-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
The former governor now faces a crucial choice: Does he become a champion of reform in the twilight of his public life? Or does he try to distract from his own legislative failures by criticizing the guy elected to clean up his and others’ messes?
A state fund to pay for environmental cleanup is frozen because the Illinois Legislature has not yet approved a budget for the current financial year or the next year. Comment: Just pass a bill releasing the needed money from the fund dedicated for that purpose, for God’s sake. A budget isn’t needed. See our story about “funds” like this and the rest of the $12 billion sitting unused at the IL Treasurer, linked here. And listen to the radio interview where that point was emphasized, linked here.
The “hold harmless” pledge will hardly apply to the after-the-fact property tax rebate the mayor and aldermen are crafting to inoculate themselves from at least some of the political fallout.
The Illinois Labor Relations Board has certified a faculty union at Northern Illinois University.
“In danger”? Seriously, Washington Post?
Rauner says many bond buyers support the pro-business changes he’s pushing and want to invest in Illinois despite its worst-in-the-nation credit rating. The Republican said Tuesday that taking on more debt is appropriate because the money is for improvements to roads and bridges, not daily operating expenses.
The rebates would cost the city between $10 million and $50 million. The checks to average homeowners would range from $100 to $195, far short of the average $413 property tax increase homeowners can expect when bills hit the mail starting late this month. In addition, a majority of city homeowners would be excluded from receiving rebates under three of the four options that mayoral financial aides discussed Tuesday during briefing sessions with aldermen. Under the most generous of the plans, about 219,000 of 425,000 homeowners would be eligible, and as few as 100,000 would be eligible under the least
The author, Michael H. LeRoy, is a professor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations and College of Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Illinois has won some breathing room from Deutsche Bank regarding the potential termination of an interest rate swap agreement that could cost the cash-strapped state nearly $99.2 million, according to a state document released late on Monday.
That report is the 2015 Manufacturing and Logistics Report Card, which was prepared and presented by the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University and industry initiative Conexus Indiana.
“He didn’t even have the balls to sign it himself,” McCarthy wrote, an apparent reference to his former boss, Emanuel.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has changed his plan to regulate and tax Airbnb and other home-sharing services so many times, aldermen don’t even know what they’re being asked to vote on. Housing Committee Chairman Joe Moore (49th) has sarcastically referred to the parade of changes as the “substitute to the substitute to the substitute” ordinance.
Census data and private studies have shown that millennials, generally defined as the 77 million people born during a 20-year period starting in the early 1980s, prefer to live in urban environments because of the proximity to restaurants, jobs, shopping and entertainment.
H.R. 5053 would prevent the IRS from collecting the names of donors to non-profit organizations. Under current law, 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) non-profits are required to furnish this information to the IRS on Schedule B of their annual Form 990 reporting statement.
“The evidence is increasingly conclusive that it also pushes down the wages of legal working Americans and, just as important, reduces their political power.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel made it clear Monday he’s gone as far as he intends to go in relaxing rules governing the sale of beer and wine at an open-air plaza adjacent to Wrigley Field and advised the Cubs to accept the deal and declare victory.
The company says it spent $50 million to expand production to the town of Yorkville, southwest of Chicago, where it has already been making Life Savers and Juicy Fruit.
Comment: Dead right. Due process was the first victim of our financial crisis, years ago.
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