Today, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was joined by Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS) CEO Dr. Jay Shannon at Provident Hospital to highlight the essential health services provided by Cook County and why the County needs to continue to fund vital public health and hospitals work.
The passage of a law to ease and expand the expungement of juvenile arrest records was celebrated today as a major step toward a more equitable criminal justice system by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the chief legislative sponsors, state Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, and state Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Orland Hills.
The Youth Opportunity and Fairness Act (Public Act 100-0285) combats unlawful and overly broad sharing of juvenile records in Illinois and brings the state’s current law in line with the ABA’s model guidelines on such records.
The pardon of former Maricopa County Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio is just another example of President Trump’s growing list of racist, bigoted and xenophobic statements and actions. Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt for refusing to abide by a federal judge’s order to refrain from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants. His record of brutality in treating detainees is well known and should disgust any right-thinking person.
With the governor’s signature today, the Youth Opportunity and Fairness Act (HB 3817/SB 2021), our latest effort at reforming and modernizing juvenile justice, is now law. This is an important step in removing barriers from the paths of our most vulnerable youth as they try to build productive lives by easing the often cumbersome process of expunging juvenile arrest records.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has made clear that he thinks it’s a winning political message to divide Chicago Public Schools students, like my three grandchildren, from other Illinois students. And he’s shown that he is willing to hold every public school student in this state hostage on the political bet that voters will be more motivated by animus toward “others”—in this case, young Chicago residents—than by the promise of providing a quality public school education to all Illinoisans. As a grandmother, I find this offensive.
Cook County Animal and Rabies Control urges Cook County residents to vaccinate their pets against rabies after a kitten tested positive for rabies in Carroll County IL.
“Finding rabies in cats is unusual and Cook County Animal and Rabies Control wants to make sure all domestic animals are protected against the disease, which can be fatal,” Animal and Rabies Control Administrator Dr. Donna Alexander said. “Pet owners should not panic, but should take precaution to protect their pets.”
A total of 18 bats have tested positive for rabies in Cook County this summer.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today announced she is naming Ammar Rizki as the County’s next Chief Financial Officer, pending Board of Commissioners’ approval.
Preckwinkle will present Rizki’s appointment at the September 13 County Board of Commissioners meeting. The appointment will be considered first by the Board's Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee and then by the full Board at its next meeting.
What we have seen on display in Charlottesville is the kind of raw hatred, racism and xenophobia that has no business in our nation. Denunciation of this behavior cannot be strong enough and cannot be ambivalent. Hatred must be condemned swiftly, constantly and consistently, and cannot be conditional or tolerated.
Flooding has impacted communities across Cook County, leaving many residents and local governments with questions about flooding assistance. While Gov. Bruce Rauner has included Cook County in the state’s disaster proclamation, Illinois does not have disaster assistance programs.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced today that she has commissioned a full review of Cook County’s property tax system. The review was spurred by recent reports asserting that inequities exist in the way property taxes in Cook County are administered.
