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Friday, May 7, 2021
A good bill in Springfield would help rein in electronic snoops
In a world where nothing online is safe from hackers, should we have to
worry about private information falling into nefarious hands? Household electronic devices collect, store and transmit a
lot of sensitive information about us that should stay private, if
that’s our wish.
But smart TVs, video doorbells, smart thermostats, locks
linked to wifi, virtua...
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Friday, May 7, 2021
Democrats chart new legislative maps behind closed doors, but insist, ‘It’s nothing new, there’s no secret’
Redistricting (78)
Standing outside the Democratic map room on Thursday, House Republicans
blasted the majority for a redistricting process the GOP dubbed “the
literal opposite of transparent.” Across the street from the Illinois State Capitol in the
backroom of a government office building, Democrats are huddled behind
closed doors drawing the legislative maps that will be used over the
next ten ...
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Friday, May 7, 2021
Just five weeks to reopening? Or two months? Pritzker and Lightfoot at odds, yet again, on COVID-19 restrictions
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that barring another surge of infections, he’ll
let the state fully reopen June 11. It’s the clearest timeline Pritzker
has set for most of the state to return to business as usual — and one
that puts him in disagreement with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who is sticking
to a more conservative potential reopening date of July 4. An ordeal ...
< read more >
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Friday, May 7, 2021
Citing higher revenue projections and in the face of bipartisan pushback, Gov. J.B. Pritzker agrees to school funding increase
Budget--State (8)
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker backtracked Thursday on one of the most
controversial components of his budget proposal, saying improved revenue
projections will allow the state to meet the goal in its education
fundin...
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Friday, May 7, 2021
Gov. Pritzker, don’t sign a weak ethics bill
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has an opportunity to rebuild trust with voters who repeatedly < read more >
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Friday, May 7, 2021
Pritzker adds $350 million for K-12 schools The reason: "Our collective economic and fiscal outlook is brighter than it was even three months ago."
Education Funding (36a)
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Friday, May 7, 2021
Proposed weed bill calls for three lotteries The plan also would eliminate a rule preventing pot shops within 1,500 feet of each other.
Marijuana, Medical, Recreational
The latest proposal to fix the state’s marijuana law calls for three lotteries to get more retail shops open.
A new draft of the bill woul...
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Friday, May 7, 2021
Illinois could fully reopen as soon as June 11
State restrictions will ease further
starting next week, and Chicago is on track to match that pace. Here's
how Illinois' reopening timeline compares with other states. | |
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Friday, May 7, 2021
Let's think big, Chicago—at least on these two fronts
Chicago (16)
Some stars may be aligning in promising
ways for the mayor's casino dream, the Bears' stadium ambitions, and two
development firms with a lot on the line. | |
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Friday, May 7, 2021
Pritzker lets ComEd get away with it
ComEd (94)
,
Pritzker, J.B.
A review of the governor's proposed energy legislation leads to an inescapable conclusion: Crime pays.
A review of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's pro...
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Friday, May 7, 2021
Democrats appear set to betray citizens on fair legislative maps
Redistricting (78)
As we monitor the progress, if that's the word, of
legislative and congressional redistricting in Illinois, it is difficult
for us to describe the depths of our disappointment in legislative
leaders, the governor and, especially, suburban Democrats who have been
outspoken and influential in the process in the past.
Redistricting, or creating leg...
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Friday, May 7, 2021
GOP leaders again call out House Dems for redistricting 'hypocrisy'
Redistricting (78)
Illinois House Republicans continue to demand a "fair"
redistricting process, following a news report depicting Democratic
lawmakers meeting behind a closed door to discuss the mapmaking process.
The "secretive" room on Capitol grounds where
House Democrats are said to be drawing maps was first reported by
WCIA-TV's Mark Maxwell. In response to the report, House Repu...
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Friday, May 7, 2021
GOP senators call for standardized election procedures across all counties
Election Issues (not candidates) (39)
Rezin, Sue--State Senate, 38
Two Republican senators have introduced legislation to
standardize the way local authorities across Illinois handle elections,
from the training of election judges to posting information about
delays in ballot counting.
Sens. Sally Turner, of Beason, and Sue Rezin,
of Morris, said during a virtual news conference Thursday their bill is
intended to provide more trans...
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Friday, May 7, 2021
Pritzker now says budget can include added $350 million for schools
Education Funding (36a)
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Pritzker, J.B.
Citing an "improved" economic outlook, Gov. J.B.
Pritzker announced Thursday his support to increase evidence-based
education funding in the state by $350 million in fiscal year 2022,
which begins July 1.
In his February budget proposal, Pritzker
originally proposed flat spending for education, citing "financial
uncertainty" amid the COVID-19 pandemic. < read more >
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
More charges could be coming in federal bribery case involving former Illinois House speaker’s inner circle
ComEd (94)
A defense attorney said Wednesday that prosecutors are preparing a superseding indictment. Defense attorneys have told a judge overseeing the
federal bribery case involving members of former House Speaker Michael
Madigan’s inner circle that prosecutors are on the “brink” of filing a
superseding indictment in the case.
Such an indictment could ...
< read more >
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
Endangered history: From Thompson Center to ‘Green Book’ sites, group lists Illinois’ most endangered historic structures
Historic Preservation, historic sites (50)
After a year off in 2020, Illinois historic preservationists on Wednesday announced their < read more >
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
Michael Madigan is elephant in courtroom as lawyers in ComEd bribery case hint more charges are coming, former lawmakers appear before grand jury
ComEd (94)
Michael Madigan was the elephant in the courtroom Wednesday as lawyers
for four people charged with conspiring to bribe the former speaker on
behalf of utility giant Commonwealth Edison said they expect more
charges ...
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
More bad news for higher education: Illinois community college enrollment plummets as COVID-19 sidelines would-be students
Education--Higher (37)
Enrollment declines at Illinois colleges and universities continue to
outpace other states, with community colleges shouldering the brunt of
the losses, as the coronavirus pandemic looms over another school year,
acc...
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
s Illinois no longer a deadbeat? Not exactly, but there is good news on the state’s finances.
Comptroller (21)
Good news has been all but nonexistent when it comes to the abysmal
state of Illinois’ finances. The state’s pension shortfall stands at a
hard-to-fathom $141 billion. Its bond rating continues to hover ne...
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
CEOs rank Illinois among worst states to do business
Meanwhile, nearby Indiana was named one of the best.
Chief executive officers from across the country have < read more >
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
Legislative leaders frown on some of Pritzker's proposed 'corporate loophole' closing
Legislature (56)
Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch and
Senate President Don Harmon suggest the governor will get some but not
all of the $932 million he wants. | |
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
These are the most endangered places in Illinois
A Loop white elephant, "Dick and Jane's"
former suburban headquarters and relics of our segregationist
past: Check out photos of the places under threat of vanishing.A Loop
white elephant, "Dick and Jane's" former suburban headquarters and
relics of our segregationist past: All join a list...
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
Why we need vaccine passports—and why they'll never happen
These digital documents promise to provide
their owner with unfettered access to everything travel offers, much
like the old normal many of us yearn for. Sounds good in theory, but
there's a catch. Actually, several of them.Pent-up demand for domestic and international travel is overwhelming
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
House speaker says minority representation key to remap effort
Redistricting (78)
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, a
Democrat from Hillside, stepped back from supporting an independent
commission on legislative redistricting in comments Wednesday to the
Illinois Press Association/Illinois Press Foundation.
Welch wrote < read more >
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
Illinois House votes to endorse 'abolition amendment,' D.C. statehood
Legislature (56)
The Illinois House voted Wednesday to endorse a
proposed U.S. constitutional amendment that would finally eliminate what
some see as the last vestige of slavery in the United States -- forced
labor by people convicted of crimes and sentenced to prison.
House Joint Resolution 7, by Rep. Mary
Flowers, a Chicago Democrat, calls for passage of the proposed
"abolition am...
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