April 28, 2014 | Wirepoints

Keeping our Families Together – WP Original

April 28, 2014 5 Comments

By: Leslie Munger* As parents, we spend our lives doing everything we can to help our children be successful – in sports, extracurricular activities, and most importantly, in school. Raising children is all consuming, from the day they are born until you send them off to college. And then, in the blink of an eye, college is over and they’re graduating and beginning their careers. Our older son graduated last May from the University of Illinois with his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. I was looking forward to him starting his career somewhere in the Chicago area and

Illinois tech job growth lags nation – IL Tech Index

April 28, 2014 No Comments

Illinois’ high-tech jobs increased by 1.4 percent over last ten years while US high-tech employment increased 10 percent. Growth in tech service jobs offset a loss in tech manufacturing jobs. http://www.illinoisinnovation.com/innovation-index/growth-illinois-high-tech-employment/?utm_source=IIN&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=April 2014 Innovation Update&utm_source=Illinois Innovation Index&utm_campaign=ebeb59ec4b-April_Illinois_Innovation_Updates4_25_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_85b8aa6d83-ebeb59ec4b-276586025

$1 billion in Chicago borrowing authorized for water and sewer projects – Early & Often

April 28, 2014 No Comments

Earlier this year, the City Council blindly added $1.9 billion to Chicago’s mountain of debt even though aldermen had no idea how the money will be spent. Now this. via $1 billion in borrowing authorized for water and sewer projects | Early & Often.

Gotta be kidding: Gov. Quinn suggests state give money to fix city, local pensions

April 28, 2014 No Comments

Comment: Where, you might ask, would the state get the needed hundreds of millions? No word on that. http://politics.suntimes.com/article/chicago/quinn-state-revenue-sharing-could-fix-chicago-pensions/mon-04282014-217pm

Illinois Democrats consider new minimum wage plan for state – Ass. Press

April 28, 2014 No Comments

Meanwhile, an increase in the Federal minimum wage appears to be stalling in Congress, which Democrats hope to use as an election issue nationally. Comment: There’s only one thing you need to know to understand Democratic action in Springfield this year: Voter turnout. Everything is designed to drive turnout in their base, and the minimum wage issue is high on their list. http://www.pantagraph.com/ap/state/illinois-democrats-consider-new-minimum-wage-plan/article_a9d5aa3b-fd68-561c-9f7d-821eecf10fd3.html

Pension Free-For-All – Better Government Ass.

April 28, 2014 No Comments

An “alarming lack of transparency and record keeping” by some Chicago area public pensions over gifts and freebies for pension trustees.

$1.8 billion Cook County contract awarded to sole bidder – Crain’s Chicago Business

April 28, 2014 No Comments

Outsiders say the county would have been better off if it had more than one vendor to choose from before launching into its first large-scale foray into the fraught world of managed care. “It’s pretty hard to evaluate that if you only have the one bid,” says Jocelyn Johnston, a professor at American University in Washington who studies public contracting. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140426/ISSUE01/304269984?template=mobile

Railroads invest billions in positive train control – Crain’s Chicago Business

April 28, 2014 No Comments

Big data is coming to the railroads, unleashing a technology upgrade so enormous and costly that it will rival the buildout of the national rail system more than a century ago. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140426/ISSUE01/304269980/the-biggest-railroad-investment-in-a-century

Time to Consolidate Local Governments – Illinois News Network

April 28, 2014 No Comments

At last count, the Illinois Comptroller’s Office said the Land of Lincoln has 8,466 units of local governments. http://ilnews.org/time-to-consolidate-local-governments/#.U15VSFca2cy

Skokie Swift celebrates 50th anniversary – abc 7 Chicago

April 28, 2014 No Comments

The Skokie Swift debuted in April, 1964 with service from Dempster Street in Skokie to Howard Street in Chicago. http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=9517703

Two national governors associations in election combat zone – Early & Often

April 28, 2014 No Comments

Two national governors associations in charge of choosing winnable turf battles in 2014 are finding they have a combat zone in common: the state of Illinois. http://politics.suntimes.com/article/springfield/quinn-rauner-race-crosshairs-national-governors-groups/fri-04252014-1150am

Quinn administration puts its head in the cloud — computer cloud – Crain’s Chicago Business

April 28, 2014 No Comments

It took Illinois eight months to issue a comprehensive statewide annual financial report for June 2013. Almost 90 state agencies are using 263 different financial reporting systems. Now, the Quinn administration is embarking on a massive, long-overdue computer project, upgrading to a single, unified system that will replace antiquated software. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140426/ISSUE01/304269982?template=mobile

Illinois cities with the lowest unemployment rates – Reboot Illinois

April 28, 2014 No Comments

Might want to take a look at Glenview, Northbrook and Glenn Ellyn. http://www.rebootillinois.com/2014/04/28/top-lists/brendanbond/illinois-cities-spring-top-lowest-unemployment-rates/7481/