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Henyard files to run again as Dolton village president

Tuesday, Oct 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Southtown

Mayor Tiffany Henyard and Trustee Jason House both filed petitions by Monday’s deadline to run for Dolton village president in the February primary, and nine candidates have filed to run for three village trustee seats on the ballot.

Your recommended campaign slogan(s)?

  20 Comments      


Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Tuesday, Oct 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The Triibe

A breakdown of how Chicago planned to use security funds for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) shows that nearly half of the $75 million the Department of Justice (DOJ) gave the city went to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).

If the DOJ approves the expenditures, CPD will be reimbursed about $35.5 million, or 47% of the federal funds.

According to a budget narrative obtained by The TRiiBE, the total earmarked for CPD included $16.6 million for personnel, including hourly and overtime pay; $990,414 for DNC training; and $12.9 million for supplies and equipment, including a new police helicopter. More than $79,000 was also allocated for Chicago police officers to travel to Springfield for motorcycle-riding training conducted by the Illinois State Police.

* Rockford Register Star

Until recently, Stepping Stones was a program that exclusively provided housing-based mental health services for adults.

But with funding from the county’s mental health sales tax, Stepping Stones has been able to expand its reach and provide services to another population in need — children.

Stepping Stones used the $500,000 it received from the mental health sales tax to open a new outpatient counseling center on Maray Drive in Rockford, and for the first time in Stepping Stones’ history, services were expanded to include mental health treatment for children. […]

“Until we opened the counseling center, we served about 160 individuals every year,” [Stepping Stones CEO Sue Schroeder] said. “This year we’ll be closer to about 800 individuals with that increase coming from the counseling center. And those are people that weren’t getting services before.”

* Governor JB Pritzker…

On Friday, Governor JB Pritzker joined Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, and Delaware Governor John Carney in issuing a letter to PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for Northern Illinois and the aforementioned states. The governors have called on PJM to take urgent action to address the increasing cost of electricity bills after the record-high prices coming out of the region’s capacity auction.

The letter addresses issues that impact the path to renewable energy goals, including market structure and the efficacy of the generator interconnection process. In the recent PJM capacity auction for the 2025/2026 Delivery Year, clearing prices surged to almost 10 times higher than the previous year, leaving residents and businesses with much higher bills. Serious flaws with the rules of this auction contributed significantly to these unnecessarily high prices. Out of concern for the impact these high prices could have on economic development, the states have recommended the following reforms to address these issues:

    Ensure that capacity from Reliability Must Run units is included in the next Base Residual Auction. ​ OPSI, the Independent Market Monitor, and complainants all agree that making this change would save consumers between $3-5 billion without undermining market competitiveness or necessary price signals;

    Eliminate the must-offer exemption for intermittent generation resources, while protecting them from performance penalties that discourage participation;
    Lower the capacity price cap back to the level it was prior to PJM’s recent capacity market reforms;

    Review the propriety of recent Effective Load Carrying Capability accreditation changes and adjust as needed; and
    Although it may take longer than by the upcoming auction, swiftly implement a sub-annual capacity market designed to reduce risk on the transmission system.

“No one should have to worry about not being able to afford their electricity bill, especially as we approach colder months,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “PJM’s record-high price increases showcase a complete disregard of vulnerable communities across state lines, and they must take swift action to prevent our residents from paying billions more than is necessary. In Illinois, we are providing more support for new, clean power generation than ever before, but many developments have been stalled for years, waiting on PJM. High prices won’t help if we do not address the underlying issues holding back new capacity; Illinois remains committed to working together to fix these processes and secure a clean, reliable grid for our future.” ​

Click here to read the full letter.

*** Madigan Trial ***

* Tribune | Ex-ComEd lawyer testifies about Juan Ochoa’s appointment to utility board in Madigan trial: ‘It was important that the speaker referred him’: In one of the central allegations in Madigan’s corruption case, Tom O’Neill, ComEd’s former chief lawyer, testified that the then-powerful speaker wanted Ochoa, the former chief of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (McPier), placed in a rare vacant seat on the company’s board in late 2017. He said CEO Anne Pramaggiore was behind the move because Ochoa’s resume came from Madigan.

* Capitol News Illinois | Madigan co-defendant warned ComEd CEO not to ‘provoke a reaction from our Friend’: O’Neill, who spent nearly two decades at ComEd and its parent company Exelon, described the days and weeks leading up to the critical vote as a “very intense” time. But as the lobbyist, John Hooker, closed the door to O’Neill’s office and sat down, he wasn’t checking in on ComEd’s legislative efforts on the bill that the utility’s executives believed could turn the tide for the financially beleaguered company.

*** Statewide ***

* Indiana Capital Chronicle | For Indiana Woman, ‘Worst-Case Scenario’ Led Her to Illinois: But the experience, at times, left the daughter of a former Delaware County Sheriff feeling like a fugitive. She was advised to pay in cash and, should she experience complications and visit an emergency room, she was told to let health professionals believe she’d experienced another miscarriage.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | After Turbulent Tenure, CHA CEO Tracey Scott Out: ‘Residents Were Suffering In The End’: The mayor is finally making his moves, sources said. Last month, Johnson installed two longtime community activists on the board, and he’s preparing to appoint another board member, a CHA resident, later this week. “I think what you’re looking at is an overhaul of the CHA and it’s long overdue,” said housing advocate Roderick Wilson, executive director of the Lugenia Burns Hope Center. “What we’re looking at is hopefully a new day for the CHA … with more housing and better management.”

* WTTW | Anjanette Young on Chicago Police Reform: ‘We Are Still Waiting for Some Tangible Action’: Anjanette Young, founder of I AM Her Foundation, joined “Chicago Tonight” to talk about police reform in Chicago. During a botched CPD raid in February 2019, Young, a social worker, was handcuffed while naked as officers searched her apartment and ignored her dozens of statements that they were at the wrong home. “Individuals like myself and other family members, who are the ones that are being harmed by this timing, is an issue. With Laquan McDonald, it’s been 10 years. For myself, it’s been five years, and yet we are still waiting for some tangible action from the consent decree.”

* Unraveled | Cop who killed Anthony Alvarez training new recruits: A Chicago police officer previously recommended for firing after a deadly foot pursuit is on the job again—and this time, he’s training rookies. Officer Evan Solano, who faced termination little more than two years ago after shooting and killing 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez, was promoted to the position of Field Training Officer (FTO) this past April. He has been training probationary police officers in the Northwest Side 16th District for the past six months, according to records obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.

* Sun-Times | Jewish leaders urge hate crime charges, and patience, in shooting of man on way to Chicago synagogue: Shlomo Soroka, director of government affairs at Agudath Israel Illinois, said he has spoken to the victim of the attack, who he said is an Orthodox Jew. Soroka said Orthodox Jews are the most vulnerable to attacks because they are easily identifiable by their clothes, and since they don’t drive on the Sabbath on Saturdays, must live within walking distance of their synagogue.

* WBEZ | Urban Growers Collective mixes Halloween and food education at South Chicago farm: “It’s important for kids to learn where their food comes from,” Garner-McCruder said. “There’s this disconnect between kids and the grocery store. They don’t know where their food comes from. Knowing that gives them a greater appreciation for what they have, so gratitude this time of year is important.” Mykele Deville, farm ambassador for Urban Growers Collective, was one of the many staffers helping out with farm tours and activities, which included making bouquets of flowers and a game that had kids trying to match plants with their seeds.

* Crain’s | Five takeaways from the latest Chicago housing market data: Housing affordability hasn’t improved much, and buyers in the Chicago area are feeling it acutely, recent data on the local market indicates. It’s a one-two punch. One: Home prices are rising faster in the Chicago area than in most of the U.S. and have been for most of 2024. Two: Mortgage rates didn’t make the sharp U-turn some people may have hoped for after the Federal Reserve in September made its first rate cut in four years.

* Block Club | Huge Hole In South Side Street Won’t Be Fixed Until At Least December, ComEd Tells Neighbors: Champlain Avenue residents have had their lives disrupted by a cavernous hole in the street since May, when ComEd workers opened a section of the street to fix a cable leak caused by previous contractors. The leak was fixed, but ComEd told neighbors more work would be necessary to remediate the surrounding soil, which required more permits.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* News-Sun | US House Rep. Brad Schneider faces GOP challenger in bid for 6th term: ‘There is so much at stake’: After five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives serving much of Lake County, Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, says he wants to continue improving the lives of the residents and his Republican opponent, Lake Forest resident Jim Carris, hopes for an opportunity to do the same. Voters in parts of Lake, Cook and McHenry counties will decide whether to return Schneider to Washington or send Carris to represent them there when they cast their ballots in the Nov. 5 general election.

* Patch | Lake Forest Cop Takes On Lake County Board Chair In District 13 Candidate Forum: Sandy Hart, a member of the 19-member board for the past dozen years and its chair since Democrats gained a majority in 2018 for the first time in its history, faces a challenge from Republican Ben Grum, a Lake Forest police commander making his first foray into electoral politics in his campaign for the 13th District, which includes Lake Bluff, as well as portions of Gurnee, North Chicago and Waukegan.

* Patch | Alleging Italian Slur, Ex-Will County Deputy Files Federal Lawsuit: More than two years since his employment at the Will County Sheriff’s Department ended, former Will County Sheriff’s Investigator Ross Ricobene has filed a federal lawsuit alleging his Italian heritage played a key role in his ouster by the administration of Sheriff Mike Kelley.

* News-Sun | CLC officials show off technology center to business community; ‘Why waste time trying to find someone when they’re right here?’: With Lake County sitting as the second-largest manufacturing county in the state, the 170,000-square-foot facility has serious potential for employers in the region, but only if they know about it. Claire Slattery, executive director of the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce, was one of 11 area chambers of commerce that took part in Thursday’s event. Similar previous networking events hadn’t drawn nearly as many businesses, and she was pleased with the turnout.

*** Downstate ***

* News-Gazette | Election ‘24: Law enforcement called on voter who refused to remove Trump hat: Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons described 2024 as the “most bizarre” election he’s administered. […] A voter at the [Meadowbrook Community Church] was wearing a hat in support of former President Donald Trump, Ammons said. Election judges asked the man to remove the hat, as Illinois law forbids electioneering inside “campaign-free zone,” which extends to 100 feet outside the entrance of the polling place. According to Ammons, this includes clothing that promotes a particular candidate. […] “The voter’s actions were a disruption to the voting process and eventually led to at least two people not being able to vote that day,” he said. “Champaign police officers responded to the call from my staff, and they are currently working with the state’s attorney to further investigate this matter.”

* SJ-R | After bullying, hazing investigation, Illinois high school football coach serves suspension: After allegations of hazing and bullying in his program, Rochester football coach Derek Leonard was suspended for his team’s regular-season finale Oct. 25. After an investigation from Edwardsville attorney Tueth Keeney, the Rochester school board voted 4-1 to accept recommendations, which included the one-game suspension for Leonard. Susan Nichols, the school district’s legal counsel, read from a prepared statement Thursday after the school board came out of a closed session.

* WCIA | Parkland College alum leads crew of umpires officiating World Series: Mark Carlson is the crew chief of the group of umpires assigned to this year’s championship series of Major League Baseball. Born in Joliet, Carlson attended Parkland in 1987 and played baseball for the Cobras as a catcher. He is a member of the Parkland College Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016.

* SIU | SIU researchers investigate technology to kill supergerms at the nano level: Researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are studying how to zap antibiotic-resistant bugs using electricity on the nano scale, which could lead to fewer infection-related deaths in hospitals. Punit Kohli, professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences, along with researchers from the departments of chemistry, microbiology, physiology and the SIU School of Medicine, recently published a paper in the journal Science Advances outlining their work. The technology, known as “electrically polarized nanoscale metallic” or “ENM,” involves applying an electrical potential to nanoscale metallic coatings that polarizes the coatings and generates chemicals called reactive oxygenated and chlorinated species. Such substances can deactivate a wide range of harmful microorganisms.

*** National ***

* Bloomberg | These white male CEOs got wealthier from diversity-linked pay : For all the pushback against corporate DEI programs for allegedly discriminating against white men, it turns out the policies have been lucrative for some of the most powerful among them. White men make up the majority of 28 chief executive officers who were paid bonuses for meeting their company’s diversity, equity and inclusion goals last year, according to analysis by Farient Advisors, an executive compensation consulting firm. The CEOs, whose businesses set how much of their bonuses were tied to short-term DEI goals as well as their payouts, collectively took home about $5 million.

* WIRED | Facebook Is Auto-Generating Militia Group Pages as Extremists Continue to Organize in Plain Sight: Anti-government militia movements have been continuing to use Facebook to recruit, coordinate training, promote ballot box stake outs, and prepare for a civil war that many militants believe will break out after election day. And in some cases, the movement is attracting people who don’t appear to have any prior background in a militia. Meta is even doing the work for extremist movements by auto-generating some group pages on their behalf.

* NBC | Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker accelerates abortion advocacy on eve of the election: The group previously donated seven figures separately in Arizona, Florida and Nevada, which all are attempting to codify abortion rights in their states. In the rest of the states, which also include Montana, the investments are in the six figures. Think Big would not provide more specifics about donation amounts; a recent filing in South Dakota revealed last week it gave $500,000.

* Crain’s | Walgreens lays off about 250 workers in latest round of cuts: The struggling pharmacy chain is laying off 256 employees, or 3.6%, of its support center team,employees and cutting about 215 open and unfilled roles, Walgreens spokesman Fraser Engerman confirmed in a statement to Crain’s.

  5 Comments      


Strong press pop for CTU, but actual solution is highly doubtful

Tuesday, Oct 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The CTU pushed for an elected Chicago school for years and years. And now they find themselves being outspent

With the 2024 election in its final stretch, elected officials, candidates and others are speaking out about the massive spending that political action committees are pouring into races for the Chicago Board of Education. […]

Chicago Congresswoman Delia Ramirez joined others in condemning political action committees from the Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS), former Schools Chief Paul Vallas and billionaire business people for getting involved.

“The very same people that did everything in their power to block an elected representative school board in Springfield are at it again,” Ramirez said. “This time, what they’re doing is they’re trying to buy the election.”

The CTU has two political action committees, although I still don’t know why they’re given this exemption to the one committee per entity law. Anyway, those two committee have contributed a bit over $2 million, mostly to school board candidates and other committees involved in those races. That link shows $2.7 million, but the union erroneously claimed a $700K in-kind contribution. It was a big typo.

INCS Action, essentially the political arm of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, has spent about $2.1 million, almost all on school board candidates.

Urban Center Action has spent another $723K on candidates, many of whom are also backed by INCS Action.

* WGN

Spending on the 10 elected races this year has exceeded more than $4.7 million, according to a Chicago Sun-Times tracker, with the biggest donors including Chicago Teachers Union PACs and billionaires Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix; Helen Zell, the widow of late real estate developer Sam Zell; Jim Walton, the founder of Walmart; and businessman Craig Duchossois.

The Illinois law establishing the phased-in elected school board has no campaign contribution limits.

Um, campaign contribution limits are most definitely in state law. It’s just that the caps have been busted in all but two of the races. Tribune

Illinois has a unique rule that funding caps can be lifted when campaign contributions — through self-contributions or independent expenditures — add up to more than $100,000 during an election cycle.

* I discussed this with subscribers on Monday, but here’s the Tribune

Though no specific legislation language was proposed Monday morning, Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield, said any bill would likely be thrown out if it were to pass, citing a recent law imposing a $500,000 limit on out-of-state judicial campaign contributions that was challenged in federal court.

Just because someone is not from Illinois doesn’t mean they can’t exercise their First Amendment rights to give money, Redfield said. But the race for school board looks different than most nationwide, he said, with the entire school board resigning in early October and Mayor Brandon Johnson’s close alignment with CTU, which buoyed him to office.

The legislature passed a bill in 2021 that barred out-of-state contributions to judicial candidates and capped contributions to independent expenditure committees in the 2022 court races at $500,000. It was tossed by a judge and wasn’t appealed.

  28 Comments      


Question of the day

Tuesday, Oct 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Have you voted yet? Early or mail? If not, what are your voting plans? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.


  87 Comments      


Roundup: Madigan corruption trial continues

Tuesday, Oct 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* WGN

Prosecutors on Monday unveiled more wiretapped conversations and Mike Madigan’s allegedly unlawful interactions with the ComEd Four as the longtime politician’s corruption trial resumed.

In federal court on Oct. 28, former ComEd executive and general counsel Thomas O’Neill spent much of the day on the stand describing ComEd’s complicated effort to modernize their aging infrastructure with Smart Grid technology and other improvements.

However, the utility company needed legislative approval. O’Neill is not accused of any wrongdoing. […]

In a June 2018 wiretapped phone call played in court Monday, Madigan and McClain can be heard discussing jobs with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office and other state agencies, allegedly dictating who would get those jobs.

* Sun-Times

O’Neill explained how he found himself in the midst of intense negotiations over the Energy Infrastructure and Modernization Act in 2011, as well as the Future Energy Jobs Act in 2016, which jurors previously heard were key to turning around ComEd’s bleak financial outlook at the time.

O’Neill called the utility’s situation “precarious.” That, he said, is what tied ComEd’s future so closely to the Legislature. And why Pramaggiore was known to say “what’s important to the Speaker is important to ComEd” — an acknowledgment of Madigan’s power.

O’Neill then explained how, in the midst of the EIMA negotiations in 2011, McClain and fellow ComEd lobbyist John Hooker began a pressure campaign to approve the Reyes Kurson contract.

Hooker was convicted last year along with McClain and Pramaggiore.

* Tribune

Months earlier, O’Neill’s bosses had directed him to talk to Reyes, a longtime Democratic political operative, about giving his law firm, Reyes Kurson, a contract for legal work. Now, with so much on ComEd’s plate, Hooker as well as ComEd contract lobbyist Michael McClain were pestering O’Neill to get it done.

“I felt pressured to do it, and (McClain and Hooker) did impact the timing,” O’Neill said Monday as Madigan and McClain’s trial on racketeering charges entered its fourth week.

Besides the timing, O’Neill testified the proposal was also unusual in that it guaranteed Reyes Kurson a certain amount of billed hours annually, instead of the firm billing the utility as work was performed

Still, ComEd agreed to a deal with Reyes Kurson for 850 billable hours in late 2011, around the same time that the utility’s much-desired “Smart Grid” bill passed the legislature, O’Neill testified.

* ABC Chicago

The contract was agreed to just as the General Assembly voted to override Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto of ComEd’s first big legislative push. When some years later O’Neill attempted to cut the law firm’s hours, as yet another ComEd bill was getting ready to be voted on, ComEd’s CEO Anne Pramaggiore received an email from McClain.

“I’m sure you know how valuable Victor is to our Friend,” McClain said. “I know the drill and so do you. If you do not get involved and resolve this issue of 850 hours for his law firm per year then he will go to our Friend. Our Friend will call me and then I will call you. Is this a drill we must go through?”

Prosecutors said the “Friend” was Madigan.

Ultimately, the contract was renewed several months later, right around the same time ComEd’s third major legislative push ended successfully in Springfield. O’Neill returns to the witness stand Tuesday, when he is expected to be extensively cross-examined by defense lawyers.

  8 Comments      


Nearly 5,000 entries received in flag redesign contest

Tuesday, Oct 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Click here for some background. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias…

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced the Illinois Flag Commission received 4,844 entries during the six-week submission period that closed Oct. 18.

“I’m thrilled by the number of submissions the commission has received, as well as the excitement that this project has generated. I can’t wait to see which designs the commission selects for public voting,” Giannoulias said. “The contest has encouraged us all to reflect on what makes us proud to be Illinoisans, resulting in some great stories and unique designs reflecting what our state represents.”

Now that the submission period is closed, the Illinois Flag Commission will meet before the end of the year to select the top 10 designs. Beginning in January, the public will have the opportunity to vote online for one of 10 new designs, or one of the three former flag designs, including the current state flag, the 1918 Centennial Flag and the 1968 Sesquicentennial Flag.

After a public feedback period, the commission will report its findings to the Illinois General Assembly by April 1, 2025, whose members will vote on whether to adopt a new flag, return to a previous iteration of the flag or retain the current flag.

Senate Bill 1818, sponsored by State Senator Doris Turner (48th District—Springfield) and State Representative Kam Buckner (26th District—Chicago), was signed into law in 2023, creating the commission with the goals to gauge public sentiment on a new flag and to bolster civic pride. The Secretary of State’s office chairs the commission.

The commission will evaluate if a new state flag would better represent the state. The state flag has not had a major redesign since 1915.

  25 Comments      


Open thread

Tuesday, Oct 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…

  11 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Oct 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Illinois Democrats already hold a supermajority of state House seats. They want more. WBEZ

    - Lisa Hernandez, chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, said Democrats are eyeing six Republican-held House seats across the state in the hopes of flipping them this November.
    - The Illinois GOP is taking the long view, trying to inch its way back to power.
    - “We’re not going to say we’re going to become the majority party,” McCombie said. “We’re going to do this one cycle at a time, bit by bit, and get us closer to the map in the 10-year time.”

At 1 pm Governor Pritzker will join a global machinery production company to announce a new Illinois expansion. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Meta | Upcoming 2024 Restriction Period for US ads about social issues, elections, or politics: [Meta] will not allow any new ads about social issues, elections or politics in the US from 12:01 AM PT on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 through 11:59 PM PT on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. In order to run ads about social issues, elections or politics in the US during the restriction period, the ads must be created with a valid disclaimer and have delivered an impression prior to 12:01 AM PT on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.

* Utility Drive | 5 governors call for PJM capacity market rule changes to reduce ‘unnecessary’ consumer costs: Five governors are urging the PJM Interconnection to reform its capacity market rules and interconnection queue process to prevent “unnecessary” costs for electricity customers. PJM’s last capacity auction in July will cost consumers a “staggering” $14.7 billion, which could hurt economic development, according to a letter from the governors of Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania sent Friday to PJM.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | State legislators announce plans to introduce campaign finance reform legislation: Armed with signs of blown-up checks of billionaire investments in Chicago’s upcoming school board elections, aldermen, congressmen and parents gathered outside the Illinois Network of Charter Schools office Monday morning to denounce large donations made by out-of-state billionaires and introduce a proposal for campaign finance reform. […] Though no specific legislation language was proposed Monday morning, Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield, said any bill would likely be thrown out if it were to pass, citing a recent law imposing a $500,000 limit on out-of-state judicial campaign contributions that was challenged in federal court.

* Windy City Times | Two LGBTQ+ incumbents are keeping seats in Illinois State Legislature: State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (14th District) and State Sen. Mike Simmons (7th District) are both running unopposed in the race to keep their seats. They are the only two out LGBTQ+ elected officials in the state legislature. Cassidy has held this role since 2011 and led efforts to ban conversion therapy, strengthen protections for those who have experienced hate crimes and protect reproductive rights. Simmons, who was appointed to the role in 2021 when former Senator Heather Steans retired, has helped pass laws protecting same-sex marriage, protecting nonbinary state employees and ensuring language in government communications is more inclusive.

*** Statewide ***

* Woodstock Institute | Predatory Lending Strikes Again in Illinois: The cycle of predatory lending has struck again for Kesha Thompson-Warren. In open disregard of the State’s 36% APR interest rate cap, Opportunity Financial (OppFi) is making loans in Illinois at 159.5% APR, over four times higher than Illinois’ 36% rate cap established by Illinois’ Predatory Loan Prevention Act (PLPA). The PLPA was passed in 2021 as part of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Agenda to combat systemic racism in Illinois.

* WAND | Illinois using marijuana sales tax, opioid settlement funds for behavioral health services: The Restore Reinvest Renew, or R3 program, was a critical part of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. State leaders said $127 million has been dispersed for mental health and addiction services this year. That’s compared to roughly $80 million during 2023. “CRTA allows for approaching mental health and substance use by focusing on social determinants and related concerns such as the historical overuse of the criminal justice system, concentrated poverty and violence,” said Dr. Donell Barnet, the behavioral health advisor for the Illinois Department of Human Services.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Aldermen expecting Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget plan to include property tax increase: Three aldermen who spoke to the Tribune on background Monday said Johnson administration officials told them in one-on-one briefings that the mayor will recommend a property tax hike as part of his plan to balance the budget. The mayor’s team did not specify how large such a tax increase would be, the aldermen said. Johnson will introduce his 2025 spending plan Wednesday. Mayoral spokeswoman Erin Connelly declined to comment Monday about the possibility he will call for a property tax hike.

* WBEZ | Despite a hiring freeze, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration still made hundreds of new hires: The employment data, obtained by WBEZ through an open records request, includes 268 new hires through Oct. 21. In all, the hires and promotions total roughly $31.4 million in annual salaries – a fraction of the $223 million end-of-year deficit and $982.4 million budget gap for 2025.

* Tribune | Chicago Housing Authority CEO Tracey Scott to leave her role on Friday: She will be replaced for the time being by Angela Hurlock, current chairperson of the board, as CHA searches for her replacement. Scott has served as head of the organization for four and a half years. “The CHA Board of Commissioners would like to thank Ms. Scott for her leadership during this crucial period when the demand for affordable housing is more pressing than ever,” CHA Vice Chairman Matthew Brewer said in the news release. “CHA is well-positioned for continued growth as we enter this next chapter.”

* Sun-Times | Chicago heating bills could double under troubled Peoples Gas pipeline replacement program, report finds: Chicago heating bills could double over the next 15 years if state regulators allow Peoples Gas to move forward with its long-maligned pipeline replacement program, according to a report commissioned by consumer advocates. Customers would face a series of record-setting annual rate hikes every year through 2040 — and keep paying for the long-delayed project for an additional six decades, under projections released Tuesday by the Citizens Utility Board.

* Crain’s | Community activists aren’t sold on quantum park’s promises just yet: “It was a good start, but it’s not enough,” NietoGomez, executive director of the Alliance of the SouthEast, an umbrella group of community organizations formed in response to various proposals to redevelop the USX site over the past decade, says of the event. The group has been raising concerns about the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park since it was announced, urging elected officials to slow down the project, which could start construction by the end of the year.

* Block Club | 5 Transit Board Appointees Advance, But Some Bristle At Another Pastor With No Transit Experience: Most of the new nominees were lauded for their experience in transit or related fields. All passed through the committee unanimously except Jarixon Medina — a pastor with New Life Covenant Church’s Spanish-speaking campus in Humboldt Park — who was questioned like Acree for having no bonafides in professional transit roles.

* Crain’s | Union League’s Monet going up for auction next month: The club has weighed selling “Pommiers en Fleurs,” or Apple Trees in Bloom, for years to pay down debt and fund renovation costs. It tried once, approving a sale in late 2020 as the pandemic rolled on and the club’s finances deteriorated, but was later sued by an Australian art dealer who alleged the club backed out of a $7.2 million agreement. A Cook County Circuit Court judge dismissed the suit, a decision upheld on appeal.

Tribune | Finalists announced for the 2025 Jean Banchet Awards, with a brand-new pizza category: Finalists in 13 categories for the coveted Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence were announced Monday, including a new, deliciously divisive category: Pizza. “The Banchet Awards are always kind of funny, we always try and poke fun at ourselves as much as possible so we thought what could be funnier than trying to name four pizza joints in Chicago,” said Michael Muser, Banchet Awards host and organizer. “We thought about theoretically, what do we want it to say, do we want it to pay homage to different styles or what … At the end of the day, the panel came up with the best list they thought represented the year for them in terms of the pizzas people are wanting.”


*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Korean War veteran laid to rest in Elgin: 74 years after he was killed in the Korean War, U.S. Army Cpl. Eriverto Ortiz was laid to rest at Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin Monday, Oct. 28, 2024.

* Daily Herald | Aurora mayoral contest headed for a primary; more candidates join Naperville council race: For the first time since he was elected mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin is set to face a crowded field of opponents in a primary election. Irvin and five mayoral challengers have filed to run in 2025, clearing the threshold for a primary to be held in February to narrow the field down to two candidates for the April consolidated election. Monday was the last day for candidates in Aurora, Elgin, Naperville and Wheaton to turn in their petitions to get their names on the ballot.

* Daily Southtown | Midlothian Village President Gary L’ Heureux says he mistakenly took homeowner’s tax exemption on two properties: L’Heureux said he mistakenly took the exemption, that cuts the equalized assessed valuation of a home by $10,000 for a homeowner’s principal residence, for two properties almost every year since he bought his second home in 2020. He has since contacted the Cook County assessor’s office to correct the issue.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Illinois man awarded Purple Heart, Bronze Star with Valor: Chase Wilhelm stood on stage in the Illinois Governor’s Mansion on Monday and received four honors, including a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star with Valor, the Four Chaplain’s award and an Army Commendation. Chaplain, Major Wilhelm was one of the first on the scene after a U.S. Military Base in Jordan was hit by a drone strike on January 28th, 2024. Three people died in the attack. According to the base commander for Tower 22, Wilhelm jumped into action immediately when he arrived on the scene. He helped people who were still in the wreckage following the strike.

* SLPR | Bost getting little challenge from Democrat in southern Illinois congressional district: After a contentious primary, Illinois U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, is expected to cruise to victory for Illinois’ 12th Congressional District this November. One of the most conservative districts in the state, spanning much of the southern third of the state, electoral experts have rated it a safe or solid Republican seat. On top of that, the Democrat challenging Bost, Brian Roberts of Carbondale, has not reported raising any cash this cycle to unseat him, federal records show.

* PJ Star | Four people have filed to run for Peoria mayor in 2025. Here’s what we know: Four people have thrown their hats in the ring in Peoria’s mayoral race and three incumbent city councilmembers will face challengers in next year’s municipal elections. There is guaranteed to be at least one new face on the Peoria City Council. The 2nd District seat is wide open because its current representative, Chuck Grayeb, is running for mayor.

* WCIA | ‘This is what farmers do’; Bellflower community lends a hand during harvest season: About 50 farmers have done just that for one of their own. Lloyd Power has been a farmer all his life, but an infection has come in the way of his harvest this year. […] “We had a discussion in the hospital, and Llloyd, at first, was reluctant,” Gibson City farmer John Leonard said. “He’s used to giving. He gives so much. And so I kind of reminded him that people want to give back.”

*** National ***

* Daily Herald | ‘Urgent, complex challenge’: Pedestrian deaths on train tracks are escalating: In 2023, 715 people trespassing on railway property died in train collisions across the U.S., officials reported Thursday at the DuPage Railroad Safety Council’s “Prevent Tragedy on the Tracks” forum. That’s a spike compared to the 10-year average of 533 deaths. There were 494 in 1995, a year after the council was formed.

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