CTA today announced it provided 531,960,253 rides in 2011. more ›

The first two of 11 Redbox kiosks have been installed at the Wellington Brown Line station and the Blue Line UIC-Halsted Station. more ›

Forrest Claypool's 2012 CTA Budget closes a $277 million deficit without fare hikes or service cuts. The problem? It's built on work rule changes that labor unions probably won't stomach. more ›

If approved, the plan would be implemented in a couple of years and could serve as a model for a universal fare card for CTA, Metra and Pace. more ›

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is unhappy with the city of Chicago and the CTA, so she is taking matters into her own hands. more ›

Claypool held the line at not raising fares or cutting services in the $1.24 billion budget if - and this is one hell of an "if" - unions agree to work rule changes and deep cuts in management more ›

CTA can't change the vacation and sick time agreements with union employees, as they're dictated by collective bargaining agreements. more ›

We don't envy CTA President Forrest Claypool, who is going to have to make some tough decisions when he presents his first draft for next year's budget. more ›

The first station to get a facelift will be the Logan Square Blue Line station, where mayor Emanuel announced the initiative with CTA President Claypool and 35th Ward Ald. Rey Colon this morning. more ›

If anything, Claypool sounded as though a fare hike may be in the cards for next year. more ›

Now it can be confirmed. Mayor Emanuel lobbied Rod Blagojevich to appoint Forrest Claypool to fill the Congressional seat he was vacating to join the Obama White House. more ›

Tribune Transportation reporter John Hilkevitch pens a convincing article today that's part reporting, part op-ed that strongly suggests Mayor-elect Emanuel and incoming CTA President Forrest Claypool work to get the struggling public transportation system on terra firma. more ›

At what would be the last meeting for a trio of names familiar to those who follow Cook County politics, Todd Stroger, Tony Peraica and Forrest Claypool took some good-natured jabs, said goodbyes, and thanked supporters. Stroger, who lost the Democratic primary to 4th Ward Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, defended the unpopular penny-on-the-dollar sales tax increase he worked to implement. “That penny literally kept the government running. Without that money, we would have had to shut some doors, cut days off, not provide some services as we actually are dictated to (provide) by the state.” Stroger told press after the meeting. He also publicly thanked his cousin, Donna Dunnings, saying “I’d like to give her a lot of credit for the success we had,” as she, according to the Sun-Times, "openly wept" in the audience. Dunnings was fired by Stroger in 2009 after a patronage scandal that had her bailing a former steakhouse busboy out of jail, twice, amid allegations that he was improperly promoted and carried on an inappropriate personal relationship with her. more ›

Forrest Claypool, who launched an independent bid against Democrat Joe Berrios for Cook County Tax Assessor, lost last night. Claypool told WBEZ that he was counting on the suburban "protest" vote to put him over the top. Unfortunately for Claypool, that vote never materialized, putting Berrios firmly in the assessor's seat. more ›

Cook County Democratic Party Chairman and County Assessor candidate Joe Berrios launched an attack ad against challenger Forrest Claypool that essentially has nothing to do with the race itself and everything to do with scaring voters to "support the Democrat." more ›

Joe Berrios, who is running for Cook County Assessor, announced in a press release that he received the "Nod From Latino Elected Officials," yesterday. "Joe Berrios has spent his career in public service working to level the playing field for the minority communities," said 4th District Congressman Luis Gutierrez. "He will continue that work when he becomes Cook County's next assessor, making sure that everyone is treated equally, no matter their color or income level." more ›

Democratic Cook County Assessor candidate Joe Berrios is really getting worked up over the challenge he's received from independent candidate Forrest Claypool. Maybe it stems from that Chicago magazine piece or Berrios' complaint with the IRS against the Better Government Association in connection with the piece. Whatever the case, Berrios has brought the sass in his latest press release addressing Claypool and his rich donors, name-checking some that were found on that Forbes list we posted on yesterday. In the statement, Berrios goes after Claypool for having a bunch of Richie Rich donors, dripping with so much sarcasm that we imagine he was doing the two-finger air quotes gesture while dictating the statement to his campaign's press liaison. more ›

• The family of the man whose decapitated body was found in Evanston yesterday believe he committed suicide.
• Mayor Daley: not a fan of Race To The Top.
• Toni Preckwinkle: not a fan of Forrest Claypool.

You know it's going to be a crazy, wide-open race for mayor when someone makes news for saying he's not running for the office. Forrest Claypool, already ensconced in a battle for Cook County Assessor, said he thought about it but ultimately decided against running for mayor. "I took 24 hours to think about it. But I've decided the race I'm in is too important to leave. It's an opportunity for voters to take a stand against the insider culture that's bankrupted our state and polluted our politics." Claypool, an outgoing Cook County Commissioner and an independent on the ballot, is locked in a heated battle with incumbent Joe Berrios. Berrios spokesman Manuel Galvan took a shot at Claypool, saying, "Obviously, Forrest is already focusing on the mayor's race. We have the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez and will be rolling out periodic endorsements on our schedule, not Claypool's timetable." more ›

Forrest Claypool, who's running as an independent for Cook County Assessor, launched www.joeberrios.com on Monday, to "highlight the abysmal record of Cook County’s most notorious insider politician." In a statement to the press, Claypool campaign manager Tom Bowen said "voters can see the complete record of Joe Berrios in all its infamy. Whether it’s tax breaks for politically-connected insiders, investigations for corruption, massive tax increases, or lobbying for the liquor and gaming industry, Joe has done it all while we pay the price.” Bowen notes that "over the course of more than 20 years of public office, Berrios has endured countless investigations for corruption, ghost payrolling, improper hiring, and sweetheart contracts," while giving property tax breaks to campaign donors and backing Todd Stroger's tax hikes in Cook County. more ›

In an email to supporters yesterday evening, Cook County Commissioner and independent candidate for county assessor Forrest Claypool announced he will be on the ballot this fall, after Board of Review Commissioner Joseph Berrios decided not to challenge the 90,000 signatures Claypool filed to get on the ballot. "It would be irresponsible to subject either the public authorities or our opponent to the cost, time and effort of litigation, perhaps all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court," Berrios spokesman Manuel Galvan told Chicago Current. "The notion that a review by the Berrios campaign is a definitive assessment of the quality of our campaign’s work is laughable," said Claypool's campaign manager Tom Bowen. more ›

Today is the deadline for independent candidates to file their petitions with the State Board of Elections to get on November's ballot and two notable names plan to file. Cook County commissioner Forrest Claypool said in a statement he plans to file 90,000 signatures today, well above the 25,000 required to get him on the ballot for county assessor. Talking to WBEZ, Claypool admitted he expects an immediate challenge from Dem candidate Joe Berrios. Said Claypool, "The only way we will not be on the ballot, I believe, is if there's something wrong with the system." more ›

Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool made official his intention to run as an independent candidate for county assessor yesterday, bringing the obscure and byzantine world of property taxes front and center this election season. "Those of us who've been fighting for years to change Cook County government are not willing to stand by and concede this office to Joe Berrios and the insider politics he represents," said Claypool at the Hotel Allegro where he made his announcement. "If elected the independent assessor of Cook County, I'll continue to stand up for taxpayers - not big businesses or their clout-heavy law firms. I'll start by declaring my independence from the tax appeal lawyers who fund Joe Berrios. ... I pledge to you today: I will not take their money," he said. more ›

Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool will announce his bid as an independent candidate for Cook County Assessor this morning. “I didn’t expect to be a candidate,” Claypool told Carol Marin last week. “But I was angered and surprised someone like Joe Berrios with record low turnout could slip in with 39 percent of the vote . . . carried over the finish line by ward bosses.” Claypool announced in January that he was leaving county government last year, opting instead to head to the private sector to work on his new health care venture. Since then Toni Preckwinkle won the Democratic nomination for Cook County Board President, a seat Claypool once hoped for, and Berrios won the nomination for county assessor as Jim Houlihan leaves office. Houlihan, who's clashed with both Berrios and State Dem chairman Michael Madigan to ensure that tax assessments in Cook County are fair, has warned that Berrios and his pals are trying to manipulate the vote by delaying this year's tax bills, which are expected to be significantly higher. more ›

That then-U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel of the 5th Congressional District of Illinois wanted a hand-picked replacement who could essentially serve as a "seat-warmer" when he was selected as then-President-Elect Obama's Chief of Staff is no surprise. That "seat-warmer" would hold Rahm's seat in Congress until Rahm was done working for Obama and could return to his place on the Hill. And that Rahm had contact with Blagojevich about various replacements - including the infamous "for sale" U.S. Senate seat - is also no surprise. Rahm's admitted they talked shop but also maintained he did nothing wrong. But this morning we're getting more specifics courtesy of an investigation by the Sun-Times who reports that Rahm wanted Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool as his "seat-warmer." more ›

The Sun-Times reports that U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis is forming an exploratory committee to consider a run for Cook County Board president early next year. The field is already crowded with at least six other officials showing interest. The Chicago Reader has a roundup of the potentials, which includes, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, and of course Todd Stroger. Currently there is no clear candidate for the Republican primary. more ›

• Metra found out today they're the recipient of $46 million in federal cash.
• The Parking Ticket Geek has shots of today's Parking Meter protest.
• Cook County Commissioner Willaim Beavers took a cheap shot at departing commissioner Forrest Claypool, calling him a, "born loser."

In a surprise move, Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool announced yesterday afternoon that he would not be running for County Board President. Claypool, who ran as a reformer against John Stroger in the 2006 Democratic primary, said in an email to supporters that he has "decided not to be a candidate again for Cook County board president. Nor will I be a candidate for a third term on the board." He has also canceled his June 30 fundraiser, and "will be returning all checks." In an early May poll, Claypool was ahead of both incumbent Todd Stroger and 4th Ward Alderman Toni Preckwinkle. more ›

Paul Vallas isn't the only person (maybe) running for Cook County Board President. Incumbent Todd Stroger has made it clear that he intends to run for re-election, and Forrest Claypool, who was poised to take the seat before John Stroger was felled by a serious stroke, is also rumored to be considering a run. Fourth Ward Alderman Toni Preckwinkle has also expressed interest in the job. (She even has a Facebook page!) "He's (Stroger) a nice man," Preckwinkle told Russ Stewart at the Chicago Daily Observer. "But it's not the job for him. He's damaged and crippled the reputation of (county) government. It's time to professionalize it." more ›

The Cook County budget showdown is gearing up as county President Todd Stroger is expected to unveil his 2009 budget proposal today. Stroger has already put pressure on Cook County commissioners to approve a plan to borrow $720 million. The Stroger administration argues that the money is needed in order to keep the county afloat. Donna Dunnings, the county’s chief financial officer and Stroger’s cousin, told the Trib yesterday that massive layoffs are in store if the plan is rejected. more ›