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Mark Konkol: “Pritzker’s response to such criticism has been: ‘Madigan is gone’ — which is like arguing that the Chicago mob shut down after the feds jailed Al Capone for tax evasion.”
The proposed new bill language also calls on the Illinois Commerce Commission to begin an investigation into how ratepayer funds were used in connection to a Deferred Prosecution Agreement reached with ComEd in a bribery scandal involving former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
David Greising, of the Better Government Association: “Demand for coal was on the decline before the plant even opened. The lingering “Great Recession” that began in late 2008 was a factor. And so was a pronounced move to alternative energy sources — wind and solar — not to mention a boom in natural gas, thanks to the surge in fracking that began around this time. Prices dropped, but not for Prairie State customers locked into long-term contracts.”
“We will be seen as an even greater city. We’ll be even more marketable. In this day of Black reckoning and really trying to understand our history and stand up to all of the racial barriers of the past, this would be a great time to say that Chicago is a diverse city and we celebrate diversity and we understand that it only makes us stronger,” Ald. Sophia King said.
“We’ve been closely monitoring the ongoing discussions in Springfield,” Commissioner David Reynolds told aldermen. “We believe it’s prudent to wait and see what legislation emerges from these discussions, and how that legislation may impact our negotiations with ComEd.”
Two outages at the Roseland Pumping Station that forced residents of Beverly, Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood to boil their water for nearly 24 hours. Both ComEd and the Chicago Department of Water Management have denied responsibility for outages at the century-old pumping station.
Several aldermen said they had yet to be convinced that the city should ink a new franchise agreement with ComEd — and Chicago may have other options, officials said.
Officers will return to the mandatory overtime and extended shifts for a weekend that includes Juneteenth observances, the annual Puerto Rican People’s Day Parade and Father’s Day.
Jackie Wilson was in the midst of a third trial in October when a county prosecutor testified that he had a personal relationship with a jail informant who helped convict Wilson.
State Rep. Mike Zalewski said they want to ensure anyone benefiting from the tax incentive uses union labor. “It should come as no surprise to any data center developer that this is a pro-union state that wants to use union workers. That is not an earth-shattering revelation to anybody, nor should it be.”
Marketing of Illinois’ agricultural commodities generates more that $19 billion annually. Billions more flow into the state’s economy from ag-related industries, such as farm machinery manufacturing, agricultural real estate and the production and sale of food products.
Back in January 2020, Illinois State Police posted an update on the agency’s Facebook page that said it has about “62,000 FOID applications under review which includes new, renewals and changes.” The backlog problem has more than doubled since.
Green was quoted in May calling Lightfoot’s decision to lease 20,000 square feet of land to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago a “slap in the face” to Black youth. Planning and Development Commissioner Maurice Cox replied to Green that he would be “happy to continue the dialogue we started in Auburn-Gresham,” if only Green would essentially learn to keep his mouth shut. “Before I attempt to engage, you’ll need to figure out if your calling is to partner with the public sector or if you are satisfied with simply publicly criticizing. Let me know.”
Tim Thomas, an Auburn Gresham resident since 1962, called the neighborhood the “doughnut hole” of the city. “All around us, developments are going up,” Thomas said. “Politics aside, we’re talking quality of life, financial development and resources to the community. You don’t bring that kind of development to a community that doesn’t have things in place for the residents. You’re just exacerbating the situation.”
Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski says Illinois lost $6 billion in Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) when people moved elsewhere, behind only New York and California. “When you look at the actions of the Illinois legislature, they aren’t doing anything to solve the problems, so people are left with one choice, stick it out and suffer in Illinois or move to another state.”
Jim Dey: “’Despite billions in excess federal pandemic relief, this budget once again isn’t remotely close to being balanced,’ said Wirepoints financial analyst Mark Glennon. ‘As always, they stuck the losses into growing debt — unfunded pension liabilities and the unemployment insurance fund. The federal bailout will end and Illinois will be worse off than before.'”
“No, this is not an editorial from five years ago. It’s just a rerun of what happened in the Legislature in 2016 when the first “comprehensive” Illinois energy bill was debated (clearly not enough) and passed. That legislation didn’t meet its ambitious goals, except to deliver about a billion dollars more to Exelon Corp. and its shareholders.”
“I think it will significantly improve their service because right now it’s not great. This will give them the upper hand,” said Neel Jones Shah, of Flexport, a major freight management company. “It’s going to be a trend in the industry as a lot of these airport facilities are way underinvested in. So you’re going to have to go off-airport, split your operation and get creative as hell.”
Bloomington-Normal has added close to 5,000 jobs from the height of the pandemic shutdowns in March 2020. “You go around Bloomington-Normal there’s ‘Now Hiring’ signs up everywhere you look,” said Jeremy Gray, plant manager at Bridgestone, which is hiring 30 workers to boost production in Normal.
The alderman is charged with five counts of filing false tax returns and two counts of lying to the FDIC. The indictment alleges he received the $219,000 from the bank between 2011 and 2014 — before he was elected to the Chicago City Council in 2015 — through a purported loan and other unsecured payments.
The positive uptick was becoming clear in February, when bond-rating agency S&P Global took note of improving fiscal conditions and issued a report titled, “Is Fiscal Stabilization on the Horizon for Illinois?” A month later, S&P moved the state’s outlook to stable and, with passage of a new budget that pays down borrowing, sees continuing encouraging signs with Illinois’ finances.
“We have situations all day every day, and there is no protection,” said Keith Hill, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union. “The city, especially some of the communities we drive through, there’s no police presence, there’s no law. We’re just sitting ducks when it comes to that, and we drive through those neighborhoods. Even when we call the police, we don’t see them for a while.
“I invite all Illinoisans to feel the hope and joy of this moment,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a news release. “As we take this next step forward, let’s do so with a renewed commitment to empathy, to community, and to making each day together count. You did it, Illinois.”
Among the IG’s recent findings is CPD hasn’t created a standardized system for random reviews – a key step needed to reduce the chance supervisors will cherry pick videos from officers they know are following the rules. The IG also questioned how the department handles reviews of incidents that either weren’t recorded at all or have missing video.
There were 23,516 new unemployment claims filed during the week of May 24, and 19,218 new unemployment claims filed during the week of May 17.
The city also promises to help developers of large projects lure anchor tenants and is backing plans for pop-up stores and other creative ways to temporarily fill vacant storefronts.
The Illinois Department of Public Health is using funds from the CARES Act to pay for the rapid result saliva tests for students grades kindergarten through grade 5.
The only way to “get back to a more loving, sensitive and productive society” is to recognize every group “woven into the fabric” of Chicago, said Ron Onesti, president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian-Americans. “We, the Italian-American community of Chicago, so desperately want to be a part of that healing process.”
Statewide in Illinois the number of small businesses that are open is down by 39.5 percent. They’re almost 13 percent lower in Rock Island County.
Proponents have dubbed this the “Workers’ Rights Amendment” and claim it will only serve to place in the constitution a ban on right-to-work. However, the text of the amendment is much broader than simply banning right-to-work.
Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski joins Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson on Chicago’s Morning Answer to talk about the end of the legislative session, lockdown policies, and all things Illinois.
Matt Paprocki of the Illinois Policy Institute: “Lawmakers should be commended for efforts to put real measures into law. Many other states have basic, common-sense reforms and Illinois just joined them. Now, we must press for more.”
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