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.
Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), E-bikes, FUBAR, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square | Leave a Comment »
Louisiana v. Callais prohibits using race to draw districts. That would make the proposed amendment unconstitutional.
By Joe Tabor | Illinois Policy Institute
A fresh U.S. Supreme Court decision poses a setback to Illinois’ proposed redistricting amendment and highlights the need for real redistricting reform in the state.
The Illinois House passed House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28 and sent it the state Senate just the day before the high court decision. The amendment would do little to combat Illinois’ problematic history of gerrymandering to avoid competition and gain unfair partisan advantage.
It would, however, among other things, require the creation of racial influence districts and racial coalition districts, where practical, in any state or congressional redistricting plan.
But in its 6-3 decision April 29 in Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court ruled that under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, complying with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is not a compelling reason to draw congressional districts based predominantly on race.
By contrast, the decision explicitly recognized that gaining partisan advantage and protecting incumbents from competition were “legitimate goals” for redistricting.
The ruling leaves Illinois partisan gerrymandering practices untouched, but it means the racial district requirement of HJRCA 28 would violate the 14th Amendment. The Illinois Senate has paused any movement on the amendment to assess the decision for what steps to take next, if any.
Article continues here.
Related: “Top Illinois Democrats call U.S. Supreme Court ruling on voting rights a ‘crushing blow to our democracy’”
Posted in Commodius Maximus, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield | Leave a Comment »
Click here for info including costs.
Posted in Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Equestrian Commission, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lighting Ordinance, Overhead, Property Taxes, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Unions, VBHPD | Leave a Comment »
The Illinois Department of Transportation is conducting preliminary engineering and environmental studies (Phase I) for the improvement of Illinois 68 at Bateman Road in the village of Barrington Hills, Cook County. The Phase I studies will evaluate alternatives to improve operation and safety at the intersection and examine impacts the final proposed improvement could have on the community and the environment. This improvement is not included in IDOT’s current Proposed Highway Improvement Program. However, this project will be included in the department’s priorities for future funding consideration among similar improvement needs throughout the region.
This website has been created to provide the public with educational information, materials, and updates in relation to the Illinois 68 at Bateman Road study. The goal is to keep the public informed about the project development process and provide opportunities for the public to express their needs and concerns.
Overview and Scope
Based on recorded crash data IDOT has initiated a Phase I study of the intersection of Illinois 68 at Bateman Road. This study will evaluate various intersection alternatives. As the study progresses there will be public involvement opportunities for stakeholders to provide input on the alternatives. The intent of the Phase I study is to develop a preferred alternative that can reduce crashes at this location and minimize impacts to the existing infrastructure and environment. The study limits include the Illinois 68 at Bateman intersection and each leg of the intersection excluding driveways, except where necessary.
If you have any input or questions please contact Lori Brown, project manager, at (847) 705-4477 or by e-mail at IL68atBateman@primeraeng.com
Sources: IDOT website via Village Facebook post
Posted in Accidents, Aunt Blabby, IDOT, Taxes | Leave a Comment »
CUSD 220 has reportedly already requested the 1% county sales tax referendum be placed on the Nov. 3 Ballot.
By Steve Sadin | For the Lake County News-Sun
A referendum proposing a 1% countywide sales tax to fund education is a step closer to reality now that Lake County’s largest school district has joined a group asking Regional Superintendent of Education Michael Karner to take the necessary steps to place it on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
If public school districts representing more than 50% of the students in Lake County approve resolutions asking Karner to certify the referendum to County Clerk Anthony Vega by Aug. 26, voters will decide the fate of a proposed 1% sales tax funding education.
Already directing Karner to place the referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot are: Barrington Community Unit School District 220 (3,489 students), Wauconda Community Unit School District 118 (3,504 students), Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 (5,777 students), Kildeer Countryside School District 96 (3,419 students), Lake Buff School District 65 (877 students) and Big Hollow School District 98 (1,653 students).
The full article can be read here.
Note: An attorney quoted in the article said, “proceeds from the sales tax can only be used for long-term capital improvements, such as building renovations or repairs, like a new roof, school resource officers, or mental health professionals.”
Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Chicago Tribune, Cost of Living, District 220 referendum, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? | 1 Comment »
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.
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)? | 2 Comments »
Gov. JB Pritzker is speaking out about the U.S. Supreme Court striking down a voting map in Louisiana, which opens the door for other states to redistrict their maps. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon said on Wednesday that a proposed state constitutional amendment on redistricting will not advance this legislative session so that legal experts can review the ruling and evaluate the best response for Illinois.
By Tina Sfondeles | Chicago Sun*Times
Former President Barack Obama and key Illinois Democrats, including Gov. JB Pritzker and Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, are condemning Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to dilute a Voting Rights Act provision, which is likely to lead to redistricting across the country and could help Republicans continue to control the House.
The Supreme Court struck down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana, diluting a Civil Rights-era law aimed at increasing minority representation in Congress and elsewhere. In the 6-3 ruling, the court’s majority found the Louisiana district represented by Democrat Cleo Fields relied too heavily on race. Justice Samuel Alito called the map “an unconstitutional gerrymander.”
The ruling is likely to impact elections in 2028, since many filing deadlines for this year’s elections have passed, including in Illinois. Louisiana may have to change its redistricting plan to comply with the ruling, however.
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said on Wednesday a proposed state constitutional amendment on redistricting will not advance this legislative session so that legal experts can review the ruling and evaluate the best response for Illinois.
Obama said the ruling “effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities — so long as they do it under the guise of ‘partisanship’ rather than explicit ‘racial bias.’”
The former president said in a statement that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court is “abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach.”
Article continues here.
Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Immigration, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield | Leave a Comment »
The governor has presided over $77 billion in increases while Illinois’ economic growth lags.
By Ravi Mishra | Illinois Policy Institute
Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants more tax and fee hikes even after presiding over at least 57 of them since 2019 and with Illinois’ budget still in dysfunction.
New tax and fee burdens under Pritzker have cost taxpayers more than $77 billion. Last year alone, Illinoisans paid $16.5 billion more in state taxes than they would have if taxes stayed consistent with 2018 levels.
The median Illinois household now pays nearly $1,400 more per year in state taxes than it would have under prior levels.
Examples of recent tax policy moves in Illinois:
- The gas tax was doubled in 2019 from $0.19 to $0.38 per gallon and indexed to annual increases to inflation. It now stands at 48.3 cents per gallon.
- The net-operating-loss deduction was capped in 2021, effectively double-taxing Illinois companies.
- Late last year Pritzker signed a bill decoupling Illinois from federal business tax cuts.
Property taxes have risen 27% under Pritzker’s watch. While driven by local decisions, state policy, particularly around pension and school funding, has pressured local governments and contributed to those hikes.
Article continues here.
Posted in Barrington Education Association, Cost of Living, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Taxes, Unions | Leave a Comment »
Notice is hereby given that Community Unit School District No. 220 in Barrington, Illinois will be destroying all temporary regular and special education records for students who graduated, transferred, or permanently withdrew from Barrington schools as of June 2021.
Students over the age of 18 or custodial parents interested in obtaining copies of these records may do so by contacting: Student Services Department, 847-842-3507, 515 W. Main Street, Barrington, Illinois 60010 BEFORE June 15, 2026.
Source
Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Barrington High School, Daily Herald, Illinois Federation of Teachers, School Districts, What the Ficke (Bradford)? | Leave a Comment »
The Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) is scheduled to meet this evening beginning at 6:00 PM at the Village of South Barrington Village Hall, 30 South Barrington Road. Their meetings will include:
- 6:00 PM – Finance
- 6:40 PM – Nominations
- 7:00 PM – Executive Board
Meeting agendas are not posted by BACOG, nor are minutes, but their website does state, “Copies of approved minutes for BACOG committee and executive board meetings are available upon request. Please submit requests by email to bacog@bacog.org.
Posted in Appointments, BACOG, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Lennie, Open Meetings Act, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, South Barrington, Springfield, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, Village President | Leave a Comment »
« Newer Posts - Older Posts »
