* Good question…
* Marni Pyke at the Daily Herald…
Power shifts at the Illinois tollway are raising “who’s on first” questions from at least one state lawmaker after the board recently voted to delegate authority to Chairman Will Evans to reorganize departments and administrators’ duties.
The decision on Oct. 21 has resulted in significant changes in leadership responsibilities, according to tollway documents.
For example, the chief financial officer, who oversees important functions such as budgeting and securing loans, previously reported to Executive Director Jose Alvarez.
Now, however, CFO Cathy Williams reports to Evans as well as Alvarez. In addition, the chief procurement and compliance officer and the head of the information technology department will now report to Williams, not Alvarez.
* Back to Hannah…
In the next few days after the reorganization, two of Alvarez’s former direct reports, Chief Administrative Officer Kimberly Ross and Chief Procurement Compliance Officer Dee Brookens separated from the Tollway. Rozek declined to confirm the pair were terminated from their jobs, but said they no longer work for the agency.
Alvarez now only has one direct recruit: the Tollway’s chief operating officer, who now directly oversees many of the eight executive staff positions Alvarez used to oversee. The chief financial officer, now overseen by Evans, will also directly manage the Tollway’s chiefs of IT and business systems — two positions Alvarez also no longer oversees.
Rozek said that’s another move for better oversight.
“It is beneficial to have all “Order to Cash” operations tightly integrated with the Finance team, and in the Tollway’s case, Procurement, IT and Business Systems are a major part of these operations,” Rozek said in a statement.
* And…
Hopefully, Hannah and Marni can figure out what the heck is going on.
* Meanwhile…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker ousted the chair of the Illinois State Police Merit Board just days after a new executive director was appointed, the latest shake-up at the agency that oversees hiring, promotions and discipline at the department.
The Democratic governor late Friday withdrew his request for the Senate to confirm Andrew Berlin for reappointment as chair, ending his service on the board immediately. […]
Pritzker booted Berlin only days after the five-member merit board he chaired had promoted Emily Fox, the agency’s program director, to the role of executive director.
Fox succeeded Jack Garcia, a former Illinois State Police deputy director who joined the merit board in 2017 and just recently left to become public safety director in southwest suburban Burbank. […]
In September, Jenny Thornley, the board’s finance officer, was indicted on theft, forgery and official misconduct charges alleging she stole between $10,000 and $100,000 by pumping up her paycheck with unauthorized overtime. She has pleaded not guilty.
* Related…
* Illinois tollway reaps rating benefit from state upgrade, traffic recovery: Ahead of the sale, Moody’s Investors Service raised the rating to Aa3 from A1 and assigned a stable outlook to the deal and $6.4 billion of outstanding bonds. Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings affirmed the agency’s AA-minus rating and stable outlook.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Nov 2, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* News reporter at WBAP/KLIF…
This was yet another bizarro QAnon thing.
* NBC News reporter…
* The Question: Aside from Abe Lincoln, what deceased Illinois statesperson would you most like to meet? Please explain your response.
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* NBC 5 story on Gov. Pritzker talking about the mask mandate today…
“We look at the numbers, I talk to the doctors at IDPH, especially [IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike], and what we’re trying to evaluate is: are the hospitalization numbers, for example, increasing, decreasing, staying the same?” Pritzker said. “We want them to decrease. They’re not currently, just to be clear.”
Pritzker noted the new hospitalizations remain flat across the state.
“That is not a good sign,” he said. “That’s not what’s happened in previous dips from surges. We went down for a while here, but now we’ve leveled out at a level that is much higher than the summer. And so the question is, is that just a temporary situation? Are we going to start heading downward in those numbers?” […]
“The second, of course, is the the number of vaccinations,” Pritzker said. “You know, just watching, are we actually protecting people more and more? Are they getting their first shots? Are people getting vaccinated and are boosters widespread, particularly among older people? Because that’s where we’ve seen breakthrough, you know, disease has sometimes taken lives at a higher rate than in other age groups. And so we want to make sure that boosters are getting out there, especially to seniors in long-term care facilities or a nursing home. So this is all in the mix of consideration.”
He then said this…
Most importantly, of course, just overall, if hospitalizations are heading downward, if the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 is heading downward, that’s a really good sign. It means that we’re, getting more and more optimistic about removing indoor mask mandates outside of the schools.
“Outside of the schools.” He’s apparently not giving in on that one.
* OK, the last time Pritzker lifted the mask mandate was on May 17 [for vaccinated people following CDC guidelines] and then on June 11 [for everyone]. Hospitalizations on May 17 were 1,503, down from a peak of 2,160 on April 16. They were at 784 on June 11. Hospitalizations continued to fall, bottoming out at 400 on July 2nd.
Then the delta variant started spreading and hospitalizations began rising again in late July and early August. Pritzker reimposed the mask mandate on August 27th.
Hospitalizations peaked at 2,346 on September 9. They were at 1,274 yesterday, which is lower than when Pritzker lifted the mask mandate [for vaxed people] in May, but well above the June 11 number. Pritzker’s right that the indicator has plateaued for the past couple of weeks or so.
As far as vaccines go, we hit a seven-day average low of about 19,000 vaxes per day in mid-September. Aside from a brief dip, that average is now up to about 60,000 per day, but I’m guessing lots of those are boosters. IDPH doesn’t break down its daily totals into categories of who’s getting what.
Anyway, get your shots, people. According to IDPH, just 0.035 percent of the state’s fully vaccinated population has wound up in the hospital. It’s your best bet.
* Meanwhile, one of Tom DeVore’s TROs has been dissolved…
November 2, 2021 COVID Update from our Superintendent stating the reinstatement of mask requirement at the Hillsboro Community Schools starting tomorrow, November 3, 2021.
Posted by Hillsboro Community School District No. 3 on Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Masks work.
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* Daily Herald…
A judge denied a preliminary injunction for six Naperville firefighters who are suing the city, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Edward-Elmhurst Health over a COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate.
Judge John R. Blakey made the ruling Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, deciding the mandate will stay in place for the firefighters. After Blakey issues his ruling in writing in the next 10 days, Jonathan Lubin, the attorney for the firefighters, will have the opportunity to appeal. […]
Also at Monday’s hearing, Blakey discussed the possibility of reassigning two similar lawsuits, one against the city of Chicago and another against Cook County, so all three lawsuits could be heard by Blakey. Consultation with the judges in the other lawsuits, though, first needs to occur.
* Meanwhile, at the local level…
Meh.
* It’s actually a pretty good opinion and follows the law…
Both sides, the City and the police unions, make compelling arguments rooted in public policies that favor their respective positions. The City reminds us that the COVID pandemic has presented the worst public health crisis in over a century with a staggering loss of life and untold human suffering. But out of that crisis has come a remarkable scientific achievement: lifesaving vaccines that are both safe and effective. The City’s vaccination policy represents a legitimate (indeed laudable) effort to protect the health of its employees as well as the public at large. All true.
The police unions argue that their right to engage in collective bargaining and pursue grievances in arbitration is deeply rooted in the public policy of the state of Illinois. The Illinois Public Labor Relations Act enacted expressly provides as much:
It is the purpose of this Act to prescribe the legitimate rights of both public employees and public employers, to protect the public health and safety of the citizens of Illinois, and to provide peaceful and orderly procedures for protection of the rights of all.
Indeed, in approving the Senate bill that would become the Public Labor Relations Act, Governor James R. Thompson declared collective bargaining a “fundamental right.”
The Illinois Appellate Court has further recognized police officers and other public safety employees are prohibited from striking in exchange for the promise of an effective mechanism for resolving labor disputes.
This case then presents two competing public interests, but one interest need not be scuttled in favor of another. The City’s public health objective and the police union’s desire to pursue their grievances are not wholly irreconcilable. I do not credit any suggestion that the City’s vaccination policy is anything other than an effort to safeguard the health of its employees. Likewise, I do not accept that the police unions’ grievances and alternate proposals are anything other than an effort to protect their members. Indeed, the labor movement has a proud history of advocating for measures to protect the health and safety of workers. It is worth remembering that in the darkest days of the pandemic and the months that followed, when I worked remotely in the safety of my home, the men and women of the Chicago Police Department showed up to work. It should be no surprise then as the City tells us that COVID was the leading cause of death among police in the United States in 2020 and 2021. In light of that terrible sacrifice, the police unions’ request just to have their grievances heard seems a pretty modest ask. […]
Mindful that judicial intervention in labor disputes is disfavored, my intention is to enter the narrowest possible order to preserve the unions’ right to a meaningful arbitration. The balance of the City’s vaccination policy remains fully in effect, including the reporting and testing obligations.
A lesser remedy would be to order the parties to arbitrate the unions’ grievances on an expedited basis, i.e., before December 31. The appellate court has done just that on at least one occasion. The City, however, tells me that I cannot lawfully order expedited arbitration since, under the collective bargaining agreements, such a proceeding must be mutually agreed. The City’s counsel suggested at oral argument that it might be possible to arbitrate the grievances before December 31, 2021, but that is a matter for the parties to resolve among themselves. So, the only remedy left to protect the unions’ right to meaningful arbitration is to stay compliance with the December 31 vaccination requirement until such time as the arbitration is complete. The effect of this Order is to send these parties back to the bargaining table and to promote labor peace by allowing them to pursue the remedies provided for in the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act. The City has it within its own power to avoid any burden, harm, or inconvenience occasioned by this Order simply by pursuing an accelerated arbitration.
That is exactly right and it’s what the state is doing with AFSCME at this moment: Bargain it in good faith, and if there’s an impasse send it to arbitration. The likelihood of the FOP or AFSCME winning in arbitration doesn’t appear to be all that high, as the federal case at the top of this post would indicate. But the state is doing it by the book and the city is just kinda winging it.
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* Not really my sort of story, but I couldn’t resist…
A Northwest Indiana school corporation is suing its former legal counsel for allegedly advising district officials they could receive additional Indiana tuition support payments by enrolling students who live in Illinois.
In January, the State Board of Accounts demanded the South Newton School Corp. repay $751,907.53 distributed to the district by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) between 2014 and 2020 to cover the instructional costs for students district officials knew were living in Illinois.
According to the State Board of Accounts, Indiana law permits out-of-state students to attend schools in the Hoosier State, but only if they pay the full cost of their attendance.
[Insert Nelson Muntz “HaHa!” gif here]
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Push to end car air freshener law
Tuesday, Nov 2, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I don’t think I even knew this law existed, and hadn’t considered that it could be used as a pretext to pull someone over. Interesting…
Democrat candidate for Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and State Rep. LaShawn Ford want to repeal an existing state law, which prohibits hanging items from a vehicle’s rear view mirror that often serve as a pretext for racially motivated traffic stops.
Illinois is one of just a handful of states that ban items from hanging from a vehicle’s rear view mirror or affixed to a windshield on the grounds that they obstruct a motorist’s vision. The current law allows police to stop motorists for minor vehicle code offenses, but in many cases those encounters can lead to verbal or physical confrontations with deadly consequences.
“Amending the current law will result in greater equity on the road and improve relationships between police and community by eliminating discriminatory traffic stops,” said Giannoulias, the former State Treasurer. “Pulling someone over for merely having an air freshener attached to their rear view mirror is not only archaic, it’s ridiculous. Prohibiting traffic stops that encourage discriminatory practices will ultimately make our streets safer for drivers and police officers.”
Representative Ford (D-8) has spearheaded changes in the law and is working with Giannoulias to sponsor legislation in the General Assembly’s spring session that would amend the Illinois Vehicle Code to abolish the air freshener law.
“We need to do everything we can to reduce the need for police interactions with people for non-violent and non-threatening violations,” Ford said. “There is no reason for police to pull over a vehicle just because they have an air freshener on their mirror or for many other minor infractions. Making this change in the law is too important to wait because it’s a safety issue for both the public and law enforcement. Law enforcement is overworked and understaffed. Springfield must use taxpayers’ resources wisely to catch the violent criminals that make all our communities less safe by repealing laws like the air freshener ban.”
Records show that police pull over a disproportionate number of drivers of color for minor traffic violations and result in motorists being unfairly stopped and searched for Driving While Black. Figures released by the state last summer show Black drivers and pedestrians in Illinois are close to three times more likely than whites to be stopped by police.
As part of his campaign, Giannoulias is also working with Representative Ford in seeking to push additional legislation that would curtail the use of pretextual stops for other low-level infractions that have disproportionately targeted Black and Latino motorists.
Other states and municipalities are taking similar action. In October, the Philadelphia City Council passed the Driving Equality Bill with the support of local law enforcement. The new ordinance classifies several offenses — including improperly displayed registration or emission stickers — as “secondary violations” that police cannot use as the sole reason for pulling over motorists. Violators of these infractions would still receive citations, but tickets would be mailed to the driver’s residence instead.
Chicagoan Daunte Wright was killed earlier this year in Minnesota after a police officer mistook her gun for a taser after pulling Wright over for having an air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror of his vehicle. Former Illinois resident Sandra Bland in Texas and Walter Scott in South Carolina each died following encounters with police involving pretextual stops.
Giannoulias and Representative Ford made clear that these efforts would not prohibit law enforcement officers from making legitimate public safety stops, especially in cases of reasonable suspicion or if the driver is suspected in criminal activity.
* There are those who want to end the use of police for traffic stops altogether…
On a hot June evening in Berkeley, California, last year, while his groceries sweated on the couch, 24-year-old Darrell Owens sent a tweet that changed his city.
“Traffic enforcement needs to be totally removed from the police …” it began.
Just a few weeks earlier, Owens had watched George Floyd being murdered in an intersection and had joined in the protests. The Berkeley city council had since promised police reform. But Owens, who, at 6 foot 6, is known by one city-council member as the “youngest, tallest, and only Black” regular attendee of transportation-commission meetings, had been stewing on a more specific idea. His Twitter thread laid out his argument for transforming law enforcement by transforming city streets: “I prefer license plate cameras … and mailed tickets over: ‘ok make sure nobody does anything that justifies this cop pumping 4 rounds of lead into me.’”
To his surprise, the city responded. A council member retweeted his thread. A month later, the city council passed “BerkDOT,” a first-in-the-nation measure to shift traffic enforcement to unarmed Department of Transportation workers.
In the summer of 2020, cities across America made similar commitments: to curtail the use of force, shrink police budgets, and fund fleets of civilian officers. But Berkeley was the first to target the traffic cop. By doing so, it is rethinking police power at its root.
Traffic stops are by far the most common reason that police officers initiate contact with members of the public; they account for 84 percent of encounters, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In fact, before cars, ordinary citizens rarely came in contact with law enforcement. As we rebuilt cities around the automobile, historians contend, drivers came to expect to be policed. And communities of color have paid the highest price.
In Berkeley, Black drivers are six times as likely to be stopped as white drivers, and four times as likely to be searched. Stops for minor infractions––a broken taillight, speeding––are also more likely to turn deadly for Black and brown drivers, as the deaths of Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, and Daunte Wright illustrated.
* Chicago Ald. Nick Sposato kinda let the cat out of the bag last month…
“When you get pulled over, anybody can get out of a ticket. All you have to do is cooperate with the police,” Sposato said. “White people just know how to talk their way out of a ticket. They just cooperate.”
Aside from the shady nature of the companies involved, that’s one reason so many people hate red light and speed cams. They can’t talk their way out of those tickets.
* Related…
* The data doesn’t lie: Traffic stops reveal age-old biases in Chicago policing: In Evanston this week, an advisory panel appointed by Mayor Daniel Biss proposed a prohibition on traffic stops based on equipment, license plate or registration violations, and an end to so-called “consent” searches—instead requiring a warrant or probable cause.
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* Kelly Bauer of Block Club Chicago and David Jackson of the BGA…
The FBI is investigating Loretto Hospital’s COVID-19 vaccination program following reports that doses went to ineligible people with ties to hospital administrators, government records show.
Two federal grand jury subpoenas were issued to the Illinois Department of Public Health in May and September after Block Club Chicago revealed the hospital vaccinated ineligible people at Chicago’s Trump Tower, where Loretto’s chief financial officer, Dr. Anosh Ahmed, lived, as well as a luxury jewelry shop and a high-end Gold Coast steakhouse where Ahmed hung out.
The subpoenas, issued “pursuant to an official criminal investigation,” seek patient records and other documents over a two-day period in March when Chicagoans were scrambling to secure scarce vaccination appointments.
Loretto administrators did not respond to requests for comment.
The subpoenas represent demands for records and information and made no allegations of wrongdoing against any Loretto official. They also do not spell out the scope of the grand jury investigation or its targets.
Still, those documents signal a new depth to the turmoil swirling around the small safety-net hospital on the West Side. The Illinois Attorney General’s Office is already investigating the hospital following reports from Block Club and the Better Government Association that revealed one of Ahmed’s friends won contracts worth $4 million from the nonprofit hospital while Loretto board members took hospital-funded Caribbean trips, among other benefits.
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* Politico…
Rep. Bill Foster has taken his concerns about the latest congressional map to his supporters. In a fundraising letter, he said, “Last week new Illinois maps were released, and frankly the results don’t look great for me: My existing 11th District was cut into four pieces. The main city, Aurora, which has stayed with me through thick and thin throughout my political career, was cut in two. Our second major Democratic city, Joliet, was transferred entirely into another district. Our third city, Naperville where I live, remains split in two. Conservative rural areas more than an hour away replaced much of the missing population from the loss of these cities.”
He adds, “most worryingly… our Democratic senator and governor only received 48 percent of the vote in this new district — the worst performance of any Democratic district in Illinois.” With that, he says, he needs supporters’ financial help.
* According to Scott Kennedy’s analysis, Pritzker and Duckworth both won the district…
But Foster’s right that his new district won’t be an easy win, so he had better work extra hard and maybe spend less time out of state.
*** UPDATE *** McHenry County Blog…
U.S. Army Major Michael D. Pierce (ret.) of Naperville filed an amended Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to challenge Congressman Foster’s reelection for an 8th term in Congress.
Pierce, who grew up in Elgin, Aurora and Kankakee, established roots in DuPage County when he enrolled in school at North Central College in Naperville in 1983, and voted in his first election in 1984 in DuPage County.
While working his way through school, Pierce was a youth minister in Ingalls Park (by Joliet), Genoa (DeKalb County) and in Aurora.
After graduating from North Central College in 1988, Pierce was an assistant cross country track coach at UIC for a season, and also coached track at the Illinois Math and Science Academy among other employment at that time.
Pierce enlisted in the U.S. Army in the early 1990s. After his first years as an enlisted man, he was recommended for Officer Candidate School, and earned his officer commission.
Retiring from the Army after 20 years, including a 15-month deployment to Iraq, Pierce published a book on organizational leadership and did project work for the Department of Defense.
McHenry County Blog has learned Pierce will be appearing November 14 with On Target Radio Show at 9PM CST to discuss his candidacy with hosts David Lombardo, and co-host Gretchen Fritz.
Other media appearances will be shared as information becomes available.
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* The executive order is here. Press release…
Joined by legislators, stakeholders, and community leaders, Governor JB Pritzker today declared gun violence a public health crisis and announced support for a $250 million state investment over the next three years to implement the Reimagine Public Safety plan, a data-driven and community-based violence prevention initiative.
Stakeholders have been a driving force behind the plan to coordinate and maximize hundreds of millions of dollars in future funding. The state will begin issuing Notices of Funding Opportunities for qualified organizations before the end of 2021 with a goal of enabling work to be well underway before the summer of 2022. […]
“Government’s first duty is to center public safety by and for the people,” said State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago). “We must abandon the status quo because it continues to let us down and invest into the collective samaritan such as our Illinois communities and neighborhoods; and this plan will do just that. With this, we’re on a path away from decades of policies that have led us to this point, and towards providing vital, trauma informed services so no child, no parent, and no neighbor are left alone and isolated. This will be the beginning of creating and maintaining public safety for all and not a few.”
The new resources draw from federal and State funding, including $50 million from the fiscal year 2022 state budget. The administration will work with members of the General Assembly on additional $100 million appropriations in the budgets for fiscal years 2023 and 2024, building on the state’s existing anti-violence investments. The governor has more than doubled violence prevention funding since taking office, with the state now appropriating $507 million for violence prevention, diversion, and youth employment programs in FY22, including $125 million in funds made available from the American Rescue Plan Act. […]
The Reimagine Public Safety Act (RPSA), sponsored by Senator Robert Peters and Representative Justin Slaughter, establishes the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFPV) to focus on reducing firearm violence in communities with the highest rates of gun violence.
“Law enforcement alone can never be the sole answer to reducing violence in our communities,” said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “Violence reduction and intervention are critical components to the modern public safety landscape as well as our holistic approach to combating crime. I commend our State partners for making this investment, which will help residents both in Chicago and across Illinois feel that much safer in the communities they call home.” […]
“This violence prevention plan is so much more than just the $250 million in community-based grants,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Westchester). “It is an evidence-based model that relies on collaboration between state agencies, academic organizations and our local violence prevention groups who know their communities
best to achieve meaningful and lasting change the people of our state deserve.” […]
Additionally, the Governor issued Executive Order 2021-29, declaring gun violence a public health crisis and launching a comprehensive, statewide approach to reducing gun violence and establishing the Reimagine program. The Executive Order requires relevant state agencies to work with the new Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP) to address the systemic causes of firearm violence and to develop trauma-informed and equity-based strategies.
The overall violence prevention approach includes four key elements:
• High-risk youth intervention programs that have been proven to reduce involvement in the criminal or juvenile justice system, referrals of teens into therapeutic programs that address trauma recovery and other mental health services.
• Violence prevention services, including street-based violence interruption work, emotional or trauma related therapy, housing, employment, job training/placement, family engagement, and wrap-around support services.
• Youth development programs, including after school and summer programming to increase school attendance and school performance, reduce criminal justice system involvement, and build social-emotional persistence and intelligence.
• Trauma recovery services for young people, funded by Medicaid, designed and implemented by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, to address trauma recovery from chronic exposure to firearm violence. A team-based model of care will include case management and school support services, group and individual therapy, and evidence-based family systems interventions.
$250 Million in Community-Based Grants
In the coming weeks, the OFVP will announce competitive funding opportunities for grants focused on technical assistance for violence prevention and youth development and intervention. Fifty million dollars in funding has been budgeted for the remainder of the state’s fiscal year 22, and $100 million for each of the subsequent two fiscal years will be requested.
ICJIA and IDHS have launched technical assistance and training opportunities for community organizations across the state to apply for funding that will help address factors that contribute to gun violence.
For information on available technical assistance and upcoming funding opportunities, visit the IDHS website at https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx.
Office of Firearm Violence Prevention
Anti-violence funding will support the enactment of RPSA, which establishes the OFVP within the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) to focus on reducing firearm deaths and injuries in communities with the most gun violence. […]
To develop sound recommendations on reducing incidents of gun violence, the OFVP is required to identify and work with violence prevention conveners in Chicago neighborhoods with the highest rates of violence. In areas outside of Chicago, the OFVP will form community advisory groups designed to lower firearm injuries and deaths.
Community-Based Violence Prevention and Intervention Action Plans
The Reimagine Plan aligns with the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority’s (ICJIA) recently published violence prevention plan, a statewide effort structured on evidence-based strategies and practices and focused on measuring incidents of gun violence across the state and analyzing indicators that can predict acts of violence.
ICJIA’s researchers laid out five areas of focus to guide future prevention efforts:
1. Stop the violence, promote safety;
2. Support children, youth, and families;
3. Advance equity;
4. Support health; and,
5. Promote collaboration across state, municipal, and community-based agencies.
The ICJIA violence prevention plan, the Reimagine Plan, and today’s Executive Order build on existing state and federally funded youth jobs programs, career-training efforts, and the first of its kind Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) initiative. Through R3, ICJIA has devoted tens of millions of dollars of revenue from adult-use cannabis sales into equity and community-based programs across Illinois.
“ICJIA released the Statewide Violence Prevention Plan in September which supports the administration’s goals of breaking the cycles of violence caused by years of failed criminal justice policies and economic disinvestment in Black and Brown communities,” said Acting ICJIA Executive Director Delrice Adams.“Developed in collaboration with over 130 community violence prevention stakeholders and seven state agencies, the plan aligns with the Reimagine Public Safety Act by providing a coordinated strategy to reduce gun violence across the state.”
Executive Order 2021-29
Governor Pritzker issued Executive Order 2021-29 to support IDHS in its implementation of the RPSA, a critical component of the violence prevention plan. The newly formed OFVP, established by the act, will coordinate with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), ICJIA, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), and other relevant state agencies to establish a public health approach to reducing gun violence.
“Because gun violence is one of the leading causes of premature death in Illinois and the United States, it is a critical public health issue,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Last year, approximately 1 of every 3 deaths in Illinois among those aged 15-24 years involved a gun. While gun violence affects people of all ages and races, it has a disproportionate impact on young adults, males, and racial/ethnic minorities. We must all work together to identify the roots of gun violence and what role each of us play in ending it. Gun violence is not inevitable; it is preventable.”
“Firearm violence is devastating to communities and individuals long after acts of violence occur,” Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Theresa Eagleson said. “Offering trauma recovery services with individual case management and therapy to young people who have been continuously exposed to violence is an essential step in the healing process and is in line with the Department’s efforts to address the social determinants of health.”
RPSA requires HFS to submit a State Plan Amendment to Illinois’ Medicaid program that could result in federal matching reimbursement for some of these services.
Further advancing the Pritzker administration’s work to reduce violence across the state, last month the Illinois State Police (ISP) announced a significant increase in its gun license revocation efforts as part of its larger work to rebuild the Firearms Services Bureau with a focus on public safety.
Since 2019, ISP’s Division of Criminal Investigation has conducted more than 450 firearms enforcement details, with over 1,300 prohibited persons brought into compliance and over 10,000 firearms dispositions accounted for.
…Adding… Democratic State Rep…
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* Daily Herald op-ed by Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., “a professor of computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research group on computational redistricting is committed to bringing transparency to the redistricting process using optimization algorithms and artificial intelligence”…
To illustrate how poorly the new [congressional district] map serves the people of Illinois, District 2 now mixes several South Side Chicago communities in the north with Danville and other East Central rural downstate communities. How can a representative of such a district, now classified as majority-minority, serve such a diverse set of constituents?
What the new map does is ignore and dismiss the interests of the citizens of Illinois, breaking up communities of interest throughout the state.
OK, first of all, this is US Rep. Robin Kelly’s district, which currently runs south of Kankakee to Chebanse. Under the new map, the district’s southern boundary has been extended about 70 miles south to include Danville. It’s basically just a larger version of her current district, and all districts had to get bigger this year because the state lost a seat during reapportionment. And to preserve three districts drawn to comply with the Voting Rights Act, the 2nd, like the other two, had to take in more white precincts. Also, c’mon, it’s also obviously about politics. And politics, like it or not, is an allowable factor in redistricting.
* And since Professor Jacobson brought up Danville, as of 10 years ago, Danville was 24 percent Black and about 5 percent Latino. Also…
For only the second time in 32 years, the City of Danville has elected a new mayor and elected its first African-American mayor.
If Jacobson had his way, Danville residents would continue to be represented by someone like Mary Miller, a white, upper-income farmer who lives more than 50 miles south of Danville and whose district office in Danville was closed at last check.
So, I asked Jacobson some questions via email. He didn’t really provide much of a response to my questions and I still haven’t heard back on this last one…
Again, why did you choose to center the interests of white people over people of color? Why is it seemingly preferable to have a white congressperson representing Black people?
If he gets back to me, I’ll be sure to post whatever he says.
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* Sarah Zhang has an excellent piece in The Atlantic, so you should definitely read the whole thing…
To prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed, the key group we need to vaccinate is really the elderly. The risk of hospitalization for an unvaccinated person over 80 is 25 times that for an unvaccinated person under 18. A Financial Times analysis of data from the U.K. found vaccinating 25,000 children had the same effect on hospitalizations as vaccinating just 800 adults over age 60. Unvaccinated elderly adults are just that much more likely to become severely ill with COVID-19. You can’t compensate for a low vaccination rate among older adults by vaccinating more people in younger groups, says Müge Çevik, a virologist at the University of St. Andrews.
The U.S. still has too many unvaccinated elderly people—or rather, parts of the U.S. do. States such as Vermont and Hawaii have done well, given almost 100 percent of people over 65 immunized at least one dose. But in Idaho, Arkansas, and Mississippi, the percentage is languishing in the 80s. Even small differences in this percentage can have an outsize impact on hospitalization outcomes. For example, two communities with 90 versus 99 percent of the elderly vaccinated actually have a tenfold difference in the number of people at risk for hospitalization. “You don’t need a lot of infections in the unvaccinated over 65 to give you a problem,” Hanage says. During the summer wave in the U.S., the community vaccination rate in people over 65 correlated with hospitalization trends. The trend, he says, is “extremely clear.”
Illinois is also languishing. Our vax rate for those 65+ is just 83.58 percent. Not great to be lumped in with states like Idaho, Arkansas and Mississippi.
* Um, no…
* According to the ISBE, only one district was still on probation…
ISBE issued emergency rules, effective October 28, that make changes to the processes and procedures regarding recognition status changes of districts and schools. As a result, ISBE reinstated the recognition status of the one public school district still not in compliance with the universal indoor masking requirement in order to proceed with the oversight process as outlined in the new administrative rules for recognition. ISBE will continue to take swift action to ensure compliance with the public health requirements that are in place to protect the health and safety of students and educators and to ensure students can continue to learn safely in-person. Please find the process described in the communication attached.
The attachment is here.
* From the governor’s event today…
Stay classy.
* Um, no. They could always be fired. Some folks were using a novel interpretation of a state law that was designed to protect certain rights of healthcare providers by giving them the ability to sue their employers and recover treble damages, including for pain and suffering…
Employees refusing to be vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 on religious or moral grounds could be fired under a change in Illinois’ Health Care Right of Conscience Act approved Friday by the General Assembly.
Also, those employees have certain federal religious rights that won’t go away when this law takes effect.
* Not a single court ever ruled pre-COVID that this state law applied to anyone but medical providers…
For more than four decades, the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act has protected people from having to provide or receive medical treatments that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs.
The amount of misinformation in the mainstream media on this legislation boggles the mind. The bill slightly narrows a narrowly and perhaps erroneously perceived right to sue. And almost all of this rigamarole has to do with people who are refusing to take regular COVID tests after opting out of the vaccine mandate.
Sheesh.
* Friday at the federal level…
Late Friday, a federal judge shot down an emergency request by Chicago firefighters, paramedics and other city workers to halt city and state vaccine mandates. That ruling came down hours after the City Council voted down a proposal from a group of aldermen to repeal the mandate and remove the power over such measures from the mayor. […]
[U.S. District Judge John Lee] said the plaintiffs failed to show that the government orders were irrational or outrageous or violated any of the employees’ constitutional or religious rights.
* Monday at the county level…
A Cook County judge ruled Monday that the city’s vaccination mandate can remain in place for now, but unionized Chicago Police Department employees can’t face consequences for not getting vaccinated until the policy goes through arbitration.
The written decision by Judge Raymond Mitchell to grant a partial temporary restraining order centers on the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police’s lawsuit against the city following a directive for all employees to report their vaccination status by Oct. 15, which thousands of first-responders did not do.
…Adding… Forgot about this…
* Other stuff…
* AG Raoul asks IL Supreme Court to move DeVore’s student mask lawsuits to Cook or Sangamon counties
* COVID-19’s global death toll tops 5 million in under 2 years
* Nursing homes in 3 states face profit limits as Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey move to improve care
* Moderna: FDA Delaying Decision on Its Shot for Adolescents
* COVID Vaccines for Kids Under 12: What Still Needs to Happen Before Shots Can Begin
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* Institute of Government and Public Affairs…
The University of Illinois Flash Index in October fell to 105.4 from its 106.0 level last month. This decline in Illinois followed the broader national pattern of a slowing recovery from the short, but sharp COVID-19 recession of 2020.
The small recovery the index made in September was wiped out, but the reading remains above the 100-level dividing line between economic growth and decline. See the full Flash Index archive.
“This drop is likely the result of the return of some restrictions because of the emergence of the Delta variant, along with supply chain bottlenecks that have slowed the economy,” said University of Illinois economist J. Fred Giertz, who compiles the monthly index for the Institute of Government and Public Affairs. “While the short-term outlook remains clouded, there is still optimism for 2022. This is based on the apparent receding of the Delta variant surge and the strong pent-up demand from consumers whose spending has been limited during the COVID-19 crisis.”
Giertz said that supply chain problems are also expected to ease, although more slowly than anticipated. Growth rate expectations, while still positive, have been tempered somewhat by these recent developments.
The Illinois unemployment rate dropped to 6.8% from last month’s 7.0% level. However, it remains a full two percentage points above the national rate. Inflation-adjusted corporate and sales tax receipts were up from the same month last year, while individual income tax receipts were down. As noted below, these results are impacted by changing payment patterns as well as basic state economic activity.
The Flash Index is a weighted average of Illinois growth rates in corporate earnings, consumer spending and personal income as estimated from receipts for corporate income, individual income, and retail sales taxes. These are adjusted for inflation before growth rates are calculated. The growth rate for each component is then calculated for the 12-month period using data through October 31, 2021.
Even though more than a year has passed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, ad hoc adjustments will still be needed for some time because of the timing of the tax receipts resulting from state and Federal changes in payment dates both this year and last year.
* History…
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SoS finally changes its goofy website name
Monday, Nov 1, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* There was a time when people out to make a buck convinced newbie website owners that their sites should have their own new identities apart from the ones that the organizations/companies had worked for decades or even longer to establish. So, for example, the St. Louis Post Dispatch’s online name became “St. Louis Today.” Lots of Downstate TV stations got into the act as well. I always thought it was a stupid idea and, before the age of easy Googling, even harmful. And the same goes for the Illinois SoS website name. CyberDriveIllinois.com? What?
But it turns out there’s an even better reason to change that silly name. Press release…
Secretary of State Jesse White announced that the Illinois Secretary of State’s office has changed its official web address from “cyberdriveillinois.com” to “ILSOS.gov.” The change is designed to help combat fraud. A “.gov” website address designates it as an official government website, which is exclusively provided to federal, state and local government entities.
“Changing the website address to ILSOS.gov will help combat fraud at a time when scams designed to defraud Illinoisans have been proliferating,” said White. “Because the new address uses a .gov suffix, you can rest assured it belongs to a federal, state or local government agency – in this case the Illinois Secretary of State’s office – which adds to your peace of mind when transacting business online with my office.”
White noted that Illinoisans who type cyberdriveIllinois.com into the browser will be directed to ILSOS.gov.
In addition to the website address change, White’s office unveiled a redesigned website that is designed to make it easier for the public to locate services quickly. The website prioritizes the most frequently used services, such as driver license, ID card and license plate renewals. It also breaks down online services into a specific section to help customers who wish to conduct business online.
Popular features, such as Safe Driver Renewal, DL/State ID Card Renewal, Facility Finder, Pick-a-Plate, License Plates Renewal and Business Services filings remain prominently featured.
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* Tribune…
Decision day dawned early Friday for members of Congress from Illinois confronted with a new district map drawn by Democrats in an effort to maximize power in Washington, avoid legal challenges and create an opportunity for adding a second Latino to the state’s delegation.
The fallout from the new map came quickly. First it was six-term Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Channahon, an outcast in his own party over his opposition to former President Donald Trump, taking himself out of a primary matchup against the four-term U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria, a staunch Trump supporter. […]
Still to be heard from is controversial freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Mary Miller of Oakland who was mapped into a district with four-term U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of Murphysboro [who announced for reelection last week]. Miller could choose to challenge five-term U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, whose neighboring district includes some of her current district.
Then there’s Davis, himself, who was left alone by Democratic mapmakers in a heavily Republican central Illinois district. Always active in state GOP politics, Davis has said his political future depended on how Democrats treated him in drawing a new district. Davis has been considering a possible bid for the Republican nomination for governor.
* Politico…
While a run for U.S. Senate seems logical, an insider who has seen polling numbers says it would be a suicide mission for Kinzinger to run against Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth. He’d also have to get out of a primary first, which would be a challenge for Kinzinger in any race while Trumpism remains potent within the party.
Other possible scenarios: Kinzinger takes a talking-head job at CNN or MSNBC, writes a book about battling former President Donald Trump, earns millions of dollars to secure his family’s future while also raising funds for his super PACs — and then makes a run for president in 2024. Wouldn’t a Trump v. Kinzinger race be something?
Still another GOP insider wouldn’t be surprised if Kinzinger were to take a military-type appointment under a Biden administration. Conservatives like to dream. […]
Miller, meanwhile, may decide to run in Davis’ seat instead of the 12th District, where she’s been placed to face-off against Rep. Mike Bost.
Why that’s interesting: Miller, a Trump devotee, might be a better fit for the more conservative 12th District, but it would be difficult to challenge GOP veteran Bost, who has his own Trump credentials. The former president even campaigned for Bost in 2020. Miller might see a bigger opening by challenging Davis, who supported establishing a commission to investigate Trump’s actions on Jan. 6.
Candidates don’t have to live in the district they’re seeking to represent. It wouldn’t be unusual for Miller to run in the 15th since it encompasses a chunk of her current district and because her family farm is just over a mile from the district.
…Adding… Oops, forgot to post this…
* Fact-check: Rep. Mary Miller’s claim of caravan the size of Minneapolis off by factor of 100
…Adding… For what it’s worth, I agree with Lynn Sweet…
If Kinzinger and his team thinks it would have been an “all-consuming race” just to run for a House seat, imagine the time and money it would take to mount a statewide bid.
Running for governor, with its state-focused issues, does not seem to animate Kinzinger, so let’s rule that out for now.
The Senate is a better match.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., 53, running for a second term in 2022, had $5.77 million cash-on-hand as of Sept. 30.
She will have no significant Democratic primary, so she can save for the general election. Kinzinger as of Sept. 30 had $3.35 million in his congressional war chest and would have to budget for an expensive primary.
Kinzinger, 43, will have other shots at the Senate.
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DPI hires Jake Lewis, Maralea Negron
Monday, Nov 1, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Today, the Democratic Party of Illinois announced two new staff hires: Jake Lewis will serve as Deputy Director overseeing all communications and Maralea Negron will serve as Operations Director.
“We’re thrilled for Jake and Maralea to join the DPI team,” said Congresswoman Robin Kelly, DPI Chair. “Both Jake and Maralea bring unique skills and experiences to the DPI that will support our work in making the party more active, inclusive, and transparent. Jake has been a leading voice in some of our most recent progressive political and legislative fights and he will be critical in helping us connect with voters about Democratic successes while holding Republicans accountable. Maralea’s experience working with Springfield legislators and advocating for the most vulnerable individuals throughout our state will serve the DPI well as we continue to grow our capacity and build our party.”
Jake Lewis will serve as Deputy Director and will oversee all communications. Previously, he worked as the Director of Communications for the Chicago Federation of Labor where he was responsible for internal and external communications. Jake also worked as the Campaign Director for Illinois Working Together, a labor coalition fighting for working families during the Rauner Administration, as a strategist for the political consultancy 270 Strategies and as field director for now Sen. Tammy Duckworth in her 2012 run for Congress.
“I am thrilled to join the DPI team and work to support Democrats up and down the ballot,” said Lewis. “Illinois Democrats have led the charge at the local, state, and federal levels to grow jobs, end the pandemic, protect our environment, and build a stronger economy that works for everyone. I look forward to helping the DPI communicate with voters, party leaders, and activists about the Democrats’ vision for the future as we head into a major election year.”
Maralea Negron will serve as Operations Director, working hand-in-hand with DPI leadership to ensure the party grows in size and scale to work with all Democrats this cycle. Previously, she worked as Chief of Staff to Rep. Kelly Cassidy, developing policy by engaging grassroots advocates and stakeholders on issues, tracking legislation, and serving as a liaison to the community and constituents. She also serves on the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission of the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the DPI team,” said Negron. “Now more than ever, our communities need Democratic leaders who will stand up for what is right and take on the toughest challenges we all face. I am eager to be a part of the DPI team as it continues to grow to meet Chair Kelly’s vision of an inclusive, effective state party.”
Jake won a Golden Horseshoe Award for his work at Illinois Working Together.
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
The current topsy-turvy political landscape was on full display in the Illinois House and the Senate last week as the chamber debated and passed a bill to slightly narrow the scope of the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act.
A bedrock Republican Party principle over the years has been to help shield employers from frivolous lawsuits. But every single Republican voted against a bill in the two chambers that would effectively prevent anyone who is fired or punished after refusing to take regular COVID-19 tests from suing their employer and recovering triple damages, including pain and suffering.
Public school teachers, for example, must now either be vaccinated or submit to regular virus testing, yet several unvaccinated teachers are suing because they do not want to take any tests. A court loss by those districts could be very costly, but some judges are siding with plaintiffs and concluding that a law designed to protect doctors who refuse to perform abortions also applies to people who don’t want to be vaccinated or get tested.
Democrats are usually all-in on the right of employees to sue, but definitely not in this instance. Like I said, topsy-turvy.
Also, for a year and a half now, Republicans have been demanding that the super-majority legislative Democrats vote on bills related to the pandemic rather than sit idly by while Gov. J.B. Pritzker issues executive orders.
But, when the Democrats finally took up the Health Care Right of Conscience Act legislation last week, folks like Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) argued that the General Assembly ought to drop this issue and instead allow the courts to decide whether the HCRCA applies to the current controversy over vaccines and testing.
That makes no sense considering the endless GOP demands that the General Assembly “do something.” But, in reality, that demand for legislative action has mainly been a rhetorical device to allow the Republicans to avoid commenting directly on a range of pandemic topics. Last week’s vote, however, smoked them out.
Pretty much all polling shows that the majority of Republican voters oppose things like COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates. So, it’s no surprise that Republican legislators would also be opposed to this change, particularly in a redistricting year when legislators will have new turf to defend and primary opponents can always pop up out of the blue.
What is a tiny bit surprising, though, is that the Republican Party has become so completely monolithic.
The party has for decades in this state included several legislators who were willing to break ranks on things like taxation, labor unions and abortion. But those members have left office, lost primaries to more conservative Republicans, lost general elections to more liberal Democrats or, in the case of folks like Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) who voted for the 2017 tax hike, lurched to the far right. It’s also easier to be unified in the super-minority party, mainly because there is so little pressure or enticement to participate in actual governance. The age of Donald Trump has forced the entire party into a niche, whether party members like it or not.
Unlike the Republicans, House Democrats were not totally unified on the HCRCA legislation last week. It probably didn’t help that tens of thousands of electronic witness slips were filed in opposition to the bill.
Seven House Democrats wound up voting against the measure: Carol Ammons of Urbana, Kelly Burke of Evergreen Park, Anthony Deluca of Chicago Heights, Stephanie Kifowit of Oswego and John D’Amico, Mary Flowers and Fran Hurley of Chicago. Two voted “Present”: Angie Guerrero-Cuellar of Chicago and Rita Mayfield of Waukegan.
In the Senate, six Democrats sided with the opposition: Rachelle Aud Crowe of Glen Carbon, Suzy Glowiak Hilton of Western Springs, Mike Hastings of Frankfort, Patrick Joyce of Essex, Meg Loughran Cappel of Shorewood and Doris Turner of Springfield. Four Democrats didn’t vote: Tom Cullerton of Villa Park, Napoleon Harris of Harvey, and Rob Martwick and Tony Muñoz of Chicago.
That Democratic opposition was enough to bring the final tallies below the threshold needed for an immediate effective date on the legislation, so it won’t take effect until June 1 of next year. But it’s likely the two chambers will vote on it again in January, when it can take effect immediately. In the meantime, the governor’s and attorney general’s offices believe the action was probably enough to stave off the lawsuits.
All because some folks who won’t get vaccinated say they have some mysterious conscientious objection to being tested for a disease and would sue any employer who claims otherwise.
Ridiculous.
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Open thread
Monday, Nov 1, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Let’s hope this doesn’t become, um, viral…
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