What they're saying in ChiTown

West tells tourists not to worry. Says, shootings only happen in black and Latino neighborhoods. Not where you go.

 "The shootings we have seen have been almost 100 percent isolated to neighborhoods outside the downtown core of Chicago where tourists and visitors from around the world frequent." -- Don Welsh, president of Choose Chicago, the city's tourism organization.

“Despite cutting more than a half-billion dollars over the last year alone, it’s not enough to undo years of revenue losses and misplaced priorities that landed the district in the financial quandary it’s in today.” -- CPS Spokesperson Becky Carroll, blaming the Daley administration

"I'm not surprised by your reaction." -- CPS chief bureaucrat, Tim Cawley after being booed by teachers and school activists responding to his announced budget plan with it's 2% raise for teachers.

"The board recently announced an 85 percent cut in capital spending, and that happens at the same time that we have schools without playgrounds, that we have schools that are scheduled to meet this summer with no air conditioning, that we have 160 schools without libraries." -- CTU V.P. Jesse Sharkey

“There is no support for this. I would not be surprised if they came forward with another budget.” -- Rod Estevan of Access Living, who specializes in CPS budget issues.