-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Following the rally, Pritzker led thousands of demonstrators along North Dearborn, many with signs in hand — passionate and angered.
DCFS’s Keith Polan acknowledged that if the system was working how it is supposed to, the agency would have immediate placements for the young people once a judge ordered their release, regardless of the obstacles. But as things stand now, it is better to leave the kids locked up after their release date than place them somewhere outside of jail that doesn’t meet their needs.
Getting the permanent casino open by the first quarter of 2026 could be challenging as well, with ongoing opposition from neighbors and new questions about Tribune Publishing’s plans for its printing operations. Tribune Publishing said Thursday it is exercising an option to extend its printing plant lease, which is set to expire in June 2023, for another 10 years.
The Illinois Fuel and Retail Association plans to share that message on stickers they are now required to display on every pump now that a federal judge has rejected their attempt to stop them. The group’s lawsuit said the sticker requirement mandated by the Illinois Legislature and Gov. J.B. Pritzker is forced political speech.
By law, Chicago is supposed to have a “strong council, weak mayor” form of government. But that’s not the way it has played out. Alderpersons have abdicated their responsibility to serve as a check on the mayor and provide the oversight required to solve Chicago’s intransigent problems.
CNBC ranks Illinois as the third-least friendly state to businesses. The Tax Foundation found Illinois’ business climate declined 10 spots in the past five years – the only state to drop in the Midwest. And Gov. J.B. Pritzker added $5.2 billion in new taxes on Illinoisans, specifically targeting businesses with $650 million in new taxes amid a pandemic recovery.
“Restoring cop morale and rebuilding the ranks of the Chicago police force must be the top priority of any mayor who wants to end the siege of crime. Whatever social programs some might champion, there will be no lasting improvement in the crime crisis without committed police officers backed by City Hall. One morale-boosting step Chicago’s next mayor might consider is to issue an uncompromising declaration that police officers will get the benefit of the doubt on judgment calls. No ifs.”
The biggest job gains over the past year have been in education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and professional and business services.
Under the state climate act, the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is responsible for implementing dozens of investments in workforce development related to clean energy, including funding 13 training hubs across the state. The department is looking to have some of the hubs running by the end of the year.
The issue of ethics reform has fallen nearly completely off the mayor’s agenda amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and a public safety crisis that sent violent crime to the highest levels in nearly 25 years.
The six defendants were charged as part of an investigation by the Illinois Attorney General’s Task force on Unemployment Benefits Insurance Fraud.
“The judicial system and the leadership out of the State’s Attorney’s office fails all of us regularly and quite often, especially out here in Will County. We are left to pick up that mess,” said Mayor Tim Baldermann.
“I’ve been a teacher for 17 years, and I opted out of the Chicago Teachers Union in 2019 because I just got tired of the pomp and circumstance…CTU says it supports ‘equity,’ but what do they even mean? It’s just pretty words on paper, pretty words spoken in the media or meetings, but real true leadership confronts difficulty and confronts the problems.”
While this is initiative is focused on filling vacant land, there is also a push to address the issue of vacant homes. RAGE (Resident Association of Greater Englewood) estimates almost 50% of housing stock in Englewood is vacant.
The Cook County Land Bank Authority is barred from putting in a claim on occupied property, but it did so for Josephine’s Cooking and held onto it for more than four years as the restaurant kept operating and its unpaid taxes kept piling up.
M. Todd Henderson and Anup Malani of the University of Chicago Law School: It is easy to be jealous of Griffin’s billions, but the politics of envy make us all worse off. Instead of focusing on income inequality, Pritzker should celebrate wealth creators, regardless of whether they widen the gap between the rich and the poor. Adding a few billionaires will increase income inequality here, but that would be a boon to government revenue. When it comes to policies, Illinois would be better served by ones that attract successful entrepreneurs, not ones that drive them out of the state.
“Karl the con sets his gaze upon the Illinois race for governor. He recently penned an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, labeling leading GOP gubernatorial candidate, State Senator Darren Bailey, as a “fringe” candidate who cannot compete in the general election vs. Governor JB Pritzker. But Bailey’s policy prescriptions and worldview are hardly “fringe” within the Republican Party of the 2020s.”
Illinois House Bill 3118, affectionately known as “The Bee Bill,” amends the Environmental Protection Act to restrict the use of pyrethroid pesticides. The law also requires that the EPA make rules for licensing commercial applicators of such pesticides in residential areas, and says the EPA can make any necessary rules to implement the new law.
Researchers hope broadband expansion will help rural parts of Illinois attract and retain health care workers by increasing access to telemedicine. They also hope to address population decline downstate by making it more feasible to work remotely in some areas, said study co-author Frank Manzo IV, of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute.
Brownout risk and cost issues loom.
In yet another act of fiscal insanity, state lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are preparing to enshrine the extensive power of Illinois unions into the state constitution. With both pensions and labor union powers protected, it’s unlikely the state can be turned around without falling into some form of chaos first.
John Canning, founder and chairman of Madison Dearborn Partners: All told, Griffin has donated roughly $1.5 billion over the years to a variety of institutions and causes, giving well over a third of that total — over $600 million — right here in Chicago. Suffice to say, Citadel’s move will be another big setback for Chicago. Beyond the loss of good, high-paying jobs, significant tax revenue and the broad economic impact of the company, there is not another person who has had as large an impact on the city’s cultural and civic vitality — and on Chicagoans’ quality of life
SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR FREE WIREPOINTS DAILY NEWSLETTER
