Cook County Politics

State's Attorney Investigator Whiled Away Hours On County's Dime

| Patrick Rehkamp, Robert Herguth & Dane Placko | Posted 04.27.2012

Read More: Robert L. Thomas Cook County, Video, Cook County Politics, Cook County State's Attorney, Bga, Bruno Caruso, Robert L. Thomas, Better Government Association, Pete Silvestri, Chicago News

This story is courtesy of the Better Government Association Investigators with the Cook County state’s attorney’s office are sworn police off...

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Beavers Pleads Not Guilty On Tax Fraud Charges

Posted 03.03.2012

Read More: William Beavers Trial, Chicago Politics, Video, William Beavers Corruption, Patrick Fitzgerald, Cook County Politics, Illinois Corruption, Chicago Corruption, Bill Beavers, William Beavers, William Beavers Pleads Not Guilty, William Beavers Tax Fraud, Chicago News

Shortly after embattled Cook County Commissioner William Beavers pleaded not guilty to tax fraud charges Friday, he lashed out against U.S. Attorney P...

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Cook County Budget Outlines More Than 1,000 Layoffs; Tax, Fee Increases

Posted 12.24.2011

Read More: Toni Preckwinkle Budget, Illinois Unemployment, Cook County Taxes, Toni Preckwinkle County Budget, Cook County Politics, Toni Preckwinkle, Illinois Taxes, Illinois Layoffs, Illinois Jobs, Cook County, Cook County Layoffs, Cook County Budget, Chicago News

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's second budget, slated to be officially unveiled Tuesday, is expected to include layoffs of just more th...

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Cook County Commissioners Say 'No' To Mandated Furloughs

Posted 11.21.2011

Read More: Earlean Collins, Constance Kravitz, Cook County Commissioners, Cook County Furloughs, Cook County Politics, Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Employee Furloughs, William Beavers, Cook County Board, Cook County Budget, Cook County Illinois, Cook County Budget Deficit, Chicago News

Two Cook County commissioners lashed out Tuesday against a County Board mandate requiring them to join the majority of the county's employees in takin...

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Chicago, More Mexicans Than Veracruz

HuffingtonPost.com | Matt Sledge | Posted 10.10.2011

Read More: 2010 Census, Census, Latino-Politics, Juan Rangel, Redistricting, Mexican-Americans, Gerrymandering, United Neighborhood Organization, Chicago Suburbs, Rahm Emanuel, Cook County Politics, Chicago, Chicago Latinos, Danny Solis, Cook County, Latino Voices News

CHICAGO -- The City of Chicago has more Mexicans than Veracruz and more Puerto Ricans than Arecibo. But despite these huge urban numbers, Latinos in t...

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Cops: Peraica ARRESTED For Vandalizing Opponent's Yard Signs

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Mccook Mayor, Cook County Politics, Tony Peraica Arrested, Mccook Illinois, Tony Peraica, Jeff Tobolski, Cook County Commissioner Arrested, Cook County Commissioner, Chicago News

Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica was arrested Saturday night for allegedly vandalizing his Democratic opponent's yard signs in southwest suburban...

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700 New Voters

Karlo Barrios Marcelo | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Millenial Generation, Youth Vote, Midterm Elections, Chicago-Illinois, 2010 Elections, Cook County Politics, Elections 2010, Chicago News

In recent weeks, over 100 volunteers hit the streets all over Chicago as part of the new group, Progressive Alliance - Cook County. Our goal: to register as many young voters as possible.

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Is Online Voter Registration the Future?

David Orr | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Election Law, Election Reform, Voting Reform, Online-Registration, Voter Registration, Cook County Politics, Voting, Chicago News

Six states have now transitioned to online voter registration, and their taxpayers, voters and election offices are all reaping the benefits.

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Lame Duck Stroger Spruces Up Executive Offices With Taxpayer Cash

Chicago Sun-Times | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Cook County Board President, Cook County Politics, Cook County Board, Toni Preckwinkle, Todd Stroger Furniture, Todd Stroger, Chicago News

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, who lost re-election in February and has eight months left in office, is using taxpayer money to spruce up h...

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Obama's Home-Grown GOP Problem

Steve Daley | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Valerie Jarrett, Council Wars, Rahm Emanuel, Cook County Politics, David Axelrod, Richard J. Daley, Mayor Daley, Chicago, African Americans, Harold Washington, Chicago News

For generations Chicago has dined out on a hard-edged Democratic image. But all the fights were internecine. When it comes to confronting the national GOP, the mythic nature of Chicago politics is just that, a myth.

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Paul Vallas: Not Running For Chicago Mayor, Developing School Model For Haiti

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Chicago Public Schools, New Orleans, Vallas New Orleans Schools, Paul Vallas, Cook County Politics, New Orleans Schools, Haiti, Haiti Earthquake, Chicago Mayor, Chicago News

Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, who has been superintendent of the Recovery School District of Louisiana in New Orleans since 2007, is ...

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News Flash: Cook County Machine Covers for Its Own, Again

Andy Thayer | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Drunk Driving, Chicago Politics, Dui, Cook County State's Attorney, Cook County Politics, Anita Alvarez, Richard Fiorito, Chicago News

On Monday afternoon, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez announced that she was taking a pass on criminally prosecuting a Chicago police officer who currently faces 34 federal lawsuits.

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Sources: Stroger Fires 3 For Lack Of Support

Chicago Sun-Times | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Election 2010, Cook County Board President, Todd Stroger, Shakman Decree, Cook County Forest Preserve, Cook County Politics, Chicago News

With the Democratic primary looming, County Board President Todd Stroger has fired three Forest Preserve District employees because they were not supp...

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Third Time's A Charm For County Sales Tax Rollback?

Chicago Public Radio | Tony Arnold | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Todd Stroger Sales Tax, Cook County Tax Rollback, Cook County, Cook County Sales Tax, Cook County Politics, Cook County Board, Todd Stroger, Chicago News

Cook County commissioners may once again try to cut the sales tax this week....

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Emil Jones, His Stepson, and Todd Stroger -- A Great Deal for Them

Carol Felsenthal | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Todd Stroger, Emil Jones, Department of Homeland Security, Chicago Politics, Chicago Sun-Times, Cook County Politics, Dick Durbin, Obama Chicago, John Sterling, Forrest Claypool, Cook County Board, Chicago News

The Chicago Sun-Times discovers another bad deal for taxpayers in Cook County government.

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Who Should Claypool Voters Choose? Probably Preckwinkle

Paras Bhayani | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Forrest Claypool, Todd Stroger, Mike Quigley, Cook County Board, Cook County Politics, Mayor Daley, Danny Davis, Tom Dart, Cook County Board President Race, Dorothy Brown, Toni Preckwinkle, Terrence O'Brien, Chicago News

The voters who would have backed Claypool, many of whom live on the North Side and in suburban Cook County, might well be the swing votes in this election.

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Stroger Tells Peraica 'You Don't Know When To Shut Up' (WATCH)

Huffington Post | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: John Daley, Tony Peraica, Todd Stroger, Video, Cook County Politics, Peraica Daley, Cook County Sales Tax, Cook County Board, Chicago News

Things got a little testy at the Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday. First, Commissioner Tony Peraica tried to make the point that pe...

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Cook County Dems Forget Jimmy Carter In Latest Ad

Chicago Tribune | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Bill Clinton, Cook County Democratic Party, John Kennedy, Cook County Democrats, Cook County Politics, Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Chicago News

The Cook County Democratic party sent out a direct mail piece this week touting endorsed candidates centered on the theme that "throughout history, De...

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Video Gambling Ban Passes Cook County Board

Chicago Tribune | Hal Dardick | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Pat Quinn, Cook County Video Gambling, Illinois Video Gambling, Cook County Politics, Cook County Board, Cook County Video Gambling Ban, Chicago News

The Cook County Board today tweaked its ban on video gambling to ensure the betting machines won't be allowed in unincorporated areas under Gov. Pat Q...

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Shining Light On County Lobbyists

Huffington Post | Tim Taliaferro | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Lobbyist Sunshine Initiative, David Orr, Bridget Gainer, Cook County Politics, Cook County Lobbyists, Todd Stroger, Lobbying, Lobbyists, Cook County Board, Chicago News

UPDATE: The Lobbyist Sunshine Initiative passed the finance committee unanimously on Thursday. It goes to a full vote at the Board's Oct. 6 meeting. ...

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Shedding Sunshine on Cook County Lobbyists

David Orr | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Cook County Clerk, Cook County Board, Cook County Politics, Lobbyists, Lobbyist Sunshine Initiative, Bridget Gainer, Todd Stroger, Cook County Lobbyists, Chicago News

There is no reason why we cannot bring our lobbyist records into the 21st Century. We can and should do more to connect the dots between million dollar contracts and lobbyists who stand to profit from their approval.

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How Judges Become Judges In Cook County

Chicago Sun-Times | Abdon M. Pallasch | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Cook County Democratic Slating, Cook County Democratic Party, Chicago Judges, Electing Judges, Cook County Judges, Cook County Politics, Chicago News

"Mysterious forces" hover in the air in this Hotel Allegro conference room as Cook County's Democratic ward and township committeemen carve up "The Be...

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Byron Steele: Stroger Had Me Fired As Political Payback

Chicago Sun-Times | CAROL MARIN AND LISA DONOVAN | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: James D'Amico, Todd Stroger, Cook County Politics, Bobbie Steele, Stroger Sales Tax Veto, Byron Steele, Robert Steele, Chicago News

At 9 o'clock Monday morning, Byron Steele, First Deputy Director of Cook County's Department of Facilities Management was called downtown and given th...

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Sunlight Proposed For County Lobbyists And Politicians

Chicago Tribune | Hal Dardick | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Cook County Board, David Orr, Chicago Lobbyists, Bridget Gainer, Cook County Lobbyists, Cook County Politics, Chicago News

Cook County lobbyists would have to disclose new clients within two days of landing them under new ethics rules proposed Monday by county Clerk David ...

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Stroger Blames Zell, Bad Data For Low Poll Numbers

Huffington Post | Tim Taliaferro | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Sam Zell, Todd Stroger, Danny Davis, Dorothy Brown, Stroger Tribune Poll, Cook County Politics, Toni Preckwinkle, Stroger Approval Rating, Stroger Poll, Terrence O'Brien, Cook County Board, Chicago News

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger downplayed his dismal approval rating in a Tribune/WGN poll Thursday and alleged that the low numbers were pa...

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