Question of the day
Monday, Aug 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Snoop Dogg show at the Illinois State Fair’s grandstand Friday night was pretty darned good. Somebody I know snapped this pic of the performer departing from his Springfield hotel on Saturday morning…
* The Question: Caption?
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* Buzzfeed has a story about how insurance companies are in some cases helping fund police investigations and prosecutions against their policyholders who file claims…
It’s impossible to say how often innocent customers are the victims of false charges, because much of the potential evidence is hidden from public view by the companies themselves. In one case, investigators at State Farm withheld several crucial reports contradicting their fraud allegations from the bundle of evidence they handed over the law enforcement. In another, a Farmers manager admitted under oath that there was an “unwritten policy” within the company to withhold evidence from customers that could help prove their innocence.
Policyholders, meanwhile, often find it difficult and expensive to fight back, leading many to walk away from claims or face pressure to take plea deals for crimes they didn’t commit. And even those individuals who are able to successfully bring lawsuits against insurers are usually obliged to sign confidentiality provisions as part of the terms of any settlement, making it difficult if not impossible for others to find out what happened.
But by reviewing hundreds of court records from around the country, complaints filed with state regulators, and internal company records, and interviewing dozens of former insurance company employees, BuzzFeed News uncovered a system that has ensnared countless innocent people.
In Florida alone, state law enforcement received roughly 14,500 suspected fraud referrals about homeowners and vehicle claims in the past five years — the vast majority of them from insurance companies. Yet authorities determined that in more than 75% of the cases, there was not enough evidence to move forward with a criminal investigation. And regardless of whether fraud accusations turn out to be false, many sit in databases shared among insurers, where they can haunt people if they ever have to file another insurance claim.
These tactics can be applied with impunity, thanks to legislation in all 50 states restricting the ability of customers to sue insurers for wrongly accusing them of fraud — unless the customers can prove the allegations were malicious or made in bad faith.
The legislation was crafted with help from insurers, which worked to get versions of it passed across the country.
But critics say that the way the law has been implemented favors insurance companies’ commercial interests while failing to provide adequate protections for innocent people. [Emphasis added.]
Thoughts?
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* Center Square…
The Illinois State Police have filed proposed rules for the Illinois Gun Dealer License Certification Act, but a mandatory 90-day review period means that gun dealers will still have to wait until all the details are finalized and the law is fully implemented before the cost of compliance is clear.
The Illinois State Rifle Association previously filed suit over the delays. The Illinois Attorney General’s office has a Monday deadline to file its response to that legal challenge.
The state licensing law Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed earlier this year requires federally licensed gun dealers in Illinois also get certification from the state. The proposed certification rules hadn’t been filed when the law went into effect last month.
As news broke that more than 1,200, or more than half of Illinois’ federally licensed dealers hadn’t applied for a state license, the Illinois State Rifle Association sued because the certification rules hadn’t been finalized.
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said those rules have now been filed.
“Anybody who has actually submitted their application, they’re still considered to be to be in compliance while the rulemaking process is going on,” Kelly said.
Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard Pearson said that’s not good enough because it could still take months before the law is fully implemented.
“We are a long way from having these in effect and the law requires that the rules be in place before the law, not the other way around, so they’re still in violation,” Pearson said.
Pearson said the delay in finalizing the rules left gun dealers in the dark. Dealers don’t know how much things like surveillance systems suitable in the proposed rules will cost, among other issues, Pearson said.
Kelly said his agency has other aspects of the law to work on while the comment period continues. After the comment period, the Joint Commission on Administrative Rules will review the proposed rules.
“That process is moving forward,” Kelly said. “The legislature did provide for additional headcount for personnel to deal with gun dealer licensing for the Illinois State Police but that hiring process could take many months.” […]
The Attorney General’s office is expected to file a response the Illinois State Rifle Association’s lawsuit Monday in Springfield. Pearson said he expects a court hearing Sept. 5.
I’ve asked the AG’s office for a copy of its response to the lawsuit.
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* From the US Attorney…
A Chicago man has been arrested on federal criminal charges for allegedly threatening to commit violence at a women’s reproductive health clinic.
FARHAN SHEIKH, 19, is charged with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Sheikh was arrested Friday night and made an initial court appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan E. Cox. Judge Cox ordered Sheikh to remain in custody pending a detention hearing set for Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.
* AP…
The complaint says Sheikh subscribed to the iFunny account of “ArmyOfChrist,” the purported user name of 18-year-old Justin Olsen, who was charged earlier this month in Ohio with threatening an agent. He allegedly posted support for mass shootings and for any attacks on Planned Parenthood.
Olsen, who was arrested at a home stockpiled with guns and ammunition, had been under investigation since February. But prosecutors in the federal judicial district for northern Ohio said they choose to bring him in in the wake of recent mass shootings in Ohio and Texas.
The complaint against Sheikh doesn’t identify the clinic he is said to have threatened, saying only that it was about four miles from Sheikh’s North Side residence.
* More on “ArmyOfChrist” from the criminal complaint (redacted by me)…
* More from the complaint (redacted by me)…
I am done with my state and thier [sic] bulls**t abortion laws and allowing innocrnt [sic] kids to be slaughtered for the so called ‘womans right’ bulls**t. Ive seen nothing but wh*res go out of the way to get an abortion, but no more. I will not tolerate this anymore. Im DONE. … I will go to the [Victim A] in Chicago on [Street A]. I will proceed to slaughter and murder any doctor, patient, or visitor i see in the area and I will not back down. consider this a warning for anyone visiting. … To all the fbi agents in this app, I am NOT a satirical account. I post what I mean, and i WILL carry out what I post
* Tribune…
At an initial appearance Monday in the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, Sheikh was ordered held in custody by U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cox at least until a detention hearing Tuesday.
FBI agents linked the iFunny account to Sheikh by connecting it with other social media accounts of his. When agents confronted him Friday, he admitted that the “awarded” account belonged to him, according to the complaint.
When agents asked him why he thought the FBI was at his home, Sheikh said he believed it was because of a “joke” he had posted on iFunny, the complaint said.
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* Yvette Shields at the Bond Buyer…
The fate of the lawsuit seeking to block repayment of $14.3 billion of Illinois general obligation debt is in a judge’s hands.
Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Jack D. Davis II heard oral arguments in his Springfield courtroom Thursday about the case that opponents say is “frivolous” and filed for “a malicious or ulterior purpose.” […]
The two traded swipes over the market impact. “There is damage” to the state from the lawsuit and it “will disrupt the markets” and “it’s going to make borrowing more difficult” if the case moves forward and if the petitioners prevail, [Assistant Attorney General Joshua Ratz] said.
[Daniel Thies, an attorney for the Illinois Policy Institute’s John Tillman] disagreed. “The state’s credit rating is going to be helped…$20 billion of debt will be taken off its books” and there will be a court ruling outlining what is constitutionally allowed in the future. “This will help the state and its ability to borrow.”
* Mark Glennon at Wirepoints…
(T)he actual results for the state, if Warlander were to win, would be far different than some critics seem to think. The state would be destroyed and it’s credit slashed, some are saying.
Nonsense. The state would stop payment on the challenged bonds, indeed freeing up that cash to relieve the budget crunch and ensure that other bonds get paid. Taxpayers would be better off. Only the challenged bonds would be impaired, provided the court’s rationale were limited to those bonds. That’s an important proviso. If the court issued a sloppy or overly broad opinion, many other bonds could become suspect. Regardless, however, the credit rating for bonds to be issued in the future would improve, provided the they are made within the legal limits the court would have laid out in its decision. That point came up yesterday in court.
That’s the part that so many don’t seem to get. It’s the creditworthiness of bonds to be issued in the future that counts. Holders of old bonds are of less concern. They should get what the courts say they have a right to get, and nothing more.
That’s some truly wishful thinking. The state can’t just walk away from bond obligations. If the courts eventually do rule against Illinois (which I seriously doubt, but it’s the courts, so one never knows for sure), Illinois will have to make bondholders whole or undoubtedly face serious consequences with the credit ratings agencies. It can’t just walk away from billions in debt - even with a judicial ruling - and not expect a major downgrade into junk status. After all, most of the same institutions which now hold those old bonds are the ones who will be buying new bonds.
* Back to Yvette…
…Adding… From Glennon…
Rich, the whole point of the suit is to stop payment on just those certain bonds. That’s their specific request for relief. That’s the part that’s wishful thinking because I, like you, think they likely will lose. But if they win you apparently think the state would somehow pay those bondholders anyway. No, the state would be barred from doing that, and the bar would apply only to the challenged bonds. Other bonds and future bonds would benefit, provided, as I said, that the ruling was limited to the challenged bonds. It would be as if a court said you no longer had to make payments on your mortgage because of some claim you had against that lender. Would your credit rating be impaired? No, of course not. It seems very odd to me that you and many of your readers are so concerned about the rights of old bondholders instead of protecting of future bond issues.
This passage is just so goofy it blows my mind…
It would be as if a court said you no longer had to make payments on your mortgage because of some claim you had against that lender.
Poppycock.
The lawsuit is not about the lender. The lawsuit is about the borrower (the state) allegedly making false claims when it borrowed the money. If the state is found in the wrong, bondholders and credit agencies would naturally wonder how many other bonds could be suspect. And that would indeed kill the credit rating.
So, to use Glennon’s logic, if you are busted for borrowing money under false pretenses your credit rating is gonna suffer. He has it all bass-ackwards.
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* AP…
Illinois alleges that a company that provides water to a Chicago suburb made changes without permission from state regulators that caused lead to contaminate the village’s drinking water.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit Friday against Aqua Illinois, the company that supplies water to residents of University Park, a village about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Chicago. […]
More than 85% of the village’s nearly 7,000 residents are black, and Raoul noted serious damage has occurred in other predominantly minority communities where contaminated water wasn’t immediately addressed. In the majority-black city of Flint, Michigan, for example, the toxic metal leached into the supply in 2014 and 2015 due to a lack of corrosion-control treatment following a switch in the water source while the city was under state emergency management.
* Background from a Raoul press release…
In 2017, Aqua switched the source of the village’s water from groundwater wells to the Kankakee River. Because of the switch, Aqua is required to conduct testing every six months. In May, Aqua reported elevated lead levels to the IEPA and later issued a notice to residents warning them not to drink the water. Additional testing in July continued to show elevated lead levels. In the most recent sampling done in August, 27 out of 60 samples collected from customers contained lead levels above the regulatory action level. The company is currently providing bottled water, pitchers with filters, and faucet filters to the impacted residents.
In response to residents’ complaints about the water’s taste following the switch to water from the Kankakee River, Aqua began adding a blended phosphate mix to the public water system. Raoul’s and Glasgow’s complaint alleges the change of the water chemistry combined with the phosphate blend caused a chemical reaction that removed a protective layer in residential plumbing. As a result, lead leached out of plumbing materials and into the water flowing into some homes and businesses.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no safe level of lead in drinking water. Children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure, which can lead to irreversible brain damage and lifelong intellectual, emotional and behavioral consequences.
Raoul and Glasgow also allege Aqua proceeded with construction and operations without having secured the required permits from the IEPA. Aqua began providing Kankakee River water to University Park’s approximately 7,000 residents before it had secured an operating permit to do so. The complaint also alleges that Aqua introduced a blended phosphate into the public water system before it had received the requisite permit from the IEPA.
In the lawsuit, Raoul and Glasgow are seeking a preliminary injunction that requires Aqua to act immediately to correct the situation. The lawsuit also seeks to ensure Aqua provides residents with permanent, safe drinking water, as well as civil penalties, the maximums of which are defined in state statute.
* CBS 2…
You may take safe, usable water for granted until you’re forced to live without it for three months like Pamelia Roby’s family.
“Someone needs to do something about it. It should have been done a long time ago, but they really need to do something about it,” Roby said. “It’s absurd. They wouldn’t live in this mess.”
Roby’s family’s home is one of hundreds in University Park relying on bottled water for their own safety. They have to use the bottled water to drink, cook, clean and brush their teeth, because the tap water is contaminated with lead.
“I’m worried about my health; the health of my child,” Roby said. “It’s disgusting.”
* Daily Southtown…
About 1,500 Aqua customers in University Park remain unable to consume water normally following the company’s detection of elevated lead levels on June 14 and Blanchette has said it could be several months before those residents are able to drink tap water without restrictions.
The company has told affected customers they can safely drink tap water if they run their faucet two to three minutes before each use and use a pitcher or faucet filter certified by the National Sanitation Foundation to reduce lead.
Mayor Joseph Roudez, whose own home remains among those affected by the lead problem, has said it’s been “hectic” adjusting to life with tap water restrictions and admitted in early August that he still did not feel safe drinking from his tap despite Aqua’s assurances.
* Citizens Utility Board…
Water. We need it to live. Should we all own this valuable resource, or should private companies own our water? That question will be asked all over this state in the wake of two private companies passing one of the nation’s most substantial water-privatization laws here in Illinois.
Aqua Illinois and Illinois American Water (IAW) succeeded in lobbying state lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 3051 in the fall of 2018. Aqua and IAW can now crisscross our state offering cash-strapped municipalities top dollar for their systems, all the while the ratepayers of Aqua and IAW will pay for their expansion.
Since the companies’ legislation took effect on June 1 of this year, the two companies have already filed for four acquisitions with the Illinois Commerce Commission. Those four acquisitions are scheduled to cost the ratepayers of the two companies $11.35 million, and the companies are likely just getting started. As I write this, their agents are knocking on the doors of Illinois municipalities, dazzling them with big money for water systems that are fully depreciated and in need of investment. […]
There is a bill in Springfield that would allow you a vote before your community could privatize its water and/or sewer system. House Bill 2392, sponsored by Rep. John Connor, would allow a referendum so the current owners of a municipal water system, the people that live in the community, would have a voice in the future of an asset critical to their lives.
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* Press release…
Illinois Rising is a new project of America Rising PAC dedicated to holding Illinois Democrats at the state and federal level accountable through video tracking, research, and strategic communications. This system will ensure that Democrat candidates must account for their policies and actions.
“Illinois Democrats at the highest reaches of government are continuously under investigation and promoting far-left policies including increased taxes and the most extreme late term abortion bill in the country. Illinoisans are already among the highest taxed citizens and deserve better from their elected officials. Illinois Rising is dedicated to holding Democrats accountable for their agendas and campaign promises and exposing the hypocrisy of their policies,” said Sarah Dolan, Executive Director of America Rising PAC.
Dolan worked briefly for US Sen. Mark Kirk after a stint with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
* I told her the press release was a bit vague and asked if she would be targeting anyone in particular in Congress, the state legislature or statewides. Dolan’s response…
All of the above
* From Source Watch…
America Rising is a Republican opposition research organization that was co-founded in spring of 2013 by Matt Rhoades, former campaign manager for Mitt Romney, along with Tim Miller and Joe Pounder, two staffers who worked for the Republican National Committee.[1] America Rising describes itself as “an entity that is focused on solely holding Democrats accountable for their actions and records using research, candidate tracking, rapid response and digital tools,” according to a statement by Rhoades. It focuses on tracking statements by Democrats “in hopes of catching gaffes and flip-flops and collecting an archive that can be mined for hypocrisy and errors,” as described by Slate.
America Rising is comprised of a “super PAC” (America Rising PAC) and a limited liability company that can legally work directly with political campaigns and committees.
* Its Illinois website is so far mostly just aggregated news stories about Democrats…
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* Bernie…
Republicans in Springfield last week got a preview of the field of possible candidates to take on U.S. Sen. DICK DURBIN, D-Illinois, in 2020. Some of the rhetoric was not subtle.
“I need you to help me kick slick Dick to the curb,” said former Lake County Sheriff MARK CURRAN, 56, of Libertyville. […]
“Lake County is not purple, it’s blue, folks,” Curran said. “You know, the wrong people moved in, what have you. We need to change that and we will.”
Curran said later that he was saying that “it was a Republican county and then Democrats moved in,” and the “wrong people” comment had nothing to do with race. “The ethnic groups haven’t changed,” he said. “We’re the same percentages.”
Lake County has the same ethnic and racial percentages? Really?
The 1990 Census counted 38,570 Latinos in Lake County, or about 7.5 percent of the county’s total population. By 2000, the number had risen to 92,716, or 14.4 percent of the total. That number grew by more than 50 percent in the next ten years, to 139,987, or 19.9 percent of the total in 2010 (Curran was first elected in 2006). And the latest count as of 2017 has the population at 148,894, or 21.1 percent of the total.
* Daily Herald…
On Thursday night Curran posted a video of the speech to his Facebook page and wrote that when he mentioned the “wrong people” he was referring to Cook County “transplants.”
“Obviously what I was referring to was a lot of Chicago transplants moved to Lake County and now Lake County has the highest property taxes in the state of Illinois,” Curran told the Daily Herald on Friday. “The people who moved in wanted big government and big government spending.”
Chicago transplants caused Lake County’s high property taxes? Um, the county board was controlled by Republicans until last year.
* And there’s this…
Since 2010, Lake County’s population has mostly floated around 703,000, with a slight dip in 2011 and 2012 to figures closer to 701,000.
The slight population loss for 2016 in Lake County can be mainly attributed to domestic migration. The 7,773 births in Lake County outpaced the 4,589 deaths, and the county gained almost 1,700 people due to international migration. But that was offset by nearly 5,200 people moving out of Lake County between July 2015 and 2016.
* All that being said, here is Curran’s own analysis of why he lost last November…
Curran said he normally has had big support from the Latino community, but he said he does not think Latinos voted for him Tuesday because of President Trump.
“They’re so upset about referring to people in terms that are, as though they’re less than human beings,” he said.
The sheriff said of immigrants, “these are human beings, created in the likeness and image of God.”
Sheriff Curran does not like what he sees for 2020 and he does not believe President Trump would repeat his victories in places like Michigan and Wisconsin. Curran would like to see the President replaced at the top of the ticket in two years.
‘We, as Republicans should probably look to take him out in some way, shape, or form because ultimately, he’s horrible for our brand,” he said.
“There’s no light. There’s no illumination that’s coming from the president that’s going to draw others into him, certainly not as our nation becomes browner. So, if he’s the future of our party, put a fork in it,” Curran said.
Sheriff Curran said Republicans who disparage immigrants, but also call themselves “pro-life” should talk to their pastors about whether immigration is a pro-life issue.
“As Christians or Jews or Muslims that believe we’re to live in this world together, the way [President Trump] speaks of other people, specifically immigrants, but beyond immigrants, is very bad for our brand,” the sheriff said.
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Today’s must-read
Monday, Aug 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune has the best story I’ve yet seen on what’s ahead for the state’s new gaming laws…
After years of failed efforts, a Chicago casino seemed within reach this spring when Illinois lawmakers approved massive gambling expansion.
But after a report raised questions about whether a city casino would be profitable because of the heavy tax burden exacted by the city and state, the players may need to go back to the table.
Moving ahead, and striking a new deal if necessary, figures to be a major test for rookie Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who came into office just as casino bill negotiations were nearing a conclusion in Springfield, as well as for first-year Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The proposal’s future could hinge on whether the city or the state — or both — is willing to take a smaller cut of tax revenue, and whether supporters can round up the votes to alter the gambling legislation that was frantically put together as the General Assembly’s spring session went into overtime.
* One of the reporters…
Go read the whole thing.
* Related…
* First Chicago-area sports book coming soon — to Indiana
* Five takeaways from the Chicago casino feasibility study
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* Oy…
Turns my stomach that anyone could think that was a good idea anywhere, not just at a campaign fundraiser.
* Gov. JB Pritzker…
As our nation grapples with the epidemic of gun violence, purposely pointing a fake gun at anyone is insensitive and wrong. I condemn actions like the ones displayed in the pictures because they lack the civility our politics demands.
* Democratic Party of Illinois…
The tragedies in El Paso and Gilroy have demonstrated how hate-filled political rhetoric can fuel violence. These images are unacceptable and dangerous. The place to make our voices heard against Trump is at the ballot box.
* Maxwell’s story…
Donors paid a minimum of $250 to attend Sandoval’s golf outing at the Klein Creek Golf Club in west suburban Winfield. A woman who attended the event posted the photos to her Facebook page on Saturday and tagged Sandoval in them. Sandoval is pictured separately posing with the man who held the fake weapon, but it remains unclear if the Senator knew about the incident when it occurred. […]
Sandoval, a powerful state lawmaker who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee and was a driving force behind the recent gas tax increase to fund the ‘Rebuild Illinois’ capital plan, issued an apology in an emailed statement.
“The incident that took place is unacceptable,” he said. “I don’t condone violence toward the President or anyone else. I apologize that something like this happened at my event.”
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider called on Sandoval to fire the person in the photo if they were a staffer or volunteer.
…Adding… Center Square…
State Rep. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, said Sandoval should resign.
“I think the man should resign his position and I hope that the voters of his area will be just as disgusted as I believe the rest of the state will be and call for his resignation,” Bailey said.
Bailey noted this is another reason why southern Illinois is “disgusted” with some politicians in Chicago. He also said Sandoval bullied him when Bailey was critical a proposal to double the state’s gas tax. At the time, Sandoval suggested carving Bailey’s district, and any other district represented by lawmakers who didn’t support the tax increase, out of the capital plan.
“That’s the mindset, that’s the bullying mentality that’s taking place of the power that Chicago has and it’s got to change, it needs to change,” Bailey said. “That’s just the flat mobster bullying idea and that’s got to end and he needs to be called out for it.”
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The end of the Carrigan era
Monday, Aug 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
The Illinois AFL-CIO hosted its annual State Fair reception last week. The highlight was probably a speech by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who thanked his audience of union leaders for their support in the 2018 campaign and for their help passing an enormous amount of legislation during his first session of the General Assembly.
But there was also some real news. The event was the last time Michael Carrigan attended as the organization’s president.
President Carrigan intends to retire at the end of this year after ten years at the helm of the State Fed. He succeeded the late Margaret Blackshere in 2010 after serving ten years as the organization’s secretary-treasurer — the number-two position.
The Illinois AFL-CIO isn’t as cash-rich as the Chicago Federation of Labor (which once owned a popular commercial radio station in the city), but it can be an enormously influential organization among unions in election campaigns and with legislators in the General Assembly.
After years on its city council, Carrigan served briefly as mayor of Decatur. So, when Gov. Bruce Rauner chose that city shortly after taking office in 2015 as the site of his first formal address urging passage of anti-union “right to work” laws, the decision was seen as a direct shot at the AFL-CIO President. Carrigan worked hand in glove with House Speaker Michael Madigan against Rauner for four solid years, even going so far as to warn Senate Democrats against agreeing to any “grand bargain” with the Republican. And he was determined to oust Rauner in the 2018 election.
President Blackshere engineered an early labor endorsement of Rod Blagojevich ahead of the 2002 gubernatorial campaign, which helped bring the rest of organized labor on board. Carrigan helped do the same for J.B. Pritzker in June of 2017, almost a year before the 2018 primary. That early endorsement was crucial for Pritzker. Some influential trade unions had endorsed the candidate a month before, but the AFL-CIO nod was essential to broadening his appeal. None of Pritzker’s Democratic primary opponents received any significant labor support after that.
Carrigan told me around that time that he’d only reluctantly agreed to meet with Pritzker at the urging of Madigan. He worried he couldn’t sell the unknown billionaire to rank and file members. But he said he came away enormously impressed with Pritzker’s ability to connect one-on-one during their meeting in Pritzker’s Chicago office. Carrigan told me he realized he could take Pritzker to meet with refinery workers in the Metro East or workers anywhere else, for that matter, without worrying about being embarrassed. He quickly began putting together union support.
It hasn’t all been ponies and rainbows between Carrigan and Pritzker’s campaign and governing teams (to say the least), but those have mostly been specific personality conflicts. Carrigan didn’t care for some of the people running Pritzker’s campaign and had his gripes about the way things were being managed during the spring session. He turned out to be wrong. Pritzker won big in the primary and the general and had one of the most successful spring sessions of any Illinois governor.
But, when it came to the issues, Carrigan and Team Pritzker were pretty much of a single mind.
A gradual minimum wage increase to $15 an hour, a progressive income tax, legalizing cannabis, and a massive $45 billion infrastructure program were just a few of the things they got done. Labor had a myriad of smaller, relatively unknown legislative requests which had been piling up during Gov. Rauner’s hostile administration, and most of those were approved as well. Carrigan told me last week that he’s had a super-busy summer traveling the state explaining to unions all they’d managed to accomplish.
The tradition at the AFL-CIO is for the secretary-treasurer to move up to the top job when the president retires. Carrigan did so with relative ease ten years ago, but Blackshere had to fight a tough campaign ahead of her 2000 ascension.
The current secretary-treasurer is Tim Drea, who started out as a coal miner and eventually went back to school (with me at one point) and worked his way up the ladder at the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Drea is widely expected to seek the presidency.
So far, no competition has yet emerged, and it’s not known for sure who Drea will choose as his running-mate. Since the top leadership has been solidly white male for the past decade, I assume he’ll choose a person of color and/or a woman. Stay tuned
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Question of the day
Friday, Aug 16, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’m looking forward to it…
* The Question: My brother wants me to come down for the Du Quoin State Fair. Should I go? Please explain your answer. Thanks.
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* NRCC…
The National Republican Congressional Committee today announced the first round of “On the Radar” candidates as part of the Committee’s 2020 Young Guns program. The program mentors and supports candidates in races across the country and works to provide them with the necessary tools to run successful, winning campaigns against their Democratic opponents.
“It’s clear the 2020 election will be a choice between two futures: a future of more freedom or government control,” said Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. “The new socialist Democrats are embracing policies that are in direct conflict with the needs and priorities of the American people: more taxes, more spending, more government, and less freedom. Simply put, this is theft.
“In stark contrast, Americans’ priorities are Republican priorities. This is why we are recruiting the best to compete in 2020 and I am proud to welcome each of these candidates to the Young Guns program. I remain focused on ensuring they have the resources they need to win, and I look forward to seeing them on the campaign trail over the next 14 months.”
* Candidate list for Illinois…
(IL-06) Evelyn Sanguinetti
(IL-14) Ted Gradel
(IL-14) Jim Oberweis
A snub of state Sen. Sue Rezin in the 14th? Interesting. And 73-year-old Jim Oberweis is part of the “Young Guns” program?
…Adding… Candidates apparently needed to have $100K in the bank at the end of June, but Rezin didn’t announce until mid-July. The same goes for Jeanne Ives in the 6th CD.
* From Sanguinetti…
Today, Evelyn Sanguinetti, Republican candidate for Illinois’ 6th Congressional District, was named as one of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s “On the Radar” candidates as part of the Committee’s 2020 Young Guns program. The program mentors and supports candidates in races across the country and works to provide them with the necessary tools to run successful, winning campaigns against their Democratic opponents.
“Americans’ priorities are Republican priorities. This is why we are recruiting the best to compete in 2020 and I am proud to welcome each of these candidates to the Young Guns program,” said U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. “I remain focused on ensuring they have the resources they need to win, and I look forward to seeing them on the campaign trail over the next 14 months.”
“I am honored to receive this important recognition by the NRCC and I look forward to victory next November,” said Evelyn Sanguinetti. “This election is about beating Sean Casten to ensure our kids and grandkids have the chance to live the American dream. Socialism is not the answer. Sean Casten has consistently shown that he does not represent the interests of the 6th district, but rather the elite progressive donors and socialists he’s catered to since being elected to office.”
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* Daily Line…
Cook County Democratic Party leaders swept aside an insurgent campaign amid lingering questions about Illinois Supreme Court Justice P. Scott Neville’s property taxes, backing his bid to keep his seat on the high court. […]
A party committee tasked with recommending an endorsement for the Supreme Court chose Neville following a closed session that lasted fewer than 30 minutes. The full party is widely expected to vote on Friday to accept the recommendation, solidifying the party stamp that would give Neville precious caché and campaign resources in next year’s primary.
Neville had been seen as the party’s inevitable choice to fill the seat until a contingent of black leaders including Secretary of State Jesse White, Ald. Emma Mitts (37) and Ald. Pat Dowell (3) rallied around Appellate Judge Nathaniel Howse as an alternative.
And Neville was dealt a setback on Monday, when NBC5 reported that he reaped the benefits of a homeowner property tax exemption for a house where he does not live. The candidate repeatedly said on Thursday that Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s office found “no evidence of any wrongdoing.”
* Crain’s…
Justice Neville received ownership of the home from his siblings in a quitclaim deed in 2004 but does not live there. The exemption is worth $726.
Neville told the committee during questioning today that there had been “no irregularities” or evidence of wrongdoing on his part. “I don’t think I can provide any more elaboration than the assessor provided. They have records. They have indicated there’s no evidence of wrongdoing. What else is there to say? If you have some evidence, I’d very much like to see it.”
Scott Smith, a spokesperson for Assessor Fritz Kaegi, said homeowners’ exemption applications from the year 2000 were “destroyed by the assessor’s office” and is unable to say who requested the exemption after Neville’s mother’s death.
“Our electronic records indicate whether a property received a homeowner’s exemption, but they do not reflect the name of the applicant. Therefore, we do not have the name of the person who filed for the exemption on this property in 2000. (Justice Neville’s) name is on the deed so he’s ultimately responsible for repayment of the erroneous exemption and has been in contact with our office about doing so.”
Neville told reporters he’d never asked for the exemption.
* But…
Smith said Neville’s name is on the deed, “so he’s responsible for repayment of the erroneous exemption and has been in contact with our office about doing so.”
* Meanwhile, in the circuit court clerk’s race…
*** UPDATE *** Done…
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New laws
Friday, Aug 16, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
With a historic $420 million investment in broadband infrastructure included in the Rebuild Illinois capital plan, Governor JB Pritzker launched a statewide strategic initiative to guide broadband expansion by naming 25 members to the Broadband Advisory Council.
“Rebuild Illinois will improve our infrastructure at a historic scale, and it lays the foundation for economic progress and educational success for the decades to come,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “High-speed broadband internet is an absolute necessity for economic progress and educational attainment, but too many of our towns and counties and communities have been left out of the digital revolution, especially downstate. Our Broadband Advisory Council will be guided by three areas of focus for Illinois’ success in the 21st century: education, telehealth and economic development. By working together, we’re going to Connect Illinois.”
Connect Illinois will centralize state agency resources, collaborate with private-sector experts and bipartisan legislators from around Illinois and break down government silos to expand broadband access across the entire state. Their work will be centered around three main outcomes: telehealth, education and economic development.
Telehealth: Increase access to telehealth across the state of Illinois, which will provide additional health care options to communities in rural Illinois and expand treatment opportunities in areas such as mental health and opioid addiction.
Education: Put the state on a path to increased broadband access for K-12 schools throughout Illinois to ensure students have the tools they need to succeed in the classroom.
Economic Development: Expand economic development and opportunity in urban and rural communities throughout Illinois. This investment will support the growth of Illinois’ agriculture economy and information technology sector and will help to modernize transportation and support the development of entrepreneurs and small business owners. […]
By December 31, 2019, the council will deliver a report to the governor and General Assembly with recommendations for the statewide broadband expansion.
* Thursday press release…
Taking another step forward to combat climate change in Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 3481 today, repealing the Kyoto Protocol Act of 1998 which limits state action to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
“We know that Illinoisans are suffering the effects of climate change, and we must act now. That’s why I joined the Climate Alliance in my first days in office and am proud to repeal outdated restrictions on the state’s ability to reduce emissions and tackle the climate crisis,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “While the federal government unravels the progress made under the Obama administration, Illinois will not stand idly by. We’re stepping up to protect the lives of generations to come.”
In 2001, the United States withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol, leaving Illinois tied to goals that the federal government no longer intended to meet. After Illinois codified the protocol in state statute, state government has been restricted in enacting more stringent emissions reduction standards.
HB 3481 takes effect on January 1, 2020.
“By repealing the Kyoto Protocol Act, we’re sending the signal that Illinois is ready to get serious about climate change,” said Sen. Laura Ellman (D-Naperville). “It’s an outdated law that only served to tie lawmakers’ hands and it never should’ve been passed in the first place.”
“The world’s scientists are urging immediate action on climate change, but for two decades Illinois has been locked from reducing these emissions because of an outdated, unfortunate ban on climate action,” said Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston). “Governor’s Pritzker’s signature today is an important step toward achieving a 100% clean energy future for Illinois and a strong and just climate action plan for our state that protects us all and invests in the clean energy economy.”
“I believe that the United States, working with the international community, must aggressively address global climate change. Short of that, it is our local and state governments that must lead the charge in protecting our environment,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “I have no doubt that our changing environment is due, in large part, to human activity. I have long supported federal legislation and other initiatives that focus on alternative fuel production, air and water quality improvement and environmental protection for our communities. Repealing this 1998 law now allows our state to forge ahead with vital policies and initiatives that will help protect our environment and preserve our planet.”
“In 1998, an anti-environment majority restricted Illinois’ ability to tackle air pollution, including carbon emissions. Twenty one years later, a majority of the Illinois House and now Illinois Senate supports action on climate change and reducing Illinois’ carbon emissions,” said Jen Walling, executive director, Illinois Environmental Council. “This General Assembly along with our pro-climate action governor are set to lead the nation on tackling this issue.”
“Today, Illinois takes a first step to being a leader in addressing the climate crisis that threatens all of our communities, and achieving Governor Pritzker’s vision of an Illinois powered by 100% clean energy built by our union workers,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. “Scientists are urging bold action, and the economic benefits of clean energy can lift up disadvantaged communities and support a just transition away from fossil fuels. Trump may be taking America backward and out of the clean energy revolution, but today Illinois goes forward.”
* Press release…
State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) says sexual assault survivors deserve the respect of knowing the status of their evidence, which is why he proudly sponsored a new law that provides survivors more transparency during the processing of their rape kits. Senate Bill 1411 was signed into law on Friday, August 16.
The new law is the product of the Sexual Assault Evidence Tracking and Reporting Commission and mandates the Illinois State Police to establish a statewide sexual assault electronic tracking system.
“Illinois currently lacks a uniform system across all law enforcement to track sexual assault evidence,” said McConchie. “No one who has been sexually assaulted should be left in the dark while the evidence is being processed. This new law will allow survivors to access real-time status updates. This is just the first step in providing transparency for victims, ensuring survivors are treated with the seriousness they deserve, and bringing more offenders to justice.”
* Related…
* Here’s Every State That Requires Schools to Teach LGBTQ+ History
* Pritzker signs closed-caption bill
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* Nothing too surprising here…
* Press release…
**This is the only statement that will come from Tom Cullerton or his lawyer regarding what happened today.**
“Today is another step in seeking justice for Mr. Cullerton. He will continue to fight these untrue allegations in court until his name is cleared.”
-Lissa Druss, Spokesperson for Tom Cullerton
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“It’s the racial stuff”
Friday, Aug 16, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Officials at an Illinois prison suspended an educational program for inmates, launched two internal investigations and removed 200 books from a prison library because many had “racial” content or addressed issues like diversity and inclusion, according to records obtained by the Tribune.
Danville Correctional Center officials also prohibited for use in the University of Illinois program several classic books of African American history, including “The Souls of Black Folk,” the anti-slavery novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and the memoir of former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
Hundreds of pages of records released by the Illinois Department of Corrections in response to Freedom of Information Act requests paint the clearest picture yet of the origins of the dispute between IDOC and the Education Justice Project. And while the department’s public statements about the controversy emphasized that the books had not been appropriately reviewed, internal IDOC emails and other documents show that the program was swiftly suspended and the books removed after the race-related themes of the some of the content were flagged. […]
The Education Justice Project teaches seminars and for-credit courses to inmates at Danville Correctional Center, with offerings ranging from calculus to Intro to Critical Race Theory in Education, and the group has its own space and library at the prison. The program has operated at Danville for a decade, but amid growing tensions between EJP and prison officials, it was suspended for weeks and the books withheld by corrections officials for months before they were returned to the prison in June, the records show.
Go read the whole thing.
* Related…
* The Reason Why Hundreds Of Books Were Removed From An Illinois Prison Library
* ‘It’s Heartbreaking’ Authors Criticize The Removal Of 200 Books From An Illinois Prison Library
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Republican Day roundup
Friday, Aug 16, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
There was no sugarcoating it at the dour breakfast before the party’s pep rally at the Illinois State Fair. Things are not great for the state’s Republicans a year after Gov. Bruce Rauner lost re-election, and Pritzker quickly racked up major legislative accomplishments.
“We had a rough year,” Illinois Republican Party co-chair Tim Schneider said. “We lost the governor’s mansion. We have no statewide office holders, and we lost several legislative seats. But that’s our current reality, but it doesn’t and it won’t be our future.” […]
He said Republicans are in a “bunker” with the opportunity to come back “and be better than ever in 2020 and beyond.” […]
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said Republicans must “continue to fight them [Democrats] at every turn,” calling the graduated income tax “the killer of killers.”
“This past session there was one of the most aggressive, progressive returns that I’ve seen in all of my life and anywhere in the United States,” Durkin, R-Western Springs, said. “This progressive agenda that the Democrats passed is not yours. It’s not mine. Nor does it reflect the majority of Illinois’ morals and values.”
* Tribune..
“It won’t be our future. We can sulk and complain and do nothing. Or we can offer a vision of opportunity for the future,” said Schneider, who himself was defeated last year in his bid for reelection to the Cook County Board.
Still, as Schneider acknowledged a need for Republicans to “provide solutions for the pressing issues of our time” and offer voters a “positive vision” for 2020, he was unable to articulate a message forward. Instead, he said the state GOP “will map out a plan and a future for the party” at its state convention next year.
Symbolizing the state GOP’s situation, an attempt to conference call top Republican leaders who were unable to get to Springfield resulted in a recording of an operator saying the number they had dialed was out of service. […]
“Can you imagine a Democrat Party that invites the most liberal, socialistic member of the United States Congress to be their keynote speaker? Can you imagine that?” [Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady] said. “Ladies and gentlemen, if they want to bring Nancy Pelosi to Illinois, we know what that would tell moderates and independents and how they need to come back to the ranks of the Republican Party.”
* WGN TV…
As the Republican insiders plot a course forward, they remain upbeat and on the attack.
“You may have heard of AOC… AOC stands for absolutely out of control,” said Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Peoria).
House GOP Leader Jim Durkin said the “socialist agenda” is “not Illinois.”
* Speaking of socialism…
* Capitol News Illinois…
Scalise was the keynote speaker at the Republican Day picnic at the fair, where the theme of the day was “Fight the Machine,” a reference to the Illinois Democratic Party. He noted that Louisiana politics was also once dominated by a Democratic machine, but Republicans have since wrested control of it.
“The ghost of Huey Long still walks the state capitol in Baton Rouge in many places, but we finally took it back,” he said. “Today we have majorities in the House, in the Senate, and by the end of this year we will have every single statewide elected office as Republican. That’s how far we’ve come. And in just a short period of time, you can do that too.”
* Illinois Public Radio…
“We’ll tell you right out of the box: J.B. Pritzker has unlimited resources,” he said, “but we believe we have a message and we will build the resources necessary. The Democrats will always out-raise us, but we’ll out-message them.”
According to the Illinois Republican Party’s most recent financial report, it has just over $88,000 on hand. Schneider says Republicans are focusing on broadening their base of small contributors.
* Daily Line…
“Our elections will be local,” House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) told reporters Thursday. “Democrats will try to nationalize it, but the fact is if they do that, we can do just as good a job [of nationalizing issues].”
Durkin encouraged Republicans Thursday, telling the party faithful that many suburban seats that were lost were only lost narrowly, by 1 percentage point or approximately 300 votes. He said the House GOP would regain those suburban seats, but also set his sights on the St. Louis area — an area that had long been a Democratic labor stronghold, but has in recent years ceded territory to Republicans.
“The Metro East will be ours after this next cycle,” Durkin said.
The HGOPs have a legit shot at picking up two-three seats in the Metro East/southern Illinois area next year: 116th House (appointed Rep. Nathan Reitz); 111th House (Rep. Monica Bristow); 112th House (Rep. Katie Stuart).
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* I pointed out to subscribers several days ago that Dan Proft’s campaign committees hadn’t raised any money this year after spending a fortune battling House Republicans in past primary cycles. The House Republicans have been saying they don’t believe Proft will be getting any more bigtime cash from Dick Uihlein and that they’ve made peace with some key Proft allies. I’ve reached out to Proft for comment a couple of times this week and haven’t heard back.
Hannah Meisel advanced the story today…
[Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider] said he’s trying to nix any Republican infighting before it has the chance to bloom in the 2020 campaign cycle. He told The Daily Line that he’s been working with the free-market think tank Illinois Policy Institute, whose CEO John Tillman was an early supporter of Rauner, and who has previously been in the background of efforts to field candidates against mainstream Republicans.
Schneider said he also planned to work with Ideas Illinois, a not-for-profit dark money organization created by longtime business leader Greg Baise to fight Pritzker’s signature policy: a progressive income tax that voters will have to weigh in on in the November 2020 election.
“We’re all working together, that’s the whole thing,” Schneider said. “You know, we’ve been fighting each other for so long, nobody’s done enough to try to get everybody to work together. And I think if there’s one thing that we’re doing that we haven’t done effectively, the last couple years we’ve been fighting each other.”
Schneider said because of his efforts, Republicans would face fewer primary battles — even from candidates launched by conservative radio host and one-time gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft, and conservative business magnate Richard Uihlein.
“In the past, resources have come from the Policy Institute and Dick Uihlein,” Schneider said. “And I don’t see that they’ve engaged in giving resources to Dan Proft in the last two quarterly statements, so I think there’s a pullback from that. I think they’d rather see us all working together than working against one another…if people are gonna constantly fight one another for radio ratings, no, we’re not interested in that.”
…Adding… Good point by Maxwell…
*** UPDATE *** I asked Matt Paprocki at the Illinois Policy Institute for comment on Chairman Schneider’s claim that his group was one of the “partners” on the state GOP’s team…
Illinois Policy Institute has no role with the Illinois GOP team.
But I hope everyone — Republicans, Democrats and Independents — says we are good partners.
We want to work to everyone. Our state’s biggest problems are not partisan. And the solutions to fix them have to be bipartisan, as well.
Illinois Policy Institute is nonpartisan, which means our policy work is open to all, and we will partner with anyone.
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* Click here for some background if you need it. Bloomberg…
Warlander Asset Management, the hedge fund seeking to invalidate $14.3 billion of Illinois bonds, bought derivatives that will pay off if the state defaults on the debt.
An attorney for Warlander’s co-plaintiff, John Tillman, the chief executive officer of the Illinois Policy Institute, disclosed the firm’s derivative wager at a hearing in Springfield on Thursday. That confirms the assertion made by two big bond investors, Nuveen Asset Management LLC and AllianceBernstein, in a brief arguing that the case should be tossed out — saying it raises questions about Warlander’s motives.
“Permitting activist investors to litigate against the validity of widely held municipal bonds based on their credit default swap bets could introduce a significant destabilizing force into the municipal markets and harm investors and government entities alike,” Nuveen and AllianceBernstin said in their filing on Friday. […]
A credit-default swap contract is similar to insurance on a bond, but the purchaser doesn’t need to own any of the underlying debt to buy one. The swap purchaser can buy the bonds after they default and then tender them to the swap seller to get full payment on the contract.
* Bond Buyer…
The municipal bond market must wait up to two weeks to learn whether a judge will allow a complaint that seeks to invalidate $14.3 billion of Illinois general obligation bonds to proceed.
The case was “well-briefed” and “well-argued” on both sides, Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Jack D. Davis II said Thursday. “There’s a lot of a material here” and I “believe it is warranted for some further review.” […]
He said he would rule within the next 14 days on whether the case should be allowed to proceed as a taxpayer action complaint. […]
A handful of professionals from institutional investment houses and investment banks attended the hearing in Springfield as the market looks for signals as to whether the courts will conclude that the lawsuit meets the legal criteria to proceed. If so, the case would then be litigated on its merits.
* Warlander’s involvement in the case was defended by Wirepoints…
If they can’t see the difference here, then I can’t really help them.
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* Tribune…
A Cook County grand jury has subpoenaed city election records related to 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn’s challenge to a college student’s nominating signatures during the last City Hall campaign, the Tribune has learned.
Quinn, the hand-picked alderman of House Speaker Michael Madigan, the 13th Ward’s Democratic committeeman for decades, soundly defeated David Krupa, a DePaul University student, in the Feb. 26 City Council race.
Specifics of the ongoing inquiry were unclear Thursday, but Quinn had drawn criticism when he initially challenged Krupa’s petition signatures, saying they were invalid.
Only 473 valid signatures were needed to get on the ballot, and Krupa submitted 1,729. Krupa’s election attorney, Michael Dorf, previously told the Tribune that Quinn’s challenge against Krupa’s signatures included affidavits from 2,796 residents who said they were revoking their signatures for Krupa.
Only 187 of those matched signatures in Krupa’s paperwork, and there were more than 1,000 people seeking to revoke their signatures than Krupa’s paperwork even contained, Dorf said.
* Some explainers…
* In other news…
State Senator Tom Cullerton will be arraigned Friday on federal embezzlement charges.
Cullerton is accused of collecting nearly $275,000 from the teamsters union, while doing little or no work.
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Open thread
Thursday, Aug 15, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Democratic County Chairs Association continued Illinois’ unfortunate tradition of state fair typos yesterday…
* I’m heading out to Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair. Keep your comments Illinois-centric and please be nice to each other. Thanks.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Aug 15, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* NBC 5…
Five teenagers were charged Tuesday evening after a 14-year-old boy was killed in a shooting that authorities say stemmed from an attempted car theft in the north suburbs, sparking a police chase that ended in dramatic arrests caught on camera in Chicago earlier in the day.
The five teens, one 16-year-old, three 17-year-olds and an 18-year-old were charged with first degree murder, according to police.
Although all four juveniles are being charged as adults, they are being held at Vernon Hills, while the oldest suspect, identified as Diamond C. Davis, is the only one who was sent to Lake County Jail.
“The teens were charged due to them being in commission of a forcible felony, when the 14-year-old victim was shot and subsequently died as a result of being shot during the commission of a burglary,” indicated the Lake County Sherrif’s Office in a statement.
* ABC…
Armed with a revolver, the homeowner told authorities he was standing on his porch, yelling at them to leave, when two of the individuals “quickly approached him,” Covelli said. The man said he saw that one of the teens “holding something in his hand,” so he discharged his firearm at least three times out of fear for his and his wife’s safety.
The homeowner then called 911 to request an ambulance, and the teens fled, Covelli said.
About three miles from the man’s home, officers from the Gurnee Police Department responded to a crash involving an SUV, Covelli said. When the officers approached the 2015 Lexus, two people exited the vehicle — one of whom had a gunshot wound to his head.
The four people who were still in the SUV fled the scene “at high rate of speed,” reaching 120 mph on Interstate 94 as they were chased all the way back to Chicago by law enforcement officers from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Gurnee Police Department and Illinois State Police.
* Tribune…
“The felony murder law is in place to discourage people from committing forcible felonies, because if someone dies during the commission of a forcible felony, then it’s first-degree murder,” [Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim] said.
Illinois is among the minority of states with the broadest possible application of the felony murder rule, said Steven Drizin, clinical law professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
Drizin said the scope of the Illinois law can be problematic, especially when defendants are teenagers, who tend to commit crimes in groups and are more impulsive and less deliberate in their actions.
“The legislature needs to act to narrow the scope of Illinois’ felony murder rule,” he said, citing the Lake County case as an example. “Especially in light of the fact that the penalties for both the underlying felony and murder are severe — and in the case of murder, mandatory. There is more than enough room to adequately punish these teenagers by sentencing them within the range of sentences for the burglary charge.”
* Dahleen Glanton…
House Bill 1615, introduced in January by state Rep. Justin Slaughter, D-Chicago, would ensure that anyone who does not personally inflict an injury during the course of a felony is not charged with first-degree murder. Only the culpable person would face charges. That’s how it should be for everyone, but especially for children. […]
The Supreme Court has acknowledged that youthful offenders lack maturity and are therefore more reckless and impulsive than adults. Anyone who has raised a teenager knows this.
It is wrong to charge teenagers with a murder they clearly did not intend to happen and likely never even considered might happen. […]
They fled in the stolen SUV, leading a bevy of law enforcement officials on a high-speed chase from Lake County to Chicago before running out of gas.
For that, they deserve to be punished. They do not deserve to spend decades of their young adult life behind bars for a murder they did not commit.
* The Question: Should Illinois’ felony murder rule be narrowed? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
bike trails
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* Chris Kaergard at the Journal Star…
“To me, Blagojevich is the definition of the swamp.”
That was part of the message U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood conveyed to President Donald Trump last Thursday in a phone call, hours after the president had suggested he was “strongly” considering commuting the 14-year prison sentence of disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich. […]
LaHood’s call was made to emphasize objections Illinois Republican lawmakers had to releasing Blagojevich roughly halfway through his time behind bars. LaHood detailed the case he made to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney during an interview Wednesday morning in his Downtown Peoria office.
“If you look at the conduct Blagojevich engaged in, it was pervasive, it was extensive,” he said, noting that it wasn’t just political favor-trading over a Senate seat, but rather a litany of malfeasance: “shaking down the children’s hospital, racetrack owner, film producer, the direct pay-for-play politics.”
* The level of ignorance about the Blagojevich case is simply astounding…
Reps. Darin LaHood and Mike Bost, made their case directly to the President on Thursday night, urging him not to go forward. They laid out the litany of crimes Blagojevich committed while in office and argued it would send the wrong message to voters about corruption by public officials.
Trump’s response: “I wish I had the perspective before,” according to Bost, who served on the Illinois House’s impeachment committee to remove Blagojevich from office in 2009. […]
Multiple sources familiar with the calls said Trump and [White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney] both did not seem aware of the details of Blagojevich’s case, even though the President had decried the former governor as being treated “unbelievably unfairly.”
Bost said that while Trump “saw a sentence that didn’t meet the crime … he did express he wished he had the perspective earlier” after speaking with Bost.
* Fox 32…
“Listen, I don’t think the President understood the extensive nature of the public corruption that Rod Blagojevich had engaged in. And when I laid that out for him, I think he was surprised by those facts. But I think he listened,” said Rep. LaHood.
* More…
Since Trump is fixated on former FBI director James Comey, LaHood also emphasized that he had nothing to do with prosecuting Blagojevich.
LaHood also noted that Democrats Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot are against clemency.
“They were surprised to know that and that Democrats removed him from office,” he said.
Wow.
* Related…
* State seeks to disbar ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich from practicing law more than 8 years after conviction: Grogan said the delay in moving to disbar Blagojevich came because, by Illinois law, regulators have to wait until all appellate options are over before moving to permanently revoke a lawyer’s license.
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Caption contest!
Thursday, Aug 15, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* After winning a bag toss game against the former president 21-14…
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Governor’s Day roundup
Thursday, Aug 15, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Addressing more than 2,000 people at the annual pre-fair brunch of the Democratic County Chairs’ Association, Pritzker cited “the insidious danger of a campaign by some elected representatives who suggest that Illinois would be better off divided into pieces — that if you live in one part of the state, that you’re less patriotic or less American than if you live in another part of the state.”
“Illinois’ success relies on all of us,” echoed Kristina Zahorik, the president of the county chairs group. “Democrats will not be divided by race, by gender or by whom they love. We will not be swayed by small-minded Republicans who seek to build a wall against Chicago and strive to use diversity as a political weapon.” […]
In her speech, Pelosi borrowed on Pritzker’s campaign slogan in telling the crowd, “You think big. You get big things done.” She said “persistent, bold experimentation” was the “vitality of the Democratic Party.”
Noting national party concerns over attracting Midwest voters who backed Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016, Pelosi said Democrats across the country hope to “catch the spark of Illinois, the spark of the heartland of America where our victory in 2020 will spring from.”
* Sun-Times…
The first-time governor painted Illinois as the state that’s doing it right as a battle is underway “for the soul of our nation.”
“Here in Illinois, we built a wall around our country’s most sacred and important values. And we told America that we will keep those values safe until sanity is restored to the White House,” Pritzker said.
“And if Donald Trump wants a piece of that wall, well then he’ll have to go through me,” Pritzker said, and gesturing to the litany of Democrats on hand, including Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, U.S. Represenatives Lauren Underwood and Sean Casten and congressional candidate Betsy Dirksen Londrigan. […]
Pelosi, who never directly mentioned Trump’s name, said the president “has no respect for God’s creation, the land of America.”
* Center Square…
“But right now there is a battle being waged for the soul of our nation, and in the last eight months, Illinois has found its anthem,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker championed the legislative accomplishments he was able to secure with Democratic majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly. Those accomplishments included expanding abortion rights, raising the state’s minimum wage, tax increases to fund a statewide infrastructure bill and recreational cannabis legalization, among other measures.
Pritzker struck a partisan tone Wednesday morning, where he went after Republicans, especially President Donald Trump.
“They put on a red hat and they want to say ‘let’s make America great again,’ ” Pritzker said. “It’s a president who thinks that we are so blind that we don’t see right through his racism and xenophobia.”
* Trib…
Mayor Lori Lightfoot taped a message for the Democratic event that praised Pritzker and legislative leaders for pushing to raise the minimum wage, legalizing recreational marijuana and passed a “real'’ infrastructure bill. She also said Democrats need to fight to unseat Trump. We need to stay united and do everything in our power to defeat Donald Trump and the people around him who look the other way as he undermines the foundations of our Democracy.”
* SJ-R…
Springfield lies in the 13th Congressional District where Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan is trying to unseat incumbent Republican Rodney Davis in what promises to be a hotly contested race. Davis often tries to link Londrigan with Pelosi who can be a polarizing figure in her own right. Asked about being used as a campaign foil by Davis, Pelosi said the Democrats have done quite well despite the attacks.
“In this last election, Republicans had 137,000 ads describing me as a San Francisco liberal, which I proudly am,” Pelosi said. “They are not saying it in a complimentary way. It didn’t work. We won 43 seats. We’ve heard that before.”
Prior to the Democrats’ brunch, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said Pelosi’s appearance in Springfield was a plus for Londrigan.
“Nancy Pelosi used to be a polarizing figure. Now she’s the center of the Democratic Party,” Cullerton said.
* Bernie…
(F)reshman Democratic Gov. J.B. PRITZKER framed the picnic he hosted (and paid for personally) at the Director’s Lawn at the State Fair as a bipartisan event, and said he invited all lawmakers, including Republicans.
Well, House GOP Leader JIM DURKIN, R-Western Springs, said he never got an invitation, and ELENI DEMERTZIS, his spokeswoman, said some others in the caucus she checked with didn’t receive invitations either.
JORDAN ABUDAYYEH, spokeswoman for Pritzker, said invitations went out to all legislative district offices on July 22 and a follow-up was sent last week.
One GOP lawmaker who did receive the invitation was Rep. TIM BUTLER of Springfield. […]
If the governor really wants to change the culture of the day, Butler said, the governor’s office “should have done a much better job explaining it,” possibly contacting GOP leaders to get them on board. Butler opted not to go.
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* This early exit is highly unusual…
Lots of internal turmoil in that office.
*** UPDATE *** With a hat tip to a subscriber, this is from October 6, 2017…
After just 88 days in Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration, former Illinois Policy Institute head Kristina Rasmussen is out as the governor’s chief of staff — leaving a job she said she knew would be “rife with promise but would come with a lot of turbulence.”
Needless to say, this is not the path the mayor wants to be following.
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* Politico…
JESSE WHITE says he won’t seek a seventh term as Illinois Secretary of State when he’s up for re-election in 2022. “This is my last tour of duty,” the 85-year-old told Playbook at the Illinois State Fair.
Asked whether he might step down before his term is up, he said “No way. I’m seeing it all the way through.”
This isn’t the first time White has said he’d retire. Back in 2015, in an eerily similar interview at the State Fair, White told a Sun-Times reporter that he didn’t plan on seeking a sixth term. “This is my last tour of duty,” he said at the time. Two years later, he changed his mind and in 2018, he won re-election handily.
Back then, White was working with a Republican governor and may have wanted to run just to be assured his seat stayed in Democratic hands. With J.B. Pritzker now in the governor’s office, even if he were to decide not to finish out his term, White could leave knowing a Democrat would be named to fill his seat.
This is actually the third time White has made this vow. He said the same thing in 2010.
So, I can’t help but wonder whether he will actually serve out his full term.
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* US Senate candidate and former Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran spoke to the Illinois Republican State Central Committee/County Chairman’s Association Breakfast this morning…
My name is Mark Curran and I’m here to take out slick Dick Durbin [applause]. Slick Dick has been in office for over three decades, four terms as a United States Senator. … He’s as partisan a member of the United States Senate as there is. He’s in leadership, but ultimately his god is power.
Today for Catholics is the Feast of the Assumption. The archbishop down the street said that Dick Durbin cannot accept communion in the Roman Catholic Church. It means nothing to Dick Durbin because Dick Durbin is about power, that’s what drives him, that’s all that matters to him… He’s a dangerous guy… I need you to help me kick slick Dick to the curb.
* Curran explained his narrow 2018 reelection loss…
Lake County is not purple, it’s blue, folks. You know, the wrong people moved in, what have you. We need to change that and we will!
* On his switch from the Democratic to Republican parties…
I said they’re heading for evil, I want nothing to do with that, I’m done.
*** UPDATE *** Meanwhile, US Senate candidate Peggy Hubbard claimed she had to literally fight off a forced abortion while serving in the Reagan-era armed forces and said Sen. Durbin has never set foot in East St. Louis (the town of his birth). She also touted her fight to stop the removal of statues honoring the Confederacy. I kid you not.
…Adding… One of those “wrong people”?…
A traffic altercation near Gurnee Wednesday morning led to a felony hate crime charge against a man from unincorporated Gurnee who attacked a motorcyclist with an ice pick while yelling “racial slurs and racial expletives,” according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. […]
A 57-year-old man from unincorporated Gurnee called the sheriff’s office around 11:35 a.m. Wednesday after he said he was attacked by a man wielding an ice pick and shouting racial slurs and expletives, according to the news release.
The man, who police said was Hispanic and had a Mexican flag on his motorcycle, had been traveling northbound on North Delany Road near Sunset Avenue in unincorporated Gurnee when a 2009 Hyundai SUV abruptly changed lanes and cut him off, according to the release.
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