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* ICYMI: Illinois considers carbon storage, pipeline regulations. The Pantagraph…
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Tribune | Stephen Colbert will bring ‘Late Show’ to Chicago during Democratic National Convention: The Democratic National Convention will have a new political commentator: Stephen Colbert is bringing his “Late Show” to Chicago and will broadcast from the Auditorium Theatre in the Loop from Monday, Aug. 19 to Thursday, Aug. 22, during the same days of the convention across town at the United Center.
* Capitol News Illinois | Education leaders seek added state funding to help districts accommodate influx of migrants: Kimako Patterson, chief of staff at the Illinois State Board of Education, said that in the last two years, a total of 62,644 “newcomers” have arrived in the state’s schools. Those are people age 3 to 21 who were born outside of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico and have been attending school in the U.S. for less than three years. […] In January, ISBE submitted a funding request for the upcoming fiscal year totaling just over $11 billion, or roughly one-fifth of the state’s entire General Revenue Fund budget. That included $35 million in new funding to support migrant students.
* Lee Milner has passed…
I’ll remember you like this - a happy moment from last month when this all still seemed a bit theoretical and distant.
Thank you to everyone who made it to Lee’s reception last week. Seeing how many people wanted to wish him well meant the world. pic.twitter.com/OuUWbuWAbH— Hannah Meisel (@hannahmeisel) April 18, 2024
* It’s been a busy week at the capitol…
This is what Democracy looks like. pic.twitter.com/OoG45yTt3G
— Randy Wells (@aaaawells) April 17, 2024
Gov. Pritzker will be in Decatur with Innovafeed to celebrate inaugral North American Insect Innovation Center at 10 am. Click here to watch.
* Here’s the rest…
* Illinois Review | Tim Ozinga Suffers Humiliating Defeat as Conservative Christina Clausen Dominates Will County GOP Chairman Race: A little over a week after Tim Ozinga’s shock resignation from the Illinois House of Representatives, the landscape of the Illinois Republican Party underwent a dramatic transformation during Wednesday night’s Will County GOP Convention after Christina Clausen secured her position as the new chairwoman of the Will County Republican Central Committee, garnering an impressive 12,220 votes to her opponent’s 6,234 – leaving Ozinga and his allies in shock and disbelief.
* Crain’s | Illinois is no exception when it comes to racial health disparities: Ultimately, this year’s data confirmed what past reports and other research has long shown: Black Americans and American Indians are more likely to die from preventable and treatable conditions than other racial groups. […] Commonwealth researchers say they hope the report helps policymakers target solutions to state health care systems, such as expanding access to affordable and comprehensive health insurance, improvements to primary care, lowering administrative burdens for patients and providers, and investing in social services that help keep Americans out of severe poverty.
* Center Square | State lawmaker under federal investigation reacts to Dolton officials being charged and accused: State Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, who is also the mayor of Calumet City, was asked to react to the Henyard scandal and Freeman’s charges. Calumet City is 10 minutes west of Dolton and Jones’ house district includes the village of Dolton. “I heard Tiffany Henyard is down here in Springfield so ask her that question. I will just say let’s leave this to the authorities to investigate,” Jones told The Center Square.
* WCIA | U of I sticks with high budget request from the state: President of the University of Illinois System Timothy Killeen called for a 12 percent increase in the funding provided from the state. The Board of Trustees approved this ask back in the Fall, but since then, the Governor proposed his own version of the budget, which only included a 2 percent increase to the higher education funding.
* Crain’s | Stellantis avoiding plant shutdowns by paying Illinois supplier ‘under hostage threat’: Stellantis NV has avoided plant closures by making a $100,000 payment under protest to an Illinois supplier that threatened to stop shipping parts because of an ongoing cost dispute. It is the automaker’s latest disputed payment made to Mundelein-based MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions to keep pinions and gears flowing to a pair of plants in Kokomo, Ind., that build transmissions for the Ram 1500, Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, Charger, Durango, Pacifica and a dozen other vehicle platforms.
* Capitol News Illinois | Solar investments take center stage as questions loom on state’s renewable future: But even as solar projects have boomed in Illinois in recent years, the head of the state agency responsible for approving renewable projects said changes to state law may be necessary to phase out fossil fuels by 2050. G&W Electric Co., which installed a “microgrid” at its Bolingbrook facility, captures energy from the sun using eight football fields’ worth of solar panels and stores the electricity generated in a vanadium redox battery built inside 20 shipping containers.
* Crain’s | Advocates say a state tax credit would get thousands of affordable housing units built: Housing and labor groups say Illinois can spur the development of about 1,100 new units of affordable rentals each year by creating a state tax credit that mimics the long-standing federal tax credit. The federal government’s tax credit for affordable housing development, created in 1986, has funded development of an estimated 3.7 million affordable housing units nationwide. It’s usually a key piece of a developer’s funding stack.
* Crain’s | Johnson maintains migrant spending has not hurt relationship with Preckwinkle:
He added that he often talks across governments to state representatives, county commissioners and the governor. Johnson also pushed back on the assertion that because the city didn’t contribute their $70 million share months ago, that he had reneged on a promise to the county and state. “It’s not a strain. No one forced anyone to do anything,” he said. “This is a part of a collective operation and maybe it’s just something that some people are not accustomed to. But this is a part of our practice.”
* Sun-Times | New Chicago intelligence hub aims to ‘squeeze every last piece of evidence’ out of guns used in crimes: But the most crucial part of the new Crime Gun Intelligence Center might be far more basic: Investigators, prosecutors and analysts from various agencies will be sitting in a conference room together, every day, making connections between crime scenes that might have otherwise been missed.
* Crain’s | Why using ticket sales tax on new stadiums is a no-go for Johnson: On April 8, the two teams held a meeting with Johnson’s administration where the city’s chief financial officer, Jill Jaworski, rejected an idea that the city should give up a portion of its revenue from the amusement tax to help fund the new stadiums. “We rely on those dollars to make the necessary investments to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago,” Johnson said today at an unrelated press conference. “There are so many needs that we have in Chicago that it’s imperative that we do everything in our power to make sure that the lion’s share of those resources actually make it to the neighborhoods.”
* WGN | Cook County judge delays ruling in Ryan Field re-zoning lawsuit: A Cook County judge heard arguments for nearly two hours where attorneys for the City of Evanston and Northwestern argued to dismiss three out of four claims laid out in a lawsuit filed by Evanston residents and a non-profit organization called “The Most Livable City Association,’ or MLCA for short. […] In the end, the judge presiding over the case decided to delay a ruling until Friday, and attorneys in court Wednesday said they would not comment on pending litigation.
* Tribune | Uber rolls out blue checkmark system for rider verification in Chicago, 11 other cities: For accounts that aren’t immediately verified, the user can upload a picture of a government-issued identification card, such as a driver’s license or passport, and verify their account that way. Uploaded documents will be encrypted and not show up on a user’s profile. Heather Childs, chief trust and security officer for Uber, said in an interview Wednesday the new feature is “something drivers have been asking for” to promote safety on the platform.
* Crain’s | Jim Belushi nudges Pritzker to lower weed taxes: The state tax rate has long been a hot topic in the weed industry, and Belushi addressed it during the Cannabis Innovation Summit yesterday at startup incubator 1871. “I had a conversation with Gov. Pritzker, who I really think is on our side. He’s a good guy,” Belushi said. “I said, ‘Last year, you guys collected $417 million in cannabis taxes, and you collected $207 million in liquor taxes. There’s a lot more liquor stores and bars than there are dispensaries.’ ”
* Sun-Times | Early spring warming could be having an effect on bird migration: “A lot more, a lot earlier.”: Temperatures in March were six degrees above normal, according to the National Weather Service. “On average, a lot of these species are arriving four or five days earlier than they were 40 years ago,” said Stephanie Beilke, the senior manager of conservation science at Audubon Great Lakes. “It’s a little tricky to necessarily notice.”
* Block Club | Chicago Sky Games Against Caitlin Clark Should Be Moved To United Center, Fans Say: A new petition calls for the Sky to move its games against the Indiana Fever, led by former college star Caitlin Clark, from their home court at Wintrust Arena to the United Center. The Sky are scheduled to play the Fever June 23 and Aug. 30 at Wintrust Arena.
posted by Isabel Miller
Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 7:55 am
Previous Post: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and a campaign update
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Juicy tidbits in the Illinois Review article about Ozinga’s defeat as Will County GOP chair, by almost 2-1.
He got on the wrong side of the MAGA crowd on immigration issues apparently, and peeps were mad that the state party spent money in the primary to defeat rightwing candidates.
If he is smart, he will declare victory, walk away from politics completely, and find a new hobby.
Or think about joining Will County Democrats.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 8:04 am
It makes sense for Stephen Colbert’s show to come to Chicago. His recent work for the mega fundraiser for Joe Biden in NYC was impressive. His show is an “in kind” campaign contribution to the party.
Comment by Steve Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 8:29 am
Ozinga’s loss isn’t humiliating. Adopting an extreme agenda and promoting a fear based narrative to get votes is humiliating.
Comment by Lincoln Lad Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 8:35 am
‘His show is an “in kind” campaign contribution to the party.’
Don’t worry you still have 6 different propaganda channels running 24/7 last I looked.
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 8:43 am
==Adopting an extreme agenda and promoting a fear based narrative to get votes is humiliating. ==
It’s amazing to watch the far right and far left extremists intersect on tactics. Who does this ultimately benefit? Likely Russia and China IMHO.
Comment by Tara Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 8:51 am
BirdCast is a great site to use to see, in near real time, migrations, especially nighttime migrations.
https://birdcast.info/
Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 8:54 am
Re: Uber blue checks and the claim that “Uploaded documents will be encrypted and not show up on a user’s profile.”
Few companies have a history of dishonesty and recklessness as well-documented as Uber.
Entrusting them with a picture of one’s government-issued identification card looks like a recipe for disaster.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 9:15 am
The Ozinga defeat was self inflicted. He veered to the left thinking that’s the way the political winds were blowing but he obviously under estimated the voters in Will County. His abrupt resignation a few weeks ago and getting Sheehan appointed quick makes me think he knew that Chair position was in jeopardy. What’s not surprising is how the Republicans in Cook County under Morrison/ DelMar reign just keep voting for the same old results. Only 100,000 Republicans voted in the last primary. Granted some crossed over for OBrien but regardless the Cook GOP is a failure in every sense.
Comment by Long time independent Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 9:29 am
==Or think about joining Will County Democrats. ==
The hardest possible pass.
Comment by VK Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 9:30 am
== You are right. I forgot about the MSNBC branch of the Democratic party. Jen Psaki and more.==
Good point Steve. I forget, but can you remind me how many Billions of dollars MSNBC and Jen Psaki have paid out to settle lawsuits because they blatantly lied to the public in service to the Democratic Party?
Comment by Henry Francis Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 10:02 am
MSNBC? Anything “liberal / Democratic” they have ever done, every will do, pales in comparison to the February 2009 anti-TARP rant by Rick Santelli.
Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 10:29 am
Re: Caitlin Clark and the Sky
Moving to the United Center will enhance revenues for the WNBA. If we believe women should be paid more for their work, and if Caitlin Clark (as well as the current group drafted this year) has the ability to increase attendance, the WNBA ought to seriously consider whether they can enhance their income by doing so. Obviously, there are costs associate with moving a game. But increasing the fan-base this year has the potential of paying dividends over the next few years.
Comment by H-W Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 12:42 pm
=Moving to the United Center=
It would be interesting to see how many people would show up when Caitlin comes to town. I saw the first match up is nearly sold out. Capacity is 10,000 at Wintrust Arena. United is between 21 and 23K.
Comment by Just a Random Guy Thursday, Apr 18, 24 @ 3:52 pm