-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
:Violence of this magnitude demands genuine mayoral leadership. Alas, Mayor Lightfoot has made a series of headlines for alienating or squabbling with city aldermen, the Chicago police-union president, Donald Trump, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Her performance leaves much to be desired.”
One-quarter of the $20 million will go to places bearing the brunt of the economic devastation from the coronavirus pandemic. The maximum number of households benefiting from the program will be about 7,000.
“What’s more, none of the districts canceling in-person instruction are offering a tangible path toward resuming it in the future. Chicago is keeping schools closed for a solid two months and has abandoned its previously announced metrics, promising now only to re-evaluate the situation according to whatever metrics they choose when the time comes.”
“(S)ome teachers consider themselves to be nonessential. That’s a terrible lie, one that some teachers have come to believe…It’s time for teachers to tell their union leaders to take a walk. It’s time to tell the out-of-control leaders that teachers are better than that.”
But the idea of being past a point in time where putting certain individuals on literal and figurative pedestals as statues was also discussed. One professor from UIS posed, “Can we think about other kinds of memorials and other kinds of spaces that are meant to not only memorialize and honor but also educate?”
The study looked into the police union contracts in the 81 largest U.S. cities. Among other findings, disciplinary actions in 48 of 81 cities surveyed can be overruled by an arbiter. In some instances, this has led to arbiters overruling the termination of officers who killed unarmed men, such as in Chicago and Oakland.
Last month, the Chicago Park District voted to rename for Frederick Douglass its own Douglas Park, which had carried the “Little Giant’s” name since 1869. And Michael Madigan, the Chicago Democrat who is speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, called in July for removing imagery of Douglas from the Statehouse and its grounds.
State Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo, is on the Joint Commission on Administrative Rules: “If he (Pritzker) wants people to believe that it’s an emergency and follow his guidance, the best way to do that is to start acting like it’s an emergency and call a special session (of the state Legislature).”
Comment: Refreshing candor from both Rep. Terra Costa Howard and Rich Miller about Madigan and labor unions.
“If journalists and other Democrats truly cared about ethics, corruption and the rule of law they would not have elected a billionaire who committed fraud to save property taxes.”
“These fraternities and sororities are first and foremost voluntary associations supported by each of these students. Even if some students do not support or even approve of the system, these students do. It is an associational choice that is tied to their values.”
More than 23,000 people in Illinois work for Amazon on a full- or part-time basis, according to the company. That includes employees at Whole Foods Market, which Amazon acquired in 2017. In a conference call with local developers, an Amazon executive said the company plans to hire an additional 15,000 here, says Doig, who was on the call.
Police officers were stationed at barriers nearby to prevent individuals from accessing the lakefront at the beach.
“What’s really ‘odious’ here is to see reporters behaving like political operatives. “
“Parents: they are your children, your tax dollars, and your rights.”
That said, “nonprofits are the ultimate innovators,” Darlow says. “They deliver programs in the best of times with minimal resources, and they have to be creative about how they do their work.” (Comment: Here, here! Wirepoints, too.)
Said Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner, “But where we already have a concern, it’s one of the easiest ways to identify people who are not just breaking the travel order but flaunting it publicly.”
“The delay in the income tax filing deadline from April to July skewed the numbers, but that doesn’t explain the 211% increase in cigarette tax revenue. A higher tax on cigarettes, plus a new tax on e-cigarettes likely made the difference. An increase in the gas tax also explained what appeared to be an uptick in motor fuel consumption, but really wasn’t.”
There are existing vacancies, some stores still boarded up, others dealing with plummeting sales, what Hopkins calls a spike in theft, and safety concerns keeping people away.
“We’re losing tax revenue, and we are losing sales tax on a daily basis,” he said. “If this trend continues, we won’t have a viable downtown. And it’s not going to be that long. We’re talking a few years.”
State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) said, “Is the governor going to take a wait and see approach while this thing plays out in federal court over possibly several years? I think all of us that serve in public office are expected to be held to a higher standard.”
“It’s called a pandemic, people. This reckless behavior on Montrose Beach is what will cause us to shut down the parks and lakefront. Don’t make us take steps backwards,” she tweeted.
Former deputy aviation commissioner William Helm, accused of bribing ex state Sen. Martin Sandoval for help in approving a construction project, also worked as a paid sales representative for the red-light camera company SafeSpeed while on the city payroll.
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