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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Former Pritzker communications staffers launch Abudayyeh Rubin Communications Strategies…
* Tribune…
* Democratic Party of Illinois…
* Capitol News Illinois | In final public transit hearing, downstate operators join chorus for more state funding: “We are approaching a similar fiscal cliff to the northeast region,” Karl Gnadt, managing director of the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, said. Gnadt said CUMTD is expanding to a point where the state may not be able to cover necessary costs. The state funds up to 65% of downstate transit agencies’ yearly costs through the “Downstate Operating Assistance Program,” but transit agency heads say the program is underfunded and can’t keep up with planned expansions. * Center Square | Panel discusses proposals to shore up Illinois’ unfunded pension liability: Among the issues discussed were how Tier II pensions, or benefit plans for public employees in Illinois hired after 2011, may need to be addressed because it may not comply with Social Security rules. State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, was part of the panel. “Regardless of what plan comes out that’s agreed upon, that’s fiscally responsible for the state, No. 1, and equally respectful of the job that our employees do,” Kifowit said. “We need to acknowledge that it needs to be fixed.” * SJ-R | Illinois prison employees to picket for safer working conditions: Members of the AFSCME Could 31 union will hold an informational picket from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Members will be outside the Pontiac Correctional Center and other prisons throughout the state, according to local AFSCME President William Lee. A flyer advertising the event states “Safety Matters” followed by the words ‘Say no to drug smuggling,’ ‘Say no to assaults on staff’ and ‘Join the picket line.’ * Press Release | Governor Pritzker Temporarily Suspends IFTA/MFUT Requirements Due to Hurricanes Milton & Helene: Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) have temporarily waived the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) registration and motor fuel use tax (MFUT) single trip permitting for qualified motor vehicles engaged in interstate disaster relief efforts as a result of Hurricanes Milton & Helene. The suspension, pursuant to 35 ILCS 505/13a.4 and 13a.5, is effective from October 11, 2024, through November 09, 2024. * Bloomberg | Johnson-CPS drama has credit assessors on alert: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed a new slate of board members earlier this month after all seven prior designees resigned from their seats. While the management changes alone don’t represent a “material” shift in credit quality, the new board may undertake policies that could change the district’s financial operations,” Moody’s analysts led by David Levett said in a report on Tuesday. * Chalkbeat | Chicago Public Schools sees enrollment bump for second year in a row: As of the 20th day of school this year, CPS had enrolled 325,305 students compared to 323,251 students this time last year, according to district data. That’s less than a 1% increase from last year. The district uses the 20th day of school as the official date to take stock of enrollment and demographics each year. Officials hinted at the slight bump last month, when by the 15th day of school 2,800 more students had enrolled compared to that day last year. * Block Club | Should City Pay For New Bears Stadium? West Side Voters Can Weigh In On November Ballot: Voters in parts of the 29th Ward, including portions of Austin, Galewood and Montclare, have a referendum question on their ballots that asks, “Shall the people of Chicago provide any taxpayer subsidy to the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium?” The question was put on certain West Side ballots by former Gov. Pat Quinn with the help of Jacob Drews, a former intern to U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, records show. It will appear on ballots for voters in the 29th Ward’s 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 and 17 precincts. * Sun-Times | Chicago-based True Value hardware files for bankruptcy, agrees to sell to Do it Best: True Value, the hardware retailer based in Chicago, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and agreed to sell itself for $153 million to Do it Best Corp., the home improvement company based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, according to court filings. * Block Club | Busted Sidewalk In Pilsen Unfixed For Over A Year, Stranding Neighbor In Wheelchair: Hernandez said he and his family have reported the sidewalk’s condition to Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez’s (25th) office several times and made city requests over the past year — requests that remained open until Block Club brought the issue to the city’s attention last week. “The government of the city does not remember us at all, except when they collect the taxes and our alderman is the worst that we ever had,” Hernandez said. * Sun-Times | What a La Niña winter could mean for the Chicago area: La Niña has around a 60% chance of emerging through the end of November and could last until March, according to projections from the National Weather Service. This year, La Niña is forecast to be weaker than normal, making weather predictions this far in advance tricky, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Zachary Yack. * Chicago Reader | Mazdaznan’s enlightened grifter: In late-1800s Chicago, a charismatic eccentric built a religious cult following. : The first time Otoman Zar-Adusht Hanish caught significant press attention was in 1904, when Emma Reusse—or Eloise, as she was sometimes called—was seen running from his temple shrieking and pulling out her hair. She was committed to an Elgin sanitarium after the guru and self-described doctor had advised her to juice fast for 40 days to spiritually and physically “perfect” herself. Two weeks later, she died. * Press Release | Illinois Man Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach: Robin Lee Reierson, 69, of Schiller Park, Illinois, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $7,000 in restitution and fines by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton. […] At approximately 2:06 p.m., Reierson used his back and body to push against a bike rack barrier and into the line of assembled officers. The police line began to fall at approximately 2:25 p.m., and, minutes later, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Reierson physically pushed against police officers using both of his hands and by lowering his shoulder into officers. Reierson also attempted to take hold of an MPD officer’s baton. * Daily Herald | Verna Clayton, ‘a pioneer leader’ in Buffalo Grove, guided village through period of growth: A housewife in Buffalo Grove’s Strathmore subdivision, Verna Clayton didn’t initially seek a career in politics. But her dissatisfaction with the village board led her to a political career that saw her rise to Buffalo Grove village president and ultimately a state representative. Today, the village’s municipal campus bears her name. Clayton died Oct. 8 in Anderson, Indiana at 87.
* Fox Chicago | Illinois trooper honored with Medal of Honor after suffering injuries in Will County crash: An Illinois State Police (ISP) trooper was awarded the Illinois Law Enforcement Medal of Honor on Tuesday after he suffered incapacitating injuries in a Will County crash in 2021. The award was presented to ISP Trooper Brian Frank by Gov. JB Pritzker and ISP Director Brendan Kelly. * BND | Well-known Madison County attorney, gun rights advocate could lose his law license — again: An attorney from a prominent legal family in Madison County who’s known for representing clients in Illinois gun-rights cases may get his law license suspended for the second time in five years. A hearing board for the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission is recommending that the Illinois Supreme Court suspend Wood River-based Thomas Maag for two years. * WGLT | With an open seat, east Bloomington voters to choose between two candidates for McLean County Board: Voting is underway, and Bloomington’s east side must select a new McLean County Board representative for District 10. Republican Chuck Erickson served the area for over a decade but is vacating the seat, opening the door for one of two new candidates to fill the role. Republican Mark Clauss and Democrat Erica Larkin are battling it out on the ballot to represent the district. Both are new to politics and said they will rely on experts to steer policy decisions. * KWQC | Deere laying off hundreds more: Deere confirmed about 287 will lose jobs at Harvester Works in East Moline, 80 at Davenport Works and seven in Moline Seeding. Employees were being alerted on Wednesday. The layoffs are the latest in a global workforce reduction happening at Deere. * Journal Gazette | Vice Chair Bennett steps down from Shelby County Board following Chair Orman’s resignation: Bennett wrote, “For which in the last four years the audits have disclosed procedures and policies with which need to be followed and an unwillingness by many of those employed by Shelby County, as well as the public, to accept these changes. The Constitution comes first and foremost.”"Bobby Orman was a great chairman for Shelby County. Thank you, Bobby, and many of my colleagues,” Bennett wrote. He added,” Harassment has no place in our day-to-day representation as a board member. I encourage all people to educate themselves on the Constitution.” * WCIA | State Comptroller honors three Illinoisans for Hispanic Heritage Month: Mendoza’s office held a ceremony celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. The three who were honored included Héctor Javier Maymí-Sugrañes, the Dean of Libraries and General Studies at Western Illinois University, Yolanda Alonso, a blogger for Latinos en BloNo, and Carolina Huser, the Visionary Society & Development Manager for the Peoria Riverfront Museum. * WCIA | Springfield’s Lincoln Library celebrating 20th anniversary: On Oct. 16, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) will host a reception to honor its 20th anniversary. It’s been 20 years since the library section of the ALPLM started serving the public in Oct. 2004. The museum opening came just a few months after in April 2005. * WICS | $5 million for biomanufacturing research at U of I: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will receive a $5 million National Science Foundation grant to support groundbreaking biomanufacturing research and advance the future of sustainable production. This funding will support research to develop more reliable biomanufacturing processes that can be scaled up and replicated to facilitate commercial production in industries at the forefront of the growing bioeconomy, such as pharmaceuticals and biofuels. * Smile Politely | After 30+ years, Cafe Kopi is closing in December: “We are very grateful to the wonderful customers who have supported us through the years. You are what made Cafe Kopi such a special place. Coffeehouses are not just businesses; they are communities where lasting connections are made, and lifelong friendships are forged,” says Cafe Kopi owner, Douglas McCarver. “Cafe Kopi holds a special place in the hearts of many, and while we are saddened by this chapter’s end, we believe that all good things must come to a close. Serving generations of patrons has been both an honor and privilege.” * AP | Listeria recall grows to 12 million pounds of meat and poultry, some of it sent to US schools: The updated recall includes prepared salads, burritos and other foods sold at stores including Costco, Trader Joe’s, Target, Walmart and Kroger. The meat used in those products was processed at a Durant, Oklahoma, manufacturing plant operated by BrucePac. The Woodburn, Oregon-based company sells precooked meat and poultry to industrial, foodservice and retail companies across the country. * WTTW | Are People Loving Monarch Butterflies to Death? New Study Suggests ‘Helpful’ Human Interventions Contributing to Decline: Researchers at the University of Georgia combed through 17 years’ worth of observational data on roost sizes during monarchs’ annual fall migration to Mexico. What they found was a stable breeding population in the north, but then a consistent decrease in roost size as the butterflies make their way south — falling off by as much as 80% — indicating something is going awry along the route. Davis and his fellow researchers identified two likely culprits. One is the misguided planting of non-native tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), milkweed being the only plant on which monarchs lay their eggs and that monarch caterpillars feed on. * Press Release | Federal Trade Commission Announces Final “Click-to-Cancel” Rule Making It Easier for Consumers to End Recurring Subscriptions and Memberships: “Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription,” said Commission Chair Lina M. Khan. “The FTC’s rule will end these tricks and traps, saving Americans time and money. Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want.” * Politico | Crypto has quietly become one of the biggest electoral players. You wouldn’t know it from their ads: The industry’s ads are about trying to help their preferred candidates win elections — not making cryptocurrency a campaign issue. That reflects a reality acknowledged by several candidates: Cryptocurrency is hardly top-of-mind for most voters. The ads from the various industry-linked super PACs are instead universally positive spots about their candidates, often biographical or hitting on hot-button issues such as the border, the economy and access to IVF. * WSJ | The Death of Main Streets Across America—and the People Trying to Save Them:There was a time when the main streets in small towns were the lifeblood of small businesses. The hardware store, the candy counter, the dress shop—this was where the locals gathered and where entrepreneurs thrived. But that hasn’t been the story for a long time. Across the country, many small towns have been reeling, as local industries close down, and people move to find jobs. Main streets have lost out to the convenience of online shopping, as well as to nearby malls, where chains and big-box stores offer lower prices and a greater variety of goods. Meanwhile, credit can be hard to obtain for entrepreneurs, and inflation has driven up costs.
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There isn’t much the locals can do without the state, and the state can’t do much without more money
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * It’s really easy to understand the popularity of the state legislature killing off the 1 percent local grocery tax. It’s popular. Just about everyone is campaigning on the move this fall. But the repeal once again narrows an already too-narrow taxing base - a serious problem here. And, as locals are finding out, municipalities just don’t have a whole lot of other taxing options. From the Peoria Journal Star…
The state ain’t repealing the repeal. That horse has left the barn. Peoria is just gonna have to do its own grocery tax. Not ideal, but not much can be done about it now. * Crain’s…
More details are here, including a bit about reinstating the grocery tax to plug an $80 million hole. * Meanwhile, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez testified to the city council today. From a Chalkbeat Chicago reporter…
True, but the state finally has its own fiscal house in order. Without additional revenues, there can be no major local government/school bailouts…
But hardly any progressive legislators, let alone everyone else, are currently making a strong case for more revenues. They’re mostly about more spending, like everyone else. * Also, from Republican Sen. Seth Lewis…
Every time the mayor and the CTU leadership make this stuff about them, they weaken the case for everyone else, including the state.
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Rate McGraw’s new ad
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Isabel posted this earlier today…
This is a swingy district. Pritzker won it by two points in 2022, but Alexi Giannoulias lost it by 5 that same year. Joe Biden won it by 7.6 percentage points four years ago. * McGraw’s new ad…
Also, note the uniformed county sheriff who appears in the ad.
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Greyhound plans to stay at its Chicago station for now
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * NBC Chicago in August…
* The Sun-Times yesterday…
* Tribune…
* Crain’s…
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Please, watch this video
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * From earlier this month…
We’re going to Greece! And the donation only cost me an arm and a leg. Whatever. You can’t take it with you. * LSSI sent me a video yesterday which was played during the event. Marnie Jameson is an extraordinary person and you should definitely watch it. Also, please remember this video when we start our fundraising drive to buy Christmas presents for foster kids… “There’s nothing more awesome than having a kid that you didn’t birth call you ‘Mom.’ Because that’s a special thing that they share with their birth parents that now they’re willing to give you, put you in that role. It tells me I did something right.” We play a very narrow, yet quite special role in helping foster parents like Ms. Jameson every year. It definitely keeps me going. Thanks!
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Open thread
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois voters asked to weigh in on IVF coverage, taxing high-earners in statewide ballot questions. Tribune…
* Related stories…
∙ WGEM: Illinois voters to weigh in on potential election interference penalties * Crain’s | City Hall may have disqualified itself from getting millions in federal housing dollars: Since 2018, the city has been engaged in a legal fight with Access Living, a disability rights group. Access Living alleges the city ignores federal requirements that it confirm a portion of the affordable housing that gets built in the city with federal funds is designed according to disability-access standards. The litigation may disqualify Chicago’s application under HUD rules issued in July that said cities would be ineligible to receive new discretionary funds from the agency if they have “with “unresolved civil rights matters” that the US Department of Justice has taken a role in. * Capitol News Illinois | A mentally ill man was restrained in a chair for 68 hours at Franklin County Jail, violating policies, report says: Franklin County Jail restrained two mentally ill men in chairs for prolonged periods, in violation of state standards and county policies, a new report from an Illinois disability rights watchdog group found. The jail provided inadequate medical and mental health care and improperly restrained Travis Wade Braden for 68 hours in 2022, as well as another man for 27 hours, said the report from the Human Rights Authority of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, a state agency. * NBC Chicago | Deadline to submit Illinois flag designs rapidly approaching: According to the Illinois Flag Commission, the public submission deadline for designs is Friday, Oct. 18. The commission will look through the designs submitted, and will chose a total of 10 to be put up for a public online vote, which is set to take place in January.
* Tribune | No jurors picked in landmark Madigan corruption case Tuesday as painstaking selection process enters second week: A total of 13 people were interviewed, but no final decisions were made on who might serve on the panel because there are still more prospective jurors in their group who did not get a chance to be questioned. That means that seven panel members — one regular juror and six alternates — still need to be selected before the trial can begin in earnest with opening statements. * SJ-R | Illinois lawmakers pushing for more stringent gun storage laws. What you need to know: The Safe Firearm Storage Act, filed under Senate Bill 3971 and House Bill 5891, would prohibit the possession of a firearm outside its owner’s “immediate possession or control” and increases the age to 18 from 13 where safe storage in homes are required. In the case of a lost or stolen firearm, Senate Bill 3973 and House Bill 5888 would require the owner to report it with local law enforcement within 48 hours instead of the original 72. It comes after reports show that approximately 380,000 guns are stolen per year nationwide. * Center Square | Final hearing held in a series on Illinois’ public transit systems: State Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, said providing reliable mass transit should not be exclusive to the Chicago area. “I think this state has to make mass transit, across the state, a priority,” said DeWitte. “Getting people from point A to point B, to work, school, to the hospital, a doctor’s appointment, is critical.” * Midwest Books to Prisoners | IDOC Shouldn’t Ban Mail and Books in Prisons: Facing pressure from Republican legislators, the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is considering draconian new restrictions on incoming mail and books, including banning all mail pending a transition to controversial privatized mail digitization services. We are organizing to stop this egregious censorship attempt that undermines education, rehabilitation and community connection. To the IDOC and the IL general assembly: do not ban people from accessing physical letters and books through the mail, do not concede to easily disproved right-wing drug war copaganda—invest in resources, not restrictions! * ABC Chicago | Chicago Inspector General asks state regulators to ban some CPD officers from law enforcement: Since Jan. 6, 2021, more than a dozen CPD officers have been tagged as members of radical, sometimes violent groups, even as they deny it and remain on the job. […] “In order to serve as a police officer in any department in Illinois, a person must be certified as eligible to do so by the state of Illinois,” said Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg. Witzburg is recommending that the state de-certify a number of CPD officers and has sent the names and alleged misdeeds of those officers to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board headquartered in Springfield. * Sun-Times | Former Business Affairs and Consumer Protection official accused of creating hostile work environment: A former high-ranking official at the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection accused of creating a hostile work environment by using “prolonged verbal abuse and discrimination” to underlings so shaken by the treatment, many of them quit, then lied to investigators when questioned about it. A Chicago Public library clerk who used access to personal information to sexually harass library patrons on social media. * Sun-Times | Bally’s Chicago casino enters 2nd year on the rise, but behind projections in loaded Illinois market: Bally’s finally put to bed questions about financing their permanent $1.34 billion entertainment complex, remapped their site plan at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street after old water pipes forced them back to the drawing board — and saw steadily increasing returns from their temporary operation in River North. But the money still isn’t flowing like city budget officials initially hoped, and in a new report released this month, state revenue forecasters say they have questions about how many more dollars can be squeezed from a crowded and ever-growing Illinois gambling market. * Sun-Times | Blackhawks chairman Danny Wirtz ‘disappointed’ by Chicago Sports Network’s lack of carriage: One week into the Blackhawks’ season, the team’s new TV network has yet to reach a carriage agreement with Comcast. That appears unlikely to change before the home opener Thursday. That scenario would’ve been tough to imagine a year ago, but the difficulties that Chicago Sports Network — which launched Oct. 1 as the new home of the Hawks, Bulls and White Sox — has encountered in negotiations with the area’s dominant cable provider has made it a reality. * WTTW | New Comet Is ‘Living Up to the Hype’ and Chicagoans Could Get a Glimpse in Coming Days: Michelle Nichols, director of public observing at Adler Planetarium, knows Chicagoans are skeptical about being able to see space phenomena, having been burned plenty of times by light pollution. “It’s living up to the hype,” Nichols said of the comet’s brightness. * WGN | Lincoln Square restaurant spearheads campaign to end 117-year alcohol ban: The ban was originally put in place in 1907, which wasn’t a bad year overall for the City of Chicago. An economic boom fueled the city’s industrial sector, while the Chicago Cubs swept the Detroit Tigers to win their first-ever World Series. […] It was a little-known law unbeknownst to Lucia Herrejon, owner of XOchimilco Mexican Restaurant on the north side of Montrose, until they discovered it accidentally as a part of a 2023 city inspection. “Last year, June 2023, we applied for a liquor license,” Herrejon said. “Every thing went well. We had inspectors come out … We found out that day this was boarded dry in 1907.” * Tribune | Leaking Chicago Bears Arlington Heights tax appeal information earns Cook County official a slap on the wrist: County Inspector General Tirrell Paxton’s report did not name any officials. But the facts of the case match allegations in a whistleblower lawsuit filed against Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele this summer, dealing with the wrangling between local school districts and the Bears, who bought the former Arlington racetrack property and set their sights on building a new stadium there. The team has since focused on staying on Chicago’s lakefront, though officials have said the suburban location remains a possibility. The IG’s finding does not carry a penalty, only a recommendation that Steele take ethics training for violating the board’s ethics policy and the state’s property tax code by leaking confidential information about the pending Bears’ appeal of their property assessment and exhibiting bias against the team in comments to the media. * Daily Herald | Gun violence, public corruption top issues for Cook County state’s attorney candidates: Prosecutors will file detention petitions “each and every time someone is caught with an assault weapon, including guns that have switches and extended magazines,” Burke said during a recent Daily Herald endorsement interview. Prosecutors also will ask “for detention each and every time someone is charged with forcible felony with a gun, knife or some type of weapon,” she said. And they will request detention for individuals charged with a forcible felony in sexual assault cases and individuals charged with committing a violent crime on public transit. * Daily Herald | Arlington Heights country club where Ray Kroc made business deals turns 100: Much has changed at Rolling Green Country Club, the Arlington Heights golf course celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and where a members-only black-tie gala was held Saturday night. Its textured history is detailed in a new 113-page coffee table book by Larry Bruck, a board member and unofficial club historian who spent the last year combing through thousands of articles in the Daily Herald and other newspapers, county records, board meeting notes and genealogy documents at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. Bruck also reached out to a long list of current and past members and employees to gain their insights and recollections.
* Journal Courier | Jacksonville schools take stance against teacher mistreatment; NAACP says handling of past incidents contributed to climate: The superintendent of Jacksonville schools is taking on what he says is mistreatment of teachers by some students and parents. While his call that “enough is enough” is getting plenty of backing, the message is also drawing heat from places such as the Jacksonville NAACP, which said some of the attitudes he targets are the result of how the administration has handled problems in the past. […] The letter was inspired by an incident between a parent and a teacher that occurred in the same week the letter was published. According to Ptacek, the teacher changed a seating arrangement in response to concerns about how a student was behaving toward others. The parent of the student then contacted the teacher and threatened them with physical violence. * WCIA | Housing project planned for a growing Paxton: Developer Joe Warner originally put the plan in motion, but now his daughter and brother are building on his foundation. The first phase plans to provide 35 single-family homes and 11 duplexes. The site will also have a half-acre park in the middle to be used as a green space. * WAND | Advocates say central Illinois communities deserve more bus service, funding: Experts say 30% of the population can’t drive, leaving many people with unsafe and inadequate options to get them where they need to go. Champaign-Urbana transit planner Cynthia Hoyle told the Senate Transportation Committee that people in small central Illinois communities desperately need rides. * Pantagraph | Heartland starts equity tax levy talks, hears from Lincoln campus director: Heartland Community College is continuing to use the state’s equity tax provision to levy additional revenue from property in the district. In a meeting at the college’s Lincoln campus on Tuesday, trustees adopted an equity tax resolution for taxes payable in 2025. Under state law, Heartland can to levy the additional property tax to bring its revenue in line with other community college districts throughout the state, said Noah Lamb, vice president of finance and administration. * PJ Star | Bernie Sanders in Belvidere: Climate change is real. Electric vehicles can help: Before firing up the crowd at last week’s “Rally with the Working Class to End Trump’s NAFTA 2.0″ in Belvidere, U.S. Sen Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, sat down with Register Star reporter Jeff Kolkey to talk about his views on the auto industry, electric vehicle production, free trade and climate change. * SJ-R | Central Illinois microbrewery debuting new beer supporting Hurricane Helene relief efforts: Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery & Eatery at 500 S. Sixth St. announced sales from its new Appalachia Strong IPA will support the relief efforts following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene. […] The central Illinois brewery has partnered with the North Carolina Brewers Guild to help displaced people from Hurricane Helene, alongside eight to 10 other brewers across the Prairie State. Through the Pouring for Neighbors initiative, Obed & Isaac’s aims to rally the central Illinois community to contribute to the rebuilding efforts. * WCIA | ‘That place should be rocking’ Bielema asking for crazy crowd vs Michigan: The game versus Michigan is already sold out, but the Illini head coach wants more than just a full house. “We haven’t lost a game [at home] this year,” Bielema said on Monday. “That place should be rocking. That place should be going crazy. To have two ranked teams, that’s what I want to hear… When we go to Michigan we have to prepare for crowd noise there. I would really like for someone to have to prepare for crowd noise here. That’s when we’ve arrived.” * WAND | Illinois apple farmer sees decreased harvest after cicadas: It’s been a year of ups and downs for apple farmers in central Illinois. On top of an early bloom, many trees were devastated by the influx in cicadas this spring and summer. Mike Mitchell, who owns Okaw Valley Orchards, said his yield has dropped by about 60% since last year. Because the cicadas laid their eggs on the key branches apples grow on, the trees weren’t able to provide the necessary nutrients for fruit to thrive. * WSJ | This AI Pioneer Thinks AI Is Dumber Than a Cat: Yann LeCun helped give birth to today’s artificial-intelligence boom. But he thinks many experts are exaggerating its power and peril, and he wants people to know it. While a chorus of prominent technologists tell us that we are close to having computers that surpass human intelligence—and may even supplant it—LeCun has aggressively carved out a place as the AI boom’s best-credentialed skeptic.
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small. We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Linda, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Oct 16, 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.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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