Question of the day
Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Block Club Chicago…
Johneece Cobb was at the gravesite of her nephew, shot to death in 2015, when she got a horrifying call: Her 14-year-old granddaughter had just been shot outside Wendell Phillips Career Academy in Bronzeville.
Police said the shooter laid in wait outside the Bronzeville school as classes were letting out, and “immediately starts shooting” when the security guard opened the door for students leaving the building.
Cobb’s granddaughter, a freshman, was shot twice when bullets pieced the door. The 45-year-old security guard was shot multiple times, police said. He was taken to University of Chicago Hospital in fair condition. […]
Pastor Michael Pfleger, frustrated by the lack of response from City Hall, is calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to declare a “state of emergency” as gun violence continues to plague the city. An online petition created by Brave Youth Leaders — the church’s violence prevention program — has been circulating on social media.
* From that online petition…
With this state of emergency we are asking that additional emergency funds be allotted via state grant opportunities to community grassroots organizations/programs for:
1.Youth Mentoring and After School Violence Prevention Programs, Organizations and Services
2.Organizations Servicing At-Risk and Criminal Involved Youth under 25 years and younger.
3.Initiating a Taskforce with the ATF (The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) assigned with the IL State Police to gun/drug trafficking and shooting/homicide cases.
4.Full time mental health/trauma specialists staffing in to public schools and community organizations along with a combination of trade and vocational classes and certification opportunities with college readiness resources for youth.
5.Incorporating of a Statewide Violence Prevention Office With Grassroot Organizations as Liaisons
* Sun-Times…
Pfleger also called on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to declare a state of emergency and come up with a plan on “how we’re going to stop this. It just keeps getting worse.” […]
“How many children, how many lives before we say it’s a state of emergency? We are at a state of emergency now,” Pfleger said. “And I believe that the governor is cautious, doesn’t want to embarrass the city or, you know, overstep the city. I don’t care about feelings anymore.
“I don’t care who’s embarrassed, I don’t care who’s hurt,” he said.
* The Question: What do you think the governor should do about this? Make sure to explain your answer.
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* This was a weird rumor…
A campaign official for Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said this week there is “no way” the mayor will join the race for governor.
Dennis Cook, a campaign spokesman who has served as Irvin’s campaign manager in his races for mayor, said this week an online video interview that named Irvin as a potential candidate in the Republican primary was likely “just wishful thinking.”
“No, he’s not running for governor,” Cook told The Beacon-News. “Richard just got re-elected in April. We have a job to do.” […]
Irvin himself did not address the rumors, and referred questions about it to Cook.
* Today’s quotable from Sen. Darren Bailey…
He ran for the House and was elected. He then ran for the Senate and is serving there, even when he’s being asked to leave because he refuses to wear a mask. Now, he’s running for governor.
“God’s opening these doors and we’re being obedient in walking through these doors, that’s all we’re doing,” Bailey said. “A message of hope, standing up for the people, that’s something different and unique to Illinois.”
He’s not fond of career politicians, saying, “As soon as people get elected, they try to figure out to get re-elected and when they do that, then you’ve got to start pleasing everyone. It’s that simple. George Washington served to terms and stepped aside, that was the example.”
So, instead of trying to get re-elected he just keeps running for another office. Got it.
* We’ll see if he can raise any money…
Jonathan Logemann is a soldier, a high school teacher, a family man and a Rockford alderman.
He would like to add congressman to the list.
Logemann, a Democrat, announced on Wednesday that he is running to represent the 17th Congressional District. It is the seat U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos of Moline has announced she is retiring from in January 2023 following her fifth term. […]
Re-elected to a seventh term in an uncontested race in April, Alderwoman Linda McNeely, D-13, has also said she plans to run for the seat.
Illinois Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, also said he is considering a run for the seat, but is waiting to see final district boundaries before announcing his candidacy.
His promise to not be one of the fighters in DC may not go over too well in a primary, however. And defeating Stadelman on his own turf could be pretty tough. But, hey, we have zero idea yet what the district will look like.
* Politico…
The Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus has formed a political action committee that will be chaired by Reps. Nick Smith and Lakesia Collins.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about for a few years, and it took some time to put it together,” Smith told Playbook of the Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus PAC.
Black legislators have for years relied on the Black Caucus Foundation to help boost civic and philanthropic efforts in members’ communities. “We felt we needed something to support the caucus politically, too,” Smith said.
The goal, said Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Kam Buckner, “is to raise funds, mobilize volunteers, and have an effective apparatus to elect and re-elect members of the Black Caucus.”
Creating the PAC comes as the Democratic Party shifts its operations under new leadership. Party members can no longer rely on former House Speaker Michael Madigan to open the purse strings for campaigns. New party Chair Robin Kelly has created a separate fundraising arm for state and local campaigns, while she focuses on fundraising for federal positions.
“Speaker Welch is doing a great job but he’s focused on his entire caucus. And it’s too early to tell how the party’s local [fundraising] committee will do,” Smith said. “There’s a vacuum with Michael Madigan gone, and we see an opportunity to fundraise to help fill that hole.”
Smith is right. Also, If Rep. Buckner really does want to run for mayor, he’ll need some significant fundraising experience.
* Press release…
Today, Congressman Sean Casten announced he has raised over $473,000 in the third quarter of 2021. The campaign’s impressive fundraising haul brings its total cash on hand to $1.05 million.
Campaign Spokesman Jacob Vurpillat released the following statement:
“These impressive fundraising numbers reflect a wide surge of support for Rep. Casten and everything he has accomplished so far this Congress, like passing critical legislation to safeguard our economy from the devastating effects of the climate crisis. People in the 6th District have sent a loud and clear message—Rep. Sean Casten is the best person to represent their values and interests in Congress.”
* And here’s a press release I didn’t post earlier…
Nikki Budzinski, a labor activist, Chief of Staff at President Biden’s Office of Management and Budget and former senior advisor to Governor JB Pritzker, announced her campaign has raised 455k since entering the race on August 24th.
Budzinski made the following statement: “I’m humbled and grateful for the support that my friends, family, and supporters in Illinois have shown me since we announced this campaign. I’m eager to continue working to build a broad coalition of support to win the 13th Congressional district for working families.”
This total raised in just over 5 weeks places Budzinski in a strong position as one of the highest-raising Congressional candidates in the country this quarter.
Pretty darned good haul.
*** UPDATE *** Speaking of good hauls…
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth’s (D-IL) reelection campaign announced today that it raised more than $1.8 million in the third quarter of 2021, with more than 43,000 individual contributions averaging under $35 each. Of those contributions, 98% were $100 or less. The campaign, which ended the quarter with nearly $5.8 million cash on hand, issued the following statement regarding this announcement:
“These impressive numbers reiterate how eager Illinoisans are to keep Tammy’s unique and powerful voice in the United States Senate. We’re energized by having this many early supporters and are well into our efforts to build a robust campaign that can reach Illinoisans in every corner of our state and help ensure Tammy can continue executing her mission of advocating for working families, new parents, small businesses, servicemembers and Veterans as our Senator for years to come.”
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COVID-19 roundup
Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Lisa Donovan…
U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh says the disappointing jobs report released in recent days points not only to fears among eligible workers about COVID-19′s highly contagious delta variant, but also an attitude shift in the American workforce.
“I think that we’re seeing people still living with the concern and maybe fear of the pandemic. Maybe their health is not necessarily the best and then they’re worried about their personal health,” Walsh said in a phone interview with the Tribune. The former Boston mayor, whose political star began to rise as a labor leader, said he’s also hearing from employers ranging from health care to financial institutions to construction who say some employees have reconsidered their professional path amid the pandemic and “have just left the job market because of their work-life balance.”
The U.S. logged 194,000 new jobs in September, according to monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday. That’s less than half the 500,000 jobs economists were predicting would be added to the economy as enhanced federal unemployment benefits expired and a new school year brought the promise of a raft of teacher and support staff hires, which typically boost fall jobs numbers.
Neither scenario played out. Walsh said it’s clear to him the special federal unemployment benefits, which ended early last month, weren’t keeping people out of the workforce — an argument that picked up political steam as the pandemic wore on — or “we would have seen different numbers” in the recent jobs report.
* WMIX…
A group of parents are suing a school district in southern Illinois over who has the right to issue a mask mandate. The suit, in the Triad district, hopes to overturn mask mandates in schools, arguing that the State Board of Education doesn’t have the right to issue one.
Governor JB Pritzker says groups like those are working against the best interests of everyone connected to a school.
Transcript…
There are people who are irresponsible, extraordinarily irresponsible, who are going around the state suing because they basically want to make schools less safe. That’s not right. I mean, we are not at a moment when this pandemic is over.
* Wirepoints…
The Delta variant and its limited impact on Illinois children
Response from the governor’s office…
Misinformation is killing people and putting the wellbeing and safety of communities at risk. The administration, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Public Health have worked closely with school districts to require masks, establish a vaccine mandate for teachers and staff, and ensure students have access to learning. The pandemic is still here, and it will be irresponsibly prolonged by those twisting data and spreading misinformation.
Also…
The CDC found that the odds of a school-associated COVID-19 outbreak in schools without a mask requirement were 3.5 times higher than those in schools with an early mask requirement.
* Meanwhile, to the north of us…
Minnesota on Tuesday reported a COVID-19 test positivity rate of 8.3% that is the highest in the vaccine era and a level of hospitalizations that hasn’t been seen since the first shots against the coronavirus were administered in mid-December.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Minnesota reached 960 on Monday and included 254 people needing intensive care because of breathing problems or other complications. While that is below the record 1,864 hospitalizations on Nov. 29, it is the highest in 2021 and combines with patients with trauma and other illnesses to fill up 96% of available intensive care beds and 93% of non-ICU beds. […]
Minnesota hospitals continue to report observational findings about COVID-19 patients that match recent vaccine research.
While vaccines might be losing some effectiveness at preventing any infections, studies show they remain protective against severe illness, hospitalization and death.
* More…
* COVID-19 update: 2,913 new cases, 39 additional deaths, 1,615 hospitalizations: The state’s positivity rate for COVID-19 cases is 2.1% based on a seven-day average, up a notch from 2% on Tuesday.
* New COVID-19 cases drop by 27% on average in October, yes to mingling flu and COVID shots
* Downtown office vacancy hits new record as delta variant slows leasing
* Illinois Told to Prepare to Vaccinate Young Children by November, White House Says
* Who Can Get a COVID Booster Shot Right Now? A Breakdown of Who is Eligible
* With a booster vaccine, should we expect the same kind of side effects?: Dr. John Segreti, medical director of infection control and prevention at Rush University Medical Center, said this is something we will continue to study, and it’s possible that side effects might be similar to initial vaccinations.
* Former Mass Vaccination Center to Reopen in DuPage County for Booster Shots
* 2 Peoria TV stations tell employees to get vaccinated against COVID or get terminated: However, at WEEK-TV and HOIC ABC, all union employees complied to the vaccination edict, Collins said. Further, he said, the company demand does not violate the union contract.
* Do We Really Need to Meet In Person? Videoconferencing is flawed, but it’s still better than the alternative.
* ADDED: Danville Veterans Administration nursing home where 11 residents died didn’t follow COVID guidelines, report finds
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We’ll see if this actually comes to fruition…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been working to change the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, which some have invoked in the fight against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
The 1998 Health Right of Conscience Act bans discrimination because of such persons’ refusal to receive or participate in any way in any particular form of healthcare services contrary to his or her conscience.
Some have said the law allows people to avoid getting the COVID-19 vaccine and evade Pritzker’s executive order mandating vaccination or regularly testing for health care workers, educators and other state employees.
Ameri Klafeta, of the ACLU of Illinois, said people are abusing the 1998 law and using it in a way that was not intended.
“The cases that have been brought under this law have always involved health care professionals,” Klafeta said. “This was never a law for individual citizens.” […]
State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said last month that addressing the HCRCA through legislation would be the first major action Democrats have taken on policies concerning COVID-19.
“I don’t think they want to be put in that vice-like position, but the governor’s pushing it,” Rose said.
Democrats too often allow themselves to be spooked by a tiny and vocal minority. It’s a big reason why they’ve sat on the sidelines for so long.
* CBS 2…
All over Illinois, said State Representative La Shawn Ford (D-101st) people are outraged by the rash of catalytic converter thefts, sold to scrap metal operators and used car parts dealers for cash.
“So right now, if I have a catalytic converter, I can go into a company and sell it to the scrap yard and they don’t ask any questions.”
Ford has introduced a new Illinois law that would require catalytic converter sellers to shows buyers a drivers license or state ID. Buyers would then have to log that personal information. […]
The hope to dry up the market for the stolen parts. Similar laws have been passed in other states, including legislation in California in 2019. But State Farm Insurance said its customers claims for catalytic converter thefts jumped a 175% in California between June of 2020 and June of this year.
…Adding… From a bill passed and signed into law in 2012…
Prohibits the sale and purchase of catalytic converters not attached to motor vehicles unless the seller is a licensed automotive parts recycler or scrap processor.
* Press release…
Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart and Illinois State Senator Jacqueline Collins on Thursday will announce proposed state legislation to ban the possession and sale of guns without serial numbers, known as “ghost guns,” and the unserialized gun kits used to make them. Ghost guns are homemade firearms that cannot be traced. The kits used to build ghost guns do not require background checks, which allows anyone – even individuals prohibited from owning a firearm – to purchase them.
Who: Sheriff Thomas J. Dart, Illinois State Senator Jacqueline Collins, and Delphine Cherry, of Brady Illinois
When: 10 a.m. Thursday, October 14, 2021
Where: Cook County Sheriff’s Police Headquarters – 1401 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, 60153
We are requesting pool coverage. Proper COVID-19 precautions will be observed, including social distancing, appropriate use of face masks, and hand sanitization.
* More…
* Medical marijuana, more popular than ever, could still cost you your job in Illinois: Morgan has introduced legislation to challenge Illinois law so most workers or job seekers would not be punished after testing positive for low levels of marijuana, whether recreational or medical.”This law would change the burden in the sense that the individual who fails a drug test alone should not lose their job, and should not be refused an opportunity to work someplace” he explained. “Unless you show impairment, you can’t be discriminated against in the workplace.”
* After The SAFE-T Act, What’s Next For Criminal Justice Reform In Illinois?
…Adding… Sports betting license…
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Pritzker pressed on PNA repeal
Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dave Dahl…
As reporters in Springfield Tuesday tried to pin down Gov. JB Pritzker on whether he’ll try to repeal the state’s Parental Notification Act, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) launched a passionate argument to repeal it.
Abortion rights advocates believe repealing PNA would be a good response to Texas’ anti-abortion laws. As for Duckworth, “Had I gotten pregnant at 16 or 17, I would have been one of those kids who lied to their parents if there were parental notification laws, and I would have gotten an illegal abortion,” she said in Springfield Tuesday. “When you talk about parental notification, it sounds like a good idea, but it also puts those vulnerable young people – the ones who do not have good communications with their parents – in a very vulnerable place, where they have no other options.”
Abortion rights advocates in Illinois believe a repeal would be an appropriate response to, for example, new restrictions in Texas.
Lawmakers are back in town for veto session, which starts next week. Pritzker says a repeal would be up to lawmakers..
* What Pritzker said when asked and then pressed further…
I’m a lifelong pro-choice advocate. I believe in standing up for a woman’s right to choose. This is just one component, but a vital component of making sure that that right is available to all […]
I think I’m clear about it. I’m in favor of a woman’s right to choose. I’m in favor of repealing PNA. I don’t know whether the legislature will bring this up over the two weeks of veto session, but I have stood in favor of it since I was elected. In fact long before that, when my mother had me marching in favor of a woman’s right to choose back in the 1970s.
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* I was going to do a piece on this today, but Politico saved me the trouble…
There’s an opportunity for state lawmakers to create a second Latino congressional district, according to a remap consultant who testified before the Senate Redistricting Committee on Tuesday. The panel is taking public input before it goes behind closed doors to come up with the new boundaries for 17 congressional districts — one less than the current 18.
Illinois has a larger Latino population than Arizona, which has two Latino members of Congress. Only California, Texas, Florida, and New York have higher Latino numbers, according to Frank Calabrese, who is representing Chicago Ald. Gilbert Villegas, chairman of the Latino Caucus, in calling for a second Latino congressional district.
Calabrese says voter engagement among Hispanics has changed since lawmakers first drew Illinois’ 4th Congressional District, now held by Rep. Chuy Garcia. (The district was nicknamed “the earmuffs” because of its odd shape.)
“The 4th District was created a few decades ago because Latinos weren’t voting at high rates and you had to make it a super-Latino district to work,” Calabrese told Playbook after the hearing. “That’s not the case anymore. You don’t need to have a district that needs to be 70 percent Latino.”
He pointed to New York as a good example. The state has one Latino majority district and three other districts that have a Latino plurality. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district, for example, is 47 percent Latino, according to the presentation packet Calabrese gave to lawmakers Tuesday.
In Illinois, he told lawmakers, there’s an opportunity to create a second district in addition to Garcia’s district, which encompasses the South and West sides of Chicago.
There are enough Latinos on the North Side of the city and in the suburbs to create a Latino-centric district that would count 50 percent of Latinos — from northwest Chicago, Melrose Park, Franklin Park, Bensenville, Addison, and Des Plaines. Garcia’s district could continue with a supermajority of Latinos, 67 percent. Some of those areas are now part of Rep. Mike Quigley’s 5th Congressional District.
* Click the pic for a larger version of Calabrese’s proposed maps that he sent me yesterday and more explanation…
* Meanwhile…
The Illinois African Americans for Equitable Redistricting (IAAFER) has filed a complaint with the Department of Justice to ensure that the [new state legislative] maps optimize opportunities for minority voters to elect candidates of their choice. IAAFER also shared concerns regarding prison gerrymandering and how the practice will divert over $800 million from Black communities to prison towns between now and the next Census.
Spokesman Norman Montgomery called the latest version of the maps the most retrogressive redistricting plan in state history, with the lowest number of majority Black districts in 40 years. The number of majority Black representative districts has been cut from 16 in 2011, to 8 in 2021. The number of Black senate districts has been cut from 8 to 4.
“We are back to where we were in 1990,” Montgomery said. “How do you make progress if you lose what you’ve gained over the last 20 years in 20-year increments? You can’t do that.”
IAAFER notes that Black people comprised 14% of Illinois’ population in 2011, and still comprise 14% of the state’s population. However, the number of majority Black districts has been cut by 50%. Whites comprised 60% of Illinois’ population in 2011, and 58% in 2021. Yet, 69% of the districts drawn in the Democrat’s redistricting plan are majority white.
The complaint is here.
Let’s look at the House data. Click here for district demographics. You’ll see, for instance, that House districts 6-10 have between 39 and 49.5 percent Black voting age population. All but one of them had 50+ percent in the last remap. All of the current incumbents in those districts are Black and some are quite powerful, including House Speaker Chris Welch (42.3 percent) and Rep. Sonya Harper, the Joint Caucus Chair for the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus (45.4 percent). Population on the West Side is becoming more racially diverse as whites and others move in, so Rep. La Shawn Ford’s new district went from 55.3 percent VAP Black to 49.5 percent this time around.
* Onward to the farcical hearings…
But a House hearing on Tuesday lasted only 15 minutes, most of which was taken up by a roll call for attendance and a pro-forma introductory lesson on the redistricting process, given that zero witnesses submitted testimony virtually, or in-person.
State Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, said the address listed for the Joliet hearing site location was incorrect and led to a literal dead-end; he said he was the only legislator on the committee to physically attend.
House redistricting chair State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, noted that additional hearings are scheduled the rest of this week and encouraged members of the public to participate in them.
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* Wednesday…
Urging its members not to comply with the city’s vaccine reporting mandate, the Chicago police union plans to take Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration to court, even though unvaccinated city workers will go into “no-pay” status starting Friday.
Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said in a video Tuesday that sending home non-compliant officers could cut the city’s police presence over the weekend in half.
The union president said that the FOP already has a class-action grievance drafted to cover “everything under the sun” that police officers might lose if they refuse to get vaccinated, including pay and benefits.
City Hall has announced that any city employees who fail to report their vaccination status by Friday will be placed in a “non-disciplinary, no-pay status.
But Catanzara instructed rank-and-file officers to file exemptions to receiving the vaccine, but not to enter any information into the city mandated vaccine portal.
* Also Wednesday…
Former Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President Dean Angelo Sr., 67, who led the union during the tumultuous years immediately after the shooting of Laquan McDonald, has died after a weekslong battle with COVID-19.
Mr. Angelo, who served as president of the police union from 2014 to 2017, died Tuesday, according to his son, Chicago Police Sgt. Dean Angelo Jr. He said his father had tested positive for the coronavirus in mid-September and had been in intensive care since Sept. 26. His son had earlier declined to say whether his dad had been vaccinated.
* NYT…
More than 460 American law enforcement officers have died from Covid-19 infections tied to their work since the start of the pandemic, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, making the coronavirus by far the most common cause of duty-related deaths in 2020 and 2021. More than four times as many officers have died from Covid-19 as from gunfire in that period. There is no comprehensive accounting of how many American police officers have been sickened by the virus, but departments across the country have reported large outbreaks in the ranks.
While the virus has ravaged policing, persuading officers to take a vaccine has often been a struggle, even though the shots have proven to be largely effective in preventing severe disease and death.
Some elected officials say police officers have a higher responsibility to get vaccinated because they are regularly interacting with members of the public and could unknowingly spread the virus. The debate echoes concerns from earlier in the pandemic, when police officers in some cities resisted wearing masks in public.
Yet as more departments in recent weeks have considered requiring members to be vaccinated, officers and their unions have loudly pushed back, in some cases threatening resignations or flooding systems with requests for exemptions.
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COVID-19 roundup
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Get your shots people…
* Sun-Times…
Chicago city employees who fail to report their vaccination status by Oct. 15 will be placed in a “non-disciplinary, no-pay status,” but there will be a testing option for those who haven’t gotten the coronavirus vaccine.
After weeks of confusion and united opposition from police unions, Mayor Lori Lightfoot finally announced the testing option that Fraternal Order Police President John Catanzara told his members about one week ago.
“Employees who are not fully vaccinated by October 15, 2021, including employees who have received an approved medical or religious exemption, must undergo COVID-19 testing on a twice weekly basis with tests separated by 3-4 days,” the policy states.
“Employees are responsible for obtaining those tests on their own time and at their own expense, if any, and for reporting those results to the city,” it says. “The testing option will only be available through December 31, 2021. Thereafter, employees will be required to be fully vaccinated unless they have received an approved medical or religious exemption.” […]
“Employees who fail to report their vaccination status by October 15, 2021 will be placed in a non-disciplinary, no-pay status. Disciplinary action may also be taken against employees who fail to report their status as required by the policy” on the city’s vaccine portal, the policy states.
* Oof…
[River Trails School District 26, Superintendent Nancy Wagner], said she remains optimistic that potential employees will be attracted to the district’s benefits package and friendly, neighborhood work environment.
“We’re advertising, and doing everything we can, but part of the problem is some of these jobs don’t pay as well as what some local restaurants are offering,” said Wagner, who recalled seeing a sign posted in front of a nearby restaurant, promising wages of $17 an hour.
“All of our full-time employees get health insurance, so we’re hoping that might be enough of an impetus to apply,” Wagner said, adding: “But some applicants have said they’d need their whole paycheck just to pay for day care. It looks like it’s going to be a really tough year.”
* National context…
One reason America’s employers are having trouble filling jobs was starkly illustrated in a report Tuesday: Americans are quitting in droves.
The Labor Department said that quits jumped to 4.3 million in August, the highest on records dating back to December 2000, and up from 4 million in July. That’s equivalent to nearly 3% of the workforce. Hiring also slowed in August, the report showed, and the number of jobs available fell to 10.4 million, from a record high of 11.1 million the previous month.
The jump in quits strongly suggests that fear of the delta variant is partly responsible for the shortfall in workers. In addition to driving quits, fear of the disease probably caused plenty of those out of work to not look for, or take, jobs.
As COVID-19 cases surged in August, quits soared in restaurants and hotels from the previous month and rose in other public-facing jobs, such as retail and education. Nearly 900,000 people left jobs at restaurants, bars, and hotels in August, up 21% from July. Quits by retail workers rose 6%.
* And, finally, is there something that Dr. Ezike can’t do?…
…Adding… Pantagraph…
Heyworth schools are taking an “adaptive pause” and returning to remote learning this week amid rising COVID-19 cases and staffing shortages.
“Staffing and substitute shortages have been a challenge all school year, and the issue is heightened when we have multiple staff missing for extended periods of time,” Superintendent Lisa Taylor told The Pantagraph on Tuesday.
In a social media post Monday after students were off for the Columbus Day holiday, Taylor said students would not have homework Tuesday and would begin working in the remote learning schedule Wednesday.
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Congressional remap process begins
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Greg Hinz…
What’s known for sure is that three-person panels—comprised of aides to House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Senate President Don Harmon and Gov. J.B. Pritkzer—have been meeting separately in recent days with every Democratic member of the state’s congressional delegation to see what they want out of decennial reapportionment.
Sources who know say those meetings have been strictly one-way, with the congressmen talking but getting no answers as to what to expect. Members have been told only the General Assembly likely will adopt a new map in its fall veto session, which begins next week, on Oct. 19, and lasts six days over two weeks.
In other words, the members’ proposals are “under review.”
* Meanwhile, US Rep. LaHood talked about the remap process and opposes federal intervention, of course…
18th District Congressman Darin LaHood still doesn’t know what his new district will look like, however, he’s not in favor of the federal government intervening with the redistricting process. […]
LaHood says despite the frustration with the process Illinois Democrats are using to determine the deficits, he does not want to see the federal government intervene.
“Because we don’t want to federalize our elections across all 50 states. The unique thing in our system is every state ought to decide where its lines are drawn. But there’s a better way of doing it, and again having non-politicians do this is currently being done in a number of other states and it’s a trend now.
There is I guess a presumption that we could pass a federal law that says every state could use an independent commission, but I don’t think the votes of support are there to do that. But clearly, this is in my view undemocratic, it’s not healthy for democracy and I think it leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.”
Hmm…
The Republican-led Texas Senate has passed a 38-district congressional map that shores up GOP incumbents and draws 25 districts in which Donald Trump would have defeated Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Trump won Texas by 5.6 percentage points.
* “We’re totally transparent, but I, as chairman, don’t know who’s drawing the maps.” Hilarious…
Republicans still call the process a “dog and pony show” if Democrats block people from participating. They also stressed the online mapmaking portal is “pointless” if people can’t log in to use it.
Yet, Committee Chair Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) stressed this is a transparent process.
“I do believe that in practice it has worked. Doors have been open, zooms have been open,” Aquino said. “Our ears have been open. We’ve had a number of folks that have participated in this process without fail.”
Aquino said his caucus posts all the proposed maps and written testimony from advocates on the Senate Democrat’s redistricting website and the state legislative website.
Republican members of the committee want to know who is drawing the congressional map. However, Aquino claims he doesn’t know.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Ryan Tolley, policy director for the advocacy group CHANGE Illinois, urged the House Redistricting Committee to listen to community groups and afford them more opportunity than they had during the legislative redistricting process to review any proposed new maps before they are voted on.
“I had trouble finding one group that participated in the legislative remap hearings that publicly endorsed the legislative maps. But there are a lot that rejected those maps,” Tolley said. “And I just want us to think about how can we have a map that reflects the interest of communities if almost every group that tries to engage with this process says their voices were ignored and their communities were harmed. Their efforts really should not be in vain.”
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ISP’s DNA backlog significantly reduced
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Brendan Denison…
In March 2019, the Chicago Tribune reported there was a backlog of 5,000 DNA tests throughout the state — including 658 homicides unsolved after one year. [The Illinois State Police] indicated at the time that measurable improvements in DNA testing may not be seen for up to two years.
Now, in 2021, the progress is tangible. According to data provided by ISP Sgt. Joey Watson, 8,766 DNA assignments were still pending in June 2019. That number decreased to 6,093 by June 2020. This past June, it was 3,670 — that’s less than half of what it was two years ago.
As of June, the average turnaround time for DNA tests done by ISP was 84 days.
Labs across Illinois are tasked with a tall order: 16,465 DNA assignments were received from June 2020 to June 2021. That was 2,122 more assignments from the year before. […]
Watson said cases submitted to ISP are triaged to find items for analysis that will provide the strongest evidence for an investigation.
This has been a problem for years, but got even worse under the previous governor. And, like with most things, you just can’t snap your fingers and make it all better at once. But in 2018, according to the Tribune, the “average time to process DNA evidence for all cases, including sexual assaults,” was 285 days. So, the reduction to 84 days as of June has been immense.
As the article explains, part of the problem is that more DNA requests have been received for more types of crimes - jumping 15 percent in just the last year. It’s been a national issue, too.
But, make no mistake, this is still not ideal.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Mayors from across the state have joined the Illinois Municipal League (IML) to urge the General Assembly to pass measures that promote the long-term success of all 1,296 cities, villages and towns in Illinois during the upcoming 2021 Fall Veto Session.
Municipal leaders are backing several pieces of legislation that will protect local revenue, support businesses and economic recovery and remove barriers for cities, villages and towns to respond to public health emergencies. This includes proposals that would grant municipalities greater authority to conduct remote meetings, as well as allow municipalities to provide aid to businesses impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency.
“The proposals outlined in our agenda not only empower local leaders to solve problems in times of crisis, but also ensure they are able to successfully rebuild their communities from damage caused by the pandemic,” said Brad Cole, IML Executive Director. “We’re asking state officials to take action to ensure local governments are able to address the many unique challenges facing their communities and best serve their constituents.”
One proposal includes SB 482 (Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin), which removes the requirement that a gubernatorial or Illinois Department of Public Health disaster declaration must be issued before municipal leaders can conduct remote meetings. In a crisis, and at other times, remote meetings provide additional transparency and more opportunities for residents to participate in the governing process.
* The Question: Should municipal governments be allowed to conduct remote meetings at will going forward? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
image polls
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* Recent Tribune editorial…
Illinois has a long history of leaders guilty of fiscal irresponsibility. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle isn’t one of them. Now wrapping up her 10th year as the county’s chief executive, she has built a reputation for balanced budgets that avoid hitting residents with tax hikes or new fees.
She keeps the impressive streak alive with her proposed 2022 budget. […]
Last December, Gov. J.B. Pritzker struggled to find ways to close a $3.9 billion budget hole, a gaping maw created in part by pandemic-diminished tax revenue but also by years of state politicians borrowing and spending far too much. Making matters worse for Illinois is Springfield’s refusal to tackle what Moody’s Investors Service says is a whopping $317 billion state pension system shortfall.
Um, OK, but they skipped over the intervening months where the governor and the General Assembly passed a balanced budget and Moody’s increased the state’s credit rating. I wonder why.
The editorial board also points out that a big reason why the county’s budget is balanced is “the county’s ability to now collect sales tax on online purchases.” Yeah, that would be because of a state law.
The Trib heaped praise on Preckwinkle for not spending all of the county’s federal bailout money in a single year. Illinois has done the same.
And the paper says that Preckwinkle is getting the county on track with its pension obligations. A third of her proposed $1 billion budget increase actually goes to pensions. The paper is right. That’s how it’s done. You can’t just jawbone your way out of this problem. But when other governments take the same responsible approach, they come in for criticism.
Odd…
The lesson for other Illinois governments? Start playing Cook County’s tune.
Many are.
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Support Regulated Pet Stores And Defeat Puppy Mills
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois families will soon be losing their opportunity to purchase dogs and cats from safe, highly-regulated local pet retailers, such as Petland, who offer their customers the choice of a pet that best fits their needs and provide health warranties. This change is coming because the state’s Animal Welfare Act has been updated through HB 1711 which bans the retail sales of dogs and cats obtained from licensed and regulated professional breeders.
But HB 1711 needs fixing, because while singularly blocking retail pet sales, it fails to strengthen any animal standards or protections at unregulated puppy mills across the state. Consumers looking for particular breeds will have no choice but to purchase dogs from unregulated breeders or dog auctions – thus perpetuating puppy mills. Responsible breeders and retailers will be heavily penalized while HB 1711 does nothing to address the issue of substandard breeders across the state.
Petland is dedicated to improving animal welfare and we have publicly demonstrated this commitment; in fact, we support the Humane Society’s petition effort to improve standards of care. Petland’s breeder pledge is a commitment to provide more space, more exercise, and more socialization for their pets plus numerous other improvements to standards of care.
Home - Protect Our Pets Illinois
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Campaign roundup
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I saw this Sun-Times lede and then scrolled through the rest of the story looking for his actual proposals. I didn’t see any…
Illinois’ newest Republican candidate for governor slammed Democrats during his first Chicago news conference Friday, suggesting it’s time for them to stop worrying so much about the COVID-19 pandemic and start worrying more about rising crime.
Jesse Sullivan, a venture capitalist from downstate Petersburg, lambasted President Joe Biden, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx outside the Cook County Criminal Court building, where he said Democratic leaders have been “putting criminals ahead of victims.”
The 37-year-old Sullivan — who made himself an instant contender in the four-man GOP gubernatorial primary with a $10.8 million campaign fund fueled by out-of-state donors — said that’s partly because Democrats in power are too focused on fighting the coronavirus.
Maybe the Sun-Times just skipped over the solutions part. So, I found his press release online and saw not a single idea.
And then I watched his press conference. “This is not a day for policy,” he said.
OK.
* Speaking of punting…
Another key to Bailey’s campaign is correcting the pension system, that appears to be a problem.
“The pension problem has to be addressed,” Bailey said. “I am the only governor candidate, practically the only legislator talking about possible solutions.
“Everybody else is saying it’s protected or there are solutions already in place. No, it just continues to balloon out of control.
“I want to protect the earned obligation of the pensioner and I want to protect that future. To do that, we’ve got to stop the downhill slide now and talk about,” Bailey said.
Part of his proposed solution is to converse with the people that matter to him — the public. He wants to hear what people have to say about the problems being faced.
“I don’t want to talk to the union bosses, and I don’t want to talk to the political leaders,” Bailey said. “I want to talk to the people and offer solutions and see what’s good with them and what’s not. See what ideas they have. We have to come up with a final fix for the pension problem.”
So, basically he wants to focus-group our way out of this?
* Onward…
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK on IL-17: State Sen. Steve Stadelman, a Democrat who represents the Rockford area, is considering a run for the IL-17 congressional seat now held by Rep. Cheri Bustos, who isn’t seeking re-election. “I’m seriously looking at the race. But there’s no congressional map. Until you know the boundaries and where the lines are drawn, you’re a candidate in search of a congressional district,” Stadelman told Playbook. The Illinois senator and former TV journalist made headlines recently for his legislation to create a Local Journalism Task Force to help promote local news, especially in towns that have lost their news source due to an industry in crisis. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the legislation into law.
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK also for IL-17: Angela Normoyle, a member of the Rock Island County Board, is making calls in anticipation of a run in IL-17, the seat now held by Rep. Cheri Bustos, who is not seeking re-election. Normoyle is already lining up a campaign team that so far includes B.J. Neidhardt and Maura Dougherty from Prism Communications (to handle media), Mike Luce and Emily Campbell from the Dover Group (mail) and Melissa Bell and Angela Kuefler from Global Strategy Group (polling). Normoyle is well-versed in the area. She’s a communications professor at Augustana College and previously served on the Moline-Coal Valley School board.
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Palatine community organizer Nabeela Syed is running as a Democrat for state representative in the 51st District now represented by Republican Rep. Chris Bos. Syed recently served as campaign manager for Township High School District 211 School Board Member Tim McGowan. She also has mentored high school debate students and done fundraising for Emily’s List. Professionally, Syed works in the nonprofit world on digital strategy. Her campaign points out Syed would be the first Muslim or South Asian woman to be elected to the General Assembly. “I’m hoping to use my lived experience as a young woman of color to elevate the voices and concerns of underrepresented communities,” she said in a statement.
The Daily Herald published a story about Syed’s bid yesterday.
* Other stuff…
* Longtime Cook County Commissioner Deborah Sims says she will step down next year, calls for another Black woman to replace her
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* Tribune…
Two potential buyers have submitted proposals to purchase the James R. Thompson Center, the state of Illinois’ controversial Loop headquarters, officials said Friday.
The names of the bidders and their plans for the future of the 1.2 million-square-foot glass-and-steel structure designed by famed architect Helmut Jahn were not disclosed. State law allows officials to keep the proposals under wraps until a winning bidder is selected.
Facing an April 5 deadline to sell a building admired by preservationists but reviled by many state workers and amateur architecture critics, the Department of Central Management Services is aiming to choose a buyer by the end of the year and sign a purchase agreement by February.
The bids, which were originally due in August before the state pushed back the deadline, come a week after the State Historic Preservation Office submitted a nomination to the National Park Service to list the Thompson Center on the National Register of Historic Places.
* Sun-Times…
Pritzker’s move sparked outrage from preservationists who’ve called Thompson Center “iconic” and said it deserves landmark protection and creative ideas for reuse.
In September, the Chicago Architecture Center and the Chicago Architectural Club picked the winners of a global design competition for the Thompson Center. The top submissions transformed the steel frame, red and blue accents building into a waterpark, a “vertical Loop” of homes and commercial space with a rooftop vegetable garden, or a prototype building school.
Organizers of the contest hoped the results might influence discussions about whether the Thompson Center can be saved.
While I would love to see Scott Kennedy’s dream of a waterpark become reality, I’m kinda doubting the contest did much good. I suppose we’ll see.
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
The Illinois House Redistricting Committee held its first hearing last week on new congressional and judicial subcircuit district maps. Another half-dozen hearings were scheduled for the following seven days to redraw the maps, which have to be reconfigured after each ten-year census.
The hearings aren’t likely to matter a whole lot when push actually comes to shove. After all, legislators paid next to no attention to public input during the General Assembly’s own remap process last spring and summer. A new map that was passed in the spring by super-majority Democrats then was redrawn in the summer when more detailed data was released by the federal government.
But an updated lawsuit filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund could matter.
MALDEF alleges that the revised legislative district map creates fewer “opportunity districts” — where more than half the voting age population is Latino — than the state currently has. This despite the fact that the voting age population of Illinois went from 8% in the 2010 census to 11.2% in the most recent count.
This seems like a pretty straightforward argument to non-lawyers like me. But the Democrats have never seemed at all concerned that they will lose this or any court case. Even when given an opportunity to redraw the maps, not much changed. And not to mention that the chairs of both the House and Senate Redistricting Committees are Latinx.
Why the confidence?
We’ve seen a whole lot of news media coverage of the plaintiff’s case against the new maps. But the defendants mostly have stayed silent because the issue is under litigation, so their position is less understood. I decided to seek out a top source who could help me understand what the Democrats are thinking.
“Remember, you’re drawing a map for the next ten years,” the Democratic attorney with years of experience dealing with redistricting explained to me. “You’re not only looking at what the district looks like now, but you’re looking at what the districts are going to look like in the next [ten years].”
There are several factors to consider when drawing maps in Latino areas, the lawyer explained, including voting age population (because Latinos tend to skew much younger than the population as a whole), the specific area’s citizenship rates (a statistic not measured by the U.S. Census, but which can generally be estimated using American Community Survey data) and sometimes competing factions within the “Hispanic” umbrella (Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, for instance).
“If you want to ensure that Latinos can win a district,” the lawyer said, “you have to make sure that the citizen voting-age population is high enough where they will continue to be able to elect their candidates of choice. So if you have an area with high non-citizenship rates, you want to have higher levels of citizen voting-age population.”
And while several of the new districts’ voting-age populations are low, that will change over time as the districts’ residents get older and eventually strengthen Latino candidate chances long before the next Census in 2030. The Democrats also have sophisticated arguments about population movement trends to buttress their cause.
The differing factions within the broad-brush of Latino voters means voters can sometimes be played off against one another, which has to be another consideration when drawing the maps. “Latinos don’t necessarily coalesce,” the attorney continued, pointing to traditional rivalries between Mexican and Puerto Rican voters.
Beyond regional origin differences, national political trends also can have a major impact. For instance, Asian-American Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, capitalized on the 2nd House District’s strong Latino support for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary to woo progressive Latino Democrats in her bid against a “regular” Latino Democrat.
And that brings us to something I’ve mentioned before in other places. The Democrats contend the evidence clearly shows that white Illinois voters are willing to vote for candidates of color at multiple levels. This evidence, they say, is what helped them win the last legal challenge to their remap. And American University’s Allan Lichtman testified to just that evidence in his late May testimony to a joint redistricting committee hearing.
So, if the Democrats can prove-up their reasoning behind their map-making decisions and show again that Illinois elections aren’t racially polarized by white Illinoisans only voting for white candidates, they believe they’ll walk away with a court win this time as well.
I guess we’ll see.
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