It's time once again for Illinois' biannual tax hikes
Illinois' per-gallon gas tax is scheduled to go up again on July 1 as part of the legislature's twice-a-year increase policy.
The new higher tax will be 0.483 per gallon, up 1.3 cents or about 2.69 percent. In addition to levying a gas tax, Illinois is one of the few states that charges a sales tax on top of the gasoline tax.
Gasoline taxes have been increasing twice a year — Jan. 1 and July 1 — ever since Gov. J.B. Pritzker took office in 2019 and persuaded legislators to double the state's gas tax and then impose twice annual "automatic inflation adjustments," aka higher taxes.
The new fiscal year begins July 1, and that will bring a slew of tax hikes approved as part of the state's $55 billion-plus budget.
They include higher rates on short-term rentals, sports wagering, telecommunications, tobacco and vaping products. The state also is lowering tax rebates for electric vehicles, according to The Center Square news outlet.
You call THAT evidence?
Well, yes, the attorney general's office does.
Dee Ann Schippert, the former administrator of the Iroquois County Public Health District, faces charges of theft of government property, official misconduct and forgery in connection with her job duties.
Prosecutors have alleged Schippert was paid more than $100,000 as a consequence of fraudulent time sheets for regular and overtime hours she did not work.
If that sounds like a tough case to prove — was she working or not? — the government has some evidence it would like jurors to see.
Investigators retrieved time-stamped video footage shot between May 31, 2020, and July 15, 2022, that showed Schippert at various gambling establishments.
All told, the tapes add up to 759 hours, including 260 of which were during working hours.
The defense sought to block the footage from being entered as evidence — a good idea. But the judge rejected the request — a good ruling.
The case is being heard in Kankakee County Circuit Court.
Slugfest in waiting
A former mayor of Chicago and the current governor of Illinois have plans to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 2028.
How's that for a face-off for a shot at the Oval Office?
Rahm Emanuel, the former mayor among other things, and J.B. Pritzker, the current governor, say they are friends and are not relishing the prospect of running against each for the same job.
"But if we're running for the same position, it will be awkward," said Emanuel.
Asked to explain why, Emanuel responded with an expletive and said it was "self-evident."
Pritzker also is leery of a confrontation. That's why he said they have pledged to remain friends no matter what.
But there's always someone itching for a fight, in this case The Chicago Tribune.
"Bring it on, gentlemen, say we," the Trib stated in a June 24 article.
The newspaper characterized the confrontation in glowing terms.
"Broadly speaking, the differences between the two typify the internal debate Democrats will have to face before (or if) they can sufficiently unify to regain power," its editorial stated.
That's a nice way of saying the face-off would be a good clean street fight that would be fun to watch.
Emanuel, a self-styled tough guy, talks tough. Pritzker, judging from his searing campaign rhetoric, likes to hit below the belt.
So, yes, it would be entertaining to see Emanuel, Pritzker and others Ds vie for their party's nomination.
Of course, it's hardly official that they'll both get in the contest. The egotistical Emanuel may not be as well known or as well liked as he perceives.
Pritzker is currently distracted by his current run for re-election in 2026 and his planned run for the presidency in 2028.
It's a long time to 2028, and lots of things will happen between now and the time the pair may meet at the center of the ring, touch gloves and start throwing haymakers.
Family feud
Three high-profile Democrats — Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly and Raj Krishnamoorthi — are running for their party's nomination to replace the retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
But a new candidate recently entered the race, much to the displeasure of her future former mother-in-law, onetime Illinois U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos.
A recent Washington Examiner headline said it all: "Cheri Bustos denounces daughter-in-law's Senate run ..."
News reports state that Awisi Bustos, who is currently in the midst of a divorce from Bustos' son Nick Bustos, is the CEO of the Illinois Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs.
She would be, at best, a long-shot in a primary contest against three better-known and better-financed candidates.
Whatever her chances, former Rep. Bustos sought to diminish them further by releasing a statement saying that she and her "entire family are not supportive" of Awisi Bustos' nascent candidacy.
Get your vegan here
The city of Chicago may look like it's rushing to the brink of ruin. But there's good news.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals recently named the Windy City as the "top vegan-friendly city in the country."
"People may be surprised that the city that was once named 'The Hog Butcher of the World' is now a vegan paradise," said PETA representative Amanda Brody.
It's great to see that Chicago is at least some kind of "paradise," given its myriad of problems.
Veganism is the "practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods." Vegan foods include "fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, grains and mushrooms."
The term vegan was "coined in 1944 by Donald Watson with the aim of differentiating it from vegetarianism, which rejects the consumption of meat but accepts the consumption of milk, dairy products and eggs."
That may not sound as good as a juicy steak. But veganism has its highlights. The Chicago Tribune found a restaurant — The Runaway Cow in the Bridgeport neighborhood — that features a vegan version of a Dairy Queen blizzard.
Alison Eichhorn, proprietor of the vegan ice cream shop, uses "oat milk soft serve in chocolate, vanilla, swirl or the featured flavor, with a myriad of add-in options for a Snowstorm. Just like a Dairy Queen Blizzard."
Do not forget, stay out of debt
When it comes to personal finance, there are few things people need more than good advice on how to handle their money.
That's why state Comptroller Susana Mendoza has launched a podcast designed to "help consumers with money matters."
In an announcement from her office, Mendoza said she'll cover a wide range of topics that include the "basics of budgeting, investing, and saving for college."
"I'm a finance nerd at heart, and I really wanted to bring my knowledge, as well as advice from experts to the public. I think viewers and listeners will find some really great information in these episodes and have some fun along the way," she said.
Her office said "new episodes will be launched every Monday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and coming soon ... on Spotify."
This first episode takes a look at how Comptroller Mendoza's interest in all things financial began, and where the public can get started as well.
"In upcoming episodes we tackle some tough subjects, like talking to your spouse or partner about money, and paying for infertility treatments. We also explore what would happen if you hit it big and win a lottery jackpot and discuss some fun ways to teach kids about money," she said.
You can go home again
Former Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis may be running for a U.S. House seat in Florida, but he returned to his home state to raise campaign cash.
He held an evening of "cocktails, good friends and conversation" June 22 at the Dunham Woods Riding Club in Wayne, a village located in parts of both DuPage and Kane counties.
Among those sponsoring the event were former state Sen. Jason Barickman and onetime GOP U.S. Senate candidate Al Salvi.
Oberweis left Illinois after serving two terms in the Illinois Senate. He had previously run unsuccessfully for the U.S. House and Senate.
When a U.S House seat opened up in Florida's 19th district, he decided to take another plunge into politics.
Florida's primary election will be held in August 2028.
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'It could have sent a message to others that these kinds of horrific crimes carry real consequences. Instead, four beautiful lives were taken, and the person responsible won't be used as an example to help prevent something like this from happening again,' Kernodle added. In contrast, families of the other two victims say they support the plea deal. Ben Mogen, father of Madison, told the Idaho Statesman he was choosing acceptance, adding the plea agreement would let his family avoid a trial and allow its wounds to keep healing. Ethan's mother, Stacy Chapin, told CNN affiliate KHQ her family would be in court Wednesday 'in support of the plea bargain.' But the deal is not set in stone, and the judge could require Kohberger to confess to details of the crime, a legal expert said. State District Judge Steven Hippler must approve the deal and will oversee a hearing in the case at 11 a.m. Wednesday, during which the plea agreement will be addressed, a letter from the prosecutor to a victim's family says, according to an Idaho Statesman report. Plea deal negotiations are often protected by a halo of privacy, so details of the closed-door conversations between prosecutors and Kohberger's attorneys are unlikely to come out unless one side steps forward, according to University of Idaho associate law professor Samuel Newton. Commonly discussed in the legal process, plea deals involve prosecutors offering a defendant incentives, such as a less severe sentence, if they accept a guilty plea, Newton said. The costs and time commitment of a death penalty case may have also played a role in both sides wanting to reach an early conclusion, Newton said. Death penalty convictions often lead to decades of painstaking appeal efforts, which he said some victims' families describe as 'torture.' 'The family is looking at … decades of legal proceedings in a death penalty case, versus if he takes life without parole, it's done and the family gets that degree of closure,' Newton said. Kohberger's legal defense team has also suffered a series of losses in recent weeks which have narrowed their strategy options, including rulings barring the defense from submitting an official alibi – as no one could confirm Kohberger's whereabouts at the time of the killings – and rejecting their attempt to present an 'alternate perpetrator' theory. During Wednesday's hearing, the judge is likely to question Kohberger thoroughly to make sure he understands that he would be forfeiting his right to a trial and sentencing appeals if he accepts the deal, Newton said. Both Goncalves and Kernodle have criticized prosecutors for not including provisions in the plea deal that would require Kohberger to confess to specific details of the crime. Those details could have been revealed at trial, which is still leaves questions over motive and how the stabbings were carried out. Goncalves hopes Judge Hippler will require Kohberger to make statements in court that would shed light on the remaining mysteries of the case. He also believes such statements would provide the suspect's supporters – many of whom maintain his innocence – less ground to stand on. 'We're all going to live with the repercussion for the rest of our lives … unless Hippler steps in and says, 'You're not going to just say you're guilty. You're going to communicate some of the details so these families can actually move on and not have to be dragged through this true crime nightmare over and over and over again.' Kernodle agreed, saying in his statement, 'It's incredibly hard to accept that a trial won't be happening. I had hoped the agreement would include conditions that required the defendant to explain his actions and provide answers to the many questions that still remain, especially where evidence is missing or unclear.' Goncalves also believes the plea deal should have barred Kohberger from reaping financial gain from selling the details of his story in the future. There is a slim chance Kohberger could maintain his innocence while accepting the plea deal by entering an Alford plea, an option that stems from a 1970 Supreme Court case. 'The benefit of the Alford plea is for a defendant who feels that they're innocent but wants to take the deal,' Newton said, noting there are no substantial differences between a regular guilty plea and an Alford plea. 'It has the same result as a guilty plea. It's just the defendant themselves is not going to say that they did it.' If the defense went this route, the state may present a factual basis for Kohberger's guilty plea, including details of how the crime was carried out, and would require him to say 'guilty' after the facts were read, Newton said. Like a regular guilty plea, Kohberger would likely be waiving his right to appeal as well, he added. Newton said it seems unlikely prosecutors would have agreed to a plea deal if they didn't have assurances Kohberger would take responsibility for the killings, making the chances of an Alford plea questionable. CNN's Norma Galeana and Betul Tuncer contributed to this report.
