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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Jul 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Here you go… * SJ-R | ‘An amazing, confident individual’: Officials identify victim in stabbing death as Springfield community organizer: “To know Emma was to love her,” Dodson said. “Emma was the kind of person that made you be the most authentic version of yourself when you were sharing space with her. She made everything seem like a possibility that the world could change tomorrow if we just kept trying.” * Quad-City Times | Charlie Helmick to run for Illinois 72nd House District: Democratic Rep. Gregg Johnson currently represents the 72nd House District. Johnson was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in November, 2022, replacing Democratic Sen. Mike Halpin who held the house seat since 2017 before running for the Illinois 36th Senate District. * Vandalia Radio | Trucking officials say a call for zero-emission trucks by environmental groups is unrealistic: Don Schaefer, executive vice president of the Mid-West Truckers Association, says today’s trucks run much cleaner than in the past. Schaefer believes there should be a national standard for truck emissions, not what he calls a “hodge-podge” of rules and regulations created by individual states. * SJ-R | Illinois Freedom Caucus rallies behind 16-year-old swimmer who claims she was kicked off team: Abbigail Wheeler of Loami said she also was banned from the YMCA after making and posting signs in the women’s locker room she was told amounted to “hate speech.” […] “No one is forced to use any space in our facility that makes them uncomfortable,” said Lou Bart, a spokesman for the YMCA. “We offer multiple options for private changing spaces and restrooms for all members.” * SJ-R | Bailey’s back. Who else is running for Congress in Illinois?: As of Monday, there have been 40 candidates in the state’s 17 congressional districts who have filed with FEC. […] Budzinski has company with one named opponent that she’ll likely face in November 2024. Republican challenger Joshua Loyd, a 24-year-old from Carbondale, filed with the FEC in March and is centering his campaign on agriculture, maintaining social security and strengthening national security per his website. * Tribune | Second candidate joining race to replace Kim Foxx as Cook County state’s attorney: Eileen O’Neill Burke earlier this month retired from her position as a justice of Cook County’s 1st District Appellate Court to run for the seat being vacated by two-term Democrat Kim Foxx, according to a spokesperson for O’Neill Burke’s campaign. * Sun-Times | 3 finalists picked for job of Chicago police superintendent: A civilian commission narrowed the field to Angel Novalez, Shon Barnes and Larry Snelling. Mayor Brandon Johnson now has 30 days to either choose one or reject them all and order the panel to launch another search. * Belleville News-Democrat | He’s made millions from video gambling in Illinois. Regulators want to revoke his license: Lucky Lincoln Gaming, which is owned by Jeff Rehberger Jr., has nearly 1,200 machines, officially known as “terminals,” in about 200 bars, restaurants, gas stations and other locations throughout Illinois. That includes 10 in the metro-east, according to its website. * Sun-Times | Rick Heidner, Illinois video gambling mogul, and his wife owe $5 million in income tax, IRS says: The spokesman says the couple doesn’t owe any taxes to the state of Illinois, which granted and regulates the gaming license for Gold Rush. Through the payment plan with the IRS, all that the Heidners owe is expected to be paid “by the end of August, putting an end to the lien,” according to the statement. * Tribune | Feds investigating possible minority-contracting fraud involving city deals worth millions: The ongoing investigation is targeting possible fraud in the minority-owned business programs in the city of Chicago and other municipalities, sources with knowledge of the probe told the Tribune. No criminal charges have been filed, but the investigation has been active in recent weeks, with several people being approached by law enforcement, the sources said. * Crain’s | Northwestern trustees face a reckoning amid football hazing scandal: Attention now shifts to a 70-member board of trustees packed with local luminaries, underscoring Northwestern’s importance to Chicago as a global city. Trustees include retired Abbott Laboratories CEO Miles White, Rocky Wirtz of Wirtz Corp. and the Chicago Blackhawks, Baxter International CEO José Almeida, and investment honchos Michael Sacks of GCM Grosvenor and Madison Dearborn co-president Timothy Sullivan. Among 78 life trustees are megadonor Patrick Ryan of insurance broker Ryan Specialty and fellow billionaires, real estate mogul Neil Bluhm and industrialist Lester Crown. * Crain’s | Northwestern head baseball coach Jim Foster is out: Reports surfaced on Monday that Foster, who was in his first year as coach, was the subject of a human resources investigation over accusations of abuse and bullying from former players. Three days later, he was out. “This has been an ongoing situation and many factors were considered before reaching this resolution,” Gragg said in the statement. “As the Director of Athletics, I take ownership of our head coaching hires and we will share our next steps as they unfold.” * Tribune | Northwestern football recruits reassess their commitments in the wake of hazing allegations and Pat Fitzgerald’s firing: In the days since Fitzgerald’s firing, four three-star recruits from the initial 14 members of the 2024 class have reopened their recruitment. Offensive linemen Payton Stewart and Julius Tate and wide receiver Brett Eskildsen announced on social media that they were decommitting. Defensive tackle Dillan Johnson, from Joliet Catholic, decommitted and flipped to Wisconsin. * Sun-Times | Dan Sullivan, who was shot and paralyzed as a teen and went on to become a Cook County judge, dies at 68: “Dan never looked back, he never talked about the shooting, never felt sorry for himself, kept looking forward and was always positive,” said his close friend since kindergarten, Pat Flavin. * Crain’s | NASCAR event a mixed bag for Loop restaurants: Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said road closures kept people away from downtown — and therefore from restaurants in the area. He said a number of association members didn’t see sales increase over the race weekend, despite fans displaced by rain. * Capitol News Illinois | Capitol News Illinois to launch broadcast expansion, bolster southern Illinois presence with new hires: Fuller joins CNI as its broadcast director, bringing more than two decades of experience in Illinois radio, television and digital media to the newsroom as it plans to expand broadcast offerings to the state’s radio and television stations. * Sun-Times | Trio of piping plover chicks released at Montrose Beach: The three chicks, named Searocket, Prickly Pear and Wild Indigo, have been exploring their new environment at Montrose Beach. Their names are a nod to the native plants in the Montrose Beach Dunes Natural Area.
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- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 7:57 am:
“who claims she was kicked off team”
That story is turning out exactly like I expected it to. Basically, it’s a bunch of purposeful lies.
The YMCA is actually fighting back against the family, and they have the receipts.
This does not end well for the freedom caucus.
- The Dude Abides - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 8:14 am:
The Freedom Caucus event is why the Kerasotes YMCA had to temporarily shut down yesterday afternoon - Iles and Archer Elevator were blocked off, so it was impossible to get to the facility.
What a joke.
- Appears - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 8:19 am:
The Freedom Caucus isn’t as interested in the truth as it is in the narrative. They are trying to make a point. Religious zealots, political zealots, etc. are more interested in controlling the narrative and making a point than they are in what is actually the truth.
- Suburban Mom - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 8:19 am:
===This does not end well for the freedom caucus. ===
I mean … their goal is to spew fact-free invective against sexual and gender minorities, in order to terrify LGBTQ+ communities into silence while emboldening their allies to commit hate crimes, so I feel like it does actually end “well” for them, regardless of the underlying facts.
You don’t actually win against the Freedom Caucus sorts unless you take them to court and win a painfully large settlement … and then they will use that loss in court to raise money off the radical left judiciary that so cruelly forces them to obey the law.
When your goal is anger, hatred, and division, and you have no shame, you don’t really ever lose.
- Arguenda - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 8:23 am:
We need a lot more visible support than I saw at the rally yesterday. Wear the rainbow and don’t let the Freedom Caucus win with these half-baked truths.
- Amalia - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 8:26 am:
wow. Eileen O’Neill Burke for State’s Attorney. She’s highly qualified. good.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 9:06 am:
The biggest mistake when looking at the far right fear mongering is thinking it’s about the facts that make a story.
It’s the narrative where they can make up facts to support the conclusion(s)
Hate can only exist here if the phony fear has untruthful facts to a narrative one wants told.
Maybe an argument could be made that the parent didn’t want to child (in relationship not in any measured age) to speak… because indoctrinating misinformation hasn’t taken hold, and guilt to the truth still exists?
No shame and purposeful misleading is best sold without a feeling of guilt.
Facts need to matter. It’s why discussions to policy and social mores can’t happen in a climate where “alternative facts” and misleading truths to timelines… and ignoring facts that are inconvenient to a narrative… make cult thinking permeate
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 9:16 am:
–their goal is to spew fact-free invective–
While true, their usual nonsense has been just vague enough to not really pin down. In this case, the Y has the emails from the parents showing quite clearly the nonsense is not just nonsense but a deliberate fabrication. It’s a new mode of nonsense, whether intentional or not.
–they will use that loss in court to raise money–
Also true, but diminishing returns are starting to be a larger part of the outcome. This might be the one where the damage is more than the returns.
They are playing a risky game, similar to musical chairs. They don’t know when it becomes a net loss until its far too late to adjust course.
I think this event is that watershed.
Maybe I’m too optimistic, and am wrong. But this seems different for some reason.
- Jerry - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 9:24 am:
Its against the Constitution to force your religious “lifestyle choice” on others. Which is what the not so free “freedom caucus” is doing.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 9:26 am:
===I think this event is that watershed.===
Meh. The SJ-R buried the pesky facts and led hard with the outrage.
- Hannibal Lecter - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 9:27 am:
=== wow. Eileen O’Neill Burke for State’s Attorney. She’s highly qualified. good. ===
I agree. I think she would be great.
- Jerry - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 9:35 am:
Question for the limited government “freedom caucus”….
do they want the police to monitor the bathroom and/or locker room (by their standards)?
- Former Downstater - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 9:35 am:
==Meh. The SJ-R buried the pesky facts and led hard with the outrage.==
This.
Also, as Rich showed yesterday, the entire Freedom Caucus narrative is based on lies. Yet the SJ-R spent nearly 3/4 of the articles discussing the lies as though they were legitimate facts.
That, in my view, the number one problem with the media these days. To often, in the name of balance and “objectivity”, they end up giving credence to ideas that just aren’t true.
Balance means telling the story as it occurs and giving all sides a chance to weight in. It doesn’t mean if something is a lie, you can’t call it out as such.
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 9:36 am:
–Meh.–
Again, true.
But this time it’s bumping up against what people already know about their local YMCA. It’s not really an organization that fits in with the ‘liberal indoctrination’ line these attempts usually follow.
It was a poor target for them to choose to create this faux event around. It have worked out well for them, if say Planet Fitness was the target.
It’s going to be hard to overcome the existing view people have of their local YMCA, in a way that the usual railing against public schools never had to worry about handling.
Strategically, this seems like a big mistake.
- Michelle Flaherty - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 9:36 am:
Oh yes, the Freedom Caucus and their deep-seated support and concern for women’s sports. When’s Freedom Caucus member night at the WNBA?
- cermak_rd - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 9:43 am:
Hoping I learn more about Burke’s prosecutorial strategy as we approach the election.
I liked Foxx’s approach of prosecute the serious crimes vigorously but don’t bother with small money amount crimes. And don’t give people records for stupid stuff. If we had a system that actually allowed for a criminal record not having a long train of consequences long after the sentence has been served, that would be a different story.
When my bike was stolen I did not get police attention so I do not understand why a retailer thinks they are entitled to police attention for similar $ amounts (the one exception I would make is for group actions, there it should be considered a conspiracy and dollar amounts totaled together).
- The Truth - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 9:49 am:
Well put, @TheInvisibleMan. Diminishing returns since 2016, really.
- DownSouth - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 10:03 am:
So, will they next advocate for specific screening protocols before using “women’s” spaces? Any person who could have impure thoughts about the girls? /s
- Jerry - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 10:08 am:
What if its a little boy, who enjoyed the new Barbie movie and is wearing a Barbie t-shirt and he and his Mom (another gender term) try to go into the Boys room at the Y?
Will this be a misdemeanor? Class X felony and having to be a Registered Sex Offender?
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 10:11 am:
If the Illinois Freedom Caucus wants to do things to ensure its party remains a super-minority in Illinois, who’s to stop it? Can a JBT or Jim Thompson even emerge from a primary today? Can’t see it happening.
- H-W - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 10:13 am:
=== Hate can only exist here if the phony fear has untruthful facts to a narrative one wants told. ==
If I might?
@ Arguenda is also correct.
The politics of hate can also exist if voters do not openly express opposition to hate. In this context, I worry a great deal about our progress as a nation and as a state.
Young, eligible voters have historically been underrepresented at the ballot box. And yet, this same cohort is the most tolerant, most accepting of transitioning and gender diversity, most likely to support access to abortion, most appreciative of ethnic and racial diversity, most devoted to gender equity and equality, etc.
It seems that in the absence of this voting block, the polarizing platforms of their elders (us) have been able to succeed.
I read yesterday or the day before in a news service feed that young people still interpret “two wrongs do not make a right” as an excuse for not participating in the political process. I know my students often say they “dislike both parties.”
It seems to me that in such a milieu of disinterest in the sins of the fathers, the sins of the fathers persist.
If young eligible voters can someday come to see that creating the communities and state and nation they seek is a long-term, complicated process, that it involves a lifetime of actually voting, so as to slowly eliminate hate and differential treatment and group-level inequalities, as well as a lifetime of public service to create equality before the law and in public accommodations; perhaps someday “phony fears” will no longer serve their purpose of reproducing the status quo in government and in society.
But in my 35 years of teaching in higher education, I have only seen glimpses of hope in this regard. For the most part, my students’ ideals of achieving tolerance, acceptance, equity and equality are offset by their belief that if they ignore the game of politics, somehow that is an enviable position.
In taking such a position, young eligible voters use their intentional low turnout to indirectly empower that which they oppose; it is a self-fulfilling prophesy of sorts.
- Unedited - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 10:18 am:
Exactly what Former Downstater says. The SJR led with the lies and outrage and slipped the truth in as an aside. It’s irresponsible to quote Chris Miller ranting about “naked men” when they heard the girl admit that the person was never naked. I emailed the Florida Man who’s allegedly running the show to express my views, but I do not expect a response.
- Shocked in Springfield - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 10:21 am:
Just wanted to say thanks for including discussion of Emma in today’s fax. Her loss is devastating for many who knew and loved her, but even those of us who knew her by reputation or in passing can feel that this is a deep loss for our community. I’m 20 years older than she was, and I want to be more like her when I grow up.
- This - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 10:34 am:
The YMCA story, complete with “exclusive” interviews with the swimmer and her father, will be on FOX national news within 48 hours. Facts won’t derail the chance to feed this to the national outrage / anger echo chamber.
- JS Mill - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 10:42 am:
I went and read the SJR article. It was very poorly written, not much description of the actual alleged incident and all about peoples emotions.Which generally lead people to poor decisions.
I also found this tid bit interesting-”Kaitlynn Wheeler is a former swimmer at the University of Kentucky where she was a teammate of Riley Gaines, who has campaigned against the participation of trans women in women’s sports.”
My take is that this was entirely a political stunt. If it happened as they say it did (dubious) on April 27th, Why just now is all of this coming to light?
I may not have the same thoughts on transgender athletes as some do here, but I am also not obsessed with it. And professionally, the law is pretty clear here in Illinois.
- Dotnonymous x - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 2:09 pm:
The Freedom Caucus is the last bastion of The Tea Baggers.
- Amalia - Friday, Jul 14, 23 @ 3:45 pm:
I missed the SJR story on the Y and the swimmers. these discussions are difficult because the far right and the far left are controlling them and those in the middle get called TERF or whatever the far right calls people who dont hate trans people. if you really want to get into some supreme nuance of it look at England where very vocal lesbians are fighting back against those who invoke the cotton ceiling, as they term it. very famous lawsuit involving this. But it is a discussion that must be had, rationally, and with some room for grace for people who say biological females. because you can’t change some aspects of biology. and there has to be a way for inclusion in sports that still preserves fair participation. the modesty issue is another aspect. that one is very very difficult. those in the middle, speak up.