The 21st Show

Concealed Carry and Teachers; Funding IL Roads; LGBT Diabetes Risk; Automatic Library Renewals

By Niala Boodhoo, Alan Montecillo, Libby Foster, and Robin Linn
 

Lisa Marie Pane/AP

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On the 21st: We talked with gun training instructors and owners about the recent wave of teachers acquiring concealed carry permits in the wake of shooting incidents in recent years. Plus, Illinois infrastructure, and what lies down the road for future construction and maintenence. And, a recent study shows that lesbian, bisexual and questioning women are at a higher risk for diabetes and obesity later in life. Then, we discussed what one Illinois library is doing to eliminate the fines associated with forgetting to return your book, and how this came to be.

On Monday, we talked about how Governor Rauner signed a new law that would allow police to take away guns from those deemed in court to pose a threat. He also extended the 72-hours gun-purchase waiting period to all firearms but vetoed a measure adding licensing requirements for gun stores.

Those bills Gov. Rauner signed had the support of the state rifle association. But still - as some keep pushing for stronger gun control - those who oppose gun control are pushing back. We’ve reported in the past on some places declaring themselves sanctuary counties for guns. And even though the legal implications of that are unclear, at least 25 counties in Illinois have passed resolutions that declared themselves quote sanctuary counties for gun owners.

And although Illinois is one of 40 states that prohibit concealed weapons in schools, a wave of teachers and administrators across the state are enrolling in concealed carry classes. In fact, many instructors are offering classes for free or at discounted rates for teachers. To be clear, Illinois prohibits concealed weapons in schools.

On the line with us were three Illinois concealed carry instructors - from all across the state.

Mark Maggos is the owner of Trigger Talent in Godfrey, close to St. Louis. We were also joined by Marc Jens. Marc is an instructor at Concealed Carry Safety for Personal Defense Inc. in Niles, Illinois, a Northwest suburb of Chicago. He’s also retired from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police and was a police academy instructor. And Tom Dorsch was the line. Tom is the director of On Target Range & Tactical Training Center in Crystal Lake, a Northwest Suburb of Chicago.

Plus—

Chances are, no matter what road, interstate or tollway you’re driving down - maybe you’re on one right now - you’re going to hit a rough patch this season. And according to the multi-year plan from the Illinois Department of Transportation, that’s not going to change anytime soon.

Along with funds from the federal government, the state will allocate more than $2 billion toward infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges. In addition, it’s going to shift strategies from patchwork fixes to one of regular maintenance. But the question is -- if this is too little, too late?

Illinois Issues has been reporting on this.

Joining us to talk more was Joe Schwieterman, the Director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University. Scott Sorrel also talked with us; he's the Administrator of Peoria County. Kevin Burke was also on the line from Springfield. He’s the Executive Vice President of the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association.

And— 

In recent years, researchers have been learning more about how the stress of being a minority has real consequences for mental and physical health. We’ve seen that particularly when looking at African-Americans.

Well - a new study from Northwestern University shows that lesbian, bisexual and questioning individuals face higher risks for obesity and Type 2 diabetes - AND, that the risk of developing those diseases can start in your teenage years.

Lauren Beach is a postdoctoral research fellow at Northwestern’s Institute for Gender and Minority Health and Well-Being. She joined us from our studios on their Evanston campus.

Then—

A few years ago, I switched to checking out digital library books because I never remember to return actual books. And the fines pile up. But now - the one library in Illinois is changing that.

The Champaign Public Library this week announced it was moving to automatic renewals.  Does this mean the end of fines for at least patrons of the Champaign Public Library? Deputy Director Brittany Michaels was in studio with with us to explain why the move was made.

Story source: WILL