Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke was sentenced to prison on corruption charges Monday. The judge gave the 80-year-old a two-year sentence and $2 million dollar fine. Federal prosecutors said Burke corruptly sought to steer tax-appeals work to his private law firm by pressuring developers of the Old Post Office, the owner of a Binny’s Beverage Depot, and a Burger King in his district.
Jun 25, 2024•28 min•Ep. 300
More than 140,000 Illinois government-sector workers and retirees received more than $100,000 in annual compensation in 2023, according to a new report from Wirepoints. Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski said Illinois residents are forced to pay among the nation’s highest property taxes, and one of the highest tax burdens overall, to fund the $100,000-plus government salaries and pensions of the public sector. Dabrowski explained how taxpayers paying these large salaries for a growing number of ...
Jun 21, 2024•24 min•Ep. 299
The state is moving ahead with plans to tear down and reconstruct Stateville Correctional Center in Will County. The facility was built in 1925, but conditions were described as “decrepit, unsafe and inhumane” by the prison watchdog group John Howard Association. During a Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability meeting Tuesday night in Joliet, Department of Corrections Acting Director Latoya Hughes said Stateville is too far gone to be repaired.
Jun 14, 2024•24 min•Ep. 298
A Sangamon County Circuit Court judge made a temporary injunction permanent, finding that enforcing a recently signed law that eliminates “slating” for General Assembly races in the 2024 election is unconstitutional. Last month, the Illinois General Assembly gutted and replaced a child welfare bill with changes to election law. They prohibited the slating of candidates for the November general election ballot if that candidate did not run in the March primary. Within three days of the idea surfa...
Jun 07, 2024•24 min•Ep. 297
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is heralding a budget that Republicans say was crammed down taxpayers throats in the dead of night. After the Senate approved the state budget package late in the evening Sunday, the House took the measure up in the early morning hours Wednesday. The measure spends $53.1 billion and increases a variety of taxes on businesses by about $730 million. State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, called out Democrats in the supermajority for violating their own rules by att...
May 31, 2024•24 min•Ep. 296
With the final scheduled session day on Friday, Illinois taxpayers remain in the dark about how state lawmakers plan to spend billions in taxes. Earlier in the day Thursday, at an unrelated event in Pontoon Beach, Gov. J.B. Pritzker gave scant details about the budget. But he was asked about his proposed tax increase on sports betting companies. “Most of the pushback of course is by the sportsbook companies that have made literally tens of millions of dollars from the state of Illinois and all w...
May 24, 2024•24 min•Ep. 295
Full Story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_438aa328-12f9-11ef-be51-0357e350a26f.html
May 17, 2024•24 min•Ep. 294
Illinois state agencies are being directed to prepare for $800 million less than what Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed for the fiscal year 2025 budget. The General Assembly has until May 31 to pass a budget with simple majorities. Fiscal 2025 begins July 1. Pritzker proposed a $52.7 billion budget in February that included about $1 billion in tax increases. In a memo obtained by The Center Square sent out to state agency directors Wednesday, Deputy Gov. Andy Manar said it has "become clear that oppos...
May 10, 2024•24 min•Ep. 293
In less than 24 hours, Illinois Statehouse Democrats passed a measure that changes election law, a move Republicans say is a slap in the face of voters in the middle of an election cycle. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signaled support. Senate Bill 2412 originally started as a measure impacting child welfare, but late Wednesday, House Democrats gutted the bill to bring about an elections measure. House Republicans voted present and walked off the floor in protest, saying the measure was dropped on them ...
May 03, 2024•24 min•Ep. 292
The Chicago Bears on Wednesday unveiled details about a proposed new stadium complex on the lakefront in which the NFL team will seek taxpayer funding, something that is not sitting well with Illinois' governor and legislative leaders. The team is planning to build a state-of-the-art, domed lakefront stadium near Soldier Field, its current stadium. The Bears said they'd provide over $2 billion for the project, which they said would cover over 70% of the costs. But projections put the total price...
Apr 26, 2024•24 min•Ep. 291
Advocates on both sides of the debate around gun control are using this week to champion their issues at the Illinois Statehouse. On Tuesday, hundreds of gun control advocates from Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action and others, including some from Minnesota, discussed their priorities during a rally at the Illinois Statehouse. One Aim Illinois Deputy Director Yolanda Androzzo pushed for gun control measures. “Illinois state legislators have the opportunity, it’s an opportunity to ensur...
Apr 19, 2024•24 min•Ep. 290
Illinois taxpayers will be paying significantly more so state employees can have "Cadillac" health insurance coverage. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability met Tuesday in Springfield to review the fiscal year 2025 state employees’ group insurance program. According to the 2025 budget plan, the State Employee Group Health and Life Insurance program is proposed to receive more than $6.9 billion, a 21% overall increase from last year, when the program received $5.7 billion. T...
Apr 12, 2024•24 min•Ep. 289
As Illinois public health officials handle the ongoing outbreak of measles originating in a Chicago shelter for noncitizens, the state’s public health director said Thursday that two cases of tuberculosis also have been identified at a migrant shelter. Last month, the first cases of measles were discovered at a migrant shelter in Chicago. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra reported to legislators in Springfield Thursday. Full Story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/ill...
Apr 05, 2024•24 min•Ep. 288
A shakeup at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board has Republicans calling for reforms. Illinois Senate Minority Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, said the resignation of two people from the PRB Monday, member LeAnn Miller and Chair Donald Shelton, following a recent parolee allegedly murdering a child and stabbing their mother is “another example of [Gov. J.B. Pritzker] failing to oversee an agency under his control.” State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, said the PRB shouldn’t be under Pri...
Mar 29, 2024•24 min•Ep. 287
(The Center Square) – Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vows to continue with his agenda despite an apparent defeat of his Bring Chicago Home referendum this week. The measure, which would have increased the city’s real estate transfer tax on properties over $1 million and, according to Johnson, use the funds to pay for homelessness programs, now appears to be rejected by voters. Fifty-four percent of voters said “no” to 46% “yes” with 98% of precincts reporting. “All the votes have not been counted...
Mar 22, 2024•24 min•Ep. 286
Illinois business owners are bracing for a potential tax hit from Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The governor’s proposed budget extends the cap on business net operating losses, but increases the cap to $500,000. His office estimates the “revenue adjustment” will raise $526 million, the bulk of the nearly $900 million of tax increases in his $52.7 billion spending proposal. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support...
Mar 15, 2024•24 min•Ep. 285
The Chicago Teachers Union is preparing for collective bargaining talks with the city, and the union's president suggested the new terms would cost taxpayers $50 billion. “We are asking you to give us an opportunity to tell our story. It will cost $50 billion, and three cent,” CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said Tuesday at the City Club of Chicago this week, setting the stage for upcoming negotiations with the city. "And so what? That's audacity." Some media outlets reported that Gates was "jok...
Mar 08, 2024•24 min•Ep. 284
A Cook County judge decided former President Donald Trump’s name should be removed from the Illinois primary ballot, but put a hold on the order expecting an appeal. Trump’s campaign said it will “quickly appeal.” In a 38-page ruling, the circuit court judge said the Illinois State Board of Elections’ unanimous decision to keep Trump on the ballot is overturned. A group of objectors challenged Trump’s access to the March 19 Illinois primary ballot alleging the former Republican president instiga...
Mar 01, 2024•24 min•Ep. 283
With a projected deficit of close to $900 million, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker presented his sixth State of the State and budget address Wednesday. The plan includes $52.7 billion in spending, roughly a 2% increase over the current fiscal year budget. What is sure to be a talking point in the coming months, the budget includes an additional $182 million for the care of migrants on top of what has already been spent. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/...
Feb 23, 2024•24 min•Ep. 282
A new Tax Foundation study finds Illinois with the second highest corporate tax rate in the country. Some say that signals more struggles ahead for the Land of Lincoln. The nonpartisan Tax Foundation ranked states by their corporate income tax rates as of Jan. 1, 2024. Six states, Texas, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota and Ohio, do not levy a corporate income tax. Of the 44 that do, Illinois’ 9.5% rate put the state at No. 2, up from No. 3 in last year’s report . The top spot in 2024 g...
Feb 16, 2024•24 min•Ep. 281
Battle lines are being drawn at the Illinois statehouse over whether to get rid of a lower minimum wage for tipped workers statewide. While some are advocating for tipped workers to get the minimum wage with tips on top, a legislator who also owns restaurants says such a move would be devastating to the economy. Advocates from the group One Fair Wage organized a rally outside of the Illinois statehouse Tuesday as legislators were returning. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/po...
Feb 09, 2024•24 min•Ep. 280
Former President Donald Trump has scored a victory in his battle to be included on the primary ballot in Illinois. The Illinois State Board of Elections voted 8-0 Tuesday to reject a challenge to Trump’s candidacy. Several Illinois voters contend that Trump encouraged the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol during protests of the 2020 election results and the 14th Amendment would apply to him. “He took a leading role in organizing, facilitating, supporting, directing and protecting a conservativ...
Feb 02, 2024•24 min•Ep. 279
With limited Illinois tax dollars, state officials are laying out their priorities amid ongoing budget pressures such as the hundreds of millions of dollars for migrant care. Promoting the taxpayer-funded $250 million Smart Start early childhood education initiative, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state will have to balance such future spending with other pressures. “And, if we don’t have enough resources for everything that everybody wants, what can we look to do in the future or what should we st...
Jan 26, 2024•24 min•Ep. 278
The migrant crisis in Illinois is prompting some policymakers around the state to take action. Tens of thousands of migrants have been transported to the state from the southern U.S. border. The city of Chicago reports about 33,000 asylum seekers have arrived since August 2022. The state of Illinois has provided $640 million to address the migrant influx. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city is facing a projected $538 million budget deficit for 2024, a financial burden his administration ...
Jan 19, 2024•24 min•Ep. 277
As communities across the state continue to evaluate how to deal with the prospect of buses dropped off migrants from the southern border, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritkzer says the state is limited in what it can do. A patchwork of ordinances across the state either regulate buses and hotel stays to deter migrant arrivals, or declare non-sanctuary status. In McClean County, Emergency Management Agency Director Cathy Beck asked local officials for rural places to put shelters if needed. Reached for co...
Jan 12, 2024•24 min•Ep. 276
A judge on Wednesday pushed back the start of the state's most high-profile public corruption case to October, citing a pending U.S. Supreme Court case focused on the federal bribery statute. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey set former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's racketeering case for Oct. 8, a six-month delay from the initial April start date. Madigan's defense team had asked for a stay in the case after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review Snyder v. United States, which f...
Jan 05, 2024•24 min•Ep. 275
With courts denying requests to delay the Jan. 1 deadline for Illinois gun owners to register now banned firearms with the state, lawsuits against the gun ban will continue in the new year. Last week, Southern District of Illinois federal Judge Stephen McGlynn denied a preliminary request for the Jan. 1 deadline to be delayed. Also last week, Attorney Thomas Maag filed for summary judgment against the law, alleging it violates citizens’ Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Months a...
Dec 29, 2023•24 min•Ep. 274
A federal judge wants to see all parties in his courtroom when he considers a motion to stay proceedings in the state's most high-profile corruption case. U.S. District Court Judge John Robert Blakey issued an order Wednesday for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to appear in court along with co-defendant Michael McClain, a former state lawmaker and close confidante of Madigan. The judge will consider the defendant's joint motion to stay proceedings at a hearing at 2 p.m. on Jan. 3 i...
Dec 22, 2023•24 min•Ep. 273
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has already signed a law to allow certain non-citizens to become police officers in Illinois. Now, the state's two U.S. senators want the same for the U.S. military. Many Republicans are opposed to the idea. House Bill 3751 , allowing certain non-citizens with work permits or who are Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients to be police officers, passed the Illinois General Assembly with bipartisan support during the spring session. The measure had the backing of the F...
Dec 15, 2023•24 min•Ep. 272
With the Jan. 1 deadline to register banned firearms approaching, Illinois has responded to a challenge of its gun and magazine ban in the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile, a separate gun ban challenge at the nation’s high court has been forwarded to the full court’s conference next month. Illinois enacted a ban on more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines over certain capacities on Jan. 10. The law also requires those with grandfathered firearms now banned to register them with Illinois ...
Dec 08, 2023•24 min•Ep. 271
