Tuesday, July 02, 2013

(Photo) Wild raspberries in Morton Grove

It's raspberry season in the Chicago area. Two days ago I found these wild raspberries in the Linne Woods restored prairie.

No, I didn't eat any.


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From Doug Ross 15 pics from the Tahrir Square protests you won't see the establishment media

As you probably know, there are protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square again. And one thing for sure, you won't find any anti-Obama signs being on display there on any mainstream media sites. Luckily, Doug Ross found some, which he shares on his blog:

15 Photos From the Tahrir Square Protests You'll Never See In Legacy Media.

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ILL-inois' train to nowhere: Metra head who quit has two raises coming

Illinois is sick in so many ways. Today's affliction is the Chicago suburban rail agency.

From the Chicago Sun-Times.
Former Metra CEO Alex Clifford stands to reap two salary hikes after leaving the suburban rail agency — amounting to what a key lawmaker called "a raise to stay away."
More...
The pay increases, totaling more than 6 percent, cover Clifford for more than two years after a June 21 resignation tied to what Metra Board Chairman Brad O'Halloran has described as a "generous" separation agreement.

Clifford walked in Metra's door Feb. 11, 2010, making $252,500. He was charged with cleaning up the mess of his scandal-scarred predecessor, who killed himself by stepping in front of a Metra train.

Under the terms of Clifford's golden parachute, he could take the next 26 months off and still make a $284,196 annual salary by the end of that time. His total haul over those 26 months could be nearly $750,000, the separation deal indicates.
ILL-inois taxpayers are getting run over--again.

Oh, the state has the highest unemployment rate in the Midwest.

Related post:

Metra head commits suicide, jumps in front of one of his trains

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Monday, July 01, 2013

ILL-inois: Ex-Cook County commissioner pleads guilty to bribery

The rot in Illinois continues to fester.

From CBS 2 Chicago:
Former Cook County Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno has pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges, for allegedly taking kickbacks to direct business to county hospitals, and for backing a waste transfer station in Cicero.

Moreno, who lost his seat on the Cook County Board in 2010, was indicted last year alongside former Ald. Ambrosio Medrano, for scheming to use their influence to get John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County to buy bandages from Chasing Lions, a business owned by disabled veterans.

Three agents for Chasing Lions – Stanley Wozniak, Jerry Lombardi Sr., and Jerry Lombardi Jr. – allegedly agreed to provide Moreno and Medrano with kickbacks for every bandage the county bought from the company.

Moreno also allegedly pressured an unnamed company that does business with Cook County to hire Chicago Medical Equipment and Supply as a subcontractor on a county contract, while concealing the fact the subcontractor’s owner, Ronald Garcia, had given him a $100,000 home loan.
Earlier this month, Medrano set a Chicago record when he became the first alderman to be convicted of crimes in separate cases.

Moreno and Medrano are both Democrats.

Related post:

ILL-inois: For first time a Chicago alderman found guilty twice in separate cases

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ILL-inois: Lottery has $200 million in bookkeeping errors

Man oh man, Illinois can't even get the lottery to work right. According to a state auditor's report, the Illinois Lottery has "material weaknesses" within its internal fiscal controls that caused $200 million in reporting mistakes.

More from Crain's Chicago Business:
The combination of "errors, inaccuracies and weaknesses . . . (created) a reasonable possibility of a material misstatement of the (lottery's) financial statements will not be prevented," the audit summary states. And those problems extended not only to personnel and reporting forms but to computer systems that generate reports, Mr. Holland said.

Lottery Director Michael Jones noted that the audit covered the year ended June 30, 2012, during which the lottery separated from the Illinois Department of Revenue. Financial glitches are "not uncommon" during such transitions, and have been remedied, he said.

Mr. Jones also blamed the problem on the lottery's private operator, Northstar Lottery Group LLC, which has been involved in a yearlong dispute with Mr. Jones about its compensation and related matters. "Most of the data" the lottery relied on came from Northstar, he said.
Ah, but there is always another side to the story.

From Crain's again:
A spokeswoman for Northstar rejected that. "The audit dealt with how the lottery kept its own financial records — not the information we gave them," the spokeswoman said.
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California teachers prepare for Supreme Court battle to fight forced union dues

The battle against public-sector unions continues. On this front, the fight is coming from within.

From the Washington Free Beacon:
A group of California teachers is preparing for a Supreme Court battle to overturn forced union dues in a groundbreaking lawsuits filed in June.

For nearly three decades, the Supreme Court has allowed closed-shop unionism, in which public employees must pay dues to labor groups handling collective bargaining negotiations.

The Supreme Court established Beck Rights in 1988 allowing workers to opt out of union dues for political activities, while continuing to pay for union negotiating expenses. The teachers are hoping to take that battle one step further by putting an end to all coercive union dues.

Ten California schoolteachers are challenging California’s policy of forcing all public employees to pay union dues for collective bargaining. The Center for Individual Rights (CIR) is aiding their suit. The CIR views the issue through the lens of the Constitution, rather than as a contest of labor policy.
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Tragedy in Arizona: 19 firefighters dead

Today is a sad day--19 firefighters from the elite Granite Mountain Hotshots, died while battling a wildfire north of Phoenix. It is the deadliest day for firefighters since 9/11.

The Hotshots are in my prayers.

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On this day in 1863: Battle of Gettysburg begins

It was on this day in 1863 that the largest battle ever fought in the western hemisphere began in southern Pennsylvania. The three-day Battle of Gettysburg was a major Union victory. Afterwards the Confederates were unable to mount major offensives against the Northerners.

Thousands are expected to converge on Gettysburg for the 150th anniversary of this pivotal battle.

Below you will find a collection of my Civil War posts that I hope you will enjoy.

Vicksburg posts:
Shiloh posts:
Lincoln posts:
Other entries:

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