Early voting begins Thursday
While Illinois’ primary election will be Tuesday, June 28, the option to vote early is under way.
By Illinois law, voters can cast their ballots at locations established by local election authorities beginning 40 days before the election. If you haven’t registered to vote yet, you can do so online on the Illinois State Board of Elections website.
The primaries include both Republican and Democratic races for governor, state House and Senate seats, and other races.
Chicago construction workers robbed
Crime is affecting just about everyone in Chicago, and now that includes construction workers.
Chicago police are warning construction workers on the South Side about a string of robberies. In each case, two robbers approached men doing construction work at apartment buildings. The suspects, described as Black males, displayed handguns, pistol-whipped the victims on the head and took their property before they fled on foot.
Cannabis craft grow licenses awarded
The Illinois Department of Agriculture has issued the first pre-construction permits to social equity licensees established under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, which clears the way for the businesses to begin construction.
The Department issued permits to facilities in Richton Park, Forest Park and Rockford. The cohort of craft grow licenses of which this group is a part, issued in August of 2021, is 88% Social Equity by ownership and 80% identify as nonwhite.
UIC wants to band word ‘obesity’
The University of Illinois-Chicago wants to ban the word “obesity” because a health brief said focusing on body size is rooted in racism.
The school’s public health department published the brief called, “Addressing Weight Stigma and Fatphobia in public health.” The brief adds that the focus on body size is rooted in racism, claiming that previously a majority of societies actually favored larger bodies.
Roaming bison targeted for removal
Officials with the Lake County Forest Preserve District want a bison that’s been living in the Lakewood Forest Preserve since April to be gone by Memorial Day weekend.
The 1,300 pound bison has been loose since late last year, when she escaped while being delivered to a farm. Now the owners of the farm are being fined $500 a day. The director of public safety for the forest preserve district said they don’t want to see anyone get hurt.
Honoring crossing guards
May 19 is Crossing Guard Appreciation Day in Illinois, a day to honor those who help ensure the safety of students throughout Illinois as they walk and bike to school.
Roughly 360 pedestrians ages 8 to 14, are hurt in vehicle-related incidents every year in Illinois. State officials say without crossing guards, that number would likely be much higher.