State Rep. Tom Morrison on Thursday retracted his earlier letter of support for a Christian teacher and pastor convicted of aggravated assault for severely spanking children in Arizona.
The letter from Morrison, a Palatine Republican seeking re-election to the 54th House District seat, was among 16 provided to a judge ahead of Thomas Chantry’s sentencing last week.
Chantry, 48, was found guilty in August by a Yavapai County, Arizona, jury of two counts of aggravated assault. He was sentenced Oct. 19 to three years of supervised probation and 100 hours of community service. He’s also barred from interacting with children other than his own.
* His opponent Maggie Trevor (D-Rolling Meadows) has a new TV ad about the case…
* From southern Illinois near the Trump rally location…
Where out politics stand in IL…someone has placed "bought and paid for by Mike Madigan" signs next to local county clerk and treasurer candidates….What? @capitolfax@WSILNews#Vote2018
UPDATE: Signs I referenced earlier. Looks like wind blew them flat. "Bought and Paid for by Mike Madigan" signs next to Jackson Co. Dem. Clerk candidate. @WSILNews@capitolfaxpic.twitter.com/85yTP2Irxl
JB Pritzker transfers $2 million to the Democratic Majority, which is chaired by Speaker Michael Madigan. Pritzker has now pumped a total of $5 million into the committee this election cycle. #twillhttps://t.co/jXB4fpZL28
One of the [JB Pritzker campaign] employees, Carolyn Mehta, said that the [blackface] photo was “taken completely out of context.
“The screen shot was submitted by a member of our staff who follows me on Instagram and is suing the campaign for $7.5 million,” she said. “It was taken completely out of context. This is extortion in the purest form. In 2012, I worked on President Obama’s re-election campaign. I worked on a team to register 10,000 new voters on the South Side of Chicago. I have been a tireless advocate for racial equality my entire life and anyone who knows me knows that.”
The campaign worker who posted the image on Instagram was identified as Carolyn Mehta, the campaign’s deputy Get Out The Vote director. She was also a field organizer for President Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign in Virginia, according to LinkedIn.
So she should really ought to know that a photograph posted anywhere of a Pritzker campaign worker in anything resembling blackface would be criticized as racist.
But instead of the campaign directly acknowledging the racial insensitivity on display when a white person smears a black substance on his or her face and grins for the camera, it insisted the incident was not racial in nature.
That’s adding insult to injury.
* Today’s front page…
Oof.
* Other stuff…
* Long files defamation suit against Yednock: “Rep. Long is living in an alternate reality where his own party did not call on him to resign over a harassment allegation. In fact, rep. Long even admitted to the Ottawa Times on Sept. 20 that Republicans told him he was under investigation for sexual harassment. If Rep. Long has a problem with the contents of this ad, he should take it up with his own party,” Yednock stated this morning.
* Dispatch-Argus Editorial: For Illinois governor: Pritzker: We backed Republican Bruce Rauner for governor four years ago because we believed he was the change agent needed to turn Illinois around. The state did see changes under the rookie governor. Unfortunately, too many things went from bad to worse.
* Costa Howard questions Breen’s votes on gun-control bills: “Even though it passed, the governor did veto that piece of legislation,” Costa Howard said during the forum. “So that was a nice political vote during a time when you were running against a candidate who has a Moms Demand Action gun sense candidate distinction, which I have received since before the primary.”
After days of questions over whether he’d make the trip, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign said he will indeed attend a rally being held by President Donald Trump on Saturday afternoon in downstate Murphysboro.
About five hours before the planned 4:30 p.m. “Make America Great Again” rally at the Southern Illinois Airport, a Rauner campaign spokesman confirmed the governor would be there, though it wasn’t clear if he would appear with Trump, or what the extent of their interaction would be — if any. […]
“In the height of political desperation, Bruce Rauner will join Donald Trump in Southern Illinois just 10 days before Election Day,” Pritzker campaign spokesman Jason Rubin said. “It’s nothing more than a Hail Mary in the last second of the game that Rauner is losing — badly.”
…Adding… My niece, Isabel Miller, interviewed a Trump supporter ahead of the rally today for the Daily Egyptian newspaper.
Isabel asked Kevin Sauls from Ridgway (who was wearing an American flag as a cape) if the president could bring something new and unique to southern Illinois. Sauls said he thinks President Trump “can help the coal, I think he can help all the industries, he can help the working man, the white people that stand up for him”…
Kevin Sauls from Ridgway, Illinois, speaks at the Trump rally in Murphysboro.
President Trump told reporters on Air Force One they are considering canceling the rally later today in Murphysboro, Illinois. He says he spoke to Gov. Wolf, the mayor of Pittsburgh, and Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.
Trump will go to Murphysboro. In Indy: "We can't let evil change our life, change our schedule," he said. "You go with a heavy heart, but you go. … So I'll go. Not that I want to go. But in reverse, I think I actually have an obligation to go." … "I will go to Illinois."
What: First Family hosts Trick-or-Treaters at the Governor’s Mansion
Where: Governor’s Mansion, 410 E. Jackson St., Springfield
Date: Saturday, October 27, 2018
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Note: No additional media availability
As Tina rightly points out, President Trump’s southern Illinois event begins at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon…
But the governor's public schedule shows he'll be hosting "Trick-or-Treaters at the Governor’s Mansion" at 4 p.m. in Springfield. The rally is at 4:30 p.m. in Murphysboro. https://t.co/jUsiwuVeGj
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, who has sought to avoid any involvement with President Trump for most of his first term, said Friday he expects to be in Murphysboro IL when the president makes a campaign visit Saturday. Rauner has sought to unify a core GOP base that backs Trump.
* Meanwhile, a dark money groupassociated with Local 150 of the Operating Engineers is running this ad opposing Republican AG candidate Erika Harold on “Chicagoland broadcast and cable markets [in] the last eight days of the election cycle.”
This photo was posted on a private Instagram account and after finding out about it this morning, both individuals were immediately suspended without pay. After further investigation, both staffers have been fired.
* Meanwhile, I asked a handful of folks earlier this afternoon to respond to the Pritzker campaign “blackface” incident. Here’s Secretary of State Jesse White…
The workers used very poor judgement. JB’s campaign has explained the situation and dealt with it appropriately.
* Sen. Kwame Raoul…
This type of behavior is offensive and unconscionable. It shouldn’t be tolerated, and I’m glad to hear that immediate action was taken with those involved
* Legislative Black Caucus Chair Sen. Kimberly Lightford…
This isn’t a joke. There’s nothing funny about it.
If he’s interested in a facial, he should reach out for a spa appointment AFTER the election.
Right now, there’s work to be done, lots of serious work. And I would suggest Democrats everywhere spend every moment doing so.
* Rep. Christian Mitchell, the executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois, chose to post his response on Twitter…
Respectfully, @StatehouseChick, these two things aren't the same. In the case of IPI: the cartoonist in question had a long history of racial caricature involving African-Americans, and the organization was actively involved in voter suppression efforts with a racial tinge. (1/3) https://t.co/Ugg79DJUH2
B/c folks make mistakes, and those mistakes ought to be considered in context of their careers. Pertinent example: I was also silent when a reporter I respect wished for black folks in Chicago to drown in a hurricane in order to impose her desired order on their schools. (3/3)
* Remember when we talked about the non-binding pro-2nd Amendment “sanctuary county” referendums all over Downstate this year? They’re essentially designed to help Republicans get folks to the polls. Madison County is one of the counties having a vote and a rally was held this week…
While local voters have to decide on a referendum to make Madison County a “sanctuary county” for gun owners, speakers at a pro-gun rally at the Madison County Courthouse said candidates’ stance on the Second Amendment makes it a statewide issue.
About 125 people showed up for a pro-gun rally in the courtyard between the Madison County Courthouse and the Administration Building. The rally was sponsored by The Madison County Friends of the Second Amendment, and was followed by another pro-gun event at the Edwardsville American Legion Post 199. […]
The referendum reads: “Shall Madison County become a sanctuary county for law abiding gun owners to protect them from unconstitutional gun laws passed by the Illinois General Assembly?” […]
“Pritzker is an F,” [Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association] said. “You know why he’s an F, because we can’t give him an F-. He’s not the guy you want if you’re a gun owner, or if you live anywhere outside the city of Chicago. This is a battle between the city of Chicago and the rest of the state. Anybody that votes for folks from the north end (of the state) are voting for the city of Chicago, it’s as simple as that.”
* JB Pritzker’s Deputy Get Out The Vote Director recently posted this photo on Instagram of a fellow Pritzker campaign worker…
What a stupid thing to do. Your campaign is being sued for racial discrimination and you pose for this photo and a top official posts it online? I don’t care if it was a charcoal face mask. Nobody thinks over there? What’s the opposite of “woke”?
A campaign worker for Democrat J.B. Pritzker was captured earlier this week wearing a charcoal face mask that resembles blackface in an Instagram post by another campaign employee. But the campaign insists the incident was not racial in nature and that the employees in question will be suspended without pay for exercising poor judgment. […]
The post was part of an Instagram story put up October 21. Instagram stories feature photos or videos and last just 24 hours but can be preserved or copied. The Sun-Times obtained the image Thursday night. […]
Asked about the picture, Mehta told the Sun-Times in a Facebook message: “It was a charcoal face mask.” […]
“The individual in the photo had applied and was wearing a charcoal face mask after work hours on the weekend. A fellow employee took a video and posted it on Instagram,” Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Galia Slayen said in a statement. “While it showed poor judgment, neither employee intended to take part in offensive behavior. However, given the poor judgment exercised here, both the individual in the photo and the individual who posted the photo will be suspended without pay.”
In their response, the Pritzker campaign provided a video of the man putting on the face mask, with others nearby laughing. The video was provided on the condition that it not be published.
The reckless ignorance of some white people just boggles my mind.
…Adding… Somebody made a good point in comments about how it wasn’t just these two staffers. Other campaign staffers watched and laughed as this whole thing unfolded. Not one of them said anything? Nobody in that group thought to say, hey, maybe people could think this is racist and we should stop right now?
At Tuesday’s debate at the Kendall County Courthouse in Yorkville, Underwood had a chance to call out Hultgren to his face, in public, because she believes that vote removed protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
“It was really clear in all the press coverage around these repeal-and-replace bills that the American Health Care Act did not create an opportunity for individuals like me with pre-existing conditions to have affordable coverage,” she said. “We must ensure that individuals with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied, and they cannot be charged (more).”
Hultgren said there is language right in the American Health Care Act that states pre-existing conditions cannot be used to reduce insurance or increase costs.
“Either Lauren Underwood hasn’t read it, or she doesn’t understand it,” Hultgren said.
A Washington Post fact-checker last year said that while “people with pre-existing conditions would not be denied coverage” under the Republican health care plan, people who “have a gap in coverage, they still could face higher, unaffordable premiums for a year.”
* And AARP is hopping mad about that bill Hultgren voted for and has been reminding its members of what Hultgren and others tried to do…
Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way
* Related…
* 14th Congressional District candidate Underwood attends forum alone: Underwood, who defeated six white men in the primary, said race has never been an issue in her run for the 14th District – a swath of Illinois that is about 87 percent white. “The people of the 14th will recognize the choice we have on the ballot, based on the level of representation we’ve had over the last eight years,” Underwood said.
* Lauren Underwood visits McHenry County, rallies supporters: “Randy Hultgren has voted to turn Medicare into a voucher program,” Underwood said. “Those kinds of actions are unacceptable. We need to make sure that the American people have programs like Medicare and Social Security to provide retirement security, to allow folks to have high-quality health care through old age and through the rest of their lives.”
* Watch: NBC 5 Interview With 14th Congressional District Candidates Randy Hultgren, Lauren Underwood
Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks are two of the most popular parks not only in the state of Illinois, but also in the entire United States. 3.2 million visitors passed through the parks in 2017, meaning that if they were national parks they would be in the ten most visited parks in the country, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The parks combine to take up about 4600 acres according the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Today, they grew by about 50 percent.
Governor Bruce Rauner was at Starved Rock to announce the purchase of 2629 acres. The project cost Illinois $11 Million that comes from the Open Land Trust, which can only be used for purchases of land like this one.
The land in LaSalle County was purchased in order to “Preserve natural resources and expand recreation opportunities, tourism and economic development,” said Rauner. The Vermillion River runs through the newly acquired parcel of land, including the only naturally occurring white water rapids in Illinois, according to the IDNR.
Lone Star Industries — along with its predecessor companies — has owned much of the property since the early 1900s. The land originally was mined for coal. It also has been mined for limestone and used as a site for cement manufacturing.
Both Rauner and Rosenthal said, thanks to Lone Star’s mined land reclamation, the existing forested areas, lakes and a stretch of the scenic Vermilion River is ideally suited for development of outdoor recreational uses.
* There are some concerns, however. DNR has been hollowed out over the years, starting with Rod Blagojevich…
A few park supporters, who were locked out of the press conference but then entered when the presentation was concluded, expressed skepticism as to when, if ever, the land would be made available to the public.
Peggy Garner of rural Peru complained that the financially-distressed state cannot properly maintain the parks’ current holdings (a combined 4,800 acres), much less an acquisition nearly the size of Starved Rock itself.
“I can’t see doing it (the expansion) when you can’t take care of it now,” Garner said.
Doug Gift, a retired attorney and Utica planning commissioner, said he wants the state to make an up-front financial commitment to ensure the expanded parks are properly cared for.
“I hope this indicates an increase in budget and personnel as it expands,” Gift said.
Democratic state Comptroller Susana Mendoza, a potential candidate for Chicago mayor, committed to staying in the statewide office — if Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner wins re-election.
Appearing on a candidate forum on WTTW Ch.-11 Thursday night with Republican challenger Darlene Senger, Mendoza restated that she is “focused on being comptroller.”
But she said she’s told those passing around mayoral candidacy petitions with her name that “if Bruce Rauner gets re-elected, I will be comptroller as long as he is governor because I believe that I have been the last line of defense for taxpayers in this state and I will continue to fight for them every step of the way.” […]
Senger, a former state representative from Naperville, said Mendoza was making the commitment because if Rauner defeats principal rival Democrat J.B. Pritzker, the Republican governor would appoint a new comptroller if Mendoza were to win re-election and win as mayor.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration knew in December that toxic air pollution from the Sterigenics plant in west suburban Willowbrook likely was responsible for some of the highest cancer risks in the nation, according to a letter obtained by the Tribune. […]
In the Dec. 22 letter, sent to a Sterigenics executive, a top official in the U.S. EPA’s Chicago office outlines the results of a preliminary federal analysis linking unusually high cancer risks in the Willowbrook area to the company’s emissions of ethylene oxide, a potent gas used to sterilize medical instruments, pharmaceutical drugs and food.
Copied on the letter is Julie Armitage, chief of the Illinois EPA air bureau.
“EPA has calculated a cancer risk of approximately 1,000 in a million at the nearest residence, exceeding our typical upper limit of cancer risk acceptability,” wrote Ed Nam, director of the regional U.S. EPA air and radiation division. “EPA would like to provide Sterigenics with the opportunity to review our modeling and to suggest improvements for accuracy.” […]
The Illinois EPA responded to the report by quietly giving Sterigenics a permit to voluntarily install new pollution-control equipment, making it more difficult for authorities to pursue legal action against the company unless it can be shown the fix has failed to eliminate health risks from ethylene oxide pollution.
Sterigenics remains committed to the safe use of EO for the sterilization of life-saving medical products at our Willowbrook facility. We work every day to improve patients’ lives. We understand that the materials we use in our processes require diligent stewardship and we take our responsibility very seriously. Our mission, Safeguarding Global HealthTM, begins and ends with the safety of people in mind. We have always worked with the USEPA, ILEPA, OSHA, and the FDA with a commitment to the safety of our employees, the communities and environment in which we operate, and the patients we help to protect. Our employees and their families live in Willowbrook and the surrounding communities and the health and wellbeing of the residents in those communities is very important to us. We outperform the standards set for the safe operation of our facilities and commit to continue to take a leadership role in evolving regulations to reassure residents that they are safe.
*** UPDATE *** State Sen. John Curran…
“It is unacceptable, and beyond comprehension, that the United State Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency failed to inform residents in a timely manner about the elevated cancer risks associated with the emission of ethylene oxide from the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook. From the moment this issue first came to light in late August, I demanded that Sterigenics cease operations immediately, and I reiterate that call today. As elected officials, our number one priority is to the health and well-being of our residents. In light of today’s discovery, I am calling on these two agencies to provide me with a detailed, written explanation on why they waited so long to inform my constituents about this health risk. Time is of the essence, and their joint delay has done a great disservice to my constituents.”
* US Sen. Dick Durbin…
This is a downright disgrace. Once again, the Rauner and Trump Administrations prioritized public relations over a serious public health hazard. Now, the U.S. EPA and Illinois EPA must finally step up its monitoring of this facility and be fully transparent with the public about the information they have about Sterigenics. Additionally, we need more emissions testing at this plant - something I’ve asked the EPA for repeatedly - a timeline for the EPA to set new health-based standards, and a public meeting for Willowbrook residents. Illinoisans deserve better than this.
Today, the Rauner campaign is launching a new digital video titled “Bruce and Diana on Education.”
Governor Rauner signed into law historic education funding reform, providing a more equitable funding formula for all Illinois schools and creating the first ever scholarship tax credit program in the state.
Governor Rauner and First Lady Diana Rauner have been committed to improving education in Illinois for years. They have been strong advocates for providing more access to quality schools for all students in the state.
Governor Rauner: Education is the most important thing we do together as a community and education is a shared passion Diana and I have had for our whole lives.
Diana Rauner: We’re both very lucky because we have had great opportunities in education. We’ve lived the American Dream. But I think our commitment to education, it’s really rooted in a real strong sense of what it’s meant for us to have those opportunities, and how important it is that everyone has the opportunity to reach their potential.
Governor Rauner: Frankly that’s one of the reasons I ran for governor. One of the greatest achievements of our administration has been coming up with a new school funding formula.
Diana Rauner: The education funding formula is something that was broken. Bruce came in and created a bipartisan commission to tackle that problem. He really took it on and that takes a certain level of courage and intentionality I’m just very proud of.
* The Republicans have spent basically nothing on Seth McMillan’s campaign against Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill). Manar even pulled his ads off of St. Louis broadcast television. And cable isn’t the best way to quickly hammer in a message unless it’s a really big buy, so I have my doubts, but maybe they’re seeing something in the president’s numbers in that area, or maybe they’re just trolling Manar…
The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) today launched a cable television ad campaign against liberal Democrat Andy Manar in Illinois Senate District 48, spotlighting his support of a 32% tax increase and support of sanctuary status for illegal immigrants.
“Working families have it hard enough without being concerned about a massive tax increase to fund the protection of illegal immigrants and special interests allied with Speaker Mike Madigan,” said Matt Walter, President of the Republican State Leadership Committee.
Manar votes with Mike Madigan and stands for the Chicago special interests.
It’s no wonder the Chicago Tribune says Manar voted for a thirty-two percent income tax hike, hurting middle class families, and even voted for a bill that protects those who are here illegally.
That’s Andy Manar, just another politician working for Madigan, not us.
Vote no on Mike Madigan puppet, Andy Manar.
…Adding… Such a class act, that one…
When I walked into their half empty, stale smelling building for my Ed. Board interview, I expected nothing less. The liberal leaning @SJRbreaking has had a love affair with @AndyManar since the beginning. https://t.co/GD68OMGIZg
Setting aside for the moment matters of ethics and legality, stealing yard signs and campaign literature is *tactically* wrong because it does not affect the outcome of elections.
A person whose yard sign is stolen will still vote for your candidate’s opponent. And you know what else they do?
They talk to everybody they know about how their yard sign for your candidate’s opponent was stolen by one of your candidate’s supporters.
D’oh.
A stolen yard sign gives your opponent’s supporter a perfect opening to talk to anybody they come in contact with about who they’re supporting and why.
Don’t give them that opening. Don’t steal yard signs.
