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Comment: This would appear to violate the prohibition of state tax cuts contained in the new American Rescue Act.
“(T)he spending plan Pritzker presented last month and which lawmakers will contemplate in coming weeks eats up a projected $2.6 billion deficit in part by curtailing spending by $400 million and raising $1 billion in taxes through eliminating what he calls ‘unaffordable’ corporate loopholes — several of which weren’t loopholes two years ago when he signed them into law”
Rep. Jaime Andrade said restaurants in his area are opening more and people are ready to go out. “I understand it’s a life and death situation but I think now we’re at a point in time where we need to take a little more risk.”
“(Senate President Don) Harmon rightly pledges to ensure that minority communities that have traditionally been ignored will be guaranteed fair representation. But we don’t know why a bipartisan commission couldn’t accomplish that task. And, let’s face it, relying on lawmakers to draw these maps has only yielded gerrymandered districts.”
Ryan Grifin of the grassroots organization “The Chicago Parents Collective” told WGN he and other parents are frustrated that school district officials and union leaders continue to quibble. “The rhetoric, the fighting – zero cooperation. This continues to frustrate and harm families across this city,” he said.
The latest school reopening guidance from IDPH and ISBE, released March 9, was too restrictive for the in-person learning that districts in Monroe and Randolph Counties have been conducting for months, Regional Superintendent of Schools Kelton Davis said. Besides, said Davis, local officials make better local decisions.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced on March 8 that schools could have up to 20 percent capacity for outdoor events. However, 50 fans were allowed at indoor sports such as basketball this winter and CPS decided to keep the events free of spectators. “It’s ridiculous,” one parent said. “I’ve been watching my son play since he was eight years old. And now you are telling me I have to miss his last five games of high school?”
According to a new analysis from the Reason Foundation, the state posted a per-capita OPEB liability of $5,814, which represents the eighth highest value among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Evanston Rejects Racist Reparations, an opposition group, has noted that the initial payments will cover only 16 households. The group also opposes restricting that money to housing needs. “True reparations repair you – you get a chance to say what it is that repairs you,” said Rose Cannon, a member of the group, who is Black.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration is conducting a thorough investigation into alleged favoritism by Loretto — which was told Thursday it would no longer get first doses from the city for at least another week. The hospital will still receive second doses for those who’ve already been vaccinated through the provider.
This trend has caused concerns among experts who say once students disenroll from college, it’s harder to get them back. Studies have shown the percentage of students coming back after dropping out of school is generally low. “We do worry about the loss of what we call academic momentum,” said Paige Ponder, CEO of One Million Degrees, a nonprofit that supports community college students.
The Pritzker administration signed off on Version 5.1 of the state’s Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan last March before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The plan doesn’t direct the governor to issue statewide stay-at-home orders, but does describe a legal process of quarantine orders for individuals or places with their consent or with a court order.
“Closing the plant before the end of its useful life would essentially force communities to pay for two sources of power: the energy they have already bought through their partnerships with Prairie State, and replacement power to cover that loss,” Prairie State spokesperson Alyssa Harre said. “That is an additional cost communities and taxpayers cannot afford, especially as communities across Illinois and the country struggle to make ends meet due to the negative economic impacts created by the pandemic.”
“By him being released on bail, he’s free to do this again,” Sen. Elgie Sims told the State-Journal Register. Yet just last month Sims tweeted, “money bond doesn’t guarantee public safety or someone’s appearance in court, it supports a system where freedom is based on the size of someone’s bank account. We’ve tried the failed tough on crime polices [sic] of the past.”
Activists said that Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is allowing offenders to walk away with a slap on the wrist, and they want that to change.
“Illinois Public Interest Research Group says formula rates have raised ComEd delivery rates by 37% and fattened the utility’s wallet to the tune of $5 billion. Representatives of utilities say they need formula rates because their shareholders want certainty. But doesn’t everyone?”
A total of 366 days is how long it has been since you could walk in and talk to an IDES agent face-to-face. “Here we are with the General Assembly with multiple different protocols to meet in person, but they have yet to figure out ways to open their offices back up,” State Sen. Craig Wilcox said.
“Through mid-March, there had been more than 370 carjackings in Chicago. Despite a dip during February’s harsh winter weather, that figure was easily the most seen here during the same period in any year since at least 2001, crime statistics show. And the result is a shaken city, where residents look over their shoulders more than usual and at least one alderman has gone so far as scheduling a special, secure event at a gas station so constituents could safely fill up.”
Recent data showed that 55% of first vaccine doses went to Black or Latinx Chicagoans, compared to 18% early in the rollout, Lightfoot stated in the tweet, adding she’ll “continue to push an equitable distribution.”
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