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The in-demand interns got signing bonuses, living stipends, access to corporate housing and pay packages that are on par with those of full-time employees. The lucky few selected by Griffin’s lieutenants were sent to one of the company’s offices in Chicago, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, New York or Miami.
Landek, who still serves as mayor of southwest suburban Bridgeview, was one of three people appointed to oversee a state agency that provides access to low-cost capital to public and private institutions to spur economic development. Landek’s name and the political organization he leads have been referenced in federal search warrants in the ongoing investigation, and the village of Bridgeview was subpoenaed for documents related to Madigan associates. Landek has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Illinois Democratic lawmakers hope to pass a plan this fall to allow prisoners to vote. The state already allows people held in county jails to register and vote, but people serving time in prisons do not have the same rights. “We need to make sure that the people that are ‘voiceless’ as it relates to their future have someone to stand up for them for justice,” state Rep. LaShawn Ford said.
The new Committee on Pretrial Education is geared toward continuing education for judges, pretrial officers and other officials as they prepare to put the Pretrial Fairness portion of the SAFE-T Act into practice. This is the segment that does away with cash bail.
“There have been some steps on transparency and disclosures that the General Assembly has taken, but we continue to under-resource and understaff the law enforcement end of it that actually investigates these types of crimes,” said the Illinois Senate’s minority leader John Curran. “Leaving it all to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who are limited in resources, acts as … a strain or a type filter on actually investigating, rooting out all the activity that we want to remove from the legislative process and just from government in general.”
Ald. Raymond Lopez responded to the crisis on social media Tuesday morning: “Chicago will hit 2,000 migrants in police stations before week’s end. Weather is getting cooler because winter is on its way. What’s the plan?”
To pay for the camera, FMA is asking Mayor Brandon Johnson to use about $30 million from the city’s Tax Increment Finance funds (TIFs). In addition to the camera, the association wants Johnson to release TIF funds to increase Chicago’s substance-addiction treatment centers and to increase funds for job training and placement services to help people move into positive careers.
The state currently offers the H-2A program that allows permitted immigrants to work on farms after having gone through background checks and other vetting practices. But Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday, “Once people have spent several months here waiting for what is a require hearing that they’re just waiting, these hearings have been delayed because so many migrants have come to the United States and so we ought to let people work after a certain amount of time.”
On Aug. 11, 2023, Illinois’ governor signed House Bill 3129 amending its Equal Pay Act of 2003, which requires employers with 15 or more employees to include the pay scale and benefits for any job posting. The law will take effect Jan. 1, 2025 and will apply to job postings going forward.
“It fails to recognize that smaller employers struggle to compete with larger employers to recruit talented employees and talented workers,” said Chris Davis, Illinois director of the National Federation of Independent Business.
More than 70 VC firms have signed an open letter denouncing the lawsuit against Fearless Fund that Flippin helped organize. Among the signatories are Chicago VCs Brian Luerssen of LongJump Ventures and Shayna Harris with Supply Change Capital.
Dr. Kent Redfield, retired Professor of Political Science for the University of Illinois Springfield, says a large portion of the state budget will be used to pay off the unfunded pension liability. Dr. Redfield calls the situation a dilemma in which states are trying to prove the impairment of benefits for current or former employees, which is unconstitutional.
For the families who haven’t accepted $500 monthly stipends to cover transportation costs, the lack of bus service can be challenging. Board President Jianan Shi said he believes the district is doing better, citing the improvement in commute times for students with disabilities, as well as the district’s efforts to address the driver shortage by planning to boost pay.
“The Sox want it all to go away. The police don’t want to say much until they believe they have all the facts. And the Johnson administration’s preferred narrative of de-emphasizing crime and punishment and promoting social programs does not easily mesh with bullets flying around a baseball park…(E)veryone deserves to feel safe, and ballparks are iconic symbols of urban fun. Shoot one up, and it has big symbolic import. Period.”
Similar incidents have been occurring in downtown Waukegan in police have had to disperse large crowds of people loitering on the street after the downtown bars have closed, officials said.
From Narcan vending machines to possible “safe consumption sights,” city leaders and activists say Chicago needs to do more to tackle drug overdoses. “We must not criminalize and further harm our brothers and sisters in need. We must create a real public health approach to this crisis,” Mayor Brandon Johnson told the crowd. “We will not incarcerate our way out of a crisis that stems from social and economic disparity and mental health struggles.”
The General Assembly appropriated an additional $12 million for EV rebates for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024.
Illinoisans pay the second-highest taxes in the nation to buy recreational marijuana, which pushes consumers to other states and unregulated sellers.
All across the country, downtowns, office spaces and shopping centers are at risk of becoming ground zero for a new economic hazard: the urban doom loop. The fear is that a commercial real estate apocalypse could spiral out and slow commerce, wrecking local tax revenue in the process. Crucially, wonky tax rules mean certain places are more exposed than others: Chicago and Boston, for example, have large office footprints and rely heavily on property tax revenue.
By midyear, 28% of downtown’s 160 million square feet of office space was available, a record high and up from 24.8% at midyear 2022, according to a Colliers International report. Nonprofit Heartland Alliance toured eight or nine buildings before choosing 55 E. Monroe St.; landlords typically offered between nine and 12 months of free rent.
This is the fourth casino to open in recent years that was authorized by a 2019 gambling expansion law that was a centerpiece of Gov. JB Pritzker’s first term. Each casino is required to contribute one-time fees within 30 days of opening to the Rebuild Illinois fund. In addition, casino visitors bring in millions of dollars to the state and to local governments. In July, casinos allocated $38.3 million for taxes on admissions and gambling – with $30.7 million set aside for the state and $7.6 million for local governments.
Derek Douglas, president of the Commercial Club of Chicago and its Civic Committee, Jack Lavin is president and CEO of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and Sarah Wetmore, acting president of the Civic Federation: “We agree this issue needs to be addressed. But in doing so, we urge the General Assembly to stick with the simplest, most cost-effective fix for the safe harbor compliance issue: changing the Tier 2 pensionable salary cap to match the pay cap used to determine Social Security benefits, known as the Social Security Wage Base (SSWB).”
Last month Wirepoints wrote about how Illinois’ progressive and equity-focused policies have inflicted harm on the state’s minorities, particularly its black residents, on issues like employment. The same problem holds true for issues like poverty and household incomes.
Do not stand silent when your right to free speech is suppressed. Know that quality legal firms are often available for free. The assault on free speech must be defeated at all cost. Do your part.
Ald. Ray Lopez’s ordinance would put some provisions back into Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance that would allow the city to contact immigration authorities – or Immigration and Customs Enforcement – if migrants or other undocumented residents were arrested for gang, drug, prostitution, or sex crimes against minors. Nineteen other alderpeople support the ordinance Lopez has proposed.
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