— đŽđđđđđđ±đđđŹđ (MrJM) (@MisterJayEm) September 12, 2018
* The Cook County judge in the Jason Van Dyke case regarding the killing of Laquan McDonald was a Vietnam veteran who was apparently suffering from severe PTSD. In 1970, he was living with his parents while attending law school. Steve Bogira at the Chicago Reader explains what happened next…
At 3 AM the following morning [after a traffic accident scuffle], the couple next door was awakened by gunfire. Two bullets had shattered their bedroom window and pierced the wall above their bed, according to [Bill Mullen’s Tribune] story. The couple ran from the bedroom, and the husband, Darius Latchin, called police. When two officers arrived at the home, Latchin showed them into his dining room. He was talking with them when two more shots came through a window, narrowly missing the officers.
Police soon determined that the gunfire had come from the third floor of the Gaughan home (Mullen’s story doesn’t explain how), and officers swarmed on the home. Gaughan called down the stairway, saying he wanted to talk with Father John Richardsonâa priest at DePaul and a friend of his. Richardson, who was DePaul’s vice president, was soon in Gaughan’s foyer, discussing the situation with sergeant Charles Adamson and other officers. According to Mullen’s Tribune story, Richardson told the officers he knew Gaughan well, and that “he won’t hurt me.”
As the priest started up the stairs, Gaughan called down: “WaitâI want a policeman to come too. An Irish sergeant.”
“That broke the tension,” Mullen wrote. “The policemen smiled, and the guns went down.” Adamson said he was Irish, and volunteered to accompany Richardson upstairs.
Inside his bedroom Gaughan laid down the M1 rifle he’d fired. “He came downstairs and outside with Father Richardson, where both got into a squadrol,” Mullen wrote. Gaughan’s father asked to go to the station too, and an officer “put his arm on the old man’s shoulder” and offered to take him in his squad car.
Mullen reported that Gaughan was charged with aggravated assault, unlawful use of a weapon, failure to register a weapon, and discharging a firearm in the city. But there was a warm and uplifting tone to the story nonetheless. Police had worked to calm Gaughan and had responded with restraintâextraordinary restraint, if indeed four people, two of them police officers, had nearly been shot. The officers called to the scene hadn’t tried to chase Gaughan from his room with tear gas, which could have led to a deadly shootout on the stairway.
I wondered if the fact that Gaughan was white and a war hero had played a role in this patient response. Gaughan had been armed with a rifle that had a range of 500 yards. (Laquan McDonald had a folding knife with a three-inch blade.) A perilous threat had been mitigated, and no one had been harmed.
* Feder: Van Dyke trial to air on CLTV: WGN reporter Julie Unruh will lead the stationâs coverage, starting with opening statements by the prosecution and defense through the conclusion of the trial. Jury selection is currently underway. CLTV is carried on Comcast Xfinity Channels 352/1091, RCN Channel 616 and Mediacom Channel 215.
The Illinois Commerce Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to revoke Lincoln Towing Serviceâs state license, effective immediately.
The decision comes about two months after an administrative law judge recommended that the North Side firm keep its license despite hundreds of alleged violations.
ICC Chairman Brien Sheahan issued the commissionâs order overturning the judgeâs decision, citing a preponderance of evidence showing Lincoln Towing âhas not conducted its business with honesty and integrityâ and was unworthy to hold a commercial vehicle relocators license.
Lincoln was ordered âto immediately cease and desist from operating a relocation towing business in the state of Illinois,â Sheahan said during a regular commission meeting in Chicago.
During the relevant time period of July 24, 2015 through March 23, 2016, Respondent has towed without proper authorization over eight-hundred (800) times;
The evidence shows that Lincoln has no regard for Commission Rules
Headline explained here. This has been a long time coming.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals announced Sept. 10 plans to close its U.S. headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois and continue consolidating its operations in Boston, according to Crainâs Chicago Business. The Deerfield office houses around 1,000 employees.
The biopharma companyâs decision to shutter its Illinois-based headquarters comes despite having enjoyed one of the most lucrative tax credit arrangements in the state, calling into the question the efficacy of Illinoisâ Economic Development for a Growing Economy, or EDGE, tax credit program.
From 2003 to 2013, Illinois issued more than $60 million in EDGE tax credits to Takeda via two separate agreements, according to documents obtained from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. In exchange, the company promised to create 566 new jobs.
No other company in the state received more EDGE tax credits over that time.
…Adding… From Austin Berg at the Institute…
Hey Rich, worth noting that the second Takeda EDGE agreement extended beyond 2013, so they have very likely received even more than $60 million in credits. According to the most recent report from DCEO, Illinois also issued EDGE credits to them in 2014, 2015 and 2016, though it does not disclose the amount.
We published what we knew for sure according to the most recent FOIA data we had on hand from DCEO, which followed the EDGE program from 2001-2013
The move is not entirely unexpected. Its parent company, based in Tokyo, is in the process of buying Irish drugmaker Shire for $62 billion as the drug industry continues to consolidate.
Takeda has been shrinking its workforce in Deerfield, shifting some R&D resources from Chicago to Cambridge, Mass., where it acquired two companies in the past decade. […]
Takeda, which set up operations in the Chicago area in 1977, has been reducing operations in Deerfield for several years. When it announced the proposed deal with Shire, Takeda said it expected to reduce R&D costs by about $600 million a year and trim overall expenses by $1.4 billion. Management expects to reduce the companiesâ combined workforce about 7 percent.
But Takedaâs latest move heralds more than consolidation. The health care industry is moving away from traditional drug compounds toward biologics and gene-based treatments. Boston, like San Francisco and San Diego, is a major hub for such research. Although Chicago has some of this capabilityâat AbbVie, in local universities and in some emerging companies, such as AveXisâit doesnât have the same scale as Boston.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals, shuttering its Lake County U.S. headquarters and moving 1,000 jobs to Boston, saw its property tax bill rise 66 percent over the last decade, from $1.37 million in 2008 to $2.28 million last year, according to the Lake County Treasurer’s office.
That’s down from a high of $2.7 million in 2012.
In all, the company has paid more than $22 million in property taxes on his since 2008 on its 380,000 square foot tower that straddles Lake Cook Road and Interstate 294 in Deerfield.
It was the fourth highest corporate property taxpayer in Lake County, after Abbott Laboratories ($9.2 million), Gurnee Mills Shopping Center ($4.8 million) and Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan ($2.9 million).
* The Free Beacon is often a good place to dump oppo for some Republicans. With that being said, you may recall this story from late August…
Democratic congressional hopeful Sean Casten said he thought President Donald Trump had a “tremendous amount in common” with al Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden, the man responsible for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
Illinois Democrat Sean Casten, who found himself in hot water after his belief that President Donald Trump has a “tremendous amount in common” with terrorist Osama bin Laden was revealed by the Free Beacon, has also told voters there are “Nazis” in the White House. […]
“I don’t think you need to be an engineer to know that it’s a bad idea to have Nazis and racists in the White House,” Casten said during the August [2017] event.
In October [2017] he only slightly amended his statement, saying, “Nobody should have to use a calculator to answer the question whether it’s a good idea to have Nazis and racists in the White House.”
Illinois Democratic congressional candidate Sean Casten insisted Monday that an advisor to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh intentionally made a white supremacist signal during a televised Senate confirmation hearing.
Casten and Republican incumbent Rep. Peter Roskam, who represents Illinois’ 6th Congressional District, met Monday for a live-streamed debate moderated by suburban Chicago newspaper The Daily Herald. During the debate, moderators asked about Casten’s claim that there were “Nazis” working in the Donald Trump administration.
The energy executive defended his comments, citing former Trump advisor Sebastian Gorka as someone he thought was a Nazi who worked in the administration. “We have an obligation to call that out when we see it,” he said.
“There’s a problem when we have Zina Bash this week flashing white power signs behind the Brett Kavanaugh hearings,” he said. “How do we not stand up to that?”
Take a very deep breath before commenting, people. Then thoroughly exhale. Maybe walk around a bit. Have a drink of water. Thanks.
* Related…
* GOP U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam says Democrat Sean Casten is ‘channeling’ President Trump: âThe irony is: Sean, who is Donald Trumpâs biggest critic, is ironically emulating him insofar as heâs advocating the politics of ridicule,â Roskam said during a meeting of the Daily Herald Editorial Board. âAnd the proof of that is calling Republicans a party of deplorables. Heâs retweeted that. Heâs called Republican donors morons.â Casten, a businessman from Downers Grove, said heâs apologized for the bin Laden comment but attacked Roskam for not being more critical of Trump. âIf Peter doesnât appreciate my sense of humor or is offended by me, Iâm sorry,â Casten said. âBut we have a big problem with silent complicity in the overwhelming majority of the Republican House right now. We are facing an existential crisis to democracy. We have a president who believes that he is above the rule of law.â
* ‘We are really, totally at odds on this;’ Roskam, Casten sharply disagree on 2017 tax law: Those cuts won’t pay for themselves, [Casten] says. And failing to address income inequality puts the country “at levels that, in history, are getting dangerously close to the levels that preceded revolutions,” he said. Roskam criticized the implication of a potential revolution as “hyperbole.” “Sean, we are not at risk of revolution in this country,” he said. “Peter, I certainly hope you’re right,” Casten said.
Rauner, the re-election-seeking governor who has used his campaign wealth to heavily subsidize Durkinâs candidates for the Illinois House, called the House âthe barricadeâ against Democratic plans to approve a proposed state constitutional amendment that would ask voters to approve a graduated-rate income tax to replace the currently mandated flat tax. The proposal is backed by Raunerâs Democratic challenger, J.B. Pritzker.
âThe only way they can get that done is by having a super-majority back in the General Assembly. And the barricade, the wall, the barrier against that happening is the House of Representatives. Hold the House. Pick up seats in the House. Thatâs what itâs all about,â Rauner said.
Democrats hold a 67-51 majority in the House, led by Raunerâs chief political nemesis, House Speaker Michael Madigan, who also chairs the state Democratic Party. It takes 71 votes in the House to approve a proposed constitutional amendment and 36 votes in the Senate, which Rauner is not heavily contesting this election. Democrats have a 37-22 Senate majority.
Interesting how the Republican State Leadership Committee announced yesterday that it was busting the contribution caps for Durkin just before Durkin’s contributors descended on his event.
Rauner spoke briefly to the crowd, saying he had to attend to another dinner and speech. But the embattled Republican governor told the stateâs Republicans that the Illinois House âis the barricade against a massive new income tax hike in the state of Illinois.â […]
âEven though the president unfortunately lost Illinois, we picked up four seats in the House, two seats in the Senate two years ago. And weâre going to put together the biggest ground game in Illinois history this election cycle. Weâre going to work our tails off and pick up more seats in the House.â
The Senate Republicans are hosting their annual “Fall Classic” today and tomorrow in southern Illinois. Golf, skeet shooting, fishing, boating. Will the governor show up with a check in hand?
* Photo from yesterday’s event…
At Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin fundraiser, Gov. Rauner tells crowd âeven though the president unfortunately lost Illinois, we picked up four seats in the House, three in the Senate.â Rare mention of Trump, and not by name. Money shot below with Garry McCarthy. pic.twitter.com/pkkCjOclET
However, he said he has made two important promises in the months since he announced his retirement from Congress.
“Not too long ago, I made a promise to my daughter, Jessica, who is running for alderman in the 30th ward that I would put her future first. … “She is carving her own path as a young, independent progressive leader, and a part of the exciting new movement coming to the forefront across our nation. The last thing I want to do is undermine her independence or undercut her avenues for success. I’m a dad first.”
And, while he loves Chicago, he said his heart is with Puerto Rico, the home of his parents, and he has promised to “be the guy” to help “abolish” Donald Trump and rebuild Puerto Rico.
“Puerto Rico deserves my time and my energy and I will not rest until my work there restores it to its proper place as a home for hard working people and a haven for prosperity,” he said. But “Rebuilding Puerto Rico can’t be done with Donald Trump as president.”
He noted that he and GarcĂa began as children of the movement that elected Harold Washington, who “said no to hatred and bigotry and yes to equality … and Chuy can make that happen and heal the city.”
First, I want to thank Congressman Gutierrez for his confidence and support in my ability to lead Chicago and to serve as a bridge to unite our increasingly divided city. And, certainly, as a father, I understand his decision and admire the love he has for his daughter and unwavering support to the people of Puerto Rico.
Calls and messages have been coming in from people all over the city urging me to run, including Congressman Gutierrez. And, I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and support from the bottom of my heart.
As I take a closer look at the Mayorâs race I will continue to dialogue with Chicagoans from across our great city to talk about solutions that will both unify us and improve everyoneâs quality of life. While we have great challenges ahead of us we also have an opportunity to bring peace to a city that has been too much at war with itself. And, I look forward to forging that peace together.
* Related…
* Rep. Luis Gutierrez won’t run for Chicago mayor, calls on Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia to seek the office instead: Garcia, who has been running for the congressional seat Gutierrez will vacate, could not be reached Wednesday morning for comment on his plans. As Gutierrez pushed Garcia for mayor, Garcia was nowhere to be seen at the county board meeting. He was present earlier in the morning for committee meeting, but went back to the offices and didnât reappear.
* Woke up early this morning with a sore throat. Went back to bed. Woke up again with a sore throat. Had some tea. Didn’t feel much better. Checked my e-mail and various news sites for anything major. Saw nothing important. Going back to bed. Be nice to each other and keep it Illinois-centric, please. Thanks.
