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Afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the FBI yesterday…
Click the pic for the entire graph, but this is the rate per 100,000 people, by year, with Illinois in blue and national rate in grey…  That’s quite a steep drop-off compared to the national numbers (287 vs. 381 per 100,000 last year) * Illinois Policy Institute…
No reasons were given for why they don’t want him to run, but Biden is running, so the question is moot. The poll also found Pritzker’s job approval was at 48-47. It also found that 68 percent of Republican voters and 69 percent of Republican-leaning voters oppose vote-by-mail for elections in Illinois. Just 13 percent in both GOP categories strongly support mail-in voting. 89 percent of Democrats and 87 percent of Democratic-leaners support mail-in voting, while 7 and 9 percent, respectively, strongly oppose. * The video is here. Press release…
A few hours after sending out that press release, he sent out a fundraising email about the vests and other office improvements. * Letter to the editor published by Crain’s…
I mean, if you’re gonna leave, then leave already. * Thoughts?…
* Heh… * Background is here. I’ll finish with an animal story. Firefighters rescued a python yesterday during a fire at Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington… * Isabel’s roundup…
* WGEM | Agriculture Secretary visits Illinois, discusses sustainable farming: The U.S. has lost about 438,000 farms since 1981, according to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Stemming that tide was the main topic of conversation during his visit to a Kankakee County farm Monday. Vilsack spoke about agriculture’s struggles and what’s being done to make things better. * Herald-Whig | Illinois-led project to sequence soybean genomes, improve future crops: An ambitious effort led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the U.S. department of Energy Joint Genome Institute will sequence 400 soybean genomes to develop a “pangemone” — an attempt to characterize all the useful diversity in the genome to create an even more robust and resilient crop. * Journal Star | ‘What is in the food’: Peoria native creates documentary that explores farming methods: With the goal of demystifying organic agriculture, “Organic Rising” presents the two main forms of agriculture used in the U.S. and shows how truly different they are. The documentary delves into how agricultural practices impact both human health and the environment, and also explains the USDA organic regulatory process. Ultimately, the film aims to help consumers make informed choices to support a robust agricultural future. * Shaw Local | First American Bank fires Kane County as banking customer, citing security concerns: Kane County’s primary bank, with more than $40 million on deposit, fired the county as a customer, warning Treasurer Chris Lauzen he has until Nov. 30 to find a new bank, according to an Oct. 6. letter. The letter, from First American Bank, follows an earlier letter on Aug. 24 from bank officials that cited concerns with the county’s banking activities * Crain’s | Even with affordability shrinking, Chicago remains cheaper than most big cities: A buyer would need a household income of about $91,400 to afford that median-priced home in the Chicago area in August, according to a new report from Redfin, the online real estate marketplace. That’s the second-lowest income needed among the 10 largest U.S. metro areas. Only Philadelphians need a lower income — $75,003. * WBEZ | Here’s a look at how Toni Preckwinkle plans to improve the Forest Preserves next year: Toni Preckwinkle, who doubles as president of the district and Cook County boards, is pitching a proposed nearly $189 million budget for next year. That’s $6.6 million or nearly 4% more than this year’s budget. (For comparison, Preckwinkle is pitching a $9 billion budget for Cook County government.) * Sun-Times | Second-installment property tax bills in Cook County due Dec. 1: Cook County tax bills are sent twice a year. The first installment is typically due in March. In past years the second installment has been due in August, but bills were delayed this year and last year. Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi blamed the holdup on a lengthy assessment process and a computer system upgrade. * WTHI | Illinois students can show off their creativity in a state-wide art contest: The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the State Board of Education are sponsoring the competition. The theme is “I Wonder…” * WCIA | African cat owner asks for public attention and safety in Decatur search: Christopher Solomon bought the big cat in September and two weeks later it got out. He said after a week or so of it missing, he thought it was dead, but hearing about his pet’s sightings throughout Decatur reignited his hope and concern. * NBC Chicago | Bird migration 2023: When flyovers peak, and how many birds have crossed Illinois: According to the latest figures from BirdCast, nearly 8.5 million birds crossed Illinois between Monday night and Tuesday morning. At the peak of the migration, more than 13.5 million birds were estimated to be in flight over the state, according to BirdCast data. * NYT | To Save Monarch Butterflies, They Had to Silence the Lawn Mowers: For the past several years, Ms. Elman, 47, has been on a quest to help save monarchs, which are under consideration for the endangered species list. She does this by preventing milkweed, which grows wild in New York City, from being razed. […] Ms. Elman first started thinking about the wild milkweed four years ago, when she began rearing monarchs in her backyard in the Bellerose neighborhood of Queens. She was collecting the eggs from plants growing along highways in nearby northern Queens, but often she found the plants reduced to stubs. * Columbia Journalism Review | Trouble in Wyoming: When a GOP megadonor didn’t like the coverage he was getting from Wyoming’s newsrooms, he funded a new one. Now it’s pushing anti-trans talking points and climate misinformation. * Block Club Chicago | City Plans To Spend $1.5 Million More To Fight Rats In 2024: As Chicagoans filed over 50,000 rat complaints last year, the city’s Inspector General’s office said it would audit the bureau for being ill-prepared to handle the surge in complaints and failing to exterminate rodents efficiently.
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- Roadrager - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 2:50 pm:
See my vest, see my vest
When you take your driving test
Get your sticker, won’t be quicker
But I swear I’ll try my best
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:14 pm:
The other 95% of Ken Griffins letter is worth a read and of course was not rebutted.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:21 pm:
===is worth a read===
To you, his greatest apologist outside the biz press.
- Soccermom - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:26 pm:
Dear Ken,
How can I miss you if you won’t go away?
(Fun fact — My beloved alma mater, the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, sent me a fundraising letter showcasing a professor in the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics. I did not respond.)
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:28 pm:
===Crain’s should spend less time falsely attacking me from afar and instead focus on the real issues important to the future of the people of Chicago.
KEN GRIFFIN
Florida===
Ken is just adorable. Thin skinned and cold to his soul.
Nick Offerman likely got Ken “too close” and Ken didn’t like the mirror. Truly a phony that Griffin, the only guy I could think of that hates a city and state so much he’s gonna require a museum to bare his name in the place he loathes.
Just so adorable.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:32 pm:
===It also found that 68 percent of Republican voters and 69 percent of Republican-leaning voters oppose vote-by-mail for elections in Illinois===
I’m old enough to remember the ILGOP vote by mail program as the cornerstone to the ILGOP sweep, Edgar on down, Pate and Lee… and that VBM program, mail universe merged with sample ballot…
The cult don’t like it, ‘cause the cult leader trained the cultists.
My hope it is ruinous for years to come for this ILGOP.
- Frida’s boss - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:33 pm:
They saved Squeezy the Pension Python
- Pundent - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:34 pm:
=The other 95% of Ken Griffins letter is worth a read and of course was not rebutted.=
Ken Griffin, and his last two chosen candidates, were heavily rebutted at the polls. In fact the loss was so stinging last time around he didn’t even stick around for the general election. So you’ll have to excuse me if I ignore his opinions on what ails Illinois.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:37 pm:
===he didn’t even stick around for the general election===
He actually testily bugged out before his candidate finished third in the primary.
- Stuck in Celliniland - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:38 pm:
Stop referring to Drivers Services Facilities in Illinois as DMVs. Whenever I hear “DMV” I always think of the ones in California, or the one in the Simpsons where Marge’s twin sisters Patty and Selma worked.
- Red Ranger - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:40 pm:
A quarter of the people in Idaho think they live in the Midwest? 2/3 of Oklahoma? I dunno about that.
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:40 pm:
His 1.3 billion in charitable contributions in Illinois were not heavily rebutted
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:41 pm:
Alexi proves time and again he is not about anything but promoting Alexi… the living embodiment of “never mistake activity for achievement”… Alexi is nothing but a prop up phony of a “leader”
Do you know how insincere you have to be to make Mike Frerichs look engaged in doing things outside of doing it for his own promotion? Alexi has achieved that, so…
- Anon221 - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:46 pm:
To me if you live on the border of the Mississippi River (and maybe throw in MI, IN, and OH), you live in the MidWest. From the Dakotas to OK that has always been the Great Plains to me. Of course, there was a time when Illinois was considered the “West”, too:)
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:49 pm:
===His 1.3 billion in charitable contributions in Illinois===
So, he was buying love?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:52 pm:
===were not heavily rebutted===
The narcissist wants a museum to bare his name in a city and state he despises, contrary to his phony remarks.
It’s not altruism guiding Griffin, it’s tax breaks and self serving monuments named by him to his own perverse “greatness”… like shorting stocks…
Good riddance. Sometimes it’s not about the money.
Maybe your hero Griffin can fund Invest in Kids in perpetuity?
They can even name the program for him, LOL
- Jeremy Karlin - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 3:57 pm:
Even Buffalo, New York is considered Midwest by some
https://wblk.com/buffalo-ny-midwest/
- Donnie Elgin - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:03 pm:
“1,800 DMV employees started wearing today”
Funny how crass Alexi is, he’s out begging for donations before most of the SoS staff have even donned their new togs. Let’s hope they do not have a problem with the vest like American Airlines or Delta had with new uniforms
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:10 pm:
He was quite clear who he despised, the corrupt Illinois Democratic party run by Michael Madigan.
Not sure what is LOL funny about the Invest in Kids program going away.
That scholarship, that benefits thousands of poor kids, is going away because the Teacher’s Union, led by Stacy Davis Gates, opposes other people’s children taking advantage of the same opportunities her family does.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:13 pm:
@LP
You’re a joke. Have a nice day.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:16 pm:
===That scholarship, that benefits thousands of poor kids===
Like Griffin’s donations, it’s phony altruism for tax breaks, benefiting the schools first, the students, a great many, are already attending the schools, now the schools get “full price”
So, why not, call it the “Griffin Scholarships”… but of course the tax breaks don’t really help to fully fund it, so it can’t be too altruistic…
… tax breaks for wealthy folks who likely aren’t going to give without the breaks, benefiting the schools with cash, with students now getting full tuition to give to the schools, with the same education given before the scholarships.
Perfectly matched for Griffin.
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:17 pm:
Intelligent ad hominem rebuttal as usual, but only one this time?
You have a nice day as well
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:19 pm:
===Michael Madigan===
Madigan is gone. It was in all the papers… including Crain’s.
Imagine being the richest person in a state and to be even recognized that you matter… you force your name on a museum… even as you leave the state anyway… pathetic to one’s character.
The seemingly only Illinois homage is Illinois’ own Nick Offerman capturing his narcissism so perfect in film Griffin is beside himself trying to rehabilitate an identity that no one really cared for before he wanted to be known.
Good riddance, enjoy Florida.
- Pundent - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:21 pm:
=He was quite clear who he despised, the corrupt Illinois Democratic party run by Michael Madigan.=
So what? His policies and candidates were soundly rejected. Which suggests that whatever animus the voters may feel towards the Democratic Party is eclipsed by Ken Griffin and his candidates.
- Jed bartlett - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:29 pm:
That crime data smells a little fishy when you look at the drop off in participating departments for 2021 and 2022. The vehicle theft data does paint a pretty stark picture though.
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:29 pm:
JB was a lot more magnanimous about Ken Griffith and Citadel than your sour grapes
“I’ve talked to Ken Griffin. I’ve known him for a number of years. We still have a major Citadel headquarters in Chicago and quite a number of people still working there. They haven’t moved jobs and we’re glad to have them in Illinois. But I’m sorry he left
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/pritzker-talks-citadel-chicago-crime-davos
You do realize it will cost a lot more than the lost tax revenue its absorb the thousands of kids into the public school system with the end of the Invest In Kids act
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/editorials/ct-editorial-invest-in-kids-tax-credit-scholarships-expiration-20230511-e7uiu44enjd4xiac37ob5yyypu-story.html
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:34 pm:
===You do realize===
… you cited an editorial?
Further? Easy. It’s the tax breaks driving the donations, otherwise folks would easily and readily donate all the needed funds.
You do realize that, lol
- don the legend - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:39 pm:
LP. I hope Ken is paying you a few million for his defense. If so, you can contribute to the schools that will be hurt by the end of the Invest in Kids program. That assumes you currently don’t.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:41 pm:
===We still have a major Citadel headquarters in Chicago and quite a number of people still working there. They haven’t moved jobs===
So like a spoiled 8-year old, nothing really changed except the childish action of Griffin leaving the state, and to soothe Griffin’s fragile own self worth, Pritzker says nice things, like you do for that child?
It’s like you have this need to make Griffin seem to matter…
… the dude was the richest guy in the state and he needs you to make him “good and relevant”?
Of course I’d laugh out loud at that. It’s pathetic …to Griffin.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 4:46 pm:
@LP
Nobody is stopping these rich people from investing in scholarships for kids. They are free to continue doing so. They just won’t get a 75% tax break for doing so.
- Anyone Remember - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 5:24 pm:
LP
“That scholarship, that benefits thousands of poor kids, … .”
How many of those “poor kids” have physical / developmental “issues” … have an IEP … their private schools provides ADA sufficient transportation? We’ll wait for the answer.
- uialum - Tuesday, Oct 17, 23 @ 6:26 pm:
Can’t wait for the FOIA results on how much those new vests cost…
- Rabid - Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 6:24 am:
Griffin writes a movie review about himself
- Betty Draper’s cigarette - Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 8:45 am:
Here’s hoping Christopher Solomon is reunited with his baby soon.