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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…
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will receive nearly $140 million in grant funding to help get lead and other contaminants out of the state’s drinking water.
The federal tax dollars will help Illinois remove and replace lead water pipes. Illinois leads the nation in the number of lead service pipes. The funds will also help remove and prevent contaminants, including forever chemicals known as PFAS in the state’s drinking water.
* AP…
Judge Arthur Engoron, ruling in a civil lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general, found that the former president and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing. […]
The showcase Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago is cited as an example of how Trump allegedly undervalued property if it would save him money and overvalued property if it helped him get bigger loans. When he needed collateral, he and his team placed a high value on the property. When he wanted a tax break, he called the property worthless, according to James’ lawsuit.
The lawsuit said the downtown Chicago property, owned officially by 401 North Wabash Venture LLC, was appraised at $133 million in recent years by Deutsche Bank, which lent Trump money for the project, but he gave a different story — saying it was worthless — when reporting his taxes.
* Meanwhile…
Members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus along with Manteno residents will have a press conference Monday to outline their concerns with a company with ties to the communist government of China building a lithium battery plant in the community.
The Chinese company Gotion High-Tech Co. wants to construct a $2 billion battery plant in Manteno. Gotion High-Tech Co. has been promised $7.5 billion in federal tax credits over five years, and an additional $536 million in subsidies from the state despite the company’s strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
The Illinois Freedom Caucus is comprised of State Representatives Chris Miller (R-Hindsboro), chairman; Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), vice-chairman; Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich); Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville); Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur); Jed Davis (R-Newark) and David Friess (R-Red Bud). The members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus are members of the Illinois General Assembly who are advocating for limited government, lower taxes and accountability and integrity in government.
Who: Legislators with the Illinois Freedom Caucus and Manteno Residents
What: Press Conference with Manteno residents pushing back against the construction of a Chinese Communist Party Company, Gotion, Lithium Battery Factory
When: Monday, Oct. 2nd at 5pm
Where: Hasset Center, located at 211 N. Main St. in Manteno, IL
The press and media are invited to attend.
* Former ILGOP Chair to serve on Personal PAC board…
Personal PAC, one of the strongest abortion rights organizations in Illinois, announced the addition of three new board members: Pat Brady, Art Mitchell and Claire Pinkert on Thursday.
“This board is ready to go to bat to make sure Illinois remains an oasis for reproductive rights in the Midwest,” said Sarah Garza Resnick, President and CEO of Personal PAC. “We are excited to introduce Pat Brady as a new board member alongside Claire Pinkert and Art Mitchell, three incredible additions to our board.”
Personal PAC is a non-partisan organization that welcomes support from 100% pro-choice Democrats and Republicans.
The new board members include:
Pat Brady
Pat Brady is the founder of Next Generation Strategies, a bi-partisan Government and Public Affairs firm. He is a former member of the Republican National Committee and former Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. He is an attorney who previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and an Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney. He has joined the Personal PAC Board because of his belief that the right of women to control their own health care decisions is one of the most important freedoms we as a society should strive to protect.
* 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..
The Illinois Municipal League, Springfield, IL (IML) is seeking a dynamic, resourceful, and collaborative leader to fill the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer (COO). […]
It should also be understood that the current CEO is expected to retire in no less than three (3) years and no more than five (5) years. At that time, it is the expectation of the Board of Directors that the COO will ascend into the CEO position.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* NBC Chicago | Illinois Sec. of State responds to complaints over DMV appointment system: “We’re trying to accommodate as many people as possible,” Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias told NBC Chicago. “That’s why we opened up these walk-in facilities. That’s why we’ve added a phone number to those who don’t want to go online. So we’re trying to make this as easy as possible.” Giannoulias also offered some advice to people looking for appointments: check again. “We’ve seen evidence of people going on the next day and finding one day-of, day before, the day they wanted,” he said.
* 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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* Background is here if you need it. Bloomberg keeps beating the drum about a financial transactions tax that ain’t going anywhere…
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has his eyes on Chicago.
The Republican leader said he’s spoken to CME Group Inc., the world’s largest futures exchange, about relocating to the Lone Star State. […]
Abbott’s remarks follow reports that CME and other financial firms in Chicago, including CBOE Global Markets Inc. and IMC, are alarmed by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s idea for $800 million in taxes, including a levy on financial transactions.
* Also from Bloomberg…
Chicago’s top trading firms are questioning their commitment to the city in the face of proposed taxes and rising crime. That’s not stopping some of them expanding their footprint.
Optiver, a market maker employing about 400 people in the city, has just moved into One Prudential Plaza in downtown Chicago. The space — a third bigger than its previous office — can house as many as 600 people, allowing the Dutch firm to grow and host 70 interns in the city every year. […]
Trading firms currently occupy more than 3.5 million square feet in the city, equivalent to 60 football fields. In the past three years, they’ve added about 700,000 square feet, and that doesn’t include the trading divisions of large banks such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. […]
[Johnson’s] administration has proposed new levies, including higher real estate transfer taxes and a financial transaction tax, prompting a reaction from Chicago’s trading community to push their case to the city. […]
[Optiver] also wants to keep growing in the city with plans to add another 100 people within three years, according to Brinkhuis.
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…
- In Chicago, where Black, white and Latino populations are roughly equal, traffic stops of Black drivers in 2022 were more than four times that of whites and more than twice that of Latinos.
- Beyond Chicago’s city limits, traffic stops also disproportionately affect Black drivers. Last year traffic stops involving Black drivers made up 21% of all traffic stops throughout Illinois (excluding Chicago).
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…
But critics say traffic stops of Black drivers continued to rise in Chicago after the ACLU and the Chicago Police Department settled a 2015 lawsuit that resulted in a decline in pedestrians being “stopped and frisked” by police.
“Chicago moved then from a racist strategy of stopping people on the street to an equally racist strategy” of stopping them in their cars, said Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor and director of the school’s Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project. “Telling police officers as a matter of standard procedure to stop lots and lots of people … to address violent crime has long been known by researchers to be not just an out-and-out racist tactic but one of the most unsuccessful tactics and counterproductive tactics when it comes to reducing violence.”
* 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…
Between 2004 and 2022, stops of white drivers dropped by 44.7%, while stops of Black drivers grew by 40.6%. Stops of Latino drivers increased 26.5% in the same period.
Go read the whole thing.
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* Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Secretary Mario Treto, Jr. testified today at a committee hearing we told you about yesterday…
State Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, Chair of the House Health Care Licensing Committee, will continue the process of addressing the ongoing delays in licensure processing by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), by holding a public hearing of his committee on Sep. 27 at 10:00 a.m. in room C-600 on the 6th Floor of the Michael A. Bilandic Building on LaSalle St. in downtown Chicago.
The delays have led to many professionals, including nurses and other health care workers, as well as their employers, having to worry about their ability to keep working should their licenses lapse.
* Secretary Treto dropped a bombshell about IDFPR’s efforts to fix the problem by replacing an antiquated system from the previous century…
Procurement is not an easy process, particularly one of this magnitude. It requires oversight and cooperation from other agencies. We have been working hard with DoIT, with the Chief Procurement Office and many others. We have had an extraordinary amount of back and forth over the past several months in an effort to purchase licensing software through a joint purchase master contract.
Unfortunately, as we drill down into the very specific needs that have to be met, and how we may go about the process to obtain them, we have reached a point where we don’t think the joint purchase master contract will work. That has a development that happened this week. Just this Monday. And candidly we were quite disappointed with the news.
However, we are not going to rest with this urgency to act upon us. As such, we immediately pivoted to very quickly assess the most efficient options. Fortunately, the work that we have done over the last several months to spell out how to best address all the needs of our licensees is not wasted at all. We will build on that using a different procurement method. While I’m going to be limited in the details that I can provide until the procurement process is over, due to legal concerns. I would be happy to give updates as I can.
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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* Illinois Auditor General…
FINDING (Noncompliance with extended supervision of sex offender requirements of the Unified Code of Corrections)
The Department of Corrections (Department) failed to report individuals’ progress under the extended supervision of sex offender requirements of the Unified Code of Corrections (Code).
During Fiscal Year 2021 and Fiscal Year 2022, there were a total of 446 and 498, respectively, individuals released under extended mandatory supervision of sex offender requirements. These individuals are defined by the Code (730 ILCS 5/5-8-1(d)(4)) as including those who committed the offense of 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 after specified dates, whose terms of mandatory supervised release range from 3 years to life.
During the examination period, the Department did not submit the required progress reports to the chief of police or sheriff in the municipality or county in which the offender resides and is registered.
The Code (730 ILCS 5/3-14-2.5(b)) requires the Department to supervise sex offenders placed on mandatory supervised release in accord with the conditions set by the Prisoner Review Board pursuant to the Code. The Code also states “Commencing 180 days after the offender’s release date and continuing every 180 days thereafter for the duration of the supervision term, the supervising officer shall prepare a progress report detailing the offender’s adjustment and compliance with the conditions of mandatory supervised release including the offender’s participation and progress in sex offender treatment. The progress report shall be submitted to the Prisoner Review Board and copies provided to the chief of police and sheriff in the municipality and county in which the offender resides and is registered.”
Department management stated they did not send the semi-annual progress reports for sex offenders under extended supervision because some Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs indicated they did not want copies of the reports. Management also indicated they believed legislative changes are needed.
Failure to timely prepare and report required information to a sex offender on mandatory supervised release’s local Chief of Police and Sheriff may reduce the effectiveness of governmental monitoring and oversight to identify and manage risks posed to public safety.
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend the Department comply with the sex offender progress report requirements of the Code. We further recommend the Department pursue legislative change if they do not believe the current statutory provisions are reasonable and appropriate.
DEPARTMENT RESPONSE
Recommendation implemented. The Department is in the process of seeking legislative remedy.
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…
Creates the Legislative Employee Labor Relations Act. Authorizes legislative employees to bargain collectively through the representatives of their choosing on questions of wages, hours, and other conditions of employment. Specifies that the General Assembly is not required to bargain on specified matters of inherent managerial policy. Establishes the Office of State Legislative Labor Relations. Directs the Office of State Legislative Labor Relations to manage the interests of the General Assembly in collective bargaining with legislative employees. Grants the State Panel of the Illinois Labor Relations Board jurisdiction over collective bargaining matters between employee organizations and the General Assembly of the State of Illinois. Contains additional provisions concerning the following topics: the duty to bargain collectively; fair-share agreements; grievance procedures; election and recognition of labor organizations as exclusive representatives; unfair labor practices; mediation; fact-finding; exhaustion of nonjudicial remedies; strikes during session periods; and multiyear collective bargaining agreements. Specifies that the Open Meetings Act does not apply to collective bargaining negotiations and grievance arbitration proceedings under the Act. Sets forth definitions. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012, the State Lawsuit Immunity Act, and the Workplace Violence Prevention Act to make conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2026.
* Politico…
Welch says the issue is personal as his office employs nearly 200 people. “Legislative employees in the House and Senate have the right to organize and collectively bargain. It’s important that they have equal opportunity,” he said in an interview with POLITICO, ticking off workers in a range of departments that would be affected, from the janitorial crew to the law department.
Illinois Democratic lawmakers have a long history of supporting labor, but their Springfield staffs have never been allowed to form a union because current law prohibits it. That would change if Welch’s legislation is passed by the Democratic-led Senate and signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, who like Welch is a Democrat. […]
Few other legislative houses have unionized, but California is in the process of seeing its legislative staffers go union, and New York is watching, Welch noted.
Subscribers know more.
* HB4145…
Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that a restaurant shall clearly and prominently disclose all fees outside of food costs and taxes that are added to a customer’s bill, including administrative fees, at the beginning of the ordering process. Provides that a restaurant that violates the provisions commits an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Act.
* Rep. Tarver introduced HB4147 on Monday…
Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides that if a defendant is found guilty of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, other drug or drugs, or intoxicating compound or compounds, or any combination thereof where the violation has resulted in the death of another, the court shall order the defendant to pay an amount reasonable and necessary for support of any child of the victim. Sets forth factors the court shall consider when determining a reasonable and necessary amount of child support. Allows the Office of the Attorney General to enforce a child support order issued under the provisions. Makes a corresponding change in the Illinois Vehicle Code.
* The bill is very similar to a Texas law. CNN…
A new law in Texas requires convicted drunk drivers to pay child support if they kill a child’s parent or guardian, according to House Bill 393.
The law, which went into effect Friday, says those convicted of intoxication manslaughter must pay restitution. The offender will be expected to make those payments until the child is 18 or until the child graduates from high school, “whichever is later,” the legislation says.
Intoxication manslaughter is defined by state law as a person operating “a motor vehicle in a public place, operates an aircraft, a watercraft, or an amusement ride, or assembles a mobile amusement ride; and is intoxicated and by reason of that intoxication causes the death of another by accident or mistake.”
If someone is unable to pay the restitution because they’re incarcerated, they’re expected to make payments no “later than the first anniversary of the date,” of their release, the law says.
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Robbing Peter to pay Paul
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WBEZ…
Currently, the city uses a national staffing firm to oversee existing brick-and-mortar shelters, but has issued a request for proposals to replace that firm with local organizations.
Pacione-Zayas said the city has received “pretty significant interest” in that opportunity, which could allow them to award contracts for existing shelters as well as the forthcoming tents.
“If we have enough interest of local community-based staffing for all of our shelters plus these tents, we will see if we can plug in to the tents,” she said. “We’re just making sure that we have the baseline staffing period. Usually with GardaWorld they offer the staffing. We need to see if we can negotiate — if we have enough interest of community based and social service agencies — to be able to staff up those tents.” […]
Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th Ward, who serves as Johnson’s floor leader, said using local community organizations rather than GardaWorld staff will be imperative
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…
Following the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ release of its proposed nursing home staffing rule, an Illinois long-term care association is calling it unrealistic.
The proposal calls for Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes to provide a staffing equivalent of three hours per resident, per day. The rules also call for facilities to have a registered nurse on staff 24 hours a day, daily.
Angela Schnepf, president and CEO with the nonprofit LeadingAge Illinois, said COVID-19 decimated workforce numbers in long-term care facilities and they haven’t recovered.
“The challenge we had, particularly in the state of Illinois but also nationwide, is nursing homes in particular lost about 15% of their workforce population over COVID, and they have not been able to recover that,” Schnepf told The Center Square.
In Illinois, Schnepf anticipates communities will need to find and hire between 820 to 968 RNs and 7,500 to 8,039 certified nursing assistants. […]
The Biden administration announced plans to launch a national effort to bolster nursing home staffing, including allocating $75 million for initiatives such as scholarships and tuition reimbursement programs.
That ain’t gonna be nearly enough.
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* Man, when an Illinois Auditor General report summary begins this way, you know there’s big trouble afoot…
Because of the significance and pervasiveness of the findings described within the report, we (the accountants) expressed an adverse opinion on the Department’s compliance with the specified requirements which comprise a State compliance examination. The Codification of Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements (AT-C § 205.74) states a practitioner “should express an adverse opinion when the practitioner, having obtained sufficient appropriate evidence, concludes that misstatements, individually or in the aggregate, are both material and pervasive to the subject matter.”
The department, in this case, is DCFS.
* More…
* The Department did not immediately communicate the investigation reports of child abuse and neglect for a newborn infant whose blood, urine, or meconium contains any amount of a controlled substance to the State’s attorneys’ offices for 17 (28%) of 60 reports tested. Specifically, we noted the State’s attorneys’ offices were notified between 218 to 920 days from report date.
* The Department notified the Directors of DPH and HFS of the report of suspected abuse or neglect of a child alleged to have been abused or neglected while receiving care in a hospital 34 days to 885 days from the investigation date for 15 of 15 (100%) reports tested. […]
* The Department did not timely notify the children’s school of its final findings from an indicated report of child abuse and neglect within 10 days of completing an investigation of alleged physical or sexual abuse for 40 of the 40 (100%) indicated reports tested. Specifically, we noted the schools were notified 129 to 890 days late.
* The Department did not timely notify the local enforcement personnel and the office of the State’s attorney of the involved county for 5 of 25 (20%) reports tested. Specifically, we noted the local enforcement personnel and the office of the State’s attorney were notified of a report alleging the death of a child, serious injury to a child, torture of a child, malnutrition of a child, and sexual abuse to a child 5 to 43 days after the required 24-hour timeframe. (Finding 5, pages 27-32) This finding has been reported since 2012.
* But wait, that’s not all…
During our testing of 25 alleged incident of sexual abuse investigations, we noted that for 24 of 25 (96%) indicated investigations tested, the Department did not timely notify the relevant schools when an investigation of an alleged incident of sexual abuse was completed. Specifically, we noted the notifications were sent to relevant schools between 431 to 908 days from the investigation report date. […]
The Department could not provide documentation demonstrating it had conducted monitoring of its non-substitute care service provider agencies. The non-substitute care provider agencies provide services which include, but are not limited to, counseling, habilitation, advocacy centers, system-of-care grants, and other child specific services. Specifically, we noted the Department was unable to provide documentation it had conducted monitoring, as specified in the contracts, for 12 of 60 (20%) contracts tested. Total grants expended for the 12 contracts during fiscal years 2021 and 2022 totaled $15,593,544. Due to the Department being unable to provide documentation to demonstrate it had conducted monitoring, we cannot determine whether annual reviews required to be submitted by 9 of 12 grantees were performed by Department staff. (Finding 11, pages 47-48) This finding has been reported since 2012.
Unreal.
* CBS 2…
In the most serious cases involving child death, injury, torture, malnutrition, and sex abuse, it is DCFS’ job to notify - within 24 hours - local authorities like the state’s attorneys of credible cases.
DCFS failed to do so 20 percent of the time - in some cases waiting five to 43 days.
“The fact that they’re waiting more than almost five days to almost month out before they’re coordinating is highly concerning,” [Cook County Chief Deputy Public Guardian Alpa Patel] said, “because a lot of info on the wellbeing and safety of those children is lost during that period of time.”
The report says this has been happening since 2012.
“A huge sense of in terms of lack of urgency in terms of what the department needs to be doing,” Patel said.
* The pervasive misstatements were about internal financial statements. The department’s response…
The Department agrees with the recommendation and has implemented a corrective action plan. Due to unprecedented vacancies in the Division of Budget & Finance, review procedures in place were not able to be followed to catch the misstatements identified in the auditor’s review of our financial statements. The Department uses a consulting firm to assist with compiling their financial statements and has since been able to fill its CPA position. To further ensure the accuracy of future financial statements, the Department added senior management positions to its approved headcount to provide duplicity and support to be better able to manage the ebbs and flows of staffing levels and add expertise to ensure the accuracy of Departmental financial statements.
…Adding… Leader McCombie…
House Minority Leader Tony McCombie released the following statement after the Illinois Auditor General issued a scathing report on the Department of Children and Families Services:
“Under this DCFS Administration, children continue to be at risk and workers are still not safe. Protecting children in the state’s care should be the most important job we have. Unfortunately, children continue to suffer due to perpetual mismanagement by this agency. Billions of dollars have not fixed the problems; the agency needs to take into account the common-sense proposals pushed by House Republican lawmakers, to give this the attention it demands.”
Click here for the rest of it.
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Caption contest!
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
During his momentous U.S. Senate campaign against Stephen A. Douglas, Abraham Lincoln sat for a photograph after politicking in western Illinois and presented one of the copies to a man severely injured while testing a cannon for Lincoln’s campaign rally.
As a small measure of compassion, Lincoln presented one version of the image to the injured man, Charles Lame, who overcame a deadly infection in an arm torn up by the blast with the help of flesh-eating maggots.
The tale provides an unlikely, ghastly background to the original 1858 ambrotype created during the future nation-saving Civil War president’s ascendancy, an image which the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum has added to its collection, officials said Tuesday.
“Original images of Abraham Lincoln are extraordinarily rare, and images with a fascinating back story like this are even more rare,” said Christina Shutt, executive director of the library and museum. “Lincoln fans everywhere should thank Charles Lame’s descendants for this generous donation.”
* The photo…
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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…
Fox News commentator Gianno Caldwell was called to testify about his brother Christian, who was shot and killed last June in Morgan Park.
But Caldwell also used the platform to offer a warning about the state abolishing cash bail last week, falsely claiming that suspects accused of second-degree murder and arson couldn’t be detained under provisions of the controversial SAFE-T Act. […]
Carlos Yanez Jr., a Chicago police officer who was wounded in a shooting that killed Officer Ella French, testified that the SAFE-T Act doesn’t live up to its “beautiful name” and actually puts crime victims in danger.
But Yanez did not mention that the bail reform law allows even people charged with misdemeanor crimes to be detained until trial – a fact praised by advocates for victims of domestic and sexual violence. […]
No one mentioned that the department’s foot chase policy was implemented as part of a federal consent decree mandating sweeping reforms, or that the vehicle pursuit policy was revised amid a mountain of settlements stemming from crashes.
Go read the whole thing.
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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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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