* Bond Buyer…

Illinois’ bonds are underappreciated, Wells Fargo Head of Municipal Markets Strategy Vikram Rai said Monday as he released a report on the state titled, “Why Illinois Beckons.”

“All the negative news was drowning out all the positive news and the positive developments about Illinois’ improving story,” Rai said during Monday’s municipal market weekly call, noting that Illinois, the sixth largest U.S. state by population, has a larger gross domestic product than Saudi Arabia.

While Rai acknowledged that the biggest credit challenge Illinois faces involves its long-term liability burden, he argued in the call and in the report that the state is on the upswing.

* Tribune…

It could be months before Deerfield-based Baxter International is able to fully ramp back up its supplies of IV fluids, after its largest manufacturing plant was damaged by Hurricane Helene, Baxter said Wednesday – something that could have serious implications for hospitals.

The hurricane last month led to flooding at Baxter’s North Cove plant, in Marion, N.C., forcing the company to temporarily shut down the facility. That plant was the largest manufacturer of intravenous and peritoneal dialysis solutions in the U.S. Intravenous solutions are used in hospitals and other care settings to deliver medication, keep patients hydrated and/or address electrolyte imbalances.

Baxter said in a statement Wednesday that its goal is to return to 90% to 100% allocation of certain IV solutions by the end of 2024, by re-starting the plant in phases and by importing products from other Baxter facilities.

For now, Baxter is limiting how much customers can order based on their past purchases, medical necessity and inventory, allowing them 60% of what they normally get. Baxter is also ramping up production of the products at its plants outside of the U.S. to help fill the need.

Related news about a Springfield hospital is here.

* WSIL…

Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton will embark on a three-day tour of Southern and Central Illinois from October 9-11, 2024.

She will make stops in Bloomington, Springfield, Murphysboro, Carbondale, Metropolis, Marion, Herrin, and Vienna.

The trip is to demonstrate the Lt. Governor’s commitment to uplifting communities across the state, driven by her role as Chair of the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council.

The tour will highlight economic initiatives, celebrate historical landmarks, and engage with local leaders and residents.

*** Statewide ***

* WGLT | Illinois physicians, public health officials launch ‘Adults Need Vaccines Too’ campaign: The campaign, launched by the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), comes amid low vaccination rates. The vaccine rate among adults currently aims for a 70% goal.

* Nextstar | Illinois to replace diesel buses with new electric models: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) is making $27 million of funding available for cities to replace diesel public transit buses with all-new electric models. According to the IEPA, the grant will cover 75% of the cost of an electric bus and charging infrastructure, with a minimum award of $300,000 to government and transit agencies that apply.

* CNI | Advocates seek support for drug price control board: Citizen Action/Illinois, along with other groups, convened a town hall meeting in Rockford Tuesday – the fifth in a series of such meetings the group has held since last spring – to push for passage of House Bill 4472, which would establish a Health Care Availability and Access Board. That five-member board, appointed by the governor, would have authority to set caps on the prices paid by both insurance plans and consumers for certain high-cost drugs.

* Sun-Times | Illinois Secretary of State’s office revokes 5 ‘Oct. 7′ license plates: State officials say the controversial plates were yanked after being deemed “hate speech or fighting words,” but civil libertarians say the decision raises constitutional questions about suppressing political expression.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Johnson drops ShotSpotter veto plan, political brawl over police tool continues: South Side Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th, was absent for the September vote. She told the Tribune earlier this week she planned to vote against the mayor in a bid to keep acoustic gunshot technology in Chicago. Taylor doing so would likely mean 34 votes in favor of it, the minimum needed to override Johnson’s veto.

* Block Club | South Side Officials Raise $2.5 Million In Effort To Keep ShotSpotter In Chicago: Community leaders including Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th), Ald. Peter Chico (10th), St. Sabina’s Father Michael Pfleger and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan joined Ald. David Moore (17th) at City Hall Tuesday morning to demand the city continue to use ShotSpotter to “save lives.” ShotSpotter, which uses a network of sensors to detect and report the sound of gunshots, began to be phased out in late September. Mayor Brandon Johnson, who fulfilled a campaign to discontinue the service, has since announced a “request for information” for companies interested in replacing the first responder technology.

* Sun-Times | Johnson cancels 2 months of police academy classes, orders layoff lists to cut $75M: At an emergency Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Chief Operating Officer John Roberson ordered other department heads to identify personnel cuts and to submit their proposals by Friday. The goal is to find $75 million more in savings in 2025.

* WBEZ | An international chess tournament got underway this morning in the Cook County jail: In a room of the Chicago jailhouse - walls were covered in flags representing other nations – like Mexico, Switzerland and Brazil. The tournament is only for people behind bars.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Thornton Township trustees cite safety concerns in skipping meeting, Trustee Jerry Jones resigns: Township official and close Henyard ally Keith Price, who Henyard said was tasked with bolstering security at the Township Hall, shot back with claims he offered to install metal detectors and criticized trustees for insisting the board meet downstairs instead of upstairs, where Henyard feels more safe. “Many of you remember the supervisor had concerns about safety because it was a lot of attacks on her,” Price said. “The board would not comply.”

* Crain’s | Cook County tax collections tumble to a 10-year low: Cook County’s tax collection rate fell to its lowest level in more than a decade as south suburban property owners felt the strain of record-high increases and a tight turnaround between tax bills. The county collected 95.1% of property taxes billed for tax year 2023 as of Sept. 1, a month after bills were due, down about 1.3 percentage points from the same period for the previous year and making for the highest delinquency since 2012, according to an analysis from the office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. Read the full analysis here.

*** Downstate ***

* WBEZ | In the wake of Sonya Massey’s death, Springfield will test a new way to handle mental health calls: Now, change is coming to the state capital. Sangamon County will be one of the first in Illinois to pilot a statewide plan to send clinicians to mental health crises instead of police. However, even proponents of the change aren’t sure it would have prevented what happened to Massey, raising questions about how best to work with people in the midst of mental health emergencies.

* SJ-R | ‘It should have surfaced.’ Debate over allegation against sheriff’s husband boils over: Speakers at Tuesday’s Sangamon County Board meeting and a board member himself reiterated concerns that an allegation of unwanted physical contact against the husband of current Sangamon County Sheriff Paula Crouch wasn’t brought to the public’s attention during a background search last month. Board chairman Andy Van Meter said the investigation of battery against Robert S. Crouch Jr., now the Riverton Police Chief, wasn’t relevant to the determination of Paula Crouch’s fitness for office.

* Effingham Daily News | Effingham considers ban on camping on public property: The ordinance would prohibit people from sleeping or camping on publicly owned property. It would also prohibit people from sleeping in their car for more than two hours between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. without prior permission from the city. … The first violation would trigger a $75 fine. Six or more violations in a 24-month period would result in a fine of $750 or incarceration, according to the proposal.

* WCIA | Douglas Co. board suspends animal shelter manager indefinitely: The Douglas County Board made the decision at their meeting Tuesday afternoon and was unwilling to confirm an exact reason for the disciplinary action at this point. The board told the manager, Spencer Hall, she’s being suspended with pay indefinitely. She is one of just two employees working at the animal shelter. Last week, she criticized the Douglas County State Attorney’s decision to temporarily resolve a Murdoch dog-abuse case, which resulted in the owner taking back four of the seized dogs from the shelter.

* SJ-R | New business brings locally, organically grown groceries right to your door: The Farms Of Illinois is a supply chain delivery system launched by farmer and entrepreneur Clint Bland, whose goal is to bring organic produce to your door without skimping on farmer’s livelihood. “I’m taking a different approach here and trying to promote each of these businesses and keeping their name,” Bland said. “Twin Willows processes their pork, and the farms sell Twin Willows pork. It has their farm name on it and it’s more of a promotion, that’s why I call it an alliance.”

* WCIA | U of I alum, Hot Ones host Sean Evans to sound siren against Purdue: Sean Evans, host of the Emmy-nominated YouTube series Hot Ones, will be sounding the air raid siren before kickoff at Memorial Stadium. An Illinois alum, Evans graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism.

Isabel gathered several of these stories.