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Another day, another prison lockdown over unsubstantiated drug fears
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Yesterday…
* I’m highly dubious of these claims by guards…
Also…
* Anyway, I just received this from the Illinois Department of Corrections regarding a lockdown at Shawnee Correctional Center…
Not sure why a lockdown is even necessary. IDOC needs to start an intensive education program.
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Trump-appointed judge threatens AG Raoul, SA Foxx with possible sanctions
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background…
More background is here. * Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Cook Count State’s Attorney Kim Foxx eventually filed a motion to stay judgement pending appeal. Excerpt…
* That highlighted sentence infuriated Judge Iain Johnston, a Trump appointee who openly fretted about that connection when he handed down the original ruling. Judge Johnston issued an order today…
* If you’re unfamiliar with Rule 11(b), it’s about possible sanctions…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Subscribers know more. From G-PAC Illinois…
* Illinois Association of County Clerks & Recorders…
* Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park…
* Block Club, WBEZ and Chalkbeat have all put out voter guides for Chicago’s first school board races. * WAND | How to avoid AI before heading to the polls; 2024 Voter Misinformation Guide released: On Wednesday, Attorney General Kwame Raoul released a 2024 Voter Misinformation Guide to help Illinois voters identify and report election misinformation generated by artificial intelligence (AI). As the election ramps up, so has the use of AI being used to create fake but realistic content about the November election and its candidates. * Press release | State Treasurer Michael Frerichs Returns Missing Money to Nearly 140,000 Residents Through Enhanced Money Match: A record-setting 138,561 people are in line to receive a total of nearly $13.2 million from the state’s Unclaimed Property program and all they have to do is cash the check, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said today. * South Side Weekly | What’s After ShotSpotter?:” I think the evolution has come from us wanting to see what else is out there, not necessarily committing to another gunshot-detection technology, but we need to see what is in the marketplace to see if there is a fit for the City of Chicago. And quite frankly, I think it’s important to put an RFI out to explore what options are there,” Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Garien Gatewood said. * Sun-Times | As Chicago’s mayor tries to oust CPS’ Pedro Martinez, the CEO’s contract is a major hurdle: When Chicago Schools Chief Pedro Martinez took the bold step last week of rejecting Mayor Brandon Johnson’s request that he resign, Martinez did it knowing his contract would make it difficult to quickly oust him. Sources tell WBEZ and the Sun-Times that Martinez is waiting for the Board of Education to decide his fate and that he is holding out hope the members will save him. In statements and in a Chicago Tribune op-ed, he says the school district needs the stability he brings. * WBEZ | McCormick Place Lakeside Center completes bird-safe glass project in time for fall migration: The easternmost structure in the city has two football fields’ worth of glass, and the $1.2 million project took three months to complete. […] Annette Prince with the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors commended the authority for completing the project. Her organization rescues injured birds and recovers dead birds found in the city — many of which have collided into glass. “We are excited McCormick Place finished its application, and we think it’s already yielding good results,” Prince said. “On days we have had hundreds of birds hitting buildings downtown, McCormick Place hasn’t seen as many collisions.” * WBEZ | Lawsuits claim Black students in Northwestern’s prison education program were unjustly disciplined: A pair of federal lawsuits claim the Illinois Department of Corrections unjustly disciplined two Black students in Northwestern University’s prison education program because the students worked together to prevent university staff from harassment during their visits to the prison. Corrections officials deemed the coordinated effort to “stop problems” gang-related activity, according to the federal complaints. The lawsuits were expected to be filed Wednesday morning. The plaintiffs, LeShun Smith and Brian McClendon, allege they were denied due process and targeted because of their race, violating their constitutional rights and effectively ending their education, said their attorney, Alan Mills. * Sun-Times | Chicago area’s data center push continues as developer T5 breaks ground on Northlake facility: “This will be the nicest data center we’ve built,” said Robbie Sovie, T5’s executive vice president of development. “We’re going to have a lot more in the next five to 10-plus years, but this is going to be a great project.” The building, called T5 Chicago III, will serve an undisclosed user, though T5 CEO and President Pete Marin said the customer is “the best at what they do.” * Tribune | Pedestrian safety measures still lacking at many rail crossings — sometimes with tragic results: While road-rail crossings in the Chicago area typically have gates to stop vehicles, there often are no such protections for pedestrians. Of 971 rail crossings with roadway gates in Cook and the collar counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, only an estimated 204, or 21%, have pedestrian gates, according to the Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates crossings. * Daily Southtown | Thornton Township trustees call for investigations into Tiffany Henyard spending: After tit for tat calls for accountability during heated exchanges between Thornton Township trustees and Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, officials approved audits of all township departments along with a former official’s credit card during a board meeting Tuesday evening. As Trustees Carmen Carlisle and Chris Gonzalez called out Henyard for continued unauthorized spending and general lack of transparency regarding township operations, Henyard shot back by questioning Carlisle’s spending when the trustee worked as her assistant. She motioned to conduct a “forensic audit/investigation” of former Thornton Township administrator Keith Freeman’s credit card “and Carmen Carlisle’s use of said card.” * Tribune | Weed shops can set up in bustling uptown area of Park Ridge after mayor misses chance to veto: Park Ridge currently has one recreational use cannabis dispensary that opened in 2023 at 1036 Higgins Road. “While my intention was to veto the action taken by Council relative to the expansion of where a cannabis dispensary can apply to operate Uptown … I made a procedural error. My mistake means that my intended action (a veto) never took place,” Mayor Marty Maloney stated in a note to the City Council that he shared by email with Pioneer Press. […] Maloney has been against allowing marijuana dispensaries in Uptown mostly due to the Park Ridge Public Library being in the area. Additionally, the area is a bustling hub in Park Ridge that includes eateries, shopping options, the town’s Metra commuter rail station, is where the farmers market is held and more. * Sun-Times | Evanston shelter mourns Blue Line victims, reaffirms its mission: Around 50 people gathered for the service Tuesday, hosted by Connections for the Homeless at Lake Street Church in Evanston. While the organization hosts an annual memorial to mourn the lives lost of those involved with the group, it was a unique event this year. A former beneficiary of the group’s services, Margaret Miller Johnson, was one of the victims killed in the mass shooting. * Shaw Local | Tiny McHenry County town where mayor fills the potholes is asking to levy its 1st property tax: But that could change on Nov. 5. The village board has placed a question on the general election ballot, seeking approval of a .25% property tax levy. If approved by voters, the levy would bring the village about $5,000 a year for its roads, said Jim Kelly, the village attorney. Even if the village board were to raise that hypothetical levy in the future “it would take us 10 years to get to what Wonder Lake taxes at,” Village Trustee Brian Spiro said at the board’s Monday night meeting. * KFVS | U.S. 60/62 bridge over Mississippi River to reopen ahead of schedule: According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the bridge carrying U.S. 60/62 over the Mississippi River in Alexander County and Mississippi County, Missouri is reopening ahead of schedule. The bridge is set to reopen, weather permitting, by 12 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25. * WAND | Springfield Mayor releases statement on 5th and North Grand community concerns: Memorial Behavioral Health, the City of Springfield’s Community Outreach Coordinator, and the City’s Homeless Outreach Team responded to those concerns Wednesday morning. […] Outreach coordinators were sent out to connect with everyone there, provide referrals, resources, and contact information. “Everyone was given the opportunity to collect their belongings. However, some unclaimed items were left behind,” the Mayor’s Office said. * WCIA | Champaign Co. 911 center experiencing staff shortage: According to METCAD’s Director, Ralph Caldwell, the call center is having a hard time hiring and keeping dispatchers because of the demands of the job. He said the stress and relatively low-pay of the job makes it difficult to keep qualified call-takers. Relatives and loved one of dispatchers, however, have been showing their concern for the lack of staff support. They said it’s not only an added stressor for their loved ones but might impact METCAD’s ability to handle calls. * BND | A second juvenile is arrested in connection with threats made against metro-east school: A 15-year-old has been charged in connection with a social media threat against Cahokia High School last week. Law enforcement officials are not naming the juvenile or the specific charges filed due to the suspect’s age. The teen is being held at the St. Clair County Juvenile Detention Center, Cahokia Heights Police Chief Steven Brown said. * BND | Belleville Oktoberfest is latest metro-east festival ended early by ‘unruly’ juveniles: Officers asked the band to stop playing and began clearing out the crowd about 8:30 p.m., according to Assistant Police Chief Mark Heffernan. The festival was supposed to run until 9 p.m. […] Heffernan estimated that more than 100 juveniles were involved in the disturbance at Oktoberfest. No one had been charged as of Monday, he said, but police still were investigating alleged crimes, including one case of aggravated battery. * SJ-R | Campaign celebrating Abraham Lincoln’s Illinois roots goes from Freeport to Jonesboro: Pontiac, Illinois, could be getting its 10th Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibit with some recently announced grant funding, but did you know there already are 260 exhibits across the state? Many of them are in a community near you. Wayside exhibits are essentially storyboards that serve as historic markers. The exhibits help residents and visitors learn more about Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s 16th president and the Lincoln from which the Land of Lincoln gets its name. * AP | The chunkiest of chunks face off in Alaska’s Fat Bear Week: Fat Bear Week doesn’t officially start at Katmai National Park and Preserve until Oct. 2, when fans can begin voting online for their favorite ursine behemoths in tournament-style brackets. But on Tuesday organizers revealed the four cub contestants in this week’s Fat Bear Jr. contest — with the “chubby champ charging on to face the corpulent competition” in the adult bracket, as Naomi Boak of the nonprofit Katmai Conservancy put it during the livestreamed announcement. * NYT | As School Threats Proliferate, More Than 700 Students Are Arrested: “Five years ago, we averaged 29 school threats per month. Last year, we averaged 785 per month,” said Don Beeler of TDR Technology Solutions, a software company that tracks threats using data from schools, the police and news accounts. On the Monday after the Georgia shooting, he said, 500 schools were under threat.
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IRMA, financial institutions escalate battle over swipe fee law
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Tulchin is a legit pollster which does lots of work for the House Democrats. The poll, however, has some pretty leading questions. Illinois Retail Merchants Association press release…
* Response…
Discuss.
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Reason for new bill collapses, so all sponsors are left with is a ’stunt’
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * September 19th press release…
* Same day in Center Square…
* Caulkins’ statement about striking out the voting language because it was already covered under federal law did not deter fellow Eastern Bloc member Rep. Adam Niemerg from saying this in a press release five days later…
* But Matt Dietrich, a spokesperson with the Illinois State Board of Elections, told WGLT that the rest of Caulkins’ bill is also already covered under federal law…
*Hard sigh* * Gov. Pritzker was asked about Rep. Caulkins’ bill today in Chicago…
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Rate the new Sorensen ad (Updated)
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The ad… * Transcript…
* Lee Enterprises’ Illinois political reporter Brenden Moore…
McGraw put his first TV ad out last week. …Adding… McGraw campaign…
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * HB5876 from Rep. Ryan Spain…
WGLT reported in July that the FY2025 budget included a nearly 50% cut to operating funds for Illinois soil and water conservation districts.
* HB303 would have prevented the Chicago Board of Education from making any changes to selective enrollment schools until 2027…
* WGLT…
…Adding… Governor Pritzker was asked at an unrelated news conference today about Rep. Caulkins bill…
* HB5879 from Rep. Sonya Harper…
* Rep. Carol Ammons introduced HB5874 earlier this month…
More information about the bill is here.
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Uber’s Local Partnership = Stress-Free Travel For Paratransit Riders
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] The Pace Rideshare Access Program subsidizes Uber trips, leaving riders with a co-pay of just $2. The impact: “This program has been a godsend for me. It offers flexibility, independence, freedom and the ability to maintain a beautiful life on so many levels,” says one rider. CTA: See how it works.
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I keep saying it, but nobody listens
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Considering the horribly long lines during every election, the last-minute precinct voting changes, and all the other bungles; I swear, if Chicago and Cook County were in Georgia, people would most definitely say that stuff like this was specifically designed to depress Democratic turnout…
Chicago doesn’t start early voting until October 3rd. But this is all just accepted as the natural order of things.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Why I’m not resigning as CPS chief and we’re not closing any schools CPS CEO Pedro Martinez…
* Related stories… ∙ Fran Spielman: Pushing out Martinez carries huge risks for Mayor Johnson ∙ WTTW: CPS CEO Martinez Asks School Board to Prohibit Closures Until 2027, Says He Refused Mayor’s Request to Resign At 11:30 Governor Pritzker will announce new quantum business investments. Click here to watch. * Tribune | Board of Elections objects to election workers’ union petition, saying union membership constitutes prohibited ‘political activity’: SEIU 73’s communication director, Eric Bailey, said the union was “dumbstruck” that the city had opposed the workers’ petition. “They’re working to ensure the freedom to vote for the people of Chicago,” he said. “All we want is for their freedom to form a union to be upheld in the city of Chicago.” * Tribune | Hundreds of former detainees allege rampant sexual abuse in Illinois and Cook County youth detention centers: ‘Wouldn’t wish my situation on anybody’: “These abuses are horrific in nature,” said attorney Todd Matthews at a Tuesday news conference in the Loop. “This has to stop, it has to stop. It has to be dealt with.” The complaints, filed Monday in the Illinois Court of Claims and Cook County Circuit Court, detailed widespread abuse from 1996 to 2021. The more than 270 plaintiffs in the lawsuits — about 40 women and 230 men — join hundreds of others who have alleged similar abuse. * Chicago Mag | The Man Leading Illinois’s Energy Transition: From an early age, JC Kibbey knew the impact a lack of clean air can have. Growing up in the shadow of coal plants in Lansing, Michigan, he often found himself dealing with respiratory illnesses, the result of exposure to pollution. And when one of those plants closed, he watched as people lost their jobs. That’s all been on Kibbey’s mind in his role as the state climate adviser for Illinois, a position he assumed last December after five years at the Natural Resources Defense Council. At the top of his agenda? Helping the state spend a $430 million federal grant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution — part of President Joe Biden’s signature climate legislation. The funds are expected to help Illinois cut an estimated 57 million tons of emissions by 2050, but Kibbey argues that the state’s energy transition has benefits far beyond curbing climate change. * Patch | Anti-Islamic Survey Alleged In Burr Ridge Area Race: Democrat Suzanne Akhras, who is running for District 82’s state representative, said Tuesday she has received multiple reports that a survey is falsely telling residents she belongs to Islamic terrorist groups. […] Based on her information, Akhras, who is Muslim, said the survey asks, “Would you vote for Suzanne Akhras if you knew she belonged to Islamic terrorist groups?” The survey comes through a text, stating, “Dan here with Political Opinion Research with a poll about the upcoming general election.” A link is given to Survey Monkey. * Sun-Times | Court records show two Springfield insiders profited from a controversial state government program: Ex-Illinois state Sen. James DeLeo, D-Chicago, and prominent Republican lobbyist Nancy Kimme each got 1% of the profits from a clout-heavy company called Vendor Assistance Program LLC, but that lucrative arrangement wasn’t publicly known until a week ago, the court documents and other records show. VAP is led by politically connected lawyer Brian Hynes, who has thrived for more than a decade in a state program that allows a small group of companies to buy government debt. Under the program, VAP and the other companies front unpaid state contractors most of what Springfield owes them, and VAP and other “qualified purchasers” go on to pocket the late-payment penalties from the state. * WGEM | Illinois lawmakers discuss potential changes to how higher education is funded: The state House Appropriations Higher-Education Committee met Monday to discuss a potential new funding model based in equity to make college more accessible. […] “Our competition has grown to include out-of-state flagships, privates and many others that have wooed our students with shiny buildings and new equipment. While this hasn’t changed the quality of education that we provide, it does impact that perception of our students and our perspective families,” said Eastern Illinois University Vice President for Business Affairs Matt Bierman. He said Eastern Illinois University’s enrollment has declined significantly over the past 15 years. * Pontiac Daily Leader | Early voting for the Nov. 5 election is about to begin. Here’s what you need to know: If you missed the deadline to register to vote locally or online, you can still vote using grace period registration. The grace period runs from the end of regular registration through Election Day. Grace period registration takes place in person at local election offices, as well as at some early voting sites and at certain polling places on Election Day. Those taking advantage of grace period registration are required to vote the same day they register. * WCIA | State Board of Elections warns of sample ballots through mail: Officials posted to the board’s Facebook page that people may receive what appears to be a ballot from political candidates or organizations. These are not real ballots; they are sample ballots that cannot be used to vote. People will get a real ballot through the mail only if they ask for one. People who are signed up permanently for voting by mail will receive one automatically from the State Board of Elections. * Sun-Times | Vacant armory can’t be used as police station because of air traffic safety rules, Mayor Johnson says: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration on Tuesday cited federal air traffic safety regulations for the decision to use a former National Guard armory to store and maintain police vehicles, aircraft and other equipment — and not for a new Southwest Side police district. Last week, alderpersons in the area accused the mayor of pulling the rug out from under their longstanding campaign for a new district to speed response times. It would be carved out of the existing Chicago Lawn police district, which serves the second-largest geographic area with the fewest officers per capita. They accused the mayor of thumbing his nose at a bill approved by the Illinois General Assembly and signed by Gov. JB Pritzker calling for the state to sell the closed armory at 5400 W. 63rd St. to the city for $1 “for the express purpose” of creating a new police district. * WBBM | Study on Chicago police reform efforts finds holes in city’s approach: At the request of people within Chicago’s philanthropic community, the New York University School of Law’s Policing Project has been looking into the Chicago Police Department for years. Professor Barry Friedman, the project director, said the city is overly fascinated with finding new approaches to policing rather than focusing on proven methods. * Tribune | New center for organ donors at Rush is first of its kind in Illinois: The Gift of Hope Organ Donor Care Center at Rush is the first of its kind in Illinois. The center accepts patients from area hospitals who’ve been declared brain dead and who’ve been authorized to be organ donors. At the center, doctors and nurses work to keep donors’ organs functioning and ultimately procure their organs, so they can be transported to some of the more than 104,000 people now on waiting lists for organs in the U.S. The center received its first donor Sunday. * Crain’s | Turns out Chicago’s pandemic exodus wasn’t as drastic as it seemed: Although it was the largest exodus from Chicago in five years, it wasn’t nearly as severe as those seen in other big cities, such as New York, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles, according to a Brookings Institution analysis of IRS data on where people filed their taxes from one year to the next. * Tribune | Crazy night saw Chicago White Sox fans conflicted over the possibility of a record-setting loss: “It’s been a long season,” left fielder Andrew Benintendi said. “I think that people here tonight were maybe trying to see history. But they’re going to have to wait one more day.” After a slight pause, Benintendi caught himself and added: “Maybe.” So it’s back again on Wednesday when Davis Martin starts and the Sox attempt to avoid history for a second straight night. They need to win their final five games to avoid holding the record. * Daily Herald Editorial Board | A divisive moment averted: Plans to bring inflammatory speaker to suburbs would only have hurt Illinois GOP: It is hard to wrap our heads around the self-inflicted damage certain northern Illinois Republicans inflicted on themselves and their party in recent days by inviting a misogynistic, homophobic, Holocaust-denying and Black-hating politician from North Carolina to speak at a GOP fundraiser. If former Lake County GOP party leader Mark Shaw was trying to help former President Donald Trump win Wisconsin when he invited Mark Robinson to speak at the Tenth Congressional District Republican Organization in Kenilworth on Sept. 29, he miscalculated. * WGN | Thornton Township trustees ask for auditor to step in amid question over spending: Trustees in Thornton Township are asking for an auditor to step in as they question money being spent on credit cards for events, amid their focus to reign in on spending. “I am the leader for Thornton Township, I am the supervisor for Thornton Township and I’m going to make sure y’all give me my respect and stop playing these games every time you come to the meeting. I need you to please put some respect on my name,” embattled Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard said during Tuesday night’s contentious meeting. * WAND | Increasing diaper costs impacts local families and nonprofits: The Mini O’Beirne Crisis Nursery provides free childcare to families who don’t have access to reliable care. In addition to childcare, they also offer a small pantry, stocked with diapers and formula. Each month, the crisis nursery hands out more than 250 packets of diapers to families in need and have to turn away dozens when their stock runs out. * WICS | Illinois Veterans’ Homes at Anna and Manteno See Increase in Mild COVID-19 Cases: The Illinois Veterans’ Homes at Anna and Manteno are experiencing increased COVID-19 cases among its veterans and staff and the majority of cases have presented mild symptoms. As of September 24th, the following cases have been reported: Anna: 17 residents and seven staff Manteno: 15 residents and nine staff * WCIA | U of I workers hit day 2 of strike as proposal is rejected: Rain or shine union members were back at it to make their voices heard. And U of I students are feeling the impact of the building and food service workers being out here on the picket lines. It’s day two of a strike for more than 700 workers. There’s no compromise on a contract yet. There was an offer made during yesterday’s mediation session. The union rejected it. * WCIA | UIS scores top public regional university in Illinois rating: The University of Illinois Springfield has been recognized as the top public regional university in Illinois for the sixth year in a row. UIS scored better than several other public universities like Eastern Illinois University, Western Illinois University and Chicago State University. The university tied for 28th place overall for all regional universities in the Midwest with Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, and Winona State University in Minnesota. * PJ Star | Multitalented Peoria native will have recurring role in popular NBC TV show: Peoria native Dionne Gipson will have a recurring role in the upcoming second season of the acclaimed NBC crime drama “Found.” The season debut is Oct. 3. It won’t be the first national exposure for the multitalented Peoria High School alumna. Gipson is an actress, singer and songwriter, born and raised in Peoria. She got her start in the entertainment industry through singing with her father, Byron “Wild Child” Gipson, a popular local musician. She graduated from Florida A&M, a historically black university, and earned a master’s degree in theater arts from Penn State University, according to her website biography. * Politico | The Truth About Emmett Till Wasn’t in Your History Book: What almost nobody knows, including me when I started reporting The Barn, my new book on the untold history of this famous murder, is that he allegedly whistled the day after a long gubernatorial election dominated by intense racial rhetoric. Mississippi during the election of 1955 was a place trapped in a cycle of hysteria, conspiracy and rage. “A Nazi rally,” is how former Gov. William Winter once described to me the state’s mood during the civil rights era. * WaPo | GOP asks court to change voting rules in one state, with impact for all: A panel of federal judges heard arguments Tuesday in a case that could upend the rules for counting a sliver of mail ballots in Mississippi just weeks before Election Day, with possible ramifications for all states. At issue is a Mississippi law that allows mail ballots to be counted if they arrive up to five days after Election Day and are postmarked by Election Day or earlier. Seventeen other states and Washington, D.C., have laws allowing postmarked mail ballots to be counted if they arrive after Election Day, according to the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. Click here to keep up with the La Schiazza trial. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Chalkbeat…
* We discussed this last week. Capitol News Illinois…
* WGEM…
* Chronicle Media | Democratic leadership gets behind Williamson’s second try for 47th House seat: During his Smoke Filled Room podcast on Aug. 30, Collin Corbett, the founder of Cor Strategies, a political consulting firm, called [Rep. Amy Grant] “the third most vulnerable” House Republican. Corbett noted the “extensive polling in specific districts so they can decide where they will and where they won’t put their money in September and in October for the final stretch,” Corbett said. * ABC Chicago | Lawsuits filed against Illinois DCFS, Springfield employees after baby taken from family: One suit is against DCFS, and one is against four of the agency’s employees based out of Springfield. The suit alleges that they knowingly kept an infant away from his family for three months, even when they knew nearly from the beginning that no abuse had occurred. […] In July of last year, he was taken away from his mother, after she took him to the doctor’s office to check up on a burn located on his upper arm. Unable to speak English and with no interpreter provided for her, her attorneys say she was unable to properly answer the questions that were being asked. * CBS Chicago | Some clean energy investments are slow to roll out, while others are spurring job creation: Two years ago, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and nearly three years ago it passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Both pieces of federal legislation provided money to states and local municipalities to invest in clean energy projects. One of those is NanoGraf in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. NanoGraf just awarded a $60 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to stand up a battery material facility for electric vehicles in Flint, Michigan. This facility is set to produce 2,500 tons of NanoGraf’s proprietary silicon anode material per year, and create 200 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs. * Heartland Signal | Chicago Teachers Union’s Stacy Davis Gates talks CPS CEO Pedro Martinez with WCPT’s Richard Chew: “We are deeply disappointed in CEO Pedro Martinez because he has an opportunity to be legendary,” Gates said. “And he has chosen to take our work, turn it in as his own, and then tell everyone he can’t afford to implement any of it. It just feels so cynical and disconnected for the type of partnership coalition that we’ll need to actually resource and transform our school district.”
* WTTW | Chicago Expects to Spend Less Than $141M to Care for Migrants in 2024: Officials: But the surge that many officials said was certain to hit the city never materialized, and the city expects to spend less than $141 million to care for the migrants, who are in the country legally after requesting asylum and receiving permission to remain in the U.S. while their cases are resolved. That is approximately $9 million less than the $150 million City Council earmarked to care for the migrants a year ago when it approved the city’s 2024 budget. At the time, Johnson said he did not think that would be enough to care for the migrants for an entire year but hoped it would convince state, county and federal officials to send additional aid to the city. * Block Club | ‘We’ve Been Tired For A Long Time’: Inside A Public Housing Advocate’s Push To Oust The CHA CEO: In addition to being a veteran activist, [Francine Washington] is a member of the CHA’s board of commissioners. CHA board members typically back whatever the CEO proposes. Criticizing Scott publicly, and calling for her ouster, is unusual. But Washington’s remarks were planned well ahead of time and coordinated with other resident leaders. Frustration with Scott has been growing, Washington said after the meeting, and they wanted alderpeople and the CEO herself to hear it. * Streetsblog | After recent crashes in 39th Ward, constituents urge Ald. Nugent to make safer walk/bike infrastructure happen before someone else gets hurt: On her way out the door, local Alderperson Samantha Nugent shared hers as well. “I don’t have a vision,” she said. She mentioned her plan to listen to constituents about traffic hot spots in the ward, then take those concerns back to the office and map them out. She said the next step will be to take the map to transportation experts and heed their advice on best practices. * Crain’s | Bank weighs holding onto distressed Loop office tower as Google beckons: A French bank that recently foreclosed on a Loop office tower across the street from Google’s future Chicago home is signaling it may hold on to the property after negotiating to unload it at a steep discount. At issue is the future of the 49-story office building at 161 N. Clark St., which a venture led by Paris-based lender Societe Generale took control of in March, according to Cook County property records. The bank had filed a $236 million foreclosure lawsuit last fall and was reportedly in talks earlier this year to sell the property to Chicago-based real estate firms Farpoint Development and Golub, likely taking a massive financial haircut in the process on the $230 million loan it had provided the tower’s previous owner. * Tribune | Flood advisory issued as weather system moves into Chicago area: Tornado sirens blared early Tuesday afternoon in parts of the south suburbs as thunder sounded on Chicago’s South Side and weather officials issued a flood advisory until 3:15 p.m. The flood advisory was for portions of northeast Illinois in Cook and Will counties, according to the National Weather Service. * Sun-Times | Chicago White Sox meme their way through baseball’s worst season ever: Even the Sox’ social media team is struggling to spin the squad’s sad performance. After falling to the San Diego Padres on Sunday, tying the record for most losses, the Sox’ official account on the social media platform X refused to report the score — a running joke in the season’s waning days. Instead, the Sox posted a meme showing a car swerving off the Dan Ryan Expressway toward 35th Street, where the team plays. An edited overhead sign had directed the car — labeled “Admin,” referring to the administrator of the account — to either stay straight and “Post [the] final score” or turn and post “Literally anything else.” * Lake County News-Sun | Lake County official says recycling myth ‘needs to be debunked’; ‘It’s real, and that material has value’: Where there are recycling bins, there are sometimes people claiming they go to the same landfill as regular household garbage. But, officials said, that is definitely not the case in Lake County. Of the roughly 1 million tons of municipal waste generated in the county every year, about 40% is recycled or composted, they said. * KFVS | Southern Illinois lawmakers call for change at prisons after exposure incidents: Illinois State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro), State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis), State Representative Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona), State Representative David Friess (R-Red Bud) and State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton) are urging IDOC to temporarily suspend mail processing services within correctional facilities. IDOC reports items recovered at some of the facilities have tested positive for synthetic cannabinoids, chemicals found in insecticides and Fentanyl, but at some locations, there have been no positive results. Illinois State Police are conducting further testing at their lab. * WJBD | Centralia elects to go with 1/2-cent sales tax to replace 1-cent sales tax being eliminated by the state: City Manager Kory Smith explained how the tax would affect sales tax figures in various sections of Centralia. “If passed, this will bring the city’s total sales rate to 6.75 (percent) in both Clinton and Washington counties, with it still being 7.25 within the Jolliff Bridge Business District within Clinton County. The rate in Jefferson County will be 7.25, as it includes a half-percent county public safety tax. In Marion County the rate will be 8 percent, as it includes 1 percent for a county schools facility tax and a quarter percent for a county public safety tax.”
* WCIA | Person arrested after FBI investigates social media threat at Parkland College: WCIA confirmed with Stephanie Stuart, the Chief Communications Officer for Parkland College, a person was arrested Tuesday morning after law enforcement including Champaign Police Department and the FBI investigated a social media threat mentioning the community college. There was an increased police presence on campus Tuesday morning. The college said there is no threat at this time. * Vermillion County First | Immigration Controversy Causes Retraction from Vermilion Advantage Leader: The press release also included language about seeking funding for “a streamlined regulatory process for immigrants so we are more readily able to attract immigrants into our community.” According to the retraction from Vermilion Advantage and Marron, “that language was inadvertently included by CEO Mike Marron. That language reflects the personal views of Mike Marron and should not have been included in the release. The language does not reflect the views of Vermilion Advantage, nor anyone involved with the organization or its board.” * STLPR | Who owns the Riverfront Times? Signs point to Texas-based companies hawking OnlyFans camgirls: But a path to discovering who purchased the St. Louis alt weekly opened on Aug. 1. A new executive editor took to the Riverfront Times’ X account to introduce himself, JD Davis, and his “plan to save RFT” by publishing articles about OnlyFans. […] By putting his name out there, Davis revealed more than his business plan for the paper. St. Louis Public Radio has dug into incorporation documents, lawsuit filings and information from people close to the matter — all of which points to RSC Ventures, an operation that is leveraging the RFT’s online reputation to fund a link-farming business run by out-of-state owners. * The Tennessean | Nashville legend Johnny Cash becomes first musician honored with statue inside US Capitol: At an unveiling ceremony in the United States Capitol Visitor Center, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders joined over 100 members of the Cash family to reveal artist Kevin Kresse’s bronze statue. The 8-foot-tall statue depicts the “I Walk the Line” singer with his head slightly downturned, a Bible in one hand and the other on his chest. A guitar is slung over his back. * NYT | The U.S. News College Rankings Are Out. Cue the Rage and Obsession.: Indeed, to students and their parents, the rankings can be tools for narrowing college searches, and status symbols surrounding admissions to certain schools. To university leaders, the rankings are often publicly heralded but privately detested. To regulators, including Education Secretary Miguel A. Cardona, the rankings are responsible for “an unhealthy obsession with selectivity” and the development of “the false altar of U.S. News and World Report.”
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This is gonna be one for the lawyers
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * August press release…
* Sun-Times last week…
* Block Club Chicago today…
* OK, to the bills. From the relevant state law…
* From the mayor’s proposed ordinance…
Heh.
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Judge overseeing La Schiazza trial wants to hear acquittal arguments before scheduling another trial (Updated)
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Sun-Times…
…Adding… The Tribune…
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * KSDK in June…
* WBEZ in July…
The Question: Do you support a statewide ban of cell phones in Illinois public schools? Make sure to explain your answer.
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Meanwhile… In Opposite Land
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* AP…
* Tennessee…
* Florida…
* Texas…
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The Importance Of Energy Storage
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Recent polling shows 72% of Illinoisans support incentives for energy storage, and a majority of Illinoisans would be likely to for a candidate that supports building more energy storage in the state. But it’s not just popular. It’s urgent — Building more storage today is the best way to save Illinois families and businesses from rapidly rising energy costs. By guaranteeing a backup of affordable energy at times when heat waves, storms, or cold snaps threaten Save families money and make energy more reliable. With energy costs set to rise, we need energy storage now. Learn more about energy storage and outstanding bills about it here.
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Open thread
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Hundreds sue over alleged sexual abuse in Illinois youth detention centers. AP…
- Monday’s complaints, based on the accounts of 272 people, name several repeat offenders. - At least one employee accused in a lawsuit filed Monday still works for the state, according to state records. - Many said their abusers threatened them with beatings, solitary confinement, transfers to harsher facilities and longer sentences if they reported the abuse. * WGLT | New exhibit on asbestos reveals a dark, unsettling and important B-N story: A story of corporate greed, willful worker exploitation, and human tragedy in Bloomington-Normal began nearly a century ago. And the investments in worker safety the Unarco company and others failed to make are paying dividends of a horrible sort — ones of blood and lost public treasure. It’s the story of asbestos, the subject of a new exhibit opening Saturday at the McLean County Museum of History. “The anger that you have knowing that the company did this to your family, it eats on you daily,” said Terry Redman of Wapella. * Capitol News Illinois | Illinois celebrates dispensary openings while manufacturers face significant challenges: The independent diversity study – commissioned by the state at a cost of $2.5 million by Peoria-based Nerevu Group consulting firm – found that while the state has awarded more licenses to women and people of color than any other regulated market in the United States, white men are still the demographic most likely to have a cannabis license in Illinois. But the Department of Agriculture’s most recent licensee operation status list shows only about 30% of businesses awarded specialty cannabis licenses are operational. And for some social equity applicants, turning the licenses into a functioning business has been difficult. * WAND | Illinois public universities ask lawmakers for equitable, evidence-based funding model: Smaller campuses like Chicago State University receive significantly less funding than the state’s flagship college. Dr. Z Scott told the House Appropriations-Higher Education Committee Monday that she would love to have the same quality buildings as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “Look at their facilities and compare those to what is happening at Chicago State,” Scott said. “Chicago State received $42 million in state appropriations, a 2% increase, which amounted to $787,000. It was not even enough to keep up with inflation or our growing union demands, reasonable demands for salary increases.” * Center Square | Legislators hear need for more funding for Illinois college, university upkeep: Some university officials said they look to control their own contracts, rather than have it facilitated by the Capital Development Board. CDB Executive Director T.J. Edwards said they’re concerned about ensuring equitable funding. “The only concern I have is how do we duplicate that across multiple universities,” Edwards said. “How do we ensure that multiple universities that may have individual strategies for their delivery of projects are all going to be compliant, are all going to use Illinois Works … that they’re all going to make sure the accessibility standards are being followed.” * Lake County News-Sun | Political newcomer challenging 3-term incumbent in State House District 59; ‘I’m fed up no one is willing to step up’: State Rep. Dan Didech, D-Buffalo Grove, is pleased with the direction the state is going, and wants to continue doing his part as the representative of the Illinois House of Representatives’ 59th District. His Republican opponent this fall, Chris Henning, has a different take on the state of the state. “We’ve got the state on a sound financial footing, and I’m proud of that,” Didech said. “We’ve had nine credit upgrades. Our annual funding for public schools is $350 million a year. It’s been $2 billion since 2018.” * WGLT | Immigration advocate says bill to stop Illinois non-citizens from voting is unnecessary and harmful: “If you have an organization that is going around, particularly going around these housing areas, where we have these illegal aliens, and registering them to vote, I think that makes is pretty obvious,” said Caulkins. Caulkins said he thinks this has been a problem in Illinois, though could not say where. […] Illinois has had one confirmed ballot fraud incident since 2019, a duplicate primary election voter in Macon County in 2022. * 25News Now | Nearly 60 Illinois police officers graduate into leadership roles through cost-free training program: The program is called, ‘Enduring, Surviving, and Thriving as a Law Enforcement Executive in the 21st Century,’ and it was held at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria, located at 100 Conference Center Drive. The event was hosted by Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. The training is a free four-day course that is meant to prepare incoming officers with the concepts, strategies, and insights needed for success in their new roles. * Tribune | CTU announces ‘no confidence’ in CPS CEO Pedro Martinez: CTU’s announcement comes amid ongoing collective bargaining negotiations and debate over whether the Chicago Board of Education, whose members have the sole power to terminate Martinez, should buck the union’s desires and former CTU organizer Mayor Brandon Johnson — in favor of stability in district finances and leadership. * Fox Chicago | CTU president denies involvement in effort to oust CPS CEO: CTU President Davis Gates denied any involvement in the mayor’s apparent decision to let Martinez go, something Martinez is resisting as his contract requires a six-month notice for termination. […] When asked if she wanted the Board of Education to terminate Martinez, she responded: “No, I want the Chicago Public Schools, I want the Chicago Board of Education, I want the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, I want the Mayor of Chicago to fully fund public schools.” * Block Club | As ShotSpotter Contract Ends, City Starts Search For New ‘First Responder Technology’: Johnson’s office announced the “request for information” for new “first responder technology” on Sunday, the same day ShotSpotter detectors began to go dark in Chicago. The request is the latest move in the prolonged effort to decommission ShotSpotter, which fulfilled a Johnson campaign process but has since ignited a political firestorm. The Chicago Police Department stopped using ShotSpotter shortly after midnight Sunday, a police spokesperson said. * Sun-Times | Ex-Chicago cop — once a national TV pundit on policing — now an accused police impersonator: The former cop appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and CBS News, offering his insights on police misconduct and proper law enforcement procedures. Now, Roberts has become the subject of the news after being charged with impersonating a federal agent in Texas. He was previously hit with similar allegations in Chicago and California two years ago, the Sun-Times has found. * Daily Southtown | Biden OKs disaster declaration in wake of July storms: The announcement comes after Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Gov. JB Pritzker made similar disaster proclamations Aug. 12 and Aug. 30, which unlocked state funds to assist residents in their recovery efforts. With Biden’s declaration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency can offer individual assistance to residents in areas hardest hit by the July storms, including Cook, Fulton, Henry, St. Clair, Washington, Will and Winnebago counties. * Daily Herald | Parents criticize how high school handled discovery of gun at school: In the wake of a student bringing a loaded handgun to Glenbard East High School, parents are criticizing how school officials handled the situation, and they’re calling for schools to have metal detectors at entrances. The gun was found in a boys restroom Sept. 10 and was traced to the home of a 14-year-old boy in Glendale Heights, according to a news release from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office. * Sun-Times | Size matters — Illinois could soon lay claim to country’s largest truck stop: Outpost, an Austin, Texas-based company is set to open a 30-acre truck stop in West Dundee in mid- to late October, said Pat Hardin, Outpost’s VP of revenue and operations. “Chicago is really the crown jewel of transportation in this country,” Hardin said Monday. “[And West Dundee] has access to the city without hitting the city traffic.” * Sun-Times | Northwest suburban woman is first in the Midwest to receive ‘groundbreaking’ skin cancer treatment: Alla Pinzour says she’s a trouper. She has lived with melanoma for 15 years. A new therapy offered at the University of Chicago used her own body’s cells to fight the cancer and shrink her tumors. * Sun-Times | Illinois man pleads guilty to Jan. 6 riot property destruction charges: A southern Illinois man has pleaded guilty to a destruction of property charge after he smashed a window in the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6, 2021 riots, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. Justin LaGesse, a 37-year-old who lives about 300 miles south of Chicago in McLeansboro, pleaded guilty to felony destruction of property Monday. Proceedings are ongoing for 36-year-old Theodore Middendorf, another McLeansboro resident charged alongside him. * WSIL | 6 sent to hospital after becoming ill sorting mail at Shawnee Correctional Center, tests yield no positive results, IDOC says: The Marion Fire Rescue Hazardous Material Team responded to the correctional facility and tested items and clothing of the staff members who were affected. After testing the items and clothing, results came back negative for any presence of drugs or narcotics, IDOC stated. […] IDOC also stated searches were conducted and the Shawnee Correctional Center’s Investigations and Intelligence Unit found suspicious mail, however, preliminary tests yielded no positive results. * WCIA | U of I building, food service workers begin strike: Although the strike affects food service workers, a university spokesperson clarified that all dining halls are open except the one at Lincoln Avenue and Allen Residence Halls, which is open for kosher meals. The convenience stores operated by University Housing are also open but are not serving made-to-order hot food. * WSIL | Harrisburg officials are investigating after tornado sirens sound with no severe weather: Harrisburg’s Mayor John McPeek says he received calls from emergency officials trying to figure out how they started sounding off. “They don’t know if they got interfered with another town or what happened. But something definitely went wrong for them to go off like that because they should not do that,” Mayor McPeek said. He says the emergency management director is investigating it. * SJ-R | Springfield-area woman turning 112 years old is likely state’s oldest resident: Wenonah Bish, who currently lives in Sherman, will be turning 112 on Oct. 2. […] Bish’s family describes her as someone who prefers to look at what’s coming rather than what’s behind her. She loves calling and talking to her daughter Delores throughout the day, in addition to speaking with her grandson Dirk, who lives in Miami, and her grandson Don who lives in the Dominican Republic.
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SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * The anti-Haas mailer in question is here. Isabel’s text exchange with 79th House District Democratic candidate Billie Morgan about his previous statement that he would’ve voted against the budget bill…
* Many of the Americans for Prosperity Action digital ads I told you about can be viewed by clicking here. Its help wanted page is here.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. Click here to keep up with the La Schiazza trial. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WBEZ public safety reporter Chip Mitchell…
* From the report…
* Illinois Municipal League…
* Governor Pritzker…
* She Votes Illinois | Mary Beth Canty, candidate for IL House of Representatives, District 54: She Votes Illinois is pleased to feature Mary Beth Canty, incumbent, running for IL House of Representatives, District 54. Follow our series, She Runs Illinois 2024!, leading up to election day as we showcase and uplift the voices of Illinois women running for public office in the upcoming election, November 5, 2024. * Tribune | Illinois rental assistance program restarted, with $75M available for renters and landlords: The new program follows a federally funded, statewide program that assisted tenants who were facing financial hardship tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and at risk of eviction. The federally funded program — which began in October 2022 and was funded through the 2021 federal American Rescue Plan Act — helped more than 10,500 landlords and renters in Illinois and stopped accepting applications in May as the funds were nearly exhausted. * Sun-Times | Chicago’s longest-serving City Council member Ed Burke is in prison: Edward M. Burke, the onetime dean of the Chicago City Council and its longest-serving member, has surrendered to a federal prison to begin serving his two-year sentence for racketeering, bribery and attempted extortion, authorities have confirmed. Burke is in custody at a low-security facility in Thomson, Illinois, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. * WTTW | 6 Months Later, Officers Who Shot Dexter Reed Remain on Leave: Police Officials: While none of the officers who shot at Reed, who was hit 13 times, have returned to active duty, Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling has refused a call from Civilian Office of Police Accountability Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten to relieve them of their police powers. Snelling’s rejection of Kersten’s recommendation means the officers have continued to be paid by the city. Three of the officers earn more than $102,000 annually, while the fourth earns $93,000, according to a city database. * WTTW | Tensions Between Mayor Johnson, CPS CEO Martinez Escalate Amid Questions About School Closures: Martinez had been scheduled to join WTTW News’ “Chicago Tonight” on Monday but declined to appear hours before the show was scheduled to air. Martinez reports to the Chicago Board of Education, whose members — all appointed by the mayor — have the power to terminate his contract. * WTTW | Police Misconduct Agency Rejects Watchdog’s Demand to Reopen 5 Probes Closed During Push to Clear Backlog: In each of the five cases, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg informed Civilian Office of Police Accountability Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten that the agency known as COPA had erred when it closed those cases because they involved serious allegations of police misconduct that were not eligible to be closed as part of what COPA called its Timeliness Initiative. * Press release | Supermajority of City Council sends letter to the mayor calling for improvements in Chicago’s extreme weather response plan: “We’ve lost too many people to weather extremes that we have the means to predict and prepare for,” said Ald. Vasquez, who authored the letter. “Last winter, someone died outside overnight, on the steps of a closed city warming center. I can’t think of a more urgent call to action than that.” The goals of the working group would be to bring together the Mayor’s Office, members of City Council, homeless outreach and shelter service providers, healthcare workers, and people with lived experience of homelessness to work toward sustainable, measurable solutions to the city’s current gaps. * Block Club | Lakeview Residents ‘Trapped’ In Apartments As Elevator Issues Plague Affordable Housing Complex: In one instance, Ed Dubray, a top-floor resident who uses a wheelchair, had to call the Fire Department to be carried up five flights of stairs after getting stuck on the second floor when building management left for the day. “I’m trapped up here,” Dubray said. “I can’t get to the doctor. I can’t get my medicine. I can’t go to the store. They all act nice, but they don’t give a damn about us.” * ABC Chicago | United Airlines gives students behind-the-scenes look at O’Hare Airport for Girls in Aviation Day: More than 50 middle and high school girls got a special behind-the-scenes view of what it is like to have a front-row seat in aviation. “I’m having a lot of fun. I’ve never been on a plane, for real,” said Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep senior Neambi Walker. “I’ve never been in such a nice little business class area. The seat goes back. We get shoes.” * Block Club | Uptown People’s Law Center Leader Stepping Down After Decades Fighting For Prisoners’ Rights: This year, Mills is taking a step back in his role at the center for the first time since the ’90s, transitioning back to being a staff attorney after a decade as Uptown People’s Law Center’s executive director and a previous 23 years as its legal director. During his tenure, Mills has taken on legal battles for healthcare benefits for Appalachian miners who migrated to Uptown and for prisoners unjustly in solitary confinement. His work has even helped lead to the closure of one of Illinois’ most notorious prisons. * Crain’s | Calumet Fisheries maintains tradition amid change in aftermath of a fire: Not much changed at the famous red-roofed restaurant in the subsequent 75 years, at least not until an electrical fire damaged the interior in 2023. The blaze forced Calumet Fisheries to close up shop for seven months as the team brought in new display cases, walk-in coolers, electrical and plumbing systems, and a fresh roof. It reopened in June to many locals’ relief. There was a brief moment after the fire when current co-owner Mark Kotlick, son of Sid Kotlick, considered closing up shop. “Do we take our insurance money and call it a day?” he recalled thinking. But his pause did not last long. Mark Kotlick knew he needed to stay open for both his longtime employees and the restaurant’s loyal customers. * Tribune | After a treacherous, monthslong journey from Venezuela to Chicago, migrant amputee marries longtime love: ‘She’s my life. My everything.’: Pedron’s family currently lives in a shelter run by the state in Little Village. They are hoping to stay here by pleading asylum, and haven’t received permission to work legally yet. They’ve received some housing benefits from the state, but Pedron worries because he and his wife don’t have stable jobs. They need to find something affordable for their family of six. * Daily Southtown | Ford Heights mayor convicted of embezzling village funds: Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin was convicted Monday of embezzling village funds, though he was not held accountable for stealing the full $147,000 prosecutors claimed. Cook County Judge James Obbish said Griffin is guilty of a felony in the embezzlement of between $10,000 and $100,000 in public funds “to benefit himself, his family and his friends” from 2014 to 2017, both during and after his first tenure as Ford Heights mayor. * Tribune | To fend off potential state takeover, Evanston/Skokie District 65 may close schools, lay off staff: Robert Grossi, a financial consultant hired by the district, said the district is in danger of an Illinois State Board of Education takeover if the district does not find a way to balance its budget. The district has seen deficits of over $10 million in the last three school years due to increasing expenses and decreasing revenues, all as it prepares to build a school in Evanston’s Fifth Ward. Superintendent Angel Turner presented initial plans for an expense-cutting program to the Board of Education at its Board meeting last Monday. The plan’s specifics will be presented to the board in January 2025 by Grossi and the District’s chief financial officer. * Shaw Local | McHenry cancels $2.8M land deal for scuttled plans for hotel, 500 apartments downtown: Second Ward Alderman Andy Glab asked that the final documents note that the Carey family asked for the contract’s termination, “not just that the city canceled it.” The wording was agreed upon by both sides, McArdle said, and any changes to the language would have to be approved by Carey representatives, but he added he would inform them of the request. * AXIOS | Your guide to the Cook County State’s Attorney race: In Democratic stronghold Cook County, Republicans have held the seat only three times in the last 90 years, the last time being 1996. After a very close Democratic primary, Judge Eileen O’Neill Burke eked out a narrow win over former prosecutor Clayton Harris III, even though the County Democratic Party endorsed Harris. * CBS Chicago | Kevin Bacon performs for inmates at Cook County Jail in Chicago: It’s part of a collaboration with Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to bring art, music, and inspiration to those in custody. Bacon also took questions from the audience about his music and acting career. “I’m working on a TV show that’ll be out in the middle of the year,” he said. “I got a movie called — well, I don’t really know what it’s called. We’re still trying to find distribution for it, but you know, I’m still out there begging.” * Aurora Beacon-News | Oswego OKs concept plans for nine-hole indoor golf course: ‘This is first on the Earth right in Oswego’: The 100-acre site west of Route 30 and north of Rance Road is currently in unincorporated Will County and would have to be annexed into Oswego and rezoned from agriculture to a regional business district, according to the proposal. Canada-based Megalodome Golf is proposing to build four 270,000-square-foot golf domes at the site. Three domes would contain a nine-hole golf course, while the fourth dome would be a practice facility, according to the plan. * WJBC | ISU selected as partner for Central Illinois regional simulation training hub by DCFS: The Illinois Department of Child and Family Services has selected Illinois State University as one of four regional training hubs when the university’s Child Protection Training Academy opens in early November. According to an ISU news release, the four-year $2.1 million grant was finalized back in June following months of planning. ISU says this partnership will support workforce development. * SJ-R | Former Springfield police officer indicted on drug charges: A former Springfield police officer was indicted on drug charges. Clayton Hadley was indicted for possession of larger than legal amounts of marijuana as well as possession of testosterone. Deputies searched Hadley’s home on July 31 and found more than three pounds of marijuana along with multiple vials of suspected testosterone. Deputies also found roughly $5,000 in cash at Hadley’s home. * Courier & Press | Evansville sports legend Clint Keown dies in Illinois car wreck: Clint Keown, who starred as an athlete at Memorial High School and the University of Evansville, died Sunday in a car wreck in Crawford County, Illinois. Crawford County Sheriff Bill Rutan told the Courier & Press that the investigation is ongoing, but he could confirm that it was a one-vehicle incident, and that the driver had died. * Fox Illinois | Maroa-Forsyth’s Grant Smith commits to the University of Illinois: The Illini landed a new offensive weapon from Maroa-Forsyth this week when Grant Smith, the Troajn’s 6′5″ three-star tight end. The senior standout is just four games into his final Trojan campaign and already has 13 receptions for 225 yards and six touchdowns. His junior year saw a similar level of success, finding the endzone eight times with 535 yards and 30 receptions. * AP | Americans Can Order Free COVID-19 Tests Beginning This Month: U.S. households will be able to order as many as four nasal swab tests at COVIDTests.gov when the federal program reopens. The U.S. Health and Human Services agency overseeing the program has not yet given an exact date when ordering can begin. An agency spokesperson has said the tests will detect current virus strains and can be ordered ahead of the holiday season, when families and friends gather for celebrations.
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Question of the day
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * The setup…
* The Question: Can things get worse?
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Despite 2023 firebombing, Planned Parenthood of Illinois expands abortion services in Peoria
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * August of last year…
* Today…
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Monday, Sep 23, 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 David, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
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Suspicious package sent to Illinois State Board of Elections is under FBI investigation
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Subscribers were told about this early this morning. CNN…
* Add Illinois to the list. SJ-R…
This morning ISBE spokesperson Matt Dietrich said he had no updates, “It’s the FBI’s case now.”
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Lessons learned from the La Schiazza trial
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
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A quick ShotSpotter history
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * March, 2017…
* 2018…
[Debunked] * 2019…
* 2020…
* 2021…
* 2021…
* 2021…
* 2021…
* 2021…
* 2022…
* 2023…
* Yesterday…
* Also yesterday…
2003…
* After many spin revisions over the years, the question in Chicago has essentially boiled down to possibly/probably saving lives of at least some shooting victims vs. over-extending already constrained police resources at the expense of 911 response times…
So, that means seven victims rendered aid had no 911 call and we don’t know how badly injured any of those seven were.
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Uber’s Local Partnership = Stress-Free Travel For Paratransit Riders
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] The Pace Rideshare Access Program subsidizes Uber trips, leaving riders with a co-pay of just $2. The impact: “This program has been a godsend for me. It offers flexibility, independence, freedom and the ability to maintain a beautiful life on so many levels,” says one rider. CTA: See how it works.
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Open thread
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Judge’s decision in gun ban challenge weeks away as state also set to appeal concealed carry ruling. Tribune…
* Related stories…
∙ Capitol News Illinois: State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban At 8:45 am Governor Pritzker will give remarks at National Association of State Treasurers Annual Conference. At 10:25 am, the governor will speak at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research Power+ Summit. Click here to watch. * Crain’s | Assault weapons ban would have prevented 38 mass shootings, Northwestern study says: The study, published today in the journal JMIR Public Health & Surveillance, is the first to consider how many mass shootings the ban would have prevented, the health system said in a press release. The federal ban on certain military-style automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines was enacted in 1994 and ended in 2004, during which time Northwestern estimates it prevented five public mass shootings. * Tribune | With jury deadlock ending La Schiazza trial, prosecutors in looming Madigan case face clear challenge: Closing arguments in the federal trial of former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza, who was accused of bribing House Speaker Michael Madigan, brought an expected crowd to a Chicago courtroom. But only one spectator could claim to have had a direct influence on the proceedings. That was James Snyder, the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, whose fight to overturn his own bribery case ended with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that raised the bar for prosecutors in a number of Illinois public corruption cases. * SJ-R | Lawmakers weighing use of solitary confinement in Illinois prison. Here’s what to know.: Last year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation making it illegal to confine incarcerated youth in solitary confinement for any purpose other than preventing immediate physical harm. Now advocates and lawmakers are calling for limits of the practice for incarcerated adults. There appeared to be momentum brewing during the spring session for such legislation — dubbed the Nelson Mandela Act — passing out of committee and wracking up dozens of Democratic co-sponsors. If passed, it would have limited solitary confinement to no more than 10 consecutive days or 10 days within a 180-day period. * Treasurer Michael Frerichs | Hey, Stellantis, a deal is a deal. Open the Belvidere plant now: You don’t need a PhD in Economics to understand basic supply and demand or to question why market conditions are an impediment to Stellantis, but not to the same extent as Ford or General Motors. Market conditions certainly did not prohibit Stellantis from rewarding Tavares with a $39 million annual compensation package, an increase of 56 percent. Nor has it prompted the CEO to return some of that compensation until market conditions improve. * WAND | Illinois House Republicans renew calls for property tax reform: “Illinois is still poised to be a leading economy in our nation,” Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) said Thursday. “But we’re certainly never going to do it by overtaxing homeowners until they either lose their properties or are rendered valueless or we drive businesses out of our state.” Republicans argue the state should set aside 25% of its revenue each year to make pension payments and send more money to schools. Ugaste said his plan could save taxpayers $82.4 billion over the next 21 years. Although, his bill has never moved out of committee. * Quantum Insider | AOL’s Founder Predicted A Midwest Tech Hub: A Decade Later, Illinois’ Quantum Ecosystem Is Fulfilling The Prophecy: The idea that a tech hub could rise in the Midwest once seemed improbable. For decades, Silicon Valley has long been synonymous with “epicenter of innovation.” However, predictions of a Midwest resurgence, made nearly a decade ago by AOL’s founder Steve Case—are beginning to take shape. Illinois is positioning itself as a quantum computing hub through tax incentives, major investments, and a growing quantum ecosystem, as demonstrated by recent developments in the state. * Sun-Times | Chicago organizers work to ease Black-brown tension over the influx of migrants: The conversations between Latino and Black Chicagoans began earlier this year, alternating between locations in the mostly Black neighborhood of East Garfield Park and the largely Latino neighborhood of Pilsen. An event on Sept. 12 brought together about 35 people to discuss disciplinary practices in public schools. Other discussions have centered around law enforcement, housing, jobs and immigration. Some Black participants say that before these dialogues, they hadn’t taken the time to try to understand Latinos and their struggles. * Chicago Reader | Henry V, portrait of a serial killer: Directed by Chicago Shakes artistic director Edward Hall (whose brilliant 2003 Rose Rage remains a seminal production at the Navy Pier theater), Henry (Elijah Jones, in full command of the stage) goes to war for two reasons: A) because his feelings have been hurt by a child (the Dauphin of France and a prank involving tennis balls) and B) because he’s so wrapped up in his ego that he fails to understand the bishops convincing him to invade France only want war as a means of fattening church coffers. Yes, Henry’s eve-of-battle St. Crispin’s Day Speech is an inspiration to underdogs through history. But when Jones’s Henry unleashes the passage with fire-breathing righteousness, urging his men to invade a sovereign country where countless will be slaughtered, it feels dangerous and disingenuous. * Block Club | Rain Flushes Away Chicago’s Foul Smell: On Sunday, the seemingly endless string of sunny, 80-degree days this month came to an end as rain storms rolled through the city. The National Weather Service forecasted rains and possible thunderstorms for the city through the day Sunday. The rain was much needed for multiple reasons. Before Sunday, September had only seen 0.04 inches of rain, compared to the monthly average of 1.73 inches, according to the National Weather Service. The lack of rain has led to drought conditions for much of the Midwest, including Chicago and Illinois, according to NBC 5. * Sun-Times | White Sox tie 1962 Mets’ record with 120th loss: With their fifth consecutive defeat and 23rd in the last 28 games, the Sox fell to 36-120 to tie the expansion 1962 Mets’ record for most losses in the modern era and break the 2003 Tigers’ AL-record 119 losses. “It’s very frustrating; it’s not what we want,” said Miguel Vargas, who homered off Yu Darvish. “We don’t want to be on this side of history.” * Tribune | As suicide deaths become more common among young kids in Illinois, one Waukegan mom mourns her 10-year-old daughter: After losing her daughter, Gaines said she’s felt sadness, grief and, at times, guilt. Gaines isn’t alone in her experience. Suicide among young people is a “challenging and prevalent problem,” with Black and LGBTQ+ kids, who are at disproportionate risk nationally and in Chicago, according to Dr. Aron Janssen, a vice chair at the psychiatry and behavioral health department at Lurie Children’s Hospital. * WGN | Cook County welding renaissance: Latinas Welding Guild helps bridge the gap: “We want this to be a space where anyone can grow and learn and develop in their welding skills,” said Jessica Rodriguez Hernandez, Deputy Director of the Latinas Welding Guild. “When We started the organization, it was really with the intent to help women get into the trades. But as we realized it wasn’t just women who needed those doors to be open. * Daily Herald | Barrington gearing up for more discussion of Motor Werks expansion: The Motor Werks auto dealership’s proposed expansion of its Barrington campus will undergo further scrutiny by village officials and residents next week. The plan commission will reconvene Sept. 30 as it considers the proposal, which calls for a new Porsche facility, a parking garage with restaurant and retail elements, an expanded showroom and another high-end dealership to the site on Dundee Road between Barrington Road and Grove Avenue. * AP | A historic but dilapidated Illinois prison will close while replacement is built, despite objections: The prison is behind on maintenance by $286 million, according to a long-range capital needs study released in May 2023. It identified $12 million in immediate upgrades, but Hughes said that “grossly underestimates the full spectrum of urgent needs.” Wood’s court order focused on falling chunks of concrete, bird feathers and feces and foul-smelling tap water. * Sun-Times | North Carolina GOP gov candidate Mark Robinson drops Chicago-area fundraiser after vile posts surface: Robinson, the lieutenant governor of North Carolina, a key presidential battleground state, scrubbed the Kenilworth visit, according to a post on the website of the Tenth Congressional District Republican Organization. On Saturday, the group’s website was no longer promoting Robinson’s event. Instead, on the organization’s “coming events” page, there was this message: “Welcome. Our earlier speaker cancelled, but we have secured a great Trump ally for this event! Stay tuned!” * WAND | SEIU Local 73 blames short staff on wages at U of I: “We are disappointed that University management have failed to take negotiations seriously while continually posting threats against the workers,” said Joseph Richert, SEIU Local 73 Secretary-Treasurer. “From suspending civil service rules to intimidating workers about their access to healthcare, management continues to demonstrate a lack of respect for these essential employees. Our members are fully prepared to strike for as long as it takes to secure a contract that provides a living wage.” * WCIA | Pharmacies in Central Illinois face medicine shortage: Hudson Drug and Hallmark shop in Paxton say they’ve been limited on their supply of Adderall and Ritalin. He says other pharmacies could be going through the same thing because of multiple different situations. These drugs could be high in demand, or several manufacturers aren’t making money off the specific item and other companies have to meet the need. * WAND | Charleston Middle School student arrested for making threats: The Charleston Police Department said a Middle School student has been detained on preliminary felony juvenile charges for making a threat to a student, to pull a fire-alarm. They say the student also threatened to commit additional violence on school grounds. The student is facing several charges including making a terrorist threat, which is a Class X felony, and Disorderly Conduct, school threat, which is a Class 4 Felony. * WCIA | U of I building service workers plan to strike Monday: According to an email sent to SEIU 73 members, the strike will begin at 7:00 a.m. In that same email, the Bargaining Committee asked workers who are scheduled to come in to not come to work. For those who are already working, they ask them to clock out and head to the picket line. * Crain’s | Caterpillar joins Ford, Lowe’s in diversity rethink as backlash grows: Caterpillar Inc. is introducing new guidelines on external sponsorships and donations as part of a review of some of its DEI initiatives, after anti-diversity activist Robby Starbuck told the company he was preparing a social media attack against its policies. The construction and mining equipment maker, which in 2022 moved from Illinois to the Dallas area, said it will focus all employee training programs on fostering “high performance,” require senior manager approval for external speakers at company events, and implement new guardrails around its employee resource groups. The changes were communicated in a letter to employees that Starbuck shared on his social media page. * Pantagraph | 2 Black Civil War veterans in Central Illinois fought to be citizens, voters: When the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was formally adopted on March 30, 1870, less than a week later both men exercised their newfound right to vote. Because of a special charter, El Paso’s city election was held one day earlier (Monday, April 4), than the rest of the elections held in the State of Illinois (Tuesday, April 5). However, when Strother arrived at the polls to vote, he was denied by one election judge, William Niefing, who stated “if any law existed entitling Negroes to vote he had not seen it.” * The New Yorker | How inflation fooled almost everybody: Early in the current inflation debate, at least one highly placed group of economists did draw a more appropriate lesson from history. In a July, 2021, blog post, Cecilia Rouse, the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, and two colleagues—Jeffery Zhang and Ernie Tedeschi—highlighted the years immediately after the Second World War, when the U.S. inflation rate jumped to more than fourteen per cent in 1947 before falling back to minus one per cent by the end of 1949. In the course of the war, a lot of factories had been reoriented to produce armaments, which meant consumer goods were in short supply. After the fighting ended, households that were eager to get back to normal bought a lot of the goods and services they had been deprived of, and prices shot up. (Another factor: wartime price controls had been lifted.) “Today’s shortage of durable goods is similar,” the White House economists wrote. “A national crisis necessitated disrupting normal production processes.” They noted that the postwar inflationary period “ended after two years as domestic and foreign supply chains normalized and consumer demand began to level off.” * DNYUZ | Elon Musk’s X Backs Down in Brazil: After defying court orders in Brazil for three weeks, Mr. Musk’s social network, X, has capitulated. In a court filing on Friday night, the company’s lawyers said that X had complied with orders from Brazil’s Supreme Court in the hopes that the court would lift a block on its site. The decision was a surprise move by Mr. Musk, who owns and controls X, after he said he had refused to obey what he called illegal orders to censor voices on his social network. Mr. Musk had dismissed local employees and refused to pay fines. The court responded by blocking X across Brazil last month. * The Guardian | ‘A break from the heat’: Americans most affected by climate crisis head midwest: As a Rust belt town of 65,000 people in eastern Indiana, Muncie may not be the most exciting place in the world. It doesn’t have beaches, year-round warm weather or much in the way of cosmopolitanism. But for Laura Rivas, a cybersecurity engineer formerly of North Miami Beach, Florida, Muncie is perfect. Before she moved there in 2022, life in Florida had become unbearable.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. Click here to keep up with the La Schiazza trial. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Monday, Sep 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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