Sun-Times: Chicago cops go slowly with body cameras, but results promising
The Chicago Police Department’s body-camera pilot program remains stuck in a Northwest Side district after nearly a year of testing, but authorities say the results are promising — including no citizen complaints against the officers using the devices.
In January, the city began testing 30 body cameras in the Shakespeare District, which covers the Humboldt Park, West Town and Logan Square neighborhoods.
Chicago Tribune: The quiet evolution in Springfield
Patiently and without rancor, Gov. Bruce Rauner and several union leaders have negotiated new employment contracts that will create a more efficient state workforce and reduce some of the pressure to lay off state workers in flat-broke Illinois.
Five Teamsters bargaining units and 12 trades units have reached agreements on four-year contracts. The Teamsters, including some members of the Illinois State Police, agreed to a four-year wage freeze.
Rauner, in turn, set up a merit-based system to pay bonuses to workers who reach certain benchmarks. He also continued the same level of health care benefits for employees and their families.
NBC Chicago: Protesters Plan March on Michigan Avenue on Black Friday
Rev. Jesse Jackson organized a “major” demonstration on Black Friday, calling for protesters to march up Michigan Avenue in response to the release of the dash-cam video showing the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald by a Chicago police officer.
The demonstration is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday. It will begin at Michigan and Wacker and proceed up to Water Tower Place.
The purpose of the Black Friday protest is to bring the attention of the world to Chicago and to call for change via “mass demonstrations” and voter registration. Jackson said 450 shootings have taken place in Chicago this year, which he believes should have gained the same media attention as the terror attacks in Paris and Beirut and on the Russian airliner that crashed in Egypt.
Chicago Business Journal: Uber to join Lyft in making pickups at Chicago airports over Thanksgiving weekend
After Lyft won approval to make pickups at Chicago’s airports over Thanksgiving weekend, it wasn’t clear if it’s major app-based car service competitor, Uber, would also gain that approval. But Tuesday, the city finalized the company’s approval.
That means both major players will have access to a large potential passenger pool during a traditionally busy holiday weekend at O’Hare International and Midway. The Chicago Sun-Times explained that like taxis, cars with the app-based services will be required to go to holding areas and only proceed to the terminals when they actually get flagged for a ride.
Bloomberg: Chicago Pension Ruling Seen as a Loss For Investors
As Chicago awaits the ruling on whether Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to save its retirement funds from insolvency is dead or alive, investors are already marking the fight down as a loss that will strain city coffers and boost pension costs by billions.
Conning, which oversees $11 billion of municipal bonds including Chicago debt, has encouraged investors to reduce their holdings for more than a year, and said the projected negative ruling affirms that view. Wells Fargo Asset Management, which holds $475 million of Chicago general obligations, said the market is “emotionally prepared” for the loss, and hasn’t materially changed position.
The Illinois Supreme Court is weighing whether to uphold or overturn a lower court’s July ruling that deemed the restructuring of two non-public-safety retirement funds illegal. If the overhaul is not upheld, it’s expected that the unfunded liabilities of the municipal pension fund would increase by $2 billion, according to the Civic Federation, which cited actuarial reports. Moody’s Investors Service said Nov. 10 that rejecting the pension fix could pressure Chicago’s credit quality, but has factored such a decision into its speculative-grade rating on the city that has a $20 billion pension shortfall.
Quad City Times: Illinois Supreme Court to decide airport tax break
In a case that could have financial implications for school districts and cities across the state, the Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a tax break granted to a private company is constitutional.
Elliott Aviation, which operates private air services at the Quad-City International Airport, is asking the high court to overturn an appeals court decision that grounded a property tax break the Illinois General Assembly granted the firm in 2013.
The 3rd District Appellate Court ruled last year the special deal offered to Elliott violated the state’s special legislation clause.
Reuters: Budget gap, pensions could push Illinois credit rating lower
Illinois’ credit rating could move even closer to “junk” if its already large pension liability and budget deficit grow, Moody’s Investors Service said on Tuesday.
Last month, the credit rating agency downgraded Illinois just three steps above “junk” to Baa1 with a negative outlook in the wake of a political impasse that has left the fifth-largest U.S. state without a budget for the fiscal year that began on July 1.
“As long as those conditions continue to deteriorate, those are the most likely drivers of the next downgrade,” Moody’s analyst Ted Hampton said on Tuesday, referring to the pension and deficit problems.
Read more at Reutershttp://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/24/us-illinois-moody-s-idUSKBN0TD2YP20151124#t629YFYfKY1K2xl7.99
American Thinker: Why do you never see gasoline taxes itemized on your receipt?
In April 2014 I suddenly realized that when you buy gasoline, the receipt does not list all the different taxes you have to pay.
So I emailed the Illinois Policy Institute (https://www.illinoispolicy.org) and asked them to make up a facsimile of a gas receipt.
Here’s what they came up with, and they featured it in a story on their website.