Results tagged “costs”

It's well-known around town that the CTA needs money something fierce and is looking everywhere to find some money. It won't come from a second fare hike this year, as last week the CTA said they wouldn't be doing that. $1.4 billion is due from the federal government later this year but the CTA itself says it needs $7 billion to get itself fully up to speed (which we're sure all that Olympic cash would totally fix, right?). CTA President Richard Rodriguez has even said he's going to put an end to the free company cars that nearly 70 CTA employees take advantage of, including himself, as a means to cut spending. But where does all this money go? How much does it cost to run the CTA? The Sun-Times offers up this pretty nifty interactive graphic which shows you how costs break down for the agency. [h/t Windy Citizen]

Bears fans planning on spending their Sundays tailgating at a pair of parking lots should prepare to pay a little bit more than they did last year. The two lots - one at the McCormick Center and one at 31st & S. Moe Dr. - will see nearly a 50 percent increase from their $17 2008 costs to $25 in 2009. And why, exactly? According to Mary Kay Marquisos, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority, it's to cover "the cost of security, portable toilet facility rental, shuttle buses, cleaning and parking taxes." Also, due to ownership issues, there will be no parking at Michael Reese Hospital.

Watching the Dow rise and fall in recent weeks has been like riding a roller coaster with a bad case of stomach flu. It sank like a stone last week after Congress approved a $850 billion bailout and the credit markets remained frozen. This week, upon news that the Federal government will be partially nationalizing the nation's major banks, the Dow saw its biggest one-day increase ever. In a year in which we've seen skyrocketing grocery prices in relation to increased oil costs, the thought of paying even more for provisions crossed us more than once.