Expect Delays

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Exit the warrior
Today's Tom Sawyer
He gets high on you
And the energy you trade
He gets right on to the friction of the day...

Giant four-lane hole closes southbound Lake Shore Drive

July 5, 2010
Sun-Times Media Wire

A hole has spread across four lanes on Lake Shore Drive at Roosevelt Road, resulting in the closure of the southbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive around that area Monday night.

Police were notified about 6:15 p.m. Monday of a possible cave-in or some sort of structural damage on Lake Shore Drive, police News Affairs Officer Dan O’Brien said.

Southbound lanes on Lake Shore Drive at Roosevelt Road were closed to traffic so the repair work could be done, O’Brien said.

According to unconfirmed dispatch reports, southbound Lake Shore Drive traffic was "at a standstill" as of about 7 p.m.

The hole is four-lanes wide, police said.

The incident could cause some headaches for people who were on their way to a concert by Canadian rock band Rush, at the Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island Monday night. The show was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., according to the Livenation website.

No one has been reported injured, O’Brien said.
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It's Da City Dat Ruins Petulant Athletes

Milton Bradley blamed the city of Chicago for his poor 2009 season.
"Two years ago, I played, and I was good," said Bradley. "I go to Chicago, not good. I’ve been good my whole career. So, obviously, it was something with Chicago, not me." The distractions -- many self-inflicted -- surely didn't help, but he should at least take some responsibility for his poor production. Bradley said that there was "no communication" in Chicago, and that was expected to hit 30 home runs. That won't happen in Seattle, so at least he has that going for him.
Source: New York Times

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And you'll LIKE it!

It's that annual time of year that comes around every year about this time...

"You'll pay more -- as much as 75 cents more a ride. You'll have to wait another five or 10 minutes for the bus or train to arrive and it likely will be even more crowded than it is now. And if you work for the Chicago Transit Authority, you could be one of the 1,000 folks who are about to be laid off."

Want to park here for a couple of hours? Bring 52 quarters...

Okay, presumably they'll have done away with quarter meters by then and found a way to suck the money directly out of your kids' college fund, but still...

News item: Motorists will pay $6.50 an hour by 2013 to feed downtown parking meters

But at least all that extra cash is making it easier to get around town...

Daley warns drivers: Slow down when it snows

On Tuesday, Mayor Daley and Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Michael Picardi warned Chicago motorists to drive slower when the weather turns ugly and expect to wait longer to get side streets plowed as the city seeks to do more with less. . .

The mayor warned: "Next year is gonna get worse than this year. ... Once January comes, hold onto your pants. Smiff: Lord knows this means you above all."

An open apology from Da Mare to LoC bitchers & whiners who complain about all that sucks in Chicago

Daley issues sarcastic apology for torture
Mayor Daley on Thursday issued a sarcastic blanket apology for the alleged torture of suspects by former Chicago Police Lt. Jon Burge. The best way is to say, 'Okay. I apologize to everybody [for] whatever happened to anybody in the city of Chicago.' So, I apologize to everybody. Whatever happened to them in the city of Chicago in the past, I apologize," Daley said.
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Fung's property taxes: the Reader knows all, tells some...

There is upside here: 1. If the value of your place tanks, you should reap the tax rewards in a couple of years. 2. We might still have one newspaper, even if it only comes out once a week.

Cook County assessor James Houlihan and Senate president Emil Jones wanted to raise the exemption to $40,000 permanently. Madigan successfully insisted that it only be bumped up to $40,000 for a year, and that’s what was applied to your last tax bill. It fell to $26,000 for this tax bill, and next year it’ll drop to $20,000, the same as it was four years ago...

...your 2007 property taxes — the ones you’re paying now — are based on an assessment done in 2006, when the housing market was still strong. The impact of the current bust won’t be felt on tax bills until the next assessment, in 2009.

in the meantime, it would be prudent to expect the occasional delay

Those old transit blues

The CTA's "Countdown to a new Brown"? How many years? How many stations? And earthquakes aren't part of our reconstruction equation. We don't open stations. We close them. We put up with slow zones, evacuations and even derailments. And then we're told to "Leave early. Leave late. Alternate."

Like move, perhaps? Seriously.

Kass: When Chicago politicians ban guns, only Chicago politicians (and criminals) will have guns

Criminals are often poor people who are led away in chains and go to state prison, for decades or lifetimes, for using guns as weapons against taxpayers. Politicians wear nice suits, drive luxury cars, and when they go to prison—federal prison, and only for a few months—they go away for using government as a weapon against taxpayers.

Criminals get guns the old fashioned way, by stealing them or buying them illegally. Politicians write the anti-gun laws, and wonder of wonders, they often exempt themselves and call themselves peace officers.

In Chicago, our politicians often go around surrounded by armed bodyguards on the city payroll. Or they walk our streets strapped. Or they know a guy who knows a guy in some suburb, and they become deputized peace officers so they can carry.

there is another delay directly behind this one (expect delays)

K-Mad is flying out of Midway tonight, by the way... both O'Hare and Midway currently report "major delays," by the way...

Metra Union Pacific West Line shut down

(Crain's) — Commuter trains along the Metra Union Pacific West Line were stopped Friday afternoon due to a non-toxic leak that has caused slippery and unsafe track conditions, the agency said.

Details of the incident were scarce, though a Metra service update says trains running in both directions have been halted indefinitely.

Officials are recommending that commuters look for alternate transportation. There's no word on when the track could reopen.

A spokesman couldn't be reached for comment.

Trains on the same line, which runs between Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center and far west suburban Elburn, also experienced delays Friday morning when an outbound train struck and killed a man in Wheaton.

unclear on the transport concept, or, expect Olympianly YOOOOOOOOGE delays

Chicago makes cut, has Olympic-size to-do list
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who are these sources and why do they hate Fung?

Sources said Lake Shore Drive would not be among the four test corridors.

but he's da gubnor -- he can do whatever he wants, or, dere is yet annudder YOOOGE delay directly behind dis one

Free rides offer could delay transit funding

CHICAGO - Gov. Rod Blagojevich never discussed a plan to offer free rides for senior citizens with the head of the Chicago Transit Authority before making the idea public last week, the CTA chief said Monday.

CTA President Ron Huberman said he was concerned Blagojevich's proposal could scuttle final approval of a mass-transit funding bill.

dere is annudder doomsday directly behind dis one

Daley won't use Skyway money for CTA

(AP) — Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says he won't use the $1.8 billion windfall he generated by privatizing the Chicago Skyway to give a boost to Chicago Transit Authority funding.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has suggested the idea of raiding Skyway funds for the CTA after twice coming up with short-term state funding fixes.

But Daley says it wouldn't be prudent for a city to sell assets to use them for its budget. Daley adds that if the governor wants to generate dollars for state infrastructure projects, he could follow the city's lead and lease the Illinois Tollway to a private contractor.

The problem of transit money has been on the legislative agenda for months. Transit officials say that without additional state aid, they'll be forced to make deep layoffs, service cuts and fare increases on Jan. 20.

Question 1: Why are you so FULLASHIT?

E-mail questions for a CTA video chat

Got a question for CTA president Ron Huberman? E-mail them, and come back Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 2:00 p.m. when Huberman joins the Tribune's Jon Hilkevitch and RedEye's Kyra Kyles for a live video chat.

i can see it now: "Macy's presents Chicago"

Dis is da story which may finally cause K-Mad's head to explode...

Chicago might sell naming rights

Fri Nov 23, 2:36 PM ET

Might visitors to the Windy City someday ride the Lowe's Chicago El, shop on the Microsoft Magnificent Mile and tour Old Navy Pier? The city has hired a marketing firm to explore the potential for selling naming rights and sponsorships as a way to bring in much-needed city revenue, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday. The Daley administration has awarded a $285,000 contract to Octagon Inc. to examine what the city has to offer and, by next spring, produce a marketing plan that will attract corporate sponsors and advertisers.

Octagon will inventory city programs, events, buildings and other physical assets and determine which would be most attractive to companies that might want to affix their names in some way. The contract states that any plan must ensure "the integrity of the city of Chicago's brand image," and ideas must be presented to an advisory group of civic leaders, which has not yet been formed. Mayor Richard Daley's press office and Octagon did not return telephone messages Friday from The Associated Press inquiring about the contract.

Chicago wouldn't be the first city to offer municipal names for sale. Nextel has sponsored the Las Vegas Monorail and New York has entered into partnership agreements with such firms as Snapple, Verizon and Pepsi Cola, according to city budget office spokeswoman Wendy Abrams. In Canada, the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, announced plans two weeks ago to sell naming rights for city pools, arenas, buildings and even city services in an attempt to offset a $2 billion shortfall. Similar programs are operating in Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto.

good to see everyone working together on this / there is another titanic delay directly behind this one

Daley: GOP wants to hike your CTA fares

CTA unions raise strike specter

Mayor, gov, legislative leaders give CTA riders one big goose egg

And today's YOOOGE front page headline, now mysteriously missing from the website:
"Daley to Gov: Don't waste my time -- Mayor walks out of Blagojevich's transit summit

just take a dump all over the Chicago flag while you're at it

News item: Macy's in talks to add grocery

Macy's to Chicago -- go phokk yerselves

Macy's drops efforts to placate Field's die-hards
Nov. 08, 2007

(AP) — Somewhere between sliding sales and regular protests outside their downtown Chicago store, Macy's Inc. executives realized they had a problem.
Two years after the company bought May Co. for $11 billion and started replacing homegrown department stores with the Macy's brand, anger from stubborn Chicago shoppers over the loss of the iconic Marshall Field's chain refuses to subside.

Macy's executives have struggled in other cities to reel in customers who miss local department store favorites — including Kaufmann's and Filene's. But nowhere has the task proved more difficult than Chicago.

"There are a lot of people who just can't get over the Marshall Field's name change," said Frank Guzzetta, the former president of Marshall Field's who now is chairman and CEO of Macy's North, one of seven regional divisions. "Those people, no matter how hard we worked at it, have continued to be detractors."

That's why this holiday season, Macy's has all but given up wooing the Field's faithful.

Instead, executives are mounting a full-fledged campaign to bring in new shoppers — especially those who lack a deep-rooted Field's connection — to its flagship State Street store.

The changes include a wine bar in the store's Walnut Room — hallowed ground for generations of Chicagoans who make meals served by tuxedo-clad waiters part of a holiday tradition. There's also free Wi-Fi, the city's only FAO Schwarz toy store and college nights featuring denim fitting clinics — designed to target children, college students and young professionals flocking to new downtown condos.

Ok, if I ever need a clinic to figure out how to wear blue jeans, I hope one of you has the guts to step up and have me humanely destroyed.

The efforts all are flanked by a new advertising campaign, dubbed "Take Me To State Street."

Oh that is catchy... put that on a pillow...

"You have to, at some point, stop and say, 'I apologize. I'm sorry you feel that way' and move on," Guzzetta said.

A classic non-apology apology, as in, I'm sorry you misunderstand me, I'm sorry you're an idiot, I'm sorry my brilliance confuses you, I'm sorry you're so easily offended by the asinine things I say and do, etc.

Critics aren't making the transition any easier.

There were more protesters at an anniversary rally outside the store this fall than there were during the initial switch in September 2006, organizers said.

"We're not acquiescing," said Jim McKay, the founder of the anti-Macy's group Field's Fans Chicago, which organizes protests. "It's part of our civic identity, it's part of our history."

Chicago, which gave birth to the mail-order movement led by Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck & Co. during the late 1800s, began its love affair with the dry-goods store that eventually became Marshall Field's in 1865.

Over the decades, the retailer built its reputation on customer service (the company purportedly once sent all its elevator operators to charm school), eventually becoming as synonymous to the city as the Bears and deep dish pizza. Yeah, speaking of things that suck...

Chicago: Da City Dat Sucks

Let's see: the Cubs suck, the White Sox suck, the Bears suck, the CTA sucks, Da Mare sucks, the weather sucks, Skilly sucks, Blago sucks, Northwestern sucks, NIU TOTALLY SUCKS, both newspapers suck, the Reader's redesign sucks, the deep dish pizza sucks, no Smiff (that sucks), [fill in your own], and now it's clear that da Bulls also suck.

Philadelphia 96
Chicago 85
Final