-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
“Without knowing who they are, why they are here, or what they want, Pritzker is acting as a beacon, guiding illegal border crossers including criminals into our communities. As illegals continue to rush into our country, Pritzker is sending the message: ‘Come to Illinois — we’ll protect you.'”
The organizations allege in their lawsuit that Illinois’ laws are forcing them, as employers, to buy health insurance plans for their employees that cover abortion and abortion medications despite the groups’ stances against abortion. They argue that because patients are provided abortion medications free, everyone else’s premiums help pay for the drugs.
Damon Patton, the CEO of Moor’s Brewing Company, explained, “Instead of planning to grow our company and invest back into the community, the tax hike would prevent us from kind of investing in the business. It would prevent us from hiring more people.”
The fresh fees included in the proposed 2025 budget would apply to bowling, roller skating, harbor, parking and green fees at district golf courses. Day camp rates will also climb back to pre-pandemic levels, but only for some programs, General Superintendent and CEO Rosa Escareño said. “We’re looking at this through an equitable lens, so some of the camps that can absorb and be brought up to the 2019 levels, they will,” she said. In areas with lower-income families, “those will not rise yet.”
Illinois correctional officers have reported overdose symptoms after handling inmates’ mail, and now Republicans are calling to suspend or electronically scan incoming mail for inmates.
Last week, Gov. JB Pritzker reacted to Trump wanting to end the department and send money back to states. “Great, but what about, are we going to require that special education is a part of what school districts are offering, because that is what the federal government has been doing and frankly we need more not less,” Pritzker said.
There are 346,000 Illinoisans who need a job.
“Under no circumstance should the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) be allowed to benefit from the tax dollars of hardworking American families. Unfortunately, the Biden administration’s 45X rule has left the door open for CCP-affiliated companies, like Gotion, to reap billions in taxpayer funding. That’s wrong and the commonsense bipartisan legislation we are introducing today will stop it,” Moolenaar said. Note: Gotion is eligible for $7.5 billion of tax credits for its factory being built in Manteno, IL.
“How is it that somebody could take more than $200,000 from a school-based after-school program, and no one at the school notices that the money is gone? And then further, how is it possible that that much money could be stolen and the program could manage to run unabated?” Inspector General Will Fletcher said earlier this year.
“If you truly understand politics, you’d know that (Gov. JB) Pritzker and (Chicago Mayor Brandon) Johnson just ooze fear. They’re cowards and really can’t help themselves. They bark and snarl like some frightened old drunk at the end of the bar, growling that they’re itching for a political street fight while hoping friends hold them back.”
On Nov. 13, U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo ruled in favor of a trucking company based in Warren, Michigan. The ruling – which is seen as clear win for businesses operating in Illinois – is the first from a federal judge asked to consider the question amid a closely watched debate that could decide the fate of a host of lawsuits, with potentially millions or even billions of dollars collectively at stake.
A report by the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan policy group in Washington, says the city’s annual shoplifting rate per 100,000 people fell significantly in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. And the city’s retail theft rate in 2023 was lower than in 2018, the report says. But that rate skyrocketed 46 percent in Chicago this year through October compared with the same period of 2023, the report says. This year’s shoplifting rate is also higher than the same period of any of the past six years in the city.
The analysis of grievances filed in the last half of 2023 revealed a poorly attended system. Contractors let complaints sit for weeks or months without response and rarely recommended discipline for staff members accused of misconduct. Migrants’ allegations against staff ranged from cruel treatment and threats of eviction to more serious charges of discrimination based on migrants’ sexuality or nationality and the denial of emergency medical care or accommodations for medical or disability needs.
With Frank Lesko defeating four-term incumbent Josh Langfelder in a race decided by thirty-one votes, it may seem like election season is finally over. However, Langfelder said he and his team would consider requesting a discovery recount.
A bipartisan group of 32 attorneys general including Kwame Raoul are hoping the House of Representatives can pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) before the end of the year. KOSA would create more transparency and require more regulations for young people on social media platforms.
Illinois State Rep. La Shawn Ford is again calling for change after new data shows more than 2.5 times as many red-light camera tickets were issued on Chicago’s South Side over a yearlong period than at intersections where cameras are installed on the city’s North Side.
While Davis Gates and her colleagues’ salaries are public, the union hasn’t released an annual audit for four years despite internal rules mandating their release. Members have been forced to sue to have the audits released.
The Illinois State Comptroller sent a letter to the village informing them they are required to do audits dating back to 2020.
In all, the city set aside $667 million to implement the consent decree between 2020 and 2024, according to Chicago’s annual budget overviews. CPD has fully met just 9 percent of the court order’s requirements during that five-year period, according to the most recent report by the team monitoring the city’s compliance with the consent decree released Tuesday.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s comments come a week after he claimed during another news conference that Donald Trump is a threat to Black families.
Jim Dey: “The political dilemma facing legislators, many of whom are indebted to organized labor for donations and campaign help, is whether to address the specific “safe harbor” problem or fall prey to the political pressures to enhance Tier II benefits.”
It’s not just the projected five-year $23 billion budget deficit that Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his administration need to worry about these days. He also needs to get a handle on Illinois’ unemployment rolls, which have been creeping in the wrong direction for ten straight months. The unemployed now total 346,000 Illinoisans.
Chicago hasn’t entered December without an approved city budget since 2009, and this year not only is the city starting the month without an OK’d fiscal plan, but the mayor and aldermen are a chasm apart on key issues with aldermen finding few easy answers. “Nobody agrees on anything,” Ald. Matt O’Shea said.
“With all of that power, he (Donald Trump) could change policy the moment he is sworn in. He could actually create investments for the people of Chicago the day that he is sworn in, appropriating billions of dollars for reparations across this country … ” Mayor Brandon John said. ” … We’re certainly not gonna let him play games with the people of this city. If he wants to work with us, he’ll have a partner. But if he wants to come and threaten us, [then] he has declared opposition to us.”
Several aldermen have said they will not support any property tax hike, and despite his own campaign promise not to raise property taxes, Mayor Brandon Johnson said those drawing a line in the sand against any level of property tax hike might need a wakeup call. “Some of the steps and measures that are being taken, these are some individuals that are having tantrums right now. It’s time to grow up. The people of Chicago don’t have time for that,” he said.
“The consent decree measures success by the number of police shootings and complaints and the public’s confidence in CPD, while disregarding the impact it is having on crime. Also ignored is the escalation of violence against the police, who are put at greater risk when they fear being punished for defending themselves.”
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