* I had never heard of Poi Dog Pondering when I first moved to Chicago in 2000. But some of my city friends quickly educated me. They seemed to play everywhere back then. Here’s the Tribune…
The rock and soul band Poi Dog Pondering will perform at 8 p.m. Aug. 17 at RiverEdge Park in Aurora, park officials announced Wednesday.
The band is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. “Poi Dog Pondering: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life, Love and Music” is a one-night-only show, RiverEdge officials said.
A recreation director was fired by the Park District of Highland Park while on leave for the post-traumatic stress disorder he has experienced since the mass shooting during the suburb’s 2022 Fourth of July Parade. […]
As director of recreation, Maliszewski was co-chair of the 2022 Fourth of July Parade and was one of the first Park District employees to arrive at work that morning.
At the time of the shooting, he was at the start of the parade route, just north of where a gunman fired into the crowd from a rooftop. The mass shooting left seven people dead and dozens injured. […]
For at least nine months, Maliszewski has been receiving treatment for anxiety, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder related to the parade massacre. He said he never suffered from any mental health problems before the incident. He was on leave from the Park District for part of that time.
Maliszewski has a pending workers’ compensation case related to the psychological injury he sustained in the wake of the parade shooting. His case began while he was on leave from his Park District job through the Family and Medical Leave Act.
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate increased +0.1 percentage point to 4.8 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased +1,200 in December, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and released by IDES. The November revised unemployment rate was 4.7 percent, unchanged from the preliminary November unemployment rate. The November monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +6,800 to +4,400 jobs. The December unemployment rate and payroll jobs estimate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.
In December, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month job gains included: Leisure and Hospitality (+3,300), Educational and Health Services (+1,700), and Government (+1,100). The industry sectors with the largest monthly payroll job declines included: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-4,900), Information (-1,200), and Other Services (-400).
“Today’s report adds the finishing touches on a year of strong, consistent job growth and continued accomplishments surrounding the stabilization of the state’s labor market,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “As we head into the new year, IDES remains committed to the services provided for workforce and employer opportunities and bridging the two together.”
Update: As reported by @AVHndz in @BlockClubCHI, the Chicago Rat Hole has been restored to its former glory after local residents braved the cold and icy conditions to scrape out the plaster-like substance from the Rat Hole. This is what community is all about. #twillhttps://t.co/bZjdEKY9vC
* USA Today | Unemployment claims in Illinois declined last week: Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Illinois dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday. New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 12,701 in the week ending Jan. 13, down from 12,890 the week before, the Labor Department said. U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 187,000 last week, down 16,000 claims from 203,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.
* Sun-Times | With end of cash bail, ‘dramatic increase’ in appeals from people ordered held in jail or told to submit to restrictions to be released: Illinois appellate courts have been hit with a “dramatic increase” in appeals since the elimination of cash bail from people challenging orders keeping them in jail or imposing conditions like electronic monitoring for their release. The state’s high court announced Tuesday it is creating a task force of appellate court justices to study the issue. The task force is slated to hold its first meeting in the next two weeks and is expected to give a report to the Supreme Court within 45 days.
* Tribune | Lockport student alleges District 205 failed to monitor student in alleged sexual assault: A Lockport Township High School District 205 student and her parents filed a lawsuit against the district alleging she was sexually assaulted by a junior varsity basketball player and former student in December 2022. The lawsuit, filed Jan. 8 against the district, names Superintendent Robert McBride and Anthony Cundari, assistant superintendent for personnel.
* Sun-Times | Firm tied to former Chicago top cop David Brown back at police academy after being dumped over cost: A Texas firm with ties to former Supt. David Brown is back training officers at the police academy after being dumped by the Chicago Police Department over cost concerns after Brown left the department. Last May 19, then-interim police Supt. Fred Waller told police reform chief Tina Skahill to notify Professional Law Enforcement Training that “CPD will no longer need their services as of June 1,” citing the “significant cost.”
* Patch | ‘Condescending’: DuPage Officials Disagree Over Night Meetings: Two Democratic DuPage County Board members differed over whether to hold a night board meeting this year. One accused the other of being “condescending.”In October, member Dawn DeSart, who represents Naperville-based District 5, proposed two night meetings, as opposed to the usual daytime sessions.
* Crain’s | UChicago grad union adds pressure to university’s poor financial position: Graduate Students United, or GSU, which represents some 3,000 graduate students at the university, told Crain’s that UChicago officials are now using its recent public debt issues and a $239 million budget deficit as reasons not to meet the union’s financial demands.
* SJ-R. | Sangamon County State’s Attorney appoints a new top lieutenant: Mary Beth Rodgers, chief of the office’s felony division, was named First Assistant State’s Attorney Thursday by John Milhiser, who returned to the State’s Attorney office in November after serving as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois during the Donald Trump presidency.
* Daily-Journal | Will County declares emergency, announces opening of nuclear plant warm water siphons into Kankakee River: The Will County Emergency Management Agency has coordinated with Constellation Energy to activate all three siphons of warm water from the Dresden Energy Center cooling lake to accelerate the melting of ice on the Kankakee River. This decision follows a declaration of emergency by county executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant due to the historic flood levels and ice jams along the Kankakee River.
* Center Square | Illinois pays hefty sum to participate in Rose Parade: According to documents obtained by The Center Square, the cost of constructing the Enjoy Illinois float, the performances and the entry fee cost taxpayers $560,000. The 24-foot-tall float took three months to build using about 22,000 volunteer hours and featured 30,000 flowers. The state hired the vocal group Straight No Chaser to ride and sing on the float.
* Sun-Times | Soldier who sold guns used by Chicago gang members in 2 mass shootings pleads guilty: Brandon Miller told investigators he joined the Army to escape the mean streets of Chicago, where he said he was going to “funeral after funeral after funeral.” He was in the field artillery at Fort Campbell on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, where he specialized in operating the computers that guide artillery and missiles.
* Daily Herald | Authorities: Glendale Heights village president pushed police chief : According to the charge, Khokhar shoved Glendale Heights Police Chief George Pappas with both hands as Pappas stood in front of him on Oct. 25. The misdemeanor battery charge was added Friday to Khokhar’s disorderly conduct case, in which he is accused of making a false report to police.
* Daily Herald | Six state police vehicles hit in a week serves as reminder of Scott’s Law: The good news is that none of the state troopers suffered life-threatening injuries. The bad? State police say at least three of the drivers who hit the squads were violating Scott’s Law, aka the Move Over Law, when the crashes occurred. Another is accused of driving under the influence.
* Block Club | White Sox Should Stay In Bridgeport, Alderperson Says As Team Eyes South Loop Stadium: Prominent developer Related Midwest owns the land, which was also floated as a casino site before Bally’s won the contract to build it in River West. Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), whose ward includes the site named for what could be the city’s 78th official community area, said in a statement she will “meet soon” with Related Midwest “to discuss the possibility of a stadium being built for the Chicago White Sox.”
* Tribune | The ‘Chicago Rat Hole’ draws devoted fans bringing gifts for the city’s new tourist attraction: Neighbors in the area told Dumaine the spot has been there for nearly 20 years and that the mark was actually left by a squirrel, not a rat. But the rodent-inspired name has endured. “Chicago prides itself on all of the things that make Chicago difficult, and no matter how much Chicago hates rats, they love rats. It’s a part of our culture,” Dumaine said.
* The American Prospect | How Boeing Ruined the JetBlue-Spirit Merger: This week, the sixth-largest and seventh-largest U.S. airlines, JetBlue and Spirit, were denied the opportunity to merge. Stripped from context, it doesn’t sound like an earth-shattering development. But the ruling by Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, signals the end of four decades of unstoppable waves of airline consolidation that have damaged passengers, workers, smaller communities, and commerce. More broadly, it’s another victory for the Biden Justice Department’s aggressive antitrust enforcers, who are drawing the line at additional concentration.
* Daily Herald | Coyotes are more active this time of year. Here’s how to keep your pets safe: The police department post recommends that residents keep unattended dogs and cats indoors or in enclosed areas if they have to be outside, especially at night. It also implored people to keep their dogs on short leashes while walking them outside, preferably six feet or less.
Kullgren said Mayor Johnson saw the alleged incident.
“The mayor gave no indication he didn’t want to talk to me until his staffer started shoving me. He saw the whole thing happen and didn’t intervene,” Kullgren told Fox News Digital via email when asked for additional comment. […]
Two west suburban Catholic grade schools will close this summer, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Thursday.
St. Frances of Rome School in Cicero and St. Odilo School in Berwyn will close their doors in June after the conclusion of the academic year.
School and church leaders said the expiration of the Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program in the fall left the schools facing a financial cliff with more than half of students at the schools relying on the program to attend.
The program expired in November after state lawmakers adjourned during the final week of the General Assembly’s last session without taking up a proposal to extend it beyond Dec. 31.
* During the 2022-23 school year, St. Frances of Rome had just 13 Invest in Kids participants. But, according to the PR firm which oversaw the Invest in Kids push, that number jumped to 104 students during the current school year after a major local effort.
St. Odilo went from 27 IIK students during the 2022-23 school year to 60 this year, according to a press release.
Raw data is here. Both of those schools have experienced enrollment declines.
* From that Mac Strategies press release…
“Empower Illinois stands in solidarity with the parents, students, teachers, and communities of St. Frances of Rome and St. Odilo. Without this life-changing scholarship program many of those families simply could not afford to attend the school, forcing its closure,” said Bobby Sylvester, executive director of Empower Illinois. “Sadly, we know that these are unlikely to be the last schools to close unless our legislators act this spring to renew the program. We call on all Illinois General Assembly members to re-engage in the vital work of providing educational opportunities to low-income students through this program by passing an extension this spring.”
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Invest in Kids proponents should’ve tried to broker a phase-out compromise that would’ve at least continued funding for students currently in the program. Those two schools were obviously hoping to keep their doors open with a big effort to enroll students in IIK, even though people at the top knew it was quite likely that the program would be allowed to expire at the end of December. They could’ve tried to lock in those gains, but went for an extension instead.
If one Oklahoma representative gets his way, children who act like dogs and cats during school hours could be punished by — animal control. Yes, parents might soon have to collect their erstwhile kids from the pound — if Rep. Justin Humphrey’s bill makes it to the finish line as it stands today. That is, of course, if kids acting like animals at school is really that widespread a problem, which is up for debate.
Humphrey’s bill, which was filed Wednesday, seeks to put in place a law whereby “students who purport to be an imaginary animal or animal species, or who engage in anthropomorphic behavior commonly known as furries at school shall not be allowed to participate in school. … The parent or guardian of a student in violation of this section shall pick up the student from school, or animal control services shall be contacted to remove the student.”
Humphrey tells Rolling Stone he was inspired to write the bill after hearing several reports of students disrupting school while engaging in animal-like behavior. He cites two such alleged incidents in which a grandchild of a friend took to crawling down the hallway while wearing a leash, and another where a student distracted classmates by meowing like a cat. He seemed most concerned, however, with the idea of students requesting litter boxes in the classroom, a favored talking point among right-wing politicians that has been debunked. Similar bills have been introduced in the past as well, but none have included the “animal control” language.
Humphrey says he’s heard “reports” of such instances but did not cite a specific incident. “Why are we going to bring in a litter box and put it in a room? Are they allowing those kids to actually use litter boxes?” he asks, incredulous. “If you think that you’re an animal, that’s a mental health issue, and we need to get you mental health assistance. Some people are going to say, ‘Well, they’re being artistic.’ There’s nothing artistic about mental illness.”
An Oklahoma bill has stirred controversy in the state Legislature for seeking to label Hispanic people who are gang members as terrorists. No other racial or ethnic group is singled out in the legislation.
The bill, written by Republican state Rep. Justin Humphrey, proposes that any person who “is of Hispanic descent living within the state of Oklahoma,” is a member of a gang and has been convicted of “gang-related offenses” would be deemed a terrorist. Humphrey has since apologized for zeroing in on Hispanic people and plans to change the language in the bill to “undocumented.”
Humphrey told NBC News that the bill was meant to focus on “those people who are here illegally and who are coming across the border and trying to do harm to America and to Oklahoma.” […]
“I don’t believe that the Mexican cartel, the Hispanic gangs, are the only bad actors … I don’t really say, ‘I made a mistake’ or that it was racial, because it wasn’t, but it was an oversight and it could be made much, much better by expanding that to say, ‘any undocumented person,’” Humphrey said, adding that he spoke with Hispanic friends who told him they were somewhat offended by the bill.
Humphrey has also said that “Chinese nationals” are contributing to the fentanyl crisis, but did not explicitly mention that group in the bill. There were 3,547 unintentional drug overdose deaths in the state between 2017 to 2021, according to data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Fentanyl was involved in 579 of those deaths.
🚨🚨Oklahoma introduces a FELONY BAN on VIEWING pornography.
This is 100% straight out of the Project 2025 playbook. It appears to me with the bills I've read out of Oklahoma that representatives there are testing the waters for Project 2025. pic.twitter.com/sMIPlFmwaP
An Oklahoma lawmaker proposed a bill that would require students to take a gun course at school.
State Sen. Nathan Dahm filed Senate Bill 1699, which would require courses focusing on gun safety, the history of gun confiscation and the dangers of gun confiscation throughout history.
According to Senate Bill 1699, the Oklahoma State Department of Education would develop resources related to implementing gun courses with grade-appropriate instruction and high-quality professional learning opportunities for gun course teachers.
Transgender children who need an adoptive or foster parent could be placed in homes that don’t support their gender identity if a new bill gets signed into law.
Senate Bill 1677, authored by Sen. Julie Daniels, would prohibit the Oklahoma Department of Human Services from requiring a condition for potential foster and adoptive parents that they support a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity if it conflicts with the prospective parents “sincerely held religious or moral beliefs”.
The bill would also prohibit DHS from denying a prospective parent adoption or fostering a child based in part on their religious beliefs regarding sexual orientation or gender identity.
If a parent is denied adoption or fostering a child based on their religious belief, they would be able to seek injunctive relief and damages.
A former state legislator has formed a group that is launching a statewide effort to put parents’ rights on Illinois’ November 2024 ballot.
The Parents Matter Coalition has said that minor children in Illinois should require the guidance of their parents when faced with life-altering medical decisions like abortions or gender identity procedures. The group, in response, has launched a petition seeking to ask voters if parents should have more control over such decisions.
“Shall the written consent from a minor’s parent or guardian be required before any entity, person, clinic or school can provide a minor (under the age of 18 years) any nonemergency medical procedure, medication, pharmaceutical, or any gender modification procedure, gender identification counseling or gender therapy?” the question asks.
Jeanne Ives, a former state representative, said Thursday petitioners hope to get the advisory question on the November ballot.
“We want it on the 2024 ballot, that means we need petition signatures,” Ives told The Center Square. “Our goal is 500,000 signatures. We need less than that, but we are aiming for 500,000, and we would like to collect those by the end of March.” […]
The initiative is just a ballot question and will not change state law regardless of the final vote outcome. However, Ives said this can put pressure on those making the laws.
Matt Dietrich at the Illinois State Board of Elections said the circulators must collect 328,371 valid signatures of registered voters and submit them by May 6. So, 500,000 may not be enough.
State law limits the number of referenda to no more than three at a time. The General Assembly could decide to crowd out the Ives effort (if it’s even successful) by voting to put their own questions on the ballot, including a constitutional amendment.
In an unsurprising decision, the Illinois Supreme Court today ruled unanimously to uphold the 2019 downstate police and firefighter pension fund consolidation law after certain members sued claiming their voting power was diluted. My story from November: https://t.co/YtJZO3lRT7pic.twitter.com/Q9nzhauvCQ
Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement on the Illinois Supreme Court’s ruling on local pension consolidation:
“The Illinois Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of this landmark, bi-partisan pension reform law today is confirmation that smart, thoughtful pension reform can be accomplished in Illinois. After 70 years of attempts, my partners in the General Assembly and I were able to accomplish meaningful reform during my first term in office. We ushered in a new era of responsible fiscal management, one aspect of which has been consolidating over 600 local pension systems to increase returns and lower fees, reducing the burden on taxpayers and keeping another campaign promise. Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for Illinois taxpayers, local governments and first responders.”
THE ARLINGTON HEIGHTS POLICE PENSION FUND et al., Appellants, v. JAY ROBERT “J.B.” PRITZKER, Governor, et al., Appellees […]
Plaintiffs filed a complaint against defendants in the circuit court of Kane County seeking, inter alia, a finding that Public Act 101-610 (eff. Jan. 1, 2020) (Act), which amended portions of the Illinois Pension Code (40 ILCS 5/1-101 et. seq. (West 2020)), violated article XIII, section 5, of the Illinois Constitution (Ill. Const. 1970, art. XIII, § 5), commonly known as the pension protection clause, and/or article I, section 15, of the Illinois Constitution (Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, § 15), commonly known as the takings clause. The circuit court granted summary judgment in favor of defendants. The appellate court affirmed. 2023 IL App (2d) 220198, ¶ 20. For the following reasons, we also affirm. […]
It is axiomatic that, if plaintiffs have no constitutional right in how their local pension funds are funded or the adequacy of that funding, they similarly have no constitutional right regarding who invests local fund assets. The Act does not change plaintiffs’ right to elect members of their local funds’ boards or the local boards’ authority to determine the amount of benefits plaintiffs are entitled to receive. It only changes the local boards’ power to invest the assets of the local funds. Simply put, the 2020 amendment to the Pension Code has no impact on plaintiffs receiving their promised monetary benefits. […]
Plaintiffs have failed to identify any property right under Illinois law that is affected by the 2020 amendment to the Pension Code. It is undisputed that the Act does not impact the pension payments that plaintiffs are entitled to receive. Additionally, as defendants recognize, plaintiffs’ takings claim must also fail because even if they had a property right in the local funds’ assets, which they do not, the Act would not constitute a taking of that property for the government’s use. The Act simply changes how local fund assets are managed and invested without affecting the ultimate use of those assets to pay the benefits of local fund members
The Illinois Municipal League and the Associated Firefighters of Illinois supported the state’s position.
…Adding… House Speaker Chris Welch…
Today’s ruling shows that smart decision making can produce real savings for taxpayers, while protecting what workers have earned. By advancing commonsense reforms, collaborating with stakeholders, and delivering fiscally and socially responsible budgets, we’re continuing to rebuild Illinois’ fiscal house and move our state forward.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Changes the names of the offenses of unlawful use of weapons, unlawful use of weapons by felons or persons in the custody of the Department of Corrections facilities, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, being an armed habitual criminal, unlawful use of firearm projectiles, and unlawful use of a firearm in the shape of a wireless telephone to unlawful possession of weapons, unlawful possession of weapons by felons or persons in the custody of the Department of Corrections facilities, aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, persistent unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of firearm projectiles, and unlawful possession of a firearm in the shape of a wireless telephone. Provides that if any person before the effective date of the amendatory Act has been arrested, charged, prosecuted, convicted, or sentenced for unlawful use of weapons, unlawful use or possession of weapons by felons or persons in the custody of the Department of Corrections facilities, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, being an armed habitual criminal, unlawful use of firearm projectiles, or unlawful use of a firearm in the shape of a wireless telephone, the changes of the names and the defendants to unlawful possession of weapons, unlawful possession of weapons by felons or persons in the custody of the Department of Corrections facilities, aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, persistent unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of firearm projectiles, and unlawful possession of a firearm in the shape of a wireless telephone, shall retroactively be made in any criminal background records maintained by the Illinois State Police, law enforcement agencies, clerks of the circuit court, and any other State agencies providing criminal background information to the public under specified timelines. Amends various Acts to make conforming changes. Effective January 1, 2025.
Amends the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. Provides that within 90 days after the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Areas have been designated by the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Program Board, the Board chair shall appoint 8 public officials of municipal or county (rather than municipal) geographic jurisdictions in the State that include a Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Area to the Board.
Amends the Department of Natural Resources Act. Makes legislative findings concerning the growth of American white pelican populations and their impacts on recreational fish populations in the Upper Mississippi River System. Directs the Department of Natural Resources to collaborate with an accredited university or college in the State to conduct a study of the American white pelican communities that reside, during their migration, in Pool 13 of the Upper Mississippi River System in order to: (1) evaluate the movements and foraging activities of those communities; (2) assess how the migration of those communities impacts fish populations in the Upper Mississippi River System; and (3) collect the data necessary to develop trophic models of the Upper Mississippi River System that incorporate impacts of piscivorous birds, such as the American white pelican. Requires the Department to report the findings of its study to the General Assembly by no later than December 31, 2025. Effective immediately.
Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that, on or before January 1, 2025, the Department of Children and Family Services shall require each licensed day care center to maintain a video security system and maintain video surveillance of all public areas within the premises of the day care center, including, but not limited to, hallways, entrances, play areas, common rooms, and eating areas. Provides that video surveillance shall not take place in private areas within the day care center, including, but not limited to, bathrooms and changing areas. Provides that, if a video security system is deemed inadequate by the Department, the day care center shall have 30 days to correct the inadequacy. Provides that each licensed day care center must notify all parents of children attending the day care center that public areas are under video surveillance and must post a sign at the entrance of the day care center that informs visitors that the area is under video surveillance. Provides that the minimum standards for licensing shall require that each child care institution, maternity center, day care center, group home, day care home, and group day care home require that every staff member involved in the direct care of children be certified in first aid, in the Heimlich maneuver, and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation(rather than have on its premises during its hours of operation at least one staff member certified in first aid, in the Heimlich maneuver, and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) has taken an important step in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Illinois students by filing legislation aimed at preventing inappropriate relationships between teachers and students.
Senate Bill 2823 makes it illegal for any teacher to engage in sexual activity, whether consensual or nonconsensual, with a high school student even if that student is 18 or older.
“It is our responsibility to create an educational environment that protects students from potential harm and fosters trust,” said Sen. Bryant. “Individuals with custodial authority in other areas of work, like corrections, face criminal charges for the abuse of that authority, no matter the age of the victim. The same should apply in our school system.”
Senate Bil 2823 builds upon existing Illinois law to further protect students from potential abuse of power. Teachers who violate the proposed law would face a Class 3 felony for their first offense and a Class 2 felony for subsequent offenses or if multiple victims are involved. Additionally, Senate Bill 2823 mandates the inclusion of individuals who violate the law in both the sexual predator and sex offender database, ensuring public awareness and continued monitoring.
For years, the media could listen to police scanners in real time to keep track of what’s going on in Chicago neighborhoods.
However, the City of Chicago recently began encrypting transmissions, putting them on a 30-minute delay.
In response, State Representative LaShawn Ford has introduced a bill that would require accredited newspapers and FCC licensed broadcasters, like ABC7 Chicago, to have access to real-time scanners.
Ford spoke to ABC7 about what prompted the bill.
“The police are not the only people that have to help protect individuals as it relates to public safety,” Ford said. “They need partners. It’s all hands on deck.”
Amends the Notice By Publication Act and the Newspaper Legal Notice Act. Provides, in both of the Acts, that the term “newspaper” also includes any digital publication that (1) is posted on a public-facing website, web application, or digital application, including, but not limited to, a social network, ad network, or search engine, that has 3,000 or more unique monthly United States visitors or users with at least 50% of those visitors from the geographic area for which the notice is required to be published during the immediately preceding 12 months; (2) regularly gathers, prepares, collects, photographs, records, writes, edits, reports, investigates, or publishes news or information that concerns local, national, or international events or other matter of public interest for dissemination to the public; and (3) is paid for by subscribers to the digital publication.
Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that specified in-servicing training for law enforcement officers must be completed every 2 years (rather than 3 years) and must include at least 30 hours of training.
* ICYMI: Funny messages on Illinois highway signs to be banned, feds say. NBC Chicago…
- The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has given states two years to implement changes outlined in a new manual released last month.
- Overhead electronic signs with obscure meanings, pop culture references or those intended to be funny will be banned in 2026 because they can be “misunderstood or distracting to drivers,”
- Some examples of IDOT signs include “No Texting, No Speeding, No Ketchup” and “OMG, Are you texting? I can’t even.”
* CNI | Smart Start preschool expansion ahead of schedule in first fiscal year: The Smart Start program passed last May as part of the state’s operating budget, which allocated $250 million to expand early childhood education programs, including wage support for child care workers, early intervention programs and home visiting programs. It also included a goal of adding 5,000 pre-k spots in areas where access was lacking – and the state has exceeded that number by over 800 seats.
* Our Quad Cities | Local law enforcement reacts to new Illinois law allowing non-citizens to become police officers: “There’s certain steps to becoming a police officer,” said Sheriff John Booker with the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s not just, ‘Okay, today I’m going to be a police officer,’ take a test and you’re hired tomorrow. It’s a long process.” The Whiteside County Sheriff explained only part of the process to becoming a police officer that takes more than three months to complete.
* Crain’s | Bally’s casino workers vote to unionize: Three groups of workers at the temporary Bally’s casino in River North have voted to unionize. The votes were certified this week and affect hundreds of workers at the company’s temporary casino at the Medinah Temple.
* Wes-Gazette | Casino payout: Pension funds, riverfront among early beneficiaries: Funding for riverfront development, city sewer upgrades, construction of an addition to the Boys and Girls Club and paying down city fire and police pensions: Those will all benefit as a result of the opening of Danville’s Golden Nugget Casino. Planning for some of the projects is underway, while others, like the start of the pension paydown, are ongoing endeavors.
* Daily Southtown. | Two solar energy facililties get green light in Monee Township: Nexamp has proposed a 5-megawatt solar farm on about 44.26 acres of land at 26845 S. Will Center Road in Monee, about 0.2 miles from South Will Center Road and West Pauling Road. The company has also proposed a 2-megawatt solar farm to be built on about 19 acres of a 29.26 acre parcel of land on the northwest corner of South Will Center Road and West Pauling Road.
* WLPO | State AFL-CIO Endorses Candidates, But Not in Every Race: Of 127 candidates backed by the union giant, 126 are Democrats. The lone Republican is Brad Stephens, a candidate for State Representative who’s a union member and the Village President of the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, adjacent to O’Hare. The union has not endorsed a candidate in the 76th District, where three Democrats and two Republicans are vying for the seat being vacated by Democrat and union champion Lance Yednock.
* WBEZ | Black parents are caught in the middle of Chicago’s school choice debate: Blackburn and Presswood are two Black mothers in the middle of an intensifying debate about school choice, the system that allows Chicago parents to send their children to charters, magnets and selective enrollment schools, rather than be tethered to the school in their attendance boundary.
* Daily Egyptian | FAFSA complications causing distress for Southern Illinois families: The old FAFSA would require potential students, or their parents, to fill out a long, complicated form that would feature roughly a hundred questions regarding the family’s living situation.
The goal of the new FAFSA was to simplify the process, with only around 50 questions. The new application was designed to make it much easier for the government to provide benefits to families in need. However, it has been proven to be a more tenuous process, at least in the beginning.
* Sun-Times | Two downstate men accused of trying to break window with flag poles during Jan. 6 Capitol riot: Two men from southern Illinois have been arrested and are facing criminal charges for allegedly trying to break a window at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, joining the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Justin LaGesse, 37, and Theodore Middendorf, 36, both of McLeansboro, about 300 miles south of Chicago, are charged with felony destruction of property, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.
* NBC | Capitol Police investigated more than 8,000 threats against lawmakers last year: U.S. Capitol Police investigated 8,008 threats against members of Congress last year, according to new case numbers released Thursday. Last year’s tally marked an increase from a figure released for 2022, but it’s below the 9,625 cases the agency investigated in 2021 when the Jan. 6 riot occurred.
* NPR | How social media algorithms ‘flatten’ our culture by making decisions for us: “[There] are equations that measure what you’re doing, surveil the data of all the users on these platforms and then try to predict what each person is most likely to engage with,” New Yorker writer Kyle Chayka explains. “So rather than having this neat, ordered feed, you have this feed that’s constantly trying to guess what you’re going to click on, what you’re going to read, what you’re going to watch or listen to.”
* SJ-R | How some superintendents decide on closing schools or E-learning days in bad weather: Students can sometimes be on a bus for 40 minutes to get to their schools, Superintendent Fred Lamkey said. If a bus breaks down or loses heat in the middle of the country, it can take 25 to 40 minutes to get a substitute out. That’s just one of the scenarios Lamkey and other superintendents had to consider when deciding whether to implement an emergency day or an e-learning or remote learning day, as they did on Tuesday because of the extreme cold.
* Sun-Times | University of Illinois system freezes in-state tuition at all 3 of its campuses for 2024-25 school year: The Board of Trustees approved tuition rates for the 2024-25 academic year Thursday. Rates will remain unchanged for the seventh year of the last 10 years, the school said in a press release. “I want to thank our trustees for their vote to freeze tuition for in-state undergraduates again,” University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen said. “This decision maintains our ironclad commitment to affordability. Few things we can do have a more positive impact on the working families of Illinois than holding down the cost of a life-changing college education.”
