The ad opens with the mayor saying, “This will be the summer of joy in Chicago.” It then cuts to sounds of gunshots, screams and scenes of shadowy figures in the streets shooting. She responded to the ad, “News flash. I’m Black and I’m proud. Everyone knows it. No need to use cheap tricks to darken my skin and try to scare voters with false narratives about Chicago.”

“If the Republicans win both open seats, then the Republicans would have a majority and that, again, can have implications for collective bargaining for pensions for tort reform, you know, a whole number of things,” said University of Illinois Springfield Professor Emiritus Kent Redfield.

Jim Dey: “The people of Illinois are largely snoozing as battle lines form, mostly unaware of the landmark legislation passed at lightning speed in early 2021 (the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act). But people are worried about rising crime rates. The public’s temperature could go up even higher when the potentially messy and hectic consequences brought about by the law come to public attention.”

Candidate Dan Brady, an Illinois state representative, defeated John Milhiser for the Republican nomination. Alexi Giannoulias beat several opponents in the Democratic primary.

Five years later, huge disparities still exist among districts, both in funding and academic performance, but lawmakers from both parties who were part of negotiating the new law say it has provided huge benefits, especially to those schools that were most underfunded.

At the end of his newest proclamation, Gov. JB Pritzker will have held emergency powers for 919 of his 1,341 days in office, or 68% of his term.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth said she recently talked to LG, which makes electronics and appliances, about its interest in coming to southwestern Illinois because of the proximity to the Mississippi River and because of the state’s energy offerings. LG is a South Korean company.

The complaint does not ask for a specific amount in damages, though it says the opioid crisis has cost Illinois’ criminal justice system about $50 million a year.

State Rep. Adam Niemerg blamed the state’s handling of its unemployment fund for its failure to get people back to work. “For nearly two years, people could make more and stay home. What did they think would happen?”

Using migration patterns between 2019 and 2020, personal finance website SmartAsset found that only California and New York lost more residents that made $200,000 or more than Illinois lost. According to the data, Illinois experienced a net loss of 8,044 high-earners during that period.

Truth in Accounting’s Sheila Weinberg said scoop-and-toss borrowing and other tactics, such as Gov. J.B. Pritzker claiming to contribute an “extra” $300 million to the teachers’ retirement system while still paying $2.9 billion less than was necessary to balance the fund, can mislead Illinoisans on the true state of the pension crisis.

As early as Sept. 12, money will start being issued throughout the state and will continue over several months.

Republican Joseph Cannon, of Danville, served as House speaker from 1903 to 1911 and was known as one of the most powerful and influential speakers in U.S. history. His portrait appeared on the cover of the first Time Magazine 100 years ago.