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More legislation in Illinois deals with ending a person’s life

May 1, 2024 by Barrington Hills Observer

By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square

Another bill has been introduced in Springfield dealing with end of life options for the terminally ill.

Illinois state Sen. Julie Morrison’s Senate Bill 2644 would establish a statewide electronic registry that would contain Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms, which detail what type of medical treatment a critically ill patient does and does not want.

“How much or how little treatment a person receives at the end of their life should be up to each individual instead of the one-size-fits-all approach,” said Morrison, D-Lake Forest, during a news conference Wednesday. “This measure will enable physicians to access forms detailing patients wishes in a single, accessible location.”

Currently, POLST forms can be maintained in hard copy or electronic format. Morrison’s measure would establish a single location to hold all POLST forms through the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, making it easily accessible to physicians throughout the state.

The Illinois Family Institute released a statement and said it suspects the move is in preparation for physician assisted suicide, which has been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly.

“We believe it’s in the best interest of a patient to keep his written end of life wishes among his close family members, especially the one he has chosen to be his health care power of attorney, and not to be made available in a statewide registry,” the statement read.

Read more here.

Related: “Legislation introduced to allow assisted suicide in Illinois”

Posted in Politics, Springfield | Leave a Comment »

Legislation to ban new natural gas hookups in Illinois introduced in Springfield

May 1, 2024 by Barrington Hills Observer

By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square

There’s talk about banning natural gas in Illinois.

A Democratic lawmaker has introduced legislation that would ban natural gas in new buildings.

The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, calls Senate Bill 3935 the Clean and Healthy Buildings Act.

“We must reduce pollution in our buildings and we must begin a managed transition away from dirty, expensive gas to more affordable clean energy solutions,” said Villanueva.

The subject has created a deep divide among Chicagoans after the idea was floated to the city council. Ald. Gilbert Villegas said it is much more expensive to heat a home with electricity.

“During the winter’s frigid temperatures, with tens of thousands of Chicagoans left without electricity, now is the worst possible time to hastily slam through an ordinance without examining true costs,” said Villegas.

Villegas added that a natural gas ban would cause the cost of electricity to spike, hurting low-income Illinoisans the most.

More here.

Posted in ComEd Four, Going green, Politics, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, WTF | 1 Comment »

Weight-loss drug coverage for Illinois state workers could cost hundreds of millions of dollars

May 1, 2024 by Barrington Hills Observer

Gov. JB Pritzker’s office estimates the weight-loss drugs — which include Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic — will cost taxpayers $210 million the first year. But others put that number much higher.

By Dave McKinney | WBEZ

Gov. JB Pritzker’s office pushed to expand coverage of high-priced weight-loss drugs for state government’s workforce, a quiet maneuver that could cost Illinois taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars starting this summer.

These boutique weight-loss drugs have been championed by former NBA star Charles Barkley, comedian Amy Schumer and others because of how they trigger dramatic changes in a person’s waistline. The results can be akin to bariatric surgery but at a prohibitive cost — in some cases, more than $16,000 a year.

In making highly sought-after injectable medications like Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic available to eligible enrollees in the state’s group health insurance program, Pritzker’s administration is seeking an estimated $210 million to fund the first full year of broadened coverage, starting July 1.

That’s when all health insurance carriers involved in the state health program have to cover those drugs for state workers, legislators, judges and their dependents.

Pritzker’s administration says access to the medication will yield important health benefits for those who take advantage of the benefit and would equitably give access to the medication across the state’s insurance plans.

But one economist who has studied the cost impact of this new class of drugs told WBEZ the state’s yearly outlay could cost as much as three times the state’s estimate, depending on the number of people who access the program.

That Illinois may soon experience such sticker shock is classic Springfield — as in, always read the fine print.

In an 899-page budget bill approved the final day of the spring legislative session last May, a four-sentence provision codified for the first time that carriers in the state program “shall provide coverage for all types of injectable medicines prescribed on-label or off-label to improve glucose or weight loss for use by adults diagnosed or previously diagnosed with prediabetes, gestational diabetes, or obesity.”

Read more here.

Posted in Mad Cows, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, Unions | 1 Comment »

Big Band jazz, roses and more for Mother’s Day at Palatine’s Durty Nellie’s

April 30, 2024 by Barrington Hills Observer

By Roy Vombrack

Big Band jazz and a rose for the first 25 moms are in store for Mother’s Day, May 12, at Durty Nellie’s Gastropub and Entertainment Hub, 180 N. Smith St., in Palatine.

The McHenry Community High School Jazz Ensemble, directed by Ryan Cabildo, will perform at 6 p.m., followed by the Jazz Consortium Big Band, led by Roy Vombrack, at 6:30 p.m.

Seating is limited, so reservations are encouraged. Call (847) 358-9150 or visit durtynellies.com.

The performance is for all ages, with a $10 cash cover, or $5 for ages 17 and younger with student ID. Food service is available throughout the evening, so moms can take in the Big Band sounds with menu selections from Durty Nellie’s newest menu.

Although the Jazz Consortium Big Band has been featured in concerts and venues throughout the Chicago area, including the prestigious Jazz Showcase and FitzGerald’s nightclubs, Nellie’s has remained its monthly home base the second Sunday each month for 13 years. The 17-member group’s performances are always open to all ages, and feature Big Band sounds from the Swing era to modern-day Big Band selections.

The Jazz Consortium Big Band’s upcoming schedule can be found at jcbigband.com.

Posted in Entertainment, Nostalgia | Leave a Comment »

Multiple states sue over Biden Title IX rule

April 30, 2024 by Barrington Hills Observer

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor

Several Republican attorneys general have sued over the Biden administration’s Title IX rule change, arguing it is illegal. More states are expected to follow.

The lawsuits come after the Biden administration’s Department of Education rewrote the Title IX statute to expand the definition of “sex” to include “gender identity.”

Title IX, which is part of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Title IX was created to prohibit discrimination against women in all educational programs that receive federal money, including K-12 schools, colleges and universities. The new rule redefines biological sex and requires schools to allow men and boys, claiming to be women and girls, respectively, to use female-only facilities and join female-only sports or lose federal funding.

The lawsuits were filed after Republican governors and state education commissioners last week said their states would not comply.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was among the first to speak out, saying, “Florida rejects [president] Joe Biden’s attempt to rewrite Title IX. We will not comply and we will fight back. We are not going to let Joe Biden try to inject men into women’s activities … undermine the rights of parents and … abuse his constitutional authority to try to impose these policies on us here in Florida.”

On April 25, Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr., sent a letter to all superintendents and charter school leaders stating, “at Governor Ron DeSantis’ direction no educational institution should begin implementing any changes. Instead of implementing Congress’s clear directive to prevent discrimination based on biological sex, the Biden administration maims the statute beyond recognition in an attempt to gaslight the country into believing that biological sex no longer has any meaning.”

Read more here.

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Posted in 220, 300, Barrington Education Association, Ethics, Girlie man, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, What the Ficke (Bradford)? | 1 Comment »

(Oh NO ya don’t) CTA, Metra and Pace could be combined under new measure

April 30, 2024 by Barrington Hills Observer

By Catrina Petersen | The Center Square

Democrat legislators have introduced the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act,  which would establish a new, fully integrated agency to deliver transit service throughout northeastern Illinois.

At a news conference, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said there will have to be changes made to the transit system to address a funding cliff and how to better operate the transit systems in the region.

“I like that there is creativity coming out of the General Assembly. I also think we need to make sure we are listening to other organizations, including the CTA, who ought to be coming forward with more about what changes need to take place,” said Pritzker.

Pritzker’s budget proposal calls for a diversion of $175 million in state taxpayer money committed to fund things like bridge repair and road improvement. Those taxpayer funds would be diverted to primarily Chicago-based public transit systems.

The proposed legislation would create a transit agency to oversee public transit across northeastern Illinois and companion legislation aims to spend $1.5 billion of taxpayer’s money in annual funding for public transportation.

Democrat legislators said the Chicago area needs a single, fully modernized transit agency to overcome a major operations funding shortfall. State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, said 95 out of the top 100 longest commutes stem from Black and Latino communities.

“That is at its core an equity issue. It’s harder for those communities to get to their jobs, schools and hospitals. We need to tackle the issue of what type of service we would like to see for our riders then we can talk about the funding that’s needed,” said Villivalam.

More here.

Posted in Clown Car, Ethics, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, SNAFU, Springfield, Taxes, Unions | Leave a Comment »

Chicago speed cameras fined motorists over $102M in 2023

April 30, 2024 by Barrington Hills Observer

Chicago speed cameras hit motorists with over $102 million in fines during 2023, and $879 million total since they started flashing a decade ago. The mayor promised to eliminate the automated traffic cams, which issued a ticket every 20 seconds last year.

By Patrick Andriesen | Illinois Policy Institute

Chicago speed cameras generated over $102 million from fining drivers in 2023, slapping a motorist with a speeding ticket every 20 seconds.

One of them was Ingrid Walker, 64, of Evanston, who received two speed camera tickets and incurred a late fee on one. She is disabled and said the tickets and fee would have cost her more than 10% of her fixed income of about $800 a month.

“The speeding tickets I got were at Western and Devon. I got one when I was coming back from the pharmacist to pick up compounded medication. The people in front of me were slowing down to talk to each other on the road,” Walker said. “It seemed like a dangerous situation, so I tried to speed up to get around them.”

“I vaguely remember a flash near the intersection and weeks later, I got a speeding ticket in the mail. It was a $35 ticket. By the time I was able to contact the city to pay them, the fines had doubled, and I learned I had received a second $35 ticket at the intersection.”

The bulk fine collections included late fees last year. Speed cameras collected $46.9 million from fines paid on time and an additional $55.4 million from speeding tickets that included a late fee – more than doubling the cost of those ticket

Late penalties can turn a $35 citation into an $85 fine. A $100 speeding violation can cost the driver $244 if the payment is late.

“I’ve never received a speeding ticket before,” Walker said. “I’ve done limousine driving, I used to do car transport driving. I’m a very conscientious driver. So, it surprised me that I got it when I was trying to be safe.”

The fines made for a very difficult month and Walker missed out on some necessities.

“It felt more like a punch in the face than a slap on the hand,” she said.

Read more here.

Posted in Big Brother, Cook, County, Illinois Policy Institute, Politics, Preckwinkle's Rules of Order, Unions, WTF | 1 Comment »

Floundering Illinois wind energy program blamed partly on (you guessed it) climate change

April 29, 2024 by Barrington Hills Observer

By Mark Glennon, founder of Wirepoints

Electricity generation from wind energy actually dropped six percent last year in Illinois, putting the state still further behind on its goals for renewable energy production. What caused that? Climate change itself, we are supposed to believe, played a part.

That’s the claim made in a recent Chicago Sun-Times news column headlined, “Will climate change suck the air out of Illinois’ wind power industry?” It was written by authors from Inside Climate News, which also published the column.

It was less windy in 2023 in Illinois, the article tells us, and that was because of big Canadian forest fires last year. And it blames climate change, of course, for forest fires.

The problem with the column isn’t just the shakiness of that theory. Instead, it’s that the column makes no mention at all of the vastly bigger reasons why wind energy is floundering in Illinois. That omission hides the bigger failures..

The 800-pound gorilla squashing wind energy production is the connection problem we explained  here.

In a monumental blunder, the federal government and states like Illinois are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build renewable energy sources, but they forgot the cost and difficulty of hooking those projects to the grid. Wind turbine projects simply aren’t in places served by most existing transmission lines.

That problem is recognized by both parties in Congress. None other than Sean Casten (D-Illinois), a leading supporter of the initial subsidies, now admits to how grave the problem is, saying that “80% of the clean energy progress we made with the Inflation Reduction Act will be lost unless we reform transmission and permitting.”

But efforts to fix the interconnection problem have stalled in Congress because the problem is so complex and cost so high. A fix might well cost trillions of dollar nationally (yes, trillions) and some argue the problem simply too complex to solve in any reasonable time frame.

Read more here.

Posted in Going green, OP/Ed, Politics, Springfield, Topics Of Interest, Wirepoints | Leave a Comment »

‘No Mow May’ is a little helpful, but native plants are better, experts say

April 29, 2024 by Barrington Hills Observer

By Jenny Whidden | Daily Herald

Several suburbs will see hundreds of unwieldy lawns next month as homeowners partake in “No Mow” programs, which exempt residents from local mowing codes in the name of providing shelter and food for early spring pollinators.

The hands-off lawn care practice, which originated in England, has been gaining traction across North America over the last five years, and suburban communities such as Westmont, Glenview, Lombard and Northbrook are gearing up for another year of “No Mow” programs, including “No Mow ’til Mother’s Day” and “Slow Mow May.”

While the trend has been celebrated for bringing awareness to the needs of pollinators, local experts say in reality, “No Mow” only helps the critters marginally. The key is the trend’s origin. Organizers say a spring lawn that grows longer and lets flowers bloom provides habitat, nectar and pollen for pollinators like native butterflies and bees. But turf grass and common flowering weeds are not native here in America.

Fine fescue, a species of grass native to Europe, is one lawn alternative being studied at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Conservation scientist Becky Barak said it’s a good option for those looking for a one-to-one substitute for traditional turf grass because it looks a lot like regular grass — but it doesn’t have to be mowed as frequently and it doesn’t need as much water. | Courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden

“(In England), the idea makes a lot of sense. Things like dandelions and clover and a lot of those things are actually native over there, and are adapted to the pollinators,” said Jamie Viebach, a horticulture educator with Illinois Extension’s Naperville office. “Over here, those things are all considered weeds — they’re not native. Our pollinators are not adapted to use them as well.”

And while the habitat provided after a month of not mowing can offer shelter for pollinators and other insects, the critters will nevertheless be in for a rude awakening under the mower’s blades come June 1.

Scientists at the Chicago Botanic Garden are researching a wide range of alternatives to traditional turf grass. The alternatives, which include fine fescue, native sedges and custom mixes of natives grasses and wildflowers, are sampled in these plots. | Courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden

Diane Blazek of the National Garden Bureau, a nonprofit gardening education organization based in Downers Grove, added that leaving your lawn unmowed for the month could also reap unforeseen consequences, such as encouraging pests and weeds, and even harming your turf grass.

That’s not to conclude the practice is entirely unhelpful. Experts say “No Mow” does bring awareness to the plight of pollinators struggling to find food and shelter in an increasingly urbanized world.

“Pollinators are in decline not only in Illinois but worldwide,” according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “Habitat loss, pesticide use, mites, competition from nonnative species and diseases are killing pollinators.”

Read more here.

Posted in Chicago Botanic Garden, Citizens for Conservation, Going green, Organizations, Topics Of Interest | Leave a Comment »

Harper College highlights student artwork during juried art exhibition

April 29, 2024 by Barrington Hills Observer

Harper College News Bureau

For most of the year, Harper College’s Art Exhibition Space displays exhibitions by artists who come to lecture and mentor Harper students as part of the visiting artist program. But, for a few weeks every spring, the students get to take over the gallery during the Student Juried Art Exhibition.

This free exhibition, which is open to the public, will display award-winning works by Harper’s student body through May 9 in Building C, Room C200, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

More here.

Posted in Education, Harper College, Topics Of Interest | Leave a Comment »

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