-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Lightfoot has been pushing for changes for a proposed Chicago casino ever since a consultant described the tax structure that was part of legislation signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker as “onerous” to the point of making the project financially unworkable.
“Par Excellence Redux” reimagines a high-concept putt-putt exhibition from 1988.
The plan, which will be unveiled in about a week, will include more police manpower on CTA property and improved use of technology to thwart crime. A new counter-terrorism unit will be responsible for policing mass transit in Chicago.
House Majority Leader Greg Harris, D-Chicago, said his caucus wants the governor to focus on education spending and funding for state agencies. House Republicans said they want to be included in budget negotiation to get to a balanced budget without tax and fee increases or new spending.
To help pay for road and bridge repairs across the state, the General Assembly last year raised the license plate fee for all sizes of trailers by $100. That translated to only a 6.7% increase for the largest class of trailers, up from $1,502 to $1,602; it was a massive 555% increase for the smallest class of trailers, from $18 to 118.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is proposing strict new limits on health insurance policies that require patients to receive “prior authorization” from the company before they can receive certain treatments, tests or prescription drugs.
The multiple pieces of legislation are necessary to attack the pervasiveness of plastic on a variety of fronts, lawmakers said, and it will require a joint effort from consumers, businesses and government to create structural and cultural change.
“Illinoisans have endured far too much corruption, and we must send a message to politicians that corrupt practices will no longer be tolerated,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. “President Trump has abused his pardon power in inexplicable ways to reward his friends and condone corruption.”
The report also warned investors that the appearance of impropriety on ComEd’s behalf “could have an adverse impact on Exelon’s and ComEd’s reputation or relationship with regulatory and legislative authorities, customers and other stakeholders.”
The report, co-authored by former Ald. Dick Simpson, found that Chicago remains America’s most corrupt city. The study relies on U.S. Justice Department data and a formula that compares the number of each area’s corruption convictions with its population.
Certain things we expect he will say that you should treat skeptically or reject entirely.
Mark Glennon was on the Roe Conn Show talking about the mass annual exodus of people and their wealth from Illinois. The state’s growing pension crisis, constant political corruption and the crushing impact of property taxes have driven over a million people out of the state since 2000.
While a measure to require gas station attendants to pump gas in Illinois was tabled, other bills at the statehouse have been catching the attention of Illinois taxpayers.
Experts say such arrangements pose obvious conflicts, given that the consultants who certify such projects are being paid by the very developers who are seeking approval for hundreds of millions of dollars.
Since 2002, the state has spent nearly $100 million to acquire about 4,500 acres needed for the proposed airport. State legislators last year appropriated $162 million to build a new interchange at Interstate 57 and Eagle Lake Road and to extend utilities to the airport site.
So far, the University of Illinois hasn’t been implicated in the Education Department efforts to get universities to fully report foreign donations of $250,000 or more, as required by the federal Higher Education Act. The University of Chicago is one of a group of schools that acknowledged about $3.6 billion in previously unreported foreign gifts during the crackdown.
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