Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Open thread

Posted in:

Illinois

* What Illinois thoughts are on your mind today?

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 8:45 am

Comments

This rain makes me want to go back to bed.

Comment by AnonymousFool Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 8:50 am
Today’s weather roulette wheel lands us in late March early April… could be a bit sunnier.

Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 8:53 am
The planters have been rolling here in central Illinois for the last 10 days. Started to notice dust kicking up over the weekend so those guys who got their seed in the ground lately are probably thrilled at this rain.

Comment by Give Me A Break Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 8:57 am
It’s an interesting year for our state’s farmers. Grain prices are up, but so are input costs such as fuel and fertilizer. Tricky balance.

Comment by up2now Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 8:57 am
the joys of watching grandkids in the ol strawberry patch. stepping on,and eating more than they pick.

Comment by Blue Dog Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:00 am
Are dandelions a benefit to your soil, growing tap roots to aerate compacted soil, offering tasty nectar to beneficial insets, providing nutritious greens for a salad, or an invasive menace to be eradicated at all costs?

Comment by Suburbanon Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:00 am
So I got my Facebook settlement check, but my husband hasn’t got his yet. Trying to figure out what is up with that.

Regardless, thanks to the Illinois politicians/legislators who had a hand in the legislation that is putting $397 in my pocket.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:01 am
not that he has anything to do with it, but JB is going to feel the effects of $5 gas if it’s this way in November.

Comment by Blue Dog Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:01 am
$4.75 for gas in Springfield today.

Comment by Sangamo Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:03 am
I think May is my favorite month in Illinois–grass is the greenest, trees in my yard have filled out, my vegetable garden just started, my irises and peonies are blooming. In other words, May is when I appreciate the beauty of nature the most.

Comment by Steve Rogers Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:03 am
@Sangamo -

That’s cheap. It’s $5.59 in my Chicago neighborhood.

Comment by JoanP Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:04 am
Dandelion yellow flowers and leaves are good in soup too. To get rid of dandelions think about adding calcium to the soil. Has anyone dug up and eaten the roots? What are they like?

Comment by Al Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:11 am
Thinking about what a Trump endorsement could do in the Illinois Republican gubernatorial primary. Maybe a lot, if PA is any indication. The MAGA vote may have been split in the PA Senate race. Without a third candidate, Dr. Oz may have coasted, just like the governor candidate. If it’s Bailey vs. Irvin and Trump endorses Bailey, that should be interesting and fun.

Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:13 am
Yesterday was such an amazingly beautiful day in Chicago (and apparently many other places in Illinois) that today’s rain doesn’t even bother me. It was time to water new grass in the front yard, and now I don’t have to.

@Suburbanon–I don’t know the real answer about dandelions, but I’m hoping beneficial because my backyard is crawling with them.

Comment by Leslie K Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:15 am
any road with “IL” before it’s number….OMG. I can’t even… need an alignment and balancing almost every week

Comment by CentralIL Centrist Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:19 am
My Facebook feed has been flooded with Mary Miller ads this week. I hide them and then a new one pops up.

Comment by historic66 Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:21 am
RIP former State Rep. Larry Wennlund

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/theherald-news/name/larry-wennlund-obituary?pid=202015371

Comment by New Lenox Native Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:23 am
try to get dandelions early as the new leaves are best to eat. there are good organic products on the market that take them down, mostly. but, remember, dandelions are good for the bees. at our house we have soooo much planting left to do, in ground and in pots. it’s the busy season so it’s hard to imagine what it is like for the professionals. create beauty.

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:26 am
“JB is going to feel the effects of $5 gas”

And home energy prices aren’t going to help.

Comment by Wiki Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:28 am
More and more I wish we had a non-partisan primary with a top 2 run off in the general.

Looking at my Democratic ballot and it appears SOS is the only legitimately contested race.

Comment by BCOSEC Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:29 am
I keep waiting for the Governor to instruct agencies to allow as many people as they can resume an aggressive remote work schedule in order to relieve pressure on the demand for gasoline and to help state workers avoid the impact to their pocket books. I also can’t help but think that the administration may already think that is occurring because of existing MOUs without understanding how individual agencies and individual PSAs and SPSAs would seek to undermine an effort to work remotely due to whatever beliefs or biases they have regarding their employees working remotely.

I would think that it would at least be worth a press release because it also relieves some of the price pressure/demand on fuel for other commuters.

Comment by Candy Dogood Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:31 am
I thought when Pritzker signed legislation for the grocery tax repeal that it was effective immediately. When does it take effect? All my grocery purchases at all stores are still being taxed at the 1.25% rate.

Comment by JvSLP Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:34 am
I guess nobody’s spooked by the pay to play news cycles in Aurora… https://elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/A1List.aspx?ID=nq3I7xdRqmfGLOy2ZvjfCQ%3d%3d&FiledDocID=nq3I7xdRqmfGLOy2ZvjfCQ%3d%3d&ContributionType=wOGh3QTPfKqV2YWjeRmjTeStk426RfVK&Archived=Gl5sibpnFrQ%3d&T=637884631228330227

Comment by vern Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:35 am
Time to research SoS candidates extra close today considering its basically the only contested race to pick from on my ticket tomorrow.

Comment by Seats Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:42 am
The weather has been so nice the last few days and then it started raining again!

Comment by Levois J Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:44 am
To JvSLP. Grocery tax is suspended starting July 1st for a year.

Comment by Seats Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:44 am
= I thought when Pritzker signed legislation for the grocery tax repeal that it was effective immediately. When does it take effect? All my grocery purchases at all stores are still being taxed at the 1.25% rate. =

The bill itself was effective immediately, but the tax suspension runs from 7/1/2022 through 6/30/2023.

Comment by cover Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:47 am
The Chicago Cubs have the current longest winning streak in MLB.

Comment by So_Ill Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:50 am
== - JvSLP - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:34 am:

I thought when Pritzker signed legislation for the grocery tax repeal that it was effective immediately. When does it take effect? All my grocery purchases at all stores are still being taxed at the 1.25% rate. ==

Not until 7/1. You have to give the retailers a chance to reprogram the machines

Comment by exhausted Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:53 am
@- Suburbanon - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:00 am:

===Are dandelions a benefit to your soil, growing tap roots to aerate compacted soil, offering tasty nectar to beneficial insets, providing nutritious greens for a salad, or an invasive menace to be eradicated at all costs?===
They can make tires out of them too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1_94Uvx15k

Comment by DuPage Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:54 am
Anon 9:54, give some love to the local newspaper. Daily Herald has you covered https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20220511/naperville-18-year-old-becomes-youngest-american-woman-to-reach-summit-of-mount-everest

Comment by vern Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 10:00 am
It’s a gray and dreary day in Chicago. I should stay inside and try to figure who I should vote for out of the seventeen (17) candidates in the Democratic primary to succeed Bobby Rush. That will involve almost as much research as judicial elections.

Fun times.

Comment by JoanP Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 10:03 am
==So I got my Facebook settlement check, but my husband hasn’t got his yet. Trying to figure out what is up with that.==

Are all Illinois Facebook users getting the settlement checks? Or did you have to apply for it? If we had to apply, I am certain I did not apply for it, but if I would have known it was $397 instead of something like $3.97, then count me in.

Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 10:07 am
==The Chicago Cubs have the current longest winning streak in MLB.==

They were all against the Diamondbacks and Pirates. What a real accomplishment. Even though the DBacks are much improved from last year’s disaster.

Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 10:09 am
If the current trends continue Chicago may be returning to the High Risk COVID transmission category:

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/illinois-coronavirus-updates-high-covid-alert-level-expected-masking-guidance/2835757/

Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 10:11 am
Fellow dandelion lovers: you must try, at least once, batter-fried dandelion blossoms. They taste just like the mushrooms but have a nicer texture.

Comment by yinn Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 10:20 am
“Or did you have to apply for it?”

There was some paperwork — but it must not have been too onerous because I did it.

If I had know it would be a windfall, I’d have harassed more of my friends to do so as well.

– MrJM

Comment by MisterJayEm Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 10:22 am
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham -

You had to apply to be part of the group. The deadline to apply passed a while back. Mrs RNUG got her check a couple of days ago; I’m waiting to see if mine shows up.

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 10:35 am
Larry Wennlund RIP. A good man and a real character from an era when there were a lot of characters. He served during a fun time.

Comment by Henry Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 10:50 am
@Candy - There is no way a that a maybe a few thousand state workers staying home from their commute has any impact on gas prices. More than anything it sounds like wishful musing from a state worker who doesn’t want to go the office.

Comment by Cool Papa Bell Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 10:54 am
“JB is going to feel the effects of $5 gas” And what exactly can he do about it?

Comment by Skeptic Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 11:03 am
= And what exactly can he do about it?=
Temporary reduction of the .392 cents per gallon of gas tax would at least be a nice token that shows some concern.

Comment by Rabble Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 11:29 am
==Temporary reduction of the .392 cents per gallon of gas tax ==

That’s used to pay for roads. The trades would throw a fit. No way that is passing in the General Assembly so the Governor couldn’t do that even if he wanted to.

Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 11:38 am
“JB is going to feel the effects of $5 gas”

He’ll also feel the effects of an unseasonably early November blizzard.

Unfortunately, he has the same degree of control over the weather and gasoline prices, i.e. zero.

– MrJM

Comment by MisterJayEm Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 12:09 pm
=And what exactly can he do about it?=
He might along with the leaders of other states have a discussion with the powers above them to rethink some of the national direction that got the price of gas to increase over a dollar per gallon before the additional pressure of inflation and the Ukraine situation kicked in.

Comment by Rabble Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 12:11 pm
“The trades would throw a fit.”

Not to mention the local highway agencies, such as municipalities, counties, and townships. The local agencies get about 1/2 of the MFT, among other things, is used to pay salaries of highway department employees, annual resurfacing and other maintenance costs.

Comment by Huh? Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 12:13 pm
==I think May is my favorite month in Illinois== Yes May is gorgeous but, I hate late May. The Buffalo Gnats have hatched. They ate me alive mowing around the pond yesterday.

Comment by Anotheretiree Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 12:31 pm
@Cool Papa Bell - I agree it wouldn’t have an effect on gas prices/demand, but it WOULD give the impression that he is at least trying to help lower prices. That is important in politics. Candy’s comment also included “and to help state workers avoid the impact to their pocket books” which is accurate.

Comment by Make It Make Sense Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 1:33 pm

Add a comment

Sorry, comments are closed at this time.

Previous Post: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Next Post: Rate Anna Valencia’s first TV ad

Last 10 posts:

Broad Support For Carbon Capture And Storage Across Illinois, “Vital” For The Environment and Downstate Growth (05-16)
Here we go again (05-16)
Protect Illinois Hospitality - Vote No On House Bill 5345 (05-16)
Rep. Tarver says CPS general counsel needs to be forced out over rape case (Updated) (05-16)
Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work (05-16)
It’s just a bill (05-16)
Isabel’s morning briefing (05-16)
Open thread (05-16)
Adopt Legislative Fixes For Prior Authorization Denials Impacting Medicaid MCO Patients (05-16)
SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition (05-16)