-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Gotion has spent a total of $183 million in its purchase of 672 acres, including the plant and surrounding land and property.
“I always find it fascinating that whenever it comes to funding the education system, especially here in Chicago, that everyone becomes like an actuary or an economist,” he said. But “whenever we talk about increasing the police budget, less people put up an argument around funding safety.” Johnson said Chicago Public Schools’ $9.9 billion annual budget was inadequate and that an additional $1.1 billion was needed.
More than six years since the ouster of former Cook County assessor and Democratic Party boss Joe Berrios, federal prosecutors continue to file fresh felony charges against his underlings. Prosecutors allege that Francisco “Frankie” Perez, a former chief hearings officer, accepted gifts, including sports tickets and free meals, to lower property tax assessments for commercial properties.
“With improving credit ratings, Illinois has begun digging itself out of the deep hole caused in part by decades of public employee pension underfunding and a more-than-700-day impasse that left the state without an enacted budget from 2015 to 2017. But local government challenges could now impede that progress, as could growing state deficits. “
To help Mayor Brandon Johnson and close the budget hole, Speaker of the Illinois House Emanuel “Chris” is not ready to endorse raising the state income tax. “People don’t want us talking about taxes right now,” he said.
Gun owners could face a fine of $500 to $1,000 if someone prohibited from accessing guns obtains their weapon. The legislation could also create a $10,000 penalty if a minor or at-risk person uses someone else’s gun to injure or kill people.
On the contract stalemate with the Chicago Teachers Union, Martinez said, “We’re closer today on this contract than ever before. The last two contracts that were negotiated in CPS, one took 18 months, one took 14 months. We’re barely on month 10 of this process with a much more complicated contract.”
One such change approved by the Evanston City Council prohibits the sharing of city databases or information with federal immigration authorities, or with third parties that do not affirm the information will not be used for immigration enforcement. The City of Evanston will still comply with valid criminal warrants.
Tyshon Thompson was found guilty of violating state law for having a firearm in a vehicle without a permit in 2020. Despite having a Firearm Owners ID card, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
“”It’s a reminder that even though every statewide Illinois elected official is a Democrat — from the governor and senators on down to Chicago officials — there are supporters of President-elect Trump all over the state. … Trump’s improving numbers in the Chicago area and the rest of the state should send signals to Democrats as they plot their course in the coming second Trump era.”
To meet its pension obligations, the city would need to lay off all its police officers and allocate their salaries to the pension fund for the next 10 years.
“Whiteness, whether it occurs under the heading of white supremacy, white privilege or white authority is the meaning that defines just the way things are, a normal state of affairs, like in the phrase, ‘getting back to normal,’” the course description says.
“… I find that much of my efforts to steer these children upward has been continually undermined by one force in our city: The Chicago Teachers Union. …Yet, the union shows no sign of slowing down its destructive path that leaves our children at the bottom of the barrel. According to Wirepoints, only 29 in every 100 Chicago students can read at grade level. … The damage they (CTU) have done to our most vulnerable population will resonate for the years to come — we’re already seeing the impact today as lawless packs of youths roam the streets looking for
The 21-member hybrid school board will be sworn in Wednesday, Jan. 15 — marking an historic shift in governance as 30 years of mayoral control in Chicago comes to a close. Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former teacher and union organizer, will maintain significant influence for the next two years.
“On a cold January morning, many were left behind by full trains running too far apart. Along with safety, which we have written about before, a whole new style of management will be required of Carter’s successor, who needs to be someone who can get the trains moving reliably at their appointed time and build service, not struggle to maintain it.”
County Board Member Tony DelGiorno proposed a resolution that would add a question to the ballot for the Consolidated election on April 1, 2025, that would eliminate the office of Recorder of Sangamon County, closing officially on April 1, 2026.
Defense attorney Evan Bruno said if the prosecution is allowed to continue, it could have a lasting impact, not just in Central Illinois but around the country. “The main concern with a prosecution like this is how it’s going to chill future people from wanting to engage in public demonstrations,” Bruno said.
That would come on top of the $290 million the state is spending this year on homelessness services. The number of people experiencing homelessness in Illinois more than doubled between 2023 and 2024, according to federal data released this month. Most of that increase was a result of migrants who came to Chicago—many of them on buses chartered by Texas state agencies.
House Bill 1084, filed by state Rep. La Shawn Ford, creates a process for recalling a mayor in Chicago. The bill also provides a process for the special election of a new mayor. The recall and election process outlined in HB 1084 applies only to the city of Chicago.
2024 just wrapped up and the Cook County Medical Examiner has what should be the final count of youth homicides for 2024. It’s beyond tragic. 91 kids aged 19-and-under were killed in Chicago in 2024.
Members of the Sex Worker Advisory Group, or SWAG, said a bill to be filed in the 104th General Assembly that started last week will modernize existing laws and will prioritize the safety, privacy and dignity of adults engaged in consensual sex work. If approved and enacted into law, the measure would also establish a sex workers bill of rights.
Despite how politically fraught the 2013 school closures were and the board’s general opposition to it, the federation urged the board to launch an “extensive, collaborative community engagement process to identify and debate options, including consolidation of schools,” to better align with enrollment trends. Other spending cuts — which the union has opposed — need to be considered, according to the federation.
CPS Chief Financial Officer Miroslava Mejia Krug said the district exhausts the funds on operational expenses and has to take short-term loans so it can make payroll. That leaves only $66 million — or three days’ worth of operating expenses — in the bank at any one time. CPS CEO Pedro Martinez added: “There is no mythical pot of gold, so I hope we can put this to rest.”
Cook County’s tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition should continue to be treated as unconstitutional, a Cook County judge has ruled, saying the county’s decision to find new destinations for the tax money doesn’t render superfluous a decision by the Illinois Supreme Court striking down the tax more than three years ago.
She said, in part, “…(E)verything that is at the table that needs settling right now, the real issues are non-economic. … The settlement of this contract will be about the non-economic issues that empower our educators, protect our freedoms and make sure that our students get their supports. Those are non-economic. “
311 South Wacker. “Such a move would be one of the most jarring outcomes yet resulting from plunging office values.”
SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR FREE WIREPOINTS DAILY NEWSLETTER
