Friday, April 19, 2013
A flood wrap of waterlogged reports from the Southland Patches.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle issued a disaster proclamation today in response to the massive flooding that's left many communities underwater. The Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management activated its Incident Command Center Wednesday, and it will continue operating throughout the duration of the severe weather. The flooding has already taken a serious toll on driving conditions. Commuters are suggested to plan ahead as IDOT announced the closure of multiple major roads throughout the Friday morning commute. The possibility of additional Friday storms may present an increased risk to many already bloated waterways, warns the National Weather Service. But it's not all doom and gloom. Thanks to…
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The organization claims President Toni Preckwinkle's office refused to divulge information on dozens of her appointments to various county positions.
The Better Government Association (BGA) is suing President Toni Preckwinkle’s Cook County government for denying a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in January, according to the BGA. The BGA’s denied FOIA request asked for names and addresses of dozens of Cook County board members and commissioners appointed by Preckwinkle. Her office refused to respond after filing for an extension because disclosure of the information “would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” according to the BGA. Preckwinkle’s office did not respond to multiple attempts seeking explanation for the refusal. “It’s clear this information doesn’t belong to the County Board president – it belongs to the public, and she should turn it over…
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
County President Toni Preckwinkle is asking 1,500 inmates be transferred to home-monitoring, to prevent an overcrowding crisis, ABC7 reports.
Cook County Jail is nearly full to bursting. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is asking the detention center to reduce its 10,000+ population by 1,500 because there is not enough money to pay for them, ABC7 reports. At its current rate of admissions, the prison is poised to exceed its 10,150-prisoner capacity "within days." "The population I had today is what I'd normally have at the worst time of the year," Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart told ABC7. "You can't sustain that. My overtime budget is exploding right now, absolutely exploding. I'm already close to going through what I was supposed to do for the whole year." To prevent overcrowding, Preckwinkle proposes that by mid-summer, 1,500 prisoners be transferred to home …
Monday, October 22, 2012
Cook County wants 5 cents for every bullet sold • An open letter to Pat Brady from a guy who gives Democrats money • A Rod Blagojevich legacy: All Kids doesn't fly right, either
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Cook County wants 5 cents for every bullet sold • An open letter to Pat Brady from a guy who gives Democrats money • A Rod Blagojevich legacy: All Kids doesn't fly right, either
The NRA and a suburban gun dealer say Cook County's proposed taxes on bullets and guns will probably land in court. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, saying there is too much violence in Chicago, wants a 5-cent tax on every bullet sold in the county and a $25 tax on every gun sold. Dave Workman, of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Bear Arms, told the Associated Press that gun-rights advocates will not stand for this. "It's not the law-abiding citizens stacking bodies like cordwood in Chicago; it's the bad guys," he said. The tax also could drive business out of Cook County and into the collar counties. "Who's going to come to Tinley Park to buy ammunition?" asked Fred Lutger, owner of Freddie Bear Sport in Tinley Park, …
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Video gambling, cigarettes, guns and ammo would be taxed under Cook County's new budget plan. Golf and picnic permits at the Forest Preserve would cost more, too.
Targeting smokers, gun owners and gamblers, a slew of new and unusual taxes and fees designed to raise $43 million are proposed for Cook County's $2.95 billion 2013 budget. Board President Tony Preckwinkle released her spending plan Thursday, saying $50 million in spending cuts are planned, too, and 462 open county jobs would be eliminated. But public attention will focus on the taxes: The proposed budget avoids a property tax hike. Nine of 17 commissioners need to vote for Preckwinkle's budget for it to pass. The county projects $25 million would be raised via the cigarette tax. Today, the total federal, state and local tax levied on a pack of cigarettes is $4.67 in Chicago and $3.99 in the Cook County suburbs. The tax on guns and ammo…
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joined doctors, local elected officials and dozens of community leaders to unveil the first phase of the re-development of the Oak Forest Campus as part of the planned transition to the Oak Forest Health Cente
Monday, April 30, 2012
Announced Monday by County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, such a move would be a way for the county to push the cost of services onto local towns as they annex the land.
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Monday, April 30, 2012
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is calling for the elimination of all unincorporated areas in the coming years in order to relieve the county's strained financial resources. Under the proposal, nearby municipalities would annex the county's 62 square miles of unincorporated land, leaving towns and villages to pick up the cost for services such as police protection and code enforcement. Preckwinkle appointed a task force in November 2011 to investigate the provision of services to unincorporated Cook County, as well as the associated costs. The study was completed and results were announced during a press conference Monday morning. According to Preckwinkle, recent budget reviews have shown that providing "municipal-type" …
Steve
5:39 pm on Tuesday, April 2, 2013
There was a time when Illinois was the place to come and find work, Indiana and Iowa are now the places to go. Cook County and Chicago have killed the goose that laid the eggs. Taxes will eat Illinois alive and then the politicans will go to Florida and retire. more ›