If there's one obvious benefit to Mayor Daley's rapid leasing of city assets in recent years, it's the independent streak it's roused in the City Council.

Under pressure from the City Council, Mayor Daley has agreed to revise his mandatory furlough plan to include a sliding scale: the higher the salary, the more unpaid days off.

New mom Margy Belchak says she was shocked to learn that many baby bottles and toddler sippy cups contained a toxin linked to cancer, brain disorders and obesity.

Mayor Daley’s plan to require 3,600 non-union employees to take 14 days off without pay by Dec. 31 to pressure organized labor to do the same ran into a City Council buzz-saw on Monday.

City Council Transportation Committee Chairman Tom Allen (38th) says the 311 system is slowing down the pothole repair process because half the calls turn out to be bogus and workers waste time genera