WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Illinois Senate President John Cullerton plans a vote this week on a measure that would require some corporations to reveal their income-tax bills.

This week, Rahm Emanuel marks his 100th day as Chicago's mayor. This is an artificial milestone - we know - but one Emanuel himself set before taking office, when he laid out some early goals.Among the promises: making city hall more transparent than in the past.

Truth is hard to come by in the Central Asian country of Turkmenistan. The government is one of the most repressive in the world and rarely allows international journalists or human rights groups into the country. Earlier this month, a munitions depot exploded in the city of Abadan, Turkmenistan.

In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel promised to create a more open and transparent government by making more data public. But how else can the Emanuel administration use technology to grow access-or even business- in the city?

The idea behind a referendum is to give voters a direct voice in making their community better. These ballot questions can cover anything from stem-cell research to the fate of an empty lot. They may be binding or just advisory. Last month, referenda were on ballots in nine Chicago precincts.

The 2011 Chicago municipal election is two weeks away. Tuesday, Eight Forty-Eight begins its one-on-one conversations with the candidates for mayor.