…Adding… Chicago Board of Elections…

Please see below for the updated Chicago Voter Turnout as of 5:00pm on Election Day, 3/19/24:

287,621 total ballots cast (includes EV and VBM)
1,697,498 active registered voters in Chicago
16.94% citywide turnout so far

Ballots Cast By Age Group:

17 -24: 8,987 ballots cast – 3.12%
25-34: 35,094 ballots cast – 12.20%
35-44: 38,530 ballots cast – 13.40%
45-54: 39,382 ballots cast – 13.69%
55-64: 55,811 ballots cast – 19.40%
65-74: 64,084 ballots cast – 22.28%
75+: 45,733 ballots cast – 15.90%

Ballots Cast Per Hour:

6:00am-7:00am: 3,043 ballots cast
7:00am-8:00am: 5,031 ballots cast
8:00am-9:00am: 9,196 ballots cast
9:00am-10:00am: 9,143 ballots cast
10:00am-11:00am: 9,974 ballots cast
11:00am-12:00pm: 11,505 ballots cast
12:00pm-1:00pm: 11,994 ballots cast
1:00pm-2:00pm: 12,393 ballots cast
2:00pm-3:00pm: 12,368 ballots cast
3:00pm-4:00pm 14,214 ballots cast
4:00pm-5:00pm: 19,242 ballots cast

(118,103 Election Day ballots cast so far)

…Adding… Chicago Board of Elections…

Please see below for the updated Chicago Voter Turnout as of 3:00pm on Election Day, 3/19/24:

253,798 total ballots cast (includes EV and VBM)
1,697,498 active registered voters in Chicago
14.95% citywide turnout so far

Ballots Cast By Age Group:

17 -24: 7,475 ballots cast – 2.96%
25-34: 29,681 ballots cast – 11.69%
35-44: 32,791 ballots cast – 12.92%
45-54: 33,460 ballots cast – 13.18%
55-64: 48,834 ballots cast – 19.24%
65-74: 58,713 ballots cast – 23.13%
75+: 42,844 ballots cast – 16.88%

Ballots Cast Per Hour:

6:00am-7:00am: 3,043 ballots cast
7:00am-8:00am: 5,031 ballots cast
8:00am-9:00am: 9,196 ballots cast
9:00am-10:00am: 9,143 ballots cast
10:00am-11:00am: 9,974 ballots cast
11:00am-12:00pm: 11,505 ballots cast
12:00pm-1:00pm: 11,994 ballots cast
1:00pm-2:00pm: 12,393 ballots cast
2:00pm-3:00pm: 12,368 ballots cast
(84,647 Election Day ballots cast so far)

* WBEZ…

Anthony Young and Pamela Allen, both Austin residents who were electioneering for the U.S. Rep. Danny Davis’ campaign, stood outside Malcolm X College’s West Side Learning Center in West Garfield Park Tuesday morning trying to talk to voters on their way to the polls.

Young started electioneering two years ago after he was invited along by some friends. He said he enjoys talking to people, adding that he feels like a Johnny-on-the-spot. […]

It was Allen and Young’s first time working together, and the two bonded over the candy Young brought to hand to voters. Allen said she considered him a friend now, adding another to the list of ones she has made standing outside polling places for more than a decade.

“We’re out here for 12 hours, we gotta find something to talk about,” Allen said.

* Tribune…

The city of Chicago has sued Glock, one of the largest firearms manufacturers in the world, accusing the gunmaker of willfully ignoring design flaws in its handguns that allow for them to be easily turned to fire automatic rounds.

A spike in the use of “auto sears” or “switches” — quarter-sized devices affixed to Glock pistols that allow for multiple bullets to be fired with one trigger pull — has only exacerbated the city’s entrenched violence problems, city attorneys allege. […]

The complaint, filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court, accuses Glock of violating the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Business Practices Act, as well as the Chicago municipal code, by selling the modifiable guns to civilians who don’t work in law enforcement — “anyone with $20 – $25 to spare and a desire to circumvent long-standing federal and state prohibitions on possessing fully automatic machine guns can do so by buying an auto sear and affixing it to a Glock pistol.”

Attorneys for the city say the lawsuit is the first of its kind to be filed since the Illinois General Assembly amended the state’s consumer fraud law year to include firearm manufacturers.

Click here to read the lawsuit.

* Not good news…

* I really need to go sometime…

A beautiful Election Day at Manny’s Deli pic.twitter.com/PFcN4mjCwV

— Manny's Deli (@mannysdeli) March 19, 2024

* From the Illinois Times publisher regarding Lee Milner…

Many of you know Lee, who has taken photos for IT and SBJ for many years. He is no longer able to do photography work due to his declining health, but the March 28 issue of Illinois Times will feature a retrospective of his photography. We are hosting an open house at the office from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, honoring Lee and his work over the years. Please invite anyone else that you think might be interested in stopping by.

The IT is at 1240 S. Sixth St. in Springfield.

* Here’s the rest…

* Block Club | Voter Turnout ‘Sleepy’ So Far In Chicago, Officials Say: As of 9 a.m., about 10.41 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in the primary election, according to Max Bever, a spokesperson for the Chicago Board of Elections. Almost 60 percent of votes cast come from voters 55 years or older, Bever said.

* Daily Herald | School, library, sales tax requests to be decided in Tuesday’s election: Central Unit District 301 is asking voters’ permission to borrow $195 million to build a new, larger high school in Burlington. The district says the 33-year-old high school isn’t big enough for expected enrollment increases, as the City of Elgin continues to approve new housing developments.

* Block Club | Social Justice Groups Appeal City’s Decision To Block Democratic National Convention Protests: Chicago officials argue they don’t have the staffing to monitor the protests, but a police official couldn’t say exactly how many officers they’d need. The groups want to protest closer to the United Center.

* Block Club | Jayden Perkins, 11, Was Heralded Dancer Who Saved Life Of Pregnant Mom In Attack That Killed Him: Jayden, 11, attended the dance school, 5230 N. Clark St., on a full merit scholarship, studied about a dozen styles, from hip-hop to ballet, and had once caught the eye of show-runners for a role as young Michael Jackson, Giordano said. He also played football and was set to star in his upcoming school play. He had a knack for math and sent letters to his teachers.

* WCIA | Urbana City Council passes ceasefire resolution unanimously: At Monday’s meeting, over 50 people showed up to observe the vote after it was added to their posted agenda. The public comment section of the meeting ran for more than two hours. After Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin announced the resolution passed unanimously, the supporters erupted with cheers and applause.

* Lake County News-Sun | Highland Park councilman announces resignation date due to liquor license dispute; open to staying ‘if the legislation changes’: Hoobler promised to bring fresh ideas and an independent voice to city government, according to a news release he issued. His resignation will take effect on April 30. “It has been an honor to serve the voters of Highland Park, and I will continue to fight to make our city the gem of the North Shore as it once was,” he wrote on his councilman Facebook page. “Unfortunately, at this time, my lawyers have advised me to take this next step.”

* Daily Herald | Solar farm proposal near Hawthorn Woods faces stiff opposition from residents, village: Renewable Properties LLC, applying as RPIL Solar 3 LLC, is seeking a conditional use permit to build a ground-mounted solar facility at 25428 N. Fairfield Road. The facility itself would occupy about 23 acres and have 11,544 solar panels. Opposition in advance of a public hearing before the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals has been widespread and united. Emails have been circulating, homeowner groups have been meeting and the village board at a special meeting this past week unanimously approved a resolution objecting to the project.

* Telegraph | ‘Fascinating’ documents uncovered during Madison County Circuit Clerk’s Office digitization: Circuit Clerk Tom McRae said he initiated the project more than a year ago to help streamline the process of court record searches and storage within the office. While completing the project, that included scanning more than 9 million documents, numerous historic records were discovered. […] One such record is that of Arshag Garbadian, who applied for U.S. citizenship 1919. The document sheds a great deal of light on Garbadian’s journey to become a naturalized citizen who eventually lived in Granite City.

* Daily Herald | Homeowners suing Mount Prospect factory operator over odors: The homeowners, who say they represent all owners or occupants of residential property within a one-mile radius of Prestige, have complained for years about a burned cheese smell and noise coming from the factory. The suit seeks undisclosed compensatory damages and costs, including attorney’s fees.

* Crain’s | Governors State University lands largest-ever donation: Curtis Crawford, CEO of XCEO, an executive leadership consulting firm in California, donated $2 million to Governors State University, marking the largest donation in the school’s history. […] The public university, which is among the lowest-funded universities in Illinois, says the new college, established in 2023, will be “the most rigorous program” for honors students in the state. Part of the donation will go toward adding dorm space for honors students, the school said.

* WBEZ | How to see ‘Chicagohenge’ on Tuesday: This Tuesday, March 19, isn’t just Primary Day in Illinois — it’s also the best day to experience the phenomenon known as “Chicagohenge.” Reset checks in with the Adler Planetarium for what you need to know about Chicagohenge, where best to see the spectacle and whether it can really be considered a “henge” at all.

* Crain’s | Of big U.S. cities, Chicago has held onto housing affordability the best over the years: As the chart shows, RealtyHop found that while it’s harder to afford homes all over the country, the affordability factor in 2022 in Chicago was the least changed from 1970. […] To be sure, it’s gotten harder to afford a home in the Chicago area in the past five decades — about 33% harder. But compare that to Los Angeles, where it’s gotten 245% harder in the same period. In Philadelphia, Miami and Boston, affording a home in 2022 was more than twice as hard as in 1970.

* Reuters | UN sounds ‘Red Alert’ as world smashes heat records in 2023: The U.N. weather agency said in its annual State of the Global Climate report that average temperatures hit the highest level in 174 years of record-keeping by a clear margin, reaching 1.45 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

* CNN | Radicalized by the right: Elon Musk puts his conspiratorial thinking on display for the world to see: In the contentious interview, Musk equated moderating dangerous and appalling hate speech to “censorship,” bashed the press for legitimate reporting, assailed DEI programs without supporting evidence, skewered advertisers who fled the X platform last year and yet again gave credence to the racist Great Replacement theory, among other things.

* 25 News Now | Local mining companies represented in Illinois Manufacturers’ Association’s top 16 coolest products made in Illinois: Among them are the Caterpillar D11 Dozer and mining trucks made by Komatsu - both made locally. You can cast your vote here. Voting is open until March 24 to determine the top 8. Top 4 voting ends March 31.

* KFVS | 99th anniversary of devastating Tri-State Tornado: The Tri-State Tornado is still known as the most devastating tornado to ever hit the United States. In Jackson County Illinois, March 18 is a day of remembrance. “Here in Jackson County there were over 300 individuals that perished that day,” Scott Johnson said.