Morning Watch - December 20
Dec 20, 2012
Pension promise: A coalition of public employee unions proposes contributing an additional 2 percentage points of their salaries toward their pensions if they got an "ironclad" guarantee that the state would make its required pension contributions, the State Journal-Register reports.
Not enough: Gov. Quinn is lukewarm to the union pension plan and says it does little to solve the big problems, the Sun-Times reports.
Ghost of pensions yet to come: WBEZ takes a look at proposed pension fixes.
No secret: CPS denies having a secret list of schools it plans to close, CBS 2 reports.
Grant grievance: The Sun-Times reports state Sen. Donne Trotter tried to thwart state efforts to recoup grant money after a south suburban police chief allegedly was caught skimming funds.
Money movement: Ald. Sandi Jackson says she recently made amendments to campaign records after receiving a letter from the State Board of Elections, NBC Chicago reports.
Plan of attack: The Service Employees International Union Local One plans to spend $500,000 on a public relations campaign that calls Rahm "the millionaire's mayor," FOX Chicago reports.
Negotiation tactics: Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation finds Rahm might have provoked the teachers strike by implementing school changes without consulting with teachers.
Gut check: CPS earned credibility in the eyes of the Sun-Times' editorial board when it deferred the proposals of two recommended charter schools yesterday.
Too close? Questions arise about the independence of a panel looking into CPS school closings, which is being assisted by the Civic Consulting Alliance, a politically connected group with ties to another group that advocates for expanding charter schools, WBEZ reports.
Transparency tightening: The State Journal-Register's editorial board says it's time to improve financial disclosure laws.
Motor money: CTA bus drivers and motormen ink a new contract with a 10.25 percent pay increase over four years, the Sun-Times reports.
State spending: The state will spend $45 million to enhance early childhood education in underserved areas, the State Journal-Register reports.
Close call on closings: Seven Illinois prisons will close in the next few weeks, including Downstate supermax Tamms, WBBM reports.