Some members of the Aurora police union, reportedly upset over a plan to give a city commission investigating citizen complaints subpoena power over the police, decided to stop writing (or at least slow down) the number of tickets issued to motorists.
The police brass initially complained about the ticket picket, but later pooh-poohed the protest. Meanwhile, union President Wayne Biles told the public, essentially, move along, there was nothing to see here.
"There has been no change in our commitment to serve and protect the citizens of Aurora," Biles wrote in a letter to the editor. "Contrary to what The Beacon News inferred, we are busier than ever, making more traffic stops than last year and having more contacts with the public." (emphasis added)
Anyone donating to a political candidate expects something in return, no matter if it's a business or an individual, which is what makes this pay-to-play talk so complicated.
Is it OK to accept a contribution from someone who opposes abortion, knowing they expect you to do something about that clinic in town? Aren't they paying for some expected response -- even if it goes against the better financial interests of the city?
Is this different than the company that has contracts with the city (even though there's a sealed bidding process in many cases) making a donation? Are they trying to buy more contracts -- once again -- against the better financial interests of the city?
I'm not sure.
This brings me to the latest D-2s, which offer few surprises: Many of the ususual supporters of Tom Weisner are there. Weisner predictably raised much more money than his presumptive opponents, Stephanie Kifowit and Rick Lawrence.
On the same day Aurora saw its second consecutive day in which a bank was robbed, the FBI released its latest data on the prevalence of the crime.
Interesting nugget: While robberies are spread out over the week, the day with the most bank robberies is Friday, according to fourth quarter 2007 data. Some 324 bank robberies nationwide occurred on a Friday . The time of day with the most robberies: 9 to 11 a.m.
"Banks used to have more money on Fridays because, historically, it was payday. It's probably still a perception, but it's not necessarily true today," says FBI agent Ken Neu.
"As for 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., it's the beginning of the banking day, and it's perceived that there's still a lot of money in the bank as opposed to the end of the day in terms of hard cash. Again, probably more a perception than a reality."
Who isn't for a capital program (in concept at least)? A balanced budget? Property tax relief? An end to political corruption (or the appearance thereof)?
The problem for House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego), who according to the Sun-Times, plans to unveil next week a GOP "Agenda for Action," isn't his ideas, it's getting voters to believe he or his party can actually execute them.
In the aftermath of the search for a missing 3-year-old Oswego Township boy who spent a night outside alone before being found, media and family members are wondering why police did not publicly release any details about the case.
Ryan Flake's aunt, who contacted local newspapers and TV and radio stations herself about the search from California, criticized the Kendall County Sheriff's Department for keeping the media out of the loop, saying family members were specifically told not to talk to reporters. "Media gets a lot of grief for their snappy coverage of live events and sometimes questionable facts, but I still maintain that in a situation like this, no publicity is bad publicity," she wrote on her blog.
Sarah Flake even goes as far as suggesting the reluctance to involve the media hindered the search.
Eight years ago, a fellow reporter -- who is now an Aurora police officer -- and I wrote a series detailing the problems Aurora has with crime and rental property.
The series -- which brought us into the neighborhoods face-to-face with residents scared and frustrated by the criminals who made their communities unsafe to live in -- I thought pointed out the glaring lack of authority the city had (and has) in removing the problem (namely criminals) from neighborhoods. The city knew it had a problem on its hands (we weren't pointing anything out to officials they didn't already know), but seemed reluctant at the time to make any bold changes.
Nearly a decade later, the city seems ready to deal with the problem.
So downtown Aurora is getting a Potbelly. Is that a sign of things to come, or just another sandwich shop?
So far, we have a Subway on Downer Place and Jimmy John's in River Street Plaza. Potbelly's, however, seems to locate in mostly in affluent or trendy areas.
Does Potbelly Sandwich Works locating in a long-vacant downtown building mean investors and retailers are starting to consider it an up-and-coming area?
The good news this morning that an Oswego Township boy had been found alive 12 hours after he was reported missing got me thinking: How often do children go missing?
Aren't tax rebates and other incentives supposed to be used to lure businesses to town when they otherwise wouldn't come or keep them here when otherwise they'd leave? At least, that's the way it used to work in Aurora.
But now we're talking about giving a business -- which already has a tax rebate -- another one to help it expand. What precedent does this set? And is this really what this government carrot is supposed to be used for?
The Aurora Economic Development Commission, which is supporting a new tax rebate for Valley Honda on the city's far East Side, used to think differently.
In 2001, AEDC Executive Director Sherman Jenkins stated the philosophy on tax rebates as such: "It's a way of spurring (development) on. You don't continue giving it." (emphasis added)
The Sun-Times has a nice breakdown today of what an increased sales tax means for Chicagoans. Beginning today, if you buy something in the city, you'll pay the highest sales tax in the country.
Over at the Trib, they have a chart showing how much in taxes you'd pay in various towns when you purchase a laptop computer.
From the Sun-Times:
Sales tax rates differ from town to town in Illinois because certain municipalities are given home-rule authority, allowing them to implement their own sales taxes among other powers. So west suburban Stone Park's 10.5 percent sales tax includes a 1 percent sales tax take for all Illinois municipalities, plus Stone Park's additional 1.5 percent home-rule-enabled sales tax.
Outside Cook County, a municipality's sales tax revenues are divided like this: 5 percent goes to the state; 1 percent goes to the city, except for unincorporated areas, in which case it goes to the county, and 0.25 percent to the county, according to Mike Klemens, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Revenue in Springfield.
The collar counties surrounding Cook -- DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will -- impose sales taxes of 6.25 percent each, plus a 0.75 percent RTA tax. Cook is the only county with home-rule sales tax authority.
Neither story provides information about what Fox Valley shoppers pay. But the Illinois Department of Revenue has a handy list that gives the scoop (In collar counties, add .5 percent increase for RTA tax).
