* GOP press release…
Senate Republican Deputy Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris) issued the following statement after the Joint Committee of Administrative Rules (JCAR) successfully voted to suspend the Pritzker Administration’s attempt to reissue emergency rules that would have required school districts to enforce the Governor’s school mask mandate despite a recent court ruling. JCAR voted to block the emergency rules with a bipartisan 9-0-2 vote:
“Today, the Joint Committee of Administrative Rules made it clear that we would not accept the Governor’s attempts to go above a court ruling made by a co-equal branch of government.
“Instead of allowing our judicial system to work through its process, the Governor tried to double down on his unilateral approach to COVID-19 mitigations by reissuing the same exact rules that a Sangamon County judge nullified earlier this month. This move was both bad government and dangerous to the rule of law as it ignored the court’s ruling on due process.
“In his quest for power and control, Pritzker and his Administration was willing to further the chaos and confusion for schools throughout the state. With this bipartisan vote, I hope that the Governor finally recognizes that his go-it-alone tactic is not in the best interest of our state or its people.”
I’m waiting on a statement from the governor’s office. But an official did confirm this means that there is no statewide school mask mandate now.
We’ll wait to see what the governor’s office says, but the Democrats asked the governor to pull the emergency rule and I’m told he couldn’t do it because of the appeal of the DeVore case.
Sens. Bill Cunnigham and Tony Munoz voted “Present,” by the way. Sen. Kimberly Lightford was not at the hearing.
“I think it fair to say the committee was uncomfortable with extending an emergency rule that has been invalidated by a court,” Senate President Pro Tempore Cunningham told me this afternoon.
The Democrats are saying they will revisit the emergency rule if the appellate court overturns the DeVore ruling.
* From Senate GOP Leader McConchie…
“In his quest for power at all costs, the Governor attempted to go above the judicial system to continue to require masks in schools, a move that even his Democrat allies in the legislature wouldn’t support. Even they agree he has gone too far.
“Today, the Governor was willing to add to the confusion and chaos that has overwhelmed our schools and parents in the last several days. Fortunately for the people of Illinois, he was stopped.
“Enough is enough. Let’s start governing this state through the rightful democratic process, not under one man’s rule and ego.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Jordan Abudayyeh at the governor’s office…
The administration understands that members of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules are awaiting a ruling from the appellate court on this issue. As doctors have said time and again, masks are the best way to preserve in-person learning and keep children and staff safe. We look forward to continuing to work with members of the General Assembly, school districts, parents, communities and all stakeholders to use the tools we have to keep in-person learning. In the meantime, the administration urges all schools and parents to encourage mask-wearing to keep everyone in their schools and communities safe.
…Adding… House Republicans…
The bicameral Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) voted 9-0-2 today to block re-implementation of Governor JB Pritzker’s mask mandate for K-12 public and private schools in Illinois in the wake of the February 4 temporary restraining order issued by Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow declaring the Governor’s emergency rules as they apply to schools “null and void.”
“Parents and children across Illinois deserve certainty and clarity amid all the confusion and chaos created by Governor Pritzker’s decision to continually go it alone and work only through the courts instead of with stakeholders and families,” Representative Wheeler said in a statement. “Locally elected school boards who are accountable to parents and know best for their districts, along with their local health department experts, should be allowed to make decisions on COVID mitigations that fit their communities best. With JCAR’s bipartisan ruling today, there is no statewide mask mandate in effect for schools, and the decision now belongs with the local school districts.”
All three House Republican members of JCAR voted to reject re-implementation of the Governor’s mask mandate, including Deputy GOP Leader Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon), Assistant GOP Leader Rep. Keith Wheeler (R-Oswego), and Rep. Steve Reick (R-Woodstock).
The Governor’s emergency rule on COVID mitigations for Illinois schools expired on Sunday, February 13. The Administration immediately re-filed the rule on Monday, putting it back into effect unless JCAR voted affirmatively to block it with a minimum of 8 members on the 12-member committee. Nine members voted to suspend the Governor’s emergency rule, with zero voting to keep it in place and two members voting “Present.”
During the hearing, Representative Wheeler suggested to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) official testifying on behalf of the Pritzker Administration that the agency could have shown respect for the ongoing judicial process by issuing guidance to Illinois schools on recommended COVID mitigations instead of re-filing them as mandates in the form of an emergency rule. The IDPH official rejected that suggestion, reiterating the agency’s position of pressing forward with mandates rather than guidance. Moments later, JCAR voted to approve a motion blocking re-implementation of the Governor’s mask mandate via emergency rule.
…Adding… Sen. DeWitte…
On February 15, the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) voted 9-0-2 to block Governor JB Pritzker’s attempt to reissue emergency rules that would force school districts to enforce his mask, vaccine, and testing mandates. The vote was bipartisan, with three Democrats joining the committee’s six Republicans in suspending the proposed rule. Following the vote, State Senator Donald DeWitte (R-St. Charles) issued the following statement:
“Rather than respecting a decision handed down by the judicial branch of government, Gov. Pritzker still insisted that he, and only he, should have unilateral control over every aspect of the pandemic response. By issuing essentially the same rule that had already been deemed null and void, even his Democrat allies on JCAR could not support him. Even they felt his reissuance of the rule went too far.
“With full knowledge of the court ruling, Governor Pritzker was essentially asking school districts to violate a constitutional right to due process that must be afforded to students and families. It was yet another example of his ‘go it alone’ attitude that shuts out all other coequal branches of government.
“As a courtesy, we offered IDPH and the Pritzker Administration the opportunity to withdraw their rule pending a decision by the Appellate Court. Instead, they chose to double down. They made a poor decision, and today they lost.”
…Adding… Rabine…
Gary Rabine, candidate for Illinois Governor is issuing the following statement on JCAR’s ruling today to suspend the Illinois Department of Public Health emergency rules requiring masks to be worn in schools.
“Today, Illinois Legislators made it clear it’s time for Pritzker’s tyrannical reign to end. Democrats and Republicans slammed Pritzker COVID chaos by stopping his attempt to go around the court order that lifted mask mandates in schools.
The Governor has forgotten we live in a Democracy - which means he needs to consult with elected officials, Illinois citizens and parents before he issues orders regarding their kids’ health and well-being.
This vote today is a flat-out rejection of JB Pritzker and his approach to governing - by even his own party.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Senate Preside Pro Tempore Bill Cunningham…
“We have an active court case on this matter, the outcome of which should provide clarity for what next steps are needed. Acting now would be premature given that pending ruling and also given the fact that the previous rule amounted to guidance without any real enforcement.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** 4th District Appellate Court…
The Attorney General representing the State Defendants and attorneys DeVore and Gerber representing the plaintiffs are directed to explain how this appeal is affected by the actions taken February 15, 2022, by the Joint Committee of Administrative Rules (JCAR) blocking extension of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s emergency rules. The explanation is due by 1:00 PM, Wednesday, February 16, 2022.
…Adding… Jesse Sullivan…
“Today’s JCAR vote is a victory for separation of powers and the rule of law. Pritzker’s agenda is clearer than ever: seize total control of Illinois kids and schools, answering to no one but his most radical teacher’s union backers. His actions are so extreme that his own party is now rejecting them. And in November, voters will too.”
…Adding… Rep. Bourne…
State Representative Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville) issued the following statement in response:
“Gov. Pritzker cannot continue to sidestep the legislature, or the courts, and go-it-alone to force his mandates on the families and children of Illinois,” said Bourne. “This is a win for the rights of parents and local school boards to decide what is best for their children, and I commend JCAR for standing up for parents and children today.”
Last week, Rep. Bourne also joined colleagues in sending a letter to the Governor demonstrating the evidence of the unintended harm masking has on the social-emotional and learning of our children and calling for him to drop his appeal. A copy of that letter can be viewed on RepBourne.com.
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* In this case, it’s not a bill yet, but may be soon. WCIA…
A panel of House lawmakers reviewed building code protocols and heard testimony from emergency management experts at a warehouse standards hearing on Monday in an effort to improve workplace safety during natural disasters.
The House Labor and Commerce Committee held the hearing in response to the EF-3 tornado that tore the roof from the Edwardsville Amazon fulfillment center last December. The building collapsed, killing six workers inside and seriously injuring another.
Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) and Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) both represent districts ravaged by the tornado.
“Our obligation as elected officials to look at whether or not there were things that could have been done with regard to the building code, with regard to the safety of workers,” Hoffman said. […]
State legislators have not yet filed legislation in response to the tragedy.
* Capitol News Illinois…
A bill in the Illinois House would do away with the sub-minimum wage paid to waitresses, bartenders and other tipped service workers.
Rep. Camille Lilly, D-Chicago, introduced House Bill 5139 last month. If the bill becomes law, workers who supplement their wages with tips will receive the state’s minimum wage starting on Jan. 1, 2025, in addition to their tips.
Its passage may be a tall order, however, as the Illinois Restaurant Association successfully lobbied when lawmakers overhauled the minimum wage schedule in 2019 to allow businesses to continue to pay less than minimum wage to employees who earn tips.
Lilly’s bill has currently not received a full committee assignment and has no cosponsors.
* Mike Miletich…
An Illinois House Democrat hopes to help more people get previous cannabis charges expunged from their record. Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) says some still face a barrier because of the drug test required before expungement.
Recreational marijuana has been legal in Illinois since January 1, 2020. One of the major components of the legalization law was the automatic expungement of nearly 500,000 marijuana arrest records. Although, some people are still waiting to have a clean slate today.
Ammons says people not eligible for expungement right now may be rejected because of marijuana found in their system. She hopes to remove cannabis testing from the requirement for expungement to help speed up the process. Ammons told the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee that many also end up paying an extra $75-$100 to take the drug test while people across the state can legally use cannabis.
“It’s not going the way this legislative body intended it to go,” said Mark Mitchell, an advocate with Teamwork Englewood. “It’s not happening in four months. It’s taking 18-19 months to get this done on the regular.” […]
Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) said he believes the bill’s current language could be interpreted to expand the number of offenses eligible for expungement. Windhorst argues the bill could expand eligibility for people with any felony drug offenses, including the distribution of drugs.
* WQAD…
A new proposal would add armed security with caseworkers on visits they feel could turn violent.
“It’s definitely a potentially dangerous environment,” ACLU of Illinois member Heidi Dalenberg said.
“They are trained to support the staff that they’re with,” McCombie said.
McCombie, who’s been a strong advocate for DCFS, said she supports the bill.
The same cannot be said for the ACLU of Illinois.
“The best person to have with you is another social worker trained person,” Dalenberg said.
McCombie feels an additional worker would add more risk and that there are not enough workers to handle the current workload.
* Press release…
Following another murder of an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) employee, State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield) and State Representative Sandy Hamilton have filed new legislation designed to help these employees protect themselves.
“It is legal for people to carry pepper spray for their own protection, as many do all over this state. Yet DCFS workers who have to walk into abusive homes are not allowed that same protection,” said Senator McClure. “This is a common-sense step to help them stay safe while performing what is an incredibly important job.”
McClure has filed Senate Bill 4165 in the Senate and Hamilton has filed identical legislation as House Bill 5688 in the House. The bills would allow DCFS employees to carry mace or pepper spray for defensive purposes while investigating child abuse and neglect. The employees would be required to complete a short training program from the Illinois State Police on the proper use of pepper spray.
“It is sad that we have to make a law for our state workers to be able to protect themselves,” said Representative Hamilton. “It is the right thing to do so that those who are working to protect abused children can also have at least one tool to protect themselves in these situations. This is something they can keep on a key chain to disable an attacker long enough to get away and get help.”
The legislation is in response to the murders of two DCFS investigators. Deidre Silas was stabbed to death in January at a home in Thayer during the course of an investigation. In February of 2018, Pamela Knight died in the hospital from injuries sustained during a brutal attack that occurred while she was trying to take a child into protective custody.
The lawmakers unveiled their bills at a press conference at the Illinois State Capitol on Tuesday, February 15th. They were joined by other lawmakers from across the state, along with former DCFS employees who spoke in support of the legislation.
* Related…
* Extended Interview: Senator Robert Peters on public safety, ending cash bail
* Extended Interview: Senator Jason Barickman on state budget, crime
* Many Metro East warehouses don’t have tornado shelters despite a low price tag
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Alan Greiman
Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today issued the following statement regarding the passing of Hon. Alan Joel Greiman, former circuit court judge and chief justice of the Illinois Appellate Court.
“Judge Greiman dedicated much of his life to serving the people of Illinois, as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, as a circuit court judge and chief justice of the Illinois Appellate Court. I had the opportunity to argue before him at the appellate court, and his commitment to justice and equality informs the work my office does to protect the rights of all Illinois residents.
“Judge Greiman was an advocate for women, sponsoring the Illinois Domestic Violence Act and as a vocal supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, which my office is even now fighting to ensure is recognized as our 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. All that he accomplished was done while garnering the respect of those fortunate enough to serve with him – or argue before him.
“The state of Illinois has lost a true public servant. I offer my deepest condolences to his wife, former State Rep. Julie Hamos, his beloved daughters and grandchildren, and all who knew and loved him. May his memory be a blessing.”
* His obituary…
Hon. Alan Joel Greiman, brilliant jurist, impactful legislator, lifelong Chicagoan, and bon vivant died peacefully at home at age 90. Although his body gave out, his positive spirit and zest for life were with him until the end. He was the devoted son of Maurice and Natalie Greiman and was preceded in death by his first wife Carole (Lanoff). His love of chocolate, a good cigar, ’40s music, cabaret, and political discourse were surpassed only by his deep love for his wife Julie Hamos, his daughters and their spouses (Laurie Greiman and Peter Walton, Lori and Rich Coyle, Judy Greiman and David Knishkowy, Jodi and Michael Moran, Tami Friedman, Bunny and Stu Evans), his grandchildren (Jonathan and Pam Walton, Cara Walton and Lance Machado, Shira Knishkowy and Ben Gaffin, Maya Evans and Brian Strelko , Dan Knishkowy and Chrissy Ziegler, Madi and Adam Dooley, Carly Evans and Nate Knorek), and his great grandchildren (Rowan and Sylvie Walton). Individually and collectively they filled him with joy, and he showered them with his love, wisdom, and humor.
He devoted his career to equality and justice and was an advocate, a lawyer, a legislator and Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois House of Representatives. His time in the legislature was marked by his wily ability to get his progressive agenda enacted while building unusual coalitions. He sponsored the Illinois Domestic Violence Act, as well as legislation granting no-fault divorce and the right to public employee collective bargaining, prohibiting the sale of handguns, banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, protecting newsrooms from unreasonable searches, and was the first in the nation to propose a ban on discrimination based on age. He was an ardent sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment and had the stories to tell about why Illinois failed to pass it.
He was also a Circuit Court Judge and Chief Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court. As a judge, he instituted a celebrated mediation program and other innovations that resulted in speedier resolutions of cases. His wit, his humor, and his big heart made him friends and allies on all sides of all aisles for accomplishing great things for the people of Illinois.
He was a big guy with an equally big passion for life, his family, the law, travel, his countless friends and good food. We will miss him deeply.
Service Thursday 10AM at Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd. (at Niles Center Road) Skokie. Interment Westlawn.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Illini Hillel, 503 E John St., Champaign, IL 61820, www.illinihillel.org.
To attend the funeral live stream, please visit our website. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com
Judge Greiman was a friend to many, including myself. “Bon vivant” is a great description of him. RIP, Alan. You were one of a kind.
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* Press release…
With the indoor mask mandate set to expire at the end of the month State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) along with State Representatives Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville); Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur); Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City); and Chris Miller (R-Oakland) ditched their masks on the House floor and issued the following statement.
“Today we entered the House chambers without a mask. So long as school districts continue to defy the courts and force the unwanted and unnecessary covering of the faces of children in schools, we will no longer comply with the mask theater that takes place here.
It’s over. It’s gone on long enough.”
As I write this at 1:14 pm, the super-majority House Democrats have not yet ejected any of the maskless members from the chamber. No word back yet from Speaker Welch’s office on what the plan is.
…Adding… Rep. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago) just rose to ask that the recalcitrant members be removed from the chamber. The Republicans then asked for a caucus. The Democrats called up the agreed resolutions and appear to be planning to adjourn for the day. No word back from the House GOP Leader’s office, either.
…Adding… The House has adjourned until tomorrow. Rep. Wilhour earlier attempted to read a statement after he was admonished for not following the rules, but he hadn’t been recognized to speak and his microphone was shut off.
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* Jesse Sullivan was on Tom Miller’s WJPF show yesterday…
Tom Miller: …Some questions people are asking about, did you vote for Obama? Did you vote for Trump? They want to know about your voting record?
Jesse Sullivan:Yeah, well, let me share about my own journey, my own political journey a little bit. So, I grew up in central Illinois working on a farm. I have always been a person of deep faith. But we were a sports family, not a political one. And so I was someone who was paying more attention to the Super Bowl last night than paying attention to who’s funding who and what race and all that. So, my faith drove everything, so that meant I was always pro life. It meant that I was always pro Second Amendment out hunting with my grandpa. But on this one area of poverty, I think the Democrats kind of hoodwinked me because they said, ‘Hey, we’re the ones who care about people in need and poverty.’ But Matthew 25 says, ‘Whatsoever you do for the least among you, that you’ve done unto me.’ I felt like okay, maybe the Democrats have it right on this issue of poverty. I had to learn over time that was a whole lot of talk. And it was about handouts. And it didn’t actually get real outcomes for families in need. What does are these conservative principles of capitalism and hard work, the dignity of hard work, and so…
Miller: Well, Donald Trump’s unemployment record on minorities speaks for itself if people will look at it.
Sullivan: Exactly. And if you want, not dependency, but freedom and opportunity, I’ve grown my way into that. Same with strong on law and order and national security after my time in Afghanistan. You know, I was a civilian intelligence analyst over there doing a seven-month tour…
Miller: Opens your eyes to what poverty really is.
Sullivan: Oh, man, yeah. And I just realized that not only to be grateful for our military to the utmost, also our law enforcement that are serving in these war zones in the state of Illinois. It’s how we can back and support our law enforcement, not just with our words, but with our actions. And so, if you’re looking for Donald Trump’s policies in the state of Illinois, I’m your guy.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* More Sullivan…
I’ve always tried my best to follow where it is that God’s called me, where I feel like I can create the most impact. I’m doing this work around the world, you know, trying to bring these values of freedom, democracy, capitalism, but my own home is under attack. I hate politics. I genuinely hate politics, especially because I grew up around them in Illinois in the corruption. And that’s why I hate, even out there in this backroom dealing and stuff you see even out on the campaign trail so far.
And it’s like, you know what, I’m reaffirmed every single day from God to say, ‘This is why I called you to do it. It’s such a swamp and a cesspool. I need you to help fix it and change it.’
So, my calling is to be faithful to that and my true success is trying to be faithful to this message. Who knows if I’m going to win or not, but I’m going to try to present the best alternative I can to this broken corrupt politics we have in Illinois.
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* The Henry Pratt Company mass shooting was three years ago today. This story is from earlier in the month…
In an upcoming exhibit, the Aurora Historical Society will pay tribute to the five lives lost in the 2019 shooting that took place at the Henry Pratt Company manufacturing and warehouse building in Aurora. Opening Feb. 4, the month-long event will mark the third anniversary of the tragic shooting.
On Feb. 15, 2019, Pratt employees Russell Beyer, Vicente Juarez, Clayton Parks, Josh Pinkard and Trevor Wehner lost their lives after a fellow employee shot at them. Five Aurora police officers and another Pratt employee were injured before the 45-year-old shooter was fatally shot by police, Patch previously reported.
Five white crosses that stood in memory of the victims at the factory’s gates will be the centerpiece of the Aurora Historical Society’s exhibit, titled “We Remember February 15,” which will run through Feb. 26. The memorial will be installed on the second floor of the Pierce Art and History Center, at 20 E. Downer Place in downtown Aurora, within the “Aurora Story” exhibit.
Late Aurora carpenter Greg Zanis built the crosses and donated them to the historical society. Along with the crosses, memorabilia left by mourners on the sidewalk outside the factory will also be displayed, according to a news release.
* Daily Herald…
Axel Parks was just 8 months old when his father was taken from him, shot to death at the Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora three years ago today.
The boy has no memories of his dad. But he is learning about the kind of man Clayton Parks was.
“We mention Clay every day,” said Abby Parks, Clayton’s widow. “(Axel) asks where his father is.”
Five workers and the gunman died during the mass shooting on Feb. 15, 2019. Another worker and five Aurora police officers were injured.
Parks, of Elgin, was the human resources manager for the facility. He was in a conference room with union chairman Russell Beyer of Yorkville; Josh Pinkard, the plant manager, of Oswego; Timothy Williams, union steward, of Aurora; and Trevor Wehner of Sheridan, who was working his first day as an intern for the human resources department. They were having a disciplinary meeting with a fellow employee when the man pulled out a handgun and started firing.
The gunman then left the room and shot co-worker Vicente Juarez. Next he fired at Aurora police officers as they pursued him throughout the building; he hit five of them.
Eventually, a Naperville police officer, part of a massive mutual-aid response, shot and killed the man.
* The horrific event was the catalyst for these upgrades and reforms highlighted by the ISP today…
Today marks the three-year anniversary of the 2019 fatal shooting at the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, Illinois. Since this mass shooting, the Illinois State Police (ISP) continues to advance the cause of greater safety from gun violence on numerous fronts.
ISP continues to close historical gaps in firearms-prohibiting records review and analysis. This includes nearly eliminating the long-standing backlog of potential firearms-prohibiting information from state and federal databases that could correlate with persons attempting to obtain firearms including criminal records and mental health records. Unanalyzed records have been reduced by 97% with ISP reviewing over 140,000 records in two years since 2019. In 2021 alone, the ISP thwarted over 25,000 attempts to illegally obtain a firearm – a record number.
The ISP also revoked over 70% more FOID cards in 2021 than 2019, with 17,457 cards revoked in 2021. With the signing of bi-partisan gun safety legislation (PA 102-0237) by Governor Pritzker, submission of fingerprints has been incentivized which will enhance the precision of prohibiting records analysis and further strengthen the ability of law enforcement to identify prohibited persons.
“No one in the Illinois State Police will ever forget the souls lost and the scars left behind from the horrible events of that day,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Stable budgeting, increased hiring of personnel, improved technology, changes in the law, and the heartfelt commitment of the ISP have led to these steady advances, but we will never let up. All who know the pain of that day deserve nothing less.”
The ISP is also expanding its work to enforce firearms safety laws. There are 779 Illinois law enforcement agencies now using the ISP firearms web portal that includes expanded firearms details about prohibited persons, including recent purchase patterns and reason for revocation. This allows state and local law enforcement to identify and prioritize the most high-risk threats. ISP firearms enforcement details have increased 82% since first being started by the ISP in 2019. Through these efforts, the number of firearms seized by ISP has increased every year since 2019. Additionally, the number of citizens previously prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition by the FOID Act that are now in compliance with firearms reporting requirements are at an all-time high, nearly double 2019, reaching 5,364 in 2021. In 2021 alone, 595 revoked FOID card holders were brought into compliance with reporting requirements. PA 102-0237 will further provide an estimated additional $1.7 to $2 Million annually to state and local law enforcement specifically for firearms enforcement.
The ISP has increased the analysis of guns used in crimes and helped strengthen laws that prevent the transfer of crime guns. Over 8600 National Integrated Ballistics Information Network submissions were completed by in 2021 (digital images of spent bullets and shell casings from crime scenes), which was double the number of submissions from the previous two years. Under PA 102-0237, the serial numbers of all firearms reported stolen will be provided on a publicly facing database. Under PA 102-0237, universal background checks will also be required by law in 2024 to include private transfers, not just sales at firearms dealers.
The town’s mayor is, of course, now running for governor as a Republican and, as the Richard Irvin campaign recently disclosed, an attorney at Irvin’s law firm defended the eventual shooter a decade earlier. Irvin claims no knowledge of the client.
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* I’ve been meaning to post this for several days and kept forgetting. From the Washington Post…
In New York City in 1920 — nearly two years into a deadly influenza pandemic that would claim at least 50 million lives worldwide — the new year began on a bright note.
“Best Health Report for City in 53 Years,” boasted a headline in the New York Times on Jan. 4, 1920, after New York had survived three devastating waves of the flu virus. The nation as a whole, which would ultimately lose 675,000 people to the disease, believed that the end might finally be in sight.
Within a few weeks, however, those optimistic headlines began to change. Before the end of the month, New York City would experience a surge in influenza cases. Chicago and other urban centers reported the same.
Residents should prepare themselves for an “influenza return,” New York City health commissioner Royal S. Copeland warned. He predicted that the virus variant responsible for the surge would be milder and that those who had fallen ill the previous year would be immune. He was wrong, at least in part: While many places worldwide did not see a fourth wave of the great influenza pandemic, several metropolises — including New York City, Chicago and Detroit — had another deadly season in store. […]
By the winter of 1919-1920, Americans were weary of the limitations on daily life. Nearly all of the public health restrictions — such as mask-wearing, social distancing and the closure of schools and churches — had been lifted. A hasty return to public gatherings led to an increase in case numbers. Politicians either blamed people’s carelessness for the reemergence of the virus or downplayed the seriousness of it.
The fourth wave was not front-page news in the way that prior spikes had been. The coverage was often relegated to small paragraphs deep inside newspapers, reporting thousands of new cases on a weekly or even daily basis. By February 1920, there was an epidemic in a state prison in New Jersey, and some courts were forced to halt proceedings because of illness.
But if the fourth wave failed to generate the kinds of headlines and fear of its predecessors, it wasn’t for a lack of lethality. In New York City, more people died in the period from December 1919 to April 1920 than in the first and third waves, according to a research paper on influenza mortality in the city. Detroit, St. Louis and Minneapolis also experienced significant fourth waves, and severe “excess mortality” was reported in many counties in Michigan because of the flu.
People basically just said “To heck with this” and moved on, despite the new wave of hospitalizations and deaths. Both of my maternal grandparents lived through the flu pandemic and neither one ever mentioned it to me. I learned about it from books while I was in college. I’ve often wondered how this massive die-off could be sent down a global memory hole. I no longer wonder how that happened. And if you thought local news outlets ignored omicron even when their local hospitals were filled to the brim, just wait until the next wave.
* Related…
* WHO says new omicron BA.2 subvariant will rise globally, but scientists don’t know if it can reinfect people: “BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1 so we expect to see BA.2 increasing in detection around the world,” Van Kerkhove said during a question-and-answer session livestreamed on the WHO’s social media platforms Tuesday.
* BA.2 ‘Stealth’ Variant Found in Nearly All U.S. States as Reinfection Capability Unclear
* The COVID Strategy America Hasn’t Really Tried: The clearest way to reduce deaths is to push to vaccinate more of the elderly—yes, still!
* The Seven Habits of COVID-Resilient Nations: 1. Learn from past shocks to prepare for the next crisis; 2. Channel scientific and other expert advice into policy and strategy; 3. Follow the data in real time; 4. Communicate clearly and transparently with the public; 5. Cultivate public trust in government and fellow citizens; 6. Design centralized systems sensitive to local concerns; 7. Recognize that no country can cope with shock entirely on its own; And, crucially, resilience is not the absence of failure. It is, instead, failure with grace, followed by robust recovery. For two years we’ve sought out neat success stories in the struggle with COVID. The real trick is managing vulnerabilities to avoid surrendering to shock.
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* So far, this person is probably the most well-known of any Republican running for US Senate right now…
* This is why he’s so well-known in certain circles…
A charge that over 2,000 voters in Arizona registered under the same address is one of many recent claims resulting from the contentious outcome of the 2020 presidential election. […]
Allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election have been widely debunked, and Congress has certified Joe Biden’s win over President Donald Trump. An Arizona official calls this claim misleading.
In November, local groups Citizens Investigation and We The People AZ Alliance were provided a random sample of 3,900 “questionable” names of Arizona voters from Bobby Piton, whom Gateway Pundit describes as a mathematician. […]
Piton is a managing partner of PreActive Investments LLC, an Illinois-based financial planning and investment advisory firm. His claims of alleged fraud in Arizona are posted on the firm’s website. Piton also appeared during a Nov. 30 election fraud meeting held by President Donald Trump’s legal team to allege voter fraud in Arizona. […]
Gateway Pundit reported that Twitter suspended Bobby Piton’s account on Nov. 30. Conservative-leaning news outlets The Epoch Times and Breitbart News reported on the suspension, as well. Piton has since established another account. He promotes QAnon loyalist phrase “Where We Go One We Go All” in his Twitter bio.
QAnon is based on the prediction of “The Storm,” an event marked by alleged mass arrests of high profile Democrats and left-leaning celebrities to save the world from a “satanic cult” of pedophiles and cannibals, USA TODAY has reported.
* And…
Bobby Piton, a mathematician who is connected to Ron Watkins, the man many believe was posting as Q and driving the QAnon conspiracy theory, called on the crowd to harass and intimidate elected officials and government workers who the conspiracy theorists believe have wronged them.
“Lock them into their damn houses,” Piton said. “Protest around their damn houses.”
* And…
Piton, who has shared many QAnon posts and messages on social media, is one of at least 33 supporters of the conspiracy theory who are running for Congress in the 2022 midterms.
It’s been tough to recruit a credible candidate to run against Sen. Tammy Duckworth because she apparently polls off the charts. But, I mean, wow.
...Adding… Piton was ejected from a Kane County Board committee meeting last July.
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* Press release…
On Tuesday, February 15, 2022, Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García will be endorsing State Representative Delia Ramirez for the Democratic nomination in the 3rd Congressional District in Illinois.
“Delia Ramirez is a proven fighter who delivers results for diverse, immigrant, and working-class families across Illinois. She’s fought hard in Springfield to secure critical legislative victories and deliver critical resources for our communities. She’s as fierce an advocate for social justice as she is an effective legislator. I’ve stood with Delia before, and I proudly stand with her once more.”
* Lynn Sweet…
“Delia is who I believe in,” Garcia told the Chicago Sun-Times. “And I think that we need more Latinas in Congress.” At present there are 13 Latina members. “So it’s definitely time for them. And I hope my endorsement can make a difference.”
Ramirez, an assistant majority leader in the House, has one main rival in the June 28 primary, Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th). As of Dec. 31, Villegas raised $386,473 for his campaign and ended the year with $377,055 cash-on-hand.
Ramirez’s contributions totaled $113,218 and, as of Dec. 31, she had a balance of $110,443.
Asked what his endorsement will bring to Ramirez, Garcia said, “I will be involved in fundraising, helping her to make connections with potential donors in Washington D.C. Certainly there’s the potential for a Bernie endorsement as well. I will be exploring that with Bernie.”
The Bernie is Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent, who Garcia is close to because he served as a national surrogate for Sanders in his two presidential campaigns. Sanders stumped for Garcia when he ran for Chicago mayor and Congress, with the two sharing a base of progressive, activist supporters.
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* From Ken Griffin’s BGA interview about his support for Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin…
Mayor Daley was really clear that Chicago is the city that works, and he valued all the people I brought to this city. The mayor made clear that he had my back, that I could be comfortable making the investment in infrastructure, in talent, and in building Citadel. I know with Richard Irvin I’m going to have that feeling again. J.B. Pritzker is nowhere to be found on this issue.
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Campaign notebook
Monday, Feb 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Today, The People’s Lobby announced their endorsement of Kina Collins’ campaign for Congress in Illinois’ 7th Congressional District. The People’s Lobby is a grassroots organization made up of Chicagoans focused on advocating for policies that center racial and gender justice and put the needs of the people and our planet over the interests of big corporations and the very rich.
“Too many leaders have been corrupted by the super wealthy and corporate interests,” said Kina Collins. “I’m running to change that and bring the voices of working-class, everyday Chicagoans to D.C. I’m so proud to have the support of The People’s Lobby, a group of Chicagoans who are putting in the hard work to make our city and state more just and fair. I look forward to fighting for our communities—not corporate interests—together in Congress.”
“The People’s Lobby is proud to endorse Kina Collins for Congress because she gets things done,” said Abbey Lewis, a member of The People’s Lobby in IL-7. “She’s proven time and again that she can deliver progressive policy at home and on a national level. Her energy and passion are exactly what we need to help our communities as we continue to work for Medicare for All, reimagine public safety, transition to a green economy, and further invest in our communities.”
* Press release…
Today, the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 399 announced its endorsement of Judge Elizabeth Rochford in her campaign for the Illinois Supreme Court’s new Second District. IUOE Local 399 represents over 9,000 members across the state of Illinois and parts of Indiana, including skilled employees responsible for the maintenance and repair of building operating systems and heavy equipment operators focused on earth moving in the construction field.
“I’m honored to receive the endorsement of the hardworking men and women of IUOE Local 399 in my campaign for Supreme Court,” said Judge Elizabeth Rochford. “Nothing is more important than ensuring everyone is treated fairly under the law, and that’s exactly what I will strive for as Supreme Court Justice. I’m humbled that IUOE Local 399 and so many others have put their faith in me as the right person for this seat on the bench.”
Last week, Judge Rochford was endorsed by Secretary of State Jesse White, and has previously earned endorsements from the Illinois State AFL-CIO, 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.
* Politico…
Gil Villegas has been endorsed by United Here Local 1, Plumbers 130, and ATU 308 in his bid for Congress. In a statement, Karen Kent, president of United Here Local 1 said, during the pandemic, “Alderman Villegas’ efforts on behalf of our members have ensured that dedicated and long-serving hospitality workers can return to their jobs as guests come back to our city.”
— SOS campaign is wide open for the first time in 24 years: Can money, labor endorsements and presumably volunteer manpower be enough for former state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias to edge out Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia and 17th Ward Ald. David Moore? And for Republicans, is state Rep. Dan Brady’s experience enough to win against former U.S. Attorney John Milhiser’s expected financial support? Eric Krol digs in to the race for Center for Illinois Politics.
— Anna Valencia has won the endorsements of eight county Democratic parties in her bid for secretary of state. Mason, Henderson, Logan, Christian, Wabash, Hancock, Mercer, and DeWitt Democratic parties are backing Valencia, according to the campaign. “Anna is a strong Democrat who has always fought for our values and our candidates,” Jay Briney, Mason County Democrats Chair said in a statement.
— Monica Gordon has been endorsed by Service Employees International Union Local 73 in her bid for Cook County Commission in the 5th District. The SEIU organization represents more than 22,500 public service workers in Illinois and Northwest Indiana, according to her campaign.
* Press release…
Illinois Secretary of State candidate David Moore received some love this Valentine’s Day when 45 statewide clergy agreed to endorse him for the open seat being vacated by longtime officeholder Jesse White.
The clergy said after taking time to reflect on who would be the best person to replace White, they decided on Moore who they know to be a man of faith from his long association with Chicago’s Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. Moore became a deacon under the late Rev. Clay Evans. He continues to serve Fellowship’s current pastor, Rev. Reginald Sharpe.
“I support some candidates because of their minds and I support some candidates because of their hearts. I trust the heart of David Moore,” says Rev. Sharpe, who became pastor of Fellowship three years ago. “He has been an advocate and an ally of the disinvested residents of Chicago for many, many years. He’s a Christian man with Christian values that align with making sure the marginalized communities are taken care of and protected.”
Sharpe says it is because of Moore’s heart that it is easy to support the ideas and plans that come from his mind.
Another of Moore’s long time spiritual leaders, Rev. Stephen Thurston of New Covenant M.B. Church says the 17th Ward alderman has prepared himself for this position.
“He’s been a great and marvelous individual as an alderman and he’s prepared to do the same thing for the people of Illinois,” states Thurston.
West Side clergy, Rev. Michael Eaddy, of People’s Church of the Harvest C.O.G.I.C, says Moore has been active in the community even before he decided to run for office.
“I believe he has a commitment to people in Chicago and I believe he will be sensitive to the needs of all Illinoisans,” explains Eaddy. “I believe that David Moore has the acumen and the compassion to fill the role of secretary of state.”
Borrowing from a biblical quote, Chief Apostle William McCoy, of Brothers Keeper Outreach Church in Chicago Heights says he believes this is Moore’s season.
“There’s a time when everything needs to be fresh and renewed and I like the vision and enthusiasm of David Moore and most of all the faith. He is a man of faith,” emphasizes Apostle McCoy.
Moore says he is honored to receive the ringing endorsement of so many clergy and hopes more will support his candidacy.
“I have been traveling the state for nine months meeting with as many people as possible. It means a lot to have the clergy see me as one of their own and are vowing to spread the word about their support,” Moore responds.
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It’s just a bill
Monday, Feb 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the synopsis to HB5473, which has only one sponsor…
Creates the Second Chance Seat in Every Class Act. Provides that each institution of higher education shall reserve at least one enrollment in each class for a returning resident (a person who is a resident of and domiciled in Illinois, has graduated from high school or the equivalent, has been convicted of a felony by a court sitting in Illinois, was sentenced to incarceration pursuant to that conviction, and is not currently incarcerated) and at least one enrollment in each online class for an incarcerated individual. Provides for computer equipment, Internet connections, books, and supplies for enrolled incarcerated individuals. Creates the Incarcerated Individuals and Returning Residents Educational Supply Fund as a fund of the Department of Returning Resident Affairs. Provides that moneys in the Fund shall be used exclusively to pay for costs that incarcerated individuals and returning residents incur for books or other supplies needed to take classes under the Act. Provides that any concession or similar agreement between a public institution of higher education and the operator of a bookstore or similar operation at that public institution of higher education shall include a provision requiring the operator of the bookstore or similar operation to pay 1% of its gross revenues from the operation of that bookstore or similar operation to the Fund.
…Adding… From the Safer Foundation…
Leaders across the state have announced their commitment to reducing crime in our communities. Those of us who work every day with justice-involved individuals know that the best way to reduce crime is to address the social determinants that erode communities and create instability.
It is imperative to help justice-involved individuals through improving employment opportunities, increasing affordable housing, making educational prospects attainable, and providing behavioral and primary care health services. These are the things that justice-involved individuals, like everyone else, need to be successful and healthy. The bottom line is healthy and stable people make healthy and stable communities.
Illinois’ current approach to recidivism is not working. The result is a 40% recidivism rate which is estimated to have cost Illinois over $13 billion between 2018 and 2023 according to a 2018 report issued by the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council.
Six bills introduced to the Illinois General Assembly, collectively known as the Second Chance State Initiative, aim to reduce crime by responding to the social determinants of justice involvement, incarceration, and recidivism. These bills should be adopted.
The centerpiece of this initiative, the Second Chance State Act, will create a statewide agency to coordinate government and not-for-profit programs to create comprehensive, personalized services to help justice-involved individuals avoid recidivism.
Additional components of the Initiative address other social determinants of crime:
The Second Chance State Behavioral Health Workforce Development Act leverages formerly incarcerated individuals’ ability to connect with their peers by providing them educational scholarships and other pathways to become licensed behavioral healthcare professionals.
The Second Chance State Housing Act will revitalize neighborhoods by using tax credits and other vehicles to rehabilitate tax delinquent and distressed residences for use by the formerly incarcerated.
The Second Chance State Contracts Act creates sustainable employment for the formerly incarcerated by earmarking dollars from State public works and collective bargaining contracts for apprenticeship programs to train them.
The Second Chance State Education Act provides current and formerly incarcerated individuals with an opportunity for sustainable success by requiring colleges to reserve one seat in every class for them, tuition free.
The Second Chance State Reimaging Justice Act creates an alternative to prosecution that allows justice-involved residents to receive individualized services facilitated by community-based organizations in 13 “hub” communities throughout the State.
Sustainable reductions in crime require sustainable responses to the social determinants that cause it. The Second Chance State Initiative will create a transformative program that will provide significant assistance to justice-involved individuals. By addressing the social determinants that are proven to impact recidivism, Illinois will be poised to achieve significant decreases in overall crime, resulting in healthy people and healthy communities. We urge the public and lawmakers to support it.
Victor Dickson
President & CEO Safer Foundation
* Illinois Policy Institute via Center Square…
State lawmakers have a chance to let Illinoisans clean out the government that no longer fits.
Illinois House Bill 5276 would let local voters more easily petition for a ballot referendum to dissolve a unit of government, giving citizens direct control over how many layers of government they want. It simplifies those 40 pages of instructions, following the recommendations of a bipartisan task force that looked at the problem in 2016 and saw little reason all those little governments couldn’t be rolled up into cities or counties to cut duplication and overhead.
Instead of making reformers get petition signatures equivalent to 10% of the voters in the last general election, it drops the threshold to 5%. It lays out rules ensuring voters in all affected areas approve of dissolutions or consolidations, and for how responsibilities and property are transferred after approval.
Democratic Rep. Jonathan Carroll is carrying the IPI-supported bill.
* Press release…
Legislation to protect Illinois residents from drone surveillance but allow police to better employ the aerial devices in critical searches and investigations has been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly.
In the eight years since the initial passage of the Illinois Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act, the number of drones has increased exponentially, and the technology behind drones has transformed. Drones are now regularly utilized to inspect bridges, water towers and power lines as well as by news media, realtors, farmers, and hobbyists.
A coalition of law enforcement officials has met for months to develop legislation to create a modernized framework in Illinois. Groups have included the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Aurora, Elgin, and Palos Heights police departments. Aurora police successfully used drones as part of the overall strategy that saved lives in the deadly Henry Pratt shooting three years ago this week.
“The enhanced capabilities offered by drones is critical for law enforcement and our Illinois laws need to be continually modernized to react to key situations and even more importantly, to preserve individual privacy,” said Sgt. Andrew Wolcott of the Aurora Police Department.
Lt. Matt Udelhoven, a drone expert with the Elgin Police Department, said the recommendations in Senate Bill 4009 and House Bill 5452 are “narrowly tailored to preserve time and resources and most importantly, increase public and personnel safety.”
Among the bill’s proposed changes are:
· Updates the definition of “emotionally disturbed persons” with a narrowly tailored definition to determine when law enforcement may use a drone to determine the best course of action for a person in mental distress. The bill also provides law enforcement an option to assess the situation without the use of physical police personnel, which can aggravate a person in distress.
· Updates the definition of “special event” to reflect the specific designation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The bill permits the use of a drone by a law enforcement agency at a special event to prepare for or observe crowd size, density, and movement; to assess public safety staffing; or to oversee the general safety of the participants. If the special event is occurring on private property, use of a drone for this exception shall be authorized by the owners or organizers prior to the flight.
· Eliminates the word “data” from the definition of “information” and clarifies that the word “information” does not include training of law enforcement officers.
· Provides that a law enforcement agency may use a drone to respond to Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) dispatched calls for 911 service but only when the primary purpose for the response is to locate and/or assist victims, identify offenders, and to guide emergency response.
· Provides that information gathered by a drone is subject to the disclosure and exception to disclosure provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The current law restricts the ability to release drone footage, so the new language increases transparency.
Senate Bill 4009 is sponsored by Senator John Connor, D-Lockport; and House Bill 5452 is sponsored by Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City. The bills will be considered during the spring session of the Illinois General Assembly.
…Adding… Press release…
At the request of Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart, State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) introduced a measure to create a texting system that would automatically update victims and witnesses on pending court dates.
“We have an option to make the court system as accessible as possible to victims of crime,” Morrison said. “This pilot program is innovative and will make a difference in how Lake County will be able to communicate with victims and their families.”
Morrison’s proposal would create a pilot program through the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office to text victims and witnesses about upcoming court dates.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office employs 12 full-time victim-witness coordinators who guide and support victims through the court process. The coordinators work to connect the survivors of crimes with services while also educating them about how their own case will proceed through court. Part of the coordinators’ duties include updating victims and witnesses on changes in court dates.
“Our office is here to support every victim in every way we can. We need this ‘safety net’ of information so that we can be 100% sure we are reaching those who need the courthouse the most. Our coordinators are amazing,” Rinehart said. “Some of them have over 150 victims to contact. With this new program, they can prioritize individualized support while this system quickly delivers basic and accurate information to every victim and every witness.”
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office estimated that it supports more than 1,000 victims at a time. While the program spearheaded by Morrison would start in Lake County, it would give other prosecutors’ offices a chance to learn and build upon the Lake County program down the road.
Senate Bill 3779 awaits a hearing in the Appropriations-Judiciary Committee.
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* Tribune…
Illinois’ Republican candidates for governor are seeing their efforts to focus on local issues clouded by the overwhelming shadow of former President Donald Trump and his control over the national GOP.
As the five potential challengers to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker have all sought to use crime as an issue to make inroads with suburban voters where the GOP once held sway, the Republican National Committee last week declared the deadly Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection was just “ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.” […]
“Trump’s a wild card. We know that. We know this whole thing is a wild card. Everybody in the Republican apparatus, running a campaign or whatever, they’re all petrified, I’m sure, of what’s going to happen going down the road,” Christopher Mooney, a political scientist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said. […]
The five Republicans running for governor — Bull Valley businessman Gary Rabine, Petersburg cryptocurrency venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo — have all done their best to dance around Trump and thread the needle of alienating neither Trump supporters nor anti-Trump moderates and independents.
* The Illinois Republican Party sent out a press release today demanding that Gov. Pritzker answer questions about national issues like ARPA and Build Back Better, so I replied with this…
Since you’re asking national questions, have you any comment on the RNC’s recent claim that the investigation into the 1/6 insurrection is a “persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse”?
I sent that email at 7:21 this morning. I have yet to hear back.
* Sun-Times…
As he ramps up his reelection bid, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday took some of his sharpest shots yet at Republican challengers, accusing them of buying into “crazy” messages spread by former President Donald Trump, including false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
In one of Pritzker’s first public campaign appearances since formalizing his run for a second term last summer, the Democratic incumbent told a small group of north suburban supporters that anyone in the five-man race for the GOP nomination would send Illinois “backwards.”
“Some of these folks who are running on the Republican side — maybe all of them, I’m not sure — don’t accept the results of the 2020 elections. … [They] question whether elections are fair in Illinois, and they can’t even call out the former President Trump when he says crazy things about our country.
“I worry that having a governor in the sixth-most populous state in the country, and the fifth-largest economy in the country — in the center of the country — you know, the governor being someone who believes in the big lie? That’s not who we are in Illinois,” Pritzker said.
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* NBC Chicago earlier this month…
A downstate Illinois judge made a ruling late last week that effectively prohibits a statewide mask requirement in schools, sparking plenty of confusion from school districts across the state. […]
Some districts are put in a different situation due to collective bargaining agreements.
According to the ruling, such agreements remain enforceable, like the one between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union.
“…We expect the mayor and CPS to act responsibly and uphold our agreement to require masks — providing KN95 masks for every adult and child in our schools,” CTU said in a statement. “This is what the overwhelming majority of Chicago parents and families support.”
* Today…
Plaintiffs in the case challenging mask and exclusion policies in Illinois public schools are seeking to hold Chicago Public Schools officials in contempt of court. […]
DeVore said all of last week, with the judge’s temporary restraining order against schools, the children of more than 700 plaintiff parents were mostly allowed to attend school without a mask, even in Chicago.
“They were leaving them alone, so there was no harm to them,” DeVore told The Center Square Monday. “Today, out of the blue, they told my clients that are listed in the [lawsuit] that their children had to wear a mask or go home. For whatever reason, they arbitrarily just changed the way that they were going to handle my children and so they’re in contempt of court and I’m going to ask the judge to find them so.”
I think the point is that CPS is not enforcing the governor’s executive orders or ISBE emergency rules, but is instead enforcing its collectively bargained contract with its union. So, the judge would have no power over that, would be the argument.
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Question of the day
Monday, Feb 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is what I’d call “fun with numbers“…
Drivers in Illinois pay the second highest gas tax in the country. Despite that, Illinois is near the top of the list for the states with the worst pothole problem.
A study by QuoteWizard says Illinois is the 7th worst state for potholes. Midwestern states dominate the top ten with Indiana, Michigan and Ohio also making an appearance. […]
Researchers at QuoteWizard looked at Google search statistics going back to 2004.
Yeah, it’s been bad. But the capital bill which raised the Motor Fuel Tax was passed in 2019 and this “study” goes back to 2004.
But I full-on hit two deep potholes on the I-55 bridge north of the Joliet refinery Friday evening and was cursing IDOT for not keeping up with the problems.
* The Question: Which potholes on state-maintained roads near you need fixing pronto?
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
I was a bit flabbergasted to see last week that Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin told a blatant falsehood on a southern Illinois radio station. But what came after that helps us see how the Republican primary will play out for the next four and a half months.
If you follow my blog, CapitolFax.com, you know Irvin flatly told WJPF Radio host Tom Miller, “I’ve always been opposed to mandates” when Miller asked what he thought about Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to phase out the state’s mask mandate. Irvin added that Pritzker is “making his decisions based on politics.”
Turns out, though, Irvin strongly supported state mandates as mayor of Aurora. He warned his city’s business owners in September 2020 to make sure their customers were wearing masks and threatened to impose fines on scofflaws.
A few months earlier, he heaped praise on the governor’s COVID-19 response, which included stay-at-home orders and mask mandates. Even back then, at the height of the first wave, those mandates were openly being criticized by some Republicans. After noting the governor had telephoned him the night before to explain his latest virus mitigation plan, Irvin told area reporters he pledged the support of Aurora “to do our part to help in the statewide effort.”
I am a regular listener of Tom Miller’s radio interviews. He is smart, polite and non-confrontational, qualities that attract important guests from across the political spectrum. For my purposes, Miller (no relation) usually puts his interview subjects at ease, which can often lead to them saying what’s really on their minds. He’s invaluable.
I knew Irvin had appeared on Miller’s show, but I didn’t get a chance to listen to the online recording until I received a press release from the Democratic Governors Association titled: “Richard Irvin Does a Complete 180 on COVID Mandates.”
After listening to the interview and watching an accompanying Irvin press conference video and then reading an attached news story from Chicago’s ABC-7, I put a blog post together and moved on.
Later, though, it struck me how truly amateurish the other Republican gubernatorial candidates really are. Big-time campaigns in an important state like Illinois usually have people assigned to monitoring their opponents’ public comments for just the sort of prevarications that Irvin was caught in last week. Only Irvin wasn’t called out by the Republicans, but by the Democrats.
That the Democrats would be interested in stopping Irvin before he makes it to the general election is no surprise at all. He’s a (so far) successful African American mayor of the second-largest city in the state. And while he will win over some usually Democratic-supporting Black voters if he makes it out of the primary and into the general election, his presence on the ballot could well drive down the all-important Black turnout, which would damage not only Pritzker but the rest of the Democratic ticket throughout the state.
The same people who are running Irvin’s campaign did just that in 2014. Enough Black voters stayed away from the polls that, partly as a result, Republican Bruce Rauner defeated incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn.
Rauner also did better in the hugely important suburbs than Quinn expected, and Irvin’s backers are hoping their candidate’s anti-crime messaging, along with a pledge to balance things out between the government and progressive interests, will help him do well in the ‘burbs.
“Don’t underestimate how much of this is about making suburban white women comfortable about voting for a campaign full of dog whistles,” recently warned one top Black Democratic strategist, who isn’t usually a paranoid type.
So, I suppose the Republican candidates feel they don’t need to invest in opposition research and trackers as long as they know the Democrats will handle all the heavy lifting for them.
But in this particular case, almost all of those Republicans can honestly say, unlike Irvin, “I’ve always been opposed to mandates.” They really missed a major opportunity to pounce.
And because they haven’t built out that crucial campaign infrastructure, the Republican candidates are less able to anticipate and respond to Irvin’s campaign, which has shown an adeptness at digging stuff up about the rest of the field, particularly Darren Bailey and Jesse Sullivan.
Many of the hits you’ve been seeing on those two candidates are coming from the Irvin camp. Gary Rabine and Paul Schimpf have apparently not been enough of a factor in the primary to warrant much attention.
* Fox 32…
“Before Darren Bailey decided he was going to run for governor, he introduced a plan that included business closures and now he says he never would have done that,” [Richard Irvin running mate Rep. Avery Bourne] said. “And so he might have a really politically convenient persona now, but when you look at his record and what he’s done, it’s the opposite.”
In March 2020, Bailey posted on social media, “I am satisfied with what the Governor (Pritzker) is doing as we watch what he is suggesting and compare that with what President Trump is doing.” He added, “I wanted to ask everyone to please stay home from church tomorrow.”
“I was an advocate for that. I stood up and, as a matter of fact, I had a lot of pushback in my district. But two weeks came and went and then when businesses started closing down and the governor had absolutely no idea, no relief, no plan for these non-essential business owners, then it became a problem,” Bailey said.
“And I began to realize that the problem was escalating out of control. And that’s when I began to stand up and start pushing back.”
Two weeks? Um, no.
…Adding… Irvin campaign…
Fox Chicago exposed Senator Darren Bailey’s hypocrisy on COVID-19 lockdowns. Despite having deleted his plans to shut down Illinois, Bailey acknowledged he did “advocate” for lockdowns before announcing his run for governor. Now he has reversed course claiming he would never have shut down the state if he had been Governor.
Bailey’s plan was described in a Facebook post in March 2020 that favored masks and suggested that bars should stay closed, restaurants should be at 50% capacity, and according to Fox Chicago, he endorsed some of the ideas Governor Pritzker supported. Bailey acknowledged, “I agreed with that plan. We were unsure, we didn’t know. I was an advocate.”
State Representative and candidate for Lt. Governor, Avery Bourne, called out the hypocrisy in an interview with Fox Chicago: “Before Darren Bailey decided to run for Governor, he introduced a plan that called for businesses to be closed. Bailey has a convenient political persona now, but when you look at his record, what he’s done, it’s the opposite.”
*** UPDATE *** Here we go…
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* You gotta love how this interview starts…
David Greising, president of BGA: Good afternoon, Ken. Please tell me your news.
And it goes downhill from there. Good government groups in Chicago do some valuable work, but they also exist to stroke the egos of potential donors.
…Adding… If you click here and scroll down to page 22, you’ll see that Griffin contributed $100,000 to the BGA in 2020, the most recent donation records we currently have for the BGA.
* Ken Griffin’s response…
Ken Griffin: Big picture, I’m going to get behind Richard Irvin, the mayor of Aurora. He’s an incredible leader, has a strong track record as mayor of Aurora, and really epitomizes the American dream. I believe he has the talent, the drive and the caring that we need to turn Illinois around.
* More…
BGA: Citadel is well known for your use of data. What sort of data did you collect in making this decision?
KG: It’s a field of candidates with very little name recognition to start with, so the data is not going to be as important as the character of the people that you’re getting behind and the policies they’re going to drive as governor. And what you’ve got with Richard is you can see what those policies are going to look like based on his effective track record as mayor of Aurora.
I had with Richard a connection on issues that are really important to me, issues around making sure to end the crime pandemic that has engulfed Chicago; making sure that we put the state’s fiscal house in order so that we build new factories, creating both jobs in construction, in the factory, in all the infrastructure around the factory. These things will happen in a state that is perceived to be stable and where the economy is growing. We need the flywheel to work in the other direction, one that takes us forward, not backward. […]
BGA: In your speech to the Economic Club of Chicago you made a point about the impact of violent crime on the city.
KG: Crime in Chicago is out of control. I’ve had four colleagues mugged in the last year, year and change. I had a colleague in a car where a bullet went through the car right next to him. The retail space in the building I live in had 27 bullet holes in the looting during the summer a year and a half ago. It’s a tough environment to tell somebody when you graduate from college you need to come to Chicago. It’s damn near impossible to grow a business in a state where people who live here are afraid to stay. I’ve got high-paying jobs. I’ve got plenty of opportunities and options. My New York office is growing by leaps and bounds. My Chicago office is not.
BGA: Will Richard Irvin’s background as a criminal defense lawyer be an issue in the politics of the campaign?
KG: It could be an issue, but I’m going to tell you, every single person in this country is entitled to a good defense. If you want justice, then every single person is entitled to a good defense. I have respect for a person who will give a young man or a young woman, or any demographic—old, young, middle-aged—the right to a fair trial. It’s a core tenet of our democracy. […]
BGA: We’re being deluged with J.B. Pritzker ads about an improved credit rating, about a balanced budget. Gov. Pritzker is meeting obligations on evidence-based funding for schools and meeting pension obligations. As a political matter, how concerned are you that there’s an impression that Illinois fiscal house is getting in order?
KG: As a political matter, I’m very concerned. The handouts that our state government has gotten from the federal government during the course of the pandemic have given us a temporary respite from our poor decisions. And rather than helping to prepare for a rainy day, the governor’s just pretending everything is business as usual. I think the voters of our state when presented with the facts will come to a thoughtful conclusion. […]
BGA: To the extent Richard Irvin is a centrist, do you see that as an advantage in running for governor if Illinois?
KG: I think it’s a huge advantage. The primary is an important part of the election process. Richard is his own man, he carves his own path. Voters are going to make their decision, and hopefully he’s going to serve this state as governor at the end of the election cycle. […]
BGA: We’re in a situation where you as a billionaire are putting up money against another billionaire. How do you view the fact that you and Gov. Pritzker are such a presence in the election, and is it good for the state that you two played such a role in the graduated tax and will again in this election?
KG: Thank God for the state that I have the resources to lend a different voice. Otherwise, we’d just have J.B.’s voice. I’m going to help give a voice to Richard. He has a great message. This will help him get on the air. This will let him tell his message of where he’s come from, what he believes in and where he’s going.
Most fundamentally, this election will be decided by every single voter in the state who will show up and cast a ballot. I hope that we’ll help people in the state make a really good decision, one that they think is right for them. I believe that if you look at the facts, it’s an easy decision to vote for Richard. But I’ve got to tell you, I believe in a democracy, and I believe in the right of every person to be involved in the democracy and to come to their own decision.
BGA: Do you believe Richard Irvin faces an uphill battle?
KG: If you look at policy, I believe there is no comparison between the two as political leaders. But I do know that J.B. Pritzker is willing to put an incredible amount of inherited wealth into this race, and he’s willing to deliver a message that is flat-out deceiving to our citizens about the fiscal house of the state being in order.
I just challenge J.B.: Spend your time back in Chicago where we have so much going wrong and come forth with a real plan to address the issues plaguing our state, many of them made worse by your pursuit of an ultra-progressive agenda.
* Griffin statement…
We must end the senseless violence that has engulfed our state and put countless mothers through the pain and agony of losing a child to a random shooting. JB Pritzker puts politics first and refuses to address the crime that is tearing apart our state, cities and families. I firmly believe Richard Irvin has the character and leadership needed to again make Illinois a place where people can feel safe to live, raise a family and pursue their dreams.
Richard Irvin is self-made, and his life story epitomizes the American dream. I have tremendous respect for all that he has accomplished.
Richard Irvin will bring people together in Illinois and fight to turn our state around. It is time we reclaim our state from the damaging politics of Governor Pritzker and his corrupt cronies.
Richard knows the importance of ending wasteful spending and reducing oppressively high taxes. Illinois taxpayers are tired of sending their hard-earned money to Springfield to be burned in the furnace of waste and corruption. JB Pritzker – beholden to his cronies and political base – is unwilling to address either issue.
I care deeply about Illinois. I came to Chicago thirty years ago to start my career and my partners and I have built an incredible firm in our state. The policies of JB Pritzker are hurting not only our firm, but also countless other Illinois success stories. I am fortunate enough to have the resources to support Richard Irvin in his mission to return Illinois to being the land of opportunity.
JB Pritzker is resorting to accounting tricks in a desperate move to mislead the voters of Illinois. His proposed spending is already 8% above 2021 levels while taxpayers are fleeing the state. More spending, fewer people – anyone can do the math. Rather than using the funds the federal government provided to shore up the state’s finances, he’s playing politics by postponing his previously enacted tax hikes until after the election. He’s hoping to fool the citizens of Illinois who will be left with a larger bill to pay in 2023.
* Pritzker campaign…
Ken Griffin would conveniently like us all to forget he bankrolled the very governor that decimated the social services that prevent violence, caused our colleges and universities to nearly lose accreditation, and devastated our state’s finances in previously unseen ways. Moreover, Ken’s chosen candidate is entirely unserious about addressing the issues facing Illinois and spent fifteen years profiting off of the defense of violent criminals. The wounds left by Bruce Rauner’s incompetence are still fresh and Illinoisans see Irvin’s candidacy for exactly what it is: another empty suit for Ken Griffin to drag our state backwards.
This post will likely be updated.
Your thoughts?
…Adding… Irvin campaign…
I appreciate Mr. Griffin’s support and the thousands of other donors who have joined our campaign in the first few weeks. I look forward to gaining the backing of even more Illinoisans throughout the state who want to be a part of this movement to stop out of control crime, skyrocketing taxes and wasteful spending, heavy handed government and corruption, and I will be a Governor who puts people first and tackles these issues head on.
Thousands of donors?
…Adding… DGA…
“Ken Griffin bankrolled Bruce Rauner while he imploded Illinois’ budget, defunded social services, and ruined the state’s economy — and now he wants Richard Irvin to do the same,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “With his constant flip-flopping, Irvin has proved he has no platform of his own and is building his entire candidacy on Griffin’s out-of-touch talking points. Working families can’t afford a Rauner Reboot — and Irvin would only drag the state backward.”
…Adding… Gary Rabine…
Gary Rabine, candidate for Illinois Governor is issuing the following statement on Ken Griffin’s financial support of Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s candidacy for governor.
“We knew from the beginning that Fake- Republican-Governor-Candidate, Irvin, is a bought and paid for candidate. I cannot be bought.
We also know that Irvin has repeatedly voted in Democratic primaries. He supports defunding the police, mask mandates and sanctuary cities. His winning the support of Republican rank and file voters will be an uphill climb.”
…Adding… Tribune…
In an email, Greising, a former Tribune columnist, said Griffin’s lifetime contributions to the BGA total $375,000. He also noted Pritzker was a past donor, and that Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat, is a previous donor and past BGA board member.
“Going back to my time at the Tribune — when my columns sometimes would irritate board members and major advertisers — I have reported and written without allowing any non-journalistic influences to affect my work,” Greising wrote.
Sure, Jan.
…Adding… Greg Hinz…
Greising asked the right questions, but it’s fair to wonder if he could have pushed harder, given that Griffin donated $100,000 to the BGA in 2000 and another $275,000 in earlier years.
He didn’t push at all.
…Adding… DPI…
Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt responded to the news that Ken Griffin donating $20 million to gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin:
“Today, Ken Griffin made it official: the Rauner Reboot is officially on,” said Abby Witt, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Illinois. “The 2022 candidate slate is centered around Richard Irvin, who now has Rauner’s moneyman and Rauner’s campaign team pulling the strings after Bruce Rauner himself gave Irvin the seal of approval. It’s clear Irvin will do or say whatever is politically convenient to get elected, already contradicting and reversing himself on issues of critical importance to Illinois voters. Irvin is already dodging questions about his own 15-year history as a criminal defense attorney while launching baseless, false attacks on criminal justice reform efforts. Meanwhile, the rest of the slate hides from the public, avoiding voters and ducking reporters as they wait for their marching orders.
“One thing is clear: while Irvin and the slate will say whatever they’re told to get elected, their end goal is to bring the Rauner days of cuts, chaos, and crisis back to Illinois. Voters will see this reboot for what it is, reject this slate, and continue to move Illinois forward under Democratic leadership.”
* Related…
* David Greising: Believe it or not, billionaires make Illinois politics better: Had Griffin not intervened, Pritzker’s profligate spending to sell voters on his signature policy proposal could have overwhelmed the opposition. The governor poured $58 million of his own money trying to pass the amendment. But Griffin matched that, almost dollar for dollar, spending more than $53 million in opposition.
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