-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65430722/REDLIGHT_100919_6.0.jpg)
If you think smoke-filled back rooms are a thing of the past for Chicago-area politicians, think again.
An upscale cigar shop and lounge in southwest suburban Countryside is proving to be an intriguing — and, until now, little-known — link to political players involved in an ongoing federal corruption investigation.
The business, Casa De Montecristo, offers choice cigars for sale, a living room-type space to unwind with a blazing fireplace where customers can puff away while watching sports on a large-screen TV and a separate “VIP room” in the basement, accessible by elevator, that offers dim-lighting, booths straight out of a Rat Pack-era nightclub, televisions and a bar for special events. Attractive women were often on hand working as servers. In the parking lot one recent day: BMWs, an Audi and a yellow Lamborghini.
With $162 billion more from taxpayers, couldn’t you deliver a few bond upgrades, too
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
Everybody needs a side hustle these days, and mine is Ukraine, where I am now.
Summary and audio linked here.
SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR FREE WIREPOINTS DAILY NEWSLETTER
Audio and summary
I never have understood how putting something that’s round and 8 inches long between your lips and sucking on it makes you cool. Sounds like a Freudian slip to me.
That’s a lot of cigars to donate $50,000 to political campaigns!