* Lee Enterprises took a look at the racial spread between police departments/sheriffs’ offices and the communities they serve.

The narrowest gap was in Rock Island County, which is 30.4 percent people of color and the sheriff’s office is 27.69 percent people of color.

The widest gap was in Macon County, where the population is 25.2 percent people of color and yet the sheriff’s office is 100 percent White.

Illinois as a whole is 40 percent persons of color and the Illinois State Police is 19.43 percent persons of color.

Anyway, click here to see if your community is on the list.

* Illinois Gaming Machine Operators Association…

Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Paul E. Bauer has ruled that the City of Pekin’s ordinance taxing video gaming is unlawful and barred by state law, resulting in a major victory for Illinois small businesses and their customers.

Pekin officials in October approved a city ordinance assessing a “fee” worth 2.5 percent of net revenues received by any video gaming machine registered to do business in the city. The ordinance called for proceeds from the fee to be split between the City’s police and fire pension funds. Violations could trigger fines of up to $750 a day. Two members of the Illinois Gaming Machine Operators Association, which represents the companies that provide video gaming terminals in thousands of small businesses across the state, sued the City of Pekin late last year in Tazewell County Circuit Court.

The IGMOA members — J&J Ventures Gaming, LLC, and Accel Entertainment Gaming, LLC – argued that the City’s so-called “fee” is in reality an illegal tax on terminal operators. Such a tax is “unauthorized, is unlawful and unenforceable” because the state’s Video Gaming Act bars them, the plaintiffs argued in their lawsuit filed in December 2022.

The order is here.

* This is not CNN’s Sanjay Gupta…

Governor JB Pritzker announced today that he has named Sanjay Gupta, a national IT leader with private and public sector experience, to serve as the new Secretary of the Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT), pending Senate confirmation. Gupta has served in major roles across the public and private sectors, including running the federal government’s pandemic aid portals for small businesses and serving as a board member of the federal Technology Modernization Fund.

“Sanjay Gupta brings invaluable expertise in public and private sector information technology to DoIT,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “His previous work and vision for enterprise architecture, digital transformation, and user experience make him a vital addition to the agency. I am confident that this team will lead the nation in cybersecurity, service delivery, and user experience.”

Previously, Gupta was the Chief Information Officer for the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. He also served for more than four years as Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Small Business Administration, where his efforts to modernize the agency allowed it to process more than $1 trillion in loans for the nation’s largest economic recovery effort.

Prior to his career in public service, he spent nearly 20 years in management and as a consultant and analyst in leading global technology organizations, including several companies based in Illinois.

“I want to thank Governor Pritzker for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of Illinois, my adopted home,” said Sanjay Gupta. “Over decades in IT, I’ve learned how to apply the private sector’s best practices to government work. The team at DoIT has propelled the state forward tremendously in the past five years, and I look forward to working with the committed professionals in Illinois.”

Gupta holds a Bachelor of Science from Punjab Engineering College, a Master of Science from Wayne State University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. He and his wife raised their two daughters in the suburbs of Chicago, where they lived for more than two decades.

Acting Secretary Brandon Ragle will take on the new role of Deputy Secretary, pending Senate confirmation. Ragle has served the state for over 30 years and will work closely with the new Secretary, providing invaluable insight into the agency’s operations. During his tenure as Acting Secretary, DoIT was upgraded by the Digital States report to an A-, receiving accolades for its connected infrastructure, resilience and cybersecurity, and data-driven government.

“Brandon is an essential asset to modernizing our technology for the people of Illinois, and he is part of a strong leadership team that is widely acknowledged nationally as a model,” Governor Pritzker said. “He stepped up at a critical time for the agency, and I want to recognize his contributions with this important new role.”

* But, didn’t Rep. Chris Miller tell us that this climate change thing doesn’t exist?…

Bloomington, Illinois-based State Farm has announced it will no longer insure new homes or businesses in California due to the high wildfire risk and increased construction costs. State Farm is the second insurance carrier to stop offering coverage due to wildfires. Last year, AIG notified thousands of state homeowners their policies would not be renewed. California has experienced a record amount of wildfires in the past few years.

*Blows into the microphone*

* Press release…

Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford championed legislation in 2021 to ensure that the people of Illinois understood that Black history is American history. This year she is building upon that monumental measure by encouraging people to celebrate Juneteenth and reminding them of the reason for the holiday.

“Juneteenth being a state holiday reminds us that freedom and racial equality have always been a hard-fought battle for Black Americans,” said Lightford (D-Maywood). “This day gives everyone an opportunity to celebrate Black culture, Black achievements, and learn more about Black history.”

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which established that all enslaved people in Confederate states were forever free. However, it was not until two years later in June of 1865 that federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce the proclamation freeing the last of slaves in the United States.

In 2021, Lightford championed House Bill 3922, which established June 19 as a state holiday for Juneteenth National Freedom Day. It is now a paid day off holiday for all state employees and a school holiday.

Today, Juneteenth has grown from the celebration of the abolition of slavery into a celebration of Black arts, culture, and the impacts of the civil rights movement throughout the country.

“The struggle for our people to achieve full equity in Illinois and across the nation continues still to this day,” Lightford said. “Juneteenth recognizes our accomplishments, our achievements, our culture, and reminds us that our fight is not over.”

…Adding… Not a good sign when the appellate court calls your appeal frivolous…

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has already responded to the appeal that threatens to delay the trial of James Weiss.

It will not go forward with briefing. "It is evident … Weiss's appeal is frivolous." And "professional discipline may be warranted." https://t.co/QYojV6Xe9L pic.twitter.com/Agu0i26B7W

— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) June 1, 2023

…Adding… U of I…

The University of Illinois Flash Index for May 2023 increased to 103.2 from 102.9 in April. This continues the perplexing path of the U. S. and Illinois economies with most observers still waiting for at least a mild recession that has yet to materialize.

“Reversing last month’s weak performance, Illinois tax receipts (the major components of the Flash Index) for May were surprisingly robust.”

Both individual income and corporate tax receipts were up in real terms compared to May 2022 while sales tax receipts were down only slightly after adjusting for inflation. Even more confounding, both the national and Illinois unemployment rates declined, falling in Illinois to 4.2% to a post-Covid recession low.

“It is still too early to claim a soft landing following the strong recovery from the recession. Watchful waiting continues.”

The Flash Index is a weighted average of Illinois growth rates in corporate earnings, consumer spending, and personal income as estimated from receipts for corporate income, individual income, and retail sales taxes. These revenues are adjusted for inflation before growth rates are calculated. The growth rate for each component is then calculated for the 12-month period using data through May 31, 2023. Over three years since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, ad hoc adjustments are still needed.

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Center Square | Pritzker: Invest in Kids program may be renewed this year, but with changes: “I think we should have tax credits that support education and other things in state government, but we also have the federal government willing to cover about 40% of the cost,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event in Champaign Wednesday. “Why have we created a program in which we’re paying for 75% of it and not having the rest of the country essentially paying 40%?”

* Crain’s | Rivian may lose Nasdaq spot after 90% selloff, JPMorgan says: The index typically removes the smallest members of the Nasdaq 100 if the company is weighted at less than 0.1% of the gauge for two consecutive months, JPMorgan analyst Min Moon writes in a note on Thursday. As Rivian was below 0.1% as of April 28 and May 31, Moon expects the carmaker to be excluded from the index on the third Friday of June.

* Tribune | ‘Class of COVID’: For this year’s graduating seniors, the pandemic dominated and defined high school: “I firmly believe that students are not able to perform academically if they don’t have the social-emotional supports that they need,” she said. “They are going to have a tough time focusing on school work if they’re experiencing depression or anxiety, if they’ve got social issues happening.”

* Sun-Times | Chicago Police Department’s reform chief resigns, claims ‘retaliation’: Tina Skahill’s exit comes just months after the ouster of her predecessor Robert Boik, who was fired after criticizing former Police Supt. David Brown’s decision to reassign nearly 50 officers under his command.

* Sun-Times | ‘I’ll get you,’ brother of Goonie Boss gang leader allegedly warns witness at trial: Romeo “O-Dog” Blackman is on trial along with two other members of the South Side gang tied to an indictment that connected them to 10 slayings across 30 months from 2014 to 2016. The witness, a former Goonie Boss gang member who agreed to cooperate with the feds, testified in court Tuesday that Romeo Blackman had confessed to the January 2014 slaying of a person whom the brothers suspected of being a police informant.

* WBEZ | ‘State of Black Chicago’ highlights outcome disparities between Black and white Chicagoans: A new report by the Chicago Urban League highlights significant disparities in the educational, economic and health outcomes between Black and white residents in the city. The 2023 “State of Black Chicago” report predicts local businesses will close, public schools in Black neighborhoods will continue to underperform and Black residents will be pushed out of their neighborhoods if inequity isn’t addressed.

* Illinois Times | City of Springfield cited for refusal to cover gender-affirming care: After being denied health coverage for hormone treatments to support her identity as a transgender woman, a former Lincoln Library manager says she is happy to work for a Chicago-area library where her employer’s plan pays for gender-affirming care.

* ABC Chicago | Evanston meeting to give update on reparations program Thursday: The city is now allowing cash payouts and a real estate transfer tax is added to its revenue stream after the tax from cannabis sales were not enough.

* Illinois Newsroom | Decatur Public Schools temporarily closes 2 campuses over structural concerns: DPS spokesperson Denise Swarthout said a structural engineer visited the campuses Tuesday and voiced concerns. The district is having another engineer look at the buildings by the end of the week and will update staff then. The two Dennis Lab Schools are Decatur’s oldest and most historic school buildings, dating back to 1910 and 1914.

* Press Release | Gov. Pritzker Announces New Manufacturing Facility in Southern Illinois: Governor JB Pritzker, Manner Polymers, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) today joined local leaders and partners to announce Manner Polymers’ new manufacturing facility in Mount Vernon. Known as an industry manufacturing leader in polymer compounds, Manner Polymers’ new state-of-the-art Illinois facility will manufacture a wide array of PVC compounds, including automotive PVC compounds for use in electric vehicles (EVs) and components for solar panels.

* Willie Wilson | Unions can help reduce violence in Chicago with apprenticeships and jobs: Unions profess a devotion to racial equity, yet it is clear the rung on the ladder to the middle class remains elusive for African Americans and women in the building and construction trades. Chicago’s labor movement dates to 1864, and labor’s influence now dominates the Illinois political landscape. Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former union organizer, could use his influence to get trade unions to open up apprenticeship opportunities for those mired in poverty and hopelessness.

* WCIA | Drought declared across Central Illinois: After a few weeks of abnormally dry conditions growing in the region, the declaration comes as rainfall totals have been in some areas less than 1/2 of normal for the month of April and May.

* ABC Chicago | See the Chicago NASCAR street race course, plus street closures and parking restrictions: The Cup Series Race, named the “Grant Park 220,” and the Xfinity Series Race, called “The Loop 121,” will pass through many of Chicago’s most renowned downtown landmarks, July 1 through 2.

* WGN | Prison time for boater who ran illegal charter operations on Chicago waterways: Christopher Mike Garbowski admitted to using a 40-foot powerboat known as “Sea Hawk” and “Anchorman” from 2017 to 2019 for personal profit, as he charged money to charter the boat to groups of passengers. […] The Coast Guard notified Garbowski about the federal regulations on multiple occasions. In one instance, prosecutors alleged that Garbowski called a potential customer by phone and asked that she lie to Coast Guard personnel by pretending they were friends with him.