MLB: “We regret that, without a collective bargaining agreement in place, we must postpone the start of Spring Training games until no earlier than Saturday, March 5. All 30 Clubs are unified in their strong desire to bring players back to the field and fans back to the stands.”
3/agreement that is fair to each side. On Monday, members of the owners’ bargaining committee will join an in-person meeting with the Players Association and remain every day next week to negotiate and work hard towards starting the season on time.”
* The Sun-Times piece starts with a comparison to Michael and Lisa Madigan and devolves from there…
There’s a familiar ring to it — the Illinois House speaker using his political muscle to help get a family member elected to a plum political post.
But this time it isn’t former House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, who orchestrated the election of his daughter Lisa Madigan first to the Illinois Senate and then as Illinois attorney general.
Madigan’s successor as House speaker, Emanuel “Chris” Welch, is trying to get his wife ShawnTe Raines-Welch elected a Cook County judge — even going door to door to collect signatures from registered voters to ensure she can get on the June 28 Democratic primary ballot, sources say.
She’s running for one of two open judgeships in a judicial district that includes a portion of the south, west and northwest suburbs that fall, in part, within Welch’s legislative district.
Wow, yeah. That’s exactly the same. Right.
And, oh my goodness, he’s going door-to-door himself to help his spouse collect signatures? Such a scandal.
* The Richard Irvin campaign says Irvin has had no access to or control of the law firm website since 2017, when he left the firm. From the DGA…
Richard Irvin may claim he’s “tough on crime” but for 15 years, he advertised his law firm to the very individuals he claims to want behind bars. The Richard C. Irvin & Associates’ website, which was registered in 2006, suddenly went dark last night. So what is Irvin trying to erase from his record?
Maybe it’s his use of language that downplays the severity of domestic violence, blaming it on how “emotions can run hot” or “tempers can flare,” or how his “Aurora domestic violence attorneys will zealously defend” the rights of violent abusers.
Or Irvin’s direct appeal to violent offenders like burglars, armed robbers, and home invaders.
It could be his defense of abusive and neglectful parents.
Or maybe it is how he brazenly advertised his five years as a prosecutor as the reason he can “craft effective defense strategies?”
Irvin has a lot to hide in his record, so he erased the whole thing — just like he erased his past support of Gov. JB Pritzker, history of voting in Democratic primaries, and former support for public health mandates.
“Like every other part of his platform, Richard Irvin’s ‘tough on crime’ attitude is a campaign illusion,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Irvin wants to hide his history of defending domestic abusers and other violent criminals because he knows it’ll hinder his political aspirations — but we have the receipts. Try as he may, Irvin can’t erase his horrible record on crime.”
Response from Eleni Demertzis…
JB Pritzker should spend less time concerned with a deleted website that’s been fully documented and more time explaining why he cleared the way for a convicted arsonist to become a fire chief.
More than three months after a political rival asked for them, Chicago City Clerk and Illinois secretary of state hopeful Anna Valencia finally has released hundreds of emails sought under the state’s open records law, and they do raise questions about how she appears to mix public, private and family business. […]
Other issues are more serious.
In July 2017, one email indicates Valencia was scheduling a lunch with Monterrey CEO Juan Gaytan. The lunch finally was scheduled for Sept. 19, and eventually canceled shortly before then. In the meantime, [her husband, Reyahd Kazmi] was signing up to do lobbying work for Monterrey as the firm struggled to retain a contract covering Soldier Field.
Early in 2018, Valencia thanked Gaytan for “your willingness to make introductions” to officials from the Chicago Fire, Chicago Bears and Chicago Sky for potential partnership with the CityKey municipal ID program her office runs for undocumented immigrants and some others without papers. The Fire, who play at Soldier Field along with the Bears, responded affirmatively, offering a detailed term sheet of ticket discounts it would make available to CityKey holders. Valencia, on her official city email account, forwarded the term sheet to her husband’s personal email account.
She set up a lunch that was canceled? Get the feds on Line 1.
— Richard Boykin has received $35,000 from former Senate candidate and local philanthropist Willie Wilson in his bid for Cook County Board president. Boykin filed his paperwork for his campaign with the Board of Elections yesterday.
— Karin Norington-Reaves, a candidate for Congress in the 1st District, has been endorsed by the Collective PAC, a political action committee focused on increasing Black representation in government.
* Operating on the proposition that governors own is one thing. They do. But…
Aurora Mayor and Gubernatorial Candidate Richard Irvin today called on Glenbrook School Board Member Joel Taub to resign from the board after publicly cursing out an individual for not wearing a mask at the Glenbrook School Board Meeting this week where children were present.
Statement attributable to Richard Irvin:
“No one should ever speak to others the way Mr. Taub did at that school board meeting, which is why he must resign. Mr. Taub’s outrageous behavior is yet another example of the disrespect and assault on parent’s rights from school board members who take their lead from J.B. Pritzker and his govern by fiat agenda. It is imperative that we restore respect and parents’ rights in our local school systems.”
The Illinois tollway’s embattled chairman Will Evans has resigned and will be replaced with a banking executive, officials said Friday. […]
Evans was appointed in early 2019 by Pritzker as part of reforms at the tollway that included hiring Executive Director Jose Alvarez following an uproar over patronage issues under the previous governor.
But clashes between the two men drew scrutiny from Illinois senators who held a hearing in October over a tollway reorganization instituted by Evans that several lawmakers said diminished Alvarez’s authority to run day-to-day operations.
Evans has not attended the December, January or February board meetings either in person or virtually.
Administration officials have said that Evans has been attending to a very ill family member.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker announced his appointment of Dorothy Abreu as the new Illinois Tollway Board Chairwoman. Abreu is a senior vice president at PNC Bank with over 20 years of experience in financial services, significant public sector experience and an active track record of service to the community.
Illinois Tollway Board Chairman Will Evans announced his intention to step down from his role, effective immediately, and return to retirement after more than three years of service. During his tenure, the Tollway continued to deliver on a $14 billion capital program, expanded opportunities for minority contractors, and launched a historic amnesty program for Tollway customers which helped to substantially reduce outstanding and future fines on unpaid tolls.
“I am pleased to announce Dorothy Abreu as the new Board Chairwoman for the Illinois Tollway. I am confident her two decades of banking experience in the private sector and her impressive work with government entities and non-profit organizations will lend itself to continued growth and fiscal responsibility at the Tollway,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Chairman Evans led the Tollway to historic progress and leaves behind a stronger, more accessible, and more equitable Tollway system. He has been a valued partner over the past three years, and I wish him all the best on his well-deserved retirement.”
Abreu has enjoyed a long and successful career in the Illinois banking sector, with responsibilities spanning commercial lending, community development banking, and asset management. A graduate of North Park University, Abreu is currently a senior vice president for PNC’s Corporate and Institutional Banking group, where she leads the delivery of financial solutions and banking advisory services to public institutions and non-profit organizations in the state. In particular, she has worked with clients to manage pandemic-related disruptions and operational funding needs. She has also led financing for high-impact projects focused on driving economic development and affordable housing in Illinois’ low- to moderate-income communities.
“I am honored to serve as the next Tollway Board Chairwoman and CEO and am committed to building on the strong progress made over the past several years,” said Dorothy Abreu. “The Tollway is a state-of-the-art system with hundreds of miles of roadways connecting millions of customers to work, family, and their daily lives. With an eye towards strengthening collaboration, equity and transparency, I am eager to get to work to and provide our customers with the experience they deserve.”
Abreu has extensive experience serving on boards of several high-profile organizations. She is the current president of the Latino Policy Forum, a member of the board of directors of the Chicago Community Loan Fund, a member of the governing board of Chicago Commons, and a member of the board of directors of Chicago Habitat for Humanity.
Latino legislators appear to have won this battle.
* Hospitalizations are down 33.19 percent from last Thursday (Friday, you will recall, was a holiday). However, the governor’s projection last week of just 500 hospitalizations by tomorrow turned out to be way off track. That projection was used to buttress the argument in favor of lifting the state mask mandate on February 28th. Barring a miracle, the actual number will be around three times that. “As long as they’re still going down, that’s all we need to see,” a spokesperson told me today. So, the end of the mandate is still on track. IDPH press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 20,896 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 417 deaths since February 11, 2022.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,013,709 cases, including 32,299 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since February 11, 2022, laboratories have reported 884,390 specimens for a total of 53,621,982. As of last night, 1,590 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 303 patients were in the ICU and 132 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from February 11-17, 2022 is 2.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from February 11- 17, 2022 is 3.1%.
Due to decreased demand at the state community-based testing sites (CBTS) and the availability of free at-home COVID-19 tests, the state testing locations will now be open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays beginning this weekend. Locations previously open on Sundays will be closed this Sunday. The hours of operation at the locations will remain the same and can be found on the IDPH website COVID-19 testing page. We have seen an 87% drop in testing across the 10 state CBTS locations from the first of the year until now, and most locations are averaging fewer than 500 tests a week. To order free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government, go to covidtests.gov.
A total of 20,971,401 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 20,003 doses. Since February 11, 2022, 140,021 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, almost 76% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, 67% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and more than 48% boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
It’s suddenly become acceptable to say that COVID is—or will soon be—like the flu. Such analogies have long been the preserve of pandemic minimizers, but lately they’ve been creeping into more enlightened circles. Last month the dean of a medical school wrote an open letter to his students suggesting that for a vaccinated person, the risk of death from COVID-19 is “in the same realm, or even lower, as the average American’s risk from flu.” A few days later, David Leonhardt said as much to his millions of readers in the The New York Times’ morning newsletter. And three prominent public-health experts have called for the government to recognize a “new normal” in which the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus “is but one of several circulating respiratory viruses that include influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and more.”
The end state of this pandemic may indeed be one where COVID comes to look something like the flu. Both diseases, after all, are caused by a dangerous respiratory virus that ebbs and flows in seasonal cycles. But I’d propose a different metaphor to help us think about our tenuous moment: The “new normal” will arrive when we acknowledge that COVID’s risks have become more in line with those of smoking cigarettes—and that many COVID deaths, like many smoking-related deaths, could be prevented with a single intervention.
The pandemic’s greatest source of danger has transformed from a pathogen into a behavior. Choosing not to get vaccinated against COVID is, right now, a modifiable health risk on par with smoking, which kills more than 400,000 people each year in the United States. Andrew Noymer, a public-health professor at UC Irvine, told me that if COVID continues to account for a few hundred thousand American deaths every year—“a realistic worst-case scenario,” he calls it—that would wipe out all of the life-expectancy gains we’ve accrued from the past two decades’ worth of smoking-prevention efforts.
The COVID vaccines are, without exaggeration, among the safest and most effective therapies in all of modern medicine. An unvaccinated adult is an astonishing 68 times more likely to die from COVID than a boosted one. Yet widespread vaccine hesitancy in the United States has caused more than 163,000 preventable deaths and counting. Because too few people are vaccinated, COVID surges still overwhelm hospitals—interfering with routine medical services and leading to thousands of lives lost from other conditions. If everyone who is eligible were triply vaccinated, our health-care system would be functioning normally again. (We do have other methods of protection—antiviral pills and monoclonal antibodies—but these remain in short supply and often fail to make their way to the highest-risk patients.) Countries such as Denmark and Sweden have already declared themselves broken up with COVID. They are confidently doing so not because the virus is no longer circulating or because they’ve achieved mythical herd immunity from natural infection; they’ve simply inoculated enough people.
And, like tobacco smoke, what comes out of your mouth and nose can harm others.
California became the first state to formally shift to an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement Thursday of a plan that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks over mandated masking and business shutdowns.
The milestone, nearly two years in the making, envisions a return to a more normal existence with the help of a variety of initiatives and billions in new spending to more quickly spot surges or variants, add health care workers, stockpile tests and push back against false claims and other misinformation.
“We are moving past the crisis phase into a phase where we will work to live with this virus,” he said during a news conference from a state warehouse brimming with pandemic supplies in Fontana, east of Los Angeles. […]
A disease reaches the endemic stage when the virus still exists in a community but becomes manageable as immunity builds. But there will be no definitive turn of the switch, the Democratic governor said, unlike the case with Wednesday’s lifting of the state’s indoor masking requirements or an announcement coming Feb. 28 of when precisely schoolchildren can stop wearing face coverings.
And there will be no immediate lifting of the dozens of remaining executive emergency orders that have helped run the state since Newsom imposed the nation’s first statewide stay-home order in March 2020. […]
Newsom’s plan sets specific goals, such as stockpiling 75 million masks, establishing the infrastructure to provide up to 200,000 vaccinations and 500,000 tests a day in the event of an outbreak, and adding 3,000 medical workers within three weeks in surge areas.
His administration has devised an easy-to-remember acronym for the new strategy: SMARTER, which stands for Shots, Masks, Awareness, Readiness, Testing, Education and Rx, the last of which refers to prescription medications for COVID-19.
California ended indoor mask requirements for vaccinated people Wednesday and will announce Feb. 28 how long the mandate for schools will remain in place.
The approach moving forward will emphasize increased vaccination and testing, fighting misinformation, stockpiling medical supplies and flooding areas of virus surge with temporary medical workers. The plan also calls for boosting the state’s surveillance, including increased monitoring of virus remnants in wastewater to watch for the first signs of a surge.
You may have heard that Illinois is among the top 10 states nationally in business startups for 2021, with nearly 200,000 businesses formed last year. That’s up from 170,400 in 2020. And 2020 was also a very good year.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker took credit for this positive development, declaring the state to be “back, and open for business” and touting some of his pet economic projects.
The governor’s triumphant recent statement, which claimed Illinois was sixth in the nation when it came to the number of 2021 startups, omitted any reference to the flip side of business startups: business failures. Unfortunately, a lot of Illinois businesses went bust in the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, though we don’t have a figure comparable to the U.S. Census count of “business applications” that Pritzker equated with startups (which is only a rough approximation, at that).
The governor also overlooked how severe layoffs early in the pandemic drove some of the suddenly unemployed to launch their own ventures out of desperation, and how the anemic growth of the labor force continues to put a drag on business creation nationwide.
And did he mention that business startups appear to be slowing, so that 2022 is likely to be below the 2021 peak? Or that business failures probably will run high in 2022, partly because new ventures often fail in their first year or two?
…Adding… OneMan with an all-time classic in comments…
Glad to see Debbie Downer is writing for the Trib.
The Trib Editorial Board Writes For Other Parts Of The Paper
Weddings:
The bride and groom were all smiles despite the fact half of all marriages end in divorce.
High School Sports:
The coach said he was happy to win the state championship, he didn’t mention how this might be the peak of some of his players’ lives and it might be all downhill from here.
Business:
When mentioning how they were pleased with store-to-store performance increases over the year McDonald’s executives didn’t address the fact that eventually, every single one of their current customers will die.
* I mean, even that grumpus David Greising is starting to come around a bit, albeit while avoiding any direct credit for the governor because maybe Griffin…
Mendoza introduced the concept before the pandemic hit in 2020. She’s bringing it back because the economy is recovering and the strong outlook for state revenues makes the idea of mandatory payments toward pensions and the rainy-day fund more politically palatable.
Pritzker’s budget proposal, delivered earlier this month, could set the stage for what Mendoza is trying to accomplish. He has earmarked $500 million between now and the end of the next fiscal year toward one-time pension payments and roughly $900 million toward rebuilding the rainy-day fund, formally known as the budget stabilization fund.
“You can see where it’s not traditionally in the wheelhouse to put $800 million or $500 million or $200 million into the rainy-day fund because there are so many interests that want that money right now,” Mendoza said. “But saying we’re going to put that money to protect ourselves from a fiscal downturn is a very disciplined approach.”
Such a law would mark a sharp change for one of the most profligate states in the union. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has celebrated the state’s credit upgrade last year, its first in two decades, with reduced taxes on gas and groceries and a property tax rebate: $1 billion in all. He calls the package the Family Relief Plan, which has a nice election-year ring to it.
* The House adjourned this morning until Tuesday before taking any votes, so no mask drama today. Three of the members ejected from the floor yesterday were given excused absences today: Reps. David Friess, Blaine Wilhour and Joe Sosnowski.
The Governor is disappointed in the appellate court’s decision and concerned for the health of those in schools – particularly vulnerable children and adults – and the ability to continue in-person learning. The administration is working with the Attorney General to request an expedited review of this decision from the Supreme Court.
In the meantime, the Governor urges everyone to continue following the doctors’ advice to wear masks so students can remain safely learning in classrooms, and is encouraged that the court made it clear that school districts can continue to keep their own mitigations in place.
…Adding… Republican AG candidate Steve Kim…
“JB Pritzker and Kwame Raoul have continued this needless crusade instead of addressing the issues that are holding this state back. It’s time for Kwame Raoul and JB Pritzker to stop pursuing frivolous mandates and address crime and corruption that is costing our state millions every year.
“The courts have spoken. We must empower our families and their civil liberties and end the mandates to return liberty to parents and their children.”
…Adding… Senate GOP Leader Dan McConchie…
The Governor’s quest for total control over our schools appears to be continuing as he once again is doubling down on his mask mandate on students. Pritzker is failing to accept defeat as his ego and desire for power continue to lead him through his decision-making process. It’s clear that the Governor can’t stand the thought of loosening his grip on ruling unilaterally through the pandemic, thus he is willing to go to every extent possible to maintain that power. The fact that he is easing the mask mandate on nearly everyone but students just proves his true intentions.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today issued the following statement regarding the late-night decision issued by the Illinois Appellate Court of the 4th District.
“Late last night the Appellate Court declined to issue a substantive decision in the appeal, and we are disappointed by the court’s ruling. The Appellate Court’s failure to address the important legal issues in question has added to the confusion resulting from the circuit court’s decision prioritizing a relatively small group of plaintiffs who refuse to acknowledge science or the need for public health measures to protect vulnerable Illinois residents.
“The Appellate Court’s ruling focuses exclusively on the emergency rulemaking process used by the Illinois Department of Public Health with respect to a single technical rule. That rule does not affect the executive orders issued by the governor under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, including the governor’s executive order requiring the use of masks in school, the exclusion from school of persons exposed to COVID-19, and testing of unvaccinated school employees working on school premises. That order continues to apply to all persons not specifically named as plaintiffs in the Allen, Austin, Graves and Hughes matters.
“While the Appellate Court’s ruling does not affect the enforceability of the governor’s executive orders, the decision does fundamentally misapply important principles of Illinois law related to the issuance of temporary restraining orders, such as the order issued by the trial court. Attorney General Raoul intends to immediately ask the Illinois Supreme Court to address these significant legal errors and preserve the integrity of the rule of law in Illinois. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and the Attorney General is committed to defending the governor’s actions to mitigate the spread of a virus that has resulted in more than 32,000 deaths in Illinois alone, and to protecting the health and safety of all Illinois residents.”
* With one big caveat, this commenter pretty well summed things up in a single sentence…
JCAR acted as it did entirely because they were waiting to see what the courts said. And the courts are now saying well, thanks to that, we don’t really need to rule at all
I would definitely not say “entirely.” Instead, I’d say “at least outwardly,” meaning, for public consumption. But, yeah, let’s take a look at their public comments.
Democratic state Rep. Mike Halpin of Rock Island said he was voting to block the revised rule from taking effect because “we’re currently in a situation where the (temporary restraining order) says this rule is not enforceable.”
“It’s possible, if not probable, that this might change on appeal, but for now as we sit here, for that reason, I’ll vote” to block the rule, Halpin said.
Two other Democrats who voted with Republicans, Chicago Reps. Curtis Tarver and Frances Ann Hurley, gave the same reasoning.
It takes 8 votes to suspend an emergency rule. The Republicans only have 6 members on that committee.
On February 14, 2022, IDPH renewed the aforementioned September 17, 2021, emergency rules. However, on February 15, 2022, the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) objected to and suspended IDPH’s renewal. Thus, none of the rules found by the circuit court to be null and void are currently in effect. Accordingly, for the following reasons, we dismiss defendant’s appeal because the expiration of the emergency rules renders this appeal moot.
And we still have no word from the governor’s office.
Illinois’ House speaker faces a lawsuit after Democrats voted to eject nine members who refused to follow the chamber’s mask rule. […]
Later in the day, attorney Thomas DeVore, who has a temporary restraining order against the governor’s mask mandates in schools, filed suit against House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, in Bond County Circuit Court. The lawsuit, DeVore said, is on behalf of his state Rep. Blaine Whilhour, R-Beecher City, and himself as an individual.
“Speaker Welch has no authority whatsoever to place quarantine measures on the peoples’ representatives to keep them out of that chamber,” DeVore told The Center Square. “It doesn’t even make any sense.” […]
Welch’s office didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
After being ejected from the chamber, ejected members were able to take part remotely when the House reconvened. At least one lawmaker, state Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, was prevented from voting on a resolution in person. She said her key was removed and she wasn’t allowed to vote.
DeVore said that’s a problem.
“They’re gonna say ‘you put a mask on or we’re going to exclude you from a foundational principle of representing your constituents,’” DeVore said. “They’re playing those games and completely eradicated her district from the process. There’s no way the courts are going to stand for that.”
Rep. Whilhour was still able to vote. He was ejected for following the chamber’s rules. Rep. McCombie was also ejected and then chose to not vote remotely. The House rules were followed, and the rules and the resolution to eject were passed with majority votes. Both members routinely participate in remote committee hearings, by the way.
Also, the Senate routinely denies floor access to all males who aren’t properly attired in a jacket and tie. Maybe that’s why the leader of this crew, Sen. Darren Bailey, has been so dutifully compliant with the rules since he was elected to that chamber.
* Also from yesterday…
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) defied the Illinois House mask rules and were forced to vote on bills remotely instead of on the House floor.
They are issuing the following statement on what transpired on the House floor today.
“For the third day in a row, we refused to comply with the House mask mandate because of our commitment to highlight the unnecessary school mask mandate and because we are tired of rules and policies that don’t make any sense. This time the Democrat majority followed through with their threat to remove us from the House floor and we were forced to vote on bills remotely instead of in person on the House floor.
At one point House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch stated that there were more important things to do than spend time on the House floor debating masks. His statement illustrates how out of touch the Democrat majority is when it comes to the frustration of parents across the state of Illinois. These parents are tired of the cruelty brought on their children with these senseless mask mandates at schools. They are tired and frustrated and they want someone to listen to them. What can be more important than the concerns of parents about what is happening to their children?
Our message to Illinois parents is simple. We are listening to you. We stand with you, and we support you. The Democrats are feeling the heat because the public has had enough of the two years of the mandates and the disregard for their concerns. We must be resolved now more than ever to return Illinois to normalcy. We are going to keep fighting for your rights as parents to make healthcare decisions for your kids and we hope you will keep fighting too.”
Such drama junkies.
Rep. Caulkins was out sick yesterday and voted remotely. And being “forced” to participate remotely isn’t exactly an undue hardship. Your voice is still heard and your vote still counts. The rest of it is just patting themselves on the back for disruption. You’ve had your fun. Get back to work.
* Back to DeVore, who is soliciting clients for a new lawsuit…
Is your school district requiring masks on buses stating it’s a violation of law related to the mask requirement on public transportation? Our analysis of the law finds it is NOT. According to [USC02] 49 USC Ch. 53: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, school bus service is NOT defined as public transportation, and there is no federal jurisdiction in this matter.
We are looking for up to 4 plaintiffs per school district who want to bring this issue before the court for a flat fee of $2500.00
We will not be seeking class certification at this time; instead, we hope that should the court rule in our favor, the school district would let it apply to ALL students.
Should the court rule in our favor and the school district chooses not to allow the ruling to apply to all students who are riding buses and we will offer other parents the option at that time to join the case for a one time fee of $259
Not providing a link to that, but you can find it yourself if you want.
Illinois’ House speaker faces a lawsuit after Democrats voted to eject nine members who refused to follow the chamber’s mask rule.
After three days of debate about the House rules requiring masks, temperature checks and social distancing, state Rep. Lakesia Collins, D-Chicago, motioned to eject members that weren’t wearing masks per the House rules. […]
“Every minute we waste talking to you all while you over there whining about wearing a mask, those people are still suffering and need your help,” Collins argued. “So do your job and comply with the rules of this House. If not, go remote. Simple.”
The Democratic-controlled Illinois House pushed through a new legislative watchdog on Thursday over objections from Republicans who charged that the majority party skirted the law to install its hand-picked candidate.
Michael McCuskey, a retired Democratic judge who served on the state and federal benches, was approved as the new legislative inspector general on a near-party-line vote Thursday in the House after a straight party-line vote a day earlier in the Senate. […]
Members of a bipartisan ethics panel deadlocked along party lines over naming Pope’s replacement, with each side accusing the other of obstruction.
Let’s not hide behind a process argument. We know what you mean by process. You know that means ’slow everything down.’ Let’s slow everything down and grind it to a halt, like some of have said in the press, in those press conferences that you hold.
Let’s slow everything down, like we saw here today. And yesterday. When we know it’s committee deadline week. And we’re here on the floor arguing about House rules that have been in place for two years. Arguing about something as simple as putting on a mask to protect the health and wellbeing of everyone in this chamber. Why are we arguing about masks today? Slow everything down to bring this place to a halt.
Let’s slow it down, even on something as monumentally important as filling the role of the legislative inspector general, even if an exceptionally qualified jurist is brought before us. You heard it from Rep. West. This impasse should have never happened. You can bemoan the process, even while you ignore your own sides’ culpability in that process because you certainly can’t stand up here and deny Judge McCuskey’s qualifications. Every single person that spoke praised Judge McCuskey. He’s an honorable man.
Sadly, our best efforts for four months, four months, process has failed. Because as you said in the media, you want to bring it to a screeching halt. As you use our rules here, every single time we’ve come here over the last 13 months. Slow everything down. Let’s get to work. Time to act is now. The games stop today.
We’ll see today if he can back up his words when the House convenes at noon.
An Illinois appellate court dismissed Governor J.B. Pritzker’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling against his mask mandate in schools, calling the request “moot” after a legislative committee suspended the requirement’s renewal.
On Thursday, the Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court rejected the appeal, noting that the state’s department of public health on Feb. 14 had renewed the emergency rules, originally enacted in September 2021, but that a legislative committee had then suspended that renewal this week.
“Thus, none of the rules found by the circuit court to be null and void are currently in effect,” the court wrote in its ruling on Thursday. “Accordingly, for the following reasons, we dismiss defendant’s appeal because the expiration of the emergency rules renders this appeal moot.”
While the public is rightfully interested in the propriety of the circuit court’s determination that the emergency rules are “null and void,” such circumstances do not automatically make the issue one of a public nature as defined by the public-interest exception. Further, given the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic—which affects the State defendants’ response to the pandemic—and JCAR’s decision on February 15, 2022, it is not clear these same rules would likely be reinstated. As a result, we do not find the public-interest exception applies in this case.
Man, the three House Democrats on JCAR really put the state’s position in a bad spot when they voted to suspend that emergency rule.
* And what about the governor’s executive orders? Pritzker believes they are still in effect for schools that are not part of the case, but nobody really knows for sure. From Justice Holder White’s dissent…
As it stands, the majority’s decision leaves open the question of whether the circuit court properly enjoined the enforcement of the executive orders.
…Adding… Jesse Sullivan…
Gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan issued the following statement:
“This governor will stop at nothing to ensure he alone controls the lives of our schoolchildren. More than 500 Illinois school districts were already ignoring his hollow threats. Now, the appellate court has sided with parents in striking down Pritzker’s mandate. The governor has proven he only cares to listen to the most extreme ideologues within the Chicago Teachers Union and Washington D.C. As governor, I promise to put parents’ voices first.”
…Adding… CPS…
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) stands by our proven COVID-19 safety mitigation measures and is pleased the Appellate Court has confirmed that the Temporary Restraining Order does not prohibit school districts from independently requiring masks, vaccinations for staff, and requiring individuals who have tested positive or have been exposed to COVID-19 to learn/work from home. Our schools will continue to enforce these policies, including mandated universal masking.These safety measures are what have allowed us to provide our students with the in-person learning environment they need throughout this school year. We will continue to follow these protocols until such time as our public health partners advise us that restrictions can be safely lifted.
We are encouraged to see COVID-19 cases dropping, and we remain optimistic about what this will mean for our school communities in the future. Our top priority remains the safety and stability of CPS students, staff, and families.
Background
• February 4, a downstate court issued a legal decision regarding Governor Pritzker’s requirements for COVID-19 safety measures in schools. This decision was immediately appealed by the Illinois Attorney General. Today the appellate court upheld local control, clarifying the TRO does not prohibit school districts from implementing their own safety policies and protocols with the following language:
“We note the language of the TRO in no way restrains school districts from acting independently from the executive orders or the IDPH in creating provisions addressing COVID-19. Thus, it does not appear the school districts are temporarily restrained from acting by the court’s TRO.”
…Adding… IFT…
Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) President Dan Montgomery issued this statement following the 4th District Appellate Court’s ruling on the motion for a stay.
“The Illinois 4th District Appellate Court’s decision released late last night makes one thing clear: school districts are free to implement their own safety measures around COVID-19. And they should. Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have insisted that proper mitigations are in place to protect students, teachers and staff, and their families. This was to reduce sickness and death and to keep schools open for in-person learning as much as possible. Today’s appellate court ruling does nothing to change that calculus.
“We continue to insist that school districts statewide abide by existing collective bargaining agreements that are in place to promote health and safety in schools and to follow our laws around safe schools and workplaces. As cases continue to decline, discussions about removing these mitigations must be based on good public health decisions. Medical science tells us that vaccinations, masking, and proper ventilation have been the best ways to maintain health in schools. Schools have been able to remain open because of the implementation and enforcement of these mitigation strategies designed to protect everyone in school communities, including their families.”
…Adding… IEA…
The following is attributable to Illinois Education Association (IEA) President Kathi Griffin regarding the 4th District Appellate Court ruling on the State of Illinois’ appeal of Judge Grischow’s Feb. 4, 2022, Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in the Sangamon County COVID school litigation:
“We appreciate the clarity brought forth in the Fourth District Appellate Court’s decision last night dismissing defendants’ appeal of the temporary restraining order (TRO) finding that the expiration and non-renewal of Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois State Board of Education emergency orders regulating COVID mitigations in schools made their arguments moot. There has been much confusion over what Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow’s original ruling even meant. It appeared to apply only to those districts named in the original court cases, which would be about 150. But according to school administrators, there are at least 500 mask-recommended districts now in Illinois.
“Students crave consistency. But, Judge Grischow’s Feb. 4 decision to enter a TRO in the case sent schools into chaos.
“A bright spot in the decision clarifies for which parties the TRO applies. The appellate court affirmatively stated that ‘the language of the TRO in no way restrains school districts from acting independently from the executive orders or the IDPH in creating provisions addressing COVID-19.’
“These past few weeks have been tumultuous in schools around the state. They have been described by some as the worst time in our teachers’ and education employees’ careers. They’re getting angry emails, having to comfort scared students and are working to help calm other students who are dealing with the trauma that this pandemic has caused. Schools are supposed to be students’ safe haven. That’s not what we’ve been seeing at many of our schools recently. We know school board meetings have been canceled and schools have shut down because of threats and protests. This has to stop.
“Mitigation efforts are not political. They are put in place to keep students and school staff from getting sick, or from bringing home COVID-19 to loved ones who may be susceptible.
“As the weather gets warmer and as hospitalizations continue to decline, we are hopeful that school districts will adhere to their duty to bargain in good faith with local associations over health and safety issues, including mitigation efforts, and remind all that any existing collective bargaining agreements or memoranda of understanding around these issues remain intact.
“We need people to remember we are all in this together – parents, community members, educators and our students. There is a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. We need to come together to find thoughtful solutions to bring some calm back to our schools, which will provide a better environment for our teachers and staff to provide students the important learning and emotional support that they need.”
…Adding… Irvin campaign…
Gubernatorial candidate and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin released the following statement following the Appellate Court’s dismissal of Governor Pritzker’s appeal to reinstate the statewide mask mandate for schools:
”The court’s decision is a win for parents and schools across our state who have been victims of Pritzker’s unilateral control over the last two years. This is just the first step in restoring parents’ rights and getting local communities back to the table when it comes to the decision-making process.”
Earlier this week, bipartisan legislators in Springfield voted unanimously to block the Governor’s emergency powers to mandate masks in schools. Parents and communities across the state have been outspoken critics of Pritzker’s attempts to keep kids masked after announcing that the indoor mask mandate would end for everyone else.
