Citizens are tired of waiting for the city to do its job of taking care of essential services and are taking matters in their own hands. A recent article in the Tribune documents a DIY road repair effort! Neighbors take to the street: Chicago wasn’t patching potholes, so West Sider’s became a DIY road crew. …
At a forum held at the Cultural Center on April 9, Friends of the Parks repeated its support for the 2016 summer Olympics coming to Chicago despite the many venues being planned for public parks all over the city. FOTP’s stated mission is “a designated park advocacy organization, dedicated to preserving, protecting, and improving Chicago’s …
Leon Depres was fighting city hall before most of us were born. The 101-year old former dean of the independent alderman took some time to give us the wisdom of his decades of dealing with the Daley machine, “Hosting the Olympics,” he says, “is an illusion.” One that will help a few businessmen and hurt …
From an online report, “Beijing’s Empty Venues reveal heavy Cost of Olympics” Post-Olympic financial problems are common for Olympic host cities, particularly for the host of the larger and more expensive Summer Games. Spending billions to host the two-week event, cities almost never make a profit and usually spend years paying off their Olympic-size debt. …
The Tribune’s Steve Chapman wonders if the Olympics will be such a treat for Chicago. Representatives of the International Olympic Committee arrived last week to get a firsthand look at Chicago, one of four cities still in the running for the 2016 Summer Games. If locals are lucky, the IOC team will admire our architecture, …
From Chris Shaw, author of “Five Ring Circus – Myths and Realities of the Olympic Games” — No Games Chicago started the day looking for the IOC Technical Team at Washington Park. It turned out that they were inside the Du Sable Museum. Bob and I met up with some other NGC members, pulled out …
Talk about buyer’s remorse! The cost of the 2010 winter games in Vancouver are spiralling out of control. The 2016 Committee says it will only cost $4 billion + to do the larger summer games seven years from now. Can’t you just see that screaming headlines “2016 Games – $10 Billion and Rising.” Wake up, …
Chicago 2016 wants the State of Illinois to increase its financial guarantee for Chicago’s 2016 Summer Olympic Games bid. Bid officials want the state to increase its financial guarantee from the $150 million in taxpayer funds pledged in 2007 by former Governor Rod Blagojevich to $250 million, reports CBS Chicago. And the Governor has agreed. …
Ticket prices for the proposed 2016 Olympic Games will truly be Olympia, according to the Chicago Tribune. You’ll have to shell out between $520 to $1,645 for the Opening Ceremony and pay $28 to $486 for “prime events.” Come on, Chicago, wise up. These games will bankrupt us. But if you can afford $1,645 for …