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“Unless legislators change course — as they inevitably must — there won’t be enough energy to provide heat in the winter and cool air in the summer. That’s why a supermajority of Republicans and Democrats — including leaders in both parties — supported legislation to lift the moratorium in the first place.”
“The financial footprint is pretty, pretty low right now. It’s $75 million tops, which is about .9% of education funding in the state of Illinois,” state Rep. Blaine Wilhour said. “[There are] 26,000 kids on a waiting list for this program, and the Democrats want to leave these kids in the lurch. It’s just mind-boggling to me that they can get away with this.”
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates owns a property in Indiana and receives a property tax deduction reserved for owners who actually occupy their homes, according to public records obtained by the Illinois Policy Institute. Davis Gates would pay four times more in Indiana property taxes if she didn’t take the homestead deduction.
Phil Lempert, a grocery and food trends expert based in California dubbed the “Supermarket Guru,” said he loves the idea but has doubts about its sustainability. “Unless there is state or federal funds that can offset whatever losses,” he warned, “it’s probably not going to succeed. It’s not just about having a grant once. You’ve got to have commitment for 10 years in order to make it work.”
The delegates voted overwhelmingly in support of a letter demanding a Ceasefire in Israel’s assault on Gaza. VP Jackson Potter said in his report that Illinois is on the verge to be the first state in the nation to beat back vouchers. The Invest in Kids Illinois voucher scheme is set to sunset at the end of the year and Potter believes they have the votes to make sure it disappears.
Jackson said, while the recent focus has been on migrants, there are also Chicagoans who need help. He said the city can’t address the crisis on its own. “Some of these persons ought to be given the opportunity – both our residents and some of the migrants – to go to other parts of the state; to go to Peoria, to go to Moline, to go to Evanston, to go to Kenilworth, to go to Oak Park, go to some of the nice places as well, go to Oak Brook. Everyone deserves a better shot at life.”
Firearms Policy Coalition, which represents some plaintiffs in the consolidated challenge, said the appeals court’s decision shows “there is still more to be learned as the case moves forward, leaving the door open that victory is possible.”
Medinah has hosted more than 157,000 visitors since it opened to gamblers in early September. The temporary operation churned out about $6.7 million in its first few weeks, generating about $695,000 in tax revenue for the Chicago police and firefighter pension funds. It’ll take more than that to meet city budget projections that had banked on $12.8 million from the casino this year. The mayor’s budget team is aiming for upward of $34 million next year from Medinah, and eventually $200 million annually from the permanent site.
A University of Illinois at Chicago report published this week noted that Illinois residents “are used to being suspicious of their elected representatives and surely, that suspicion is often justified.” According to that report, the Northern District of Illinois has seen a total of 1,824 federal public corruption convictions from 1976 to 2021, the most of any district in the country. There have been 339 such convictions in Chicago
A bill at the Illinois statehouse would have reduced the tax rate on nursing homes from 25% of their market value to 10% but was vetoed by Gov. JB Pritzker over fears of raising property taxes on residents of Cook County. The measure could be addressed when lawmakers return for the final three days of veto session beginning Nov. 7.
Equal protection under the law is non-negotiable and thus universally applicable” said Proft, listing out Epstein’s rules. “We shouldn’t fund our enemies. We should know who’s coming into our country and why. We shouldn’t judge people based on a shared identity, but rather by their individual beliefs and conduct. And we shouldn’t give our government more money or power than it needs to enforce the freedoms enshrined in our Bill of Rights.”
Lawmakers allocated $10-million during the legislative session, to assist public defender’s offices; the State Supreme Court allocates one-time payment.
A 2016 Smithsonian Magazine article shows how the David Lynch Foundation wanted to spread transcendental meditation to urban schools in Chicago and New York and study the results on 6,800 “subjects.” But in practice, the Quiet Time program included pushing religion on students violating the First Amendment’s Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses, according to this student’s lawsuit.
As of Aug. 16, 2023, Evanston had disbursed $1,092,924 in reparations funds through the Local Reparations Restorative Housing Program. The move made the Chicago suburb the first city in the country to provide government funds to address slavery and past discrimination of Black Americans in America.
“The Invest in Kids Act has already been amended to include school programs structured around a trade curriculum so kids are prepared to go directly into apprenticeships at the end of high school or even sooner if they run concurrently with high school. This will encourage more minority and financially disadvantaged children to participate in the trades and create pathways out of poverty with a direct opportunity for stable, good-paying union careers.”
This latest resolution was specifically limited to condemning support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher education. Full text is here. Illinois reps who voted against it are Dalia Ramirez, Lauren Underwood, Chuy Garcia and Jonathan Jackson.
Backers of the proposed pilot program hope to address the negative health effects associated with loud noises: high blood pressure, depression and even heart attacks. Critics of the proposal say the cameras will target people who can’t afford car repairs — and are really a cash grab by politicians. “This is basically the next red-light camera,” said Josh Witkowski, of the motorcyclist advocacy group ABATE of Illinois.
“Bringing a better quality of life to the community here and offering different alternatives for pain management, things like that. So we’re very, very happy for the opportunities and potential of things we can do here,” said Ryan Warren the General Manager for the Aroma Hills Location in Belvidere.
“Give credit where it’s due: Pritzker helped the United Auto Workers Union and the White House put together a deal with Stellantis.”
Members of the City Council’s Black Caucus on Saturday called for Mayor Brandon Johnson’s floor leader to resign his post after allegedly trying to physically restrain an alderperson from entering the City Hall chamber during a chaotic Council meeting last week.
“There is no more important job for a big-city mayor than public safety. Progressive politicians in recent years seem to have lost sight of that. We’ve heard plenty of brusque dismissals of traditional anti-crime methods. And lots of talk about focusing instead on the root causes of crime. Chicagoans are beginning to lose patience.”
Alderman Raymond Lopez called the opposition to the vote “despicable,” while Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa said Chicago’s sanctuary status had nothing to do with illegal immigrants flocking to the city, which is a dubious claim, to say the least. Ramirez-Rosa said the council members who wanted a citywide referendum wanted “chaos” and “demagoguery” and “that’s what we got.”
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