Morning Watch - September 25
Sep 25, 2012
Stay alive, don't text and drive: A CTA operator texting while operating a train is caught on video, CBS 2 reports.
Digital city: Chicago tech firms commit to adding 2,000 jobs in the city by 2015, the Sun-Times reports.
Fee plea: The mayor speaks out against an alderman's idea to tack a $5 fee onto residents' electricity bills to fund the hiring of more police officers, WBEZ reports.
Supercharged: Already facing a felony indictment for stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his school district, ex-West Harvey-Dixmoor District 147 superintendent Alex Boyd Jr. is charged with illegally cashing out sick and vacation time without board approval and racking up a five-figure credit card bill, the Tribune reports.
Pension plots: The Tribune's editorial board asks voters to see how incumbents voted on the law that allowed an education lobbyist to collect a fat state pension.
Playing chicken? Last week Ald. Joe Moreno said he would allow a Chick-fil-A restaurant in his ward because the franchise agreed not to donate money to organizations that oppose gay marriage and would include a statement of respect in company documents for all sexual orientations. Now that agreement is muddied after the company president said those concessions were never made, NBC Chicago reports.
Law flaw? The law firm of Rahm's nemesis is being sued for negligence after it signed off on salary and disability pay of a Chicago Ridge police chief that the village sees as overgenerous, the Sun-Times reports.
Denied: A judge denies former Gov. George Ryan's request to rehear his appeal for early release from prison, the State Journal-Register reports.
Healthcare hubbub: State officials are preparing for the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and the specifics are sparking political and policy debate, the State Journal-Register reports.
ORD/MDW: Federal budget cuts next year could mean longer lines and flight delays at Chicago airports, Crain's reports.
Off with their heads: Chicago's employer head tax will end six months earlier than expected - by the end of the year - Crain's reports.
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