Last week we linked to reports on the $3 million and counting Metra spent on investigating the finances of former chairman Phil Pagano. today Crain's Greg Hinz takes a look at the territorial pissings happening as various Metra board members and their sponsors try to position themselves to succeed outgoing chairwoman Carole Doris. It's a doozy of a read that makes one wonder how Metra's board manages to take the time to make sure trains are on the tracks and running, they're so busy protecting their turf and blocking each other. more ›

Former Metra Chief Phil Pagano committed suicide a year ago May 7. We'll admit we found Pagano's story like peeling back layers of an onion, and the revelation that Pagano took $475,000 in vacation pay was just the beginning. Later it was discovered that Pagano's financials weren't square because he was supporting multiple homes. Then there was the fight for his pension, which his widow eventually won. more ›

The head of the House State Government Administration Committee, Marengo Rep. Jack Franks, has called for the entire board of directors at Metra to resign, saying that they've failed to properly rein in spending at the transportation agency, mainly on themselves. more ›

The suicide of former Metra chief Phil Pagano and the subsequent revelations regarding his finances could have something of a silver lining to them. The General Assembly, working with the Better Government Association, RTA and good-government lobbyists, passed legislation establishing an Inspector General for the transit authority that oversees CTA, PACE, and Metra. more ›

You really want to know why we find the story of former Metra boss Phil Pagano's tumbleweed finances so interesting? It's because a new wrinkle comes out every time we think the story is done, like trying to fight termites. more ›

A bankruptcy filing by the widow of former Metra Chief Phil Pagano paints a portrait of a man with enormous debt in need of immediate access to cash, and raises questions about how that all came to be. more ›

The widow of former Metra Chief Phil Pagano, who committed suicide in May walking in front of a train as the Metra board of directors were set to fire him for embezzling $475,000 in unearned pay, was awarded an $80,000-a-year pension as a survivor benefit. more ›

• Mayor Daley today said that he wouldn't increase property taxes for the 2011 budget.
• Authorities have released the contents of Phil Pagano's suicide note.
• A look at a Naperville-based company who's making some money from BP's clean up efforts in the Gulf.

Metra today released a report on its investigation into improprieties by former chief Phil Pagano who committed suicide last week by stepping in front of a Metra train. According to the report, Pagano took over $475,000 in vacation pay and twice forged the name of the Metra's chairwoman, Carole Doris, on memos. The report, written by special counsel James Sotos, noted, "This investigation revealed substantial evidence of financial irregularities and abuses carried out by a person at the highest level of Metra who, as a result of that position, was in the best position to perpetrate these acts." An investigation has been opened by the Cook County State's attorney office and the attorney general office claims they will also open an investigation. more ›

Metra chief Phil Pagano, recently placed on leave as the investigation into his alleged financial misdealings intensifies, has died of an apparent suicide this morning in which he walked in front of a Metra train. Metra board members had scheduled a meeting for this morning at which they were expected to fire Pagano but it was cancelled after reports of Pagano's death came out. The accident occurred near Hillside and Terra Cotta roads by Sternes Woods Park in Crystal Lake. According to the Northwest Herald: more ›

• The Reader's (and former Chicagoist writer) Hunter Clauss discovers that Ald. Beale's claim that Wal-Mart is the only retail choice for Pullman isn't quite true.
• Metra has placed chief executive Phil Pagano on leave as they continue to investigate his alleged bonuses.
• Authorities have recovered a car involved in an early morning hit-and-run accident on I-94.

Metra is investigating whether its executive director of 20 years, Phil Pagano, has been getting extra, unapproved compensation. The board of directors is specifically investigating an alleged "bonus" totaling $56,000 Pagano received in recent months. Metra Spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet told the Chicago Tribune that Metra doesn't pay bonuses anymore (that practice ended after 2004). In Metra's 2010 Budget, Pagano is slated to receive only his salary of $269,625, which is the same salary he received last year. If the board of directors' own review shows financial irregularities in Pagano's compensation, it will hire attorney James Sotos to conduct a format inquiry. more ›

This weekend we mentioned the MetraMarket and the fact it's finally getting built. Today we attended the "groundbreaking" ceremony for the Market, held at the future site of the French Market portion of the project. The 15,000 square foot market will be the first year-round market in the Chicago area and will feature plenty of butcher, produce, and fish stands, just to name a few. The entire project will include 48,000 square feet of restaurant space and 52,000 square feet of retail space. Of course, how does one hold a "groundbreaking" in a concourse with a solid concrete floor? By pulling windows out, of course! With Alderman Brendan Reilly, Chicago Deputy Commissioner Michael Jasso, and Metra Executive Director Phil Pagano in attendance, a group of people marked the occasion by pulling two window frames out of the wall in dramatic fashion, video of which is after the jump. more ›