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“Giving young people coping skills, anger management and hope for their futures demands more than public policy. It demands focus on how young people are raised, citywide. It demands flouting the taboo that says even talking about inadequate families stigmatizes parents.”
In the proposal, the district would work with city health officials to vaccinate 80% of eligible students before Oct. 1 through a mix of school-based clinics and coordination of home-based vaccination visits. The union’s fall reopening proposal also asks for more mental health positions funded from the central office, a 10% boost in special education and arts teachers, and a rent assistance program for families experiencing housing instability.
With more than a million passengers over July 4th, the airport could return to pre-COVID traffic next year, the city’s aviation chief says. And it’s on the cusp of a world-first, thanks to a huge runway redo.
Christine Lynde, president of the Byron School Board, says they could use some immediate state intervention. They hoped the Climate Union Jobs Act would pass during the legislative session, but that deadline came and went. “All of the people, the environmentalists, the unions, the governor’s office, the legislators, they all need to understand that there is a sense of urgency here.”
The vaccination goal is part of a CTU proposal submitted Monday that also asks for ventilation system upgrades at school buildings, as well as a 10% increase in special education teachers, bilingual teachers, English language program teachers, teacher assistants and arts educators by Jan. 27 to support community recovery.
The poll found 83% of respondents in Illinois expressed concerns over gun violence, which leads the nation; New York ranked second with 80%. The same study found 52% of people in Illinois expressed confidence in how law enforcement approach preventing crime.
“We need to bring in the National Guard to secure the perimeter of downtown, and to work along with the police to free up more officers to come from downtown back into the communities, where we can help flood the communities where resources have been taken out of,” Alderman Anthony Beale said.
Said Mayor Lightfoot, “Our efforts in promoting equality, inclusion, and transparency in all aspects of City Government will now be even more accessible as we open City Hall up to our citizens who have made reconnecting after the pandemic possible.”
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said “finger-pointing instead of talking honestly about the violence plaguing our city doesn’t help bring solutions that make our communities safer.” However, she pointed to the fact that officers have to make arrests in order for the courts to do their part.
Chicago Ald. Carrie Austin and her chief of staff were charged with conspiring to accept home improvements from a construction contractor seeking city assistance on a real-estate development in Austin’s 34th ward. Chicago’s second-longest-serving alderman became the third sitting Chicago City Council member to come under federal indictment.
“We recognize that people of color often feel unwelcome in gardens, forest preserves, and parks, a direct result of historical oppression and violence in outdoor spaces.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki noted the extra resources the Biden administration is sending big cities, including Chicago, battling gun violence. As for the agenda for the face-to-face, Psaki said, “I’m sure he’ll be happy to discuss components of his budget; she may have different things on her agenda when they see each other tomorrow.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot pointed part of the blame at Congress, but said she’s glad to have a president in office that finally gets it. “We are seeing historic levels of violence, what more is it going to take? And yet, we see people in Congress sitting on their hands and not doing anything.”
“What is painfully clear is that communities of color, indigenous communities, communities that have a strong minority population, have really not been at the forefront or at the table when it comes to these discussions and that is both from a utility standpoint… a job standpoint, and… a standpoint that looks at the results that communities of color have had to deal with,” said Rep. Kam Buckner, chair of the House Black Caucus.
“We’re not spending taxpayer dollars wisely and we’re not holding those agencies that have been getting millions of dollars to fight crime and violence accountable and we have to restructure the way that we do that,” said state Rep. LaShawn Ford.
Illinois State University in Normal will offer $1,000 scholarships to 100 students who submit proof of vaccination before the first week of class. Several other 4-year Illinois colleges have announced that all returning students to campus would be required to be vaccinated, including Eastern Illinois University, Loyola University, Northwestern University, and all three campuses at the University of Illinois.
Illinois is among the top five U.S. states in terms of GDP size and is one of the most diversified economies.
“Biden’s proposal would award grants and tax credits to cities that change zoning laws to bolster more equitable access to affordable housing. A house with a white picket fence and a big backyard for a Fourth of July barbecue may be a staple of the American dream, but experts and local politicians say multifamily zoning is key to combating climate change, racial injustice and the nation’s growing affordable housing crisis.”
Both menstruation products and condoms will be provided as the result of a new policy passed by the CPS Board of Education in December. A similar action that will require all schools in Illinois provide menstruation products generated far more attention this spring when it was passed by state lawmakers in Springfield.
The virus has claimed at least 23,272 lives statewide, and probably 2,455 more, according to public health officials. That’s an average of about 49 viral fatalities every day over a 476-day span, or about two per hour.
“James Gunnell, executive director of the cooperative, has been working on the concept of getting all the kids, including those in an emotional and behavioral challenged group A.E.R.O. serves, under one roof for years…It’s not right that the state spends capital dollars on pickleball courts and dog parks when projects like this one are waiting.”
During a press conference Tuesday morning, Brown repeatedly put blame on what he called an “out of control” Cook County criminal court system. “There are too many violent offenders and too little consequences in our courts. There are too many illegal guns in our city and too little consequences in the courts.”
The General Assembly passed the Medicaid Omnibus bill earlier this year.
The state of Illinois finished the previous fiscal year with more than $317 million in cannabis taxes. That far eclipsed the $52.7 million the state collected for the previous year with just six months worth of sales.
“In Illinois, as in most states, jobs and services for adults with disabilities are woefully inadequate. We struggled to find programs and opportunities for the relationships that Lauren craved…. But 19 years ago, that all changed. Lauren moved to Misericordia, a remarkable community for people with intellectual disabilities near us on Chicago’s North Side.”
“I don’t know why it’s like that in our community,” Breesha Williams, a Chicago resident, said. “When there’s a gathering, there’s a shooting. You can see people having a great time, and next thing you know, everyone is crying. “
The people who teach our kids apparently expect you to forget that equations have two halves.
“Your grocery store somehow is able to be open to serve you. As is the courthouse. And the pharmacy. And those restaurants that survived the pandemic economy. But apparently it is too challenging for the state unemployment office, despite the record claims, the millions in overpayments and the widespread public exasperation.”
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