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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * KTVI…
* Illinois Capitol Development Board…  * Elections…  * FYI…
* Kathy Salvi | JB Pritzker puts illegal border crossers before Illinois families: Sadly, but unsurprisingly, we have not heard solutions from Pritzker, just more divisive rhetoric and threats to fight against President Trump and his conservative populist movement. Pritzker’s policy positions stoke fearmongering that “Trump is bad” with nothing to back it up. Illinois is hurting under JB Pritzker’s iron-clad fist. Instead of focusing on solutions, Pritzker has been perfectly clear — his policies promote illegals over Illinois’s working men and women and families. * WIFR | Illinois workers can claim back wages through I-CASH site: If an IDOL investigation finds an employer has underpaid workers through a violation of state law, back wages are recovered. However, because IDOL investigations take time and a worker’s contact information may have changed, workers may not know they have money that is rightfully theirs coming to them. Through the 2023 law change, the time for wage recovery was extended to three years, giving IDOL more time to find employees owed back pay. After three years, IDOL can send the unclaimed wages to the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund so workers can claim their money. * Crain’s | Friends of the Parks takes aim at South Works quantum plan: The Chicago Plan Commission is scheduled on Nov. 21 to consider approving the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park, which will take up a little more than a quarter of the 440-acre vacant site at 8080 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive. In an email sent out last night, Friends of the Parks said it will urge the Plan Commission to vote no on the zoning required for the quantum computing park, and it encouraged supporters to send comments to commission members ahead of the meeting. The group does not intend to pursue legal action, however, a spokeswoman said. * Borderless Mag | City Contractor ‘Failed’ Clients As Migrant Shelter Complaints Mounted, Staffers Say: In grievances filed later that year, another migrant parent said that Favorite staff blamed the food shortage on the city. “I don’t believe that the government told them to only give us a spoonful of rice,” the resident wrote in Spanish in a December 2023 grievance, adding that workers treated residents with hostility. “Enough with the xenophobia.” * Block Club | ComEd Fired Him. Now, Urban Historian Shermann ‘Dilla’ Thomas Is Launching His Own Show: But in an 18-month whirlwind, Thomas went from helping ComEd improve its online image to losing his job in a massive layoff spree in September. The company’s new president and CEO, Gil C. Quiniones, went from attending Bears games with Thomas and his family to blocking the historian’s number, Thomas said. … Undeterred, Thomas is using his new free time to share his truth and also put Chicago’s history on the map. On Sunday, he announced he is launching a show about “the positive aspects of Chicago and its amazing history.” The first episode of “You Don’t Know Chi” drops Nov. 29 on YouTube. * Windy City Times | Ald. Lamont Robinson voted chair of Chicago’s LGBT Caucus: Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th Ward) was voted chair of the city’s LGBT Caucus in September and recently told Windy City Times the group of LGBTQ+ alderpeople plans to meet more regularly and collaborate with other groups to address the community’s most pressing issues. Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) will serve as the LGBT Caucus’ vice chair. * Block Club | Ukrainian Village Residents Urge Neighbors To Help Fund Private Security Patrol: If the group does raise the necessary funding — $200,000 for a yearlong contract — the security company would patrol the area between Damen Avenue and Leavitt Street and Cortez and Crystal streets. That includes part of the busy Division Street business corridor west of Damen. One patrol car would be in the area for a six-hour shift during the week and an eight-hour shift on Saturday and Sunday, according to a presentation given by P4 leaders at a Monday night community meeting. * Block Club | CTA Holiday Train, Bus Rides Start Next Week. Here’s The Schedule: The holiday train kicks off Nov. 29 and the holiday bus will roll beginning Nov. 26. Some dates include opportunities for photos with Santa. The schedules and arrival trackers can be found here. * Tribune | Endeavor Health is spending up to $453 million to settle patients’ claims that a former doctor sexually abused them: Endeavor is one of the largest health systems in the Chicago area, with nine hospitals, including several in affluent northern and western suburbs. It had $5.6 billion in revenue in 2023. The system reported an operating loss of $462 million, including the $453 in settlement costs, for the three months that ended Sept. 30. * Injustice Watch | Chief judge issues new order aimed at helping tenants facing eviction in troubled buildings: Tenants who live in substandard housing and face evictions got a boost from Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans last week, when he issued a new order making it easier for them to gather evidence against their landlords. The reform is one of several proposals stemming from the Injustice Watch series “The Tenant Trap,” which exposed how gaping inequities and legal loopholes give landlords an unfair advantage in court and often make it nearly impossible for tenants to assert their rights. * Naperville Sun | New security measures in place at Naperville Municipal Center: With new measures in place, visitors entering the municipal center during regular hours will need first to stop by a visitors services desk. There, a security guard will greet visitors, verify appointments and provide directions inside. Visitors will not be required to show identification, sign-in or pass through a metal detector. * WTTW | Cook County Finally Tops 70,000 Acres of Forest Preserve Land, Hitting Milestone With Newly Announced Purchase: More than 11% of Cook County — the second most populous county in the U.S. — is forest preserve land, a remarkable achievement given the region’s urbanization, according to Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, which also oversees the forest preserves. “It is unique for a metropolitan area like ours to have such a diversity of important habitats for native plants and wildlife at this scale and readily available to millions of local residents. It’s such an important legacy,” Preckwinkle said in a statement. “I am honored to preside over the moment when we cross over to more than 70,000 acres. This is a celebration of the importance of public land available for everyone to enjoy.”
* WIFIR | Hundreds of northern Illinois residents receive citizenship: More than 200 people from 49 countries become official United States citizens during a ceremony Monday at the Coronado Performing Arts Center. “I was nervous coming here today, but I feel happy. I feel happy for myself, for my family this year with me, and just happy in general for the Hispanic community,” said new U.S. citizen Jesus Cruz. * KFVS | Turkeys donated to southern Ill. volunteer organizations: State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) delivered the donated turkeys on Monday, November 18 to eight volunteer organizations in the communities of Mount Vernon, Mt. Carmel, Fairfield and Sesser. The donated turkeys will be used to help provide Thanksgiving dinners to southern Illinois families in need. * Nieman Lab | Two-thirds of news influencers are men — and most have never worked for a news organization: For the new report, released Monday, Pew conducted a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults, examined a sample of 500 “news influencers” across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube, and analyzed more than 100,000 posts in summer 2024. Each of the news influencers has at least 100,000 followers, regularly posts about news, and is run by an individual (not a news organization). And, yup, Joe Rogan’s Instagram account (19.4 million followers) is among those sampled.
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- Big Dipper - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 2:41 pm:
I’m sure Salvi knows that if migrants are seeking asylum they are not here illegally.
- Jibba - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 3:00 pm:
Some really interesting EVs will be coming to market soon, including the new Rivians and the VW microbus, and that tax credit might be the only way most of us can afford one.
- RNUG - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 3:21 pm:
== Thousands more are in the process of being mapped out and paid for. ==
Personally, I think EV’s have their place, but are way overpriced. I suspect this is partially due to the government supports / credits, but it’s hard to say if that problem is the chicken or the egg.
Regardless of how you personally feel about EV’s, they will never have a chance to o succeed without an established charging infrastructure in place.
- Sue - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 3:22 pm:
Unless Illinois creates an office of President- JB has zero chance at the big job/ he constantly is showing just how out of touch he is with the Country’s electorate- but what do the voters know- we aren’t as smart as the Governor
- Pundent - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 3:59 pm:
=Personally, I think EV’s have their place, but are way overpriced.=
The model Y, the 4th best selling vehicle in the country, sells for $45K before the Fed tax credit. That’s $3K less than the average price of a new car in the US. And if Tesla isn’t your cup of tea there are several other EVs at or below that price.
- Lurker - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 4:23 pm:
I’m losing track how many things Lesko runs for but it will be interesting if he does take this position only to eliminate it. Is it just me or does that seem far-fetched?
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 4:31 pm:
- they will never have a chance to o succeed without an established charging infrastructure in place. -
You think most houses had electricity when electric appliances hit the market? Were there gas stations on every corner when auto manufacturing started?
Most new items start off as luxuries.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 4:43 pm:
==but what do the voters know==
Well, the voters in Illinois seem to know something you don’t apparently.
==we aren’t as smart as the Governor==
Grow up for crying out loud.
- Sue - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 5:17 pm:
Oh my- Demoralized- if you can read you would see I said the Country’s electorate- takes more then Illinois ‘ 13 electoral votes to make it to 1600 PA Avenue -JB has as much of a chance than you or I
- Old IL Dude - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 5:58 pm:
When you read a story with “Friends of the Parks”, you KNOW it’s gonna be a PITA.
- Pot calling kettle - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 7:04 pm:
==if you can read you would see I said the Country’s electorate- takes more then Illinois ‘ 13 electoral votes to make it to 1600 PA Avenue -JB has as much of a chance than you or I ==
Take another look at the vote trends (including the item above under “elections”). The story of this election is the people who stayed home. Fewer people showed up to vote this year than in 2020 and the drop off for Biden-Harris was much bigger than for Trump. If Trump follows through on his promises, it will be the Dems to lose.
- H-W - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 7:59 pm:
@Sue
It is false to say JB is out of touch with the electorate, on the basis that Trump beat Harris. Indeed, it just a dumb statement.
Trump had more votes than Harris, because Harris had substantially fewer votes than Biden (and Clinton), who beat Trump in the popular vote.
That Trump convinced young men and slightly more ethnic minority men to vote for him in 2024 says nothing about 2028 or 2032. And unless Pritzker announces a run, your speculation about the needs and desires of the American people writ large is worse than speculative, because it has a parochial bias.
- RNUG - Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 11:03 pm:
== Most new items start off as luxuries. ==
If you know anything about automotive history, electric cars are not new. At one time in the early 1900’s - 1920’s almost 50% of all cars were electric. But the range and charging issues were limitations and, once Charles Kettering invented the electric starter for ICE cars, they came to dominate … and the gasoline infrastructure built out fairly rapidly.
EV’s, while getting better, still have some of those limitations. Building out the charging infrastructure eliminates, or at least reduces, one of those limitations.