“Illinois’s primary proved that legislators don’t need to be afraid of their shadows — they just have to do the work. Illinoisans from every walk of life want legislators to address safety and combat structural racism with proven solutions.”
Bryan Zarou, the director of policy for the Better Government Association, said in a prepared statement, “This is still a strong set of updates, though not as effective in cleaning up city government as the original language.”
Amid concerns about crime, some businesses in the downtown area have been closing earlier or bringing on security, while some workers are declining late-night shifts.
Former Illinois Department of Agriculture inspector Jose Guillen was recently charged with five counts related to sexual touching during mandatory on-site inspections of the female business owners’ facilities; One incident was even caught on camera. Guillen was also charged for lying during a deposition last year.
Reason Foundation policy analyst Ryan Frost said this year has been difficult for most pension plans, similar to the Great Recession of 2009. “The well-funded plans were able to rebound much faster, they flattened out their funding throughout the 2010’s, where as some of the more poor funded plans like Illinois, they never flattened out and their debt just kept rising, even during the period of the best market performance in our country’s history.”
The Pritzker administration said in addition to federal funds, nearly $15 million in state tax funds is committed to the program. Illinois’ budget that started Jul. 1 takes $5 million out of the statewide 911 fund to start up the new number for mental health emergencies.
Overall, 28% of Americans say they have a “great deal/quite a lot” of confidence in the country’s school systems, barely beating the record low from 2014, a Gallup poll shows. Trust has been on a downward slide since it hit a high of 62% in 1975.
The national profile that Pritzker increasingly seems to be cultivating has caught the attention of the political class. It’s led to ramped-up speculation that if the Chicago Democrat can make quick work of his fall campaign against Republican Darren Bailey, then 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. might be the next logical aim for Illinois’ billionaire governor.
“It’s not just about showing someone what a hammer is; it’s about showing them how to show up to work, how to work with other people, how to not bank at the currency exchange, stuff like that, that a lot of people take for granted, but is a hurdle for so many,” Executive Director Nick Lubovich said. “We want to get you there. We want to get you to the level where you’re not only employable, but you can keep it and it’s because you want to be there.”
Cancer also poses a grave threat to South Siders, as they’re twice as likely to die from cancer than residents living “just about anywhere else in the country,” according to the report.
“He is a go-to potential candidate in the Democratic Party right now. People want to hear from him, people want to see him [and] they see him as a new voice. He’s also trying to position himself to be perceived that way,” said ABC7 Political Analyst Laura Washington. “He’s trying to send a strong message that he’s ready to be perceived as a national player.”
Matt joined the CL Bryant Show to discuss what’s wrong with the city of Chicago: the streets aren’t safe, the education system is failing dramatically, the criminal justice system is broken, the city’s finances are a mess — and how we can begin to turn the city around.
For Illinois’ state funded pensions, a -6% return would increase unfunded liabilities from $121 billion in 2021 to $143 billion in 2022, an 18% jump. The unfunded ratio would rise to 58% from 52%.
The overall arrest rate peaked at nearly 31% in 2005 and has dropped steadily. The decline in arrests mirrors a drop in nearly every category of police officers’ activity tracked by the Chicago Police Department. The numbers of traffic stops, tickets and investigative stops — in which pedestrians are patted down or searched by officers on the street — all have plummeted.
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