Tag: recreational marijuana

DAILY HERALD
— 10 want West District seat on Wheaton City Council – Katlyn Smith (DIERSEN: I urge everyone who is interested in this, and especially Wheaton’s West District residents, to a) find out everything that they can about the 10 candidates, b) analyze that information, c) determine who they believe the top 1, 2, or 3 candidates should be, and d) email their recommendation to Wheaton’s City Council at allcouncil@wheaton.il.us along with their reasons for their recommendation. I hope that in the days ahead, the Daily Herald provides much more information about the 10 candidates. I hope that the Daily Herald a) asks the 10 candidates to complete a detailed questionnaire and b) publishes the responses to that questionnaire. Wheaton West District residents should have the right to know not only the applicants’ names, but a) how long they have lived in the city and in the district, b) their political affiliation, c) why they want to be appointed to fill the vacancy, d) what they believe the most important issues are that the city needs to address, e) what their opinion is on how those issues could be addressed, f) will they vote for or against selling pot in Wheaton, g) what their work experience is, h) what their education is, i) what professional certifications and licenses are, and j) what experience do they have carrying out typical city council functions: Review and approve the annual budget; Establish long- and short-term objectives and priorities; Oversee performance of the local public employees; Oversee effectiveness of programs; Establish tax rates; Enter into legal contracts; Borrow funds; Pass ordinances and resolutions; Modify the city’s charter; Regulate land use through zoning laws; Regulate business activity through licensing and regulations; Regulate public health and safety; Exercise the power of eminent domain; Communicate policies and programs to residents; Respond to constituent needs and complaints; and Represent the community to other levels of government. (SEE: https://www.nlc.org/city-councils )
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190809/10-want-west-district-seat-on-wheaton-city-council
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Wheaton City Council members have their pick of 10 applicants seeking to fill a vacant seat representing the West District. The group of candidates vying for a 2-year appointment to the council includes some familiar names in DuPage County politics. The applicants are: Nancy Harding, Edward Ahern, Jeffrey Antonelli, Robert McNeily, Lynn Robbins, Mark Kmiecik, Angela Blatner, David Diersen, Khizar Jafri and Krista Selvey. Diersen is the founder of the daily newsletter Gopillinois.com. McNeily lost his bid for the West District seat in 2016 against incumbent Todd Scalzo. According to his LinkedIn page, he is the Midwest regional manager of Turning Point USA, a conservative group founded by Wheeling High School alum Charlie Kirk for college and high school students. Robbins, a former Illinois Park and Recreation Association board member, also ran unsuccessfully against Scalzo for the West District seat in 2016. Kmiecik finished third in another three-way race for the seat in 2009. Jafri, a finance and accounting consultant, lost to Tim Elliott for a District 4 spot on the DuPage County Board in 2016. The Democrat was seeking his first elected office at the time. Four council members represent Wheaton’s four voting districts, while two members and the mayor are elected at-large. The seat became vacant in July when Scalzo, an attorney, stepped down after 10 years. The council is set to vote on appointing his successor in September. Council members recently filled another empty 2-year council seat. The North District seat became vacant in May when Phil Suess was sworn in as Wheaton’s first new mayor in 12 years. The council named Christopher Zaruba to the post on July 1 from a field of 13 applicants.)
— Religious hypocrisy – Mary Plunkett, Wheaton
https://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20190809/religious-hypocrisy
— Twitter reposts McConnell threat video after appeal – AP
https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20190809/news/308099889/

ABC7
— Rod Blagojevich: Trump ‘very strongly’ considering commuting prison sentence – Mark Rivera, Chuck Goudie, Eric Horng and Barb Markoff and Ross Weidner
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/trump-strongly-considering-commuting-rod-blagojevichs-sentence/5451939/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: “Chicago immigration organizations” side with foreign countries and with their citizens against America and against its citizens.
https://abc7chicago.com/society/chicago-groups-take-action-after-ice-arrests-680-mississippi-workers/5453746/

CBS2
— Raid On Poultry Plant Owned By Park Ridge Company To Have Long Term Effects
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/08/09/raid-on-poultry-plant-owned-by-park-ridge-company-to-have-long-term-effects/

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— Biden says ‘poor kids’ just as bright as ‘white kids’ in latest gaffe
https://www.fox32chicago.com/politics/biden-says-poor-kids-just-as-bright-as-white-kids-in-latest-gaffe

FOX ST. LOUIS
— Illinois GOP urges Trump not to set Blagojevich free – AP
https://fox2now.com/2019/08/09/illinois-gop-urges-trump-not-to-set-blagojevich-free/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot goes national with criticism of Ivanka Trump’s social media comments: ‘You don’t govern by tweet’ – Gregory Pratt
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-lori-lightfoot-cnn-msnbc-trump-gun-violence-20190809-wn47k443jne5zp5nomiwbx4jji-story.html
— Lake Zurich officials remain divided on whether to permit or ban recreational marijuana sales – PHIL ROCKROHR
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-zurich/ct-lzc-lake-zurich-recreational-marijuana-sales-tl-0815-20190809-bmpaaocfhrht3eygvrfsgb5pcu-story.html
— Hundreds of small pension funds statewide face troubling debt. Is consolidation the way to go? – JAMIE MUNKS and DAN PETRELLA
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-illinois-police-fire-pension-debt-20190809-l27llnj4xfdqvg5qbzck4h372m-story.html
— Can Trump get universal background checks? – Editorial
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/editorials/ct-editorial-trump-background-checks-guns-nra-20190809-eq35f52sfrc3bbqcsu4z35edve-story.html
— Where will Chicago’s first casino land? Here’s how the 5 proposed sites compare. – BLAIR KAMIN, MEGHAN KELLY, RYAN ORI, and MARY WISNIEWSKI
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-viz-chicago-casino-sites-analyzed-htmlstory.html
— Amid sexual harassment allegations in his organization, House Speaker Michael Madigan trumpets signing of anti-harassment law – Dan Petrella
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-jb-pritzker-sexual-harassment-law-michael-madigan-20190809-odmqtiil6jd5hpwzcpuv5244ca-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Where the jobs are in Chicago: downtown, and that’s a good thing It’s also where most new employment in the city will continue to be. And it isn’t just people with MBAs or law degrees who will be getting hired. – Ed Zotti (DIERSEN: I worked in downtown Chicago in 1971 and then 1973-1997.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2019/8/9/20759346/chicago-jobs-employment-downtown-loop-income-equality-ed-zotti-city-crossroads
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A Trump-hater promotes hatred against Trump.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/8/8/20792332/el-paso-texas-mass-shooting-president-donald-trump-little-village-mexicans-latinos-marlen-garcia
— Beware of the disinformation campaign against a fairer tax for Illinois The nature of the levy — progressive income tax versus flat income tax — makes it no harder or easier, politically speaking, to raise taxes on the middle class. But that’s not what progressive-tax opponents want you to hear. – Editorial
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/8/9/20792109/illinois-progressive-fair-graduated-income-tax-j-b-pritzker-john-canning-flat

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Time to tidy up the state Senate—before the feds do it Senate President John Cullerton ought to take a page out of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s book and make ethics rules a priority in his chamber lest things go south in his tenure’s sunset years. – GREG HINZ
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg-hinz-politics/time-tidy-state-senate-feds-do-it

PEKIN TIMES
— Taking the pulse: Tazewell County Republicans – Montana Samuels
https://www.pekintimes.com/news/20190809/taking-pulse-tazewell-county-republicans

HERALD & REVIEW & MDJ ONLINE & PLATT COUNTY JOURNAL REPUBLICAN & CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS & ALTON TELEGRAPH
— Illinois municipalities seek clarifications on recreational marijuana legalization – REBECCA ANZEL
https://herald-review.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/illinois-municipalities-seek-clarifications-on-recreational-marijuana-legalization/article_2d287293-fd9b-5fd5-b58a-e9870f0f8f64.html
https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/extra/news/illinois-municipalities-seek-clarifications-on-recreational-marijuana-legalization/article_d51fbb12-5b1b-589a-943d-0fb16d528e87.html
https://www.journal-republican.com/news/cannabis-confusion-may-lead-to-trailer-bill/article_d3d8d9a6-bae6-11e9-8ee1-6335272d7a02.html
https://www.capitolnewsillinois.com/Blog/Posts/458/Uncategorized/2019/8/States-municipalities-seek-clarifications-on-recreational-marijuana-legalization/blog-post/
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Pot-law-is-hazy-on-town-8217-s-rights-Illinois-14294240.php
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The state organization representing local units of government is asking leaders in the General Assembly to make clarifying changes to the recreational marijuana law before it takes effect Jan. 1. Brad Cole, executive director of the Illinois Municipal League, said the 1,298 cities, villages and towns in the state need guidance on four aspects of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, signed into law by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in late June. There is confusion, he said, about how law enforcers will know a person who is growing cannabis in their home is doing so legally as a prescribed medical marijuana user. Municipalities also are uncertain how they may regulate the drug. Cole is asking legislators to write what is known as a trailer bill, a companion measure that clarifies a statute. The idea has bipartisan support. Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, one of the statute’s framers and her chamber’s sponsor, said it’s likely that a trailer bill will happen. Republican Sen. Jason Barickman, from Bloomington, said he thinks his colleagues spent “a lot of time on the legislative language,” and any subsequent bill should be consistent with the goals of the original negotiations. “I understand and support the idea of a trailer bill to make clarifications that the various stakeholders have brought forward. I think it’s very likely we’ll see one for multiple reasons, and we may see it as early as this fall,” he said. “I anticipate hearing from many stakeholders about clarifications they would like to see. By and large, that’s what the IML is seeking here.” In a letter to lawmakers, Cole highlighted four points the league’s members would like the General Assembly to address. Each one, he said, was mentioned in his testimony before a panel of legislators in late May before the recreational marijuana bill became law. “These are common sense issues” to determine what is legal and what is no, Cole said. The new law allows those who have a medical marijuana card to grow no more than five plants in their home without needing to be a licensed cultivation center or craft grower. The League’s concern, Cole wrote in his letter, is the lack of “registration or notification requirements to municipalities or their police departments” about which residences can legally grow cannabis plants. “We’re saying, we need to know,” he said. “How do we know if these are five legal plants or five illegal plants?” Steans said the idea of “a registry had been raised,” but some interest groups expressed concerns it might be a civil rights violation. She added local governing bodies would know if the plants were legal by asking whether their owner had a medical marijuana card. Barickman said the issue is one with “wildly different” viewpoints. “I think you’re going to have those in law enforcement presumably asking for some type of registry, and I think you’re going to have others adverse to that,” he said. Also in question is a provision in the law dictating how governing bodies can regulate recreational marijuana. “No unit of local government … may prohibit home cultivation or unreasonably prohibit use of cannabis authorized by this Act,” according to the law. Cole, in his letter, wrote that “unreasonably” is not defined, so towns and municipalities might be exposed to “unknown litigation as they attempt to protect the health, safety and well-being of their citizens.” The League is asking the General Assembly to clarify the word’s meaning. And it is seeking guidance on two regulations dictating how funds are distributed and may be spent by local governments. Money directed into one account, for example, now has rules for how it may be spent. “This is restricted money being put into an unrestricted disbursement fund,” thus creating accounting confusion for local officials, Cole said. Department of Revenue Director David Harris was copied on the Municipal League letter. In an emailed statement, a spokesperson said the department “is working to ensure successful implementation and rollout of the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act and works with all stakeholders to that end.” “I think what’s happening right now is the multiple stakeholders are doing a deeper review of the law now that it’s been set, and they’re raising some questions that I think we can address through a trailer bill, providing some clarity,” Barickman said. Steans added the recreational marijuana statute created large policy changes and “lots of different viewpoints” need to be considered. In an emailed statement, Jordan Abudayyeh, Pritzker’s press secretary, seemed to indicate the governor is open to a trailer bill. The administration, she said, “is focused on ensuring the successful implementation” of the law. “Multiple state agencies are engaged in these efforts as we move forward creating one of the most equity centric industries in the country,” Abudayyeh said. “The Pritzker administration stands ready and willing to continue working to ensure Illinois has a cannabis industry that other states can look to as a model for equity and success.”)

WSIU
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Democrats crow about their success in getting immigrants to hate Whites and to hate America. 
https://news.wsiu.org/post/southern-illinois-immigrant-rights-project-protests-against-white-supremacy#stream/0

NORTH COOK NEWS
— OUTSTANDING: Roll Call: Crespo votes against legalizing recreational marijuana
https://northcooknews.com/stories/512875374-roll-call-crespo-votes-against-legalizing-recreational-marijuana

DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— OUTSTANDING: Roll Call: Mazzochi votes against legalizing recreational marijuana
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/512875386-roll-call-mazzochi-votes-against-legalizing-recreational-marijuana

KANKAKEE TIMES
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Roll Call: Parkhurst votes for legalizing recreational marijuana
https://kankakeetimes.com/stories/512875731-roll-call-parkhurst-votes-for-legalizing-recreational-marijuana

PEORIA STANDARD
— OUTSTANDING: Roll Call: Hammond votes against legalizing recreational marijuana
https://peoriastandard.com/stories/512875759-roll-call-hammond-votes-against-legalizing-recreational-marijuana
— OUTSTANDING: Roll Call: Sommer votes against legalizing recreational marijuana
https://peoriastandard.com/stories/512875751-roll-call-sommer-votes-against-legalizing-recreational-marijuana

AMERICAN THINKER
— Are Trump-supporters the new Jews? – Earick Ward
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/08/are_trumpsupporters_the_new_jews.html

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— How Asylum is Abused Every Day Economic migrants use it as an easy means into the country, but Trump has options. – PETER VAN BUREN 
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/want-to-fix-immigration-start-with-the-abused-asylum-system/

BREITBART
— Illinois Leaders Warn Illegal Aliens of Possible ICE Raids – AMY FURR
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2019/08/09/illinois-leaders-warn-illegal-aliens-of-possible-ice-raids/
— Joe Biden Vows Flood of Immigration If Elected – JOHN BINDER
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/08/09/biden-flood-of-immigration/

CNS NEWS
— Harris: Trump’s ‘Statements, Tweets and Behaviors…Make It Very Clear He Possesses Hate and…is a Racist’
https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/cnsnewscom-staff/harris-trumps-statements-tweets-and-behaviors-make-it-very-clear-he-possesses

DAILY CALLER
— The Woke Capitalism List: 50 Times Huge Companies Sided With The Social Justice Warriors – ELLIE GARDEY
https://dailycaller.com/2019/08/09/woke-companies-brands-liberal-50/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Your Baby Boomer Report Card What grade has a generation earned? An A+? A C-? – David Brooks (DIERSEN: If you are a baby boomer, how well do you fit the stereotypes? How well do you believe I fit the stereotypes?) 
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/08/opinion/baby-boomers-report-card.html

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A trump-hater encourages Hispanics to hate Trump.
https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-el-paso-is-a-wakeup-call-hispanics-20190809-a5qt6xadg5fbjouo5fga2xw2ey-story.html

USA TODAY
— El Paso and Dayton make you want to act, but ‘red flag’ laws violate rights to due process – Matthew Larosiere
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/08/08/el-paso-dayton-red-flag-laws-violate-rights-editorials-debates/1962195001/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Facebook Offers News Outlets Millions of Dollars a Year to License Content Company approached ABC News, Dow Jones, Washington Post and Bloomberg as it plans to launch news section – Benjamin Mullin and Sahil Patel
https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-offers-news-outlets-millions-of-dollars-a-year-to-license-content-11565294575

FORBES
— The Death Of The Great American Summer Job – Ryan Craig
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryancraig/2019/08/09/the-death-of-the-great-american-summer-job/
— 15 Tips For Empowering Your Employees To Do Their Best Work
https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2019/08/09/15-tips-for-empowering-your-employees-to-do-their-best-work/

NEW REPUBLIC
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A Trump-hater promotes hatred of those in America like me whose ancestors came to America legally.
https://newrepublic.com/article/154717/open-borders-made-america-great