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Pritzker unveils energy bill

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Hannah Meisel

After months of declining to endorse any specific plan to both get Illinois on a path to 100% renewable energy and crack down on public utilities’ power in Springfield, Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday entered the already raucous fight with his own legislation that will compete with at least three other proposals that have already been introduced.

Pritzker’s plan incorporates some elements of the other already-proposed measures, including ending an energy rate formula lawmakers approved in 2011, championed by utility giants Commonwealth Edison and Ameren. The proposal would also phase out coal by 2030, and end natural gas use by 2045 by reducing caps on greenhouse gas emissions year over year, and implementing an $8 per ton carbon price on emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric plants.

Atop a fact sheet distributed to stakeholders Wednesday and obtained by NPR Illinois, Pritzker’s office said the governor “believes it is past time to combat climate change, hold utility companies accountable to the ratepayers they serve, and rapidly begin the transition to renewable energy.”

While “clean” energy legislation has been atop Pritzker’s wish list since entering office, the issue has taken on new urgency in the last year after ComEd signed off on a $200 million fine and admitted in a deferred prosecution agreement that the company engaged in a years-long bribery scheme attempting to curry favor with longtime former House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Go read the rest. Pritzker also wants to prohibit ComEd from donating to the Citizens Utility Board and subject CUB to FOIA.

  19 Comments      


Bailey event draws local health department scrutiny

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Kewanee Star-Courier on Monday

By 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, almost 100 area residents had arrived at The Stables on the edge of Kewanee for a meet-and-greet event with Illinois State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), who recently announced a bid to run for governor. […]

“I feel very strongly that he’s a devout Christian and he could do some good. He’s got a good following with the Democratic Party as well, because he wants to make a difference,” [the spouse of the Kewanee mayor, Jeanna Moore] said.

The relationship forged early on between Bailey and the Moores has led to a position within Bailey’s campaign for Jeanna. The Kewanee couple not only hosted the meet and greet event in Kewanee, but Jeanna is acting as campaign coordinator for the Henry County area. Her future plans include a possible fundraiser for Bailey sometime this summer. […]

“It’s really busy right now,” said Bailey, after arriving at the event. “I’m taking advantage of the weekends. There’s a lot of people that want to meet with me,” he said, peering out at the maskless crowd that had assembled to do just that. “I want to listen to the concerns and ideas of the people across Illinois.”

Kewanee wasn’t even Bailey’s last stop for the night, he said. He was scheduled for an event in Moline later before heading back home for church on Sunday and back to Chicago on Monday.

Photo of the event’s buffet from the story

* Kewanee Star-Courier today

Henry County health officials say a political event held locally over the weekend likely violated the state’s rules for large gatherings.

“The (county) Office of Emergency Management has been informed about the event and they will be fielding and addressing any complaints,” said Health Department Spokeswoman RaeAnn Tucker-Marshall following a Star Courier inquiry Monday.

The Saturday meet-and-greet for Republican gubernatorial candidate Sen. Darren Bailey attracted around 100 people to The Stables banquet center just outside Kewanee.

But according to health officials, that’s about 50 more than were supposed to be gathering in a confined space under the current Phase 4 mitigation regulations. The health department also noted issues with the food service setup, the rules which require hand-sanitizers at each end of the service table — none of which are evident in a photo that ran with the story. Only the food service workers at the event, from The Station restaurant, were required to wear masks. […]

Bailey’s local campaign chairman Jeanna Moore accused the Star Courier Monday of purposefully running the photograph of the buffet in an effort to draw the attention of health officials, an accusation the newspaper denies.

Yeah, it’s a bonafide conspiracy, I tell ‘ya. Real deep state stuff right there propagated by the fake news, for sure.

  30 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Ethics updates

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Today’s must-read

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* An old pal sent me a link to a Tribune story with this note…

I was hoping that you would give this story and report some good play on the blog. This is two years in the making with a ton of important stakeholders involved who had put together a proposal to reduce the women’s prison population in Illinois by half.

* The story is about a new task force report

Convened by the Women’s Justice Institute, the task force issued a report that includes 250 recommendations, ranging from eliminating prison charges for basic needs, like email access and tampons, to mass commutations for women where a history of gender-based violence was not initially considered by the court system. […]

Nearly all women who enter Illinois prisons report having suffered from physical or sexual violence. Most are admitted for low-level, nonviolent drug or property crimes. A recent survey in the Cook County Jail showed that 54% of women reported being homeless in the 30 days prior to being detained. A separate survey of 800 women in Illinois prisons found that 40% were unable to pay rent in the year prior to their incarceration, with some sleeping in their cars. […]

“Women are not safe,” said Benford, who works as an organizer for Live Free Illinois, part of a national organization that works to reduce violence in Black communities and also runs a support group for formally incarcerated women. “Women are not safe. They are not safe inside of (the Illinois Department of Corrections). There has to be something else done.”

The answers are outlined in the report largely according to five policy areas, all of which have specific recommendations: relationship safety, housing, economic security, family support and health.

Researchers from Loyola University Chicago’s Center for Criminal Justice Research, Policy, and Practice worked with task force members to create a detailed breakdown of how many women would be freed today under suggested, specific changes to sentencing laws and classifications.

The report is here if you get some time. I’ve reached out to IDOC for comment.

  8 Comments      


2,728 new confirmed and probable cases; 33 additional deaths; 2,154 hospitalized; 502 in ICU; 3.4 percent average case positivity rate; 4.1 percent average test positivity rate; 100,823 average daily doses

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,728 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 33 additional deaths.

    - Cook County: 1 female 20s, 1 male 40s, 1 female 50s, 2 males 50s, 1 female 70s, 2 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 4 females 90s
    - DuPage County: 1 male 50s
    - Kankakee County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s
    - Macon County: 1 female 70s
    - Marshall County: 1 female 90s
    - McHenry County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s
    - McLean County: 1 male 80s
    - Monroe County: 1 male 70s
    - Morgan County: 1 male 70s
    - Peoria County: 1 female 80s
    - Tazewell County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 90s
    - Will County: 1 male 50s
    - Winnebago County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 80s

Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,328,454 cases, including 21,891 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 87,698 specimens for a total of 22,469,213. As of last night, 2,154 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 502 patients were in the ICU and 238 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from April 21-27, 2021 is 3.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from April 21-27, 2021 is 4.1%.

The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses for Illinois is 11,322,205. A total of 9,048,300 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 100,823 doses. Yesterday, 106,173 doses were reported administered in Illinois.

*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for a death previously reported has been changed, therefore numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.

* ABC 7

- Chicago’s top doctor says the city is moving closer to announcing a bigger reopening plan, and a vaccine passport is likely to be part of it.

The “Vax Pass” would give those who are fully vaccinated access to summer events in the city.

Officials have been urging vaccination as a way to protect yourself, your family, and your community. But now officials have a new message: the vaccine is your key to summer fun.

Similar to what New York State already has, the “Vax Pass” is an easy, secure way to show proof of vaccination for entry to festivals, concerts and other events.

“My goal at this point is to say, ‘You want to be part of the fun? Get vaccinated,’” said Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago Dept. of Public Health.

…Adding… Bloomberg

Thousands of people at a mass nightclub rave in the U.K. this week will be a key test of whether live events halted during the pandemic can reopen at full capacity as planned from the end of June.

The two-day event in Liverpool, northwest England, is part of a national research program which so far appears to show people are happy to be tested for coronavirus to secure entry to large-scale events. […]

The event in Liverpool is part of a broader program of trials to explore how the use of Covid testing, ventilation, social distancing, and face coverings can help reopen large venues safely. Sports events including soccer matches have been the focus so far.

  11 Comments      


Question of the day

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* House Majority Leader


Today is National Superhero Day. Please celebrate responsibly.

Posted by Greg Harris on Wednesday, April 28, 2021

* The Question: Who’s your favorite Illinois superhero? You’re not limited to politics/government, of course. But please make sure to explain your answer.

  68 Comments      


State very close to normal 30-day payment cycle as bill backlog falls to just $3.5 billion

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Comptroller Susana Mendoza press release…

What does it mean that Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills has fallen from $16.7 billion in 2017 to $3.5 billion this week?

For the first time in many years, the state of Illinois can pay its bills as they come in. The oldest commercial vouchers owed to most vendors and providers of goods and services in the office right now are dated April 26 – Monday.

There remains $3.5 billion in interfund transfers owed to other branches of government, group health insurance bills with limited appropriation authority, and invoices at state agencies that have not yet been forwarded to the Office of Comptroller for payment. Comptroller Mendoza has said that when the backlog gets down to $3 billion in a $42 billion budget, that’s essentially within the 30-day payment cycle common in private industry.

“This is a remarkable day that I have been working toward since I took office in December 2016 amid the budget impasse when the previous administration was paying nursing homes and hospice centers up to a year late and they let the backlog climb to $16.7 billion,” Comptroller Mendoza said.

“Today’s achievement is the result of diligent daily management of the state’s cash flow by my office, supported by state agencies that now provide monthly updates on the number of bills and late payment interest penalties they are holding at their offices.”

The Debt Transparency Act, resulting in monthly Debt Transparency Reports, was a hallmark initiative of Comptroller Mendoza’s in 2017. It has eliminated costly surprises and has allowed for more effective management of the state’s checkbook.

Paying down the backlog has been aided by steady revenue receipts, even during the pandemic. April, when state residents and businesses pay their taxes, is generally the best revenue month for the state. Though the deadline for filing was moved back to May 17 this year, it appears many filers may have stuck with the April 15 deadline.

Comptroller Mendoza cautioned that today’s low bill backlog does not mean the state has overcome its fiscal challenges.

The backlog does not reflect the more than $3.6 billion Illinois borrowed mainly from the Federal Reserve to pay state medical bills during the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic and return money to Illinois’s economy. She again stressed that American Rescue Plan funds must be used first to pay back that borrowing.

“I’ll say it as often as I need to: Illinois must craft a balanced state budget for fiscal year 2022 without depending on the one-time federal relief money the state received,” she said. “Responsible budget-making directs the fate of the backlog as we continue making headway with our finances and show taxpayers and the credit rating agencies that we’re serious about restoring Illinois’ financial stability.”

The Comptroller’s Office has informed the bond rating agencies of this positive development and assured them it is doing everything possible to manage the current backlog of bills and address Illinois’ finances head on. Comptroller Mendoza has asked the agencies to consider these positive factors and progress made paying down the backlog when evaluating Illinois’ credit worthiness.

  41 Comments      


It’s just a bill

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* SB2122 would toss out as an inadmissible any statement by a juvenile given to “a law enforcement officer, juvenile officer, or other public official or employee,” when that official “knowingly engages in deception.” 270 witness slips were filed against the bill, mainly by local law enforcement agencies.

Here’s Charles Keeshan and Susan Sarkauskas at the Daily Herald

“The intent behind the bill is, what can we do to protect juveniles, especially in these situations,” said state Sen. Laura Fine, a Democrat from Glenview and one of the bill’s co-sponsors.

Proponents, including some law enforcement leaders and prosecutors, say minors are two to three times more likely than adults to be coerced into false confessions. As a result, they say, innocent juveniles can end up serving time for crimes they didn’t commit. […]

In fact, in a 2018 report called “Reducing Risks: An Executive’s Guide to Effective Juvenile Interview and Interrogation,” the International Association of Chiefs of Police warn that officers should “think twice” before misleading young suspects.

“The use of deception also may cause an innocent juvenile — even one who initially had a clear recollection of not committing a crime — to mistrust his memory, accept that the ‘evidence’ proves his guilt, and eventually confess to a crime that he did not commit,” the report states.

The bill wasn’t called before the Third Reading deadline, but that deadline was extended until Friday.

More here.

* Crain’s

Illinois is rolling out the welcome mat for cryptocurrency investors and the firms that serve them.

Springfield is on the verge of clearing legislation that would establish a new state trust charter for companies that hold bitcoin and other digital currencies on behalf of investors. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to sign it.

The bill, which passed the House unanimously on April 21, would make Illinois one of just a very few states to establish and regulate cryptocurrency deposit holders. Sponsors hope the initiative spawns a new industry creating jobs in a part of the tech world that’s growing rapidly. […]

“We’re not scared of crypto and blockchain,” said freshman state Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, the bill’s chief sponsor. “We’re going to create a stable regulatory structure.”

The only thing I would say is I’ve seen lots of bills pass one chamber without opposition only to wind up dead in the other chamber. But I have no idea whether that’ll happen here.

* This will cause a stir in the House, where Republican Rep. Tim Butler has a bill to merge the township with the county

A bill that would create three and potentially four new elected positions in the government of Capital Township would give township residents more direct representation, the bill’s Democratic sponsor said.

But Republicans in Sangamon County government who currently handle those jobs and would lose the responsibilities said Monday the bill needlessly expands bureaucracy and would create confusion for taxing bodies and financial burdens for Capital Township taxpayers.

State Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, who previously served on the Springfield City Council and Sangamon County Board, said constituents of the township have told her that they were unhappy about not being able to directly elect several township officials. […]

Turner’s legislation, Senate Bill 826, which passed the Illinois Senate on Thursday with no Republican votes and remains pending in the House, calls for township-wide elections for the Capital Township supervisor, assessor, clerk and tax collector.

* This bill was picked up by Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Cunningham

Illinois community college students would have a path to guaranteed admission into the University of Illinois system under legislation passed by the state House on Tuesday.

State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, a Republican from Elmhurst, sponsored the legislation, HB 796, which would require the U of I to create a “pilot program” that promises admission beginning in the 2022-23 school year to all Illinois community college students who graduated from a state high school, have a 3.0 GPA and completed 36 graded credit hours. The bill passed 111-0.

It would fall on the University of Illinois and individual community colleges to reach an “articulation agreement” on requirements for programs that usually have higher admissions standards, such as engineering.

* Lake County News-Sun

Legislation sponsored by state Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, designed to soften the financial impact of COVID-19 on Illinois school districts like those in Waukegan, North Chicago, Zion and Round Lake — which rely heavily on state funding — is a step closer to reality.

Johnson’s proposed legislation was approved by the state Senate, 49-6, Thursday in Springfield, modifying the formula for evidence-based funding to eliminate inequities because of a drop in attendance for the current school year related to the coronavirus pandemic.

* More…

* State Lawmakers Advance Bill to Replace Toxic Lead Service Lines

* It’s the teachers’ union — not charter schools — lobbying for an elected Chicago school board

  10 Comments      


Loretto execs spent big bucks on buddies while pleading poverty to lawmakers

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Block Club Chicago and the BGA

Loretto Hospital paid millions of dollars to private companies founded by a close friend and business partner of Dr. Anosh Ahmed, who helped run the hospital until he resigned last month amid a COVID vaccine distribution scandal.

The publicly funded hospital paid nearly $4 million to the three companies in one year alone, making them the top-paid “independent contractors” listed on the hospital’s tax statements between July 2018 and June 2019.

All three companies have ties to Ahmed’s business partner and friend Sameer Suhail, according to an investigation by Block Club Chicago and the Better Government Association. One of Suhail’s companies, One Health Billing Co., received $2.1 million from Loretto during the 12-month time period. Headquartered in Suhail’s Trump Tower condo, the firm doesn’t have a website and isn’t registered with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office. […]

Loretto reported a $12 million operating loss in its 2019 tax report, and it has struggled with funding during the pandemic, CEO George Miller has said. In recent years, Loretto has warned it could close due to funding shortfalls.

But while Loretto appealed to state lawmakers for taxpayer support, Ahmed and Suhail were living side-by-side in a Downtown high-rise and pursuing businesses together, according to land and corporate records as well as interviews with business and medical colleagues.

  22 Comments      


Telehealth Saves Life Of Stroke Patient In Rural Illinois

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

The power of telehealth to save lives was on full display the night Garrett Graham looked over at his wife to find she just had a stroke.

The frightening moments that followed took Garrett and Brenda Graham from Shelbyville High School, where they were watching a volleyball game, to HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital in Shelbyville and, ultimately, HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.

A telehealth call between a physician at HSHS Good Shepherd and a neurosurgeon at HSHS St. John’s saved precious minutes. Brenda Garrett, then paralyzed on the left side of her body, was airlifted to HSHS St. John’s for treatment.

Telehealth is crucial in many hospitals, including those in rural Illinois, where some facilities do not have specialists on staff. Garrett Graham, in a video interview, pointed to telehealth as saving his wife’s life.

“The whole thing had to come about in a four-hour window max and they had it accomplished in about two hours,” he said. “From our perspective the good Lord put us here [HSHS Good Shepherd] because this is where we had to be.”

The Coalition to Protect Telehealth strongly supports House Bill 3498 to protect access to telehealth. Learn more at https://protectillinoistelehealth.org/.

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Sen. Tom Cullerton’s trial date set for month before 2022 primary

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sarah Mansur

State Sen. Tom Cullerton, who was indicted in 2019 on charges of embezzlement, is set to go to trial in February next year, a federal judge said on Tuesday.

Cullerton, a Democrat from Villa Park, is scheduled to be tried in the U.S. District Court in Chicago, starting on Feb. 23, 2022.

The latest development in Cullerton’s criminal case came during a court hearing Tuesday morning before Judge Robert Gettleman. Cullerton’s federal trial was previously set for July 2020 but that date was scrapped when the pandemic halted jury trials.

The indictment, issued in August 2019, charges Cullerton with one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefit plans, 39 counts of embezzlement from a labor union, and one count of making false statements in a health care matter. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

* Jason Meisner

Cullerton was last reelected in 2018 and would next face voters in 2022. If he were to go on trial in February, it would be just a few weeks before the Illinois Democratic primary for the November general election. So far, no Democrat has publicly said they intend to challenge the incumbent if he elects to run.

* Jon Seidel

The case against Cullerton revolves around his role as an organizer for Teamsters Joint Council 25. He landed that job after his former employer, Hostess Brands, shut down in 2012. Former Teamsters boss John Coli told prosecutors he arranged for Cullerton to get that job “but did not believe the employment was legitimate,” Cullerton’s defense attorney has said.

Cullerton has been accused of collecting $188,320 in salary, bonuses and cellphone and vehicle allowances from the Teamsters, as well as $64,068 in health and pension contributions, while doing little or no work for the labor union. He also allegedly collected $21,678 in reimbursed medical claims.

Coli pleaded guilty in 2019 in an extortion case revolving around $325,000 in cash payments he received from Cinespace Chicago Film Studios between 2014 and 2017. He agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors, and Cullerton was charged days later.

…Adding… Another one…


  13 Comments      


Pritzker to appeal latest Shakman decision

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Cook County Record

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has indicated he will appeal a federal judge’s decision refusing to allow his administration to get out from under federal oversight of allegedly corrupt state hiring practices.

On April 26, the Illinois Attorney General’s office filed a notice in Chicago federal court, indicating their intention to appeal a decision from late March from U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang.

The notice does not indicate the basis of the appeal, nor what precisely the governor seeks to challenge in Chang’s March 31 ruling. Neither has the attorney general yet filed any briefs on behalf of the governor with the U.S. Seventh Circuit of Appeals.

However, the anticipated appeal would continue Pritzker’s efforts to toss aside decades-long review of federal oversight, intended to reduce instances of allegedly politically motivated and unfair hiring practices at various state agencies under the governor’s supervision.

In 2020, Pritzker and his fellow Democrat, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, filed motions before Judge Chang, arguing the federal oversight was no longer needed, because the state had corrected the patronage hiring and employment problems targeted by a series of federal court orders.

That federal oversight has been in place, in some fashion, since at least 1972, when federal judges first sided with anti-corruption reform advocates, Chicago lawyers Michael Shakman and Paul Lurie.

* From Jordan Abudayyeh…

The governor is deeply committed to ensuring all state hiring and employment practices are conducted with the highest ethical standards and is proud to have built the most diverse administration in Illinois history with experts in their fields. Ethics and fairness are top priorities for the governor and as the court has made clear, this administration has made substantial progress on those priorities in state employment practices.

The state believes it has met all objectives of the 1972 Shakman Consent Decree in the decades since it was put in place and the continuation of the Decree is both unnecessarily costly and beyond its original scope. In fact, Judge Edmond Chang noted that the state has made significant progress, particularly in the last two years under the Pritzker administration.

* Background info…

• Since 1972 when the decree was entered, the state has met the objectives of the Decree, particularly given the substantial progress made under the Pritzker administration. Plaintiffs are attempting to keep the Decree in place by broadening its scope far beyond the original specific terms.
• In its ruling on the state’s request to dismiss the case, Judge Chang wrote: “Nor does the Court downplay the significant progress made by the State, especially in the past two years, toward implementing a durable remedy. Indeed, as the implementation of the CEP continues, and as HEM continues its efforts and—it is hoped—increases its impact on State agencies, then the Court would be receptive to consider another motion to terminate in the last quarter of this year.” https://s3.amazonaws.com/jnswire/jns-media/9b/06/11556658/shakman_v_pritzker_special_master_ruling_3-31-21.pdf
• The Shakman Consent Decree has been in place since 1972, an unusually lengthy period of time during which many other governments have exited the Shakman Decree.
• Federalism and federal court jurisdiction dictates that federal courts should not be involved in State operations longer than necessary, as is the case here.
• Earlier this month, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals decided a separate Shakman appeal that reinforced this argument. There, the Court expressed “the grave federalism concerns we have with the fact that [a local government] has been under the thumb of a federal consent decree for the last 50 years.” Op. at 17. It explained that “[s]uch entrenched federal oversight should have raised red flags long ago.” Id. The Court of Appeals concluded by stating plainly that “[i]t is time to get these cases off the federal docket ….” Id. at 19.
• Changes to the law of “standing” since 1972 mean the plaintiffs no longer have standing as they are not directly affected by the State’s action, a requirement of modern standing jurisprudence.

  23 Comments      


Chicago convention shutdown cost the city and state $233.8 million in lost tax revenues

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Fran Spielman

The pandemic-induced shutdown of Chicago conventions has already cost the city and state $233.8 million in lost tax revenue and the red ink at McCormick Place will keep piling up until fiscal 2024, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority board was told Tuesday.

McCormick Place held its last convention on March 6, 2020. Since then, losses have been staggering: 230 canceled events that would have drawn 3.4 million attendees; 2.2 million lost hotel room nights; $3.05 billion in lost economic impact; and $233.8 million in lost state and city taxes. […]

That helps explain why Chief Financial Officer Jason Bormann convinced the board to approve a revised three-year financial plan that rather conservatively assumes McCormick Place will not return to full capacity until fiscal 2024.

Instead, the plan calls for a more gradual ramp-up: 25% in the first quarter of fiscal 2022, which starts in July; 50% capacity in the second and third quarters; 75% capacity in the fourth quarter and for all of the 2023 fiscal year, before hitting 100% in July 2023, the start of the 2024 fiscal year.

More at the link.

* CBS 2

More than $3 billion – that is how much revenue was lost at McCormick Place during the pandemic shutdown. […]

As of last week, 230 events had been canceled – and they would have attracted about 3.4 million attendees and nearly 2.2 million hotel room nights if they had gone ahead. […]

For the month of March, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority reported a net operating loss of about $7 million – but that was about $2 million under what they were projecting.

McCormick Place said right now they have 48 events scheduled between July and December 2021.

  12 Comments      


Today’s quotable

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, who is now a Florida resident

“People ask would I do it again, and I say, yes, I would do it again,” he says. “I might run again some day—if I ever get my wife comfortable with it.”

Go read the rest of the interview if you have a couple of minutes.

  62 Comments      


Protected: *** UPDATED x2 *** SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Open thread

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Please talk amongst yourselves while I get some posts together for subscribers and everyone else.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Follow along with ScribbleLive


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