My Blog

Author: Jimmy

  • IL High Schools Failing the College Bound

    Eight of 10 public high school juniors in Illinois weren’t considered ready for college classes in all subjects based on ACT testing last spring — and many students missed the mark even at posh suburban Chicago schools that graduate some of the state’s brightest kids. At Lake Forest, Deerfield, Northbrook and Hinsdale high schools, more…

  • From you the voter

    I was reading this story here at the Sun-Times about how Chicago compares to other cities (we rock by the way.)  And in the comments I found this observation by someone posting as nomoretears: Chicago is fine, and Chicago needs to worry about being Chicago. We just need new local and state leadership across the…

  • CPS is Broke, State not Helping

    Two months into the school year, Chicago Board of Education officials Tuesday were already estimating next school year’s deficit at $700 million. … Chicago Board of Education officials Tuesday were already estimating next school year’s deficit at $700 million. During the meeting, officials revealed the state still owes CPS $164 million from last school year…

  • Rahm Talks Trash

    An interesting bit, shows that Rahm’s not just another pretty face: (1) Establish a “benchmark” price per ton after comparing the cost of collecting Chicago’s 1 million tons of annual garbage to costs in 10 major cities. (2) Give the city’s 1,142-strong, $173.7 million-a-year refuse-collection army a chance to generate the savings necessary to meet…

  • Strong-arm Robbery

    At 12:30 a.m., a female Roosevelt University student was robbed of her iPhone in the 600 block of South Michigan Avenue, according to Central District police. (Full story here.) This is the kind of event that troubles me.  No camera is going to stop this.  And let’s be honest, it’s just not practicable to say…

  • Why Gutierrez Isn’t Running for Mayor

    From the Sun-Times: Convicted political fixer Tony Rezko gave U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez free upgrades on a riverfront town house after the congressman asked for them, Gutierrez told the FBI, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. Gutierrez’s comments to federal agents in a previously undisclosed 2008 interview contradict what the congressman told the Sun-Times in 2006…

  • More Crime Nonsense

    Let’s start with the premise: Chicago police officials reported today that October crime statistics continued a drop in violent and property crime for the 22nd consecutive month.Total crime dropped by 3.7 percent compared to the same time last year while property crime dropped by 2 percent and violent crimes dropped by 9.8 percent, police said.…

  • Subpoenas Deny Hendon

    Ooops. State Sen. Rickey Hendon today took himself out of the race for Chicago mayor, a week after revelations that a federal grand jury has issued subpoenas for records on dozens of state grants, some of which he sponsored. (Full story here.) Well another one bites-the-dust. My guess is that if Lisa Madigan had been…

  • CPS Changing For the Worst

    Under the headline “Changes may ease admissions to elite CPS schools” we’re told that CPS is now going to reward student who attended failing schools by letting them go to the best high schools in the city. Using U.S. Census data, the district began evaluating all 874 census tracts in the city on five indicators:…

  • The Chicago Way

    With the election now behind us I’d like to pause on a great little story in the Trib. today. Cook County voters Tuesday narrowly retained four Circuit Court judges who had been deemed unqualified to continue on the bench by several legal groups. Jim Ryan and Susan McDunn each garnered about 63 percent of the…