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Weekend updates: CPS; CTU; GOP

Saturday, Sep 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here. ABC7

Multiple sources told ABC7 Chicago Friday that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has told Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez he no longer wants him as head of the school district. […]

Both men were set to attend a gala for the City Council’s Latino Caucus Friday night in Bridgeport, but that was before Friday’s news broke. They were no-shows at an event that is typically a who’s who of Chicago politics.

The CPS CEO wrote a letter to CPS families Friday, saying in part, “me and my leadership team are 100 percent focused on building on the positive momentum of the new school year,” defying, what multiple sources tell ABC7, is the mayor’s call for his resignation, with only the school board able to fire him.

“Me and my”? Great grammar for an education CEO. /s

The letter…


Sun-Times

The seven-member board, which was appointed by Johnson, has the sole authority to dismiss the CPS CEO but has sided with Martinez this year in a couple of key disputes.

A senior aide to the mayor said on the condition they remain anonymous that Martinez now “has lost the board.”

Chicago Board of Education President Jianan Shi didn’t answer calls Friday.

The mayor’s office and Martinez have clashed on financial issues. Johnson wants the school district to take out a short-term loan to pay for costs related to a new Chicago Teachers Union contract, which is still being negotiated, and to pay a part of the city’s contribution to the municipal pension fund. City Hall had historically made that payment until former Mayor Lori Lightfoot shifted the cost to CPS because more than half of the fund’s members are school district employees.

Illinois Latino Agenda…

The following is a statement from the Illinois Latino Agenda in response to the ongoing reports that Mayor Johnson continues on his quest to oust CPS CEO Pedro Martinez:
“Latino leaders are deeply concerned by the ongoing speculation and political distractions surrounding the future of CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, who has been a stabilizing force for CPS. Just this week, under his leadership, the Chicago Board of Education unanimously approved the passage of a five-year strategic plan aimed at improving the quality of education for all students and getting more kids into our neighborhood schools.

“Now, more than ever, the focus must remain on students, their educational achievements and the continued success of CPS. Under Martinez’s leadership, students’ reading scores have increased, and more high school students are graduating with college credits, providing them with a head start toward higher education.

“Mr. Martinez’s leadership has delivered measurable results. Ultimately the CPS board is officially responsible for any decision to remove a leader who has demonstrated a commitment to improving educational outcomes for all CPS students.”

* Background is here. CTU official…


* Background is here and here. Marni Pyke

Controversial North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has pulled the plug on a much-criticized speaking appearance at a GOP fundraiser, according to the Tenth Congressional District Republican Organization’s website.

The announcement that appeared Saturday noted “Our earlier speaker canceled, but we have secured a great Trump ally for this event!”

You knew that would happen.

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Reader comments closed for the weekend

Friday, Sep 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Shaboozey

I’ve been driving for miles and miles and miles
I can’t see where it ends

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Friday, Sep 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* It’s just a bill. CBS Chicago

For months, CBS News Chicago has been tracking car break-ins across Chicago, and the most alarming items that are being stolen — guns. […]

Car break-ins were the source of a whopping 40% of gun thefts last year. […]

CBS News Chicago did some digging and found that just last year, the Near South Side community area—which includes much of the South Loop—saw 20 stolen guns from cars. But the worst spots were Austin on the West Side—with 52 guns stolen from cars last year—and the West Loop, with 36 guns stolen from cars in 2023. […]

“It’s easy for criminals to be able to quickly access a firearm if they break into a vehicle and they’re able to take that gun,” said Illinois state Rep. Kevin Olickal (D-Chicago).

Olickal—who represents Skokie, Lincolnwood, and parts of Chicago’s North and Northwest sides—said that is exactly why he is sponsoring a bill that would tighten the requirements for gun holders to report when their gun is lost or stolen. The owners would need to report the thefts within 48 hours, rather than the current 72.

Olickal’s bill would also create an electronic portal to track which gun owners have failed to report thefts.

* Chicago Reader

Within the next month, Greyhound plans to close the only intercity bus station in Chicago. Of the 130 largest cities in the world, according to the Chicago Tribune, only two are without a bus terminal: Nairobi in Kenya and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Chicago would be the third on that list.

The city’s current plan? Leave people to wait outside along the curb. But this isn’t a solution. Winter is fast approaching, bringing with it subzero temperatures. Add to that Greyhound’s proclivity for canceling trips and it becomes clear that the situation is dire.

Feeling frustrated, powerless, and invigorated, I spent a few hours at the Greyhound station, on Harrison between Desplaines and Jefferson, one Sunday afternoon in mid-September. I interviewed about a dozen people and snapped their portraits. Most had no idea the closure was imminent.

I met Joshua, who had been waiting at the bus station for more than 24 hours—his trip had been canceled and rescheduled three times. What would he do overnight, in the winter?

* Sen. Robert Peters and Rep. Justin Slaughter

It has been a year since Illinois took the historic and courageous step toward transforming our criminal legal system by implementing the Pretrial Fairness Act and ending the use of money bond. We are the first state in the nation to completely end the role of wealth in pretrial release and detention decisions, and after a year, we can say we have been successful.

As we mark this significant milestone, we must recognize the profound impact of what we’ve accomplished and commit to further advancing justice and equity in our criminal legal system. […]

It turns out that replacing broken tough-on-crime systems with policies that are smart on violence works. Jail populations are down across the state, and people are able to maintain their lives — keep their jobs, their housing and their families intact — while their cases are pending. That stability makes us all safer. Not only did the crime wave our opponents predicted never occur, but also, homicides are actually down in Chicago this year compared to last. This only proves that we can take steps toward ending mass incarceration while maintaining public safety.

Ending money bond is more than a moral victory; it’s also beneficial for the economy. For decades, pretrial incarceration has taken resources away from poor, mostly Black and brown communities, further entrenching families in poverty. From 2016 to 2020, Illinoisans spent approximately $121 million to $154 million per year on money bonds. That money will now remain in communities and help families build economic security, which ultimately improves lives and also public safety.

* ABC Chicago

Chicago City Councilman Ed Burke is just days from his surrender to federal prison. […]

On Monday, the once-powerful chairman of the City Council Finance Committee will become prisoner No. 53-698-424. […]

He had asked to be assigned to serve his two-year sentence at the Oxford Penitentiary in Wisconsin, a state where Burke has also owned a family lake house for decades.

But, according to a court filing, Burke’s attorneys said Oxford is no longer in the picture because “the satellite camp at FCI Oxford is now closed.” As a result, Burke’s attorneys are seeking “a revised recommendation to the minimum security camp at FCI Terre Haute,” in Indiana.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Johnson accused of picking another police-related fight with City Council: Gov. JB Pritzker has authorized selling a former Illinois National Guard armory to the city for $1 for the “express purpose” of creating a new police district. But Mayor Brandon Johnson now wants to use the building for “storage, maintenance and operation of police vehicles, equipment and aircraft.”

* Sun-Times | Chicago developer completes first phase of affordable housing project in North Lawndale: The first phase of apartments at a North Lawndale development is already 50% leased, and the amenity-heavy project will bring additional housing units to the community as it starts phase two. Project and city leaders gathered at OC Living, the residential portion of the Ogden Commons development, on Thursday to mark the grand opening of phase one and kickstart phase two of the more than $200 million project. The Habitat Co. will build about 300 units at the former Chicago Housing Authority site.


* Tribune | New inclusive dental clinic at UIC an ‘oasis’ for patients with special needs: Burman said the Inclusive Care Clinic solves a problem not many dentist offices are thinking about: being a place that anybody can access. “Some people can’t get through the doorways, some people can’t even make it to the front door because there’s no ramp, or they won’t take somebody because of behavioral issues,” Burman said. “That’s not right. Everybody needs to have the medicine and dentistry that they’re entitled to.”

* Block Club | As Riot Fest Kicks Off, West Siders Debate Its Place In Douglass Park: Grassroots group Únete La Villita organized a press conference last week outside the Park District’s headquarters while the agency’s board members voted to grant Riot Fest’s permit, just nine days before its kickoff. There’s a lack of transparency behind the permit process, protesters said. Anton Adkins, a lifelong North Lawndale resident and an organizer for Únete La Villita, said the group is calling for an in-person public meeting with Riot Fest and Park District officials and neighborhood Ald. Monique Scott (24th) to address the community’s concerns, like losing access to the public park.

* WGN | Riot Fest features ‘world’s largest’ butter statue of John Stamos: This year’s butter statue comes after a yearslong love affair between Riot Fest and Stamos. A love affair that may very one-sided. According to the festival, it all started with a tweet to Stamos in 2013 asking him to reunite Jesse & The Rippers at Riot Fest — but unfortunately, they had no luck. Then in 2016, the fest attempted to get Stamos’ attention again and had an artist create a sculpture of his head out of butter. Again, no luck with having him perform, but he did respond to their post of the butter sculpture and said, “Riot Fest I’m certainly flattered & pretty frightened by #ButterStamos. Does this come with toast? Funny comments?”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark enforces decorum at City Council meetings; is it too restrictive?: At the most recent council meeting Sept. 9, several residents raised concerns about what they believe was an increased police presence, noting about 10 officers were stationed inside the council chambers. “That is very intimidating to have officers actually surround people as they give their speeches,” said the Rev. Johnathan Johnson, a pastor at the Holy Bible Missionary Baptist Church in Harvey, who has been a vocal critic of a city ordinance requiring churches to obtain business licenses.

* Daily Herald | ‘Only the beginning’: Lake County government building powered by solar : Soon, electricity to run the Central Permit Facility on the government campus in Libertyville will be generated by more than 2,000 ground-mounted photovoltaic panels covering two acres nearby. What is considered a medium-sized solar field was built by Maryland-based Standard Solar Inc., under a 25-year lease agreement that has the county paying a monthly rate for all the power generated.

* WGN | St. Charles officer who retired 3 years ago dies from ALS: Police officer Chris Grove was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, shortly after retiring from the department in 2021. According to St. Charles police, Grove died Tuesday at the age of 51.

* Sun-Times | In ‘bird city’ Homewood, toxic chemicals found at nature preserve: The source of the color as well as an oily film is a stormwater outflow owned by Homewood that collects water from nearby businesses including Homewood Disposal, a garbage and recycling business that referred questions to Homewood officials. The outflow is the responsibility of the Homewood village government.

* Crain’s | Empty Skokie tech park building heading to auction block: Skokie-based American Landmark Properties has hired real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle to seek a buyer for the building at 8030 Lamon Ave. in the northern suburb, according to a marketing flyer. The developer spent nearly $21 million in recent years redeveloping the 1970s-built, 135,851-square-foot building with space suitable for life sciences research, the flyer said, betting that biotechnology, pharmaceutical and other types of companies hunting for wet lab space would fill it.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | ‘I am not here to divide our board’: Champaign Co. Board Chair defends position: “The chaos that the chair inserts into regular board functions makes it difficult to perform basic government tasks. I just want to point out that, despite consultation with the State Attorney’s Office and extensive mentoring by various board members, the Chair continues to misunderstand and misuse the role of board chair,” [board member Emily Rodriguez] said

* WCIA | Clifton students walk out after teacher’s arrest: Brett Sorensen was arrested Tuesday following an investigation by the Illinois State Police. While he teaches at a high school in Iroquois County, Sorensen lives in Paxton and was arrested at his home. He remains in the Ford County Jail pending a detention hearing scheduled for next week. Central High School administrators said they cannot comment on personnel matters, but did say Sorensen has been placed on paid administrative leave. Students aren’t satisfied, however, with the actions taken by the school. They want Sorensen fired.

*** National ***

* AP | Hotter summers are making high school football a fatal game for some players: At least 58 players have died from exertional heat stroke between 1992 and 2024, according to the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut, and thousands more are sickened each year. This summer has been especially bad, with five high school players dying since July of suspected heat-related illnesses, including 14-year-old Semaj Wilkins who collapsed during drills last month at his Alabama high school practice.

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More Chicago drama as mayor reportedly tries to force out CPS CEO (Updated x2)

Friday, Sep 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times

After months of tension, Mayor Brandon Johnson told Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez on Thursday that he wants the embattled schools chief to leave his position, two sources told the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ.

Martinez did not immediately resign and instead plans to wait to hear from the Board of Education, a source said. The school board has the sole authority to dismiss the CPS CEO. While the seven-member board, which was appointed by Johnson, has sided with Martinez this year on a couple key disputes, it’s unclear where it stands on firing Martinez. […]

Rather than operate in lockstep with the mayor, as past CEOs have done, Martinez has resisted certain demands from Johnson — like taking out a short-term, high-interest loan or putting a pension payment on CPS’ books — and painted himself as a fiscally responsible leader. In some of the battles, Martinez seemed to have the Board of Education on his side, and some of his allies have suggested that the board might keep Martinez on.

…Adding… Sigh…


…Adding… Hmm…


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Illinois Supreme Court slams “absurd” premise of appellate court ruling on pretrial detention

Friday, Sep 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Unanimous decision with Justice Mary K. O’Brien authoring the opinion

In this case, the State filed a criminal complaint against defendant, Carlos Clark, on August 23, 2023. In an ex parte hearing, the State appeared before a judge and obtained a warrant for defendant’s arrest. Defendant was taken into custody on September 16, 2023, and brought before a judge two days later (on September 18, 2023, the date enforcement of the Act began). At that hearing, the State filed a petition to detain defendant. Over defendant’s objection, the Cook County circuit court held a hearing, granted the State’s petition, and ordered defendant’s pretrial detention.

A divided panel of the appellate court reversed the circuit court’s order. The majority found section 110-6.1(c)(1) of the Code required the State to file its petition when it made its ex parte appearance before a judge. See 2023 IL App (1st) 231770. Therefore, the court held that the State’s petition was untimely because it filed the petition after it made its first appearance. For the reasons that follow, we reverse and remand the judgment of the appellate court. […]

In the [appellate court] majority’s view, “the legislature envisioned a process where the State and trial court need not wait for a defendant’s appearance before considering whether to detain that person without setting bail.” … It concluded that under subsection (c)(1) the term “first appearance before a judge” included “an ex parte appearance by the State to begin the prosecution by filing a felony complaint and then seek an order setting bail.” […]

The [appellate court] dissent believed the “most reasonable construction of the ‘first appearance before a judge’ language in subsection (c)(1) is that it means the first appearance before a judge at which the defendant is present.” […]

By contrast, the appellate court’s interpretation requires the State to file a petition to deny pretrial release when it files a criminal complaint and seeks an arrest warrant. This would lead to the absurd result of allowing ex parte detention hearings. To illustrate, if the State filed a petition at an ex parte proceeding, then the court would be required to hold the detention hearing “immediately” as required by section 110-6.1(c)(2). The legislature could not have intended this absurd approach because the Code prohibits the court from holding any hearing to deny pretrial release in defendant’s absence. […]

In either case, the plain language of the current version of the Code is clear that the filing of a petition to deny pretrial release and a hearing on the petition occur simultaneously at defendant’s first appearance before the court. […]

For the above reasons, we reverse the judgment of the appellate court. The matter is remanded to the appellate court to consider the alternative issues raised by defendant.

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This story triggered me

Friday, Sep 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* One of my earliest intense memories is getting yelled at by my Aunt Marsha for venturing into a fully grown cornfield with a neighbor kid. Marsha was a teenager at the time and she was babysitting me. I was four or five years old and thought it was fun. We were pretending to be monsters while we knocked down corn stalks. Marsha was worried that I’d get lost or attacked by a wild dog, and I never blamed her for being angry with me because I instantly realized what a stupid thing that was and that the neighbor kid was bad news. Once you get deep into those fields, you lose your perspective, particularly when you’re so young. Case in point

Thermal drone footage shows the rescue of a 3-year-old who became lost after he had wandered into a 100-acre corn field alone and at night in Alto, Wisconsin.

Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputies received a call for help from the boy’s parents around 8:45 p.m. on Aug. 25 that their son had wandered into the expansive 6-foot-tall corn field behind their home. […]

The boy was then brought out of the corn field and driven back to be reunited with his parents.

“Instances like these highlight the importance of technology and collaboration amongst law enforcement in our community,” the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office said.

“Without the use of the thermal imaging drone, it would likely have taken Deputies and other first responders hours to search the entire cornfield and the outcome may have been different,” he added.

Thanks, Marsha!

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Caption contest!

Friday, Sep 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* You’ve probably heard the news about North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson. Well, there’s an Illinois angle…

The Tenth Congressional District Republicans have devoted an entire page to promote the event. But click here in case they delete it.

I reached out to several Republican organizations yesterday about whether the event was still moving forward and have yet to hear back.

* And I know I’m kinda asking the impossible, but please do your utmost to keep it clean in comments. Thanks.

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CPD superintendent, ATF chief criticized for spreading false information about SAFE-T Act

Friday, Sep 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling and special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Chicago Field Division Christopher Amon penned a Tribune op-ed yesterday

Earlier this month, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced an initiative to help combat the alarming proliferation of machine gun conversion devices (MCDs), commonly referred to as “switches” or “auto sears,” in communities across the country. This is welcome news.

Here in Chicago, we are at ground zero on this issue. More and more each day, these devices are being used by violent offenders, threatening the public and our police. The data doesn’t lie. The number of MCDs recovered by the Chicago Police Department has skyrocketed from 81 in 2020 to 551 in 2023. This year, we are on pace to surpass 600 recoveries. […]

Shockingly, the number of shell casings recovered at crime scenes has increased by 48% since 2020, and, on average, a machine gun is discharged seven times a day in Chicago. While people are dying, gang members are flaunting their possession and use of these devices against rivals on open-source social media.

Despite this grim reality, possession of a machine gun alone is not a detainable offense under Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, and the absence of pretrial incarceration for mere possession emboldens criminals. Make no mistake. There is no lawful reason to possess a machine gun conversion device in Chicago — or anywhere. When a criminal modifies a firearm with an MCD, they do it to generate maximum harm to their victims. Again, the data supports this: Nearly 50% of recovered MCD-modified firearms are ballistically linked to one or more shooting events.

* ACLU Illinois Communications Director Ed Yohnka responded…

CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling’s claim in his Tribune op-ed published today that “possession of a machine gun alone is not a detainable offense under Illinois’ SAFE-T Act,” is simply false. Possession of a machine gun is and always has been a detention-eligible offense under the Pretrial Fairness provisions of the SAFE-T Act, and is detainable under both the safety and willful flight bases. The section of the law that facilitates this 725 ILCS 5/110-6.1(a)(1), because possession of a machine gun is a non-probationable felony (meaning it carries a mandatory sentence to IDOC). In addition, people accused of possessing a machine gun will generally be charged with “Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon,” which is separately detention-eligible under 110-6.1(a)(6)(O) found at the same link. The latter charge is what makes virtually all gun possession cases (unless someone has a FOID) detention-eligible.

Additionally, 720 ILCS 5/24-1(b) provides in relevant part that “A person convicted of a violation of subsection 24-1(a)(7)(i) [Selling, manufacturing, purchasing, possessing or carrying a machine gun] commits a Class 2 felony and shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 3 years and not more than 7 years, unless the weapon is possessed in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle as defined in Section 1-146 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, or on the person, while the weapon is loaded, in which case it shall be a Class X felony.”

The Superintendent further uses this false statement of the law to argue that “the absence of pretrial incarceration for mere possession emboldens criminals.” Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, possession of any gun without a license is detainable, and gun possession cases make up a plurality (if not a majority) of all people currently being ordered detained on any given day in Cook County Circuit Court’s Pretrial Division.

Examples of people being detained for gun possession abound. A Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office press release documenting the first month of the Act’s implementation captures that 64% of people they sought to detain for possession of any gun were denied release. There are also numerous individual examples of people being denied pretrial release since the law changed when they are charged with possession of a machine gun or any other gun, both in Chicago and other jurisdictions.

The Illinois Appellate Court has issued no fewer than three opinions affirming the pretrial detention of people arrested by the Chicago Police Department and charged with possession of a machine gun: Vance, Smith, and Walker. The published court decisions each describe someone who was arrested by the CPD, charged with possession of a machine gun, denied release, appealed that detention decision, and received appellate court review affirming the detention. In the case of Martice Walker, the allegation was that he possessed a gun with an “automatic switch attachment” of exactly the kind focused on in Superintendent Snelling’s op-ed. It simply could not be a more precise demonstration of the falsity of Snelling’s claims about the Pretrial Fairness Act.

Examples of people detained for possession of machine guns are available from other jurisdictions as well: DuPage County 1, DuPage County 2, Peoria County (with switch).

* But wait, it gets better. I had all the above by late yesterday afternoon and decided to hold it until this morning. Last night, I received this email from the ACLU…

In working with the Tribune to get a letter in Sunday’s paper, we learned that the authors had offered the paper a “clarification” after objections were raised about the suggestion that possessing a machine gun is not detainable under the SAFE-T Act.

Here is the addendum we got from the Tribune:

    Despite this grim reality, possession of a machine gun alone is not a mandatory detainable offense under Illinois’ SAFE-T Act and the absence of pretrial incarceration for mere possession emboldens criminals.

The problem is that the Supreme Court has struck down the notion of something being a “mandatory” detention. This is unconstitutional and just wrong.

*facepalm.emoji*

* Meanwhile, St. Louis Public Radio interviewed the chief judge of St. Clair County about one year without cash bail

Will Bauer Bauer: Maybe one of the most common things that you might have heard from critics — I heard it quite a bit — was that the elimination of cash bail could make the state less safe. And the simple theory behind that is because people accused of less egregious crimes no longer have to stay in jail under this new system. Do you think Illinois has gotten less safe in this one year since?

Judge Andrew Gleeson, chief judge of Illinois’ 20th Circuit: The idea that we are assessing that level of danger to the community at large and or to any individual person before we allow someone to be out on bail is, I think, the counterargument. We’re safer under this present system. And then, probably just as important, is now we are upholding our obligations to the Constitution of the United States and the rights of us as individual citizens in this country. We are deemed to be innocent until proven guilty. Bond is only set to make sure that you appear in court. So, when we talk about these things, we’re talking about somebody who has not been adjudicated guilty in a court of law yet. So, the assessment of how dangerous they are to us — and whether they’re going to reappear for court — is what we should have probably been doing all along.

Bauer: As we go forward, what lessons, if any, are we learning in a world without cash bail, and what changes or improvements need to be made here in St. Clair County?

Gleeson: The first one we already talked about, and that was the concern about having dangerous people on the street and the community being less safe. That would have been one thing that, obviously, it’s a giant concern to both the courts and to the community at large. The second is: Are people going to show up to court? So, the purpose of bond is to ensure that they show up for their court dates. And I think everyone who’s been involved in the system as long as I have was leery of the thought that we’re going to let people go with really — to a degree — with no catch to bring them back in. And, surprisingly, the academics were correct. There is no meaningful difference at this point that we can discern as to whether you post bond, or you don’t, as to whether you’re going to show up in court. And, actually in some ways, the recidivism is down as opposed to up. I don’t know that any of those things are statistically valid yet. I don’t know that we have a big enough data set to make that [claim], but those are our initial observations. I am periodically making those inquiries because I think it’s important for me to be able to have that understanding and ability to give feedback to the administrative offices and to my colleagues.

  20 Comments      


Open thread

Friday, Sep 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

  7 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Sep 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: With jury stuck 11-1, judge declares mistrial in case of ex-AT&T boss accused of bribing Speaker Madigan. Tribune

A federal judge declared a mistrial Thursday after a jury apparently deadlocked 11-1 on charges alleging former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza bribed House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The panel was overwhelmingly leaning toward a conviction, one juror told the Tribune. But the mistrial still leaves a significant unknown about the strength of some of the prosecution’s evidence as Madigan heads to trial in less than three weeks. […]

The jurors who spoke in the courtroom could be heard saying a key sticking point was La Schiazza’s intent. Speaking to the Tribune, Duran agreed that was the case.

“We spent a lot of time … breaking down what constituted a conspiracy, what constituted a bribe, and particularly how do you determine whether somebody knowingly offered a bribe, or participated in a bribing,” she said. “You know, this idea of intent or the defendant’s mindset when he was going through all of this was, I think, a pain point.”

* Related stories…

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Questions on Illinois officials’ oversight of state-funded South Side center for troubled kids: The center, run by Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness, was closed by the state in June after a care provider and a guard were charged with sexual assault of young residents. But problems, including thousands of reports of violence and years of lax oversight, had gone on for years.

* Press Release | Illinois Payroll Jobs, Unemployment Rate Up in August: The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that nonfarm payrolls were up +800 while the unemployment rate increased +0.1 percentage point to 5.3 percent in August, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and released by IDES. The July monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +12,900 to +10,300 jobs, while the revised unemployment rate was 5.2 percent, unchanged from the preliminary July unemployment rate. The August payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.

* Crain’s | Christy George named CEO of an increasingly active Intersect Illinois: Fresh off her role leading day-to-day efforts to prepare to host the Democratic National Convention, Christy George is taking over as CEO of Intersect Illinois, the state’s private-sector partner in recruiting and retaining businesses. It’s a homecoming of sorts for George, 38, who previously was part of J.B. Pritzker’s economic team, working on deals such as the Gotion battery plant in Manteno and Lion Electric electric-bus factory in Joliet. She replaces Dan Seals, who left in July.

* Capitol News Illinois | State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban: A federal judge invoked images from the 1917 race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Thursday at the end of a trial in a case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines. Judge Steven McGlynn, who has presided over the trial, called attention to the neighborhood just outside the courthouse, much of which was destroyed during a series of deadly attacks by a white mob against the city’s Black population. […] “I wonder what would have happened,” he said in a possible indication of how he intends to rule. “I wonder what would have happened if they (the Black population) had had some of the weapons we’re talking about today.”

*** Statewide ***

* WAND | Illinois state dental society, IDFPR raise awareness about unlicensed dentists: “I want Illinois to understand that unregulated and unlicensed dental care is a huge problem and it is a dangerous risk,” said Dr. Sherece Thompson. “You are gambling with a person’s oral health and there is no procedure that is safe when done by someone who does not have proper training in oral health.”

* NBC Chicago | What is an advisory question? What Illinois voters will decide on this November: While these questions will certainly provoke a measure of debate and discussion, they do not come with any guarantee of future legislation or amending the state’s Constitution, according to officials.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Bed supply should remain constant as city seeks to merge homeless, migrant shelter systems, social service leaders say: Advocates for both asylum-seekers and homeless Chicagoans have supported the move toward a unified shelter network, saying it will boost resources for the unhoused population in the city. Others warn it will overwhelm an already overstretched system, as the groups have very distinct mental health, language, legal and other needs.

* Sun-Times | Deadbeat Chicago city workers owe $18 million in unpaid fines, fees: About $16.5 million of the debt is owed by employees of sister agencies like the CTA, where about one of every four workers is carrying an outstanding debt — by far the highest rate of any of the agencies.

* Crain’s | Amazon closing Goose Island fulfillment center, one of the first it opened in Chicago: Amazon is closing its fulfillment center in Goose Island, nearly 10 years after it opened as part of the e-commerce titan’s expansion efforts in Illinois. The company says it will not renew its lease at 1111 N. Cherry Ave. According to a WARN notice filed with the state, 211 employees are set to receive layoff notices effective Nov. 13. However, Amazon says these workers will have the option to relocate to “nearby operations sites.”

* Crain’s | The future of the hybrid office? It could look like this: Relativity is one of the few companies tying itself to the future of LaSalle Street after a series of departures of big-name tenants. Roughly one-third of office space along LaSalle in the Loop is empty, according to a recent analysis of the street by the Urban Land Institute, largely a result of banking giants BMO and Bank of America decamping for new towers in the West Loop. […] To foster this environment, the company put in stadium-style communal seating and a large video wall for broadcasting company-wide meetings. The office also features other amenities such as a library, a juice bar and an arcade with a sports simulator, all designed to attract employees to work at the office.

* Tribune | Amtrak salutes Latino workers who kept the trains running on time: When train travel expanded into Illinois in the 1800s, it was the lowest ranking employees who laid the rails, which could weigh close to half a ton. To keep the trains running on time through the winter, they’d light fires to thaw the tracks. Called “traqueros,” a term derived from the Spanglish word traque, which means track, these Latino workers were honored by Amtrak on Wednesday in Union Station.

* Sun-Times | Worst team ever plans 2025 payroll cut, seeks money for new ballpark. Wanna be a White Sox fan?: The current public discussion is about the Sox’ intention to decrease its payroll next season because they’ve had such a rotten year financially. It’s something the Sun-Times has written about several times this season. Whenever they get around to openly discussing the payroll, the Sox surely will talk about sticking to “The Plan,’’ which means nurturing young, talented and inexpensive players. But it’s also about profit. I very well might be brain-addled, but it seems to me that the solution to what ails the team is better baseball players, which means spending more money.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Foster cites lying politicians as top issue; challenger Evans says it’s immigration: Foster, a scientist and former entrepreneur who has served the 11th District since 2013, warned about politicians who lie repeatedly because “they expect that there’ll be political benefit from it.” In scientific fields, saying something you know isn’t true will end your career, Foster said. But that’s not the case in politics today, he added.

* Daily Herald | Hanover Park parks president speaking out on citation for verbal assault of teen referee: According to the police report, the 17-year-old boy was escorted to his vehicle after the game by adults who had witnessed the altercation. The referee reported he felt scared Elkins was going to hit him, according to the police report. Elkins Thursday said he was inspired to speak out further because of the response news coverage of the police report was generating.

* Daily Heral d| Hoffman Estates native uses archaeology training in search for Americans missing in combat worldwide: Friday is National POW/MIA Recognition Day, but bringing missing Americans home is a year-round focus for Hoffman Estates native and professional archaeologist David Brown. He now employs the same techniques to find and identify U.S. military personnel from World War II and later for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency within the Department of Defense as he previously did to unearth the culture of ancient civilizations.

*** Downstate ***

* SJ-R | New sheriff in town: County board officially approves Crouch nomination: Crouch, 51, was sworn in by Seventh Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow as her husband, Robert, the police chief of Riverton, and her two sons looked on. […] Crouch was also assigned to the Child Advocacy Center before her retirement, where she investigated cases of child abuse. Board chairman Andy Van Meter cited her “incredible breadth of experience with almost every aspect of policing and managing.”

* WCIA | Champaign Co. organizations aid low-income families: Two groups in Champaign County are partnering together to help low-income families. The Housing Authority of Champaign County and VOLO are eliminating the cost of Wi-Fi. They’re starting a new project called VCHAP it’ll provide free wi-fi for 355 homes in six Housing Authority of Champaign County properties.

*** National ***

* CBS Chicago | Hours before Freddie Owens’ execution, friend who testified against him says he lied: “Freddie was not there”: Owens is set to die at 6 p.m. Friday at a Columbia prison for the killing of a Greenville convenience store clerk in 1997. It will be South Carolina’s first execution in 13 years. But Owens’ lawyers on Wednesday filed a sworn statement from the friend and co-defendant, Steven Golden, late Wednesday to try to stop South Carolina from carrying out the execution. Prosecutors reiterated that several other witnesses testified that Owens told them he pulled the trigger. And the state Supreme Court refused to stop Owens’ execution last week after Golden, in a sworn statement, said that he had a secret deal with prosecutors that he never told the jury about.

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