- The surprise infusion of more federal money ended a stalemate on O'Hare International Airport expansion, clearing the way for Mayor Richard Daley to depart office with a partial victory and for Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel to avoid a tricky issue for a few years.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood brokered the deal announced Monday. The city gets one new runway instead of completing the entire project. The major airlines who sued to delay the work don't have as big a financial commitment.
The federal government, already in for a record $1 billion, will heap another $155 million to protect its investment at O'Hare and maintain the competitiveness of an airfield that Daley's father transformed into an international economic powerhouse at the dawn of the Jet Age.
Shortshanks gets to walk away a winner again thanks to federal money and a shaky bond issue backed by a shrinking tax base and an industry that continues to bleed red ink daily. Way to go!