Read the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Pritzker-funded group silent after $10,000 Facebook ad based on fake tweet
The Vote Yes For Fairness campaign and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration have not yet spoken about why the campaign spent more than $10,000 with Facebook to promote a fake tweet in an effort to persuade voters to support a progressive income tax.
Vote Yes For Fairness is funded with $56.5 million from Pritzker to promote changing the state’s flat income tax to a progressive system with higher rates for higher earners. Voters will decide on the constitutional amendment in November.
Crain's Chicago Business: It's Pritzker vs. Pritzker on 'fair tax' now
The $500,000 donation from Pritzker to the Coalition to Stop the Proposed Tax Hike Amendment landed with three weeks until Election Day, according to state board of elections records.
Chicago Tribune: Ex-state rep, Berrios' son-in-law plead not guilty to federal bribery charges
The son-in-law of onetime Cook County Democratic boss Joseph Berrios pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges alleging he bribed a state representative and a state senator for help on legislation benefiting sweepstakes gaming machines.
James Weiss, 41, was charged earlier this month in an eight-count superseding indictment with bribery, wire fraud, mail fraud and lying to the FBI. Weiss is married to Berrios’ daughter, former state Rep. Toni Berrios.
Crain's Chicago Business: Economic recovery here still mixed: Chicago Fed
The just-released report shows that overall activity is again up in the Midwest, but remains just above the long-term trend line, dipping from +20 in August to +8 in September. The index had been pretty much rising since the pandemic first seriously hit the region in early spring.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago aldermen reject Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposed ordinance that would roll back part of city’s stricter City Hall lobbying rules
Aldermen on Tuesday rejected a Mayor Lori Lightfoot-introduced ordinance that would have rolled back part of tougher City Hall lobbying rules for elected officials that the City Council passed late last year.
The City Council Ethics Committee voted 16-0 not to send the measure brought forward by Lightfoot months ago to the full council. It would have once again allowed elected officials from outside Chicago to lobby the mayor, aldermen and other city government agencies on behalf of private clients, as long as the public body they represent doesn’t have pending or recurring legislative or contractual matters involving the city of Chicago.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago Public Schools will announce ‘very soon' if in-person classes will resume next quarter, CEO says: ‘We know that parents are anxious’
Little more than three weeks remain of Chicago Public Schools’ fall quarter, but CEO Janice Jackson and Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday would not say when they will let everyone know if schools will reopen for the winter.
“We know that parents are anxious to hear from us on this, and we’ve committed to making an announcement very soon,” Jackson said during an unrelated news conference at City Hall. “We know that the second quarter is approaching quickly and we want to be sure that the plan that we put out will be as thoughtful as our parents anticipate.”