* More about the Farm Bureau’s candidate forum from Mike Miletich…
Senate candidates also had their chance to speak with farmers about their plans to improve the quality of life and business for farm families. Republican Kathy Salvi told farmers that she wants to be the go-to person in the Senate for agribusiness. Salvi claimed that Democratic policies like the Inflation Reduction Act will devastate farms and small businesses in Illinois. She also argued the country needs to stop having a top-down government model that intrudes on families and farmers.
“We just want to be free to be able to run our homes, and our businesses, and our farms ourselves,” Salvi said. “We don’t need Big Brother telling us how to do it, to overregulate our small businesses and our farms.”
However, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) explained she personally fought to include $500 million in the Inflation Reduction Act for biofuel production. Duckworth feels the country should continue to lead by using cleaner fuel that comes from corn and soybeans grown in the Midwest. […]
Duckworth said she is optimistic about the 2023 farm bill, partially because of work done for the Inflation Reduction Act.
“We put a lot of environmental stuff in there, so the environmental groups are really pretty happy with us right now,” Duckworth said. “I think that takes the pressure off trying to make the farm bill an environmental bill when it shouldn’t be. It should be an ag bill.”
Agricultural groups are closely watching a U.S. Supreme Court case involving Waters of the U.S., or WOTUS.
The case centers on homeowners who were ordered to stop building on a piece of property they owned in Idaho because the wetlands on the property were determined to fall under waters of the U.S. and were protected by the Clean Water Act.
Duckworth urged protecting the environment from farm chemical runoff, but she said there must be trust in farmers.
“Half of them use well water for their own homes, if they poison the ground, they are poisoning their own water. They’re not going to do that,” Duckworth said.
Salvi said water does not need to fall under federal regulation.
“To expand the definition of a field that can be EPA regulated to that particular farm parcel, it puts a vice over that farmer’s ability to run their business,” Salvi said.
As Granite City residents prepare for a pending plan to end steel production in the city, which will cost the area nearly 1,000 jobs, officials are making contingency plans. One such plan is to work toward bringing new businesses to Granite City, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said in a press conference Monday she has spoken with global appliance company LG Corp. about establishing itself in the region. “I recently was in Taiwan and South Korea where I had conversations with Samsung and LG and S.K. and one of those organizations, LG, has been really interested in coming to Illinois, especially this part of Illinois, because of our proximity to the Mississippi and the availability of sending goods and services down the Mississippi, where they like the fact that Illinois can be carbon neutral in terms of the energy that we have,” Duckworth said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence was in Chicago on Wednesday to headline a fundraiser for Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin.
It was exclusive: The event was hosted by DRW trading firm’s Don Wilson and drew a small group of high-level GOP donors, according to a person in the room. […]
Durkin has headed House Republicans for nearly a decade and is expected to run again for the post in January.
Still, there’s already been some angling to find a challenger to head the party. The thinking is that it’s time to think for a successor.
Sharks in the water. There’s talk that someone could challenge Durkin. One name that’s popped up is Republican state Rep. Tim Ozinga. Asked by Playbook if he’s running, Ozinga hedged: “Right now, all of my energy is focused on getting Republicans in the state legislature out of the super minority.”
* Press release…
Today, the Human Rights Campaign PAC (HRC PAC) announced its endorsement of nine additional pro-equality candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives running for election in 2022.
U.S. House Candidates Endorsed by HRC Today:
Jevin Hodge (AZ-1)
Delia Ramirez (IL-3)
Nikki Budzinski (IL-13)
Eric Sorensen (IL-17) […]
Human Rights Campaign Interim President Joni Madison released the following statement:
“The Human Rights Campaign is proud to endorse pro-equality candidates who will promote and defend LGBTQ+ equality in the U.S. House of Representatives. At a time when the LGBTQ+ community faces relentless attacks from extremist elected officials across the country, we know that this diverse group of candidates will be champions for equality and freedom.”
“These leaders have continuously expressed their commitment to standing up for equality. Once elected, we are confident that they will stand up for their constituents, and all Americans.”
Today, on Ukrainian Independence Day, numerous individual leaders within the Ukrainian American diaspora in Illinois announced their strong support for Congressman Krishnamoorthi, thanking him for his work to bolster Ukraine’s defenses in the U.S. Congress and for his strong presence in the Ukrainian American community throughout the City of Chicago and Illinois.
“Today marks the 31st anniversary of Ukrainian Independence from Soviet Union oppression,” said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (U.S. House Intelligence Committee, Congressional Ukrainian Caucus). “But this year, we celebrate with a heavy heart as our friends and allies in Ukraine continue to battle against Russia’s vicious, imperialistic invasion. I remain committed to standing with Ukraine, supporting the Ukrainian American diaspora in Illinois, and am honored to be declared the preferred candidate in this race based on my track record of advocacy to bolster Ukraine’s defenses during this immense time of need.”
“Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has been a strong supporter of US assistance to Ukraine in the brutal, unprovoked war with Russia,” said Marta Farion, Vice President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), Illinois Division, member of national board of UCCA, and President of the Kyiv Mohyla University Foundation of America. “Ukrainian Americans appreciate all that he has been doing in Congress to ensure Ukraine has the means to defend herself from the aggressor.”
“Congressman Krishnamoorthi must be given recognition for his outspoken position regarding the unprecedented and continuous Russian attacks on Ukraine,” said Maria Korkatsch-Groszko, Ph.D., UCCA treasurer, Professor Emerita, Northeastern Illinois University; and Commissioner, Illinois Holocaust & Genocide Commission. “He has openly characterized the targeted killing of Ukrainian civilians, elected leaders and the mass assassination of political dissidents as criminal and in violation of international law. He is firm in his conviction that, those engaged in these genocidal acts must be accountable for their atrocities. His continued efforts on different levels of support of President Zelensky and his democratically-elected government and the people of Ukraine is much appreciated.”
“I had the pleasure of meeting Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi several times at various functions held by the Ukrainian Community,” said Peggy Chryssikos, Community Advocate. “I was touched by his care and concern for the Ukrainian people. I highly endorse Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on his bid for re-election to Congress in the 8th District.”
* Sen. Darren Bailey at yesterday’s Farm Bureau candidate forum…
But here’s the topic especially on my mind: Skyrocketing energy costs and the fear of brownouts. Illinois [garbled video transmission] but with our power situation the way it is, it’s starting to look like that. I had several counties in my district two weeks ago that went through a three-hour brownout. First time ever. It’s coming. It’s preventable. And it’s got to be addressed.
GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey slammed Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his allies for laughing off the idea that residents of Illinois might experience brownouts.
On Saturday afternoon, this is exactly what residents of rural Wayne and White Counties had to deal with as they endured a three-hour brownout on July 30.
Brownouts are described as “a period of reduced voltage of electricity caused especially by high demand and resulting in reduced illumination.”
“We were warned brownouts could be a possibility this summer and those warnings have come true,” Bailey, a state senator from Xenia, said.
Bailey said what is happening is a failure of leadership.
“These brownouts are the direct result of poor leadership and bad policies. JB Pritzker has prioritized his far-Left agenda over the energy needs of Illinois residents. Because of the policies at the federal level and radical initiatives in states like Illinois, there is no incentive for investments in existing power plants and this has resulted in the early closure of power plants, which in turn has resulted in a strain on the power grid. There simply is more demand for power than the amount of power available,” he said.
* So, I asked my associate Isabel Miller to go through the Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative’s Facebook page and look for any posts about brownouts. She scrolled back to June and found nothing. Isabel then called the electric coop and spoke to Kandras Kunkel, who said the two counties have not experienced any brownouts this year. Kunkel attributed any power outages to storms or falling trees.
Kunkel also said that the Bailey campaign had called earlier today to ask the very same question.
Bailey said that [CEJA] has led to a threat of brownouts in areas of downstate Illinois that are part of the MISO regional transmission organization that purchases energy capacity for 15 states. MISO representatives, however, testified at a committee hearing earlier this year that the early retirement of out-of-state fossil fuel plants, not the passage of CEJA, led to higher downstate energy prices and warnings of potential brownouts. [Emphasis added]
Sigh.
* Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
From claiming we don’t need any more laws, to falsely hypothesizing about an apocalyptic transition to green energy, it is abundantly clear Darren Bailey lacks the policy knowledge to lead this state. In addition to incorrectly suggesting there were brownouts occurring across the state, Bailey also repeatedly disparaged the city of Chicago, and misquoted Abraham Lincoln. This is not someone who can lead Illinois. Period.
Abraham Lincoln told us that If we ever falter and lose our freedoms, it won’t be from outside forces, it’d be cause we allowed it to happen from within.
At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.
Close enough.
…Adding… Bailey campaign…
We all want a cleaner planet but not at the cost of unaffordable utility bills for families and wrecking our energy grid. Pritzker’s plan is too extreme and is putting communities at risk for brown and blackouts.
For the first time this election season, the two main candidates for Illinois governor Wednesday appeared back-to-back at a downstate agriculture forum, where Republican Darren Bailey still highlighted crime in Chicago and Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker tried to demonstrate he could still connect with farmers despite lacking a rural background.
Amid a backdrop of cornfields and wind turbines on a farm 120 miles south of Chicago, Bailey slammed violence in the city as he has repeatedly done throughout the campaign.
“The things that need to change are the fact that the city of Chicago has become the O.K. Corral with shootouts and homicides every night because people don’t feel safe,” Bailey told a crowd of about 100 people, many of them farmers during the forum in rural McLean County. “It’s real. Especially on the South Side where they’re being ignored.”
Bailey said Illinois has one of the highest estate taxes in the country at a time when some blue states are eliminating it. If elected governor, the millionaire farmer said he would work hard to repeal the estate tax and help farms write off investment costs.
“They steal the sweat equity that we farmers and business people spend a lifetime building,” Bailey said. “The government steals it from our families just to give to Springfield.”
Pritzker’s response to the same question about the state’s $4 million estate tax threshold…
I think it’s totally reasonable for us to have a conversation, especially in light of inflation, about lifting the cap on that so that the exemption is higher than where it is today. It is important that we maintain maintain family farms in our state. This is part of the legacy and history and important future of our state.
Q: With California on the verge of passing a law that would mandate all electric electrical vehicles by 2035 and multiple states are possibly ready to follow, can we have your commitment to ensure that Illinois consumers have the choice in what type of vehicles we drive and we do not follow California’s lead?
A: I had the opportunity to sign on to that pact and didn’t. So that should give you some indicator. Look, do I think we ought to see electrification? Yes, of course, I’ve encouraged that I think it’s a good thing for us to electrify. But it is going to be gradual, it is going to take time. Illinois is not going to snap its fingers and require you to go buy an electric vehicle tomorrow. […]
Q: As Governor, would you support legislation to create statewide controls over the siting of wind or solar projects?
A: No, in fact, I’ve specifically avoided that. I don’t think that’s the way. We’ve got to have a continuous conversation, the one that we’ve been having for years now, between the state and local governments and local control, so that we decide together about siting.
Even when they agreed, though, the two didn’t always play nice. Bailey implied Pritzker would do away with the sales tax exemptions and incentives on seed, feed, fertilizer, and agriculture equipment. He said that would decimate family farms, which already have razor-thin profit margins.
“My opinion is it needs to stay as it is. We feed the world any kind of production business. That’s the way it’s been. That’s the way it needs to stay. But I want to tell you it is under threat. So I hope you ask our governor that exact same question,” said Bailey.
The roundtable did, in fact, ask it.
“I preserved the state tax exemption on agricultural equipment. And as long as I’m governor, no one is going to repeal it,” said Pritzker.
Pritzker continued to tout the $45 billion capital infrastructure bill that includes money for broadband infrastructure and all modes of transportation. It’s a program Bailey opposed while in the General Assembly.
“We’re going to be building our roads and our bridges, and our airports, and our ports all across the state of Illinois so you can more easily get your goods to market across the board,” Pritzker said. “Take note that the majority of the dollars that we’re putting into infrastructure are invested downstate.”
Bailey, meanwhile, continued to assert that state finances can be improved with “zero-based budgeting,” a concept of justifying every dollar spent up front rather than carrying over costs from a previous budget year.
* Claim…
The trust fund billionaire who removed his toilets to avoid paying taxes is now picking up a campaign bus in Tennessee to avoid paying higher taxes and fees. Don’t worry, @JBPritzker, I’ll fight to lower costs so you can support Illinois businesses again. #twill#illinoisfirstpic.twitter.com/YxHnzgjnYh
— Darren Bailey for Governor (@DarrenBaileyIL) August 24, 2022
“It’s an apportioned plate. The state of Illinois collects fees on every mile driven in the state. Bailey should know that if he’s seeking the state’s highest office.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker used the suburbs and a major trade union Wednesday as backdrops to tout his labor-friendly platform and poke his gubernatorial rival, Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey.
“Thanks to your support we’ve transformed Illinois into the most pro-labor state in the nation,” Pritzker told a crowd of workers at the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council offices in Elk Grove Village. It was the Chicago Democrat’s first stop on a statewide “Working Families” five-day bus tour.
Pritzker credited the state’s $45 billion capital plan, which includes tax incentives for data centers, for stimulating the economy and creating jobs in locations like Elk Grove Village.
“But there’s still more to do. This November, a Workers Rights Amendment is on the ballot that would make union organizing a constitutional right and stop Republican efforts to eliminate collective bargaining,” he said.
The unofficial start to campaign season is less than two weeks away, and Illinois’ candidates for governor are starting to ramp up their campaign appearances and, inevitably, their fundraising.
As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported Wednesday, the campaign war chests for Gov. JB Pritzker and state Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) are pretty lopsided right now.
* Bharat Express News…
The unofficial start of the campaign season is less than two weeks away and the candidates for Illinois governor are beginning to ramp up their campaign appearances and, inevitably, their fundraising.
As TBEN 2 political researcher Dana Kozlov reported Wednesday, the campaign war chests for government JB Pritzker and state senator Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) are pretty skewed right now.
Google really needs to do a better job.
…Adding… From some bizarre bot rewrite site called HindiAble…
American politician Darren Bailey is a Republican senator from Illinois’ fifty fifth district. His first day in workplace as president was January 13, 2021, and his closing day will likely be January 11, 2023.
Previous to becoming a member of the Senate, the 109th District Consultant served as Illinois’ consultant within the Illinois Home for one time period. He spent 17 years, the final 12 of which he presided over, on the North Clay college board earlier than changing into a senator.
Bailey is vying for the job of governor of Illinois. He will likely be up for election within the Republican major on June 28, 2022. There are six contenders within the Republican major for governor of Illinois; Darren and Richard Irvin have dominated fundraising and media consideration.
When serving within the state senate, he has additionally burdened his favor for Donald Trump, his help for police enforcement, and his opposition to Governor J.B. Pritzker. Moreover, he has advocated for tax cuts and decrease authorities spending.
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White tested positive for the COVID-19 virus yesterday.
Secretary White has mild symptoms and is conducting work from home while in quarantine. White is double vaccinated and twice boosted. He is following appropriate CDC and IDPH quarantine guidelines.
Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago’s Department of Public Health Commissioner, has tested positive for COVID, a statement from the department said Thursday.
“Last night, for the first time in the pandemic, I tested positive for COVID-19,” the statement read. “I am experiencing some cold-like symptoms and fever but am otherwise well, which I credit to the fact that I’m fully vaccinated and boosted. I will continue to work from home while following the CDC guidelines for isolation.”
A jury of six women and six men deliberated for about three hours on Tuesday afternoon before finding a former lieutenant at the Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mount Sterling guilty on five counts in connection with the 2018 death of a 65-year-old inmate.
Todd Sheffler, 54, of Mendon was stoic as he listened to Judge Sue Myerscough read the verdicts in a courtroom inside the U.S. District Courthouse in the Paul Findley Federal Building in downtown Springfield. Two United States Marshals escorted Sheffler from the courtroom and took him to the Sangamon County Jail. He now could face life in prison. […]
Three jurors said it didn’t take long to reach a verdict after hearing three weeks of testimony.
“There was overwhelming evidence that (Earvin) was beaten and that Sheffler was in the room where it happened, whether he did anything or not,” juror Patricia Finnigan of Atlanta, Ill., told John O’Connor of the Associated Press. “He could have stopped it. He was a supervisor. So there was no question.”
A federal grand jury had previously returned an indictment against Sheffler, 54, of Mendon, Ill.; Willie Hedden, 43, of Mt. Sterling, Ill.; and Alex Banta, 31, of Quincy, Ill., in December 2019, charging them with civil rights resulting in bodily injury and death and obstruction charges.
During the jury trial before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence that Sheffler; Hedden, who was a sergeant at the facility; and Banta, who was a correctional officer, participated in the May 17, 2018, assault of Mr. Earvin, 65, during their forcible escort of Mr. Earvin from the residential housing unit of the prison to the segregation housing unit while he was restrained and handcuffed behind his back and while he posed no physical threat to the defendants or other correctional officers. The assault resulted in serious bodily injury to Mr. Earvin, including multiple broken ribs, a punctured mesentery, and other serious internal injuries, and resulted in Mr. Earvin’s death in June 2018. After the assault, all three defendants falsified incident reports that they filed with prison officials and lied to the Illinois State Police by denying any knowledge of or participation in the assault.
Following the trial, Sheffler was convicted of all five charges in the indictment: conspiracy to deprive civil rights and deprivation of civil rights under color of law resulting in bodily injury and death; conspiracy to engage in misleading conduct; obstruction – falsification of a document; and obstruction – misleading conduct.
Sheffler is the second ex-guard convicted in the death of Larry Earvin in May 2018. A separate jury convicted Alex Banta, 31, of similar charges in April. That jury could not reach a verdict on Sheffler, so the government tried him again.
“The defense made a statement about the long, cruel arm of government,” assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene Miller said in his closing statement. “Todd Sheffler violated his training, violated the U.S. Constitution and allowed, participated in and covered up the brutal beating of a 65-year-old man, defenseless, a fellow citizen, handcuffed behind his back and lying on the cold, hard concrete floor. He was the long, cruel arm of government.” […]
“There was overwhelming evidence that he was beaten and that Sheffler was in the room where it happened, whether he did anything or not,” said juror Patricia Finnigan, 60, of Atlanta. “He could have stopped it. He was a supervisor. So there was no question.”
Serving a sentence for theft, Earvin was eligible for parole in four months when he allegedly became belligerent in disobeying a guard’s order to return to his cell at Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mount Sterling, 249 miles (400 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.
Earvin was just months from his release after serving about three years on a theft charge. His hands were cuffed behind his back when he was beaten by as many as 13 guards in a part of the prison where there were no surveillance cameras, according to court documents.
Earvin, 65, died nearly six weeks after the May 17, 2018, attack in which he was punched, kicked, stomped and jumped on, court records said. […]
The assault resulted in injuries prosecutors said were similar to those resulting from a high-speed car crash. Earvin suffered hemorrhages, lacerations, more than two dozen abrasions, and 15 fractures to his ribs. The injuries resulted in surgeons having to remove part of his colon.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene Miller told the court in April that guards were upset because Earvin was “being difficult” while being returned to a cell.
Darren Bailey is lying to you about a few things. There’s nothing in the [Climate and Equitable Jobs Act] that makes it easier to impose eminent domain. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Q: In the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, there was a provision that would allow the use of eminent domain to take private property for a project that is not a public utility. Do you support giving private companies that are not a public utility the right to use or to take private property?
Bailey: I do not. I have two counties in my Senate district that are affected by that. And I stood on the Senate floor and I said there was a lot of things wrong with this bill. Number one, it forces coal out too early. And number two, it forces natural gas out too early. And number four, it makes our dependency on wind and solar too soon. But I said all that aside, if there’s one reason and one reason alone why I would vote no on this bill, it would be because of the eminent domain clause.
* Pritzker was asked a similar question during the Farm Bureau event yesterday…
Q: In the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, there was a provision that would allow the use of eminent domain to take private property for a project that is not a public utility. Why do you feel that this project, that is not a public utility, should have the right to take private property?
Pritzker: That provision was removed from the bill before it passed. There is not an eminent domain provision in the bill that allows the state to take property under an eminent domain, any more than there was before there was a Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
Democratic lawmakers at the time said the language, included on page 673 of the public act, applies to the Grain Belt Express, a transmission line owned by the private company Invenergy. The language in the bill states that a project of Grain Belt’s magnitude “shall be deemed” a public use line, giving the company the ability to invoke eminent domain if needed. […]
Pritzker, in his discussion at the forum, incorrectly claimed any eminent domain language was stricken from the bill. Asked by a reporter after the forum about the Grain Belt Express provision, Pritzker said he was “talking about eminent domain broadly.”
“What I heard was eminent domain, and that really got taken out of the CEJA at the very last day,” he said.
Invenergy, meanwhile, has held town halls and said eminent domain would be a last resort with the vast majority of their interactions with property owners ending amicably.
He may have just heard the phrase “eminent domain,” but the question included another part about giving the private project the same status as a public utility.
A new Illinois law could bring the Grain Belt Express project one step closer to construction, according to parent company Invenergy.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed off on a decarbonization and energy regulation bill last week aiming to bring the state’s energy sector to 50 percent renewable by 2040 and carbon-free by 2050. Part of the bill will allow Invenergy to invoke eminent domain for its project and reapply for regulatory approval in the state.
The project was granted a certificate of public convenience and necessity by the Illinois Commerce Commission in 2016, but the order was reversed two years later when an appellate court concluded the commission had erred in approving a non-public utility.
The new bill allows “qualifying direct current projects” delivering clean energy across the state to apply for the same certificate through the end of 2023, a designation Invenergy said the project falls into.
[Many thanks to Isabel for putting much of this post together.]
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
There was no language in the CEJA that allowed for eminent domain in wind and solar. There was one transmission related project in the bill, but nothing statewide and nothing that allowed for eminent domain in wind and solar projects.
Um, wind and solar projects weren’t mentioned in the question to Pritzker.
* Eric Stock interviewed new Legislative Inspector General Mike McCuskey…
McCuskey said his office has received complaints against 40 state lawmakers and their staffers during his first six months on the job. He said many complaints are so vague there’s nothing to investigate, or they appear to stem from election-year politics. He said none showed wrongdoing.
* Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights is now up on broadcast TV in Chicago with an ad bolstering its proposed constitutional amendment that had been running on cable TV for the past couple of weeks. The group has already purcahsed about $4 million in TV ads in advance.
* Today at the Illinois Farm Bureau’s candidate forum, Sen. Darren Bailey was asked about whether he’d keep the Livestock Management Facilities Act in place. His answer…
I spread about 16,000 ton of chicken manure each year. So I know the advantage and the importance of you know, the regulatory process. I believe it’s working. A lot of people come, especially in the, being in the minority chair on Ag, people come and say, Well, what new laws, what are you thinking about?
My answer is always the same. You know, our current problem in Illinois that when we think about our elected officials, we think about new laws. Our state representatives and senators, they shouldn’t be writing new laws. They should be really representing you in helping us work through these laws and these problems.
We don’t need any more laws, especially where we’re at with agriculture. As far as I know, everything’s fine. Leave it alone, government stay out. I’ll even look to places that we can reduce regulation.
The funding from Pritzker comes after Welch earlier this month made two contributions totaling $5 million to the state party from his individual campaign fund. Pritzker in June gave the state party three contributions totaling $1.5 million. Representatives from the Democrats for the Illinois House committee did not return requests for comment.
I checked and was told that money was a pre-payment for mailers. That Pritzker money was also for mailers in order to receive the postage discount.
Today, a bipartisan group of eleven Mayors launched the “Mayors for Raja” coalition and endorsed Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi’s re-election campaign to continue to represent Illinois’ 8th Congressional District in the U.S. Congress. The growing list of elected leaders in the 8th Congressional District included:
• Addison Mayor Richard Veenstra
• Carol Stream Village Mayor Frank Saverino
• Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain
• Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson
• Hanover Park Village President Rod Craig
• Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod
• Itsasca Village President Jeff Pruyn
• Oak Brook Village President Gopal Lalmalani
• Schaumburg Village President Tom Dailly
• Roselle Mayor David Pileski
• Villa Park President Nick Cuzzone
* CD11…
THANK YOU Congressman, @BurgessOwens for coming out to IL-11 and supporting Team Catalina. We love you!
Super Bowl Winner, Entrepreneur, most importantly… servant leader. Honored to have your endorsement and support!
Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs was unanimously elected president of a bipartisan organization that brings together state finance officials to address government financial management issues.
Frerichs’ Democratic and Republican colleagues from across the country picked him to be president of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT), the group announced today.
“It’s such an honor that my peers chose me to lead this bipartisan organization that works to solve the challenges of government,” said Frerichs, who had been the organization’s treasurer. “Making sure state governments work for the people is not a Republican or Democratic issue, and I’m especially proud that colleagues across the aisle supported my election as NASACT president.”
The election caps Frerichs’ ascension within the organization. After less than a year as Illinois State Treasurer, Frerichs’ peers selected him in 2015 to join the NASACT Executive Committee. In 2016, Frerichs received the NASACT president’s award. The late Judy Baar Topinka, a popular former Republican Illinois state treasurer and comptroller, received that same award in 2015.
In addition to his NASACT role, Treasurer Frerichs was elected by his bipartisan peers to serve as secretary-treasurer of the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) in 2021. He serves on the NAST Executive, Long-Range Planning, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committees.
Two Illinois men, who are brothers, were arrested today on felony and misdemeanor charges for their actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Daniel Leyden, 55, of Chicago, was arrested along with his brother, Joseph Leyden, 56, of La Grange. Daniel Leyden is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with the felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon. Joseph Leyden is charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers.
Both also are charged with the felony offense of interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, as well as four related misdemeanor offenses. Daniel Leyden was arrested in Chicago and his brother was arrested in La Grange. They are to make their initial court appearances today in the Northern District of Illinois.
According to court documents, Daniel and Joseph Leyden were among the rioters who were illegally on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. Shortly after 12:50 p.m., Daniel Leyden was in a crowd that confronted law enforcement officers at metal barricades near the Peace Circle. Daniel Leyden and other rioters repeatedly lifted and pushed a metal barricade.
* The brothers were captured on police body cameras which were used to identify them…
NEW: Brothers Daniel Leyden and Joseph Leyden of Illinois have been arrested for assaulting officers on Jan. 6. Were 438 and 386 on the FBI list. pic.twitter.com/BdeTXPl9rr
Charged for Jan 6: Brothers Daniel and Joseph Leyden arrested today. Daniel was accused of being among the first group of rioters to storm the Capitol barricades - Jospeh later charged with allegedly assaulting officers. pic.twitter.com/CQWU0FEM6S
Federal prosecutors say Daniel Leyden was part of a crowd that assaulted Capitol police officers as they broke through one of the first lines of defense near Peace Monument on the West Side of the grounds, knocking one officer unconscious with a concussion.
That took place in the same area where Officer Caroline Edwards testified before the Jan. 6 special congressional committee that she was pinned down under a bike rack. […]
Both are charged with a variety of felony and misdemeanor charges. They appeared in court Tuesday afternoon and were released on bond.
Attorneys for the Leyden brothers confirmed that the two are both electricians but declined to comment on the case.
* The two brothers are among more than 30 Illinois residents to be charged in the Capitol breach. Tribune…
[Daniel Leyden] and other rioters repeatedly lifted and pushed a metal barricade that ultimately toppled and pinned an officer and the barricade was also used to attack other officers, including one who was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, according to the statement.
“Daniel Leyden’s actions contributed to injuries that these officers sustained and prevented officers from defending themselves and providing aid to one another,” the statement said.
His brother was also charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers.
“Joseph Leyden advanced and rushed toward an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department. He then lunged at and pushed the officer,” according to the statement.
* A former Chicago police officer also charged is refusing a plea deal, NBC Chicago reported …
A former Chicago police officer is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to authorities.
And while court records show that a plea deal is on the table for the former officer, he has so far rejected it.
Officer Karol Chwiesiuk, 29, faces a slew of charges including entering a restricted building without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to a criminal complaint against him. […]
Chwiesiuk, a 2.5-year member of CPD’s force, was relieved of his police powers on June 2, 2021, according to Supt. David Brown.
Chwiesiuk was on medical leave from CPD when he traveled to Washington to attend a Jan. 6, 2021, rally supporting then-President Donald Trump, according to a criminal complaint filed in June that year.
The police officer said in a text to a friend that he was going “to save the nation” and was “busy planning how to [expletive] up commies.”
Inside the Capitol, Chwiesiuk texted photos of himself while wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with a Chicago Police Department logo, according to prosecutors.
Chwiesiuk was also part of a mob that broke into the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, prosecutors alleged. The office ended up trashed.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is calling out a conservative super PAC over a new attack ad aimed at Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, accusing the group of using “racist tropes” to create a scary image of Black Chicago and altering her skin to appear darker in the ad.
The ad opens with Lightfoot, who is Black, saying, “This will be the summer of joy in Chicago.” It then cuts to sounds of gunshots, screams and scenes of shadowy figures in the streets shooting. The words “Chicago violence is coming to the suburbs” appear on the screen. The clip of Lightfoot, a fellow Democrat, is from a speech she gave to the City Club of Chicago in April. Her skin color appears noticeably darker in the ad compared to the original video.
“News flash. I’m Black and I’m proud. Everyone knows it. No need to use cheap tricks to darken my skin and try to scare voters with false narratives about Chicago,” Lightfoot said in a statement to NBC News.
The ad was run by the People Who Play By the Rules super PAC, which is fronted by longtime Illinois conservative operative Dan Proft and largely funded by billionaire GOP financier Richard Uihlein. The PAC supports Pritzker’s Republican opponent, Darren Bailey, for governor in this fall’s election. Uihlein, who did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment, has given the PAC at least $26 million so far this year. The ad is filled with scenes of live shooting, sometimes prompting a warning on YouTube before it can be viewed. Three unaffiliated political ad makers — two who work mainly with Democrats, one who works with Republicans — who reviewed the ad after being contacted by NBC News said the mayor’s skin appeared noticeably darker than in the original video.
* The video was pulled from Lightfoot’s City Club of Chicago speech, here is a side-by-side comparison of both videos…
* Since the ad debuted Aug. 15, the People Who Play By The Rules PAC has reported spending more than $1 million on TV ads according to state campaign finance records. The video is age restricted on YouTube so click here for the link.
Pritzker’s campaign said GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey should demand that “his allies” take the ad off the air.
“It is disappointing but unsurprising to see Republicans relying on dangerous dog whistles to deflect from their own miserable records,” Pritzker spokeswoman Natalie Edelstein said. “Instead of insulting elected officials and Illinois’ economic engine, members of the GOP ought to figure out why they have to keep apologizing for everything that comes out of their mouths.” […]
Lightfoot accused “Bailey and his ilk” of using “dog-whistle tactics.”
“Darren Bailey says he wants to represent the whole state? Well then, enough of these dog-whistle tactics,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “He cannot be the governor of this great state by using racist tropes against Black Chicago. Real leadership addresses the root causes of violence and proposes solutions that bring people together. Darren Bailey and his ilk have proven once again he’s not the man for the job.”
* President of People Who Play By The Rules PAC Dan Proft’s official statement in response to Lightfoot…
“The assertions by Pritzker and Lightfoot as to Lightfoot’s presentation in the ad are insane–and par for the course from inveterate race hustlers like Lightfoot and Pritzker who are trying to misdirect attention away from the fact that she has turned the city over to repeat, violent predators and he aims to do the same statewide with his elimination of cash bail.
How are people enjoying Lightfoot’s ‘Summer of Joy’ so far? 1186 shot. 213 murdered. Most of the victims? Black residents of Chicago.
We did nothing to Lightfoot’s pigmentation in the ad just as we did nothing to the pigmentation of our pasty blowhard of a governor. The video of Lightfoot was pulled from the web from her City Club speech.
We are not ’scaring’ suburbanites. Are suburban prosecutors like Jim Glasgow and Bob Berlin also ’scaring’ suburbanites?
In fact, we are warning them about what is to come if they don’t make changes to the leadership of the city and state.
The two of them, Pritzker and Lightfoot, are two of the worst human beings on the planet who together have accomplished nothing other than to abdicate their collective, primary responsibility to provide for the physical safety of law-abiding families.”
Uihlein gave the PAC $8 million during the Republican primary, much of which was spent aiding Bailey by attacking the GOP credentials of Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, one of Bailey’s top opponents in the six-man race. While the PAC is prohibited from coordinating directly with any candidate, Uihlein also gave more than $9 million directly to Bailey’s campaign.
Since the primary, the Uline packaging supplies founder has given $20 million to Proft’s committee but nothing to Bailey’s campaign, state records show.
Despite the committee supporting Bailey’s candidacy, his campaign noted in a statement Tuesday that it has “no communication with or control” over the PAC.
Bailey spokesman Joe DeBose said Pritzker and Lightfoot have control over crime afflicting Chicago “and they should be more concerned with the people being killed and set on fire in the city.” […]
According to the ad, criminal suspects will be “set free” if they’re charged with myriad violent offenses, including kidnapping and robbery. But proponents of that provision say the ad’s claim is “patently not true.”
Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) said keeping kids in school is the first step of his education agenda in his battle against Gov. JB Pritzker. Bailey said Pritzker’s COVID-19 lockdowns “decimated” education in Illinois. Bailey challenged the governor over his COVID executive orders and the closing of schools during the worst period of the pandemic.
Now, Bailey said Illinois children suffered without in-person learning, and he will keep them in school if elected governor this fall. The Republican gubernatorial nominee also said Pritzker should apologize to students and parents for moving schools to virtual learning early into the pandemic.
Bailey argues that Illinois should provide scholarships to students in school districts that require remote or virtual learning. His campaign said Monday night that the change could allow children to have other learning options regardless of their economic status.
Data from the Illinois State Board of Education show students struggled with their English and math courses throughout the 2021 school year and younger students saw significant drops in proficiency.
“While Pritzker can more than afford to hire private tutors or pay for private schooling, many hardworking Illinois families don’t have that option,” Bailey said. “When their children fall behind, they have nowhere to turn which is shameful.”
* Pritzker campaign…
“Darren Bailey’s so-called ‘education agenda’ is yet another desperate attempt to cover up the fact that he has no coherent policies or plans. His only real agenda is regurgitating the far-right, ultra-MAGA talking points he gets from Donald Trump,” said JB for Governor Press Secretary Eliza Glezer. “From his comments downplaying the severity of COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic, to his votes against increased funding for education across the state, Bailey has proven time and time again that he doesn’t have Illinois students’ backs. Our kids, parents, and educators deserve better.”
* IEA President Kathi Griffin…
We have yet to see any plan from Sen. Bailey on how he plans to enhance public education and enrich our students’ lives. What we have seen is Gov. Pritzker in action. He has always put our students’ and communties’ health and safety above all else. During the height of the pandemic, he made difficult decisions to keep us all safe. When the pandemic started there were no vaccines, no medication, no testing and our hospitals were being pushed to their limits. When testing, vaccines and treatments became available and hospitals began to recover, the policies changed. Then, individual school districts were able to decide when to open. We are thankful the governor looked out for the health of our students, their families and those who work in our schools.
We are looking forward to this new school year and all the possibilities it brings for both our members and our students. We believe every student has the right to a high-quality public education, and we are glad Gov. Pritzker shares that vision.
In keeping with my campaign promise, my Administration is announcing a plan to give working and middle class families breathing room as they prepare to resume federal student loan payments in January 2023.
* Sophie Rodgers digs into the numbers for Crain’s…
On average, Illinois student loan borrowers owe $38,526, the seventh-highest average debt in the United States. This statistic is not alarming to Constantine Yannelis, associate professor of finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. “Illinois, like New York, is an area which is dominated by one metro area where you disproportionately see a lot of young, educated people living. This is why you have high student loan debt.” […]
Recent graduates in Illinois age 25 to 34 … owe an average of $36,806. […]
But younger borrowers in Illinois are not among those hit hardest by student loan debt. On average, of Illinois student loan borrowers, those age 50 to 61 owe the most: $50,757. Those age 62 and up owe an average of $46,959. […]
And this outstanding debt will almost certainly negatively impact their retirement. “They can’t even get out of that debt by defaulting because, due to court rulings, Social Security income can be garnished,” Yannelis said. As a result, older Illinois borrowers still deeply in student loan debt might delay retirement and will consume less in retirement, which will affect the overall economy.
Discuss.
…Adding… LG Stratton…
Today, millions of people are receiving news about long-awaited financial relief. With President Joe Biden’s announcement to forgive thousands of dollars in student loan debt for most borrowers, a burden is being eased.
As part of my office’s initiative to build a strong, diverse teacher pipeline, I traveled across Illinois to hear from leaders and students at our state colleges and universities.
On these campuses, I heard and felt the deep concern people in all fields had about the looming presence of student loan debt and how it would not only impact their careers, but also their quality of life.
This student loan plan takes major steps to address that. Up to $20,000 in debt relief for Pell Grant recipients ensures that forgiveness intentionally uplifts those from lower-income backgrounds. Additionally, restructuring the repayment system will provide increased borrower support after the freeze on payments ends. More needs to be done, but this is a historic move forward that will change the lives of millions.
I commend the administration for these tremendous efforts. May this drive us to continue the work for equitable, affordable education in Illinois and across the nation.
* Sen. Durbin…
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Joe Biden announced his Administration’s plan to eliminate $10,000 in federal student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year and to extend the student loan payment freeze until December 31:
“Tens of millions of Americans are plagued by student loan debt in pursuit of a quality education. Today’s announcement by President Biden is a crucial step to enable low- and middle-income borrowers—especially communities of color—to eliminate their debt so they can buy a home, start a business, save for emergencies, and fully participate in our economy. President Biden and Congressional Democrats are delivering on our promises and focused on lifting up working families and the economy.”
Today’s announcement also allocates up to $20,000 of debt cancellation for Pell Grant recipients. On average, Illinois students owe $38,526 in debt after graduation.
Durbin has long been an advocate for widespread student debt relief. In August 2021, Durbin introduced the bipartisan FRESH START Through Bankruptcy Act, which would restore the ability for struggling borrowers to seek a bankruptcy discharge for federal student loans after a waiting period of ten years. Unlike most other types of debt, student loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy except in rare circumstances.
* AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today issued the following statement regarding the announcement from President Joe Biden’s administration that it plans to cancel $10,000 in debt for borrowers who earn less than $125,000 per year and $20,000 in debt for Pell grant recipients.
“Higher education should be within reach for all Illinoisans without the fear that they will be saddled with lifelong debt. The administration’s announcement today is a clear acknowledgment of the burden student loan debt imposes, and a response to repayment and forgiveness programs that have been historically and systemically flawed.
“While long-term reforms to the student loan system in this country are desperately needed, I commend the Biden administration for offering some immediate relief to millions of student loan borrowers.”
Attorney General Raoul has long advocated for protections for student loan borrowers. In May, Raoul called upon President Biden to cancel federal student loan debt, and he was joined by other attorneys general. Earlier this month, Raoul led a coalition of attorneys general calling on the U.S. Department of Education to give public servants more opportunities for loan forgiveness.
The Illinois Attorney General’s office continues to be a national leader in investigating and enforcing consumer protection violations in the higher education field. In 2022, Raoul’s office led a nationwide settlement against Navient, the country’s largest student loan servicer, that resulted in $5 million in restitution, and more than $133 million in debt cancelation, for Illinois borrowers. In 2021, Raoul’s Know Before You Owe legislation was enacted, ensuring that Illinois student borrowers have information about their federal aid eligibility before they turn to more costly private loans. And along with overseeing the rollout of the state’s first Student Loan Ombudsman, a position created by the Student Loan Servicing Rights Act to provide resources for borrowers who are struggling to make payments, Raoul’s office has recently provided $14 million in relief to private student loan borrowers who attended ITT.
Student borrowers who have questions or are in need of assistance can call the Attorney General’s Student Loan Helpline at 1-800-455-2456. Borrowers can also file complaints on the Attorney General’s website.
* US Rep. Mary Miller…
CONGRESSWOMAN MARY MILLER (R-IL) released the following statement on President Biden’s announcement on student loan “forgiveness”:
“Today, Joe Biden announced a $300 billion taxpayer-funded bailout for leftist colleges and universities that prey upon young people by selling them worthless “humanities” degrees so they can become foot soldiers in the Marxist revolution destroying America,” Miller said. “In the midst of the Biden Recession, Joe Biden is using working class taxpayers to pay off his donors and voters at a time of historic debt, and record inflation.”
“The blue-collar working class is now saddled with the cost of paying off “elite” institutions with billion dollar endowments. They defrauded young people by exaggerating their future earning power that would enable them to pay back those loans.”
“Parents sacrificed for years to save for their children’s college expenses and many students forfeited going to the school of their choice and instead choose community college or instate tuition. Some didn’t go to college because it was unaffordable and didn’t want to pay back loans. Many people worked full time and lived at home to pay for college and lots of graduates have been making college loan payments for YEARS! President Biden’s decision to bailout colleges and universities adds insult to injury and is completely irresponsible.”
“A new majority in Congress must investigate the staggering increase in costs for college degrees, the disconnect between those rising costs and the job prospects of graduates who cannot pay back these loans, and the corrupt endowment system! The U.S. Department of Education’s role is to protect and defend the TAXPAYERS, not the leftist colleges and universities with billion dollar endowments that prey upon borrowers! It’s time to defund and eliminate the U.S. Dept. of Education.”
* From the end of an Illinois Times story about how “A New Berlin man who admitted to pointing a handgun at state Sen. Elgie Sims as the two were driving separate vehicles in Springfield in March 2021 was sentenced to nine months of probation on Aug. 17″….
The Chicago Tribune reported in early August that Sims was approached by the FBI in its investigation of potential “influence peddling” by Axon Enterprise Inc. The Tribune reported that Axon, an Arizona law-enforcement technology company, hired law firm Foley & Lardner LLP to lobby the legislature. Sims is an of-counsel attorney at Foley.
According to the Tribune, “Investigators are looking into whether Axon – either directly or through other lobbying entities – improperly tried to influence Sims in his official duties as a member of the Illinois Legislature working on the criminal-justice legislation.”
Sims declined comment on the Tribune story.
His attorney, Thomas Anthony Durkin, said in a statement to IT: “There is a good reason federal investigations are required by law to be secret. It is to protect people who have not committed crimes. Senator Sims has committed no crime and has not been charged with any crime. Obviously, someone not happy with this historic and long overdue crime-reform bill – and many in law enforcement are unhappy – is baselessly attempting to smear Senator Sims’ good name and hard work by leaking this investigation.”
A Truth in Accounting report argued state authorities should have used billions in federal aid to pay down interest on existing pension debt rather than save it for a rainy day. Experts warn this could lead to more state borrowing.
Um, what?
The governor’s office pointed to this Federal Register passage from the US Treasury Department…
For all recipients except Tribal governments, funds may not be used for deposits into a pension fund. […]
Subsection 602(c)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act provides that ‘‘[n]o State or territory may use funds made available under this section for deposit into any pension fund.’’ Similarly, subsection 603(c)(2) of the Social Security Act provides that ‘‘[n]o metropolitan city, nonentitlement unit of local government, or county may use funds made available under this section for deposit into any pension fund.’’
For purposes of this restriction on pension deposits, the interim final rule defined deposit to mean ‘‘an extraordinary payment of an accrued, unfunded liability.’’
On the heels of credit rating upgrades, Illinois has sold $1.6 billion worth of bonds to fund a pension buyout program and construction projects. As the Chicago Tribune reported, Gov. J.B. Pritzker touted the upgrades lauding Democratic leaders for their work “to make sure that we’re back in good fiscal order, that the state is building its fiscal foundations for the road ahead.” But as Hetty Chang of Moody has stated, ratings are not “public policy report cards, although politicians may use them as such.” Credit ratings do not focus on the overall financial condition of the state; they focus on the likelihood of bonds being paid.
And if the state is in such “good fiscal order,” then why did it need to borrow money?
You don’t spend cash to buy a house, and you don’t spend cash to fix a bridge, build a transit line or fund a pension buyout program, which would’ve put more immediate pressure on the state budget for no good reason.
* And Jordan Abudayyeh pointed to some past instances when IPI denounced the state for its essentially non-existent rainy day fund…
Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey, the GOP gubernatorial candidate who got Trump’s endorsement, said he saw the Trump raid as a bad sign.
“I find it very upsetting,” Bailey told WMAY. “I personally look at this, I believe it is political. And I want to tell you what, watching this all unfold, I am very concerned about the future of our country.”
* U.S. National Archives identified 700-plus pages of classified records at Trump’s home: “Among the materials in the boxes are over 100 documents with classification markings, comprising more than 700 pages. Some include the highest levels of classification, including Special Access Program (SAP) materials,” Wall’s letter said, referring to security protocols reserved for some of the country’s most closely held secrets. … The letter shows that Trump’s legal team repeatedly tried to stall the Archives from letting the FBI and intelligence officials review the materials, saying that he needed more time to determine if any of the records were covered by a doctrine called executive privilege that enables a president to shield some records.
* Documents recovered at Mar-a-Lago were among government’s most classified, letter shows: “I mean, if he had actual special access programs — do you know how extraordinarily sensitive that is? That’s very, very sensitive. If that were actually at his residence, that would be a problem,” said Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
* FBI’s Mar-a-Lago search followed months of resistance, delay by Trump: Trump’s lawyers do not appear to have argued to Steidel Wall that Trump had declassified the documents that bore classified markings before he left office. While presidents have widespread authority to declassify documents, there is a process for doing so, and even declassified documents are required by the Presidential Records Act to remain in Archives custody.
…Adding… Good point…
Follow-up question: Was it “political” when the FBI executed search warrants on Illinois democrats including Ald. Ed Burke, House Speaker Mike Madigan and Gov. Rod Blagojevich?
