* Crain’s…

Illinois has the seventh-highest number of jobs in the clean-vehicle sector among all U.S. states.

Nearly 14,000 people were employed in clean-vehicle jobs in Illinois last year, according to a report by Environmental Entrepreneurs, or E2, an economic and environmental advocacy group affiliated with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

However, Illinois trails several of its Midwest neighbors, led by Michigan, which employed 32,271 people in clean-vehicle jobs, followed by Ohio and Indiana, with about 22,000 each.

* Crain’s…

Staff members of the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors are calling for the removal of the organization’s CEO, its current president and two other high-level officials, the latest turn in a sexual harassment controversy that has been swirling since a New York Times article about a “culture of fear” created by its past president.

“The buck has to stop somewhere,” says a confidential letter by staff members, a copy of which Crain’s received. The writers say upper-level staff knew about the pattern of bad behavior and focused on protecting the president rather than the staff. They delivered the letter to NAR’s executive committee Monday. […]

The New York Times reported in late August that three women who work in NAR’s Chicago office said Parcell harassed them in different ways. The 16 incidents involving Parcell that the Times investigated included retaliating against one woman after a consensual relationship ended by questioning her authority over her workplace team, sticking his hands down his pants in front of another and texting a picture of his crotch to a third. Parcell denied the report but resigned the next day. The Times article had sources saying harassment is ingrained in NAR’s culture and protected by a tight group of NAR staff.

* From the Illinois Education Association…

Hi Rich,

I wanted to let you know Sept. 23 marks the 40th anniversary of Gov. Thompson signing the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act into law. That’s right Big Jim, a Republican governor, worked together with the IEA to make CB for educators the law of the land. It’s a fascinating story to say the least and cleared the way for limits on class sizes, special education and essentially public education as we know it today.

Here’s our video on the history of the IELRA

And the abridged version - our Op-Ed in the Sun Times

* This is a pretty easy endorsement because Katz Muhl has already pushed the incumbent (Rep. Jonathan Carroll) into retirement…

Tracy Katz Muhl announced today that she earned the endorsement of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in the race to represent Illinois’ 57th Legislative District in the State House.

“Tracy Katz Muhl has tenaciously served her community as a grassroots organizer, Democratic committeeperson, gun violence prevention advocate, attorney, and school board president. She will be an effective and thoughtful representative for the 57th district, and I am thrilled to endorse her,” Pritzker said.

* Politico…

— Judge Celia Gamrath, a candidate for appellate court, is out with an endorsement list that includes the Cook County Democratic Party, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and IUOE, Local 150, IUOE, Local 399, Plumbers and Local 130. Full list here […]

— William “Billy” Morgan is running for state representative for the 79th District as a Democrat. He’s a Monee Township trustee who previously worked in then-Gov. Pat Quinn’s office. Republican state Rep. Jackie Haas has held the seat since December 2020.

As subscribers know, Morgan will likely have a primary opponent.

* Commuters Take Action op-ed in the Chicago Tribune…

It’s been nearly a year since the CTA announced its first set of new schedules reducing bus and rail service. In the months since, service has been slashed several more times, resulting in the current schedules: 13% less bus service and 21% less rail service than before the pandemic. Now, as other transit agencies around the country restore their service to pre-pandemic levels (or better), even deeper cuts are likely to be coming to the CTA in October. Instead of cutting more transit service, it’s time to cut CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. […]

At Commuters Take Action, we used staffing and service delivery data from this July and August to create a mock schedule to predict what service is likely to look like in October. We found that, based on its current workforce, the CTA is likely to remove 34 rail runs from its weekday schedules and up to 117 runs from Saturday and Sunday schedules — a total service reduction of 404 runs, or an additional 5% of the current scheduled service. This would mean Chicago would have 28% less rail service than it did before the pandemic.

Carter has dismissed the CTA’s challenges as something all transit agencies across the nation are experiencing. But the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in the District of Columbia restored most of its bus and rail service to pre-pandemic levels in August 2020 and announced this June that its Metrobus schedules would begin to exceed pre-pandemic service. Recently, the WMATA announced its 11th rail schedule service increase in 12 months. The agency is now running more rail service than ever before in its history and anticipates adding more service next year.

And New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has increased service on its N, R, G, J, M, 1 and 6 lines this summer, cutting wait times for more than 3 million riders combined.

Other cities have not only returned to pre-pandemic public transit service levels, but they’ve also improved beyond them. Meanwhile, Chicago’s transit continues to decline. Carter has had years to prove he’s competent to run the CTA. Stacked up against leaders of other transit agencies, it’s clear that he’s failing.

* Also…

Dorval Carter refuses to acknowledge the schedule cuts, stubbornly calling them "schedule optimizations." Transit riders know the CTA isn't "optimized" — train bunching and gaps are still a common problem on top of the schedule cuts, causing even more delays and frustration. pic.twitter.com/Wyfb57hfQO

— Commuters Take Action (@ctaaction) September 19, 2023

* Isabel’s roundup…

* WAND | Illinois clean energy jobs grew 3% in 2022: Clean energy businesses in Illinois added more than 3,600 workers in 2022, now employing 123,799 people in Illinois. That is according to a new study of employment data released by the national business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs and Evergreen Climate Innovations.

* WBEZ | CPS math scores still lag pre-pandemic levels, while English has recovered. Here’s a model CPS says can help: Overall, only 17.5% of Chicago Public Schools elementary students met or exceeded math standards on the 2023 state test, according to scores released Tuesday. That is slightly better than 14.9% in 2022, but still less than 23.6% in 2019 before the pandemic.

* Chalkbeat | In Chicago’s early state test results, encouraging gains and some areas of concern: Overall, 26% of students who took the reading test this year met or exceeded state standards — just two percentage points lower than results on the 2019 test, the last one before COVID upended learning. In math, 17% of students scored proficient, compared with 24% in 2019.

* NPR Illinois | One woman’s abortion story: ”I remember somebody on the same day as me. She said she already had five kids and just could not couldn’t handle any more kids. She knew having an abortion was going to be what was best for her because then she wouldn’t be taking anything away from her other children. But she still, she just felt so bad and was crying like the entire day. And then had to be outside with those other people. And I just felt so bad for her, too, because she really only had that one option to go with, and then she’s being berated for it walking in and out of the clinic.”

* Rockford Register Star | Most Rockford area defendants go free on first day of no cash bail in Illinois: Over five hours, Paccagnini presided over 26 defendant appearances ranging from domestic battery to endangering the life of a child. Of those, Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley asked Paccagnini to detain nine defendants after an arrest over the weekend. Paccagnini declined to detain all but two saying that measures like “no contact orders” and other pretrial release conditions should be sufficient to protect the community.

* Crain’s | Lolla gave Chicago economy a $422 million jolt, study says: According to a report commissioned by Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents and conducted by Texas-based research group AngelouEconomics, Lollapalooza generated more than $422 million for Chicago’s economy, compared to $336 million last year.

* Crain’s | A Chicago union struggles as Hollywood strikes drag on: IATSE Local 476 Chicago Studio Mechanics is the foundation of Illinois’ burgeoning entertainment industry, supplying the sets, lighting and makeup for your favorite local shows, from “Chicago P.D.” to “The Bear.” But as writers and actors remain on strike, the behind-the-scenes crew workers are struggling as the absence of work forces some into food insecurity and health insurance plans near a breaking point.

* SJ-R | Hospital, clinic websites, other functions are again functioning after cyber attack: Kelly Barbeau, Illinois Division director of marketing/communications for HSHS, did not respond to an email seeking clarification regarding what systems are still out. HSHS representatives said “federal law enforcement” was investigating the attack. Rebecca Cramblit, a public affairs officer for FBI Springfield, would not confirm or deny an investigation.

* WICS | EMS workers charged with first-degree murder appear back in court: “I don’t think there’s any remorse it is a very nuanced and involved process right now and in fact, as a judge from the bench described it this morning we are entering a brave new world,” Scott Hanken, Finley’s attorney, said. said there are new documents and discoveries by the state. Both Finley and Cadigan will appear back in court on Nov. 27.

* Sun-Times | Latinos are making economic gains in Chicago suburbs and deserve more political power: Latino population growth brings critical contributions to local suburban economies and to our regional economy as a whole. Latinos have the highest labor force participation rate of any racial or ethnic group in the region, and they represent the fastest-growing segment of spending power — a total of $68 billion in Illinois.

* ABC Chicago | Some Kia drivers say missed software update notices result in engine failure: “They said there was an update that I didn’t do and that I received a notice in 2018,” she said. “I never received the notice, so I contacted Kia, they said sorry we can’t help you, you didn’t do the update.” She said after calling the manufacturer, Kia emailed her a software update letter dated July 26, 2018.

* SJ-R | Breeze Airways bringing new service to Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport: Springfield Airport Authority and Springfield Sangamon County Growth Alliance officials announced Tuesday that Breeze Airways will begin service from Springfield to Orlando on Dec. 1 and to Tampa on Dec. 4.

* WICS | City officials discuss IEPA moving their headquarters to White Oaks Mall: Ward 7 Alderman Brad Carlson said about 40% of the work has been finished with project completion set for spring. Carlson feels the new headquarters is necessary due to IEPA’s current home sitting on the path of planned improvements to Springfield’s 9th Street rail corridor.

* Daily Herald | ‘Inundated with interest:’ Utah-based pickleball company plans major expansion in suburbs: The company plans to repurpose vacant big-box retail spaces in Mundelein, Naperville and Villa Park with openings anticipated in December.

* NYT | The Kids on the Night Shift: The morning after Marcos’s injury, workers in Dreamland began talking about a child whose arm had been nearly torn off at the plant. Word soon spread through town. There were reasons that supervisors, teachers, federal inspectors and even police officers had said nothing for years about children working at the slaughterhouses. Everyone understood that the children were under extraordinary pressure to earn money to pay off their travel debts and help their families back home. They were living on a remote stretch of peninsula with few job options — if the plants shut down because of a labor scandal, the local economy could collapse. Now, with an eighth grader in the hospital, many wondered if they had been wrong to keep quiet.

* Kansas City Star | Republican candidate for Missouri governor vows to burn books after viral flamethrower video: A Republican candidate for Missouri governor on Monday vowed to burn books if elected after he was criticized for a video showing him burning cardboard boxes with a flamethrower. […] “In the video, I am taking a flame thrower to cardboard boxes representing what I am going to do to the leftist policies and RINO corruption of the Jeff City swamp,” Eigel said in a statement to The Star on Monday. “But let’s be clear, you bring those woke pornographic books to Missouri schools to try to brainwash our kids, and I’ll burn those too - on the front lawn of the governor’s mansion.”

* The Triibe | Chicago ballers like David Jasson are hoping the Windy City Bulls tryout opens the door to the NBA: On Sept. 16, hundreds of aspiring NBA G League players took their best shot at earning a Windy City Bulls training camp invitation at the team’s annual open tryout at the Wintrust Sports Complex in Bedford Park, Ill. The Windy City Bulls have hosted training camps every year prior to the start of their regular seasons since the team debuted for the 2016-17 season.

* CNBC | FTX sues Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents, aims to claw back some of the $26 million in gifts and property: Fried is also accused of encouraging her son and others within the company to avoid, if not violate, federal campaign finance disclosure rules by “engaging in straw donations or otherwise concealing the FTX Group as the source of the contributions.”