Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: GOP state senators push to move to next stage of reopening by Friday; Gov. Pritzker says that belies science
Illinois’ 19 Republican state senators urged Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker to move the state to the next phase of his pandemic reopening plan on Friday, two weeks earlier than would be possible under his guidelines.
The senators cited frustrations of some business owners watching the large gatherings of peaceful protesters in the response to the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.
Chicago Tribune: Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs $43 billion budget that relies on federal aid, borrowing to overcome holes left by pandemic
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday signed a roughly $43 billion state spending plan that relies heavily on federal aid and borrowing to plug budget holes created by the coronavirus pandemic.
While spending in the operating budget remains essentially flat from last year, the total plan for the year that begins July 1 includes repaying $1.6 billion that was borrowed to fill a shortfall in the current budget, and $2.2 billion in required transfers to other funds.
Chicago Sun-Times: Lightfoot angered by leaked audio from call with aldermen during looting
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday accused Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) of “illegally” taping her May 31 phone call with aldermen upset about looting and mayhem in their wards and “leaking” the part that included a profane exchange between them.
The mayor never mentioned Lopez by name, but her comments made it clear he was the one being accused. Lopez (15th), Lightfoot’s most outspoken critic on the City Council, denied the accusation.
WTTW: Pritzker says Illinois on track to move to phase 4, won't lift restrictions early
A group of Illinois Senate Republicans are calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to lift additional restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus by Friday — weeks ahead of the timeline outlined in the governor’s reopening plan for Illinois.
“We continue to hear from our constituents, those not protesting but who remain worried their businesses, their livelihoods and their communities remain at continued economic risk due to the restrictions in place resulting from COVID-19,” said Illinois Sen. Republican Leader Bill Brady in a tweet. “It is time to move Illinois into Phase 4.”
Capitol News Illinois: Pritzker: Illinois ‘shouldn’t have a second spike’ of COVID-19 if safety rules are followed
Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday that Illinois is on pace to enter the next phase of reopening after COVID-19-related shutdowns later this month, and added he doesn’t expect a second surge of the virus in the fall as long as safety guidelines are followed.
“If you go to the (Illinois Department of Public Health) website you’ll see that every one of the metrics, every one of the metrics by which the epidemiologists say we should be measuring our progress is going in the right direction,” the governor said. “Every one of them, and it’s because of what everybody has done across the state.”
The Center Square: More elected officials want to relax Pritzker’s COVID-19 restrictions sooner
Despite the continued decline in the rate of positive COVID-19 cases in all regions of the state and decreases in COVID-19 hospitalizations, Illinois’ economy is still among the most restrictive in the nation and a growing number of elected officials want to open things faster.
Illinois Senate Republicans are the latest groups to come out urging the governor to open things up sooner than the June 26 target date.
Chicago Sun-Times: $5 million fund will help Chicagoans ineligible for federal stimulus help during pandemic
More than 300,000 struggling Chicagoans ineligible for federal stimulus checks would get $1,000 in cash assistance from the city, thanks to a $5 million mayoral program unveiled Wednesday.
The cash assistance would come from the “Chicago Resiliency Fund,” a partnership between the city, The Resurrection Project and Open Society Foundations.
Crain's Chicago Business: Here's how Chicago will spend $1.13 billion in CARES Act funds
The City Council’s Budget Committee spent more than three hours today grilling Lightfoot administration officials from health, housing, violence prevention, business affairs and finance on the specifics for the city’s spending plans.
The Center Square: Some restaurants defy Pritzker’s dine-in ban
Under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan, restaurant dining rooms in Illinois are required to stay closed until June 26 at the earliest, but some restaurant owners have decided to open up anyway.
All four regions of the state are in Phase 3 of Pritzker’s five-phase reopening plan. Illinois restaurants can offer outdoor seating, but dining rooms must stay closed until June 26 at the earliest.
Associated Press: Chicago watchdog deems CPD record keeping inadequate
Chicago’s inspector general’s office contends in a report released Wednesday that the police department’s sloppy record keeping makes it difficult for the agency to comply with subpoenas.
The watchdog agency noted many of the Chicago Police Department’s records aren’t digitized and it is impossible for the staff to determine which paper records exist. The inspector general’s office asserts nearly three-quarters of requests sent to the police department’s subpoena unit last summer were never forwarded to other offices within the department to find related records.
Chicago Sun-Times: Lightfoot proposes moratorium on eviction of tenants strapped by pandemic
Chicago landlords would be prohibited from evicting tenants whose finances have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic without first trying to negotiate with them, under a mayoral plan tailor-made to stave off a wave of evictions.
With Cook County judges poised to resume eviction and foreclosure hearings on July 6, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has crafted a so-called “eviction protection” ordinance to slow down those proceedings. The City Council’s Housing Committee is poised to approve the plan Monday, followed by a full Council vote Wednesday.
Chicago Sun-Times: Masks on, buffets off as Illinois gambling regulators set guidelines for casinos to reopen
Gamblers might be allowed back around the craps tables at Illinois casinos this summer for their shot at rolling a lucky seven — as long as they stay six feet apart.
But blowing on the dice for good luck? No dice, in the age of COVID-19.
Rockford Register Star: Body cameras debut in the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office
While city leaders weigh protesters’ demands to equip Rockford police officers with body cameras, all uniformed deputies with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office will begin wearing body cameras on Thursday and correctional officers will be equipped with body cameras by the end of next week, Chief Deputy Rick Ciganek said.
The Winnebago County Board approved a plan Nov. 26 to outfit the sheriff’s department with 186 body cameras, 135 Tasers and 55 dashboard cameras from Scottsdale, Arizona-based Axon Enterprises Inc., formerly known as Taser International.
Chicago Tribune: What you need to know about closing Chicago city streets to make room for more outdoor dining space
It’s been nearly two weeks since Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a pilot program to close residential streets and commercial corridors in six Chicago neighborhoodsso that restaurants can seat guests outside. But it hasn’t happened yet. What’s going on?
Restaurants we contacted cited confusion about when the streets would actually close and how to be involved. All of the proposed corridors remain open for car traffic, and some restaurant owners said they hadn’t heard from the city at all. Others said they have been in contact with their local chambers to hammer out details or to propose changes to the project.
Daily Herald: New rules would allow marijuana shops in Rosemont entertainment areas
Two Rosemont entertainment districts are among the locations eligible to host recreational marijuana dispensaries under new zoning rules approved Wednesday by village trustees.
Parkway Bank Park, the prominent 200,000-square-foot complex east of the Tri-State Tollway that opened in 2012, and The Pearl District mixed-use complex, which opened on the other side of the tollway in 2018, are two of the three spots in town that would permit the pot shops, according to the zoning code changes board members signed off on.
Crain's Chicago Business: COVID-19's disproportionate impact on CTA ridership
When COVID-19 shut down Illinois in March, CTA ridership plunged as people sheltered in place. Many worked from home instead of going to the office, but not everyone had that luxury. Areas on Chicago’s South and West sides saw much smaller declines than in other, richer parts of the city that saw more than 50%. This map shows the percentage decrease at each CTA el stop in March compared to March 2019.
Northwest Herald: Former East Dundee officer accused of choking woman pleads guilty
A Lake in the Hills man and former East Dundee police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to choking a woman during an August 2019 domestic situation.
Michael Seyller, 46, of the 5500 block of Chantilly Trail, entered a blind guilty plea to a felony charge of aggravated domestic battery. The offense typically is punishable by three to seven years in prison.