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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Aug 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Here you go…
* Tribune | Testimony in Tim Mapes perjury trial centers on Chinatown land transfer at center of Madigan racketeering charges: Republican lobbyist Nancy Kimme testified that fellow lobbyist Michael McClain first reached out to her about the Chinatown project in late 2017, and that she later met at then-25th Ward Ald. Daniel Solis’ West Side office with McClain, Solis and the developers seeking to turn a parking lot into a hotel complex. * Daily Herald | Glendale Heights board asks village president to resign in wake of criminal charges: The Glendale Heights Village Board on Thursday night asked its embattled president, Chodri Ma Khokhar, to resign because he is facing criminal charges accusing him of filing false police reports. “Considering the mayor’s conduct … the best interest of the community would be served by his immediate resignation,” Trustee Chester Pojack said, reading from a statement he said was signed by all trustees. * Sun-Times | Illinois video gambling mogul Rick Heidner leased space for years to crooked bingo scheme: He says he knew nothing of the skimming that sent two men to prison. Illinois Gaming Board officials won’t say whether they knew of the illegal operation when they gave Heidner a video gambling license. * Vermillion County First | Mayor Williams Calls Danville Court Victory Over Mervis Industries Concerning Casino “David Versus Goliath”: When Danville first looked into establishing land for a future casino, the originally proposed location would have been on land owned by Mervis Industries. However, the two parties could not agree on a price for the city’s purchase of the land. * Tribune | City ‘will suffer’ if officer disciplinary hearings are held out of public view, Police Board president says: Addressing a recent effort by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 to remove 22 misconduct cases from the board’s docket, Ghian Foreman, the board’s president, said: “Police accountability and, ultimately, the people of Chicago will suffer if the most serious police disciplinary cases are removed from the police board’s jurisdiction, which is what will happen if this decision is allowed to stand.” * Sun-Times | Mayoral allies nearing compromise on plan to raise tax on higher-end home sales, but office building owners still not buying in: The compromise that Chicago voters will be asked to approve in a binding referendum in March is the one that now former Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara floated last month. The changes are expected to reduce the annual revenue by $20 million — from $160 million to $140 million. * Pioneer Press | Fired Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald to volunteer for defending prep state champion Loyola Academy: A statement from the school did not specify Fitzgerald’s duties for the Ramblers, who are the defending Class 8A state champions. Fitzgerald joins a program where Beau Desherow is set to begin his first season as head coach. * Tribune | Northwestern’s hazing history: Cases over 150 years show how hard it can be for colleges, institutions to extinguish these rituals: One high-profile instance roughly a hundred years ago had particularly tragic consequences when an 18-year-old student went missing following participation in an annual freshman-sophomore hazing event, a case that remains a mystery today. * Crain’s | Northwestern floats modifications to stadium project: In a message Thursday night, school President Michael Schill said the university is willing to dial back the number of summer concerts at the new Ryan Field to six from 10, a move apparently aimed at addressing concerns raised by nearby residents in Evanston and neighboring Wilmette. * Apartment Therapy | A Frank Lloyd Wright Home in Chicago Is Listed for Just $75K: Now, if you’re thinking that’s just too good to be true, it’s worth noting that this dream home does come with some pretty major caveats. The property, located in Wright’s Waller Apartments at 2846 W Walnut Street, is being sold as-is, but it’s definitely not move-in ready. In fact, the interior of the two-story home has been gutted down to the studs, and the back porch needs to be replaced. But even if you’ve got the budget for a complete reno, you’ll need to work with a developer that has city development experience, and the exterior will need to remain in compliance with its Chicago Landmark status, which means only minor repairs to the outside will be allowed. * Sun-Times | Copi dokey? Illinoisans getting hooked on renamed invasive carp delicacies at State Fair: Fairgoers have chowed down on various forms of copi, better known until last year as Asian carp, the invasive fish that has wreaked havoc on Illinois ecosystems. Copi rangoon, sliders or empanadas, anyone? * The Big Lead | Dick Bigger Jr. Gets His Ball Signed at Illinois State Fair: While most people are paying very close attention to the Iowa State Fair, there’s another Midwestern gathering going on at the neighboring Illinois State Fair. While Ron DeSantis and other Republican presidential hopefuls are in Iowa, Illinois has to settle for Governor J.B. Pritzker who was nice enough to stop and sign a baseball for Dick Bigger Jr., of Biggsville, Illinois. * ABC Chicago | Illinois State Senator Willie Preston rescues truck driver in Chicago after semi flips on side: He said he then saw a semi that had flipped onto its side. It was smoking, and the driver was trapped inside. Sen. Preston had a tool in his car, which he used to break the windshield and then helped the driver out of the cab.
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- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 7:48 am:
===“We are the ones that must change. We Republicans must put Democrats on the defensive on abortion.”===
Republicans are dangerous to women’s health and want to make health decisions for women that only Republicans approve.
Unless the ILGOP decides to have pro-choice leanings, there isn’t much of a way to put Dems in Illinois on a defensive.
She readily admits a change in strategy is needed.
Why?
Voters reject dangerous Republican health policy.
- Pundent - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 8:41 am:
=We are the ones that must change. We Republicans must put Democrats on the defensive on abortion.=
Saying the quiet part out loud now are we? That’ll keep Welch from picking up those coveted seats and put you back in the Governor’s mansion.
- Big Dipper - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 9:51 am:
==Sen. Preston had a tool in his car, which he used to break the windshield and then helped the driver out of the cab.==
Who says we don’t have heroes in the General Assembly?
- JoanP - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 9:53 am:
= Who says we don’t have heroes in the General Assembly? =
Yep. While everyone else was busy “recording something on their phones”, he actually did something.
- Give Us Barabbas - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 10:02 am:
Loyola Academy, that’s not a good look. Check your values.
- Back to the Future - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 10:47 am:
Appreciate GUB’s comments about the Ramblers Football program, but being open and transparent in giving a person a second chance in this case takes a certain amount of courage. Thinking LA is showing us a set of values that need to be supported.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 10:52 am:
===a second chance ===
Woah, speed racer
Second chance? When was there an admission of owning any of it?
The guy is suing NU.
With respect.
Further, no Power 5 program is gonna add a guy who had racial hazing as part of their culture… and is still suing his former institution.
Love of Peter.
I can’t wait for the discovery in *his own* lawsuit yet to be filed. Fitzgerald will be radioactive even more.
- Back to the Future - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 11:02 am:
OW might be right on this, but thinking most people deserve and can benefit themselves and others if they get a “second chance”.
Hope the NU Former Coach learns something from being in the Academy’s culture.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 11:09 am:
===get a “second chance”.===
Again, in this specific instance, Fitzgerald is fighting all the allegations, the toxic culture he created (continued from Barnett’s influences he embraced, but I digress) is so deep at NU… tone-deaf t-shirts were worn by player and coach alike, while former teammates talked about the hazing.
Fitzgerald own any of this yet? Ask for forgiveness?
Nope.
I mean, lol, use the Google Key for “Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss”… check all he did, then going to Liberty University to be cleansed…
- Big Dipper - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 11:50 am:
Looks like Loyola Academy learned nothing from this scandal: the school told students “they had fired Snower for abusing them for years and they were sorry that Loyola had not done anything.”
https://patch.com/illinois/wilmette/fired-soccer-coach-sues-loyola-academy-over-250-000
- Hannibal Lecter - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 1:34 pm:
=== Loyola Academy, that’s not a good look. Check your values. ===
So Fitzgerald should just be cancelled? He’s doing it as a volunteer, and there are definitely things he can do to provide value in that role. Is there anything that you think Fitzgerald should be able to do while this is pending?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 1:41 pm:
===So Fitzgerald should just be cancelled?===
Has he apologized yet?
You’re asking all the wrong questions
===provide value in that role===
“If any of the seniors have hazing questions, Mr. Fitzgerald is here…”
===Is there anything that you think Fitzgerald should be able to do while this is pending?===
1) Look at how Hugh Freeze handled his situation, learn from his good and bad.
2) Stop trying to blame NU, own your leadership.
3) “I need to learn from my failings”
4) “I hope to teach others lessons I’m learning”
5) Volunteer at places where “helping athletes” isn’t a thing.
If you have more time or want, I can go through actual crisis control by first owning up to his errors, but since you and he seem to think there’s no need to first be contrite…
- Hannibal Lecter - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 1:52 pm:
=== You’re asking all the wrong questions ===
I am not asking any questions. Your commentary, as usual, is completely annoying.
He obviously thinks that he has been wronged by the University when he was terminated. Whatever those wrongs are, those will be handled through the legal process. I have no opinion regarding him trying to protect his legal interests.
Did things go wrong at NU? Heck yes they did. Was there any evidence that Fitzgerald actually participated in the hazing or knew about the hazing? If there is, it will come out during discovery.
My only point is that this guy has a wealth of football knowledge that the players at Loyola could benefit from. He’s not running the team. He’s not even getting paid. He’s volunteering. And he is likely going to be out of a job while this whole lawsuit is pending. But the fact that this guy shouldn’t be involved in football because he hasn’t jumped on the sword and basically given up his legal rights to defend himself is, quite frankly, dumb.
If Loyola Academy, one of the best football programs and educational institutions in the state, believe that there is value to having him a part of their program, then quite frankly opinions like yours don’t matter. If parents at Loyola have a problem with this, I am sure they will let the school know and they could act accordingly.
- Hannibal Lecter - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 2:06 pm:
Also Fitzgerald’s son is the starting QB for Loyola. It is not like he is just randomly trying to volunteer at Loyola.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 2:09 pm:
===son===
That’s all a school needs… a hyper-volatile “Dad” who lost his job because he either encouraged or was utterly and embarrassingly clueless to sexualized hazing which also had racism.
There’s a reason no college will take him on?
- Hannibal Lecter - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 2:22 pm:
=== a hyper-volatile “Dad” ===
I love how you make up things to fit your narrative. Please stop it.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 2:25 pm:
He is a dad.
There are over 10+ victims coming forward.
It’s not just volatile, it’s so hyper volatile NU is doing a report on how the first report and findings… failed.
Ask NU.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 2:53 pm:
===I am not asking any questions.===
Ya asked TWO
===So Fitzgerald should just be cancelled?… Is there anything that you think Fitzgerald should be able to do while this is pending?===
I mean, seriously, at least try.
===Did things go wrong at NU? Heck yes they did. Was there any evidence that Fitzgerald actually participated in the hazing or knew about the hazing? If there is, it will come out during discovery.===
They did one report, the man was terminated.
Are you saying the report was wrong? The 10+ victims, not credible? Yikes.
===My only point is that this guy has a wealth of football knowledge that the players at Loyola could benefit from.===
A truly creepy take… given this about sexualized hazing and racism. It’s that kind of thinking that makes Fitzgerald doing “volunteering with men in a Catholic institution” even creeper.
===But the fact that this guy shouldn’t be involved in football because he hasn’t jumped on the sword and basically given up his legal rights to defend himself is, quite frankly, dumb.===
Prolly why no university is publicly wanting him in their program.
“Look, we know why he lost his job, but volunteering in a situation where others were hazed, it’s fine, really, he’s a coach”
Fitzgerald isn’t even embarrassed that the culture he allowed is bad. Again, it’s creepy.
===If Loyola Academy, one of the best football programs and educational institutions in the state, believe that there is value to having him a part of their program, then quite frankly opinions like yours don’t matter.===
I do think it’s odd that you’d want a person around 14-18 year old boys/men that couldn’t tell that abuses were happening, let alone might have encouraged it.
===If parents at Loyola have a problem with this, I am sure they will let the school know and they could act accordingly.===
The Catholic Church run entities that have a strong record in protection.
- Hannibal Lecter - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 2:54 pm:
The situation may be volatile, but that doesn’t mean that Fitzgerald himself is a volatile person. Those are two separate things.
I wish there was a block function on this blog.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 2:56 pm:
===but that doesn’t mean that Fitzgerald himself is a volatile person.===
Parsing?
There’s video of his sideline actions, dunno in an overall I’d call him a calming soul.
- Hannibal Lecter - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 3:17 pm:
=== Parsing? ===
No. You just don’t use the English language properly.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 3:23 pm:
===No. You just don’t use …===
Let me rephrase, “hyper-volatile”
So volatile that there’s a second report because the abuses and coverup were too much for trustees.
So volatile that the NU football stadium plan is being rethought because of his scandal
So volatile that the athletic department as a whole is being seen as toxic because of his influences
So “hyper-volatile” that alums and the university are feeling blowback to the entire institution, even outside athletics
So “hyper-volatile” that discussions to staying in the B1G that usually are laughed at aren’t anymore.
Should I go on, or do you want blowback from blindly supporting someone who was attached to hazing blocked?
- Amalia - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 4:06 pm:
if you want to see some really wild hyper partisan words on the Loyola volunteer coach matter, check out Dan Bernstein’s twitter, yep the score guy. Dan Herbert, the Jason Van Dyke lawyer, is in the corner of Loyola. it gets more and more a Chicago story every day.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 4:13 pm:
- Amalia -
Dan makes a good point on the background check thing, how can Fitzgerald pass it?
- Amalia - Friday, Aug 18, 23 @ 4:21 pm:
don’t think a background check would include “has something happened which he should have seen or heard about?” also, just how good are background checks in the RC sphere?