Metra officials told board directors a total of $17.9 million has been spent on the still-vacant Harvey Warehouse Project to date. Board Director and Treasurer Kenneth Koehler said back in May, “What the hell are we designing that’s going to cost, maybe $20, $30, $40 million? It’s a warehouse! What are we designing to make this the Taj Mahal to store railroad stuff?!”

The Ogle County Sheriff’s Department responded to a home in the Lost Lake gated community for reports of a shooting just before 9 a.m. Wednesday. Authorities said an individual threatened suicide and homicide and an emergency response team was activated.

State Sen. Jason Plummer said increasing spending may not be prudent with Illinois’ economic headwinds. “Our performance of jobs, outmigration, business startups, the unemployment rate,” Plummer said. “If you look at the education results we’re seeing in certain places, we’ve got real issues.”

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse Executive Director Phil Melin said the Illinois legislature is making things difficult for employers in the state, including a measure that created new punitive damage liabilities on top of compensatory damages for wrongful death claims.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood said outside economic downturns such as the Great Recession of 2008 and COVID-19, states routinely receive less than half of federal tax revenues paid by employers to administer the unemployment insurance program. “It’s clear that substantial amounts of tax revenue raised specifically for UI administration is not ending up in the state agency hands to enact needed system improvements,” said LaHood.

Stateville and Logan were among five facilities categorized as “Does Not Meet” operational standards, meaning they are “not conducive to a rehabilitative environment.” Illinois Department of Corrections acting director Latoya Hughes said the decision to demolish the facilities was spurred by ongoing litigation that seeks to declare Stateville’s conditions inhospitable and the state’s continued operation of it unconstitutional.

“Under Illinois law, legislators’ pay is tied to inflationary increases. They could have voted not to implement that increase, or approve a lower amount. Of course, they took no action to stop the hefty hike. Few in the private sector can look toward a 5% pay increase this year.”

A provision of Illinois’ 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) designed to provide relief to Zion taxpayers now has the intended beneficiaries fighting for what they believe is their fair share of about $330 million in environmental compensation over the next 22 years.

“Illinois politicians just agreed to subsidize journalism … Here’s why Pritzker should use a line-item veto on the $25 million bail-out as well as reject the targeted ad spend. State-sponsored media is the opposite of what America is about. The whole point of local news is to serve as a watchdog keeping government in check by telling voters what it’s up to.”

City leaders are optimistic that the change will provide more public safety in surrounding communities, but owners of restaurants and bars pushed back. Owner Josh Wright said, “It’s my livelihood … but it’s also the livelihood of several employees on my back as well now. So it’s going to be a real loss for us if those employees lose those hours, tips, and sales of the business.”

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity reports Illinois’ top exports to Canada are transportation equipment and petroleum and coal products. Gov. JB Pritzker also shared that overall bilateral trade between Illinois and Canada reached $92 billion in 2022, increasing 100 percent in the past 15 years.

Jim Dey: “Like famous felon Willie Sutton — he said banks were where the money was — (Gov. JB) Pritzker knows where the big-time tax revenue is. But blocked politically — for now — from raising income-tax rates, he’s been forced to play small ball with those looking for something for nothing.”

The Illinois Department of Human Services’ new Transgender and Gender Diverse Wellness and Equity Program will provide organizations with comprehensive and medical care for transgender, gender-diverse and LGBTQ+ people. Legislation in 2019 directed coverage of gender-affirming surgeries for Medicaid members age 21 and older, and in 2023 set out protections for health care providers who provide gender-affirming care, and their patients, from legal attacks by neighboring states.