Chambana Sun

Members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) took a taxpayer-funded day off on May 15 to rally at the Capitol, demanding an additional $1 billion in state funding for Chicago Public Schools (CPS). This action required the district to allocate significant funds for substitute teachers while also covering the salaries of the CTU members who traveled to Springfield. Republican lawmakers held a press conference criticizing the CTU's actions.

Senator Rose commented that CPS has historically received a disproportionate share of state education resources through special carve-outs and grants, including hundreds of millions from the Chicago Block Grant incorporated into CPS base funding. Rose stated, "I don’t represent Chicago. I am here to represent the local school kids, teachers, and parents in the 51st Senate District. These CTU members and teachers are beyond hypocrites, given the special sweetheart deals they’ve gotten, to come down here and demand more money that comes at the expense of the kids I represent."

The General Assembly has passed House Bill 5138, which mandates that Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) road studies on traffic and environmental impact be made public. Sponsored by State Senator Jason Plummer, this legislation aims to improve transparency and potentially save money on local projects. The bill passed the Senate on May 16 and now awaits the Governor's approval.

Additionally, House Bill 4255, sponsored by State Senator Erica Harriss, seeks to enhance roadway safety by allowing green lights on tow trucks and emergency vehicles at incident scenes. This measure addresses safety concerns following a fatal accident involving a tow truck operator last year. The bill has been approved by both legislative chambers and will proceed to the Governor for further consideration.

On May 14, state leaders attended the 31st Annual Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Medal of Honor Ceremony in Springfield. The event honored five Illinois firefighters who died in service last year: Jermaine Pelt, Jan Tchoryk, Kevin Ward, Andrew “Drew” Price from Chicago Fire Department/EMT services, and Larry Peasley from Maroa Countryside Fire Protection District. Twelve other firefighters received medals for acts of bravery.

Spring planting in Illinois is lagging behind last year's progress due to seed inventory concerns despite recent dry weather aiding farmers' efforts. According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Illinois farmers have planted 42% of corn acres and 39% of soybean acres so far—significantly lower than last year's figures at this time. In 2023, Illinois led soybean production with nearly 649 million bushels and ranked second in corn production with over 2.27 billion bushels.

Farmers will continue planting in coming weeks; drivers are advised that agricultural equipment travels much slower than regular traffic.