|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Planed Parenthood Illinois Action…
* Riverbender…
* WSIL…
* The Telegraph | Katie Stuart campaigns for 5th term in Illinois’ 112th House District: Katie Stuart is looking to win her fifth term as a state representative in the 112th District and is keeping busy as election day draws closer. She is facing a challenge from Republican Jay Keeven. “I’m out every day talking to folks, going door-to-door and just listening to concerns and sharing what I’ve been doing for the district,” she said recently. * WTTW | Chicago Spent $129M on Police Overtime in 6 Months, 30% More Than its Annual Overtime Budget: This means the city is on pace to spend at least $258 million on police overtime by the end of the year, even as officials imposed limits on overtime for all city departments, except for police and the Chicago Fire Department, amid a massive budget crunch. CPD exceeded its budget for overtime in 2024 even after Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling stopped assigning police officers to sit in prominent spots downtown with their emergency lights flashing, as part of CPD’s strategic deployment initiative. * Block Club | Fire Union Blasts Removal Of Paramedics From Mental Health Emergency Response Program: Union President Patrick Cleary said CARE’s exclusion of Fire Department personnel violates the union’s contract as non-union members would perform city EMS services. Cleary also said proposed changes to union members’ hours, wages and conditions of employment must be brought to the bargaining table. The Firefighters Union learned about the changes to CARE program through a job posting shared by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The April job posting was for an EMT and was listed under the health department. “We do that. Those are our duties,” Cleary said. “You can’t offer our work to another entity.” * Sun-Times | Someone in Chicago hit me with their car and fled: On my way back, a block away from home, I was crossing the street where I had eight seconds left on the traffic signal. At the same time, a northbound gray car eagerly waited to make a left turn. While attempting to beat the red light, the driver sped up, hit me and left me in the middle of the street — about 10 feet away from the crosswalk. […] And the person responsible? No consequences, just a mini victory by beating the light and getting home a few minutes earlier that day. […] I thought about them when I learned how to stand and use a walker, when I got doctor approval to start walking with a cane, when I took my first steps without assistance and when I ran my first three miles a few weeks ago. * CNN | America’s Greyhound bus stations are disappearing: Greyhound’s lease for its terminal in Chicago expires next month. Not only would that mean Greyhound could leave the city, but FlixBus, Barons, Burlington Trailways and other lines that also operate from the terminal could be forced to leave as well. A representative for Greyhound told CNN that there are no proposals for a lease extension. The city, which regulates curbside pickup and drop-off locations, told CNN that it is looking for alternative options for facilities. Both Greyhound and city leaders say they are committed to finding a solution. * Sun-Times | Metra working to recover after messy morning rush: The Union Pacific Northwest, Milwaukee North, North Central Service and Heritage Corridor lines were all affected, a Metra spokesperson said. The disruption was caused by the Canadian National Railway’s positive train control system. That system is a safety measure used on tracks and at rail crossings to prevent collisions, derailments and work zone mishaps. All railroads are required to have it. * Sun-Times | A weird and warm time surrounds returning salmon around Chicago: Even the idea of salmon in Lake Michigan is weird. In the 1960s, Michigan’s Dr. Howard Tanner concocted the audacious plan to use Pacific salmon to control invasive alewives that were turning Lake Michigan beaches into stinking messes. The plan worked, to the point where now lake managers balance alewives to the amount of salmon in the lake. That would’ve been absurd 57 years ago. * WBEZ | As Jimmy Carter turns 100, listen to this 1988 WBEZ interview when he warned of rising temperatures: Carter came to WBEZ as the country was in the midst of a presidential campaign, with then-Vice President George H.W. Bush and Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis vying to succeed Reagan. […] While he was reserved in his criticism of Reagan, Carter said the country was sliding backward on environmental policies under his successor. In remarks that may sound eerily modern, Carter — who proclaimed himself the first environmental president — said it was time to act to reverse signs of a warming planet. * Tribune | The secret lives of Maurie and Flaurie, the Superdawg rooftop icons in Chicago: The refurbishment includes new LED eyes replacing the incandescent eyes for the first time. But the original paper-mache will remain “The last time they were down, we looked inside,” Berman said. “And there was old newspaper.” * WLS | Ford Heights appoints acting mayor after former mayor resigns over theft, misconduct convictions: Tensions between some residents and city officials ran high as current Trustee Freddie Wilson was appointed acting mayor of the struggling southern suburb. […] While there is support for the new mayor, others question his ties to a corrupt Mayor Griffin, who served from 2009 to 2017 and again beginning in 2021. “That’s got nothing to do with me,” Wilson said. “Whatever the mayor might have made mistakes doing, that was on the mayor. Don’t hold me accountable for what the mayor did.” * Sun-Times | Chicago Marathon and United Center ditch plastic water bottles with help from Rosemont company: When runners cross the finish line at next month’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon, they won’t get plastic single-use water bottles. Instead, they’ll get aluminum ones made by Culligan International, a Rosemont-based water filtration and treatment company. The roughly 50,000 marathon runners can also refill the metal bottles at Culligan’s portable refilling stations throughout Grant Park during the post-marathon party on Oct. 13. * Lake County News-Sun | Development of Waukegan’s downtown, lakefront moving at different speeds; ‘We have to learn what developers may want’: Already working with the Waukegan Planning & Zoning Commission, the Waukegan Community Development Partnership is proposing the renovation of the one-time YMCA on Clayton Street and a former restaurant on Genesee Street into multiuse facilities. […] Mayor Ann Taylor said plans for the lakefront will take longer, in part because of contaminated land from the city’s industrial past and the reluctance of the Canadian National Railway to part with its right of way bordering the western part of the lakefront area. * Telegraph | Illinois retiree challenges Rep. Mary Miller as write-in candidate: Looking at his ballot in the spring Democratic primary, William Bonnett noted there were only two races listed – the presidential election and a judicial race. So Bonnett, 70, a retiree in Ashland, Illinois, a small town northwest of Springfield, decided to do something about it – he signed up as a write-in candidate against Republican incumbent Mary Miller in the 15th Congressional District. He described himself as a “volunteer Democrat.” * Sun-Times | Oak Lawn man, 18, dies in shooting near Illinois State University, another 18-year-old injured: A person was killed and another was critically wounded in a shooting early Sunday near Illinois State University in downstate Normal. The victims are not associated to the university, police said. * SJ-R | Unhoused people return to encampment site after city of Springfield removes items: Multiple people brought food to the seven or so people present in the morning, carrying bags of Lunchables, sandwiches, bottled water and doughnuts. “We’re not supposed to close up our bowels of compassion and not help,” said Michelle Myers who handed out sandwiches she had made. “It becomes very political and so forth… but we are still supposed to help. And that’s just being a Christian and a humanitarian.” * WAND | UIS Illinois Innocence Project marks International Wrongful Conviction Day: As part of the flag display, the “UIS blue” flags represent the 555 people exonerated in Illinois. Those men and women lost 4,657 years of their lives to wrongful incarceration, the University of Illinois Springfield said. […] IIP has helped exonerate/release 24 innocent men and women in Illinois who were wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit and wrongfully imprisoned for a collective 546 years at a cost of $35 million for incarceration alone. * WGEM | Quincy church hosts scam education seminar: Pastor Orville Jones stated senior citizens are the most likely to fall for phone scams due to a lack of education about technology. That’s what prompted him to start a seminar to educate seniors about scams. “We get these phone calls, sometimes they’re threatening and say they’re from the IRS,” Jones explained. Guest speaker Don O’Brien of the Better Business Bureau explained to the attendees that asking the scammers questions that an actual government employee would know is just one of the ways that seniors can avoid the scam. * PJ Star | Peoria-based healthcare system named one of the best employers in Illinois: Peoria-based OSF Healthcare was named to the Forbes list of best employers in Illinois for a sixth year in a row. […] OSF has nearly 24,000 employees in more than 150 locations, including 16 hospitals in Illinois and Michigan, according to the healthcare system. OSF was the only Peoria-headquartered business to make the list. * AP | Abortion pills will be controlled substances in Louisiana soon. Doctors have concerns: Opponents argue the classification could have catastrophic impacts in a state that already has a near-total abortion ban and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation. Doctors fear the reclassification will cause delays in accessing the drugs — mifepristone and misoprostol — which together can be used to manage miscarriages, while misoprostol induces labor and treats severe bleeding after delivery. They also worry the practice of reclassifying the drugs might spread beyond Louisiana. * NYT | Verizon Mobile Users Report Outages Across the U.S.: According to the website Downdetector, which tracks user reports of internet disruptions, more than 104,000 cases of Verizon outages were reported across the country as of 11:30 a.m. Eastern, more than an hour after the first issues were reported. By about noon, that number had dropped to around 78,000
|
|
As temporary federal emergency funding runs dry, CTU demands state pick up the slack
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * CBS 2…
The Illinois school districts which did not put the majority of their federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding into their spending bases are not facing a crisis. Chicago did do that. * WBBM Radio…
* Stacy Davis Gates Tribune op-ed…
California, Maryland and Minnesota all have graduated income taxes. Illinois voters rejected a graduated income tax 53-47 in 2020.
|
|
Illinois’ water loophole
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot struck a $1 billion deal in 2023 to supply Joliet and five of its surrounding suburbs with treated water from Lake Michigan starting in 2023. * Tribune…
|
|
Uber’s Local Partnership = Stress-Free Travel For Paratransit Riders
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] The Pace Rideshare Access Program subsidizes Uber trips, leaving riders with a co-pay of just $2. The impact: “This program has been a godsend for me. It offers flexibility, independence, freedom and the ability to maintain a beautiful life on so many levels,” says one rider. CTA: See how it works.
Comments Off |
|
What the heck is going on, IDOC?
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * The Southern…
* From one of those IDOC documents, which I also obtained…
* But those NARK II field tests have come under intense criticism in other states…
* Part of the testing issue is this…
* OK, now, scroll back up and re-read this from the Southern’s article…
From WebMD…
* Back to the internal IDOC document from above…
* Here’s another one from a different file…
* From a DEA fact sheet on synthetic cannabis…
But that suggests high dosage. Simply smelling smoke from what may or may not be a synthetic cannabinoid, or touching a piece of paper that might have come into contact with a synthetic cannabinoid sends you to the hospital? If that’s so, then why were only a few staff members in these examples hospitalized? * To be clear here, I have enormous respect for IDOC officers. They have an impossible job and I’m thankful for their service. Just click those links above to see what they face every day. My hat is off to them. What I’m saying is that a few officers might be experiencing panic attacks and are putting the entire correctional system at risk. And as I said many months ago, IDOC needs to do a much better job of training workers about the actual risks of their jobs and what will and will not harm them. My one truism in life is that every labor problem is the fault of management. IDOC needs to get its act together here.
|
|
The Importance Of Energy Storage
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Recent polling shows 72% of Illinoisans support incentives for energy storage, and a majority of Illinoisans would be likely to for a candidate that supports building more energy storage in the state. But it’s not just popular. It’s urgent — Building more storage today is the best way to save Illinois families and businesses from rapidly rising energy costs. By guaranteeing a backup of affordable energy at times when heat waves, storms, or cold snaps threaten Save families money and make energy more reliable. With energy costs set to rise, we need energy storage now. Learn more about energy storage and outstanding bills about it here.
Comments Off |
|
Illinois is becoming boring
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
|
|
Open thread
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
|
|
Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Stateville prison almost empty after state moves quickly to comply with court order. Tribune…
- IDOC spokesperson Naomi Puzzello said Friday that all “general population” inmates have been transferred to other facilities. - A full complement of Stateville employees represented by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 are still reporting to work at the prison as the union bargains over the process for transferring the workers, AFSCME Council 31 spokesperson Anders Lindall said last week. - All Stateville staff will continue on with their “assigned duties” until the bargaining process is completed, Puzzello said. At 1:30 pm Governor Pritzker will celebrate completion of Illinois Beach State Park Shoreline Stabilization Project. Click here to watch. * Crain’s | As Johnson scrambles to close $1 billion budget gap, vote could get delayed to December: With his budget team scrambling to find politically feasible personnel cuts and revenue boosters to avoid going back on Johnson’s promise to not raise property taxes, some members of the City Council have been told the budget process could begin weeks later than originally scheduled. Johnson was scheduled to deliver his annual budget address Oct. 16 but is now planning for Oct. 30, according to sources briefed on the mayor’s plan. Under the new schedule, hearings to probe every department’s budget would happen in November and a series of votes on the budget plan would not occur until early December. * Illinois Answers Project | Many cameras. Little focus. Blurry results: In recent years, records show, police have ramped up efforts to make better use of their behemoth surveillance operation, which is anchored by city-owned PODs but also includes permitted access to roughly 35,000 other cameras owned by the CTA, schools and private businesses. The cameras also provide benefits to first responders that are difficult to quantify, as when the officer reviewing camera footage from the Humboldt Park shooting was able to tell responding police where the victim was. Still, the Illinois Answers/Tribune analysis of city-owned PODs suggests the city has failed to follow best practices that could have prevented or solved more crimes and freed up money to hire more officers. * Center Square | As Illinois considers banning all hemp-related products, others are calling for uniform laws: Some Illinois lawmakers have proposed laws to regulate hemp, while others are calling for the federal government to get involved. A Reason Foundation report shows that Congress federally legalized hemp-derived products in the 2018 Farm Bill, but failed to establish a regulatory framework. The report said that states that legalized marijuana, like Illinois, are more inclined to ban or restrict hemp-derived products. * Tribune | Top members of Gov. JB Pritzker’s communications team exiting: Jordan Abudayyeh and Jason Rubin, both deputy chiefs of staff, were among the longest-serving members of Pritzker’s administration, holding posts in the office dating back to the governor’s first campaign in 2018. Replacing Abudayyeh and Rubin are Matt Hill, who takes the role of deputy chief of staff for communications, and Emily Bolton, who will be director of agency communications.
* Tribune | Inside Mayor Brandon Johnson’s stunning fight for control of Chicago schools as CTU contract talks stall: Sources from both sides say the schools chief’s days on the job appear numbered. The only question is a matter of how soon he gets canned by the seven-member school board, which was handpicked by Johnson and will remain controlled by mayoral appointees following the January transition to a hybrid elected school board. * NBC Chicago | Candidates for Chicago Board of Education weigh in on leadership controversy: Pedro Martinez, who is serving in that role, was asked last week to resign by Mayor Brandon Johnson, multiple sources said. An additional candidate, La’Mont Raymond Williams, in an interview with NBC Chicago, weighed in on the strain between the two. “I think it’s unfortunate, because right now the district itself can’t really afford more distractions than it already has with its budget deficit,” said Williams. * Sun-Times | With new exhibition, Theaster Gates treats the remnants of Johnson Publishing ‘as a work of art’: Chicago artist Theaster Gates got the call around the time the Johnson Publishing Co. closed its Michigan Avenue headquarters in 2011. On the other line was Linda Johnson Rice, the daughter of John and Eunice Johnson, the founders of the historic publisher. “She asked me if I was willing to be the kind of caretaker of the things within that building, [including] the photographs, so the library, the furniture. She said, essentially, whatever you’re able to retain, retrieve, exhume from the building is yours,” Gates recalled of the conversation with Johnson Rice. “And so I’ve been living with these objects for the last decade now.” * Crain’s | Outside Schurz High School, two dumpsters’ worth of books: Crain’s learned of dozens of titles being discarded at the school in the Irving Park neighborhood, ranging from Shakespeare to fiction to physics. This also occurred on a day of non-attendance for students to account for a professional development day. A Chicago Public Schools spokesperson told Crain’s all books were older, and this is a common practice for the district called “weeding.” * Sun-Times | Mulitple Metra lines face “unknown” delays due to signal and train control problems: Multiple Metra lines faced “unknown” delays Monday morning due to a string of signal and train control problems. The Union Pacific Northwest, Milwaukee North, North Central Service and Heritage Corridor lines were all impacted by signal and train control problems, Metra announced on X, formally known as Twitter. The Milwaukee District West line was delayed due to mechanical failure, according to Metra. * Sun-Times | Church opens its arms in first blessing of a same-sex Chicago couple: ‘There’s a place for you’: Michael Thiry and Nathaniel Washington celebrate their seventh anniversary with a blessing from the Rev. Michael Pfleger. The St. Sabina pastor has said that blessings of same-sex couples are a recognition of their humanity. * ABC Chicago | Tony Durpetti, owner of Chicago’s oldest Italian steakhouse Gene & Georgetti dies at 80: In a statement online, the restaurant said Durpetti will be remembered for his warmth, love, and commitment to excellence. “Tony’s passion for hospitality and dedication to our family’s legacy have been the heart and soul of our restaurant for decades,” the statement. * NBC Chicago | Jerry Reinsdorf calls White Sox season ‘a failure’ in letter to fans: After a season that saw the Chicago White Sox set a modern baseball record for losses, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf wrote a letter to fans, calling the campaign “a failure” and promising to act to improve the team’s fortunes. The White Sox sit at 40-121 heading into the final day of the season, and are now the owners of the most losses in a single season since 1900. * The New Yorker | The Chicago White Sox’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Season: It could be worse for the Chicago White Sox, the worst baseball team in more than a century. No, really. It could be 1899. Jerry Reinsdorf, the stubborn, nearly nonagenarian owner of the White Sox, could be Frank Robison, the owner of the Cleveland Spiders, which was one of the better teams in baseball until Robison ruined it on purpose. * NBC Chicago | Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard and boyfriend given eviction notice: court docs: NBC Chicago obtained a copy of an eviction notice filed Sept. 18 in Cook County Circuit Court naming Henyard and her boyfriend Kamal Woods, who is an employee of Thornton Township, where Henyard serves as supervisor. Henyard and Woods are behind $3,350 in rent for their home along Harvard Street in Dolton — plus an additional $50 each day and $2,400 on the beginning of the month. The couple was given five days to vacate — or sign a new lease and pay all owed rent, documents revealed. * Daily Herald | How we got here: A look at the ongoing billing dispute with the DuPage County clerk: For more than 16 months, the DuPage County Board and County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek have been at odds over how bills get paid and what she can or can’t do with her office’s budget. In a nutshell, the county insists that Kaczmarek must comply with the county’s accounting procedures — including filling out budget transfer requests when a line item runs short — to get bills paid. Kaczmarek, however, argues state law gives her control over her office — and the county board cannot delay payment of bills if there is enough money in her budget. * Shaw Local | Report: Ogle County deputies’ use of deadly force justified during Lost Lake shooting: Ogle County deputies who used deadly force during a June shootout near Dixon will not face any criminal charges, according to a news release from Ogle County State’s Attorney Mike Rock. The decision, issued by the Winnebago State’s Attorney’s Office, comes after a review of the events leading up to a June 12 gunfire exchange between the Ogle County Emergency Response Team and Jonathon Gounaris, a Lost Lake resident. * Daily Herald | Sugar Grove issues clarification on referendum petition: With multiple petitions circulating in opposition to the development, specifically one calling for the annexation to go to a referendum proposed by Thoughtful Progress Inc., the village issued a statement Sept. 18 to clarify that a referendum is not applicable to the annexation. “It appears that misconceptions have arisen regarding the recent annexation of the Crown property,” the statement reads. “Because this information has been posted directly to the Village’s Facebook page by one or more members of the public, the Village believes it is necessary to provide clarification. * Daily Herald | How grants are helping Kane County manufacturers improve, be more competitive: They are the first grants awarded as part of the county’s new $1 million manufacturing program, a joint initiative with IMEC. The money came from federal American Rescue Plan Act COVID-19 recovery funds the county received. “In general, manufacturing is in quite an exciting time,” said Dave Boulay, president of IMEC. “This is our generation’s manufacturing moment.” * Tribune | Downstate racetrack to move ahead with casino, while Hawthorne in suburban Stickney fights lawsuit: Accel, a video gaming terminal operator, plans to invest $85 million to $95 million for temporary and permanent casinos on the site, while retaining racing, creating a “racino.” Accel’s five-year plan predicted the facility could generate $20 million to $25 million before paying taxes, debt and depreciation, creating a “compelling cash flow return.” * WAND | DOJ: Taylorville woman ordered to pay $600k to YMCA in fraud case: The DOJ said Lori Zeitler, 65, worked at the Christian County YMCA for 32 years in various roles, including as bookkeeper. This week, she was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay restitution after being convicted of five counts of wire fraud. At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Zeitler stole at least $292,336.29 and was responsible for $600,000 in loss. * Shaw Local | Bureau County coroner, state’s attorney forums set Oct. 2 in Princeton: A political forum for the Bureau County state’s attorney and coroner races is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, at the Princeton Moose Lodge, 1339 N. Euclid Ave. Candidates will answer curated questions from the audience, with each candidate getting an opportunity to answer the same question. * WCIA | Cass Co. sheriff warns residents against stealing political signs: In a post on Facebook on Sunday morning, the Sheriff said there have been multiple reports of political sings being stolen throughout the county. The Sheriff’s office also said that anyone caught stealing will be arrested. The post suggests supporting a candidate by talking about the individual platforms, rather than stealing a sign. * WAND | Illinois drops to #24 after loss to Penn State: Following a 4-1 start with two ranked wins, the Illinois football team enters its first off week of the season ranked #24 in the AP Top 25 and #25 in the Coaches Poll. The Illini are ranked in the AP poll for the third straight week. * Daily Herald | Casten, Conforti differ on abortion, but both oppose federal ban: Casten touted his sponsorship of legislation that would restore the federal abortion protections established by Roe. He also said he’s twice written to the U.S. Senate to urge it to eliminate the filibuster to prevent a minority of senators from holding up legislation. “We will continue to push for both of those,” Casten said. * WSJ | ‘Three New York Cities’ Worth of Power: AI Is Stressing the Grid: Tech companies scouring the country for electricity to power artificial intelligence are increasingly finding there is a waiting list. In many places the nation’s high-voltage electric wires are running out of room, their connection points locked up by data centers for AI, new factories or charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. * Sun-Times | Did coffin flag from Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 funeral train wind up hidden away in Florida?: What Rhonda Hiser discovered behind a bookcase at the Museum of Southern History in Florida was an 1865 American presentation flag that she now believes was draped over the coffin of assassinated President Abraham Lincoln on the long train trip back to Springfield for his burial. * Tribune | Farmers frustrated and environmental goals threatened by failure to pass a new farm bill: The comprehensive package of legislation that sets agriculture and food policy is supposed to be updated every five years. But partisan gridlock got in the way last year, forcing Congress to simply extend the 2018 bill another year. That extension expires Sept. 30 and, with a presidential election less than two months away, Congress isn’t focused on finalizing a new five-year plan. Experts say the lawmakers are likely to extend the 2018 bill again.
|
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign updates
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Live coverage
Monday, Sep 30, 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.
|
|
Selected press releases (Live updates)
Monday, Sep 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
|
| PREVIOUS POSTS » |
