[Note from Rich Miller: Today is Mike Murray’s birthday. Please, wish him well in comments. Thanks.]
* Outlook rough for holiday job-seekers
People looking for part-time work over the holidays can blame an unemployment rate of more than 10 percent and a cautious retail sales outlook if they find the sledding a little rough.[…]
The Philadelphia-based Hay Group, a global management consulting firm, surveyed 25 top U.S. retailers earlier this fall and found that 40 percent of those responding plan to hire 5 percent to 25 percent fewer seasonal workers this year. It found that 64 percent already have lower-than-normal staffing levels.
* Chicago Ranks Low on Performance List
Chicago’s moved up from its place last year, but it’s still not doing well. Of the 200 largest metro areas, Chicago comes in at 148 of the nation’s best performing cities. An annual report released by the Milken Institute ranks metropolitan areas by how well a city can create and continue economic growth.
Chicago’s low ranking shows the decline in jobs and the stagnation of salary and wages. The areas where the city saw the sharpest declines in employment were manufacturing and the financial sector. The loss of those jobs had a negative affect on administrative and support positions. But the report says Chicago remains a major business center and will eventually benefit from a national recovery.
* Chicago Budget Hearings to Wrap Up
Chicago City Council members are scheduled to hold their final day of budget hearings today.
* Thursday Illinois political docket: Daley talks about snow removal, CTA to vote on service cuts
* Lacking business license, Flowers’ new site closed
Facing eviction for not paying $10,000 in back rent on office space in Westchester, Flowers moved into a Broadview building a little more than a week ago.[…]
In addition, sources close to the office said, employees - who should have been paid Nov. 6 - have yet to receive their paychecks.
The closure is unrelated to a Cook County state’s attorney’s office criminal investigation that resulted in a raid of the Westchester office and Flowers’ home, or a lawsuit alleging he engaged in a scheme to defraud Cook County and avoid officials after defaulting on a $190,000 loan.[…]
“They didn’t apply for a business license, which would require an inspection,” Fornaro said. “No certificate of occupancy was issued.”
* 8th-graders’ shot at elite high schools better
High-scoring kids were being rejected simply because of the order in which they listed their college prep preferences.
“I couldn’t believe it,'’ schools CEO Ron Huberman said. “It’s terrible.'’
CPS officials said Wednesday they have decided to let any eighth-grader who applied to a college prep for fall 2010 admission re-rank their preferences to better conform with a new selection system.
* CPS magnet plan must keep racial diversity
* Northbrook criticized for giving police officers their old guns
A few residents blast Northbrook’s idea to let police keep their service Berettas
* Chocolate milk lovers have a cow about bans
A year after Barrington Community Unit School District 220 banned flavored milk from its lunch menus, the students persuaded administrators to give it another chance. Now the sweetened drinks are served on Fridays as the district tries to decide whether the benefits of calcium and vitamin D are worth the added sugar.
* Narcoleptic police dispatcher reaches settlement with Hillside after firing
* Swine flu ban: No young visitors at Stroger, other county hospitals
* Shots for high-risk available
* Man charged in downstate bomb plot will undergo tests
* Use the tools to ensure victims’ safety
Thousands of Illinoisans live in fear that someone they know may try to harm them. All told, more than 27,000 active orders of protection are on the books.
Problem is, about one-fifth of these court orders have not been served to those accused of abuse. If they violate an order for which they have not been notified, the offenders cannot be arrested, leaving their victims vulnerable to further attacks or harassment.
A new initiative by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office is aimed at closing this gap in the justice system and providing enforceable legal protection to more victims of domestic violence.
* Crime 101: Chances of being a statistic
In Chicago, in 2008, there were 511 murders. What are your chances of being a statistic? Check out our graphic below:
* Death for Dugan
* Michigan man arrested after calling 911 for a ride home