Where’s Waldo? I had to lol when I read this line in yesterday’s Trib editorial on upcoming legislative activities in Springfield: “It’s easier to find Waldo peeking out of this editorial than to find serious proposals in Springfield to make Illinois a taxpayer-respecting state.” The editorial takes lawmakers to task for heading back to Springfield this week to consider higher taxes, a massive expansion of gambling and another round of borrowing to feed pension funds, without a long-range plan for restoring the state’s fiscal health.
Transit watchdog compromise? The Trib reports that State Sen. Susan Garrett, who’s been working with groups like the BGA to push for an independent inspector general to keep an eye on scandal-plagued, post-Pagano Metra, has agreed to a compromise suggested by Senate President John Cullerton. Instead of a prolonged fight with Metra and its parent, the RTA, over selection process, powers and jurisdiction, Cullerton wants to expand the scope of the state’s executive IG’s to include all of the transit agencies—Metra, Pace, RTA and CTA.
“Another leak in the city’s water system.” That’s the headline on the latest Sun-Times Watchdog story on Chicago’s problem-plagued water system. This one details a double-standard in billing procedures for car washes—the ones that have water meters installed are billed for usage, while others without meters pay a flat rate based on their square footage. That, as you might expect, leads to wild variations in water bills for comparable car washes. The city is threatening to turn off the water to businesses that don’t comply with a demand to install meters immediately.
