* From a March 31st Illinois Department of Employment Security press release…
“Illinois’ overall job growth rate remains among the slowest in the country and metro area unemployment rates continue to rise, even with an increase in jobs in February,” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “Structural reforms will provide the resources we need to more effectively build a stronger workforce and help communities towards achieving economic stability.”
* Yeah, well tell that to this East St. Louis provider which plans to lay off 117 workers…
The Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House will lay off 117 workers on April 30 due to the state budget impasse.
The workers are involved in a variety of programs administered by the social services agency, including the Homeless Youth Services Program, the Community Youth Services Program, the Comprehensive Community-based Youth Services Program and the Illinois Healthy Families Program. […]
Kreeb said as of February, the state owes Lessie Bates more than $500,000 for the non-Medicaid clients. He said each month, the Neighborhood House is incurring more than $100,000 in expenses that the state is not reimbursing.
“The agency already has had to borrow more than $500,000 and would have to borrow more than $1million by June 30 to keep the In-Home Services Program operating,” Kreeb said.
Obama stepped off AF1 at 1:14 pm into snow flakes and a brisk wind
They were greeted by mayor Rahm Emanuel w hugs -all of the pols in suit jackets no coats
Malia went straight for the car
The pols stopped to talk for a bit before getting into the motorcade
At 1:19 p.m., we’re heading in motorcade to university
The Dold for Congress campaign today released impressive early fundraising numbers for Q1 2016, as Bob Dold heads into the General Election.
Strong support from Illinois donors contributed to Dold’s incredible $730,000 raised for the first quarter, which also puts Dold’s Cash on Hand at nearly $2 million.
“From backing massive Medicare cuts to breaking his promise to oppose the disastrous agreement that gives Iran a green light to fund terrorism and build nuclear weapons, the 2016 version of Brad Schneider is proving to be even more desperate and dishonest than the Brad Schneider that voters fired in 2014. That’s why 10th District voters are demonstrating unprecedented support for Bob Dold and his record of effective, independent leadership that serves the entire 10th District—rather than the party bosses and D.C. special interests that own Brad Schneider,” said Dold for Congress spokeswoman Danielle Hagen.
* Press release…
Following the March 15th primary election, Democrat Brad Schneider enters the race against Republican Bob Dold in a very strong position. Schneider will build for November from a solid foundation. After an 8-point win in the primary, Schneider has more than half a million dollars already on hand for the general, a massive volunteer and donor network, a robust field program, and an established record with voters as a principled, proven leader for the Tenth District.
As in 2012 when Schneider beat Dold by more than 3,000 votes, 2016 turnout will greatly exceed midterm numbers with presidential and U.S. Senate races at the top of the ticket. Historically in presidential years, nearly 100,000 more voters turn out in IL-10. The electorate trends younger and more diverse than in midterms, which favors Democrats. This was evident in this year’s primary as 94,758 ballots were cast in the Democratic congressional primary, nearly as many as the 95,992 TOTAL votes Dold received in the 2014 General Election.
Even though Schneider won in 2012, 2016 shapes up to be an even stronger year for him in at least three ways:
* The Governor of Illinois, Republican Bruce Rauner, is unpopular.
* In 2012, Schneider won a difficult primary and emerged with just $226,000 on hand and a donor base of 1,000 individuals. In 2016, Schneider starts the General Election with a donor base of more than 14,500 and more than $525,000 in the bank.
* Schneider is now well known throughout the district, a fact only bolstered by the Democratic primary.
In Q1 of this year, Brad raised more than $818,000, a number that will almost certainly again rank him among the top congressional fundraisers in the nation. The average donation of just $48 and a median donation of $10 both reflect the depth and breadth of the grassroots campaign we have built. This strong showing, along with a base of low dollar donors who will continue to contribute in the months ahead, will serve as the basis for successful fundraising through November, providing the necessary resources to effectively communicate with voters.
It is already shaping up to be a difficult year for Republicans, and national news outlets continue to report on Republican Bob Dold’s tough path forward. The difficult national climate for Republicans is further exacerbated by the top of the ticket in Illinois. During 2014, Dold himself proclaimed far and wide that the top of the ticket had the ability to drag down a candidate in the Tenth District. This will surely hit home for him this year with the increasing unpopularity of Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, and tepid support for incumbent Senator Mark Kirk.
Our race continues to be highlighted as one of the nation’s most competitive. In a race this close, every one of our advantages will make the difference. We look forward to building on our strong foundation in the weeks and months to come to secure victory in November.
As part of his Turnaround Agenda, Rauner has proposed venue reform that would put an end to a practice employed by attorneys who file suit in perceived “friendly” courts on behalf of clients with injuries that have no connection to the jurisdiction. […]
John Pastuovic, president of the Illinois Civil Justice League (ICJL), pointed to a study conducted by the ICJL that shows how significantly Madison County is targeted with personal injury claims.
Its report, titled “Litigation Imbalance III,” shows lawsuit filings in Madison County average 8.255 per thousand persons, which is double the rate of Cook County; triple the rate of St. Clair County; and six and a half times the rate of the other 99 counties in Illinois combined.
The reason for Madison County’s high per capita lawsuit filings is due to the court’s asbestos docket - the busiest asbestos court in the country. Madison County handles more than one-third of all asbestos-related cases filed in the entire United States each year, and last year, less than one half of 1 percent of the asbestos lawsuits in Madison County were filed on behalf of Madison County residents.
At 1,678 filed asbestos cases in 2013, Madison County likely handles one-third to one-half of all asbestos-related cases filed in the United States each year, and 168 times more per capita than Cook County. There is great secrecy surrounding the wealth exchanging hands through this docket, but with an estimated outcome of $2 million per case, the Madison County asbestos “rocket docket” could be worth more than $1.74 billion annually – larger than the GDP of Belize – and could produce nearly $600 million annually in contingency fees for plaintiffs’ attorneys.
Madison hosts what is basically a unified national docket, overseen by judges who are experienced at dealing with these sorts of asbestos poisoning cases. Presumably, since it’s a national docket with a tiny number of local cases, most of those filings aren’t even against Illinois businesses. In other words, the targeted businesses are mainly located in other states.
So, while there are genuine concerns that the Madison system gives us a bad reputation among the national business community, its actual impact on Illinois would be somewhat difficult to quantify.
* On the other hand, pumping $600 million worth of local plaintiffs’ attorney fees (with that money overwhelmingly coming from outside the region), plus the salaries of defense lawyers and their staffs and office rents, various court fees and other ancillary things like hotels, restaurants, etc. (for out of state lawyers and/or their expert witnesses) into the area’s economy every year can most certainly be quantified. And that’s a very big number, campers. I was stunned when I saw that report. It’s likely one of the Metro East’s largest economic engines, if not the largest.
That’s probably not something to be proud of, and I even feel a little uneasy about mentioning this, but it’s most definitely something to ponder when talking about yanking the rug out from under the system.
For the first time in at least two decades, the Chicago Teachers Union won’t have an election — because no one has filed to challenge popular CTU President Karen Lewis.
With no opposition against Lewis or any other candidates from the ruling Caucus Of Rank-and-file Educators (CORE) for the upcoming May elections, the slate was effectively granted another three-year term and the election has been cancelled.
Observers say the lack of organized opposition demonstrates members’ support for Lewis and her left-of-center caucus, which has taken on a broader “social justice” agenda and garnered support from activists outside the education sphere for last week’s “Day of Action.” The lack of opponents also legitimizes Lewis and CORE’s leadership at a time of contentious contract negotiations with the Board of Education, which encouraged teachers to break ranks for the Day of Action, a one-day strike. […]
When CORE won its first election in 2010, there were four other caucuses running, including incumbent President Marilyn Stewart’s United Progressive Caucus (UPC) and former President Deborah Lynch’s Proactive Chicago Teachers (PACT).
In 2013, just one slate ran against CORE. The Coalition to Save Our Union — which included members of UPC and PACT — pledged to focus more on member services and rebuild the union’s bridges with district management. Lewis won re-reelection by a near four-to-one margin.
Since then, organized opposition to CORE within the union has largely fizzled out. In part that’s because many members who were previously involved in CTU politics with other caucuses have retired or otherwise left CPS.
Six-year-old Madison Pruitt, who has cancer, wanted to become a cop.
So on Wednesday afternoon, interim Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson walked two blocks from the Gresham District police station to Madison’s home in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood to make her dream come true.
Marching behind Johnson were about 75 cops, including two on horseback.
“I heard your lifelong dream was to be a Chicago Police officer,” Johnson told the little girl, who was bundled up and sitting in a wheelchair as the two met on the front porch of her home where she is receiving hospice care. […]
Each officer made their way up to the front porch to see Madison, including one of the mounted patrolman — still on his horse. Another officer had his police canine — a black lab — by his side.
Madison’s grandmother, Pamlor Nelson, smiled and cried as she looked on.
Thursday, Apr 7, 2016 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Credit unions exist to help people, not to make a profit. It is this motto of ‘People Helping People’ that sets credit unions apart. Credit unions exist as member owned, not-for- profit financial institutions that have a strong sense of community. Historically, credit unions have championed the cause of supporting underserved communities. In its 36 years of service, the Illinois Credit Union Foundation has awarded more than $3.5 million in scholarships, community service grants, assistance to peer assistance programs, emergency and natural disaster efforts, and community involvement projects. If you are not yet a credit union member, go to ASmarterChoice.org to discover of all the advantages that membership holds.
Help to strengthen our communities from the inside out by becoming a credit union member today!
Thursday, Apr 7, 2016 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Nearly 1,900 people responded to the recent Citizen’s Utility Board survey about Exelon’s push to bailout its nuclear plants. Here is how CUB put it:
“Exelon says keeping its nuclear plants open will fight climate change—and they need economic help. Opponents say Exelon just wants bigger profits.
Should Illinois give unprofitable nuclear plants more money if it helps fight climate change?
No:1,583 (about 84 percent)
Yes:298 (about 16 percent)”
—————————————————
Illinois still has no budget, the state’s finances and services are in shambles, the social safety net is being decimated but Exelon STILL wants the Legislature to pass a huge BAILOUT.
BEST Coalition is a 501C4 nonprofit group of dozens of business, consumer and government groups, as well as large and small businesses. Visitwww.noexelonbailout.com.
Thursday, Apr 7, 2016 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As Police Chief in Clinton, I know firsthand of the significant impact the Clinton Power Station has on my community. It employs nearly 700 of our friends and neighbors and funds local government services including schools, fire and emergency response through the $12.6 million it pays in taxes every year.
Outdated energy policies are forcing nuclear energy plants nationwide to close down and Clinton could be next. These closures devastate local communities. Jobs are lost. Services are cut. In 2014, a Vermont town eliminated its entire police department after its local plant closed down.
A State of Illinois report found that if some of the plants in Illinois close, it could cost us $1.8 billion in lost economic activity and 8,000 jobs. Clinton cannot afford this and neither can Illinois.
I encourage our state legislators to adopt energy policy reform legislation the would help preserve our state’s nuclear plants. Taking action is necessary for our state’s economic health and would help prevent plants like Clinton Power Station from closing.
A Senate committee Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would create a foundation for the Illinois State Fair.
Senate Bill 2903 would create the Illinois State Fairgrounds Foundation under the state Department of Agriculture to raise private funds that could be used at the state fairgrounds in Springfield and DuQuoin.
The foundation would be overseen by a 12-member board appointed by the four legislative leaders and Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Rauner has called for creation of the foundation in part to help pay for an estimated $180 million in deferred maintenance for buildings and other facilities at the two fairgrounds.
The governor just created, without any legislative action, a private economic development organization. The House Democrats have been arguing he should do the same thing here.
Then again, there is a statute on the books creating a trust fund for the mansion…
The Illinois Executive Mansion Trust Fund is created as a separate trust fund outside the State treasury whose funds are not subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, for the purposes of improving, restoring, maintaining, furnishing and operating the Illinois Executive Mansion and the Hayes Home, and for the furnishing of the official offices of the Governor located in the State Capitol in Springfield and the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. The State Treasurer shall be custodian of the fund, ex officio, and shall invest moneys in the fund in the same manner and subject to the same restrictions as moneys in the State treasury and shall pay out the moneys in the fund as directed by the Governor for the purposes specified in this Section and for no other purpose.
Colleges in Illinois would not be allowed to ask prospective students about criminal convictions during the admissions process under a bill approved Tuesday by the House Higher Education Committee.
The legislation, HB 4446, is sponsored by Rep. Barbara Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake. It was approved on a 16-1 roll call.
“This bill is part of the overarching idea that education and meaningful employment helps reduce recidivism,” Wheeler said. “This provides an opportunity for students — adult students, young students — who may have had a criminal record. It gives them an opportunity to apply for school without feeling any roadblocks or having any roadblocks.”
Don Sevener is a lobbyist for Northern Illinois University. He said the school opposes the bill because it would prevent schools from taking steps to protect people already on campus.
Good points on both sides.
* Other stuff…
* Editorial: How to give poorer kids a fairer cut of state dollars for school: A strength of the bill introduced Wednesday, by Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, is that it attempts to minimize or eliminate the number of middle-tier school districts — not too rich, but not too poor — that would lose state revenue in a funding formula overhaul. Clearly, this provision is designed to draw support for the bill from both Republican and Democrats legislators who represent such districts, but it also feels fundamentally fair. Nobody wants to see districts that are doing just OK get walloped.
* Emanuel pension bill now in Rauner’s court: But Catherine Kelly, a spokeswoman for the governor, indicated he was not inclined to sign it without action on his so-called turnaround agenda — the pro-business, union-weakening proposals he describes as “structural reforms”… “I don’t have any idea why (Cullerton) would [send the bill to Rauner] now,” Nekritz said. “I think it’s very hard for us to override vetoes. We’ve proven in the House that it’s very hard unless the Republicans are on board.” If the bill isn’t signed, the city will have to pay off the $220 million loan and come up with nearly $1 billion more over the next four years in additional pension payments.
* Government consolidation efforts start to gain steam in Illinois: On Wednesday, the Senate Local Government Committee announced formation of a subcommittee that will begin hearings next week on various consolidation bills with an aim toward acting on consolidation proposals yet this spring. “There are a lot of bills looking at how to consolidate government,” said Sen. Emil Jones III, D-Chicago, chairman of the Local Government Committee. “That’s why we did the subcommittee, to look and see which ones are important and which ones we are going to push forward. If we can do anything to save money during this budget impasse, we should be working toward that.”
* Bill would mean no loss of professional license for student loan default: “Somebody who’s that far behind, they’ve got a lot of stresses on them anyway. There may be an illness or a death in the family, who knows? The last thing they need to be threatened with is losing their livelihood in the meantime. If we’re going to get them back on track with their debt we need to keep them working.” Republicans on the committee voted against the bill and questioned why it was needed… “As of last year when we were looking at this we had 21 people who we had issued letters to,” Gricevich said. “This is intended to be just for really rare cases.”
* Lawmaker introduces two new bills to address the Illinois heroin epidemic: The sponsor of the proposals, state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, says House Bill 5593 will help educate heroin addicts who receive government assistance about the available treatment options as well as naloxone, an antidote that quickly counteracts the effects of an opiate overdose… The second bill, HB5594, would amend the Drug Court Treatment Act by prohibiting drug court judges from denying medication-assisted treatments like methadone for defendants.
* Bill aims to improve response to sex assault cases: Bennett said the bill would “completely redo the way that we address sexual assault cases, from the investigation level to what hospitals do with the examination kits, to how long they have to hold onto them, to the way that police officers are trained, the way that 911 operators are trained. Now there will be mandatory training to address some of these concerns.”
* Gun-rights advocates lobby for improved concealed carry law: Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, said that the lobbyists he spoke with didn’t push any specific change for the concealed carry law, which was passed three years ago and given limited tweaks last year, but advocated to keep fighting for gun rights. Illinois was the last state in the nation to pass a concealed carry law.
Community colleges will no longer be able to foot the bill for [MAP grant] scholarships the state promised to low-income students if lawmakers don’t reach a budget agreement before the start of the fall semester.
“Each semester as they have to make budget cuts, they are less and less able to do that,” said Karen Hunter Anderson, executive director of the Illinois Community College Board. “I would expect by next fall semester, there are almost no colleges that would be able to offer (to front the scholarships).”
The warning came as officials pleaded for lawmakers to strike a spending agreement with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. The state’s colleges and universities have gone without financial assistance from the state since July 1. Most agreed to pick up the costs of the scholarships hoping for repayment from the state, but it’s growing increasingly hard for schools to make ends meet.
Anderson told reporters yesterday that “one or two” community colleges have committed to continue picking up the costs this fall. She said half of the colleges originally covered the grants, but now that number is about 20 percent.
James Applegate, the executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education also told reporters yesterday “I can’t predict” what will happen in the fall with public four-year universities.
But there’s a local twist. “If Puerto Rico is allowed to declare bankruptcy,” the group’s new TV ad warns, “high-spending states like Illinois will also want to declare bankruptcy. Retirement accounts crushed. A bailout on the backs of savers and seniors.”
For months, federal authorities have hinted at the motive behind the hush-money payments former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert has admitted to making: the sexual abuse of a teenage boy when Hastert was still a suburban high school teacher and wrestling coach.
But now, a Tribune investigation has uncovered new details of the case — at least four people have made what law enforcement sources say are credible allegations of sexual abuse against Hastert. […]
Hastert is alleged to have sexually abused the teens identified by the Tribune when he was a teacher and coach at Yorkville High School in the far southwest suburbs, decades before he became the longest-serving Republican speaker. Some of the alleged conduct, which prosecutors have not detailed, might come to light this week when prosecutors are expected to file sentencing memorandums. […]
In a small town where the Tastee Freez was a gathering place for local teens, Hastert taught many siblings of the alleged victims and knew most of their parents on a first-name basis. Each of the alleged victims identified by the Tribune had their struggles. Yet they all kept quiet about their hometown’s favorite son and the inappropriate sexual contact that they alleged he had with them when they were high school students and he was in a position of trust.
I felt physically ill reading that story. Just disgusting and disturbing.
Three weeks before Dennis Hastert faces sentencing on hush-money charges, his lawyers laid out their reasons for probation in a court filing Wednesday that says the former U.S. House speaker is “profoundly sorry” for the harm he caused others decades ago.
The carefully worded filing suggests Hastert’s attorneys will likely have to walk a fine line when he is sentenced April 27 by U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin.
While Hastert feels remorse for those he has harmed, his lawyers said, they stopped short of acknowledging accusations he sexually abused students when he was a teacher and wrestling coach at Yorkville High School. In fact, they singled out his teaching and coaching background for praise, saying he chose that career path to “make a difference in the lives of young people.”
They also contended that Hastert had “reshaped his life” many years ago.
This week marks the first time in more than a month that both the House and the Senate will be in Springfield for legislative session. We have all been disappointed in the lack of action on the crises facing our state. Now is the opportunity to put partisan differences aside and work together on solutions for the people of Illinois.
In the short term, we must address the crisis facing higher education and social services. For the long term, we must enact a balanced budget alongside job-creating reforms that grow our economy and drive more value for taxpayers.
Numerous pieces of legislation have been introduced in both the Senate and the House that would fund universities, community colleges and the Monetary Award Program (MAP) to ensure no school shuts its doors and no student is financially harmed. I’ve proposed ways to fund MAP grants by enacting procurement reform. Social service providers cannot survive a months-long payment backlog which is why we’ve proposed funding vital services through savings generated by enacting pension reform.
These spending proposals aren’t empty promises — they are linked to key government reforms that generate taxpayer savings; and they would provide universities, community colleges, students and providers the assurances they need to plan for the months ahead.
Passing spending bills with no money to pay for them is simply exacerbating an ever-growing problem while giving students and communities false hope. We need to assure taxpayers that we are not continuing a broken system where we promise to spend money the state doesn’t have.
Let’s consider these bipartisan proposals so that Chicago State doesn’t close its doors. Let’s consider these bipartisan proposals so that Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois and Harper College don’t lay off employees — so that IIT students don’t get charged for their MAP grants and no social service provider cuts off services to our most vulnerable.
Let’s start negotiations immediately — whenever, wherever — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — on a bipartisan, balanced budget with a mix of reforms, cost reductions and revenue.
Tina Sfondeles, a general assignment reporter at the Sun-Times, will be promoted Thursday to full-time political reporter for the paper. Her new role essentially consolidates the duties formerly held by political writers Natasha Korecki, who left for politico.com, and Dave McKinney, who resigned in protest and works for the Midwest bureau of Thomson Reuters. Before joining the Sun-Times in 2007, Sfondeles was a news writer at CBS Radio all-news WBBM AM 780 and a production assistant for “The Steve Dahl Show.” She’s a graduate of Lemont High School and holds degrees from Loyola University and Columbia College.
Sfondeles has been making the trip to Springfield to cover the Statehouse, so this formal promotion is welcomed news. She’ll do well and this appears to show that the CS-T is finally getting back on its feet, which is also good news.
* This note from President Barack Obama to US Sen. Mark Kirk about Kirk’s recent meeting with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland was sent to me last night by the Kirk campaign…
Obama endorsed Duckworth this week, but Kirk got a decent little consolation prize.
* Both chambers have canceled tomorrow’s session. Friday is the White Sox home opener. Priorities? I dunno. Whatever the case, watch all of today’s action with ScribbleLive…
* One of Merle Haggard’s last major interviews, from early February in Rolling Stone…
As he recovers, Haggard, a news junkie, has been watching Donald Trump’s campaign with amusement and concern. “He’s not a politician. I don’t think he understands the way things work in Washington, that’s what worries me about him. I don’t think he realizes he can’t just tell somebody to do something and have it done, you know. I think he’s dealing from a strange deck.”
A reader pointed out that Haggard could’ve also been talking about somebody else closer to home - but I’ll leave that determination for others.
* Here’s the Grateful Dead covering one of Merle’s most famous songs…
