Free gas, CTA cards part of new city program for black residents The city will provide $150 prepaid gas cards and $50 prepaid cards for use on public transit to applicants who live in the city, have a valid vehicle sticker and meet income guidelines. By Fran Spielman Mar 31, 2022, 10:58am CDT
A new program announced Thursday is intended to offer some relief from high gasoline prices.
Associated Press
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday threw a $7.5 million bone to motorists squeezed by soaring gas prices — and tossed in a $5 million sweetener to lure commuters back to mass transit.
A funeral director opened a new location. The 1st funeral: His son Veteran of the U.S. Marines Daniel Martinez died March 19 after being stabbed outside a bar in Boston. By Stefano Esposito Mar 31, 2022, 2:17pm CDT
Manny Martinez, father of Daniel Martinez, an ex-Marine who was fatally stabbed outside a Boston bar on March 19, stands with his son Luke and daughter Micaela at the family funeral home in the Clearing neighborhood Thursday morning.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Dressed all in black, his fingers laced in front, Manny Martinez walked through his new funeral home to a large room filled with rows of empty chairs and photographs of a smiling young man, each set on an easel.
While it flew 600 miles from Pyongyang into the Sea of Japan, the mammoth missile flew for 71 minutes, reaching an altitude of 3,852 miles. Had it been fired in a normal trajectory, its missile warheads could have reached Washington, D.C., and every city in the USA.
While President Joe Biden was in Brussels and Warsaw showing U.S. solidarity with Ukraine, the 38-year-old autocrat who rules North Korea made a bold bid for the president’s attention.
Disney president who is the 'mother of a transgender and a pansexual child' says she she wants at least half of ALL future characters to be LGBTQIA
Karey Burke said at an all-hands meeting that she spoke as a mother and a corporate leader advocating for more inclusive Disney characters She defended company for its LGBTQIA characters, but promised to bring more Her comments came after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing the 'Don't say gay' bill into law Disney television animation executive producer Latoya Raveneau said everyone supported her 'not-at-all secret gay agenda'
Rep. Bobby Rush championed measure for years “Lynching is not a relic of the past,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. Next up, truth-in-popcorn bill By Lynn Sweet March 29, 2022 08:19 PM
President Joe Biden and Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., at the Rose Garden bill signing for the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till anti-lynching bill on Tuesday, invoking, during a Rose Garden ceremony, the lives of the Chicago youth whose lynching helped spur the modern civil rights movement and Ida B. Wells, the Chicago journalist who crusaded against lynching in the years after the Civil War.
Ocasio-Cortez to Clarence Thomas: Resign or face impeachment
Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) addresses reporters during a press
conference on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 about a resolution condemning
Rep. Lauren Boebert's (R-Colo.) use of Islamaphobic rhetoric and
removing her from her committee assignments.
Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday called on Justice Clarence
Thomas to resign or face impeachment for what she depicted as a pattern
of ethical breaches.
Ireland expels senior Russian officials because they have to back up the leader of the free world and fellow Irishman Joe Biden, Russia says move "will not go unanswered"
Ireland is expelling the senior Russian officials "because their activities have not been in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour."
February 24, 2022: Red paint on the coat of arms of the Russian Federation on the gate outside of the Russian Embassy in Dublin, Ireland.ROLLINGNEWS.IE
Four senior Russian officials are being expelled from Ireland, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed today, March 29.
“This afternoon, the Department of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian Ambassador to Iveagh House to advise him that four senior officials have been asked to leave the State," Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said in astatementon Tuesday afternoon.
Are you sleeping better knowing Joe Biden is your president? by GEORGE PARRY
March 28, 2022, 12:01 AM
So how did that work when Joe Biden announced that Vladmir Putin is a “butcher” who “cannot remain in power” only for Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to follow up with a pay-no-attention-to-the angry-old-guy-shouting-at-the-clouds correction. According to Blinken, the United States does not “have a strategy of regime change in Russia or anywhere else.”
THORNER: IMPORTANT HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY MOSTLY IGNORED
By Nancy Thorner -
One big story that is not being covered is the Hunter Biden laptop computer story, with the Russian/Ukraine war and the hearing ofSCOTUS Nominee Ketanji Brown Jacksonare overshadowing this important story.
TheNew York Timesfinally admitted that Hunter’s computer was the real thing. Obviously, the FBI should be on the case with a team of investigators because of the threat to national security.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is arguably the most divisive issue for Republicans in years with the possible exception of 2020 election fraud. Just as with deciding whether to believe the 2020 election was stolen, Republicans find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum from each other over what we should do about Ukraine, if anything.
Biden says Putin ‘cannot remain in power’ in sweeping speech on Russian invasion of Ukraine
Perhaps it is Biden who should not remain in power, especially after his family's involvement in Ukraine-gate is investigated PUBLISHED SAT, MAR 26 20221:47 PM EDT UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
In a sweeping speech in Poland that marked the finale of a three-day trip to Europe, Biden urged democracies around the world to unify and commit to a long fight against authoritarian aggression.
US President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland on March 26, 2022. Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
President Joe Biden on Saturday said Russian leader Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” ratcheting up international pressure and further uniting NATO allies against Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.
"they voted for me the first time, they're probably still stupid enough to vote for me a second time"
Beetlejuice hopes to waive 3-cents-a-gallon gas tax hike until Dec. 31 to ease pain at pump. Thinks the voters will go ga ga for less than 1% and put Beetlejuice back in office, so that the city can be plundered by peaceful protesters, again If the plan is approved, the city would forfeit about $18 million by temporarily reducing the gas tax. The tax money pays for snow removal, street paving, bridge maintenance and related personnel costs. By Fran Spielman March 25, 2022 02:00 PM
Mayor Lori Lightfoot proposes to temporarily reduce the city’s gas tax by 3 cents a gallon to help motorists. The move could cost the city about $18 million. Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file
Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants to roll back her 3-cents-a-gallon gas tax increase until Dec. 31 to provide relief for motorists squeezed by skyrocketing gas prices, even though an influential alderperson warned the temporary break would be viewed as a “political stunt.”
Ald. Michelle Harris (8th), the mayor’s City Council floor leader, acknowledged a 3-cent break is a drop in the gas tank with prices hovering around $5 a gallon.
“Every little bit helps when people are struggling. … If it’s 3 cents on a gallon, that’s 3 cents on a gallon I ain’t got to pay,” Harris said. “She’s not eliminating it altogether. She’s just saying that, while things are so horrible financially, she wants to reduce it temporarily.”
Finance Committee Chairman Scott Waguespack (32nd) added: “It is mostly helping those people that are in need of saving every penny they can during the price surge.”
The tax had been expected to be up for a vote at a Finance Committee meeting scheduled for Monday. But late Friday afternoon, that meeting was canceled and the mayor’s office issued a statement:
“It is important that the City steps up and does its part to provide relief during a time where we are seeing record-breaking gas prices. As the Mayor said yesterday, our team is currently working through plans to create a unique and impactful policy that will serve the needs of our residents with diverse transportation choices. Once that plan is finalized, it will be taken up as part of the Budget Committee.”
The city’s gas tax, currently 8 cents a gallon, generates $64.9 million a year for snow removal, street paving, bridge maintenance and related personnel costs. Forfeiting the 3-cent increase for the rest of the year would cost the city roughly $18 million.
Lightfoot’s 2021 “pandemic budget” raised the tax by 3 cents a gallon, or 60%, on Jan. 1, 2021. The increase had been authorized by the General Assembly when the state’s gas tax was doubled to bankroll Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s $45 billion infrastructure program.
More recently, Pritzker proposed a gas tax freeze.
Over the past two weeks, former mayoral challenger Willie Wilson has held two wildly popular gas giveaways, offering struggling motorists $1.2 million total in free gas at $50 a tank.
CPS has lost 8% of schools’ ‘tech assets’ during COVID, tens of thousands of computers, even air purifiers, defibrillators The police suspect that much of the property that CPS has listed as missing actually was stolen by people with access to school buildings during the pandemic. By Frank Main March 25, 2022 05:30 AM
Air purifiers such as this one (right), seen at a South Side school, have been among the most-stolen items from the Chicago Public Schools during the coronavirus pandemic.
Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times
Computers and other devices that amount to at least 8% of the Chicago Public Schools’ “technology assets” have been listed as “lost” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Good evening everyone and welcome to the broadcast. This is the Worldview Report.
Did Russia unleash its cutting-edge hypersonic missile on Ukraine?
A Ukrainian military official confirmed to a local news outlet that Russian forces carried out a missile strike Friday on a missile and ammunition warehouse in the Delyatyn settlement in western Ukraine.
The Russians say this strike was carried out by a hypersonic missile, the first such use of hypersonic weaponry in real-time warfare.
A spokesman for the Ukraine Air Forces told the Ukrainian Pravda newspaper, however, that it is yet to be confirmed whether the missile the Russians used was indeed Kinzhal, the country’s latest hypersonic missile, or some other type of missile.
Editor’s Commentary:To those who are not familiar with Mike Adams fromNatural News, let me say that he is truly brilliant, particularly when it comes to economic issues. While he is known as the “Health Ranger,” I would argue that his financial instincts are actually superior to his extraordinary health instincts. It’s important to understand this before you read his article below because to many of you, it will all seem far-fetched. We’ve grown up with American exceptionalism in which thoughts of total economic collapse are difficult to accept as possible, let alone likely. But as Mike details in the article and videos below, now is not the time to stick our heads in the sand and assume all will be well because ‘MURICA! Read this and take heed. I’m not saying he’s definitely right, but in the age of “President” Biden, The Great Reset, and Critical Race Theory, is anything really outside of the realm of possibility? Here’s Mike…
As a patriotic American, this is the kind of article that pains me to write. But unlike the Democrats and their make believe gender identity fairy tales that pretend biology isn’t real, I can’t simply choose to alter the laws of economics and tell you something that isn’t so. The truth is that based on things that have been set into motion right now, the US dollar goes to zero. And the Russian Ruble emerges as a dominant, commodity-backed world currency that gives Russia long-term economic strength and competitiveness.
Biden says U.S. would ‘respond’ to Russia if Putin uses chemical or biological weapons.
Even odds that somebody is going to use gas soon.
President Joe Biden said NATO would respond “in kind” if Russia uses weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine. “We will respond if he uses it,” Biden said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The nature of the response depends on the nature of the use.” Biden also said he would support an effort to expel Russia from the G-20 group of economies.
Affirmative action exec picked to replace Patrick Daley Thompson in 11th Ward Nicole Lee is the daughter of Gene Lee, a longtime deputy chief of staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley, Chicago’s longest-serving mayor. The Chicago City Council is scheduled to ratify Nicole Lee’s selection at a special meeting Monday. By Fran Spielman March 24, 2022 12:29 PM
Nicole Lee was introduced Thursday as Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s pick to be the new 11th Ward alderperson on the Chicago City Council.
Brian Rich/Sun-Times
An emotional Mayor Lori Lightfoot made political history on Thursday by appointing the first Asian American woman ever to serve on the Chicago City Council.
A couple is facing robbery charges after they allegedly tried to mug a 6-year-old boy in the South Loop on Tuesday morning.
The boy was on the sidewalk in the 2100 block of South Clark when he saw a blue SUV drive past and make a U-turn around 11:30 a.m., according to Chicago police and prosecutors. The GMC Acadia pulled to a stop and Fred Wolfe, 18, allegedly emerged from its passenger seat.Armonie Lewis and Fred Wolfe were arrested in the 2100 block of South Clark. | CPD
Wolfe tried to take the boy’s phone by using force, but the kid fought back and Wolfe retreated to the SUV, which sped away with Armonie Lewis, 19, behind the wheel, Assistant State’s Attorney Loukas Kalliantasis said.
The boy flagged down a passing patrol car to report the robbery attempt. Kalliantasis said the GMC Acadia drove by as officers talked with the boy. Cops pulled the SUV over and arrested Wolfe and Lewis after the victim identified them, said Kalliantasis.
North Korea launches new ICBM in biggest weapons test since 2017
KCNA Jennifer Jett and Stella Kim and Arata Yamamoto Thu, March 24, 2022, 3:31 AM
HONG KONG — North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time since 2017, its neighbors said Thursday, in a major escalation of tensions over its weapons program.
Another gas giveaway: Willie Wilson details plans for $1 million in free fuel at Chicago-area stations The last gas giveaway Wilson held caused traffic jams and was criticized by some as a publicity stunt. But Wilson said people will criticize him no matter what, so “I say let them criticize me for doing good.” By Manny Ramos March 22, 2022 05:05 PM
Businessman and Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson discusses his plans to give away more free gasoline this week. After paying for $200,000 in gasoline distributed at 10 locations last Thursday, Wilson announced Tuesday he would expand to 50 stations giving away a total of $1 million in gas this Thursday. Each customer is limited to $50 in fuel. Joining Wilson at the news conference was former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin (left). Boykin said they have met with the Chicago Police Department, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and the office of Mayor Lori Lightfoot to ensure a smooth giveaway process. Last week’s giveaway caused miles-long traffic jams and arguments at some locations.
‘Why do we have to choose someone who attacked Joe?’ first lady reportedly said, according to This Will Not Pass
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at the White House in June last year. The book reports that Biden and Harris are ‘friendly but not close’. Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The first lady, Jill Biden, complained about her husband’s choice of Kamala Harris as running mate and now vice-president, according to a new book, asking: “There are millions of people in the United States. Why … do we have to choose the one who attacked Joe?”
CNN’s legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin defended Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s record as she faces Senate hearings. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
While the threat to the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine may be an existential one for that nation, it is no such peril to our nation. Indeed, if one were to enumerate the greatest threats to the republic to which all of us pledge allegiance, the outcome of that war halfway around the world would not make the list.
Speaking to Congress, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked for many things from the United States.
Prosecutors recommend two-year prison sentence for former Crestwood Mayor Louis Presta
Federal prosecutors say Presta “cynicially exploited” a public safety initiative.
The only reason this creep ran for mayor was so he could position himself to steal. By Stefano Esposito March 18, 2022 01:34 PM
Then-Crestwood Mayor Lou Presta speaks at a village board meeting in the southwest suburb on Oct. 7, 2021.
Federal prosecutors are recommending a minimum of two years in prison for former Crestwood Mayor Louis Presta, who pleaded guilty late last year in a red-light camera bribery scheme.
The men, serving time for charges including robbery and home invasion, are eligible to have their jail sentences cut under a new law passed last year. By Matthew Hendrickson March 18, 2022 06:08 PM
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx....knows better than the judges
Three men who have spent at least a decade behind bars on convictions ranging from aggravated robbery to burglary are hoping to show a judge next week they’ve been rehabilitated and should be released early.
They have a powerful ally in Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx — whose office filed motions this week on their behalf asking judges to resentence them in the cases.
They are the first to be recommended by Foxx’s office as part of an initiative to review the sentences of offenders who are serving decades-long prison terms.
Text pals: J.B. Pritzker, Cardinal Blase Cupich in close contact amid the pandemic, messages, emails show
The communications offer a rare look at the relationship between Pritzker and Cupich, who privately heaped praise on the governor and worked with him behind the scenes to guide church protocols.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s strict COVID-19 response over the past two years drew considerable resistance from the public at times, but he found a behind-the-scenes ally in Cardinal Blase Cupich, text messages between the two leaders show.
Pritzker and Cupich were in frequent contact, according to newly obtained records that show they texted and emailed each other repeatedly from early 2020 into this year.
The written communications — obtained from the governor’s office by a public records request under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act — offer an unusual look at the relationship between the governor and the top Catholic cleric in the region.
They show that the two men heaped praise on one another for the way each dealt with the challenges brought on by COVID.
The communications also show Cupich — the spiritual leader, appointed by the pope, of Catholics in Cook and Lake counties — coordinating the Catholic church’s response to the pandemic with the governor’s office.
Cardinal Blase Cupich getting vaccinated against the coronavirus in December 2020 at St. Anthony Hospital as part of an effort to combat vaccine hesitancy.
Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times
In a text message April 7, 2020, Cupich alerted Pritzker to a letter he’d sent pastors “to make clear my expectations.
“Know of my support as you lead us through this crisis,” Cupich wrote, forwarding a copy of the letter, which noted that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now “recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.”
The letter also reminded “all pastors and administrators of parishes and agencies that there are to be no public liturgical or sacramental celebrations (including drive-through or parking-lot gatherings for communion, confession or blessings) until further notice.”
The cardinal also wrote: “In addition, social distancing must be observed during live-streamed or recorded celebrations, with the added precaution of using face coverings if distancing measures prove difficult to maintain. Following the guidance of our local and national public health professionals demonstrates that everyone has an essential part to play in controlling the spread of this deadly virus. It is also in keeping with what we as a people of faith have learned from the first pages of scripture: we are ‘our brother’s keeper.’”
Eight minutes later, Pritzker texted back: “I love this. Thank you, Your Eminence. You are saving lives. Bless you.”
On April 25, 2020, Cupich texted Pritzker: “Thank you for your service to our state. Following your revised stay-at-home order, I have informed our pastors that we will continue to comply as we have from the beginning. I have asked my team, comprised of healthcare professionals and pastors, to suggest some steps that might allow for our parishes to open up gradually.
“Of course, before taking any action, I would submit these suggestions to you for your consideration. My hope is that my team might be of assistance to you as you make decisions going forward and perhaps provide some useful models that you could share with other faith-based organizations in Illinois. If you would like to designate someone from your office to be a resource for my team, please know that I would welcome that as a way to insure full cooperation with your efforts.”
No written response followed.
On May 2, 2020 — after a rally downtown against Pritzker’s extended stay-at-home order attracted demonstrators carrying signs with Nazi and other anti-Semitic references — Cupich texted Pritzker: “Governor I’m tweeting this out ‘We support Governor Pritzker’s efforts to save precious human lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and condemn strongly any comparison of these measures with the murderous Nazi regime. Hate has no home here.’”
Pritzker, who is Jewish, texted back, “Thank you Your Eminence.”
On May 11, 2020, Cupich texted the governor after Pritzker might have been exposed to the virus to say, “Sorry you have to be quarantined.”
In the same message, the cardinal appeared to distance himself from a leader of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, which “sent you a letter taking issue with your Restore Illinois plan” that lays the groundwork to “regionally” re-open the state’s economy.
“For the record the Archdiocese of Chicago was not consulted on this letter and does not approve of it,” Cupich wrote.
Pritzker responded, “Thank you Your Eminence. I am appreciative of your collaborative spirit in this. Stay healthy and safe.”
On May 19, 2020, Cupich texted the governor about whether “your staff wants to view our training webinar for preparing parishes to reopen. Here is the link of the On Demand presentation. Will send PP [PowerPoint] next. We had over 2,200 pastors/volunteers view first presentations yesterday.”
Pritzker responded: “I love that you have posted a Webinar. You are by far the most proactive faith leader in the nation.”
On Sept. 4, 2020, Cupich emailed Anne Caprara, Pritzker’s chief of staff, about an interfaith memorial service a day earlier at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel for those who had died of the coronavirus:
“Just to let you know I was grateful for being invited to join the memorial service last evening at U of C. I would only add that whomever drafted the governor’s presentation should get a raise, as it was nicely done. I mentioned to the governor that we are going to promote flu vaccination, beginning with my visit next Wednesday to my doctor to be vaccinated, which will be filmed. We have a fairly large footprint in the Brown and Black populations and feel that we can make a contribution in this regard. If there is something the state plans to do on this let me know how we can help.”
Anne Caprara, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s chief of staff.
James Foster / Sun-Times
Caprara also called Cupich “at the request of Dr. Ezike” — Ngozi Ezike, who was then the state’s public health director — “to ask that he include her in his prayers as she leads the state through the worst of the pandemic,” according to a Pritzker spokeswoman.
On Sept. 22, 2020, Cupich texted the governor: “I can update you on pastors call and will be free at 1:40 p.m.”
Within an hour, Pritzker texted back the first in a series of links to news stories about Breonna Taylor, a young Black woman killed in a bungled police raid in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2020. One of those links was to a story byThe New York Timeswith the headline: “Breonna Taylor’s Life Was Changing. Then the Police Came to Her Door.”
On Sept. 25, 2020, Cupich texted Pritzker, “FYI Just posted,” with a link to a Chicago Tribune opinion pieced that Cupich co-authored with Bishop Horace E. Smith of Apostolic Faith Church on the Near South Side about Taylor “on behalf of” a number of Chicago-area Black ministers.
In it, Cupich and Smith wrote, “As pastors who minister to Black families, brown families, Asian families and white families, we find ourselves once again faced with the horrifying question: Why does this keep happening, and what can we do about it?”
There were several texts in which Cupich asked the governor to hop onto a phone call but didn’t say what about.
Pritzker’s spokeswoman says there “are no calls between the governor and the cardinal listed on the governor’s calendar on the dates” cited in the texts, “but the governor does make spontaneous calls on his own that are not part of his schedule.”
Neither Cupich nor his aides would comment.
Pritzker declined an interview request. A written statement from his office said of his regular contacts by text and email with the cardinal: “Throughout the COVID pandemic the governor frequently sought input from community leaders, especially those in the faith community, as in person services and many of the in-person programs churches provide were scaled back to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The governor appreciated the cardinal’s willingness to listen and constructively share his perspective as the challenges of the pandemic required putting together plans that relied on developing science and best practices from the public health experts. The governor also appreciated the work cardinal Cupich did to promote the necessity of masks and vaccinations as the pandemic response moved forward. Gov. Pritzker has always prioritized working together with community leaders to develop and implement strategies that keep communities safe and healthy.”
Cupich’s good relationship with Pritzker — as well as with other powerful Democratic politicians in Illinois — stands in contrast to how his predecessor, the late Cardinal Francis George, interacted with politicians. Though cordial, George was loath to put himself in a situation in which the church’s independence might come to be questioned as a result.
George also never forgot just how far apart he and the church were with most Democratic politicians regarding abortion.
That’s a topic that doesn’t appear in any of the Cupich and Pritzker exchanges, which included a period in which Pritzker was supporting legislation that now allows minors in Illinois to get an abortion without having to tell their parents.
Though church teaching opposes abortion, Cupich hasn’t been vocal on that subject
Armonie Lewis and Fred Wolfe were arrested in the 2100 block of South Clark. | CPD
