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Archive for March, 2023

District 220 Board of Education candidates Katey Baldassono, Leonard Munson and Matt Sheriff share their vision

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Deception, Elections, Ethics, His Master's Voice, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Unions, Video Recordings, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on March 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

220 White Hats

Katey Baldassano, Leonard Munson and Matt Sheriff

Three candidates running for District 220 Board of Education seats were interviewed on AM 560 radio earlier today.

Katey Baldassono, Leonard Munson and Matt Sheriff can be heard sharing their thoughts on the issues in an very informative twenty-minute interview here.

Related: “Parents at top-rated school expose pornographic books in IL school library (DISCRETION ADVISED),” “The District 220 Policy Committee has a lot on their plate tomorrow,” “Who’s minding Leah and Barry’s campaign finances,” “What 220 voters need to know continued, including our recommendations,” “What 220 voters need to know,” “220 Parents call BS!”

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Roads & Bridges Committee meets today

Posted in Agenda, Audio Recordings, Cuba Rd Bridge, Cuba Township Road District, Ethics, FUBAR, Mac's Property Management, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Roads & Bridges Committee, TMI, Transparency, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President on March 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

3.23 RB

The Roads & Bridges Committee meets today at 4:00 PM at Village Hall. This will be the first time the Committee has met November 8 (See, “Special Election Day Roads & Bridges meeting today”).

A copy of their agenda can be viewed here.

Related: “Some perspectives on the proposed 2023 Appropriations Ordinance”

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Kane County forest preserve may once again become home to bison

Posted in Animal Welfare, BACT, Cook, County, FPDCC, Going green, Horizon Farm, Kane, Land Use, Mówimy po polsku, Nostalgia, Politics, Property Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Uncategorized on March 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Bison

A bison grazes in 2013 in a forest in eastern Poland. Kane County Forest Preserve Commissioners approved a plan this week to bring bison to the Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve. (Associated Press)

It’s been 200 hundred years since bison roamed the prairies of Kane County, but a new plan to reintroduce them into a local forest preserve may turn back the clock.

Kane County Forest Preserve commissioners approved a plan this week to bring a handful of bison to the Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve. The plan centers on one of the main ecological goals of restoring tallgrass prairie to the county’s preserves. Before the surrounding area developed, fire and the grazing habits of wild animals, such as bison, provided natural management of the grasslands. Preserve officials reintroduced controlled burns to the preserves many years ago.

Executive director Ben Haberthur told commissioners now is the time to reintroduce bison to restore the grazing aspect of grassland management. Up to 90% of the diet for bison is grasses.

“The grasses evolved with grazing,” Haberthur said. “So it actually promotes the soil microbiome to grow more. Bison are native to Illinois, and they are definitely native to this county. They will bring a big component back to the ecosystem, namely fertilizer.”

District officials experimented with the benefits of animal grazing in the preserves with cattle in the Aurora West Forest Preserve. That experiment resulted in the flourishing of the restored grasslands in the preserve. Officials see bison as the next step in returning the grasslands to their most natural state and care.

The Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve is in the Pleasant Valley Conservation Alley north of Huntley and in the northwest portion of the county. The plan calls for two paddocks of 30 acres each with an additional 89 acres seeded for pasture. For the safety of the animals and the public, the areas containing the bison would be fenced, which accounts for the bulk of the initial cost of the project.

Read more here.

Editorial note: As we’ve suggested before, there is ample acreage at Horizon Farm for the Forest Preserves of Cook County to consider such an endeavor.

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We’ve Come a Long Way, Ladies! A Musical Centennial Celebration of the 19th Amendment

Posted in Entertainment, Politics on March 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Audrey-Johnson-e1672598046714

“We’ve Come a Long Way, Ladies!” is an interactive, multisensory experience that takes the audience back in time to the American Women’s Suffrage Movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment. Mezzo soprano Audrey Johnson has combined her vocal talents and experiences from her operatic performing career with her patriotic passions to create the series Of Thee I Sing: American Heritage Through Song. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of American women’s right to vote, this program is a combination of historical songs, engaging narratives, corresponding historical images, captivating on-stage costume transformations, and lively audience participation, creating a performance experience that is truly one of a kind. She is joined by collaborative pianist James J. Morehead.

The program showcases historical songs that take the audience on a journey back in time into the lives of these brave American patriots. Historical images, authentic costuming, an engaging spoken narrative, and audience participation make this a performance experience unlike any other. ​Program highlights include the foreshadowing warning of Abigail Adams to the founding fathers that they should “Remember the Ladies”; the role of ladies’ fashions within the movement and the strategies – and scandals – that ensued; and Frederick Douglass’s vital role and contribution to Women’s Suffrage at the official beginning of the movement.

3 PM Sunday, March 19, at Barrington’s White House, 145 W. Main St., Barrington. Click here for more information or purchase tickets.

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Chicago fastest growing city in U.S. for auto thefts

Posted in Crime, Topics Of Interest on March 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Fulton

The city of Chicago easily outpaced the rest of the country as the fastest growing city for auto thefts in 2022 with larcenies rising by 55%.

With such acts of vandalism on the rise across the country as part of an ongoing pandemic-fueled outbreak, a new National Insurance Crime Bureau (NCIB) annual study found Illinois had the largest percentage increase among larger states at 35%.

“Over one million vehicles were stolen nationwide in 2022,” NCIB president and CEO David Glawe told The Center Square. “States that saw the largest increase in vehicle thefts were Illinois, Washington and New York. There is little deterrence with vehicle thefts treated as property crimes. Organized gangs and juveniles steal vehicles and use them to facilitate other crimes. To stop this lawless behavior, we must re-invest in our law enforcement partners, support community engagement and policing programs and implement successful early intervention programs for at-risk youth.”

Across the country, thefts were up 7%, pushing the number of stolen vehicles over 1 million for the first time in more than 15 years. Overall, including carjackings, Chicago had 21,516 reported auto thefts over the year, up by nearly 8,000 from 13,856 the previous year.

As part of its campaign to stem the tide, the Chicago Police Department over the past several months has instituted an expanded vehicular hijacking task force. Through February, there were 232 reported carjackings across the city this year, a 23% decline over the same period in 2022.

At the same time, overall motor vehicle thefts are sharply up over the first two-plus months of this year, with 5,375 reports of stolen vehicles through March 5, a 138% increase, according to Chicago Police Department crime statistics.

Read more here.

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Lake County endorses turning 1,100-acre highway-expansion land into ‘greenway’

Posted in County, Going green, Lake, Topics Of Interest on March 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Lake Greenway

Proposed Lake County greenway.

The Lake County Board formally endorsed a proposal Tuesday to transform 1,100 acres of land — originally set aside for a now abandoned highway expansion project — into a “greenway” that would connect trails, forest preserve land and open green space in the central part of the county.

Though the vote is mostly symbolic, its passage signals to state legislators and Gov. J.B. Pritzker that there is intragovernmental support for the greenway idea backed by the 20-member Route 53 Land Expansion Alternative Use Task Force, which reached that decision in December after meeting throughout 2022 in accordance with a directive from the General Assembly.

It’s also an emphatic victory for environmental activists long opposed to the expansion of Route 53, for which the land was originally acquired.

Speaking on behalf of a coalition of environmental organizations supporting the greenway, Midwest Sustainability Group executive director Barbara Klipp mused that government entities originally started buying up parcels of land for eventual Route 53 expansion about 60 years ago, when she was born.

“This corridor represents one of the most scenic landscapes remaining in Lake County,” Klipp said. “And we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fully unleash its value as an iconic nature trail and conservation area where residents of our communities can treasure the atmosphere that makes central Lake County such an amazing place to live.”

More here.

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Chicago’s Morning Answer hosts cover District 220 elections

Posted in 220, Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Deception, Elections, His Master's Voice, Illinois State Board of Elections, League of Women Voters, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Unions, Video Recordings, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on March 14, 2023| 1 Comment »

Proft

Chicago Morning Answer’s Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson weighed in on some of the issues voters are considering before voting in the April 4 District 220 Board of Education elections.

Their podcast, recorded yesterday, can be heard here.

Related: “Parents at top-rated school expose pornographic books in IL school library (DISCRETION ADVISED),” “The District 220 Policy Committee has a lot on their plate tomorrow,” “Who’s minding Leah and Barry’s campaign finances,” “What 220 voters need to know continued, including our recommendations,” “What 220 voters need to know,” “220 Parents call BS!”

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County forest preserve districts restore land through regenerative agriculture: ‘This is the answer to climate change’

Posted in Going green, Resident Spotlights on March 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Cliff

Cliff McConville of All Grass Farms located within the Brunner Family Forest Preserve Wednesday March 8, 2023 in Dundee Township. (Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com)

Before his farming days, Cliff McConville worked in the Loop downtown for years, commuting to an array of jobs in the insurance industry from his home in Barrington Hills.

In 2011, McConville transferred to a remote job, and with an extra two and a half hours or so on his hands, he turned to raising chickens and a handful of beef cows on his property’s eight acres.

McConville, who spent his childhood in Mount Prospect before heading to Austin, Texas, for high school and college, had always wanted a farm and had become interested in the idea of regenerative agriculture through books and documentaries.

The farming and grazing practice of regenerative agriculture, heralded by environmentalists as a major solution to climate change and water issues, is a conservation alternative to conventional farming that focuses on rebuilding soil health and biodiversity.

With high demand for sustainably raised, grass-fed cows, McConville’s business took off. Today, alongside a 400-acre operation in Wisconsin, he runs 150 acres of pastureland within the Brunner Family Forest Preserve through a long-term lease with the Kane County Forest Preserve District.

Though county forest preserve and conservation districts are charged with restoring land to the natural prairie and woodland of Illinois, it’s a slow and costly process. As a result, large swaths of district land are often leased out to farmers like McConville while awaiting restoration.

Read more here.

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22 states, including every Illinois neighbor, cut income taxes permanently. But not Illinois.

Posted in Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Springfield, Taxes, Unions on March 14, 2023| 1 Comment »

All alone

State lawmakers across the country have given their residents permanent tax relief over the last two years. In all, 22 states have cut individual tax rates since 2021 as a result of booming state-government revenues. Michigan is the latest state to cut its income tax, triggered by overflowing coffers. That means every single one of Illinois’ neighbors have cut taxes within the last few years.

Instead of tax cuts for Illinoisans, Sen. Robert Martwick, an ally and surrogate for Gov. J.B. Pritzker, recently filed new legislation calling for a progressive tax scheme – never mind most of the country is moving away from progressive taxes and toward flat structures, and that Illinoisans rejected a similar proposal in a 2020 referendum.

A renewed call for a progressive tax hike is bad news for Illinois in the nationwide competition for people and businesses. We’ve documented in detail how Illinois continues to lose population and businesses to other states. Illinois’ lack of competitiveness is made all the worse as other states make themselves even more attractive through permanent tax cuts.

All of Illinois’ neighbors have made and are making significant moves to lower taxes:

  • Iowa passed laws in 2021 and 2022 to accelerate the state’s already-planned move from a progressive tax to a flat tax. The state’s top income tax rate was dropped from 8.53 percent to 6.0 percent in 2023 and Iowa will fully transition to a flat tax rate of just 3.9 percent by 2026.
  • Missouri passed a law in 2022 to accelerate the state’s already-planned drop in its income tax rates. The state’s top income tax rate decreased from 5.3 percent to 4.95 percent in 2023. Missouri’s top tax rate is on income above just $8,968 a year, so it’s effectively a flat tax state.
  • Indiana passed a law in 2022 that dropped the state’s flat rate from 3.23 percent to 3.15 percent in 2023. The law also requires the rate to fall to 2.9 percent by 2029 if specified financial conditions are met.
  • Kentucky passed a law in 2022 that dropped the state’s flat 5.0 percent rate to 4.5 percent in 2023. The law also requires the rate to fall to 4.0 percent in 2024 if specific financial conditions are met.
  • Wisconsin passed a law in 2022 that dropped the rate of the state’s 2nd-highest income bracket (income between $24,250 and $266,930) from 6.27 to 5.3 percent.
  • Lastly, Michigan’s flat rate of 4.25% is set to fall to 4.05% next month, the result of a 2015 law that requires tax cuts when specific financial conditions are met.

Read more here.

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Illinois enacts mandatory paid leave ‘for any reason’

Posted in BOHICA, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Unions on March 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »

JBN

Under the Paid Leave For All Workers Act, which Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Monday, Illinois employees will accrue one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked up to 40 hours total.

Starting next year, Illinois will be the third state in the nation to mandate paid time off to be used for any reason.

On Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Paid Leave for All Workers Act, which gives employees at least one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked. The governor’s office said approximately 1.5 million workers will begin earning paid time off starting in 2024.

“Employers benefit from allowing employees to tend to the urgent personal matters of their lives,” said Pritzker. “Workers’ productivity increases, and they often gain greater passion for their job when they can manage the stresses they face outside work.”

Employees can begin using their time once they have worked for 90 days.

Maine and Nevada also allow workers to decide how to use their time, but some exemptions apply. Maine’s Earned Paid Leave law only applies to employers with over 10 employees, and Nevada’s exempts businesses under 50.

During debate of the bill in the Illinois House, state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, said the mandate would be difficult on small businesses in Illinois.

“It’s the mom-and-pops that have five, 10, maybe 13 employees,” said Davidsmeyer. “This has a significant impact on their budgets.”

More here.

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