Kankakee County Democratic State’s Attorney Jim Rowe filed a separate lawsuit Friday against top Democrats, also alleging the passage of the law violates the state Constitution. The other defendants include Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon. The complaint in the lawsuit is linked here.

Effingham Country Sheriff Paul Kuhns said the consequences for law enforcement making the wrong decision could impact how their jobs are done. “I know something my officers worry about is if you take someone into custody unlawfully, then you’re dealing with a Fourth Amendment violation. That’s scary. That is not something we want to be involved in.”

Five Illinois lawmakers – Cheri Bustos, Tammy Duckworth, Adam Kinzinger, Marie Newman and Brad Schneider – reported stock holdings from companies that may conflict with their committee duties.

Illinois joined New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania as the only states to reach the revenue plateau, but was the fastest to do so. While it took Illinois 27 months, New Jersey and Nevada needed 35 months and Pennsylvania required 41.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, meanwhile, plans to submit a budget proposal to the Chicago City Council in the coming weeks calling for increased funding of reproductive health care services in the city. She also said the city will refuse to cooperate with other states that seek to block their residents from traveling to Illinois for abortion care. “Frankly, it reminds me, of the fugitive slave laws, people seeking freedom in another state.”

Four years ago, Illinois’ unemployment rate matched the national rate. As of August, Illinois’ rate was nearly a full percent higher than 2019 while the national rate is back at 3.7%. The Midwest average unemployment rate is lower than it was in August 2019, meaning Illinois is a regional and national outlier.

Anne Burke’s term as Illinois Supreme Court chief justice ends Oct. 25 and then she’ll retire Nov. 30, with six years left on her term. Her husband, Ed Burke, is the longest-serving alderman in Chicago’s history. His federal racketeering trial is set for Nov. 6, 2023, but his next election is Feb. 28, 2023.

Despite the 15th consecutive month of job gains, Illinois still has not recovered its pre-pandemic jobs and the state’s current unemployment rate of 4.5% remains above the national unemployment rate of 3.7%.

“Today, progressives are undermining the institutions our forefathers created. Following the lead of California and New York, Illinois is undermining the criminal justice system by eliminating cash bail for most crimes, including second degree murder, kidnapping, and robbery. Green Parties in Germany and Belgium are moving forward with plans to shut down nuclear power plants, despite electricity shortages. “

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss says without federal money for lead service replacement projects, local water bills will skyrocket. “An undertaking that we expect to cost over $168 million in 2021 dollars, and without additional outside funding, this would result in an increase of over 70% to their retail water rate.”

“When you look at the radical left and what they have done to the state of Illinois, a majority of Illinoisans are against it and we are seeing that with the SAFE T Act,” state Rep. Adam Neimerg said.

“It is frustrating because many aspects of the statute are not clear,” retired Judge Robbin Stuckert, who chairs the Pretrial Implementation Task Force, said. “They may be vague, gray areas. And again, we are charged by the Supreme Court to assist with implementation.”

The second-quarter patterns – based on gaps in home affordability, underwater mortgages, foreclosures and unemployment – revealed that New Jersey, Illinois and California had 33 of the 50 counties most vulnerable to potential declines. The 50 most at-risk included six in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Taking aim at Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who Kathy Salvi is challenging in November, the actors argued that “after Duckworth voted to hire 87,000 IRS agents to audit families, it’s been a little tense.”

“It’s a funny thing about the shoe being on the other foot. Those who don’t care much about someone else’s ill-fitting shoe suddenly care a lot when it’s their dogs that are yapping.”

Agriculture is Illinois’ largest industry, with the state being the top producer of soybeans and the second-highest producer of corn in the country. There are more than 72,000 farms covering more than three-quarters of the state’s land area, according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Yet the number of farmers in the 177-member Illinois General Assembly can be counted on two hands, with the profession making up far less than, say, lawyers or businesspeople under the Capitol dome in Springfield.