Building on continuing efforts to crack down on the illegal cigarette trade, Cook County Department of Revenue (CCDOR) agents, in cooperation with the Sheriff’s Police, this week raided a Skokie business and discovered more than 1,500 unstamped packs of cigarettes in three hidden compartments.

In what is believed to be the largest confiscation of unstamped cigarettes this year, CCDOR issued fines totaling more than $47,000 for the contraband and two suspects face criminal charges due to the exceptionally large quantity of unstamped cigarettes found on the property.

On June 29, 2017, Cook County submitted a legal opinion to DOJ certifying compliance with federal law, specifically 8 U.S.C. §1373. We did this at DOJ's request in an attempt to ensure the continuity of federal funding that the County relies on to protect the public safety of our residents. Although we have not received a formal response from DOJ to date, we have been informed by the media that, following a preliminary assessment, the DOJ disagrees with the legal opinion we submitted.

Today the board exercised its collective will and set in motion a repeal of the sweetened beverage tax we approved last year. As I outlined last week, it is up to the commissioners to choose our direction on revenue, and I respect their authority to do so. Now, together, we must chart a new course toward the eighth consecutive balanced budget of my tenure as board president. 

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today presented a $5.36 billion Executive Budget Recommendation for Fiscal Year 2018 aimed at making the County healthier, safer and more efficient. The proposed budget avoids drastic cuts in critical services while confronting the County’s fiscal challenges. 

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded a $1.85 million grant today to the Cook County justice system to safely reduce the jail population, divert certain nonviolent offenders from the court system and track efforts to remind defendants about future court dates.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today announced the appointment of William M. Barnes Jr. as Executive Director of the County’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM).

Barnes has a lengthy background as a manager, administrator and attorney in private practice. Most recently he was General Counsel at the Illinois Department of Transportation. He served in a similar capacity with the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Today, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle delivered a speech to the City Club of Chicago, affirming her values as a leader and the role Cook County government plays to improve the lives of residents.

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.