Currently, the ChiSox pay a seemingly modest $1.5 million annually to the ISFA, which works out to about $18,000 per game or $0.75 per fan who passed through the turnstiles this season. more ›

After 19 health inspections in two years, Logan Square Kitchen finally went to the city to complain. Guess what, they won. Unfortunately, the health record of the shared-use kitchen wasn't cleared, because of the way administrative hearings work in Chicago. Undaunted, the owner, Zina Murray, told us last night that she was starting "Health Inspection Parties," with the premise that "Hey, transparency can be fun!" more ›

Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill into law forming a new commission that is "aimed at researching disparities in the African-American community." more ›

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is leaving on a jet plane for Israel tomorrow to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to learn more about foreign policy issues that affect the region today. more ›

Those who wish to have corporate-sponsored license plates could pay a reduced vehicle registration fee for a sponsored license plate. more ›

Emanuel's decision to lay off city employees most likely intensified any tension between the city workers and the new mayor. more ›

Mayor Emanuel is holding off on giving Chicago Housing Authority CEO Lewis Jordan a vote of confidence until he sees the results of an audit on CHA's credit card use. more ›

(Cue the jokes about lawyers in 3,2...) Attorney General Lisa Madigan siad her office raised nearly $1 billion for the state's coffers last year through litigation and collection of estate-tax revenues. more ›

The U.S. Postal Service announced the closings of 2,000 post offices across the country yesterday and the greater Chicago area is getting hit with the loss of two stations. The stations slated to close are at 2148 E. 71st St. on the Southeast side, and 5325 W. 5th Ave. in Gary, IN. more ›

The State Legislature has been all blades to the grindstone since reconvening in Springfield. It looks like they're on the verge of passing two major changes once the Senate reconvenes next week. First, Gov. Quinn and General Assembly leaders reached a deal on an increase in the state income tax by up to 75 percent and an increase on the cigarette tax of $1 per pack. But the more historic vote was the state House's vote to abolish the death penalty. The vote comes a decade after then-Gov. George Ryan placed a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois; 20 men on Illinois' Death Row have been exonerated. more ›

With news of Lura Lynn Ryan in intensive care due to complications from chemotherapy, attorneys for her husband, former Governor George Ryan, filed an emergency motion yesterday to have Ryan released so that he can be at his wife's side. more ›

Illinois is set to have new campaign finance restrictions go into effect on New Year's Day. Yesterday, Gov. Quinn signed into law new pension reforms that increase the retirement age of teachers, firefighters and policemen, and restricts double dipping. While neither go the full length of what reform advocates want, they are first steps and, to a man, are the result of the actions or inactions of Rod Blagojevich's tenure as Governor, and his impeachment. more ›

Yesterday we posted about a Sun-Times expose that looked at who in city, county and state government has a security detail, and the cost to taxpayers. The story listed the four city officials currently receiving bodyguard details as Mayor Daley, 14th Ward Alderman Edward Burke, City Treasurer Stephanie Neely, and a fourth official the Police Department refused to disclose. Today, the Sun-Times identified the fourth official. more ›

If you've ever wondered what it takes to run a city government that just balanced a $600 million budget deficit, check out the full list of city departments and ask yourself what can be consolidated. more ›

It looks as though some suburbs are starting to have second thoughts about expanding the use of red light cameras. The reason? A drop in revenue. more ›

Reprising a favorite song and dance when looking to give big businesses a tax break, Mayor Daley is pushing for a 12-year tax break worth $1 million to land a second Costco at 14th and Ashland, arguing that the jobs that will be brought to the city will offset the lost revenue from the tax break. more ›

New County Board President Toni Preckwinkle didn't let the dust settle under her feet after giving her inaugural speech. Preckwinkle set a 2013 deadline to roll back the unpopular penny sales tax hike implemented by the outgoing Todd Stroger and showed dozens of Stroger staffers the same door Stroger was shown by voters last spring. more ›

Toni Preckwinkle will be sworn in today as the new President of the Cook County Board and chances are that she won't be smiling like in the photo above for a while. more ›

Rahm Emanuel has been pressing flesh and listening to people bitch about what's wrong with the city pretty much from the moment he came back to town to kick off his mayoral campaign. James Meeks is going to take the listening tour concept further. more ›

The state House was in major "TCB" mode yesterday. In addition to approving the civil unions bill and allowing for a gas plant to be built on the Southeast side, they voted in favor of reforms to police and fire department pensions. By a 95-18 margin, the House voted to raise the retirement age to receive a full pension from 50 to 55; addresses the issue of giving end-of-career retirement bonuses that boost retirement benefits, but only for new hires; and limits payouts by setting a ceiling of $106,800 on which a person's pension can be based. more ›

Mayor Daley has three vacancies to fill in City Council once again. For the second time in nine months, he's taking applications. With Toni Preckwinkle moving on to the County Board presidency, Ed Smith retiring and Tom Allen being appointed to a Circuit Court judgeship, Daley's looking for go-getters to serve as aldermen until the new City Council is sworn in next May. more ›

If you're a homeowner in Cook County and saw a sharp increase in your property taxes with your second installment, you're probably wondering how the hell that happened in a depressed housing market. In the city of Chicago, 54 percent of residential property tax bills went up. Before you start tending to your wounds, let's note that the suburbs got hit worse; more than 80 percent of suburban homeowners saw an increase in their second installments. Chances are that if your taxes haven't gone up significantly, you're the exception and not the rule. So why, are you asking, are your property taxes going up now when the value of your home is less than it was three years ago, when the housing market was at the peak of its most recent boom? more ›

Preckwinkle warned county officials that spending cuts will be coming, in order to overcome a projected revenue shortfall of $480 million. That shortfall includes the loss of revenue in the projected rollback of the county sales tax increase Stroger and the Board approved last year; a $55 million settlement reached this week related to strip searches in Cook County jail; higher debt payments and new contract costs for employees. more ›

Yesterday Illinois PIRG held a press conference outside of city council chambers to thank the 19 aldermen who signed a pledge against future privatization of city resources. more ›

State lawmakers will begin their six day veto session before the Thanksgiving recess today. The Illinois Legislature will have its hands full for the next few days, with votes scheduled for some hot ticket items. more ›

Cook County Board President-elect Toni Preckwinkle was hoping for a smooth transition with the man she's replacing. But is it any surprise that Todd Stroger so far hasn't cooperated with Preckwinkle? more ›

23rd Ward Alderman Michael Zalewski, Mayor Daley's handpicked choice for City Council president pro-tempore, suggested that the city could save $1 million annually if City Council consolidated its 19 committee chairs. more ›

Not to make light of Ron Huberman's impending exit as Chicago Public Schools CEO, but he's probably leaving at the most opportune time... for him. more ›

Reacting to criticism about raising the minimum age limit for taking the police exam to 25, Police Superintendent Jody Weis struck a compromise that either is wise like Solomon or reeks of politics. more ›

If everything is better with a song, maybe President Obama should have started out singing his agenda post-inauguration. more ›