>> THANKS, AMANDA.

>>> NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE

PLANNING FOR WILL OBAMA

PRESIDENTIAL CENTER.

IS THE STATE OF ILLINOIS READY

TO PONY UP $100 MILLION TO

ASSIST THE PROJECT IN JACKSON

PARK ON THE SOUTH SIDE?

"CHICAGO TONIGHT" LEARNED A

PRELIMINARY PLAN TO DO JUST

THAT.

BUT HOW WOULD A PROPOSAL LIKE

THAT FLY IN A STATE THAT IS

BLEEDING RED INK ESPECIALLY WHEN

THE OBAMA'S PROMISE 100% PRIVATE

FUNDING?

PARIS SCHUTZ JOINING US WITH THE

DETAILS.

>> PHIL, SOURCES TELL US THERE

HAVE BEEN PRELIMINARY BIPARTISAN

TALKS ABOUT THIS GIVING $100

MILLION IN STATE AID FOR THE

OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER.

IT'S SIMILAR TO A PROPOSAL THAT

HOUSE SPEAKER MICHAEL MADIGAN

DANGLED A YEAR-AND-A-HALF AGO

WHEN THE STATE AND THE CITY WERE

STILL TRYING TO LAND THE MUSEUM

FOR CHICAGO.

OBVIOUSLY CHICAGO GOT THE MUSEUM

AND THAT PROPOSAL FOR THAT MONEY

DID NOT GO ANYWHERE.

MADIGAN SAID IT WAS A GOOD USE

OF THE MONEY TO HONOR THE SON OF

ILLINOIS BUT THE OBAMA LIBRARY

PLEDGED FROM THE BEGINNING NOT

TO USE ANY PUBLIC FUNDING FOR

THE PROJECT.

>> ARE THEY BEING INCONSISTENT

WITH THE PLEDGE?

OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE THE

MONEY WOULD GO TOWARD?

>> NOT NECESSARILY BEING

INCONSISTENT.

THE MAYOR SAID THERE'S GOING TO

BE NEED TO BE LOTS OF

INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSIT

UPGRADES AROUND THERE TO MAKE

THIS PROJECT HAPPEN AND THAT

INCLUDES THE CLOSING OF THE

STREET, CORNELL DRIVE, THE

HIGHWAY THAT THE CAMPUS WOULD BE

BUILT OVER.

AND AS A RESULT THERE WOULD HAVE

TO BE REALIGNMENT OF OTHER

STREETS TO TAKE THE EXCESS

TRAFFIC.

ALL THAT WILL COST A LOT OF

MONEY.

THERE HAVE BASKETBALL RUMBLINGS

ABOUT EXTENDING THE L ALL THE

WAY TO JACKSON PARK AS WELL AS

OTHER TRANSIT OR INFRASTRUCTURE

UPGRADES THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO

MAKE THIS MUSEUM POSSIBLE.

NOW, WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE TALKS

AMONG LAWMAKERS A SPOKESPERSON

FOR THE OBAMA LIBRARY MAINTAINED

THAT QUOTE CONSTRUCTION AND

MAINTENANCE WILL BE FUNDED BY

PRIVATE DONATIONS AND NO

TAXPAYER MONEY WILL GO TO THE

FOUNDATION.

BUT THAT STATEMENT DOES NOT RULE

OUT ANY OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE

AND OTHER UPGRADES THAT WILL

HAVE TO HAPPEN AROUND THE

MUSEUM.

SOURCES TELL US THAT MAYOR RAHM

EMANUEL'S TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING

THIS TODAY.

BUT HE WAS MORE COY WHEN WE

SPOKE TO HIM.

SAID IN SO MANY WORDS YES, WE

WOULD LIKE THE STATE MONEY.

>> LOOK, WHEN IT HAPPENS, WE ARE

GOING TO WORK TOGETHER.

BUT I'M NOT GOING TO ANSWER ON

ANY ONE HYPOTHETICAL BUT I HAVE

UP FRONT FROM THE DAY WE WERE ON

THE SOUTH SIDE THERE WILL BE

NEEDED INVESTMENTS JUST LIKE WE

DO IN THE LINCOLN LIBRARY.

AND I THINK THIS IS A TREMENDOUS

GAIN FOR THE CITY OF CHICAGO AND

UNBELIEVABLE BOOST OF ECONOMIC

ENERGY AND CULTURAL ENERGY TO

THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO AND I

HAVE BEEN A SUPPORTER OF IT.

>> THE STATE HAS A $16 BILLION

BACKLOG IN UNPAID BILLS.

GENERALLY IN TERRIBLE FISCAL

SHAPE.

WHERE WOULD THE MONEY COME FROM?

>> NOT UNDER A COUCH CUSHION.

THE TALKS ARE IT WOULD BE PART

OF A NEW CAPITAL BILL THAT WOULD

HAVE TO BE PASSED BUT THOSE

TALKS HAVE NOT GONE VERY FAR.

THERE ARE OTHER TALKS ABOUT

HAVING EXISTING CAPITAL MONEY

SOMEWHERE THAT THEY COULD USE TO

FUND THIS.

IT CERTAINLY WOULD BE A TOUGH

SELL FOR SUBURBAN AND DOWN STATE

LAWMAKERS.

TODAY REPUBLICAN STATE

REPRESENTATIVE DAVID McSWEENEY

ISSUED THIS STATEMENT QUOTE...

>> SO IF THERE IS CAPITAL MONEY

OUT THERE, IT'S VERY HARD TO

IMAGINE THAT THERE IS $100

MILLION SOMEWHERE IN SOME FUND

SITTING AROUND TO BE UTILIZED.

THE CIVIC FEDERATIONS LAURENCE

MSALL SAYS THE GENERAL IDEA OF A

NEW CAPITAL BILL IS GOING TO

HAVE TO BE DEBATED.

AND IT'S GOING TO BE PRECARIOUS

GIVEN THE STATE'S FISCAL

POSITION.

HE TOLD THE CITY CLUB THAT THE

STATE IS GOING TO HAVE TO COME

UP WITH FINANCING FOR THIS NEW

CAPITAL BILL.

>> FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO SELL A

BIG CAPITAL PLAN THEY NEED TO

IDENTIFY HOW THE STATE IS GOING

TO PAY FOR IT, AND THAT IS GOING

TO REQUIRE SOMETHING A LITTLE

BIT BETTER THAN THE VIDEO POKER

AND THE CANDY TAX THAT THE LAST

CAPITAL PLAN THAT WENT THROUGH

ILLINOIS HAS.

BECAUSE WHAT WE FOUND WHEN WE

USED THOSE AS OUR SOURCE FOR

CAPITAL INVESTMENT THEY DID NOT

COME FORWARD AND THE STATE HAD

TO TAKE OPERATING CASH AND PUT

IT IN TO PAY THE DEBT SERVICE.

>> SOURCES TELL US THAT A

PROPOSAL LIKE THIS COULD BE

READY FOR THE FALL VETO SESSION

IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS.