-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Overall, 667 people have alleged they were sexually abused as children at youth facilities run by the state and Cook County in lawsuits filed since May.
Emails from intelligence officials within the Cook County Sheriff’s Office show warnings to Chicago area law enforcement agencies about the gang’s presence as early as October of last year. In one email, two officials from the sheriff’s office acknowledge discussions about the possibility that a criminal network would be operating within the migrant community and likely would “victimize members of that population.”
“While proponents, such as Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, argue that these incentives will lead to long-term economic benefits like job creation and increased investment, critics are concerned about the immediate impact on local residents. The Chicago Tribune notes that many Cook County homeowners are already grappling with rising property taxes, and there are questions about whether these incentives will truly benefit the broader community.”
If indeed Martinez is fired, the Chicago Teachers Union won’t mind. Over the weekend, their governing body issued a unanimous vote of no confidence in Martinez. Martinez, who was Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s pick to run the district, maintains strong support from school administrators as well as influential Latino groups.
Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Thomson, located approximately 150 miles west of Chicago, is a low-security federal prison that has an adjacent minimum security satellite camp. The facility holds a total of 2,034 inmates, with 1,901 housed at the main prison and 133 at the satellite camp.
“Plaintiffs’ proposed conduct – carrying concealed handguns on public transit for self-defense – falls within the presumptive ambit of the Second Amendment, shifting the burden to Defendants to show that the Firearm Concealed Carry Act’s ban falls within the historical tradition of firearm regulation in this country,” Judge Iain Johnston wrote late last month.
First-time full-time freshman enrollment for CSU dropped 1.3 percent in the 2023-24 school year. Governors State University dropped 14.2 percent in that same time. Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville saw a 13.5 percent decline, Western Illinois University saw a 10.5 percent decline, according to the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
“Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson lives in a progressive fantasy land, and the latest evidence is his decision to scrap a contract for a gunfire-spotting technology that has saved hundreds of lives.”
‘When the black gangs here get fed up with the illegalities and criminal activities of these migrants or non-citizens, the city of Chicago is going to go up in flames and there will be nothing the National Guard or the government can do about it when the bloodshed hits the streets. It’ll be blacks against migrants,’ said Tyrone Muhammad, now a leader of Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, a group that patrols Chicago’s south side.
“Buy an electric vehicle, don’t buy an electric vehicle. It’s your choice. However, please don’t use it as a crutch to absolve Stellantis. Its North American challenge of high inventories, manufacturing issues, and market misalignment are of its own making.”
The new program follows a federally funded, statewide program that assisted tenants who were facing financial hardship tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and at risk of eviction. Illinois allocated $75 million in state funding to continue to provide rental assistance to renters and their landlords for fiscal year 2025.
Charles Griffin was mayor from 2009 to 2017, and despite being under federal indictment was elected again to the post in 2021. Prosecutors charged him after secret accounts holding $147,000 in public funds were discovered; One of the accounts contained deposits from the state treasurer’s office that represented the village’s share of taxes on video gaming.
The Cook County courts clerk has called for an independent investigation of some of the numbers being used by Illinois Democrats to tout what they have called the success of Illinois’ landmark criminal justice reform law, saying they may be significantly undercounting the number of people charged with crimes who are skipping their court dates. In a response letter, Chief Judge Tim Evans casting doubt on Iris Martinez’s number and questioning her methodology.
Devon Braunstein, of the Illinois Office of Broadband, said Illinois will be receiving just over $1 billion for the broadband rollout. But FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr recently testified at a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing that though it’s been over 1,000 days since the program was signed into law by the Biden Administration, ” … not one person has been connected to the internet. Not one home, not one business, not even one shovel full of dirt has been turned.”
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle explained why the county is offering tax breaks to manufacturers of semiconductors, microchips and associated components: “Tens of billions of dollars in economic impact is likely. Beyond job creation, we hope that the project will attract lots of additional investment, not just on the site, but in surrounding communities to support the activities on the site.”
A list of options ranges from raising the tax to 10 cents per gallon in one step to raising it to 13.4 cents over three steps of 2.8 cents each, followed by increases based on inflation.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez is taking fire from the Chicago Teachers Union for reportedly developing a list of at least 100 schools that could be closed and/or consolidated. CPS has more than 163 schools – about one-third of the district’s traditional schools – that are less than half full.
Ted joined Scott Slocum to talk about the latest on Gotion — that the federal government says it won’t use the the Chinese company’s EV batteries due to security concerns, the ridiculousness of giving the company billions in taxpayer subsidies, why Illinois is losing its successful young people, and more.
“There’s been a lot going on with (the migrant gangs) that nobody’s even hearing about,” Zacc Massie, 27, a street leader who first went to prison in 2015 and just recently got out. “They be moving in our own territory and robbing people but they don’t get arrested like we do. I actually talked to one on the translator app. He told me all the things he got going on; how they helped him get a car, an apartment, (EBT) card, all this stuff. They giving them thousands, we get maybe $400 a month. And they don’t even have Social
Kass: “Some of you may have noticed something about this column written by a longtime Chicago newspaper man. I’ve put in links to Wirepoints.org and the Illinois Policy Institute, but not the Chicago Sun Times or my old paper the Tribune. Why not? The Trib went woke and broke and neither paper covers crime as they used to.”
Stellantis delayed retooling a shuttered plant in Belvidere, Ill., for EV production. The Energy Department awarded Stellantis $335 million in subsidies to convert the plant to make EVs. President Biden boasted about the plant in his State of the Union address this year. Before I came to office the plant was on its way to shutting down. Thousands of workers feared for their livelihoods,” he said. “A new state-of-the art battery factory is being built to
Illinois’ Income Tax Advisory Question is a non-binding question that would not change Illinois law but is designed to gauge public opinion. This advisory question asks voters if the state constitution should be amended to create an additional 3 percent tax on income exceeding $1 million to generate new revenue for property tax relief.
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