* My dad has a tattoo on his bicep that says “Little Richard.” I always thought he got that tattoo after I was born. Nope. It was in honor of this guy…
* This undermines the leverage the Bears may have against Arlington Heights, but I suppose it ups the ante with the city, if there’s any true interest in keeping the team there…
Honored to have joined so many amazing reproductive freedom leaders including @SenatorCelina to share our work in IL. Thank you to @WhiteHouse for bringing us together & your partnership in fighting for state level protections while aiming for a national law guaranteeing access. pic.twitter.com/Hd6A2Wxuuy
— Rep. Kelly Cassidy (@RepKellyCassidy) June 16, 2023
* News about choosing Brandon Johnson’s replacement…
Today, Oak Park Democratic Committeeperson and Chair Don Harmon announced the date, time, and location for the Democratic Party’s First District Cook County Board District Committee meeting. The Committee will conduct in-person interviews in the Foxboro Room of The Carleton of Oak Park Hotel to fill the vacancy in the 1st District of the Cook County Board of Commissioners created by the resignation of Mayor Brandon Johnson. The Vice Chair of the Meeting will be Proviso Township Democratic Committeeperson Karen Yarbrough. Doors will open at 6:30PM and the meeting will begin promptly at 7:00PM. There will also be a live stream event for those unable to attend in-person.
The members of the 1st District Cook County Board District Committee will be seated as a panel while they interview six chosen applicants. Those applicants are Rev. Ira Acree of Chicago, Mayor Rory Hoskins of Forest Park, Tommie Johnson of Chicago, Zerlina Smith-Members of Chicago,Tara Stamps of Chicago, and Claiborne Wade of Forest Park. The meeting will conclude upon the completion of the candidate interviews, committee deliberations, and an appointment to fill the vacancy by a majority of the entire weighted vote of the Committeepersons.
Nineteen applications were reviewed and narrowed to the six finalists based on the quality and veracity of the application, record of service to the community, and support from members of the Committee.
“We welcome the public and press to join us Tuesday night as we interview selected applicants from the 1st District,” said Chair Don Harmon. “The committee is looking forward to taking this time to carefully consider each applicant and select a new Cook County Commissioner who will reflect the values and fulfill the needs of the 1st District.”
The members of the 1st District’s election committee include Committeeperson Daniel LaSpata (1st Ward), Committeeperson Tim Egan (2nd Ward), Committeeperson Angie Gonzalez-Rodriguez (26th Ward), Committeeperson Walter Burnett (27th Ward), Committeeperson Jason Ervin (28th Ward), Committeeperson Chris Taliaferro (29th Ward), Committeeperson Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward), Committeeperson Emma Mitts (37th), Committeeperson Don Harmon (Oak Park Township), and Committeeperson Karen Yarbrough (Proviso Township).
* Go Cubs Go! /s…
One day after this legislation was filed in Tallahassee, Joe Ricketts, the billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade whose kids own the Chicago Cubs, gave DeSantis a $1 million donation.
Oh 🦌🦌🦌DEER! A deer broke through a window at Engineering Sciences Building and our folks, along with @UIPD and @uofigrainger, helped secure and release the animal. There were some abrasions and cuts but the deer was deemed OK! 😲Whew - never know what you’re gonna see! pic.twitter.com/uE8frH7VMa
— University of Illinois Facilities & Services (@UofIFS) June 16, 2023
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Axios | Child care costs are overwhelming Illinois parents: In Illinois, $12,470 ($1,039 a month) was the average annual cost for center-based care for one toddler last year, per the report. That’s 37% of a single mother’s median income, or 11% for a married couple.
* Center Square | New Illinois laws set up protections for union strikers: HB2907 prevents striking workers from being sued for unintentional property damage as a result of a strike, while HB3396 provides that any person with the intent of obstructing or interfering with a picket line commits a Class A misdemeanor and a minimum fine of $500.
* Sun-Times | Are guaranteed-income programs working?: Shantá Robinson, who teaches at the University of Chicago, is among the scholars involved with the school’s Inclusive Economy Lab, studying the region’s guaranteed-income pilots. She said an initial look at the data shows that, compared to all Chicagoans who were eligible for the program, participants skewed slightly younger and were more likely to identify as female and have children. They are also more likely to identify as Black or African American.
* Block Club | Northwest Side Alderman Tried To Cancel City Clerk’s Event Where Migrants Get City IDs: Ald. Anthony Napolitano said he opposed because people camped out ahead of similar events. The city program has helped thousands of asylum seekers and refugees access IDs as they start new lives. … Extra officers and staff were at the Thursday event in Norwood Park as a precaution, but no one camped at the park overnight and there were no issues, officials said.
* Crain’s | Alderperson wants Chicago pension funds to invest in real estate developments: Prompted by a Crain’s report on local developer Sterling Bay pitching the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund to become an investor in the Lincoln Yards development, Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, will introduce a resolution at next week’s City Council meeting calling for a hearing in the Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development, which he chairs.
* WCBU | Peoria Park District board unanimously approves moratorium on carbon dioxide pipelines: The Peoria Park District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday night to approve a moratorium on considerations, agreements or requests for carbon dioxide pipelines on or near park district property. The vote came after nearly an hour of presentations from proponents and critics of the pipeline, public comment and questions from the park board to presenters.
* Shaw Local | Arlington Park grandstand demolition to begin today: Almost 34 years to the date the new Arlington Park grandstand rose from the ashes and welcomed back horse racing fans after a devastating fire, the stately building that towers over the shuttered racing oval finally is set to meet the wrecking ball.
* SJ-R | Lincoln Service speeds permitted to reach 110 mph. What to know:: Passenger service has been allowed to reach 110 mph for more than a month in a trial run, but now, effective June 26, the Lincoln Service train schedule will be changed to account for the increased speeds. According to a news release, the change will cut-off approximately 15 minutes from existing 90 mph runtimes and 30 minutes from the initial 79 mph schedule.
* As you are certainly aware, the governor told the General Assembly he needed legislative authority to use specific “tools” to rein in costs of the healthcare program for undocumented immigrants. The administration claimed that costs would rise $1.1 billion next fiscal year without intervention. The idea is to keep the increase to half that amount.
Limiting enrollment and establishing co-pays were two of those tools, and they’re being announced today. In two weeks, enrollment will be limited for the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program, which applies to people 42-64. The 65+ population will not yet be limited. From HFS…
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (the Department) is providing public notice that enrollment in the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) program will be temporarily paused effective July 1, 2023. This action is being taken through emergency rulemaking, under the authority recently granted to the Department by the Illinois General Assembly in SB 1298, to ensure the program does not exceed the funds available and appropriated in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Budget.
Anyone who is already enrolled in and remains eligible for coverage through the HBIA program will continue to be covered. Enrollment in the Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors (HBIS) program will remain open at this time.
The emergency rules allowing the Department to close or open enrollment with no later than 14 days calendar notice can be viewed at https://hfs.illinois.gov/info/legal/publicnotices.html. Other program adjustments within the emergency rules to keep HBIA and HBIS program costs from exceeding funds available and appropriated in the FY24 Budget are described below.
Beginning July 1, 2023, providers may collect co-payments and cost sharing on the following services when they do not qualify for federal match under the Emergency Medical for Noncitizens program:
• Inpatient hospitalizations: $250 co-pay
• Hospital emergency room visits: $100 co-pay
• Hospital or Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center outpatient services set forth at 89 Ill. Adm. Code 148.140(b): 10% of the Department rate
Any large public hospitals, as defined in Section 148.25(a), having received payments in excess of the rates paid to non-large public hospitals shall be required to reimburse the state for any excess payment in a method and amount determined by the Department.
The Department may limit or eliminate backdated medical coverage to keep the cost of the HBIA and HBIS program within the funds available and appropriated.
Thoughts?
…Adding… From HFS…
At this time, enrollment in the Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors program will remain open. However, HBIS enrollment will be temporarily paused for FY24 if the number of individuals enrolled in the program reaches 16,500.
Anyone who is already enrolled in and remains eligible for coverage through the HBIA and HBIS programs will continue to be covered. The Department will not be removing any current enrollees who remain eligible for this coverage, and hopes to resume new enrollments as soon as fiscally possible.
The enrollment changes are necessary to bring program costs within the budgeted amount for State Fiscal Year 2024, which begins July 1. Compared with the traditional Medicaid population, month-over-month enrollment has grown at a higher rate, and per-enrollee costs have tracked higher among the HBIA and HBIS-enrolled populations due to more prevalent, untreated chronic conditions and higher hospital costs.
HFS understands that this program is a vital resource for individuals who would otherwise be eligible for Medicaid but for their immigration status. The Department understands the importance of preserving this nation-leading program for the future. […]
Prior to determining cost-containment actions, HFS sought to maximize available funds for these programs, and will utilize the following to enhance revenues:
• Pursuing methodology to maximize federal reimbursement for emergency medical expenses.
• Pursuing supplemental prescription drug rebates for the covered noncitizen population.
• Transitioning HBIA and HBIS program enrollees to the Medicaid Managed Care program starting January 1, 2024, which will generate additional dollars to fund the programs through taxes the Department collects from the Medicaid Managed Care Organizations.
• Addressing current overpayments to the Cook County Hospital System.
Managed care was another tool discussed.
And Cook County was receiving the same enhanced match it gets for regular Medicaid. Looks like they’re gonna try to claw that back.
*** UPDATE *** Latino Caucus…
The Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus released the following statement Friday in response to the announcement that the state’s Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program will freeze enrollment July 1 for noncitizens age 42 to 64:
“In 2020, we made history by becoming the first state to offer health care coverage to certain noncitizen age groups. We knew that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Latino communities were among the most vulnerable, and we stepped up to lay the foundation for a program that would make sure every Illinois resident could get the care they needed.
“This announcement is disappointing but is also a call to action. Come July 1, noncitizen adults will no longer be able to sign up for new health care coverage. This means that noncitizens age 42 to 64 need to enroll now, before July 1, if they have not already. Seniors age 65 or older will still be able to enroll after July 1.
“As we pride ourselves as being a welcoming state, we should not be cutting health benefits and creating barriers to healthcare.”
“We acknowledge the progress we have made in securing resources for noncitizens in recent years. We were proud to fight to make Illinois the first state in the nation to offer Medicaid-like benefits to these communities. However, this backslide is disappointing.
“We will continue to fight for health care for all Illinoisans. Latino Caucus members have not given up – and will pursue closing the gap in coverage until we achieve health care for all residents. The often-disenfranchised communities we represent sent us to Springfield to be their voice; we will never turn our backs on them.”
…Adding… Healthy Illinois Campaign…
Today, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services published notice that enrollment will be paused for healthcare coverage for Illinois immigrants ages 42-64 under the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) program. The notices also authorize a host of other changes to the program including co-pays and reduced hospital reimbursements.
Healthy Illinois strongly condemns the decision and calls on Governor Pritzker to reverse his decision immediately and work in good faith with advocates and members of the Illinois General Assembly to ensure that healthcare truly is a right, not a privilege in our state.
By slashing live-saving health coverage for Illinois immigrants, Governor Pritzker is turning his back on the communities he claims Illinois welcomes and aligning himself with anti-immigrant Republicans around the country.
Because of Governor Pritzker’s decision, there are people who will be forced to forgo cancer treatment, diabetes care, mental health care, and countless other kinds of necessary medical treatment. Today’s move is immoral and fiscally short-sighted, as Governor Prizker himself said just last week “We save money when we invest in healthcare for undocumented immigrants…If they don’t get basic healthcare, they end up in an emergency room and we all end up paying for that at a much highest cost than if we have regular care and preventative care for people.”
If you are aged 42 or older and believe you may qualify for health coverage, regardless of your immigration status, apply immediately at https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access/.
Illinois made history in 2020 and set national precedent when we became the first state to expand coverage to low-income seniors regardless of immigration status. Today, we took a massive step backward by passing anti-immigrant, anti-public health, unjust administrative rules.
It wasn’t quite “where’s the beef?” but when he stepped outside a suburban Wendy’s with a fellow lawmaker on a hot August morning in 2019, then-state Sen. Terry Link asked a question to the same effect as the fast-food giant’s former slogan.
“What’s in it for me, though?” Link asked then-state Rep. Luis Arroyo, who had been pitching him – once again – on sponsoring legislation to regulate so-called sweepstakes machines, a legally murky form of gambling.
The answer to that question became central to the federal government’s case against politically connected businessman James Weiss, which ended Thursday with a jury convicting Weiss on seven counts, including bribery and lying to the FBI.
Federal sentencing guidelines dictate a maximum of 20 years in prison for the most serious of the charges, though those convicted of public corruption have faced wildly different sentences.
The verdict is the second in less than two months to address separate bribery schemes inside the Illinois Capitol. Weiss is a son-in-law of former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios.
The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for four hours before finding Weiss guilty of honest services wire and mail fraud, bribery, and lying to the FBI. The bribery scheme involved then-state Rep. Luis Arroyo, who is now in prison, and then-state Sen. Terry Link, who cooperated with the FBI but faces sentencing for his own tax crimes. […]
After the verdict was read, juror Abriana Sutherland-Scienski told reporters it was clear that “Mr. Weiss was not gonna get out of this.” She said some arguments made by his defense attorneys were “insulting to our intelligence.” She specifically cited comments by attorney Ilia Usharovich about “correlation and coincidence” that she called “a pretty grade school-type argument.”
The charges alleged Weiss desperately wanted the state’s gambling expansion bill to include language explicitly legalizing sweepstakes machines, but it was left out of the proposal in the 2019 spring session. Weiss then agreed to pay monthly $2,500 bribes to get a deal done, first to state Rep. Luis Arroyo and later to state Sen. Terry Link, who was a chief sponsor of the gambling bill in the Senate, according to prosecutors.
Arroyo and Weiss didn’t know that Link, a Vernon Hills Democrat, was cooperating with the FBI. Link, who is hoping for a break on his own federal tax conviction in exchange for his cooperation, testified over two days beginning last week about his undercover role.
Weiss’ attorneys argued Weiss was paying Arroyo as a legitimate consultant for his business, and that trying to enlist another politician’s help is not a crime.
They also tried to drag the state’s long history of public corruption into the courtroom by claiming that the video gaming industry, which was vehemently opposed to Weiss’ business, had the rest of the General Assembly in its pocket.
* More…
* Tribune | Trial of Chicago businessman James Weiss: Evidence seen and heard by the jury: Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday after three full days of testimony featuring some 14 witnesses, including former state Sen. Terry Link, who secretly recorded phone calls and meetings with Weiss as well as then-state Rep. Luis Arroyo, who later pleaded guilty to arranging the bribery scheme.
* It’s difficult not to notice this trend of moving from opposing trans rights to openly opposing gay rights. It’s neatly summed up in this Jeanne Ives social media post…
* Earlier this week, I told you that the Will County Board’s June 15 agenda included a list of three honorary resolutions: Recognizing the Juneteenth Holiday; Recognizing June as Pride Month 3 and Recognizing Moms for America. Those three items were quietly removed from the agenda.
Kraulidis also said in the video she was at the rally “making sure that only legal votes were counted.”
While she said in the video she was “not here to debate my Democrat friends,” she repeated the false claim that there was massive voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Kraulidis wasn’t the only Will County Board member in attendance on Jan. 6. Dan Butler was also there…
Some Chicago area-supporters of President Donald Trump who attended the rally in Washington D.C. that quickly turned into a violent mob storming the Capitol building, said the president is not to blame for the violence. […]
Dan Butler and David Wiersma road tripped together to Washington, first attending the rally and then marching to the Capitol. They were impressed by how peaceful everything seemed, even though the crowd got boisterous. […]
“I was just kind of shocked that it was happening because I didn’t know how they were going to plan on dispersing a peaceful demonstration, you know, I mean, we had a right to be there,” Butler said.
Yeah, a rally named “Stop the Steal” turned ugly. Who woulda ever thunk it?
* With that background in mind, let’s now turn to the Daily Southtown’s coverage of this week’s county board meeting and the removal of the three resolutions…
Board member Meta Mueller, a Democrat from Aurora, said her phone blew up last weekend with constituents and members of Pride organizations asking why the board would recognize Moms for America, which has spoken out against the LBGTQ community. […]
“Democrats don’t like Moms for America. They think they are extremist and radical,” [Steve] Balich, the county board’s Republican leader, said. “If you look at Moms for America, they are for families. They are not extremist at all.” […]
The County Board is comprised of 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans.
Balich said he felt the declaration for Pride month could potentially get 11 no votes from Republicans and the declaration for Moms for America could get 11 no votes from Democrats. Balich said he agreed to remove the proclamations along with other board leadership. […]
The Will County Board unanimously approved a proclamation in 2022 recognizing June as Pride month, according to meeting minutes.
Emphasis added for obvious reasons.
By the way, click here to watch board member Balich gleefully spout some racist crud.
* Point being, Will County Republicans were perfectly happy backing a Pride month resolution last year, but when a Republican-backed resolution in praise of an anti-trans group had to be pulled off the agenda because of strong public pushback, they then refused to support the Pride month and the Juneteenth resolutions.
This was a horrible move and further signals a very dangerous trend.
…Adding… Press release…
Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant issued a proclamation today recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth Day of Observance in Will County.
“Will County is proud to celebrate Juneteenth and the history of emancipation in the United States,” said Bertino-Tarrant. “Recognizing this important holiday offers an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our history and commit to work together in becoming a more tolerant society.”
In an Executive Proclamation issued on Friday, June 16, County Executive Bertino-Tarrant called on residents to “celebrate the emancipation of Black Americans and to condemn the history of slavery in the United States of America.”
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Army General Gordon Granger’s proclamation ordered the freedom of more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. Juneteenth has grown to become the oldest nationally-celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States of America.
Juneteenth is a recognized county holiday for Will County government. All county buildings will be closed on the holiday, with the exception of essential county services and public safety operations.
Read the full proclamation at www.WillCountyIllinois.com.
After hedge fund manager and Citadel CEO and co-founder Ken Griffin left Illinois for Florida last year, the door opened for a new wealthiest individual in Illinois.
According to Forbes, Griffin is now the richest individual in Florida, with a net worth of $32.7 billion.
As for Illinois, Lukas Walton, a Walmart heir and grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton, is now the richest resident in the state, with a net worth of $23.3 billion. Walton is ranked by Forbes as the 71st-wealthiest person in the world.
According to Forbes, Walton inherited his fortune when his father, John, died in a plane crash in 2005, receiving approximately one-third of his estate.
* The Question: What would be the first thing you’d do if you inherited a billion dollars?
Bill Number: HB 3902
Description: Creates the Drones as First Responders Act.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill Number: SB 1298
Description: Annual Medicaid Omnibus. Contains rate increases for various healthcare professions and facilities.
Action: Signed
Effective: Some provisions take effect immediately, some take effect July 1, 2023
That Medicaid omnibus bill allows them to issue emergency rules to keep costs down in the undocumented immigrant healthcare program. Those rules will be filed today as well, I’m told.
…Adding… Press release…
After a mass shooting at Aurora’s Henry Pratt Company in 2019 where five people were killed and six injured, the Aurora Police Department’s drone team began to carefully review how other states use drones to support law enforcement operations, and today the legislation their work led to – the Drones as First Responders Act – was signed into law.
Aurora’s State Senator Linda Holmes brought together that research and the countless months, weeks, and hours of stakeholder involvement from municipal groups, law enforcement personnel, and advocates, along with 50th District State Representative Barb Hernandez. In 2022, legislation was prepared.
“This measure gives police and other first responders critical information in a chaotic situation where lives are at stake,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “This could spare another community the suffering and trauma we experienced here – it has the potential to prevent more chaos and death.”
Holmes’ personal and policy-centered interest in this effort grew because she knew Aurora police had identified a valid need. Tragically last year, a sniper fired into the Highland Park Fourth of July parade, killing seven and injuring 48. State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) was walking in the parade with her family at the time. She filed legislation last fall and teamed with Holmes to bring their efforts together this spring.
The Drones as First Responders Act seeks to cover larger crowds and provide additional public safety mechanisms against those trying to harm or hurt multiple people at once.
• Beyond special events, drones will also be able to be utilized in responding to calls, providing real-time information for officers en route to a call. This will not replace the response of an officer, but provide information in advance that will support the officers’ ability to respond in a safe and effective manner as well as secure the scene.
• There are numerous examples of events, large and small, where it is possible that real-time monitoring provided by drones may have prevented or reduced the loss of life that has occurred.
“This may be one of the most important bills I’ve worked on in my Senate career because it can make a difference in how law enforcement and first responders can gather information and take lifesaving actions swiftly,” Holmes said. “Our communities deserve to feel safer as people go about their lives.”
House Bill 3902 takes effect immediately.
* Sun-Times | Businessman James Weiss guilty of bribing 2 state lawmakers, lying to the FBI: The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for four hours before finding Weiss guilty of honest services wire and mail fraud, bribery and lying to the FBI. The bribery scheme involved then-state Rep. Luis Arroyo — who is now in prison — and then-state Sen. Terry Link — who cooperated with the FBI but faces sentencing for his own tax crimes.
* CBS Chicago | IDOT struggles to keep up with graffiti on Chicago area expressways: Now, the Illinois Department of Transportation says when graffiti pops up in the middle of a construction zone, there are times they can’t get to it because it’s too dangerous to remove. But remember, the taggers themselves are getting up there. So IDOT says they will have to wait until the construction is over. But so much of what we’re seeing along the Jane Byrne Interchange and other interstates is in plain view.
* WMAY | Illinois State Representative Coffey wants bills passed during waking hours: He says key legislation, such as the state budget, should not be approved well after midnight, when most people impacted by it are sound asleep. Coffey says he plans to introduce other reform bills, too, including making the General Assembly subject to the state Open Meetings Act.
* Sun-Times | AmeriCorps grants $2.2 million to Chicago, downstate Illinois groups for public health programs: AmeriCorps roots are in the poverty-fighting Volunteers in Service to America — VISTA — program started in 1964. AmeriCorps continued VISTA’s work when it became a federal agency in 1993. Today, the national service agency runs, among other domestic programs, AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps Seniors and Public Health AmeriCorps.
* Shaw Local | OSF awaits Aug. 15 regulatory hearing on Peru hospital: OSF HealthCare has filed the paperwork needed to fully and formally acquire St. Margaret’s Health-Peru (the former Illinois Valley Community Hospital). Fair market value was listed at $38 million. (Scott Anderson)
* WTTW | Will the Bears Stay in Chicago? Open Development Sites Provide Potential Options: Among the potential sites with land large enough to house a stadium are South Works, the site of a former U.S. Steel manufacturing plant; The 78, a 62-acre lot of land; the Lincoln Yards development along the Chicago River; and land just south of Soldier Field including a massive Chicago Park District-owned parking lot and McCormick Place’s Lakeside Center, which the city has discussed tearing down for many years.
* The Civic Federation | Financial Challenges Facing the Chicago Mayor and City Council: Options and Recommendations : Chicago faces a number of social, economic and financial problems in addition to the five key fiscal issues identified above. These include: Public corruption: A lack of affordable housing; Increased costs of sheltering and caring for migrants; Uneven patterns of economic development; Education performance and quality; and Pressing financial issues facing the City’s sister agencies including the Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago, the Chicago Park District and Chicago Transit Authority.
* WTTW | As Mayor Johnson Weighs Board of Education Picks, Some Parents, Advocates Concerned About Lack of Engagement: An open letter this week signed by numerous education advocacy groups — including Access Living, Activate Chicago Parents, Families 4 Students & Teachers, Equip for Equality and Illinois Families for Public Schools, as well as a half-dozen local school council members from around the city — expressed concerns over what they feel has been a lack of engagement from Johnson’s administration with families and stakeholders over the next board appointees.
* Tribune | Chicago Police Board fires sergeant for actions in Anjanette Young raid: The Chicago Police Board on Thursday voted to fire a police sergeant for his role in the botched 2019 raid at the home of social worker Anjanette Young. During its monthly meeting at Chicago Police Department headquarters, the board voted 5-3 to fire Sgt. Alex Wolinski.
* Tribune | Cook County prepares to raze most buildings at former Oak Forest Hospital campus: Work to tear down an initial 11 buildings is to begin in September, with another 29 slated to be razed starting next year, and county officials said a series of community meetings, newsletters and a dedicated website will keep residents informed about the project’s status.
* WTHI | Following FBI raid at Paris superintendent’s home, here’s what the Illinois State Board of Education told us: “ISBE conducted a routine audit of the Paris Union school district. Several findings and questioned costs prompted ISBE to conduct further monitoring that identified approximately $3.24 million in questioned costs, unallowable expenditures, and unallowable salaries. The district is required to provide a corrective action plan no later than June 30 addressing each finding in the final report and to repay the questioned costs and unallowable expenses.
