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NRCC says Catalina Lauf “on the radar” for “Young Guns” status

Monday, Feb 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* NRCC

The National Republican Congressional Committee today announced an additional slate of 21 “On the Radar” candidates as part of the Youngs Guns program. The program, spearheaded by Leader McCarthy, helps equip Republican candidates across the country with the tools they need to run winning campaigns.

“Republicans are completely united in our goal of taking back the House and firing Nancy Pelosi,” said Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. “I look forward to working with these candidates to promote our policies to get inflation under control, secure our border, and stop the violent crime wave sweeping our nation.”

The Young Guns program is divided into three levels containing benchmarks that a candidate must achieve to advance in the program. Candidates who achieve full Young Guns status have successfully collaborated with the NRCC and completed the requirements that establish a path to victory on Election Day. […]

The list of newly added “On the Radar” candidates is as follows: […]

(IL-11) Catalina Lauf

Lauf originally filed to run against Adam Kinzinger and is now running in a crowded primary race for the opportunity to compete against Democratic incumbent Bill Foster.

* From a recent Daily Herald story

Of the more than 20 Republicans running for Congress in the North, Northwest and West suburbs, just four said they agree with the Republican National Committee’s description of last year’s deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol as “ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.” […]

Eleventh District candidate Catalina Lauf of Woodstock said she agreed with the RNC’s statement. There are “widespread, absurd mischaracterizations of that day,” said Lauf, who is among five Republicans vying to face Democratic incumbent Bill Foster of Naperville.

Trump lost the new 11th District by 16 points.

* Other news…

* In a “blast from the past”, Kathy Salvi circulating petitions to run for U.S. Senate as her husband Al Salvi did 26 years ago

* Richard Irvin’s Campaign Mockery of Jeff Thorsen and Cliff Surges

  9 Comments      


Sen. Van Pelt’s CBD business pays back $144K to investors

Monday, Feb 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here, here, here and here. From the Sun-Times

State Sen. Patricia Van Pelt’s embattled CBD business has paid back more than $144,000 to investors as part of a settlement agreement stemming from an investigation by the Illinois secretary of state’s office, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

WaKanna For Life LLC, the Chicago Democrat’s Douglas-based multilevel marketing firm, is touted as a “movement” that has helped thousands of African Americans sell hemp-based CBD, or cannabidiol, a legal and nonpsychoactive compound also found in cannabis that’s used to treat a range of conditions. The company’s “founders” — Van Pelt, CEO Melissa Boston, Dr. Rita McGuire and Phyllis Nash — are all Black women.

Van Pelt began hosting cannabis investment workshops as Illinois’ pot legalization push gained steam in early 2019.

“I’m riding the wave with the rich,” she says in a promotional video that showed her talking to a crowd about becoming “marijuana millionaires.”

  5 Comments      


Question of the day

Monday, Feb 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. Gov. Pritzker faced reporters today and was asked whether, in the wake of the BGA’s new report about his blind trust, it was time to come up with another way to avoid further conflicts of interest

Well, there are no conflicts of interest because, number one, we have a blind trust in place; number two, there are a variety of safeguards even beyond that that makes sure that I have no conflicts of interest. So that if it turned out that there was any profit that might be made from some company that was conflicted, and again, I don’t, I am not involved in making any investment decisions. But if we found out that I was, then, obviously, as I’ve said, we would donate those dollars to charity. But as far as that, during my term as governor, again, I have avoided all conflicts of interest because I have no involvement in any businesses.

* But now that he knows about the Centene investment by his blind trust, what does he do about it?

I have no ability to direct anybody to make an investment or to disinvest. What I can tell you is that we have safeguards in place so there are no conflicts of interest.

* But he did sign off on a statement of economic interest, and Centene is clearly listed

By law, I have to sign a statement of economic interest. I think that’s a terrific thing. The state should keep that in place. I sign that every year. There are no values associated with any of the items on that. I get it, I go to the signature page and I sign it every single year.

* When did he learn about his blind trust’s investment in Centene?

I only learned of that literally because a reporter called last week from the BGA.

* Pritzker was then asked about his administration’s pushback against a bill sponsored by Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) that would’ve mandated set state clawback amounts from companies like Centene. The audio gets a bit crackly at that point, but here’s the response

That’s kind of a ridiculous connection. First of all, Centene had a contract with the state of Illinois before I became governor. It was the prior governor that signed that contract, that contract went into place before I got into office. And so there’s no, there’s just no relationship in any way. I don’t know quite how to respond to it because again, I’ve divorced myself entirely from making investments, knowing anything about the investments, the amounts of investments, etc. All conflicts of interest are taken care of by virtue of the blind trust and the safeguards that we put in place.

The governor’s office was more pointed with its response last week

First, existing law provides the authority for the state to claw back excessive profits. … As a result of the Medical Loss Ratio, HFS is currently estimating the department will recoup approximately $220 million from the MCOs in 2020. This will take place after the 18-month bill cycle for 2020 concludes later this year. … The legislation you are referencing would have violated federal requirements and put tens of millions of dollars of federal funding at risk – raising costs for Illinois taxpayers.

* Back to the presser. Did the blind trust fund make a mistake by investing in a state contractor?

[Crosstalk] When you say a mistake, I think it would be a mistake if there was some conflict of interest, or if I was engaged in it in any way. I was not and there is not.

Please pardon all transcription errors.

* The news media absolutely relishes opportunities to poke holes in a candidate’s self-imposed reforms which go above and beyond state law. The Tribune in particular skewered gubernatorial candidate Glenn Poshard for allegedly breaching his own self-imposed campaign fundraising rules in 1998. Poshard was made to look like the corrupt guy when it was George Ryan who ended up in prison. Click here and here for a little history if that was before your time.

On the other hand, we live in the real world, and, like it or not, candidates have no choice but to deal with the reality of the news business as it stands. And, as the saying goes, if you’re explaining you’re losing in politics, and there was a whole lot of explaining today.

* The Question: How would you rate the governor’s response today? Make sure to explain your answer.

…Adding… Irvin campaign…

Just days after an investigation found that Governor J.B. Pritzker has been personally profiting off an investment in a company that holds one of the largest state contracts, Pritzker doubled down to reporters today refusing to admit the blatant conflict of interest and claimed he knew nothing about the investment despite making a sworn statement that he had examined the document and it was correct.

“It is baffling that Governor Pritzker wants voters to believe he knew nothing about the Centene investment despite signing the very document listing the company, and attesting - under penalty of perjury - that he had examined the document and that it was correct,” Irvin for Illinois campaign spokesperson Eleni Demertzis said. “The governor may think he’s ended this issue at today’s press conference, but there are more questions to be answered like how much money he has personally profited off of this investment and why he’s now claiming he knew nothing about a document he personally signed.”

Pritzker also refused to acknowledge publicly known facts that his own administration blocked legislation in 2021 that would ‘claw back’ the skyrocketing profits of MCOs due to the covid-19 pandemic. Pritzker said today those claims were “totally ridiculous” even though his own administration worked with the MCOs reaping record profits to push back on the legislation.

Pritzker also attempted to deflect blame by claiming his predecessor signed the contract with Centene. But it was the Pritzker administration that ignored concerns from bipartisan legislators, foster parents and public service agencies and forced DCFS youth in care to transition to managed care. The company that held the DCFS managed care contract? Centene.

  49 Comments      


Pause for the cause

Monday, Feb 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I have to stop by my dentist’s office for a bit, then head to Oscar’s vet to refill a prescription, then drive downtown for an errand, so I will be away for a while. Please be civil to each other. Thanks.

  1 Comment      


It’s just a bill

Monday, Feb 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Mike Miletich

A proposal to help keep DCFS caseworkers safe during potentially dangerous house visits passed out of the Illinois Senate Friday. The plan says child protective investigators should be allowed to carry and use mace or pepper spray.

Two DCFS caseworkers have been killed on the job over the past few years, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say it’s time to add protections. […]

His proposal requires the Illinois State Police to train child protective investigators on how to properly use pepper spray for self-defense. It also calls for the Department of Children and Family Services to provide funding for that training program.

The bill is here.

* Yvette Shields

The new Illinois fund set up to manage the assets of suburban Chicago and downstate police pension funds would get an extra year to complete the consolidation under legislation being pursued by the fund that says it can’t meet a June 30 deadline.

The Illinois Police Officers’ Pension Investment Fund told lawmakers during a committee hearing that some individual funds have resisted moving their assets because of pending litigation challenging the constitutionality of the 2019 consolidation legislation. […]

Brad Cole, president of the Illinois Municipal League, told lawmakers he opposes the request for a one-year delay in consolidating the pension plans.

* WICS

An Illinois lawmaker says she wants to make it easier for families to get breastfeeding products.

A proposed bill would get rid of the sales tax on breast pumps and related supplies.

“Breast pumps are a basic necessity for nursing parents, especially ones who need to return to work and can’t breast feed regularly,” said Senator Cristina Castro, D-Elgin. “A sales tax on these products is just one more financial barrier for mothers to try to overcome.”

* Mark Maxwell

Video: State representative Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora) called on lawmakers to expand paid leave benefits for teachers to include an extra week for mental health.

* Andrew Adams at the SJ-R

Bills at the Illinois Capitol are addressing an ongoing shortage of teachers. […]

Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, introduced a bill in January to increase the number of days that short-term substitutes can teach from five to 15. […]

Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas, D-Chicago, has introduced a bill, also last month, to try to expand the pool for paraprofessionals, which faces a similar shortage to teachers. Her proposal would lower the minimum age for paraprofessional licensure from 19 to 18. […]

On the other side of the Capitol, Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, introduced a bill which would offer tuition reimbursements to teachers who attended training programs at public colleges and universities in Illinois. It is currently going through the lawmaking process in the House.

* Alyssa Patrick

Illinois lawmakers are trying to stop the state department of education from giving standardized tests to its youngest students. […]

Crewsell worked with lawmakers to file “Too Young to Test” bills in the Illinois House and Senate.

“What’s not OK is for the state to put their stamp of approval on this type of testing and push it down into those younger grades,” Crewsell explained.

Senate Bill 3986 passed 52-3 and now moves to the House, where it has bipartisan support thanks to vocal parents.

* Related…

* In Chicago Public Schools, more principals and teachers are leaving: One notable increase was among school leaders, whose departures tend to be especially disruptive to a school community — more so during this school year’s high-stakes, challenging transition back to full-time in-person learning. In all, 72 principals and assistant principals have left the district since July, already more than the number that retired or resigned during the entire 2018-2019 year.

* Our View: DCFS investigators should be allowed to carry pepper spray

* Illinois lawmakers propose prescription takeback plan

  10 Comments      


Campaign notebook

Monday, Feb 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* DGA…

As he bankrolls Richard Irvin’s bogus “law and order” campaign and parades as a public safety advocate, billionaire Ken Griffin has firms with millions of dollars invested in gun and ammunition manufacturing companies.

New reporting from WBEZ details how Griffin’s “$46 billion hedge fund — Citadel — and its corporate cousin had investments and holdings in gun and ammunition manufacturing companies, federal securities records show.”

WBEZ continues that in Chicago: “one out of every four guns recovered from city homicides in the past five years came off the assembly lines of companies in which Citadel held shares — weapons that have played a role in the same, worsening crime wave that Griffin blames on the governor.”

This news comes after the Chicago Tribune slammed Irvin for his record of profiting off of helping clients accused of kidnapping, domestic violence, and other crimes he calls out in campaign ads escape accountability.

Meanwhile, Gov. JB Pritzker has more than doubled funding to reduce gun violence since he took office. Gov. Pritzker recently announced he’s directing $150 million to organizations working to prevent violence through his Reimagine Public Safety Act, which aims to address the root causes of firearm violence in Illinois through targeted, integrated behavioral health services, access to economic opportunities, and violence interruption and prevention programs.

…Adding… DPI…

Over the weekend, WBEZ reported Ken Griffin’s hedge fund, Citadel, and its related companies hold at least $86 million in investments in several gun manufacturers. In fact, WBEZ’s analysis shows that nearly one out of every four guns recovered from Chicago homicides in the past five years were made by companies in which Citadel held shares.

Griffin has already poured $20 million into Richard Irvin’s campaign, the head of the Rauner Reboot slate of statewide candidates, as well as more than $100,000 into the Illinois Republican Party. While Griffin’s companies hold tens of millions in gun investments, Irvin and other Republicans are shamelessly trying to politicize crime as a campaign issue for the fall. This comes after Irvin was already caught hiding his history as a criminal defense attorney who helped those accused of domestic violence, kidnapping, assaulting police officers, and other heinous crimes.

So does “tough on crime” Richard Irvin have a problem taking money from Ken Griffin’s gun investments? Nope – a campaign official told WBEZ, “Irvin does not take issue with Citadel’s investments and holdings.”

Those doing anti-violence work disagree. Here’s what Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of Faith Community of St. Sabina, told WBEZ:

    “You absolutely cannot be a voice about crime and murder or shootings on our streets when your company is a major investor in gun manufacturers. It’s absolutely hypocritical…How do you talk about what the governor is doing about crime when you are a major investor to the very industry and the gun manufacturers that are the major contributors to the crime and the violence in our cities. How hypocritical is that?”

* Irvin campaign…

J.B. Pritzker’s statement of economic interest proves he knew his supposed “blind trust” invested in Centene, a vendor with whom he granted one of the largest state contracts in Illinois. Despite desperate spin from the governor’s spokespeople, the fact is Pritzker personally signed his statement of Economic Interest form on April 29, 2021, that listed Centene as a company in which he invested.

“The people of Illinois are all too familiar with governors trying to profit off state contracts - see Rod Blagojevich - but a billionaire doing it takes this scandal to an entirely new level,” said Irvin for Illinois Campaign spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “These are very serious allegations, and the governor must explain how much money he made off the Centene investment and why he didn’t instruct advisors to not invest in companies with state contracts.”

In the same year that Pritzker invested in Centene, his Administration oversaw several state actions and events that significantly benefited the company’s finances. Since the news broke, the administration will not say if the Governor ever instructed managers of his trust to refrain from investing in any companies with state contracts. It is also unknown how much money the Governor made from this investment.

* I seriously doubt whomever is chosen will be running in the primary because Cullerton was mapped into the 23rd with fellow Senate Democrat Suzy Glowiak Hilton

Democratic leaders in the state’s 23rd Senate district are working to find a replacement for Sen. Thomas Cullerton with just 20 days remaining until candidates must submit petitions to appear on the June primary ballot.

Cullerton resigned Wednesday as his lawyers indicated he intends to change his plea involving corruption charges against him.

* The local news media headlines have so far been few and modest, the mailers and TV ads have yet to hit, so take this with a gigantic grain of salt, particularly since no negatives were pushed

Rep. Marie Newman’s campaign is heartened by some internal polling that shows she’s running neck and neck with Rep. Sean Casten in the 6th Congressional District Democratic primary.

According to the polling memo obtained by Playbook, the two Democrats each received 37 percent support with 26 percent undecided when first asked about who voters would support. Then, “after hearing positive descriptions of Newman and Casten and no criticisms of either,” Newman edged Casten 48 percent to 39 percent, according to the polling memo.

The memo doesn’t explain what questions were asked but does indicate that the poll was conducted after headlines about the House Ethics Committee looking into whether Newman promised a job to someone in exchange for them not running against her in 2020. The poll also was conducted before news came out about a complaint alleging Casten’s 2018 campaign illegally worked with a super PAC funded by his father to air attack ads against his primary opponent at the time.

According to the polling memo, “Forty-seven percent (47%) of 2020 Democratic Primary voters live in Newman’s old C.D. 3, compared to only 21% who reside in the old (Casten) boundaries of C.D. 6.” In other words, Newman is polling right about where she should be at the start and Casten is polling well above where he should be.

* Pastor Corey Brooks has often featured Republican candidates and incumbents at his church or during his events. He hosted Rod Blagojevich the other day and revealed his partisan inclinations

“People are going to ask me, ‘Okay, pastor, why do you have a former Democratic governor on the rooftop talking to you?’ And my answer to that is when you were the governor, I was on the opposite side. I’m a conservative Republican. So a lot of the policies that you had in place, I didn’t agree with,” the pastor said. “(But) you always allowed me to talk with you…and I appreciated that.”

* Press release…

Today, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Tony Munoz, Senator Melinda Bush, Senator Sara Feigenholtz, Senator Elgie Sims, Assistant House Majority Leader Marcus Evans, former Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, former State Senator and State Representative Susan Garrett, and former State Senator Heather Steans announced their endorsement of Judge Elizabeth Rochford in her campaign for the Illinois Supreme Court’s 2nd district.

The current and former elected officials released the following statement in support of Judge Rochford:

“As state legislators who have been on the front lines of some of the biggest policy achievements Illinois has seen, we know that we can never take for granted who is sitting on the bench of the highest court in our state. At a time when there is so much at stake for our state and our democracy as a whole, it’s never been more important to have Supreme Court Justices who have judicial experience and knowledge of the law. That’s why we’re proud to support Judge Elizabeth Rochford, whose expertise is unparalleled in this race. Over the coming years, the Supreme Court will weigh in on a litany of issues that have an impact on the lives and livelihoods of all Illinoisans, and we are confident Judge Rochford will bring the steady, experienced judicial hand we deserve.”

Judge Rochford was recently endorsed by Secretary of State Jesse White, who called her a “brilliant judge” with “superb judicial experience.” Rochford has also been endorsed by the Illinois State AFL-CIO, IUOE Local 399, UFCW Local 881, Plumbers Local Union 130 UA, the Lake County Building & Construction Trades Council and its 18 local affiliate trade unions, and the McHenry County Building & Construction Trades Councils and its 26 local affiliate trade unions.

* Sullivan…

Following news reports of Illinois gas stations charging drivers more than $4 a gallon to fill up, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan today pledged to support legislation permanently repealing the 2019 gas tax hike signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“The governor’s energy agenda not only made Illinoisans more dependent on foreign tyrants like Vladimir Putin to heat their homes and drive their cars, he also forced working families to pay billions of dollars more in gas taxes for the privilege,” Sullivan said.

“With oil prices surging after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and inflation hitting record highs, our leaders must do everything in their power to ensure Illinois families don’t face even more pain at the pump. On day one in Springfield, our administration will support legislation to fully and permanently repeal Pritzker’s gas tax hike.”

…Adding… Would somebody please tell Mr. Sullivan that the Keystone Pipeline originates in a foreign country?…


…Adding… Missed this one

One of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s top City Council allies said she will “absolutely not” support her campaign for re-election and criticized the mayor for being divisive, comments that reflect broader discontent with Lightfoot’s leadership style as she prepares to seek a second term.

Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza, who Lightfoot tapped to lead the City Council Workforce Development Committee that often handles union contract issues, made the comments in an interview on the Ben Joravsky Show podcast after being asked if she would support the a second term for the mayor.

“I’m tired of being ignored. I’m tired of not getting phone calls returned. I’m tired of letting the inmates run the asylum. Yeah, no. Absolutely not,” Garza said in the podcast, published over the weekend. “I have never met anybody who has managed to p*ss off every single person they come in contact with — police, fire, teachers, aldermen, businesses, manufacturing, and that’s it. I said it. That’s it. I don’t care.”

  52 Comments      


Harmon talks music and what lessons he’s taken from it

Monday, Feb 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Senate Democrats’ latest podcasts is an interview of Senate President Don Harmon talking about his musical experience. It’s pretty darned good

Q: You gave a speech not all that long ago and the title was ‘All I needed to know to be a legislative leader I learned playing in a rock and roll band.’ Explain that to me. How did the two tie together in your mind?

A: Being in a band is not that much different than being in a caucus in a lot of ways, or in any sort of a political group. You have different roles to play at different times, different people get their turn in the spotlight. Some people are backup players by choice or by nature. Some people are more gravitating towards the spotlight. But you have to work together or the finished product is garbage. You’ve got to rehearse. 95% of work happens offstage, very much like in the legislative process. So an awful lot of similarities, more so than I would have thought before trying to put together that analogy.

Q: What are some of the keys that you can take away from being in a band, not just the behind the scenes work, but some of the character traits that are key to doing work as a legislator?

A: The ability to both prepare and to wing it simultaneously. It is a weird confluence, but you have to be prepared so that you can wing it once you’re on stage. And I think the same thing happens in committee, or debating a bill on the floor, or at a press conference. You need to be prepared, but that preparation often manifests itself in coming up with an answer on the spot that you never expected to formulate. So I think that was good training from the rock ‘n’ roll world.

  13 Comments      


“If that’s your best, your best won’t do”

Monday, Feb 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. My weekly syndicated newspaper column

For what seemed like an eternity, but probably just for the past year or so, infamous covid attorney Thomas DeVore has been citing the first paragraph of Section 2 of the Illinois Department of Public Health Act to claim that only the Illinois Department of Public Health has the power to quarantine or isolate Illinoisans.

And, indeed, the statute clearly states at the top of Section 2, that IDPH has “supreme authority in matters of quarantine and isolation.” Those powers come with some strong individual consent and due process checks and balances, including the right to judicial review.

Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow agreed with DeVore’s argument in early February when she issued her temporary restraining order on the grounds that the state’s school mandates for masks, testing and vaccination were a “type of quarantine” and that local school districts were not complying with “any due process under the IDPH Act.”

The appellate court did not subsequently address the merits of the case because, it ruled, the issue was moot after the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules voted to suspend an emergency IDPH rule to enforce the governor’s executive order, which was issued under the broad and sweeping authority given to the governor during declared disasters by the Illinois Emergency Management Act.

The DeVore lawsuit claimed, and Judge Grischow concurred, that IDPH’s authority superseded the IEMA law.

However, the state’s recent appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court pointed out a huge flaw in the arguments made by Judge Grischow and newly minted attorney general candidate DeVore.

At the very end of that very same IDPH Act Section 2 cited above is this clear language: “Nothing in this Section shall supersede the current National Incident Management System and the Illinois Emergency Operation Plan or response plans and procedures established pursuant to IEMA statutes.”

The state’s appeal also brought up the trick box constructed by the appellate court’s ruling that the issue was moot without also lifting Grischow’s restraining order, which would’ve been logical because there is no longer an active emergency IDPH rule on the books. The state’s appeal asked that, at the very least, the Supreme Court toss the restraining order.

This legal battle has been more about the future than the present. The state’s mask mandate was already being phased out on Mar. 1. Before the Grischow ruling, the school mask mandate was expected to be lifted after spring break, when the weather warmed up. But there’s always the next variant and, even if this Omicron BA.2 subvariant turns out to be a dud, it’s an absolute certainty that another deadly pandemic will occur sometime or another.

The Illinois Supreme Court needed to finally step up after sidelining itself throughout the pandemic. Legislators needed to know whether they had to adjust the statutes going forward or if the ones on the books were adequate and merely misinterpreted by a circuit court judge.

I mean, if you want to see what life would be like if DeVore and his clients prevailed, just look at the lawsuit he filed on behalf of Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, who was ejected from the House floor because he refused to comply with the chamber’s rules requiring mask-wearing during session.

“Wilhour has a right to insist he not be compelled to undergo quarantine, which includes masking, which is purported to limit the spread of an infectious disease, unless Wilhour is first afforded his procedural and substantive due process rights as provided under Illinois law,” the lawsuit declared.

If DeVore could win that argument, the Illinois House of Representatives would have to endure a court hearing for each and every objector before enforcing its simple facemask rule.

Now, imagine that procedure throughout the land, in every school and place of business when the next deadly pandemic strikes.

Late on Friday, Feb. 25, the Illinois Supreme Court finally weighed in. The justices vacated Judge Grischow’s restraining order. That means the weird logic of masks being a “type of quarantine” is no longer in effect, which further undercuts DeVore’s case against the House.

But rather than try to pick another fight, Gov. J.B. Pritzker cited CDC guidance about masks being needed only in areas of “high transmission,” and then lifted his statewide school mask mandate effective Feb. 28. The small handful of counties, all downstate, which are still high transmission areas will be merely asked to follow the CDC guidance.

So, the mask opponents score a victory and Pritzker extricates himself from this mess for now.

And, I would add, a belligerent parent could even demand a court hearing before their sick child was sent home from school.

* Meanwhile, this is for all those folks who’ve called their governors, mayors and school board members “tyrants” during the past several months…


Some people really need to get some perspective in life.

Headline explained here.

* Related…

* Niles West students stage walkout after being called racial slurs: Students of color at Niles West High School staged a walk-out after they say they were attacked with racial slurs by student anti-mask protesters

  44 Comments      


Open thread

Monday, Feb 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Please keep it Illinois-centric and be civil to each other. Thanks.

  18 Comments      


*** LIVE COVERAGE ***

Monday, Feb 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Follow along with ScribbleLive


  Comments Off      


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