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PI Original
by Matthew Blake
6:19pm
Thu Feb 9

Cook County Leaders Blast Federal Immigration Agency

Cook County Commissioners were inconclusive at a county board hearing today about whether they should amend the county detainer ordinance. They were certain of their disdain for federal immigrations officials.

Quick Hit
by Aricka Flowers
3:54pm
Thu Feb 9

Return Of The Golden Toilet: Activists Say Returned TIF Money Should Go To Jobs (VIDEO)

In a show of victory, about 50 activists returned to the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) yesterday with a giant check for $33 million — and the now infamous golden toilet meant to symbolize the millions of dollars in TIF money allocated to the CME Group to renovate CBOT's bathrooms. The giant check was indicative of the collective $33 million in TIF funds that were returned last week — including the $15 million the CME Group turned down — by Bank of America, CNA, and the financial exchange.

“We took our money back from CME, and now we’re ready to get that money for jobs for our people,” said Charles Brown, a retired police officer and organizer with Action Now, at the rally.

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Quick Hit
by Nathan Greenhalgh
2:30pm
Thu Feb 9

Lessons From Emanuel's Social Media Successes Could Help 2012 Candidates

The use of Facebook in Rahm Emanuel’s successful 2011 mayoral campaign could offer progressive causes — and candidates — important lessons in utilizing the social network to galvanize support.

“The ’08 campaign taught everyone in politics that by talking to people where they are, on Twitter and Facebook, you could quickly get your point across to them,” said Thomas Bowen, executive director of Emanuel’s political action committee, New Chicago Committee. “I’ll give you one example. We knew that early voting would be very important, so we used Facebook to push specific messages, even during specific time periods. If it was a weekend, you saw something like ‘your early voting location is open now’ ads.”

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Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
11:15pm
Wed Feb 8

Tea Party Speaker Praises Emanuel On Education (VIDEO)

EmanuelThe Chicago Tea Party may not like many things – taxes, Mitt Romney, even the Republican Party. But the Tea Party did like a video made by Andrew Marcus, which champions Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s education policies.

Marcus, director of the video, “A Tale of Two Missions,” produced by the Michigan-based Education Action Group, was the featured speaker at a Chicago Tea Party event downtown tonight.

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Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
4:09pm
Wed Feb 8

Adding Some Context To The State's Medicaid Debate

Spending cuts for Medicaid is dominating talk in Springfield, as both Democrats and Republicans point the finger at the health care program as one of the main causes of the state’s budget woes. The current Medicaid debate, though, is perhaps misleading. Read more »