Where the action is

Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) now has a real chance to defeat unpopular incumbent Stroger, Clerk Brown and water district president Terry O'Brien.

11/18/2009

Cook County is a backwater of government - historically a sleepy place whose machinations didn't inspire the level of scrutiny state government or Chicago's city council routinely got. County does run the court system, the jail, Cook County hospitals and the Forest Preserves.
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A coup in the making?

CPS's potential shrewdness

11/18/2009

One of the most interesting moments at Saturday's public hearing about the new admissions system proposed for Chicago Public School’s test-in and magnet institutions had to do with private schools.
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Too risky to run

There is immense political pressure on the "electeds" to help keep fellow incumbents in office

11/11/2009

Political jockeying begins each campaign season long before most people know who is running. Petitions are floated for a variety of offices. Many of us sign, indicating that we believe said person should have access to the ballot. It’s all quite democratic. But behind closed doors, deals are being made about who will really run.
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Tantalizing

The next Northerly Island, off and running

11/11/2009

The Chicago Park District's planning process for Northerly Island is off to a good start. They've assembled a design team studded with stars - including Jeanne Gang, of Studio Gang Architects, especially - and seem committed to taking public input seriously. Read more...

Orr's TIF tool

11/11/2009

This week, the Web site Progress Illinois reported that 92 percent of the property taxes Mayor Daley paid last year are routed into the Near South tax increment financing district. Read more...

What the scores mean

A stark reminder of our divided society

11/04/2009

When the Illinois State Board of Education releases the results of the annual tests administered to elementary students starting in the third grade and to juniors in high school, there is a tendency to rush to the numbers, to calculate the increases and declines, to determine the best and the worst. Read more...

The lore of Library Tower's park

In the end, there are a number of winners. And the only thing lost was a little parking.

10/28/2009

A lot of people might be wondering why the residents of Library Tower are giving up that convenient guest parking lot they had at State and Harrison in favor of yet - yawn - another one of those under-used landscaped parks with paving bricks and shrubs that seem to be springing up across the South Loop. Read More...

How to deaden a block

Build a data storage center!

10/28/2009

Chicago’s a fine place to store data. We have few hurricanes here, not so many earthquakes and tornados. There is a flood every now and then, but it is usually small and we manage. Sinkholes and rocket attacks are rare. Read more...

The TIF tell

The 2nd Ward budget offers a glimpse into a series of projects the city expects to undertake

10/28/2009

In poker, a tell occurs when a player tips his hand, and competitors around the table know whether to, as the saying goes, hold 'em or fold 'em. A big tell came last week for residents of the Near South and Near West sides courtesy of Chicago Reader investigative reporters Mick Dumke and Ben Joravsky.
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Time to think small

Chicago should forego the temptation to work on an Olympian scale

10/21/2009

Since the Second City limped in fourth in the Olympic race, pundits have called for Chicago to dedicate itself to another large scale project to replace the catalyzing power of a Games. There has been no shortage of ideas — making Chicago the safest city in America by 2016, reforming the educational system, rebuilding our infrastructure, and even hosting an international cultural festival. Read more...