WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

The congressional standoff that has shut down the Federal Aviation Administration continues, with no end in sight until September if the Senate doesn't act this week.Lawmakers risk losing more than $1 billion in revenue from ticket taxes that the airline collects.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn won't say whether he thinks the state tollway should increase rates.The Illinois Tollway says the plan is necessary to pay for a $12 billion project to repair and expand Chicago-area expressways. When pressed by reporters, Quinn refused to take a stand on the issue."

Chicago's adding 50 full-time police officers to patrol Chicago Transit Authority trains and bus stations. City officials say the officers will be drawn from the Chicago Police Academy and should be in place by next spring.

According to city officials, 50 new full-time police officers will be hired to secure the bus and rail stations of the Chicago Transit Authority. Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says the plan for 50 new police officers came in the wake of the recent rash of crimes on the CTA."

It's a milestone for Chicago bike enthusiasts.Chicago's Department of Transportation says the city's first protected bike lane has been completed on the city's near northwest side, not far from downtown.

Metra says it will install pollution filters to cut the amount of diesel soot inside its outbound commuter train cars by an average 75 percent.The Chicago Tribune reports that Metra plans to equip all rail cars with high-efficiency filters within 90 days.

Chicago-area commuters soon will be able to transfer seamlessly between CTA, Metra, and PACE through a universal fare card. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill into law Thursday that will connect the transit systems through a universal card by 2015.The move had long been advocated by regi