Illinois
Northern Illinois politicians react to Donald Trump indictment
Northern Illinois political leaders from each side of the aisle reacted to the historic indictment of former president Donald Trump Thursday, with many providing predictions on the way it may influence Trump’s third White Home bid.
Trump was indicted on expenses involving funds made throughout the 2016 presidential marketing campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter, his legal professionals stated Thursday, producing the primary felony case in opposition to a former U.S. president. Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation, referred to as the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it might harm Democrats within the 2024 elections.
Republicans and Democrats alike shared their response Thursday amid Trump’s 2024 bid to return to the White Home.
In a press release launched by Trump’s 2024 marketing campaign Thursday, the previous president referred to as the indictment a “Witch-Hunt that can massively backfire on Joe Biden.”
“Oh, hell yeah, it’s about time,” stated Anna Wilhelmi, chair of the Democratic Occasion in DeKalb County. “Individuals shouldn’t be capable of commit crimes like he has and never go earlier than a jury or a choose to make a discovering like the remainder of us.”
Wilhelmi, who works as an actual property lawyer, stated she believes Trump needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the regulation, and stated she fears for additional violence to interrupt out.
Within the days main as much as the indictment announcement, Trump took to his social media platform, Reality Social, to name for protests amid his continued assertion that his prosecution is the results of partisan contempt.
[ Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-president charged with crime ]
Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an outspoken Republican Trump critic who served on the Jan. 6 committee that investigated the U.S. Capitol riots, issued a press release on Twitter warning that he believes the menace Trump poses to democracy stays.
“At this time is a somber day for our nation,” Kinzinger wrote. “Donald Trump dedicated many crimes, however this indictment needs to be a reminder that in America, NO ONE is above the regulation. We should transfer ahead and let justice prevail. The anti-democratic menace, nevertheless, hasn’t diminished.”
Not all celebrated the historic indictment Thursday, nevertheless.
Illinois state Sen. Andrew Chesney, a Republican representing the forty fifth District, decried the “unrelenting efforts” to see Trump jailed.
“They’ve come at him time and time once more, and every time their claims have been unsubstantiated,” Chesney stated a information launch. “Whether or not they had been focusing on a businessman considering a run for public workplace, a present president or a former president, what they’re doing is improper, it’s unethical and it poses an enormous menace to our democracy.”
State Sen. Rachel Ventura, a Democrat, disagreed.
“Nobody is above the regulation, and the information of Donald Trump’s indictment over hush cash paid throughout his marketing campaign is a welcome piece of accountability after six and a half years of seeing former President Donald Trump repeatedly appearing like America’s legal guidelines are simply phrases his legal professionals can scramble and he can ignore.”
DeKalb County GOP chairman Tim Bagby, who additionally sits on the DeKalb County Board, stated he believes there’s a little bit politics behind most prosecutions. He stated he believes Individuals will settle for the outcomes of a jury, nevertheless.
“I’ve heard that is one thing that may be devastating to a marketing campaign. However, individuals are saying, ‘This will probably be a boon, it’ll entice individuals to the president’s trigger’,” Bagby stated. “I think it’s going to be a wash.”
McHenry County Board Chair Mike Buehler stated he seen the indictment as an effort to maintain Trump from one other profitable bid for the White Home in 2024.
“Whether or not or not you want Trump, it appears painfully apparent that the Democrats are going to do something they’ll to ensure he isn’t reelected,” Buehler stated.
[ Donald Trump was just indicted. Here’s what happens next ]
La Salle County Republican Chairman Larry Smith believes the indictment might do the alternative, noting it’s not going to discourage those that assist Trump.
”It’s apparent that is politically motivated, however I don’t suppose it’s a wise factor to do,” Smith stated. “ … I don’t suppose it legally holds a lot water and it’s simply one other investigation, and one other cost they’ve thrown at him, and one of many weaker ones at that.”
Christopher Mooney, a political science professor on the College of Illinois at Chicago, stated Illinois voters ought to keep in mind it’s nonetheless early within the sport for 2024 presidential hopefuls. Mooney stated he believes Trump’s indictment might need extra influence on the first elections for the GOP presidential nominee quite than the 2024 common election, which is sure to fall onto partisan strains anyway.
“The important thing level right here is that that is just the start of this probably, and we don’t know what’s going to occur,” Mooney stated. “Nothing else might occur and it type of fizzles, or there could also be two or three extra huge indictments coming down the street and that is going to play out over the following six months or so down the street. It’s going to be fascinating.”
Republican State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, declined to touch upon how Trump’s indictment might have an effect on the previous president’s third bid for the White Home, however stated the method is enjoying out because it ought to.
“The chance to have a authorized course of in place like we do with our court docket system is a cornerstone to our democracy,” Keicher stated. “And I sit up for seeing the method work its manner by the conventional course of occasions.”
Mooney stated Trump’s indictment isn’t simply historic, it’s notable due to Trump’s standing.
“It’s historic as a result of it by no means occurred earlier than, and it’s fairly exceptional. But it surely’s particularly exceptional as a result of he’s wealthy and highly effective,” Mooney stated. “And on this nation, the wealthy and highly effective are not often held to account. Donald Trump has himself been the topic of numerous lawsuits over time, and he’s acquired a popularity of beating the rap, out-lawyering individuals. So it’s stunning that this could occur in America.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley who represents Illinois’ fifth Congressional District, issued his response Thursday through Twitter.
“Nobody is above the regulation, not even a former president,” Quigley stated.
Quigley’s Democratic colleague, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, who represents the state’s sixth Congressional District, merely tweeted, “Increase.”
U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, a Republican who represents Illinois’ fifteenth Congressional District, pointed blame to Democrats on Thursday and issued her continued assist for Trump’s marketing campaign slogan “Make America Nice Once more.”
“The corrupt Soros prosecutors need to destroy our system of justice and tear our nation aside,” Miller wrote in a Tweet. “We stand with President Donald J. Trump and the America First motion. We’ll prevail.”
The corrupt Soros prosecutors need to destroy our system of justice and tear our nation aside. We stand with President Donald J. Trump and the America First motion. We’ll prevail! #MAGA pic.twitter.com/9ac0c7D0Jh
— Mary Miller (@Miller_Congress) March 30, 2023
For some native Democrat political leaders throughout northern Illinois, Trump’s indictment seems a very long time coming. Some Republicans, nevertheless, sided with their state colleagues, calling the indictment a partisan-led ruse.
Mark Guethle, chairman of the Kane County Democrats, stated Trump has to “pay for his dangerous deeds.”
“He has acquired to be accountable for what he’s performed. Nobody is above the regulation, proper? All of us consider no person is above the regulation, besides him. Am I shocked? No. I felt it was a very long time coming, to be trustworthy,” Guethle stated.
McHenry County Democratic Occasion Chair Kristina Zahorik stated she appeared “ahead to justice being served.”
“Our nation was based on the rule of regulation and the assumption that no individual, irrespective of how highly effective or influential, is above the regulation,” Zahorik stated.
Kenneth Shepro, former chairman of the Kane County Republican Occasion, stated, “It’s tough to know what to say as a result of all that was introduced was that there was an indictment. We nonetheless don’t know what he’s charged with.”
Present Kane County GOP chairman Andro Lerario stated the indictment is “a circus act.”
“I don’t know what nation we’re in any extra. I simply don’t perceive what it’s we’re doing,” Lerario stated. “I don’t perceive what it’s they’re pondering. Mainly, it’s a witch hunt. That’s what Trump stated.”
Stephen Balich, Will County Board Republican chief, shared that sentiment.
“I believe this a bunch of baloney. This indictment is solely political,” Balich stated. “The federal government has been weaponized in opposition to Donald Trump and anybody who goes in opposition to their narrative.”
Balich’s Will County Board counterpart, Democratic Chief Jacqueline Traynere of Bolingbrook, stated she believes the indictment will influence the 2024 election.
“The arm of justice has lastly caught up with Mr. Trump. I hope the fees stick and we is not going to see him on our ballots in 2024.”
No matter how political leaders really feel headed into the election, Mooney stated, the indictment itself serves as a reminder for the way America’s founding fathers meant accountability to work.
“What we’ve acquired here’s what the founders envisioned, and that may be a authorities system with a number of layers and branches that work independently of each other as a guard in opposition to tyranny,” Mooney stated. “So what we’re seeing is the chief department being held to account.”
The Related Press contributed to this report. Shaw Native Information Community reporters Tim Epperson, Camden Lazenby, James T. Norman, Kelsey Rettke, Brenda Schory, Troy Taylor and Janelle Walker additionally contributed.
Illinois
What you need to know about advisory questions on Illinois ballots
Illinoisans will be asked to vote on three advisory questions in the election Nov. 5. Here is what voters should know.
Come Election Day, Illinoisans will see three questions on the statewide ballot: one on election interference, another asking about amending the state constitution to impose a 3% tax on income over $1 million and a third on requiring insurance companies to cover fertility treatments.
These questions were placed on the ballot by Senate Bill 2412, the same bill that attempted to reduce election competition in the middle of the election cycle by barring candidates who did not participate in a primary election from appearing on the 2024 ballot. That provision of the bill as applied to the 2024 election was struck down by a state appellate court in June. The Illinois Supreme Court declined to take up the appeal, so those provisions will not apply until after Nov. 5. The advisory ballot questions remained.
The statewide questions are not the only advisory questions some Illinoisans will see on their ballots. Citizens and governing bodies of municipalities, townships and counties may also place advisory questions on the ballot. For example, Barrington Township will ask voters if they support reforming public pensions by amending the state constitution.
Here are three common questions about nonbinding referenda, and what you should know before heading to the polls.
What is a nonbinding advisory question?
Illinois law allows voters or lawmakers to place questions of public policy on the ballot to be voted for or against at a statewide general election. There is no limitation to the subject matter of advisory questions. Questions can range from local to national to international issues covering public safety, the environment, foreign policy and everything in between.
The results of these ballot questions have no legal impact.
How are non-binding referendum placed on the ballot?
There are two general methods to place an advisory question on the ballot: through petition signature collections or by a resolution passed by elected leaders.
- Voters can place an advisory question on the ballot statewide by collecting the number of signatures equal to 8% of the votes cast for governor in the case of a statewide advisory question. Voters can also place an advisory question on a local ballot by collecting the number of signatures equal to 8% of the votes cast for governor in that political subdivision whether it is a municipality, township, county or school district.
- The local governing body of a municipality, township, county, or school district can place an advisory question on the ballot by passing a resolution. The Illinois General Assembly can place an advisory question on the statewide ballot by passing a law that gets signed by the governor.
Why put a non-binding advisory question on the ballot?
The main reason to place an advisory question on the ballot is to gauge public support for a particular policy proposition in a specific area – municipalities, townships, counties, school districts or statewide. It’s similar to an official poll, but the advantage of nonbinding referenda as compared to polls is the sample size is often larger, and the results measure the views of actual voters who went to the trouble to show up at the polls or to fill out and mail in their ballots. The results signal to lawmakers in a particular jurisdiction the strength of their constituents’ support or opposition to the question.
Advisory questions in Illinois are generally limited to three propositions per political subdivision. If more than three questions would qualify for ballot placement, the first three questions to be validly submitted will be placed on the ballot.
That is another reason lawmakers might place questions on the ballot: to preempt questions they’d rather not see asked. That appears to be what happened this year. A statewide advisory question proposed by the Parents Matter Coalition would have asked voters if they support requiring parental consent for the provision of non-emergency medical treatment or gender counseling of minor children. But by filling up the statewide ballot with three advisory questions before enough signatures could be gathered and submitted, Illinois lawmakers prevented it. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed SB 2412 into law three days before the deadline to file petitions for a statewide advisory question.
In addition, research on non-binding ballot initiatives in California indicate lawmakers pay attention to these results, particularly when the issue area falls under the authority of the jurisdiction where the advisory question is on the ballot. If the question is on an issue that is controversial or that the electorate is passionate about, it can also increase turnout to the polls and increase discussions of the policy proposed, making it more likely that lawmakers address the issue substantively.
As a result, while these questions may not have any legal effect, voters should take them seriously. State and local lawmakers pay attention to the results, and what is only a nonbinding question today may become public policy tomorrow. Voters should educate themselves on the consequences of these hypothetical proposals before they pull the lever for or against, lest they discover that lawmakers take them at their word and put those policies into law.
Illinois
Illinois 4-H to host open houses across DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties
Local 4-H programs will host open house events this fall in DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties to introduce families to their youth development opportunities.
These events, part of the University of Illinois Extension’s 4-H program, focus on building leadership, citizenship and life skills in young people, according to a release from the University of Illinois Extension.
Open houses will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton; 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Kendall County Fairgrounds in Yorkville and 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles.
Registration is not required.
The program emphasizes fostering a sense of belonging and community service through hands-on activities, project work and leadership opportunities, said Andrea Farrier, a 4-H youth development educator, in the release.
Youth can participate in 4-H clubs, which are open to those ages 8 to 18, while the Cloverbud program is available for children ages 5 to 7.
For more information or to request accommodations, contact 630-584-6166 or visit go.illinois.edu/info4Hdkk.
Illinois
Crest Hill, Illinois residents say cloudy and discolored water is an ongoing issue
CREST HILL, Ill. (CBS) — Murky, discolored water is coming out of faucets and spigots in homes in Crest Hill, and neighbors say it is a persistent problem.
Residents of the southwest suburb took their concerns to city leaders Wednesday.
Crest Hill resident Meg Kurowski has a line of containers around her kitchen— gallon jugs and empty boxed wine bags that she fills up at a friend’s home each week—because she doesn’t trust the water that comes out of her own tap.
“In this day and age where water comes to your house, why do I have to schlep water from here, there, and everywhere just so I can have drinking water?” Kurowski said.
Kurowski is not alone in not trusting the water.
“What the heck is going on? Because I started seeing people posting pictures of like brown water coming out of their faucets,” she said, “and white water—I don’t even know what that is.”
Kurowski snapped photos of the green water that filled her tub on March 31 and April 1. Others sent their own photos and videos—including one showing cloudy water just last week.
CBS News Chicago talked to several Crest Hill city leaders for this story. None of them would go on camera, but they said the cloudy water is likely the result of recent hydrant flushing.
Kurowski was not reassured.
“What’s it been the rest of the year then?” she said. “What’s their excuse for the rest of the year?”
CBS News Chicago tool the City of Crest Hill’s most recent water report, from last year, to Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards.
“It had elevated levels of copper in it, which is in itself a significant human health concern,” Edwards said. “But the utility should be taking action to try to reduce the corrosivity of the drinking water according to the EPA lead and copper rule provisions.”
Edwards, who previously worked on the Flint, Michigan water crisis, said those elevated copper levels are likely to blame for Kurowski’s green water. He said residents are right to be cautious
Crest Hill uses a well system, and acknowledges that Will County has “hard water” with high mineral levels. Crest Hill is scheduled to transition to Lake Michigan-sourced water in 2030.
Meanwhile, Kurowski said her days of schlepping water for herself and her dogs is ending soon. She’s moving to Tennessee.
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