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Bears float new tax subsidy for suburban stadium

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Greg Hinz…

The Chicago Bears are floating in Springfield the possibility of creating new form of tax subsidy for their pending redevelopment of Arlington Park, one which would give them financial help but not penalize local school districts as harshly as conventional tax increment financing district.

Under the plan, which has not yet been submitted in writing but has been raised with key legislative players, the Bears would be able to utilize something known as payment in lieu of taxes, or PILT.

PILT originally was developed by the federal government as a means to compensate local units of government for the loss of property taxes due to the existence of tax-exempt federally-owned property within their borders. The concept since has spread to payments for state-owned property in some parts of the country and to some private developments, such as solar-energy generation, that are not feasible with normal property taxes.

The Bears’ pitch is in the preliminary stage and is receiving a mixed reception from Springfield officials. But because PILT payments can be negotiated rather than being set at a predetermined rate, and because they can be shared with schools rather than stay with municipalities, they offer more flexibility than a conventional TIF district.

There’s more.

Discuss.

  44 Comments      


Labor news

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The Washington Post…

Companies that illegally fire or demote unionizing workers can now be held responsible for workers’ financial demise — including credit card late fees, lost housing or cars and health-care costs — in a move that could help some workers who have been fired from Starbucks and Amazon, labor activists say.

In a big win for labor unions, the National Labor Relations Board ruled on Tuesday to expand the fees and penalties the agency can collect from employers that illegally terminate workers for labor activism, both union and nonunion, in a move long sought after by the labor movement.

“Employees are not made whole until they are fully compensated for financial harms that they suffered as a result of unlawful conduct,” said labor board chair Lauren McFerran in a statement.

For decades, employers that fired workers for their involvement in labor organizing — a legally protected activity — have only had to pay for the employee’s reinstatement and lost wages. But labor advocates say that has amounted to little more than a slap on the wrist, especially for major employers with deep pockets such as Amazon and Starbucks.

* Daily Herald…

Employees at the Starbucks coffee shop at 2760 Willow Road in Glenview on Dec. 6 voted 18-0 in favor of forming a union.

“It was honestly my pipe dream of a best-case scenario, so our entire organizing committee is incredibly proud and excited, beyond words,” said [Melissa] Lee-Litowitz, who heads the organizing committee for Starbucks Store No. 247 with fellow shift supervisor Tianna Lavalle.

Full- and part-time baristas, and shift supervisors were allowed to vote, according to the National Labor Relations Board. The Willow and Pfingsten Starbucks has 22 eligible employees, but not all were present to vote in either the morning or afternoon voting slots on Dec. 6. […]

It’s been a busy year for employees seeking to organize as entities of Starbucks Workers United within the Service Employees International Union.

* Interesting insight from the New York Times…

In 2021, as in 2007, Mr. Schultz was no longer chief executive when the company took a turn that clashed with his idea of what Starbucks should be: Its workers began to unionize. Between last December and April, when Mr. Schultz abruptly replaced Kevin Johnson as chief executive, workers at dozens of company-owned stores filed paperwork for union elections.

Mr. Schultz, 69, appears intent on defusing interest in a union before he leaves the company next spring for the third — and, dare one say, final — time. He has thrown himself into providing new benefits and wage increases, but withheld them from employees in the union, which represents about 2 percent of the company’s U.S. work force of more than 250,000. When asked in an interview in June if he could ever imagine embracing the union, Mr. Schultz responded with a single immovable word: No.

He has alluded to a downside for customers, and some labor experts argue that a union could seek to limit the number of syrups, powders and foams that can be added to drinks, as a way to ease the burden on baristas. Such “modifiers” brought in about $1 billion during the last fiscal year and have helped drive record revenues.

But friends and longtime colleagues say Mr. Schultz’s opposition to the union isn’t primarily about the bottom line. It’s emotional. A union clashes with his image of Starbucks as a model employer. “It’s a sore for him, I guarantee you,” said Willard Hay, a former senior vice president at the company. (Mr. Schultz declined to comment for this article.)

The stakes extend far beyond Starbucks. The union campaign has helped give rise to labor organizing at a variety of other companies, including Apple, Trader Joe’s and REI. If the union manages to wring significant concessions from Starbucks, it could accelerate organizing elsewhere and help change the relationship between management and labor across the country.

* School of the Art Institute adjunct professors and lecturers have joined the union wave, the Sun-Times reports…

Adjunct professors and lecturers at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago have voted overwhelmingly to unionize with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

The non-tenure-track faculty at the school will join the union’s Council 31, which has had a string of organizing wins here. It already represents staff at the Art Institute itself and its school.

The faculty’s mailed-in ballots were counted Tuesday in the Chicago offices of the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that supervises union votes. AFSCME said the result was 377-33 to unionize.

AFSCME said more than 600 faculty members will join the other unionized workers at the museum and the school. They call themselves Art Institute of Chicago Workers United.

A faculty committee issued a statement hailing the vote, calling it “an AICWU three-peat that sends a crystal-clear message to our president, provost and board: We know our worth, we know how critical our labor is to our institution, and we know it’s time to put it in writing.”

* The Register-Mail…

Members and supporters of local chapters of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers union (SMART) gathered in the rain Tuesday afternoon for a rally in Galesburg’s central park.

The group of about 30 people included many rail workers who assembled to raise awareness and show support for several quality-of-life measures that have been left out of their new labor agreement with BNSF, particularly paid sick leave and a change to the company’s attendance policy. […]

According to the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, the new agreement will include a “24 percent wage increase, maintain platinum-level health care, add an additional day of paid time off, and address several craft-specific issues, including issues relating to quality of life.”

But for many at the rally on Tuesday, the new agreement lacks critical measures and the 24 percent wage increase only meets the rising cost of living.

* More…

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Addendum to today’s edition

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Afternoon news roundup

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* First, an explainer…

Illinois eliminated parole (except for those people who were sentenced long enough ago that parole was a possibility when they were sentenced) and replaced it with supervised release, a different system entirely. […]

Illinois statute requires a program known as mandatory supervised release. […]

Under a supervised release system, the person serves his or her sentence in prison, and after it is served there is an additional term of supervised release on top of that sentence. The supervised release term is usually two or three years.

Despite what Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown claimed yesterday and pretty much all Chicago news media repeated, Samuel Parsons-Salas wasn’t released early on parole in September. Parsons-Salas did his time and the state wasn’t allowed to hold him any longer.

Parsons-Salas is currently charged with the brutal murder of three people and with kidnapping. The video is here, but I cannot recommend watching it. The shooter fired off 13 rounds in quick succession. Within half a minute, three people were killed and another was shot in the head.

* Senate President Harmon told me he believes candidates are already required to list their sponsoring entities on their “paid for” messaging. The Board of Elections disagrees, so legislation is likely needed…


* Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) told WJPF that he’s heading to Taiwan today with a trade delegation. That Cairo port is still in the works, but it’s apparently generating some real buzz overseas.

* Crypto bro fallout bites another candidate. Rep. Buckner press release…

U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García isn’t the only candidate in the race for Mayor who welcomed support from corrupt crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried.

Lori Lightfoot literally cut the ribbon this past spring to launch Bankman-Fried’s FTX crypto exchange headquarters in Chicago. Bankman-Fried was arrested earlier this week and charged with allegedly defrauding his FTX customers out of billions of dollars to prop up his other ventures.

“Mayor Lightfoot owes this entire city an explanation about her relationship with Bankman-Fried,” said Kam Buckner, candidate for mayor. “It’s been four years since Mayor Lightfoot campaigned on a false promise to ‘bring in the light’ – maybe she can start by explaining her connection to Bankman-Fried and his involvement in the city’s guaranteed basic income program.”

Standing in the FTX office during the ribbon cutting, Lightfoot was quoted as saying, “this is a mechanism and a tool to bring traditionally underrepresented and ignored populations into the world of crypto so they can take ownership and control of their financial destiny.”

“In addition to collaborating with a highly corrupt individual whose firm is under investigation by the SEC, this shows that Mayor Lightfoot is highly out of touch with Chicago’s underrepresented communities and what we actually need to thrive,” said Buckner, who in his role as state representative successfully helped pass legislation to help close the racial wealth gap.

In addition to his collaborating with the Mayor, Bankman-Fried contributed to a PAC that spent nearly $200,000 on political mailers for García – a member of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee – during his unopposed congressional campaign, ultimately doing García the favor of “introducing” him to his new voters after his district boundaries changed during the remap and before he launched his mayoral campaign.

Just yesterday the Lightfoot campaign released a statement asking García what “Bankman-Fried’s motives were…and what did García promise in return…” The statement also said, “Voters deserve to know the facts when making important decisions about who they can trust. Unfortunately it seems that Chuy García will bring back the old way of doing Chicago-style politics – and we can’t afford that in City Hall.”

“The Mayor’s own campaign statement can be turned back onto Lightfoot,” Buckner said. “Surely she isn’t afraid to answer the very questions she’s asking of García.”

U.S. Prosecutors had Bankman-Fried arrested on Monday, the day before he was slated to testify before García’s House Committee, and allegedly charged him with wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy and money laundering, according to The New York Times.

But even before these new criminal charges and despite multiple media reports, Garcia has long been silent on the issue, ignoring public concern that this clear conflict of interest can influence the decisions he makes in Congress.

* Isabel’s roundup…

    * New York Times | New Suit Uses Data to Back Racial Bias Claims Against State Farm: The suit, which is seeking class-action status, also focuses on how State Farm’s fraud detection methods discriminate against Black customers when paying out those claims. Filed in Illinois federal court on Wednesday, it includes Ms. Huskey and hundreds of other as yet unnamed plaintiffs, and represents the insurer’s Black customers in six Midwestern states. All the plaintiffs had a harder time getting homeowners’ insurance claims paid out compared with white customers, according to the lawsuit, which may seek hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

    * Press Release | Gov. Pritzker Celebrates Historic Completion of Jane Byrne Interchange in Chicago: Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) joined local officials and community leaders today to celebrate the completion of the Jane Byrne Interchange reconstruction, a multiyear effort to modernize a key gateway into downtown Chicago and a critical transportation hub for the region and entire Midwest. One of the biggest projects in state history, the new-and-improved Jane Byrne Interchange eliminates a notorious national bottleneck and improves safety, efficiency, and mobility across multiple modes of transportation while better connecting people and jobs throughout the Chicago area.

    * Tribune | United to add 2,600 jobs in Chicago as part of plan to replace its aging fleet : The Boeing order alone will create 2,600 new jobs next year in the Chicago area, as United staffs up to handle the increased capacity the refreshed fleet will enable, the airline said.

    * CBS | Fed hikes interest rates for seventh time this year: The Fed’s rate-setting committee hiked its benchmark rate by 0.5 percentage point on Wednesday, lifting its target rate into a range between 4.25% and 4.5% — the highest level in 15 years. The federal funds rate affects the cost of borrowing for consumers and businesses throughout the economy. The half-percentage-point increase marks a step-down from a string of bigger interest rate hikes this summer, when the Fed made four consecutive 0.75% jumps in an effort to curb the most ferocious bout of inflation in four decades.

    * WGLT | Bill Hauter focuses on constituent services given the Illinois GOP superminority: An incoming freshman lawmaker says it will be hard to pass or hold up legislation in Springfield, given his party’s disappointing election results. Republican Bill Hauter of Morton said he plans to focus on constituent services. “What I can do and what I have been doing as an emergency physician is I’ve been helping people,” Hauter said. “What you can do in the super minority is you can be a voice for your district and you can also help people. You can help constituents.”

    * NPR Illinois | Republicans are making plans for Rep. Butler’s replacement: Republican county chairs from that district are seeking applications to serve until the new general assembly is sworn in next month. That would include being installed for what is often called the “lame duck” legislature the first week of January. Butler was elected in November in the newly drawn 95th House District, which includes parts of Sangamon, Macon and Christian counties. Chairs from those counties will select someone to fill the new year term starting January 11.

    * NBC Chicago | 10 New Illinois Laws Taking Effect in 2023: Passed in May, the Student Confidential Reporting Act, establishes a program where officials from schools, the state and Illinois State Police can receive reports and other information regarding the potential harm or self-harm of students or school employees. The Safe2Help helpline will involve a toll-free telephone number and other means of communication allowing messages and information to be given to operators.

    * Pluribus | Marijuana delivery gains traction as legalization spreads: “I think that as long as it is regulated, as long as we make sure that the person who is ordering it gets it, and that they’re legally allowed to, then it would seem to me like the same as somebody coming into a store,” Pritzker said at an event to celebrate the opening of his state’s first “social equity” marijuana dispensary. Recreational marijuana is now legal in 21 states, two territories and the District of Columbia. Thirty-seven states, three territories and D.C. allow medical use. An estimated 23 states allow the delivery of recreational marijuana or medical marijuana or both, according to tracking by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

    * Tribune | Aurora nominating petition challenge hearing continued to next week: A challenge to the nominating petitions of Aurora Ald. Patty Smith was continued Tuesday to next week. Members of the Municipal Officers Electoral Board are expected to make a decision then on whether the complaints about the petitions are enough to keep Smith off the ballot for the April 4, 2023, municipal election.

    * Illinois Newsroom | Students say Champaign schools fail to provide menstrual products: Loreal Allen was not surprised when she went into a bathroom at Central High School in Champaign in late November. Everything was as expected. She found soap, paper towels and a white dispenser that was supposed to contain menstrual products. As usual, she said, it was empty.

    * Crain’s | Illinois board approves sale of downstate hospitals: The Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board approved Quorum Health’s sale of four southern Illinois hospitals to Deaconess Health System. Evansville, Indiana-based Deaconess, a nonprofit 12-hospital system with facilities in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky, plans to acquire Crossroads Community Hospital in Mt. Vernon, Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, Union County Hospital in Anna and Red Bud Regional Hospital.

    * Crain’s | Red Line extension TIF earns full City Council approval: The City Council on Wednesday approved the creation of a new tax-increment financing district to create $950 million over three decades to help pay for the $3.6 billion extension of the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line from 95th Street south to 130th Street.

    * Press Release | Department of Human Services Launches Campaign to Help Those with Gambling Problems : The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) launched “Are You Really Winning?” - a campaign to build awareness of problem gambling and to promote helpline services for people experiencing gambling problems. According to research by Health Resources in Action (HRiA), four percent, or nearly 400,000, of Illinois residents have a gambling disorder, and another seven percent, or 700,000, are at risk of developing a gambling disorder.

    * Illinois Answers Project | Cook County Office Looks to Shed Anti-Patronage Monitor as Watchdog Raises Alarm: Since it was first brought by attorney and onetime political candidate Michael Shakman in 1969, the lawsuit Shakman v. Cook County Democratic Organization has spurred wave after wave of federal interventions designed to prevent public officials at the city, county and state level from doling out government jobs as rewards to political allies. Shakman, now 80, still oversees the litigation.

    * The American Prospect | The Easiest Criminal Indictment Ever : But embarrassingly bad criminals can help speed things along. As current FTX CEO John Ray, a restructuring specialist installed to manage the crypto exchange’s bankruptcy, told a House committee on Tuesday, crimes at Enron, another famously bankrupt company he stepped in to manage, “were highly orchestrated financial machinations by highly sophisticated people to keep transactions off balance sheets.” Enron declared bankruptcy in December 2001, but its former CEO Jeff Skilling wasn’t convicted of conspiracy, securities fraud, and other charges until May 2006. The group home in the Bahamas housing FTX executives, by contrast, “isn’t sophisticated whatsoever, this is just plain old embezzlement,” Ray said.

    * FOX 32 | Mother sues Flossmoor school after daughter was allegedly sexually assaulted in class: The alleged attack came months after hundreds of students staged a walkout at the same school over more allegations of sexual assault and harassment.

    * Tribune | No charges against students involved in apparent ‘wrestling incident’ at York Community High School: Parents of a special needs student seen pushed to the ground in a video posted on social media have declined a formal police investigation, Elmhurst police announced Tuesday. The Dec. 8 incident in a York Community High School restroom involved five students, including a boy with special needs. Police determined the students engaged in “willful physical contact,” while other students watched. The boy with special needs is on the wrestling team, and two of the boys involved are his teammates, police said.

    * Tribune | HIV/AIDS advocate and her family work to promote testing and fight stigma. ‘I feel like I’m not just existing, that I’m living.’: Four years later, the power of going public was on full display Saturday when friends, family and people hoping to learn more gathered at Lawndale’s Jesus Word Center to talk about how the deeply stigmatized disease has touched their lives. Openly sharing about the disease has changed their lives, those gathered said.

    * CBS Chicago | Biden signs Respect for Marriage Act, recognizing marriage equality in federal law: Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic and Republican lawmakers and more than 5,000 guests marked the occasion on a frigid White House South Lawn. The signing comes a decade after Mr. Biden as vice president put former President Barack Obama in an awkward position by getting ahead of the then-president and endorsing same-sex marriage on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

    * The Center Square | Black carp spreading through the Midwest threatens Illinois waterways: Illinois waterways are being invaded by another invasive species that could threaten the ecosystem. Black carp, which are native to east Asia, were first imported into the U.S. to control snails in fish farms where fish are bred. How they escaped is unknown.

    * Illinois News Bureau | Book examines tallgrass prairies’ ecological history, effects on Indigenous cultures: History professor Robert Morrissey wrote the first comprehensive environmental history of the tallgrass prairies and how they shaped tribal cultures in his recently published book, “People of the Ecotone.” The book also examines how those transformations contributed to the Fox Wars

    * Crain’s | Walgreens bets its future on an unprecedented reinvention: Walgreens Boots Alliance is betting its future on an unprecedented effort to reinvent itself as a health care company, a venture of immense scale and complexity. There’s no playbook for what the Deerfield-based company hopes to achieve. Never before has a retail pharmacy chain transformed into a full-fledged provider of medical care. Walgreens’ ambitions threaten to disrupt long-standing U.S. health care delivery structures, a status quo guarded by powerful entrenched interests.

  11 Comments      


Pritzker says federal government should “step up” and stave off mass transit’s upcoming “fiscal cliff”

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* As we’ve already discussed, the RTA put federal into its operating base and now faces a “fiscal cliff” of $730 million a year in 2026 when the money dries up. That’s about 20 percent of the RTA’s operating base. The governor was asked about this today. His response…

Well, let’s back up and recognize that there have been a significant investments by the federal government during this period of COVID-19 that have been designed to assist RTA and CTA through this very difficult time. So our expectation is that many of those dollars will be extraordinarily helpful.

We also have increased because the sales tax dollars that have been coming into the state, we increasec the sales tax base when I became governor, and they are receiving $100 million more per year than they have ever before.

And so the combination of those increased dollars should be helpful in helping to deal with this fiscal cliff, as it’s been called. But I also think the federal government is going to look at, this is happening all over the country. And so I do think the federal government needs to step up and look at how we can get past this in a combined effort.

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Another move to beef up the state’s EV incentive programs

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Stellantis North America COO Mark Stewart talked earlier this week about the company’s plans for its Jeep facility in Belvidere, which is scheduled to be idled in February. The company, he said, is “continuing to look at what we can do to repurpose that facility — but it’s idle, not closed.”

And now all of a sudden, a new electric vehicle bill is being floated. Here’s Greg Hinz…

And this time, other types of businesses would be in line for more help, too, including firms in the clean energy business and those seeking Economic Development for a Growing Economy, or EDGE, payroll tax credits.

Under the measure, expected to be put to a vote in the General Assembly’s January lame-duck session, Gov. J.B. Pritzker would get the huge “deal-closing fund” that other governors have. Insiders say the lack of such a fund recently cost the state a battery plant which, instead, was won by Michigan. […]

Beyond that, according to a fact sheet and a draft bill shared with legislative leaders, those seeking EDGE grants would no longer have to meet a “but for” requirement showing that they would not have created jobs here without assistance.

Illinois Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Maisch told Hinz that other states have used the “but for” provision against Illinois. “They say if you come here, we can guarantee you these benefits” without attaching any strings.

* From the governor’s office…

The administration has worked closely with the business community to support legislation aimed at expanding economic development throughout the state. A closing fund would make Illinois more competitive in efforts to recruit new business investments in Illinois and would allow us to compete with our neighbors in the Midwest that have closing funds available.

Updating the language used in the EDGE program is a longstanding ask from the business community and this administration is committed to working with stakeholders to reduce red tape and attract even more jobs to the state. The Governor looks forward to discussing these priorities with the General Assembly and moving them forward.

Pritzker has floated the possibility of a $1 billion closing fund.

* The state has approved several incentives already. This bill, for instance, ended up zipping through both chambers during veto session…

Legislation introduced in Springfield today that quickly passed a Senate committee would both widen and extend to up to 30 years payroll tax credits for those who work here under the existing Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois law, known as the Rev Illinois Act.

Other provisions would loosen the definition of an EV worker and appear aimed at existing automakers in Illinois, especially Stellantis and Ford. They have huge conventional auto assembly plants in Illinois that could be converted to EV production, but likely only after years of preparation and work.

Aides to Gov. J.B. Pritzker were not immediately available to answer questions such as whether Rev Illinois has failed to produce the influx the state wanted, as a steady stream of new battery makers, suppliers and assembly plants alike have gone to Michigan, Ohio, Georgia and other states, not Illinois.

  49 Comments      


Question of the day: 2022 Golden Horseshoe Awards

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Statewide Staffer goes to the crowd favorite Anne Caprara…

No disrespect to the other nominees, there are quite a few good ones here, but part of this conversation has to be the difficulty of the job. Caprara is too often times written off. She is constantly underestimated. Too many people root for her to fail. She rarely fails and has made her boss one of the most successful Governor’s in the country and one of the most successful in state history (in the first term). Whether you like her or not is immaterial to this question. She is a leader through and through.

* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best State Agency Director goes to GOMB’s Alexis Sturm…

I’ll 4th the nomination for Alexis Sturm at GOMB, who deserves more credit than she gets for crafting these ever-improving budgets that could bog down and start losing votes if she did not skillfully put all the pieces together.

Congrats to both!

* Today’s categories…

    Best US Representative

    Best Statewide Officeholder

As always, do your best to nominate in both categories and make sure to explain your nominations or they won’t count. The statewide officeholder can be a federal or state constitutional official. [I deleted “spokesperson” because I forgot that I already did that one. Oops!]

* And after you cast your votes, please click here and donate to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois to help buy presents for foster kids. More about what LSSI does…

We care for children who have been removed from their home by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) due to abuse and/or neglect. We place these children with caring foster families who receive training, licensing, and support from LSSI. The children in our care, and their biological parents, also receive support. In addition to its traditional foster care program, LSSI offers a Therapeutic Foster Care Program for children with histories of severe trauma and emotional/behavioral needs.

Working with LSSI’s child welfare staff, foster parents are part of a team offering loving, safe homes for children. Foster parents support each child’s connection to their family by helping with visits between siblings and biological parents.

Thanks!

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Morning briefing

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Thank you to all who have donated!…


* Now to your morning briefing…

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Open thread

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please.

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Live coverage

Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Follow along with ScribbleLive…


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Afternoon news roundup

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This is what happens when your party’s top candidates and former President warn gullible hyperpartisans about voting by mail. It obviously wouldn’t have won the race for Bailey, but it would’ve taken some pressure off whatever election day workers he had…

Democrats locally and nationally have a big advantage in early voting. In Champaign County, for example, more Democrats voted early or voted by mail than on Election Day. Gov. J.B. Pritzker got 10,907 votes by mail in Champaign County; 11,016 in-person early votes; and 18,088 Election Day votes.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey got 17,154 Election Day votes and 6,611 in-person early votes but just 2,296 votes by mail — about one-fifth Pritzker’s total.

* Sun-Times…

More than 130 doctors, nurses and other health care professionals are urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to save Illinoisans’ lives by speeding up the state’s transition to electric trucks that will reduce the amount of diesel fuel air pollution.

In a letter to the governor this week, the health professionals asked Pritzker to sign a pact with a group of other states that are setting goals for phasing out diesel fuel engines with near-term targets as early as 2030.

“Emissions from diesel truck engines are particularly harmful for the health of communities,” the doctors wrote in their letter. “This is especially true in lower-income communities and communities of color, which too often bear disproportionate health burdens due to increased pollution exposures from freeways, railyards, warehouses and other freight hubs.”

Pritzker has declined to sign on and, earlier this year, cited concerns about the impact on businesses. Pritzker didn’t provide a direct answer to the request in a statement from a spokesman this week and, instead, pointed to an electric vehicle rebate program now being offered.

Across Illinois, fine particle pollution from trucks will cause more than 400 early deaths, nearly 200 heart attacks and thousands of respiratory illnesses in 2023, a report released last May found.

* Scott Holland…

Seldom have I seen in the state political sphere such an instant outpouring of raw emotion than following the untimely death of state Sen. Scott Bennett, D-Champaign, who succumbed to complications from a large brain tumor Friday. Reading through the statements Rich Miller compiled at his Capitol Fax blog (CapitolFax.com), as well as his Twitter posts and reader comments, was a moving, wrenching way to begin processing the loss of a 45-year-old husband and father who clearly leaves a gaping hole in his home, community and the Statehouse.

It really felt unprecedented. There was an even larger outpouring when Judy Baar Topinka passed, but she was widely known.

* Lightfoot campaign press release…

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy on Tuesday released the following statement in response to the news that cryptocurrency executive Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested on criminal charges of wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to avoid campaign finance regulations and more:

“The federal charges against Sam Bankman-Fried raise serious questions about his bankrolling of Chuy Garcia’s campaign to the tune of nearly $200,000. What were Bankman-Fried’s motives for spending so much on Rep. Garcia’s reelection, and what did Garcia promise in return – particularly when he was running unopposed at the time? Further, a June 2022 Sun-Times article reported that Rep. Garcia said he’d had a direct conversation with Mr. Bankman-Fried prior to Bankman-Fried’s decision to make his campaign a beneficiary of his wealth. What was said in that conversation that gave Mr. Bankman-Fried the impression that Garcia was such a worthwhile investment for him?”

“Samuel Bankman-Fried has done real harm, and the implications of his donations must be taken seriously. Voters deserve to know the facts when making important decisions about who they can trust. Unfortunately it seems that Chuy Garcia will bring back the old way of doing Chicago-style politics – and we can’t afford that in City Hall.”

US Rep. Garcia got $2,900 in direct contributions from Bankman-Fried, plus this…

The PAC spent $151,420 for direct mail pieces to support Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., even though he is running unopposed in the Democratic primary — and the little known Republican on the ballot in the safe Democratic district is not raising or spending money. That a PAC jumps in a race where a candidate has, for practical purposes, zero real opposition is highly unusual.

Garcia told the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday that Bankman-Fried phoned him about a week-and-a-half ago to discuss one of his issues, pandemic preparedness. Garcia is a member of the Financial Services Committee, which regulates parts of the digital assets industry.

We may never know the extent of SBF’s spending because he gave a lot of cash through dark money groups, including apparently to Republicans.

Either way, I’m guessing the mayor believes the new poll.

* Sun-Times op-ed…

I recently read a story by Sun-Times reporters Nader Issa and Fran Spielman on how the city, under Mayor Lori Lightfoot, is shifting educational expenses the city once covered back to the Chicago Public Schools.

The reason? Starting in 2025, CPS will be governed by an elected school board, not one appointed by the office of the mayor. No oversight, no money. So the financially strapped CPS could soon face a budget deficit of $600 million, with future “school closings and mass layoffs” possible. […]

The governor and legislators need to come up with a long-term funding plan for CPS for the city’s sake. No slap-dash, one-time fixes.

A mayor has deliberately yanked money from her city’s schools after the General Assembly approved an elected school board and now it’s the legislature’s job to fix it? Maybe Rep. Cassidy can come up with a bill /s

* Speaking of Lightfoot…

Today, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot’s re-election campaign released its third TV ad, “Sacrifices.” In the ad, Mayor Lightfoot describes the impact her parents’ grit had on her and the sacrifices they endured so she and her siblings could lead better lives and how that motivates her every day.

“Sacrifices” also highlights how that motivation guides Mayor Lightfoot to fight for all families in Chicago emphasizing her administration’s key initiative, INVEST South/West. With these historic investments totaling more than $2 billion, progress is happening across the city, as the initiative has begun to pay off.

“Sacrifices” will run on TV and across digital platforms beginning today.

Watch “Sacrifices”

“Sacrifices” Full Transcript

Mayor Lightfoot: [to camera] I’m the youngest of four kids. Both my parents were born in the segregated South. I wouldn’t be sitting here, but for the sacrifices that my parents made for me, and particularly my mom.

Mayor Lightfoot: [announcing to a crowd] My mother.

Mayor Lightfoot: [to camera] My parents sacrificed everything to make sure that my brothers and sister and I could have a better life, a life that they could never have imagined. As mayor, I’m doing everything I can to widen and open up opportunities for those families who are growing up like the ones like mine.

“Widen and open up opportunities” except for cutting K-12 spending.

* Isabel’s roundup…

    * WBEZ | CPS spent $308 million on school technology since 2020. Now what?: After months of questioning by Chalkbeat and WBEZ and several inaccurate estimates, officials said last week that they bought nearly 311,000 laptops and tablets. More than 41,000 of the devices are sitting in a warehouse or yet to be shipped by a manufacturer, according to CPS.

    * Press Release | Gov. Pritzker Announces Sean M. Smoot as Chairman of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board:
    “Throughout his career, Sean Smoot has prioritized making Illinois safer, sometimes in extraordinarily difficult circumstances,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I can think of no one who is more qualified for this position, and I wish him the very best of luck as he begins his term.” “Sean Smoot is dedicated and has a wealth of experience as well as a collaborative spirit,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “I congratulate Sean and look forward to the continued excellence he will bring to this new role.”

    * Axios | Illinois lags in energy efficiency despite new law: Illinois ranked 16th best this year, slipping from 15th and 11th in two previous years. Why it matters: Policies can drive real change, and Gov. JB Pritzker has vowed to make the state a climate leader. Highs and lows: Top scores went to California and Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Maine; Kansas and Wyoming ranked worst.

    * Daily Herald | Travel is spiking as gas prices keep dipping, AAA forecasts: “If this trend continues, many states could see their average prices fall below $3 a gallon by early next year.” Gas price averages were $3.55 a gallon in the Chicago region Monday compared to $4.41 a month ago.

    * ProPublica | Ken Griffin Spent $54 Million Fighting a Tax Increase for the Rich. Secret IRS Data Shows It Paid Off for Him.: For billionaire Ken Griffin, it was well worth spending $54 million to ensure he and other rich Illinoisans wouldn’t have to pay more tax. By the time Illinois voters streamed into voting booths on Election Day in 2020, Griffin, then Illinois’ wealthiest resident, had made sure they’d heard plenty about why they should not vote to raise taxes on him and the state’s other rich people. His tens of millions paid for an unrelenting stream of ads and flyers against an initiative on that year’s ballot, which would have allowed Illinois lawmakers to join 32 other states in setting higher tax rates for the wealthy than for everyone else.

    * Illinois Answers Project | Pritzker will sign into law measure to prohibit state investments in Russian companies : State pension funds would have to pull millions of dollars in investments from Russian stocks and bonds under a measure the Illinois General Assembly has approved and that the governor is expected to sign into law. The measure unanimously passed the House in April of this year following the attack in February by Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the turnaround for the Senate to consider it was too quick for it to be made into law by the end of regular session, according to some lawmakers.

    * NYT | Republicans Are Breaking With the N.R.A., and It’s Because of Us: Her polling picked up an even more decisive change just recently. “We’ve broadened out the villain,” she said. For decades, Americans saw the N.R.A. as the impediment to gun legislation. But rage is refocusing on Congress, increasingly seen as the N.R.A.’s collaborators: “politicians who actually fail to do anything again and again,” she said, “and have failed to stand up to the N.R.A. And that’s what people actually want — are politicians with a backbone.” It’s why Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa — an N.R.A. darling who ran for office by firing a handgun in a major ad campaign — broke with the organization leading up to the June vote. She said her phone lines were swamped, six to one in favor of the gun safety bill, urgently repeating: “Please do something.”

    * CNBC | Consumer prices rose less than expected in November, up 7.1% from a year ago: Stocks initially roared higher following the report, with futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average up more than 800 points initially before easing a bit. However, the rally lost much of its steam through the session, and the Dow was up just 50 points or so near 2:30 p.m. ET. “Cooling inflation will boost the markets and take pressure off the Fed for raising rates, but most importantly this spells real relief starting for Americans whose finances have been punished by higher prices,” said Robert Frick, corporate economist with Navy Federal Credit Union. “This is especially true for lower-income Americans who are disproportionately hurt by inflation.

    * Crain’s | Paul Vallas’ anti-crime program takes a turn to the political right: Also on Vallas’ list is reviving the Chicago Transit Authority’s police transit unit and giving it full legal authority to make arrests. “Commuters should be as safe on the CTA as they are in our city’s airports,” he said. “Public transportation in Chicago under my administration will be synonymous with safe passage.” Vallas said he’d get some of the money to hire a force of 600 to 700 officers by replacing private security guards that the CTA recently hired. “This new unit would ensure that all stations and platforms have a police presence,” he said. The promise to enact and enforce, “a robust public nuisance ordinance” aimed at those “who disturb the public peace and threaten to do harm to witnesses, victims and communities” is a bit of a blast from the past—it sounds much like the controversial “broken windows” strategy employed by former New York City Mayor Rudi Giuliani.

    * WBEZ | Delaying access to Chicago police radio calls threatens public safety, media coalition says: The city’s new system prevents news reporters and the public from getting instant access to police scanners that broadcast information about crimes and emergencies — access that had been available for decades.

    * Sun-Times | Chicago Plan Commission endorses Bally’s casino plan: The city’s planning agency Monday approved zoning for the proposed Bally’s casino at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street, a step in the $1.7 billion project’s journey through government approvals. The approval came despite a last-minute objection from a key alderperson. The Chicago Plan Commission endorsed the Bally’s proposal embraced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, which includes a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater and event center and a riverwalk. The casino would get 4,000 gaming positions.

    * Crain’s | Local activist takes her fight for an assault weapons ban to the national stage: The current Senate bill, S.736, passed the House at the end of July but expires at the end of the year with congressional turnover. It needs 60 votes to pass and has the support of President Joe Biden. While both Illinois senators, Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, already are co-sponsors, two new ones, Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., are helping further the cause, Brandtner says: “We have time and we have momentum.”

    * Tribune | Chicago homicides in 2022: 661 people have been slain. Here’s how that compares with previous years.: The number of people slain so far in 2022: 661. That’s 110 fewer people killed when compared with this same date in 2021.

    * Crain’s | Sears Hometown files for bankruptcy: The retailer listed assets of no more than $50 million and liabilities of at least $50 million in its bankruptcy court petition, filed in Delaware. Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows companies to continue operating while working on a plan to repay creditors.

    * Crain’s | Belvidere Jeep plant to be ‘idle, not closed,’ Stellantis exec says: The Illinois plant that builds the Jeep Cherokee is being shut down in early 2023, but Stellantis North America COO Mark Stewart on Monday said the factory still could have a future. Stewart, during an event at a Detroit-area plant, said the automaker is “continuing to look at what we can do to repurpose that facility — but it’s idle, not closed.”

    * Daily Herald | Landmark Illinois compiling list of most endangered historic places: Landmarks Illinois is accepting nominations for the 2023 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois, which calls attention to historic and culturally significant sites across the state that are threatened with deterioration, demolition or inappropriate development.

    * Tribune | Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters leaves Illinois to be the new head coach at Purdue: Walters, 36, becomes the fourth-youngest coach in the Bowl Subdivision behind Kenny Dillingham (32, Arizona State), Kane Wommack (35, South Alabama) and Dan Lanning (36, Oregon). Walters replaces Jeff Brohm, who left to become the new head coach at Louisville.

    * The Guardian | Ninety-year-old woman is oldest person to graduate from Illinois university: Joyce DeFauw of Illinois has given a whole new meaning to the term super senior, used for students who take longer than the usual four years to get their undergraduate degrees. On Sunday, the 90-year-old received a bachelor’s of general studies from Northern Illinois University more than seven decades after she first stepped on campus, becoming what officials believe to be the eldest person to ever graduate from the school.

  19 Comments      


Legal fight over the meaning of bail

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From the Illinois Constitution…

All persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, except for the following offenses where the proof is evident or the presumption great: capital offenses; offenses for which a sentence of life imprisonment may be imposed as a consequence of conviction; and felony offenses for which a sentence of imprisonment, without conditional and revocable release, shall be imposed by law as a consequence of conviction, when the court, after a hearing, determines that release of the offender would pose a real and present threat to the physical safety of any person.

That passage is at the heart of the state’s attorneys’ lawsuit challenging the SAFE-T Act’s constitutionality…

Lawyers for the sheriffs and prosecutors have insisted in their briefs that, “The Illinois Constitution interprets bail, at its core, to include a monetary amount that, though it may take different forms, cannot be abolished altogether without running afoul of the Constitution.”

State lawyers say their opponents have misread the document. Lawmakers sought to clarify things earlier this month, changing the law to note that the “sureties” at issue are meant to be “nonmonetary in nature.”

Still, that doesn’t change the meaning “in the Constitution itself,” the opponents noted in their new brief. […]

“It doesn’t have to be money,” said [Ann Lousin, a professor of law at University of Illinois Chicago Law School who lectures and consults on the Illinois constitution], who also worked on the drafting of the 1970 state constitution. […]

Whether these questions are even hashed out before Cunnington remains to be seen. State lawyers argue the judge shouldn’t consider the sureties question on its merits. They argue that the constitution’s “sufficient sureties” requirement is a right bestowed on criminal defendants — meaning prosecutors and sheriffs can’t claim it as a violated right of their own.

* As I’ve told you before, the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Pretrial Practices defined bail this way in its final report…

Bail: The process of releasing a defendant from custody with conditions set to reasonably assure public safety and court appearance. […]

“Bail” is often used to refer to the amount of cash that a defendant must post as a condition of release. “Bond” is sometimes treated as a synonym of “bail.” Understood properly, “bail” – which literally means, “release” – is a process of releasing a defendant from custody on conditions designed to assure both public safety and the person’s appearance in court. A “bond” occurs whenever a defendant enters an agreement with the court. The agreement may, but need not necessarily, include a financial condition, but can also or instead include a variety of other conditions such as electronic monitoring, curfews, supervised visits or appointments, etc.

  23 Comments      


Question of the day: 2022 Golden Horseshoe Awards

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Do-Gooder Lobbyist goes to John Amdor…

SAFE-T Act trailer and expansion of the EITC doesn’t get done without his leadership and those are two big wins in any year, let alone two in one.

Nuff said.

* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Legislative Liaison goes to Andi VanderKolk from the Illinois Department of Insurance…

She does an excellent job of balancing all of the varied interests in the issues she works on (including that of her own agency) and does so with professionalism and grace. She single-handedly navigated an extremely ambitious legislative agenda thrust upon her during a shortened session and still managed to remain as responsive and as accessible as she always is. And to top it all off, she is a just a genuinely kind and warm human that no matter how tough the issue, or what side of it one is on, you still want to have coffee or hang out with her and talk about the day, the week or just life in general.

Andi was clearly the crowd favorite and had a ton of solid nominations.

Congratulations!

* On to today’s categories…

    Best Statewide Staffer

    Best State Agency Director

Please do your utmost to nominate in both categories and explain your nominations or they won’t count. Thanks!

* After you vote, please come back and read this story: Before 2019, I helped Lutheran Social Services of Illinois raise a little money during my annual Christmas speech. It was usually around a couple thousand dollars plus a bunch of toys for foster kids. But I stopped doing that speech and decided to switch to online fundraising in 2019. Y’all really stepped up by contributing $11,111 to honor our late commenter Wordslinger that year to buy presents for foster kids in LSSI’s programs. In 2020, we raised $12,175 for LSSI’s kids. Last year, we raised $22,700 for presents.

Well, as I write this, you have so far contributed $39,798! That is just amazing, and the folks at LSSI are simply over the moon with joy. Most importantly, though, you’re helping give a whole lot of foster kids a great holiday to remember. Merry Christmas!

As I’ve already told you, because of your generosity, LSSI has revised its fundraising goal to $45,000. We are not the only ones raising money to buy presents for those foster kids, but we’re by far the largest group. So if LSSI is going to make it to their new goal, it’s mainly up to us to help them get there.

Please, click here and help buy presents for foster kids. If you haven’t yet done so, now’s your chance. If you have already given, but could contribute just a little more, that would be so very awesome. Thanks and I love you all.

  46 Comments      


Chicago poll shows crime and public safety far above any other issues for voters

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Heather Cherone at WTTW…

U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García is the “front runner” in the race for Chicago mayor, according to a new poll commissioned by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 obtained Monday by WTTW News.

“Chuy Garcia is the frontrunner today in the race for Chicago mayor, leading Mayor Lori Lightfoot by 7 points in the first round and 31 points in the second,” the poll concludes. “He is the most popular candidate for mayor and is the favorite to win.” […]

Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, who has the backing of most of Chicago’s progressive organizations, the Chicago Teachers Union and the Service Employee International Union Local 73 and SEIU Healthcare Illinois, is largely unknown. More than 70% of Chicago voters do not have an opinion on his candidacy, according to the poll.

More than 70% of voters rated crime and public safety as their No. 1 or No. 2 most important issue, with no other issue coming close, according to the poll.

* OK, let’s focus on crime and public safety. Here’s how the polling question was asked…

Of the following, which would you say is the most important issue in Chicago for the Mayor and City Council to address?

You will recall that crime was not a huge issue for voters in the fall campaign except in Chicago, where it consistently ranked at the top of the list. But now, when the question is about what city leaders should be doing, it has rocketed up even further.

57 percent said their number one issue was “crime and public safety.” Affordable housing and homelessness was second, but it came in at just 10 percent.

As noted in Heather’s article, when you combine respondents’ first and second choices, crime and public safety came in at a whopping 71 percent. Affordable housing and homelessness was still second at 24 percent. Again, when you combine 1st and 2nd choices together, schools and education were next at 22 percent, inflation and rising costs were at 19 percent, taxes were at 17 percent, jobs and the economy were at 14 percent, government corruption and ethics were at 11 percent, racial equity was at 10 percent and roads and infrastructure were at 7 percent.

Also of note, respondents were read favorable talking points about some of the candidates and then they were asked to reevaluate their votes. The needle barely moved on any of the candidates.

* I was asked not to post the poll itself, but here is the polling memo…

• Garcia is in first place, ahead of Lori Lightfoot and Paul Vallas. In a full, ten-way vote Garcia comes in first with 25% followed by Lightfoot (18%), Vallas (14%), and Wilson (10%), while 14% are completely undecided. No other candidate garners more than 10%. Garcia leads with Latinos, leads among both college-educated and non-college whites, and is tied for second with Black voters (32% Lightfoot / 18% Garcia / 18% Wilson).

• Garcia is broadly popular across groups. He is broadly popular with white (53% fav / 32% unfav), Black (58% fav / 21% unfav), and Latino (60% fav / 30% unfav) voters. His support spans ideology, with good numbers among self-described progressive Democrats (74% fav / 12% unfav) and moderate/conservative Democrats (50% fav / 31% unav).

• Lori Lightfoot is deeply unpopular. Voters rate her job as Mayor negatively by 40 points (29% positive / 69% negative). 84% of white voters and 72% of Latinos rate her job as Mayor negatively, while Black voters are closely divided on her (50% positive / 48% negative).

• In a runoff, Garcia leads Lightfoot by a whopping 31 points (55% Garcia / 24% Lightfoot). He is tied among Black voters, up 52 among whites, and up 40 among Latinos. He leads her in the Lakefront (+52) and on the Northwest side (+51).

* More runoff results…

    Lori Lightfoot 38%
    Willie Wilson 37%
    [VOL] Undecided 24%

    Lori Lightfoot 34%
    Paul Vallas 41%
    [VOL] Undecided 25%

    Lori Lightfoot 24%
    Chuy Garcia 55%
    [VOL] Undecided 21%

    Lori Lightfoot 31%
    Pat Quinn 37%
    [VOL] Undecided 32%

Quinn has dropped out, but I included him to give you an idea of how unpopular Lightfoot is, except maybe when it comes to Willie Wilson.

…Adding… Wanted to front-page something I wrote in comments…

Just because people say public safety is a top issue, that doesn’t mean they’re siding with Dan Proft and Darren Bailey’s version of how to deal with crime.

The people in the city and elsewhere are generally ahead of the mainstream media on this topic. It ain’t the 1990s any longer. And addressing it is not an either/or choice.

  62 Comments      


First House hearing held on new assault weapon proposal

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Mike Miletich…

* The Sun-Times…

House Democrats on Dec. 1 introduced legislation that would ban the sale of assault weapons immediately, prevent sales of ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds and raise eligibility for a state firearm owner identification card for most Illinois residents to 21.

Sponsors need just 60 votes come Jan. 1, and they plan to take up the measure during the lame duck session early next month. […]

After the Highland Park shooting, legislators began meeting in a working group to try to come up with legislative solutions to prevent another mass shooting tragedy. Police say shooting suspect Robert Crimo III used a Smith & Wesson M&P15, an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle whose initials, M&P, stand for “military and police” to kill seven people and injure 48 others.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he would support passage of an assault weapons ban. Gun control groups have also formed a new nonprofit group called “Protect Illinois Communities,” which is helping to drum up support via television ads and mailers.

* The Tribune…

On the surface, Highland Park and East Garfield Park don’t have much in common.

But in the past six months, both the affluent, largely white North Shore suburb and the impoverished, largely Black neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side have been devastated by mass shootings. In both cases, assailants fired into crowds, killing seven and wounding dozens more in Highland Park on the Fourth of July and killing one and injuring 13 others in East Garfield Park on Halloween night.

Two survivors of those shootings — Lauren Bennett, who was shot twice in Highland Park, and Conttina Phillips, who was shot in the leg in East Garfield Park — were among those voicing support Monday for a proposal from Illinois House Democrats to ban the sale of certain assault-style guns and large-capacity magazines and to bar most people under 21 from getting gun permits.

Bennett and Phillips shared their stories during the first of three planned hearings on the measure, which House Democrats hope to pass when they return to Springfield for a brief lame-duck session just after the new year. Gun rights advocates are expected to testify at a future hearing. […]

While Democrats control the General Assembly, whether they can move such a politically charged proposal through both chambers in the few scheduled days before a new set of lawmakers is sworn in Jan. 11 remains uncertain. Gun control measures have a history of breaking down along regional as well as partisan lines, and top Democrats in the Senate have yet to weigh in publicly.

* Capitol News Illinois…

But many other people came to the hearing to remind lawmakers that Highland Park – an upscale, predominantly white suburb north of Chicago – is not the only community in Illinois to experience a mass shooting and that Black and brown communities are far more likely to be the scenes of such violence.

“On July 4 of this year, when the tragedy occurred in Highland Park, my heart went out to them. …I continue to pray for them,” said Jaquie Algee, a South Side resident who lost her only son in a different shooting. “But at the same token, in Black communities around the city and state, there were 10 – in this city – 10 Black kids that were shot and killed that day. There were 62 that were shot and injured.”

“We don’t have people rushing to give us therapy and counselors and people who will work with our children and our communities, and people to help to recover from this pain,” she added. “That doesn’t happen for us. And that’s a shame.”

Among other things, HB5855 would make it illegal to manufacture, sell or purchase an assault-style weapon, assault weapon attachment, .50-caliber rifle, or .50-caliber cartridge. And starting 300 days after the bill takes effect, it would make it illegal to possess such a weapon or ammunition unless it is registered with the Illinois State Police.

* State Journal-Register…

Rep. Bob Morgan’s legislation lists more than 100 weapons that would be banned, including the AR-15 rifle which was used to kill seven people and injure 48 others during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park. The bill also increases the age for most Illinoisans to carry a firearm from 18 to 21.

“Gun violence is destroying families and communities from East St. Louis to Highland Park to Chicago, and this moment demands urgency,” said Morgan, who was walking in the Highland Park Parade when the shooting began. “It is time that we had the political courage to admit that guns are a problem and that we can do something about it. This gun reform package will reduce gun deaths in Illinois, and it is long past time for us to step up and reform the laws which have enabled this gun violence to continue.”

The Protect Illinois Communities Act has more than 25 co-sponsors as of Friday and is expected to be a priority for the Illinois General Assembly when lawmakers return in January for the lame-duck session or early in the regular session. […]

“Whether it happens during the lame-duck session, which I know is the expectation, or it happens during regular session … it’s important that we do it as fast as possible, there’s no doubt,” Pritzker said last week. “But I just want to be clear that our aim is to get it done in the first half of the year.” He originally called for action following the Highland Park shooting.

* WTTW…

The initial testimony came from survivors like Lauren Bennett, who was with her family, including her young sons, at the Fourth of July Parade in Highland Park when she heard what initially sounded like fireworks.

It wasn’t. […]

“Imagine a hot, metal dart-like projectile tearing through your body at supersonic speed. Faster than the speed of sound. You’ll feel it burn through your skin and likely you’ll grab whatever part of your body was hit because you know that something’s not right, only to feel excessive amounts of blood draining out of you and soaking everything,” she said. “At this point, you most likely feel like you are dying, maybe wondering if this is how it all ends. I can assure you that is what I was thinking.”

She was shot once in her lower back and hip, then as she got up to run she was shot again, in her upper back, nearly missing her spinal cord. […]

“My husband was running with our 6 and 9-year-old boys, literally for their lives, shielding them while exposing himself to shooting bullets, because we all know that their innocent young lives are far more precious than our own,” Bennett said. “These boys dodged bullets, jumped over fallen bodies while running behind me, looking at my blood-soaked body, and they assumed their mother was probably bleeding to death.”

* The Center Square…

Public health officials said gun restrictions are necessary, including expanding the firearms restraining order from six months to a full year as Morgan’s bill would do. Representatives from Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago also advocated for increasing the age to get a Firearm Owner’s Identification card to 21.

* ABC 7…

“Ten of my family members were shot, including three kids, ages from 3, 13 and 11,” Patterson said. “There is an epidemic out there, the spread of gun violence is everywhere.”

A resolution is also being introduced Monday morning, honoring Highland Park first responders and officials for jumping in to help the victims of the July Fourth mass shooting.

Republican state representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the legislation.

* Sen. Robert Peters…


  93 Comments      


Services announced for Sen. Bennett

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WTAX…

Funeral arrangements have been announced for State Senator Scott Bennett.

A spokesperson from the Office of the Senate President confirmed that a memorial service for Senator Scott Bennett will be held on Monday, December 19 at 10:00 a.m. at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (500 S. Goodwin Ave. Urbana, IL 61801).

* Also from the Office of the Senate President…

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations in Senator Bennett’s memory to CU Able or Champaign-Urbana Autism Network, as his priority for the upcoming legislative session was going to center around assistance for people with disabilities.

And you can click here to help Sen. Bennett’s family via Meal Train. Their friends have so far raised more than $29,000 for Sen. Bennett’s spouse and two kids. Several others have pledged their time to help out with meals and child care.

  Comments Off      


Morning briefing

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Here you go…

  3 Comments      


Open thread

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois today?

  8 Comments      


Live coverage

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Follow along with ScribbleLive…


  Comments Off      


Afternoon news roundup

Monday, Dec 12, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From today’s hearing…


* The Better Government Association’s CEO David Griesing bemoans the victory of the Workers Rights Amendment in a Tribune op-ed...

Uihlein, for his part, has cause to wonder if he might have made a difference. He spent more than $50 million supporting Bailey’s campaign against Pritzker that was bound to fail almost no matter how much Uihlein spent. Had Uihlein made his move earlier and diverted, say, $10 million of his Bailey money toward matching union spending on the Workers’ Rights Amendment, the outcome might have been different.

This was a winnable electoral contest, and at least Uihlein tried. Many other conservative funders, the type who helped defeat the graduated-rate income tax amendment just two years ago by contributing alongside Griffin, chose not to commit to defeat Amendment 1 at all.

With Griffin gone, the conservative movement in Illinois lost more than Griffin’s millions. Perhaps they lost his political mojo too.

The BGA didn’t report raising any money from labor unions in 2021, and I’m kinda doubtful any are gonna get on board after that column.

* Speaker Welch press release…

This morning, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch joined Biden administration policy experts to discuss and collaborate on legislative priorities for the upcoming legislative session. Items for discussion included reproductive health, common-sense gun reform, paid family leave, and lifting up America’s working families.

“I truly enjoyed this thoughtful and insightful conversation with President Biden’s policy experts,” said Speaker Welch. “An overwhelming majority of Americans support these policy initiatives and, as Democrats, we need to ensure that we are better aligned on these issues so that we can deliver for people across this country.”

Speaker Welch met with Julie Chavez Rodriguez, senior advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Morgan Mohr, senior advisor for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

In addition to this morning’s discussion, Speaker Welch will also attend Vice President Kamala Harris’ Holiday Reception later this evening. Speaker Welch plans to network and continue strengthening relationships with leaders from states across the country.

* Ugh…


In light of the Department of Homeland Security’s recent Terrorism Advisory Bulletin that the threat of extremism and…

Posted by UpRising Bakery and Cafe on Sunday, December 11, 2022

* Press release…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced he has reached a settlement with Walgreens and CVS to resolve allegations that the companies contributed to the opioid addiction crisis by failing to appropriately oversee the dispensing of opioids at stores.

The bipartisan settlement provides more than $10 billion nationally and requires significant improvements to how Walgreens and CVS pharmacies dispense opioids. Raoul and 17 state attorneys general on the executive committee, attorneys representing local governments, Walgreens and CVS have agreed to this settlement, which has been sent to other states for review and approval. The sign-on period for states will be until the end of 2022, followed by a 90-day sign-on period for units of local government. The $10.7 billion settlement will be divided among sign-on states, local governments and tribes, and will prioritize abatement and remediation of the opioid crises.

“The opioid epidemic has tragically affected too many Illinois families that have experienced addiction or even the death of a loved one. This $10.7 billion settlement with Walgreens and CVS builds upon the important progress we’ve already achieved with previous settlements, but more importantly, it holds both companies accountable,” Raoul said. “I am proud of the bipartisan work we are doing across state lines to hold retail pharmacies responsible. I will continue to ensure that resources Illinois receives through settlements are distributed equitably throughout the state to help fund services needed to mitigate the ongoing opioid crisis.”

Raoul said the settlement also includes broad, court-ordered requirements, such as the implementation of a robust Controlled Substance Compliance Program. The program will require independent pharmacist review of prescriptions, additional oversight of controlled substance dispensing, mandatory training and new reporting requirements.

* Press release…

High-impact tutoring is accelerating learning recovery in 72 Illinois school districts, thanks to a $25 million investment of federal pandemic relief funds by the Illinois State Board of Education.

ISBE has partnered with the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) and Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) to implement the Illinois Tutoring Initiative, which has trained and matched 490 tutors to provide high-impact tutoring to 1,270 students in 45 school districts statewide. An additional 27 school districts have received grant funds to design and implement their own local high-impact tutoring programs, anticipated to reach up to 2,000 students.

“Over the course of the last two and a half years, our students have sacrificed so much,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In the face of turmoil, they’ve been brave. We owe it to them to provide every resource possible so that their aspirations can be met and their dreams fulfilled. By investing millions of dollars in high quality tutoring services, we’re doing just that.”

* Press release…

As part of the Pork Power: Partnering to Fight Hunger in Illinois campaign, the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA), along with the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) and the Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB), presented the Midwest Food Bank with 5,280 pounds of ground pork on Monday. The donation will go to agencies across central Illinois this holiday season.

“Illinois pig farmers are pleased to provide quality protein to those in need, especially during the holidays”, said IPPA Board Member, Pam Janssen. “Pork is a versatile protein, and ground pork is easy to use in so many meals.”

Since its inception in 2008, the Pork Power program has generated over 922,000 pounds of pork - enough for over 3 million meals - for families throughout Illinois.

That was in November. This came out today…

What: IPPA Reaches Goal of Donating 1 Million Pounds of Pork!

Where: Central Illinois Food Bank
1937 E Cook St.
Springfield, IL

Details: As part of the Pork Power: Partnering to Fight Hunger in Illinois campaign, the Illinois Pork Producers Association has donated over 1 MILLION pounds of pork—over 3.3 million servings—to food banks throughout Illinois!

* Paul Vallas releases his public safety plan…

The Vallas Plan calls for the restoration of police strength to the levels left by former Mayor Rahm Emanual at 13,000 officers and the dedication of at least 10 percent to the Detective rank. We will return to a community policing strategy that restores strength level to local police districts and ensures local police beat integrity – in which every beat is covered by a police car.

Vallas also called for the dispensing of the private public transit security and the use of monies to hire an additional 600-700 officers to a restored and expanded CTA Police Transit Unit. This new unit would ensure that all stations and platforms have a Police presence and the officers would ride trains with the full power to enforce city ordinances. Vallas said that people should be as safe on the CTA as they are at the city airports.

“Commuters should be as safe on the CTA as they are at our city’s airports,” said Vallas. “Public transportation in Chicago under my administration will be synonymous with Safe Passage.”

The replacement of Brown and his leadership team, the restoration to a community policing strategy, and a predictable work schedule will do much to slow the exodus of existing officers. There are a number of strategies that I highlight to address this issue and increase the number of new officers.

This includes enabling retired officers to return in either a full or part time capacity. He would also work to remove obstacles for incentivized officers from other police departments to join CPD and recruit directly from select military bases.

Vallas would also move to waive the residency requirement and work to create a CPD Reserve of hundreds of former Police Officers who left the force to become City Firefighters or hold other jobs who could be re-certified and used in emergencies and to cover shortages, special events, emergencies or temporary assignments.

Vallas said he would also utilize the office of the Mayor to immediately convene an intergovernmental summit constituted of city, sister agency and county bodies to fashion integrated solutions to the rampant crisis of unprecedented levels of crime.

At the same time, he would resurrect the Law Department Municipal Prosecution Unit and enact a robust Public Nuisance ordinance with an enforcement and prosecution focus on misdemeanors by recalcitrant, recidivists who disturb the public peace and threaten or do harm to witnesses, victims, and communities. This would work to address the criminal justice and public safety voids left by a lax and lenient States Attorney and court system.

* Press release…

Today, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced that Anabel Abarca, a resident of the McKinley Park community since 2015, will serve as the new alderman representing the 12th Ward. Abarca’s selection comes after a selection process led by community members of the 12th Ward.

“Anabel Abarca is a pillar of the 12th Ward community,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “Her passion for public service and deep connection to her community makes her the best candidate to serve the residents of McKinley Park, Brighton Park, and Little Village. I look forward to working with Anabel, and I thank the 12th Ward vacancy committee for their collaboration in this process.”

* Isabel’s roundup…

    * Sun-Times | More than just the Tumblers:As he nears retirement, Jesse White reflects on his time in baseball, the military, 1955 Montgomery, as secretary of state and his work with a certain well-known gymnastics group.

    * Fortune | The ‘pandemic is over’ mindset is seeping into nursing homes in troubling ways: ‘Worry about your granny’:Coronavirus-related hospital admissions are climbing again in the United States, with older adults a growing share of U.S. deaths and less than half of nursing home residents up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations.

    * SJ-R | Application deadline set for candidates wanting the GOP nod to replace Butler:Qualified candidates wishing to represent the district in the Illinois General Assembly have until Dec. 22 at 5 p.m., to file an application. The application must include a letter of interest and an up-to-date resume. It can be submitted at the Sangamon County Republican Central Committee headquarters, 1132 Sangamon Ave., or via email at sangamonrepublicans@scrcc.comcastbiz.net.

    * Tribune | Young voters’ enthusiasm for Democrats waned during midterms:Voters under 30 went 53% for Democratic House candidates compared with only 41% for Republican candidates nationwide, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping national survey of the electorate. But that level of support for Democrats was down compared with 2020, when such voters supported President Joe Biden over his predecessor, Donald Trump, 61% to 36%. And in 2018, when Democrats used a midterm surge to retake control of the House, voters 18 to 29 went 64% for the party compared with 34% for the GOP.

    * CBS Chicago | Illinois mandates replacement of lead pipes, but who’ll foot the bill?:Instead of a $550 repair, her bill ballooned to nearly $7,700…Her pipe couldn’t just be fixed. The entire thing needed to come out per a new state law called the “Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act.” All this heavy lifting on her property came out of her pocket.

    * Patch | Undercounting Homeless IL Students Undercuts Access To Help: Report:A study shows that there were more than 47,000 students in Illinois who experienced homelessness during the 2019-20 school year.

    * Illinois Answers Project |As Investors Buy More Homes Around the Obama Presidential Center Gentrification Worries Soar:“People should be afraid, they should be concerned about firms that don’t live in this community buying up homes,” said Dixon Romeo, a South Shore organizer with Not Me We, a group fighting for better housing and sustainability. “It’s very simple, the goal of every firm is to make profit, right? In terms of housing that means raising the rent, imposing unnecessary fees and effectively displacing people.”

    * Sun-Times | Son of ex-state Rep. Edward Acevedo pleads guilty to cheating on taxes:Michael Acevedo, his brother Alex and their father were indicted separately in February 2021 for alleged tax crimes. The charges resulted from the same investigation that led to this year’s indictment of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.

    * SEIU | The SEIU Illinois State Council Endorses Candidates Who Will Fight for Issues Important to Working Families:SEIU Illinois State Council Municipal Aldermanic Endorsements: 1 Daniel La Spata; 3 Pat Dowell; 4 Lamont Robinson; 5 Desmon Yancy; 6 William Hall; 7 Greg Mitchell; 8 Michelle Harris; 10 Ana Guajardo; 11 Nicole Lee; 12 Julia Ramirez; 14 Jeylu Gutierrez; 16 Stephanie Coleman; 17 David Moore; 19 Matt O’Shea; 20 Jeanette Taylor; 21 Ronnie Mosley; 22 Mike Rodriguez; 23 Silvana Tabares; 25 Byron Sigcho-Lopez; 28 Jason Ervin; 29 Chris Taliaferro; 31 Felix Cardona; 32 Scott Waguespack; 33 Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez; 34 Bill Conway; 35 Carlos Ramirez-Rosa; 37 Emma Mitts; 40 Andre Vasquez; 43 Rebecca Janowitz; 47 Matthew Martin; 49 Maria Hadden

    * Washington Post | Renewables to overtake coal as world’s top energy source by 2025, IEA says:The world is set to add as much renewable energy in the next five years as it did in the past two decades, as a global energy crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine accelerates growth in renewables such as wind and solar, the International Energy Agency says. Led by solar energy, renewables are poised to overtake coal as the largest source of electricity generation worldwide by early 2025, helping to keep alive the global goal of limiting Earth’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), according to the Paris-based agency’s latest forecasts.

    * Block Club Chicago | Chicago Public Schools Did Not Defame Lincoln Park High Principal Fired Amid Scandal, Jury Rules: A federal jury sided with Chicago Public Schools in its handling of a high-profile scandal involving the school’s athletics program that led to the former interim principal’s firing. The jury deliberated for several hours Monday before reaching the verdict. As it was read at the Dirksen Federal Building in the Loop, former interim principal John Thuet looked down and clasped his hands in his lap as his attorney consoled him by patting him on the back.

    * KSDK | CARE STL Adoption Center overcrowded, in desperate need of foster homes:One of Downtown St. Louis’s largest animal adoption centers is overwhelmed with animals, particularly dogs. In a little over a week animal control brought in more than 70 dogs to CARE STL Adoption Center and they’re in desperate need of help.

    * Washington Post | Cause of death: Washington faltered as fentanyl gripped America:During the past seven years, as soaring quantities of fentanyl flooded into the United States, strategic blunders and cascading mistakes by successive U.S. administrations allowed the most lethal drug crisis in American history to become significantly worse, a Washington Post investigation has found.

    * Axios | Illinois’ nonfatal opioid overdose rate among highest in U.S.:Illinois ranks third nationally in nonfatal opioid overdoses, according to an analysis of emergency medical responder data. Why it matters: The number suggests opioid use is high in Illinois, but also that our safety precautions — including making overdose treatments like naloxone (Narcan) widely available — are saving lives. By the numbers: Illinois recorded 182,402 nonfatal opioid overdoses over the last year, a rate of 55 per 100,000 people.

    * Sun-Times |Chicago’s ‘Walking Man’ dies several months after being set on fire on Lower Wabash:Chicago’s ‘Walking Man’ died Sunday afternoon, several months after he was set on fire as he slept on Lower Wabash Avenue. Joseph Kromelis, 75, died Sunday afternoon, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

    * Washington Post | Elon Musk uses QAnon tactic in criticizing former Twitter safety chief:Elon Musk escalated his battle of words with previous managers of Twitter into risky new territory over the weekend, allying himself with far-right crusaders against a purported epidemic of child sex abuse and implying that the company’s former head of trust and safety had a permissive view of sexual activity by minors.

    * Pantagraph | Abandoned nests reveal gaps in Illinois’ ability to protect endangered bird species:But construction last year on a new trail around the Chicago History Museum displaced a flock of the birds and put the remaining population at risk, as it is now highly concentrated in one location. Lardner wants to know what happened. For some conservation advocates, the herons’ abandonment of their nests represents a long-standing gap between policies in place to protect endangered wildlife and how they play out in practice. The state Endangered Species Protection Act mandates that public entities consult the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on any projects that could alter environmental conditions or could affect wildlife.

  21 Comments      


Another way to meet emissions targets

Monday, Dec 12, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Illinois Environmental Council executive director Jen Walling argues that the state needs to focus on “nature-based climate solutions”…

Nature-based climate solutions involve conserving, restoring or better managing ecosystems to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, such as allowing forests to regrow, restoring wetlands and switching to regenerative agricultural practices. These ecosystems soften climate impacts, such as extreme weather, and reduce climate pollution by capturing carbon dioxide from the air and sequestering it in plants and soils. They also provide many other important benefits, such as cleaner air and water, economic activity and biodiversity.

According to research conducted by the Nature Conservancy, on a global level, nature-based climate solutions can account for up to 37% of the reductions needed to meet 2030 emission targets and avoid global climate catastrophe.

Yet, Illinois has a dismal reputation for the preservation of natural areas. Less than .01% of Illinois’ ancient prairie remains, less than 4% of Illinois’ land area is in natural preservation, and Illinois ranks 49th out of the 50 states in the amount of preserved natural area per capita.

* Some of her recommendations are to stop leaving federal money on the table and update the state’s ridiculously complex procurement system to make it more small business-friendly…

Maximize every single possible federal dollar. Illinois is leaving millions in federal conservation funding on the table by not matching federal grant funds, not applying for funding or not supporting the efforts of conservation agencies to apply for federal funding. The Inflation Reduction Act, Land and Water Conservation Fund and upcoming Recovering America’s Wildlife are among some of the opportunities the state isn’t prepared to fully utilize, along with past agricultural conservation efforts and upcoming farm bill opportunities.

Invest in economies. Studies show that every dollar put into conservation drawsmore money into the economy through outdoor recreation purchases, visitors to area businesses and increased property values near nature. Illinois’ procurement system needs to be updated to give small businesses more opportunities to invest in state parks and IDNR should prioritize a conservation corps that hires and trains people from disinvested communities.

Thoughts?

  14 Comments      


Question of the day: 2022 Golden Horseshoe Awards

Monday, Dec 12, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Contract Lobbyist is a tie. Heather Wier Vaught…

smart, strategic. no bs. you can take her advice to the bank.

I might’ve used different punctuation and capitalization, but I nonetheless agree with the sentiment.

* And Liz Brown…

Hands down is Liz Brown. She’s everywhere all the time. She is the best at handling a roll call and actually being truthful with her clients and she knows her topic areas in and out. Just head and shoulders above the rest.

Agreed.

* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best In-House Lobbyist goes to Khadine Bennett at the IL ACLU…

Khadine has a huge hand in making Illinois the reproductive rights haven it is now. She is knowledgeable and knows how to listen and address people’s concerns. She’s a first call for so many people in the state on major civil and reproductive rights issues. Just the best imho.

The vote and the intensity were pretty heavily in Khadine’s favor.

Congratulations!

* On to today’s categories…

Best Do-Gooder Lobbyist

Best Legislative Liaison

Do your very best to nominate in both categories and make sure to explain your votes. Thanks.

* And despite my fear of sounding like a broken record, please click here to help buy presents for LSSI foster kids. Together, we help make a difference in the lives of these children every Christmas season, and we are now entering our annual fundraising home stretch. Thanks!

  28 Comments      


Treasurer’s office finds early Christmas gift for LSSI

Monday, Dec 12, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Best press release of the month…

An early holiday gift is being delivered to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois.

The Des Plaines-based non-profit social services organization is receiving $15,328 in unclaimed cash that was surrendered to Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ office, which is responsible for safeguarding unclaimed property.

“While we always work hard to give back unclaimed property to the rightful owners or heirs, we make an extra effort at this time of year to return money to non-profits because their generosity, kindness, and caring acts help so many people,” Frerichs said. “Our staff feels fortunate to play a small role in making the holiday season a little brighter for people who might be going through a challenging time.”

The $15,328 total being returned to LSSI consists of 42 cash properties from various sources, such as uncashed checks, insurance payments and vendors’ credits and refunds. The individual amounts range from one cent to $4,876, and the overall total includes $1,640 in interest paid on the assets.

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois was founded in 1867. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, LSSI served more than 42,000 children, adults, seniors and families through more than 50 offices across Illinois. The organization’s programs include foster care, mental health services, alcohol and drug treatment, affordable senior housing, home care services for older adults, residential programs for people with developmental disabilities, and programs that help people and families impacted by incarceration.

“Any family or individual can appreciate how much receiving unanticipated cash can help, particularly during the holidays, but it’s especially meaningful for nonprofit organizations who use the money to provide critical services,” said Mark A. Stutrud, LSSI President and CEO. “We’re deeply appreciative that the Treasurer’s office has streamlined the process for receiving unclaimed property. This can make such a difference in the lives of our clients, whether it’s using the money to support our vital programs or providing a Christmas present to a child who might otherwise go without.”

That’s such good news. But our work isn’t finished. We’re still a long way from the revised $45,000 goal set by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois to buy presents for foster kids. So, please, click here and contribute if you haven’t yet done so. Thanks!

Also, maybe click here and see if you have any unclaimed property, then send some or all of that LSSI’s direction. Just a thought.

  9 Comments      


Another day, another DeVore loss

Monday, Dec 12, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Peoria Journal Star…

The Municipal Officer’s Election Board for the City of Pekin voted 2-1 on Friday to remove mayoral candidate Becky Cloyd from the ballot. […]

The Electoral Board hearing was convened as a result of objections to Cloyd’s petition from Pekin residents John Burns and Tim Latronico. Both Burns and Latronico said Cloyd’s nomination petition was missing circulator’s information at the bottom of each page. Burns also said that some of the signatures had come from addresses outside of Pekin’s corporate city limits.

Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman testified that although Cloyd did not fill out the circulator’s information, she had circulated the petition herself, and had properly filled out her candidate information at the top of each page. Two of the signatories were determined to reside outside of Pekin’s corporate limits, he said. The board unanimously overruled the objections to the circulator’s information, but upheld the objection to the two signatures.

* Petitions are also supposed to be signed at the bottom of the page by the circulators. Two pages weren’t signed, so they were tossed…

Burns and Tim Latronico filed separate challenges to Cloyd’s nominating petitions, with the main objection being Cloyd failed to properly fill out and sign the circulator section at the bottom of each page. Cloyd served as her own signature and had filled out her address and provided her signature elsewhere on the petitions.

Cloyd was represented at the hearing by Tom DeVore, the former Republican candidate for Illinois Attorney General.

“These exact issues that were raised, those arguments have been in front of the courts of Illinois already, exactly as they were presented, and the case law is crystal clear that neither of those reasons are a sufficient basis to invalidate her petition,” said DeVore.

Early in the meeting, DeVore made a preliminary motion for [outgoing Mayor Mark Luft, who didn’t support Cloyd’s campaign] to be disqualified from the hearing. With the election code indicating the only barrier to eligibility is if the board member is also running for the office in question, the motion was voted down unanimously.

DeVore’s client is expected to appeal.

  19 Comments      


Porter: “We have to recognize a lot of people see us as angry white people that cannot be trusted to govern”

Monday, Dec 12, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From Rick Pearson’s story on the Illinois state GOP’s weekend meeting…

Republican National Committeeman Richard Porter drew the most audience criticism as he sought to focus on the need for post-election party unification and “respecting other perspectives” while calling for “no more RINO crap,” using the acronym Republican In Name Only, which conservatives use to attack moderates.

“We have to recognize a lot of people see us as angry white people that cannot be trusted to govern,” Porter said. “Now we know that’s not true, but they bought it. All right. We have to recognize the face we present to the public is who we are.” […]

“Republicans come in many flavors,” Porter said, prompting a man to reply, “No. One-flavor Republicans,” while a woman yelled, “You guys quashed good candidates.”

“One-flavor Republicans” is the very definition of an exclusive private club. Despite the protestations, however, party leadership remains intact.

Make sure to read the whole thing.

  62 Comments      


Group gears up to defend and nudge Democrats on guns

Monday, Dec 12, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…

There’s been sort of an unwritten rule the past several years in Springfield to stay away from doing things like ban assault weapons.

The votes to pass one have seemingly been there in both chambers, but the will of past Democratic leadership seemed to be to not overtly poke any big, cash-rich bears, like the National Rifle Association, or to alienate or electorally imperil conservative members of their Democratic caucuses.

Perhaps more importantly, Democratic leaders also haven’t wanted to unintentionally set off a pro-gun judicial tripwire that could not only kill the state law they passed but expand national gun owners’ rights even further and perhaps imperil other laws here and elsewhere.

Under duress from the federal judiciary several years ago, Illinois legislators approved a law allowing for concealed carry of firearms. Tucked into that law was a short, 10-day window allowing local governments to pass their own ordinances to ban assault weapons. Highland Park passed such an ordinance within the time limit, but other mayors figured that the state would eventually get around to banning the weapons, so they waited. Five years later, in 2018, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering and other suburban leaders went back to Springfield and asked, in lieu of statewide legislative action, that the local option to pass a ban be reinstated. Their proposal went nowhere.

Fast-forward to this past summer, when Highland Park was the scene of a horrific massacre at its Independence Day parade. A man fired an assault weapon 83 times within seconds and killed seven people, wounding 48 more.

Freshman Rep. Maura Hirschauer (D-Batavia) introduced an assault weapon ban this past January, but she had only picked up one co-sponsor before July 4. After the Highland Park shooting, Hirschauer signed up 55 more co-sponsors in quick order.

Hirschauer was not able to round up the 71 House votes it would’ve taken to pass a bill with an immediate effective date in the summer and fall. But I’m told it’s quite safe to say that she had lined up more than the bare majority of 60.

House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch convened several working groups over the summer, including the Firearm Safety & Reform Working Group, headed by state Rep. Bob Morgan, who was at the Highland Park parade. Morgan (D-Deerfield) and the working group rolled out House Bill 5855 last week, the Protect Illinois Communities Act. Among other things, the bill prohibits the sale of assault weapons and requires existing owners to register their weapons with the Illinois State Police.

The bill’s first hearing is Monday, Dec. 12. It’s widely assumed that Morgan has more than enough votes to pass his legislation after Jan. 1, when approval will only require a simple majority of 60 votes. Hirschauer is also helping line up votes.

But gun law reform groups aren’t taking any chances. A new not-for-profit group called “Protect Illinois Communities” has been formed to push for passage of the bill in both chambers.

The group will use “paid and grassroots engagement,” including TV ads, phones and direct mail, for a “well-funded” campaign that is apparently designed not only to counter groups like the National Rifle Association, but also to prod legislative Democrats to move past their reluctance and take some action. Expect a significant expenditure.

In the past, we’ve seen things like nearly identical bills advanced by each chamber, with nothing ever actually getting through both chambers and to the governor’s desk, or (as under former Gov. Bruce Rauner) only advanced to the governor’s desk in the face of a guaranteed veto that couldn’t be overridden.

So, keep an eye on the Senate, where the presiding officer has been a vociferous proponent of gun law reform his entire career, but whose caucus contains a sizable number of moderates who have wanted to shy away from such legislation.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Freedom Caucus issued a press release attacking Morgan’s Protect Illinois Communities Act proposal.

The group, composed of far-right Illinois House members, called on legislators “to fulfill their oath of office by standing up for our Constitution, even the parts of that document they don’t like.”

So, I asked the group’s spokesperson if members, who are all avowed Donald Trump supporters, had any thoughts about Trump’s recent claim that the 2020 election, which he still falsely claims was stolen, “allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”

It may not surprise you to learn that I never heard back.

Discuss.

  31 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Monday, Dec 12, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Monday, Dec 12, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Morning briefing

Monday, Dec 12, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Click here to help Sen. Bennett’s family…


* Here’s the roundup…

    * Tribune | Downstate Sen. Scott Bennett, who played major role in changes to SAFE-T Act, dies at 45: “We remain in complete shock because it was all so sudden and unexpected,” Bennett’s wife, Stacy, said in a statement shared by Bennett’s Senate office. “Scott lived a life full of service and constantly looked for ways to lend his time and energy to helping our community and state. He worked tirelessly to find solutions to society’s most pressing issues by finding common ground and compromise. To say he will be greatly missed is an understatement.”

    * Tribune | Republican grassroots activists vent post-election frustration at state GOP: More than a hundred grassroots activists, defeated candidates and party loyalists descended on a meeting of the Illinois Republican Party’s top leaders on Saturday, voicing frustration over last month’s election results that extended the state’s one-party Democratic governance. But after four hours and nearly 60 speakers, Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy survived a sometimes raucous Republican State Central Committee meeting at the Bolingbrook Golf Club to continue as head of the state party after contending some outside the state GOP were stirring dissent and seeking to challenge his leadership in order to try to boost their internet presence.

    * Capitol News Illinois | Illinois’ high court makes history: For the first time in its history, the state’s high court is made up of a majority of women judges. And it’s by a 5-2 margin.

    * Greg Hinz | How the Dems could still screw themselves in Springfield: I suspect it’s the House that’s worth keeping an eye on, both because it’s larger than the Senate with more folks who can stir up mischief and because Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch leads the biggest Democratic House majority in state history, the kind of majority that the indicted but shrewd Mike Madigan never wanted because it made enforcing caucus discipline much harder. Ergo, says one veteran Springfield Dem, keep an eye on pressure to bust the budget and spend money that a state that still has $140 billion in unfunded pension liability really doesn’t have. That pressure will be even more intense now that House Majority Leader Greg Harris, who had a real talent for getting budgets through, is retiring.

    * Daily Herald | What’s on the next secretary of state’s agenda: Among his top priorities is eliminating the “time tax” state residents pay to access simple government services, Giannoulias said in an interview last week. His agenda, which is still under review by a transition team, prioritizes developing digital licenses and state IDs that can be accessed by smartphones to cut costs and wait times.

    * Sun-Times | Cook County’s chief judge investigating court employees who got COVID-19 relief loans: Four workers in other county departments have quit or been fired this year while under suspicion of defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program.

    * Illinois Radio Network | Gov. Pritzker anticipates lawsuits over gun ban bills: “Not a constitutional lawyer but I will say that my expectation is that there will be lawsuits because once it’s passed the people who oppose it, that’s really all that’s left for them,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event. “I believe that this is a constitutional proposal.”

    * CBS Chicago | Glenwood police bust catalytic converter chop shop: Police said they recovered a total of 128 stolen catalytic converters with a value of around $54,000. Also recovered was a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, which was later stripped for parts. Along with the stolen items, police recovered several reciprocating saws, a loaded .45-caliber handgun and magazines, and cash that has been classified as illicit funds.

    * Tribune | White voters helped propel Lori Lightfoot to the mayor’s office in 2019. Will they stick with her in February: Northwest Side Ald. Nick Sposato, 38th, whose ward includes Portage Park and Dunning, said Wilson’s attempt to make inroads is working. “I’ll tell you who’s gonna do well on the Northwest Side: Willie Wilson. People associate him with them, that he’s a genuine, nice man, hardworking guy, who’s made sacrifices,” Sposato said.

    * Daily Herald | Road salt can harm the environment. So is there a better way to treat roads? Experts have ideas.: Kuykendall said one of the best strategies municipalities can adopt is applying a salt brine liquid mixture to roads both before and after icy storms. The mixture typically consists of salt brine, liquid calcium chloride and beet juice, which all work together to use less salt more effectively.

    * WJOL | Changes To One Day Rest in Seven Act Take Effect Jan. 1: Illinois officials are informing employers in state about changes to the One Day Rest in Seven Act set to take effect January 1st. The One Day Rest in Seven Act gives workers the right to a day of rest every workweek and breaks for meals or rest during daily work shifts. Changes include giving employees a 20-minute break if working a 12-hour shift or longer, and at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in every consecutive seven-day period. Also, all employers covered by the act must post a notice at the workplace notifying employees of their rights under the Act.

    * Ralph Martire | Illinois education funding shows benefits of bipartisanship: The reality is, it’d be in everyone’s interest if bipartisanship did not become a quaint vestige of America’s political past, but rather a rational way to resolve complex, societal problems. For proof, look no further than the great state of Illinois, and its relatively new school funding formula — the “Evidence Based Formula for Student Success” or “EBF.” As its name suggests, the EBF ties education funding to covering what the evidence shows works to enhance student achievement.

    * Crain’s | Rivian to be added to Nasdaq 100: Rivian Automotive Inc. and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. will be joining the Nasdaq 100 Index as part of its annual rebalancing, which adjusts the tech-heavy benchmark’s composition for changes in market capitalization.

    * Sun-Times | Docs to Pritzker: Truck diesel pollution is killing Illinoisans: More than 130 doctors, nurses and other health care professionals are urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to save Illinoisans’ lives by speeding up the state’s transition to electric trucks that will reduce the amount of diesel fuel air pollution.

    * Daily Herald | Children’s Tylenol, Motrin scarce as ‘tridemic’ hits northern Illinois: Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are the two most common medicines for treating babies and children with fevers or other illnesses at home. The Food and Drug Administration has not released an alert of any official shortage or recall.

    * Washington Post | The big Republican Latino realignment didn’t happen in 2022. What now?: Leading up to Election Day last month, Republicans were poised to claim major victories, from a red wave in the House to control of the Senate. As part of those grand expectations, they hoped the results would show that Latino voters were continuing to join their ranks. That prediction proved off the mark.

    * Crain’s | Latest Fulton Market plans could add 2,100 apartments, office space: On Dec. 14, all three firms will present their plans to the Chicago Committee on Design, which has posted their designs on its website. They’re joining a herd of developers that have stampeded into Fulton Market the past several years, putting up office buildings, hotels and, more recently, lots of apartments.

    * Sun-Times | City announces permanent bus lanes on Chicago Avenue; advocates worry about enforcement, frequency: Despite the city making “important changes,” activists worry infrequent service and scofflaw motorists will undermine the changes.

    * The Ringer | This Secret Society in Washington, D.C., Has One Agenda: Fly, Eagles, Fly: Washington media outlets, like the city itself, are crawling with fans of every NFL team. But Eagles fans are particularly noisy. The email thread is the place where they ponder the bad things that could happen after they start the season 11-1. As Anne Caprara, an emailer who is chief of staff to Illinois governor JB Pritzker, says, “You stumbled onto the Illuminati of Philly sports.”

    * Daily Herald | How families can safely gather during viral season: If families have plans to gather but want to be mindful about potential transmission, Kusma suggests members either do a mini quarantine one week ahead of the event or proactively limit the number of other people they see right before the holiday.

    * Crain’s | How City Hall’s World Cup withdrawals proved prescient: But come 2026, the city will miss out on the action because, in 2018, then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel withdrew Chicago from the 2026 bid, citing taxpayer risk and demands from FIFA, soccer’s governing body. What’s less well-remembered: In early 2010, Chicago also withdrew from a U.S. World Cup bid (for 2022) citing concerns about the cost to taxpayers and “a tough economy.”

    * Daily Star | Earth hit by intense blast of energy that’s ‘unlike any we have seen before’: The event was detected in December 2021 by NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The gamma-ray burst was significantly longer than average, which might normally suggest it had been produced by the collapse of a massive star into a supernova.

    * Shelly Palmer | ChatGPT In Its Own Words: ChatGPT has been all over the news. Last week, I asked it to help me write a blog post about Facebook – it did a very good job. Yesterday, just for fun, my son Brent and I asked it for 250 word answers to questions about history and philosophy. ChatGPT returned college-level answers. What exactly is ChatGPT? I asked it. Here’s its answer to the input “a five paragraph essay describing ChatGPT in your own words.”

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