Do Bears Split-T in the Woods?

Chicago says goodbye to Taylor Swift. Which goes to prove there is someone who has played at Soldier Field that the Bears can beat.

It is widely believed that the Chicago Bears will move to the Arlington Race Track. Horse racing rules are different from football. For one thing, you can make money if you bet on the second-place contestant (and even the third-place contestant). This could work to the Bears advantage.

Now, in pro sports no deal is ever really sealed, not until the players are on the field:

Chicago Bears officials met with Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli on Friday to discuss the possibility of abandoning their plans for a new stadium development in Arlington Heights in favor of building it in the large western suburb. In a move that could be used as bargaining leverage, the team said in a statement Friday that plans to build "the largest single development project in Illinois history" are "at risk" in Arlington Heights.
Chicago Bears listen to proposal from Naperville for stadium site. Arlington Heights 'no longer our singular focus,' team says.

If the Bears decide to not play in Arlington Heights, where will they play?

Sports insiders are saying the Bears will buy the Waukegan Airport.  That way they can build a new stadium on any one of the Lake County Forest Preserves that the Airport owns.

I'll Bet

Finally, it's summertime. In Lake County, summer is the season when the sun sets at midnight -- and naturally everyone wants to know where the 24 hour gambling is.

Is there 24-hour gambling in Waukegan? Nope, only on the weekends:

Currently open for consecutive 20-hour shifts from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. the next day, starting May 12, the casino will open at 8 a.m. on Fridays and not close until 4 a.m. the following Monday.
Waukegan casino expects to add sportsbook by August; expanded weekend hours and more table games also planned

For true 24/7 gambling in Lake County, go to Lincolnshire instead!

The Greater Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce wants you to play online casino gambling. Where you can gamble anywhere, anytime 24/7/365.

At least that's what the Lake County Gazette says:

Note to Ops: Are you the executive director of a Lake County chamber of commerce or other civic organization? Then direct your organization to endorse online casino gambling. The Greater Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce did just that and got free media from the Lake County Gazette. It's not for nothing that the Lake County Gazette is Lake County's #1 fakenews source.

TL;DR

Question of the day: How many Lake County Forest preserve trees will be chopped down to make room for the new Waukegan Airport runway?

Answer: Enough to print the 1250 page environmental impact report.

HaHa, they dropped the Waukegan National Airport Runway Replacement Preliminary Draft Environmental Assessment report, and the NewsSun has it:

News-Sun obtains preliminary environmental impact report for Waukegan airport runway extension ahead of potential summer hearing

Fun fact: If laid end to end, the 1250 page report would be long enough to land an airplane at the Waukegan Airport. But if you want to fly in on the company Gulfstream, you'll need a bigger runway -- built on land which can be seized from the neighboring Forest Preserve.

The report is going to the Lake County Board, who will decide whether to cede Forest Preserve land to the Waukegan Airport.

One long-range government planner is not too worried and told your LakeCountyEye: "By the time anyone finishes reading that report, global warming will have killed off all of the Forest Preserves anyways."

Twofer

It is not known which McHenry County man. in particular, shot in the foot the McHenry County man who shot himself in the foot, this time. What is known is that the McHenry County man who shot himself in the foot was shot in both feet:

Police say the victim was found with gunshot wounds to both legs and was transported to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Man shot in both legs at McHenry apartment complex: police

One local arms merchant told your LakeCountyEye: "When it comes to legs, McHenry County gun owners generally have only two. So that may be the record."

The Color of Money

Pop quiz!

Today's question will be an opportunity to test your financial acumen:

Q: Where's the money?

The surprising answer comes from the pages of the Lake County Gazette:

A: Black Lives Matter

The Lake County Gazette says nearly 94 million dollars was donated to Black Lives Matter by just 3 Lake County companies:

AbbVie Inc

$62,000,360

Abbott Laboratories

$25,000,000

Baxter International Inc

$6,850,000

Should this be regarded simply as more malarkey from the Lake County Gazette, Lake County's #1 fakenews source? A lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry told your LakeCountyEye: "I believe it. Ninety four million is walking-around money."

Willard and Cooch

Like a mail-in ballot that was stamped Return to Sender, Willard Helander is back.

Lake County favorite son Willard Helander will be giving a speech on election suppression protection at some fundraiser in Orland Park:

Helander to speak at Midwest Election Integrity Summit

The keynote speaker is Ken Cuccinelli, who was a Homeland Security Czar under President Trump. Cuccinelli -- aka The Cooch -- is best known for proposing new verbiage for the "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" plaque on the Statue of Liberty:

Note to Cosplayers: Do not expect Willard Helander to appear dressed as Lady Liberty.

No Scratch Fever

Ted Nugent got cancelled yet again.  This time he got cancelled in Birmingham Alabama:

Ted Nugent's concert in Birmingham has been canceled amid a wave of controversy on social media. Nugent, 74, a hard rock veteran and political provocateur, was set to play on July 18 at Avondale Brewing Co. His appearance here, which was announced on Monday by promoter Red Mountain Entertainment, inspired intense reactions this week among concertgoers, who expressed anger and disappointment on the venue's Facebook and Instagram pages.
Ted Nugent concert in Alabama canceled amid social media backlash

If red state Alabama doesn't want Ted Nugent, where in the world could he go?

Well, Lake County favorite son Ted Nugent is welcome to come back to Waukegan. Where he could get a gig at the Waukegan casino:

there are openings for food and beverage personnel, as well as dealers. Dealers either need experience or will have to go to dealer school to learn to run the different games. Classes generally last six weeks.
Waukegan casino expects to add sportsbook by August; expanded weekend hours and more table games also planned

It is not known if Ted Nugent has any experience as a dealer. But he could apply for a position as a security guard:

A fun fact, Ted Nugent's nickname is the Motor City Madman. Nugent would be advised not to share this information on his job application.

Charity Begins at Someone Else's Home

Operatives who are fundraising in Lake County are advised to wear a face mask. That's because when Richard Uihlein eschews, the Lake County GOP catches a cold. And Lake County moneybags Richard Uihlein has been eschewing:

The suburbs' most prodigious political donor and his wife made about $6.9 million in campaign contributions in the year's first quarter -- but only one went to a candidate in Illinois. The vast majority of donations from Lake Forest's Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein went to Republican congressional campaigns in 21 other states and to national groups, records show.
Lake Forest megadonors eschewed suburban candidates in the first quarter, records show
Lake Forest's Uihleins give to just one Illinoisan

No doubt about it, contribution dollars are draining out of Lake County and are going to out-of-state candidates. And yet, local Republican leaders are unfazed. One Lake County GOP spokesman said this: "We've been telling our candidates, all along, to move to a red state. They're not going to win in Lake County."

All the News That's Counterfeit to Print

Like a mafia crime family, the Lake County Gazette is going legit.

In a startling turn of events, the Lake County Gazette no longer obtains its news content from Russian Troll Farms. Instead, what used to be Lake County's #1 fakenews source is now obtaining its news content directly from Republican Party operatives:

A publisher of far-right websites and mailings designed to look like newspapers created a special online portal for top Illinois GOP candidates and activists to directly seek favorable coverage during last year's elections, according to a newspaper report that prompted state Democrats to denounce the actions as "deceitful" to voters. The Washington Post reported Thursday that Brian Timpone, an ally and business partner of right-wing radio talk show host Dan Proft, used a password-protected portal that allowed Republicans to pitch stories, provide questions for interviews, place campaign announcements and run "verbatim" op-eds on websites and mailings that are published by the Local Government Information Services organization.
Illinois Democrats denounce as 'deceitful' a pipeline used in last year’s elections to right-wing local news sites

Evidence of the editorial overhaul is clear.

Here is a story posted by one Lake County GOP operative, State Representative Martin McLaughlin:

And a story posted by another Lake County GOP operative, State Senator Daniel McConchie:

One Lake County GOP spokesman told your LakeCountyEye: "If you can't believe a Republican operative, who can you believe?"

Scatter Train

Question of the Day:

The Lake County exploding bomb train failed to explode once again. Where did it happen this time?

If you answered Blue Island, give yourself a non-exploding cigar:

A CSX freight train derailed in Blue Island shortly before 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.
CSX freight train derails in Blue Island Wednesday night

One amateur pyrotechnical expert told your LakeCountyEye: "Well, that blows."

Election Dissection

Can you spot the error below?

The 2023 election results were certified in Lake County. And right-wing extremist candidates swept all of the library and school board races. Soon, the books in the schools will be burned. And in the libraries, sex education will be replaced with Bible study.

HaHa, j/k:

Amid all the attention on this month's elections in Wisconsin and Illinois, one outcome with major implications for 2024 flew under the national radar: School board candidates who ran culture-war campaigns flamed out.
Why GOP culture warriors lost big in school board races this month

Note to Ops: Enjoy it while it lasts. The next local election is 2025.

Wrong Number

Question of the Day:

How many people moved to Lake County in 2019?

Answer: That would depend on who you believe.

If you believe the Lake County Gazette, Lake County's #1 fakenews source, the answer is 16,316:

Some of you may be skeptical. Then you should believe Lake County's #1 fakenews source, the Lake County Gazette -- where the answer is 6,320:

OK, who is correct, the Lake County Gazette or the Lake County Gazette?

One thing is unequivocal, both "newspapers" are published by Dan Proft. This is the same Dan Proft who recently fessed up to cooking the books:

After the state Democratic Party filed a complaint against him for failing to disclose more than $1 million in receipts to the political action committee he runs, right-wing radio talk show host and GOP political operative Dan Proft is blaming the discrepancy on a near $3 million typo.
Dan Proft corrects a nearly $3 million typo on campaign finance report following complaint by Democrats

Note to Ops: Get your Lotto numbers somewhere else.

The Bully Culprit

He was the top of the ticket candidate for his political party. He was, however, subsequently hauled into court, whereupon he threatened the judge. And now ...

Breaking News!

He is is going to jail.

Your LakeCountyEye of course is referring to Lake County favorite son and honorary Republican, Kash Jackson:

A man who ran for governor in 2018 was sentenced to four years in prison for threatening two Lake County judges. Grayson K. Jackson, also known as Kash Jackson and Benjamin Winderweedle, 44, threatened to kill the two judges who presided over an ongoing civil case Jackson was party to during a call in October 2021 to the Lake County sheriff's court security office.
Former governor candidate gets 4 years in prison for threatening Lake County judges

One random Lake County GOP spokesman was overheard to say: "The New York judge who is trying Donald Trump has received dozens of threats. And Trump is walking free right now. They're a bunch of snowflakes out here in Lake County."

Election 2023 Post Mortem

Even with no Republicans on the ballot, every Lake County Republican candidate failed to win their School or Library Board race in Tuesday's election:

Typically low-turnout, nonpartisan school board elections took on a different tenor this spring, particularly in parts of northern and southwestern Lake County. From Antioch District 34, where 13 candidates duked it out for six open seats, to Barrington — where a New York-based political action committee spent more than $13,000 backing seven candidates for the school, library and village board — voters mostly supported incumbents and their slates.
Apparent winners emerge as dust settles in unusually intense Lake County school board races; 'Our community has some healing to do'

One exception was Millburn District 24 school board member Peter Pettorini. Despite being under criminal investigation, Pettorini (who is President of the Lake Villa Township Republican Club) was not shown the door by the voters.

An expert in political science offered this explanation: "You need to put an asterisk by Pettorini's name. He did not lose this time because he was not running for re-election. His term expires in 2025. We'll see if Pettorini can pull off that trick in two years."

The Law and Order Party

Question of the day:

Q: The Democrats are soft on crime!

A: Let's see you do any better if you were up against an unprecedented Republican crime wave.

HaHa, Donald J Trump has been indicted for cooking his books. And now a conservative New York PAC has been caught red handed as well:

A New York-based political action committee belatedly reported that it so far has spent more than $13,000 backing conservative candidates in next week's local school board elections in Illinois. Its reports were submitted beginning late Tuesday after the Tribune wrote that the group had not disclosed what it spent on mailers that began arriving in Chicago-area mailboxes last week within the time frame required under state law.
Out-of-state PAC backing conservative school board candidates belatedly files spending report

The PAC is funded by Lake County moneybags Richard Uihlein. Closer to home, an Illinois PAC funded by Uihlein also got itself into legal hot water:

the Illinois Democratic Party filed a legal complaint against the Darren Bailey campaign for governor. The complaint says that the campaign illegally coordinated with an independent political action committee (known as a super PAC). The super PAC, called the "People Who Play By The Rules PAC", is led by Republican political operative, talk show host, and one-time failed gubernatorial candidate, Dan Proft. The People Who Play By The Rules PAC is funded almost entirely by billionaire businessman and Republican mega-donor, Richard Uihlein.
Illinois Democrats File Legal Complaint Against the Darren Bailey Campaign

Finally, there is Millburn District 24 school board member Peter Pettorini. Can he get some of that Uihlein money? Pettorini is President of the Lake Villa Township Republican Club. And he is under criminal investigation:

Round Lake High teacher, Millburn school board member under criminal investigation

Pettorini may qualify.