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Electronic Filing Lags in Cook County Court Cases

Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown, who is seeking her fourth term in office, often talks about how she has modernized the technology in her office, which maintains the records for one of the largest court systems in the country. But even as court systems elsewhere move ahead in the critical area

Immigration Detainer Law Sparks Debate

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said Thursday that the county jail has released 346 inmates in defiance of federal officials who suspect that some are illegal immigrants who should be turned over to them, possibly for deportation. He said the jail is now holding 148 such inmates, who are accused of crimes including murder and

City, County Announce $20 Million in Savings

The City of Chicago and Cook County have saved a combined $20.5 million since they began working together to maximize resources in June, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced today. The two governments saved taxpayers $9.2 million in their second quarter of collaboration, down from $11.3 million in savings in

County Cutting Pay to Health System Consultants

The Cook County Health and Hospitals System will slash the maximum amount it will pay consulting company PricewaterhouseCoopers from $2.5 million a month down to $1 million a month, following a unanimous vote by the health system board Friday. The county hired PricewaterhouseCoopers in July of 2010 to improve revenues at the health system, among

High Sick Leave Rates Plague Cook County

Cook County employees take nearly twice as much paid sick leave as other state and local government workers across the country, according to statistics compiled by the county. In the fiscal year that ended Nov. 30, 2011, the county said that on average, each employee took 6.64 hours of paid sick leave a month, compared

Health System Drags Down County Revenues

Cook County’s revenues fell $166.3 million, or 7.1 percent, short of expectations in the fiscal year that ended Nov. 30, 2011, with nearly all of the shortfall attributed to lower-than-expected patient fees from the county’s health system, the county’s interim comptroller said Wednesday. The Cook County Health and Hospitals System collected $190.3 million in patient

Commissioners Fall Short on Furloughs

Four Cook County commissioners failed to take some or all of the required 10 days off without pay in the fiscal year that ended Nov. 30, 2011, according to a preliminary report by the county comptroller’s office. All 17 Cook County Commissioners approved last year’s budget, which called for most of the county’s 23,700 employees

Trying Times For Transgender Inmates

For as long as she can remember, Maribel said, she has felt that she was different. She was born a boy in Mexico, and came to the United States at 16. Two years later, she started taking hormone pills and later underwent some operations to become physically the woman she always believed herself to be.

Aiding Defendants and the Bottom Line

Jose Lopez, 36, walked out of a Cook County courtroom Wednesday with a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. Lopez, who was charged with felony retail theft, had his case dismissed after completing a new deferred prosecution program run by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. He was one of 32 people to finish the

Layoffs, Tax Hikes Loom as County Passes Budget

Cook County Commissioners approved a $2.9 billion budget for 2012 on Friday that relies on tax hikes, fee increases and hundreds of layoffs to close a $315 million budget deficit. Commissioners approved Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s second budget 16-1, with William Beavers casting the only dissenting vote. About 775 county workers are slated to lose

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