Afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WGLT…
The Illinois Department of Corrections has failed to create and implement a plan to improve medical care at state prisons, a federal judge ruled Tuesday in an opinion that cited a history of delays by IDOC to comply with a 2019 federal consent decree.
In a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois’ Eastern Division, Judge Jorge L. Alonso reminded the IDOC of its obligation under a 2019 agreement to work with a court-appointed monitor to develop and put in place major improvements to health care. The lawsuit is based on a 2010 complaint from Don Lippert, a diabetic inmate at Stateville Correctional Center who claimed he was denied his twice-daily doses of insulin, that grew into a class action against the state.
“For reasons that the COVID-19 pandemic does not fully explain and that remain unclear to the Court, defendants never prepared and submitted any implementation plan that came close to fitting” the 2019 agreement until December 2021, said the judge.
Efforts to resolve differences between the state and the monitor’s recommendations broke down last year, resulting in the IDOC bringing a new version of the plan for the state’s 29,000 detainees to the table.
“Not only was this not the process that the parties agreed upon and that the Court had ordered, but plaintiffs and the monitor believe this new version of the plan had regressed rather than improved,” the judge said in his ruling.
* This is a good idea…
Republican members of the Illinois House and Senate will hold a press conference on Thursday to call for joint House and Senate Committee hearings to investigate reports of neglect and abuse at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in downstate Anna.
WHO: State Representative Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona), State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Okawville), State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro), State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy)
* “Iffy at best” is a quite charitable prognosis…
As promised, a new proposal for an Illinois graduated income tax has been introduced in Springfield, and though its prognosis is iffy at best, it is has some significant differences from the “fair tax” plan by Gov. J.B. Pritzker that voters rejected in a 2020 referendum.
Under legislation filed by state Sen. Rob Martwick, a Northwest Side Democrat, tax rates on low-income single filers would be cut to as low as 4%, well under the state’s current 4.95% flat rate and the 4.75% rate the governor proposed. The tax rate wouldn’t even hit the 4.75% mark until a person’s annual income tops $100,000.
* Tribune editorial…
Interestingly, DeSantis appeared before friendly law enforcement audiences in suburbs ringing three major cities. He also showed up Monday in Staten Island in New York City and Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia. He was hardly playing to stadium-sized crowds, although the panic his appearances caused was demonstrative of just how much he scares politically ambitious Democrats.
Panic? I’ve noticed lately lots of folks automatically claiming that fear or panic is the motivation when somebody goes negative on someone else. Maybe it’s just politics. That’s part of the way it’s been done in this country for centuries. Did DeSantis drag the governor’s family into his Pritzker slam Monday out of some sort of panic?
* Illinois Review…
As Illinois Review reported last month, State Rep. Dan Caulkins of Decatur had filed a lawsuit challenging Gov. JB Pritzker’s Assault Weapons Ban nearly identical to the three lawsuits filed by former Republican AG candidate Thomas DeVore. […]
But in a surprising turn of events, counsel for Rep. Caulkins filed a two-paragraph opposition to DeVore’s consolidation motion yesterday with the Illinois Supreme Court. Joining with Gov. JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Rep. Caulkins is opposing consolidation on the basis that his case – while nearly identical to and filed after DeVore’s initial case – is procedurally different than DeVore’s three cases. […]
An adverse ruling on Rep. Caulkins’ summary judgment motion could threaten DeVore’s three cases and the Temporary Restraining Orders in place for the 4713 Illinoisans and 148 federal firearms dealers, who currently are exempted from the restrictions put into place by the Assault Weapons Ban.
Please continue to follow Illinois Review and DeVore Law Offices for more updates as they become available.
* That’s a lot of dead deer…
Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 158,010 deer during all 2022-2023 archery and firearm seasons that concluded Jan. 15. The total preliminary deer harvest for all seasons compares with a total harvest of 146,438 deer for all seasons in 2021-2022.
During the 2022-2023 deer seasons, hunters took 45.04% females and 54.96% males.
Totals from specific seasons:
• Archery deer hunters took a preliminary total of 69,557 deer during the season that began Oct. 1 and concluded Jan. 15. The total archery harvest during the 2021-2022 season was 66,630 deer.
• Youth deer hunters harvested a preliminary total of 3,339 deer during the three-day Illinois youth deer season Oct. 8-10, compared to 1,847 in 2021.
• Traditional firearm season hunters took a preliminary total of 76,854 deer during the firearm season Nov. 18-20 and Dec. 1-4. This compares to a harvest of 70,456 deer taken during the 2021 firearm season.
• Muzzleloader hunters harvested a preliminary total of 2,856 deer during the muzzleloader-only season Dec. 9-11, compared with a harvest of 3,046 deer during the 2021 muzzleloader season.
• Late-winter seasons: The 2022-2023 late-winter anterless-only and special chronic wasting disease (CWD) deer seasons concluded Jan. 15 with a combined preliminary harvest total for both seasons of 5,404 deer. Season dates for the seven-day late-winter and CWD seasons were Dec. 29-Jan. 1 and Jan. 13-15. During the same seasons in 2021-2022, a total of 4,504 deer were taken.
Sixteen northern Illinois counties were open to the special CWD season, which is used to assist in slowing the spread of chronic wasting disease in the Illinois deer herd. And 24 counties were open for the late-winter anterless season in 2022-2023. Counties that are at or below their individual deer population goal for two consecutive years may be removed from the late-winter season.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* WCIA | Illinois Supreme Court announces date for SAFE-T Act constitutionality hearing: According to a schedule on the Illinois Supreme Court’s website, the court will hear oral arguments on the SAFE-T Act March 14.
* Quad-City Times | Pritzker touts Smart Start Illinois in Rock Island visit: Pritzker was joined by local officials and community members at a news conference Wednesday at the Skip-a-Long Child Development Services in Rock Island, discussing how the child care and early education investments could be transformative in addressing children’s developmental needs in the long term.
* Illinois Newsroom | Illinois food deserts grow as rural grocery stores close: Governor JB Pritzker drew attention to the issue during last week’s State of the State address, proposing a $20 million plan to help independent grocers open or expand in underserved areas.
* Daily Herald | License plate readers won’t be used for traffic enforcement, Des Plaines chief says: Rather, the images will help police in Des Plaines and other communities fight more significant crimes in which automobiles were used, Chief David Anderson told the city council during its scheduled meeting at city hall. He cited burglaries, robberies and catalytic converter thefts as examples of crimes the cameras could help solve.
* Crain’s | Amazon says it has completed $3.49 billion deal for One Medical: Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that the FTC, which has been probing Amazon’s market power for years, had decided not to challenge the deal. Instead the agency is issuing a letter warning Amazon and One Medical that the FTC investigation remains open. That paved the way for Amazon to finalize the acquisition.
* Oak Park | Political fund headed by Oak Park Dem faces late reporting fines: A political committee led by a prominent Oak Park Democrat that spent approximately $7.3 million to help Democrats win two crucial Illinois Supreme Court races last fall faces the prospect of thousands of dollars in fines for not properly disclosing the bulk of its spending in a timely manner. The All for Justice independent expenditure committee was founded last August by attorney Luke Casson, a former member of the Triton College Board, political director of the Democratic Party of Oak Park and a close friend and associate of Illinois State Senate President Don Harmon. Casson serves as chairman and treasurer of All for Justice.
* Crain’s | At 66, the Rev. James Meeks launches a second career as a homebuilder: In a long-disinvested neighborhood, revitalization is an uphill battle, fraught with obstacles like financing, high crime, the stability of homeowners who convert from renting and, according to Meeks, “skepticism.” Looking around the blocks on his project map, many of them gap-toothed with vacant lots, it’s difficult to picture the change he foresees.
* Belleville News-Democrat | Illinois fines Troy facility where resident with dementia died after wandering outside: The state has cited the assisted living facility Aspen Creek of Troy and fined it $4,000 after a resident with dementia wandered outside into below-freezing temperatures and died last month.
* WAND | Leaked Akorn video confirms company closure and mass layoffs: We also spoke with an employee leaving the 1222 W. Grand Ave. location who told us she was informed at a meeting Wednesday morning that “everyone” was being let go.
* Crain’s | $225 million U of C lab project underway in Hyde Park: The 302,388-square-foot building is breaking ground after several years of strong growth that made biotech and life sciences one of the strongest sectors in commercial real estate. Unlike technology or other types of office work, life sciences research doesn’t lend itself to remote work.
* The Gazette | GOP advances setting high thresholds for CO2 pipelines: Dozens of landowners and activists Tuesday swarmed the Iowa Capitol, asking lawmakers to ban eminent domain authority for proposed carbon dioxide pipelines as lawmakers advanced a bill that opponents say would be a “de facto ban” on the projects — and the bane of the state’s ethanol industry.
* The Guardian | US local news outlets need tax breaks to help save democracy, says advocate: The Rebuild Local News coalition is pushing for a comprehensive list of tax credits to keep afloat local newsrooms, such as a tax refund for local news digital subscribers, payroll tax credits for hiring and retaining local reporters, and a tax credit for small businesses to advertise in local news outlets.
* ABC | US home sales decline for 12th straight month as rates take bite out of affordability: Existing home sales declined 0.7% in January from the month before, the 12th straight month of decline to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4 million. Sales were down 36.9% from January 2022.
* Crain’s | A map to unify info from all of the food banks in Illinois: The Thierer Family Foundation announced today it has reached an agreement with all eight food banks in Illinois to power their tech for the map “that covers 100% of the food-insecure population in the state.” The food banks will use the foundation’s Vivery tool, a platform to help the population find resources that are tailored to their needs in a “contiguous map.”
* NBC | Supreme Court skeptical of claim that Twitter aided and abetted terrorist attack: Wednesday’s argument was the second part of a Big Tech double-header at the Supreme Court, where the justices wrestled Tuesday with a related case about whether Google-owned YouTube can be sued for similar conduct in connection with the killing of Nohemi Gonzalez, a U.S. college student, in the 2015 Paris attacks carried out by the Islamic State terrorist group.
* CBS Chicago | Instruments saved from WWII to be played at Illinois concerts: Dozens of musical instruments nearly lost during World War II were recovered and restored. Now they’re being played as a symbol of hope and survival. “Violins of Hope” is a series of concerts, exhibits, and other events coming to Illinois from April through September.
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That toddlin’ town roundup
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Next Tuesday the 28th is election day in Chicago. All votes must be counted two weeks later, on March 14. The final canvass is supposed to conclude a week later. The runoff is April 4. Paul Vallas is a heavy favorite to make the runoff, so he will likely start spending right away. But it’s possible that the city might not know who else is making the runoff for days while mail-in ballots arrive, which could give Vallas a head start.
* Rep. Kam Buckner is VP of Governmental Affairs at billboard company OUTFRONT Media. The company just filed an independent expenditure report of $23,925 to pay for a billboard boosting its employee’s mayoral bid.
* Johnson is doing a house party fundraiser the Saturday before election day?…
Johnson’s gross ratings points have dropped considerably during the final week. Not a great sign. But he does have lots of troops.
* Meanwhile…
* While we’re on the topic of money, here’s NBC 5…
As of Tuesday, Vallas had spent the most on television ads, at $3.5 million, compared to Garcia’s $1.7 million. García has also been outspent by Lightfoot, at $2.9 million; Willie Wilson, a millionaire businessman, at $2.74 million; and Cook County Board of Commissioners member Brandon Johnson, $2.75 million.
García is the only candidate who has been spending on Spanish-language advertising — about $118,000 so far.
Johnson has so far reported raising $2.4 million from teachers unions.
* We haven’t seen much paid media attacking Paul Vallas’ background. I figure that most operatives believe Vallas can’t be prevented from reaching the runoff, so why bother until the race is down to two candidates. But after the runoff, we could see amplifications of stuff like this and maybe this.
* The Get Stuff Done PAC has reported spending $85K to support Aida Flores and $62K to oppose Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez. Press release…
The Get Stuff Done PAC funded by some of the wealthiest white men in Chicago has officially broken the fundraising caps in the 25th ward aldermanic race in an attempt to install their puppet, Aida Flores, as alderperson.
“I fought to unite Pilsen, Little Village, Marshall Square and University Village into Chicago’s largest Latino ward so that our voices can finally be heard in City Council,” said Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez. “In my four years fighting for working class residents, I’ve never once heard from the likes of Michael Sacks, the Crown family or the Duchossois family about their apparently grave concerns for the people of the 25th ward.
“I welcome their input on how to keep long-term residents in their homes, reform the property tax system and combat the violence that tears through our communities, but I doubt they will ever want to have those conversations, much less spend a single day in the ward to gain even an ounce of understanding of the challenges we face.
“Instead, they hide behind their PAC, puppet masters trying to maneuver my opponent into office and return the 25th ward to the corruption and unchecked gentrification we suffered under disgraced former alderman Danny Solis.”
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Fox Chicago | Mail-in votes surge with one week to go: More than 100,000 Chicago voters have already cast ballots, prompting election officials to raise their estimate of how many votes will be cast by next Tuesday, when we count them all up.
* Sun-Times | Lightfoot campaign sent 9,900 emails seeking support from CPS, City Colleges staff, documents show: Four emails were sent to City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado — who reports to the mayor — at his work email address inviting him to a Lightfoot campaign event. In all, the mayor’s reelection campaign sent more than 9,900 emails to CPS and City Colleges staff beginning last April, according to documents obtained through public records requests that reveal the previously unreported breadth of the outreach to government employees. The emails went to at least 64 City Colleges staff members starting in July. It’s unclear how many individual CPS staff members were emailed, as those details were not provided.
* NBC Chicago | Lightfoot Holds Briefing to Address Criticism From Mendoza Over Police Pension and COVID: Pension benefits for police officers impacted by COVID are at the center of criticism from Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who questioned Mayor Lori Lightfoot after her brother was denied disability payments. With just one week before the Chicago mayoral election, Lightfoot addressed Mendoza’s claims.
* Tribune | Mayoral challenger Paul Vallas has promoted his schools resume, but blemishes garner scrutiny: While Vallas has been praised by some for boosting student test scores, straightening out day-to-day finances and restoring discipline to a Chicago school system once deemed the nation’s worst, he also has been criticized for over-stressing the importance of test scores, and he’s been asked to defend his handling of the district’s pension payments and for expanding school privatization and charter schools — ideas that have aged less well as union power has grown.
* Steve Cochran Show | ‘Chicago needs a symphony conductor, not an army general to lead the city.’ -Chicago mayoral candidate Rep. Kam Buckner: Chicago mayoral candidate Rep. Kam Buckner joins the Steve Cochran Show to talk about why Republicans should vote for him, how to encourage businesses to be a part of the resurgence of Chicago, and he shares his action plan to create a safer city.
* NBC Chicago | Chicago mayoral candidate Chuy García wants to make history — and unite a city divided over crime: Three years before he was elected to Congress, García, 66, waged a 2015 mayoral run that galvanized a cross-cultural coalition of voters, many excited about the possibility of the city’s first Latino mayor. He forced then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff. He lost, but his grassroots campaign energized progressives and Latinos. Now, he’s trying to woo a pandemic-battered city where residents uneasy about crime are forcing him to reassure them he can keep them safe while not rolling back reforms brought about by violence against Black and brown residents.
* Sun-Times | Nine candidates between two neighboring South Side wards look to build businesses to reduce crime: Though the field of candidates for the 21st Ward office has been cut in half, seven still remain, pushing alternatives to conventional policing, while in the nearby 18th Ward, only one candidate is challenging incumbent Ald. Derrick Curtis.
* WGN | City agrees to settle 1 of 3 lawsuits brought by CPD officers against lieutenant: CPD officer Xavier Chism filed a federal lawsuit in March 2022 against the city and Lt. Jason Brown. Chism, who worked under Brown in the CPD’s Narcotics Division, alleged that Brown and another supervisor conducted an unwarranted search of public records that were tied Chism and then retaliated against him after he refused to lie about what happened.
* Chicago Reader | Julian ‘Jumpin’ Perez makes the leap into Chicago politics: I’m a music journalist, and that’s why I’ve come to Humboldt Park to talk to Perez in the middle of December. We’re sitting in the spartan offices on Augusta Boulevard that serve as his satellite campaign headquarters. In July, Perez formally announced a run for alderperson of Chicago’s 26th Ward, whose sawtoothed borders enclose parts of Humboldt Park and Ukrainian Village, along with slivers of Logan Square and Hermosa. I wanted to know: Why does he want this office?
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Theater of the absurd
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday, we talked about a Wirepoints interview of Paul Vallas on Critical Race Theory…
Wirepoints: Yeah, Paul, I often wonder if you’re a Black kid, why wouldn’t you become a criminal if you’re hearing this stuff in school? It’s everybody with white skin is an oppressor, if you have black skin, you’re the oppressed. That makes it pretty easy to justify pretty bad conduct in my opinion.
Vallas: You’re absolutely right. But what you’re also doing, you know, you’re giving people an excuse for bad behavior.
So, I gotta wonder if this Illinois history lesson will push Asian American kids into a life of crime /s…
More here.
…Adding… Rep. Maurice West’s HB1633…
Provides that the State Education Equity Committee shall include a member from an organization that works for economic, educational, and social progress for Native Americans and promotes strong sustainable communities through advocacy, collaboration, and innovation. Requires the State Superintendent of Education to convene a Native American Curriculum Advisory Council. Creates the Native American Curriculum Task Force. Provides that the unit of instruction on the Holocaust and genocides shall include instruction on the Native American genocide in North America. Provides that, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of the Native American experience and Native American history within the Midwest and the State since time immemorial. Provides that the teaching of the history of the United States shall include the study of the role and contributions of Native Americans and teaching about Native Americans’ sovereignty and self-determination.
There’s something similar to the Pekin mascot issue going on in West’s district.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Herald & Review…
The Decatur City Council, with a 6-1 vote, urged state lawmakers to maintain the current TIF structure without additional restrictions that have been proposed in legislation filed earlier this month.
“There are certainly some bad examples of how communities have used TIF,” said deputy city manager Jon Kindseth. “I don’t believe that Decatur is one of those and TIFs are working for the city. And so this resolution really would be filed with other cities showing the support to the state legislators urging them to leave it alone, as it is written.”
State Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, filed two TIF-related bills this month.
* Illinois Family Institute press release…
Hello, Illinoisans, it’s baaack!
Yes, an amendment to the “Equitable Restrooms Act” is back thanks, ironically, to a woman—at least I think State Representative Katie Stuart (D-Collinsville) is a woman. It’s hard to tell these days.
Stuart has resurrected a moribund amendment to the Equitable Restrooms Act, which was passed in 2019 and took effect January 1, 2020.
* Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas…
Creates the Freelance Worker Protection Act. Provides that freelance workers must be compensated by hiring parties for their services in a timely manner. Provides that whenever a hiring party retains the services of a freelance worker, the contract between the hiring party and the freelance worker shall be reduced to writing and signed by both parties. Provides that no hiring party shall threaten, intimidate, discipline, harass, deny a work opportunity to, or discriminate against a freelance worker, or take any other action that penalizes a freelance worker for, or is reasonably likely to deter a freelance worker from, exercising or attempting to exercise any right guaranteed under the Act. Contains provisions concerning enforcement; civil enforcement; public policy and intent; public awareness; reports; coordination; and rulemaking by the Department of Labor. Effective July 1, 2024.
* Press release…
A new state legislative proposal will expand opportunities for people to seal their eviction court records, which will increase equitable access to homes.
The eviction sealing legislation, introduced in the House by State Representative La Shawn Ford (HB 1569), and in the Senate by State Senator Karina Villa (SB 242), seals certain eviction cases when:
* The case is dismissed;
* The tenant wins the case;
* A satisfaction of judgment is filed;
* The parties agree to seal; or
* There is no material violation of the lease.
The legislation also seals eviction records older than 7 years old, dismisses and seals open cases where the parties have taken no action for 180 days, and prohibits tenant screening companies from disseminating information about a sealed court file.
“Sealing eviction records does not negate the application process. Landlords will still be able to screen tenants by doing credit and reference checks,” said Representative Ford. “Too often, when an old eviction case shows up on a screening report, the landlord automatically denies housing without allowing the potential tenant to make the case that they will be a good, responsible tenant. That isn’t fair.”
Eviction filings hamper tenants’ ability to find a new home, regardless of the outcome of the case. Based on pre-pandemic data, more than 50% of eviction filings in Illinois do not result in a judgment against the tenant. The mere filing of an eviction does not mean the tenant was actually evicted, did not pay their rent, or cannot meet future rental obligations– filings remain in the public record indefinitely. These filings stain the tenant’s record and ultimately trap people and families in poverty.
National and local data show that Black and Latinx renters are disproportionately at risk of an eviction filing. This is especially true for female headed households.
As part of the COVID-19 Emergency Housing Act (Public Act 102-005), the State of Illinois passed a temporary state law that allowed more people to have their eviction records sealed. However, those provisions sunset in 2022. As a result, tenant eviction records remain publicly available even when there has been no judgment against them. This includes cases that were dismissed, cases where tenants successfully defended against the eviction, or cases when tenants were evicted through no fault of their own.
While the temporary sealing provisions were in effect, The Law Center for Better Housing (LCBH) hosted 15 community-based clinics. Over nine months, LCBH helped hundreds of tenants seal 1,058 old eviction records.
* HB3891 sponsored by Rep. Sonya Harper…
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that beginning January 1, 2024, all handgun ammunition that is manufactured, imported into the State for sale or personal use, kept for sale, offered or exposed for sale, sold, given, lent, or possessed shall be serialized. Provides that beginning January 1, 2024, any person who manufactures, causes to be manufactured, imports into the State for sale or personal use, keeps for sale, offers or exposes for sale, or who gives or lends any handgun ammunition that is not serialized is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. Provides that beginning January 1, 2024, any person who possesses in any public place any handgun ammunition that is not serialized is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. Provides exceptions. Provides that beginning January 1, 2024, the Illinois State Police shall maintain a centralized registry of all reports of handgun ammunition transactions reported to the Illinois State Police in a manner prescribed by the Illinois State Police. Provides that information in the registry, upon proper application for that information, shall be furnished to peace officers and authorized employees of the Illinois State Police or to the person listed in the registry as the owner of the particular handgun ammunition. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall adopt rules relating to the assessment and collection of end-user fees in an amount not to exceed $0.005 per round of handgun ammunition or per bullet, in which the accumulated fee amount may not exceed the cost to pay for the infrastructure, implementation, operational, enforcement, and future development costs of these provisions. Effective January 1, 2024, except some provisions effective immediately.
* My Journal Courier…
A bill in the Illinois legislature proposed by state Democrats would give certain families a monthly stipend to spend on diapers.
Senate Bill 1294 was filed Feb. 3 by Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago. If passed, it would give parents with a monthly income at or below 100% of federal poverty guidelines an allowance of $70 per child ages 3 years old or younger to be spent exclusively on diapers.
The bill still is in the early stages of the legislative process; it was assigned Feb. 14 to the appropriations committee for health and human services, where it now sits. It has picked up five co-sponsors, all of whom are Democrats. […]
Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, said there are some aspects of SB1294 that he wants to examine, such as the poverty threshold being 100%. The threshold for such programs usually is 200% of poverty guidelines, Davidsmeyer said. He also wants to add certain stipulations to “complicated pregnancies,” such as twins or children born with health issues, he said.
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (”IDFPR”) announced today the Consumer Financial Protection and Innovation Package, a pair of legislative initiatives designed to protect Illinois residents from financial fraud and abuse and establish regulatory oversight of cryptocurrencies and the broader digital asset marketplace.
The Fintech-Digital Asset Bill (HB 3479/SB 2233) establishes regulations for digital asset businesses and modernizes regulations for money transmission in Illinois, while the Consumer Financial Protection Bill (HB 3483/SB 2232) empowers IDFPR to enforce those regulations and strengthens its authority and resources for existing consumer financial protections. Both measures are sponsored by Representative Mark Walker in the House and Senator Laura Ellman in the Senate.
“States occupy a core role in overseeing the financial marketplace and Illinois stands ready to usher in the future of consumer financial protection,” said IDFPR Secretary Mario Treto, Jr. “These two proposals combined will bring Illinois consumer financial protection into the digital age and provide 21st Century protections for 21st Century threats.”
Like regulation in place in New York and under consideration in the California legislature, the Fintech-Digital Asset Bill requires digital asset exchanges and other digital asset businesses to obtain a license from IDFPR to operate in Illinois. The bill also establishes robust customer protections, including investment disclosures, customer asset safeguards, and customer service standards. Additionally, the bill requires companies to have plans and procedures for addressing critical risks such as cybersecurity, business continuity, fraud, and money laundering, as well as sufficient financial resources to effectively conduct their business in Illinois. Further, the bill replaces the Transmitters of Money Act (205 ILCS 657) with the Money Transmission Modernization Act, thereby harmonizing state licensing, regulation, and supervision of money transmitters operating across state lines. The bill also allows for the creation of trust companies for the special purpose of acting as a fiduciary to safeguard customers’ digital assets.
* Center Square…
State Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, said her Senate Bill 1345 is an extension of a bill that already allows for undocumented residents to vote on local school councils in Chicago. She said this needs to be expanded across the state because these families have children in public schools where they pay taxes. […]
The bill, if passed into law, would task the Illinois State Board of Education to create a voter registration affidavit as a way for “a noncitizen of the United States” to register to vote in school board elections. […]
State Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, said Villanueva’s bill goes too far. […]
“People are worried about things like Chinese balloons and so forth, right, so why wouldn’t it be possible for someone to infiltrate our electoral system if they’re not a citizen,” Bryant said. “No, that is a right that is afforded to American citizens.”
* Press release…
State legislators, backed by the Coalition for Plastic Reduction that includes more than 35 organizations, introduced legislation on Wednesday to phase out the use of single-use plastic polystyrene foam foodware.
The EPA estimates that Americans throw away almost 70 million plastic foam cups every day. Twenty-two million pounds of plastic enter the Great Lakes each year and just over half of that ends up in Lake Michigan alone. The legislation would phase out foam foodware starting in 2024.
“Our constituents have trusted us with the responsibility of enacting policies that protect our state’s most precious natural resources,” said State Sen. Laura Fine, chief sponsor of SB100. “Passing this legislation is necessary to lighten our environmental footprint, reduce single-use plastic pollution, and preserve our environment for generations to come.”
Plastic persists in the environment for hundreds of years. As a result, scientists have discovered plastic pollution in every corner of the globe, from mountain tops to ocean trenches, and inside human bodies.
“A vital part of building a sustainable future is eliminating non-biodegradable pollutants like foam, which create an enduring problem that future generations will have to deal with,” said state Rep. Gong-Gershowitz, chief sponsor of HB2376. “Using greener alternatives to sfoam that break down naturally is an important step forward for Illinois and helps maintain our status as a national leader on environmental stewardship.”
Already, eight states and roughly 200 cities and municipalities have enacted bans on polystyrene foam containers.
* Public News Service…
A pair of Illinois state lawmakers is introducing legislation to phase out what is known as the “subminimum wage” for tipped workers in the restaurant industry.
The measures were introduced on behalf of One Fair Wage, an advocacy organization for service workers, and several other groups pushing for changes in how employees in the hospitality business are paid.
Rep. Camille Lilly, D-Oak Park, said though there are some restaurants which “even up” employees’ tips to make sure they make a minimum hourly wage, many workers still earn incomes below the poverty line.
“Our proposed legislation graduates and phases subminimum wage out of our system here in Illinois,” Lilly explained. “Our workers here in Illinois deserve quality of life, and the subminimum wage does not allow that.”
Lilly noted the bill would phase out tips over the next three years and set the hourly wage at $15 by 2025. Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia opposes the bill, saying safeguards are in place to protect service workers. He argued the additional costs would likely be passed on to customers, hurting businesses and their workers.
* A throwback…
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Today’s number: 703 days
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a slide-show presented today to a legislative committee by Illinois Office to Prevent & End Homelessness director Christine Haley…
…Adding… The governor’s office followed up with some info on the proposed Home Illinois program…
Home Illinois begins with a new investment of $50 million this year, bringing total funding to $350 million in key investments to increase homeless prevention, support crisis response, expand housing units and staff, and ensure every person has the opportunity to thrive.
Investments include:
* $26 million to provide homelessness prevention services to 5,000 more families
More than $155 million to support unhoused populations seeking shelter and services $25 million in Rapid ReHousing services to 1,000 households, including short-term rental
assistance and targeted support services
* $40 million for more than 90 new permanent supportive housing units and wraparound
supports and $37 million to create more than 460 non-congregate shelter units $12.5 million to create 500 new scattered site permanent supportive housing units
* More than $30 million to provide street outreach, medical respite, re-entry services, access to counsel and other shelter diversion supports
* $5 million for a new workforce development pilot to help homeless adults attain and retain employment
And…
$50 million increase to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) so families can afford basic necessities like transportation, electricity, and food
* Increases monthly grant payment from 30% to 40% of Federal Poverty Level, meaning an eligible household with one adult and one child will see their grant increase from $340 to $452 per month
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pritzker was asked yesterday in Peoria how he intends to spark interest among potential childcare and pre-K workers to alleviate the shortage…
So let me begin by reminding you what it was like to be a childcare worker four years ago. Four years ago, we had a minimum wage in Illinois that was $8.25. Typical child care worker in Illinois was maybe making $9.25, maybe $10. And the opportunity to go get $11 an hour was enough for many families who are living at poverty level to just decide, yeah, I’ve got to move on. I need to bring more dollars home.
And so it’s been obvious to me for a couple of decades now that childcare workers, just picking them for a moment, have been vastly underpaid, too close to minimum wage, and the minimum wage has been too low. And so we’ve worked over the last four years, as you know, we’ve been raising the minimum wage by about $1 a year. We’re going to $15 but now we have to be competitive with other industries. And there are so few people out there looking for jobs as compared to the number of jobs available that wages have gone even higher than $15 an hour.
So we’re looking to first raise wages for people in childcare to $17-$19 to begin with. And then beyond that, because we need people who want to stay in the industry, can stay in the industry with the wages that are being provided.
So wages are one thing. Training is another and we can talk about early childhood educators, those who have a higher education degree, whether it’s for an early childhood pre-K program, or something else. And those folks are, these are teachers. These are teachers just like the teachers that are in kindergarten, just like teachers in fifth grade, just like teachers in high school. They need a degree and they’ve got to be able to justify getting that degree with the wages that are provided.
So lifting up wages across the board is hugely important and then making sure that we’re showing people that there’s a path in early childhood for them to do better and better over time. And that’s one of the reasons that Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas, who’s not here with us today, came to me a year and a half ago and said, Let’s take some ARPA dollars and dedicat it to a two-year program to try to upskill people who are in early childhood already, but maybe don’t have a higher degree so that we can bring people along, bring the pipeline of teachers along, which we’re also doing now in K-12. But this is something very important, we put $200 million aside for those scholarship programs. And then what I’m proposing to do in this coming year, and for the next three years after that in FY 25, 26 and 27 is to continue that because we need more and more people to raise up in the early childhood field. Quality teachers, more teachers, better pay, these are all things that make up a better workforce in early childhood so that we can expand and have more kids.
* At a later event in Macomb, Pritzker was asked about some of his own pre-school memories…
Sure. I’ll just say, I was thinking about it today. They didn’t call it preschool back then. I’m just old enough so that, I don’t know 54 or five years ago, I guess, I was in what they commonly called nursery school, which was sort of a year or two before kindergarten. And I remember Mrs. Romes was the person in charge. And honestly, one of the great times of one’s life is those early years, and especially when you feel safe, when someone who’s caring for you and in the classroom is constantly helping you learn without excoriating you for not knowing something and who just exudes love. And I think that’s, that’s what great early childhood teachers, and I could tell a Mallory does that in her classroom as well.
Both of my kids went to preschool as well, two different ones that were different places. One was better for one of my kids, one was better for the other. So fortunately, we were able to afford to pay for it ourselves. And these were private providers that we went to. I’m sure that the one that I went to when I was a little kid was also a private provider. But remember, if you can’t afford a private provider, every child, every child needs early childhood services, needs early childhood learning. And so I want to make sure that everybody in the state of Illinois has that ability.
I didn’t go to preschool, but my mom was a school teacher at the time, as were two of her sisters, so I had my own advantages.
* The Question: What are your own pre-K school memories, if any? This can apply to your personal experiences as well as the experiences of your children/grandchildren.
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* We discussed this Tribune report yesterday about a recent $415,000 loan made by the Chicago Teachers Union’s operating fund to its campaign funds…
“The loan to the CTU’s Political Action funds simply moves money from when we collect it (after the 2023 municipal election) to the time we need it (during the 2023 municipal election),” said an email bulletin to members Feb. 12. “The loans will be repaid with political funds we collect between the end of February and the end of June.”
Campaign finance records show the transfers aren’t without precedent. The CTU contributed around $323,000 in 2015 to the CTU-led Chicagoans United for Economic Security super PAC, which is a committee allowed to raise and spend unlimited funds advocating for or against certain candidates. The union separately gave around $570,000 that same year to then-Cook County Commissioner Jesús “Chuy” García’s unsuccessful campaign for mayor. […]
Boyle and Alison Eichhorn, a fellow delegate and former union trustee, claim that only a fraction of the money the union transferred in 2015 — to help a candidate it’s no longer endorsing — has been repaid. Four years later in 2019, the Chicagoans United for Economic Security super PAC transferred around $72,000 back to the union, campaign finance data show. Boyle said a repayment plan for the remainder of the loan was included in the CTU budget that year, but that no budget since then has reflected any payments.
* From a lawyer pal, who is backing a different mayoral candidate…
The loan that CTU took from its operating fund to its political action committee is illegal. There may be no caps on in the mayoral race, but there is a cap on the CTU PAC. Only a loan from a financial institution is not considered a contribution under the campaign finance law.
(B) “Contribution” does not include:
(f) a loan of money by a national or State bank or credit union made in accordance with the applicable banking laws and regulations and in the ordinary course of business, but the loan shall be listed on disclosure reports required by this Article; however, the use, ownership, or control of any security for such a loan, if provided by a person other than the candidate or his or her committee, qualifies as a contribution………
(Source: P.A. 96-832, eff. 1-1-11.)
The remedy is the [committee] must return the contribution or donate it to charity.
The statute is here.
* I sent all this to Matt Dietrich at the Illinois State Board of Elections. His reply…
Since this was described as a loan from the CTU operating fund to its PAC, it would fall under contribution limits. Your lawyer friend is right that only bank loans are not subject to contribution limits. So it appears to be a potential violation, but we won’t know for sure until we notify the committee and give them 30 days to take corrective action. Then, if they don’t do that, we will assess them and see what kind of defense they offer if/when they appeal.
I’ve reached out to CTU for comment.
…Adding… More from Dietrich…
Also, we sent them a letter seeking clarification on Feb. 9, the day the A-1 with the $140,000 was filed. I didn’t know that when I sent the earlier reply.
*** UPDATE *** Matt Dietrich at the Illinois State Board of Elections…
CTU is now saying that the contributions in question were actually aggregated member dues, not loans.
Attorney Larry Suffredin will compose letters in each case to confirm the receipt amounts in each instance were aggregated dues. We’ll make that part of the public filing for each committee. We have asked him to instruct each committee to report such receipts more transparently on the front end in the future (perhaps using parenthetical information after the donor/lender name) to head off a repeat of the confusion here.
I would expect the explanatory letters to appear in the committee files on our website tomorrow. If this is the case, there would be no violation.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Good morning! What’s going on in your part of Illinois?
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here’s the roundup…
* CBS Chicago | Lightfoot denies Mendoza claims she directed board to deny full benefits for cops disabled by COVID: “Any suggestion that I or anyone in my administration is indifferent to the cause and suffering of first-responders when it comes to COVID issues is just utter nonsense,” she said. “In my administration, we simply don’t play politics with the pension code, and we don’t play politics with the law.”
* WMBD | Pritzker promotes early childhood education proposal in Peoria: Pritzker ackhowledged getting enough people to fill early childhood and child care jobs has been a problem, and raising the minimum wage — as the state has done each of the last several years — may not be enough.
* WTTW | CTA’s Reliance on Overtime Continued to Rise in 2022 as Agency Lost Bus Drivers: Records obtained by WTTW News show that 14.5% of the agency’s operator workforce was paid for average weeks of 50 hours or more in 2022. That’s an increase from 13.6% of operators in 2021.
* Chicago Mag | Nabeela Syed; The Gen Z Legislator: Last spring, during her campaign for the Illinois House of Representatives, Nabeela Syed was knocking on doors when she passed out in front of a potential constituent. “It was Ramadan, and I was fasting,” Syed, a devout Muslim, recalls. “I fainted on someone’s doorstep!”
* Capitol News Illinois | New law allows Illinoisans to change sex on birth certificate without doctor’s affirmation: By removing the need of a health care professional to reaffirm an individual’s gender change status, the law makes it easier for a person’s documents to be consistent, according to a statement from state Sen. Laura Fine, D-Glenview, a lead sponsor on the bill.
* WAND | Illinois engineers push for tax credits to attract workers amid shortage: The American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois wants state lawmakers to pass several bills this spring to address a shortage of over 82,000 workers.
* Center Square | Illinois lawmakers eying reappointment of child welfare director: State Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, was asked about Pritzker’s appointment, which still needs to be approved by the Senate within 60 session days of the appointment. “We will be taking that up as part of the executive appointments process, so I am not going to get ahead of that,” Gillespie said. “We know there are issues within DCFS that need to be fixed. Nobody is denying that.”
* WAND | Illinois Republicans hope ICC, IPA can help address high energy bills, capacity concerns: An Illinois House Joint Committee had the opportunity to hear from the Illinois Commerce Commission and Illinois Power Agency Tuesday afternoon. The ICC is trying to achieve market reforms to help build up the capacity for customers in the MISO region. The organization understands there is a shortfall right now, but ICC Public Utility Bureau Chief Jim Zolnierek said all hands are on deck.
* Center Square | Group says Illinois’ biometric privacy laws could cripple businesses: “Seventeen billion dollars for statutory violations,” Phil Melin, executive director of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse-Illinois, told The Center Square. “That is going to kill businesses, and the Supreme Court said as much in their decision, I mean literally, White Castle won’t be able to pay that much money.”
* Jim Dey | Governor’s wind-farm reversal rubs more salt in downstaters’ wounds: The legislation also would require municipal officials in the Windy City to “place multiple wind-energy facilities in each public park.” What’s this about? A political double-cross, and a political disconnect.
* Greg Harris | Nation should follow Illinois’ lead and protect patients by banning health copay accumulators: Illinois was one of the first states in the country to ban copay accumulators with a measure enacted into law in 2019. I was proud to sponsor this legislation because patients — not PBMs — should realize the savings from manufacturer coupons and support from nonprofits and charitable organizations.
* Crain’s | Huge jackpots boost Illinois Lottery to record sales: Two of the biggest jackpots in American history apparently were good for business at the Illinois Lottery — and for the state of Illinois treasury. Lottery officials today reported record sales of $1.8 billion in the six months that ended Dec. 31, with proceeds to the state also hitting a high of $468 million.
* KSDK | What the mayor says about St. Louis being labeled the ‘least safe’ city in the country: “Obviously there’s a disconnect,” said Jones. “WalletHub doesn’t live here, and isn’t here, but if they take random statistics from random newspapers then of course. You’re only looking at a population of 300,000 people, so those rates are going to seem like it’s violent.”
* Politico | Joe may not run — and top Dems are quietly preparing: Biden’s past decisions around seeking the presidency have been protracted, painstaking affairs. This time, he has slipped past his most ambitious timetable, as previously outlined by advisers, to launch in February. Now they are coalescing around April.
* Illinois Newsroom | Illinois Congressman Eric Sorensen is ‘optimistic’ Congress can pass a new farm bill: In today’s deep dive, we’ll hear from new Illinois congressman Eric Sorensen, who will talk about the chances of getting a new farm bill passed by September.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Illinois Supreme Court has set a March 14 hearing for SAFE-T Act oral arguments.
* The Daily Herald on the Florida governor’s speech yesterday in the Chicago suburbs…
DeSantis also criticized legislation and policies in other states, including Illinois, that he labeled anti-police, such as a controversial — and legally stalled — plan to eliminate cash bail here.
He blamed crime rates on “politicians putting woke ideology ahead of public safety” and complained about the “woke-ification of law enforcement,” lines that got the expected responses from the audience.
Gov. Pritzker was asked about the woke stuff today…
[Gov. DeSantis] tries to use this word ‘woke’ to describe everything. He doesn’t even know what the word means, and he has no definition of it. It’s just anything he doesn’t like is ‘wokeism.’ And all I can tell you is that I don’t know what that means. And frankly, what I can say about Illinois is that we’re a state that cares about equity. We’re a state that cares about our families. We’re making the investments that are required so that our youngest children will do better and better. And I’m really excited about the direction of our state, as opposed to a state where they don’t make the investments that are necessary to lift up their education system, or their healthcare system.
* Gov. DeSantis also attacked Gov. Pritzker’s family, aided by Politico…
“During Covid, even though your governor would lock you down, his family was in Florida,” DeSantis said, referring to Pritzker family members who retreated to their second home in Florida during the pandemic.
Um, they were in Florida before the stay at home order was issued and then sheltered in place (his kid goes to college there). Did they know what was coming? Probably. Not saying it was the case with them, but I had friends down there who were miserable during the spring. The beaches and pools were closed. The restaurants and taverns were shuttered. And then summer hit and COVID zoomed as people retreated indoors to avoid the Florida heat and humidity. I put off visiting the Sunshine State to the fall, when cases were rising in Springfield as people went back inside and Florida’s dropped because people could enjoy the outdoors again.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker today announced he will join the Reproductive Freedom Alliance (RFA), a non-partisan group of state Governors focused on working alongside one another to identify best practices for legislative and executive action to protect reproductive rights. The RFA will work in partnership with The Raben Group to facilitate conversations and share information on successes and risks in the fight for reproductive justice. […]
Twenty states representing over 167 million Americans have signed on to the Alliance. Members of the RFA will share strategies on advancing legislative and executive action to protect reproductive rights. 11 states have full bans on abortion in place, and many more have restrictions to access that can prevent patients receiving care. Illinois is one of the only states in the Midwest to have maintained protection for abortion services since the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year. […]
The states who have signed on to the Alliance include: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.
* WCIA…
If you live in a rural area, you may have to travel far to get to a grocery store. But the governor has a plan for that.
One part of the State of the State address Wednesday was Governor J.B. Pritzker proposing the Illinois Grocery Initiative.
The Illinois Grocery Initiative is a plan to invest $20 million in local to fight food deserts to expand food access by opening more grocery stores in underserved communities. The governor also wants at least $2 million to go to buying produce from local farmers.
* IMA…
The initial round of voting is now open in the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association’s (IMA) fourth annual “Makers Madness” contest, a bracket-style tournament in which the public will decide what product earns the 2023 title of The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.
Presented by Comcast Business, the competition celebrates the incredible work of manufacturers across Illinois, which have long served as the backbone of our state’s economy. A recent study found the total economic impact of manufacturing in Illinois is estimated to be between $580 billion and $611 billion every year – the largest share of any industry to the state’s Gross Domestic Product.
Nearly 250 unique products from every corner of the state were nominated for this year’s contest, with nominees ranging from agriculture equipment and COVID testing supplies to iconic pantry staples, sweet treats and a variety of vehicles. Voting throughout the contest will take place at www.makersmadnessil.com, where voters can now choose which products will advance to the Top 16. Voting for this round is open now and runs through 11:59 p.m. on March 5, and participants can vote for up to five times per day. Consecutive rounds of voting in head-to-head matchups will take place each week, culminating with an awards ceremony on March 29 when The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois will be named.
* Before the rumors start, I do not live in Orland Park and I am not running for Orland Fire Protection District Trustee…
No relation that I’m aware of.
* Paczki day!
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Pantagraph | Sen. Duckworth to lead delegation to Indonesia, Japan: While on a congressional trip to South Korea last summer, Sen. Tammy Duckworth was drinking coffee with a vice president at LG Corp when she made an offhand remark that had more impact than she could have known at the time. The remark, about the geology that makes Illinois uniquely positioned for carbon sequestration, ended up being the catalyst for sparking a larger conversation that culminated months later with LG announcing a partnership with Archer Daniels Midland Co. to construct facilities in Decatur that will produce thousands of tons of environmentally-friendly ingredients.
* Our Quad Cities | ‘New Illinois’ sets meetings to pursue forming new state: “The United States Constitution gives us the right to a representative government in Article IV, Section 4,” the release says. “However, in Illinois this is not the case. All power in Illinois government is concentrated in Cook County and Chicago. This leaves the rest of the States’ residents with no real representation.”
* WQAD | Family of man killed by law enforcement in Toulon says deadly force was not necessary: Rodney Williams’ family told News 8 that he had been struggling with mental health for three years after being diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
* The Guardian | US local news outlets need tax breaks to help save democracy, says advocate: Steven Waldman, co-founder of Report for America, said a new initiative, called Rebuild Local News, wanted to revitalize hundreds of local news outlets across America decimated by changes in the industry, shifts in the sector’s advertising revenue structure and more recently, the pandemic.
* Crain’s | Chicago’s Black restaurant owners develop their own recipes for financial success: Hart is among a growing number of Black entrepreneurs in Chicago’s food and hospitality industry, and across the country, who are positioning their businesses for growth. They say it’s time to move beyond the kitchen and mostly menial restaurant and food service jobs, a stigma they’re working to erase as they seek increased economic mobility.
* Sun-Times | Bally’s recruiting dealers for Chicago casino: Classes begin in April. Dealers who complete the course, pass an “audition” and obtain a gaming license will be able to hit the casino floor when it opens this summer at the company’s temporary location at the Medinah Temple, 600 N. Wabash Ave. Bally’s hopes to open its permanent casino, which still needs to be built on the site of the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center publishing site in River West, in 2026.
* WBEZ | Bridgeport Bakery has prepped thousands of paczki, but they won’t last long: This week, Lao anticipates they’ll sell 10,000 paczki when it’s all said and done — although he admits he hasn’t had time to tally up all the orders. It’s scaled back from the bakery’s heyday, when they’d move north of 25,000 pastries on Paczki Day to devotees lined up for blocks.
* NPR | Instagram and Facebook launch new paid verification service, Meta Verified: The monthly subscription service will start at $11.99 a month on the web or $14.99 a month on iOS or Android. In addition to a verification badge, the service includes more protection against impersonating accounts, increased visibility in areas such as search and recommendations, and more direct access to customer support, according to a news release.
* Daily Herald | DuPage forest preserve board retains legislative lobbyist: The board on Tuesday approved a one-year, $60,000 contract to retain Government Navigation Group as the district’s lobbying firm.
* SJ-R | Bob Vose, the ‘Korndog King’ and northend stalwart, dies at 94: Vose was known for championing those beautification projects. He became the “unofficial caretaker of Monument Avenue,” the northern extension of First Street, according to SangamonLink, the online history of the Sangamon County Historical Society. Vose raised money for banners and signs and personally tended to trees and flowers in the parkway leading to Oak Ridge Cemetery.
* The Guardian | In Wisconsin’s supreme court race, a super-rich beer family calls the shots: Millions of dollars have been injected into the battle by members of the Uihlein family, a manufacturing dynasty with roots in Milwaukee. The huge sums could help determine the balance of power on the state’s top court and in turn influence critical areas of public life – from abortion to voting rights, and potentially even the 2024 presidential election.
* NPR | An activist group is spreading misinformation to stop solar projects in rural America : Citizens for Responsible Solar is part of a growing backlash against renewable energy in rural communities across the United States. The group, which was started in 2019 and appears to use strategies honed by other activists in campaigns against the wind industry, has helped local groups fighting solar projects in at least 10 states including Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, according to its website.
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Sen. Peters’ SB1887…
Creates the Digital Property Protection and Law Enforcement Act. Provides that upon a valid request from the Attorney General or a State’s Attorney, made pursuant to the substantive or procedural laws of the State, a court may order any appropriate blockchain transaction for digital property or for the execution of a smart contract. Provides that a blockchain network that processes a blockchain transaction originating in the State at any time after the effective date of the Act shall process a court-ordered blockchain transaction without the need for the private key associated with the digital property or smart contract. Provides that upon a petition by the Attorney General or a State’s Attorney, the court shall assess a civil penalty of between $5,000 and $10,000 for each day that the blockchain network fails to comply with the order. Sets forth provisions concerning protection of digital property and contract rights, security interests, and service of process. Defines terms. Effective 30 days after becoming law.
* Coin Telegraph…
A recently introduced Illinois Senate Bill has been ridiculed by the crypto community over its “unworkable” plans to force blockchain miners and validators to do “impossible things” — such as reversing transactions if ordered to do so by a state court. […]
Titled the “Digital Property Protection and Law Enforcement Act,” the bill would authorize the courts — upon a valid request from the attorney general or a state’s attorney that is made pursuant to the laws of Illinois — to order a blockchain transaction that is executed via a smart contract to be altered or rescinded. […]
[Florida-based lawyer Drew] Hinkes described the bill as “the most unworkable state law” related to blockchain and cryptocurrency that he has ever seen. […]
The bill states that any blockchain miners and validators may be fined between $5,000-10,000 for each day that they fail to comply with court orders.
While acknowledging the need to implement bills that strengthen consumer protection, Hinkes said it would be “impossible” for miners and validators to comply with the bill proposed by Senator Peters.
* Press release…
Local families would have expanded access to full-day kindergarten under legislation recently introduced by state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights.
“Requiring full-day kindergarten is a common sense solution to closing the achievement gap and setting our youngest learners up for a lifetime of success,” Canty said. “Full-day kindergarten not only benefits students, but also allows teachers to know their students better and increases access to safe, dependable child care for working parents.”
Currently, school districts may provide either half-day or full-day kindergarten. Canty’s House Bill 2396 requires school districts to establish kindergarten with full-day attendance beginning with the 2023-2024 school year. Research from the National Education Association demonstrates that full-day kindergarten improves students’ academic achievement, strengthens social and emotional skills, and produces long-term educational gains for low income and minority students.
“Our children are our greatest resource and it’s time we start treating them as such. When we invest in our youngest learners, everyone benefits,” Canty said. “We must give Illinois students the classroom time they need to reach their full potential, and full-day kindergarten is the way to do that,” Canty said.”
* WAND…
Illinois could enhance the penalties for impaired drivers who kill someone and injure others. Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) has filed the same proposal several times over the past few years, but his plan has never gained traction. McClure hopes to see “Lindsey’s Law” passed this spring.
McClure wants to honor the life of Lindsey Sharp, a 26-year-old woman hit by a drunk driver in a Springfield Walmart parking lot in 2015. […]
McClure argued that intoxicated drivers should be charged with a Class 2 felony if they kill someone and cause great bodily harm, permanent disability, or disfigurement of others. […]
The driver in Lindsey’s case, Antione Willis, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated DUI. However, McClure said Lindsey’s boyfriend and son deserved justice too, and his bill would require an additional four to 20 years in prison for anyone breaking the law.
While some think this is a common sense change, McClure said his bill hasn’t gained support in the past because many Democratic lawmakers are opposed to penalty enhancements.
* Rep. Blaine Wilhour is sponsoring HB3953…
Amends the Lobbyist Registration Act. Provides that the term “official” as used under the Act includes specified officials of a unit of local government. Modifies the terms “lobby” and “lobbying” to include communications with units of local government for the ultimate purpose of influencing any executive, legislative, or administrative action, and further specifies such actions. Modifies the term “lobbyist” to mean a natural person who, on behalf of any person other than himself or herself, or as any part of his or her duties as an employee of another, undertakes to influence or lobby for any executive, legislative, or administrative action for State government or a unit of local government.
* Rep. Curtis Tarver…
Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Removes provisions providing that a person is not eligible to take the oath of office for a municipal office if that person has been convicted of certain crimes. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a person convicted of a felony, bribery, perjury, or other infamous crime (rather than a felony) for an offense committed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act while he or she was serving as a public official is ineligible to hold any local public office (in addition to being ineligible to hold an office created by the Constitution of the State) unless the person’s conviction is reversed or until the completion of his or her sentence and his or her eligibility to hold office is restored. Amends the Officials Convicted of Infamous Crimes Act and the Election Code making conforming changes.
* Press release…
Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse-Illinois (CALA-IL) is calling on Illinois legislators to immediately draft corrective legislation to the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) to clarify the Illinois Supreme Court’s devastating ruling Friday that could lead to the financial destruction of Illinois businesses.
In a 4-3 decision in Cothron v. White Castle, the IL Supreme Court determined a separate claim accrues each time a private entity scans or transmits an individual’s biometric identifier. The ruling increases White Castle’s potential liability from $95 million to more than $17 billion and could destroy the company and other Illinois businesses facing similar claims.
“CALA-IL agrees with the majority and minority opinions in Cothron v. White Castle that BIPA will result in the reckless financial destruction of businesses operating in Illinois,” said CALA-IL Executive Director Phil Melin. “It is vital that the Legislature now heeds the recommendation of the Supreme Court majority and ‘make clear its intent regarding the assessment of damages under [BIPA]’ (Pg. 15). “
Melin added, “The Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) is a poorly drafted law that allows trial attorneys to obtain ludicrously excessive damage amounts that are far out of proportion with any sane estimation of harm. The ramifications of this decision will extend beyond the financial destruction of one beloved 102-year-old Midwest restraint chain, as the shock waves of this 4-3 decision ripple through the Illinois economy.”
* Jonah Newman from Injustice Watch…
I first became interested in the judicial FOIA loophole when I was looking into issues at the Cook County juvenile detention center as a reporter at the Chicago Reporter. In 2018, I requested a slew of records from Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans, whose office oversees the juvenile jail. I was shocked to learn that I could more easily access information about the conditions inside the adult jail, which is run by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, than about a detention center holding kids as young as 12. I convened a meeting of journalists, advocates, and lawyers whom I thought might be interested in working to solve this problem. Five years later, several of those organizations have formed the Court Transparency Coalition, which is gathering support for Tarver’s bill. (Injustice Watch is not a member of the coalition but has participated in meetings to discuss issues with court access.)
To Evans’ credit, his office eventually provided detailed data showing every time a young person at the detention center was confined to their room. The data formed the basis of my 2018 investigation into the juvenile jail’s increased use of room confinement as a form of discipline, even as national experts told Evans and the detention center’s leadership that practices were harmful to youths. My story prompted hearings before the county board and led Evans to create a blue-ribbon committee to investigate the use of room confinement. (In a report last year, the committee agreed with outside experts that it was used too often.)
Since I arrived at Injustice Watch in 2019, I have repeatedly requested updated room confinement data from the chief judge’s office to see whether anything has changed. Evans’ office stonewalled me again and again. It was only when I reached out again for a comment from Evans on this piece that his office finally provided me with the data that I’ve been requesting for years. (A spokesperson said in an email collecting the data was “time-consuming,” and my deadline for this commentary “was only one of many factors that determined when it was delivered to you.”)
If HB2455 passes, requests for information from the courts would not just depend on the mercy of the chief judge or the clerk of the court in office at any given time. They would have five business days to respond to a records request — just like every other public agency in the state. The public would be able to appeal denials of FOIA requests to the Illinois attorney general or file lawsuits to force them to comply. The courts could still withhold personal information, juvenile court records, and other types of information already exempt from FOIA or protected by state law, including misconduct complaints against sitting judges, which are confidential under the Illinois Constitution.
This bill isn’t about making our jobs at Injustice Watch easier. It’s about ensuring equal access to justice in Illinois. Every day, thousands of people enter courthouses across Illinois seeking justice. They might be asking for protection from an abuser, fighting to keep their home, working to keep custody of their children, or navigating a criminal case as a victim or a defendant. We know the court system has historically favored people with wealth and racial privilege and disproportionately harmed those without. But the public can only fight for a more fair and just court system if we have complete information about the workings of the courts. Without transparency, it’s impossible to have true accountability.
* BGA…
* Rep. Maurice West…
Creates the Public Official Privacy Act. Provides that government agencies, persons, businesses, and associations shall not publicly post or display publicly available content that includes an official’s personal information, provided that the government agency, person, business, or association has received a written request from the person that it refrain from disclosing the person’s personal information. Provides injunctive or declaratory relief if the Act is violated. Includes procedures for a written request. Provides that it is a Class 3 felony for any person to knowingly and publicly post on the Internet the personal information of an official or an official’s immediate family in a manner posing an imminent and serious threat to the official or the official’s immediate family. Excludes criminal penalties for employees of government agencies who publish information in good faith during the ordinary course of carrying out public functions. Provides that the Act and any rules adopted to implement the Act shall be construed broadly to favor the protection of the personal information of officials. Amends various Acts and Codes allowing an official to list a business address rather than a home address and makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.
* Press release…
As the nation begins the celebration of National Engineering Week, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC Illinois) has unveiled its 2023 Legislative Agenda focused on retaining and recruiting engineers to deal with a skills-gap shortage while protecting Rebuild Illinois.
The agenda includes several pieces of legislation that will prioritize the development of engineering talent for the workforce, promote engineering innovation, protect engineering companies and ensure Illinois’ Road, transportation and physical infrastructure projects continue to be well-funded by the state and completed by the most qualified professionals in the industry. This strong emphasis on developing a pipeline of workers to keep our state competitive follows Governor Pritzker’s remarks during his budget address last week. […]
ACEC-IL 2023 Legislative Agenda
• Preserve REBUILD Illinois: In order to keep Illinois’, promise to citizens to repair, maintain and upgrade Illinois’ infrastructure to support a 21st Century economy, ACEC Illinois will oppose efforts to roll back funding for ReBuild Illinois. Legislation, such as HB 1575, that would undo the state’s infrastructure improvement program would be actively opposed by ACEC Illinois.
• State Innovation Tax Credit (HB2423) (SB 2084): This legislation creates a State of Illinois innovation tax credit that would be administered by the Department of Revenue, rather than the IRS, aiding in the state’s goal of attracting more research and development programs to Illinois. This legislation is sponsored by Rep. Marty Moylan and Senator Don DeWitte.
• Retain Illinois Students of Engineering (RISE) Tax Credit (HB 2425) (SB 2282): Helping attract and retain engineers as the industry faces a shortage of educated talent, this legislation provides for a tax credit of 10% of the salary paid to recent graduates of Illinois’ engineering schools and 5% of the salary paid to recent graduates of engineering schools outside of Illinois. This legislation is sponsored by Rep. Marty Moylan and Senator Ram Villivalam.
• Incentivize Engineering Talent for IDOT (HB 2424) (SB 2190): With shortages in qualified engineers facing the industry, this legislation would enable IDOT to provide student loan repayment assistance to qualifying employees that meet certain requirements, helping to incentivize educated professionals to work on the state’s highest priority infrastructure projects. This legislation is sponsored by Michael Marron and Senator Ram Villivalam.
• Certificate of Merit for Civil Suits (SB 1615): To reduce the cost of frivolous litigation, this legislation would require a civil engineer to sign an affidavit certifying that malpractice may have taken place in his or her professional opinion before a suit can be filed against an engineer or firm. This legislation is sponsored by Senator Don DeWitte.
• Knowledge Transfer Innovation Act (HB 2559): To ensure Illinois’ most innovative engineering firms are able to share their cutting-edge technology and design approaches with state agencies, this legislation allows for greater communication and knowledge transfer between the private and public sector. This legislation is sponsored by Rep. Marty Moylan.
• Commitment to Qualifications Based Selection Process Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) Processes have proven to protect taxpayers, drive innovation, encourage diversity, and deliver projects on-time and on-budget. This resolution will renew the state’s commitment to QBS which is already the long-standing policy of the State of Illinois, considered the industry standard, and is required by law in 46 states. This measure will be introduced as a resolution.
* Rep. Adam Niemerg…
Parents and students deserve an agenda free education and under the Freedom of Education Act, they would be guaranteed that right, according to Illinois Freedom Caucus member State Representatives Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich), the sponsor of the legislation.
“During the pandemic, parents witnessed the kind of curriculum being taught to their kids and for many of them, it was an eye-opening experience,” Niemerg said. “But opting out of classes parents find objectionable has proven to be more challenging than it should be. The Freedom of Education Act protects the right of conscience for students and parents.”
House Bill 2184 creates the Freedom of Education Act and prevents public school districts and universities and colleges from compelling a student to personally affirm, adopt, or adhere to specified tenets. It also gives students, parents, and legal guardians the right to object to and refuse any unit of instruction or required course of study that directs, requires, or otherwise compels a student to personally affirm, adopt, or adhere to any of the specified tenets and requires school boards to review and resolve objections to the school curriculum.
“Education should be about helping students learn how to think rather than teaching them what to think,” Niemerg said. “There is no place in our schools for cultural indoctrination. We must protect and preserve parental rights.”
House Bill 2184 has been introduced and awaits assignment to a legislative committee.
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* From page 58 of the governor’s new Budget Book. I’m told that CMS has some proposed legislation, and “there have been some preliminary meetings with stakeholders”…
The Community College Insurance Program (CIP) is a jointly funded health insurance program for community college retirees. Statute determines the amount paid by the State, community colleges, retiree participants and active community college employees. Current contributions only fund 76 percent of the liability which results in unpaid bills. Without statutory change, the backlog of bills for this program will reach $110 million by the end of fiscal year 2024. This represents a backlog of unpaid bills of 38 months.
Currently, active employees, community college districts and the State each contribute at a rate of 0.5 percent of active employee pay (approximately $5.2 million/year each). Unlike other programs, CIP has no statutory escalator on the contribution rate; as a result, the contribution rate today is the same as it was 20 years ago.
With no rate changes, CMS projects CIP will have a deficit of approximately $214 million by fiscal year 2032, which would create a bill backlog of about four and a half years. The Governor proposes working with stakeholders to address the needs of the program. To demonstrate the State’s commitment to the program, an additional $25 million was contributed from the fiscal year 2023 budget. Future contributions will be determined by the outcome of the work with the stakeholders.
Oof.
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That toddlin’ town roundup
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune reports on a recent $415,000 loan made by the Chicago Teachers Union’s operating fund to its campaign funds…
“The loan to the CTU’s Political Action funds simply moves money from when we collect it (after the 2023 municipal election) to the time we need it (during the 2023 municipal election),” said an email bulletin to members Feb. 12. “The loans will be repaid with political funds we collect between the end of February and the end of June.”
Campaign finance records show the transfers aren’t without precedent. The CTU contributed around $323,000 in 2015 to the CTU-led Chicagoans United for Economic Security super PAC, which is a committee allowed to raise and spend unlimited funds advocating for or against certain candidates. The union separately gave around $570,000 that same year to then-Cook County Commissioner Jesús “Chuy” García’s unsuccessful campaign for mayor. […]
Boyle and Alison Eichhorn, a fellow delegate and former union trustee, claim that only a fraction of the money the union transferred in 2015 — to help a candidate it’s no longer endorsing — has been repaid. Four years later in 2019, the Chicagoans United for Economic Security super PAC transferred around $72,000 back to the union, campaign finance data show. Boyle said a repayment plan for the remainder of the loan was included in the CTU budget that year, but that no budget since then has reflected any payments.
* The CTU’s Brandon Johnson had a weekly radio show, and the archives are likely chock full of opposition research possibilities. On this particular episode, Johnson said of “our” move to “redirect and defund” the amount of money that is spent on policing: “I don’t look at it as a slogan. It’s actually, it’s an actual real political goal”…
* New García ad…
* Bit of payback perhaps?…
2023 Chicago mayoral candidate Jesús “Chuy” García endorsed Samie Martinez, a challenger to incumbent Ald. Rossana Rodriguez (33rd Ward), a spokesperson for the campaign confirmed on Feb. 18. The endorsement puts García in bed with allies of former Mayor Harold Washington’s fiercest enemies, including former 33rd Ward Ald. Dick Mell. García was once an ally in the City Council to Washington and frequently refers to that legacy as proof of his own progressive bona fides.
Rodriguez is a member of the Socialist, Progressive Reform and Latino Caucuses. She was among a wave of progressives who were elected to City Council in 2019. She won the seat after defeating Deb Mell, who had been appointed to replace her father Dick Mell, who was the 33rd Ward alder from 1975 to 2013. Laith Shaban, an investment advisor and housing developer, is also challenging Rodriguez.
Along with progressive incumbent alders such as Daniel La Spata (1st Ward), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward), Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward) and Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward), Rodriguez has endorsed Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson for mayor.
* Money…
* Ben Joravsky…
Vallas has certainly won Chicago’s MAGA vote—as well he should. He’s been courting it for the last few years, showing up at an Awake Illinois fundraiser, hanging out with John Catanzara, the controversial Trump-loving president of the Fraternal Order of Police, and appearing on the Jeanne Ives podcast.
Ives is the far-right, anti-abortion zealot who ran against former Governor Bruce Rauner in the 2018 Republican primary because he, Rauner, wasn’t conservative enough. And there was Vallas on her show, sounding like Ron DeSantis, going on and on about masked mandates, evil teachers unions, wokeness, etc.
Vallas has a MAGA-style hatred for the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). His voucher proposal to use millions in TIF dollars to subsidize private, non-union schools has the potential to do what even Rauner couldn’t accomplish—destroy CTU and public education in Chicago.
* As a reminder, Darren Bailey said “take back our state” a whole lot during the last campaign. Vallas is not another Bailey, but he does use a lot of the same rhetorical devices and hangs out with some of the same people…
* Paul Vallas talked about Critical Race Theory on a Wirepoints podcast in 2021…
Vallas: When you introduce a curriculum that is not only divisive, but a curriculum that further undermines the relationship of children with their parents, with their families, that’s a dangerous thing. And for White parents, I mean, how are you going to discipline your child when your child comes home and your child has basically been told, you know, that their generation, their race, their parents, their grandparents they have discriminated against others and they have somehow victimized another person’s race. Or for that matter, if you are a Black child, how do you go home and and listen to your parent when your parent has failed to be successful in addressing these historically racist institutional obstacles that have denied them a chance at equal opportunity> So I think it’s detracting from our need to focus on our core subject areas. It’s allowing us to avoid accountability in terms of the quality of our teaching the quality of our schools, and I think it’s not only divisive, but I think it does damage between the children and their own and their own parents, their own family and within their own families.
Wirepoints: Yeah, Paul, I often wonder if you’re a Black kid, why wouldn’t you become a criminal if you’re hearing this stuff in school? It’s everybody with white skin is an oppressor if you have black skin, you’re the oppressed. That makes it pretty easy to justify pretty bad conduct in my opinion.
Vallas: You’re absolutely right. But what you’re also doing, you know, you’re giving people an excuse for bad behavior.
The professional suburban victim and the only White mayoral candidate are oh so worried that Black kids could be convinced by CRT (which is not taught in any K-12 schools here) to become criminals? Great.
* CBS 2…
Vallas also wants to stop the exodus of Chicago residents. He has proposed a property tax cap of 3% per assessment cycle, to keep people from being taxed out of their homes.
The people who will benefit the most from that will be people who live in affluent neighborhoods with rising property values. Guess who they’re voting for? Everyone else will have to pick up the slack.
* Buckner campaign…
Many candidates have talked about their plans to reform City Hall, but no other candidate has offered concrete steps the next Mayor can take to make city government more responsive to residents and representative of the 77 neighborhoods that make up Chicago.
“Today I’m committing to a reform agenda for City Council to make it operate like a true legislative body and not a feudal system governed by arcane traditions,” said candidate for mayor Kam Buckner.
“First and foremost Chicago should have a City Charter. Every other big city in America has one, but here we’ve only ever had ‘the Chicago way.’ City Council shouldn’t be a rubber stamp for the mayor, it should be able to elect its own leadership and be governed by rules that prevent unilateral action by the mayor, which Lori Lightfoot took to an extreme during COVID.”
Buckner’s plan also calls for a better process to enable more resident-lead ordinances, removes the selection of Committee chairs from the Mayor’s purview, sets stricter standards of transparency for the Office of the Inspector General and eliminates Rule 41, which gives the Mayor too much power to shape how the Council conducts its business.
“I am also calling for a community-facing ward map redistricting process ahead of the next census,” said Buckner. “The machine politics of old nearly tore the Council apart this year. While Mayor Lightfoot stood back and let it happen, the next Mayor must start right away together with the Council and community organizations to devise a better, more transparent process.”
Full plan is available on Buckner’s website
* On to other campaigns. Press release…
Today, Alderman Gilbert Villegas received the endorsement of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for his re-election in Chicago’s 36th Ward.
“As Alderman of the 36th Ward, Gilbert Villegas has made expanding access to city services and increasing public safety his top priorities. Alderman Villegas is a voice for his community, a fearless champion for justice, and a trusted leader on the City Council. We need him re-elected for all of Chicago & I’m proud to endorse him for 36th Ward Alderman,” Governor Pritzker said.
Governor Pritzker’s endorsement only further strengthens Gilbert’s robust list of endorsements, which also include Senator Tammy Duckworth, Congressman Mike Quigley, Congressman Danny Davis, Congressman Chuy Garcia, Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Federation of Labor, Better Streets Chicago, Illinois Nurses Association, UNITE HERE Local 1, AFSCME, UFCW Local 881, IUOE Local 150, Chicago Firefighters Local 2, and more.
* And a campaign committee called People For Rogers Park is not set up as an independent expenditure committee, yet the PAC just reported an independent expenditure opposing Chicago Ald. Maria Hadden. Odd.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* ABC Chicago | Mayor Lightfoot: ‘I misspoke’ when telling voters who don’t vote for her not to vote at all: “If I said anything other than everybody everywhere needs to vote then I misspoke in the heat of a campaign rally,” she said. “But I’ve been very consistent all along saying everybody everywhere needs to step up, and they need to vote just as I said today.”
* Tribune | Chuy García gets personal in latest Chicago mayor campaign ad: ‘I nearly lost my son to the gangs’: “I’ve lost friends and neighbors to gun violence. I nearly lost my son to the gangs. We can’t afford to lose one more kid. So I won’t stand for a failed mayor so desperate, all she can do is run a false smear campaign against me,” Garcia says in the ad, while sitting at a table.
* Sun-Times | Where the money’s come from in Chicago’s mayoral race: Campaigns aren’t required to report the names of contributors giving less than $150 per quarter but must report the totals received. Campaigns also can benefit from money collected by outside political action committees — so called “dark money” funds that don’t have to disclose who makes contributions but also aren’t allowed to work with any campaigns directly.
* WTTW | Political Funds Backed by Business Leaders Challenge Push by Progressives to Expand Power at City Hall: The Get Stuff Done PAC — an independent expenditure committee chaired by Michael Ruemmler, an adviser to former Mayor Rahm Emanuel — has raised $1.74 million since early December, including $1 million from Michael Sacks, of Grosvenor Capital Management, one of Chicago’s richest men and a frequent donor and adviser to Emanuel.
* Tribune | City Council members appointed by Mayor Lightfoot find ties to her are a double-edged sword: Though Ramirez had already announced her intention to run for the Southwest Side 12th Ward seat and knew being appointed would give her a three-month head start, Ramirez said she didn’t want Lightfoot’s political baggage.
* CBS Chicago | GoodKids MadCity to host youth-led Chicago mayoral town hall: Leaders of GoodKids MadCity announced Monday they are hosting a mayoral town hall on Wednesday at Northwestern Law School. They are also calling for the City Council to pass the so-called Peace Book Ordinance they created to stop the violence in the city. The group also wants to lower the voting age to 16.
* Block Club | Ranked Choice Voting In Chicago? System Would Save City Money And Be More Democratic, Alderman Says: Ald. Matt Martin (47th) introduced a resolution to City Council last week calling for a hearing to discuss an increasingly popular idea: ranked choice voting.
* Tribune | South Loop high school proposed for former public housing site should be built elsewhere, elected officials and activists argue: At the time of the vote, detractors argued the plans to build the new school were rushed and the expensive project — expected to cost $120 million — meant existing schools wouldn’t get funding. However, Chinatown leaders argued the school is desperately needed in the growing area.
* Block Club | Ald. Jason Ervin No Longer Running Unopposed After 28th Ward Challenger Added Back To Ballot — For Now: Voters who live in the 28th Ward won’t be able to pick up ballots until they can be reprinted to include Walker, who was originally kicked off the ballot because election authorities determined he didn’t submit enough signatures to run. The Illinois Appellate Court ruled Friday that Walker has more than enough valid signatures to run for alderperson and his name should be put back on the ballot, according to court documents.
* The Crusader | 21st Ward candidate fabricated Morehouse academic credentials: A Crusader investigation of Mosley’s academic credentials revealed that the ambitious 31-year-old community organizer never graduated from Morehouse College. He fabricated his academic credentials and got a job as a political advisor with Gov. Pritzker’s office despite having just a high school diploma.
* ABC Chicago | Some say vacant industrial land would be better site for new Near South CPS high school: “Use the land you already have, don’t spend the 10 million of CPS to buy a piece of land, it could go to underfunded schools,” said Roderick Wilson of Lugenia Burns Hope Center.
* Block Club | Ald. Matt O’Shea Declines Multiple Invitations To Debate His 19th Ward Challengers, Frustrating Some Residents: O’Shea’s refusal to participate in political debates is not new to this election cycle. In 2019, he declined an invitation to participate in a Southwest Side GOP forum with challenger David Dewar, citing a scheduling conflict.
* Center for Illinois Politics | Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia Runs for Chicago Mayor Inspired by Harold Washington’s Legacy: “I’m just delighted and feel some major backup in the fact that I was awarded with the Punch 9 ballot position,” laughs Garcia – the same ballot position that Washington drew in his history-making 1987 mayoral race.
* Block Club | Softball Leagues That Called Grant Park Home For Decades Get Booted Due To NASCAR Deal, Big Music Fests: “It looks almost impossible to run a consistent Softball League down at Grant Park this Spring/Summer,” a park supervisor for Grant Park wrote in an email Lally provided to Block Club Chicago. “I know you are aware of the events that are being held in Grant Park this year. We may have a couple windows of time that we could host a quick tournament or a couple games. A full season does not seem doable.”
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The owners will likely ask for infrastructure help down the road, but so far the Bears haven’t asked for any direct state funding…
* The owners instead want a new state law to allow them to essentially negotiate a local property tax payment…
Called a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILT, the new subsidy is similar to tax increment financing, with a couple of key wrinkles: Initial tax payment amounts would be negotiated between the company and local taxing bodies rather than tied to property appraisals, and it would be available only for investments of $500 million or more. The Bears’ proposed project is estimated at $5 billion.
Some argue PILTs will help Illinois municipalities land major investments that will create tons of high-paying jobs — like maybe an electric vehicle battery plant. Others say they’re open-ended giveaways to rich companies.
* One very big problem…
It was on November 15, 2000, that then-Mayor Richard Daley called reporters to a skybox at Soldier Field, to unveil his new vision for the stadium. […]
But as the press and public focused on the aesthetics of the stadium, which would become the smallest in the National Football League, few examined the fine print of the deal itself: a $587 million plan where the Bears and the NFL each chipped in $100 million, with the remaining $387 million to be financed by public bonds, backed by a hotel/motel tax levied in the city of Chicago.
Documents obtained by NBC 5 Investigates show the actual bond issue by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority came to $398 million. But today, more than 20 years after that money was borrowed, the ISFA still owes over $383 million in principal, and more than $256 million in interest.
That’s a total of over $640 million, $63 million more than was originally borrowed, even after making payments for more than 20 years.
Another “ramp.”
* The Question: Could you support the Bears’ “payment in lieu of taxes” bill if the team is also forced to promptly pay off all the remaining Soldier Field debt? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
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Better management, please
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The typical angry, knee-jerk reaction likely prompted by yet another Fox News uproar…
Make no mistake, this is a very real problem. Nobody wants people to be homeless. Some just don’t want to ever see it. Others want to solve it. The powers that be too often try to find some sort of middle ground that just hasn’t worked.
* The mayor’s response via the Sun-Times…
In remarks to reporters Thursday, the mayor acknowledged the seriousness of the problem — which she said was different than encampments beneath viaducts, in parks and elsewhere on city streets — even as she argued that the conservative media had blown the issue out of proportion.
“We have taken and will continue to take the steps that are necessary to move people out of the airports,” she said. “The airports are a very different place than on the street under an underpass.”
I’m sure Chicagoans just loved to hear that last sentence.
* Keep in mind that the area near the airport is also struggling with the problem, according to Block Club Chicago…
The city’s 2022 data suggests the number of unhoused people decreased since 2021. Advocates say the counting strategy vastly underestimates homelessness, not accounting for people more hidden from public view or temporarily doubling up with others.
“On the Northwest Side, we don’t have any of the infrastructure and so there are more publicly-facing homeless people … but we [also] have a lot of people tucked away,” said Monica Dillon, who runs The Northwest Side Homeless Outreach volunteer group. “There’s chronic pervasive homelessness versus transitory homeless folks — and those are the numbers that are through the roof and not always captured by an annual count.”
* Also from the same Sun-Times report…
But a law enforcement source said that starting this week, additional police manpower has been dedicated to offering services to homeless people — and removing those who don’t accept the help.
As we’ve discussed time and time again, police mismanagement has stretched the force way too thin. And now officers are supposedly “offering services” to homeless people when the city already is paying a contractor to do just that?
* Tribune…
While sheltering at the airport isn’t new, the steadily increasing number of people doing it is, said Jessica Dubuar, director of health and specialty services at Haymarket Center. The center has conducted outreach operations out of O’Hare to address homelessness in public transportation since 1990. […]
In addition, the number of beds in homeless shelters was decreased at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and never restored. Meanwhile, migrants who have recently arrived in the city are using homeless shelters, and homeless shelters across the city are overwhelmed.
But just replacing the beds that the city previously cut isn’t gonna work in the long term. Temporary shelter is just that.
* For now, though, they’ve been swept under the rug a week before election day…
As CBS 2’s Marissa Perlman reported Friday night, homeless advocates are wondering where all those people will end up.
But in Terminal 1, they are gone. Near baggage claim in the terminal at 10 p.m. on any given night, you would typically see dozens of homeless community members taking shelter from the cold. Just two weeks ago, homeless people were seen sleeping on heating grates and crowding the terminal.
Out of sight, out of mind. Until they’re once again no longer out of sight.
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Another look at Pritzker’s budget
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
After taking a pandemic-induced hiatus from proposing large, permanent base spending increases and instead using most revenue increases for one-time expenditures, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s recently proposed fiscal year 2024 state budget appears to increase base operational spending by at least $2.75 billion, or 7.9%.
Annual pension payments will also rise by a relatively modest $201 million, which ups the total base spending increase to $2.95 billion.
Republicans warned that Gov. Pritzker was setting the state up for a massive tax hike if revenues plummet. But Pritzker and his people repeatedly pointed out their revenue projections actually factor in a recession later this calendar year. Their projections are, the Pritzker folks say, “conservative.”
After raising the current (2023) fiscal year’s revenue projections by $1.24 billion, to $51.36 billion, revenues are projected to fall by $1.4 billion in the coming fiscal year.
Net individual income taxes are projected to rise in fiscal year 2024 by $778 million, or about 3.3%. But corporate income taxes are projected to fall by $175 million, or about 3%. Sales tax revenue will be relatively flat, rising by just $25 million.
The governor’s budget director said one factor in the sales tax projection is the gradual shift of sales taxes on motor fuel purchases from general funds to the road fund, which was negotiated when the capital bill was passed in 2019. She didn’t say, but another aspect of the flat growth is likely the projected recession. Transfers in will fall by about $1.3 billion below the current fiscal year, which the governor’s budget office has been assuming since last year.
And, even if their revenue projections are wrong, “We’ve cut budgets before,” one Pritzker administration official said.
Even Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who spent the past couple of years warning legislators and the governor not to increase permanent spending programs, backed off, depriving Republicans and conservative pundits of a Democratic champion who they had already been using as a cudgel against Pritzker and the super-majority party.
After the governor’s budget address, for example, Senate Republican Leader John Curran issued a statement saying, “We must heed the warnings of Comptroller Mendoza and be disciplined in our fiscal approach at a time when we are likely to experience a recession.”
Instead, Mendoza deemed the large base spending hike as, “careful, strategic and necessary investments.”
Human services will receive the largest spending increase at $912 million. Education, including higher education, will receive the next largest increase at $791 million. Healthcare costs will rise by $709 million, and public safety expenditures will go up by $224 million.
To some, particularly progressives and social service providers, the governor’s proposed increase is a floor, not a ceiling. “The proposed budget’s lack of investment in the home care workers who make it possible for seniors to stay in their homes may force some to forgo needed care or be forced into nursing homes,” claimed an SEIU Healthcare leader.
“We now ask the General Assembly to build on this proposed budget and advance our legislation to increase the wage rate for Direct Support Professionals by $4 an hour to help address the workforce crisis Gov. Pritzker discussed today,” an IARF official said.
The Illinois Education Association wants vision and dental insurance coverage for retirees, and several groups are pushing a $500+ million annual state child tax credit.
The governor’s people say their proposed increases are a hard ceiling. Any new funding proposals will have to come from within the proposed budget framework and forecasts. However, revenue forecasts have been known to change in the past. Often, even.
The two Democratic legislative leaders issued statements in general support of the governor’s outline. The House Democrats’ chief budget negotiator, Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, said she wanted to work toward a “budget that is both fiscally and socially responsible.”
The governor’s budget director, Alexis Sturm, pointed out some other good news.
“For the four years before the governor came into office, the average interest payment was about $400 million,” Sturm told reporters. “We’re running nearly $300 million, if not more, below that average now,” she said.
And Ralph Martire at the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability said the revenue this fiscal year is high enough, “to create true balance at the end of FY 2023, with no accumulated deficit carrying forward into FY 2024.” He also claimed the deficit at the end of the coming fiscal year will be the lowest “in nominal, non-inflation-adjusted dollars that it has been in 25 years.”
Not bad.
* Meanwhile, in Opposite Land, here’s the Center Square’s take…
Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey says he’s seeing his worst nightmare come true in the form of Gov. J.B Pritzker’s proposed $49.6 billion state budget.
“When I was a candidate, I warned people this would happen and talked about us having to live within our means or face destroying the state,” Bailey, who lost to Pritzker as the GOP nominee for governor in November, told The Center Square after Pritzker laid out his spending plan last week.
“What the governor is pushing is a bridge to higher taxes for everyone in this state,” he added. “He’s using COVID and federal money to advance his own agenda. There will come a day when these bills are due and the only way to pay will be to raise taxes on everyone or drastically cut services.”
This from the same guy who physically torched a budget and shot another one. Unimpeachable expert there. /s
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* Frank Main at the Sun-Times…
Illinois state Comptroller Susana Mendoza is accusing Mayor Lori Lightfoot of failing Mendoza’s brother and other Chicago cops by instructing her appointees to a police pension board to vote against approving a “duty disability” that would provide pay and health insurance to officers facing career-ending COVID-19 complications. […]
Sgt. Joaquin Mendoza, a Chicago cop for 22 years, was hospitalized for 72 days and lost the use of his kidneys and his left arm after contracting the coronavirus on the job, according to his lawyers. They say he hasn’t been able to work since getting sick in November 2020, before COVID-19 vaccines were available.
He sought a duty disability that would have provided 75% of his regular salary and free health care — rather than an “ordinary disability” providing 50% of his salary and no health care and is phased out after five years.
On Feb. 24, 2022, the Chicago police pension board voted 4-3 to deny Mendoza a duty disability and awarded him an ordinary disability.
Since then, the board has denied a duty disability for another officer who got COVID. At least 18 other Chicago police officers have similar requests pending, according to Mendoza’s attorneys.
The bottom line is if a police officer dies from COVID, the law presumes they contacted the virus on the job. If they are “only” permanently injured by long COVID, the city says they don’t qualify for duty disability. As one of Mr. Mendoza’s attorneys told the Sun-Times, “Officers are almost being punished for not dying.”
* Media advisory…
Comptroller Mendoza launches legislative effort to protect Chicago police severely injured by COVID
What: Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza will announce a bill being filed by State Sen. Bill Cunningham and State Rep. Jay Hoffman to protect Chicago police severely injured by COVID. Comptroller Mendoza’s brother, Det. Sgt. Joaquin Mendoza, is one of 20 or more officers who could be left without benefits by the city’s policy of refusing full duty disability benefits to the officers severely affected by COVID in the days before the vaccines were available.
When: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21
Where: Chicago City Hall 121 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, 3rd Floor
Who: Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza will be joined by aldermen, retired police officers, firefighters, officers denied pensions for their COVID injuries; and others.
* Paul Vallas press release…
Mayoral frontrunner Paul Vallas is reacting to the explosive Sun-Times story today that details how Mayor Lori Lightfoot failed to stand with members of the Chicago Police Department by refusing to grant a duty disability pension to officers who contracted COVID-19 on the job and have faced serious medical problems. Vallas is releasing the following statement:
“Just like doctors, nurses, EMTs and other first responders, Chicago police officers were on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic putting their lives at risk to do their jobs, and refusing to grant health benefits and a fair pension to officers who face serious health complications from the virus is absolutely heartless. Mayor Lightfoot has consistently failed to provide the support that police officers need in order to make our city safer, from not maintaining the proper amount of manpower to promoting incompetent leadership to imposing oppressive schedules, and now this latest insult. I’m running for Mayor as a lifelong Democrat who will put crime reduction and public safety first, and while I will not hesitate to hold officers accountable when necessary I will also restore the baseline level of trust and support from City Hall to CPD that is necessary to create a safer environment for all of us.”
Thoughts?
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visits Elmhurst as part of visit aimed at showing he’s pro-police: While taking jabs at major cities headed by Democrats, DeSantis promoted laws Florida has passed that support law enforcement, including signing bonuses for new officers and those who transfer from other states, as well as scholarships for family members. His appearance followed visits earlier in the day to New York City and suburban Philadelphia.
* Politico | DeSantis pokes at Pritzker in Illinois: Spotted in Elmhurst: Congressman Darin LaHood, who helped introduce DeSantis to the crowd, GOP National Committeeman Richard Porter, former GOP governor candidate Darren Bailey, state Senate Republican Leader John Curran, House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, state House Deputy Republican Leader Norine Hammond, state Sens. Andrew Chesney, Don DeWitte, Dave Syverson and Sue Rezin, state Reps. Dan Caulkins, Bradley Fritts, Jackie Haas, Jeff Keicher, Adam Niemerg, Travis Weaver, Dan Ugaste and Blaine Wilhour, former lieutenant governor candidate Aaron Del Mar, former Reps. Dave McSweeney and Jeanne Ives, former Sen. Dan Duffy, Appellate Judge Liam Brennan and State GOP deputy executive director Tommy Choi.
* Sun-Times | Federal judge denies bid to block Illinois assault weapons ban, Naperville gun restriction: The decision appears to be the first from a federal judge considering whether the ban meets the standards set out last summer in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling authored by Justice Clarence Thomas.
* Sun-Times | Susana Mendoza: Mayor Lori Lightfoot betrayed Chicago cops disabled by COVID, including Mendoza’s brother: State comptroller says Lightfoot instructed her pension board appointees to deny “duty disability” salary and health benefits to police officers, including Mendoza’s brother, after they got career-ending coronavirus complications.
* Daily Herald | Where suburban GOP megadonors Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein’s $36 million went last fall: Lake Forest billionaire Richard Uihlein was especially generous to the People Who Play By the Rules political action committee, which backed unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey. He gave the organization more than $13.9 million on Oct. 5 — the single-biggest donation he made that month.
* WCIA | Governor J.B. Pritzker proposes Illinois Grocery Initiative: The Illinois Grocery Initiative is a plan to invest $20 million in local to fight food deserts to expand food access by opening more grocery stores in underserved communities. The governor also wants at least $2 million to go to buying produce from local farmers.
* SJ-R | Portions of two townships could be annexed into Springfield: Springfield and Woodside townships are located within the corporate limits of Springfield with populations of 5,813 and 11,688 respectively as of 2020 U.S. Census Data. Their respective portions within the city limits in the 2010 Census were considerably smaller with only 481 Springfield Township residents living in Springfield and 13 residents of Woodside Township living in the city.
* Tribune | More than decade ago, CPD vowed to catch a cop’s killers. Now those cases, plagued by accusations of misconduct, are falling apart.: By 2020, the 10-year anniversary of Lewis’ death was looming. The officer’s daughter, 11 at the time, was a young adult. And the cases against the men charged in Lewis’ murder were unraveling, with serious questions raised about how police handled the investigation.
* Sun-Times | FBI’s secret political support for ex-Harvey Mayor Eric Kellogg could be an issue in brother’s upcoming corruption trial: An undercover agent posing as a strip club manager lent $143,300 to a committee that backed Kellogg in his 2007 reelection for mayor — part of an investigation that never resulted in charges against the politician.
* Tribune | Chicago Teachers Union’s big spending on Brandon Johnson for mayor draws criticism over union influence and pushback among some members: So far, CTU has given the Cook County commissioner nearly $1 million in his bid to unseat Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The powerful teachers union is even borrowing dues money against future contributions to its political fund to make sure Johnson has the resources he needs for TV commercials and get-out-the-vote efforts.
* WGEM | Sen. Halpin talks higher education spending at annual McDonough County dinner: Halpin gave support of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s recently proposed education budget that calls for a $219 million increase. “The 36th District includes not just Western Illinois University, but Knox College, Augustana College, Monmouth College and then three community college districts,” Halpin said. “It’s really a central focus of the district is higher education.” Halpin said the 7% all-around increase is a win.
* Daily Herald | What change in state law on non-competes means for Illinois businesses: Recently, however, the Illinois legislature enacted a new law affecting the enforceability of non-competes. In its most basic form, a non-compete is an agreement between an employer and an employee that prohibits an employee from working for a competitor for a period of time after the employee no longer works for that employer.
* Sun-Times | Mayor vows to remove unhoused people from O’Hare as more seek shelter at airport: Lightfoot said Thursday that it’s a security risk to allow homeless people to stay at O’Hare. But a law enforcement source said that starting this week, additional police has been dedicated to offering services to homeless people — and removing those who don’t accept the help.
* Daily Herald | What’s up with state-funded capital projects in the suburbs? Inflation, supply issues create delays: More than 500 state-funded capital improvement projects valued at nearly $3.3 billion are in various stages of construction as most deal with inflation and supply chain issues that have sometimes caused delays, increased costs or plan modifications.
* Lake County News-Sun | Thousands crowd into Waukegan’s new casino on opening weekend: The Temporary by American Place officially opened Friday in Waukegan welcoming nearly 10,000 visitors through 4 a.m. Sunday, including 400 invited guests at a pre-opening gala, to its gaming tables, slot machines and restaurant, starting the era of casino gaming in Lake County. … With many Spanish-speakers applying for jobs, Lee said American Place needed to a modification to assist the application process. The Illinois Gaming Board has comprehensive forms for prospective workers to complete. They are in English, and must be completed in English. “We translated the forms into Spanish so we could help people understand them,” Lee said. “Then they filled out the original (English) form in English.”
* Sun-Times | Hope is a tricky thing when it comes to racism: After digesting statistics, anecdotes, history and journalism about anti-Blackness, many are left despondent by the arc of injustice.
* Dodger Blue | Everything To Know About New MLB Rules For 2023 Season: The 2023 MLB season will introduce three new rule changes after they were approved by the joint competition committee this past October: a pitch timer, restrictions on defensive shifts and larger bases. The aforementioned rules are designed to improve the game’s pace of play and increase action on the field. They will immediately go into effect during Spring Training games to provide an adjustment period before Opening Day.
* Daily Herald | A new Robert Reich video suggests slow brakes on any tax money for the Bears: No less than Robert Reich — a Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration — recently lobbed in a brief to be considered with the release of a five-minute YouTube video “The Sports Stadium Scam.”
* Yes Magazine | Why Conservative Parts of the U.S. Are So Angry: Anger is roiling in Republican America, along with conspiratorial fabrications about who to blame for their condition. A harbinger of this trend is Antlers, Oklahoma, where I grew up: a once-thriving town in the southeastern part of the state, bordering the lush Ouachita foothills of dense forests, abundant agriculture, and lucrative tourism resources. The town rebuilt after a devastating 1945 tornado, but it has not weathered 21st century politics.
* ABC Chicago | More than 1K people sign petition opposing $800M Northwestern’s renovation project of Ryan Field: “In the ward meetings, who shows up? Northwestern, to tell us how great their project is,” Evanston resident Trisha Connolly said. “That’s not enough. That’s not leaders getting a holistic approach to what the concerns are and hearing from the community.”
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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