Chicago - A message from the station manager

The [Thursday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

Rahm Emanuel “taught” a civics class this morning at Brown Elementary.


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I wonder if he taught them about this.


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A reader sent me one of these the other day. See for yourself.
Rahm Letter 1.pdf
Rahm Letter 2.pdf
Rahm Letter outer eps.pdf
Rahm Letter return eps.pdf
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And as long as the mayor had the kids in his thrall, what about this lesson in deceit?
The Green Mayor
“Mayor Rahm Emanuel offered another spirited defense Wednesday of his push to use public park land for a proposed Barack Obama presidential library near the University of Chicago, but dodged a question on why he’s not adding new public green space to compensate for all the land that would be dedicated to the complex,” the Tribune reports.
Why is it so hard to make an acre-for-acre swap? The city owns plenty of vacant land. It can also acquire more.
Maybe for the same reason parks advocates don’t like this deal: The precedent.
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Also, to correct a media-driven impression about at least one of last week’s two public hearings on the parkland in question, here’s the Reader’s Ben Joravsky:
“I stayed till the hearing was over and the last of the speakers had spoken. For the record, there were at least as many nays as yeas among the speakers – it’s just that the yeas got to speak first, before much of the media had left.”
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See also: Emanuel’s Consensus-Building Is Disingenuous.
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Not Hot For Teacher


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Council Follies
The Trib reported a couple other interesting tidbits.
“Ald. Bob Fioretti, 2nd, who’s running for mayor, introduced a package aimed at tightening the rules governing what lobbyists can do at City Hall. Fioretti calls for outlawing lobbyists from soliciting votes from aldermen during meetings. It’s common to see lobbyists motioning aldermen to the edges of the City Council floor to whisper in their ears during debate, and for lobbyists to congregate in a back room near council chambers, waiting to make the case for their clients as aldermen walk on and off the floor.”
Maybe just hook up earpieces for aldermen so lobbyists can just call in the plays.
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“Ald. Ariel Reboyras, 30th, proposed changing city code to make it legal for people age 65 and older to ride their bicycles on the sidewalk. “It’s a little dangerous for them in the streets,” Reboyras said.”
That strikes me as making the sidewalks dangerous.
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“Wednesday marked the last council meeting until March 18. That allows aldermen running in the Feb. 24 city election to focus more attention on campaigning to keep their jobs.”
Never let governing get in the way of campaigning.
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Wishing Things To The Cornfield
For those who don’t get the reference.
See also: It’s a Good Life.
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Diary Of A Lost Pregnancy, Part 4
Mommy, What Does Bupkes Mean?
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BeachBook
* Selma: Black History According To Oprah.
* Time For Science To Trump Politics In Police Staffing Debate.
* Sand: Chicago-based Marketplace radio reporter Dan Weissman looks at the $10 billion sand industry that has arisen out of the fracking boom. Included: Wacky Wisconsin politics.
* Baltimore Sun: Marc Trestman Looks To Build Upon Ravens’ Offensive Success.
* Heroin Addiction Sent Me To Prison. White Privilege Got Me Out And To The Ivy League.
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TweetWood


Although I must say that one of the reasons why Trestman beat Gase for that job appears to be the desire of the Ravens to not keeping losing OCs to head coaching jobs every year – and Gase most certainly will be a candidate again next year. Trestman likely won’t.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Free journalism.

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Posted on January 21, 2015