Here's another way for City Hall to save millions - do away with unnecessary offices. more ›

There are many things that distinguish the great city of Chicago from other metropolises across the United States. Though many that visit the our shores immediately gravitate towards our most commercially driven symbols like Wrigley Field, our signature deep dish pizza and the startling view into the great beyond from the top of the iconic Sears/Willis tower. The events that punctuate the seasons, like the Taste of Chicago, the Blues Festival and the Monday night Downtown Sound free concert series are truly the events that have made a deeper impact on those that walk our streets each day. Sometimes we take for granted how lucky we are to have such rich and diverse cultural events here, and over the past twenty years our lives are much richer by the one-woman machine that both founded and headed the Department of Cultural Affairs: Lois Weisberg. more ›

A hiring settlement between the Cook County Forest Preserve and job seekers who said they were passed over for less-qualified, politically connected hires will cost taxpayers $555,772. more ›

During yesterday's City Council budget hearing with the Law Department, department head Mara Georges said the City plans to ask for an end to the Shakman decree early next year. Georges claimed the city is in "substantial compliance" in regards to laws forbidding political hirings and firings and that the city is no longer involved in such corrupt practices. It would also mean the end of the road for the city's hiring monitor, Noelle Brennan, with whom the city has long feuded. As recently as this summer, Brennan suggested that there could still be as many as 50 city employees that need to be disciplined or counseled for political hiring abuses. According to the Trib: more ›

Although the week is shorter, that doesn't mean that there hasn't been political news out there to round up! This week, we're making a special dedication to Chicagoist's favorite bad guy, the man that makes us the national butt of every political joke in town, the guy that represents everything that is wrong with our local political system, Todd "The Toddler" Stroger. Without further ado, let's take a gander at his follies and foibles, and... more ›

At Wednesday's first meeting of the newly installed Cook County Board, Todd Stroger kept his first promise of the new term — moving to appoint a tougher, more independent inspector general. Under a bill introduced by Commisioners Mike Quigley and John Daley, a new inspector general will soon have broader powers of oversight across all county offices. Assumed to be retired Circuit Judge Julia Nowicki, thanks to an agreement between the county and attorney Michael... more ›

The drama on the Cook County Board of Commisioners just got a little more interesting. Cook County commissioners approved a settlement agreement yesterday that will allow attorney Michael Shakman to approve the County Board president's choice for inspector general. Shakman is the man behind the Shakman Decree, the 1983 court ruling that makes it unlawful to take political factors into account in public hiring. He took the county to court in September after charges of... more ›

Yee Haw, Pardner! We got us a whole mess 'a turkeys to rustle up here, so let's get these doggies rollin'! Chicago taxpayers are footing the bill for legal representation of witnesses in the Hired Truck Scandal to the tune of $595,080, for witnesses alone! This number only covers the cost of witnesses that weren't implicated in the scandal. The largest portion of this bill, $210,717, went to a single law firm that used to... more ›

Way back in August we mentioned that U.S. District Judge Wayne R. Andersen appointed a "special master", lawyer Noelle Brennan, to investigate hiring practices at City Hall. The Master's report was due today. We wish we were there when Brennan handed the report over to Andersen. A person that bears the title "Special Master" must give quite the presentation. We imagine that as the judge sat down to his first cup of office coffee this... more ›

Have you ever been around a bratty little kid that was so desperate for attention that he or she would say the most outlandish thing possible just to make people turn quickly and his or her direction and exclaim “Tell me I did not just hear those words come out of your mouth!” Yesterday that bratty child was the Cook County Republican Party when it announced a $10,000 reward for anyone who comes forward with... more ›