Not In My Backyard

Not in my backyard. That is a phrase that we have come to know. It means that while I support the activity, I don’t want it anywhere near my neighborhood. This is often used in regard to urban renewal, and most recently, windmill projects. My use of this phrase doesn’t …

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Emanuel on Chicago mayoral ballot

Illinois Supreme Court rejects challenge to his residency January 28, 2011 By Jeff Coen, Bob Secter and David Kidwell, Tribune reporters The ballot roller coaster for Rahm Emanuel finally stopped Thursday with the former White House chief of staff very much in the race for mayor and the Illinois Supreme …

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Chicago Artist Faces 15 Years In Prison for Recording Cops

Kurt Nimmo Infowars.com January 25, 2011 In Illinois, you need the permission of the state to record on the street. It is illegal make audio recordings of cops going about their duty arresting unlicensed street artists and other ne’er-do-wells. It is illegal to practice the First Amendment in Chicago. It …

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Rahm Emanuel booted off ballot in 2-1 Appellate Court decision

BY ABDON M. PALLASCH Political Reporter Jan 24, 2011 12:09PM Rahm Emanuel was thrown off the ballot for mayor of Chicago today by an appellate court panel, a stunning blow to the fund-raising leader in the race. An appellate panel ruled 2-1 that Emanuel did not meet the residency standard …

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Chicago home to new wave of comic-strip artists

Step aside, Gotham City. Chicago is the new center of the comic universe, a place where introspective everymen have replaced caped crusaders in tights. The Museum of Contemporary Art this month celebrated the city’s place as a hotbed of young cartoonist talent through “New Chicago Comics,” a look at the …

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Another Illinois Resident Charged for Recording Police – Hit & Run

Radley Balko | January 23, 2011 The New York Times reports on the Illinois eavesdropping law, which allows for a felony charge and up to 15 years of prison for people who record police officers on the job. In addition to artist Christopher Drew—whom I’ve written about before and who …

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Chicago-area foreclosures soar 20% in 2010

By Mary Ellen Podmolik Posted yesterday at 8:36 a.m. Bank repossessions of foreclosed homes in the Chicago region soared almost 20 percent, to more than 45,000 properties in 2010, despite various government and lender programs designed to keep people in their properties and a slowdown in fourth-quarter activity due to …

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News and Investigations Is Treasurer Maria Pappas Wasting Your Tax Dollars?

CHICAGO — She has a driver who makes $94,000 a year and a cleaning lady making $57,000 a year. Is Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas wasting tax dollars? In a joint investigation with the Better Government Association, CBS 2 Investigator Pam Zekman has been following these employees and found that …

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City Council urges swift firing of corrupt city workers

By FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter Jan 14, 2011 Chicago city employees who are convicted of corruption would no longer be able to keep collecting their paychecks while awaiting sentencing, under a crackdown proposed Thursday that calls for firing upon conviction. Three days after the Chicago Sun-Times’ “The Watchdogs” column …

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Ill. residents react to massive tax hike

January 12, 2011 (CHICAGO) (WLS) — The income tax increase in Illinois is retroactive to January 1. But taxpayers won’t see a change in their paychecks until the end of the month. The new state income tax increases taxes from 3 to 5 percent. For those with an annual income …

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State governments relish Illinois tax increase

Even before Governor Quinn signs into law the Illinois legislature’s tax bill, the debate continues: is this the best course of action to close a budget gap? Many say that instead of trying to generate more revenue from already frustrated taxpayers, the state must make a concerted effort to instill …

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Illinois tax increase: why lawmakers passed 66 percent income-tax hike

No other state has successfully raised income taxes to balance its 2011 budget. The Illinois tax increase would push the personal income tax rate from 3 percent to 5 percent. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn speaks with reporters in his office at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. …

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Illinois’s Tax Increase Has Business Fuming, Neighbors Courting

Facing one of the biggest budget shortfalls of any state, Illinois took the risky step of jacking up income and corporate taxes even as its economy struggles to shake off the recession. WITH NO CUTS IN GOVERNMENT SPENDING In a deal hammered out by the state’s Democratic leadership, the lame-duck …

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Illinois: Land of the Overtaxed, Home of the Burdened

I can’t say much more about the Illinois income tax increase that hasn’t already been said. The 67 percent increase on income and the hike in the corporate rate from 4.8 percent to 7 percent not only make Illinois taxpayers angry, but they are a killer for Illinois, which lost …

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