Chicago’s Latino voters could be key in the mayor race – Chicago Tribune*

Chicago’s Latino community is a historically overlooked player in local politics but is expected to be important in the mayoral race, with Jesús “Chuy” García the perceived beneficiary. Despite making up roughly 30% of the city’s population, Chicago’s Latino voter turnout tends to be much smaller than that of Black and white residents.

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Lawmakers eyeing bill to mandate race-based, anti-white reading: ‘The reading list will dominate the curriculum’ – Prairie State Wire

“(The list) outlines a highly skewed 42-book list of mandatory reading for every public elementary, middle and high school student,” Beth Feeley wrote in a 2021 column for the Chicago Tribune. “Not every book on this list reflects the critical race theory-inspired ideologies like those of included authors Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo. But 42 books — almost 10,000 pages — on race? The reading list will dominate the curriculum.”

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Column: Filing indicates appeasing Madigan was often complicated – Champaign News-Gazette*

Jim Dey: “The rule at ComEd, the filing asserts, was to do whatever it took to keep the powerful Chicago Democrat happy. In return, ComEd knew from experience, (former Speaker Michael) Madigan wouldn’t block ComEd-favored initiatives in the legislature. But what happened if ComEd couldn’t make Madigan happy? Company officials didn’t want to find out…”

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The Reparations Movement Is Sabotaging Itself – National Review

“While the San Francisco committee is not the only group taking a flexible view toward reparations eligibility — Evanston also did — such interpretations leave unclear where to draw the line. Presuming one is drawn, the massive payouts would be invidious and give rise to new grievances, especially among immigrant taxpayers with no generational link to slavery.”

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Illinois’ Bad Roads And Bridges Are Costing Drivers Hundreds – WROK (Rockford)

Nick VinZant, a senior analyst with the QuoteWizard, explained, “We looked at the number of non-acceptable roads, bridges that are in poor condition, time lost to commute, efficiency, all those kinds of things… Those factors cost Illinois drivers $586 a year. Add to that the U.S. average of $533 more as a result of vehicle damage from bad roads, and the grand total is $1,119.”

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Commentary: The Schools We Need for the New ‘Cognitive Economy’ – RealClear Politics

“In Illinois, for instance, only 1 in 5 students performs at grade level in either math or English. In Chicago, the results are even worse, and those for black students are worst of all. Among Chicago’s African American students, only 1 in 10 performs at grade level. These results would have been damaging 50 years ago. In today’s economy, they are devastating. What can be done? The easy answer – more funding – is wrong.”

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Supreme Court Has Chance To End Home-Equity Theft – Forbes

“Taxes due should be paid, but government should not be able to seize a home, sell it, and keep the proceeds above what it is owed. Examples of this behavior are not uncommon. In addition to Minnesota, 12 other states allow home-equity theft, including New York, Illinois, Alabama, and Nebraska.”

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Column: Illinois leaders should resolve to foster economic reform in 2023 – Daily Herald*

Matt Paprocki, of the Illinois Policy Institute: “In 2021 Illinois received more new business applications than any other Midwestern state, but only 6.7% of those applications were expected to result in business formation within one year of applying…There are too many compounding costs specific to the state that present challenges. Illinois has the third-most cumbersome regulatory code in the United States with 278,475 individual restrictions and requirements.”

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Editorial: Chicago’s convention business won’t recover merely on a hope and a prayer – Chicago Tribune*

“A painful truth is that conventions have bounced back faster nationwide than in Chicago. After collapsing in 2020 for obvious reasons, attendance across the country ticked up slightly in 2021, according to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research. At the same time, attendance was still sinking at McCormick Place, as Illinois’ COVID-19 shutdowns persisted.”

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