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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Illinois GOP chair-elect Kathy Salvi, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie and Sen. Terri Bryant held a press availability this morning: * Sun-Times | Illinois Republican goes viral after confronting ‘obnoxious’ Gaetz on convention floor: Illinois National Republican Committeeman Richard Porter’s Tuesday night interaction with Gaetz made the rounds in a social media video that showed him berate the scandal-plagued Gaetz for trying to embarrass former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a television interview. […] At the Illinois RNC delegation’s Wednesday breakfast, Porter said Gaetz’s display “was just for show. It was obnoxious, it was not consistent with what we’re here for.” * WTTW | As Illinois RNC Delegation Celebrates Agriculture, Congresswoman Decries ‘Communist Environmental Movement’ and ‘Demonized’ Carbon Dioxide: Miller said excessive regulations are hurting agriculture, blaming the so-called “communist environmental movement, the ‘Green Bad Deal’ that Donald Trump has called out as a sham issue. And I want to tell you as a farmer, we love CO2 – and trees and plants love it too. They have demonized the miracle molecule that causes things to grow.” * Capitol News Illinois | Fioretti makes his case: Bob Fioretti, the GOP candidate for Cook County State’s Attorney, addresses reporters with Black Chicago-area community activists who say they’ve grown frustrated with Democrats and are now willing to give Republicans a try. Fioretti faces an uphill battle to become state’s attorney in predominantly blue Cook County against Democrat Eileen O’Neill Burke. * Sun-Times | New Illinois GOP chair Kathy Salvi heralds ‘fresh new day’ at Republican National Convention: Salvi struck a familiar refrain of unity among Illinois delegates this week at the Republican National Convention, pushing for “culture of collaboration” in a divided state party that is trying to claw its way back to statewide relevance in Illinois. “I love this party, because sometimes we air our dirty laundry with one another,” Salvi said during her first public address since her election last week as the next party chair. “We need to say, ‘You know, let’s give that person the benefit of a fresh new day.’ And that’s how we win elections here in Illinois.” * Sun-Times | Police arrest armed man in ski mask approaching RNC perimeter in Milwaukee: About 1 p.m. Monday, U.S. Capitol police “observed the suspect looking suspicious, wearing a ski mask and a large tactical backpack” in the 1200 block of North 11th Street, according to a statement from Milwaukee police. That’s about four blocks away from the downtown arena hosting most RNC events. Officers stopped the 21-year-old man and found a gun in his backpack, police said. He didn’t have a concealed carry permit, according to police. Wisconsin is an open-carry state. …Adding… ILGOP…
* WAND | IDPH reports first human case of West Nile Virus in Illinois this year: The person is in their 60’s and lives in suburban Cook County. The onset of WNV symptoms was in mid-June. IDPH is tracking positive batches of birds and mosquitos on its West Nile virus dashboard and has reported 33 Illinois counties this year with positive results, an early warning of the presence of WNV in an area. * WCIA | Sen. Rose leads measure against proposed stricter OSHA firefighting requirements: A proposal from OSHA looks to expand protections for first responders including firefighters, but it focuses on increasing training requirements, medical screenings for all first responders, and more inspections of emergency vehicles. […] Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) initiated a resolution a couple months ago, with bipartisan support expressing the state of Illinois’ opposition to the proposed regulations as presented. * Block Club | The Feds Sent Millions To The CHA For Lathrop Homes. After 2 Decades, 300 Apartments Are Still Empty: But Lathrop residents say they suffered while the CHA delayed construction and stockpiled cash for years. Even when the next phase is completed, only 300 units at Lathrop will be reserved for public housing residents — a loss of 625 units from 25 years ago, and 101 fewer than the CHA is obligated to produce under a federal court settlement. * The Triibe | Pro-Palestinian protestors call on city to drop charges ahead of the DNC in Chicago: The 40 people who were arrested face misdemeanor charges for obstructing traffic, which the city’s law department brought against them. Some of the 40 were present for a press conference Wednesday’s Chicago City Council’s meeting to speak out against the charges. The group sent a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson on July 2, calling for his administration to drop their charges, but they said they haven’t received a response. * Block Club | West Loop’s Free Parking Coming To An End As Hundreds More Metered Spots Planned: The problem: The parking meter proposal is already a done deal and has been for the past five years. But that isn’t stopping Ald. Bill Conway (34th) from trying. “I’m trying to have as few of the meters as I can and put them as close to commercial corridors versus residential as much as we can. But it’s difficult because, obviously, the ordinance predates me, so I don’t have a lot of leverage,” Conway said. * Crain’s | Capital One commits to keep more than 1,000 staff at Discover’s Chatham call center: Capital One committed to meeting Discover’s original goal of employing more than 1,000 people at its call center in Chatham as part of its proposed $35 billion takeover of the Riverwoods-based credit card company. The commitment was included in Capital One’s announcement of $265 billion in widespread community benefits it says will stem from the deal, which must be approved by government regulators. * Sun-Times | City Council approves $11.25 million settlement to female paramedic candidates: The settlement involves 12 women who were hired as paramedics, then flunked out of the fire academy by a “discriminatory,” post-hiring test so demanding and unrelated to the skills needed as a paramedic that four of the plaintiffs suffered “career-ending” hip and back injuries during the testing. * Tribune | Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy will headline Chicago Live on Navy Pier: Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy will headline September’s Chicago Live arts festival on Navy Pier, according to an announcement Wednesday. Tweedy will play a free acoustic set on Saturday, the first night of the two-day event slated for Sept. 21-22. He’ll play on the Lake Stage in Polk Bros. Park, just to the west of the Pier. * Tribune | Miche Fest went from Pilsen street fest to a leading Chicago Latino music festival: Six years ago, Michelada Fest started out of an empty parking lot in Pilsen when Fernando Nieto said he realized that most of the street festivals in the neighborhood were organized by non-Latinos. With some help from friends and community members, he created a festival to celebrate Mexican culture. […] Miche Fest, short for Michelada Festival, is now one of Chicago’s largest Latino music festivals, bringing together thousands of people from all over the city and featuring world-renowned artists who speak to different generations of Latinos. * Lansing Journal | ‘Read your bill,’ says Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas in response to record tax hikes: Newly redesigned bills show taxpayers, “Where Your Money Goes.” Bills show the amount of taxes owed for 2023 and how much the bill changed from 2022. The typical bill displays about a dozen taxing districts and shows how much is paid to each taxing body. “The first thing homeowners should do about their property taxes is to read their tax bill,” Pappas said. “In order to fix the broken property tax system, you must first understand where the money goes.” * Daily Herald | It’s official: DuPage voters to decide on tax hike for forest preserves: If it passes, the owner of a home valued at $308,500 would pay roughly $36 more a year in property taxes to the district. The increase would raise more than $17 million in additional annual revenue, provide “long-term financial stability” and allow the district to purchase more land, officials say. * SJ-R | Multimillion dollar warehouse project takes step forward in Springfield despite objections: A project that could bring hundreds of jobs to the Springfield area took a step forward despite concerns from residents. The zoning agenda on Tuesday had council members vote on the proposed variances to move the warehouse forward. Fred O’Connor, Doug Kent and Charles Young made an objection to zoning docket 24-028, the multimillion dollar warehouse facility which was proposed on May 1. […] One of the main areas of concern for residents like Melissa Smith was traffic. * SJ-R | Death of Sangamon County Board member will trigger special election: The July 6 death of longtime Sangamon County Board member John H. O’Neill III will trigger a special election for his seat on Nov. 5, according to Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray. O’Neill represented District 26, which is the Chatham area. The Republican was first elected to the board in 2002 and defeated Democratic challenger Rusty Jones in the 2022 election. In an email, Gray said the special election was being held because more than 28 months remain in the term. * WGN | Underground railroad house in Payson, Illinois for sale: The home is located at 102 N Park St, Payson, Illinois. It is currently listed on Zillow for $169,900. […] The Library of Congress includes an entry about the building in its archives. On the property, there is a plaque that says that the home was recorded by the Historic American Building Survey of the United States Department. * PJ Star | Teen drowned in Illinois River while fleeing from police, sheriff’s department says: The Peoria County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday that 14-year-old Leron Griffin drowned in the Illinois River while fleeing from police after he and another teenager led officers on a chase after having been allegedly caught in a stolen vehicle. “Unfortunately, these teenagers made several wrong decisions during this incident that led to one of them losing their lives,” the Peoria Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with Leron Griffin’s family.” * Shaw Local | Ancient fault line likely responsible for DeKalb County earthquake, NIU expert say: Mark Frank, chair of NIU’s department of earth, atmosphere and environment, said he wasn’t surprised to discover an earthquake had occurred in that area, even though earthquakes aren’t particularly common in northern Illinois. “The earthquakes we get here in northern Illinois are associated with ancient cracks in the earth’s crust,” Frank said. “So, this one is plotting very close to a known fault called the Sandwich fault, which kind of runs from Dixon through and then south of DeKalb through DeKalb County.” * Royal Astronomical Society | Want to spot a deepfake? Look for the stars in their eyes: That’s the compelling finding of new research shared at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting in Hull, which suggests that AI-generated fakes can be spotted by analysing human eyes in the same way that astronomers study pictures of galaxies. The crux of the work, by University of Hull MSc student Adejumoke Owolabi, is all about the reflection in a person’s eyeballs. If the reflections match, the image is likely to be that of a real human. If they don’t, they’re probably deepfakes. * Bloomberg | Reckitt expects baby formula sales drop after tornado hits Indiana warehouse: The consumer goods company said Wednesday that the third-party warehouse has not been operational since the tornado hit on July 9. The Mead Johnson nutrition business contains Reckitt’s infant formula brands. Shares in Reckitt are down by more than a fifth since the start of the year after the company was hit by a damaging court verdict in the US relating to one of its formulas, called Enfamil Premature 24, which an Illinois woman blamed for the death of her baby. * Crain’s | Top brass at Blue Cross Illinois parent take home big raises: Keeping with tradition, top executives at the parent company of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois were given large raises last year, despite a slight drop in profits. […] The raises came the same year [Health Care Service Corp] saw revenue soar to a record $54 billion as the health insurance giant hiked premium rates and added new customers to its plans across Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. However, a larger federal tax burden pulled down year-over-year net income 2% to $1.4 billion. * ABC | Navy exonerates 256 Black sailors unjustly court-martialed for WWII-era Port Chicago explosion: The U.S. Navy has exonerated 256 Black sailors who were unjustly court-martialed in 1944 following the Port Chicago explosion in California that killed 320 people. The sailors had been punished for refusing to go back to work in what they considered to be an unsafe environment. Their prosecution took place at a time when the U.S. military was still segregated and reflected the unfair treatment that Black sailors experienced. * Vox | The lessons Houston didn’t learn from Hurricane Harvey: Houston’s energy system has had its own unique issues within this milieu. “Texas in general — and CenterPoint in particular — had problems with reliability, even not during storms,” said Doug Lewin, an energy analyst who writes the Texas Energy and Power Newsletter. In Texas, CenterPoint ranked among the worst utilities for power outages and one of the worst in the country for energy efficiency. The Texas grocery chain H-E-B even installed backup generators at its Houston-area stores specifically because of CenterPoint’s unreliable service.
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Beware: Corn sweat
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * I’m sure you’re aware of the heaps of rain we’ve gotten in the past week. KHQA…
* The Washington Post in 2022…
* From the US Geological Survey…
In 2023, Illinois planted 11,200,000 acres of corn. So between 33,600,000,000-44,800,000,000 gallons of water could be added to the atmosphere each day.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign stuff
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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ComEd says all outages will be restored Friday, 80% will be restored today
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Illinois was hit hard by storms this week. Block Club Chicago…
* I spoke with ComEd Communications Manager Lauren Huffman this morning. As of 8:30 am Comed has restored 366,000 customers’ power following the Monday night storms. About 63,000 customers remain without power…
* WMBD…
* Some photos of the damage…
* More…
* AP | A dam fails after rain, wind, tornadoes pound the Midwest. The Chicago area is cleaning up: Water overtopped a dam near Nashville, Illinois, and first responders fanned out to ensure everyone escaped safely. There were no reports of injuries in the community of 3,000, southeast of St. Louis, but a woman was rescued after reporting that she was in water up to her waist in her home, said Alex Haglund, a spokesperson for the Washington County Emergency Management Agency. * Shaw Local | Kane County communities assessing damage following Monday night storms: The Campton Township Highway District is hosting a special post-storm pickup the week of July 29, Commissioner Sam Gallucci said Tuesday, following a second night of storms with heavy damage. “We had trees down two nights in a row,” Gallucci said. “Somewhere around 35 to 40 trees were down, across roads, and we’ve been busy with that, crews working on clearing trees from roads. And private property had a lot of trees down.” * Tribune | Warmer winters and a hotter Gulf of Mexico could be contributing to more tornadoes in Illinois, experts say: Studies have also found climate change may be affecting tornado patterns. Victor Gensini, a professor at Northern Illinois University, said climate change can affect the conditions necessary to create tornadoes. Tornadoes need instability –– warm moist air near the ground with cooler temperatures higher up –– and wind shear –– a change in wind speed or direction –– to form. Instability is more potent in the warm seasons, and shear is usually stronger in the winter.
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Admitting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * From Republican Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison….
Agreed. * However, I would’ve found this op-ed far more believable if Commissioner Morrison had included himself in that admonition…
* A search of Morrison’s account using the word “hate” brought up tons of hits, including these…
* And…
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Why Illinois’ prison population at the end of 2023 was the lowest since 1991
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * From an email…
* From the Loyola research brief…  * According to that research brief, “70% of counties saw a decrease in proportion of people sentenced to prison for a Class 1 to 4 Felony from 2010 to 2023″…  I asked about the roughly 30 percent which saw an increase. Here’s the list…
You can look at the data by county or by category by clicking here. The dashboard allows you to look at urban vs. rural counties. Here’s the list of urban counties, which they took from IDPH…
Four counties are missing in the data, either because they didn’t report 2023 numbers (DeWitt and Morgan) or, in the case of Greene and Scott, they consolidated probation departments.
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Uber Partners With Cities To Expand Urban Transportation
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Uber is leading the charge to close critical transportation gaps, ensuring reliable access to its services in places that need it most, such as underserved areas like Englewood. This is a part of Uber’s broader commitment to augment and expand the reach of Chicago’s transportation ecosystem, focusing on overcoming the first-mile/ last-mile hurdles that have long plagued residents in farther afield neighborhoods. Uber aims to extend the public transit network’s reach, making urban transportation more accessible and efficient for everyone. Discover the full story on how Uber is transforming city transportation for the better.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’ going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI…
Gov. Pritzker will be at the Argonne National Laboratory to celebrate improvements to Argonne Advanced Photo Source at 1:30 pm. Click here to watch. * Tribune | Latecomer GOP state legislative candidates have raised little cash, records show: The latest campaign finance disclosures — covering April through June — showed significant fundraising in some more competitive general election races. Tosi Ufodike, a Republican challenging freshman Democratic Rep. Nabeela Syed for a northwest suburban seat, raised more than $10,000 in the past quarter and reported $68,000 in the bank; Syed reported a war chest of nearly $400,000 with nearly $22,000 raised this past quarter, and has since raised thousands more in large-dollar donations. * Casino Reports | VGTs Remain The Major Roadblock For Illinois Online Casino Legalization: Two power blocks exist in the VGT realm, [Steve Brubaker, a mobile gambling analyst and longtime Illinois lobbyist] said: terminal operators and retail locations. Terminal operators’ power originates, simply, with the amount of money VGTs make the state. In fiscal year 2023, the last full fiscal year of available data, VGTs produced $818.1 million in tax money for Illinois, trailing only the Illinois Lottery and its $872 million, according to the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA). Casino tax revenue was a distant third at $157 million, followed by sports betting ($143 million) and horse racing ($6 million). * Tribune | US Rep. Mary Miller at RNC says media has ‘demonized Trump,’ symbolizes rightward shift of Illinois GOP: Miller’s comments on Tuesday came during a rare appearance before a group of mostly Chicago-area reporters following a delegation breakfast at a hotel outside of Milwaukee. The two-term downstate congresswoman, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, has gained a reputation for refusing to respond to media requests for comment. “I’m happy to talk to people. But we would like fair coverage from the media. The media has demonized President Trump. Name-calling. That’s what my little kids did. Name calling,” said Miller, of Hindsboro, about 40 miles south of Champaign, “I always told them when you use bad language and you name call, that shows that you’re of low intellect or you don’t have anything positive to say.” * WTTW | Democrats Restart Campaign Against Trump at RNC With Focus on Project 2025: Booker pleaded with reporters to focus on what Trump did as president — not what he is saying while running for a second term. “It doesn’t take much to just look at the four years of Donald Trump and see what you got: an erosion of women’s rights, an erosion of reproductive rights, an erosion of abortion rights,” Booker said. “I don’t care what they say. You have evidence. We have clarity.” * ABC | FBI, DHS warn of possible ‘follow-on or retaliatory’ attacks in wake of Trump assassination attempt: The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have issued a bulletin to law enforcement across the country warning them that, in the wake of Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, violent extremists could try to conduct “follow-on or retaliatory” attacks at events over the next few months related to the 2024 presidential election. The bulletin urged local, state and federal law enforcement — and their partners — to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behavior. * Daily Herald | ‘Very extremist views’: Pritzker, Durbin rip into VP nominee Vance: “He is someone who has very extremist views,” Pritzker added. “He’s not just anti-choice, against reproductive rights, but he also thinks that if you have been raped, or had incest committed against you, that you should be forced to have that child.” * Capitol News Illinois | Illinois Republicans urged to look beyond traditional base as national party courts unions: “We need to challenge ourselves to get out and talk to the people who vote the least, talk to the people who have voted Republican the least,” former Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin told Illinois delegates to the GOP convention in Milwaukee. That includes finding new, persuadable voters within groups often considered Democratic strongholds, he said. “And don’t just pander to them by saying, ‘I love Black people, vote for me. I love Hispanic people, vote for me. I love Asian people, vote for me.’ That doesn’t work and it shouldn’t work,” he said. “It’s about us being proud, principled conservatives, going to those voters who are longtime disenfranchised Democratic voters and telling them it doesn’t have to be this way anymore.” * Daily Herald | ‘A great successor’: New Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi greets delegates at RNC: Salvi is expected to preach a message of unity for a state party that no longer has a statewide officeholder and is in the super minority in both chambers of the General Assembly. “I look forward to working with her to flip Illinois red,” U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, of downstate Oakland, said during remarks at Tuesday morning’s breakfast. * WGN | Illinois GOP’s turn toward Trump keeps moderates at home: Former Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, once a convention fixture who delivered delegates for John McCain in 2008, puts it bluntly: “This party left me.” “It’s unbelievable we’re left with a pathological liar, a narcissist and a bully against a person who no longer has the ability to serve mentally or physically,” he said. “But we’re left with no options.” * Daily Herald | RNC Notebook, Day Two: Bob Fioretti, Charlie Kirk and cops from Illinois all in town: Perennial candidate Bob Fioretti — who has been running as a Republican since 2022 — is in town for all the RNC festivities this week, believing his tough-on-crime message vibes with Donald Trump’s. “We are combining messages, absolutely,” said Fioretti, who is running for Cook County state’s attorney against Eileen O’Neill Burke, who won the Democratic primary. “We need safe streets, strong communities, and the only way we achieve it is by having order, instead of bedlam and chaos that we’re seeing in our major cities.” * 21st Show | What do Illinois’ former GOP leaders think of the party now?: So what happened? How did the party go from shared governance to struggling for a seat at the table? We are joined by three former high-ranking Republican officeholders to talk about the past, present and future of the Republican party in Illinois. * WGN | Illinois lawmaker suggests officials are ‘cooking the books’ to show crime drop: “I would suggest they’re cooking the books,” said State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro). “I would like to see what their data is, because perception is reality, simply because you’re the person whose living there. And when you have to sleep with a firearm next to your bed, or you have to walk around worried about whether you can safely walk on a street, the data cannot possibly be right.” * WTTW | Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin Hosts Black Republicans From Around US, Downplays Past Trump Criticism and Future Runs For Office: Asked about his past criticism of Trump on Tuesday, Irvin said the more important focus should be on a presidential election that’s a choice between an “elderly man” and a candidate who conveys strength and power when he speaks. “It’s clear what the choice needs to be, and although I have been critical of many of our elected officials, and I think rightfully so — we should criticize those officials, folks criticize me all the time — that don’t mean I don’t believe that we have what it takes to go forward and vote,” Irvin said.
* Sun-Times | Ahead of DNC, Brandon Johnson puts homeless on the street to make room for tent city occupants: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is putting unhoused people back on the streets to make room for relocated tent encampment occupants who are being moved before the Democratic National Convention next month. […] A domestic violence survivor, a recovering alcoholic and others with anxiety or chronic medical conditions were among those kicked out of the hotel in the last week, according to interviews. * First Defense | New Report Suggests Chicago Police Are Failing To Provide Lawyers/Phones To People In Custody, Ahead of DNC: A new expert report in a civil rights lawsuit challenging “incommunicado detention” in Chicago police stations has found that almost no one in police custody is consulting with a lawyer and more than half of the people in Chicago Police Department custody are not making a phone call within three hours of arrest. These findings are despite a consent decree in the case, #LetUsBreathe Collective, et al. v. City of Chicago, requiring the City of Chicago to provide prompt access to attorneys and lawyers for all people in police custody. * F.K. Plous | Poor planning blocks the way for a vitally needed Chicago rail connection: In September 2022, the Department of Buildings issued a permit for the construction of a 33-story apartment building at 350 N. Canal St. This past May, the new tower welcomed its first tenants. But when the city signed off on the new building, it inadvertently foreclosed on the possibility of a critically needed regional transportation asset: 350 N. Canal blocks a potential connection of the former Chicago & North Western Railway’s tracks serving the Ogilvie Transportation Center with the Amtrak main line that brings trains from north of the city into Amtrak’s Chicago Union Station. * Chalkbeat | More than $400,000 raised so far in Chicago’s 2024 school board elections: The money is a mix of small donations from candidates’ friends and family, sizable personal loans, and in-kind and financial support from existing political and labor groups, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of state campaign finance records. The political fundraising arms of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, which has $3 million on hand, and the Chicago Teachers Union, which has around $175,000, are holding their fire for now, putting off making major donations to candidates. That’s not surprising: Many candidates are still sorting out challenges to their petitions to get on the ballot, and spending is likely to pick up once a clearer picture of the most competitive races and candidates emerges. * CBS Chicago | Rush University Medical Center and Northwestern Memorial Hospital tie for top hospital in Illinois: Northwestern Memorial Hospital was nationally ranked in 11 adult specialties – including 7th for cardiology, heart & vascular surgery and 8th for diabetes and endocrinology – and rated high-performing in 21 adult procedures and conditions. Rush University Medical Center was nationally ranked in 11 adult specialties – including 7th for neurology and neurosurgery, 10th for geriatrics, and 10th for orthopedics – and rated high-performing in 18 adult procedures and conditions. * CBS Chicago | Thornton Township Board in south Chicago suburbs clashes with supervisor over spending: A meeting of the Thornton Township Board grew heated Tuesday night, as the embattled board supervisor squared off with members of the board over spending. Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard was accused by board members of keeping certain items off the agenda Tuesday night—including an ordinance that board members say would cap spending by the supervisor and also to minimize non-approved spending. As a result, some board members refused to approve the hiring of landscaping contractors for the township. * Illinois Times | Probe into shooting of Sonya Massey complete: Massey’s family plans to meet with ISP officials and the Sangamon County state’s attorney the afternoon of July 17 at the Springfield NAACP building at 801 S. 11th St. to discuss the status of the case. […] An anonymous source also confirmed that Ben Crump, the prominent civil rights attorney who is representing Massey’s family, plans to be in Springfield on July 19 – the day of Massey’s funeral – and will speak to the news media after funeral services. * STLPD | Mine sinkhole in Alton caused by collapse of ancient cave, preliminary reports say: A buildup of mud and sediment in an ancient cave above a limestone mine here collapsed into the mine, causing it, in turn, to partially collapse and leave a massive sinkhole in a city park, according to preliminary reporting from the Mine Health and Safety Administration. * PJ Star | Thousands in Peoria area remain without power following severe storms. Here’s what we know: According to Ameren, 4,872 customers in Peoria County were without power as of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, representing around 5% of the company’s 91,243 customers in the county. The outages in Peoria County are widespread, with many popping up around 9 p.m. Monday night. Others were reported by customers to them over the course of the morning and afternoon. * Herald & Review | Decatur cannabis dispensary? Not likely: An attempt to plant just a seed of the concept for discussion was made by Councilman David Horn, who noted the surrounding communities of Forsyth and Mount Zion were chewing over the issue of allowing dispensaries. […] Councilman Chuck Kuhle told Horn he had attended a recent Forsyth Village Board public meeting on the cannabis issue to voice his opposition. “I would just like you to know, Councilman Horn… I was adamant that they not approve a dispensary in Forsyth,” Kuhle said. * Herald Whig | Judge cites state agency for contempt at Tuesday hearing: Judge Tad Brenner issued a contempt citation against an Illinois state agency on Tuesday, one of two cases bringing into question the response from the state in Adams County cases. In a hearing for Bruce Dyer on charges for which he was found unfit to stand trial, a secretary-designate for the Illinois Department of Human Services was expected to appear. Since no representative of the office was in court as ordered on Tuesday, Brenner issued the contempt citation and asked that the Illinois attorney general’s office be notified. He set another hearing in the case for 10 a.m. July 24. * Tri States Public Radio | WIU faculty union: Layoffs of tenured faculty coming: Tri States Public Radio obtained a copy of an email sent by Merrill Cole, President of the WIU Chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois. The union represents faculty members. In the email, Cole told union members that WIU President Kristi Mindrup has affirmed Unit A layoffs are coming. Unit A is tenured and tenure-track faculty. * BND | Rain causes flooding all over East St. Louis, creating headaches for citizens, motorists: City Manager Robert Betts was out all day surveying the impact on the city. “The city of East St. Louis is being inundated by water right now,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “ We are praying the rain will ease up. We have multiple intersections that are flooded out.” * WAND | New SMTD climate-friendly buses about to hit the road: In addition, new buses will be hitting the road in the summer of 2025 and the spring of 2026. The vehicles are low-emission, climate-friendly, diesel-hybrid and compressed natural gas buses. “If you believe greenhouse gas emissions are a problem, then you need to do something about it. And that’s what we’ve done with the bipartisan infrastructure law,” Senator Dick Durbin said Monday at the SMTD garage. * The Mirror | Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings takes ‘cheap shot directed’ at Illinois contestant and former senator: Jay Fisher said: “Probably the shortest 10 year senator in Illinois history… 22 hours.” He continued: “In 2018, my senator lost his bid for re-election and decided to step down. The new governor called a lame duck session so I got down there at 2o’clock in the afternoon, made some votes that afternoon and the next morning and then the new general assembly were sworn in so my 10 year was over. Never figured out where the bathroom was and probably the only Illinois politician to lose money on the deal because I didn’t get the salary or per diem.” Ken laughed and then made a joke saying: “You’re an Illinois politician and you’re not in jail Jay, you did it.” * The Atlantic | The chaotic aftermath of the assassination attempt shows a toxic information system working as designed: The basic facts held attention for only so long before being supplanted by wild speculation—people were eager to post about the identity of the shooter, his possible motives, the political ramifications of the event, the specter of more violence. It may be human nature to react this way in traumatic moments—to desperately attempt to fill an information void—but the online platforms so many of us frequent have monetized and gamified this instinct, rewarding those who create the most compelling stories. Within the first four hours, right-wing politicians, perhaps looking to curry favor with Trump, hammered out reckless posts blaming Joe Biden’s campaign for the shooting; Elon Musk suggested that the Secret Service may have let the shooting happen on purpose; as soon as the shooter’s name was released, self-styled online investigators dug up his name and his voter registration, eager for information they could retrofit to their worldview. * Stateline | Angry patients spur new state watchdogs to bring down drug prices: Some state laws have authorized these watchdogs to regulate drug prices for certain groups of people, such as state employees or those with Medicaid plans. Legislatures in a few states — Colorado, Minnesota and Washington — granted boards broader power to oversee drug prices for everyone in the state. Over the past five years, 11 mostly Democratic-led states have created prescription drug affordability boards, and the model is picking up steam nationwide. Just this year, lawmakers in 14 more states proposed legislation to assemble their own boards. […] But consumers have yet to see significant savings. Most boards have had a slow rollout as they hammer out administrative and funding issues that come with creating a new state entity. * The Athletic | French Federation to file complaint over ‘unacceptable racist’ chants by Argentina players in Copa America celebrations: Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout in the 2022 World Cup final, with some fans of the South American nation at that tournament singing a chant ahead of that match referencing how many France players were of African heritage and were first or second-generation immigrants in the nation. […] France defender Wesley Fofana, a Black team-mate of Fernandez at Chelsea, then posted a video of the incident on X accompanied with the caption: “Football in 2024: uninhibited racism”. Fofana’s message was met with racist replies from other users on X and Instagram.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Jul 17, 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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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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