-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
CPS like other districts, has faced a shortage of school bus drivers for the 15,000 students whose individualized education plans require transportation. However, there’s a new plan in the works to ease the cost for other general students who usually take the CTA.
Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara, Jr. explains.
Arthur Jackson of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office Illinois House Public Safety and Violence Prevention Task Force testified that there are 19,508 revoked FOID cards still in the hands of gun owners just in his county. Not only do they have the revoked FOID cards they still own the guns purchased before the card was revoked and are still using the cards to purchase ammunition.
This, even as Black residents make up less than 30% of the city’s population, a state report found. The disparity was even more pronounced for the more than 68,000 street stops, 70% of which involved African Americans, who were stopped 11 times more often than white pedestrians.
Scott Pulaski owns the gun store Piasa Armory in Alton. He was asked what laws could be added to the books to prevent crime. Pulaski said enforcing current law should be the priority. “Those who may be arrested for committing gun crimes but wind up back out on the street and may face a plea bargain or just be released with charges dropped doesn’t do anything to deter crime.”
“The Attorney General’s office moved the [overtime] case forward by referring allegations of theft and forgery to the State Appellate Prosecutor’s office, and criminal charges are pending against Ms. (Jenny) Thornley as a result,” Raoul press secretary Annie Thompson said. “Just as we referred the theft and forgery allegations, we have referred allegations that Ms. Thornley committed workers compensation fraud to the appellate prosecutor’s office. Our understanding is the matter is under review by that office.”
Illinois governments have less flexibility in their budgets and spending on vital services, which will be especially needed during a recession, has largely been crowded out by pension obligations. The state is also facing a $1.8 billion unemployment trust fund deficit that raises questions about how much assistance could be provided to Illinoisans who lose their jobs and about whether it will result in higher taxes for businesses.
Even if the Bears leave, Lightfoot could still pursue the multipurpose facility catering to the Chicago Fire FC and year-round live music. Taxpayers are still on the hook for $415 million in renovations to Soldier Field in 2002 that has yet to be paid back.
“It’s rare that a single real estate deal changes the complexion of a major American urban center. Google is poised to do just that for downtown Chicago. The tech giant’s plan to occupy and eventually purchase a revamped James R. Thompson Center and bring what will likely be thousands of jobs to the heart of the Loop over the next decade stands to be an inflection point in the city’s sluggish comeback from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The study also shows that among Muslim respondents in Illinois, 12% are self-employed or have their own businesses, compared to 7% of the general state sample. “[Illinois Muslims] are creating more than 350,000 jobs across the state,” said Dilara Sayeed, president of the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition. “You have this community that is very eager to be entrepreneurial, to bring jobs to bring growth to their state and their nation.”
Regional gas prices fell for the sixth consecutive week and reached an average of $4.23 per gallon of regular fuel, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. A year ago, the average gas price in the Midwest region was $3.03 per gallon, representing a 40% annual increase.
Mayor Lightfoot said the executive order prohibits all city departments, including Chicago police and the Chicago Department of Public Health, from cooperating with any investigation or proceeding from other states seeking to either criminally or civilly people seeking reproductive care in Chicago.
Durbin released a statement Thursday saying he’s fully vaccinated, double boosted and is experiencing mild symptoms.
Pam Althoff, executive director for the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, was asked if the state should consider a free market approach to regulating the industry. “I do not think the free market is the way to go when one of your goals was to obtain more diversity,” Althoff said.
“The Socialists are implementing policies that handcuff our police officers and restrict them from doing their job,” Ald. Anthony Napolitano said. “Then, when crime gets out of control they blame the police. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, this is a new script for defunding the police. The end goal is to destroy our police departments and implement their own.”
Lightfoot, who will be on the ballot for re-election this year, is working to find ways to keep Soldier Field viable if the Bears do succeed in moving to the suburbs. She believes the city could still host major national events, including a Super Bowl, without being the team’s home.
The new contract, approved by a 5-1 vote at Wednesday’s school board meeting, will cover salaries and benefits for 59 police officers at campuses primarily on the South and West Sides for the 2022-23 school year.
According to a study on “states with the worst road infrastructure” published by QuoteWizard.com, Illinois ranked 14th worst in the nation, with 20% of its roads ranked non-acceptable and 12% of bridges in poor condition by Federal Highway Administration standards. To make things worse, Illinois came in third from last when the study focused on what portion of transportation dollars Illinois spends on fixing existing roads.
Ted Dabrowski joined Perri Small on WVON to debate what the city and the police need to do to successfully tackle crime in Chicago and discuss the recent rise in carjackings.
Downtown hotels got off to a great start this summer; Occupancy surpassed 78% in June, a big jump over last June, when lingering COVID-19 worries kept most rooms empty, but below the 88% recorded in June 2019. And for the week ending July 16, occupancy hit 83.3%, the highest number in three years. “We’re still lagging 2019, but we’ve made major headway,” industry consultant Stacey Nadolny said.
An Illinois abortion rights group joined the fray ahead of Saturday’s vote by opposing Rep. Robin Kelly, the first Black woman to chair the state party, in her bid for a full four-year term. That in turn prompted a Cook County official to lob racial accusations.
Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner Allison Arwady says that by the end of the year, her department plans to have at least one city-funded mental health clinic in all 77 neighborhoods.
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