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Crain's Chicago Business: Ground zero for governmental failure: Chicago's south suburbs
“There’s been so much bad news for so long that people are understandably thinking that they’ve heard this sky-is-falling story and they’re beginning to disbelieve it. The idea that it’s a systemic collapse, that it’s Armageddon, is not accurate.” That’s from somebody in Chicago’s public finance community, recently quoted here in Crain’s, who no doubt spoke for many Illinoisans.
I suggest they visit Chicago’s south suburbs. There, systemic collapse isn’t imminent. Armageddon isn’t coming. It already happened. The south suburbs represent a catastrophic, wholesale failure of government, and they’re a warning to other Illinois areas caught in death spirals for the same reasons.
Associated Press: Lincoln museum cuts ties with foundation over stovepipe hat
Friction over attempts to verify an iconic stovepipe hat’s connection to Abraham Lincoln has prompted the director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to sever financial ties to the organization’s fundraising arm at a critical juncture for the nonprofit foundation, which is struggling to pay back millions of dollars borrowed to buy the hat and other artifacts related to the 16th president.
Alan Lowe told The Associated Press that he dissolved his $25,000-a-year consulting deal with the Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, offered two years ago as an inducement to lure him to Springfield.
Crain's Chicago Business: Airbnb scofflaws stay one step ahead of the city
More than a year after the city of Chicago started enforcing its home-sharing regulations, it’s harder to run an illegal home rental through Airbnb. But maybe not hard enough.
A quick search for West Loop listings on Airbnb’s website will turn up at least 10 illicit rentals in Presidential Towers, the huge four-building apartment complex between the Chicago River and Kennedy Expressway. Nightly rates range from $75 up to $169, the price for a “modern yet comfortable” apartment that will “soothe and refresh after a day of exploring nearby city sights.”
Northwest Herald: Marengo loan funds could be used for sidewalk, parking lot repairs
A proposal to use about $321,000 for sidewalk and parking lot improvements after the closeout of Marengo’s Revolving Loan Fund will be up for discussion during Monday’s City Council meeting.
Under state requirements, the city had to close the fund in January. After reviewing the eligibility requirements of potential projects, staff recommended the submittal of downtown sidewalk and parking lot projects.
Champaign News-Gazette: For Unit 4 teachers union, it's back to the bargaining table today
Before negotiations resume today — this time with a federal mediator on hand — members of the Champaign Federation of Teachers plan to rally at Unit 4’s Mellon Administrative Center. Today’s session marks the eighth time the two sides have sat down to negotiate a contract that ended on June 30. The district says the teachers union has rejected two proposals; CFT President JEN WHITE says they didn’t resolve several “sticking points,” which are sure to come up at today’s rally. Among them:
The Southern: Records show Dunn didn’t approve ‘critical’ recruitment funds for SIUC
Former SIU System President Randy Dunn’s lack of action on a key funding request may have hindered Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s recruitment efforts in his final months on the job, according to documents obtained by The Southern Illinoisan via a Freedom of Information Act request.
E-mails between top administrators show that Dunn declined to give final approval on $499,000 in recruitment spending at SIUC for more than two months this summer, setting back crucial and time-sensitive recruitment initiatives. Per SIU protocol, any expenditure over $100,000 must be approved by the system president.