* All branches of government have revolving door issues, including the US Attorney’s office…

John Lausch, who stepped down as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois in March, is headed to Kirkland & Ellis, the law firm announced today.

Lausch began his legal career at Kirkland in 1997 as an associate and will return to the firm as a partner in the government, regulatory and internal investigations practice group.

* Civic Federation…

SB1629 would change the calculation of final average salary [for Chicago firefighters] from the highest 8 consecutive years within the last 10 years of service to the highest 4 consecutive years during the last 10 years of service. SB1630 would change the limitation on pensionable salary to one that increases based on inflation from one that changes by the lesser of 3% or [deleted because of an amendment] the inflation rate. The legislative sponsors and supporters of these proposals argue that the benefit enhancements are needed to preemptively solve the concerns about Tier 2 benefits failing to meet Safe Harbor rules. But there has been no comprehensive, statewide evaluation done to determine if or when Tier 2 benefits will violate Safe Harbor rules.

SB1629 passed the Senate 55-0, but hasn’t yet received a House floor vote. SB1630 also passed the Senate 55-0, and cleared the House today 88-24-2. The Tribune editorial board has railed against both bills, to no avail. Mayor Lori Lightfoot was opposed to the bills, but Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s new deputy chief of staff, is a co-sponsor of both bills.

* A last-minute move to add punitive damages to the Wrongful Death Act is criticized…

A coalition of business groups has issued the following statement in opposition to HB219, which will add punitive damages to select court cases and stifle job creation and growth in Illinois:

“Two years ago, in the waning hours of the lame duck session, Democrats in the General Assembly imposed pre-judgement interest on lawsuits adding immense pressure to defendants to settle cases regardless of the merits of the case. And now, with only days remaining in the spring legislative session, it’s déjà vu with a last-minute amendment adding punitive damages to certain, select court cases. Lawmakers should not upend decades of legal precedent in order to tilt the playing field even more in favor of wealthy trial attorneys. This will further solidify Illinois’ reputation as a poor place to do business and make job creators take a second look at expanding or investing in Illinois.”

The measure is scheduled to be heard this morning in the House Judiciary-Civil Committee. The groups opposing the measure include:

Illinois Manufacturers’ Association
Illinois Retail Merchants Association
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
Illinois Chamber of Commerce
National Federation of Independent Business Illinois
Illinois Railroad Association
Illinois Life & Health Insurance Council
Mid-West Truckers Association
American Property Casualty Insurance Association
Illinois Trucking Association
Illinois Movers and Warehousemen’s Association
Chemical Industry Council of Illinois
National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
Rockford Mutual Insurance Company
Allstate
Zurich North America

* Rep. Ammons will run for reelection instead of vying for the Senate…

Discretion is the better part of valor. Look before you leap.

Those thoughts, among others, must have been running through state Rep. Carol Ammons’ mind as she contemplated following through with her January announcement that she would challenge appointed state Sen. Paul Faraci for the Democratic nomination for the Illinois Senate’s 52nd District seat.

After weighing the pros and cons, Ammons filed papers Monday with the Illinois State Board of Elections amending a previous filing declaring her Senate run. The new filing by the Friends of Carol Ammons stated her intent to seek “re-election to the 103rd Illinois House seat that comprises Champaign-Urbana.” […]

Faraci accepted the news with equanimity.

“I really do look forward to working with Representative Ammons,” he said. “This (decision) allows us to focus on that, and I think it’s great.”

Her new D-1 is here.

…Adding… From what I was told, Tracy won a super-majority…

Attendees of the Illinois Republican Party took a vote Saturday on whether they had confidence in GOP Leader Don Tracy.

It happened at a regular meeting of the Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee in Edwardsville.

At Issue: Republican state Sen. Jason Plummer, who represents the 55th District, and a few others called for new leadership. There are concerns about where the party is headed, that the party isn’t raising more money and that the Illinois GOP isn’t doing more to expand its reach.

Tracy ultimately received a majority of support, according to two people in the room. But divisions within the party remain.

It has always been thus within that state party. Always.

* Press release excerpt…

Today, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced that, thanks to a partnership with Cook County Health (CCH), the Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) has added behavioral health care coordinators to 18 HACC public housing communities. Thanks to federal funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), HACC behavioral health care coordinators will play a proactive role in ensuring that Housing Authority residents receive resources that foster mental health, physical health, and will also provide referrals to other healthcare resources when necessary. This includes case management, therapy/counseling, housing stability support and workforce development.

* SoS…

Fulfilling a campaign promise, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has established the first-ever Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer position in the Secretary of State’s office.

Dr. Margaret “Margie” Lawler, who joins the office today, will fill this important inaugural role, Giannoulias announced.

Dr. Lawler brings significant experience, most recently serving as Blackburn College’s inaugural DEI Officer. She has been engaged in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for over 12 years at institutions of higher learning, including key roles at Illinois Central College and the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She also brings private sector experience from her years with Caterpillar, Inc. in Peoria. […]

In addition to serving as DEI Officer, Dr. Lawler will serve as deputy director for training in the Secretary of State Springfield Personnel Office. In this capacity, she will revive and refresh the office training for all employees, especially managers.

* Crain’s…

Co-working company Industrious owes its former West Loop landlord more than $2.3 million for walking out on its lease in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Cook County judge ruled last week.

In what will likely be seen as a win for all landlords that have leased space to major shared-office providers in recent years, the court found New York-based Industrious committed fraud and violated its contract with Stockbridge Capital Group, the San Francisco-based investor that used to own the building at 600 W. Jackson Blvd. where Industrious closed a location in 2020, court records show. Stockbridge alleged in a 2020 lawsuit that Industrious stopped paying rent in April 2020 and was abandoning the $4 million in remaining rent payments on a lease that runs until 2030.

* Yesterday…

Tomorrow, lawmakers will sport their suits and sneakers to show their support for those touched by cancer in the state, those lost to cancer and cancer control policies in Illinois. This year, 74,580 individuals are estimated to be diagnosed with cancer in Illinois and an estimated 23,730 will die from the disease.

Illinois has made great strides over the years to reduce the cancer burden through policies to prevent cancer and access to care legislation, including being the first state in the nation to pass legislation to improve access to biomarker testing.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) thanks Rep. Marcus Evans for his continued dedication to being a champion for those affected by cancer and leading this suit and sneakers effort. ACS CAN also thanks Rep. Camille Lilly for championing tobacco control measures, including adding e-cigarettes to the Smoke-Free Illinois Act this year, as well as Rep. LaShawn Ford, Rep. Joyce Mason, Rep. Laura Faver Dias and all the other dedicated legislators who have joined us in our fight against cancer.

Today…

We're proudly sporting our sneakers today for #SuitsandSneakersIL! pic.twitter.com/lP9giQP0iN

— ILHouseGOP (@ilhousegop) May 16, 2023

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Jim Dey | On second thought, Ammons files for re-election in House: It’s quite a flip-flop, but one that makes political sense both for her and her party. “I think Carol is doing the right thing by herself, by the party and by the electorate,” said Champaign County Auditor George Danos, a fellow Democrat. “By avoiding a risky state senate primary, she maintains experienced representation for us in Springfield as well as her own tenure in the House.”

* Sun-Times | Electrical grid power play: Utilities take control of coming boom in transmission lines: In the world of energy regulation, the shorthand for what utilities want is ROFR — the right of first refusal. The companies have persuaded legislatures in 12 states— Illinois isn’t one of them, but Indiana, Michigan and Iowa are — to pass laws that codify this as a right regarding new transmission lines.

* WCMY | House bill considers making corn starch ethanol an advanced biofuel: The Fuels Parity Act introduced by Representatives Nikki Budzinski and Eric Sorensen of Illinois, Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma and Wesley Hunt of Texas would allow ethanol from corn starch to be classified as an advanced biofuel.

* Sun-Times | No ‘slam-dunk’ in potential precedent-setting case against Highland Park shooting suspect’s father, experts say: The success or failure of the case against Robert Crimo Jr. will tell other prosecutors about the court’s appetite for holding parents responsible for the acts of their children.

* Lake County News-Sun | Reaction mixed to Highland Park’s guide to compassionately communicating about parade shooting: But its circulation has also prompted some discussion among residents, some who say they don’t appreciate being told how to speak about what happened. Others do not agree with the city’s prompting of people to move away from using certain terms such as “mass shooting” to refer to the tragedy, and the phrase “Highland Park Strong” and “Fuerza Highland Park,” which were printed on numerous shirts, stickers and other items as the community rallied last summer.

* Arlington Heights Post | Arlington Heights considering Bears’ demolition request because town ‘does not have any authority’ not to, mayor says: “The village does not have any authority to withhold approval of demolition for any reason if the application is complete and the property owners’ demolition plans comply with the village code,” Hayes said at the meeting. He and other Village Board members said the village is “100% committed” to transparency as the village and team navigate the early stages of what could be a behemoth project at the old racetrack.

* SJ-R | Moredock named city’s corporation counsel; mayor selects other directors: Moredock has been with the IML since November. Prior to that, he was in private law practice. […] James Sullivan was named director of the city’s information systems division and had been manager of technical support and has been with the city since 2004.

* Labor Tribune | Illinois AFL-CIO salutes legislators for their support of Organized Labor: Margaret Blackshere, a Metro East legislative and Labor leader, fought during most of her adult life for women’s rights and better working conditions for women. Blackshere, who died almost four years ago at age 78, would have been proud of an Illinois state representative who recently was awarded an Illinois AFL-CIO Labor Salutes award that was named after Blackshere, speakers at the ceremony in Springfield said.

* WBEZ | Scabby the Rat gives bite to union protests, but is he at the tail end of his relevancy?: “It’s kind of unfortunate, changing times, older members of the public know exactly what the rat is for,” said James Smith, union activity administrator for the NYC District Council of Carpenters. “The newer generation sometimes doesn’t — one person thought that we were protesting a building that needed an exterminator.”

* 217 Today | U of I professor argues college debt is making jobs and care less accessible: Kevin Leicht, a sociology professor at UI, published a book about the declining respect for professional jobs. Titled “Crisis in the Professions: The New Dark Age,” the book discussed how college debt forces professionals to pursue higher-paying jobs.

* WCIA | Former Champaign deputy chief expected to take over U of I police academy: The University of Illinois Board of Trustees will vote with Thursday on whether to appoint Joe Gallo as the director of the U of I Police Training Institute. Gallo has been serving as interim director if the institute since May 1.

* NBC Chicago | ‘Pneumonia Front’ to Drop Temps More Than 20 Degrees in Matter of Minutes Tuesday: Temperatures are expected to reach into the low-80s across much of the area, but as the front passes through, temperatures will drop into the mid-50s in areas east of Interstate 355, with many locations seeing temps plunge more than 20 degrees within a matter of minutes, according to officials.

* NBC Chicago | Tim McGraw Added as Headliner in 2023 Illinois State Fair Grandstand Lineup: The country music star and three-time Grammy winner is slated to perform with Landon Parker at the fair on Aug. 17, with tickets going on sale Friday.

* Sun-Times | Foo Fighters, The Cure among Riot Fest 2023 lineup at Douglass Park festival: Foo Fighters, The Cure, The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie and Queens of the Stone Age will headline the 2023 edition of Riot Fest, it was announced Tuesday, along with the full lineup of bands set for the event this fall.

* Far Out | Hacked, looted and burned to the ground: the worst festival of all time: Where did this spiritual successor to Woodstock take place? On Bull Island, near Griffin, Indiana. It’s a strange chunk of land technically in Illinois, but on the Indiana side of the Wabash River, something that would play a role in how this disaster panned out.

* NYT | Why Some Companies Are Saying ‘Diversity and Belonging’ Instead of ‘Diversity and Inclusion’: Ms. Foster said companies must address racism, sexism, homophobia and antisemitism in the workplace. But she believes that an overemphasis on identity groups and a tendency to reduce people to “victim or villain” can strip agency from and alienate everyone — including employees of color. She says her approach allows everyone “to make mistakes, say the wrong thing sometimes and be able to correct it.”

* Dame Magazine | Men Are Killing Thousands of Women a Year for Saying No: For every mass shooting on the national news, there are countless smaller gun-related murders the media overlooks perpetrated by angry men who can’t bear rejection.

* Tribune | ‘It’s hard to open up … you don’t know how people are going to react.’ Chicago White Sox speak out about mental health awareness.: Burger and teammates Lucas Giolito and Michael Kopech discussed the importance of mental health awareness in a video the Sox released Monday. “It’s great seeing a professional sports team relay this message and bring awareness to how important it is,” Giolito told the Tribune. “Some things require help and I’m glad that we’re sending that message.

* The Athletic | The base-stealing technique that has Yankees looking ‘like Usain Bolt,’ and others following: The numbers jumped out at him. Aaron Judge is known far more for hitting home runs than stealing bases. But when he noticed the high stolen-base totals of several Yankees minor leaguers in 2021, it piqued his curiosity and sparked his competitive fire. “Guys I’m faster than had more stolen bases than me,” the Yankees’ 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger said. “I wanted to know why.”

* Donna Vickroy | No need to seek out distant places when there’s so much to see in Illinois, author of new travel book says : Wine trails, a national forest, a treehouse resort and — not one, but two — state fairs are just a few of the highlights in “100 Things To Do in Illinois Before You Die,” a newly released entry in the Reedy Press nationwide line of travel books.