Chicago Tribune

Study Guide: Chicago Teachers Union strike

By Chris Andriesen
09/18/2012
Institute Experts on the Chicago Teachers Union Strike A meditation on the Chicago Way The CTU strike has ended and a lot of people are asking: “what happened?” Five things you need to know about Chicago Public Schools Five critical facts to keep in mind during the CTU strike. Cheat Sheet: Chicago Public Schools A...

Enough on teacher salaries. How much do teachers union bosses make?

By Paul Kersey
09/12/2012
Striking Chicago teachers have at times echoed the themes of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Hostility toward big corporations that benefit from tax breaks and other giveaways (real and imagined) has been a recurring theme.  Yesterday CTU President Karen Lewis told a rally “I’m not afraid to say that we care about our children and we...

Chicago Teachers Union is all worked up with nowhere to go

By Paul Kersey
09/04/2012
As thousands of families throughout Chicago watched anxiously, the process of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement turned melodramatic at a Chicago Teachers Union Labor Day rally. CTU President Karen Lewis called Mayor Rahm Emanuel “a liar and a bully”, while teachers and representatives of several other unions chanted “enough is enough” and other slogans intended...

Don’t be a victim of public corruption, learn from District 147’s transparency mistakes

By Brian Costin
08/24/2012
This time the alleged corruption comes from West Harvey-Dixmoor School District 147. Retired superintendent, Alex Boyd, is accused of,“fraudulently cashing out about $350,000 worth of sick and vacation time and racking up $57,000 in unauthorized credit card charges.”  Also, board member Mable Chapman is accused of, “helping Boyd bilk the district while having family members hired by...

Why is Lyons removing public documents from website?

By Brian Costin
07/03/2012
“In 1990, Lyons police officers Donald Kroft and William Tweeter pleaded guilty to having sex with prostitutes in return for overlooking crimes at a suburban strip joint.” “Lyons Village President Kenneth Getty was convicted in 1998 of theft and money laundering for his role in a bid-rigging scheme involving two public works projects. 53 Prosecutors...

Another Illinois business opposes plastic bag regs

By Chris Andriesen
05/04/2012
By now you probably know that I’m no fan of the plastic bag regulationscurrently up for consideration in the House. Neither is the editorial boardof the Chicago Tribune. Since my article ran back in April, I’ve been contacted by Illinois businesses in the plastic bag and film sector, and the message I’m hearing is the same: they...