* Former Rep. Dan Brady says he’s exploring a bid against freshman Democratic US Rep. Eric Sorensen…

I have been honored to serve the people as State Representative, first in the 88th legislative district, then the 105th legislative district. As I continue to explore running for re-election in the newly drawn 88th district, I have also been exploring a run for Congress in the 17th Illinois Congressional district.

Over the next few weeks, I will be meeting and discussing with voters, donors, and my family the options I have to serve the public once again.

I have been successful in my public career because I believe service to others, and not harsh partisan rhetoric, is what our State and Country need. As coroner, I helped to convict murderers, as State Representative I championed college M.A.P. Grants for working families, and as Deputy House Republican Leader I supported and was endorsed by labor and business. Being my own man has provided me the knowledge, experience and dedication needed to be an effective representative, whether in Springfield or Washington, DC.

I look forward to making my decision soon regarding where I can offer my service to do the greatest good.

The 17th is the swingiest of all Democratic districts here, but Biden won it by 7.6 points and Pritzker won it by 9 in 2018. Brady ran for secretary of state last year and lost to Alexi Giannoulias.

* You may recall that Toia has never registered as a Statehouse lobbyist…

Prosecutors in the James Weiss bribery trial have called Sam Toia, the president of the Illinois Restaurant Association.
He's expected to testify about sweepstakes machines pic.twitter.com/zyg3nOsIPQ

— Jason Meisner (@jmetr22b) June 13, 2023

More from Jason Meisner’s tweets on Toia’s sworn testimony today…

Toia says is ticking off the advocacy he’s done for the restaurant and food industry.

“We brought Happy Hour back here to the state of Illinois…we got Cocktails-To-Go,” he says. […]

Toia says he’s known Weiss since 2011 and consulted for his business, Collage LLC. “We were out there promoting electronic devices, and sweepstakes machines were electronic devices,” he says. “Sweepstakes are in a gray area but they do get a sticker from the state of Illinois.”

Toia says he was part of Weiss’ team of consultants and lobbyists working to move sweepstakes out of the gray area and get them regulated by the state. “I understand independent restaurants and I wanted to help them so they could pay their income taxes,” he says.

Toia appears to be waffling when asked when he stopped consulting with Weiss. He says it was 2019.

“I, I, I can’t remember the exact date, but I want to say mid-2019,” he says.

Franzblau asks him if he’s aware he’s under oath.

“I am under oath, I understand,” Toia says.

Toia asked about his testimony before the grand jury on Sept. 17, 2020, when he said he was not aware of any sweepstakes related lobbying going on at the city level after the fall of 2018.

That’s different than what he just said on the stand.

Toia’s group has said that Toia isn’t required to register as a Statehouse lobbyist, but they’ve never explained why.

* More proof that every accusation made by these people is a confession…

Real estate agent Libby Andrews contended that Chicago brokerage @properties ruined her business reputation by firing her after she posted pictures of herself at the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in Washington on social media.

The Illinois Appellate Court ruled today that Andrews’ own social media posts — not @properties’ actions — were the cause of any damage to her reputation.

From the opinion…

The company @properties next wrote, “Effective immediately, @properties is terminating this agent,
who acknowledged on social media, that she took part in ‘storming the Capitol.’” … Moreover, it was Andrews who first reported around 3:15 p.m. on her Facebook page that, “After storming the capital a good glass of champagne is needed!”, along with a photo depicting a glass of champagne on a patio

Her social media post is here.

* MidAmerica St. Louis Airport held a grand opening celebration of its expanded terminal today…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined state and local officials to announce the grand opening of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport’s expanded terminal – a $31 million multi-year project bolstered by $7 million in grant funding from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) in addition to $24 million in federal dollars. The terminal expansion program supports passenger growth while giving airlines the opportunity to provide additional service.

* The governor seems all-in on increasing traffic, particularly truck traffic…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined the departments of transportation in Illinois and Missouri to celebrate the start of construction on the new Interstate 270 Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi River, part of a combined $531.6 million investment to improve one of the country’s critical freight corridors. The project, made possible by Gov. Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program, will improve safety and mobility while creating good-paying jobs in an area experiencing strong industrial and commercial growth. […]

The I-270 loop connects many of the region’s warehouses and distribution parks, ports, airports, and rail yards on both sides of the Mississippi River. Nearly 70% of the region’s industrial tenants occupying large warehouse space in excess of 500,000 square feet are within ten minutes of the interstate. Built in 1966, the existing bridge over the river is two lanes in each direction with narrow, one-foot shoulders that pose safety concerns for vehicle breakdowns and first responders. The bridge accommodates 51,000 vehicles a day, about 20% of which are trucks, and the structure requires frequent maintenance and repairs due to its age.

A $496.2 million joint IDOT-MoDOT project will replace the bridge with two structures that have wider shoulders that can accommodate the eventual expansion of I-270 to three lanes in each direction. A companion $35.4 million Missouri Department of Transportation project will reconstruct the Riverview Drive interchange just west of the bridge.

* Hope ain’t a plan, and the plan clearly hasn’t worked so far…

As the weeds grow taller on the Belvidere Assembly Plant campus, Belvidere Mayor Clint Morris is hopeful that the Belvidere Assembly Plant won’t remain idle.

Not much after that except a lot of hopium.

* Teamsters are now out from under a federal consent decree. Scott Holland…

A federal judge has ended more than four decades of oversight of pension funds associated with The Teamsters by terminating a consent decree installed as a response to evidence that union leaders conspired with organized crime to access the money.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin issued an opinion in the matter June 9 over opposition from the U.S. Department of Labor, which argued the potential for organized crime leaders to influence pension fund investments — nearly $40 billion in assets — is not completely abated. […]

Even without the decrees, Durkin said, the DOL can still enforce ERISA’s fiduciary responsibility requirements through its broad investigatory and subpoena powers. The Internal Revenue Service can investigate plans it believes don’t meet minimum funding requirements and AROPA placed additional obligations on funds that got SFA allocations, such as requirements for annual compliance filings and being subject to PBGC audits.

The order is here.

* Legislative scorecards released…

Citizen Action/Illinois, the state’s largest progressive political coalition, proudly announces the release of its 2023 Legislative Scorecard. The comprehensive scorecard serves as a valuable resource for Illinoisans, shedding light on elected officials’ voting records on crucial issues in the areas of healthcare affordability, worker protections, consumer protections, gun safety, LGBTQ+ rights, immigrant rights and the environment. […]

The following leigslators received scores less than 10%, earning an Abysmal rating from our organization: Representatives Adam Niemerg, Joe Sosnowski, Chris Miller, Blaine Wilhour, Randy Frese and Senator Jason Plummer.

Click here for the list.

…Adding… Press release…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, along with state and local officials at Maplewood School in Cahokia Heights to announce Illinois’ partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The recently signed FY24 budget allocates $1.6 million to the program, which is dedicated to improving the lives of children by inspiring a love of reading. The initiative includes a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter a family’s income. […]

The Dollywood Foundation, which supports the Imagination Library Program, is a nonprofit organization founded by Dolly Parton in 1988. The Imagination Library Program was launched in 1995, with books originally being distributed to children living in Sevier County, Tennessee where Dolly grew up. However, it became such a success that in 2000, it was replicated nationally and by 2003, one million books had been mailed to children all over the country.

Numerous studies have found that the first five years of life are critical for young children, with around 90% of brain developing occurring during that time. Through the Imagination Library Program, children have seen a 29% increase in kindergarten readiness.

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Crain’s | GM, Samsung pick northern Indiana for EV battery plant: It’s unknown if the proposed plant was one Illinois officials were hoping to land. Earlier this year, state lawmakers approved a deal-closing fund, meant to help lure EV makers and other manufacturers to the state, that Gov. J.B. Pritzker had asked for.

* AP | Amtrak St. Louis-Chicago travel getting upgraded from current 90 mph to 110 mph: The higher speeds take effect June 26 and will reduce the duration of the trip from the current five hours and 13 minutes. Trips from St. Louis to Chicago are a few minutes shorter, according to Amtrak timetables.

* CNBC | Inflation rose at a 4% annual rate in May, the lowest in 2 years: The consumer price index increased just 0.1% for the month and 4% from a year ago, the latter being the lowest level in about two years.

* Daily Herald | DuPage County chair suggests stripping clerk of election commission control after budget fights: Board members continued to press for misdemeanor criminal charges against Kaczmarek if she goes over budget. Berlin, however, said that likely would not occur until the fall if she overspends on salaries. County officials have estimated the clerk’s office will be over budget on salaries due to increases, some as high as 30%, Kaczmarek gave to some employees.

* Crain’s | Johnson allies to push for phasing out tipped wages: “I look forward to being at the table with the powers that be when an ordinance is ready to be discussed,” Toia told Crain’s last week. “Businesses like to see a plan so they can work it into their business plan, which is usually a five year plan.”

* Crain’s | Climate change and homeowners’ insurance are on a collision course: American International Group Inc., which has already pulled back from new California business, is now set to curb home-insurance sales for affluent customers in around 200 ZIP codes across the US, including New York, Delaware, Florida, Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. The decision was first reported in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, citing people familiar with the company’s plans.

* Sun-Times | FOP demands same 12 weeks of paid parental leave Johnson gave teachers: Chicago police officers already have a generous sick pay policy that allows them to take up to 365 days off every two years.

* Block Club | Feds Got Permission To Trace Ald. Jim Gardiner’s Phone Calls As Part Of FBI Investigation, Court Records Show : The 2021 wire tap order was part of the federal investigation into bribery allegations against the alderman, but the records don’t show the current status of the inquiry.

* Pioneer Press | Controversial church leader with Hinsdale ties featured in Amazon docuseries ‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’: The Duggars’ reality TV show was canceled after the allegations against Josh Duggar surfaced that he sexually abused his younger sisters and a babysitter and he apologized. As a teen, Josh Duggar went to a Little Rock, Ark., facility operated by the IBLP following those incidents. The new documentary explores Gothard’s teachings and his connection to the Duggars. In a 2015 interview with the Tribune, Gothard defended the Duggars. “They did the right things.

* Fox Chicago | U.S. cancer centers grapple with severe drug shortage as over 90% report impact: Pharmaceutical companies say production shortfalls are to blame for the drug shortages that have plagued the nation for months. However, cancer treatments are among the hardest hit.

* Journal Courier | Illinois transportation agency hearing on proposed I-55/I-72 project is today: There will be a public hearing 4-7 p.m. today about the project at Northfield Inn Suites and Conference Center at 3280 Northfield Drive, Springfield.

* Bloomberg | Accenture to double AI workforce three months after massive layoffs: Accenture Plc announced plans to double its AI staff to 80,000, just three months after shedding 19,000 jobs in a cost-cutting effort. The professional-services company will invest $3 billion in its Data & AI practice over the next three years to help companies develop the new strategies they’ll need to capitalize on the boom in artificial intelligence, Accenture said in a statement on Tuesday.

* WICS | The Sangamon County Fair begins June 14: General admission is reduced this year to only $5. Children 4 and under are free.

* Daily Herald | IHSA discontinues tournaments for boys gymnastics, debate: Since 2000, boys gymnastics has averaged just over 50 schools participating, but that number shrank to 46 teams in 2022 and 40 teams in 2023, the news release said. The IHSA currently has 817 member high schools.

* Sun-Times | Residents want large festivals out of Douglass Park, say they pose a danger to patients at nearby hospitals: “Mount Sinai is a level-one trauma center, meaning that patients who have experienced acute trauma and may require timely surgical intervention are often brought by EMS crews to this hospital,” said Marcus Paulson, an emergency medical technician. “For these patients, mere minutes can determine their outcome. The obstruction of traffic around the park and stream of low-acuity patients from large festivals has and will clearly affect the capacity of surrounding hospitals.”

* WCIA | Central IL police arrest suspected serial, interstate pickpockets: Brandel said that in recent weeks, the department received multiple reports of a man, believed to be Pribegeanu, approaching women over the age of 50 at the city’s Walmarts and asking for directions to a hospital. The women later discovered after these interactions that their wallets, or items from their wallets like ID, credit and debit cards, or cash, were missing.

* Shaw Local | U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood’s office named finalist for Constituent Service Award : In 2023, U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood’s office has helped return or saved constituents $863,989 and counting, according to a news release.

* Daily Herald | Once seized by the feds, Rosemont hotel undergoes $35 million transformation: The nine-story, 274-room hotel at the edge of O’Hare International Airport had been seized by the U.S. Marshals Service after the arrest of owner Xiao Hua “Edward” Gong on fraud and money laundering charges in Canada. “It was a bit eerie when we walked through the hotel,” Curto remembers. “In one of the back offices, we saw safes that the U.S. marshals had blown open. We saw lunches that were left. We saw coats that were there. The ballroom was already fitted out for a wedding with name tags. The U.S. marshals had shut down the hotel in 20 minutes and locked it up.”

* Shaw Local | As ticks expand throughout the state, experts say prevention remains key: “Ticks are pretty hardy. It’s difficult to control their population size,” said Alana Bartolai, the ecological services program coordinator at the Lake County Health Department. “We do the monitoring side to understand what is out there and to help our medical providers understand what’s out there as well. But a lot of our communication is geared toward how people can prevent it themselves.”