The Evening Rush for Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

This photo, taken last month in Springfield, shows where the mezzanine-level offices in the west wing of the Illinois State Capitol were entered through doors below the mural. They have been eliminated as part of a two-year, $50 million renovation and restoration project. (Rich Saal/AP/The State Journal-Register)

Fancy facelift

The backlash against the $50 million State Capitol rehab continues thanks to our pending pension apocalypse and things like $670,000 in doors. Not that we weren’t warned about it all: even as this flaming vehicle of financial disaster speeds towards the cliff, we wrote about this even back in 2007. Maybe Gov. Quinn is buying some Powerball tickets to help. [Sun-Times, From the archives, Jack Higgins]

Obama overseas, lobbies for Syria

President Obama continues to lobby for support from Congress for military action in Syria while visiting Russia for the G20 conference. [Sun-Times, N.Y. Times]

Untangling TIFs

The Englewood Whole Foods is the latest project to use TIF money, so why not untangle exactly what TIFs are? [WBEZ]

Daley spared again

A $12.3 million settlement with victims of torture at the hands of former CPD commander Jon Burge will spare former mayor Richard Daley from having to testify in the case. [Sun-Times]

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like

More bike lanes are coming to Chicago streets, this time on Halsted between Bridgeport and the Loop. [DNA Info]

Rahm on the small screen

Mayor Emanuel will visit David Letterman and pop up in a Discovery Channel doc next week, all before he spoils the end of Breaking Bad. [Sun-Times]

Discount charges

Raghuveer Nayak, a go-between entangled in the Blago brouhaha, has had 8 of the 18 charges against him dropped. [Crain’s]

Pet deaths

Strange happenings at a high-raise where two pets have fallen to their death from a 43rd floor balcony within days of each other. [Sun-Times]

It’s a girl!

The baby panda recently born at the D.C. zoo is a girl, and I’ve named her Twerk. [WaPo]

Bear countdown

The NFL kicks off tonight with the Bears’ first game on Sunday, so check in on how the Bears’ defense has helped Trestman’s offense evolve. [Sun-Times]

The Bright One

Dave Hoekstra digs into a program that beautifies boarded-up buildings with a splash of art. [Sun-Times]

Commute

Sudoku; Weather; Traffic; CTA; Metra; Flight delays

And finally

The Song Of The Summer (sorry, “Blurred Lines”) asks, “What does the fox say?” Behold and be bedeviled. [Gawker]