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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Sep 21, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* IDES | Jobs Up in Most Metro Areas in August: Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in eleven metropolitan areas, decreased in two and was unchanged in one for the year ending August 2023, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over-the-year, the unemployment rate increased in thirteen metropolitan areas and decreased in one.
* WICS | ACLU meets with Springfield Police Department about Pre-Trial Fairness Act: The meeting also gave the police department a chance to explain what new training was involved and how paperwork would be filled out when it comes to citations. […] “People were afraid that the doors to the jail were going to be open and all kinds of violent offenders were going to be released. That’s not the case at all. If a violent offender is arrested we’ll be in contact with the state’s attorney’s office to let them know why we feel the subject needs detained,” Commander Sara Pickford said.
* ABC | Illinois man pleads guilty to trying to burn down planned abortion clinic: Philip J. Buyno of Prophetstown, Illinois, entered the plea Tuesday to a federal charge of attempting to use fire to damage a building used in interstate commerce. Buyno admitted that, on May 20, he brought several containers filled with gasoline with him and used his car to breach the front entrance to a commercial building in Danville to burn it down before it could be used as a reproductive health clinic, prosecutors said.
* Capitol News Illinois | Former Illinois State Police trooper who pleaded guilty in relation to deadly crash postpones hearing: Henry Haupt, a spokesperson for Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, said in an email that the hearing had been postponed until Nov. 1 at Mitchell’s request. Mitchell pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated reckless driving in connection with a crash the day after Thanksgiving in 2007 on Interstate 64 east in St. Clair County. That conviction triggered the revocation of his driver’s license. He has tried five times in the past to have his license reinstated.
* WAND | IDHA grant provides millions in neighborhood revitalization: The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) Board approved $19 million to support affordable housing and community revitalization efforts across Illinois. The grants are being awarded under the Strong Communities Program (SCP), 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.
* WSIL | Perry County Steelworkers could go on strike soon if good faith negotiations don’t resume: Eaton’s final offer consisted of a 4 percent increase in wages over the first year and a 3 1/2 percent increase each of the next two years. It was rather appalling to the membership for what they were asking for,” said Dodds.
* WTTW | Chicago Sues Monsanto for Polluting City’s Air, Water, Soil with Toxic Chemicals: “Monsanto knew for decades that its commercial PCB formulations were highly toxic and would inevitably produce precisely the contamination and human health risks that have occurred, perpetuating the environmental abuse and stark inequities so many of Chicago’s neighborhoods have long suffered from,” Johnson said in a statement.
* Sun-Times | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s team will scrap INVEST South/West name, but not its aims: While Johnson’s team is still evaluating the program, they may take “a very different path” toward investing in the South and West sides, and a forthcoming approach won’t be dubbed INVEST South/West, according to Johnson’s Deputy Mayor of Business and Neighborhood Development, Kenya Merritt. […] But Merritt would not say what exactly Johnson’s new approach will look like. When asked what needs to change about the program, Merritt said Johnson wants to see results.
* Crain’s | Chicago-area home prices growing at twice the speed of the nation’s: The median price of homes sold in the nine-county Chicago metro area rose to $339,900 in August, up 9.6% from the same time a year ago, according to data released this morning by Illinois Realtors. Nationally, the median price increased 3.9% to $407,100, according to a separate report from the National Association of Realtors.
* CBS Chicago | No threat found after Chicago area school evacuated over bomb threat: North Shore School District 112 said Red Oak Elementary School was evacuated Thursday morning and students were safely relocated to Sherwood Elementary School, after a call of a bomb threat. Shortly before 10:30 a.m., police and school district officials confirmed a thorough search of the building found no credible threat. The school was set to resume normal operations at 11:30 a.m., with all bus routes running at 11 a.m.
* AP | Biden uses executive power to create a New Deal-style American Climate Corps: In an announcement Wednesday, the White House said the program will employ more than 20,000 young adults who will build trails, plant trees, help install solar panels and do other work to boost conservation and help prevent catastrophic wildfires.
* Tribune | Rupert Murdoch, whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down: Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Australian media magnate whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down as leader of both Fox’s parent company and his News Corp. media holdings. Fox said Thursday that Murdoch would become chairman emeritus of both companies, effective at board meetings in November. His son, Lachlan, will become News Corp. chairman and continue as chief executive officer of Fox Corp.
* AP | 4 free COVID-19 tests per household will be available Monday — how to get them: Orders can be placed online starting Monday via COVIDtests.gov — and the tests will be delivered for free by the U.S. Postal Service, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
* USA Today | Paying for X? Elon Musk considers charging all users a monthly fee to combat ‘armies of bots’: Musk said X will come out with a “lower-tier pricing” than the existing cost for current X premium subscribers. He did not specify what the pricing could be. “We want it to be a small amount of money,” Musk said. “This is a longer discussion, but in my view, this is actually the only defense against the vast armies of bots.”
* NYT | Mexico Feels Pressure of Relentless Migration From South America: In Mexico, people coming from South America are outpacing those from Central America for the first time since data has been collected. Mexican officials recorded 140,671 migrants from South American countries the first seven months of the year, compared to 102,106 from Central America, with record numbers coming from Venezuela and Ecuador.
* MediaIte | Project Veritas Suspends All Operations Amid Devastating Layoffs and Fundraising Struggles: Six staffers were laid off from the embattled organization this week, sources said, including all remaining journalists and one development associate. One former Project Veritas staffer said just 11 people remain on the non-profit’s payroll, including CEO Hannah Giles. Kiyak wrote in the letter that the group cannot “carry the present staff count any longer” and reminded those being laid off of their nondisclosure agreements.
* Tribune | ‘I’m a little bit of everything’: Margarito Flores opens up in exclusive interview about twins’ rise to top of Chicago drug trade, new law enforcement seminar: Chicago-born Margarito Flores Jr. was around eight years old when his father started taking him and his twin brother Pedro on car rides to Mexico. It was mostly business for his father, a hard-scrapping immigrant making ends meet by hauling drugs across the border.
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Sep 21, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Rep. Dan Ugaste…
On Tuesday, State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) introduced a resolution urging a vote in the House of Representatives and Senate on legislation to make the Invest in Kids Program in Illinois permanent. House Resolution 412 urges the General Assembly to take a vote on removing the sunset provision currently in the Invest in Kids Act during the 2023 fall veto session.
“It’s common knowledge that when we invest in children and education, we reap the rewards for generations, and we need to take action when we are falling behind on these key statistics,” said Rep. Ugaste. “Currently, we are last in the nation for state economies with the most racial equality and we need to address and fix this problem. We need to make certain that we are providing equal opportunity for everybody in Illinois and that begins with action in the General Assembly. We need a straight up and down vote, not an amendment to another bill, on this critical issue. This sunset needs to be removed so we can provide more opportunities for education in Illinois.”
Rep. Ugaste referenced a 2023 study from WalletHub of the state economies with the most racial equality, where Illinois was ranked 50th out of 50 states. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, in 2021-2022, student reading proficiency rates were 30% and student math proficiency rates were 26%. Illinois public school enrollment made a nearly 7.5% drop from the 2018-2019 school year.
The Invest in Kids Scholarship Tax Credit Program was enacted in 2017. It offers a 75% income tax credit to individuals and businesses that contribute to qualified Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). These SGOs then provide scholarships for families meeting income requirements to attend non-public schools and technical academies in Illinois. The Invest in Kids Act is scheduled to be repealed on January 1st, 2025.
Rep. Ugaste is a co-sponsor of two bills to extend the Invest in Kids repeal date or remove it altogether to make the program permanent. Rep. Ugaste is a member of the Opportunity Caucus, which is focused on multiple bills to enact real education reform, among other issues.
* Here’s the House Resolution from Rep. Ugaste…
Urges the General Assembly to take a vote on removing the sunset from the Invest in Kids Act during the upcoming Veto Session and make it possible for these students to continue their educations.
* WAND…
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois continues to advertise and sell health plans that fail to meet network adequacy standards in Central Illinois. Local lawmakers are furious that thousands of people still can’t see their Springfield Clinic doctors and specialists.
Eighteen months have gone by and patients are still facing the same issue. The Blue Cross directory continues to show 98 Springfield Clinic providers as in-network when they are not. […]
[Rep. Sue Scherer] has filed a bill to create transparency and harsher penalties for any insurance companies violating network adequacy standards. Her plan could require insurance groups to report any changes to their approved network plans within 15 days. Companies would face a $1,000 each day they fail to submit updated network plans.
House Bill 4126 also states that the agency’s director may prohibit network plans from being used or renewed within a county until the department determines the insurance network is adequate again. Insurers failing to update their network plan directories could face civil penalties of $5,000 per month. Scherer also believes insurance companies should audit their print and online directories for accuracy and make necessary corrections at least once every 90 days. […]
She explained the Pritzker administration and Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s Chief of Staff agree that the ghost networks must be stopped as soon as possible. Scherer would like to see her bill moved during veto session this fall rather than shelving the plan for the 2024 spring session.
* WAND…
Illinois Senate Republicans are pushing for new regulations to protect minors from harmful consequences of social media addiction. […]
“Repeated research demonstrates how social media platforms are intentionally crafted to foster addiction, promote detrimental habits, and aggravate issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and feelings of inadequacy,” said Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris). […]
Although, some are worried the plan could lead to unintended consequences for any business operating on the internet. TechNet, which represents nearly 100 innovative companies, argues that this bill contains vague requirements that provide little or no clarity on compliance with a broad impact.
“The bill does not define what a business or business entity is,” said Tyler Diers, Midwest Executive Director for TechNet. “So, think for a second about all of the websites that are likely to be accessed by a child and then think about how these websites must have the best interest of the child in mind. That would include all major news outlets, the websites of every major sports league, most online magazines and podcast channels.”
* Rep Nabeela Syed filed HB4142…
Amends the Genetic Information Privacy Act. Provides that an insurer may not seek information derived from genetic testing for use in connection with a policy of life insurance. Provides that an insurer may consider the results of genetic testing in connection with a policy of life insurance if the individual voluntarily submits the results and the results are favorable to the individual. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that an insurer must comply with the provisions of the Genetic Information Privacy Act in connection with the amendment, delivery, issuance, or renewal of a life insurance policy; claims for or denial of coverage under a life insurance policy; or the determination of premiums or rates under a life insurance policy.
* WTTW…
A new ordinance introduced to the Chicago City Council by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) last Thursday would restrict sales of hemp products. Under Hopkins’ proposal, hemp products, like delta-8, could only be sold in licensed marijuana dispensaries.[…]
State Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, is drafting alternate legislation that would create a regulatory structure similar to cannabis. It would limit sales to 21 and over, create rigorous testing and labeling requirements and impose a new tax on hemp products.
Unlike Hopkins’ ordinance, the state legislation would not mandate hemp products be sold in licensed marijuana dispensaries. Ford prefers that the state create a separate hemp permit for businesses who want to sell hemp products, in addition to allowing hemp to be sold in marijuana dispensaries. […]
Ford doesn’t think banning delta-8 makes sense.
“We want to regulate it so it’s safe, clean and revenue can be generated from it. Baffles me that we would want to ban something we can’t get rid of, during a time when we need revenue,” Ford said. “Let’s put this under control of the government so our streets are safe and it’s taxed.”
* Rep. Dave Vella filed HB4143 yesterday…
Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that an individual shall be ineligible for benefits for a period totaling and not to exceed 2 weeks (rather than an individual shall be ineligible for benefits for any week) with respect to which it is found that his total or partial unemployment is due to a stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute at the factory, establishment, or other premises at which he is or was last employed. Provides that, after the 2 week period, the individual will be eligible for benefits.
* HR409…
Mourns the passing of former Illinois State Representative and Assistant Minority Leader William B. “Bill” Black of Danville.
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Bears in disarray
Thursday, Sep 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The full Fields quote is here. Patrick Finley at the Sun-Times…
After months spent running an updated version of the Bears’ offense, Justin Fields pushed back against it Wednesday, saying he wanted to play less “robotic” and more like “myself,” starting with the game at the Chiefs on Sunday.
“My goal this week is just to say ‘eff it’ and go out there and play football how I know to play football,” he said. “That includes thinking less and just going out there and playing off of instincts rather than so much, say, info in my head, data in my head. Just literally going out there and playing football. Going back to, ‘It’s a game,’ and that’s it.”
Asked why he was overthinking things, Fields pointed toward the coaching staff.
“You know, could be coaching, I think,” he said. “They are doing their job when they are giving me what to look at, but at the end of the day, I can’t be thinking about that when the game comes. I prepare myself throughout the week, and then when the game comes, it’s time to play free at that point. Thinking less and playing more.”
A player trying to publicly distance himself from the way he’s coached is a line rarely crossed. It was a major development at Halas Hall on a day that had plenty of competition.
Fields then walked it back, but he was right the first time. The coaching is awful. The Bears have ruined countless quarterbacks. It’s been fashionable to express dreams about what could’ve happened if the Bears had taken Patrick Mahomes in the draft, but the Bears probably would’ve ruined him, too.
* Speaking of coaches, here’s Mark Potash at the Sun-Times…
After a week of vague details surrounding his absence last week, defensive coordinator Alan Williams suddenly resigned Wednesday, citing health and family reasons. […]
Williams, who was in his second season as defensive coordinator, left the team last week after a 38-20 loss to the Packers on Sept. 10. His absence and the lack of clarity regarding it led to internet and social-media speculation, including a report that Williams’ home and Halas Hall were “raided” as part of an investigation into presumed wrongdoing.
It was enough to compel Williams’ Chicago-based attorney, Andrew M. Stroth, to address the reports and innuendo, saying there “was no raid on Halas Hall” and “no raid on his home.”
“There’s no criminal or any type of action against coach Williams,” Stroth said.
A Bears spokesman said there was no police activity Wednesday or any other day related to Williams.
Still, the circumstances surrounding Williams’ exit remain murky. Most notably, the Bears’ only comment on Williams’ departure was a terse statement in a press release — “Alan Williams submitted his resignation as the team’s defensive coordinator this afternoon” — that lacked well-wishes for Williams and appreciation for his contribution to the organization. The White Sox’ statement about the firing of Rick Hahn and Ken Williams was effusive by comparison.
Attorney Andrew Stroth’s full comment…
“Given the false rumors and what seems to be out there on social media, I just want to set the record straight that Coach Williams has some health challenges and some family issues he’s dealing with and he thought it was the right time to take a step back and deal with those issues. He has tremendous respect for the Bears organization and he just though it was the time to handle this health issue and his personal matters.”
* SB Nation’s James Dator…
We’re not going to amplify the accounts that started the most disgusting rumors about Williams, but there were several small accounts, with no history of ever breaking news, who suddenly had detailed information about alleged criminal investigations.
These went so far as to allege that former Bears player Charles Tillman, who became an FBI agent prior his retirement from football, was part of the investigating team that raided Williams’ home and the Bears facilities.
If this happened 10 years ago people would look for a verified account to substantiate a piece of news. It wasn’t an infaillible process, and rumors still spread — but there was at least one small safeguard to tell users that someone might not be legitimate.
Now, with verification being tied to an $8 monthly payment it’s become impossible to discern real reporters from any rando with a YouTube channel, which is where these rumors began. This is now compounded with Twitter’s “revenue sharing” model, which incentivizes paid accounts to gain as many interactions as possible in a month in order to get a cash payout. Real or fake, the name of the game is getting as many eyeballs as possible on your tweets — and the best way to do this is breaking news, even if it’s fake.
* Ugh…
* Leaving this here…
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A little context, please
Thursday, Sep 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This WBBM Radio story is completely devoid of context…
McHenry County’s top prosecutor said he witnessed “absurd and incoherent” results in court Monday, as the state ended cash bail in Illinois.
State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally offered two examples of people he would like to have seen put in jail, pending trial, but who instead were freed because judges had no choice.
One involved a 36-year old McHenry man who was charged with criminal damage to property for allegedly trying to break in the door of his ex-girlfriend’s house, Kenneally said. […]
A second example, Kenneally said, was a 23-year-old Cary man arrested for a second time after allegedly driving under the influence. Kenneally said the man should have been detained because he poses a threat to the public.
“There’s other people that I could point to where there’s a legitimate argument to be made that a judge should have discretion to detain these people, but they just no longer have discretion,” the prosecutor said. […]
“The party of unchecked power has succeeded in turning the criminal justice system into a farce,” Kenneally said.
Nobody remembers cash bail? It was the law of the land until the end of this past weekend. But that long history is already being shoved down the memory hole. People were released after posting bond and then quite often committed other crimes. The cash just didn’t matter.
* A quick Google search would find this June story about McHenry County…
A man out on bond for attempted murder for allegedly shooting at sheriff’s deputies near Harvard has been arrested for an attack on his wife, court records show.
Randall B. Little, 59, of Harvard, was charged with two counts of domestic battery, both Class A misdemeanors. […]
Little was out on bond in connection with a prior incident where he was charged in April 2022 with armed violence, aggravated intimidation of a peace officer, two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, intimidation, threatening a public official, unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of aggravated assault and unauthorized possession of cannabis sativa plants.
He was later additionally charged with attempted first-degree murder, a Class X felony.
* Here’s one from May…
While out on pre-trial bond for three separate pending felony drug cases, a Woodstock woman was arrested and charged with the manufacturing and delivery of fentanyl and cocaine, according to the complaint filed in the McHenry County courthouse and the jail log.
* Last month…
A McHenry County man, who is a serial window peeper, has been sentenced to three years in prison for peeping into the homes of multiple women in Woodstock. […]
McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Ashur Youash said Hanabarger committed the offense while out on bond in three window peeping cases in McHenry County. […]
Hanabarger is still facing separate McHenry County cases for violating an order of protection, driving under the influence and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
I could go on, but you get the gist.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Sep 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The last time I posted something like this, one of my readers applied and accepted a legislative staff position. So, even though it’s late notice, let’s try it again…
House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch is encouraging jobseekers interested in working in state government to learn about career opportunities with his office at virtual and in-person career fairs being held on Thursday, Sept. 21.
The in-person event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Room 114 of the State Capitol in Springfield. A virtual event will also be held via Zoom from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Applicants can register for the in-person event here, and the virtual event here. Attendees can access the same information at either event.
“Every day in the Legislature, we have the chance to change people’s lives for the better. But I truly believe legislators are only as effective as the staff who are doing the work behind them,” Welch said. “That’s why I’m committed to building a team in the Speaker’s Office that looks like Illinois, that fights for Illinois, and that delivers for Illinois. There are exciting times ahead, so if you are looking to make a difference, then the Speaker’s office is looking for you.”
The career fairs offer an opportunity for interested candidates to get more information about a variety of careers with Office of the Speaker, talk with experienced staff, and apply for current openings. Welch’s office is actively recruiting for a number of full-time, part-time, and temporary positions, including:
• Assistant Legal Counsel to the Speaker
• Committee Clerk
• Doorkeeper (temporary)
• Enrolling and Engrossing Input Operator
• Human Resources Generalist
• Leadership Page (full-time and part time)
• Legislative Coordinator
• Research & Appropriations Director
• Research Analyst
Interested applicants can find out more about these positions at the career fairs, at ILHouseDems.com/Employment, or on the office’s LinkedIn page.
To apply prior to the event, please send a resume and cover letter to jobs@hds.ilga.gov.
It’s obviously not going to be easy to recruit a new Research & Appropriations Director because a majority of the staff is trying to form a union.
Anyway…
* The Question: Did you or a family member ever work on legislative staff? Tell us about it.
…Adding… Senate Democratic job openings are here.
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Trib wrings hands over zombie threat
Thursday, Sep 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Leigh Giangreco at Crain’s has a solid story today on the hunt for revenues to fund the upcoming Chicago budget…
The Johnson administration also has nixed the idea of instituting a service tax, at least for the 2024 budget. In 2019, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot floated a tax on professional services like attorneys and accountants as a way to shore up the city’s pension payments, but the measure requires approval from the Illinois General Assembly, which is now entering its fall veto session.
“That’s an idea that has long been mentioned as a potential revenue generator,” Jason Lee, the mayor’s senior adviser, said of the service tax.
The tax could make fiscal sense given that consumer patterns have shifted away from buying goods and toward services, Lee said. He added that the mayor’s office is keeping the tax on its radar.
“It’s unlikely we’ll be able to make any progress legislatively prior to this budget,” he said. “It’s not being currently anticipated as a revenue generator for the (2024) budget.”
The mayor’s office is examining other revenue streams that wouldn’t require a stamp of approval from state lawmakers. Lee did not elaborate on what those potential sources would look like but did note that “efficiencies within government” would play a role in the budget.
Emphasis added for obvious reasons. Notice that nowhere did Giangreco’s story mention a financial transaction tax, which would also require legislative approval. As you have known for months, the governor and the two Democratic legislative leaders flatly oppose a financial transaction tax.
* And that brings us to today’s Tribune editorial…
Ed Tilly started as a trader at the Chicago Board Options Exchange in 1987 and worked his way up to chief executive officer. Under his decadelong stewardship, the exchange grew dramatically, and it was having a banner year until Tuesday, when Tilly’s Chicago success story ended abruptly.
Knowledgeable, popular among trading professionals and one of the most recognizable faces of his industry, Tilly resigned under pressure after an internal investigation found he had undisclosed personal relationships with colleagues.
And just like that, Chicago lost one of the anchors keeping a bobbling industry in place. […]
Against this backdrop — a perilous moment for an iconic employer born and bred in Chicago — Mayor Brandon Johnson continues his hunt for deep pockets to pick.
A much-discussed “transaction tax” may prove irresistible to a political neophyte staring at a budget hole and looking ahead to whatever sweetheart deal his pals at the Chicago Teachers Union will be demanding from him soon.
And then it goes on and on about the threat of a transaction tax without mentioning the formidable current and longtime Statehouse opposition, which was reported by the board’s own newspaper. I mean, the editorial didn’t even mention that the state government would have to approve such a tax.
Also, too, wasn’t that kind of an abrupt dismissal by the board of the scandal that led to Tilly’s ouster?…
The Chicago-based group said in a statement on Tuesday that the failure by Edward Tilly to disclose the ties “violated Cboe’s policies and stands in stark contrast to the company’s values”.
Seems kind of important.
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Open thread
Thursday, Sep 21, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Sep 21, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Sun-Times | Biden administration offers migrant crisis help: Speeds work visas for Venezuelans looking for jobs in Chicago, other cities: The Biden Administration announcement will accelerate the processing of work authorizations and designate and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans for 18 months for those who were in the U.S. on or before July 31. The department said the decision will impact “approximately hundreds of thousands [of] Venezuelan nationals across the country,” who will now be immediately eligible to apply for work authorization.
* Crain’s | Contractor that moved migrants from Florida wins contract to build their tents here: The city of Chicago partnered with the state of Illinois last week to quietly award an up to $29 million contract to erect large tents to serve as “base camps” in an effort to “expeditiously” move migrants from the city’s police stations before winter. The contract was awarded just a few days after Mayor Brandon Johnson announced plans to “move with expediency” to transfer the nearly 1,600 migrants currently living in the city’s police stations and airports to base camps before winter.
* Oak Park Journal | Libraries on edge as bomb threats grow: “We’re all really relieved that these threats have turned out to be false, but, at the end of the day, they’re still threats and those aren’t designed to make people feel comfortable or safe,” said Vicki Rakowski, director of the Forest Park Public Library.
* Daily Herald | Murphy honored for support of people with various disabilities: State Senate Assistant Majority Leader Laura Murphy (Des Plaines) was presented the 2023 Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities’ Champion Award by Josh Evans, president and CEO, during the association’s 2023 IARF Educational Conference & Expo at the East Peoria Embassy Suites.
* WBBM | Suburban prosecutor says end of cash bail in Illinois is already backfiring on public safety: State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally offered two examples of people he would like to have seen put in jail, pending trial, but who instead were freed because judges had no choice.
* WMBD | Washington mayor running for state senate: Washington Mayor Gary Manier announced Wednesday that he will seek to become an Illinois state senator as a Republican in the next election. According to Manier, he will be running for the 53rd district seat which is currently held by Tom Bennett, a Morris Republican.
* Herald-Whig | Frese announces he will not seek reelection: “It has been both an honor and a privilege to represent the fine people of West-Central Illinois for the past eight and a half years,” Frese said. “The job I have been elected to is both quite challenging and very rewarding.”
* NBC Chicago | Chicago takes another step toward raising subminimum wage for tipped workers: The move isn’t complete just yet, however. The proposal now heads to the full City Council for a vote, which is expected in two weeks. The change would mean raising the minimum wage for tipped workers from $9 to $15.80 per hour, though such employees could still get tips. Under the guidelines, the $9 hourly wage would rise by 8% for five years until it reaches the $15.80 total.
* Crain’s | City Council has its own budget wish list for Johnson: The Johnson administration also has nixed the idea of instituting a service tax, at least for the 2024 budget. In 2019, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot floated a tax on professional services like attorneys and accountants as a way to shore up the city’s pension payments, but the measure requires approval from the Illinois General Assembly, which is now entering its fall veto session.
* WBEZ | Midwives could help prevent more deaths. Why don’t more Chicago-area hospitals have them?: Despite research that shows midwives tend to have low C-section rates and better outcomes for both parent and child, WBEZ found many hospitals across the Chicago area are not investing in midwives — or, they’re cutting back. The latest example is Swedish Hospital on the North Side, which has been a training ground for other midwives and a destination for pregnant people who sought out the hands-on care the midwives were known for.
* Tribune | Without busing, CPS parents tell board of ed, they’re commuting for hours and risking their jobs: Jha was among the scores of Chicago Public Schools parents who received a three-week notice that their children wouldn’t have bus transportation to and from school this year. For Jha, not only will winter affect the long stretches of walking and waiting outdoors for buses during their daily travel, but costs are adding up, totaling about $400 a month.
* Week 25 | Group forms to stop CO2 pipeline project in Central Illinois: Berg and more than 1,900 other people have joined the Tazewell County: Stop the CO2 Pipeline Facebook group. Their main concerns were the safety and property values of their homes. Group spokesman Elton Rocke says many people they speak with don’t initially know about the pipeline proposal.
* NBC | White House told U.S. ambassador to Japan to stop taunting China on social media: Officials at the National Security Council told Emanuel’s staff in recent days that his comments risk undermining the administration’s efforts to mend deeply strained relations with China, including with a possible meeting this fall between Biden and Xi, according to the officials.
* Sun-Times | Bears coordinator Alan Williams resigns after bizarre day at Halas Hall: Williams, who was in his second season as defensive coordinator, left the team last week after a 38-20 loss to the Packers on Sept. 10. His absence and the lack of clarity regarding it led to internet and social-media speculation, including a report that Williams’ home and Halas Hall were “raided” as part of an investigation into presumed wrongdoing.
* IEA | Former president of Illinois Education Association dies, fondly remembered: Bob Haisman, who served as president of the Illinois Education Association, from 1993 to 1999 and who was an ardent supporter of public education in Illinois, passed away at age 77 on Sat., Sept. 2 at his home.
* Daily Herald | Metra dubious about idea of merging with Pace and CTA: “The cost of action is greater than the cost of inaction,” CMAP’s Laura Wilkison told the board. The key is “not only to go back to where we were (before COVID-19), but to make it better.”
* Sun-Times | James Hoge, Sun-Times editor who oversaw era of audacious investigations and 6 Pulitzers, dies at 87: Former Sun-Times Editor James Hoge helped usher in a golden age of Chicago journalism by hiring young talent and signing off on audacious investigative projects, including the Mirage Tavern undercover sting. The newspaper would win six Pulitzer Prizes under his watch.
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Live coverage
Thursday, Sep 21, 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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* Click here for a Biden administration fact sheet. Homeland Security press release excerpt…
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas today announced the extension and redesignation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, due to extraordinary and temporary conditions in Venezuela that prevent individuals from safely returning.
After reviewing the country conditions in Venezuela and consulting with interagency partners, Secretary Mayorkas determined that an 18-month TPS extension and redesignation are warranted based on Venezuela’s increased instability and lack of safety due to the enduring humanitarian, security, political, and environmental conditions. This redesignation provides temporary protection from removal, as well as employment authorization for individuals in the United States before July 31, 2023.
“Temporary protected status provides individuals already present in the United States with protection from removal when the conditions in their home country prevent their safe return,” said Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “That is the situation that Venezuelans who arrived here on or before July 31 of this year find themselves in. We are accordingly granting them the protection that the law provides. However, it is critical that Venezuelans understand that those who have arrived here after July 31, 2023 are not eligible for such protection, and instead will be removed when they are found to not have a legal basis to stay.”
Above my pay grade about what’ll happen to anyone who got here starting in August. I’ll update tomorrow.
* Gov. Pritzker…
Governor Pritzker issued the following statement after the announcement that President Biden and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will expand temporary protections, including work permits, to thousands of recent asylum seekers in Illinois and across the country:
“Since day one of this humanitarian crisis, I have heard one thing from migrant families and their advocates— they want to build better lives and work. I’m very pleased that President Biden has listened to my concerns and those of other governors and political leaders and expanded Temporary Protected Status to migrants from Venezuela, thousands of whom have been sent to Illinois over the last year. Despite traveling thousands of treacherous miles and then being used as political chess pieces by those who should have welcomed and helped them, they are eager to contribute to their new communities and get to work. Reducing wait times for employment approvals and expanding protection status for those coming from Venezuela will get people working and on a path to building a better future for themselves and their families. In Illinois, we’re facing worker shortages in critical industries like hospitality, food processing, health care, and transportation, and these additional workers will help relieve those shortages and the burden they place on employers. My administration will continue to work with the Biden administration and the Department of Homeland Security to address the ongoing influx of asylum seekers with care, compassion, and practicality as this crisis evolves.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Tribune…
Around July 31, there were at least 4,000 Venezuelans counted in the city’s census of migrant shelter population and those still awaiting placement, according to city data, but that does not account for those who exited the shelter system. […]
Those who arrived after July 31 will not be eligible; in Chicago, city records show at least 2,500 new arrivals have come since that date, though not all of them are Venezuelans.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Missed this last night from Mayor Johnson…
“As we reach a critical point in our mission to receive new arrivals and put them on a path to resettlement, the action taken today by President Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to expand the Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelan immigrants comes at a welcome time for our city and our country.
“On the heels of a Washington D.C. visit from our Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights, Beatriz Ponce de Leon, we applaud this decision to provide thousands of new arrivals to Chicago the opportunity to work, support themselves and their families, and build community. This action demonstrates how intergovernmental coordination across national, state and local governments continues to make our city a safe sanctuary to all people.
“This is also an important step in protecting individuals who seek work without fear of exploitation, wage theft and trafficking. Without legal work authorization, new arrivals seeking employment are at greater risk for mistreatment. But where there are labor shortages in our city, especially in the fields of food processing, clean energy, health care (including nursing and dentistry), transportation and warehousing, it is clear that authorizing new arrivals for work in these sectors would have a significant public benefit – both to our local and regional economies, and to the families and individuals who are new arrivals to our great city.
“My administration will continue seeking ways to partner with City, County and State agencies to garner more resources, improve our capacity, expand our operations and influence policy change at the federal level. We will advocate for all Chicagoans, and look forward to more effective collaboration that yields results and creative pathways to shelter and resettle our growing immigrant, refugee and migrant population.”
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City quietly awarded migrant tent contract
Wednesday, Sep 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration recently moved forward with plans to place new asylum-seekers in massive tent camps around the city, signing a nearly $30 million contract with a private security firm at the center of controversies related to its handling of asylum-seekers elsewhere in the U.S.
GardaWorld Federal Services, and its subsidiary Aegis Defense Services, quietly sealed the one-year deal with the city on Sept. 12. The city contract calls for GardaWorld to provide “emergency logistics management and operation services that will set up shelter … and other necessary services (also called ‘a base camp’ or ‘solution’)” for the new arrivals.”
The company signed a similar $125 million contract with the state of Illinois late last year, though so far very little has been paid out. Earlier this month, Johnson’s team noted the city’s migrant expenditures could reach $302 million by the end of this year when factoring in costs of the new tent encampment sites. […]
The security company, which says on its website it has “responded to all major U.S. natural disasters, declared emergencies, and military conflicts since 2002,” has also drawn criticism for several immigration-related matters. Those dealings encompass projects and proposals in Denver, Texas, Florida and Canada related to migrants — spurring internal concerns from members of Johnson’s own administration two months earlier.
The contract is here. It was awarded on September 12th, which is eight days ago.
* There’s some chatter online about this item in the contract…
HVAC will be provided for all structures in proper capacities to cool to approximately 72 degrees Fahrenheit from ambient temperatures of 95 degrees and heat to approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit from ambient temperatures of 40 degrees.
It doesn’t say what happens when ambient temps fall below zero.
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Afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Sep 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From today’s Metra board meeting…
All heavy lifts, some more than others.
* AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today charged three men who own and operate a dozen Central and Southern Illinois gas stations for allegedly underreporting more than $50 million in sales from 2019 to 2022, which produced more than $4 million in tax liability.
Roger Multani, 29, of Peoria, Illinois, and brothers Surinder (Paul) Singh, 34, and Jitender (Jay) Singh, 33, both of Indianapolis, Indiana, were charged in a Peoria County Circuit Court and Sangamon County Circuit Court with multiple counts of theft, fraud and tax evasion.
“Individuals who underreport sales taxes are stealing from the state and from the residents in their communities who rely on the important programs and services stolen tax revenues are intended to fund,” Raoul said. “I appreciate the continued partnership of the Illinois Department of Revenue as we work together to hold these individuals accountable.”
* IDFPR…
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (“IDFPR”) announced today that Susana Soriano will serve as the next Director of Banking. Appointed by Governor JB Pritzker, Soriano previously served as the Deputy Director of Banking after joining the Department in October 2020. Her appointment is pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.
“I am proud to announce that I have appointed Susana Soriano as Director of Banking for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Whether implementing the Community Reinvestment Act or serving small businesses through the Chicago Community Loan Fund, Susana brings both expertise and equity to all that she does—both inside and outside of IDFPR. A seasoned professional and passionate advocate for underserved communities, I have no doubt that Susana is the right person for this post and I congratulate her on this appointment.”
* IHDA…
The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) Board approved $19 million to support affordable housing and community revitalization efforts across Illinois. Awarded under the Strong Communities Program (SCP), 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. The program is designed to support local revitalization efforts and attract further investment in communities that may lack the resources needed to tackle vacant, abandoned and deteriorated properties.
* Rep. Ugaste…
On Tuesday, State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) joined House Republican colleagues to discuss the negative effects of poor public policy handed down by Democrat leaders and focus on new opportunities to change course in Illinois. He joined State Representatives Jennifer Sanalitro (R-Bloomingdale), Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills), and Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford) to invite colleagues to join the Opportunity Caucus and consider their proposed ideas on economic, education, tax, and crime reforms.
“The preamble of the Illinois Constitution says the People of the State of Illinois endeavor to ‘provide opportunity for the fullest development of the individual,’ yet for nearly 24 years, Democrat policies have failed miserably in providing that opportunity for Illinoisans,” said Rep. Ugaste. “With veto session on the horizon, we urge Democrats to consider our ideas, especially ones from our House Reigniting Illinois’ Strong Economy, Truth in Public Safety, and Literacy Improves Future Endeavors working groups to utilize Illinois’ strengths and create a cycle of opportunity that lasts generations.”
Rep. Ugaste referenced a 2023 WalletHub study ranking state economies with the most racial equality, where Illinois was ranked 50th in the nation. He urged Democrat colleagues to consider Republican legislation that has been introduced in the House but has not been moved out of the Rules Committee or subcommittees. This legislation includes workers compensation bills, public safety bills, and permanently installing the Invest in Kids tax credit. The Opportunity Caucus will follow this press conference with a series of op-eds detailing solutions for these important issues in Illinois.
Rep. Ugaste is the Republican spokesperson for the House Judiciary – Civil, Labor & Commerce, and Financial Institutions Committees. He also leads the House Republican Reigniting Illinois’ Strong Economy working group and is a member of the Truth in Public Safety (TIPS) working group.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Tribune | After 2 months, COPA unable to find witnesses in CPD Ogden District migrant sex misconduct investigation, council member says: Kiisha Smith, the chair of the Ogden District Council, said during the police council’s monthly meeting on Tuesday that a COPA representative gave her the update last Friday. “Really, nothing’s changed,” Smith told the 30 or so meeting attendees. “They (COPA) stated that they still haven’t found the complaining asylum-seekers, so they still don’t have names, they say they don’t know where they are. I offered to advise them of where the locations were … like if they didn’t know we would provide the information for them to use in the investigation. They claim they knew, but nobody was speaking up.”
* Harvard Political Review | Spearheading Progressive Legislation : An Interview with Governor J.B. Pritzker: HPR: This January, you signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act which banned assault rifles and high capacity magazines in the state of Illinois. Yet, there is still a major gun crisis both in your state and across the country. What more needs to be done in order to ensure that both Illinoisans and all Americans are safe from the gun crisis? J.B. Pritzker: Well, let’s start with we should make that national. We should have a national ban on assault weapons. We should have a national ban on switches — that’s something we also banned in Illinois — and high capacity magazines. Switches are what turns your non-automatic weapon into an automatic weapon. So these are things that ought to happen at a federal level. Obviously, the politics of that are more difficult nationally than they are in Illinois. But there’s much more that needs to be done.
* Tribune | Cook County Board to consider $300,000 settlement for former commissioner’s aide over being fired after raising harassment claims: The decision must still be approved by the full County Board Thursday but if it is OK’d it would cap off off a yearslong saga first brought to light in 2021 when Cook County’s inspector general determined an elected official that sources identified as Sims retaliated against an employee who complained that Sims’ male chief of staff sent her unwanted, sexually explicit texts and touched her inappropriately.
* Crain’s | Illinois police pension fund plans to start investing in loans and private credit: The Illinois Police Officers’ Pension Investment Fund aims to allocate about $300 million into leveraged loans, moving the money from junk bond index funds, according to a document. The fund’s staff will recommend a manager and the allocation to the board in December, said Kent Custer, chief investment officer for the fund.
* Crain’s | Proposal to eliminate tipped wage breezes through committee: Originally introduced with a two-year phaseout, Mayor Brandon Johnson and his City Council allies reached a compromise with the Illinois Restaurant Association over the weekend to expand the time restaurants have to pay their employees the city’s full minimum wage to five years.
* Tribune | O’Hare, Midway rank low in J.D. Power airport survey, as passengers wait on construction and new dining options: Among the challenges Chicago’s airports face in further improving their satisfaction scores could be getting construction started on a key phase of an overhaul of O’Hare, and improving local food and shopping options, said Mike Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power. And that could have broader repercussions, as J.D. Power found more satisfied passengers are likely to spend more money at the airport.
* WTTW | Ride Along With a Task Force Working to Reduce Car Jackings in Chicago: The Cook County Sheriff’s Office estimates up to 1,600 carjackings will be committed this year. In response, a multi-agency effort is in place to try and stop and find carjackers before the vehicle is used to commit other crimes.
* Block Club Chicago | Old Town Weed Dispensary Rejected By Ald. Brian Hopkins: “While popular opinion is not the only factor I consider when evaluating zoning change requests, the clear survey result combined with the numerous comments received by my office made it apparent that I must deny this zoning change request,” Hopkins said.
* Crain’s | Lolla funds new pickleball and tennis courts at Grant Park: Sixteen new pickleball courts and six new tennis courts are now open to the public at Grant Park thanks in part to a $500,000 grant from Lollapalooza. The courts were built with funds from Lolla as well as $41,000 raised by the Grant Park Advisory Council, Block Club Chicago reported. The advisory council began to raise money for new courts after hearing complaints that tennis and pickleball players were clashing over the shared spaces.
* Bloomberg | Home insurance ‘bubble’ closer to popping as climate risks mount: First Street estimates that 39 million U.S. homes are insured at artificially suppressed prices compared with the risk they actually face. Of those, nearly 6.8 million homes are covered by state-backed “insurer of last resort” policies. Until now, state regulations that cap increases in insurance premiums and subsidized insurer-of-last-resort programs have hidden the magnitude of the problem, the report’s authors say. But as the number of disasters and the related damages keep rising, they predict, the insurance market will undergo a major adjustment and rates will surge, popping what the nonprofit calls a climate insurance bubble.
* Sun-Times | Alan Williams’ status as Bears’ defensive coordinator getting murky: Williams missed last week because of a personal issue. Bears coach Matt Eberflus refused comment to any question about Williams’ status Wednesday, including whether or not he was still the team’s defensive coordinator. “I don’t have any update right now.”
* SJ-R | ‘A living testament:’ Segregated firehouse to be restored in Springfield: Engine House No. 5, formerly known as the city’s “colored firehouse,” will be restored to its former condition, complete with a façade. “Those firefighters fought fires that were set during the 1908 race riots so it’s historical for the resilience of Black people and the city,” said ACLU president Kenneth Page. A reception will be held at 5 p.m. on Thursday at the firehouse, located at 1310 E. Adams St., to share its history and restoration plan.
* ABC Chicago | 2 West Nile Virus deaths confirmed in DuPage County: The first death was an Addison resident in their 70s. The second was a West Chicago resident in their 60s. Health officials said they both fell ill in late August. So far in 2023 there have been six human cases of West Nile Virus reported in DuPage County.
* SJ-R | ‘I feel like I’m coming back home’: Springfield City Council approves new library director: Gwendolyn Harrison started working at Lincoln Library in Springfield as a 16-year-old page. It is where she got her first professional job after earning her master’s degree in library science, working there from 1983 to 1999. On Tuesday, Harrison was unanimously approved by the Springfield City Council as library director.
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Meanwhile… In Opposite Land
Wednesday, Sep 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Houston Chronicle…
A Texas middle school teacher has been fired after assigning an unapproved illustrated version of Anne Frank’s Diary to her eighth grade reading class. Per a report from KFDM, a spokesperson for Hamshire-Fannett ISD, located south of Beaumont, released a statement confirming the teacher was sent home on Wednesday after reading a passage from Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation in which Frank wrote about male and female genitalia. An investigation into the incident has since ensued.
“As you may be aware, following concerns regarding curricular selections in your student’s reading class, a substitute teacher has been facilitating the class since Wednesday, September 13, 2023,” read a district statement sent to parents obtained by KFDM. “The district is currently in the process of posting to secure a high-quality, full-time teacher as quickly as possible.”
Anne Frank, a Jewish teenager, journaled her experiences as she and her family hid for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Her diary, which was published in 1947, has been used in schools for decades to educate students on the the Holocaust. While previous versions of Frank’s diary omitted sections in which she wrote about sexuality, the 2018 graphic novel adapted by Ari Folman and illustrated by David Polonsky, remains faithful to the original text. Folman’s parents are Holocaust survivors.
Per KFDM, the district sent an email to parents on Tuesday, calling the content the teacher read to the class “inappropriate,” adding: “The reading of that content will cease immediately. Your student’s teacher will communicate her apologies to you and your students soon, as she has expressed those apologies to us.”
* Moving on to Georgia via the AP…
Marc Tyler Nobleman was supposed to talk to kids about the secret co-creator of Batman, with the aim of inspiring young students in suburban Atlanta’s Forsyth County to research and write.
Then the school district told him he had to cut a key point from his presentation — that the artist he helped rescue from obscurity had a gay son. Rather than acquiesce, he canceled the last of his talks.
“We’re long past the point where we should be policing people talking about who they love,” Nobleman said in a telephone interview. “And that’s what I’m hoping will happen in this community.”
State laws restricting talk of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools have proliferated in recent years, but the clash with Nobleman shows schools may be limiting such discussions even in states like Georgia that haven’t officially banned them. Some proponents of broader laws giving parents more control over schools argue they extend to discussion of sex and gender even if the statutes don’t explicitly cover them.
* The Hill…
A Florida judge has denied a motion to temporarily block a portion of a state law that restricts access to gender-affirming health care for adults, dealing a blow to transgender individuals in a state whose medical care has been significantly disrupted by a slate of policies adopted by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
Florida in May joined more than a dozen other states in banning gender-affirming health care for transgender minors under legislation signed by DeSantis. The law, Senate Bill 254, also set up significant barriers for transgender adults to get needed treatment.
District Court Judge Robert Hinkle in June partially blocked the law’s restrictions on gender-affirming health care for transgender youths, ruling that the Florida law prohibits the administration of care “even when medically appropriate” and there is “no rational basis for a state to categorically ban these treatments.”
But the law does “not prohibit adults from obtaining treatments of the kind the plaintiffs seek,” Hinkle wrote in an order filed Monday, responding to a motion seeking an emergency block on the law’s restrictions on adult care.
* Florida, New Hampshire, Oklahoma via Rolling Stone…
On Thursday, the New Hampshire Board of Education voted unanimously to approve an online PragerU “Cash Course” for use in the state’s remote Learn Everywhere program. Students who take the course, which consists of 15 five-minute videos, would be able to earn graduation credit toward the state’s financial literacy education requirement. […]
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, which has prioritized infusing schools with right-wing ideology, was certainly accommodating in Florida. The push in New Hampshire was backed by Edelblut and board chair Andrew Cline, who also serves as president of the Josiah Bartlett Center, a conservative free-market think tank. Earlier this month in Oklahoma, culture warring Republican superintendent Ryan Walters announced a “partnership” with PragerU, without subjecting the materials to a state curriculum review. In Texas, where school board members are elected, the organization has been making overtures to Republican members of the board and engaged in deceptive practices to suggest their materials have received state approval.
In each of these states, concerns have been raised — and often ignored — over PragerU’s content. “[They’re] notorious for having ultra-conservative and highly ideological views on everything from climate change, to racism, to slavery, [and] anti-LGBTQ stances,” Matt Wilhelm, the Democratic leader of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, tells Rolling Stone. “Obviously, we’ve got concerns about PragerU and their reputation threatening the integrity of public education in the state of New Hampshire.” […]
In Oklahoma, school districts protested their superintendent’s approval of PragerU by forcefully declaring that the organization’s content does not align with their established educational standards. Various districts told OKC Fox25 that they had no plans to allow Prager’s content to actually be used in classrooms, as it had not undergone review in accordance with Oklahoma Academic Standards.
* Austin Chronicle…
Travel restrictions have begun popping up around Texas, as anti-abortion activists attempt to block Texans from receiving legal abortions outside the state.
Last week, the city of Chandler and Mason County both introduced ordinances that would intimidate those attempting to use city or county roads to leave the state for an abortion, but they failed amid concerns about legal ramifications. However, Mitchell and Goliad counties have already passed similar ordinances, and the city of Llano introduced another that has since been temporarily tabled. Interstate 20 runs through Mitchell County on the way from Dallas toward New Mexico, and Llano sits at the crossroads of Highways 29 and 71, which Austinites would take to New Mexico.
The ordinances – which Planned Parenthood Texas Votes contends are blatantly unconstitutional – use a similar vigilante enforcement system as SB 8, which allows citizens to sue people violating the ordinance.
Wendy Davis, senior advisor at PPTV, said in a press release this week that the laws “foster even greater fear, intimidation, and confusion among people traveling for abortion and reproductive health care. … By attempting to restrict travel, Texas seeks to make pregnant people prisoners of the state, isolate them from support, and force them to give birth no matter what.” Lilith Fund told the Washington Post that the purpose of the laws is not enforcement but intimidation.
If such ordinances are contested and go to the Supreme Court, it’s unlikely they would be upheld – Vox notes that even Brett Kavanaugh, during hearings on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, said he would protect the constitutional right to interstate travel. But in the suit that decided SB 8’s constitutionality, Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson, the Supreme Court allowed bounty hunters to enforce laws. And other states have already found ways to work around the constitution – in April, Idaho made it a crime to help a minor obtain an abortion, including by traveling across state lines. That law is the subject of a Planned Parenthood suit, which should be decided within the next few weeks.
* The Guardian…
In this year’s only opportunity for US voters to directly weigh in on the right to abortion, an upcoming ballot referendum in Ohio will include language that describes a fetus as an “unborn child”, in a disappointing loss for abortion rights activists in the state who had sued to stop voters from seeing language they say is misleading.
Ohioans are set to vote on 7 November on a referendum to enshrine abortion rights into the state’s constitution. The outcome of the vote could not only determine the future of Ohio’s six-week abortion ban, which is currently frozen pending litigation, but also for the midwest writ large. The state has become one of the few in the region to still permit abortions since the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade last year.
The Ohio referendum’s journey to the ballot box has been a long one. In an August special election, voters resoundingly rejected a GOP-backed ballot measure that would have required all constitutional amendments to garner 60% of the vote, rather than the simple majority currently required for passage. The measure was loudly denounced as an attempt to kneecap the abortion referendum and keep it from passing.
Weeks after Republicans lost that election, the Ohio ballot board met to decide what language should show up on voters’ ballots regarding Issue 1, the abortion referendum. Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights proposed using the text of the amendment, which includes guarantees that the state cannot interfere with the right to contraception, miscarriage care and abortion up until the point of viability, a benchmark that’s generally pegged to about 24 weeks of pregnancy.
* Idaho and Tennessee…
Women and physicians in Idaho and Tennessee have sued their home states after they say they were denied abortion care despite being diagnosed with serious, life-threatening medical conditions while pregnant.
The lawsuits are led by the Center for Reproductive Rights, an advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., which also helped a patient in Oklahoma file a complaint against a hospital that denied her abortion care.
The filings come after 13 women sued the state of Texas for similar reasons and a judge in that case ruled that all the women should have been given abortions. That ruling has been appealed by the state and is now on hold, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.
“It is clear that in filing that lawsuit in Texas, we hit the tip of a very large iceberg,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center, on Tuesday. “Today, (plaintiffs) are holding their states accountable for the suffering they have caused.”
* The Hill…
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) defended legislation she signed that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, after former President Trump called Florida’s six-week ban on the procedure a “terrible thing.”
“It’s never a ‘terrible thing’ to protect innocent life,” Reynolds said Tuesday in a post on X. “I’m proud of the fetal heartbeat bill the Iowa legislature passed and I signed in 2018 and again earlier this year.”
Trump, whose Supreme Court justice appointments led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for signing a six-week abortion ban. The former president called the move “a terrible thing and a terrible mistake” during an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Trump has faced backlash from opponents of abortion rights for his comments.
Reynolds signed Iowa’s abortion ban into law in July. The state passed a similar version of the law in 2018, but a court halted it because Roe v. Wade was still in effect.
* AP…
Abortion-rights advocates asked a judge on Monday to rewrite what they call misleading descriptions of several constitutional amendments on abortion that voters could see on Missouri’s 2024 ballot.
Missouri is among several states, including Ohio, where abortion opponents are fighting efforts to ensure or restore access to the procedure following the fall of Roe v. Wade last year.
In part, one of the Missouri petitions would amend the state’s constitution to ban government infringement on the “fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which entails the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care.”
* Indiana…
After his failed efforts to discipline an Indiana doctor who provided emergency abortion care to a 10-year-old rape survivor, the state’s anti-abortion Republican attorney general is now suing her employer.
His lawsuit also comes as he faces three ethics charges from the state Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Commission, which found that Todd Rokita’s statements to right-wing media and elsewhere about Dr Caitlin Bernard in the wake of the high-profile case violated attorney ethics rules. […]
During an appearance on Fox News, Mr Rokita called her “an abortion activist acting as a doctor”. He later issued subpoenas to doctors and healthcare facilities seeking medical records relating to the patient.
Last year, as Mr Rokita sought to revoke the doctor’s license, a judge argued that he acted unlawfully with his allegations of wrongdoing in violation of his own office’s confidentiality requirements. He caused “irreparable harm” to her reputation with his “unlawful breaches” of confidentiality provisions after he discussed his investigation on national news and in the press, according to a judge.
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* Jeff Kolkey at the Rockford Register Star…
As reports surface that Stellantis wants to transform the Belvidere Assembly Plant from a manufacturing facility into an enormous Amazon-style distribution center, union officials say the company is already testing the waters by storing parts at a nearby Yanfeng facility.
A United Auto Workers stand-up strike is approaching a week after its labor agreements with the Big Three automakers — including Stellantis, the maker of Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge and owner of the Belvidere Assembly Plant — expired at midnight Thursday.
It was previously reported Stellantis was seeking the right to close 18 facilities. But CNBC on Monday reported that provision was tied to a plan to possibly close 10 Mopar parts and distribution locations, while investing in modernization, opening other locations and turning the Belvidere plant into a logistics “mega hub.” There has also been talk of manufacturing battery components at the Belvidere plant. […]
Although UAW leaders have sought a new vehicle for Belvidere workers to manufacture, Stellantis on Saturday night issued a statement saying that its contract offer included a “strong future” for the Belvidere Assembly Plant. The statement also said “we stand ready to get everyone back to work as soon as possible.” […]
Stellantis has used the Belvidere Assembly Plant property to store thousands vehicles before distributing them to dealerships across the country. The Belvidere plant is a freight rail carrier hub making it a convenient location to store and ship the vehicles.
* CNBC…
The most recent contract proposal by automaker Stellantis to the United Auto Workers union could lead to the closure of 18 U.S. facilities, but it could also bring new investments and repurpose an idled vehicle assembly plant in Illinois, sources familiar with the discussions told CNBC. […]
The proposal included a potential “Mega Hub” at Belvidere Assembly, which the automaker indefinitely idled in February. […]
Two sources said the parts proposal for Belvidere has been one of several discussions regarding the plant, and the offer could change, based on the talks. Discussions have also taken place about using part of Belvidere — a nearly 5 million-square-foot facility — for electric vehicle battery components, they said.
* WTVO…
On Sunday, Stellantis sent a statement to UAW members, saying: “Once again the Union has mischaracterized the facts. It was made very clear to the UAW leadership that the competitive offer presented on Thursday included a strong future for Belvidere and was connected to the contract deadline. Our intention was to present a strong proposal for Belvidere and, at the same time, avoid a strike for our represented workers. The truth is UAW leadership ignored Belvidere in favor of a strike. As we stated earlier today, ‘we are glad to continue to work on a solution (for Belvidere). We want to have a solution including that (Belvidere).’ When we work together, we win together. We stand ready to get everyone back to work as soon as possible.”
* Crain’s…
The state of Illinois has been working with Stellantis for a couple of years on ways to keep the plant open and to ensure it has a future in the shift to electric vehicles. Lawmakers approved a package of incentives that specifically includes EV-component part makers and manufacturers that convert or expand existing facilities.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Sep 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
We’ve all dreamed of winning the lottery, retiring early, and traveling all around the country. Well, that dream is now a reality for one lucky Illinois Lottery player.
A 66-year old Illinois man, who wishes to remain anonymous, is celebrating big time after spending $20 on a 100X Payout Instant Ticket and winning the game’s top prize – a whopping $2,000,000.
The winning ticket was purchased at Pilot Travel Center, located at 3801 N. Division St. in Morris.
“My wife and I stopped for gas and I picked up a scratch-off ticket,” said the newly minted-millionaire. “She said, ‘Don’t scratch it in front of me - I’m bad luck.’ So once we got back home, I scratched the ticket alone and I couldn’t believe it - the ticket was a $2 million winner! I was laughing and crying at the same time. We are just ecstatic.”
After realizing his incredible luck, the happy winner decided it was time to pursue his dreams after 40 years of working, and told his boss that he’s retiring.
“When I told my boss the news of my retirement, he wasn’t happy,” said the lucky winner. “He asked me – ‘What’s it going to take to get you to stay?’ I chuckled and said, ‘$2 million dollars!’”
The lucky Illinois Lottery winner has played many different scratch-off games, but on that day, he chose a specific ticket due to its color.
“I picked the pink ticket because it’s my granddaughter’s favorite color,” explained the lucky winner. “Every year I take my family to the Chicago RV & Camping Show. After winning today, she asked me, ‘Grandpa, when do I get to go for a ride in your new RV?’ So, I guess I’m buying an RV now’” he laughed.
So far this year, 19 other Illinois Lottery players have become millionaires after winning on Instant Tickets.
In total, more than 48 million winning Instant Tickets have been sold in Illinois, netting lottery players over $1.04 billion in prizes in 2023.
The Illinois Lottery currently offers more than 50 different Instant Ticket games at over 7,000 retail locations across Illinois.
The Illinois Lottery encourages all winners to write their name on the back of their ticket and keep it in a safe place until they’re ready to claim their prize. Winners should visit IllinoisLottery.com/winning for more information on how to claim their prizes.
* The Question: How often do you buy lottery tickets, and have you ever won anything substantial?
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SAFE-T Act to the rescue?
Wednesday, Sep 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Edwardsville Intelligencer from September 8th…
A Troy man accused of shooting a woman to death early Tuesday posted $100,000 bail Friday and was released from the Madison County Jail, a spokesperson at the facility confirmed late Friday afternoon.
* Scott Holland referenced that story in his latest column…
Without cash bail as an option, the suspect would’ve spent the last two weeks in county lockup, and he’d generally be there outside of court appearances as the criminal trial proceeds. Instead, he found the money to buy time at home. That’s the system proponents fought to preserve, including the Madison County state’s attorney who helped the ultimately unsuccessful legal challenge seeking to block the reform.
“Accused killer pays $100,000 to leave county jail” isn’t the whole story, but it’s enough information to question how the old system stacks the legal deck – and in whose favor.
* And now, the Madison County state’s attorney is using the SAFE-T Act to try and put that Troy man back in jail…
The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition Monday to deny pretrial release for a Troy man accused of murder, even though the defendant has been free on $100,000 bail since Sept. 8.
Cash bail, however, no longer exists in Illinois as of Monday via the state’s SAFE-T Act.
Now, a judge in Madison County court is required to hold an “immediate” detention hearing, according to the new law.
Michael S. Perham, 52, of Troy, faces two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting of his girlfriend, Maha Tiimob, in a Troy townhouse on Sept. 5. […]
That petition brings to light more details in the fatal shooting of Tiimob, who allegedly was shot multiple times, including at least twice in the back, court records show.
* Related…
* Plato Twp. man faces felony domestic battery charges in alleged face-stomping incident: A Plato Township man, who was charged with stomping on the victim’s face and fracturing her facial bones – and whose previous domestic battery charges included knocking out the victim’s teeth – is being held without bond in the Kane County jail after he violated the terms of his release not to contact the victim. … Zimmerman had been charged previously with domestic battery against the same victim in 2020 and twice in 2021, court records show. … Zimmerman was charged twice in May 2021, on May 7 with misdemeanor domestic battery and on May 18 with felony as well as misdemeanor domestic battery, records show. The felony charge stemmed from an incident in which he punched the victim in the face, causing her teeth to be knocked out, according to a June 22, 2021 indictment against Zimmerman.
* Some downstate counties struggled as bail reform took hold this week; one didn’t even try applying the new law: In the McLean County courthouse in Bloomington, three people had pretrial hearings on Monday. The hearings happened in a packed courtroom, with four judges and State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds watching from the gallery. Reynolds was one of several state’s attorneys who joined a failed legal bid to stop the abolition of bail. In an example of Monday’s confusion over the new law’s implementation, the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney debated whether a man arrested Saturday on gun charges was eligible for cash bail under the old system or if he should be processed under the new system. Unlike what played out in Sangamon County, the man’s attorney argued he should be eligible for the old cash bail system, hoping to get his client out of jail. Ultimately, the judge sided with prosecutors, and McLean County had its first hearing on a petition to detain under the new system. Prosecutors successfully argued that the defendant — a 24-year-old accused of possessing a gun as a felon — posed a risk to public safety.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Sep 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Sep 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Sun-Times | Some downstate counties struggled as bail reform took hold this week; one didn’t even try applying the new law: At the Sangamon County courthouse in Springfield, pretrial hearings were still being conducted under the old system. Officials there said it was because no new arrests had been made since the law took effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.
* Capitol News Illinois | As SAFE-T Act goes live, murder suspects previously eligible to post bond are held in jail: In St. Clair County Circuit Court, where nearly 2,000 felony cases and more than 3,400 misdemeanors are filed annually, at least one person was released from jail to await trial on the second day the SAFE-T Act’s bail reform provisions were in effect. A woman accused of aggravated domestic battery for hitting her partner with a piece of wood was released on Tuesday morning. A mother of a newborn, she was released after a detention hearing found she was not a flight risk or a threat to the public or a specific person.
* Shaw Local | Downstate prosecutors allow murder suspect to leave jail before his trial: Without cash bail as an option, the suspect would’ve spent the last two weeks in county lockup, and he’d generally be there outside of court appearances as the criminal trial proceeds. Instead, he found the money to buy time at home. That’s the system proponents fought to preserve, including the Madison County state’s attorney who helped the ultimately unsuccessful legal challenge seeking to block the reform. “Accused killer pays $100,000 to leave county jail” isn’t the whole story, but it’s enough information to question how the old system stacks the legal deck – and in whose favor.
* Sun-Times | Christy George, top Pritzker aide, named executive director of Chicago DNC host committee: Christy George, Pritzker’s first assistant deputy governor for budget and economy, will serve as the host committee’s permanent executive director effective Sept. 25, the committee announced on Wednesday. The host committee is tasked with raising between $80 and $100 million for the presidential convention, taking place Aug. 19-22. A spokesperson from the host committee described fundraising as “impressive” thus far, but would not disclose a number.
* WGN | ‘Dobbs decision just made me angry:’ Pritzker, Democrats return focus to reproductive rights ahead of next election season: “Every state around us in Illinois is an anti-choice state now,” Pritzker added. “And that means that we’ve had a massive increase in the number of women who are seeking just to exercise their fundamental rights, their reproductive rights.”
* WBBM | State lawmaker pushes for bill that aims to protect kids from harmful effects of social media: “We’re seeing increase in mental health problems in our minors,” said State Senator Sue Rezin. […] Rezin said the Bill’s objectives are simple and aim to “put protections into place that protect minors from the algorithms, protect minors’ data and protect minors on these social media platforms.”
* Sun-Times | Duckworth blasts ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ senator for blocking vote to confirm U.S. attorney in Chicago: Every senator has the ability to put a hold on a nominee. “It is an important tool for senators,” said Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat. But when it goes too far, Duckworth said, it is an abuse of power. […] No senator, Duckworth said, “has abused” the hold power of a single senator “the way Tuberville has.”
* The Daily Egyptian | Former Illinois congresswoman Cheri Bustos reflects on her career in Morton-Kenney lecture: Bustos spoke about her upbringing and the political environment that she was surrounded by even as a young child. “We’d have people like [late Illinois Senator] Paul Simon, and just wonderful people over at our house growing up. And what was so great about our household, is never, not once in my entire childhood did my dad ever say ‘go away a little girl, this is an adult conversation,’ so I can sit there and listen to just these amazing stories and these amazing conversations until it is time to go to bed,” she said. “So, it was politics, sports, family/beer, but that was the Callahan household.”
* Chalkbeat | Chicago Public Schools enrollment is stable for first time in more than a decade: New preliminary numbers for this school year show just over 322,500 students are registered at CPS schools. The data represents enrollment as of the end of the day Monday, the 20th day of the school year, when the district traditionally takes its official count. On the 20th day of last school year, 322,106 students were enrolled according to official data. CPS enrollment has been in decline for 12 years, so this year’s shift is significant.
* WBEZ | Chicago elected officials get a pay bump. But the mayor’s administration won’t say yet who accepted it.: “Details of each elected official’s selection will be made available in the budget to be released by the Mayor to City Council in mid-October,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Just like all items in the Mayor’s budget recommendation, City Council members have the opportunity to propose amendments for consideration by the full body, with salary and wage determinations made final once the budget is passed and appropriated.”
* ABC Chicago | Chicago real estate transfer tax proposal from Mayor Brandon Johnson already faces pushback: The current transfer tax is a flat rate of 0.75% on all property sales in Chicago. The Johnson administration’s revised plans increases the rate to 2% for properties above $1 million and 3% for properties $1.5 million andabove, but Ald. Ramirez Rosa, who is a sponsor of the resolution ,said the selling point to voters is that the rate will decrease for all properties under $1 million.
* Fox Chicago | Illinois legislation sets new standard for drug education in schools: Louie’s Law is a mandate for the Illinois Board of Education to create and recommend a comprehensive drug education curriculum because currently there isn’t one. “There’s no mandated curriculums or standards. There’s the school code. The school code is enshrined into law about what public schools have to teach regarding health, regarding art, you know, whatever the subject is. So this was an amendment to the school code,” said Chelsea Laliberte-Barnes, co-chair of the Illinois Harm Reduction and Recovery Coalition.
* Poynter | A reporter made sure a retired police chief’s death didn’t go uncovered. Then social media attacked her: When retired police chief Andreas Probst was killed in a hit-and-run last month, Las Vegas Review-Journal crime reporter Sabrina Schnur was the first journalist to arrive on the scene. […] But despite her work documenting Probst’s death, Schnur became the target of anti-Semitic attacks and death wishes over the weekend as social media users questioned why the “media” wasn’t properly covering the attack. Screenshots of the month-old obituary’s headline sparked outrage among readers who falsely assumed the Review-Journal was downplaying Probst’s death.
* Tribune | From homebodies to prolific swimmers, researchers track Chicago River fish to find out where they are going and why: Under the muddy surface of the Chicago River, a bluegill swam miles upon miles, back and forth from one end of the river system to another. […] This kind of fish is not known for being a traveler. So the strikingly different behaviors have intrigued researchers from the Shedd Aquarium, Purdue University and the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, who are tracking the movements of 80 individual fish in the Chicago River system.
* Sun-Times | ‘King Rudy’ walks free after helping feds nab ex-state Sen. Martin Sandoval, dozens of others: A federal judge handed a time-served sentence Tuesday to a longtime Chicago-area drug dealer who pushed “off the charts” amounts of narcotics but then spent seven years helping prosecutors secure charges against dozens of people, including the late state Sen. Martin Sandoval.
* NBC Chicago | Illinois man immediately retires after $2M scratch-off lottery win: “When I told my boss the news of my retirement, he wasn’t happy,” the winner said in the release. “He asked me – ‘What’s it going to take to get you to stay?’ I chuckled and said, ‘$2 million dollars!’”
* Crain’s | Chicago architect eyes restart of long-stalled tallest tower in the world: Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture designed what is now known as Jeddah Tower to be the first kilometer-tall building, at more than twice the height of the Willis Tower. Construction began in 2013 but ground to a halt by 2018 about a third of the way up at the 62nd or 63rd story.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Sep 20, 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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