We're shocked - shocked, we tell you - to learn this morning that outgoing Cook County President Todd Stroger has been accused of hiring shenanigans. A motion in an ongoing lawsuit brought by attorney Michael Shakman alleges Stroger has violated a political hiring ban 157 times. According to the Sun-Times: more ›

Federal hiring monitor Mary Robinson issued a report this week detailing something that the rest of Cook County has been well aware of for some time now: Todd Stroger has been using his position as Cook County Board President to hire and fire people based on political allegiances. Robinson noted in her report to the federal court that is overseeing hiring in Cook County and the City of Chicago that while progress has been made on removing political influence from the hiring process in Cook County, “since losing his primary bid to run for reelection, the president has aggressively used his legal authority to make unilateral exempt hiring and firing decisions to reward supporters and part company with those who were disloyal.” more ›

There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Screw It Zone. Presented for your consideration: One Mr. Todd Stroger, (soon to be former) Cook County Board President. Stroger ascended to his seat in a Machiavellian deal with the devil, taking power in the second most populous county in the United States after his father succumbed to a stroke. But all is not well in the heartland. more ›

The election to replace Cook County Board President is still five months away, but Todd Stroger's still in the captain's seat. And that means that his administration is still in charge when it comes to contracts and hiring. According to the Sun-Times, the Stroger administration quickly hired and payed two contractors to help promote energy efficiency and composting in Cook County (you remember those campaigns, right? Right?), even though they aren't listed in state or county business registries, as required by law. more ›

Soon to be former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger vetoed an ordinance yesterday that would impose a hiring freeze on his administration during his last months in power, and bar him from giving pay raises. The county board is likely to override the veto, but Stroger says he's prepared to challenge the action in court. The county board passed the ordinance last week, along with two others that require him to report all personnel changes, raises and contracts that have not been previously approved by commissioners. Stroger's financial shennanegans have been the source of controversy of late, as he's financed new furniture for his office and increased the pay of people in his administration by tens of thousands of dollars. more ›

That lovable scamp Todd Stroger is at it again. Just a few days after reports surfaced of shenanigans including contracts with board approval and new furniture spending sprees, a new report says that Stroger gave his CFO a ridonkulous raise of $54,000 and did so without board approval. That's not a typo: 54 plus three zeros. For a raise. Hell, many of us don't make that in a YEAR and we're not the CFO of a county struggling to make ends meet. CFO Jaye Williams was the recipient of the pay raise, which boosted her salary from $176,000 to $230,000 (31 percent). This from the board president who's been huffing and puffing about the board's tax roll-back has no problem shelling out an extra $50K? more ›

With just seven months left in the captain's chair, Todd Stroger has entered the "Screw It Zone," prompting new restrictions by the Cook County Board. more ›

Chicago's Azteca Supply Company had some inside help securing city contracts worth tens of millions of dollars, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Gery Chico, a former Daley chief of staff who now chairs the City Colleges of Chicago board, seems to be very friendly with Aztec's owner, Aurora Valadez Venegas: more ›

It seems that the Andy McKenna campaign has riled both the Gov. Quinn campaign as well as the Chicago Tribune after using an alleged quote from a Tribune article that both the Trib and the Quinn says the McKenna folks made up. The ad continues to attempt to tie Quinn to our most recent corrupt ex-gov, Rod Blagojevich. more ›

What was supposed to be a forum for the four remaining Democratic candidates for Cook County Board President turned into a Player Hater's Ball as the incumbent, President Todd Stroger, was a no-show, opening the flood gates for the remaining three candidates - Terry O'Brien, president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), and Cook County Clerk of Courts Dorothy Brown - to unleash some verbal attacks on Stroger. The S-T provides a sampling of what each candidate said about Stroger. As for Stroger's absence? His campaign manager, Vincent Williams, originally told the Sun-Times, "I haven't spoken to the president today, so I don't have an answer." However, this morning, Williams issued the following statement (via email) on behalf of the Stroger campaign: more ›

Man puts on giant bat costume. Man runs about town in said costume. Hilarity ensues. [via] more ›

• The Cook County state's attorney's office is doing battle with Northwestern University's Medill Innocence Project over students' work in securing a new hearing for Anthony McKinney, who the project claims was wrongfully convicted for a 1978 murder.
• After months of pressure as a result of the Clout College scandal, University of Illinois chancellor Richard Herman announced his resignation, effective Monday.
• Anger is spreading over a fundraiser being held by the Fraternal Order of Police for Chicago Police officer Joseph Frugoli, who was charged with a DUI and reckless homicide for a drunk driving accident this past spring that claimed the lives of two men. Frugoli was off-duty at the time of the accident.

Earlier today, some mainstream media outlets in town breathlessly reported on an alleged connection between the site Chicagoans For Rio and...well, Rio. Sites associated with WBBM (CBS 2 and 780 AM) - as well as the Tribune - posted a story containing the following information: more ›

Is Sam Zell pulling a fast one on taxpayers with his sale of the Chicago Cubs? It seems like he might according to the Washington Post's Allen Sloan. And as The Reader's Whet Moser points out, this is not exactly the first time Zell has pulled some shady shenanigans in his dealings with the Tribune Company. more ›

An alderman who says one thing in private and something else in public? Considered us floored. Ald. Tom Tunney is the latest political figure to come under a bit of scrutiny over perception versus reality. To hear him talk about his proposal of shutting down vendors within a certain radius of Wrigley Field, it's all about safety. Last month, Tunney told the Trib, "It's a public safety issue. You can't walk to the park." Behind closed doors is another matter though. more ›

We admit we had no frickin' clue who the hell Robert Pattinson was when we read that his appearance was causing an increase in Orland Square Mall security. Apparently he's in some vampire flick that's coming out and is a tween idol. Whoop-de-do, right? more ›

After much hand-wringing, doomsdaying and speculation, Mayor Daley and his administration finally laid out how serious the city's budget deficit is. The city's 2009 budget has a $420 million gap and the mayor is saying nothing, except an increase in real estate taxes, is out of the question. That includes as many as 1,800 layoffs. "We’re not gonna speculate on the number of layoffs or if they are even necessary. Today, we’re simply framing the issue for you," the city's Chief Financial Officer Paul Volpe said Thursday. "Today, everything’s on the table. That I would tell you. The mayor has said that he will not increase property taxes. That’s a certainty. Anything else, we’ve got some tough choices to make," he said. more ›