-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
IDNR chief of staff Kristin DiCenso explained, “Where we are now is, it’s a struggle, it’s a daily struggle. If someone gets sick, sometimes a park doesn’t get opened for the day. That’s completely, completely unacceptable. But that’s where we are.”
Michael Jacobson, president of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, said he’s not at all certain laid-off hotel workers need protection at a time when employees in the hospitality industry are sitting in the catbird seat, as restaurants and hotels struggle to fill openings. But, he said, “If we have to pass something, what you see here today is a fair compromise.”
“Obviously, common sense is not so common,” CPD Supt. David Brown said, referring to Foxx’s office. “We should all know that illegal gun possession makes us less safe, not more safe. And I would argue the idea of decriminalizing illegal gun possession is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in my 40 years of law enforcement.”
Rosa Escareño, commissioner of city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, said the measure will allow the city’s Office of Labor Standards to go after “bad actors” while leveling the playing field for employers who treat their workers well. “This is the next bold step in the mayor’s ongoing commitment to make Chicago the friendliest city in the country for workers.”
The mayor is calling her midnight proposal “a reasonable compromise” and her staff cites that “on average there are over 50 calls per liquor store to 911 each year.” That stat, included in the news release, was presented without context — for example, it wasn’t mentioned if the calls happen past 10 p.m.
Tension remains among the people tasked with keeping Chicago safe. Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx recently held a webinar pointing to data suggesting Chicago police are arresting the wrong people to curb gun violence. “I fundamentally disagree with that,” Lightfoot said in response. “We are a city that is awash in illegal guns. Those illegal guns cause deep pain and injury and death.”
The House is scheduled to come back to the Capitol Wednesday to deal with the energy package, but it was not clear if that chamber would take the lead on an energy proposal in the absence of Senate action.
Brad Tietz, vice president of government relations with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, said, “Recovery is looking good, but still, we are not out of the woods yet. We have to make it easier and not harder for businesses to reopen.” The Illinois Chamber of Commerce also condemned the move, saying it equates to a slew of tax increases on job creators.
State Sen. Bill Cunningham said there’s a difference among stakeholders about whether to order coal-fired plants closed in 2035 or 2045. “I don’t believe it’s a gigantic gulf. I believe that it is a difference that can be corrected. I don’t think the two parties are too far apart but they are far apart right now and unfortunately, because of that the work of the working group has stalled.”
State Sen. Chris Belt said he and several other colleagues wanted to extend the life of the Marissa coal plant to 2050 to allow local municipalities enough time to pay off the debts they incurred to build the facility. “They took out bonds. So if we closed it in 2035, that still leaves all those municipalities on the hook for those payments.”
Last week, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle suggested the budget would have to be fixed, and that was a symptom of how quickly the budget was revealed and then passed.
“Though Illinois’ economy has spent a year trying to bounce back from the COVID-19 shock, we’ve seen Illinois job market recover at a slower rate than the rest of the nation,” said Illinois Policy Institute economist Orphe Divounguy. “As Illinois business take an important step forward in re-opening, cash strapped business will now face higher taxes.”
Lightfoot’s new infusion into an area that’s already a windfall for developers is renewing the debate about who has won and lost on the massive redevelopment, especially when so much public money has been diverted from schools, police and libraries.
State Rep. Jay Hoffman plans to call the measure for a vote when the House returns for what’s scheduled to be a one-day special session. “There’s over 100 lawsuits about issues around FOID, and with the backlog as it exists, maybe one of these lawsuits will be successful. If we don’t fix it then some of these lawsuits would be ripe for success, and getting rid of the FOID system would be awful in my mind.”
“In the past Chicago mayors and aldermen have done budgeting in a way that has allowed them to claim ‘balance’ while incurring billions of dollars of debt.”
“You can pay me now, or you can pay me later, the old commercial saying goes. Well, taxpayers in New Jersey, Illinois, and Connecticut were looking for the exits, at least through the latest year available for IRS migration data.”
The Park District plans to reopen its outdoor swimming pools and spray pools June 25. After that, it will start turning on drinking fountains in neighborhood parks and along the lakefront, spokeswoman Michele Lemons said. The process could take up to four weeks.
In a letter sent to Lightfoot, USCCR Commissioner Peter Kirsanow invoked the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment which prevents “official conduct discriminating on the basis of race,” something “any elected official in the United States should know.”
There were competing bills addressing the state’s FOID card law at the capitol last month. One passed the House that required FOID applicants to submit fingerprints. The Senate passed a bill supported by ISP Director Brendan Kelly. “We need to be able to get past this backlog and focus on the things that are threats to public safety. And many of the elements included in this bill will help us to do that.”
Illinois ranked 5th in the nation for Restaurants per capita, 4th for Arts Theaters per capita, 8th for fitness centers per capita, and 9th for Golf Courses and Country Clubs.
The statistics also show Illinois ranked sixth nationally compared to other states, with 290 attacks, up from 238 the year before.
“The planned $180 million project is certainly good news for the 3.7 million riders a year who use the aged station, which was built in 1895. But it’s also the latest in a remarkable run of CTA infrastructure investments over the past decade — an advent that deserves more credit, particularly in a city that can be maddeningly slow when it comes to key civic upgrades. (We’re looking at you Mayor Lori Lightfoot and your glacial approach to replacing the city’s lead water service pipes.)”
Rockton police confirmed Tuesday that monitoring devices have been set up around the area. Good ground-quality air has been detected and no contaminants have been reported. Water contamination monitoring is ongoing and officials will continue to provide updates.
Use of the public transit system plummeted at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and has yet to recover. The CTA has offered discounts on some passes and is promoting repairs in the works at rail stations.
“Normally, you have some relatively gradual decline into a recession. This was a cliff,” Illinois Retail Merchants Association President & CEO Rob Karr said. “The system was overwhelmed. Part of that includes fraud. And, to this day, I don’t know that anyone has a good handle on the true extent of the fraud.”
Recent IRS data shows that Illinois lost approximately 760,000 net people to other states between 2010 and 2020 – enough to entirely wipe out all the state’s gains from net births and international immigration.
Citywide, tickets went up from 35,784 in the five weeks before March 1 to 398,233 in the five weeks after. Those 398,000 tickets amounted to $871,035 in fines.
At dispensaries, an eighth of an ounce of smokable cannabis flower can cost around $80 after hefty taxes on recreational pot are tacked on; Pre-tax prices typically run around $60 an eighth. “If you’re some dork who only learned about [pricing] from the $60 and I obviously know that your only other reference for weed is that, then cool,” said the dealer (who admits to offering more affordable deals to “starving artists, broke people, homies and pretty girls”). “You would happily pay that than stand in line and pay taxes.”
SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR FREE WIREPOINTS DAILY NEWSLETTER