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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Cat Power… Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
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Isabel’s afternoon briefing
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * SJ-R…
* Crain’s…
* Sun-Times…
* I wonder how much this is costing the township?…  * 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. * 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. * 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. * 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. * 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. * 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.”
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Things that make you go ‘Hmm’
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Hmm…
* Hmm…
* Hmm…
* Sounds like Bears CEO Kevin Warren is already starting to downplay his deal with the city…
Hmm.
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Did Dan Proft’s independent expenditure PAC illegally coordinate with Bailey’s campaign? The case will go before the Illinois Elections Board next week
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * 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…
Click here to read the Democratic Party of Illinois’ complaint to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Back to DPI’s press release…
* Last year, the ISBE took the first step to probe possible collusion between Bailey and Proft. Crain’s…
Click here for the report. * And now to today. Crain’s…
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PJM’s massive fail
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * 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 several others, but this is just one such story is from 2023…
* 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…
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.”
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$117.7B In Economic Activity: Illinois Hospitals Are Essential To Communities And Families
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:
• 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.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WGEM…
The bill remains in the Senate on Third Reading, but SB595 has been given a May 3 deadline extension. * Rep. Anthony DeLuca…
The House committee deadline has long past and the Third Reading passage deadline was earlier this month.
* Sens. Ram Villivalam and Celina Villanueva…
* Rep. Janet Yang Rohr…
* Rep. Harry Benton…
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
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. We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Beth, who serve their communities with dedication and pride. For more information, click here Happy Dog Barkery - We Are RetaIL (irma.org)
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Open thread
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Gov. J.B. Pritzker pushes increased funding to fight racial disparities in homelessness. Tribune…
- 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. * Related stories…
∙ Sun-Times: Pritzker announces new action plan to combat homelessness and address racial disparity ∙ Capitol News Illinois: State unveils report on racial disparities among homeless populations Subscribers know more. * Ugh…  * Paul Colgan has passed…
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. * 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. * 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. * 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. * 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. * 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. * 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.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Apr 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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