City moved all asylum-seekers out of one police station and into shelters during the weekend
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Alice Yin and Nell Salzman at the Tribune…
One wonders what will happen if people try to go back to the station. That’s often been the case once the new arrivals have experienced the conditions at shelters. * Meanwhile…
Fines will range from $2,000 to $10,000. Go read the rest. Heck of a story, including a volunteer group saying it won’t work with the city any longer.
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Afternoon roundup (Updated)
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Press release…
According to the data, 28.46 percent of traffic deaths in Illinois occurred at intersections - 1,611 out of 5,661 - from 2017 through 2021. Drivers need to be more careful, of course, but IDOT and local governments also need to do a whole lot better with their designs. * Tribune…
What’s happened is that the full tax kicks in for the entirety of the sales price if it sells for more than $5 million. Now, scroll way, way down in that long story and you’ll see the Chicago proposal is different than LA’s in two key ways…
Still, it’s complicated. The governor’s proposed graduated income tax also reduced taxes for most people, but voters saw it as a slippery slope to higher taxes for everyone and it was killed. Then again, the Fair Tax found favor with 71 percent of Chicago’s voters. * Press release…
* Press release…
…Adding… Press release…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Bloomberg | Pritzker chases every federal dollar with new $1 billion EPA bid: “We literally are going after every dollar that’s available,” Pritzker, a scion of the Hyatt hotel fortune, said in an interview. “We should get better than our fair share.” Illinois has recently created a task force to lure federal dollars. That public-private partnership, known as Innovate Illinois, is bidding for the EPA funds with Chicago-based nonprofit National Community Investment Fund. They are also working with the private sector. * Sun-Times | Data center developer Compass hopes business will hum at old Sears site: A source said Compass is planning something that could be classified as a mega project, providing about 250 megawatts of power for users, typically multiple companies that need to manage internet data. It’s similar in size to projects the company has in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Phoenix areas. The project is likely to get a warm reception from Hoffman Estates officials. “We welcome data centers,” Palm said. “We changed our zoning to make data centers a permitted use in certain districts.” * Tribune | Residents call Chicago report that maps neighborhood pollution flawed because calculations don’t include industrial corridors: Not considering industrial corridors has resulted in blatant inconsistencies, according to Michael Cailas, an associate professor at University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Public Health. “Because of the methodologies (the city) applied, some census tracts that should be environmental justice neighborhoods are not considered so,” he said. * Block Club | City Goes After Companies That Owe $15 Million In Rat-Related Tickets After Illinois Answers/Block Club Investigation: The move by the city comes just weeks after an investigation by the Illinois Answers Project and Block Club Chicago showed how the city was failing in its battle against rats, including how the city wasn’t collecting fines issued to the biggest debtors. At the top of the list were the network of companies that have had ties to Suzie B. Wilson, of Northbrook, which amassed more than $15 million in unpaid debts on hundreds of mostly vacant properties located on the city’s South and West sides. * Crain’s | Revamped former Motorola Mobility campus hits the market: The offering will reveal how much investors crave corporate campuses in the suburbs that have been revamped with modern amenities and new tenants. Such properties look attractive to real estate firms if they come with stable cash flow from long-term leases with high-credit tenants. * Crain’s | Evanston officials frustrated by ‘chaotic’ stadium vote, opaque negotiating process: Council members told Crain’s that there was never any formal process to negotiate a community benefits agreement between the City Council and the university, but rather a piecemeal process spearheaded by the city’s mayor, Daniel Biss, and Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma, 4th, who said discussions between him and the school over the foundations of a benefits agreement began in the summer and included phone calls, emails and in-person meetings with NU representatives. * WLDS | Davidsmeyer, Tracy Blast Pritzker Plan To Provide Additional Aid to Chicago Migrant Crisis: Davidsmeyer and Pritzker’s viewpoints did intersect, saying the federal government had failed to step in and assist with the work. Pritzker placed blame on Congress for not acting, while Davidsmeyer pointed the finger at President Joe Biden’s administration. * WJBD | New member of Marion County Health Board willing to sign orders to keep health department services in place: Marion County Health Department Administrator Melissa Mallow is breathing a sigh of relief. She told WJBD-WSIQ that a newly appointed member of the health board has agreed to become the department’s medical director and sign about 200 orders that allow the department to provide many of its services and vaccinations. […] Board member Brock Waggoner has led the effort to replace the health board members because the health department followed the Governor’s guidelines during COVID-19 which he says led to businesses and schools having to close. * Sun-Times | Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Michigan home spray-painted with the word ‘Nazis’: Emanuel was not at the cottage at the time. “Our family is very proud of how our friends, neighbors and the community have rallied to our support and in a singular voice in condemning hatred and bigotry,” Emanuel told the Sun-Times in a text message. * Tom Kacich | Red Grange, political hitman: For 26 years after the legendary 1924 game against Michigan, Grange’s name was never associated with politics or the administration of the UI. But suddenly, at the August 1950 Illinois Republican Party convention in Peoria, a group of downstate party chairmen overturned the nominees named by a UI Alumni Association committee and substituted Grange’s name for that of Chester Davis, a Chicago banker and lawyer who had previously served as a UI trustee. * Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle | Dropped insurance means no racing car for H-F High students: Homewood-Flossmoor High School has a 1997 Ford Mustang built for racing, but students can’t work on or drive the car because it has no insurance. The car is the pride of the H-F Auto Club. Students have taken the car to Byron Dragway near Rockford. In the 2022 race season, the Mustang raced twice at Byron. * Daily Herald | Escaped African serval cat dies after its capture in Vernon Hills neighborhood: While searching, officers came across others who appeared to be looking for something. They turned out to be the owners, Holubetz said. With the owners’ assistance, the skittish animal was captured at about 10 p.m. several hundred feet from its home. […] Though the serval later died of injuries, no person or animal appeared to have been harmed by it. * WCIA | Lost elk roams Illinois, report sightings to game warden: There is a traveling elk on the loose who has been spotted near Springfield, Illinois. The timing couldn’t be better—you can convince your children that it’s one of Santa’s reindeer now that it’s here—but if you spot it, you should notify the game warden in your county immediately. According to Bond County game warden William Wichern, the elk’s journey began near Coulterville, south of I-64. The latest report places it near Sangchris Lake in Springfield, Illinois. * The Southern | Scientists turn invasive carp into traitors to slow their Great Lakes push: Agency workers turn carp into double agents by capturing them, implanting transmitters and tossing them back. Floating receivers send real-time notifications when a tagged carp swims past. Carp often clump in schools in the spring and fall. Armed with the traitor carp’s location, agency workers and commercial anglers can head to that spot, drop their nets and remove multiple fish from the ecosystem. * WaPo | World’s richest 1% pollute more than the poorest two-thirds, Oxfam says: According to Oxfam’s report, carbon emissions of the world’s richest 1 percent surpassed the amount generated by all car and road transport globally in 2019, while the richest 10 percent accounted for half of global carbon emissions that year. Meanwhile, emissions from the richest 1 percent are enough to cancel out the work of nearly 1 million wind turbines each year, Oxfam said.
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State’s rainy day fund surpasses $2 billion, GOMB projects new net surplus of $422 million
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Press release…
* Meanwhile, from Capitol News Illinois…
More here.
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AG Raoul blasts lawmakers for allowing his criminal enhancement penalty law to expire
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * From my October 27th weekly newspaper column…
As we’ve since discussed, the provision to extend the sunset was stripped out of the sunset omnibus bill and passed the Senate as a stand-alone which passed 42-12, with another three Democrats not voting. But Senators knew this wasn’t going anywhere else because the Senate’s vehicle was a House bill sponsored by Rep. Will Guzzardi, a progressive Democrat who predictably refused to move it forward. * That brings us to this WAND TV story…
He wasn’t in DC the day that bill passed the Senate. And he surely knew this was a problem, particularly in the House. * Also, the Republicans claimed this was, indeed, a mandatory sentencing bill. Last week on that very same WAND TV…
Your thoughts?
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Lots of crucial, unanswered questions after train crash
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * ABC 7…
* David Struett went deeper for the Sun-Times…
Unreal.
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Staging area population drops, but migrants keep coming
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the city’s latest Friday update, here are the number of new arrivals at staging areas…
That’s a 12 percent decrease from the previous Friday’s 2,529, a 31 percent decrease from Nov. 3rd (3,228), and a 40 percent decrease from October 20th (3,684). The number of minors in staging areas has dropped from 886 on October 20th to 414 last Friday. * But they’re still coming. 18 buses arrived last week, a slight uptick from previous weeks, which have mostly been around 15. Total new arrivals last week were 2,246. That number was derived from comparing the total headcount of new arrivals to date as reported Friday (23,000) to the total to-date reported the previous week (20,754). Total exits from the sheltering system last week were 321, which ain’t great, considering the new entrants. So far, 8,280 have exited the system, up from 6,523 as of October 20th. * 12,073 people were in shelters on Friday, up from 11,278 on October 20th. Of those folks in shelters, 23 percent were single men, 4 percent were single women, and 73 percent, 8,787 people, were members of 2,446 family units. * In related news, Fox 32 quoted a “community activist” who wants to shut down an encampment on the South Side…
“By Thanksgiving.” How sweet. As we’ve discussed before, this particular “community activist” lives nowhere near the South Side. CBS 2 recently included some context…
The 31st Ward is on the city’s Northwest Side. Also, this from Fox 32…
Gibbons appears to be a go-to guy for Fox 32…
No mention of his work for Vallas in that piece. * Isabel’s coverage roundup…
* Block Club | What Does The City’s New 60-Day Shelter Limit Mean For Migrants In Chicago?: If migrants are still living in city shelters after the 60 days run out, they will have to return to the city’s “landing zone” — the area near Downtown where most buses carrying migrants drop them off — to make a new shelter request. Extensions to stay in a shelter beyond 60 days will only be granted in “extenuating circumstances” like a medical emergency or severe weather, officials said. * Daily Herald | New Rosemont hotel tax aimed at preventing long-term migrant stays: Rosemont is tacking on a $1,000 tax on hotel stays 30 days and longer in an attempt to prevent housing migrants and protect its convention business, officials say. The new tax comes in response to chatter village officials say they’ve heard in the hospitality industry about suburban hotels being eyed to shelter migrants. Mayor Brad Stephens cited a Nov. 3 story in Crain’s Chicago Business about Chicago developer Mike Reschke’s efforts to get six to eight suburban hotels to host thousands of new arrivals. “We’re just trying to preserve the convention business,” said Stephens, whose father Donald’s name graces the front of the 48-year-old, municipal-run convention center. “Could you imagine that if three of our hotels committed 100 rooms for five years, what does that do to the convention business? … Then the convention organizers are gonna say, ‘Well, wait a minute. How come you don’t have hotel rooms? You boast that you have 6,000 hotel rooms — you don’t have enough for our group.’” … Stephens, who also is the Republican state representative for the area, said he is “nowhere near anti-migrant.” He says he supports efforts to employ people who have come here. He added, he’s not aware of any migrants staying in Rosemont’s 20 hotels right now. * Tribune Editorial Board | Faced with a growing migrant crisis in Chicago, Gov. J.B. Pritzker rides to the city’s rescue: It became very clear this week that, when it came to the migrant crisis, Pritkzer had lost confidence in City Hall’s competency to handle a growing emergency with dangerous implications. * Crain’s Editorial Board | Pritzker steps in to clean up Chicago’s asylum-seeker mess: The $160 million in state money will be provided in three lump sums: $30 million to create a just-announced “large intake and welcome center” at an undisclosed location, $65 million to help Chicago establish a tent base camp to provide shelter for up to 2,000 people at a time and another $65 million to help coordinate the resettlement of migrants, including rental assistance. * NBC Chicago | Illinois earmarks $160 million to keep migrants warm in Chicago as winter approaches: Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday that Illinois will funnel an additional $160 million to help migrants arriving in Chicago to resettle, including $65 million to help the city launch “winterized” temporary shelter to avoid people sleeping outdoors in cold weather. The announcement came on an unseasonably warm Chicago day in the 60s, but with a forecast for temperatures to dip as low as 17 degrees Fahrenheit (-8 degrees Celsius) next week.
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CDC report: Those who lived near Willowbrook Sterigenics facility face a greater risk of cancer
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Sun-Times in January…
* ABC Chicago on Friday…
* Crain’s…
* From the CDC report…
* Related… * River Bender | Durbin, Duckworth, Schneider Release Statement On CDC Report On Public Health Impact Of Sterigenics: “It is deeply upsetting that EtO emissions from the Sterigenics facility have led to potentially life-threatening consequences for the residents of Willowbrook. Those who lived nearby and worked at Sterigenics during its operations are now burdened with an increased risk of cancer. Every effort possible should be made by Sterigenics, EPA and the Illinois Department of Public Health to help those at risk monitor their health and access necessary treatment,” the lawmakers said. “While we are certainly relieved that EtO emissions are no longer lingering in Willowbrook and that residents are not facing continuing risk, this situation must not happen again – in Illinois or anywhere else in this country. EPA must take its mission seriously to protect Americans from environmental threats and hold companies like Sterigenics accountable when the health and safety of residents are jeopardized.” * AP | Sterigenics will pay $35 million to settle Georgia lawsuits, company announces: Details of the settlement were submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday. In a statement Wednesday, the company denied any liability, and the 79 plaintiffs must agree to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning the decision is final.
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Chicago’s government summed up in two news stories
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. Block Club Chicago…
You’d think they would’ve gamed that out already. * Tribune…
Good on A.D. Quig for doing some follow-up. The mayor needs a communications staff. Period.
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*** UPDATED x2 *** When you’re more interested in a straight uphill legislative fight than finding a win, you’ll likely lose
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
*** UPDATE 1 *** From Rep. Dan Didech (D-Buffalo Grove)…
*** UPDATE 2 *** A commenter responds to Rep. Didech…
Seems like that could’ve been a strong incentive to negotiate a wind-down if it was more about the kids than the investors.
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Question of the day
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * This is a good idea and, speaking from experience, it would be even better if it had two rows… Seniors love freebies and they generally vote in high numbers. Getting your name in front of them twice a day would be a major positive. One of the more effective events I’ve seen involve mobile shredders. People really turn out for those shredding events, probably because almost nobody in the private sector does them. * The Question: What other giveaways should more politicians do? Please explain your answer.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list (Updated)
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Open thread
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * I hope you all had a relaxing weekend! What’s going on in your part of Illinois…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois airport travel this Thanksgiving will surpass pre-pandemic levels. Sun-Times…
-COVID-19-related hospitalizations have increased by nearly 17% over the last week. Though the Chicago Department of Public says the COVID risk level is low and only 1.3 percent of hospital beds are being used by COVID patients, which is a slight drop from the week before. * Related stories… ∙ Sun-Times | Holiday hordes? Record number of Thanksgiving travelers expected at O’Hare and Midway: ‘Travel’s coming back’ ∙ Bloomberg | Thanksgiving Travel in US Set to Hit Post-Covid High * Isabel’s top picks… * Tribune | Celebrating marriage equality: Same-sex couples reflect on their hard-fought right to wed a decade after it became legal in Illinois.: While the milestone was joyous for many, there was still a faction vehemently opposed to the change: One bishop in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield had pledged to offer prayers “for exorcism in reparation for the sin of same-sex marriage” at the time Quinn was expected to sign the legislation. Ten years later, same-sex marriage has gained far greater acceptance across the nation, with 71% of Americans believing same-sex marriage should be legal, according to a Gallup poll released in June. This is compared with 53% of those surveyed by Gallup in 2013; support for the legalization of these unions has generally risen since 1996, when 27% of respondents favored same-sex marriage rights, according to Gallup. * MSNBC | Jen Psaki’s one-on-one interview with Governor JB Pritzker: Governor JB Pritzker sits down with Jen Psaki for a wide-ranging interview. They discuss his advocacy for abortion rights, immigration, Donald Trump’s increasingly dangerous rhetoric, the 2024 presidential race, the latest on the Israel-Hamas war and much more. * Tribune | Bankruptcy at Friendship Village retirement community in Schaumburg has financial impact on residents and families too: Her dispute is over Friendship Village’s policy of only paying back entry fees upon the resale of a resident’s unit. The facility — the largest not-for-profit retirement community in Illinois, with 815 units — didn’t resell Kroll’s one-bedroom unit, so hadn’t paid his family back. Now that Friendship Village has entered bankruptcy, families of former residents are unlikely to ever receive full repayment, which Barnes and other families see as a betrayal of what they were promised. * Here’s the rest of your morning roundup… * Capitol News Illinois | State school board weighs increased funding requests ahead of budget season: “It does appear that revenue will be a little bit tighter in the next four to five years,” ISBE’s chief financial officer Matt Seaton told the board at its monthly meeting Thursday. “And with other state pressures, whether that be pension payments or what have you, it would be our anticipation that the budgets are going to start to restrict a little bit.” Seaton delivered a summary of the funding increase requests that ISBE received from districts and members of the public during a series of hearings on the agency’s budget last month. Those requested increases, he said, totaled just over $1.7 billion. The largest of those was for an increase in Evidence-Based Funding, or EBF dollars. That’s the formula that lawmakers approved in 2017 aimed at eventually bringing all districts up to an adequate level of funding. * Daily Southtown | Firm hired to review Calumet City’s bids wins most architecture contracts, investigation shows: Farnsworth Group, the engineering and architecture firm appointed by Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones to be the city engineer, plays an integral role in helping the city select what firms should win publicly funded construction contracts. But a monthslong investigation into Calumet City’s spending habits shows the firm also wins a large portion of engineering and architecture contracts, leading to questions of a possible conflict of interest. * Tribune | A landmark jury verdict threatens to upend home buying and selling. In Illinois, changes are already underway: Last month, a Missouri federal jury issued a landmark $1.8 billion verdict finding the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors and several large real estate brokerages conspired to artificially inflate commissions on home sales. The association has said it is appealing the verdict, while similar cases are ongoing in Illinois and Missouri. * WIFR | Maurice West discusses new medical licensing bill, reveals 2024 campaign: State Rep. Maurice West II (D-IL 67) talks about how importance behind the new Modernized Professional Licensing bill passed a week ago. He also reveals his new 2024 campaign and his goals while running. * Daily Herald | New Rosemont hotel tax aimed at preventing long-term migrant stays: Rosemont is tacking on a $1,000 tax on hotel stays 30 days and longer in an attempt to prevent housing migrants and protect its convention business, officials say. The new tax comes in response to chatter village officials say they’ve heard in the hospitality industry about suburban hotels being eyed to shelter migrants. Mayor Brad Stephens cited a Nov. 3 story in Crain’s Chicago Business about Chicago developer Mike Reschke’s efforts to get six to eight suburban hotels to host thousands of new arrivals. * Center Square | Will city, state funding for the migrant crisis be enough?: “Just like the state of Illinois knows what their assignment is, just like Cook County government knows what their assignment is, and as a public school teacher, I expect people to turn their assignment in,” said Johnson. When asked how much money they would need, Johnson said, “A lot.” * Block Club | What Does The City’s New 60-Day Shelter Limit Mean For Migrants In Chicago?: If migrants are still living in city shelters after the 60 days run out, they will have to return to the city’s “landing zone” — the area near Downtown where most buses carrying migrants drop them off — to make a new shelter request. Extensions to stay in a shelter beyond 60 days will only be granted in “extenuating circumstances” like a medical emergency or severe weather, officials said. * State Week | Illinois to spend more on helping asylum seekers: With winter near, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said this week the state will spend an additional $160 million on measures intended to assist the growing migrant population. More than 20,000 individuals have arrived in the city over the past year, most of them traveling by bus at the direction of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. * Documented | Deportation Orders Reach 25 Year Height as Migrants Miss Notices in Shelter Shuffle: More than two months have passed since Padilla Yasig, 33, first came to New York from Ecuador, and her family now lives in a shelter, not at the address she provided. She changed her address recently, but she still doesn’t know if mail alerting her to appear in immigration court will be sent to her at the shelter or to her family friend’s address. This is complicated further by Mayor Eric Adams imposing limits on shelter stays, which will likely force Padilla Yasig to move throughout the city on a regular basis, making it harder to keep track of vital correspondence. * WBEZ | Chicago cops tied to Oath Keepers barred from testifying in court, Kim Foxx decides: The move by State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office came just weeks after the officers were linked to the Oath Keepers in the WBEZ, Chicago Sun-Times and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project joint investigation of “Extremism in the Ranks.” The series reported that 27 current and former members of the Chicago Police Department were found on the membership rolls of the Oath Keepers. Records show some have faced serious misconduct complaints, including for accusations of using excessive force and making racist comments. * WBEZ | CTA Yellow Line crash caused by a ‘design issue’ with the braking system, investigators say: The train was going 26.9 miles-per-hour when it struck snow removal equipment that was on the tracks while employees were conducting training for the winter season, Homendy said the preliminary findings of an investigation showed. At that speed, the train was designed to be able to stop within 1,780 feet of an object it its path, but didn’t, she said. * New Yorker | What the Doomsayers Get Wrong About Deepfakes: arrived. Sensity conceded in 2021 that deepfakes had had no “tangible impact” on the 2020 Presidential election. It found no instance of “bad actors” spreading disinformation with deepfakes anywhere. Two years later, it’s easy to find videos that demonstrate the terrifying possibilities of A.I. It’s just hard to point to a convincing deepfake that has misled people in any consequential way. * Tribune | Chicago’s trailblazing first female judge known for looking after juveniles, stating, ‘There are no bad children’: Two girls who’d been before her in Juvenile Court said they were so glad “their friend” was now “a real judge.” For 11 years Bartelme had been an assistant judge in juvenile court, appointed because the head of Juvenile Court threatened to quit if he didn’t get someone to do his pretrial investigations of girls. Jane Addams, the famed pioneer of social work, recommended Bartelme for that post. They agreed that truancy isn’t necessarily a telltale sign of delinquency. Maybe a child is hungry and there’s little or nothing to eat at home. * Daily Journal | KLASEY: Remembering ‘Smilin’ Sam’ : After the war, Shapiro returned to his law practice, and to his interrupted political career. In November 1946, he was elected to the first of seven consecutive two-year terms as an Illinois state representative. During his 14 years in the legislature, “Smilin’ Sam” Shapiro earned another nickname: “Mr. Mental Health.” Inspired by his mother, Tillie, who was a longtime volunteer at Kankakee State Hospital, he was a strong advocate for treatment and care of the mentally ill. Shapiro was a cosponsor of legislation that established the state’s first mental health code. In 1974, Kankakee State Hospital was renamed as the Samuel H. Shapiro Developmental Center. * The New Yorker | A Hedge-Fund Founder’s Obsessive Storytelling: Thirteen years after the Principles became public, the New York Times reporter Rob Copeland has published “The Fund,” a book that blends Dalio’s biography and Bridgewater’s history into a closely observed investigation of how the Principles worked in practice. Copeland covered business at the Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade before moving to the Times, and has spent much of his career writing about hedge funds like Bridgewater. His history of the firm benefits from deep sourcing, drawing on new on-the-record interviews, internal documents, and multiple leaked e-mails, some of which are imported straight into the text.
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Live coverage
Monday, Nov 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Nov 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Ummm… So down
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Afternoon roundup
Friday, Nov 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * A commenter asked a good question today…
The governor was asked pretty much that same question yesterday…
Also, remember, the clock doesn’t start ticking until they’re moved out of staging areas, like police stations. * More from the governor’s press release…
* While we’re on this topic, the ILGOP seems to both side with migrants and complain about them in the same press release…
* This WBEZ story has been overlooked…
* Some folks received this blast text yesterday… The link goes here. Mijente PAC is a c-4 operation that has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on campaigns. But the aldermanic elections were last spring, so unless that group is getting involved in ward committeeperson races next year (of the five targets, Raymond Lopez, Silvana Tabares, Felix Cardona and Gil Villegas are committeepersons), I hope folks are thinking before they click that link. …Adding… Press release…
* Isabel’s roundup… * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration issuing notices it will begin removing migrants from shelters in 60 days: In addition to the new shelter limits, the city will also begin cracking down on what Johnson described as “rogue buses” of migrants and beef up personnel at their initial landing spots to encourage them to go elsewhere, his office said. The exit notices will come in waves, the first one starting Friday for all shelter residents who have been there since last year. * State Week | Illinois to spend more on helping asylum seekers: Illinois officials said nearly $500 million in state money has already been spent. The latest infusion, pulled from the state Department of Human Services budget, will assist in processing new arrivals, provide case management and develop a base tent camp as winter nears. * Axios | One-third of U.S. newspapers as of 2005 will be gone by 2024: There are roughly 6,000 newspapers left in America, down from 8,891 in 2005, according to a new report from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. “We’re almost at a one-third loss now and we’ll certainly hit that pace next year,” said the report’s co-authors — Penelope Muse Abernathy, a visiting professor at Medill, and Sarah Stonbely, director of Medill’s State of Local News Project. * Crain’s | Illinois’ once-thriving craft brewing scene faces a steep cliff: Craft breweries have not seen traffic return to their taprooms like they hoped. That’s bad news for an industry that made 70% of its revenue from taprooms pre-pandemic. Illinois started 2022 with 302 craft breweries. Thirty-one have closed since, said Ray Stout, executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. The most recently announced casualty, Metropolitan Brewing, will add to that number when it shutters its Avondale taproom next month. * Sun-Times | CTA Yellow Line service still suspended after crash injured dozens on North Side: “We are working to restore service as soon as possible,” read an alert posted on the CTA’s website. “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.” The transit agency urged commuters to allow extra time for travel. Meanwhile, the NTSB has scheduled a media briefing for later Friday to address the many questions surrounding the wreck. * Tribune | Chicago Police Board votes to fire officer allegedly involved in dragging woman from car at Northwest Side strip mall during 2020 unrest: The board found that CPD officer David Laskus violated several CPD rules — most notably using excessive force and lying to investigators — during and after the tense situation that unfolded on May 26, 2020 at the shopping center near Diversey and Narragansett. * Crain’s | Chicago’s average weekly return-to-office numbers grow to 55%: The average percentage of Chicago workers who are back in the office has hit 55%. That’s almost as high as Chicago’s post-pandemic peak in July of 55.2%. The city’s stats are ahead of the nationwide average by 4.5 percentage points. That’s according to data from real estate technology firm Kastle Systems, which analyzes building security card swipes and compares current figures to early 2020. * Daily Herald | McHenry County jail could take in detainees from Lake County under proposed deal: The proposed contract calls for McHenry County taking up to 150 inmates from the Lake County jail. During a recent McHenry County Board finance committee meeting, Sheriff Robb Tadelman said the average daily population at McHenry County Jail was 160 inmates. Sandra Salgado, the McHenry County sheriff’s business manager, said the jail population has about 35 to 50 fewer inmates since the SAFE-T Act took effect in September, but the population slowly is increasing. * Sun-Times | Cyberattack on Rivers Casino leaves data vulnerable for gamblers, workers: Rivers Casino in Des Plaines alerted customers Thursday to the data breach, which happened in mid-August but wasn’t discovered until earlier this month. Dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and even Social Security numbers “may have been accessed or removed” from the casino’s network, among other vital information. * Sun-Times | ‘Your debt to society is not fully paid,’ mother tells son’s killer after his release on appeal: A Cook County state’s attorney’s spokeswoman said the decision to make a deal with Davila “was made with a deep sense of responsibility.” She said it provides “a measure of justice to those affected, acknowledging the complexities and the passage of time in this case.” Ricky Pike, 24, was killed early Aug. 3, 2012, shot because a passenger in his car was wearing a green-and-gold Oakland Athletics baseball cap, prosecutors said during Davila’s 2018 trial. * Crain’s | Law firm adding office space, moving to Wacker Drive: Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has signed a 10-year deal for 29,839 square feet in the 51-story tower at 1 N. Wacker Drive, a spokesman for the law firm confirmed. GRSM will relocate to the building’s 16th floor in August from its longtime office across the street at 1 N. Franklin St., where its lease for 24,182 square feet expires next summer. * Daily Herald | Attracting, keeping employees a priority in Lake County’s $640 million budget: Lake County’s property tax levy will increase for the first time in five years to help fund a variety of programs and initiatives in a $640 million budget, including compensation to recruit and retain employees. The county board this week increased the tax levy by the maximum allowed 5%, though supporters said that won’t result in a commensurate hike in property tax bills because new growth will account for about half the increase. * KWQC | Hundreds set to lose their jobs in Bureau Co. after factory announces closure: The Monterey Mushrooms factory has been one of the largest employers in Bureau Co. for decades, and last week they informed workers they will be ending operations in January. Although the closure of the factory may cause a ripple effect through the entire Illinois Valley, there is one town in particular that will likely be hit the hardest. * Tribune | It’s time to pop a Midwest-made pét-nat as Illinois winery embraces ancient sparkling winemaking method: Illinois Sparkling Co. has been producing pét-nats since 2018, when they rolled out their extra-brut Pét Nat Rosé made from the Chambourcin grapes, a French American hybrid grape variety that has found a fit in the Midwest climate despite both temperature and precipitation extremes. * WTTW | It’s Fire Season — On Purpose — In the Region’s Forest Preserves. Cook County Has a New Map of Prescribed Burn Sites: “Fire is an important tool in our restoration toolbox,” said Erik Neidy, director of natural resources with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Prescribed burns mimic the wildfires that native prairies and woodlands adapted to over millennia. They’re used to control invasive species, return nutrients to the soil and promote the growth of native plants and grasses. * Paul Sullivan | GM Chris Getz gets an early start on dismantling the 2023 Chicago White Sox. Who will be next?: The recent exodus by broadcaster Jason Benetti to the Detroit Tigers booth was just the latest blow, coming off a season so horrible Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf admitted he wouldn’t watch the games on his DVR if the Sox lost. The team lost 101 games, so he missed some of Benetti’s finest moments. * Axios | Apple to pause advertising on X after Musk backs antisemitic post: The move follows Musk’s endorsement of antisemitic conspiracy theories as well as Apple ads reportedly being placed alongside far-right content. Apple has been a major advertiser on the social media site and its pause follows a similar move by IBM. * Patch | Pritzker Orders IL Flags Flown At Half-Staff For Fallen Firefighter: “Whereas, a valiant and passionate public servant, Firefighter/EMT Price’s dedication to his community was unparalleled, having served with the Chicago Fire Department for more than 13 years,” a proclamation regarding the flags reads. The flag order runs through sundown Monday, hours after a funeral service for Price is planned at the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom.
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ICC lauded for ‘earthquake in Illinois utility regulation’
Friday, Nov 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * ICC press release…
* Tribune…
* Some react from Capitol News Illinois…
* Sun-Times…
* NRDC…
* Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition…
Isabel Miller contributed to this post.
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Question of the day
Friday, Nov 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * I saw this headline while surfing through websites today…
I’ve never texted a dead friend, but I cannot ever bring myself to delete their numbers from my phone. * The Question: Do you delete phone contacts of friends who have died? Bonus question: Have you ever texted them? Explain either way, please.
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If you can’t beat ‘em…
Friday, Nov 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Join ‘em…
Incumbent Democratic Recorder Kathleen Carrier is already facing Liz Chaplin in the primary. DiCianni may have seen an opening. * Some local Dems aren’t buying it…
* I checked in with DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy today. Conroy, a Democrat, said it was true that DiCianni did help her campaign last year. And she said believed DiCianni was done with the GOP and they are done with him. Still, she said via text, “I think he will have a hard time finding a home in the D party out here.” Your thoughts?
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to Thursday’s edition
Friday, Nov 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition
Friday, Nov 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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City lays out its new migrant plan
Friday, Nov 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the City of Chicago…
The bus companies are making so much money off those trips that they may not care about tickets, but we’ll see. * The city explains its new 60-day exit notice policy for shelters…
* From the FAQ…
* Kirstin Chernawsky, the Associate Secretary of Early Childhood, Family & Community at the Department of Human Services, explained the new, shortened rental assistance program yesterday…
Chernawsky said the new program starts today. The clock starts ticking when migrants arrive in shelters. So, if they’re at O’Hare, that doesn’t count toward the three months. * Matt DeMateo, the CEO of New Life Centers, spoke at yesterday’s Pritzker press conference announcing the state’s new migrant initiative. New Life Centers, he said, has helped resettle 1,500 families (5,400 individuals) since May of this year…
Sounds good, but I’ll believe it when I see it. * More from Isabel… * Crain’s | Pritzker raps Johnson migrant response while unveiling $160M in state aid: The $160 million will be provided in three buckets: $30 million to create a “large intake and welcome center” at an undisclosed location, $65 million to help Chicago establish a tent base camp to provide shelter for up to 2,000 people at a time and another $65 million to help coordinate the resettlement of migrants, including rental assistance. * Tribune | State pouring $160 million more for Chicago asylum-seeker relief efforts as winter approaches: The state will start cutting off a rental assistance program for new arrivals who aren’t already in the city’s shelter system and will begin looking to help asylum-seekers relocate to other parts of the country, while the city this week said it is implementing a 60-day limit for migrant stays at city shelters. * AP | Illinois earmarks $160 million to keep migrants warm in Chicago as winter approaches: Illinois has already spent or committed more than $638 million to address the humanitarian asylum seeker crisis, officials said. The additional funds will come from the Illinois Department of Human Services. Chicago is in charge of housing new arrivals and has also spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to accommodate them. * ABC Chicago | Governor JB Pritzker outlines plans for migrant intake center, funds for shelter: Cook County is expected to announce plans for a new $90 million fund to help migrants, with $70 million going to healthcare and another $20 million going to suburbs willing to help in the migrant crisis. * WGN | Gov. Pritzker announces $160M in funding for migrant emergency response: As part of the plan, the governor aims to submit at least 11,000 work permit applications. It’s an effort already underway through workshops with legal aid providers and pro-Bono attorneys. * WTTW | Gov. J.B. Pritzker Announces Plan to Spend Additional $160M to Care for Migrants as Winter Looms: “We’re stepping in here to try to help and accelerate this process,” Pritzker said. “It isn’t moving fast enough. That’s why you are still seeing people on the street. We just can’t have people on the street. We can not have people freezing on the streets of Chicago as we head into very cold weather.” * CBS Chicago | Gov. Pritzker: City has not moved fast enough to provide more shelter for migrants: “The city’s been operating its own methodology process, right? And it hasn’t moved fast enough,” Pritzker said. “So we’ve done a complete data analysis of everything that’s happened really for the last 14 months to determine exactly where the bottlenecks are, and so we’re bringing our resources in to try to flatten out those bottlenecks, make sure that people are moving through faster, and make sure that the city is building shelters faster.” * ABC Chicago | Mayor Brandon Johnson expected to provide details on migrant plans: Mayor Brandon Johnson is expected Friday to release more details about his migrant policy. This comes after Governor JB Pritzker pledged more money to help deal with the crisis with more arrivals expected. Earlier this week, Johnson announced “We are addressing the anxiety and fear that people have, whether you are a taxpayer or whether you are someone who is seeking asylum in the city of Chicago,” Johnson said.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Nov 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Open thread
Friday, Nov 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Nov 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: A CTA Yellow Line train crashed into a snow plow doing scheduled training, sending two dozen to hospitals. Tribune…
-23 people, including four children, were taken to hospitals after the crash. -Three of the people were in serious or critical condition, though no injuries were believed to be life-threatening. * Related stories… ∙ Block Club: At Least 23 Injured, 3 Critically After CTA Train Crashes Near Howard ∙ NBC Chicago: Largest CTA train crash in decades leaves 38 injured ∙ *ABC Chicago: CTA Yellow Line service remains suspended after train crash injures 38 at Howard Station * More from X (previously known as Twitter)…
* Isabel’s top picks… * Capitol News Illinois | Advocates hail regulatory ‘earthquake’ as state slashes requested gas rate increases: Rates will still rise next year, but not nearly as much as they would have if the commission had approved the utilities’ initial requests. The commissioners instead sided with consumer advocates – rejecting several recommendations from the ICC’s own staff – in several key areas, including profit rates, low-income discounts and spending oversight. * Sun-Times | Ed Burke’s corruption trial opens with conflicting takes on leading figure — ‘extortionist’ vs. ‘good man’: When the trial of former Ald. Ed Burke finally kicked off in earnest Thursday, a federal prosecutor wasted no time leaning forward, pointing his finger at the veteran politician and calling him perhaps the “most powerful member of the Chicago City Council.” Then, Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Chapman told the jury that Burke was more than that: “He was a bribe taker. And he was an extortionist.” * Sun-Times | Chicago police unit that reviews cops’ use of force ‘critically understaffed,’ Illinois attorney general’s office says: The unit had a backlog of 2,702 cases in July, which has nearly doubled to 5,116, [Assistant Attorney General Samuel Kennedy] said. In February, the unit had 54 police officers and now has 47. The department is adding four part-time employees to the unit, but that isn’t going to be enough to address the three-month backlog, Kennedy said. * A first for Illinois…
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* Herald-Review | Requiem for ‘Invest in Kids,’ and other takeaways from Illinois legislature’s fall session: It was controversial from the beginning, with progressive lawmakers and powerful allies, most notably the state’s teachers unions, opposing it on ideological grounds, claiming that it siphons money away from public schools. But there is a difference between now and then. In 2017, the state’s governor was a Republican and longtime advocate for school choice. The Democratic legislative leaders were were products of Chicago’s once-dominant parochial system. * Jim Dey | Inmates’ mental issues present problem with no solution: It sounds hellish and probably was. But what’s the best way to deal with inmates whose malignant personalities and mental-health issues make them a constant behavior problem and/or threats to themselves, other inmates and prison employees Previous litigation has shown Illinois prisons provide poor mental-health services, one significant factor being the state’s inability to hire enough psychiatrists to meet the demand. * Tribune | Chicago police officer pleads not guilty to felony aggravated battery for videotaped school incident: The Police Department, however, stripped him of his police powers last week and prohibited from carrying a gun or his badge while awaiting trial, his attorney said. He has been assigned to desk duty until the case is resolved. Lancaster was indicted earlier this month after the Chicago Tribune published a video of the altercation, which shows him hitting 14-year-old JaQuwaun Williams near his throat as the boy walked into Gresham Elementary School on May 18. * Daily Southtown | Will County rejects plans for solar farm near Frankfort: The solar facility would have been about a quarter mile from the village of Frankfort’s border, and officials there objected to the plan. Michael Schwarz, Frankfort’s director of community and economic development, said it was not consistent with the comprehensive plan. The village includes that property in its long-term plans and officials believe it is best suited for residential development, Schwarz said. “We are not opposed to solar,” Schwarz said. “We don’t think this is the right location.” * Block Club | Downtown Alderman Says He Asked Mayor’s Office For Help — And Was Told He’d Get It In Return For Votes: Ald. Bill Conway (34th) is accusing Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office of refusing to help him resolve issues around tent encampments in his ward after he did not support two of the mayor’s key proposals in City Council last month. The mayor said the situation is being misunderstood. At the same time, another key Conway proposal to boost safety around a women’s clinic was unexpectedly delayed amid the public squabble. * Politico | Resolute abruptly lays off staff: On the call, Resolute CEO Greg Goldner told the group that “business development hasn’t gone the way we expected it,” and after a series of tough meetings with the firm’s founder and COO, Dave Smolensky, everyone on the call would be laid off — effective immediately, according to a person at the meeting. * KSDK | Illinois hunting isn’t affected by the state’s assault weapon restrictions. Here’s what the law says: Under PICA, hunters are permitted to use firearms classified by the law as “assault weapons” while hunting, as long as the guns are authorized under the Illinois Wildlife Code and have the appropriate licenses and permits usually required for hunting. * NBC | Global decline in male fertility linked to common pesticides: Researchers compiled, rated and reviewed the results of 25 studies of certain pesticides and male fertility and found that men who had been exposed to certain classes of pesticides had significantly lower sperm concentrations. The study, published Wednesday in Environmental Health Perspectives, included data from more than 1,700 men and spanned several decades. * Tribune | Tiny Chicago Hope Academy is in the state football semifinals, but its mission is bigger than sports: With 290 students, Hope plays in the smallest division in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). It is one of only two Chicago teams left in the playoffs, along with Mount Carmel in Class 7A. If Hope wins, it’s believed it will be the first West Side school to win the state title. * Sun-Times | Jason Benetti’s departure from White Sox hastened by contentious relationship with exec Brooks Boyer: Multiple sources said a contentious relationship with Sox senior vice president and chief revenue and marketing officer Brooks Boyer was at the center of the situation, particularly an inappropriate remark Boyer made to Benetti. * Sun-Times | Ray Tate, musician who ran Old Town School of Folk Music and taught John Prine guitar, dies at 86: “The spirit of the Old Town School was bringing music to people who had never played before, and Ray was at the center of that,” said Michael Miles, a teacher at the school. […] He accompanied other musicians on stage, performed as a studio musician, created jingles for radio and television ads and established Project Upbeat, a program for city kids at the Old Town School that garnered a letter of support from then President Richard Nixon. He also composed, arranged and produced more than 25 film scores and television themes.
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