* The Illinois Auditor General looked at the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s books and found a whopping $5.24 billion in overpayments…

Overpayments (which include fraud, non-fraud, and identity theft) were an issue in both the regular UI and PUA programs. IDES reported overpayments for FY20 to FY22 that totaled $5.24 billion; regular UI accounted for $2.04 billion and PUA accounted for $3.20 billion. Considering gross benefits associated with regular UI claims were 2.5 times higher than gross benefits associated with PUA claims, it shows the magnitude of fraud experienced in the PUA program. IDES noted stopped or recovered payments of $150.36 million and $361.34 million for the regular UI and PUA programs respectively.

Many decisions made during the pandemic were intended to decrease or eliminate delays and prioritize paying claims as soon as possible. Several of IDES’ defenses against fraud could not handle the exponential increase in claims. Claimants were unable to register for claims since they were required to pass these cross-matches in order to file. Beginning in March 2020, IDES suspended some routine identity cross-matches performed on all regular UI claims filed because the cross-matches required time to run and constricted the processing system severely. These cross-matches were temporarily suspended and/or processed offline. This allowed IDES to better handle the increase in claims processing traffic; however, this left the unemployment programs more susceptible to fraud.

Timely payment of benefits and preventing fraud are competing concepts. Preventing fraud, especially in new programs with evolving guidance and guidelines, likely would require additional processing time and a possible delay in benefit distribution to claimants. Conversely, paying claims quickly, especially when certain cross-matches and controls were suspended, increased IDES’ risk of making improper payments.

Go read the rest.

* The Republican Party’s elders in this state have not had much of an influence on the rank and file for quite a few years. So this likely won’t change things much…

An influential Illinois Republican is urging Republicans to break from ex-President Donald Trump, the current front runner for the 2024 GOP nomination.

Richard Porter, a local and national party leader, took his first public stand about moving on from Trump in a column published Wednesday by Real Clear Politics.

The op-ed is here. Porter is backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose campaign appears to be imploding at the moment.

* IDPH…

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reminding the public to be aware of the potential for exposure to rabies from infected animals. Bats are the most common source of potential infection in Illinois, and exposures from bats tend to be more frequent during the summer months, especially July and August. The disease can also be found in other wild animals, including raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes.

So far this year, 27 rabid bats have been found in fourteen Illinois counties. There have been five rabid bats each in Kankakee and Lake counties, four in Cook County, and three in McHenry County. Rabies has also been found in bats in Bureau, Clark, DeKalb, Macon, McLean, Peoria, Rock Island, Sangamon, Wayne, and Will counties.

“Rabies is a fatal but preventable disease,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “It is important that Illinois residents know how to prevent rabies exposure to protect themselves and their loved ones. Rabies can be prevented in a number of ways including vaccinating pets, being cautious around wildlife, and seeking medical care immediately after a potential exposure. If exposed, please seek medical attention immediately.”

Rabies is a deadly virus that affects the brain and nervous system. People can get rabies from being bitten by an infected animal. Rabies can also be contracted when saliva from a rabid animal comes into contact with a person’s eyes, nose, mouth, or an open wound. If someone wakes up to find a bat in the room, that is also considered an exposure even if they cannot identify a bite.

A bat’s teeth are small, so someone who has been bitten by a bat may not know it, or may be unable to communicate it (for example, very small children). That’s why it’s important that if you discover a bat in your home, you should avoid killing or releasing it; instead, immediately consult with your local animal control or your local health department to determine appropriate next steps. If you have been exposed to rabies, preventive treatment, known as PEP, is necessary. But if the bat or wild animal can be safely captured and tested, and the test comes back negative, no preventive medication is required.

* IEPA…

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director John J. Kim today announced a grant opportunity with $10 million in funding for projects that will improve water quality in Illinois. The Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunities (GIGO) Program has been made possible by Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is posted at https://il.amplifund.com/Public/Opportunities/Details/8eb59a23-1ba2-4930-acf3-2622dbb7e364. […]

The GIGO Program provides funding for projects to construct green infrastructure best management practices (BMPs) that prevent, eliminate, or reduce water quality impairments by decreasing stormwater runoff into Illinois’ rivers, streams, and lakes. Projects that implement treatment trains (multiple BMPs in series) and/or multiple BMPs within the same watershed may be more effective and efficient than a single large green infrastructure BMP.

For GIGO, green infrastructure means any stormwater management technique or practice employed with the primary goal to preserve, restore, mimic, or enhance natural hydrology. Green infrastructure includes, but is not limited to, methods of using soil and vegetation to promote soil percolation, evapotranspiration, and filtering or the harvesting and reuse of precipitation. Examples of project types/BMPs that may be funded through GIGO are provided in the NOFO. Illinois EPA anticipates project awards between $75,000 and $2.5 million. The first $5 Million in GIGO grants were awarded to eleven grantees in 2021 and 2022. Four projects have completed construction and the remaining are under construction.

* Not the ballot name it used to be, but we’ll see…

Today, Justice Eileen O’Neill Burke (Illinois Appellate Court, Retired) formally announced her campaign to be the Democratic Candidate for Cook County State’s Attorney:

“At the beginning of this month, I stepped down from my position as a Justice on the Appellate Court for a simple reason: our criminal justice system is not working for this community that I love. As a former prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, and judge, I have spent more than thirty years seeking justice for the people of Cook County from every corner of the courtroom. I believe that my experience, sound judgment, and record of fairness can make things better at a critical time,” said Justice Eileen O’Neill Burke.

“The State’s Attorney has an awesome responsibility to vigorously prosecute cases and seek justice for victims, their families, and the people of Cook County while respecting the rule of law and the civil rights of the accused. That requires not only tackling violent crime but also a thoughtful approach to restorative justice, where we put resources into juvenile, veterans, drug, and mental health courts to help people get back on the right path and build stronger, safer communities.

“We don’t have to choose between safety or justice. We can have both with the right leadership. Above all, I know that no State’s Attorney can be successful without earning the trust of the public. I will lead an office with the highest standards of professionalism, and I look forward to sharing my vision with voters to make the office of the Cook County State’s Attorney one of the best prosecutor’s offices in the country,” O’Neill Burke concluded.

In only three weeks since stepping off the bench, Justice Burke has garnered the enthusiastic support of the local legal community. More than 150 retired judges, retired Assistant State’s Attorneys, and lawyers have joined Burke’s campaign.

* This ain’t gonna work…

"Overcoming adversity." Once again, that's "overcoming adversity." Remember, this is a full card round of Sports Scandal Buzzword Bingo, so please hold onto your cards until we confirm a winner. https://t.co/DFVZPqAsCr

— Mike Pries (@MikePTraffic) July 26, 2023

* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…

* Sun-Times | State Supreme Court rules man who pleaded guilty to murder he didn’t commit can get certificate of innocence: The unanimous opinion last week comes less than a month after Wayne Washington reached a multimillion-dollar settlement in a lawsuit alleging he was framed by detectives.

* Daily Herald | Other than Coroner Russell, Kane GOP lacks countywide candidates for 2024: The Kane County GOP leadership still does not have solid commitments from candidates to challenge Democratic incumbents for county board chairman, circuit clerk, state’s attorney or auditor.

* Shaw Local | Will County Board member faces dubious reprimand after pushing courthouse cause: Will County Board member Daniel Butler is facing possible reprimand for pushing for a special meeting to explore options for the old courthouse. “They’re putting me in time out,” Butler, R-Frankfort, quipped over directions from the board Republican leader that would force him to sit separately from other members at future County Board meetings.

* The Record | Wilmette to consider formal objection related to Ryan Field rebuild, as resident disapproval intensifies: According to Plunkett, trustees will vote during their Aug. 8 meeting on a resolution objecting to the zoning changes in Evanston, which would allow concerts to take place at Ryan Field under NU’s plans to reimagine the stadium and its grounds.

* WBEZ | No jail time for man who admitted buying gun used to kill 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams at McDonald’s drive-thru: Straw-purchasing cases like Keys’ can be vexing for law enforcement. While they may have disastrous consequences, judges often face defendants at sentencing with mostly clean criminal histories. Defense attorneys argue their clients have committed a non-violent, paperwork offense that involved lying on a form during a firearm purchase.

* Block Club Chicago | Rogers Park Motel Becomes Migrant Shelter Housing 250 People: The Super 8 Motel, 7300 N. Sheridan Road, will welcome over 250 new arrivals in the coming weeks, Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) said. The motel — which has private rooms and individual bathrooms and showers, unlike other city shelters — is prioritizing migrant families with young children, Hadden said.

* Crain’s | Winston & Strawn to move to riverfront tower: “Our Chicago roots run deep and when we embarked on a search for a downtown office location that would inspire our team and exceed expectations well into the future, we knew 300 North LaSalle was the perfect fit,” Cardelle Spangler, Chicago managing partner of Winston & Strawn, said in a press release.

* Daily Southtown | Aqua Illinois ordered to provide free, monthly water testing for University Park residents: Any resident or business on the public water system can request Aqua complete a free test of the tap water, as often as once a month, said village attorney Nina Fain. The testing will continue until either the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or the court order otherwise she said.

* WBEZ | Why does Chicago’s Silver Room Block Party have to end?: At the first Silver Room at 1410 N. Milwaukee Ave., my rent was $800 a month [in 1997]. Then it eventually went from $800 to $4,000. [By 2014] I’m going to $8,000 a month. So I was like, it’s time to go.

* Tribune | Chicago’s hottest days — with temperatures of 100 degrees or higher — on record: The last time O’Hare International Airport, the city’s official recording site, experienced a temperature of 100 degrees or higher was July 6, 2012 — more than a decade ago.

* Illinois Newsroom | Decatur superintendent to ask for inspections for every school after structural concerns at Dennis Lab School: After structural problems at Dennis Lab School caught Decatur Public Schools administrators by surprise, Superintendent Rochelle Clark wants structural engineers to check every school. Clark asked the DPS Board of Education to consider a master plan instead of immediately repairing the two Dennis buildings.

* WaPo | Some long-covid patients have brain struggles for at least two years: Researchers in the United Kingdom found that people who reported having long-covid symptoms for at least 12 weeks after being infected with the coronavirus showed reduced performance in tests for, among other things, memory, reasoning and motor control, for up to two years after the infection. Their findings were published last week in the Lancet journal eClinicalMedicine.

* Sun-Times | Chicagoans set to watch U.S. Women’s National Team second game at FIFA World Cup: The USA-Netherlands FIFA World Cup game might kick off in Wellington, New Zealand, on Wednesday, but the ball won’t stop rolling there as scores of fans head out to catch it in Chicago. “We’re going to have a huge watch party,” said Heather Roberts, the co-owner of Whiskey Girl Tavern, a North Side bar dedicated to watching women’s sports. “We’ve dedicated the entire space in front and the back rooms for the match.”