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“The multiplicity of local units of government, many of which are funded predominantly by property taxes, is often cited as a reason for high property tax rates in Illinois. Local government consolidation, cooperation and dissolution has therefore become a focus for many government leaders and civic groups as a way to reduce duplication and the cost of government.”
The new policy states CPS “may require as a condition of hire or continued employment that new hires and/or employees obtain a COVID-19 immunization that has been approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.”
No specific dates are being offered at this time. A spokesperson from Mayor Lightfoot’s office responded to ABC7’s request for comment, saying, “City of Chicago departments are considering options for summer events that follow all city and state health guidelines.”
“It’s a lot to unwind, but it boils down to this: The U.S. attorney’s office continues to do what other law enforcement agencies in Illinois will not — hold public officials accountable. Just this week, Chicago landed on an unflattering list as ‘the most corrupt city’ in the country, with Illinois ranking as third most-corrupt state.”
“The sooner CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union can agree on how to safely reopen high schools, the better…We’re betting, though, that both sides learned lessons from the unnecessarily acrimonious negotiations over reopening elementary schools. Chicago’s young people cannot afford a repeat of those mistakes.”
Officials say expressway incidents are almost coming faster than they can be tallied, and investigators say they rarely find good eyewitnesses, and very often would-be victims can be uncooperative.
In an emergency session Thursday, the Illinois Finance Authority voted to make available low-interest loans to downstate communities. Rod Molnar, village clerk in Divernon, said his community needs help because its bill was more than $600,000 this month – but only $66,000 the month before
Gov. JB Pritzker explained, “When you say there’s a surplus at the end, it’s a mild surplus. Not totally insubstantial, more than $100 million, but that’s in a $41.6 billion budget. This is a budget that is balanced but balanced in a way, unfortunately, that doesn’t really provide what all of people need across the state of Illinois but it’s the best we can do in this very tight time.”
The state being one of the few that requires its own nursing license doesn’t help, but a recently filed bill is intended to fix that.
A republication of our Wirepoints article.
Madigan’s weighted vote Thursday went to select Guerrero-Cuellar to be the new representative for the 22nd House District. “I just met him this morning,” Guerrero-Cuellar said Thursday. “I hadn’t met him personally before.”
“We need to tell the taxpayers how we will spend this money,” Welch said at a Feb. 24 event with the Economic Club of Chicago. “Tie progressive tax(es) to paying off pension(s). Voters will trust us more.”
Jim Dey: “Nobody really saw it coming. Indeed, few could imagine Madigan would ever leave on anything but his own terms. But he appears to belong to Illinois’ political history now, the product of a political bankruptcy that came gradually and then with breathtaking suddenness.”
“As I sat in the pastor’s office and watched him talk with the Twins, it became clear that there was a profound sense of respect on both sides. This respect was not the kind that one defaults to when encountering a man or woman of God. It was far deeper than that. It was the kind of respect that says I know you – sin and grace – and I still believe in you…”
The problem, spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco said, involved an internal system error that was duplicating accounts “inadvertently” and causing some people to get locked out of their accounts. Cisco said the server issue was not a result of a hack, and the problem was resolved as of Thursday.
As examples of inaccurate statements, the school district said teachers told parents that classroom libraries would have to be packed up and their windows would have to be open in winter months. They said one teacher wrote to parents: “While the child mortality rate is low, it is not non-existent. Having lost a child myself, I can tell you that this is not a club you want to join.”
The problem is the trailers at Riverpointe Mobile Home Community don’t have meters, so Dills’ neighbors miss out on the relief. “To me, it’s not fair,” one resident said. “We pay a water bill like anybody else.”
Cuellar volunteers at different community agencies and is married to a Chicago police officer. She has also been involved in Cook County Board campaigns.
But Ed Wojcicki, executive director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, said they have nothing against body cams, but disagree with the statements regarding funding. “We heard those statements that some funds are available, but there is not nearly enough to do what this law asks all departments to do.”
The budget proposal includes no reforms to pensions or other cost drivers, misleadingly labels various business tax increases as ‘closing corporate tax loopholes,’ and relies on gimmicks that conceal true deficits. And there’s a new gas tax.
“Raising taxes during an economic crisis defies the advice of most economists as well as common sense.”
There were 62,369 new unemployment claims were filed in Illinois the previous week.
Comment: For background on this see our own story on his firing linked here.
“Research outfit Wirepoints recently estimated that 44 states are running surpluses for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 when Covid relief and budget reserves are included. The six outliers: New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, Hawaii, Nevada. They have pre-existing spending problems or rely heavily on tourism.”
Sources tells CBS 2 there are at least four to five different carjacking crews operating in the 14th District. Several carjacking crews have also been linked to ATM thefts in the area, where entire ATM machines were removed from places like convenience stores.
The Cook County state’s attorney in a written statement that “our lack of opposition should not be construed as a show of support but rather the office’s position that we would no longer actively object.” This is the second time since last summer that she’s done so in a case involving a convicted killer of a police officer.
The new pilot program would cover the area in Pilsen between Peoria Street, 16th Street, Western Street and Cermak Road, and in the area near the 606 trail that includes the area bounded by North, Western, Armitage and Kostner avenues.
Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs and a group of 29 other state financial officials recently sent letters to six of the nation’s largest private sector money managers in a transparently partisan attempt to bully them out of supporting Republicans.
The effort is a misuse of the power that adheres to managing billions of dollars of taxpayer money and a sets a dangerous precedent.
“There must be some way to flag somebody’s account once a fraudulent attempt has been made, so that they don’t get a second, third, fourth attempt made,” said one suburban man who has received five such notifications and one payout from IDES though he remains employed.
Acevedo was first elected to the Illinois House in 1997, representing several South and Southwest Side neighborhoods for 20 years. He was also a Cook County correctional officer and a Chicago Police officer, and was connected to former House Speaker Mike Madigan.
“Just when you think Illinois might be turning a corner with new Springfield leadership and a renewed focus on ethics, you realize the corner is actually a dead end.”
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