In case you missed it, Medill Reports that the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority(McPier) is taking taxpayer money to invest in enterprise which benefits McPier
The $1.1 billion bond offering will include $921 million to pay off existing debt as well as $200 million for hotel expansion plans. The new money will help build a new 450-room tower onto the 800-room Hyatt Regency McCormick Place hotel, which is owned by McCormick Place authority and run by Hyatt management.
Retiring old bonds sounds sensible enough, but what in the name of Hades is …

From For The Good of Illinois
Today, Cedra Crenshaw debated incumbent State Senator AJ Wilhelmi on the Scott Slocum Show on WJOL 1340AM. Click here to listen to the audio.

During the debate, Wilhelmi confessed to giving politically connected scholarships to Will County Executive Larry Walsh’s nephew, Kevin Walsh.
Wilhelmi also defended his pay-to-play politics regarding the Chicagoland Speedway: $20,000 in Wilhelmi campaign cash in return for $200,000 in state grants to the Speedway. All while Wilhelmi and the racetrack President were partners in a private LLC that had an ownership stake in the …

From the Illinois Green Party questions to Ald. Toni Preckwinkle
How did you justify slating the junior Stroger for Cook County Board President in 2006? Do sons and daughters of politicians automatically inherit their parents’ position? Will you go along with Joe Berrios on other obvious conflicts of interest?
- You took $200,000 from the Service Employees Union that represents 5,500 Cook County employees. How can you possibly fight for the taxpayers in upcoming union negotiations?

- In 2009 the four Tax Increment Finance districts in your ward sucked up almost $8 million in property …

Ms. Schakowsky, D-Chicago, in September held two town-hall meetings with aggrieved business customers of failed Mutual Bank of Harvey—at the behest of Balvinder Singh, one of the borrowers and a contributor to Democratic politicians, including Ms. Schakowsky. The borrowers complained that Garland, Texas-based United Central Bank, which bought Mutual’s assets and deposits from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. last year, was heavy-handed and aggressive in foreclosing on them.

At the second meeting, on Sept. 19, United CEO Luke Lively pledged to halt all foreclosures, giving hope to stressed borrowers in the largely …

The FBI and the U.S. Labor Department are investigating prominent labor leader Andy Stern in their probe of corruption at the Service Employees International Union, according to two people who have been interviewed by federal agents.

The two organized labor officials met with federal agents this summer to answer questions about a six-figure book contract that Stern landed in 2006 and his role in approving money to pay the salary of an SEIU leader in California who allegedly performed no work.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive …

From 2006 to 2008, Illinois Senate Candidate Alexi Giannoulias received $23,000 in political contributions from companies owned by Nayak:
Rogers Park One Day Surgi-Center, $5,000.00 on 4/10/2006
Lakeshore Surgery Center LLC, $5,000.00 on 8/5/2007
Rogers Park One Day Surgi-Center, $2,000.00 on 11/8/2007
Hind General Hospital LLC, $5,000.00 on 2/23/2008
Rogers Park One Day Surgi-Center, $5,000.00 on 2/23/2008
Lakeshore Surgery Center LLC, $1,000.00 on 6/5/2008
Total: $23,000.00

The fundraising help isn’t all. TA hears that Alexi Giannoulias attended a reception held by Raghuveer Nayak in May of 2008.
Read more at Team America Blog

Rahm Emanuel is nothing if not ambitious. Chicagoans need to ask themselves if that is reason enough to support Emanuel’s projected mayoral candidacy? Does the fact that Emanuel has never served in an executive capacity as an elected official warrant any voter scrutiny?

Inside the Beltway, disgruntled politicians from both parties are looking forward to Emanuel’s departure. The foul mouthed Rahm has critics and enemies within the White House and on Capitol Hill who are eager to see him return to Illinois. Progressives see Emanuel as playing the role of a …

From Bill Baar’s West Side
I also fell onto some interesting information about Raghuveer Nayak….He lives accross the street from Aiham Alsammarae…
Aiham Alsammarae
117 Covington Ct.
Oak Brook, IL
Raghuveer Novak
124 Covington Ct.
Oak Brook, IL>

Also attached is the listing for Alsammarae’s house, it’s ‘for sale’ for a mere $3,299,000…It’s funny that he purchased the home in 1999 for $525,000…He’s probably the only person in the U.S. who’s home went up in value 6x in the past 11 years.
http://www.trulia.com/property/3014768447-117-Covington-Ct-Oak-Brook-IL

Just days after being endorsed by the state’s largest employee union, the Quinn administration has reached a deal not to lay off any of the union’s members or close any facilities in which they work until at least mid-2012.

Under a tentative pact that the state says it expects to sign later this week, some 50,000 state workers who are members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees would have their jobs protected until June 30, 2012 — a third of the way into the term of the next …

From WLS
“Show me the evidence that says I instructed anybody to do anything, and let me say it again, because I’m saying it to you on your show, and I have witnesses. So whatever happened to the idea that someone is innocent in America until proven guilty,” Jackson said.
Jackson admitted to Don and Roma that he was at a meeting with Nayak and another Indian businessman but couldn’t understand what they were saying because they spoke in a foreign language.

From the Sun Times
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. directed a major political …