Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Discovery Partners Institute teams up with U of I for cannabis research

Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I’ve said for decades that the U of I needs to turn loose its science and agriculture experts on cannabis research. Cannabis is a highly complex plant, and research might find all sorts of uses. Here’s Crain’s…

Discovery Partners Institute, the University of Illinois research center underway in the South Loop, has high hopes to launch a marijuana research facility.

DPI has begun a search for an executive director and researchers, and it has support from the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois. But it doesn’t yet have funding commitments from either one for a project that likely will need tens of millions to become a reality.

The cannabis research institute is the first significant effort by the city and state to build on Chicago’s critical mass in the marijuana industry. The city is home to several of the largest U.S. marijuana companies—including Cresco Labs, Green Thumb Industries, Verano and PharmaCann—which employ thousands of workers. Since legalizing recreational marijuana three years ago, sales have grown to about $1.5 billion.

The University of Illinois sees opportunities to draw on its strengths in agriculture, genomics and medicine to study topics ranging from marijuana production to the health impacts of cannabis.

* Gov. Pritzker was asked about the proposal today…

This is truly the headquarters for most of the cannabis industry in North America, let alone you know, in the United States. And so, being able to do research, which the NIH hasn’t done much of, as you know, being able to foster new innovations for the industry, all of that should happen in the city of Chicago and in the state of Illinois. And so, yeah, having a research institute just makes all the sense in the world, and the industry itself believes that.

Your thoughts?

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Afternoon news roundup

Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. The governor was asked today about Stellantis’ decision to idle its Belvidere plant and the future of electric vehicle manufacturing in Illinois…

We’re aggressively talking to every EV manufacturer that we can talk to, and that’s most of them in the country and outside the country. And, as you know, the Jeep Cherokee is what was being built, is being built now at this plant, factory and although they intend to idle that factory, it’s in part because Jeep Cherokee has come down as a priority for Stellantis in terms of their sales.

And so they’re looking for repurposing, what are they going to do on that spot. So we’ve been working with them for quite some time to try to make sure that they have an opportunity to put back to work the people who are at the current Jeep Cherokee plant.

Fortunately, they have enough land there. EVs are not, it’s not something you can take an existing footprint of an [internal combustion vehicle] manufacturing plant and just convert it. That doesn’t happen for EV. EV is a much larger enterprise. Typically they’re co-locating and that’s something that Stellantis is especially focused on for batteries and other components. So they need a lot of land. Fortunately, Belvedere, there’s a lot of land and they own most of that surrounding land. So I think we’re in a good position to help them get to what is the next phase of manufacturing in Belvedere

Please pardon all transcription errors.

* Interesting stuff…

A chart of gender and race/ethnicity of members in the 103rd GA by chamber and caucus. pic.twitter.com/j2OXMPczR9

— John Amdor (@JohnAmdor) December 15, 2022

* Rep. Delia Ramirez has resigned her House seat now that she’s about to be sworn in as a US Rep. Lilian Jimenez won that district in November, so you gotta figure that she’ll be appointed early. As expected, Rep. Tim Butler submitted his resignation yesterday. Click here to read it.

* AFSCME Council 31 heads back to the negotiating table for a new contract for its 35,000 state employees. Some stated priorities…

“With this revenue, there are a lot of competing interests who want to be prioritized for funding,” said Council 31 Director of Research and Employee Benefits Martha Merrill. “Just because the state is in a more stable position doesn’t mean that it wants to spend more money on employees. We’re still going to have to demand what we deserve like we do at every bargaining table.”

There’s another reason that the state’s finances are exceeding expectations: the staffing crisis. With so many vacant positions in state government, the state’s payroll is smaller than it has budgeted for. […]

One key issue in bargaining will be safety and staffing levels at state agencies, particularly at 24/7 facilities. Staffing levels at state agencies have nosedived since the beginning of the pandemic, and staff assaults and injuries are on the rise everywhere. There are almost 7,000 funded vacancies across all departments of state government.

* Constituent email…

This week House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch joined Biden administration policy experts to discuss and collaborate on legislative priorities for the upcoming legislative session. Items for discussion included reproductive health, common-sense gun reform, paid family leave, and lifting up America’s working families.

“I truly enjoyed this thoughtful and insightful conversation with President Biden’s policy experts,” said Speaker Welch. “An overwhelming majority of Americans support these policy initiatives and, as Democrats, we need to ensure that we are better aligned on these issues so that we can deliver for people across this country.”

Speaker Welch met with Julie Chavez Rodriguez, senior advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Morgan Mohr, senior advisor for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

In addition to the policy discussion, Speaker Welch also attended Vice President Kamala Harris’ Holiday Reception at her residence. Speaker Welch was able to network and continue strengthening relationships with leaders from states across the country.

* Politico…

Secretary of State-elect Alexi Giannoulias is naming campaign manager Hanah Jubeh and political strategist Scott Burnham, as deputy secretaries of state in his new administration.

* Press release…

The Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local Union 130 UA has endorsed Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot for reelection. The Mayor has worked closely with the Plumbers Local 130 throughout her time in office, and also received their endorsement for her 2019 campaign.

“We at the Plumbers Local 130 consider Mayor Lori Lightfoot to be a dedicated ally to plumbers and technical engineers as well as for trade workers across our city,” said Jim Coyne, Business Manager of the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local Union 130 UA. “Since she was elected in 2019, even throughout a global pandemic, the Mayor has supported us with the resources our members need to feel respected at each worksite and to thrive on the job. Mayor Lightfoot has never wavered on her recognition and protection for working Chicagoans, so we are proud to back her in her bid for reelection as we all stand to benefit from four more years of the Lightfoot administration.”

* In other words, they are prone to taking reckless risks…

New study finds that people who refused to get the COVID vaccine are at substantially higher risk of traffic crashes compared to vaccinated drivers.https://t.co/Mr9gYVpnGQ pic.twitter.com/tfAEFb5nwM

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) December 14, 2022

* Isabel’s roundup…

ProPublica | Medical Care and Politics Go Hand in Hand at a Chicago Safety Net Hospital:

* Sun-Times | Truck makers Rivian, Lion call on Pritzker to move faster on phaseout of gas and diesel-fuel engines: Rivian, with almost 6,000 employees in Normal, and Lion Electric, which is beginning to build electric school buses in Joliet, along with 14 other businesses connected to electric vehicles and clean energy sent a letter urging Pritzker to set specific targets for eliminating polluting trucks, buses and other large vehicles. Pritzker has touted electric vehicles as a major economic opportunity for Illinois, and last year signed into law new tax credits and other incentives to bring more manufacturing to the state promising “thousands of jobs.”

* Courier and Press | Here’s how much Illinois made selling weed to Indiana, out-of-state residents: In October alone, Illinois made more than $40 million – $40,662,494 – off out-of-state sales to Hoosiers and other nearby residents.

* Chalkbeat | Illinois education budget might boost career, early childhood programs – but recession worries loom: School districts must decide how to spend emergency COVID funds by a federally-imposed fall 2024 deadline. After federal funds run out, some districts may be scrambling to pay for programs created during the pandemic and increased staffing. However, according to a newly published spending dashboard, districts still have more than half of the pandemic relief money to spend.

* Press Release | ISBE launches ESSER Spending Dashboard for funding transparency : he Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has launched a new spending dashboard to provide the public with an easy-to-use tool showing how Illinois is using federal pandemic relief funds. The state received nearly $8 billion through three rounds of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding to support students’ recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

* Sun-Times | ComEd to spend $40 million on plan to rid homes of natural gas: ComEd is moving from a pilot project to a larger plan to “decarbonize” thousands of homes, making them energy efficient and more environmentally friendly.

* Sun-Times | CTA, Pace to issue shared passes next year: “We’re thrilled to partner with the CTA on these changes which will open more doors to employment, education, and essential services throughout our region,” said Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger.

* Sun-Times | Metra to rebuild 3 Electric Line stations on South Side: The stations at 79th, 87th and 103rd streets will be rebuilt from the ground up starting next summer and will be made handicap accessible, the transit agency announced Wednesday.

* Wall Street Journal | Why You Might Be Having Trouble Buying Children’s Flu and Cold Medicine: U.S. households are stepping up spending on cough and cold medicines and children’s pain relievers amid a rise in reports of respiratory infections, leading to sporadic shortages of some drugs online and at stores.

* Washington Post | Why a ‘tripledemic’ is keeping many of us sick for weeks at a time: As we approach year four of the coronavirus pandemic, Lane and other doctors agree the overlapping viral surges and how they are playing out are unusual and concerning: Patients with back-to-back respiratory illnesses. Simultaneous infection with three or more viruses. Otherwise healthy people suffering for weeks, rather than days, with simple colds.

* WSIU | Formerly incarcerated students in Illinois continue remote learning to finish their degrees: The pandemic forced prison programs around the country to adapt to remote learning. In Illinois, it also paved a path for college students leaving prison.

* WGEM | Dr. Ezike testifies before special COVID-19 congressional subcommittee: The Congressional Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis submitted its final report Wednesday to help prepare for and prevent the next public health emergency. A familiar public figure from Illinois also testified during the subcommittee’s final hearing Wednesday afternoon. Former IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike was asked to provide her perspective on how to best address the ongoing pandemic. Ezike said COVID-19 has highlighted the need for public health departments to focus more attention on health equity. She noted that thousands of people hospitalized for COVID-19 complications in Illinois suffered from underlying chronic conditions.

* Time | Here’s what we know about Sam Bankman-Fried’s political donations : A number of lawmakers from both parties are facing growing pressure to give up their campaign contributions from Bankman-Fried and other FTX executives in light of allegations that he stole customer funds. The campaign of Beto O’Rourke, a Democratic candidate for Texas governor this year, said it returned a $1 million SBF donation four days before Election Day, according to The Texas Tribune. Other lawmakers donated the money to charity, including Reps. Chuy Garcia, Democrat of Illinois, and Kevin Hern, Republican of Oklahoma.

* Washington Post | Lawmakers grapple with sheer size of FTX’s missing billions: Lawmakers on Wednesday attempted to grapple with the stunning collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX a day after federal prosecutors laid out a case of brazen financial crimes allegedly perpetrated by its former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, who is being held by authorities in the Bahamas.

* The Hill | Democrats press Amazon on ‘failure to improve safety’ of tornado-struck warehouse : Three Democrats on Thursday asked Amazon to detail how it plans to keep workers safe as it rebuilds a warehouse in Illinois that was struck by a tornado and collapsed last year. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), in a letter shared exclusively with The Hill, pressed Amazon CEO Andy Jassy to explain the “rationale” for Amazon’s “reported failure to improve structural safety” at the facility despite six workers dying at the site during last year’s tornado and subsequent collapse.

* Washington Post | Want to save the planet? Saving whales could help, scientists say.: Many nature-based solutions to fighting climate change have focused on the ability of trees and wetlands to capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide. But in a paper published Thursday in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, a group of biologists explores the idea that whales can influence the amount of carbon in the air and in the ocean, potentially contributing to the overall reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

* Washington Post | Elon Musk’s role at Tesla questioned as Twitter occupies his attention: Some Tesla investors are concerned that Musk is focusing too much on the social media company and becoming more polarizing.

12 Comments

Jobs up, but state says unemployment rate rose a click as more people try to return to workforce

Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* IDES…

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate increased +0.1 percentage point to 4.7 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +17,500 in November, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The change in the rate reflects an increase in the number of workers looking to return to the labor force. The October monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +3,600 to +7,200 jobs. The October unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 4.6 percent. The November payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.

In November, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment included: Leisure and Hospitality (+10,700), Professional and Business Services (+5,800), and Educational and Health Services (+3,500). The industry sectors with the largest monthly payroll declines included: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-4,300), Government (-1,700) and Manufacturing (-1,000). […]

Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +185,400 jobs, with gains across nearly all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs increases included: Leisure and Hospitality (+44,600), Professional and Business Services (+42,500), and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+31,000). The industry groups with jobs decreases included: Government (-2,100) and Mining (-200). In November, total nonfarm payrolls were up +3.1 percent over-the-year in Illinois and up +3.3 percent in the nation.

The number of unemployed workers rose from the prior month, a +1.7 percent increase to 303,300 and was down -6.7 percent over the same month one year ago. The labor force was down slightly (-0.2 percent) over-the-month and up +1.3 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.

More…

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Social justice advocates wary of criminal penalties in new gun bill

Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This is how gun control debates are usually covered in the news media…

In the ongoing debate around proposed gun control legislation at the Illinois statehouse, advocacy groups on both sides are working to advance their positions.

Several Illinois state representatives on the working group that crafted the proposed prohibition of certain semi-automatic firearms and magazines in House Bill 5855 were on the advocacy side of the gun control debate before becoming lawmakers, like state Rep. Maura Hirschauer. […]

On the other side, there are several groups promoting the rights of gun owners, including Guns Save Life, Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois representing gun stores and the Illinois State Rifle Association.

The hard reality is that the Democrats’ huge super-majorities mean the pro-gun folks have precious few allies. They likely can’t stop a bill on their own.

* To the bill…

Among other things, HB5855 would make it illegal to manufacture, sell or purchase an assault-style weapon, assault weapon attachment, .50-caliber rifle, or .50-caliber cartridge. And starting 300 days after the bill takes effect, it would make it illegal to possess such a weapon or ammunition unless it is registered with the Illinois State Police.

Large capacity ammunition feeding devices also would be prohibited under the bill.

The bill would also repeal a provision of current law that allows people between the ages of 18 and 21 to obtain a Firearm Owners Identification Card with parental consent, unless the applicant is a member of the U.S. armed forces or the Illinois National Guard.

And who would most likely be arrested? Black and Brown youth, say social justice advocates.

* So, this is the coming legislative reality in Illinois…

The bill sponsor just claimed that the bill would not have a direct fiscal impact.

By my calculation, if passed as filed, it would be Illinois' most massive increase in criminal penalties in two decades.

— Stephanie Kollmann (@SLKollmann) December 15, 2022

When you ask for data and get anecdotes, it's a sign.

Banning trans fats is saving lives.

Criminalizing individual possession of Oreos manufactured with them was not the path.

— Stephanie Kollmann (@SLKollmann) December 15, 2022

Kollman is the policy director for the Children and Family Justice Center, but I have talked to others like her who have expressed the same sentiments.

* A similar argument was used against this Chicago proposal, which ultimately passed…

Finite City legal resources would be better focused on supply-side solutions that reduce access to & value of guns. Instead, this proposal would divert City Law Dept time into admin law hearings seeking fines from ppl who likely will not be able to pay. https://t.co/BZ4mp82I7a

— Loevy & Loevy (@LoevyAndLoevy) December 14, 2022

…and court judgments ordering payments or garnishing future wages would burden the poorest families in our city. These fines not only prevent the accused person from reintegrating into society, but impact their families who rely on them for support.

— Loevy & Loevy (@LoevyAndLoevy) December 14, 2022

These are the same groups who are fresh off their SAFE-T Act victory. They would view the legislation as a setback.

Anyway, it’s something to be aware of as we move forward. And it’s likely the bill’s proponents included an oversampling of Black and Brown voters in their recent poll to help buttress their case against just this sort of argument.

29 Comments

Question of the day: 2022 Golden Horseshoe Awards

Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best US Representative goes to Adam Kinzinger…

As someone mentioned above, given that there are 435 members, it is difficult for 1 congress-critter to make a big difference. But Adam stood up for the entire country when he called out Trump and his insurrectionists for what they are. He was 1 of 2 republicans on the January 6th Committee, thus giving the committee some bipartisan legitimacy. Illinois has some really good representatives in Congress, but not one of them can come close to what Adam did, not just for Illinois, but the entire country.

Runner-up is Lauren Underwood.

* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Statewide Officeholder goes to JB Pritzker…

He’s the first Governor to be elected to two terms since 2006, he has a list of accomplishments as long as your arm, and he has an excellent sense of the long game. During COVID, he made sure that he moved fast…but never first. During his re-election campaign, he recognized that he’d have to prime the pump for people to believe the good news about the state after decades of misery.

Runner-up is Susana Mendoza.

Congrats to all!

* On to today’s categories…

Lifetime Achievement Award

Please do your best to nominate in both categories and make sure to explain your nominations or they won’t count. The “Association/Union Leader” category is new this year, so we’ll see how this works out. House Majority Leader Greg Harris won the Lifetime Achievement Award last year, so he’s ineligible this year.

* And now I have some very good news to share…

A Christmas miracle? Thanks to many folks and a very generous contribution today by John Atkinson, we have surpassed LSSI’s goal of $45,000 to buy presents for foster kids! Thanks!!! https://t.co/OHxXNKUUtI

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) December 14, 2022

Y’all are amazing! Give yourself a big round of applause! My (White Sox) hat is off to you. Thanks!!!

30 Comments

Local legislators not thrilled by new Bears tax plan

Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. Daily Herald…

“I have not seen (PILOT) for a for-profit, and frankly, I’m not sure that’s a box we want to open,” said state Sen. Ann Gillespie, an Arlington Heights Democrat whose district includes the racetrack site. […]

State Rep. Mark Walker, a fellow Arlington Heights Democrat, said he was skeptical about the payments-in-lieu proposal, calling it a “long shot” in Springfield.

“This is an entirely new kind of deal, if it were to be done, and I don’t know what the likelihood is,” Walker said.

Both local legislators — as well as Republican state Rep. Tom Morrison of Palatine, whose district includes Arlington Park — said they personally haven’t been lobbied by the Bears on the proposal yet.

Nobody has talked to Rep. Morrison? Mrs. McCaskey has made five contributions to Morrison over the years. She’s given more actual money to others (including $10K to Jeanne Ives), but no other candidates have received more checks than him, although she has written 19 checks to Paul Caprio’s Family PAC.

32 Comments

More victimhood

Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From St. Louis Public Radio’s story about a person who runs a Facebook group with 1,400 followers who wants to secede from Illinois…

“We in Podunk, Illinois — southern Illinois — are looked down upon by people in Chicago,” she said. “I’ve just had some really ugly things said to me by people that live in Chicago, and there’s that sense of superiority.”

Apparently, her feelings are hurt. But if you look at that little page, you see stuff like this…

MIKE: "You're not from Chicago, Cook County, the crazy place in Illinois. And there are sane people that live there…"…

Posted by Illinois Separation Referendum on Sunday, December 11, 2022

Everything is projection with these people. I mean, avowed former secessionist Darren Bailey loudly called Chicago a “hell hole” for months on the campaign trail, but you didn’t hear any candidates blasting Downstaters for being inferior.

* Chicago Tribune op-ed by some Eastern Bloc members…

The arrogance and condescension displayed at the recent State Central Committee meeting is illustrative of how far we need to go to unify our party. People who gave their time to knock on doors, attend rallies and put up signs to get Republican candidates elected were treated with disdain when they drove hundreds of miles to attend this meeting and express their points of view. This is unacceptable.

The base of our party is tired of being ignored.

Sixty people were given four hours to vent their rage at that meeting, including people like this…

Also attending were party activists that included a man wearing a Donald Trump dummy on his shoulders, and Peggy Hubbard of Belleville, an internet provocateur who spreads conspiracy theories and who has twice been an unsuccessful GOP primary candidate for the U.S. Senate nomination. […]

“Republicans come in many flavors,” Porter said, prompting a man to reply, “No. One-flavor Republicans,” while a woman yelled, “You guys quashed good candidates.”

They probably should’ve been ignored, but they weren’t.

* Back to the op-ed…

Devoid of evidence or data, they are declaring that conservatives are to blame for the GOP’s losses in November. They claim our party needs fiscally conservative and socially liberal candidates to win, but they forget we have already been down this road. As much as Republicans would like to forget, there was a gubernatorial candidate named Bruce Rauner on the ballot in Illinois in 2018. […]

What Illinois needs is leadership. Politicians who won’t defend their values are uninspiring, and we should not be surprised when they lose elections. The solution is not to abandon Republican values and principles but to defend them. Show the voters how our values and policies translate into more opportunity and a higher quality of life for every citizen. If our leaders don’t defend our values or articulate a vision — why should voters care?

1) Rauner won in 2014 then proceeded to wreck the state government and was clobbered for it in 2018; 2) Bailey didn’t defend their values? Kinda revisionist, don’t you think?

61 Comments

Morning briefing

Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Here’s your morning roundup…

WCIA | Illinois legislator celebrates signing of Respect for Marriage Act:

* Tribune | With approval of Chicago casino and Red Line extension TIF, Lightfoot scores two wins amid reelection bid: While both projects have plenty of remaining hurdles, for Lightfoot, the votes on the casino and Red Line extension mark political victories she will likely tout on the campaign trail as she seeks reelection. The state legislature’s approval of a casino license for Chicago was Lightfoot’s biggest victory in Springfield and, if it goes as planned, will bring significant revenue to the city’s coffers. The Red Line extension, while years away, is also another milestone Lightfoot will claim as a boon to the city’s South Side.

* CBS Chicago | Retiring Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White honored with gala: Illinois leaders sent off longtime Secretary of State Jesse White in style Wednesday night. State leaders staged a gala to honor White’s decades of tremendous public service. The dinner was attended by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Gov. JB Pritzker, and other people who have served in the upper echelons of Illinois government.

* WCIA | State lawmakers discuss amendment to protect abortion rights into Illinois Constitution: State lawmakers want to go one step further to protect abortion access in Illinois with a constitutional amendment. They want it to stay safe no matter who’s in office. “We are supportive of state lawmakers taking any action that works to protect Planned Parenthood of Illinois patients, and makes sure that there’s reproductive rights and access to abortion care throughout the state of Illinois” Rianne Hawkins, the director of advocacy and campaigns for Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, said.

* Tribune | Aldermen want to use COVID-19 relief money to give property tax loans to struggling Chicagoans: As Chicagoans face down a holiday deadline to pay their property tax bills, Ald. Michael Rodriguez has unveiled a proposal to spend $10 million in unallocated federal COVID-19 recovery funding to help low-income Chicagoans meet the deadline. At a virtual news conference, Rodriguez and fellow Ald. Maria Hadden said the hard-hit Southwest Side and North lakefront neighborhoods they represent were particularly in need.

* Chalkbeat | New high school gets more money from Chicago City Council as cost estimate climbs: A controversial new high school is another step closer to reality after Chicago’s City Council approved $8 million in city funds for the $150 million project. Five progressive aldermen voted against the measure on Wednesday.

* WTTW | In Cook County, Black Youth Make Up 70% of the Foster Care System. Advocates Say More Support is Needed After They Age Out.: In Cook County, Black youth account for more than 70% of the child welfare system. Meanwhile, Black residents make up only 23% of the county’s total population. As of February 2022, there are more than 4,000 Black children in foster care in Cook County.

* Tribune | Man who straw-purchased gun used to kill Chicago police Officer Ella French sentenced to 2 ½ years in federal prison: The sentence was half the five-year maximum Jamel Danzy could have received. U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman noted Danzy is college educated and said he had no evidence Danzy knew where the gun he bought would wind up.

* Block Club | Ald. Anabel Abarca Sworn In To Lead Southwest Side’s 12th Ward: Anabel Abarca became the newest member of City Council after being sworn in as 12th Ward alderperson Wednesday morning. Abarca was appointed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot earlier this week to fill the 12th Ward seat left vacant by former Ald. George Cardenas. Her appointment passed the Rules Committee Tuesday and the City Council Wednesday with a vote of 44-0.

* Vandalia Radio | Illinois again leads nation in gun background checks: Illinois is on pace to lead the nation again this year for the number of firearm background checks and one legal expert expects the numbers will only increase. FBI stats show Illinois leading the nation with nearly 4 million firearm background checks. U.S. LawShield President Kirk Evans said while that doesn’t necessarily equate to the number of guns being purchased, people buy more guns when there’s uncertainty.

* Sun-Times | After nearly 10 years, Jane Byrne Interchange ‘substantially complete,’ expected to cut congestion in half: “It’s been an awful long time in coming,” said Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who held a ribbon-cutting Wednesday morning to mark the accomplishment.

* Sun-Times | Bally’s $1.7 billion River West casino gets final zoning approval from City Council: Chicago’s 30-year quest for a casino and entertainment complex that city officials are counting on to bail out police and fire pension funds is now exclusively in the hands of the Illinois Gaming Board.

* Bloomberg | Chicago Taps Brakes on Gentrification With a Tax on Teardowns: “Living in a gentrifying neighborhood is like living with a live and open wound,” said Christian Diaz, who was born in Mexico but has called Logan Square home for most of his life. “It turns our streets into an emotional minefield because it just seems like our neighborhood is valuable now because White people want to live here. And it wasn’t before, because it was predominantly Latinx.”

* The Athletic | The biggest takeaways from the NWSL—NWSL PA joint investigation report: On Wednesday, the NWSL and NWSL Players Association released the full report following their joint investigation into misconduct across the league. The document, prepared by law firms Covington & Burling (hired by NWSL as an independent investigator) and Weil (counsel for the NWSLPA), details “widespread misconduct directed at NWSL players” at “the vast majority of NWSL clubs at various times from the earliest years of the league to the present.”

* NBC Chicago | Illinois Is Getting an Official State Snake. Here’s What to Know About the Serpent: The eastern milksnake is set to become the state’s official snake, notching the distinct title under an amendment to Illinois’ Designation Act. According to officials, the snake can be found all across the Land of Lincoln, living in river bottoms, rocky hills and woodlands. It can reach 2-to-3 feet in length, and it has large blotches and a y- or v-shaped marking on its head.