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PI Original
by Angela Caputo
3:33pm
Thu Dec 4, 2008
7 comments

Taking On TIFs

Housing

Painting themselves as David
taking on Goliath, a group of citizen activists from Chicago’s North
Side have filed a legal challenge against the city for what they see as
another abusive use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF).

According to the suit, which was filed in ...

PI Original
by Adam Doster
12:40pm
Thu Dec 4, 2008
1 comment

Roskam Joins Kirk In UAW Bashfest

Wages

When Reps. Peter Roskam and Mark Kirk convened a hearing in late November
to contemplate possible solutions for the nation’s financial crisis, it seems they
shared notes on the pros and cons of a potential auto industry bailout.
Unfortunately, whatever talking points they ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
11:20am
Thu Dec 4, 2008
1 comment

"Everybody Lost And Nobody Won": A Postville Q&A With Jane Ramsey

Religion

Before federal authorities launched a military-style raid last spring on the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville, IA —rounding up and trying hundreds of undocumented immigrants for simply going to work—the Chicago-based Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) knew ...

PI Original
by Adam Doster
5:23pm
Wed Dec 3, 2008

Illinois Fails In College Access

Education

Before long, dormitories and
libraries at Illinois’ institutions of higher learning could be lonely
places. In its biennial report on the U.S. higher education system released today
(PDF), the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education has
given the Prairie ...

PI Original
by Josh Kalven
2:17pm
Wed Dec 3, 2008
3 comments

Chris Matthews Has No Idea What He's Talking About

Jesse Jackson Jr.

I don't expect D.C. media establishmentarians like Chris Matthews to have an expert handle on the ins and outs of Illinois politics.  But it's still fun to watch them attempt to cover the local scene.

For instance, yesterday on Hardball, Matthews seemed to suggest that ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
1:09pm
Wed Dec 3, 2008

Pinching Pension Waste

Alexi Giannoulias

State Treasurer Alexi
Giannoulias and a team of watchdogs didn’t mince words on Monday when
they lashed out at political insiders who have fed off the complexities
of the state’s pension systems for years. Along with some
good-government allies, the treasurer announced ...

PI Original
by Josh Kalven
11:55am
Wed Dec 3, 2008

Dan Swinney's Got A Plan

Labor

Amid all the twelve-figure bailouts and theoretical arguments about how to repair the American economy, I was so relieved to hear Dan Swinney's comments last Sunday as a guest on Bruce DuMont's Beyond The Beltway.  Swinney is a labor guy and, as such, has a very practical, on-...

PI Original
by Adam Doster
11:12am
Wed Dec 3, 2008

Giannoulias "Thinking About" Gubernatorial Run

IL-5

He didn’t commit fully, but the writing is on the wall. In an interview with the State Journal-Register
editorial board yesterday, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias said he is
considering a 2010 gubernatorial run. “I’ve been thinking about it,” he
told the paper. “You see ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
3:24pm
Tue Dec 2, 2008

Growing Alliance Pushes Wind Power

Wind power

Add Hoffman Estates to the
list of Illinois municipal leaders throwing their support behind bringing
more wind power to the Prairie State, The Daily Herald reports today.

Officials
from the northwest suburban town have agreed to join the emerging Wind
Turbine ...