House Dems cannabis working group will engage industry, equity advocates
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois House Democrats announced the formation of a cannabis working group Thursday that will aim to steer the burgeoning industry’s expansion in a business-friendly way while still satisfying the equity goals of the landmark 2019 legalization law.
The group is led by Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, who has sponsored numerous cannabis-related bills and is an outspoken advocate for racial equity.
The working group’s main priority, according to Ford, is to make sure individuals who have invested in the newly-created industry are successful. A part of that is to address the disproportionate impact the war on drugs had on communities of color, particularly when it comes to cannabis-related arrests.
According to the ACLU, Black people in Illinois were 7.5 times more likely than white people to be arrested for cannabis-related offenses prior to the state’s decriminalization of the drug in 2016.
The same law that legalized recreational cannabis use in 2019 also made individuals previously charged with minor cannabis offenses eligible to have their records expunged. At the end of 2020, Gov. Pritzker announced 492,129 cannabis-related convictions had been expunged and 9,219 lowlevel cannabis convictions had been pardoned.
The recreational cannabis law was also designed to give “social equity” applicants – or those whose ownership consists of minorities, people with drug convictions or individuals hailing from disproportionately impacted areas – easier access to new dispensary licenses.
“Our goal was to make sure that
those communities that were hardest hit by the war on drugs actually were able to benefit from this industry by having the ability to open up in those communities and hire people from those communities,” Ford said in an interview.
Ford was the sponsor of House Bill 1443 in the previous General Assembly, a measure that created 110 additional “social equity” dispensary licenses beyond the initial 75 created by the original legalization law.
Over 30 cannabis-related bills have already been filed in the current General Assembly which began in January, addressing areas including licensing, distribution of cannabis tax revenue and the expungement of past offenses. The working group will comb through these measures to more effectively address the industry’s most pertinent issues.
Illinois recorded a record-high $1.5 billion of recreational cannabis sales in Fiscal Year 2022, generating about $445 million in tax revenue. Under law, 25 percent of the taxes collected from recreational cannabis sales are to go to economically distressed communities or those impacted by the war on drugs. In Fiscal Year 2022, about $115 million in tax revenue went to the state’s General Revenue Fund.
Beyond an equity focus, Ford said the working group will also aim to make state policy more accommodating to the industry from a business perspective.
“We have to make sure that we legislate with the industry because they are the investors,” Ford said. “If we could empower the businesses, it’s going to mean more revenue, and we’re going to realize what we intended for the [cannabis legalization] law to do. And that is increase employment, develop communities, reduce crime in the state.”
Ford is joined on the working group by Assistant Majority Leader Marcus Evans, D-Chicago; Assistant Majority Leader Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora; Assistant Majority Leader Bob Rita, D-Blue Island; Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview; Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago; and Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield.
They’ll work with other lawmakers, state agencies, businesses and associations that work directly with the cannabis industry.
One of the involved organizations is the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, a statewide trade association for cannabis businesses.
The association’s legislative priorities include re-implementing curbside pickup and drive-thru services after pandemic-era measures expired, decoupling Illinois’ cannabis tax code from the federal tax code, and extending the right to work in the medical cannabis industry for those who have previous cannabis-related convictions.
“Currently, the recreational stat-
ute allows individuals with previous drug convictions to gain access to the cannabis industry,” Pamela Althoff, executive director at the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, said in an interview. “That is prohibited in the compassionate and medical statute. We’d like to see both of them mirrored.”
The Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition, a grassroots nonprofit that advocates for cannabis-related reform, has their own priorities for the legislative session, including expanding support for the craft grow industry, creating a singular cannabis oversight commission to streamline cannabis programs, and creating licenses for clubs and lounges so people other than homeowners are able to legally consume cannabis.
“The goal is moving away from having 13-plus state agencies who are not talking to each other,” Peter Contos, deputy director of the coalition, said in an interview. “We need one cannabis body who just does all the work, similar to what the state did
with the liquor commission.”
Evans and Ford have both introduced bills – House Bills 1436 and 1498 – to create a cannabis oversight commission. Contos said the coalition is currently trying to work with both lawmakers to reach an agreement on the legislation.
Contos added they’re excited to be involved with the working group because it shows there’s a concerted effort to continue cannabis-related reforms.
“We have a long way to go in Illinois to get back to the goals we set a few years ago when we legalized [cannabis] but this is definitely the first step we need to take,” Contos said.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide, as well as hundreds of radio and TV stations. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
THURSDaY, maRcH 2, 2023 | bUglenewSpapeRS.com | page 3 STaTe
bY nIKa ScHoonoVeR capitol news Illinois
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 12TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC
Plaintiff, -v.OMAR ZAZUETA, INDIAN OAKS RECREATION ASSOCIATION, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIM-
ANTS
Defendant
19 CH 1422
NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 1, 2022, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 1:00 PM on April 5, 2023, at the Attorneys Title Guaranty, 2742 Caton Farm Road, JOLIET, IL, 60435, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:
Commonly known as 121 NEWPORT DRIVE, BOLINGBROOK, IL 60440
Property Index No. 12-02-15-102-013-0000
The real estate is improved with a single family residence.
Sale terms: 10% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor,
or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.
Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.
The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.
If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).
IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.
You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.
MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dear-
born Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088.
THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION
One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE
You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.
MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC
One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602
312-346-9088
E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com
Attorney File No. 20-03158IL_604602
Attorney ARDC No. 61256
Case Number: 19 CH 1422
TJSC#: 42-4501
NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.
Case # 19 CH 1422
I3213971
Published 2/23/23, 3/2/23, 3/9/23
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lakewood Falls eS assistant principal receives ISbe award
Lakewood Falls Elementary School
Assistant Principal Kelly Lustrup is a recipient of the Illinois State Board of Education’s 2023 Those Who Excel Award.
ISBE’s Those Who Excel awards honor educators who have made significant contributions to Illinois’ public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools.
Awards are presented in seven categories: classroom teachers, early career educators, school administrators, student support personnel, educational service personnel, community volunteers, and teams.
Lustrup was honored with an Award of Meritorious Service in the Administrator category.
She was nominated by Lakewood Falls first-year special education teacher Kelli Narducci.
“I nominated Kelly because she truly is an amazing person who will go the extra mile to make our students’ learning fun, purposeful and memorable,” Narducci said.
She also credits Lustrup’s unselfish nature for her smooth transition into teaching.
“Kelly immediately took me under her wing and would help me with whatever I needed, no matter when it was or where she was,” Narducci added.
Lustrup has worked in District 202 since 2004, when she began her career as a physical education teacher at Eagle Pointe Elementary School.
She has served as an administrator at Lakewood Falls for the past five years.
“I am extremely honored and proud to represent District 202 with this award,” Lustrup said.
Lustrup said she wouldn’t be successful in her role without great students and a devoted staff.
“Kelly has such a kind heart and her passion for education is demonstrated every day,” Narducci said.
A committee of administrators, teachers, educational service personnel, student support personnel, and past Illinois Teachers of the Year selected this year’s awardees.
ISBE will celebrate Lustrup and other winners at the Those Who Excel banquet on Saturday, April 29, 2023.
THURSDaY, maRcH 2, 2023 | bUglenewSpapeRS.com | page 5
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 12TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS
LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC
Plaintiff, -v.-
OMAR ZAZUETA, INDIAN OAKS RECREATION ASSOCIATION, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS
Defendant
19 CH 1422
NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 1, 2022, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 1:00 PM on April 5, 2023, at the Attorneys Title Guaranty, 2742 Caton Farm Road, JOLIET, IL, 60435, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:
LOT 13 IN BLOCK 15 IN INDIAN OAKS, UNIT 3, A SUBDIVISION IN SECTIONS
9, 10, 15 AND 16, TOWNSHIP 37 NORTH, RANGE 10 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED JUNE 4, 1969, AS DOCUMENT NO.R69-9813, IN WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
Commonly known as 121 NEWPORT DRIVE, BOLINGBROOK, IL 60440
Property Index No. 12-02-15-102-013-0000
The real estate is improved with a single family residence.
Sale terms: 10% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.
Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.
The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.
If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by
The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).
IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.
You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.
MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088.
THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION
One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE
You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.
MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC
One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602
312-346-9088
E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com
Attorney File No. 20-03158IL_604602
Attorney ARDC No. 61256
Case Number: 19 CH 1422
TJSC#: 42-4501
NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.
Case # 19 CH 1422
page 6 | THURSD a Y, ma R c H 2, 2023 | b U glenew S pape RS .com legal legal
2/23/23, 3/2/23, 3/9/23
I3213971 Published
THUR SD a Y , ma R c H 2, 2023 | b U glenew S pape RS .com | page 7
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