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Illinoisans may soon need registration, title, license to use e-bikes, scooters (?)

Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), E-bikes, FUBAR, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square on May 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A man stands with his electric bike on a trail cutting through a grassy field. | Photo: Nick van der Vegt / Unsplash

By Sean Reed | The Center Square

Illinoisans may soon be required to register their e-bikes, motorized scooters and other various modes of transport with the DMV if a popular piece of legislation in Springfield passes.

Having bipartisan support, the Illinois Secretary of State said there would also be new regulations, age requirements, and fees associated with using the devices.

Senate Bill 3336, an initiative backed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, would require a person to be at least 16 years old, licensed to drive, and to register certain electric micromobility devices with the state before they can legally be operated.

According to Giannoulias and lawmakers in favor of the bill, they are seeking regulation in response to a rise in accidents involving the various vehicles.

“The rise in serious crashes, injuries, and confusion about the law makes it clear that doing nothing is not an option. That’s why our bill is so critical. Nationwide, injuries and fatalities have soared an alarming 300% in just three years from 2019 to 2022,” Giannoulias said.

Vehicles that fall under the purview of the new law include e-bikes with a power rating between 750 and 8,000 watts, e-scooters, and any other electric-powered device primarily used for transportation and that moves under 28 mph.

Existing regulations for low-powered motorized vehicles will not be changed, according to the secretary.

The bill excludes toy vehicles (But WHY?) and mobility assistance devices.

Article continues here.

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5 things to know about Illinois’ new school rating system

Posted in Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Elections, Ethics, FUBAR, His Master's Voice, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, SNAFU, Springfield, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 30, 2026| 2 Comments »

Labels on the familiar state report card are poised to change.

By Hannah Schmid | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois plans to revamp how it rates public schools, meaning familiar labels on the state report card will change.

The Illinois State Board of Education in April approved a new school accountability system beginning in fall 2026.

The board says the overhaul will make school ratings clearer and fairer. The changes also remove some key measures and reshape how performance is judged.

Yet at a time when nearly half of Illinois students can’t read at grade level and even fewer are proficient in math, the board’s overhaul will change how schools are labeled but not how they perform.

Here are five things you should know about the changes while the plan awaits federal approval.

1._Schools will no longer be graded on a curve.

Illinois’ rating system ranks schools against each other. Only the top 10% can be in the top category and only the bottom 5% are ranked in the lowest.

The rankings are based on a school’s performance against other schools rather than strictly on how well its students meet specific criteria.

The new system will grade schools based on fixed standards. The goal is to eliminate moving goalposts, where a school’s rating could change based on comparison to other schools even if its performance doesn’t change. That could make ratings more consistent over time.

Article continues here.

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Cuba Township Assessor Shares: Important Update Regarding Upcoming Property Tax Bills

Posted in 220, Board of Education, County, Cuba Township, District 220 referendum, FUBAR, Lake, Property Taxes, School Districts, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Important Update Regarding
Upcoming Property Tax Bills

(Please click on image to enlarge)

Dear Cuba Township Residents

Our office would like to provide an important update regarding the upcoming May 2026 property tax bills, particularly as they relate to the November 2024 Barrington CUSD 220 referendum.

At the time of the referendum, Barrington CUSD 220 presented taxpayers with an estimated increase of approximately $236 per $500,000 of market value. Based on the tax rate information now available, this estimate appears to be significantly understated. Current projections indicate the actual impact may be closer to three times the estimated amount for similarly valued homes. The following is a link to the referendum tax calculator: Barrington 220 2024 Referendum Tax Calculator. We encourage you to compare this calculator to your May tax bill.

While we understand this increase may be concerning, it is important to clarify how property taxes are determined and the role of the Assessor’s Office in that process. Our responsibility is to establish fair and equitable property assessments based on market value. We do not set tax rates or control the budgets of taxing bodies.

Property taxes are determined by two primary components: assessed value (EAV) and tax rates. In simple terms, the total tax burden is driven by how much revenue taxing districts levy to fund their budgets. The tax rate is then adjusted to generate that amount and is distributed across all property owners based on their share of the total assessed value.

An easy way to think about this is like splitting a restaurant bill. The total check represents the amount taxing bodies have decided to spend. Each person’s share is based on what they ordered—someone who ordered a steak pays more than someone who ordered a salad, just as properties with higher assessed values pay a larger share of the total tax burden. If the total bill increases, everyone pays more, regardless of how the bill is divided.

Typically, when overall assessed values increase across a taxing district, tax rates decrease to offset that growth. However, when taxing bodies increase their levies, tax rates may rise or remain elevated to meet that higher spending level. In this case, while most taxing bodies now have a reduced rate, Barrington CUSD 220 has an increased rate, resulting in a higher overall tax burden for property owners. While factors such as the County’s equalization process may impact assessed values, they do not, by themselves, increase the total taxes collected.

For questions, concerns, or feedback regarding this increase, we encourage residents to contact Barrington CUSD 220 directly. If you would like to send a message to Board members as well as the Superintendent of Schools, please Click Here.

Barrington CUSD 220 Contact Information
District Administrative Center
515 W. Main Street
Barrington, IL 60010
Phone: (847) 381-6300

Upcoming Board of Education Meetings

All regular Board of Education meetings are held on Tuesday evenings, beginning with a Closed Session at 5:30 p.m., followed by Open Session at 6:00 p.m. Unless otherwise noted, meetings take place at the District Administrative Center. Meetings include opportunities for public comment and provide a forum for residents to learn more and share input.

Our office remains committed to transparency and ensuring fair and accurate property assessments. If you have questions regarding your property assessment, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Cuba Township Assessor’s Office
Cuba Township| Website

Cuba Township | 28000 Cuba Road
Barrington, IL 60010 US

Email sent April 20, 2026

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IRS: Illinois led nation in rate of income loss in 2023

Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Dumb and Dumber, Economy, FUBAR, Illinois Policy Institute, Mad Cows, New Normal?, Pension Funding, Politics, Taxes on April 23, 2026| 1 Comment »

By Bryce Hill | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois lost a larger share of income from outmigration than any other state in 2023, according to IRS data.

Federal tax returns show that Illinois lost a net of nearly 56,000 residents and more than $6 billion in income in 2023, the latest data available. When adjusting for total income per state, Illinois’ losses to net outmigration are the worst in the country — more than $11 for every $1,000 previously earned in the state.

While California ($13 billion) and New York ($10.6 billion) lost more income from outmigration, Illinois lost the largest share of a state total.

Meanwhile, South Carolina and Florida, two of the top three states adding the most total income from people moving in, also added the most as a share of their total income.

Part of why Illinois sees so much wealth flight is that high-income Illinoisans are leaving at twice the rate of other groups. People in all income brackets are moving out of the state, but those earning more than $200,000 a year have been leaving the fastest.

Article continues here.

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(Ignoring public opinion) Pritzker says of BUILD Plan for homes would not cost taxpayers

Posted in Clown Car, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, FUBAR, Mad Cows, New Normal?, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, Topics Of Interest, Zoning Board on April 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Image courtesy PridesCrossing

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ramped up his campaign for new housing in Illinois, and he expects taxpayers to pitch in.

After announcing the Building Up Illinois Developments Plan during his budget address in February, the governor urged support for it Friday at the City Club of Chicago.

Pritzker said the BUILD Plan is ambitious and comprehensive.

“It’s designed to eliminate unnecessary barriers and lower costs for housing construction and renovation, produce a wider range of family-friendly housing types and streamline permitting,” the governor said.

Pritzker said Illinois faces a gap of more than 142,000 housing units and needs to build about 225,000 units over the next five years.

The governor said most of the BUILD Plan would not cost taxpayers anything, but he said there would be an investment.

“The BUILD Plan also includes about $250 million to help spur development of housing and help people to afford housing,” Pritzker said.

Article continues here.

Related: “Gov. JB Pritzker’s ambitious housing plan for Illinois: More four-flats, looser rules,” “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control,” “McLaughlin’s press conference video recording regarding Pritzker’s proposed municipal zoning powers grab posted,” “‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential It’s just zoning”

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Barrington area Democrats condemn Chan Ding mailers

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Daily Herald, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Dumb and Dumber, Dumb Bunny, Economy, Education, Elections, Ethics, FUBAR, Goat Rodeo, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Look For The Union Label, Mad Cows, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, South Barrington, Topics Of Interest, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on February 28, 2026| 3 Comments »

Erin Chan Ding, left, and Maria Peterson are Democratic candidates for the Illinois House 52nd District seat in the 2026 primary election.

By Steve Zalusky  | Daily Herald

The Barrington Area Democratic Organization condemned attack mailers from Erin Chan Ding’s campaign for the Democratic nod in the Illinois House 52nd District primary.

The mailers altered opponent Maria Peterson’s image, placing her head on another person’s body. They also included the phrase, “When Maria Peterson runs, MAGA wins,” along with a list of her past election losses.

“These tactics do not reflect the values of our organization or the spirit of Democratic leadership in our community,” organization officials stated in a press release.

Chan Ding and Peterson are competing to challenge incumbent Republican Martin McLaughlin in the fall election. Peterson narrowly lost to McLaughlin by 47 votes in 2024 and lost by 385 votes to Republican Dan McConchie in 2022.

Peterson called the mailers “Chicago-style politics” that don’t “fit very well out here.”

Chan Ding countered, claiming Peterson distributed an attack ad first in January that “went after my character.” Chan Ding is a Barrington Area Unit District 220 school board member who was criticized by colleagues after an investigation determined she had violated district policies by using school resources, property and social media for prohibited political campaign activities.

Article continues here.

Related: “The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “School district’s parking plan defies logic,” “Zoning change defies village policy,” “District 220 Public Hearing December 16th re: ‘proposal to sell bonds of the District in an amount not to exceed $5,400,000’,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “Erin Chan Ding: The violations just keep piling up…,” “Erin Chan Ding starring in another episode of, ‘Rules For Thee But NOT For Me…’,”  “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency,” “Ding Politicking on School District Property,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026”

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McLaughlin’s press conference video recording regarding Pritzker’s proposed municipal zoning powers grab posted

Posted in BACOG, Commodius Maximus, Elections, FUBAR, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lennie, Plan Commission, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Privacy, Public Safety, Real Estate, South Barrington, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Village Code, Zoning Board on February 27, 2026| 1 Comment »

Screenshot via Facebook

“Rep. McLaughlin Hosts Press Conference with Northwest Suburban Mayors – February 26, 2026

Thank you to Mayors, Paula McCombie, Debby Sosine, Eleanor Sweet McDonnell, Dominick DiMaggio, Brian Cecola, and Richard Hayes”

The roughly sixteen minute recording can be found here.

Related: “‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential zoning”

 

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Editorial: Fix your lousy shopping app, Jewel-Osco!

Posted in BCFPD, FUBAR, Jewel-Osco on February 26, 2026| 1 Comment »

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

In the annals of global problems, a supermarket shopping app sounds like small potatoes. But like much in life, the seemingly trivial bespeaks of issues of weightier import. In this particular case, it involves whether anyone without a smartphone should be paying higher prices than one clutching one in their hands as they push their cart.

That’s how it goes with the Jewel-Osco shopping app that requires you to digitally “clip” coupons to get the store’s best deals on (as we write) such items as Chips Ahoy!, Samyang noodles, Garrett popcorn and Mary Kitchen corned beef hash.

Even Simply Orange juice. Not simply priced.

No phone, higher cost for you.

Jewel’s competitors do it differently: Whole Foods has Amazon Prime discounts, but all you have to do is enter your phone number at check out. Costco, Trader Joe’s and Aldi don’t traffic in clippery and give everyone the same price. At Jewel-Osco, you have to go item by item.

From Jewel’s point of view, this merely is a digital updating of the coupons people still can clip in this and other newspapers. They’re part of what economists call price discrimination. Jewel wants its rich, busy customers who can’t be bothered to “clip” things to pay more while also snagging those who are more price sensitive and willing to invest the time in getting a deal. These days, some form of variable pricing is everywhere, from airlines to online promo codes.

Editorial continues here.

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Equestrian Commission/Riding Club meets tonight

Posted in Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Farm, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Bicyclists, BraveHearts, Clown Car, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Don't Change Barrington Hills, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, Frau Blücher, FRVPC, FUBAR, Goat Rodeo, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, LeCompte/Anderson Commercial Horse boarding amendment, Lighting Ordinance, Look For The Union Label, Mad Cows, Massbach Hounds, Open Meetings Act, Overhead, Plan Commission, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Club Commission, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Save 5 Acres, SOUL Harbour Ranch, Taxes, The Other Half, Traffic, Transparency, Unions, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Well Water Quality, Your Barrington Hills on December 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The Equestrian Commission/Riding Club will be meeting this evening at 6:30 PM.  Though scheduled to meet quarterly, their last meeting was over a year ago on August 7, 2024.

Topics on their agenda include:

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.

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Illinois Route 62 Study November 2025 Project Update

Posted in Algonquin Rd, Aunt Blabby, Cook, County, Deception, FPDCC, FUBAR, IDOT, Land Use, Longmeadow Parkway, Mówimy po polsku, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Roads & Bridges Committee, Roads and Bridges, SNAFU, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Traffic on November 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Input from the public, stakeholders, and local agencies has been considered and incorporated over the course of the study. To date, there have been two (2) public meetings and five (5) Community Advisory Group Meetings. IDOT has also met with representatives from the Village of Barrington Hills, Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) multiple times at key project milestones. Input from these meetings has helped IDOT establish the Purpose and Need, develop the Reasonable Range of Alternatives, identify the Alternatives to be Carried Forward, and select a Preferred Alternative.

The two typical sections included in the Alternatives to be Carried Forward (see September 2023 update) were further refined based on the following design goals and coordination with FPCC, ISGS, USFWS:

  • Minimize land acquisition from FPCC
  • Minimize impacts to threatened and endangered species habitat
  • Improve flood protection of IL 62
  • Maintain existing surface and groundwater conditions that support endangered species habitat
  • Reduce pollutants from stormwater runoff

These refinements have led to a Preferred Alternative that satisfies the Purpose and Need while minimizing impacts to the surrounding environment by incorporating a combination of three typical sections. All three typical sections include four (4) travel lanes, paved shoulders, mountable curbs, closed drainage, and a shared-use path. The Preferred Alternative is divided into two segments due to the differences in land use and the environmental resources as shown in the following figures.

  • Segment 1 – West of Bateman Road and east of Old Sutton Road:
    • This segment (shown in purple in Figure 1) has one typical section as shown in Figure 2.
  • Segment 2 – Between Bateman Road and Old Sutton Road:
    • This segment (shown in orange/yellow in Figure 1) is restricted by the surrounding FPCC property and environmental resources. This segment utilizes two typical sections as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

IDOT is currently developing the preliminary right-of-way needs of the Preferred Alternative and potential impacts to various environmental, community, agricultural, and cultural resources within the study area. IDOT plans to present the Preferred Alternative and summary of impacts to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and resource agencies for concurrence in February 2026. Once concurrence on the Preferred Alternative has been received, a draft of the Environmental Assessment document will be prepared and made available for public review and input.

Figure 1: Preferred Alternative Segments

(Click on images to enlarge)

Figure 2: 10-ft Outside Shoulders with 4:1 Fore Slopes (Segment 1-Purple)

Figure 3: 2-ft Outside Shoulders with Retaining Walls (Segment 2-Orange)

Figure 4: Continuous Bridge over Shallow Groundwater (Segment 2-Yellow)

Read more and comment here.

Related: “Here’s what’s in Illinois’ $50.6B six-year infrastructure plan (10.3.25),” “IDOT seeks public input on roads, rail, and EVs,” “IDOT releases Algonquin Road/Route 62 ‘project update’”

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