-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
“The pandemic led many Americans to take stock of their lives and what they really valued. Many decided that living in a place with avowed progressive values was not worth the financial and personal costs that come with it. Those choices might portend a significant shift in national politics in the years to come.”
The Illinois House has approved the Innovations for Transportation Infrastructure Act, which authorizes IDOT to use the design-build method to allow for a single entity to both design and start construction on a project. Currently, IDOT uses the design-bid-build project delivery method where the department designs a plan in-house, then reviews bids from contractors.
The West Loop is having an apartment development boom unlike anywhere else in Chicago. The neighborhood has 9,065 units planned or under construction — more than the rest of downtown Chicago neighborhoods combined.
Illinois is still missing 77,000 jobs from its restaurants, bars, hotels and other leisure industries since COVID-19 shutdowns. That Illinois jobs sector has recovered only 72% of what it lost in the pandemic – one of the nation’s worst recoveries.
The Illinois Supreme Court last week ruled that indicted elected officials are allowed under state law to spend campaign cash to pay their criminal defense attorneys, effectively giving former House Speaker Michael Madigan permission to continue to tap political war chests engorged by his biggest donor — Gov. J.B. Pritzker. No single person or labor union has donated more to Madigan than the $10.17 million that our billionaire governor stuffed into former Illinois Democratic Party boss’ political war chests in 2018.
“The goal of filing this application was to create generational wealth so I can bring back opportunities to the community that I live in,” said Apriel Campbell, community organizer.
Top Illinois Democrats, including the governor, Chicago’s mayor and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, have begun coordinating around a bid.
Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski joined WXAN radio host Will Stephens to talk about the many reasons why Illinois is losing the battle for people and their wealth.
U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey dismissed those claims, writing that the city “did not abdicate control or ownership of the OPC site to the Obama Foundation” and that state law confirms that presidential centers, like the OPC here, confer a public benefit because they “serve valuable public purposes, including … furthering human knowledge and understanding, educating and inspiring the public, and expanding recreational and cultural resources and opportunities.” Full court opinion is here.
Biden said in his message to Congress that his spending plan, “details the next steps forward on our journey to execute a new economic vision, reduce costs for families, reduce the deficit, and build a better America.”
What will Chicago’s problems mean for it in the long run? We can’t answer that comprehensively, but let‘s look closely at some recent positive headlines. Yes, there are some, though the good news is qualified and may depend on your own circumstances.
But state Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, said the governor is promoting a false narrative “Because obviously last night, Eleanor Wilson only got 15 votes,” Bryant told The Center Square. “So, 15 out of 59 when there are only 18 Republicans, give me a break.”
The Illinois General Assembly once had an unusual method of electing representatives — one that may be worth reviving. Every district sent three members to Springfield, and every voter got three votes, which could be spread among three candidates split between two or “bulleted” on one. The 177-member chamber was known as the Big House, the system that produced it as cumulative voting.
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