Quick hits: Illinois news in brief for Monday, Jan. 17, 2022

Pritzker donates $90 million to his own campaign

Gov. J.B. Pritkzer has given his campaign an additional $90 million. The campaign donation to himself Friday adds to the more than $30 million he gave himself last year.

Campaign finance data compiled by IllinoisSunshine.org shows the governor has more than $114.6 million on hand. Meanwhile, with the possible backing of billionaire hedge fund owner Ken Griffin, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin is expected to announce a bid for the Republican nomination today.

USDA releases 2021 Illinois Crop Production summary

Illinois performed well in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2021 Illinois Crop Production summary.

The state remains the top producer of soybeans with an estimated yield of 64 bushels per acre, a 9% increase from 2020.

Illinois farmers planted 11 million acres of corn last year and harvested 2.1 billion bushels, up 3% from the prior year. Illinois is the second leading producer of corn in the country, behind only Iowa.

Chicago enforcing vaccine requirement for bar, restaurant, gym patrons

The city of Chicago is going after businesses not checking whether patrons have been vaccinated.

Last month, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that restaurant, bar and gym patrons would need to show proof of vaccination before dining, drinking and exercising indoors.

So far, the city has cited 16 businesses, including 10 restaurants, for violating the order. Businesses can be issued two citations for flouting the requirement with each violation possibly triggering a fine between $100 and $10,000.

3 Illinois cities among top 25 in U.S. for burglaries

Three Illinois cities have some of the highest burglary rates in the nation.

For the year 2020, 24/7 Wall Street compiled the total number of burglaries per 100,000 people from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report and found Danville ranked fifth of the 50 top cities for such crimes.

Decatur ranked 15th. Springfield ranked 22nd.

Report: Fertilizer prices skyrocket

Fertilizer prices tripled this fall.

Family Farm Action Alliance President Joe Maxwell said quarterly reports from fertilizer companies show the price hikes are not justified.

Maxwell’s group sent a letter to the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice calling for an investigation.

Officials: Keep it safe if snowmobiling

Out there on your snowmobile? Illinois natural resource officials are reminding riders to keep it safe.

This week is International Snowmobile Safety Week. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources offers safety tips, including never consuming alcohol or drugs before or during rides, maintaining equipment, knowing the terrain and wearing protective gear.

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