Question of the day
Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From today’s redistricting press release…
The [Fair Maps] commission members would be carefully selected to represent everyone who lives in Illinois, instead of placing power over district boundaries in the hands of politicians who have a vested interest in protecting their own careers.
* From HJRCA41…
No later than March 1 of the year that follows the federal decennial census, the Chief Justice and the most senior Supreme Court Justice who is not elected from the same political party as the Chief Justice shall select 17 commissioners to form an Independent Redistricting Commission. The commissioners shall reflect the ethnic, gender, and racial demographics of Illinois to reflect the demographic data provided by the decennial census, each commissioner shall be a voter who has been continuously affiliated in Illinois with the same political party or unaffiliated with a political party and who has not changed political party affiliation for 5 or more years immediately preceding the date of his or her appointment. Fourteen of the commissioners shall represent, in equal number, the two political parties whose gubernatorial candidates received the greatest number of votes in the last gubernatorial election and 3 of the commissioners must represent neither of those parties. No more than one commissioner shall be from the same Congressional District. If the total number of Congressional Districts equal less than 17, then at-large commissioners will be appointed to fill vacancies, and no more than 2 commissioners shall be from the same Congressional District. The 2 Justices responsible for selecting the 17 commissioners shall consider party identification and all campaign contributions in determining a potential commissioner’s eligibility.
(d) A person is ineligible to serve on the Commission if within the previous 5 calendar years the person or his or her spouse or immediate family member, including his or her parents, children, step-children, or siblings, is or has been:
(1) appointed or elected to a position with the State, federal, or local government;
(2) a candidate for State, federal or local office;
(3) a paid consultant or employee of a State, federal, or local elected official or political candidate, of a 1federal, State, or local political candidate’s campaign, or of a political action committee or any other electioneering entity;
(4) a State, federal, or local lobbyist as defined by law;
(5) an individual with an ownership interest in an entity with a State, federal, or local government contract; or
(6) appointed or elected to serve a State, federal, or local political party.
* The Question: Your thoughts on the selection process and ineligible list? Make sure to explain. Thanks.
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* This is big…
Construction on the first major piece of The 78 megadevelopment in the South Loop should begin later this year, after Gov. JB Pritzker announced the release of $500 million in capital funding for the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), a research hub led by the University of Illinois.
DPI will be the anchor of the first phase of the $7 billion 62-acre project, which will be built along a vacant stretch of land on the east bank of the Chicago River between the South Loop and Chinatown.
The University of Illinois plans to build a 500,000-square foot headquarters for DPI as the centerpiece for the first phase of The 78. Construction of the center is expected to be completed in 2024.
The center would focus on specialized research in computing, big data, food and agriculture, and health and wellness. Project leaders envision DPI as the hub of a statewide research network known as the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN).
* But it’s not all going to Chicago. For instance…
State government has set aside $15 million for a new university building in downtown Springfield.
University of Illinois Springfield officials are in the planning stages for the proposed building. It would be known as the “Innovation Center,” and would be part of a larger “Innovation District,” according to documents distributed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office. […]
UIS is just one of several schools that’s getting a chunk of some $500 million in state capital funding overall. That money is aimed at building a network of public university-based “innovation” hubs: places designed to grow Illinois’ tech industry workforce and help companies get off the ground.
* And…
Southern Illinois University Carbondale will receive $2.5 million as part of an effort to boost research and innovation in Illinois. […]
SIU’s “iFERM” hub is part of the statewide group. One of its goals is to find new ways to utilize and market Illinois agricultural products.
The “iFERM” hub will use the $2.5 million in initial funding for food and beverage research, as well as specialty crop agricultural programs and a centralized analytics facility.
* And…
Governor J.B. Pritzker announces hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for different institutions across the state, including the UIC health sciences campus in Rockford.
* And…
The Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability (NICCS) took a major step forward Wednesday when Gov. J.B. Pritzker released $500 million in capital funding appropriated for the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) and the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN), including $15 million for the NICCS at Northern Illinois University. […]
The 30,000-square-foot NICCS facility will be constructed on the university’s west campus, in an area north of the NIU Convocation Center. It will include classrooms, laboratories, exhibits and collaboration space for work with IIN and private sector partners.
* And…
Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday touted statewide benefits he said will result from a $500 million state investment in 15 hubs of a University of Illinois-led public-private research institute network.
Eastern Illinois University in Charleston is one of the hubs.
* And…
A new on-campus makerspace and startup incubator in Uptown Normal will be Illinois State University’s contributions to a newly funded Illinois Innovation Network, officials said Wednesday. […]
The technology- and education-based startup incubator will be called the ISU/Bloomington-Normal Community Startup Incubator (CSI). It will be located at the new Trail East project in Uptown, where financing issues have delayed construction. The incubator was previously announced.
* Background…
A $10 million gift from the chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees and his wife is among $454 million raised by universities involved with the Illinois Innovation Network that will help move it forward. […]
“My wife, Anne, and I are thrilled to make this $10 million gift to the university that transformed our lives,” Don Edwards said Wednesday. “We want to pay forward the opportunities we have enjoyed, supporting the students and innovation that are key to progress and economic growth for our state and our nation.” […]
Former Gov. Bruce Rauner originally pledged the $500 million in state funds. But Pritzker said he needed to see proof of the network’s vitality and made the state money contingent on the members matching it.
* Last word…
Pritzker also thanked former Mayor Rahm Emanuel for his work on DPI, which was first announced two years ago. The governor said Emanuel started calling him about the plans for the research hub even before Pritzker was elected governor in 2018, “and he hasn’t stopped calling.”
“Rahm can be relentless when he wants something done,” Pritzker said. “He said that DPI would anchor an ecosystem of tech growth, and would become an unparalleled engine of opportunity for our state. In addition to my gratitude for his support for this project, I’m grateful that the many phone calls from him might now subside.”
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Carnival Barker
Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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On excessive dramatics and stupid self-owns
Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Zorn…
Less than three weeks after a Cook County grand jury indicted Smollett on 16 counts of disorderly conduct last March, Foxx’s office abruptly dropped all charges against him with no guilty plea, no formal fine, no court supervision and no community service beyond a few hours he’d spent volunteering at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. This allowed Smollett to head to the courthouse lobby and proclaim his innocence, jabbing a thumb into the eye of the public that twisted there until Tuesday, when Webb announced a six-count indictment restating the old charges against Smollett.
In an accompanying statement, Webb noted that his investigation found no evidence that Foxx routinely disposed of cases the way she disposed of the Smollett case, as she’d claimed, and that “decision-makers overseeing the Smollett resolution decision have not identified any new evidence they learned of between the time of indictment and dismissal of the indictment that changed their view that the evidence against Mr. Smollett was strong.”
So what happened during the interim between indictment and full exoneration? That question has loomed over the March 17 primary battle between Foxx and three Democratic challengers largely because Foxx has refused to answer it, using as her excuse Webb’s investigation, which, as far as her conduct is concerned, is still ongoing.
Webb’s statement advised that his “decision to further prosecute Mr. Smollett is not evidence in and of itself that any individuals within the (Cook County state’s attorney’s office) engaged in any wrongdoing in connection with the Smollett investigation.”
* Smollett deserves plenty of scorn and Foxx messed up by not making him at least show some contrition and by not fully explaining why she did what she did. But the more than year-long media coverage of this case has just been way over the top, perhaps because so many excessively hyped Smollett’s questionable story at the beginning.
I mean, “jabbing a thumb into the eye of the public that twisted there until Tuesday” is a bit on the dramatic side, if you ask me. Chicago has long had a deserved reputation for wearing its inferiority complex on its sleeve, but that’s ridiculous.
Make no mistake, Foxx has supremely bungled several things (and, apparently, lied about past practices) along the way, which has only made matters far more perilous for her.
But the bottom line here is Foxx exercised prosecutorial discretion when she let a two-bit actor go free - not all that different from the southern Illinois prosecutors who regularly boast about refusing to enforce some state gun laws. You may not think it’s the right decision, but prosecutors have a whole lot of discretion. And they’re all elected, so people can always vote them out, particularly if they aren’t forthcoming about what they did. We’re about to find out if that will be the case with Foxx.
* Some of the media spin is ridic…
And in another bit of conveniently timed news, a new report heaps praise on Foxx for her work in criminal justice reform. The Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers say policies under Foxx have resulted in “far fewer black and Latino people being sent to prison,” according to the Sun-Times.
Heaven forbid that the public isn’t told stuff like this a month before an election…
The report focused on the years 2012 — when Alvarez was in office — and 2019 because the two had similar crime rates.
On average, 1,063 black and Latino people were sent to prison every month in 2012 after prosecutions by the Alvarez administration. In 2019, the average was down to 706, according to the report.
If anything, that got buried under the Webb indictments.
* And then there’s this…
“I think she should resign, now,” said Donna More, who’s challenging Foxx in the March 17 Democratic primary. “She should resign because, while everyone is presumed innocent, the media frenzy will occupy her, and take her attention away from being able to do her job. How can she function? She can’t.”
Oh, please. President Trump takes far more in-coming on an hourly basis than Foxx has collectively endured for more than a year and he’s still functioning.
Also…
And what the hell was Foxx thinking when she took calls about Smollett’s heater case?
As far as we know, that call she took was when Smollet was still considered a victim.
* But Foxx’s response to the new indictments was completely disingenuous…
What’s questionable here is the James Comey-like timing of that charging decision, just 35 days before an election, which can only be interpreted as the further politicization of the justice system, something voters in the era of Donald Trump should consider offensive.
Webb is a special prosecutor. His appointment has (unlike in the federal government) no tradition of or rules about holding off on indictments until after an election.
Anyway, it’s gonna be a rough four weeks in that county. Foxx should at least try to avoid further self-owns.
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Oppo dump!
Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a Daily Herald story about a recent 14th Congressional District Republican candidates’ forum…
Ted Gradel of Naperville faced a question about his involvement with the U.S. Stem Cell Clinic. The Florida-based company lost a federal lawsuit initiated by the Food and Drug Administration that accused the business of using unapproved stem cell treatments that caused three patients to lose their eyesight.
Gradel was an investor in the company and listed as its co-owner and managing officer.
Gradel said he invested in the company after finding success in using his own stem cells to treat pain in his joints. He said he is no longer involved with the company.
“They ran into some problems treating patients,” Gradel said. “I never had any involvement in health care decisions. The clinic is in Florida. I’ve never lived in Florida. There’s hundreds of companies I’ve invested in. I do my best to learn each time and move on.”
* Yeah, it was a bit more than that. From March of 2017…
U.S. Stem Cell Clinic is in the spotlight after three patients reportedly lost their eyesight following procedures here.
The Sunrise facility offers stem cell treatments for a range of diseases and chronic disorders and yet it has no medical facility license.
Here’s what you might not know: It doesn’t need one.
The facility falls under a regulatory loophole. Regulators with Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, which licenses health care facilities like hospitals and rehabilitation clinics, say they have no authority over stem cell operations. Neither does the Florida Department of Health, which only has regulatory power over personnel like licensed doctors and nurses working in these facilities.
* April of 2017…
Even though the clinical trial posted online specifically targeted eyes, Bade was offered another procedure for the same day: She could also have her knee injected with stem cells for $1,500 to ease pain.
Both of her eyes were injected, instead of just one. That put her at risk of blindness if the procedure went wrong.
Her injections were done by a nurse practitioner who was identified as a physician.
* August of 2017…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday said U.S. Stem Cell Clinic in Sunrise, which had three patients suffer severe vision loss after stem cells were injected into their eyes, is violating federal regulations.
In a warning letter to the clinic’s chief scientific officer, Kristin Comella, the agency said U.S. Stem Cell does not have proper FDA permits to offer its experimental medical treatments. The clinic must respond to the FDA within 15 days or face regulatory action.
The clinic markets to patients nationwide who pay thousands of dollars to have stem cells harvested from their own body fat or bone marrow and reinjected into their bodies. The procedures have not been proven safe or effective by FDA standards.
Three women in their 70s and 80s with macular degeneration, all from outside South Florida, paid $5,000 each for stem cell injections in both eyes in 2015. They all had retinal detachments shortly after their procedures at U.S. Stem Cell. Two of the women sued for negligence, failure to warn, and allegations regarding how the product manufactured from their own bodies was defective. Both settled.
* December of 2017…
High-priced and largely unregulated clinics are drawing desperate people to Florida with promises of medical miracles, a South Florida Sun Sentinel investigation has found.
These businesses say stem cells harvested from patients’ belly fat, bone marrow or blood can be reinjected into their bodies to repair the damage inflicted by a staggering range of diseases, from Alzheimer’s to multiple sclerosis to macular degeneration.
None of these procedures are clinically proven to be safe and effective.
None are federally approved.
And patients are paying the price.
* May of 2018…
U.S. Stem Cell Clinic LLC, accused of injecting thousands of patients with unapproved stem cell treatments, is a target of an injunction request filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, according to a news release by the FDA.
The injunction is also being sought against the company’s chief scientific officer, Kristin Comella, and its co-owner and managing officer, Theodore Gradel, “for marketing stem cell products to patients without FDA approval and while violating current good manufacturing practice requirements, including some that could impact the sterility of their products, putting patients at risk.” […]
U.S. Stem Cell Clinic LLC previously said it stopped its treatments for macular degeneration in June 2015 “after adverse effects were reported.” But in November, it asserted that its “in-clinic stem cell procedures should not be subject to the same regulatory process as off-the-shelf drug products.”
* June of 2019…
U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro of the Southern District of Florida granted the government’s motion for summary judgment against US Stem Cell Clinic LLC, of Weston, Florida, and US Stem Cell Inc., of Sunrise, Florida, and their Chief Scientific Officer Kristin Comella, Ph.D. The court held that the defendants in that case adulterated and misbranded a stem cell drug product made from a patient’s adipose tissue. […]
Following these steps, a U.S. court previously entered a consent decree of permanent injunction agreed to by the FDA and defendant Theodore Gradel, a former manager of US Stem Cell LLC that requires Mr. Gradel to notify the FDA if he intends to re-enter the biologics industry and to comply with any corrective actions ordered by the FDA.
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Unclear on the concept
Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Squares…
During a debate Tuesday about limiting the number of cannabis stores in Springfield, where there’s already one adult-use store and another on the way, Alderman Joe McMenamin said the illicit market in California, where cannabis has been legal for years, has surpassed the legal market.
The Los Angeles Times reported in September that California’s black market for cannabis was at least three times the size of the state’s regulated industry.
McMenamin said he suspected the same thing is happening in Illinois.
So, the illicit market has “surpassed the legal market”? I got news for you, the illicit market has existed for maybe 100 years. It’s pretty darned entrenched, thanks to national prohibition. The idea is to eventually “surpass” it with legalization. It won’t happen tomorrow. It won’t happen next year. But it will eventually happen.
Also, Ald. McMenamin has been a solid “No” vote on cannabis from the get-go. Thankfully, the rest of the city council isn’t so inclined. Everybody else on the council opposed that aforementioned proposal.
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
State Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, joined a group of good government activists and local supporters Thursday to announce filing of the Fair Maps Amendment, a comprehensive reform of Illinois’ redistricting rules.
Costa Howard’s announcement was part of a statewide network of news conferences held Thursday by a bipartisan group of legislators and advocates supporting the Fair Maps Amendment. The events were coordinated with CHANGE Illinois, a non-partisan, non-profit group leading a coalition of more than two dozen organizations supporting the Amendment.
The Fair Maps Amendment would overturn the current system, which empowers legislators to draw partisan gerrymandered districts. Instead, an independent redistricting commission would be chosen to draw the district maps for the Illinois Senate and House. The commission members would be carefully selected to represent everyone who lives in Illinois, instead of placing power over district boundaries in the hands of politicians who have a vested interest in protecting their own careers.
“The first step toward increasing people’s trust in government is assuring voters that their elections are honest and that their voices are heard,” said Costa Howard. “By filing this amendment today, we are beginning a statewide conversation about the meaning of fairness and the importance of truly representative government.”
Costa Howard, who is sponsoring the Amendment in the Illinois House, announced the groundbreaking legislation in the Lombard Historical Society’s Victorian Cottage Museum, surrounded by posters and memorabilia highlighting Lombard’s historic support of women’s suffrage. In 1891, Ellen Martin, an attorney and Lombard resident, became the first woman to vote in Illinois after she found a loophole in the village charter granting voting rights to every Lombard resident over the age of 21, with no reference to gender.
The shocked polling judges admitted that Martin was legally entitled to vote, and 14 more Lombard women joined Martin in heading to the polls and casting their votes as well. Soon afterward, however, state legislators took action to severely restrict Illinois women’s ability to vote in local elections. Despite that setback, Lombard remained a center of women’s suffrage activism until 1920, when the ratification of the 19th Amendment recognized American women’s right to vote.
“When state legislators took action to keep Lombard women from exercising their right to vote, that was a particularly egregious example of politicians choosing their voters, instead of the other way around,” Costa Howard said. “Today, we’re honoring the bravery of Ellen Martin and so many other voting rights advocates – in Lombard and throughout Illinois – by demanding district boundaries that reflect community interests instead of following the self-centered wishes of incumbent elected officials.
“As elected officials, we should trust the voters of Illinois to make wise, well-informed choices,” Costa Howard added. “We need to take action now to reform Illinois’ redistricting system and strengthen people’s faith in our state government.”
Costa Howard’s event, held in the 48th district, was followed later Thursday by a news conference in the James R. Thompson Center in downtown Chicago. The Thompson Center event, led by CHANGE Illinois, included a bipartisan group of the Amendment’s chief co-sponsors in the state House and Senate, including: State Sen. Melinda Bush, of Grayslake; State Sen. John Curran, of Downers Grove, and State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, of Chicago. They were joined by representatives of several non-partisan, non-profit state and national groups supporting the Amendment, including the Illinois League of Women Voters, Common Cause Illinois, AARP-Illinois, and RepresentUS. State Rep. Ryan Spain held a news conference Thursday in his home district in Peoria.
“The people of Illinois overwhelmingly support redistricting reform,” Madeleine Doubek, executive director of CHANGE Illinois, said in a news release. “An independent poll by SIU’s Paul Simon Institute found 67 percent of Illinois voters want an independent commission to draw our legislative lines. The people of Illinois understand that we can’t have honest government and hold politicians accountable if we don’t have truly competitive elections that restore power to the people.”
* Sun-Times…
After state Sen. Tom Cullerton was indicted for allegedly embezzling money from the Teamsters, the Villa Park Democrat was removed as chair of the Senate Labor Committee.
But instead of losing a powerful leadership position and the additional $10,327 stipend that comes with it, Cullerton simply took over as the chair of the Senate’s Veteran Affairs Committee.
That game of musical chairs left one of his Senate colleagues scratching her head.
Hoping to make sure tainted lawmakers truly face the music, state Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, has introduced a bill that would bar members of the General Assembly who face criminal charges from serving in any leadership or committee positions.
* Illinois Public Radio…
Democratic state Sen. Ram Villivalam of Chicago is expected to file paid-family leave legislation similar to a measure passed in the Senate last year. Democratic state Rep. Mary Flowers, also of Chicago, said she plans to reintroduce a revamped version of her family leave measure the legislature failed to consider in 2019.
“When the mother has to rush back to work because of the pay … we are really hurting a lot of families by not getting them paid family leave,” said Flowers, who says she believes leave policies should cover parents and those who act as caregivers to ailing relatives.
If Illinois enforced some form of paid family leave for its residents, it would be the eighth state to do so.
State employees in Illinois had six weeks of paid parental leave until August when Gov. J.B Pritzker’s administration boosted that to 10 weeks. The city of Naperville just approved six- to 12-weeks of paid parental leave for its employees.
* Press release…
State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, will be joined by NBA athletes Sterling and Shannon Brown and professional sports agents for a press conference to announce their support for the Student Athlete Endorsement Act on Friday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. in the James R. Thompson Center press room.
“To kick-off the start of NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago, professional players and agents are joining me in the effort to bring equity and fairness to college athletes by supporting the Student Athlete Endorsement Act,” Welch said. “This legislation gives college athletes the compensation and recognition that they deserve for their athletic achievements. I’m excited to announce the growing support for this initiative so we can work to get this passed in the Senate and signed into law.”
Welch’s House Bill 3904 creates the Student Athlete Endorsement Act allowing student athletes at any of Illinois’ four-year public or private universities to seek out endorsement opportunities or payment for the use of their name, image or likeness. The measure passed the Illinois House in October and is awaiting consideration by the Senate.
Welch will be joined by Sterling Brown of the Milwaukee Bucks and Shannon Brown formerly with the Los Angeles Lakers. Both athletes are graduates of Provisio Township High School District.
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Today’s must-read
Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Barb Ickes at the Dispatch-Argus…
Stepping off a bus at an East Moline rest stop, the out-of-town college student had no idea what was about to hit him.
Jaylan Butler and his teammates from the Eastern Illinois University swim team were at the end of a long day. After competing in a conference championship swim meet in South Dakota, they spent the bulk of Feb. 24, 2019, traveling back to Charleston, Ill., in a rented coach with their school logo plastered on the sides. […]
“As I took the picture, there was a line of police officers … they came to a screeching stop in front of me,” Butler said. “At that moment, I only knew a couple things to do that my dad always told me.” […]
Two officers had Jaylan on the ground — his face pressed into the snow and an officer’s knee pressed into his back. One cop was pointing a rifle, Butler and [bus driver Todd Slingerland] said, and another had a gun pointed at the 19-year-old’s head.
“He said, ‘If you move, I’ll blow your (expletive) head off,’” Butler said.
Slingerland heard the same threat and shouted at the police that Jaylan was his passenger, and they were making a mistake. As he rushed back to the door of the bus and yelled for the coach, two more police vehicles arrived.
It gets worse, so go read the whole thing. The state police need to step up here.
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* WFIL…
A Williamson County mother has removed her son from school after learning he was being taught LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) history before the new law takes effect.
Shelly Murphy says she removed her son, Eli, from school after learning he was being taught LGBTQ history before HB 02-46, which mandates LGBTQ history be taught in Illinois schools, takes effect.
“I do not support the idea of LGBTQ being taught to my son at all. However, when I learned that it is being taught ahead of time, I was dumbfounded,” Murphy said over the phone. […]
“I support the first amendment. I just don’t think Greek mythology, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, LGBTQ, and politics should be taught in public schools. It is ridiculous what our country is coming to,” Murphy said.
As I recall, some Greek mythology history was taught in my school back in the day, as was “politics.”
* HB246 takes effect this July 1…
Provides that in public schools only, the teaching of history of the United States shall include a study of the roles and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history of this country and this State.
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*** UPDATE *** Check out this tidbit in Mark Maxwell’s story…
Perhaps ironically, the Gaming Board only discovered the leak of Heidner’s personal information while it was in the process of responding to a FOIA request from Heidner himself. After the businessman grew suspicious that someone at the state gambling agency was unfairly targeting him at the behest of his competitors, he filed several FOIAs seeking “all communications between the IGB and the Tribune” to support his theory.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Press release…
Rick Heidner and Gold Rush Amusements, Inc., the victims of a data breach by the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB), filed a lawsuit against the IGB, alleging that their personal and sensitive financial information was intentionally and illegally leaked by an IGB employee. The IGB compounded the harm by failing to promptly notify Mr. Heidner and Gold Rush of the unauthorized disclosures and by taking unfair and improper actions against them, resulting in significant financial and reputational harm.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the Illinois Court of Claims, accuses the IGB of causing substantial harm when an IGB employee intentionally and without authorization disclosed sensitive financial information, including personally identifiable information relating to Gold Rush, Mr. Heidner, his wife, two of his children, and other individuals. The IGB is legally required to keep this data confidential. The complaint, which alleges breach of fiduciary duties and negligence, seeks the maximum allowable damages of $2 million each for Mr. Heidner and Gold Rush.
Approximately half of the more than 50 individual victims of the IGB data breach had previous contact with Mr. Heidner or Gold Rush, a licensed terminal operator serving more than 500 establishments across Illinois. In addition to immediate and extended family members, the victims include individuals with whom Gold Rush has a contractual relationship under the jurisdiction of the IGB.
The IGB delayed notifying Mr. Heidner and the other victims of the unauthorized disclosures for nearly a month. According to the complaint, Mr. Heidner and his family received the IGB’s data breach notices on Jan. 31, well after the IGB discovered the breach on Jan. 3, and a week after the media had reported the breach. The IGB’s failure to promptly notify Mr. Heidner and the other victims and cooperate with them in matters relating to the data breach, as well as its failure to implement and maintain reasonable security measures to protect their private information from unauthorized access and disclosures, violates the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act.
“Despite requiring licensees and associated individuals to hand over a veritable treasure trove of their most sensitive data, the evidence will show that the IGB’s approach to protecting Mr. Heidner’s data has been careless and cavalier, at best,” the complaint states. By leaking confidential, sensitive personal and financial information, “the IGB has breached the trust and confidence that forms the very foundation of the relationship” between the state gaming agency and its licensees, the suit adds.
The unauthorized disclosures by an IGB employee to three federal government entities between Oct. 12-31, 2019, purportedly began the day after the first of a series of articles relating to Mr. Heidner was published in the Chicago Tribune. The Oct. 11 article criticized certain real estate partnerships and implied they were not properly disclosed to the IGB. “Such insinuations were false, in that Mr. Heidner had made complete and accurate disclosures in both Gold Rush’s initial terminal operator license application and in all renewal and related submissions to the IGB,” the suit states.
“These disclosures . . . were made without authorization and were not in response to any valid legal request.” Instead, the suit alleges that an “IGB employee made these unauthorized disclosures to fuel―or at least in response to―negative media coverage the IGB helped generate against Mr. Heidner and Gold Rush.”
Gaming licensees and associated individuals are required to provide the IGB with detailed disclosures of highly confidential personal and financial information. In Mr. Heidner’s case, initially in 2010 and annually since Gold Rush was first licensed in 2012, he has given the IGB information relating to his personal background, social security number, assets, liabilities, personal bank accounts, personal and business investments, real estate holdings, life insurance policies, vehicle ownership, mortgages, and liens, among other details.
The information was leaked―and the unauthorized disclosures were undetected for months―at a time when negative media publicity speculated about the completeness of Gold Rush’s and Mr. Heidner’s disclosures to the IGB, and at a time when the IGB chose to take unfair, unfounded actions against them, according to the complaint. The series of adverse actions without a proper factual basis included, in December, initiating a Disciplinary Complaint, incited by Gold Rush’s competitors, against Gold Rush that seeks the severe penalty of license revocation despite the company’s history of compliance.
On Jan. 3, when the IGB finally discovered the unauthorized disclosures by an employee, it failed to promptly alert Mr. Heidner or Gold Rush that they were victims. A week later, the IGB notified state legislative leaders of the breach but, again, failed to notify the victims. Two weeks after that, the media reported information about the leak, but Mr. Heidner and Gold Rush still were not informed that they were victims. When the media reports caused Mr. Heidner to expressly ask the IGB if he was a victim, the IGB remained silent until Mr. Heidner and his family received formal notices in the mail on Jan. 31.
On Feb. 1, Gold Rush and Mr. Heidner sent a letter to the IGB demanding basic answers regarding the data breach, as well as “an immediate and thorough investigation into the IGB’s role in the orchestrated and public smear campaign” against Mr. Heidner that began in October 2019. On Feb. 7, the IGB responded it could not provide the requested information to Mr. Heidner.
Upon filing the complaint, Mr. Heidner and Gold Rush also referred the matter to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul for further investigation.
* Sun-Times…
A Gaming Board spokesman says the agency does not comment on pending litigation and declined to comment on the breach.
This latest legal volley from Heidner comes after the Gaming Board filed a disciplinary action against him in December seeking to revoke his gambling license for allegedly offering up a $5 million “illegal inducement” to the owner of a gambling parlor chain that planned to remove Heidner’s machines. Heidner’s team says it’s all part of a “smear campaign” orchestrated by a competitor with whom he’s also wrangling in civil court.
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Fardon, other former Chicago feds blast USDOJ
Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* NY Times with the setup…
For decades after Watergate, the White House treated the Justice Department with the softest of gloves, fearful that any appearance of political interference would resurrect the specter of Attorney General John Mitchell helping President Richard M. Nixon carry out a criminal conspiracy for political ends.
In 2001, William P. Barr, describing his first stint as attorney general, under President George Bush, spoke of the department’s protected status in the post-Watergate era. “You didn’t mess around with it, didn’t intervene, you didn’t interfere,” he recalled in an oral history.
Fast forward to 2020, and Mr. Barr is attorney general once more. But President Trump’s ground-shaking conduct has demolished those once-sacrosanct guardrails. Mr. Barr’s intervention to lessen a prison sentencing recommendation for the president’s convicted friend Roger J. Stone Jr. prompted all four career prosecutors handling the matter to quit the case.
* WBEZ’s Dave McKinney and Tony Arnold with the local angle…
Chicago’s former top federal prosecutor on Wednesday harshly condemned his former employer, the U.S. Justice Department, after it bowed to President Donald Trump and relaxed sentencing recommendations for the president’s friend, Roger Stone.
Zachary Fardon, who served as U.S. Attorney in Chicago between 2013 and 2017, told WBEZ he had never seen anything like what unfolded Tuesday in Stone’s case but predicted the precedent would not undercut efforts by federal prosecutors in Chicago to fight political corruption. […]
Asked how he would have handled things if he were prosecuting Stone’s case, Fardon said, “Exactly what those prosecutors did yesterday, which is remove myself. […]
“I think we are in unchartered waters on this one,” former FBI Agent-in-Charge Robert Grant told WBEZ in reference to the resignations in Stone’s case. […]
“What we did and what federal prosecutors all over the country do are they’re trying to do justice, they’re trying to do the right thing. And that should not and hasn’t in the past been dependent on who’s sitting in the White House,” said Eric Sussman, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice at Chicago’s Reed Smith law office.
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“The only thing you have is your word”
Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tina Sfondeles at the Sun-Times…
A “present” vote on a measure to expand abortion coverage in Illinois may cost an Orthodox rabbi — freshman state Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish — his seat in the state House.
That’s if the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, and other abortion rights supporters have their way. Cassidy, alongside activists and elected officials such as Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Commissioner Debra Shore, is planning a “Kalish Lied To Us” news conference on Wednesday morning in Chicago.
The group says Kalish said he’d vote in favor of the bill as part of a requirement of his appointment to the seat. Kalish is the first ordained rabbi to serve in the Illinois General Assembly. […]
But Cassidy isn’t going after any of the other Democrats who either voted no or present. She said she’s singling Kalish out because he’s the only Democrat who changed his vote after making a promise to vote for it.
Cassidy says Kalish told her on the morning of May 28 that he would not be supporting her bill after previously making a commitment to do so. Cassidy also said Kalish spoke to Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan to tell him of his planned “present” vote and even offered up his resignation over it.
* Jonah Meadows at the Patch…
“In Springfield, the only thing you have is your word. And if you go back on your word, you have nothing,” Cassidy said. “Whether you agree with the fundamental substance of the bill, if you know a member has gone back on a promise like this you can’t trust him to ever make a promise again that you can count on.”
Kalish told Patch he did not believe that his reversal on the RHA had cost him credibility with his fellow legislators.
“I took 5,000 votes this session. We’re talking about one vote that I flip on. Every other vote was consistent. Every other vote. And there were some big votes,” Kalish said. “It hasn’t hindered as of now, I don’t think it will hinder in the future, and if there’s somebody who’s concerned maybe they’ll double check with me and make sure. But I hope that, as my career continues in this, that I’ll have the ability to continue proving myself.”
* Hannah Meisel at the Daily Line…
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), the lead sponsor of Reproductive Health Act, said Kalish’s decision blindsided her, especially since he made calls to generate support for the measure. For most of the legislative session, the bill languished in committee.
“In that moment I, quite frankly, really just wanted to get to my roll call and make sure that I could afford to lose that vote,” Cassidy said. “I wanted to go back to preparing for what was going to be a four-hour debate. But I shared a few thoughts with him in that moment, most significantly that I was watching someone I considered a friend throw away a political career.”
Cassidy said Kalish gave her his word that he would support the bill.
“When you make a promise like that, it should be binding,” Cassidy said. “Lots of folks will tell you that in Springfield. The only thing you have is your word.”
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[Bumped up from late Tuesday for visibility and comments opened for discussion.]
* Steve Daniels at Crain’s…
For the first time, Exelon is warning its investors explicitly that it and subsidiary Commonwealth Edison could be subject to criminal or civil penalties in the various federal investigations that have enveloped the energy company.
For months, Exelon has disclosed that it and ComEd received subpoenas from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Northern Illinois into their lobbying activities and communications with state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero, who since has pleaded guilty to taking bribes. But, until now, it said it couldn’t predict any outcome of the probe.
* The new info is contained in Exelon’s SEC report….
The outcome of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and SEC investigations cannot be predicted and could subject Exelon and ComEd to criminal or civil penalties, sanctions or other remedial measures.
Any of the foregoing, as well as the appearance of non-compliance with anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, could have an adverse impact on Exelon’s and ComEd’s reputation or relationship with regulatory and legislative authorities, customers and other stakeholders, as well as their consolidated financial statements.
“Adverse impact.” Yeah. That’s one way to say it.
But the company doesn’t appear to be too worried about the financial impact…
No loss contingency has been reflected in Exelon’s and ComEd’s consolidated financial statements as this contingency is neither probable nor reasonably estimable at this time. Management is currently unable to estimate a range of reasonably possible loss as these matters are subject to change.
* And then there’s this…
Subsequent to Exelon announcing the receipt of the subpoenas, a putative class action lawsuit has been filed against Exelon and certain officers of Exelon and ComEd alleging misrepresentations or omissions by Exelon purporting to relate to matters that are the subject of the subpoenas and the SEC investigation. Exelon believes that these claims lack merit and intends to defend against them, and though the costs or any loss associated with the lawsuit cannot be reasonably estimated at this time, Exelon does not believe that the lawsuit will have a material adverse impact on Exelon’s or ComEd’s consolidated financial statements.
Click here for more info about that class action lawsuit.
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Walz ends campaign to replace Sara Feigenholtz
Wednesday, Feb 12, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
[Comments are now open on this post.]
* 12th House District Democratic candidate Kim Walz didn’t get the appointment to former Rep. Sara Feigenholtz’s seat, Mayor Lightfoot has endorsed the person who was appointed (Yoni Pizer) and organized labor is with Margaret Croke. Walz ended the year with just $15.5K in the bank and has reported raising just $7K since then. Press release…
We started this campaign with a mission, a goal, not only to win this primary race, but to raise awareness about issues that I hold dear; mental health awareness and treatment, access to quality health care for all Illinoisians, and fixing the broken finances of this state.
I am sad to end my campaign for State Representative today.
The race is no longer about issues or experience, it’s about powerful allies and their money. It is not a reality that I am happy about. However, it is a reality.
And I can not in good faith keep asking my friends, supporters, and family to contribute time and money to a campaign where the deck is stacked against me.
This race has never been about politics to me, it’s personal. My parents taught me it’s not about “me,” it’s about “we.”
To the brave woman outside the synagogue who shared with me that she struggled to find a mental health provider who would accept Medicaid. When she did find one, they couldn’t see her for four months so she had to commit herself to get care– I heard you, and I’ll never stop fighting for you.
To the gentleman at a community meeting who told me they are moving his elderly father into their home and struggling to find ways to help him age in place in a state with dwindling senior resources – I heard you, and I’ll never stop fighting for you.
To the 5-year-old girl outside a school waiting for her big sister who told me she needs me to fight against guns – I heard you, and I’ll never stop fighting for you. I might be leaving this race, but I am not leaving the fight.
Thank you to the elected officials and organizations who bravely endorsed me and advocated for me. Thank you, also, to the volunteers who have supported me, woke up at dawn to shake hands at bus stops, knocked on doors in the snow, or donated to my campaign. I hope that the issues I have championed during this race will continue to be a part of the discussion on the campaign trail with the remaining candidates. I urge you all to stay involved and I look forward to continuing to support my community and making Illinois a better for all residents.
You haven’t seen the last of me.
…Adding… From candidate Margaret Croke…
Kim is a respected and tireless advocate for this community. As the only other woman in this race, her voice will be greatly missed. She raised the bar during our conversations on the campaign trail around the issues and challenges facing our district and state, and I thank her for that.
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Lightfoot endorses appointed Rep. LaPointe
Wednesday, Feb 12, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
[Comments are now open on this post.]
* Press release…
Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot is turning to young women leaders like Lindsey LaPointe to help her restore the right priorities in Chicago and Springfield.
LaPointe, D-Chicago, has earned the new mayor’s considerable support in her run for State Representative, representing the 19th Illinois House District on the northwest side of the city.
Lightfoot said LaPointe has the right values and priorities to advocate effectively for middle-class families.
“Lindsey LaPointe brings a fresh perspective to state government. As a social work professional and reform advocate, she has spent her career fighting to improve her community and our city. She is working to find smart new ways to take on crime, and I know she’ll work in Springfield to ease the tax burden on Illinois families. Lindsey LaPointe has my support and my endorsement,” Lightfoot said.
LaPointe said she considers Mayor Lightfoot’s support one of the most significant of many endorsements she’s received this campaign season from a wide variety of elected officials, organized labor and advocacy groups because of the mayor’s commitment to ending business as usual in politics.
“Mayor Lightfoot is exactly right: we need real change in Chicago and Springfield, and we’ll only get it done by electing people who are public servants, not jaded politicians,” LaPointe said. “I’m excited to partner with Mayor Lightfoot, Gov. Pritzker and many other reform-minded people who will put families and children first, fix our tax and health care systems, support our schools and help the less fortunate and those often left behind. Our work will not be easy, but together we can get the job done.”
This primary is not a slam dunk for Lapointe, and while the endorsement was expected it is also a really big boost at just the right time.
…Adding… I posted the above release Wednesday night at about 7:30. From Thursday morning’s Playbook…
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is endorsing Lindsey LaPointe in the competitive race to represent the 19th House District on the city’s northwest side.
I guess the word “first” has a different meaning at that shop. /s
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The Rest Of America Begins Voting
Wednesday, Feb 12, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As the Democratic field narrows, more voters in every community will have the chance to weigh in.
Mike’s record is clear - he’s led the country’s most populous city for three terms. He built a billion dollar business from a one room office, and he has gone toe-to-toe with the NRA for years.
He’s the only candidate that can handle the attacks from Trump and the only candidate that is building a real coalition in every state in America.
For that, he has earned endorsements from Rep. Lucy McBath, Rep. Gregory Meeks, Rep. Stacey Plaskette, the Alabama Democratic Caucus, and so many more.
Read more about Mike’s polling surge in key states that represent broad Democratic coalitions like Arakansas, Missouri, and Florida.
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