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House Bill 4895 gives the Illinois State Board of Education the directive to create professional development resources for educators to best teach climate change coursework. State Rep. Dan Ugaste said he thinks the legislature is starting to impose too much of what they believe the educators should be teaching Illinois children.
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Derek Douglas, Joe Ferguson and David Greising: "It can be tempting to write off Illinois’ pension challenges as mind-numbing fiscal issues. But history shows that vigilance is necessary when Springfield lawmakers start talking about pension reforms. If lawmakers make matters worse — as an exorbitant Tier 2 'fix' certainly would do — it would be an expensive step backward that our state cannot afford."
"There’s not a lot of information necessary to say one of these (plans) actually is viable, or whether it’s a way to take us to the cleaners when we’re already carrying hundreds of millions of dollars of debt for the last time we did something like this," said Joe Ferguson, of the Civic Federation. "I think Gov. Pritzker has spoken to this exactly right, with a real wariness about public funding of sports stadiums. We need to see reliable, thorough revenue projections for this before we can even open the conversation."
Their properties were worth more than the back taxes they owed. They argue that after foreclosure, they should have received compensation for their lost property: the difference between what they owed the government and the fair market value of their property. And they cite a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to support their argument.
"The spring legislative session is scheduled to adjourn May 24, and the Bears want a deal done by then. But judging by the comments of state leaders this past week, if these plans are going to have even a remote chance of passage, the teams will have to drastically scale back their state asks and show some tangible benefits for state taxpayers."
Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said the team would ask state lawmakers to act before the spring legislative session ends ahead of Memorial Day, warning that costs will only escalate.
The report argues that noncitizens are employed at a slightly higher rate than the adult population as a whole in Illinois, so providing that group with health coverage promotes a healthier and more productive labor force.
Lead researcher Matthew Wilson explained, "The top line of benefits that we find is that it makes people more productive and it enhances their ability to work."
In raising its outlook on Illinois, Moody’s noted among factors that could lead to more credit upgrades to Illinois: “Further increases in pension contributions that accelerate reductions in outstanding liabilities relative to current projections.”
The Circuit Court of Cook County recently redesigned its website to add weekly statistics on court attendance and the rates at which defendants pick up new charges while on pretrial release. According to the latest data — which spans from the end of cash bail on Sept. 18, 2023, through April 13 — 30,012 defendants have been granted pretrial release in Cook County, while 1,970 have been detained. Of those released, 26,930 of them — about 90 percent — have appeared in court as required.
While the settlement is significant, it is notable, as well, for being the legal battle that produced a landmark Illinois Supreme Court decision. That decision, in turn, appears to have at last spurred Illinois state lawmakers to take action to reform the state's stringent biometrics privacy law.
"Current Illinois law treats someone who violates an order of protection the same as someone who steals a candy bar from a gas station: They are both misdemeanors."
Gov. JB Pritzker said he is earmarking $250 million in the fiscal year 2025 budget, an increase of $50 million from last year to address the structural factors contributing to racial inequalities in homelessness. According to the report, Black residents in Illinois are almost eight times more likely to be unhoused than white residents. The gap is one of the worst in the nation and double the national rate.
Charles Pelkie, Will County Clerk chief of staff, said there are instances where judges hand out the wrong ballot style, but none of the races in this precinct were close enough to trigger a discovery request.
"Illinois has been through this before. Anyone remember years go when legislators approved 3 percent annual cost-of-living increases for retirees without making any effort either to pay for the increase or having any idea of the cost? That ill-advised decision is one of the reasons Illinois’ five public pensions are underfunded to the tune of roughly $140 billion."
"You may have heard of this legislation referred to as the “TikTok ban.” But rest assured, we’re not out to stop the sharing of short-form videos."
National energy experts told the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee Thursday that Illinois needs to use a mix of energy sources to ensure the power grid can meet growing demand. Downstate lawmakers are concerned that manufacturing companies won't want to move to Illinois if there are frequent blackouts.
David Greising, of the Better Government Association: "The topic is on the table because a narrow section of the Tier 2 pension promise must indeed be fixed. Tier 2 benefits are not growing as fast as Social Security checks, and this violates a safe-harbor provision in federal law. The actual problem is narrow, and the legislature is considering ways to fix it. But the little-known codicil is being used as a wedge to do much more."
Results from the March primary show a greater share of Chicago-area Republicans cast their ballots by mail compared to the 2022 primary, but they were still vastly outpaced by Democrats in utilizing a voting system that has become increasingly popular since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
"For the most part, our local representatives were supportive of maintaining our revenue. But they also said they're getting a lot of pressure from the governor to remove it. We'll see what happens when the votes come down," Oswego Village Administrator Dan DiSanto said.
The Illinois bill (SB2669) proposes to establish an agricultural equipment bill of rights, requiring manufacturers to make software, firmware and all other tools needed to repair machines accessible to independent repair shops and owners throughout the state at a reasonable cost.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul hopes to receive an $8.5 million boost in funding for office general operations. Raoul told senators he is also requesting a $500,000 increase in general revenue funds to provide more grants for victims of violent crimes.
Of that new money, $35 million would go toward court-based rental assistance, $2 million would be used for legal aid assistance and $13 million to reduce racial disparities in homelessness. State Homlessness Chief Christine Haley said that the state was “moving away from false narratives that homelessness is caused by hanging out with the wrong crowd and making bad decisions.”
The federal government sells savings bonds that are exempt from being turned over to the Illinois Treasurer’s unclaimed property department. Treasurer Michael Freichs said that’s a problem.
Other tax credits being considered include one for the music industry, one for charitable contributions to a community foundation, and another for donations to community foundations that pay for employees’ student loan debt.
The measure in House Bill 5405 requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to determine which demographic groups are underrepresented in clinical trials in Illinois. The legislation also requires a policy to provide information to trial participants in languages other than English in accordance with current federal requirements.
"I think this is the first salvo into the general issue of protecting our data from threats, whether they are emanating from abroad or domestically," U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi.
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"We are going to join hands, get signatures and make this happen, and I guarantee you we will have the 56,000-plus signatures and we will have enough for a challenge too," said FOP President John Catanzara.
The Bears’ pitch for a new domed lakefront stadium came with a $4.7 billion price tag. In reality, though, Chicago and Illinois taxpayers would end up paying $5.9 billion to help the Bears build and finance the stadium and retire existing debt used to renovate Soldier Field and Guaranteed Rate Field, where the White Sox play. Add to that the $1 billion already paid to revamp Soldier Field and Guaranteed Rate Field, and the overall cost to taxpayers is $6.9 billion, says Frank Bilecki, of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.
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Will Johnson, of The Harris Poll: "Less than 20 percent think the city is better off today than a year ago on fundamentals such as the local economy and health, and that percentage drops to 11 percent or lower on public safety, social inequities, the migrant situation and taxes, according to a new citywide survey by The Harris Poll."
“Because of the public benefit,” Johnson said when asked how he will make a progressive case for the proposal. “Look, these pictures are miraculous. We are talking about thousands of lives that will benefit. … Think about how long people have been waiting for investments like this.”
The funding formula comes amid CPS facing a $391 million budget deficit and a dwindling COVID-relief fund.
Christopher Gonzalez, a Thornton Township Trustee, was also in attendance for Saturday's "Take Back Our Township" rally. "I have a lot of the same questions people do, but even beyond that, we are all citizens just trying to get some answers,” Gonzalez said.
Multiple fights broke out at the carnival, but there were no reports of gunshots or injuries.
Last week, the FBI had served two subpoenas on the Village of Dolton, asking for the personnel and disciplinary files for 29 Dolton employees as well as any contracts or payments made to the mayor's top assistant, Keith Freeman, who also serves in that role in Thornton Township.
“To the Medill students and journalists within earshot, I say to you: Our work is not about objectivity,” he said. “Our work is about you putting your brilliant minds to work and opening your compassionate hearts.”
Ald. David Moore is fighting to strip Mayor Brandon Johnson of his unilateral authority to end the city’s contract with the ShotSpotter gunfire detection program.
Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski said the SEIU and the Chicago Teachers Union are in a favorable position with Brandon Johnson as mayor. “The SEIU is not dumb. They’re going to ask for plenty and see if they can get it,” Dabrowski said.
In a 142-page leaked document, the Chicago Teachers Union outlines hundreds of new proposed demands for its next contract, including 41 percent raises, removing school resource officers from schools, and concealing information concerning student gender and sexuality from parents.
“It’s really sad,” one instructor said. “It’s something that we feel bad about because we know how important those summer camps are for people, especially people who have limited income or they cannot afford the other private camps.”
Cook County Deputy Clerk Cedric Giles has been selected as the interim clerk until someone is elected. The Cook County Democratic Party has chosen Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon from south suburban Markham to be its candidate on the November ballot.
About 100 students and some faculty came out to demand the University of Chicago cut financial ties with Israel, and for the university to acknowledge the destruction in Gaza – especially the dismantling of the region's education system – and to allocate funds to help rebuild Gaza's higher education. The students marched from building to building, reiterating their requests at every stop.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates finally paid all her city trash, sewer and water bills after letting $5,381 in debt pile up. The pay-off came after an open records request was made.
"You may not be aware, but for the last four years the public policy of the Cook County state’s attorney’s office has been not to prosecute criminal violations tied to protests and demonstrations if the office deems those actions 'peaceful.' ... Foxx’s office confirmed to us that the policy remains, even as aggressive protests on campuses have reached a point where some of America’s most storied universities have shut down in-person learning."
Since Chicago moved all migrants into city-run shelters, the response team efforts have morphed into a bigger network. Last fall, volunteers created a resource group on Facebook with more than 4,000 members. 
Since 2018, the Chicago Teachers Union has paid Robin Potter’s law firms nearly $320,000 – with thousands of that for unspecified purposes. CTU also steered at least two massive lawsuits directly into Robin Potter’s hands, resulting in a net pay out of $9.25 million, with Potter’s firm receiving $4 million of that amount.
"Pro stadium deals in Los Angeles, one serving two NFL teams and the other for the basketball Clippers, were privately funded, and there are signs of a taxpayer revolt elsewhere. Voters in Kansas City rejected a funding package for their baseball and football teams, even though their Chiefs won this year’s Super Bowl. Coming out of the pandemic, “Other cities don’t have the appetite or the resources to provide new money for stadiums,” (attorney David) Sunkin said.
"(T)he protesters managed to balloon from several dozen at 7 a.m. to a crowd of well nearly 1,000 by nightfall ... As for Jewish students on campus, they might have been able to take initial solace in the university’s decision to bar the tents erected at the start of the protest, but that ordinance went largely unenforced. By midnight, the number of outlawed tents had swelled to roughly 80, and anti-Israel chants rang out from similarly unapproved megaphones on repeat."
When it comes to the fallout that the struggling downtown office and retail market may unleash on other taxpayers, "generally the perception is that the impact will be greater than what we think it actually will be," Kaegi said in an interview with Crain's during an event his office held to discuss assessments with local real estate stakeholders.
"The phasing out of public school choice, the abandonment of standards and accountability and the redistribution of resources to failing, underenrolled schools are a race to the bottom."
But while the union has long advocated for the end of student-based budgeting, Christel Williams-Hayes, a senior Chicago Teachers Union official and former school paraprofessional, said CPS has provided little information about the new budgets. “CTU will not stand by and allow CPS to steal from one underfunded school to shore up and give to other underfunded schools to make it even,” she said.
Goldberg-Polin, 23, was at the Tribe of Nova music festival when Hamas launched its attack from nearby Gaza. In the video, Goldberg-Polin is missing part of his left arm.
“Having the opportunity to stand with billionaires, you could not have convinced me a decade ago that I would have the opportunity to do that,” Johnson said. “The fact that a middle child, 10 siblings, from a working class family is in a position to speak to the interests of everyday Chicagoans and challenge billionaires to put skin in the game — that’s what I promised that I would make sure happen.”
"Since 2020, documented hate crimes in Chicago have increased by 275 percent. The Anti-Defamation League reported a 74 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in 2023, the worst numbers since they started tracking them in 1979. If that doesn’t demonstrate the urgency, remember that later this summer, amid this supercharged climate, Chicago will be center stage in the political world."
Wirepoints Research and Commentary
Ted was on The Chicago Way with John Kass and Jeff Carlin to discuss the proposed $5 billion lakefront stadium project proposed by the Chicago Bears & Mayor Brandon Johnson, why Chicago is struggling compared to other metro areas across the country, why the city might or might not go the way of Detroit, and more. 
Some Illinois lawmakers continue to deny that covid aid and other federal stimulus bailed the state out of its fiscal mess. But a look at past and projected revenues from COGFA shows just how much the bailouts blew out the state’s revenues. And now that they're over, how much harder it will be for Illinois revenues to grow. 
Election integrity – both real and perceived – is essential to government’s legitimacy and stability. Illinois, like the rest of the nation, better fix its problems now. 
Ted joined Dan and Amy to talk about Chicago's latest bond offering, why Chicago's dismal home value growth is due to poor policies, the next $70 million to be spent on migrants, the 9% salary hikes demanded by the CTU, and why Illinois lawmakers voting to stop Chicago's selective enrollment schools from being closed is hypocritical. 
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Illinois just suffered the lowest presidential primary turnout since 1960, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Blame voter apathy on a lack of competitive elections. On gerrymandering. On the concern people have, thinking their votes don’t matter. It’s likely a little bit of each. 
A set of state lawmakers want to extend CPS’ current school closing moratorium to February 1, 2027 – the same year CPS is set to transition to a fully-elected school board. That means schools like Manley High School, with capacity for more than 1,000 students but enrollment of just 78, can’t be closed for anther three years. The school spends $45,000 per student, but just 2.4% of students read at grade level. 
Ted joined Jeff Daly to discuss why Illinois' property taxes are such a national outlier, why Illinoisans are forced to pay the high, guaranteed salaries, benefits and pensions of the government class, why Illinoisans aren't getting their money's worth for what they pay, the teachers unions' influence over elections, and more. 
Hopefully, all media will get the message, in Illinois, too. 
Ted joined Tom Miller of WJPF to talk about Illinois' highest-in-the-nation property taxes, why lawmakers don't want to touch the tax's cost drivers, just how much Illinoisans' tax burden has grown over the decades, why Gov. Pritzker failed to meet his promise to reform property taxes, and more. 
Illinois' dismal education numbers – especially for minority students – are embarrassing to politicians and officials. But rather than admit there’s a problem with Illinois’ education system, they attack the state’s own standards for being “too high,” instead.
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