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* ICYMI: WCIA’s breakdown of what laws will go into effect in 2024…
Click here for the full list.
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Capitol News Illinois | State health plan declares racism a public health crisis: A new state health report pinpoints racism as a public health crisis while also noting Illinois needs to improve in the areas of maternal and infant health, mental health and substance use disorders. The broad goals are laid out in a draft of the State Health Improvement Plan, which will be finalized and presented to the Illinois General Assembly next year. The SHIP is part of Healthy Illinois 2028, a five-year plan outlining the major public health crises the state hopes to address.
* Tribune | Recommended changes to transit head to state lawmakers, who could debate expanded sales tax and consolidating agencies: The report, drafted by regional planners after meetings with community organizations, lays out recommendations to address public transit funding, governance and the experience of riding buses and trains, as the region’s three public transit agencies face a looming financial cliff and languishing ridership numbers. Among the options included are additional taxes, such as expanding the sales tax base, and two options to revamp oversight of the region’s separate transit agencies.
* Crain’s | Illinois in multistate lawsuit over NCAA transfer rule: Raoul and attorneys general in six other states filed a federal antitrust lawsuit on Thursday, challenging the NCAA’s transfer rules as “an illegal restraint on college athletes’ ability to market their labor and control their education.”
* Two SIU athletes are mentioned in the complaint…
Here are the student-athletes the seven states mentioned in the complaint vs. the NCAA:
• RaeQuan Battle - WVU basketball
• Jarrett Hensley - SIU basketball
• Noah Fenske - SIU football— Ethan Bock (@ethanbock_) December 7, 2023
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* WTTW | One Agency to Rule Them All? As Fiscal Cliff Looms, CMAP Pitches Bold Plan to Overhaul Chicagoland Public Transit: With CTA, Metra and Pace expected to have a combined $730 million budget deficit starting in 2026, state lawmakers passed a measure charging the regional planning agency CMAP to think big and come up with a plan to improve service, make buses and trains more accessible and make sure all the different bus and train lines effectively link up with one another. The funding gap, which is expected to worsen every year without major action, is largely due to ridership that’s still far below pre-pandemic levels. Federal stimulus money that’s been making up for lost revenue is running out — and advocates say that in any case, transit has been underfunded for years.
* WCIA | Illinois Department of Labor explains proposed rules to new paid time off law: The AFL-CIO hosted a webinar Wednesday afternoon with the Illinois Department of Labor explaining their proposed rules of the new policy. “This bill is for the millions of workers in and out of unions, who until now were faced with the impossible choice of either taking time off or keeping their job,” Francis Orenic, the legislative director for the Illinois AFL-CIO, said.
* Lake County News-Sun | State pot-shop sales continue flight to record highs: The fourth anniversary of the opening of the first legal marijuana dispensaries in Illinois will be marked Jan. 1, as sales continue at a high rate across the state. With growth continuing, another grassroots pot shop opened this week in Waukegan.
* Sun-Times | Defense: ‘Computer mistake,’ not pressure from Ed Burke, caused delays in Burger King work: But Thursday, attorneys for Burke and Andrews grilled the Palatine architect who handled the project — and who apparently benefitted from a City Hall computer glitch that helped him land a building permit without the necessary driveway permit. “If you would have addressed the driveway permit, then none of this would have happened, correct?” Joseph Duffy, one of Burke’s defense attorneys, asked architect Warren Johnson.
* Sun-Times | Off-duty Chicago cop strikes, kills pedestrian near House of Blues in River North: Law enforcement sources identified the driver as a police officer. The report shows responding officers didn’t offer her a blood-alcohol test at the scene.
* WGN | Chicago officer relieved of police powers after deadly pedestrian accident in River North: According to an employee at a nearby hotel in the city and several Facebook posts, WGN News has learned that there was a Chicago Police Department holiday party at the House of Blues Wednesday night. It is unclear at this time if the officer attended that party.
* Daily Southtown | Community solar farm comes to Chicago Heights with promise of lower utility bills and cleaner energy: First activated in Illinois four years ago, this project allows residents and business owners to rely on solar for their energy needs without installing expensive and large solar panels by paying a monthly subscription to a group that manages a solar farm.
* Tribune | City Council committee rejects discipline provision in Chicago police contract but OKs pay hikes: The mayor pledged on the campaign trail to not raise CPD’s budget, then pivoted to propose a spending plan that allocated a record $2 billion to the department, including the $60 million in planned bonuses and raises in the new police contract. While the department’s bottom line rose, Johnson reshuffled positions to reduce the number of beat cops and boost civilian positions and those dedicated to fulfilling the department’s consent decree requirements.
* Chicago Reader | Johnson administration’s early days marked by lapses in transparency: Since taking office, Johnson moved largely outside public view to erect a now-scrapped tent encampment for newly arriving migrants on contaminated land, he and his Rules Committee chair walled off parts of council chambers—and entire floors of City Hall—from the public, and he has often evaded key questions on the future of surveillance technology he unabashedly rebuked on the campaign trail.
* USA Today | Judge allows emergency abortion in Texas in first case of its kind since before Roe v. Wade: On Thursday morning, two days after Cox’s case was filed, Travis County state District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble signed a temporary restraining order, preventing the state, Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Texas Medical Board from enforcing the state’s abortion ban should Cox terminate her pregnancy. The order also protects Cox’s husband, Justin, and her OB/GYN, Dr. Damla Karsan, from prosecution or fines related to any abortion care.
* SJ-R | Sangamon County to consider tourism district in first step to expanded convention center: The Dec. 19 meeting also could include a vote that would establish the new district, which would allow local hotels to levy a fee on every night spent in a hotel room throughout the county. The Springfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority, the agency tasked with running the convention center, would use the fee to help with future bond issues funding the new construction.
* Slate | “Imagine a Child Gets Stabbed 26 Times”: They gave him bits of information piece by piece. By that night, it was becoming national news out of Chicago that his son had been killed, and the child’s mother, his ex-wife, was hospitalized. “I cried nonstop until that evening,” Odai said. “He left this world and he took our hearts with him.”
posted by Isabel Miller
Friday, Dec 8, 23 @ 7:43 am
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“The report shows responding officers didn’t offer her a blood-alcohol test at the scene.”
CPD really is not worried about maintaining the public’s respect. This officer drove her SUV up onto a sidewalk to strike a person at 12:30 am. Her excuse for running over someone on a sidewalk was that she dropped her phone and just had to reach down and grab it off the floor, which is the way you think when you’re wasted.
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Friday, Dec 8, 23 @ 8:54 am
Details are light on the CPD officer crash. Did she exhibit signs of impairment at the scene? Where was she prior to the crash? Had she just left a bar or work? Is she high-ranking and/or connected? A “blood-alcohol test” isn’t just “offered” on scene at every crash. There needs to be some reasonable suspicion of impairment. The family of the victim will certainly bring a lawsuit in this case and additional details will be revealed.
Comment by Dude Friday, Dec 8, 23 @ 9:17 am
Metra need much more scrutiny before they are bailed out. Since the ridership decrease began since Covid, Metra
continued to hire and spend. There are 25 employees making > $180K. Metra has assistants to the Deputy Executive Directors of Internal Affairs, Operations and Administration making an average of $230K. Metra expanded warehouse operations by purchasing a former Wickes warehouse in Harvey for $7Million and tgen discovered it needed a $7Million roof. When a home is purchased the buyer gets an investigation, why not for a $7Million property. Maybe because it is 50% farebox/50% taxes Metra does not get any press investigation, but it needs a little light shed on it.
Comment by James thevIntolerant Friday, Dec 8, 23 @ 9:28 am
WGN reported that there was a CPD holiday party at HOB Wednesday night.
Comment by Big Dipper Friday, Dec 8, 23 @ 10:00 am
“There needs to be some reasonable suspicion of impairment.”
Like the fact that you drove up onto the sidewalk and ran someone over while leaving the nightclub district at 12:30 am? And the reason for doing so was that you really needed to grab your phone off the floor?
Come on.
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Friday, Dec 8, 23 @ 10:15 am
Reminds me of when Eddie Johnson nodded off at a stop sign after a night of drinking and how poorly that was handled.
Comment by Big Dipper Friday, Dec 8, 23 @ 10:32 am
I’m certainly not saying impairment was not involved. One would need to interact with the driver at the scene to determine that. CPD has been known to protect their own for certain. Doesn’t mean that is necessarily the case here. Distracted driving is killer too. Apples to oranges comparison to the former superintendent’s incident. He was passed out behind the wheel parked in the street, nobody was injured or killed, and he was the big boss.
Comment by Dude Friday, Dec 8, 23 @ 10:48 am
The comparison is he had ten drinks according to the IA report yet was not tested for BAC.
Comment by Big Dipper Friday, Dec 8, 23 @ 12:18 pm
How a CPD officer can afford an Infinity SUV?
Comment by Sir Reel Friday, Dec 8, 23 @ 12:28 pm
“This bill is for the millions of workers in and out of unions, who until now were faced with the impossible choice of either taking time off or keeping their job,”
Those non-union workers should thank their Union brothers…for the time off.
Comment by Dotnonymous x Friday, Dec 8, 23 @ 1:11 pm