Holder Eyed For AG
President-elect
Barack Obama’s transition team has reportedly picked veteran D.C.
lawyer Eric Holder as the next attorney general. The longtime
prosecutor and judge will have to undergo a formal vetting by the Obama
transition team before the selection is final. Several Senate
Republican leadership aides told the Tribune that their bosses had not been contacted
about the appointment and were surprised at not being left out of the loop.
But Holder’s reputation as a competent reformer means he may not face
intense scrutiny. If appointed, Holder would become the first
African-American to head the Justice Department.
Lawmakers Bash Paulson On Bailout Management
In
a heated hearing before the House Financial Services Committee
yesterday, lawmakers accused Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. of
mismanaging the $700 billion Wall Street bailout. Democrats pushing for
aid to homeowners blasted Paulson for misleading Congress about how he
would use the resources. Meanwhile, FDIC Chairwoman
Sheila Bair recommended that $24 billion of the bailout funds be used
to help people avoid foreclosure, a move Paulson opposes.
Blagojevich Seeks Power To Cut Budget
Facing
a $2 billion budget gap and a reeling economy, Gov. Rod Blagojevich
said Tuesday he’ll ask legislators for the the power to reduce state
agency spending by eight percent without legislative approval by next
summer, a move that could spur more layoffs and service cuts. He also
called on federal lawmakers to pass a stimulus package that would
provide money for state governments.
City Council To Vote On Daley’s Budget
Chicago
aldermen are scheduled to vote today on Mayor Richard Daley’s 2009
budget proposal, a $6 billion plan that aims to plug a $469 million
budget shortfall by raising an array of taxes and fees. Daley’s budget
does not call for a property tax increase, however, after 21 aldermen
voted down such a proposal last year. The city has also promised to
limit job cuts to 770 positions.
Gay High School Put On Hold
Facing
criticism from Mayor Daley and internal dissent about whether a revised
proposal “watered down” the original vision, designers of a plan to
create Chicago’s first gay-friendly high school shelved the idea
Tuesday, one day before the city’s Board of Education was set to vote
on the proposal. Team member Katherine Hogan told WTTW:
“When we tried to compromise as much as we could with our language,
even changing our name, in the end, the design team couldn’t fully
agree that this proposal should go through.”
Illinois Crime Drops Across The Board
According
to the Illinois State Police, crime in Illinois fell by more than 3
percent in 2007 and no type of offense saw an uptick, continuing a
13-year slide that resulted in 210,000 fewer crimes than in 1994. Of
course, the homicide numbers for 2008—particularly in Chicago—are one
area of concern, and law enforcement officials know they must continue
to improve their tactics. “Law enforcement cannot get complacent as a
result of this overall decrease,” state police director Larry G. Trent
said in a prepared statement.
Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user southie3.
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