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David Greising, of the Better Government Association: “…(T)his first election proved as fractious as Chicago politics can get. … Electoral politics have created a circumstance in which the new school board president has vanquished a candidate put forward by
Celadon Partners CEO Scott Henry said he understands CPS’ funding needs, but he thinks a vacancy tax isn’t the right approach for both spurring development and supporting the school district: “Implementing something like this just adds to the list as to why it’s so difficult to do business in Chicago. We need to be creating programs or processes that create certainty and predictability if we’re going to attract developers and investors back to the city.”
Backed by $2 million in private, corporate and government funds, potential projects include The Link, which proposes turning a portion of Lower Wacker Drive into a music venue; The Vault, a large canopy and pedestrian walkway imagined for LaSalle Street between Jackson Boulevard and Adams Street; and The Pause, which aims to “transform the humble public restroom into a bold statement of what a great city can be.”
The latest Illinois Report Card shows improved student achievement numbers, but it is not clear if billions of additional taxpayer dollars helped fuel the academic gains. “With a number of folks pointing out that we are not seeing the same kind of gains when we look at another assessment, which is the National Assessment of Education Progress, there have been questions about whether the scores are getting higher in a way that’s really not reflective of students’ underlying skills,” said Elaine Allensworth, of the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research.
Several lawmakers had concerns about House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s handling of sexual harassment allegations among members and his heavy-handed management of the caucus. In September, Welch pulled his caucus out of the Democratic Party of Illinois’ coordinated campaign in a dispute over financial contributions. This divorce effectively cut Welch’s members off from the state party’s steep postage discount on campaign mailings.
The mayor and former Chicago Teachers Union organizer said he plans to speak with all members of the school board, including President-elect Jessica Biggs, saying it was paramount to secure more state funding for Chicago Public Schools and pass a millionaire tax in Illinois. “I took an arrest standing up for our neighborhood schools and went on a hunger strike,” he said. “There’s a long legacy of people standing up against corporate control over our schools, so I fully anticipate that voices will continue to rise up.”
In addition, more than 71 percent voters in suburban Cook County also voted in favor of the nonbinding ballot question, according to unofficial results from the Cook County Clerk’s office. The Chicago City Council blocked Mayor Brandon Johnson’s push to ask Chicago voters a similar question, prompting the Cook County Board of Commissioners to add the question to all ballots countywide.
However, the university has an institutional neutrality policy, which states, “The university is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic… a university must sustain an extraordinary environment of freedom of inquiry and maintain an independence from political fashions, passions, and pressures.”
“It is deeply frustrating that officers responded and attempted to apprehend those responsible, only to be directed to discontinue the chase,” Ald. Brian Hopkins said in an email to constituents. “Vehicle pursuits can be dangerous, and protecting the public must remain paramount, but placing restrictions on vehicle pursuits without providing effective alternatives is a policy failure …”
The withdrawal of support for Welch comes in light of how he handled the sexual harassment allegations against former State Rep. Harry Benton, who resigned from his seat in July.
Former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx urges the court to release the rapper under reasonable conditions, citing his September acquittal of all charges tried in the federal murder-for-hire case, nearly two years in custody awaiting that trial, and the presumption of innocence on his remaining charges of murder in aid of racketeering and a firearms offense.
Americans for Prosperity Illinois Deputy State Director Brian Costin noted that Gov. JB Pritzker defeated Republican Darren Bailey by 36 points in Lake County, but the sales tax referendum lost 57 percent to 43 percent. “I think it’s a warning for Lake County and some of these other counties as well that these referendums are not something that’s palatable or shouldn’t be taken for granted, that the people are just going to automatically side with tax hikes,” Costin said.
Businesses with fewer than 20 employees added more than 19,000 jobs in the state in 2024, accounting for 89 percent of Illinois’ new jobs. That makes the cost of starting and growing a business an issue in both employment and entrepreneurship.
Retired Police Chief Tom Weitzel: “The movement to eliminate or radically dismantle traditional policing is not imaginary. The Democratic Socialists of America have an Abolition Working Group that openly advances this agenda. … You cannot claim to support public safety while supporting an agenda that removes the very institutions communities depend on when someone is being attacked, a child is missing, a business is being robbed, or a violent offender is threatening a neighborhood.”
Pritzker, who bankrolled many Democrats around the country as he ran for re-election in Illinois, put out a list of 200 policy proposals today.
Glennon raised the stakes of the moment in broader civilizational terms: “This election in Illinois is not about the usual pedestrian issues… it’s about nothing less than whether Western civilization survives in our democratic republic of America because [the left], just on the open border alone, will destroy the country, and now they’re bringing in the jihadists, frankly, into the party.” Audio and summary linked here.Audio and summary linked here.
Though the road map Pritzker assembled is called “Fighting for Illinois: The Day One Agenda,” it has federal policy and funding recommendations that could pertain to all states. The governor began preparing the agenda in the summer, when he directed state agencies and deputy governors to go through the Trump administration’s cuts to federal programs and grants under Trump that had the greatest impact on Illinois residents and to specify how the 120th Congress could reverse the damage.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of Democratic AGs in asserting that if states are not constitutionally allowed to force religious schools to set aside their religious beliefs and principles on gender and sexuality, then states may instead choose to shut down the programs altogether or limit the funding only to be spent at public schools.
Ald. Gilbert Villegas said Chicago’s mayor “can’t have it both ways” when it comes to the advisory questions approved by voters Tuesday. “When you’re touting 80 percent approval for a millionaire’s tax and it’s 72 percent for gunshot technology, you can’t say that one’s more relevant than the other,” Villegas said. “If you’re going to listen to the people, then listen to the people.
The workers are mainly corporate employees, though some facility jobs also are affected, a Medline spokesperson said. The layoffs are “part of a broader effort to simplify how we operate, reduce complexity and position the company for long-term success.”
