Friday, January 30, 2009

Obama staff inquires about potential Gary airport landings

This would not have been a problem if Mayor Daley had not blocked the south suburban airport. It could have been up and running already, and there would have been no problem about "disrupting" traffic at O'Hare or Midway.

Chicago Threatens Religious Rights Across the United States - MarketWatch

One small cemetery stands in the way of Daley's big plans. Read here

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Park Ridge stirs

After the village dropped out of the organized O'Hare expansion opposition a few years ago, Park Ridge citizens may have an opportunity to decide whether to re-enter the battle. A referendum may be placed on the ballot to spend money to examine the environmental impact of the new runway on the town.

Read it in this link

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Insanity

USATODAY.com

Milwaukee's airport gains at expense of O'Hare

While O'Hare and Midway airports are losing business, Milwaukee's Mitchell Airport is enjoying new growth. You can thank Mayor Richard M. Daley for that.

Milwaukee's Mitchell Airport posted record increases in 2008 compared with 2007, for the 17th straight months of record growth. The reason? O'Hare is a mess and for many travelers in northern Illinois, Mitchell has become a viable alternative: lower fares, few of the delays that choke O'Hare.

Daley's obsession with expanding O'Hare with an unworkable plan has led to this bad news for Chicago. Instead of a more reasonable plan, and a state-of-the-art south suburban airport to relieve O'Hare, Daley has pursued an expansion plan whose main objective is not a better, more efficient airport, but more jobs and contracts for loyalists.

Milwaukee should send a big "thank you" to Daley for the business.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Oh, gee, another $163 million no one noticed

Chicago will pay United Airlines $163 million to move a cargo facility that stands in the way of the next, new runway at O'Hare Airport, according to the Chicago Tribune. In the over-all scam, err, scheme of a $15 billion airport, that's not much. But did anybody bother to ask where the $163 million is coming from?

Who would have thought? By the way, did you notice that there's no mention of where the new facility will go? That's either more piece-meal planning or another attempt to keep the plans secret. Why the latter? Because the new location might have something to do with where the promised by-pass road will go--on or off airport property. Either location has serious problems, which is why everyone still is waiting to see what the answer is.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Delta, AirTran could move flights from Atlanta if can't reach suitable new lease agreement

Is this necessarily good news for O'Hare Airport?

Not really. The airlines are chaffing under the high costs of doing business at the Atlanta airport. If they can't maintain competitive costs on fees they pay, they will have to take some of their business elsewhere, according to the Associated Press.

The reason this isn't good news for O'Hare is that to support the cost of its expansion, the city will have to raise the fees its charges airlines, to perhaps the highest in the nation. The fees will be so high that the price of tickets for flights at O'Hare will have to be raised, making the airport less competitive. Undoubtedly, this also will play into airline calculations determining which airports they want to us.

Economic Woes Don't Touch O'Hare Expansion

CHICAGO, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As city workers fear job cuts and suffer furloughs, the O'Hare Modernization Project is still moving forward. The city of Chicago is facing one of the worst economic situations ever and is more than $450 million in the red. The project, which needs an estimated $20 billion worth of taxpayer funding, is behind schedule and under-funded.

In addition to the city's budget woes, Cook County's budget is also stretched, and the board is considering $740 million in new bonds - on top of the massive sales tax increase enacted last year.

Read more

Monday, January 19, 2009

Saturday, January 17, 2009

A heart-rending view of a murdered neighborhood

Here you will find a video of the homes and businesses in the peaceful, well-maintained neighborhood that will be destroyed by Mayor Richard M. Daley's O'Hare Airport expansion. This is highly recommended, if you have any sense of compassion.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Chicago whines

Chicago says that a fair hearing in court for Bensenville and its residents will cost Chicago time and money. Gee, too bad. Chicago's assault on Bensenville has cost the village a lot more.


O'Hare homes not dead yet

Read it in the Sun-Times