The next bum to ask you for a quarter on the El may well be CTA President Frank Kruesi. This week he'll propose raising the regular fare from $1.50 to $1.75 to help deal with a massive deficit. Other changes and increases are in the works, too, including encouraging more off-peak travel, but the monthly passes will remain $75. He also promises no service cuts. It's the first increase since 1991 -- first person to name something whose price hasn't gone up in 12 years wins a prize -- and it's still cheaper than New York ($2), though not Boston ($1) or L.A. ($1.35). [Trib. login: gapers/gapers]