By Ed Hammer

The Tribune produced a list this week of 10 stressful jobs. No. 3: Professional Chef. My son chose that career and my worrying about his stress levels causes me a good deal of anxiety. Now I know how my father felt when I chose to be a police officer, No. 8 on the Tribune’s list.
Dad’s life was loaded with critical events and crisis. My life makes me look like a pansy compared to his. A World War II veteran, Dad survived the Battle of Guadalcanal and two bouts of malaria. His mother, whom he loved ever so dearly, died while he was onboard a ship heading to one of the bloodiest battles in history. He did not become aware of her passing until three months later, only to face humankind at its ugliest. Soldier is No. 10 on the list.

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Posted on May 13, 2011

Fun For Friends And Family!

Celebrate history! Two to choose from. Or choose both!

Buy it now!

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Posted on May 12, 2011

By Andrew Thomason/Illinois Statehouse News

When it comes to the Illinois Legislature and its budgeting process, few know what goes on behind closed doors.
Five appropriation committees in the Illinois House of Representatives have moved to closed-door meetings to hash out the details of the state budget, especially where and how to cut state spending.
“The committees are meeting in closed session to hammer out and to talk about some issues that they don’t feel comfortable doing in the public,” State Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, said.
But that contention isn’t sitting well with some people.

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Posted on May 9, 2011

By The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform

Links and boldface by the Beachwood political desk.
A newly created loophole in state regulations allowed more than 500 large campaign contributors to escape public disclosure before the recent municipal elections, according to a research report issued Thursday by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR).
Because of the loophole, nearly $500,000 in contributions to 190 candidate and party committees was hidden from public view until after the February and April elections according to the report, Piece by Piece, Check by Check.
“Before the General Assembly weakened this portion of the disclosure law last year, candidates would have been required to tell the public about all of those contributors and many others before voters went to polling places,” said Cynthia Canary, Director of ICPR. “The General Assembly should close this loophole and stop candidates and contributors from making a mockery of the state’s campaign finance disclosure system.”

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Posted on May 6, 2011

Two-Tiered System Divides City

The man who should be mayor emphasizes neighborhood schools while Rahm focuses on charters. In other words, the candidate for the elite got elected while the candidate for everyone got pummeled. Nice job, Chicago.

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Posted on May 3, 2011

By John Sullivan, Special to ProPublica

This story has been co-published with the Columbia Journalism Review.
The Gulf oil spill was 2010’s biggest story, so when David Barstow walked into a Houston hotel for last December’s hearings on the disaster, he wasn’t surprised to see that the conference room was packed.
Calling the hearing to order, Coast Guard Captain Hung Nguyen cautioned the throng, “We will continue to allow full media coverage as long as it does not interfere with the rights of the parties to a fair hearing and does not unduly distract from the solemnity, decorum, and dignity of the proceedings.”
It’s a stock warning that every judge gives before an important trial, intended to protect witnesses from a hounding press. But Nguyen might have been worrying too much.
Because as Barstow realized as he glanced across the crowd, most of the people busily scribbling notes in the room were not there to ask questions. They were there to answer them.
“You would go into these hearings and there would be more PR people representing these big players than there were reporters, sometimes by a factor of two or three,” Barstow said. “There were platoons of PR people.”

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Posted on May 2, 2011