Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Thursday, Jan 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Rep. Adam Niemerg was kicked off the ballot…

Niemerg is a two-term incumbent and member of the far-right @ILFreedomCaucus. He was the only candidate who filed in the 102nd HD. If the ruling isn't reversed in court, he could run as a write-in or be nominated after the primary by the district's county GOP party chairs.

— Brenden Moore (@brendenmoore13) January 11, 2024

* Press release…

CHICAGO—Today, Governor JB Pritzker announced that Illinois secured 14.9M in competitive federal grant funding from the US Department of Transportation’s FY22-FY23 Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. The Illinois Finance Authority (IFA), in its role as the Illinois Climate Bank, was chosen to receive the $14.9M to support the expansion of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in Illinois.

“As Illinois moves toward a clean energy future, it is imperative that no communities are left behind,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This investment from our partners at the federal level will ensure Illinois has the resources to make electric vehicles accessible to all our residents. With the incredible work from the Illinois Finance Authority, regional partners, and local leadership, I have no doubt the Community Charging Program will make a positive impact statewide.”

The proposed project, “The State of Illinois Community Charging Program,” aims to advance community-based transportation efforts across Illinois and prioritize equity in the clean energy movement. The statewide initiative is a joint effort between the Illinois Climate Bank as well as local and regional partners, serving 273 project sites (144 of which are located in or in close proximity to disadvantaged communities). The funds will support construction of 845 Level 2 EV Charging stations, and 36 DC Fast Charge stations.

Of the total $18.7M project investment:

- 43% will be allocated for disadvantaged community projects.
- 63% will be designated to dense urban communities with a high percentage of multi-family housing, as well as rural communities and small towns.

* Tribune…

Illinois set another record for recreational cannabis sales in 2023, with more than $1.6 billion in sales — but sales to out-of-state residents showed a significant drop.

Sales to Illinois residents increased by 14%, but sales to out-of-state visitors fell by 14%, reflecting increased competition from Michigan and newly legalized marijuana in Missouri and Minnesota.

Out-of-state customers accounted for one quarter of revenue, but with Wisconsin lawmakers considering legalizing medical marijuana, those sales are likely to decrease further in the future.

* Press release…

Governor JB Pritzker visited the Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) Cancer Institute today to announce a $10M grant to Southern Illinois Healthcare for their recent expansion of the SIH Cancer Institute in Carterville. The grant is made possible through the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois plan to improve infrastructure statewide.

“As Governor, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of Illinoisans — no matter their zip code or income status,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I couldn’t be prouder to announce that we have awarded the SIH Cancer Institute $10 million in Rebuild Illinois grant funding to help cover the cost of this recent project. After years of planning, design, and construction, each and every one of those patients, and many more, will have access to the modernized healing spaces and the quality, holistic care they deserve.”

The 10M general investment, will be utilized for upgrades to facility furniture, medical equipment, and the buildout of the Cancer Institute in Carterville. The Carterville plan, completed in December of 2022, included an approximate 20,000 square foot expansion and the modernization of both clinical and non-clinical areas.

The State is also awarding two additional capital grants to SIH. The first, totaling $150,000, will support the expansion of the SIH Cancer Institute Café, which serves 300 cancer patients with nutrient-appropriate meals daily as well as caregivers and employees.

The second, also totaling $150,000, will be dedicated to costs for the design, oversight, and implementation of kitchen renovations. The expanded kitchen space will provide space for high nutrient-value meal preparation workshops and demonstrations, led by the SIH oncology dietitian.

* Sun-Times…

The Bears own the 326-acre former Arlington International Racecourse property but continue to flirt with the city of Chicago and other suburbs about building a new stadium. When president/CEO Kevin Warren was asked Wednesday whether the Arlington Heights property remained his priority, he said instead that “the priority is to make sure we build a world class stadium for our fans.”

The Bears are still talking to Arlington Heights officials to try to drive down their property tax assessment there. They’ve discussed staying on the lakefront, including building on a parking lot south of Soldier Field, with city officials.

“What intrigues me about downtown is I strongly believe Chicago is the finest city in all of the world,” Warren said. “Very rarely do you get the opportunity to have such a beautiful downtown with a vibrant business community, with an absolutely beautiful lake and the energy that goes along [with it].”

The Bears could decide on their next stadium site in the next few months. Warren said it would likely take three years to build the stadium from the moment construction begins.

* On this day…

#OTD in 2003: 2 days prior to leaving office, Illinois Gov. George Ryan commutes the sentences of every inmate on Illinois' Death Row to life in prison without parole, citing a system that is “haunted by the demon of error.”https://t.co/VlhVa8VtKc pic.twitter.com/ItMsfz0qBJ

— Kori Rumore Finley (@rumormill) January 11, 2024

* Here’s the rest…

Crain’s | Choose Chicago CEO stepping down:

* Block Club | The CHA Owns More Than 130 Acres Of Vacant Land And Buildings — Enough To Fill 25 City Blocks: All that vacant property could fill 25 city blocks — and the total amount at all CHA sites is likely far higher. The land was supposed to be used for new homes. Instead, it highlights decades of development delays under four mayors and eight CHA CEOs, with crippling consequences for some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

* Tribune | Commuter advocates: The CTA vows to double rail operator trainees this year. Its data shows that’s impossible: However, the CTA’s own data reveals that the agency cannot meet this goal due to its current training requirements, recruitment and retention levels. We used the Freedom of Information Act to request the number of flaggers the CTA has employed since November 2021 — plus how many flaggers were terminated, promoted, transitioned or transferred to other roles each month since then.

* WCIA | Republican Representative Adam Niemerg kicked off March primary ballot: “The objective intent of the law is to make sure that, you know, you’ve got a process, that people are qualified for the ballot. There’s no fraud involved. And, more generally, if they’re serious candidates,” UIS Professor Emeritus Kent Redfield said. “I mean, if all you had to do was say, I want to run in your names on the primary ballot, you obviously would have way too many people.”

* SJ-R | Still on the ballot: ISBOE denies objection to Illinois 95th House District candidate: The decision allows Village of Chatham Trustee Kristen Chiaro to continue her campaign for Illinois House District 95, a district spanning portions of Sangamon, Macon, and Christian counties. She is the sole Democrat in the race and will face incumbent state Rep. Mike Coffey, R-Springfield, in November.

* Tribune | Businesses that opened during COVID eligible for state grants: ‘Small businesses across the state are the heart of our economy’: Businesses and nonprofits that launched in 2020 or 2021, and are still open today, are eligible for up to $30,000 from the state’s Back to Business NewBiz grant program. The program is aimed at assisting businesses that were not operational prior to the pandemic, and were ineligible for other federal or state pandemic relief programs.

* WRSP | New law protects workers from abusive anti-labor tactics: Scherer sponsored House Bill 3396, which set forth penalties for those who interfere with labor demonstrations. The new law went into effect on Jan.1 and introduced a $500 penalty for those who obstruct the public way or disrupt any picket or demonstration.

* Madison-St. Clair Record | Madison, St. Clair Counties adjusting well to SAFE-T Act mandates, but see increased demand on public defenders: In particular, the Pretrial Fairness Act portion of the SAFE-T Act - which eliminated cash bonds - carried a heavy burden on “all of the stakeholders in our criminal justice system,” said St. Clair County Chief Judge Andrew Gleeson. “We have made continuous adjustments in response to the new Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA),” Gleeson told the Record. “As a result of extensive planning, commitment from all the stakeholders, and a willingness to adjust to needs and ever-changing interpretation of the law, we have managed to carry out the law’s requirements.”

* Center Square | State Rep. Halbrook visits southern U.S. border amid migrant crisis: State Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, visited the border last week to see firsthand and explained what he saw. “It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least,” Halbrook said. “I would advise everybody who is involved with policymaking to take a trip down there to see what the real story is because you get the truth when you are down there on the ground.”

* Press release | Rep. Mary Gill Seeks to Preserve LSCs Right to Decide on Police Protection: State Rep. Mary Gill, D-Chicago, is introducing legislation to ensure that Chicago Local School Councils (LSC) maintain the authority to decide if Chicago Police officers are assigned to their schools. Gill’s proposed change to state law would preempt the Chicago Board of Education’s reported plan to strip LSC members of that decision-making power, which would effectively end the practice of having resource officers in any Chicago Public School.

* Illinois Answers | Repeat Violators Leave Families Out in the Cold: Buildings department inspectors flagged over 700 cases where one or more tenants were living without heat or hot water at 456 buildings across the city from November of last year through this May, according to city records, when the city heat-requirement ordinances are in effect. All of those inspections were prompted by complaints made through 311 or directly to the buildings department.

* Daily Herald | Should Fox River dams be removed? Groups to hold meetings: Based on the findings of a recent study, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is recommending the removal of all nine Fox River dams in Kane County, from Carpentersville to Montgomery, to restore the river’s natural wildlife habitat and improve water quality.

* Daily Southtown | Parents spar over bulletin board with Pride symbols in Manhattan District 114 in Will County: Gabriella Barraco, who has children in the district, quoted parts of a speech by Theodore Roosevelt to soldiers ahead of battle before asking why the transgender flag is still on the bulletin board if sex education isn’t taught in the schools. “I bet that most of our children or us didn’t know what the transgender heart looked like before tonight,” Barraco said. “Yet its symbolism is being stamped visually into the subconscious from the very hallway.”

* Sun-Times | UIC campus cop with extremist ties is banned from testifying in Cook County court cases: The officer continued to work for the state university despite acknowledging he signed up years ago with the anti-government Oath Keepers, which played a key role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021.

* Block Club | City Installed 50+ Miles Of Bike-Friendly Stretches In 2023 — And Has More Planned For 2024: The Chicago Department of Transportation released its Chicago Cycling Strategy in March, laying out plans to hit the 150-mile goal “in the next couple of years.” City-designated bikeways include protected bike lanes, neighborhood greenways and other routes with painted bike markings.

* Sun-Times | Breaking down Illinois’ top high school basketball teams from outside the Chicago area: There is a lot of tunnel vision for Chicago area high school basketball fans when it comes to top teams outside the city and suburbs. Without a big-named star –– i.e. EJ Liddell and Belleville West, Shaun Livingston and Peoria, Darius Miles and East St. Louis –– top teams around the state don’t typically garner the attention they deserve from the Chicago area.

* Sun-Times | Chicago winter storm set to dump 6 or more inches of heavy snow: Weather forecasts as of Thursday morning say the storm will arrive early Friday with a mix of rain and snow. The precipitation will turn to all snow by 3 p.m. and could be heavy at times, complicating afternoon commutes for those trying to get home for the weekend.

* Sun-Times | Going down the ‘Rat Hole?’ Viral phenom is actually decades-old squirrel imprint beloved by the block, neighbors say: “This is just like such a little lovely piece of joy,” said Winslow Dumaine, an artist whose social media post about the imprint has gained over 4 million views. “You can show this to someone who doesn’t speak a word of English, you can show this to someone 500 years ago, and they would know exactly what happened,” he added. “It’s just a universally lovely, funny thing.”

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Illinois Policy Institute ran $2.5 million deficit in 2022 as revenues fell by almost half, but group anticipates rebound

Thursday, Jan 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I get lots of emails every day and some pique my interest more than others. This one, slightly edited for style, was about the Illinois Policy Institute as well as its companion 501(c)(4), the Government Accountability Alliance…

IPI’s 2022 tax filing (attached) shows their revenue is down by nearly half, from $9.9M in 2021 to $5.2M in 2022. They ran a $2.5M deficit in 2022 (!). Their c4 arm’s revenue was flat, so the money isn’t being shifted there.

Also, notably, the 2022 IRS filing for the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation (attached) shows no contribution to IPI in 2022. Uihlein gave IPI $1.5M in 2021 (attached p.37) and more than $19M since 2010 … So Uihlein pulling out certainly explains part of the big drop.

Grant funding from the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation was down across the board, from $18.4M in 2021 to $5.5M in 2022. Of course, Uihlein gave a ton to political efforts like Bailey in 2022, so it seems like it might signal a shift for the Uihleins from funding conservative non-profits to just spending directly on races.

The Daily Beast had a good article recently about Uihlein giving to electoral efforts. One of Uihlein’s main spending vehicles is “Restoration for America” which is based in Illinois and led by Doug Truax, who lost to Oberweis in the 2014 senate GOP primary.

* I asked the IPI about the 2022 revenue drop and deficit…

Rich,

Those numbers only reflect the 501(c)(3) [Illinois Policy Institute].

Variations in organizational revenue and expenditures can primarily be attributed to: 1) large, one-time gifts for specific initiatives in 2021 and; 2) increase in expenses on Amendment 1.

Our 2022 revenue between our C3 and C4 totals were similar to those in 2018 and 2019.

We are encouraged by the growth in new supporters we saw in 2023 and we see continuing in 2024, even as many wealthy individuals leave the state. We anticipate a strong year in 2024.

* OK, you can click here to see the IPI’s 990s, and click here to see the IPI’s Government Accountability Alliance’s (GAA) 990s.

The IPI ran some smallish deficits last decade, but nothing close to the $2.51 million deficit it experienced in 2022.

And while the combined revenues for both the IPI and its c4 GAA were similar to those in 2018, there’s been quite a bit of inflation since then. So, the $10.63 million the two organizations raised during 2018 would have been $12.56 million by the end of 2022. That’s $1.59 million more than the groups actually raised in 2022.

* Historical revenues for both the c3 IPI and c4 GAA using those two links above…

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Protected: *** UPDATED x1 *** SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign stuff

Thursday, Jan 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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*** UPDATED x1 *** Short-term budget gimmick creates $200 million hole next fiscal year

Thursday, Jan 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Dave McKinney…

Prior to the 2023 tax year, the standard [Illinois income tax] exemption increased 10 times under an automatic escalator tied to inflation put into effect in 2012 by former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who served as the state’s chief executive between 2009 and 2015. The change roughly a decade ago had overwhelming bipartisan support in the legislature.

But the standard exemption will remain flat this tax-filing season at $2,425 for those who declare adjusted gross income of $250,000 or less individually or $500,000 or less for married couples.

State revenue officials say more than 11 million Illinoisans claim the standard exemption on their taxes each year. Because of the inflation-indexing mechanism, the exemption has risen from $2,000 to $2,425 since 2011.

Had lawmakers and the governor not put a pause on that inflationary adjustment, the standard exemption would have stood at $2,625 for tax year 2023. That $200 increase would have marked the largest jump in the exemption since the inflationary index was enacted. That’s because the nation’s consumer price index increased 8% in 2022 – the largest inflationary move since 1981.

By WBEZ’s calculations, the state income tax obligation for a married couple with two minor children and adjusted gross income of $150,000 would be $39 higher than it would have been this tax year had the standard exemption tracked the rate of inflation in 2023.

$39 for a household earning roughly double the median household income ain’t exactly a whole lot of money. Our standard exemption is basically a joke. It’s so small mainly because of the state constitution’s mandate that the income tax must be imposed at a “non-graduated rate.”

* But here’s the problem: The change saved the state budget $114 million this fiscal year, but as the article notes, the costs will rise next year…

The current law states that the inflationary index will be reimposed for tax year 2024. But it promises to come with a significant price tag – approximately $200 million, according to an estimate by the legislature’s non-partisan budget arm, the Commission on Government Forecasting & Accountability.

$200 million is real money.

* Back to Dave’s story…

Emails obtained through an open-records request to Pritzker’s budget office show that a Senate Democratic staffer appeared to initially raise freezing the standard exemption as the revenue omnibus was being negotiated last May between the offices of the governor, Senate president and House speaker.

*** UPDATE *** This change was part of SB1963, which was an omnibus tax bill. From a subscriber…

An additional observation: the CPI-adjustment was actually scheduled to sunset on 12/31/2023. PA 103-0009 extended it until 2028, at the fixed amount of $2,425 for two years and then back to inflation adjusted for 2025-2028 when it will sunset.

And if it had actually sunset in 2023 as scheduled, the exemption would revert way back to just $1,000.

Interesting.

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Out-of-state abortions in Illinois rose by 49% in 2022

Thursday, Jan 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Tribune…

More than 56,000 abortions were performed in Illinois the year the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, marking the most pregnancy terminations statewide since the mid-1990s, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s annual abortion statistics report.

The rise in abortions that year was driven by a roughly 49% spike in out-of-state patients: Nearly 17,000 people came from other states to Illinois to terminate a pregnancy in 2022 compared with roughly 11,000 abortion seekers who traveled from other states in 2021, the data showed.

In contrast, the number of Illinois residents having abortions in-state decreased slightly, from a little over 40,000 in 2021 to nearly 39,000 in 2022.

Abortions overall increased by about 9% from 2021 to 2022, according to the report, which was released Tuesday and includes the most recent state health department data on abortion available.

Click here for the IDPH statistics.

* Daily Herald…

It’s a familiar trend for Planned Parenthood of Illinois, President Jennifer Welch said Wednesday.

“Out-of-state patients now make up nearly a quarter of our abortion patients. This is direct evidence of abortion bans and restrictions negatively impacting the ability for people to equitably access care,” Welch said. […]
The largest demographic receiving abortions in 2022 comprised 36,444 women ages 18 through 29.

The smallest demographic comprised 1,615 patients under age 18. However, that younger group experienced the highest percentage increase in abortions, 25%, since 2021 when 1,297 occurred.

“Abortion rates for all ages fluctuate year to year, so it’s difficult to draw conclusions from one year’s data,” Welch said. “However consistently the largest age group PPIL sees is 20 to 34-years-old, making up nearly 75% of our patients.

* Related…

The Tennessean | Planned Parenthood opens Illinois clinic aimed at patients in Tennessee and other abortion-ban states:

* NYT | Tracking Abortion Bans Across the Country: Twenty-one states ban abortion or restrict the procedure earlier in pregnancy than the standard set by Roe v. Wade, which governed reproductive rights for nearly half a century until the Supreme Court overturned the decision last year.

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It’s just a bill

Thursday, Jan 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Sen. Dan McConchie filed SB2707…

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit for an individual taxpayer who is a medical professional in a community-based practice who serves without compensation as a preceptor for at least one student from a qualifying institution in Illinois and provides clinical instruction for students from a non-Illinois based program for compensation in the same tax year. Provides that the credit shall be $200 per qualifying student per week, but not to exceed $9,600 per taxpayer in any tax year. Effective immediately.

* HB4423 from Rep. Jason Bunting…

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Creates within the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board a Recruitment Division. Provides that the Division shall establish a Back the Badge program, which shall establish recruitment plans for law enforcement agencies. Provides that the Division shall determine and prioritize specific characteristics that a law enforcement agency and community desire in their police officers. Provides that the Division shall cooperate with law enforcement agencies to determine a strategy to hire and retain sworn police officers who are diverse and reflective of the community and the priorities of the law enforcement agencies.

* SB2669 from Sen. Jil Tracy…

Creates the Agricultural Equipment Repair Bill of Rights Act. Provides that, for the purpose of providing services for agricultural equipment in the State, an original equipment manufacturer shall, with fair and reasonable terms and costs, make available to an independent repair provider or owner of the manufacturer’s equipment any documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools that are intended for use with the equipment or any part, including updates to documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools. Provides that, with respect to agricultural equipment that contains an electronic security lock or other security-related function, a manufacturer shall, with fair and reasonable terms and costs, make available to independent repair providers and owners any documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools needed to reset the lock or function when disabled in the course of providing services. Provides that the manufacturer may make the documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools available to independent repair providers and owners through appropriate secure release systems. Provides that these provisions do not apply to a part that is no longer available to the original equipment manufacturer or conduct that would require the manufacturer to divulge a trade secret. Provides that a manufacturer shall not refuse to make available to an independent repair provider or owner any documentation, part, embedded software, firmware, or tool necessary to provide services on grounds that the documentation, part, embedded software, firmware, or tool itself is a trade secret, except that information necessary to repair agricultural equipment may not be redacted. Provides exceptions. Defines terms.

* Sen. Laura Ellman introduced SB2682 yesterday…

Creates the Increasing Representation of Women in Technology Task Force Act, and creates the Increasing Representation of Women in Technology Task Force. Includes provisions concerning Task Force membership, meetings, and duties. Provides that the State of Illinois Office of Equity shall provide administrative and other support to the Task Force. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2030. Effective immediately.

* SB2705 from Sen. Laura Fine…

Amends the PFAS Reduction Act. Requires, on or before January 1, 2026, a manufacturer of a product sold, offered for sale, or distributed in the State that contains intentionally added PFAS to submit to the Environmental Protection Agency specified information. Allows the Agency to waive the submission of information required by a manufacturer or extend the amount of time a manufacturer has to submit the required information. Provides that, if the Pollution Control Board has reason to believe that a product contains intentionally added PFAS and the product is being offered for sale in the State, the Board may direct the manufacturer of the product to provide the Board with testing results that demonstrate the amount of each of the PFAS in the product. Provides that, if testing demonstrates that the product does not contain intentionally added PFAS, the manufacturer must provide the Board with a certificate attesting that the product does not contain intentionally added PFAS. Restricts the sale of specified products beginning January 1, 2025 if the product contains intentionally added PFAS. Allows the Agency to establish a fee payable by a manufacturer to the Agency upon submission of the required information to cover the Agency’s reasonable costs to implement the provisions. Allows the Agency to coordinate with the Board, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Public Health to enforce the provisions. Sets forth products that are exempt from the provisions.

* SB2706 from Sen. Laura Murphy…

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a Fleet Electrification Incentive Program to promote the use of electric trucks by fleet owners by offering a voucher of $200,000 per electric Class 6 truck, electric Class 7 truck, or electric Class 8 truck purchased or leased for a fleet by the fleet’s owner or operator. Provides that an applicant shall submit a proof of purchase, lease, or other binding contract regarding the electric Class 6 truck, electric Class 7 truck, or electric Class 8 truck in order to be awarded the voucher. Requires an applicant who is awarded a voucher to agree to participate in annual surveys on specified metrics. Contains other program requirements. Defines “Class 6 truck”, “Class 7 truck”, and “Class 8 truck”.

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Open thread

Thursday, Jan 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Jan 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: State opens migrant shelter, Pritzker talks supplemental spending plan. Capitol News Illinois…

* Related stories…

∙ WTTW: Little Village Shelter to House 220 Migrants as Asylum Seekers Continue to Arrive in Chicago Area

* Isabel’s top picks…

* Tribune | Illinois abortions surged the year Roe fell, with nearly 17,000 patients traveling from other states — a 49% spike: In contrast, the number of Illinois residents having abortions in-state decreased slightly, from a little over 40,000 in 2021 to nearly 39,000 in 2022. Abortions overall increased by about 9% from 2021 to 2022, according to the report, which was released Tuesday and includes the most recent state health department data on abortion available.

* Hyde Park Herald | U. of C. students barred from county jail for criticizing restrictions : After two years of devoting their spare time to the program, they would no longer be allowed into the detention facility at 27th Street and California Avenue, because, as their supervisors told them, due to their May Sun-Times op-ed criticizing restrictions on paper materials brought to the jail.

* Tribune | Migrants go without showers, dig for food in trash at city’s ‘landing zone’ as they wait for shelter: With 27 designated shelter buildings at capacity and more migrants arriving every day, numbers have overflowed to buses in the city’s “landing zone,” a parking lot run by OEMC officials. Migrants began being placed at the loading zone at the end of December after the city emptied police stations that had been housing migrants waiting for space indoors.

Governor Pritzker will be at the Southern Illinois Health Care Center in Carterville at 10 am, click here to watch.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* WJOL | Rezin named co-chair of National Conference of State Legislators’ energy committee: In recognition of State Senator Sue Rezin’s (R-Morris) dedication to advancing policies that address critical issues impacting energy needs, she has been appointed as one of the co-chairs of the National Conference of State Legislatures’ (NCSL) Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment Standing Committee.

* WJBC | McLean County Board to vote on migrant resolution Thursday: A resolution which would prohibit the use of taxpayer funded services for migrants sent into McLean County from another state will be introduced and voted on at Thursday’s county board m

* Illinois Times | Disparity in access to college credit for high schoolers: According to the study, a small number of dual credit courses are offered through public four-year universities, but the overwhelming majority – about 97% – are offered through local community colleges. As a result, the courses offered in any given high school are strongly influenced by the policies and programs of the community college district that overlaps with the high school district.

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois Supreme Court to Determine If Cannabis Odor is Cause for Vehicle Search: In People v. Redmond, defendant Ryan Redmond was pulled over by Illinois State Police for an unsecure license plate and driving three miles per hour over the speed limit, court records show. Upon smelling cannabis, the officer searched the vehicle and found about one gram of cannabis in the center console. He later charged Redmond with a misdemeanor for failure to transport cannabis in an odor-proof container, according to court documents.

* Check CU | School Board Refuses AG Order to Release Secret Meeting Recording – Yorkville, Illinois: On January 9th, the district denied that request, arguing that “the Open Meetings Act prohibits the release of closed session recordings and minutes to the public.” The denial was issued by District FOIA Officer Cathy Anderson. Check CU has also searched online, including on the Yorkville District 115 website and their Youtube Channel, for any place that the District might have made the August 7th meeting recording “publicly available”, in accordance with the AG order, but the recording could not be located.

* WAND | Illinois lawmakers discuss potential move to universal vote-by-mail system: A proposal in Springfield could allow the state to send vote-by-mail ballots to all eligible voters instead of having people apply to have their ballots sent in the mail. Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) said counties could save money by not having to send notifications and applications for vote-by-mail ballots to voters.

* WBEZ | Journalists from Chicago and Paris reflect on common experiences with racial profiling: In Chicago and the United States, “the problem of profiling is something that is pervasive, and to see that that is the case in France was eye opening,” said Alden Loury, WBEZ’s data projects editor. Last September, WBEZ and the Investigative Project on Race and Equity published a three-part investigation that revealed stark disparities in the share of Black drivers stopped by Illinois police compared to white drivers.

* Rock River Current | 8 Ways Rockford Will Spend Federal American Rescue Plan Dollars In The Next Phase: The next use for federal post-pandemic stimulus money in the city will go toward bolstering adult education, supporting survivors of domestic violence and improving the historic field where the Rockford Peaches once played.

* Sun-Times | Markham woman named 2023 Bears fan of the year, wins free trip to Super Bowl LVIII: In addition to her relentless support of the Bears, Leach was picked as the team’s nominee because of her “significant community involvement in her hometown … as well as her dedication to the club’s community initiatives,” the Bears said in a story posted on their website.

* Sun-Times | TSA intercepted 122 firearms at Chicago airports in 2023, including record number at Midway: Officers stopped 72 handguns from making it through security checkpoints at O’Hare International Airport, a decrease from the previous year, according to the TSA. However, a new annual record was set at Midway, where 50 firearms were seized — breaking the previous record of 42 handguns set in 2021.

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Live coverage

Thursday, Jan 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here or here to follow breaking news the way we’ve done since Twitter stopped ScribbleLive from working…

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