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Phil Kadner biography

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Phil Kadner’s column appears five times a week in the print edition of the SouthtownStar.

He was named the 2013 Illinois Journalist of the …

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Kadner: The secret lives of our fathers

During my father’s final days of life, we talked a lot about his youth. He didn’t seem to remember much about the birth of his sons, their formative years or his 40 years of marriage. I figured it was Alzheimer’s disease. I had read that …

Kadner: Rita says casino cash should pay for building projects

Any legislation expanding gambling in Illinois likely will include a mandate that revenue-sharing funds from a south suburban casino be earmarked for development projects only, according to the bill’s chief sponsor in the House. “I don’t want to see communities using that money to hire …

Kadner: Second mayor seeks inspector general

The mayor of Hazel Crest has asked the Cook County sheriff to appoint an inspector general to examine the financial records of the village. Hazel Crest joins Dolton as the second south suburb to ask Sheriff Tom Dart for such assistance. Dolton, facing bankruptcy, passed …

Kadner: County cuts Oak Forest medical care

Two years after closing Oak Forest Hospital, Cook County is backing away from its pledge to provide 24-hour patient care at a health clinic it established on the site. The Cook County Health and Hospitals System has notified the state that it is temporarily suspending …

Kadner: Kelly calls for local input on airport

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-2nd) said Monday she wants the Legislature to pass a law giving local communities a “decision-making role” in the development of the South Suburban Airport. Kelly said she has talked to several legislators from the Southland and asked them to present …

Kadner: The greatest show in Illinois

Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, the Lincoln Sideshow and Carnival is pleased to offer the public one of the greatest spectacles on earth. I’m talking about a political creature that has confounded the greatest academic minds in the history of Illinois. Strong-willed men have …

Kadner: Do you want security or freedom?

The Internal Revenue Service harasses political enemies, the National Security Agency subpoenas millions of telephone records from Verizon, wire service reporters are targeted to discover who leaked government secrets. You’ve got to wonder how bad things would be if a constitutional law scholar weren’t sitting …

Kadner: Quinn vows to make airport happen

A joyful Gov. Pat Quinn said his slogan for a new state-controlled airport is “Where job creation takes flight” and announced that it officially will be called the South Suburban Airport. “We’re going to make this happen,” the governor boasted. During a telephone conversation on …

Kadner: Gambling hot potato burns Robert Rita

With 11 days left in the spring legislative session, state Rep. Robert Rita (D-Blue Island) was handed sponsorship of one of the hottest bills in Illinois. “I did my best to be fair to everyone, to learn the issues, to come up with the best …

Kadner: A win for Southland in Springfield

While the recent state legislative session was viewed as a dismal failure by many Springfield observers, it produced two big economic initiatives for the Southland. In addition to allocating $71 million for the purchase of land and naming the Illinois Department of Transportation as the …

Kadner: Suburbs need an inspector general

Incompetence is costing taxpayers more money than corruption in some south suburbs, although it’s often difficult to tell where one begins and the other takes over. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Friday announced an inspector general for Dolton, which is close to financial collapse. …

Kadner: Quinn behind move on third airport

After 40 years of double dealing, backstabbing, bickering, inertia and gross negligence, it looks like a south suburban airport might actually get built. Gov. Pat Quinn apparently has brokered a deal that would allow the Illinois Department of Transportation to become the development authority for …

Kadner: Rita rips roadblocks on casino bill

State Rep. Bobby Rita (D-Blue Island) has become the key power broker in an effort to pass a gambling expansion bill that would create five new casinos in Illinois and likely place video gambling at racetracks and airports. Rita, an Eisenhower High School graduate, might …

Kadner: Dolton avoids shutdown, for now

Facing the possibility that Dolton might not be able to meet its payroll Friday and have to shut down operations, the village board approved a $1 million loan during an emergency meeting Tuesday morning. Dolton is “swimming in red ink and on the verge of …

Kadner: Money woes in struggling Dolton

Newly elected Dolton Mayor Riley Rogers on Friday assured elderly residents that they would be allowed to live at the Dorchester Senior Center for the rest of his four-year term. But while the village owns the building, it’s running out of money to maintain it. …

Kadner: Reader donations create happy faces

It’s the faces you remember after visiting a center for the developmentally disabled. Smiling faces of folks who anxiously reach out to shake hands. Questioning faces that wonder if a sister is coming to pick them up or if you’re driving them home. And you …

Kadner: New mayor offers ‘hope’ to The Island

His grandmother walked across the Mexican border all the way to Blue Island nearly 100 years ago. Having arrived, she lived in a box car in the Rock Island Railroad yard for years. Today, Domingo Vargas, her grandson, is a defense attorney and the first …

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