The 21st Show

Cannabis And Business; Bill Would Ban Private Immigrant Detention Centers; Spring Gardening Tips

By Niala Boodhoo, Alan Montecillo and Libby Foster
 

Seth Perlman/AP

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What would doing business with cannabis look like in Illinois? We'll talk with State Treasurer Michael Frerichs and the Mayor of Delevan, which is already home to a medical marijuana facility. Plus, the controversy over a proposed immigration facility in Dwight is not over yet. A group of Democratic House members want to ban private immigration detention centers in the whole state. And we’re finally getting our first glimpse of Spring. If you have concerns about your garden- don't worry. We talk to experts who can answer your questions. 

Illinois Democrats, including Governor Pritzker, want to legalize recreational marijuana. With super majorities in both the House and Senate, they have a good chance of making that happen. Advocates usually estimate in the hundreds of millions of dollars when considering the financial impact of legalized marijuana. Even Governor Pritzker’s budget proposal includes $170 million from legal marijuana. Today, we talk about this more locally by focusing on towns and businesses. Specifically, how the economy of one Illinois town has already benefited from medical marijuana, and how this potential change could affect local banks and credit unions.

State Treasurer Michael Frerichs joins us in our Urbana studios. We're also joined by Liz Skinner. She’s the mayor of Delavan, a town of about 1,700 people in Tazewell County. 

And -

Earlier this month, the village board of Dwight, Illinois voted to annex land for a privately-run immigration detention center. The mayor of Dwight says, if approved, it would be close to a $20 million facility employing hundreds of residents. But some local residents, and people from other parts of Illinois, have pushed back. A few weeks ago we spoke with one of the organizers of the No Ice Dwight Facebook campaign, and now the Democratically-controlled General Assembly could be taking it a step further. A newly proposed bill would ban private immigration detention centers throughout the whole state.

Fred Tsao joins us to talk about this. He is the senior policy counsel for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. We're also joined by State Representative Celina Villanueva, a Democrat from Illinois’ 21st House district, and one of the chief co-sponsors of this bill. Sara Dady runs her own immigration law firm, Dady and Hoffmann, in Rockford. She also joins the conversation. 

Plus -

Spring is here! The first official day was actually last week. You may have noticed the influx of rabbits in the Champaign-Urbana area. 

Sharon Yiesla joins us on the show. She’s a plant knowledge specialist at the Morton Arboretum plant clinic. We also talk to Chris Enroth, a Horticulture Educator at the University of Illinois Extension in Macomb. What questions do you have about your garden? This conversation is helpful whether you’re new to gardening, or if it’s your thing and you just need some pro tips. 

Story source: WILL