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* ICYMI: Hundreds sue over alleged sexual abuse in Illinois youth detention centers. AP…
* WGLT | New exhibit on asbestos reveals a dark, unsettling and important B-N story: A story of corporate greed, willful worker exploitation, and human tragedy in Bloomington-Normal began nearly a century ago. And the investments in worker safety the Unarco company and others failed to make are paying dividends of a horrible sort — ones of blood and lost public treasure. It’s the story of asbestos, the subject of a new exhibit opening Saturday at the McLean County Museum of History. “The anger that you have knowing that the company did this to your family, it eats on you daily,” said Terry Redman of Wapella.
* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois celebrates dispensary openings while manufacturers face significant challenges: The independent diversity study – commissioned by the state at a cost of $2.5 million by Peoria-based Nerevu Group consulting firm – found that while the state has awarded more licenses to women and people of color than any other regulated market in the United States, white men are still the demographic most likely to have a cannabis license in Illinois. But the Department of Agriculture’s most recent licensee operation status list shows only about 30% of businesses awarded specialty cannabis licenses are operational. And for some social equity applicants, turning the licenses into a functioning business has been difficult.
* WAND | Illinois public universities ask lawmakers for equitable, evidence-based funding model: Smaller campuses like Chicago State University receive significantly less funding than the state’s flagship college. Dr. Z Scott told the House Appropriations-Higher Education Committee Monday that she would love to have the same quality buildings as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “Look at their facilities and compare those to what is happening at Chicago State,” Scott said. “Chicago State received $42 million in state appropriations, a 2% increase, which amounted to $787,000. It was not even enough to keep up with inflation or our growing union demands, reasonable demands for salary increases.”
* Center Square | Legislators hear need for more funding for Illinois college, university upkeep: Some university officials said they look to control their own contracts, rather than have it facilitated by the Capital Development Board. CDB Executive Director T.J. Edwards said they’re concerned about ensuring equitable funding. “The only concern I have is how do we duplicate that across multiple universities,” Edwards said. “How do we ensure that multiple universities that may have individual strategies for their delivery of projects are all going to be compliant, are all going to use Illinois Works … that they’re all going to make sure the accessibility standards are being followed.”
* Lake County News-Sun | Political newcomer challenging 3-term incumbent in State House District 59; ‘I’m fed up no one is willing to step up’: State Rep. Dan Didech, D-Buffalo Grove, is pleased with the direction the state is going, and wants to continue doing his part as the representative of the Illinois House of Representatives’ 59th District. His Republican opponent this fall, Chris Henning, has a different take on the state of the state. “We’ve got the state on a sound financial footing, and I’m proud of that,” Didech said. “We’ve had nine credit upgrades. Our annual funding for public schools is $350 million a year. It’s been $2 billion since 2018.”
* WGLT | Immigration advocate says bill to stop Illinois non-citizens from voting is unnecessary and harmful: “If you have an organization that is going around, particularly going around these housing areas, where we have these illegal aliens, and registering them to vote, I think that makes is pretty obvious,” said Caulkins. Caulkins said he thinks this has been a problem in Illinois, though could not say where. […] Illinois has had one confirmed ballot fraud incident since 2019, a duplicate primary election voter in Macon County in 2022.
* 25News Now | Nearly 60 Illinois police officers graduate into leadership roles through cost-free training program: The program is called, ‘Enduring, Surviving, and Thriving as a Law Enforcement Executive in the 21st Century,’ and it was held at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria, located at 100 Conference Center Drive. The event was hosted by Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. The training is a free four-day course that is meant to prepare incoming officers with the concepts, strategies, and insights needed for success in their new roles.
* Tribune | CTU announces ‘no confidence’ in CPS CEO Pedro Martinez: CTU’s announcement comes amid ongoing collective bargaining negotiations and debate over whether the Chicago Board of Education, whose members have the sole power to terminate Martinez, should buck the union’s desires and former CTU organizer Mayor Brandon Johnson — in favor of stability in district finances and leadership.
* Fox Chicago | CTU president denies involvement in effort to oust CPS CEO: CTU President Davis Gates denied any involvement in the mayor’s apparent decision to let Martinez go, something Martinez is resisting as his contract requires a six-month notice for termination. […] When asked if she wanted the Board of Education to terminate Martinez, she responded: “No, I want the Chicago Public Schools, I want the Chicago Board of Education, I want the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, I want the Mayor of Chicago to fully fund public schools.”
* Block Club | As ShotSpotter Contract Ends, City Starts Search For New ‘First Responder Technology’: Johnson’s office announced the “request for information” for new “first responder technology” on Sunday, the same day ShotSpotter detectors began to go dark in Chicago. The request is the latest move in the prolonged effort to decommission ShotSpotter, which fulfilled a Johnson campaign process but has since ignited a political firestorm. The Chicago Police Department stopped using ShotSpotter shortly after midnight Sunday, a police spokesperson said.
* Sun-Times | Ex-Chicago cop — once a national TV pundit on policing — now an accused police impersonator: The former cop appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and CBS News, offering his insights on police misconduct and proper law enforcement procedures. Now, Roberts has become the subject of the news after being charged with impersonating a federal agent in Texas. He was previously hit with similar allegations in Chicago and California two years ago, the Sun-Times has found.
* Daily Southtown | Biden OKs disaster declaration in wake of July storms: The announcement comes after Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Gov. JB Pritzker made similar disaster proclamations Aug. 12 and Aug. 30, which unlocked state funds to assist residents in their recovery efforts. With Biden’s declaration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency can offer individual assistance to residents in areas hardest hit by the July storms, including Cook, Fulton, Henry, St. Clair, Washington, Will and Winnebago counties.
* Daily Herald | Parents criticize how high school handled discovery of gun at school: In the wake of a student bringing a loaded handgun to Glenbard East High School, parents are criticizing how school officials handled the situation, and they’re calling for schools to have metal detectors at entrances. The gun was found in a boys restroom Sept. 10 and was traced to the home of a 14-year-old boy in Glendale Heights, according to a news release from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.
* Sun-Times | Size matters — Illinois could soon lay claim to country’s largest truck stop: Outpost, an Austin, Texas-based company is set to open a 30-acre truck stop in West Dundee in mid- to late October, said Pat Hardin, Outpost’s VP of revenue and operations. “Chicago is really the crown jewel of transportation in this country,” Hardin said Monday. “[And West Dundee] has access to the city without hitting the city traffic.”
* Sun-Times | Northwest suburban woman is first in the Midwest to receive ‘groundbreaking’ skin cancer treatment: Alla Pinzour says she’s a trouper. She has lived with melanoma for 15 years. A new therapy offered at the University of Chicago used her own body’s cells to fight the cancer and shrink her tumors.
* Sun-Times | Illinois man pleads guilty to Jan. 6 riot property destruction charges: A southern Illinois man has pleaded guilty to a destruction of property charge after he smashed a window in the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6, 2021 riots, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. Justin LaGesse, a 37-year-old who lives about 300 miles south of Chicago in McLeansboro, pleaded guilty to felony destruction of property Monday. Proceedings are ongoing for 36-year-old Theodore Middendorf, another McLeansboro resident charged alongside him.
* WSIL | 6 sent to hospital after becoming ill sorting mail at Shawnee Correctional Center, tests yield no positive results, IDOC says: The Marion Fire Rescue Hazardous Material Team responded to the correctional facility and tested items and clothing of the staff members who were affected. After testing the items and clothing, results came back negative for any presence of drugs or narcotics, IDOC stated. […] IDOC also stated searches were conducted and the Shawnee Correctional Center’s Investigations and Intelligence Unit found suspicious mail, however, preliminary tests yielded no positive results.
* WCIA | U of I building, food service workers begin strike: Although the strike affects food service workers, a university spokesperson clarified that all dining halls are open except the one at Lincoln Avenue and Allen Residence Halls, which is open for kosher meals. The convenience stores operated by University Housing are also open but are not serving made-to-order hot food.
* WSIL | Harrisburg officials are investigating after tornado sirens sound with no severe weather: Harrisburg’s Mayor John McPeek says he received calls from emergency officials trying to figure out how they started sounding off. “They don’t know if they got interfered with another town or what happened. But something definitely went wrong for them to go off like that because they should not do that,” Mayor McPeek said. He says the emergency management director is investigating it.
* SJ-R | Springfield-area woman turning 112 years old is likely state’s oldest resident: Wenonah Bish, who currently lives in Sherman, will be turning 112 on Oct. 2. […] Bish’s family describes her as someone who prefers to look at what’s coming rather than what’s behind her. She loves calling and talking to her daughter Delores throughout the day, in addition to speaking with her grandson Dirk, who lives in Miami, and her grandson Don who lives in the Dominican Republic.
posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 7:46 am
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Thanks Isabel, for including the two stories from the Statehouse about funding public higher education. Just yesterday, the elevator in my building died (temporarily). Our infrastructure at Illinois’ prestigious public university system is stuck in the 1960s, as public funding has slipped from 75% of the costs to run our universities, to 25% of the cost to run our universities.
As the second story notes (re: Chicago State), many students in Illinois are simply not attending college anymore, as the primary cost of attending (e.g., 75%) has been placed on their backs, rather than the state continuing to provide education for is current students as was done in the past.
After ten years of “studying the problem” (from the first story) it is time for the State of Illinois to either fish or cut bait.
We can either provide for the education of our future leaders of industry, or we can allow our industrial base to decline in the absence of a broadly educated workforce. As I prepare to leave the system, I pray Illinois will choose to remain a leader in public education for first-generation college students. That is what brought me here in the first place, and I am heartbroken, watching the state abandon its once privileged mission.
Comment by H-W Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 8:28 am
==CTU announces ‘no confidence’ in CPS CEO Pedro Martinez==
That means he is doing a fantastic job and ought to be kept in that role for the foreseeable future. I cant think of any better “endorsement” than that. If CTU doesn’t like you, you must be doing something right.
Comment by low level Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 8:45 am
H-W…. sad but true re: state funding for public universities. It’s been a downward trend for many years and many governors. It does not relfect well on our state.
It’s part of a national trend tied to easy access to student loans, i.e., let the kids pay more for their education. Get them on the pathway to permanent endebtedness and enrich the banking industry.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 9:10 am
= Illinois could soon lay claim to country’s largest truck stop=
I’ve seen this headline in both Trib and Sun-Times – this is misleading as the Outpost location will be exclusively for Truck parking with room for 900 trucks - it will be a secured facility and not open to the driving public. The Walcott location which I have been to many times is a true truck stop with restaurants, stores, and services for both cars and trucks that - it is open 24/7 to everyone
Comment by Donnie Elgin Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 9:17 am
==to fully fund public schools==
Well, you can wish in one hand. . . .
Her solution is not a realistic solution.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 9:20 am
“their abusers threatened them with beatings, solitary confinement, transfers to harsher facilities and longer sentences if they reported the abuse.”
Curious how often our carceral system results in exactly this.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 9:23 am
Interesting the University System is running short of funds. In a recent JB Pritzker Budget there was $400 million for construction at Private Higher Education including $36 million for a building at DePaul University. If we just used public money to fund our public education system there would be enough to go around.
Comment by Separation of Church and State Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 10:00 am
Too bad you can’t do a radio round-up. Rep Coffey was a laugh riot talking about spending on “illegals” in Chicago given the family history and pushing the false theory that downstate tax $$ are exported to Chicago. Starting the day with a chuckle never hurts.
Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 10:11 am
If the IBHE had stepped up years ago and pushed a funding formula like the community college system has, our regional universities may have been in a lot better position. Not sure IBHE has been the advocate the universities need.
Comment by Amurica Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 10:49 am
Chicago State U is basically a patronage dump for friends of Emil Jones and the Jackson family. Its tuition is extremely expensive, has a very low graduation rate and is laden with unnecessary admin positions. CSU’s admin to student ratio is insanely low. Their College of Pharmacy, however, is outstanding,
Comment by Old IL Dude Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 11:13 am
- Curious how often our carceral system results in exactly this. -
Predators are often attracted to places where their victims are locked in cages… whether they be chickens or humans.
Comment by Dotnonymous x Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 3:38 pm
==If we just used public money to fund our public education system there would be enough to go around==
Not sure this hits the way you thought it would given the ambiguity of that statement.
The publics are gonna need a lot more than a one-time $400M to address even one year of the historic underfunding they have faced, particularly during the Rauner years.
Comment by Another Millennial Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 5:00 pm
If CTU voted no confidence than Mr. Martinez is the right man for the job. Until that union is brought to its knees, CPS students will continue to fail.
Comment by anon Tuesday, Sep 24, 24 @ 7:07 pm
As you see more and more of these stories about CTU trying to oust Pedro, “pressure” (and I use that word somewhat laughingly) the Governor and Springfield, etc., I wonder how much of it is them realizing that the Golden Goose they got elected as Mayor can only get them so far. And despite declining enrollment and rudimentary test scores, they know that this is probably their last best chance to score sizeable increases to their salaries and budgets. Regardless of what it does to the long-term fiscal health of the system. Stay with it Pedro. If you’ve upset SDG, you’re probably on the right path.
Comment by Just a guy Wednesday, Sep 25, 24 @ 10:38 am