Rumors are swirling that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has cleared his schedule for a "surprise" appearance at this year's Lollapalooza. We guess he really is a political rock star, huh?......

The Illinois state legislature is sort of a mess this. The House is in session, trying to fix the state budget, but the Senate isn't scheduled to return until after the November election. Why the long break? Because there's a pay raise on the table, and if the Senate waits to approve the raise, they won't have to face the topic during reelection campaigns. State Senator Susan Garret (D-Lake Forest) says "Some people in leadership......

We almost missed this silliness last week: county highway workers have been ordered to observe a "no-drive" day every other Wednesday to cut fuel costs. Barring an emergency, Cook County Highway Department crews, the same people that fix potholes around the county, stay at the garage twice a month to do other, non-driving odd jobs. Highway Supt. Rupert Graham says the policy is modeled after Illinois Department of Transportation schedule. IDOT keeps most crews off......

As the Green Party wrapped up its convention here this weekend, former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney accepted the party's presidential nomination. McKinney chose Rosa Clemente, a hip-hop artist, journalist and activist, as her running mate. "I choose to do this, not for me, but for my generation, my community and my daughter," she said. "I don't see the Green Party as an alternative; I see it as an imperative." McKinney served in congress from 1993......

Governor Blagojevich used his amendatory veto power Sunday to expand House Bill 4255, which requires public employee health plans to cover preventative physical therapy treatments for multiple sclerosis and to expand autism coverage. The legislation comes from Senate Bill 1900, which did not pass earlier this year, despite broad bi-partisan support. Insurance policies in Illinois will now be required to cover up to $36,000 a year in occupational, physical, speech and behavioral therapies in addition......

On Thursday, members of the Illinois House failed to pay for the cuts in social services the governor made earlier this week. The governor called legislators into a special session this week, asking the House to close a $2 billion budget hole. He did it himself earlier this week by slashing $1.4 billion in programs and services out of the budget. "I'm not going to get in the position of defending the governor, but I......

Back in October, the city started soliciting bids to install surveillance cameras on street sweeping machines to help bust parking scofflaws. It worked! According to a proposed ordinance he unveiled yesterday, Mayor Daley wants to mount cameras on all the city's sweepers and start issuing $50 robotickets to illegal parkers. Daley says using cameras will be cheaper and more effective than using cops, and the Streets and San head says it's all part of an......

The governor vetoed $1.4 billion from the state budget on Wednesday, as lawmakers returned to Springfield at his request to tackle the budget shortfall. The cuts include $210 million for social services, $100 million for education and $600 million for health care, and the rest is expected to come from state reserves and belt-tightening measures. Money for health care, education, social service programs and public transportation has been cut, meaning that case loads will increase,......

Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized to Barack Obama yesterday on CNN’s The Situation Room, and later at a press conference, for remarks he made off-air after an interview with Fox News. In fact, because Jackson spoke when he thought he was off the air, it took several hours to know exactly what was said. After hours of hype, both on Fox and online, Bill O'Reilly finally played the tape on his show. At a press conference......

After Obama's announcement that he will give his acceptance speech at the 76,000 seat Mile High Stadium, several major news networks are saying that they may have to curtail coverage of the Democratic National Convention to cover the costs associated with the speech. The networks have already budgeted millions of dollars to cover the convention, and a departure in the script this late in the game could add hundreds of thousands of dollars to their......

Rod Blagojevich's office has enlisted bipartisan bigwigs Dennis Hastert and Glenn Poshard to send a flashy memo (PDF), jam-packed with information they hope will convince lawmakers that Blagojevich can be trusted with a construction plan that would fund roads, bridges, and schools, among other capital projects. The former U.S. House Speaker and former congressman, respectively, want lawmakers to feel secure in knowing that Blagojevich won't tamper with a statewide construction plan. To that end, the......

Pat Ryan, head of Chicago's 2016 bid, says he thinks our Olympic-hosting hopes are in fine shape, despite the recent and ongoing violence. "In terms of it resonating with [International Olympic Committee] voters and saying Chicago is an unsafe city, I don't think that would be the case at all," he said. The IOC has already evaluated Chicago's safety and found it acceptable. Which might be why the city feels so comfortable throwing down $85......

Hardly. In an effort to rein in the negative press coverage the county board president is routinely bombarded with, Todd Stroger is forbidding department heads from speaking to the media without his spokesman present. As recently as last month, county budget director Jarese Wilson refused to discuss why her department hadn't produced a finished 2008 budget halfway into the budget year. And a receptionist for Rupert Graham, the head of the highway department, refused to......

Will Smith has already said he'd play him onscreen, but first we have to get through the convention in August, an event that has its own series of rituals and traditions. One of the most high-profile of these is the biographical promo, a short film designed to introduce the nominee. Past efforts have invloved the likes of Harry Thomason (for Bill Clinton) and James Moll and Steven Spielberg (for John Kerry). Al Gore's 2000......

State Rep Jack Franks fired a new salvo in the battle to take Blago out of office late Wednesday night. Noting that Blagojevich has the power to balance the budget without ordering the General Assembly back to session next week, he charged that the governor is exhibiting a lack of leadership. "He won't compromise. He threatens layoffs and cuts to social programs," Franks said. "It's just a game to him. ... He won't make hard......

Mayor Daley's former patronage chief, Robert Sorich, was denied an en banc appeal hearing Monday. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned down a request that the entire court reconsider the convictions of Sorich and two others. Sorich, who was convicted in 2006 of fraud for his role in covering up political hiring in the city, had asked for a hearing to examine his fraud conviction for depriving the city of "honest services," a......

Those who know the exact price of their morning coffee received a gentle reminder this morning: the Cook County sales tax hike to 10.25% is effective today. Statewide, other new laws taking effect July 1: Illinois employers must pay minimum-wage employees $7.50 an hour. Yearly increases of 25 cents will follow until the year 2010, when the minimum wage for the state will have reached $8.25. The new Illinois Commercial Safety Towing Law requires registered......

Like deja vu all over again, midnight came and went on Monday, and Illinois still had no budget. June 30 was the last day of the state budget. Like last year, the potential for a showdown between the governor and legislators, as well as the requisite in-fighting among Democrats, seems right around the corner. Illinois's new fiscal year began today, but Governor Rod Blagojevich still hasn't approved this year's budget. Lawmakers passed a budget bill......

Now that Tony Rezko's trial is over, Judge Amy St. Eve has unsealed several defense documents, and boy oh boy, are they a treat. According to the documents, federal agents questioned Governor Rod Blagojevich on multiple occasions. (His spokesperson says two.) Blago disputed fund-raiser Joseph Cari's story that he was offered state contracts in exchange for fund-raising help. But Cari testified about that conversation at Rezko's trial, which means maybe he lied under oath, or......

If Illinois's legislators can't reach an agreement over a capital spending bill by October, "Gov. Schwarzenegger in California, Gov. Rendell in Pennsylvania, Gov. Crist in Florida, Gov. Paterson in New York, all are ready to" try and take the $9 billion in federal matching funds set aside for Illinois, said 10th District Congressman Mark Kirk. That money has been waiting in the federal budget since 2005. To get it, leaders in Springfield must first figure......

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is suing Countrywide Financial and its CEO Angelo Mozilo, alleging that the financial institution intentionally defrauded borrowers by selling them mortgages they could not afford. The suit, expected to be filed Wednesday morning in Cook County Circuit Court, charges both Countrywide and Mozilo with deceptive business practices and violating the Illinois Fairness in Lending Act, alleging that the company "engaged in unfair and deceptive practices including the loosening of underwriting......

The president of Proviso township's school board is being sued for allegedly defaming the district's ex-law firm on a blog. And Proviso is footing the board member's legal bills. Chris Welch, a lawyer, is apparently a contributor to Proviso Insider, a town-centric blog whose stated goal is to "be a beacon of light in the midst of Proviso's darkness." All the posts are posted under the same handle, but he says he didn't write the......

Amidst the perpetual dick-wagging that goes on in Springfield over the state budget, State of Illinois employees are feeling the pinch. Thousands of state workers, members of AFSCME Council 31 rallied at the State Capitol Monday before marching to the Hilton hotel, where negotiations between the state and the union are being held. The governor's office refused to comment on negotiations, saying "it would be irresponsible on our part to negotiate this contract through the......

In an election year, you can depend on three things: a Democrat, a Republican, and Ralph Nader. Activist and perpetual presidential candidate Ralph Nader will file his candidacy petition today with the Illinois Board of Elections to earn a place on Illinois's 2008 presidential ballot. According to his campaign, he has over 50,000 signatures, more than twice the required number. In spite of his role in the controversial 2000 presidential election, Nader had little impact......

Todd Stroger cast a rare tie-breaking vote Tuesday, approving a measure that will loan Cook County $150 million until the sales tax hike takes effect. “I think this is a slap in the face of the people who are going to be paying the sales taxes starting July 1,” said Commissioner Larry Suffredin, who voted for the borrowing resolution and the tax hike back in February. Suffredin also said he's concerned because commissioners were not......

Hot on the heels of her hosting gig on The View, Michelle Obama and some guy are on the cover of this week's Us Weekly. Wow, Mrs. Hulk Hogan's dating a 19-year-old? I mean, wow, that white I on the white cuff makes it look like it says "girls' rectals" instead of "girls' recitals. Also, the whole "rock" thing was marginally more interesting back in February when it was mentioned on the cover of Newsweek.......

As promised, Todd Stroger finally met with Palatine residents Monday evening, and he did not get a warm welcome. In fact, Stroger was met with anger and derision by community members upset by the recent county tax hike. "I feel totally disenfranchised," Jeff Milstein, a jewelry store owner from Schaumburg, told Stroger. "I don't trust you guys." Aside from being worried that political decisions in Cook County put the outer suburbs at a competitive disadvantage,......

Are spouses of presidential candidates fair game? It's a question that always arises, especially during this election cycle. After all, candidate spouses are important topics to potential voters. But at what point does such criticism and coverage go from legitimate to absolutely ridonkulous? Take, for instance, Fox News's coverage of Michelle Obama. Between "terrorist fist bumps" and being "Obama's baby mama," it's clear Rupert's peeps have been hitting the crazy sauce. But the Obamas could......

City Council this afternoon voted 33-16 in favor of the plan to put the Children's Museum in a hole in Grant Park. What now? Alderman Brendan Reilly says he's going to court. Reilly promised a flurry of lawsuits -- and an attempt to seek a temporary restraining order blocking construction. Museum attorney Ted Novak said he does not believe the opposition will be able to meet the high legal standard needed to obtain a......

When we were in the food-service industry, an expediter was someone who organized the orders before they hit the floor. (Think Tom Collichio in the Tramanto's episode of Top Chef from a couple weeks ago.) But in terms of Chicago politics, before today we had no idea. Alderman Ed Burke sure did, however - and would like to have them all licensed by the city. [Ed note: God forbid we make anything at City Hall......