“Eight states saw population declines, with the biggest in New York (-101,984), California (-75,423) and Illinois (-32,826). They can blame population flight…. You don’t need artificial intelligence to spot what these states have in common: High taxes, burdensome business regulation and inflated energy and housing prices.”
A group of five Democratic lawmakers introduced a resolution before Congress seeking for the United States to formally end the “Monroe Doctrine,” a foreign policy position articulated by then-President James Monroe, which unilaterally placed Latin America and the Caribbean under its sphere of influence.
Officials in Peotone, Kankakee and Lockport responded to groups of migrants looking for shelter.
As Illinois begins transitioning people in its two health programs for immigrants to Medicaid managed care plans, Cook County Health plans to enroll nearly all the 45,000-some participants into CountyCare, beginning Jan. 1. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services is moving all participants in the state-funded programs, Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults and Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors, or HBIA and HBIS, from fee-for-service to managed care in 2024.
Organized labor and the business community are demanding far more robust infrastructure spending, while the governor’s people point to very real cost considerations for consumers.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott wrote in a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson and Board of Education President Jianan Shi, “As Chair of the Congressional School Choice Caucus, I believe that every parent has the right to choose the best school for their child, regardless of their zip code, and I urge you to preserve these critical options for families…Schools like this are providing incredible opportunities for students, and families are clearly crying out for more choice—not less.”
Calling it a “Christmas present,” a Cook County family court judge said she would allow a River Forest businessman out of jail for the holidays – if he can come up with $300,000 in cash, and agree to be on electronic home monitoring, until he manages to pay $200,000 more to satisfy the judge’s prior orders to begin paying off $1.6 million in legal bills racked up by him and his ex-wife during a long, contentious divorce proceeding.
New population estimates released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau suggest that the shifts in political power after the 2030 census could be among the most profound in the nation’s history. If these trends continue for the balance of the decade, California would lose 4 of its 52 congressional districts in reapportionment, New York, meanwhile, would lose three seats, Illinois two, and Pennsylvania one, leaving all three states with congressional delegations half the size they were in 1940.
Chicagoan George Blakemore, who is black, said the situation was untenable. He asked the City Council at a recent meeting, “What about the black children? The black workers? They compete with us.”
Thursday’s busing update comes a week after the school board passed a resolution saying it wants to bolster neighborhood schools and move away from a system of choice where families travel outside their neighborhood for school. Asked if the district’s desire to move away from school choice informed their decision to sever busing for general education students, a spokesperson said the district is following state law and board policy by prioritizing students with disabilities for transportation.
As a result of the referendum, the Forest Preserve District’s annual adopted budget increased from $137 million in FY2022 to $182.2 million in FY2023, reflecting the first year of the additional property tax funding. The increase in property tax revenue provides a recurring funding source that will enable the District to fulfill several long-term needs, including pension funding, land restoration and capital improvements.
Said former mayor Lori Lightfoot, “With this jury’s verdict, Ed Burke should rightfully be remembered as a man who elevated personal ambition and greed over doing the people’s work…I like to think somewhere, Harold [Washington] is smiling.”
“The United States has a responsibility to do everything in its power to prevent future suffering and allow aid to flow into Gaza to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis. But the tools we have to use must acknowledge three realities.”
The new laws will allow healthcare professionals to distribute fentanyl testing strips, and all schools will need to keep opioid overdose antigens on campus. The state will also require fentanyl education in schools.
Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed the commissioners of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), Department of Human Resources, and the Department of Water Management.
According to the report from personal finance website WalletHub, Illinois ranks as the 14th most charitable state in the country. “As far as those two key dimensions go, Illinois ranks 18th overall for volunteering and service and 14th overall for charitable giving,” said spokesperson Cassie Happe.
Illinois averages 8.82% in sales taxes statewide, slightly more than last year and the seventh highest nationwide. Sales taxes up to 11.5% will greet some Cook County shoppers this holiday season.
Pensions for retired police and firefighters make up more than 68% of the tax levy, according to according to Finance Director Jamie Maitret. “(The budgets of) all those other programs that are funded by the property-tax levy are either remaining the same or being reduced,” said Ald. Bryan Whitaker, chairman of the finance committee.
Lockport Police confirmed that at least one bus from El Paso discharged several dozen migrants at a Metra station in the southwest suburb Thursday. Meanwhile, the Tinley Park Village Board has enacted a new ordinance to discourage bus drivers from making unscheduled stops to drop off passengers.
Brandun Schweizer, a retired Marine Corps master sergeant from Danville, was chosen by the 104th Representative District Committee to fill the remainder of the term of Mike Marron in the Illinois House of Representatives. The seat will come up for election next November.
The multi-year pattern of population growth among the nation’s big red states – and shrinkage among the big blue – continued in 2023. Texas and Florida remain a magnet for both Americans and foreigners alike. Deep-blue New York, California and Illinois, meanwhile, only drive more Americans away.
“(Donald E.) Stephens and his son, Brad, have run the city for almost 70 years. It is perhaps America’s last true political machine…A bylaw reserves many jobs for residents. Some 236 city staff live locally—one for every seven households. Thus, the mayor, who knows everyone, directly controls the employment of a large share of his voters, few of whom will ever move.”
Though Judge Timothy Evans won’t talk about the findings of the PPP investigation of his office, other government agencies in Chicago have. A spokesman for Iris Martinez, clerk of the Cook County circuit court, said more than 50 of her employees were suspected of defrauding the program. Chicago Public Schools officials said 14 employees were out on the CPS inspector general’s recommendation. And City Hall Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said more than 1,000 PPP loans went to city employees and that many appeared to be fraudulent.
David Greising, of the Better Government Association: “Johnson has shown a willingness to change gears, which is appealing in its way. But the need for him to do so twice in as many weeks also is likely a warning that the upfront work he and his staff are doing is not where it needs to be.”
“The hard truth is that Illinois isn’t growing and thus is losing ground — in financial and political terms…How about leaving the partisanship and ideologies at the door and trying to develop a broader understanding of the problem? Reversing our population stagnation won’t happen without some sort of collective, bipartisan acknowledgment of the causes.”
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