Woman 1: I never thought I would see Roe reversed in my lifetime. But here we are.
Woman 2: What will they take away next?
Woman 3: How do we protect choice for women in Illinois?
Woman 4: And the rest of the Midwest?
Kwame Raoul: As your attorney general, we are in court right now fighting like hell to defend access to reproductive freedom and working to have the Equal Rights Amendment recognized as part of the Constitution. This extremist attack on women’s freedoms… not in Illinois. Not while I’m Attorney General. I’m Kwame Raoul. This is a work of my life. And there’s so much more to do.
In Illinois, an estimated 3.3 million people have criminal records, which can include everything from an arrest to years spent in prison. But even once that criminal case has run its course in the legal system — the punishment continues.
For example, Illinois code 720 ILCS 5/12-36 says, “It is unlawful for a person convicted of a forcible felony to knowingly own, possess, have custody of or reside in a residence with either an unspayed or unneutered dog…”
This law applies to people with cruelty to animal convictions, as well as those with drug or gun convictions. […]
Anyone with a criminal conviction can’t enter a bingo hall.
“So if I’m somewhere with my auntie at the church, at a bingo game, I’m subject to where I could be arrested for being on the premises of a bingo game,” Chamberlain says.
But there are other laws that hit closer to home.
“Last year, my father passed away. He appointed me as the executor over his estate, but because of my 25-year-old conviction, I wasn’t able to carry out my father’s last wishes,” Chamberlain said.
The state’s 1975 Probate Act prohibits anyone with a felony conviction from serving as executor or administrator over an estate.
Chamberlain says it impacts more than 600,000 people in Illinois.
Today, the Judge Rochford for Supreme Court campaign released its first television ad in the race for the Second District. The ad highlights Judge Rochford’s 35 years of experience as a lawyer and judge, which has earned her the rating of “highly recommended” by the Illinois State Bar Association, as well as her support from leading women’s groups including Planned Parenthood. In contrast, her opponent, Mark Curran, who has never served as a judge, was rated “not recommended” by the Illinois State Bar Association, and was called “the most pro-life candidate” by Illinois Right to Life.
“We cannot risk having an unqualified, dangerous candidate on the Illinois Supreme Court for a ten year term, and that’s why we will be engaging voters on air and digital every day about Judge Elizabeth Rochford’s decades of experience and qualifications in this race in contrast with her opponent’s extremist record on choice and lack of experience in the courts,” said Stephen Campbell, senior advisor to the Rochford campaign. “While Judge Rochford has been a judge for the last decade and is rated ‘highly recommended by the Illinois State Bar Association, her opponent has never served as a judge, was rated ‘not recommended’ by the Illinois State Bar Association, and holds dangerous and extreme views on issues important to Illinois voters. The contrast is clear, and we will continue to make that case every day to voters in the second district ahead of Election Day.”
Mark Curran, Republican candidate for the State Supreme Court’s 2nd District seat, is dodging voters and attempting to hide his far-right extremist record by refusing to participate in a series of forums and debates.
In his latest duck-and-dodge, Curran is refusing to participate in League of Women Voters candidate forums for both Lake and Kane counties, with his spokesperson casting aspersions on a reputable, nonpartisan legacy civic organization.
But here’s the kicker: Curran has participated in League of Women Voters forums before, both during his primary campaign and when he was the Lake County sheriff.
What’s different this time around? Voters know about Curran’s ‘not recommended’ rating from the Illinois State Bar Association and far-right extremist record — which he’s desperately trying to dodge.
That record includes a long history of extremist anti-choice rhetoric and behavior, from participating in anti-abortion rallies, donating campaign funds to Illinois Citizens for Life, and praising Donald Trump for appointing Supreme Court justices who later went on to overturn Roe v. Wade. Curran has also perpetuated dangerous claims of voter fraud in presidential elections, has made comments in support of January 6th insurrectionists, and has stood up for “those opposed to same-sex marriage.”
Mark Curran can run, but he can’t hide. From his extreme views on abortion to his ‘not recommended’ rating from the State Bar Association, voters know Curran is wholly unfit to serve on the State Supreme Court — and they’ll remember at the ballot box.
* Treasurer Frerichs held a press conference yesterday at the Hope Vocational Academy to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month and to talk about this program…
IL ABLE accounts make it possible for people with disabilities and their families to save and invest for expenses related to living with a disability without losing, or losing access to, federal means-tested benefits such as SSI, SSDI and Medicaid. Earnings and withdrawals are tax-free if they are spent on a broad range of qualified disability expenses including housing, health and wellness, education and training, therapy, basic living expenses and more.
So, I reached out and Frerichs told me this over the phone…
This month is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. We’re trying to let people know people with disabilities can work. And we held a press conference to remind people ‘you can hire these people. And people with disabilities can have a job now and they can save their money in an ABLE savings account without losing their benefits. So it’s a program that doesn’t get a lot of attention. We don’t have a lot of money for it. It’s really important. We went to a school where they’re training people vocational school, people with disabilities, and the Demmer campaign saw I had a press conference, and they flooded reporters to ask questions about political competence. And I just lost it. Look, it’s a statewide event. I’m a big boy. I know you can ask questions there. But for a guy who for three weeks, three weeks has been silent about Tom DeVore calling people window lickers. A guy who wants to run a program for people with disabilities to sit silently while his friend lockstep is just a bit too much for me. That’s why I called him out. And then I told my staff, I said, ‘hit him for this sh*t.’ Three weeks he’s been silent. How easy is it to say Tom DeVore’s comments are reprehensible? Simple. Won’t do it. So we called him out. That’s what the tweet is.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
The gist is that Frerichs had an exchange with a Downstate TV reporter after the press conference because the reporter arrived late and asked a political question that he claims came from the Demmer campaign.
ILGOP release…
When State Treasurer Mike Frerichs claims to stand tall, he never mentions that he will go to any length to avoid answering the tough questions. Yesterday, he used a question from a reporter as an opportunity to lob baseless allegations at his opponent, Deputy Minority Leader Tom Demmer.
“Today the Demmer Campaign tried to interrupt a press conference I had highlighting how we help people with disabilities have meaningful work.”
The Demmer campaign quickly refuted the baseless allegations by Frerichs, “‘Earlier today, Mike Frerichs accused my campaign of attempting to interrupt a press conference he called to discuss the ABLE Program. That accusation is absolutely false. In reality, he yelled at a news reporter after the press conference when he received a question he didn’t like,” said Demmer in a statement.
The statement continued “To make the unfounded accusation that I would disrupt a press conference dealing with this important issue is despicable but is a consistent pattern of Treasurer Frerichs. He abruptly canceled his own press conference after his comments in support of the retirement tax and then called the Daily Herald and Todd Maisch liars for confirming those comments.”
“Frerichs has spent months dodging tough questions when pressed on his past statements. To make up baseless allegations of this sort is a new low. With early voting underway, Frerichs should spend less time hiding from voters and blaming others, and start answering tough questions on his record,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy.
With less than 40 days until the November general election, the Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) this weekend contacted 188,778 voters during a statewide Weekend of Action. […]
The successful Weekend of Action follows a number of recent announcements from the DPI team including new senior hires and the launch of a new ad campaign featuring DPI’s first-ever Spanish-language ads and targeting Black and downstate voters in over 230 zip codes.
* The local county Republican Party is run by people who promote election results denial, so this is apparently an attempt to address it…
What: PRESS CONFERENCE DEFENDING DEMOCRACY
When: 2:00 PM Saturday, October 8, 2022
Where: The McLean County Historical Society Building (Old County Courthouse)- Main Street (East) side
Who:
State Senator Dave Koehler
McLean County Clerk, Kathy Michael
Tazewell County Clerk, John C. Ackerman
Illinois People’s Action Members (sponsor) and Allies
Details: Participants will talk about the trustworthiness of our election systems including: safeguards in place to ensure accuracy of voter rolls; safeguards in place to assure that voting machines can’t be tampered with and all the votes will be accurately tallied and reported; and that all forms of potential voter intimidation at polling places will not be allowed.
Visuals: Clergy, Elected Officials, Election Officials, Grassroots leaders and everyday people will speak about defending democracy and honoring every vote cast. Signs. Opportunities to engage in Get Out the Vote activities through Illinois People’s Action.
* Compiled by Isabel…
* Comptroller’s Race: Mendoza touts state’s fiscal progress; Teresi focuses on recent corruption: Mendoza cites paying down that backlog as her biggest accomplishment in office. Today, she said, vendors are being paid usually within 10 days and the state is operating on a regular “accounts payable” cycle… Teresi, however, counters that the credit upgrades and paying down past-due bills was more the result of federal pandemic relief money that was pumped into Illinois.
* Illinois political leaders urge civility heading into November elections: Illinois political leaders are assessing the tone this election cycle and encouraging civility. “You can’t compromise with somebody that’s just called you a crook,” Edgar said. “It’s very hard if this person has attacked you, that you’re going to trust them, that you’re going to deal with them. So civility is key in a democracy.” Welch said the way forward is not by “spreading lies, misinformation and fear mongering.”
* Taxpayers should hope to avoid frivolous election challenges: The questions do reach a salient point: will candidates accept the results of their own elections in November? Challenging clearly settled results can engender significant expenses for election and judicial officials – and ultimately taxpayers – so signaling a predetermined belief election fraud is inevitable doesn’t portend fiscal accountability.
* Pritzker makes major push for Workers’ Rights Amendment: Termed by several speakers as “the most union-friendly governor we’ve ever had,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker spoke at a recent pro-union rally in East Alton as part of a Working Families Tour and made a major push for the Workers’ Rights Amendment … Pritzker revealed that he has signed more than 800 Project Labor Agreements, which is more than all other 49 states combined.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture held a ribbon cutting in Rockford Monday for “Star Buds,” the state’s first cannabis craft grow.
The event took place at its location on Forest View Road, just east of Alpine Road. Star Buds is the first of over 340 licenses given out in the last year to open its doors. Of the 2021 licensing cohort of which Star Buds is part, 67% of those licensees identified as non-white.
Star Buds is par of that percentage, as they are majority Black owned. A member of the IDOA is happy to finally see a grower open, especially after COVID-19.
“So, to finally get though that for an equality company here to get up and running, to be the first in the state, it’s a big deal,” said David Lakeman, division manager for cannabis and hemp at IDOA. “There have been a lot of challenges in this industry. Illinois has been a leader and Star Buds is a leader, Rockford is a leader getting this industry up and going.”
Star Buds began in Colorado in 2013, and operates pot grows and dispensaries in multiple states and countries, including Jamaica. Local co-owner Ahmad Joudeh, of Palos Hills, who owned a chain of T-Mobile shops in the Chicago area, had family members at Star Buds, and formed a multiracial partnership.
Another six or so craft cannabis growers — limited to 5,000 square feet of flowering plants — are expected to open in the coming months, with another dozen getting ready behind them. That leaves another 70 craft growers that have yet to get going, along with hundreds of infusers, transporters and retail stores, as many struggle to get funding. […]
The licensing process in Illinois got delayed repeatedly in Illinois due to complications from the COVID pandemic, claims of unfairness in scoring the applications, and lawsuits.
It took Star Buds nearly two years to get a license, then another year to buy and retrofit a warehouse in an industrial park. After previous plans to locate in Aurora went nowhere, officials settled in Rockford, where city officials cooperated to make it happen.
“We want to make sure that those who’ve been impacted by the War on Drugs, and law enforcement efforts, the history of cannabis and marijuana, should be able to benefit from the profits that come from this new state program,” said State Senator Steve Stadelman, a Rockford Democrat.
Under the Illinois Adult-Use Cannabis Social Equity Program, businesses may receive further consideration for licensing if 51% of the ownership is made up of people who have been disproportionally impacted by the War on Drugs. The Pritzker Administration has come under criticism for the lack of social equity licenses issued in the growing cannabis industry.
Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello said Star Buds IL, a Colorado-based company, is 66% Black-owned. The state has issued 88 craft grower licenses with 48 designated as social equity applicants. David Lakeman, the department’s cannabis manager, said the Cannabis Regulation and Oversight Office determines an applicant’s demographic qualification for the social equity program.
“Expected revenues in 2023 are $445 million,” Costello said. “That’s a big number. These businesses and those that will follow create 1000s of well-paying jobs across the entire state of Illinois. They generate revenue that’s reinvested directly into impacted communities throughout the state.”
Through the first quarter of the year, base receipts are up a respectable $260 million, despite the fact that base federal sources are $515 million behind last year’s pace. However, once the combined $764 million in one-time ARPA Reimbursement for Essential Government Services funds received in July and August are applied to these totals, the overall gain in State general funds revenues thru September rises from $260 million to $1.024 billion. As will be repeated throughout the fiscal year, these ARPA reimbursements were originally anticipated to be receipted in FY 2022 and were not assumed in the adopted FY 2023 budget. Therefore, the inclusion of the $764 million in ARPA revenues in this fiscal year significantly enhances the FY 2023 revenue outlook.
Also greatly contributing to the impressive overall totals through the 1st quarter of FY 2023 is the State’s economically driven revenue sources. Through September, personal income tax receipts, on the strength of steady employment levels and higher wages, are up $347 million on a net basis. Corporate income tax revenues have yet to tail off from the torrid pace of FY 2022 and are up $201 million net. Net sales tax receipts, despite the fact that more of its revenues are earmarked for the Road Fund in FY 2023, are still $133 million above last year’s pace. The remaining State sources have combined to add an additional $74 million to the 1st quarter gains. While the performance of “transfers in” have been mixed, this category of revenues has combined to provide $20 million towards this overall growth.
It is believed that the current high rates of inflation, unstable market conditions, geopolitical uncertainties, and the assumed absence of additional federal stimulus dollars will create an environment where a slowdown in Illinois’ revenues is inevitable. However, it has not happened yet to FY 2023’s benefit. The revenue gains from the 1st quarter have no doubt provided significant upward pressure on the FY 2023 revenue outlook. With that being said, three-fourths of the fiscal year still remain with plenty of time for things to turn around. This is something that the Commission will continue to monitor as the State enters into the 2nd quarter of the fiscal year.
With marijuana and sports betting helping to fill Illinois’ coffers with tax money, some say online gambling isn’t far off.
Six states allow casino gambling online: Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware and Connecticut. But at a recent East Coast Gaming conference, panelists named Illinois as one of the additional states that could soon adopt internet gambling.
Executives said Illinois already possesses the necessary infrastructure and regulatory systems to make internet gambling profitable.
Dave Briggs from PlayIllinois.com said Illinois could soon allow internet gambling simply because of the bottom line.
“In the gambling industry, the online casino part of it is the real moneymaker for both the state and the operators,” Briggs said. “It outpaces sports betting by a lot.”
Michigan reported collecting a whopping $2 billion from internet gamblers since January 2021, easily surpassing projections. […]
Illinois is ranked third nationwide in sports betting handle from January through July 2022, with nearly $5.3 billion bet.
The handle is not the state’s cut, but just to give you some perspective, that $5.3 billion sports betting handle is almost equal to the amount of money the state collected last fiscal year from the corporate income tax, and that was a record year. More info on Illinois sports wagering receipts can be found here.
People Who Play By The Rules PAC has launched a new ad, “I Can Trust This Guy,” featuring former ABC 7 political reporter Charles Thomas. It is available on YouTube, the PBR PAC Facebook Page and will run on statewide media this week.
:30 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyFJV6drnWI
TV Script:
For 25 years, ABC 7 political reporter Charles Thomas gave you the straight news. Now he’s giving you real talk on the governor’s race:
“Darren Bailey? I met the man. He’s a family farmer. Somebody who understands what it’s like to go to work every day. Somebody who’s fair minded. I can trust this guy. I can trust this guy. Yeah, a farmer from southern Illinois? Yeah, yeah — A farmer from southern Illinois.”
Charles Thomas said the Democrats do not act in the interest of Black voters.
CT said he lives downtown but believed he was speaking for the south and west sides of Chicago when he said, “African Americans have more in common with Darren Bailey than JB Pritzker”
*** UPDATE 2 *** If you click here, you’ll see that Proft’s People Who Play By The Rules PAC paid Charles Thomas $50,000 on September 16th for “Consulting” in opposition to Gov. Pritzker.
The law, at nearly 800 pages, in part is set to take effect Jan. 1. It has become an issue, and should be, in every political campaign in the November election. To those of us paying attention, the SAFE-T Act was a disaster in 2021. It is a disaster still.
The bill was opposed by just about every law enforcement official in Illinois — and yes, Democrats too. Of the few dozen or so Democratic county state’s attorneys in office in 2021 across the state, two openly supported its passage: Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart. Rinehart is the same person, by the way, overseeing the prosecution of the Highland Park parade shooting suspect. Now he’s all about law and order. […]
Some examples [Democratic state’s attorney from Hamilton County Justin Hood] cited in a letter he wrote on behalf of an association representing Illinois prosecutors: “A serial arsonist who sets fires to people’s homes by law must be released because we cannot specifically identify the person in the home where the next fire will be. A husband who murders his wife must be released because we cannot determine the person poses a danger to a specific, identifiable person or persons. The same applies to heroin dealers, drunken drivers, gun traffickers, and felons in possession of a gun. […]
Democratic Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, among other top prosecutors, filed a lawsuit to overturn the SAFE-T Act. In predictable fashion, Glasgow, who called the act the “end of days” for the criminal justice system, is now being attacked by Democratic Party hacks, including from the governor’s office.
* Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart has his own Tribune op-ed…
While the reform was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in February 2021, opponents of the new detention system waited until September of an election year to fill our mailboxes with fearmongering and political mailings that resemble newspapers. This partisan misinformation has greatly damaged a transition process that should be focused on implementation of an important reform. And like every change, there will need to be legislative improvements prior to enactment. Since May 2021, without political fanfare, state lawmakers passed two important changes — trailer bills H.B. 3443, SA5 and HB 3512, SA1 — to improve parts of the act. But now, the leaves are changing, and obviously, political operatives are trying to scare voters. Such tactics are particularly offensive when they include false claims about personal safety. Shame on them.
Instead of using our time filing meritless lawsuits, the professionals at the Lake County state’s attorney’s office have been working to protect public safety and ensuring those charged with violent crimes aren’t back on the streets on Jan. 1 and beyond. We will be filing our detention petitions now so that judges can make their determinations as to who should be detained on Jan. 1, once a cash value is replaced with a finding of “detention” or “released with conditions.” By focusing on this important decision in the next 90 days, Lake County will be safer than those counties where the leadership is distracted by serving state Rep. Jim Durkin’s political ambitions.
The complaining started long before last month, but one wonders whether the other state’s attorneys who are complaining on Facebook and to their local news outlets are actually putting in the work ahead of time.
* More stuff…
* Incumbent McConchie, Peterson clash over SAFE-T Act in 26th state Senate District race: McConchie said in an interview that a police officer told him at a recent meeting that “if somebody pitches a tent in a resident’s backyard, an officer can only give them a ticket but can’t remove them from the premises.” A task force set up by the Illinois Supreme Court to prepare the court system for the law’s implementation countered similar claims by police and Republican lawmakers about trespassing, saying that officers can remove a person from a location before issuing a citation and that suspects can be detained for all class A trespassing misdemeanors.
* Will County sheriff candidates weigh in on SAFE-T Act: Kelley said Reilly thinks because he doesn’t go on Facebook to tell the public about how he is against the SAFE-T Act, that means he’s not doing anything about it. “I was taught at a young age, you got a problem with something, do something about it,” Kelley said. “Don’t just whine and cry about it. That’s not me. I’m doing everything in my power as Will County Sheriff to get this fixed.” … Glasgow did not respond to questions about which sheriff candidate he supports, or which candidate for governor.
* Galesburg raises fees, adds trash service, considers SAFE-T Act: Galesburg police chief Russel Idle and Knox County state’s attorney Jeremy Karlin both weighed in on the discussion, each saying they do not believe the SAFE-T Act will be repealed. Karlin affirmed that cash-bail is classist and often abused, and so that is one thing the SAFE-T Act seeks to fix. But Karlin also said the SAFE-T Act contradicts itself and other Illinois laws. He said that he has been meeting with other court staff and law enforcement officials once a week over the past seven months and “struggling” to figure out how exactly the SAFE-T Act will change their work. Idle affirmed that there are several concerns about the SAFE-T Act and he would like to see its wording be “fine-tuned or changed in a way that’s more applicable.” But Idle said that the police are ultimately tasked with the responsibility of enforcing the state legislature’s laws. The vote on the resolution was tabled to the council’s Nov. 7 meeting.
* Illinois Safe-T Act: Suburban city council to vote on resolution this week: The Joliet City Council is most particularly concerned with the cash free bail amendment. Council members say they are in support of the law overall and have already implemented elements, including police body cameras and use-of-force training.
* Group protests senator’s proposed changes to SAFE-T Act: State Senator Scott Bennett (D) had a brief conversation with protestors outside his Champaign office. Many came from the Champaign County Bailout Coalition and Party for Socialism and Liberation, who say his proposed changes to the SAFE-T Act could hurt their cause. Particularly, the Champaign County Bailout Coalition is on a mission to end cash bail in Illinois. “It puts a financial strain on the families that shouldn’t be there,” spokesperson, E, said.
* Brown County joins lawsuit challenging “SAFE-T Act”: “Sheriff Oliver and myself took an oath to protect the people of Brown County and of the State of Illinois,” Hill said in a news release. “We also swore to uphold the Constitution of the State of Illinois and of these United States. The “SAFE-T Act” is not only an abomination that contradicts itself in numerous places, but it was passed in violation of statutory provisions, established case law and provisions of the Illinois Constitution, and it puts the people of Brown County in danger. This, we cannot abide.”
Hey all - I wanted to make sure that you were the first to see Brad’s new positive ad “Brad’s Our Guy,” which will begin running on Tuesday on Chicago-area TV and in digital ads.
The ad highlight’s Brad’s focus on getting costs down, lowering prescription drug prices, and doing the work to prevent gun violence and protecting women’s freedom to choose.
Did you hear? Teens are getting dangerously drunk by soaking tampons in vodka and shoving them up their butts. Or, wait, are they getting dangerously drunk by drinking Four Loko? Or maybe they’re getting dangerously high huffing human poop? Or are they having dangerous sex at Rainbow Parties?
We know: it’s hard to keep track of all of the many moral panics we’ve encountered over the last ten years or so. Which is why we’ve collected all of them into a handy, convenient timeline that will help you determine which violent, drug-fueled sex act is currently sweeping through your teenager’s school.
* Sometimes this stuff is mostly just amusing, like when TV news showed up in a little Utah town my family lived in for a couple of years because rumors were flying that “Devil worshipers” were holding late-night ceremonies on our airport’s runway.
I’m not sure how to effectively counter this crud because a large percentage of our country’s population and the folks who bring us the news are so eagerly gullible. And, of course, it’s Halloween month, which seems to bring out the kookie in all of us.
* Illinois’ economy, boosted by Chicago, hits milestone. Crain’s…
Using new federal data, the report [by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute] says the size of Illinois’ total economy has passed the $1 trillion mark in annualized GDP. The state first crossed that threshold in the first quarter of 2022, according to quarterly estimates from the U.S. Department of Commerce, and hit $1.024 trillion in the second quarter of this year. Illinois is just the fifth state to top $1 trillion in annualized GDP, joining California, Texas, New York and Florida. […]
That being said, Illinois’ Q2 number is 20% higher than the closest Midwest state, Ohio ($818 billion), and more than double that of Indiana ($452 billion). The state’s annualized GDP per non-farm worker ($170,298) is higher than the national average ($166,538), the report says. And if Illinois were its own country, its economy would be better than that of Poland, Turkey or Sweden.
The report suggests that it’s downstate that is holding back the state’s overall growth. From 2010 to 2019, Illinois’ overall annualized growth rate was 3.3% but downstate’s annualized growth rate was only 2.1%, half the national average of 4%.
Meanwhile, if metropolitan Chicago were its own state, its 3.7% annualized growth between 2010 and 2019 would rank 21st in the nation, the study says. That’s tied with Ohio and ahead of states like Iowa, Michigan and Indiana.
* The manufacturing market is a major contributor to the Southern Illinois economy. the Southern reports…
The study found that manufacturing is responsible for $2.5 billion in economic impact in Jackson and Williamson Counties annually. The findings were shared by Gordy Hulten, CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association during a stop at Com-Pac International in Carbondale on Wednesday morning. The results were part of a University of South Carolina study looking at the economic impact of manufacturing in the state of Illinois.
Statewide, manufacturing has an estimated annual economic impact between $580 billion and $611 billion each year. Hulten said manufacturing is the largest contributor to the state’s gross domestic product and Illinois manufactures employ more than 660,000 people directly and support 1.7 million jobs. […]
[Hulten] said Williamson County manufacturing supports 20% of the county’s economy, including 5,454 jobs, generating more than $316 million in salaries and benefits. Overall, the economic impact in the county from manufacturing is $1.9 billion.
Jackson County manufacturing includes 1,942 employees earning $101 million in pay and benefits each year. The total economic impact in Jackson County from manufacturing is $594.8 million.
Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased in 40 states and the District of Columbia in the second quarter of 2022, with the percent change in real GDP ranging from 1.8 percent in Texas to –4.8 percent in Wyoming (table 1), according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
Current-dollar GDP increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the second quarter, with the percent change ranging from 30.5 percent in North Dakota to 0.7 percent in Connecticut.
In the second quarter of 2022, as real GDP for the nation decreased at an annual rate of 0.6 percent, real GDP decreased in 8 of the 23 industry groups for which BEA prepares quarterly state estimates (table 2). Construction; nondurable-goods manufacturing; and wholesale trade were the leading contributors to the decrease in real GDP nationally.
Personal income increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the second quarter, with the percent change ranging from 10.9 percent in North Dakota to 2.2 percent in Connecticut (table 3).
Greg Hinz noted other studies have not been as positive as the Illinois Economic Policy Institute. “But economists rarely agree on anything.”
