Chicago Sun-Times

Madigan son-in-law 1 of 2 RTA officials in harassment probe

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 10:18:00 -0500

THE WATCHDOGS: The Regional Transportation Authority’s top two executives — one of them the son-in-law of Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan — are under investigation over allegations involving sexual and racial harassment of RTA employees, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

No one at controls when Blue Line train crashed into occupied train

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 07:39:17 -0500

A Chicago Transit Authority video shows no one at the helm of an “out-of-service” CTA train as it rammed into an occupied train at the Harlem station during morning rush hour, CTA officials said a preliminary review indicated Monday.

Retired CTA vice president is Preckwinkle pick for Metra board

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 02:15:01 -0500

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is nominating a Chicago Transit Authority vice president to the Metra board.

Illiana toll road would be ‘misplaced investment,’ planners say

Sat, 28 Sep 2013 21:00:00 -0500

A new report by a government agency questions the need for the proposed Illiana Expressway and says using public money to build the toll road to link Interstates 55 and 57 in Illinois with Interstate 65 in Indiana would be a “misplaced investment.”

As shutdown looms, federal employees in Chicago protest

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 02:24:15 -0500

Unionized federal workers bracing for a government shutdown angrily called on Congress to end its budgetary stalemate Monday, saying furloughs would hurt the economy and the delivery of important services.

Lake Shore Drive overnight lane closings begin Monday

Sun, 29 Sep 2013 13:44:48 -0500

About five weeks of overnight lane closings on Lake Shore Drive are set to begin Monday night.

Child-sex felon worked for City Hall, Chicago school system

Fri, 27 Sep 2013 10:56:00 -0500

A Chicago man who was sentenced this week to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a minor and videotaping the attacks had worked since 2008 as a City Hall aide and previously worked for former Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan, records show.

Computer problem halts Metra Union Pacific trains

Fri, 27 Sep 2013 09:15:29 -0500

Some Metra trains were temporarily halted Friday morning due to computer and signal problems on the Union Pacific lines.

Last stop for Des Plaines oasis: It’ll be torn down to widen tollway

Fri, 27 Sep 2013 11:44:22 -0500

The over-the-road concession area of the Des Plaines oasis will be demolished in order to widen the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway under a plan approved Thursday. The fuel stations and convenience stores operated by 7-Eleven will stay open to travelers in both directions during the demolition work.

Fitzgerald questions transit agencies’ training on taking politics out of hiring

Thu, 26 Sep 2013 16:51:47 -0500

Corruption-busting former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald Wednesday voiced concern that the region’s four transit agencies seem to have dropped the ball on adequately training staff on how to remove politics from hiring. Fitzgerald’s comments came during the second meeting of a transit task force formed in the wake of allegations by ex-Metra CEO Alex Clifford that two Metra Board members conspired to dump him because he would not “play ball” on patronage requests — two of them supposedly originating with Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago).

Metra Board waives lawyer-client privilege for state probe

Sat, 21 Sep 2013 02:10:18 -0500

Metra Board members Friday agreed to waive their attorney-client privilege and try to give a state inspector general what he needs to “get to the bottom” of the Metra mess. The board, including two new members, voted to give Metra acting general counsel Sue-Ann Rosen the authority to decide which tapes of closed-door sessions, investigative work files of a former board attorney and other documents should be released to the state executive inspector general.

City says 1 million miles ridden on Divvy bikes

Thu, 19 Sep 2013 16:32:00 -0500

Chicagoans and tourists have taken more than 365,000 trips on Divvy bikes, racking up an estimated 1 million miles since the debut of the bike-share programs two-and-a-half months ago. The Chicago Department of Transportation’s bike sharing system has 8,000 annual members, the mayor’s office announced Thursday. “This summer, Chicagoans and visitors have shown a tremendous amount of participation and enthusiasm for bike sharing,” Mayor Emanuel said in a statement. Divvy plans to install 60 more stations in the next few weeks, adding to the 240 already in place, the statement said. By next spring, Divvy bikes will be in 400 …

Transit task force hit for banning public from ‘working group’ meetings

Thu, 19 Sep 2013 02:19:04 -0500

A gubernatorial task force charged with straightening out the Metra mess and other transit problems found itself facing its own brouhaha Wednesday over whether it should be holding closed-door meetings of its “working groups.’’ A lawmaker and a transit official complained about the closed sessions Wednesday, and at least two attorneys said the meetings — including one chaired by former U.S Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald — legally should have been open.