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Sun-Times: First Chicago charter school closes, citing state budget impasse
Galapagos Charter School, a small stand-alone elementary school in Humboldt Park, will not reopen its doors in September, saying it cannot afford to properly educate children under current Chicago Public School budget conditions.
The charter school serving about 236 children, 97 percent of them poor, becomes the first in Chicago to fall victim to a budget impasse in Springfield.
Chicago Tribune: Could Obama library turn tide on decades of neglect for Washington Park?
Washington Park residents view the proposed Obama library as one of their best prospects for an economic renaissance of their impoverished neighborhood.
For 15 years, one of the busiest retail businesses in Washington Park has operated out of a converted U-Haul truck parked near the CTA Green Line tracks on Garfield Boulevard.
Each morning, Garland “Hustleman” Gantt parks his mobile store in the same barren spot, across the street from a row of abandoned storefronts a stone’s throw away from the public park where President Barack Obama is considering building his library and museum.
Greg Hinz: After Crain's Future of Chicago event, I wish I could be optimistic
We’re all familiar with the staggering problems facing Chicago, from crippling municipal debt and a jobless economy in many neighborhoods to performance-challenged public schools and gang-plagued streets. That’s why Crain’s sponsored a conference on the city’s future, focusing on those very subjects.
After listening to almost all of it, I’d like to report that I have a new sense of optimism that the renaissance is near, that the boom in the Loop and North Side will spread throughout the city. But I can’t. Neither would it be correct to write off Chicago as the new Detroit, inexorably sinking into its own Great Lake.
If those who spoke at the conference are right, the best reason for optimism is, believe it or not, Chicago Public Schools.
Sun-Times: Park District: Demands over Lucas Museum are ‘extortion’
The Chicago Park District on Sunday accused Friends of the Parks of issuing an “outrageous” list of demands that is “nothing short of extortion” and will likely be the “final nail in the coffin” of efforts to keep movie mogul George Lucas’ museum in Chicago.
In a memo to its board members last week, Friends of the Parks Executive Director Juanita Irizarry outlined a list of demands in exchange for the group’s support for Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s backup plan to build the $743 million Lucas Museum on the site of a demolished, above-ground portion of McCormick Place East.
Governing: Who’s an Employee? The Uber-Important Question of Today’s Economy
Two years ago, when Darrin McGillis started as an Uber driver in Miami-Dade County, he was pretty happy. In his first two months on the job, he made almost $10,000. Even when the company cut fares nationwide, he didn’t mind. He just traded in his sedan for an SUV to collect higher fares as an Uber “XL” driver. But McGillis’ feelings changed when someone on a scooter hit his car during a passenger drop-off and Uber refused to compensate McGillis for repairs. After weeks of disagreement over what the company owed, Uber directed its insurance provider to pay for the damages. Then, it deactivated his account.
McGillis, not surprisingly, has changed his tune about the company. “Uber doesn’t care about the passengers or the drivers,” he says. “They care about the money. It’s all about the money.”
McGillis isn’t alone in feeling frustrated about his experience. Former Uber drivers in a handful of states have filed lawsuits over everything from unpaid business expenses to the company’s practice of discouraging tips. In April, Uber agreed to pay $100 million to disgruntled drivers in California and Massachusetts who felt they were getting too little in pay and other compensation.
Fox Chicago: Cook County Jail on lockdown due to staff shortage
The Cook County Jail was placed on lockdown Sunday morning after a large number of staff members called off work.
Movement for inmates will only be allowed for medical reasons, emergencies and visitation, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office. Inmates scheduled for discharge will also be processed.
The jail was placed on lockdown for officer safety after 317 staff members called off work for the morning and afternoon shifts, the sheriff’s office said. The lockdown will be lifted after staffing levels return to normal.