Your Tax Dollars at Work

When asked for the secret to success, your LakeCountyEye always answers: Sacrifice & Hard Work.

Haha, j/k. The correct answer is: Move your company to Gurnee.

The News-Sun observed that ...

Gurnee area taxing bodies have been asked to pony up tax rebates to the tune of $2.3 million over five years to help bring the AKAHN Semiconductor corporate headquarters, tech incubator and manufacturing operations to the old Kenall facility in the Grand Tri-State Business Park.
Taxing bodies asked to pony up for tech firm eyeing Gurnee

Those taxing bodies included schools:

The requested 50 percent rebate on property taxes would total $172,000 for Woodland Elementary, $90,000 for Warren Township High School, $21,000 from Lake County, $18,000 from the park district and $10,500 from the township. The county also would rebate $500,000 in sales tax over five years.
Taxing bodies asked to pony up for tech firm eyeing Gurnee

If they teach Investing 101 at the Warren Township High School, this Daily Herald story from last week may be of interest:

Questions about the viability of a project touted by AKHAN Semiconductor -- a high-tech company being lured to Gurnee with millions of dollars in state and local incentives -- have surfaced in a complaint filed with a federal agency by a former Argonne National Laboratory executive.
Questions about AKHAN, looking to move to Gurnee, surface in complaint

Of course, $90,000 removed from any high school budget is a lot of money, even in the best of circumstances. To put that in some perspective, the Warren Township High School bully said he would need to steal a year's worth of lunch money before ever seeing $90,000.

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Loitering between classes will not be tolerated.

Q the Eye/01.22.15

Hi,

My name is Nicholas and I work at Artsy.net. While researching Edvard Munch I found your post -- The Chicago Tribune Creepy Cartoonist™ Breeds the Screaming Memes. Great post, by the way.

I actually worked on Artsy's new Edvard Munch page and I think it would be a great resource for your readers. The newly designed page includes his bio, over 20 of his works, exclusive articles about Munch, as well as his up-to-date exhibitions -- it's a unique Edvard Munch resource.

Check out Artsy's 10 Favorite Screams to honor one of Munch's greatest works.

I'd like to suggest adding a link to Artsy's Edvard Munch page, as I believe it would benefit your readers.

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions on how we can improve the page. I'd also love to stay in touch about future opportunities.

Best,
Nicholas

Dear Nicholas,

Your LakeCountyEye is happy to oblige anyone with a bitchin mononym. Readers of this blog, however, want to know: Who in the vorld is Edvard Munch?

Your LakeCountyEye launched an exhaustive, in-depth investigation and came up with a couple good Google hits. Did you know that Edvard Munch is the fellow who drew that famous Scream picture?

Also, did you know that Edvard Munch is regarded somewhat as the Zeppo Marx of the art world? He was overshadowed by his three, more successful, siblings -- Simon, Theodore & Alvin Munch:

This isn't to say that Munch's heirs have done badly for themselves -- they were farsighted in granting licenses to their brand:

As to your requests, it is the policy of this blog not to post complimentary links to other websites -- at least not without adequate remuneration. Contact you LakeCountyEye for a rate-card today. Be sure to ask for the goofy-named-website discount!

If you are an elected official, or a previously elected official, or just a private citizen under indictment, send your political questions to Q the Eye c/o ... LakeCountyEye@gMail.com

They Got the Guns But We Got the Guns

When it comes to concealed carry Lake County is outgunned. At least according to statistics released by the Illinois State Police. Their report, per the Daily Herald, says ...

Cook County accounts for the most active concealed carry permits with 23,921. The report doesn't distinguish suburban Cook County from Chicago. Will County follows with 6,134 active concealed carry applications. DuPage falls third in the suburbs with 5,577. Lake County saw 4,252 active concealed carry applications in 2014, followed by Kane County with 2,873. McHenry County rounds out the suburban list with 2,555 applications.
Concealed carry applications fall far short of projections

To help explain these numbers, your LakeCountyEye contacted the only straight shooter with the straight dope on concealed carry, Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Suburban Warfare at the College of Lake County.

"These are alarming statistics." Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi threw down the report. "Lake County has a population of just over 700,000.  With 4,252 concealed carry permits, that means you have to round up 165 men, women and children in Lake County before you will find someone carrying a concealed weapon."

A tall order, indeed.

"By comparison," continued Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, "McHenry County's population is somewhat above 300,000 -- but they have 2,555 permits for concealed carry. Which works out to one weapon per every 121 persons in McHenry County. These are not healthy numbers."

Not healthy?

"It's simple math." Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi pulled out a slide-rule. "165 minus 121 equals 44. That means in every shoot-out between someone from Lake County and someone from McHenry County, there are 44 innocent bystanders from Lake County who will not be carrying a weapon. I hope your health insurance is paid up. Everyone knows how trigger-happy they are over in McHenry County."

Your LakeCountyEye had to concede the point. Even so, to illustrate his case Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi produced a recent Tweet ...

McHenry County Right to Carry Association Outlines Spring Plans

"Our alarming pistol gap has not escaped the attention of the Lake County bigshots." he said in a conspiratorial tone. "Plans are already in the works to get Lake County better weaponized."

A Pistol Gap?

"Anyone who lives near the border knows what I'm talking about." confided Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Suppose McHenry County decides to mobilize along its eastern border -- BOOM all of a sudden you have on your hands a Cuba Township pistol crisis."

A Cuba Pistol Crisis?

"I know what you are thinking." squinted Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Why doesn't Lake County build a defensive shield instead? Well do you have any idea how much a Kevlar Wars type of Pistol Defense System will cost?"

Your LakeCountyEye heard enough. Was there any parting advice?

"Tell your Operatives that a well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed!"

Guantanamo: A Persistent Legal Stain on the American Justice System

Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy

Distinguished Chicago lawyer Lowell Sachnoff will discuss ways in which President Barack Obama could close the Guantanamo facilities before his second term ends in two years. Since 2002, when the United States military went into Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks, more than 775 men have been held for various periods of time at the prison. Several have died in captivity; many have been returned to their home countries or other nations; and many remain at the prison without any charges having been filed against them.

• Sunday
  January 25, 2015
  2:00 pm
• The Stevenson Center on Democracy
  25200 N St Mary's Rd
  Mettawa (Libertyville), IL 60048
  773- 281-0378
• Admission: $15

So Sewer Me

As sure as the tide goes in the tide goes out, the on-again-off-again Lake County sewer line to a Grayslake truck terminal is on again. On-Again in the sense that it is a done deal. The News-Sun says ...

Opposition from municipalities in central Lake County wasn't enough to stop the County Board from voting Tuesday, Jan. 12, to approve a sewer line for property that Grayslake officials are looking to develop as a trucking terminal.
Lake County OKs sewer service to controversial trucking hub proposal

The sewer line, needed for a proposed truck terminal near Mundelein, is so unpopular that County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor tried to sneak it through a special County Board meeting, called last December:

Lake County Board's trucking proposal hearing questioned

Lawlor, for the record, is the noted star of the local cable series ...

Lake County’s Dirty Jobs

which showcases some of the dirty jobs performed by the Lake County government. Lawlor was most recently in Vernon Hills, shoveling sewer sludge at a wastewater treatment plant:

Lake County Board Chairman Lawlor gets dirty for new cable TV program

What's up next? The uninformed sources say filming has already begun on a new Lake County Dirty Jobs video: Look for Lawlor digging a sewer line from the Lake County Central Permit Facility in Libertyville to a new truck terminal in Grayslake.

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Please evacuate immediately. Or get off the pot.

The Global Optimum

Mark Kirk -- the only US Senator living in Lake County -- shot off his mouth last week. Kirk told a reporter at the E&E Daily that global warming isn't caused by greenhouse gas emissions. To prove it, he cited Greenland as evidence, stating that Greenland was green back in the day of Leif Erikson, which coincided with a period of exceptional planetary warmth known as the global optimum.

Kirk now is backpedaling from these comments. The Chicago Tribune reports that ...

After criticism from environmental groups, Sen. Mark Kirk said Thursday that climate change is real and human activity contributes to it.
Sen. Kirk clarifies view on climate change

Kirk did not backtrack on his claim that Greenland was green in the time of Lief Erikson, some 1,000 years ago -- during a period known as the global optimum, a time of climate warming. For the record, Greenland has been covered by an ice sheet for 110,000 years. Additionally, global optimum is not a term of climate science, and it is unknown what Kirk meant by it.

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised as further developments warrant. Until then, Operatives are challenged to match-up the individuals pictured below with a recent quotation of theirs:

Quotable Notables: Who Said It?
Grandpa Simpson	"Like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. Gimme five bees for a quarter, you'd say. Now where were we? Oh yeah: the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because of the war."
Mark Kirk	"We had the previous warming period, which was called the global optimum, and the best way to talk about that is when Leif Erickson went west from his home, he discovered a landmass that he called Greenland, because it was," Kirk said after Senate Republicans' first weekly caucus lunch. "And that was called the global optimum, because the planet was much warmer. By calling Greenland 'green land,' we know that the climate has been changing pretty regularly within recorded memory."

Ultima Phule

Lake County US Senator and favorite son Mark Kirk may have changed the course of history this week. Kirk explained the facts behind global warming to the E&E News:

"We had the previous warming period, which was called the global optimum, and the best way to talk about that is when Leif Erickson went west from his home, he discovered a landmass that he called Greenland, because it was," Kirk said after Senate Republicans' first weekly caucus lunch. "And that was called the global optimum, because the planet was much warmer. By calling Greenland 'green land,' we know that the climate has been changing pretty regularly within recorded memory."
Kirk disavows climate change ahead of expected Senate vote

Your LakeCountyEye did some fact checking and learned that the Greenland ice sheet is actually 110,000 years old:

Greenland ice sheet

In comparison, if Leif Erickson (c. 970 – c. 1020) was alive today, he would be a sprightly 1045 years old:

Leif Erickson

As far as the global optimum goes, it's some mathematical thingy dealio:

In mathematics, a global optimum is a selection from a given domain which provides either the highest value (the global maximum) or lowest value (the global minimum), depending on the objective, when a specific function is applied.
Global optimum

How long has Mark Kirk been in Washington? He may be drinking the Kool-Aid. Or something.

Scoop the Poop

The thought of slowly descending into the bowels of a sludge pit doesn't automatically bring to mind Aaron Lawlor. But it will if the Daily Herald has any say on the matter:

"A lot of people don't know what county government does," Lawlor said before his descent into the stinky pit. "By coming out and getting my hands dirty, I think we're showing them what Lake County does in a very interesting way."
Lake County Board Chairman Lawlor gets dirty for new cable TV program

Haha, Lake County Chairman Aaron Lawlor put on his protective gear and shot a photo-op in a Lake County water treatment facility. For those Ops with a strong stomach, here is the raw video:

Dirty Job

Lawlor will be starring in a series of educational videos, themed around the dirty jobs performed by the Lake County government. This is an apparent effort to raise the brand awareness -- either for Lake County government or for Aaron Lawlor.

Look for Lawlor to take on some of these dirty jobs, in the near future:

• State Representative
• State Senator
• US Congressman

Dirty jobs all. But somebody has to do them.

99 Pennies for Your Thoughts

Your LakeCountyEye is betraying no secrets to reveal that the planetary odometer rolled over to 2015 on Thursday morning. Of course along with every New Year come the obligatory New Year's resolutions -- of which your LakeCountyEye has two this year:

1. No More Recycled Jokes
2. No More Cheap Shots at the Daily Herald

Your LakeCountyEye will keep a tally sheet and scores will be posted on Dec 31. Until then, the Daily Herald wants your input:

The Daily Herald considers its letters space to be a forum for unfettered community conversation. We strive to publish as many of the letters we receive as possible, with subjects ranging from a simple observation about life in a local community to a passionate discussion about controversial local, national or international issues.
Join the suburban conversation on our editorial page

Your chance to join the suburban conversation is just one click away ...

Join the suburban conversation on our editorial page

Note to Ops: Give the mailman your letter to the the Herald. A first class stamp is only 49¢.

Ring in the New Year with a Bang

Operatives looking forward to the New Year's Eve festivities are encouraged to take advantage of the free rides available. The Daily Herald says ...

If you're headed out to celebrate New Year's Eve in Chicago, both the CTA and Metra are offering incentives to lure revelers out of cars and onto public transit.
Celebrating tonight? Don't forget public transit

Operatives are also reminded that it is illegal to discharge their concealed carry firearms at midnight -- when their blood alcohol level exceeds .08 percent.

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Happy New Year.

Take the "A" Bomb

Lake County has been railroaded. The accelerating volume of hazardous material passing through Lake County via rail has caught the attention of the Daily Herald:

A proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Transportation to update older hazmat tank cars (dubbed DOT-111s) that carry highly flammable liquids like ethanol and crude oil is under consideration and could be finalized in 2015. The intent is to prevent breaches of older tank cars, reflecting national concerns given the increase in oil trains and deadly high-profile derailments near Rockford and Quebec in 2009 and 2013, respectively. Many derailments, however, fly under the radar.
Suburbs have dodged a bullet so far with hazmat derailments -- so far

As luck would have it, your LakeCountyEye was stuck at a train crossing (and with an unplanned hour or two to kill) -- so to get the low-down, made a call to Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Loco Motion at the College of Lake County.

"Ya" said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, "Lake County has more tracks than the Florida Dog Racing Commission."

But how safe are those tracks? Your LakeCountyEye wanted to know.

"The question isn't how safe. The question is, in case of a derailment, who is culpable." Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi then posted this Daily Herald story on Instagram:

"The vast majority of tank cars are owned by shippers or railway-rolling-stock leasing companies who are responsible for the maintenance and qualification of their privately owned equipment -- not railways," Canadian National Railway spokesman Patrick Waldron said.
Mistakes, equipment issues pose serious threats with rail-related hazmat

"Hehe." chuckled Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "If one of those old tankers goes tick-tick-tick-BOOM, don't blame the railways, it's not their fault."

Unwelcome news for the LakeCountyEye legal dept.

"The tracks that cross Lake County have an evacuation zone, mandated by the US DOT." continued Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Anyone living within half a mile of these rails is advised to map an escape route. Try to avoid going over slow train crossings."

Your LakeCountyEye made a mental note.

"Here is a startling statistic published by the NTSB: If all the railroad tracks in Lake County were laid end-to-end along the Equator," read Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, "that would be a good thing."

Your LakeCountyEye was down with that. Did Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi have any parting advice before the crossing gate went up?

"Tell your operatives to leave their firecrackers and firearms at home on New Years Eve. And celebrate the New Year near a rail crossing. Chances are there will be plenty of fireworks."

The Route 53 Explosion

Operatives who look at this map of Lake County and recognize the Route 53 Extension should look again. It is actually an Oil Train Blast Zone map:

Every day the oil industry sends millions of gallons of highly flammable crude oil through cities and towns across North America. Our rail system was never built for this dangerous cargo. Oil Train Blast Zone

The map shows where exploding railroad trains criss-cross Lake County. The Yellow areas denote the potential impact zone in case of an oil train fire. Red is the evacuation zone for oil train derailments.

An actual map of the Route 53 Extension is below:

Transitized

Presumably the Route 53 Extension will be put to use as an evacuation route when one of Lake County's exploding railroad trains explodes.  Provided, of course,  the Route 53 Extension does not catch fire as well.

Merry Xbox

Your LakeCountyEye observes an annual tradition of sending holiday greetings to every reader of this blog in their native language:

Merry War On Christmas!

Startling news, however, has recently come in via the Intertubes:

Everyone knows the story of how the world wide web made the Internet accessible for everyone, but a lesser known story of the Internet's evolution is how automated code -- aka bots -— came to quietly take it over. Today, bots account for 56 percent of all of website visits
Bots Now Outnumber Humans on the Web

The site stats do not lie: Were it not for web bots (and North Korean hackers) this blog would see no traffic at all!

None of which, in your LakeCountyEye's estimation, should be reason to discontinue a perfectly good annual tradition. So to all readers of this blog, young and old, human and otherwise, best wishes for the holiday season ...

• print("Merry Christmas")
  
  
• Response.Write("Merry Christmas");
  
  
• echo "Merry Christmas"
  
  
• PRINT "Merry Christmas"
  
  
• printf("Merry Christmas\n");
  
  
• std::cout << "Merry Christmas\n";
  
  
• Console.WriteLine("Merry Christmas");
  
  
• ? "Merry Christmas"
  
  
• (println "Merry Christmas")
  
  
• WRITE(*,*) 'Merry Christmas'
  
  
• System.out.println("Merry Christmas");
  
  
• alert('Merry Christmas');
  
  
• (princ "Merry Christmas")
  
  
• WriteLn('Merry Christmas');
  
  
• puts "Merry Christmas"
  
  
• SELECT 'Merry Christmas'
  
  
• MsgBox("Merry Christmas")
  
  
• @echo Merry Christmas

And to those hacking in from North Korea ...

• 메리 크리스마르

Ready Aim Fire

Did you hear the one about the school superintendent who made all of his employees quit smoking? He was fighting more personnel fires than he bargained for.

Haha, Liz Biondi gained some notoriety this week. She is the only member of the Warren Township High School Board referred to by a sobriquet in the local press: Biondi is the 'No Gay' Warren Board Member ...

People push for 'no gay' Warren board member's ouster

The 'No Gay' Warren Board Member's fifteen minutes of fame began last week with a fatuitous statement uttered during a Warren Township High School Board meeting. The exact nature of the remark has not been revealed to your LakeCountyEye -- inquiries are being made as you read this.

Needless to say, over the years there have been countless local government board meetings where some clueless elected official has said something, well, clueless. But none have metastasized like this one. News of the 'No Gay' Warren Board Member's remark spread like wildfire. Stories appeared all over the print, broadcast and electronic media. There have been YouTube videos, online petitions, newspaper editorials.

Your LakeCountyEye attended the Warren Township High School Board lynch mob meeting this week to find out what the ruckus was about. The Daily Herald was there too:

Neither Biondi nor board member Catherine Campbell attended Tuesday's meeting.
People push for 'no gay' Warren board member's ouster

Readers of this blog will be aware that ...

School of Business?

Liz Biondi and Catherine Campbell are the two Board Trustees who did not vote for a proposal to shake down extract $90,000 out of the Warren Township High School.  The village of Gurnee wanted the money -- in the form of tax concessions -- to lure a high-tech into the village.  The proposal passed despite opposition from Biondi and Campbell.

Note to Ops: Watch what you say in Gurnee. They pay hardball there.

School of Business?

If you can read this sentence, chances are you've been to school. Your LakeCountyEye is no exception. School is where your LakeCountyEye learned all about evolution and sex education and how it is illegal to recite prayers out-loud on the taxpayer's dime.

Despite their many benefits, the schools get no respect. Your LakeCountyEye has been told that charter schools and vouchers and testing standards are all aimed at either eliminating or privatizing the public schools. The public schools are like the Route 53 Extension -- everyone likes the idea but no one wants to pay for it.

Now the village of Gurnee has come up with a novel way to shake down the Warren Township High School. The Daily Herald said ...

Two Warren Township High School board members have raised concern about a lack of publicly available information on a technology company's plan as it seeks about $2.3 million from local taxpayers to move to Gurnee. Warren District 121 board member Catherine Campbell said at a recent meeting that business tycoon panelists on ABC's "Shark Tank" would demand more information from AKHAN Semiconductor Inc. than what elected officials have received before agreeing to any financial incentives.
2 Warren High board members decry lack of information in tax break request

The village of Gurnee looks at the Warren Township High School and must see a cash cow waiting to be milked. Haha, Gurnee wants to see $90,000 siphoned out of the High School and into some high-tech company -- in the form of tax breaks. The Daily Herald said ...

Last week, the Warren school board voted 5-0 -- with abstentions by Campbell and Liz Biondi -- to provide $90,000 in tax breaks as the district's share to AKHAN. Campbell and Biondi questioned the idea of approving the financial incentive without much information about AKHAN's plan. "I just feel like we're asked to be basically an investor," Campbell said.
2 Warren High board members decry lack of information in tax break request

Note to Ops: The next time you find yourself putting the squeeze on someone, remind the chumbolone that he is being asked to be an "investor".

The deadline to file for your local school board is December 22, next Monday. File the paperwork at your County Clerk's Office. Operatives who have never been to school are excused.

Another Brick in the Paywall

This is just your LakeCountyEye's 2 cents worth, but the Daily Herald may want to rethink its social media policy. Not everyone is going to want to shell out 99¢ for an opportunity to like the Daily Herald on Facebook:

Editorial: All the reasons we want to be Facebook friends

Of course, if it did cost a buck to get BFFed on Facebook, your LakeCountyEye would be governor-elect by now.

Billionaire governor-elect Bruce Rauner was not available for comment.

Busy Work

At $8.25 an hour, anyone earning the minimum wage would have to work 500 hours per week to match the salary of the average Internet political blogger. Needless to say, the typical Lake County resident is quite busy, indeed. But not nearly as busy as the Mayor of Waukegan. According to the News-Sun ...

With the minimum wage debate raging across the country, state and Chicago area, Waukegan Mayor Wayne Motley said this week that he doesn't see a similar move taking shape in his community anytime soon. "I've been busier than a one-armed boxer trying to get the city back on track, and that hasn't even crossed my mind," Motley said on Wednesday, Dec. 3
Officials: Minimum-wage hike unlikely in Lake County

Never having worked in an amazon.com warehouse, your LakeCountyEye does not know how busy a one-armed boxer is.  But if labor statistics are any indication, there are a few jobs in Lake County that will have you busier than even the eagerest of beavers. And not just a few -- 10 by your LakeCountyEye's count:

The Ten Busiest Occupations in Lake County

Busier than a One-Legged Wallenda Busier than a One-Armed Bricklayer on a No-Bid Township Contract Busier than the Termite Inspector for the Goliath Roller Coaster Busier than a Grand Ave Red-Light Camera Busier than a Backyard Chicken on the Day Before Easter Busier than a Southlake Mosquito Abatement Truck in a Nudist Colony Busier than a One-Armed Bandit in Unincorporated Lake County Busier than a Blind Concealed Carry Certification Instructor Busier than the Shoeshine Booth at a Lake County Dog Park Busier than a County Board Chairman on the Route 53 Extension

Look for your LakeCountyEye gettin' busy near you.

Keep On Truckin!

Culture vultures of Lake County may want to prick-up their ears. On Friday, County Board Chair Aaron Lawlor told the Daily Herald ...

"The Lake County Board's culture is not one of playing gotcha politics," Lawlor said. "We're about good government and good fiscal management."
Lake County's Lawlor, Maine look ahead to big projects

Note to Ops: A self-professed exemplar of "good government" should probably wait more than three days before trying to sneak a sewer bill into a special non-business meeting of the County Board. The sewer is for an unpopular truck terminal in Grayslake:

Residents near the Mundelein/Grayslake border say scheduled action Tuesday by the Lake County Board involving the site of a proposed truck terminal is an unusual, if not unprecedented, maneuver that bypasses the normal review process in response to a corporate threat. The special call meeting, beginning at 9 a.m., traditionally is held to approve rules and make appointments to county board committees. This time, the board also will consider changing an agreement with Grayslake to extend sewer service to the truck terminal site south and west of Midlothian and Peterson roads.
Lake County Board's trucking proposal hearing questioned

But once the maneuver was reported in the Daily Herald, Lawlor pulled a quick one-eighty:

Residents and others concerned with a proposed truck terminal in Grayslake will get another chance for input after an unusual maneuver by Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor did not proceed Tuesday as planned.
Public to get another venue for comment on proposed truck terminal in Grayslake

Gotcha!

To the Victor Go the Spoils

It's not too late to mail in your ballot for Bruce Rauner. A new chief executive would bring to Illinois one thing, above all else: jobs, jobs, jobs.

Haha, the Bruce Rauner administration is hiring and it's not too late to get in on the ground floor. Operatives are advised to spell-check their resumes -- then submit them to the Governor-Elect Bruce Rauner Transition Committee:

Compassionate Illinois is Back Competitive

State job-seekers cannot be blacklisted because of their political affiliation, so even if you voted for Pat Quinn, do not hesitate to submit your resume anyways. Of course it never hurts to make a donation to the Governor-Elect Bruce Rauner Transition Committee, conveniently located at the same website:

Bruce Rauner Transition Committee

Job-seekers may donate $25 through $5000 or more, any amount that fits their budget. Note to Ops: there is a difference between working a toll booth on the Route 53 Extension, or indoors as a station supervisor there. Just sayin!

Safe at Any Speed

Ladies & gentlemen, start your engines. The Daily Herald observed that ...

State lawmakers Wednesday voted to raise speed limits on Illinois tollways to 70 mph in urban areas. The Illinois House overrode Gov. Pat Quinn's veto of the idea without debate. The Senate already did the same last month, so the proposal will become law next year. Suburban county boards could opt out of the plan and keep tollway speed limits at 55 mph.
Tollway speed limit going to 70 unless counties object

The champagne corks must be flying around the Lake County Board offices. One source told your LakeCountyEye: "At 70 MPH we can move twice the number of cars through the Route 53 Extension over previous estimates. That translates into twice the amount of toll dollars. We may just pay off this concrete pork barrel in my lifetime!"

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Hit the road.