Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Mar 14, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Block Club Chicago…
Campaign mailers from candidates for the 20th state Senate District are inundating neighbors, trash cans and alleys, with many complaining that state Sen. Natalie Toro has sent more than her opponents and candidates in other races.
Neighbors told Block Club and shared on social media that Toro’s campaign has filled their mailboxes and doors with so many mailers and door-hangers that some are afraid to check their mailboxes. […]
Dave Seman, a political campaign consultant who runs Paladin Political and has worked on local and national campaigns using direct mail and digital media, said that even though neighbors are feeling overwhelmed with Toro mailer ads, frequency is key to boosting her platform.
“The mailer perspective is, we’re definitely persuading them and giving the voter an argument, but we are asking for their vote,” Seman said. “To the people who are offended that we asked them too many times for their vote … they probably weren’t our voters in the first place. This is a race where you have a millionaire, a lobbyist and a teacher — they’re going make that conversation as prevalent as they possibly can.”
Click here, here and here for Reddit posts from those swamped with Toro campaign mail.
* People’s Fabric…
An owner of a video gambling business. President of a political consulting firm. Owner of a private law practice. These are some of the outside jobs held by senior advisors in Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez’s office. […]
A People’s Fabric investigation shows senior advisors failing to report potential conflicts and outside income on required ethics disclosures. In one case, an advisor’s unreported income came from political work for Martinez and her close allies.
Gloria Chevere is a “longtime Martinez confidante” and former Cook County judge.
In her capacity as judge, Chevere faced several controversies, including an investigation that found her sunbathing in her backyard when she was supposed to be at work. She was later removed from the courtroom after several allegations of misconduct, including jailing defendants who wore baggy pants.
Chevere now serves as a Senior Policy Advisor to Martinez, receiving a salary of $175,044.
* More Martinez…
* Chalkbeat…
Next year, Illinois high school juniors could take the ACT instead of the SAT as the federally-mandated state test. The Illinois State Board of Education has started the process of awarding a three-year, $53 million contract to ACT Inc.
The College Board’s contract to administer the SAT for 11th graders and PSAT for ninth and 10 graders is set to expire June 30. The state board is required by federal law to administer accountability assessments to high school students. State law says that exam must be a nationally recognized college entrance exam like the SAT or ACT. All Illinois public high school students must take a college entrance exam in order to receive their high school diploma.
The ACT would be administered in school buildings starting with the school year 2024-25, but students will still be able to take the SAT if they want to pay for it.
Illinois’ plan to switch tests comes at a time when the SAT is going fully digital and will take two hours instead of three. (The ACT is three hours). The new SAT will also be adaptive, with test questions that adjust in difficulty based on how students respond to previous questions.
* Here’s the rest…
* WCIA | Illinois unemployment rate slightly increased for Jan. 2024: The Bloomington and Champaign-Urbana metropolitan areas had the largest increases of jobs since Jan. 2023, with a 3.8% and 2.1% increases respectively. The largest decreases of non-farm jobs over-the-year were the Springfield area with a 2.7% decrease and the Decatur area with a 2.5% decrease.
* Nieman Lab | A company linked to a large “pink slime” network is being hired by big publishers like Gannett: A Gannett spokesperson confirmed the company has a contract to produce “advertorial content” sourced from Advantage Informatics, a blandly named company founded by Brian Timpone, a conservative businessman and former TV reporter based out of Chicago. (Timpone’s name may be familiar to readers who remember the Journatic scandal of 2012, or to those who have followed the Tow Center for Digital Journalism’s extensive research on “pink slime” sites.)
* ABC Chicago | 3 former employees sue Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard for wrongful firing amid corruption accusations: All of them said they were terminated for refusing to do political campaign work for Henyard. Sandra Tracy is a former Human Resource Manager for Thornton Township. Karen Johnson is a former Dolton Public Works Department administrative assistant. Samysha Williams is the former director of Dolton’s Buildings Permits and License Department.
* WICS | Hundreds of FFA members advocate for Illinois agriculture’s future in State Capitol: These FFA members brought with them baskets full of Illinois agricultural goods so these state officials could see everything that Illinois agriculture has to offer. Items in the baskets included products that were provided by the Illinois Corn Growers and the Illinois Soybean Association, to popcorn, and other goods made within the state.
* Sun-Times | 2 CPS students reported to have measles as new cases climb to 10, officials say: Two Chicago Public Schools students were among a handful of people reported to have measles, bringing the city’s total up to 10 as of Wednesday evening, health and school officials confirmed. Earlier this week, CPS learned of a positive measles case involving a student at Philip D. Armour Elementary School in Bridgeport and the Chicago Department of Public Health confirmed another case at Cooper Dual Language Elementary Academy in Pilsen.
* CNN | All eligible people at Chicago migrant shelter have been vaccinated for measles in ‘unprecedented operation’: The Chicago Department of Public Health said Wednesday that everyone who is eligible for vaccination at the temporary shelter housing migrants at the center of a measles outbreak has now been vaccinated. The city learned that it had its first measles case since 2019 last week. Illinois is one of 17 states that have seen measles cases so far this year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first case in Chicago was unrelated to the shelter.
* Tribune | Looking for work, migrants turn to street vending: In recent months, other types of street vending have also become more visible. Men and women walk through CTA trains selling chocolates and candy out of decorated bins. On a recent afternoon, several women from Ecuador sat on street corners around the Loop, selling gum, M&Ms, Reese’s and Skittles.
* WBEZ | How Chicago’s long history of migrant influxes has shaped its population: To put this latest wave of migration into context, WBEZ identified three periods in Chicago’s history when the city experienced a similar — or larger — influx of newcomers: European migration at the turn of the 20th century, the Great Migration of Black Americans from the South and migration from Mexico in the 1990s and 2000s.
* Crain’s | Johnson urged to appoint commissioner to overlooked zoning board: When an application for an Uptown transitional shelter was submitted to the city’s quasi-judicial Zoning Board of Appeals it had several forces behind the project suggesting it would be approved. […] the application was rejected in a 2-2 decision after hours of testimony in a crowded 11th floor board room at City Hall. Opponents of the shelter included businesses that shared the building and nearby residents. Had Johnson bothered to appoint a fifth member to the zoning board during his first 10 months in office the outcome may have been different.
* Streetsblog | Contrary to neighbor’s concerns, Chicago Fire Department says they haven’t heard of any problems with new Dearborn protected bike lane: But not everyone is happy about the changes. We did hear from a neighbor worried that converting Dearborn, a relatively quiet, mostly residential street north of Chicago Avenue, from two northbound mixed-traffic lanes to one will cause problems for first responders. He argued the street redesign make it tough for other drivers to pull over to the right to make way for firefighters, EMTs, and police officers. […] But Barnes found nothing to back up that claim. “WGN News took their concerns to the Chicago Fire Department, whose spokesmen had not heard of any issues for firefighters,” She acknowledged. “Chicago police did not respond to our request for comment.”
* WBEZ | Stealing campaign signs is a Chicago tradition steeped in machine politics: Back in 2007, it was especially rampant in the 50th Ward, where the Wasmer-Brekke family lived. At the time, the family was locked in a heated sign war. Every time they put up signs for Naisy Dolar, they would get swiped. They brainstormed ways to catch the thief, including the one that woke Brekke up in the middle of the night: tying empty cans to a decoy sign, so they’d rattle if it was pulled away.
* Crain’s | How Chicago politicians lost the luck of the Irish: Once the St. Patrick’s Day event of the season where mayors and gubernatorial candidates endured cheers and jeers, there’s a conspicuous absence of political activity at this year’s parade. Mayor Brandon Johnson won’t march, nor will state’s attorney candidate, Judge Eileen O’Neill Burke. Rep. Sean Casten, the incumbent for Illinois’ 6th Congressional District, is scheduled though he already leads his opponents in fundraising.
* Sun-Times | $45 million settlement offered for teen who can’t walk, speak after crash during police chase: The payment, one of the largest in Chicago history, would go to Nathen Jones, who suffered a massive brain injury in a traffic accident. Jones was a passenger in a car being chased by police after a traffic violation. The April 2021 pursuit violated a newly-revised CPD policy intended to rein in vehicular pursuits.
* Patch | How IL House Lawmakers Voted On The TikTok Ban: Supporting the bill were Democrat Reps. Nikki Budzinski, Sean Casten, Bill Foster, Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Mike Quigley, Bradley Schneider, Eric Sorensen and Lauren Underwood as well as Republican Reps. Mike Bost, Darin LaHood and Mary E. Miller, according to The Washington Post.
* WCIA | Central IL farmers prepare for planting amid warm weather: For farmers in Central Illinois, the mild winter has set the stage for everything to go as planned. Pesotum farmer Chris Hausman said he’ll start around April 1 to protect against any potential frosts.
* UIUC College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences | Milk to the rescue for diabetics? Illinois project creates first insulin-producing cow: Conservatively, Wheeler says if a cow could make 1 gram of insulin per liter and a typical Holstein makes 40 to 50 liters per day, that’s a lot of insulin. Especially since the typical unit of insulin equals 0.0347 milligrams. “That means each gram is equivalent to 28,818 units of insulin,” Wheeler said. “And that’s just one liter; Holsteins can produce 50 liters per day. You can do the math.”
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* Center Square…
A state law that limits where lawsuits challenging state laws can be filed has been ruled unconstitutional as applied to a case from Madison County.
Approved last year and signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, House Bill 3062 was opposed by Republicans who said limiting where people can sue the state to just two of the state’s 102 counties is “tyrannical.” The law limits where people can sue the state alleging constitutional violations from state laws or executive orders to just Cook and Sangamon counties.
In Piasa Armory’s challenge to the state’s firearm industry liability law in November, the state motioned to move the case to Sangamon County. Earlier this month, a Madison County judge found the court venue limit law as applied in the case is unconstitutional.
The law “does violate due process, as applied to persons who reside or were injured outside of Cook or Sangamon County,” Madison County Judge Ronald Forest, Jr. wrote. “The motion to transfer is Denied, as [the law] is unconstitutional, as Defendant seeks to apply it.” […]
In its motion to move the case to Sangamon County, the state said the litigants can remote in with video conferencing. Forest said the state could also video conference into Madison County.
“The Court is aware that Supreme Court Rule … allows broad use of video conference or telephone at an evidentiary hearing or trial ‘for good cause shown and upon appropriate safeguards’ or even as of right,” Forest wrote. “However, the availability of remote proceedings does not bolster the State’s argument. The State could also participate in Madison County using the same remote means.”
* Madison County Record…
“Sangamon county is simply inconvenient to plaintiff, inconvenient to plaintiff’s witnesses, and defendant lists no witnesses that Sangamon County would be convenient for,” Foster wrote. “While hardly entitled to any weight, even the location of plaintiff’s counsel is in Madison County. While documents may be relatively easy to move, there is no showing that any relevant documents are anywhere other than Madison County.” […]
In his order, Foster relied upon the Illinois Supreme Court’s ruling in Williams v Illinois State Scholarship Commission, which is the only state court precedent addressing whether a statute fixing venue violated a litigant’s due process rights.
In Williams, Cook County was set as the “exclusive venue” for lawsuits brought against student loan borrowers by the state agency tasked with administering those loans.
The Supreme Court concluded that “the burden of an inconvenient forum, when combined with the indigence of the ‘borrowers’ and other factors, ‘effectively deprived the borrowers of any means of defending themselves in these actions’ and therefore constituted ‘a due process deprivation.’”
Similar to the student loan borrowers in Williams, Piasa Armory demonstrated that both Sangamon and Cook Counties are inconvenient forums.
“As applied to plaintiff in this case, as a practical matter, transferring this action to Sangamon County will deprive it of the ability to put up its best challenge to the constitutionality of [Firearm Industry Responsibility Act],” Foster wrote.
* The Illinois State Scholarship Commission was exclusively filing all collections lawsuits in Cook County against people who defaulted on Guaranteed Student Loans. A lawsuit was filed by a Madison County resident challenging the practice, and then the General Assembly passed a bill to codify it. From the Supreme Court opinion…
In its order granting summary judgment in plaintiffs’ favor, the trial court applied the balancing test set forth in Mathews v. Eldridge (1976), 424 U.S. 319, 334-35, 96 S. Ct. 893, 903, 47 L. Ed. 2d 18, 33, for determining whether a statute or governmental policy violates due process. This test calls for courts to weigh the costs of requiring a particular set of procedures against the benefits derived from the use of those procedures. In particular, the Mathews test consists of three factors: (1) the private interest that will be affected by the official action; (2) the risk of erroneous deprivation of such interest through the procedures used and the probable value, if any, of additional or substitute procedural safeguards; and (3) the government’s interest, including the function involved and the fiscal and administrative burdens that the additional or substitute procedural requirements would entail. […]
Because venue is merely a matter of procedure, courts generally cannot interfere with the legislature’s province in determining where venue is proper, unless constitutional provisions are violated. … This court, in fact, has never declared a venue statute unconstitutional. But we have stated that a law fixing venue could be so arbitrary or unreasonable as to deprive defendants of due process. Therefore, after considering the three Mathews factors in light of both the purpose behind the general venue rules in Illinois and general principles of statutory interpretation, we determine that the special venue provision of section 30-15.12 is such an arbitrary and unreasonable statute. […]
In contrast, the only purpose behind the special venue provision of section 30-15.12 is the convenience of ISSC’s legal department and the Attorney General. As we have already discussed, this is inapposite to the purposes of the general venue statute. Thus, the statute in question in the case at bar is not a logical extension of the legislature’s previous pronouncements regarding venue. Also, as we will discuss in the next section, the government actually has no logical reason, besides ISSC’s convenience, to change its venue rules. […]
When we balance our findings under each of the Mathews factors, we conclude that both section 30-15.12 and defendants’ practice of filing all ISSC collection actions exclusively in Cook County violate due process. We admit that, standing alone, requiring venue to be in a particular county does not necessarily infringe upon plaintiffs’ right of access to the courts. However, the burden of an inconvenient forum, when combined with the indigence of the class members, the combined evidence of ISSC’s lack of good faith in allegedly offering nonlitigious means of settling its claims *483 against student borrowers and defendants’ vigorous pursuit of default judgments against class members, and the statute’s lack of provisions for an alternative forum, leads us to conclude that section 30-15.12 and defendants’ practices effectively deprive plaintiffs of any means of defending themselves in these actions. This raises their personal interest to the level of a due process deprivation.
Not a slam dunk either way? I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.
* The governor was asked about the loss yesterday…
My reaction is it’ll obviously run through the court system. I signed it. I think it’s something that makes sense for just organizing the court system. So there’s a lot of venue shopping going on by people who are just trying to find a friendly judge here and there. The experts that are in the two venues that have been designated, seem like they have handled constitution related cases, more than any others and so it makes sense to me that those cases run through there.
…Adding… Leader Curran…
Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) released the following statement in response to this week’s ruling that Governor JB Pritzker’s law that limits individuals challenging the validity of state law in court unconstitutional:
“This is the second bill that Gov. Pritzker has signed into law over the last year that the courts have already found to be unconstitutional. As we get further along in this legislative session, this ruling should be a caution sign for the Governor and his legislative allies to stop with the power grabs that seek to suppress the constitutional rights of Illinois citizens.”
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* Press release…
A coalition of business, labor and agriculture groups have united behind legislation that would provide a regulatory framework to advance carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in Illinois, helping the state reach its clean energy goals while simultaneously promoting job creation and economic growth. The proposal (SB3311/HB569) is the result of months of negotiations with a diverse array of stakeholders and includes strong landowner protections, support for local first responders, and numerous safety and accountability provisions.
Sponsored by State Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, and State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, the legislation builds upon existing federal incentives and regulations, recognizing the state’s distinctive geology provides a unique opportunity to work toward Illinois’ goal of reducing greenhouse gases while also increasing economic development. As other states compete for investments, Illinois must seize the opportunity to provide clear policies to allow for successful project development.
CCS captures carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at the source, preventing their release into the atmosphere and storing them permanently deep underground. According to the Clean Air Task Force, CCS is a safe and proven technology that has been commercially applied to operations in the U.S. since the 1970s. International studies addressing the energy transition suggest that CCS is a necessary tool for rapid decarbonization, along with energy efficiency and electrification. […]
According to a study from the University of Illinois, CCS development and expansion has the potential to create 14,400 jobs, generating more than $3 billion more for the State’s economy over 10 years. This includes the creation of new employment opportunities in the construction industry as well as the operation of new CCS facilities.
“The economic impact of enacting this legislation will be seen for generations,” said Representative Hoffman, Assistant House Majority Leader. “Under this proposal, Illinois will remain competitive as industries look to utilize this technology and expand operations, growing jobs and ensuring Illinois meets its carbon reduction goals.”
“This bill presents a critical opportunity to further propel Illinois’ transition to a clean energy economy without leaving workers and families behind, creating thousands of jobs and instituting strong labor standards that ensure fair wages, safe working conditions and training to get the job done right,” said Joe Duffy, Executive Director of Climate Jobs Illinois.
“Illinois has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 26% by 2025 and set the goal of being at 0% carbon emissions by 2050. Establishing carbon capture technology in Illinois is vital to reaching these goals,” said State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago. “Changes must be made for Illinois to transition to a clean energy future. We don’t have time to delay.”
Climate Jobs Illinois is a union group.
* Some good context from Patrick Keck at the SJ-R…
Sierra Club of Illinois however says the legislation is too limited, focusing solely on sequestration, and is instead backing legislation that would regulate CO2 pipelines and prohibit the use of eminent domain.
Denzler contended pipeline regulation is a federal matter for the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, currently crafting updated rules following a 2020 pipeline burst in Satartia, Mississippi causing over 40 people hospitalizations and more than 200 evacuations.
The bill would clarify that the owner of the surface estate would also own the beneath pore space, but would still allow for easements of the property. Securing easements proved to be difficult for the now cancelled Navigator Heartland Greenway — only receiving 13.4% of easements to construct its pipeline.
Local municipalities would also be eligible for grant funding, calculated by 1 cent for every ton of carbon dioxide injected into a sequestration facility for each fiscal year. The money could be used to cover emergency response plan expenses along with the purchase of new equipment.
* The governor was asked about the proposal yesterday…
I have not read and seen the proposal that was made. I understand, you know, we’re going to be working through how, if we could, we would implement carbon capture in the state of Illinois. Is it going to be safe for people who are living in areas where carbon capture will be taking place? How would we implement it to make sure that in the construction of that then it would be safe? But you know, I started out with a degree of skepticism, you know, as I do on the things that I think, where there’s significant interests on both sides, and wondering how are we going to be able to meet the needs of both sides of this issue.
Discuss.
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* From December…
Investigators seized a work cellphone belonging to the Waukegan city clerk and executed a search warrant at the Waukegan City Hall as part of a criminal investigation.
The Illinois State Police obtained the warrant on December 13 in Lake County Circuit Court. […]
Kilkelly told the aldermen the phone was seized as part of an investigation of former 4th Ward Alderman Roudell Kirkwood.
Turns out, Kilkelly was indeed a target.
* Press release…
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office brought charges of felony official misconduct and misapplication of funds against Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly after an extensive investigation by the Illinois State Police.
Kilkelly is accused in a 15-count indictment of illegally providing credits to Waukegan businesses that were applying for liquor and gambling licenses. The City Council and her own office repeatedly established that the credit would only go to businesses that were in “good standing.” Despite the express language of the ordinance and Kilkelly’s own recommendation to the City Council, Kilkelly gave thousands of dollars in credits to businesses that did not qualify for the financial support.
Kilkelly was indicted on March 13, 2024, when an Illinois State Police special agent presented charges to and testified before a Lake County State’s Attorney grand jury.
“The public must be able to trust that those who work in public service will follow the law and use our tax dollars as intended,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. “The ISP Special Investigations Unit will continue working to ensure accountability at all levels of government.”
After the indictments were filed in a Lake County court, State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart stated, “Public officials must be held to the highest standards. I want to thank the Illinois State Police for their diligent, thorough, and fair investigation into this matter. Taxpayers lost a significant amount of revenue. The City Clerk violated the public trust when she ignored her own recommendation and the final decision of the Waukegan City Council.”
The case will be prosecuted by Chief Kevin Berrill and ASA Russell Caskey of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office Financial Crimes & Public Integrity Unit. The Unit worked with the Illinois State Police on the case throughout 2023 and 2024.
In 2022, felony charges were brought against Waukegan Alderman Roudell Kirkwood related to his application for liquor and gambling licenses. Those charges were investigated and filed by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office because State’s Attorney Rinehart had previously represented a family member of Alderman Kirkwood. The Illinois State Police, Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Lake County State’s Attorney Office concluded that no conflict existed with Lake County charging Kilkelly.
Kilkelly’s first court date is April 2, 2024, in T-510, at 9:00AM.
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Thursday, Mar 14, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Mar 14, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Center Square…
Two measures, Senate Bill 3311 and House Bill 569, would create the Climate and Landowner Protection Act. During a news conference Wednesday in Springfield, the group claimed that this will help Illinois reach its clean energy goals. However, scientist Sallie Greenberg confirmed that the separation of other chemicals from the emitted carbon actually uses energy.
“Depending on where you are separating your carbon from dictates whether or not you need additional energy resources to do that,” said Greenburg, who conducted a study for the General Assembly.
Mark Denzler, the president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, is in support of the legislation. He acknowledged that carbon emissions may be emitted during the carbon “separation process,” but ultimately there’s going to be a significant reduction in carbon. […]
House Bill 4835, currently in the House Energy and Environment Committee, seeks a temporary statewide moratorium on construction of carbon dioxide pipelines until the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has adopted revised federal safety standards and the state has finalized a study regarding the safety setbacks required in the event of pipeline rupture or leak.
* Sen. Cunningham…
State Senator Bill Cunningham advanced a measure that would add medical devices to the list of items that can be recovered from a towed vehicle and seeks to address over-the-top towing fees on stolen vehicles.
“I was shocked to find out that car owners are currently not allowed to recover medical devices, like hearing aids, from their vehicles – even if their vehicle is stolen and later towed,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “This is a commonsense fix. I think we can all agree that private towing companies shouldn’t be able to hold medical devices hostage in a towed vehicle.”
The legislation was brought to Cunningham from a constituent of the 18th District. The constituent’s vehicle was stolen from outside their residence in Chicago and was eventually located by law enforcement and towed in Alsip. The constituent did not find out where their vehicle was located until a week after it was recovered, receiving a letter in the mail from a suburban towing company that was holding the vehicle. When the constituent went to recover the vehicle, they were told they would have to pay a fee of $1,500, and were not allowed to recover a hearing aid from the vehicle until the fee was paid.
Cunningham’s measure would not only add medical devices to the list of personal property items that can be recovered from a towed vehicle, it also seeks to address exorbitant fees levied by towing companies for individuals who have their vehicle stolen. The legislation would waive the car owner’s liability for any storage fee imposed on their vehicle that resulted from the vehicle being stolen or hijacked.
Under current law, the full list of items that can be recovered from a towed vehicle includes child restraint systems, eyeglasses, food, medicine, perishable property, licenses, cash, credit cards, checks or checkbooks, wallets, purses or other identifying documents.
“If a private towing company can hold a medical device hostage, then there is a serious problem with the way towing laws are written in Illinois,” said Cunningham. “It’s time to clean this up for good.”
Senate Bill 2654 passed the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday
* David Lloyd, Chief Policy Officer of Inseparable, on HB5395…
“More than two million Illinoisans have a diagnosed mental health condition, and it’s incumbent on our leaders to do everything in their power to ensure residents can get the care they need. That’s why Inseparable is grateful to Governor JB Pritzker for his leadership on Amendment 1 of HB 5395, which is a critical step to removing barriers to mental health and substance use disorder care in Illinois. This legislation includes important measures to make care more accessible and affordable, including banning Short-Term Limited Duration Junk Plans and step therapy and requiring coverage for an ongoing course of treatment. Inseparable is proud to have the opportunity to testify in support of HB 5395 and its swift passage in the General Assembly.”
* Sen. Michael Hastings…
A new law may soon be on the books to help ensure insurance coverage for certain infertility treatments, thanks to State Senator Michael E. Hastings.
“My daughter was born via in vitro fertilization, so this is near and dear to my heart,” said Hastings (D-Frankfort). “It is truly unfortunate that individuals or families that are already facing heartbreak due to infertility complications are being forced to fight their insurance companies in order to start or expand their family. Not only that, but it is problematic when a doctor recommends a course of treatment that’s beneficial to the family, that an insurance company has the ability to trump that doctor.”
Hastings filed Senate Bill 2639 in response to a constituent in his district whose physician had recommended that they seek in vitro fertilization treatment. However, when the constituent tried to access IVF care, they were told by their insurance provider that they had to complete other procedures before it would be covered by their insurance company, even with the recommendation of their licensed physician.
This measure will ensure that insurance companies will provide coverage for infertility treatments that are recommended by a physician without requiring them to complete treatments that were deemed ineffective by their doctor.
Senate Bill 2639 would also allow a licensed physician to immediately approve any of these procedures based on the covered patient’s medical, sexual, and reproductive history, age, physical findings, or diagnostic testing.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately 10% of couples receive medical help to become pregnant.
“Medical decisions should be made between a medical professional and patient – not by insurance companies,” said Hastings. “This legislation moves us one step closer toward ensuring insurance companies do not have the ability to deny infertility treatments prescribed by medical professionals.”
Senate Bill 2639 passed the Senate’s Insurance Committee on Tuesday and moves to the full Senate for consideration.
* KFVS…
A major initiative of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is one step closer to becoming a reality. The state Senate Executive Committee unanimously passed legislation creating a new Department of Early Childhood Wednesday.
It would streamline the administration of early childhood education and bring services currently spread across several state agencies under one roof. Right now, many of those services administered by either the state Department of Human Services, Department of Children and Family Services or the Illinois State Board of Education. […]
“The whole point of us being here today is to create an early childhood care department that would make it more simple, fairer and better for all families involved,” said state Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood.
“This is policy that both parties can get behind. It’s incredibly important and statistics and data show that it’s incredibly important to be investing in early childhood,” said state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Legislators including Sen. Laura Ellman, D-Naperville, are working to increase research and monitoring of Illinois’ water resources, including the lake. […]
Ellman sponsored Senate Bill 2743, which would require the State Water Plan Task Force to meet every three months and publish a new State Water Plan including critical issues and recommendations every 10 years. Senate Bill 3716, filed by Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, would require the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to regularly monitor the water quality of Lake Michigan and to publish an executive summary every two years. Both measures await a vote from the full Senate.
Sen. Mike Simmons, D-Chicago, and Laura Fine, D-Glenview, focus on contaminants in drinking water. Simmons’ Senate Bill 3450 would establish maximum levels of certain contaminants in drinking water, creating a state standard like the levels set by the U.S. EPA.
Senate Bill 2705, filed by Fine, would ban the sale and distribution of certain products that contain intentionally added PFAS, otherwise known as “forever chemicals,” starting in 2025. All other products containing PFAS would be banned by 2032 unless the product cannot be made without the chemicals. Senate Bills 3450 and 2705 both await a committee assignment.
* Press release…
In case you missed it, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie held a press conference yesterday to discuss the ongoing issues at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. McCombie stood alongside State Representatives Dave Severin and Bill Hauter to talk about the frustration IDFPR has caused residents, and discuss their legislative package to provide solutions.
The package includes McCombie’s License Convenience Act (House Bill 4855), which would require the department to accept electronic payments for licenses and fees.
“IDFPR is too often the barrier to people working,” said McCombie. “Significant delays, breakdowns in communications, lost applications, and just overall dysfunction has too often resulted in bipartisan frustration with this agency. We have written letters, reached out to the Director, and many of us have seen first-hand the pain this agency causes our constituents who want to work throughout the state. It is imperative this agency comes to terms with its own mismanagement and implements solutions. Not years from now, but now…. Where is the sense of urgency?”
Here is the video of the press conference: House Republicans Discuss Legislative Package to Address Failures at IDFPR (youtube.com).
* Sen. Robert Peters…
In an effort to safeguard the rights and well-being of the state’s youngest citizens, State Senator Robert Peters passed legislation out of the Senate Labor Committee on Wednesday. […]
Senate Bill 3646 provides more protection for children in the workforce by addressing various aspects of child labor, including working conditions, age requirements and sectors prone to exploitation.
Peters’ bill extends protections to minors who are not enrolled in traditional public or private schools with standard school hours to define when a student is permitted to work. Further, regulations add to the list of prohibited jobs for minors and jobs requiring adult supervision, and imposes increased penalties for violations.
Senate Bill 3646 heads to the full Senate for further consideration.
* Illinois PIRG 2024 legislative agenda…
Consumer Protection
We work to get dangerous products off store shelves, end exploitative practices and ensure a level playing field in the marketplace.
- Stop unfair and excessive car insurance rates, HB4767, SB3214 (Guzzardi, Cervantes): Illinois is one of only two states whose regulators have no power to reject or modify excessive car insurance rate hikes. Insurers regularly use credit scores and other non-driving factors to set rates. It is time to establish rate review for car insurance and end the unfair use of non-driving factors to set rates.
- Ban junk fees HB4629, SB3331 (Morgan, Aquino): The Federal Trade Commission estimates junk fees cost consumers tens of billions of dollars each year. Transparency and upfront pricing help not only consumers, but also honest businesses.
- Don’t Sell My Data HB3385 (Rashid): Almost every company we interact with collects data on us – like what we buy and when. Some even collect data on what we do online, like our browsing habits and search history. Companies often sell this data to other parties, increasing the risk that our personal information will be a part of a data breach, fall into the hands of scammers, or used for invasive targeted advertising. It’s time to stop companies from collecting and using our data for purposes other than delivering the service we’re expecting to get.
- Stop Credit Repair Scams, HB4507 (Meyers-Martin): Consumers trying to improve their credit score, often turn to credit repair organizations, but too often, these businesses drain resources from consumers without actually improving their credit. This legislation would require sustained, documented improvements in credit scores before charging customers for credit repair services. […]
Healthy Living
All families and communities should have access to clean air, safe drinking water, and healthy and sustainably produced food.
- Stop the Overuse of Antibiotics, SB1891 (Koehler) HB3567 (N Hernandez): Livestock producers routinely give antibiotics to animals to make them grow faster or help them survive crowded, stressful and unsanitary conditions. Overusing these drugs—in humans or animals—breeds bacteria resistant to antibiotics, threatening the future effectiveness of these medicines, and putting our health at risk.
- Ban harmful food ingredients, SB2367 (Preston): We should be able to trust that the food we buy is safe, but unfortunately, some food additives contain harmful chemicals linked to health harms, including a higher risk of cancer, behavioral problems, harm to the nervous system, and even DNA damage.
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Open thread
Thursday, Mar 14, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Mar 14, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: House panel opens hearings on Pritzker’s health insurance reforms. Capitol News Illinois…
- The reforms would limit the ability of companies to deny claims or steer patients toward cheaper, and possibly less effective, treatments.
- They include banning prior authorization requirements for people to receive in-patient treatment at a psychiatric facility as well as all forms of “step therapy” for prescription drug coverage.
- Other changes in the plan include requiring insurance companies to publicly post the types of treatments and therapies that do require prior authorization.
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Center for Illinois Politics | Should We Change the Primary Process in Illinois?: Anyone familiar with the legendary ferocity of Illinois’ no holds barred politics should feel somewhat slighted that California claimed the title “Law of the Jungle” primary in its 2010 election reforms. Under that revamp, which voters approved by referendum, all candidates regardless of party labels competed on the same ballot in the March 5 nonpartisan primary. The top two vote getters, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican former baseball star Steve Garvey, will face off in November to fill the state’s open U. S. Senate seat.
* SJ-R | Supplemental spending: How Illinois could spend some of its $1.6B budget surplus: Broken down, the proposed spending calls for just shy of $1.2 billion from the General Fund, $350 million in transfers to meet one-time funding commitments and a $60 million change to lapsed appropriations. It also calls for an additional $205 million to the state’s rainy-day fund, a major initiative of Comptroller Susana Mendoza.
* WGN | Investigation into 30 explicit AI generated photos of suburban high school students underway: “I don’t know where it falls in the law. In my discussion with Richmond police last night they were still working with the McHenry County State’s Attorneys Office to figure out exactly how to lay out the charges for this,” Essex said. “In my opinion I think this is basically should be considered child pornography it’s unacceptable.”
* Here’s the rest…
* WGN | 4 candidates face off for the Illinois Senate seat for Chicago’s 20th District: The fundraising is extraordinary. Toro has received more than one million dollars from Senate President Don Harmon’s campaign operation while Guzman has gotten a quarter of a million dollars and counting from CTU. Guzman is also supported by Democratic socialist politicians Carlos Ramiez Rosa and Rossana Rodriquez Sanchez.
* WGN | Illinois Supreme Court candidate Jesse Reyes: ‘I bring a voice to the court that is needed’: Justice Reyes talks about his history on the bench in Illinois, what made him decide to run for a seat on the Supreme Court, why he considers himself a progressive judge, what he would say to people that say the justice system is failing law-abiding citizens, how he feels the No Cash Bail provision of the SAFE-T Act is working, why all courts need to be more transparent, his take on ‘right to life’ legislation, and his thoughts on the assault weapons ban.
* Center Square | Madison County judge finds Illinois’ lawsuit venue limit law unconstitutional: The law “does violate due process, as applied to persons who reside or were injured outside of Cook or Sangamon County,” Madison County Judge Ronald Forest, Jr. wrote. “The motion to transfer is Denied, as [the law] is unconstitutional, as Defendant seeks to apply it.”
* ABC Chicago | Rhysida ransomware gang claims it sold data from Lurie Children’s Hospital hack: The hospital confirmed it knows about the claims, saying, “We are aware that individuals claiming to be Rhysida, a known threat actor, claim to have sold data they allege was taken from Lurie Children’s. We continue to work closely with internal and external experts as well as law enforcement, and are actively investigating the claims. The investigation is ongoing, and we will share updates as appropriate.”
* Crain’s | State evaluation of One Central development still hasn’t begun: Last year, the state’s Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, or DCEO, issued a request for proposals to conduct a feasibility study on the $20 billion project that would be built over Metra tracks just west of Soldier Field. The study was meant to provide hard data for state legislators as they consider whether there is demand for the giant office and residential center, if there is a need for the project to include a new transit hub and, most importantly, if it’s worth it for the state to agree to eventually purchase that transit hub for $6.5 billion from developer Bob Dunn’s Landmark Development.
* WTTW | Johnson Says He’s ‘Frustrated’ With City’s ‘Out of Control’ Overtime Spending: “Yes, I’m frustrated, yes,” Johnson said in response to a WTTW News story that was the first to report that the Chicago Police Department spent $293 million on overtime last year, 40% more than in 2022 and nearly three times the $100 million earmarked for police overtime set by the Chicago City Council as part of the city’s 2023 budget.
* Tribune | Student at Cooper Dual Language Elementary Academy reported to have measles, CPS confirms: Chicago Public Schools said the Chicago Public Health Department confirmed Monday that a student at Cooper Dual Language Elementary Academy had developed measles. The confirmation follows several cases that emerged over the last week. In a statement, CPS said it is working closely with the Chicago Department of Public Health to respond to any unvaccinated students and two recently reported positive measles cases involving CPS students.
* Sun-Times | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $1.25 billion borrowing plan back on track for City Council approval: Johnson’s decision to borrow so much money for affordable housing and economic development signals a fundamental shift in how such projects will be financed — weaning the city from its long-standing dependence on tax increment financing.
* CBS Chicago | Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson unveils plan to invest in neighborhood groups: The focus will be on the 10 specific block groups in four separate neighborhoods: Englewood, West Garfield Park, Austin, and Little Village. The goal is to get philanthropists, faith leaders, community organizations, and businesses to help revitalize neglected areas by building stores and services.
* Sun-Times | CTA Red Line extension to get $350 million in Biden’s proposed budget: But the funding is a long way from being approved — at least for now — as it still needs Congress’ approval before getting the president’s signature. The potential funding is a critical part of the Red Line extension project, which the CTA expects to cost $3.6 billion. Last September, the agency said it was in line to receive a total of $1.9 billion in federal funding. The proposed $350 million is part of that funding, the CTA said Wednesday.
* Crain’s | Chicago-area population loss slows: The population in the metro area fell to 9.26 million people in 2023 from 9.28 million in 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. However, the decline of 16,602 people was smaller than drops of nearly 80,000 in each of the previous two years.
* Tribune | Christine Geovanis, CTU communications director and social activist, dies at 64: “She loved people and justice, and she was inspired by how accessible that fight was to everyone, and she took full advantage of that opportunity,” said CTU President Stacy Davis Gates. Geovanis died of complications from brain cancer on Feb. 12 in her Little Village home, said her sister, Janet.
* SJ-R | Have a few million dollars lying around? You could own Springfield’s tallest building: The beleaguered Wyndham Hotel, Springfield’s tallest structure which turns 50 years old in 2024, will go up for auction beginning April 15. The opening bid at TenX is listed at $3 million.
* SJ-R | Springfield fine dining restaurant reopens weeks after closing: Loukinens’ on 4th reopened its doors on March 2 after a brief stint of closing down to the public in February. The reopening comes after a series of missteps for the casual fine-dining restaurant, which closed suddenly on Feb. 13 until further notice.
* KTVI | Olivia Rodrigo offers morning-after pills at show in Missouri, where abortion is banned: Volunteers with the Missouri Abortion Fund handed out the pills, condoms and stickers at Tuesday’s concert. The nonprofit aims to provide assistance to Missouri residents who cannot afford the cost of abortion care. Rodrigo, a vocal advocate for women’s reproductive rights, also promoted an initiative called “Fund 4 Good” around her St. Louis show. A portion of proceeds from the St. Louis ticket sales will go toward the Missouri Abortion Fund and Text Right By You, an organization that educates young people about reproductive health.
* RFT | Where to Live in the Metro East if You’re a St. Louisan Fleeing Missouri: If you like Kirkwood…. You should look at Edwardsville. OK, so it’s a little “bougie hoosie,” and your kids better brace themselves for Drive Your Tractor to School Day (yes, it’s a thing). But Edwardsville is the closest thing the Metro East has to St. Louis’ affluent Missouri suburbs.
* Sun-Times | Simone Biles shows love for Chicago (and hot dogs) after Bears sign her husband, Jonathan Owens: Beyond her excitement over Chicago’s stellar junk food, the four-time Olympic gold medalist seemed thrilled to move to a big city that will let her avoid connecting flights when seeing her husband play. Biles also declared her love for her husband’s new home, adding a new chapter to the age-old rivalry between Chicago and Green Bay.
* Tribune | Chicago White Sox trade Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres, ending the ace’s 5-year run on the South Side: “It’s exciting to people,” Cease said Wednesday morning at Camelback Ranch. “It’s good for the game in the sense of, it’s exciting to fan bases. People like seeing it, so I get it. It’s fun and exciting but it’s just not a main focus.” Cease learned his fate Wednesday evening as the Chicago White Sox traded the right-handed pitcher to the San Diego Padres, a source confirmed to the Tribune. The trade became official late Wednesday, with the Sox receiving right-handed pitchers Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte and Steven Wilson and outfielder Samuel Zavala.
* Block Club | Monarch Butterflies Are In Trouble. You Can Help By Planting Milkweed: But Chicago is an important summer breeding area for migrating monarchs — which means neighbors can help get their numbers back up. “It’s kind of our job here in the Midwest to build that population back as large as possible over the summer,” Derby Lewis said.
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Live coverage
Thursday, Mar 14, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Mar 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Alice Yin…
* Tribune…
Mayor Brandon Johnson said Wednesday the city will move ahead with evicting an unknown amount of migrants from city shelters for the first time, rejecting the latest outcry from a group of aldermen opposed to the policy.
Johnson told reporters at an unrelated West Side event an unspecified number of the thousands of migrant shelter residents who were issued 60-day notices to vacate by Saturday will receive “exemptions.” However, others without those privileges will be forced to leave and restart the process for temporary shelter. […]
It was unclear how many migrants previously required to exit will qualify for city-issued exemptions allowing them to instead stay. Johnson’s administration previously estimated as many as 5,600 could be removed, but exceptions will be made for those in the process of securing housing or out-migrating, as well as people with extenuating health circumstances, including pregnancy, he added. […]
Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, began circulating a letter among aldermen calling on the mayor to replace the “60 Day Eviction Policy” with a policy that addresses shelter stays on a case-by-case basis. The majority of shelter residents are not allowed to work because of their asylum seeker immigration status or cannot access rental assistance, he wrote in the letter.
* Riverfront Times…
Jeffrey Ricker and his partner Michael Wallerstein lived happily in the City of St. Louis for 18 years. […]
In February of 2022, Ricker and Wallerstein moved from their home in Botanical Heights across the river to Collinsville, Illinois. […]
Some of the reasons for the move were mundane, Ricker says: Houses are more affordable on the other side of the river and they wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of the city as they grew older. But the tipping point was the Missouri legislature and its regressive actions. […]
Ricker and Wallerstein represent just one example among many couples, families and activists who are making the decision to leave red states in pursuit of a place where they have more political safety. Nearly half (47 percent) of respondents to a 2022 survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality considered or were considering leaving their state because of laws targeting the transgender community. […]
The good news is that, unlike many other residents of deep blue cities stranded in red states, for St. Louisans, fleeing is relatively simple: You can leave the state without even leaving the metro area. And Illinois could not offer a greater contrast to Missouri.
* Loyola Chicago Center for Criminal Justice…
Statewide, pretrial jail bookings fell 17.5% between summer 2023 (i.e., pre-PFA) and fall 2023 (i.e., post-PFA); based on historical patterns, we would have expected them to fall roughly 11.5% during this period. Thus, pretrial jail bookings fell 6 percentage points more after the PFA than we would have expected, which translates to roughly 3,000 fewer people admitted to jails statewide in the three months from October to December 2023.
These decreases were evident across different types of counties: the decrease in Cook County was 3 percentage points larger than would have been expected; other urban jails experienced a decrease that was 6 percentage points larger than expected; Illinois’ rural jails collectively saw a decrease that was 8 percentage points larger than expected.
A more substantial decrease potentially attributable to the PFA was evident when changes in the pretrial jail ADPs were examined. Statewide, pretrial jail ADPs in Illinois fell 14% from summer 2023 (i.e., pre-PFA) to fall 2023 (i.e., post-PFA); historically, we would have expected them to only fall an average of 3% during this period. Thus, pretrial jail populations fell 11 percentage points more after the PFA than we would have expected . Based on these patterns, it is estimated that the pretrial jail ADP across all counties in Illinois combined decreased by roughly 1,500 individuals due to the PFA. In other words, it is estimated that the statewide pretrial jail ADP in Illinois was roughly 12,200 in the fall of 2023 but would have been roughly 13,700 without the PFA.
* Here’s the rest…
* Tri States Public Radio | West Prairie policy change raises ‘scary thought’ about possible book bans: But board member Honey Zimmerman suggested several changes, which included striking a line about complying with rules set by the Illinois State Board of Education. Zimmerman said she’s concerned about an outside agency such as ISBE telling the district what to do.
* Press release | Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR endorses State Representative Adam Niemerg: Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR issued the following statement of support for Representative Adam Niemerg. “State Representative Adam Niemerg elevates local voices from the 102nd district in Springfield. As the grandson of a farmer, he understands the needs of Illinois’ agriculture community. Choose Niemerg on March 19th.”
* Daily Herald | Two seek Democratic nomination for DuPage County coroner: “It’s a totality of issues with the current coroner,” said Jeffrey Jacobson of Downers Grove. He is running against Judith Lukas of Winfield. […] Jacobson and Lukas both spoke about using information to try to prevent death, particularly suicides and drug overdoses. Preventing death is not listed as one of the duties of a coroner in state law.
* WGLT | County Board to vote on contentious grant for Bloomington rape crisis center: A Bloomington-based rape crisis center’s request for shared sales tax dollars reserved for mental health will go to the McLean County Board for a vote Thursday. This, despite questions surrounding the request for $100,000 in stopgap funds and whether it should have been brought to the county in the first place.
* WGLT | McLean County behavioral health council meetings suspended indefinitely for not fulfilling their ‘mission’: The BHCC is the advisory board created in 2016 in conjunction with the Mental Health Action Plan (MHAP). Members — including Bloomington-Normal area social service and health stakeholders — meet quarterly to discuss how to spend shared sales tax dollars dedicated to mental health and public safety. At the meeting, County Administrator Cassy Taylor said reserves in the fund total around $3 million. [Chair Catherine Metsker] said at the meeting that the purpose of the BHCC is to “improve the behavioral health of McLean County residents and create systemic change through innovative programming and strategies.” Currently, she added, it’s failing.
* WCIA | Former Springfield charity treasurer pleads guilty to defrauding own organization: Federal prosecutors said LeAnn Shirley, 57, pleaded guilty to wire fraud relating to funds from the Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation is a 501(c) charity committed to preserving the history of the Illinois State Police and Shirley was its Treasurer when the fraud occurred in 2019.
* Crain’s | CPD eyes DNC security funds to purchase new helicopter, but there’s a catch: Though CPD says it can get an expedited order in, it remains unclear if a new helicopter could even arrive before the convention this August. If the helicopter doesn’t arrive in time, CPD wouldn’t be able to access those federal funds, according to the Department of Justice.
* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago Public Schools wants ideas for how to improve outcomes for Black students: The public meetings are part of the district’s new Black Student Success Working Group, which CPS created in the fall to provide district leaders with recommendations for its upcoming “Black Student Success Plan.” That blueprint will then be folded into the district’s overall five-year strategic plan, which is expected to be finalized this summer.
* Tribune | Visa program allows Mexican grandparents to visit Lake County-area relatives: ‘I couldn’t believe she was in my arms’: Alvarez and Aguirre were two of 16 grandparents participating in an Abuelitas family reunification celebration Sunday at Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep in Waukegan, where they met the two men primarily responsible for the short-term visa program. Originally started in 2005 by former U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Highland Park, when he represented the 10th Congressional District, Abuelitas — the Spanish word for “grandmothers” — was restarted this year by U.S. Rep Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, with the help of Kirk and officials on both sides of the border.
* Crain’s | City files response to building owners’ appeal on ‘Bring Chicago Home’: In a March 12 response to that appeal, the city’s deputy corporation counsel urged the Illinois Supreme Court to deny BOMA’s emergency motion for expedited consideration of its petition for leave to appeal. “There is no emergency,” Myriam Zreczny Kasper wrote in the response. “In the only paragraph of their motion that purports to explain why expedited consideration is necessary, plaintiffs assert that their challenge to a referendum concerns issues ‘that apply to the process itself and must be considered before the March 19 election.’ That is not a valid reason.”
* Sun-Times | Civic Federation questions volatility, structure, fairness of ‘Bring Chicago Home’ referendum: The 25-page analysis doesn’t comment on the legality of the binding referendum on Tuesday’s ballot — though the question of whether those votes will be counted is now before the Illinois Supreme Court. But the Civic Federation is raising questions similar to the ad campaign real estate interests are waging to defeat the referendum, which asks voters to support a graduated tax on property sales.
* WTTW | Chicago Architect John Ronan Selected to Design First National Memorial in D.C. Dedicated to Fallen Journalists: The local design firm John Ronan Architects, led by architect John Ronan, will be working to establish a final design proposal to be presented to various agencies over the coming months, according to a Wednesday news release from the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation, tasked with establishing the memorial. “It deals with what I think is a global issue, freedom of the press, not just an American issue,” Ronan told WTTW News. “The role of the journalist has never been more important, and the ideals of a free press never more consequential than it is today.”
* Crain’s | WBEZ eyes younger, more diverse audience in shift toward digital programming: WBEZ rolled out a new lineup of midday programs on March 4, days after announcing it would cut its two-hour local news talk show, “Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons,” to one hour. The change would allow the National Public Radio affiliate to focus on its digital audience, it said. But the new lineup does not have the local focus that “Reset” brings. It includes two one-hour nationally syndicated NPR programs: news magazine “Here & Now” and “Fresh Air,” co-hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley. In trimming “Reset,” the station seems less focused on local programming, but Tracy Brown, chief content officer for Chicago Public Media, says that’s not the case.
* Tribune | Illinois will soon be cicada central when 2 broods converge on state in historic emergence: In the United States, there are 15 broods of periodical cicadas, each of which dig their way out from underground on different 13-year or 17-year cycles. Other broods have emerged at the same time in the past decade but not in the same place. Experts consider this year unusual because two broods are co-emerging in neighboring areas in Illinois for the first time in more than two centuries. “This contact area will see all seven species at once,” said Martha Weiss, a professor of biology at Georgetown University who researches cicadas with Lill. “So evolutionary biologists are going to be very interested to be at this zone of contact because that happens very rarely.”
* Crain’s | Illinois craft breweries venture into murky waters of THC: “Consumption of beer has been declining. . . .(We) have to continue to find different channels of revenue or innovation,” said Mike Condon, co-owner of Noon Whistle Brewing. “We’re all looking at it as untapped potential — a new beverage space, if you will.” The potential reward comes with risks. The often-effervescent drinks are not part of the state’s recreational marijuana economy because the THC added into them does not come from weed. It is extracted from hemp, which is less regulated in Illinois than its more potent cousin.
* Crain’s | Bike trail connecting Chicago to Michigan gets another green light: Construction on the Marquette Greenway Trail’s Michigan strip, which will span 4 miles from the northern Indiana border to downtown New Buffalo, Mich., is slated to begin early next month. A groundbreaking celebration is set for April 3 at the eastern terminus of the trail.
* NBC | Nearly 30% of Gen Z women identify as LGBTQ, Gallup survey finds: Parsing each generation, the gender story gets more interesting. In the three younger generations surveyed — Generation Z, millennials and Generation X — women are more likely than men to identify as LGBTQ. However, in the two oldest generations — baby boomers and the Silent Generation — it is reversed. (The gender breakdown does not account for nonbinary respondents, who represented about 1% of those surveyed.)
* Sun-Times | 2024 Pitchfork Music Festival lineup features Alanis Morissette, Carly Rae Jepsen: Black Pumas, Jai Paul and 100 Gecs lead the schedule for Friday, which also includes artists such as Jeff Rosenstock, Yaeji and Sudan Archives. […] The festival will wrap up Sunday with a headlining set from Morissette, the Canadian-American songwriter best known for her 1995 hit album “Jagged Little Pill.”
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* Breaking news…
From Crain’s yesterday…
In a March 12 response to that appeal, the city’s deputy corporation counsel urged the Illinois Supreme Court to deny BOMA’s emergency motion for expedited consideration of its petition for leave to appeal.
“There is no emergency,” Myriam Zreczny Kasper wrote in the response. “In the only paragraph of their motion that purports to explain why expedited consideration is necessary, plaintiffs assert that their challenge to a referendum concerns issues ‘that apply to the process itself and must be considered before the March 19 election.’ That is not a valid reason.”
Kasper argued that the referendum itself would not change the law since the City Council must enact the tax if the referendum passes.
…Adding… WBEZ…
“As the Illinois Supreme Court refused to hear this appeal, it is confirmed: all votes cast for the citywide referendum question will be counted and reported by the Chicago Board of Elections on Election Night, March 19th,” Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Max Bever said.
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* Press release…
Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party issued the below statement following the overwhelming passage of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
“Today, a bipartisan group of members came together to address the grave national security risk posed by TikTok. We speak with one voice and carry the same message as the Directors of the DIA, FBI, CIA, NSA, and the head of U.S. Cyber Command — TikTok cannot continue to operate in the United States under its current ownership structure. We look forward to working with our colleagues in the Senate to pass this critical, bipartisan legislation and deliver it to the President’s desk.”
* From Krishnamoorthi’s floor remarks…
First, this bill is not a ban, and it’s not about TikTok. It’s about ByteDance. Let me tell you about ByteDance. ByteDance is a 100 percent owner of TikTok. ByteDance is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. In fact, the editor in chief of ByteDance is the Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party cell embedded at the very highest ranks of the company. And he has been charged with making sure that TikTok and all products of ByteDance adhere to quote, correct political direction. This particular bill ensures that ByteDance divests itself of the vast majority of the ownership of TikTok. Our intention is for TikTok to continue to operate, but not under the control of the Chinese Communist Party.
Secondly, this divestment requirement is not new. It’s not without precedent. When the app Grindr, a popular LGBTQ app, was acquired by a Chinese company, and the United States government determined that sensitive data of LGBTQ members of the military and US government officials got into the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, they required divestment. This happened quickly. Why? Because Grindr was a very valuable social media company. The same is true with regard to TikTok, and there will be no disruption to users just as there was with Grindr.
Third point. Unfortunately, when Tiktok has appeared before Congress, whether it’s before the House Energy and Commerce Committee or otherwise, it has not been candid, my friends, it has not been candid. First, TikTok said its data is not accessible to China-based ByteDance employees. False. China-based employees routinely access this data, even unbeknownst to employees of TikTok USA. In addition, TikTok said its data will not be weaponized and has not been weaponized against American citizens. Again, false. Published reports have shown that TikTok data geolocation data has been used to surveil American journalists who reported on problems with Chinese-based employees having access to American user data.
Finally. Last week, under the leadership leadership of the Chairwoman and the ranking member, they brought up for consideration our bill before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. On the morning of that vote TikTok delivered a push notification and a pop-up to thousands of users across the country. They used geolocation data targeting minor children to then force them to call congressional offices in order to continue using the app. And in doing so, these children called and they asked the question, ‘What is Congress and what is a congressman?’ This influence campaign illustrates the need for this bill.
Please pardon any transcription errors.
* US Rep. Chuy García…
Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) released the following statement after voting NO on H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act:
“I voted NO on H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act for three main reasons.
“First, I believe the process was incredibly rushed. It’s very rare for legislation to only take four days to get from committee to the House Floor for a vote, and that shortened timeline meant important stakeholders were sidelined as this legislation took shape.
“Second, I have serious First Amendment concerns about this legislation. This bill would functionally ban the distribution of TikTok in the United States, stripping millions of people in this country—and many young people in my district— of a venue for free expression, information, and community. This legislation also grants the President broad new powers to ban other social media platforms, which invites abuse by future administrations.
“Third, I believe this politicized, piecemeal approach inadequately addresses the numerous national security and data privacy concerns about many different social media companies. I’m an enthusiastic supporter of data privacy legislation that comprehensively addresses those concerns, and I will continue to advocate for legislation that adequately responds to them.”
Thoughts?
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* From Gov. Pritzker’s press conference today…
Q: Your reaction to seeing the Chicago Bears planning to put in $2 billion to what would be a publicly owned stadium. Are you at all leaving the door open to any public funding should the Bears make such an investment that would potentially fund the majority of the project?
Pritzker: You know, saying that you’re going to put private money, I think we all assumed that they were going to put private money. If they weren’t, then there’s no chance. And so that’s a good first step. But I haven’t heard a proposal that goes along with that $2 billion private investment that says that the state should be involved in anything. I want to say it one more time: We’re prioritizing the use of dollars here for people who need it, those dollars. Wealthy owners of sports teams - I respect that they run private businesses, they want them to be profitable, and they want constantly to provide better facilities for their customers - but I don’t think that should be the highest priority for the state of Illinois. And instead, I’m willing to listen to whatever it is that they’re proposing. But my number one concern is prioritizing the dollars and making sure that the taxpayers are getting a return on their investment.
Thoughts?
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* As we discussed yesterday, 20th Senate District Senate candidate Graciela Guzman was endorsed by Bernie Sanders. Sen. Natalie Toro has appeared to counter that with this blast text…
* Isabel asked Gov. Pritzker about the photo at a press conference today…
Pritzker: You know, I take pictures virtually every day at events, something like this, where there are elected officials in attendance. And I’m always happy to do that with people who are there. Sometimes I take it with people I don’t know who come up and ask to take pictures. But it’s not an indication necessarily of support or lack thereof. It’s just something that happens at these events.
Q: Do you plan to endorse?
Pritzker: I am not endorsing, haven’t been engaged in an endorsement in that race. And I’ve seen other people using my picture here and there. I’m flattered that people think that might help them in their reelection, but, no, I’m not engaged in that.
…Adding… Guzmán campaign…
Yesterday, photos circulated of a blast text message to voters that falsely implied Gov. JB Pritzker is supporting Natalie Toro’s campaign in the Illinois 20th District State Senate primary race. Today, the governor confirmed he has not endorsed any candidate in the contest.
Caitlin Brady, campaign manager for 20th District State Senate candidate Graciela Guzmán, released the following statement:
“Misleading voters is wrong, period. Natalie Toro should apologize for her latest attempt to deceive voters and retract this dishonest text message. Our campaign is proud to be endorsed by progressive champions including Senator Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, State Rep. Will Guzzardi, and many other local leaders. In the final days of this campaign, we encourage all candidates in this race to stick to the facts and reject this kind of desperate tactic.”
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Today’s quotable
Wednesday, Mar 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Square…
Illinois Republican state legislators continue to push for policy changes to address what they see as a poor business climate.
The credit rating assigned to Illinois by Fitch Ratings, A- in November 2023, is far below the ratings given to most of the 50 states. As of early 2024, most states have AA or AAA credit ratings, and can borrow money at much lower expense to taxpayers than can Illinois.
In a news conference Tuesday at the state capitol in Springfield, state Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, said Democrats are promoting a narrative that “all is well.” He wants a property tax relief plan. […]
Ugaste said he’s glad Illinois has had the credit increases.
“I am glad those budgets brought those about but if you look at why Illinois’ economy is doing so much better and our revenue has increased so much, it is in large part due to inflation,” Ugaste said. “Our costs stayed what they were but inflation ticked everything up. So while we benefited from it, our people aren’t benefiting because their wages haven’t kept up.”
wut
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Mar 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WAND…
Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) hopes to expand the Illinois grocery initiative by allowing the state to provide grants for farmer-owned grocery stores and markets. […]
Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) is also sponsoring a measure to require the Illinois Department of Agriculture to enhance local food processing, collection and distribution through a new grant program. The local food infrastructure grants could be used for production, packaging equipment, refrigerated trucks and processing equipment among other needs. Koehler believes his plan would only cost the state $2 million. […]
A separate bill could require the state to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students attending public and private K-12 schools. Lawmakers passed a bipartisan plan to provide free school meals last year, but they did not appropriate funding for the plan in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget. Sen. Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) said she’s committed to getting $209 million approved for the program this year. […]
Another plan would establish a grant program to provide $7,500 per school to provide breakfast options after the school day has started. Sen. Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) noted that research has proven that children who eat breakfast have significantly higher scores in math, spelling and reading.
* WTVO…
A new bill circulating through the Illinois General Assembly would make it illegal for employers to require their workers to implant microchips in their bodies.
Senate Bill 3105 looks to head off implications present in the field of biotechnology. […]
In Sweden, thousands of people have had microchips inserted into their hands, according to NPR. The devices are designed to speed up users’ daily routines by swiping their hands against digital readers. […]
The Illinois law, if passed, would protect employees from being forced to implant a device beneath the skin. However, it does allow for employees to voluntarily undergo an implant.
* WAND…
Many Illinois doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers are concerned about losing their jobs due to continued delays from the state agency responsible for approving and renewing their licenses.
State lawmakers passed a bipartisan plan last fall to create a faster and more competitive bid process for software to process the licenses. Although, House Republicans argue that the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is still failing these workers as many people have waited nearly a year without answers.
House GOP Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) said most health care providers are forced to write a check to pay for their license and send it in the mail or take it directly to an IDFPR office in Springfield or Chicago. […]
[Rep. Bill Hauter (R-Morton)] has filed House Bill 1572 to allow the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation to issue licenses and temporary licenses to healthcare professionals on an expedited basis. Gov. JB Pritzker allowed IDFPR to issue expedited licenses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Hauter noted that the process ended and providers now wait months for approval or renewal.
* Press release…
A coalition of business groups has issued the following statement regarding SB 2979, which contains changes to the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act:
“We thank Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Cunningham for his tireless and patient leadership in attempting to negotiate needed changes to the state’s ambiguous and outdated Biometric Information Privacy Act. Our goal throughout this process was to provide compliance clarity for entities operating in Illinois and allow for the regulated use of modern security technologies while maintaining strong privacy protections for individuals.
Though SB 2979 will place some limits on financial exposure for companies that have yet to be targeted for business-ending judgements under the existing law, it is not retroactive and therefore fails to help the thousands of businesses still fighting against massive judgements even though there is no proof that harm ever occurred. Meanwhile, businesses will still be denied the ability to deploy proven and reliable technology for security and protection purposes, such as managing access to controlled substances, limiting entry to sensitive facilities, preventing violent crime and ensuring roadway safety. For these reasons, we are unable to support this legislation in its current form.”
The coalition includes the following organizations: the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, Illinois Railroad Association, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Illinois Trucking Association, and the National Federation of Independent Business Illinois.
* WBEZ…
It’s been nearly a year since Ventura hired the first incarcerated intern, Lynn Green. At the time, Green was an undergraduate student at Northwestern University and serving a 50-year sentence. Green has since earned his bachelor’s. Much of Green’s internship was spent figuring out the logistics of running such a program behind bars. Ventura, for instance, learned that using paper clips could prevent documents from getting to the interns for weeks because of security concerns. […]
Green’s work primarily focused on juvenile justice reform. Last year, Ventura filed a bill that would have shut down county juvenile detention facilities and transferred their authority to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. The bill was an attempt to provide oversight to county detention centers, including one that was shut down by the courts at the end of 2023 for failure to meet state standards for care of youth in custody.
Ventura wanted to take a different approach in a new juvenile justice bill, so she had Green scour through inspection reports of county youth detention facilities to catalog the most egregious breaches of state standards and identify solutions such as alternative sentencing and wraparound services. Green did his work in a parking space sized cell with the constant din of feet plodding up stairs to the upper tiers of his cell block. He often felt isolated. He kept going because, above all, he didn’t want to let the senator down. […]
Ventura also recently filed a bill Dole wrote last year that would remove a provision in the Illinois corrections code that increases sentences as a way to “deter others from committing the same crime.” Currently, that provision can be used to increase how long someone has to serve, but the way those sentences are calculated is extremely complicated and opaque, Ventura said.
* WAND…
A proposal moving in Springfield could require Illinois to establish data collection standards to save lives, promote equitable health outcomes and ensure quality healthcare for all.
Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) wants to create a new state board to review and report data on illnesses, treatments and causes of death in Illinois.
Simmons told the Senate Public Health Committee Tuesday it is important for Illinois to see health outcomes broken down by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and language.[…]
Senate Bill 3751 passed out of the Senate Public Health Committee on a 6-2 vote. The plan now heads to the Senate floor for further consideration.
* ABC Chicago…
Brian Beals is still getting used to walking freely on public sidewalks.
He is celebrating 90 days since being released from prison after being exonerated for a 1988 shooting that killed a 6-year-old boy and injured his mother in Englewood. […]
He walked out of the Robinson Correctional Center in December, greeted by family, carrying a box with all his worldly possessions. He could be eligible for compensation from the state, but limited to a maximum of $200,000.
Beals visited Springfield to lobby for a bill that would increase that maximum to $2 million. […]
The bill that would increase compensation already passed the House unanimously and is now in a Senate committee. Beals’ attorneys said they are waiting to see what happens with the bill before filing for his certificate of innocence.
* Sen. Robert Peters…
State Senator Robert Peters passed legislation through the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to help more survivors of domestic and sexual violence know their rights and options for safe housing.
“This legislation will help more survivors understand their housing rights in Illinois,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “By ensuring tenants are aware of their rights, we are empowering them to access the support they need.”
Senate Bill 3652 requires the Illinois Department of Human Rights to create a summary outlining the rights and courses of action for tenants and their household members who are survivors of domestic or sexual violence. This includes their rights to end a lease early, change locks for safety reasons and to access relevant housing protections.
This summary of rights would be given to every tenant when they sign a lease, ensuring all survivors and their families have easily accessible and timely notification of their rights. Landlords who fail to provide the summary face fines up to $2,000. […]
Senate Bill 3652 now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.
* WAND…
Lawmakers approved legislation last year to require Medicaid coverage for holistic services before, during and one year after birth. Now, Sen. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago) and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton are advocating for a bill to require private insurance companies to cover services provided by midwives, doulas and lactation consultants. […]
Stratton told the Senate Insurance Committee Tuesday night that the governor’s birth equity initiative is a promise to women that Illinois will honor their bodies and value their lives as much as the ones they birth. […]
The Illinois Health and Life Insurance Council currently opposes the plan. Although, Laura Minzer noted that the bill is well-intended.
“Our opposition is not to the merits of the bill,” Minzer said. “It never is. When we look at holistically around eliminating the cost share for certain services, it creates cost pressures elsewhere.” […]
A House Committee approved the proposal Tuesday night, but the Senate Insurance Committee only held a subject matter on the plan.
* Sen. Mary Edly-Allen…
State Senator Mary Edly-Allen introduced new legislation that would protect artists and music labels from situations where a third-party creates music using AI and replicates their voice without permission.
“Deepfakes can falsely and convincingly portray anyone saying anything, creating confusion and eroding public trust. This raises serious implications in a world already struggling with rampant misinformation and social media manipulation,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “We need strong regulations and protections in place to protect artists from the ever-changing world of AI that intends to steal their work and pass it off as their own.”
Last year, a song, “Heart on My Sleeve,” purportedly by Drake and The Weeknd landed on TikTok and Spotify and quickly spread across the internet. The song was created using AI by a TikTok user, who had trained AI on Drake and The Weeknd’s works and generated the new song, which perfectly mimicked the artists’ voices, lyrics, and musical styles. Within days, his video, which had gained over 9 million views, was removed from TikTok, Spotify, and other platforms in response to claims by the artists’ record label, UMG.
Under Senate Bill 3225, music studios and labels like UMG in this situation could bring a lawsuit in state court on behalf of an Illinois artist since they own the rights of their own voice, and the likeness of their voice was used for commercial purposes without permission. […]
Senate Bill 3325 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday and now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.
* Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association…
The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association (IHLA) today announced a legislative proposal that could raise much-needed revenue for the state by closing a loophole used by third-party booking websites that allows them to pay lower taxes when travelers book rooms online.
When hotels have a surplus room inventory, they sell rooms to third-party booking websites known as Online Travel Agencies (OTA) at a discounted rate. These third-party agencies then sell those surplus rooms to guests at a marked-up rate. However, the tax collected for that room is only on the original discounted rates, which can be significantly lower than the rates at which OTAs sell the room for. This loophole allows tens of millions of potential hotel tax dollars to go unrealized by the state.
SB 3496/HB 5144, led by the IHLA and sponsored by Sen. Cristina Castro and Rep. Marcus Evans, will close this loophole, allowing the state to collect tens of millions of dollars in additional revenue.
Closing this loophole will not only level the playing field between hotels and third-party websites, but it would also increase Illinois’ competitiveness. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, states across the country have doubled down on their efforts to increase travel and tourism to their states. By closing this loophole, Illinois can generate more revenue for tourism promotion, which will help attract more business to the state, further bolstering Illinois’ economy and tax revenue.
“Until we close this online travel agency loophole, the state will continue to lose tens of millions of dollars each year that could be used to fund important state programs,” said Michael Jacobson, President and CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association. “That includes tourism promotion, which is more important than ever as we seek to return Illinois tourism to pre-pandemic levels to grow our state’s economy.”
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What the heck?
Wednesday, Mar 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Michael Loria at the Sun-Times…
While Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration scoured the city for sites to house newly arrived migrants over the past year, offers for rent-free space from one of the city’s largest private property owners went unheeded.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has space in more than 60 shuttered churches, schools and other buildings listed for sale or for lease. The church also has other unused spaces from waves of closures in recent years.
Church officials offered up more than dozen of these locations to the city, emails reviewed by the Sun-Times show. […]
City Hall, on the other hand, has yet to agree on any such offers from the archdiocese, instead renting private shelter spaces at high costs. […]
As charges for privately owned shelters mount, the closest the city came to accepting the archdiocese’s free-rent offer was at St. Bartholomew’s, a Northwest Side parish that Wollan offered to the city in October.
A shelter was supposed to open there in January, but the deal never happened.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Mar 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: Paying millions to house migrants, Chicago failed to take Catholic archdiocese up on offers of free rent. Sun-Times…
- The Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has space in more than 60 shuttered churches, schools and other buildings listed for sale or for lease.
- Church officials offered up more than dozen of these locations to the city, emails reviewed by the Sun-Times show.
- In the emails city officials appear largely unresponsive to the offers, aside from one partially redacted email from Cristina Pacione-Zayas, who visited one site, but didn’t find it large enough.
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Capitol News Illinois | With recession fears subsiding, new state economic forecast expects ‘firm but steady growth’: COGFA’s revised revenue estimates expect the current fiscal year to end with $52.6 billion in revenue, or about $2 billion ahead of what lawmakers budgeted for last May. That estimate tracks closely with the revenue estimate released by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget in February. The GOMB estimate was about 0.7 percent, or $374 million, below COGFA’s updated projection.
* WTTW | CTA Continues to Rely on Bus and Train Operator Overtime — But Fails to Provide Detailed Information Within Required Time Frame: Illegally delayed responses are a chronic problem with the CTA’s FOIA office. Other news organizations and advocacy groups, including Block Club Chicago and Commuters Take Action, have also dinged the agency for its FOIA transparency failures. […] Budget data provided to WTTW News shows bus operations came in nearly $600,000 under budget last year. But the CTA still spent $2.4 million more on bus overtime in 2023 than in 2019. The agency’s highest paid operator in 2023, a bus driver, earned $212,232 — more than two and a half times the standard yearly rate.
Governor Pritzker will be at the Governor’s Ceremonial Office in the State Capitol at 10:30 standing with sponsors to outline proposed health insurance reform initiatives. Click here to watch.
* Jason Misener…
* Here’s the rest…
* Landmark | Rashid faces challenge from former cop in Democratic primary: Two years after Abdelnasser Rashid knocked longtime incumbent State Rep. Mike Zalewski out of the Democratic primary to set him on a path to the General Assembly, he’s now facing a challenge of his own. He’s defending his seat from former Chicago police detective Vidal Vasquez the 21st District, which covers much of Riverside and the southern portion of Brookfield.
* Tribune | Change to immigrant health care programs in Illinois will cause up to 6,000 to lose benefits: The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services projects that as many as 6,000 people will lose coverage by next month when the state stops offering the programs’ benefits to those who have green cards but have not completed a five-year waiting period in the U.S.
* Sun-Times | Abortion, other reproductive health info would be shielded in court documents under pioneering proposal:
The initiative would automatically seal or redact details about someone’s reproductive health in court documents, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez announced Tuesday. “In these uncertain times, we must ensure reproductive health remains a private matter and the details discussed in courtrooms around Cook County may never be held against any woman criminally or civilly,” Martinez told reporters at her Daley Center office.
* Fox Chicago | Illinois, Indiana programs spread awareness on baby surrender options: “I’m very, very passionate about it because I think there’s nothing more important in the world than human life, and especially babies,” said Chief John Moriarty of the Carmel, Indiana Fire Department. Moriarty has been with the department for 42 years and the Safe Haven Baby Box at Station 345 is perhaps the part of his professional career that he is most passionate about.
* WTTW | Many Illinois Companies Will Soon Be Required to List Pay Scales, Benefits in Job Postings: By the end of Tuesday — more than three months into the year — the average American woman will have at last earned what the average U.S. man earned by the end of 2023, a salary lag that has led March 12 to be recognized as Equal Pay Day.
* WCIA | Schools stare down deadline as COVID-19 relief funds set to expire: Over the pandemic, Congress gave schools almost $200 billion in three rounds of funds referred to as Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER). Schools have used the funds on everything from building upgrades and sanitation methods to summer enrichment opportunities meant to help counter learning loss. But experts say districts face a monumental strain for how to keep up these new programs with the funding expiring at the beginning of September.
* NY Mag | Can Democrats Make 2024 the Abortion Election?: That summer, Ohioans were organizing ballot measures to protect abortion rights, and he sent them $750,000. By October, sensing momentum, he scaled up, both founding and funding a group called Think Big America that promptly sent the organizers another $250,000. He duplicated that donation in Virginia, earmarking the cash for the state Democratic party and legislative candidates who sought to prevent Republicans from passing a 15-week abortion ban. Democrats took back the state house, and Ohioans voted to protect abortion access by a large margin.
* Daily Southtown | Former Flossmoor police Chief Jerel Jones alleges racial discrimination in firing: While a Thursday email from Mayor Michelle Nelson said his dismissal was triggered by “administrative lapses,” the suit, filed Monday against the village and its manager, alleges the firing was because Jones complained Oct. 5, 2023, about experiencing “disparate treatment” from village manager Bridgette Wachtel.
* CBS News | Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Cook Co. Clerk Iris Martinez unveil Women’s Right to Privacy initiative: On Tuesday, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Iris Martinez to announce a new initiative to safeguard women’s reproductive health and fertility treatment information. The Women’s Right to Privacy initiative is meant to protect the information in court case files, which are currently public records.
* WaPo | U.S. courts require random judge assignments to avoid ‘judge shopping’: The Judicial Conference of the United States, the policymaking body for the federal courts, said district courts may continue to assign cases to a single-judge division if those cases don’t seek to bar or mandate state or federal actions through declaratory judgment or injunctive relief.
* Tribune | Bally’s weighing buyout offer amid funding concerns for Chicago casino: Standard General, which owns 23% of Rhode Island-based Bally’s, submitted an offer Monday to buy out the rest of the stockholders at $15 per share, valuing the company at about $648 million. That represents a premium to the current share price, but is less than 40% of what Standard General was willing to pay two years ago in an unsuccessful bid to buy the company.
* Sun-Times | Bally’s chairman tries to take company private as it searches for $800M in Chicago casino financing: Bally’s on Tuesday formed a special committee to evaluate a bid from New York hedge fund Standard General, which already owns about a quarter of the company, to buy out shareholders at $15 per share. That marks a premium over Bally’s Tuesday afternoon price of $13.88 — but it’s less than half the value offered two years ago by the hedge fund and its founding partner, Soo Kim, who is Bally’s chairman.
* WIFR | First look inside the Hard Rock Casino Rockford’s construction process: “We’re targeting a late August opening,” said Hard Rock Casino Rockford President Geno Iafrate. “We intend to start putting tickets on sale for our hard rock live concert venue, probably mid-May.” More than a thousand slot machines, a sportsbook, and dozens of table games will bring in guests, but Iafrate says the 13,000 square-foot concert venue will keep them coming back.
* Naperville Sun | Fate of Naperville’s Magic Rock unknown as new owner makes plan to demolish house on the site: For more than a decade and a half, people have marveled at the Magic Rock of Naperville. A local landmark of sorts, the display is as nonsensical as it sounds: it’s a rock — or rather, a few — on which toys, knickknacks and trinkets have been added over time to form a mini menagerie made by and for the community. […] Lately, however, the future of the well-established treasure trove has been up in the air as redevelopment plans for the residential property get underway.
* Daily Beast | $500K Sand Dune Designed to Protect Coastal Homes Washes Away in Just 3 Days: fter being completed last week, the barrier made from 14,000 tons of sand lasted just 72 hours before it was completely washed away, according to WCVB. “We got hit with three storms—two in January, one now—at the highest astronomical tides possible,” Rick Rigoli, who oversaw the dune project, told the station.
* WTTW | The Solar Eclipse Is a Month Away, But the Time to Get Your Viewing Glasses — and Smartphone Filters — Is NOW: And because we live in an age where everything needs to be photographed, take note: Smartphone cameras will need a filter too. That also goes for regular cameras, telescopes, binoculars or other devices. These filters are already beginning to sell out, and plenty of counterfeits are flooding the marketplace.
* WGN | Frontier Airlines’ new option: Guaranteed empty middle seat: “Many consumers strongly prefer a seating option that offers extra space when flying,” Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle said. “Frontier is all about choice and giving consumers the flexibility to customize their travel to suit their individual needs and preferences. UpFront Plus is a great option for those who want expanded personal space and extra comfort.”
* WTTW | Illinois DCFS, Other State Agencies to Hold Job Fair Thursday at UIC: DCFS is hiring for positions including child protection specialists, child welfare specialists, daycare licensing representatives, office associates, paralegal assistants, reimbursement officers and public service administrators, according to a news release.
* Sun-Times | Thomas ‘TNT’ Todd, trailblazing attorney, civil rights activist and co-founder of Operation PUSH, dies at 85: He co-founded Operation PUSH in 1971. He was one of the city’s first Black federal prosecutors. And he was the first full-time Black professor hired at Northwestern University’s law school. Mr. Todd, known as “Tom,” came up with the name PUSH — People United to Serve Humanity — and served as its first vice president under the Rev. Jesse Jackson and as acting president from 1983-1984 when Jackson ran for president.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Mar 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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