Free Republic

Desperate to save his own head in the fallout over the recorded police killing of Laquan McDonald, Mayor Rahm Emanuel reached for another. Another head, that is. This one belonged to Garry McCarthy, Chicago's superintendent of police, who just the other day said he'd never, ever quit. "I never quit on anything in my life," McCarthy told reporters late last week, after protesters closed Michigan Avenue on Black Friday, after the mayor hid out, lying low, letting McCarthy and Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez take all the heat. "The mayor has made it very clear that he has my...

CHICAGO – Mayor Rahm Emanuel pitched a massive property tax hike Tuesday as a "last resort" to correct Chicago's financial footing, suggesting the only alternative for the nation's third-largest city would include severe cuts to police and fire services, recycling programs, pothole repair and even rodent control. Emanuel, who needs approval from state lawmakers and the governor for at least part of his sweeping plan, outlined a $543 million property tax over four years, a $45 million tax to modernize schools, and other new fees for residential garbage pickup, e-cigarettes and ride-sharing services. The property tax revenue would go toward...