Illinois
About $2.8 million in outside money in Villegas, Ramirez Illinois 3rd congressional primary
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23645701/delia_ramirez_gil_villegas_1_.jpeg "About .8 million in outside money in Villegas, Ramirez Illinois 3rd congressional primary")
Expenditures of about $2.8 million from exterior teams are a giant issue within the newly created third Congressional District Democratic main, the place Ald. Gil Villegas (thirty sixth) and state Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago, are the front-runners.
BACKGROUND: The brand new third was designed by state Democratic mapmakers within the wake of the 2020 census to acknowledge the rising Hispanic inhabitants within the state by making a second district extremely prone to elect a Hispanic to Congress.
The brand new 3rd has about 43.7% voting age Hispanics and is anchored on Chicago’s Northwest Facet and northern suburbs from Addison, Bensenville to West Chicago to Winfield. It’s closely Democratic; the June 28 main winner is all however sure to clinch the seat in November.
ALSO RUNNING IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY: Iymen Chehade, a university teacher who figures within the Home Ethics probe of Rep. Marie Newman, D-Unwell., and Juan Enrique Aguirre, a registered nurse taken with hashish trade fairness points.
RAISED BY CANDIDATE CAMPAIGNS THROUGH JUNE 8: Villegas, $949,926; Ramirez, $616,212; Chehade, $150,747; and Aguirre, who didn’t file a June report, $11,172 as of March 31.
The quantities the Villegas’ and Ramirez’s campaigns raised are overwhelmed by cash pouring in from exterior nationwide teams who aren’t speculated to coordinate or talk with the campaigns they’re making an attempt to assist.
Ramirez has the assist of among the most far-left teams within the Democratic orbit, and Villegas, by comparability, is backed by extra reasonable progressives whose ranks embrace Home members from swing districts. The third District battle is an element of a bigger proxy combat by teams wanting to tug Democrats additional to the left. It’s being performed out in a protected Democratic district. The winner of the June 28 Illinois main will clinch the seat in November.
OUTSIDE GROUP SPENDING: In keeping with Federal Election Fee information — which require teams making unbiased expenditures to declare who they’re supporting or opposing:
- About $1 million was spent by exterior teams to assist Ramirez and a few $565,000 to oppose Villegas.
- About $800,000 was spent by exterior teams to assist Villegas and a few $420,000 to oppose Ramirez.
Among the many greatest spenders:
- Villegas served within the Marines. VoteVets Motion Fund as of Thursday, spent a complete of $959,000; $741,200 to assist Villegas and $218,000 to oppose Ramirez.
VoteVets Chair Jon Soltz stated, “We is not going to shrink back from evaluating Gil’s file to others in relation to vital points for individuals within the district.”
For Ramirez, EMILY’S Record Girls Vote! thus far reported a $163,332 unbiased expenditure, $398,000 from the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC and $637,900 from the Working Households Get together PAC, which exterior of the unbiased expenditures additionally paid for 2 polls.
DMFI, the pro-Israel PAC, backing Villegas, spent $157, 223 to defeat Ramirez who’s endorsed by Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Unwell., one of many eight Democrats to vote towards the Iron Dome missile protection funding for Israel final yr.
The Working Households Get together highlights on its net web page, amongst different members, Garcia and his colleagues on the “Squad” — Democrats Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York; Rashida Tlaib of Michigan; and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
AT-A-GLANCE BIOS
VILLEGAS: As I reported in November, Villegas, 51, a Council member since 2015, is a former Marine, state of Illinois official and bakery truck driver who co-founded a authorities relations agency.
Villegas joined the Marines after graduating in 1988 from Theodore Roosevelt Excessive College, at 3436 W. Wilson Ave., the place he performed Roughrider baseball and soccer.
Throughout his 4 years within the Corps, Villegas rose to the rank of corporal, changing into a logistics specialist deploying for stints in Japan, the Philippines and, throughout Operations Desert Defend and Storm, Saudi Arabia.
Villegas is the chair of the Metropolis Council’s Latino Caucus.
RAMIREZ: As I reported in December, the daughter of immigrants, Ramirez, 38, is the primary Guatemalan American to serve within the Illinois Normal Meeting, the place she is an assistant majority chief. She was first elected to the state Home in 2018.
Dwelling in Humboldt Park since she was 7 years outdated, Ramirez attended the Sabin Elementary College, 2216 W Hirsch St., and the Prosser Profession Academy, 2148 N Lengthy Ave., for her first three years of highschool. She graduated from the now closed St. Gregory Excessive College, 1677 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., in 2001.
After highschool, Ramirez began working at neighborhood nonprofits whereas attending lessons at Northeastern Illinois College, 5500 N. St. Louis Ave., majoring in Justice Research. It took her 12 years to finish her diploma.
She is the founding government director of the Heart for Altering Lives, a Northwest Facet social service group.
Illinois
Michael Madigan once controlled much of Illinois politics. Now the ex-House speaker heads to trial
Illinois
Officials celebrate completion of $73 million project to preserve shoreline at Illinois Beach State Park near Zion
The governor along with state and local officials celebrated the completion of a $73 million project to preserve the rapidly eroding shoreline at the Illinois Beach State Park near Zion.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and local and state officials gathered on Monday to celebrate the completion of the Illinois Beach State Park Shoreline Stabilization Project.
The $73 million investment provided for the preservation of several miles of natural Lake Michigan shoreline in three areas of the park.
Pritzker said the state park is “one of the many natural beauties that make our state special,” with dunes and swales, sprawling marshes, forests of oak and vast arrays of animal life and vegetation — including the last remaining natural shoreline in Illinois.
“And I am so proud and grateful that we could come together to protect it,” Pritzker said.
“Thanks to all those who tirelessly worked to execute this project – Illinoisans will continue to visit the lakefront here for generations to come, and we’ll keep this habitat and the local economy flourishing,” he added.
Officials say Illinois Beach State Park required immediate intervention to restore the natural lakefront, which was eroding at more than 100 feet per year and putting rare habitats at risk.
The new offshore stone breakwater structures shelter the Lake Michigan shoreline from wave energy and preserve the surrounding ecosystems.
The breakwaters assist in retaining the newly placed sand, slowing down the littoral process, and enhancing public access to the beach.
“Illinois Beach State Park is a natural treasure, and this project ensures its beauty and ecosystem are preserved for future generations,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Protecting our environment is not just about today but about creating a legacy of stewardship that will benefit our communities for years to come.”
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Natalie Phelps Finnie said it was a “very real possibility” prior to the project that the shoreline and the landscape beyond it would “vanish forever.”
“By working together, we were able to preserve precious natural shoreline and irreplaceable habitat,” Finnie said.
“In addition to the ecological benefits, this restoration is already attracting more visitors and special events to Illinois Beach State Park, to the Illinois Beach Hotel, and to the surrounding communities, driving more tourism dollars into this region,” she said.
The park remained open to the public throughout the construction of the breakwaters, which led to careful coordination with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to ensure safety and accessibility as 35,000 truckloads of sand were hauled within the park.
The general contractor, Michels Construction, collaborated with landscape architecture firm Living Habitats to install various habitat features at the park, including 10 tern nests, limestone ledges, 36 vegetated ecoblocks, 15 pieces of driftwood habitat salvaged from the area, five rock spurs, custom 3D-printed ecoblocks and 4,000 tons of cobblestone.
Beach Park Mayor John Hucker said the beachfront at the state park has always been a great place to visit for kids of all ages. “It is great to see the improvements completed so future generations can enjoy the beach and all that park has to offer.”
The Illinois Beach State Park Shoreline Stabilization Project marks the first project in the Midwest to achieve Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines (WEDG) Verification.
The WEDG Verification is a national rating system that recognizes resilient, ecological and accessible waterfront projects.
The project was also selected for the 2024 Best Restored Beach award through the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA).
State Senator Mary Edly-Allen, D-Grayslake, called the state park “one of our community’s greatest assets.”
“Over the years I have witnessed the landscape change and evolve, so to now see it revitalized to this magnitude gives me great joy. As a member of both the Senate Environment and Conservation Committee and the Appropriations Public Safety & Infrastructure Committee, this project highlights the investment in assets that cannot be replaced – our environment. I hope the one million annual visitors to the park can see how committed Illinois is to preserving and protecting our environment,” Edly-Allen said.
“Illinois Beach State Park is situated within a larger 4,500-acre complex of globally significant habitat,” Lake County Chair Sandy Hart said.
“Along with other public landowners such as the Lake County Forest Preserves, the Village of Winthrop Harbor, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and in partnership with private landowners, a bi-state public-private partnership is caring for this rare dune and swale habitat, which has been designated a Wetland of International Importance. The State’s investment in Illinois Beach State Park will accelerate the protection of this critical landscape,” Hart said.
PEORIA (25News Now) – 2024 was one of Illinois’ busiest construction seasons ever.
With an increase in the state’s gas tax, Illinois spent $249.5 million for 10 major projects in IDOT’s District 4. The gas tax is at 47 cents per gallon for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.
The new eastbound McClugage Bridge is one of the major projects on the list.
“Once the deck is complete, then the contractor can focus on finishing the pavement approaching on the new bridge, installing all new fences and railings,” said IDOT spokesperson Paul Wappel. “There’s still a lot of work to complete, but we hope to open the bridge to vehicle traffic in early December.”
Weather pending, East Peoria’s Streets Department Supervisor Rick Semonski said the nearly $14 million Springfield Road project will finish before the end of October. He said it would not cause any issues for the annual Festival of Lights parade and the famous Winter Wonderland.
“Crews are milling and paving now, which is getting close to one of the final steps,” Semonski said. “The final steps, of course, would be cleanup, striping, and there’s some concrete work to wrap up.”
If all goes according to plan, the project from start to finish would only have lasted six months.
Below is a list of projects the Illinois Department of Transportation provided 25News, which outlines the statuses of the projects. Comments from IDOT spokesperson Paul Wappel are listed in bold.
Peoria County
- Eastbound War Memorial Drive (U.S. 150) at Adams Street (Illinois 29) in Peoria: The current extended lane closure is Illinois American Water. IDOT said they are not sure how long they will be there.
- Adams Street (Illinois 29) between Lorentz Avenue and Eureka Street in Peoria: Will stay the same until the new McClugage opens to traffic.
- I-474 at Airport Road (exit 5) near Peoria: Stage 1 of the project is complete, and the contractor is working on Stage 2 now. Weather permitting, they hope to get the Stage 2 deck poured this year, but the overall completion of the project is not until October 2025. This project is currently well ahead of schedule.
- Illinois 8 just east of Oak Hill; closed: The road is scheduled to reopen by early November.
- Illinois 91 north of Dunlap; closed: This reopened the Friday before Labor Day (Sept. 30).
- I-474 near the I-74/Illinois 6 interchange: The contractor is currently building crossover pavement that will be used over the next two years to reconstruct the bridges on I-474. Traffic control is expected to remain in place until just before Thanksgiving.
Tazewell County
- Illinois 78 over I-74: Currently finishing up stage 1 completing earthwork and Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) and will be switching to stage 2 in about 2 weeks which entails removing the second part of the bridge. The estimated project completion is the end of December, weather permitting.
- U.S. 24 between Cummings Lane and Main Street in Washington: On Monday, October 7th, we will have a traffic shift on US 24 in Washington from Cummins to Main. The road will still be down to one lane in each direction, but we will switch from traffic using the inside (passing) lanes to the outside (driving) lanes. Currently, we are down to one lane in each direction, with traffic using the inside (passing) lanes.
- Ongoing construction to realign the intersection of Nofsinger Road and U.S. 24 in Washington will require lane closures on U.S. 24 that started in May. This stage of the project will reduce U.S. 24 to one lane in each direction between Cummings Lane and Main Street. Work is expected to be completed in October.
- I-155 near Hopedale and at Queenswood Avenue, Broadway Road; Allentown Road, Illinois 122, and Armington Road: The Queenwood Road and Broadway Road bridges over Interstate 155 project in Morton began in August. The project involves replacing bridge joints and resurfacing the bridge decks, and will require lane closures on both bridges through the end of November.
- Cedar Street Extension (Illinois 116/8) in East Peoria: This is part of the ongoing overhaul of the Cedar Street Bridge (Illinois 8/116) across the Illinois River. A new traffic configuration began in August. This is the first of 3 adjacent consecutive projects over the next several years. Currently, we have 2 ramps closed, and we will be closing all 4 ramps on 10/14 for 2 weeks. Hopefully, by the end of November/early December, (weather permitting) we will reopen all traffic on Cedar Street. In Spring 2025, there will be minor closures to paint the bridge.
McLean County
- U.S. 24 2 miles east of Chenoa: Stage 2 is underway. The contractor has completed driving, piling, and currently pouring the abutments. Beams will be set once curing is complete. The project will be complete by the end of November.
- Illinois 9 east of I-55/74 in Bloomington: Contractor continues to replace PCC curb and gutter, driveway entrances, and side roads. The city of Bloomington is nearing completion of the water main relocation, so the contractor can begin the reconstruction of White Oak Road. A pre-pavement meeting is scheduled for next week, as the contractor plans to begin Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) surface removal next week on Market Street and pave new HMA the following week. The estimated completion date is June 2025.
Woodford County
- U.S. 24 west of Eureka: Work on the U.S. 24 bridge continues with two-way traffic shifting from the eastbound lane to the westbound lane, controlled by temporary signals. This configuration is expected to last through October.
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