Chicago picks Elon Musk company to build high-speed transit tunnels between Loop, O’Hare

Chicago picks Elon Musk company to build high-speed transit tunnels between Loop, O’Hare

Wednesday, June 13, 2018, 9:43 PM CT

Autonomous 16-passenger vehicles would zip back and forth at speeds exceeding 100 mph in tunnels between the Loop and O’Hare International Airport under a high-speed transit proposal being negotiated between Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s City Hall and billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s The Boring Co., city and company officials have confirmed.

High speed transportation from downtown to O'Hare proposal

This video offers a conceptual look at The Boring Company’s loop technology, which it plans to use for high speed transportation between downtown and O’Hare International Airport. The high-speed underground public transportation system would transport up to 16 passengers at a time on self-driving electric vehicles built on a Tesla chassis. The vehicles, called “skates” by Boring, would top speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, traveling the 17 miles between an underground station at Block 37 and one at O’Hare in 12 minutes.

This video offers a conceptual look at The Boring Company’s loop technology, which it plans to use for high speed transportation between downtown and O’Hare International Airport. The high-speed underground public transportation system would transport up to 16 passengers at a time on self-driving electric vehicles built on a Tesla chassis. The vehicles, called “skates” by Boring, would top speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, traveling the 17 miles between an underground station at Block 37 and one at O’Hare in 12 minutes.

Bill Wolf passes away

Obituary

William A. Wolf   1930-2018

Wm A. (Bill) Wolf was born June 14, 1930, in Rockford, IL.  Son of CJ (Doc) and Mabel Frances Wolf.  He graduated from Belvidere High School in 1947 and was a member of the undefeated 1946 football team.  He attended Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL where he met his wife, Sara Tyson Wolf.  They were married shortly before graduation on April 26, 1952.  Bill served his country with Army Military duty and was stationed at Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX.  He and Sara returned to Belvidere in 1954 to begin working in the family automotive business, Wolf Chevrolet Sales Inc.  He became the dealer operator in August 1962.  Bill was involved with the Illinois Automobile Dealer Association (IADA) serving as board president in 1988, the National Automobile Dealer Association (NADA) serving as the elected state of Illinois representative for 19 years.  Bill received the Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award in 1993 and served on the Chevrolet National Dealer Council.  Bill and Sara were active volunteers and very involved in their Belvidere community.  Bill was a founding member of the Boone County Conservation District and the Sister Cities Association.  He served as Belvidere Chamber of Commerce president and was honored to receive the Chamber’s Doctor of Civic Betterment Award in 2011.  Bill was elected and served on the Boone County Board and took an active role in building the Belvidere Public Safety Building.  Bill was an active IOU Club member for 64 years and a past president.  Over their 66 years of marriage, Bill and Sara enjoyed traveling together with many friends.  He was a lifelong faithful member of St. James Catholic Church in Belvidere.

Bill is loved and will be missed by his family; children, John (Candy) Wolf, Michael (Joyce) Wolf, Callie (Jim) Marrs, Chris (Norman White) Wolf; grandchildren, Janna (Dan) Earley, Scott (Katie) Wolf, Nickolas (Sarah) Wolf, Joseph (Char) Wolf, Frank Wolf, Mitch Wolf,  Matthew Wolf, Mary Wolf, Katie (JC) Fanning, Greg (Katie) Marrs, Lisa (John) Liebgott, Jeff (Kelly) Marrs, Stephen Wolf, Aaron Wolf, Alex Wolf; great-grandchildren, Alice Earley, Maeve Earley, Kendall Wolf, Kyle Wolf, Ethan Wolf, Kiley Fanning, Ally Fanning, Henry Marrs, Nora Marrs, Amelia Marrs, Evelyn Marrs, Sawyer Marrs, Griffin Marrs; brother Jack (Peggy) Wolf.  Bill is preceded in death by his wife, Sara; parents; son, Thomas; grandson, David and sister, Susan.  The family would like to acknowledge special home / caretaker, Betty and the kind service and staff of Agrace Hospice.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday, June 18, 2018 in Anderson Funeral and Cremation Services, 218 W. Hurlbut Avenue, Belvidere, IL with Rosary being prayed at 7:30 p.m.  Liturgy of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, June 19, 2018 in Saint James Catholic Church, 402 Church Street, Belvidere, IL, with Rev. Brian Geary Celebrating.  Burial will be at St. James Catholic Cemetery.  In Lieu of flowers, memorials can be given in Bill’s name to St. James Church, Boone County Conservation District, Agrace Hospice.  To share a memory, please visit www.AndersonFCS.com

Above is from:  https://andersonfcs.com/obituaries/william-a-wolf

DOD paid NFL, baseball & colleges to be “patriotic at sporting events”

This article is from November 2015—but did you know about before now?

Senate investigators report that the Department of Defense has spent more than $9 million over the last four years on military tributes at sporting events, carefully staged patriotic displays meant to drum up goodwill and recruiting that weren’t publicly disclosed as paid advertisements.

If you’ve gone to games or watched TV, you’ve been exposed to these ads. They take familiar forms: giant American flags, military-family reunions, the singing of “God Bless America” at baseball games, even things as seemingly minor as showing troops on the jumbotron for a round of applause. Sen. Jeff Flake revealed the practice earlier this year, and now Flake and fellow Arizona Republican John McCain have obtained 122 different contracts between the Pentagon and individual teams and leagues.

Surprise Military Reunions At NFL Games Reach Peak Bullshit

During last weekend’s preseason St. Louis Rams game, a familiar ritual played out: With a stadium…

Read more

These 10 teams were paid the most for their salutes to the troops:

1. Atlanta Falcons $879,000
2. New England Patriots $700,000
3. Buffalo Bills $650,000
4. Minnesota Wild $570,000
5. Baltimore Ravens $534,500
6. New Orleans Saints $472,875
7. San Diego Chargers $453,500
8. Seattle Seahawks $453,500
9. Atlanta Braves $450,000
10. Indianapolis Colts $420,000

While the spending is largely on events at NFL games, there were contracts with teams from all major sports, as well as MLS, auto racing, and college football.

Of course these amounts are a drop in the bucket for the military, which has an estimated budget of $600 billion in 2015, and only a slightly larger splash for the teams taking in the money. But people deserve to know when advertisements are advertisements, and that sports leagues that so eagerly trumpet their patriotism are making sure they get some cash for their efforts.

From the report:

“Unsuspecting audience members became the subjects of paid-marketing campaigns rather than simply bearing witness to teams’ authentic, voluntary shows of support for the brave men and women who wear our nation’s uniform...[I]t is hard to understand how a team accepting taxpayer funds to sponsor a military appreciation game, or to recognize wounded warriors or returning troops, can be construed as anything other than paid patriotism.”

Since the reveal of the business agreements, the Pentagon has quietly backed away. A September memo warned branches of the military that they should “neither fund nor approve any sports marketing or sports related contract in which the terms of the contract require the service to pay to honor members of the armed services.”

The leagues, too, are reacting to the bad PR:

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SEE FULL REPORT AT:  https://deadspin.com/these-teams-earned-the-most-from-the-militarys-paid-pa-1740567338

Measure to split California into three states qualifies for November ballot

By John Wildermuth

46

• 

Venture capitalist Tim Draper during his earlier effort to split California into six states. His measure to divide California into three states has qualified for the November 2018 ballot.

Voters will get a chance to decide whether three Californias are better than one now that an initiative calling for California to be split into three separate states will be on the November ballot.

Tim Draper, a Bay Area venture capitalist, bankrolled the effort and turned in far more than the 365,880 valid signatures needed to put the measure, known as the Cal 3 initiative, on the ballot. The signature verification was completed Tuesday.

“This is a chance for three fresh approaches to government,” Draper said in an April interview, just before he filed the signatures with the state. “Three new states could become models not only for the rest of the country, but for the whole world.”

The opposition already is forming. NoCABreakup, which is led by former Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabien Núñez, is gearing up to battle the split-state plan.

Above is from:  https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Measure-to-split-California-into-three-states-12989261.php?t=65b214479d

Rep. Kinzinger: Says Trump Wasn’t Really Serious About Russia-G7 Idea: ‘You Know How He Is’

GOP Rep. Says Trump Wasn’t Really Serious About Russia-G7 Idea: ‘You Know How He Is’

by Rachel Dicker | 5:31 pm, June 8th, 2018

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) had one word for President Donald Trump on his idea to allow Russia back into the G-7: “Nope.”

“Uh, my reaction was no,” Kinzinger elaborated to Cheddar’s J.D. Durkin. “Let’s keep in mind why the Russians were kicked out of the [then] G-8, is because they invaded and annexed Crimea.”

“There’s continuing to be a war in Eastern Ukraine that doesn’t get a lot of attention. They’re backing a brutal dictator in Syria who’s killed 50,000 children,” Kinzinger continued. “I think this is not the time for Russia to rejoin the world organizations unless they show that they actually want to play by the rules.”

Durkin then asked Kinzinger if he believes the Trump administration has a “blind spot” with regard to how brutal Russia can be.

“Not necessarily,” Kinzinger replied. “I think this has been actually one of the most aggressive anti-Russian administrations we’ve seen in a long time. We’ve given lethal weapons to Ukraine, we bombed the regime in Syria twice over Vladimir Putin‘s objections, and, you know, frankly been very strong on sanctions.”

“But it’s the words, sometimes, where you get a little concerned,” he conceded. “I don’t think the president today really meant that we want to bring the Russians in. He said it, but I think it was all kind of, you know how he is sometimes, just off the cuff on some of that stuff.”

You don’t say?

Watch above, via Cheddar.

[image via screengrab]

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com

Above is from:  https://www.mediaite.com/online/gop-rep-suggests-trump-may-not-have-been-serious-about-russia-g7-idea-he-speaks-off-the-cuff/

New restaurants/bars in Belvidere

• °

Comings & Goings: New restaurant moving in near Belvidere City Hall

Most Popular

Our Picks

By Susan Vela
Staff writer

Posted Jun 7, 2018 at 1:02 PM Updated Jun 7, 2018 at 1:02 PM

BELVIDERE — Work continues on the new Jack Rose Vintage Spirits & Food at the corner of Buchanan Street and Whitney Boulevard, near City Hall.

David Anderson and Jennifer Gerdin are not ready to talk about their venue, but have offered a few details on their website.

Named after an apple brandy cocktail, the locale will embody a vintage spirit with upscale food and drinks.

“Inspired by the timeless drinks we’ve grown to love, we look forward to sharing our new space with you,” the website says.

Jack Rose plans to host private preopening events that people can sign up for on the website. An opening date has not been set.

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180607/comings-amp-goings-new-restaurant-moving-in-near-belvidere-city-hall

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180607/comings-amp-goings-bush-gardens-closes-plans-start-for-new-restaurant

New restaurants/bars in Belvidere

• °

Comings & Goings: New restaurant moving in near Belvidere City Hall

Most Popular

Our Picks

By Susan Vela
Staff writer

 

Posted Jun 7, 2018 at 1:02 PM Updated Jun 7, 2018 at 1:02 PM

BELVIDERE — Work continues on the new Jack Rose Vintage Spirits & Food at the corner of Buchanan Street and Whitney Boulevard, near City Hall.

David Anderson and Jennifer Gerdin are not ready to talk about their venue, but have offered a few details on their website.

Named after an apple brandy cocktail, the locale will embody a vintage spirit with upscale food and drinks.

“Inspired by the timeless drinks we’ve grown to love, we look forward to sharing our new space with you,” the website says.

Jack Rose plans to host private preopening events that people can sign up for on the website. An opening date has not been set.

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180607/comings-amp-goings-new-restaurant-moving-in-near-belvidere-city-hall