|
Uber’s Local Partnership = Stress-Free Travel For Paratransit Riders
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] The Pace Rideshare Access Program subsidizes Uber trips, leaving riders with a co-pay of just $2. The impact: “This program has been a godsend for me. It offers flexibility, independence, freedom and the ability to maintain a beautiful life on so many levels,” says one rider. CTA: See how it works.
Comments Off |
|
Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller ICYMI: It’s Giving Tuesday! Every year we help Lutheran Social Services of Illinois buy Christmas presents for children in foster care. So far we’ve raised more than $6,000, which works out to 241 presents for foster kids. But lots more kids could use some joy, so please donate what you can. Thank you! * Happy 206th Anniversary Illinois…
* Tribune | Madigan prosecutors to ask Solis about cooperation against another ‘high-ranking official’ — but can’t mention Edward Burke by name: The leeway given to prosecutors comes a day after Madigan attorney Dan Collins decided to bring up Burke in his cross, pointing out the contrasting styles between Burke and Madigan when soliciting business for their respective law firms. Collins asked Solis, didn’t Burke offer to pay you for law business referrals? Didn’t Burke say things to you like ‘the cash register hasn’t rung’ and ‘Did we land the tuna?’ * Sun-Times | Madigan jury gets to hear about Solis’ undercover work against Ed Burke, just not his name: Jurors still might have enough information to connect the dots. During his interrogation of Solis on Monday, Madigan attorney Dan Collins began asking Solis about Burke. Collins noted that Burke had told Solis “the cash register has not rung yet” and asked “did we land … the tuna” as he tried to strong-arm business out of the developers of Chicago’s Old Post Office. * Sun-Times | As newspapers close across the U.S., study finds Illinois is hard hit: As newspapers continue to close across the country, Illinois has been particularly hard hit. The state has lost 86% of its journalists since 2005 — the highest percentage decline in the nation, according to the Medill State of Local News report released in October. Nationally, there was a 60% drop in newspaper journalist positions during that same period. * WCIA | IL Attorney General offers tips on charitable donations this holiday season: “I encourage potential donors to review my Charitable Trust Bureau’s tips before making donations for Giving Tuesday and throughout the holiday season,” Raoul said. “I will continue to offer resources to Illinois residents who give charitable donations to ensure their generous donations are used for the intended purpose.” * NBC Chicago | IDPH warns of whooping cough increase as cases reach levels not seen in 20 years: According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, October alone saw 408 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, marking the “largest monthly total in 20 years.” The number is more than double the number of cases reported in October 2023, health officials noted. Preliminary data showed the state has recorded more than 1,900 confirmed and probable cases of whooping cough so far this year, the highest number since 2012. Illinois’ surge in pertussis is in line with a national surge, which comes after a sharp drop in cases during the COVID pandemic. * Chicago Reader | How Chicago leaves communities in the dust: On October 1, Neighbors for Environmental Justice (N4EJ) released their second report in two years, “Paid to Pollute,” which found that the city department responsible for government contracts doesn’t monitor whether companies violate environmental regulations and there are few consequences for companies that do. For community members in N4EJ, city compliance is personal. The group formed in the McKinley Park neighborhood in 2018 when MAT Asphalt, which holds millions of dollars in city contracts, constructed a facility across from the eponymous park and in close proximity to schools and homes. In 2020, developers canceled a planned 120-unit affordable housing project in the neighborhood after they failed to secure funding from the city or state over concerns about the plant’s emissions. * Block Club | New NW Side Police Commander Says Technology Is Best Way To Combat Burglaries, Other Crime: About 100 days into his new position, Vanna said his top goals are to make policing the district more efficient by using technology to identify crime patterns and also to get officers more involved in the neighborhood. “The community is what holds us accountable,” Vanna said during a recent interview. * Crain’s | Ad agency known for Super Bowl spots expanding office, moving to Merchandise Mart: Highdive Advertising, an independent agency behind a series of hit Super Bowl ads in recent years, confirmed it has leased about 26,000 square feet on the 17th floor at the hulking riverfront property. The 8-year-old firm is subleasing its new office from sales software maker Seismic and expanding from roughly 12,000 square feet it occupies today at 320 W. Ohio St., where its lease expires at the end of this month. * Block Club | Near West Side’s Last Migrant Shelter Closes: While there are about seven migrant shelters in the city today, that figure stood north of 20 more than a year ago. […] There are about 3,300 residents currently in the city’s migrant shelters. The Mayor’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on where migrants staying at the Walnut Street shelter were moved to. * Crain’s | Fello, an app to fight loneliness, raises $10.4 million: A new Chicago-based startup is looking to put the power of the gig economy to work to combat loneliness, raising $10.4 million for its peer support platform, the company, Fello, said in a news release this morning. […] Its mission is to bring together “Finders” and “Fellos” to combat what U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy last year dubbed a growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Murthy has compared the health impact of social isolation to a 15-cigarette a day habit. * CBS Chicago | At Dolton, Illinois Village Board meeting, residents say they want Mayor Tiffany Henyard voted out: The Dolton Village Board meeting Monday night started 30 minutes late, as trustees waited for the mayor to arrive. Trustee Jason House said at one point that they would give the mayor five minutes to show up. Henyard delayed the meeting with no explanation. But it gave residents something quickly to talk about. * NBC Chicago | Dolton will soon be without a police chief while mayor says she will be victorious in bid for second term: “Know this – I am going to come through on a landslide just like Trump did,” Henyard said. “Like it or not, I am your mayor.” But in the coming days, Henyard’s hand-picked choice for interim police chief will be out of a job. A judge said Ronnie Burge Sr. could only serve for 30 days, making his last day on the job Dec. 6. * Daily Herald | Lake County Board leadership unchanged; Shift at top for forest preserve: The Lake County Board’s leadership isn’t changing, but there has been a shift at the top of the Lake County forest preserve board. Seven returning county board members were sworn in Monday for their new terms, with the panel’s 14-5 Democrat majority remaining unchanged. * Daily Herald | DuPage Forest Preserve District acquires Bolger Farm near Wheaton: But with the forest preserve district acquiring that property on the east side of Leask Lane, the conservation agency is adding about 35 acres to what it calls a “critical natural corridor.” The district recently finalized the $12 million purchase of the Gladstone Ridge property — the “open space link” between the arboretum and Danada, an area with its own equestrian history. * Daily Southtown | Will County Board elects Democratic speaker, replaces Steve Balich as Republican leader: The board elected new leadership, including Wilmington Democrat Joe VanDuyne, a board member since 2018, as its new speaker. The speaker, formerly known as County Board chair, presides over meetings in the absence of the county executive, prepares agendas and assigns committees.VanDuyne, most recently the chair of the board’s Public Works and Transportation Committee, succeeds Judy Ogalla, a Monee Republican who held post for the last two years. * Lake County News-Sun | Lake County Forest Preserves Board has new president; ‘We can continue to honor this lovely corner of the world’: The Lake County Forest Preserves Board elected Commissioner Jessica Vealitzek as its new president, who touted the recent passing of a $155 million referendum for land acquisition and habitat restoration as a mandate from the public to continue the board’s efforts. Vealitzek, who was nominated by Commissioner Jennifer Clark, was elected with 14 ayes and five present votes. Commissioner Gina Roberts was elected vice president, and Commissioner Paul Frank was elected president pro tempore. * Sun-Times | Holiday filmmakers are flocking to Chicago’s suburbs for the scenery: “Once Upon a Christmas Wish,” a Long Grove production starring Mario Lopez, premieres Saturday on the Great American Family network. And two other Illinois-based movies, “Christmas at the Zoo” and “Christmas in Chicago,” will be released in the future. […] Chicago-based Throughline Films co-founder John Bosher also cited the local crews, acting talent, tax credit and scenery as reasons for filming in the area. He and Chris Charles started the company in 2012 and launched the Very Merry Entertainment venture upon discovering the growing demand for American holiday movies locally and abroad. * SJ-R | Boys & Girls Clubs could end programming at 8 Springfield schools: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Illinois announced Monday the Illinois State Board of Education declined to renew a $1.2 million grant made available through the federal government. […] “The lack of transparency and timely communication from ISBE throughout this grant process, coupled with the delayed funding decision coming halfway into the school year has left the Club with devastatingly limited options,” a news release said. * Police 1 | 1st police department in Illinois to use AI-powered police officer assistant: Due to limited resources, most U.S. law enforcement agencies currently review less than 1% of their body-worn camera (BWC) footage. By automating 100% of BWC reviews and eliminating ineffective random review, TRULEO streamlines these processes, solving common challenges faced by departments and ultimately leading to improved officer morale, recruitment, retention, and better policing outcomes. Additionally, TRULEO’s technology helps identify training and coaching opportunities for officers, enabling departments to proactively address potential issues. * WICS | Sangamon County Clerk announces recounts in Recorder’s and County Board District 25: On Monday, a petition was filed for the Recorder’s race, on behalf of Josh Langfelder. In this race, Democratic candidate Josh Langfelder received 49,093 votes and Republican candidate Frank Lesko received 49,124 votes. The petition specified 41 precincts to be inspected. * WCIA | Vermilion County officials sworn in: Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy is now the first state’s attorney in county history to be elected for three consecutive terms, her office said in a news release. She credits her leadership through expanding funding for more victim advocates and helping found the Vermilion County Child Advocacy Center with the late Senator Scott Bennett for children who faced abuse and neglect. * WCIA | Illinois Football assistant coach dies at age 62: Dana Dimel, the Senior Offensive Assistant for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team, has died. Illinois Athletics announced that the longtime coach passed away Tuesday at the age of 62. He is survived by his wife Julie and their children Winston and Joey. * WBEZ | Prolific Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt’s works are now on display at Springfield museum: The prolific Black sculptor Richard Hunt, who died a year ago this month, came of age during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s. He was born a couple of blocks away from 14-year-old Emmett Till’s childhood home in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood, and at 19 years old, he attended Till’s open-casket funeral. Hunt used his art to express themes of racial trauma, grief and Black liberation. Former President Barack Obama called him one of the “finest artists ever to come out of Chicago.” He said he and former first lady Michelle Obama are “eternally grateful” that one of Hunt’s works will sit outside the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park. * WTTW | The Unglamorous Sucker Fish Plays a Key Great Lakes Role. A Shedd Scientist and Her Band of Volunteers Want to Tell You Why: In analyzing the first seven years of data collected by her cadre of volunteers, Murchie has been able to determine the best predictor of sucker movement. It’s water temperature: 43.3 degrees Fahrenheit, to be precise, which is essentially the sucker equivalent of “on your mark, get set, go.” Murchie recently published these results in the journal Environmental Biology of Fishes. In the paper, she name-checks every single one of the 80 volunteers who’ve participated in the project, be it for a single year or all seven. * JS Online | Act 10 overturned by Dane County judge. Walker-era law decimated public employee unions: A Dane County judge on Monday sent ripples through Wisconsin’s political landscape, overturning a 13-year-old law that banned most collective bargaining among public employees, consequently decimating the size and power of employee unions and turning then-Republican Gov. Scott Walker into a nationally known political figure. The effort to overturn Act 10 began in November 2023 when several unions representing public employees filed the lawsuit, citing a “dire situation” in workplaces with issues including low pay, staffing shortages and poor working conditions.
|
|
Let’s help these kids! (Updated)
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Today is Giving Tuesday, which is our traditional kick-off day for our annual charity fundraiser. Every year, we pitch in to help Lutheran Social Services of Illinois buy Christmas presents for foster kids. LSSI spends about $25 on each gift and none of what we raise goes to the group’s overhead costs. It’s all about the kids and even a small donation can go a long way. None of these children are living great lives right now. They don’t come from functional families. So, what we try to do here is help brighten their lives one day a year with a gift. It can make a big difference for these kids. So, please, click here to donate. As I told you earlier this year, some friends and I attended an LSSI event and we all made donations. But I will still keep up my end of our tradition and match the first $2,000 contributed by you. * Again, please click here and give whatever you can. Thanks! …Adding… We already reached the first $2,000+, so I kicked in my pledged $2K. Please click here and give whatever you can. Thanks!!!
|
|
Once again, a Chicago revenue idea would require state approval
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Sun-Times…
* From a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) fact sheet on the 43rd Ward website…
The Chicago Bears floated the idea of a PILOT for an Arlington Heights stadium. The idea has gone nowhere. Also, just about every legislative district outside Chicago has a hospital in it and their association is quite powerful. Hospital boards are typically filled with influential local people. * Meanwhile, over at CPS…
|
|
Lion Electric struggling, but no state subsidies have yet been paid out
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * ABC 7…
* The company has been struggling for months. Here’s a Tribune story from July…
The vehicles cost the school districts about $350,000 each, which is way more than the $150,000 for a petroleum-powered bus. Hence, the federal subsidies. * The company has received no state subsidies…
The company is currently scrambling to raise private and Canadian government funding. Discuss.
|
|
Question of the day
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Newsweek…
* Last year during the debate to lift the moratorium on small nuclear reactors, a lobbyist claimed attitudes toward nuclear energy differ by generation. This Pew research study from May breaks down some age and partisan support for nuclear power…
* The Question: Do you support or oppose building more nuclear power plants in Illinois? Make sure to explain your answer. If you’d like, share which generation you belong to.
|
|
Madigan trial roundup: Solis faces first day of cross-examination
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Tribune…
* Sun-Times…
* Jon Seidel, the federal courts reporter for the Sun-Times…
|
|
Open thread
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
|
|
Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Gov. JB Pritzker names first head of state’s new early childhood agency. Tribune…
- If confirmed by the state Senate, Ramos will oversee the launch of a department that is expected to consolidate functions now under the state’s Department of Human Services, Board of Education and Department of Children and Family Services. - Ramos has already been involved in strategic planning for the new agency, the governor’s office said. * Related stories…
∙ Capitol News Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker signs bill creating new Illinois Department of Early Childhood * IPM News | After closure of Stateville Correctional Center, some incarcerated students may never speak with their professors again: Rivers couldn’t bring herself to say goodbye in person either. In her second to last class, her icebreaker question was about what the class meant to everyone. “Kleenex was needed,” she added. Correctional Center had some of the worst conditions of any Illinois prison. Rivers said students have taken tap water out of her hands and gave her their bottled water instead, because they refused to let her drink something so unhealthy. A man died when temperatures reached dangerous levels in his cell. * Sun-Times | New Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke vows to lower ‘war zone numbers’ of Chicago violence: Her first policy directive calls for prosecutors to seek detention for “every detainable felony offense where an offender used or possessed a firearm equipped with an extended magazine, drum magazine, automatic switch, or used a ghost gun or defaced firearm.” The county also will seek detention for “any domestic violence-related, stalking or sex offense where the offender used or possessed a weapon” as well as “any detainable felony offense that is committed on public transportation,” among other cases, O’Neill Burke’s office said in a statement. * Advantage News | IBA files suit over Interchange Fee Prohibition: The Illinois Bankers Association is saying Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin writing a letter to The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is “missing the forest for the trees.” Illinois law that goes into effect in 2025 seeks to bar interchange fee collection on taxes and tips, which sparked a legal fight with the banks. Illinois Bankers Association v. Raoul is now being litigated in federal court with financial institutions suing to block the law’s implementation. * Capitol News Illinois | State Board of Elections certifies election results showing decline in turnout: Illinois saw turnout dip in 2024 compared to recent presidential contests. About 5.7 million people participated in this year’s election, representing 70.42% of the state’s 8.1 million registered voters. That’s a decline from 2020 when 72.92% of voters participated in the largest turnout for a presidential election in Illinois since 1992, according to the board. * WTTW | Advocates Push for Stricter Emissions Standards to Improve Air Quality in Illinois: The Illinois Pollution Control Board took hours of testimony Monday from environmental and other advocates encouraging Illinois to make the state’s standards for car and truck emissions stronger than federal regulations. Another proposed policy would require that in a decade, half of new trucks sold in Illinois must also be zero emission, while a final proposal calls for tightening tailpipe standards for diesel emissions — a move that relies on manufacturers of diesel engines to make them in a way that produces less nitrogen oxide. * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson says he didn’t know about allegations against ex-communications director: And Johnson said his administration has no tolerance for the kind of harassment, sexism, racism or other abusive behavior several employees in his administration allege Reese engaged in while running the mayor’s press office. He deflected questions on how the documents also show frustration over how his chief of staff, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, suggested “peace circles” in response to concerns over Reese’s behavior, and did not say how often such remedies are considered. * Tribune | SEIU threatens lawsuit over CTU contract negotiations with CPS: The teachers union has proposed contract language to CPS that SEIU fears would allow classroom assistants, who are represented by CTU, to take over some of the special education classroom aides’ jobs. Labor union contracts often include language that sets rules to protect jobs from being outsourced away to non-union sources. However, In this case, SEIU 73 is concerned about the teachers union taking work from SEIU members. * Sun-Times | Nearly two-thirds of CPS principals and assistant principals want to keep CPS CEO: More than 670 principals and assistant principals — almost two-thirds of the 1,100 in CPS — praised Martinez and urged the board to “not make any personnel decisions impacting the senior CPS leadership.” “Our opinions and voices should matter with the future of our district,” the group said. “A change of leadership would be a decision rooted in political interests, not the interest of students.” * ABC Chicago | Chicago Public Schools parents calling for restoration of bus service: Tuesday, a local parents’ group will be asking Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to immediately restore bus service. They also want the district to reinstate stipends previously provided to parents for alternative transportation. Parents of diverse learners and students with disabilities said they have been most adversely affected by the ongoing bus driver shortage. * Block Club | ‘Plow The Sidewalks’ Pilot Left Out Of City Budget, Angering Disability Rights Advocates: Mayor Brandon Johnson has backed the proposal, previously saying the report was an “important step in building a safer city where no resident is left behind.” But with the city facing an almost $1 billion budget gap for 2025, the pilot has not been included in next year’s spending plan. The mayor still supports the program but was forced to push back its implementation due to the budget shortfall, the city’s Chief Operating Officer John Roberson told the Tribune last week. * Block Club | Renovation Of Rogers Park Metra Station Delayed: About 30 percent of the design for the renovation is finished, but Metra is waiting for approval from Union Pacific — which owns and operates the stations and tracks — before finishing the final design, Gillis said. Metra is also waiting for federal environmental approval, which is required for a project funded with federal money. The agency hopes to have it by early 2025, Gillis said. * Sun-Times | Kim Foxx reflects on bail reform, vacating wrongful convictions as successor takes tough-on-crime stance: Foxx also emphasized her work in overturning more than 15,000 cannabis-related convictions and expanding the data the public can see about how felony cases are handled. “For too long, the work of the criminal justice system has been largely a mystery,” she said. Foxx noted that her office referred more than 17,000 people to diversion programs that offer drug treatment, job placement and other services, instead of prison. Nearly 75% of those people graduated, her office said. * Sun-Times | New clerk of Cook County courts pledges to reform office best known for scandals, errors: After being sworn in at the Daley Center, Mariyana Spyropoulos said she would work to make court records more accessible to both litigants and the public — hammering on a promise she made during her campaign to unseat incumbent Clerk of the Circuit Court Iris Martinez. * Daily Herald | ‘More we can do’: Widow asks for guardrails at tollway ramp in Rosemont where husband died: “I don’t know if this guardrail would have saved my husband’s life,” said Laura Leatherberry, Oberto’s wife, who penned letters to nearly a dozen agencies and politicians. “I hope it would have. I think it might have. I’ll never know that for sure. But I know I can help save other people’s lives.” * Daily Herald | Des Plaines police to get new cameras for uniforms, squad cars: The 10-year deal is with Axon Enterprise, an Arizona-based company that provides such gear to police departments in Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Hoffman Estates, Palatine and elsewhere across the Chicago area and the nation. Des Plaines police officers have used cameras from a Missouri company called Safe Fleet since 2015 but have experienced quality and service issues, Chief David Anderson said in a memo. Additionally, in February, Safe Fleet will stop servicing the software and computer server it provided, Anderson said before the council’s vote Monday. * SJ-R | Langfelder files for discovery recount after Lesko is sworn in as recorder: Lesko held on for a 31-vote win over Langfelder, who has been Recorder since 2008, after late-arriving vote by mail ballots and provisional ballots were tallied on Nov. 19. Forty-one precincts will be inspected in the recount. * STLPR | Could St. Clair County flip red like Madison County? The GOP is optimistic: Democrats in St. Clair County previously enjoyed double-digit victories over their Republican opponents, but those margins of victory over the last three elections have crept into the single digits. “Things have changed a lot,” said Michael Butler, chairman of the St. Clair County Republican Party. “I think we’re just kind of a little bit behind the trend compared to our neighbors, but I think eventually we’ll be in a similar boat.” * SJ-R | New report finds two Springfield hospitals aren’t fully compliant with price rules: Springfield Memorial passed in most of the metrics but failed in the categories of Pricing Data Sufficiency Rating and CMS Validator Tool. There are 15 categories total. St John’s failed in the categories of Header Information, MRF Filename Format, and TXT File and Content. * KSDK | Police chief in small Illinois village concedes 3 police chases in 8 days is ‘a little bit excessive’: Outside the police department Monday, Chief Terry Pruitt told 5 On Your Side he was taking full accountability for the three high-speed chases in eight days, admitting they were “a little bit excessive.” […] “The biggest problem we have had and has plagued Brooklyn is vehicles fleeing from us. Everybody thinks that once they get to Missouri, we have to terminate, and they’re good to go. Unfortunately, they don’t understand that we still have to do our jobs and we still have to police the public and protect the public,” Pruitt said. * WSIL | Carbondale Warming Center expands shelter space amid dropping temperatures: The center is located at 608 E. College Street in Carbondale. If you wish to use the center, you must show a valid ID. If you don’t have an ID, you can go to the Carbondale Police Department and have them call the Carbondale Warming Center to verify identities. Guests can enter by 7 p.m., stay overnight, and leave the next morning at 8 a.m. * SJ-R | Springfield’s Director of Planning and Economic Development is retiring: The city’s Director of Planning and Economic Development, Val Yazell, has announced her retirement for the end of this year. Hazel began in the role in November 2017 when Former Mayor Jim Langfelder appointed her. She served as a contract employee for a time until the position was restored and Yazell was hired as a full-time employee. Langfelder fired Yazell in 2021, but Mayor Misty Buscher hired her again in 2023.
|
|
Live coverage
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
|
|
Selected press releases (Live updates)
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
|
| « NEWER POSTS | PREVIOUS POSTS » |
