A Freedom Peaceful Assembly and Convoy / Motorcade Rally will be held near the Lincoln statue at the Illinois Capitol Building grounds, corners of S. 2nd Street, 1st Street , Monroe Street and E. Capitol Avenue in Springfield Illinois starting at 11 am on April 30, 2022.
The rally will begin at High Noon near the statue and along the “Grassy Knoll” along Monroe Ave.
For the Convoy and Motorcade beginning at 11 am, participants are encouraged to display one or more American flags and signs of their choice conspicuously on or in their vehicle’s windows to identify participants to each other.
Participants will drive the streets surrounding the Capitol building and “follow the leader”, driving only on the streets and allys that are closest to the Capitol complex, and joining together into an impromptu motorcade.
Any legally licensed roadworthy vehicle is encouraged to join: semi trucks with or without trailers, tractors and farm equipment with proper safety placarding and licensing, campers, RVs, pickups, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, or mopeds.
Also horses and/or horse drawn wagons and carriages with road safety placards are welcome to show support of the assembly.
Pedestrians, joggers, wagons, strollers, wheelchairs, families, and legally operated drones, kids battery powered vehicles, roller skaters, those with walkers or prosthetics are all encouraged to safely participate and carry flags and signs and walk the sidewalks around the capital at the same time as the motorcade from 11 am to noon. Or simply bring your favorite chair to watch the event unfold.
At 12 noon or thereabout the participants will peacefully assembly for a rally aimed at citizens airing their dissatisfaction publicly on the loss of their rights and freedoms, and how the misuse of the Governor’s Emergency Orders and ever-changing rules of his health department and pressuring of private businesses and medical facilities have impacted the lives of them, their children and livelihood.
The motto for the Protest and Rally for April 30, according to the handout flyer, is to “Remind the government that THEY WORK FOR US, and not the other way around”. Their handout also states that “Emergency Powers = Tyranny” and get involved to “STOP The Tyranny NOW!!”
Every resident of Illinois is encouraged to join the protest. Lord knows that our elected representatives are not representing us in Springfield and are passing impossible unfunded budgets, killing small businesses with their impossible regulations and taxes, caving to personal and special interests, spending money they don’t have, infringing on our free speech and medical privacy and trying to force us into submitting to their narratives of oppression and control.
Add to that the tyrannical and out of date Emergency Orders ad nauseum and our tromped upon Constitutional Rights over the last two years, and their ever increasing laws and rules for increasing pay raises and benefits for themselves that pad their pockets and set themselves as a preferred status Ruling Class Citizen, and you have statewide frustration and distrust of lawmakers and Governor.
The government we have before us is NOT a representational government OF the people and BY the people. This misbehavior by our elected and appointed officials must stop.
Bring megaphones, bells, whistles, sirens, noisemakers, pots and pans, cymbals, gongs and horns! Maybe they will hear us. If they don’t, we will continue pressuring them to stop their lies and deceit.
Republican governor candidate Richard Irvin’s campaign is out with another mailer that’s full of irony. In the latest item landing in mail boxes, the Aurora mayor slams fellow Republican gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan for backing open borders and amnesty for illegal immigrants.
It’s apparently based on an article Sullivan wrote some 15 years ago. The funny thing, though, is that Irvin has supported Aurora as a sanctuary city and has praised DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It’s the policy that allows some immigrants to stay in the United States even if they don’t have citizenship.
In a little bit of oppo, Irvin in 2019 said Aurora backs Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in “prohibiting the use of our resources to aid or support ICE in its enforcement activities.” In the same statement, Irvin vowed that Aurora Police will continue their practice of declining to ask for a person’s immigration status.
The Irvin campaign is a well-funded exercise in pure projection.
The City of Aurora joins with Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in prohibiting the use of our resources to aid or support ICE in its enforcement activities.
While Aurora does not have any jurisdiction over federal actions, including the pending raids, I fully support our immigrant and refugee families who live in Aurora and object to any such raids that will separate families and traumatize entire segments of our community.
As Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman and I have both previously stated, our Aurora police officers do not, have not and will not ask for or use immigration status in routine police activities. These policies have been in place for many years and, rest assured, they will not be compromised during my administration. Furthermore, the City of Aurora will not enter into a ‘287g Agreement’ with ICE and deputize our officers to engage in immigration enforcement work.
Aurora remains focused on unifying and not dividing our community. We are One Aurora and support all residents in our city.
I encourage all of our immigrant residents - and their families, friends and allies - to review their rights by visiting the National Immigrant Justice Center’s website at www.immigrantjustice.org.”
…Adding… From Eleni Demertzis at the Irvin campaign…
Aurora is not a sanctuary city, and Aurora police regularly work with federal law enforcement to fight violent criminals. Mayor Irvin opposes Illinois having sanctuary cities, and believes that immigration is a federal responsibility where federal resources should be used to enforce immigration laws, not state or local resources.
* I will be in Florida soon, but it ain’t for the alleged “freedom” unless you count freedom from cold and grey and long pants…
We want Illinois to look more like the free states of Texas and Florida, not New York and California!
* Here’s a quick primer on how political coverage too often works: A candidate, in this case Democratic 19th House District candidate Tina Wallace, sends an exclusive preview of a press release to a reporter which makes a claim of fundraising prowess. The reporter dutifully hypes the impressive fundraising claim, but doesn’t bother taking 30 seconds to check the candidate’s report online to see that, instead of “raising” $100,000 as claimed, Wallace actually raised only $18,450 from named contributors, $500 from not-itemized others and loaned herself the rest. The money will spend the same, though.
With Republicans already on defense over their agenda of tax hikes, which could raise taxes on 33% of Illinoisans, and raised premiums, now they will also have to explain their recent votes against measures to lower costs for Illinois families.
Over the past two weeks, Illinois Republicans in Congress have voted against bills to make insulin more affordable, which as many as 993,000 Illinoisans rely on, and help more than 11,000 Illinois restaurants and businesses who didn’t receive the first round of Restaurant Revitalization Fund relief cover costs. Plus, state Republicans belittled critical tax relief efforts for Illinois families while voting against a balanced state budget.
Illinois Democrats, meanwhile, are hard at work in Springfield and in Washington, D.C. to lower costs and provide tax relief. In Congress, Illinois Democrats overwhelmingly voted in favor of bills to cap the monthly cost of insulin at $35 and get much needed relief to local businesses. At the state level, Democrats just passed more than $1.8 billion in tax relief as part of the FY2023 balanced budget, including direct relief checks to working families along with relief at the gas pump, at the grocery store, and on property taxes.
The difference couldn’t be clearer: while Illinois Democrats at the state and federal level want to help lower costs and provide relief for Illinoisans, Republicans have no plan to lower costs — leaving working families to foot the bill.
* From the League of Women Voters of Illinois…
You can apply for permanent vote by mail status as early as 45 days before election day. Voters with permanent vote by mail status will be automatically sent a vote by mail ballot for every election. You can ask to be removed from this list at any time.
May 19: First day for the election authority to send vote by mail ballots to applicants.
June 13: Early voting begins. Voters may place their vote by mail ballots in a drop box, if drop boxes are available in their county. Voters may also deliver their vote by mail ballots in person to their local election authority during early voting. Check with your election authority for locations.
June 23: Last day for an election authority to receive vote by mail ballot applications via mail.
June 27: Last day for a registered voter to apply in person at an election authority for a vote by mail ballot.
June 28: General primary election day! Mailed-in ballots must be postmarked by this date. Voters may also drop off vote by mail ballots with their election authority or in a drop box. Check with your election authority for locations.
NOTE: If you change your mind, you may surrender your vote by mail ballot at your polling place and vote in person instead. If you lose your vote by mail ballot, or it doesn’t arrive in the mail, you can vote with a provisional ballot at your polling place. Provisional ballots are counted 14 days after the polls close, once the election authority confirms that you haven’t cast a vote by mail ballot.
Consumer prices rose 8.5 percent in the year through March, reaching the fastest inflation rate since 1981. Stubbornly rapid price increases have been exacerbated by a surge in gas costs tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Fuel prices jumped sharply higher last month, with the U.S. average for a gallon of regular gas peaking at $4.33 on March 11.
Gas is not the entire story. Stripping out volatile fuel and food, so-called core prices climbed at a brisk 6.5 percent in the year through March, up from 6.4 percent in the year through February. Even so, the core index offered a rare glimmer of good inflation news: It slowed down a bit on a monthly basis, rising 0.3 percent from February, compared with 0.5 percent the prior month.
March’s data may represent a high-water mark for inflation, some economists have said. Overall price increases could begin abating in the coming months in part because gasoline prices have come down somewhat — a gallon cost $4.10 on Tuesday, according to AAA. Researchers have been expecting consumers to stop buying so many goods, like cars and appliances, potentially taking pressure off overburdened supply chains and allowing prices for those products to moderate.
* More…
* Richard Irvin Only Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Who Broke From Trump: So was Mayor Irvin being intentionally naive when he worked with Underwood to undermine the Trump tax cuts? Remembering after Underwood was first elected and flipped the IL-14, Irvin, in late December of 2018, gave Underwood the key to the city. As for the results of Irvin’s efforts working with Underwood to undermine the Trump tax cuts, the U.S. House Democratic leadership rejected Underwood’s bill, and opted to go for a two-year repeal of SALT deduction caps. The Democrats’ plan went nowhere with the Senate. So in light of this record, and the Irvin gubernatorial campaign accusing rival Darren Bailey as “leaving Trump” and a “Never Trumper”, the evidence overwhelming Mayor Irvin’s campaign was projecting.
The War on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy… As a human, and as an artist, I felt compelled to respond in the most significant way I could.
So today, for the first time ever, I publicly performed my Dad’s song, IMAGINE.
Why now, after all these years? - I had always said, that the only time I would ever consider singing ‘IMAGINE’ would be if it was the ‘End of the World’…
But also because his lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide. Because within this song, we’re transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time…
The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel, that we are all hoping for…
As a result of the ongoing murderous violence, millions of innocent families, have been forced to leave the comfort of their homes, to seek asylum elsewhere.
I’m calling on world leaders and everyone who believes in the sentiment of IMAGINE, to stand up for refugees everywhere! Please advocate and donate from the heart. #StandUpForUkraine
With children under watch of the Department of Children and Family Services continuing to die and contempt of court citations piling up, how long can Gov. JB Pritzker continue to stick with director Marc Smith? […]
Pritzker summed it up: you can’t just fire the director every time there’s a problem.
* Pritzker’s full response…
Let me remind you that there have been over a dozen leaders of DCFS over the prior years to my becoming governor. It’s important for us to bring stability to DCFS with a good leader who is bringing change. It is hard to make changes in a bureaucracy when you walk in Day One. It takes some time, and especially after you had two years of no budget, and essentially defunding of DCFS over an awful lot of years.
So we’ve increased budgeting. We brought in outside help for the agency from both the University of Chicago Chapin Hall, as well as the Annie Casey Foundation and others to make sure that we’re surrounding the leadership at DCFS with the right kinds of advisors. They bring their own experienced leaders to DCFS. And together they’ve made a lot of progress.
Are there still challenges? Absolutely. Every circumstance of a death or neglect or abuse is a tragedy at DCFS. So we’re trying to address those. And but you can’t do it by just saying every time there’s a problem, ‘Let’s toss out the director. That’s the answer, toss out the director.’
There are a lot of changes that needed to happen at DCFS. And they are happening. Do they always happen fast enough? No. But look at just the hotline at DCFS where just three short years ago, only 50% of the calls coming into that hotline, were getting answered. Think about that. Neglect and abuse charges, 50% were getting responded to immediately. Now 99% are getting responded to immediately.
And not every time that you hear about a tragedy of a child that has had some contact with DCFS is it simply DCFS’ fault that something occurred. There often are state’s attorneys involved, and sheriffs and local authorities. And DCFS is just one of a number of agencies. And yes, DCFS should take responsibility, but so too, should local authorities engaged in that child’s life, engaged in that family.
So look, we’ve got to continue to make changes. I’m dedicated to that. I’ve stood out front here on this issue when many governors have tried to bury DCFS, put it aside and not stand up for our most vulnerable children. That’s something that matters a great deal to me, and I will continue to stand up for them and make the investments necessary.
A measure intended to protect Illinois restaurants from unauthorized third-party delivery services has cleared the House and Senate.
The plan, known as the Fair Food and Retail Act, would prohibit services like Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats from using the name, likeness, or intellectual property of a merchant without first obtaining written approval. The delivery services also would not be allowed to provide delivery or pick-up services without that approval.
“If you have somebody representing your goodwill within your community, you’ve got to have an understanding of who that is and what they’re doing with it,” state Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, said. “We need to make sure our mom and pop businesses, after what they’ve been through under COVID, are looked out after. We have to stop this abuse.” […]
“Their entire being and their entire life’s work is in that restaurant,” Keicher said. “For someone to come in and damage that reputation or alter the experience of the customer that the owner has worked sometimes generations to experience, it’s wrong.”
Keicher was a hyphenated co-sponsor. This bill was the brainchild of Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago).
* SEIU Healthcare…
Greg Kelley, President of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, issued the following statement in response to the budget passed by lawmakers in Springfield over the weekend:
“As a union of the frontline home care, child care and healthcare workers who have experienced the direct impact of underfunded public services greatly exacerbated by a pandemic, we applaud the leadership of Governor Pritzker, President Harmon and Speaker Welch in passing a balanced budget with significant increases to home care programs, investment in affordable housing and no cuts to crucial programs.
“We also appreciate the continued investment in child care, safety net hospitals and other avenues of crucial community support.
“The final budget contained much that will strengthen the care and service programs through which our members provide crucial support to many of the state’s most vulnerable residents, from small children to seniors in need of home care. In addition, through our advocacy and that of lawmakers committed to fighting for the services their communities most need, we were able to win significant nursing home rate reform and funding, 65% of which is slated to go directly to workers and a rate increase and training improvements for Developmental Disabilities Services home care workers.
“While the budget passed this weekend will provide crucial help to the workers and communities hardest hit by the pandemic, additional investment is still needed. We look forward to continue working with the Governor and the General Assembly to address the need for additional investment in crucial care services and infrastructure in communities across the state.”
* AIDS Foundation of Chicago…
On April 7, 2022, HB4430—Increasing Access to PrEP and PEP sponsored by State Representative Kelly M. Cassidy—passed the Illinois House on concurrence with a vote of 72-30. This bill specifically prioritizes pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which are two highly effective prevention methods in reducing the risk of acquiring HIV. The bill will soon be sent over to the Governor’s Desk for the final step in the state legislative process.
Once signed into law, HB4430 would enact the following reforms:
• Allow pharmacists, under a standing order, to initiate lifesaving pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis medication and care to the communities most vulnerable to HIV.
• Aid pharmacists in referring individuals to ongoing preventative care and giving them the ability to connect patients to laboratories for additional tests to determine if PrEP is the most appropriate course of care. Pharmacists will continue to facilitate connections to ongoing medical care and social support services.
With Governor Pritzker’s signature, Illinois will become the 8th state in the nation to make HIV prevention care more accessible by expanding access through pharmacies.
“The passing of HB4430 is momentous as we are truly changing lives and circumstances for many Illinoisians who’ve been too often left out and left behind,” said State Representative Kelly M. Cassidy (D-Chicago). “This win exemplifies our power to change once we engage the whole community, from medical providers to community advocates. We are one step closer to our goal of getting to zero new cases of HIV transmission by 2030, but work does not stop here. Together, we must continue listening and addressing the needs of our community.”
* Illinois Families for Public Schools…
Young children will be protected from any current or future plans to expand state standardized testing into prekindergarten through second grade if Governor Pritzker signs a new Too Young To Test law passed by the Illinois General Assembly this session.
The Too Young To Test bill, SB 3986, received broad and bipartisan support from legislators and a coalition of Illinois parents, educators, researchers, and advocacy orgs concerned about the possible encroachment of the state testing system into PreK-2. The Too Young To Test bill prevents the state from requiring or paying for any non-diagnostic standardized testing of children before third grade.
“Too Young To Test seeks to safeguard the early years by ensuring that the Illinois State Board of Education does not spend finite resources or require standardized assessments in K-2 that have been proven to be developmentally inappropriate during such a fluid time of child development.” said State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago), the bill’s chief sponsor in the Senate. “Instead, the state should invest in research-based practices that support whole child development such as play-based learning, social-emotional skill building, and teacher coaching. Especially after the unprecedented disruptions of these last two years, we cannot forget that the same part of the brain that registers stress and trauma is also responsible for memory and learning.”
“Our decisions about state standardized testing should reflect evidence-based research and provide reliable data,” chief House sponsor of SB 3986 State Representative Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago) said. “Encouraging schools to focus on unreliable standardized tests for children too young will change the focus of classroom instruction and create further inequity. We need to direct our education resources and energy toward proven strategies that enrich the classroom experience for our youngest learners.”
Assessment experts, teachers, and early childhood researchers all agree that test scores from children below age eight are not statistically reliable or valid measures of what children know and can do and should not be used to assess academic achievement or school performance.
Despite this, the Illinois State Board of Education has been considering a proposal to add optional, state-funded K-2 testing in Illinois to the existing 3-8th grade tests. That proposal has been unpopular with parents and teachers. A petition from grassroots public ed advocacy group Illinois Families for Public Schools calling on ISBE to drop the plan garnered over 1300 signatures from parents and community members in over 150 towns and cities across Illinois.
Too Young To Test wouldn’t restrict the ability of districts, schools, and teachers to use or develop assessments paid for with local funding dollars. It also does not stop the state from creating or funding tests or evaluations used for screening or diagnostic purposes.
Since the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, overtesting has become a significant problem in early elementary school because younger students are being prepped for high-stakes tests in later grades. “We are relieved and encouraged by the General Assembly’s action to set clear criteria for what types of assessment the state can develop, fund and require before third grade.” said Cassie Creswell, director of Illinois Families for Public Schools.
“Before age eight, and even after, kids should be learning via play, exploration and inquiry, and the way teachers assess what they’ve learned should reflect that. What parents want for their children is small classes with teachers who use meaningful assessment methods, not more contracts with commercial test vendors,” added Creswell. “Governor Pritzker has said he’s committed to Illinois becoming the best state in the nation for families raising young children, and we think the Too Young To Test bill is an important part of fulfilling that. We hope we can count on him to sign this bill into law as soon as it gets to his desk.”
Too Young to Test was supported by a broad coalition of organizations, including the Chicago Teachers Union, Defending the Early Years, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois School Counselor Association, Learning Disabilities Association of IL, and the National Association of Social Workers - IL Chapter.
* Illinois Partners for Human Service…
Budget Highlights for Health and Human Services
Mental/Behavioral Health: $170M increase from FY22, which includes Mental Health and Substance Use Medicaid rate increases (to learn more about the incredible advocacy behind this investment, view this fact sheet).
Intellectual/Developmental Disability Services: Appropriations remained the same as the Governor’s initial proposal, which included $2 billion for services for people with developmental disabilities, including funds for the implementation of the second phase of the Guidehouse rate study (though the second phase of implementation is not fully covered through this appropriation). Included in this is $94.8M to support mid-year implementation of a $1.00 an hour rate increase for DSPs and the CILA Rate Study calculator; $45.1M to fund the annualization of the FY22 rate increases and liability changes; $69.6M to support 700 new PUNS placements, a 5.9% increase in the Home-Based program liability, a 2% mid-year grant COLA, and additional support for the DD service delivery system.
Childcare: Appropriations remained the same as the Governor’s initial proposal, which includes funding to support Child Care Assistance Program rate increases and anticipated caseload growth and also includes sufficient budget for federal ARPA stabilization programming. The Budget continues support for FY22 Child Care policy changes (co-pay caps, 250% FPL exit eligibility, 70% attendance policy).
Early Intervention: Appropriations increased by $7m (6.4%) from the Governor’s proposed budget.
Domestic Violence Services: Appropriations increased from $20m in the Governor’s proposed budget to $70m, thanks to the incredible advocacy of Domestic Violence providers and coalitions across the state.
Older Adult Services: Appropriations were the same as the Governor’s proposal, which included $14 million to fund a rate increase for CCP providers beginning January 1, 2023; $100.7 million funding increase for the Community Care Program (CCP) to accommodate caseload growth and utilization, with the assistance of increased federal aid.
Homeless Services: An additional $15M in homelessness prevention funding was appropriated in the General Revenue Fund from the Governor’s initial proposal, along with $1M for homeless Youth through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Healthcare: There were no cuts from the Governor’s proposed budget, and additional funding was included for nursing homes, hospitals, and expansion of Medicaid for undocumented individuals down to age 42.
* Healthy Illinois…
We were told over and over that the state budget was tight this year, and it wasn’t the right time to expand healthcare access. But we didn’t give up–we kept organizing, making calls, sending letters, telling our stories, and meeting with legislators. And we built the power necessary to win an expansion of healthcare coverage for tens of thousands of additional undocumented Illinoisans. Starting July 1, 2022, everyone in Illinois ages 42 and older will have a pathway to healthcare coverage, regardless of their immigration status.
This win is the result of 8 years of campaigning and thousands of hours of work by dozens of organizations and countless individuals. Congratulations to all who have made a phone call, sent an email, shared their story, and helped build this campaign. Because of you, tens of thousands of people in Illinois will have access to healthcare coverage, many for the first time in decades.
* One Aim Illinois on HB4383, the ghost guns bill…
The passage of the new legislation adds Illinois to the list of the eleven other states that have passed similar ghost gun laws and ensures the following solutions:
• Immediately prohibits the sale of unserialized gun parts that can be turned into guns.
• Requires serial numbers on guns manufactured with a 3D printer.
• Creates standards for serialization for existing unserialized firearms at federally licensed firearms dealers and other federal licensees authorized to imprint serial numbers.
This legislation requires gun companies to serialize gun kits and goes one step further than today’s federal rule by requiring individuals who currently possess ghost guns to get them serialized.
Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Declares that it is the public policy of the State to prevent discrimination based on source of income in real estate transactions. Defines “source of income” as the lawful manner by which an individual supports himself or herself and his or her dependents. Provides that it is a civil rights violation for various people to participate in specified discriminatory actions related to real estate transactions because of an individual’s source of income.
Paul Arena, director of legislative affairs at the Illinois Rental Property Association, said if the bill is signed into law, landlords statewide will lose control.
“It’s a blank check for government to further control rental property moving forward, and that is why it is so dangerous,” Arena said.
Under the measure, landlords would continue to be able to screen tenants. However, if those tenants meet the landlord’s criteria, and the tenants use Section 8 subsidies, landlords would be required to sign Section 8 contracts and abide by Section 8 rules and restrictions.
The legislation also mandates that housing providers who require tenants or prospective tenants to have a certain threshold level of income must subtract any subsidies the tenant receives from the monthly rent before calculating if the income criteria have been met.
The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, said the law has been enacted in 19 other states with success.
“No one across the country that has this law has repealed it,” Ford said. “It is the right thing to do, and it was great negotiations because even the realtors decided to be in support.”
This story has been edited since initial publication to reflect changes to the legislation that were made before final passage and add a comment from a supporter of it. Also, the Illinois Realtors now support the measure.
Gotta read those amendments.
* More…
* Illinois lawmakers approve incentivizing nursing home quality with more funding: House Bill 246 would inject more than $700 million from state and federal tax funds annually into Medicaid-funded nursing homes to reform the facilities by offering a number of incentives for safe staffing. The measure also includes a pay raise for certified nursing assistants. More than $300 million would be used as incentive payments for nursing homes to increase their staffing levels up to or beyond certain target levels.
* Illinois lawmakers pass budget with more money for schools, tax relief for families: The Monetary Award Program, otherwise known as MAP, provides scholarships to students who demonstrate financial need. The fund has grown to $601 million in the latest budget plan and would give an additional 24,000 students funding for tuition and fees as they pursue an undergraduate degree. The maximum award for students increased from $6,438 last year to $8,508 this year.
* Proposal to remove NRG’s Waukegan coal ash ponds stalls in state legislature: Once the bill arrived in the House in late February, Mayfield said NRG and lobbyists like the Illinois Manufacturers Association, the Chamber of Commerce and others began to question members about the proposed legislation. “They took them to dinner and fed them misinformation,” Mayfield said. “There is still an opportunity for the bill to pass. Schrader, who said the company representatives testified several times before the legislature, claimed the legislation was aimed at one entity. He said there is existing law establishing a regulatory process to deal with coal ash ponds.
Criminals continue to feel empowered in J.B. Pritzker’s Illinois as brazen acts are committed repeatedly, and in some instances, on the Governor’s front lawn. In just one week, the Chicago Transit Authority saw five violent incidents that included stabbings and beatings on platforms in the Loop, and in one case a CTA employee was pushed onto the tracks. The CTA’s union president said that the “violence has gotten out of control.”
Carjackings continue to be an epidemic. An 18-year-old man who carjacked a rideshare driver downtown this weekend was the same individual who carjacked another driver in front of J.B. Pritzker’s front lawn in the Gold Coast last year.
Just last week we learned that a four-time convicted felon for gun possession and narcotics charges was paroled by the Illinois Department of Corrections and didn’t last six months before being arrested for carjacking, robbery, and heroin delivery. The Illinois Department of Corrections failed to revoke his parole and he was eventually released on electronic monitoring. Just nine days after being released, he was arrested again for drug dealing. He is now being held without bail.
“The simple truth is that criminals run rampant throughout Chicago and Illinois because they know J.B. Pritzker and Kim Foxx will not hold them accountable for their actions,” said Irvin for Illinois campaign spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “We need leaders who will prioritize the safety of our citizens over criminals.”
Prisoner releases are gonna be the gift that keeps on giving for the GOP this year…
The Irvin for Illinois campaign is announcing a new list of 20 endorsements for Richard Irvin and Avery Bourne from law enforcement leaders across the state. The support from these influential leaders in our law enforcement community shows Irvin has a strong record in supporting police and giving them the resources they need to keep communities safe.
“I am thrilled to have the support of even more law enforcement leaders from across Illinois who will help me take our state back from out of control crime,” said Mayor of Aurora and gubernatorial candidate, Richard Irvin. “Working with law enforcement is essential to creating safe communities, and earning these endorsements today is one step closer to achieving that for Illinois.”
Sangamon County Sheriff, Jack Campbell, is backing Richard Irvin because he is the only candidate that can truly take Illinois back from sky high crime by working with law enforcement, not signing dangerous anti-police policies into law.
“Our great state of Illinois has been made less safe by politicians who backed false narratives, rather than enforcing the rule of law,” said Campbell. “They didn’t bother asking law enforcement for our input on the disastrous crime bill. Richard Irvin is the candidate who will listen to us and seek our counsel. I have gotten to know Mayor Irvin and he is the real deal. I believe he is the best chance to return safety and security to the forefront of Illinois politics.”
Brian VanVickle, Ogle County Sheriff and Past-President of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, spoke to Richard Irvin’s proven record as Mayor of Aurora, working with police and against Pritzker’s damaging crime policy.
“From Northern to Southern Illinois, Governor Pritzker’s crime bill has made all of our communities less safe,” said VanVickle. “In his time as Mayor, Richard Irvin has shown a blueprint for how he will govern, that he will work with local Sheriffs’ offices and empower law enforcement with the resources needed to keep our communities safe. Mayor Irvin is the best chance that we have to defeat Pritzker in November and reverse his dangerous pro-crime policies.”
Wilson ran for Mayor of Chicago in 2015, being one of several challengers to incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel. […]
Wilson placed third in a five-candidate race with 50,960 votes, equal 10.66% of the votes cast. Wilson’s endorsement in the runoff was actively sought by both candidates Rahm Emanuel and Jesús “Chuy” García. Wilson endorsed García [who lost]
2016 U.S. presidential campaign
After setting up an exploratory committee on May 11, 2015, Wilson officially announced on June 1, 2015, that he would be running as a candidate for President of the United States in the 2016 election. He ran as a Democrat. […]
Wilson received 1,314 votes, or 0.35% of the total, in South Carolina […]
In the general election, Wilson voted for Republican nominee Donald Trump.
2019 Chicago mayoral campaign
In March 2018, Wilson formally announced that he would run a second time for Mayor of Chicago in the 2019 mayoral election.
During his campaign, Wilson generated controversy for handing out money to churchgoers. This practice of his was challenged before the Illinois State Board of Elections, which found that it did not violate any campaign finance laws since the money came from his non-profit foundation. […]
Wilson was endorsed by the Cook County Republican Party. Wilson failed to make it to the runoff, placing fourth with 59,072 votes, equal 10.61% of vote cast […]
2020 U.S. Senate campaign
In August 2019, Wilson expressed his intention to challenge incumbent United States Senator from Illinois Dick Durbin in 2020, running in the general election as an independent challenger to Durbin. Rather than run as an independent, he ultimately opted to run under the ballot line of his newly created “Willie Wilson Party”. […]
Wilson received 4% of the vote statewide, finishing in a distant third place. His highest support came from the majority-black wards of Chicago where he had done well in both his mayoral campaigns. Totaling up all 18 of Chicago’s majority-black wards, Wilson garnered 18.5% of the vote, well ahead of Republican Mark Curran, who received only 4%, but still far behind Durbin who received 75.9%
What Wilson has demonstrated so far is that he has a ceiling of about 11 percent in Chicago. His relationship with Rauner and Trump won’t help this time, either. Yes, Wilson could take votes away from Lightfoot in the first round. But I’m not sure those voters would be with her anyway.
