Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2023

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

Exelon has set aside more than $46 million in connection with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission’s four-year-old probe of lobbying by the company’s Commonwealth Edison utility.

The SEC probe, one of the final outstanding legal and regulatory matters stemming from ComEd’s nearly decade-long bribery scheme to curry favor with former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, appears to be nearing resolution.

Exelon accrued $46.2 million in the second quarter for a potential payout in the SEC investigation, which remains ongoing, according to an SEC filing Wednesday. Chief Financial Officer Jeanne Jones confirmed to analysts in the company’s Wednesday earnings call that the money was set aside in connection with the SEC probe. […]

“You can see it’s treated similarly to how we had treated the initial [Deferred Prosecution Agreement] amount,” Jones told analysts, referring to how Exelon booked the charge. That suggests that — like the $200 million fine — Exelon won’t try to pass the cost along to ratepayers of ComEd and other utilities Exelon owns.

* ABC 7…

State and local leaders were making a new push Thursday to get federal funding to help improve the rail infrastructure in the Chicago area.

The billion-dollar project would revamp Union Station and the surrounding tracks.

The lawmakers said this plan would continue to keep Chicago on the map as the third busiest transit hub in the country.

Gov. JB Pritzker, along with Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Congressman Mike Quigley, Mayor Brandon Johnson and other state and city leaders are proposing the $1.1 billion infrastructure plan, called the Chicago Hub Improvement Project, to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

* Leader Lightford…

– Building upon her steadfast commitment to ensure Illinois schools are taking a trauma-responsive approach, Senator Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford championed a new law to bring more training and resources to the education system.

“School officials should be equipped to identify the warning signs of mental illness, trauma and suicidal behavior in youth,” said Lightford (D-Maywood). “Training is crucial to encouraging appropriate trauma-responsive intervention and techniques in schools.”

The Whole Child Task Force establishes an equitable, safe, inclusive and supportive environment in all schools for students dealing with trauma and mental health issues. The task force collects data on adverse childhood experiences and trauma, as well as the total number of school counselors, social workers, nurses and psychologists in Illinois schools.

As a part of the Black Caucus’ Four Pillar Agenda that Lightford spearheaded, House Bill 342 implements recommendations to the Whole Child Task Force Report to improve schools in Illinois by ensuring that all schools are equipped with training and resources to meet the diverse trauma and mental health needs of their students.

Under the law, the Illinois State Board of Education would create a Children’s Adversity Index, which would measure community childhood trauma exposure across the population of children 3-18 years old by May 31, 2025.

“For all students to succeed in schools and beyond, we need to ensure every school is equipped to meet the diverse needs,” said Lightford. “We need to continue laying the foundation for Illinois to become a national leader in addressing student needs and well-being.”

House Bill 342 was signed into law Thursday.

* Bloomberg…

Workers in the Midwest are coming into offices more often than the rest of the country, new research shows.

The region’s offices posted a 60% weekly average peak occupancy rate in the first half of the year, the highest in the nation by far, according to data from Basking.io, a workplace-occupancy analytics company.

The Northeast averaged just 24% peak occupancy over the same period. Midwestern offices also enjoyed more frequent visits compared with the rest of the US, with a greater share of people coming in four or five days a week. Basking.io calculates occupancy rates as a share of building capacity, as opposed to other workplace data providers who track attendance compared with a pre-pandemic baseline.

* Cook County LGBTQ Caucus…

Dear Committeepeople:

We write today as LGBTQ+ electeds to urge you to support MWRD Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis for slating by the Cook County Democratic Party when you convene in August.

Not only is Commissioner Brady-Davis a history making candidate as the first Black trans woman appointed by the Governor to countywide office, she is prepared to hit the ground running in support of our diverse slate of candidates. She’s also uniquely qualified for the role of Commissioner at an unprecedented time of challenge for our wastewater system and by extension, our homes.

Commissioner Brady-Davis has genuine environmental justice credentials through her work with the Sierra Club for the last 6 years. More significantly, her communications skills from that job will be more important than ever as residents struggle to prepare for and deal with urban flooding.

While we have worked to diversify our county slate over the years, the inclusion of LGBTQ candidates has been spotty, at best. And the reality for all of us is that while we appreciate the role LGBTQ judges play in our court system, once they’re elected, they are largely invisible to the community at large, making it difficult for the community to grow our political power and visibility. We urge you to join us in supporting Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis for the 2 year MWRD term in August.

Signatories are at the link.

* WJBD…

Congressional candidate and former Republican candidate for Governor Darren Bailey visited with those at the Marion County Fairgrounds Wednesday night. […]

Bailey says there is no way that Joe Biden will be the Democratic candidate for President. He expects the candidate will either be Illinois Governor JB Pritzker or California Governor Gavin Newsom because of the personal wealth they can bring to the campaign.

* Isabel’s roundup…

CBS Chicago | 2 new lawsuits filed Thursday against Northwestern University:

* Crain’s | Hydrogen hubs form backbone of ‘once in a generation’ clean energy effort: The department will select six to 10 sites to split $7 billion to build networks that link producers, infrastructure providers and customers across multiple industries, including transportation. The government will spend an additional $1 billion to jump-start hydrogen demand in the early years of production. Illinois is part of the competition to secure one of the hubs.

* Daily Herald | Why several taxing bodies didn’t get $3.12 million in property taxes they were owed: The tardy funds totaled about $3.12 million, according to Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega, who announced the distributions last week. Vega defeated incumbent Robin M. O’Connor for the post last November. After being sworn in, Vega said he directed managers to identify ways to streamline operations, provide better service and update policy.

* Sun-Times | Bridgeport bank failure fallout: Dead CEO’s sister pleads guilty in collapse of Washington Federal Bank for Savings: There was no indication she knew that her late brother had been running the embezzlement scheme, which federal authorities continue to investigate. Sources said she was in a position, though, to know what was going on at Washington Federal for more than a decade.

* WICS | 5-year-old injured at Effingham County Fair passed away: At 1:05 p.m. on Sunday at the Effingham County Fair, a horse-racing pace car driven by Jerry W. Young, of Jackson, Miss. struck Finn with an extended starting gate while passing the grandstand.

* KHQA | Unraveling Randy Frese’s political journey and his efforts towards bipartisan collaboration in Illinois: Rep. Randy Frese sat down with Mackenzie LaPorte to discuss the state budget, finding common ground and support across the aisle, and his mindset going into the next legislative session.

* Shaw Local | Red crown rot an emerging issue in Illinois: “This is not a new disease to soybeans, it’s just new to this area,” Bradley said at a University of Illinois agronomy field day at the Orr Agricultural Center near Baylis. “It was reported in Pike County for the first time (of anywhere in the state) in 2018. It has continued to spread.”

* NBC Chicago | Hammerhead worms: what to know about the toxic worm that could be in Illinois gardens: If spotted, it’s not safe to touch. This is because the worm contains a neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin, also known as “TTX”. This neurotoxin prevents neurons and certain muscle cells from working and is the same toxin found in pufferfish. Although served as a delicacy in Japan, the pufferfish can be deadly if prepared incorrectly. The hammerhead worm contains some of this same toxin, though in a seemingly lower amount.

* Block Club Chicago | Lincoln Square’s Leavitt Street Getting Low-Stress Bike Route: The Leavitt Street Greenway will create a continuous, low-stress bicycle connection between Leavitt and Bowmanville Avenue, near Rosehill Cemetery, and Leavitt and Diversey Parkway, near the North Branch of the Chicago River.

* SJ-R | Vincent Speranza, popular WWII veteran and hero, passes away at 98: Vincent J. Speranza, a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II who became a hero in Belgium, died at Springfield Memorial Hospital Wednesday after a short illness.

* AP | Adidas brings in $437 million from the first Yeezy sale. Part of that will go to anti-hate groups: “This is much better than destroying and writing off the inventory and allows us to make substantial donations to organizations like the Anti-Defamation League, the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change and Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism,” Gulden said.

* Sun-Times | Lollapalooza 2023 headliners: Who’s performing, set list predictions: Lollapalooza kicks off Thursday, and with so many acts to see, concert-goers have a lot of homework. If you want to come in prepared, you might be searching for a setlist.

* NBC Chicago | 21 Illinois restaurants made Yelp’s Top 100 in the Midwest. Here’s the full list: Coming in at No. 1 on the list was Blues City Deli in St. Louis, Missouri, about 300 miles outside of Chicago. Nabbing the second spot on the list though, was Pa Lian, in suburban Wheaton.

* Fox Chicago | Air and Water Show takes over Chicago skies this month: This is the largest free show in the United States and can be viewed along the lakefront from Fullerton Avenue to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach as the focal point.

* Fox Chicago | Illinois State Fair preparations begin in Springfield: “This year, the multipurpose arena will be open. It’s an $8.6 million renovation. There’s new HVAC going into the coliseum . That’s to make it a year round use facility, which will absolutely be amazing,” said Illinois director of Agriculture Jerry Costello.

* SJ-R | Drink up! Illinois ranks as third best state in US for beer lovers, report says: The survey utilized three combined data points to develop the ranking of the 50 states. The data points include quality, quantity and affordability. Illinois ranked seventh in quality, 32nd in quantity and first in affordability, for an average score of 13.3.

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Here we go again

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Brenden Moore on the new law authorizing some non-citizens to become law enforcement officers…

Longtime statehouse observer Charlie Wheeler — once a reporter and later the director of the Public Affairs Reporting program at the University of Illinois Springfield — had an overarching maxim for the hundreds of reporters who were under his tutelage: “Read the bill.” […]

Yes, the law states that non-citizens legally authorized to work in the U.S. and DACA recipients can apply to be police officers. However, they must meet all the same requirements, besides citizenship, as any other applicant. […]

And, more importantly, they must be “authorized under federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase or otherwise possess a firearm.”

This is crucial context. The federal government generally allows permanent residents to purchase and possess guns. But it does not currently allow DACA recipients to do so. This means that until there’s a change in federal policy, many if not most DACA recipients likely will have to wait if the want to become police officers in Illinois.

There are some workarounds at the local level. In suburban Blue Island, for instance, there is a now a police recruit who is a DACA recipient. If successful in becoming an officer, the recruit would not be able to bring home a service weapon.

It’s a thoughtful piece, so go read the rest.

* Meanwhile, in news media “opposite land,” here’s Fox 32…

There are currently more than 30,000 DACA recipients living and working in Illinois, while at the same time unprecedented officer shortages statewide.

However, filling those vacant jobs with non-citizens is a non-starter for former Chicago mayoral candidate Dr. Willie Wilson, who, in an exclusive interview with FOX 32, condemned the legislation.

“I cannot go to China or any other country in the world being a non-citizen and become a police officer, and I think that’s wrong,” said Wilson. […]

Dr. Wilson isn’t willing to wait to see if the new law puts more boots on the ground. He said he has spoken to attorneys and if the law is not repealed before taking effect on January 1, 2024, he’s prepared to take his fight to the courts.

The station apparently didn’t ask what grounds Wilson believed he had to sue in the first place.

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Mobile Museum of Tolerance returns to Illinois State Fair

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The website is here. The museum is a project of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Press release…

The Mobile Museum of Tolerance (MMOT) will be at the 2023 Illinois State Fair, offering visitors a chance to use their voices to speak up against bullying, racism, anti-Semitism, hate, and intolerance. Since 2021, this one-of-a-kind free traveling mobile education center has reached over 27,000 people and visited more than 200 schools.

When:
From August 10th to August 20th, the MMOT will be open every day from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, except on Saturdays. We will be located directly south of the Lincoln Stage.

MMOT Workshops:
Immerse yourself in historical narratives during your MMOT visit. Choose from the following videos:

• Civil Rights: Watch a 9-minute documentary featuring numerous American civil rights heroes. Draw comparisons between the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s with other fights for civil rights throughout US history.
• The Anne Frank Story: Experience a short film about the life of Anne Frank, followed by a discussion on the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and resistance. This workshop aims to enhance visitors’ abilities to become proactive members of society, influencing positive change.
• The Power of Ordinary People: Explore the different roles of ordinary people as Upstanders or Bystanders during the Holocaust in a 6-minute video. Following the video, join the discussion on how these roles relate to the present day, and be encouraged to take an active part in preventing hate and promoting tolerance in your communities.

* More Illinois State Fair news…

Illinois State Fair unclaimed property auction includes rare treasures

* Illinois State Fair Announces Final 2023 Grandstand Headliner: The Grayslake-originating band Chevelle, whose ’90s hits include “The Red” and “Send The Pain Below,” will perform on Friday, Aug. 18. … Chevelle joins a star-studded Grandstand lineup that includes Alanis Morissette, Tim McGraw, Nelly, Ja Rule, REO Speedwagon and Maren Morris.

* Sensory friendly station, rides find home at Illinois state fair

* Her bull-riding butter mini-cow slathered in hopes of a four-peat win: Pam Martin is betting her reign as the Illinois State Fair’s Miniature Butter Cow sculpting queen on 8 seconds and hoping her dreams of a four-peat don’t melt in the heat of competition. “Bessie’s 8 Second Ride” is Martin’s entry in the 2023 contest sponsored by Illinois Times, Prairie Farms and M.J. Kellner. The three sponsored the Miniature Butter Cow contest for the first time in 2020, after the Illinois State Fair was canceled amid the pandemic.

* Veterans and Gold Star families day at the Illinois State Fair: The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA), the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and the Illinois State Fair invite veterans and their family members to enjoy a free day at the Illinois State Fair on Sunday, August 13. … 10:00 a.m. JROTC competition begins; 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. Veteran Benefit Expo: The Shed; 11:00 a.m. Main Program; 11:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Entertainment: Lincoln Stage; 3:00 p.m. JROTC Award Ceremony; 4:00 p.m. Veteran Parade: Grandstand Avenue

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Better management, please

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The CPD rules are here. Chicago OIG…

The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published the results of its inquiry into the enforcement of the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD) Rules 21 and 22, which require members to report any information concerning misconduct committed by other members. OIG’s inquiry was mandated by the consent decree entered in Illinois v. Chicago.

OIG found that, while both CPD policies and the consent decree recognize that CPD members may face retaliation for reporting misconduct and require the availability of anonymous reporting mechanisms to protect reporting members, those same sources of authority simultaneously provide that anonymous reports do not satisfy members’ duty to report. Consequently, CPD members are currently operating under two sets of policies at odds with one another—one that ostensibly allows them to report misconduct in a myriad of ways, and another that invalidates any reporting done outside CPD’s chain of command.

An anonymous but verified reporting system created by OIG in 2017 permits members to make anonymous complaints for which they receive a tracking number, permitting them to prove their compliance with the duty to report if necessary. Despite recognition by the Independent Monitoring Team that such a system may suffice to permit anonymous complaints to satisfy members’ duties pursuant to Rules 21 and 22, CPD has done little to support or promote use of this tool or any like it.

“The so-called ‘code of silence’ which has, historically, protected CPD members from appropriate accountability for misconduct has no place in the CPD of today or tomorrow. That there is a duty to report misconduct on CPD’s books has been insufficient to prevent or eliminate the code of silence; to leave it behind us, the rules setting out the duty to report misconduct must be meaningfully, thoroughly, and thoughtfully enforced,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. “Critically, we must provide a mechanism to allow CPD members to fulfill their duty while protecting them from risk of retaliation for doing so.”

* From the OIG report’s conclusion…

The 2017 U.S. Department of Justice report found that “given the code of silence within CPD and a potential fear of retaliation, there are valid reasons a complainant may seek to report police misconduct anonymously, particularly if the complainant is a fellow officer.”98 CPD’s Rules and Regulations include requirements for members to report misconduct, and the Department advises members of their duty to report misconduct and criminal actions as they go through basic recruit training. However, the current guidelines, which require members to report most misconduct through their chain of command, leave members vulnerable to retaliation or censure. Given the importance of holding members accountable for misconduct, CPD should work to ensure members are aware of and can fulfill their reporting duties using the full spectrum of reporting options available to them. Additionally, COPA and CPD’s BIA should consistently pursue Rules 21 or 22 violations, as applicable, so as not to preclude any thorough analysis of patterns in the frequency of these rule violations not only across the Department but also within an individual member’s disciplinary history.

That there is a duty to report misconduct on CPD’s books has been insufficient to prevent or eliminate a “code of silence.” The rules setting out that duty must be meaningfully, thoroughly, and thoughtfully enforced

2 Comments

Question of the day

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Zareen Syed at the Tribune…

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill Wednesday requiring public school districts in Illinois to establish full-day kindergarten by the 2027-28 school year, the first of many education bills expected to be greenlighted in the coming weeks. […]

“Full day doesn’t mean you’re adding to the curriculum,” [Democratic state Rep. Mary Beth Canty of Arlington Heights, who introduced the bill in the House] said Wednesday. “It just means you’re getting more opportunities for the teachers to go through the material in a way that is helpful for themselves and their students. In a 2½-hour, half-day school day, there’s just not enough time to truly get through the curriculum with everything else that we’re asking teachers to do — making time for art and recess and gym.”

Canty said parents who live in districts without the option of full-day kindergarten often face both social and economic barriers, particularly if all adult family members work outside the home.

“The cost of child care is really prohibitive when you only have a half-day program and the hours can be really wonky for working families,” she said, adding that her kids, now in sixth and third grades, would hop on a bus after half-day kindergarten in Arlington Heights District 25 and go to the elementary school for an after-school program to be picked up later because midday transportation was an issue. […]

“What may be right for some districts may not be right for others,” Canty said. “So that’s why in the bill, we don’t dictate how you accomplish full-day kindergarten. It’s just that you do have to provide it.”

* From Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford’s press release after the bill passed the Senate…

Parents who live in districts without the option of full-day kindergarten are often faced with additional barriers to preparing their children for early elementary school. These barriers include, but are not limited to, mid-day transportation, loss of income due to being home with the child or finding additional childcare, and ensuring developmentally appropriate activities are being provided throughout the day.

* Center Square the day it passed the House…

The measure phases the policy in over two years so schools can garner funding for the change, which is more than half the state’s schools, according to state Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Harrisburg.

“If the data I have is correct, 478 out of the 851 school districts will qualify for the two-year extension,” Windhorst said.

The bill passed the Senate 52-1 (Plummer) and cleared the House 85-24 (Cabello, Caulkins, Davidsmeyer, Jed Davis, Fritts, Grant, Haas, Halbrook, Hauter, Jacobs, Keicher, McLaughlin, Miller, Niemerg, Ozinga, Severin, Spain, Swanson, Tipsword, Weaver, Weber and Windhorst).

* The Question: Your thoughts on the full-day kindergarten law?

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update and supplement to today’s edition

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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NYMag interviews Pritzker

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Gabriel Debenedetti at New York Magazine…

One afternoon in late July, J. B. Pritzker reclined in a conference room high above Chicago and considered the curious case of Ron DeSantis. Pritzker, the 58-year-old governor of Illinois, was in light-blue shirtsleeves and a neatly knotted bright-pink tie — “My Barbie tie,” he quipped to business leaders earlier, revealing he’d watched the movie with his wife and daughter. He was slightly bewildered by the Florida governor’s misfortunes in the GOP presidential primary, which had recently led DeSantis to lay off a huge chunk of his staff amid cratering poll numbers. “I had never really paid a lot of attention to his manner and his personality so much, only to his policies and his hype and the extremist positions,” Pritzker told me, speaking carefully as he settled into pundit mode. “But the point is that is not what’s killing him.”

Pritzker, who, with his dark hair and broad face, looks a little like Oliver Platt playing an ’80s businessman, started to speed up, as if the topic were more exciting than he wanted to let on. “You get the sense of somebody who doesn’t actually care about people. He’s just got a shtick that he puts on for the purposes of a campaign,” he said. Pritzker, who has spent plenty of time with presidential candidates and thought plenty about what it takes to run for president, concluded, “You have to believe what you believe to your core in order to make it through a process like that.” And, he said of DeSantis, “it appears to me that he doesn’t actually have a core.”

This take was worth considering not because of Pritzker’s own flirtations with a campaign last year but because the most wired-in Democrats from Washington, D.C., to Chicago to Los Angeles expect him to be a paramount figure in the 2024 election. This is in part due to his work in Illinois legalizing marijuana and raising the minimum wage and banning assault weapons, all while balancing the state’s budget and plowing resources into infrastructure projects. But it is perhaps more because of his willingness to use his enormous fortune. A Hyatt Hotels heir worth over $3 billion and the country’s richest officeholder, he’s spent hundreds of millions on Democratic candidates and causes (including his own) in recent elections. His status is thus politically complicated as both crucial ally to Joe Biden and potential successor if things go awry.

This is not lost on the president, who paused in a room full of donors in June to thank Pritzker before unspooling his fund-raising spiel. Pritzker, Biden confided to those in Chicago’s JW Marriott, “did more in 2020 to help me get elected president of the United States than just about anybody in the country. And that’s a fact.” […]

He has in recent months also leaned into trumpeting his own accomplishments in Illinois as a counterpoint to chaos in Republican-run states, especially DeSantis’s Florida and Greg Abbott’s Texas. This has, in part, meant engaging in the culture wars. After DeSantis, whom Pritzker had previously called “just Donald Trump with a mask on,” said he would ban AP African American Studies classes in his state, Pritzker wrote an open letter to the College Board insisting that Illinois wouldn’t stand for the body engaging in a “watering down of history” in his state to appease Florida. Figuring he has the business-world credibility that many other Democrats lack, he has since considered taking an even clearer message to industry leaders around the country: Companies will find moving to red states to be unsustainable as employees flee book bans and abortion restrictions.

I disagree with the “no core” claim. I think DeSantis has a clear core. It’s demonstrated in the bills he’s promoted and signed in Florida and the fights he’s picked.

Your thoughts?

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Coverage roundup of Mayor Johnson’s one-hour press conference

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Politico has a good roundup of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s one-hour news conference yesterday…

His overarching message: He’s not going to make shoot-from-the-hip decisions that he’ll be criticized for later. “It’s important that we’re intentional,” Johnson said. “Too many decisions in this city have been rushed decisions.”

Here are seven pressing questions posed to him:

— What’s the strategy for the migrant crisis? The city is “still pushing the federal government to lean in a little bit more” to provide support, he said, making a point not to criticize the White House as New York Mayor Eric Adams has. “Transitioning individuals out of police stations is still top of mind. Finding more adequate places for shelter for families is top of mind. Having full wraparound services for families who wish to call the city Chicago their home that is still top of mind,” Johnson said.

He revealed that the city is also talking to suburban communities about stepping in. “We see some real support on the horizon,” he said. […]

— What about that weekend teen takeover? It was a question about the 40 teens arrested over the weekend for trashing a convenience store in what the reporter called a “mob action.” The mayor pushed back, saying it’s “not appropriate” to describe children as “baby Al Capones.”

He added that police have deterred potential teen takeovers, in spite of the weekend action. “Unfortunately, arrests were made. Unfortunately, some damage was caused. And the level of sensitivity and patience that our officers expressed, I’m appreciative of that. That is constitutional. That is a system of care,” Johnson said. “Having patience is truly a virtue.”

There’s more, so click here.

* More coverage…

Mayor Brandon Johnson defends response to teen gatherings, migrant crisis

* Mayor praises Chicago cops for ‘great deal of restraint’ after teen takeover in South Loop: ‘That is a system of care’: A former Chicago Public Schools teacher, Johnson said there are always going to be students who “want to find spaces where they can cut up.” It’s his job to build “systems to prevent that from happening. “If you’re between the ages of 16 and 21, there aren’t a lot of places where you can go and hang out. There just isn’t. You’re too old for Chuck E. Cheese … and then you can’t go to a club,” the mayor said. “And so, the preventative dynamic is being far more strategic about finding out when these [events] are taking place and then, showing up with not just law enforcement but the full force of government, other agencies as well as our community partners to help deter and re-direct young people. That’s gonna be a constant effort as we build out spaces where young people can actually come and hang out in their neighborhoods or places outside their neighborhoods that are safe.”

* Johnson Denies Migrants Were Moved From Police Station Due to Lollapalooza: Johnson shared a statement on social media later that evening saying those were items “that individuals and families chose to leave behind, or could not take into shelter, such as mattresses and other bulky items.” “Everyone who transitioned understood shelter space is limited, and was able to take essential items,” Johnson said on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that more than 100 people were moved from the 1st District station to the Broadway Armory. According to Johnson, organizers who assisted those migrants in their move said the families were “all thrilled” that the city was providing “far more stability.”

* Migrants Weren’t Moved Out Of Downtown Police Station Because Of Lollapalooza, Mayor Says: Johnson made the statement at a press conference Wednesday after video showed mattresses and other items being thrown out at the Central (1st) District police station, 1718 S. State St. Hundreds of migrants who had been sheltering there were relocated to a new Edgewater emergency shelter, just days before the music fest in Grant Park is set to welcome tens of thousands of fans. Johnson said the video, which was deleted and later tweeted back out, gave an “inaccurate depiction of what happened.” It was the city’s plan to move migrants to the Broadway Armory shelter all along, he said. The Armory opened as a city shelter Tuesday, the day the migrants were moved. “As a city, do we want people living in police stations? Is that acceptable?” Johnson asked. … “What I’m committed to doing is honoring the law of … sanctuary city and building systems of care that provide a pathway with dignity for individuals who are seeking refuge and hope here in the city of Chicago,” Johnson said. “As we build that structure, I’ll be better prepared and positioned to have an assessment on how we move forward beyond that point.”

* Slow down, Chicago Bears? Johnson won’t be rushed into deal to keep team in the city: ‘We’ll get there’: “Something that I’ve learned in my work to get to this point is listening to people, hearing their values. That’s the best position to be in in order to come to a conclusion that works for everyone,” he said. “We’ll get there. I believe it’s inevitable that we ultimately will have conversations that will be far more guided and specific. But, in the meantime, it’s just an understanding that the history of the Chicago Bears and what the people of Chicago want to see — those interests have to align. And so, the early parts of our conversations have certainly put us into position to have another one.” … “This city has become accustomed to these types of decisions being made in a moment’s notice. I’m a different mayor, you all. I am. I’m gonna take my time because getting this right is important,” Johnson said. “What I don’t want is that you all push me to rush a decision to then come back to tag me for making a decision too soon that people don’t ultimately like. At the very least, you know that whatever decision that I made that I didn’t take it lightly. I believe the Bears understand that and appreciate that.”

* Mayor Johnson talks Chicago’s top cop search, migrant relocation: WBEZ is reporting that in 1994, Fred Waller was accused of domestic violence by his then-wife, who ultimately stopped cooperating with an investigation of the incident before CPD concluded the complaint was not sustained. The mayor shrugged off the report. “Fred Waller being willing to come out of retirement to serve in this capacity is a tremendous sacrifice,” he said. “As far as any dynamics that have occurred in the past, as I understand it, that investigation of that initial investigation has been settled and solved.”

* Mayor Brandon Johnson addresses teen takeovers, migrant crisis, other issues affecting Chicagoans: Johnson is also coming under fire for skipping Tuesday night’s National Night Out event, which are meant to foster police and community partnerships. Johnson instead took his boys to a Cubs game. The Fraternal Order of Police called this a slap in the face, especially with one event honoring murdered Chicago police officer, Aréanah Preston. “He is who we thought he was, self centered,” Chicago FOP Lodge 7 President John Catanzara said. “I mean, how tone deaf can you be? He should have been to several National Night Out events. That’s your job. That’s what you signed up for. Shame on him.” Johnson responded to the criticism. “The fact that we believe in this city that there’s only one day that is set aside to connect with people, that is a very short-sighted view of the entire frame of what this city is ultimately,” Johnson said.

* Mayor Johnson addresses migrant crisis, teen takeovers, his own availability at news conference: Johnson also called for patience from the news media with regard to his administration. “I do appreciate you all being patient with my administration. I do,” the mayor said. “And I know you all want to interact more with me – and we’ll figure that out – but a brother’s working, every day.”

28 Comments

HFS responds

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. From Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services spokesperson Jamie Munks…

Rich,

Wanted to share some additional information about the efforts taking place to support Illinois Medicaid customers whose redeterminations are coming due, as well as make you aware of some national data that federal CMS released last week:

For nearly a year prior to the announcement of the end of the federal public health emergency, HFS was conducting outreach to customers about ensuring their addresses are up-to-date with the Illinois Medicaid program so their redetermination materials are mailed to the correct location when their renewal date is approaching and engaging and preparing with partners: the Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), health care providers, community organizations, etc. The state of Illinois has been working closely with federal partners and has taken advantage of significant federal flexibilities that have been offered to states to minimize coverage loss.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released Medicaid renewal data last week, including a national breakdown of coverage renewed, coverage terminated and renewals pending. Per the federal data: 2,216,287 Medicaid beneficiaries were due for renewal in the reporting month. Of those:

• 1,009,164 beneficiaries – coverage renewed (45.5%)
• 714,894 beneficiaries – coverage terminated (32.2%)
• 492,229 beneficiaries – renewal pending (22.2%)

You can find more information here.

-Earlier this year, the state launched a multi-platform outreach campaign, Ready to Renew, that includes paid advertisements, print, digital and broadcast communication, and grassroots outreach to help Medicaid customers ensure they are ready for required upcoming coverage renewals. The primary goal of the Department’s Ready to Renew campaign is to help Medicaid customers who remain eligible ensure their coverage continues without disruption. HFS has created a Ready to Renew Toolkit in multiple languages so that anybody who interacts with Medicaid customers can easily and regularly use the key messages and materials provided to help reach Medicaid customers. CPS has also had a campaign running since early May and is still running on CTA, Community Billboards, Interstate Billboards, leaflets in backpacks, text messaging and emails.

-Prior to that, in anticipation of redeterminations resuming, HFS conducted an outreach campaign in partnership with hundreds of local organizations to reach Medicaid customers about the importance of ensuring their contact information on file with the Illinois Medicaid program is current, so that their redetermination materials reach them in the correct location.

-HFS and the MCOs are conducting targeted outreach to customers whose renewals are coming due, via mail, email and text messaging. In partnership with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HFS has implemented a new flexibility to minimize the loss of medical coverage for customers during the redetermination process. The new flexibility permits the delay of procedural terminations for one month for customers who did not return their redetermination by their due date. During the one-month grace period, additional outreach is being conducted to encourage customers to return their Medicaid redetermination. HFS has also re-initiated the 643RNW Courtesy Renewal Form – Follow Up Letter to remind customers to submit their redetermination. Some details of the letter are as follows:

• Will be generated by the 20th of each month when a customer’s redetermination has not been received by their due date.
• Will remind customers to return their completed Form B redetermination.
• Will remind customers of the ways in which they can renew their medical coverage.
• Will provide the customer an opportunity to indicate a reason, if they do not wish to continue receiving medical coverage.

-The Department has provided a training series that reached well over 1,000 partner agency staff who connect with Medicaid customers on a daily basis. HFS has also been working closely with the Illinois Hospital Association to ensure information and training is disseminated through those channels.

-The best thing all customers can do to ensure they are ready to renew their coverage is:

1. Visit abe.illinois.gov and click Manage My Case to set up their online account.
2. Verify that their current address is on file to ensure that their redetermination materials will reach them. This is critical because they may need to provide more information to determine whether they remain eligible for continued coverage, which they will need to do before their due date.
3. Look up their due date so they know when to expect their redetermination materials. Customers can also now check their renewal due date using the Automated Voice Response System. Customers must know their Recipient Identification Number, or RIN, their nine-digit medical card number. The client line is 855-828-4995, and is available in English and Spanish, 24 hours a day. Customers can find their nine-digit RIN on their medical card from HFS, and customers enrolled in a managed care plan can also find their RIN on their MCO ID card. Customers on the client line can also transfer to the Health Benefits Hotline during business hours to obtain their RIN.

Discuss.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Open thread

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s goin’ on in your part of Illinois?…

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Here you go…

* The Pantagraph | Illinois ‘most promising state’ for clean energy investments, Pritzker says in Decatur stop: Pritzker emphasized his administration’s dedication to clean energy at the groundbreaking of a new Electric Vehicle Innovation Hub at TCCI Manufacturing. The $45 million project will allow both research for manufacturers and training programs targeting the next generation of EV workers.

* Tribune | More than 47,000 Illinois residents lose Medicaid as state begins asking recipients to prove eligibility: More Illinois residents are expected to lose coverage in coming months. The people who lost it this month were only among the first group asked to prove they still qualified for Medicaid. The state plans to send letters to new groups of Medicaid recipients each month, asking them to prove their eligibility.

* WCBU | State watchdog investigating employees accused of bilking federal pandemic aid program: Neil Olson, general counsel at the Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General, confirmed that “OEIG has been investigating allegations of Paycheck Protection Program fraud by state employees under our jurisdiction.” The review, he said, is “systematic,” involving multiple state agencies and the other governing bodies under OEIG’s jurisdiction, which include state universities, boards and commissions, and regional transit boards.

* Illinois Times | Statehouse to decide how to regulate hemp: Growers of hemp have learned how to derive a multitude of marketable compounds from it. The two most commercially important ones are cannabidiol, or CBD, and delta-8 THC. HB 4101 would require that such hemp derivatives be tested for impurities and restricted to buyers who are at least 21 years old. Representatives of the cannabis industry in Illinois oppose the measure, preferring that the sale of all hemp derivatives be banned until their safety has been proven.

* Center Square | Pritzker expected to veto bill giving Ameren rights to build transmission lines: “Competition is important and we want to keep costs down for our customers across the state, the customers of our utilities, and having a competitive environment helps do that,” Pritzker said. “I’m still considering what I will do with the bill but I think you understand at least where my head is at.”

* Crain’s | Pritzker, lawmakers turn up heat on Biden to OK $1.1B Union Station rehab: Officials led by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and Mayor Brandon Johnson are scheduled to appear at a joint press conference later today near the historic but aging facility. They are to say that the project badly needs federal funds and has big local backing, with a decision by the U.S. Department of Transportation expected by the end of the year.

* WBEZ | Federal report details a patient’s death at understaffed Loretto Hospital as workers strike: WBEZ obtained an inspection report about the death from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which funds hospitals and investigates patient safety issues. Loretto Hospital officials acknowledged “staffing challenges” in the report. The waiting area and the triage room within the waiting area, where the patient was found in a bathroom, were both covered by one nurse, the report said.

* NBC Chicago | Pritzker signs new law establishing full-day kindergarten in Illinois: The bill establishes a task force that will conduct a statewide audit to plan out the implementation of full-day kindergarten programs. That group’s work will conclude with a full report due no later than Jan. 2025, according to the text of the bill.

* WSIU | The Illinois Attorney General sues the owner of a southern Illinois coal mine: The suit alleges Williamson Energy has violated permit limits dozens of times, failed to report bypasses, caused numerous violations of water quality standards, and failed to comply with good mining practices at the Pond Creek Mine near Johnston City.

* AP | A Latino player says his Northwestern teammates hazed him by shaving ‘Cinco de Mayo’ onto his head: Diaz said he was the only Latino offensive lineman at a time when the athletic department’s culture allowed racism and sexual abuse to thrive and caused psychological and emotional damage to athletes of color.

* Patch | Wilmette Trustees To Weigh In On Ryan Field Redesign With Resolution: The plan calls for a reduction from the stadium’s current capacity of 47,000 to 35,000 and modifications to Evanston’s zoning code to allow for the commercial use of the site, with up to 10 full-capacity concerts and unlimited events with fewer than 10,000 attendees.

* Block Club | More Pilsen Residents Are Filing — And Winning — Property Tax Assessment Appeals, Officials Say: The Cook County Board of Review, the tax appeals board, said there was a 25 percent increase in individual filings for assessment appeals for the 2022 tax year compared to the last assessment cycle in 2018 — from 9,486 filings to 11,907. This led to a 52 percent increase in appeals granted to Pilsen homeowners in that time period, Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas said.

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson defends response to teen gatherings, migrant crisis: ‘My administration is different’: In a sprawling, one-hour news conference, Johnson stressed that the Chicago police order to arrest dozens during a large teen gathering last weekend in the South Loop was constitutional and compassionate. It was his first such session with reporters in two weeks, and the new mayor strove to walk a fine line between his campaign ideals of radical change and the reality of assuming the office of chief executive.

* Tribune | Still relegated to the weeds, Chicago cannabis stores gear up for big off-site Lollapalooza sales: “It’s definitely our biggest weekend of the year at any of our Illinois stores for the amount of consumers that we saw, and the new consumers that we got to introduce to recreational cannabis,” said Jason Erkes, a spokesman for Chicago-based Cresco Labs, which owns the Sunnyside dispensary closest to Grant Park.

* Fox 2 | Illinois village keeps flooding and no one knows why: Mayor of Marissa Chad Easton and some of the residents say the area started flooding about five years ago during heavy rain events. […] Mayor Easton said all the village’s water flows are clear and there are no obstructions. “It is a mystery,” Easton said. “This is one of the biggest things that I’d ever have to do in my life is try to figure out a solution to a problem where there isn’t a phone I can pick up and say, ‘Hey, give me the solution.’”

* Salon | Leprosy is probably endemic to central Florida, CDC reports, posing yet another public health threat: Like the landscaper’s case, about one-third of leprosy reports between 2015 and 2020 are thought to have been contracted within the country. “The absence of traditional risk factors in many recent cases of leprosy in Florida, coupled with the high proportion of residents, like our patient, who spend a great deal of time outdoors, supports the investigation into environmental reservoirs as a potential source of transmission,” the report stated.

* Sun-Times | Slow down, Chicago Bears? Johnson won’t be rushed into deal to keep team in the city: ‘We’ll get there’: Mayor Johnson has not yet offered an alternative stadium site to the Bears if the team is determined to leave Soldier Field. He says he’s using this time for relationship building.

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Live coverage

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ScribbleLive is down. Twitt- I mean X has stopped allowing people to embed list feeds on websites. So, click here or here to follow breaking news.

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