Judge John A. Noverini objected to filling out the form, saying several questions appear to have a political agenda. The questions at issue include, “What efforts, if any, have you made in your community to include people of a different race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, or sexual orientation than you as a lawyer and/or judge in the legal profession?”

Comptroller Susana Mendoza addresses the latest upgrade, and how much more the state has to do before long term tax relief is a realistic option.

Jim Dey: “Retired University of Illinois law Professor Steve Beckett said the sign mandate reflects ‘an awkward time where government is telling people what they can say and can’t say.’…Beckett said Pritzker can argue ‘there is a legitimate public interest in seeing the public is informed of’ the gas-tax delay. Conversely, gasoline retailers dispute whether ‘interest’ is sufficient to allow Pritzker to force them to tout his tax delay and penalize them for not doing so.”

“The real validity of the Moody’s increase – as well as expected similar increases from other credit-rating agencies – will be seen once the impact of the COVID-19 stimulus has waned.”

Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright said they will have a higher burden of proof to hold violent criminal detainees until trial: “First-degree murder, second-degree murder, a large grouping of sex crimes, robbery, residential burglary.”

“Dan Seals and Intersect Illinois — a 12-employee public-private partnership formed in 2016 by then-Gov. Bruce Rauner that counts many of Illinois’ biggest and best-known corporations as funders — are telling Illinois’ story through their new ‘Be in Illinois’ campaign. He described it as a very targeted, tailored marketing campaign to attract out-of-state companies.”

The bill, titled “Authorization for Use of Military Force to Defend America’s Allies Resolution of 2022,” would give Congressional approval for the President to send forces to Ukraine should Russia use chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons.

“When a coalition of groups representing Hispanics, Blacks and Republicans challenged the Illinois Democrats’ gerrymandered map, a three-judge federal panel said there was no legal problem because partisan gerrymanders are not unlawful…The 13th District, which includes Champaign-Urbana, has been described as the most gerrymandered in the nation, its worm-like shape splitting another district in two as it winds its way from Champaign-Urbana to the Missouri border.”

Parent Briana Ray wants to be clear about her groups motivation and stated, “We are not unhappy with our schools, board or teachers but we don’t appreciate government overreach that ties not only our school leader’s hands but also parent’s hands because we don’t have school choice.”

Justin Williams with the Metropolitan Planning Council explained that Illinois is set to receive $565 million out of the $15 billion worth of federal funding allocated to lead service line replacement. But based on the percentage of the lead pipes in the nation, Illinois’ share should be more like $1.8 billion. Williams said that in Chicago it’s also a racial equity issue.

“A city with a regional, national, even global outlook, Chicago doesn’t have time for Decatur or Peoria — except to steal their corporate headquarters. In recent years, ADM moved its executives from Decatur to Chicago, while Caterpillar’s moved from Peoria to Deerfield. Telling those cities ‘the jobs didn’t leave Illinois’ is no consolation.”

The 911 fund has more than $80 million in it, but the police chiefs say diverting any of that money could hamper emergency call centers around the state.