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The state’s formula for determining how to fund schools looks at a variety of factors, including the percentage of low-income students and wealth of the property surrounding schools. Chicago saw a 4% loss of low-income students and a 3% increase in the city’s property tax base, according to state data.
“The Cook County state’s attorney, I do believe, is well-intentioned in her desire for criminal justice reform, and frankly, is so caught up in that she’s lost all ideas of common sense,” said Blagojevich, who was a Cook County prosecutor before launching his political career. “I understand there’s a chance (suspects) may be innocent, the law says they are presumed innocent. But the statistics tell us that in most cases, they’re guilty. And it seems to me that when you have to make hard decisions… you ought to err on the side of public safety.”
Lightfoot’s inability to marshal enough support for a law she said was key to public safety reflects the broader challenge she has faced building strong relationships with other elected officials across the state. Aldermen frequently criticize the administration for a lack of communication and Lightfoot does not often lobby City Council members directly for their support.
Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said when cash bail ends in Illinois at the beginning of 2023, his county will be forced to release hundreds of detainees from jail within 90 days. That includes 60 people charged with murder and others who are awaiting trial for violent crimes, he said.
Two bipartisan bills were signed into law Friday aimed at holding accountable people who commit fraud under pandemic relief programs. The two new laws will extend the time period prosecutors have to prosecute people who committed fraud through the Paycheck Protection Program or COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, extending the statute of limitations for criminal and civil enforcement against a borrower to ten years.
According to the moving website moveBuddha, data for state-to-state moves shows that for every 42 moves into Illinois there are 100 moving out. “It looks like the property taxes are a huge factor for people wanting to move, because Illinois has the second highest property taxes behind New Jersey,” said marketing specialist Mercedes Martinez.
From 2013 to 2017, Sharod Gordon obtained kickbacks from vendor-companies in exchange for steering them City Colleges contracts; Some of the companies were formed by Gordon’s City Colleges colleagues and other friends for the sole purpose of applying for the contracts. In some instances, the work was never performed – even though the companies submitted invoices that caused City Colleges to pay out nearly $350,000.
The number of passengers has remained relatively low since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. That means riders are more likely to fall victim to a violent crime today than they were a few years ago, according to the analysis, based on city crime data. As more violent crimes have been committed, the deployment of police officers on the CTA system hasn’t kept pace.
Missouri House Democratic Minority Leader Crystal Quade called on Illinois and Kansas to apply for Medicaid waivers to cover abortions for out-of-state patients. The waivers only apply in cases of rape, incest, and medical emergencies.
Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello said the state fair positively impacts the entire state economically. “If you look at the Illinois State Fair, it is approximately a $84 million annual economic impact for Sangamon County, the surrounding counties and Illinois in
Dr. Sameer Vohra was asked about the emergency declaration for the monkeypox virus. “We know that at the moment, monkeypox is still a low risk to the public,” Vohra said. “The disaster declaration allows us to do many things like making sure we have additional support to prioritize and get vaccines out and expedite procurement that allows us to transport vaccines across the state.” Vohra also said his team at IDPH has been working with the federal government to obtain the things they need.
A key piece in that effort is a requirement that the state’s two largest public utilities adopt beneficial electrification plans for ratepayer-funded investment in incentives, education and infrastructure to support electrification. CEJA also requires charging infrastructure investment, with 40 percent of the plans’ spending in that area to be done in equity investment eligible communities, where pollution has historically been higher and economic opportunities fewer.
Illinois taxpayers must eventually fill a $313 billion hole to pay all the promises made to those roughly 1 in 10 Illinois adults covered by a statewide pension plan, but some retirees will take more than others because they figured out how to game the system.
“The most recent report found that unemployment in Illinois is continuing its slow decline from the pandemic-affected numbers of one year ago, but that the recovery is not moving as fast in all parts of the state. Around our region, while unemployment declined in the Bloomington area (from 4.3% last year to 4.1% this year) around Peoria (5.6% down to 5.5%) and Champaign (from 4.5% to 4.3%), it was unchanged in the Danville area (6.1%) and actually increased slightly in the region around Kankakee (going from 6.0% last year to 6.2% this year).”
There have now been 571 monkeypox cases statewide – 478 of them in Chicago. A total of 29 of those patients have been hospitalized. “I’m also hopeful we may see some more flexibility in funding,” Dr. Allison Arwady said. “I will tell you Chicago has seen zero dollars to combat MPV at this point.”
Of CPS’ 478 stand-alone “traditional” or non-charter, non-contract schools, one third of them, 150, are less than half-full, according to CPS. The 20 most-empty CPS schools are only 5 to 25 percent full – most with depressing educational outcomes.
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