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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Governor JB Pritzker

Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined ComEd, Region 1 Planning Council, Rockford leadership, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to announce that DOE has granted ComEd $50 million in federal funding to enhance the city of Rockford’s power grid. This Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership (GRIP) program investment, the largest in Illinois history, supports DOE’s ongoing clean energy initiative in states across the nation. […]

The $50 million in federal funds will be matched by ComEd, alongside other investments from community partner Region 1 Planning Council and various innovation partners and vendors. By 2029, the investment in the Rockford grid will total about $116 million. The funds will enhance ComEd’s clean energy investments, further expand access to carbon energy resources, improve grid resilience against extreme weather, and offer clean jobs training for members of the Rockford community and surrounding areas. […]

Following Governor Pritzker’s landmark Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2021, the state has worked to secure private and federal investments to strengthen Illinois’ clean energy initiatives. With an ultimate goal of putting Illinois on a path to 100 percent clean energy by 2050, partners like the DOE, ComEd, and Region 1 Planning Council, have become instrumental in developing clean energy technologies and equitable workforce development in the clean energy industry.

Rockford joins as one of only 57 smart grid projects nationwide, and over the next twelve months, ComEd and other partners will identify areas and communities that would most benefit from clean energy and grid investments. Soon, the Rockford community will also see increased workforce development and small business resource programs to support the ongoing clean energy transition and secure the workforce of the future.

* Sun-Times

A train operator had alcohol in his system when a CTA Yellow Line train crashed into a slow-moving snowplow last year and injured dozens of people, according to a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.

But the federal agency insists the train operator’s impairment did not cause the crash.

“The investigation is ongoing, however, at this time investigators have not found that the operator’s actions contributed to the accident,” the NTSB said in a statement to the Sun-Times. A full analysis won’t be released until one or two years after the crash, the statement said. […]

About a month after the crash, the NTSB said the operator had followed protocols and stopped the train as quickly as he could. The train operator “did not do anything wrong,” National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said in December. Instead, the NTSB pointed to issues in the CTA train’s brake system and leaves on the tracks that caused the wheels to slip while braking.

*** Madigan Trial ***

* Tribune | ‘This is no longer me talking’: Jurors hear first wiretap audio in Madigan corruption trial: “This is no longer me talking,” said Michael McClain, Madigan’s confidant and now co-defendant, in the wiretapped November 2018 phone conversation with then-Skokie Rep. Lou Lang. “I’m an agent, somebody that cares really deeply about you, who thinks that you really ought to move on,” McClain said in the call. On the stand Thursday, Lang said he knew McClain was saying he was simply a messenger for Madigan, who was no longer interested in giving Lang a more powerful position within the House.

* Sun-Times | ‘You really ought to move on’ — Former lawmaker testifies about call telling him Madigan wanted him out: The call between Lang and McClain occurred after someone threatened to come forward with an allegation against Lang late in 2018. Springfield had just endured months of #MeToo scandals. McClain asked Madigan on Nov. 3, 2018, “When do you want me to call Lang and just lower the boom on him?” “Sooner rather than later,” Madigan told him.


*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Big money floods Illinois campaigns with few rules and little enforcement: The flood of money pouring into the state’s pliable political system has created a raucous campaign environment where the last two races for Illinois governor have become the most and third-most expensive governor’s races in the nation, and, in 2022, allowed the incumbent governor to spend as much as he wanted to help pick the Republican rival he correctly thought would be easiest to defeat. It has permitted legislative leaders in Springfield to consolidate their power and protect incumbents by weaponizing political donation rules meant to ensure fair play and directing the flow of cash to preferred candidates.

*** Chicago ***

* WTTW | ‘A Moment in Time That We Cannot Afford to Squander’: New Chicago Board of Education Members Sworn in at First Meeting: Martinez, who was also present at Thursday’s meeting, has seen questions swirl about his continued employment with the school district. […] Thursday’s agenda did not include any items specifically relating to Martinez or his employment, but it did include language that during the board’s closed session it would discuss “the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees.” That language, however, is typical for board agendas.

* Block Club | Lakeview Parents Beg CPS For More Janitors As Teachers Clean Filthy Elementary School: Like most elementary schools in the city, Nettelhorst is usually staffed by three full-time custodians, said Chicago Public Schools spokesperson Evan Moore. Industry standards for custodial staffing in CPS schools are based on square footage and task frequency, Moore said. But before summer break, Nettelhorst’s third custodian was laid off. When teachers arrived to school Aug. 26, they quickly realized that cleaning the entire building was a job too big for just two-full time custodians.

* CBS Chicago | Argonne National Laboratory team to study causes of flooding in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood: The Greater Chatham Initiative is a community group now working directly with a team of scientists and researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory has launched a project to focus on flooding. They are homing in on Chatham as the Chicago neighborhood hardest hit. […] “Chatham tends to flood first and tends to flood worst,” said Scott Collis of Argonne National Laboratory. “We are going to bring state-of-the-art research radar to the region.”

* Block Club | Father Of Slain Teen Caleb Westbrooks Writes Children’s Book To Honor Him — And Process Immense Grief: Westbrooks was at the airport trying to get an earlier flight home when he finally learned his son had been killed. The next few hours were full of shock and panic as he flew back to Chicago. “My brain is like, if you get hysterical or something, they’re gonna land this plane somewhere, and you won’t be able to get to Chicago,” he said. “So it was like, just keep it together. Just keep it together at all costs. Just keep it together.”

* Crain’s | Company that shut Chicago steel-conduit plant sues Mexico: The owner of a Chicago-based steel company has sued the Mexican government over claims that companies there are flooding the U.S. market with cheap product. Zekelman Industries filed the suit Oct. 21 in federal court in Washington, D.C., for breach of contract in violating the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade deal that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement in 2020.

* Block Club | The Pilsen Food Pantry Is Fundraising To Help More Neighbors In Need: The Pilsen Food Pantry is looking to raise $100,000 by Oct. 31 as it hopes to continue its work of helping people who face food insecurity — and it’s close to hitting its goal. […] The Pilsen Food Pantry is open Monday-Friday, distributing fresh produce, frozen proteins, dairy, shelf-stable foods and household items to 120 clients daily. Clients can pick what they want, a model that reduces food waste, promotes healthy eating and cooking and is “more dignified” for struggling neighbors, Figueroa said.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* News-Sun | Election to determine if Lake County continues its Democratic shift; ‘The Republican Party is hungry to talk to the voters’: When exactly Lake County started turning blue is up for debate. Lake County Republican Chair Keith Brin pointed to 2016. “There was a rapid shift in the electorate and within four to six years, Lake County had flipped from a super majority of Republicans on the County Board to a super minority,” he said. Brin said the cause was national politics, which “forced people to polarize.” Suburbs were no longer “mildly red or mildly blue,” and the national elections, “didn’t play well for Republicans in Lake County.”

* Daily Herald | Lawsuit against Huntley High over E. coli outbreak dropped — for now: Just over a month after two families sued Huntley School District 158 following last year’s E. coli outbreak at Huntley High School that sickened 15 people, the lawsuit has been withdrawn, although the legal battle might not be over. McHenry County court records indicate that the plaintiffs asked for a “voluntary dismissal” of the case, which was granted Tuesday.

* Daily Herald | ‘Answer to a prayer’: Community invited to honor Korean War MIA soldier as he’s laid to rest in Elgin: For 74 years, all Gloria Valle knew about her “Tio Beto” was from stories she heard from her family. Though the Elgin woman always kept his picture up in her home, she never met her uncle Eriverto Ortiz, a U.S. Army corporal who was declared missing-in-action in Korea in 1950. But after all this time, she’ll finally get to help him find his final rest.

* Daily Herald | ‘Spaceship’-look midcentury Barrington home by noted local architect sells in warp speed: Inside, the single-story house is equally dramatic. Though about 2,700 square feet, it has only two bedrooms and 1½ bathrooms. Most of the space he said, is taken up by a “massive” great room filled with natural light where built-in couches and shelves stretch out across white carpet. Two wide steps lead to a conversation pit around the fireplace.

*** Downstate ***


* SJ-R | Family of fallen Illinois State Police trooper releases statement: “Our world has been shattered, and we will never be the same,” the family said. “But we take comfort in knowing that he lived life to the fullest, he loved his family and friends deeply, and he died doing what he loved. “We could never begin to thank law enforcement or the thousands from our community who have reached out to us to express their love and support,” the family said.

* WCIA | Past Iroquois Co. health admin due back in court December after pleading not guilty to falsifying timesheets: DeAnn Schippert, the former public health administrator, pleaded not guilty in court last week, according to Iroquois County court records. Schippert was arrested by Illinois State Police and charged with 33 counts of theft of government property, forgery, and official misconduct in March. The Attorney General’s Office said Schippert was paid more than $100,000 she should not have received for fraudulent time sheets claiming regular and overtime hours she did not work.

* SJ-R | Who is Bill Pope? Meet the new owner of Gabatoni’s in Springfield: Pope said the only change planned is reopening Gabatoni’s dining room that has been closed since the pandemic in 2020. The business has operated solely as take out and delivery service since. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

*** National ***

* Vote Beat | No, Michigan does not have more voters than residents eligible to vote: The claim — that Michigan has more voters than people eligible to vote — has been debunked extensively by the state as well as independent experts. A federal court ruling this week weighed in on a similar GOP claim, finding flaws in the comparison of data points and no proof that the discrepancy amounts to a violation of law, just as previous courts have found. Musk and others cite the data points to argue that the discrepancy could enable fraudulent voting. The claim is based on a misunderstanding about the makeup of the state’s voter roll and what it means in relation to Census population data.

* Casino Reports | Inside Pace-O-Matic’s Place In The Developing, Divisive ‘Skill Games’ Industry: Skill games are gaming devices that look and feel similar to traditional slot machines. However, whereas those casino games rely purely on chance, manufacturers like Pace-O-Matic say their games rely on the player’s skill. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global skill game industry was valued at nearly $31 billion in 2022 and it’s expected to swell to $85.34 billion by 2030. And, in the U.S., it’s all unregulated.

  6 Comments      


Today’s quotable

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Maybe somebody should tell Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred that a large number of South Side legislators will be asked to vote on a subsidy for the Chicago White Sox. So, dissing their part of town is just dumb. As subscribers know, Ozzie Guillen also “went there” in the presence of a bunch of South Side lawmakers last month. As Sneed might say, dumb-dee-dumb-dumb…


* Transcript…

Q: Commissioner, I’m from Chicago, and there’s reports that the White Sox might be going up for sale. There’s talk of public funding and debates on the stadium, and next year will be the 125th season of the White Sox on the South Side. I’m wondering what assurances you can give to White Sox fans that no matter what happens with the stadium or a sale, that the White Sox will be in Chicago?

MLB Commissioner Manfred: Look, Chicago is an anchor city for us. You know, I think that the White Sox are in a difficult situation. I think the location of the stadium is tough. But, you know, I have confidence that things are going to work out in Chicago, and we’re going to continue to have two teams in Chicago.

Asked about the comment, a South Side legislator told me today that “Its wild how [Jerry Reinsdorf] maybe found a way to pass the Bears in worst stadium lobbying of the decade.”

  16 Comments      


More magic beans

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Crain’s

In a press briefing yesterday regarding where negotiations stand with CPS on a new contract, CTU Research Director Pavlyn Jankov said that to raise the at least $1 billion a year CPS needs, officials ought to “revisit” the moribund graduated income tax plan. […]

Said [Gov. JB Pritzker] spokesman Alex Gough in an email to Crain’s: “Four years ago, Gov. Pritzker invested more than anyone in the state to enact a fair tax structure in Illinois. The voters made their voices heard on this issue. Since then, the governor has used the available resources to enact balanced and fiscally responsible budgets that make critical investments in support of children and working families across the state.”

A similar statement came from Elizabeth Mitchell, spokeswoman for Senate President Don Harmon. “The Senate president has long supported the (graduated income-tax) idea,” she told Crain’s. “But we all saw the message voters sent four years ago.”

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch declined comment.

The CTU has long been fond of relying on magic beans to balance budgets because they didn’t have to concern themselves with the details of governing. Old habits are hard to break.

* The 2020 Fair Tax constitutional amendment needed to be “approved by either three-fifths of those voting on the question or a majority of those voting in the election.” Instead, it got thumped 53-47. The “Yes” votes totaled just 45 percent of all those voting.

Also, even if attitudes change, it would be another two years before another constitutional question could be placed on the ballot.

…Adding… A commenter makes a very good point. If this survives all odds and somehow makes it onto the ballot, and it’s then positioned as a windfall for CPS, it’ll do even worse next time.

  14 Comments      


McCombie slightly adjusts pickup prediction

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* July

Republican House Minority Leader Tony McCombie vowed Wednesday to flip five seats in the Illinois House while newly elected GOP Chair Kathy Salvi pledged to unite her fractured party and reverse a decade-long series of statewide defeats.

McCombie said the Illinois GOP would focus on winning the 45th District, in the northwest suburbs; the 76th District, in north-central Illinois; and three downstate districts, while defending the 40 seats they now control.

* From today’s Q and A with Leader McCombie…

Q: Do you still believe picking up five seats and protecting the rest is realistic?

McCombie: Well, Ben, I’ll be quite honest, I do believe we will keep our 40. And I think I had said before we had five good, solid pickups with two sleepers, and that is certainly my hope. But to be quite honest, I think we’re looking at four with two sleepers, so I’m hopeful. But it is a challenge, especially with the disgusting campaigns that they’re running, the the cookie-cutter campaigns … I’m cautiously optimistic. The [Democratic] money is real. But like I said before, we are out working them at the doors, that’s for sure.

Discuss.

  13 Comments      


Energy Storage And Clean Energy!

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

In the next few years, Illinois can expect increases in demand for electricity not seen in decades. While the state is currently experiencing a clean energy boom, the growth is not enough—which puts families and businesses at risk for higher energy bills and unreliable service.

Luckily, there is legislation that would expand the use of a technology that can capture and store clean, cheap electricity for use when demand peaks during the day -large- and small-scale battery energy storage. Energy storage will help avoid the cost spikes ratepayers may experience due to insufficient energy capacity.

The need to accelerate the adoption of energy storage is urgent. Springfield is faced with a choice: support policy that will build out clean, cost-effective energy storage or allow families and businesses to have to rely on dirty, unreliable, and expensive natural gas plants. Meanwhile, Illinoisans agree: recent polling shows 72% of Illinois residents support incentives for energy storage.

Springfield must pass legislation that will jumpstart building energy storage—learn more about the bill here.

Paid for by Counterspark.

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Past time for a state fix

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Mr. Tourjman is right that people will just drive down the street to the next town to buy the very same products. And many of the dangers are likely over-stated. But maybe action like this will spur the General Assembly to properly regulate and tax the sale of these products

Citing public safety, Rolling Meadows officials banned the retail sale of hemp-derived THC, kratom and tianeptine products within city limits and urged neighboring towns and state legislators to take similar action.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved the products for use, and city officials say they exist in a legal gray area with unclear rules that make enforcement difficult.

“The evidence is clear that these substances can cause serious side effects, and there is inadequate information to conclude their usefulness as a treatment for any illness or condition,” Mayor Lara Sanoica said. “As a (city) council, we want to err on the side of caution when it comes to the safety of our residents.” […]

“This will effectively shut me down, and it’s just going to drive people 30 seconds down the street,” said Michael Tourjman, owner of 24/7 Pantry Smoke Shop at 4025 Algonquin Road.

* More

Another Rolling Meadows store owner echoed Sikora’s point, explaining that kratom is less addictive than other drugs and helps people addicted to narcotics. She also pointed out that the ordinance would ban hemp-derived THC while allowing CBD to remain legal. “Cannabis is federally illegal while hemp THC is legal,” she said.

And they should do something about sweepstakes machines while they’re at it.

The legislative inaction on these grey market products is just odd. It’s never smelled right.

  18 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Addendum to today’s edition

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Uber’s Local Partnership = Stress-Free Travel For Paratransit Riders

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

The Pace Rideshare Access Program subsidizes Uber trips, leaving riders with a co-pay of just $2.

The impact: “This program has been a godsend for me. It offers flexibility, independence, freedom and the ability to maintain a beautiful life on so many levels,” says one rider.

CTA: See how it works.

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Today’s must-read

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Most of the Tribune’s profile of Local 150’s leadership is known to people like yourselves. But not all of it, so definitely take some time and read the whole thing. John Lippert has provided us a sweeping and comprehensive look at one of the most powerful organizations in the state. From the end

[Jim Sweeney, president of Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers] is all-in on data centers. He said they’re an AI-driven trend so vast that Illinois will need 40% more electricity just to run data centers on the drawing board now.

After Local 150 built its Wilmington training center, it also obtained land next door that had been part of a decommissioned U.S. Army arsenal site. Sweeney said the local will use this land to build what could be a $1 billion data center.

The shift to Wilmington further removed Local 150 from Chicago. It weakened one of the city’s potential pathways to high-tech prosperity and environmental justice.

However, Wilmington could turn out to be the economic fortress that saves Local 150.

“We own 800 acres in Wilmington that we’re going to develop into a data center, and then we’re going to keep it as part owners,” Sweeney said.

“That money will go into a strike fund so nobody can ever starve our members out.”

  7 Comments      


Meanwhile… In Opposite Land

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* South Dakota

Whether it’s a hat or shirt with Donald Trump’s famous slogan, or apparel featuring any other candidate, [Minnehaha] County Auditor Leah Anderson says you can wear it when you show up at the polls.

“In the past, we didn’t allow campaigning at the polling place within 100 feet, so in the past that’s been viewed as not being able to wear something like if a person comes to vote and they have a particular hat or t-shirt that has a candidate’s name on it or issue in the past we’ve asked them to take their hat off or turn their t-shirt inside out,” Anderson said.

But that won’t be the case this year.

“Our states attorney’s office has done some research on that and followed some other case laws and has determined that could likely violate a person’s first amendment rights, so we are teaching our workers that it’s okay if a person comes into vote and has something on that’s not deemed as campaigning,” Anderson said.

* Texas

Texas’s Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday, saying the federal government was not providing the help it needed in assessing the citizenship status of some of its registered voters.

The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas accuses the Biden administration and specifically the Department of Homeland Security of refusing to help it determine the citizenship status of 450,000 of the 17.9 million registered voters in the state. […]

Paxton’s office said he sent a letter earlier this month asking the U.S. government to verify the citizenship status of people who may be unlawfully registered to vote in Texas by Oct. 19. His office said he proceeded with a lawsuit when his request was not answered.

His office said there were nearly half a million voters whose citizenship status has not been verified but acknowledged that the majority of those voters were likely citizens and hence eligible to vote.

* Alabama

In August, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) conducted a survey that received 2,924 responses from educators across the South, including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. Around 60 percent of the respondents indicated that their state was not a desirable place to work in higher education.

The responses among Alabama educators were particularly damning of the state, with 57 percent of Alabama’s respondents saying that they would not recommend their state as a place to work to work in higher education. About 29 percent of Alabama professors who responded to the survey stated that they have applied for jobs outside of the state since 2022.

Respondents were also able to indicate why they were concerned about being employed in higher education in their respective states. 56.5 percent of respondents cited salary as a concern, while 53.3 percent of respondents listed overall political climate as a motivator for seeking employment elsewhere. 49.6 percent reported concerns over academic freedom writ-large, and around 30 percent of the respondents specified concerns about tenure; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and shared governance. LGBTQ+ issues, reproduction rights/abortion access, and cost of living were also noted as concerns among more than 20 percent of the respondents.

Reduced academic freedom in the face of new “anti-DEI” legislation was of particular concern among Alabama’s 88 survey respondents. SB 129, which went into effect on Oct. 1, prevents any state institution in Alabama from using public funding for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The law also restricts classroom discussions on gender, race, and sexual orientation — listing them as “divisive concepts.” The law has resulted in campuses across the state closing or rebranding their DEI offices and campus resource centers.

* Florida

Just this month a new law in Florida — that bans sleeping on public property anywhere in the state — took effect. While the law includes exceptions during emergencies like major storms, those protections end when the hurricane order is no longer in place.

In practical terms, this means that when Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis or a county official lifts Florida’s emergency hurricane order, Floridians who were homeless before Helene and Milton — roughly 31,000 people — could face new criminal penalties. Local homeless advocates say there are countless questions and rumors circulating about how the new law will be interpreted and enforced in the wake of climate disasters.

Most people experiencing homelessness were aware the new anti-camping law was set to take effect, according to Martha Are, the executive director at the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida. “Some people are already trying to relocate their encampments to harder-to-find areas,” she told me in mid-September, about a week before Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region. […]

“It’s going to be a challenge for how leaders actually enforce these [anti-camping] laws, like if I’ve lost my house from a hurricane and I’ve lived in that town for a decade, will I be found in violation of the law and are they going to arrest me?” asked Noah Patton, the manager of disaster recovery at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “These laws create significant complications, will really make aid more difficult to sort out, and what I have been saying is it makes a community less resilient to disasters.”

* Idaho

A trial to determine whether Idaho’s abortion law should be blocked for individuals facing pregnancy complications will begin on Nov. 12 in Boise. […]

The lawsuit is named for the lead plaintiff, Jennifer Adkins, who sought an abortion in Oregon because her 12-week-old fetus was diagnosed with a condition that would have resulted in a miscarriage or stillbirth, and likely jeopardized her own health. The three other plaintiffs, Jillaine St.Michel, Kayla Smith and Rebecca Vincen-Brown, also had fetal complications that were likely to affect their health.

Idaho has a near-total ban on abortions without exceptions provided to preserve the health of the pregnant patient, only to prevent their death. Physicians have said the law is unclear about when that exception would apply so that they could be safe from criminal prosecution.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to clarify what circumstances qualify under the “medical emergency” exceptions in the states’ abortion bans.

In some cases, pregnant patients have been airlifted out of Idaho emergency rooms to seek abortions in neighboring states, as doctors fear legal consequences for performing the procedure, even in medical emergencies, States Newsroom previously reported.

  10 Comments      


Madigan corruption trial coverage roundup

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Click here to follow along in real time. Tribune

A ComEd vice president testified Wednesday in the corruption trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan that the utility giant was in severe financial straits leading up to its all-out effort to gain support in Springfield for two major pieces of legislation that brought the company from the brink of bankruptcy.

Their financial condition was “dire” before they managed to get key bills passed in 2011 and 2016, Scott Vogt, currently ComEd’s vice president of strategy and energy policy, told jurors. And Madigan was crucial to getting those bills through the House, both in committees and for a full vote, he said.

“He controlled to a large degree what bills were going to make it to the floor, make it to committee,” Vogt said. […]

Prosecutors had expected to play the first of nearly 200 wiretapped conversations Wednesday as well as put former Rep. Lou Lang, of Skokie, on the stand. Lang, once a ranking Democrat on Madigan’s leadership team, spent most of the day Wednesday waiting down the hall from the courtroom.

Capitol News Illinois

Just as they did in last year’s “ComEd Four” trial, defense attorneys are likely to lean heavily on the fact that the 2011 law, also known as “Smart Grid,” had already been heavily negotiated by Madigan’s office during the General Assembly’s spring legislative session that year. It initially passed in May 2011, three months before ComEd inked the first no-work contract with former Chicago Ald. Frank Olivo, a Madigan ally who for years represented the speaker’s Southwest Side power base in the 13th Ward.

But then-Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed the legislation, necessitating a veto override vote during lawmakers’ fall session that year […]

In 2016, ComEd and its parent company Exelon got another massive piece of legislation through the General Assembly. The Future Energy Jobs Act, which included big ratepayer subsidies to bail out two of Exelon’s nuclear power plants, also included measures that would incorporate things that customers wanted — namely energy efficiency and renewable energy — into ComEd’s business model. […]

But just like Smart Grid, passing FEJA was no easy task. Negotiations, which were led by attorneys in Madigan’s office and included a wide range of stakeholders from organized labor to environmental groups, stretched from early 2015 down to the wire on the last day of lawmakers’ fall veto session in December 2016. Under cross-examination by Madigan attorney Dan Collins, Vogt said he remembered very clearly that there were seven amendments put on the bill in the hours before it passed.

* Tribune

But on cross-examination, Madigan attorney Dan Collins peppered Vogt with questions about the bill’s widespread benefits, including for the jurors hearing the case. The benefits included job creation and statewide infrastructure investment, Vogt testified.

McClain attorney Patrick Cotter also pressed Vogt on whether McClain ever suggested a secret deal with Madigan was afoot.

“At any point in the almost 10-year period you spent with Mike [McClain], did he ever say or do anything that led you to believe he had the ability to get Mike Madigan to take official action on behalf of ComEd?” Cotter asked.

Vogt said he did not.

* Sun-Times federal courts reporter Jon Seidel is in the courtroom this morning


* More…

    * ABC Chicago | Former state rep., ComEd VP testify in former IL Speaker Mike Madigan trial: Lang has testified in both the ComEd case and the trial of Madigan’s former chief of staff last summer. Both testimonies delved into how Madigan sent Mike McClain to urge Lang to retire from the General Assembly after the speaker’s office was warned of a woman who had threatened to go public with sexual harassment allegations if Lang did not step down. Madigan’s voice will likely be heard for the first time during his testimony, in an undercover phone call in which he is heard telling McClain to ask Lang to resign, sooner rather than later.

    * WGN | ComEd exec testifies in Day 2 of Madigan corruption trial: Expected to take the stand Thursday is former State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) who resigned after accusations of sexual harassment emerged in 2018. The longtime representative from Illinois’ 16th District was allegedly pressured to resign by McLain even though Lang believed the accusations against him were false.

    * Center Square | Witness testimony continues in corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker: Former State Rep. Scott Drury, D-Highwood, returned to the stand for additional cross-examination Wednesday morning after beginning his testimony on Tuesday. Drury and Madigan defense attorney Todd Pugh had several combative exchanges over a variety of issues. U.S. government prosecutor Amarjeet Bhachu said the prosecution planned to call utility company executive Scott Vogt next, followed by former State Rep, Lou Lang, D-Skokie. Lang was on Madigan’s leadership team before stepping down in 2019 amid harassment allegations.

  16 Comments      


Open thread

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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

  5 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Oct 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: CUB, Ameren Illinois spar over rate increase proposal. WCIA

    - Ameren Illinois is asking for a $334 million rate increase. And earlier this month, state regulatory judges recommended a $314 million increase for the company, about 90 percent of their original ask.

    - But the Citizens Utility Board says the plan should be reduced by at least $100 million because of wasteful spending. CUB officials said the current plan includes $23.5 million for six projects and $800,000 for operations and maintenance costs.

    -When asked how much more money people could see on their bills every month, Ameren did not give a specific answer.

* Related stories…

Governor Pritzker’s schedule…

    In Rockford at 10 am to celebrate the Reach Out and Reach literacy Program.

    In Rockford at 11:30 pm to announce the US Department of Energy grant award.

    In Machesney Park at 1 pm for the mobilization ceremony for the 725th Transportation Company

Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Local 150 steps into Springfield power vacuum aiming to promote clean energy and protect jobs, efforts often at odds: Mandating electric vehicles too soon, according to Local 150 political guru Marc Poulos, would cripple revenue from the state’s motor fuel tax. That, in turn, would kill lots of road-building projects and jobs. These include a $6.4 billion plan, of which Local 150 is a principal proponent and beneficiary, to rebuild the Eisenhower Expressway west of downtown.

* Daily Herald | Police explain how they solved 45-year-old North Aurora murder: Thanks to DNA testing, North Aurora police can close the case of the 1979 murder of Kathy Halle. But they know that while it might bring some comfort to Halle’s family to know who killed her, there will be no justice. That’s because the perpetrator, Bruce Lindahl, died just two years later while committing another murder. “This was a tough one for us,” Detective Ryan Peat said. “It (the ID) doesn’t save Kathy. It doesn’t bring any justice to Bruce.”

* Center Square | Some argue for Illinois’ Electoral College votes to be proportioned: Former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn doesn’t favor a proportional approach to the Electoral College. He said whoever gets the popular vote should win. “The electoral college is really something from the 18th Century and it doesn’t really work in the 21st Century in my opinion,” Quinn said recently at an unrelated news conference.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WAND | Election preview: Schweizer, Clem battle for Illinois 104th House seat: Schweizer argued Illinois should eliminate some of the less effective programs and reprioritize funding to alleviate taxes. Clem is in favor of cutting down on state government spending to help lower the burden on families. “But, we need to make an investment in education and our pensions,” Clem said. “Our property taxes are the biggest expense for a lot of homeowners.”

* WSPY | Gabby Shanahan runs for Illinois House 97th District seat, prioritizes cost of living and taxes: Shanahan says the high cost of living is the main issue she would like to address if elected, and she believes the elimination of the grocery tax is a step in the right direction. She would also like to see the gas tax eliminated.

*** Statewide ***

* 25 News Now | Single strand of pneumonia is infecting Illinois kids at an earlier age: Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, a strand of pneumonia also known as walking pneumonia, is becoming more common in Illinois children in 2024. Typically, children eight or older become infected. However, Illinois Department of Public Health data show increased cases in children under the age of six, and the symptoms have reportedly been more severe. The department saw a positive case rate of walking pneumonia at 1% in April 2024. In October, it rose to 20%.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson’s communications director ousted amid latest mayoral office shake-up: It is unclear why Ronnie Reese is stepping down as communications director, but it comes amid a string of high-profile departures from the mayor’s top team, and after a rocky year and a half of communications strategy. Reese did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A source with direct knowledge of Reese’s departure who was not authorized to speak on the personnel matter publicly said the exit was “not voluntary.” […] Reese helped propel Johnson into the mayor’s office. He ran campaign communications after spending more than a decade as a deputy press secretary at the Chicago Teachers Union where Johnson was a paid organizer.

* ABC Chicago | CTA Train operator had alcohol in their system when Yellow Line train crashed in 2023, report shows: The reports documented two separate blood alcohol tests conducted that show the operator was under the influence at the time of the late morning crash at levels above federal requirements. […] At the time of the crash, the 47-year-old train operator at the controls had worked in that position for only three months, according to findings from the NTSB’s investigation. […] “The medical facility’s results showed that at the time the train operator was tested, approximately one hour after the accident, his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was found to be .06,” the NTSB report states.

* Sun-Times | Chicago police blasted for mishandling cases of missing Black women: ‘The days of silence are no more’: “I’ve come to understand that missing Black women cases, predominantly in Black districts, are handled without the same due diligence as white women in predominantly white areas,” Bridgette Rouse, whose sister went missing in 2017, told the City Council’s Public Safety Committee at a four-hour meeting Wednesday.

* Tribune | Cook County commissioners advance settlements tied to disgraced Chicago Detective Reynaldo Guevara: In all, the National Registry of Exonerations at the University of Michigan tallied more than 40 individuals who were wrongly convicted based on Guevara, partner Ernest Halvorsen, or other detectives’ misconduct — including coerced false confessions or witness identifications — through threats or violence. That misconduct has been costly for city taxpayers already: cases that named Guevara cost $39.3 million in 2019, 2020 and 2021 alone, not including the cost to pay outside counsel to defend the city in court.

* CBS Chicago | Chicago Teachers Union spends thousands on flyers attacking candidates for school board: A total of 31 candidates are vying for 10 spots in what is now a $3.2 million race for Chicago’s first elected school board. More than $38,000 has come in the last couple of days just for Chicago Teachers Union-backed candidates—earmarked specifically for phone calls, text messages, and radio ads. Thousands of dollars were spent specifically on a run of flyers alone. The flyers, which some are receiving in the mail right now, claim candidates in the race are aligned with former president Donald Trump and “out-of-state billionaires.”

* Tribune | Chicago Teachers Union report aims for alignment between district, mayor and union: The Chicago Teachers Union released a new report in a virtual news conference Wednesday, combining the highly anticipated Chicago Public Schools “Together We Rise” five-year strategic plan and the union’s contract proposals. While CTU’s new report takes goals from CPS’ five-year strategic plan and provides more specific “implementation steps,” much of the news conference focused on the ongoing disputes between the district and the union over key financial decisions.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | How many lawyers does a county clerk need? DuPage board members question size of clerk’s legal team: Some DuPage County Board members are questioning the number of lawyers representing the county clerk in a legal case stemming from an ongoing dispute over how bills get paid. County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek has a team of three lawyers representing her in a lawsuit challenging her authority over how she runs her office. Because the state’s attorney’s office filed the lawsuit against Kaczmarek, the county’s chief judge appointed legal representation for the clerk.

* Daily Southtown | Thornton Township meeting canceled as trustees, Tiffany Henyard dispute where to meet: While enough of the board had showed up to the Thornton Township Hall in South Holland to call the meeting to order, Trustee Chris Gonzalez refused to go to the upstairs meeting room, saying there was too little space for the number of attendees present. Meeting locations have frequently switched between two rooms of the building, with Henyard preferring the upstairs and Trustees Gonzalez and Carmen Carlisle saying they prefer the larger basement space.

*** Downstate ***

* Shaw Local | Shaw Media acquiring Daily Journal in Kankakee: The Small family had owned the Daily Journal before its sale to Shaw. Len Small founded the newspaper in 1903. The present owners, Len, Tom and Jennifer Small, issued a statement saying: “We congratulate the Shaw organization for their commitment. We will celebrate the progress of the new company.”

* WCIA | Danville nursing home cited for multiple violations: The document said a resident received care for a wound he had on his right leg. Five days later a nurse found maggots in his dressing and wheelchair. The wound physician ordered it be washed with an antiseptic and the wrap be changed every two days.

* BND | Breese contractor and Aldi executive sentenced in bid-rigging and kickback scheme: A former executive for Aldi and a building contractor from Breese have been sentenced in federal court in East St. Louis for rigging bids for the construction and remodeling of grocery stores throughout southern Illinois and Missouri. Louis R. Ross Sr., 64, a former Aldi executive from St. Louis, was sentenced on Oct. 16 to serve two years in prison, according to court records and a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Tuesday. Ross pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, four counts of mail fraud and four counts of wire fraud.

* Daily-Journal | Unfinished business: New chairman of Kankakee County Board appointed: Kankakee County Board has a new chairman. That was revealed at Tuesday’s special board meeting that Andy Wheeler resigned late Friday in an email to Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe, which made the proceedings moot. A special meeting was called Friday afternoon to discuss Wheeler’s status as board chairman.

* WCIA | Springfield’s ALPLM hosting naturalization ceremony: The United States District Court, Central District of Illinois will hold a naturalization ceremony at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum on Oct. 24 at 2:30 p.m. During the ceremony, the 75 citizenship candidates will be presented to the Honorable Karen McNaught, a Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court, Central District of Illinois. The candidates come from 37 countries, including Bolivia, China, Italy, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

* PJ Star | ‘Perfect storm’: Major Peoria road project is one year ahead of schedule. Here’s how: Wisconsin Avenue reconstruction is a year ahead of schedule because no unexpected variables arose during work, contractors worked quickly and effectively with the road shut down, and there were no scheduling issues, according to Peoria Public Works spokesperson Nick McMillion. “It truly was a perfect storm that came together for this project to be completed a year ahead of schedule,” McMillion said. “On a construction project of this magnitude, it is rare that everything lines up perfectly and nothing unexpected occurs. Wisconsin Avenue is such a vital corridor for the city, and its residents in the East Bluff and we are really excited to show off the vast improvements of this important roadway.”

* WCIA | UIUC researcher creates technology to detect cancers faster: Within a small black box, LED lights and sensors detect molecules, take a photo and connect with a doctor’s smartphone. Once those are counted, doctors can detect cancer faster and tell if it’s becoming more advanced. It could also help medical experts decide which medicines would be most effective for the patient.

*** National ***

* AP | Grateful Dead named MusiCares Persons of the Year for philanthropy and music impact: MusiCares, an organization that helps music professionals who need financial, personal or medical assistance, will honor the Grateful Dead as its 2025 Persons of the Year. MusiCares announced Wednesday that it will recognize original members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bobby Weir for their philanthropic efforts, their unique ability to foster community through concerts and for their impact on American music on their 60th anniversary.

* The Guardian | US public schools burned up nearly $3.2bn fending off rightwing culture attacks – report: Researchers from UCLA, UT Austin, UC Riverside and American University surveyed 467 public school superintendents across 46 US states, asking them about the direct and indirect costs of dealing with these volatile campaigns. Those costs included everything from out-of-pocket payments to hire to lawyers or additional security, to the staff member hours devoted to responding to disinformation on social media, addressing parent concerns and replying to voluminous public records requests focused on the district’s teachings on racism, gender and sexuality.

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* The Waukegan City Clerk was railroaded
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