oatscoop

MEXICO CITY (WCIA) — Governor JB Pritzker signed a memorandum of understanding between Mexico and Illinois on Monday during a trade mission.

Pritzker signed the Addendum to the Illinois-Mexico Sister-State Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) alongside Mexico Governor Delfina Gómez Álvarez. The agreement signed by Pritzker affirms commitment to continued trade and manufacturing collaborations with a focus on biotechnology and water resources. Illinois, other states sue HHS, RFK Jr. over public grant cuts

The MOU comes at the start of a delegation trip from Illinois to Mexico City with the purpose of deepening economic cooperation and opportunities between Illinois and Mexico. This specific agreement emphasizes the strong ties with a specific focus on bilateral trade in industries including manufacturing, agriculture and finance, according to a media release from Pritzker’s office.

“Mexico has been an essential partner to the state of Illinois for decades, and I’m proud to stand alongside Governor Gómez Álvarez and assert the importance of this continuing relationship,” Pritzker said. “More than ever before, we must reassure our neighbors in Mexico that Illinois will remain a beacon of economic and cultural cooperation and opportunity for our people.”

This agreement aims to promote strategic alliances between state government authorities, universities and research centers.

The MOU emphasized the impact of sustainable and efficient water usage and the necessary biotechnology to facilitate a future with clean water. This has proved to be an important issue in both Illinois and Mexico.

This specific MOU is a celebration of the 35-year anniversary of the signing of the first MOU between Mexico and Illinois, which was signed in 1990 by Governor Thompson and reaffirmed by Governor Quinn in 2013. This agreement focused on higher education and research, specifically on a project regarding corn research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This MOU signing is just part of the delegation trip lead by Pritzker to Mexico City from March 30 to April 2. Pritzker, the Lieutenant Governor, senior state and education officials, private partners and business executives have been meeting with Mexican government and business officials on the trip.

Additionally, this trip aims to pave the way for future investments and emphasized the continued success between Illinois and Mexico.

“Illinois has long held Mexico in the highest regard, and there’s nothing more powerful to sparking innovation than human connection. I’m proud of Illinois’ ongoing commitment to progress, as shown today by Governor Pritzker and Governor Gómez Álvarez,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Expanding our mutual progress will ensure future generations will benefit from the bridge we’ve built together.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois Gov. Pritzker and various members of the Illinois congressional delegation have sent a letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to demand accountability for $1.88 billion in federal funding being withheld from the state.

Last month, the White House said it would temporarily halt federal funding to ensure that the payments complied with President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The administration rescinded a memo outlining its planned funding freeze after a federal judge issued a restraining order, blocking the federal spending pause. Since then, nearly two dozen states have filed lawsuits, arguing that the funding freeze violates their First Amendment rights.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), however, said the case is moot because the memo was rescinded.

The DOJ has also said the administration still plans to freeze some funds that target issues such as gender identity, foreign aid, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

According to Pritzker, as of mid-February, Illinois agencies still report an inability to access funds, including the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Community College Board, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Finance Authority, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Power Agency, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Commerce Commission, Illinois Department of Labor, and Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

The letter, addressed to OMB Director Russell Vought, reads, “On behalf of our constituents, we are seeking full transparency and accountability on any and all funding that has been paused or interrupted. If the Trump Administration is unable to follow the law and uphold their end of the deal, the people of our state deserve to know.”

In addition to Gov. Pritzker, the letter is signed by Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and other Illinois Democrats.

In a written directive, the Democratic Illinois governor tells his hiring office that "no one who attempts to overthrow a government should serve in government."

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Transit Authority is no longer using its main accounts the social media platform X.

The agency confirmed to ABC7 Friday that two of their accounts are no longer active on the site formerly known as Twitter.

The CTA and CTA service alerts X accounts now have disclaimers saying they are no longer active.

The CTA released the following statement Friday:

"After careful consideration, CTA has decided to suspend the use of its general information (@cta) and service alerts (@ctaAlerts) accounts on Twitter/X.com, as this social media platform no longer provides the value it once did for us to effectively reach and communicate with our riders. The @CTARPM account on X.com is unaffected and will continue to provide project information and updates through the remainder of project work. For real-time service information, CTA riders are encouraged to sign up for our subscription alerts available via text/email, which can be customized to provide information for preferred routes. For the occasional CTA riders, real-time service alerts will continue to available at transitchicago.com."

No further information about the agency's decision to leave the social media site was immediately available.

Daler Mehndi's 1998 music video, in which the singer performs with 4 "clones" of himself. "Mehndi claims his music was often criticized for only being popular due to the abundance of beautiful, dancing women in his videos The singer responded by creating a video that featured nobody but himself." Apparently he wasn't wrong and the song went on to become the "biggest indi-pop hit at the time".

The video caught the attention of the wider internet around 2006. The catchy song, dated visual effects, and absurdity of the "clones" fueled its spread.

On a less fun note: in 2018 the singer and his brother Shamsar were convicted of human trafficking, accused of "cheating people of large sums of money by falsely promising to take them to America" and "illegally sending people abroad as a part of their dance troupes."

‘Chicago rat hole’ mysteriously filled in, then restored by neighbors — ‘Chicago takes care of its own’

Reports that the viral landmark had been filled with a plasterlike substance circulated on social media Friday morning, as well as stories of those working to return the creature’s imprint to its original glory. By Violet Miller

A woman who didn’t want to be identified due to possible “ratribution” removes debris from the iconic Chicago rat hole in Roscoe Village Friday.

About a week after going viral, the Chicago “rat hole” brought Chicagoans together once again, this time to restore it.

Reports that the longtime neighborhood fixture and landmark in the 1900 block of West Roscoe Street had been filled, perhaps with a plasterlike substance, circulated on social media Friday morning, followed by stories of those working to bring the creature’s imprint back to its original glory.

Residents of the building next to the rat hole — who asked not to be identified for fear of “ratribution” from those who filled the hole — worked Friday afternoon to scrub away at what was left after some dedicated fans had scraped out most of what had briefly filled the hole.

Since the viral post that started the rat hole obsession, residents of the building have become the unofficial “keepers” of “Lil Stucky” — the neighborhood name for the creature who once laid in the cement — sifting through any potentially dangerous tributes left and clearing the sidewalk of ice and snow.

The guardians of the hole were not sure who was behind the filling-in. They said they had shoveled about 9 a.m. Friday and didn’t notice the imprint had been filled in under a layer of ice. Another neighbor — whose Ring doorbell camera wasn’t recording overnight — said they had seen people taking pictures with it around 1 a.m.

Coins left in the hole were strewn about the sidewalk, though the shrine left to the side of the sidewalk seemed untouched. A clue might have been left behind by the culprits: a gray lid that could have been from the vessel holding the substance used to fill in the hole.

“Everyone has seemed really good-natured, but you always worry something bad could happen,” they said. A woman who didn’t want to be identified due to possible “ratribution” cleans the iconic Chicago Rat Hole of a plaster type substance in the 1900 block of W. Roscoe St. in the Roscoe Village neighborhood, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024.

A woman who didn’t want to be identified due to possible “ratribution” cleans out the beloved rat hole Friday.

Jeff VanDam, an 11-year resident of the neighborhood, strolled a few houses down with a flathead screwdriver and hammer Friday afternoon to join in restoration efforts.

He said his 6- and 10-year-old daughters love the rat hole — though they know it’s a squirrel — and he “had to” set out to ensure it was preserved.

While most people have enjoyed the fuss over the landmark, he said he had heard some “annoyance” expressed by neighbors on the block, but that was mostly after someone installed a giant cross.

“I’ve heard mixed things,” VanDam said. “Overall, people just appreciate that our wonderful block is getting attention — even if it’s to look at a rat hole.”

The former New Yorker said the rat hole was a better representation of Chicago than other, more well-known landmarks, such as the Bean.

“I think Chicago isn’t the Bean, but is things like the rat hole,” VanDam said. “It’s a small, quirky feature of a neighborhood where we get used to it, we care about it, and we want to protect it. That’s what happened today.” Some of the offerings left out for Chicago’s iconic Rat Hole in the 1900 block of W. Roscoe St. in the Roscoe Village neighborhood, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. Included was Hot Topic Cash, a recreation of an official dedication plaque, flowers and toys.

Some of the offerings left outside Chicago’s rat hole include Hot Topic Cash, a recreation of an official dedication plaque, flowers and toys.

Three friends who came to leave a tribute to Lil Stucky — a bottle of Jeppson’s Malört — agreed.

Mo Flanagan, Olivia Grover and Perry Sadler met up to visit the landmark now that Chicago’s temperatures have become more tolerable after the deep freeze earlier this week.

Flanagan, who lives in the Avondale neighborhood, said it’s things like the rat hole that set Chicago apart from other big cities like New York, and likened it to the Cubs’ superstition around goats.

“Chicago’s a big city, but it has a lot of small-town gossip like this,” Flanagan said. Friends Olivia Grover, left, Mo Flanagan, center, and Perry Sadler take swigs of Malört next to Chicago’s iconic Rat Hole in the 1900 block of W. Roscoe St. in the Roscoe Village neighborhood, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. Earlier the Rat Hole was filled in with a plaster type substance but was cleaned out by neighbors.

Friends Olivia Grover (from left), Mo Flanagan and Perry Sadler take swigs of Malört Friday next to Chicago’s rate hole.

Sadler, a Wrigleyville resident, said he figured someone would interfere with the rat hole, and the trio discussed who it could be. Sadler put his bet on an angry neighbor.

Regardless of the culprit, the three agreed seeing people come together only “added to the lore” of the rat hole and showed unity among the city’s residents.

“I think it really speaks to the community aspect of this city,” said Grover, who lives in Ravenswood. “The Midwest is a caring place.”

“Chicago takes care of its own,” Flanagan said.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_rat_hole

A classic from the now defunct Adequacy.org Made the rounds in 2001, and even appeared on The Screen Savers