Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2023

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

This afternoon’s top stories

Shelby County Board member Teresa Boehm is being prosecuted by Shelby County State’s Attorney Robert Hanlon for previously serving as an appointed Rose Township Cemetery trustee while also serving on the county board. Boehm had resigned as trustee after Hanlon intervened. The state’s attorney said at the time that he wanted to avoid filing criminal charges, then reversed himself. Boehm points out she’s the only Democrat on the county board. Herald & Review reporter Tony Reid has the details.

Centreville Citizens for Change is asking the federal government to investigate why St. Clair County spent nearly all of its COVID-related relief funds in largely white communities while the predominantly Black, low-income city of Cahokia Heights faces an ongoing health crisis with floodwater and sewage spilling into homes. Belleville News-Democrat

Healing Illinois, a statewide initiative that gives anti-racism grants to nonprofits, will give out grants as large as $30,000 to fund racial healing and equity work by various nonprofits. The program is funded by the Field Foundation of Illinois and the Illinois Department of Human Services, writes Scott Reader for the Illinois Times.

Around 92,100 people in the US traveled out of state to receive abortions in the first half of 2023, according to new data — more than double compared with three years ago. Illinois saw 18,870 out-of-state patients between January and June 2023. Bloomberg.

What’s up in the Windy City?

Chicago Reader | Johnson administration’s early days marked by lapses in transparency:

* Crain’s | Friends of the Parks: No new Bears stadium on lot south of Soldier Field: A report yesterday that the Chicago Bears are exploring the idea of building a new stadium on a parking lot south of Soldier Field has prompted a firm response from a powerful parks preservation group: Not on our watch. “Our board is calling our lawyers as we speak,” said Juanita Irizarry, the executive director of Friends of the Parks, a nonprofit advocacy group well-known for battling new commercial development along the lakefront.

* Sun-Times | Chicago is seeing largest spike in robberies in over 20 years, analysis shows: Nearly 4,900 robberies happened between July 1 and Nov. 26, a more than 55% increase compared to the previous five months. That’s the largest percentage increase in robberies between consecutive five-month periods since at least 2001.

* Sun-Times | Hot tub boats offer a toasty spot to chill on the Chicago River: The boat company’s co-founder, Ron Silvia, called the new attraction a BYOB, “float and socialize” city experience that allows customers to drive themselves in a hot tub transformed into a boat. “It’s not a long-distance cruise. It’s to hang out within a few blocks of our main location at Marina City,” Silvia said in a statement.

Here’s the rest!

Rockford Register Star | In an age of pay apps and plastic, some Rockford businesses remain cash-only:

* Bloomberg | Mortgage rates fall for sixth week, dropping closer to 7%: The average for a 30-year, fixed loan was 7.03%, down from 7.22% last week, Freddie Mac said in a statement Thursday. Mortgage rates have retreated in recent weeks, bringing slight relief to homebuyers who have been facing the highest borrowing costs in years. The housing market still remains tough, with a limited supply of homes for sale helping to prop up prices and squeeze affordability even more.

* Fox 32 | Former Bears star Robbie Gould retires after 18-year career: Gould announced his retirement on The Player’s Tribune on Thursday. Gould had been a free agent after the San Francisco 49ers opted not to bring him back for a seventh season. Gould spent 11 seasons with the Chicago Bears and one with the New York Giants.

* Block Club | The Earliest Sunset Of The Year Is Thursday — And It Won’t Even Hit 4:20: Even as the sun starts to set later — and by later, we mean 4:28 p.m. — the days will get shorter until Dec. 21. That day will have nine hours and 11 minutes of sunlight, making it the city’s “shortest day” of the year.

* Sun-Time | Shedd Aquarium welcomes orphaned 8-week-old sea otter pup: “With this newest addition to our rescued population of sea otters, we’re committed to his long-term care and continuing to create connections for Chicagoans to this important keystone species,” Peggy Sloan, chief animal conservation officer at Shedd Aquarium, said in the release. Shedd staff members traveled to Alaska to bring back the otter. He arrived Nov. 29 and is being bottle fed while eating small portions of clam a few times throughout the day.

* The Southern Illinoisan | Poshard Foundation hosts toy give away to help provide Christmas gifts for children: Each year the foundation hosts a toy giveaway. Social service agencies identify children who are unlikely to receive other Christmas gifts, then the agents come to the two-day event to choose gifts for those children. More than 2,000 gifts will be distributed in total during this year’s giveaway. Each child will receive three gifts, along with socks, blankets, hats and gloves.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - New LRB procedures

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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After National Retail Federation retraction on organized retail crime’s scope, Attorney General Raoul promises continuing enforcement

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* We talked about this story earlier this week…

The National Retail Federation just confirmed what many have suspected — reliable stats about organized retail crime are hard to come by.

In a remarkable reversal, the industry group has retracted a key statistic about the impact of organized retail crime (ORC) in 2021 after it could not support the figure with firm data.

A report published in April erroneously said that ORC represented “nearly half” of the industry’s $94.5 billion inventory shrink in 2021. Last week, the NRF updated the report to remove that figure, Reuters reported. […]

“We stand behind the widely understood fact that organized retail crime is a serious problem impacting retailers of all sizes and communities across our nation,” the [NRF] spokesperson said. “At the same time, we recognize the challenges the retail industry and law enforcement have with gathering and analyzing an accurate and agreed-upon set of data to measure the number of incidents in communities across the country.”

* I asked Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office for comment…

Notwithstanding inaccuracies in the National Retail Federation’s data, it remains unquestionable that organized retail crime is a serious problem in the State of Illinois and throughout the country that mandated a law enforcement and legislative response.

Organized retail crime leads to more than just the inconvenience of shopping at pharmacies where everyday items are locked in cases. We know from our investigations and experience that there is no shortage of coordinated brazen acts that put retail employees and shoppers at risk.

The priority is not on low-level shoplifting for personal use, but on organized crime. Proceeds of these thefts end up being monetized on online platforms, which is why we have focused from the beginning on going after the ringleaders of organized criminal enterprises who are often involved in other criminal activity. These efforts have involved coordination between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, which all have recognized the seriousness of this problem. These collaborations have led to arrests and the recovery of millions of dollars of stolen items. Our office is and will continue to follow tips and evidence to disrupt the organizations facilitating these brazen acts.

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Susan Catania

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* As I told subscribers this morning, former Illinois state Rep. Susan Catania has passed away. Her daughter Sara Catania wrote a eulogy. Here’s an excerpt, but you really should read the whole thing…

My mother, former Illinois State Legislator Susan Catania, a relentless advocate for the ERA and a fearless champion of important but politically unpopular causes, died last week.

The cause was a fire that broke out during the early morning hours of November 27 in our family cabin on Cranberry Lake outside the town of Eagle River in Northern Wisconsin, where she’d moved to spend her retirement.

In January of 1973, the U.S. was about to end its role in the Vietnam War and the Supreme Court to uphold abortion rights in Roe v. Wade. The prior November, to the surprise of no one, President Nixon was re-elected in a landslide. In Chicago’s 22nd legislative district, to the surprise of nearly everyone, my mom won close to 70 percent of the Republican vote, earning her a seat in the state legislature. In the annals of history, my mother’s victory was nowhere near as momentous an event as Roe, Vietnam and Nixon, but in the halls of local and state political power, it was shocking.

She was white in a nearly all-Black district on Chicago’s South Side, a Republican in a city of big D Democrats, and a young mother at a time when very few women — and even fewer who had children — ran for public office..

On top of all that, she had no experience in politics and no connections to the all-powerful political machine of Mayor Richard J. Daley, who maintained his white-ethnic grip on Chicago politics even as three other major U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Atlanta and Detroit — made history by electing their first African American mayors. […]

On hearing that my mother had died, someone asked me for my favorite memory of her. The first thing that popped into my head was her laugh. My mom was a serious and driven person. She also had a great sense of humor and a rolling, joyful laugh. My delight in hearing it was magnified by its stark contrast to her typical deadpan demeanor. I have many memories of her sitting at our kitchen table talking on the phone, often to reporters, in long and rambling conversations punctuated with that laugh. No wonder I became a journalist.

Her death was not the end we would have wished for her, or one she would have wanted for herself. But she died in a place she loved, after living her life exactly as she wanted.

* Compiled by Isabel…

1995 Chicago Tribune | DCFS coordinator puts family values to work

* 1990 Chicago Tribune | A world apart: Indeed, Susan Catania, an ecology-mined former state representative and mother of seven daughter, said that disposable diapers were essential to her political life. “I would not have been able to serve in the Illinois House of Representatives without them,” she said. Catania had three daughters in diapers while she held office. She used cloth diapers at home, which she washed at home, but used disposables in Springfield when traveling with her babies. “If we have the brains to do things, I think we should be out doing them, not home doing diapers,” she said.

* 1999 Chicago Reader | Triple Threat: Catania often bucked her party leadership, voting for gun control, for abortion, for the ERA, but it was impossible for the bosses to punish her because there was no Republican organization on the south side. … With members serving in Springfield, the Chicago Republican Party wasn’t the joke it is now. Catania used her office to corral votes for Senator Charles Percy and to rally her constituents against Democratic state’s attorney Edward Hanrahan, who was hated by blacks for his role in the killing of Black Panthers Fred Hampton and Mark Clark. The machine bosses who controlled the Taylor Homes had never told their constituents about ticket splitting, so Catania had to give lessons.

* 1982 Illinois Issues | Will it be Ryan, Totten or Catania?: Mrs. Catania is a Republican, elected and reelected to the Illinois House from heavily Democratic Chicago, thanks to cumulative voting. In other words, her clout is minimal even on her own turf. And some people got the wrong idea when she brought her babies to the House floor so they would not be deprived of their mother’s attention. The image may have been that of a vulnerable woman but, in fact, Mrs. Catania was demonstrating some unusual courage by invading the often zoo-like House chamber with an infant. … “Susan Catania can’t win,” Mrs. Schlafly said. “No one who supported John Anderson for president can win a statewide Republican primary.”She also refused to call the race a referendum on the ERA, but she acknoledged that issue is likely to dominate the campaign.

* 1982 Washington Post | Three Congressmen Apparently Lose, Another Periled in Illinois Primary: In the GOP lieutenant governor’s contest, state House Speaker George Ryan, Thompson’s choice, was running ahead of state Rep. Susan Catania, a feminist and party maverick. State Sen. Donald Totten, who sought to capitalize on his links to Reagan, was third. Totten conceded Ryan’s victory but Catania clung to the hope that uncounted ballots in Chicago might give her an upset. … But a greater threat to Ryan, according to pre-primary polls, came from Catania, a feminist liberal who backed John B. Anderson for the 1980 GOP presidential nomination. As the former head of the Illinois commission on the status of women and the only avowed supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment in the race, Catania drew financial help from feminists across the country, who saw in her candidacy a last-ditch chance to push Illinois into the list of states ratifying the ERA.

* 2018 SJ-R | Bernard Schoenburg: 36 years later, Susan Catania hopeful about ERA: Catania, 76, who says she still leans Republican and now calls Buffalo Grove home, says 36 years later that one anti-ERA message, about women’s role in the military, has been rebuffed. “We have a United States senator who clearly has demonstrated that women can serve with complete distinction in the U.S. military. And we have her fighting the good fight now in Washington.” She was talking about U.S. Sen. TAMMY DUCKWORTH, D-Illinois, the Hoffman Estates resident who lost both legs when her helicopter was shot down over Iraq. Catania said she voted for Duckworth in 2016. “She’s carrying the torch for women,” she said, and is “speaking out for the military and for women, for working families.”

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It’s just a bill

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Rep. Kam Buckner introduced HB4252 on Monday…

Creates the Student-Athlete Bill of Rights Act. Sets forth specific rights for students and student-athletes at postsecondary educational institutions. Provides that a postsecondary educational institution shall prepare and post a notice detailing specified rights that student-athletes have under federal law and where a complaint may be filed for a violation. Provides that a postsecondary educational institution may not intentionally retaliate against a student-athlete for (1) making or filing a complaint, in good faith, about a violation of a student-athlete’s rights granted under any applicable statute, rule, or policy; (2) testifying or otherwise assisting in an investigation into a violation of a student-athlete’s rights granted under any applicable statute, rule, or policy; or (3) opposing any practices that the student-athlete, in good faith, believes are a violation of a student-athlete’s rights granted under any applicable statute, rule, or policy. Provides that each postsecondary educational institution offering athletic programs for student-athletes shall hire or appoint an ombudsperson, independent of the athletic department, who may be an employee, to provide specified support to student-athletes. Creates the Commission on College Athletics to pursue research and recommendations and monitor athletic programs at postsecondary educational institutions. Sets forth other duties of the Commission and the membership of the Commission. Requires the Board of Higher Education to provide administrative and other support to the Commission and adopt rules.

* Here’s another bill from Leader Buckner…

Creates the Higher Education Violation Reporting Act. Provides that each public and private institution of higher education shall maintain a report publicly reporting actual findings of violations by any student organization, athletic team, or living group of the institution’s code of conduct or anti-hazing policy or State or federal laws relating to hazing or alcohol, drugs, sexual assault, or physical assault. Provides that an institution of higher education shall provide hazing prevention education to employees. Provides that if an employee or volunteer at an institution of higher education has reasonable cause to believe that hazing has occurred, the employee or volunteer shall report the incident. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. In provisions concerning hazing, provides that a person commits hazing when he or she knowingly requires the performance of any act by a student or other person in a school, college, university, or other educational institution of this State for the purpose of induction or admission into or maintenance of membership in (instead of only for the purpose of induction or admission into) any group, organization, or society associated or connected with that institution if the act meets certain requirements; makes changes to the requirements. Provides that an act may be considered hazing regardless of whether the student or other person is willing to participate in the act. Effective July 1, 2024.

* Sen. Natalie Toro…

To ensure employees are not treated differently in the workplace or passed over in the hiring process due to their caregiver role, State Senator Natalie Toro is working to amend the Human Rights Act to protect people with family responsibilities from discrimination.

“Just because a person has external obligations to support their family does not mean they aren’t capable of successfully doing these jobs,” said Toro (D-Chicago). “Assuming differently without any demonstrated proof that their performance has changed is discrimination and should be banned by state laws.”

Currently, there are no laws protecting employees who are also caregivers from differential treatment, including offering lower wages, preventing advancement opportunities, or even terminating employment. These actions are often the result of employers’ biased assumptions that any employee who has family obligations outside of work must be unreliable, uncommitted and less valuable, regardless of actual job performance. This often disproportionately impacts pregnant people, working mothers, people of color and low-wage earners who are already financially vulnerable.

To better protect caregivers, Senate Bill 2616 would make it a civil rights violation for employers to retaliate against a person who speaks out about discriminatory actions they believe to be based on their family responsibilities. The measure would also expand the definition of harassment to include protections for people with family responsibilities.

“No one should be treated differently at work after they have a child or step up as a caregiver for family members,” said Toro. “This law will ensure that workers’ livelihoods are protected as they navigate the responsibilities within their lives.”

Senate Bill 2616 awaits discussion in the spring legislative session.

* HB4257 from Rep. Anna Moeller…

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Establishes procedures for serving a search warrant upon foreign corporations that are electronic communication services and remote computing services allowing a search for records that are in the actual or constructive possession of a foreign corporation that provides electronic communication services or remote computing services to the general public, if those records would reveal: (1) the identity of the customers using those services; (2) data stored by, or on behalf of, the customer; (3) the customer’s usage of those services; (4) the recipient or destination of communications sent to or from those customers; or (5) the content of those communications. Provides that, when properly served with a search warrant issued by an Illinois court, a foreign corporation subject to this provision shall provide to the applicant all records sought pursuant to that warrant within 8 business days of receipt, including those records maintained or located outside the State. Provides that a foreign corporation seeking to quash the warrant must seek relief from the court that issued the warrant within the time required for production of records. Provides that the issuing court shall hear and decide that motion no later than 8 days after the motion is filed. Provides that no cause of action shall lie against any foreign or Illinois corporation subject to this Section, its officers, employees, agents, or other specified persons for providing records, information, facilities, or assistance in accordance with the terms of a warrant issued pursuant to this provision. Provides that this provision does not apply to corporations that do not provide electronic communication services or remote computing services to the general public.

* Rep. Amy Elik’s HB4255…

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Allows the use of red, blue, and white oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights on tow trucks.

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Get it together, man

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* More background is here if you need it. Last month…

Ald. Bill Conway is crying foul after Johnson’s administration said they would have the city remove the tents in which people are sleeping [in West Loop homeless encampments] only if Conway voted in favor of two pillars of the mayor’s progressive policy agenda.

The conflict between Conway and [top Johnson adviser Jason Lee] begins with the encampment near Union and Ogilvie stations, which Conway said is a trouble spot for drugs and violent crime in the ward. Two recent shootings in the area have exacerbated his concern.

* Press release today from Ald. Conway…

Late last night, a man was fatally shot near the corner of Lake and Clinton Streets downtown, immediately adjacent to a dangerous area under the viaducts and a CTA Green Line stop, Ogilvie Transportation Center, and Union Station. The incident is currently under investigation by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and follows a string of violent crime in the area which was once a peaceful encampment but has become a magnet for violent crime and drugs. This past Friday, CPD arrested a man with an illegal loaded gun and $60,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine in the 500 block of West Lake St.. In recent weeks, there have been two other shootings, multiple armed robberies, and numerous overdoses. […]

On Friday, just hours after CPD arrested someone with an illegal loaded gun and $60,000 of heroin and crack cocaine under the viaducts, the Mayor’s Office responded to area residents who had repeatedly begged the City to address crime with a stock letter restating their misrepresentation that this area was merely a peaceful encampment - noting that, “homelessness is not illegal” - rather than recognizing it has turned into a magnet for violent crime and drugs. The unfortunate response also disregarded the fact that for some time now, the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) hasn’t been able to get anyone to accept their offer for rapid rehousing and has been referring cases to CPD – because it isn’t safe, for anyone.

* Meanwhile…

There were nearly 4,900 robberies between July 1 and Nov. 26, an increase of more than 55% compared to the total for the previous five months. That’s the largest increase in robberies between consecutive five-month periods since at least 2001 — the earliest year tracked in the city’s online crime portal. […]

A Chicago Police Department statement didn’t address potential reasons for the spike but said since July, the department has enhanced its efforts to combat robberies, resulting in a 25.8% increase in robbery arrests compared to the same period in 2022, according to its data. […]

Overall, total robberies in the city are lower compared to where they were from 2001 to 2013, and again in 2016 and 2017, when robbery totals surpassed 10,000 each year. But with more than 8,700 total robberies reported through late November, the city is on pace to see the most robberies since 2017.

* Other stuff…

CWB | Chicago cops didn’t file a report, watched TV in squad car after random attacker killed man on Mag Mile:

* Sun-Times | Who should decide the fate of Chicago’s most serious police misconduct cases?: A City Council panel today could allow the main union for cops to contest firings and long suspensions behind closed doors.

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Question of the day: 2023 Golden Horseshoe Awards

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Democratic State Senate Staff Member goes to Selena Gorman…

While there are many rockstars that deserve this accolade, this year’s GH should go to Selena Gorman for her 3+ decades of service to the Senate Democratic Caucus. Despite all of the ups and downs, Selena has been steadfast in her commitment to serving the caucus and the legal staff. I do not know how Giovanni will survive without her! She will be missed dearly.

Gorman was most definitely the strongest crowd favorite.

Runner-up is Brandy Renfro. Honorable mention goes to Mary Hanahan.

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Republican State Senate Staff Member goes to Brad Carlson…

He manages to stay modest, friendly, and grounded even in the heat of session. He’s been around a long time and seen a lot, but doesn’t expect rose petals thrown at his feet because of it. Knowledgeable but not an egghead…stays practical and pragmatic.

How can you not give him the win after a nomination like that? Solid.

Runner-up is Cheyenne Scaife. Honorable mention goes to Scott Kaiser.

Congratulations to all!

* On to today’s categories…

Best Republican State House Staff Member

To be clear, this category also includes campaign staff. Please explain your nominations or they won’t count. Also, do your very best to nominate in both categories.

* We raised about $10,000 yesterday to buy Christmas presents for foster children. Amazing. Thank you so very much.

As I write this, contributions have totaled $50,882 since last Tuesday, which is enough to help Lutheran Social Services of Illinois purchase 2,035 gifts.

Think about that for a second. Your generosity means more than 2,000 foster kids will receive a Christmas present this year. I’m just blown away by that and I hope you are, too.

Sometimes, these gifts cost more because some kids need winter coats or boots. So, let’s keep this going. The total LSSI goal is at least $63,250. Please, click here and help make it happen if you possibly can. Thanks!!!

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Chicago politics gets even messier

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I told subscribers about most of this on Tuesday…

Democratic Chicago Ald. Scott Waguespack is going to run as a write-in candidate for the 32nd Ward committeeman seat that he currently holds.

Here’s why: The only guy in the race, Ishan Daya, was caught on video recently tearing down a poster in New York City of an Israeli hostage being held by Hamas.

“Many party members have objected to him based on his actions,” Waguespack told Playbook, adding, he’s filing to run as a write-in after initially planning not to seek reelection. Waguespack had endorsed someone else for the post, but that person didn’t file on time — leaving Daya as the only one in the race. Now Waguespack is back in. […]

20th District state Senate race: After the video of Daya went public, he stepped down as a co-host of a fundraiser for Graciela Guzman, a progressive challenging incumbent state Sen Natalie Toro in the Democratic primary. The war is now a talking point in the race, with Guzman condemning Daya’s actions, and Toro calling them out as “hateful and antisemitic.”

I mean, we’ll see, but it’s not like Waguespack has a ton of friends these days. And his bumbling with his preferred replacement is what caused this to be a one-person ward race to begin with.

Anyway, the video is here, but be careful if you’re at work. Click here for Daya’s statement. Subscribers know more about other reactions and responses. And there’s more at that other link about a couple of congressional primaries.

Take at least one deep breath before commenting, please. Thanks.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Open thread

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: An Illinois Senate candidate denies falsifying concealed carry certificates. Rockford Register Star…

* We’ve reached our fundraising goal to give Christmas presents to foster kids!

UPDATE: We're now above $50,000!!! https://t.co/aexRjksjTy https://t.co/MwobkHDiTq

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) December 6, 2023

* Isabel’s top picks…

* Tribune | Chicago hears from Cincinnati and Newark officials on how to speed up replacement of toxic lead pipes: Newark agreed to pay to replace about 23,000 lead service lines rather than requiring property owners to contribute or making them fill out paperwork proving they couldn’t afford the work, said Kareem Adeem, director of the city’s water and sewer department. Frustrated by futile attempts to reach absentee landlords, city officials began allowing renters to grant permission to remove lead pipes connecting homes to municipal water mains.

* The Tennessean | This is why Nashville mayor Freddie O’Connell met with White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf: O’Connell said during a press briefing Friday that he had no plans to try to woo anyone when it came to the Stars, and that any meetings during the Winter Meetings would be “informal.”"It would be … just the basis of introducing him to the city more so than saying, ‘Hey, come support the Stars being a thing.’ We’re not even close to that,’” he said.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* Daily-Journal | End of an era as Wheeler will not seek new chairman term: Wheeler declined to comment on his decision. He only said that he will fulfill the remainder of his four-year term which ends Nov. 30, 2024. He’s been county board chairman since 2016 and a board member since 2012.

* WMBD | Several state lawmakers won’t have primary challenges in March: Eleven statehouse races touching central Illinois counties won’t have March 19, 2024, primary challenges and, of those, only two are shaping up to be contested in the general election on Nov. 5.

* Daily-Journal | Crowded field in 79th District Democratic primary race: Five people filed to run in the Democratic primary next March for the 79th District in Illinois House of Representatives, currently held by Republican Jackie Haas of Bourbonnais. Haas filed paperwork last week seeking a third term. Four of the five Democrats running are from Kankakee County.

* WLPO | Race To Replace Yednock Features Primary Races On Both Sides Of Aisle: Five candidates turned in paperwork to replace Democrat State Representative Lance Yednock in the 76th District. Democrats vying for the seat are: Amy Briel of Ottawa and Cohen Barnes and Carolyn Zasada both of DeKalb. Republicans going after the House seat are Crystal Loughran of Peru and Liz Bishop of La Salle.

* Rob Kelter | Illinois Commerce Commission rejects ‘business as usual’ in utilities’ rate hike requests: In its decisions the commission took bold steps to transition the state from natural gas to renewable energy. It’s only a start, but in the nearly three decades I’ve been litigating cases before the ICC, I’ve never seen the commission tell the utilities that they have to change the way they serve their customers.

* WICS | Cannabis revenues continue to climb in Illinois: The Illinois Department of Revenue has recently reported that cannabis sales generated $452 million in tax revenue for the state from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.

* WBEZ | Who should decide the fate of Chicago’s most serious police misconduct cases?: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is asking a City Council committee on Thursday to reject an arbitrator’s ruling that would allow the union for the city’s rank-and-file cops to contest the most serious police discipline cases behind closed doors.

* WTTW | CPS Board to Vote on Charter Renewal for Urban Prep Academies Despite Ongoing Litigation: The Chicago Board of Education this month is expected to renew the campus agreement for Urban Prep charter schools located in Bronzeville and Englewood after a judge ruled that CPS violated its moratorium on school closures by attempting to take control of the schools.

* Sun-Times | Johnson urged to ‘find solutions that work for the airlines’ to salvage O’Hare expansion: Days after announcing his departure from the job growth agency known as World Business Chicago, Michael Fassnacht urged City Hall and the two major carriers to work out their differences on a massive project that started at $8.7 billion but has ballooned to $12.1 billion.

* Tribune | Bally’s Chicago revenues flat for November at $7.6 million: The Chicago casino ranked fourth in revenue and second in admissions in November among the state’s 15 casinos, according to Gaming Board data. Rivers Casino Des Plaines led the way with $43.5 million in adjusted gross receipts and 249,000 admissions.

* Tribune | Chicago Bears reportedly mulling Soldier Field parking area as new stadium site as talks resume with schools over Arlington Heights location: The Bears are doing due diligence on the viability of the south parking lot at Soldier Field as the location for their next stadium, according to unnamed sources cited by The Parkins & Spiegel Show on WSCR-AM 670 The Score. The Bears reportedly are using the same surveying firm, Compass Surveying Ltd. in Aurora, that they used for Arlington Heights and other potential locations.

* Tribune | Kennedy Expressway lanes to reopen, as first year of construction project ends: The reopening marks the end of the first year of a three-year, $150 million rehab of the highway from the I-94 split south to downtown. But it will only be a temporary respite for the estimated 275,000 drivers who use the expressway daily. Work is expected to pick back up again in the spring on the next phase of the project, in the reversible express lanes in the center of the highway.

* Vera | Impact Over Orthodoxy: Two weeks ago, Jennifer Doleac, an economist and Arnold Ventures’s new executive vice president in charge of its criminal justice portfolio, took to X (formerly Twitter) to openly disparage recent Vera research on college-in-prison programs in New York State. The Vera study she attacked found that incarcerated students who enroll in college are 66 percent less likely to be reconvicted of a new offense following release. Her characterization was surprisingly blithe: “This is research malpractice, y’all.” Rendered so cavalierly by a powerful and putative ally at one of Vera’s closest and deepest philanthropic partners, this mischaracterization necessitates a thoughtful response.

* Tribune | McDonald’s will open first CosMc’s spinoff in suburban Bolingbrook this week: CosMc’s, named after a McDonald’s character from the 1980s whom CEO Chris Kempczinski described as “part alien, part surfer, part robot,” will be a 10-store, small-format pilot concept focused around specialty beverages and coffees. A CosMc’s in Bolingbrook will mark a soft opening Friday, the company said. The remaining stores will open in Texas by the end of 2024.

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Live Ed Burke Trial Coverage

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of a lagtime and you have to refresh the page every now and then. The service we’re using may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees. You can still click here to follow the Ed Burke trial on Twitter. Posts without a Twitter author name below them are from online news sources via Bing…

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Live coverage

Thursday, Dec 7, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Live coverage is back, sorta. This will be different than the old Scribble Live feed because Twitter broke itself and almost everything else it touched. These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of posting lagtime, but it’s much better than nothing. We are also limited to just 20 Twitter sources. The service may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees about this. You can still click here or here to follow breaking news the way we’ve done since Twitter stopped Scribble Live from working…

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This just in: We’ve surpassed our fundraising goal!

Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I told you this past Friday that I had reset our fundraising goal to $48,007. That matches what we raised last year plus inflation. We were more than $10,000 away from that goal on Friday, but we just surpassed the target and we’re now at $48,268 as I write this.

We’ve now raised enough to allow Lutheran Social Services of Illinois to buy Christmas presents for 1,930 foster kids.

I didn’t think we’d get here. Y’all are truly amazing. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.

* LSSI has an overall goal of $63,250. Others are fundraising as well, of course, but let’s keep this going. I won’t change the official target, but growth is always important. So, please, if you haven’t donated yet, or if you can afford to give more, please help us buy Christmas presents for foster children by clicking here.

CapitolFax.com is more than just a website. We’ve built a community here. And our annual fundraising drive helps bring us together in ways no other blog or news outlet can claim while helping lots of kids in need. I hope some of those children grow up to be readers or subscribers or even advertisers. Wouldn’t that be just the coolest thing?

Please, click here. Thanks!!!

…Adding… We’re now above $50,000!!!

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* South Side Weekly | ICE Detains Illinois Immigrants in Out-of-State Jails: After the Way Forward Act banned ICE from detaining undocumented people in state jails last year, the agency began detaining undocumented Illinois residents in Wisconsin and other states.

* Block Club | Aldermen Want Meetings With CHA Boss After Investigation Revealed Vacant, Decaying Properties: Other alderpeople also expressed concerns after Block Club and Illinois Answers found that nearly 500 of the CHA’s scattered-site properties are empty while more than 200,000 people are on the agency’s waiting lists for housing. After news outlets began asking questions, the CHA announced it plans to spend $50 million in 2024 to rehabilitate 176 of the scattered-site properties.

* WTVO | Illinois AG charges Rockford instructor for falsifying concealed carry certifications: This is the second case of the Illinois Attorney General charging a Stateline man for falsifying documents to obtain concealed carry licenses in the last month. … Reyes ran for the 34th District Illinois Senate seat and was defeated by Steve Stadelman in 2022.

* Tribune | Cook County state’s attorney’s office replaces head of unit that reviews possible wrongful convictions, rebrands effort: Assistant State’s Attorney Nancy Adduci, who previously lead the unit, will remain as a deputy, the release said. She was replaced by Michelle Mbekeani, who joined the office in 2018 as a legal and policy advisor. The office also renamed the Conviction Integrity Unit, now known as the Conviction Review Unit. The shift came as Adduci’s work had come under scrutiny in the past year due to her prosecution of defendants accused of shooting and killing Chicago Police Officer Clifton Lewis in 2011. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in June dropped charges against two of the three suspects amid accusations from defense attorneys of misconduct on behalf of the police and prosecutors who handled the case.

* Bolts | “I’m Just Another Traffic Stop”: As the department poured resources into the Community Safety Team, Brown pledged their work would be driven by long-term relationships with residents, businesses, religious organizations and neighborhood groups. By the end of 2020, the Community Safety Teams logged over 200 of those community interactions, according to a Bolts analysis of data from the Office of Emergency Management and Communications’ dispatch system, which generates a unique record each time officers radio headquarters to document civilian interactions or routine activities. Those community interactions included food drives, youth sports events and community input meetings, according to a Chicago Police spokesperson. But those interactions were dwarfed by the 48,000 traffic stops the team conducted in 2020—nearly all of that unit’s documented activity that year. In 2021, when the Community Safety Team was at its largest, its officers logged over 150,000 traffic stops—more than twice the number of community engagement activities, the data show.

* Crain’s | Friends of the Parks executive director departing after eight years of ‘good trouble’: Juanita Irizarry, executive director of city park advocate group Friends of the Parks, will be leaving her role after eight years at the nonprofit. Friends of the Parks’ board of directors made the announcement Tuesday, stating that Irizarry was the “face of good trouble” and that her resignation is “regrettable.”

* WBEZ | Personal aides for students are the unsung heroes of special education in CPS: CPS was trying to cut costs and, though aides are not highly paid, assigning a full-time staffer to a small number of children is expensive. Over the last five years, the number of aides has gone up more than any other position in special education, except for case managers, which went from being an extra responsibility for teachers to a stand-alone position. There are now about 6,800 aide positions in the school district, up from 4,500 in 2018. The cost also has nearly doubled, from $150 million in 2018 to nearly $280 million.

* WCIA | Effingham Flex-N-Gate workers return after two-week layoff: Flex-N-Gate Effingham officials said workers returned on Nov. 6 after a two-week layoff. The UAW strikes in Kentucky caused the plant to temporarily let people go on Oct. 12. One worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she’s relieved to be back. She said the days off put her and some colleagues behind financially. She said the time away taught her better money management.

* Daily Herald | Another inmate death reported at McHenry County jail: According to the release, the man was found at about 4 p.m. Tuesday in a single-person booking cell. Corrections officers and Woodstock Fire/Rescue personnel attempted lifesaving measures, but the man was pronounced at the scene, officials said. […] It is the third inmate death reported in just two weeks.

* WCIA | Family of Decatur woman killed by speeding trooper gets $2.5M settlement: The 8-year-old and 14-year-old daughters of Kelly Wilson from Decatur will split a $2,591,761.26 settlement after a former state trooper rammed into their mother’s car and killed her. The family originally asked for 10 million dollars from the lawsuit. […] In May 2016, Illinois Trooper Jeffrey Denning was working in Macon County when he received a call about a police officer shot in Mahomet. Denning was speeding over 100 miles per hour to the scene where he crashed into Wilson, making a left turn at the intersection of Oakland Avenue and Harrison Street. He later testified his sirens were not continuous as he should have set them when traveling that fast.

* Daily Herald | ‘A step in the right direction’: Libertyville has new tool to battle electric vehicle battery fires: “The only effective method is to pierce the battery compartment and cool the thermal runaway (reaction) taking place in the battery bank,” he said. To do that, the department in partnership with the Libertyville Fire Protection District invested $30,000 for equipment specifically designed to quickly extinguish fires involving lithium-ion high voltage batteries in electric vehicles.

* Crain’s | Feds provide $95 million toward Union Station upgrades: The funding will come in two buckets: $45 million will go towards track improvements to transform an area previously used for mail service, which has been out of service for nearly two decades, to handle an anticipated expansion of rail service in the Midwest. Another $44 million will fund platform expansions and help pay for ventilation upgrades.

* AFP | Planet tipping points pose ‘unprecedented’ threat to humanity: report: The most comprehensive assessment ever conducted of Earth’s invisible tripwires was released as leaders meet for UN climate talks in Dubai with 2023 set to smash all heat records. While many of the 26 tipping points laid out in the report — such as melting ice sheets — are linked to global warming, other human activities like razing swathes of the Amazon rainforest could also push Earth’s ecosystems to the brink.

* WSJ | Bitcoin Mining Used More Water Than New York City Last Year: Bitcoin-mining operations slurp up billions of gallons of water globally each year. Estimates vary, but the annual footprint is projected to surpass 591 billion gallons of water this year, according to an article published last week in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports Sustainability.

* WCIA | Family sells everything, moves to Central IL to help others by opening ‘Monarch’s Haven’: Monarch’s Haven will aim to provide essential services for both the homeless and families facing difficult times. “We want to do a meal ministry and a day center for people to be able to help them with just having a place to hang out,” Jenny said. “If they need help with job applications, applying for assistance, applying for social security, any of those things.”

* Daily Beast | You’ll Never See John Lennon’s Death the Same After This: A new Apple TV+ docuseries, John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial, centers almost entirely on the fateful night of Dec. 8, 1980, when Lennon was fatally shot outside his New York City apartment building, the Dakota. Director Nick Holt’s three-part series is mercifully short on cheap theatrics and loopy theories, instead putting us squarely in the middle of a real-life horror story. Narrator Kiefer Sutherland strikes the right tone of equanimity, and while there are aspects of the police procedural, the series doesn’t play like the true-crime docs to which we’ve all become so accustomed and desensitized.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign news (Updated)

Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Roundup: Prosecutors push ’shakedown’ narrative in Burke trial

Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Tribune…

Jeff MacDonald, the former regional director of Tri-City Foods, is one of the final prosecution witnesses expected to be called in the Burger King episode, one of four alleged schemes outlined in the racketeering indictment against Burke.

MacDonald, who was in charge in the early stages of the renovation of a Burger King on South Pulaski Road in Burke’s 14th Ward, sent an email to colleagues in 2017 describing Burke as one of the most powerful politicians in the city and warning he was “angry” over complaints about trucks parking overnight and what he perceived was a lack of philanthropy on their part.

“Next to the mayor, Burke is arguably the most powerful politician in Chicago,” MacDonald, wrote. “He has been in office for 48 years … without his signature, we cannot get a permit.”

MacDonald took the witness stand shortly before trial recessed for the day Tuesday. Prosecutors have several more days of testimony to go before resting their case, but the bulk of it deals with separate allegations in the indictment.

* WGN…

After meeting with Burke about the remodeling project, MacDonald sent an email to other executives saying that the alderman would not sign off on the project unless the company agreed to make charitable donations.

MacDonald later described that as a “shakedown.”

Defense attorneys sought to show that the idea of charitable donation was Burke’s way of looking out for the less fortunate in Chicago, not a “shakedown.”

The alleged Burger King scheme also involves Burke’s longtime aide, Peter Andrews, who was present at several of the meetings in question.

* Jon Seidel…

Burke also apparently wanted the owners of the Burger King to be more philanthropic. MacDonald told him "that was out of my pay grade and he would need to speak to the owner."

— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) December 6, 2023

* Jason Meisner…

MacDonald said at the close of the meeting, Burke asked if he knew "who does our property tax work?"
What was his response?
"That I didn’t know and that it was probably done out of Houston."
MacDonald said Burke seemed "irritated" and the whole meeting was "uncomfortable"

— Jason Meisner (@jmetr22b) December 6, 2023

* More…

* Tribune | ‘I was taken aback’: Burger King exec testifies about uneasiness with then-Ald. Ed Burke linking permits with tax firm work: Zohaib Dhanani, a vice president for the company founded by his father, Dhanani Group, was the latest witness to paint Burke as wearing two hats, both as the City Council’s most powerful and longest-serving alderman and as a private lawyer prowling for business for his firm, Klafter & Burke.

* ABC Chicago | Ed Burke trial: New testimony about ties to alleged shakedown involving Burger King restaurant: Dhanani testified he was “taken back a bit” that Burke would mention property tax appeal work and permits in the same sentence. Dhanani told jurors, “It felt unusual. It felt weird, the two being linked together.”

* Crain’s | The ‘unusual’ dealings of Ald. Ed Burke continue in court: Later, on June 27, Burke called his “friend in Houston” to check in. In a recording of that call between Burke and Dhanani obtained by the feds, Dhanani updated the alderman on parking issues at the Burger King. Burke once again brought up his private business. “We were going to talk about the real estate tax representation and you were going to have somebody get in touch with me so we can expedite your permits,” Burke told him, according to the recording played in court today.

* ABC Chicago | Ed Burke trial juror replaced after falling ill, defense allowed to call witness out of order: Monday, a juror fell ill and was dismissed; an alternate took over, which comes on the heels of two COVID-related delays that forced the government to reshuffle its case and witnesses.

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Brighton Park migrant tent city shutdown coverage roundup

Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* We covered this yesterday, but lots of you might not have seen some late updates because of the timing and the very long length of the post. Mayor Brandon Johnson to NBC 5…

Johnson said “discovering toxicity [at the Brighton Park migrant tent site] wasn’t a surprise], but said “the contract that the state of Illinois went into with Gardaworld, as they continued to build out on this site, there was no indication throughout this entire process, that a standard or a different methodology was preferable by the state of Illinois.”

“There was no additional information that was provided that would have led us to believe that this particular report that has been validated to be safe by third parties, that somehow that operation will be halted,” Johnson said.

* From the mayor’s office…

After announcing last month its intention to support the city’s humanitarian migrant shelter mission, the State of Illinois entered into an agreement, leveraging its original contract with GardaWorld, to construct and operate a basecamp at a site previously identified by the City at 38th and California. Shortly after entering into its agreement, the State instructed GardaWorld to proceed with construction of the base camp simultaneous with the performance of the environmental assessment and remediation work previously contracted by the City.

The City contracted Terracon Consultants, Inc. to conduct a field investigation under a sampling plan that was developed for this specific site in accordance with an emergency response protocol under the Illinois Emergency Management Act. The investigation included soil sampling, groundwater sampling, and soil gas sampling which yielded soil analytical results, groundwater analytical results, and soil gas analytical results. Per the findings, the City conducted remediation work which included both the removal of contaminants and the introduction of new materials to eliminate safety risks for individuals who would reside in temporary residential housing.

Despite being made aware of the above assessment and remediation process, the State provided no additional guidance on its preferred methodology or assessment criteria, nor raised any concerns about its own decision to move forward with construction prior to the release of Terracon’s report.

* From the governor’s office…

IEPA standards on sampling and remediation are clear and known to the City. Those are not the standards the City chose to use. The City did not engage with IEPA or the State before releasing the report and when it did release the report, was unable to explain the lesser standards they did choose to use and how they arrived at those standards. We understand that the City selected this site and holds the lease and is therefore frustrated it cannot move forward. The State shares that frustration. But while the City might be comfortable placing asylum seekers on a site where toxins are present without a full understanding of whether it is safe, the State is not. This site will not move forward as a shelter with State involvement.

* From Isabel…

* Sun-Times | Pritzker tells Chicago to fold its tents — governor rejects toxic migrant shelter site in Brighton Park: Citing “serious environmental concerns,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday that the state is ending development of a proposed migrant camp in Brighton Park. The decision follows the city of Chicago’s release of an environmental report Friday night that showed the location at 38th Street and California Avenue required cleanup of heavy metals and toxic chemicals. The state halted construction Sunday.

* CBS Chicago | Gov. JB Pritzker scraps Chicago’s plan for first migrant tent camp in Brighton Park over contaminated soil: “IEPA would not approve the proposed Brighton Park site for residential use, based on our regulatory standards for remediation of contaminated properties,” said Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim. “The well-being of residents and workers at the site is our highest priority, and current and planned site conditions do not adequately reduce risks of human exposure to known and potential environmental conditions.”

* Greg Hinz | Brandon Johnson and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week: The nastiest flap is over a planned refugee tent base encampment the city had wanted to erect at a former industrial site at 38th and California in the Brighton Park neighborhood. The Johnson and Pritzker camps already had been jostling over that and an increasing number of other matters, but the situation exploded yesterday when Pritzker’s Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the site was still unfit for human habitation despite claims to the contrary from Johnson.

* NBC Chicago | Chicago mayor reacts after state halts Brighton Park migrant site: Johnson said “discovering toxicity [at the site] wasn’t a surprise], but said “the contract that the state of Illinois went into with Gardaworld, as they continued to build out on this site, there was no indication throughout this entire process, that a standard or a different methodology was preferable by the state of Illinois.” “There was no additional information that was provided that would have led us to believe that this particular report that has been validated to be safe by third parties, that somehow that operation will be halted,” Johnson said.

* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker won’t proceed with Brighton Park migrant camp, citing ‘serious’ environmental concerns: Underscoring the escalating tension between Springfield and City Hall, Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh shot back at Johnson’s statement, saying state environmental standards “are clear and known to the city.” “Those are not the standards the city chose to use,” Abudayyeh said in a statement. “The city did not engage with IEPA or the state before releasing the report and when it did release the report, was unable to explain the lesser standards they did choose to use and how they arrived at those standards.” “While the city might be comfortable placing asylum seekers on a site where toxins are present without a full understanding of whether it is safe, the state is not,” Abudayyeh added.

* NBC Chicago | City releases statement after state halts plans for migrant site in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood: “The City’s goal has been and continues to be to move with urgency in providing shelter for new arrivals currently sleeping on the floors of Chicago Police Department district stations, airports and sidewalks. We have been planning for both the present and the future of the new arrivals mission by standing up nearly one temporary shelter a week and reducing the number of new arrivals sleeping at emergency staging areas and outdoors from nearly 4,000 to approximately 600.”

* Crain’s | Citing environmental concerns, Pritzker nixes Brighton Park migrant tent camp plan: No immediate plans were shared on where the state may pay for the construction of a tent camp at a new location. The city has identified another location for a separate tent camp, on vacant land at 115th and Halsted, but it’s unclear whethe the state will fund construction at that location.

* ABC Chicago | State will not proceed with Brighton Park camp for Chicago migrants after environmental review: Alderwoman Julia Ramirez, who represents the 12th Ward, said on Tuesday that better decisions should have been made from the very beginning. “As manufacturing-zoned area that shouldn’t have ever been considered. And so, looking forward, I think that should use be something they don’t move forward with if a place is zone for heavy manufacturing,” Ramirez said. “It is unacceptable to proceed without a comprehensive assessment of the health risks. We are pleased to see the halt of construction and the continued work towards assessing the safety of this site.”

* Block Club | State Says No Tent Camp For Migrants On Contaminated Brighton Park Site: Despite the tent plan being halted, Ramirez said she’s committed to making her ward a welcoming neighborhood for migrants. “I’m really, really happy the state intervened and was able to further assess,” she said.

* Sun-Times Editorial Board | Gov. Pritzker took the right step by ending city’s Brighton Park migrant tent plan: The Johnson administration picked the known industrial site at 38th Street and California Avenue without any thought to its environmental ramifications. Then it rushed through soil testing and started construction last week — while test findings were still pending, and telling the public as little as possible. … Slapdash and slipshod from the start, the tent camp plan had all the warning signs of developing into a hot mess of the first order. And yet Johnson and his administration pressed on.

18 Comments

Caption contest!

Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Wait. What?…

22 Comments

Do better, IDFPR

Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Beth Hundsdorfer at Capitol News Illinois…

State regulators allowed a Carlinville funeral director to operate for months despite a complaint filed by a local coroner who found a decomposing body in his funeral home and alleged the care of the remains was “unacceptable and criminal in nature.”

While trying to assist a local family with retrieving cremated remains in March, Morgan County Coroner Marcy Patterson found the unrefrigerated corpse in the embalming room of Heinz Funeral Home. She contacted the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the state agency that oversees funeral directors, and filed a complaint.

IDFPR took no immediate action against the funeral home director Albert August “Gus” Heinz, allowing him to continue to handle arrangements for grieving and unsuspecting families.

Patterson followed up on her complaint in June after receiving a call from another family. She once again asked IDFPR to intervene.

It wasn’t until Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon held a press conference in September to express his outrage at what he’d seen that IDFPR finally took some action.

Go read the whole thing.

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Fun with numbers

Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Ray LaHood and Jim Nowlan writing in the Tribune…

In 2021, the Democratic majority in the Illinois legislature drew new district maps. Last year, citizens cast around 70,000 more votes statewide for Republican rather than for Democratic candidates for the Illinois House. The results: Democrats won 78 seats; the GOP, 40.

Not mentioned is that the House Democrats ran 92 candidates last fall compared to 104 House Republican candidates.

But let’s drill down a bit more. The House Democrats ran just five candidates in races that were won by Republicans with at least 60 percent of the vote. On the other hand, the House Republicans ran 38 candidates in races won by Democrats with at least 60 percent of the vote. That’s a difference of 33 races.

So, a big part of this disparity is Republicans run a ton of candidates in no-chance districts and the Democrats don’t. Heck, one might even go as far as to say that groups like the Illinois Policy Institute spent a few bucks recruiting lots of GOP candidates to set up this very LaHood/Nowlan talking point. Just sayin.

Did the Democrats gerrymander the districts? Of course they did. Hugely so. But a little context would’ve been nice.

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Question of the day: 2023 Golden Horseshoe Awards

Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Democrat Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager goes to Liz Moody…

She keeps her members on track, on time and on mission despite the hectic legislative agenda her members carry. And her members carry “heavy lifting” bills that require a lot of work.

If you have ever been near Liz’s desk on a session day you would understand. She’s a combined air traffic controller, stage manager, office manager, PR spokesperson and House procedure consultant all at once.

Lobbyist, staffers, visitors and lawmakers all treated with respect and understanding. Liz will bend over backwards to help anyone and at the same time can be tough as nails when it requires it.

I’ve seen her literally running up stairs from LRB in the closing hours of session making sure amendments are filed and bills called on Third Readings as the clock ticks and the pressure cooker is boiling.

Liz is a gold standard when it comes legislative assistants.

It wasn’t even close. I’ve known Liz for years and she truly deserves this. Leader Jay Hoffman is fortunate to have her.

Runner-up is Torrence Gardner with Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s office. Honorable mention to Michelle Cianferri, the district office manager for Rep. Stephanie Kifowit. Both legislators nominated their staffs, which is encouraged here.

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Republican Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager goes to Karla Dirks, who works for Deputy Republican Leader Norine Hammond, who was among the nominators…

I nominate my LA, Karla Dirks. I’m not sure I can state it better than Kelly Cassidy, but she is incredible. She certainly has her hands full keeping me on schedule. In addition, she manages members and staff parking and travel. She is accommodating to ALL members that need a quiet spot for a quick meeting or personal time! Truly a class act!

Runner-up goes to Tina Walters in Rep. Amy Elik’s office.

Congratulations to everyone!

* On to today’s categories…

Best Democratic State Senate Staff Member

Best Republican State Senate Staff Member

This includes all legislative government and campaign staff members. Spokespersons will have their own category, but they’re still eligible here. As always, make sure to explain your nominations or they won’t count, and do your very best to nominate in both categories. Thanks.

* As I write this, we are now up to $41,368 in donations toward our $48,007 goal to help Lutheran Social Services of Illinois buy Christmas presents for foster kids. This means 1,654 children will receive gifts because of your generous donations. That’s so very awesome.

But LSSI serves 2,530 children, so there’s still a need. Please, click here and donate if you can. Thanks!!!

36 Comments

A trip down memory lane

Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From COGFA’s latest monthly report…