Later this week, the Chicago Transit Authority board will meet. It’s the first meeting since a series of recent public budget hearings. There’s been much turmoil about the fiscal state of public transportation. CTA president Richard Rodriguez is calling for steep fare increases and service cuts to help bridge a $300 million shortfall. The agency proposes raising the regular bus fare to $2.50 while all rail and express bus fares would jump to $3. Among the cost-cutting plans are more than 1,000 layoffs. Rodriguez says their plan is a good one. But it’s not the only solution, according to Chicago Current, the brand-new incarnation of Chi-Town Daily News. Its editor and publisher, Geoff Dougherty, tells us more.

Music Button: Sabretooth, “Mary Anne”, from the CD Dr. Midnight-Live at the Green Mill, (Delmark)