Jim Dey: “While devoting much of his speech to undeniable improvements in the state’s financial picture, he once again went out of his way to denigrate those who contend that the state still has serious financial problems. Combining his two favorite insults — ‘carnival barkers’ and ‘spelunkers of misery’ — Pritzker denounced ‘misery’s carnival barkers.’ He was referring partially to the financial analysts at Truth-in-Accounting and Wirepoints.”

“They are doing historical things and the folks who operate in history are really no different than who they are,” said Dr. Lionel Kimble, an Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies at Chicago State University. And Rep. Cyril Nichols (D-Burbank). “If you break down the word history, it’s his story, right.”

Pritzker’s $49.6 billion spending request is an increase of nearly $3 billion from last year’s proposal. It includes a nearly billion dollar boost for education. That includes allotting $250 million toward early childhood education, with increased pay for child care workers and added preschool slots.

The “Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade” is concerned that their research balloon may have been taken out by the US military.

David Greising, CEO of the Better Government Association: The Civic Committee idea [of a “surcharge” of an additional 0.5% on income tax] is strong, and perhaps Pritzker and legislative leaders could be persuaded over time.”

The Cook County Treasurer’s Office is backing two bills geared to hold delinquent property tax investors more accountable for their real estate purchases and ease the burden on individual taxpayers who have fallen behind on their tax bills.

“Chicago and Illinois are in trouble. You know it. I know it. Your neighbors know it. Yet, somehow, it’s considered rude, bordering on sacrilege, to acknowledge in polite company. Best to sweep this inconvenient truth under the rug. To obscure it behind a façade of inspiring lakefront imagery.”

Comment: Arab Americans want out of the disfavored “white” category. Who wouldn’t?

In a Dec. 1 contract obtained by RCI, Kane County, Ill., received $2 million in grants – $650,000 in December 2022 and $1.35 million in December 2023 – and promised to spend the money on personnel, technology, and voting locations; but it is also allowed to use it for sub-grants to local political subdivisions or local governments. The contract is the same as the one used to give grants in 2020.

Given this confusion, the federal government’s efforts to squelch “disinformation,” which include pressure on social media platforms and subsidies for groups like the GDI, are especially chilling. Even “intentionally misleading” speech is protected by the First Amendment, and a government that respects freedom of speech has no business deciding how to apply that slippery label.

Pritzker is proposing spending $250 million to provide free pre-kindergarten for all the state’s 3-and-4-year-olds, and $100 million to build facilities to house the expanded programs.

The state’s motion seeking a delay in its required response to a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois’ gun ban was denied Thursday. Since Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Jan. 10 enacted the state’s ban on more than 170 semi-automatic guns and magazines of more than 10 rounds

From July 2021 to July 2022, more than 142,000 people moved out of state than moved in. Only New York state experienced a faster rate of population decline. To put that loss into perspective, consider that about 127,000 Illinois residents died in that same period. In terms of state population change, Illinois’ emigration problem effectively doubled its death rate.

Out of 649 Chicago Public Schools, 22 schools have zero students who met grade level expectations for reading while no students were proficient in math in 33 schools during the 2021-2022 school year, according to a Wirepoints report. The data analyzed is from the Illinois State Board of Education annual report which details how schools within the state are performing.