* Lawyers are gonna say what lawyers are gonna say. Center Square…
Three federal lawsuits against Illinois’ gun ban made some movement Monday as a federal judge ordered a response from the state to show “each and every item banned.” […]
In three other cases, federal Judge Stephen McGlynn ordered state defendants to provide “illustrative examples of each and every item banned” under state law.
Thomas Maag, who brought the state level Crawford County case that was transferred to federal court, said the judge’s order will make it difficult for the state to comply.
“Because the ban is so all encompassing and uses a great many vague terms that I’m not even sure that exactly what is banned and that’s probably why judge McGlynn ordered the state to do that so that we could find out what exactly we are arguing about,” Maag told The Center Square on Monday.
We’ll see, but a list of banned weapons is in the law.
* It’s actually just one Democrat so far, and that’s not what she said, but whatevs, WCIA…
Pritzker has hinted that he will be focusing heavily on education in his second term, but some top Democrats are even advising against increasing spending this year.
They are worried about potential economic problems in the near future.
“What we don’t want to see is, you know, frivolous spending, right,” said Comptroller Susana Mendoza. “We don’t want to see spending for new programs that might not be proven or tested programs that end up being added to the budget year to year.”
Capitol News Illinois…
Democratic comptroller Susana Mendoza, for example, said in a recent interview with Capitol News Illinois she’d be opposed to new ongoing spending initiatives. While she has no formal vote on the matter, her voice has proven an influential one at the Capitol.
News-Gazette editorial…
It would, of course, be foolish to think Pritzker will hold the line on spending. That is counter to his personal preference and political desire to expand existing social programs and create new ones.
But he should bear in mind that until Illinois gets a real grip on its tawdry financial status, chaos in state budget programming will be a constant companion.
That’s why comptroller Mendoza’s sensible advice should be heeded by all those who are part of the budget-making process.
Despite what WCIA tells you, the comptroller is, in fact, calling for more spending on what she believes is a worthwhile program…
Should be interesting to see what happens after Pritzker proposes new programs tomorrow.
* Center Square with some good news…
Taxpayers who received state refunds from Colorado and 20 other states will not be required to report those payments on their 2022 federal Internal Revenue Service return.
“The IRS has determined that in the interest of sound tax administration and other factors, taxpayers in many states will not need to report these payments on their 2022 tax returns,” the organization stated in a news release.
In addition to Colorado, the IRS said people in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island don’t need to report state payments on their 2022 return. Georgia, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Virginia fall under the guidelines with some stipulations.
* Crain’s…
Battery-technology startup NanoGraf has raised $65 million to ramp up production at a West Side factory that will open later this year.
Warrenville-based Volta Energy Technologies and CC Industries, the Crown family’s holding company, led the investment. TechNexus and five other investors also joined the round, with existing backers, including Hyde Park Angels and Evergreen Climate Innovations.
NanoGraf, which spun out of Northwestern University 11 years ago, is in the final stages of proving out technology that increases the capacity of standard rechargeable lithium-ion batteries by about 20%.
* Should be interesting to see if this works or triggers some unintentioned consequences…
Detroit city officials are weighing a radical change to the way the city taxes property, which proponents say will help revitalize the city and become a model for the Rust Belt.
Detroit would be the largest U.S. city to introduce a so-called land-value tax. Like most U.S. cities, Detroit calculates property taxes by estimating the value of a property’s land and buildings and charging a fixed percentage each year.
Under the proposed change, the city would replace some property levies with a single tax on the land value only, according to people familiar with the matter.
That means owners of vacant land would see their tax bills skyrocket, while the tax bill for many homeowners and commercial-property owners would fall. That in turn would push up home values and encourage more property owners to build, said Roderick Hardamon, a local real-estate developer who supports the change.
* Good news…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* NYT | Bureau of Prisons Is Closing Troubled, Violent Detention Unit in Illinois: The [federal] Bureau of Prisons is shuttering a troubled special detention unit in Illinois that has been plagued by inmate deaths, suicides and the reported sexual harassment of guards. On Tuesday morning, staff members at the special management unit in the Thomson federal penitentiary in the rural northwest part of the state were told that the 350 prisoners under their supervision would be transferred to other prisons. They had been moved to the unit after committing disciplinary infractions in facilities around the country.
* The Telegraph | State police expanding deflection program: Deflection reduces the number of individuals who enter the criminal justice system by referring individuals who would be better served by the behavioral health system. By addressing the behavioral health issues that often underlie offenses, DPAD can reduce recidivism and strengthen communities.
* NBC Chicago | One Survivor’s Story – 15 Years Since the Northern Illinois University Mass Shooting: “I remember I froze when it happened. When I was hiding, I was frozen,” the former student recalled, saying he understands why some of his classmates were frozen in shock during and after the shooting.
* TPM | Three-Quarters of House GOPs Endorsed Social Security Cuts Last Year: The Blueprint to Save America proposed raising the eligibility age at first to 70 and then higher if and when life expectancy goes up; it proposed cutting (or in their words “modernizing”) the benefit formula for everyone currently 54 and under; means-testing Social Security benefits; including work requirements for some Social Security beneficiaries; and allowing people to divert payroll taxes into private investment accounts — aka “retirement freedom.” (See details on pages 81-82 of the Blueprint to Save America.)
* NPR | More than half of Republicans support Christian nationalism, according to a new survey: Researchers found that more than half of Republicans believe the country should be a strictly Christian nation, either adhering to the ideals of Christian nationalism (21%) or sympathizing with those views (33%).
* Tribune | Ted Beattie, led Shedd Aquarium through a period of growth, dies at age 77: He was really hardworking, but he got everything by building a consensus — that’s how he would do that,” said former Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner, a former Shedd Aquarium board chair. “That’s how he was able to build the Shedd to its size today.”
* Beacon-News | Aurora man hits right notes with his hand-made cigar box guitars: “People that want these already play guitar but there are some famous musicians that can really jam on a cigar box,” he said. “Some of the old blues players got their early start on these because back in the day they were poor and couldn’t afford one so they made one.” Martinez said just like the resurgence of the ukulele, “cigar box guitars are extremely popular right now.”
- Stuck in Celliniland - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 2:58 pm:
==It’s actually just one Democrat so far, and that’s not what she said, but whatevs, WCIA…==
Bring back Mark Maxwell.
- DuPage Saint - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 3:06 pm:
That land value tax is a progressive idea from he 1890s from Henry George. Was popular for a while. Interesting comeback
- Dotnonymous - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 3:09 pm:
From Stradivarius to a cigar box…can’t stop the music.
- lloydgrady - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 3:13 pm:
==a list of banned weapons is in the law==
The “illustrative examples of each and every item banned”. I think the list of weapons are not the only items in scope of this order. The parts and attachments banned under 1.9 are pretty vast. Tactically, the state may be better off repealing the law to moot the issue playing out in the courts.
- Big Dipper - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 3:16 pm:
==Three-Quarters of House GOPs Endorsed Social Security Cuts Last Year==
So much for Ms. Heckler at the SOTU.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 3:33 pm:
“Tactically, the state may be better off repealing the law to moot the issue playing out in the courts.”
Disagree and I see way too much of this galaxy brain overthinking by liberals. The far right’s domination of the federal courts making it impossible for any meaningful gun restriction to last is something that the center-left may as well come to grips with now. Republican judges are going to take a scythe to this law. They’ll take a scythe to the most perfectly drafted gun restriction legislation you could ever conceive. Let them answer for themselves and see where things shake out.
- Hopper - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 3:37 pm:
I’m confused. The Comptroller went to an editorial board to advocate for no new spending and then took to Twitter to call for more spending? Did I get that right?
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 3:37 pm:
===to the most perfectly drafted gun restriction legislation you could ever conceive===
Calvinball.
- Jim Bray - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 3:41 pm:
Congrats to Mike Miletich on the new job and kudos to WAND-TV for the wise choice. It is good news for them and especially good for viewers in the Sfld-Decatur-Champaign market.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 3:45 pm:
=== Calvinball==
The political reality is in the suburbs, you don’t hear even the likes of Bailey touting his staunch pro-life stance or his staunch pro-2A beliefs, even when the courts gave every opportunity to crow.
It’s a political loser, the Republicans have painted themselves in a corner predicated on…
“Owning the libs even if it means losing every election thereafter”
It’s not an accident that McConnell *knew* the federal courts would be the Republicans last gasp at governing, what major policy position(s) do the GOP have that poll the majority AND are aren’t disqualifying to have in winning?
To Illinois, we saw it, this last November… up and down the ballot… the more “pure”, the more competitive, the more likely to lose.
“Calvinball” is a necessity to keep what’s left of a dying thought to the ‘Merica folks haven’t figured out is already gone.
Dems… they keep runnin’ bills to defeat Republicans. The courts keep ruling on laws to keep Republicans losing too.
We’ll see how Illinois’ new laws work… politically speaking.
- move on - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 3:47 pm:
Mendoza isn’t a policymaker. She could have stayed in the General Assembly if she wanted to write laws or have a say in the budget, but she had other aspirations. Her job as a glorified accountant is to make sure the ledger is up to date and checks go out the door.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 3:56 pm:
=== Her job as a===
Tell me you know nothing about the comptroller’s office…
If any of your thoughts were true, Rauner never woulda cared that Munger lost.
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 4:02 pm:
Lawrence Msall, Andy McKenna and now Ted Beattie, Chicago is losing some of the pillars of its civic community. Hope the next generation is ready to step up.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 4:05 pm:
===Rauner never woulda cared that Munger lost===
The comptroller has enormous power to muck things up. Pay bills as they come in the door and all of a sudden there’s no money to make a big, important payment. Don’t pay certain bills, like legislator salaries.
Gotta keep ‘em happy. Rauner messed around and found out.
Mendoza is beloved by the chattering class here, and for good reason. So, I’m quite curious to see how this gauntlet she’s thrown down evolves after tomorrow’s speech.
- H-W - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 4:23 pm:
The NPR story is interesting.
It quotes none other than Marjorie Taylor Greene as saying, “party leaders need to be more responsive to the base of the party, which she claimed is made up of Christian nationalists.”
Does that mean Greene is now prepared to act as “Christ-like” (the meaning of the word Christian)? Somehow, I doubt it. I also doubt the GOP is going to start acting Christ-like.
Christian Nationalism is an odd duck. If the GOP were to really buy into the teachings of Jesus and start acting as if we are Christians, imagine the possibilities.
Turning the other check when offended. Forgiveness of transgressions (and debts). Non-violence. Serving the widows and orphans. Accepting the foreigners. Feeding the hungry.
When that platform is place, give me a call. I will sign up and send money.
- cermak_rd - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 4:24 pm:
I had already forgotten about Munger and spent a fruitless few seconds pursuing a forgotten memory of a Stu Um something, Stewart Umholz. Man did he get beat back in 2006. And now he’s a judge?
- Amalia - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 5:21 pm:
I do think that when it comes to guns, ammo, accessories that it would be easier if things to be sold had to be assessed by the State Police before it is possible to put that thing on the market in this state. we wait forever to get things thru the FDA but guns guns guns just pump that product out there. should be different.
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Tuesday, Feb 14, 23 @ 5:48 pm:
” I also doubt the GOP is going to start acting Christ-like.”
They will continue acting like they are acting Christ-like…..or at least what they think their version of Christ-like is.