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Chicago Tribune: In Rauner vs. Madigan, just cry 'uncle'
There’s a scene in the 1989 dark comedy film “The War of the Roses” in which Gavin D’Amato, the attorney for Oliver Rose, offers judicious advice about Rose’s hostile divorce: “There is no winning in this. It’s only degrees of losing.”
The same premise applies to Illinois citizens in the two-year standoff between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, who, despite meeting numerous times in recent weeks, cannot manage to get beyond their animus. Thursday’s scheduled meeting got canceled. Big surprise.
WBEZ: Rauner Defends Canceling Leaders Meeting As Budget Deadline Looms
Negotiations over a new Illinois state budget have recently come to a screeching halt. Illinois’ elected leaders aren’t even meeting despite a looming deadline of Dec. 31 before the state once again has no budget.
Gov. Bruce Rauner canceled Thursday’s scheduled meeting with top Democratic and Republican lawmakers. While talking with reporters, Rauner said Democrats want to talk about the budget without saying how much they want to spend.
Chicago Tribune: Upcoming CPS bond issue gets favorable outlook from Wall Street
Chicago Public Schools’ plan to sell $500 million in bonds for construction projects won a rather rosy response from one Wall Street ratings agency, which concluded that tax money devoted to pay off the debt would protect bondholders should the district ever file for bankruptcy.
Fitch Ratings’ “A” rating and stable outlook for the construction bonds, which are expected to be issued later this month, stands in stark contrast to the company’s far grimmer view of the school system’s other debts and broader financial picture.
Chicago Business Journal: Chicago tops list of cities with biggest population loss
More grim news on the population migration front. Headlines in Chicago in each of the past two years have already alerted residents that the city is losing population, based on United States Census Bureau data released annually.
Now Abodo, a national apartment rental listings website, has collatedpopulation migration data in major markets nationwide where it does business.
Illinois News Network: Nearly a quarter of Illinois teachers absent at least 10 days in 2013
If Illinois teachers had the attendance requirements of the students they teach, nearly one in four would be held back a grade.
State law requires students to complete 176 days of school to move on to the next grade. With the minimum calendar days of class being 185, 10 days missed would put a student’s grade level promotion in jeopardy. But according to information from the Federal Office of Civil Rights Data Collection, almost a quarter of Illinois’ teachers missed at least 10 days of school during the 2013 school year.
Crain's Chicago Business: Oh Chicago, stop acting like a jerk to food trucks
I grew up in Chicago loving the city’s diverse food scene, and, as I got older, owning a restaurant became my ultimate dream. By the time I graduated from DePaul, ownership was my one goal, and it wasn’t long before I met someone who shared that goal, my future business partner, James Nuccio. In 2010, we began the process of launching a pizzeria and bar concept. But after a year spent developing the idea, we fell short and could not get the place open.
It was at this point we faced a choice: Give up, or find another way.