“We’re seeing a creative interpretation of Judge Grischow’s order to fit the school’s interests,” Patrick Walsh said, a partner in the Chicago-based law firm of Griffin, Williams, McMahon and Walsh that specializes in civil litigation. “Some say ‘we are not named in the suit so it doesn’t apply to us’ or some say we’re named but it only applies to named plaintiffs.”

It’s unclear why Jenny Thornley, 41, received $71,400 in workers’ compensation and disability payments after her termination based on her claim of sexual assault, even after an independent review conducted by a Chicago consulting firm said the assault likely did not take place. Republican leaders in the General Assembly suggested r that the Pritzker administration engaged in an “apparent pattern of obstruction of justice” in the handling of Thornley’s case.

Jim Dey: That’s where writer/analysts like Michael Betrus come into the picture…He contends that ‘we need to understand that key messaging to those at risk’ — protecting the elderly and those with co-morbidities and advising them to be extra cautious — was the best approach. ‘If these alone were removed from the COVID-19 deaths, there was no pandemic, a mathematical term requiring 7.4 percent of all deaths attributed to a new illness,’ he said.”

Gov. JB Pritzker says many of the politicians criticizing the timing of this move are the same ones who wanted to lift the mask mandates as cases were rising.

Through public records requests, we know that 23,688 phone numbers were in the state’s system Monday. A total of 11,765 claimants are waiting on password or login help Monday. That is up about 1,000 since Friday, when there were 10,647.

Natural gas utilities in Illinois warned of job losses and possible risks to public safety if state lawmakers repeal a law allowing them to add a surcharge on customer bills that consumer advocates say is being used to gouge customers.

When reached for comment Thursday, Senate President Don Harmon’s office wouldn’t say whether the legislature would address the issue of mask mandates to provide clarity to parents and schools.

House Bill 186 creates a credit against withholding tax payments for employers in an amount equal to a percentage of the compensation paid to qualified employees who received a raise from the employer.

Lawmakers also asked about the outstanding unemployment trust fund debt. Illinois has about $3.3 billion in unspent federal COVID-19 funds that could be used to pay down the debt, but IDES Acting Director Kristin Richards did not comment on that.

Lowering the cost of living in Illinois is impossible without reducing public pension debt and costs. With more room in the budget, Illinoisans will benefit from tax relief, better social services, or both.

Relatively sluggish housing appreciation in Illinois means lower increases in consumer spending, less new construction, less job creation and lower wage growth.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois’ economic recovery in 2021 lagged other states. A lack of in-person schooling, fewer economic opportunities and high taxes only exacerbated the ongoing population loss.

Said Joliet’s Robert Patrick O’Dekirk, “The State should disperse Covid relief money directly to the cities and not to county government. There has been an incredible amount of mismanagement in my county and county government officials elected to keep a disproportionate amount of money for their own agency.”

Both Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Elgie Sims and Comptroller Susana Mendoza predicted that Illinois would receive a third consecutive credit rating upgrade under Pritzker if the proposed budget is passed. Alternatively, Republicans believe the one-year-only tax cuts included in the Illinois Family Relief Plan do not address long-term financial problems, and serve only as a gimmick to boost the governor’s reelection campaign.

The Old State Capitol Foundation and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced the plan Thursday, the 15th anniversary of Obama’s Feb. 10, 2007, announcement in Springfield that he would seek the presidency.

Proponents of the policy to extend the buyout option until 2026 claim the move will save the state hundreds of millions in future pension payments. But history has shown the maneuver fell short of projections in the past, in 2019 generating just 3% of what the state estimated it would save.

Academic literature demonstrates regulatory burdens create barriers to entrepreneurship, which hurts economic outcomes, boosts unemployment and increases poverty. Illinois is and has been home to one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.

Meanwhile, neighboring Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she will lift her state’s emergency public health disaster status on Feb. 15, joining the 24 other governors nationwide who have allowed COVID-19 emergency orders to expire as the pandemic wanes.

Other states are currently dropping their mandates sooner, including letting schools decide whether students should wear masks.

Illinois spends more per pupil than neighboring states, but it doesn’t show in academic achievement because administrative costs siphon dollars from classrooms. Savings on administrative overhead would boost school funding if districts were combined while individual schools were preserved.

Amendment 1 would stop voters and lawmakers from curbing government unions’ ability to demand more from taxpayers, including platinum health insurance the average Illinoisan doesn’t enjoy.

“State leaders have so much money to spend this year—and are so eager to put dollars into people’s pockets as inflation rises—that even governors who’ve previously backed some tax increases, such as Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, are now calling for tax breaks.”

Illinois’ mask mandate to be lifted Feb. 28 with exceptions for schools, hospitals and nursing homes.

“The State’s characterization of these violations suggests a lack of appreciation for the nature of the violations, the systemic weaknesses they reveal, and ignores the reasons why the State revised its employment practices and processes in the first place,” said Noelle Brennan, the lawyer assigned to monitor the state’s compliance with the Shakman consent decree.