elected county officials had advised Stroger to use his veto.

State's Atty. Anita Alvarez, Sheriff Tom Dart and Assessor Jim Houlihan all said last week that it's the job of Stroger and the County Board to properly fund county government. Treasurer Maria Pappas said she could live with cuts if the tax were repealed.

Even Mayor Richard Daley weighed in, saying Stroger should let the repeal go through. Daley's brother, County Finance Committee Chairman John Daley (D-Chicago), who once supported the tax hike but voted to repeal it, also said Stroger should not use his veto.

Todd Stroger is all over the media again, of course it's not positve

2009-05-11T07:49:00.005-05:00

Todd Stroger is making headlines, and I hate to say it but I would rather have Todd Stroger in the headlines over Drew Peterson. The Capital Fax blog has kept away from the subject of the later, mostly because he has made himself so tabloid, and they keeping up their reputation as reputable news, also since Nancy Grace beats the Drew thing to death frequently and often.

Back to a real story, yes Earlean Collins needs more time to analyze her vote, whe has always been the one to say, "stop" "this needs more review" "there are more questions that need to be answered", yes the county needs someone like her on their board, too frequently they want to pass on something to get it off their desks.
Todd Strogers decision todayCook County Board President Todd Stroger is on deadline today.

At issue is whether he will, as promised, veto legislation repealing the sales tax hike he pushed for last year.

Or will he just let the rollback happen by doing nothing at the close of business today.

Stroger has made it perfectly clear that if he lets the repeal remain, the commissioners will have to deal with the budget crisis -- which includes cuts not only in health care but also in public safety.

And with an election less than a year away, some sources believe, he'll do just that.

"The black community will suffer from the cuts to the hospital and the criminal justice system -- that's part of the strategy, force the issue on to the commissioners by cutting the Bureau of Health budget," which is the bulk of the county's $3 billion-plus budget, said a source who spoke to Stroger's aides last week. The thinking is that the cuts would hurt the commissioners as they, too, gear up for elections.

"Of course, they're trying desperately to reverse the bad press he's gotten," the source said.

For his part, Stroger said delaying his decision on the tax repeal until today's deadline -- rather than vetoing the measure immediately as he said he would -- has nothing to do with next year's election.

But he's been coy about what he'll do.

"I'm not sure," Stroger said Friday, when asked whether he was leaning one way or the other. He's already said it might be futile to veto the measure if enough votes are lined up to override his decision. "We'll find out. . . . I think a little drama is good for the soul," he said with a chuckle.

It was a different tone from Tuesday, when Stroger lashed out at commissioners who voted to roll back the 1.75 percent sales tax to .75 percent, saying that losing the penny-on-the-dollar tax would shutter Provident Hospital and health clinics for the poor.

Stroger says he's working until today's deadline to get feedback from elected leaders in county government.

But last week's 12-3 commission vote (with two absent) in favor of the repeal speaks for itself, several commissioners have said. And representatives of the Cook County assessor and state's attorney's office said the budget and related spending decisions are the responsibility of the president and the commissioners.

It's been a tough week or so for Stroger politically. A hiring scandal involving a busboy-turned-$61,000-a-year county highway worker snowballed when it was revealed then county Chief Financial Officer Donna Dunnings bailed the worker, Tony Cole, out of jail twice, ultimately costing both their jobs.

And now the drumbeat is growing louder that powerful County Board Finance Chair John Daley and his brother, Mayor Daley, are distancing themselves from Stroger -- even saying they don't know whom they'll vote for in the 2010 county board president's race.
Who'd step in if Dems purge Burris, Stroger?

If Illinois Democrats succeed in purging politically radioactive Sen. Roland Burris and Cook County Board President Todd Stroger from the party's ticket, what fresh new African-American faces can they recruit to attract African-American voters to the polls?

Secretary of State Jesse White, 74, is the only statewide African-American officeholder other than Burris, and White is facing an easy re-election. If African-Americans go from having a senator and County Board presidency to just White, that could provoke a backlash, some party leaders warn.

"I think because of the sheer numbers, having a candidate that appeals to the African-American voting base is going to be very important to the Democratic Party," said Larry Rogers, an attorney who serves on the Cook County Board of Review. Rogers said he has been approached by people who would like him to run for Cook County Board president, which he said he would consider only if Stroger opts not to run for re-election; and also by people who would like him to run for attorney general, should Lisa Madigan run for governor rather than seek re-election.

One of those encouraging Rogers is state Sen. James Meeks, himself considering a run for governor if Gov. Quinn and/or Lisa Madigan do not meet his challenge to run on a platform of adequately funding education in Illinois.

Meeks argues that Jesse White's presence alone on the statewide ticket will not be enough to motivate the black electorate. Meeks made the same threat four years ago but backed down when then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich promised to increase education funding, a promise, Meeks notes, that never came to fruition.

Who would of ever thought shots would be fired in Riverside?

2009-05-08T09:42:00.001-05:00

Riverside? Yep shots fired in Riverside, and the perpetrator did not even make sure they had a quite getaway vehicle. You would have thought someone would have called the police with and older vehicle needing a muffler loose in Riverside? Yep, Riverside also hometown to Judy Baar Topinka.

Todd Stroger who was the 8Th Ward Alderman under Mayor Daley did not hold back on letting everyone know about Daley's tax increases? How many did the Toddler vote for as he sat for Alderman?
The only support the Toddler now has is from the South Side guys Club, that being Commissioners Beavers, Steele, and Butler.

~~and a small note, since way too much media attention has been brought on by this individual most of it by his own promoting.

Glad they got Drew Peterson in jail. I only hope he will be there a while. Since he was a cop for almost 30 years, and well paid obviously by reports of him receiving an almost $7K a month pension, he may know how to cover up a crime. Rather get away with murder, at least once if not twice.

I am sure he has done everything he can to taint the potential jury pool, all his self promotion. Who knows maybe he is also a folk hero to guys seeing this old fart get so many young chics for girlfriends?

Was Peraica's Home Target Of Gunfire?
Shots Hit Front Of County Commissioner's Neighbor's Riverside and Peraica

A gunman fired shots at Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica's neighbor's house in west suburban Riverside, and his assistants say they believe Peraica's house was the intended target.

At about 4:11 a.m. Wednesday, Riverside police responded to a residence in the 300 block of Scottswood Road, after an unknown person or persons fired seven bullets at the residence.

Police had earlier received two reports of possible gunshots fired in the area around 3 a.m.

Peraica (R-16th) told CBS 2 that around 3 a.m. Wednesday, he heard gunfire and got up to look out, but didn't see anything. "A loud popping sound woke me up, several in rapid succession. I got up and looked out but didn't see anything. I figured it was just kids in the nature preserve."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
President Todd Stroger found himself politically isolated Wednesday as he rethought his pledge to block the repeal of an unpopular sales-tax increase.

Hours after Stroger said he may have too hastily vowed to veto the tax rollback, which commissioners approved a day earlier, Mayor Richard Daley called last year's 1-percentage-point tax increase "very questionable" and repealing it "something that I think they had to do."

The mayor's brother, county Finance Committee Chairman John Daley (D-Chicago), voted Tuesday to repeal the tax increase he once supported and said he did not know if Stroger would have his backing should he run for re-election next year.

Stroger did little to avoid a rift with the Daleys.

"Well, you know, the mayor passed nine taxes in two years," Stroger said. "Let's see you write about that, and then I'll talk to you about everything else."

Daley's last two budgets, which are twice as large as the county's spending plans, raised taxes and fees by more than $320 million a year. The county's sales-tax increase was expected to generate $426 million a year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special CC meeting about special President and his cousin

2009-04-23T07:52:00.002-05:00

What? Doesn't Stroger know he has enough problems already? Like maybe there is a special CC meeting taking place to address some of them. Now he hires someone who is already collecting CC pension, to a forest preserve post.
Couldn't he find someone who really needed to work? Dennis Magee, Stroger's new hire is already a Mayor, and collection CC pension. I can't believe there were no applicants that, were out of work, needed a job, that could have filled this. We had thousands of people line up in the rain for a few hotel, tip only positions, and who does Todd pick?

It should be interesting what will come out of today's meeting.

By KIM JANSSEN, Staff Writer
Cook County may be struggling with an ongoing financial crisis, but board President Todd Stroger has found taxpayer cash to hire another connected south suburban supporter to a $61,000-a-year job.

Merrionette Park Mayor Dennis Magee - also a Democratic Committeeman for Worth Township - is due to start work Friday working as an administrative assistant for the Cook County Forest Preserve District, according to district spokesman Steve Mayberry.

Magee, 61, has been collecting a pension from the county since retiring in August from County Clerk David Orr's staff.

He worked for the clerk's office for 24 years and retired on a salary of $82,000, Orr spokeswoman Courtney Greve said.

The forest preserve district position has been empty for six months and is exempt from the Shakman decree that outlaws patronage hiring, Mayberry said.

Stroger "isn't legally obliged," to open up the position to outside applicants, Mayberry added, pointing out that the district is not facing the same financial difficulties as other branches of county government.

Though Stroger has patronage privileges over both the forest preserve district and Cook County, the two authorities have separate taxing powers, meaning Magee can legally collect his pension from the county while being paid by the Forest Preserve.

Magee will be in charge of bicycle and Kayak concessions and dog, horse and snowmobile licensing, Mayberry said.

The hiring adds Magee to a county payroll that already includes several Democratic Committeemen Stroger will rely on in his 2010 re-election bid, including the committeemen for Palos, Calumet, Bloom and Thornton Townships.

Stroger last week announced plans to cut the county sales tax by 0.25 percent, saving customers 25 cents on every $100 they spend.

Magee did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday.

Kim Janssen can be reached at kjanssen@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-5998.

Opening up a can of worms for Stroger

2009-04-22T16:03:00.004-05:00

From bad to worse each day

Todd Stroger either should be running around like a scared chicken now, or one with it's head cut off.
Donna Dunnings is concerned now about her health insurance. Well, why should she be? Her cousin is in charge of the John Stroger Hospital? Didn't Donna do what she could for the county while she was CFO to insure that the health care was properly budgeted for? Didn't she make sure that they received all the insurance payments they were to receive? As CFO she surely looked to be sure that all the contracts they were paying on were legitimate and they were making all payments on time to get the discounts? Ya, right. Donna welcome to Cook County Health Care.
The meeting Todd had with his cousin was only 20 minutes? Maybe he left because of the whining, crying and foul language?
Each and every day this Dunnings/Cole/Stroger fiasco gets uglier. The Cook County Commissioners should look at impeachment if that is possible. Why not, two impeachments in one year for this state? Would we be breaking records?

April 22, 2009 1:56 PM | 1 Comment
A judge today raised bond for fired Cook County employee Tony Cole to $200,000 after probation officers testified about three violations of a protective order, including a profanity-filled tirade against the officers when they visited his apartment.

Cole's new lawyer raised questions about the high number of times that probation officers checked up on Cole, who was on home confinement on charges related to a domestic violence case. Officers visited his home at least 66 times in 64 days, court officials said.

Of those 66 visits, Cole was judged non-compliant eight times, Circuit Judge James Patrick Murphy said.

Murphy said the noncompliance incidents were happening with greater frequency recently, causing him alarm.

Cole's bond had been set at $50,000 in January, according to prosecutors.

Cole, a onetime steakhouse busboy with a criminal record, was hired by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger but then fired earlier this month from his position as a $61,189-a-year human resources assistant in the county Highway Department.

In a mushrooming political scandal, Stroger's cousin Donna Dunnings, the county's chief financial officer, resigned at his request last week. Stroger said Dunnings was the target of "explosive" allegations by Cole.

Stroger repeatedly has refused to say what those allegations were. Earlier today, Stroger visited Dunnings at her home but refused to talk to a reporter.

Cole was charged last year with domestic battery for allegedly striking his girlfriend. He also allegedly violated an order of protection twice by harassing her at home. He was released after a November arrest after Donna Dunnings, then the county's chief financial officer, posted his $1,000 bail.

In January, his bail was increased to $40,000 after he allegedly made threatening phone calls to his ex-girlfriend. Once again Dunnings posted his additional bail of $3,000.

This month, Coles was not at home as required when authorities made an unannounced visit. He was arrested April 14 and has been in jail since then.

That was the latest episode in a yearslong pattern of allegations involving violence against women.

But it was a felony conviction in Georgia for bouncing a rent check that Coles failed to disclose on his job application that led Stroger to fire him and later Dunnings.

Both Dunnings and Cole have denied any physical relationship.

Cole, a former college basketball player, was working as a busboy at Ruth's Chris Steak House where he met Stroger, who later put him on the county payroll last October as an administrative assistant earning $48,289 a year.

He later was promoted to human resources assistant in the County Highway Department at $61,189 a year.

Donna Dunnings surprised she lost her post?Cook County Board President Todd Stroger today visited the cousin he dumped last week from her top financial post in his administration.

Stroger spent about 20 minutes at Donna Dunnings' home and declined to comment to a reporter as he left.

"I don't speak to reporters camped out outside people's houses," he said. Then he got into a county SUV with a bodyguard and driver and they pulled away.

Dunnings, until last Thursday the county's chief financial officer, came out shortly after Stroger left. She waved at a Tribune reporter who asked her to talk, got into a car and left.

In an interview published today in the Chicago Sun-Times, Dunnings said that while her firing shocked her, she still loved her cousin and harbored him no ill will. But she expressed concern about her financial future and lack of health insurance.