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Video gamblers in Illinois lost $106 million in the first half of the year, meaning tens of thousands of dollars for the bars and clubs that have the machines and extra cash for state and city governments. Since video poker and slot machines were legalized last year, 1,800 licenses have been granted and 2,000 more applicants are waiting in line. The bonanza has meant more customers and more improvements for taverns, truck stops, bowling alleys and fraternal organizations that installed the machines. And it even has some local governments that banned the gambling outlets to reconsider their positions. Just in June, Jesters in the north Chicago suburb of Waukegan took in $70,000 lost by wagering customers. The bar and the machine operator split $50,000 of that. The state treasury gained $18,000 and the city of Waukegan took $3,500…Please click here to read the full Associated Press story in the Galesburg Register-Mail.

Tinley Park is moving forward with plans to resurface and complete street modification of 80th Avenue south of 191st Street to the village limits at Walker Intermediate School, Tinley officials said. The improvements to 80th will include re-striping to provide bike lanes. The village has been selected to receive Surface Transportation Project funding after answering a call for projects from South Suburban Mayors and Managers, an association of 42 municipalities in southern Cook and eastern Will Counties, according to the group. Tinley Park is a member of the organization…Please click here to read Gregory Pratt’s full story in the Tribune.

From the Office of Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy to share with your residents: “WE SALUTE YOU” Calling all South and Southwest Suburban Cook County Veterans, Reservists and Military Personnel to attend a free patriot celebration. The 3rd Annual “Salute to our Armed Forces” will be held in the grand ballroom of the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton in Alsip located at 5000 W. 127th Street. All branches of serviceman and women will be honored for serving their Country with pride and dedication at a ceremony, Tuesday October 15, 2013 at 1 p.m. All Honorees must pre-register to attend. A Free Patriotic celebration to salute our Armed Forces Service men and women. Share in an afternoon of fellowship and appreciation for your courage and dedication. Those that have served in the United States Armed Forces in war time and peace time will be honored for their contribution and sacrifice to our great Nation. This celebration is proudly presented by Cook County Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy, Vitas Innovative Hospice Care, Dignity Memorial, and Double Tree Hotel by Hilton. All branches of military service men and women will receive an Honorary “Salute Certificate” and custom designed Brass Commemorative Pin. The Ceremony will also include a Color Guard presentation, POW-MIA Remembrance Service, noted guest speaker Retired Col. Jill Morgenthaler and patriot entertainment. Refreshments will be served to all honorees and guests. Registration is required. If you wish to be honored at this Patriot ceremony, you must register for the event.  Please list your name, branch of serve, phone number, and number of guests attending. RSVP by October 11th. Call Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy’s Office at 708-389-2125. Fax information to 708.389.2240 The Salute flyer 2013 can be downloaded and distributed.

Outside the station, Quinn signed a bill that gives towns greater ability to use green alternatives for flood control, such as porous pavement, man-made wetlands and green roofs that better absorb stormwater. The law expands on municipal codes that require cities and villages to maintain storm sewers and other flood-control infrastructure. Municipalities would be able to apply for funding for such projects through the state’s clean water initiative to deploy “very simple and less expensive” stormwater management techniques, Quinn said…Please click here to read Mike Nolan’s full story in the Southtown Star.

Rich East High School, on the verge of celebrating its 60th birthday and once a measure of the village’s vision for the future, is in danger of closing as a four-year school with a full curriculum. In an email, Ostenburg says this must not happen…Please click here to read Jerry Shnay’s column in the Southtown Star.

The dispatcher who took that call stayed on the phone with Kramer for more than an hour. “I debriefed that dispatcher,” said Jeanine Chiappano, executive director of the E-COM 9-1-1 Dispatch Center in the south suburbs and a peer stress debriefer. “After that call, the dispatcher had been having difficulties — throwing up and calling in sick. She just needed to talk about it, to get some closure.” The Darien case — Johnny Borizov recently received three life sentences for orchestrating the murders of Angela’s parents and younger brother — illustrates two important points: how critical the role of call takers and dispatchers is, and how much a more advanced emergency call system is needed. Chiappano said E-COM, which serves Flossmoor, Glenwood, Homewood, Hazel Crest, Riverdale and South Holland, will be installing a new VIPER system in the next few months, in preparation for the state’s rollout of Next Generation 9-1-1 technology… Please click here to read Donna Vickroy’s full story in the Southtown Star.

Underlying much of CMAP’s criticism is lack of knowledge about the project’s details, through no fault of that agency. The Illiana Expressway project is moving quickly, as these projects go. Sure, it was first proposed by Daniel Burnham more than a century ago, but real action on the proposal has been just within the last several years. Building it as a public-private partnership will make construction affordable, but the details aren’t known yet because the plan is still being shopped around. Some of the details aren’t known or can’t be released as a result…Please click here to read the rest of the Times Editorial Board’s opinion, or a related story in the Southtown Star. Comments on the proposed Illiana Corridor amendment to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s GO TO 2040 plan are due by Sept. 3. Send comments  to  info@cmap.illinois.gov, or CMAP, Attn.: ATTN Plan and TIP Amendments 233 S. Wacker Drive., Suite 800 Chicago, IL 60606 Phone: (312) 454-0400

Lincoln Mall brings closer look at evolution of south suburbs The Village of Matteson has asked the owners of Lincoln Mall to shutter the building because of disrepair and alleged safety violations. What does the closure say about the economy of the area? Southtown Star reporter Casey Toner and South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association Executive Director Ed Paesel discuss how the demographics and economy in the area have changed. Click here to listen to the Morning Shift on WBEZ.  Scroll down until you see “Lincoln Mall brings closer look at evolution of south suburbs.”

Median home price: $100,000 Median family income: $86,683 Homewood boasts a large creative class — many residents are musicians, designers, art curators and educators. And low real estate prices here make it easier for them to follow their muses: Two-bedroom condos regularly go for around $60,000, while those who need more space can get 4,000-sq.-ft. homes for $400,000. The town feels very walkable, but cyclists will find plenty of paths and storefront bike racks. For big-city entertainment, Chicago’s just 22 miles away. Still, there’s plenty to do close to home. The town has 60 events a year, ranging from an art and garden fair to movies in the park. See related stories in the Tribune, Patch and Southtown Star.

The bulk of that — about $50,000 — will be split between the bar and machine operator. The state rakes in $18,000 of the take. And the city of Waukegan gets $3,500. With that kind of money laying on the table, hundreds of bars, truck stops, veterans groups and fraternal organizations are rushing to get a piece of the action since legal video gambling went live last year. In just the first six months of this year, the amount of money taken in and the number of establishments offering video gaming have more than doubled…Please click here to read  Art Golab and Tina Sfondeles’ full story in the Southtown Star.

New ordinance could affect downtown development Tinley Park officials are concerned that new storm water and flood plain regulations in Cook County’s proposed watershed management ordinance could have a negative impact on future business development in the village, officials said. Village Engineer Chris King addressed the Public Works Committee on Aug. 6 to summarize the new ordinance and discuss its potential impact on the village. On June 24, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) formally unveiled an updated proposal, which the MWRD believes will “will improve storm water drainage and detention and will also protect wetlands and riparian areas.” The district has been working on the ordinance for more than five years, King noted. In November 2012, the district released an economic impact study requested by a number of Cook County villages and stakeholders that would be affected by the issue, according to the MWRD…Please click here to read Gregory Pratt’s full story in the Chicago Tribune.