* I told subscribers about this a couple of days ago…

The Illinois House Speaker’s Office says it’s been informed that the complaints against state Rep. Jonathan Carroll “have been resolved and closed” by the “ Legislative Inspector General’s office and determined “unsubstantiated.” Capitol Fax’s Rich Miller scooped the story.

Carroll was accused by former staffer Elly Fawcett-Neal of wrongly firing her because she was pregnant. Carroll had denied the accusations. (See The Buzz.) He did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.

Carroll has already been appointed chair of the House Police and Fire Committee after being sidelined from a leadership position while the IG investigation was going on.

Still outstanding: Fawcett-Neal told Playbook her complaint is still being investigated by the EEOC and the Illinois Human Rights Commission. “I stand by everything I reported. I think his appointment is premature,” she told Playbook.

* Gov. JB Pritzker signed 90 bills into law today. Click here for the list. RIP my inbox.

* Muddy River News…

QUINCY — A Texas man who is the founder of Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn will speak Friday night in Father McGivney Hall at the Knights of Columbus, 700 S. 36th, about the process for achieving a city ordinance that would call for prohibiting abortions in Quincy, a move that would be in direct conflict with state law.

Mark Lee Dickson is a director with Right to Life of East Texas and calls himself a pro-life activist. He claims to have helped 67 cities and two counties in the United States pass ordinances outlawing abortion. The first was in Waskom, Texas, which lies on the border with Louisiana. Waskom has no abortion clinic, but the City Council decided in June 2019 that prohibiting abortion was necessary as a preventive measure.

“What a Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn ordinance does is goes as far as (one) possibly can go in an effort to keep abortion out of a community,” Dickson said in a phone interview. “(Friday night’s) interest meeting will establish the background of what these ordinances do and what the process would look like if they’re in Quincy. Any abortion provider that wants to set up shop in Quincy would not be allowed to under these ordinances.”

Danville is the only sanctuary city in Illinois. City Council members were split 7-7 at a May 2 meeting on an ordinance that would impose fines on anyone shipping or receiving abortion pills or supplies in the mail. Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. made the tie-breaking “yes” vote. […]

“I think it is time for Illinois to let Gov. Pritzker know just how pro-life Illinois really is,” Dickson said.

Somebody is gonna learn something, but I’m not sure it’s that.

* Media advisory…

Harvey city employees to protest Mayor Clark’s refusal to bargain new union contract

Fighting for a new union contract seven years since the last agreement expired—and more than eight years since their last across-the-board pay increase, in January 2015—city of Harvey employees plan to leaflet outside and speak at Monday night’s City Council meeting. […]

Background
About 30 Harvey city workers—primarily public works employees as well as clerical employees in various departments—are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2404.

The local’s last contract with Harvey expired in 2016. Three years later, Christopher Clark took office as mayor; his promises of reform after his predecessor’s tenure included finally settling a new agreement. But now, in his second term in office, Mayor Clark refuses to even meet for contract negotiations. The parties last met in November; the city cancelled bargaining dates in December and March, and has refused to schedule any since.

Citing this pattern, the Illinois Labor Relations Board last week issued a complaint against the city of Harvey for failing and refusing to bargain in good faith, a violation of state labor law.

* This week…

The Cook County state’s attorney’s office announced Tuesday it will no longer object to waiving court fees for low-income defendants, a move it said was aimed at reducing racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

“One of the tragedies of the criminal justice system is that a disproportionate amount of its financing is shouldered by people of color and those living in poverty,” State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said in a statement. “Rather than end the cycles of racial disparities and criminalization, fees and fines perpetuate them.”

Fines and fees are used to cover court expenses.

That’s odd because more than five years ago, the Illinois Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act set up a procedure for people to request a full or partial waiver of criminal fees and fines based on their inability to pay. Foxx the progressive is only now getting on board?

* I totally understand despising someone for what they’ve done to others. I will never understand hating someone simply because of how they’re born…

That company has really come a long way from firing all their openly gay employees in the early 1990s https://t.co/6Pr4BHwTA6

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) June 9, 2023

* Isabel’s roundup…

* The 19th | Lawmakers in blue states are linking protections for abortion and gender-affirming care: Blue states are crafting a new kind of legislation to respond to a dramatic wave of restrictions on abortion access and gender-affirming care across the country. Democrats are invoking the fall of Roe v. Wade as a reason to protect both areas of health care simultaneously — while aiming to create safe havens for those fleeing surrounding Republican-controlled states. Lawmakers in five states — Illinois, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington state and Vermont, which has a Republican governor although Democrats control the state legislature — plus the District of Columbia have enacted such “shield” laws so far this year.

* Sun-Times | Ex-Cook County judge, accused of stealing decorated Tuskegee Airman’s life savings, is ordered to pay $1.2 million: Wilkerson sued Martin last September, saying she took advantage of him as he sought to get back his money, plus damages. Martin had “placed the vast majority of it into cryptocurrency before transferring it away into as-yet unknown locations,” according to his lawyers’ motion for a default judgment.

* Daily Herald | After meeting with Chicago and Naperville mayors, Bears president coming to Arlington Heights: Warren’s visit follows meetings in recent days with the mayors of Chicago and Naperville, and the NFL franchise’s declaration that its proposed $5 billion Arlington Park redevelopment is “at risk” and no longer its “singular focus.” The statement came amid tense negotiations over property tax assessments and payments for the 326-acre site the Bears purchased in February.

* Block Club | Trans Bus Operator Sues CTA And Union, Saying Agency Fired Him After His Gender-Affirming Surgery: In court documents, lawyers for the CTA said Brown provided “false statements” about an unrelated medical leave, which led to his termination. But Brown said he was fired after the agency “ran me in circles” on requirements to validate his leave, alleging the process was retaliation for his advocacy to receive gender-affirming care.

* WBEZ | How the Waukegan cops behind a teen’s false confession to a shooting avoided discipline: “The Police Department can’t and shouldn’t be trusted by the public if the department itself does not undertake an inquiry into whether its officers, and possibly even its command chain, broke the law,” said Joseph Ferguson, who oversaw high-profile police misconduct investigations during a 12-year tenure as Chicago inspector general.

* Sun-Times | Benedictines’ world leader calls on Chicago-area monks tied to Benet, Marmion high schools to fully report clergy sex abuse: “I think that they should be” posting such lists of abusive members “because it’s been actually asked of us by the larger church,” Polan said in an interview from Rome, where he is based. “I think we need to do what the larger church is asking of us.”

* WTTW | Aurora Mayor’s Girlfriend Didn’t Disclose Previous State COVID Relief Funding When Asking for Local Taxpayer Cash: Before the Aurora City Council voted to approve a slew of taxpayer-funded grants to local businesses last month, Mayor Richard Irvin said he’d heard repeatedly how “professional and precise” the staffers overseeing the program were. […] After Irvin recused himself from the vote and left the room, the council swiftly approved the grants to aid businesses suffering lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic — including $10,000 for the furniture store owned by Irvin’s girlfriend, Laura Ayala-Clarke.

* WTTW | Chicago Public Schools’ Special Education Chief Steps Down Amid Calls For Her Ouster: CPS confirmed Friday that Stephanie Jones, the district’s chief of the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services (ODLSS), is stepping down from that role after four years effective immediately. “We sincerely thank Dr. Jones for her commitment to serving students in Chicago with diverse learning needs, and we wish her well in her future endeavors,” a CPS spokesperson said in a statement Friday.

* CBS Chicago | Naperville woman sues Bank of America for discrimination over mishandling $24,000 check: Warren said she brought the check to a Naperville bank branch on April 17. She went back the next day with her daughter to check on the availability of the money and got odd responses. “I went over to the teller,” Charlotte said. “She said ‘No, you don’t have an account.’”

* Crain’s | Indicted crypto CEO selling Trump Tower condo: The three-bedroom condo on the tower’s 68th floor came on the market Thursday, priced at $2.5 million. Public records show it was purchased in June 2022 for a little more than $2.17 million by a legal entity controlled by Sonny Meraban.

* Daily Journal | Bradley eyes homeless shelter zoning: A recent inquiry from a Realtor into where a homeless shelter could be sited in Bradley turned up an issue within the municipality. The village did not have an ordinance anywhere within its codes regarding something like a homeless shelter, thereby making it impossible to even consider such a request.

* Tribune | In the wake of rooftop standoff on West Side, more questions than answers remain: “He walked around the community and could have been arrested,” she said. “This is just an incident that highlights the unchecked and untreated mental health issues that are ongoing, not just in our community, but in the greater Chicago area.”

* Crain’s | The Big Ticket: Old Town and Wells Street art fairs, plus music, dance and more: The Old Town Art Fair is the older of the two long-running events. It first took place in 1950, making it just a few years younger than the 57th Street Art Fair, which bills itself as the Midwest’s oldest juried art fair. Old Town’s event occupies residential streets north of North Avenue and books music from the eclectic mix of genres typical of the Old Town School of Folk Music, a neighbor in its early days.

* Daily Herald | How can the suburbs get tourists racing back for a visit? New tech, big attractions: Before the pandemic, the region was overcoming the non-pedestrian-friendly stereotype of the suburbs in attracting meetings and trade shows to venues including the Schaumburg Convention Center. But the ramping up of plans for entertainment, restaurants and stores in Schaumburg’s 90 North area — including Andretti Indoor Karting & Games, expected to break ground next to the Renaissance Hotel this year — should make those efforts more successful, Larson said.

* Tribune | Post-pandemic work, travel patterns leave questions for longtime summer commuter service: the Chicago Water Taxi: Behind the taxi’s schedule dilemma is the post-pandemic reality for downtown Chicago: Tourists have returned in force, but office workers haven’t, Sargis said. The taxi company has also faced lingering labor challenges after losing and furloughing employees during the pandemic. While many crew members are in training, it can take years to get the certifications needed to drive a boat, he said.

* Sun-Times | Digging into the mysteries of fireflies: Considering the Chicago area seems headed for a drought, I wondered if weather impacts the communications of fireflies. She replied that especially moisture and temperature did. “Most firefly species rely on having a moist environment. Some even concentrate on/near water bodies [1],” she emailed. “Ambient temperature can alter the flash pattern of some firefly species, making them flash slower (low temperatures), or faster (high temperatures) [2,3]. This is crucial because each species of flashing firefly has a unique flash pattern (used for mating recognition). As temperature changes, some patterns might start overlapping.”

* SJ-R | It’s county fair season around central Illinois. Here are the details: The county fair season kicked off with the Greene County Agricultural Fair, now in its late May slot. The Pike County Fair closes on Saturday while the Macoupin County Fair in Carlinville wraps up on Sunday. The Sangamon County Fair in New Berlin opens its five-day run Wednesday featuring headliner Blackberry Smoke with Stoney LaRue on Thursday.