What I’m Watching—Jan. 31, 2011

**SPECIAL POST-WEEKEND EDITION**

• Pay to play, suburban style? BGA/Daily Herald investigation reveals that 9 of 15 DuPage County board members who approved a no-bid contract with a local law firm previously received campaign contributions from the firm.
• Julian & Julian. “60 Minutes” airs a fascinating interview with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is alternately admirable, inspiring, patriotic, seditious, enigmatic and bizarre. Makes it hard for a watchdog group like the BGA to choose sides.
• Where there’s a Will. The Trib covers praise for Will County for a critical self-assessment of how the Riley Fox murder investigation was mishandled.
• Burge backgrounder. The Huffington Post picks up an AP article looking at how an anonymous tip led to the investigation of police torture in Chicago and the eventual conviction of commander John Burge. BGA Senior Investigator John Conroy, who wrote extensively about the scandal, offers his thoughts about this shameful chapter in Chicago history.
• Civic engagement. Southtown Star columnist Kristen McQueary reminds readers who aren’t satisfied with the elected officials in their communities to do something about it on election day in April. In other words, don’t just talk the talk—walk the walk to the polls and vote.
• Jerk the perk. Some suburban lawmakers want to end a controversial perk that allows Illinois reps and senators to hand out college scholarships to constituents, contributors, cronies—whomever.
• School daze. The Trib reports that many “retired” educators are receiving huge pensions from their Illinois school jobs and big salaries on their new jobs in other states. They can’t have it both ways if the new job is in this state, but a loophole lets them collect an Illinois pension while they’re working a new job in another state.
• Recall remedy? State Rep. Karen May (D-Highland Park) is proposing a sweeping recall measure that allows citizens to do something about any wayward public official, not just a governor. The Daily Herald says May is responding to outrage in Highland Park over excessive park district salaries and benefits.