Rep. Dan Lipinski's change of heart is turning into a headache.

Lipinski, who represents the 3rd District of Illinois, supported the U.S. House's health care bill in November. But after the U.S. Senate made some changes to the legislation, he's said he would vote against it.

This afternoon, supporters of the bill will protest outside his LaGrange office and leave him pairs of shoes. The gesture is symbolic of their request that he walk in the shoes of those who have lost loved ones or health coverage as Congress debates reform. Read more...

The Cook County Health and Hospitals System aims to save $500,000 a year by buying supplies in bulk rates.

A contract with U.S. Food Service, a group purchaser, cuts the county’s food contracts from 11 to one, says spokesman Lucio Guerrero. The deal, announced this week, is part of broader cost-cutting measures at the health system in recent months.

"This is just one part of the substantial savings we will realize," said William Foley, the health system's chief executive. "We will continue to find ways to make sure that we are wisely using taxpayer money while making sure that patient quality doesn't suffer." Read more...

Here's an awkward bit of political news.

This morning, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias' U.S. Senate campaign ripped Rasmussen Reports, citing how some political commentators have called the polling firm "weird," "controversial" and "pro-Republican."

The campaign was pre-empting figures that it clearly expected would show Republican Mark Kirk beating Giannoulias, the same way it showed the GOP's Bill Brady beating Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. Read more...

Chicago Transit Authority riders have been sticking with public transportation despite February’s deep service cuts, the agency’s president said today.

Despite service cuts started on Feb. 7, ridership fell just 1.3 percent in February when compared to the same month in 2009, CTA President Richard Rodriguez told the board today.

The February cuts reduced total bus service by 18 percent, and rail service by half that amount. In all, CTA officials said the system provided 39.5 million rides during February of this year. Read more...

Chicago alderman criticized the Obama administration today for dragging its feet on immigration reform.

Alderman Danny Solis (25th) introduced a resolution at today's City Council meeting solidifying the council's commitment to immigration reform, as Solis and others prepare to go to Washington for an immigration-rights march on March 21.

The City Council in the past has supported a moratorium on raids and deportations that lead to the separation of families. Read more...

Update | 1:45 p.m. Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady responds to the budget address:

"Governor Quinn layed out one of the most irresponsible budgets the people of Illinois have ever seen, perpetuating the status quo of massive borrowing and spending that got us into the fiscal crisis we face today. It's almost like Governor Blagojevich never left Springfield. What's worse is this address should have been given from Quinn's campaign office because it's clear his budget proposal is nothing more than political theatre to get him reelected in November. Raising taxes 33% on Illinois families is not the answer to fixing this budget mess. Republican Senator Bill Brady is in line with the people of Illinois who want fiscal responsibility and reform - neither of which Quinn is willing to bring to the table."

The 33 percent tax increase refers to Quinn's education-surcharge proposal, which would raise state taxes by 1 percent, a third of the state's current 3 percent tax increase. Read more...

Will Gov. Pat Quinn put the state's money where his mouth is?

For months, Quinn has been calling on state legislators to pass an income tax increase, and today, after promising that he would not back down from that proposal, he gives Illinois' annual budget address.

The speech comes as the state faces a record deficit approaching $13 billion this year, and as even Democrats remain unclear on whether they would want to support another tax increase. Read more...

It was the meeting that wasn’t.

Having received no word from Mayor Richard M. Daley on who he recommends to take over the vacant 1st and 29th Ward aldermanic spots, the City Council’s rules committee met briefly and adjourned today.

“Not one of the items is in a position to be discussed or passed,” said Alderman Richard Mell, the committee’s chairman. Read more...

Call it a post-stalemate boost.

A new, independent poll of likely voters has found that, contrary to a previous survey, Republican state Sen. Bill Brady holds a lead over Gov. Pat Quinn in the general election.

Brady emerged last week from a monthlong waiting period just 193 votes ahead of Kirk Dillard, a fellow state senator and Republican. Read more...

It looks like Chicago residents won’t get a chance to see which of their neighbors were under consideration for two vacant alderman spots before Mayor Richard M. Daley gives his recommendations to the City Council tomorrow.

Jennifer Hoyle, spokeswoman for the city’s law department, said information about the candidates would likely be available by the end of the week.

After the mayor invited applications from the general public, the Chicago Current and other news organizations requested the list of candidates under the state’s Freedom of Information Act. Read more...

If state Sen. Bill Brady's race against Gov. Pat Quinn comes anywhere as close as his campaign against Kirk Dillard, then one thing is for sure: It won't be womens' groups that push him over the edge.

Nearly eight months before the general election, advocates for abortion rights and equal-pay legislation have formally begun denouncing Brady, the Republican nominee for governor.

In a press conference this morning, leaders from several progressive organizations in the state portrayed Brady as a religiously motivated and extremely socially conservative candidate, unfit to serve women who want control over their reproductive and financial health. Read more...

She still has to win an election, but Alderman Toni Preckwinkle is already preparing to take over as Cook County Board president.

In remarks today to the City Club of Chicago, Preckwinkle said she has been forming teams to prepare for her coronation as leader of the County Board.

"We’re not taking anything for granted, knock on wood, but we’re starting now to address some of the tough issues that the county faces," she said. "We definitely have our work cut out for us." Read more...

It seems that the city isn't yet ready to comply with a request from Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office.

The request, written in a memo to Mayor Richard M. Daley's office last Friday, orders the city to release the names of applicants under consideration for two open aldermanic seats. City officials previously denied Freedom of Information requests for the applicants' names from the Current and other news organizations.

Daley is expected to recommend his picks on Wednesday, but so far, I've had no luck getting an advance look at who he's considering.

City officials have said it would be an invasion of privacy and perhaps jeopardize the jobs of applicants if it released their names. But Madigan's office said the applicants' right to privacy does not outweigh the public's right to know who might represent the city's 1st and 29th wards. Read more...

The county jail's downsizing doesn't guarantee that taxpayers will save money. (ABC7)

As Stroger quits his committeeman post, his future in politics is in doubt (CNC) — though he said recently that he'd like to stay in the game. (FOX News Chicago)

Samuel V.P. Banks, the powerful and savvy Chicago criminal lawyer, dies. (Sun-Times)

Nearly $6,000.

That's the burden on every man woman and child in Chicago for the area's unfunded pension liabilities.

The jarring figure comes from a Civic Federation report released today that shows those tax burdens have grown nearly 400 percent in nine years. Read more...

CTA bus driver pay is No. 3 in the U.S., and No. 1 when adjusted for local cost of living. [Trib]

No racial bias found in transit cuts [Chicago News Cooperative/NY Times]

Riders clash with driver on Grand Ave. bus [CTA Tattler/ChicagoNow]

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office has ordered Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley to release records of applicants for the city’s two vacant alderman positions.

Earlier this week, the city denied a Freedom of Information request from the Chicago Current seeking the names of candidates who nominated themselves for the open 1st and 29th Ward alderman positions.

The city’s law department said doing so would violate the applicants’ right to privacy, potentially jeopardizing their current jobs. Read more...

State Sen. Kirk Dillard conceded the Republican nomination for governor this afternoon, backing hard-fought opponent and Illinois Senate colleague Bill Brady.

Dillard came within 195 votes of winning, according to results certified this morning by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

"Close, huh?" Dillard joked with reporters. "It was a hard-fought race ... but now it's clear.

"I'm going to extend my full support to Bill Brady."

Dillard, appearing beside his watery-eyed wife at Chicago's Union League Club, estimated that the results came down to less than two votes per county in the state.

"I was truly a statewide candidate," he said. "I'm proud of the very, very eclectic group of supporters that I had."

Defying an onslaught of attacks from fellow Republicans who claimed that he was too liberal, Dillard was able to close in on a downstate candidate who was among the most conservative in the GOP field.

Brady, a Bloomington state senator, drew a tiny percentage, about 5 percent, from the Chicago area considered crucial to the fortunes of any statewide candidate.

Still, Dillard said that when compared with Democratic nominee Gov. Pat Quinn, Brady is a clear choice for Illinois voters.

"Bill Brady's got great ideas on how to create jobs and how to balance the state budget," Dillard said, later adding that he "has no ethical cloud whatsoever around him."

But he warned that Brady must spend more time in northeast Illinois and Chicago, where Brady's son is at law school at DePaul University.

"He was a very proud downstater, as he should be," Dillard said. He vowed to help Brady pick up votes in other areas of the state.

Dillard had long said he would consider a recount if the final margin was within 100 votes. Asked why he finally decided against it, despite a margin nearly twice as large, Dillard cited party unity.

"A recount would be time consuming, and I want Sen. Brady to have as much time as he can," Dillard said. "A recount would be divisive to the Republican Party."

State Sen. Kirk Dillard will concede during a press conference this afternoon, according to his spokesman.

After a month of waiting for official results, the Illinois State Board of Elections certified that state Sen. Bill Brady emerged less than 195 votes ahead of Dillard in the race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Dillard had said he would consider a recount if the final vote count was within a margin of 100. Read more...

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has hired a new deputy chief of staff.

Carla Oglesby, previously managing partner of CGC Communications, will replace Pam Munizzi, who recently retired from the post. At CGC, Oglesby had overseen media outreach in Stroger's unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination this year.

Oglesby "understands the initiatives and opportunities to which my administration is committed, and is dedicated to joining me in doing all we can to support policy and programs that help the people of Cook County," Stroger said in a statement today. Read more...