Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * A relative drop in the bucket compared to need, but at least it’s something…
* AP…
* Meanwhile…
* Former ILGOP Chair to serve on Personal PAC board…
* Speaking of organizational leadership, check out the buried news in this IML job posting. Brad Cole is apparently leaving in a few years or so..
* Isabel’s roundup…
* WGLT | McLean County’s top election official says county has never seen fraud, aims to keep : Kathy Michael joined officials from 25 counties in a series of news conferences Tuesday in Tazewell, McLean and LaSalle counties. Speaking to members of the public and media at the Government Center, Michael said disinformation and outright falsehoods about the electoral process have been on the rise since 2016. * Sun-Times | Chicago Park District pays nearly $2 million settlement to former lifeguards alleging misconduct, hazing: In the biggest of the settlements, the park district agreed in May to pay $977,250 to a woman whose lawyer had asked for $2.5 million to avoid going to court, records show. According to a letter from attorney Bridget Duignan to the park district, her client was a victim of Mauricio Ramirez, the Humboldt Park lifeguard manager who pleaded guilty after being charged with sexually abusing two underage female employees he had supervised. * Sun-Times | What federal shutdown would mean for Chicago and Illinois: While Medicare and Social Security checks will still be sent out, other programs will be impacted the longer a shutdown takes place, including those related to disability claims. And federal agencies will halt all work deemed nonessential. There are 42,637 federal employees in Illinois as of March 2023, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. That number includes federal law enforcement and 22,600 active duty military members. Under a shutdown, all active duty service members and some law enforcement officers would remain at work but receive no pay until funds are appropriated. * Daily Herald | ‘I’m preparing for absolutely the worst’: How a government shutdown could impact Illinois: There’s also a personal and economic toll on more than 42,000 Illinoisans, mostly from Chicago and the suburbs, who are federal employees. If no agreement is reached by midnight Saturday, many would be furloughed or required to stay on the job without drawing a pay check in either case. * Center Square | Illinois Department of Corrections audit shows lack of sex offender oversight: The compliance audit looks at IDOC for two years ending June 30, 2022. In total, there were 46 findings and 40 repeat findings. The findings include a failure to notify victims and local law enforcement after releasing sex offenders, including those who committed a predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, certain offenses of aggravated child pornography or manufacture or dissemination of child pornography. * Daily Herald | Naperville to reliant on coal? Environmentalists tell council don’t renew with utility so quickly: Naperville gets nearly 80% of its electricity from coal. Led by The Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force, which hosted Monday’s discussions, some residents are trying to change that. The city is locked into an agreement with its power supplier until 2035, but with negotiations to extend that contract looming, advocates are urging the city council to consider other options. * Block Club | Larry Snelling Confirmed As Next Chicago Police Superintendent: After over three decades with the Chicago Police, Snelling now graduates to its highest position after serving most recently as the department’s counterterrorism chief. Snelling was previously a commander of the Englewood (7th) District and a sergeant at the police academy, and has long been an expert voice on the department’s use-of-force policies at police trials. * Pioneer Press | Oak Park police chief says carjacking, robberies likely tied to Chicago crime sprees: “These incidents appear to be related to a series of armed robberies that have recently occurred in Chicago. I assure everyone that the Oak Park Police Department, in partnership with the Chicago Police Department, is actively investigating these events as we remain wholly committed to ensuring the safety of our residents and visitors at all times,” Johnson wrote in the statement. * Block Club | DePaul University Requiring Everyone To Carry ID On Campus After Robberies Targeting Students: Starting Oct. 2, everyone will need to show IDs to enter any campus buildings at the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses, according to a statement from DePaul University President Robert Manuel. Students will have to carry their university ID with them at all times, and security officers can request to see their IDs at any time, officials said. * Tribune | Another CTA Blue Line closure is coming, but the end of construction is in sight: The closures are part of a $268 million project to rebuild track and upgrade the power system, which is expected to remove about 3 miles of the slow zones that plague the Forest Park branch of the Blue Line. But trains will continue to crawl down the highway median for much of the rest of the route, as about 80% of the 17.8-mile branch had slow zones before construction began. * Daily Herald | Willowbrook Corners residents seek answers three months after fatal mass shooting in June: People had gathered in the parking lot at Somerset Plaza near Honeysuckle Rose Lane and Route 83 around 6 p.m. June 17 for what was billed as a Juneteenth celebration. Miller and Meadows had been at the celebration a short time when shots rang out. […] “It’s been (more than) 90 days and we still don’t have answers,” Miller said. * Sun-Times | West Chicago’s Latino residents say they don’t want trash from Naperville, Wheaton and other white communities: West Chicago is home to the county’s only garbage-transfer station — an in-between location before waste is hauled to a landfill. Earlier this year, city officials gave the green light to add a second facility that would be run by trash hauler LRS and bring 650 tons of solid waste a day and air pollution from hundreds of large garbage and semi-trailer trucks weekly to the city of 25,000. […] The Illinois Pollution Control Board has the final say in the matter, and a panel of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s appointees will be asked to decide whether the city of West Chicago met all the criteria to determine that the new garbage site will not harm the health of nearby residents. That final decision is expected early next year. * Chalkbeat | Chicago Public Schools says it is mailing out transportation stipends this week – a month after school started: The stipends — offered to students with disabilities who have bus service in their Individualized Education Program and those in temporary living situations — will be mailed to schools via the postal service this week, officials said. * WCIA | Decatur receives $750,000 federal grant for tree planting: The grant will go toward the 21st Century Decatur’s Urban Forests Project. City officials said Decatur has been designated a “Tree City USA” for 42 years and the grant reflects their commitment to increasing Decatur’s tree canopy.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - This just in… (Updated)
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Bloomberg moves from out of town stupid to openly hostile
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. Bloomberg keeps beating the drum about a financial transactions tax that ain’t going anywhere…
* Also from Bloomberg…
How does Bloomberg deal with firms which take actions counter to the narrative Bloomberg is promoting? Lie. Johnson’s administration has not proposed a financial transaction tax. They’ve jumped into blatantly false propaganda mode. Does this mean that companies won’t ever leave? Nope. Anything is possible and the mayor isn’t exactly inspiring a lot of confidence. But I got whiplash reading that article. They’re leaving while they’re expanding! Ridiculous.
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Today’s must-read
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the Investigative Project on Race and Equity, which worked with WBEZ on a story Isabel posted early this morning…
Statewide, the 2020 Census showed that 13.56 percent of Illinois’ population was Black. That population percentage is significantly lower outside Chicago, so 21 percent of all traffic stops in the suburbs and Downstate is way more than the Black population percentage. In other words, don’t pat yourself on the back too hard if you live outside the city. It’s still bad. * One reason for the Chicago numbers…
* The year after Barack Obama passed a bill through the Illinois legislature to require locals to compile and report racial data on traffic stops, 17.54 percent of those stops statewide were of Black people. Last year, that number had risen to 30.55 percent statewide. Also…
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IDFPR head says months of work on improving antiquated state licensing system just went down the drain
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Secretary Mario Treto, Jr. testified today at a committee hearing we told you about yesterday…
* Secretary Treto dropped a bombshell about IDFPR’s efforts to fix the problem by replacing an antiquated system from the previous century…
Emphasis added and please pardon all transcription errors. …Adding… Remember how we talked about the dire need for workforce development today? Well, getting these licenses to people is an absolutely crucial piece in the puzzle. Not good!
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Audit: IDOC didn’t supply local law enforcement with mandated sex offender reports because, it says, some LEOs didn’t want them
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
I’ve asked IDOC for the list of sheriffs and police chiefs who did not want its semi-annual progress reports for sex offenders under extended supervision, as well as the details of its “legislative remedy.”
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Speaker of the House Chris Welch filed HB4148, a first step for staffers that want to unionize…
* Politico…
* HB4145…
* Rep. Tarver introduced HB4147 on Monday…
* The bill is very similar to a Texas law. CNN…
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Robbing Peter to pay Paul
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * WBEZ…
On the surface, this sounds like a great idea. In the real world, though, it risks causing major problems. The reason? Social service agencies are woefully under-staffed as it is. This idea would stretch them even thinner. And that could very well take those agencies away from their core functions. That’s why workforce development is key. To his credit, Gov. Pritzker seems to recognize this and has supported funding of workforce development programs in several different employment areas. But there is currently no magic workforce spigot that you can turn on and off at will. * Just ask the nursing home industry…
That ain’t gonna be nearly enough.
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DCFS hit with yet another blistering audit report
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Man, when an Illinois Auditor General report summary begins this way, you know there’s big trouble afoot…
The department, in this case, is DCFS. * More…
* But wait, that’s not all…
Unreal. * CBS 2…
* The pervasive misstatements were about internal financial statements. The department’s response…
…Adding… Leader McCombie…
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Drivers Sign Up To Drive With Uber As A Flexible Way To Manage Rising Costs
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] In a recent survey, nearly 90% of new rideshare drivers cite flexibility and financial need as key factors in their decision to sign up. And over 70% of drivers joined Uber to help fill financial gaps caused by inflation. Whether it’s to supplement earnings or tackle unexpected expenses, Uber offers a flexible way to achieve financial goals. Watch and learn how drivers earn what they need to make ends meet.
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Caption contest!
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * AP…
* The photo… ![]()
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Durbin finally calls on Menendez to resign
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Sen. Duckworth finally came around yesterday. Now it’s Durbin’s turn…
Was that so difficult?
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Big kudos to Schuba
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * I chatted briefly with Sun-Times ace reporter Tina Sfondeles yesterday while the Republican congressional forum at the Chicago FOP headquarters was playing itself out. Unlike myself, Sfondeles was listening to the forum and said she hoped somebody did a fact check. Well, her Sun-Times colleague Tom Schuba did just that yesterday and his story is definitely worth a read. A taste…
Look, Chicago should most definitely be subjected to robust, accurate criticism. It deserves nothing less. But the city’s reporters shouldn’t amplify the nonsense.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition (Updated)
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Open thread
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of the state?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Here you go… * CBS Chicago | Illinois DCFS report card for past two years shows more failures than last review: Last time the state Auditor General updated us, there were 30 major failures by DCFS. This time, it’s 33. […] “You can see some of these findings are on repeat dating back more than 25 years,” said Cook County Chief Deputy Public Guardian Alpa Patel. * WSIU | State Rep. Paul Jacobs announced his re-election bid: In his written release, the Pomona republican says Southern Illinoisans deserve a conservative they can trust as their State Representative. Jacobs says his voting records show he supports tax cuts, opposes out of control spending, is 100% pro-life and supports the rights of law abiding gun owners to exercise their Constitutionally guaranteed 2nd Amendment rights. * Michael Frerichs | Illinois’ secret weapon in job creation is investing in tech companies: So far, the fund’s investments have been a catalyst for creating at least 19,000 jobs, according to 50 South Capital, a Northern Trust subsidiary that administers the program for our office. For every direct job created, another 2.2 jobs are indirectly created through a multiplier effect, according to a study conducted by the Illinois Venture Capital Association. By that group’s metric, our investments have resulted in 36,000 indirect jobs through suppliers and service providers. * WJBC | Illinois Senate Public Health Committee hears about long covid: Everyone seems to have moved on. Wrongly, said Chicago ob-gyn Dr. Melissa Simon. […] Among the recommendations: to return the level of public education about covid to the levels seen early in the pandemic. * Capitol News Illinois | In joint effort, election authorities try to tamp down misinformation: Officials from 25 counties scheduled a series of news conferences Tuesday in Tazewell, McLean and LaSalle counties. At the Tazewell event, the election officials said accusations of vote tampering and other misinformation campaigns have proliferated in each of the last two presidential election cycles, and they fear it could get worse in 2024. * WBEZ | Illinois traffic stops of Black drivers reach a 20-year high: Twenty years ago, a state senator from the South Side of Chicago sponsored groundbreaking legislation to combat racial profiling by police. The 2003 law required law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois to compile and report data on traffic stops in their jurisdictions, including the race of the driver, the circumstances of the stop and the outcome. * Tribune | Age for required behind-the-wheel testing would remain 79 under secretary of state’s recommendation: The law raising the age was passed in 2021 and was set to expire Oct. 1. A study compiled by the secretary of state’s office showed the rate of traffic crashes in Illinois in 2022 involving motorists age 75 and older was nearly identical to the year before, indicating there is no reason for the state to return to the minimum age of 75 for mandatory road testing. * WBEZ | Energy assistance in Illinois may fall short without a federal boost: This past month, in Englewood alone nearly 3,000 customers received disconnection notices and over 500 were disconnected outright. LIHEAP provides one-time payments directly to utility providers on behalf of low-income households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, or $60,000 for a family of four. The program also provides funds for weather proofing homes and crisis assistance. All of this is available regardless of immigration status. In Illinois, the state supplements federal appropriations through a surcharge that’s built into utility rates on customer bills — but it’s remained unchanged since 1999. * WBEZ | Michael Madigan’s name is stripped from the property tax firm he helped found: The clout-laden Madigan & Getzendanner law firm is no more after nearly 50 years as the place Chicago’s mighty and powerful went to have their property tax bills slashed. Its website is dead, and paperwork filed with Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office in June legally renamed the firm, Holland Hicks Law. That company is headed by two long-time Madigan & Getzendanner partners, Jeffrey Holland and Harold Hicks. * Sun-Times | Police board rejects push to move misconduct cases behind closed doors after arbitrator’s decision: The ruling prompted rebuke from FOP President John Catanzara, who said the union is “going to encourage these officers and maybe even assist them in suing the city, the police board and everybody.” * Block Club | 2 Aldermen Want Voters To Decide If Chicago Should Remain A Sanctuary City Amid Migrant Crisis: The resolution from Ald. Anthony Beale and cosponsored by Ald. Anthony Napolitano would put the sanctuary city question as a March 2024 referendum, potentially increasing restrictions on migrants and refugees arriving in the city. * Sun-Times | ‘Is Chicago savable?’ GOP congressional hearing in Chicago marked by partisan attacks, false claims: The GOP-controlled House Judiciary Committee held the hearing at Fraternal Order of Police headquarters to discuss violence in the city, but it was dominated by sharp partisan attacks, false claims and factual omissions. “The left has implemented pro-criminal policies that have allowed dangerous criminals to remain on the street,” Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said. “The left has attacked law enforcement and has sought to defund the police. And then when crime goes up, they act shocked.” * Tribune | In Shawnee National Forest, a debate swirls around how to best protect trees amid climate change and wildfires: “It’s impossible to take our hands all the way off. We’ve caused this climate change. We’ve introduced invasive species. We’ve put out historic wildfires. We’ve carved up the forest with roads. So, our influence on our forests is inescapable now,” said Chris Evans, a forest research specialist at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. * CNBC | Retail theft isn’t actually increasing much, major industry study finds: External theft, which includes organized retail crime, was again reported as the largest source of shrink last year at 36.15%, but that was slightly below 37% in 2021. Internal theft, or goods stolen by employees, rose slightly to 28.85% from 28.5% in 2021. Process and control failures and errors made up 27.29% of shrink in 2022, up from 25.7% the year prior. * Tribune | Lakeview resident reports invasive spotted lanternfly, a threat to fruit trees, other plants; state confirms pest has reached Illinois: Environmentalists across the state have long dreaded the arrival of the nuisance species, notorious for its spotted red and brown wings and the threat it poses to the more than 70 types of fruit trees and other plants it is known to consume. The East Asian insect was first identified in Pennsylvania around eight years ago and has been making its way west with rides hitched on railroad cars, semitrucks and other vehicles. * Daily Herald | Continued growth: Community colleges’ enrollments rise again, like ECC’s at 7.8%: Elgin Community College’s fall enrollment of 9,616 students increased by 7.8% over last fall’s enrollment. Early figures indicate ECC saw one of the larger enrollment increases in the suburbs. “Students are more aware of what community colleges offer, and the stigma of what used to be associated with going to a two-year school or junior college is slowing going by the wayside,” said Lauren Nehlsen, associate dean of recruitment, outreach services and global engagement at ECC. “We do a lot for the community. And every student is an educational dream, not just a number.”
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ScribbleLive is still down. Twitter has stopped allowing people to embed list feeds on websites. So, click here or here to follow breaking news.
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Even Taylor Swift has her limits
Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Earlier this summer…
* Last week…
* Today…
* Last week…
* I reached out to the Illinois State Board of Elections the other day to ask if they’d seen any uptick in voter registration since Taylor Swift encouraged her fans to register. Matt Dietrich…
* Related…
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Afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Media advisory…
* AP…
Ugh. More here and here. Illinois, by the way, is not among the plaintiffs. * Illinois isn’t on this list, either…
Speaking of Target…
Yep. Hire more people. They can help keep an eye on things. The last time I was in a Target a few months ago, it was almost like they had no employees at all. * Buried deep within this Chicago Tribune story entitled “As migrants clash near high-volume shelters, neighbors and businesses grow alarmed: ‘We don’t feel safe’”…
Hmm. * Crain’s…
* Crain’s…
* Letter to the editor…
* Press release…
* Heh…
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* WCIA | Scherer calls for drastic measure to crack down on Blue Cross Blue Shield: Scherer and representatives from Springfield Clinic count 92 of the clinic’s doctors that remain on the Blue Cross Blue Shield directory, despite the clinic and the health insurance company splitting more than a year and a half ago. Scherer wants the Department of Insurance to stop Blue Cross Blue Shield from taking on any new clients until they fix the issue. * WICS | Forever chemicals found in several Illinois drinking water locations: IEPA put together a study from 2020-2022 that sampled drinking water throughout the state of Illinois. Among those areas, these chemicals showed some kind of detection in Decatur, Lincoln, Athens, and Peoria. According to the most recent study in August of 2023 by the Environmental Working Group, chemicals were detected in several Illinois locations including Macoupin and Christian counties. * Sen. Patrick Joyce | Joyce: New energy in 40th Senate District from battery plant announcement: With production beginning next year, Gotion will build state-of-the-art electric vehicle batteries at the new plant. That will help meet the expected demand for electric vehicles across the country, with a focus on lithium-ion battery cells, battery packs, and energy storage system integration. The state of Illinois will fund a new manufacturing training academy near the plant site, and award grants to workforce providers to expand training and prepare employees for their new jobs at the plant directly from our region. This historic investment will create more than 2,6000 new jobs in Manteno. * WICS | Champaign and Vermilion counties receive over $800,000 for local revitalization efforts: The Illinois Housing Development Authority recently approved $19 million to support affordable housing and community revitalization efforts across Illinois. Awarded under the Strong Communities Program, the initiative will provide funding to 68 units of local governments and land bank authorities for the acquisition, maintenance, rehabilitation and demolition of abandoned residential properties in their communities. * Farm Week | Summer farm visits strengthen rural, urban ties: Heading into fall veto session, state Rep. Mary Beth Canty plans to look for ways to address rural fire protection staffing shortages and maternal care deserts after her experience with Illinois Farm Bureau’s Adopt-A-Legislator® program. Canty, D-Arlington Heights, who was “adopted” by the Bureau County Farm Bureau, recently spent the day in Bureau County, touring ag facilities, driving a tractor, meeting FFA students, discussing rural EMT services and touring a grocery store to talk about combating food deserts in rural communities. She was joined by Cook County Farm Bureau and state Sen. Tom Bennett, R-Gibson City. * Rockford Register Star | Freeport sales tax proposal falls short again: The city is a seeking a sales tax increase to raise money to help fix the city’s roads. The council rejected a proposed 1% sales tax hike last week. Aldermen James Monroe and Don Parker proposed a .75% sales tax increase instead and asked for a special council meeting to vote on it. * JG-TC | EIU’s Burge a co-lead on largest-of-its-kind national religious research project: Last month, Eastern Illinois University launched a new project titled “Making Meaning in a Post-Religious America,” led by political science professor Ryan Burge and independent scholar Tony Jones. The Making Meaning Project will complete the largest-ever survey of Americans who are not religiously affiliated. The results of that survey will then guide Burge, Jones, and other team members in studying how these American ‘nones’ explore, identify, and embrace meaning, purpose, and transcendence in their daily and collective lives. * Chicago Mag | Glenn Poshard: Let’s Emphasize Commonalities Between Chicago and Downstate: Glenn Poshard is one of the great “what ifs” of Illinois politics. If Poshard had won his race for governor in 1998, the state would have been spared the leadership — and the prison terms — of George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich. (“I wouldn’t have gone to jail,” Poshard once said.) As Poshard relates in his new memoir Son of Southern Illinois, written with journalist Carl Walworth, he lost that race because he was pro-life on abortion — not a position a Democratic nominee for governor would take today. Poshard swept his native Southern Illinois, but lost the collar counties, and even some socially progressive lakefront wards in Chicago — not an electoral map a Democratic candidate for governor would produce today. We talked to Poshard about the politics of abortion, and what the Democrats can do to win back Southern Illinois. * Chicago Reader | Dying while in the county’s care: Tyler Spratt was among 15 people who’ve died this year while detained at the jail. Loved ones of those who lost their lives and advocates who work with people imprisoned in the jail tell the Reader they’ve largely been kept in the dark. In some cases, they say investigations dragged on for months with little or no communication. In others, they say jail officials waited hours before telling them their loved ones had died. And above all, they say there’s no public accountability for the violence and death meted out behind bars. * News-Gazette | Five new drones give UI police eyes in the sky: “People think that if law enforcement gets these, there’s going to be clouds of drones hovering over us and always looking at us and watching what we’re doing. That’s not the case,” Lt. Robert Benoit said. “We don’t have the ability, manpower or resources to constantly fly these things just to watch people.” At large events, the drones can be used to monitor traffic patterns and keep an eye out for disturbances in crowds, but even then, they must primarily stick to the edges. * Block Club | ‘Merch Cuts’ In Chicago? Outcry Sparks Closer Look Into Venues Taking A Cut Of A Band’s Merchandise Sales: Earlier this month, punk musician Jeff Rosenstock derided the practice in a Twitter thread, and shared a spreadsheet of which venues on his upcoming tour required him to fork over part of his merch profits. […] Then last week, indie musician Tomberlin shared her experience online about being asked to pay 30 percent of t-shirt profits to a venue outside Washington, D.C., where the singer-songwriter opened for Ray LaMontagne. * The Southern | The little high school that could: Cobden continues to rack up wins: The small-town school, deep in southwestern Illinois, has faced several challenges over the years, but one of the most recent and the biggest was seeing their historic gym condemned — no more cheering fans filling it to its 800 capacity. * Miami Herald | Florida now leads the country in book bans, new PEN report says. How did that happen?: The nonprofit, which advocates for freedom of expression, recorded 3,362 instances of bans in public school classrooms and libraries from July 2022 to June 2023 across the country. Out of these, about 1,400 — or 40% of the national total — took place in Florida. * AP | New cars are supposed to be getting safer. So why are fatalities on the rise?: Roadway deaths in the U.S. are mounting despite government test data showing vehicles have been getting safer. While the number of all car-related fatalities has trended upward over the last decade, pedestrians and cyclists have seen the sharpest rise: over 60% between 2011 and 2022. It coincides with a steep increase in sales of SUVs, pickup trucks and vans, which accounted for 78% of new U.S. vehicle sales in 2022. * Bloomberg | Mansueto turns to Messi to boost his struggling bet on the Chicago Fire: From free tickets to see superstar Lionel Messi to synchronized LED bracelets, billionaire Joe Mansueto is pulling all the stops to boost his struggling, multimillion-dollar bet on Chicago soccer. Mansueto’s Major League Soccer team, the Chicago Fire, is counting on an upcoming match against Messi’s Inter Miami to help break with years of stagnant valuations for the club and some of the lowest attendance rates in the US league.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * The setup…
* The Question: Should the Illinois legislature vote to require any political ad that uses AI to be clearly labeled as being AI generated? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** After calling on Al Franken, Mike Madigan and Mary Miller to resign, Duckworth remains silent on Menendez
Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller *** UPDATE *** Sun-Times…
* We did a similar post on Sen. Durbin yesterday. Now it’s Sen. Duckworth’s turn. December of 2017…
* November of 2020…
* January of 2021…
* Today…
Sens. Ed Markey and Mazie Hirono have since called on Menendez to resign. * I have reached out to Sen. Duckworth’s office twice today about why she hasn’t yet called for Sen. Menendez to resign. I’ve heard nothing back. Thoughts?
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Fittin’ to get ready
Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Analysis paralysis is, indeed, all too real and, unfortunately, not confined to transit or Chicago…
We plan ourselves to death and then make more plans for the funeral. /s
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Better late than never: NIU student paper apologizes for spreading (and plagiarizing) 1969 ‘Paul is dead’ rumor
Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * From a Northern Star article in September of 2014…
It was “Turn me on, dead man,” but whatevs. * From a Northern Star editorial a couple of days ago…
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Circus comes to town
Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Sun-Times…
Jordan isn’t looking for ideas to make things better. He’s coming here to troll Chicago. That’s it. Don’t fall for the goofy “smackdown” hype promoted elsewhere. It’ll be forgotten as soon as he leaves town.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and a story from Isabel
Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Open thread
Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Here you go… * WBEZ | Chicago’s migrant crisis tied to U.S. foreign policy: First of all, you have the inability of the local governments to deal with what is essentially a federal problem: The Congress and the federal government, since 2006, have been unable to reach a new immigration policy for the United States. […] For instance, as many Ukrainians roughly have come to the United States in the last couple of years, as have Venezuelans. There is no narrative in the media that the Ukrainians are creating a crisis. Why not? Because the government is quietly integrating them into the society, giving them work permits, giving them social benefits, and they’re in essence melting into the U.S. population. There are more Ukrainians that have come to Chicago in the last year than Venezuelans. But somehow we see the Venezuelans in the police precincts, we see them in the shelters, we see the government claiming it has no ability to deal with them. * Tribune | As migrants clash near high-volume shelters, neighbors and businesses grow alarmed: ‘We don’t feel safe’: With the city buckling under the growing number of migrants — 12 buses carrying 560 more asylum hopefuls arrived this weekend — and no sign of the influx slowing down, tensions among migrants, residents and business owners are reaching a boiling point. The neighbors say they’ve witnessed frequent fights, loitering and other misconduct. * Crain’s | Manteno battery plant is first coup in Illinois EV ambitions: The auto industry is set to make a massive and abrupt shift to battery-powered vehicles over the next decade. Any state with a piece of the auto industry has to make that shift, too. In the past two years, companies have announced plans to invest roughly $140 billion in EV and battery plants, compared with $20 billion in the previous two years, estimates Dave Gohlke, an energy and environmental analyst at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont. * WTAX | State legislators turn to Illinois Dept. of Insurance in BCBS/Springfield Clinic standoff: The standoff between Blue Cross Blue Shield and Springfield Clinic continues, and now state legislators are getting involved. Springfield Clinic’s Chief Brand and Advocacy Officer Zack Kerker, appearing on the WTAX Morning Newswatch, says Illinois Senators Doris Turner and Steve McClure and Representatives Sue Scherer and Mike Coffey sent a request to the Illinois Department of Insurance asking the government to do more. He adds that Scherer and Turner have asked the IDOI to consider stopping the sale of the Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plan. * WTTW | Federal Judge: Ald. Jim Gardiner Violated First Amendment by Blocking Critics from Official Facebook Page: “The record is clear that Gardiner engaged in both content-based and speaker-based restrictions on his Facebook page, according to the ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman. “He deleted and hid comments from disfavored constituents voicing opposing political beliefs and even went as far as to block some of those constituents. The Court thus finds Gardiner in violation of the First Amendment.” * Daily Herald | Where local members of Congress went on lobbyist-funded trips: Six members of the congressional delegation serving the North, West and Northwest suburbs took trips abroad last year funded by special interest groups, federal documents show. Destinations included Honduras, Israel, Spain and Egypt. The hosts included groups that oppose U.S. activities in Central America, two that promote pro-Jewish policies in Congress and others focused on different domestic and global issues. * Daily Herald | Duckworth has earned more than $1.6 million from memoir sales, documents show: Last year alone, the book — titled “Every Day Is a Gift: A Memoir” — netted Duckworth $462,500 in royalties — more than double the $174,000 annual salary she receives as a senator. The income was detailed in Duckworth’s latest annual financial disclosure report, which she filed with the Senate in early August. Illinois’ other senator, Springfield Democrat Dick Durbin, disclosed he owns stock in Pfizer — the pharmaceutical giant that makes a COVID-19 vaccine, Viagra and other popular drugs — and has money in mutual funds, retirement accounts and other types of investments. * WTAX | Dillard: GOP is right of me: Out of the Capitol for more than eight years, former longtime State Sen. Kirk Dillard doesn’t miss the process. “It’s a people business to be in politics and government, and I miss my colleagues,” said Dillard during a visit to Springfield last week. But today’s Republican Party, particularly in Illinois, may not have room for a moderate such as he. * BGA | Growth of “Finance General” Category in Chicago’s Budgets Obscures Departmental Costs; Reflects Rising Pension and Borrowing Expenses: As they are each year, these hearings are designed to hold each department accountable for its budgeted expenditures. But one pot of city money isn’t held to the same scrutiny: a catch-all category called “finance general” for budgeted expenditures not assigned to a specific department. A Better Government Association policy team analysis has found that over the past three administrations, an increasing number of appropriation items has been added to this category, significantly growing the portion of the city budget without direct departmental accountability from about one-third to nearly half of the overall city budget. * Sun-Times | Democrats blast House Republicans for planned forum on Chicago crime instead of working to avert a government shutdown: Foxx — who is not seeking reelection — told the Sun-Times Jordan is coming to Chicago rather than fulfilling his obligations to his constituents as the nation is on the verge of a “Republican sponsored government shutdown.” She also took aim at Chicago FOP President John Catanzara, who last year apologized for comments he initially made in defense of Jan. 6 insurrectionists. […] Speaking at Ald. Emma Mitts’ West Side office, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., called the GOP forum “unbelievable” and a distraction from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s struggles to gather enough votes to pass a short-term spending plan. * Tribune | Even as Chicago Bears open season with losses, Arlington Heights Village Board working to bring stadium to suburb: Trustees identified nine strategic priorities for the village over the next two years during a goal-setting session late last month. That was used by village staff to help create the 2024-2025 strategic priority list that was presented for approval at the Sept. 5 Village Board meeting. * Sun-Times | As Red Line extension advances, a cheaper way hides in plain sight: “The oft-stated goal of the Red Line extension is to do right by the underserved residents of the Far South Side. At some point the realization ought to have dawned: There’s already a railroad down here!” Zotti wrote. “We don’t have to build another one! We could massively improve service without waiting 20 years!” * The Climate Brink | Visualizing a summer of extremes in 7 charts: Global surface temperatures have dramatically spiked since the start of June, with the past four months (June-September) breaking prior monthly records by a large margin. This extreme global heat has made it virtually certain that 2023 will rank as the warmest year on record, and means that there is a chance it will emerge as the first year exceeding 1.5C above preindustrial levels – at least in some datasets. * NYT | America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow: Groundwater loss is hurting breadbasket states like Kansas, where the major aquifer beneath 2.6 million acres of land can no longer support industrial-scale agriculture. Corn yields have plummeted. If that decline were to spread, it could threaten America’s status as a food superpower. Fifteen hundred miles to the east, in New York State, overpumping is threatening drinking-water wells on Long Island, birthplace of the modern American suburb and home to working class towns as well as the Hamptons and their beachfront mansions. * NYT | ‘Monster Fracks’ Are Getting Far Bigger. And Far Thirstier.: Along a parched stretch of La Salle County, Texas, workers last year dug some 700 feet deep into the ground, seeking freshwater. Millions of gallons of it. The water wouldn’t supply homes or irrigate farms. It was being used by the petroleum giant BP to frack for fossil fuels. The water would be mixed with sand and toxic chemicals and pumped right back underground — forcing oil and gas from the bedrock. * Crain’s | Mayors press Congress for big expansion of affordable housing tax credits: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and several other local and state leaders are urging Congress to pass legislation that would turbocharge a tax credit that spurs affordable housing development nationwide. They say changes in the tax credit program could lead to an additional 2 million affordable rental units coming online nationwide in the next decade, on top of the roughly 1.25 million units that would get built without the changes. * AP | Joe Biden will join the UAW strike picket line. Experts can’t recall the last time a president did that: Biden’s trip to join a picket line in the suburbs of Detroit is the most significant demonstration of his pro-union bona fides, a record that includes vocal support for unionization efforts at Amazon.com facilities and executive actions that promoted worker organizing. He also earned a joint endorsement of the major unions earlier this year and has avoided southern California for high-dollar fundraisers amid the writers’ and actors’ strikes in Hollywood. * Crain’s | Instant Pot and Pyrex maker draws interest from Citadel, Centre Lane: Citadel has offered to purchase loan holdings from existing lenders at around 7 cents on the dollar, said the people who asked not to be named because the details of the matter are private. It’s asking those who don’t want to sell to team up in a potential bid for certain assets, such as the housewares business, some of the people said. That would allow lenders to use debt they’re owed toward purchasing the company’s assets out of bankruptcy. * WAND | Illinois’ first lady to speak at Lincoln Presidential Library about Gov.’s mansion: The first lady will share stories about some of the mansion’s renowned residents and visitors – including Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt – and explain how the building has changed with the culture and style of the times. * The Atlantic | Lincoln’s Lessons: It’s not that he greatly changed his critics’ beliefs, nor that they greatly changed his. Rather, he learned how to make his beliefs actionable.
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