-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/30181025-418/chicago-shutdown-will-cost-airlines-hundreds-of-millions-analyst.html#.VCoPkOf86ow
Work by a panel of Illinois lawmakers was earlier postponed at the Feds’ request, but the panel now will resume hearings into Quinn’s anti-violence program, which could unfold only weeks before the Nov. 4 election. via Quinn anti-violence grant hearings get green light from federal prosecutor – Chicago Tribune.
http://www.rebootillinois.com/2014/09/29/editors-picks/caitlinwilson/illinos-teacher-salaries-are-the-third-highest-in-the-nation/25999/
By: Mark Glennon* UPDATE 9/29/14 — See note at end of piece regarding more detailed article my Mr. Madiar. What a sensible headline: With Illinois pensions, what’s past is prologue. Instead of dwelling on the past we have to accept it and move on to solving the problem, right? Yet Eric Madlar, Senate President John Cullerton’s chief counsel, goes on to write about just one thing — the history of underfunding. His big discovery is that underfunding goes all the way back to 1917. Not one word about how to solve the problem except for the last
By: Mark Glennon* Home values in Illinois have lagged behind national averages in recent years, but the staggering total dollar cost to homeowners is never calculated. Today, we’ll put some numbers on the aggregate amount forfeited by homeowners and discuss the cause. We will do that by comparing home values here to national averages over the last ten years. That is, how much worse off are homeowners here than if their homes had appreciated at the national average? We start with Chicago because the data for it are more complete than for the rest of the state.
The jobs vs. food stamp comparison is a strong indicator of economic hardship. Compared to the rest of the Midwest, Illinoisans are truly feeling the pain. Jobs vs. food stamps: Illinois last in the Midwest
For the second year, Chicago Public Schools says it will not take back any of its money from schools where student projections came up short following a count on the 10th day of school. http://politics.suntimes.com/article/chicago/cps-says-it-wont-reduce-funding-based-enrollment/sun-09282014-136pm
Chicago identified 721 homeless veterans (465 of whom were living in shelters, while 256 were on the streets) through a point-in-time survey taken in January. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/26/chicago-ending-veteran-homelessness_n_5889182.html?utm_hp_ref=chicago&ir=Chicago
Illinois will spend nearly $27 million on improvements to a highway in some of the state’s southern counties. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/illinois-to-spend-million-on-southern-highway-fixes/article_f3611ee9-d990-5fcb-b5ea-2b8a54d2d1d2.html
Two candidates vying to be Illinois’ next chief investment officer have different ideas about how to restore the image of the treasurer’s office. http://www.rrstar.com/article/20140927/NEWS/140929343
Lawmakers and school officials in suburban Chicago are trying to kill off a school funding overhaul that could help hundreds of downstate Illinois school districts, including the Quad-Cities. http://qctimes.com/news/local/government-and-politics/bill-would-give-downstate-illinois-schools-more-money/article_3390e9d3-c88b-5f28-8ffa-04fdf8abbd3b.html?comment_form=true
In Chicago, just 32 food inspectors are responsible for auditing the city’s more than 15,000 restaurants. The city is experimenting with a new technology to guide where inspections should occur, based on factors such as current weather, nearby construction and past health code violations. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-it/in-chicago-food-inspectors-are-guided-by-big-data/2014/09/27/96be8c68-44e0-11e4-b47c-f5889e061e5f_story.html
Women make up more than 50 percent of the overall electorate, and if they’re tilting toward one candidate or another, they could drive critical numbers in what’s promising to be a neck-and-neck governor’s contest. http://politics.suntimes.com/article/springfield/fierce-fight-over-women-governors-race/fri-09262014-859am#bmb=1
“This bill is about protecting a monopoly industry from competition, and putting up barriers to make it harder for other people to compete,” says the general manager of Uber-Chicago. “The owners of the taxi industry haven’t had to really compete with anybody for decades.” http://wuis.org/post/how-politics-steered-uber-bill?utm_referrer=http://m.wuis.org/?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F#mobile/32039
http://abc7chicago.com/news/flight-delays-cancellations-persist-at-ohare-midway/328534/
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