Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2023

Friday, Oct 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The last track of what may be the last Rolling Stones album is this gem of a Muddy Waters cover performed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. As David Browne wrote, it has “a palpable and obvious full-circle feel to it.” Check it out…

Well, my mother told my father just before I, I was born
She said, Got a boy child comin’
And he’s gonna be, gonna be a rolling stone

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Sen. Preston accused of altercation with school official

Friday, Oct 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Jeremy Gorner at the Tribune…

Chicago police last month were called to a Far Southwest Side high school where a school official reported getting into an altercation with a man he identified as an Illinois state senator over a cellphone that had been confiscated from a student.

The school official accused Democratic state Sen. Willie Preston of slapping his hand, causing a pen to fly out of it, after the lawmaker refused to sign his name in a log at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in order to retrieve a cellphone that belonged to a relative who was a student at the school, according to sources and a police report.

Police filled out a report on the incident, but no charges have been filed.

In two interviews with the Tribune, Preston said he had no knowledge of an altercation at the school. Asked about it again during the late October legislative session in Springfield, Preston said he had no comment.

Go read the rest.

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Afternoon roundup

Friday, Oct 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Gov. Pritzker’s senior political adviser confirms a story in the Atlantic about how Team Pritzker turned thumbs down on Minnesota US Rep. Dean Phillips’ presidential fantasies…

This is true. pic.twitter.com/IxVxUe2FcD

— Mike Ollen (@MikeOllen) October 27, 2023

* Center Square…

Township mental health boards in Illinois levy property taxes to fund local organizations and community mental health initiatives. The boards focus on mental health, substance abuse and developmental disabilities and issue contracts to local agencies to provide services for its residents.

Senate Bill 690 from state Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, would allow townships to ask local voters for increased taxes to fund these boards in certain townships. The measure passed Wednesday along party lines. […]

“This seems to be a way of arguably, almost taxation without honest representation,” [Sen. Craig Wilcox, R-McHenry] said. “This is not uncommon with the majority party in control. My fear is that we often do things through the legislature that arguably should have been put to the voters to make decisions in their local areas.”

Gillespie said the measure changes the language in a referendum, but Wilcox said that doesn’t account for the extra costs.

“The core of it was the failure to agree on how to properly do the referendum with the appropriate wording that would have highlighted to the constituents that this was not just an agreement on an established mental health board, but that it came with a price tag,” Wilcox said. “That’s what we were opposed to in that bill.”

* Press release…

Governor JB Pritzker today joined EVBox and other stakeholders for the launch of its new Illinois-built DC fast charger. Called the Troniq Modular, EVBox’s new product is a National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) ready electric vehicle (EV) charging station. EVBox’s new DC fast charger is compliant with the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s Build America, Buy America guidelines, which requires that chargers be produced in the United States with at least 55 percent domestic content. The launch event highlights the importance of clean energy businesses like EVBox, whose innovations will help bring Illinois closer to its goal of putting one million EVs on the road by 2030.

“I’m proud to work closely with industry partners, like EVBox, to advance our shared clean energy goals and accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Major EV, EV parts, and renewable energy manufacturers have chosen to locate or expand operations in Illinois thanks to our competitive incentives, unmatched infrastructure, world-class workforce, and commitment to the clean energy economy. We’ve increased our EVs on the road by 44 percent in just the last 10 months — a testament to the explosive growth rates we can facilitate when EVs are more accessible and more affordable for consumers.”

“In Illinois, we know the future is electric, which is why we’re becoming a hub for electric vehicles and EV innovations. Today’s announcement of the new Illinois-built DC fast charger is another step in our goal of one million electric vehicles on Illinois roads by 2030,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “And we are on the path to achieving our goal of 100% clean energy by 2050, thanks in part to REV Illinois. That means job creation across our state and protecting our environment for generations to come.”

With its North American headquarters in Libertyville, EVBox is a global leader in the EV charging sector and a key player in Illinois’ rapidly growing EV manufacturing ecosystem. Founded in 2010, EVBox is a market leader in electric vehicle charging infrastructure (EVSE) that has delivered over 500,000 charging ports to partners and customers globally.

“As we look to the future of EV travel in America, we envision a charging station network that seamlessly connects cities and regions,” said Remco Samules, CEO of EVBox. “The electrification of transportation will reduce our carbon footprint and lead to cleaner air, improved health, and a more sustainable future for generations to come. Through public-private partnerships like the one we have with Illinois, we are setting the stage for this transition.”

With competitive incentives for EV sector manufacturing, rapid growth in EV adoption (44% year-over-year in 2023) bolstered by consumer rebates, and $12.6 million awarded so far for 350 fast-charging ports across the state, Illinois is leading the charge when it comes to electrifying our transportation system.

* ABC 7…

Governor JB Pritzker has issued a state disaster proclamation that will allow areas impacted by September flooding to access state resources to help with recovery efforts.

Cook County already issued a disaster proclamation earlier this month. However, the state disaster proclamation will allow for even more funds to go to southern Cook County communities.

* Is anyone actually buying the claim that Fields is still too injured to play?…

Quarterback Justin Fields (thumb), right guard Nate Davis (ankle) and cornerback Terell Smith (illness) have all been ruled out of Sunday’s game.

Fields will miss his second consecutive game with a dislocated right thumb. Rookie backup Tyson Bagent is expected to start in his place.

* For commenters and everyone else…

I love "The hierarchy of disagreement" and occasionally reshare it. We must learn to argue and disagree in a kinder, more efficient way. The article is worth reading. If you are pressed for time just read the pyramid and laugh at the lowest stage. Source: https://t.co/EIJyfDbD7X pic.twitter.com/oZoDL5ZuYT

— Simon Kuestenmacher (@simongerman600) October 26, 2023

* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…

* SJ-R | Bill that passed Illinois Senate could resolve SHS project tangled in property dispute: A project allowing new offices, an auxiliary gym, and classrooms for Springfield High School is caught up in a dispute over the fair market value of two properties needed for the construction. A bill advancing in the Illinois Senate would resolve the dispute in favor of Springfield Public Schools District 186.

* Crain’s | Talks over new PTO law for Chicago employers hit a bump: With a committee vote on expanding Chicago’s paid leave policy looming next week, business groups issued a statement saying the current proposal “ignores the business community and would have a devastating impact” on local industries. The statement came Friday after weeks of negotiations with the Chicago Federation of Labor, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration, and other unions and worker advocacy groups.

* Chalkbeat | Schools have struggled to add learning time after COVID. Here’s how one district did it.: A year ago, school would have been over around this time, and the students at Columbus East Elementary would be walking out the door. But this year, a group of fifth graders were instead sitting on the school’s stage, reading aloud about the life of Rosa Parks as they worked on reading fluency and comprehension. Similar activities were taking place in nearly every corner of the school: In another classroom, students rolled dice to practice two-digit multiplication and huddled close to their teacher to review their work.

* WTTW | Jefferson Park Man Spent Night in Jail After Harassment Campaign Led by Police Brass, Misconduct Agency Finds: A Jefferson Park man spent a night in jail in November 2018 after being subjected to “an improper campaign of harassment” after criticizing a Far Northwest Side business group on Facebook for their response to the conviction of a White Chicago police officer for the 2014 murder of Laquan McDonald, a Black teen, according to evidence gathered by the agency charged with investigating police misconduct. The probe by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability concluded that two Chicago police lieutenants, including one who twice ran unsuccessfully for the Chicago City Council, “may have directed an improper campaign of harassment against (Pete Czosnyka) in retaliation for the exercise of his First Amendment rights.”

* Shaw Local | Mystery of McHenry County Jail inmate death: Officials decline to give details of man’s demise in July: Following weeks of questions, and nearly three months after Sabo’s death, the sheriff’s department responded to an email inquiry on Oct. 18 by saying the case is still “open and under investigation.” The coroner’s office, in an Oct. 10 email, said “Colton’s cause and manner of death are still pending.”

* Press Release | Paxton Media Group Acquires The Southern Illinoisan Newspaper: Paxton Media Group is a growing media company, having purchased numerous newspapers over the past few years in the Midwest and Southeast. PMG operates more than 120 newspapers in 14 states. Paxton owns six other newspapers in Illinois.

* WaPo | Mysterious bylines appeared on a USA Today site. Did these writers exist?: Staffers at Reviewed, a USA Today-owned website devoted to shopping recommendations, were about to end their workday Friday when one of them noticed something strange: Articles were publishing on the site by writers none of them had ever heard of — and using suspiciously similar language. Jaime Carrillo, a senior staff writer, couldn’t figure out where the reviews — for products like insulated drink tumblers and scuba gear — were coming from. “I stayed at my desk for the next hour, just kind of panicking over this new website that none of us had a hand in,” he said.

* Sun-Times | After 47 years, longest-serving Latina in CPS has no plans to retire: Myers has worked as the clerk at Ebinger on the Northwest Side for more than two decades. This fall, she celebrates 45 years at the school in various roles. And with 47 years overall working for the Chicago Public Schools, she’s the longest-serving Latina in the system.

* Lake and McHenry County Scanner | Lake County Sheriff’s Canine Dax scores multiple 1st-place awards at multi-state competition: Forlenza and Dax placed first in obedience, article search, suspect search, tracking and cadaver detection. The two also placed third in criminal apprehension, Covelli said.

* Milwaukee Business Journal | Quad closing Illinois plant, idling hundreds and shifting work to Milwaukee area: Commercial printer and marketing firm Quad will close a plant in Illinois with 350 employees and transfer production to plants in West Allis, Pewaukee and Pennsylvania.

* Fox 2 | This Illinois town ranks among America’s ‘most haunted’: Alton has fully embraced its haunted heritage, and visitors have the opportunity to explore it through various haunted tours. Alton Odyssey Tours, established in 1992 by local psychics Antoinette and Marlene Lewis, offer an array of experiences for ghost enthusiasts. These tours include Trolley Ghost Tours, a Haunted Beer Walk in partnership with Old Bakery Beer, and Haunted Walking Tours.

* Crain’s | If you’re dying to live in a former tombstone factory, here’s your chance: Mike Quinlan is asking just under $4 million for the house, a five-bedroom, roughly 7,500-square-foot contemporary he built inside the limestone walls of Anderson Monument Company beginning in 2017. It’s represented by Morgan McDermott of Coldwell Banker.

* Tribune | Luxury retailer Hermès reopens, further boosting Oak Street as the Mag Mile works to come back: Most of the retail space in the surrounding Gold Coast neighborhood, especially along Oak Street between Rush and Michigan Avenue, is now occupied, with several retailers such as Bottega Veneta Chicago and Burdeen’s Jewelry recently signing new leases, said John Vance, principal at Stone Real Estate Corp.

* AP | U.S. economy accelerated to a strong 4.9% rate last quarter as consumers shrugged off Fed rate hikes: Thursday’s report on the nation’s gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods and services — showed that consumers drove the acceleration, ramping up their spending on everything from cars to restaurant meals. Even though the painful inflation of the past two years has soured many people’s view of the economy, millions have remained willing to splurge on vacations, concert tickets and sports events.

* Crain’s | Cannabis operators sue feds over intrastate commerce: According to the statement, the coalition seeks to urge the federal government to not enforce the CSA in a manner that interferes with the intrastate cultivation, manufacture, possession, and distribution of cannabis, pursuant to state law.

* The Atlantic | The Huge Multistate Lawsuit Against Meta Isn’t Serious Enough: Teenagers are experiencing a mental-health crisis. And though the science is messy and the matter isn’t settled, many suspect that social media is, in some substantial way, tangled up in the problem. Following this instinct, legislators and regulators at both the state and federal levels have suggested a slew of interventions aimed at protecting young people from the potential harms of social platforms. Many of these efforts have so far fallen short on legal grounds, and broadly speaking, the status quo remains.

* The Verge | Hertz is scaling back its EV ambitions because its Teslas keep getting damaged : Part of the problem is linked to Hertz’s plans to rent EVs to ridehail drivers. Of the 100,000 Tesla acquired by Hertz, half were to be allocated to Uber drivers as part of a deal with the ridehail company. And drivers said they loved the Teslas! But Uber drivers also tend to drive their vehicles into the ground. This higher rate of utilization can lead to a lot of damage — certainly more than Hertz was anticipating.

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Report: 6,000 kids - so far - have lost after-school program access after ISBE blunder

Friday, Oct 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders back in May…

You may have seen or heard news over the past few weeks about an issue with funding for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant program. This stemmed from the pandemic years when the agency allowed grantees to carry over unspent grant funds into the next year, rather than return them to ISBE to help fund the following year, per normal practice. ISBE did not adequately forecast the impact of the carryover allowance, leading to a projected shortfall of $12.4 million for FY 2024.

ISBE requested to use some of our ARP ESSER state set-aside funds to address the shortfall, and the U.S. Department of Education approved our request. This will fully cover the shortfall and allow us to meet all obligations to grantees in FY 2024. But there is still not federal funding available to allow us to offer renewals or a new grant competition in FY 2024, which means the grant cycle for the cohort initially funded for five years in FY 2019 concludes this year. Renewals and new competitions are only offered in years when funding is available, which is why the 21st Century grant application requires applicants to plan for sustaining programming once the grant concludes. The FY 2019 grantees serve 68 locations. ISBE staff are contacting all of the school districts, and 42 have indicated they intend to offer afterschool programming for students using other funding sources. Another 13 school districts are working through this possibility. This does not guarantee that the district will continue working with the 21st Century grantee, but it does mean that programming will continue for many of the affected students. […]

We take full responsibility for the lack of forecasting and the late communication to grantees and are taking action to prevent this situation from occurring again.

* Resulting coverage from ChalkBeat Chicago…

After-school programs for 27,000 Illinois students may be in danger of running out of money after next year because of an accounting error made by the Illinois State Board of Education. […]

A coalition of community groups that provide after-school programming — who estimate the shortfall as much larger — are calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers to use state dollars to fill the gap to help programs survive in the future.

If that gap is not closed, they say, programs that provide students with a safe space after school to participate in extracurricular activities, tutoring, and mental health services may not have enough funding after next year.

Afterschool for Children and Teens Now (ACT Now), a group of Illinois after-school advocates, says these programs serve mostly Black and Latino students who attend high-poverty, low-performing schools. About 66% of students in the programs qualify for free and reduced lunch.

* Closures have begun, the Tribune reports…

Of 33 after-school programs that already lost funding in July, 27 have since closed their doors, affecting around 6,000 students across the state, [Susan Stanton, executive director of the statewide Act Now coalition] said. […]

Mah, Villanueva, Villivalam and around 20 other state legislators signed an Oct. 18 letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon, urging the General Assembly to pursue the $50 million annual appropriation in support of the community learning center programs. As of Wednesday, Act Now spokesperson Emma Spencer said, the organization isn’t aware of any lawmaker committed to proposing an amendment to the budget.

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*** UPDATED x1 *** House sponsor indicates SEIU Healthcare is winning legislative battle against nursing homes

Friday, Oct 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times…

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon is backing legislation that would provide tens of millions of dollars in property tax breaks for nursing homes in Cook County after accepting nearly $2 million in campaign contributions from their industry trade group, including more than $700,000 in the past year.

A political action committee for the Health Care Council of Illinois is one of Harmon’s biggest campaign contributors in recent years. It represents nursing home interests and is lobbying members of the General Assembly to pass the tax relief measure in coming days.

* Much of the information in the piece was covered by Crain’s Chicago Business a week ago. From that story…

If enacted into law, the measure would shift tens of millions of dollars “and maybe more” in annual property taxes from nursing facilities to homeowners and other businesses, according to Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s office. Some south suburban communities would be particularly affected. […]

The fray has largely gone under the radar. The provision involved was quietly tucked into a much larger property tax bill that mostly dealt with routine matters. The provision to cut nursing home taxes surfaced as an amendment introduced on May 19 in the state Senate, was approved by the full Senate on the same day, then sent to the House for concurrence. […]

A fact sheet distributed by the health care council and its lobbyist to lawmakers says the tax-cut bill would provide “critical relief” to 300 nursing homes in Cook County “that have been experiencing escalating property taxes and systemic inequities. . . .The current system is not sustainable and is adding to the financial burdens that could force some nursing homes to close and reduce access for residents in their communities who need it the most.” […]

[Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s] team found the tax shift from nursing homes to other taxpayers would exceed 2% of total valuations in several towns and hit 8.5% in Robbins. Chicago has a much wider tax base, but, even there, other taxpayers would have to have to pick up $441 million in valuation being removed from nursing homes, says David Morrison, deputy assessor for policy and intergovernmental affairs.

The House voted to concur on the amendment six days after the Senate passed the amended HB2507. It ended up clearing both chambers without a single vote against. The governor has suggested that members didn’t quite know what they were voting for.

* But here’s something not mentioned in either story: While it’s true that the Health Care Council of Illinois has contributed $115,000 to three of Harmon’s campaign committees since early August, the chief opponent to the amendment, SEIU Healthcare IL/IN, has contributed a total of $137,000 to Harmon’s personal and caucus committees since late August. And SEIU Healthcare has contributed a total of $373,000 to state legislative committees since the start of August, including $137,000 to Speaker Chris Welch’s personal and caucus committees.

Those contributions appear to have had an impact.

* The House’s chief sponsor, Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, told Crain’s that she would move for an override, but also said she’d be willing to pull out the nursing home language if that’s what her colleagues wanted. Well, a week later, she indicated to the Sun-Times that her colleagues weren’t thrilled about voting to override the governor’s veto. But Rep. Kifowit’s quote was buried near the end of the story…

“In talking to members of the caucus, they want more discussion and research on this topic,” said state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego. “I think that they want to pause” and “look at it holistically how we can provide assistance to those nursing homes.”

If the bill’s sponsor in the originating chamber is saying that, then SEIU Healthcare has likely won the floor fight, regardless of any shenanigans in the spring. There’s still almost two weeks left to go, though.

*** UPDATE *** I asked the Senate sponsor of the amendment in question, Celina Villanueva, if Harmon or his chief of staff had anything to do with the nursing home language. Sen. Villanueva’s response…

No. This came out of the on going negotiations/convos with my House counterpart.

A whole lot of ink may have been spilled for nothing.

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The CCS Opportunity In Illinois

Friday, Oct 27, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department

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In addition to delivering a cleaner environment, CCS will generate $3.3 billion in value for the region and could spur 14,440 jobs. Now is the time to bring carbon capture technology and its environmental and economic benefits to Illinois. Policymakers must pass legislation to advance CCS and bring this opportunity to Illinois.

Learn more about the CCS opportunity in Illinois.

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These staffing contracts, and the people who oversee them, need a much closer look

Friday, Oct 27, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From a July 28, 2023 memo to IEMA Division of Operations staff sent by Acting Chief of Operations Mike McPeek…

The purpose of this memorandum is to update the Division on recent staffing changes and provide operational guidance to mitigate disruption to our operation. Effective today, 28 July, Chief of Operations, Marc Sullivan, Deputy Director of Emergency Management, Scott Swinford, and Legislative Liaison, Jen March, tendered their resignations and are no longer employed by the agency. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of them for their sacrificial service and contributions during their tenures. Each of them was instrumental in advancing both our division and our agency while serving the State during numerous historic response and recovery efforts.

* IEMA’s response to my questions, including if the resignations had anything to do with staffing contracts, including one (click here) with Favorite Staffing…

These were three distinct resignations due to unique circumstances and we can’t comment further on individual personnel matters.

IEMA, like agencies across state government, engaged in a variety of staffing contracts to respond to the unprecedented emergency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. As these contracts continue to wind down the state is completing all federally required review processes to ensure federal funds were used properly. These resignations were not related to those processes.

* Lauren FitzPatrick at the Sun-Times kept digging. This is from August…

Records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, however, show that chief of operations Marc M. Sullivan was forced out July 28 “in lieu of termination for misconduct.” His boss, Scott Swinford, also stepped down the same day as deputy director, second in command to agency director Alicia Tate-Nadeau, using an oddly identical letter citing personal reasons to resign.

The records show Sullivan wrote a second letter to Tate-Nadeau asking for “a copy of the investigation findings that drove me into administrative leave, as well as my last evaluations so that I may use those to understand my shortcomings and reference accomplishments for future employment searches.” […]

The liaison, Jennifer March, also was pushed out July 27, according to documents that say she “resigned in lieu of termination due to poor performance.” […]

Documents signed by Tate-Nadeau show March and Sullivan are barred from working for IEMA again.

Interesting. Three of Director Tate-Nadeau’s very top people were initially praised by IEMA, but two of them were barred from ever working there again? Swinford and Sullivan had worked with Tate-Nadeau when she was a brigadier general in the Illinois National Guard. March worked for Tate-Nadeau at Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications for years. Tate-Nadeau is still running IEMA.

* FitzPatrick today…

Illinois taxpayers have been paying $28,000 to $48,000 a month for the executive assistant to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency’s director.

Between February and August, the assistant accounted for $240,761.30 in billings — double the salary of her boss, Alicia Tate-Nadeau, during that period. […]

In response to questions about the costs, IEMA spokesman Kevin Sur said the contractor, Amy Gentry, resigned effective Thursday and that a state employee hired as the director’s assistant but “temporarily assigned” elsewhere would return to her former $84,000-a-year post Friday.

Gentry has recently been paid $156 an hour through a set of massive contracts earmarked for Illinois’ COVID-19 response. Her total billings to IEMA in other contracting roles through August top $1.03 million.

Timesheets show Gentry billed her time — as many as 350 hours a month — as “director support, Springfield/Remote,” or “Executive Assistant to the Director (Springfield/Remote), though invoices to the state define her pay rate and position as “Planner-IDPH” to “assist Illinois Department of Public Health on planning efforts.” […]

“It is because of Amy’s extensive knowledge on multiple Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations that we were able to address multiple issues/declared disasters and serve our agency and the people of Illinois,” Sur said. “Amy’s hours logged with our agency are reflective of her work, which have spanned multiple disasters.” […]

Gentry has been employed by All Hands Consulting, a subcontractor to Innovative Emergency Management that was hired by IEMA in 2020 as one of the firms aiding Illinois’ pandemic response, including testing sites and vaccination clinics. […]

Gentry’s highest billing month was March 2022 — $60,055.42 for 350 hours at $171.22 an hour as an “Ops Chief Assistant,” “developing state to local vaccine operation plan.”

She logged 350 hours again in January 2023 as a “Planner-IDPH” for $156 an hour, or a little less than $55,000. IEMA won’t release those timesheets.

So, if Gentry was so good, why did she quit?

Also, Elizabeth Findley served as Tate-Nadeau’s private secretary, but she was ousted in August, according to the Sun-Times…

“Elizabeth Findley’s last day was August 22, 2023,” reads an auto-reply from her state email. “Please direct all inquiries to Amy Gentry amy.gentry@illinois.gov.”

Hmm.

Do you get the feeling that you can’t trust anything IEMA is saying?

* Let’s move on to a Tribune story from last week…

When a security guard clocked out of a Streeterville migrant shelter one Friday in March, he’d just logged his 84th hour at work that week.

His bosses told the city it was at least his 56th day in a row working a 12-hour shift, according to invoices they filed with the city — invoices whose sizable overtime helped contribute to tens of millions in city payments to the firm staffing the city’s migrant shelters.

The security guard was employed by Favorite Healthcare Staffing, a national employment firm that has become the city’s biggest contractor to handle the growing migrant crisis. Under the deal, the city hired the firm to provide case workers, security guards, janitors and many other employees for the migrant shelters — at initial base rates ranging from $60 to $150 an hour.

Invoices reviewed by the Tribune show that hundreds of Favorite Staffing workers logged 84-hour workweeks — with the overtime, paid at a 50% premium, helping balloon bills that topped at least $56 million. At a Woodlawn shelter in early February, for example, two-thirds of the 50 staffers logged working at least 12 hours a day, seven days a week. At the Streeterville site one week in March, roughly 8 in 10 workers logged the same hours. […]

A former aide to Mayor Lori Lightfoot described the amount of hours billed as “not surprising” given the scope and urgency of the services, while Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s spokeswoman defended the payments as a frustrating byproduct of a nationwide worker shortage at a time staffers are most needed to help open and run shelters.

“A humanitarian crisis that requires 24/7 staff at multiple sites throughout the city unfortunately will result in staff working overtime,” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in a written response to questions.

This is definitely a crisis requiring lots of staff working long hours amidst a national worker shortage. The question is if the people are actually putting in all those hours.

* Tribune today…

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has renewed a controversial contract with the out-of-state company that staffs the city’s migrant shelters despite its significant overtime billing, a move his team said was its only option as efforts to replace the costly firm with cheaper, local alternatives have hit snags.

Favorite Healthcare Staffing and the city on Monday signed a $40 million extension through October 2024. It’s Johnson’s third extension for the firm and empowers the company to continue hiring caseworkers, security guards, janitors and other employees for the roughly two dozen migrant shelters housing thousands of Chicago’s asylum-seekers. […]

“If we were to kill the contract, who would staff these spaces?” Pacione-Zayas said during a briefing with reporters. “We would get slammed and critiqued on that. And so we’re being responsible while trying to come up with new ways to be responsive and also sensitive to the fact that the city of Chicago is paying for this.”

A recent Tribune investigation found that the city has paid out extensive volumes of overtime as part of its original deal with Favorite Staffing. A small selection of invoices provided by the city following a Tribune request for all of Favorite Staffing’s invoices shows hundreds of Favorite Staffing workers logged working 84 hours a week — with a majority of that time being paid at an overtime rate at a 50% premium. […]

Pacione-Zayas said Thursday that doing away with Favorite Staffing is easier said than done, but the administration plans to announce new staffing contracts for some of its 25 shelters in mid-November. Favorite Staffing, though, will continue working at more than half those shelters due to lack of interested bidders and other procurement restraints, she said.

* Gov. JB Pritzker was asked yesterday whether he thought the Favorite Staffing contract should undergo a performance audit and whether the state was going to look at its own contract with the company…

Again, it’s up to the city to manage their contract because it’s a direct contract with the city that gets negotiated. We have a general contract, essentially under which they’re able to do it. And I’d just remind you that the point of these contracts, because there are lots of folks who provide individual services that you could go find, it’s very hard to have a contract with someone who can on-the-spot in an emergency be able to deliver the kinds of things that these companies are able to do. And so that is an expensive thing. We’ve got to keep people from taking other jobs while they’re waiting for an emergency to occur somewhere. And in this case, it would be for the city of Chicago. So obviously, we you know, everybody should be keeping track of you know, the expenditures that they’re making. But I just want to remind the folks who are paying attention to these contracts that having a long term, you know, emergency-related contract is an expensive endeavor. That’s actually why they’re so hard to get

Please pardon all transcription errors.

Asked if people were doing good work if they were working 12-hour days for 56 days straight taking care of people, Pritzker said…

No, but again, of course, I understand what you’re asking me. I don’t, my answer’s not no. My answer is that emergencies are what you think they are right? They occur. You don’t know how many hours you’re going to have to apply. You don’t know how many people that are available to do the work that’s necessary. And so sometimes overtime is absolutely necessary. We’ve seen that in all kinds of things throughout the pandemic. So, you know, if there were more people available, I think we all know there’s a labor shortage in the country. And so if there are more people that are available, the prices, costs come down.

Again, there is no doubt that the country has a worker shortage. There’s also no doubt that emergency situations require people to put in long hours. The question here and with the IEMA contract is whether people are actually putting in the work. And considering how IEMA’s stories keep shifting, it’s a legit question.

Hopefully, the internal IEMA rumors about an ongoing investigation by the Office of Executive Inspector General are true and somebody will get to the bottom of this.

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West Town residents file lawsuit to delay shelter for asylum-seekers

Friday, Oct 27, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ABC Chicago…

A group of West Town residents have filed for a temporary restraining order to delay the opening of a shelter for Chicago migrants in the neighborhood.

The building designated for the shelter is a two-story structure that is currently an empty warehouse. It is zoned C1-2, which only allows for retail on the bottom and seven 700 square foot apartments above, but next week 200 migrant families are expected to move in.

[Resident and plaintiff James Cole] and several other residents who leave near the proposed shelter near Western and Ohio filed the lawsuit, saying the legal action isn’t about not wanting migrants in their backyard and instead is about the city bypassing the traditional zoning and permit process. […]

“The reason why we are in this situation is the mayor’s office has not been transparent with the process,” said 36th Alderman Gil Villegas.

Ald. Villegas said legal action will force the courts to decide if the city can use the executive order to bypass zoning laws. Residents said all they want is to be able to voice their concerns about a building they believe may not be suitable for so many families.

“Even other areas in our neighborhood that host them more humanly would be a better solution, but we haven’t had due process and our opinion to weigh in on that,” Cole said.

* Block Club Chicago…

The complaint also argues a lack of building permits issued during renovations of the facility endangers the block and neighborhood and lowers property values. […]

Ultimately, the lawsuit’s backers hope a court will decide how the Johnson administration can interpret the governor’s disaster proclamation and whether they can legally open temporary shelters without following zoning and construction rules, McKnight said.

“Really what we’re asking the court to decide is: Does the governor mean that we’re going to suspend the zoning regulations or the building code or whatever else you want to apply to it?” McKnight said. “Our position is that if the governor had meant to do that, the governor would have put it in the emergency proclamation or entered an executive order.”

The Mayor’s Office did not return a request for comment. At the Ukrainian Village community meeting, officials cited the disaster order to explain why the city does not need to follow established protocols for opening buildings when launching a temporary shelter.

South Shore residents re-filed a lawsuit to stop the city from housing asylum-seekers in public buildings earlier this month.

* Related…

* Tribune | Chicago renews migrant shelter contract with Favorite Staffing for another year despite criticism: Favorite Healthcare Staffing and the city on Monday signed a $40 million extension through October 2024. It’s Johnson’s third extension for the firm and empowers the company to continue hiring caseworkers, security guards, janitors and other employees for the roughly two dozen migrant shelters housing thousands of Chicago’s asylum-seekers.

* NBC Chicago | Chicago community organizations team up to provide health care for migrants: The influx of patients has led to a need for more bilingual health care workers. “We welcome any staff members who do have skills to help us in all of our sites throughout the city,” said Vicencio.

* Fox Chicago | Chicago volunteers assemble kits for migrants as suburb begins vaccination clinics: On Thursday evening, more than 50 volunteers assembled roughly 500 personal care kits. They’ll be distributed to migrants living at police stations, where there are still more than 3,000 new arrivals awaiting shelter placement.

15 Comments

Open thread

Friday, Oct 27, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Happy Friday! What’s going on with y’all today?…

19 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Oct 27, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: The first week of veto session is all wrapped up. Capitol News Illinois…

* Related stories…

∙ WAND: Illinois senators share stories of constituents, family impacted by Israel-Hamas war
∙ WTTW: Illinois House Approves Proposal Clearing the Path for Legislative Staff to Unionize But Future in Senate Is Unclear
∙ Center Square: Illinois lawmakers have yet to address expiring Invest in Kids scholarship program

* Isabel’s top picks…

* Sun-Times | Assistant in Pritzker’s emergency agency quits amid questions over pay that peaked at $48K a month: Illinois taxpayers have been paying $28,000 to $48,000 a month for the executive assistant to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency’s director. Between February and August, the assistant has accounted for $240,761.30 in billings — double the salary of her boss, Alicia Tate-Nadeau — during that period.

* Sun-Times | Senate President Don Harmon gives back red-light-camera company’s campaign cash after Sun-Times report: “They returned those two contributions,” the spokesman says, referring to Friends of Don Harmon for State Senate and the ISDF fund for Senate Democrats. Each of those campaign funds is run by Harmon, D-Oak Park. Each accepted a $2,500 contribution from Redspeed Illinois on June 30, about six weeks after the General Assembly, with Harmon’s support, passed what was portrayed as reform legislation that banned political contributions from the red-light camera industry and company executives.

At 10:45 Governor Pritzker will be in Libertyville to launch a new Illinois-made EV charger at EVBox’s North America Headquarters.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* ABC Chicago | Maine mass shooting reignites debate over ‘Red Flag’ gun control laws in Illinois: “I think we need to start with a federal ban on assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines,” said Gun Violence Prevention PAC President Kathleen Sances. “Every state should implement a Red Flag Law.” […] “Obviously… you have to have somebody who’s willing to report it if somebody’s willing to go through that process in order to have those red flag laws go into effect,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said.

* Sun-Times | ‘Power and control’ frame Edward Burke’s legacy. A federal jury will soon decide that legacy’s coda.: From his perch as 14th Ward alderman, he controlled judicial slate-making, a position that propelled his wife to rise to the job of chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court even as he faced indictment. Even mayors who despised Burke didn’t dare to depose him as chairman of the council’s Finance Committee, fearing the potential he had to stymie their legislative agendas.

* WBEZ | Chicago officials are defending a contract extension with a Kansas-based company to staff migrant shelters: The city’s Department of Family and Support Services signed the yearlong contract extension Monday with Favorite Healthcare Staffing, the city’s procurement website shows. The city has paid the vendor at least $56 million, with numerous hours of overtime paid at a higher rate, the Chicago Tribune previously reported.

* Tribune | Chicago officials say trip to Texas helped build collaboration with border cities in addressing migrant crisis: In a briefing with reporters Thursday, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s deputy chief of staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas said the group’s biggest takeaway from the trip included the need for a coalition made up of border and interior cities, such as Chicago, to advocate for a comprehensive federal resettlement plan that includes increased and flexible funding for sheltering operations and overall expenses.

* Sun-Times | Highland Park massacre suspect’s father wants to call his son as a witness in his own trial next month: In a series of motions filed last week, Robert Crimo Jr.’s lawyer also asked a judge to use video of the son’s eight-hour interrogation with police as evidence. The shooting suspect’s father is set to go to trial Nov. 6 on counts of reckless conduct for signing his son’s gun-ownership application in 2019 when he was underage.

* TSPR | Farmer, former AFSCME president Crowl enters race in 17th Congressional District: Scott Crowl of Milan has joined the field of candidates for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District in next year’s election. Crowl touts himself as a lifelong farmer and former AFSCME union president, and not a career politician. “I am entering the political arena to try to save our country from economic disaster and social ruin,” Crowl said in a statement announcing his candidacy.

* Block Club | Bally’s Casino Gets Permanent Gaming License: In addition to greenlighting Bally’s casino license, the gaming board voted to allow Bally’s to extend its lease at Medinah Temple by an a year. This means Medinah Temple will remain a temporary casino until 2026, giving Bally’s another year to complete its permanent site.

* Sports Handle | Betway Withdraws Application For Online-Only Sports Wagering License In Illinois: The withdrawal by Betway again leaves all three online-only licenses unclaimed. It also again raises the question of whether the $20 million fee for an online-only license is too expensive an entry point despite Illinois being the No. 2 market nationally. Illinois welcomed its eighth mobile operator in late September with the launch of Circa Sports, which was followed by Circa’s retail launch at The Temporary in Waukegan earlier this month.

* WTTW | With a Comprehensive Overhaul for Chicago’s Pension Woes Elusive, Small Fixes on Tap for Veto Session: The working group formed by Mayor Brandon Johnson in June to tackle Chicago’s acutely underfunded pensions has yet to craft a comprehensive plan to address one of the major fiscal challenges facing the city — but small fixes could be on tap during this month’s veto session, members told WTTW News.

* Tribune | Suburban school district allows Hampshire students to perform musical featuring gay teens: ‘A lot of excitement and relief’: Susan Harkin, the superintendent of District 300, said in a statement Thursday that the district developed a “comprehensive safety plan” alongside law enforcement and the village of Hampshire that “provides the necessary protections for ‘The Prom’ to be performed within a safe and supportive environment.”

* Sun-Times | Brown Sugar Bakery opens new manufacturing facility, eyes nationwide expansion: Brown Sugar Bakery has been a mainstay on Chicago’s South Side and has operated at other locations, including at Navy Pier, that have closed. Its current storefront selling cakes, chocolates and candies is based in Greater Grand Crossing, at 328 E. 75th St. But now Hart will be able to sell her products nationwide with the new manufacturing facility, formerly the home of Cupid Candies’ factory, near 76th Street and Western Avenue. The new plant will likely employ 50 people by the end of the year, she said.

* Tribune | Former Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks named manager of the Windy City ThunderBolts: Jenks earned Pioneer League Manager of the Year honors after leading the Grand Junction Rockies to the championship in 2022. He served as pitching coach for the Princeton WhistlePigs of the Appalachian League last season. “I love baseball and I want to put a winning product on the field,” Jenks said. “I believe I can do that and my track record has shown that I can do that.”

* Block Club | Historians Push For Recognition Of Black Panther Party Site In Chicago: The Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party is now working to update the listing of the church in the National Register of Historic Places to commemorate its Black history. The Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council will consider the proposal Friday. If it recommends the amendment, the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer will decide whether to nominate the change to the National Park Service, which would make the final determination about updating the listing.

* Tribune | UAW-Ford tentative agreement will bring thousands back to work at Chicago Assembly Plant in coming days: The UAW said Ford workers will return to work while the agreement goes through the ratification process. The strike will continue at Stellantis and General Motors. “There was a lot of excitement last night when we heard the news,” said Chris Pena, president of UAW Local 551, which represents workers at the Chicago Assembly Plant. “There was a giant sigh of relief that we’re going back to work.”