COVID-19 roundup
Thursday, Sep 23, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers about this case and its context earlier today. I’ll have more for non-subscribers soonish…
The Nauvoo-Colusa School District decided earlier this week to exempt some unvaccinated staff from weekly COVID-19 testing. […]
Those who choose not to get the vaccine or cannot due to medical or religious reasons must then undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.
Some unvaccinated Nauvoo-Colusa staff members had requested exemptions from weekly COVID-19 testing claiming they have the right to do so under Illinois’ Health Care Rights and Conscience Act. […]
The Nauvoo-Colusa School District is on the Illinois State Board of Education’s probation list because the school district made face masks optional rather than mandated per the governor’s executive order.
* Admitted COVID-19 patients per 100 hospital beds. The greener the better, the pinker the worse…
People need to get their heads out of their… you know whats.
* Ugh…
* Message to all the people out there who are whining about how they just want to return to normal life: Vaccines are the best way to that goal. I’m really not sure I can take another year of this nonsense…
Moderna Inc Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel thinks the coronavirus pandemic could be over in a year as increased vaccine production ensures global supplies, he told the Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung.
“If you look at the industry-wide expansion of production capacities over the past six months, enough doses should be available by the middle of next year so that everyone on this earth can be vaccinated. Boosters should also be possible to the extent required,” he told the newspaper in an interview.
Vaccinations would soon be available even for infants, he said.
“Those who do not get vaccinated will immunize themselves naturally, because the Delta variant is so contagious. In this way we will end up in a situation similar to that of the flu. You can either get vaccinated and have a good winter. Or you don’t do it and risk getting sick and possibly even ending up in hospital.”
* It’s important to remember, though, that not everyone who isn’t vaccinated is a hardcore anti-science freak…
I’ve asked for access to that polling data, but here’s some coverage in the Washington Post…
Barriers to getting the shot and information about the vaccines have hindered the “unvaccinated but willing,” who account for approximately 10 percent of the American population, according to a report last month by the Department of Health and Human Services. Unlike those who have declined vaccines, some vocally, because of their politics or ideology, a quieter share — about 44% of unvaccinated people — say they would get vaccinated but are on the fence for certain reasons. Some, like Orosco-Arellano, lack transportation or other means, while others wish to wait and see or don’t know coronavirus vaccines are free.
* More from the city…
“The [city worker vaccination] deadline is not going to be pushed back, I can tell you with 100% certainty,” Lightfoot said. “We are not going to retreat from that.”
While other employee unions have engaged city officials in “thoughtful dialogue,” the police union has “been nowhere,” Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot participated in a ceremony Monday to retire the stars of the four Chicago police officers who died after contracting COVID-19 during the pandemic. The leading cause of death for law enforcement officers is COVID-19, Lightfoot said.
“It is unconscionable — unconscionable — that the FOP is taking the position that they will not do the right thing by their members and get them vaccinated,” Lightfoot said. “I don’t even know what they are doing.”
* Not good enough…
The unemployment rate decreased over-the-year in all fourteen Illinois metropolitan areas in August for the fifth straight month according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). Jobs were up in all metro areas, with the exception of the Bloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area.
“As reopening and recovery efforts continue to impact metro areas across the state, IDES is committed to continuing to assist both claimants and jobseekers who are still looking to reenter the workforce,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “Claimants are encouraged to utilize IllinoisJobLink.com to search for work opportunities and take advantage of assistance the Department can provide with workforce development, including job trainings and resume building.”
Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in thirteen metropolitan areas and decreased in one (Bloomington MSA, -0.6%, -500). The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Springfield MSA (+3.5%, +3,600); the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (+3.1%, +5,400), the Chicago Metro Division (+2.9%, +102,200) and the Peoria MSA (+2.9%, +4,700). The industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Leisure and Hospitality (fourteen areas); Transportation, Warehousing and Public Utilities (eleven areas); Other Services and Government (ten areas each); Manufacturing and Educational and Health Services (nine areas each).
Over-the-year, the unemployment rate decreased in all 14 metropolitan areas; the metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division (-5.5 points to 7.5%), the Elgin Metropolitan Division (-3.2 points to 6.1%) and the Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division (-2.7 points to 5.3%). The unemployment rate also decreased over-the-year in all 102 counties for the fifth consecutive month.
* More…
* COVID-19 update: 3,505 new cases, 44 more deaths, 2,008 hospitalizations: The state’s positivity rate for COVID-19 cases is 3.8% based on a seven-day average.
* Semiconductor shortage appears to be worsening, as coronavirus causes new supply problems in Southeast Asia: Now coronavirus is worsening the problem, as Delta-variant infections force chip suppliers in Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines to halt production, according to industry executives and administration officials.
* Pritzker announces $40 million workforce recovery grant program, a ‘key component’ for state’s pandemic recovery: The governor also said the state will expand its youth career pathways program that serves young people who might be at risk of dropping out or experiencing violence.
* Aiming to boost vaccine rates in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot launches new marketing campaign, Vax-Chi-Nation
* More than 90% of CPS students showed up on the first day of school and the first full reopening since COVID-19 shutdown
* No, Vaccinated People Are Not ‘Just as Likely’ to Spread the Coronavirus as Unvaccinated People: Vaccinated people are not as likely to spread the coronavirus as the unvaccinated. Even in the United States, where more than half of the population is fully vaccinated, the unvaccinated are responsible for the overwhelming majority of transmission.
* The Most Important Vaccine I’ll Get This Fall: After last year’s eerie lull, flu viruses could be poised to return packing a bigger punch.
* Vaccines take center stage in tight Virginia governor’s race
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Climate/energy law coverage roundup
Thursday, Sep 23, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WPBG…
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was asked during his visit to the McCluggage Bridge Tuesday about the deal Illinois lawmakers recently approved that keeps two Illinois nuclear power plants open, while reducing emissions at coal-fired power plants.
Pritzker says negotiations involving his office led to the deal that lawmakers approved.
“The negotiation that we had over what support we would provide to the power plants that were losing money started with a thorough, independent audit,” said Pritzker.
Pritzker says an audit wasn’t done five years ago when other energy legislation was passed. He said he only wanted to give Exelon, for example, what was fair.
Pritzker said the state, and [ratepayers], got a deal.
“We ended up paying one-sixth on a megawatt hour basis what was paid the last time this was negotiated,” said Pritzker. “Last time, six times was paid what we paid this time in order to keep these plants alive, and keep those jobs going.”
* One of the most important parts of my job is to read as much about Illinois government/politics as humanly possible. After seeing that story above, I thought I’d put together a quick coverage roundup since the bill signing. Easier said than done because quite a lot has been written. Click here for a story with easy-to-read dot points about what’s in the bill. David Roberts at Volts has a much more in-depth piece on how the bill was passed and what’s in it…
In 2016, Illinois passed a decent enough energy bill. It shored up the state’s (relatively modest) renewable energy standard and kept its existing nuclear power plants open. It was a compromise among varied interests, signed into law by a Democratic legislature and a Republican governor. At the time, I figured it was the best any state in the coal-heavy Midwest was likely to do.
Well, that will teach me to go around figuring. Just five years later, Illinois has raised the bar, passing one of the most environmentally ambitious, worker-friendly, justice-focused energy bills of any state in the country: The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
Illinois is now the first state in the Midwest to commit to net-zero carbon emissions, joining over a dozen other states across the country. It is also a model for how diverse stakeholders can reach consensus. […]
The state’s labor community was sensitive to the fact that it had largely been left out of the 2016 bill; the legislation contained no labor standards, and recent years have seen Illinois renewable energy projects importing cheaper out-of-state workforces. Labor didn’t want to get left behind in the state’s energy transition, so it organized a coalition of groups under the banner Climate Jobs Illinois and set about playing an active role in negotiations.
Renewable energy developers — cognizant of the fact that Illinois is falling short of its renewable energy goals (it’s at 9 percent; it’s supposed to be at 21) and state funding has dried up for new renewable energy projects — organized as Path to 100.
Environmental and climate-justice groups organized as the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition.
All the groups introduced energy bills of their own. And then they spent years banging their heads together.
But there was another key difference: this time around, utilities were not at the table.
If you have some time today, go read the whole thing. I learned some stuff about what the new law will mean to consumers and workers.
* More…
* As Illinois phases out fossil fuels, law offers support to transition workers: The law has been heralded by supporters as the country’s most expansive example of equity enshrined in clean energy legislation, prioritizing communities of color and environmental justice communities, as well as communities affected by the energy transition. The law creates community-based “energy navigators” to help people find careers in clean energy and overcome barriers such as child care and transportation, and it offers a pre-apprenticeship program meant to funnel people from marginalized communities into union jobs.
* CWLP looks to solar: The current agreement provides that CWLP must be carbon-free by 2045, with emissions reductions of 45% by 2035. If CWLP’s plants can’t come into compliance within three years of 2035, they would need to shut down some operations under the new law. But Brown said, in practice, CWLP has already done so with the retirement of three of its coal-fired generators, Dallman Units 31, 32 and 33.
* Solar industry says future’s bright after energy legislation signed by governor: That means the net cost to the owner of a 2,100-square-foot home in Springfield for a $25,875 solar system can be $9,084, and the system will pay for itself in eight to nine years through lower CWLP bills, Knox said.
* The Future of Illinois Energy Policy: Renewable Energy Set to Expand: In addition to electric vehicle rule development and program administration requirements, a new Electric Vehicle Coordinator appointed by the Governor will also act as the point person for electric vehicle and electric vehicle charging-related policies. The electric vehicle component of the legislation targets putting 1 million electric vehicles on Illinois roads by 2030.
* Illinois now boasts the ‘most equitable’ climate law in America. What will that mean?: “Illinois has a more fossil-fuel driven and dirty electric grid than many of the other states that have committed to 100 percent clean energy,” Garren says. “In passing a bill like this, we’re setting the stage to prove that a 100% clean future is possible in every state.”
* Illinois Just Won a Big Green Jobs Victory: SB 2408 is also targeted to benefit working-class and poor communities and neighborhoods, investing $115 million for small business development and $78 million for electric transportation (for charging infrastructure, for example) in poor neighborhoods. It also increases community solar production — shared solar facilities that make this form of energy more affordable — fivefold.
* MacArthur Foundation dumping fossil fuel investments: Foundation President John Palfrey announced MacArthur’s plan in a blog post on its website, explaining the Chicago-based nonprofit will ramp up investments in companies and funds that are addressing climate change and continue to wind down investments in private funds that invest in oil and gas exploration, a mission it started in 2019.
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* Politico…
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has written to the CEOs of several Texas-based companies urging them to bring their businesses north in response to the Texas law that essentially bars abortions as early as six weeks.
“I invite you to consider a new home base — one that embraces the 21st century,” he wrote in a series of previously unreported letters to Oracle, Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard, Match.com and others.
Pritzker, who worked in the corporate world much of his life, refers to Texas lawmakers as “radical legislators” who “functionally eradicate[d] the autonomy of half the state” by enacting a law he says cuts off access to basic health care and family planning.
And if abortion rights aren’t enough to sway the CEOs, the liberal Democratic governor pressed voting rights, too. “Illinois welcomes you — we’ll even greet you with same-day registration,” he wrote.
Pritzker’s letters are being sent out as Illinois — which enshrined abortion protections into state law in 2019 — is feeling the ripple effect of the Texas law.
Planned Parenthood says it’s ramping up staffing in Illinois as it’s been seeing more patients from Texas in the weeks since the law there went into effect.
Texas’ neighbors, Oklahoma and New Mexico, haven’t been able to handle the influx, so patients are heading to Illinois instead. And Planned Parenthood of Illinois foresees that continuing to increase, said its president and CEO Jennifer Welch.
“We’re expecting there will be copycat laws that will bring more patients from other states,” Welch said. “We don’t know who will do it next. Will it be Missouri? Indiana? Or South Dakota? We don’t know what other state will be next, but we’ve seen a number of states preparing to do the same type of abortion ban.”
A sample letter is here.
* Mark Maxwell…
Sen. Darren Bailey (R) said he’d reverse the plan former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law.
“One of the first things that I also want to work to eliminate is taxpayer funded abortion in the State of Illinois,” Bailey said. […]
House Democrat Kelly Cassidy said the new Texas ban on all abortions after six weeks enlists civil suits, not state power, to restrict abortion, a tactic she says is designed to reverse the high court’s super-precedent.
“We built a firewall around Illinois for this eventuality. This is exactly the kind of case. It’s going to make Roe fall,” she acknowledged.
Republicans are responding to Pritzker’s letter, with Bailey calling it a “stunt,” writing in a statement, “taxpayer-funded abortion is radical and wrong, but Pritzker champions it.”
Sullivan’s campaign said, “If JB Pritzker is serious about attracting businesses to Illinois, he should stop writing letters and start lowering taxes, and make Illinois a business-friendly state.”
Thoughts?
…Adding… Gary Rabine…
“Businesses are leaving Illinois because of the hostile business environment Governor Pritzker has fostered,” Rabine said. “If Pritzker ever had to build a business, he would realize that you need to first take care of your existing customers before marketing and selling to new customers.
Illinois having the highest job loss per capita of any other state makes it obvious to me or any business leader that we must make our business policies and tax environment competitive and rewarding to our loyal Illinois businesses first. Once accomplished under a Rabine administration, I would build an All-Star team of business development leaders to go after every state and allied country selling the story of the new business thriving Illinois.
I know to most this is just common sense, unfortunately we are lacking common sense in the Pritzker administration.”
According to a WalletHub report released in March, Illinois has the highest combination of state and local taxes in the nation on top of one of the most abusive business regulatory environments in the country.
* Related…
* Texas abortion doctor lawsuits filed by allies may go nowhere. The challengers—including one from Illinois—are pro-choice, likely dooming the cases.
* Can Cook County cut ties with companies that donated to Texas abortion ban backers? A county commissioner aims to find out.
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* Rachel Hinton…
One nonprofit entity created by Republican gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan owes $3,200 to the state of California — plus additional interest and penalties — for failing to file its tax returns for nearly a year, and another of his organizations is currently listed as delinquent in the West Coast state.
In response to questions from a Chicago Sun-Times reporter, Sullivan’s campaign said Wednesday the downstate venture capitalist plans to settle that debt, which it attributed to a “paperwork error,” and work with California’s Department of Justice to “address these administrative filings to achieve good standing.”
“Jesse Sullivan set up a nonprofit that never began operations,” Sullivan’s campaign said in a statement Wednesday. “When notified today that this unused entity had accumulated fees due to a paperwork error, he immediately took steps to address the fee, and is now closing it.
“As governor, Jesse Sullivan will work to cut red tape and make it easier to start and grow organizations here in Illinois.”
That nonprofit, called Alter Investments, is one of two created by Sullivan. Alter Global, the other non-profit that was registered as a charity and public benefit entity, has had a delinquent status in California since February 2020, according to the website of that state’s attorney general.
Go read the rest.
* Meanwhile, Sullivan was on WMAY the other day…
Q: In your campaign announcement video, you make reference to having served your country in uniform. Are you in fact, a veteran?
A: So I am not a veteran. I worked actually on the intelligence side of the Army. So I was an intel Army civilian, which was a unique program where they basically wanted to bring people in. So I trained up, you know, Fort Leavenworth, Fort Polk, Louisiana. And then I was deployed, you know, in uniform with a weapon out on combat patrols every day in Helmand, Afghanistan. And my job was mainly getting to know the Afghan local militias that were turning their weapons back on us that we were helping to train up. So my job was to get to know them, try to figure out what the heck was going on on the intel side and then help with military decision-making, essentially advising a brigadier general on what to do in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. So really, really proud of that service for our country. And yeah, just really feel like a lot of the experience has shaped the way I would approach leading as governor of our state.
Q: I don’t want to belabor that. But your your campaign said in a statement to Capitol Fax that you had quote, led combat patrols. Is that accurate? Do civilians lead combat patrols in a war zone?
A: No. So I actually I led our team on combat patrols. And so, no way would I ever want to take anything, I have so much incredible respect for our veterans in my opportunity to serve overseas was one of the proudest things I’ve been able to do for my country. And so in doing that, I was out on, you know, two weeks at a time, I would get out there and I had another analyst, sometimes a social scientist, an interpreter, and my job was a collection efforts. I led our team called the human terrain team. And we would embed with the local units for a couple of weeks. They knew that area better than I did, the area of operation. And so they would lead the combat patrol, I would lead our team on the combat patrol.
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Today’s quotable
Thursday, Sep 23, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The conclusion of a Sun-Times editorial on vaccine mandates for public employees…
The first priority of organized labor, if they care about the health of their members and ending the pandemic, should be to find union-friendly ways to make vaccine mandates work.
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