Inmate transfers still slow
COVID-19 is still affecting inmate intake at the Illinois Department of Corrections from county jails. County jails in Illinois are continuing to house convicted inmates longer than 10 days following a conviction of a crime, which leads to more expenses being paid by the county taxpayers.
In January, the IDOC put a temporary pause on inmate intake due to a surge in COVID-19 at the time, but in February, the IDOC resumed taking its inmates from county jails and is continuing to do so. However, McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage said it’s nowhere near the level it used to be.
Lightfoot’s gas lottery costs taxpayers $12.5 million
The Chicago City Council has narrowly approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to hand out prepaid gas and mass transit cards to Chicago residents.
The plan is to use $12.5 million in taxpayer funds and have a lottery for people to receive $150 on a gas card or a $50 card to use on public transit. Many alderpeople said the mayor is simply reacting to mayoral candidate Willie Wilson who has held three gas giveaways worth over $2 million in private funds.
Facebook parent Meta expanding in Illinois
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is expanding a data center in northern Illinois and said more than 200 operational jobs will be added once completed.
The company announced its initial plan for the DeKalb location in June 2020, proposing an $800 million project that will now be closer to $1 billion.
Congressman Davis opposes canceling student loans
Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis is among a group of Republicans seeking to stop the Biden administration’s current pandemic freeze on federal student loan payments while also limiting the president’s authority to suspend repayments going forward.
Davis said canceling student debt is morally wrong, and that the debt isn’t magically eliminated with the stroke of a pen.
Fallen workers remembered
The Illinois Department of Labor is joining working families Thursday, in particular those who lost a loved one, in recognizing Workers’ Memorial Day.
The day coincides with the legislative anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which created OSHA.
Retail positions open for cooperate employees
A grocery store chain with numerous locations in Illinois plans to ask up to 500 of its employees to move from corporate-level jobs to retail positions at its stores.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports the move comes after Hy-Vee already eliminated 121 corporate-level positions in March. The company said 102 of those employees were offered retail positions. The company blamed rising inflation, increasing fuel costs and supply chain disruptions for the moves.
