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PI Original
by Ellyn Fortino
6:15pm
Wed May 8

During Chaotic City Council Meeting, Emanuel Introduces Parking Meter Deal Changes & LGBT Athlete Resolution Passes

Chicago City Council

Here's a look at some of the highlights from today's Chicago City Council meeting.

Quick Hit
by Ashlee Rezin
4:29pm
Wed May 8

Potential Koch Brothers Purchase Of Tribune Co. Incites Protest (VIDEO)

A group of approximately 20 demonstrators Wednesday protested the potential sale of all or some of the Tribune Company to the Koch brothers, Charles, 77, and David, 72, the billionaire industrialists and supporters of conservative causes.

According to protesters, if the Kansas-native Koch brothers were to own the Chicago-based multimedia corporation, right-wing propaganda will be pushed through mainstream media. 

Activists protested outside of the Tribune Tower, at 435 North Michigan Ave., and attempted to deliver a letter to Bruce Karsh, chairman of the board for the Tribune Company, asking him to intervene on the potential sale. Karsh is also the owner of Oaktree Capital Management LP, the Tribune Company’s largest shareholder.

“People need independent, objective, daily journalism that they can trust—not libertarian propaganda,” the letter addressed to Karsh, who was elected chairman in January, reads. Read more »

PI Original
by Ashlee Rezin
1:11pm
Wed May 8

Online Retailers May Soon Lose 'Unfair Advantage' As Marketplace Fairness Act Heads To House, Proponents Say

Congress

The U.S. Senate voted to approve the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that would require online retailers to comply with sales tax laws of states where they sell and ship goods. According to proponents of the measure, Internet shoppers are one step closer to losing the “unfair advantage” over consumers who choose to support local merchants. Progress Illinois takes a closer look at the bill and what it could mean for the Prairie State.

Quick Hit
by Ashlee Rezin
8:03pm
Tue May 7

Community Activists Say Bank Of America Is A 'Destabilizing Force' In Chicago (VIDEO)

Bank of America (BOA) serves as a destabilizing force in Chicago’s blighted communities, according to approximately 50 protesters who took their message to a downtown branch on Tuesday.

Organized by the Grassroots Collaborative on the eve of Bank of America’s shareholder meeting in North Carolina, demonstrators rallied against policies that, according to protesters, has led to Chicago school closures and community devastation.

“We have schools that are closing, homes that are abandoned, and neighborhoods falling apart; this is a time when we need our neighborhoods to be built up and not destroyed,” said Amisha Patel, executive director of the Grassroots Collaborative. “It’s time for Bank of America to do everything they can to strengthen our communities.”

Read more »

Quick Hit
by Ellyn Fortino
7:46pm
Tue May 7
1 comment

Advocates For Women’s, Workers' Rights Say Congress Must Reject The Working Families Flexibility Act

More than 150 women’s, worker and civil rights organizations sent a letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives Monday urging them to reject the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013.

The measure, H.R. 1406, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (R, AL-2), is expected to go up for a full House vote Wednesday.

Opponents of the bill, which has 168 Republican cosponsors, say it is an empty promise that would do more harm than good for working families.

“The very fact that this is entitled the Working Families Flexibility Act is a joke,” U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards, a Democrat from Maryland, said on a conference call with reporters Monday. “It’s a lot of flexibility for employers and zero flexibility for working families. In fact, you could call it the ‘working families to death act,’ because that’s what would result.”

Read more »