* Illinois is an island on yet another issue. From Kansas City’s KCUR…
Hundreds of National Guardsmen have spent the past three years rotating through a deployment in Texas. They’ve traded Midwestern green grass, highways and sprawling crop fields for dusty roads, a dry riverbed and close-ups of concertina wire thousands of miles away from their families.
Baking for hours in the withering heat, the troops from Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska share a mission under the banner of Operation Lone Star: Intercept immigrants arriving illegally and drugs crossing the U.S. border from Mexico.
“Political theater” is how immigration and border relations researcher Tony Payan describes the operation. He regularly travels both sides of the border interviewing activists, migrants and experts about immigration. […]
Records show that the sensational arrests and busts Midwest governors predicted have been few and far between. Meanwhile, state highway patrol officers from understaffed Midwestern departments are assisting with traffic stops miles from the border while National Guardsmen stare at sand, researchers and critics of Operation Lone Star told the Midwest Newsroom.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced a change in DMV facility operating hours across the state next week.
Beginning Monday, Sept. 23, Illinois DMV locations will be open to customers Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., a half an hour earlier than the previous hours of 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Facilities that offer services on Saturday will also change hours from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.-Noon on Saturdays.
Senior facilities located in Addison, Bridgeview, Calumet Park, Evanston and Westchester will remain the same 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. The Roscoe Express DMV will stay open 9 a.m-4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and the Orland Township DMV hours will remain 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday.
*** Statewide ***
* Madison Record | Rosenstengel denies Meta’s motion to dismiss Messenger biometric case: Meta Platforms must defend a claim that facial recognition on Facebook Messenger and Messenger Kids violates privacy of biometric data, Chief U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel ruled on Sept. 17. […] [St. Clair County residents Rebecca Hartman and Joseph Turner] claim Meta doesn’t comply with Illinois biometric privacy law when it collects face geometries from filters and effects like bunny ears.
* Press Release | IDNR announces nearly $1 million for Natural Areas Stewardship grants: The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) today announced nearly $1 million in grants to support 14 stewardship programs managed by land trusts on land protected by the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission (INPC). The grants are part of the Illinois Natural Areas Stewardship Grant program, which aims to increase the delivery of much-needed land and water stewardship activities to natural areas permanently protected within the INPC system. Given the growing stewardship needs of natural areas throughout Illinois, this grant program funds projects that help land trusts expand staff and purchase equipment for these activities.
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Cook County creates tax incentive that helped land quantum campus in Chicago: The Cook County Board of Commissioners has followed through on a commitment to create a new property tax incentive that helped Chicago land the massive quantum computing campus at the former U.S. Steel South Works site on Lake Michigan. The new Class 8 MICRO incentive provides property tax relief by reducing the property tax rate at the site from 25% to 10% for 30 years. The incentive can not be renewed.
* Tribune | ‘It’s not who we are’: Jury awards CPS student beaten at school with belts $750,000: Among the facts not in contention: After Champ, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD, was repeatedly disruptive in her class, Haynes allowed her personal acquaintance, who was not affiliated with CPS, Juanita Tyler, into the West Garfield school at the start of a late September school day in 2018. Haynes brought Champ, then 9, to a bathroom with Tyler, and then left him alone with her there. Tyler, an estranged relative whom the boy did not know, proceeded to beat Champ repeatedly with two belts – which Haynes kept in her classroom.
* WBEZ | Trying to build a more climate-resilient Chicago, one balloon at a time: Until now, scientists haven’t had a substantial, vertical profile of Chicago’s atmosphere. The closest sites collecting similar data via weather balloons are in Lincoln, Ill. and Davenport, Iowa. As a result, there’s effectively no data about how Chicago’s atmosphere responds to its massive cityscape and proximity to Lake Michigan.
* Block Club | ComEd Unveils Plan To Fill Giant Hole In Washington Park: Part of ComEd’s plan involves workers appearing on the block next week to take confirmation samples of the soil. If enough of the contaminant has been removed, work will begin soon after and continue into early winter, said principal project manager Gabriel Salamanca to residents during a virtual meeting this week.
* The Athletic | An owner who ‘thinks he knows everything’ led the White Sox to historic disaster: A team plane doesn’t make errors or poor baseball decisions. But the White Sox’s decision to use a smaller, older plane reflects how they operate. The difference between the White Sox and other clubs is so stark, players who leave Chicago for other teams celebrate their freedom by texting each other “This is the big leagues.” “They don’t do the little or the big things right,” said a recently departed veteran.
* Chicago Mag | When Chicago Hustled: In the late ’70s, a pro women’s hoops team briefly captivated the city by living up to its name. Then it all unraveled: Nationally, the short-lived Women’s Professional Basketball League seemed doomed from its early stages, but in Chicago, the city’s upstart franchise flashed promise. The team led the WBL in attendance all three seasons before the league collapsed in 1981. Its inaugural game was spotlighted on the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. Les Grobstein served as the play-by-play radio announcer. Nancy Faust played the organ at home games. Jerry Sloan, Walter Payton, and Reggie Theus would show up to watch the women play. Games were broadcast on WGN-TV. But even with that hoopla, there was a bootstrap aspect to the Hustle: Shriver contracted with auto mechanic students at a local community college to paint a secondhand school bus with the team’s colors and logo, serving as an in-town rolling billboard and means of transportation for visiting teams.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Naperville Sun | Local businesses urge Naperville council to lift video gaming ban: Several local bar and restaurant representatives Tuesday implored the Naperville City Council to lift the city’s 15-year ban against video gambling, but city officials did not entertain the request. “By lifting the ban and supporting local businesses, the city can help ensure that those of us who have invested in Naperville for decades can continue to thrive,” Ken Eng, owner of Anthem Ale House, told council members. “This isn’t about changing the fabric of our community. It’s about giving local businesses a fighting chance to survive.”
*** Downstate ***
* SJ-R | A project to build a tiny-home community for homeless veterans is on hold. Here’s why: A proposal to build a community center to serve a tiny-home community on the city’s east side came to screeching halt Tuesday night after City Council members argued with each other over the city’s approach to homelessness and whether it’s saturating certain neighborhoods with homeless people. “You see success out there, but we don’t see success in ward 2,” Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory said speaking to the disparity in housing types in different wards.
* WCIA | Danville City Council member calls for investigation into mayor: After a complaint from Danville Mayor Ricky Williams Jr. led to the president of Danville Area Community College being placed on leave, one city council member is calling for an investigation into the mayor. Council member Ed Butler said the mayor overstepped his authority and it could affect the city. Butler said he believes everyone should be equal in the eyes of the government, and that includes people who work for the city.
* WSIL | City of Carbondale begins search for new City Manager: The search follows the retirement of former City Manager, Gary Williams. Williams served in the role for 8 years. Following Wiliams’ retirement, Police Chief Stan Reno has pulled double duty, sitting as both Police Chief and City Manager.
* WCIA | Charleston Police debunk school social media threat: The Charleston Police Department has determined the community is safe after a threat went viral on social media. The Police Department said they were aware of a threat Wednesday evening spreading on Snapchat of threats of violence. After further investigation, officers determined the message was being circulated across the country on social media platforms like Reddit and Snapchat.
* WCIA | City of Decatur offering electric vehicle test drives this weekend: City officials are partnering with the Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation for the event. Officials said participants can explore the future of transportation by test driving EVs, listening to IACT leaders talk about the newest technologies and learning about the financial incentives availble to help buy an Electric Vehicle.
* Illinois Times | Former SPD officer indicted on drug charges: Former Springfield police officer Clayton Hadley was indicted Sept. 18 on drug charges after sheriff’s deputies allegedly found illicit drugs and more than $5,000 in cash in his home. […] Scarlette said the state of Illinois has been contacted regarding the matter and efforts are being made to decertify Hadley as a police officer. “We certainly did our due diligence on our end, to say, ‘I don’t want this guy to ever be a cop anywhere again.’”
* Rock River Current | State Rep. Joe Sosnowski’s Photo Contest Aims To Show The Beauty Of The 69th District: State Rep. Joe Sosnowski is encouraging local photographers, nature lovers, architecture fanatics and anyone else who enjoys taking pictures to enter the annual 69th District Photo Challenge. The subject of the photo must be within Boone, Winnebago or McHenry counties. The submission deadline is Nov. 15, and the limit is two entries per person.
*** National ***
* Sun-Times | $500 scholarship will go to student who cooks up the best ending for ‘The Bear’: Through July 2025, fans of the Chicago-based FX show can submit 200 to 600 words describing their perfect ending to the Emmy- and Golden Globe award-winning series. The scholarship is open to high school and college students at any level with any GPA, and entries are accepted online each month on a rolling basis. The next deadline is Sept. 30.
* NYT | On YouTube, Major Brands’ Ads Appear Alongside Racist Falsehoods About Haitian Immigrants: On YouTube, an ad for the car company Mazda appeared before a video that repeated the racist falsehood that Haitian migrants in Ohio were “eating ducks on the side of the road.” An ad for the software giant Adobe showed up alongside another video that claimed “people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.” […] Just this month, researchers discovered advertisements on YouTube for more than a dozen large organizations and consumer brands that monetized xenophobic (and quickly debunked) claims. Advertising dollars flowed both to YouTube and to the commentators it allowed to amplify inflammatory and racist narratives, according to a report by Eko, a group focused on corporate accountability.
* Click here and here for some background on how the Illinois Supreme Court has avoided the direct question of whether the state’s Firearm Owners Identification Card Act is constitutional. They did it again today. This time it was unanimous…
In ruling on cross-motions for summary judgment, the circuit court of Madison County declared that section 8(n) of the Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) Card Act (FOID Card Act) (430 ILCS 65/8(n) (West 2016)) was unconstitutional “as applied to persons charged with a felony but not yet convicted of a felony” and enjoined the suspension of FOID cards as to those persons. Because the circuit court’s judgment invalidated a state statute, the appeal was taken directly to this court. For the reasons that follow, we find that plaintiffs lacked standing when they filed the action, so we vacate the circuit court’s judgment and remand with directions to dismiss the action. […]
Plaintiffs, Aaron and Charles Davis, were charged on July 5, 2016, with felony reckless discharge of a firearm. A few days after plaintiffs were charged, the Illinois State Police revoked plaintiffs’ Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) cards pursuant to section 8(n) of the FOID Card Act, which authorizes the revocation of the FOID card of any individual who is “prohibited from acquiring or possessing firearms or firearm ammunition by any Illinois State statute or by federal law.”
On November 7, 2016, plaintiffs pleaded guilty to reduced charges of misdemeanor reckless conduct. Both plaintiffs then filed requests for FOID appeals, seeking the return of their FOID cards on the basis that they were no longer subject to felony charges. FOID cards were reissued to Charles and Aaron Davis on May 3 and August 14, 2017, respectively. […]
Plaintiffs sought a declaration that section 8(n) of the FOID Card Act is unconstitutional as applied to persons who are charged, but not convicted, of a felony and an injunction preventing defendant from suspending FOID cards pursuant to section 8(n) of the FOID Card Act based on a felony charge. […]
The circuit court granted plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and denied defendant’s cross-motion. Relying on Koshinski v. Trame, 2017 IL App (5th) 150398, the circuit court found that the case was moot but concluded that it could consider the constitutionality of section 8(n) of the FOID Card Act under the public interest exception to mootness. Based on that discussion, the circuit court held that plaintiffs had standing. The circuit court declared that section 8(n) of the FOID Card Act was unconstitutional as to all persons charged with, but not convicted of, felonies. The circuit court entered a permanent injunction, enjoining defendant from “suspending [FOID] Cards, pursuant to 430 ILCS 65/8(n), [of] persons charged with a felony but not convicted of a felony.” […]
Similarly in the instant case, plaintiffs had a legally recognizable interest during the time their FOID cards were revoked. But plaintiffs did not file suit until after their FOID cards had been reissued. At that time, plaintiffs were no longer deprived of their constitutional right to bear arms and no longer had a legally recognizable interest sufficient to achieve standing. […]
For the foregoing reasons, we vacate the circuit court’s judgment holding that section 8(n) of the FOID Card Act is unconstitutional “as applied to persons charged with a felony but not yet convicted of a felony” and enjoining the suspension of FOID cards as to those persons. In entering this disposition, we express no opinion on the merits of the parties’ other arguments.
Thursday, Sep 19, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
If a major storm hits and the electricity goes out, are you prepared? Will your family be safe? What about your friends and neighbors? With climate change causing more massive storms, now is the time to ask yourself these questions. Fortunately, there is a solution.
On a typical day, clean energy – like solar and wind installations – creates more energy than we can use that day. The solution? Store now so we can use it later. That stored energy can then be used in the event of a traditional power outage. With storage capacity, we can use energy when it’s needed most, and optimize the clean power produced by wind and solar — making power more affordable and reliable for Illinois.
Sox fans are a loyal bunch. The 2005 thrill of their lifetimes, to be celebrated in 2025 by a franchise that doesn’t figure to have much else to celebrate, is cherished but now distant.
Six seasons with winning records and three with only brief postseasons since feels unacceptable. […]
If the Sox (36-117) are swept in a three-game series that opens in San Diego Friday, they’ll [tie] the 1962 Mets record of 120 losses. There are nine games left.
* I have found myself occasionally hoping the Sox break the MLB loss record. The record may be the only thing to give this season any sort of meaning. The pathetic team ownership and management must be branded as the worst losers in history, goes the thinking. And that, and only that, may be the motivation which finally produces an attitude change at the top.
But, for many Sox fans, this team has been part of their family their entire lives. And, really, that’s the only thing that makes me think that maybe the Sox should fight like heck to not break the record. Why tarnish future generations with this permanent stain?
Either way, nobody reading this post has any control over the next nine games. And at this point in the season, I don’t think anyone on Earth has that control, either.
In 2021, Illinois enacted a comprehensive clean energy law mandating the closure of all coal- and natural gas-fired power plants by 2045. As part of the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act, one of Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature legislative accomplishments, a large number of gas-fired facilities were to be shuttered by 2030.
At the time, there were warnings from industry and others that the intermediate 2030 mandate would jeopardize electricity reliability in the state. With Illinois then producing more power than it consumed, Pritzker and the many environmental groups that backed the law said such predictions were alarmist and off-base.
Just three years later, it appears the alarmists were right, and Pritzker and the green lobby were wrong.
Payments to power generators in return for their promise to produce to their capacity when demand is highest — as established via an auction overseen by PJM Interconnection, the grid manager for a large swath of the U.S. from northern Illinois to the mid-Atlantic — are set to soar more than 800% and will raise all our electric bills beginning next June.[…]
Power-hungry data centers, the development of which a number of Chicago aldermen are encouraging within city limits as a way to generate more property tax revenue, are on the drawing boards. ComEd projects that new data centers throughout its territory easily could require four gigawatts of electricity. To put that in context, such an enormous amount alone would consume nearly the entire output of two of the five nuclear stations serving the region. […]
It’s becoming clearer all the time that the 2030 deadlines are unrealistic and need to be made more flexible. Backsliding on the law’s gas plant-closure mandates is anathema to environmental groups, who surely would fight hard against such an effort and likely would criticize any Democratic “friends” who consider such a thing. But gas-fired “peaker” plants, which can rapidly fire up and just as rapidly turn off, for many years have been the most critical resources to keep the lights on when the temperatures soar (or plummet). They remain critical.
* Governor Pritzker participated in a panel discussion about climate change and technology yesterday and said that the editorial got some things wrong. During the ensuing press conference, I asked the governor what the Tribune editorial got wrong…
Isabel: Governor, you mentioned that the Tribune editorial got some things wrong. What were those things?
Governor Pritzker: I mean, my point is that there’s a broad topic that was raised, but only specific solutions that were proposed in it. And so that’s all, I think there were things missing from the presentation of that editorial. The broad topic is we need more electricity production in the state period, end of sentence. And as I said just a few minutes ago, I agree, and we should be going after that, and we are. There’s never a moment that we’re not talking about electricity production as well as climate action in the context of that in the state of Illinois.
* Some more background from the governor’s office…
In July, we saw historically high prices coming out of the electric capacity market for all states in PJM - including Northern Illinois.
But it is important to recognize that these capacity prices, and the broader problems facing our grid, are not caused by CEJA. These are national issues, and there are a lot of factors at play.
A lot has changed since the passage of CEJA.
· When developing CEJA, policymakers drew on respected, industry projections for electricity demand, used by transmission planners to manage our national grid.
· These projections have risen dramatically over the past two years, for everyone.
· When CEJA was passed, energy efficiency improvements were leading to reductions in demand, but the rapid growth of data centers, in particular, has reversed that trend. Not just for Illinois – many states, from Texas to California to Virginia, are all seeing rapid increases in demand.
· While these changes were not the expected outcome, we are not unprepared either. CEJA includes the 2025 ICC study on resource adequacy that this article references, so we have a way of responding to exactly these kind of changes.
· In fact, CEJA has played a role in addressing these problems.
· The Carbon Mitigation Credits that kept our nuclear plants open (a major source of capacity, themselves) also offset roughly 1/3 of the impact of these capacity prices for our consumers. That is, without CEJA, the bill impact experienced by consumers would be 50% higher than it is now.
The results of these auctions also go beyond “simple supply and demand.” The outcomes are based on regional transmission organization rules that are neither designed for, nor work for Illinois.
· For one, PJM recently downrated “capacity factors” for many kinds of generation, arguing that these facilities cannot provide as much capacity as PJM previously thought. This increases the amount of capacity needed, driving up prices even without any changes in actual generation facilities.
Additionally, there is currently more capacity waiting in the queue, for approval to connect to the grid, than there is serving the State of Illinois today, and the wait time for this queue is longer than ever. Reforms are dearly needed to enable new electricity generation and storage, much of it supported by state policy, to actually get connected and start serving Illinois customers.
Governor Pritzker has joined PJM Governors in calling for improvements to the current system, to reduce queue wait times and to adopt auction rules that better reflect the actual capacity resources of our state. We continue to engage with both regional transmission organizations, other states, and federal stakeholders to push for these changes.
This is a challenge, but we can overcome it without pushing back the closure of plants actively polluting in EJ communities.
· The same tight market that led to such a big spike in prices also means that even small changes can lead to larger drops in prices than we generally expect. Change is needed – but it will have a big impact.
· In terms of timing, the 2030 gas peaker plant closures are limited to inefficient, costly plants located in environmental justice communities. We should not accept that the only way to have abundant electricity is by sacrificing the health of already-overburdened communities. This is a manageable set of plants to replace in the time we have.
· In addition to exacerbating the burden on EJ communities, rolling back our climate actions contributes to increasing the chance and intensity of the same extreme heat waves that create our high electric capacity needs.
· We are actively working with stakeholders on potential solutions to this time-sensitive challenge. That includes not just the battery storage industry, but also our partners in the legislature, organized labor, and a wide range of industry and nonprofit stakeholders.
John Anderson’s 25 Guilty Pleas & Convictions Raise Concerns in Key Race
CHICAGO — According to records obtained from courthouses across Illinois, Third District Appellate Court candidate John Anderson has been convicted or pled guilty 25 times amid 33 run-ins with law enforcement.
Anderson has been brought before the law on numerous charges, including retail theft, reckless driving, transportation of open alcohol in a vehicle, driving on a suspended license, over twenty excessive speeding charges, and driving with expired plates and no insurance.
“The Third District Appellate Court and the millions of people in Northeastern Illinois deserve a leader like Judge Kenton Skarin who leads with integrity and works hard for the people he serves. We cannot allow a career criminal like John Anderson to serve and in November, Illinois can elect a leader who follows our laws instead of breaking them,” ILGOP Kathy Salvi said in a statement.
This November, Illinois voters have a choice between Kenton Skarin, a judge who was first in his class at Northwestern Law and is committed to faster, smarter, fairer courts, and John Anderson, a criminal who has dozens of run-ins with law enforcement.
Check out a new Ad, “Reckless John,” and review judicial records from Anderson’s cases here.
Eleven of those “33 run-ins with law enforcement” were for driving 15-20 MPH over the speed limit. But still. Whew.
For months, I have generally tried to avoid talking about my opponent, Kenton Skarin. Rather, I try to talk about me and my own credentials. But, he has repeatedly revealed himself to act not as a judge, but as a petty and childish politician. When we were seated at the same table for an event, he got up and moved. When I politely said hello to him at a different event in DuPage County, he told me I should go back to Will County. When I was asked to speak for 15 seconds at a recent event, he audibly booed me and got out his phone to record me.
Now, he made a website about me emphasizing traffic-related offenses that are, for the most part, from my high school and college years. Some of it goes back 35 years. His website shows I have had one traffic ticket in approximately 14 years, and that was 5 years ago.
In the last two years, I have made no secret that I was once an angry, rudderless young man. I had bad grades, I was even homeless and lived on my friend’s couch in a cockroach-infested apartment in Joliet. I turned my life around after a member of my family was murdered in an act of gun violence. These experiences taught me empathy, integrity, and the value of hard work.
Now, I have two master’s degrees and two law degrees. I like to volunteer at homeless shelters and food drives. I enjoy speaking to high school students who are on the verge of not graduating, and I make sure they know there are community college opportunities out there for them. My biggest passion in the law is making our court system more user friendly for those who cannot afford a lawyer; I helped raise $40 million for organizations that provide free legal aid to those who cannot afford an attorney. And, I am supported by law enforcement and was even named “Judicial Officer of the Year” by the Illinois State Crime Commission.
I won’t defend choices I made when I was 20 years old. I can’t—in part because I don’t even remember them. But I believe redemption is a powerful thing that ought to be celebrated, not attacked. If Kenton doesn’t understand that, and chooses to judge 53-year-old people on the worst mistakes they made in high school and college, he is not fit to be a judge. He knows he will lose to 53-year-old Judge Anderson, and so instead he wants to run against 20-year-old John Anderson. So, go ahead, Kenton. Keep doing what politicians do. I will continue to conduct myself like a judge … the ONLY judge in this race to receive a “HIGHLY RECOMMENDED” rating from the Illinois State Bar Association.
A federal jury in the bribery trial of former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza, accused of funneling payments to an ally of Michael Madigan to win the speaker’s support for legislation in Springfield, has told the judge overseeing the case they may be deadlocked.
“What happens if we feel we are at a stalemate and feel that it won’t change?” a note sent out by the jury early Thursday said, according to U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman.
Gettleman said he would tell the panel to keep at it.
“But I don’t see keeping them beyond today” before declaring a mistrial, Gettleman told lawyers in court. The judge is leaving town and won’t be back until Tuesday.
* More…
Judge: "I want you to take those words and go back to the jury room and keep working on this. We can get back together this afternoon and determine whether or not you can do that. I know that it's a difficult decision, but it's important that you give it another try."
The jury was brought in, and the judge re-read them the instruction below. He also told them, "keep working on this and let me know if you're able to reach a verdict … we can get back together this afternoon." pic.twitter.com/8EyTVVs1jk
Prosecutors say La Schiazza bribed Madigan by paying $22,500 to former state Rep. Edward “Eddie” Acevedo in 2017, just as AT&T sought a legislative victory that had eluded it for years. The feds say Madigan wanted to help Acevedo because of the increasing Latino population in Madigan’s district.
“Madigan wanted to help Eddie Acevedo so that Eddie Acevedo could help Madigan,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sushma Raju alleged in her closing argument.
Defense attorneys stressed the lack of evidence proving that AT&T paid Acevedo in exchange for Madigan’s help with the bill.
Jurors seemed to quickly focus on that question earlier in their deliberations. They sent a note to the judge Wednesday morning asking whether the law requires proof of such an exchange.
Judge Gettleman is back on the bench and reads the note: “We believe there’s no possibility of coming to a unanimous verdict,” Judge says they could hear by volume of conversations coming through the door, “they were really trying hard” https://t.co/Fs7LDS7Ke2
Judge Gettleman says "it's a disappointment for everyone."
AUSA Tim Chapman counters that "they're clearly deadlocked," but he says it's also possibility they're "unaware of their ability to return a partial verdict."
Judge says he’s going to ask the foreperson in open court if they’re deadlocked on all counts or just some. If she were to say no, they can go back. “If she says yes, which is what her note implies, I would have to declare a mistrial. It’s not something I want to, believe me.”
///BREAKING/// The jury has hung in the trial of former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza. Mistrial declared. This comes three weeks before the man La Schiazza was accused of bribing, Speaker Michael Madigan, goes on trial pic.twitter.com/7FoLKMRDxP
The judge overseeing the bribery trial of former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza, accused of funneling payments to an ally of Michael Madigan to win the speaker’s support, has declared a mistrial in the case.
U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman announced his decision Thursday afternoon, a few hours after the jury had communicated to the court that they appeared to be deadlocked.
In this case we must determine, after the recent changes to Illinois’s cannabis laws, whether a police officer’s detection of the odor of burnt cannabis, considered alone or in conjunction with other facts, provides probable cause to conduct a warrantless search of a vehicle. Illinois State Police officer Hayden Combs conducted a search of Ryan Redmond’s vehicle based on, inter alia, his detection of the strong odor of burnt cannabis emanating from the vehicle. The State primarily argues that Combs had probable cause to suspect that a search of the vehicle would uncover evidence that cannabis was improperly contained in the vehicle or, more likely, uncover evidence that Redmond had used cannabis on his trip from Des Moines to Chicago. See 625 ILCS 5/11-502.15(a) (West 2020) (“No driver may use cannabis within the passenger area of any motor vehicle upon a highway in this State.”). Combs searched Redmond’s car and found one gram of cannabis inside the center console in a plastic bag.
The State charged Redmond with unlawful possession of cannabis in violation of section 4 of the Cannabis Control Act (Control Act) (720 ILCS 550/4(a) (West 2020)) and unlawful possession of cannabis by a driver in violation of section 11- 502.15(b) of the Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/11-502.15(b) (West 2020)). Redmond filed a motion to suppress the cannabis. The Henry County circuit court granted the motion, and the appellate court affirmed, holding that recent changes to the law pertaining to cannabis made the odor of burnt cannabis, standing alone, insufficient to justify a warrantless search of an automobile.
We allowed the State’s petition for leave to appeal pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 315 (eff. Oct. 1, 2021). We also allowed the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Illinois, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers to file an amici curiae brief on behalf of Redmond’s position. For the following reasons, we affirm the judgment of the appellate court. […]
The sole issue before this court is whether Officer Combs had probable cause to search Redmond’s vehicle after Combs smelled the odor of burnt cannabis coming from the vehicle. The State argued in its brief that “where the officer detected the strong odor of burnt cannabis—a reasonable officer was justified in suspecting either a violation of the odor-proof transportation requirement or, perhaps more likely, the prohibition on the use of cannabis within a vehicle.” Redmond responds that, after the legislature legalized the use and possession of cannabis, the odor of burnt cannabis emanating from a vehicle alone “lacks a clear and direct enough connection to illegal activity to make it ‘probable’ that a crime has recently been committed or is being committed.” […]
In People v. Stout, 106 Ill. 2d 77, 88 (1985), this court held that “additional corroboration” was not required to establish probable cause for a warrantless search “where a trained and experienced police officer detects the odor of cannabis emanating from a defendant’s vehicle.” […]
After January 1, 2020, when the use and possession of cannabis was legalized in many instances, our appellate court has reached conflicting results in cases concerning the effect of legalization on probable cause for automobile searches. The Second District has held that the odor of burnt cannabis, standing alone, still justifies a warrantless search of an automobile. … The Third District has held that “the smell of the burnt cannabis, without any corroborating factors, is not enough to establish probable cause to search [a] vehicle.” […]
Unlike the legal landscape considered in Hill, Illinois cannabis law has evolved, and use and possession have not only been decriminalized in numerous situations, but they have been legalized in numerous situations. There are now a myriad of situations where cannabis can be used and possessed, and the smell resulting from that legal use and possession is not indicative of the commission of a criminal offense. […]
What is notable about the Vehicle Code provisions is that they do not prohibit the possession or use of cannabis within a motor vehicle. The gravamen of the offenses is that the conduct occurs “upon a highway in this State.” Thus, it would not have been a violation of the Vehicle Code for Redmond to have used cannabis in a motor vehicle before he left Des Moines or in any location within Illinois not considered a “highway.” […]
In short, Officer Combs’s detection of the strong odor of burnt cannabis coming from the vehicle certainly established reasonable suspicion to investigate further. Combs reasonably investigated whether Redmond had violated the Vehicle Code and whether Redmond was driving impaired. When his further investigation did not yield any inculpatory facts, the quantity of evidence never advanced on the - 20 - continuum from reasonable suspicion to probable cause to search. Therefore, the search was unreasonable and unlawful, and the circuit court properly granted Redmond’s motion to suppress the evidence in this case.
Finally, the State argues that this court should reverse the circuit court because Combs acted in good faith when he searched Redmond’s car. The State did not raise any issue regarding the good faith exception in the circuit court. The State forfeited the issue a second time by failing to raise it in the appellate court. Therefore, we decline to address the State’s twice-forfeited good faith argument. […]
We hold that the odor of burnt cannabis, alone, is insufficient to provide probable cause for police officers to perform a warrantless search of a vehicle. We also hold that the totality of the facts and circumstances known to Officer Combs did not provide probable cause to search Redmond’s vehicle. Therefore, the circuit court correctly granted the motion suppressing the evidence confiscated from Redmond. Accordingly, we affirm the appellate court’s decision affirming the trial court’s order suppressing the evidence seized in the warrantless search of Redmond’s car.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) today released early results from a $45 million state investment that show improved recruitment and retention in the state’s most understaffed school districts. The Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program, which was launched in the 2023-24 school year, provided 170 school districts that have the greatest teacher shortages state funds to invest in initiatives to recruit and license new hires and support retention of current educators.
Data is still being collected to assess the full impact of the funding, but ISBE and IWERC announced today that school districts participating in the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program have hired nearly 5,400 new teachers and retained approximately 11,000 additional educators with the funds so far. The districts receiving the Teacher Vacancy Grant collectively serve approximately 870,000 students.
“It’s a great time to be a teacher in Illinois,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. “The funds provided by the state’s Teacher Vacancy Grants are empowering school districts to provide new financial incentives, special pipeline programs, and other supports to recruit and retain teachers. Illinois is leading the way in investing in education, making our state the best place for educators to build their careers. I applaud Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly for investing in the Teacher Vacancy Grant and supporting evidence-based strategies to uplift the teaching profession.”
“Illinois districts used strategies to address teacher vacancies that matched the root causes they were seeing on the ground,” said Dr. Meg Bates, director of IWERC, which is part of the University of Illinois System. “Our analysis uncovered the diverse array of strategies districts used, all of which were aligned to their unique contexts.”
The funding empowers districts to implement strategies locally tailored to address the root causes of teacher shortages. Districts are required to base their spending decisions on data, ensuring that the strategies are evidenced-based and aligned with their specific needs. As a result, in the program’s first year, more than 51% of districts receiving Teacher Vacancy Grant funds saw a decrease in unfilled positions from school year 2022-23 to 2023-24, compared to only 17% of districts not receiving the grant.
ISBE partnered with IWERC to evaluate the grant program and today released two studies. The first study analyzed district applications to identify key factors, such as compensation, lack of qualified applicants, attrition, and competition, that result in teacher shortages. Districts used funding for compensation, tuition support for licensure or endorsements, and professional learning. The second study examined short-term outcomes, revealing that districts hired 5,387 new full-time teachers. These new hires represent 10% of the total teacher workforce in those districts, highlighting a significant boost in staffing levels where shortages were most acute. Additionally, 10,700 employees, including teaching and non-teaching staff, participated in grant-funded programs that targeted decreased attrition.
The Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program intends to provide participating districts with three years of funding, pending appropriations. Governor JB Pritzker and the General Assembly continued funding the second year of the program with $45 million in fiscal year 2025. The multi-year grant supports districts in employing long-term strategies to cultivate a future workforce. For example, the grant has supported coursework and licensure for approximately 1,500 non-certified staff pursuing licensure and 450 certified staff pursuing further endorsements.
The Teacher Vacancy Grant is the cornerstone of ISBE’s robust portfolio of initiatives aimed at tackling the teacher shortage. Other initiatives include Career and Technical Education Education Career Pathway Grants that have equipped nearly 12,000 high school students to pursue careers in education; the teacher recruitment marketing campaign, The Answer is Teaching, which has generated more than 5,000 inquiries from prospective future teachers since it launched in July; and the new Teacher Apprenticeship Program, which, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, will upskill paraprofessionals for successful placement into the teaching profession.
Across TVGPP districts, an average of 40.8 new teachers were hired per district in SY24. Urban districts hired more new teachers on average than rural districts—averaging 88.8 versus 8.7 new hires per district, respectively. But variations in urban and rural districts’ overall staffing sizes likely account for much of this difference. The percentage of new teacher hires, relative to total teacher FTE, on average, across both types of districts were similar—9.4% for rural TVGPP districts and 10.1% for urban TVGPP districts. […]
How many teachers and staff were supported by grant funds in SY24?
The impact of TVGPP funding appears to be far-reaching among both certified and non-certified staff. Below, we provide several highlights from mid-year performance reports. Across 132 TVGPP districts, the following metrics were observed:
• 10,652 (4,372 rural and 6,280 urban) individuals, inclusive of teaching and non-teaching staff, participated in grant-funded programs designed to reduce attrition.
• 11,220 (4,711 rural and 6,509 urban) teachers who took part in grant-funded programs were retained for SY24, which equals 20.9% of SY23 total teacher FTE.
• 171 pathway programs (87 rural and 84 urban) were created to prepare new teachers for teaching positions, recruiting 1,455 (314 rural and 1,141 urban) participants.
• 455 (169 rural and 286 urban) current teachers were funded as they pursued new endorsements to move into high-need areas.
Despite the overall net increase in new teacher hires, we raise two exogenous factors—student enrollment and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER)—that may have affected districts’ staffing needs and, subsequently, these findings. Statewide, student enrollment has declined by about 143,000 students from SY18 to SY23 (ISBE, 2024a). Potential implications of declining student enrollment include reduced funding (e.g., EBF) and reduced programs and services, which, in turn, can lead to less of a demand for teachers. Regarding ESSER, Barragan Torres et al. (2024) found that many districts, on average across rounds, directed ESSER funding toward instruction. This temporary infusion of funding could have driven some of the new teacher hires in SY24 reported by TVGPP districts. It also could have driven some of the teachers who did not return in SY24. More specifically, ESSER funds could have led to new teacher positions in previous school years that have since been eliminated due to the impermanence of ESSER funding or changing recovery needs. Looking ahead, ESSER will eventually become less of a factor, as spending of ESSER funds began to taper in SY23 and funding for districts not seeking an extension will expire in fall of 2024.
* An annual survey from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools found one of the most severe shortages was special education teachers. ISBE’s study detailed how schools are using their funds for recruitment and retention…
Some districts, for example, required more special education teachers to meet increasing student needs, and thus focused their strategies on supporting current staff in pursual of proper credentials. Other districts noted markedly high rates of teacher attrition and, in response, implemented retention efforts such as distributing retention bonuses, enhancing induction and mentoring programs, and providing teacher support initiatives (e.g., self-care programs, affinity groups, staff celebrations). In most cases, the causes of and solutions for districts’ specific teacher shortages were multipronged, spanning the extent of the educator pipeline from preparation to retention. […]
And finally, despite supplementary funding from the TVGPP, some districts mentioned a continued lack of qualified applicants for open teaching positions. An administrator from a suburban Cook county district with some hiring success shared that although “sign-on bonuses helped to incentivize teachers to sign on,” they still have vacancies in special education and bilingual education. And in response, they “are working to start a grow-your-own to send current staff to get additional licensure in these areas.”
* ICYMI: City Council votes to keep ShotSpotter, but Mayor Johnson pledges veto. Tribune…
The City Council again rebuked Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to rid Chicago of ShotSpotter Wednesday, voting to keep the gunshot detection technology around just days before it was set to go offline.
Aldermen passed in a 33-to-14 vote an ordinance supporters say would compel police Superintendent Larry Snelling to reach a contract to continue using the tool.
However, Johnson appears poised to nonetheless move ahead with his plan to boot the technology from the city. He has previously sidestepped similar City Council decisions by arguing that only the mayor, and not the council, has power over the city’s contracts. […]
After the meeting, city Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry joined the mayor at a news conference, where she said the ordinance violates the separation of powers in city government because it would constitute the legislative branch forcing the executive branch to take action. Johnson will therefore veto it, Richardson-Lowry said.
Governor Pritzker will give remarks at the Illinois Army National Guard 333rd Military Police Company mobilization ceremony at 1 pm. Click here to watch.
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Shaw Local | DeKalb man pleads guilty to Keicher assassination threat: Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery sentenced Brandon to two years in DeKalb County’s veterans court services program, where he will undergo psychiatric and psychosocial rehabilitation. If Brandon doesn’t comply with the program, he could be resentenced in two years and receive jail time, according to the ruling. Montgomery also ordered Brandon to be placed on an electronic GPS monitoring device for 90 days. He’ll receive credit for the time he has spent in custody at the DeKalb County jail, where he’s been held without release since his July 19 arrest.
* Tribune | 19th Senate candidates say lowering property taxes a key issue among voters: Michael Hastings, 43, D-Frankfort, first began serving in the Senate in 2013 and is facing Samantha Jean Gasca, 37, of New Lenox in the November election. Gasca was one of three candidates in the Republican primary in March while Hastings was unopposed on the Democratic side.
* BGA | Small Steps on Ethics Reform from a Reluctant Mayor: Today’s City Council meeting saw the passage of two sets of ethics reforms: an ordinance giving the Board of Ethics enforcement authority for a longstanding executive order banning lobbyist contributions to the mayor’s campaign committee and a package of minor language changes and technical clarifications from the city’s Inspector General. Though these are welcome updates, neither ordinance is a blockbuster of hard-hitting new controls on city government. Alarmingly for good government advocates, even this small progress came over the objections of a mayoral administration that initially opposed some of the changes.
* Tribune | Ethics ordinance targeting lobbyist donations to mayoral candidates passes in City Council: The measure bans lobbyists from donating to a mayor’s or a mayoral candidate’s political committee and adds fines and suspensions for lobbyists who break the rule. The effort to reinstate a 2011 executive order signed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel was essential, given how many elected officials at Chicago City Hall have been “indicted, convicted and gone to prison,” said Ald. Matt Martin, 47th, who sponsored the ordinance.
* Daily Herald | Underwood, Marter have vastly different views on abortion in 14th House District race: During a joint candidate interview with the Daily Herald on Tuesday, Underwood, a Naperville resident who’s seeking a fourth term in Congress, said she supports a woman’s right to make decisions about abortion, contraception and related matters. Marter, a software consultant and library board member from Oswego, said he staunchly opposes abortion, without exception. Protecting life is a holy commandment, he said.
* WBEZ | Cook County commissioner pitches a property tax relief fund for struggling homeowners: Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer is leading an effort to create a property tax relief fund as residents across the region struggle to pay their bills and risk losing their homes. Gainer told WBEZ the county would fill the fund with about $15 million dollars from interest fees people pay when they’re late on their property tax bills. That’s a piece of an estimated $100 million in late interest fees the county expects to reach this year — higher than the $35 million the county budgeted for.
* Patch | Ex-Official May Run For Hinsdale Village President: reg Hart, a former DuPage County Board member, said Tuesday he was seriously considering running for Hinsdale village president in April. Meanwhile, Village President Tom Cauley said in an interview that he hadn’t decided whether he would seek a fifth four-year term.
* Daily Herald | How a new program will keep hard-to-recycle items out of landfills: Chip bags, foam egg cartons, takeout containers, plastic bags, bubble wrap, plastic utensils and more are the targets of the program launching next month and meant to complement current recycling efforts. “This is for the stuff we told you not to put with your recycling,” said Walter Willis, executive director of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County.
*** Downstate ***
* WCIA | New Sangamon County Sheriff Nominee talks plans for office: When asked why she wanted to take over the Sheriff’s office, Crouch pointed to her “fresh outlook.” “I felt like with my experience in law enforcement, that I could really bring a fresh outlook to the Sheriff’s Office I have a lot of community service experience as far as working with different agencies and different community members that I thought that maybe that the Sheriff’s Office has not had the opportunity to be a part of those.”
* WAND | Massey Commission officially established, amendment shot down at Sangamon County Board Meeting: The Sangamon County Board passed a resolution officially establishing the Massey Committee and allocating $175,000 for the group at Wednesday night’s special meeting. Before the resolution went to vote, Board Members Tony DelGiorno and Annete Fulgenzi proposed an amendment that would expand the permissions granted to the Massey Commission. It would guarantee that in the interim, the Sherriff’s Department and the Sangamon County Deputy Merit Commission would jointly review applications for deputies, court security officers, and correctional officers. It would also require a vote on extending an offer of employment to the aforementioned applicants.
* PJ Star | ‘Surreal’: Popular singer regularly visited Downtown Peoria coffee shop during stay: Owner Ty Paluska said both singers paid the coffee shop a visit during their stay but added that Charli XCX consistently returned to the Peoria establishment. Trey Mowder, a staff member and longtime fan, was working during one such visit and was surprised when she ordered two of his favorite items – the nitro cold brew and avocado toast. He described the experience as “surreal.”
* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. Click here to keep up with the La Schiazza trial. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
