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* Politico…
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton raised $57,181, spent $67,000 and has $295,000 in the bank.
Atty Gen. Kwame Raoul raised $354,000, spent $97,000 and has $941,000 cash on hand.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias raised $606,000, spent $29,000 and has $1.6 million cash on hand.
Treasurer Mike Frerichs raised $144,000, spent $58,000 and has $798,000 in the bank.
Comptroller Susana Mendoza raised $311,521, spent $39,000 and has $579,000 in the bank.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) today announced the addition of 5,886 new preschool seats in preschool deserts—areas of the state with too few publicly funded preschool seats to serve 80% of low-income 3- and 4-year-olds in the area. As part of Governor JB Pritzker’s broader Smart Start initiative, ISBE originally aimed to add 5,000 new seats and exceeded the goal by 18%, expanding access to early childhood education to more than 5,800 additional children in preschool deserts statewide. ISBE also expanded services to families with babies and toddlers from birth to age 3, serving 1,130 additional children.
* Wieland announced a $500M expansion and modernization plan in East Alton…
A year ago today I sat with @GovPritzker & our team in Germany while he personally made the pitch to Wieland’s top leadership to stay in Illinois and invest in our future together and this is the result. Having a Governor who believes in the state matters. https://t.co/vmhgatQ7va
— Anne Caprara (@anacaprana) January 17, 2024
* Daily Herald…
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is planning to distribute $17 million to municipalities helping the state handle the influx of asylum seekers who are being sent here from Texas without any assistance. […]
The grants will be distributed through a partnership with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. The group will issue $11 million to municipalities outside Chicago to “welcome and support recent arrivals living in their communities.”
The money must be used to support migrants within the municipality and can’t be used to transport them elsewhere, state officials said.
Another $4 million is earmarked for the creation of 13 Illinois Welcoming Centers, which will provide case management services for migrants seeking shelter, employment and other resources.
The final $2 million is intended for Immigrant Family Resources Program (IFRP) providers. These agencies provide new arrivals with interpretation and translation services, information about public benefits and advocacy as they settle into their new communities, state officials said.
* Here’s the rest…
* WTTW | Treasurer Conyears-Ervin Fired Employees After They Warned She Was Violating Ethics Ordinance by Using City Resources to Host Prayer Service: Inspector General Deborah Witzburg’s determination that Conyears-Ervin violated the city’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance is the second time in six months that Witzburg has found probable cause that an elected Chicago official violated city ethics rules.
* Sun-Times | Illinois businesses must share ownership details under new federal law; here’s what you need to know: The Corporate Transparency Act of 2021 requires most companies doing business in the United States to file reports about the people who own them to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
* NBC Chicago | Texas bus company sues City of Chicago over migrant drop-off ordinance: A Texas bus company has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Chicago alleging the city’s recent ordinance aimed at deterring buses from dropping off migrants unannounced is “unconstitutional” and “punishes” transportation companies who do business with Texas.
* Sun-Times | Hilco to pay $12.25 million in class-action lawsuit over Crawford coal plant implosion: Residents who were affected must submit a claim by March 26. Those who want to object to the agreement or opt out of the settlement have until Feb. 26. Opting out is the only way a person can seek any other lawsuit against Hilco and its contractors.
* WBEZ | Blankets, gloves, a tent and some propane protect some of Chicago’s homeless during ‘brutal’ cold snap: “Unhoused folks die from weather-related injuries. We understand that now is especially the time we want to be intentional about our work,” says Christian Zamarriego, director of Thresholds’ outreach program.
* Tribune | Harvey residents in boarded up apartments being aided by Cook County Housing Authority, mayor says city has tried to help: The authority couldn’t say how many people it is working with, but said options offered include apartments with rental assistance in other authority owned buildings in Harvey and Homewood, a spokesman said Tuesday.
* PJ Star | 11 WTVP board members resign amid financial crisis: WTVP-TV Board Chairman Andrew Rand and 10 other members of the WTVP Board of Directors announced their resignations Tuesday in yet another bombshell development at the embattled public television station. The board then accepted appointments of eight new members, including John Wieland, MH Equipment Company’s CEO, as the board’s new chair.
* Daily Herald | Rolling Meadows could owe Arlington Heights $1 million over taxes received in error: In a 2-1 decision issued Friday, the First District Appellate Court reversed a lower court’s decision that initially dismissed Arlington Heights’ lawsuit seeking more than eight years’ worth of back taxes.
* Crain’s | Dan McGrath: For Bulls fans, being cruel to Jerry Krause when he was alive just wasn’t enough: Jerry Krause could be a hard guy to like. That said, the booing that rained down on him during the Bulls’ “Ring of Honor” ceremony last Friday — on his memory, really, as Krause died in 2017 — was thoughtlessly cruel, an embarrassment to a city that fashions itself as classy, above the incivility that runs rampant in this country.
* WGN | Lawmaker wants to entice Chicago Bears to move to Indiana: Indiana State Rep. Earl Harris Jr. (D-East Chicago) is looking to continue his late father’s dream of luring an NFL team to Northwest Indiana, and with the nearby Chicago Bears mulling the option of leaving Soldier Field, a short move across state lines might not be out of the realm of possibility.
* Sun -Times | Illinois saw the most tornadoes in the U.S. in 2023, National Weather Service says: About 120 tornadoes were reported in the state, more than triple the amount in 2022 when there were 39. “We had a significant number of days where just … all the ingredients you need for tornadoes all came together,” said Victor Gensini, a professor at Northern Illinois University.
* ABC Chicago | Chicago-area Tesla drivers stranded as charging stations not working in bitterly cold weather: At the charging station near 95th Street and Western Avenue in the Evergreen Park area, many Tesla owners were stranded with dead batteries from the cold. Drivers said there were not enough working chargers at that location.
posted by Isabel Miller
Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 1:32 pm
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JB has put the state’s money behind EV’s . I can see why the free market didn’t get behind it. It’s pretty risky to own an EV when it gets cold.
Comment by Steve Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 1:56 pm
The Wieland investment is more good economic news for Illinois that’s tied to the state’s better fiscal performance. It has nothing to do with what nearly wrecked the state to make it “pro-growth.” Imagine truly believing that financially starving the state if necessary is an economic growth plan. People like that have no business anywhere near public policy.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 2:06 pm
=It’s pretty risky to own an EV when it gets cold.=
Lot’s of things don’t work as they should in sub zero temperatures. But the impact is minimal as most owners charge their vehicles at home in their in garages. And the market will continue to move towards EV’s as the cost of technology continues to drop and automakers move away from ICE R&D.
Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 2:08 pm
= the impact is minimal =
Not if you’re the guy whose car had to be towed because it died while you waited in a long line to get it charged.
Comment by JoanP Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 2:22 pm
This puts the chill in potential EV buyer’s minds?
Comment by Dotnonymous x Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 2:30 pm
It’s always been known that cold weather was a weak spot for batteries and hence EVs.
Maybe hybrids are a better idea in cooler climates, something with a small gasoline burning engine or hydrogen burner as a fallback. Of course, more stuff under the hood, more weight, faster battery discharge.
Me, personally, I was more concerned about the risk of fire with the batteries.
Maybe bicycles.
Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 2:42 pm
=Not if you’re the guy whose car had to be towed because it died while you waited in a long line to get it charged.=
As an EV owner I can attest to the fact that this is poor planning. I would never head out in sub zero temps to charge. Most owners rely on home charging to meet their daily needs. Imagine having a gas pump in your garage but running out of gas. The criticism of EV’s is almost always from non EV owners.
Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 2:45 pm
“It’s pretty risky to own an EV when it gets cold.”
It’s pretty risky, to continue to use the old habits centered around ICE engines like ‘going to a gas station’ - instead of just plugging your car in at home the night before and just skipping that entire fuel station stop the next day.
Technology changes faster than habits and familiarity. People generally run into problems like this when they carry over the habits of an old technology into using a new one.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 2:49 pm
===plugging your car in at home the night before===
Unless you live in a city and/or have no garage.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 3:08 pm
=Unless you live in a city and/or have no garage.=
Having to rely entirely on the public charging network makes EV ownership impractical and I would not recommend it.
Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 3:15 pm
GA needs to pass a comprehensive law governing migrant buses ASAP to eliminate patchwork of local ordinances and possibly forestalling any more Texas bus company lawsuits. Are Gov. Abbott’s people are funding lawsuit?
Comment by Suburbanon Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 3:20 pm
Lt. Gov. has some catching up to do…but that’s still not bad without an identified race that she’s running for in 2026.
Comment by NIU Grad Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 3:42 pm
I don’t think EVs are there yet, but extreme cold impacts diesel vehicles because diesel turns to gel and won’t pump if it’s cold enough. Rail switches and gates are also prone to problems in extreme cold. If Illinois waited for EVs to be a bigger market, we wouldn’t be able to catch up.
Comment by Just Lurking Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 3:57 pm
Has anyone ever heard of a gas or diesel vehicle failing to start in cold weather? Area districts all had buses that wouldn’t start, so did we. These vehicles have been around for a century and still no real solution. So I wouldn’t get too down on EV’s if people let them run out of power. And no, I don’t own an EV. Taking advice from @Pundent, out in rural Illinois they are just not practical enough. Yet.
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 4:21 pm
I don’t know what’s worse - that somehow Conyears-Ervin is in charge of the money, or that somehow she’s still in office. How do politicians like this continue to find ways to remain in office? https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-conyears-ervin-letter-released-20230905-jbglkr23nrf6nggww45pgbkb4m-story.html
Comment by Just a guy Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 4:36 pm
I would bet that less than 5% of all EV owners don’t have a charging capability of some kind at their primary parking space.
Comment by The Truth Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 4:55 pm
Surely it’s nearing time for Senator Durbin to retire. The field looks wide open with the statewide electeds.
Comment by JSI Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 6:03 pm
The sky was smoky last year over Illinois and much of America, repeatedly and for days, sometimes at dangerous levels, because of Canadian wildfires. Last year was the warmest on record, according to NASA, and mainly because of fossil fuels. Illinois is thankfully acting realistically (as are other states/countries) by investing in clean energy.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 6:50 pm
And my Gremlin wont run right on this newfangled unleaded gas.
Comment by Occasionally Moderated Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 6:57 pm
I’m a bit of an automotive hobbyist / automotive newsletter editor / publisher.
At one time about 110 - 130 years ago, EVs were the predominant source of automotive transportation, with close to 50% of the market. They had the same problems of weight and battery charging time back then. Internal combustion engines made up about 25%, with steam being the other major power source.
ICE didn’t start to dominate until Charles Kettering invented the electric starter for IC engines. Once that happened, the advantages of range, lower weight, and quick refueling led ICE to dominate the automotive market. We’ve since had 90 or so years of improvements to ICE technology.
While we’ve had some improvements in battery technology over those 90 years, there really hasn’t been that much advancement in automotive use of electric propulsion.
It’s getting there, but it isn’t quite where it should be to displace ICE in the marketplace without the forced government mandates. And you can’t always force scientific on your schedule.
Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Jan 17, 24 @ 7:57 pm