Illinois
Illinois assault weapons ban penalizes lawful gun owners
We must look at violent gun crime as a whole before we begin celebrating successes. The opinion piece titled “Illinois ban on assault weapons is working” warrants a response. Stating the ban has fulfilled its promise cannot take place in a silo.
The author and I can agree that today, Illinoisans cannot purchase certain weapons, magazines and switches. We can also agree that any reduction in mass shootings is good news. However, the author only paints a partial picture of how Illinois is (or isn’t) addressing gun violence.
According to the most recent data published by the Pew Research Center, only 3% of firearms murders during the year of the study were committed by individuals using assault weapons and other “non-assault-style” rifles, as compared to 59% of murders that were committed by criminals using handguns. The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer backs up this data. The vast majority of gun crimes in Illinois involve handguns, not assault weapons, and certainly the author, whose life’s work is to prevent gun violence, knows this.
The author also fails to mention how the Protect Illinois Communities Act is silent on the straw purchases that provide the vast majority of weapons used in crimes. The Gun Violence Archive puts Chicago at the very top of the list for mass shootings last year. Gun crime, primarily in Black and Brown communities, continues to destroy neighborhoods and families.
The author is also silent on the fact that Gov. J.B. Pritzker and legislators she speaks so highly of have done absolutely nothing to strengthen penalties against those who commit these heinous crimes and refused to extend a law that mandated high-end criminal penalties for the worst of the worst repeat felony gun offenders.
The day before this op-ed was published, a mother and her three daughters were killed in a domestic violence incident in Tinley Park, and a lone gunman shot and killed seven individuals in Joliet before turning the gun on himself. The weapons used in these mass shootings were handguns. On Jan. 26, in broad daylight in the Loop, two CPS students were shot and killed while walking down the street.
On Jan. 31, two more shootings: one of three CPS students in Edgewater, and a second mass shooting with at least six victims in south suburban Dolton. Early Sunday, Feb. 11, a mass shooting in Little Village injured seven people.
If we are to truly address gun crime, we must come at it from every angle, and we absolutely must make sure criminals know they will face stiff penalties, including the certainty of prosecution in Cook County, if they commit gun crimes. Simply passing an “assault weapons” ban that is ignored by criminals who get their guns illegally, yet places new mandates on lawful gun owners, is not the answer.
State Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-Woodstock), 32nd District
SEND LETTERS TO: letters@suntimes.com. To be considered for publication, letters must include your full name, your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be a maximum of approximately 375 words.
Let noncitizens vote in Chicago school board elections
We write in response to your recent editorial, “Legislators should move ahead on plan for an elected Chicago school board.” While we appreciated that it was insightful, we respectfully disagree with your stance that non-citizens should be denied the right to vote in Chicago school board elections.
As a city, it is past time we acknowledge and respect the significant role that non-citizen parents play in our education system.
Organizations such as Kids First Chicago, supported by parents and community members, have advocated for allowing any Chicago parent, regardless of immigration status, to vote in school board elections. Their position is supported by most Chicagoans surveyed in a fall 2023 Kids First Chicago poll, which revealed that roughly seven in ten respondents are in favor of this approach.
The momentum for such change is not confined to Chicago. San Francisco has already set a precedent by winning a court ruling that grants non-citizen parents the right to vote in school board elections. The issue has gained traction in Springfield as well, with a bill currently in the Senate, although further changes to the state constitution and Chicago voting laws may be required.
The importance of this issue has been recognized by Mayor Brandon Johnson, who campaigned on and included in his transition report a commitment to collaborate with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state legislators to extend voting rights in school board elections to noncitizens.
The involvement of noncitizens in local school councils, in which they are already permitted to vote and serve, exemplifies the positive impact of inclusive electoral practices. Extending these rights to Chicago school board elections is a rational and necessary step toward ensuring that all families have a voice in decisions that directly affect their children, schools and communities.
The rationale for allowing noncitizen parents to participate in school board elections is simple: their children are enrolled in our schools, and they contribute to the tax base that funds these schools. These families have a vested interest in the quality of education and deserve a say in decisions that affect their children’s future.
Hal Woods, chief of policy, and Jessica Cañas, senior manager of community partnerships, Kids First Chicago
About those lead pipes …
I have lived in Galewood for a decade now, and over these 10 years I have seen the city’s water department repair at least a dozen main water pipes that were leaking on residents’ parkways (including my own). Because the city has a plan to eventually replace all the lead water pipes, wouldn’t it make sense to replace the lead pipes while they are repairing the leaks? The parkways have already been dug up and all the equipment and crews are there. It would be more cost effective and efficient. Just a thought.
Michael DiDominicis, Galewood
Trump knows something about dodging bills
What irony that Donald J. Trump is demanding our NATO allies “pay their bills.” Yes, that very Donald J. Trump whose penchant for dodging his own debts for decades and decades is well-established.
“Do as I say, not as I do” comes to forehead-smashing mind!
Dwain Thomas, River North
Happy Friday, Illinois Land!
Instead of doing the usual column with post-Thanksgiving word puns involving side dishes and jokes about turkeys, I will use my time to point out a few things that I now know about college basketball in 2025, and the place that Illinois occupies inside of that stratosphere.
I will also discuss where Illinois fits into the landscape of the Big Ten. I think you’ll like how I see that unfolding. My pending Big Ten Analysis will highlight the lack of good depth in the conference.
It is not exactly a banner year for the Big Ten in men’s college basketball. To say the least.
Despite the fact that the Big Ten has dropped in the national landscape, and despite the fact that Illinois lost to a True Elite in 2025 against Alabama in Birmingham by double digits, it’s great beyond words to have a head basketball coach leading your program playing basketball the way it needs to be played at this present date.
Brad Underwood has turned Illinois into a National Program. Do not confuse this with being a national powerhouse.
As I see it, here are the five levels of Illinois basketball. National Championship Contender can replace Blue Blood for Illinois. There was no way for me to get in a shot at Indiana and its fans unless I constituted it this way.
For reference: Indiana is now No. 61 in KenPom (76 in OER, and 51 in DER). I was told that they are the conference favorite. I was also told Illinois cannot play defense. More on this in a bit.
- Conference Bottomfeeder (Year 1-2): 26-39 in his first two seasons, 11-27 in the Big Ten. I would call this 1990s Era coaching. Up the line, full court pressure, etc.
- Respected NCAA Tournament Team (Year 3+): This will be five-straight non-bubble NCAATs for Underwood, six if you count the COVID-19 cancellation of 2020.
- Big Ten Power (Year 3+): In turn, this makes you a Final Four contender on semi-annual basis, at a minimum. I don’t mean make a Final Four, but be a Top Four seed. No one believes that NC State had a better season than Illinois last year.
- National (and International) Program (Year 4+): Playing games on CBS on Thanksgiving by request, re-hiring arguably the country’s top assistant coach (Orlando Antigua), signing two potential lottery picks from two countries outside the United States. I could go on, but I won’t. You get it.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25764337/2186703590.jpg)
- Blue Blood (Never): This outdated term continues to keep Indiana fans from jumping off the nearest bridge for the last three-plus decades. Illinois will never be here. UCONN can’t get into the club with six National Championships since 1999.
Having said that, I’m going to say this.
John Calipari is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He has taken three different programs to the Final Four: Massachusetts, Memphis and Kentucky. He is an all-time great coach with a dazzling record (814-260, for a .758 winning percentage).
Calipari won an NCAA Tournament and cut down the nets in 2012, his third year in Lexington leading the Cats. He was outstanding at Kentucky (410-123), winning games at a .769 clip during his 15-year tenure.
He inexplicably missed the NCAA Tournament twice, going just 9-16 in 2021. His last three years, Kentucky lost 30 games and twice in the NCAAT to vastly inferior teams against No. 15 St. Peter’s and last year against No. 14 Oakland.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25764338/2186703567.jpg)
Please read the words I type. Do not create a false narrative around comparing Calipari and Underwood, in totality.
Underwood certainly has not had the career of Calipari — it’s not close — nor will he likely end up in the Hall of Fame anywhere outside of Champaign. Not impossible, but not likely.
Looking to the future, it’s clear which coach of the pair from the Thanksgiving matchup in Kansas City has the brighter future. This isn’t close, either.
While Underwood’s Illini blitzed Arkansas with a barrage of threes, high ball screens and floor spacing for play makers, Calipari and Kentu…Arkansas…had a plan “to attack the rim all game,” according to Calipari post-game.
Arkansas ATTEMPTED 17 threes. Illinois MADE 15. Illinois was +30 in in this category.
Frees (points at the free throw line) and threes (points behind the arc) is something I look at during every halftime, and after every game.
Illinois was +29 in this category. BU’s squad scored 90 points on the elite Arkansas defense, which was ranked No. 8 in KenPom DER prior to the contest.
The Illini had 60 of their 90 points (67.7%) of their points on Frees and Threes. Check on this stat every game that Underwood and Illinois play the entirety of the season. It will likely tell the story.
Factor in 2P% defense and you can get the winner of every game Illinois plays this year. The defensive strategy of Illinois is to defend the bucket and the arc. Despite giving a bucket full to Alabama in the lone loss (100-87), Illinois is currently No. 21 in DER.
Let’s take a look at pace of play, and how it affects efficiency, from a large scale perspective. What Illinois is doing is hard to copy.
For that matter, the Illinois offense is now No. 18 in OER (Offensive Efficiency Rating). Of the top 21 in DER on KenPom, Illinois has the FASTEST tempo, at No. 36.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25764339/2186694659.jpg)
In summary, Illinois plays in the Top 10% in pace of play and ranks even better in efficiency at both ends. It’s not only extremely difficult to do, but largely unnecessary.
When you play fast and efficient on offense, defense lessens in importance in direct correlation with how more efficient your offense can be. In short, play fast and good on offense and you outscore your opponent and win based on simple math.
Here are the avearages for defensive and offensive efficiency. The lower the number, the faster the pace.
Top 5 DERs in terms of pace average: 260.6
Top 5 OERs in terms of pace average: 66.8
Illinois pace of play: 36 (Top 21 in both DER and OER)
I know it’s a lot of numbers. I get it. Underwood has embraced the numbers game and turned Illinois from a Big Ten Bottomfeeder to a National Program.
You may not like it, but you’re gonna learn to love it.
Please take The Scientific Poll.
Poll
What is the win ceiling for Illinois men’s basketball in 2024-25?
This is threes and frees. This is creating space. This is the winning formula.
This is Illinois Basketball.
KANSAS CITY (AP) — Freshman Kasparas Jakucionis scored a season-high 23 points, Tomislav Ivisic had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Illinois beat No. 19 Arkansas 90-77 on Thursday in the Thanksgiving Hoops Showcase.
Jakucionis hit two free throws to give Illinois a double-digit lead with 3:49 remaining in the game. Arkansas had a turnover and a missed jumper on its next two possessions and Jakucionis hit an open 3-pointer to make it 85-71 at 2:42.
Kylan Boswell added 18 points for Illinois (6-1). Head coach Brad Underwood broke a tie with J. Craig Ruby (1922-36) for fifth place in program history with 149 wins.
Adou Thiero went 12 of 21 from the line and scored 26 points for Arkansas (5-2). Zvonimir Ivisic had 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Takeaways
Tomislav Ivisic won the battle against his twin brother, Zvonimir. Along with his double-double, Tomislav Ivisic made 6 of 9 3-pointers and blocked three shots. The 7-foot-1 center, playing his first college season, had 13 points and seven rebounds in the first half.
Key moment
Illinois stated the game on a 21-6 run and maintained at least a nine-point lead the rest of the way. Ben Humrichous made the Illini’s fifth 3-pointer with 12:36 left in the first half while Arkansas was 3 of 9 from the field.
Key stat
Illinois made 55% of its shots in the first half, including 9 of 16 from 3-point range, while Arkansas was 0 for 7 from long distance and shot 44% overall. The Illini finished 15 of 31 from distance. Arkansas shot 5 of 17 beyond the arc.
Up next
Arkansas plays at Miami in the second SEC/ACC Challenge on Tuesday. Illinois plays at Northwestern on Dec. 6 to begin Big Ten play.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25746666/247350_CMBF_2024_EWinatablackFriday.png "The best Black Friday tech deals we’ve found (so far)")
The best Black Friday tech deals we’ve found (so far)
Ireland votes in a close-run election where incumbents hope to cling on to power
Dem leader condemns Thanksgiving bomb threats against liberal lawmakers after Team Trump targeted
San Diego State will play in volleyball tournament after SJSU trans athlete prompts Boise State to forfeit
6 sneaky gift card scams to watch out for this holiday season
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Dem leader condemns Thanksgiving bomb threats against liberal lawmakers after Team Trump targeted
At least 42 Palestinians killed as Israel ramps up Gaza attacks
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season was the deadliest in nearly two decades
Political betting markets still have plenty of action despite end of election season
Borrell's final warning: EU has reached 'breaking point' in Ukraine
-
Science1 week agoTrump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Health6 days agoHoliday gatherings can lead to stress eating: Try these 5 tips to control it
-
Health4 days agoCheekyMD Offers Needle-Free GLP-1s | Woman's World
-
Science3 days agoDespite warnings from bird flu experts, it's business as usual in California dairy country
-
Science1 week agoAlameda County child believed to be latest case of bird flu; source unknown
-
Technology3 days agoLost access? Here’s how to reclaim your Facebook account
-
Sports1 week agoBehind Comcast's big TV deal: a bleak picture for once mighty cable industry
-
Entertainment2 days agoReview: A tense household becomes a metaphor for Iran's divisions in 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig'