*** UPDATED x1 *** The rest of the story
Monday, Aug 7, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Dan Proft’s newspaper empire…
South suburban parents are anxiously awaiting news from state lawmakers, wondering if public school funding will be approved and their teachers will report for duty on the first day of classes, just two weeks from today.
But they’ll be kept in suspense for at least another week, thanks to the prioritized travel plans of State Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields), South Cook News has learned.
Publicly, Senate President John J. Cullerton (D-Chicago) has expressed interest in swiftly resolving the school funding impasse.
Privately, he has long known the State Senate would be effectively blocked from convening this week on account of a long-planned Boston trip for Hutchinson, a key vote who is attending the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) annual convention and will be formally sworn in as the group’s president.
The State Senate cannot meet and act on the schools bill until Hutchinson returns Thursday. […]
Hutchinson is the first NCSL president from Illinois since 1989-90, when then State House Minority Leader Lee A. Daniels (R-Elmhurst) held the post.
OK, first of all, former state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger was an NCSL president since Daniels’ term.
Secondly, there are, I’m told, 22 legislators in Boston this week, including both the House and Senate Republican leaders. Cullerton is also out there.
Subscribers have known for a while now which day the Senate will have enough votes to finally reconvene, and it’s several days after the NCSL conference ends this Wednesday.
* A hint…
Illinois State Senator Bill Haine is prepared to go to Springfield next weekend, in hopes of over-riding Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto of Senate Bill One.
*** UPDATE *** Tribune on Friday…
Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields, will be sworn in as an officer of the organization. The trip was planned months ago, she tells us, and she’ll fly back “on a moment’s notice” if Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, calls members back to Springfield.
- Michael Westen - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 10:51 am:
Wait. Are you telling me Profit lied? Get out. That’s never happened before.
- wordslinger - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 10:53 am:
Whether it’s for Larry Dominick, Dick Uiehlein or Bruce Rauner, Proft has to work it to keep his sugar daddies happy, in ways that some might find degrading.
Fortunately for Proft, he seems to enjoy it.
- Michelle Flaherty - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 10:57 am:
Fake news might be a compliment compared to really bad journalist.
Althoff
http://senatoralthoff.com/Media/News/p/23838/v/2000/senator-althoff-elected-past-president-of-national-conference-of-state-legislatures
- Lt Guv - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 11:07 am:
Can’t be bothered by facts.
- Amalia - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 11:08 am:
Fake news is Republican KoolAid.
- Robert J Hironimus-Wendt - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 11:18 am:
When I was a cadet at West Point, we were taught that to not tell the whole truth (to quibble or misrepresent the facts so as to mislead) is to lie. And to lie is grounds for being dismissed from the Academy. Today (as in the last few years), I would suggest most journalism has made the transition from presenting the facts, to misrepresenting the facts so as to spin a story. Quibbling has become the MO of too many media machines.
- anonymous - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 11:18 am:
Rich, you really need to put “newspaper empire” in quotes to make it funnier.
- Annonin' - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 11:23 am:
Mr/Ms Robt J Hironimus:
Does this man we can retract degrees handed out to West Point liars? Cough it up FreeCollege Ives.
How can we forget Rauschie’s NCSL leadership after his role in Proft’s fake movie. He whines about Madigan’s rules and producers failed to remind him he voted for the same rules in the Senate.
- Wallinger Dickus - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 11:46 am:
Congressman Shimkus is a graduate of West Point, no?
Was he telling the truth when he promised to abide by a self-imposed term limit?
- wondering - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 12:03 pm:
When asked why Republicans lie so much he answered “Because it works”. He is considered an elder statesman by the GOP today.
- Robert J Hironimus-Wendt - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 12:03 pm:
My concern is with the immediate story Mr. Miller reports, suggesting that the legislature cannot convene until one person returns. Mr. Miller is right to point out that in fact 22 people are attending the same meeting, not the one representative singled out. Mr. Miller’s blog posting makes it clear that Mr. Proft’s media are spinning news (quibbling), rather than reporting facts.
- wondering - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 12:06 pm:
Did something wrong, that quote was from James Baker, III.
- wndycty - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 12:16 pm:
Why exactly did Proft feel the need to list Hutchinson’s District Office address?
- Flynn's Mom - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 12:32 pm:
Hutchinson was already on record in last week’s Chicago Tribune saying that she will immediately return if a vote is called. Why all of the “quibbiling”?
- Archiesmom - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 12:41 pm:
Going after Toi in the next election?
- Off the payroll... - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 12:53 pm:
A slight paraphrase from Charles Dickens: In a word, Proft is too cowardly to do what he knew to be right, as he had been too cowardly to avoid doing what he knew to be wrong.
- ArchPundit - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 2:11 pm:
For those suggesting Proft lied, you are wrong. Proft doesn’t take enough time to figure out if what he is saying is true or not. He’s just making stuff up.
- Truth Squad - Monday, Aug 7, 17 @ 3:23 pm:
Can we not call these “newspapers?” Or an “empire?”
These are as credible of news sources as Rich is a marathoner.