Author: Newsdesk

Posted by Rick Pearson at 4:57 p.m.

Pat Brady, who took over as chairman of the Illinois Republican Party in August, was elected to a full four-year term today by GOP leaders.

Brady, an attorney from St. Charles, was approved unanimously by the 19-member Republican State Central Committee, which held its post-Feb. 2 primary election organizing meeting in Springfield. Brady is no relation to state Sen. Bill Brady, the Republican governor candidate.



Brady, who has been the state GOP’s Republican National Committeeman, became chairman last summer after Andy McKenna quit the post. At the time, McKenna expressed little interest in running for office, but went on to wage a costly losing primary effort for governor.



Brady, a close ally of Republican National Chairman Michael Steele, was a leading supporter in the primary of U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk’s GOP bid for the U.S. Senate. Kirk easily outdistanced several rivals and faces Democratic nominee, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, this fall.

Posted by John Byrne at 3:46 p.m.

Mayor Richard Daley on Saturday refused to discuss specifics of his 2008 interview with FBI agents investigating a West Side land deal, saying he was simply cooperating in a federal attempt to root out corruption.

The mayor said developer Calvin Boender’s conviction last week following a probe into the Galewood Yards development is an isolated incident, not an indication of a broader problem of pay-to-play relationships between real estate developers and Chicago elected officials.

Boender was convicted of bribing then-Ald. Isaac “Ike” Carothers in 2004 in exchange for Carothers’ help getting a zoning change over the objection of city planners Boender also was found guily of two counts of illegal campaign contributions and two counts of obstructing justice.



“That was strictly personal between (Boender) and somebody,” Daley said Saturday when asked whether the Galewood Yards case shines a light on how real estate deals get brokered across the city. “That’s all it was. And he got convicted. Thank God he got convicted. No, there’s no pattern.”



Boender also enlisted the support of U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Northwest Side Democrat, in his push to get Galewood Yards rezoned. After receiving a $200,000 loan from Boender for his own real estate investments, Gutierrez – who has been accused of no wrongdoing — personally lobbied Daley. The mayor insisted the zoning change was not at the heart of the federal investigation.



“It had nothing to do with (the zoning change). It had only to do with bribery,” Daley said while talking with reporters after an event in the Roseland neighborhood to encourage Chicagoans to fill out their U.S. Census forms. “That was the issue: bribery.”



The mayor would not say he was asked about a meeting with Gutierrez and Boender when FBI agents secretly interviewed him about the development in 2008 at a downtown hotel.

“I’m not going to comment on that,” Daley said.

The Tribune first disclosed Daley’s 2008 meeting with FBI agents on its Web site Tuesday night.

Posted by By Rick Pearson and Michelle Manchir at 2:31 p.m.



An eclectic collection of prospective candidates for the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination met with top party officials across the state today in scenes reminiscent of "American Idol" auditions or a day-long wait at traffic court.



“Why not Charlie? It used to be Sorry Charlie. Remember the Star-Kist Tuna?” asked Charles Hayes, a 61-year-old unemployed sales consultant and admitted political novice from Chicago, in presenting his credentials to a panel of Democratic State Central Committee members conducting the judging at a downtown Chicago hotel. “I represent a lot of people who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in a desperate situation.”

Democratic leaders found themselves interviewing candidates ranging from out-of-work job-seekers to veteran politicians after the Feb. 2 primary winner, Chicago pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen, dropped out amid revelations about his personal life.



Nearly 250 would-be running mates applied online, of which 116 prospective political second bananas— displaying a combination of ego, idealism, activism and some quirkiness–showed up today for judging in Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Bolingbrook and Springfield to narrow down the field.

Kelly Maynard, a research associate at the University of Chicago, touted her background as an academic but also said she would include “jazzercise” to help reach out to women. “I would be out there exercising while I’m out on the campaign,” she said.

In the end, the various judging panels this morning ended up recommending 14 finalists who will appear before the entire 38-member state central committee for a decision on a winner on March 27. They included state Sen. Susan Garrett of Lake Forest, state Rep. Art Turner of Chicago, state Sen. Iris Martinez of Chicago, unsuccessful comptroller primary candidate Raja Krishnamoorthi. An afternoon session in Springfield also is expected to yield some finalists, including Sheila Simon, the daughter of late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon.

Hayes and Maynard were not among the finalists, however.

Despite the proclamation by House Speaker Michael Madigan, the state Democratic chairman, that the job fair to decide Gov. Pat Quinn’s fall running mate was an “open, transparent process,” the Chicago judging largely centered on Garrett, whom Quinn contacted about the job last week, and the reaction to her from top Democrats who will vote on a candidate next week.



“I said all along that I think the governor’s entitled to great deference,” Madigan said, adding that he has yet to decide on a contender. “I will convey the governor’s thoughts. He is entitled to that. But those (Democratic State Central Committee members) are the ones that will vote. Some members of the committee will be very interested in the governor’s opinion. Some will not be so interested in the governor’s opinion.”



Garrett, who has served in the legislature for a dozen years, appeared at one of two downtown panels along with Turner, who finished second to Cohen in the primary. Turner, who has been a lawmaker for 29 years, touted his legislative experience over that of Garrett and said he was surprised that she had emerged as a leading contender.



“I’m surprised because I thought that this was an open process and everybody’s supposed to fill out applications and apply,” he said. “I’m not certain where (the governor’s) coming from or just what that’s all about.”



Garrett sought to downplay her emergence as the leading contender for the post.



“I have not been asked to be the lieutenant governor candidate,” she told reporters after her appearance. “Nobody has made a commitment to me whatsoever. I hope that I am at least on the short list. But nobody has promised me anything.”



Garrett said she believed Quinn contacted her because she had expressed interest in running for the office in the primary but opted not to and instead backed her Lake County Democratic chairman and colleague, state Sen. Terry Link of Waukegan.



Garrett voted against an income-tax increase that Quinn backed last year and did not commit to supporting the tax hike the governor is supporting this year.



She said only if Springfield completes a comprehensive pension reform and makes spending cuts, Quinn’s move to increase the personal income tax rate from 3 percent to 4 percent “should be on the table for serious consideration.” But on pension reform, Garrett said she did not believe in a 401k-style defined contribution program for new employees, but backed an extended retirement age and having retirees pay into their health care.



While she and Quinn share a liberal social ideology in contrast to the social conservatism of Republican governor nominee state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, Garrett said she hoped fixing the state’s economy would dominate the campaign debate.



“I would hate to see a campaign based on the vast social disparities, differences between the Republican candidates and the Democratic candidates,” said Garrett, who could help Democrats target socially moderate Republican suburban women. “I think we have to focus on getting our state back on track and coming up with a job-creation program.”

Posted by Monique Garcia at 5:30 p.m.

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican rival Bill Brady participated in a heated debate today over education and how to fund it.

Both men appeared before the annual meeting of the Illinois Education Association, where Quinn was cheered for his proposal to raise the income tax to prevent major education cuts and Brady, a state senator from Bloomington, was booed for his support of an employee owned retirement system for educators.

Quinn said he was the only candidate running for governor with the "fortitude to go out there and tell people we need to make sure to invest in our education. "

But Brady said Quinn was offering a false choice by threatening education cuts if he doesn’t get a tax increase, saying educators and school children were being made "scapegoats" for the state’s budget problems.

Brady said the state must learn to live within its means, especially during difficult economic times, while focusing on building the tax base through private sector job growth.

Quinn shot back that Brady’s plan "didn’t sound like any kind of investment in education to me."

Quinn also attacked Brady’s record of leadership at his home construction business, saying he "has a heck of a better record" of attracting jobs to Illinois than Brady, who was forced to cut his company staff as the recession gutted the construction industry.

Brady later said Quinn’s comments proved he was "out of touch" about the struggles business owners are facing.

The men were also asked about their stances on teaching creationism in the classroom. Quinn said he was opposed to schools requiring the subject be taught, while Brady said it was a decision that should be made at the local level.

Posted by Michelle Manchir at 4:30 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD — Future lawmakers and judges would have to wait longer to retire and their pension checks would be scaled back under a measure the Illinois House passed today.

The measure was sent on a 109-0 vote to the Senate, which is working on its own version of changes to public employees’ pensions as state officials try to dig out of a huge budget hole.

The state faces a pension liability of tens of billions of dollars – the most owed out of any state in the nation, according to a recent report by the Pew Center on the States.

The measure would raise retirement age for full benefits from 55 to 67 for future lawmakers and 60 to 67 for future judges after July 1. They could retire before 67 under the new plan, but the benefits would be lower.

The measure also caps an official’s retirement check, which is a percentage of a salary based on years served.

Lawmakers and judges already in office would remain on the more lucrative plan.

The proposed changes were estimated to save more than $1.5 billion over 35 years.

Even so, the proposal still would allow judges and lawmakers to be eligible for more generous pensions than most rank-and-file state employees.

Posted by Rick Pearson and Ray Long at 7:59 p.m.

Veteran suburban lawmaker Sen. Susan Garrett has emerged as a leading choice of Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn to become his running mate, top party sources familiar with the discussions said today.



The 60-year-old from Lake Forest shares Quinn’s liberal views, and the governor believes she could help articulate his message as the lieutenant governor candidate in what’s already a contentious general election battle, said the sources, who asked not to be named so they don’t pre-empt Quinn.



Garrett acknowledged that she was contacted Sunday by the governor’s chief of staff, Jerry Stermer, about her interest in the post, then met privately with Quinn this week. Garrett said Thursday that she’s submitting an application to the Web site Democrats have set up for prospective lieutenant governor nominees.

The senator said she would bring an independence to the office, along with her promotion of ethics reforms at the Illinois Toll Highway Authority, clean water issues, health care and job creation.



“I’ve often thought that sometimes, as a legislator, you can go so far, but maybe as a constitutional officer, you might be able to have more say into how reforms are made,” Garrett said. “In this case, you have the ear of the governor.”



Garrett’s interest in the job comes as the Democratic State Central Committee prepares to interview candidates for the vacant job Saturday. Chicago pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen won the Feb. 2 primary but stepped down amid revelations about his personal life. The 38-member panel is scheduled to pick a replacement March 27 in Springfield.



Garrett, whose state Senate seat is not up for election this fall, is a member of Democratic Senate President John Cullerton’s leadership team. Prior to entering the Senate in 2003, she served four years in the House.



Garrett also has been an outspoken advocate on women’s issues, a demographic in which Quinn suffered some problems in his narrow primary in over Comptroller Dan Hynes for the Democratic governor nomination. A Tribune poll before the primary found Quinn with only a 38 percent job approval rating among female voters.



Republican governor candidate Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington is a conservative who has opposed abortion rights and expanded health coverage for women. Those views are considered a potential liability, particularly among moderate women in the still heavily Republican suburbs.

Posted by Michelle Manchir at 7:20 p.m.



SPRINGFIELD — Students under 18 who use computers or cell phones to share nude photos of their peers would earn little more than a scolding under a measure the Illinois Senate approved Thursday to address the “sexting” phenomenon.



Offenders would not face criminal charges, but would get juvenile court supervision that could result in counseling or community service. The bill doesn’t address youths who send or receive racy photos if they don’t distribute them.



“We’re not trying to prosecute them if they keep it between themselves,” said Rep. Darlene Senger, R-Naperville, who got a similar bill through the Illinois House last week. “It’s when the third party is involved. That’s when you get the situations where so-and-so committed suicide because the picture got up everywhere.”

Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago, who sponsored Thursday’s measure that sailed through the Senate, wants to educate minors who distribute suggestive photos they’ve gotten from friends by posting the pictures online or forwarding them to friends.



“It’s an intervention,” Silverstein said. “Sometimes these kids don’t understand what they’re doing, make a mistake, and it follows them for life. So we don’t want that in their record.”



The widespread support in both chambers means some version of the proposal is likely to land on Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk.



The sexting trend surfaced in the suburbs last December when Plainfield police launched an investigation after a 16-year-old honors student at Plainfield East High School sent a nude photo of herself to a classmate, who forwarded it to several friends. A January case in Valparaiso, Ind. saw a teacher confiscate a phone that police said showed a 12-year-old boy had sent a nude picture to a 13-year-old girl.



In other General Assembly action on Thursday:



*The Senate approved a measure requiring all rape kits to be tested at a state lab within 10 days of collection. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields, is a response to a Tribune story last year that revealed some kits, mean to help catch offenders, were never tested. It now goes to the House.



*Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor would run together in primary elections under a bill the Senate approved. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, goes to the House. It comes after the Democratic debacle last month in which troubled Chicago pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen won the running mate’s slot then withdrew following disclosures about his past.

Posted by John Byrne at 5:02 p.m.; last updated at 7:01 p.m.

A soaring passenger balloon will dot Chicago’s skyline for at least one more summer after the city Plan Commission decided today to give a New York-based company approval to sell balloon rides.

 

The balloon operated out of Gateway Park near the western end of Navy Pier for two months last summer as part of a test run between AeroSpace-NYC LLC and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. That run will be extended this summer under a lease that allows the balloon rides from early May to late September, Navy Pier spokeswoman Delores Robinson said.

The plan commission had to sign off on the balloon rides under the city’s lakefront preservation ordinance. The balloon company can extend its Navy Pier lease without going back to the plan commission.

Friends of the Parks, an advocacy group dedicated to preserving and improving Chicago’s parks and forest preserves, remains opposed to the plan, according to vice president John O’Connell.

 

"Not only is this going to block views of the lake, but it’s a private consortium operating on public land," O’Connell said. But the group has no immediate plans to challenge the Plan Commission’s ruling, he said.

 

The balloons will operate from 8 a.m. till 10 p.m. during the week, and until 11 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Each trip can hold up to 17 passengers, balloon company officials said. An 8-to-10-minute ride to a height of 350 feet will cost $15 for children under age 13 and $25 for those older.

The balloon will be white, and at night it will be illuminated from within, officials said. An emblem on the balloon used last year will go away after neighbors complained. The balloon will only operate if winds are 25 mph or lower.



After today’s hearing, Tom Murphy, attorney for Aerospace-NYC,
declined to discuss financial terms of the lease except to say the
company reached "a fair agreement" with the pier authority. Marilyn Gardner, general manager of Navy Pier, also declined to talk
about specifics of the lease.

According to Robinson, Navy Pier gets a $50,000 rent payment. Beyond that, the Pier gets 5 percent for gross ticket sales between $600,000 and $750,000; 10 percent for sales between $750,000 and $1 million; and 15 percent for sales above $1 million. Robinson did not know what the gross receipts have been so far.

From the Breaking News Center:

A Chicago developer was convicted today of bribery for paying for nearly
$40,000 improvements at the home of then-Alderman Isaac "Ike" Carothers
to win his support for a major development in his West Side Ward.

The
federal jury convicted Calvin Boender on all five counts of bribery and
obstruction of justice.

More on this developing story here.

From the Tribune Washington bureau:

Feds buying Thomson prison regardless of use

The prison in rural Thomson, Ill., could hold detainees at
Guantanamo Bay, but federal authorities want it regardless of that.

By Christi Parsons, Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration plans to purchase a state prison in rural
Thomson, Ill., regardless of whether Congress allows terrorist suspects
to be transferred there, a Department of Justice official said today.





In a letter to a member of the Illinois delegation to Congress, Asst.
Atty. Gen. Ronald Weich spelled out the administration’s intent to go
ahead with plans to buy the near-empty Thomson prison, even if lawmakers
refuse to approve its use as a new home for detainees at the
military-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.





At the very least, Weich said, the federal Bureau of Prisons intends to
use the facility for high-security federal inmates. The letter comes in
response to questions from Rep. Donald Manzullo, the Republican who
represents the area in Congress.

The Department of Justice has asked for $237 million in next year’s
budget to buy and begin operating the facility in Thomson. It also has
the option of requesting funds sooner than that to upgrade the security
provisions at the prison and prepare it for its intended use.

President Obama has directed the agency to buy the facility "to fulfill
both of the goals of reducing federal prison overcrowding and
transferring a limited number of detainees out of Guantanamo," Weich
wrote in the letter. The Thomson prison is critical to Obama’s plan to
shut down infamous Guantanamo prison, which administration officials
consider to be a recruiting tool for anti-American extremists worldwide.





However, the department "would be seeking to purchase the facility in
Thomson even if detainees were not being considered for transfer there,"
the letter says.





Such an assurance could ease some objections to the Thomson purchase by
members of Congress. Some are worried about the political and security
fallout of moving terror suspects to a domestic site. Unless Congress
changes current law, Guantanamo inmates couldn’t be transferred to the
U.S. for any purpose other than trial.





Yet that accommodation could raise concerns from local and state
officials anxious for the jobs that would come with the expanded use of
the facility. The Department of Defense detainees within the prison
would account for an estimated one-third of the prison population.





Manzullo has voiced support for opening the Thomson Correctional Center
as a federal prison because it would provide jobs for the area. He has
said he has "serious reservations" about moving Guantanamo detainees
there.

From today’s print edition:

New alderman to pay city for moving out early

State representative had bought house under affordable-housing
program, but moved out before 4-year minimum

By Hal Dardick, Tribune reporter

The state lawmaker Mayor Richard Daley picked to serve as 29th Ward
alderman agreed Wednesday to repay the city $5,000 for moving out of a
home too soon under the terms of an affordable-housing program.

State
Rep. Deborah Graham, D-Chicago, set up the repayment after the Tribune
raised questions about her use of the program, which helped her to net a
nearly $114,000 profit after just six years.

Graham bought the
three-bedroom Austin neighborhood house in mid-2000, just two months
before she started working for the city’s Community Development
Department, according to public records. The home’s modest $126,500
price was possible, in part, because the city sold the lot to a
nonprofit developer for $1.

Graham lived in the house until 2003,
when she discovered the house was just yards outside the legislative
district to which she had just been elected. So she moved to an
apartment inside the district and rented the house until she sold it for
$240,000 in 2006, according to public records.

The
affordable-housing program that subsidized the cost of the house’s land
required she live in the home for at least four years.

Graham said
she was unaware of that requirement until she was asked about it
Wednesday morning. Later in the day, she agreed to reimburse the city
for a portion of the subsidy, as required under the program when someone
moves out too soon.

"Had she known at the time (of the sale), she
would have paid it back then," said Molly Sullivan, spokeswoman for the
Community Development Department, which took over the program last year
under a reorganization of city bureaucracy.

"She’s in the process
of paying the city back," Sullivan said. "We expect it within the
week."

If approved by the full City Council, Graham will replace
Isaac Carothers, who resigned early last month after pleading guilty in
federal court to taking a bribe from a developer doing business in his
ward.

Daley for the first time accepted applications for a vacant
alderman’s seat via the Internet and received more than 20 valid
applications for the post. Graham is a Carothers protege from the 29th
Ward Democratic organization.

Graham also was recently approved as
the Democratic committeeman of the 29th Ward, which is considered one
of the better organized political operations that backs Daley.

Posted by Michelle Manchir at 7:30 p.m.



SPRINGFIELD — Lawmakers and judges would have to wait longer to retire and their pension checks would be limited under a measure that got full support today in a House panel.



The measure, sponsored by Rep. Kevin McCarthy, D-Orland Park, would raise retirement age for full benefits from 55 to 67 for lawmakers and 60 to 67 for judges. They could retire before 67 under the new plan, but the benefits would be lower.



"The day of people retiring at 60 and living 10 years is over," McCarthy said. "There are people retiring in their 50s and dying in their mid-90s. The system just can’t function with those kind of parameters."

McCarthy’s bill also would limit annual pension payments at the same level as Social Security — currently $106,800. The rules would apply to lawmakers and judges employed by the state after July 1. Lawmakers estimated the state would save more than $1.5 billion over 35 years.



Under the current system, some officials are able to receive bigger pensions than their salaries. Former Gov. George Ryan, who last month was denied by the Illinois Supreme Court any future state pension payments, had received about $200,000 annually in pension until he was convicted in 2006 on political corruption charges. He retired as governor with a salary of $150,691.



The state faces a pension liability of tens of billions of dollars – the most owed out of any state in the nation, according to a recent report by the Pew Center on the States.



House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, and House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, both indicated they back the changes in judicial and legislative pensions through spokespersons. The proposal could be considered by the full House as early as this week.



Even so, the newly proposed pension plans still would allow judges and lawmakers to be eligible for more lucrative pensions than most state employees.



Further and broader changes in the overall state pension plans are being considered in the Senate, which is hoping to craft a proposal that would save billions of dollars over many years.

Posted by Michelle Manchir at 5:23 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House today voted down a proposal to elect University of Illinois trustees following an admissions scandal that rocked the university’s leadership.

Under the legislation, driven in part by the Tribune’s "Clout Goes to College" series, voters would have chosen seven trustees starting in 2012. Six additional trustees would have been appointed by the Alumni Association. One faculty member and one student would have been appointed from each of the three main campuses.

The legislation surfaced months after Gov. Pat Quinn appointed several new
trustees following Tribune revelations that showed many politicians
and some trustees clouted students into the state’s flagship public university.

Sponsoring Rep. David Reis, R-Willow Hill, argued citizens should have the right to choose independent trustees rather than have a board that is appointed and influenced by a governor.

"I think I have the trust and confidence in the people of this state to select the members," Reis said.



Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, who voted against the bill, said it’s a case of bad timing because most trustees have just been replaced.



"It’s designed to make a political statement about a university," Lang said. "It’s not designed to deal with the philosophy of how these trustees become in place."

Just 44 House members voted for the bill, while 69 voted against and one voted present. To see how lawmakers voted, please click here.

Illinois voters used to elect U of I trustees, but that ended during the mid-1990s.

Posted by John Chase at 3:45 p.m.; updated at 10:47 p.m.



Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk said if voters choose him this fall he’ll lead the effort to repeal the health care bill if it passes and President Barack Obama signs it into law.



Kirk made his remarks to a Republican audience in Winnetka late last week, arguing that tax increases and Medicaid cuts would come first under the legislation and that citizens wouldn’t see any benefits until 2014.

“All of the pain of the bill is upfront and all of the gain is later,” Kirk said, according to an audio recording of the event the Tribune obtained. “If we move to repeal this bill in 2013, all you’re doing is removing the pain and not a single American would have benefited from it yet. And so, as your senator, I would lead the effort, if it passes, to repeal this bill.”

Kirk, a five-term North Shore congressman who spent a decade building a reputation as a moderate on social issues, is running against Democratic Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias for the U.S. Senate seat that once was held by Obama. Both are running in a state that has voted for more Democrats in recent statewide elections.

In winning the Republican nomination, Kirk turned to the right on several issues, including backing off his vote in favor of cap-and-trade legislation.

Kirk also criticized Obama in his talk at the New Trier GOP Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner, saying Republicans are “on the way to making this guy a one-termer.” Kirk focused part of his speech on the debate regarding the proposed health care legislation.

“I’m Mark Kirk and I can’t wait to vote against the health care bill next week,” he told the crowd at the Friday evening dinner.



When asked by an audience member what he would do if the health care bill is passed and signed into law, Kirk said he would lead the effort to repeal it.



“There is one thing about the bill not commonly known: All of the pain of the bill is upfront and all of the gain is later. What do I mean? The bill includes 10 new federal taxes, and dramatic cuts for senior health care under Medicare between 2010 and 2014,” Kirk said. “The actual benefit of the bill doesn’t start until 2014. In between this time and then, is a presidential election. If we can win in the White House — and we’re on the way to making this guy a one termer — then if we move to repeal this bill in 2013, all you’re doing is removing the pain and not a single American would have benefited from it yet. And so, as your senator, I would lead the effort, if it passes, to repeal this bill.”

David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Obama, said Kirk’s assessment of the health care bill is wrong, arguing that small businesses will get tax credits to help them buy health
insurance for their workers, people with pre-existing conditions will
have affordable options and seniors will get additional prescription
coverage. He criticized Kirk as displaying "the worst, Washington-style partisanship" with his comments.



"The idea that what it’s all about is tearing the President down so the Republican Party can win. I don’t think most Illinoisans are eager to sign on to that mission, or elect a Senator whose priority is to thwart the President at every turn," said Axelrod, who added that he was speaking as an Illinois native.



Earlier in the day, Kirk spokesman Eric Elk said the congressman’s remarks “reflect the concerns of many Americans that the current health care bill would chart an unsustainable fiscal course for our country resulting in higher debt, more taxes and fewer jobs.”

Giannoulias issued a statement criticizing Kirk for his "disrespectful remarks" about Obama.

Posted by Tribune staff at 2:20 p.m.

Illinois’ primary election once again will be held in March after Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation today to move the date back.

It took lawmakers and Quinn just weeks to switch the date after the Feb. 2 primary drew a modern record low voter turnout. Holding the election so soon after the holidays and creating a compressed campaign season also is partly blamed for Democrats picking the unheralded but free spending Chicago pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen as the party’s lieutenant governor nominee.

Cohen’s candidacy imploded following troubling revelations about his personal life, and Quinn now finds himself searching for a running mate six weeks after the primary was supposed to have settled the issue. Democrats will hold four public hearings on Saturday to hear from some of the more than 220 people who’ve applied for the vacant lieutenant governor nomination.

Lawmakers moved up the 2008 presidential
primary to February to try to help then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama get an early
win in a big state. That worked.

The switch back to the third Tuesday in March ends Illinois’ experiment with a February primary at two elections. You can read about the Illinois House’s approval of the legislation by clicking here.

From the Breaking Business News Center:

The Chicago Cubs, in search of new advertising
revenues, have asked the City of Chicago for permission to erect a
360-square-foot billboard above the left-field bleachers at Wrigley
Field, an alderman said today.

 

The proposed sign would be 74
feet above the ground, altering the look of the team’s historic
stadium. Because Wrigley Field is designated a landmark, new signage has
to receive governmental approval. The Sun-Times first reported that the
Cubs have filed a permit application with the city.

While the city has approved
signage on the outfield walls and on the brick wall down the third base
line, the proposed billboard is "definitely new territory," said Ald.
Tom Tunney (44th ward), who oversees the ward where Wrigley Field is
located.

 

The height of the signage will be a concern, he said.
Tunney wants to make sure the proposed billboard will not block fans’
views of the surrounding neighborhood

You can read more by clicking here.

From the Breaking News Center:

A federal judge today denied a request by lawyers for former Gov. Rod
Blagojevich to postpone his corruption trial until November.



The
ruling by U.S. District Judge James Zagel means the trial is still
scheduled to go ahead on June 3.

Read more from Tribune federal courts reporter Jeff Coen by clicking here.

Posted by Michelle Manchir at 12:15 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD — In what’s practically annual rite of spring, a legislative panel today approved a ban on high-powered, semi-automatic assault weapons favored by Mayor Richard Daley.

The idea of outlawing the weapons consistently
has stalled in the General Assembly, where regional differences
split votes between gun rights supporters and gun control advocates.

Rep. Edward Acevedo, D-Chicago, sponsored today’s proposal that would make it a felony to own, sell or manufacture the assault weapons in Illinois. He said it would help save lives.



"They are not designed for sport," Acevedo said. "They are designed to kill humans quickly and efficiently."



A House committee approved the measure 7-4 but only after both Democrats and Republicans expressed concerns.



Rep. Michael Tryon, R-Crystal Lake, who voted against the measure, said municipalities should focus on violence prevention programs.



"Maybe we’re trying to treat the symptom and not the disease," Tryon said. "I look at this as an issue not so much of guns but of gun violence."



Rep. Joseph Lyons, D-Chicago, supported the measure but added: "No matter what we try to do, the bad guys still find ways to get guns."

The measure now goes to the full House for consideration.

From Wednesday’s print edition:

Daley secretly questioned by FBI in 2008 over real estate controversy

Galewood Yards project now at the center of developer Calvin Boender’s federal bribery trial

By Todd Lighty and Robert Becker, Tribune reporters

Mayor Richard Daley was secretly interviewed in 2008 at a downtown
hotel by FBI agents who questioned him about the politicians who pushed
for a Chicago real estate project now at the center of a federal
bribery trial, the Tribune has learned.





The interview focused on the Galewood Yards project, an old industrial
rail yard on the West Side that was rezoned for commercial and
residential buildings over the objections of city planning staff.





Daley had trouble recalling any controversy surrounding Galewood Yards
during the March 2008 interview and could not remember participating in
City Hall meetings about three years earlier with his planning staff,
an alderman and a congressman about the project, the Tribune has
learned.

There has been no suggestion that Daley did anything improper.





The interview came early in the federal investigation that led to
bribery charges last year against then-Ald. Isaac "Ike" Carothers,
29th, and developer Calvin Boender. Carothers pleaded guilty to
accepting a bribe from Boender, who is now on trial.





"The mayor cooperated with a request for an interview during the course
of the investigation," said Jennifer Hoyle, spokeswoman for the city’s
Law Department, in an e-mail response to Tribune questions. "There is
no indication that he was or is anything other than a witness."





Hoyle declined to elaborate, saying, "At this time, given the fact that
a jury continues to hear evidence in the Boender trial, we do not think
it would be appropriate to respond with additional details."





Carothers, who had been an important Daley loyalist at City Council, is
cooperating with the government. The mayor has repeatedly insisted he
never exercised his influence in the development.





Daley has not previously disclosed his interview with the FBI, which is
only the second time in his tenure it has been revealed he was
interviewed by federal authorities. Daley was accompanied by the same
private lawyer he used in 2005, when federal authorities interviewed
him amid a hiring investigation that led to corruption convictions of
former aides.





Carothers resigned in February after pleading guilty to accepting
$40,000 in home improvements from Boender in 2004 to support rezoning
Galewood Yards. Federal authorities say the improvements included new
air conditioners, new doors and windows, and a fresh painting inside
and out.





Boender and his partners developed a 14-screen movie theater and a
nearly $60 million residential project of 187 single-family homes, town
houses and condominiums. Prosecutors claim the zoning change meant an
extra $3 million in profits for Boender.





The Tribune in 2008 chronicled how Boender overrode the opposition of
city planners to Galewood Yards after enlisting the support of
Carothers and U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill. Gutierrez, who had just
received a $200,000 loan from Boender for his own real estate
investments, personally lobbied Daley.





Daley’s name surfaced last week during the trial when a former city
planning commissioner testified she attended a meeting with Boender,
Gutierrez and Daley in the winter of 2004-05 at which Boender brought a
model of his 50-acre project. Denise Casalino did not testify about
what Gutierrez said during the meeting but indicated Daley had a short
response. "He said, ‘Thank you.’ That was about it," Casalino said.





The city’s corporation counsel, Mara Georges, last week issued a
statement in which she characterized Daley’s meeting with Gutierrez and
Boender as routine, adding that the mayor meets with thousands of
people throughout the year. Georges disclosed that City Hall earlier
had turned over to federal prosecutors information about Daley’s
meeting schedule.





Georges’ statement, however, made no mention of the FBI and other federal authorities interviewing the mayor in 2008.





The city opposed efforts by Boender’s lawyers to have Daley testify at
the corruption trial. The lawyers on Monday dropped their requests for
his testimony.





The Tribune has previously reported Gutierrez’s unusual role in
lobbying Daley for Galewood Yards, which lies outside his congressional
district. Gutierrez wrote a letter in July 2004 to Daley on U.S. House
stationery backing the plan and vouching for Boender’s character.





In his letter, Gutierrez defended Boender from criticism by city
planning staff. "I would ask for any support that you can give him at
this time," the congressman wrote.





After initially telling Daley of their opposition to Boender’s
proposal, city planners over more than a year worked out a compromise
with the developer.





The congressman previously told the Tribune there was no connection
between his loan from Boender and his lobbying of Daley. Gutierrez
downplayed his role, saying his involvement was "extremely minimal" and
"entirely appropriate."





Gutierrez, who is seeking re-election this year, has not been charged
with any wrongdoing. He has said he has not been interviewed by federal
authorities.





This was not the first time federal authorities have interviewed Daley
about City Hall corruption. He was questioned in August 2005, about a
month after FBI agents made arrests in a massive hiring fraud scheme
centered in the mayor’s office.





Daley’s lawyer then — as well as in the more recent interview — was
John Villa, a Washington lawyer whose firm represented former President
Bill Clinton when he faced an independent counsel investigation and an
impeachment trial.





Daley held a news conference after his 2005 interview.





"When there is wrongdoing in my government, I take responsibility for
it," Daley said then. "I am committed to root it out and do everything
I can to prevent it."

Posted by Tribune staff at 6:50 p.m.

Gov. Pat Quinn plans to sign legislation Wednesday to push Illinois’ primary election back to March.

The 2 p.m. signing in the governor’s Capitol office ends the state’s experiment with a February primary after
just two elections.

Lawmakers moved up the 2008 presidential
primary to February to try to help then-Sen. Barack Obama get an early
win in a big state. That worked. But last month, the early primary date
was partly blamed for the debacle that left Democrats with Scott Lee
Cohen as the party’s lieutenant governor nominee before he dropped out
under pressure. Democrats are still searching for a Cohen replacement.

Supporters
contend the change, back to the third Tuesday in March, would help
boost voter turnout, which hit a modern record low Feb. 2.

You can read about the House approving the legislation by clicking here.