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New Coalition Members from Across Illinois Unite to Protect the Tip Credit
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] “Eliminating the tip credit in Illinois would not only harm our hospitality industry and hardworking tipped employees but also inflict a negative trickle effect on businesses across various sectors. This legislation threatens to increase operational costs for businesses, leading to potential job losses and decreased consumer spending,” echoed Peter Tokar III, President & CEO of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. “It is imperative that policymakers consider the broader economic impact and work collaboratively with stakeholders to find effective solutions that support both businesses and consumers alike.” 
Tell your state legislators to VOTE NO on House Bill 5345 and Protect Illinois Hospitality
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Public mass transit coverage roundup
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Crain’s…
Heather Cherone has more on Acree’s transit experience…
Jake Sheridan at the Tribune…
Statehouse reporters asked Mayor Brandon Johnson yesterday about Acree’s experience…
Thoughts? * Nick Blumberg at WTTW covered the CTA board of directors meeting yesterday…
* WGN…
* Related… * Block Club | ‘Out Of Control’ Pigeon Poop Problem At Belmont Red Line Station Finally Cleaned Up, Ald. Says: After pleading with CTA President Dorval Carter and his staff to address the deplorable conditions of the Belmont stop, Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) was happy to announce the station has been deep cleaned and the pigeon poop removed. […] About a month ago, Lawson wrote a letter to Carter’s office asking the CTA president to visit the Belmont stop — the busiest CTA station north of the Loop — and see for himself how dirty and damaged the station had become. * Forest Park Review | CTA proposes new billboard, residents adamantly oppose it: The CTA proposed the 120-foot-tall billboard with two, 60-foot-wide LED screens that are always on, though they’re dimmed at night, at the southeast corner of the CTA Blue Line station in Forest Park. The CTA pitched the billboard to advertise goods and services, according to a staff report made last month by Steve Glinke, director of the village’s department of public health and safety. Because the billboard is slated to be on CTA property, Forest Park won’t get any money from the billboard’s advertisements. CTA said it’s still in discussion with the village and will have answers to questions at a later date.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Press release…
* Illinois Times | Future of Logan Correctional Center uncertain: The price tag for doing this would be about $935 million, Alex Gough, a spokesman for Pritzker said. State Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, said this estimate likely understates the cost of building a prison in the Chicago suburbs. * Triibe | Prison educators and abolitionists have mixed feelings about Pritzker’s proposal to rebuild Stateville and Logan correctional facilities: “I give him [Pritzker] credit for saying these buildings are terrible, and we need to just tear them down. I’m gonna give him credit for that,” Avalon Betts-Gaston said. She’s the executive director of the Illinois Alliance for Reentry & Justice, which aims to create alternatives to incarceration, reduce recidivism, and end mass incarceration. However, Betts-Gaston disagrees with state officials building new multi-million dollar carceral facilities while the root causes of crime and violence still aren’t being addressed. * Illinois Times | Legislation would support local journalism: The number of journalism jobs at Illinois newspapers has dropped 86% since 2005, but press advocates see signs of hope in proposed college scholarships, state tax credits, scholarships and other subsidies to benefit local news outlets. “I’m cautiously optimistic we will see something,” Sam Fisher, former president of the Illinois Press Association, said as the scheduled May 24 adjournment of the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session approaches. * Daily Herald | ‘Time for action is now’: Wheaton residents call for pedestrian traffic light on Roosevelt Road: Wheaton residents and educators implored state lawmakers to help save lives and fund a stoplight on a perilous stretch of Roosevelt Road at a Wednesday hearing in Springfield. “The time for action is now,” said resident Debbie Suggs, 77. “Every day of inaction brings us closer to another tragedy.” Community members, including Marian Park apartment dwellers and St. Francis High School leaders, are seeking help to pay for a traffic light at Roosevelt, east of County Farm Road. * NBC Chicago | Ascension hospitals report ‘disruptions’ to clinic operations following suspected cyber attack: The hospital system announced the disruption Wednesday, saying it had “detected unusual activity on select technology systems.”"At this time we continue to investigate the situation,” the hospital operator’s statement read in part. “We responded immediately, initiated our investigation and activated our remediation efforts.” * Chalkbeat | Not just oppression: Lessons from one state on how schools can get Asian American history right: The work happening in Illinois offers insight into what can help. It’s common for teachers to feel overwhelmed and think: “I need to teach this, I don’t even fully know this yet,” said Ouk, the visiting inclusive education director at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s College of Education. To address that, teacher trainers say they’re modeling lessons, showing teachers where Asian American voices and experiences naturally fit within existing curriculum, and sharing strategies that are useful for teaching the history of many marginalized groups. * NPR | Their first baby came with medical debt. These Illinois parents won’t have another: The first-time mother, a high school teacher in rural Illinois, had developed high blood pressure, a sometimes life-threatening condition in pregnancy that prompted doctors to hospitalize her. Then [Heather Crivilare’s] blood pressure spiked, and the baby’s heart rate dropped. “It was terrifying,” Crivilare said. She gave birth to a healthy daughter. What followed, though, was another ordeal: thousands of dollars in medical debt that sent Crivilare and her husband scrambling for nearly a year to keep collectors at bay. * WTTW | Johnson’s Senior Leadership Team More Diverse Than Previous Mayors’ Cabinets: Analysis: In all, the 34 appointments Johnson made between May 2023 and April 2024 that require confirmation by the Chicago City Council reflect the city’s racial diversity, as measured by the 2020 census, more closely than the appointments made by his two predecessors, former Mayors Lori Lightfoot and Rahm Emanuel. The second Black man elected Chicago mayor, Johnson tapped more Black Chicagoans to serve in positions of authority than Chicagoans of other races, according to WTTW News’ analysis. * Block Club | Police Rapidly Caught A Cop Killer. Families Of Slain Chicagoans Wonder: What About Us?: The group rallied Tuesday afternoon outside Chicago Police Area 1 Homicide Department, 5101 S. Wentworth Ave., to demand police resolve the investigations into their loved ones’ deaths with the same urgency as they did the fatal shooting of Officer Luis Huesca. A third of all murders recorded in 2023 in Chicago happened within the Area 1 boundaries, Chicago Police Department data shows. “Some of these mothers have been waiting for two years for justice. Officer Huesca’s mother, all she needed was 10 days,” said Baltazar Enriquez, director of Mother and Families United for Justice Committee of Chicago, a committee of the Little Village Community Council. * WTTW | Disgraced Detective Reynaldo Guevara Collecting $91K Annual Pension as Cost of His Misconduct Hits $62.5M With 33 Lawsuits Pending: In all, Guevara has banked more than $1.4 million in pension payments since he retired on June 15, 2005, having spent 32 years, two months and 27 days as a police officer and an employee of the Chicago Park District, according to records obtained by WTTW News through a Freedom of Information Act request. * Block Club | CHA Residents Rip CEO At Hearing: ‘We Need Something Much Better Than This’: Scott faced withering criticism and calls to resign from residents and even a member of the CHA’s governing board. They said the agency has let its properties deteriorate while failing to build additional homes during a citywide affordable housing crisis. Several resident leaders ripped Scott for rarely visiting CHA properties.“Tracey Scott, you seem to have forgotten that you are a guest here at CHA — you have outstayed your welcome,” said Francine Washington, speaking directly to Scott. Washington, a longtime CHA resident, has served on the CHA board since 2014. * Chicago | Frustrations rise after 9-year-old girl attacked by unleashed dog in Horner Park: ‘She was traumatized’: The attack has left some residents with mounting frustrations toward unleashed dogs in public. Just a few hundred feet from the attack is a gated, 25,000-square-foot designated dog park. “There’s no reason this should have happened,” Sieracki said. “A kid should be able to go play on the grass and do cartwheels and not have to worry about being attacked by dogs.” * WBEZ | You don’t have to be famous — or even from Chicago — to get an honorary street sign: Chicago started commemorating people who left their mark on the city through honorary street signs starting in the 1960s. It was an easier way to celebrate notable people without the logistical nightmare of officially changing a street name. The system was formalized in 1984 and has been in place since, with some tweaks over the years to try to slow down overzealous alderpeople. Today, you’ll find the little brown signs in every ward of Chicago, informally paying tribute along one or two designated blocks. * Daily Herald | Republican leaders slating legislative candidates despite new law banning it: Suburban Republican Party leaders are slating candidates for state legislative races that didn’t draw primary contenders despite a new law designed to prevent such aspirants from being considered by voters. The action is being encouraged by the Illinois State Board of Elections, which has said it will accept petitions from such candidates by a previously set June 3 deadline. The board then will consider any challenges to those petitions filed by June 10 — again, as scheduled. * Daily Herald | Campton Hills trustee resigns amid legal fight with state’s attorney: After barely serving a year, Campton Hills Trustee Timothy Morgan resigned at the end of Tuesday’s village board meeting. He said he was tired of fighting the Kane County state’s attorney’s office to keep his seat. Morgan was elected last year, but a 2002 felony DUI conviction in Michigan dogged his ability to keep his seat. * Pioneer Press | Arlington Heights School District 25 nurse fired over allegations of mishandling students’ meds: The Arlington Heights School District 25 Board of Education voted to fire the nurse at the center of a case the district has called a misuse of prescription medications, with the board president calling the situation a “breach of trust” that is “distressing and concerning.” The board voted 6-0 at a special meeting Wednesday night to fire registered nurse Tory Eitz, who had been the nurse at Westgate Elementary School for five years. Westgate is one of nine schools in District 25 and enrolls nearly 600 students in grades K to 5. * Illinois Times | Renovations, repairs ramping up at state fairgrounds: “Spring means construction here on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. And we’re still in the middle of a $58 million economic investment in the fairgrounds to address years of deferred maintenance,” said Rebecca Clark, Illinois State Fair manager. After completing the Coliseum roof overhaul in 2019, the crew now tackles a $16.8 million transformation. * WCIA | Springfield rolls out new crisis plan for severe weather, other emergencies: City officials said the plan was developed using lessons learned from last year’s derecho, which wreaked havoc on Springfield’s power grid. The crisis highlighted the need for effective communication during such an emergency; since then, officials worked to create a robust crisis communication strategy that ensures timely and accurate information when people need it most. * SJ-R | Ace Hardware acquires local franchise Bishop Ace across central Illinois: On May 9, a division of the Ace Hardware corporation announced the agreement to acquire Bishop Ace Hardware, a local 13-store chain in central Illinois which partnered with Ace in 1960. Bishop Ace owns and operates the Ace Hardware store in Chatham on North Main Street and two Springfield Ace Hardwares on North Walnut Street and Wabash Avenue. The buyout will be completed on July 28 of this year with the transition. * WCIA | 12 construction projects underway, starting soon in Macon Co.: 12 major construction projects are either underway or scheduled to begin in Macon County over the coming months, IDOT announced. Officials said the upcoming construction season is expected to be one of the busiest ever. The 12 projects, all under the scope of the Rebuild Illinois capital plan, will represent a state investment of nearly $195 million to improve safety and mobility. * Yahoo | Healthcare: Latinos still ‘experience particularly high uninsured rates,’ new data shows: Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made significant strides in healthcare coverage since it became enshrined into law in 2010, there are still racial and ethnic groups with high uninsured rates. According to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) exclusively shared with Yahoo Finance, the Latino uninsured rate in the US stands at 18%, twice as high as the US average. * AP | Guns are being stolen from cars at triple the rate they were 10 years ago, a report finds: The rate of stolen guns from cars climbed nearly every year and spiked during the coronavirus pandemic along with a major surge in weapons purchases in the U.S., according to the report, which analyzes FBI data from 337 cities in 44 states and was provided to The Associated Press. The stolen weapons have, in some cases, turned up at crime scenes. In July 2021, a gun taken from an unlocked car in Riverside, Florida, was used to kill a 27-year-old Coast Guard member as she tried to stop a car burglary in her neighborhood. * NYT | Cass Elliot’s Death Spawned a Horrible Myth. She Deserves Better.: Elliot was a charismatic performer who exuded infectious joy and a magnificent vocalist with acting chops she did not live to fully explore. July 29 is the 50th anniversary of her untimely death at 32, a tragedy that still spurs unanswerable questions. Might Elliot, who was one of Johnny Carson’s most beloved substitutes, have become the first female late-night talk show host? Would she have achieved EGOT status? […] For years, the origin of the story that Elliot died from choking on a ham sandwich — one of the cruelest and most persistent myths in rock ’n’ roll history — was largely unknown. Then in 2020, Elliot’s friend Sue Cameron, an entertainment journalist, admitted to publicizing it in her Hollywood Reporter obituary at the behest of Elliot’s manager Allan Carr, who did not want his client associated with drug use. (Elliot died of a heart attack, likely brought on by years of substance abuse and crash dieting.) * Poynter | Gannett fired an editor for talking to me: Sarah Leach, an experienced editor overseeing 26 Gannett community papers in four states, was fired via video conference first thing the morning of Monday, April 29. She was accused, she said, of “sharing proprietary information with (a reporter for) a competing media company.” […] Lyons did not say how the company identified her as a source. As best Leach and I can figure, they must have tapped into her office email. “That’s the only way I can think of that they could have known,” she said.
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Illinois Credit Unions: Member Driven Financial Cooperatives
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] 
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Budget cuts coming?
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * I told subscribers to expect this on Tuesday, then told them about the memo yesterday and then again this morning. Here’s Capitol News Illinois…
Another memo excerpt…
* Back to CNI, which quoted Assistant House Majority Leader Jay Hoffman during his appearance on Jak Tichenor’s revived Illinois Lawmakers program about the memo…
Should be fun to watch. The governor proposed about $1 billion in tax and revenue enhancements during his budget address. As noted in the story, a recent report from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget shows next fiscal year’s revenue is expected to increase by $295 million over an earlier projection.
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More on the Johnson visit
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some stuff in this Crain’s article didn’t actually happen (see above), but here’s one nugget…
I told subscribers about that yesterday. Click here to read it. Back to the article…
Asked if he had received any commitments for funding those and other items, Johnson told reporters…
* Back to Tina’s story…
Ald. Taylor learned something yesterday. Sfondeles made note of that when she asked the mayor this question yesterday…
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Broad Support For Carbon Capture And Storage Across Illinois, “Vital” For The Environment and Downstate Growth
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] A growing chorus of labor unions, government officials, business and industry voices, and the academic community are speaking up about the critical role that carbon capture and storage (CCS) can play in helping Illinois reach its clean energy goals. The Capture Jobs Now Coalition is supporting legislation (SB3311/HB569) to advance CCS projects in our state while prioritizing jobs and economic development in local communities. Pat Devaney, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, and Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association:
For more information on Capture Jobs Now, please click here
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Musical interlude: Live Theater Production Tax Credit lobbying
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Isabel posted a couple of clips earlier today, but this is most of the video. Here’s how some folks lobbied for the passage of the Live Theater Production Tax Credit proposal during today’s House Revenue Committee hearing… Video credit: Steve Andersson.
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Thursday, May 9, 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 Leslie, who serve their communities with dedication and pride. Black Beauty Collective - We Are RetaIL (irma.org)
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WAND…
* WGEM…
* Sen. Natalie Toro…
* WAND…
* KHQA…
* Sen. Julie Morrison…
…Adding… HB5426 would extend the live theater production tax credit…
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Eliminate Unnecessary Prior Authorization Delays To Improve Health Outcomes and Equity
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] In providing care to 3.6 million Medicaid customers, Illinois hospitals have seen the negative impact of managed care organizations’ (MCOs) prior authorization practices. It’s one of the biggest barriers to healthcare for children, people with disabilities, seniors and other adults with Medicaid coverage, who are disproportionately people of color. Inappropriate denials that lead to delayed care can worsen an individual’s health and lead to poor outcomes. Prior authorization can also exacerbate health disparities and “create barriers to care for medically underserved patients, patients of color, LGBTQ+ patients, patients in rural areas, and those at risk for poor health outcomes,” according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. What’s more, MCOs deny coverage requests for needed procedures or medical tests at twice the rate of Medicare, according to a 2023 U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services study. The Illinois Health and Hospital Association urges lawmakers to pass legislation that addresses harmful prior authorization practices and eliminates barriers to healthcare for Illinois’ most vulnerable populations. Medical decisions should be in the hands of patients and medical professionals, not insurance companies that reduce costs and increase profits by denying care that doctors recommend. Support IHA’s MCO prior authorization reforms.
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Open thread
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Mayor Brandon Johnson talks school funding, Bears stadium and ‘less high-profile budget needs’ during Springfield visit. Tribune.…
* Related stories… ∙ Crain’s: Johnson visits Springfield with over $100M in funding requests beyond $1B ask for CPS ∙ Sun-Times: More buddying up than budgets and Bears in Johnson’s first trip to Springfield as mayor ∙ CBS: Johnson lobbies for money for Chicago while Biden touts new jobs in Wisconsin * SJ-R | Lawmakers, organizations express frustration over continued licensing delays in Illinois: Under legislation signed into by Gov. JB Pritzker in December, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation had 90 days, or until March 7 to enter into contract with a technology vendor to build a new computer software system. Now two months after the deadline, lawmakers pressed IDPFR officials during a subject matter hearing in Springfield on Wednesday. “I mean, the reality is, Mr. Secretary (Mario Treto Jr.), this is a self-imposed deadline,” state Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, said during the House Health Care Licenses Committee hearing. “And you told us 90 days and then you said another 90 days, it would be implemented… it is very disappointing that this didn’t happen.” * Sun-Times | Hemp sellers push back on delta-8 ban as lawmakers tackle unregulated cannabinoid market: [Rep. La Shawn Ford’s] bill would limit sales to people 21 or older, prohibit name-brand lookalike packaging and require manufacturers to undergo product testing to obtain $500 licenses. Products would be taxed 10% at wholesale and 10% retail. […] That stands in opposition to a bill introduced last month by state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Hillside, that would halt sales of mind-altering, hemp-derived products pending a lengthy evaluation to set consumer safety standards. * WTTW | New DCFS Director Shares Vision for Troubled Agency: ‘It Requires Collaboration’: Heidi Mueller is taking on the big task of leading the beleaguered Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). […] The director said core priorities for her are ensuring kids have the best placement and increasing the number of placements available. She attributes these historic problems, in part, to a lack of government investment in DCFS. Pritzker’s 2025 budget proposal invests $100 million into the agency. * Capitol News Illinois | State officials offer last goodbye to former Thompson Center as renovations begin: “It already looks better than when we owned it,” Gov. JB Pritzker quipped on Monday. The Thompson Center, built in 1985, gained a reputation for being difficult to maintain. At the time of its sale, the governor’s office said the state spent $17 million annually on the building due to “operational inefficiencies” and that bringing it up to standard would have cost more than $325 million. * WTTW | CTA Touts Report Showing Transit’s Key Role in Chicago Region – But Agency President Quiet on Proposal to Merge CTA, Metra and Pace: While board chair Lester Barclay and one public commenter briefly mentioned the proposed governance reforms, Carter kept mum on the issue and focused his comments on funding and the MIT/Argonne report. “We’ll be incorporating this into our broader strategy down in Springfield as we continue the conversation around the fiscal cliff,” he said. * WTTW | Key City Panel Advances Johnson’s Pick to Serve on RTA Board After Tense Hearing: Acree repeatedly struggled to articulate exactly what changes he would make if confirmed to the RTA board to serve a five-year term, declining to answer questions about Johnson’s specific transit agenda and how he would implement it as a member of the 16-person board charged with financial oversight. Board members earn $25,000 annually and meet once per month. * Block Club | Pastor’s Appointment To Transit Board Advances Despite Saying He Rarely Rides CTA: “As a man, I don’t have to use CTA. I’m fortunate to have a car. But I use the CTA often when I come Downtown,” Acree said. “I came up on the CTA. I know the glory days. I looked at my own leadership skills, my ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders…and I thought this would be a great opportunity to come here and share my wisdom and the networks I represent. * Sun-Times | City Hall thrown under the bus: Report rips ‘do nothing’ effort to save Greyhound terminal: The city of Chicago has adopted a “do nothing approach” and offered no substantial plan to either purchase the station or propose an alternate site before Greyhound’s lease ends in October, according to the report by DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development. The report builds on the Institute’s brief from last year, when it established the need to save the station that serves a half-million riders yearly, many of whom are low-income or disabled. The terminal at 630 W. Harrison St. was put up for sale last year by a company that wants to sell it to a residential high-rise developer. * Sun-Times | City to pay $1.75M to family of woman found hanged at South Side police station: * Sun-Times | Uniting Voices Chicago receives largest-ever gift, from anonymous donor: “We are thrilled that we were given this anonymous gift and someone recognizing us from New York City … that they are recognizing the work that we’re doing,” said the organization’s president, Josephine Lee. Among other things, the gift will “at least double” the available scholarships for domestic and international tours, a spokesman for the organization said. It will also help pay for the continuing education of the organization’s music teachers. * WBEZ | Musician Steve Albini — ‘provocateur, troublemaker, firestarter’ — had an outsized influence on Chicago’s sound: Albini’s influence as a recording engineer and punk sage spanned genres and all levels of the recording industry. He worked on more than 2,000 albums in his lifetime. Many of those were among the most important bands of his generation, from America’s punk underground — with bands such as Slint, Silkworm, Jawbreaker, Pegboy, Tar and the Jesus Lizard — to mainstream stars like Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Cheap Trick, Bush and the Pixies. * Daily Southtown | Calumet City mayor promises to pay back disputed credit card charges after aldermen flag spending: Thousands of dollars in charges made on Calumet City’s municipal credit card that aldermen say could not be fully explained by Mayor Thaddeus Jones led aldermen Tuesday to recommend policy changes, including taking away Jones’ access to the card. A city spokesman said Wednesday Jones will repay the city for some of the expenses. Aldermen in April asked Jones to provide more information about a series of charges that showed up on an itemized bill listing totaling more than $13,000, including hotel stays in New Orleans, Uber rides and meals the aldermen did not remember being for city business. * Lake County News-Sun | Lake County GOP chair angered by new ballot-access law; ‘We will challenge it in court’: Lake County Republican Central Committee Chair Keith Brin is angry about a new law eliminating the ability of political parties to nominate candidates for offices where no nominee was selected in the primary election. He is planning a challenge. “You only change the rules when you think your party is going to lose,” Brin said. “That’s exactly what the Democrats have done. It’s offensive. It’s terrible.” * ESPN | Three more former Northwestern players file hazing lawsuits: Former linebacker Nathan Fox, who played for Northwestern from 2015 to 2019, and two men identified as John Doe filed the lawsuits in Cook County circuit court this week. Both Fox and the whistleblower, identified as John Doe 22, spoke with attorney Maggie Hickey, whom Northwestern hired to investigate John Doe 22’s allegations after they were first brought forward in late 2022. Hickey’s investigation found that the player’s hazing allegations could largely be corroborated but that there was no evidence Fitzgerald and other coaches and staff members had knowledge of the incidents. After Hickey’s investigation concluded, Northwestern suspended Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay. The whistleblower then went public with his allegations in the Daily Northwestern campus newspaper, and Northwestern president Michael Schill fired Fitzgerald two days later. * Crain’s | DuPage Water Commission pays $80 million for shuttered Northbrook golf club: After rejecting a plan to turn the shuttered Green Acres Country Club into a residential subdivision and watching a senior living development proposal fall apart last year, the village of Northbrook is now facing the prospect of a massive water treatment facility being built on what its leaders have dubbed the “emerald” of the north suburban community. * Daily Herald | Food scrap collection services growing, but not in all suburbs: Like Oak Park, several suburbs have gone one step further than ride-along services, offering a subscription composting program that allows residents to compost year-round. But while Oak Park’s compost service is with its regular trash and recycling hauler, some towns partner with local composting haulers. For instance, Hoffman Estates offers subscription through Evanston-based Collective Resource Compost Cooperative and Morton Grove through Chicago-based WasteNot. * Daily Herald | Lisle police chief out following employee complaint: On Monday, village trustees approved the agreement that allows Kevin Licko to use unused sick and vacation time and stay on as a sergeant until he retires on Oct. 1. […] Licko was placed on leave in February following an employee complaint against him. Mayor Christoper Pecak and Village Manager Eric Ertmoed declined to comment on the complaint or the investigation that followed. * CBS Chicago | Suburban Chicago native and paralympic athlete hopes to bring home the gold from Paris: Sarah Adam is the first woman named to the U.S. Wheelchair Rugby Team. She hopes to win gold at the Paralympics in Paris this summer. “It’s really, truly a relief when your name is finally called, and it’s exciting to be a part of the opportunity to go to Paris.” * WICS | HSHS Medical Group, St. John’s Hospital set to leave Aetna network by July 1: Effective on July 1, HSHS Medical Group and St. John’s Hospital in Springfield will no longer be in the Aetna network. Officials say negotiations between the two parties are ongoing but as of right now on July 1, HSHS Medical Group and St. John’s Hospital will no longer be in the Aetna network. * AP | Net neutrality restored as Federal Communications Commission votes to regulate internet providers: Net neutrality effectively requires providers of internet service to treat all traffic equally, eliminating any incentive they might face to favor business partners or to hobble competitors. The public interest group Public Knowledge describes net neutrality as “the principle that the company that connects you to the internet does not get to control what you do on the internet.” * WaPo | Fish are shrinking around the world. Here’s why scientists are worried: Overfishing and human-caused climate change are decreasing the size of adult fish, threatening the food supply of more than 3 billion people who rely on seafood as a significant source of protein. […] “This is a pretty fundamental question,” said Lisa Komoroske, a conservation biologist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. “But we still don’t understand why.” * Reuters | Exclusive-In Tesla Autopilot probe, US prosecutors focus on securities, wire fraud: Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems assist with steering, braking and lane changes - but are not fully autonomous. While Tesla has warned drivers to stay ready to take over driving, the Justice Department is examining other statements by Tesla and Chief Executive Elon Musk suggesting its cars can drive themselves.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Senate Exec Committee zooms CTU-opposed selective enrollment schools bill to the floor (Updated x2)
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * The Senate Executive Committee put House Bill 303 on the agreed bill list this afternoon and passed it unanimously without debate. That’s the bill sponsored by Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) which protects selective enrollment schools in Chicago from closure, admissions changes or disproportionate budget cuts. They did this while Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is in the Statehouse. Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union opposed the bill. Wow. …Adding… I had been told earlier this afternoon that Senate Exec likely wouldn’t be taking the bill up today out of deference to the mayor’s presence in the building. That obviously changed. …Adding… Mayor Johnson was asked for his reaction to the Senate Executive Committee’s action by reporters this afternoon…
Johnson also seemed to indicate he’ll do an availability at around 5 o’clock today.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup (Updated)
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller …Adding… Press release…
* WCIA…
Comptroller Susana Mendoza…
* Chronicle | Greenwood’s early cash influx outpaces Schmidt in 114th state House race: While money doesn’t guarantee political success, the lack of it all but guarantees failure. In 2022, Schmidt raised $131,000, with $22,000 coming from a loan from himself. He also received $57,000 in in-kind help, $42,000 of it from Republican political committees. […] On March 18, the Greenwood campaign received $61,000 from the Illinois Laborers’ Legislative Committee as part of $74,400 from 10 PACs, most of it union money. She also received $13,800 from Chicagoans Michael and Cari Sacks. Michael Sacks is chairman and CEO of Chicago-based GCM Grosvenor, a board member of the Barack Obama Foundation, and a member of two advisory boards to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnston. * Scott Holland | Truck fee proposal gives local governments options from the start: These thoughts surfaced while reading Bob Okon’s Herald-News report about Senate Bill 2784. State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, filed the plan to let municipal and county governments impose fees – from 50 cents to $8 – on each loaded semitrailer leaving an intermodal facility. She said the bill could raise $38 million a year for road repairs in the Joliet area. […] Imagine if there had never been a statewide grocery tax. Would someone like Rock Island’s Mike Halpin, another first-term Democratic senator, propose allowing local governments to enact a 1% tax on grocery sales? Backers could say it would raise up to $252 million to fund things like police and fire protection. State lawmakers wouldn’t be creating the tax, only the conditions for local officials to take those steps. […] One other thing to appreciate about SB 2784 is how it checks the “scalable solutions” box. As introduced, the plan applied only to trucks leaving yards of at least 3,500 acres, specifically facilities in Joliet and Elwood. Under a proposed amendment, it would apply to smaller facilities around the state. * Sun-Times | Illinois ended cash bail more than 6 months ago. Data shows early signs of success: Cook County Judge Charles Beach has presided over hundreds of pretrial hearings since Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail last fall. Despite all the anguish over the Pretrial Safety Act, Beach says he has been struck by how proceedings have significantly changed for the better in his courtroom. […] “There’s a sense in the courtroom that taking money out of the equation has leveled the playing field,” Beach said. * WJBC | Illinois saw massive increase in tourism in 2023: Illinois saw 39% more international tourists in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity news release. Roughly 2.16 million were welcomed into the Land of Lincoln, brining with them nearly $2.7 billion into the Illinois economy. * Sun-Times | 3 Chicago-area buildings are among state’s most at-risk historic locations: Portage Theater, located in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood, was one of those listed. The theater, completed in 1920, has been closed since 2018 and needs updates and repairs. […] “Restoring the historic Portage Theater would be the icing on the cake amid a real estate resurgence at Six Corners,” said Amie Zander, managing director for the Six Corners Association, an economic development organization focused on the neighborhood. * Block Club | Billy Goat Tavern Bringing Its Cheezborgers To Wrigleyville: Billy Goat Tavern is set to open its ninth Chicago-area location later this month at 3726 N. Clark St. in the former Full Shilling Public House. Although restaurant ownership has not announced an official opening date, Ana Luna, an assistant manager at the Billy Goat Tavern at 60 E. Lake Street, said the Wrigleyville location will be “opening soon.” * Sun-Times | Steve Albini, legendary rock underground pioneer, dies at 61: Steve Albini, the legendary studio sound engineer and artist who produced albums for Nirvana, the Pixies, Jesus Lizard, PJ Harvey and countless other icons of the indie rock underground has died. He was 61. […] For more than three decades, Albini made his musical magic happen at his Electrical Audio on Belmont Avenue, recording thousands of artists from across the city and across the globe. * Naperville Sun | Gun arrest No. 18 since August made at Naperville Topgolf parking lot: Joshua Passafiume, 25 of Coal City, was arrested Monday night outside the 3211 Odyssey Court business on a charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. His arraignment is scheduled for May 21, according to DuPage County Circuit Court records online. […] According to Naperville police Cmdr. Rick Krakow, officers were walking the lot on foot when they allegedly observed a firearm in plain view inside a Jeep. When Passafiume and another person returned to the Jeep, they asked them to exit and the observed firearm was recovered, he said. * WIFR | Stellantis reassures Belvidere the assembly plant will re-open: Morris adds there is no set deadline on when activity will pick up on Chrysler Drive, but he expects progress to start soon. […] In a statement from Stellantis, the manufacturing company says, “During the 2023 UAW contract negotiations, Stellantis remained true to our commitment to finding a sustainable solution for the Belvidere Assembly Plant. We are continuing to work toward finalizing the business case for Belvidere and will provide additional details at the appropriate time.” * WGLT | Normal mayor floats loan interest rate buydown program to address housing shortage: Normal Mayor Chris Koos has moved slightly off of his generally free market stance on development projects that could reduce the community housing shortage for mid-tier workers. Koos, speaking on WGLT’s Sound Ideas, said he’s now thinking about low interest buydowns of loans to get housing projects started, if a project meets the needs of the town for workforce housing. Such buydowns can lower the effective interest rate for financing used to put up apartment buildings. * STLPR | Mothers who need breast milk for their babies can turn to O’Fallon, Illinois dispensary: A newly opened dispensary at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, Illinois, is offering donated milk to families in the Metro East who need breast milk for their babies. The hospital opened the dispensary after a lactation nurse found many of her patients were having trouble breastfeeding but didn’t know where to find donor milk in the region, said Amanda Schaefer, the manager of the hospital’s women and infants center. * Crain’s | As pro sports teams seek larger stadium subsidies, some cities are pushing back: Pritzker isn’t alone. With many professional sports teams seeking public funding for new or renovated stadiums, voters and politicians in cities such as Kansas City, Washington D.C., Phoenix and, yes, Chicago are pushing back. […] Last week, the influential NFL website Pro Football Talk ran a story headlined, “The ship might be sailing on taxpayer money for NFL stadiums,” noting that while voters have always opposed taxpayer-funded stadium subsidies, “It’s becoming more clear that the elected officials are becoming less inclined to burn political capital by giving public funds to privately-owned football teams.” * NYT | Environmental Changes Are Fueling Human, Animal and Plant Diseases, Study Finds: “It’s a big step forward in the science,” said Colin Carlson, a biologist at Georgetown University, who was not an author of the new analysis. “This paper is one of the strongest pieces of evidence that I think has been published that shows how important it is health systems start getting ready to exist in a world with climate change, with biodiversity loss.”
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Another update to today’s edition (Updated)
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Inappropriate Prior Authorization Harms Patients: Support Reform For Private Insurers And MCOs
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] It’s a common practice among health insurance companies: denying coverage for a procedure or test a doctor recommends, and denying transfers and inpatient admissions. Denials through prior authorization can delay care that worsen patient health and lead to poor outcomes. Gov. JB Pritzker, in his Budget Address, promised to introduce a bill to “curb predatory insurance practices—putting power back into the hands of patients and their doctors.” The Illinois hospital community backs that bill, HB 5395, which would end prior authorization for inpatient mental health care for children and adults for the first 72 hours. We agree when the Governor said, “Doctors and their patients should be making decisions about patient care.… We should never, ever, ever, ever cede those decisions to the whims of insurance executives whose focus is always on the bottom line.” The Illinois Health and Hospital Association—and our membership of 211 hospitals—strongly supports efforts to hold insurance companies accountable and keep medical decisions in the hands of patients and medical professionals. Additional prior authorization reforms must extend to Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs). Inappropriate denials negatively impact healthcare for Medicaid patients, while reducing MCOs’ costs and increasing shareholder profits. Support IHA’s MCO prior authorization reforms.
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Mayor’s nominee to the RTA board says he didn’t know about upcoming $735 million transit fiscal cliff (Updated x3)
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here on politically connected Black church leaders being appointed to the CTA board who have little to no transit experience. And click here for some mass transit fiscal cliff background. Click here for live video… 
This, in a nutshell, is why the transit governing system needs to be reorganized and professionalized. …Adding… And he’s one step closer to the RTA board…  …Adding… Illinois Transportation Labor Association Chairman, J.J. Balonek…
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Support House Bill 4781
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] 
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Lil Wayne added to State Fair lineup
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WAND…
* WICS…
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WAND…
* AFSCME Council 31…
* WGIL…
* WGEM…
* Sen. Rachel Ventura…
* WAND…
* Sen. Julie Morrison…
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at 11:45 a.m.|
Welcome to Springfield
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Media advisory…
* Tahman Bradley at WGN…
I’m not sure how he’s made it clear that he’s pushing for state school funding. He and his people haven’t been doing much of anything in Springfield on this topic. Also, they’re owed a billion dollars? I’d like to see the receipts. * Tribune…
Not to mention that the mayor was silent after the CTU, his most important ally, called that school closure bill “racist.” * Politico…
I mean, he can try to point fingers. I doubt it’ll succeed. The city is his. The “onus” is on him.
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AG Raoul asks court to force Timpone/Proft papers to remove personal voter information from its websites
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * About a month ago in the Tribune…
* AG Raoul filed for a TRO and a preliminary injunction this week in Lake County…
* From the argument…
* The violation…
* Conclusion…
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Uber Partners With Cities To Expand Urban Transportation
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Uber is leading the charge to close critical transportation gaps, ensuring reliable access to its services in places that need it most, such as underserved areas like Englewood. This is a part of Uber’s broader commitment to augment and expand the reach of Chicago’s transportation ecosystem, focusing on overcoming the first-mile/ last-mile hurdles that have long plagued residents in farther afield neighborhoods. Uber aims to extend the public transit network’s reach, making urban transportation more accessible and efficient for everyone. Discover the full story on how Uber is transforming city transportation for the better.
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Pritzker expresses some concern about data center power usage, says state is ‘monitoring’
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * A story last month from Bloomberg…
Data centers qualify for a range of state tax exemptions and credits in Illinois and in other states. The incentives have helped create a ton of construction jobs and Illinois is now one of the top locations for data centers in the country. * Gov. JB Pritzker held a press conference yesterday to showcase the state’s burgeoning electric vehicle industry, so Isabel asked him about this topic…
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Get The Facts On The Illinois Prescription Drug Board
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] The price-setting board proposed in HB4472 is not the solution for Illinois. It would give bureaucrats the power to arbitrarily set medicine prices, deciding what medicines and treatments are “worth” paying for. We can’t leave Illinoisans’ health care up to political whims. Let’s make it easier, not harder for patients to access their medicines. Click here to learn more.
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Open thread
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Nearly 8 months into Illinois’ new era without cash bail, experts say recidivism and jail populations are trending lower. KDSK…
- The total number of inmates in custody at the jail is 384, down from a peak of 550, and a 19% reduction from where county jail population levels were on the day Illinois abolished cash bail. -Under the new system, Eric Rinehart, the top prosecutor in Lake County, said judges now place their focus on “safety, safety, safety, and not access to cash.” * Tribune | CTU’s credibility questioned in Springfield as their biggest ally, Mayor Brandon Johnson, heads to state Capitol: The Chicago Teachers Union’s role in the debate over legislation that would extend for two years a moratorium on closing public schools in the city — including selective enrollment and magnet schools — has raised questions about the powerful union’s credibility in Springfield for some lawmakers. The CTU’s biggest ally, Mayor Brandon Johnson, is headed to the state Capitol on Wednesday to plead for more school funding from the state amid negotiations over a new teachers union contract and on the same day a Senate committee hearing is scheduled on the moratorium extension, which was approved by the House last month. * Capitol News Illinois | Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers: Rampant sexual abuse occurred unchecked for decades at Illinois’ juvenile detention centers, a new lawsuit filed on behalf of 95 former detainees alleges, citing hundreds of incidents over more than two decades. The plaintiffs were boys between 12 and 17 years old when the alleged abuse occurred and are now adults. The alleged perpetrators were both men and women working in the facilities. * AP | Survivors of alleged abuse in Illinois youth detention facilities step forward: Calvin McDowell, 37, who alleged he was abused by a chaplain at a suburban Chicago youth center as a teenager, said he didn’t want others suffering as he did for decades. “Instead of being cared for, I felt more alone than ever,” McDowell said at a Chicago news conference. “I held my secret from the people I loved out of fear and embarrassment. I had nights where I wanted to give up on life.” * Tribune | Illinois hemp businesses owners call for regulation and taxation, not prohibition: Hemp entrepreneurs came out Tuesday in favor of a state legislative proposal to license hemp sales, require testing and labeling of their products, prohibit products that look like well-known snack brands, and limit sales to those 21 and over. The bill would create 10% wholesale and a 10% retail sales taxes, and an unlimited number of $500 licenses. That proposal stands in contrast with a bill backed by the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, which would prohibit sales of hemp-derived intoxicating products. * Capitol News Illinois | Thousands of youths at risk of losing access to after-school programs: Advocates for community-based after-school programs say as many as 40,000 youths statewide could lose access to tutoring services, recreation and other extracurricular activities this summer unless Illinois lawmakers approve an infusion of funds to keep them going. “The time is now for legislators to act to save after-school (programs),” Susan Stanton, executive director of Afterschool for Children and Teens, or ACT Now, said at a Statehouse rally Tuesday. “We literally only have weeks left before programs have to shut their doors. Staff will be laid off and families will be in crisis.” * Daily Herald | A push to raise pay for those who work with developmentally disabled: James Sitati, who has worked at Little City for 20 years, describes DSPs like himself as jacks-of-all-trades. His duties include waking up residents, getting them breakfast and medication, and taking them to daily enrichment activities. […] Sitati said the $2.50 raise this year has helped, but a raise next year also would mean less overtime and more time with his family. It would also help attract more people to the profession and ensure a higher quality of work, he added. * WAND | Gov. Pritzker marks grand opening of Ferrero chocolate factory in Bloomington: Governor Pritzker joined the Ferrero North America team three years ago to break ground on the new facility. Construction was completed this year. The $75 million investment from Ferrero builds on the company’s impact in Illinois. In 2018, Ferrero took over management of a manufacturing plant in Franklin Park, Illinois, where they focus on Butterfinger and Baby Ruth products. The company also manufactures Keebler products at a plant located on 110th street in Chicago. * Tribune | Bally’s Chicago sees first monthly revenue decline in April: Bally’s Chicago revenue was down 7% to about $10.4 million in adjusted gross receipts in April, the first month-over-month revenue decline since the temporary casino opened at Medinah Temple in September. Admissions were also down, declining more than 4% to 112,751 visitors for the month, according to data released Tuesday by the Illinois Gaming Board. * Crain’s | Legalizing video gambling in Chicago could come with a major hitch: The city’s agreement with Bally’s, called the host community agreement, or HCA, lays out parameters for the separate $2 million annual payments to the city. At the time the casino was approved, city officials said those payments were needed to support community groups and to cover an increased police presence around Bally’s temporary casino at Medinah Temple as well as its future permanent location in River West. But those payments would be “subject to good-faith renegotiation” if a second casino was permitted in the city, if gambling taxes were increased or if new forms of gambling were permitted in the city. * Tribune | Proposal aimed at quieting anti-abortion protests outside Chicago clinic moves forward in City Council: Protesters have targeted the West Loop’s Family Planning Associates clinic at West Washington Boulevard and North Desplaines Street for years, said Ald. Bill Conway, 34th. They rush toward arriving patients and amplify sound so loud that it disrupts work being done inside, he said. The ordinance Conway sponsored that passed through the City Council’s Public Safety committee Tuesday seeks to block the use of loud noise-making devices directly outside the clinic. * Sun-Times | Friends of the Parks ‘prepared to fight for the lakefront’ in battle for new Bears domed stadium: Gin Kilgore, acting executive director of the group, tried hard to thread a needle Tuesday, in her first extended interview since the Bears unveiled their $5.9 billion plan to build and finance that stadium and retire existing debt used to renovate Soldier Field and Guaranteed Rate Field, current home of the White Sox.[…] “We are prepared to fight for the lakefront. We are prepared to stand on behalf of the doctrines, the principles that say our lakefront should be forever open, clear and free for public use. … [But] this is not a fully-fleshed-out proposal,” she added. * Crain’s | Claiming fraud, lender sues migrant shelter landlord: A venture led by Chicago real estate investor A.G. Hollis and developer Scott Goodman defaulted on an $11.5 million loan tied to the 50,000-square-foot building at 344 N. Ogden Ave., according to a lawsuit filed May 3 in Cook County Circuit Court by an affiliate of Greenwich, Ct.-based lender Knighthead Funding. Knight alleged in the complaint that the Hollis-Goodman entity failed to make its loan payments since October and that it engaged in a “fraudulent scheme” to sign a lease for the property to be used as a shelter for asylum seekers. * Fox Chicago | Outdoor dining season kicks off amidst political debate over Clark Street closure: Some local restaurants along the 400 block of North Clark Street have petitioned the city to shut down the street, a measure implemented since the onset of COVID-19, to create an outdoor dining plaza. This proposal, which has been successful in previous years, has sparked division within the community. While advocates argue for the benefits of pedestrian-friendly dining spaces, opponents, including numerous businesses and neighborhood groups, insist on keeping the street open to vehicular traffic, citing concerns about traffic congestion and its impact on nearby establishments. * Pioneer Press | If a Bears stadium isn’t built in Arlington Heights, village leaders already listed what can’t be constructed on the site: It was almost three years ago when the Arlington Heights Village Board set restrictions on the usage of the now-former racecourse property. Those use stipulations came even before the Bears bought the land. […] The new zoning insists on sustainable development features such as permeable pavers, green rooftops, energy efficient building design, solar energy and bicycle access. It also permits the continued use of the property as a horse racing track. However, the grandstand, stables and all of the other elements of the racetrack have been demolished. * Daily Herald | Last billboards in Arlington Heights — other than one owned by Bears — to come down: With approvals due to expire next month for the Bears’ revenue-generating billboard at Arlington Park, Arlington Heights village board members this week told a small-business owner to tear his old billboards down. The village is one of the few towns in the area that prohibits such signage, but has made exceptions, such as the 20-by-60-foot double-sided digital sign installed on the west side of the racetrack site in 2017. * Daily Herald | Metra ‘wants to be part of the conversation’ on merging with CTA and Pace, but stays neutral: “We share the view that this is an opportunity to improve public transportation for this and future generations,” Metra officials said. “Metra stands ready to continue its work on behalf of regional riders and taxpayers. We want to be transparent; we want to listen to all stakeholders to address our funding issues; and we want to be part of the conversation to create the best possible public transportation system for the region.” * WCBU | Peoria Township residents cast their opinion on a different style of voting this November: Residents of Peoria Township face an unusual question down-ballot this November: would they support the adoption of ranked choice voting in Illinois? The question is non-binding, but it does check the temperature of the public’s sentiment toward the policy. Voters might remember a similar question on independent legislative redistricting, called “fair maps” by supporters, that township voters approved by a 3-to-1 margin in 2022. * WCIA | Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever confirmed in Champaign County: The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced that a case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever was recently confirmed in Champaign County. The illness is a tickborne disease that the CDC calls “one of the deadliest” in the Americas. It takes one to four days to show symptoms of RMSF, which include a high fever, a severe headache, muscle soreness, gastrointestinal distress, and swelling both around the eyes and the back of the hands. * Tribune | ‘We’re just getting bit’: Chicago White Sox back to 20 games under .500 with loss to Tampa Bay Rays: The Sox went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base while falling to 8-28 — their worst 36-game start in franchise history. For the second time this year, they are a season-high 20 games under .500. “It’s not too much different than what I’ve been telling you guys the whole year about me — there’s a lot of good, there’s some bad and we’re just getting bit,” Soroka said. “We’re putting together better at-bats of late, we’re putting together better innings. It’s just a matter of keep going.” * WaPo | Gregg Doyel, a longtime voice at the newspaper, will not be allowed to cover the Indiana Fever: The paper did not offer any details, saying it does not comment on personnel matters. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, Doyel will not attend Fever games in person this season but may still write about the team. Earlier Tuesday, Bob Kravitz, a former Star columnist, reported on Doyel’s ban on his Substack newsletter and said Doyel is in the midst of a two-week suspension. The person familiar with the situation confirmed the suspension to The Post and added that it is unpaid. * WaPo | Boy Scouts rebrands as Scouting America, dropping gendered name: After 114 years of being known as the Boy Scouts of America, the nation’s largest scouting organization is changing its name to the more inclusive Scouting America. The major rebrand, announced Tuesday, comes after years of turmoil for the organization, as well as major changes meant to stem the tide of declining membership. The new Scouting America name is also a reflection of the organization’s biggest change: the decision five years ago to welcome girls into its ranks at all levels. * NYT | France Says It Built the Olympics Safely. Migrant Workers Don’t Count.: But inspection records and other documents show that Olympics sites have been more dangerous than organizers have let on, with some projects failing to meet basic safety standards. When undocumented immigrants are hurt on the job, workers and officials say, the injuries are often handled off the books, all but guaranteeing that they will not show up in government statistics. […] When two workers died on a subway project that Mr. Macron’s former transportation minister called “the lifeline of the Olympics,” their deaths were not included in the Olympic total.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Protect Illinois Hospitality Adds New Coalition Members From Across Illinois To Protect The Tip Credit
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] SPRINGFIELD - Protect Illinois Hospitality announced today the addition of five new organizations who are joining the coalition of other tipped workers, service operators, and local businesses who want to preserve the tip credit in Illinois. These new members include the Chicago Southland Black Chamber of Commerce, Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, McLean County Chamber of Commerce, Bolingbrook Chamber of Commerce, and the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce – bringing the coalition up to 26 members.
Tell your state legislators to VOTE NO on House Bill 5345 and Protect Illinois Hospitality
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup (Updated)
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller …Adding… The House has canceled session for Friday, May 10th.
Here’s where fired cops get hired in Illinois…  * Illinois Economic Policy Institute…
* NBC Chicago | Millions of birds will migrate over Illinois in the coming days. Here’s what to know: That trend is expected to continue Monday and Tuesday night, with officials expecting “high levels” of migrating birds to take flight over the state. You can find a bird migration map here. “You may observe their movements birding and listening by day and night,” an alert from Birdcast said. “Remember that high intensity nocturnal migration may not necessarily mean an excellent day of birding; rather it means that large numbers of birds are migrating or predicted to migrate at night.” * WCIA | Asian longhorned tick found in Illinois for the first time: Since the species was first discovered in the U.S. in 2017, it has been found in 19 states. As of April 12, Illinois has become the 20th. […] “In some cases of severe H. longicornis infestation, livestock death has been reported,” said Dr. Mark Ernst, Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) State Veterinarian. “Farmers and producers should continue working with their veterinarian to maintain an appropriate management plan.” * Bloomberg | Pritzker downplays protest risks for Dems’ convention in Chicago: “We feel like we’re in much better shape,” Pritzker said in an interview in Bloomberg’s Chicago office. “But I understand why people can get nervous because if you were around in the summer of 2020, it’s going to take a little while I think for people’s tensions to decrease.” “I do not think that we are going to have anything like that,” Pritzker added, “and in particular, it’s because there’s such good security that has been planned for this convention.” * Block Club | This Vacant Bungalow Is Owned By The CHA — And Now It’s A Drug Stash House : Just before that story was published, the CHA promised it would spend as much as $50 million in 2024 to rehab dozens of homes and sell some to CHA residents. The two-story, red-brick home at 849 N. St. Louis was picked to be one of them. Nearly six months later, only a handful of units have been finished citywide, and no work has been done at 849 N. St. Louis. Neighbors say it’s in worse shape than ever. * Block Club | Ban On Unaccompanied Minors Downtown Should Be Lifted, Park Group Says — Will Mayor Agree?: Leslie Recht, president of the Grant Park Advisory Council, told Block Club that council members have raised questions to the park district and the Mayor’s Office surrounding the policy. Both offices have indicated that the youth ban will resume this year, Recht said. * Sun-Times | City workers who accused Water Department supervisors of racism agree to tentative $5.8 million settlement: Announcement of the settlement comes just a month before the case was to go to trial. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly had yet to rule on whether former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, now serving as U.S. ambassador to Japan, would have to testify. The deal must still be finalized and then approved by the City Council. Details of the settlement were not filed in federal court, but an attorney for the workers disclosed the amount. A spokeswoman for the city Law Department declined comment. * Crain’s | Report rips city, state inaction as Loop Greyhound terminal faces closure: Just a few months remain before the impending shutdown of the West Loop Greyhound bus station threatens to leave 500,000 riders a year without easy access to affordable transportation, but neither the city nor state seems interested in doing much about it. That’s the bottom line of a new report today from DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, a report that dings local government officials hard for apparent indifference to the struggles of a mode of transportation that is heavily used by low-income, often minority patrons without other good options to get around. * Naperville Sun | Naperville staff to restart search for employee DEI training services: Envisioning Equity Work had been chosen over a dozen other vendors who responded to the city’s request for proposals in August 2023. A selection team evaluated applicants and eventually chose the firm as its top choice. But council members weren’t entirely sold. […] Members also questioned whether city-offered DEI educational courses would cover training separately required by the state for law enforcement. According to the Illinois Police Training Act, there are minimum in-service training requirements that a law enforcement officer in the state must complete every three years. Among the topics that need to be covered are cultural competency, implicit bias, and racial and ethnic sensitivity. * SJ-R | Grocery tax, new hotel and more: Springfield mayor marks one year with exclusive interview: SJ-R: If the State’s grocery tax is repealed, what will the city do? Buscher: I believe it will be repealed. The question is when. Our Office of Budget and Management has calculated we will lose $3.8 million in revenue that we’ve already built into our budget. Any of our state legislators are going to vote for fewer taxes on its citizens. There are state legislators who are aware that it’s hurting municipalities. * BND | St. Clair County will demolish derelict properties until $2 million state grant runs out: It is starting this month with 31 properties the county owns: a vacant commercial building in Belleville and 30 derelict homes in Cahokia Heights. The county acquired the properties, among thousands of others, when the former owners stopped paying property taxes. This first round of demolitions will cost $260,780, according to the contract. * SJ-R | LGBTQA+ nonprofit newspaper opens brick-and-mortar location in Springfield: Editor and publisher of the Illinois Eagle Tom Wray said it was time to expand the news organization to its own solid location and stop cluttering his living space with the news. “Literally it was the past few years in the backroom of my house,” Wray said. “Either the house I rented, or the house I own now. It’s getting to the point I simply don’t have the room in my house anymore. I also needed the separation of working from my home; I already have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and have to work at concentrating.”The new location for the online newspaper is the historic 1133 W. Governor St. which was previously the House + Garden reSource gallery home decor until owner Greg Pierceall relocated to 1220 W. Governor St. last year. * Tribune | U.S. Dept. of Education launches FAFSA support strategy with deadline for federal aid inching closer: The U.S. Department of Education announced additional steps on Monday to support the many students and their families who are in the process of completing the overhauled Free Application for Federal Student Aid after a shaky relaunch and complicated start for applicants. […] In a news release, the department said the $50 million program is part of the “FAFSA Student Support Strategy” and addresses known issues with the 2024-25 form to help boost its completion. Since the application became available in December, only around 9 million forms have been successfully submitted, according to the Department of Education. * Bloomberg | TikTok sues feds to block Krishnamoorthi-backed divest-or-ban law: TikTok has argued that the law will stifle free speech and hurt creators and small business owners who benefit economically from the the platform. The company previously said that it spent more than $1.5 billion to isolate its US operations and agreed to oversight by American company Oracle Corp. [..] The legal battle comes after President Joe Biden signed into law a Ukraine-Israel aid package that includes the TikTok provision co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who lead the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. * Bloomberg | NFL poised to allow teams to sell 30% of franchise to private equity: Proposals under discussion would let buyout firms individually acquire as much 10% of a team, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential. A special NFL committee is meeting to examine the league’s ownership rules. Talks are ongoing and the percentages may change, some of the people said. A spokesperson for the NFL declined to comment.
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Support House Bill 4781
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.]
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Caption contest!
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the governor’s daily public schedule…
* The governor talked to someone today while standing next to a Lion Electric school bus, which was built in southwest suburban Channahon… 
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Get The Facts On The Illinois Prescription Drug Board
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] The price-setting board proposed in HB4472 is not the solution for Illinois. It would give bureaucrats the power to arbitrarily set medicine prices, deciding what medicines and treatments are “worth” paying for. We can’t leave Illinoisans’ health care up to political whims. Let’s make it easier, not harder for patients to access their medicines. Click here to learn more.
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Unclear on the concept
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. Could this be true?…  Of course not. It’s Jeanne Ives, for crying out loud. She’s never been a reliable source of facts. The fact that she served three terms in the Illinois House may lead people to think she can accurately comment on legislative proposals. But notice she doesn’t provide a link to the bill so you can’t just easily click here and look for the repealer language and see for yourself as plain as day that what’s being repealed are the three sections creating non-binding referendums. Ives ought to know this because those three referendums were specifically created to prevent her own statewide referendum from seeing the light of day because Illinois limits the number of statewide questions to three. Maybe I’m wrong, but I refuse to believe Ives is that spectacularly dumb. * And Ives wasn’t alone… 
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Broad Support For Carbon Capture And Storage Across Illinois, “Vital” For The Environment and Downstate Growth
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] A growing chorus of labor unions, government officials, business and industry voices, and the academic community are speaking up about the critical role that carbon capture and storage (CCS) can play in helping Illinois reach its clean energy goals. The Capture Jobs Now Coalition is supporting legislation (SB3311/HB569) to advance CCS projects in our state while prioritizing jobs and economic development in local communities. Pat Devaney, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, and Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association:
For more information on Capture Jobs Now, please click here
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Pritzker says a prison ‘can’t be a great economic growth strategy’ for Logan County area
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * The governor made his second trip to the Bloomington area in a week today…
* Pritzker took questions…
That assumes he can convince a big company to open up a facility in or near Lincoln. It’s within his power to simply rebuild that prison where it’s at now. Then again, the Ferrero plant is only a half-hour drive from Lincoln. And the Rivian plant is a few miles further. Discuss.
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Tuesday, May 7, 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 Leslie, who serve their communities with dedication and pride. Black Beauty Collective - We Are RetaIL (irma.org)
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Learn something new every day
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * There’s more to this, but yeah…  * A statue of James Shields was erected in the Hall of Columns in 1893 to represent Illinois…
He and Lincoln settled their differences without violence, but Lincoln challenged Shields’ bid for a second US Senate term. Lyman Trumbull was eventually elected in a three-way contest. Shields was an anti-slavery Democrat. * Frances E. Willard represents Illinois in the National Statuary Hall…
Thoughts?
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City Bureau, Invisible Institute’s coverage of missing Chicago Black women wins Pulitzer
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * City Bureau…
* Here’s an excerpt of the seven part series…
* Here’s another heartbreaking excerpt…
* More… * Tribune | Two Chicago nonprofit news startups win Pulitzer Prizes: “They found that across the city, this is a consistent issue, that the cases, depending on your ZIP code, determines how much effort they put into finding you, as well as how much your family is allowed access to be a part of the investigation,” said Morgan Malone, who joined City Bureau this year as its first executive director. * City Bureau, Invisible Institute Win Pulitzer For Coverage Of Missing Black Women In Chicago: Reynolds-Tyler was thrilled to hear the news, she said Monday afternoon. “As a little Black girl from the South Side of Chicago this is … I just feel very honored. I’m so grateful for the opportunity for us to model investigative data journalism, really excited that we are able to do this in the third largest metropolitan city in the country. The level of intention and care that can come to journalism can be healing, it can be heavy, it can set a record. And this work embodies truth, the truth of law enforcement. It’s the truth of families. It’s the truth of advocates,” said Reynolds-Tyler, a trained restorative justice practitioner. * Poynter | Small newsrooms won big in the 2024 Pulitzers: Conway said she was proud of their work, and proud of the families who took a chance on speaking with them for the investigation. “We took a lot of pride and diligence in moving with a lot of care, in sourcing and research, and connecting with people who’ve been impacted over the past few years,” Conway said. “The recognition is something I hope lends credence to their experiences and their stories, and what they’ve gone through — who their loved ones were. Because we found, in our reporting, a lot of people had been harmed and neglected by the city and, in particular, the Chicago Police Department, at a really painful moment in their life.” * NYT | How a Tiny Chicago News Organization Won 2 Pulitzers: Mr. Lacour’s podcast won one of two Pulitzers this year for the Invisible Institute, a small, crusading newsroom on Chicago’s South Side known for holding city authorities to account. The other prize, for local reporting, went to the organization’s data director, Trina Reynolds-Tyler, who reported an investigative series on missing Black girls and women in Chicago. * Crain’s | MLK biographer Eig and City Bureau, Invisible Institute rack up Pulitzers: City Bureau Executive Director Morgan Malone praised the reporting in a statement accompanying the award announcement. “‘Missing in Chicago’ serves as proof that investigative reporting with engagement and community in mind are a necessity, versus a ‘nice to have,’” Malone wrote.
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WAND…
* Press release…
Here’s more background from a March Daily Herald article…
* Legislation cracking down on shoulder parking near O’Hare will be heard tomorrow in the Senate Executive Committee. Here’s the latest amendment…
* Protect Illinois Hospitality…
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Open thread
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Lawsuit alleges decades of child sex abuse at Illinois juvenile detention centers statewide. AP…
-The 186-page complaint was filed in the Illinois Court of Claims. -The lawsuit names the state of Illinois, the state’s Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice as defendants. It seeks damages of roughly $2 million per plaintiff. * Related stories…
∙ NYT: Lawsuit Claims Widespread Sex Abuse at Illinois Youth Detention Centers ∙ People: He’s the Mayor of a Tiny Illinois Town — But Lawsuit Claims He’s Sex Abuser Who Preyed on Incarcerated Boys Governor Pritzker will be in Bloomington at 10 joining Ferraro to celebrate a new factory opening. At 1 pm, the governor will give remarks at IMA Electric Vehicle Showcase Day at the Governor’s Mansion. Click here to watch. * WGN | Johnson headed to Springfield to lobby ‘on behalf of the people of Chicago’: “There are a host of things that I will be requesting on behalf of the people of Chicago,” Johnson said about his impending trip to Springfield. The mayor will try to help the Bears, who are seeking public funding for a new lakefront stadium, but that’s not his focus. Team President Kevin Warren is leading the charge. […] Johnson is also keeping a close eye on school funding. * Capitol News Illinois | House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo: House Bill 5465 would allow a human trafficking victim to have their juvenile record from crimes committed while being trafficked as a minor sealed or expunged. The proposal is an extension of House Bill 2418, which granted similar provisions to people who were trafficked as adults. The law was signed by Gov. JB Pritzker last year following unanimous approval by lawmakers and took effect on Jan. 1, 2024. It also allows the victim to petition remotely, and to have the petition sealed. * Center Square | Advocates, legislators push for $140 million to fund violence prevention: The Reimagine Public Safety Act calls for a comprehensive approach to reducing violent crime through targeted community investments. Advocates and violence prevention groups gathered in Springfield recently to push for $140 million. Target Area Development Director of Research and Re-entry Edward McBride said the reduction of crime in Chicago can be attributed to the Reimagine Public Safety Act and peacekeepers, who receive about $200 a day in taxpayer dollars. * Tribune | Secretary of state’s office urges residents to get a Real ID as federal deadline is a year away: Only about 23.5% of Illinois residents have obtained the Real ID card, which is marked by a gold star in the upper right corner, according to the secretary of state’s office. The low number is a cause for concern for the office since getting the document is more involved than applying for a regular state driver’s license renewal. Real ID applicants must go in person to a secretary of state driver services facility and provide proof of identity, proof of full Social Security number, two current residency documents and proof of signature. The full list of acceptable documents is available on the secretary of state’s website. * WCIA | State representatives talk on UIUC campus about uptick of antisemitism : State Representatives Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield), Dan Didech (D-Buffalo Grove), and Tracy Katz Muhl (D-Northbrook) spoke at University of Illinois’ quad on Monday (Holocaust Remembrance Day) about the rise of antisemitism. They were joined by local Jewish leaders, including Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel from Illini Chabad and Erez Cohen from Illini Hillel. * Bond. Buyer | Illinois to issue $1.8 billion of general obligation bonds: Illinois will issue $1.8 billion of general obligation bonds — $250 million taxable Series 2024A and $1.55 billion tax-exempt Series 2024B — to fund accelerated pension benefit payments and capital expenditures through the Rebuild Illinois program. * SJ-R | Teacher salaries in Illinois among best in the nation, new report finds: According to the new report, the average teacher salary for 2022-2023 was $69,544, which is a 4.1% increase from the 2021-2022 school year. An increase in teacher salaries was also seen in Illinois, according to the new report. The average teacher salary in Illinois was $73,916 for 2022-2023, a 2.2% increase from 2021-2022 when salaries were $72,315. Overall, Illinois ranked as the 12th best state across the country for teacher salaries. * Sun-Times | Google it! Thompson Center’s $280M redevelopment kicks off, to become Google’s Chicago HQ: The renovation of the center comes at a time of wider transformation for the Loop. Mayor Brandon Johnson announced in April that he’s seeking $150 million in tax increment financing for four La Salle Street adaptive reuse projects. The conversions would create more than 1,000 new apartments in the city’s Central Business District, bringing new use to largely vacant office buildings. * Crain’s | Two of Chicago’s pension plans could deplete assets by 2030, report warns: As Mayor Brandon Johnson searches for a fix for the city’s pension challenges, a liberal-leaning nonprofit is warning the situation could become dire as early as 2030. That’s according to a new report from the Center for Tax & Budget Accountability, or CTBA, which examined Chicago’s four public employee pensions. The CTBA has previously published reports on the state’s pension systems; its latest publication focuses on the city’s pensions. * Block Club | Thompson Center’s Transformation Into Google’s Chicago Headquarters Begins: Google announced in July 2022 it would take over the Thompson Center, saying it’d buy the building for $105 million after it is renovated by The Prime Group and Capri Investment Group. Demolition of the building’s exterior began Friday as Google plans to turn the Helmut Jahn-designed building into its new Chicago headquarters, employing as many as 1,000 workers in the famed complex. * Block Club | Trilogy’s Chatham Wellness Center Brings Therapy And More To South Side ‘Mental Health Desert’: * Daily Southtown | Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard vetoes hiring of former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot: Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard vetoed action by trustees to hire former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to conduct a probe into the mayor and village finances during a raucous Village Board meeting Monday. “How dare you think you can come into someone’s town and do work,” Henyard said, saying trustees who voted to hire Lightfoot an an April 8 meeting overstepped their authority. “There is a right way to do things and this is just not that,” Henyard said in delivering her veto. […] The meeting at one point dissolved into a shouting and finger-pointing match between Henyard and Trustee Kiana Belcher, with some residents getting up from their chairs to shout their own comments. * WGN | Woman accusing community activist Andrew Holmes of assault releases video statement: Fenia Dukes released the video Monday, following several weeks of communications between her and WGN Investigates about a potential interview. Dukes said she wanted to share her story because she feels victimized twice: first by community activist Andrew Holmes, a colleague she respected, and then again when she reported the alleged incident to her boss, Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard. * NBC Chicago | First Dolton board meeting takes place since subpoenas served at village hall: Residents demanded to be heard as they gathered outside village hall. In the group was Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s ex-assistant, Fenia Dukes. “At first, it was just me. But a year later, to see ya’ll standing with me – thank you…thank you so much,” Dukes told the group. Dukes has filed a civil lawsuit against Henyard and Trustee Andrew Holmes, the latter whom she accuses of assaulting her. * Daily Herald | A good deal for the suburbs? Transit merger proposal raises questions about finances, fairness: “I have a horrible amount of concern that we will be putting our suburban transit in jeopardy because folding Metra into the CTA will subject it to the same struggles CTA found itself unable to get out of,” Republican state Rep. Jeff Keicher of Sycamore said. The plan also would provide $1.5 billion in extra transit money annually, as a $730 million shortfall looms in 2026. Officials haven’t given any specifics on raising those revenues, saying the restructure comes first. * Daily Herald | Arlington Heights police bring on full-time crisis counselor despite cut in federal funding: Though federal grant funding runs out this summer, Arlington Heights trustees agreed Monday to commit village funds to keep a police department crisis counselor employed at least through the end of the year. The counselor has gone on some 300 police calls over the last two years involving people suffering from a mental health crisis, and made another 600 follow-up contacts with individuals seeking assistance, officials said. * AP | Lured by historic Rolling Stones performance, half-a-million fans attend New Orleans Jazz Fest: An extra day and the lure of an appearance by the Rolling Stones pushed attendance at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival to a half a million people, organizers said Monday. That was the second highest attendance in the festival’s history — just behind the 600,000 attendees in 2001. In 2023, more than 460,000 people passed through the festival’s gates. * NBC | Boeing forced to scrub first crewed Starliner launch to the space station: Mission controllers declared a launch “scrub” after an anomaly was detected on an oxygen valve on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, which the Starliner capsule was to ride into orbit. The crewed Starliner flight, when it occurs, will be a crucial final test before NASA can authorize Boeing to conduct routine flights to and from the space station. * Ms. | The Rise of Deepfakes Demands Legislative Action: But legislation marks just the beginning of the solution. Genuine technological accountability, responsible AI development, and safeguarding the right to online privacy require more than a single federal law. However, enacting such legislation is a critical first step, and there is precedent that legislation can catalyze more widespread change.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * NPR Illinois…
* An interesting comparison fom ShotSpotter CEO Ralph Clark. Politico…
* The American Cancer Society Action Network….
* Tribune | For Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, federal recognition at last: The designation marks a long-awaited victory in the tribal nation’s fight to recover its ancestral home. When the land is placed in trust, the legal title is transferred to the U.S. government, which will hold it on behalf of Prairie Band and establish tribal governance. It opens up a string of benefits including tax credits and land use exemptions. […] At the state level, a bill would immediately turn over Shabbona Lake State Park, around 1,500 acres adjacent to the reservation. If passed, Prairie Band would assume ownership but continue to operate the property as a public space. The bill is still in committee, but Rep. Mark Walker, a Democrat from the Northwest suburbs and one of the co-sponsors, is optimistic that it will go forward. * Block Club | Bally’s Profits Continue To Lag At Medinah Temple, Executives Say: The budget anticipates $35 million in local tax revenue from Bally’s, averaging out to $3 million a month. As of the end of March, Medinah Temple has generated about $3 million in tax revenue this year for Chicago. A revenue report for April is expected to be released this week, according to a company spokesperson. * WBEZ | Faced with cuts under a new funding formula, several CPS schools are rejecting their budgets: “The budget that we have does not meet the need,” said Sequoiah Brown, a member of the Local School Council at Poe Classical School in Pullman on the Far South Side. “Our parents are adamant about the needs of our students. You should be trying to bring up the others to that standard, not taking from one to give to the other. That is not how equity works.” […] School district officials say they are aware that some councils rejected their budget, but they will not have a tally until later this month. The schools confirmed by WBEZ include Poe, another selective enrollment elementary school, one neighborhood high school and one neighborhood elementary school. Selective enrollment and magnet schools have been speaking out about being hurt by a new budgeting formula in use by the school district for next school year that prioritizes schools with the neediest students. * WTTW | Probe Into 8 CPD Officers Found No Evidence They Were Active Members of Oath Keepers — But Investigators Only Asked Them: However, investigators with CPD’s Bureau of Internal Affairs did not interview anyone other than the eight officers accused of belonging to the Oath Keepers, according to the 30-page report. Interviewing the officers appears to be the most significant investigative step taken by investigators during the probe, which was completed in less than six months. The eight officers were each questioned by investigators for an average of 29 minutes, according to the summary of those interviews included in the report. The longest interview lasted 48 minutes, the shortest just 17 minutes, according to the probe. * Tribune | Johnson pulls plans to place migrant shelter site in 11th Ward after stiff opposition from alderman, property owners: The change came after the owners of the property said Johnson never informed them of his plans to use the building at 3951 S. Canal St. for a shelter. When the Tribune asked the city about that apparent disconnect, the Department of Family and Support Services released a Monday statement saying the city is “no longer considering” housing migrants there. * Block Club | For 2 Decades, A Historic Pullman Home Has Been Vacant Under CHA’s Watch: The CHA acquired the Corliss home to house people in need. But after letting the house sit empty for nearly two decades and racking up violations with the city’s Department of Buildings, the CHA announced this fall the home was one of more than 40 scattered site properties the agency would rehab, restore and sell so families can live in them. But now CHA officials say they’ll move forward with “alternative plans” for the home they let sit empty for years after an assessment found needed repairs could total nearly $500,000, records show. * Chicago Reader | Publisher’s note: why the Reader is returning to weekly publishing: First, because Chicago’s creative, civic, and cultural concerns don’t reproduce on a biweekly basis, nor do they circulate equitably from behind an online paywall. From Portage Park to Pullman, Chicago is a living conversation. For the tens of thousands of people who use our printed paper, that conversation doesn’t pause for two weeks so we can recapitulate it. It’s time for the Reader to get back on beat, back in rhythm with the verses and views, pictures and sounds, tastes and takes that make this the best city in the world. * Daily-Journal | Alliance grows with Gotion as members visit China sites: The cross-cultural awareness presentations which Gotion officials extended to the Kankakee County contingent was most impressive to Michael Boyd, president of Kankakee Community College. […] Boyd was part of the group that made the trip to China — paid for by Gotion — that also included Angela Morrey, vice president of business development for the Economic Alliance; Jeff Bennett, of McColly Bennett Real Estate and vice chairman of the Economic Alliance board; Theodis Pace, an alliance board member and also president of the Kankakee County Branch of the NAACP; Pat Martin, former past chairman of the board for the Economic Alliance and executive vice president with Iroquois Federal; and Ryan Marion, building official for the village of Manteno. * WSIL | SIU wraps Saluki Takeover Tour: Saturday’s event concluded the tour aimed at recruiting more Southern Illinois students to SIU. SIU Chancellor Austin Lane appeared alongside the school’s athletic director and new basketball coach. SIU officials told News 3 the tour covering all 17 counties in the Southern Illinois was a success and plan to make the events bigger and better in coming years. * WSIL | One Sent to Hospital After Crashing into Sinkhole in Jackson County, Sheriff’s Office Says: News 3 previously reported a sinkhole forming along Highway 51, just north of De Soto on Thursday. A section of highway surrounding this sinkhole was reportedly closed by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to all traffic on Friday morning. IDOT also then said an assessment of the damage will take place the following week. * Chicago Mag | Best Seats in Sox Park: One upside to the White Sox’s dismal start to the season: You can have your pick of seats. For cheap. And while Guaranteed Rate Field will never get the love Wrigley does, it’s still an enjoyable place to watch a Major League Baseball game. As long as you can stomach seeing the home team lose. So where should you sit? We offer these three (highly specific) suggestions. * Daily Herald | From promises of no new taxes to Burnham, Bears’ latest stadium presentation sounded familiar: As Chicago Bears executives last week presented glossy renderings and extolled the virtues of building a new stadium on the city’s lakefront, one could hear echoes of similar remarks some of those same leaders made a year-and-a-half before to a suburban audience at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights. While the intended location for a new Bears stadium might have been different, officials from the NFL franchise came to both events with Power Point presentations and talking points in hand, as they made pitches for public subsides to help bankroll the envisioned megaprojects. * STL Today | Busch Stadium needs renovations. Should St. Louis taxpayers kick in?: DeWitt says he is not “fishing” for public money now. He might in the next few years. The club, he says, is just starting to study the stadium’s needs. If the Cardinals ask for taxpayer help, however, it could be a fight. New leaders have taken over City Hall, vowing to do more for the poor and neglected. They are pushing to improve services for the homeless, rebuild north St. Louis and dig into longstanding inequalities. They have begun to take a harder line on subsidies for developers, forcing some concessions to city schools, affordable housing and workers. * Tribune | Illinois cicadas, loud but harmless, to make historic emergence in mid- to late May: Yet despite recent reports of cicadas coming out, experts say the insects probably won’t do so en masse in Illinois for another few weeks, as early as mid-May, but more likely toward the end of the month. Reports of sightings are likely individual “stragglers” that have come out too early or from people who have taken a shovel to the ground. * Here’s the DuPage Forest Preserve District on the life cycle of a 17-year cicada… * Block Club | Cicada Parade-A Art Project Raising Money For Insect Asylum’s Rooftop Garden: Inside the basement of the Avondale museum at 2870 N. Milwaukee Ave., volunteers and employees are hard at work making over 1,000 cicada plaster molds for a spectacular community-wide art project that will celebrate the convergence of two cicada broods while raising money for its rooftop garden project. Last month, The Insect Asylum launched the Cicada Parade-a 2024, an art initiative organized by the museum and Baltimore-based Formstone Castle Collective artist Michael Bowman to bring awareness to the double cicada emergence through collaborative art. The idea was birthed by Roger McMullan, of Salt Lake City, a lifelong enthusiast of the periodical cicada and author and illustrator of the new graphic novel “Cicadapocalypse.” * PJ Star | Do cicadas destroy crops? What farmers in Illinois need to know: “Periodical cicadas don’t pose a risk to any of the major crops in Illinois,” said Illinois State Entomologist Christopher Dietrich. “They are restricted to areas with mature natural forest, and they don’t move around much so we’ll see few, if any, in areas dominated by row crops.” * PJ Star | What animals eat cicadas?: When periodical cicadas emerge, they’re consumed by just about anything that eats insects. Mammals and birds, amphibians and reptiles, and fish all eat cicadas — and benefit from the glut of them. […] Yes, and eagerly, reports the University of Maryland Extension. “If you have free-range chickens, they will happily scratch up the cicadas and eat them. The cicadas aren’t poisonous.” * AP | Dozens of deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police: At least 94 people died after they were given sedatives and restrained by police from 2012 through 2021, according to findings by the AP in collaboration with FRONTLINE (PBS) and the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism. That’s nearly 10% of the more than 1,000 deaths identified during the investigation of people subdued by police in ways that are not supposed to be fatal. About half of the 94 who died were Black, including Jackson. * Axios | More women are working now than at any time in U.S. history: The rise in flexible work arrangements is likely helping, in addition to the strong labor market. […] The employment numbers — technically the employment-to-population ratio — include part-time workers. So it would include women who want to work full-time but can’t due to child care issues. Women overall are working less now than in 2019, as ADP research found earlier this year.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Behind the CMS cost projections
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * From a recent Sun-Times editorial…
Let’s take a look. * Seven out of nine state health insurance policies were already covering these drugs. This was an expansion, mainly to Downstate areas that aren’t covered by Health Alliance and Aetna HMO. Those two state plans cover about 72,000 employees and dependents out of a total of 350,000 or so, about 21 percent. Of those seven which already did cover the weight-loss drugs, Blue Cross’ HMO IL and its Blue Advantage plans don’t break out individual costs. Those two plans cover about 41,000 employees and dependents out of about 350,000 employees and dependents, or about 12 percent of all covered people. * Five of those seven plans which were already covering the drugs, Aetna OAP, Aetna PPO, Aetna High Deductible Health Plan, HealthLink OAP, Blue Cross Blue Shield OAP, do have trackable expenditures because their prescriptions are administered by the state’s Pharmacy Benefit Manager, CVS Caremark. Those five plans cover almost 154,000 employees and dependents, about 44 percent of the total in all nine plans. From the state…
So, that’s a total of about $10.649 million last fiscal year for about 44 percent of all covered employees and their dependents. That would be around $23 million for everybody in the system if you extrapolated it out and everything else is even. We don’t know yet what the FY2024 numbers are. * However, CMS is projecting usage will rise to about Plausible? I guess we’ll see. But the thing to remember is that the recent expansion will only account for a fraction of the total new cost increase.
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The Field Museum unveils earliest bird fossil known to science
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
Click here to watch the unveiling. * Sun-Times…
* More… * WTTW | The Field Museum Now Has an Incredibly Rare Fossil Proving Birds Are Dinosaurs. Here’s a Behind-the-Scenes Look at How They Got It: After pulling back one last flap of tissue paper, O’Connor finally had her “ta-da” moment, introducing the “Chicago Archaeopteryx … the most important fossil ever.” That’s quite a statement coming from a curator at the Field, home of the mighty T. Rex, Sue. But what Archaeopteryx lacks in size, it makes up for in significance as a “transitional” species that essentially proved Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. … In front of gathered dignitaries and the press, the Field formally announced to the world what had become a not-so-well-kept secret: The museum had acquired just the 13th specimen known to exist of Archaeopteryx (ar-key-AHP-ter-icks), a fossil often described as the “missing link” between dinosaurs and birds. “It’s a spectacular example … teeth like a dinosaur, a tail like a dinosaur, but it’s a bird,” said Julian Siggers, Field Museum president and CEO. “The top-level message is that dinosaurs didn’t go extinct, they actually evolved into birds.” The Field Museum has acquired the 13th known specimen of Archaeopteryx, often called the “missing link” fossil between dinosaurs and birds. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) * WTTW | Meet Jingmai O’Connor, the Punk Rock Paleontologist Who Leads the Field Museum’s Archaeopteryx Team: Dead Bird Nerd alert! WTTW News sat down with paleornithologist Jingmai O’Connor and talked about dinosaurs, birds, the Chicago Archaeopteryx, evolution and why studying fossil birds is more important now than ever. O’Connor is associate curator of fossil reptiles at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History. * WGN | Field Museum acquires fossil of earliest known bird: “Archaeopteryx is arguably the most important fossil ever discovered. It transformed how scientists see the world, by providing strong support for Darwin’s theory of evolution,” said Field Museum President and CEO Julian Siggers. “This is the Field Museum’s most significant fossil acquisition since SUE the T. rex, and we’re thrilled to be able to study ‘the Chicago Archaeopteryx’ and to share it with our visitors.”
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Today’s must-read
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * A commenter recommended this piece from the New York Times…
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Uber Partners With Cities To Expand Urban Transportation
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Uber is leading the charge to close critical transportation gaps, ensuring reliable access to its services in places that need it most, such as underserved areas like Englewood. This is a part of Uber’s broader commitment to augment and expand the reach of Chicago’s transportation ecosystem, focusing on overcoming the first-mile/ last-mile hurdles that have long plagued residents in farther afield neighborhoods. Uber aims to extend the public transit network’s reach, making urban transportation more accessible and efficient for everyone. Discover the full story on how Uber is transforming city transportation for the better.
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It’s that time of year again
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * As we head into the final weeks of session, it’s important to always keep in mind the Statehouse adage, “Watch the rollercoaster, don’t ride it” Here’s a new twist on that admonition… [Stolen from the Internet.]
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It’s just a bill
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Chalkbeat…
* Shaw Local…
SB2784 was re-referred to Senate Assignments last week. * State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally…
* SJ-R…
* NBC Chicago…
* WGN…
* Pantagraph…
* WAND…
* Patch…
* Pantagraph…
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Pritzker unexpectedly won’t rule out service tax for mass transit
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
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Open thread
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Hope you all had a great weekend! What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Pritzker eyes a $20 billion quantum-computing campus. Crain’s…
- The campus would be anchored by PsiQuantum, a Silicon Valley startup that is evaluating two Chicago-area locations for a site to build the world’s first industrial-scale quantum computer. -PsiQuantum’s project initially would bring about 1,000 construction jobs and up to 500 direct jobs, including hardware and software engineers. Governor Pritzker will be at the Field Museum at 10 a.m. to celebrate a new acquisition. At 2:30, the governor will give remarks at the Thompson Center redevelopment groundbreaking. Click here to watch. * The letter is signed by Reps. Jimenez, Rashid, Guzzardi, Mah and Gonzalez…
* Capitol News Illinois | Lawmakers pitch sweeping changes to energy industry and Chicagoland transit system: A group of lawmakers and influential environmental advocates are calling for broad changes to the state’s energy industry and a massive increase in state oversight of Chicagoland’s transit system – which faces a projected $730 million budget shortfall. Advocates for the policy platform, which is broken up into three bills, describe much of it as a follow-up to the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, a landmark energy policy that set emissions goals for the state and massively altered the state’s energy sector. The proposals [are] unlikely to be passed in their current form this year. * WMAY | Governor makes the case for Illinois, promises growth for Springfield: Another facet of Springfield which deserved attention, the Governor said, is the Illinois State Fairgrounds. “That fairgrounds is a phenomenal piece of property — but it’s been neglected, like so many other things in the State government… I said in my first year in office to my staff, I want our Fair to –– first of all be profitable, and I want it to be something that people love going to.” Pritzker told the Citizen’s Club that money from the Rebuild Illinois plan is being dedicated to renovating and improving the fairgrounds. “This is an investment in the Fairgrounds here, in Springfield. It is an investment for a lifetime: we want to be able to show off what Springfield is.” * J.B. Pritzker, et al | Clean water is our moonshot moment for Midwest climate leadership: One-fifth of the planet’s surface freshwater sits in our Great Lakes. Demand for it will only grow, which gives us both an opportunity and a responsibility to speed the pace of water innovation. We must manage and conserve our finite fresh water as if it were a sea of diamonds. Even our “waste” water is precious. Over the next 10 years, a bipartisan coalition called Great Lakes ReNEW will invest millions of dollars in new technologies to recover and recycle valuable minerals, such as nickel, cobalt and lithium, from our water, and remove toxic chemicals such as per- and polyfluorinated substances, known as PFAS. The goal is to destroy what’s toxic and reuse what’s valuable. * Herald-Whig | Illinois monitoring H5N1 influenza in dairy cattle: While no cases have been reported in Illinois, federal agencies confirmed the H5N1 influenza virus in dairy herds in eight states across the U.S. The Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Department of Public Health are working closely to monitor the situation and are jointly coordinating prevention and response measures including working with producer groups and partner organizations to promote education to veterinarians and cattle farmers on the clinical signs of H5N1 so that potential infections quickly can be identified and contained. * Crain’s | Illinois awards 35 new pot-shop licenses: The licensees announced today are the third round of applicants chosen by lottery and will join 200 other licensees chosen in two previous lotteries. The new licenses are conditional until applicants open stores and receive final certification from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The state originally had authorized 55 licenses in the latest round. Thirteen applications are still under review, and seven others chosen in the lottery did not meet the state’s social-equity criteria. Seven new potential licensees will be chosen from the lottery pool. * WTAX | Boyd succeeds Neely as IL National Guard adjutant general: Gen. Rodney Boyd, installed Saturday at Glenwood High School, is proud to break the glass ceiling. “It’s also a way of showing how far we’ve come as an organization and as a state,” Boyd said in an interview before the ceremony, “that we are preparing people of color to take these very important roles within our organization and the other organizations within our state.” Boyd, the product of Chicago public housing and son of a single mother, urged today’s young people who believe they have been given lemons to squeeze them and get an education. * WBBM | City’s plan to replace downtown migrant shelter with one in Bridgeport getting some pushback: The City of Chicago notified Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) this past week of plans to move migrants from downtown to Bridgeport ahead of the Democratic National Convention. […] In an update to her constituents, Lee said the city has not signed a lease for the property yet and that she met with Mayor Brandon Johnson to express her opposition. * Tribune | Optimism, doubt ahead of Johnson’s Treatment Not Trauma mental health plan: Johnson quickly passed an ordinance to launch the city’s working group once in office, but to move forward, the policy needs “active leadership” from City Hall, not “infinite working groups, infinite consensus buildings and no movement,” said Eric Reinhart, a public health, law and psychiatry anthropologist and physician who co-drafted the “white paper” report published by the activist coalition that pushed for the policy. “I think it’s quite disappointing to all of us that a year into this administration, that even on the campaign stage held up Treatment Not Trauma as one of its core priorities, we still haven’t made any steps forward,” he said. “Everybody’s getting a working group, but where are we seeing implementation?” * Crain’s | Airlines and City Hall reach agreement on O’Hare revamp: However, key details were not immediately available. Included on the list of unanswered questions are under what conditions the second satellite, which would add most of the expansion gates, would begin construction; when construction of the first two terminals will begin; and how the city intends to cut billions of dollars in cost overruns to bring the project back to its original budget. * Crain’s | Offices near O’Hare with little vacancy hit the market: A joint venture of Calgary, Alberta-based MDC Realty Advisors and Vancouver, British Columbia-based Nicola Wealth Management has hired brokerage Cushman & Wakefield to sell the One O’Hare office building at 6250 N. River Road, according to a marketing flyer. The offering comes more than eight years after the pair of investors bought the 12-story building for $83 million. Amid weak demand for offices and higher interest rates weighing down property values, One O’Hare is almost certainly worth less than that today. There is no asking price listed for the 380,360-square-foot building, but a source familiar with the listing said bids are expected to come in close to $70 million, or $184 per square foot. * Block Club | Chicago Cinco De Mayo Parade Canceled Due To ‘Gang Violence,’ Police Say: The parade was called off shortly after it began at noon Sunday at Cermak Road and Damon Avenue. The cancellation was “out of an abundance of caution” following gang violence near the parade and the decision was made by police, local officials and parade organizers, according to the Chicago Police Department. Police said they made multiple arrests at the parade. Officers cleared the parade route around 1:30 p.m., the time the police department announced the parade’s cancellation on social media. * Sun-Times | Chicago’s top cop defends clearing officers on extremist group’s membership list: In October, Snelling had promised the City Council that the CPD would conduct “thorough investigations” and show no tolerance for cops with extremist connections. But Friday, at an unrelated news conference alongside Mayor Brandon Johnson, Snelling said he felt strongly there was no cause for action against the cops. “I can tell you that we reached out to everybody,” Snelling said. “Our internal affairs division has reached out to everyone to gather information to determine if these officers were actually proven to be members of hate groups.” * Daily Herald | Local law enforcement agencies find success in crisis intervention teams, training: The Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said that for five years the department has focused on a philosophy of de-escalation first when possible, and particularly when dealing with situations potentially involving a mental health crisis. “It’s proven to be extremely successful,” Covelli said. “It’s the right thing to do, to take time and engage in healthy dialogue with individuals, especially those who might be in crisis.” * Daily Herald | Cat condos and better digs for dogs: DuPage County animal shelter undergoing a $14 million expansion: The $14 million project is the first expansion of the Wheaton facility in the agency’s 45-year history. “It’s going to be a luxury to have twice the space that we have now once it’s all done,” DuPage County Animal Services Operations Manager Laura Flamion said. The project is being paid for through a mix of public and private funding. DuPage Animal Friends, a nonprofit benefiting the shelter, has helped secure more than $5.6 million for the project and is working on raising another $7.4 million through events and naming rights to various features — from dog kennels and trees to the new lobby — in the expanded facility. * SJ-R | Illinois postal workers march for transparency in Springfield amid USPS changes: Springfield residents had until April 10 to fill out a survey to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to voice their opinion on the changes before the USPS changes would start. During the picket line, Bishop said National Postal Mailhandlers President of the Springfield branch, Jeff Bridges, was informed impacted numbers were in for the Springfield distribution center, but the actual number was not given by USPS. * BND | St. Clair County Board approves pay raises for elected officials, but not unanimously: The St. Clair County Board voted 20-4 at their last meeting to increase elected officials’ salaries starting after the general election, including an 11% raise for the county board chairman.[…] The raises begin Jan. 1, 2025, when the chairman, treasurer, assessor, county clerk, auditor, circuit clerk, coroner and county recorder will all be paid $106,540. The other elected administrative officials were already making over $100,000 but the chairman’s salary was $95,899. * Tribune | ‘It still doesn’t feel real.’ Chicago wrestler Joe Rau’s improbable journey leads him to the Olympics — at age 33: In May 2022, Rau competed in freestyle at the U.S. Open and surprised everyone by finishing second. It didn’t take too long for Team USA’s Greco-Roman coaches to reach out and ask him to come back. “I told them no about three times, I think,” Rau said. “Then I just really did some soul searching and I talked to my wife. She said, if you really want to, I’m not stopping you.”  * WaPo | Senior homes refuse to pick up fallen residents, dial 911. ‘Why are they calling us?’: Some senior-care homes say they don’t have the ability to lift fallen residents. Many have adopted “no lift” policies to avoid the risk ofback injuries for staff and other potential liabilities. But firefighters and other experts say there are tools to make lifting easierand safer, ranging from $70 cloth straps with handles to $1,500 hydraulic lifts. Heritage Woods, which accounted for the highest number of lift-assist calls to 911 in Rockford last year, is owned by GardantManagement Solutions, the 10th largest assisted-living provider in the nation. * WaPo | Google’s empire is massive. A judge will soon rule if it’s a monopoly: The judge’s ruling, which is expected in the coming months, could put new limits on Google’s ability to run its search empire. The company may be barred from paying billions to secure prime placement for its search bar on Apple’s iPhones or other web browsers. It could even be forced to sell off part of its business, like the Chrome browser, and open up competition to other search engines. The judge could also rule that Google isn’t a monopoly after all, which would be a major setback for the government and antitrust advocates who say the power of Big Tech has grown too large. * AP | Celebrating excellence in journalism and the arts, Pulitzer Prizes to be awarded Monday: The Pulitzer Prizes are set to be announced on Monday, traditionally the most anticipated day of the year for those hoping to earn print journalism’s most prestigious honor. Along with honoring winners and finalists in 15 journalism categories, the Pulitzer Board also recognizes distinguished work in areas including books, music and theater. The awards, which will honor work from 2023, are scheduled to be announced via livestream at 3 p.m. Eastern time. * Business Times | More than 90% of stablecoin transactions aren’t from real users, study finds: The dashboard from Visa and Allium Labs is designed to strip out transactions initiated by bots and large-scale traders to isolate those made by real people. Out of about US$2.2 trillion in total transactions in April, just US$149 billion originated from “organic payments activity”, according to Visa. * Rolling Stone | ‘Politico’ Misses Mark in Story on Who’s Funding Pro-Palestine Protests Against Biden: The Tides Foundation donated roughly $100,000 that year to the pro-Palestine protest groups, Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow. Attempting to connect the $300,000 going into the organization, as part of its $573 million in contributions, to the $100,000 going out to these groups is unrealistic, to say the least, without any specific indication from the donor. … Politico continues: “Another notable Democratic donor whose philanthropy has helped fund the protest movement is David Rockefeller Jr., who sits on the board of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. In 2022, the fund gave $300,000 to the Tides Foundation; according to nonprofit tax forms.” This is wrong. The linked document in that paragraph shows a donation the Tides Foundation made to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund — not the other way around. * AP | Missouri abortion-rights campaign turns in more than double the needed signatures to get on ballot: “Our message is simple and clear,” ACLU Missouri lawyer and campaign spokesperson Tori Schafer said in a statement. “We want to make decisions about our bodies free from political interference.” If approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would ensure abortion rights until viability.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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