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Chicago is at “an inflection point,” burdened with a government that is “broken,” a mayoral administration that “lacks competencies” and an electorate that accepts too much misconduct. That’s the word from just-retired Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson in a candid, no-holds-barred interview
Several districts wind through various parts of the state on thin strips of land. “Some of the shapes and how they were able to fit some of the urban areas together seems a bit wild,” said Ryan Tolley, policy director with the nonpartisan Change Illinois.
Both teachers argued that they should not be compelled to submit to medical procedures that they did not want. Several other teachers and parents also addressed the board in support of the two, calling them “brave” for standing up for their principles.
At police headquarters, the disciplinary process has begun for thousands of officers who did not meet the Friday deadline to upload their vaccination status to a city portal.
“This is without a doubt a huge win for the health and safety of our residents,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Mark Konkol: “Summoning the National Guard to Chicago for four months would cost $54 million in taxpayer cash — and do nothing to quell the violence here. If the governor was serious about helping Chicago fight its bloody public health crisis, he’d be willing to invest in solutions that don’t involve the military occupation of America’s ‘best big city.'”
“To be clear, if members of the (Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System) Special Teams programs are requested, it would be for emergency situations, NOT for routine police assistance and the answering of calls for service within the city limits. Illinois State Police and Cook County Sheriff’s Office would be tasked with the patrol needs,” the email read.
The congressional maps will be the main topic of discussion during the fall session, while lawmakers are also considering repealing a Parental Notice of Abortion law and making changes to the state’s Health Care Right of Conscience Act to strengthen the governor’s ability to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations or testing requirements.
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a petition from some Illinois teaches seeking to end “escape period” schemes that kept them from cutting off union dues.
Illinois Fraternal Order of Police President Chris Southwood said, “We’ll let General Assembly members know right up front that if you vote for changes to this act, we’re going to make sure your constituents are aware that you voted for changes to that act.”
“This legislation will also require the state’s attorney to record and make public each forcible felony where charges have been rejected or designated as continuing investigation,” House Minority Leader Jim Durkin said.
This year, Pritzker tried and failed to reduce the current 75% tax credit to 40%, which he said would have gained $14 million in general revenue funds. But the loss would be to low-income families and students who depend upon tax credit scholarships for their education. Instead, state lawmakers extended the program through 2023.
Multiple unions have reached an agreement with Pritzker’s office, but talks with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 and Teamsters Local 700 are still up in the air. AFSCME represents 15,000 of the required workers.
Initial police sources say the incident began with an altercation between a man and a woman and a security guard inside a store. As the argument escalated a Chicago police officer was called in and at some point at least one of the people pulled a gun and opened fire.
“It’s a serious problem, and we have to address it,” said Ald. Brian Hopkins. “The commercial brokers tell us when they get potential interest from a tenant, that’s one of the first questions they ask. What’s happening in Chicago to stem the tide of retail shoplifting rings, and we don’t have a good answer right now for that.”
“Would advocates for pension reform insist that promises for these kinds of improvements be put in writing — in laws, budgets and collective bargaining agreements — to build trust? Or would they say, ‘The government spends too much. Families and businesses are taxed too much. People don’t need more government aid. Let’s save money instead of funding all these programs?'”
“The story of Harvard suggests that lax U.S. laws around shell companies and real-estate purchases, in addition to a broader lack of regulatory oversight, may be putting America’s heartland in the crosshairs of elites like (Ihor) Kolomoisky. It’s a reality of global corruption that U.S. lawmakers are only just starting to grapple with: As money-launderers and illicit financiers hide their money in the American Midwest, they’ve become part of the story of the decline of small-town, blue-collar America.”
Scott Schluter, of Marion, is a veteran and mechanic. John Phillips of Decatur is the Libertarian’s pick for lieutenant governor; Also a mechanic, he enters the race after running for Decatur city council this past spring.
It marks a return to the Sun-Times for Forte, who stepped down as a member of the editorial board in August to work for the Chicago Police Department in communications. Earlier in her career she also worked as a reporter for the Sun-Times.
As Pritzker and some Democrats in the General Assembly attempt to overhaul how the state reimburses nursing homes with Medicaid patients — a move they say will engender more accountability and equity — the report paints a complicated picture that neither fully bolsters Pritzker’s argument for an overhaul nor the resistance from the nursing home industry warning its cash-poor facilities will close en masse.
In addition to the probe by the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk inspector general, Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for Chicago’s inspector general to probe Ald. Jim Gardiner’s conduct. The Chicago Board of Ethics found in September that there was probable cause to believe that Gardiner violated the city’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance by using his office to retaliate against his political foes.
FOP President John Catanzara said the dispute with the Lightfoot administration is no longer about the vaccine, or personal beliefs, but collective bargaining rights.
A $900 million operating budget for 2022 assumes Metra will start 2022 with ridership at about 25% of pre-pandemic levels, and that it will grow to about 35% by the end of the year.
The legislation would only apply to businesses that do not have any federal contracts because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level. The bill would provide exceptions for medical workers who would still be tested for THC.
As North Michigan Avenue landlords face their toughest market in decades, the owner of a building leased to one of the shopping strip’s biggest and oldest tenants has decided to cash out. UBS Realty Investors has hired a broker to sell the 196,000-square foot store at 737 N. Michigan Ave., the home of Neiman Marcus since 1983.
Of the Chicago Tribune: “Here was one of America’s most storied newspapers—a publication that had endorsed Abraham Lincoln and scooped the Treaty of Versailles, that had toppled political bosses and tangled with crooked mayors and collected dozens of Pulitzer Prizes—reduced to a newsroom the size of a Chipotle…After a powerful Illinois state legislator resigned amid bribery allegations, the paper didn’t have a reporter in Springfield to follow the resulting scandal. And when Chicago suffered a brutal summer crime wave, the paper had no one on the night shift to listen to the police scanner.”
Possibilities include the Congressional map, the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, and potentially a wider clean-up bill of the energy package passed last month.
The strongest argument for COVID vaccine mandates has been that it’s not only about protecting one’s self. By getting vaccinated, the thinking has been, we reduce the chances of spreading infection to others and contribute to the broader battle against the virus. But new evidence is strong that vaccinations do not reduce transmission by those who have been vaccinated.
The latest memo, which was issued at 8:16 p.m. Sunday as the FOP was adjourning its own meeting, is a significant escalation in the standoff that has been going on between City Hall and the Fraternal Order of Police.
Chicago police said several children were shot over the weekend.
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