Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2024

Monday, Oct 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

Opening statements in the landmark corruption case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his longtime confidant were expected to kick off Monday after completion of an often-tedious jury selection process that has stretched on for nearly two weeks.

The final two alternate jurors were selected Monday: a former University of Illinois-Chicago social work professor and a North Side aircraft mechanic who enjoys watching “Project Runway.”

“We have a jury,” U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey said Monday afternoon. “Hallelujah!” […]

The trial, which is scheduled to last at least 11 weeks, is the culmination of one of the biggest political corruption investigations ever to unfold at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, given Madigan’s stature as the longest-serving leader of any legislative chamber in the nation who for decades wielded an ironclad grip on the state legislature as well as the Democratic Party and its political spoils.

Click here to follow the trial.

* Green Market Report…

Illinois’ cannabis industry hit new heights in fiscal year 2024, with adult-use sales eclipsing $2 billion and dozens of new dispensaries opened their doors. But the latest annual cannabis report from the state also reveals a market still wrestling with persistent illicit sales and an emerging threat from unregulated hemp-derived products.

The report, compiled by the Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office with the help of several state departments, showed tax revenue from cannabis sales reached $457.3 million by the end of what was dubbed “a year of explosive growth,” with 82 new dispensaries opening, bringing the statewide total to over 200.

Those success were shadowed by concerns from state officials about competition from the illicit market.

“Even though the shifting of law enforcement resources has migrated away from minor cannabis offenses, the ongoing presence of illicit cannabis being brought into Illinois still demands significant resources,” the ISP stated in the report. […]

The Illinois State Police seized approximately 12 tons of illicit cannabis in fiscal 2024, valued at $63.7 million. Data from the International Cannabis Policy Study estimated that “nearly 36% of the Illinois cannabis market is from illegal sources.”

* WTTW…

Migrants who make their way to Chicago will no longer be guaranteed a bed in a city shelter, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Monday, as city, state and county officials launch a unified system to assist all unhoused Chicagoans.

Starting Tuesday, only migrants who have been in the country for less than a month will be eligible for a spot in one of the city’s 13 shelters designated for people city officials refer to as new arrivals, Johnson was set to announce at a City Hall news conference.

Those who do get a spot in a city shelter will no longer be guaranteed a place to live for at least 60 days, as has been the case since the humanitarian crisis began more than two years ago, officials announced.

Only those suffering from illness, disabilities and pregnancy will be eligible for extensions through Jan. 1. No extensions will be offered after that, officials said.

* Former Republican Rep. Dan Brady…

Today, local leader Dan Brady officially filed his nominating petitions to run for Mayor of Bloomington with an overwhelming show of support.

Brady submitted the maximum allowed number of signatures on the first day of filing, demonstrating broad community backing for his vision of safer neighborhoods, responsible spending, economic growth, and his support for the downtown Bloomington “streetscape plan.”

“I’ve heard from countless Bloomington residents who are struggling with the rising cost of living, concerns about public safety, and a city government that needs to do more to support our local businesses,” said Brady.

“I love Bloomington – I was born and raised here, built my business and raised my family here, and have fought for Bloomington for two decades in the General Assembly. Our City deserves a mayor with the experience and leadership to act decisively to improve life for local families. That’s why I’m running.”

Dan Brady’s deep roots in Bloomington, combined with his business background and public service, make him uniquely positioned to lead the city. He is dedicated to revitalizing Bloomington, making it a safe, healthy, and prosperous community for local families and the economic engine of the Midwest.

For more information on Dan Brady’s vision, visit www.votedanbrady.com

*** Statehouse News ***

* Crain’s | Pritzker still unmoved by calls for a state handout to Reinsdorf: “I can just say the same challenges exist for putting public money in a private business — I mean the kind of size people are looking for. We’re always helping private businesses, I might add. Sometimes it’s just infrastructure . . . we do that kind of thing all the time. “But a billion-dollar investment for a private business that’s owned by wealthy people that’s a highly valued enterprise seems like the taxpayers rightly should say, ‘Don’t we have other uses for that capital?’”

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Johnson and the CTU are pushing for neighborhood schools over choice. Can CPS strike a balance?: Johnson, a former teacher and CTU organizer, ran his mayoral campaign on rebalancing the inequities that have starved schools in strapped communities. Late last year his school board issued a resolution that called for a new vision, from a model that emphasizes choice to one that “prioritizes communities most impacted by past and ongoing racial and economic inequity.” […] “People felt that a very large decision was being taken away from them when they were on the precipice of an elected school board,” says Illinois state Rep. Margaret Croke, whose North Side district includes Lincoln Park and Lakeview, and who introduced a bill to forestall any changes until a fully elected board is seated. (The bill was passed in the Illinois House but held in the Senate after Johnson agreed not to enact certain changes.)

* WGN | Committee OKs measure to lower Chicago speed limit, sending it to full council: The City Council’s Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety on Monday passed a measure that would lower the city’s default maximum speed limit to 25 MPH, down from the current 30. Alders passed the measure with an 8-5 vote, sending it to the full City Council.

* Sun-Times | More CPS students are graduating from high school, but finishing college is still a struggle: According to the report published earlier this month, the high school graduation rate among students of all races increased from 62% in 2008 to 85% in 2023. Among young white women and men, the high school graduation rate was 93% and 90% in 2023, compared to 88% and 83% of young Latino women and men and 85% and 78% of young Black women and men.

* Crain’s | Charter school supporters and CTU rivalry heats up ahead of school board elections: As of early October, $557,000 had been spent by a committee of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, or INCS, putting the charter advocacy group at the top of special interest groups spending in Chicago’s first school board elections. This is more than double the $238,000 spent by the political action committees of the CTU and its coalition of community organizations, according to Chalkbeat Chicago. The INCS has raised funds from billionaires Helen Zell, wife of the late real estate mogul Sam Zell; Netflix co-founder and Chairman Reed Hastings; and private investor Craig Duchossois.

* Block Club | City Selling Largely Vacant Rogers Park Lot — Preferably For Housing And A Community Garden: The city is selling a long-undeveloped lot on the Far North Side, hoping a builder will bring housing to the site. The 46,000-square-foot lot at the corner of Howard Street and Ashland Avenue in Rogers Park is owned by the city, and it’s been the home of a community garden for years. The city listed it for about $2 million, according to the Department of Planning and Development. […] Ald. Maria Hadden’s 49th Ward office in 2020 asked neighbors what they wanted to see at the lot to inform future requests for proposals. Things like housing and green space have seemed popular, residents have previously said.

* Block Club | Pilsen Is Changing. Can A ‘Mom-And-Pop’ Landlord Make A Difference?: Longtime families have said they’ve been forced out by rising costs. Yet Bottari charges his tenants hundreds — not thousands — in monthly rent based on what they can afford. The highest rent a tenant is paying is $800. He’s charged tenants nothing when they’ve fallen on hard times. It’s all very much on purpose: He wants to support his neighbors.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Can prison cause dementia? New Northwestern study explores how incarceration impacts health: The university was recently awarded a grant for a first-of-its-kind study on how incarceration affects health, age-related conditions and risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The grant from the National Institutes of Health totals $20 million over five years. Several studies have explored the connection between poor health and incarceration, but this study is investigating how all the conditions of prison can worsen someone’s health, said Linda Teplin, the study’s principal investigator.

*** Downstate ***

* SJ-R | New hearing date set for former sheriff’s deputy charged with Massey’s murder: In the less than 90-second proceeding before Presiding Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin, Sean P. Grayson, charged with Massey’s murder, was given a new status hearing for Dec. 2. That is expected to be closer to a Fourth District Appellate Court ruling regarding Grayson’s ongoing detention in Menard County.

* WAND | Former deputy accused of killing Sonya Massey appears in court, awaits decision on pre-trial release: Around thirty members of Massey’s family appeared for the hearing on Monday. Teresa Haley with Haley and Associates told reporters after the hearing that Massey’s family is “struggling, but holding on.” She said that family and community members will keep attending hearings and “coming back again and again and again and again.”

* WEAI | Lesko Proposes Merger of Sangamon County Recorder and Clerk Offices: A Sangamon County elected official is proposing to merge the office with another. Current Springfield City Clerk Frank Lesko, who is running as the Republican candidate for the Sangamon County Recorder position this November, is proposing to merge the office with the Sangamon County Clerk’s office. According to a press release on Wednesday, Lesko says the merger would make the county government more accountable, efficient, and responsive to taxpayers.

* WCIA | IL State Police Trooper Thompsen to be remembered in police procession: A police procession honoring a trooper who died in the line of duty will be held on Monday afternoon. […] According to St. Joseph and Stanton Fire Protection District a large police procession will move from Urbana to St. Joesph beginning around 1 p.m. The procession will move through 150 from the west to North Third Street to Freese Funeral Home in St. Joe.

* WCIA | Iroquois Co. wins Roth ID kits for community: Roth ID tags are a sticker that can go on a car seat with a child’s information. In the event of an emergency, the tag can be removed from the car seat and used as a wristband. These help first responders connect young children with their parent or guardian if an accident has occurred. […] After being nominated for the giveaway, organizations throughout the United States campaigned for the most votes to win free Roth ID tags. The Iroquois County Sheriff’s Department was one of 18 teams to win. They’ll receive 100 Roth ID Kits to give away to the community.

*** National ***

* WSJ | ‘It Feels Very Dystopian.’ Republican County Officials Brace for Election Deniers—Again: As Nov. 5 looms, the election headquarters in the most populous county in the crucial battleground state of Arizona has become a fortress. “You’d have to be a psychopath to say you enjoy this,” said Maricopa County’s top election official for voting by mail, Stephen Richer, a Republican. The building has added metal detectors and armed guards. On Election Day, as workers tabulate ballots behind new fencing and concrete barriers, drones will patrol the skies overhead, police snipers will perch on rooftops and mounted patrols will stand ready.

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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work

Monday, Oct 21, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small.

We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Ellen and Julie, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.

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Caption contest!

Monday, Oct 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* It’s 361 miles from Elgin to the Saline County seat…

17 Comments

Pritzker rules out immediate state action on CPS, promises more money for K-12 next year, but says past CPS spending means they’ll need to find ‘efficiencies within the budget’ (Updated)

Monday, Oct 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From today’s Q and A with Gov. JB Pritzker…

Q: So you were in Japan when Mayor Brandon Johnson made his decision to get rid of his school board members, and you were with the Senate President and the Illinois House Speaker. Did you have discussions with them about whether there should be legislative action to try to prevent this from happening in the future?

Pritzker: We did not.

Q: Would you like to see some legislative action to kind of take away some of that control that the mayor has to do that?

Pritzker: That’s not something we’re currently discussing. I think there’s a lot to be worked out still, as you know, by the mayor with CPS and the CEO of CPS.

Q: What was your reaction when you saw that happen?

Pritzker: I mean, I think my first reaction was, boy, the time difference is pretty big. It’s hard to get ahold of anybody you know to get kind of on the ground reaction as it was happening. But I, yeah, I think, look, it’s a challenging environment. I think when there are shortfalls in a budget for schools, and you know, where I think some of the one-time money that came into schools was spent in an operating budget. It’s going to be almost impossible to overcome without finding efficiencies within the budget. And we’re, of course, going to continue to increase funding from the state level, as we have every year. And so I hope that CPS will be able to find its level as a result of the work that we’ll do, but, you know, very importantly, the work that they’ll do on the ground in Chicago.

…Adding… Washington Post…

Thousands of people have been hired at the Chicago Public Schools over the past few years, fueled by $2.8 billion in federal covid relief funding. Now the money is gone, but no one wants to reduce the workforce, and an ugly budget fight has plunged one of the nation’s largest districts into a financial and leadership crisis. […]

“This is what it looks like when you burn a district down,” said Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University. “It is a level of dysfunction that feels beyond destabilizing, enough to make people lose confidence in the system.” […]

While the mayor faults Martinez for failing to lobby the state for more money for the schools, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) has said that Johnson never personally asked him for more. In any case, Pritzker has shown no willingness to provide the funds.

“I don’t think that that’s the job of Springfield, to rescue the school districts that might have been irresponsible with the one-time money they received,” the governor told Capitol Fax, an Illinois political newsletter. “Poor fiscal management on the part of a local government is not necessarily the responsibility of Springfield.”

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The Sonya Massey case was the tip of the iceberg

Monday, Oct 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* CBS News…

At least eight other deaths in the custody of Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office deputies and corrections officers have occurred under circumstances where officials’ conduct was called into question. In at least five of those cases, officers acted in ways that appeared to have violated local law enforcement policies as well as state and federal standards, according to a CBS News review of two decades’ worth of documents obtained through court records and Freedom of Information Act requests. Police in other communities who used similar tactics have sometimes been charged criminally.

In each of the eight cases that CBS News identified in Sangamon County, officers had been informed that victims were experiencing some kind of mental health or other medical issue at the time of their death. Their families alleged either excessive force or deliberate indifference to life-threatening medical conditions for people in pretrial detention.

Since 2004, the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office has been the target of more than 50 civil rights complaints, including 20 related to policing and another 34 related to misconduct in the jail, which the sheriff also oversees, records show. The allegations include violations of due process, excessive tasing, the rape of a woman who called 911 for help, and arrests made with no legal grounds as tools of harassment or intimidation. The sheriff’s office disputed each one of these accusations.

In two of the civil rights cases, federal judges ruled against the sheriff’s office. And in 10 of them, the county agreed to pay settlements out of court for more than $3.6 million, without admitting fault. They paid another $9.6 million in legal fees, according to records obtained through a series of Freedom of Information Act requests. All of that money came directly from taxpayers, according to county board member Craig Hall, who has chaired Sangamon County’s civil liabilities committee for more than two decades.

* More…

One deputy who has faced scrutiny for his conduct is Deputy Travis Koester. The complaints against him range from using excessive force to making bogus arrests and falsifying reports about the incidents in apparent attempts to cover them up. The 6-foot-1 officer also claimed an unarmed 83-year-old woman posed a threat to his physical safety for calling him a “tough guy” while he allegedly aggressively confronted and baselessly arrested her neighbor who was trying to deliver her some biscuits. Internal Affairs investigators substantiated the incident as an abuse of his position. Even some of his colleagues reported their inability to trust him and recommended his demotion.

In all, Koester has been the subject of 13 Internal Affairs investigations and at least five lawsuits in Sangamon County over 15 years. He was exonerated once; six complaints were substantiated, four allegations were deemed unfounded and another six were unsubstantiated. He denied every allegation but, in several cases, department investigators and a federal judge determined that he violated policies and civil rights laws. After a verbal apology from the deputy but no admission of liability by the county, it paid $45,000 to settle the most recent substantiated complaint in June 2024.

In two cases, judges ruled that Koester made unjustified arrests. He received no disciplinary action and, records show, he was later given pay increases. Illinois Judge John Madonia of the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court found that the deputy’s actions lacked “one iota of credible evidence,” characterizing the deputy’s own reports as “convolutedly crappy” and “factually incorrect.” Records show he received no disciplinary action.

Koester is currently one of Sangamon’s highest paid deputies, according to a review of county financial reports and personnel files obtained through public records requests. Koester did not respond to a request for comment through the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.

Lots more at this link.

Not long after I first moved to Springfield, local singer/songwriter Tom Irwin wrote a song about an inmate with a history of mental illness who died in the county jail under, shall we say, questionable circumstances.

That system has been bad for a very long time.

15 Comments

About as lopsided as you can get

Monday, Oct 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The remap has consequences. My weekly syndicated newspaper column…

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon continues piling up campaign money. His latest quarterly report for his personal campaign committee showed Harmon had $13.4 million in the bank, up almost $2 million from the previous quarter. His caucus committee ended with $2.6 million in the bank, up about $800,000 from the previous quarter. And his two other committees held a combined $1 million.

As I write this on Oct. 18, Harmon’s personal committee has reported raising $777,000 this month. No contributions have been reported from that committee this month. Harmon’s caucus committee has brought in a bit over $2 million, most of that from Gov. JB Pritzker, and about $1.4 million in expenditures have been reported.

That means the Senate leader is sitting on about $18 million for the home stretch. And since Harmon really has only one race (Sen. Patrick Joyce of Essex), which isn’t really that competitive, it looks like he’ll be banking most of that cash for 2026. For sure, he’ll spend some of it this fall, but he’ll head into the next cycle with a massive cash lead.

By comparison, Senate Republican Leader John Curran ended the third quarter with a bit over $1.9 million, up about $400,000 at the end of the previous quarter. He moved about $700,000 of what he raised to his caucus committee, the Senate Republican Victory Fund. That committee ended the quarter with about $163,000.

Curran’s personal committee has reported raising $127,000 this month and his caucus committee has pulled in $335,000, with $313,000 of that coming from Curran. The caucus committee has made about $25,000 in contributions this month.

All that gives Curran about $2.2 million to spend in the home stretch, meaning Harmon has almost a 9-1 cash advantage.

House Speaker Chris Welch spent about $6.9 million during the third quarter out of his personal campaign fund, raised $4.5 million and ended with $5 million in the bank. Democrats for the Illinois House raised about $4.8 million, spent $3.8 million and ended with $2.1 million in the bank. Welch’s township committee raised $100,000 from various law firms, spent $42,000 and ended with $251,000 in the bank.

As I write this, Welch’s personal committee has reported $402,000 in contributions and moved $4 million into his caucus account. Aside from that, Democrats for the Illinois House has reported raising $2.1 million, mainly from Pritzker, and has contributed $1.9 million.

That gives Welch about $7.8 million to spend in the closing weeks.

House Republican Leader Toni McCombie raised $950,000 during the quarter, spent $1.8 million and ended with $614,000 in the bank. The House Republican Organization raised $2.2 million (about $1.7 million from McCombie), spent $2.2 million and ended with just $91,000 in the bank.

So far this month, McCombie’s personal committee has reported raising $256,000 and has contributed $450,000, all to House Republican Organization. Including that money, the HRO has reported raising $857,000 so far in October and has contributed $606,000.

That gives McCombie only $762,000 left to spend for the remaining three weeks. Welch has a 10-1 cash advantage.

Meanwhile, all four legislative leaders are currently not bound by state campaign contribution limitations on their personal committees because they have contributed or loaned those funds more than $100,000. As you would expect, the Democratic leaders are doing far better than the Republicans.

Harmon busted the caps in January 2023 with a $168,000 contribution to his personal fund. Since then, his campaign account has reported raising $8.8 million in contributions above the standard $68,500 limit for political action committees.

Welch nullified his contribution caps in late March 2023 with a $100,001 loan to his fund, which was paid back to him a couple of weeks later. Welch has since reported raising about $6.9 million in contributions above the standard limit.

Curran busted the caps on August 12 with a $100,001 loan, a debt he was still carrying on his latest report. Curran has raised just $342,000 in contributions above the standard limit.

McCombie busted her caps in late March with a $100,001 loan, which her campaign paid back to her a few days later. She has since reported raising $650,000 above the standard caps.

So, the Democratic leaders have used the state’s cap workaround law to raise a net total of $15.6 million, while the Republican leaders have raised a net of just $792,000 (once Curran’s loan is eventually paid back). That’s a 20-1 Democratic advantage.

This is all ridiculously lopsided.

62 Comments

Open thread

Monday, Oct 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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

12 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Monday, Oct 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Early voting expands across the suburbs Monday. Daily Herald…

* Related stories…

∙ NBC Chicago: Early voting in Illinois expands to dozens of locations across Chicago, suburbs
∙ ABC Chicago: Early voting expands in Illinois, including to Chicago wards sites

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* SJ-R | Illinois State Police trooper killed in crash with truck driver. Here’s what we know: Corey S. Thompsen, 28, was part of a Special Operations Group and had been with the state police for nearly five years, said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly at a news conference in Pesotum Saturday. […] A truck, driven by Helen Torres, 32, of Thomasboro, was traveling south on County Road 1300 East and stopped at the intersection at Leverett Road when she pulled into the roadway, striking Thompsen’s motorcycle.

* ABC Chicago | Previously solid-red Lake County becomes battleground for Democrats and Republicans before election: “Today, we are going to get out there knock on doors, make phone calls get our voters out to win, right?” said Gov. JB Pritzker. Pritzker rallied the troops in Highwood on Sunday, focusing on some of Lake County’s tightest races. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart is trying to hang on to the seat he won four years ago, making him the first Democrat to win it in 40 years.

The governor will be at the University of Chicago David Rubenstein Forum at 10:15 am to give remarks at the Chicago Quantum Exchange Summit. Click here to watch.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | GOP leader tries to ‘sell hope’ in uphill battle to cut into Democratic stranglehold on state legislature: In a decidedly blue state, former President Donald Trump’s candidacy could hurt the GOP in legislative swing districts, said John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. “I think there is a guilt-by-association thing going on or a guilt-by-association possibility for Republicans who are running down ballot in swing districts, and even districts that maybe trend just a little bit Republican,” Shaw said.

*** Statewide ***

* WGN | Make A Wish Illinois raises funds to grant wishes for children battling serious illnesses: The goal of the walk was to raise $200,000 to continue making wishes come true for children fighting critical illnesses. In the next year, Make A Wish Illinois would like to grant the wishes of another 700 Illinois children.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson faces political headwinds from his progressive base: And Johnson appeared more and more comfortable playing the role of a mayor who, under fire from once-friends and foes alike, was doubling down on the message that he alone stands at the bully pulpit of the mayor’s office. “There’s a few people that somehow forgot there was a whole election that gave me the power to transform this city,” he said before handing Jackson the ceremonial key.

* Tribune | Former student protections chief Camie Pratt abused her position, according to OIG report criticizing CPS’ handling of Lincoln Park scandal: The CPS watchdog’s report casts new light on Pratt’s role in the web of sexual misconduct and retaliation allegations that embroiled Lincoln Park High School in scandal in early 2020. Since CPS accused an assortment of coaches and principals of mishandling an out-of-town trip involving allegations of misconduct among students on the boys basketball team, and a separate allegation of grooming on the girls team, multiple staffers have been reinstated.

* Tribune | Judge dismisses Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez’s defamation lawsuit against opponent: Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, sued 2023 City Council candidate Aida Flores over her claim that he regularly failed to recommend projects in the ward for the $1.5 million given to aldermen to spend on capital improvements. Judge Jerry A. Esrig ruled Thursday that Flores’ comments were not defamatory. Esrig also denied a motion from Flores to label Sigcho-Lopez’s lawsuit as a strategic effort to silence criticism. Despite that decision, Flores accused the Pilsen alderman of trying to squash dissent in a statement shared with the Tribune.

* Tribune | Unusual trial of two former prosecutors to restart Monday after long appeal delay: Nearly a year after a rare appeal stopped a trial in its tracks for two former Cook County assistant state’s attorneys, the case is expected to resume on Monday as special prosecutors allege wrongdoing in connection with an infamous wrongful conviction case. Nicholas Trutenko, 69, and Andrew Horvat, 48, are facing felony charges in connection with the third trial for Jackie Wilson, whose case was critical to unveiling systemic practices of torture within the Chicago Police Department.

* Block Club | Ballot Questions Ask South, Southwest Side Neighbors If They Want Free Mental Health Programs: That question also asks if neighbors would support funding the programs by raising property taxes up to .025 percent for properties within the area. As part of that, the second question asks voters if they support creating a fund of $700,000 or less for the Englewood and Greater Chatham program in next year’s tax levy, or a fund up to $1.2 million for the Near Southwest Side program.

* Sun-Times | More immigrants are under surveillance by ICE’s Chicago field office than ever, data analysis finds: The agency did not respond to questions about the Chicago field office and why its monitoring has grown so much. ICE says the number of people it’s monitoring across the country has decreased from 321,000 people in fiscal year 2022 to 194,427 people in fiscal year 2023. In its annual report, ICE said that decline could have been because fewer people were being placed under monitoring at the southern border and because more people are being terminated from these types of programs.

* CBS | Off-duty Blue Island officer fired shot at off-duty CPD officer in road rage incident: Blue Island police officer was arrested after he allegedly fired at least one shot at a Chicago police officer during a road rage incident while both officers were off duty Saturday evening in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Police said, shortly after 5 p.m., a 47-year old man was in a vehicle in the 4700 block of South Halsted Street, when he pulled out a gun and fired at least one shot toward another vehicle.

* Block Club | South Siders Urge Slowdown On Quantum Computing Campus: In an Oct. 9 letter addressed to alderpeople and state lawmakers, members of the Alliance of the Southeast and 80 local residents requested more advance notice of developments at the site. […] In their proposed community benefits agreement, residents demanded an environmental impact study, a commitment to creating local jobs, measures to prevent displacement and community representation on the project’s governance committee as prerequisites for government funding.

* Chicago Council on Global Affairs | As global cities feel the strain of overtourism, what makes Chicago immune?: Everything from urban planning to visitor habits plays a role. At the end of the day, though, leaders in Chicago and in Europe agree on one thing: that short-term rentals — an industry that has exploded in the past decade alongside growth in travel — must be regulated to maintain locals’ quality of life.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Judges aiming to keep seats in November include some with questionable records: Despite tax debts, arrests and residency questions, judges running for retention in Cook County have drawn little attention and run a quiet — and at times evasive — campaign.

* Daily Herald | How much of your county’s transit sales tax dollars are going to transportation? It ranges from 3% to 100%: Lake received about $41.2 million and McHenry $14 million from the sales tax. Both counties funneled 100% into transportation. DuPage’s RTA tax share was $67.9 million and officials dedicated just 2.9%, or $2 million, to transportation in fiscal year 2023. The remainder went to fund public safety.

* Tribune | Mental illness put her in DuPage County Jail. 85 days later, she was dead: Advocates and attorneys who work with Illinois’ mental health and criminal court systems say Reneyda’s death appears to have been an entirely avoidable tragedy, one that exposes a confluence of long-standing failures: The continued overreliance on police as first responders in a mental health crisis. The limited community-based treatment options. The scarcity of beds tied largely to staffing shortages at state mental health hospitals.

* Daily Herald | Some in Elburn unhappy with town’s new rules for fences: The biggest change to the ordinance prohibits privacy fencing, or solid fencing, which begins at ground level from being installed in the drainage/utility easements within residents’ yards. The easements are within 10 feet of the lot line in the front and back, and within five feet on the sides of the lot line. That means fences will have to be inside of 10 feet in the front and the back of the lot and inside of five feet on the sides. Fences on corner lots must also be 25 inches from any sidewalk or right of way.

* Daily Herald | Tollway tentative budget released: Tri-State, I-490 construction are priorities: At a Thursday meeting, Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse called the budget: “a balanced spending plan to support customer service, safety and security, and employee investment to improve efficiency — as well as the implementation of the largest capital program in the agency’s history.” The $1.72 billion budget represents a 4.2% increase from 2024 and covers salaries, equipment, IT, debt service and ongoing maintenance.

* Sun-Times | Bozo the Clown returns for a weekend at Billy Corgan’s Madame ZuZu’s in Highland Park: Generations of fans of the beloved character flock to Madame ZuZu’s for a packed weekend of sold-out events to celebrate all the nostalgia and wonder, including a Friday-night panel discussion and a Sunday-night Bob Ross-Bozo mashup painting event.

*** Downstate ***

* CBS | Years before a deputy killed Sonya Massey, sheriff’s office failed to police misconduct within its ranks: At least eight other deaths in the custody of Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office deputies and corrections officers have occurred under circumstances where officials’ conduct was called into question. In at least five of those cases, officers acted in ways that appeared to have violated local law enforcement policies as well as state and federal standards, according to a CBS News review of two decades’ worth of documents obtained through court records and Freedom of Information Act requests. Police in other communities who used similar tactics have sometimes been charged criminally.

* SJ-R | Pastor insists he wasn’t forced off Massey Commission; denies allegations made by two women: At a Sept. 16 commission listening session, two people making public comments called for McJunkins to step aside in light of an allegation that he groped Springfield activist and community organizer Emma Shafer during a February 2023 private meeting at Union Baptist Church. McJunkins, who has spent 22 years at the church and ran for city council in 2009, denied both allegations in interviews with the SJ-R.

* SJ-R | Sangamon County Juvenile Detention Center has been approved to reopen. What’s the hold up?: The reopening plan requires a set-minimum staffing level to operate the facility 24 hours a day and seven days a week, he said in a statement to the SJR. “Sangamon County like many detention centers around the state has struggled to fill openings. The Administrative Office will not approve reopening until we meet the appropriate staffing level,” Holsopple said.

* 25 News Now | Top Republican leaders visit Peoria hoping to flip House seat to GOP: Two of the biggest names in the Republican Party visited Peoria Sunday afternoon hoping to raise funds for Congressional candidate Joe McGraw. Photos were posted on Facebook Sunday of Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who is second-in-line to the presidency, and U.S Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

* WCIA | Over 10 fire departments respond to Champaign Co. fire: After investigating, the Fire Department confirmed that a camper had started the fire. A car had been towing the camper behind it. It caught on fire, and the driver unclipped it from the car. First responders said that the person left it in the road. The Broadlands-Longview Fire Protection District said it took around 15 minutes to put the camper’s fire out, but over two hours to put it out in the field. 13 Fire Departments responded to the fire.

*** National ***

* NYT | Electric Vehicles May Be Struggling. G.M.’s Leader Is Still a Believer.: G.M. says it will start making money on battery-powered models by the end of the year — becoming the only U.S. automaker aside from Tesla to achieve that feat. Sales of G.M.’s electric vehicles are starting to take off. And the company just introduced a model that sells for less than $30,000 after a federal tax credit.

* ProPublica | Who’s Mailing the Catholic Tribune? It’s Not the Church, It’s Partisan Media: A headline in the Wisconsin Catholic Tribune, and repurposed in other states’ versions, provocatively asks, “How many ‘sex change’ mutilation surgeries occurred on Wisconsin kids?” Another: “Haitian illegal aliens in America: What are Harris supporters saying?” […] Using tax documents and business filings, ProPublica traced the papers to a Chicago-based publishing network led by former TV reporter Brian Timpone.

* The Atlantic | Why the oil market is not shocked: In sum, the past few weeks have been as tense and belligerent a time in the Middle East as we’ve seen in many years. And yet, when I filled up my tank again yesterday, the price of a gallon of gas was only $2.94. Once upon a time, this would have been surprising: Geopolitical turmoil, particularly in the Middle East, used to send oil prices soaring, as frantic traders—anticipating potential supply shortages—added what’s often called a “war premium” to the price of crude.

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