1 Ed Burke’s costly victories
Since 2003, City Hall lost $3.6 million in tax revenue thanks to property tax appeals filed by the office of Ald. Ed Burke, a Sun-Times investigation shows. Much of that money came from court appeals, where Burke exerts his influence to control who serves as judges, and where the cases are defended by State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, who gets campaign money and key support from Burke. [Sun-Times]
2 Ventra gets real
As of today, the CTA is no longer selling magnetic-stripe cards — which pay for 75 percent of public transit rides — at stations. You’ll need a Ventra card instead. [Sun-Times]
3 A drunkard’s best friend?
Sales of Pedialyte, the infant-dehydration treatment made by Abbott Laboratories, jumped 16 percent last year. There’s no good explanation for why — except that those darn millennials are buying it to treat their hangovers. [Grid]
4 Backsliding Bears
They lost again. And while this one comes at the hands of the undefeated New Orleans Saints, consecutive defeats are making the team’s 3-0 start feel like a mirage. [Sun-Times]
5 Dismemberment plan
A Southwest Side woman and her father have confessed to helping her boyfriend kill a man, carve up his body and bury it in their backyard. [Sun-Times]
6 Arbor on the lam
Former Chicago Board of Trade Chairman Pat Arbor, a major player in the city’s business and civic scene for decades, has skipped town to avoid arrest, the Sun-Times reported Friday. Last week a judge issued an arrest warrant issued for Arbor, unless he pays $288,983 in overdue child support. Reuters found Arbor in Italy, where he claims he’s citizen of that country. [Reuters]
7 Driving for dollars
Driving for ride-sharing services like Lyft and Sidecar, you can pull down up to $30 an hour — and pitch your startup ideas to passengers. [Grid]
8 Danger, danger
As the government shutdown enters its second week, Washington is starting to talk about the next, much higher-stakes deadline. If Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling by Oct. 17, the country will default and the results could be catastrophic. [WaPo]
