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News & Features, Politics, Jan 21, 2010
Election Confusion?

In the run-up to February's primaries, Mick Dumke and Ben Joravsky take a look at the races that could have the most impact on your life.
- by Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke
- Tags: Politics, Illinois senate, Democratic primary, Cook County president, Todd Stroger, Terrence O'Brien, Dorothy Brown, Toni Preckwinkle, Alexi Giannoulias, David Hoffman, Cheryle Jackson, Jacob Meister, Robert Marshall

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News & Features, Politics, Jan 14, 2010
Who'll Keep Your Rent Down Now?

In the Cook County assessor's race: the insider, the outsider, or the guy with no phone?
- by Ben Joravsky
- Tags: Politics, Cook County Assessor, Robert Shaw, Joe Berrios, Raymond Figueroa, Property taxes, elections, Jim Houlihan, Barb Head, Tax Reform Action Coalition, Jim Madigan

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News & Features, Politics, Jan 14, 2010
The Case For Selling Off the City

You’ve read plenty in these pages about the hazards of turning over roads, airports, and parking meters to private companies. But when privatization is done right, argues advocate John Schmidt, it can be an ideal partnership.
- by Mick Dumke
- Tags: Politics, privatization, Indiana Toll Road, Chicago Skyway, Mayor Daley, City Council, Chicago parking meters, parking meter lease, Thomas Frank, John Schmidt, Mayer Brown, Indiana Toll Road, Midway Airport, Chicago Park District, Walter Knorr, Ontario Highway 407, William Blair & Associates, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, William Blair

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News & Features, Politics, Jan 7, 2010
Independent of What?

How Alderman Gene Schulter and north-side party regulars engineered an IVI-IPO endorsement for their candidate Dan Farley
- by Ben Joravsky

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News & Features, Politics, Dec 31, 2009
Who Deserves to Be Disqualified?

Once again the vagaries of the petition-challenge process end up protecting the incumbents.
- by Ben Joravsky

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News & Features, Politics, Dec 17, 2009
It Doesn't Take Much to Be a Maverick

Alderman Tom Allen makes history by daring to question the mayor's pet financing scheme in City Council chambers.
- by Ben Joravsky
- Tags: Politics, Tom Allen, TIF, TIFs, tax-increment financing, Mayor Daley, 2010 Chicago budget, Miguel del Valle, 38th Ward, Berny Stone, Patrick O'Connor, Ron Ernst, Hugh Devlin, Valerie Leonard, ABC's of TIFs, property taxes, city taxes, Thomas Cullerton, Jim Houlihan, slush fund, Anita Alvarez, Skyway, Chicago parking meters, Midway Airport, Chicago Children's Museum, Helen Shiller, Vi Daley, Tom Tunney, Mary Ann Smith, Eugene Schulter

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News & Features, Media, Dec 17, 2009
Audio
His Father's Honor

Why the son of a shamed former Illinois governor is so interested in the Supreme Court's review of the "honest services" law
- by Michael Miner
- Tags: Media, Richard Nixon, John Mitchell, Supreme Court, honest services law, honest services fraud, Amy St. Eve, Conrad Black, Otto Kerner, Anton Kerner, Seventh Circuit, Kerner Commission, Intangible rights, McNally v. United States, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Antonin Scalia, James Thompson, David Radler, Bruce Weyhrauch, Jeffrey Skilling, Enron, textualist, Stephen Breyer, Justice Department, Audio

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Blogs, Bleader, Dec 15, 2009
Video
City of Chicago Admits Mistake, Gets Rewarded

A $12.5 million verdict against the city has been reversed because the jury was told the city admitted responsibility in the police shooting of Michael Pleasance.
- by Michael Miner
- Tags: Media, News Bites, News, Alvin Weems, Chicago Police Department, John Conroy, Michael Pleasance, Chicago Sun-Times, Illinois Appellate Court, Judge Bertina Lampkin, Kralovec, Jamois & Schwartz, Al Schwartz, Craig Mannarino, Video

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News & Features, Feature, Dec 10, 2009
Shedding Light on the Shadow Budget

The TIF budget we recently pried from the city's grip reveals drastic inequities in how the money's spent.
- by Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke

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News & Features, Feature, Nov 19, 2009
Joe Laiacona's Challenge to Deb Mell's Petition

The full document

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Blogs, Bleader, Nov 9, 2009
The Active Transportation Alliance Does an About-Face on the Parking Meter Deal

Under pressure from the city, a bicycling and transit advocacy group recants its criticism of the parking meter lease deal—and gives Mayor Daley an award.
- by Mick Dumke
- Tags: Bicycling, Politics, Clout City, Cycling, parking meters, privatization, Mayor Richard M. Daley, Chicago politics, Active Transportation Alliance, traffic policy, Rob Sadowsk

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Lit & Lectures, Lit & Lectures: Lit Feature, Nov 5, 2009
Fall Books Special: The Night Fred Hampton Died

An excerpt of a new book on the Black Panther leader's death and its aftermath by People's Law Office cofounder Jeffrey Haas
- by Jeffrey Haas
- Tags: Lit & Lectures: Lit Feature, Fred Hampton, Black Panthers, Vietnam, People's Law Office, Mark Clark, Cook County State's Attorney, PLO, Bernardine Dohrn, The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther, Proviso East, Merritt College, Bobby Seale, NAACP Youth Chapter, Bill Ivory, Key Agitator Index, Bobby Rush, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Breakfast for Children Program, Doc Satchel, Black P. Stone Nation, Blackstone Rangers, Deborah Johnson, Skip Andrew, Edward Hanrahan

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News & Features, Politics, Nov 5, 2009
A Round of Really!?! With Mayor Daley

We have some follow-up questions to the questions other outlets have been asking him about our stories.
- by Mick Dumke
- Tags: Politics, Mayor Daley, Richard M. Daley, TIF, TIFs, tax-increment financing, Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ, parking meters, Chicago Parking Meters, rainy-day funds, Chicago budget, Chicago budget crisis, Skyway, property taxes, William Blair & Company, Goldman Sachs, Antonio Villaraigosa, City Council, Los Angeles City Council, FOIA, Freedom of Information Act, MillerCoors, Willis Group

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News & Features, Politics, Nov 5, 2009
October Surprise

Mayor Daley says he’s not raising property taxes. But he is. Here’s how.
- by Ben Joravsky
- Tags: Politics, property taxes, TIF, TIFs, tax-increment financing, City Council, Mayor Daley, Richard Daley, David Orr, Mike Quigley, The Shadow Budget, A Tale of Two Cities, Jeremy Thompson, Jason Liechty, Helen Schiller, Walter Burnett, Patrick O'Connor, Forest Claypool, Larry Suffredin, John Daley, Tony Periaca, Cook County assessor, property tax assessment, Michael Madigan, John Hancock Building

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News & Features, Politics, Oct 29, 2009
Clout on the Calumet River

Marina owner Mike Olsen has reason to fear the city will force him out of business to the benefit of his competition.
- by Ben Joravsky
- Tags: Politics, Calumet River, Hired Truck Program, Mayor Daley, Mike Olsen, TIF, tax-increment financing, Freedom of Information Act, Calumet River TIF, Olsen's M&M Windjammer, Sunset Bay Marina LLC, John Jane, William Pacella, George Bonomo, Shadow Mirkhaef, Pacella Trucking Express, Crown Casino Corp, Fred Barbara, Bruno Roti Sr., Fred Roti, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Todd Stroger, Eighth Ward, Alexi Giannoulias, John Pope, Tenth Ward, Ed Burke, PGAV Urban Consulting, Cal River TIF, Southeast Environmental Task Force

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In the run-up to February's primaries, Mick Dumke and Ben Joravsky take a look at the races that could have the most impact on your life.

Tools

In the Cook County assessor's race: the insider, the outsider, or the guy with no phone?

Tools

You’ve read plenty in these pages about the hazards of turning over roads, airports, and parking meters to private companies. But when privatization is done right, argues advocate John Schmidt, it can be an ideal partnership.

Tools

How Alderman Gene Schulter and north-side party regulars engineered an IVI-IPO endorsement for their candidate Dan Farley

Tools

Once again the vagaries of the petition-challenge process end up protecting the incumbents.

Tools

Alderman Tom Allen makes history by daring to question the mayor's pet financing scheme in City Council chambers.

Tools

Why the son of a shamed former Illinois governor is so interested in the Supreme Court's review of the "honest services" law

Tools

A $12.5 million verdict against the city has been reversed because the jury was told the city admitted responsibility in the police shooting of Michael Pleasance.

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The TIF budget we recently pried from the city's grip reveals drastic inequities in how the money's spent.

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A cabbie waits for the police department to police one of its own.

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Can Alexi Giannoulias shake off the problems plaguing his family's bank to win Obama's old Senate seat?

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Remembering the unflappable Michael Scott

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How a bill intended to expand the state Freedom of Information Act was bastardized to expand the mayor's shadow budget

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If his challenge to Deb Mell's nominating petition succeeds, state rep candidate Joe Laiacona just might run unopposed in the Democratic primary. But can a leather master actually win in the general election?

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The full document

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Under pressure from the city, a bicycling and transit advocacy group recants its criticism of the parking meter lease deal—and gives Mayor Daley an award.

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An excerpt of a new book on the Black Panther leader's death and its aftermath by People's Law Office cofounder Jeffrey Haas

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We have some follow-up questions to the questions other outlets have been asking him about our stories.

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Mayor Daley says he’s not raising property taxes. But he is. Here’s how.

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Marina owner Mike Olsen has reason to fear the city will force him out of business to the benefit of his competition.

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