Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Wednesday, July 5, 2017.
- Illinois house expected to override Rauner’s budget veto
For the first time since June 30, 2015, Illinois is expected to have a budget deal this week, when the Illinois house is expected to join the senate in voting to override Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto of the income tax hike and budget plan passed by both houses of the Illinois General Assembly. “My expectation is that the bills that the senate just passed will become law and we will have taken a huge step toward correcting the financial imbalances of the state of Illinois,” said house speaker Michael Madigan. But even with a budget, “it’s likely that Illinois’ finances [will] remain strained and vulnerable to unanticipated economic stress,” Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings told the Tribune. “In addition to having accumulated record amounts of payables, the state’s university system has been deprived of state funding since January 2017. If a budget is enacted, the degree to which it closes the state’s structural deficit, provides a pathway for addressing the backlog of unpaid bills, and its impact on cash flows, will be important factors in our review of its effect on Illinois’ credit quality.” [Tribune]
- New York Daily News responds to Rahm op-ed with “dumb track mind” and “murder capital mayor” cover
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s New York Times op-ed praising CTA trains and slamming New York City’s subway stem didn’t go over well. The New York Daily News slammed Emanuel on its cover Tuesday with the headlines “DUMB TRACK MIND,” “MURDER CAPITAL MAYOR HITS SUBWAY,” and “Rahm touts Chicago trains but, AT LEAST our riders don’t get SHOT on the way home!” A NYC transit official interviewed for the story said, “The mayor of Chicago would seem to have enough of his own problems to focus on without trying to save face by capitalizing on someone else’s crisis.” [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Reactions are mixed toward Emanuel’s post-graduation plan requirement for high school students
The Chicago Board of Education passed a new rule in May that requires all high school seniors to have a post-graduation plan in order to receive a diploma. The idea, which was proposed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in April, has drawn mixed reactions from educators, students, parents, and other community members, according to the Washington Post. Many believe that the schools simply don’t have the resources to help students with their plans—the system laid off more than 1,000 teachers and staff in 2016 and struggled to keep its doors open through the end of the school year. “It sounds good on paper, but the problem is that when you’ve cut the number of counselors in schools, when you’ve cut the kind of services that kids need, who is going to do this work?” Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis told the Post. “If you’ve done the work to earn a diploma, then you should get a diploma. Because if you don’t, you are forcing kids into more poverty.” [Washington Post]
- CPD arrested 58 people for guns and drugs over the holiday weekend
The Chicago Police Department arrested 58 people on gun and drug charges and seized “several” guns, 1,200 grams of marijuana, and 500 grams of heroin and crack cocaine during raids over the long holiday weekend, according to the Tribune. The police wanted to send “a message to those who serve as a catalyst to the violence that we will come after you before you can inflict more harm on our communities,” CPD superintendent Eddie Johnson said. [Tribune] [DNAinfo Chicago]
- DMK Restaurants bans plastic straws to help the environment
Chicago-based DMK Restaurants has banned the use of plastic straws in its 14 locations in an effort to be more environmentally friendly. “DMK has always been devoted to sustainability,” the company’s co-owners, Michael Kornick and David Morton, said in a statement. “We’re excited to move forward with this company-wide initiative and hope that it sparks a trend in our city and beyond.” The Shedd Aquarium has been encouraging local restaurants to stop providing plastic straws in its “Shedd the Straw” campaign. [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Only one Cubs player made the MLB All-Star Game
The 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs have been struggling since the season’s start in April, but the news that only one Cubs player made the MLB All-Star Game still shocked the baseball world. Cubs’ closer Wade Davis (with two wins, 16 saves, no blown saves, an ERA of 1.93, and a WHIP of .96 through 29 games as of Tuesday) is the team’s sole representative on the National League All-Star team, though there’s still a chance that third baseman Kris Bryant will make the cut in a final vote. White Sox first baseman Avisail Garcia will be the south-siders’ sole representative on the AL side. [ESPN] [Tribune]