Vol. VII No. 49 Christmas cheer’s in high gear in Proviso, PAGE 3
SAFE-T Act changes head to Pritzker’s desk
DECEMBER 7, 2022
vfpress.news
For Dave Guenther, Christmas trees are serious businesses
Measure expands list of crimes for which a judge can order pretrial detention, among other changes
MIC M ICHHAE AAEL ROMA ROMA MAIN/ MA NN//STA T FFF
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By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers on Dec. 1 passed a long-awaited amendment to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform’s provisions that will eliminate cash bail when the calendar hits 2023. The measure expands the list of crimes for which a judge can order pretrial detention, adds to what a judge can consider when determining if a defendant is a risk of willful flight from prosecution, and standardizes language regarding a defendant’s danger to the public safety among several other changes. The measure will still end the existing wealth-based system of pretrial detention in favor of one based on an offender’s level of risk to the public or of fleeing prosecution. It passed the Senate 38-17 just before 2 p.m., then passed the House 71-40 just before 5:30 p.m. It will still require a signature from the governor to become law. Trade groups for state’s attorneys and law enforcement, as well as pretrial justice advocates who were on the other side of the issue, adopted a stance of neutrality. See SAFE-T on page 6
EV charging gets a boost, PAGES 4
The owner of Ken’s Christmas Trees says industry’s corporatization a growing threat to small salesmen like him By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Community members who are still looking for real Christmas trees may be in for a bit of sticker shock this year. According to a recent survey of wholesale Christmas tree growers taken by the industry association Real Christmas Tree Board, 71% of growers who were surveyed said they expect to increase their wholesale prices by 5% to
15% compared to 2021, CNN reported. Dave Guenther, the owner of Ken’s Christmas Trees, said his company has been selling Christmas trees in Melrose Park for almost 55 years. The industry veteran, who said his company provided the White House with the national Christmas tree in 1976, said the price and availability of Christmas trees depend on multiple variables. “Right now, trees are very scarce,” Geunther, 65, said. “That’s due to a lot of different reasons. Fifteen years ago, there was a huge oversupply in the market, so the big growers were at a point where they were selling their trees to chain stores to get part of the money back — not as a profit. So, they readjusted their planting numbers to make the market numbers fit the demand.” Geunther said, in addition to the market correction, supply has also
been shortened by the major North American drought that happened in 2012 and 2013, which “killed every tree that was planted, including all of the seedlings that were planted and half of the ones from the year before.” Major wildfires in the Pacific Northwest in recent years have burned thousands of acres of mature Christmas trees, he added. The Christmas trees arranged on the lot at 1101 W. North Ave. in Melrose Park, where Geunther is set up this year, range from six feet to 20 feet, with prices from around $65 to around $155. Prices vary depending on height, density and age, among other factors. The lot is full of Balsam fir and Frazer fir, among other trees. The highest quality ones are dense and shaped to Christmas tree perfection. See TREES on page 5