The City Council's Finance Committee okay'd the host city contract for the 2016 Olympic bid. It now goes before the City Council for a full vote tomorrow, when it is expected it will be approved and then signed by Mayor Daley. According to Crain's: more ›

In quick succession, the Cook County Board shot down a series of tax hikes yesterday, including proposed increases on electricity and natural gas. Five other increases backed by Democrat Roberto Maldanado, including taxes on SUVs, hotel stays, jet fuel and liquor sold in bars, died without support from any commissioners. The 2-14 vote against the electricity and natural gas taxes, proposed by Stroger ally Bill Beavers, signaled the unofficial death of Board President Todd Stroger's... more ›

In one of his first acts as the new 2nd Ward Alderman, Bob Fioretti threatened to stall the second phase of a $750 million plan to raze the CHA's ABLA Homes, part of their multi-billion dollar "Plan for Transformation." After learning that $31 million dollars in expiring tax credits might be lost, he approved $15 million in tax-increment financing, but he vowed that a series of side letters would dictate three things: minority participation at... more ›

We here at Chicagoist haven't been shy about our skepticism of bringing the Olympics to Chicago. So we weren't too shocked to see, less than two weeks after Mayor Daley coasted to re-election, that the US Olympic Committee wanted the city to have "some skin in the game," committing the city (and therefore taxpayers) to guarantee the games to the tune of half a billion dollars. On Monday what's left of the city council took... more ›

What would Batman Returns have looked like if it were filmed in Milwaukee? Would High Fidelity still resonate with you if it had been filmed in Madison? Do the Blues Brothers have the same soul if they’re from Oshkosh? We may be about to find out, as Wisconsin hasn't been keeping its eyes on its own paper and just totally copied off of us. Screen Magazine, a periodical we turn to for the lowdown on... more ›

Through adroit parlementary manuvers, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance today that would ban drivers from using cell phones without a hands free device. Chicagoist has learned that the ordinance will be enacted this July, and first time offenders will be fined $50, with repeat offenders subject to fines of up to $200 with each offense. The ordinance does not apply to people in parked cars, people calling 911, or law enforcement officials. Alderman... more ›

Chicagoist thinks pre-season delusion among Cubs supporters must be at an all-time high this year. In part as an attempt to break the Cubs' curse, the Chicago City Council's Finance Committee authorized a "one-time exception" that will allow for two Jimmy Buffet concerts at Wrigley Field over the Labor Day weekend. Buffet played a pair of shows at Fenway last season, which ended with the Red Sox breaking their curse by winning the World Series.... more ›

As we told you last week, the county and city governments are currently wrestling with budgets and raising taxes to make up for a number of revenue shortfalls. We thought our readers would be especially interested in the cigarette taxes. We know you're that creepy guy (or gal) sitting at the corner of the bar chain-smoking and "making eye contact" with us. Daley originally wanted to raise the cigarette tax to just 48 cents per... more ›