Candidates Dan Brady, of Bloomington, and Alexi Giannoulias, of Chicago, are looking to replace Jesse White, who at age 88 is not seeking another term in the Nov. 8 election.
Project H.O.O.D. CEO Pastor Corey Brooks on the continuation of violent crime taking over Chicago calls out especially the number of children who have been shot in Chicago recently.
“There is a referendum on November’s ballot to increase the Cook County Forest Preserve taxing rate by 0.025%. Sounds pretty small, until you realize the current rate is 0.051%. That’s almost a 50% increase…Twenty-one percent of this levy, the largest portion of this increase, will go to pension debt. Because it’s not an Illinois tax party without the pension pooper showing up.”
Laurence Msall said state law was used to create the police, fire, laborers and municipal employees pension funds, and the Illinois General Assembly dictates “who the members are, what their contribution levels must be and what benefits” those retired city employees receive. That’s why Msall believes it’s time state lawmakers live up to their responsibility to consolidate, reform and fund local pension funds to relieve Chicago and municipalities from Peoria to Rockford from the “enormous pressure” they face to raise property taxes.
Jo Daviess County State’s Attorney Chris Allendorf said, “I have filed suit to protect the residents of this county in the event that a temporary restraining order or other injunctive relief is granted in a consolidated suit.”
Illinois National Guard troops are in regular rotation to assist the federal government’s efforts at the southern border while a separate contingent supports efforts to receive migrants transported to the Chicago area. The mission started under former President George W. Bush in 2006 and was continued by preceding presidents, including President Joe Biden.
“The issue is we do not have good answers on the ‘why’ questions,” said Kathy Saltmarsh of the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council. “During this committee meeting, the trends show big patterns over time.”
Incumbent Mike Frerichs, who controls $52 billion in public investments for the state, said such companies are worth investing in. Republican candidate state Rep. Tom Demmer said such investment strategies bring unnecessary risks.
As of March 2021, payday loans in Illinois have an interest rate cap of 36%. The act provides that any loan made in excess of 36% is considered null and void, and no entity has the “right to collect, attempt to collect, receive, or retain any principal, fee, interest, or charges related to the loan.”
Like any constitutional issue, however, there is considerable disagreement over what those words mean and what effects they would have if the amendment is adopted.
Voters in Cook County face two ballot questions involving higher property taxes: one seeking $20 a year on average for forest preserve land and pensions, the other boosting government union power at a likely average cost of at least $2,933 during the next four years.
DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin’s initiative eliminated or absorbed special purpose districts such as a street lighting office and an authority dedicated to organizing the county fair. “If all 102 counties in Illinois abolished seven units of government, it would be significant. But I’m not optimistic there are going to be meaningful conversations about this,” Cronin said.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin wants more legal options to stop the run up of prices, but doesn’t seem to think Congressional hearings would make any difference. “If it’s just a hearing, why waste your time…we aren’t going to pass a law that’s going to have some strength in bringing down these prices.”
Several areas in or near the West Loop already utilize private security, including Greektown and parts of Wells Street. Some neighborhoods use special service area dollars to pay for private security like the Chicago Loop Alliance, which uses both a streets ambassador program and private security. Other neighborhoods pay for security by fundraising or have a residents buy-in, like Bucktown.
The Supreme Court this week announced that Robert Dow has been appointed to serve as counselor for Chief Justice John Roberts.
He explained,”The legislation is about providing tools and technology to police, making sure we are funding them, and making sure we keep the murderers, rapists, and domestic abusers in jail.”
A Loyola University analysis of incarceration outcomes, conducted six months after Cook County enacted limited bail reforms in 2017, showed no effects on crime or rates of rearrest. But it did find a 3 percentage point rise in failure to appear in court.
Nearly 240,000 readers weighed in for Conde Nast’s readers choice awards. They have selected Chicago as the Best Big City in the U.S. every year since 2017.
Democrat U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and Republican Kathy Salvi debate some of the issues in their Senate race with newspapers from around Illinois.
Right now, the average price of regular unleaded sits at $4.16 a gallon in Illinois, $4.81 in Chicago.
According to the Illinois Report Card, 100 percent of CPS teachers in 2021 were “evaluated as excellent or proficient by an administrator or other evaluator trained in performance evaluations.” Yet, only 11 percent of black students and 17 percent of Hispanic children in the entire district could read at grade level in 2021.
One of the biggest “new investments” the mayor outlined in her speech is a new pension policy, which the mayor described as “prepaying future pension obligations.” She proposes spending $242 million in additional contributions to all four of the city’s pension funds, ending the practice of “essentially making the minimum monthly payment on our pension credit card,” she said in prepared remarks.
Incumbent Senator Tammy Duckworth and Republican nominee Kathy Salvi – the two candidates for U.S. Senate – met Monday in what may be their only joint appearance in the final five weeks before Election Day.
“Tying our hands is the most inappropriate thing we could do,” said trustee Robin LaBedz. “It would be reckless, it would be irresponsible.”
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