* Senate President Don Harmon on the bribery charges against Deputy Majority Leader Emil Jones III…
“I have asked for and expect to receive Senator Jones’ resignation from his leadership post and committee chairmanship.”
“These are grave allegations. Members of the Senate and all public officials need to hold themselves to a high ethical standard for the public to have trust and faith in our work.”
Thoughts?
…Adding… I’m told that there’s no “want,” by the Senate President. Jones is out. But he’s being given the chance to step aside.
* Sun-Times story by Jon Seidel and Tina Sfondeles about the new federal bribery charges against Sen. Emil Jones III (D-Chicago)...
The state senator allegedly lied to the FBI about his role in the scheme Sept. 24, 2019.
That was the same day federal agents raided the home and offices of state Sen. Martin Sandoval, including in the state Capitol building. Sandoval died in 2020.
That was three years ago, and the story notes the way he was charged means he’s likely to plead guilty.
* The Question: Your one-word reaction to the fact that Sen. Jones was questioned by and allegedly lied to the feds the same day they raided Sandoval? One word only, please. And keep it clean.
* John Feehery writing for The Hill on 11th Congressional District Republican nominee Catalina Lauf…
Lauf has been able to raise close to $1.5 million in campaign contributions, mostly through small donations, by saying that she, if elected, she will become the anti-Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). So she has some money to back up her message.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is critical of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for sending migrants to sanctuary cities, but Pritzker had to be asked twice Monday if the border is secure.
“The Republican governor of Florida and Texas and Arizona … they’re trying to sow chaos,” Pritzker said. “We’re trying to truly care for people who need their human rights upheld.”
When asked a second time, “and are the borders secure?”, Pritzker said, “In my opinion, we need to have comprehensive immigration reform, and we need to make sure that we are securing the border in every way that we can. I don’t live in Texas, but I know that people are concerned about the number of people who are coming to the border, and again we’ve got to address that.”
Twenty-six more migrants arrived Sunday in Chicago.
“We need to make union organizing a constitutional right and stop Republican efforts to eliminate collective bargaining,” Pritzker said at a Laborers’ International Union of North America training center. “So this November we will pass the Workers’ Rights Amendment.”
The proposed amendment to the Illinois Constitution would give employees “the fundamental right to organize and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of negotiating wages, hours, and working conditions, and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work,” according to a General Assembly resolution. […]
GOP leaders have contended that the amendment is actually “a disguised tax referendum, a Trojan horse that, if passed, is projected to cost a typical family over $2,100 in additional property taxes within the next four years,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy said in a recent statement.
That doesn’t mean Republicans are anti-worker, Tracy noted. “We believe in hard work and personal responsibility. We are pro-growth, pro-business, and pro-worker. As a direct result of the important right to organize and collectively bargain, unions have benefited our brothers and sisters in the trades, business, and public safety.”
House Majority PAC is launching a new television ad, “Working”, highlighting Regan Deering being endorsed by extremists who want to ban abortion with no exceptions, and Nikki Budzinski’s work for Illinois’ families.
This afternoon, the Gun Violence Prevention PAC and Giffords PAC endorsed Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Illinois Supreme Court candidates Judge Elizabeth M. Rochford and Justice Mary O’Brien in the 2022 general election at an event at Bright Star Church on Chicago’s South Side.
“Every law we pass to strengthen Illinois’ gun law is at risk this November if we don’t elect gun safety candidates in our justice system,” said Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of the Gun Violence Prevention PAC. “Reducing gun violence and the number of illegal firearms on our streets have been key pillars of Attorney General Raoul’s work. Judge Elizabeth Rochford and Justice Mary Kay O’Brien have been recommended by the Illinois State Bar Association and have the full support of the organizations working to protect and strengthen our gun laws and maintain public safety. Together, these candidates working in Illinois’ justice system will make our state a safer place and ensure key positions don’t fall into inexperienced hands.”
“Illinois has some of the strongest gun laws in the country, but the gun lobby is trying to overturn them and elect candidates who would weaken them. That is why it is critical that we re-elect Attorney General Kwame Raoul,” said former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. “In office, Attorney General Raoul has restricted ghost guns, investigated and prosecuted gun trafficking, held gun manufacturers accountable, and defended Illinois’ law. We need Attorney General Raoul in office to help keep Illinois families safe. We are proud to endorse him today with G-PAC.”
After the U.S Supreme Court struck down New York’s handgun law this summer, more than 30 lawsuits have been filed across more than a dozen states – including three here in Illinois – as the gun lobby tries to dismantle all the progress we’ve made and roll back evidence backed laws that are proven to keep our children, families and communities safe.
The family of a mother killed in a high-speed Chicago police chase would receive $15 million under a pending settlement approved by a City Council committee Monday, more than two years after her high-profile death sparked revisions to the city’s vehicle pursuit policy.
Guadalupe Francisco-Martinez, a 37-year-old mother of six, died in the June 2020 crash at Irving Park Road and Ashland Avenue when a Chicago police car that was chasing a suspect barreled into her, according to the city’s Law Department counsel Mimi Ruether. Francisco-Martinez’s estate filed a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging wrongdoing on the officer’s part for speeding, blowing a red light and violating Police Department policy on chases. […]
The police car was traveling 101 mph right before the crash and 89 mph at the time of impact, Ruether said. Francisco-Martinez was driving 20 to 27 mph.
Francisco-Martinez was extricated from her car and died in the hospital during surgery. Oliver was arrested about 20 minutes later and charged with first-degree murder, vehicular hijacking, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and other charges in connection with the chase and crash.
According to Chicago Police Department data NBC News obtained through public records requests and first reported, the city has seen a significant amount of wreckage from police pursuits and emergency response crashes.
From August 2017 to the end of last year, the department recorded two dozen fatal chases and 617 crashes during pursuits, the data show.
Fatal pursuits in Chicago far outnumbered those reported during the same period in the country’s two largest cities — six in Los Angeles and two in New York City — according to Fatal Encounters, the independently run database that tracks every deadly interaction with police in the country.
During the same period, data show, Chicago police recorded 729 emergency response calls that resulted in crashes. Twenty-one civilians and 225 officers were injured.
* In the wake of Franco-Martinez’s death, the CPD updated its pursuit policy.Streets Blog Chicago…
The force had previously changed its pursuit protocols after another case where a chase led to the senseless death of a bystander. In January 2003, then-sergeant Paul Bauer was pursuing a man who had stolen a wallet in River North when the man stopped at a red and placed the wallet on the road. Bauer disregarded an order to end the chase, and the fleeing suspect eventually collided with another driver in the West Loop, then struck Qing Chang, 25, as she stood on the sidewalk, killing her and her unborn child. Chang’s husband was awarded a $17.5 million settlement from the city. (Bauer was eventually promoted to commander, and was fatally shot outside the Thompson Center while confronting an armed man in February 2018.)
In the wake of Chang’s death, the 2003 policy revision prohibited pursuit for minor offenses like theft, including theft of a vehicle. According to the policy, CPD officers are charged with applying an in-the-moment “balancing test” to determine if “the necessity to immediately apprehend the fleeing suspect outweighs the level of inherent danger created by a motor vehicle pursuit.”
The 2020 policy revision added a few more restrictions and procedures regarding pursuits, plus new incident reporting requirements. It also states that “The department will not discipline any member for terminating a motor vehicle pursuit.”
But these policies can hardly be considered progressive. The latest revisions in the CPD pursuit policy now align with a set of recommendations issued by The U.S. Department of Justice and National Institute of Justice in 1990, more than 30 years ago. The conclusion of the “NIJ Restrictive Policies for High-Speed Police Pursuits” states that “High-speed vehicle pursuits are possibly the most dangerous of all ordinary police activities,” and recommends finding alternatives to pursuit whenever possible. [Emphasis added.]
* Chicago police officials hope to replace two helicopters and Sheriff Tom Dart hopes to get a helicopter, too, the Sun-Times reports…
A police source said the city has earmarked about $12 million to buy two new helicopters, but no contracts have been signed. […]
Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) has called on Lightfoot and Brown to get more police helicopters to combat carjackings in his Southwest Side neighborhood and the rest of the city. O’Shea said he’s spoken to representatives of Illinois Democratic Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and to U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., about the possibility of securing federal money for one or more of them.
“Why we haven’t invested in purchasing multiple helicopters is puzzling,” O’Shea said. “It’s a proven tool to combat the crimes that are decimating our city.”
O’Shea said he’s been told the department’s helicopters are in “poor condition” and frequently out of service for maintenance.
Details of the police department’s drone program were included in an email sent last summer by Karen Conway, director of police research and development. In the email, Conway told other high-ranking police officials that the department’s counter-terrorism bureau “utilized 1505 funds for a pilot Drone program that operates within the parameters of current laws.” […]
Conway’s comments about the police department’s drone program were included in an email discussing a new vehicle pursuit policy.
The memo also included other technology options the department was considering to apparently minimize the risk of engaging in chases: a device to shut down a fleeing vehicle’s engine and a system for remote tracking. The latter option, StarChase, is a mechanism that allows cops to shoot a GPS-equipped dart at a suspect’s car.
Last August, the police department issued revised directives on pursuits, but the general order bears no mention of the technologies.
I’m curious why drones haven’t been at the forefront of this new policy. They’re certainly cheaper than helicopters.
///BREAKING/// State Sen. Emil Jones III has been hit with federal bribery charges alleging he took money from a red light camera company executive to kill legislation requiring traffic studies for camera systems. He’s also accused of lying to the FBI. Story to come pic.twitter.com/MYeBIgo1Tp
The Illinois Department of Transportation (”IDOT”) approved the installation and operation of red-light cameras within the State. In or around February 2079, JONES introduced a bill, namely, Senate Bill 1297, that would require IDOT to conduct a statewide study of automated traffic law enforcement systems, which included red-light cameras. Senate BIII1297 would require IDOT to report on the overall operation, usage, and regulation of automated traffic enforcement systems, and to propose any recommendations IDOT deemed necessary concerning such systems.
In or around 20L9, JONES agreed that, in exchange for benefits provided by Individual A to JONES and Individual B, JONES would oppose legislation that required the study of automated traffic enforcement systems located outside of Chicago, and would limit any legislation regarding IDOT’s study of and recommendations concerning automated traffic law enforcement systems to those automated traffic enforcement systems utilized in Chicago, thereby excluding from study and recommendations automated traffic enforcement systems utilized in numerous other muncipalties that Company A served.
Beginning in or around April 2019, and continuing until in or around September 2019, at Chicago, in the Northern District of lllinois, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, EMIL JONES, III, defendant herein, as an agent of the State of Illinois, corruptly solicited, agreed to accept, and accepted things of value from Individual A, namely a $5,000 payment and money for Individual B, intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with a business, transaction, and series of transactions of the State of Illinois involving a thing of value of $5,000 or more, namely, legislation in the Illinois General Assembly concerning the operation of red-light cameras; […]
On or about JuIy 17, 2019, JONES told Individual A that he would protect Company A and Individual A from legislation in the Illinois General Assembly concerning the operation of red-light cameras in exchange for $5,000 for JONES and a job for Individual B.
On or about August 8, 2019, JONES told Individual A that if Individual A contributed $5,000 by sponsoring an event, JONES and Individual A would not have to report that contribution on Illinois campaign contribution reports.
On or about August 12, 2019, JONES and Individual A discussed how much money Individual A would pay Individual B.
The feds filed their charges against Jones in a document known as an information, which typically signals a defendant’s intention to plead guilty.
…Adding… Leader Durkin…
elow is a statement from House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) on the Indictment of State Senator Emil Jones III:
“The Democrat Party of Illinois has become an organized crime family whose only purpose is to shakedown Illinois taxpayers. Today’s indictment once again shows Illinois residents why Democrats refuse to pass real ethics reform; they are too corrupt.”
…Adding… Leader McConchie…
Below is a statement from Leader McConchie regarding the indictment of Sen. Emil Jones III:
“Even in a post-Madigan-era, Illinois continues to have a systemic corruption problem—one that Democrats continue to enable,” said Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie. “Democrats have refused for years to allow our anti-corruption proposals to move forward. If the Democrats won’t allow us to do the right thing, it’s time for voters to step in and make the change this November.”
As a refresher, the SGOP ethics package is SB 3636. One of the proposals in it includes empowering the attorney general to use a statewide grand jury to investigate public corruption.
…Adding… SafeSpeed…
“SafeSpeed’s goal has always been to provide a service that helps save lives. As new developments in federal investigations come to light, SafeSpeed remains both shocked and saddened that one of its former colleagues was engaged in criminal conduct and recruited outside individuals to help further his self-serving activities. Their actions were clearly in their own self-interest and done without SafeSpeed’s knowledge and undercut the important work SafeSpeed does.
“The criminal activity of a few individuals does not and should not reflect the values and integrity of SafeSpeed, its employees, and its clients. SafeSpeed built its business on integrity and ethics, and it holds its employees and representatives to the highest standards of conduct and ethics. SafeSpeed has long since terminated all contact with its former colleague and his associates.
“SafeSpeed remains committed to continuing to assist Illinois municipalities in improving traffic safety. SafeSpeed fully supports the federal government’s investigation into public corruption and will continue to aid their efforts in any way it can.”
A longtime Cook County Board of Review worker pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge Friday, more than a year after the Chicago Sun-Times revealed he was under investigation by the FBI for lowering property assessments in exchange for cash.
Danilo “Danny B” Barjaktarevic, 49, faces a likely prison sentence of up to two and a half years under federal sentencing guidelines. His sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 13.
He is no longer employed with the Board of Review, according to his attorney.
Barjaktarevic’s plea agreement anticipates he will repay $21,000 he received during the investigation. The document also indicates he lied when he claimed that others at the Board of Review helped him lower assessments for bribes.
Criminals set to be released into your neighborhood, sparse advertising and contact information, and an alleged teacher with a fake name pledging to teach critical race theory in class.
Those are some examples of what can be found in a series of publications that have been mailed in recent weeks to homes across the state, as well as in McHenry County. They are drawing attention – including from Gov. JB Pritzker – for being politically charged and containing right-wing talking points just a couple months before the November election.
The publications, totaling 34, include the McHenry Times, the Kane County Reporter, Chicago City Wire and the DeKalb Times. They are under the umbrella of a company called Local Government Information Services, or LGIS. It’s unclear whether each title has mailed out newspapers in recent weeks, but they have a presence online. […]
The press association has received inquiries from residents around the state asking about the mailings and how to get them to stop being delivered, Craven said. […]
[Don Craven, president of the Illinois Press Association] said neither the company nor its publications are members of the Illinois Press Association. The postage permit printed on the front of the papers is registered to Paddock Publications Inc., according to a U.S. Postal Service spokesman.
Paddock Publications Inc. is better known as the Daily Herald. Click here for its latest state corporate filing.
I called Daily Herald publisher Doug Ray and left a message yesterday and followed up with an email early this morning. I had a mutual acquaintance reach out to Ray and others yesterday and today at the Daily Herald and I also reached out to another person at the company yesterday. Silence.
I’ll let you know if anyone responds. I sure would like to know their rationale because, man, this is not a good look. At all. Shameful, even.
…Adding… From comments…
So while decrying fake news on social media, the parent company is profiting off distributing hard copy fake news? Can’t wait to hear what they have to say.
Paddock Publications has a large commercial printing operation in Schaumburg. In addition to the Daily Herald newspapers, Paddock handles commercial printing and mailing for a great variety of customers in Illinois, Wisconsin and across the country. The printing operation is a separate and distinct manufacturing business. Its operation has nothing to do with the editorial judgment or policies of the Daily Herald newspapers.
Stefanie Anderson, a senior vice president of Paddock Publications Inc. and general manager of Southern Illinois LOCAL Media Group, is the newest member of the Illinois Press Association Board of Directors.
Prior to moving to southern Illinois to oversee the community newspaper group, Anderson was director of production in the Schaumburg printing facility for the Daily Herald Media Group.
Huh. That’s not quite how Ray explained it.
…Adding… Pearson at the Trib…
So Paddock Publications, publisher of the Daily Herald, is using its mailing operation to send out Dan Proft’s fake newspaper political mailings. It strains belief when trusted media is more important than ever, Paddock’s pursuit for cash outweighs its journalistic responsibility https://t.co/80QhMqqo1c
Lurie Children’s Hospital has increased security and moved a transgender youth support group from in-person meetings to virtual ones after it became the latest children’s hospital to face criticism online over its gender development program.
An account called Libs of TikTok posted a number of tweets late last month criticizing Lurie’s program, which aims to support “the physical, mental and social health of patients and their families as youth progress through gender identity development,” according to Lurie’s website. Many of the program’s patients are gender-nonconforming children, gender-questioning youth and transgender and gender-fluid youth.
In recent months, Libs of TikTok has criticized a number of children’s hospitals across the country for their care of transgender youth. Hospitals criticized by the account have sometimes received threats.
Lurie spokeswoman Julianne Bardele said Lurie has not received any recent threats but is monitoring the situation. The youth group is now meeting virtually out of an abundance of caution in response to “all harassment including Libs of TikTok but not solely because of Libs of TikTok,” she said. […]
Previously, Libs of TikTok falsely accused Boston Children’s Hospital of performing gender-affirming hysterectomies on kids. A number of threats followed, including a hoax bomb threat against the hospital in late August. A Massachusetts woman was charged Thursday in connection with that threat, which led to a lockdown of the hospital and the use of a bomb squad, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Across Chicagoland, recent drag events advertised as family friendly have been targeted with threats of violence and vandalism, with one suburban library even canceling its Oct. 11 children’s drag queen bingo because of “numerous threats” and “aggressive emails.” The controversies have been sparked, in part, by social media campaigns from Awake Illinois, an organization rooted in the suburbs that was born from the anti-mask, anti-vaccine fervor of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been criticized for anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
Over the past weekend, both protesters and counterprotesters showed up in Lake in the Hills outside UpRising Bakery and Cafe to express opposition and support for drag programming, according to footage on social media and Lake in the Hills police. The bakery was vandalized in late July for a family-friendly “Starry Night Brunch Drag” show that had to be postponed because of the harassment. An Alsip man was later arrested for the vandalism. […]
Lincoln Park Zoo has also come under recent scrutiny for planning a drag story time slated for Oct. 2 as part of the Fall Fest programming, according to their social media posts.
In the latest controversy, groups are opposing drag story time and a drag show that will be held at Plainfield’s first Pride Fest in October, which Candi is helping organize.
* Awake Illinois targeted the Downers Grove Public Library’s drag queen bingo event, resulting in a cancellation due to threats Huff Post reported…
The library’s staff received aggressive emails and threats from conservative-leaning residents after announcing the drag queen event last month, the Chicago Tribune reported. One Facebook post urged people to “bring weapons” to the library, the Daily Herald reported, citing police reports. […]
The far-right organization Awake Illinois issued a “call of action” in response to the event. Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, who’s also the Republican congressional nominee in Illinois’ 6th District, helped spearhead criticism of the event, which he used as a campaign fundraiser on social media.
Pekau: I have not. And it is a drag show. And it has no place for seventh grade through 12th grade. And we can agree to disagree, but that’s where my position is.
Q: You have a position on something you’ve never seen before, right?
Pekau: I’m very familiar with what a drag show is. I think we all are. So certainly adults are, but you know what I wasn’t familiar with what it was when I was in seventh grade, or eighth grade or ninth grade or 10th grade or 11th grade or 12th grade. It’s something that I was exposed to as an adult. That’s not something that was brought to me as a child that’s something for my parents, and to parents of children that they have to deal with, not something that the public should be getting into.
* Libs of Tik Tok and Awake Illinois routinely target LGBTQ+ events, sex education in schools.
Two months after Lake in the Hills’ UpRising Bakery and Cafe first became the subject of protests and even vandalism, the harassment, protests and counterprotests have continued and the owner said she fears for both her business and herself.
A number of protesters, both against and in support of the bakery, again gathered outside the shop on Saturday to voice their opinions on upcoming drag shows the bakery has planned this month.
James Gustafson, who said he resides in Arizona but had lived in Lake in the Hills for 30 years, said he made his way to UpRising Bakery both Friday and Saturday because he doesn’t agree kids should be invited to such events. […]
When asked about parents’ rights to take their children to a drag event, Gustafson said a line has to be drawn. He equated it to child abuse. […]
Gustafson said he plans to be at the bakery every day for the foreseeable future: “I already rented a tent for the winter with a heater. This is my new home.”
* The headline has since been changed, but not the story…
A voter opinion survey done for Republican Darren Bailey’s campaign shows Gov. JB Pritzker with a lead. But it’s closer than the landslide, 16 percentage points, Democrat Pritzker won by four years ago. […]
A survey done Sept. 8-10 for the current Republican nominee found Pritzker at 44%, Bailey 37% and libertarian Scott Schluter 8%.
Some might question the results since, before asking 500 likely voters which candidate for governor they prefer, the poll asked:
“…would you rather vote for a strongly conservative Republican candidate that will take the fight to the rich elite and tackle the big issues like fixing our economy and fighting crime or would you vote for a billionaire Democratic candidate who will focus on fighting the cultural issues like abortion rights?”
A U.S. appeals court in Chicago on Friday ruled that federal court oversight of state hiring is “no longer warranted,” freeing Gov. J.B. Pritzker and future governors from scrutiny that has endured through eight administrations over a half-century.
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the U.S. District Court in Chicago to vacate the Shakman consent decree, an agreement that had its roots in the patronage hiring practices that have long plagued city, county and state government, as it applies to the governor’s office.
* Shakman asked the full appellate court to reconsider the ruling. That request was denied yesterday after not a single appellate judge sided with Shakman. From US 7th Circuit Court of Appeals…
Plaintiff-appellees filed a petition for rehearing and rehearing en banc on September 2, 2022. No judge in regular active service has requested a vote on the petition for rehearing en banc, and all members of the original panel have voted to deny panel rehearing. The petition for rehearing and rehearing en banc is therefore DENIED.
Darren Bailey, Republican candidate for governor, was asked what he would do if he were Illinois governor and busloads of migrants arrived here.
Bailey responded that he would ask “J.B. Pritzker to talk to Joe Biden and secure our border, because if we have secure borders we don’t have this problem.”
That reads almost like a comedy sketch. He’d ask his defeated predecessor to talk to the president?
To be fair, Bailey did eventually manage to get in a Hyatt zinger…
“They’re exhausted, bewildered by all they’re faced with,” Pritzker said, “having made multiple months journeys to come to the United States, being shipped all across the U.S.”
Bailey says, “as far as J.B. Pritzker is concerned, I’m suggesting that he put these people up in one of his Hyatt hotels.”
* Then again, he’s flip-flopped a lot since the primary…
"Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for governor of Illinois — who said in a June interview that he did not know if the 2020 election had been decided fairly — responded that “yes,” he would accept the 2022 result" https://t.co/XPwB4oQ0Qf
* The IEA endorsed the Republican candidate for secretary of state…
The Illinois Education Association (IEA) Board of Directors recommended five candidates for the state’s constitutional offices.
The IEA board is made up of 93 IEA members from throughout the state of Illinois and the board made its decision at its monthly meeting Saturday in Springfield.
The candidates who have been recommended are:
• Governor: JB Pritzker, Democrat
• Secretary of State: Dan Brady, Republican
• Attorney General: Kwame Raoul, Democrat
• Treasurer: Mike Frerichs, Democrat
• Comptroller: Susana Mendoza, Democrat
“The decision to recommend candidates is one made by IEA members,” said Kathi Griffin, IEA president. “We are an organization that is run by its members and our recommendation process is indicative of this. We have always been proud to be a bipartisan organization that makes its decisions based on what is best for public education in Illinois. We believe this slate of candidates reflects those beliefs.”
Within an hour of becoming governor, Pritzker said [in a speech today to the Laborers’ Union] he issued an order mandating the use of PLAs. Now, Illinois has 800 of them, “more PLAs than the other 49 states combined.”
PLAs indeed raise wages but also raise costs on taxpayers who end up footing the bill, responded Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Todd Maisch. PLAs also can require workers to pay dues that end up going for political causes they may not support and drive up pension costs, Maisch said. “PLAs are not good for taxpayers.” […]
“The average Illinois family pays more than $2,000 in taxes and fees today than when Pritzker took office,” [Darren Bailey] said in a statement that did not break down that figure, but referenced in part gasoline and other hikes passed as part of the governor’s $45 billion Rebuild Illinois infrastructure program. […]
Bailey notably did not attack PLAs. They mostly cover workers in the building trades unions, many of whom traditionally vote Republican.
* Bailey is now giving exclusive statements to Breitbart…
Following Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s call to send Illinois Republican candidate Darren Bailey “back to the farm,” the Republican nominee fired back, calling on the Democrat mayor to get off her “elitist high horse” and “remember who puts food on your plate.”
In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News on Sunday, state senator and Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey, who is a third-generation farmer, stated his intention to “restore” the Prairie State in light of the “mess” created by Democrat leaders.
“Mayor Lightfoot, I’ll go back to my farm after I clean up the mess you and [Gov.] J. B. Pritzker made and restore Illinois,” he said.
“In the meantime, get off your elitist high horse and remember who puts food on your plate,” he added.
* Catalina Lauf is one of the Latina candidates here…
Just hosted a fundraiser for SIX amazing Latina GOP congressional candidates. We raised over $500k tonight!
Sneed hears via a top source the likely site for the 2024 Democratic National Convention is becoming a battle between Chicago and New York.
And it’s looking more and more likely the event will come to Chicago, according to the Sneed source. […]
The Buckshot: The big problem overshadowing Chicago and New York: public safety and mayors who have been unable to tamp crime down!
“Crime may be increasing in New York; but Chicago’s crime has had the biggest national impact news-wise,” said the source with both feet in DNC doings in both cities. “It’s the proverbial fly in the ointment,” the source added.
Already, nearly 50,000 voters in DuPage–a one-time GOP stronghold that has turned purple–have registered to vote by mail every election, Kaczmarek said. That’s almost one in 10.
Meanwhile, a new round of election skepticism has hit the state board. According to Dietrich, callers and emailers “believe we are selling their (registration) information to Rock the Vote,” a left-leaning group that appeals to young people. The board has neither sold nor given any information to Rock the Vote, Dietrich says.
The Illinois State Fair has released estimated attendance totals for 2022. Over 636,700 visitors walked through the gates this year making it the highest attended fair since industry attendance calculation were put into effect, beating previous records also set under the Pritzker administration. Weekend attendance during the fair saw an increase of nearly 95,000 people over 2021.
The high attendance numbers are also reflected by the over $6.4 million in estimated revenue. While the 2022 estimated revenue figures appear to have fallen just short of the 2019 record of $6.5 million, it is important to point out that these are estimated figures. Percentage-based vendors have yet to begin their payment. It should also be noted two Illinois State Fair events generally held during the fair, the Illinois State Fair Rodeo and the Bettenhausen 100 will be held at later dates in 2022, adding to the overall revenue numbers.
“Once again, the Illinois State Fair was a resounding success,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to the leadership of Director Costello and Fair Manager Clark, thousands of Illinoisans and people throughout the nation descended upon Springfield for eleven days of exciting exhibits, delicious food, and community fun—all while honoring our state’s legacy of strong agricultural traditions. To every attendee: thank you for making the Illinois State Fair a part of your summer. Until next year!”
“The record attendance proves that the Illinois State Fair is more than an event, it’s also a reunion for residents from every region to gather and enjoy the businesses, exhibits, food and entertainment that make our state diverse and a great place to live,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Thank you to all those who put in the work to make the Illinois State Fair amazing, and a must-do experience every year.”
A grandstand revenue record was set in 2022, with over $2.3 million coming in for the nine shows. 2022 eclipses the previous record of over $2.2 million set in 2019. Overall, tickets sold this year for the Illinois Lottery Grandstand came in fourth out of the last five years with 48,104.
“We were blessed with 11 days of great weather, which meant large crowds and even larger smiles for our fairgoers,” said Illinois State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark. “While it is great to have these amazing numbers, it was even better seeing so many people enjoying the Illinois State Fair. We now get back to work planning for 2023 and we hope to see you all back again.”
The 2023 Illinois State Fair is set to run August 11-21.
* The Question: Who would you like to see the Illinois State Fair book at the Grandstand next year? Explain.
When Mexican immigrant Jesus Garza in 2021 became mayor of Arcola, a downstate Illinois city of just under 3,000 people, it caught the attention of more than just folks inside the heart of Illinois’ Amish country.
Garza’s triumph in the conservative community, which overwhelmingly voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020, was highlighted in an extensive Chicago Tribune profile last October.
Among those who read it was Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, a Chicagoan who herself is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, not to mention the first Latina elected to her current office.
“The last person we ever thought would be mayor of the city of Arcola would be a Mexican immigrant,” Mendoza said. “So it was such an endearing story, and I’m like, ‘I have to meet this guy.’”
When Garza mentioned that brighter street lights in downtown Arcola could help deter crime, Mendoza connected him with Ameren President Richard Mark, who had his crews install new streetlights.
When Garza mentioned that his small police department could use an additional squad car, Mendoza started looking for one.
“They only have a very small police force and they don’t have a lot of vehicles, they have four vehicles for the police department,” Mendoza said. “If they had an extra vehicle, that might help be able to bring another police officer onto the streets.”
Mendoza’s search led her to call [Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico] to see if he had any squad cars the town was decommissioning. He didn’t have just one; he had two.
“She only told me once, but I remembered,” Serpico said. “We’ve been friends for 20 years. She was kind enough to walk the precincts of Melrose Park with me during my first mayoral campaign and I’ve never forgotten her generosity. The people of Melrose Park are happy to help the people of Arcola.”
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza coordinated a donation, of a police car and city vehicle, from Melrose Park to Arcola.
“The town of Arcola is lucky to have such a hardworking and dedicated public servant in Mayor Garza,” Comptroller Mendoza explained. […]
Garza came from Mexico to the United States. He worked in a broom factory with his father, before an Arcola entrepreneur took a chance on him. The man sent Garza to college to learn business and how to open up his own auto mechanic shop.
Over the years, Garza became more involved in his community- first as a businessman, and then last year as mayor.
* Mendoza press release excerpt…
“How perfect that on Mexican Independence Day, we celebrate the first Mexican immigrant mayor of Arcola, not just because he’s Mexican but because he’s delivering great services, and he’s such a nice guy. Everyone loves him here,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “They didn’t elect him because he’s Mexican. We’re just proud – I am at least. I’m going to do everything I can, not just to help the mayor but to help all his constituents because they are my constituents. Whatever I can do to help people, whether it’s within the purview of my office or through the relationships I’ve built in 20 years of service, today, we get to see the fruits of those labors.”
Garza and Arcola’s police officers were very happy with the new squad cars, a 2009 white Ford Expedition SUV and a 2013 black Ford Taurus.
“We’re so happy to have these police cars,” Mayor Garza said. “The goal is to keep everybody safe, make sure there’s no vandalism. We work together on that. Getting these lights, these cars, are all helping with that.”
Sterigenics, its parent company and a corporate predecessor should pay $363 million in damages for exposing a Willowbrook woman and thousands of others to cancer-causing ethylene oxide pollution, a Cook County jury decided Monday.
After a five-week trial and a day of deliberations, the jury decided breast-cancer survivor Sue Kamuda should get $38 million from the companies. Jurors imposed another $325 million in punitive damages as punishment for decades of toxic air pollution that drifted into neighborhoods near a former Willowbrook sterilization facility.
Sterigenics should pay $220 million, parent company Sotera Health $100 million and Griffith Foods $5 million, the jury decided. […]
Sterigenics closed the plant in 2019 under pressure from community groups, local officials, state lawmakers, members of Congress and Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who at one point that year banned the company from using ethylene oxide.
The company also neglected to install safeguards in the Willowbrook facility that could have captured the harmful gases, [plaintiff’s attorney Patrick Salvi II] said. He said the company had those safeguard controls in other facilities across the country but not in Willowbrook.
“If they wanted to protect the community, they would’ve acted on those warnings,” Salvi said. “They would’ve had those controls in place.”
Salvi shared documents dating to the 1980s that showed the defendant companies knew about the harms of ethylene oxide and their alleged attempts to hide those affects from regulators including the Illinois EPA.
He claimed Sterigenics released gas at levels thousands of times above the limits government scientists agreed were safe.
The plaintiffs and their attorneys said Sterigenics is trying to escape having to pay those alleged financial burdens.
They claim the company has funneled $1.3 billion to investors over the last three years. They say they then borrowed cash from banks using the company as collateral, which means if the plaintiffs win in court they would have to get in line behind the banks to get paid.
…Adding… Press release…
Below please find a statement from Sterigenics in response to the jury verdict in the Kamuda trial. This can be attributed to the company or a spokesperson for the company.
“We do not believe the jury verdict in this matter reflects the evidence presented in court. Sterigenics is evaluating the verdict and plans to challenge this decision through all appropriate process, including appeals. We will continue to vigorously defend against allegations about our ethylene oxide operations and emissions. We remain committed to our mission of Safeguarding Global Health. As we have consistently done throughout our history, we will continue to operate in compliance with applicable rules and regulations to ensure the safety of our employees, the communities in which we operate and patients around the world.”
…Adding… Sen. Curran…
Today a Cook County jury awarded a $363 million judgement to the first plaintiff who went to trial seeking damages from Sterigenics, its parent company, and corporate predecessor, for knowingly emitting lethal levels of ethylene oxide into the air near her home. In the ruling, jurors found that Sterigenics is responsible for the breast cancer developed by plaintiff Susan Kamuda, and the non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma developed by her child. In response to the large verdict, State Senator John Curran (R-Downers Grove) issued the following statement:
“This is just the first of 762 cases that are currently pending against Sterigenics, and the size of this verdict validates the belief that the cancer cluster in the Willowbrook area is a direct result of toxins released into the atmosphere by Sterigenics. What we suspected all along, and what has now been found by a jury, is that Sterigenics was a bad actor that turned a blind eye to the fact that they were slowly poisoning the residents who lived in the vicinity of their facility.
“This is an astounding verdict that puts facilities that deal with potentially harmful chemicals on notice. Environmental protections must be sufficient to protect nearby property owners, and regular testing and responses to testing data must be prioritized. While no amount of money can truly compensate the victims who have suffered greatly, I applaud and thank Ms. Kamuda for the courage she displays in fighting to hold Sterigenics accountable for their reckless conduct.”
* Now-deleted Facebook photo of 48th House District Republican candidate Jennifer Sanalitro on January 6, 2021…
From Sanalitro…
I visited Washington for the first time and did not participate in any violence at the Capitol. I only learned about the horrific acts that transpired later, on my way back to my hotel. I do not and will never condone violence for any reason. Any person who rioted that day deserves to be punished by the fullest extent of the law.
Nuestro PAC — a national political action committee focusing on Latino voters — is urging Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., to jump into the Chicago mayoral race, commissioning a poll showing Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Garcia tied as the standouts in a big field and Lightfoot saddled with a high disapproval rating. […]
The polling firm Bendixen & Amandi talked to 400 likely voters on cell or land telephones between Sept. 1 and 5. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9%. I’m writing about this poll because I was given the entire survey, not just a summary or a press release. […]
Favorability: Garcia, scores 56% as very or somewhat favorable to 49% for Wilson; 47% for Lightfoot; 46% for Quinn; 38% for Vallas. Everyone else is under 26%.
Unfavorability: Looking at the somewhat to very unfavorable front where a smaller number is better - Lightfoot, 47%; Wilson, 29%; Quinn, 28%; Garcia, 20%; Vallas, 17%.
What the report doesn’t say: What the head-to-head numbers are between Lightfoot and Garcia. Not revealing those numbers has some wondering if Lightfoot has the edge in the race.
Breaking it down: The poll shows Lightfoot getting 25 percent to Garcia’s 24 percent. Businessman Willie Wilson: 13 percent. Former Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas: 9 percent. And former Gov. Pat Quinn, who hasn’t officially jumped in the race, getting 6 percent.
The poll results show “the steep uphill battle” for the many candidates already in the mayor’s race with 67 percent of those surveyed saying they might change their minds, according to Sweet.
Interesting takeaway: The poll shows Lightfoot is winning with whites and Blacks and is second for the Latino vote.
[Note from Rich: Sweet said she was given the entire poll, so nothing was apparently withheld. Still, releasing a poll showing Garcia trailing Lightfoot, even within the MoE, with the hopes that it will push Garcia into the race without testing those one-on-one numbers is a bit odd.]
* “Clearing the air amid confusion about the Illinois Safe-T Act,” read the CBS2 headline, so I clicked it. And then I laughed out loud because it was another “both sides” piece featuring Tom DeVore.
Still, there was some useful information in the piece. And, frankly, it was infinitely better than the stuff that’s been published and broadcast for the past several months, which have allowed critics of the law to go unchallenged.
* But, man, some of these stories are really long. The Tribune’s piece, albeit well-written, is 2,500 words. It’s tough to combat a simple meme with a novella, but it is what it is…
[House Republican Leader Jim Durkin] warned at the Zoom-based news conference that “for the first time, a defendant will be able to compel a victim to appear at a detention hearing,” a proceeding that will replace a traditional bond hearing.
“I have no idea what, other than intimidation … that would be able to accomplish but to drag a victim, a woman who has been beaten close to death or a child who has been sexually assaulted … (into being) compelled through the defendant to appear at a detention hearing,” Durkin said.
After Durkin’s news conference, the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation alleged over Twitter that the Republicans used “gender-based violence victims to make false and repeated claims” about the law. CAASE cited an excerpt of the statute to argue that the Pretrial Fairness Act actually makes it more difficult for defense attorneys to call victims to the witness stand in court.
According to the statute, the defense “shall petition the court for permission” to call a “complaining witness,” or victim, in its favor. The defense’s request to compel a victim to testify would be granted only if the judge finds “by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant will be materially prejudiced” without the victim’s testimony.
The law also is supposed to make it easier for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking to file protective orders against suspects.
A nonpartisan task force formed under the Supreme Court, meanwhile, is working to assist with implementation in the justice system ahead of Jan. 1 and has identified unclear or contradictory sections of the bill that lawmakers should reconsider before Jan. 1.
“It is frustrating because many aspects of the statute are not clear,” retired Judge Robbin Stuckert, who chairs the Pretrial Implementation Task Force, said at a July town hall meeting. “They may be vague, gray areas. And again, we are charged by the Supreme Court to assist with implementation.”
The law’s sponsors in the General Assembly said they are working with the task force on legislation clarifying some of those matters – particularly when it comes to detainable offenses – for potential passage this fall. […]
Another problem, the task force and others have noted, is that the statute does not address what happens to those already held in lieu of bail when the calendar hits Jan. 1.
“There is nothing in the law that requires those suspected of crimes be let out of prison when it goes into effect,” Pritzker’s spokesperson, Jordan Abudayyeh, said in a statement, suggesting that jurisdictions begin considering what happens to those individuals and scheduling hearings.
Stuckert, however, said the law’s silence on the matter leaves it to interpretation in court.
“Every meeting that I go to… the first thing they say to me, ‘What happens January 1?’ and I say, ‘I don’t know,’” she said.
The General Assembly and proponents should’ve fixed this stuff in the spring session rather than wait until just weeks before implementation day to do something about it.
Four distinct attacks have been launched against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Democratic legislators in the past couple of weeks.
“The Scream:” If you watch Chicago TV, you likely saw a striking TV ad called “The Scream.” The ad featured surveillance camera video of a white woman being mugged in broad daylight by three men in hoodies while she screams. It’s a jarring spot, to say the least. The ad was paid for by Dan Proft’s People Who Play by the Rules PAC, which is backing Darren Bailey for governor.
The ad stirred plenty of controversy, and an attorney for the victim eventually objected to her attack being used in a campaign ad. She’s trying to heal, lawyer Tom Leinenweber told me, “and the Scream ad isn’t helping.” Most Chicago stations had pulled down the ad by week’s end after viewers complained, but the damage was done.
Trespassing: Republicans have claimed the SAFE-T Act has essentially decriminalized trespassing. Bailey said on Facebook police officers could only “write a warning … They cannot forcefully remove these people.” Congressional candidate and Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau went massively viral on TikTok and Twitter with a claim that, “Someone could decide to live in your shed, and all we could do is give them a ticket.” Grundy County Sheriff Ken Briley recently told ABC7 that come Jan. 1, his deputies won’t be able to arrest anyone for trespassing.
SAFE-T Act proponents have called this argument a “lie.” And the Illinois Supreme Court’s Implementation Task Force decreed of the new statute: “Law enforcement do have discretion to remove the person from the location of the alleged criminal activity, and then cite and release the person from another location.”
The meme and the “newspapers:” An internet meme about the SAFE-T Act has been widely shared across all social media platforms. The graphic was produced by WFCN News, which, despite the use of authentic-looking call letters, is not a broadcast station but a website with a distinct attitude. It’s also been used by publications designed to look like newspapers that have been linked to Proft.
The meme and the Proft papers list several “non-detainable offenses beginning Jan. 1, 2023,” including second-degree murder, kidnapping, threatening a public official, drug-induced homicide, burglary etc.
SAFE-T Act proponents and the governor have repeatedly said the law’s abolishment of cash bail would mainly benefit non-violent offenders. While they are not actually “non-detainable,” those crimes would indeed qualify an accused person for release, as long as the person isn’t a flight risk, or if the accused is on release for another alleged crime or is on probation or parole.
Second-degree murder was added to the list because in the year prior to the SAFE-T Act’s passage, nobody was initially charged with the crime in Cook County. It’s almost always used as a fallback position for plea deals.
And burglary, according to a proponent of the new law, “is most often a charge used on the homeless who are sheltering in abandoned buildings,” and those folks end up languishing in jail because they cannot make bail.
Some state’s attorneys and sheriffs also claim they will have no choice but to release people from their jails when the law takes effect Jan. 1, but SAFE-T Act proponents say local authorities can make a case to a judge that it would be unsafe to release the accused.
Migrants: As with previous influxes of asylum seekers, the state, Chicago and Cook County are using hotels for temporary housing, including in the suburbs. Fox News has fearmongered about the migrants for months, and some worry they’re bringing guns and fentanyl with them. Two suburban mayors have complained that hotels in their towns are being used to house the migrants, and local TV news eagerly lapped up the story. One of those mayors, Craig Johnson of Elk Grove Village, demanded to know whether the migrants had been searched for guns, according to the governor’s office.
Individual Democrats and activists have tried to push back on all of this, but they’re swimming up Niagara Falls.
The governor didn’t help matters by admitting last week the SAFE-T Act may need to be tweaked and then wouldn’t say what he wanted changed.
The Democrats say crime isn’t moving any needles in their campaigns. But the Pritzker campaign finally launched a new TV ad on Sept. 16 that attacks Bailey’s legislative voting record on crime. It’s a start.
We’ll have more on the SAFE-T Act aspect in a bit.
* I seriously doubt there was some sort of conspiracy…
Dem Pritzker administration cuts multimillion-dollar land deal with GOP rival Bailey’s mom, dad and sister—a political oddity one ex-official says he’s “never heard of” https://t.co/ZJhnybV30xpic.twitter.com/TdPUlajApg
Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey regularly rails against government spending while accusing Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker of trying to solve the state’s problems merely by tossing money into “the four winds.” […]
But absent from Bailey’s criticism is recognition that his father, mother and sister have benefited from two transactions over the last two decades worth more than $8 million in federal and state funds tied to a sprawling spread of property the trio owned in southern Illinois, including $4.32 million from, oddly enough, the Pritzker administration, according to records obtained by the Tribune.
In the little-noticed transaction in 2021, Pritzker’s Department of Natural Resources bought from the Baileys more than 2,290 acres of mostly wetland about 100 miles south of Urbana-Champaign. The land is slated to become a public recreation and hunting area, according to state officials and financial records.
Beyond the proceeds for selling the land, Bailey’s relatives also collected sizable federal government payments tied to most of that same property. They entered a contract to receive $3.74 million through a 2005 federal wetlands easement that required them to preserve the land as a natural habitat, according to local, state and federal records.
Democratic Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow filed a lawsuit Friday against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other top state Democrats alleging that they violated the state’s constitution when they pushed through sweeping criminal justice reforms last year. […]
Glasgow has been accused of spreading misinformation about the SAFE-T Act, particularly by claiming that murder suspects currently in custody will automatically be released when the no-cash bail policy goes into effect.
“Sadly, I have received veiled threats over my opposition to this legislation, but I must put the safety of my constituents first,” Glasgow said in his statement Friday. “On this issue, I’ll grab a line from (the late rock star) Tom Petty — ‘You can stand me up at the gates of Hell, and I won’t back down.’” […]
Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh on Friday called the lawsuit a “weak attempt” to protect an outdated system that lets murder suspects and others accused of violence pay their way out of jail.
“The legislation violates Article 1, Section 9 of the Illinois Constitution which provides that ‘all persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties ….” and Article 1, Section 8.1 which provides ‘the right to have the safety of the victim and the victim’s family considered in denying or fixing the amount of bail,” the State’s Attorney’s lawsuit declared.
Furthermore, Glasgow noted:
The legislation violates Article II, Section 1 of the Illinois Constitution, the separation of powers clause, which prohibits one branch of government from exercising “powers properly belonging to another.”
The legislation violates Article IV, Section 8(d) of the Illinois Constitution which provides that “[a] bill shall be read by title on three different days in each house .…”
People Who Play By The Rules PAC has launched a new ad, “Parental Notification.” It is available on YouTube, the PBR PAC Facebook Page and will run on statewide media this week.
Bello: My name is Dr. Brook Bello, and I’m not a political figure, I’m a survivor. When I was a young girl I was trafficked, drugged and raped. The traffickers forced me to have multiple abortions. Last year I begged Governor Pritzker to preserve the right of parents to know if their daughters were about to undergo an abortion. Governor Pritzker didn’t listen to me, but I hope that you will.
PROTECT GIRLS. REPEAL PRITZKER.
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About Brook Bello:
Dr. Brook Parker-Bello is an author, actress, ordained minister, and survivor champion against human trafficking. She is the author of several successful books and educational curriculums aimed at the prevention of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence.
She was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama at the White House, the Advocate of the Year Award from Florida’s Attorney General Pam Bondi and Governor Rick Scott, named by United Way Worldwide as a Hero for her work, and most recently was named by Google as a Google Next-Gen Policy Leader 2017-2020.
For More on Brook Bello, visit: https://www.heroeffect.com/heroes/brook-bello/.
Brook Bello explains her opposition to Pritzker’s repeal of the parental notification law last year (May 2021): https://vimeo.com/535026088
