‘Bring Chicago Home’ off primary ballot
A Cook County judge has ruled that a referendum to hike the city’s real estate transfer tax is unconstitutional.
Judge Kathleen Burke ruled the question should be removed from the March 19 primary ballot. A lawsuit was filed by a group of landlord associations who claimed the referendum was unconstitutional and violated state law by asking for both a tax cut and tax hike in the same question.
Mascots targeted with legislation
Illinois lawmakers unveiled legislation that would require some high schools to change their mascots.
The measure would require public K-12 schools with names, logos or mascots containing Native American tribes or culture to change them. The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Maurice West, said research shows mascot names like Braves, Indians and Warriors are harmful to Native American children.
House markets highlighted
A new study on the strongest housing markets in the country includes three Illinois cities.
The report from 24/7 Wall St. recently named the “hottest” housing markets in America for 2024. To rank cities, the website used data from Realtor.com and ranked areas based on several measures. Rockford was ranked fourth in the nation, while Peoria came in at No. 15, and Springfield at No. 25.
According to the report, the hottest housing market is Rochester, New York.
