Gery Chico has the distinction of being the first mayoral candidate to launch an attack ad with the video below pouncing on Rahm Emanuel's proposed tax plan. more ›

If you're like us, you've been doing a lot of shopping online. It could be a music or movie download, it could be a whole new server system or home theater setup. Maybe you've been doing some telephone shopping, catalog shopping, or even crossing state lines to find the best deal. more ›

It's the same old song and dance at the County Building this afternoon, as Todd Stroger once again vetoed the rollback of his penny-on-the-dollar sales tax. The tax was recently voted down (again) by the Cook County Board by a vote of 12-5. Since the State Legislature changed the rules to require only 11 votes to overturn a Board President's veto, all the commissioners have to do is to not flip-flop on their original vote. more ›

33rd Ward Alderman Dick Mell announced late last Friday that Wal-Mart will get another shot at coming into Chicago, perhaps as early as by the end of this month. “We’ll see what the consensus is,” Mell who is chairman of the City Council's rules committee, said. Archon Group LP, the real estate firm that controls the South side retail center, has been ratcheting up pressure on the city, along with Wal-Mart, to allow the mega-retailer to develop a supercenter store at 83rd and Stewart. A clause in the development agreement of the Archon retail center prevents any store larger than 100,000 square feet from opening without prior approval by the city. Wal-Mart supercenters are typically 180,000 square feet, and sell groceries along with other retail goods. more ›

State legislators approved a huge $29 billion public works program to create jobs and repair the state’s infrastructure, however roughly $500 million can be spent in legislator’s home districts on pet projects such as $50k for the Candlewick Lake Association, a gated lakefront community near Rockford with a 220-acre lake and a 9-hole golf course. The community did not ask for the money but according to Candlewick’s general manager, “We certainly will find good use for it,” he told WBBM. Other projects slated for grants include: more ›

Greg Hinz is reporting on his blog that Cook County Board President Todd Stroger issued a scathing statement late Tuesday, threatening "thousands" of health care and public safety layoffs as a result of the tax cut county board commissioners voted for earlier in the day. The statement also featured an amusing typo that seemed almost appropriate. more ›

It's a good day if you're tired of higher taxes. WBEZ reports the Cook County Commission has just voted 12-3 to repeal last year's one percentage point sales tax increase. The three votes against the appeal came from William Beavers, Robert Steele and Jerry Butler. Even more eye-opening is Tony Peraica's Twitter feed which featured the following tweets from the Commission's meeting: more ›

We've had a few hours to digest the hundreds of thousands of job-losses announced this morning, so now might be the perfect time to spring this on you: Wal-Mart would like to put as many as 5 new stores in Chicago. The Tribune is reporting that a new push is being put together to start out with a new store in the 21st ward, and take it from there. more ›

Back in our New Orleans days, we used to see billboards that read "40K A State Away!", an attempt by the state of Texas to entice what few competent teachers southeast Louisiana had left. Our first reaction was annoyance. Who does Texas think they are, trying to pilfer our educators? Isn't everything already bigger and better there? Then, after a daiquiri from the drive-thru, we just shrugged. That's capitalism, baby. more ›

yesterday that if the General Assembly sent him a transit bill that included a sales tax increase, he wouldn't veto it. Blagojevich has vowed since the beginning of the budget debacle to veto any sale tax increase to fund mass transit. more ›