Former Cook County Board President John Stroger has died, Mayor Daley announced this morning. He was 78. more ›

SHOOTING: Two homeless men shot in a 24 hour span in Uptown -- they appear to be unrelated. In more shooting news (why is there so much?!): Police have two "persons of interest" in custody Sunday morning after two teenagers were shot in a playlot on the South Side in the Woodlawn neighborhood, blocks from the University of Chicago campus. TRAINS: Our dear friend warns us: This is why you NEVER put headphones in... more ›

Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool more ›

OK, look. We know it's hard to get a job in the Chicago area. Hell, it took Chicagoist about three months to find a good job, even with a pretty solid resume. But with another hiring scandal coming out of the woodwork nearly every month, we can't help but wonder if it's impossible for anyone to get a government job through traditional means. If you were wondering why you never heard back about that Cook... more ›

"Sunday Social" via pantagrapher in Contribute. more ›

After wondering who's running county government now that President John Stroger is recovering from a stroke, there appears to be a plethora of people who want to run it if he is unable to stay in the re-election hunt. His son, Alderman Todd Stroger, said he was up to the challenge of taking his father's place on the November ballot, but some Democratic leaders and county commissioners aren't quite seeing things his way. more ›

So we all know that Cook County Board President John Stroger suffered a serious stroke in March, still won the Democratic primary against Commissioner Forrest Claypool, is recovering at the Rehabilitation Institute, and will decide if he wants to remain on the ballot sometime in July. But yesterday Claypool publicly raised a question many have been wondering for weeks: With Stroger out recovering, who is running county government? Even though officials insist Stroger is still... more ›

Cook County Board President John Stroger has been moved from Rush University Medical Center to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago as he continues to recover from his stroke. Not a lot of details about his condition and recovery have been released, but his son, Alderman Todd Stroger, says his father's impatience and improved speech and mobility is a good sign. We're very happy to hear Stroger is on the mend. But CBS 2 has a... more ›

Cook County Board President John Stroger suffered a stroke yesterday, and his political future is now uncertain. He was taken to the hospital yesterday morning after complaining of feeling tired and experiencing pain in his legs. Stroger, age 76, is unable to walk, has slurred speech, and feels disoriented. He is in intensive care, but in stable condition. He shows no signs of hemorrhaging or swelling in the brain, although it is uncertain if he... more ›

Cook County Board President John Stroger was hospitalized this morning after he complained he felt tired and his legs hurt. Stroger has a history of health problems and was hospitalized last year after feeling disoriented at a County Board meeting. He has been busy campaigning for reelection and reportedly looked very tired in recent appearances.... more ›

Ah, February. You went by so fast, yet you left us with so much political discord. As usual, County Board President John Stroger and Commissioner Forrest Claypool were all up in each other’s business. Maybe we could solve the county’s financial woes by having these two battle it out in a pay-per-view cage match. For a day or so it looked like Senators John McCain and Barack Obama might engage in a full out war... more ›

In the race for the Democratic nomination for County President, the bad blood between County Commissioner Forrest Claypool and current President John Stroger probably won’t be improving anytime soon. Both Claypool and Stroger appeared on NBC 5’s City Desk with Dick Kay yesterday morning. Unfortunately, Stroger is not keen on debates, so they did not appear together. Wait, maybe that’s a good thing. At this point we wouldn’t be surprised to see a meet... more ›

Veiled lies, attacks on one’s integrity, and attempts to destroy one’s reputation… sounds like another fun-filled day in the race for Cook County Board President. A couple of weeks ago President John Stroger and Commissioner Forrest Claypool, who is vying for Stroger’s position in the upcoming election, got into a shouting match over the budget for county hospitals during which the issue of race was brought up by Stroger—a topic which is now the... more ›

Like smokers don't have it hard enough already, with the taxes they pay on cigarettes and how we recently told them that they can't indulge in their favorite habit in public. Now County Board President John Stroger has proposed increasing the tax on a pack of ciggies by another $1, thus doubling the county's tax per pack. Stroger says that the hike would take care of a $75 million shortfall in the county's $3.1 billion... more ›

Cook County Board President John Stroger announced yesterday that he will be running for a fourth term. Stroger also alluded to possible property tax hikes next year to cover budget shortfalls, and defended his use of patronage, which immediately drew the ire of his political opponents. “We voted down tax increases and we proved they weren’t necessary. We didn’t have those tax increases and there wasn't a single cut in services the last two years,”... more ›

"Rebel", "agitator", "founder of the revolution". They're talking about Cook County Commissioner, Mike Quigley, who announced his long-expected candidacy for Cook County Board President at the Hotel Allegro this morning. Expecting a crowded race for president, Quigley, a Democrat, hopes to grab the public's attention by mounting his campaign early. So far the only other announced candidate is Republican Commissioner Tony Peraica, who announced in March. Democratic Commissioner Forrest Claypool is expected to officially announce... more ›

If you noticed the bunting along O'Hare Airport's arrival area, or see a bunch of goofy political-types gawking at Millenium Park, that would be a bunch of mayors and their aides in town for the U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Conference. Mayor Richard M. Daley is a big supporter of the organization, and this year Chicago is playing host, giving mayors from around the country an opportunity to see our fair city and talk about... more ›

Whee! Chicagoist just loves Cook County government! Between all the hospitals, and jails, and courts, and property taxes, there's just so much to love! That's why we're excited to read that Republican Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica is throwing down the gauntlet and holding a rally this Saturday to announce that he's running for County Board President. Sure it's been thirty-seven years since a Republican was County Board President. And of course current Democratic President... more ›

For about a week now news stories have been swirling around about some of Gov. Rob Blagojevich's top fundraisers and various state and city contracts. Yesterday, stories erupted about fundraiser and Blagojevich advisor Tony Rezko and former Rezko employee and Blagojevich administration member Jack Lavin with setting up a fake minority front for two O'Hare Panda Express restaurants. The restaurants, supposedly operated by black concessionaire, Jabir Herbert Muhammad, received their contracts as part of a... more ›

High noon came and went in the Cook County Board yesterday, and it seems that the bullets hit their mark. It was all about passing the 2005 budget. Three months late, and with a $73 million deficit, Board President John Stroger (at right) refused to make cuts, and instead insisted on increasing hotel and restaurant sales taxes two percent, lifting Chicago taxes to the nation's highest, 19.25%. Cutting the budget would lead to significant service... more ›

Carol Marin said it best today when she called today's Cook County Board meeting, "the political equivalent of high noon." The proposed County budget is three months late, millions of dollars in deficit and deader than a dead duck. But for reasons only explainable by the need to maintain patronage rolls, County Board President John Stroger has stayed on track for today's expected train wreck when his budget will be voted down and on Monday... 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 ›

In case you haven't heard, it's budget time in Illinois, so that means good times for everyone! And since we're no longer in the Go-Go Nineties (much like the "Swingin' Sixties" but different from the "Naughty Naughts"), local governments have a lot of shortfalls and are scratching for every last revenue dollar. more ›

We'll say this upfront: The Big News is that it takes Phoenix $2 million a year and 36 employees to handle all their documents, while it takes Cook County $19 million a year and 279 employees to do the same job. Ever earnest and diligent Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool produced a report this past week suggesting that if we upgraded our computer systems, we could cut the number of employees and save on the County Budget. more ›