A few dozen inmates who remain locked up in Cook County Jail because they’re too poor to post their relatively low bonds may be out soon under a new program State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced for indigent, nonviolent offenders Wednesday.
After the Cook County Sheriff’s Office singled out 50 cases of those who were “languishing” in jail for several months because of their inability to post $1,000 or less, the State’s Attorney and Public Defender’s offices came together to identify those inmates who would be better served outside jail, Foxx said. […]
Foxx said most of those who qualify for the bond reform initiative are in for drug offenses, property crimes or retail theft. […]
While awaiting trial outside jail, those needing treatment for drugs or mental health would be required to get help as part of conditions of their release, the top prosecutor said.
It costs $163 a day to house an inmate, so taxpayers will be saving money through the initiative, Foxx said.
The county will save some money (food, meds, etc. - as long as those slots remain empty) but unless they plan to lay off jail employees, this won’t actually save $163 per day.
However, due to the tornadoes that tragically tore through Illinois, Rauner canceled his meeting with Chance. Rightfully and understandably so. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those families who were affected. But as of now it appears the Governor has no plans to reschedule his meeting with Chance, where Chance planned to discuss funding for education in Chicago — a very serious issue.
Not true, I’m told. The governor’s people reached out to Chance’s people about setting a new date.
* From Eleni Demertzis at the governor’s office…
The Governor is traveling the state to survey the damage of the deadly tornados that hit this week. He is meeting with families who lost their homes and thanking first responders for their service. He looks forward to hearing from Chance and we have reached out to his team to reschedule our meeting.
*** UPDATE *** And now all is well…
Update: The Governor and I are now scheduled to meet Friday morning, I'm more than appreciative of him taking time to discuss funding CPS https://t.co/gjCXe6Vs8Q
— Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) March 2, 2017
Federal officials executed a search warrant at three Caterpillar, Inc. facilities in the Tri-County Area — including the corporate headquarters — Thursday morning.
Company officials confirmed the presence in a statement without specifying which agency was performing the search or what the search was in regard to. A spokeswoman declined by email to provide further details.
“Caterpillar is cooperating,” the brief statement said.
At least some of the agents entering the headquarters building wore jackets bearing an Internal Revenue Service logo, others appeared to be from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Others simply denoted that they were federal agents. A placard in the window of one of the federal vehicles noted it was used by police from the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement.
IRS, FDIC and the Security Office of Export Enforcement? This doesn’t look good.
* Video…
Fed agents outside of Caterpillar World HQ. IRS agents and others wearing bulletproof vests. @pjstarhttps://t.co/tnAEKG9y9T
The Ameya Pawar for Governor campaign announced today its launch of a new website and brand reflecting Pawar’s bold and progressive vision for Illinois. In the true spirit of a grassroots volunteer-driven campaign, the website, logo and branding were created by a team of digital professionals inspired by Pawar’s message. The website and logo - worth tens of thousands of dollars - was in-kinded to the campaign.
The Ameya Pawar for Governor design uses inspiration from the New Deal era to convey a sense of power, strength and progress. The logo features the candidate’s name in bold-faced navy blue type with a red-orange wing darting off to the left. The wing symbolizes the American eagle and a rising phoenix, and is influenced by the vintage aerospace-inspired design of the 1930s and ‘40s. The color palette of navy, red-orange, teal and white is simple, American and modern.
“It is amazing. A team of digital professionals who had never worked together but share a belief in Ameya’s message, created a brand and world-class website in less than 30 days,” said John Telford, Volunteer Digital Director. “Our team has grown to more than 60 people, across all digital disciplines — and there is room for more.”
“I am overwhelmed by the support of so many who have volunteered with my campaign,” Pawar said. “They have spent countless hours working during lunch breaks, nights, and weekends. Their dedication is inspiring. Together we are leading a grassroots movement to bring the vision of a ‘New Deal’ across Illinois.”
Ameya’s campaign platform, A New Deal for Illinois, is modeled in the spirit of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s economic and social policies, which turned around the nation as it struggled to recover from the Great Depression. Like Roosevelt’s New Deal, Ameya’s platform aims to reinvigorate Illinois’ economy at a time when the state has a backlog of $12 billion in unpaid bills and is now more than 20 months without a budget.
If there gonna say the design was worth “tens of thousands of dollars,” then they need to report it as such. The campaign has already admitted to the Board of Elections that it filed some disclosures after the legal deadline “in violation of the Illinois Campaign Financing Act.”
Thank you for posting our announcement on Capitol Fax. We have already collected the in-kind contribution forms from the volunteers who designed our website and logo. We will be filing the A-1s later today and will be in compliance with the campaign finance disclosure requirements as outlined by the State Board of Elections.
Gov. Bruce Rauner surveyed the damage from Wednesday’s tornadoes in North Central Illinois.
At least one person was killed and 14 were injured in Tuesday evening’s severe storms.
76-year-old Wayne Tuntland was killed in Ottawa by a falling tree, local police confirm, and Saint Elizabeth Medical Center reports they received 14 patients as a result of the storm with injuries to the head, knee and arm areas.
Rauner talked with victims and emergency responders while looking over homes and businesses in Ottawa and Naplate.
Rauner promised to offer state assistance and urged insurance companies to move quickly to help victims.
Early Tuesday evening Gov. Rauner activated the State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield to ensure state personnel and equipment would be ready to be quickly deployed if needed.
“Fortunately there was a good warning system and people knew that the storms were developing and they were coming,” Rauner said.
Two people were killed in Illinois and more than a dozen others were injured. Another person also died in Missouri while the violent storm system tore across many areas of the upper Midwest. […]
“It could have been a lot worse,” Gov. Rauner said Wednesday. “We have to count our blessings.”
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner planned to survey storm damage Thursday in White County, which was among the areas hit hard by Midwest storms that spawned tornadoes.
Rauner’s visit to Southern Illinois on Thursday follows a tour on Wednesday of storm damage in central Illinois including Ottawa, where an uprooted tree killed 76-year-old Wayne Tuntland. […]
Rauner was scheduled to attend a briefing with officials at 11 a.m. in Carmi, which is in southeast Illinois, then survey damage in Elkville, which is on U.S. 51 south of Du Quoin.
* The video got a bunch of positive comments like this one…
Thank you Governor Rauner for touring the towns that were affected by the severe storms. You’re the most compassionate governor and you actually care for downstate.
The man truly knows how to use social media. That video was very well done. But maybe it’s just a little too well done, too tightly edited and too melodramatic with that somber music. He did good work yesterday. He’s doing good work today. Do we really need something like this?
The Chicago Teachers Union issued a statement on Monday that again accused Emanuel and CPS of playing politics instead of turning to solutions to help schools such as raising taxes.
“The mayor behaving as if he has zero solutions is incredibly irresponsible,” CTU President Karen Lewis said in the statement. “Rahm wants us to let him off the hook for under-funding our schools and instead wait for the Bad Bargain to pass the Senate or Rauner’s cold, cold heart to melt and provide fair funds.”
After the Senate Democrat and Republican leaders announced a suspension of work on the “Grand Bargain” budget deal, state Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, released this statement:
That’s the question many 12th District voters have been asking after Rep. Bost did not schedule an in-person town hall meeting during the time he was back in the district last week.
The general premise behind the campaign, which gained traction on Facebook, brought protesters to Bost’s Carbondale and Belleville offices, and inspired many Letters to the Editor, is that constituents want to have an honest conversation with Bost and the rest of the community. […]
A statement last week from Bost’s office said town halls “have been derailed across the country in an effort to disrupt the honest conversation that representatives need to have with their constituents. Rep. Bost wants to ensure that conversation continues unimpeded and is open to receiving feedback — both positive and negative — from the constituents he represents. That is why this week he met with health care professionals at two Southern Illinois hospitals in three locations, hosted an Agricultural Advisory Board meeting with local farmers, spoke with students at Murphysboro High School, and had 12 individual constituent meetings. Among the constituents he met with were protesters who demonstrated outside of his Belleville office. Additionally, Rep. Bost recently hosted a telephone town hall meeting, which reached over 85,000 Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in Southern Illinois. Constituents who would like to participate in the next telephone town hall are welcome to sign up at bost.house.gov.” […]
“The amount of time that I have at home is minimal, I need to make sure that it’s productive,” Bost said Friday. “You know the cleansing that the Orientals used to do where you’d put one person out in front and 900 people yell at them? That’s not what we need. We need to have meetings with people that are productive.”
…Adding… From comments…
For a man famous for shouting, he seems to fear the shouting of others.
Yep. A guy who used an epic scream at the opposing party to get himself elected to higher office now says nobody should yell at him.
Thursday, Mar 2, 2017 - Posted by Advertising Department
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American Heart Association supports a tax on sugary drinks as a smarter choice for the Illinois budget. We all deserve to live in a state where the healthier choice is also the easier one.
As J.B. Pritzker nears a decision on whether to run for governor, the Chicago businessman would have to deal with past family political contributions to a group that pushed to cut back on state worker pensions.
I don’t see any signs that the donations from Pritzker and his wife, M.K. Pritzker, would poison his bid to win backing from organized labor. But with a potentially huge field of Democrats vying to take on GOP incumbent Bruce Rauner, the gifts definitely are getting some attention.
The donations—$10,000 each—came in December 2011 and went to the We Mean Business PAC, a group formed by Civic Committee President Ty Fahner to pressure state lawmakers to enact pension changes over union opposition.
The group ended up doing just that, giving large donations to several candidates opposed by labor—though one $10,000 check ironically went to House Speaker Mike Madigan, who enacted pension changes that later were tossed out by the Illinois Supreme Court. […]
“This was about trying to raise awareness of a problem during a time of tremendous crisis facing our state,” says the spokeswoman. “Unfortunately, we’re still facing this crisis today because Gov. Rauner has turned this into an ideological issue when it instead deserves actual leadership. Illinois needs a governor who will work with everyone, especially labor, to stabilize our pension funds and protect workers’ retirement.”
One union leader I spoke with, who asked not to be named, said he doubted the donations would be a major factor when it makes an endorsement. Pritzker’s backing for a $15 minimum wage “is a much bigger deal for us,” that source said.
Ironically enough, Bruce and Diana Rauner also gave $10K each to that Fahner PAC about ten months after the Pritzker contributions.
Aside from Madigan, the PAC also contributed to Democratic Reps. Christian Mitchell (five times), Elaine Nekrtiz (thrice), Carol Sente and John Bradley (twice). Sen. Daniel Biss, a possible progressive candidate for governor, received two contributions.
So, I dunno. But it’s a fun little bit of oppo a year before the primary.
The top Democrat in the Illinois Senate abruptly canceled key votes Wednesday on a plan to end the state’s historic budget stalemate, accusing Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner of sabotaging a compromise that had been months in the making.
Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago ditched his earlier vow to call votes on key parts of the so-called “grand bargain,” including an income-tax increase and property tax-freeze.
After the Senate clocked out, Cullerton questioned the first-term governor’s sincerity in meeting legislative Democrats halfway to end the nation’s longest budget stalemate in nearly a century.
“He’s got to grow up,” Cullerton said about Rauner. […]
“The governor injected himself into the process and doesn’t want this approved in this form,” Cullerton said before the Senate adjourned for the day without taking action on the plan. “Situation is not getting any better. We need to work together to solve this. I had hoped it would be today.”
Republicans dismissed the allegations as scapegoating for a plan that’s not ready for prime time. The public drama unfolded after a long day of behind-the-scenes negotiations, as Senate leaders had hoped for a vote on some of the more controversial portions of the multipart plan. That effort has struggled to get off the ground amid broad opposition from unions, the business community and conservative groups alike. […]
While Cullerton declined to detail how he believed Rauner derailed talks, his No. 2 accused the governor of threatening Republicans who planned to vote in favor of the legislation. Republicans already were the target of attacks from conservative groups aligned with Rauner.
“We’ve been told that (Rauner) has called them into his office one by one and threatened them if they voted on this grand bargain,” said Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. “This is really difficult here because my Republican colleagues who have been working in good faith have been undermined by a governor who does not want this deal to cross the finish line.”
A Rauner aide called the allegations “outrageous,” and said the governor and his staff frequently meet with lawmakers on a variety of issues.
HARMON: “I would ask the Republican members on the other end of that conversation how they felt, because whether the governor thinks he and his team threatened them or not, the reports that we’ve gotten from our Republican colleagues are that they were threatened.”
I tried to ask about this with Republican Sen. Chris Nybo, from Elmhurst. He’d voted for a couple of the grand bargain bills passed the day before. That made him just the sort of Republican that Democrats say the governor was targeting.
But as I stood in the doorway to his Capitol office, Nybo said he did not want to talk about the grand bargain.
MACKEY: “Answer uh — I mean Democrats are saying Republicans were called in and threatened by the governor today — is that …”
NYBO (off mic): “No comment.”
MACKEY: “OK, thank you.”
Whatever happened in those private conversations, something changed.
Top Senate Republicans dismissed the idea that Rauner called them off “aye” votes. Deputy Republican Leader Bill Brady of Bloomington reiterated one of Rauner’s main complaints in recent days that the GOP won’t accept a permanent income-tax increase if Democrats insist on limiting their cherished local property tax freeze to two years.
“More work is needed to achieve a good deal for taxpayers,” Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said. “We encourage senators to keep working.” […]
In remarks on the floor, Radogno didn’t dispute Cullerton’s assertion about Rauner’s involvement but urged continued work.
“I have no question in my mind that we’re going to bring this thing in for a landing,” Radogno said. “There’s enough good will in this building. I know the governor will be joining us in trying to get that done.”
DEMOCRATS — A breathless, angered state Sen. Heather Steans, a Democrat, urged Republicans to stand up to Rauner so the state could finally have a budget. (Remind you of anything?) “I think what’s happened is that the governor has been clearly interjecting himself in these negotiations and really today I believe we have real evidence that he undermined and killed this today,” Steans said at a news conference. “The governor keeps killing it every time we’re close.”
State Sen. Andy Manar: “I drove to Springfield with the absolute belief that there was a bipartisan agreement on school funding. The only thing that changed from the time I left … is the element of Bruce Rauner being injected into the conversation.”
REPUBLICANS — State Sen. Bill Brady: “The governor is the chief elected official in the state of Illinois. At the end of the day, he needs to be involved … there’s no question in our minds that the governor’s input is valuable.”
State Sen. Karen McConnaughay — “I talked to the governor, this morning, extensively,” she said. “I thought he was very engaged and very supportive. No threats at all.”
State Sen. Jason Barickman: “I was not threatened with anything or provided with any ultimatums or like that. I’ve had lots of discussions with the governor and his staff over the last two years, including over the last few weeks.” In a subsequent interview, Barickman said he believed a deal was still within reach.
“The governor has got to realize that this is as good as it’s going to get,” Cullerton said. “He’s got to grow up and get this solved. He’s the governor.” […]
Cullerton did not say what the next step will be.
“It’s not my move,” he said. “Assuming that’s what happened here, that the governor pulled the votes off, we should find out why the governor did that. Apparently, he wants to change the items that have been negotiated. That’s what he’s failed to do for two years.” […]
“As soon as we get word that there’s Republican support for this bipartisan plan, we’ll be ready to vote,” he said.
Everybody needs to take a deep breath here.
The Democrats need to finally understand that they can’t pass what they want to pass without the Republicans and the governor. And Gov. Rauner needs to realize that the Democrats are out of patience with the endless talks.
It can still be done, but, man, everybody has to calm down a bit first.
