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Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Best wishes to WGN's Tom Skilling

 

[VIDEO] I'm sorry I didn't tune in tonight for the longtime Channel 9 meterologist Tom Skilling. On Wednesday night he signed off for the last time on Channel 9 and soon we'll be seeing more of Demetrious Ivory giving us our nightly weather updates.

It's sad to see longtime personalities move on from their most familiar roles. I want to wish Skilling the best in his retirement. He will be missed.

Here on this blog you can check current temperatures and current conditions at the top of this blog just under the blog title.

EDIT: This is about Tom Skilling if you're a fan find him at facebook.com/TomSkilling

Saturday, February 17, 2024

IL Channel - Cook County Dem State's Attorney candidates, a choice not an echo

[VIDEO] We see Public Affairs host Jeff Berkowitz discuss the race for Cook County State's Attorney - Kim Foxx the sitting State's Attorney is not running for re-election. 

Eilenn Burke and Clayton Harris are Democrats running to replace Kim Foxx. Former Alderman Bob Fioretti is running as a Republican. And Berkowitz points out that there is a Libertarian running also, Andrew Charles Kopinski.

Earlier this month there was a debate between the two Democrat candidates for State's Attorney. You can watch that here if you didn't see it the first time.

The primary election is March 19, 2024. This year in addition to Cook County State's Attorney we're voting for President, so in March we vote in a presidential primary for the candidate to stand for election in November 2024. Of course we vote for a Republican or Democrat committeeman err committeeperson. In addition to voting our respective state legislators, county judges, etc.

Check out ChicagoElections.org to see who's on your ballot when you vote.

Also, early voting is paused due to court order. A judicial candidate is to be kicked off a ballot! 

Early voting had started on February 15, 2024. However, as soon as it's open again that news will be shared here on this blog.

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

CapFax: (state senate president) Harmon still waiting for “clear direction” from mayor on elected school board

What's going on with that fully-elected schoolboard & what is that Chicago Teacher Union activist Mayor's position on this issue? Why won't he make a clear position on an elected schoolboard?

 

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Elected Chicago Board of Education district map

 The Illinois State Senate Democrat Caucus puts out new map for an elected Chicago School Board. This is the map below

You can also click here for an interactive map

Over at CapFax there is a demographic background. According to this tweet from Ben Szalinski the breakdown is 7 latino, 6 Black, and 5 white districts throughout the city. A vote in Springfield could come as soon as next week.

Saturday, September 9, 2023

Red Line extension gets $2 billion, one step closer to reality

Well this is what the Sun-Times says that $2 billion is pledged towards.

The $3.7 billion Red Line extension has “advanced to the final phase” of the painstaking, federal funding process. The feds are making a $2 billion commitment to cover half the cost and authorizing CTA to advance to the engineering stage, which CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. called the “final step ... in order to begin construction.”

The CTA hopes to award an engineering and construction contract and begin preliminary work before the end of this year, then reach the final step — a full-funding grant agreement with the feds. That would pave the way for construction of the extension and four stations to begin in 2025.

“You have heard us talk about this project for decades, but I’m here to tell you the project is now happening,” Carter told a news conference at the Red Line Extension Community Outreach Center, 401 W. 111th St.

The Red Line extension includes new stations at 103rd; 111th Street near Eggleston Avenue; along Michigan Avenue near 116th Street; and the new terminus at 130th Street near Altgeld Gardens.
Here's a WGN story about this which aired on the news yesterday. It features comments from Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Mayor Brandon Johnson, CTA Pres. Dorval Carter, and Ald. Anthony Beale as he will benefit from this new L branch. [VIDEO

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Michael Madigan gives up his ward committeeman position

 Not exactly huge news, but worth sharing I suppose.

The base of Michael Madigan's power as Speaker of the House and Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party is being the committeeman for the 13th Ward. There was a reason that he had been the longest serving speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives since about 1983 until he resigned in early 2021.

Well he resigned from his seat in the Illinois General Assembly, he dropped out of the running for his Speakership as his continued leadership was said to be toxic in Democrat races around the state. It came out that there was a sexual harassment scandal involving people on his staff.

And then of course there is this ComEd bribery business. People connected with his organization have faced trial and he will have his federal trial next year on April 1, 2024 - sorry to note this it's April Fool's Day '24.

However for a man who had been so powerful and I respect some aspects of his cunning and political acumen it's amazing how far he has fallen from power. He gave up his seat in the Illinois House of Representatives, his speakership, the chairmanship of the state party, and now his Democratic ward committeeman spot.

Times have truly changed.

Now petitions are circulating for next year. We vote for among other offices for President. In next years party primary one of those offices up for election is ward committeperson.

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

CapFax: CTU president won’t answer questions about enrolling her son in private prep school

 Let me enter a quote before we link to Capitol Fax

To me, the Chicago Magazine quote, “I can’t advocate on behalf of public education and the children of this city and educators in this city without it taking root in my own household” really leaves her open to this.

Thursday, August 24, 2023

How to beat the heat?

 

[VIDEO] As I write this at 12:00 Noon the temperature is 97°F here in Chicago - according to Accuweather - and we're in a serious heatwave which actually started on Wednesday. This WGN-TV report shows cooling centers open around the Chicago area. 

If you are in need of a cooling shelter please call 311. Here's a link from the City of Chicago for six community service centers utilized as cooling areas. Masks are currently required however. Dang you coronavirus! 

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

CapFax: MAA grills the mayor on the CTU, CPD and Arwady

 NBC Chicago's Mary Ann Ahern speaks with Mayor Johnson and when you click through to the Capitol Fax blog be prepared for the evasive answers.


Monday, July 10, 2023

Op-ed: Gun violence dominates the news, but is crime out of control in Chicago

Something for you to read regarding Chicago crime, if you can get past the Chicago Tribune paywall perhaps it's worth reading.

h/t CapFax that provides an excerpt if you can't get poast the paywall.

Thursday, June 22, 2023

WGN: Many becoming impatient with Mayor Johnson's approach of getting to root of crime in Chicago

 

[VIDEO] Well, do you think Brandon Johnson in addition to wanting to hire more police detectives could instead hire more police officers? More people on a beat? Just as it seems the city council has, have you grown impatient with Mayor Johnson's "mulit-tiered" approach to the crime issue?

Friday, June 2, 2023

Capitol Fax: Crowds ease at Mexican border, but will that lead to fewer asylum-seekers in Chicago?

 Many of us are concerned about the illegal immigrants who have been bused from such places as Texas or Florida to Chicago which is considered a "sanctuary city". This may be old news to some of you, I've heard that a lot of these immigrants are being housed in some of our closed schools, those that were closed over a decade ago.

It's been in the news that many of these illegals immigrants are sheltering in many of our district police facilities also. Just look for any local news story about them on WGN, WLS, or WBBM.

Then I see that that the number of immigrants have begun to slow at the Southern US border, does this mean less busing into Chicago? Check out today's post from CapFax


Monday, May 15, 2023

Inauguration Day - City of Chicago

 A new city council, a new mayor, in addition to the incumbent treasurer and clerk get sworn into office today. Check out the live feed from our WLS-TV. [VIDEO]


Saturday, May 6, 2023

District maps for an ELECTED Chicago School Board.

Board of Education
 

I saw a communication about this months ago via State Sen. Elgie Sims.

Both the State House and State Senate has released maps for the public with regards to the elected Chicago Board of Education. h/t CapFax

Here's the map from the Illinois Senate so that you can see where your home will sit as far as who you might vote for in the future. There's a link the Illinois House of Representatives site however as I click through it seems the House is only linking to the Senate's map.

The school board districts must be drawn by July 1, 2023. According to the redistricting site of the Illinois Senate

In 2021, the Senate and House passed House Bill 2908, which creates a fully elected school board for Chicago Public Schools that will be in effect as of January 15, 2027.

Starting January 15, 2025, a two-year hybrid period begins, with 10 members being elected to four-year terms, 10 members being appointed by the mayor to two-year terms, and the board president being appointed by the mayor for a two-year term.

Starting January 15, 2027, when the mayor-appointed terms expire, the 10 members and the elected at-large member will be elected to four-year terms.

The General Assembly must comply to the July 1, 2023 deadline to draw Chicago school board districts, which must be consistent with the Illinois Voting Rights Act.

Monday, May 1, 2023

Lori Lightfoot says she's done with electoral politics #ChiMayor23

 

[VIDEO] In her interview with ABC 7 since her first round loss in February in her re-election bid for mayor she brushes aside her combative style as why she lost in the first round. Though she does admit there are many things she could've done differently. She even stated if she could get 4000 votes across Black Chicago she'd still be mayor.

Now I saw some speculation on Twitter about her possibly running for Cook County State's Attorney and Lightfoot was a federal prosecutor. Some might say she was a better prosecutor than mayor - which well that's the truth. Some might say she might go back to the Justice Department perhaps even become Chicago's US Attorney although I don't know if there is a vacancy there.

Regardless she did state that she's done with electoral politics. Is it safe to say she won't run for office ever again?

BTW, I forgot to note in reference to the State's Attorney that last week Kim Foxx stated that she will not run for re-election next year. So that position is now an "open seat"! 

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Tucker Carlson: Democrats are stoking racial violence

 

[VIDEO] Perhaps some of you in this audience is watching FOX News and some of you probably are no fans of Tucker Carlson. However, I did want to share this monologue with you all. This aired on his TV program last night.

And he connects the chaos that occurred in Chicago both downtown - near Millennium Park - and near 31st Street on the south side with chaos going on around America (shown in above video is the chaotic scene at a gas station in Compton, California). It just shows how the eyes are on Chicago and especially since the DNC will have their convention here next summer. If this is already going on now, can they handle the potential chaos of the Democrat National Convention? There will be protests and of course another concern could be rowdy youth converging in one place.

This is something that perhaps the mayor to be Brandon Johnson could get ahead of except as you see here, his own words in an interview during 2020 could be used against him. Ahh which could've been used against him in the recent mayoral race except well perhaps not very effectively and he's going to be mayor for the next four years.

I want to have optimism that as Tucker states Mayor-elect Johnson isn't an ideologue. His way with words, his ability to talk is probably an improvement over Mayor Lightfoot who seemed to refuse to call out the chaos in downtown this past weekend for what it is.

Regardless it's amazing that this story has wings. Shots fired in the loop. Young people fighting each other in the streets. Youth running around disrupting traffic. A young couple being assaulted by said youth. A car burning in the middle of a street. Young people jumping up and down on top of anything from a CTA bus to a car. It's a shame.

So while our new mayor doesn't seem to condone the looting he still doesn't want to condemn the young people whom people say lack opportunities in their communities. I'd be curious how he intends to provide those young people opportunities. Whether jobs, educational, recreational, or even just services to address whatever is going on at home.

With the DNC coming to the city next year, the eyes will be on the Windy City. The new mayor needs to take control and not make excuses for this unfortunate behavior.

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Illinois Channel: Will Mayor-Elect Johnson IGNORE the Biggest Issue?

 

[VIDEO] Illinois Channel Director Terry Martin & Public Affairs host Jeff Berkowitz discuss mayor-elect Brandon Johnson. One question to ask if the mayor-to-be would ignore the issue of crime that most Chicagoans are worried about?

I see only that last-night there was some issues - most call it a melee or a mini-riot - near the 31st Street beach on Friday night. Most who commented on this via Twitter just joked that the Mayor-elect would sent social workers to this instead of a significant police presence.

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Chicago will host the 2024 DNC

 Well next year the Windy City will be host to the Democrat Nat'l Convention. This is hitting the wires today.

It has been in the news that Gov. Pritzker, Sen. Duckworth, and outgoing Mayor Lightfoot had been working on a bid to get the 2024 Democrat convention here in Chicago. It seems their work has been successful and perhaps it will be incoming Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson big opportunity to showcase the city he will soon be set to lead for the next four years.

CNBC:

The Democratic Party has chosen Chicago as the site of its 2024 convention.

President Joe Biden called Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to tell him about Chicago’s selection Tuesday morning before leaving for Ireland.

“Chicago is a great choice to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention,” Biden said in a statement. “Democrats will gather to showcase our historic progress including building an economy from the middle out and bottom up, not from the top down.”

The City of Big Shoulders last hosted a convention in 1996, when then-President Bill Clinton ran for re-election and Democrats helped make famous the “Macarena” dance.
...
“The last Chicago convention was a huge success. It makes sense to put the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 2024. Every facility where it will be located will be a union facility. Every hotel is a union hotel,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth told NBC News Thursday. “We are a state that guaranteed in multiple ways the right of women to have reproductive choice. And in fact, we are a beacon of hope and security for women’s health care from all of the states around us.”

Chicago was first viewed as a leading contender more than a year ago. But the DNC has a more troubled history in the city, when police brutality was on display at the 1968 Democratic convention. Thousands of Vietnam War protesters descended on the city in a wide-scale rebuke of the war. Police tear-gassed, dragged and beat demonstrators — images that were captured on television. That moment gave birth to a chant, “the whole world is watching,” signifying activism in the face of abusive authority.

The decision to choose Chicago came after deliberations and site visits from Democratic National Committee members. In recent months, the DNC viewed Chicago and Atlanta as the front-runners, with New York City remaining in the mix.

Part of me wishes the convention could be held at House of Hope in Pullman. Well one day there will be a major convention there with connections to the action in downtown. It's logical that the DNC will hold their convention at the United Center aka the Madhouse on Madison.

For those of you who are Republican or those Republicans who still exist in our great city, the GOP will host their nat'l convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It seems there will be focus on these Great Lake states (really Wisconsin, Michigan & Pennsylvania) which proved very pivotal in 2016 & 2020. 

Saturday, March 25, 2023

NewsNation: Tale of two Democrats running for Mayor #ChiMayor23 #RushHour

 

[VIDEO] WGN Anchor Ben Bradley goes on NewsNation's Rush Hour program to talk about the mayoral election. He is already predicting 30% voter turnout among those voters who have a vested interest in the system, the teacher's union. Crime is a big issue, however, they talk a little about the education system.

Brandon Johnson is a former teacher and an organizer for the teacher's union vs. Paul Vallas who former ran CPS in the 1990s under Mayor Daley. Could the teacher's union make a difference in the April 4th runoff?