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Though charters grew rapidly over the past 20 years, operators are facing declining enrollment, tighter budgets, and a 21-member, partially-elected school board with few charter allies. Now, the relatively new school board is proposing changes to how it handles charter oversight.
“And I have a long list of personal priorities that I want to see through: my Dreamers; medical research; holding social media responsible for the sexploitation of our children and the sale of deadly narcotics; critical Illinois projects such as the protection of Lake Michigan and the expansion of Amtrak; and many more.”
The Illinois House is considering legislation that would have the state’s Department of Children and Family Services maintain a human trafficking unit. The measure also calls for state police to develop a plan to improve victim-centered, trauma-informed law enforcement response to victims.
“Whatever we do with regard to transit, there has to be a component of it that focuses on downstate transit,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “That is something I have been pushing very hard is that it can’t just be about Chicago and the surrounding areas.”
“We are spending a lot of money on undocumented immigrants in the state right now,” state Rep. Wayne Rosenthal said. “So do they think that’s more important than preserving our farm legacy, which is our No. 1 industry in the state?”
Each shift, CPD assigned a squad car that would have been patrolling Lincoln Park or Lakeview or North Center or Uptown to sit outside Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ house instead. Curiously, the squad cars were often parked directly next to a portable surveillance camera trailer that would seemingly allow Frerichs’ property to be monitored remotely. In fact, the Illinois State Police has an entire unit dedicated to executive protection.
Retired police chief Tom Weitzel: “What we are seeing here is a collaboration between media organizations, activists, and state legislators who, armed with an anti-police philosophy, are distorting the truth behind the aim and legality of traffic stops. This movement to end traffic stops aims to see Chicago and the State of Illinois become some type of ‘experimental incubator’ that places limits on police officers’ ability to carry out their duties.”
“‘We couldn’t have planned it this way,’ write Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner of wirepoints.org. ‘But our seven most-read stories in 2024 each captured a different facet of what’s wrong with Illinois. Failing schools. Murders. Closing businesses. A bloated, overpaid government sector. Election interference. Population-loss denial. And Chicago’s twisted equity priorities.'”
“On Monday, he left it to Ralph Martire, a pension finance expert who leans left, to say the effort must ‘have everyone at the table and … everything on the table’ in order to succeed. We need to hear that loud and clear from Johnson himself. For example, cost-cutting options must include long-standing proposed efficiencies that unions have labeled nonstarters, such as ending the requirement that every city garbage truck be staffed by three workers.”
State Rep. Blaine Wilhour said states like Louisiana and Mississippi have improved their literacy rates faster than Illinois and with less money. “There are several factors [for their success] but one factor they have in common is that they have in place school choice programs,” Wilhour said. “When you have to compete, the public school program actually improves.”
The task force is funded with $500,000 from the city’s 2024 budget for the task force, marking the first time city officials set aside taxpayer dollars to do more than just promise to talk about what Chicago owes its Black residents as a result of the legacy of slavery and segregation. Task force members will be paid to serve for a year.
Kerri Toloczko of the Election Integrity Network said noncitizens are able to get Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses in Illinois. “So what do you need to register in Illinois to vote? A driver’s license and the last four of your Social. Surely we see the problem,” Toloczko said.
His retirement is expected to set off a flurry of moves by some of the state’s top Democrats who are widely believed to be interested in the seat, including Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Lauren Underwood and Robin Kelly.
There are two major camps: One in favor of merging the CTA, Metra, Pace and Regional Transportation Authority, which currently oversees the other agencies, into a larger Metropolitan Mobility Authority, and another seeking to strengthen the RTA’s control.
“The ILBC shares in the belief that every American should have the opportunity to earn their success, to be promoted on their own merits, and enjoy the American dream of prosperity and fulfillment. But unfortunately, the reality of the dream is far from fruition. America still has deep racial divides,” says state Sen. Lakesia Collins.
City energy costs over the past seven years show from 2017 to 2024 the city used 14 percent less natural gas, but costs went up 19 percent. Electricity use increased by 11 percent in that time, but the cost went up a whopping 80 percent.
Illinois not in top ten.
Kathy Salvi, chair of the Illinois Republican Party, said there’s an “audible groan” from Illinois residents whenever his name is mentioned. “He is hugely unpopular here in Illinois and that’s because we see him for who he is,” Salvi told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “He’s got a soft launch of his presidential bid in New Hampshire that just proves Illinois has just been a stepping stone for him to advance his personal ambition while we’re settled here with the heavy effect of his administration’s failed policies.”
Mark joined Dan and Amy to talk about the new data showing that Illinoisans are paying the nation’s highest property taxes, why the math in Illinois will eventually fail, what the market turmoil means for Chicago’s near-broke pension funds, the fact that Illinois is a jobs and economic failure, and more.
Ted joined Scott to talk about why so many Illinois metro areas dominate the rest of the country when it comes to property taxes, why the celebration over the state’s latest job numbers is so wrong, why Gov. Pritzker should focus on promoting literacy in schools instead of his pet issues, and more.
“Incompetent people are jealous of competent people,” said Democratic political strategist James Carville, who considers Emanuel to be one of his oldest and closest friends. Brandon Johnson is “a guy who has failed at his job and he’s very insecure about it. That’s what I really think is at the core of this.. …When people fail at one thing, they try to deflect attention to something else and, clearly, that’s what he’s trying to do.”
The state of Illinois “has created a legal system via the PTC (Property Tax Code) in which (counties are) either required to violate the rights of property owners … or be sued by taxing bodies for failing to collect property tax revenue as required by the PTC,” DuPage and Lake counties wrote in their filing. “… (Counties) have a clear right to a PTC that is constitutional and does not force them to violate the rights of a property owner…”
Bally’s is relaunching its plan to sell ownership shares of its new Chicago casino to women and minority investors, making a tweak it’s wagering will win over both progressive Chicago officials and a Trump administration hellbent on crushing diversity requirements.
A coalition of construction groups and natural gas companies are taking the Village of Oak Park to court over the west Chicago suburb’s ban on natural gas. The 2023 Electrification Ordinance is part of the town’s goal to get to zero emissions by 2050.
The FBI was already looking into Dolton finances and spending, and now, sources say the probe has spilled over into the township where Henyard was appointed supervisor. “There’s probably more gone than we think is gone,” said Thornton Township Trustee-elect Mary Avent.
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