The state started sending rebate checks Sept. 12, but as of Oct. 11 only $250 million of the $1.8 billion Gov. J.B. Pritzker promised to send property owners had been issued, according to information obtained from the Illinois Comptroller. More than 1 million rebate checks had been mailed out, with the average check being roughly $200.

“To be clear: bodycam programs are generally a good idea. In most cases, the footage works to police advantage, supporting prosecutions and exonerating cops accused of misconduct; bodycams also make clear when police have abused their power. But implementation of bodycam programs without careful consideration creates as many problems as it solves.”

“Our research shows that, even though it took two centuries for Illinois to get to $1 trillion, the state could double its economic activity and reach $2 trillion in less than two decades. This is achievable if the state delivers skilled workers, quality infrastructure, innovative companies, balanced budgets and strong communities.”

“The sponsors of the SAFE-T Act have asserted they were addressing flaws in our state’s criminal justice system. If this was true, then input should have come from judges, state prosecutors, public defenders, private criminal defense attorneys, law enforcement officers, probation officers, civil rights advocates, victim’s rights groups and clerks of the circuit courts. “

“Under current law, police and fire only have the right to force arbitration if they do not like the contract,” said Ted Dabrowski of Wirepoints. “Under Amendment 1, it seems very likely that police or fire could negotiate for the right to strike.”

Specifically, said Ben Ruddell, criminal justice attorney at the ACLU of Illinois, language regarding the act’s threat standard needs to be revised after a “drafting error” caused different wording of the standard in the 764-page act dependent on what page. This discrepancy has allowed critics to point holes in the legislation.

“It’s rare in American politics for a party to receive the unvarnished gift from the gods—or at least the Feds—that Illinois Republicans did Friday when the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago indicted former House Speaker Mike Madigan on a new charge of misconduct, barely three weeks before the 2022 general election.”

Because of the Safe-T-Act, Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow explained, there will be a 90-day requirement for criminal defendants going to trial “or they get out…Ninety days or you’re out, and if you don’t show up for your (eventual) trial, I can’t get an arrest warrant, there’s no warrant. We can’t use force, and we can’t call the SWAT team.”

“Most Americans are workers. They’re not afraid of hard work. And they believe in being fair…And now, even those who haven’t studied the Constitution or criminal law, there is basic fairness in the idea that all Americans when charged with crime, have the right to bail. I don’t know who doesn’t support this. I support it. I don’t want to live in a country where people are charged and hauled off without a chance for bail.”

Unions tried this gambit in Michigan in 2012 and lost 57% to 42%. But if Amendment 1 succeeds in Illinois, expect to see it on the ballot in many states—especially California, Washington, Oregon and New York.

“This has happened in other parts of the country and the sky hasn’t fallen down,” said Insha Rahman, vice president of advocacy and partnerships for the New York-based Vera Institute of Justice. “People grossly overestimate how likely they are to be a victim of crime.”

There has yet to be a specific budget announced for how the state will use the money allocated from the federal government.

“It’s certainly fair to acknowledge that, from Pritzker’s point of view, this is a bad time to put himself squarely in the middle of the raging controversy over the law. He’s running for a second term in office, and any specifics he provides are certain to alienate either the legislation’s proponents or opponents. But Pritzker wasn’t forced to run for governor; he asked for the job and all that goes with it.”

The climate message is backfiring among voters in Illinois’ 17^th Congressional District, which is split between rural and urban areas and is home to thousands of farms, including 157 dairy farms. Dairy farms are a frequent target of environmentalists, who argue that the cows and their manure produce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

Vertol Systems Company, Inc., the transportation company contracted for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ so-called relocation program, is looking to send 50 migrants to Delaware and 50 more to Illinois.

According to the latest Illinois COVID-19 Executive order, “All individuals, including those who are fully vaccinated, are recommended to wear a face covering consistent with CDC guidance.” The wording of the order has been changed from only encouraging individuals not fully vaccinated to all individuals, and will remain in effect through Nov. 12.

Tazewell County Sheriff Jeff Lower minced no words, saying,””You have our leaders in Chicago saying that we are giving all the control to the judges, and that’s a blatant lie. If you look at the statute, this is a total game changer of how we do our jobs…Cook County is the problem, but these laws are being pushed to the rest of us who didn’t have the same problems of Cook County.”

Madison County Treasurer Chris Slusser said Circuit Clerk Thomas McRae is concerned the SAFE-T Act may become burdensome in his office, costing $300,000 to $500,000 annually in lost revenue. He cited a dramatic rise in staffing requirements, including weekend work for judges, circuit clerks, bailiffs, prosecutors, public defenders and court staff. His office estimates the law will generate between $1 million to $2 million every year in personnel costs.

Illinois drivers paid more than $2.5 billion in motor fuel taxes last fiscal year. “Our road fund is in great shape,” state Rep. Dan Caulkins said.

“When you centralize power in one person’s hand and take it out of the hands of the entire elected General Assembly [it] gives an individual like Mike Madigan the chance to be able to hold things hostage until he gets the kinds of payments or payoffs for himself or his associates that he’s looking for,” state Rep. Tom Demmer said.

Rep. Norine Hammond is most concerned with the state budget now that all ARPA funding has been used. “Those dollars have been spent and many programs have been expanded or created. My biggest concern as we move forward is how do we deal with the budget holes that are going to be there without those dollars available.”

U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky says reducing military spending can help ease inflation. “The Pentagon budget is bloated and wasteful.”

U.S. District Judge Nancy Maldonado, appointed this summer to the court by President Joe Biden and ready to hear dozens of cases distributed to her from other federal judges, as part of her initial docket of cases, recused herself from hearing Jack Garcia’s case against Jenny Thornley because Maldonado had previously served as a member on the State Police Merit Board from 2019-2022. She had been appointed to that position by Gov. JB Pritzker.

Said state Rep. Ryan Spain in a prepared statement. “Even as investigations, indictments, and arrests ravage the capitol, Democrats’ only solution was so terrible it caused the Legislative Inspector General to resign.”

Illinois ranked 12th in the education category, but researchers also put the state in 46th place for tax fairness.

The utility arranged for an ally of Madigan’s, former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo, to receive $22,500 as key legislation moved through Springfield. AT&T Illinois “knew that Madigan’s support was essential to their legislative success,” as his office had previously stopped key legislation from moving forward.

Labeling J.B. Pritzker a failed governor who has let prosperity and public safety slip away on his watch, GOP nominee Darren Bailey Wednesday offered a mix of tax and spending cuts and tough law-and-order moves that he said would get Illinois back on track.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s extraordinary call last month that two fellow Democrats resign from the Illinois Senate — one for alleged bribery and the other over accusations he acted inappropriately toward women — underscores two major questions that for years have plagued Springfield. First, will corruption in Illinois politics ever reach an end point? And second, will the culture in the state’s capital that five years ago triggered a series of #MeToo scandals ever be fully addressed?

“Even though Abraham Lincoln prosecuted a brutal and bloody war to free the slaves and gave his very life for the equality of men, Honest Abe is just another dead white male oppressor to the raging mob of nihilists.”

David Greising, of the Better Government Association: “I thought of the Choate victims while watching the recent gubernatorial debate between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state Sen. Darren Bailey. The debate was an exercise in prepackaged talking points, prolific accusations of lying by both candidates and a flat refusal to propose concrete solutions to some of the state’s most vexing problems…Problems in such an out-of-the-way place, affecting voiceless, powerless people, too rarely grab attention from the people in power.

This report grades governors on their fiscal policies from a limited‐​government perspective. Governors receiving an A are those who have cut taxes and spending the most, whereas governors receiving an F have increased taxes and spending the most.

The Illinois Freedom Caucus, which is made up of Illinois lawmakers, will be introducing legislation “to ban chemical castrations and gender surgeries for minors in Illinois.”

One of the architects of the law, state Sen. Robert Peters said the crime wave is a byproduct of the current judicial system. “What we’ve been seeing over the last couple years isn’t happening under anything that we passed, what is happening is under a status quo criminal legal system that is utterly failing.”

Illinois saw its overall credit rating increase from BBB with a positive outlook to BBB+ with a stable outlook this year. Although the state saw an upgrade, it still have the worst rating in the country.

The error was noticed earlier this week. It showed Peggy Hubbard as the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. Hubbard lost the June primary to Kathy Salvi. “While we came to the best remedy – to sequester the hundreds of ballots that were distributed – this does not solve the most pressing problem of election integrity and transparency,” Salvi said.

The website offers an array of evidence from state’s attorneys, prosecutors and other law enforcement officials.

“Durbin’s proposed interference in the credit card market will wallop consumers in three ways: they will lose rewards and cash-back programs; they will face higher annual fees; and they will be exposed to the potential of fraud through less-secure networks. None of this is speculation, as Durbin’s meddling with debit cards demonstrated exactly how banks respond when handcuffed in a competitive market.”

“The future of the world depends on us — on Democrats controlling the Senate, Democrats controlling the House, maintaining our leadership in the Illinois legislature,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth said. “It all ties together.”

Earlier this year, the Illinois Department of Public Health stopped publishing data on COVID-19 outbreaks by school and potential COVID-19 exposures. In addition, the Office of the Cook County Medical Examiner no longer publishes detailed information about most COVID-19-related deaths. These were datasets that parents, residents, advocates and journalists relied on to track the pandemic. Their disappearance has made it harder for the public to understand COVID-19’s risk and its impact in their communities and schools.

As the automotive industry makes a shift toward electric vehicles, the Illinois Department of Transportation says it is considering taxing EV charging stations in an effort to offset the projected revenue loss from fuel sales.

“Call it Pritzkerville – eerily like Potterville from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ with pot stores and a massive casino planned to fill the holes ripped in Chicago due to the loss of great businesses and decent people pursuing their dreams.”

But Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman Jackie Matthews also said that despite the “positive news in the area of student achievement,” the impact of frequent disruptions to student learning is also evident on this year’s state report card.

The end of Illinois’ cash bail system on Jan. 1 means St. Clair County will lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual revenue, may need to hire more employees to implement the new system, and could see savings at the county jail.

Jim Dey: “The controversy over the SAFE-T act has been emotional and complicated — emotional because supporters and critics have been flogging the issue for election-year gain and complicated because the legalities often are beyond general public understanding.”

Rep. Jan Schakowsky supported a new federal law that caps insulin costs at $35 a month starting in January, but it only applies to patients on Medicaid. She is hoping to see the law expanded to cover everyone.

A social media post shows a copy of a ballot from the central Illinois county that has for the U.S. Senate race incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth against Republican Peggy Hubbard and Libertarian Bill Redpath. But, it’s Kathy Salvi who is the Republican nominee in that race, not Hubbard.

With Illinois not yet luring big facilities such as those recently announced in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and other states, Illinois could use a big deal-closing fund, Pritzker said—essentially a pot of money the governor is empowered to dip into to sweeten economic development deals when the competition with other states is tight. “Michigan has, I believe, a $1 billion fund. They can just write a check,” he said. “It would be great if we had a closing fund in Illinois.”

States such as Illinois and Minnesota have moved to impose explicitly politicized education licensure requirements.

Named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, Hannah-Jones has spent years “chronicling the way official policy has created—and maintains—racial segregation in housing and schools. Her deeply personal reports on the Black experience in America offer a compelling case for greater equity.”

In “How to Be an Antiracist,” Kendi argues the “only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.”

Among other things, Burke addressed controversy surrounding her husband, Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, who is facing a federal corruption trial next year. She says that the trial “absolutely did not” influence her decision to retire. “My decision was my decision,” she says. “We’ve been married for 54 years and as I always said, for better or worse, but not for lunch.”

James Tierney, a lecturer at Harvard Law School and former attorney general of Maine, said attorneys general races are particularly important now, when the U.S. Supreme Court is making decisions that are rapidly changing the legal landscape of the United States. But the big changes aren’t only happening on the federal level; Illinois is in the middle of major criminal justice reforms and cities like Chicago continue to battle the stubborn problem of gun violence. As the top law enforcement official, the

Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart – two top prosecutors who belong to the same political party but have vastly different views of the SAFE-T Act – discuss how it could be interpreted in January.

McLean County State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds said public safety concerns related to the release of those accused of violent offenses have been raised by state’s attorney’s offices in nearly every county. “Law enforcement and prosecutors are not in a position to make legislative changes but are committed to ongoing negotiations with those that hold that power.”

“These attacks, often bolstered by ideologues or well-funded special interest groups, threaten the legitimacy of the judicial branch and erode public confidence in a judge’s ability to render impartial outcomes,” said Eileen O’Neill Burke, president of the Illinois Judges Association. “These partisan-driven agendas are designed to intimidate judges for their role as neutral arbitrators of the law.”

“Typically the most money wins, but it’s always hard to tell whether it’s good candidates or competitive candidates who can attract a lot of money or whether it’s the money that actually makes them win,” Reform For Illinois Executive Director Alisa Kaplan said.

Kwame Raoul, a former state senator from Chicago, is seeking his second term in the AG’s office while Thomas DeVore, a southern Illinois attorney in private practice, is trying to unseat him.

The Illinois statewide average was $4.40 a gallon Oct. 11. Neighboring Missouri’s gas was nearly $1 cheaper.

“Any senator or representative would tell you probably the largest office they deal with for constituent services is a secretary of state’s office, where the greatest red tape may occur, where the greatest logjams could occur,” candidate and state Rep. Dan Brady said.

“It is my sworn duty as Douglas County Sheriff to protect the people of Douglas County,“ said Nathan Chaplin. “Criminal justice reform should not be at the expense of public safety…Police and prosecutors were excluded from any type of negotiations. They forced this thing through and now we’re left with the fallout.”

“Even among those who did not support him politically, he engendered trust during some of the darkest hours in the history of this great state. We need to remember that. It is crucial to Pritzker’s case for a second term.”

Jim Dey: “(Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia) Rietz said she’s optimistic that prosecutors and legislators will be able to agree on compromise language that addresses public-safety concerns. ‘We’ve had so many legislators and the governor say there are fixes that need to take place,’ she said, while noting that it’s the same legislators who passed the original bill who will have the final say on changing it.”

“In all, we’re not talking about chicken feed here. Political leaders continue to ignore the ramifications of these departures as they tout in-state business transfers. These are blows to not only Illinois’ prestige as a pro-business state, but also cause economic damage.”

The Census Bureau says the average family in Illinois made about $1,100 less last year than it did prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Incumbent Democratic Comptroller Suzanna Mendoza faces off against Republican McHenry County Auditor Shannon Teresi.

The race for the 3rd District Illinois Supreme Court seat features two experienced jurists in a contest that could determine partisan control of the court for the next several years.

The alleged violations include the elimination of cash bond, single-subject rule, the separation of powers, the three readings requirement for legislation, and that the measure is unconstitutionally vague. Effingham County State’s Attorney Aaron Jones still expects that the suits will be consolidated and heard as one in Sangamon County, the seat of state government in Illinois.

“The bipartisan opposition to the SAFE-T Act is not about politics. It is about public safety,” said Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas Haine.

Illinois lags the rest of the country in the number of EV charging stations. Recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the state $22 million for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations along interstate highways.

That’s the question as word swirls of backbenchers setting their sights on House Minority Leader Jim Durkin’s post in an increasingly volatile General Assembly.

Jim Dey: “What is clear is that (state Treasurer Mike) Frerichs is trying to escape his embrace of an unpopular issue by any means available.”

The three districts are connected by races that lack incumbents, but otherwise offer a study in contrasts in their history and geography. The 17th has drawn national attention as one of the closest of the 435 U.S. House races across the country. By contrast, it would be an upset if the Democratic candidates didn’t win the 1st, the 3rd and the 13th congressional races.

“Illinoisans may be able to catch their breath on the short-term financial front. But the long-term picture remains perilous, and that’s putting a positive spin on it. Illinois remains a state whose financial picture falls in the “worst” category. In fact, in a status report published by Colossicus Content and based on research by the Chicago-based Truth-in-Accounting, Illinois ranks No. 3 on the list of the ‘Worst 10 State Finances.'”

Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder says he was approached about possibly housing some migrants in the Wyndham City Centre downtown, but because that hotel remains wrapped up in a zoning battle, Langfelder said it would be impractical to consider that option for now.

An unscientific form of poll that is still in progress, but as of Saturday morning, Bailey up 57% to Pritzker’s 43%.

“Rights, Wages & Welfare of Illinois Workers: A Labor Day Report” is a free 28-page document outlining ways in which the department tries to promote jobs, better working conditions, and fair wages across Illinois. Tim Drea, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO, said it’s clear Gov. JB Pritzker had the interests of Labor at heart.

Businessman Randy Jue and others said the current wave of Asian Americans engaged in politics is decades in the making and speaks to the organizing prowess of their community leaders. Recent topics in the news — such as the rise in anti-Asian attacks and 2020 U.S. census figures showing Asians are the fastest-growing racial group in Chicago, Illinois and the country — demonstrate the urgency for more political representation.

“In 2019, just 36% of third grade students were able to read at a grade level, according to the report by Wirepoints, which was highlighted by the Wall Street Journal editorial board…The numbers are stunning, but those familiar with Illinois’s education system know this is a long-running problem.”

For the governor, that was when he wouldn’t say what changes he’d make to the Pretrial Fairness Act provision of the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform that will end cash bail on Jan. 1.

Republican Congressional candidate Keith Pekau: “In the dark of night, the Illinois Legislature forced through one of the most anti-public safety bills in the country. The now infamous SAFE-T Act, which was authored and whipped by our attorney general and signed without amendment by our governor.”

During an Illinois Chamber of Commerce event in Chicago on Thursday, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans said the economy is stressed with “very high” inflation and an acute labor shortage. He said workers have different attitudes these days, especially after the pandemic.

“Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is emblematic of white progressives eager to enact polices that seemingly protect minorities, while actually doing them harm.”

A response to a recent Wall Street Journal column based on a Wirepoints report.

“If we come out of this next fiscal year and the majority party cannot demonstrate that they can have sustainable fiscal discipline, I’d say at least half of what Fitch writes about goes out the window,” Maisch said.

“But with the prospect of losing the House if the GOP wins just six seats in November, Democrats are finding that even places they carved out for themselves are frustratingly competitive as economic concerns spook voters.”

The agency urges residents and visitors to the area to avoid contact with the river until further notice.

“Voters are rightfully concerned about the national increase in violent crime and chaos in urban areas. In Cook County, add to that the indifference of county judges who keep on releasing violent offenders on low or no bail or on electronic monitoring which allows them to kill, shoot or attempt to shoot more victims. The chaos and anarchy plagues just about everyone in the state except perhaps for indifferent newspaper editors, left wing pundits and social justice progressives who push this lunacy at the expense of crime victims and the law-a biding citizen.”

Heather Miller will be responsible for building and repairing relationships between the Springfield-based museum and Native American tribes with historical ties to the state, specifically when it comes to how the state has handled native artifacts and remains.

Jim Kaitschuck of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association suggested bringing back programs from the 1990s to deal with crime. “In the nineties, there was a push for mandatory minimum sentencing, also under President Clinton, you had a significant push to hire more cops across the country…I think there needs to be accountability in the end.”

State Rep. Dan Caulkins said, “Our road fund is in great shape. The federal government is looking at pumping billions of dollars into infrastructure projects around the country and I think we owe it to the working families…If we suspended all of the gas taxes for four months, five months, six months, it’s not going to have a substantial impact on our budget.”

His idea of “relief” is a one-time property tax rebate of $300 at the most. After the median rebate check of $279, Illinoisans still pay a net $2,009 more in property taxes than before Pritzker took office.

“Usually our ideas are flushed out by other students on our campus. So very important just to show that the conservative community is standing firm here at the University of Illinois,” Bailey Parks-Moore, Chairwoman of the Young Americans for Freedom University of Illinois Chapter, told WAND News.”

A recent study that found the total economic impact on manufacturing in Illinois is estimated to be around $600 billion every year, the largest share of any industry to the state’s Gross Domestic Product. It is estimated that the manufacturing industry supports nearly 30% of all jobs in Illinois, making it among the state’s largest industry sectors.

“The Wall Street Journal recently posted a scathing indictment of K-12 education in Illinois, drawing on research by conservative Illinois thinktank Wirepoints. The article and research show a perverse form of “equity” in Illinois schools: across the racial spectrum, nobody can read.”

The debate moved through a variety of topics, but State Sen. Darren Bailey tried to find moments to attack Gov. JB Pritzker on Illinois’ high property taxes and the state’s reputation as a poorly run government with an unattractive business climate. Pritzker claimed that if Democrats keep improving Illinois’ previously dismal financial picture, eventually the state could see lower taxes, but declined to answer how many years he thought that might take.

Kathy Salvi, an attorney from Mundelein, touts a conservative agenda that includes increasing domestic energy production, shrinking government spending, cutting taxes and increasing border security in taking on Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the first-term Democratic senator who is a combat veteran who lost both legs in the Iraq War.

Approximately 50 Illinois state’s attorneys have filed related lawsuits. Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley said he expects the numerous county lawsuits will be consolidated into one so that a court ruling would be applicable to each county simultaneously.

On Oct. 3, U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang formally vacated the so-called Shakman Decree over the governor’s office and agencies under the governor’s supervision. For the first time in decades, Illinois state government agencies under the purview of the governor’s office will no longer be subject to federal oversight to ensure neither the governor nor his political allies can continue Illinois’ long political tradition of using government jobs to cement and grow power.

While Illinois sees the risk of higher fuel prices due to international decisions, Molly Hart of AAA also discussed how a fire at a refinery in Ohio would also impact fuel.

The Illinois Municipal League, a group that advocates for local governments, opposes the measure. In a fact sheet, the IML urged a no vote and said the measure is not needed. “Illinois already has enacted legislation prohibiting local right-to-work ordinances; a constitutional provision for that purpose is unnecessary.”

The Illinois Department of Employment Security will pay down $450 million of the $1.8 billion Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit. The problem is the final deadline to pay off the remaining $1.4 billion is Nov. 10. After that, the federal government hits Illinois businesses with an automatic unemployment tax hike until the deficit is paid off.

From 2017 to 2022, Illinois’ ranking in the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index dropped 13 spots, the second-highest decline in the nation. CNBC ranks Illinois as the third-least friendly state for businesses.

Constitutional questions are at the heart of the 39-page lawsuit filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court Wednesday. It alleges a violation of bail provisions in the state constitution and procedural violations such as a failure to confine the bill to one subject. Named as defendants are Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel C. Welch and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon.

They argue it’s unconstitutional, it violates the single subject rule, it violates the separation of powers clause, it’s unconstitutionally vague, and it violates the three readings of charges requirement.

U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, who is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Defense, said, “Defund the police was a very unfortunate three-word phrase that I wish had never come out. And certainly it’s not, as the wife of the sheriff of Rockland County, Illinois, (something I believe in). And the vast majority of Democrats did not believe that either.”

“This legislation doesn’t just make our communities less safe,” said State Rep. Chris Bos. “It is ultimately going to make them more expensive.”

Greising, president and chief executive of the Better Government Association, debates Proft on the merits of traditional journalism and the definition of fake news.

Tyson said Wednesday that it is closing offices in Chicago, Downers Grove, Ill., and Dakota Dunes, S.D., which currently house many of its prepared-foods and beef-division employees. Employees will be given the chance to relocate to the company’s Springdale, Ark., headquarters in early 2023. Roughly 1,000 employees work in the two Illinois offices and the Dakota Dunes location, the company said.

Jim Dey: “That of course, raises an unanswerable question — what will the state’s budget picture looks like once the federal money spigot is turned off? Here’s a number that illustrates the problem: Illinois’ general fund is up $829 million over the same time period in the last fiscal year, a nearly 13% increase. But of that $829 million boost, almost all of it — $764 million — came in the form of federal pandemic aid.”

“In a practical sense, local prosecutors will have a tough choice: pull staff from other court calls — i.e., stop prosecuting other cases — to help cover daily bond court, or forget about asking for bond at all on some defendants. But for most of the smaller counties around us, who are already working on shoestring budgets and typically only have a single assistant prosecutor on staff, pulling in prosecutors from other court calls is not an option, because they don’t exist.”

State’s Attorney Kate Watson and Sheriff Nathan Chaplin filed the suit at the Douglas County Courthouse on Tuesday, claiming the 764-page act contains “numerous constitutional violations.” Watson said, “This is not about politics; it is about public safety.”

“In an interview with BuzzFeed, (University of Chicago epidemiologist and COVID advisor to Gov. JB Pritzker Emily) Landon skewered Biden for ‘doubl[ing] down on this idea that we don’t really need to worry about COVID anymore” and for suggesting that “the current magnitude of infections, death, and disability as a result of the disease is normal.'”

Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine said his office will later ask that the case be consolidated with similar suits filed by the state’s attorneys of other counties in Illinois. Prosecutors in Will, McHenry, Jo Daviess, Greene, Jersey and Morgan are among those challenging the SAFE-T Act.

A shift in favor of the Republicans on the court could produce big changes in how state laws and the state constitution are interpreted. The Democratic majority on the sate Supreme Court in recent years, for instance, has shot down attempts to reform the state’s pension system, and denied voters the chance to vote on a new constitutional amendment stripping power from state lawmakers to gerrymander the state’s legislative districts to their partisan advantage.

CUB is now saying Illinois could see one of the most expensive winters in history.

A Moneygeek study ranked the Land of Lincoln 17th in road roughness after researchers with the personal finance website analyzed data from the Federal Highway Administration on the overall road quality for each state.

Kane County officials are discussing its first property tax hike in a decade to fill a $3 million deficit they say are created by unfunded mandated reforms in the SAFE-T Act. State Rep. Keith Wheeler said, “The Democratic-majority SAFE-T Act is literally forcing our local governments to consider raising property taxes to make our communities less safe.”

“We need an orderly process at the border,” Sen. Dick Durbin said. “We need to make sure that we never knowingly allow a dangerous person to enter this country. We have to acknowledge the fact that we cannot accept everyone who wants to come into the United States at this time. We have to have a process that brings in the workforce that we need for the future of this country.”

Chicago Democrat Alexi Giannoulias is seeking to reenter the statewide political landscape for the first time since his 2010 loss in the race for U.S. Senate to Republican Mark Kirk by about 59,000 votes. A deputy House minority leader from Bloomington, state Rep. Dan Brady has served in the House since 2001 after spending two terms as McLean County coroner from 1992 until 2000, and he is a partner at a Bloomington funeral home.

Gibson City taxpayers were surprised to learn late last week that the incorrect and unexpected strain on their wallets won’t be fixed until next year after they were hit in August with property tax bills that were 40-60% too high, costing hundreds to thousands of dollars more than they owe. Said the mayor, “I think it’s gonna be a mess if we wait a year.”

Statewide, manufacturing has an estimated annual economic impact between $580 billion and $611 billion each year. Gordy Hulten, CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, said manufacturing is the largest contributor to the state’s gross domestic product and Illinois manufacturers employ more than 660,000 people directly and support 1.7 million jobs.

From April through June, 81% of Illinois calls to the old 10-digit suicide prevention number were sent to out-of-state call centers. But in August, the first full month since the three-digit 988 number officially went live, that number flipped, and 85% of the 12,300 calls placed from Illinois were handled by crisis counselors within the state. Even so, it raises the question: Are Black and brown people who experience a mental health crisis in disinvested neighborhoods in Chicago well served by a crisis lifeline in Bloomington, roughly 130 miles southwest of their reality?

In the latest edition of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s economic competitiveness report, Illinois ranked 45th in the country. Chief Economist Jonathon Williams said Illinois’ property taxes are too high, and the fact that it is not a right-to-work state also is damaging.

Jim Dey: “The politics of the new law are easy to understand. Its Democratic supporters just want to get past Election Day with their power either intact or enhanced. The GOP is using the issue as a means of restoring itself to relevance. But the act represents far more than political gamesmanship. It reflects a sea change in policy best reflected by bond abolition.”

On the table right now is a House bill (HB 5799) that would pull $200 million from the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for rebates to customers of downstate utility Ameren Illinois. The bill won’t be acted on until the legislature reconvenes in November. But rates in Ameren’s service area appear unlikely to decline by then.

“Railroads are an important part of our lives and our economy,” Sen. Dick Durbin said. “But we got to make certain that as we look to the future of these railroads that we consider the people who are affected by it…We’re not saying that it is impossible to do this merger — it could be building some rail facility west of the metropolitan area will solve the problems.”

Candidates Dan Brady, of Bloomington, and Alexi Giannoulias, of Chicago, are looking to replace Jesse White, who at age 88 is not seeking another term in the Nov. 8 election.

Jo Daviess County State’s Attorney Chris Allendorf said, “I have filed suit to protect the residents of this county in the event that a temporary restraining order or other injunctive relief is granted in a consolidated suit.”

Illinois National Guard troops are in regular rotation to assist the federal government’s efforts at the southern border while a separate contingent supports efforts to receive migrants transported to the Chicago area. The mission started under former President George W. Bush in 2006 and was continued by preceding presidents, including President Joe Biden.

“The issue is we do not have good answers on the ‘why’ questions,” said Kathy Saltmarsh of the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council. “During this committee meeting, the trends show big patterns over time.”

Incumbent Mike Frerichs, who controls $52 billion in public investments for the state, said such companies are worth investing in. Republican candidate state Rep. Tom Demmer said such investment strategies bring unnecessary risks.

As of March 2021, payday loans in Illinois have an interest rate cap of 36%. The act provides that any loan made in excess of 36% is considered null and void, and no entity has the “right to collect, attempt to collect, receive, or retain any principal, fee, interest, or charges related to the loan.”

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin wants more legal options to stop the run up of prices, but doesn’t seem to think Congressional hearings would make any difference. “If it’s just a hearing, why waste your time…we aren’t going to pass a law that’s going to have some strength in bringing down these prices.”

He explained,”The legislation is about providing tools and technology to police, making sure we are funding them, and making sure we keep the murderers, rapists, and domestic abusers in jail.”

A Loyola University analysis of incarceration outcomes, conducted six months after Cook County enacted limited bail reforms in 2017, showed no effects on crime or rates of rearrest. But it did find a 3 percentage point rise in failure to appear in court.

Democrat U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and Republican Kathy Salvi debate some of the issues in their Senate race with newspapers from around Illinois.

Right now, the average price of regular unleaded sits at $4.16 a gallon in Illinois, $4.81 in Chicago.

Incumbent Senator Tammy Duckworth and Republican nominee Kathy Salvi – the two candidates for U.S. Senate – met Monday in what may be their only joint appearance in the final five weeks before Election Day.

“Instead of using our time filing meritless lawsuits, the professionals at the Lake County state’s attorney’s office have been working to protect public safety and ensuring those charged with violent crimes aren’t back on the streets on Jan. 1 and beyond. We will be filing our detention petitions now so that judges can make their determinations as to who should be detained on Jan. 1, once a cash value is replaced with a finding of ‘detention’ or ‘released with conditions.'”

House Resolution 265 would direct the Auditor General to conduct a management audit concerning the oversight of the CILA program and the awarding of competitively-procured grants. The resolution cleared the House Human Services Committee and awaits action by the House of Representatives.

Brad Weisenstein, of the Illinois Policy Institute: “While lawmakers might not have learned from the pension fiasco – or chosen to ignore it as they curry favor with union support and cash for their campaigns – that doesn’t mean voters can’t guard their own wallets from the implications of Amendment 1.”

“(Gov. JB) Pritzker right now is campaigning on the bond rating when we have the worst bond rating in the nation,” candidate Shannon Teresi said. “The state has received over 185 billion collectively to not just the state, but all the agencies within the state. And this has bolstered the economy. And they are trying to take credit for it.”

“The public, as it tries to dissect the misinformation being thrown around by supporters of the act, need to focus on only one point: If the act’s opponents are fearmongers, how does that explain the many state’s attorneys of all political persuasions across the state who collectively say the law is fundamentally dangerous? If the law is so solid, why are the experts on the ground so worried?”

She is the only Democratic statewide candidate to be endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce.

In the report, the Institute for Legal Reform asserts the massive verdicts are being driven by several factors. These include claims that plaintiffs’ lawyers have improved their ability to allegedly manipulate jurors, using “reptile theory tactics” that “instill a sense of fear or danger in jurors’ minds so they lash out at their perceived attackers with inflated damage awards,” or to suggest jurors use specific methods for calculating damages that make a “nuclear verdict” award more likely.

According to a recent report from the Partnership for Equity and Education Rights Illinois and the Education Law Center, despite five years of using the state’s new Evidence-Based Funding formula, 1.7 million students from 83% of Illinois school districts still attend underfunded schools; Reaching the adequacy benchmarks put forth in the law requires more than $7 billion additional dollars in state funding to properly fund school districts in the state, with a goal of reaching full funding by 2027.

“We are tired of politicians and pundits who, instead of implementing needed changes, attack money bond. We know that cash bail has long been a tool used to create intentional barriers that restrict people’s basic rights. Cycles of poverty, violence and corruption will only persist if we do not grant all people their right to due process.”

“It is interesting to note that the federal criminal justice system has not used a cash bail system since 1984. The Illinois PFA mirrors, to a large extent, the Federal Bail Reform Act and so presumably was a model for the PFA’s drafters. So, let’s clear the smoke from the political fireworks.”

“Investing in 21st Century energy infrastructure creates Heartland jobs, reduces our impact on the planet and lowers families’ energy bills. That’s why the Inflation Reduction Act makes the largest-ever investment in domestic energy production and manufacturing to help us tackle climate challenges while creating good-paying jobs right here in America.”

The single largest gaming revenue source was the Lottery, which generated $833 million, 44.2% of the total. However, video gaming is now a close second source of revenue, with $762 million being collected in FY2022. Smaller amounts were collected from sports wagering ($142 million), riverboat casinos ($140 million) and horse racing ($7 million).

“I think that they are correct in identifying hydrogen power as perhaps even an important energy resource that may in many ways leapfrog electric vehicles and become the next standard,” said Todd Maisch, Illinois Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. “Electric vehicles are getting a lot of attention, rightly so, but I really do believe that hydrogen-powered vehicles may be the thing that really replaces electric vehicles sooner than you may think.”

Residents of California and Illinois are wrestling with unaffordable housing and high property taxes, which can be attributed to their positions at no. 2 and no. 3 on the list. The states are also some of the most densely populated in the U.S.

Bryce Hill of the Illinois Policy Institute said it likely will increase property taxes. “Amendment 1 would open up and create this Pandora’s Box of new subjects of collective bargaining, and each new subject will ultimately raise the cost to taxpayers.”

“While reform to improve criminal justice is something to continually strive for, the Safe-T Act, as currently written, undermines the exact thing it purports to represent – the safety of our communities,” Moultrie County State’s Attorney Tracy Weaver said (with link to full lawsuit).

Though crime and other issues have attracted most of the media attention, Chicago Democrat Pritzker and downstate Republican Bailey are outlining radically different views of the state’s finances and what to do next.

Jim Dey: “It’s time once again to dive in to another round of quick takes on the people, places and events that were being talked about over the past week.”

But on the streets of Rockford and Rock Island, the face-off for the open seat between Democrat Eric Sorensen and Republican Esther Joy King

Illinois and Michigan are the highest in the Midwest, each averaging $4.17.

“It’s very difficult to legally force a TV station to take down a candidate’s advertisement. But, as we’ve seen in the past few weeks with Dan Proft’s People Who Play by the Rules PAC ads for Darren Bailey, it’s not nearly as difficult to force an independent expenditure committee to prove the truthfulness of what it’s saying in its ads or see them yanked.”

Gov. JB Pritzker has instructed the Illinois Department of Revenue to temporarily suspend the international fuel tax agreement (IFTA) licensing requirements for 30 days, to allow those assisting with Florida’s hurricane relief efforts to provide help without having to register and pay fuel tax in Illinois.

Gov. JB Pritzker said the SAFE-T Act could undergo some changes, mainly to help Illinois citizens better understand what the measure does. “One thing I think is reasonable is there are people who do not understand the SAFE-T Act and are misrepresenting it. So making changes to the language is such, so that people will understand.”

Gov. JB Pritzker is considering changes to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform to clarify provisions related to the end of cash bail in Illinois, while his Republican challenger, state Sen. Darren Bailey, continues to push for a full repeal.

With future control of the 50-50 Senate at stake, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin is jettisoning the tradition of detente between home-state colleagues, ripping the Republican this week for voting against advancing a motion to keep the government from shutting down.

“If Illinois Democrats don’t repeal the SAFE-T ACT within the next few days, before the Nov. 8 elections, it’s proof they’d rather put their own heads in the sand while putting their own voters at risk.”

The GOP nominee for governor gained fame as the voice of opposition on cultural issues — gun rights, abortion — at the statehouse. But he passed few bills of his own.

David Greising, of the Better Government Association: “The money is making a huge difference. And the publication of truth in the form of journalism cannot happen soon enough. The fate of our digital town square in Chicago and across Illinois depends largely on our ability to produce more fair, accurate and incisive news.”

The regional index dropped sharply to 45.7 in September from 52.2 in the prior month. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal forecast a 51.8 reading. Readings below 50 indicate contracting conditions.

Illinois will receive more than $148 million in federal funding over the next five years to build out a network of public EV charging stations across the state. In accordance with NEVI requirements, EV charging stations will be built at least every 50 miles along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors.

According to a news release “The Old State Capitol served as the seat of the Illinois Supreme Court from 1841 to 1872. During this time, the Court heard several cases that effected freedom seekers and allies operating within Illinois’ Underground Railroad.”

The pandemic created political superheroes and villains. In Illinois, Pritzker was both — lauded for stepping up to former President Donald Trump and fighting for COVID-19 resources, and lambasted by those who viewed him as an authoritarian for enacting long-standing executive orders that shut down much of the state. The pandemic also fueled presidential ambitions among many governors across the nation, including Pritzker.

When the state legislature created the evidence-based funding formula in 2017, it intended for schools to be fully funded by 2027, with at least $350 million added to the formula every year. However, there was no new funding for 2021 – a fallout from the financial hit the pandemic delivered to the state. The state board of education recommended adding more than $350 million into the evidence-based funding formula for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, but legislators stuck with the $350 million minimum outlined in the law.

State Rep. Curtis J. Tarver II said there has been “some ire and some angst among a lot of individuals” about the proposed special session in light of local Black state legislators’ unanswered call for a special session in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd and subsequent unrest as well as the immediate response to the mass shooting in the suburbs and proposals to ban assault weapons when there are chronic shootings on the South Side.

Task force member Alison Shames, director for the Center for Effective Public Policy, said the SAFE-T Act is complicated and has some advice for all those involved in the judicial system: “It is critically important that you actually read the statute, because this is a very complex law, it is confusing.”

There are no members appointed to the board that is set to field appeals from Illinoisans who have had their gun privileges revoked by the state.

FTX founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried didn’t specifically cite Illinois regulations, but he pointed out regulations were a key factor in the decision. “Frankly, for us, having clear licensure for our marketplaces is by far the biggest piece of this, that’s what we’ve been focusing on.”

“It eliminates duplication of government, and we don’t need double layers of government,” Ald. Joe McMenamin said. “We’ve got, in general, way too many units of government in Illinois, and if we can eliminate some of those units, with a positive result for the taxpayers, a lesser tax burden and more efficiency we should do it.”

Illinois Democrats have controlled the Illinois Legislature for decades with majorities in both chambers. Since 2019, they’ve also maintained the statewide constitutional offices from governor to secretary of state.

This Letter To Madison County States Attorney Thomas Haine From Gov. JB Pritzker reads, in part, ” the aforementioned report by the bipartisan US Commission on Civil Rights found that 60% of defendants were in jail pre-trial simply because they couldn’t afford bail. That is the broken system that you are defending through fearmongering and unvarnished mistruths.”

Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey fired back at Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s attacks against him and discussed rampant crime, COVID policy and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s weak policies.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi represents the largest metropolitan area of anywhere in the country affected by this potential merger.

Two seats will potentially see new justices, as the second district and third district will choose between a Democrat and a Republican. The third seat, located in the first district, is a retention vote for Justice Mary Jane Theis, who is slated to take over as the chief justice after the retirement of Anne Burke earlier this year.

“In the House we’ve already passed three trailers bills for the SAFE-T Act, three,” Welch, D-Hillside, said. “That’s what democracy looks like.”

Attorneys for the state of Illinois joined their colleagues in Nevada and Virginia Wednesday in asking a federal appellate court to declare that the Equal Rights Amendment has been legally ratified as the 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Despite continued growth in payrolls as a whole, Illinois is still missing more than 80,000 jobs relative to pre-pandemic levels, with the missing jobs being spread across nearly every metro area. As of August, only Bloomington has recovered from early 2020 job losses.

Illinois is awash in local government: townships, school and park districts, road and bridge agencies, community colleges, police and fire departments, and a collection of water, housing, cultural, cemetery, and even mosquito abatement districts. Said DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, “If all 102 counties in Illinois abolished seven units of government, it would be significant. But I’m not optimistic there are going to be meaningful conversations about this.”

Former state senator Rickey Hendon didn’t get into the cannabis business only to sell out, but banks offering loans at 18% or 19% is too high. “It’s wrong for anybody – in rulemaking, or in the governor’s people’s interpretation of the law, to say we can’t do business with White folk. I like White people. Why can’t I do business with a white person who wants to come into my business and give me a fair deal? What’s wrong with that? It’s the American way,” Hendon said.

“Welcome to America in the 2020s! A land where the White House can cancel your social media and a sitting governor can have your paper tossed and your TV ads refused.”

Pritzker has done nothing to address the underlying cause of Illinois’ property tax growth: pension debt. Higher property taxes from pensions make homeownership less attainable, especially for low-income communities.

In the 25 years since it opened, the airport has suffered a string of failed passenger carriers and unsuccessful attempts to build its cargo business, earning monikers such as the “Gateway to Nowhere” and “Glass Palace on the Prairie.”

Incumbent Illinois Treasurer, Democrat Michael Frerichs, faces a challenge from House Deputy Republican Leader, Tom Demmer.

Fiscal Year 2021 saw bettors place $5.1 billion in wagers over 147 million different transactions. The state generated $380 million in gross revenue and $57 million went into state coffers. The trend continued in FY ‘22, with 60 percent more revenue over the previous year: $8.5 billion in bets placed over 227 million wagers, generating $610 million in gross revenue and $92 million for the state.

State’s Attorney Jacqueline M. Lacy filed the motion on Tuesday requesting a court find that the SAFE-T Act is in violation of the Illinois Constitution and should be declared null and be voided. Comment: This is the fifth Illinois state’s attorney to file a similar lawsuit.

Senate Bill 4228 aims to clarify language and improve how officials can enforce the new law, which will allow most people charged with a crime to be released from jail as they await trial, even violent offenders.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform analyzed nearly 1,400 verdicts in personal injury and wrongful death cases and found that Illinois juries delivered 75 reported nuclear verdicts to the tune of more than $3 billion.

Illinois in fiscal year 2021 generated $1.36 billion in state taxes from gambling. New forms of gambling have tended to come at the expense of older ones, except for the continued dominance of lottery proceeds.

Jim Dey: “The Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization dedicated to improving reproductive health and rights, describes Illinois law as ‘protective’ of a woman’s right to have an abortion. An anti-abortion organization — the Thomas More Society — contends that Illinois law is so protective that ‘abortion is legal throughout pregnancy.’ Both descriptions are accurate, as demonstrated by the language in the Reproductive Health Act that Pritzker signed in 2019 and zealously defends.”

A robust economy has played a key role, said Kristin Richards, director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security. “Statewide payroll jobs are up compared to a year ago. We are seeing significant gains in the leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, trade, transportation and utilities industries. We are also seeing over the year decreases in unemployment in 97 counties across the state.”

The governor said Tuesday’s payment is 25% of the total balance owed and it will reduce interest costs by $10 million. The state still owes more than $1.3 billion.

Illinois is fifth highest.

“The reason that this is so disruptive is that we have a segregated community,” board member Kathy Shannon said. “If we had a community where rich and poor were regularly mixed throughout the community, we could do traditional boundaries and it wouldn’t matter. Every school would have a relatively equal mix of low and high” socioeconomic status. “And so, I hate that this is going to be very disruptive — this is going to be very hard for people — but I want us to keep in mind that we’re doing this for the good of our students, and long

After gaining control of the House of Representatives in 2018, Democrats are in danger of losing the chamber in the upcoming election thanks to a variety of factors, and five Illinois races could prove key to the efforts of both parties this November.

State sen. Scott Bennett’s legislation states pretrial release will apply to individuals arrested on or after Jan. 1, 2023. The measure also permits judges to deny pretrial release for any alleged crime if the person arrested poses a threat to the safety of any person or the community.

While acknowledging the ad is a political advertisement, attorneys for Gov. JB Pritzker claim Beverly Miles’ claims aren’t protected as political speech against a prominent political figure during an election campaign. “Unlike candidates, independent organizations like the PAC do not have a ‘right to command the use of broadcast facilities.’ Because you need not air this advertisement, your station bears responsibility for its content when you do grant access. Moreover, you have a duty ‘to protect the public from false, misleading or deceptive advertising.’”

The Truth in Account website explained inflation has increased by an average 2.2% annually in Illinois since 1993, reaching a 4% high during the Great Recession in 2008. Founder SHeila Weinberg said local leaders can now vote to raise those rates “even more than the already high amount they see now.”

The suit filed Friday in Kendall County Circuit Court by State’s Attorney Eric Weis and Sheriff Dwight Baird names Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly as defendants. Weis told Kendall County Board members he needs to try and prevent the “horrendous unintended consequences” of some provisions of the SAFE-T Act.

The spots feature a direct-to-camera message from Beverly Miles, the nurse and retired U.S. Army major who challenged the incumbent governor for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the June primary. “As retired military, the words ‘duty’ and ‘honor’ mean everything to me,” Miles says. “Those values mean nothing to Gov. Pritzker, who tried to get me fired from my job as a nurse. People like me and you need to stand up to J.B. Pritzker’s mafia politics.”

According to the survey by the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers, Illinois farmland values are up 18% over the past year. Farmland values increased in neighboring states as well, up over 30% in Indiana and 29% in Iowa in the past year.

Named the Heartland Greenway, the project would bury a pipeline about a mile beneath the ground to transport carbon dioxide (CO2) from at least 20 different ethanol processor plants across five midwestern states. While the builder affirms it would pay landowners well and offset the emissions of 15 million metric tons of CO2 every year, critics are concerned the pipeline could permanently damage farmland and threaten the safety of residents in its path.

All sides of the emotional debate on this pending law raise valid points here and there. But the high-octane rhetoric overshadows some very real flaws in this gigantic legislation.

When it doesn’t contain journalism. And that’s the line the Daily Herald’s parent company just blurred—much to its leaders’ apparent regret.

“Serving in public office is a money-making enterprise that opens up all kinds of legal and illegal means of self-enrichment, whether it’s the sleazy practice of acting as lobbyists while holding office or taking bribes to pass legislation that will enrich others. The people of Illinois are simultaneously tired of and resigned to it.”

Jim Dey: “(Gov. JB Pritzker) said ‘we’re trying to address the problem of a single mother who shoplifted diapers for her baby’ and then was ‘kept’ in jail for six months because she couldn’t pay her bond. ‘That’s what SAFE-T is about,’ he said. Actually, that’s what the governor wants voters to think the SAFE-T Act is about. But it’s not. Abolishing the bond system could have potentially deadly consequences few defenders of the law want to discuss — at least not before the election.”

Democrats in both Illinois and Pennsylvania — especially Chicago and Philadelphia — are facing backlash for their approach to law and order amid spikes in crime. In Illinois, Republicans have been hammering Democrats for being soft on crime in recent weeks. However, Democrats in the state have backed off their 2020 efforts to defund the police amid rampant crime, with Chicago leaders slightly increasing the city’s police budget.

Candidate for Attorney General Tom Devore said this issue of whether or not offenses are bailable or not bailable is an issue for the judiciary – not the legislature and not the executive branch.

“Governor JB Pritzker, the Daddy Warbucks of political hypocrisy, attacked several legislators this past week, demanding that they resign from office. One is State Senator Emil Jones III, a Pritzker critic, who is facing federal bribery charges. The charges against Jones are similar to charges filed against several other legislators, but Pritzker has not urged them to resign. But should an elected official who manipulated his real estate information to significantly reduce his property taxes also resign from office?”

Two former teachers ultimately pushed out of their jobs for blowing the whistle about political indoctrination in American school systems spoke to The National Desk about their experiences and what this all means for future generations. Tony Kinnett, a former science director in the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) system, and Frank McCormick, who spent 12 years teaching before he was pushed out of the Waukegan Public Schools system located outside of Chicago, both went on to establish organizations — Chalkboard Review and Chalkboard Heresy — which push back against the politicization of our nation’s school systems.

“The big loser in all this is the Daily Herald, which lost an incalculable amount of respect for its integrity that it may never regain because of its active participation in a tsunami of viral disinformation during dangerous times. Pritzker prevailed and was able to keep the focus off other important campaign issues. And Proft got attention for himself and his radio show and a platform to say things like calling Pritzker a “bedwetting, spoiled brat.”

Bailey’s persistent anti-Chicago rhetoric presents a political quandary for the candidate: His criticism of the city and its Democratic leadership is cheered by his hard-right supporters, but he also needs the support of voters in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs to win in November.

Madison County State’s Attorney Haine said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office has made false statements about state’s attorneys being able to request defendants held without bond once the new legislation is in place. Haine said prosecutors will only be able to ask a judge to hold a limited group of defendants without bond. Pritzker sent a letter to Haine on Friday in response and said Haine is defending a “criminal justice status quo” where accused murderers, domestic batterers, rapists, and other dangerous criminals “can buy their way out of jail pending trial if they have enough money.”

So far, such gambling is legal in only six states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Delaware and Connecticut. But panelists at the conference predicted three or four additional states could soon adopt internet gambling, including Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and New York.

Illinois will sell $2 billion worth of soybeans and $600 million worth of corn to the island nation. Taiwan continues to rank as Illinois’ second leading corn trading partner and third leading partner in purchases of soybeans.

llinois basked in a brighter fiscal picture as it met with the buy side this week than it did at its last event in 2019 when its ratings sat on the verge of junk, but investors still fret over how the state would weather a potential recession and its prospects for further progress.

Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie said the governor’s comments are nothing more than an attempt to “paper over his poor record on public corruption as he seeks reelection…The truth of the matter is, he has sat silently by as Democratic legislators failed to even discuss, let alone allow a vote on many anti-corruption measures that have been filed in the General Assembly this legislative session.”

Jim Dey: “It’s not often the good guys in the fetid and festering sewer that is Illinois government win a round. But (Comptroller Susana) Mendoza claimed a solid victory Thursday when the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously ruled that two former legislators who had joined their colleagues to publicly renounce scheduled pay raises weren’t entitled to collect the money years later.”

Transitioning to a carbon-free electric grid by 2045 is no small task. And no state should better understand that setting energy goals and achieving them aren’t the same. In 2007, Illinois adopted a law to get 25 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2025. As of last year, it was at 10 percent. Building a carbon-free grid comes with an array of dizzying technical and policy challenges and unanswered questions.

More than two dozen people have been charged in Illinois with fraudulently obtaining pandemic relief money, with authorities alleging that some of them were behind bars when they used their relief money to post bond and free themselves from jail.

Comment: It’s not as simple as he describes, but he’s at least directionally correct that it’s a bad law.

The charges, which were made public Tuesday, allege that in exchange for a payment of $5,000 and a job for an unnamed associate from a company that operates red light cameras outside the city of Chicago, Jones agreed to focus the study only on red light cameras in Chicago. Jones was also charged with facilitating the scheme by using a Google email account and with lying to federal investigators.

“The state of Illinois is experiencing what all employers, across Illinois, are facing: a lack of qualified candidates,” Illinois State Director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses Chris Davis said. Data from WalletHub puts Illinois as eighth among the states for unfilled job openings the past 12 months.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers from Central Illinois have renewed their calls for answers about roughly 170 inmates being transferred out of the Pontiac Correctional Center in February with little to no notice for facility staff. Prison officials noted that the correctional center was short-staffed by 43%.

It reads, in part, “Pritzker’s trying to distance himself from the corruption that has plagued his office – including the still unresolved Thornley case (in which the Governor himself is directly implicated)…Additionally, there have been nine public corruption indictments during his tenure in office. And all were indicted by federal prosecutors, not the Illinois Attorney General’s office.”

When DCFS Director Marc Smith faced Illinois lawmakers in August, he assured them the state’s child welfare agency was “one of the best child welfare systems in the country.” Republican lawmaker Chapin Rose disagreed, calling Smith’s assessment “delusional.” So far this year, Smith has been found in contempt of court 12 times by a Cook County judge for failing to properly place youth in state care.

“Whatever happened to the presumption of innocence? Gov. Pritzker should get off his high horse and practice what he preaches,” former Gov. Rod Blagojevich said in a statement. “Maybe Gov. Pritzker should resign too. After all, what do you call the $10 million he gave to indicted House Speaker Mike Madigan in order to get Madigan to pass his legislation? Or what about Gov. Pritzker’s scam to use toilets as a way to avoid paying the more than $300,000 in property taxes he owed?”

Local governments in Illinois rely on the property tax to fund everything from debt to pensions to day-to-day expenses. In tax year 2020 total property tax extensions for all taxing districts in Illinois were $33.8 billion, the majority of which—$20.8 billion or 61.5%—was for school districts.

“One cause that seems to be especially important to the Pritzkers is influencing the rapid transition of society away from a binary understanding of human reproductive sex to an understanding based on self-perception of one’s place along a spectrum, or perhaps not on that spectrum at all.”

State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi says the SAFE-T Act will actually do more harm than good in getting people into drug treatment programs because in January, those offenders will be released from jail before they can enter a program.

“It’s a lot around implementation, there’s just no real clarity around that and all parties on both sides are able to agree to that point,” lobbyist Art Turner told the Springfield City Council. “I believe that that will be one of the top priorities for the veto session in November or scheduled early December. Then, we’re going to have to work really fast to bring our local clerks and courts and counties up to speed on the adjustments that I anticipate to be made behind it.”

The grant will be used to help IDES better understand and address equity gaps within the state’s unemployment insurance system.

Former state senators Mike Noland and James Clayborne waited too long until after they voted to reject raises or left legislative office to file their suit, the court held.

The budget for all three universities in the system is $7.65 billion, a 6.5% increase from last year’s $7.18 billion budget. This is the second consecutive year of increased financial support for the university system.

It’s 764 pages and according to a lawsuit brought by McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally the law creates, changes or touches, 40 different state statutes. Each of the complaints have variations but are similar in scope.

State Sen. Emil Jones III has been charged with bribery and lying to federal agents. State Sen. Michael Hastings has been accused of abusing his wife and mistreating state employees. Gov. JB Pritzker said, “In the best interests of their constituents, these men must resign from their offices. Resigning only their leadership roles falls short of what the public should expect.”

“Five thousand dollars. That may seem like a lot of money — to a junior high school student who baby-sits or mows neighborhood lawns for extra cash. For an Illinois legislator, $5,000 should be no big deal…No wonder most Americans don’t trust politicians. Less than half the adults in the United States — 44% — say they have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in people who hold or are running for public office, according to a 2021 Gallup poll.”

More than 10,000 people have signed an online petition, started by state Sen. Don DeWitte, demanding the repeal of the SAFE-T Act and urging legislators to “write criminal justice reforms that do not jeopardize public safety.” Said DeWitte, “People have legitimate concerns, and we need to pump the brakes on implementation so the long list of unintended consequences tied to the act can be addressed.”

Pritzker pointed to ethics overhauls he’s signed into law after previous scandals as evidence that Democrats are taking the issue seriously, though good-government groups have criticized those efforts as half-measures. A measure he signed last year prompted the resignation of the legislature’s top watchdog, who said it rendered her office a “paper tiger.”

The Champaign County satellite jail is down 16 out of the 50 correctional officers needed to supervise the 155 inmates in Champaign County and transport the other 143 inmates housed outside the county. Sheriff Dustin Heuerman says having fewer inmates means tax dollars could be spent on preventing more crime from happening.

Said state Sen. Chapin Rose at Wednesday’s hearing, “I do not think we should start down a path where it is okay for the CEO of whatever agency it is just to say ‘no, I am not going to go,’ and send someone else.”

“The court that we have is set up to administer justice. They get to decide how that justice is administered. Bail is one of the primary components of which they have inherent authority and constitutional authority. The legislature cannot impede that or get in the middle of that,” said AG candidate Tom DeVore.

Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said in a statement he asked and expects to receive Jones’ resignation from his committee chairmanship and leadership roles.

Jill Gonzalez of WalletHub explained how the list was formed: “In terms of compensation, Illinois is doing very well, as they rank second, and that is with the adjusted cost of living. When it comes to overall academic and work environment, that is where it could be doing better, and that is why they are not in the top ten.”

State Rep. Tom Demmer said his focus is on adding a Republican check on Democratic power among the state’s constitutional officers – those include governor, comptroller, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer – all of which are currently held by Democrats, although all will be up for vote in November.

This amendment at the top of the ballot has been called Amendment 1, also dubbed by proponents as the “Workers’ Rights Amendment.” But your ballot might not include either of those titles.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Rodney Davis. The proposal has bipartisan support, with 300 co-sponsors out of 435 voting representatives. Davis expressed disappointment that the proposal would not be fast tracked in what is known as a consensus calendar process.

“Republican State Sen. John F. Curran of Downers Grove, a former longtime assistant Cook County State’s Attorney, doesn’t see analysis as propaganda. He sees it the way most prosecutors and cops see it—as removing deterrents from the criminal justice system—encouraging the violent to hunt down their prey. ‘You cannot take deterrents out of the criminal system,’ Curran said…’They’ve been doing that for years and the SAFE-T act is the final straw. Crime is rampant because people don’t fear getting caught. They don’t stop.'”

Jim Dey: “A recent Springfield-based appellate court decision details how the case of a malicious cough in Danville ended up in court. Here’s what happened: Two Danville police officers — Tyler Starkey and Jacob Troglia — responded to a domestic-violence call and confronted an angry woman who ‘deliberately coughed at them to infect them with COVID-19.'”

Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs has joined 12 other treasurers to take a stand in what they perceive to be a campaign to blacklist financial services firms that embrace ESG efforts. The group wrote a letter titled “We are in it for the long term” and takes aim at states like Florida and Texas for creating “new policies and laws that restrict who they will do business with, reducing competition, and restricting access to many high quality managers.”

Ald. Anthony Napolitano said his constituents are “beside themselves” over the “horses—” bill”and that police he has spoken with oppose the Safe-T Act and say it will make it even harder for them to do their jobs. “They don’t even want to, they’re almost wasting pen ink writing paperwork or typing because states attorneys are downgrading charges, judges are throwing charges out.”

Illinois is one of just a few states in the United States that has a law requiring companies to get consumers’ consent before snagging their biometric data, and its rule – the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), passed in 2008 – is seen as the toughest in the nation.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Tuesday said ComEd used “accounting tricks” that cost consumers millions of dollars when the company separately paid a $200 million fine tied to the federal court case in the scandal, and now the attorney general is seeking bigger refunds.

While opening the door to tweaking the law, Raoul also said he’s confident it leaves enough judicial discretion for lower level crime suspects and that he doesn’t think the bill is too confusing or contradictory.

“I think that a lot of money was wasted and stolen,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin told reporters on Capitol Hill.

The review also found that Corrections has for years manipulated hiring for the post of intelligence officer — there are 80 currently on staff and historically, 268 have had the job. “No official position description exists and the position has never been posted centrally or available to the public,” the report by the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor said.

“Our goal is to make sure we are accommodating in every possible way,” ISU President Terri Goss Kinzy said.

Truth in Accounting founder Sheila Weinberg explained that in previous years the property tax increase would be capped by inflation. “With inflation as high as it is, local governments will now have the option to increase property taxes to that level. This will increase property taxes even more than the already high amount they see now.”

Citing Wirepoints.

A republication of our Wirepoints column.

Robert Steigmann, a justice on the Fourth District Appellate Court in Illinois: “This legislative proposal, which fundamentally altered important and long-standing procedures of the criminal justice system, was submitted by its proponents in a 764-page bill at 4 a.m. on the last day of a lame-duck session. This regrettable episode calls to mind the ultimate example of legislative malfeasance: Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi’s statement when discussing the bill that would become Obamacare, ‘We have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it.'”

This is the third lawsuit filed by Illinois state’s attorney, two of whom are Democrats, to stop the SAFE-T Act from becoming law.

The governors of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin signed onto the Midwest Hydrogen Coalition. The coalition will accelerate clean hydrogen development, from production and supply chain to distribution in agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and other industries.

Chicago’s Charles Lipson: “The immigrants are being transported from Republican-led border states to northern Democratic enclaves, which have long proclaimed themselves “sanctuaries” for the migrants they are now so appalled to find arriving. Democrats charge that it’s a stunt, and they are partly right. But it is a very shrewd stunt with a far-reaching impact. Although the buses carry a vanishingly small number of the illegals arriving daily in Texas and Arizona, they are making several big points.” Comment: The Spectator is excellent, and you can register for free for three articles per month.

Asked about state control over solar and wind energy project, Darren Bailey replied, “I’m sure there are things I need to learn about that, but in my administration, I seek to cut government. We must have less government in our lives. More government is what’s destroying this constitutional republic.”

“It just seems that people don’t understand and they don’t want to learn and come to experience what a joy these shows are and the joy on these kids’ faces,” drag queen Ginger Forest said. “It’s very fun. It’s very wholesome.”

Perhaps hoping to shift the subject away from crime, Gov. J.B. Pritzker today trumpeted one of his political strengths, praising his pro-union moves as governor and dubbing GOP nominee Darren Bailey “Bruce Rauner’s ‘Mini-Me.'” But in the process, Pritzker may have left himself open to attacks that his actions have the bottom-line impact of raising costs for taxpayers. And the Bailey campaign immediately responded that the biggest thing that’s occurred under Pritzker is that taxes on the typical family have risen by what it says are $2,000 a year.

Jim Dey: “Even as more and more law officers and municipal officials try to stop it in the court of public opinion, lawsuits filed in Kankakee and Will counties put the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act under legal scrutiny.”

A nonpartisan task force formed under the Supreme Court, meanwhile, is working to assist with implementation in the justice system ahead of Jan. 1 and has identified unclear or contradictory sections of the bill that lawmakers should reconsider before Jan. 1.

“Every American deserves to work in a safe, good-paying job that allows them to support their families and save for a secure retirement, and it is unacceptable that in some states with anti-union laws – or so-called ‘right to work’ laws – some workers aren’t given that same chance,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Northern mayors say it’s not about their beliefs. It’s about about logistics. Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe said, for example, the community also would need to mobilize service providers to deal with an influx. “I would hope that prior to something like that happening, we would get a head’s up,” said Mwilambwe. “As you know, I am an immigrant myself and I have been welcomed in this area. So, there is a culture and a tradition of being compassionate towards individuals who have needs. We’ll do the best we can.”

“We are not producing enough nurses to fill the vacancies, so by 2025, the estimation is we are going to be short 15,000 registered nurses in the state of Illinois,” said Susan Swart, executive director of the Illinois Nurses Foundation.

According to ComEd, 2019 was a “turning point” for the data center industry in Illinois, following the passage of new state legislation offering a tax incentive to encourage tech giants and other firms to locate their data storage facilities in the state. In ComEd’s service territory across northern Illinois alone, there are now more than 70 operating data centers, with six under construction and another 13 in early design or planning stages, the company said.

Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center President David Boulay responded to U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood’s pleas for tax credits to boost the manufacturing sector as a national security measure: “Manufacturing is what helps ensure a functioning society and I think there are some real key things that have happened here in the last few years where we start looking at the pandemic and our ability to find and source medical supplies at critical moments.”

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said too many aspects of the law remain confusing, making it unclear how they will work in practice. “We would all agree, and I want to make it clear, I agree, somebody should not be held in jail pending trial just because they can’t afford to post a bond,” said Berlin, a Republican. But, he added, “Without a robust preventive detention statute, yes, we are opposed to eliminating (cash bail) because violent criminals here are going to get out.”

Perhaps the most glaring difference between the states is in price. The much greater competition in Michigan led wholesale cannabis flower prices to collapse nearly 75% since January 2020. Indeed, a recent analysis by industry watchdog Grown In found that Illinois has the highest prices among the nation’s 19 adult-use states. The high prices keep the majority of cannabis sales in Illinois on the illicit market, according to the Anderson Economic Group.

“Mayor Lightfoot, I’ll go back to my farm after I clean up the mess you and [Gov.] JB Pritzker made and restore Illinois,” he said. “In the meantime, get off your elitist high horse and remember who puts food on your plate.”

Ralph Martire, of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability: “All told, the Biden administration estimates the IRA will end up saving the typical family around $500 annually in energy costs. It will also lessen our nation’s dependence on foreign oil. Again, lots of moving parts, but it really is hard to see how mitigating climate change and creating 21st-century jobs makes anything worse.”

“The fact that they would turn them lose in the city of Chicago, for example, without any warning whatsoever,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said. “Families with small children were literally dumped at the train station in Chicago by the governor of Texas.”

“…(T)he things that kill Southern Illinoisans are, for the most part, the same as what causes most Americans to die – heart disease, cancers, respiratory diseases and strokes – factors found on both national and regional charts. The difference is that these causes of death are found in higher rates in Southern Illinois than across the country.”

State Rep. Maurice A. West II: “The bill reads: ‘Decisions regarding release, conditions of release and detention prior trial should be individualized, and no single factor or standard should be used exclusively to make a condition or detention decision.’ Which says the judge must conduct a risk assessment for each case to determine whether they should be released, conditionally released, or held in detention prior to their trial.”

Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz, also President of the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association, confirmed she and three other prosecutors met with the legislative working group to discuss changes to the law during the upcoming veto session. “We want to understand the intent behind the new law and then help make sure that the language of the statute fits the intent,” Rietz said.

“We have had scandals at the previous assessor’s office and the board of review and unnecessary layers of government,” said Reform for Illinois Director David Orr. “When you have unnecessary layers of government, it usually only helps the insiders while the rest of us pay the freight.”

“Clearly, no one is safe in Pritzker’s Illinois and the already awful predicament is about to grow into as all-out street crisis as J.B.’s new law takes effect in a few months that will eliminate bail requirements for even super violent criminals, placing citizens and cops at the mercy of dangerous cretins charged with the most serious offenses possible.”

The water feature near Palos Park in Cook County was formerly called Laughing Squaw Sloughs, but is now known as Cherry Hill Woods Sloughs, while the former Squaw Island in Calhoun County has been renamed Calhoun Island. The two Illinois sites are among nearly 650 geographic features across the nation to receive a new name following an order by U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who is the first Native American to lead a cabinet agency.

“A lot of smart legal folks all around the state are in disagreement over how this section of the law should be interpreted,” said Lemont Police Chief, who serves as legislative chairman for the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. “And if all these people can’t agree on what the law says, the law needs to be fixed, or we at least need clarification.”

“So make no mistake, Trump is on the ballot. His name is Darren Bailey. And we need to send him back to the farm,” Lightfoot said. “Trump is on the ballot in every single one of the Republicans that you are going to face when you go into the voting pool. And you must remember that we are Illinois. We are a state that believes in people’s rights and that we’re going to treat everyone with dignity and respect.”

In Sept. 14 letters to U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, U.S. Department of Education Inspector General Sandra Bruce, and education officials in New York, Illinois, and California, the Republican lawmakers claim federal relief money is being directed to initiatives for “LGBTQ+ cultural competency,” “environmental literacy,” and “racially biased curriculum and programs based on Critical Race Theory” rather than to learning recovery efforts. Illinois, the letter said,

“Members of Illinois’ law enforcement community are united against a new law taking effect Jan. 1 that eliminates cash bail under most circumstances… Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law last year. It will abolish cash bail on Jan. 1, making Illinois the first state in the country to do so. The bill also includes a provision that will allow most people charged with crimes, including some violent felonies, to be released without posting bail.”

As the popularity for both medical and recreational marijuana grows in Illinois, education on the manufacturing, cultivation and management of cannabis is following close behind. This fall, in addition to the University of Illinois, 11 community colleges across the state — more than ever before — will offer courses aimed at preparing students for jobs in the cannabis industry. The list of courses is increasingly sophisticated, from “cannabis and the law” at Oakton Community College to “cannabis flower production” at UIUC.

Kankakee County Democratic State’s Attorney Jim Rowe filed a separate lawsuit Friday against top Democrats, also alleging the passage of the law violates the state Constitution. The other defendants include Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon. The complaint in the lawsuit is linked here.

Effingham Country Sheriff Paul Kuhns said the consequences for law enforcement making the wrong decision could impact how their jobs are done. “I know something my officers worry about is if you take someone into custody unlawfully, then you’re dealing with a Fourth Amendment violation. That’s scary. That is not something we want to be involved in.”

Five Illinois lawmakers – Cheri Bustos, Tammy Duckworth, Adam Kinzinger, Marie Newman and Brad Schneider – reported stock holdings from companies that may conflict with their committee duties.

Illinois joined New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania as the only states to reach the revenue plateau, but was the fastest to do so. While it took Illinois 27 months, New Jersey and Nevada needed 35 months and Pennsylvania required 41.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, meanwhile, plans to submit a budget proposal to the Chicago City Council in the coming weeks calling for increased funding of reproductive health care services in the city. She also said the city will refuse to cooperate with other states that seek to block their residents from traveling to Illinois for abortion care. “Frankly, it reminds me, of the fugitive slave laws, people seeking freedom in another state.”

Four years ago, Illinois’ unemployment rate matched the national rate. As of August, Illinois’ rate was nearly a full percent higher than 2019 while the national rate is back at 3.7%. The Midwest average unemployment rate is lower than it was in August 2019, meaning Illinois is a regional and national outlier.

Anne Burke’s term as Illinois Supreme Court chief justice ends Oct. 25 and then she’ll retire Nov. 30, with six years left on her term. Her husband, Ed Burke, is the longest-serving alderman in Chicago’s history. His federal racketeering trial is set for Nov. 6, 2023, but his next election is Feb. 28, 2023.

Despite the 15th consecutive month of job gains, Illinois still has not recovered its pre-pandemic jobs and the state’s current unemployment rate of 4.5% remains above the national unemployment rate of 3.7%.

“Today, progressives are undermining the institutions our forefathers created. Following the lead of California and New York, Illinois is undermining the criminal justice system by eliminating cash bail for most crimes, including second degree murder, kidnapping, and robbery. Green Parties in Germany and Belgium are moving forward with plans to shut down nuclear power plants, despite electricity shortages. “

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss says without federal money for lead service replacement projects, local water bills will skyrocket. “An undertaking that we expect to cost over $168 million in 2021 dollars, and without additional outside funding, this would result in an increase of over 70% to their retail water rate.”

“When you look at the radical left and what they have done to the state of Illinois, a majority of Illinoisans are against it and we are seeing that with the SAFE T Act,” state Rep. Adam Neimerg said.

“It is frustrating because many aspects of the statute are not clear,” retired Judge Robbin Stuckert, who chairs the Pretrial Implementation Task Force, said. “They may be vague, gray areas. And again, we are charged by the Supreme Court to assist with implementation.”

The second-quarter patterns – based on gaps in home affordability, underwater mortgages, foreclosures and unemployment – revealed that New Jersey, Illinois and California had 33 of the 50 counties most vulnerable to potential declines. The 50 most at-risk included six in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Taking aim at Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who Kathy Salvi is challenging in November, the actors argued that “after Duckworth voted to hire 87,000 IRS agents to audit families, it’s been a little tense.”

“It’s a funny thing about the shoe being on the other foot. Those who don’t care much about someone else’s ill-fitting shoe suddenly care a lot when it’s their dogs that are yapping.”

Agriculture is Illinois’ largest industry, with the state being the top producer of soybeans and the second-highest producer of corn in the country. There are more than 72,000 farms covering more than three-quarters of the state’s land area, according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Yet the number of farmers in the 177-member Illinois General Assembly can be counted on two hands, with the profession making up far less than, say, lawyers or businesspeople under the Capitol dome in Springfield.

In August, the number of jobs on payroll increased by 4,000 according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor. IDES said the state’s unemployment rate increased by 0.1% to 4.5% in August as well. The state’s unemployment is 0.8% above the national average unemployment rate.

The former heard of the discipline office at the Illinois State Police will get a chance to resume his lawsuit against Jenny Thornley, a former state worker who allegedly falsely accused her boss of sexual assault and used her political ties to Gov. JB Pritzker to get him removed, to attempt to thwart a criminal investigation into allegations that she falsified payroll records to rake in overtime pay.

Among the new guidelines was an update to testing requirements for school and childcare employees. Unvaccinated employees in those settings will no longer be required to twice twice weekly.

“The improvement is going to require putting deference, in some fashion with some guidelines, back in front of the judges that see these people day-to-day, that see the criminals in their communities, and who understand their communities,” Tom Devore said. “What we’ve really done is to centralize a lot of this discretion into a statute that was crammed through the legislature in three days.”

State tax revenues grew by $5.5 billion in Illinois in the fiscal year that concluded on June 30, exceeding $50 billion for the first time in Illinois history.

The disaster declaration gives Gov. JB Pritzker greater flexibility in providing resources to the migrants from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and other state agencies; Pritzker is also activating 75 members of the Illinois National Guard to help distribute resources. Pritzker used the same powers to manage the pandemic, and two and one-half years later is still using emergency declarations to run the state.

Illinois should aim to build up a now $1 billion rainy day fund by more than $2 billion to manage through future economic crises, state Comptroller Susana Mendoza said in pressing for passage this fall of legislation that would funnel more revenue to the once-barren fund. States on average hold reserves that would allow them to manage for 35 days. Illinois only this year tipped the scales over the $1 billion mark, reaching $1.039 billion, but that equates to just one week worth of operations, Mendoza said.

Illinois has a child food insecurity rate of 11.3%, which ranks #10 lowest among all states.

There are seven total justices on the Supreme Court in Illinois, four of whom are Democrats. Two of those seats that are currently held by Democrats are going to be on the ballot this November, and if Republicans can flip at least one seat, then they could see a host of legal challenges to measures passed by a Democratic-controlled General Assembly.

Take U of I’s flagship Urbana-Champaign campus, with base tuition and fees now starting at $17,138 a year. In comparison, a Big-10 education for in-state students attending Indiana University-Bloomington or the University of Wisconsin-Madison costs nearly $6,000 less. Illinois schools cost more because most other states don’t have Illinois-sized pension debt.

“As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the author of the original DREAM Act more than 20 years ago, I have the authority to start the process to rewrite the laws that have failed us so badly.”

More than 1,200 cities, towns and villages across the state will receive $371 million in federal funding. The second round of funds are to cover unexpected costs and lost revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They can also be used to upgrade water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.

Comptroller Susana Mendoza told a crowd at The City Club of Chicago that Illinois has cut its backlog of unpaid bills from $16.7 billion in 2017 to just a fraction of that today. “We now have a working accounts-payable that falls between $2 and $3 billion,” Mendoza said. However, she failed to say just how the state paid those bills.

Lax discipline policies are found in other government union contracts in Illinois. For example, the AFSCME contract with the state of Illinois allows employees to amass 11 unauthorized absences before dismissal upon the 12th offense. They can miss five consecutive days without calling in before potentially being dismissed.

The disaster declaration will allow the Illinois Emergency Management Agency as well as Chicago and Cook County officials to provide transportation, housing, food, health screenings and medical treatment to the immigrants. The 75 members of the Illinois National Guard will help coordinate services, Pritzker said. Pritzker said Abbott’s actions are a clear “stunt,” since the immigrants are only being sent to cities where the

“The greatest jailbreak in Madison County history will occur on Jan. 1, 2023,” Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas A. Haine said in a released statement. “On that date, approximately half of our present jail population must be released under the terms of the new SAFE-T Act, and cash bail will be eliminated throughout Illinois.” Haine called the new law a massive “unfunded mandate” requiring Madison County to spend more money on the criminal justice system while fundamentally weakening it.

Champaign County State’s Attorney, Julia Rietz, said there are parts of the new law that are still being worked out, including what happens if a person misses their court dates. “If it’s not a detainable offense at the beginning, it’s never a detainable offense.”

Farming is big business in Illinois, contributing billions to the state’s economy. And for many, the pandemic raised awareness of the need for a local and regional food supply chain. But the number of farmers in Illinois is declining and the most recent census data shows the average age of a farmer is nearly 60.

In Bailey’s first television interview, conducted at his downstate farm, he says he has confidence no matter what the polls show.

“I think we just need, at a base level, an evaluation of why Illinois has so many regulations on these businesses compared to other states,” said Bryce Hill of the Illinois Policy Institute. “So when we see hundreds of thousands of regulations Illinois has, we should consider what kind of effect they have.”

Jill Gonzalez of WalletHub explained, “The Illinois cities on this list did not rank well. We looked at 182 cities, and Aurora ranked 171st and Chicago ranked 154th. The cost of living is high, so when you are living on a fixed income, that is not helpful.”

Prices were up 4% in July in Illinois compared to last year, but the increase was smaller than the month before.

“I can’t walk down the street without being stopped by someone who asks how the SAFE-T Act can be stopped,” state Sen. Don DeWitte said. “People have legitimate concerns and we need to pump the brakes on implementation so the long list of unintended consequences tied to the Act can be addressed.”

Joy V. Cunningham was appointed by the court to serve out Burke’s remaining two-year term. Cunningham, a Democrat like Burke, will be just the second Black woman to serve on the state Supreme Court. Because Illinois’ primaries have already occurred and the general election looms in November, Cunningham won’t face voters until 2024. In fact, of the seven state Supreme Court Justices, only one, Republican David Overstreet, was elected to the court without first receiving an interim appointment.

“Everybody knows that the area in the Chicago, or the megapolis area, you know, is a different cat compared to everybody downstate,” said Danville native and retired veterinarian Wes Bieritz said. “And that’s been well known. It’s very obvious in the voting records as well. So, you know, do we want to be represented by those people up there? Hmm, I don’t think I do.”

The State of Illinois capital plan currently does not include a comprehensive statewide capital improvement plan that establishes priorities to balance capital needs with available resources, pairs capital projects with funding sources, helps ensure orderly repair and maintenance of capital assets and provides an estimate of the size and timing of future debt issuance. Rather, it primarily includes a list of projects.

According to Matt Dietrich with the Illinois Board of Elections, it’s very hard for eligible voters to get kicked off the lists here.

Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said Mayor Lori Lightfoot apologized Sunday for not providing notice of the migrants’ arrival, but she told him the state was in charge. Gov. JB said Monday that the state sent the migrants to communities with enough available rooms, and that state taxpayers are footing the bill for the rooms.

The data also show an interesting phenomenon at work, noted Thomas Aaron, a vice president and senior credit officer at Moody’s, who co-wrote the analysis. Once costs approach the 30 percent threshold states tend to step in and assume more of the share. Illinois stepped in to help out Chicago in 2017, and Colorado increased its payments to help alleviate districts’ burdens in 2018.

Taxpayer funded ESSR money was swiftly approved and distributed with little to no oversight during the pandemic. Districts in New York, California, Illinois, and Minnesota openly spent their pandemic dollars on political endeavors; Illinois has utilized masses of pandemic-relief money to institute equity plans with a specific focus on “anti-racism.”

Two of the teachers agreed to stay for the 2022-2023 school year. But for two others who ignored the warning and left to teach elsewhere, their teaching licenses now are in jeopardy.

“It’s not like there’s going to be a mass effort to send people to suburban locations,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “It’s just that when there isn’t enough room at hotels in the city of Chicago and people are arriving with a few hours notice, that we end up having to send them where it is possible to provide immediate shelter.”

The Gift Ban Act prohibits state officers and employees from receiving gifts from prohibited sources exceeding certain dollar amounts. AG candidate and attorney Thomas Devore says that Gov. J.B. Pritzker is violating state law by supplementing the taxpayer-funded six-figure incomes of his top administrative staff members with his own personal fortune.

While small businesses create 69% of all new jobs in Illinois, the state was ranked last in the nation in 2021 for growth in high propensity businesses applications, or companies the IRS deemed more likely to create jobs. Illinois also ranked third-worst in the Midwest for business formation rates in 2021 despite receiving the 1oth highest number of business applications in the nation, and the most in the region. More than 92% of applications to start businesses were denied.

“It’s a Catch-22, because taxpayers’ expenses are going higher and governments’ expenses are going higher, and the governments have to raise taxes to pay for it,” said Sheila Weinberg, CEO and founder of Glencoe-based Truth in Accounting. “It does seem unusual that if they have these large reserves, then why do they need to keep raising taxes?”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker extended the public health emergency in August and it will remain in effect until at least Sept. 17. Pritzker said more than 34,500 Illinoisans have died in the pandemic and added “predicting what will happen in the future in this pandemic continues to be a difficult task.”

The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Illinois Appellate Court Justice Joy Cunningham to fill Burke’s vacant seat on the court for the remainder of her term, through Dec. 2, 2024. Burke’s term as chief justice ends Oct. 24, and the court has selected Justice Mary Jane Theis as the next chief justice.

Peter Sopczak, the Johnson County Sheriff, reiterated what’s going to happen in Illinois at the start of the new year saying, “anyone sitting in jail right now with all these pending charges, they’re going to be let out — the gates are open and they’re going to be let out onto the streets.”

For more than two years, lawyers for the state of Illinois fought against a lawsuit filed by the former chief of staff to powerful Sen. Michael Hastings. But earlier this year, the state paid $100,000 to the ex-chief of staff to Hastings and her lawyer to settle the case, which included accusations of racial and gender discrimination against the Democratic lawmaker. The state also hired a private attorney who represented Hastings — with the payments to the outside counsel’s firm adding up to nearly $47,000.

Gibson City Mayor Dan Dickey learned Aug. 23 that the Tax Abatement Ordinance filed with Ford County was not applied to the tax formula, resulting in a much higher rate for the City portion of the property tax bills for Gibson City residents and businesses. He says there is still time to adjust the bills so taxpayers aren’t paying more than they have too.

The University of Chicago comes in at No. 6, and Northwestern University ranks No. 10. The other two Illinois universities that ranked in lists the top 100 are University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, at No. 47, and the University of Illinois Chicago, also known as UIC, at no. 97.

Critics say permanent tax relief is needed in one of the highest taxes states in the country. “The plan has checks arrive just before the election and then tax reductions expire right after the election,” state Sen. Dan McConchie said.

Growth in overall sales and tax revenue is slowing, largely because Illinois has far fewer retail locations per capita than other states. Meanwhile, the effort to give Black and Brown entrepreneurs a fair shot at potentially lucrative retail licenses has also been hobbled by bureaucratic delay. Now hey’ve hit another snag. The state of Illinois says the applicants can’t take on investors until they have their shops built out, inspected and open for business. Yet to build out those shops, some applicants need capital. Most banks still aren’t willing to lend to marijuana

“Criminal-coddling policies are having serious political consequences for Democrats in other states. Much more importantly, they are having tragic, life-altering, and life-ending consequences for the innocent victims of the criminals whom these policies seem almost designed to enable. Chicago, always a dangerous city but in 2022 quite possibly the Mecca of murder, could yet become much worse than it is now, believe it or not.”

J. Hanley, Winnebago County State’s Attorney: “This convoluted series of steps will not only delay justice for victims and strike fear into the hearts of witnesses, it will place an unnecessary burden on law enforcement to find defendants who they’ve already arrested and serve them with a piece of paper asking them nicely to come to court…One can hear the wheels of justice beginning to grind to a halt.”

Nationwide one in every 4,072 housing units had a foreclosure filing in August 2022. States with the highest foreclosure rates were Illinois (one in every 1,926 housing units with a foreclosure filing); Delaware; South Carolina; New Jersey; and Florida.

In more than a century of state income taxes, only four states have ever transitioned from a graduated-rate income tax to a flat tax. Another four adopted legislation doing so this year, and a planned transition in a fifth state is now going forward under a recent court decision. In what is already a year of significant bipartisan focus on tax relief, 2022 is also launching something of a flat tax revolution.

“J.B. Pritzker cares little about such consequences, since the trust-fund billionaire has long prioritized a radical agenda over the prosperity and security of the citizens of his state.”

Appointed in December to fill a vacancy for the 99th House District, Rep. Sandy Hamilton made good on her promise to set an example on fiscal responsibility using taxpayer dollars.

Jim Dey: “”Will County state Sen. Michael” Hastings’ problem is that two legal documents contain conflicting statements about out-of-court settlement terms. Even more revealing is the role that Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office played in misleading the public about that settlement.”

The new year is only 4 months away, which means new laws will soon take effect. A lot of the laws in Illinois have to do with the workplace, and there are a bunch that can benefit the workers themselves. There are amendments to pre-existing laws that will employees should be aware of as well.

In Illinois, beginning January 1, 2023, 2nd degree murder suspects will be released without bail in the name of social reform; arson, kidnapping, drug induced homincide, and 9 other types of crime will be considered non-detainable at the start of the new year.

The Opening Doors or Abriendo Puertas program is designed to aid lower-income borrowers and households of color who have historically faced steeper barriers in their path toward homeownership with $6,000 in forgivable assistance for down payment and/or closing costs. This latest round of assistance is funded through $10 million in Rebuild Illinois capital funds and is expected to assist more than 1,600 homebuyers.

The influential Chicago-based Fobazi Ettarh, 32, who was most recently a librarian at Rutgers, is another example of what many call a modern “radical librarian.” Ettarh, who is also an educator and writer, says she represents “librarianship, education, activism, and all the intersections in between…. People that say what librarians do in their own time, out of the library,

Jim Durkin, IL House Republican leader and former assistant Cook County state’s attorney: “Starting Jan. 1, those accused of being large-scale smugglers, traffickers or distributors may end up not being detained or subject to a bond hearing. Suspected street gang and cartel members could be released immediately. The courts will have to tell them to follow the honor system and attend their next scheduled appearance. What are the chances of that?”

“We all know that downstate has lost a significant amount of its political importance, but the numbers really help illustrate this decline…(T)the increase in Republican identification in the region has not been enough to make up for its falling vote share and the party’s more recent disadvantages in the suburbs.”

President Joe Biden’s plan will forgive up to $20,000 in student loans, and now, Sen. Dick Durbin wants borrowers to have the option of filing bankruptcy for the rest.

A group of House Democrats on Friday called on Congress to provide $50 million in federal funding to house and feed migrants bused to northern cities from Texas and Arizona. In a letter led by Reps. Jesús García (Ill.) and Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.) and District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, 23 Democrats called on heads of the Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee to add the funds to the 2023 budget for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP).

Brown County, Illinois officials are joining a growing litany of justice system and law enforcement representatives taking a stand against a change that in a few months will do away with a cash bail system in Illinois.

Right-to-work (RTW) states have added 1.3 million jobs since 2020, while non-RTW states lost 1.1 million jobs, according to the study. “During the pandemic, there was a huge out-migration from states like Illinois, New York, New Jersey and California into the southern states like Texas, Florida, North Carolina an others, and all of those states happen to be right-to-work,” said Lee Schalk, vice president of policy at the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said he, police, and judges will all have their “hands tied” once the law takes effect. “You’ve got legislators who aren’t lawyers, you’ve got legislators who weren’t criminal lawyers,” he said. “Trying to read all that in two days. It was impossible.”

Illinois as a whole received a D+ grade this year for its drinking water infrastructure from the American Society of Civil Engineers. That’s in part because many communities have been in violation of one or more of the EPA’s drinking water compliance programs.

“The act is so badly written that no two people read it the same way,” according to a message shared by Brown County State’s Attorney Mike Hill, Sheriff Justin Oliver and Mount Sterling Police Chief Brandon Norris. “Lawyers across the state are all scratching their heads wondering how the new system is going to work and keep people safe.”

Jim Dey: “While the immediate picture is relatively bright, analysts acknowledge that onetime federal financial aid stemming from the coronavirus pandemic has contributed immeasurably to improvements in the state’s financial picture.”

According to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, there were approximately 7,000 vacant state positions at the beginning of the year — seen especially in state veterans homes, prisons, psychiatric hospitals and the Department of Children and Family Services.

The UI once again broke its own enrollment records this fall, with 56,644 students taking classes at the Urbana campus, 36,245 of them undergraduates.

State Sen. Robert Martwick: “Our state Supreme Court is working with counties across Illinois to ensure a successful transition to this new system. In November and December, courts will be reevaluating cases under the new law to determine what happens to people currently incarcerated in our state’s jails on Jan. 1.”

Illinois ranks No. 2. The state lacks job opportunities and reached an all-time high for resignations in August last year during the Great Resignation.

“The panel recognizes the potential complexity and challenge of this case for the district court, but also its importance for plaintiff and other providers of health care to Medicaid patients, as well as for the patients themselves,” Judges David Hamilton and Diane Wood wrote.

State Sen. Darren Bailey called the legislation impractical. “Illinois was once an energy exporter, not very long ago. Now we’re on our hands and knees begging to buy energy from others, while our people, our businesses and our hospital worry if they can keep the lights on.”

Head researcher Chuck Casto said. “Eleven percent of the small businesses say they are planning layoffs as early as this month.” Almost half of those who stopped hiring said they were seeking workers earlier this year, but stopped because of high payroll expenses, recessionary fears and reduced revenues.

“I am 60 years old, and I am not going to change who I am,” Lightfoot said. “I will continue to push people, sometimes out of their comfort zone because that is what the people demand of us…We are not going to agree on every issue, but we do not have to. It is a democracy. We debate, and then we compromise.”

“2021 was a really bad year in the United States for police officers feloniously killed, there were 73 of them,” said Wirepoints Senior Editor Matt Rosenberg, who analyzed the data. “We had a 52% jump over the rolling yearly average in 2021.” Rosenberg called it a “great unraveling,” something he said has intensified in the past three years.

Carl Ervin is interim director of the new Office of Justice, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. He said of the students he works with, “If they can grow, expand, and reach their full potential without these obstacles of complicit bias, unconscious bias, (and) things that get in the way. If we can help our students to feel better, if we can help our students by making the institution a fairer place, then yes, it’s fair. It’s right.”

“We’re trying to get property tax relief for those residents by having that potential issue on a non-binding referendum that we can use to take the state legislator to get that loophole closed,” Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder said.

Wednesday, the system announced over 94,800 students are enrolled this fall across all three campuses. Total enrollment numbers have increased steadily over the past few years. They’re up 10,000 students from five years ago. The admissions rate dropped from 60% to 45%.

One topic that got most of the focus was the Property Tax Assessment Board. “We have had scandals at the previous assessor’s office and the board of review and unnecessary layers of government,” said Reform for Illinois Director David . “When you have unnecessary layers of government, it usually only helps the insiders while the rest of us pay the freight.”

“And listen to DeVore discuss an important corruption case that corrupt corporate Chicago media ignores, but DeVore isn’t ignoring it. He’s whipping it up and already using it to peel the bark off the governor and his legal wing-man on this one, (Attorney General Kwame) Raoul: It is the Jenny Thornley case and Pritzker and Kwame dig ever deeper into their rabbit hole to hide from it.”

“It’s certainly a run of good news for a city that was disproportionately affected by deindustrialization and subsequent globalization that saw thousands of jobs shipped overseas. This can be measured in many ways, but there’s perhaps no more acute quantification than the number of people who live here. Decatur’s population has declined 25% in the past 40 years, going from 94,081 in 1980 to 70,522 as of the 2020 U.S. Census.”

Jim Dey: “One example of the status quo is Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Springfield native who once used his downstate roots to attract downstate votes. But as Durbin has turned his back on downstaters to appeal to growing numbers elsewhere, they have turned their backs on him. Durbin won his 2020 race handily, but lost 88 counties.”

“Chicagoans in search of reliable political coverage in today’s fractured media environment have a new source this campaign season. But whether that source is news or recycled propaganda from a prominent political activist is most debatable. As are the actions of the big donor who’s apparently picking up the tab. At issue is the recent appearance in mailboxes all around town of Chicago City Wire, a broadsheet publication that bills itself just below its nameplate as ‘Real data. Real News.'”

“These are the things people are concerned about and are talking about, ‘do I want to raise my family in this environment,’” Illinois Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie said. “Those are the problems that we have to absolutely solve in order to not only keep people in the state but make us a net importer of people once again.”

According to data from the Illinois State Board of Education, there are fewer students and more teachers in Illinois today compared to a decade ago.

The groups said that while the initial cannabis operators have thrived and grossed over a billion dollars, social equity businesses have languished on the sidelines for three years, losing billions,” according to the group. The groups blame the rules and regulations that are in place.

Jim Dey: “Despite lacking in policy substance in Illinois, the political issue of abortion is a useful tool for stoking voters’ emotions.”

One of the men arrested admitted to being involved in 30 car thefts – all targeting police cars.

“He can no more stop campaigning than Rahm Emanuel can stop using the f-word. Quinn has run for every statewide office except comptroller. He was elected treasurer (1990), lieutenant governor (2002, 2006), and governor (2010). He lost races for secretary of state (1994), U.S. Senate (1996), and lieutenant governor (1998). His name has appeared on a ballot at least every four years since 1990. (And as) an Illinois governor who didn’t go to prison, Quinn possessed a lot of professional capital.”

An alien worldview has invaded our nation’s schools…. The evidence abounds. First introduced in New York, BLM-inspired curricula teach schoolkids to challenge the nuclear family, resist “white culture,” and free themselves from the “tight grip of heteronormativity.” Schools in Illinois teach grade-schoolers to celebrate the transgender flag; break the “gender binary” established by “white colonizers”; and practice using “ze,” “zir,” and “tree” pronouns.

State Sen. Terri Bryant, whose district includes Choate, blamed some of the issues at the facility on broader failures of the state of Illinois. It can take months for job applicants to navigate the state’s bureaucratic hiring process, and by the time an offer is made, “sometimes what you’re left with is the folks that couldn’t get a job anywhere else,” she said. “The (OIG) does not have enough investigators. It’s inexcusable.”

“When (Cook County State’s Attorney) Kim Foxx refuses to prosecute, essentially, no cash bail already exists now,” GOP challenger Darren Bailey said, calling her, Gov. JB Pritzker, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot the “three musketeers of crime, chaos, and tragedy…When this is released all across the state, the whole state is going to face the same mayhem that Chicago has.”

“By decriminalizing these substances and making it a misdemeanor, similar to having an open six-pack of beer, is one of the most irresponsible votes of any legislator to do,” House Minority Leader Jim Durkin said. “All while proclaiming to the people they represent that they are all for public safety.”

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said of the SAFE-T Act going into effect statewide in the new year, “There’s all kinds of issues they haven’t really worked out and again if they would have talked to us early on the process, we could have told them ‘here are the things they should allow for.”

A report earlier this year showed Illinois will need 17 times the current number of EV chargers to accommodate Pritzker’s goal of one million EVs on the roads in seven years. Elbert Walters from Powering Chicago said, “There are a lot of stakeholders at play, and of course, the biggest stakeholder is those who are in control of the electrical grid that we utilize everyday.”

The Reimagining Electric Vehicles Act will provide an estimated $2.2 million in value to T/CCI Manufacturing in Decatur. The company plans to retool the Decatur facility to produce compressors for EVs with an estimated $20 million investment. Currently, T/CCI makes EV compressors in China and India.

Hilary Scott-Ogunrinde, executive secretary of Macedonia Development Corp., identified challenges that are baked into the law because of special language lawmakers needed to use. She points to “Equity Eligible Contractor” as an example. “They couldn’t use definitions within our community, like Black, Indigenous or other people of color. They couldn’t use ‘minority- and women-owned’ for the sake of concern of being sued.”

At a time when Republicans seem to be pulling the nation further and further to the right, Pritzker’s aggressive approach to both politics and policy has captured the attention of Democrats seeking a greater sense of urgency from their party. “He’s really good at battling opponents,” said Camille Rivera, a Democratic strategist with the progressive New Deal Strategies.

The regional multi-mission facility will house ISP patrol, investigations, communications, and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) resources. The State of Illinois purchased the land for $1.

Between 2012 and 2022, there have been a total of 33 officer fatalities, which equated to 355 deaths per 100,000 police officers in 2021. Of those fatalities, 19 officers died accidentally while 14 were victims of homicide.

Officials in Madison County have confirmed a criminal investigation is underway after election judges noticed similar handwriting on roughly 39 mail-in ballots during the Illinois primary election. County Clerk Debbie Ming-Mendoza said the mail-in ballots in question were all cast in the Democratic primary.

“You have seen fights shift to the state courts,” said Garrett Arwa, of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, “You have seen an increasing amount of money spent in some battleground state courts in the wake of these decisions.” Two seats are open on the Illinois Supreme Court, which currently has a 4-3 Democratic majority, and Democrats are using the issue of abortion to rally voters in an effort to hold on to their edge. If primary voting is any indication, Democrats face an uphill battle.

A republication of our Wirepoints column.

“As…reported recently, parents in Illinois and Montana quickly organized community pushback to planned ‘drag queen storytime’ events in their small towns, in one case gathering enough signatures to put taxpayer-funded drag shows for kids on this November’s ballot as a referendum item. Another recent…piece chronicled how librarians in several Republican-leaning suburbs of Saint Louis used their taxpayer-funded positions to organize a series of ‘drag queen storytime’ events this past June to coincide with Pride Month, even though they knew many local parents and residents

Under state law, any change to federal tax law automatically applies in Illinois, and that means that the exemption passed in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 will also apply.

Sheila Weinberg of Truth In Accounting explained how taxpayers are being affected by the happenings on Wall Street: “The taxpayer liabilities on these are volatile. If the market takes a hit, then the assets are worth less, and therefor in the future, taxpayers could be asked to contribute even more to their pensions to cover the gap.”

“The Inflation Reduction Act, along with extending the insulin price cap and increasing competition among biologics, will ensure that millions more Americans will be able to afford the prescription drugs they need and, in many cases, paid to develop.That’s a win for everyone.”

It’s still much higher than Illinois’ average price on Sept. 4, 2021, which was $3.374, according to AAA. And it’s higher than the national average for gas, which is now $3.789.

“Pritzker’s first term as governor and his actions toward business owners and economic growth in Illinois offer the best indicators of how his policies might look at the national level. Looking into that crystal ball to see the future, the outlook for the nation and its business sector isn’t good.”

In Sangamon County this past week, a judge issued another order for DHS to show cause why the agency isn’t transferring an inmate for evaluation. The judge ordered DHS secretary Grace Hou to appear in court Sept. 12 to answer why she “should not be held in indirect civil contempt of this Court.”

“This isn’t a fight between environmentalist and farmers,” Durbin said. “We are all in this together, and as the climate does change, it’s a challenge.”

Illinois ranks second, behind New Jersey.

A majority of the Illinois Education Association’s roughly 135,000 members are seeing shortages in their districts in both teaching and support staff positions, including bus drivers, custodians, paraprofessionals and secretaries, Griffin said.

From 2020 to 2021, the average amount of resignations went up by 65%, and the retirement rate was up 7% from the normal average per year, which is why some departments are forced to hire officers from other counties. Sixty percent of the 239 agencies in Illinois reported being short-staffed this year.

Chicago is one of the nation’s gun violence hotspots and a seemingly ideal place to employ Illinois’ “red flag” law that allows police to step in and take firearms away from people who threaten to kill. But amid more than 8,500 shootings resulting in 1,800 deaths since 2020, the law was used there just four times.

“Offenders are no longer concerned about being punished for their violent acts, and that means they literally have nothing to lose by assaulting any human being they encounter in prison,” said Scot Ward, president of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Corrections Lodge 263. “And if they are not accountable on the inside, how can you ever hope to safely return them to society once their sentences are over?”

“And we ranked them based on how well we thought they were doing to make sure their elections are safe and secure and state officials are making it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” said Zack Smith, a legal fellow with the Heritage Foundation. “Now, unfortunately, Illinois didn’t do particularly well on this metric.”

“The League of Women Voters, while that sounds like a nice organization, they don’t do a lot of nice work,” Catalina Lauf, a Republican candidate for Congress in Illinois, said in a video posted in May on Instagram, explaining her reasoning for refusing to participate in a league-sponsored debate. “They need to switch their brand fast, because their hyperpartisanship is turning off a lot of women who just want common sense.”

“Lake County’s main observance of the Labor Day holiday, the once-annual parade in Zion, is not being held this year. At one time, union members and their families proudly strutted down Sheridan Road in the city’s downtown and manned floats on the holiday weekend. The parade and celebration marking the rise of the labor movement in the 1890s not only in Zion and Lake County, but across the nation, has again been shelved. That in itself says something about the state of organized labor.”

The new law, sponsored by State Senator Scott Bennett, requires universities to give students access to online versions of their course materials on the first day of class. These online alternatives would be priced at a significantly lower cost than printed textbooks.

Illinois finished 28th on the list with a sales tax of $0.23 per gallon. Other than Kentucky, Illinois has a higher tax than neighboring states, with Indiana at $0.12, Michigan at $0.20, and Wisconsin with the nation’s second lowest tax at just $0.06.

“What I am presently seeing occur at Choate and hearing occur at other facilities concerns me more than it has my entire career,” Barry Smoot, a decades-long IDHS employee, wrote to Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Grace Hou May 26, 2021. At least 26 Choate employees have been arrested on felony charges over the past decade.

While it is one of the most egregious examples of abuse of a Choate resident in a decade, a monthslong investigation has found that the incident is one of many instances of mistreatment at the rural facility managed by the Illinois Department of Human Services. Over a 10-year period running through 2021, the state police opened at least 40 criminal investigations into alleged employee misconduct at Choate, more than at any of IDHS’ other facilities in Southern Illinois.

This failure to prioritize union members could explain why 9% of state and local government workers in Illinois have opted out of their union since 2017. That includes nearly 10% of public school employees.

Young America’s Foundation spokeswoman Kara Zupkus touted the youth conservative organization’s Campus Bias Tip Line as a resource for “students facing intimidation and bullying tactics from professors like this one…As our nation’s campuses become more polarized with left-wing activists parading as educators, it’s up to us to hold these leaders accountable for their viewpoint discrimination…”

It’s a department that’s been plagued by problems under Democrat and Republican governors. Governor JB Pritzker continues to support the DCFS director whose been held in contempt of court 12 times. They have an annual budget of over $1.5 billion.

“How can over 24 other states have a process in place for electronic filing, but not Illinois,” state Rep. Dan Brady said. “This service provides the release and filing of these documents electronically to help all the stakeholders involved as efficiently as possible, especially to the consumer.”

“We need to bring businesses back. We need to look at a property tax reduction. We need to look at pension reform for workers. We need to lower the corporate income tax,” state Rep. Adam Niemerg said. “It is time we start helping businesses and not stifling them.”

The Federal Communications Commission announced this week it is authorizing around $800 million for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund for six providers to expand broadband in 19 states, including Illinois, which will receive the largest amount at $212 million.

“The term ‘blind trust’ is being used here as a thin shield to conceal the governor’s pursuit of personal profits,” said Bridget J. Crawford of Pace University’s law school. “This is not a blind trust in any meaningful sense of the phrase.”

Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino’s team found IDES didn’t create an audit trail to document claims according to federal standards. He suggested the problem may have been much smaller if IDES implemented the unemployment insurance standards the state has used for years. “If you see 15 claims coming in from one house, the computer would normally kick that out and say, ‘flag it and take a look at this.’ That wasn’t there on the PUA side. And fraudsters and cyber criminals are ingenious.”

“Right now, they’re selling gas cheaper than Missouri,” one gas station owner said of the Godfrey Road Walmart gas station. “We should be 30 cents higher than Missouri because of taxes – we have a 30-cent higher tax than across the river.”

Jim Dey: “While the revenue numbers are up in the aftermath of the pandemic, Illinois’ casino revenues for the 2021-’22 fiscal year ($1.307 billion) failed to equal revenues generated in the 2011-’12 fiscal year ($1.641 billion). The good revenue news is that the $1.3 billion generated in 2021-’22 represents a strong increase over the pandemic-related revenue declines.”

State Sen. Jason Barickman worked on the bipartisan school-funding overhaul that passed five years ago. He said the next big policy challenge may be bolstering the teaching profession itself. “We all acknowledge that there’s a problem in our pension system. Challenges that are enormous. But the blame for years, by some people, was put on educators. And I think unfairly so.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a statement late Wednesday evening: “Illinois welcomes refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants and we are working with federal and city officials to ensure that these individuals are treated with respect and safety as they look to connect with their family and friends. My great-grandfather came to this country as an immigrant fleeing Ukraine in 1881. Immigrants just like my family seeking freedom and opportunity built this country. Illinois is and has always been a welcoming state.”

Taxpayers provided UIS with $46.3 million of funding in FY21. In return, they will benefit from added tax revenue, stemming from students’ higher lifetime earnings and increased business output, amounting to $127.1 million. For every dollar of public money invested in the university, taxpayers will receive $3.20 in return.

“Now, just over two months out from Election Day and weeks from early voting commencing, Illinois Republicans may need to hope for a course correction on the national climate. This would mean that the post-Dobbs effect of ginned up Democratic enthusiasm wears off and voters turn their attention to kitchen table issues like high gas prices.”

Sean C. Garrick, vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Illinois, which has 71 DEI employees, earns nearly $330,000 annually, salary disclosures show. Said Mark Perry, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, “When you look at the cost of college over the last 10, 20, 30, 40 years, college tuition fees have gone up more than any other consumer product, good or service.”

The poll, conducted by Victory Geek August 25 to 28, shows Gov. JB Pritzker leading 57-37% with 6% undecided.

Tom Demmer, a Republican state representative from Dixon, faces Mike Frerichs, the incumbent Democrat, in the November election.

The two-year audit from the Illinois auditor general released this week included the first 18 months of the pandemic and shows the unemployment agency did not have proper controls over many aspects of the federally funded state agency. There were 26 compliance findings. All but three showed significant deficiencies.

At the bottom of the ranking for the worst real estate markets at No. 300 is Peoria, with Rockford not far behind at No. 294. Other Illinois cities include Chicago at No. 282, Joliet at No. 279, and Elgin at No. 277.

Benny Durbin, a public works specialist in Arthur, had been a member of IBEW. But as Durbin explained, “I just didn’t feel well-represented, or like there was enough support from our union. They didn’t really help us when we went into negotiations. They never really asked us what we wanted. I also didn’t like seeing the union give our money to political figures for their campaign funds. I don’t like that at all.”

Steve Cortes: “With costs in Illinois soaring, how about the growth side of the equation?…Since Pritzker took office, the three-year overall growth rate for the Illinois economy was an anemic 0.5%. In contrast, the five states that border Illinois performed more than seven times better, with an average of 3.86% growth, even after all the challenges of 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic.”

Petitions began circulating around Normal earlier this summer. The goal was to get enough signatures so the following question would be on the November ballot: “Shall the town be divided into 6 districts with one trustee from each district?” Supporters argued that such a system would equate to fairer representation; critics questioned whether the town was too small to be divided into districts, similar to Bloomington’s ward system.

The State is working to fill vacancies and hire thousands of frontline workers in the Departments of Human Services, Corrections, and Veteran’s Affairs.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program offers $300 million in support to help families pay their gas and electric bills. Households must earn less than two times the federal poverty line to receive LIHEAP benefits.

“That’s about all you need. The Democrats control Illinois. They control pretty much the presidential election and electoral votes. Chicago and northern Illinois controls the state so, you know, I think people that live in southern Illinois, we realize that we’re an afterthought,” retiree Bruce Merrell said. “It’s two different worlds. The viewpoint of a person from Chicago about what the people are in southern Illinois is they’re practically not even human.”

Emails show just a few local librarians in Collinsville and Glen Carbon, Illinois, working with other librarians to use their public positions to promote personal causes. The Collinsville and Glen Carbon Centennial public libraries this summer featured three “drag queen storytime” events to promote homosexual “Pride Month.”

So far in August, Vote Yes for Workers Rights, which supports the labor amendment in front of voters this November, received $3.2 million from various labor unions.

Gov. JB Pritzker said his executive authority only goes so far. “There are things that you can’t do as an executive order. There are things that the legislature really does need to do, we need it enshrined into law. So, again, those things are all being worked out. We’re talking with the legislature, working with the attorney general’s office.”

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday that abortion rights will be a central issue in the 2022 election, not just in his bid for reelection but in races up and down the ballot. That includes races for Congress and the Illinois Supreme Court as well as the governor’s race and state legislative contests.

The study shows that southern Illinois receives $2.88 in state funds for every tax dollar collected. Cook County gets back 98 cents, and some suburban counties only get 60 cents for each dollar sent to Springfield.

Jim Dey: “(Tom) Demmer said Illinois needs stability — meaning no new income taxes or any taxes on retirement income to keep more people from leaving…Citing decisions to move corporate headquarters out of the state by Caterpillar, Boeing and Citadel Securities as evidence, Demmer said Illinois needs to become ‘more attractive’ for both employees and employers.”

“Illinois Republicans last controlled the state Supreme Court the same year the former John Hancock building opened along North Michigan Avenue, and the Chicago Cubs infamously blew the National League pennant…(T)hat 53-year string of political futility could end if Republicans thread the electoral needle and win elections for two open Supreme Court seats that cover big swathes of suburban Chicago.”

To encourage more psychologists, psychiatrists, substance abuse counselors and other mental health professionals to move to and practice in underserved areas, the General Assembly passed – but never funded – legislation in 2019 to establish a student loan forgiveness program for eligible practitioners. Thanks in part to new revenue from the sale of cannabis, the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program is finally up and running.

The race for the seat currently held by retiring Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos is widely considered a toss-up in a national political environment believed to favor Republicans, though not as heavily as a few months ago.

In their ruling, the judges noted the plaintiffs established that government officials and agencies can’t simply ignore mounting scientific evidence that natural Covid immunity is at least as beneficial and durable as the protection against Covid afforded by the approved Covid vaccines. However, the judges said the cases at this point could not thwart the mandates, in part, because the plaintiffs did not present enough evidence that a person with natural immunity could not gain even greater protection after receiving a Covid vaccine dose.

“Illinois’ long-range financial picture remains as ugly as it is clear — debts and deficits as far as the eye can see. Nonetheless, Illinois’ revenue picture remains strong — at least for the time being. That’s thanks to the massive infusions of federal money stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.”

One new category schools were ranked on this year was a college’s potential “return on investment” — including factors like average ROI by age 30, median earnings one year following graduation and percent of graduates employed two years after graduation. Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois all ranked in the top 100.

“The legislature has given DCFS a combined additional $150 million in the past two state budgets to fix this mess. But it is clear this systemic failure It isn’t just about money, and it surely can’t be solved by throwing piles of cash at the problem… Gov. Pritzker and his administration have shown they don’t have all the answers, so it’s time to engage brilliant thinkers and leaders in education and social services and show some real idealistic leadership he promised us all in 2018.”

To be eligible for the rebate, a vehicle must be powered and refueled only by electricity, plugged in to charge, and licensed to drive on public roadways. Electric mopeds, electric off-highway vehicles, hybrid vehicles, or extended-range electric vehicles that also have gasoline engines are not eligible.

The majority of college graduates in Illinois have student debt, according to a study by The Institute for College Access and Success, but the average burden varies by more than $20,000 depending on which public university a graduate attended.

“Thirty-six percent of small business owners are reporting spending on new technology and new equipment, and a significant portion of that including surveillance and security equipment,” said National Federation of Independent Business Illinois State Director Chris Davis.

“If infrastructure is keeping planners up at night, heightened electricity demands could exacerbate that insomnia.”

“As time wore on, many American parents also got a lesson in the power of teachers’ unions to dictate policy. School closures varied considerably by district and by state; one audit found that states with some of the least amount of in-person instruction during the pandemic included California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, New Jersey, and Massachusetts—all with strong teachers’ unions. In Chicago, the teachers’ union made national headlines by shutting down schools several times, including during the spread of the Omicron variant. “

White, the first Black woman to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court, is a Republican. But, she said justices have to remain neutral arbiters of the law. “We interpret the law,” she said. “We’re not legislators. We don’t make the laws. And so, we have to have that be top of mind at all times and realize that we have a specific role to play…”

A woke Illinois middle school teacher recently admitted that she routinely lies to parents about what she is teaching children in a video that should not only act as a warning to parents.

“‍Bailey has shown he can do a lot with a little, dominating his primary against better-funded opponents, particularly the Ken Griffin-favored Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin. But a general election in a reliably blue state is a very different game than a party primary, a contest in which it takes not only message but money to compete.”

Charlie Miller, of Express Employment in Champaign, said there are more people who are looking for work in the area now than there were last summer, and opportunities in skilled trades are especially booming. At the same time, Miller said a reshuffling in which people want different jobs is still very much underway — and the hospitality industry is particularly feeling the pinch.

Plans call for addressing anywhere from 600 to 800 wells, or up to 20% of abandoned oil and gas wells in Illinois. Funding from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will allow the state to pursue such plans.

The waiver lifts a Clear Air Act requirement that lower-volatility gasoline be sold in the states during summer months to limit ozone pollution. It is in effect until Sept. 15, the EPA said.

“The University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs has released a report examining the debt in the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund…Illinois unemployment was higher during the pandemic than other states, and we recently learned that more than half of the unemployment funds paid out by the state may have gone to fraudulent actors rather than unemployed Illinoisans who needed the help.”

Student clinicians will take on real First Amendment cases, mainly from the Midwest, focusing on the freedom of speech, press and assembly provisions of the amendment. Like other UI clinics, students will handle all aspects of the case — identifying clients, filing initial complaints, and going to trial if necessary — under supervision of an experienced attorney.

A progressive social media publication which supported Democratic candidate Alexi Giannoulias in the race for Illinois Secretary of State has been hit with a defamation lawsuit for promoting allegedly false claims that a prominent and politically connected Chicago health care executive had steered a $15 million contract to the husband of Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, who was Giannoulias’ rival in the contest to be the Democratic nominee.

The apparent intent of the state’s policy against selling conditional licenses was to keep minorities and social equity license holders from selling out before even beginning operations. But owners say that keeps them from using their greatest asset, shares of ownership in the license, and they should have the same rights as business owners in other industries.

When Michigan and Illinois decided to legalize recreational cannabis use, the debate mostly centered not on what might happen to demand but on the benefits of decriminalization and new tax revenues. A new study supported by the National Institutes for Health has found that marijuana and hallucinogen use among young adults reached an all-time high last year. There is the distinct matter of whether this new industry should be allowed to be so successful as to dominate the vistas of the interstates and spark the kind of increase in demand for its products the NIH-supported

Congress is close to passing the biggest wildlife protection bill in 50 years; The Senate bill proposes using federal environmental penalties to pay for the protection measures. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is expected to receive more than $24 million to protect Illinois wildlife habitat and fund projects such as those that are designated in the Illinois Wildlife Action Plan.

In 2020, 75 hate crimes were reported in Illinois compared to 65 reported cases in 2019. Rep. Patrick Windhorst understood that neither the SAFE-T Act or the Pretrial Fairness Act would determine hate crime offenders to be detainable, which would allow the alleged perpetrator to be released within 48 hours.

“Prosecution agencies don’t want help,” Retired judge Mike McCuskey said. “This is not a prosecuting office, never has been, never will (be), here or in any of the 50 states in the United States.” McCuskey said his office has received complaints against 40 state lawmakers and their staffers during his first six months on the job; He said none showed wrongdoing.

IDOT spent approximately $41.3 million statewide on litter and debris pickup in 2021. According to a video created by IDOT, that cost is equivalent to resurfacing 21 miles of road or buying 261 more trucks to plow snow.

Kyle Thompson, regional superintendent at Regional Office of Education #11 in Charleston, said many parents in his corner of the state are not opposed to offering high school students a “traditional,” biology-based sex ed program, but said families “don’t want all of this other new stuff…Some of this is very graphic, even for kids who are 9 to 11 years old. The state wants more, but that’s not going to fly where I’m from, and this is a battle parents are willing to fight.”

Grundy County Sheriff Ken Briley is raising concerns because the law will ban arrest for people accused certain misdemeanors. “Today, I can arrest him if you sign a complaint for trespassing,” Briley said. “January 1st, I’m not going to be able to do that. The law says I have to write him a ticket and leave.”

Alignable, a small business referral network, asked 7,331 small businesses around the country and 40% indicated that they couldn’t pay their rent in August on time or in full, the highest rate in 18 months. Head of research Chuck Casto says Illinois’ number is even higher at 53%.

Median rents for two-bedroom apartments in Illinois increased nearly 18% between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022, the report said.

July jobs growth was spread across only eight of the 15 metropolitan areas that contain parts of Illinois, according to data released Aug. 25 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of July, only Bloomington has recovered from early 2020 job losses.

Because of permanent tax and fee hikes, the average Illinois family has paid an extra $2,721 since Gov. JB Pritzker took office. To fight rising inflation, Pritzker passed one-year temporary relief saving families $556, so they’re really losing $2,165 in net tax hikes.

Illinois has more lead water-service lines than any other state, but the formula used to allocate federal lead removal money fails to take that into account. Last year, Illinois received just $106 million of the $15 billion earmarked for lead removal in President Joe Biden’s massive infrastructure bill.

While the energy bill was a major topic of conversation, candidates also discussed a number of other issues, from agriculture subsidies to broadband availability in rural areas to infrastructure.

“I do support it, I have some concerns, how is he going to pay for it is one of them,” said U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, fielding questions regarding President Biden’s proposal to provide student loan relief for college students.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office has been part of several multi-state opioid settlements, bringing, he said, more than $1 billion back to Illinois.

“We passed legislation through the Senate and hopefully the House will take it up that really delineates responsibilities. Clearly, that’s definitely needed there,” said Sen. Laura Murphy, who has led a number of tollway reform efforts under Democratic and Republican administrations. “They need to do the business of the tollway.”

Of the 24 funds surveyed, Illinois’ Teacher Retirement System was the fourth-worst performing. Richard Ennis, former editor of the Financial Analysts Journal, said TRS and its $66 billion is one of the more mismanaged funds in the nation.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s vision of Illinois as an electric vehicle production hub is in danger of becoming a pipe dream. After landing a couple of assembly plants early on, the state has fallen behind in the race for the fast-growing new industry’s top prize. Illinois still hasn’t landed a factory that produces the most valuable component of electric vehicles—the batteries that make them go. Illinois is 0 for 18 in the competition for battery plants so far. Pritzker’s clean energy legislation added a new worry. The Clean Energy Jobs

Perhaps in a rare moment of holding the same view, Democratic and Republican gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidates spoke highly of the future of green energy. Where candidates differed was the timeline.

“Those fantasizing about a federal bailout need to understand that Illinois has allowed its pension problem to get so much worse than most other states; a bailout would be unfair to the rest of the country. What’s left in this state are public pension systems on track to fail, and political leaders too cowardly to confront public employee unions with the truth.”

“With the SAFE-T Act and the Pre Trial Fairness Act, it appears to me that the offense of hate crime is not a detainable offense through trial,” state Rep. Patrick Windhorst said. “If an individual is arrested for a hate crime, they will be released within 48 hours.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told a group of farmers at a forum near Lexington this week he had a chance to sign on to a pact with California, but didn’t. “So that should give you some indicator,” Pritzker said.

The report from the Auditor General for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021, said testing of financial statements show uncorrected duplicate deposits between the treasurer’s office and the office of the Illinois Comptroller. “It was determined only the duplicate deposit portion of the reconciling items would have been double counted in the available cash balance reported by the [comptroller],” the report said.

Races for the Illinois General Assembly have not attracted the big money like the top-of-the-ballot candidates, but there were notable donations.

“It shouldn’t matter if you’re a democrat or republican,” Susana Mendoza said “Good finances should be the most bipartisan thing we can agree on.”

Rep. Darin LaHood posted on his Facebook page, “Student loans won’t be cancelled; they will be transferred to hardworking taxpayers. In the middle of an economic crisis, the President wants working and middle-class families hit hardest by inflation to bailout billions of dollars in student loans.”

Illinois’ Biometric Privacy Act prohibits private sector companies and institutions from collecting biometric data from unsuspecting citizens in the state or online, no matter where the business is based. Data cannot be sold, transferred or traded. Unlike any other state, citizens can sue for alleged violations, which has sparked hundreds of David-and-Goliath legal battles against some of the world’s most powerful companies. If a company is found to have violated Illinois law, citizens can collect civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation compounded by the number of people affected and days involved. No state regulatory agency is involved in enforcement.

Mayor Tom McNamara has asked residents to contact the elected leadership of the Forest Preserve, Airport, Park District, RVC, Winnebago County, Rockford Township Roads, Four Rivers Sanitation Authority, Rockford Township and the Library. He said that by doing so, residents can urge them to take a strong stand on high property taxes.

Police say Michael Hoyle pulled a gun on Senator Elgie Sims of Chicago while the two were driving on Lawrence Avenue in Springfield. Senator Sims says after he drove away the man continued to chase him until Sims was able to find a police officer. On August 17, Hoyle pleaded guilty to the charge of aggravated assault; The charges of unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon were dismissed.

A pension expert examines 24 funds, including two big ones in Illinois. “The results paint an unflattering portrait of the stewardship of public pension funds in the United States.”

“In short, industrial policy is a public-private partnership in which a government uses a coordinated strategy that employs tax policy, incentives, public purchasing power, research grants and public enterprises to encourage economic development. Often all at once, and when done well, it works on the supply and demand side simultaneously. For examples, look no further than satellite technology, the internet and the COVID-19 vaccine.”

“Rosenberg ably excerpts some of the most remarkable assertions of the video, but in order to fully grasp the level of hatred being expressed, it is worthwhile listening to the almost 7 minutes of the rant, in which the speaker, author Kimberly Jones, credits participating on Operation Push (Jesse Jackson’s old outfit) for her level of economic sophistication (such as it is).”

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Republican candidate Kathy Salvi addressed renewable energy and a a U.S. Supreme Court case involving Waters of the U.S., or WOTUS.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth said at an unrelated event Wednesday that she’s in favor of up to $50,000 of student loans per individual to be covered by taxpayers. She also advocated for floating interest rates, the ability to declare bankruptcy and service credits for education. Duckworth’s Republican opponent, Kathy Salvi, warned the measure will result in higher tuition and will hurt lower to middle income families.

Gov. JB Pritzker highlighted his administration’s wide-ranging infrastructure bill, defended his signature on a massive decarbonization bill and highlighted the progress toward fiscal stability the state has seen in his time in office. State Sen. Darren Bailey, meanwhile, sought to discredit the state’s fiscal progress, dismissed the energy bill as a collection of “virtue signals” and said Illinois was starting to look like Baghdad.

With costs increasing for gas, groceries and housing since Pritzker took office, Pritzker has offered no real relief. In fact, his 24 hikes to taxes and fees have cost Illinoisans over $5 billion during his term.

According to a press release, the lawsuit was filed over claims that the video-sharing app violated both federal law and Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, with the site allegedly collecting biometric data from users and then disclosing it to third-party companies without the consent of those affected.

Beginning January 1, 2023, the Family Bereavement Leave Act amends the Child Bereavement Leave Act by expanding the availability of unpaid bereavement leave to cover additional family members and reasons for the leave.

In 2021, Illinois, which has around 600,000 high schoolers, became the first in the nation to require a unit of media literacy instruction in their high school curriculum, and the law takes effect this school year. In most schools, the media coursework will be folded into one or more existing courses.

Jim Dey: “Critics of big campaign spending often assert large campaign donations are ‘tainted.’ But their ethics often are situational because, in the ultra-pragmatic world of political campaigning, the objectors are angry because the money in question, as the saying goes, ‘’taint mine.’ One example comes from Illinois, where the same Democrats who objected to Republican Bruce Rauner using his personal fortune to get elected governor in 2014, were simpatico with multibillionaire Democrat J.B. Pritzker’s using his personal fortune to defeat Rauner in 2018.”

The ad opens with the mayor saying, “This will be the summer of joy in Chicago.” It then cuts to sounds of gunshots, screams and scenes of shadowy figures in the streets shooting. She responded to the ad, “News flash. I’m Black and I’m proud. Everyone knows it. No need to use cheap tricks to darken my skin and try to scare voters with false narratives about Chicago.”

“If the Republicans win both open seats, then the Republicans would have a majority and that, again, can have implications for collective bargaining for pensions for tort reform, you know, a whole number of things,” said University of Illinois Springfield Professor Emiritus Kent Redfield.

Jim Dey: “The people of Illinois are largely snoozing as battle lines form, mostly unaware of the landmark legislation passed at lightning speed in early 2021 (the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act). But people are worried about rising crime rates. The public’s temperature could go up even higher when the potentially messy and hectic consequences brought about by the law come to public attention.”

Candidate Dan Brady, an Illinois state representative, defeated John Milhiser for the Republican nomination. Alexi Giannoulias beat several opponents in the Democratic primary.

Five years later, huge disparities still exist among districts, both in funding and academic performance, but lawmakers from both parties who were part of negotiating the new law say it has provided huge benefits, especially to those schools that were most underfunded.

At the end of his newest proclamation, Gov. JB Pritzker will have held emergency powers for 919 of his 1,341 days in office, or 68% of his term.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth said she recently talked to LG, which makes electronics and appliances, about its interest in coming to southwestern Illinois because of the proximity to the Mississippi River and because of the state’s energy offerings. LG is a South Korean company.

The complaint does not ask for a specific amount in damages, though it says the opioid crisis has cost Illinois’ criminal justice system about $50 million a year.

State Rep. Adam Niemerg blamed the state’s handling of its unemployment fund for its failure to get people back to work. “For nearly two years, people could make more and stay home. What did they think would happen?”

Using migration patterns between 2019 and 2020, personal finance website SmartAsset found that only California and New York lost more residents that made $200,000 or more than Illinois lost. According to the data, Illinois experienced a net loss of 8,044 high-earners during that period.

Truth in Accounting’s Sheila Weinberg said scoop-and-toss borrowing and other tactics, such as Gov. J.B. Pritzker claiming to contribute an “extra” $300 million to the teachers’ retirement system while still paying $2.9 billion less than was necessary to balance the fund, can mislead Illinoisans on the true state of the pension crisis.

As early as Sept. 12, money will start being issued throughout the state and will continue over several months.

Republican Joseph Cannon, of Danville, served as House speaker from 1903 to 1911 and was known as one of the most powerful and influential speakers in U.S. history. His portrait appeared on the cover of the first Time Magazine 100 years ago.

“We’re not seeing a lot of transparency in terms of where this money is going and also who’s going to end up owning this very valuable information,” state Rep. Deanne Mazzhoci said.

Inflation-adjusted spending on benefits in Illinois, which include pensions and health-care costs, grew from $4.1 billion in 2002 to $11.6 billion in 2020. Spending on salaries increased from $15 billion to $16.2 billion during this time.

Brad Weisenstein, of the Illinois Policy Institute: “Amendment 1 does a lot more than stop Illinois from becoming a right-to-work state. It uses the same constitutional tactic that has stopped Illinois from fixing its nation-leading $313 billion pension debt by declaring state lawmakers can pass no law that ‘interferes with, negates, or diminishes’ government union powers.”

“Thanks to [Gov. J.B. Pritzker], the lawlessness of Chicago will soon be the law statewide,” a narrator in the ad says. “That’s why 100 of Illinois’ 102 state’s attorneys oppose Pritzker’s mandatory release of violent criminals. Stop Chicago violence from coming to your town.”

“One study conducted by the American Political Science Review found off-cycle elections are historically associated with an increase in the salaries of public employees. This is because pro-union organizations tend to dominate during periods of lower voter turnout because of less competition from the public.”

In the Chicago area, 15 people have been charged with COVID-relief fraud or similar offenses, U.S. Attorney John Lausch’s office reports.

“Given that sooner or later, once Tier 2 teachers have greater levels of seniority (and, let’s face it, more union power), the state will have to face up to their poorly managed benefit cuts running afoul of Social Security safe harbor laws, and it’s highly likely that the state will just boost those benefits and worsen the funded status.”

“If the pay-to-play tactics with Madigan weren’t enough, just recently it was revealed that Gov. Pritzker is directly involved in an allegation of worker’s compensation fraud by a former state employee (Jenny Thornley) who was also a campaign staffer for the governor…Gov. Pritzker has presidential ambitions, and any scandal associated with his office could be a distraction. So, you bury anything that links your administration with anything questionable.”

More than two-and-half years later, Illinois is one of at least 12 states still under a state-of-emergency due to the pandemic. The Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project warned in a 2021 report on potential abuses of power with emergency orders, “If an ambitious executive sees an opportunity in an emergency to achieve signature accomplishments that would otherwise remain stubbornly out of reach owing to political realities, it will be too late to foil this ambition once the declaration is made.”

“Nonetheless, these failures speak to the state’s glaring inability to alleviate suffering of people in its custody. That is — or at least ought to be — a shocking embarrassment.”

Jim Dey: “Two years after state Treasurer Michael Frerichs of Champaign accidentally told the truth about the merits of taxing retiree pensions that are now exempt from taxation, his comments remain in the news. It’s ironic in a sense. The result of his truth-telling then is that he’s engaging in “not truth-telling” now to avoid political responsibility for his initial comments.”

Cook County spent nearly $40 million of its more than $1 billion appropriation on retention bonuses for 20,631 employees. Said a spokesman for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, “These payments were intended to reward Cook County employees for their exceptional efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and for supporting essential government work during the emergency. In the face of the Great Resignation, and in line with similar efforts by local governments across the country, Cook County is committed to taking the necessary steps to retain good people, prevent attrition, and ensure continuity of service.”

Before his political career began, White, now 88, served as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division and played minor league baseball in the Chicago Cubs organization (batting .291 with six home runs and 229 stolen bases over seven seasons). He had a 33-year career as a teacher and administrator in Chicago Public Schools.

The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report released Wednesday on the status of petroleum inventories in the U.S. showed oil and gasoline inventories are plummeting in the Midwest due to demand.

The state is also facing a $1.8 billion unemployment trust fund deficit that raises questions about how much assistance could be provided to Illinoisans who lose their jobs and about whether it will result in higher taxes for businesses.

The places with the largest net outflow of high-earners are, in order: New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, District of Columbia, Minnesota, Ohio. Perhaps tellingly, the places with the largest outflow of high-earning households have some of the highest tax burdens in the country.

Leisure and hospitality payrolls are down 43,900 jobs, the most of any sector and accounting for nearly one-third of the state’s missing jobs. Meanwhile, the government and education and health sectors also make up a large chunk of Illinois’ missing jobs, down 36,400 and 32,600 jobs respectively.

According to the data, in 2021, there were 13 juvenile firearm arrests. This year, there have been 22 so far. “That’s a trend that we’ve been seeing, increased violence among juveniles whether through gun arrests or involvement in violent crime including homicides,” said Assistant Chief of Police Joshua Stuenkel.

Illinois is one of 10 states with the largest bonded liabilities that make up 66% of the country’s total state government debt, amounting to over $810 billion. Illinois accounts for nearly $58 billion of that total, and that doesn’t include public pension debt and other retiree obligations. The other states are California, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Washington, Connecticut, Virginia and Michigan.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who sits on the Transportation Committee in Congress, said Illinois has been awarded many American Rescue Plan infrastructure grants; The jobs are there, but workers need to be able to get to the actual work site. She said public transportation is needed to enhance that job growth.

Former state and federal prosecutor Donna More: “Social justice vigilantes like Kim Foxx should resign and take their agenda to a different arena. Prosecutors should prosecute. Done with fairness and compassion, prosecuting based on facts in evidence is one way to ensure social equity. Of course, that idea is completely disregarded by the catch-and-release crowd inspired and funded by George Soros.”

But that’s not to say central Illinois has been immune to rising prices. Brinkoetter Realtors reports the average sales prices for a Macon County home climbed from $118,126 in 2019 to $135,914 in 2021.

The funds are a 10% increase and will serve 4,500 additional Illinois students, adding to the more than 112,00 students who receive it already.

The official tally from the U.S. Census shows the state lost around 18,000 people over the past 10 years. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kathy Salvi, who faces incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth in the November election, said, “Honesty is always the best policy. You can play with statistics, numbers, as much as you want, but I’ll tell you, people are hurting.”

The student activist group Young Americans for Liberty is critical of the mandate. Said its chief of staff Sean Themea, “We should all have the right to choose whether or not to take the vaccine. That shouldn’t preclude somebody from getting an education.”

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin is optimistic the record-high 106 Republican candidates for the state House can make a dent in Democratic supermajorities, especially if candidates focus on economic conditions. “The cost of living, inflation,” he said. “Those are the things on people’s minds, and they’ve had enough.”

“Political wannabes will say anything they think will help get them elected. So, in that respect, it’s easy to understand why Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state, is emphasizing his support for legal abortion as a reason to support his candidacy for a public office that hands out vehicle license plates…Giannoulias is backing legislation that would bar the use of license-plate scanners to get information about women from other states coming to Illinois to get abortions.”

Among the Muslim respondents in Illinois, about 12% of them said they are self-employed or run their own business. They create about 6% of all jobs in Illinois despite making up about 3% of the population. Researchers also found that Muslims in Illinois were also highly politically active and civically engaged; 75% of the sample is registered to vote with an additional 16% expressing an intention to register.

“Our legislators are going soft on criminals to the point where they’ve made Chicago a hellhole, friends,” Bailey, who is challenging first-term Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, told an audience of several hundred people at the director’s lawn at the state fairgrounds. “Chicago, that once great city, well it didn’t become a hellhole just because of (Mayor) Lori Lightfoot and (Cook County State’s Attorney) Kim Foxx. Starting with J.B. Pritzker, our leaders are all in cahoots. They’re knee-deep in corruption.”

“Among the Audacious Project’s earliest grantees was the Bail Project, a radical group that posts bail for defendants—what it calls an ‘act of resistance against a system that criminalizes race and poverty’—including felons charged with gun crimes…Not surprisingly, the group has since expanded to promulgating the cashless bail system currently devastating America’s cities in the name of ‘social justice,’ starting with Illinois in 2021. ‘End cash bail,’ the group writes on its website, ‘freedom should be free.'”

Mark Goodwin, president of the Virginia-based company that lead construction, said the Mulligan project will deliver enough power for 14,000 homes and will provide approximately $7 million in tax revenue to local taxing bodies in Logan County over the next 30 years.

Illinois’s unemployment rate fell -0.1 percentage point to 4.4%, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +31,200 in July. The state’s unemployment rate was +0.9 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for July, which was 3.5%.

Union officials said the organizing effort is timely because of the burgeoning legal-pot industry, which is comprised of “increasingly large, multi-state firms.”

Jenny Thornley faces criminal charges alleging overtime fraud from her time at the Illinois State Police Merit Board. Documents show Raoul’s office giving different reasons why they’re not prosecuting the case. Wednesday, at the Illinois State Fair, Raoul doubled down on the latest reason. “We are conflicted out,” Raoul said. “There’s only so many times I can say that.”

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill will end up forcing working-class Americans to pay billions of dollars in new taxes. An analysis by the CBO estimates those earning less than $400,000 will pay an estimated $20 billion more in taxes over the next decade.

“Let’s say that we’re going to be middle of the road and say it’s a fair question as to whether or not he had the power – it wasn’t, he didn’t have it. But let’s say it’s a fair question,” downstate attorney Thomas DeVore, now the GOP nominee for attorney general, told the gathering, speaking of Pritzker’s executive order authority.

Jim Dey: “Even though theoretically illegal, it’s hard to imagine Illinois without patronage in government at all levels. Politicians in both parties have embraced it as a means of rewarding loyalists with public jobs and maintaining their elective offices.”

“Don’t take my word for it. Rather, consider what Shakman monitor Noelle Brennan reported earlier this year. In a January court filing, Brennan pointed to shortcomings at the Illinois Capital Development Board, a key player in Pritzker’s $45 billion Rebuild Illinois infrastructure plan…Then, in a February response to the state’s effort to vacate its Shakman decree, Brennan accused the governor’s office of limiting her ability to communicate with state agencies…The report found widespread overuse of personal services contracts, too, as an alternative to hiring that complies with Shakman restrictions.”

“And we know that housing is a basic human right it shouldn’t be a privilege it shouldn’t be something that only those who have the funds to secure have that’s just a basic fundamental right,” said Senator Cristina Pacione Zayas.

Moody’s upgrade was in part based upon the state’s plan to put $1 billion “into its financial reserves, such as its ‘rainy day’ fund.” Sheila Weinberg said the state is misusing those funds. “My point would be if we have extra money to put into the rainy day fund, why wouldn’t you just use that money instead of having to borrow money taxpayers will have to pay back with interest.”

Over the years, there have been a number of big moments at state fair political days. Here, some current and former Illinois political reporters share the moments that stuck out to them.

In a letter sent Friday to Democratic Senate President Don Harmon, Hastings noted that Harmon requested the resignation. The Frankfort resident resigned as the unpaid whip for the Democratic Majority caucus, but he did not step down from his post as chair of the Senate’s Energy and Public Utilities Committee. That role pays him more than $11,000.

Beginning September 1, the ATV-related ordinances that will go into effect include that non-highway vehicles are declared nuisances and reinforced that they are illegal on public streets, and that Officers will legally have the right to impound unregistered vehicles from public and private properties.

Gov. JB Pritzker said he believed in working with “people with different viewpoints to build a better, less rancorous political climate. We owe that to our children and our grandchildren.” But on a day traditionally reserved for unbridled partisanship, he and other leading Democrats exuberantly assailed Republicans. “The lunatic fringe has taken over their party and they’ll say anything, do anything, destroy anything to get elected.”

While it is unclear when the rebates will be issued, likely as a credit on the bill of customers, the rebate amount would average out to around $5 per customer.

“The Pritzker administration’s purported review of the FOID card process following the Aurora shooting in 2019 failed to recognize this gap in the interpretation and application of clear-and-present-danger reports submitted to the ISP,” Sen. Donald DeWitte said in a prepared statement. “Had the Pritzker administration done what they said they were going to do, which was to review and make sure laws already on the books were being implemented more effectively, the tragedy in Highland Park might never have occurred.”

Pension reform is essential to fixing Illinois’ budget problems and providing basic services to its residents. Illinois’ restrictions on pension modification prevent that needed reform and make Illinois an outlier among the rest of the country when it comes to reasonable pension modification.

State Sen. John Curran said before any other gun control legislation is considered, there must be clarity on problems with the FOID card. “Before we move on to anything else, that still hasn’t been done here. That’s step one in promoting better gun safety and public safety, and until that’s done, I’m not sure we should be moving on to two, three, four.”

Last fall, ISBE reported drops of 17% and 18%, respectively, in the number of students achieving grade-level standards in English and math between 2019 and 2021. Unity Point School District 140 Supt. Lori James-Gross said the pandemic and remote learning affected the younger grades more than others.

Gov. JB Pritzker reused a line from a speech he gave to Florida Democrats in July, saying Republicans are “trying to distract us into believing that marriage equality, Black history, Disneyworld and library books are more of a threat to our children than the AR-15…While the Republicans try to convince Americans that Q Anon lies are real, our diverse Democratic Party is getting things done for Illinois families.”

“There is a stark difference between fighting for union members and fighting to preserve the power wielded by union bosses. Government unions put this difference on display when they showed up to support an amendment which would cement their power in the state constitution while ignoring the needs of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Applications are currently being sent to all registered voters in the state.

With degrees in medicine, public policy and law, Dr. Sameer Vohra took over the role as the department’s 20th director earlier this month. The post was formerly held by Dr. Ngozi Ezike during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Big ambitions met big money Tuesday at the 2022 Governor’s Sale of Champions at the Illinois State Fair, where Illinois first lady MK Pritzker matched her record-setting bid from 2021, putting down $105,000 to buy King from Ashtin Guyer and her family, who live in Robinson. The bid came after yet another bidding war between her and her husband, Gov. JB Pritzker, with MK coming out on top once again.

Already there’s a disagreement between the Republican and Democratic nominees over license plate readers and whether the secretary of state should get involved.

There is internal debate over whether to bring up legislative proposals before the November election — and expose some Downstate Democrats to a vote they would rather avoid — or wait for the fall veto session, which takes place after the election. In Washington, GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee pushed back on Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering when she called for an assault weapons ban during a July hearing, called by Senate Judiciary Chair Sen. Dick Durbin in the wake of the slaughter

“Casino revenue probably shouldn’t be considered a savior for state coffers, though, as revenue has been trending downward in recent years. It was over $1.6 billion in FY2012, and declined each year between 2013 and 2021, according to COGFA. That’s part of why you’ve seen casinos make such a push for sports betting in recent years.”

Awake Illinois founder Shannon Adcock organized the rally she called the “Common Sense Caravan…Kindergartners are going to be learning about gender ideology, cisgender, transgender, they need to be focusing on being with their peers and being kids,” Adcock said.

“It really gives us heartburn of what the tax implications will be for the long term,” Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert said. “There always, I think, will be a trickle down effect to the farmgate, you might say, and the consumer.”

Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weiss said ending cash bail will lead to a lot of no-shows in court. “The General Assembly has dictated only certain crimes that meet certain criteria and of certain severity, are even allowed to be considered to be held,” Weis said. “So you can fail to appear multiple times, as long as your crime doesn’t count, they have to release you.”

While the governor quickly announced he would call a special session after the landmark Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade was overturned in June, lawmakers have thus far not scheduled any return to the Capitol. Pritzker wasn’t any clearer as to when he expected lawmakers to return to address issues such as abortion rights and gun violence.

Illinois lost over half of its pandemic unemployment funds to fraud, according to a state audit. The U.S. Department of Labor criticized Illinois for failing to report data on fraudulent pandemic unemployment payments, stating future fraud is hard to prevent when past fraud isn’t tracked.

Jim Dey: “Both men are exaggerating, (Will County State’s Attorney James) Glasgow by a little, but (Gov. JB) Pritzker by a lot. The problem is that voters, who know little about intricacies of the criminal-justice system, are in no position to judge.”

The report shows that IFT directed more than $4.1 million to its affiliates in 2021, but more than $3.4 million of that went to affiliates in Chicago and its suburbs. Just $18,164 went to affiliates along or south of I-80, and that entire sum went to just one affiliate in the city of Quincy. The Illinois Teachers Federation has seen a drop in its membership since 2017 by 18 percent.

The average farm real estate values for Illinois in 2022 increased $1,000 per acre over last year. That mirrors the rising value of farmland in other Midwest states including Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Ohio.

The federal infrastructure package will boost Illinois’ six-year transportation spending by $4 billion, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday. The state will spend an overall $24.6 billion under the six-year program for roads and bridges with $3.7 billion in spending during the current fiscal year. About $18.8 billion goes to roads with the remainder spent on bridges. Another $10 billion of additional spending is planned for ports, rail, transit, and airports under the updated six-year multi-modal program with $6.5 billion for transit, $2.5 billion for passenger and freight rail, $817 million for aviation, and $150 million for ports

“If Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants us all to start driving mainly expensive EVs, he’ll have to make sure public charging stations are as prolific as corner gas stations….Consumers so far have not been jolted into going electric. In addition, there are production challenges for the EV industry.”

“It’s not just my race in Michigan. While claiming the moral high ground, Democrats have been busy rewarding candidates like my opponent across the country…(In) Illinois, the Democratic Governors Association dropped $35 million on Super PAC ads targeting moderate Republican mayor of Aurora Richard Irvin and elevating his election-denying, Trump-endorsed opponent, Darren Bailey, who ultimately won the nomination.”

Dan Brady, a state representative from Bloomington, has run on a platform emphasizing technological upgrades within the Secretary of State’s Office, and says he will address other areas where financial savings and improved services can go hand-in-hand. “We have to look at somewhere around $10.5 million that we spend on leasing 96 driver’s services facilities,” he said.

The Department of Healthcare and Family Services has chosen eight organizations in five service areas, which will serve as partners in providing these new services to seniors in their region once they pass a stringent application with federal partners as well. The five service areas are West Chicago, South Chicago, Southern Cook County, Peoria and East St. Louis.

At a virtual court hearing last week, attorneys representing the child said she was sleeping on a couch in that office, which doesn’t have showers or the specialized school services that she needs given her mental health issues.

“This updated guidance from the CDC acknowledges the importance of in-person learning by allowing schools to more aptly adjust to changes within their own communities,” Illinois State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala said.

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller said the measure should be called the “Increase Inflation Act.” In a statement opposing the measure, Miller said the bill will “benefit the Chinese Communist Party because China mines the minerals and manufactures the solar panels and windmills that House Democrats want to subsidize.”

Few readers will need “What Next, Chicago?’s” subtitle, “Notes of a Pissed-Off Native Son,” to grasp that journalist Matt Rosenberg is angry about conditions in the city where he grew up. During almost 30 years there he experienced Chicago as “a celebration and a calamity.” But coming home after the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots, Rosenberg encountered little worth celebrating and much that’s calamitous.

State’s Attorney Eric Weis says judges will still have the option to hold people for certain serious crimes, but that ending cash bail removes an incentive for people to come court. He questions the unintended consequences of the law.

The school bus driver shortage that was prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting some Illinois school districts with higher costs covered by taxpayers.

Increases in the cost of homeownership have vastly outpaced the growth in incomes during the past several years, making housing the least affordable it has been since before the housing market collapse of 2008. Illinoisans will face more financial hurdles if Amendment 1 passes this November.

Illinois residents have begun to see the results of the state’s $1.83 billion family relief plan, which includes the temporary suspension of the 1% sales tax on groceries, a temporary reduction in sales tax as part of a back to school shopping holiday, and a delay in a scheduled gas tax increase. Income tax rebate checks are being issued as well.

After years of operating in Illinois, three major companies—Boeing, Caterpillar and Citadel—are moving their headquarters out of the state. In this video, WSJ looks at the economic and political implications.

“While Democrats and some in the media will try to paint a rosy picture about a few provisions in this legislation, the bill will have broad reaching implications for every sector of our economy. Make no mistake – this massive spending bill will raise energy costs, kill innovation for future health cures, diminish opportunities for American jobs, harm small businesses and raise taxes.”

Indiana was a bit more extravagant in its job-poaching campaign, launched in 2011. The state invested $250,000 in the initiative, boasting its lower corporate and income tax rate as it posed the question on billboards and digital media in The Prairie State: “Illinoyed by higher taxes?” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker now is pitching Illinois as an “oasis” for abortion care in the Midwest, where a majority of states have restrictive abortion laws on their books.

Tom Demmer is proud of his continuous stance on the need for ethical reform in state government. He was on the House panel tasked with investigating the conduct of former Speaker of the House Mike Madigan who is now facing federal bribery charges.

Darin LaHood says the measure doubles down on big government spending that he says has spurred record inflation, and Mary Miller says the bill should be called the “Increase Inflation Act.”

“Darren Bailey’s Trump-style conservatism has taken over the Illinois Republican Party, which may doom it in November.”

Mike Thoms, mayor of Rock Island and the GOP candidate for Illinois’ 36th District, joined state treasurer candidate and State Rep. Tom Demmer of Dixon in a news conference Wednesday.

Regular gas averages $4.29 a gallon in Illinois and $3.97 a gallon in the U.S. as of Saturday, according to AAA. While prices are higher than they were a year ago in both cases, they are significantly below the peak reached in June.

Despite Illinois having more teachers and fewer students, education groups and teacher unions continue to raise concerns about what they say are shortages in the state. And politicians continue to pass legislation to address those perceived concerns.

A wealthy heir to the Hyatt hotel empire, Pritzker has already cut $250,000 checks this election cycle to boost Democratic gubernatorial campaigns and parties across the Midwest, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan. He also gave $2 million to the Democratic Governors Association last month, according to a person familiar with his campaign.

U.S Illinois Senate Republican Candidate Kathy Salvi says during a recession, the government should not be overtaxing the American people.

According to IDOT Secretary Omer Osman, construction prices have increased significantly over the past year due to record high inflation. “The inflation has caused at least a 10% increase in the prices,” Osman said. “Sometimes it depends on the project itself.”

Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski has been a vocal critic of Pritzker’s continued proclamations while most other states have dropped theirs. “We’ve already seen the disaster that’s been created by the federal spending and we’re one of the states that’s perpetuating the problem,” Dabrowski said. Dabrowski said the governor can’t say he’s done a good job managing COVID-19 while continuing to “have his hands out” for more federal funding.

Friday, Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow said “Plaintiffs did not sustain their burden” pertaining to most of the defendants. “Here, no relief can be granted as the school districts do not have any policies that mandate masks or exclusion from school due to being a close contact,” she wrote. “The new joint guidance … that supersedes all prior COVID-19 guidance, is exactly that – guidance.”

“Working groups are hard at work in the House of Representatives, working on various aspects of legislation, working with advocates, listening to them,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “So we’re cautiously optimistic that they’ll be able to come up with ideas for us to be able to bring forward in a special session, or in veto session, or some of it may even be in the new year.”

The highway portion of the multi-year plan accounts for $24.6 billion of the planned spending. Of that, $13.3 billion, or 54%, is federally funded, just over $6 billion is state funding, $4.1 billion comes from bond proceeds, and $1.2 billion comes from local reimbursements. Another near-$10 billion in combined state, federal, local and private spending was laid out for transit, marine transportation, railways and airports. Of that, 59% was state spending and 31% federal.

These five awardees join the 177 conditional licenses issued by the Administration in July, bringing the total number of issued licenses to 182 (of 185 available licenses). All businesses qualify as Social Equity Applicants under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.

The six-year plan would be the largest capital project in the state, according to the release, and comes after the passage of the Congressional infrastructure deal in November 2021. That deal is expected to bring $16 billion in funding for all modes of transportation.

Steve Cortes: “But the blame for the meltdown of Illinois’ largest city cannot fall solely upon Lightfoot. As governor and Chicago resident, J.B. Pritzker has miserably neglected to guard the safety and prosperity of the citizens in the state’s largest city.”

Illinois political leaders have twice recently presented voters with vague changes to the state constitution that obscure the fact they would hike taxes, but it would be better if Illinois were straight with voters and let them vote on all tax increases like other states do. The current hidden tax increase is Amendment 1, which is on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Politicians had the opportunity to help by adding Illinois to the Nurse Licensure Compact, an agreement among 39 states to accept nursing licenses. But state Rep. Sarah Feigenholtz’s bill to join the compact died after it was opposed by the Illinois AFL-CIO, the same group advocating for Amendment 1.

“It seems as though [Democrats] may be overplaying their hand on social issues like abortion,” a former suburban Republican lawmaker said. “People are going to be more worried about their family’s safety than they are about these social issues. That crime and safety question could easily rise above the other issues. Most Democrats are failing to appreciate that.”

“The focus in our schools should be on giving children the building blocks they need to learn — how to read, write, add, subtract and have a basic understanding of science and history. It is not the job of schools to teach graphic sexual content, especially when our kids are not meeting our state’s basic academic standards of learning.”

IDOC is the third state agency to be held in contempt of court. “This latest incident begs the question of how many times and how many agencies will it take before the Governor accepts responsibility for these failures and finally takes action to do the right thing for the people hurt under his inaction and failed leadership,” state Sen. Terri Bryant said in a statement.

Darren Kinkead, with the Illinois attorney general’s office, compared new guidance with recommendations to not eat undercooked meat. “No one actually is compelled to follow it,” Kinkead said. “It is purely advisory. So again, whether the school districts implement it or not, that’s up to them.”

“Other states are experimenting with ways to take redistricting out of the hands of the legislators who stand to benefit from gerrymandered districts…Results have varied, but the states best ranked for competitiveness and partisan fairness in their final district maps are generally those which do the most to separate the process from legislators and political leaders. But any of the reforms would do a better job combating gerrymandering than the system Illinois currently uses.”

U.S. Representatives Jesus Garcia and Lauren Underwood are co-sponsoring legislation to give back the land in DeKalb County. Much of the land is a state park now, but there are some homes. The Potawatomi Nation will cede the ownership of those properties.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reminds that schools should only distribute COVID tests to students under certain circumstances.

The state’s position appears to counter a recent legislative hearing conducted to address the concerns of health care providers, now required to arbitrate disputes against private insurance companies on every delayed or denied reimbursement. Seventeen state lawmakers attended that joint hearing, in which three safety-net medical providers testified the insurers are boosting their profits by deploying bureaucratic dodges and opaque billing error codes to skirt the federal rule, make partial payments, pay years late or deny claims without explanation.

“Building a robust emergency reserve account is responsible. And the credit rating agencies agree. They cited the state’s infusion into reserves as one reason for recent upgrades. Better credit ratings mean better rates on bonds, and that means more savings for taxpayers and better finances for the state overall,” Comptroller Susana Mendoza said.

“In view of this unprecedented breach of tradition and heavy-handed approach to an investigation of a former president, and the apparent double standard relative to investigations of Democrats similarly situated at the national level, Attorney General (Merrick) Garland should have already provided a thorough and immediate explanation,” GOP Chairman Don Tracy said in the statement.

Social media posts by the GOP gubernatorial nominee and his wife—a campaign committee member—are likely to cause a stir just as the flap over the candidate’s previous Holocaust remarks had started to settle down.

For seven months, appeals from the Glendale Heights retiree by email and over the phone were denied. At one point, Gope Thadani said, officials at IHDA even discouraged him from calling again. “I called so many times and they kept telling me, ‘Nothing is going to change. That’s it’…“That’s not the right way to talk to people.”

With funding coming from multiple avenues, a spokesman for the governor said, Illinois’ EV charging network “is on track to see an unprecedented expansion.” The state still has a way to go toward its goal of having 1 million electric passenger vehicles on the road by 2030. As of June, just 44,658 vehicles registered in the state were electric out of the more than 7 million passenger vehicles.

The problems at IDOC are the latest to confront Gov. J.B. Pritzker over his administration’s management of state agencies, which has been a major avenue of criticism as he seeks reelection. Issues under Pritzker’s watch include the deaths of 36 veterans during a 2020 COVID-19 outbreak at a state-run home in LaSalle; the loss of nearly $2 billion through fraudulent payments made through the state’s Department of Employment Security; and accusations of mismanagement at the Department of Children and Family Services.

“When we think about what happened in Highland Park and Uvalde, Texas, and unfortunately in previous instances, what we’re seeing are youths that are disconnected, that have not been included, right? That don’t have a sense of belonging. And I feel the workforce and afterschool programs are absolutely critical in having a trusted adult, healthy relationships between staff and students, between students, between staff,” said Jeffrey Aranowski, Executive Director of the Illinois State Board of Education.

The report said 26 Illinois hospitals are not complying with the law, including Clay County Hospital, Trinity Rock Island and Midwest Medical Center in Galena. It highlighted a dozen hospitals that are complying and providing prices, including Paris Community Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Franklin Hospital in Benton.

The report argues Illinois has a very broad definition of a “political expenditure,” which could lead to residents running afoul of the laws without knowing it. “What happens in Illinois is that unbeknownst to a lot of people, they might run a half-dozen Facebook ads saying, ‘I think this ballot measure is really important,’ or my group wants to advocate for criminal justice reform,” one researcher said. “Then all of a sudden they have state regulators writing them threatening letters, fining them thousands of dollars, because that is a question of public policy.”

According to the website Awake-Illinois, only 20 school districts have decided to fully follow the standards, with 534 opting out. Rockford, Mundelein and East. St. Louis are three of the largest school districts to adopt the standards, while Normal schools in McLean County did so for 8th and 9th grades only.

Illinois teachers spend hundreds of dollars a year in union dues, but most of that money doesn’t stay with their local bargaining units. Instead, their money flows up the chain to the state and national affiliates, such as the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers. And in 2021, IFT spent 190 times more money on Chicago-area affiliates than it did on affiliates south of Interstate 80. In fact, IFT reported directing money to only one affiliate south of I-80.

Current law requires the retirement system board to take action to remove a pension benefit paid to corrupt public officials upon a guilty verdict or plea. State Rep. Amy Elik’s bill (HB 5737) would remove a loophole that allows politicians to continue receiving their pension payments while awaiting the outcome of their case.

“We have a lot of manufacturing,” said Gov. JB Pritzker, who attended the signing at the White House. “We’re in the heart of what use to be called the rust belt, now the innovation belt, and our manufacturers use semiconductors in virtually everything that they do, and it’s been very hard to obtain those chips when they needed it.” In the future, Pritzker says this law will bring production back to America and Illinois will benefit from it.

This year’s Butter Cow features the theme “Grow With Us.” This year’s buttery creation shows bovine holding a sunflower in his mouth that he stole from the farmer who is planting flowers. Thirteen hearts have been hidden into the display to represent 13 essential nutrients found naturally in milk.