While the original protest was explicitly about Black Lives Matter, the counter protesters had a less specific focus. Signs and chants expressed support for the police, a desire to re-elect President Donald Trump in November, support for the pro-life cause, and calling Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden a pedophile.

Alpa Patel is chief deputy with the Cook County Public Guardian’s office.”There are certainly some fantastic caseworkers; some fantastic people working with these families and I applaud them. However, sometimes those folks are far and few between in terms of all of the other folks who need the support and training and probably additional coaching in order to do the right job for the clients we serve.”

Of that total, nearly $2 million to the Chicago Department of Public Health, senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth announced Monday.

“Sometimes it feels like reaching out to IDES is a little like throwing a bottle into the ocean. You write this note and you hope someone reads it,” State Representative Anne Stava-Murray said.

Committee minority spokesman state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, is disappointed Madigan won’t voluntarily testify. “We should have the opportunity not just to take a submitted statement that he has prepared but to instead bring him in, under oath, and have this conversation in the committee.”

Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki made arguments against locking things down because of a virus in the bioethics journal Ethics & Medicine this month. “Yes we should do the ordinary things for protecting life, but we don’t have to do the extraordinary things that are being mandated.”

Washington High School head football coach Darrell Crouch said his team is ready if the season resumes, but believes it may be getting too late. “I don’t really feel like it’s the IHSA that’s dragging their feet, it’s our governor and the department of health.”

Dixon State Representative Tom Demmer says that comments from Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton last week where she said the alternative for the proposed graduation income tax system was an income tax hike proves the point that reforms aren’t being looked at.

The intent behind the law is straightforward. It’s meant to deter vote-buying: Showing the photo in exchange for cash. But there are other laws in Illinois that explicitly outlaw vote-buying. And there can be First Amendment issues with outlawing this kind of political speech.

In some cases, Normal Mayor Chris Koos said, there were times when the town could have taken action on certain issues sooner. “I think we were trying to err on the side of personal freedom, and maybe we should have acted quicker.”

Mark C. Curran Jr., former sheriff and current Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate: “Sadly, it is the mayor’s will that the police chief must follow, not the will of the people. And the mayors of major urban centers like Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, and Seattle have communicated directly with their chiefs of police and told them not to make arrests unless absolutely necessary.”

Why Pritzker’s team spent their ad dollars pushing a tax hike outside Illinois remains a question, but Texas and California were the top destinations for those moving out of Illinois – with high taxes the top motivation of those considering a move.

By transferring the funds from his account to the party, the funds can also be spent without giving opponents the chance to tie Democrats to Madigan’s money after he was implicated in a $1.3 million bribery scandal involving Commonwealth Edison.

The suit, to be filed this week in DuPage County, alleges that prohibitions on some fall sports violates the IHSA’s constitution and bylaws, and has “caused mental health issues and financial hardships” for athletes and their families. Specifically, the suit alleges that the decision to postpone fall sports will have negative financial impacts on both students and parents, as they will fall behind in their ability to compete for athletic scholarships to make college more affordable.

“You know when the FBI puts their ‘x’ on you that they’re going to prosecute you, they’re only about 92 percent effective. They’re probably the most effective agency in government,” said former Gov. George Ryan, who served prison time for federal corruption charges and was the Speaker of the House before Madigan was elected speaker in 1983.