Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who’s rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start anew
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue
Taking in a deep breath of fresh spring air may have long-term drawbacks according to the American Lung Association, whose 25th annual report found Sangamon County has had continuously worsening air quality since 2020.
The American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report grades exposure to unhealthy levels of particle pollution over a three-year period in different forms. Particulate matter air pollution, also known as PM2.5, comes from wildfires, wood-burning stoves, coal-fired power plants, diesel engines and other sources.
The Springfield metro area ranked 124th worst in the nation for short-term pollution, following short spikes of pollution which were recorded through a three-year span. The ranking was based on the counties worst average number of unhealthy days.
In the current report, 0.3 days per year were recorded in Sangamon County. In the 24th annual report, Sangamon County scored higher with 0 days per year recorded as unhealthy. This shifted Springfield metropolitan from 106 worst in the country to the 99 worst.
In his quest for new revenue streams to shore up the city’s budget, Mayor Brandon Johnson is taking the first step toward legalizing video gaming in the city, a move previous mayors worried would cannibalize tax revenue from a Chicago casino.
The city issued a request for qualifications, or RFQ, recently to find a potential gaming consultant to study the ramifications of legalizing video poker and virtual slot machines in Chicago, a form of gambling legal in Illinois but currently banned in the city.
The deadline for RFQ submissions is May 9. A contract would not be awarded at the end of the process, but rather the city would subsequently release a request for proposals, or RFP, based on the feedback it receives from potential bidders. If the city moves forward, the initial consulting contract award would be for two years, with a potential one-year extension.
The city wants the consultant to “evaluate the city’s existing gaming landscape including an analysis of market size, market trends, competitive landscape and threats to the market,” according to the RFQ.
Illinois’ march toward all-green energy hit a bump last year.
Electricity from renewable sources dropped even as Illinois and surrounding Midwest states pushed to replace fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, with wind and solar power. […]
The amount of wind power — the state’s biggest source of renewable energy — took a surprising 6% dip from the previous year, while natural gas-generated electricity had a 43% jump in 2023, government data show.
A pressure system in Canada — the same weather pattern that helped spur wildfires up north, filling Chicago skies with smoke last summer — was a big reason wind power was down in 2023. The shifting wind direction affected how much wind powered all those nearly 300-foot turbines dotting the Illinois countryside.
* I wonder how much this is costing the township?…
*** Statewide ***
* NBC Chicago | Illinois flags at half-staff ahead of funeral for fallen CPD officer Luis Huesca: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ordered all Illinois flags to fly at half-staff in honor and remembrance of Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca, who was shot and killed in the line of duty last week. According to an announcement, flags were ordered to be lowered beginning Wednesday. They will remain at half-staff until Monday, when Huesca will be laid to rest at a funeral.
*** Chicago ***
* Sun-Times | After fighting to have gender-affirming care, a former prisoner adjusts to life in Chicago as a woman: Last year, she became just the second person ever to have gender-affirmation surgery while in federal custody — at Rush University Medical Center. The Federal Bureau of Prisons picked up the entire tab after a three-year legal fight that began when she was housed in downstate Marion. Her attorneys argued, among other things, that she was being denied her constitutional right to necessary medical care. “It’s just feeling like I belong,” said Iglesias, who was released from prison last October and lives on the West Side.
* WBEZ | Facing budget criticism, CPS officials say changes are ‘milestone’ to be celebrated: Parents at some selective enrollment and magnet schools have complained of apparent cuts to their budgets as the school district focuses on providing resources to schools where students have high needs. And in a surprise, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s top ally — the Chicago Teachers Union — was also critical of the district’s lack of transparency and failure to prioritize classroom aides in the budget, even though the union has long supported a shift toward needs-based funding.
* Crain’s | Downtown commercial property fallout not as bad as people think, Kaegi says: Downtown office vacancy recently topped 25% for the first time ever, and Loop retail vacancy hit a record-high 30%. Kaegi acknowledged that malaise, calling declining activity and property values downtown “a problem for all of us” and one that needs to be addressed to restore downtown’s vitality. But he also stressed that not all office landlords are struggling equally.
* Illinois Answers Project | City of Chicago Amps Up Its Legal Battle Against ‘City’s Worst Landowner’: The City of Chicago has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $10 million from a north suburban woman and her real estate company in connection with a vacant-lot-turned-dumping-ground on the South Side, claiming that she is a “scourge on the city and its residents” and “the city’s worst landowner.” The lawsuit, filed last week, targets Northbrook resident Suzie B. Wilson and her company, Regal LLC, which owes the city more than a quarter million dollars in fines and owns a West Englewood lot that for years has been a dumpsite for hundreds of decomposing rubber tires that “piled multiple feet in the air.”
* Crain’s | Laid-off Foxtrot and Dom’s workers tell former employer to pay up: “If we can get 60 days’ worth of pay, that’s going to help us at least pay some rent,” said Oscar Correa, a former supervisor at the Foxtrot commissary in Pilsen. Correa, who worked at Foxtrot for five years, was one of about 20 laid-off workers who gathered outside the now-closed site this morning to protest the sudden closures. Their argument: By shutting down without prior notice, Outfox Hospitality, the parent company of Foxtrot and Dom’s, violated federal and state Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification acts.
* Bloomberg | Some Parents Battle Long Waitlists – And Line Up Overnight – To Get Kids In Park District Summer Camp: After a chaotic online process that parents likened to the “Hunger Games” early last week, parents flocked to Park District field houses the night before and in the early morning hours to line up for in-person registration over the weekend. Sign-up at other parks opened Monday and Tuesday. Laura, a mom from Beverly who asked not to use her last name, was one of thousands of parents struck out trying to sign their kids up for camp online. She logged in at 8:55 a.m. April 16 for online registration, and by 9:03 a.m., the Ridge Park day camp was full, she said.
* WBEZ | For the last year, an army of volunteers has been standing behind migrants arriving in Chicago: City officials sent families to police stations as they ran out of shelter space. People slept on floors or camped outside and didn’t have access to showers. This chaos – with parents and children in need of food, clothing and water – marked a turning point in the humanitarian crisis and activated volunteers. Last April kicked off a more unified grassroots volunteer movement that evolved into a fundamental safety net for newcomers. The frenzied scenes at police stations motivated volunteers – mostly women like Jennie Kim. She lives near the South Loop district police station and got involved out of a desire not only to help migrants, but also to help coordinate donations.
* WGN | Chicago appeals court rejects R. Kelly ‘s challenge of 20-year sentence: The singer R. Kelly was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison on child sex convictions in Chicago, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. Jurors in 2022 convicted the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, on three charges of producing child porn and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | Extend Central Road? Schaumburg annexes land near Medieval Times that could help fund project: Schaumburg trustees have annexed 5.9 acres owned by Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament to add to the area’s existing tax increment financing (TIF) district that could help fund an eastward extension of Central Road to connect the Sunstar Americas headquarters with the Veridian development near Topgolf. Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly said while he’s open to the possibility of such a road extension being studied, he’s skeptical that soil conditions and other environmental factors in the undeveloped area between Sunstar and Topgolf would make it viable.
* Daily Herald | Wheels in motion for dissolving the Elk Grove Rural Fire Protection District: In March, a referendum to dissolve the district failed to receive support, with 48 voting against and only 5 in favor. Following that failure, efforts to close it moved to the state legislature. The district is still collecting property taxes. However, it ceased providing fire and emergency medical services in October, and the area is now covered by Mount Prospect. With a shrinking tax base due to annexations by surrounding municipalities, the Elk Grove Rural Fire Protection District had been running out of money.
*** Downstate ***
* Rockford Register Star | WSJ/Realtor.com names Rockford metro area no. 1 housing market in country: “The median listing price of a home in the Rockford metro area soared to $235,000 in March, up a stunning 51.7% compared with a year ago, which is the largest gain of any metro area in the ranking’s top 20,” the report states. According to the Wall Street Journal, buyers are drawn to the area’s affordable housing stock and its growing healthcare, aerospace and logistics industries. The publication also noted the Rockford area’s quality of life such as access to parks, a variety of retail and low climate risk.
* BND | Residents who lost property due to unpaid taxes say St. Clair County owes them money: St. Clair County residents and a business owner who lost their residential and commercial properties due to unpaid taxes filed a federal lawsuit this month arguing the county owes each of them thousands of dollars. Their properties were worth more than the back taxes they owed. They argue that after foreclosure, they should have received compensation for their lost property: the difference between what they owed the government and the fair market value of their property. And they cite a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to support their argument.
* WGIL | Former police chief, interim city manager now a part of Knox County economic development efforts: Partnership president Ken Springer tells Galesburg’s Morning News on WGIL there’s been a lot of interest in Galesburg as of late, so he decided he needed to add to the staff to get it all taken care of. “In the last couple months, we were very fortunate to be able to bring John Schlaf on to KCAP’s team,” said Springer. “John had got done with his interim stint as City Manager; and we, of course, were able to work with him a lot during that timeframe. He’s helping to advise entrepreneurs, which is a huge area of growth for the organization in the last few years.”
* Rockford Register Star | 4,000 solar panels will help fuel innovation at Rockford aerospace facility: Collins Aerospace broke ground on a new 6.5-acre solar farm Friday at its Electric Power Systems facility in Rockford. The farm will be owned and operated by ENGIE North America as part of a 15-year power purchase agreement. ENGIE is a clean energy company that helps customers run their facilities more efficiently and optimize energy and other resources.
* WSIL | Local fire departments receive grants from Illinois Fire Marshal: The total was divided among 165 departments and EMS providers in Illinois. In our region, 24 departments received a portion of the money. Recipients were given up to $26,000 to purchase new equipment. The idea is that offices can use this money to buy smaller equipment not covered by fundraising efforts.
* 21st Show | How the Illinois Central Railroad helped develop the Midwest: Recently, the Macon County History museum held a special presentation that showcased the history of the Illinois Central Railroad. This railway was pivitol to the development of the Midwest, as it fostered cities and towns along its path. We’ll look back to the past, around the 1830’s, when Illinois was less than 20 years old. We’ll discuss what the state of the state was like, and when the Illinois Central railroad first emerged. Then, how the railroad was financed, built, and what its current status is.
* PJ Star | Why Caterpillar is warning its heavy machinery sales may drop: Shares of the global economy bellwether slumped 7% in morning trade as it said end-user sales of its machines was weaker than planned. The stock had gained about 23% for the year so far as of Wednesday’s close and hit a record high earlier in April. Caterpillar reported weak construction equipment sales in all regions except North America, where construction demand is expected to stay healthy for the rest of the year thanks to the U.S. government’s $1 trillion infrastructure law.
*** Sports and Entertainment ***
* Crain’s | Compared to Chicago’s largest film fest, the city paid a premium for Sundance event: For a weekend of programming featuring the distinguished Sundance Institute, the city paid more than what it’s given the Chicago International Film Festival in the past five years combined. In an email to Crain’s, Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, or DCASE, revealed it paid $175,000 to bring the Sundance event to the city.
* Crain’s | Caleb Williams comes to the Bears and one of the NFL’s cheapest mansion markets: When the Chicago Bears tapped him yesterday as the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, quarterback Caleb Williams praised the team’s culture, coaches, fans and hunger to win. What Williams didn’t mention is that he’s coming to one of the NFL markets where his mansion-buying money will go furthest. With a four-year salary package reported at about $38.5 million, Williams isn’t likely to have to stretch his housing dollars. Nor is the Bears’ No. 9 pick, wide receiver Rome Odunze, who will reportedly earn $22.7 million in four years with the team.
*** National ***
* Food Safety News | USDA declares that Salmonella is an adulterant in some chicken products: As of today, the USDA considers Salmonella an adulterant in raw, breaded, stuffed chicken products, making it illegal to sell them if they are contaminated with the pathogen. The decision has been almost two years in the making. In August 2022 the deputy undersecretary for food safety for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said the move would be a first step in cleaning up America’s chicken.
* Sun-Times | How Realtors deal will affect homebuying: Villegas, president-elect of the Chicago Association of Realtors, describes her clients’ awareness about the settlement as a “mixed bag.” It’s become a point of conversation with some clients, but even before the settlement, Villegas regularly discussed how fee structures and compensation worked with her clients. “We’re adding now that there is a proposed settlement and how it could affect them,” she said. “But these conversations we’ve had … haven’t really changed from the day I started doing business.”
Other projects (# construction workers): Sears Tower (early '70s): 2,000 Golden Gate Bridge (mid '30s): 2,000 Hoover Dam (early '30s): 21,000 (avg ~4,300 daily in 1934) US Bank Stadium (~2015): allegedly 8,000 w/ up to 1,500 workers on-site at one time Bears stadium: 43,000 https://t.co/HkaNevnm1d
* Sounds like Bears CEO Kevin Warren is already starting to downplay his deal with the city…
“We can start to dispute whether the amount was too much or the infrastructure costs are too much or what is the appropriate amount of the bonds,” he said. “The goal yesterday was to be able to make sure that we put everything out in a transparent manner, which we did. There’s a lot of work, there are a lot of miles to go before we have any final resolution with this, but we’re going to continue to work.”
* In 2022, the Tribune found evidence of alleged illegal coordination between Dan Proft and Darren Bailey. Here’s the Democratic Party of Illinois’ summery of the story…
For months, the People Who Play By The Rules PAC, run by one-time failed candidate and Florida resident Dan Proft, has been running ads funded by Dick Uihlein to support Darren Bailey’s run for governor. By law, PACs cannot coordinate with individual campaigns, but new reporting sheds light on Proft and Bailey’s relationship that begs the question: What is Dan Proft doing for the Bailey campaign and why? […]
• The political committee is an independent expenditure PAC and, by law, is not supposed to coordinate its spending activities with Bailey’s campaign. But the apparent efforts by Proft — who also co-hosts a conservative radio show for which Bailey has been a frequent guest — to try to intercede in a potential legal matter involving Bailey indicate he may be playing a larger role than previously acknowledged.
• Proft also is involved in political mailers disguised as newspapers that have been sent to thousands of homes across the state, disseminating disinformation to disparage Pritzker. In 2016, a similar mailing effort funded by a former Proft independent expenditure PAC was cited by the Illinois State Board of Elections for illegal coordination with candidates.
• An internal dispute between Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey’s campaign and a recently departed Bailey political worker has raised questions about the level of involvement the conservative leader of a Bailey-aligned political action committee has had with the Bailey campaign.
• During those negotiations, Proft weighed in, apparently in an effort to quash the filing of a possible lawsuit in the matter that could become public and hurt Bailey’s chances.
Click here to read the Democratic Party of Illinois’ complaint to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Back to DPI’s press release…
The best read of the law suggests the State Board of Elections could impose a fine of as much as $42,018,000 on the PAC should they find a violation. [Emphasis added]
* Last year, the ISBE took the first step to probe possible collusion between Bailey and Proft. Crain’s…
At its meeting yesterday, the board agreed with a hearing examiner that “justifiable grounds” exist “with some basis in fact” to believe that Proft coordinated with Bailey’s campaign in efforts to promote Bailey, then a state senator, and bash his Democratic rival, incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who was re-elected. […]
The board’s decision to proceed to a full formal hearing means the complaint against Proft, the PAC, Bailey and his campaign has passed an initial legal sniff test of sorts. […]
Proft and Bailey were not available for comment today. In briefs filed with the Elections Board, their attorneys argued that nothing improper occurred and that any ads Proft’s group ran were based on “publicly available” information.
The key matter referenced in the board report was a series of interviews Bailey granted to Proft for his radio show during the campaign. Among other things, the two repeatedly suggested that, because of high crime rates under Democratic officials, Chicago “isn’t a safe place to live.” Proft later echoed that theme in his PAC ads, repeatedly blaming Pritzker for letting crime get out of control.
More than a year after the Illinois State Board of Elections began its probe of right-wing talk radio host Dan Proft’s super PAC, the board will hold a hearing to determine whether the independent expenditure group colluded with Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey in the 2022 election.
On April 29, hearing officer Jim Tenuto will examine the complaint against Proft, Bailey and the People Who Play By the Rules PAC. Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Ben Hardin filed the complaint, which the board agreed to hear last year.
Proft, now a Florida resident who vowed to Crain’s that he would never live in Chicago again “unless the political leadership changes,” is expected to appear in person at the Cook County Building next week.
Hardin alleges that the millions of dollars funneled into Proft’s PAC to oppose Gov. J.B. Pritzker should be considered illegal, in-kind contributions to Bailey’s campaign since the two parties coordinated. Hardin’s team pointed to Proft’s radio show, where Bailey was a frequent guest in the months leading up to the 2022 election and where the two exchanged ideas that later ended up in the PAC’s advertisements, according to the 2023 hearing officer report.
* PJM Interconnection, which runs the power grid in all or parts of more than a dozen states, has been a fierce critic of Illinois’ Climate & Equitable Jobs Act. There are severalothers, but this is just one such story is from 2023…
CEJA includes a range of clean energy mandates and inducements, most significantly the phased elimination of coal and gas generation over two decades. New clean energy sources, augmented by existing nuclear plants, are supposed to fill the gap.
Trouble is, carbon-emitting plants are closing faster than wind and solar generators are coming online. According to PJM, the power grid it manages could lose 21% of its capacity in seven years. Meanwhile, power demand is expected to rise steadily as policies encouraging electrification of cars, home heating and other activities take hold.
New sources of clean power, however, are arriving too slowly to replace capacity lost to closures. Although regulatory pipelines are filled with proposed renewable plants, PJM notes that such proposals often fall through. Another problem is the intermittent output of plants reliant on wind and sunshine, which means it takes a lot more renewable capacity to replace a similar amount of traditional generation.
The upshot, according to PJM: “For the first time in recent history, PJM could face decreasing reserve margins should these trends continue.”
* Mentioned in some of those articles are claims from Illinoisans that PJM has been dragging its feet on approving power generation sources. The Tribune’s Nara Schoenberg took a closer look at those claims earlier this week…
Across the nation, the waitlists for large projects to connect to the grid — and deliver power to homes and businesses — have ballooned, leaving over 1,400 gigawatts of wind and solar power in limbo, enough to allow the United States to achieve 90% clean electricity. […]
And nowhere is the problem worse, according to a recent first-of-its-kind report, than in the PJM region, which spans Washington, D.C., and 13 states, in whole or in part, including northern Illinois. […]
While PJM points to 40 gigawatts of power that’s approved but awaiting construction, there were 290 gigawatts of power waiting to connect to the PJM grid at the end of 2023, up from 88 gigawatts in 2018, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a federally funded research center. […]
In the PJM region, the median time a new energy project had to wait before being allowed to connect to the grid rose to more than five years in 2022, up from just 20 months in 2005.
PJM effectively slammed on the brakes in 2022, with a decision, approved by regulators, that it would not review newer grid-connection requests — submitted after September 2021 — until early 2026, according to government documents and PJM reports.
That allowed PJM to focus on clearing the backlog of older requests but left newer projects with potential waits of up to four years — just to begin the review process. […]
A 2023 Natural Resources Defense Council report found that the PJM grid-connection process isn’t currently getting new wind and solar farms online fast enough to put Illinois on pace to meet its clean electricity goals. And a recent planning report from the Illinois Power Agency said grid-connection delays — along with supply chain issues and the amount of time needed for construction — create a “significant challenge” for ambitious state clean-electricity targets.
The Citizens Utility Board’s Consumers for a Better Grid manager told the Tribune that PJM “has unnecessarily set our transition to cleaner energy back by years.”
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The vital role of Illinois hospitals and health systems in health and well-being is only part of the story. While best known for treating everything from cancer and broken bones to delivering babies and performing lifesaving surgeries, hospitals are also major contributors to the state economy—to the tune of $117.7 billion annually.
A new report expands on hospital and health system contributions to Illinois’ economy: Together, the Illinois hospital community:
• Spends $50.3 billion on payroll, $61.8 billion on supplies and services, and $5.6 billion on capital.
• Supports working families through 445,000 full-time jobs.
• Creates 1.4 jobs in other sectors for every hospital job.
Hospitals across Illinois are economic anchors, and are oftentimes the largest employers in the communities they serve. They fuel job growth as consistent creators of healthcare jobs in Illinois, which have increased 11% between 2010 and 2023. All this comes as hospitals face financial challenges, with an average 3% operating loss as a percentage of net revenue in 2022.
Illinois hospitals are essential to communities, essential to families and essential to the economy. Learn more about the hospital community’s economic impact.
Illinois is one of only seven states without an agency overseeing its public defenders. A bill in the state would create a new Office of Public Defense and Trial Support.
The bill is sponsored by state Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. It comes after an Illinois state Supreme Court study showed public defenders need more support. […]
The office would have two main jobs. One would be providing support to public defenders such as money and other resources. The other function would be creating a strategic planning process to enhance public defender services and ensure everyone has access to effective counsel regardless of where they are in Illinois. […]
Stephanie Kollmann is the policy director at the Children and Family Justice Center at the Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law. She said she’s encouraged Harmon is having a conversation about public defense in Illinois but Illinois needs a statewide public defender’s office independent of the judiciary.
The bill remains in the Senate on Third Reading, but SB595 has been given a May 3 deadline extension.
* Rep. Anthony DeLuca…
Emphasizing public safety and the need to keep roads clear for first responders, state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, is supporting a plan that would strengthen penalties on protestors who block busy roads and prevent the passage of emergency vehicles.
“There’s no question that people have a right to protest and have their voice heard, but they can’t do so in a way that recklessly endangers others,” DeLuca said. “Blocking major roads – especially with no advance notice – is not just inconvenient for residents trying to get to work or school, it also creates traffic jams that make it difficult for first responders and ambulances to reach people in need.”
The DeLuca-backed House Bill 5819 notes that the obstruction of police, firefighters and ambulance personnel on highways endangers the health, welfare and safety of the public. Under the proposal, if an individual blocks an exceptionally busy public right-of-way for more than five minutes in a way that would prevent the passage of first responders, they would be subject to a Class 4 felony. Exceptionally busy right-of-ways are roads defined as having at least 24,000 separate vehicle movements in a 24-hour period.
House Bill 5819 comes in the wake of disruptive protests on the Kennedy Expressway near O’Hare Airport, blocking traffic and causing substantial delays for travelers.
The House committee deadline has long past and the Third Reading passage deadline was earlier this month.
House Bill 4611, another measure that is of priority of the Illinois Secretary of State, has stalled. The measure limiting factors that auto insurers can use to set rates didn’t advance before last week’s deadline. […]
The chair of the insurance committee, state. Rep Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, urged members to consider the amendments and get the bill out of committee.
The bill never left committee.
“Nobody wants to study … until 2028. That’s the issue that has been hanging [the bill] up in committee. We made a compromise to do the study in 2025-2026. Plus this is all depending on if the governor signs the bill. This is a good bill,” said Jones. […]
“The underlying bill says they’re going to ban credit scores, it was a Secretary of State initiative, but now we worked with their office and the auto insurance industry to look at an Illinois-based study that looks at credit scores and other discriminatory factors to see if those discriminating factors are rising up car insurance rates,” said Jones.
* Sens. Ram Villivalam and Celina Villanueva…
Senator Villivalam and Senator Villanueva will join the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC) to introduce the ICJC Platform, which includes legislation outlining critical solutions in the power, buildings, and transportation sectors that accelerate Illinois’ climate, equity, and energy goals. The ICJC Platform includes the Clean and Reliable Grid Act (SB3636), the Clean and Healthy Buildings Act, and the Clean and Equitable Transportation Act.
WHAT: Press conference in support of the ICJC Platform, which includes the Clean and Reliable Grid Act, Clean and Healthy Buildings Act, and the Clean and Equitable Transportation Act.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. CT
WHERE: Blue Room, Illinois State Capitol, S 2nd Street, Springfield, Illinois 62756
SPEAKERS:
Emcee: Jen Walling, Executive Director, Illinois Environmental Council
State Senator Ram Villivalam (SD8)
State Senator Celina Villanueva (SD12)
Rosa Harper-Davis, Faith Coalition for the Common Good
The Illinois Senate has passed legislation in response to a deadly accident in the 54th Senate District involving a tanker carrying 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia that killed 5 people and injured 11.
State Senator Steve McClure, R-Springfield, filed the legislation at the request of Effingham County officials. The bill is designed to educate drivers about the dangers of hazardous materials that vehicles are transporting on Illinois roadways.
“My hope is that drivers, especially younger drivers, will be educated on how deadly even minor crashes can be that involve vehicles hauling hazardous materials,” McClure said in a press release. “I’m hopeful that better educating drivers will help save lives.”
Senate Bill 3406, filed by McClure, will require the Illinois Secretary of State to include education on hazardous material placards in the Rules of the Road publication, which is used to educate students in drivers education classes. The aim of the legislation is to educate drivers so that they know when hazardous materials are being transported on the roads with them.
A cancer advocacy group is applauding legislation it says will remove barriers to access clinical trials for underserved communities in Illinois.
Officials at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network say clinical trials often suffer from a lack of diversity, with underrepresentation of certain demographic groups such as minorities, women and older adults. […]
The measure in House Bill 5405 requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to team with other research organizations to conduct a study to determine which demographic groups are underrepresented in clinical trials in Illinois. The department would be required to report to the General Assembly on the results of the study by July 1, 2025.
Lopshire said the measure will improve diversity and reduce barriers to clinical trials, which are essential in the fight against cancer. She said one way is to provide more information about clinical trials online. […]
The measure passed the House and awaits further action in the Senate.
* Rep. Janet Yang Rohr…
State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, advanced legislation to raise awareness for waterway cleanup efforts, highlighting the need for immediate action to preserve Illinois’ natural resources.
“Cleaning up our state’s waterways is critical to combat climate change and preserve our rich natural habitats,” Yang Rohr said. “By designating September as Waterway Cleanup Month, we can highlight the numerous statewide efforts to beautify waterways in your own backyard.”
Yang Rohr’s House Bill 4130 designates September as Waterway Cleanup Month and is supported by Illinois People’s Action, Sierra Club Illinois and Prairie River Network. Yang Rohr’s legislation originated from student and educator-led efforts in her community to clean up local rivers. The legislation was approved by the House Energy & Environment Committee and passed the House Floor with bipartisan support. […]
House Bill 4130 now heads to the Senate where it will be championed by chief-sponsor Senator Laura Ellman.
When children are removed from their homes by DCFS, they often end up in a different home, outside of their school district. In certain situations, those children may not be able to stay in their current school. The Illinois Senate has passed legislation filed by State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield) designed to ensure that these children are able to attend school in the district where they previously resided. […]
Under current law, depending on what home children are placed in by DCFS, they may or may not be able to attend school in the district where they previously resided.
Senate Bill 2824, filed by McClure, closes the loophole and ensures that all children who have been removed from their homes by DCFS are able to attend their original school district, if determined by DCFS to be in the best interest of the child. This includes situations where a student is moving from elementary to middle school, or from middle school to high school. […]
SB2824 passed the Senate and now awaits action in the Illinois House.
* Rep. Harry Benton…
State Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, is supporting military families by moving legislation through the Illinois House of Representatives to cut red tape regarding child care services for military families.
“We always need to look for ways to support families and members of our military, and this legislation does both,” said Benton. “Military bases have not avoided the shortage of child care providers we have seen across our nation and across Illinois. This bill will help cut some of the red tape restricting us from addressing these shortages, and provide support for some of the most valued members of our state: military families.”
Benton’s House Bill 5596 works by allowing child care providers serving military families on-base to bypass redundant state licensing processes when they have already acquired sufficient licensing through the U.S. Department of Defense. House Bill 5596 received unanimous support on the House floor. The bill now moves to the Senate.
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small.
* ICYMI: Gov. J.B. Pritzker pushes increased funding to fight racial disparities in homelessness. Tribune…
- Pritzker used the release of a report on Black homelessness in Illinois to press the case for his proposal to increase funding on efforts to address the issue in next year’s budget by $50 million.
- The report found that Black people are about eight times as likely as white people to experience homelessness in Illinois.
- Pritzker said that $35 million from the increased funding would go toward rental assistance, $13 million would be for pilot programs to reach at-risk populations and work on racial disparities in homelessness and $2 million would be earmarked for legal aid for those facing court-ordered eviction.
Paul Stephen Colgan, 72, a former resident of Wyoming, IL passed away unexpectedly at his home in Oak Park, IL on Monday, April 15, 2024. […]
Paul’s expansive knowledge and keen insight on public policy allowed for a successful transition from reporter to the legislative staff of the Illinois General Assembly. In this role, Paul was instrumental in crafting extensive legislation that served the people of Illinois. It was also during his time in Springfield that he earned a master’s degree in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois-Springfield.
His passion for politics was equal to his vigor for the fight in political campaigns. Paul worked in professional staff roles on dozens of campaigns at the local and state levels ranging from Governor to Mayor of the City of Chicago. His “get it done” attitude was infectious, and transformational in every campaign he staffed.
Paul became a consultant and lobbyist representing the interests of clients in real estate, building code, technology, finance, energy, and agriculture industries at the local, state, and national levels. […]
Being involved with energy and environmental-related issues for more than 25 years, Paul was most recently a Senior Strategist with Strategia Consulting in Chicago and was heading up the Clean Energy Coalition—a group recently formed to protect all Illinoisans’ consumer rights and the environment. […]
Paul was regarded for his ability to reason and analyze situations from multiple angles. For him, an ideal outcome for all those involved was more important than “being right”. He took pride that his democrat friends thought he was republican, and his republican friends thought he was democrat.
It’s the final day of Governor Pritzker’s statewide tour to amplify the Healthcare Protection Act. The Governor will give remarks at Lurie Children’s Hospital at 10 am. Click here to watch.
*** Isabel’s top picks ***
* WTTW | Coal Byproduct, Other Pollution Sources at Waukegan and Michigan City Power Plants Face Strict Regulations Under New EPA Rules: The EPA came out with four new regulations Thursday, including a sweeping regulation to sharply limit greenhouse gas pollution at coal-burning plants. Those facilities must cut 90% of emissions by 2039 or shut down. The regulations also take aim at mercury emissions, wastewater treatment and the coal ash byproduct amassed at current and former power plants across the country — including NRG’s offline generating station in Waukegan and NIPSCO’s slated-for-closure generating station in Michigan City. Both of those plants, situated alongside Lake Michigan, have been a flashpoint for environmental activists.
* Illinois Times | Attorney trio in trouble: A Springfield lawyer was asked to resign from her city job this month after allegations of unethical behavior came to light from her time working for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. At the heart of the controversy is Salena Young and the two men with whom she lives; both also worked with her as assistant attorneys general. One of the men, Thomas Ewick, was her supervisor while she worked at the Office of the Illinois Attorney General and the other, Jason Young, is her husband.
* Daily Herald | How’s cashless bail going? Here’s what the data says: According to the latest data — which spans from the end of cash bail on Sept. 18, 2023, through April 13 — 30,012 defendants have been granted pretrial release in Cook County, while 1,970 have been detained. Of those released, 26,930 of them — about 90% — have appeared in court as required, including 88% of felony defendants. That’s an improvement from three years ago, when about 80.4% of those charged with felonies and released on bond attended their scheduled court hearings, according to a report from the Civic Federation.
* Illinois Times | Man arrested by FBI owns property with an Illinois state trooper: A 60-year-old man charged in federal court with operating six “houses of prostitution” in Springfield wants to transfer his ownership interest in an office building to an Illinois state trooper who jointly owns the building. Gregory L. Fraase of Springfield asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen McNaught for permission to transfer his interest in a vacant two-level building at 2040 Timberbrooke Drive to Nathan Shanks.
*** Statewide ***
* Sun-Times | Illinois Republicans grapple with mail voting amid mixed signals from Trump. ‘We have to adapt’: While rallying his political troops last summer in Springfield heading into the primary campaign season, Illinois Republican Party chairman Don Tracy highlighted some of his top priorities to help the party regain a foothold in the Democratic-dominated state. “We’ve got to embrace early voting and voting by mail,” Tracy said at the Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee & County Chairmen’s Association breakfast in August. “Democrats have won too many close elections on the strength of their vote-by-mail programs.”
* Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association | IDCCA Statement of Kari Lake in Illinois: In advance of election denier and failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake visiting St. Charles, Illinois on Sunday, April 28, 2024 to raise money for her run for U.S. Senate in Arizona, Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association President and Kane Co. Democratic Party Chair Mark Guethle released the following statement: “Kari Lake is a far-right, disinformation spreading, election denier. In addition to Kari Lake, her event is hosted by conspiracy theorists who discuss things like a global world order and share misinformation about vaccines. Sunday’s event is a who’s-who of individuals who don’t represent the values of Kane County or Illinois, and I hope their event is as unsuccessful as Kari Lake’s past legal escapades and her candidacy for office.”
* Chalkbeat | Illinois’ children and toddlers are experiencing more delays in getting early intervention services: About a year after Desi Evans’ son Christopher was born, she noticed he wasn’t making sounds or babbling like other young children. After the mother from Barrington, Illinois – a town west of Chicago — raised her concerns to her pediatrician at Christopher’s one-year check-up, the doctor recommended having him evaluated for a state program designed to help students with disabilities or developmental delays. […] But, even though Christopher was found to have a speech delay and approved by the state to receive speech, developmental, and occupational therapies, he was not able to receive service until three months before he turned 3, when children are no longer eligible for Early Intervention.
* WCIA | ‘He inspired us’: Family, friends honor Sen. Scott Bennett with highway dedication: People who knew Bennett said he traveled on I-74 frequently. They said it was a trip that showed his dedication to the wide and diverse district he represented. “They were like trying to decide where they would do it,” said Bennett’s wife Stacy. “There was no other option really, because he did this drive so much and just truly loved it.”
* WICS | ISP warning public of phone scam: Over the past two days, ISP has received several phone calls from individuals reporting a person claiming to be an ISP investigator telling them their identity has been stolen. ISP says this is a scam. ISP special agents will not make cold calls requesting personal or financial information, or ask you to confirm personal or financial information.
*** Chicago ***
* Illinois Answers | Johnson Administration Faces Credibility Crunch Over a Key Plank of $1.25B Bond Plan: But wary financial analysts, TIF experts and even some alderpeople have warned that the city will get access to those recurring revenues only if city officials let the districts expire on schedule — which would be a sharp departure from the city’s past practice. An Illinois Answers Project analysis of TIF districts shows that between 2019 and 2023, city leaders approved extensions for 26 districts, most for 12 years, while allowing 22 districts to expire.
* Sun-Times | Facing budget criticism, CPS officials say changes are ‘milestone’ to be celebrated: Christel Williams-Hayes, a senior Chicago Teachers Union official and former school paraprofessional, said the union sees some good aspects of the new budgeting system. But she’s concerned about the impact on paraprofessionals, who aren’t among a few positions — assistant principals and counselors — that will now be guaranteed at every school.
* Tribune | Ex-Ald. Edward Burke resigns from Union League Club, scene of key meeting in corruption case: Burke, who joined the Union League Club on West Jackson Boulevard in the mid-1970s and was one of its most high-profile members, officially had his resignation accepted by the club’s admissions committee on Tuesday, according to a member who requested anonymity. Jeffrey Gray, the club’s director of public affairs, said Wednesday he could not confirm or deny whether Burke had resigned.
* Tribune | Dexter Reed shot 13 times by Chicago police officers, autopsy finds: Dexter Reed was shot 13 times by Chicago police officers during a fatal March traffic stop that left one of the officers shot in the wrist, authorities found. The Cook County medical examiner’s office released Reed’s autopsy and toxicological reports Thursday, five weeks after he was fatally shot in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said four officers fired a total of 96 shots during the 41 seconds of gunfire.
* People’s Fabric | Cop Who Fired 50 Times at Dexter Reed Among Youngest Tactical Officers in the City: In response to a FOIA request for tactical team requirements, CPD sent a recent 15th District solicitation for applications. It lists a minimum requirement of three years with the department. Exceptions are made for prior police or military experience, which [officer Thomas Spanos] does not appear to have. […] According to our analysis of CPD attendance records, the average age of a tactical team member, excluding lieutenants and sergeants, is 35.6, with an average of 8.4 years with the department.
*Sun-Times | Four Corner Hustler chief’s conviction threatened by revelation from feds: The feds now say a former prosecutor on the case, Peter Salib, made a more specific — and previously undisclosed — promise as Booker prepared to testify before a grand jury in September 2017: That Salib would recommend a 25-year prison sentence for Booker. Prosecutors only disclosed that information to U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin and defense attorneys in a letter late last week. During a hearing in the case Wednesday morning, Durkin told the feds to file the letter on the public court docket, and they did so later in the day.
* Tribune | Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testifies he suppressed a story about alleged Rahm Emanuel affair: The ex-publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid testified during former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial Thursday that in the run-up to Rahm Emanuel’s first run for Chicago mayor, the publisher helped quash a story about an alleged affair Emanuel had. David Pecker, who has had a long relationship with Emanuel and has contributed tens of thousands of dollars to his political campaigns over the years, testified he paid $20,000 for a story about an alleged Emanuel affair before Emanuel’s Chicago mayoral campaign kicked off in 2010, according to testimony reported by Politico.
* Block Club | Iconic South Side Blues Bar Lee’s Unleaded Reopens After Long Hiatus: John Primer, fresh off a 2024 Grammy nomination for his album “Teardrops for Magic Slim,” rings in the newest era of Lee’s Unleaded this weekend with his band, the Real Deal. It’s the first show at Lee’s since it closed in 2015. Primer’s band will hit the stage 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Lee’s, 7401 S. South Chicago Ave. in Greater Grand Crossing.
* Sports Handle | DraftKings Approved For Full Mobile License In Illinois, Retail License At Wrigley: Shifting from the gridiron to the diamond, a day after the NFL’s Bears formally unveiled plans for a multibillion-dollar stadium project on the downtown Chicago lakefront, the IGB voted unanimously to grant Northside Crown Gaming, a DraftKings subsidiary, a four-year master sports wagering license to offer retail betting at its sportsbook outside the city’s oldest professional sporting venue, Wrigley Field.
*** The Bears ***
* WBEZ | Mayor Brandon Johnson defends his progressive credentials after supporting the Bears’ new stadium: The Bears’ pitch would deliver on his progressive agenda, the mayor said, by creating 43,000 construction jobs for the region, bringing in millions in anticipated economic impact and adding green space and amenities that all of Chicago could enjoy. “I’m proud to be a union member,” Johnson told NBC Sports. “But I’m also very proud of the fact that we have an organization and we have a leadership with Kevin Warren, who listened to my platform: public benefit, public use. Let’s make sure we do something that’s special that generations to come can benefit from.”
* Sun-Times | Bears President Kevin Warren: ‘I’m not going to think negatively’ about stadium obstacles: What happens if the city and state can come up with only the $325 million for basic infrastructure improvements to open the new stadium — but not the additional $510 million needed for the second phase of work, which includes deconstructing Soldier Field to create new green space? […] On Thursday, Bears President Kevin Warren was asked about that worst-case scenario during a somewhat contentious meeting with the Sun-Times Editorial Board.
* Daily Herald | ‘A different philosophy’: Bears’ original goal to own stadium shifts with latest public-private plans: But, [Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes] added, if the club’s initial goal of owning and controlling their own product is paramount, “then Arlington Heights provides everything they’re looking for. Except the lakefront.” In a round of media interviews Thursday, the Northwest suburban mayor was touting a Bears stadium at Arlington Park as a plan B if Warren’s pitch to legislators for lakefront stadium subsidies falls through. Hayes believes the sprawling former racetrack site provides a “much more exciting opportunity for revenue growth,” and better transportation access than the latest city plans presented by the Bears.
* Crain’s | Bears angling for huge cut of cash-flow pie at new stadium — including concerts: During an interview with the Crain’s editorial board [yesterday], Bears executives said key pieces to the deal the team is trying to land with city and state officials are either being negotiated or haven’t been broached, including the terms of the Bears’ revenue sharing and lease agreement with the park district. “In all transparency, we have not reached that point of saying ‘what is the proper amount of rent and what is the (revenue share) split, how many events are there, who gets what?’ We have not reached that point,” Bears president Kevin Warren acknowledged during a virtual interview with the Crain’s editorial board.
* Daily Herald | Bears making right moves for their roster, not for their stadium dreams: Now, in a span of 30 hours, the Bears announced plans to build a new lakefront stadium that will include a price tag of over $4 billion and then will draft the much hyped quarterback Caleb Williams. It’s easy to be skeptical when it comes to this team based on history. But I can tell you they are operating differently in both processes and gone are the days of doing business of a ma and pop shop.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Tribune | Cook County Democrats to choose Karen Yarbrough’s replacement : Seventeen interested applicants sent their credentials to the party by the Wednesday deadline, including several County Board members, a sitting state senator and the current clerk of Evanston. Yarbrough’s passing came too late for Democratic voters to choose from a slate of candidates — as they did for Mayor Brandon Johnson’s replacement on the Cook County Board in the March primary. Instead, the party will choose both an interim clerk who will serve through December and a candidate to be placed on the November ballot.
* Fox Chicago | Suburban teachers call for change amid allegations of toxic work, learning environment: The Hinsdale High School Teachers Association claims the school board’s dysfunction caused an unprecedented amount of administrative turnover. The group said the board made decisions about what students would learn in math, science and social studies without consulting the teachers. […] The Hinsdale High School Teachers Association is asking for a new board president and a reorganization of the school board.
*** National ***
* AP | These people were charged with interfering in the 2020 election. Some are still in politics today: Several of those charged or accused of involvement in election interference across the states are still involved in Republican politics today — including the lawyer overseeing “election integrity” for the Republican National Committee. And Trump, who faces federal charges in Washington and state charges in Georgia for his efforts to overturn Biden’s win, frequently still claims the 2020 election was stolen, a falsehood echoed by many of his supporters.
* LA Times | How treatment of miscarriages is upending the abortion debate: A seven-figure April ad buy in battleground states by President Biden’s reelection campaign highlights the story of a happily married pregnant Texas woman named Amanda Zurawski. “At 18 weeks, Amanda’s water broke and she had a miscarriage,” the ad reads, with white lettering against a black background. “Because Donald Trump killed Roe v Wade, Amanda was denied standard medical care to prevent an infection, an abortion.” The 60-second ad concludes “Donald Trump did this,” after showing Zurawski and her husband, Josh, looking through a box of items that they had bought in anticipation of the birth of their first child, including a baby book and the outfit they planned to dress her in to bring her home from the hospital.
* NYT | This May Be Our Last Chance to Halt Bird Flu in Humans, and We Are Blowing It: The outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza among U.S. dairy cows, first reported on March 25, has now spread to at least 33 herds in eight states. On Wednesday, genetic evidence of the virus turned up in commercially available milk. Federal authorities say the milk supply is safe, but this latest development raises troubling questions about how widespread the outbreak really is. So far, there is only one confirmed human case. Rick Bright, an expert on the H5N1 virus who served on President Biden’s coronavirus advisory board, told me this is the crucial moment. “There’s a fine line between one person and 10 people with H5N1,” he said. “By the time we’ve detected 10, it’s probably too late” to contain.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today about the financial aspect of the Bears’ stadium plan…
Oh, it is more than what they put forward. I think all of you are starting to report on that. I mean, they want infrastructure dollars on top of what they’re asking for in funding.
They’re asking to keep all of the revenue from other events that might take place at the stadium. You know, if there’s a Beyoncé concert, they want all of that revenue too, and everything else that might happen there. So yeah, I mean, there are aspects of this that are, you know, probably non-starters.
Having said that, you know, always open to a conversation but as I’ve said, the priorities of the people of Illinois are not building stadiums, right?
It’s really about for example, birth equity and building birth centers for people in Black and Brown communities, just as one example. But we have important things we need to invest in for the future of the state and again, stadiums in my mind don’t rank up in the top tier of those.
[Asked about state revenues for other purposes being used for the stadium]
You’re saying dollars that would come into the state of Illinois for other purposes and kind of making sure that those go to this? No. I mean, the truth is that if we have dollars coming in to support parks, for example, in Chicago or in the state of Illinois, it strikes me that it wasn’t contemplated that those dollars would go to a ballpark [chuckles], but rather parks for children and families and neighborhoods and making sure that the city of Chicago has beautiful places for people to go and enjoy themselves without having to spend hundreds of dollars on tickets and and other things.
[Asked about whether it would be preferable to use revenues rather than borrowing]
You mean if like manna from Heaven, a check arrived and it said ‘Give this to the Chicago Bears’ would I want to do that, is that your…?
[If there happened to be one of those funds, would that be preferable to borrowing money]
I’m unaware. If you know of one of those funds, yeah, let me know. I’m unaware of one.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
…Adding… Pritzker also had this to say when first asked about the Bears plan this afternoon…
Well, I have a few words I’d like to say like, for example, what about women’s sports? Very little has been talked about the Red Stars, for example, who asked to be heard on this subject. In addition to that, as you know, the White Sox have asked for support for a stadium for them, but the proposal that was put forward, didn’t include them and takes all the money that’s available and more just for the Bears. So, I think the proposal, again, I’m skeptical of the proposal that was put forward and and I’m even more skeptical of the ability to get enough votes for it in the General Assembly.
In a new shot at Chicago Transit Authority management, an influential Chicago watchdog group is urging that state lawmakers abolish the CTA as an independent agency, turning its responsibilities largely over to an empowered Regional Transportation Authority.
“Citizens want and deserve guarantees that funding increases for government programs will lead to better service outcomes. They want assurances that money is going to be spent efficiently and effectively,” the Civic Federation says in a report issued today. “In the case of mass transit, this will require substantial reform of the current siloed governance and decision-making process that prioritizes the individual priorities of service boards, or transit providers, over regional priorities.”
The report comes as state lawmakers begin to take up the issue of how to avoid what the CTA, Metra and Pace say is a collective $730 million annual fiscal cliff they’ll begin to face at the end of next year, when federal COVID relief funds that have kept them financially afloat, despite ridership drops, run out.
The consolidation also would apply to Metra and Pace. But the CTA in particular wants to keep its independence and, with backing from Mayor Brandon Johnson, instead has pushed a plan to give it a larger subsidy without significant management changes.
It's almost time for the House vs. Senate Softball Showdown! ⚾ And you best believe the House is ready to defend our title. 💪🏾 We will be at Robin Roberts Stadium on Wednesday, May 1 with lots of family-friendly festivities. First pitch is 6:05 PM. I hope to see you there! pic.twitter.com/pZEQlElung
— Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (@SpeakerWelchIL) April 23, 2024
*** Statehouse News ***
* Shaw Local | Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs on what the office does, doesn’t do: So, it is not a surprise that with tax filing day approaching, I have been getting a lot of questions about taxes. We try our best to answer them, or refer people to the appropriate agency, but these questions have served as a reminder that many people just don’t understand my office. I would like to use this note to give you a better idea. Let me start with what we don’t do: We don’t collect taxes. That is the job of the Illinois Department of Revenue.
*** Chicago ***
* Block Club | Influential West Loop Group Relaunches — But Keeps Who’s Behind It A Secret: But despite the group’s new look, its nonprofit status, and its commitment to transparency, it’s unknown who is running the nonprofit besides [President Julie Darling]. That’s because the board intends to remain anonymous, saying through a spokesperson the members fear “cyberbullying” from West Loop resident Moshe Tamssot, the creator of another West Loop Facebook group who has long clashed with WLCO leaders.
* Sun-Times | Dexter Reed was shot 13 times in deadly gunfight with Chicago police, autopsy shows: Dexter Reed was shot at least 13 times when he was killed in a gun battle with Chicago police during a traffic stop last month in Humboldt Park, according to a newly released autopsy report. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the oversight agency investigating the shooting, has reported that four officers fired nearly 100 rounds at Reed after he shot another officer in the wrist on March 21 in the 3800 block of West Ferdinand Street.
* Tribune | As Marine Leadership Academy’s embattled principal receives a promotion at CPS, parents demand accountability: Embattled Marine Leadership Academy principal Kristin Novy is resigning from her post as the head of the Logan Square school for 7-12 grade students – to take a city-wide position within Chicago Public Schools, the district said in an emailed statement Wednesday. For parents and community members who’ve been calling for Novy’s removal for months, the development can be summed up in a word, Board of Governors member Mercy Lamourt said at a meeting at the school Wednesday: “Disappointing.”
* Block Club | Imani The Piping Plover Has Returned To Montrose Beach: Imani, a male plover, was born with his sibling, Siewka, in summer 2021 and is now nearly 3. He is the son of the famed Monty and Rose, the plovers who stole the city’s hearts and inspired plovermania in Chicago starting in 2019. Imani has returned to Montrose Beach repeatedly, though he has not been joined by a female and has not been able to successfully mate.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Sun-Times | Northwestern students set up protest encampment, call out university censorship of pro-Palestinian speech: University President Michael Schill sent a letter to students Thursday morning saying the university had enacted an “interim addendum” to the student code of conduct to prohibit tents. The letter said that protesters had been informed they were in violation of university policies and that the university was removing tents that protesters didn’t take down.
* SJ-R | Setting a strong foundation: Habitat for Humanity director ready for retirement: After more than a decade of guiding the Habitat for Humanity to build houses and expanding its operations on critical rebuilds, Executive Director of local Habitat for Humanity Colleen Stone is retiring on June 28. […] The legacy Stone leaves will be in good hands after a decade of service to the community, giving life changing homes to first-time homeowners. Since 2013, Stone has had part in the building/renovation of 26 houses, 58 critical home repairs, installed 92 wheelchair ramps and impacted over 200 lives in the community directly.
* WCIA | Decatur brewery wins Gold in 2024 World Beer Cup: On Wednesday, Decatur’s Golden Fox Brewing earned Gold in the world’s most prestigious beer competition, the World Beer Cup. The award was given for one of 110 beer-style categories: American-Style Imperial Stout beer. Golden Fox “topped off” 59 competing entries with their winning beverage, the Furious Fox. The beverage is described as an ale that is black in color and packed with earthy flavors, including fig molasses, oak chocolate, dark fruits and light roast coffee.
* SJ-R | What to know about near $5M road construction project beginning soon in Springfield: The city of Springfield has targeted May 6 as the start of work for converting traffic on a 1.6-mile stretch of Fourth Street from one-way to two-way traffic. That will include the setup of temporary barricades to close one lane of Fourth Street from South Grand Avenue to Dodge Street, said T.J. Heavisides, the city’s chief traffic engineer.
An advocate group for Chicago parks has responded to reports that the Chicago Bears are surveying the viability of Soldier Field’s South Lot as a potential new stadium site.
The group’s board chair, Bronwyn Nichols, released the following statement Wednesday on behalf of Friends of the Parks:
“The Bears’ viability study about building a new structure on protected lakefront land absolutely should include dealing with a lawsuit. Friends of the Parks most certainly will continue in its historic role of fending off attempts to develop real estate on the people’s lakefront for private interests.” […]
“We had that period where we were focused on Arlington,” Bears CEO/President Kevin Warren told NBC’s Peter King on his podcast. “We have some issues to work on. There’s a possibility there. But one of the things I promised myself and promised the McCaskeys is that I would come in and take a fresh look at what’s the right thing to do.
* Friends of the Parks and the Bears sat down in March. Crain’s…
At the meeting, Friends of the Parks continued to advocate for the Bears to instead build a stadium at the former Michael Reese hospital site, but team executives explained their concerns, including that the Reese site is too narrow and could potentially involve pushing residents out of their homes to make way for the stadium. […]
After the meeting, both parties issued statements acknowledging the meeting but did not provide specifics on what was discussed.
“The Chicago Bears met with Friends of the Parks to discuss our mutual dedication to Chicago and our deep love for our city’s parks and lakefront area. We look forward to continuing to work together to strengthen our city,” a Bears spokesman said in a statement.
“Friends of the Parks had the opportunity to sit down with the Chicago Bears and hear their vision for a new stadium. They also had an opportunity to hear our values. We look forward to future meetings and conversations with a broader group of stakeholders,” Friends of the Parks said through a spokesperson.
* Yesterday, Friends of the Parks responded to the Chicago Bears news conference…
The “Chicago Way” was on full display at the Chicago Bears news conference today. Once again, Chicago taxpayers are being told what is good for them. We are told that a new domed stadium on protected lakefront land will make Chicago a great city. We are already a great city—in large part due to our protected lakefront. As is so often the case in Chicago,the powerful and wealthy are demanding that our entire city stop and fast track their plans to expand operations on the people’s lakefront.
Meanwhile, the communities we work with who are addressing immigrant issues, homelessness, school closures, affordable housing, public safety, equitable transportation, and lack of jobs are fighting for parity–including at our Chicago Park District parks.
We are all being asked to trust the process and accept that it will, in fact, be Bear-a-dice. Yet, Chicago has a long history of, closed-door planning and rushed decision-making that does not end well for taxpayers. Just look at The Lincoln Yards, The 78, a Chicago casino, and the infamous parking meter deal. Each of these was going to make Chicago into a “world class” city and be a “win-win-win” for residents.
The questions everyone needs to ask of the Bears organization and our elected officials are:
1.What is the actual rush? Do rushed processes in Chicago ever end well? Our city takes decades to build a grocery store in a food desert, but we are being asked to jump as high as the Bears tell us to and fast. Yet, Bronzeville, home to the former Ida B. Wells Projects, and other public housing sites that were promised replacement housing after their communities were demolished in the early 2000s, are still empty in 2024.
2.What about the other parks in Chicago that have waited for equitable investment in their communities? Does a rushed process for an NFL team make more sense than, say, rushing the restoration of a South Side field house? Or expansion of programs to meet demands in North Lawndale? Or restoration of obsolete equipment across the city?
3. What other sites were vetted by the Bears and the City of Chicago, and what was thespecific decision not to proceed with each of those sites? Violating the public trust doctrine should require a rigorous vetting process for alternatives.
4.What about Soldier Field? First, its history was all but obliterated with public funds,which we are still paying off, but now it is set for demolition? What message are we sending to our veterans and their families?
5.How does this plan demonstrate an investment in the people that Mayor Johnson promised to Chicago when he ran for office? How have the people been engaged in dialogue throughout this process? What is the process? Is it transparent? Is it inclusive? It is honest?
6. Why does it always come down to “we want our playground on the lake, or we will go somewhere else?” Is that fair to the rest of Chicago? It’s business as usual to have wealth and power dictating public policy, but is that a best practice for Chicago to follow?
7. It is a good business practice to trust and verify. It is sound business practice for the city of Chicago to hire independent contractors to objectively assess the economic impact the Bears have had since their bond deal in the early 2000s, which we are still paying off today. And to evaluate the return on investment if we put billions into this project directly or indirectly. What level of permanent jobs will this plan generate? Are they trade jobs with a track for career development?
8. Does it seem reasonable that the Chicago Bears should get their wants satisfied immediately while poor neighborhoods suffer from benign neglect?
9. We have seen no evidence of broad-based community engagement or community-led planning. We look forward to asking our questions about process to the stake-holders who participated with the Bears leadership at today’s news conference.
This is a time for some thoughtful, deliberate and civic engagement. A civil, community-driven conversation should be at the forefront of any action the city of Chicago takes regarding the lakefront.
We did not hear anything at the Bears news conference that could not take place at another Chicago location. We have too many questions to make any decision about the value of these plans. We encourage the Bears and the administration to act with “honor, integrity, transparency, wisdom and to be forward thinking and collaborative” and not repeat past mistakes.
A city ordinance prohibits private development east of DuSable Lake Shore Drive. But, Mayor Johnson told reporters Wednesday at Soldier Field that he is confident a new lakefront stadium would not violate that rule.
“Bringing the open space better access to the museums, providing better traffic flow, in and out, creating jobs, making opportunities for our young people, that of the vision that I have for the city of Chicago is very much tethered to Burnham ,” Johnson said. […]
Johnson was also hit with questions about the potential for lawsuits from Friends of the Parks, who previously sued to help prevent a George Lucas lakefront museum.
“What we’re preparing to do is continue to invest in people,” the mayor said. “We’re prepared to put 23,000, 24,000 people in the city of Chicago to work.”
In an email to supporters, Touchdown Arlington leaders wrote that they still believe an Arlington Heights stadium is very much on the table, since there are significant issues facing the proposed development on the lakefront. They include opposition from groups like Friends of the Parks — which successfully fended off filmmaker George Lucas’ museum on the same Soldier Field parking lot site — questions over funding, public ownership of the stadium, and a lack of public interest in contributing taxpayer dollars to the project. […]
Citing “difficulty” with the tax situation in Arlington Heights, Warren said his staff considered up to a dozen other locations for a new stadium, including the former Michael Reese Hospital property in nearby Bronzeville — which was suggested by the parks group. But Warren said that site is narrow and would have to be developed over train lines.
In response to early opposition from state leaders, Warren said he looks forward to having more conversations with them. He still hopes to get approval during the General Assembly’s current session, citing building cost estimates that could rise $150 million to $200 million “every year we wait,” he said.
* More…
* Crain’s | Parks advocacy group blasts Bears’ stadium pitch: In its written statement, Friends of the Parks cast a skeptical eye on the ambitious architectural renderings touted today by Bears management and an array of City Hall supporters, including Mayor Brandon Johnson, questioning not only the aesthetic impact of the design itself but the economic impact claims as well as the pace at which the Bears and the Johnson administration are moving.
* Tribune | Chicago Bears’ flashy game plan for lakefront stadium project greeted with questions: Joe Ferguson, president of the fiscal watchdog the Civic Federation, said the presentation raises the need for an independent analysis of the public costs and revenues. “It begs a lot of questions,” he said. One key question is whether the hotel tax could pay the debt, since it has not been enough to pay current stadium construction debt. The other big question is where the city would get money for transportation and lakefront improvements.
* WTTW | Bears Ask Taxpayers for $2.4B Subsidy to Build $4.75B Domed Stadium Along Lakefront: The new Bears stadium is set to be built on the same site that former Mayor Rahm Emanuel wanted for the Lucas Museum, on what is now a parking lot south of Soldier Field. Star Wars creator George Lucas dropped his plans in 2016 in the face of unrelenting opposition and built the museum in Los Angeles.
State lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn in a month and budget discussions are already underway. The Illinois Secretary of State and Attorney General told the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday that they are both prioritizing cybersecurity improvements in their budget requests.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is proposing an $825 million budget for Fiscal Year 2025. Giannoulias explained his team spent $75 million to improve his office’s technology last year, but he believes there are still critical needs in cybersecurity. […]
Meanwhile, Attorney General Kwame Raoul hopes to receive an $8.5 million boost in funding for office general operations. Raoul told senators he is also requesting a $500,000 increase in general revenue funds to provide more grants for victims of violent crimes.
The Democrat noted that he is also committed to improving cybersecurity with a $1 million investment for FY25.
A bill now making its way through the state legislature would prohibit health insurance plans from requiring step therapy for prescription medications and procedures, among other reforms.
“With this bill, we’re putting power back in the hands of doctors and patients,” Pritzker said last week at a news conference, shortly after the bill passed the House by 81-25. The bill now moves to the Senate.
Nationwide, at least 36 states, including Illinois, have laws in place requiring health insurers to make exceptions to step therapy rules in certain situations, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation, which tracks step therapy laws. If the bill prohibiting step therapy in Illinois passes, it will apply to health insurance plans regulated by the state (rather than the federal government), plans used by state workers, local government employees and teachers, as well as Medicaid, which is a state and federally funded health insurance program for people with low-incomes and disabilities. About 20% of Illinois residents are on Medicaid, according to KFF, a health police research organization. […]
Dr. Rodney Alford said that, for primary care doctors, step therapy is the “bane of our existence.” Alford has been practicing for 40 years and is now president of the Illinois State Medical Society. […]
Insurance industry representatives, however, say that eliminating step therapy entirely could create patient safety issues. Step therapy requirements give insurers a chance to pump the brakes when a patient is pursuing a treatment or medication that might be risky for them, said Laura Minzer, president of the Illinois Life and Health Insurance Council, which opposes the bill.
An Illinois bill that started as a protection for solar-powered doorbells has developed into comprehensive proposed legislation to break down the barriers confronting rural electric cooperative members seeking to install solar.
Many residents and solar developers say the measure is sorely needed, since electric cooperative members often face arbitrary and changing interconnection, compensation and liability policies from the cooperatives.
Illinois HB5315, called a “Solar Bill of Rights” and introduced Feb. 29, would require the state’s more than 50 cooperatives and municipal utilities to allow net metering until a certain threshold of solar penetration is met, and develop “shared policy” on solar that must be approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission.
The bill would prohibit problematic requirements often reported by electric cooperative members, including complicated insurance requirements, lengthy interconnection processes and restrictions on system size, solar leases and power purchase agreements. People with solar would also continue under the same billing terms for 25 years after installing systems.
HB5315 was re-referred to the House Rules Committee this month.
Black and Brown communities in Illinois are up to 200% more likely to live near a distribution warehouse than the overall statewide population, according to a new report from the Environmental Defense Fund on the state’s “warehouse boom,” most of which is clustered in the greater Chicago area. […]
“Studies have shown that exposure to air pollution increases the likelihood of strokes, pulmonary disease and various cancers,” state Rep. Dagmara Avelar (D-Romeoville) said. “It also exacerbates asthma, damages lungs and leads to lower respiratory infections. The toll it takes in human lives cannot be understated … but let’s make this clear: This is not just our health that’s at stake. Air pollution wreaks havoc on the environment around us as well.”
Avelar is co-sponsoring a bill in the General Assembly that would charge the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency with greater oversight of distribution warehouses, many of which are used by mega-retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart. Among other anti-pollution incentives and transparency measures, the bill calls on the Illinois EPA to count how many trucks use the facilities, monitor emissions and publish annual data on the warehouses — including who owns the facilities and which companies operate in them.
Advocates said that final item is key since many companies lease warehouse space rather than owning and operating their own facilities. Currently, there is no comprehensive statewide information on where warehouses are located, who owns the properties and who uses them.
HB5013 has been re-referred to the House Rules Committee. Here’s the synopsis…
Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Establishes the Health and Equity Advisory Council. Provides that the Council shall make initial findings, conclusions, and recommendations regarding environmental justice to the General Assembly by no later than June 30, 2026, and shall make annual reports to the General Assembly no later than June 30 of each year thereafter. Describes the Council’s composition. Provides that the Environmental Protection Agency shall conduct truck counting and facility emissions monitoring. Provides that, no later than 12 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Agency shall adopt rules providing for the facility-by-facility review of regulated facilities, along with a menu of measures to reduce the impact of air pollution. Provides guidelines for a fee and point system. Requires the Agency to disclose air pollution impacts on maternal, infant, and child health; educational attainment; and the economy. Establishes the Insights, Jobs, and Environmental Justice Grant Program. Outlines the purpose and application of the grant program. Establishes the Insights Analysis Program and details its purpose, function, and duties. Requires the Agency to conduct a public participation process in order to maintain transparency of the program’s progress. Requires the Agency to annually publish a list of warehouses and truck-attracting facilities and details the information that must be included on the list. Requires the Agency to conduct annual investigations of a random selection of at least 5% of all stationary and indirect sources in non-overburdened communities. Requires that the results of the investigation be made public and details the metrics to be included in the investigations.
As of Friday’s Third Reading deadline, a total of 324 House bills had been passed. Of that total, 291 were Democrat-sponsored bills and a mere 33 were Republican-sponsored bills (10.2%).
As the House Republican Floor Leader, I am responsible for directing House Floor debate and questioning from the Republican side of the aisle. There are more than 4 million Illinoisans who are represented by House Republicans. Those Illinoisans deserve to have their voice heard and their priorities and values represented in the legislature, regardless of the party of their elected State Representative. […]
HB 5433 is another example. The bill creates a “Prairie Lawns Program” under the Department of Natural Resources. The bill would provide grant funding to individual homeowners to plant native plants in residential lawns to attract and preserve pollinating insects like bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and flies. As the House Republican Floor Leader, I study each bill that passes, and I have a strong grasp of the important issues facing our state. A “Prairie Lawns Program” that pays people money to plant native grasses in their yards to attract bugs doesn’t belong at the top of Illinois’ legislative ‘To-Do” list.
There were a few legislative victories during last week’s action. House Bill 4241, sponsored by Republican State Representative Amy Elik ensures that school employees who commit acts of sexual conduct or sexual penetration with a student, regardless of the student’s age, are held criminally liable. The legislation protects students who are between 18 and 23 years of age against acts of sexual conduct or sexual abuse by an educator or school staff member and establishes tough penalties for anyone who violates a student in this way.
House Bill 4175 is a textbook example of legislation that can be used to advance multiple political narratives.
The House passed the proposal 79-26 April 15; it now sits in the Senate Assignments Committee. If enacted, it would amend the School Code to ban physical punishment at private schools, matching a public school rule on the books for three decades.
One possible spin is this plan represents a solution in search of a problem. That’s one thrust of recent Daily Herald reporting showing most suburban private schools already have their own corporal punishment bans in place.
But primary sponsor state Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, framed it as proactivity, or a zag countering the zigs of states like Missouri, where new laws expressly allow such punishment. That position fits in line with Gov. JB Pritzker’s broader agenda of defining what kind of state Illinois will be on his watch: if red states go one direction, he likes to double down with the blue marker.
Legal proceedings will move forward in a LaSalle County court in connection with the deaths of three dozen veterans who died at a Veterans Affairs facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than two years since they first filed suit, some of the families tell FOX 32 Chicago they still do not have closure. They also say they feel the State of Illinois has not done enough to resolve the lengthy legal battle and are asking for accountability. […]
There has been little movement in court, but now those lawsuits may finally move forward.
A judge, last month, denied the defendants’ request to move the cases into the Court of Claims.
Just this week – the last of the amended lawsuits were filed in LaSalle County.
“I think that the judge got it right, the motions were denied. The cases are going to remain pending in LaSalle County Court, and if necessary, they will be tried in front of the citizens of that county,” said Mike Bonamarte, managing partner, Levin & Perconti.
* Plaintiffs’ press release…
Mike Bonamarte, managing partner at Levin & Perconti and attorney for 31 families: “After more than two years we are finally ready to move forward with the substantive aspects of this litigation. The State’s attempt to have these cases moved to the Court of Claims has been denied. While frustrated that the State has not made a meaningful attempt to resolve these cases, our clients remain resolute and determined to get justice for the suffering and deaths of their loved ones.”
Lindsay Lamb, granddaughter of deceased veteran Richard Cieski: “Governor Pritzker called our family and left a voicemail shortly after my grandfather passed away. He expressed his condolences and said if we need anything, we should reach out to him. Well Governor, here’s what you can do, you can put this to rest and let us move on. My grandmother is 92 and the loss of my grandfather has taken such a toll on her. She is a shadow of herself. It would be nice if she could get closure and justice before she passes.”
Mary Beth Schomas, daughter of deceased veteran Bernard Schomas: “I still feel a lot of anger for what happened to my father and the other veterans. The state’s attempt to delay these cases and not allow them to be heard before a jury feels so disrespectful. The state admitted it was at fault, now it has to be accountable to the veterans who are gone and to their families. We don’t want this negligence to be buried. We want to make sure something like this never happens again.”
John Lunquist, son of deceased veteran Richard Lunquist: “The delays are very frustrating and disrespectful because there is no closure for the families. It seems like the state has put this on the backburner for some time. We are determined to see this through and get justice for our loved ones. We are grateful the Judge ruled that these cases can be heard in state court before a jury so people all across Illinois can hear the evidence.”
* I had no idea this problem existed until I received this press release…
In an effort to help Illinois residents reconnect with more of their missing money and to right a historical wrong against the Black community and other people of color, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs and Illinois Congressman Danny K. Davis today urged the U.S. Treasury to make it easier for states to facilitate the return of mature U.S. Savings Bonds.
Davis (D-IL-07) and Frerichs said federal efforts to allow individual states to treat mature, unpaid U.S. Savings Bonds as missing money do not go far enough because proposed rules allowing states access to information about bond owners and beneficiaries would severely limit how states could use that information to find the owners of these funds.
It is estimated the federal government holds more than $30 billion in mature, unpaid savings bonds that date back to at least the 1940s. The amount includes more than $1 billion owed to Illinois residents.
Further, in a recent letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, bipartisan Members of Congress identified resolving the backlog of unclaimed savings bonds as a matter of addressing historic injustices. “Due to state-enforced racial segregation and subsequent exclusion from traditional banking systems in the early-to-mid 20th Century, African American families and other underserved groups invested in savings bonds at higher rates. Given this fact, and that most of these matured bonds at Treasury are from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, it would follow that African Americans represent a high percentage of unclaimed bond holders.”
As Illinois State Treasurer, Frerichs is the state’s unclaimed property administrator, a program more commonly known as missing money or I-Cash. The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office has returned more than $1.9 billion during Frerichs’ time in office, including more than $11 million to the extended family of a Chicago man, the largest individual return in the country. Further, the office’s expertise often is sought by other states when strengthening unclaimed property laws and improving operational efficiencies.
“In Illinois, we have a proven record in fighting for taxpayers and returning missing money to our residents,” Frerichs said. “We are asking for the Treasury Department to allow us to use bond information to do our job.”
“I am proud to work with Treasurer Frerichs to help return billions of dollars in missing money to Illinoisans and Americans across the country,” Davis said. “Given the tremendous success of state treasurers in returning unclaimed property to owners and beneficiaries, the Treasury Department must do more to work with states to get unclaimed savings bonds to the rightful owners.”
For generations, U.S. savings bonds have been a staple for family gifts commemorating birthdays, holidays and graduations. It effectively is a loan to the federal government. An individual purchases the bond in exchange for a fixed rate of interest over a fixed period of time. When that time expires, the savings bond ceases to earn interest. If unpaid, the federal government benefits from the initial loan as well as the unpaid interest. Values start at $25 and can increase to as much as $10,000.
Bonds that are surrendered to the state treasury, such as those found in an abandoned safe deposit box, are eligible to be reunited with their owner, and Frerichs’ office strives to do so. However, bonds not surrendered to the state that the federal government knows exists are not afforded the same protection. Unlike the state of Illinois, the federal government is not required to try to find the bond’s owner.
In 2022, Congress passed a provision in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2023 that requires the U.S. Treasury to provide information to states on savings bonds with owner or beneficiary addresses in the state for states to use to locate bond owners. However, Treasury issued proposed rules to implement this law in October 2023 that appeared very limited in terms of how states could make use of the bond information.
Frerichs submitted comments on the proposed rule and is calling on Treasury to revise its final rule in a way that would allow states to better utilize bond information to reunite Illinois residents with their missing bonds.
Congressman Davis has championed legislation in a prior Congress, sponsored by a bipartisan group of nine Representatives (H.R.5269) and twenty Senators (S.2417), that would have effectively allowed for the transfer of unclaimed savings bonds to states, allowing states to use all available state unclaimed property resources to try to find the owners of the bonds.
At Issue:
• Most of these $30 billion in bonds are physical pieces of paper that are lost, stolen, forgotten or destroyed.
• Many of these bonds were issued more than 70 years ago, were for small amounts, and matured after 30-40 years. The chances of owners or heirs seeking to redeem these bonds from the U.S. Treasury is extremely low and federal officials are not required to try to find them.
• The U.S. Treasury is the sole source of names, addresses and serial numbers needed to claim the bond proceeds.
• The problem only will get worse because the federal government eliminated paper bonds in 2010. Since January 2011 the bonds are electronic, so there is nothing to secure in a safe deposit box.
• The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators estimates that $1 billion in unredeemed lost or missing bonds belong to Illinois residents.
• Estimated value of matured, unpaid U.S. savings bonds in nearby states: Indiana, $478 million; Kentucky, $319 million; Missouri, $438 million; Iowa, $226 million; Wisconsin $415 million; and Michigan, $773 million.
Thursday, Apr 25, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
“The hospitality industry in Illinois is a strong economic driver to the state’s economy. We have some of the best breweries, restaurants, and hotels in the world and we should be doing what we can to help these businesses continue to prosper and grow. However, policy changes are being discussed that would eliminate the tip credit, effectively hurting the heart and soul of what makes those businesses special – the people. That is not the path that we should take as it will impact our small independent operators in communities all over the state the most. We hope Illinois legislators will reject these plans and vote no on any measure that will eliminate the tip credit on hospitality workers.”
Lou Sandoval
President & CEO
Illinois Chamber of Commerce
Pulling off the Sheets tells the previously obscured history of the Second Ku Klux Klan which formed in deep southern Illinois in the early 1920s. Through meticulous research into both public and private records, Darrel Dexter and John A. Beadles recount the Klan’s mythical origins, reemergence, and swift disappearance. This important historical account sets out to expose the lasting impact of the Klan on race relations today.
The ideation of the Klan as a savior of the white race and protector of white womanhood was perpetuated by books, plays, and local news sources of the time. The very real but misplaced fear of Black violence on whites created an environment in which the Second Klan thrived, and recruitment ran rampant in communities such as the Protestant church. Events like the murder of Daisy Wilson intensified the climate of racial segregation and white supremacy in the region, and despite attempts at bringing justice to the perpetrators, most failed. The Second Klan’s presence may have been short-lived, but the violence and fear it inflicted continues to linger.
This disturbing historical account challenges readers to “pull back the sheet” and confront the darkest corners of their past. Dexter and Beadles emphasize the importance of acknowledging the damage that white supremacy and racism cause and how we can move toward healing.
After a year of locking herself in her office at night, [Arionne Nettles] emerged with her city tale, “We Are The Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything” (Lawrence Hill Books). It hits shelves Tuesday.
Nettles’ debut is an ode to the city that raised her, and a history lesson in the culture that molded her and the world, she said.
She explores moments that shaped pop culture worldwide, not just in Chicago, from the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to the founding of “Soul Train” and Drill music. There are sections dedicated to Chicago’s Black Media Powerhouse, fashion and haircare. […]
“As a journalist, you’re always told not to put yourself in the story. But I was connected to a lot of these things, and I think it’s important for people to know why I might have landed on certain themes,” Nettles said. “I’m just a Chicago girl, and I think my experiences I talk about in my essays are very familiar to so many other Chicagoans I know.”
Kimberly France, the author of “Black Settlements in Southern Illinois,” will discuss her research for the book during a program from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library. The public is invited.
France — a native of Carbondale, Illinois, and a graduate of Howard University and Southern Illinois University — said in a March interview with WPSD television that she wants to encourage others to research Black history in their own communities. […]
The book, from Arcadia Publishing, was released in January.
“Never before has there been a published record that identifies the Black settlements in each of the lower sixteen counties of Southern Illinois,” states a description from Arcadia. “Few are aware of this legacy, which dates back to the early founding of the Illinois territory, but these communities are an essential part of the region’s heritage. Author Kimberly France identifies these historic institutions by the pillars that anchored them. She describes how Black settlement began, how it ended and the untold history that lies between.”
* Greg Pratt sat down with WGN earlier this month to discuss his book “The City Is Up for Grabs.” Click here to check it out.
Thursday, Apr 25, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Over 200 hospitals and nearly 40 health systems: Illinois’ hospital community sparks economic activity and growth throughout the state totaling $117.7 billion every year. Such significant economic impact comes from a diverse group of healthcare providers—community and safety net hospitals, teaching hospitals and academic medical centers, rural and critical access hospitals, and specialty hospitals. Yet each one contributes to their community as economic anchors and large employers providing good-paying jobs.
Consider the key findings in a new report on the essential role of hospitals on the economy:
• One in 10 jobs in Illinois is in healthcare;
• Illinois hospitals directly employ 190,000 Illinoisans; and
• Every $1 in hospital spending leads to another $1.40 in spending.
Driving economic growth is just one of the many roles hospitals have. Most associated with providing lifesaving care, hospitals and health systems also promote community health and well-being; foster neighborhood revitalization; enhance public health and safety through community partnerships; and advance health equity initiatives to ensure optimal health for all residents.
Illinois hospitals and health systems support working families by generating a combined 445,000 jobs among hospitals and other sectors due to hospital spending. Learn more about the hospital community’s economic impact.
Welch: Let me say this. I’m going to say to you publicly what I said to Kevin Warren privately last week: If we were to put this issue on the board for a vote right now, it would fail and it would fail miserably. There is no environment for something like this today.
Now in Springfield, environments change. Will that environment change within the next 30 days? I think that’s highly unlikely. You know, I think there’s a whole lot of Chicago Bears fans in the General Assembly, but our priorities are pretty clear. And we, starting next week, have one month to pass another balanced budget to, continue the positive outlook that Moody’s talked about yesterday with regard to our financial health. And I can tell you, that’s something that we have front and center as a top priority for us right now. Taking care of working families across this state is the top priority for us right now.
Q: [Does he envision any scenario where this could happen?]
Welch: Again, environments do change in Springfield. I mean, peoples’ minds can be convinced, there’s gonna be a lot of conversations. But as the governor noted, there’s three teams in Chicago. You have the Bears, the White Sox and the Chicago Red Stars, the women’s soccer team. They’re all wanting a share of this pot. And I think you have to seriously have those conversations as well. You know, in sports, equity is very important. Equity is at the center of everything we do in the House. And so I don’t think anyone can be left out of that conversation. And so, I think what’s happening today is really the kickoff, no pun intended, of some conversations to be had.
How does Johnson respond to the lack of alignment between the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois?
“Well, I run the city of Chicago,” Johnson said. “I mean, that’s my responsibility to people in Chicago voted for me to run the city. And what the city has made very clear is that the public use and the public benefits to transform the lakefront. That has always been my goal. It’s not about just keeping the bears in the city of Chicago, which we have a commitment from the Bears to remain in Chicago, but it’s also about the transformation that exists there.
“Now, as far as the next steps, of course, to engage the speaker of the House, the Senate president to engage the governor, to engage the people of Chicago as a whole. That is also part of the process. But we needed to make sure that the Bears organization and my administration were on the same page. And when it comes to investing in this moment, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, we’re talking about $3.5 billion of income in our workers.”
* ICYMI: Bears have designs on the lakefront, as Mayor Johnson plays the wrong position of cheerleader-in-chief. Lee Bey…
Team officials acted like city-paid planners and transit experts as they outlined the additional roadways and infrastructure needs that would have to happen to get the project off the ground. […]
But the public and elected officials, not the Bears, should be the ones deciding what remedies are needed.
Meanwhile, the Bears said they will pay $2 billion to design and construct the publicly-owned stadium — with the help of the NFL and the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.
There is a catch though: The team also said it would require an additional $1.5 billion in public infrastructure and transit to make all those pretty renderings fully come to life.
Governor Pritzker will be at the University of Illinois Chicago at 2 pm to announce new action plan addressing homelessness. Click here to watch.
* Druker, Yadgir & Haupt…
The communications team that served Jesse White over the entirety of his record 24-year, 6-term tenure as Illinois Secretary of State has launched a media, advocacy, and public policy consulting firm: Druker, Yadgir & Haupt (DYH).
Longtime friends and colleagues, Dave Druker, Bob Yadgir and Henry Haupt are united in the overarching goal of DYH: Working with good people to accomplish good things. In addition to securing paid clients, the firm is committed to “giving back” by providing pro bono services to worthy causes.
The firm will specialize in media relations, crisis communications, internal and external communication strategies, advocacy, and public policy development, implementation, and communication. Yadgir and Haupt are founding partners; Druker will serve as a senior adviser.
“For 24 years and counting, I have relied upon Bob, Dave and Henry to help develop my public policy, communication and media relations strategy,” said former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. “I’m proud of the work we did at the Secretary of State’s office and can objectively say the role Bob, Dave and Henry played was instrumental in securing and promoting many of the achievements over my 24-year tenure. I congratulate them on this exciting new venture and know they will be successful. I look forward to helping them in any way I can.”
“Dave, Henry, and I had a front-row seat watching one of the state’s most impactful elected officials work, and we learned from him. Jesse White believes that truth and integrity form the foundation of trust, and as a result, the people of Illinois trusted Jesse White and his administration. We will bring this same commitment to all our clients,” said Yadgir. “And as the saying goes, by forming Druker, Yadgir and Haupt, we are getting the ‘band back together.’ I am so proud to be flanked by these two, amazingly talented individuals.”
“We bring different skills that balance and complement one another and have forged a working relationship that is time-tested and invaluable,” said Haupt. “We are committed to serving our clients with integrity and a relentless, laser-focused work ethic to deliver desired results.”
“Serving as Press Secretary for Jesse White was the opportunity of a lifetime,” Druker said. “I’m thrilled to continue to work with the team that for 24 years successfully helped strategize, develop and promote Jesse White’s agenda to serve Illinoisans with honesty and integrity.”
For more information about DYH and its mission, visit dyandh.com or call Bob Yadgir at 312-907-4792 or Henry Haupt at 217-503-5585.
*** Isabel’s top pick ***
* The Guardian | Mega-warehouses heap more pollution on hard-hit Illinois neighborhoods: Two million people in Illinois live within a half-mile of large warehouses, which are disproportionately located in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. A new report by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) identified at least 2,400 leased warehouses covering 632m sq ft – a 33% rise from the previous decade.
*** Statehouse News ***
* WAND | Illinois Secretary of State, Attorney General prioritize cybersecurity in budget requests: Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is proposing an $825 million budget for Fiscal Year 2025. Giannoulias explained his team spent $75 million to improve his office’s technology last year, but he believes there are still critical needs in cybersecurity. Giannoulias stressed that the Secretary of State’s IT systems had not been updated in decades and the only employees who understand the technology are set to retire.
* WCIA | Senator Scott M. Bennett Memorial Highway signs to be hung this week: IDOT will hang the signs up along portions of I-74 between Route 45 and the Indiana state line Thursday, according to State Senator Paul Faraci (D-Champaign). Faraci, a friend of Bennett and his successor in the Illinois State Senate, announced he is holding a dedication ceremony for the new signs Thursday morning at 10 a.m. in Oakwood at the village hall. He passed the legislation for the signs last year. Family and friends of Bennett will also be in attendance.
* Daily Herald | Southwest flights from O’Hare to dip this summer amid Boeing fallout: As the company waits for more planes from Boeing, Southwest Airlines is scaling back O’Hare International Airport flights by about 40% this summer. “We are revising our summer schedule due to delays related to receiving new aircraft deliveries from Boeing,” Southwest spokesman Dan Landson said Wednesday.
* Sun-Times | Art Institute argues it legally owns watercolor: ‘No evidence’ it was ‘ever physically seized or “looted” by Nazis.’: The Art Institute of Chicago contends that decades of investigation and litigation have concluded that a watercolor it now holds was never stolen by the Nazis from a cabaret performer who later died in a concentration camp — but rather was legally sold by the man’s heirs. In a detailed court filing Tuesday, the Art Institute argued that New York prosecutors’ allegations that they were holding artwork stolen during the Holocaust are groundless.
* Sun-Times | Chicago rat hole in Roscoe Village removed by city: “[The Chicago Department of Transportation] is removing and replacing sections of damaged sidewalk on Roscoe Street between Wolcott and Damen in coordination with the Alderman’s office,” CDOT said in a statement. The nouveau tourist attraction was preserved, but its future home is yet to be determined, CDOT said.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | ‘We are at a standstill’: DuPage County Board and County Clerk at odds over clerk’s authority: DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek continues to refuse to answer questions about no-bid contracts awarded by her office, potentially setting the stage for a legal fight with the county board. Kaczmarek has come under scrutiny by county board members after an April 11 memo from county Auditor Bill White said two invoices, totaling more than $250,000, from the clerk’s office stemmed from no-bid contracts. On Wednesday, White said three other unpaid bills, totaling more than $135,000, also were the result of no-bid contracts. All of the bills were related to work performed for the April primary.
* Daily Southtown | Dolton and Mayor Tiffany Henyard hit with another lawsuit from business owner: A federal lawsuit filed against Dolton and Mayor Tiffany Henyard alleges a business license for a barber shop was denied due to “arbitrary and capricious” actions by the mayor. It’s the latest in a string of lawsuits filed in state and federal court against the village and Henyard, many of which allege retaliatory actions by the mayor and her administration aimed at those who do not support her politically or financially. Tyrone Isom Jr. ultimately did not receive a license to open his barber shop and said he had to sell the property, after putting in thousands of dollars to remodel the building, according to his lawsuit.
* Tribune | Northwestern University hazing lawsuits on new track after claims school attorneys mishandled confidential information: Broadly speaking, the lawsuits from former players appeared to be on their way to a settlement, and the Fitzgerald lawsuit was headed for trial next year. But now there appears to be little hope of resolving the ex-players’ suits via mediation, attorneys said. That process “has gotten us not only nowhere but backward,” attorney Lance Northcutt , who represents multiple former players, said in court Tuesday.
* NBC Chicago | Suburban Chicago mall permanently closed over the weekend: Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale, the once bustling mall of the 90s, closed for good on Sunday, nearly one month after plans to shutter the mall were first announced. As of Monday, the mall’s website has been removed. Opened in 1981, the mall was previously anchored by Sears, Marshall Fields, and Carson Pirie Scott. It faced many challenges, like other malls across the country trying to keep up with the changing retail landscape, the surge of online shopping and the economy.
*** Sports ***
* Tribune | Angel Reese isn’t taking anything for granted as a WNBA rookie, but her goals for the Chicago Sky are set: ‘I want to dominate’: Throughout her introductory news conference Wednesday, Reese kept emphasizing that she can’t get ahead of herself. She knows the harsh reality of making a roster in the WNBA — and she’s prepared to fight for her spot on the Sky this season. “I don’t want to go into the league thinking that I’m automatically on the team because I’m not,” Reese said. “Anybody can get cut any given day. We have amazing vets on our team and I know they’re gonna push me every day to get even better. There’s no given spot. I don’t take this moment for granted (like) I’m just gonna have it given to me. I need to go out there and earn my spot.”
* Bloomberg | Allstate will insure California homes again — under one condition: Allstate confirmed in a statement to Bloomberg News that it seeks to increase its market share in California, but rates must “fully reflect the cost of providing insurance to consumers” before agreeing to lift its current restrictions. The new rules will allow for rate increases that the company says will ensure they can pay customers’ claims in the event of a fire, according to the statement.
* Crain’s | Why Realtor settlement might not change commissions much — or even at all: To be clear, Realtor commissions are unlikely to go away. Traditionally, broker compensation was advertised on multiple listing sites visible only to Realtors, but that practice will be prohibited. Under the settlement agreement announced in March, listing agents will no longer be permitted to advertise the commission to buyers’ agents, a practice that change advocates have said led representatives toward homes with higher commissions, a breach of fiduciary duty for Realtors working on behalf of buyers.
