February 3, 2021

Rev. Jesse Jackson recovering in the hospital after 'successful' surgery

CNN)Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson is recovering from surgery after being hospitalized for abdominal discomfort.

Jackson, 79, was recently admitted to the hospital where he received routine medical observation and "successful" surgery, according to a statement from the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Chicago-based organization that Jackson heads. Jackson is now resting.

"He is in good spirits and will be discharged in a few days," the statement read. "Thank you for your continued love, support, and prayers."

There were no further details about Jackson's condition released.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/01/us/jesse-jackson-hospitalized/index.html

February 3, 2021

Chicago wins $30 million-a-year competition for right to sell Lake Michigan water to Joliet

Chicago won a head-to-head competition with Hammond for the right to sell Lake Michigan water to Joliet, a deal that could ultimately flush Chicago’s water system with $30 million annually.

The Joliet City Council voted 7 to 1 Thursday night, ending a competition that included a personal pitch from Mayor Lori Lightfoot and now-former Water Commissioner Randy Conner.

Joliet will build a 31-mile pipeline and bankroll other pumping station infrastructure improvements costing between $592 million and $810 million.

The goal is to complete the work by 2030 and start serving Joliet residents and as many as 11 neighboring towns it hopes will agree to be part of a regional water system.

The average water bill in Joliet is expected to nearly triple from $31 monthly to $88 monthly over the next decade, primarily to bankroll the massive project needed to deliver Lake Michigan water to Joliet.

Read more: https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2021/1/29/22256174/joliet-picks-chicago-supply-lake-michigan-water-build-pipeline

February 3, 2021

Heavy snow topples Aragon Ballroom wall, but it can't bury nearly a century of memories at Chicago

Heavy snow topples Aragon Ballroom wall, but it can’t bury nearly a century of memories at Chicago landmark


In almost a century at Lawrence and Winthrop, the Aragon Ballroom has hosted everyone from Benny Goodman and Bob Dylan to Barack Obama and Al Capone.

It’s survived changes in tastes from big band to disco and on through generations of rowdy rock shows that spawned the Aragon “Brawlroom” moniker, all while catering to fans of bingo and boxing.

It’s been shuttered by fire, flood and pandemic, and now the storied Uptown venue’s considerable lifespan is being put to the test by snow.

A buildup of thick, heavy snow caused a partial collapse of the Aragon’s west wall Tuesday, sending bricks tumbling into an alley and disrupting CTA service nearby.

Read more: https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2021/2/2/22262269/aragon-ballroom-wall-cta-purple-line-lawrence-uptown

February 3, 2021

Chicago area gun dealers say record sales since Jan. 6 driven by 'fear, plain and simple'

SPRINGFIELD — Gun dealers say they are selling more firearms than ever in the Chicago area since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol — and they predict sales will shatter the records set during last year’s civil unrest and in the early days of the coronavirus panic.

“It’s the busiest you could ever imagine. It’s been lines around the block, out the door, around my store every day since March,” said Jeff Regnier, owner of Kee Firearms and Training in far southwest suburban New Lenox.

“Now recently we had the storm of the Capitol. That has gun sales 10 times from what it was in the pandemic, which was already 10 times what your normal business was.”

Mark Glavin, owner of Fox Valley Shooting Range in Elgin, said he saw the same jump in the days before the inauguration of President Joe Biden. “The 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th [of January] were probably some of the highest gun sale days we’ve ever had.”

Read more: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/1/31/22257060/gun-dealers-record-sales-chicago-area-jan-6-fear-biden-trump-pritzker-firearms-state-police

February 3, 2021

Senate cancels in-person February session days, will hold committee hearings online

The Illinois Senate will move online for February, conducting virtual committee hearings in an effort to both maximize public health and safety and embrace available technology.

The early part of any new session is dominated by committee action. Given the ongoing pandemic, it makes sense to utilize the Senate’s remote committee meeting authority to continue doing the work of the people.

The Senate intends to move online for the Feb. 9-11 and 16-18 dates to conduct committee hearings and meetings.

We anticipate hearings being announced soon on key issues in addition to all standing committees having the opportunity to meet online during February.

Read more: https://capitolfax.com/2021/02/02/senate-cancels-in-person-february-session-days-will-hold-committee-hearings-online/

February 3, 2021

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Klan Mom, MyPillow Mike & Courtside Karen Keeping America Great

February 2, 2021

Do guns belong at Indiana polling places?

The Hoosier State may continue to be a mishmash of confusing rules and regulations when it comes to carrying firearms at polling places.

Indiana law currently is silent on whether Hoosiers licensed to carry firearms in public are allowed to bring a handgun with them when they go vote — except when their polling place is located in a building where guns always are prohibited, such as a school or courthouse.

State Rep. Tim Wesco, R-Osceola, chairman of the House Committee on Elections and Apportionment, wanted to change that by explicitly allowing guns in all public buildings used as polling places, unless the local unit of government that owns the building containing a polling site took action to specifically prohibit firearms.

Wesco said Monday his proposal in House Bill 1485 spurred more confusion than clarity, and he now plans to remove the guns at polls language from the measure before the committee decides next week whether to advance the legislation to the full House.

Read more: https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/do-guns-belong-at-indiana-polling-places/article_17c037db-2595-555a-b6bd-26a8335722a0.html
(Northwest Indiana Times)

February 2, 2021

Chicago schools extend talks with union over in-person class

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Public Schools leaders extended remote learning Monday for two more days and called for a "cooling-off period” in negotiations with the teachers' union, citing progress but not a full agreement on COVID-19 safety plans for returning to schools.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson said in a joint statement that teachers would not be locked out of teaching platforms for failing to show up to schools “as a gesture of good faith,” walking back earlier threats that had prompted union officials to entertain a strike in the nation's third-largest school district.

“We have secured agreement on one other open issue and made substantial progress on a framework that we hope will address the remaining issues,” they said in a statement after negotiations Monday. “We are calling for a 48-hour cooling off period that will hopefully lead to a final resolution on all open issues.”

Talks, which have been ongoing for months, stalled over the weekend, ratcheting up the possibility of a strike as early as Tuesday. Issues have included vaccinations, metrics used to gauge infections and special accommodations for employees who have concerns, like a high-risk family member in their household.

Read more: https://www.nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/chicago-schools-extend-talks-with-union-over-in-person-class/article_5bf56f91-0915-59ff-bffb-fd207ca91352.html
(Northwest Indiana Times)

February 2, 2021

Indiana Republicans push back on governor's COVID-19 powers

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is nearing a year under the coronavirus public health emergency issued by Gov. Eric Holcomb as some of his fellow Republicans in the state Legislature aren’t letting up on attempts to rein in the authority he’s used to impose mask rules and restrictions on businesses and crowds.

Holcomb this past week signed an executive order extending the state’s health emergency and mask mandate until March 1, an action he took three days after a Republican House committee chairman took action on a bill to broadly limit such public health orders and questioned the effectiveness of face mask in preventing COVID-19 spread.

Republican legislative leaders have kept their distance from that proposal, while saying they expect lawmakers to give themselves greater oversight of long-lasting use of the governor’s emergency powers following months of criticism from some conservatives of Holcomb’s steps and government intrusion on personal freedom.

Governors across the country are facing similar pushbacks and Holcomb says he doesn’t want to give up the authority to act quickly.

Read more: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/indiana-republicans-push-back-on-governors-covid-19-powers/article_54b40e8e-e01f-5d01-88cc-a690103aee30.html

February 2, 2021

Indiana sees drop in distracted-driving crashes since hands-free law took effect

That guy driving solo down the road talking a mile a minute to no one in particular — and with no cell phone in sight — is probably setting a good example of following Indiana’s hands-free driving law.

Since July 1, 2020, Hoosiers have been required to put down their cell phone and drive.

In the seven months since, police agencies have mostly issued warnings to motorists rather than writing tickets when they stop a driver with a phone or other electronic device in hand.

“We have seen a sharp decrease in the number of drivers holding a phone while driving,” Sheriff Clark Cottom of Sullivan County said recently when asked about enforcement of the new law.

Read more: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/indiana-sees-drop-in-distracted-driving-crashes-since-hands-free-law-took-effect/article_26d700c3-58e7-56ac-b5f0-01c3ce5b2416.html