As I've explained many times, once a TIF district is created it essentially freezes the amount of tax revenue the schools, parks, county, and other taxing bodies get from it for up to 24 years. Any new revenue is diverted into the TIF fund, which is effectively controlled by the mayor with little oversight or transparency. Tax rates for the schools, parks, county, and other taxing bodies then have to be raised to compensate for the money pulled into the TIF accounts—thus producing a tax hike. Get it, Mayor Daley?
No? Here's another simple way to look at it: in each of the last several years the TIFs have collected about $500 million. That's money forked over by taxpayers on top of what they've paid to the city, county, schools, and parks.
Extending the life of a TIF district requires approval by the state legislature and the governor. Until last spring they'd never done it before in Chicago, though they've done it many times for suburban and downstate communities.
You'd hope that in these calamitous economic times, Governor Quinn, house speaker Michael Madigan, and senate president John Cullerton would feel compelled to hold hearings and engage in debate before effectively raising Chicagoans' property taxes. But you'd hope in vain.
Back on February 13, state rep Kevin Joyce introduced a bill to expand the kinds of materials open to the public under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. On April 3 that bill passed the house and was sent to the senate, where it sat in committee for weeks. Legislators tell me that during that time city lobbyists got in touch with their allies in the senate, and on May 18 Senator Don Harmon gutted the bill, removing the language about the FOIA and adding an amendment that extended the life of the four Chicago TIF districts: Madden/Wells, Roosevelt/Racine, Stony Island/Burnside, and Englewood Mall. None of these fall into Harmon's legislative district.
Later in the meeting, one of City Hall's most reliable critics of Wal-Mart's race to the bottom, Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th Ward), went toe-to-toe with Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce President Jerry Roper yesterday over the mega-retailer's push to open additional stores in Chicago. The common refrain from pro-business groups like the Chamber has been that the South Side is lucky to attract any new jobs in this economy and that the community is starved for low-cost retailers.After you listen to her audio comments, what do you think about her comments? Do you agree or disagree? Could a Wal-Mart only impoverish a neighbor?
Lyle isn't so sure. "We have been taught as a people in the past 20 or 30 years that we're just consumers and all we should be looking for is the lowest price. But we're not just consumers," she said. "We're citizens, we're parents, and hopefully, we're taxpayers ... While I want the lowest price, I don't want to do it at a cost of impoverishing my neighbor."
Listen (you should be able to listen via Windows Media, Quicktime, or Real Player for example-Levois)
Lyle's remarks came after several other aldermen questioned Roper about Wal-Mart without bringing up the issue of wages.
Levois,This student is working on a rough draft of their research paper right now, but needs any information provided to them before they have to turn in their final drafts by December 7th. Our contact e-mail as always is thesixthward [AT] 1chicago [DOT] net (please remember to change brackets with @ and the dot or period punctuation) but it's also in the sidebar, please respond by sending this blog via e-mail and any information you have for her will be forwarded to her!
I saw your post on The Sixth Ward about neighborhood schools and was wondering if you know anything about Deneen Elementary? I along with 3 other members of my class are doing a school study on Deneen and trying to see how it functions in relation to parents and the surrounding community. Additionally, if you know anyone who is a parent of a Deneen student, we would love to get their perspective.
Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.
Maggie Claudy
University of Chicago
Urban Teacher Education Program
PS: I've attached a copy of our director's letter describing the project in more depth.
In addition to the perspectives of parents with currently enrolled students, we're interested in hearing from former students, former or current teachers, anyone who has an opinion on Deneen.Help a college student out! :P
We also welcome anonymous contributions.
A 22-year-old man was shot and critically wounded tonight near the Dan Ryan Expressway, authorities said.
The victim was shot multiple times and suffered a graze wound to the head at about 9 p.m. near the intersection of 79th and State streets, fire officials said.
The man was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, fire department spokesman Quention Curtis said.
Today's vote is the latest development in a political struggle between commissioners and Board President Todd Stroger, who pushed through a penny-on-the-dollar sales tax increase last year. The unpopular tax hike pushed the sales tax rate to 10.25 percent in Chicago.Click here to see how county commissioners voted!
Stroger has vetoed past attempts this year by commissioners to cut or repeal the sales tax increase and was able to preserve the tax hike because the board could not muster the 14 votes required to overturn his veto.
But state law recently changed, allowing commissioners to override a Stroger veto with 11 votes. So if Stroger tries to block today's attempt to cut the sales tax, only 11 of 17 commissioners would have to band together to cut taxes.
Commissioner Larry Suffredin, D-Evanston, cobbled together today's bloc of 12 commissioners that backed the half-cent rollback by a margin that would withstand a veto effort. Suffredin voted for the tax increase last year. To see how they voted please click here.
Stroger has long maintained that rolling back the tax would decimate the county's public health care system, a claim his critics say does not square with reality.
Although the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office ruled Chicago Board of Education President Michael Scott’s death a suicide, the Chicago Police Department said too many loose ends need to be shored up before it reaches a conclusion.UPDATE 4:18 PM According to Crain's Taking Names blog Michael Scott would have been an honoree at a charity fundraiser:
Police Supt. Jody Weis said Scott’s body was found at approximately 3:20 a.m. Monday by police along the Chicago River embankment in the 300 block of North Orleans, shortly after his blue, 2-door Cadillac was found a few yards away. He suffered a single gunshot to the left side of the head.
“We know what the M.E. ruled, and it’s one piece to the puzzle. We’re still looking at lots of open-ended questions that need to be tightened up,” Weis said at a news conference Monday at police headquarters on 35th Street and Michigan Avenue.
Scott was partially in the water –– head and shoulders –– and a .380 caliber pistol was found underneath his body. No note was found at the scene, according to police.
Stunned organizers of Life Directions, an organization that works with at-risk students in Chicago Public Schools, had planned to honor Mr. Scott with its Guiding Light award.UPDATE 10:46 AM Earlier this Chicago Breaking News story reported that a body tentatively identified as Michael Scott, President of the Chicago Board of Education was found in the Chicago River. That story has been updated indicating that Scott shot himself in the head along the banks of the Chicago River near the Merchandise Mart. Sad and disturbing story!
The event at the University of Chicago will instead serve as a eulogy of sorts, with a moment of silence for the man friends hailed for his dedication to their cause.
Organizers said Mr. Scott had indicated last week that he'd be attending and would have a table of 10 along with him. Event planners were still trying to determine who would receive the award on Mr. Scott's behalf.
The non-profit credits Mr. Scott with getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding over the years and bringing its work to the attention of Mayor Richard M. Daley.
A body tentatively identified as Michael Scott, president of the Chicago Board of Education, was found in the Chicago River near the Merchandise Mart this morning, police sources said.
A blue Cadillac registered to Scott, 60, was found parked next to a trash bin yards away from the river.
A police spokesman said the identification was preliminary. The Cook County medical examiner's office has not yet positively identified the body.
Scott's family, concerned about his whereabouts, had contacted police Sunday night, reporting he was missing.
A member of Scott's family said he had visited his sister at a South Loop care facility on Sunday and was last seen about 6 p.m.
The relative said he visited his sister regularly on Sundays and described him as a creature of habit.
Police were called to the Chicago Apparel Center at 350 N. Orleans in the River North neighborhood about 3:15 a.m. and found the man in the water behind the building, off Kinzie, according to Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro.
The Cadillac was found in a parking lot along the river. It was winched onto a tow truck about 6:30 a.m.
Chicago police Sunday were continuing their search for the person who shot a convicted sex offender and struck him with a vehicle near a lounge in the city's Chatham neighborhood.
An autopsy Sunday showed that the man -- identified as Howard Hodges, 34 -- died from injuries caused by the vehicle, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Two other men also were shot in the incident, which happened near 83rd Street and Vincennes Avenue. Those victims did not suffer life-threatening injuries, police said.
Would you like to see a Costco come to Chatham at the now vacant lot at 84Th Street and King Drive where the land is fenced off where a Jewel-Osco once stood?I've written about this site before and all that could be said is not if the Park Manor Christian Church has anything to say about it. They currently own the site, although it's great to see that someone is looking at other possibilities.
The Chicago metropolitan area ranks No. 148 out of 200 U.S. metro areas in an annual report on the nation’s “best performing” cities.I think some re-evaluation of why this is the case has to go on here!
The Milken Institute index ranks cities on their ability to create and sustain jobs and measures employment, salary growth and technology output. Chicago’s low rating reflects a lack of growth in salary and wages, as well as a decline in employment, said Kevin Klowden, managing economist at the Santa Monica-based research firm.
“ ‘Stagnation’ is a good word” to describe the city, Mr. Klowden said. “The city has been stagnant for a few years. Chicago isn’t seeing massive, horrible layoffs as other metros, but if you combine the performance of the last five years with the job losses from this past year, the city isn’t doing very well.” Unemployment in metropolitan Chicago has hovered around a level not seen in 26 years. In September, the local jobless rate rose to 10.1%, up from 9.6% the prior month and 6.2% in September 2008, based on figures released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. This year’s peak was 11.3% in June, the highest since July 1983.
Food Options Coming to Bronzeville
The City of Chicago Community Development Commission is giving the green light on a project that would create food opportunities in Bronzeville. Bronzeville is one of several South Side communities that have been dubbed “food deserts” because of the lack of grocery options.
“Cuisine of the Diaspora” would bring 130 jobs to the neighborhood. This food desert community would also have casual dining options ranging from vegan to Jamaican. In addition the plans include a fresh produce store.
Bernard Loyd is the developer of this $8-million-dollar-plus project.
LOYD: Good food brings people together in a community. Good food creates a lot of jobs. Good food brings people into a community and good food allows a community to tell its story.
Loyd’s group plans to buy a city-owned parcel for $10,000. The city is giving the investors a $3 million grant in tax increment financing dollars. The land is at 51st between Prairie and Calumet. Loyd says groundbreaking will begin in 2010.
Transit officials and Gov. Pat Quinn have reached agreement on a deal that will avoid a threatened Chicago Transit Authority fare hike, both in 2010 and 2011.That's all fine and good, but we really need to address the whole free rides for seniors deal. Things will turn around eventually especially this economy, but the long-term financial health of the CTA should continue to be at the top of the list. What can CTA afford and what can't CTA afford?
According to reliable sources, the deal involves the Regional Transportation Authority issuing bonds for capital projects that would be funneled to the CTA. That would allow the CTA to shift some federal capital funds into its cash-short operating budget, thereby avoiding the necessity to hike fares.
As part of the deal, the state reportedly would help the CTA pay debt service on the RTA funds for at least a couple of years. Other monies would go to Pace, which has had trouble financing its para-transit operation.
Sources said the deal is to be formally announced at a press conference featuring Mr. Quinn and transit leaders as soon as Wednesday afternoon.
The usually cordial, but occasionally stormy forum, held at St. James Lutheran Church, 8000 S. Michigan, also heard from Rev. Booker Vance, from the Good Jobs Chicago coalition, and from Elce Redmond, from the South Austin Coalition, on the West Side, home of the only Walmart store currently within the city limits, as well as numerous comments from attendees in a forum best charcterized as split almost evenly between people sympathetic to Walmart, people hostile to it, and those on the fence.That portion in bold, heh, I definitely wasn't the only one who heard that. :P
For those who want the Walmart store the case for Walmart is summed in one word: jobs, some 400 to 500 of them. For those against the store, the case against Walmart is summed up in one question: at what price?
...
Ald. Brookins, speaking almost four times as long, because he was the only clear-cut Walmart supporter among the main speakers, spoke passionately of the economic desperation of his ward, aggravated by what he called "racist thinking" on the part of other major retailers he's tried to entice onto the open site at W. 83rd and Stewart. He accused Whole Foods Market of refusing to come onto the South Side because it thinks, he claims, South Siders are not educated or sophisticated enough to appreciate its health conscious, organically grown products. He accused Costco of simply refusing to even consider expanding to a South Side location. He said Target refused to consider the site because it already has a store in its Chatham mall, between E. 85th and E. 87th. Sts., in Ald. Lyle's ward.
To the post regarding Ald. Howard Brookins (21st Ward) talking to Whole Foods Market about coming to the Chatham Market shopping center to be one of the anchors in addition to Lowe's. Of course that other anchor is expected to be Wal-Mart since at this time they're the only ones who are willing to move in and build a store. But we all know that Wal-Mart is having a roadblock moment with it being bottled up in the city council's committee on finance.I write for a blog called The Sixth Ward emanating out of the south side of Chicago. I wrote a post about a recent community meeting to discuss a Wal-Mart store that has been bottled up on city council committee on 83rd and Stewart. At that meeting Whole Foods Market was mentioned as an anchor store at the 83rd & Stewart shopping center, but it was said the company turned down looking at that location due to the area not being educated enough. That is not enough advanced degrees and not enough data to indicate that the area would know the benefits of buying organic foods. The question is how does Whole Foods arrive at making a decision of where to place a store? Do you look at educational attainment? Are there any other factors? BTW, you should know that I have already places a store request for the area codes of 60620 and 60619. I look forward to your response and thank you in advance for your time.In any event I would have expected days to go by or even weeks, but I have to hand it to Whole Foods they answered today!
Hello Levois,You should refer to that real estate site to see what it may take for them to consider taking up shop in any community. In any case they do look at education according to them it's only a small part of what they look for in a new location for their stores.
Thank you for your email. One of the things we look for when finding new locations is a large number of college educated residents. That is, however, one small part of the overall equation. For more specific information, please visit the real estate section of our website. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company/realestate.php
We hope this information is helpful. If you have any further questions please use our on-line response form.
Best regards,
Jessie
Yes I believe he has approached a number of companies and they have said no. But I believe that some would come with some aggresive grassroots marketing( i.e. neighborhood video, CBO brochures, etc).OK, it took some prodding to get Target to open a store on 87th and Cottage Grove. They weren't convinced that there was any money to be made here. Of course before Target opened there was already a Home Depot, Jewel, Toys R Us, and a Jewel to name a few large stores already here before Fall 2002.
I don't believe that Whole Foods and Costco were that unwilling to entertain a store in our community because the facts speak for themselves. Home Depot on 87th is in the top 10% based on revenue. Chatham 14 is the number 2 movie theater, Target on Cottage is a top 10% revenue store. Also, as far as Costco our neighborhood demographics are not that much different than Bedford Park and Niles.
In all fairness to Whole Foods I believe they did pass not because of demographics but because they have supporters in Hyde Park who are aggressively lobbying for them to come. Also, the large number of fast food stores (5 McDonalds in a 5 mile radius, 2 Burger Kings, 2 White castles, etc.).
Shots were fired about 11:30 p.m.in the 6700 block of South Perry Avenue, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro. When police arrived, they found a man in a vehicle who had been shot multiple times, Alfaro said.Found thru the 6th Ward EveryBlock feed.
The man, described as in his 30s, was shot in the back and both legs, Alfaro said.
He was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.
The circumstances behind the shooting are unknown, Alfaro said.
Gov. Quinn signed into law Saturday a measure that slices away some of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's authority and sets the stage for county commissioners to slash a controversial sales tax increase as the 2010 elections loom.
The new law, effective immediately, makes it easier for commissioners to override the board president's veto. Until Saturday, the 17-member board needed a four-fifths majority, or 14 votes, to override a veto. The new law requires only a three-fifths majority -- 11 votes.
Quinn told reporters the law is "fair" and brings Cook County government in line with the Illinois Legislature and other governing bodies across the country.
Under the old rules, Stroger on three occasions vetoed attempts by commissioners to roll back a penny-on-the-dollar sales tax increase -- one that pushed Chicago's overall sales tax to 10.25 percent, the nation's highest. But commissioners were unable to muster a four-fifths majority to override the vetoes.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m., the Feed the People Program campaign will be visiting Higgins Grammar School on 11710 S. Morgan St., on Chicago's South Side. The purpose of the event is threefold--to promote veganism by distributing free, hot vegan meals; to encourage anti-violence from dietary consumption; and to bring awareness to the environmental crisis. October 24 is also 350.org's International Day of Climate Action, with 181 countries creating 4,500 events bringing environmental awareness.
The South Side Chicago campaign with Soul Vegetarian Restaurant was created by Zarakyah Ben Ahmadiel, Chairman of RBG (Red, Black, Green) Environmental Restoration Agency, with the help of Soul Vegetarian Restaurant and the Office of Environmental Affairs for the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem. Soul Vegetarian Restaurant is located at 205 E. 75th St.
Special appearances and performances include GOOD Music's Grammy Award winning artists Malik Yusef and J. Ivy, Chicago emcee Mikkey Halsted, music by Soul Selector DJ Lee Farmer and other poets, singers and music professionals. Ahmadiel and Fred Hampton Jr., the Chairman of Prisoners of Consciousness Committee, will be at the location supporting veganism, but there will be no speeches.
"The event is designed so as not to be imposing," Ahmadiel said. "We don't want people to think they have to come and listen to me talk to eat. But the beautiful thing about black people and food is conversations ensue nonetheless."
The Feed the People Program campaign also plans to promote anti-violence through dietary behavior and is purposely being held at Higgins Grammar School, only one mile from Fenger High School where recently murdered Chicago student Derrion Albert attended.
"There are a number of connections between veganism and diet with adverse behaviors," Ahmadiel said. "One very under-reported aspect of the environmental crisis, whether it be resource scarcity or global warming, is the deterioration of the system on the Earth in these communities. Many studies have shown that it is usually low-income, people of color, whether it be in Chicago, Brazil, Darfur, that are the first to feel the effects of our resource scarcity. Poverty comes out of the largest sense of capitalism--less to consume, less to distribute, and those who are already poor are left to hopelessness and helplessness and recklessness, and that cycle descends further down to our children who act that behavior out."
According to the United States Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Services, "research shows that students who eat breakfast at school have increased standardized achievement test scores, improved attendance and reduced tardiness. Other research shows that students who eat breakfast have improved academic, behavioral and emotional functioning."
These NSLP lunches and SBP breakfasts meet the national nutrition standards and comply with the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These meals include vegan items, such as grains like rice, potato soup, wheat toast and oatmeal; fruits like apples, pears and peaches; juices like grapefruit juice and orange juice; and vegetables like green beans and baby carrots.
The Feed the People Program campaign will offer the BBQ delight made out of wheat flower, collard greens, vegetarian macaroni cheese made with soy cheese, vegetarian lasagna, raw kale salad, bean curd salad, BBQ tofu, veggie burgers and jerk wraps.
And for those who want to take their diet a step further with veganism, students and parents, South Side vegetarian restaurants Soul Vegetarian Restaurant, Quench and Vegetarian Life sell vegetarian and vegan meals. Vegetarian food is also prepackaged in various whole food stores and neighborhood locations like Southtown Health Foods located at 2100 W. 95th St., and Elnora's Health Unlimited located at 10844 S. Halsted St.
"We'll soon be available in Jewel, the whole chain of Jewel Osco stores," Ahmadiel said. "But the thing about vegetarianism is you don't have to go out of your scope. If you just cut back on meat, you automatically have a vegetarian meal. [The Feed the People Program] will give me the opportunity to introduce the conversation to some of the people who aren't accustomed to it. I'll be able to direct them to immediate resources."
The Feed the People Program campaign is funded by the RBG Environmental Restoration Agency and will last approximately two to three hours.
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Qualifying homeowners facing foreclosure will be able to stay in their homes -- as renters -- under a new program announced by Fannie Mae on Thursday.
The Deed for Lease Program is designed to help borrowers who aren't eligible or haven't been able to sustain other work-out solutions, including a modification, according to a news release.
Participating borrowers voluntarily transfer their property deed back to the lender; the lender then leases the house back to the borrower at a market rate for up to a year. After the period is up, there's a possibility of a term renewal or a month-to-month lease arrangement, the release said.
More aid for home buyersThe News Hub panel discusses Washington's new legislation that will extend more help to the jobless and to home buyers.
"The Deed for Lease Program provides an additional option for qualifying homeowners who are facing foreclosure and are not eligible for modifications," said Jay Ryan, vice president of Fannie Mae, in the release. "This new program helps eliminate some of the uncertainty of foreclosure, keeps families and tenants in their homes during a transitional period, and helps to stabilize neighborhoods and communities."
To qualify, the home must be the borrower's primary residence, and he or she needs to be released from any subordinate liens on the property. The borrower also has to document that the new market rental rate doesn't exceed 31% of his or her gross income.
"This policy takes advantage of the fact that in many former bubble markets, ownership costs are likely to be far higher than the cost of renting an equivalent unit, if the homeowner purchased their home near the peak of the market. In many cases this gap can be dramatic," said Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, in a separate release.
"For example, the savings on a moderate-priced home purchased near the peak of the market in the Washington, D.C. area could be more than $1,300 a month. The gap between ownership costs and renting in the Los Angeles area could be almost $2,000 a month," he said. "Many homeowners who could not sustain mortgages based on the original purchase price, even with sharp reductions in interest rates, can afford the market rent."
A big step
Baker called the Deed for Lease Program a "very big step" toward giving families facing foreclosure more housing security.
"Families that like their home, their neighborhood, or the schools for their children will have the opportunity to stay in their house even after foreclosure," he said. "This is also good policy for neighborhoods that have been hard-hit by foreclosures. The Deed for Lease Program will keep the homes occupied rather than being an eyesore and a potential safety hazard."
But Baker does have one criticism of the program: He said the guaranteed lease period should be longer than a year -- possibly contingent on timely rent payments and proper upkeep. "Nonetheless, the new policy by Fannie Mae is an important step forward in dealing with the housing crisis," he said.
Homeowners are going to have to watch out for third parties with promises to do the same thing, Most of these parties are unregulated and unlicenced. Homeowners need to verify that the program these parties offer is guaranteed by Fannie Mae or FHA.
Posts
All Comments
