Chicago - A message from the station manager

The [Tuesday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

“A little less than two years ago, Gregory D. Wasson, the chief executive of Walgreen, sought a series of tax breaks from Illinois, where his company is based,” the New York Times reports.

“We are proud of our Illinois heritage,” he said at the time. “Just as our stores and pharmacies are health and daily living anchors for the communities we serve, we as a company are now recommitted to serving as an economic anchor for northeastern Illinois.”

“The state gave Walgreen $46 million in corporate income tax credits over 10 years in exchange for a pledge to create 500 jobs and invest in upgrading its offices. The state also provided $625,000 in training money and $875,000 in other tax incentives.
“Mr. Wasson’s actions, however, could soon run counter to his words. The same chief executive who said he was so ‘proud of our Illinois heritage’ is now considering moving the company’s headquarters to Switzerland as part of a merger with Alliance Boots, a European drugstore chain.
“Why? To lower Walgreens tax bill even further.”


Madigan Maneuver
How A Country Club Hills Eminent Domain Tax District Became Navy Pier Inc.
A Beachwood report.
Waffles ‘R’ Us
A very special World Cup preview to prepare you for today’s game.
Tweeting The Derecho
Rahm blames Daley.
Pride Downtown-Bound?
“Alderman Tom Tunney (44th) said Monday that he is open to the possibility of moving the annual Chicago Pride Parade from Boystown to downtown,” Chicago Pride reports.

“We hear from our residents that they don’t feel safe in their neighborhood – that there is too much . . . alcohol and partying all night long,” Tunney told WBBM Radio.

“Tunney’s comments come after Sunday’s Pride Parade, which drew more than one million people to the north side neighborhood.”
Lolla Chips
“Lollapalooza is rolling out a new initiative this week called Lolla Cashless, which claims to be the first effort from a major U.S. music festival to use radio frequency identification (or RFID)-enabled wristbands for payments,” Billboard reports.
“Leading up to the August event, the Chicago music festival will begin sending concertgoers bracelets that can be linked to credit card information for buying food and drinks.
“Here’s how it works: A small technology chip is embedded into the wristbands that concertgoers have to wear to enter Lollapalooza. Attendees have the option to enter their credit card information once a bracelet is registered online. All of the restaurant and drink vendors will have point-of-sale systems set up so that users can tap the bracelets against a technology-enabled pad and type in a PIN code to pay for items. The payment is then automatically applied to a credit or debit card.”
Bail Trail
“Flooding brought traffic into O’Hare International Airport to a near standstill this morning, forcing dozens of people to walk to the airport or a nearby Blue Line station to make their flights,” the Tribune reports.
“A trail of passengers could be seen pulling their suitcases out of cars and cabs and walking along the side of the road as westbound traffic on Interstate 190 was reduced to a single lane at Mannheim Road because of a foot of standing water, according to Illinois State Police Sgt. Henry Spight.”
Slide Path
“An evacuation slide inflated inside a United Airlines plane as it flew from Chicago to Southern California, filling part of the cabin and prompting the pilot to make an emergency landing in Kansas,” AP reports.
“Passenger Mike Schroeder said he was sitting in the front row of the plane bound for Orange County, California, late Sunday when he heard a hiss and pop behind him.
“Schroeder, 58, turned around and saw the Boeing 737-700’s evacuation slide inflating. The slide – which would normally inflate outside the plane in an emergency – filled the galley.
“‘I thought to myself, ‘I hope there is no one in the restroom because if they are they’re not coming out for a long time,’ he said in a telephone interview.”
Click through for the rest of the story – and a photo.
Safe For Work?
“As the Free The Nipple movement sweeps social media, Chicago designers have designed the TaTa top for the not-so-brave ladies to don.”
I’ll just leave it at that.
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TweetWood


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The Blackwater piece.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Derecho chamber.

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Posted on July 1, 2014