On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. More than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day.
Still, even under Order No. 3, as historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. noted, freedom wasn’t automatic for Texas’s 250,000 enslaved people. “On plantations, masters had to decide when and how to announce the news — or wait for a government agent to arrive — and it was not uncommon for them to delay until after the harvest,” he wrote.
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States, with 27,000 square miles inundated in depths of up to 30 feet over the course of several months in early 1927. The period cost of the damage has been estimated to be between $246 million and $1 billion, which ranges from $4.2–$17.3 billion in 2023 dollars. […]
More than 200,000 African Americans were displaced from their homes along the Lower Mississippi River and had to live for lengthy periods in relief camps. As a result of this disruption, many joined the Great Migration from the South to the industrial cities of the North and the Midwest; the migrants preferred to move, rather than return to rural agricultural labor. […]
The flood affected Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Henry “Blind Lemon” Jefferson (September 24, 1893 – December 19, 1929) was an American blues and gospel singer-songwriter and musician. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s and has been called the “Father of the Texas Blues”.
* One of Jefferson’s bigger hits was about that 1927 flood…
Thousands people stands on the hill
Looking down were they used to stay
* And if that music isn’t your cup of tea, check out this fabulous mini-concert from the great Chicagoan Chaka Khan…
A Marseilles man charged with murder was out of custody awaiting trial for multiple felonies when he allegedly killed his father – but Logan Petre wasn’t out because of the SAFE-T Act.
Petre, 21, is charged in La Salle County Circuit Court with first-degree murder. He would face 20 to 60 years in prison with no possibility of probation, if convicted of strangling Leo Petre in the family home. (Logan Petre could face additional time if also convicted of a pending home invasion charge.)
Though Logan Petre was out of custody at the time of Leo’s death, he wasn’t released under no-cash bail established by the SAFE-T Act. Instead, Petre had posted cash bond on his two pending felony cases from June 2023 (home invasion) and July 2023 (aggravated battery). Cash bonds ended in September as a result of the SAFE-T Act. […]
La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro said he made it a point, during the early hours of the investigation, to see whether Logan Petre had been released under the SAFE-T Act. That proved not to be the case. It was, in fact, victim Leo Petre who posted the $5,000 cash needed to bond his son out for home invasion, Navarro said. […]
“It does not change by opinion of the SAFE-T Act,” Navarro said, “but my understanding was Logan Petre was out on an ankle monitor and was supposed to be attending counseling. That was not followed up on.”
Had it not been for those lawsuits by similar minded SAs, the SAFE-T act would have gone into effect on Jan 1, 2023 where this guy would likely not have been able to buy his way out.
Please find statement below. I have been told that the vote is expected to happen Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.
Lake County’s Circuit Court is about to make a very dangerous decision for reproductive health and rights.
Extreme right-wing politician, Rod Drobinski, seeks appointment by sitting Lake County judges to be an Associate Lake County Judge.
Lake County residents rejected Drobinski’s bids for state representative and judge of the Circuit Court. His anti-abortion views are too extreme for the district.
Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick said, “We will not endorse any judge for election, appointment, or retention who supports anti-abortion judicial candidates. Full stop.”
As a member of Lake County Right to Life, Drobinski has a clear history of opposing abortion rights. “Local courts are a front-line of defense to protect people seeking abortion services in Illinois,” Garza Resnick added. “We will keep fighting to ensure the Illinois Courts protect all reproductive rights.”
Hearings on objections to more than a dozen Republican state legislative candidates, including Jay Keeven of Edwardsville, will be held after hearing officers are assigned to the cases by the Illinois State Board of Elections.
That is expected to happen during the ISBE’s July meeting, with the hearings to be completed in time for the agency board to make a final decision in August to meet the Aug. 23 deadline to finalize the state ballot.
Matt Dietrich, a spokesman for the ISBE, said regardless of how the ISBE rules, the agency’s rulings are expected to be challenged in court. […]
Dietrich said until the hearing officer is named, the specifics of the objections are not made public.
Defense attorneys in the federal racketeering case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his longtime confidant said in new filings Monday that prosecutors’ apparent plan to immunize former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo and compel him to testify is dubious due to “competency issues.”
The filings also previewed what likely will be a key element of Madigan’s defense: that while others may have schemed behind the scenes to try and influence the powerful House speaker, there is no evidence Madigan was in on it or that he took any official action to assist them.
Acevedo, a Madigan acolyte who left the General Assembly in 2017 to become a lobbyist, was allegedly paid by AT&T Illinois through a do-nothing consulting contract as part of an alleged scheme by the telephone giant to illegally influence Madigan as they worked to pass legislation in Springfield.
Prosecutors said in a filing earlier this year that they plan to call Acevedo to testify about the payments, which were allegedly arranged by Madigan’s friend and co-defendant, Michael McClain. Acevedo, who pleaded guilty in 2022 to tax-related offenses related to the same overarching investigation and served six months in prison.
Naperville-based Awake Illinois was called out as one of 1,430 hate and anti-government extremist groups operating in the U.S. in 2023 by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The Awake group, which espouses anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and advocates against sex education in schools, was flagged by the center in its Year in Hate & Extremism report.
The annually published report, the center says, is a “comprehensive analysis of the groups and organizational infrastructure upholding white supremacy in the United States.” It includes a “hate map,” tracking groups that land on the center’s hate and extremism radar by state as well as several observed trends in recent hard-right activity.
In its latest analysis, the center found that 39 different hate and anti-government extremist groups were active in Illinois last year. Those, according to the center, included Awake Illinois.
NEW: Brandon Johnson’s administration is refusing to release emails between top Chicago Teachers Union leaders and his Deputy Mayor of Education Jen Johnson.
Why?
Because CTU leaders are so involved in governing the city that producing all 1,200+ pages of emails between Stacy… pic.twitter.com/o9rAACP4xD
* WCIA | Illinois awarding $5 million to local chambers of commerce: The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has announced $5 million in grants to more than 150 organizations. It’s through the Back to Business local chambers program. The goal is to help chambers of commerce bounce back from the impacts of the pandemic.
* WAND | Illinois celebrates record-breaking export sales in 2023: Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced another record-breaking year with export sales over $78.7 billion in 2023. According to rankings by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Illinois leads Midwest as the top exporting state and fifth in the nation.
* Spectrum | West Nile virus found in mosquitos and birds across 13 Illinois counties; IDPH warns public to ‘Fight the Bite’: While no human cases of the virus have been reported, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reminding people of the importance to “Fight the Bite” during National Mosquito Control Awareness Week, June 16-22. […] There were 119 human cases reported last year, which is an increase from 34 human cases in 2022, according to IDPH. Six human deaths attributed to the West Nile virus were reported in 2023, compared to seven in 2022.
*** Downstate ***
* WAND | Ribbon cutting held to reopen Peoria Planned Parenthood after firebombing: The rebuilding and renovations amounted to more than $1 million. On Tuesday, PPIL held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and press conference with Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Michael Cabonargi, Congressman Eric Sorensen, and Illinois State Senator Dave Kohler to unveil the new facility. “We are back and stronger than ever,” said President and CEO of PPIL, Jennifer Welch. “We know the vital role the Peoria Health Center plays in the central Illinois community. The arsonist may have destroyed our health center and robbed the community from accessing care, but we were also brought closer together. Thanks to the ongoing support from Peoria leaders, residents, and donors we have the pleasure to be part of this amazing community once again.”
* SJ-R | Grants available for Black-owned businesses along Route 66 in Illinois: The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership, a coalition of state Route 66 associations, is offering $50,000 to provide direct grants to help Black-owned or operated businesses and attractions, research and programs on the historic road. “We’re always hoping to get the word out, so more people have the opportunity to apply,” Bill Thomas, chairman of Route 66 Ahead said. “It’s not just preserving the history of Route 66, but this is also an opportunity to help sustain the businesses that already exist.”
* SJ-R | A Springfield high school has finalized a deal to build a new multimillion dollar school: Lutheran High School has finalized a deal to purchase 25 acres on the city’s far south side where it intends to build a new school. The property was purchased from Cherry Hills Church, 2125 Woodside Road. It is just north of the church structure and located off Chatham Road. The school had reached an intent to purchase agreement with the church on the property in December.
*** Chicago ***
* South Side Weekly | Mayor Johnson on His Organizing Roots and Vision for Chicago : When the interview turned to education, the mayor did not directly answer a yes-or-no question about the possibility of closing public schools during his tenure. Instead, Johnson noted that he participated in the 2015 hunger strike that forced then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel to reopen Dyett High School on the South Side, and offered a quote from W.E.B. DuBois. “The moratorium already exists,” he said. “I fought to make sure that it happened.”
* Crain’s | Digital billboards on the Riverwalk? It’s just one idea this City Hall panel is set to debate: Expanding advertising on the Riverwalk as well as on vacant downtown storefronts, Chicago Transit Authority stations and within Chicago parks, for a fee, and allowing video gambling in Chicago are two of the revenue ideas favored by freshman Ald. William Hall, 6th. Hall told Crain’s other ideas like a city income tax or an increase in property taxes — both of which Johnson has repeatedly said he opposes — will also be on the table when the City Council’s Subcommittee on Revenue, which Hall chairs, meets for the first time on June 26 for a “Revenue 101” crash course.
* NYT | More Than 1,000 Birds Died One Night in Chicago. Will It Happen Again?: Migration experts said that the unusual mass deaths were the product of a number of common occurrences happening all at once. One factor, they said, was easily preventable: the number of buildings that had their lights on, which disoriented birds that were migrating overnight on Oct. 4. Since October, there have been significant changes at the building where the highest concentration of birds died, McCormick Place Lakeside Center, but advocates for bird safety are seeking measures that protect birds across the city. These measures could include treating windows with film that is more visible to birds, using shutters or drapes to block windows and turning off decorative lighting at night during migration seasons.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | Woman missed out on cicadas 17 years ago, so she brought 6,000 of them to her yard: Seventeen years ago, Bettina Sailer felt cheated when her yard did not buzz with the sound of 17-year cicadas. So, the North Aurora resident went to other parts of the state where cicadas were plentiful and brought the insects back to her yard. This year, Sailer did it again. She now has more than 6,000 cicadas in her front yard.
*** National ***
* Pew Research | Most Black Americans Believe U.S. Institutions Were Designed To Hold Black People Back: A new analysis suggests that many Black Americans believe the racial bias in U.S. institutions is not merely a matter of passive negligence; it is the result of intentional design. Specifically, large majorities describe the prison (74%), political (67%) and economic (65%) systems in the U.S., among others, as having been designed to hold Black people back, either a great deal or a fair amount. Black Americans’ mistrust of U.S. institutions is informed by history, from slavery to the implementation of Jim Crow laws in the South, to the rise of mass incarceration and more. Several studies show that racial disparities in income, wealth, education, imprisonment and health outcomes persist to this day.
A NEW POLL has Democratic Congressman Eric Sorensen leading Republican challenger Joe McGraw in the competitive IL-17 District.
By the numbers: Sorensen is at 44 percent to McGraw’s 35 percent, according to an internal poll from 1892 Polling for the National Republican Congressional Committee and McGraw’s campaign.
POLITICO’s Morning Score by Madison Fernandez scooped the poll, which surveyed 400 likely voters June 8-12. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percentage points.
Bull’s eye: National Republicans are targeting Sorensen’s seat, which leans Democratic. As drawn today, IL-17 would have voted for President Joe Biden over Donald Trump by around 8 percentage points in 2020.
Competitive Political Climate: In a generic Congressional ballot, the Republican and Democrat are tied 40-40%, while 20% of voters are undecided. In 2020, Biden carried IL-17 by +8%. Now Biden is only +1%. The degradation of Biden’s image, ballot, and job approval has downstream effects driving a shifting political environment and creating a Republican opportunity in IL-17.
Americans for Prosperity Action made its first Illinois general election congressional endorsement since 2018 when it backed McGraw this month.
* From US House Speaker Mike Johnson’s recent Peoria visit…
Johnson appeared along with 16th District U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood and 17th District candidate Joe McGraw ahead of the Tazewell County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday.
McGraw, a retired judge, faces Democratic incumbent Eric Sorensen in November. Freshman Sorensen last won the seat with a 52-48 margin, filling an open spot left by retiring Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos. Bustos had also won decisive elections in the swing district, which elected her while also voting for Trump.
Johnson believes, despite a funding gap between the candidates, this election will be different. He calls Sorensen a “radical leftist.”
“I think [17th District voters] are going to look for somebody who is a grownup to represent them,” said Johnson. “Somebody who has a great resume and will be a great leader and, I think, will represent the real interest and values of the people in the district.”
* Sorensen attended a reopening event today for the Peoria abortion clinic that was firebombed in 2023. Press release…
Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) is pleased to reopen the newly renovated Peoria Health Center, 2709 N. Knoxville Ave, over a year after it was severely damaged after a firebomb attack in early 2023. The Peoria Health Center suffered extensive damages costing over $1 million to rebuild, depriving the community of essential sexual and reproductive care for over a year. Today, PPIL held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and press conference with Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Michael Cabonargi, Congressman Eric Sorensen, and Illinois State Senator Dave Kohler to unveil the new state-of-the-art facility.
“After so much hard work and determination by our neighbors, I’m excited to celebrate the reopening of the Peoria Planned Parenthood Clinic. What happened in January of last year was a tragic example of what happens when extremism comes home. But extremism will never, ever play in Peoria. We are a more resilient people than ever,” said Congressman Eric Sorensen. “ I’m proud of the commitment of our Peoria community, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, and our local law enforcement who have worked so hard to deliver justice and get our clinic back up and running to serve our neighbors, protect abortion access, and safeguard our freedoms.”
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
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Homer Township Supervisor Steve Balich reiterated his support Monday for flying the U.S. flag upside down at the township offices in the aftermath of former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict.
“I have no regrets about the flag, and I did not break any laws,” Balich said in the first public meeting since he ordered the U.S. flag flown upside down on May 31 to signal that the nation was in distress. “I just wanted to make a point and have a lot of people talking about it, and a lot of people have been talking about it.”
Half of the 16 public speakers at Homer Township’s meeting Monday agreed with Balich and voiced their support for his freedom of expression.
“He has a right as an American to say this was a dark day in America,” said Jan Nahorski, a Joliet resident and Army veteran. Nahorski was among a handful of veterans who defended Balich’s right to freedom of speech.
Rep. Harry Benton…
State Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, has introduced legislation that would prohibit politically motivated efforts to disrespect the flag, responding to a local incident in which a Will County official flew the American flag upside down outside in support of Donald Trump.
“The flag of the United States is an enduring symbol of our national spirit and pride, and of the sacrifices made by every generation of Americans,” Benton said. “As elected leaders, we swear our oath to that flag and the nation it represents, not to a political leader. There’s no excuse for such disrespect of our flag, and the men and women who served to defend it.”
On May 31, Steve Balich, supervisor of Homer Township in Will County, ordered the national flag outside the Homer Township offices to be flown upside down in response to the conviction of former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts. Benton and others responded with outrage.
On June 11, Benton filed legislation prohibiting such disrespectful conduct. Benton’s House Bill 5860 would make it a crime for a government official to knowingly cause the national flag to be displayed upside down on government property. House Bill 5861 would make doing so a business offense punishable by a fine of up to $25,000.
Both bills clarify that the flag may only be flown upside down in situations where there is dire distress or extreme danger to life or property—the purpose for which such display is prescribed in the U.S. Flag Code.
“The public official who made this sad choice—to disrespect our nation’s flag and everything it stands for—may be disappointed in the outcome of a certain criminal trial, but that is no excuse,” Benton said. “That he then attempted to deflect rising outrage by draping himself in the very same flag he’d just finished spitting on makes his actions all the more pathetic. We may disagree on a lot of things here in Will County, but this isn’t one of them. Despite our differences, we’re all Americans. Most of us, at least, still think that counts for something.”
“There weren’t tax increases or revenue enhancements against everyday ordinary taxpayers,” said Chicago Democratic Sen. Elgie Sims, a budget negotiator. “What you saw was a recognition of, particularly as it relates to the sports betting industry, the explosion of the industry and some parity.”
Sims also pointed out the budget’s tax breaks. The income tax personal exemption will increase from $2,425 to $2,775 for 2024. The 1% sales tax on groceries will be eliminated in 2026. And there’s a new child tax credit for low-income families. Those with at least one child under 12 are eligible for the credit, which is 20% of the Earned Income Tax Credit and 40% next year.
* I received a press release yesterday about a couple of lesser-known budget-related items that were in the revenue omnibus bill…
The Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations (AICF) and Forefront commend the General Assembly for enacting the Illinois Gives Tax Credit Act (“Illinois Gives”) and the Workforce Development Through Charitable Loan Repayment Act (“Loan Repayment”). Both programs were included in the FY25 revenue omnibus (HB4951 / Public Act 103-0592, Articles 170 and 10 respectively). Previously, they generated strong bicameral and bipartisan support with sponsors from every organized Caucus in the General Assembly as SB172 (Feigenholtz)/ HB1241 (Croke) and SB3273 (Villanueva)/ HB4736 (Stuart).
Illinois Gives will incentivize up to $100 million in new charitable giving over the next 5 years by authorizing a 25% state income tax credit for charitable donations to eligible permanent endowments held by dozens of qualified community foundations across Illinois. The program, which begins 1/1/25, includes equity provisions and reporting requirements and will be administered by Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR).
In addition to Illinois Gives, the new Loan Repayment program will use private charitable dollars to lure and retain locally needed workers into Illinois communities. Eligible community foundations will directly repay part or all of a worker’s student loans directly to the lender, and the worker will not pay state income tax on that charitable loan repayment. State income tax-free loan repayment will become available to workers after 1/1/26, and will be overseen by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) with support from IDOR and AICF.
Endowed funds at community foundations provide a predictable source of general operating and capital funding for a wide range of nonprofit organizations and programs in every part of the state. “By incentivizing endowment gifts through Illinois Gives, we are creating a permanent funding stream to sustain our nonprofits for generations to come,” said Joshua Gibb, AICF President.
Similar tax credit programs in other states increased both the number of donors and total charitable dollars given. “Nonprofit organizations are the heart of our communities all over Illinois, providing vital services and strengthening communities,” said Andrea Sáenz, President and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust.
Changes to federal tax laws since 2017 reduced incentives for charitable contributions, resulting in both fewer donors and donations nationwide. Illinois Gives will help reverse that trend in Illinois. “The Illinois Gives Act leverages four private dollars for every one state dollar, and represents a historic investment in the nonprofit sector, which typically is not included in the General Assembly’s annual revenue package,” said Holly Ambuehl, Director of Policy and Government Affairs at Forefront.
• Authorizes a 25% state charitable income tax credit beginning tax year 2025
• To any Illinois taxpayer who makes a charitable gift(s) to a permanent endowment administered by ~40 qualified community foundations in Illinois that serve every county in the state
• Must benefit charitable causes in this state
• Includes a $5 million statewide cap to limit budget impact and a 5-year sunset provision
• May not be carried back and is not refundable; may be carried forward up to 5 years
• Includes public reporting requirements to ensure accountability and transparency
There’s a $100,000 contribution cap and a $5 million program cap.
* Workforce Development Through Charitable Loan Repayment dot points…
• Private sector solution for Illinois workforce needs + Illinois resident student debt
• Targets workforce gaps by matching charitable loan repayment with locally needed workers
• Private charitable donations made to eligible Community Foundations are used to directly repay student debt for workers that agree to live and work in a target geography + industry for a certain amount of time
• SB3273/HB4736 subtracts such charitable loan repayment from state income tax for eligible workers
A hefty investment from Big Blue may be the tip of the iceberg that solidifies Illinois as a hub for quantum computing development, which could create more demand for industrial space.
Tech giant IBM is mulling an expansion in Chicago amid “continuously growing interest and investment in quantum computing” across the city and state, Crain’s reported.
The company is collaborating with the University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Bloch Quantum Tech Hub on several projects “to advance our timeline of bringing useful quantum computing to the world, and are looking forward to being a part of other significant developments soon,” Jay Gambetta, vice president of IBM Quantum, told the outlet.
The details of IBM’s potential expansion are scarce, but the company’s interest in ramping up its quantum computing operations is a big win for Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who’s been working to put Illinois at the forefront of this technological revolution. Last week, lawmakers approved Pritzker’s request for $500 million dedicated to quantum development, as well as specific tax breaks and other incentives for such projects.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has turned to a consortium that includes IBM and Discover Financial Services to help win federal funds to develop quantum technology.
The companies will work together with Boston Consulting Group and P33, a nonprofit started by the governor’s sister and former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, to develop quantum tools to fight financial fraud. The plan is part of a bid to win $70 million from President Joe Biden’s Tech Hubs program established as part of the 2022 Chips and Science Act. […]
Winning the federal money is key to helping fund Quantum Shield, the fraud-detection project that’s part of the Illinois Tech Hubs bid, said Brad Henderson, CEO of P33. The effort is unique because it seeks to use quantum technology, instead of binary traditional computers, to solve a real-world problem. Quantum technology relies on “qubits” and can store data in multiple forms — ones, zeros, both, or something in between. […]
The Biden administration designated 31 hubs last year, including Illinois’ The Bloch Tech Hub, making them eligible for up to $75 million each. Funding announcements are expected this summer. Henderson of P33 expects the results in the next four weeks or so. […]
Illinois has been trying to position itself as a hub for new technologies. Pritzker has made quantum a priority. The governor, often mentioned among the bench of Democrats who may one day wage a White House bid, this year passed a budget that includes $500 million to position the state as a leader in semiconductors, quantum and artificial intelligence.
Several Republican state lawmakers hope the Illinois Senate will vote on a plan during veto session to address sexual abuse by educators and authority figures in high schools.
While there are strong protections in place for students 17 and younger, sponsors told WAND News that educators and staff should be charged for sexual conduct with students between 18 and 23 years old.
Under House Bill 4241, teachers or authority figures who sexually abuse these students could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor for their first offense and Class 4 felony for any repeat offenses. […]
House Bill 4241 passed unanimously out of the House on April 19, but the measure failed to move after it arrived in the Senate.
Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) said kids can’t afford to wait any longer for this issue to be addressed.
The Illinois legislative session wrapped up late last month without tackling the pervasive issue of school ticketing, a practice where schools refer students to police to be disciplined for school misbehavior.
As a civil rights attorney at the MacArthur Justice Center, I’ve traveled around the state to witness the impact of these tickets. One of the first ticketing hearings I saw was in Joliet, purportedly for “disorderly conduct”: A girl with stomach problems disobeyed a teacher’s instructions to leave the bathroom, resulting in a referral to the police, an obligation to attend a hearing on a school day and a $150 fine.
Her experience is not unique. Across Illinois, tickets of up to hundreds of dollars are issued for things like littering, swearing or hallway scuffles — behaviors that schools should address internally with evidence-based solutions like restorative practices. […]
For years, advocates have been trying to pass a bill that will end the ticketing practice — and for yet another year, the state has been resistant. It’s long past time for the state to do the necessary work to reform discipline in schools.
The Illinois Senate could pass a plan in November to phase out the sub-minimum wage for workers with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago) and many other lawmakers believe it is wrong that some people are paid as low as 50 cents per hour and only make $100 per month.
The proposal could create a special grant fund of $2 million to help community agencies transition away from the sub-minimum wages. The Dignity in Pay Act would eliminate the use of 14-C Certificates on July 1, 2029. […]
House Bill 793 passed out of the House on a bipartisan 78-30 vote with representatives voting present. This plan would need support from three-fifths of the Senate since a vote would take place after May 31.
After seemingly being declared dead for the second year in a row, a late legislative push sprouted new hope that the soybean would be designated as the official state bean of Illinois.
The original bill, sponsored by state Rep. Matt Hanson, D-Montgomery, passed the House last year but was gutted in the Senate. Hanson refiled the state bean language on a different bill this year. It once again passed unanimously out of the House in April. But it was once again knifed in the Senate in mid-May.
But, in a twist of fate, the “gut-and-replace” tactic was used in the waning days of session to resurrect the soybean’s chances of getting its due. […]
However, both Hanson and Sen. Doris Turner said they are committed to getting the legislation across the finish line during the fall veto session in November.
The Illinois Senate left Springfield last month without passing a plan to improve security at libraries in response to recent violent threats. […]
People making threats to libraries would be charged with a Class 4 felony, similar to making threats to schools. House Bill 4567 also calls for the Secretary of State’s office to provide grants to libraries to improve their security. […]
This proposal passed out of the House on a 89-20 vote on May 21. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias hopes senators can pass the legislation during veto session in November.
“Our librarians and libraries have faced an onslaught of threats and violence and ideological intimidation for simply serving their communities,” Giannoulias said. “We have seen an escalation of violence seeking to censor and restrict information. This is harmful, not only to these public servants, but to our democracy as a whole.”
* ICYMI: Galesburg youth detention home accused of abusive practices new in class action lawsuit. PJ Star…
-The Mary Davis Detention Home in Galesburg is being accused of abusive treatment of its residents in a new class action lawsuit filed last month in U.S. District Court in Peoria.
-Court documents say that the home continues to put young residents in solitary confinement.
-The complaint, filed by two current teenage residents of the home, says that the home uses extended solitary confinement as a form of punishment, putting those who break rules in confinement for 23 1/2 hours a day, for multiple days, at the whim of staff.
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Chalkbeat | Illinois’ Teacher of the Year felt like an outsider growing up. Decades on, she wants her students to know they belong.: Fourth and fifth grade teacher Rachael Mahmood wants to ensure all her students feel like they belong. That’s why she works hard to incorporate their identities, cultures, interests, and histories into her lesson plans and assignments. Mahmood, who has taught at Indian Prairie CUSD 204 for the past 19 years, was recently named the Illinois Teacher of the Year for 2024. The Illinois State Board of Education, which gave out the award, said in a press release that Mahmood has “a passion for designing curriculum that affirms students’ identities” and fosters their love of school. That has been a mission for her ever since she was a young student. (Indian Prairie CUSD 204 serves students in some of Chicago’s southwest suburbs.)
* Block Club | Famous Wrigley Field Rooftops Including Torco And Eamus Catuli Buildings Could Be Torn Down: The owners of three iconic, century-old buildings across from Wrigley Field’s right field bleachers on Sheffield Avenue are proposing to tear them down and replace them with one 29-unit apartment building. Meanwhile, some neighbors in the area are pushing back against the project due to the historical significance of the apartment buildings and worry about the preservation of the neighborhood’s character.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois’ ban on ‘bump stocks’ remains in place despite U.S. Supreme Court decision: “Illinois law is not affected by the decision,” a spokesperson for Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in an email statement Friday. Meanwhile, however, advocates on both sides of the gun control debate in the United States are anxiously waiting to learn whether the high court will hear a broader constitutional challenge to the state’s 2023 assault weapons ban, which includes the state-level ban on bump stocks. An announcement on that appeal could come at any time in the next several days.
* Sun-Times | Schools still rely on cops to ticket kids for minor violations. It’s a practice that should stop.: Across Illinois, tickets of up to hundreds of dollars are issued for things like littering, swearing or hallway scuffles — behaviors that schools should address internally with evidence-based solutions like restorative practices. The ticketing practice is a debilitating symptom of a larger problem: the transformation of our classrooms into carceral spaces. Over the past decades, schools and prisons have become more alike in law, policy, and staffing. Courts have granted prisons tremendous control over prisoners purportedly in the name of rehabilitation and safety — and they’ve extended that same power to schools.
* Capitol City Now | Mendoza: Budget “responsible”: “Government has an obligation to provide essential services to the state of Illinois,” Mendoza told WTAX News. “While $53 billion sounds like a lot of money – and it is – the increase between this year and last year was well below the rate of inflation. So we do have a responsible budget. There are investments that have to be made in the state of Illinois, and particularly when you see those investments, which cost money, being put into areas that have a good return on investment for taxpayers, that’s something that should be applauded.” Mendoza is trying to back away from statements she made after the budget passed … that she wanted to see “across the board cuts” – a phrase which drew an immediate negative response from the governor’s top aides. She says what she really means is to scrutinize everything to see if it’s really the lowest number possible.
* 21st Show | An in-depth look at the new Illinois state budget: Today on the 21st, we’ll take a look at the new state budget. We are joined by Ralph Martire from the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and David Merriman, a professor in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
*** Statewide ***
* Center Square | Illinois begins multi-year, record-breaking transportation upgrade plan: The state will spend more than $41 billion to build and repair transportation infrastructure. It is the largest investment in state history and will involve all 102 Illinois counties. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said it is an area of the state that has been neglected for years. “Not only was that holding back Illinois’ economic growth, but it was making our residents less safe and our communities less connected to one another,” said Pritzker.
*** Chicago ***
* Block Club | 2 Shot While Alderman Talks On Facebook Live About Camping Out To Stop Violence: A South Side alderman returned to his campout to stop violence on a South Side street Monday, a day after two people were shot in their faces early Sunday as he talked about his indefinite stay on Facebook Live. Ald. David Moore (17th) said he won’t be deterred by the shooting, and plans to stay on 73rd Street until he sees a positive turn in an area he’s called “an open air drug market.”
* Sun-Times | Violence programs to expand in 4 West Side neighborhoods as business group nears $100 million goal: The neighborhoods are Austin, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park and Little Village. About one of five shootings citywide occur in one of those neighborhoods, according to city crime statistics. […] Anti-violence programs have reached into neighborhoods across the city over the past five years, driven by a massive expansion in funding from philanthropic organizations and government grants for non-policing approaches to combating a surge in violence that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Sun-Times | Efforts to root out Chicago police extremism have ‘fallen short’ of Mayor Johnson’s promises, watchdog says: The harsh criticism was included in an 18-page letter that Inspector General Deborah Witzburg’s office sent to Johnson calling for a coordinated response to “an issue of profound importance and pressing public concern.” “Any ongoing mishandling of the matter puts CPD’s public public legitimacy at critical risk, and profoundly undermines its effectiveness by damaging the very public trust that the city and the department are endeavoring to foster,” Tobara Richardson, deputy inspector general for public safety, wrote on April 25.
* Chalkbeat | Chicago’s Opportunity Index takes center stage in school budget drama: Giving more to schools that need more is a worthy goal, some experts said. But it comes at a complicated time, as the district faces enrollment instability and a deficit brought on by the end of federal COVID recovery money, meaning officials are taking from some campuses to give others a boost. The budget shift is especially challenging to pull off in a district with both large campuses and a growing number of very small schools, experts said.
* Crain’s | Chicago downplays the threat of losing its biggest water customer — DuPage: Chicago will soon begin another round of high-stakes negotiations with the DuPage Water Commission in a bid to retain the city’s largest water customer, but the commission’s recent $80 million suburban land purchase adds bite to its threat to tap into Lake Michigan to bypass the city and become its own water supplier.
* Block Club | Why Is The Wieners Circle Fighting With Portillo’s? A Confusing PETA Stunt Sparks Beef: “The PETA lady rolled up and had no idea that we don’t actually sell pork hot dogs,” Eggert said. “She told us that Portillo’s sent her over here and we had to tell her, “Ma’am, Portillo’s sells pork.’ I think she thought Portillo’s was a vegan restaurant.” […] A spokesperson for Portillo’s told Block Club that the famous Chicago hot dog chain did not partner with PETA for the event. The hot dog chain has avoided responding to social media dunks by Wieners Circle. Block Club reached out to PETA to ask how they got connected with Portillo’s for the stunt, but did not immediately hear back.
* Daily Southtown | US Rep. Robin Kelly, area mayors stress sustainability in renewed push for south suburban airport: Environmental groups and farmers alike have raised concerns about the potential impact of operating a cargo airport and warehouses near Peotone to allow the Will County area to cash in on the increased demand of fast shipping from companies such as Amazon. During a news conference at the East Hazel Crest clerk’s office, Kelly and members of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association stressed their support for building “the greenest airport in North America” as the Illinois Department of Transportation prepares to seek interest from potential developers.
*** Downstate ***
* STLPR | Metro East residents also push for federal radioactive waste exposure compensation: An informal survey they conducted over several years starting in 2009 found 368 cancer cases among residents in a six-block radius of the site. No government agency appears to have formally documented the cancer rates or health outcomes of residents in the community surrounding the plant. While a related federal program has paid more than $64.5 million to 383 former employees of this facility and another just north in Granite City, area residents have never been eligible for government compensation.
Over the past two years, the city of Chicago has struggled to care for destitute migrants arriving from the southern border. The majority, around 30,000, are from Venezuela, a South American country whose economy has collapsed.
But the number of Venezuelans in Chicago hardly compares to how many have migrated over the past decade to neighboring Colombia. Bogotá alone, the capital, has received more than 600,000.
This spring, I flew to Colombia to see how that smaller and less prosperous country has handled its Venezuelan influx. In Bogotá and Cúcuta, the largest Colombian city along the Venezuelan border, I interviewed more than 30 migrants and public officials, humanitarian leaders and scholars, most of them in Spanish. I also asked dozens of regular Colombians for their views on the migrant tide.
I found that Colombia initially rolled out the welcome mat and, by many measures, absorbed this population with little harm and many benefits. Nearly 1.9 million Venezuelans gained paths to formal employment as well as Colombia’s education and health care systems.
Kimberly Brown showed up early Monday morning to submit the signatures she collected to run for Chicago’s school board in District 4 — so early that the doors were closed and windows were covered with brown paper. […]
When the doors eventually opened, Brown was first in line among a couple dozen hopefuls who filed their nomination petitions with city election officials in the Loop for the official kickoff to the first-ever Chicago school board races.
Prospective candidates took turns presenting their piles of papers for counting; officials had to confirm at least 1,000 signatures before they could be submitted. Candidates have until 5 p.m. next Monday to file.
Some spoke with representatives from various special interest groups who were there observing, like the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, Chicago Teachers Union and Leadership with Educational Equity. Others soaked in the moment with family and friends.
As chairman of the Illinois Senate’s Insurance Committee, state Sen. Napoleon Harris III is a gatekeeper on legislation affecting the multibillion-dollar insurance industry.
Now the Flossmoor Democrat, a former NFL player, has joined the industry he’s helping to regulate — partnering with two men who run an insurance brokerage called the Maxx Group in the southwest suburbs, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. […]
[Sen. Harris’ committee] and the rest of the General Assembly recently backed a series of consumer-friendly industry reforms pushed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, including banning what are called “short-term, limited duration” health insurance policies. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, such policies are “designed to fill temporary gaps in coverage when an individual is transitioning from one source of coverage to another,” and generally are not “subject to the consumer protections.” […]
John Patterson, a spokesman for Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, the Oak Park Democrat who has also accepted campaign donations from the insurance industry, says Harris “has shown himself to be a knowledgeable, independent voice and has fostered conversations in the Insurance Committee that have led to pragmatic solutions that work.”
Maurice “Mo” Green, the senior director for civic and community engagement with the Democratic National Convention’s host committee, says efforts are on track to get all 12,000 volunteers needed to put on the convention in August.
“Within 14 days, we’ve had 6,000 applications completed,” he told Playbook. Applications are coming from senior citizens and young people from 16 to 24 years old. “And we’re getting a good amount of folks who are just really sort of nerdy about politics. Folks who want to see their political hero or political star,” Green said, ticking off “AOC, Cory Booker and Delia Ramirez” as some of the notables mentioned.
What they’ll be doing: Green says volunteers will be assigned to hotels, the United Center and McCormick Place, where they’ll be being “walking and talking billboards,” recommending where people can go and what they can do in Chicago.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Investigate Midwest | As Illinois session ends, lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate wetland protections fails: An Illinois bill, SB 771, or the Wetlands Protection Act, that would have reinstated those protections in the state passed in committee, but failed to make it to the chamber floors of the General Assembly. The bill will be considered again during the veto session this fall. “We’re definitely disappointed the legislature didn’t act right away,” said Jennifer Walling, executive director for the Illinois Environmental Council. “They need to. This is an election issue, and we could be in even worse shape with a different president.”
*** Statewide ***
* Crain’s | Illinois is poised to become the country’s quantum computing hub: After strategic early investments in the emerging technology, Illinois is poised to become the country’s quantum computing hub — with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and partners like Intersect Illinois, P33 and others leading the charge. John Atkinson, chairman of Intersect Illinois, and Meera Raja, VP of deep tech at P33, help break down how the state remains at the forefront.
* Business Insider | During summer my family moves from New York City to Illinois. Summer camp is more affordable there: My niece was sampling a wide variety of Parks Department camps — from filmmaking to STEAM to gymnastics to nature exploration, trying something new each week. In New York, such special-interest camps carry the price tag of a semester of college and require an hour of subway commuting for those of us who don’t live in midtown Manhattan. But in Illinois, a five to minute drive could take you to a butterfly farm program, a graphic novel workshop, a cabaret camp — you name it. For half-day programs in my sister’s town, the rates are $100 a week, and non-residents pay $130. Anyone living outside town, whether 10 minutes away or halfway across the country, pays the slightly elevated fee. For a full-day program, the price increases to about $200 (residents) or $230 (nonresidents) a week.
*** Chicago ***
* Bond Buyer | Lawmakers urge new path forward for transit agencies: Transit agencies across the country are being forced to deal with new trends in ridership, new travel patterns, and dwindling federal funds from pandemic- related relief that make the next few years crucial for bringing our nation’s transit system into the new world.
* Block Club | Construction 12 Hours, 7 Days A Week: Here’s What To Expect From Freedom Center Demolition: In May, after 43 years in operation, the Freedom Center printed its last issue of the Tribune. The newspaper company will finish vacating the building next month. Bally’s Casino has five demolition permits for the Freedom Center under review, one for each structure on the property. The demolition of the Freedom Center has been categorized as an “environmentally complex” demolition, which means the Chicago Department of Public Health will need to review and inspect the site for potential health and environmental impacts. If the site passes inspection, the health department will give approval for the Department of Buildings to issue the demolition permits, officials said Friday.
* Sun-Times | Season’s first heatwave arrives in Chicago this week: “Temperatures getting below the 90s is not in the cards until maybe next Sunday,” said David King, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville. Monday and Tuesday will be especially hot as temperatures hit the mid-90s. Making things hotter is the extra humidity headed our way, King said.
* NBC Chicago | Developers break ground at site of failed Chicago Spire project: The hole at 400 Lake Shore Drive at the site of the failed Chicago Spire project is in the process of being filled. A 72-story residential building will go up in its place. “It has been a very, very long time,” Don Biernacki, the executive vice president of Related Midwest, quipped. “But when you have a vision for great development, great architecture and great projects that are going to be meaningful to our great city, it takes a while for that to come to fruition.”
* Block Club | The Bean Scheduled To Reopen At The End Of June: “We are happy to share that final Plaza construction work is nearly completed on a comprehensive rebuild of the Plaza podium including new stairs, accessible ramps, paver replacement, a waterproofing system and accessibility upgrades to Grainger Plaza. Weather-permitting, we expect to reopen the Plaza to the public before the end of the month,” Madeline Long, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events spokesperson, said in an email. If completed on schedule, the Bean will open just in time for the 20th anniversary celebration of Millennium Park, which will run July 18-21.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | ‘Empty does not mean unloved’: Is piece of DuPage’s farming past in jeopardy?: The white clapboard house seems like a pleasant hideaway in the shade of its namesake trees. Oak Cottage has stood empty for decades within the Greene Valley Forest Preserve “But empty does not mean unloved,” lifelong Naperville resident Jane Ory Burke said. Guardians of DuPage County history have long called on the forest preserve district to make the cottage — the center of the home was built circa 1850 — accessible to the public. Earlier this month, the district hired an architectural firm to assess the condition of the structure.
* Daily Herald | After public dust-up between officials, second District 59 school to get cop: After a public dust-up between a Northwest suburban school district superintendent and Elk Grove Village’s mayor over the latter’s push to add a school resource officer to a junior high, now the school board — controlled by the mayor’s son — has approved hiring a cop to walk the hallways of another school. A Mount Prospect police officer will be assigned to Holmes Junior High School for the start of the new school year in August, under an intergovernmental agreement approved last week by the Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59 board and pending a vote by the Mount Prospect village board.
*** Downstate ***
* WSIL | More than a Dozen Communities Issued Boil Water Orders in Southern Illinois: A boil water order has been issued to more than a dozen communities after a water main break in Benton, Illinois. The Rend Lake Conservancy District (RLCD) stated the water main break occurred on Sunday. The leak was reportedly found in Benton on the water transmission line which serves multiple communities in Franklin and Perry counties.
* SJ-R | Lincoln residents urge state officials to keep state prison in town, halt move near Chicago: Illinois Department of Corrections acting director LaToya Hughes confirmed that the location and facility design have yet to be finalized during a public meeting in Lincoln the prior evening. She and the department are adamant that Logan employees will be able to keep their jobs, stating there will be 850 open positions within a 90-mile radius including the neighboring men’s facility, Lincoln Correctional Center, and the Decatur Correctional Center.
* ABC | Suspect in shooting of 3 deputies in Illinois had multiple firearms, sheriff says: A man accused of shooting and wounding three sheriff’s deputies during a standoff at a home in northern Illinois had multiple firearms in his possession, authorities said. A fixed-blade knife, pepper spray and ballistic armor also were found following Wednesday’s shooting in the Lost Lake community near Dixon, the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
* WSIL | Marion woman talks about being homeless for 13 months and the woman who helped her find a home: Rhonda Sturgeon spent 13 months living in her truck, moving around to different parking lots trying to sleep. And doing so in the heat and the cold, not knowing if, or when it would end. […] “I had it made before I ended up with cancer and then after I went through everything with it and trying to trust people to pay my bills,” she said. […] If you ask assistant director Tammy Dodd, she’d tell you she’s nobody special. But to Sturgeon, Dodd has been one of the few people she can count on.
*** National ***
* WGN | George Strait concert breaks US attendance record held by rock band since 1977: Country music star George Strait broke the record for the most-attended ticketed concert in the United States on Saturday night, playing for a crowd of 110,905 fans at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. […] Strait, whose upcoming album “Cowboys and Dreamers” is due out later this year, is no stranger to the record books. He’s among the top-selling country artists of all time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and he’s accumulated more gold- and platinum-certified albums than only a handful of artists in any genre.
* Popular Information | Sinclair floods local news websites with hundreds of deceptive articles about Biden’s mental fitness: Articles produced by Sinclair’s National Desk are published at the exact same time on every local website. The June 10 article, for example, was published on each website at exactly 9:24 AM Eastern. This suggests these articles are automatically syndicated, and local journalists at affiliates are not able to exercise editorial discretion. When these articles are syndicated, they appear alongside identically formatted articles on local government, weather, and sports.
Monday, Jun 17, 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 Mark, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), in partnership with the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, has released a new master plan for the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield aimed at maintaining the core functions of the Fairgrounds while increasing its year-round events, attendance, and revenue generation.
“The Illinois State Fairgrounds draw hundreds of thousands of visitors from all around the world,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “When combined with the $58.1 million we invested in repairs and improvements, this master plan not only creates a future-focused blueprint for continued growth and success, but it also ensures that the Illinois State Fairgrounds are among the best in the nation.”
The partnership to develop a master plan was spurred from a local community visioning initiative called The Next 10 that the Community Foundation launched in 2020 to spark fresh conversations about the Greater Springfield Area’s future. Reimagining the State Fairgrounds emerged as a centerpiece of The Next 10 because of its potential to ignite social and economic activity across the region.
“It is our responsibility to plan today for a strong and prosperous future for the Illinois State Fairgrounds,” said IDOA Director Jerry Costello II. “Partnering with the Community Foundation allowed us to develop thoughtful long-term options to revitalize the Fairgrounds and ensure that generations to come enjoy these 366 acres that showcase Illinois agriculture, the state’s number one industry.”
Proposed improvements to the Fairgrounds include the creation of a “Town Square” south of the Midway to improve aesthetics and navigability of the grounds, development of an onsite hotel property, and expanded staffing to include dedicated sales and marketing functions.
The hotel, if deemed feasible, would be inside Gate 10, which is on Sangamon Ave. near the western edge of the fairgrounds. The plan also suggests a future Racino, “if desired.”
A. Existing pole barns (opposite Grandstand) and Junior Home Economics Building should be removed.
B. Consider 2 tiers of facilities – those that can attract higher-impact events and the balance that are more affordable and appeal to ag-oriented activities.
C. Although a detailed building analysis was not conducted, renovation of Exposition, Orr, Artisans and Illinois Buildings should be undertaken. Bathroom facilities across the campus need improvement.
D. Conservation World should be cherished and preserved.
E. Route 66 attraction, as proposed, will attract year-round visitation to the Fairgrounds site.
F. Happy Hollow should be enhanced.
G. Proximity and access of parking to facilities needs to be improved. Flooding issues in the infield should also be mitigated to support parking.
H. Campgrounds could be expanded to support events and 365-day utilization.
I. An onsite hotel property with ~200 keys should be contemplated (subject to a detailed market and feasibility analysis).
Operational Improvements
A. Critical to ongoing success is to expand staffing to include dedicated sales and marketing functions.
B. Consider a dedicated funding source.
C. Pursue opportunities for additional partnerships and sponsorships, not only of the Fair but of the Fairgrounds themselves.
Campus Strategies
A. Create a “town square” south of the Midway and develop intentional,
streetscaped “pedestrian malls” - enhance the customer experience and
eliminate “front door”/ “back door” issues.
B. Enhance the entry experience.
C. Improve curb appeal - upgraded and updated fencing and enhanced
landscaping.
D. From a thematic standpoint, all Fairgrounds facilities and uses should be
associated.
E. Create a cohesive and navigable wayfinding system.
Big Ideas for the Future
A. Develop a new +/- 200,000 SF multi-purpose venue that will be a statement building.
B. Industrial property at the northeast of the Fairgrounds, should be acquired and used for empty trailer parking.
C. If desired, a Racino could be contemplated on the Fairgrounds property
The typical Black household in the Chicago area has nothing to fall back on, its assets and debts adding up to zero, according to a new report.
“They’re living check to check,” said Darrick Hamilton, director of the Institute on Race, Power & Political Economy at the New School in New York, which produced the report.
According to the institute’s research, Black households are far less likely to own stocks, individual retirement accounts and homes than most other racial and ethnic groups surveyed, and they have the least in liquid assets. […]
The median wealth of white households in the Chicago area, by comparison, is $210,000. That’s according to “Color of Wealth in Chicago,” a report the institute will release today at the Chicago Community Trust. The trust was the primary funder of the research for Hamilton’s report on Chicago, the sixth in a series covering major U.S. cities. The others were released between 2012 and 2015 and thus don’t compare directly to the Chicago report, Hamilton said, because they’re pre-pandemic and the Chicago data was collected in 2022-23.
Many studies focus on income, but it is wealth that better positions families (and individuals) to finance elite educations, access capital to start a business, pay for expensive medical procedures, reside in higher amenity neighborhoods, exert political influence; purchase better counsel if confronted with an expensive legal system, leave a bequest, and withstand many financial hardships resulting from any number of emergencies or shocks, including a global pandemic.
With the goal of informing policy and systems changes that reduce the racial wealth gap and move the Chicago region toward shared prosperity, our study examines the relative wealth, asset, and debt positions of Black, Mexican (born in the US and abroad), Puerto Rican and White families across 10 counties in the Chicago metropolitan area. […]
White families in Chicago have drastically better wealth outcomes than all others with over five times the amount of wealth as Mexican American families, the group with the next highest level of wealth. Black families have a net worth (or wealth) of $0, which means that at the median, Black families’ debts cancel out their assets.
Many tout education as the solution to the racial wealth gap, but often the racial wealth gap increases at higher levels of education. For example, when comparing respondents without bachelor’s degrees, White families have $135,700 more wealth than Black families. However, this gap increases to $260,000 for Black and White respondents with a bachelor’s degree. […]
Chicago’s wealth gaps are primarily driven by assets – specifically, the outsized accumulation of assets by White families. While White families in Chicago have a median asset value of $325,500, the assets of the other groups examined in our survey range from $20,000 to $128,000.
The Wall Street Journal reported that in 2022, almost 40% of Black Americans owned stock, up from about a third in 2016, per Federal Reserve data. Similarly, a survey by Ariel Investments and Charles Schwab revealed that the growth is led by young investors under 40. Approximately 70% of the survey’s Black participants under 40 were investing, compared to 60% of their white counterparts in that same age group. […]
Despite the notable amount of Black stock buyers, the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances data suggests that the amount of money put into stocks is still small. As previously reported by theGrio, the median wealth for Black families increased by 60% between 2019 and 2022. Yet Black families’ median wealth is still $240,100 less than the median wealth of white families.
Though Black people may not be putting as much money into their stocks, the group’s desire to buy stocks and make good investments continues growing thanks to social media, according to the Finra Investor Education Foundation.
* Mayor Brandon Johnson today announced a $500,000 task force to study the issue…
Ahead of Juneteenth, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed Executive Order 2024-1, establishing a Reparations Task Force to develop a Black Reparations Agenda. This Task Force is an example of the Administration’s dedication to co-governance, and in partnership with members of the Aldermanic Black Caucus, the Mayor’s offices of Equity and Racial Justice and Business, Economic and Neighborhood Development, and other key City departments, will conduct a comprehensive study and examination of all policies that have harmed Black Chicagoans from the slavery era to present day and make a series of recommendations that will serve as appropriate remedies.
Since Pritzker’s office initially announced the administration’s intent to demolish and rebuild the prisons in March, IDOC has given few additional details on plans, which officials say are still taking shape. But a late April filing to the legislative body that oversees state finances and facility closures revealed the administration is leaning toward rebuilding Logan on the same grounds as Stateville in Chicago’s far southwest suburbs.
Attendees of Thursday evening’s hearing took the opportunity to make their position on that idea clear, frequently mentioning the potential economic impact of losing the prison in the same breath as recent closures of two private colleges in Lincoln.
“Governor Pritzker, if you move forward with your plan, you will be the assassin that kills Lincoln, Illinois,” retired Logan staffer Shannon Kelly said to thunderous applause from the audience.
Legislation banning long-term and costly real estate listing agreements — like those peddled in Illinois by M.V. Realty, a Florida company — has been passed in the state House and Senate and now needs only Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature to become law.
The bill, SB3420, passed in May, would make it illegal for people or companies to enter unfair listing agreements with homeowners. Real estate listing agreements would be prohibited if they ran more than a year into the future. And any agreements could not bind future owners of a property.
Violators could be prosecuted under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
For homeowners who’ve already signed an agreement, the legislation would provide a way out. Homeowners would be able to ask a judge to void the agreement, making it unenforceable.
Transgender Illinois residents may soon have a path to change birth certificates that were issued in other states.
That’s if Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs a bill recently passed by state lawmakers.
The bill allows Illinois residents to get a judicial order to alter the name and sex on birth certificates and other documentation issued in another state.
Currently in Illinois, the process no longer requires certification from a health professional, making it easier to request this change.
Mike Ziri, director of public policy for Equality Illinois, said supporters hope the bill will clear up some confusion over who has the authority to provide these court orders.
More than 300,000 Illinois residents stand to be cleared of all outstanding medical debt through the creation of the Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program Fund ready to be sent to the governor.
Sponsored by state Sen. Mike Simmons, D-Chicago, House Bill 5290 seeks to alleviate medical debt for families across the state residing in households with individuals falling below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level or saddled with medical debt equating to 5% or more of their household income.
“It makes people afraid to go to the doctor, afraid to follow up on chronic illnesses that need consistent care when people are getting all kinds of bills every time they go to the hospital that they will never be able to pay,” Simmons told The Center Square.
If approved by the governor, the five-year pilot program will work with a nonprofit to use $10 million to pay off up to $1 billion in medical debt.
Legislation that creates a state regulatory framework for carbon capture and storage projects, plus a moratorium on pipeline construction, is headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
The Illinois Farm Bureau supported this legislation for ethanol and biofuel facilitation but not at the expense of private property rights or farmland easements without adequate compensation, Davis said.
The issue largely centers around the forced acquisition of pore space from the 25% of impacted landowners who do not agree to terms with the company seeking to sequester carbon. Though the bill calls for “just compensation” to be provided, many lawmakers believed the provision to not be strong enough. […]
The legislation does put a pause on carbon pipeline projects until after the federal government adopts final revisions to its pipeline safety rules or July 1, 2026, whichever comes first. On top of required federal permits, companies would also need to obtain a permit for sequestration from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
My wife and I could’ve never guessed a blood test would send our world crashing into a fatal diagnosis for our sweet 2-year-old.
Andrew has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare, degenerative genetic condition that affects 1 in every 5,000 babies, predominantly boys. Duchenne results in wheelchair use by preteen years and death by early adulthood. […]
I don’t want another family to endure the same life-altering recalibration years after their sons are born. They shouldn’t have to wait, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker can make that a reality. Late last month, both houses of the General Assembly unanimously passed Senate Bill 2658, which will add Duchenne to the state’s newborn screening requirements. Sen. Julie Morrison and a group of bipartisan lawmakers led the way.
Now, it’s headed to the governor’s desk. This law would give all Illinois babies with Duchenne a chance at active lives.
* These are all long, involved and vitriolic posts that, I fully admit, I cannot make myself read in their entirety. So, I’m outsourcing the task to you. What the heck is this about?…
Monday, Jun 17, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Uber is leading the charge to close critical transportation gaps, ensuring reliable access to its services in places that need it most, such as underserved areas like Englewood. This is a part of Uber’s broader commitment to augment and expand the reach of Chicago’s transportation ecosystem, focusing on overcoming the first-mile/ last-mile hurdles that have long plagued residents in farther afield neighborhoods. Uber aims to extend the public transit network’s reach, making urban transportation more accessible and efficient for everyone. Discover the full story on how Uber is transforming city transportation for the better.
Chicago – On Tuesday, PETA founder and President Ingrid Newkirk will celebrate her 75th birthday as only she would: by driving through Chicago—once home to America’s largest stockyards—in “Hell on Wheels,” PETA’s life-size pig transport truck covered with images of real pigs crammed into crates on their way to slaughter. The vexatious vehicle will blast actual recorded sounds of the animals’ panicked screams outside The Wiener’s Circle—but the wurst is yet to come for the city’s meat-centric eateries, as Newkirk will cap off the afternoon by giving away delicious vegan Chicago-style hot dogs from Portillo’s along the Magnificent Mile.
Where: Outside The Wiener’s Circle, 2622 N. Clark St., Chicago
“What was supposed to be a simple storage warehouse for the Metra transit agency has now buried the nation’s fourth-busiest commuter rail system in a sinking money pit, the ABC7 I-Team has learned.”
The Chicago broadcast station’s scoop last week is an almost perfect encapsulation of why northeastern Illinois’ mass transit fiefdoms need to be busted and reformed.
For your background, the Chicago regional transit system is facing a steep $730 million fiscal cliff in fiscal year 2026, which starts a year from July 1. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and several legislators are demanding that, in exchange for any new operating money, the management of the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority all be reformed. They’ve all operated as fiefdoms for decades, resisting accountability, cooperation and any attempts to streamline management.
The CTA is the most well-known villain in the transit governance debacles, but it clearly ain’t alone.
Metra bought a south suburban warehouse for $6.8 million in 2020. The purchase did not follow any formal purchasing procedures because, apparently, Metra doesn’t have any. Nobody at Metra would even admit to knowing who touted the property, which was owned at the time by a Metra hand sanitizer provider.
“The [internal Metra report] also stated it could not identify which Metra staffer initially brought the Harvey warehouse property sale option to the Executive Leadership Team prior to its board approval,” ABC7 reported.
Was the property brought to the agency by an independent broker? “No,” Metra’s CEO Jim Derwinski told his board last month. “(T)his was mostly our engineering and materials management team out looking for something that was available,” Derwinski said, according to the ABC7 report.
Unreal.
“Derwinski said the agency was facing potential layoffs of its workforce [during the pandemic], and Metra’s executive leadership team saw the building purchase as an opportunity to repurpose employees to work on and make improvements to the warehouse,” the station reported. Um, they have no union contracts over there?
Metra bought the property “as is” and has since spent another $11.1 million. But the property will require “tens of millions of dollars more to finish” and will take at least two more years, the report continued.
OK, look, Harvey definitely needs investment. And I will be the first to admit our state procurement laws are an unnecessarily complicated mess. Small businesses and nonprofits simply do not have the ability to navigate those laws unassisted, which makes handing out grants an excruciating process.
But, I mean, what the heck is going on over there? Metra is throwing tens of millions of dollars at a warehouse without any sort of purchasing process? The board seemed to be surprised at how deep a hole the agency had dug itself into during its meeting last month. That’s a massive failure by the board, but where the heck are the operating rules?
The thing that just completely blew my mind about the ABC7 story was Derwinski’s cavalier attitude about the taxpayer money it had spent and is committed to spending in the future.
Metra was running short on operating dollars during the pandemic, Derwinski explained, so the agency “saw an opportunity to shift workforce into this building at that period of time to keep them working under capital dollars.” The original purchase was made with state Rebuild Illinois bond funds.
“The fiscal cliff is an operating dollar problem,” Derwinski said. “The capital dollar side about making, taking care of the assets that we’re entrusted to take care of, that’s this conversation right here. The fiscal cliff, it’s real. It’s big. But that really has to do with the operation.”
Excuse me, but how the heck is the state government supposed to trust Metra to spend a massive operations bailout wisely when it’s blowing tens of millions of capital dollars on a boondoggle with no discernible process and almost criminally lax oversight and shrugging it all off as no big deal?
* ICYMI: Speaker Welch asks IL high court to toss ruling barring Dems from blocking many GOP candidates from fall ballot. Cook County Record…
-A notice of appeal filed by Welch and his attorneys said the Speaker is asking the court to vacate the order issued by Sangamon County Judge Gail Noll, which blocked Illinois election authorities from enforcing the new law.
-The case was appealed directly to the Illinois Supreme Court after Noll declared the law to be unconstitutional.
- No documents yet filed offer insight into the arguments Welch and his legal team will use to challenge Judge Noll’s reasoning on appeal.
-Welch’s lawyers followed up with a petition filed June 13, asking the court to accelerate the appeal proceedings so briefing in the case is completed in about a month.
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Al Llorens | Illinois just took a vital step forward for safer schools : The General Assembly recently passed legislation, Senate Bill 1400, meant to address the unintended consequences caused by another bill that was passed, SB 100. This is a monumental step toward addressing challenges surrounding student discipline and educator safety. This legislation not only provides much-needed oversight and guidance in handling disciplinary issues but also acknowledges the alarming statistic that 20% of teachers and support staff have been assaulted on the job in the last five years. The fact that 1 in 5 teachers and support staff members have experienced physical and verbal assault is unacceptable and indicative of a systemic problem that demands urgent attention.
* Tribune | CTA could play a key role in reducing Chicago emissions. But first, it will have to get riders back.: The Regional Transportation Authority doesn’t project the region’s ridership will come back this decade. In 2022, the agency estimated ridership could hit 74% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2031 if current circumstances persist, though RTA staff said the figures are likely conservative. In May, the CTA carried 69% of the passengers it transported in 2019.
*** Statewide ***
* Center Square | Pritzker says bump stock ruling won’t affect Illinois: Pritzker said Illinois lawmakers need not take action but elsewhere is a different story. “I do think it’s going to spur action at the state level as well as the federal level to try to once again ban bump stocks,” said Pritzker. “Here in Illinois we’ve already done that, we do not need to take action to fill in what the Supreme Court has taken away from other states.”
* WBEZ | Has performing arts employment in Illinois recovered from COVID-19?: About 1,000 fewer people report being employed by performing arts groups – that is, theater companies, dance companies and the symphony – compared to 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic prompted widespread shutdowns. For the arts, those shutdowns lasted well into 2021. According to inflation-adjusted data, the performing arts industry generated about $555 million for the Illinois economy in 2022, an 11% decrease from 2019.
* Crain’s | Intersect Illinois appoints members to new ‘CEO-centered’ board: The organization announced three new appointments to its board of directors. Michael Sacks, chairman and CEO of GCM Grosvenor; Smita Shah, president and CEO of SPAAN Tech; and Kevin Warren, president and CEO of the Chicago Bears, were all named to the board to “help advance Intersect Illinois’ mission to attract new jobs and investment to Illinois,” the organization said in a press release.
* Farm Progress | State of Illinois cuts conservation funding: The operation budget for soil and water conservation districts across Illinois was cut nearly in half, according to Michael Woods, executive director for the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Those funds pay salaries for SWCD technical staff, the folks who leverage millions of dollars in federal conservation funding for farmers and landowners, serving as a conduit for funneling those dollars to conservation-minded landowners.
* Tribune | Will Bally’s planned $1.7 billion Chicago casino get built by 2026? The odds may be shrinking.: Responding to doubts raised this week by Mayor Brandon Johnson about the viability of the ambitious project selected by the previous administration to be the first Chicago casino, Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim said that the River West entertainment complex will be built as planned. […] Analysts and investors, however, are increasingly concerned that the permanent Bally’s Chicago Casino may be delayed or downsized, given an $800 million funding gap and a more challenging financing environment than when the project was awarded two years ago.
* Tribune | Chicago Teachers Union holds first-ever public bargaining session with CPS on ‘Green Schools’: The meeting, held Friday evening at Marquette Elementary School in Chicago Lawn, was the first of roughly six sessions in which the public was invited to participate between the district and the more than 30,000-member union of teachers and school employees. CTU’s proposal includes retrofitting buildings to fix aging infrastructure, adding central air conditioning for days of extreme heat, removing lead pipes, and installing solar or heat pumps to mitigate pollution in South and West side schools located near industrial corridors.
* Tribune | Verbal abuse, a ‘sex-driven’ culture: Ex-employees describe toxic environment at Guaranteed Rate: Multiple women who used to work at Guaranteed Rate, meanwhile, described working in a sexualized atmosphere where some male loan officers and managers made sexually explicit remarks to female employees, hit on them in the office or at work events, and commented inappropriately on their appearance — even, in one case, encouraging a woman to use her looks to help close a loan.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | Officials decry census’ population loss estimates in Northwest suburbs: “I don’t know how they’re looking at it,” said Palatine Village Manager Reid Ottesen. “It defies logic and defies the data we have.” While the census bureau estimates Palatine has lost more than 3,000 residents since 2020 — a 4.5% drop — Ottesen said the town has seen an increase of 47 residential water customers in the past 12 months alone.
*** Downstate ***
* Daily Southtown | Landmarks: Oldest standing bank in Illinois among ‘endangered’ state sites: The imposing structure, erected in 1838, that housed the state’s first bank now stands nearly alone in a place most residents abandoned more than 80 years ago. But it’s one of the properties at the heart of legislation awaiting the signature of Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The bill would establish an appointed State Historic Preservation Board within the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, tasked with taking a hard look at the state’s historic properties.
* WREX | Nuclear Regulatory Commission to discuss Byron Generating Station 2023 safety performance: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will hold an open house and discuss the 2023 safety performance of Byron Generating Station. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and its staff responsible for plant inspection and oversight, will be at the event to answer any questions and provide information to the community.
*** National ***
* The Hill | 171,300 patients traveled out of state for abortions in 2023: Out-of-state care accounted for more than 15 percent of the estimated 1 million clinician-provided abortion procedures between 2023 and March of this year, according to the data. That figure has more than doubled since 2020. […] States that border those with recent near-total bans, such as Kansas and New Mexico, saw a majority of abortions in their state be from out-of-state patients. Texas’s abortion ban is one of the most restrictive in the country.
* STLPR | Missouri is in the center of a national drug pricing battle — with billions on the line: In a battle that pits some of the biggest players in health care against each other, the Missouri General Assembly has come down on the side of hospitals who want unlimited access to discounted drugs for their pharmacies. On the last day of this year’s legislative session, the Missouri House passed a bill making it illegal for pharmaceutical manufacturers to refuse to supply the discounted medications to qualifying hospitals and health clinics and their contracted pharmacies.
