-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Illinois’ geology is considered among the most favorable in the world for carbon sequestration, which is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide to reduce the effects of climate change. Federal incentives that encourage industry to invest in the relatively recent technology have made the state a focal point for potential projects.
The Arsenal is the Quad City’s second-largest employer, and thousands of other jobs are tied to contracts on the island.
“If nothing substantial has changed by the summer, what’s happening in New York carries a warning for Chicago as it hosts the Democratic National Convention, which will not be a moment to be caught flat-footed.”
“‘The Lakefront by right belongs to the people,’ (architect Daniel) Burnham wrote in the 1909 (Plan of Chicago). ‘Not a foot of its shores should be appropriated to the exclusion of the people.’ … (Mayor Brandon) Johnson, badly struggling in the first year of his term by any reasonable definition, looks to us like he’s picked this majestic facility on the lakefront, not to mention the intensity of Bears fandom, to pull his mayoralty out of the ditch.”
“At first glance, more than $2 billion in private funding is better than zero and a more credible opening offer,” Senate President Don Harmon said. “But there’s an obvious, substantial gap remaining, and I echo the governor’s skepticism.”
“I think he’s a people person. I think he is labor responsive,” Guidice said of the mayor. “I think the business community relationship is something he probably has circled for attention for the next three years.”
Between November 2020 and January 2021, a total of 36 veterans died during an outbreak at the LaSalle veterans home. A judge recently denied the defendants’ request to move the cases into a claims court, meaning the case will remain in a LaSalle County courtroom.
The National Federation of Independent Business Illinois said year after year, the General Assembly votes to put yet more record-keeping and administrative requirements on small businesses. “While each one, individually, may appear minor, they are cumulative, absorbing more and more of the small business owner’s time and energy,” NFIB State Director in Illinois Noah Finely said.
State Sen. Jason Plummer said the state’s policies of not enforcing federal immigration law, offering taxpayer subsidized “Cadillac” health care and other services make Illinois the largest magnet for non-citizen migrants in the country. “In addition to not being able to afford it, we’re raising taxes on Illinoisans and we’re taking services away from Illinoisans to support folks that this governor invited to this state,” Plummer said.
The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Justin Slaughter, said funds from Illinois’ share of the nationwide opioid settlement will cover the cost.
“These judges were going to give preferential treatment to women or minorities when it came to granting of oral arguments and the judicial system is supposed to be impartial. It’s not supposed to give anybody a leg up based on anything in particular except what the facts and the law says,” former attorney general candidate David Shestokas said.
According to VirtuaQ, the average wait time at the DMV in Illinois is 30 minutes. For the first time ever, the Secretary of State’s Office has used taxpayer funds to create a “one stop shop” experience at the DMV, combining driver services and vehicle services.
Under House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 78, overdose prevention sites would be able to start operating in Illinois as part of a pilot program. These sites are health resource centers where people can use pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of trained staff. They would also have to be licensed through the state.
House Bill 5069 could require vaping manufacturers to provide product certifications to retail stores to ensure the vaping products meet safety standards set by the state and federal government.
There are 20 of the sustainable community schools in the Chicago Public Schools district. They add social, health and other student services into the school structure, which sounds great on the surface but fails in practice.
Lukas Walton, a resident of Chicago, is the grandson of Sam Walton, who founded Walmart. Patrick Ryan is a resident of Winnetka and he works as CEO and founder of a Chicago-based wholesale brokerage and specialty insurance firm.
“In Chicago, Blacks comprise 32 percent of the city’s population but almost 80 percent of the murder and attempted murder victims with over 90% percent of the assailants Black. … Largely ignored by the anti-police activists is impact violent crime is having on women, particularly Black women.”
“A $2 billion-a-year public transit agency that seems to clean and run its trains and buses on a whim rather than dependable schedules, and whose riders openly fear being robbed, beaten or worse, is a failure. And with most failures, the buck stops with who’s in charge. Everyone knows this, from the riders who are routinely left ghosted and stranded by CTA, all the way up to Gov. JB Pritzker …”
House Bill 5057 would allow the State Board of Education to create a content test for those seeking to teach first through sixth grade, covering areas such as biliteracy, bilingualism, oral language development and foundational literacy skills. State Rep. Sue Scherer said the current test is too broad for teachers who want to go into specific areas.
While there’s no comparison to the breadth of the alleged misconduct, the situation highlights a speaker’s influence in an investigative process.
Some Illinois lawmakers continue to deny that covid aid and other federal stimulus bailed the state out of its fiscal mess. But a look at past and projected revenues from COGFA shows just how much the bailouts blew out the state’s revenues. And now that they’re over, how much harder it will be for Illinois revenues to grow.
Election integrity – both real and perceived – is essential to government’s legitimacy and stability. Illinois, like the rest of the nation, better fix its problems now.
Ted joined Dan and Amy to talk about Chicago’s latest bond offering, why Chicago’s dismal home value growth is due to poor policies, the next $70 million to be spent on migrants, the 9% salary hikes demanded by the CTU, and why Illinois lawmakers voting to stop Chicago’s selective enrollment schools from being closed is hypocritical.
Stephen Mitchell, Local School Council chair at Bronzeville Classical elementary school, said the messaging from CPS officials is disingenuous – that while the narrative is that cuts to these programs will only hurt white, affluent students, each selective enrollment and magnet school has its own story. “We are a Black school in a Black community that fought for this school and we are being harmed by these budget cuts,” he said.
John Atkinson, of Intersect Illinois: “… Illinois has a $1 trillion gross domestic product, record job growth and historic business creation. We have the fifth-highest GDP in the nation and are the 18th largest economy in the world. Illinois’ economic journey is one of resilience, innovation and ongoing transformation.”
Perhaps the strongest response came from Southwest Sider John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police. “Some piece of sh~t predator decided that taking someone’s car wasn’t enough,” he said. “If they will do that to a Chicago Police officer, does anybody think the average citizen stands a chance in any of these situations? Because you do not.”
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