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PI Original
by Josh Kalven
3:04pm
Wed Jan 28, 2009

Rough First Day

Chicago

A taste of Ron Huberman's first day on the job as the head of the Chicago Public Schools, from the Tribune: Newly-installed Chicago Public Schools chief Ron Huberman today was booed by a crowd of parents, teachers and community officials upset about plans to ...

PI Original
by Josh Kalven
2:32pm
Wed Jan 28, 2009
1 comment

Digging Deeper Into Illinois' Share Of The Stimulus

Labor

Over the past week, we've been using the data trickling out of D.C. to determine how much of the economic recovery package is directed Illinois and where exactly those funds will flow.  Using figures from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, we broke down ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
1:21pm
Wed Jan 28, 2009

Revving Up The Clean Cars Act

Environment

Last year, Illinois came within striking distance
of raising tailpipe-emission standards, but the debate got mired in
regressive Bush-era environmental politics and the Illinois Clean Cars
Act never came up for a vote in Springfield.

With a new powerful ally in the ...

PI Original
by Josh Kalven
12:26pm
Wed Jan 28, 2009

A "Nascent Progressive Pressure System"

Congress

Read David Sirota on an emerging dynamic in D.C., in which progressives in Congress are pushing President Obama from the left:

Yes, as Buffalo Springfield would say, there's something happening here. And sure, what it is ain't exactly clear - but it is progressive in ...

PI Original
by Josh Kalven
11:29am
Wed Jan 28, 2009
3 comments

IL-5: Claypool Endorsement, Geoghegan Settlement, Feigenholtz On Fair Pay, And More ...

IL-5

Here's the latest news from the race to replace Rahm Emanuel in the 5th Congressional District. Crain's Greg Hinz reported last night that Forest Claypool plans to endorse his fellow Cook County commissioner Mike Quigley today.  Two weeks ago, Quigley conducted a poll ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
6:02pm
Tue Jan 27, 2009
3 comments

IL-5: Local Minutemen Leader Faces Petition Challenge

Immigration

All of the anti-immigrant rhetoric and fearmongering spread by Rosanna Pulido of the Illinois Minutemen Project appears to be catching up with her in her GOP bid for the 5th Congressional District seat. Pulido’s sloppy nominating petitions -- which allegedly contain ...

PI Original
by Josh Kalven
4:44pm
Tue Jan 27, 2009
5 comments

Lenz: Huberman "Knows Nothing About Education" (UPDATED)

Chicago

Today, Mayor Daley tapped CTA chief Ron Huberman to replace Arne Duncan as head of the Chicago Public School.  Catalyst Chicago founder and publisher Linda Lenz appeared on Chicago Public Radio's Eight Forty-Eight this morning to discuss the decision, which she described as &...

PI Original
by Josh Kalven
2:47pm
Tue Jan 27, 2009

Republic Windows Redux, Part II (UPDATED)

Republic Windows

UPDATE (2:07 pm): Just after I finished writing the piece below, we received some great news from SEIU Healthcare PA: a bankruptcy judge today signed off on an agreement between Commonwealth and its creditor "to pay part of the wages owed immediately and to work toward ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
1:06pm
Tue Jan 27, 2009
2 comments

TIF In A Nutshell: "Money Searching For A Project"

Tax Increment Financing

Over the past year, we’ve written extensively about the serious lack of oversight in Chicago’s tax increment financing (TIF) system. We’ve noted that, while TIF
was devised as an economic development tool for blighted communities,
Mayor Daley began ignoring that ...