On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. More than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day.
Still, even under Order No. 3, as historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. noted, freedom wasn’t automatic for Texas’s 250,000 enslaved people. “On plantations, masters had to decide when and how to announce the news — or wait for a government agent to arrive — and it was not uncommon for them to delay until after the harvest,” he wrote.
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States, with 27,000 square miles inundated in depths of up to 30 feet over the course of several months in early 1927. The period cost of the damage has been estimated to be between $246 million and $1 billion, which ranges from $4.2–$17.3 billion in 2023 dollars. […]
More than 200,000 African Americans were displaced from their homes along the Lower Mississippi River and had to live for lengthy periods in relief camps. As a result of this disruption, many joined the Great Migration from the South to the industrial cities of the North and the Midwest; the migrants preferred to move, rather than return to rural agricultural labor. […]
The flood affected Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Henry “Blind Lemon” Jefferson (September 24, 1893 – December 19, 1929) was an American blues and gospel singer-songwriter and musician. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s and has been called the “Father of the Texas Blues”.
* One of Jefferson’s bigger hits was about that 1927 flood…
Thousands people stands on the hill
Looking down were they used to stay
* And if that music isn’t your cup of tea, check out this fabulous mini-concert from the great Chicagoan Chaka Khan…
A Marseilles man charged with murder was out of custody awaiting trial for multiple felonies when he allegedly killed his father – but Logan Petre wasn’t out because of the SAFE-T Act.
Petre, 21, is charged in La Salle County Circuit Court with first-degree murder. He would face 20 to 60 years in prison with no possibility of probation, if convicted of strangling Leo Petre in the family home. (Logan Petre could face additional time if also convicted of a pending home invasion charge.)
Though Logan Petre was out of custody at the time of Leo’s death, he wasn’t released under no-cash bail established by the SAFE-T Act. Instead, Petre had posted cash bond on his two pending felony cases from June 2023 (home invasion) and July 2023 (aggravated battery). Cash bonds ended in September as a result of the SAFE-T Act. […]
La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro said he made it a point, during the early hours of the investigation, to see whether Logan Petre had been released under the SAFE-T Act. That proved not to be the case. It was, in fact, victim Leo Petre who posted the $5,000 cash needed to bond his son out for home invasion, Navarro said. […]
“It does not change by opinion of the SAFE-T Act,” Navarro said, “but my understanding was Logan Petre was out on an ankle monitor and was supposed to be attending counseling. That was not followed up on.”
Had it not been for those lawsuits by similar minded SAs, the SAFE-T act would have gone into effect on Jan 1, 2023 where this guy would likely not have been able to buy his way out.
A NEW POLL has Democratic Congressman Eric Sorensen leading Republican challenger Joe McGraw in the competitive IL-17 District.
By the numbers: Sorensen is at 44 percent to McGraw’s 35 percent, according to an internal poll from 1892 Polling for the National Republican Congressional Committee and McGraw’s campaign.
POLITICO’s Morning Score by Madison Fernandez scooped the poll, which surveyed 400 likely voters June 8-12. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percentage points.
Bull’s eye: National Republicans are targeting Sorensen’s seat, which leans Democratic. As drawn today, IL-17 would have voted for President Joe Biden over Donald Trump by around 8 percentage points in 2020.
Competitive Political Climate: In a generic Congressional ballot, the Republican and Democrat are tied 40-40%, while 20% of voters are undecided. In 2020, Biden carried IL-17 by +8%. Now Biden is only +1%. The degradation of Biden’s image, ballot, and job approval has downstream effects driving a shifting political environment and creating a Republican opportunity in IL-17.
Americans for Prosperity Action made its first Illinois general election congressional endorsement since 2018 when it backed McGraw this month.
* From US House Speaker Mike Johnson’s recent Peoria visit…
Johnson appeared along with 16th District U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood and 17th District candidate Joe McGraw ahead of the Tazewell County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday.
McGraw, a retired judge, faces Democratic incumbent Eric Sorensen in November. Freshman Sorensen last won the seat with a 52-48 margin, filling an open spot left by retiring Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos. Bustos had also won decisive elections in the swing district, which elected her while also voting for Trump.
Johnson believes, despite a funding gap between the candidates, this election will be different. He calls Sorensen a “radical leftist.”
“I think [17th District voters] are going to look for somebody who is a grownup to represent them,” said Johnson. “Somebody who has a great resume and will be a great leader and, I think, will represent the real interest and values of the people in the district.”
* Sorensen attended a reopening event today for the Peoria abortion clinic that was firebombed in 2023. Press release…
Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) is pleased to reopen the newly renovated Peoria Health Center, 2709 N. Knoxville Ave, over a year after it was severely damaged after a firebomb attack in early 2023. The Peoria Health Center suffered extensive damages costing over $1 million to rebuild, depriving the community of essential sexual and reproductive care for over a year. Today, PPIL held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and press conference with Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Michael Cabonargi, Congressman Eric Sorensen, and Illinois State Senator Dave Kohler to unveil the new state-of-the-art facility.
“After so much hard work and determination by our neighbors, I’m excited to celebrate the reopening of the Peoria Planned Parenthood Clinic. What happened in January of last year was a tragic example of what happens when extremism comes home. But extremism will never, ever play in Peoria. We are a more resilient people than ever,” said Congressman Eric Sorensen. “ I’m proud of the commitment of our Peoria community, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, and our local law enforcement who have worked so hard to deliver justice and get our clinic back up and running to serve our neighbors, protect abortion access, and safeguard our freedoms.”
“There weren’t tax increases or revenue enhancements against everyday ordinary taxpayers,” said Chicago Democratic Sen. Elgie Sims, a budget negotiator. “What you saw was a recognition of, particularly as it relates to the sports betting industry, the explosion of the industry and some parity.”
Sims also pointed out the budget’s tax breaks. The income tax personal exemption will increase from $2,425 to $2,775 for 2024. The 1% sales tax on groceries will be eliminated in 2026. And there’s a new child tax credit for low-income families. Those with at least one child under 12 are eligible for the credit, which is 20% of the Earned Income Tax Credit and 40% next year.
* I received a press release yesterday about a couple of lesser-known budget-related items that were in the revenue omnibus bill…
The Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations (AICF) and Forefront commend the General Assembly for enacting the Illinois Gives Tax Credit Act (“Illinois Gives”) and the Workforce Development Through Charitable Loan Repayment Act (“Loan Repayment”). Both programs were included in the FY25 revenue omnibus (HB4951 / Public Act 103-0592, Articles 170 and 10 respectively). Previously, they generated strong bicameral and bipartisan support with sponsors from every organized Caucus in the General Assembly as SB172 (Feigenholtz)/ HB1241 (Croke) and SB3273 (Villanueva)/ HB4736 (Stuart).
Illinois Gives will incentivize up to $100 million in new charitable giving over the next 5 years by authorizing a 25% state income tax credit for charitable donations to eligible permanent endowments held by dozens of qualified community foundations across Illinois. The program, which begins 1/1/25, includes equity provisions and reporting requirements and will be administered by Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR).
In addition to Illinois Gives, the new Loan Repayment program will use private charitable dollars to lure and retain locally needed workers into Illinois communities. Eligible community foundations will directly repay part or all of a worker’s student loans directly to the lender, and the worker will not pay state income tax on that charitable loan repayment. State income tax-free loan repayment will become available to workers after 1/1/26, and will be overseen by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) with support from IDOR and AICF.
Endowed funds at community foundations provide a predictable source of general operating and capital funding for a wide range of nonprofit organizations and programs in every part of the state. “By incentivizing endowment gifts through Illinois Gives, we are creating a permanent funding stream to sustain our nonprofits for generations to come,” said Joshua Gibb, AICF President.
Similar tax credit programs in other states increased both the number of donors and total charitable dollars given. “Nonprofit organizations are the heart of our communities all over Illinois, providing vital services and strengthening communities,” said Andrea Sáenz, President and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust.
Changes to federal tax laws since 2017 reduced incentives for charitable contributions, resulting in both fewer donors and donations nationwide. Illinois Gives will help reverse that trend in Illinois. “The Illinois Gives Act leverages four private dollars for every one state dollar, and represents a historic investment in the nonprofit sector, which typically is not included in the General Assembly’s annual revenue package,” said Holly Ambuehl, Director of Policy and Government Affairs at Forefront.
• Authorizes a 25% state charitable income tax credit beginning tax year 2025
• To any Illinois taxpayer who makes a charitable gift(s) to a permanent endowment administered by ~40 qualified community foundations in Illinois that serve every county in the state
• Must benefit charitable causes in this state
• Includes a $5 million statewide cap to limit budget impact and a 5-year sunset provision
• May not be carried back and is not refundable; may be carried forward up to 5 years
• Includes public reporting requirements to ensure accountability and transparency
There’s a $100,000 contribution cap and a $5 million program cap.
* Workforce Development Through Charitable Loan Repayment dot points…
• Private sector solution for Illinois workforce needs + Illinois resident student debt
• Targets workforce gaps by matching charitable loan repayment with locally needed workers
• Private charitable donations made to eligible Community Foundations are used to directly repay student debt for workers that agree to live and work in a target geography + industry for a certain amount of time
• SB3273/HB4736 subtracts such charitable loan repayment from state income tax for eligible workers
