-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Values for single-family dwellings sold in the area were up nearly 5 percent in January from the previous year, compared to the nationwide average of 3.8 percent. The city’s overall price growth rate of 5.9 percent also squeaked past the national figure of 5.8 percent. It’s possible Chicago’s statistics are
Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Ameren Illinois and Nicor Gas are all seeking rate increases.
Illinois’ economy ranked near the bottom in all 11 of its major industries over Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s first term in office, a time that also saw the state rank just 35th in the country in overall job growth.
One intern candidate had a 1.1 GPA, according to emails prosecutors showed on Tuesday. When Marquez pointed this out to McClain, McClain responded “Holy mackerel, even mine was higher than that number!” Marquez testified that he considered requests from McClain to be directly from Madigan. In one instance, Nicole Madigan, at the request of her father, emailed McClain in 2012 because of a power outage at Tiffany Madigan’s place. McClain in turn emailed Marquez. When power was restored, McClain responded with an email that said, in part, “Fidel Marquez dropped and did … Enjoy.”
In Chicago, as recently as in 2021, 660 officers retired and collected pensions, exacerbating the issue of staffing and leaving department heads scrambling to keep neighborhoods adequately patrolled. Even with an uptick in new hires in 2022, the number of sworn police officers across the city has not increased much as those numbers have been offset by ongoing departures.
Commenting on the content of Zorn’s article, one prosecutor stated: “I think Eric Zorn didn’t have any understanding of the facts of that case and did not have a basis to be writing the things that he wrote.”
“If this guy gets in, we’re going to see an exodus like we’ve never seen before,” he said, before adding that there would be “blood in the streets” if Johnson wins. Catanzara also predicted that 800-to-1,000 officers would leave the force if Johnson wins.
The Illinois Supreme Court has thrown a rare brake on the ability of workers and trial lawyers to target employers with potentially massive payout demands through class actions brought under Illinois’ stringent biometrics privacy law, as the high court declared employers can use federal labor law to block unionized workers from suing them over required worker fingerprint scans.
The law firm of Loevy & Loevy has particularly benefited from the city’s settlements. The firm is closely aligned with the Chicago-based Exoneration Project, a non-profit organization associated with the University of Chicago School of Law, which has petitioned courts to reopen criminal convictions, even for criminals who have confessed to heinous crimes.
Out-of-state sales make up nearly one-third of cannabis sales in Illinois. Missouri offers the lowest excise tax in the nation with a flat 6% sales tax. Illinois uses a scale that charges up to 25%, depending on the product.
Despite claims of Chicago’s improving financial condition, the $48 billion in pension debt for the city’s core retirement systems continues to loom over its fiscal future.
Comment: The Wisconsin court race is hugely important because Democrats believe it can lead to their recapture of control of the U.S. House of Representatives, as explained here in the Wall Street Journal.
Ralph Martire’s Center for Tax and Budget Accountability: After adjusting for inflation, state funding for Illinois colleges and universities has fallen by nearly 50% since 2000, while tuition has more than doubled, making it increasingly difficult for students from low- and middle-income families generally, and Black and Latinx students specifically, to afford getting a higher education degree.
Jim Dey: One asked the other if he should assign “agents” to deliver “body blows” to their target. “I know you’ve got a law degree, but you’re more of a street fighter than anybody knows, except maybe for guys like me. And if you want to put the squeeze on the guy, you could hurt him pretty badly.” That’s a snippet of a conversation between Michael McClain and former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
“I am eternally grateful for the wonderful neighbors I’ve had over years. We all benefit from being (and having) good neighbors. In some cases, they can be lifesavers. Are you the kind of neighbor you’d like to have?”
“Leaving her mark on a downtown redevelopment effort in the final weeks of her administration, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is naming three plans for mixed-income housing as eligible for city subsidies.”
Illinois plans to recoup about $180 million from four Medicaid insurance companies this year after the businesses saw a surge in profits during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic — the first of several such payments the state could seek.
Mayoral challenger Paul Vallas said the CTU is behind the bogus lawn signs popping up around the city. The Vallas for Mayor signs include a red box that says, “MAGA 2024,” invoking the Trump slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
The Illinois General Assembly has a plethora of education-centered bills it is considering during this spring session.
Illinois House and Senate versions of a bill were introduced last month. They would require regular sensitivity training relating to caring for people with disabilities, people living with HIV, and people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities – among other groups.
America’s largest public transportation systems are facing their greatest challenge in generations — a crisis with the potential to decimate their service, cripple local economies, and diminish quality of life. In New York City, for instance, 32 percent of commuters in 2019 traveled to work via transit; the figure in Boston was 13 percent and in Chicago 12 percent.
A housing organizer faces a Walgreens executive in the 46th Ward. In the 48th, a housing developer backed by the outgoing alderperson is running against a small business owner who would be the first Filipina on the City Council.
Home sales were down more than 28% year over year in the Chicago metro area, per RE/MAX’s recent report on February data.
Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski testified on March 22, 2023 to members of the House Appropriations Committee on Elementary & Secondary Education. Ted made the argument that a lack of accountability, not funding, is the core problem in Illinois education today.
A bill to authorize a pilot wind farm in Lake Michigan just off of the south shore has resurfaced in Springfield and has picked up major political momentum, even though it could cost electric ratepayers $680 million in subsidies over the next 20 years.
Making a coordinated pitch is crucial to winning a bonanza of federal dollars that are about to be unleashed by recent legislation, such as the CHIPS & Science Act, the federal infrastructure bill and the climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act. The Brookings Institution estimates that at least $80 billion is up for grabs in competitive grant programs awarded to towns, cities, states and regions.
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