Thursday, March 11, 2010 Follow Us        

Chicago News Cooperative

Coming in 2010: An innovative news site dedicated to building communities through quality journalism

In the Recession, Proposing, a Moratorium on Fix-Ups

Complaints from businesses about a city zoning department demand that they install costly decorative fences and make other costly changes has prompted the City Council to consider a moratorium on the fix-up program.
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Stroger Makes It Official Dynasty’s Days Are Past

First, Todd Stroger, the Cook County Board president, lost the backing of the mostly white Democratic power structure that he and his father had served for decades. And now, not long after his failed run for another term, Mr. Stroger has also given up the right to lead the political foot soldiers who long served his family’s South Side political dynasty.
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Trying to Bridge a Gap in Bridgeport Neighborhood

Times are changing in the South Side enclave of Bridgeport, the longtime power base of the Daley family. Elderly men who gathered to klatch over Dunkin’ Donuts each morning have migrated to the Bridgeport Coffee House. The younger crowd frequents the old neighborhood tavern in the blue-collar area once known as Hardscrabble.
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Critical Week Ahead for City School Reform

Chicago Public Schools’ controversial process of closing, consolidating and turning around schools will receive new scrutiny this week.
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Out-of-State Transfer for Target of Mayor

Just weeks after being the target of a curt expletive from Mayor Richard M. Daley, Rolando Rodriguez, a Wal-Mart executive, has been transferred out of the state.

During a City Council meeting last month, Mr. Rodriguez asked the mayor if he was committed to Wal-Mart’s plans for more stores in Chicago, prompting Mr. Daley to swear at Mr. Rodriguez and storm off, according to a witness to the exchange.
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An Ally in 2007, but No Longer

The afterglow of victory was brief for the self-styled reformers of Chicago’s 32nd Ward.

State Representative John A. Fritchey helped behind the scenes as Scott Waguespack unseated Alderman Ted Matlak in the 2007 election. Now, Mr. Waguespack has accused Mr. Fritchey, the ward’s Democratic committeeman, of trying to recruit challengers when Mr. Waguespack seeks re-election next year.
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Taking Head Start Into the Home

With unemployment high, the staff of an Early Head Start program based in Evanston noticed that some hard-hit families were removing their children from child care and support programs that focus on child care centers. As a result, Early Head Start teachers were losing their ability to help at-risk children.
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Big Ten Honor A First For Legendary Coach

Gene Pingatore has won more games than any other high school basketball coach in Illinois history during 40-plus seasons at St. Joseph High School. Alumni of the Westchester school include NBA great Isiah Thomas, “Hoop Dreams” star William Gates and more than two dozen Division I college players. You would think he had just about seen, heard and done it all in basketball, but Pingatore experienced another first this week: junior guards Demetri McCamey of Illinois and Evan Turner of Ohio State, both 2007 St. Joe’s grads, shared the Big Ten Player of the Week award.
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Possible at DePaul: An Obama Link

The First Brother-in-Law has raised his hand for the DePaul University basketball coaching job.

A representative of Craig Robinson, head basketball coach at Oregon State University and Michelle Obama’s brother, has approached DePaul about the opening created by the firing of Jerry Wainright last month, according to a high-level person in DePaul’s athletic department not authorized to talk on the record.
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If You Get a Parking Ticket, a Prayer May Not Help

In a conflict between churches and the state of affairs with the city’s new parking meters, a group of black ministers is circulating petitions designed to end the ticketing of parked cars during church events.

The movement started after people leaving a recent community meeting at Israel Methodist Community Church on the South Side found their car windshields littered with tickets.
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