The people of Chicago deserve representation and accountability. The Illinois Senate is not going to consider an elected school board bill with woefully inadequate ethical provisions.
We are concerned with the failure to include strong ethical safeguards in the legislation the House approved.
For example, there is no prohibition on executives and employees of school district contractors and vendors being able to serve on the board.
The House legislation opens the door for corruption by exempting board members from the requirements under the Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act.
A Chicago School Board must be held to the same ethical standards as every other school board in Illinois.
These are specific accountability protections the public requested during numerous Senate hearings. We also heard repeated testimony regarding the importance of electing all 20 board members next year, a provision the Senate supports and one that is lacking from the House version.
We are eager to work with the House on the shared goal of an elected representative school board but we will not accept watered down ethical provisions, and we believe the parents, families, students and taxpayers of Chicago deserve immediate representation.
Much progress has been made this week. I look forward to continuing discussions with our colleagues in the House to swiftly reach an agreement.
…Adding… Rep. Ann Williams, sponsor of HB4221, which is the House’s latest version of an elected school board bill…
The House and Senate are both working towards the same goal: a fully elected school board for Chicago Public Schools. While we may have suggested different paths to accomplish that goal, and these particular concerns from Senate President Harmon were never brought to our attention until tonight, I feel confident we can continue to work together to achieve a product that Chicago can be proud of.
Illinois has once again taken another step closer to paving the way for the development of new nuclear reactors within the state thanks to the passage of Illinois Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin’s (R-Morris) new legislation, House Bill 2473, in the Senate on Wednesday, November 8.
“House Bill 2473 is a new piece of legislation designed to thoroughly and specifically address the concerns that the Governor stated in his veto message of my original bill,” said Sen. Rezin. “I would like to personally thank Senate President Harmon, his team, and other stakeholders that assisted throughout this negotiation process.”
House Bill 2473 lifts the ban on next generation nuclear reactors less than 300 MW beginning January 1, 2026. Additionally, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Office of Homeland Security will be directed to establish rules for reactor decommissioning, environmental monitoring, and emergency preparedness by January 1, 2026. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will also provide consultation.
Furthermore, House Bill 2473 authorizes the Governor to commission a brand-new study to research the State’s role in guiding the development of new nuclear technology and makes conforming statutory changes, including updating references to IEMA-OHS in preexisting Illinois law.
“The federal regulatory permitting process already takes six to eight years, so if we want to take advantage of the amazing advancements in new nuclear technology that have occurred over the past decade and prevent our state from falling behind the rest of the nation, we need to end this moratorium now,” continued Sen. Rezin. “Nuclear provides clean, reliable, and secure energy that we can count on as we strive to reach our clean energy goals in Illinois. With the passage of this legislation, we provide our state with the opportunity to truly embrace the next generation of nuclear technology and all of the benefits that it offers.”
House Bill 2473 passed out of the Senate with a 44-7 vote and is now on its way to the House of Representatives for further consideration. Since House Bill 2473 doesn’t take effect until January 1, 2026, it only requires a simple-majority vote in order to be sent to the Governor’s desk.
* Sen. Rachel Ventura…
State Senator Rachel Ventura passed a measure through the Senate that would move the state toward lower emissions, improve air quality throughout Illinois and require newly purchased state-owned vehicles to be zero emission.
“We cannot afford to delay transitioning to zero-emission vehicles,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “With this legislation, Illinois will not only save money in the long run, but will also protect the environment.”
Highway vehicles release about 1.4 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year — mostly in the form of carbon dioxide — which contribute to the global climate crisis. Roughly five to nine tons of greenhouse gases are burned each year for a typical vehicle according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Ventura’s measure aims to lower the state’s overall emissions by addressing the pollutants released into the air by vehicle emissions, which have a direct impact on the environment.
Under Senate Bill 1769, passenger vehicles purchased or leased by the state must either be a manufactured zero-emission vehicle or converted into a zero-emission vehicle with the exception of law enforcement vehicles and vehicles procured by IDOT as part of their consolidated vehicle procurement program by 2030. Currently 13 other states have adopted similar zero-emission vehicle requirements, Minnesota being the only other Midwestern state to do so.
“This is just one step toward mitigating the impacts of the climate crisis. Illinois continues to lead other states, but there is more work to do,” said Ventura. “Going forward, the state needs to create a reliable electrical grid to support the increased demand of electrification, incentivize carbon-free energy production, and expand and restore natural carbon capture methods.”
Senate Bill 1769 passed the Senate on Wednesday and heads to the governor.
* From Gov. JB Pritzker’s Think Big America last night…
“Tonight, Ohio voters showed, once again, that they will not stand for draconian and extreme attacks on their reproductive rights. Ohioans have spoken loud and clear - abortion bans have no place in their state. Women deserve the freedom to make their own reproductive health choices and, thanks to the hard work of Ohioans across the state, that freedom is now protected in the state constitution. Think Big America applauds everyone who worked tirelessly to pass Issue One in a historic victory that will resonate for decades to come. Tonight, we celebrate the win for freedom in Ohio and tomorrow we continue the fight to pursue these same victories for reproductive rights across the country.”
* From Pritzker’s group today…
“Virginians voted to protect the future of abortion in their state and send reproductive rights allies to Richmond. Think Big America congratulates reproductive rights champions, state senators-elect Danica Roem, Schuyler Van Valkenburg, and Russet Perry. Virginia remains the final state in the South without an abortion ban and the message sent on Tuesday is loud and clear - we want to keep it that way. Despite the best efforts by anti-choice extremists and their far-right allies, women’s freedom to determine their own healthcare decisions won out yesterday. Think Big America applauds the hard work of everyone in Virginia who made these victories possible and who have steadfastly defended reproductive rights and abortion access along the way.”
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* Tribune | Jury selection for ex-Ald. Edward Burke corruption trial continues: That’s a little more than half of the 47 potential jurors who are needed before attorneys can proceed to the next phase of selection, in which each side will get to strike a certain number of people from the jury pool without giving a reason. The slow pace means opening statements in the case will likely be Thursday at the earliest.
* Center Square | Lawmakers grill IDES director over billions in unemployment fraud during pandemic: A performance audit released by the Office of the Auditor General showed that overpayments of $5.2 billion in the Unemployment Insurance and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance programs were the result of fraud, non-fraud and identity theft between 2020 to 2022. The audit also found that nearly 3,500 inmates in Illinois prisons received fraudulent benefits. The Auditor General’s office found that inmates received over $40 million in benefits.
* Daily Herald | Deferred prosecution OK’d for Sugar Grove trustee charged with forgery: He is accused of forging the signature of a North Aurora building department official on a certificate of occupancy for a home in the Moose Lake Estates subdivision and presenting the forged document to a title company. Michels works for a company that builds custom homes. According to a North Aurora police report, the forgery was discovered when a homeowner inquired about getting a permit to build a swimming pool. North Aurora employees were confused, however, because they had not issued an occupancy certificate for the house.
* Crain’s | Paid leave policy outrages Chicago restaurants, but workers want PTO: If passed, the proposal would require Chicago employers to provide employees 10 paid days off starting next year. Companies with more than 100 employees will be required to pay out up to seven unused days off when a worker ends employment. Businesses with 50 or fewer employees would be exempt from having to pay out unused days, and there would be a one-year phase-in of required payout for companies with 51 to 100 workers.
* SJ-R | Springfield City Council adopts moratorium on residency requirement for municipal workers: Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory, Ward 3 Ald. Roy Williams Jr. and Ward 4 Ald. Larry Rockford voted against the ordinance, which, like two weeks ago at committee of the whole, engendered a long discussion. Before the vote, the council approved two amendments to the ordinance, including one that would subject the council to revisit the ordinance after one year, though no sunset provision was attached to it.
* NBC Chicago | Several Illinois schools listed in Wall Street Journal rankings of best Midwest colleges: Lake Forest College was named as the second-best small Midwestern college, while ranking 27th overall nationally. The University of St. Francis in Joliet was ranked as the ninth-best small Midwestern college. Four Illinois schools made up the top 10 mid-size colleges, with Chicago’s Illinois Institute of Technology topping the list.
* Daily Herald | ‘I’m overwhelmed’: Victory Auto Wreckers’ owner says of public response to business closing after 78 years: That’s why Weisner’s phone has been ringing nonstop and T-shirt sales have jumped since he announced the business closing on Dean Richards’ WGN Radio 720 show Sunday morning. “It’s endearing,” he said Tuesday of the ongoing response. “I didn’t think we had that much of an impact on people’s lives. Thank you so much for everything.” Nov. 18 is the last day Victory will accept vehicles and Nov. 30 is the final day it will be open to the public.
* The Invest in Kids Act extension bill needs 71 votes to pass the House. House Republican Leader Tony McCombie told WJPF Radio host Tom Miller today that there are only 57 votes in the House…
Chris Welch will not call it. He has, from my understanding, 17 hard yeses on the Democrat side of the aisle. We only have 40. So some on our side of the aisle say ‘Well, you know, you could do more, you could do more.’ And my issue is I have 40 Republicans in the House, they have 17 hard yeses. That’s 57. I can do the math. And Welch will not call a bill when a bill is not going to be passed. He is not going to put his members on a bill and put pressure on them when there’s no bill to be solidly passed. So it’s not going to be called by the Speaker. There is a compromise by the advocates, I would say a compromise that they worked very hard on, carried by Representative Guerrero, and one that I believe Republicans, I know Republicans would support, I know 17 Democrats would support, but it’s not enough to apply pressure to the Democrats for Speaker Welch to call it.
Except the Illinois Freedom Caucus refused to support Rep. Guerrero-Cuellar’s bill. They did signal a willingness to compromise yesterday, but, again, the bill doesn’t have 71 votes, so it doesn’t mean much…
As the Illinois General Assembly convenes for this year’s’ final week of Veto Session in Springfield, we must take action to support the Invest in Kids Scholarship Program before its’ sunset December 31st.
The Illinois Freedom Caucus has been engaged in working out an agreement that addresses the concerns about enhanced targeting of the scholarships to the students most in need, and including a reasonable sunset where the program can be reviewed. We appreciate Representative Guerrero-Cuellar’s willingness to put a proposal on the table. We support this legislation (HB4194) with the following amendments:
1. Maintaining the scholarship program’s credit cap at $75 Million
2. Allowing for a 65% tax credit for regular contributions, and 75% tax credit for contributions to an underserved area.
We remain committed to working with all sides to see this successful program extended in the most meaningful way. The children who are counting on us to protect their educational opportunities deserve an up or down vote on this bill.
Data from state income tax returns shows Illinois’ population is declining – and the ILEPI study excluded it
An entire section of the new report is dedicated to comparing differences between annual Census estimates and Illinois Department of Revenue data on state tax returns. They use the tally of the number of tax returns filed (which is not the same as total population) from 2010-2020 as evidence of Illinois’ population growth during the decade. The authors have problematically excluded the parts of that same dataset showing the number of individuals represented in the tax returns has declined substantially from 2010-2020.
ILEPI’s report contains a table showing growth of 200,143 Illinois tax returns from 2010-2020. But the number of tax returns filed is not representative of the number or individuals in the state. Many couples file jointly or have dependents who do not file their own tax return. The state tax data also includes the number of basic exemptions – a count of the number of individuals (filers and their dependents) – represented in the data, which shows Illinois’ total population declined by 354,759 people between 2010 and 2020. (Illinois eliminated basic exemptions for joint filers earning more than $500,000 and all other filers earning more than $250,000 in 2017, so we’ve re-added those figures to the data based on previous Illinois income tax returns).
While every Illinoisan is not required to file a state income tax return, these figures are similar to the Census Bureau’s original estimate of Illinois’ population decline of approximately 253,000 during the decade. The fact that not all Illinoisans file state income tax returns likely explains the bulk of the difference between the Census Bureau’s estimates of population decline and changes in state tax return data.
* I asked ILEPI’s Frank Manzo for a response to this. Here’s an excerpt…
Critiques that the ILEPI-PMCR study did not include basic exemptions in analyzing Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) tax statistics misunderstands the key takeaway that Illinois’ tax base has expanded.
Tax return data is useful to include because it can provide additional information on changes that are occurring within a state, but it is only partially complete because it does not include people who do not file taxes. People who do not earn incomes are not included in tax statistics, but are included in Census counts and in household surveys.
With that said, Illinois Department of Revenue tax returns between 2010 and 2020 generally corroborate a finding in the official Census count that the Chicago area added population and Downstate lost population. The tax return data show that the Chicago area added 203,000 taxpayers (a gain of 6%) while Downstate lost 3,000 taxpayers (a loss of 0.2%).
Overall, the data show that Illinois added more than 200,000 taxpayers between 2010 and 2020, a 4% increase statewide. Additionally, there was an 80% growth in taxpayers earning over $500,000 per year and a 52% gain in those reporting between $100,001 and $500,000 while those claiming Earned Income Credit (EIC) government assistance fell by 11%.
While exemptions could potentially be useful to include, they would simply be estimates in Illinois, because the state eliminated exemption allowances for high-income taxpayers in 2017. However, this is the group of taxpayers that has grown the most over the decade. Assumptions would need to be made about how many exemptions these households would claim, and the resulting population estimate could swing wildly depending on the built-in assumptions.
The data that is objective and not based on any assumptions is the number of tax filers. That data shows that the tax base has grown and that Illinois has become higher-paid. It does not show a state in decline.
Amends the Video Gaming Act. Provides that each licensed establishment, licensed fraternal establishment, licensed veterans establishment, licensed truck stop establishment, or licensed large truck stop establishment shall notify the Illinois Gaming Board in writing prior to a proposed sale or transfer of the licensed establishment, licensed fraternal establishment, licensed veterans establishment, licensed truck stop establishment, or licensed large truck stop establishment. Sets forth provisions concerning the change of ownership of a licensed establishment. Provides for conditional licenses for licensed establishments. Provides that a licensed terminal operator shall be excused from any surveillance obligation imposed upon a licensed terminal operator if the failure of the terminal operator to comply with the surveillance obligation is caused by specified circumstances. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that moneys collected by a municipality from hotel use taxes may be expended to contribute to fund actuarial liabilities of the municipality’s pension fund established under Article 3, 4, 5, or 6 of the Illinois Pension Code or Article 7 of the Illinois Pension Code with regard to sheriff’s law enforcement employees if the municipality has not established a pension fund under Article 3, 4, 5, or 6 of the Illinois Pension Code.
* Press release…
Continuing his advocacy for immigrant employees following the governor’s veto of Senate Bill 1515 earlier this summer, State Senator Javier Cervantes brought forth a new plan that would protect marginalized workers and give employees time to correct employment verification document discrepancies before an enforcement action is taken against them.
“Throughout my years working alongside labor and health care organizations, I have seen employees hurt by this process,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “In working with the governor’s office and advocacy groups, we are confident we have come up with a plan that will protect employees and work for everyone involved in the verification process.”
Currently, federal immigration law requires employers to verify the legal work status of their employees through the E-Verify system. E-Verify compares information from an employee’s I-9 Form to records available to the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to confirm eligibility. If discrepancies are found, immigrant workers have the possibility of receiving a “no match” letter for a variety of reasons, including instances where the individual changed their name due to marriage. Many employers terminate employees who receive this notice, even though they could be legally working in the United States.
Senate Bill 508 would prevent employers from imposing work authorization verification requirements that are greater than those required by federal law and give employees time to correct documentation discrepancies. The new legislation would require employers, upon finding a discrepancy in verification information, to notify the employee that the federal or State agency has notified the employer and the time period the employee has to contest the information. The employee would be given an explanation of the discrepancy and retain the right to have a representative present for meetings related to employment verification. Employers would be barred from taking any adverse action against the employee based on the notification. […]
Senate Bill 508 passed the Senate Floor on Tuesday and heads to the House for further consideration.
Creates the 5-day Budget Review Act. Prohibits a hearing or vote on any appropriation bill or revenue bill for at least 5 days after the bill is made publicly available. Provides that a vote on an amendment to an appropriation bill or a revenue bill is not in order unless that amendment is made publicly available at least 48 hours prior to the vote. Provides that these temporal limitations may be waived by an affirmative two-thirds vote of the full committee or house considering the legislation. Effective immediately.
The Illinois Legislative Prayer Caucus (ILPC) is spearheading a drive to reestablish a prayer room in the Illinois State Capitol. The ILPC is for legislators only and operates under the umbrella of the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation (CPCF). The CPCF connects legislators within states and across the nation in prayer and action. Members of the ILPC believe that through trust in God, humble prayer and strategic action, the religious liberties of all Americans will be protected.
When a prayer room was established in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, it took one year from start to finish beginning in 1954 then opening in 1955. However, in Illinois, it took a 15-year effort to have a nondenominational chapel, or prayer room as it is known, established in the Illinois Capitol. The process in Illinois began in 1982 and in November 1997, the prayer room was opened and dedicated.
During a 2009-2013 renovation of the West Wing, the prayer room in the Capitol was remodeled and converted into a House committee room.
In this final week of the Fall Veto Session, Rep. Brad Halbrook, Chairman of the ILPC, has filed a Resolution (HR 495) to reestablish the prayer room during the current, ongoing renovations of the North Wing of the Capitol building.
As Rep. Halbrook has stated, “Prayer was a vital part of the founding fathers’ lives as they sought the direction, protection & wisdom of God. Our great need of God’s help today is no different than our forefathers’ need when they created this nation. This is why it only makes sense to have a prayer chapel designated for our Illinois State Capitol.”
Illinois Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin provided a status update on her efforts to end the state’s moratorium on building new nuclear reactors:
“As a result of ongoing negotiations with the support of the Senate President, his team, and other stakeholders, we are in the process of finalizing the language for legislation that I believe will be voted on in the Senate this week.
“The new legislation will have similar language to Senate Bill 2591, which I filed last month. It is my hope that this new bill will address the concerns of the Governor by including a very specific and intentional definition of what constitutes new nuclear within our state. Furthermore, it will include state-level oversight in addition to the already stringent oversight laid out by the federal government.
“Nuclear energy runs 24/7, 365 days a year, rain or shine. Nuclear is the clean and affordable energy that is necessary to help power Illinois and America’s future. The federal regulatory permitting process takes six to eight years, so we must act quickly to ensure that our state has the opportunity to take advantage of the amazing advancements in new nuclear technology that have occurred over the past couple of decades. The longer we wait to end this moratorium, Illinois falls further behind the rest of the nation.”
Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to provide certain written summaries and verbal notifications to parents, guardians, or other persons having legal custody of a child who are under investigation for child abuse or neglect. Provides that, after initiating an abuse or neglect investigation, the Department shall provide the investigated person with a written summary of the following information: (1) the known allegations and factual claims the Department is investigating; (2) the Department’s procedures for conducting an investigation of alleged child abuse or neglect; (3) the person’s right to file a complaint with the Department or request a review of the Department’s investigative findings; (4) the person’s right to review all records of the Department’s investigation within 24 hours of making the request unless such review would undermine an ongoing criminal investigation or jeopardize the child’s safety; and other matters. Requires the Department to provide a verbal notification of the person’s right to: (i) not speak with any agent of the Department without an attorney present; (ii) record any interaction or interview the person has with a child protective investigator or any other agent of the Department with the understanding that upon court order the person may be required to disclose the recording to the Department, a law enforcement agency, or another party; (iii) refuse to allow a child protective investigator to enter the home or interview the child without a court order; and other matters. Provides that the Department shall provide a verbal notification to the child of the child’s right to have an adult the child is comfortable with present during any investigatory interview with the Department. Provides that the child protective investigator assigned to investigate the report of abuse or neglect shall document in the case record that the investigator provided the written summaries and verbal notifications. Provides that if a parent, guardian, or legal custodian under investigation for child abuse or neglect does not receive the written summaries and verbal notifications, any information obtained from such person is not admissible as evidence against the person in any civil proceeding.
* SB2637 from Sen. Willie Preston is on First Reading…
Amends the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2027, a person or entity shall not manufacture, sell, deliver, distribute, hold, or offer for sale a food product for human consumption that contains brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, or red dye 3. Provides that a person or entity that violates the prohibition shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000 for a first violation and not to exceed $10,000 for each subsequent violation. Makes a conforming change.
Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall approve a course for school safety officers (a retired law enforcement officer who has been hired by a school district to perform security services). Sets forth training and certification requirements, including firearm certification. Provides that an applicant for employment as a school safety officer must authorize an investigation to determine if the applicant has been convicted of any criminal offense that disqualifies the person as a school safety officer. Amends the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act. Exempts school safety officers from the Act if a school board does not require officer-worn body cameras. Amends the School Code. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2025, a school may employ a school safety officer. Requires a school safety officer applicant to provide the school district a certificate of completion or approved waiver issued by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board. Provides that a school safety officer shall wear a uniform that clearly identifies the officer as a school safety officer. Provides that a school safety officer may detain a person when the officer has reasonable suspicion to believe that an offense, other than an ordinance violation, is being committed. Provides that a school safety officer may carry a firearm as long as the officer is certified under specified provisions of the Illinois Police Training Act. Adds references to school safety officers throughout the Code. Effective immediately.
Amends the Firearms Restraining Order Act to include in the definition of “petitioner” an intimate partner. Amends the Protective Orders Article of the Code of Criminal Procedures of 1963 and the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986. Provides that, if the petitioner seeks a court order prohibiting the respondent from possessing firearms, firearm ammunition, and firearm parts that could be assembled to make an operable firearm, the court shall immediately issue a search warrant directing seizure of firearms at the time an ex parte or final order of protection is issued, if the court finds, based on the facts presented that: (1) probable cause exists that the respondent possesses firearms, ammunition, or firearm parts that could be assembled to make an operable firearm; (2) probable cause exists to believe that the respondent poses a danger of causing personal injury to the petitioner or child by having in the respondent, custody or control, or by purchasing, possessing, or receiving a firearm, ammunition, or firearm parts that could be assembled to make an operable firearm and that the danger is imminent and present; and probable cause exists that firearms, ammunition, or firearm parts that could be assembled to make an operable firearm are located at the residence, vehicle, or other property of the respondent.
Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Deletes provisions requiring an applicant or holder of a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card to be a resident of the State of Illinois. Provides that a person who is not a resident of the State may apply for a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card if the applicant complies with the provisions of the Act. Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall, by rule, allow for non-resident license applications from any state or territory of the United States if the applicant complies with the provisions of the Act (rather than from any state or territory of the United States with laws related to firearm ownership, possession, and carrying, that are substantially similar to the requirements to obtain a license under the Act).
Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning fentanyl education, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, provides that in at least one unit in the State-required health courses for grades 6 through 8 a school district shall provide instruction, study, and discussion on the dangers of fentanyl.
Amends the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Provides that the definition of “employee” does not include: (1) an employee who is employed by an institution of higher education (i) for less than 2 consecutive calendar quarters during a calendar year and who does not have a reasonable expectation that he or she will be rehired by the same employer of the same service in a subsequent calendar year or (ii) as a temporary appointment as described in the State Universities Civil Service Act; (2) higher education faculty and instructors who have teaching, research, and extension faculty contracts or appointments of less than 12 consecutive months of the year; or (3) an employee employed by a public community college or other public institution of higher education in the State of Illinois whose position is covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement. Provides that the definition of “employer” does not include laboratory schools as defined in the School Code. Makes conforming changes. Effective January 1, 2024.
* Former Rep. and current registered lobbyist Mike Zalewski invited one of my very favorite Statehouse denizens onto his podcast this week: Lobbyist and former Senate Democratic staffer Ron Holmes. An excerpt…
Z: You worked on the assault weapons ban. Did you learn anything about the building or the way it works [while] working on that particular issue? Did anything surprise you about that? … Is there anything you took away from that process that was unique to you?
Holmes: Each day I go down to Springfield and and walk through those doors, I make it my intent to learn something about someone or something. And I think the biggest lesson from the assault weapons ban negotiations is that sometimes it’s better to just sit still and allow things to kind of work themselves out than being in a position where you’re just trying to force it.
Z: In that building specifically, no one has ever hurt themselves by waiting. That is the important thing about the way that place works.
Holmes: Yes. And when calm heads, you know, happen and people are able to put out their press releases back and forth and the finger-pointing with orders behind the scenes. And then it’s like ‘Alright, we saw. All right. Let’s, what is it that we’re really talking about here? What are the differences? Let’s put pen to paper and go.’ And by far that is one of the more interesting things that I learned from that.
The second thing is in many ways, one of my criticisms of the gun violence prevention movement has been - and I’ve been involved in many of the public safety bills that have passed over the last decade - has been that everyday violence isn’t always treated the same way as mass shootings. And the number of folks that also said, ‘Hey, what do you guys need for your community?’ was very emotional. Because I think that there’s always this divide in Springfield. Naturally, people always look for two sides of every story and so, to see surburban lawmakers also say to Black and Brown caucus members, ‘No, no, no. You absolutely should get these other things’ was very interesting to watch.
Z: It’s the nature of the building right now. The two chamber leaders, the House speaker and the Senate President, are prime ministers. They have to build coalitions on every single issue right now.
Holmes: And those coalitions look different on every issue. On every issue.
Z: It’s sausage-making every day. And you traditionally had, you know, Downstate caucus and lakefront caucus and the city caucus and all that, but it’s much more pronounced now. And quite frankly, what I worry about is the nature of the building when the next economic downturn occurs.
Holmes: Yeah. Everything’s all good when you’ve got a $50 billion budget and everybody’s able to walk away with something. But I think yeah, I mean, to your point, happy days aren’t always going to be here and how Democrats govern in times of downturn is just as important as times of prosperity.
The accounts payable tab is at $572 million, down from $5.9 billion in 2021 and its peak of $16.7 billion in 2017. Illinois estimates that the accounts payable will stand at around $527 million at the end of the fiscal year.
“What was the bills backlog is now a normal accounts payable situation,” [Fitch Ratings analyst Eric Kim] said.
Illinois is also steadily increasing its reserves. The budget stabilization fund stands at $1.965 billion now and the state plans to add another $138 million by the end of the fiscal year. The fund is 4.2% of Illinois’ enacted 2024 revenues, but the state has raised the target to 7.5% of revenues. Fitch’s report said the state’s rating could be raised if the fund reached 10% of state spending.
The 2024 budget creates long-term sources of funding for the budget stabilization fund, including 10% of cannabis tax revenues, and repayment over 10 years from the state’s $450 million loan to the unemployment insurance trust fund.
Factors that could, individually or collectively, lead to positive rating action/upgrade:
–Material improvements in fiscal resilience, primarily through building reserves to, or approaching, 10% of spending, while maintaining other improvements in fiscal management such as normalization of accounts payable.
–Sustained progress toward structural balance and improved liability management, primarily through materially narrowing the wide gap between actual and actuarially determined pension contributions.
–For Build Illinois, an upgrade to the state’s [Issuer Default Rating].
Factors that could, individually or collectively, lead to negative rating action/downgrade:
–Reversion to the previous pattern of irresolute and contentious fiscal decision-making, which could include delayed budgets with unsustainable fiscal measures such as deeper pension funding deferrals or sustained increases to accounts payable or other budgetary liabilities.
–Imprudent budget management that builds in significant new recurring spending or revenue reductions without offsetting actions, threatening recent progress towards structural balance.
–For Build Illinois, deterioration in the state’s IDR given the linkages, or material weakening of pledged revenue coverage and structural resilience. Fitch considers this unlikely given the limitations on additional debt issuance.
A review of hundreds of pages of state audits, law enforcement records, a federal lawsuit, and reports by oversight and advocacy bodies point to troubling conditions inside many of the state’s 16 juvenile detention centers, which operate much like adult jails, detaining court-involved youth with open cases when a judge determines they are at risk of fleeing or reoffending. The facilities combined can house upwards of 1,200 youth as young as age 10, though they are rarely at capacity.
The records show that youth have been Tased, pepper sprayed and roughed up by staff and law enforcement officers; forced into isolation for days at a time; denied access to their psychotropic medications and mental health treatment; and received little or no schooling, despite state and federal laws mandating that the youth receive educational services while incarcerated. Nearly two-thirds of those who are detained are Black teens.
Poor conditions in juvenile lockups across the country have recently made headlines, bringing renewed calls for reform. What makes Illinois different from many of its state peers is that no independent agency licenses or certifies the youth detention centers. Even in some states that have been heavily scrutinized for problematic conditions inside their youth facilities, such as Louisiana, Tennessee, Michigan and Pennsylvania, a licensing process is in place that allows for sanctions up to closure.
Under state law, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice sets standards for county detention facilities that hold youth in custody and conducts audits of them. While the department has repeatedly cited several centers for failing to meet its standards, under state law, IDJJ cannot mandate corrective action plans, issue fines or shut down detention centers found in repeated violation of the rules. Instead, the IDJJ reports are sent back to the county detention facilities’ staff and to the chief judges of each judicial circuit, under whose authority they operate. Neither the staff nor the judges are obligated to respond.
* ICYMI: Lawmakers put forth new plans for Chicago’s transition to an elected school board. Chalkbeat…
- Rep. Ann Williams’ bill would make 10 elected school board members and 10 appointed by the mayor from each pairing of districts. A school board president would also be appointed by the mayor.
- Senate President Don Harmon put forward a plan to have all 20 districts vote in 2024, the mayor would appoint the school board president.
* Tribune | Illinois farmers and environmentalists celebrate the defeat of $3 billion CO2 pipeline: ‘We have thrown so many stones at Goliath’: Farmers rallied around the safety issue, as well as concerns that pipelines, which run underground, can damage soil and reduce crop yields. A 2022 review of academic studies in the journal Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment found that in 15 out of 25 studies, crop yields declined after pipeline installation — by 6% to 46% — and a 2022 study in the Soil Science Society of America Journal found that even four or five years after natural gas pipeline installation, corn yields remained 20% to 24% lower than in comparable fields with no pipelines.
* Capitol News Illinois | State police still drafting assault weapons registration rules as deadline nears: ISP is still in the process of finalizing administrative rules that will spell out exactly what items must be registered. In September, ISP published temporary rules spelling out a registration process, and the agency began accepting online registrations Oct. 1. But many people have complained that those rules are not clear and that it’s difficult to tell what items must be registered and what items are exempt.
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* Sun-Times | Advocates angered by delay in passing ‘Karina’s Bill,’ aimed at taking guns from those accused of domestic violence: Late Tuesday, the Senate president released a statement saying there likely would be no action on “Karina’s Bill,” named after Karina Gonzalez who was shot to death in her Little Village home allegedly by her husband despite an order of protection. A spokesman for Senate President Don Harmon said several issues with the bill, including questions of enforcement, had not been resolved in time to act on the measure during the veto session.
* Politico | Biden to meet UAW president again with strike heading to rear-view: The White House said Tuesday that the meeting will take place in Belvidere, where Stellantis agreed to reopen a stalled plant and add additional jobs as part of the tentative contract deal between the UAW and the company late last month. […] In Illinois, Biden will deliver remarks touting gains in the deals the UAW won, as well as his economic and pro-union policies, according to the White House. He will also meet with other UAW members and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, the White House said.
* Capitol News Illinois | State gets 9th recent credit upgrade as administration faces scrutiny for pandemic unemployment handling: Fitch’s review of state finances drew similar conclusions to those that came before it: reserves are growing while long-term liabilities, including pension debt, remain “an elevated but still moderate burden.” “Reserves have improved to historically high levels for the state and provide an important fiscal cushion, but levels remain relatively modest versus other states,” Fitch said in its analysis. “Management has eliminated many outstanding budgetary liabilities and established a sustainable pattern of smoother fiscal decision-making.”
* WBEZ | Here’s what you need to know about the tax increase Chicago voters will consider in March: The campaign, known as Bring Chicago Home, seeks to adjust the real estate transfer tax, a one-time tax imposed on the sale of property. Voters would be asked to authorize City Council to adjust Chicago’s current, flat tax to a tiered, marginal tax that would increase the tax rate on portions of property above $1 million — while implementing a tax cut on property valued under that amount.
* Block Club | Bring Chicago Home Heads To Chicago Voters After Council Passage Tuesday: Property buyers in Chicago currently pay a one-time flat tax of 0.75 percent on all sales, regardless of final price. In September, Johnson and Council allies introduced a revised version of Bring Chicago Home featuring a marginal, tiered rate instead of a flat tax. Under that plan, people buying properties under $1 million would see reduced property transfer taxes. Real estate sales over $1 million would see higher rates only on the portion of the sale above $1 million.
* WTTW | Paper Restrictions at Cook County Jail Signal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Concerns: Since the beginning of 2023, Cook County Jail administration has reported 16 deaths in custody, with five attributed to overdoses, three of which involved synthetic cannabinoids, according to Cook County Medical Examiner records. This hidden substance is frequently concealed, jail officials say, in paper-like items including photographs, books and letters mailed to detainees. Synthetic cannabinoids, a lethal substance, becomes even deadlier when mixed with additives like fentanyl and rat poison, meant to enhance the user’s experience when smoked.
* Sun-Times | Public corruption display at fed courthouse covered at request of Ed Burke’s lawyer: Chicago’s federal court puts its history proudly on display on the 25th floor, sharing stories with visitors about everything from the 1918 bombing of the old courthouse to the prosecution of Al Capone. But following a request from one of ex-Chicago Ald. Ed Burke’s lawyers, courthouse staff began temporarily covering up some of the 11 displays on the wall, including one about the history of public corruption prosecutions in Chicago.
* WCIA | Illinois community colleges launch new brand campaign: The state’s community colleges have come together to drop a new advertising campaign. The campaign is called “For Every Student, For Every Community”. Community college leaders say the campaign will highlight the benefits they bring to Illinois like economic development, as well as unite the 48 community colleges across the state under a single brand.
* AP | Ohio voters enshrine abortion rights in state constitution: Ohio voters on Tuesday night approved a proposed amendment that will enshrine abortion protections in the state constitution. As of just after 9 p.m., when the Associated Press called the vote, the “Yes” vote led roughly 57.7% to 42.3%.
* SJ-R | Senators Durbin, Duckworth to introduce bill to expand Lincoln Home site: The Abraham Lincoln Association has secured $400,000 for the construction of the cottage and the purchase of land at 617 S. Eighth St., the site of a former parking lot. Abraham Lincoln and his family lived in the home at Eighth and Jackson from 1844 to 1861, when they left for Washington, D.C. Lincoln was elected president in 1860.
Senate President Don Harmon has filed amendment 2 to HB2233 dealing with the elected Chicago school board. Under this new proposal, half of the 20 members will be elected for two-year terms, and half elected to four-year terms. In two years, those with two-year terms will be elected to four-year terms. The amendment bypassed committee.
Rich talked to Speaker Chris Welch’s spokesperson who said that the Speaker and Senate President will meet to discuss this idea. There was no immediate indication that this would be a problem.
An agreement had been made with former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to appoint phase-in the elected board, but she’s no longer around.
Adding…Rep. Ann Williams, sponsor of HB4221, which is the House’s latest version of an elected school board bill…
Our priority is to ensure this every Chicagoan has the opportunity to vote for the elected school in year one. The House’s “Representation for All Plan” is an effort to ensure the most equitable and representative as. possible. We’re reviewing the Senate’s amendment and open to continuing the conversation.
* UPDATE: The Senate has adjourned without moving HB2233.
Gun rights advocacy groups say they intend to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the state’s assault weapons ban after a federal appeals court on Friday refused to block enforcement of the law.
In a statement Saturday, the Illinois State Rifle Association said it was not surprised by the 7th Circuit panel’s 2-1 decision, which said plaintiffs in the consolidated cases had not met their burden to show they were likely to win in a constitutional challenge to the law.
“It has always been and is our intent to take our case to the U.S. Supreme Court where we believe we can get a favorable ruling for law-abiding gun owners in Illinois,” the organization said. “We will continue to stand up for the Second amendment and Illinois law-abiding gun owners and against our anti-gun Governor Pritzker and General Assembly.”
In addition, the National Foundation for Gun Rights – which provided attorneys involved in the consolidated case – said it will appeal as well.
The four former Commonwealth Edison leaders convicted earlier this year during a high-profile corruption trial want to push back sentencing dates to give them more time to address anticipated disputes.
The four former ComEd executives and lobbyists were convicted in May of a bribery scandal centered around former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Defense attorneys want to push back the sentencing dates from January 2024 to February 2024, according to court records.
Lobbyist Michael Axelrod of consulting group GPG Strategies appears to have strategized with Mayor Rory Hoskins in defense of GPG’s record ahead of an August meeting during which the company’s contract was expected to come under fire, an email to the mayor shows. […]
Both the body of the email and the presentation offered examples to show that Axelrod’s firm lobbied the Chicago Transit Authority, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Office and other state and federal agencies on behalf of the village.
* I saw photos online of a bunch of people who took campaign money from Paul Vallas and/or Dan Proft in this loud crowd. But for some reason, most Chicago reporters have chosen to ignore the formerly (?) paid provocateurs disrupting city council meetings and at other migrant-related meetings around the city…
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s allies tried Tuesday to approve their own, softer version of a non-binding referendum on Chicago’s burgeoning migrant crisis, but failed after being shouted down by an angry crowd ordered forcibly removed from City Council chambers.
“Sergeant-at-arms, clear the room,” Rules Committee Chair Michelle Harris (8th) shouted after Chicagoans opposed to housing the new arrivals shouted down Council members on both sides of the issue.
Several people in the gallery, including a woman in tears, were escorted out by security after another observer singled them out as supporters of welcoming migrants.
“These are the people who are against us,” a man shouted, pointing at those being escorted out and waving other angry crowd members over.
* Speaking of Chicago…
The Association of Safety-Net Community Hospitals (ASNCH) today warned the proposed Chicago Paid Leave Ordinance would pose devastating financial consequences, including layoffs and service cuts, for the city’s hospitals that serve a disproportionate number of low-income and uninsured patients.
In a letter to Mayor Johnson, ASNCH called for a carve out of safety-net hospitals from the proposed ordinance.
ASNCH estimates that for a safety-net hospital with 650 employees, this ordinance could impose an additional cost of $2 million annually, creating a substantial financial burden for hospitals already relying heavily on state Medicaid funding, with limited capacity to offset losses from commercial payers.
This added burden will force safety-net hospitals in Chicago to make difficult decisions, including reducing staff and eliminating critical services that many residents depend on for basic healthcare.
Specifically, the ordinance would require safety-net hospitals to dramatically increase labor costs and related expenses, including for outside agency staff, which already have hiked hospital labor costs by 30 percent. The measure would also require paying out sick time for “on-call” employees, who only report to work when needed, and “in-house registry” nurses, who accrue benefits with another full-time employer, meaning these employees would be provided benefits at two different organizations at the same time.
* Iowa Capital Dispatch | Illinois regulators: Carbon pipeline permits should wait for new rules: Two engineers for the Illinois Commerce Commission say federal regulators should finalize new rules about carbon dioxide pipelines before state regulators approve pending permits for construction. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration “has acknowledged that its rules are outdated and inadequate,” Brett Seagle, a commission engineer, recently testified in regard to a pipeline proposal by Wolf Carbon Solutions. “The lives and safety of Illinois citizens must come before business concerns.”
* Block Club | Illinois Gun Shops Lead in Providing Guns Used In State And City Crimes, Data Shows: More than one-third of Illinois guns used in crimes recovered by authorities are linked to Chicago. And Illinois gun shops were the leading single-source of these crime guns state and citywide, not out-of-state vendors, according to data recently released by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s tax increase for homeless services will head to voters: In a 32-17 vote, aldermen approved the “Bring Chicago Home” measure to create a citywide referendum on implementing a tiered tax rate on all property sales, which advocates have said is a critical strategy to generate much-needed revenue for the city’s homeless population.
* AP | Ohio is the lone state deciding an abortion rights question, providing hints for 2024 races: Ohio is the only state to consider a statewide abortion-rights question this year, fueling tens of millions of dollars in campaign spending, boisterous rallies for and against the amendment, and months of advertising and social media messaging, some of it misleading. Advocates for and against are watching the outcome for signs of voter sentiment heading into 2024, when abortion-rights supporters are planning to put measures on the ballot in several other states, including Arizona, Missouri and Florida. Early voter turnout was robust.
* BGA | Policy: BGA Condemns Improper Adjournments of City Council Meetings: This week, on Tuesday Nov. 7, the council’s Committee on Committees and Rules was recessed until Thursday by the declaration of committee chair Michelle Harris, who did not call for a vote. Mics were again shut off, and after a lengthy delay the chamber shifted to a scheduled meeting of City Council. The council’s rules are clear, as are the Robert’s Rules of Order on which they are based: adjournment (the official ending of a meeting) and recess (the pause of the meeting until continuation at a later time) are motions that must be made by a member and affirmed by a majority vote. Absent that vote, the meeting cannot be concluded or postponed. This ensures that all members have their time to speak, at least until a majority of the body is willing to go on the record as ending discussion.
* Sun-Times | Public corruption display at fed courthouse covered at request of Ed Burke’s lawyer: Chicago’s federal court puts its history proudly on display on the 25th floor, sharing stories with visitors about everything from the 1918 bombing of the old courthouse to the prosecution of Al Capone. But following a request from one of ex-Chicago Ald. Ed Burke’s lawyers, courthouse staff began temporarily covering up some of the 11 displays on the wall, including one about the history of public corruption prosecutions in Chicago.
* WBEZ | In Ed Burke’s 14th Ward, big frustration with politicians persists. ‘They’re all kind of crooked, I guess’: Like Sophie and other residents, Bettis isn’t optimistic this one trial — or even Madigan’s trial next year — is “going to end corruption in Chicago,” but he thinks it could mean “a change-up in the people who are running this area.” Burke gave up his seat earlier this year, after not filing to run for reelection. He was succeeded by Ald. Jeylu Guitierrez, a first-time elected official who was endorsed by Burke’s long-time rival, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.
* Block Club | Downtown Police District Council Immobilized As Mayor’s Office Fails To Fill Vacancy: The Mayor’s Office shot down a candidate for a Downtown police district council after four months of deliberation — rendering the council useless. The Central (1st) Police District Council only has two of its three spots filled, and one council member is on leave. That means the remaining council member can’t host meetings because they can’t form a quorum.
* SJ-R | Five years after sales tax hike, district, county schools benefit; here’s what it took: The referendum passed in 2018 with 53 percent of county voters favoring it. It was the first school referendum to pass since 1984. The hike did make Springfield’s overall sales tax rate − 9.75% − one of the heftiest in the state. Because the district educates just under 50% of students in the county, there were initial projections that it stood to get about $10.1 million annually. The average, though, has worked out to $13 million.
* Muddy River News | ‘I realized I can change’: Adams County problem-solving courts graduate nine in combined ceremony: The Salvation Army’s Kroc Center was the site for the first combined graduation ceremony for the Adams County problem-solving courts, which provide opportunities for repeat offenders to address the root cause of their criminal activity. People who qualify are screened and placed in one of three tracts — Drug Court, Mental Health Court or Reintegration into Society Efforts (RISE) Court.
* Block Club | Jeff Tweedy Talks About The Music That Changed His Life: The first 40 minutes constituted an in-depth conversation between Sagal and Tweedy, where they discussed everything from Tweedy’s relationship to the songs he connected to throughout his life (“I don’t think of myself as my songs. I think of myself as the songs that made me.”) to his struggles with addiction.
* WBEZ | Jeff Tweedy’s new book is a soundtrack through childhood, sobriety and stardom: The Wilco songwriter and bandleader told a sold-out crowd at the Athenaeum Center that he wanted to share through his book the emotional spaces music can hold. His book spans 50 chapters, each named after a song that he connects to his life and his own creative process — one he has refined over nearly three decades. The songs include music from well-known artists such as Bob Dylan and Billie Eilish as well as lesser-known acts such as Leo Sayer.
* WTTW | Measure Aimed at Curbing Illegal Early Morning Chicago Trash Pickup Advances: “They might get a scolding call from someone at Streets and Sanitation, but then a few weeks later, they’re back at the same old thing because there is no real meaningful penalty or enforcement mechanism,” said Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward), the measure’s lead sponsor and a longtime advocate for slapping sanitary scofflaws.
* The 21st Show | Illinois food banks gearing up for 2023 holiday season: The Eastern Illinois Food Bank and similar agencies are gearing up for the holiday season. We are seeing the highest rates since the years of the Great Recession. According to the US Department of Agriculture, more than 44 million Americans live in what are called “food-insecure households” that includes more than 13-million children.
* Lots has been written and broadcast about Invest in Kids. The PR push has truly been magnificent. But it’s been super-rare to see a mainstream news media outlet actually convince legislators to honestly assess its future. Marni Pyke did just that…
The Invest in Kids initiative will expire Jan. 1 unless lawmakers approve an extension. So far, “I don’t know if there’s a path yet to get it passed,” Democratic state Rep. Marty Moylan of Des Plaines said.
Democratic state Rep. Fred Crespo of Hoffman Estates agrees. “Based on my observations … the votes are not there,” he said Friday. […]
“We’re talking about real money here,” Crespo said. “We’re talking about $75 million that the state does not realize by giving out these credits. There are issues and concerns with the separation of church and state. Some of our members feel that the state should not be funding any private or Christian schools.”
Critics of an Illinois program providing private school scholarships say there’s no proof it improves academic achievement. But state education officials, delayed by COVID-19’s school disruptions, have never reported the academic performance of participating students as required by the Invest in Kids Act, a hot issue as lawmakers reconvene Tuesday. […]
The coronavirus pandemic essentially shut down annual statewide student assessments in 2020 and 2021, the first two years of Invest in Kids. The first report measuring progress among program participants won’t come out until early next year, education officials said.
“Unfortunately for the thousands of Invest in Kids families, it appears that Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker’s administration either failed to complete, or failed to share these assessments four years in a row, which has emboldened opponents to point to the lack of data the administration refused to collect,” Senate Minority Leader John Curran, a Republican from Downers Grove, said in a statement to The Associated Press. […]
Research group WestEd, whose contract for the analysis is $640,275, couldn’t start until it had 2022 results; its inaugural report will indicate whether students improved on 2023 tests.
U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Nikki Budzinski, Sean Casten, Danny Davis, Jonathan Jackson, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Delia Ramirez wrote “school vouchers … perpetuate and deepen the education inequities that plague Illinois.”
They also took issue with religious groups using public dollars.
“This program diverts public funds from the public school system to be used to pay for tuition at private and religious schools,” the lawmakers said in the statement. “Furthermore, many of the schools funded by the program have policies that openly discriminate against students on the basis of disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation, if they are pregnant or parenting, or immigration status.”
Senate Republicans dispute that narrative as they continue to try to save the program. Senate Republican Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, planned a Tuesday morning news conference in Springfield to urge Democrats and Pritzker to reconsider.
Curran has argued the program has not taken money away from public education, and he supports a compromise that would lower the total donations eligible for tax credits from $75 million to $50 million. He has also railed against the ideological fights over the program, arguing the children benefiting from it should be guaranteed the certainty of a permanent program.
An administrator at a Catholic elementary school on Springfield’s east side is concerned for a future without it.
Michael Carlson, principal at St. Patrick Catholic School, said it charges $1,750 in tuition yet it costs more than $8,000 educate a student. Only one of the school’s 62 pre-K through fifth-grade students is not on an income-based Empower Scholarship, covering the full tuition costs.
“Invest in Kids is incentivizing donors to invest in our community,” he said on Wednesday. The scholarships are eligible for students living in households earning less than 185% of the federal poverty level.
At Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, 21 of 525 students are either on complete or partial scholarships but another 40 are on the waitlist, according to Bill Moredock, the school’s president.
…Adding… Sen. GOP Leader Curran held a press conference today. Highlights from his press staff…
Presser
5:20 - “It is abhorrent that there are leaders in the legislature that are ignoring the pleas of these children and these families that are trying to save their educational opportunity – their preferred setting that they are excelling in educationally. We have to listen to these children and the parents who have been here and afford this choice to these low-income families. The same choice that I’m afforded and many of my colleagues are afforded.”
6:45 – “Governor Pritzker unfortunately today is sending a very loud and clear message that these low income children are not a priority. Where is the Governor on this topic? Where is he today? He’s in Florida… in another state talking about federal issues.”
7:15 – “We have issues here in this capitol that need to be resolved.”
7:22 – “In two days we’re going to be done. And we either leave here with our heads held high because we acted and saved opportunity for these low-income students or we return to our districts in really a cloud of failure because we will be failing thousands and thousands of low-income families throughout this state.”
7:58 – “Labor leaders have come out in support of this program and the opportunity it affords in the vocational setting. We need to continue to grow and pursue these opportunities for these low-income families. It is really about lifting kids out of their current situation.”
8:22 – “When the governor came out this week and eventually said leave something on my desk, pass whatever, when I get back from Florida, I’ll take a look at it. That is not leadership. What we are calling on is for leadership on this issue, both from the legislative leaders as well as the governor. It is time for the governor to lead on this issue and come back to Illinois.. and help continue this program for these low-income kids.”
8:54 - “It is time to do what’s right. We are here to call on our colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle – put this bill on the board, it’s time for this to be called for a vote. We want this voted on this week.”
Q and A
9:23 – “We are here to act to extend this program. Where’s the governor? He needs to be leading on this. It is members of his party and his side of the aisle that are not putting this bill up for a vote. The governor needs to interject himself in this.”
10:05 – “We are standing here united fighting to continue this program. These kids deserve not only the full effort of Senate Republican Caucus, they deserve the full effort of each and every legislator in the capitol. There are children on these scholarships in each legislators’ district. It is time to represent the people of you’re district not the ideology of your party. It is time to put this on the board for a vote.”
12:15 – “It is department by department by department under the governor’s control including ISBE that has not done the assessment. If it was me, I’d be here, I’d be laser focused on Illinois. I wouldn’t be ‘thinking big’ about America. I wouldn’t be in Florida. I’d be in Illinois and I’d be getting the job done and until the job stay focused on Illinois.”
…Adding… From Mac Strategies…
Good morning,
We wanted you to be aware that there will be action in front of Speaker Welch’s office at 12:30 p.m. and in front of the Governor’s office at 1:00 p.m. Approximately 250 students and families in blue shirts and with signs demanding an extension of the Invest in Kids Act Tax Credit Scholarship Program.
…Adding… As promised…
Students who benefit from Invest in Kids have taken over the rail on third floor of the Capitol, chanting “save our scholarship!” The House is about to gavel in. #twillpic.twitter.com/iw1LtWX3YL
Tuesday, Nov 7, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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Incentivizing fleet owners to go electric improves air quality, especially in heavy transit corridors. States like Nevada have incentivized the transition of school bus fleets from gas to electric, and Illinois can do the same to prevent children from breathing dirty air on their ride to school.
Illinois children deserve clean air now and a healthy future. Fortunately, there are bills in front of the Illinois State House and Senate right now that can help transition whole fleets of large trucks to electric – saving lives and saving money. Our legislators must support. More here.
Fitch Ratings has assigned an ‘A-’ rating to the following State of Illinois’ GO bonds:
–$175 million taxable series of December 2023A;
–$350 million tax-exempt series of December 2023B;
–$350 million tax-exempt series of December 2023C.
Additionally, Fitch has upgraded the following state of Illinois ratings:
–Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to ‘A-’ from ‘BBB+’;
–GO bonds to ‘A-’ from ‘BBB+’;
–Build Illinois senior and junior obligation sales tax revenue bonds, which are linked to the state’s IDR based on state-dedicated tax analysis, to ‘A+’ from ‘A’.
The Rating Outlook is Stable.
* Press release…
Governor Pritzker today celebrated the state’s ninth credit rating upgrade in just over two years as Fitch Ratings elevated Illinois’ rating for general obligation bonds. This fiscal progress comes as the result of five balanced budgets and years of responsible financial management and discipline under Governor Pritzker and Democrats in the General Assembly.
“We are continuing to right the past fiscal wrongs in our state with disciplined fiscal leadership, and credit rating agencies and businesses alike are taking notice of Illinois’ remarkable progress,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Another credit rating upgrade means millions saved for Illinois taxpayers in interest—money back in the pockets of our state where it can better serve our residents.”
The rating of a state’s bonds is a measure of their credit quality. A higher bond rating generally means the state can borrow at a lower interest rate, saving taxpayers millions of dollars. Between 2015 and 2017, the State of Illinois suffered eight credit rating downgrades and sat at the top of many analysts’ lists of the worst managed states in the nation under the previous administration. At its worst, Illinois’ bill backlog hit nearly $17 billion.
“In addition to building up reserves, the state has also actively reduced various long-term and budgetary liabilities, most prominently its unpaid bills, and laid a more sustainable fiscal foundation,” said Fitch’s report on the upgrade. “Illinois reduced its accounts payable balance by approximately $1 billion over the course of fiscal 2023 to less than $500 million, a level the state has not seen in more than two decades and continuing a pattern of using unappropriated surpluses to pay down bills.”
Across major credit rating agencies S&P Global Ratings, Fitch Ratings, and Moody’s Investors Service, the state has received nine upgrades since June of 2021. Illinois is now back in the “A” category for all three agencies. Prior to those upgrades, the state had not received an upgrade since June of 2000, over two decades. Agencies have cited the state’s actions in paying down bill backlogs, repaying debts, increased fiscal transparency, building financial reserves, and balancing the state budget as factors in the upgraded ratings.
The upgrade of Illinois’ IDR to ‘A-’ from ‘BBB+’ reflects the state’s ability to execute on significant planned reserve contributions and maintain improvements in budget management including normalized accounts payable, thereby improving the state’s overall operating profile.
Illinois’ ‘A-’ IDR reflects solid operating performance that remains below most other states, with a long record of structural imbalance primarily related to pension underfunding offset by continued progress towards more sustainable budgeting practices. The ‘A-’ IDR also reflects the state’s elevated long-term liability position and resulting spending pressure. Illinois’ deep and diverse economy is only slowly growing, but still provides a strong fundamental context for its credit profile. […]
Long-Term Liability Burden: ‘a’
Long-term liabilities are an elevated but still moderate burden on Illinois’ significant resource base. Constitutional limitations suggest Illinois has very limited flexibility to modify existing pension obligations. Other post-employment benefit (OPEB) obligations also have constitutional protections, but the state’s recent progress in materially reducing OPEB liabilities highlights both the state’s ability to manage within those protections and the inherent variability in OPEB calculations.
Operating Performance: ‘a’
Reserves have improved to historically high levels for the state and provide an important fiscal cushion, but levels remain relatively modest versus other states. Management has eliminated many outstanding budgetary liabilities and established a sustainable pattern of smoother fiscal decision-making. Sizable gaps in pension contributions relative to actuarially determined levels persist, with recent supplemental contributions helpful, but insufficient to address this structural budget gap.
…Adding… House Speaker Chris Welch…
“In May I proudly told members of the House that we’d crafted a budget that would improve our fiscal house and our credit. Today, it’s clear that Democrats are continuing to deliver on that promise as we have reached ‘A’ status with every rating agency.
“We heard a lot of partisan, misleading spin about our budget from Republicans, but financial experts and watchdogs agree that our budgetary decisions continue to move Illinois down a path of progress and prosperity. While we hope our Republican colleagues join us in this effort, Democrats will continue to budget responsibly and make smart investments for a stronger future for all.”
* Comptroller Mendoza…
In giving Illinois our 9th credit upgrade in the past two years, Fitch Ratings noted our progress in reducing our backlog of bills to what is now a “normalized” accounts payable that stands at $1.86 billion today – down from a high of $16.7 billion during the budget impasse. Fitch credited the state for boosting its Rainy Day fund to nearly $2 billion. That fund was down to $48,000 during the impasse.
Fitch encourages Illinois to bring that fund up to a level most other states have and to make greater progress paying down our pension liabilities. That is exactly what my Rainy Day and Pension Stabilization Bill, HB2515, proposes to do and I look forward to seeing it reintroduced in the next legislative session.
This upgrade is a tribute to the responsible debt management my office has undertaken in recent years working with the General Assembly and Governor. These upgrades lower the state’s costs for projects like building roads and bridges, saving taxpayers money.
All the hard work my staff and I have done to stabilize the state’s finances has been to get Illinois ready for its growth spurt. Illinois is open for business and we’re looking forward to future credit upgrades on the horizon.
* I don’t think these asylum-seeker ideas floated by the Illinois Policy Institute are gonna work, but at least they’re trying…
Some have called on the Biden administration to expedite work permits for undocumented migrants, but federal law currently requires asylum seekers to wait about 180 days before they can apply for permission to work legally in the United States. It would take an act of Congress to change that law and allow asylum seekers to legally work sooner. […]
Frustrated by the federal response to the migrant crisis, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Tuesday that New York State was considering ways to issue work permits to asylum seekers in a bid to circumvent the long wait for permits at the federal level. […]
Earlier on Tuesday, White House officials pushed back against a state-level work permit system. In a call with reporters, senior administration officials said that work permits were “very clearly a federal authority,” adding that workarounds were “not something that we would encourage states to pursue.” […]
“A court would be very likely to strike such a state permitting process down if it involves allowing private employers to use these state-issued work permits to hire recent migrants,” said Stephen W. Yale-Loehr, a professor of immigration law at Cornell University.
Mr. Yale-Loehr and other immigration law experts have called for a different approach that they argue is allowed under federal law: having state governments hire asylum seekers directly. The University of California regents, for example, announced earlier this year that the university system would explore a way to hire students who lack legal status and work permits.
A very real consequence of the state issuing its own private sector work permits is that the asylum-seekers who go to work could be found in non-compliance with federal law and then be deported.
And direct government employment would also gonna run smack dab into our state’s byzantine and slow-as-molasses public employee hiring regulations and its union contracts. Not to mention the budgetary costs. It’s one thing for a university to hire a few dozen undocumented students. It’s quite another to put thousands of new arrivals (many or even most of whom don’t speak English) on the public payroll.
* However, just about every charitable, religious and social service organization is short of volunteers, and many need Spanish language volunteers. So many migrants are just hanging out all day, every day. Connect at least some of them with those groups. It won’t put money in their pockets, but it will give them something to do and would benefit the community at large.
* As of Friday, 20,221 migrants have arrived in Chicago since last year. 11,737 are currently in shelters (4,117 are children) and another 3,228 are currently in staging areas like police stations (731 children). That means about ten thousand adults are in the system, although not all of them will qualify for this…
A Biden administration pilot program, kicking off Thursday in Chicago, is designed to help new arrivals in shelters overwhelming the city apply for their work authorizations.
The pilot program is a joint effort of the White House, Illinois, City Hall and the Resurrection Project, a social service agency that provides legal services for migrants. […]
Angelo Fernández Hernández, a White House spokesperson, told the Sun-Times that the launch Thursday of what they call a “clinic” is designed to be “a one-stop-shop work authorization clinic to help get eligible noncitizens work authorizations and jobs — and decompress the shelter system.
“The clinic will begin with a pilot, serving approximately 150 migrants per day, and we will work with the state, city and the Resurrection Project as they scale in the coming days and weeks,” Fernández Hernández said.
On the eve of a major meeting in Brighton Park, and just hours until migrant families are set to move into a shelter in West Town, a group of Englewood residents is calling on the city to turn migrant buses around.
Held at the Center of Englewood, a group of residents attended what was dubbed a ‘Stop the Buses’ rally.
Hosted by the Black American Voters Project and NumbersUSA, panelists shared how they feel immigration negatively impacts Black Americans.
Turnout was small, and Fox 32 reporter Kasey Chronis for some reason didn’t mention that NumbersUSA was founded by a white nationalist.
Ugh.
Returning to my above idea, migrants volunteering in communities would show those community members that they’re non-threatening, even helpful human beings.
* More from Isabel…
* The Hill | More than 100 mayors back Biden’s supplemental request with added migrant funding: In a Tuesday letter, mayors from all over the U.S. said President Biden’s $1.4 billion request to Congress to help at the state and local level in supplying shelter and services for migrants is not enough. They said although the $1.4 billion is “welcome,” they need more “badly.”
* NYT | Republicans Are Hammering Democrats on the Migrant Crisis. Will It Work?: The episode has been played on repeat this fall in attack ads blanketing the airwaves in Erie County as Republicans try to turn the migrant crisis gripping the state into a political cudgel to flip perhaps the most important elected office in western New York. Clear across the state, on the tip of Long Island, a similar dynamic is playing out in Suffolk County, where Republicans are favored to win back the top office for the first time in two decades. Part of their strategy: attack ads focused on the busloads of migrants arriving in New York City, miles away from the suburbs.
* Fox Boston | Gov. Healey: Emergency migrant shelters expected to reach capacity as soon as today: A majority of the migrants coming into the state have been staying in motels and hotels, but by either Tuesday or Wednesday, the state expects there won’t be any rooms left and families will have to be put on waiting lists. According to the state’s latest numbers, there are currently 7,439 families enrolled in the state’s shelter system. The state reports that 30 of those families came on board in the last 24 hours.
* CBS Colorado | Denver spends millions of dollars on plane, bus and train tickets for migrants to other cities: Over the last year, Denver has spent nearly $4.5 million transporting more than 12,000 migrants out-of-state […] [Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for Denver Human Services] provided a spreadsheet showing the city has transported migrants to virtually every major city in the country over the last year. It’s not only sent them to big cities but smaller ones like Wilson, North Carolina. Most of them have gone to Chicago, New York and Salt Lake City. It’s also sent several hundred migrants to Texas, which has bused 6,600 migrants to Colorado since May according to Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Tuesday, Nov 7, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
We’ve been listening carefully to the governor, legislative leaders, and many members of the legislature about how to make the Tax Credit Scholarship better – and we now have an amended program proposal that does exactly that. Thousands of vulnerable kids are counting on us to put them before politics.
In response to direct feedback, our bill offers substantive improvements along with good-faith compromises which justify extending the Tax Credit Scholarship Program:
1. Add a new priority level of scholarship recipients from the most under-served areas of Illinois to create opportunities for thousands of primarily Black and Latino children. Donors will be incentivized to prioritize helping this new “Region 7” beyond the thousands of other kids who qualify based on financial need.
2. Reduce the overall size of the program to $50MM (down from $75MM) and reduce the individual giving cap to $500,000 (down from $1MM).
3. Reduce the tax credit for donors to 55% (down from 75%).
4. Encourage more middle-income donors by crediting donations of up to $5,000 with a 100% tax credit.
Illinois, let’s do the right thing. It’s about the kids, not the politics. Save the scholarships.
With its 11 nuclear reactors at six nuclear power plants, “Illinois generates more electricity from nuclear energy than any other state, accounting for one-eighth of the nation’s total nuclear power generation,” according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
That’s even with a ban effective since 1987 that forbids new nuclear power plants be built here.
Illinois legislators voted to lift the ban and open the door to so-called advanced nuclear reactors.
Advocates say nuclear power is a greenhouse gas emission-free option that would provide a smart energy alternative as Illinois law is moving coal-fired plants offline. Many environmentalists and other critics want Illinois to focus on wind and solar options as the state looks to meet a legal goal of 100% renewable energy come 2050.
Pritzker isn’t outright opposed to more nuclear energy, writing in his veto message that “there appears to be real potential for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which could, in the future, safely provide power for large energy consuming businesses in areas where their energy needs cannot currently be met.”
State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, also plans to file a measure to counter Pritzker’s veto of a bill that would have lifted a moratorium on new nuclear power plants in the state.
The governor in August vetoed the moratorium lifting, writing it did not provide regulatory protections for the health and safety of Illinois residents, and there was an “overly broad definition of advanced reactor” that could open the door to large-scale nuclear power plants. Environmental groups like Sierra Club and the Illinois Environmental Council had asked for the veto.
But Rezin on Monday said she believes her new measure addresses the governor’s concerns. She said she is in talks with Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, and plans to introduce the measure as soon as possible. There are also other proposals in motion, including in the House.
“I would say that this compromise narrowly defines new nuclear down to the actual megawatt, as opposed to the amended version that he vetoed in the House that used the federal definition of new nuclear,” Rezin said. “So this new version is more specific, limiting the size by dividing the megawatts in the nuclear reactor.”
Chief co-sponsor Rep. Mark Walker, an Arlington Heights Democrat and longtime supporter of nuclear, said SMRs will be “really valuable for the future” despite concerns about waste and potential accidents.
“I understand people’s fear, but we haven’t had any issues with waste and accidents in Illinois in at least 60 years. I think it’s overblown,” Walker said. “The thing to keep in mind about issues with regulation and siting is you have to go through environmental studies, multiple contacts with communities, and all kinds of things that the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires anyway.”
Pritzker’s veto letter referenced a lack of “regulatory protections or updates to address the health and safety of Illinois residents who would live and work around these new reactors.”
The regulatory commission represents what Rezin calls “the most heavily regulated department at the federal level.” To answer Pritzker’s concern, the new bill would provide additional local oversight by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
* The Sun-Times editorial board is not so sure that safety issues are overblown…
But the technology to make the small reactors work is not ready. The first small reactor design obtained U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval in July for a facility in Idaho, but development will take years. Focusing on building wind and solar energy and storage should be the priority.
Besides dotting the state with more spent nuclear fuel storage sites or requiring the transportation of spent fuel to existing sites, additional reactors can pose a security threat. As retired Brigadier General Wendell Chris King, a specialist in hazardous waste management, said during a radio discussion in August, “How do I protect those [small modular nuclear reactors] from an external threat? And the more [reactors] you got, the harder it is to protect.” […]
Whether small nuclear reactors can be financially feasible isn’t certain. The first standard nuclear plant to be built from scratch in the United States in 30 years went into operation this year in Georgia, seven years late and $17 billion over budget.
Once the moratorium is lifted, it won’t be easy to impose it again if companies start making plans to build small nuclear reactors in the state. The time to lift the moratorium is after the challenge of safe nuclear waste disposal is solved.
* Alexa James, CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, writing in Crain’s…
In the wake of mass shootings, we are understandably desperate to make sense of what happened and identify solutions when the otherwise unthinkable has occurred, which often leads to calls for increased mental health funding. Though it’s a positive sign to see broader recognition of the importance of mental health, these rinse-and-repeat conversations connecting mental health and mass shootings are not leading to fewer tragedies. […]
Much of my life’s work revolves around voicing the needs of those living with mental illness, so I will always stand by increased funding for the work we at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Chicago and other advocates lead, but we must be able to move beyond the basic rhetoric that more mental health funding on its own will serve as a solution. […]
For many reasons, the mental health system alone is not equipped to change the tide on this public health crisis. While there are certainly instances in which mass shooters are living with a psychiatric disorder, it’s a dangerous misconception to assume that all are — as it is to see this connection in most cases applied to perpetrators who fit a certain profile.
In reality, mass shooters don’t necessarily suffer from major psychiatric disorders. In 2000-2013, only 25% of assailants had been diagnosed with one, according to a 2018 study by the FBI.
The fact that only 25 percent of mass shooters were diagnosed with major psychiatric disorders doesn’t necessarily mean that all of the rest didn’t have a major disorder. The FBI study reported that they could not verify if 37 percent had even been checked for mental illness. But it’s still a valid point.
In light of the very high lifetime prevalence of the symptoms of mental illness among the U.S. population, formally diagnosed mental illness is not a very specific predictor of violence of any type, let alone targeted violence. Some studies indicate that nearly half of the U.S. population experiences symptoms of mental illness over their lifetime, with population estimates of the lifetime prevalence of diagnosable mental illness among U.S. adults at 46%, with 9% meeting the criteria for a personality disorder. Therefore, absent specific evidence, careful consideration should be given to social and contextual factors that might interact with any mental health issue before concluding that an active shooting was “caused” by mental illness.
In short, declarations that all active shooters must simply be mentally ill are misleading and unhelpful.
* ICYMI: Week two of veto session begins today. Sun-Times…
- Senate Republicans continue to pressure Democrats and Gov. J.B. Pritzker to extend the Invest in Kids program.
- Sen. Sue Rezin plans to file a measure to counter Pritzker’s veto of a bill that would have lifted a moratorium on new nuclear power plants in the state.
-Legislators also plan to try to approve an elected school board map that will divide Chicago into 20 districts.
* Sun-Times | White House, state, city team up for pilot program to help migrants apply for work permits: A Biden administration pilot program, kicking off Thursday in Chicago, is designed to help new arrivals in shelters overwhelming the city apply for their work authorizations. The pilot program is a joint effort of the White House, Illinois, City Hall and the Resurrection Project, a social service agency that provides legal services for migrants.
* WTTW | Aurora Officials Gave Long-Delinquent Aviation Company a Sweetheart Deal, Lawsuit Claims — Ahead of Sale to Company Now Backing Aurora’s Mayor: A federal lawsuit awaiting a judge’s ruling says that vision involves terms for Revv’s owners that illegally disadvantage one of their competitors at the airport, JA Air. The legal fight predates Revv — with JA’s suit arguing that the city long failed to hold Revv’s predecessor company accountable for potential safety hazards, unfair price undercutting and more. JA claims the lack of oversight has made it a financial underdog for nearly two decades — and has come at a cost to Aurora taxpayers. The two firms are both private companies that provide aviation services including flight lessons, maintenance, refueling and more.
* Capitol News Illinois | Gun rights groups to seek Supreme Court ruling on assault weapons: In a statement Saturday, the Illinois State Rifle Association said it was not surprised by the 7th Circuit panel’s 2-1 decision, which said plaintiffs in the consolidated cases had not met their burden to show they were likely to win in a constitutional challenge to the law. “It has always been and is our intent to take our case to the U.S. Supreme Court where we believe we can get a favorable ruling for law-abiding gun owners in Illinois,” the organization said. “We will continue to stand up for the Second amendment and Illinois law-abiding gun owners and against our anti-gun Governor Pritzker and General Assembly.”
* WTTW | Jury Selection Begins in Corruption Trial of Former Ald. Ed Burke: One of the first acts of Burke’s attorneys was to object to a large display in the hallway outside the 25th floor courtroom that memorializes the other high-profile public corruption cases that have taken place at the Dirksen Courthouse. U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Kendall said she would take that request under advisement.
* Daily Herald | Food and drinks during Kentucky trip violated District 214 gift ban policy, ethics panel says: A Northwest Suburban High School District 214 ethics panel Monday ruled two employees violated the Arlington Heights-based district’s ethics and gift ban policy after going on an HVAC contractor’s all-expense-paid trip to Kentucky. The three-member ethics commission — composed of District 214 parents appointed by Superintendent Scott Rowe — made its determination after an internal investigation by district legal counsel Kevin Gordon of the Oakbrook Terrace-based law firm Kriha Boucek.
* Block Club | At Vigil For 16-Year-Old Cyclist Josh Anleu, Family Urges Drivers To ‘Do Better’: Josh Anleu felt free when he bicycled through the Northwest Side, an activity that helped him escape the daily tasks of school and home life, his family said. That freedom was cut short when a driver hit the 16-year-old Schurz High School student on his bike last month at the intersection of Long and Waveland avenues. Anleu died two days later from his injuries, making him the second teenage cyclist in Chicago to be hit and killed by a driver in less than two years.
* The Grio | Twin brothers sue NCAA over eligibility dispute involving NIL compensation: The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Matthew Bewley and Ryan Bewley, 19-year-old twins from Florida, in U.S. District Court in Chicago on Wednesday. The Bewleys spent two seasons at Overtime Elite Academy before accepting scholarships from Chicago State University in June. The brothers are seeking damages and an injunction that would clear them to play for the Cougars, who visit Bowling Green on Monday night for their season opener. U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman scheduled a hearing for Tuesday in the case.
* WGN | Questions emerge over CTU president’s Indiana property tax claim: The head of the Chicago Teachers Union has claimed a home in South Bend, Indiana as her primary residence for the past sixteen years, according to documents reviewed by WGN Investigates. Indiana officials tell WGN Investigates they are removing the homestead exemption and may seek back taxes.
* Crain’s | Johnson’s first budget easily clears committee hurdle: The lack of significant amendments to the proposal is reflective of the modesty of Johnson’s first budget, which held to a campaign promise to not raise property taxes while only delivering “down payments” on his spending initiatives to reimagine Chicago.
* Sports Handle | Illinois: The State With The $20 Million Sports Wagering License And No Takers: Now in its fourth year of conducting business and firmly established as a top-three market nationally, there is one area where the Land of Lincoln has yet to hit paydirt — finding an operator wanting to go through the full process of becoming an online-only licensee. While no licensing process is easy, the Illinois Gaming Board has as thorough a vetting process as any state before awarding a license.
* Tribune | Yorkville’s Dallas Ingemunson, longtime GOP stalwart, dies: Ingemunson also served as a political mentor to Tom Cross of Oswego. A former assistant in Ingemunson’s state’s attorney’s office, Cross was elected to the Illinois House in 1992 and a decade later became the leader of the GOP minority in the chamber, where he served until August 2013. “Dallas was a true public servant who never failed to help a person with a problem regardless of their status in life,” Cross said.
* The Berg | Illinois Joining Forces Launches Operation Connect-A-Vet to Empower Friends and Families to Link Vet: “As we approach Veterans Day, we must remember the sacrifices made by veterans and raise awareness of the support they truly deserve. Operation Connect-A-Vet embodies our nation’s spirit of unity and service. This Veterans Day, IJF is proud to unite our community to provide vital support for Veterans, Service Members, and their Families,” said Erica Borggren, Board Chairwoman of Illinois Joining Forces.
* Bloomberg | WeWork goes bankrupt, signs pact with creditors to cut debt: The New York-based company said it had struck a restructuring agreement with creditors representing roughly 92% of its secured notes and would streamline its rental portfolio of office space, according to a statement. The Nov. 6 Chapter 11 filing in New Jersey listed assets of $15 billion.
Calumet City officials have dropped municipal charges against a Daily Southtown reporter they alleged violated local ordinances by seeking comment from public employees on major flooding issues in the area.
The reversal comes just days after the south suburb sent several citations to Hank Sanders, a Southtown reporter whose job includes covering Calumet City.
The Southtown, which is owned by the Chicago Tribune’s parent company, published a story online Oct. 19 and in print Oct. 20 in which Sanders reported that consultants had informed Calumet City officials that their stormwater facilities were in poor condition before September’s historic rains caused flooding.
A day after the story was published online, Sanders continued to report on the issue, drawing complaints from city officials, including Mayor Thaddeus Jones, that he was calling employees to seek comment. Officials emailed Sanders tickets citing him for “interference/hampering of city employees.”
Sanders was just doing his job, for crying out loud.
…Adding… A buddy pointed me to Cal City’s ordinances. Here’s one…
Sec. 62-334. - Bathing suits.
(a) No person shall swim or bathe in the waters of a public swimming pool in the city, unless such person is clothed in a suitable bathing dress.
(b) Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be fined not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each offense.
It shall be unlawful to permit any person to offer or present any motion picture which has a tendency to cause a riot or public disturbance of the peace, or any immoral, indecent or blasphemous picture or performance.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) brushed off “absurd” accusations made against Republicans by fellow Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL).
Pritzker recently accused Republicans of regressing freedom within the United States and has started a new organization aimed at promoting pro-choice policies across multiple states, including Ohio, while combating “the right-wing extremists who want to take us backwards.”
In response to Pritzker’s funding efforts and extremism accusations, DeWine told Fox News Sunday they were “absurd.”
“Well, that’s just absurd, and he knows that’s absurd; he knows me,” DeWine said. “That is not what we’re trying to do at all. It is interesting; the pro side in this has spent about $35 million to try to mislead the voters of the state of Ohio. It is interesting to me that a governor of Illinois would come in with a half a million dollars contribution. If you look at all the other people who are doing this, these are the same people who want to get outside their own state and control what is going on in other states.”
* I wonder how one pronounces “SQMS”…
Today, Governor Pritzker joined international dignitaries and ambassadors, leaders at the Department of Energy and local universities, and other elected officials to celebrate the opening of Fermilab’s new Superconducting Quantum Materials and System Centers (SQMSC) Garage. The SQMSC Garage is one of the five Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Centers, and one of the largest quantum research labs in the world.
“The SQMS Quantum Garage signals a new era in this field, and represents the best of our National Quantum Initiative,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “SQMS will accomplish what few other can—building on Fermilab’s unique strengths in related accelerator technology and particle physics, and creating a global partnership which spans across academia, national labs and industry, and federal agencies to reach a new quantum frontier. I’m thrilled to see our state attract the best in quantum science, and I am committed to making Illinois the premier hub of quantum development.”
Fermilab’s new SQMSC Lab will bring together a multi-sector coalition, including hundreds of experts from dozens of institutions across four nations, that will collaborate to bring quantum technology to scale. SQMS will be overseen by Director Anna Grasselino, who leads this team of world-renowned scientists and serves on the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The lab contains the first commercial quantum processor deployed on-premise at Fermilab. It has quantum sensors with the potential to discover dark matter and new gravitational waves sources. It also has training platforms dedicated to providing hands-on education for growing the next generation quantum ready workforce. These platforms will enable scientists, industry, and start-ups to advance quantum technology and help solve challenges in fundamental science.
…Adding… A commenter asked why it’s called a garage, so I asked…
So glad you asked! The Quantum Garage was originally a regular garage and we decided to keep the name since so many amazing inventions and ideas began in garages. Here's a before pic! pic.twitter.com/3OvMHJijzl
Thursday’s chaotic [city council] meeting was called in an attempt by Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, and Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, to add a question to March primary ballots asking voters “Should the city of Chicago continue to keep its designation as a Sanctuary City?”
The question would have been non-binding, so even if it made it on ballots, it would not change the city’s current sanctuary policy to not cooperate with federal law enforcement on deportation of immigrants in the country without legal permission. The policy also ensures immigrants can use city services. It would not change the city’s current response to the influx of asylum seekers, either.
While there are no homestead deductions listed on the home Davis Gates and her husband own in Illinois, that doesn’t change the fact she would owe Indiana more if she were not taking the deduction.
She’s not taking a homestead deduction in Illinois? So she’s paying more Cook County property taxes than she’s required to pay?
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* Center Square | Cook County nursing home officials warn of layoffs if tax system not addressed: A bill at the Illinois statehouse would have reduced the tax rate on nursing homes from 25% of their market value to 10% but was vetoed by Pritzker over fears of raising property taxes on residents of Cook County. The state legislature can override the veto, causing the bill to become law, if they vote and receive a three-fifths majority. The measure passed the Senate in May unanimously. In the House on concurrence, the measure passed with 95 yes votes, zero no votes and two voting present, a veto-proof majority.
* Illinois Times | Jenny Thornley pleads guilty: The former chief financial officer for the Illinois State Police Merit Board and former volunteer in JB Pritzker’s first gubernatorial campaign pleaded guilty Nov. 3 to forgery resulting in undeserved overtime pay and was sentenced to 18 months of conditional discharge. Jenny Thornley, 43, of the 2800 block of Hilltop Road in Springfield, pleaded guilty to the felony charge of electronically creating the signature of her boss, former Merit Board executive director Jack Garcia, so she could cheat the state in 2019 out of slightly more than $10,000 in overtime she never worked.
* WBEZ | Alderpeople accuse Carlos Ramirez-Rosa of threatening to stall zoning changes: The accusations were detailed in a letter drafted Thursday night by Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd Ward. An initial draft obtained by WBEZ called for Ramirez-Rosa to be formally censured by the City Council and that the Board of Ethics and Office of the Inspector General investigate alleged threats Ramirez-Rosa made for also abusing his power.
* Tribune | Jury selection begins in ex-Ald. Edward Burke’s high-stakes federal corruption trial: Live questioning of prospective jurors will likely take at least two days, with Kendall asking initial questions and each side getting the chance to follow up with specific issues. Opening statements in the case could come as soon as Wednesday. Monday’s proceedings will mark the first time Burke has stepped foot in the federal courthouse since his arraignment on the indictment on June 4, 2019, shortly after Burke had been sworn in for a record 13th full term as alderman.
* Block Club | Police Tout New Training Academy As Monitor Says Reforms ‘Continue To Lag’: In its latest report published Wednesday, an independent police watchdog once again took the department to task for minimal progress on its federal consent decree: expansive reform requirements the department was put under following the police murder of teenager Laquan McDonald almost a decade ago.
* Beacon-News | Kane County residents can get look at new voting equipment: Kane County Clerk John Cunningham called the new equipment “an upgrade of our current equipment.” The new equipment is different, though, in that it gives voters a printed version of their ballot which they then put into a ballot box. Voters will start their voting on a touch screen instead of the rolling wheel that has been in use in the county for years.
* Tribune | Three Illinois hospitals keep straight-A streak in new Leapfrog hospital safety grades: Just under 25% of Illinois hospitals earned A grades this fall from hospital safety nonprofit The Leapfrog Group, including 18% of Chicago’s 22 eligible hospitals. The grades examine safety procedures at general hospitals nationwide, focusing on prevention of medical errors, accidents and infections.
* Crain’s | City plans (again) to put O’Hare concession contracts out for bid: The city plans to put the contract out for bid early next year, Chicago Aviation Commissioner Jamie Rhee told a City Council committee earlier this week. The Department of Aviation had planned to put the contract out late last year or early this year, but it got delayed.
* AP | A small Illinois city ticketed a local reporter for asking why its infrastructure collapsed and flooded under heavy rainfall: It’s the latest of several recent First Amendment dust-ups involving city officials and news outlets around the country, following this week’s arrest of a small-town Alabama newspaper publisher and reporter after reporting on a grand jury investigation of a school district, and the August police raid of a newspaper and its publisher’s home in Kansas tied to an apparent dispute a restaurant owner had with the paper.
* AP | Oldest black hole discovered dating back to 470 million years after the Big Bang: The findings, published Monday, confirm what until now were theories that supermassive black holes existed at the dawn of the universe. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory teamed up over the past year to make the observations. Given the universe is 13.7 billion years old, that puts the age of this black hole at 13.2 billion years.
* WGN | Victory Auto Wreckers to close this month: Victory Auto Wreckers’ owner Kyle Weisner told Dean Richards during an interview on WGN Radio Sunday that the longtime auto salvage yard will close on November 18. Victory Auto Wreckers, located in Bensenville, has been in business since 1945. Weisner’s family has owned it since 1967. The auto salvage yard is known for it’s iconic commercial, “that old car is worth money” — that Dean Richards has voiced since 1991.
I told you back in January that if Gov. J.B. Pritzker managed to help convince Stellantis to reopen the Belvidere auto assembly plant and even expand, “he’ll have overcome some gargantuan hurdles.”
Credit where credit is due: Pritzker helped the United Auto Workers Union and the White House put together a deal with Stellantis to reopen the shuttered plant and expand it. According to Crain’s Chicago Business, the UAW told its members the company would spend $5 billion on the project. It’s not clear as I write this how much would come from the state.
It’s plainly obvious to anyone that overcoming the state’s lousy reputation with manufacturers is a monumental task. All any CEO has to do is turn on one of the business cable TV stations to see the Illinois-bashing in full glory, even though it’s often based on outdated claims from groups that make money from bad-mouthing the state’s reputation.
But the state incentives contained in Pritzker’s Reimagining Energy and Vehicles Act were instrumental in attracting the massive Gotion electric vehicle battery plant to Manteno.
At the same time, the state has also tried to help build a supplier and training infrastructure for manufacturers — which it calls an “eco-system.” More than two years ago, for instance, the state helped open an EV worker training program at Normal’s Heartland Community College as EV-maker Rivian scaled up its production.
The REV Act’s income tax credit program was then expanded to 75% of state payroll taxes, and to 100% for “underserved areas.” The REV Act was also expanded to include smaller companies with a minimum $2.5 million in capital investment.
That latter expansion was key to bringing to Decatur a new electric compressor manufacturing facility as a major component of the city’s TCCI Electric Vehicle Innovation Hub that the governor unveiled in August. An innovation and research lab and a worker training facility at the local community college (and in potential partnership with other higher education institutions) will also be part of the new Decatur hub.
Just last month, Netherlands-based EVBox announced it was establishing its new U.S. headquarters in Lake County. The company makes fast-chargers for EVs and hopes to build thousands of charging stations per year.
“We have got the parts suppliers, battery manufacturers, EV infrastructure suppliers, and there are more to come,” Pritzker said at the EVBox announcement, according to NBC Chicago.
The Stellantis plant deal is huge. The state has been working with the company since well before the automaker decided to put the plant on pause earlier this year. Because EV assembly plants usually need a nearby battery facility, the state optioned 250 acres of land across from the Stellantis plant, dangling the prize as just one more incentive to reopen and expand. The revitalized plant will likely build a light truck, and include a battery plant as well as a parts distribution center.
The UAW has had strong reservations about EV manufacturing because it requires fewer workers, and many cars and batteries are being made with non-union labor (including, so far, at Gotion’s future Manteno facility). But the union leadership insisted that reopening the Belvidere plant was a top priority during its bargaining with and subsequent strike of Stellantis. The White House was reportedly heavily involved as well.
Crain’s also reported that the revitalized plant could employ as many as 5,000 workers, which is far more than the 1,200 laid off in February.
If Illinois’ earlier failures fed off themselves in a vicious cycle, the hope now is the recent successes will lead to even more gains as corporations see that Illinois isn’t what they may have thought it was.
The idea has been to provide “white glove” concierge service to corporate execs through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The governor’s office claims companies can easily and quickly obtain information and assistance from DCEO about their investments. DCEO also offers the companies help with permitting to cut through state and local red tape.
The governor himself has also taken a very active role, his office says, running down leads and making and fielding countless inquiries. He’s also positioned himself as the state’s top economic cheerleader.
This sort of “all hands on deck” approach appears to really be paying off. And it’s been darned impressive to watch. Everyone, including the General Assembly, deserves credit.
So maybe now the state can use this template to tackle some other problems, like high property taxes (business development is a big key, but not the entire solution) and the functioning of some notorious bureaucracies, including DCFS.
* The Tribune reports on homeless people staying at police stations with asylum seekers…
With the arrival of another 20,000 migrants this year who need homes, the city’s existing shelter network — which never fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic when the number of beds decreased — maxed out. So city officials turned to police stations to be used as makeshift processing centers for migrants as Chicago scrambled to open shelters.
But even as the city has repurposed old school buildings, warehouses and other vacant structures into places for migrants to sleep — often amid a serious backlash from neighbors — it’s not enough because the existing system wasn’t adequately equipped to begin with, said Douglas Schenkelberg, the executive director of Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. […]
Schenkelberg said that ideally the city would have what he described as a “no-wrong-door approach,” or unified shelter system “that serves everyone regardless of the reason they’re currently experiencing homelessness.”
“You can enter through the same portal, be assessed about what your needs are, provided short-term shelter at the front end and then long-term permanent housing at the back end,” he said. “So your experience of homelessness is very brief.”
In theory, maybe that would work, although they are two very different populations with much different levels of need. In practice, the homeless person profiled in the Tribune’s story has been sleeping at a police station for two months.
* I don’t disagree with Greg Hinz’s take here, but I think the mayor first needs to give a speech like this to himself and his top staff…
But one thing is missing: big-megaphone moral leadership. The City Council is going to continue to dissolve into a morass of NIMBYism until Johnson goes in a big way around their backs and makes the case directly to voters that Chicago can meet this challenge, in fact must meet it, if it is to collectively look itself in the mirror in the morning.
The mayor seemingly can’t even convince himself to make big decisions and then make them stick.
* Isabel’s coverage roundup…
* ABC Chicago | US Rep. Jonathan Jackson calls for rest of Illinois to step up as more Chicago migrants arrive: Calling on the rest of the state to step up to the plate, Jackson took the opportunity of his quarterly town hall meeting to address the growing migrant crisis that continues to divide both residents and elected officials. “President Biden will be in Chicago this coming Thursday. I’m sending him another letter sharing with him the heightened concerns that we have,” Jackson said.
* Tribune | Homeless Chicagoans also living at police stations alongside migrants: While many of the migrants at the station come from Venezuela, the Wilsons had only come from a few miles away. The language barrier was just one more thing that separated her and her son from the migrants they slept alongside at the police station. It is unclear how many homeless U.S. citizens like the Wilsons are staying among the nearly 2,800 migrants awaiting shelter placement in Chicago police stations. A spokesperson for the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication said it only tracks the number of asylum-seekers, and officials with the Department of Family and Support Services did not respond to a request for comment. The Chicago Police Department said they do not track how many U.S. citizens are sheltering with them.
* Crain’s | Chicago developer Mike Reschke proposes suburban hotels to house migrants: Reschke was one of several prominent Chicago developers, along with representatives from AmTrust Realty and the Building Owners & Managers Association, who met with city officials for an Oct. 12 discussion to provide ideas on how to shelter migrants arriving in Chicago from the southern border. Those officials included city of Chicago Chief Operating Officer John Roberson; Deputy Mayor of Business Kenya Merritt; and Deputy Mayor of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights Beatriz Ponce De León. As of Nov. 3, 11,727 migrants filled the city’s 24 shelters and another 3,228 were waiting at police stations and airports across the city, according to the Office of Emergency Management & Communications.
* Bloomberg | Denver Migrant Shelters Swell As Cities Plead for More Federal Aid: Federal aid for an influx of asylum seekers into US cities is essential to prevent homelessness from getting worse, said Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. The nightly migrant population in the Colorado city’s shelters has doubled since September, and their care is costing the city $2 million a week, which could mean spending $100 million next year. “That’s half the size of the entire city budget for affordable housing and homelessness citywide,” said Johnston. To manage new migrants, he said, “we think we need a different solution.”
Scoop: Newsom, Pritzker signal White House ambitions in donations to S. Carolina candidate
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker both recently cut checks for a candidate in this month’s mayoral election in Charleston, S.C., Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The donations to Charleston candidate Clay Middleton signal White House ambitions for both governors, as South Carolina recently moved to the front of the Democratic presidential primary calendar.
You have to scroll down five paragraphs to see that Pritzker and Newsom contributed a thousand dollars each. It probably takes Pritzker less time to make a thousand dollars than it will take you to read this one sentence.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and California Rep. Ro Khanna have traveled to New Hampshire in recent months
Pritzker was in New Hampshire almost a year and a half ago - in June of 2022.
Really reaching there.
* Meanwhile…
Gov. Pritzker, a top campaign surrogate for President Biden, will join the president's campaign tomorrow in Miami for a press conference ahead of the third GOP presidential debate on Wednesday. #twillpic.twitter.com/iyXigtU9Oz
Moments before his bench trial was set to begin, the father of the alleged Highland Park parade gunman pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts after he was accused of recklessly aiding his son in obtaining firearms prior to last year’s mass shooting.
Just as proceedings were set to begin, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart announced that Robert Crimo Jr. had agreed to plead guilty to seven Class A misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct, rather than the seven felony charges he had faced.
Crimo Jr. was sentenced to 2 years probation and 60 days in jail, which was agreed upon as part of his plea. He will be taken into custody to begin serving that sentence Nov. 15.
Lake County prosecutors had alleged Crimo Jr. took a “reckless and unjustified risk” in December 2019 when he signed an affadavit supporting his son, Robert Crimo III, in his application for a FOID card. At the time, Crimo III was only 19 years old and could not legally obtain a FOID card or purchase a firearm without his father’s assistance.
* Tribune | Proposal to extend stiffer gun offense penalty joins school tax credit, end to nuke moratorium on agenda of Illinois legislature’s final week: The penalty enhancement measure is not the only issue that could divide Democrats. Lawmakers also face a measure to extend a private school tax credit for another five years, which supporters say could prevent thousands of children whose tuition is funded through the program from having to leave their schools. Also on the agenda is a measure that would lift a nearly 40-year-old moratorium on new nuclear power plants across Illinois, which was passed in the spring but then vetoed by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Lawmakers could also vote on the boundaries of a proposed district map for Chicago’s first-ever elected school board.
* Sun-Times | Why four trade unions want lawmakers to renew Invest in Kids scholarship: Since the passage of an amendment to the act in 2021, which allows kids with financial need to access scholarships toward a vocational trade school, we have been working with local partners to make such a school a reality. That opportunity would be jeopardized if the Legislature fails to renew the scholarship program.
* Tribune | Homeless Chicagoans also living at police stations alongside migrants: With the arrival of another 20,000 migrants this year who need homes, the city’s existing shelter network — which never fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic when the number of beds decreased — maxed out. So city officials turned to police stations to be used as makeshift processing centers for migrants as Chicago scrambled to open shelters. But even as the city has repurposed old school buildings, warehouses and other vacant structures into places for migrants to sleep — often amid a serious backlash from neighbors — it’s not enough because the existing system wasn’t adequately equipped to begin with, said Douglas Schenkelberg, the executive director of Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.
* Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa’s resignation statement after Chicago City Council members called for him to step down…
Much has been reported about last week’s incidents at a special meeting of the Chicago City Council. Tensions were high at a chaotic meeting, and I let that get the best of me, leading me to act in a way unbecoming of a leader. I sincerely apologize to my colleague, Alderwoman Emma Mitts, for the disrespectful interaction outside of Council Chambers. I also apologize to other colleagues who I have heard also felt disrespected and harmed by my actions — Alderpeople Lee, Cardona, and Taliaferro.
I feel awful about everything that happened. I have reached out to my colleagues to apologize directly and seek to make amends. I made mistakes, and I learned valuable lessons. I take full responsibility for what I’ve done.
Our Chicago City Council does important work and, even when we strongly disagree on policy or approach, it is critical that we show each other respect. The people of Chicago deserve nothing less and have every right to demand that of us.
Because the position of Floor Leader especially requires the confidence of our colleagues, and because through my actions I lost that confidence, I have informed the mayor that I will be stepping down from that position. Furthermore, I am resigning as Chair of the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards effective December 1st, to allow time for an effective transition.
I cannot take away the mistakes I made last week. But I hope to be able to rebuild the trust we have in each other as we move forward as a Council that addresses the important issues impacting Chicago.
* From Mayor Brandon Johnson…
“Over the weekend, I spoke with Alderwoman Emma Mitts and Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa. Yesterday, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa and I agreed he should step down from his positions as Chicago City Council Floor Leader and Chair of the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards.
Alderwoman Mitts is a venerable leader and woman of abiding faith, who is committed to public service and the principles of accountability and mercy. Alderman Ramirez-Rosa has acknowledged his transgressions, apologized to his colleagues and committed himself to rebuilding trust.
It is not lost on me that Thursday’s events occurred during a time of heightened tension at City Hall. In recent months, the forces of division have preyed on our city, pitting us against each other in the most destructive ways. I am confident we will find a way to move forward and regain the trust and respect necessary to have a functioning legislative body.
Let us all recommit ourselves to the principles of respect and civility upon which our work and our democracy depend. Together, we can and will build a better, stronger, safer Chicago for all.
Yes, it's rare that the appellate court would rule one way and then make a final decision the other way, but we're still not at the final decision stage. This will likely head directly to USSCt and/or lead to an expedited trial in Chicago
* Daily Herald | Will legislative fix end need for do-over mental health board referendums?: State legislators say a fix is on the way that would spare several townships and one county from redoing successful referendums last year that created new community mental health boards. Those results could be in jeopardy because the November 2022 ballot measures failed to include required language informing voters of how establishing new tax to fund the mental health board would impact property owners.
* Alison Shames | Transforming pretrial justice for people, systems and communities: While the state’s elimination of financial release conditions has generated the most attention, the Pretrial Fairness Act upended decades of questionable practices and operations. But what is remarkable about the law – especially regarding its potential impact nationwide – is that it reconnected pretrial practices with foundational American legal principles.
* Tribune | Craft cannabis growers in Illinois try again to overcome industry opposition to expansion: The Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition, which was pushing for the legislation, issued statement saying, “Our lawmakers failed us by not advancing the cannabis omnibus.” “All they really wanted was to kill the omnibus bill and slow down the growth of social equity,” state Rep. La Shawn Ford said.
* Sun-Times | Alderperson’s manhandling allegation caps ‘s- - - show’ City Council meeting: State Sen. Lakesia Collins, a Chicago Democrat whose district includes Mitts’ West Side ward, on Friday joined Lopez’s call for Ramirez-Rosa to resign. “This repeated behavior by Alderman Ramirez-Rosa in city council is unacceptable and requires immediate action,” Collins wrote. “No one should be prevented from fulfilling their elected responsibilities on behalf of their constituents.”
* Sun-Times | Highland Park massacre suspect’s dad’s trial starts Monday in possible preview of son’s trial: Prosecutors say they will call 10 witnesses and read transcripts from the son’s police interrogation in the trial against his father, Robert Crimo Jr. Prosecutors say they will show just a fraction of the 10,000 pages of evidence they’ve collected in the cases. Crimo Jr. faces seven counts of reckless conduct for signing his son’s gun ownership permit when he was too young. Prosecutors say he signed those papers despite knowing the son had expressed suicidal and violent thoughts.
* Patch | Salary For Joliet’s New City Manager From Chicago Revealed: Beatty has worked for more than 20 years at one of the largest cities in the world, Chicago. Under Lori Lightfoot, Beatty was promoted to one of Chicago’s deputy mayors. Next week, Joliet’s Council will vote on paying Beatty a salary of $230,000, plus give her $12,500 in relocation expenses to leave Chicago and move to Joliet, the third-largest city in Illinois.
* Chicago Reader | Arbitrating police terminations could result in a ‘decade of police impunity’: The change would allow most officers facing serious disciplinary charges—terminations and suspensions longer than a year—to have their cases heard by an arbitrator, rather than the Chicago Police Board (CPB). The CPB currently holds public trial-like hearings for officers facing serious discipline, and the board members consider those cases during monthly public meetings.
* Block Club | Black Queer Chicagoans Fought To March In 1993 Bud Billiken Parade. Their Story Is Now A Short Film: “Why We Marched: Black LGBTQs & The 1993 Bud Billiken Parade” will be shown at Affinity Community Services, 2850 S. Wabash Ave., at 5 p.m. Sunday as part of a free event commemorating the march. A panel discussion featuring the group’s members will follow. Jano Layne, one of the organizers of the ’93 action, didn’t realize the impact one simple act would have on the city, let alone the country. When the Ad Hoc Committee of Proud Black Lesbians and Gays filed an application to march in the Bud Billiken Parade that year, some didn’t anticipate the rejection.
* WBEZ | Paint is not protection: Chicago cyclists want barriers between bike lanes and roadways: With an average of five crashes a day, Teeghman’s was just one of the more than 1,600 cyclist-involved crashes in Chicago this year. And like Teeghman’s, more than 400 of those crashes have been hit-and-run incidents. Many of the cyclists are left dealing with thousands of dollars in bike repairs and medical bills and suffering from injuries such as lacerations and broken bones — some have even been killed. WBEZ interviewed a dozen cyclists — all of whom had been involved in one or several crashes — and many said these crashes can be prevented if the city redesigns its bike infrastructure to prioritize the safety and needs of both cyclists and motorists.
* Sun-Times | With its curving canopy, suburban grocery store offers a special on good design: The canopy’s lowest dip sends rainwater into a garden in front of the store. And the garden is fenced in to keep adventurous souls from climbing on the roof, Theodore said. “I was warned somebody was going to try to climb it — and they literally did climb it,” Theodore said. “We were afraid somebody with a skateboard [would try].”
* The Atlantic | The Great Social Media–News Collapse: Last week, the Pew Research Center published a new study showing that fewer adults on average said they regularly followed the news in 2021 or 2022 than in any other year surveyed. (Pew started asking the question in 2016.) There’s some shakiness when you break down the demographics, but overall, 38 percent of American adults are following the news closely, versus a high of 52 percent in 2018. This tracks: In 2022, Axios compiled data from different web-traffic-monitoring companies that showed news consumption took a “nosedive” after 2020 and, despite January 6, the war in Ukraine, and other major events, engagement across all news media—news sites, news apps, cable news, and social media—was in decline.
* You gotta figure there’s gonna be a constitutional challenge to this if it becomes law. Half the city will be disenfranchised by appointed board members for two years. Press release…
The Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus today introduced legislation outlining the electoral process for the new Chicago Elected School Board and establishing ethics requirements and conflict of interest provisions for members.
Under the attached proposal, 20 districts will be created for the 2024 election. Of those, 10 districts will be up for election in 2024, and 10 districts plus the Board Chair will be appointed by the mayor. A map detailing which districts will be elected and which districts will be appointed is available here and online at www.ilsenateredistricting.com. Beginning in 2026, the 10 districts with appointed members will be up for election.
The public is encouraged to review the proposed district boundaries and provide additional feedback via the website or through email at ChicagoERSBCommittee@senatedem.ilga.gov. School board districts must be consistent with the Illinois Voting Rights Act, which ensures districts are crafted in a way that preserves clusters of minority voters if they are of size or cohesion to exert collective electoral power. The draft map, its demographic data, and shape files can be found at www.ilsenateredistricting.com.
“During public hearings, we heard concerns about ensuring the Board represents all of Chicago’s unique and vibrant communities,” said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford, Chair of the Special Committee on the Chicago Elected Representative School Board. “By establishing 20 districts for the 2024 election, our goal is to maximize diverse representation in a way that would not be achievable with just 10 districts.”
In addition, the legislation establishes ethics requirements for Board members which mirror those for other school boards across the state, as well as conflict of interest provisions in line with the state’s existing Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act. The measure also calls for the creation of Black Student Achieve Committee within the Board, following feedback from education advocates, parents and community members about the need to focus on the disparity in academic performance among Black students.
“These ethics provisions establish important guardrails for Chicago Public Schools leadership, adding an extra layer of accountability,” said Sen. Robert Martwick, Vice-Chair of the Special Committee on the Chicago Elected Representative School Board and sponsor of the legislation creating an elected school board in Chicago. “Our communities deserve leaders who always place the best interest of the people first.”
“These changes are a reflection of the insight offered over the course of numerous public hearings,” said Sen. Omar Aquino, Vice-Chair of the Special Committee on the Chicago Elected Representative School Board. “Just as we want a new Board to be responsive to the community, we must also adjust to provide more equitable representation for all of Chicago.”
#BREAKING Finding that “even the most important personal freedoms have their limits” the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with the state of Illinois in the pending appeal on the state’s assault weapons ban. More info to come. pic.twitter.com/hExCeyRo8x
The Second Amendment to the Constitution recognizes an individual right to “keep and bear Arms.” Of that there can be no doubt, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008); McDonald v. City of Chicago, 561 U.S. 742 (2010); Caetano v. Massachusetts, 577 U.S. 411 (2016) (per curiam); and New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen, 142 S. Ct. 2111 (2022). But as we know from long experience with other fundamental rights, such as the right to free speech, the right peaceably to assemble, the right to vote, and the right to free exercise of religion, even the most important personal freedoms have their limits. Government may punish a deliberately false fire alarm; it may condition free assembly on the issuance of a permit; it may require voters to present a valid identification card; and it may punish child abuse even if it is done in the name of religion. The right enshrined in the Second Amendment is no different.
The present cases, which we have consolidated for disposition, relate to the types of “Arms” that are covered by the Second Amendment. This presents a line-drawing problem. Everyone can agree that a personal handgun, used for self-defense, is one of those Arms that law-abiding citizens must be free to “keep and bear.” Everyone can also agree, we hope, that a nuclear weapon such as the now-retired M388 Davy Crockett system, with its 51-pound W54 warhead, can be reserved for the military, even though it is light enough for one person to carry.3 Many weapons, however, lie between these extremes. The State of Illinois, in the legislation that lies at the heart of these cases, has decided to regulate assault weapons and high-capacity magazines—a decision that is valid only if the regulated weapons lie on the military side of that line and thus are not within the class of Arms protected by the Second Amendment. Several municipalities have done the same. The plaintiffs in these cases challenge that conclusion. Using the tools of history and tradition to which the Supreme Court directed us in Heller and Bruen, we conclude that the state and the affected subdivisions have a strong likelihood of success in the pending litigation. We therefore affirm the decisions of the district courts in appeals No. 23-1353 and 23-1793 refusing to enjoin these laws, and we vacate the injunction issued by the district court in appeals No. 23-1825, 23-1826, 23-1827, and 23-1828. […]
We conclude with a few remarks about several additional issues in some of these cases that do not require immediate attention, and a reminder about the limits on our ruling.
First, we briefly comment on Herrera’s challenge to the constitutionality of the registration requirement that implements the grandfather exemption. He regards it as a burden on his Second Amendment rights, and he worries that it may in the future lead to confiscatory acts on the part of the state. If we are correct in our prediction that the state will prevail in its defense of the Act against the Second Amendment arguments, then the registration requirement will be valid as long as it can withstand rational basis review. At this juncture, we see nothing particularly onerous about it, though as with everything we have said, this is a preliminary assessment. Herrera has until the end of 2023 to file the necessary forms, and if he does so, he may retain all of the covered weapons he already owns; the Act will prohibit only his acquisition of additional assault weapons or high-capacity feeding devices. For its own reasons, the dissent agrees with us that the registration requirement should not be enjoined.
Second, in this court none of the parties has developed any coherent argument that would distinguish restrictions on possession, on the one hand, from restrictions on sale or manufacture, on the other. One of the parties in Bevis is a gun store, but the implications of that have yet to be addressed. We thus have no comment on it.
Finally, we have no need to decide whether an alleged Second Amendment violation gives rise to a presumption of irreparable harm, and if so, whether any such presumption is rebuttable or ironclad. Given our decision that the plaintiffs have not shown that they have a strong likelihood of success on the merits, we think it best to save this point for another day. We also have no comment on the other two parts of the Winter inquiry: where the balance of equities lies, and what the public interest dictates.
We close with an important reminder. Nothing that we have said here indicates that any state or municipality must enact restrictions on the ownership of assault weapons or high-capacity magazines. Unless preemptive federal legislation requires otherwise, this is an issue for the political process in each jurisdiction. The people of some states may find the arguments in favor of a lack of restrictions to be persuasive; the people of other states may prefer tighter restrictions. As long as those restrictions do not infringe on the constitutionally protected right to keep and bear the Arms covered by the Second Amendment, either choice is permissible. In the cases now before us, however, the plaintiffs have not shown a likelihood of success on the merits, based on the fact that military weapons lie outside the class of Arms to which the individual right applies.
In Nos. 23-1353 and 23-1793, we AFFIRM the district courts’ orders denying preliminary injunctive relief. In Nos. 23-1825, 23-1826, 23-1827, and 23-1828, we VACATE the district court’s order granting preliminary injunctive relief. We also confirm that the stay we issued in these appeals will remain in effect until our mandate issues.
…Adding… React…
Today, Protect Illinois Communities President Becky Carroll released the following statement in response to 7th Circuit Court ruling upholding the Protect Illinois Communities Act:
“Today’s 7th Circuit Court decision on the Protect Illinois Communities Act is another critical legal affirmation of both the law as well as common sense – assault weapons are designed for use on the battlefield, not on our streets or in our communities. We are grateful for their decision and to the work of AG Raoul in representing the State of Illinois on this matter.”
* Rep. Morgan…
State Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield), the chief sponsor of the Protect Illinois Communities Act, celebrated this important decision by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the Illinois assault weapons ban that was signed into law on January 10, 2023. The 7th District Court was responding to six consolidated lawsuits challenging the ban.
“This ruling is a huge win for anyone committed to reducing gun violence. With the 7th Circuit upholding the Protect Illinois Communities Act, this common-sense gun reform law continues in full force despite the efforts of the gun lobby,” said Rep. Morgan. “As mass shootings in the U.S. are on a record pace in 2023, this law has already prevented the sales of thousands of assault weapons and high capacity magazines in Illinois, making our state safer. We must renew our calls for a nationwide ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines in order to make mass shootings a thing of the past.”
The Protect Illinois Communities (PIC) Act bans the sale of assault weapons, which have been the lethal instruments used in multiple mass shootings, as well as large capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition for a long gun or more than 15 rounds of ammunition for handguns. Prior to today’s Seventh Circuit ruling, the Act had already survived multiple constitutional challenges. On May 4, 2023, the Seventh Circuit Court blocked a temporary injunction that a lower court judge in East St. Louis issued on April 28. This most recent defense of the PIC Act’s constitutionality comes on the heels of an Illinois Supreme Court decision to uphold the ban.
On May 17, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court also declined to block the law in Illinois.
Morgan, who is the Chair of the House Firearm Safety & Reform Working Group, is recognized as a legislative champion of gun safety in Illinois and is working with other national leaders to reduce gun deaths. Morgan witnessed firsthand the devastating effects that gun violence can have on a community. Highland Park, IL is a part of his 58th District, and he was present at the July Fourth mass shooting with his wife and children, during which 83 rounds were fired in less than 60 seconds, killing seven and injuring 48 people.
* Gov. Pritzker…
Governor JB Pritzker issued the following statement concerning the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding the Protect Illinois Communities Act:
“The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed what gun safety advocates have said from day one—the Protect Illinois Communities Act is a commonsense law that will keep Illinoisans safe. Despite constant attacks by the gun lobby that puts ideology over people’s lives, here in Illinois we have stood up and said ‘no more’ to weapons of war on our streets. This is a victory for the members of the General Assembly who stood alongside families, students and survivors who worked so hard to make this day a reality. Now Congress must act so Illinois is not an island surrounded by states with weak protections.”
* LG Stratton…
Today, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that Illinois is on the right side of history when it comes to protecting our communities from the dangers of gun violence by upholding the Protect Illinois Communities Act. Upholding the ban of assault-style weapons, high-capacity magazines, and more, we are continuing on our promise of building safer, stronger communities. I thank Governor Pritzker, the General Assembly and the thousands of advocates who came together to say, “enough is enough.”
There is more work to do, and while we acknowledge the significance of this ruling, may we never forget the countless lives lost and disrupted by senseless gun violence. In Illinois, we will continue to look forward, reinforcing this common-sense law and I hope that Congress will do the same
* AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit’s decision in the consolidated cases challenging the Protect Illinois Communities Act.
“I am pleased with the 7th Circuit’s decision in these critically-important cases, which means my office has now successfully defended the Protect Illinois Communities Act in appeals before the 7th Circuit and the Illinois Supreme Court. Assault weapons were intended for military use, and the Protect Illinois Communities Act is a tool to prevent them from being used to cause devastation in our schools, places of worship and recreation spaces. This decision is the result of many hours of work by the staff of the Attorney General’s office, and I thank them for their dedication and service to the people of Illinois.”
* Mayor Johnson…
“I welcome today’s decision by the 7th Circuit Court to uphold the Protect Illinois Communities Act. This landmark legislation is an important step for our communities, providing common-sense gun control measures that have been so desperately needed in our city and throughout the state.
This decisive measure will aid in keeping weapons of war out of our neighborhoods and off our streets, creating safer communities for all.”
Our Congressman, Mike Bost. A steadfast conservative, Mike voted for the Secure the Border Act to increase the number of border patrol agents and complete the border wall. A budget hawk who has saved taxpayers by voting against a $1.4 trillion debt limit increase. Bost reigns in out of control spending to secure a stronger future for our families. Mike Bost stands with our farmers to take on the Biden administration’s Waters of the US policies that would put family farms out of business. An advocate for Southern Illinois families, Mike Bost voted for the parents Bill of Rights Act so parents have a say in their children’s education. A leader, Mike introduced a law ensuring veterans who appeal for their benefit, get them more quickly. Congressman Mike Bost. Southern Illinois’ conservative leader who gets results.
Paid for by official funds. Authorized by the House of Representatives.
I am disheartened and profoundly disappointed by the actions that took place on November 2nd at city council, led by Floor Leader Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, against Councilwoman Emma Mitts.
Alderman Ramirez-Rosa physically obstructed Alderwoman Mitts and other council members from entering the chamber to carry out their duties as elected representatives on behalf of their constituents.
This repeated behavior by Alderman Ramirez-Rosa in city council is unacceptable and requires immediate action. No one should be prevented from fulfilling their elected responsibilities on behalf of their constituents. No one should endure disrespect, threats, or have to live in fear of intimidation or retaliation while simply doing their job.
True leadership involves uniting others with transparency and finding common ground, even in the face of disagreements. Those in positions of leadership should not misuse or abuse their power.
Furthermore, no woman should ever be made to feel uncomfortable due to a colleague’s abuse of power, regardless of their position or title.
Alderman Ramirez-Rosa must be held accountable for his actions. This behavior calls for his resignation as Floor Leader. I hope this matter is resolved immediately.
I’ve asked the alderperson for a response.
…Adding… Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus…
The bullying by Floor Leader Ramirez-Rosa to Chairwoman Emma Mitts, City Council’s current longest-serving woman, was unprofessional and unbecoming of his role. Alderman Ramirez-Rosa’s actions of physical and verbal harassment have let down our council and the people of Chicago. In our roles, we must uphold the values of respect and collaboration.
It is disheartening that we find ourselves in this situation, and we hope that all City Council members focus their efforts on solving this issue and maintain mutual respect for each other.
Additionally, this matter is an unfortunate and direct reminder of the decades of challenges that African-American women serving in City Council have had to overcome in our combined efforts to enhance the upward mobility of our collective communities.
Chairwoman Mitts is a pillar of strength, courage, and inspiration to many black women who aspire to become responsible and effective government leaders. We strongly condemn this blatant mistreatment and disrespect towards Alderwoman Mitts and demand a full apology from Alderman Ramirez-Rosa.
Our caucus put forth the following recommendations to create a more inclusive and respectful environment for all members.
1. Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa resign as Floor Leader and Chairman of the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards
2. Alderman Ramirez-Rosa must publicly acknowledge what he did, apologize to Chairwoman Mitts, and commit to better his behavior as a member of this body
3. Alderman Ramirez-Rosa must take steps to remedy his actions with Chairwoman Mitts and other city council members
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (7th) held his annual Senior and Veterans Resource Fair at Proviso Math and Science Academy, 8601 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Forest Park, on Oct. 28.
The Fair drew a crowd of several hundred and featured dozens of vendors and free resources like COVID-19 vaccinations and flu shots, but the biggest development to come out of this year’s event was a visit from Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who talked about the expanded driver’s license services his office implemented last month to accommodate senior citizens. […]
Last month, Giannoulias’ office implemented a “Skip-the-Line” program for senior citizens at DMV facilities, increased the number of available appointments at Chicago area DMVs by over 40%, added a call center for seniors aged 70 and over who require a road exam, and opened two “senior-only” driver services locations inside SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview and the Evanston Civic Center. Seniors at those locations won’t need appointments.
“The plan is to build the next one somewhere in the 7th District,” Welch said on Saturday.
Leadership has its privileges, I suppose.
* This is what the governor gets for siding with the Illinois Policy Institute on the bill…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is more scared of the Chicago Teachers Union than voters.
He said he’d extend Illinois’ sole school choice program if a bill reached his desk – but now he’s flip-flopping.
This week he locked low-income students out of his Chicago office.
These kids are from families who rely on the Invest in Kids Act for an exit option from the CTU’s failed public school monopoly.
He’s not even pretending to care about them.
So we’re going to make sure the whole world knows what the Illinois Democratic Party, under his leadership, did to them.
We’re protesting the 2024 National Democratic Convention in Chicago.
We’re inviting all the students, families and community leaders he let down, so everyone watching knows him as the governor who killed school choice in Illinois.
* Staying with the IPI for a moment, this means nothing because the rest of the coalition pushing renewal has offered up a compromise plan. The train is moving on. All they’re doing is attempting to divert attention from the GOP’s split…
This follows a pledge from the Illinois Senate Republicans to support Invest in Kids.
There is now full Republican support of the bipartisan effort to protect school choice scholarships for 9,600 low-income students in Illinois. (2/2)
* I’ve seen more than a few statements like this. NRCC…
“By refusing to help Israel, Brad Schneider is perpetuating the growing antisemitism rotting the Democratic Party to the core. Israel has a right to defend itself and America has an obligation to stand alongside the Jewish people – but not according to Brad Schneider.” – NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella
Schneider’s response…
Speaker Johnson's First Act:
1. Add $27 Billion to Debt 2. Condition Aid to Israel 3. Reward Tax Cheats
I cannot support the terribly flawed, weak and dangerous bill Speaker Johnson and the Republicans have on the floor today. pic.twitter.com/mAIbH6Ve2e
* Crain’s | Illinois Institute of Technology is opening a life-sciences lab in Fulton Market: Illinois Tech, whose main campus is in Bronzeville, says it plans to house faculty, researchers and students in the Fulton Labs building. Although the small, private university is well known for engineering, computer science, and architecture and design, it also has biomedical and biological engineering expertise. For many years, its Bronzeville campus was one of the few places that startups could find lab space.
* WAND | State reports reveals number of pregnancy related deaths in Illinois: “A woman who is in rural areas, whether she is of color or not, might have to drive 30 minutes or longer to get to a healthcare provider or to get to a facility that can actually deliver her baby,” said Dr. Dona M. Perry, Medical Director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. “Access is a big problem and barrier to good healthcare and maternal outcomes.” The report also found that pregnancy-related deaths increased by 40% from 2015-2017 to 2018-2020. Discrimination was present in 40% of deaths among Black women.
* Crain’s | IDPH launches phone line for doctors to address babies born with syphilis: The Illinois Department of Public Health is urging health care providers to conduct more testing for the sexually transmitted infection in advance of birth. To help, IDPH has launched a phone line to provide clinical consultation to providers who treat pregnant patients and newborns. It is dubbed the Perinatal Syphilis Warmline, with a phone number of 800-439-4079.
* WTTW | Father of Alleged Highland Park Parade Gunman Heads to Trial on Charges He Recklessly Helped Son Obtain Firearms: Lake County prosecutors have alleged Crimo Jr. took a “reckless and unjustified risk” in December 2019 when he signed his son’s application for a FOID card. At the time, Crimo III was only 19 years old and could not legally obtain a FOID card or purchase a firearm without his father’s assistance. Highland Park police had two previous interactions with Crimo III in 2019. One occurred that April after he allegedly attempted suicide. Months later, in September, Crimo III allegedly threatened family members, saying he was “going to kill everyone,” according to prosecutors.
* Crain’s | As winter looms, migrants’ lack of reliable shelter could become a public health crisis: Meanwhile, community groups are collecting donated winter clothing and supplies for migrants. But until people are moved off the streets and into real housing, their health and well-being are at heightened risk, providers say. “Sleeping under tents outside in the Chicago winter — it’s super dangerous,” says Dr. Alejandro Clavier, a pediatrician and site director at Esperanza Health Centers’ West Lawn location. “Lives will be at risk if people stay outside.”
* WMBD | Illinois Supreme Court ends Auditor Jessica Thomas’ battle with Peoria County: The legal saga by Peoria County Auditor Jessica Thomas came to a conclusion on Nov. 1 when she worked her last day as an elected official. Thomas, who had battled the county for more than a year, ran out of legal options in late September when the Illinois Supreme Court declined to hear her case after a lower court threw it out. … A trio of appellate court justices said Thomas had no “clearly ascertainable right to serve as county auditor because her ‘rights to the office ceased’ once the voters passed the referendum to eliminate the office.”
* Chicago Mag | Is “Sweet Home Chicago” Actually About Chicago?: Robert Johnson probably had not visited Chicago when he recorded what became our city’s unofficial anthem in 1936. “Oh, baby, don’t you want to go,” the Mississippi blues legend croons, “back to the land of California, to my sweet home, Chicago.” Huh? Last time we checked, Chicago was not located in California. Perhaps to avoid geographic confusion, when Chicago-based pianist Roosevelt Sykes covered the song in 1955, he changed the lyric to “that bright light city, sweet old Chicago.” The Blues Brothers, of course, sang it differently: “back to that same old place, sweet home Chicago.”
* NYT | A Climate Change Success Story? Look at Hoboken.: Across the river, the same storm drowned several of New York City’s subway lines and forced Brooklyn residents to wade through thigh-deep water. But in Hoboken, the fire department only towed six cars, and by that evening there were just a few inches of standing water at three of 277 intersections. An arts and music festival, the city’s biggest cultural blowout and moneymaker, remained on course for the weekend. Television crews, returning to Hoboken early Saturday to film the usual aftermath, left empty-handed. The city’s flooding was no longer news.
* Belleville News-Democrat | US declares species once found in Illinois extinct. What does it mean for water quality?: The tubercled-blossom pearly mussel was native to Illinois, as well as seven other states across the nation. It was one of the first to be placed on the Endangered Species Act in 1976, but had not been seen for years prior to its recent delisting. “We haven’t seen it in Illinois or in the United States in quite a few decades,” Illinois Department of Natural Resources aquatic ecologist Brian Metzke told the News-Democrat recently.
* Again, it’s time to give Oak Park the $8.7 million in grant money that was rejected by Joliet Township. CBS 2…
The Village of Oak Park is lending a helping hand for the migrant crisis in Chicago, agreeing Thursday night to house even more people.
The Oak Park Village Board on Thursday evening approved a measure to offer more support – to shelter asylum seekers as the weather gets colder. More churches in Oak Park are also heeding the call to action. […]
On Thursday, the Oak Park Village Board declared an emergency disaster resolution to ensure the migrants can stay longer. […]
The board voted unanimously to allocate $300,000 in response to the migrant crisis. Much of that will be used to provide language interpreters and medical services to the migrants already there.
Half of those funds will come from the village, the other half from grant money.
Yesterday the mayor said they were "still assessing" the property at 38th and California, but I FOIA'd the city and it turns out they actually signed a contract **last week**
Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked about the status of the site near 38th and California during a Wednesday news conference.
Johnson said the city was “still assessing. So I think this was raised before – there are a lot of environmental dynamics that have gone on in the city of Chicago that have gone unaddressed for a very long time.” […]
When pressed by NBC 5 Investigates Thursday about why Johnson did not mention the contract to reporters, a spokesman for the mayor said he did not address it because he was not specifically asked about it.
NEW: Representatives of Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration tell participants in virtual community meeting requested by Ald. Julia Ramirez that they have yet to make a final decision on whether to build a base camp at 38th & California in Brighton Park. @WTTW
* Sun-Times | City signs lease for site of potential Brighton Park migrant tent camp — leaving local alderperson ‘frustrated and disappointed’: In a community meeting Thursday night, a city official said the environmental assessment began last week and all the necessary samples had been collected. Test results were pending, said Deputy Mayor Lori Lypson. The city does not have a timeline for when the camp would open, Lypson said. It would host 500 families to start and potentially hold up to 2,000. If the site “is deemed viable,” Lypson said the tents would likely be there for 180 days. The lease also includes an option to renew for two additional six-month periods.
* ABC Chicago | Chicago City Council meeting on sanctuary city referendum spirals into chaos: “That is what is frustrating about the ‘debate,’ because people who are attacking the Sanctuary City Ordinance don’t know what they are talking about,” said Ald. Carlos Ramirez Rosa. “It has nothing to do with the refugee resettlement or the current crisis.” Ald. Ramirez Rosa said the Sanctuary City Ordinance only refers to law enforcement and government officials not cooperating with ICE. He said providing resources to migrants is about the city’s values; it’s not written in the ordinance.
* Crain’s | Chaos at City Council as Ald. Lopez attempts to take over meeting after lights turned off: Although the so-called Welcoming City ordinance does not impact whether or not the city chooses to provide shelter, food and care for asylum seekers, the supporters of the resolution are seeking to use the referendum to make clear to Mayor Brandon Johnson the city should reconsider how much money is spent to care for migrants if voters approve the measure.
* AP | Volunteer medical students are trying to fill the health care gap for migrants in Chicago: The migrants’ health problems tend to be related to their journey or living in crowded conditions. Back and leg injuries from walking are common. Infections spread easily. Hygiene is an issue. There are few indoor bathrooms and outdoor portable toilets lack handwashing stations. Not many people carry their medical records. Most also have trauma, either from their homeland or from the journey itself.
* CBS Chicago | Chicago school launches winter supply drive for migrants in Rogers Park: “It’s been a little exciting to see them react,” said Vivian Solis, a family support specialist at Lake Shore Schools in Rogers Park. She has been working with migrant families since August 2022. The school has taken in as many as 50 migrant children to date, helping asylum seekers with childcare. With the recent dip in temperature, concerns are now growing for migrants.
Stellantis plans to spend nearly $5 billion over the next four years expanding its Belvidere operations to include electric vehicle and battery manufacturing. […]
The company will invest $3.2 billion in a battery plant with a joint venture partner that hasn’t yet been disclosed. The plant is expected to open in 2028, according to the briefing materials.
Stellantis also will spend $1.5 billion to repurpose the Belvidere plant to assemble a new model electric midsize truck, starting in 2027. The union predicts the plant will make 80,000 to 100,000 vehicles per year.
Another $100 million investment will create a larger regional parts-distribution hub in Belvidere, consolidating work from facilities in Michigan and Milwaukee. Stellantis also will increase stamping operations to supply parts.
Read the rest, but they’re reporting that the agreement would mean 4-5,000 jobs at the expanded plant.
Two Republican state legislators from Wisconsin, Representative Jon Plumer and Senator Cory Tomczyk, introduced a resolution on Oct. 18 making the brandy-based old-fashioned the official Wisconsin state cocktail. (This is not to be confused with Wisconsin’s official state drink: Milk.)
“If you go to any other state in the country and order brandy anything, they look at you funny,” Mr. Plumer said in an interview. “But I just thought, ‘How has this never been done?’ It’s a tongue-in-cheek resolution. And I’ve had a couple of calls from people: ‘Don’t you have more important work to do?’ But I don’t think we do. This is what makes Wisconsin unique.” […]
Brandy old-fashioneds have a long history in Wisconsin, the resolution notes. The state accounts for at least half of the brandy maker Korbel’s annual sales in the United States.
* The Question: Your nomination for an official Illinois state cocktail? Explain. And be passionate about it.
Today, the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) released its fall enrollment report for the state’s public universities for the fall semester of the 2023-24 academic year showing Illinois, again, beat national trends. Total fall 2023 undergraduate enrollment at Illinois public universities increased 0.3 percent compared to the previous year, reversing several consecutive years of decreases, and freshmen enrollment at Illinois public universities increased by a noteworthy 1.5 percent compared to the fall semester of the 2021-22 academic year. This bucked freshmen enrollment at the national level which decreased 6.1 percent at all public universities. Fall 2023 marked the third consecutive year of growth in freshmen enrollment.
Enrollment of African American and Latino students increased in Illinois while enrollment of the same key groups dropped nationally. In Illinois, enrollment of African American freshmen increased by 2.9 percent, and African American undergraduate enrollment was up 0.5 percent year-over-year. This is in stark contrast to the national decrease of 5.1 percent for African American freshmen and decrease of 0.4 percent for African American undergraduate enrollment. Latino freshmen enrollment in Illinois increased by a robust 6.9 percent while it decreased by a sizeable 6.3 precent nationally. And, Latino undergraduate enrollment increased 4.1 percent year-over-year at Illinois public universities, which was higher than the national 2.5 percent increase reported.
“Once again, Illinois is bucking national trends and exceeding expectations with the third consecutive year of freshman enrollment growth at our public universities,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Our state’s higher education systems are bouncing back better than ever—a testament to smart fiscal management and a state budget that includes the largest increase for higher education in twenty-years and an all-time high for in-state scholarships totaling more than $750 million. College affordability and equity go hand-in-hand, and I couldn’t be prouder of the strides we are making to ensure that every student, especially those who have been historically locked out of higher education, has the opportunity to earn a degree.”
“We are making Illinois the best state to get an education, which is evident in the increase in both undergraduate and freshman enrollment numbers. Illinois is delivering on our commitment to see a more inclusive and equitable education system and the increase in BIPOC students is only the beginning,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “We know that access to quality education is our greatest return on investment and our administration has made historic investments in MAP grant and public university funding. Investing in our young people is in an investment in our future.”
“African American and Latino freshmen enrollment in Illinois again beat national trends, which tells us that statewide strategies like efforts to simplify admissions processes through the Common App and the governor’s commitment to affordability through investment in MAP grants are making an impact,” said IBHE Chair Pranav Kothari. “These enrollment patterns demonstrate our relentless commitment to equity and to changing the trajectories of all Illinoisans’ lives.”
“The enrollment increases of African American and Latino students are direct results of the equity work the state’s higher education system as a whole is doing to attract more students of color,” said IBHE Executive Director Ginger Ostro. “We are excited for what is ahead for our state’s higher education system as we continue to work with the state’s public institutions to implement strategies from the equity-centered strategic plan.”
* What are your thoughts on getting rid of daylight saving time?…
In 2019, the Senate passed a bill by @AndyManar that would've kept Illinois on permanent summer time and end pre-5 p.m. sunsets. But that was the last vote on the issue. Morgan's bill hasn't gotten a committee hearing 2/2 https://t.co/Z1WQQsYo07
A new bill authored by a pair of House Republican lawmakers aims to prevent battery parts manufacturer Gotion Inc. from receiving federal tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act because its parent company is a Chinese firm.
The lawmakers, U.S. Reps. John Moolenaar of Caledonia and Darin LaHood of Illinois, said their legislation is in response to Gotion Inc., an American subsidiary of a Chinese-based company, planning to build EV battery materials factories near Big Rapids and in Manteno, Illinois, that would potentially qualify for the tax credits under the IRA.
The bill is notable in part because the Inflation Reduction Act’s pot of nearly $200 billion in advanced manufacturing credits is considered a major reason why foreign-owned companies such as Gotion are investing in U.S.-based factories.
The legislation is named the No Official Giveaways Of Taxpayers’ Income to Oppressive Nations (NO GOTION) Act, and would disqualify from green energy tax credits “any entity created or organized in, or controlled (in the aggregate) by, one or more countries of concern,” defined as China, Russia, Iran or North Korea.
* Rep. Marty Moylan…
State Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, recently introduced a bill that would help promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs) among owners and operators of vehicle fleets.
“Illinois is going electric, and I’m proud to be part of the movement to make sure our state remains a leader in the EV revolution,” Moylan said. “A huge part of that is encouraging a transition from fossil fuels to EV technology when it comes to the vehicle fleets that Illinois businesses use to move goods and services throughout our communities. That’s why I’m working to create a program to reward businesses that embrace innovation and help keep Illinois moving forward.”
Introduced in the House on Oct. 25, Moylan’s House Bill 4196 would require the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to establish a program to provide grants to owners and operators of vehicle fleets to cover up to 80% of the purchase price of eligible electric vehicles. Grants would be awarded on a competitive basis according to available funding.
The IEPA would be required to consider the potential environmental impact of a given applicant switching to electric vehicles, based on geographic location and service routes. It would also be required to set aside 20% of the total funds appropriated specifically for applicants purchasing electric school buses. The program would be subject to appropriation by the General Assembly.
“Electric vehicles are safe, increasingly effective and sustainable. The economy of the future will be based on EVs and it’s important for Illinois to stay ahead of the curve,” Moylan said. “Promoting the adoption of EV technology by commercial fleets is a crucial step forward. I’m hopeful that this legislation can help us to take that step.”
Plainfield Democratic State Representative Harry Benton is proposing a bill that would restore tax breaks for union members on things like union dues and equipment.
Benton says the tax breaks previously were in place:
“Some years ago we ended up losing all the tax breaks for all union members. So union dues, work assessment and even simple write-offs for mileage, work equipment, tools. That all went away. So what I’m trying to do is right a wrong. And try to implement this at a state-wide level so they can write this stuff off.” […]
The bill could be discussed during the spring legislative session next year, when many new bills are introduced.
House bill 4088 has been filed and is currently assigned to the House Rules Committee.
* Another bill from Rep. Benton…
State Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, is working to help ease property taxes for older adults by introducing a bill to ensure they remain eligible for a key tax exemption amidst continued inflation.
“A person’s home is, perhaps, their most precious possession, and it is easy to understand why anyone, older adults especially, would wish to continue living in their home,” said Benton. “Unfortunately, many older adults in Illinois have been struggling with the demands of high property taxes and inflation. Increasing access to this program will help more of them remain in their homes with the dignity and security they deserve.”
Benton introduced House Bill 4202, which would raise the annual income threshold for the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program to keep up with rising inflation. Since 2018, the deferral has been available to senior taxpayers earning less than $65,000 per household. Benton’s bill would increase eligibility to $85,000, to ensure older homeowners do not lose access to this program because of inflation and cost of living adjustments.
“It is heartbreaking when anyone is forced into selling their home because of property taxes,” Benton said. “Anything we can do to help older adults to stay in the homes they’ve worked for their entire lives, I think we have a moral duty to look into doing that.”
Amends the General Assembly Operations Act. Requires the Legislative Budget Oversight Commission to meet 2 weeks after the effective date of the amendatory Act and quarterly thereafter. Extends the repeal date of the Act’s provisions concerning the Commission from July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2026. Effective immediately.
Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that it shall be unlawful to take wild turkey with a shotgun smaller than 410 gauge with shot density equaling tungsten super shot (rather than smaller than 20 gauge with shot size not larger than No. 4).
* Keep in mind when reading this report from the legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability that total General Funds revenues had been projected to decline 2.9 percent this fiscal year. To date, General Funds revenues are up 3.8 percent over where they were as of the October, 2022 report. That doesn’t mean they’ll hold at that level. They could still decrease or even increase. But it’s still a big swing so far…
Through the first third of the fiscal year, total General Funds receipts are up $611 million. From a base revenue perspective, when accounting for both the removal of $764 million in one-time revenues from last year’s ARPA reimbursements and this month’s $633 million in one-time delayed federal matching funds, “base” revenues are up a net $742 million through October.
Personal Income Taxes are up $624 million so far this fiscal year, or +$516 million on a net basis. Corporate Income Taxes, however, are down slightly on both a gross basis [-$28 million] and a net basis [-$13 million]. Sales Taxes have risen $98 million through the first four months of FY 2024 [+$56 million net].
All Other State Sources are collectively $154 million higher through October. This is mainly due to the $153 million increase in Interest on State Funds and Investments. In addition, as mentioned previously, the Inheritance Tax is outpacing last year’s levels with a year-to-date increase of $44 million. Insurance Taxes are also $13 million higher. The growth in these areas have offset losses from several other State sources, including Other Sources [-$24 million]; the Public Utility Tax [-$22 million]; the Cigarette Tax [-$9 million]; and the Liquor Tax [-$1 million].
The category of Transfers In will be a volatile category throughout the year due to the timing of transfers into the State’s General Funds. After last month’s Income Tax Refund Fund transfer, receipts for this category were up a combined $233 million through September. However, when accounting for October’s activity and the lack of transfers this month from both the Income Tax Refund Fund and Gaming, the growth turns into a year-to-date combined deficit of $5 million. This is despite the $85 million rise in Lottery Transfers through October. This spread will worsen throughout the year, particularly in January, once the remaining $987 million from last year’s Income Tax Refund Fund enters into the equation.
Despite the $531 million rise in Federal Sources this month, overall federal dollars are still $96 million lower than last year through October. This is because the FY 2023 four-month totals include $764 million in one-time ARPA reimbursements that did not repeat in FY 2024. From a Federal Sources base perspective, if these one-time ARPA revenues are removed from the equation, along with the $633 million in prior-year federal matching funds receipted in October, year-to-date base growth for Federal Sources is +$35 million (as shown in the following table).
* There’s also some good news in the monthly data. The state was able to pry $633 million from the feds after missing out on the money earlier in the decade…
In August 2023, it was announced that, after a comprehensive internal review of federal revenue reimbursements in the State’s Medicaid related programs, the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services identified a computer programming error that led to incomplete federal Medicaid match claims for service dates between the end of 2020 and June 2022. The State was able to retroactively submit claims for this period of activity, resulting in a “one-time” federal match deposit of approximately $633 million in October. While this money would have been part of previous fiscal years’ General Funds “base” total if not delayed, for the purpose of evaluating FY 2024’s overall revenue performance, the Commission will separate these funds from “base” federal source dollars in its revenue tables. With this adjustment, “base” federal dollars actually fell $102 million in October.
Friday, Nov 3, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
We’ve been listening carefully to the governor, legislative leaders, and many members of the legislature about how to make the Tax Credit Scholarship better – and we now have an amended program proposal that does exactly that. Thousands of vulnerable kids are counting on us to put them before politics.
In response to direct feedback, our bill offers substantive improvements along with good-faith compromises which justify extending the Tax Credit Scholarship Program:
1. Add a new priority level of scholarship recipients from the most under-served areas of Illinois to create opportunities for thousands of primarily Black and Latino children. Donors will be incentivized to prioritize helping this new “Region 7” beyond the thousands of other kids who qualify based on financial need.
2. Reduce the overall size of the program to $50MM (down from $75MM) and reduce the individual giving cap to $500,000 (down from $1MM).
3. Reduce the tax credit for donors to 55% (down from 75%).
4. Encourage more middle-income donors by crediting donations of up to $5,000 with a 100% tax credit.
Illinois, let’s do the right thing. It’s about the kids, not the politics. Save the scholarships.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has been found guilty on all seven counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering following more than two weeks of testimony in one of the highest-profile financial crime cases in years.
The 31-year-old former cryptocurrency billionaire was convicted on all seven counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering, charges that each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He was also convicted of conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which each carry a five-year maximum sentence.
“Sam Bankman-Fried perpetrated one of the biggest frauds in American history, a multibillion-dollar scheme designed to make him the king of crypto,” Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a news briefing following the verdict. “Here’s the thing: the cryptocurrency industry might be new. The players like Sam Bankman-Fried might be new. This kind of fraud, this kind of corruption, is as old as time, and we have no patience for it.”
The MIT graduate steadfastly maintained his innocence since his arrest late last year after the startling implosion of FTX, the crypto exchange he co-founded, amid an $8 billion shortfall in funds and allegations he had used customer money to prop up his struggling hedge fund, Alameda Research.
* US Rep. Jonathan Jackson probably owes his 2022 Democratic primary win to Sam Bankman-Fried. The Sun-Times broke the story in June of 2022…
Protect Our Future, a political action committee bankrolled by cryptocurrency billionaire Samuel Bankman-Fried, spent $914,944 to boost three Illinois Democratic primary candidates, including $500,065 for television ads to support Jonathan Jackson’s 1st Congressional District bid, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Protect Our Future spending is what the FEC calls an “independent expenditure,” with the PAC by law prohibited from coordinating or communicating with a candidate’s campaign.
* In addition to Bankman-Fried’s $500K, another crypto front, Web3 Forward, spent $491,250 on pro-Jackson media buys. The Texas Tribune reported that Web3 Forward “is affiliated with the longer-running GMI PAC, whose leading donors have included another top FTX executive,” and it put money into some other races that SBF’s Protect Our Future was involved with last year.
All told, that’s close to $1.3 million dollars in crypto spending on Jackson’s behalf.
The 17-candidate Democratic primary race last year was packed with under-funded candidates, so the independent expenditures were likely crucial to Jackson’s win. Jackson tallied just 28 percent of the vote.
Karin Norington-Reaves was the only other candidate who received major IE support. Forward Progress PAC spent $758,000 on her behalf. The Collective Super PAC spent another $65K. Reeves finished third with 14 percent of the vote, just behind Ald. Pat Dowell.
* Protect Our Future’s involvement in US Rep. Chuy Garcia’s primary made no electoral sense because Garcia didn’t even have an opponent. But Garcia eventually stepped down from the House Financial Services Committee and the independent expenditure haunted him in the 2023 mayoral race. The committee also did an IE for US Rep. Nikki Budzinski, but she won her race with almost 76 percent of the vote, so it didn’t appear to matter much, unlike that Jackson money, which was likely essential.
…Adding… From US Rep. Garcia’s spokesperson…
The Congressman did not step down from Financial Services. His membership was already “waived on” which meant he wasn’t earning seniority in the first place because he had other preferred committees (Transportation).
Because Republicans won the majority, Dems lost seats on the committee. Consequently, those who were ”waived on” were those who lost their places on the committee.
* ICYMI: Chicago signs land use contract to house migrants on vacant lot in Brighton Park. NBC Chicago broke the story…
- Chicago will pay $91,400 a month for use of the land.
-The city signed the lease before the environmental assessment was completed. Ald. Julia Ramirez said it was done without her knowledge.
-The contract states that the lot comes “as-is” and makes no guarantees about its conditions or “compliance with laws and regulations, including… those relating to health, safety and the environment.”
* Tribune | Calumet City officials ticket Daily Southtown reporter for ‘hampering’ city employees with questions: The Southtown, which is owned by the Chicago Tribune’s parent company, published a story online Oct. 19 and in print Oct. 20 in which Sanders reported that consultants had informed Calumet City officials that their stormwater facilities were in poor condition before September’s historic rains caused flooding. Calumet City is about 23 miles south of Chicago and home to 36,000 residents, most of them Black. A day after the story was published, Sanders continued to report on the issue, drawing complaints from city officials, including Mayor Thaddeus Jones.
* Crain’s | Chaos at City Council as Ald. Lopez attempts to take over meeting after lights turned off: The meeting will be remembered as one of the City Council’s most chaotic since the infamous Council Wars of the 1980s. It doubled as a message that a growing number of City Council members are frustrated over the city’s handling of providing shelter for the 20,000 asylum seekers who’ve arrived in Chicago since last August.
* Shaw Local | Gun rights advocates question proposed Illinois gun registration rules: About 50 people turned out for a public hearing Thursday in Springfield to comment on proposed rules to implement the registration portion of the law. One of those was state Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, an outspoken opponent of gun ban, who asked what the state intends to do with people who refuse to register their weapons.
* Center Square | Illinois legislators address impacts of artificial intelligence on society: State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, said lawmakers should not take the same approach with AI as they did with social media. “Lawmakers decided to take a largely hands-off approach to regulation,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “We’ve seen the tangled web of societal ills that approach [that] was caused due to a lack of regulatory action.”
* Sun-Times | National Association of Realtors CEO Bob Goldberg resigns, replaced by former Sun-Times CEO Nykia Wright: Critics have been pushing for his departure for weeks after The New York Times investigated allegations that former president Kenny Parcell, who resigned from his post in August, sexually harassed current or former employees and members of the Chicago-based organization. The NAR is also facing a series of court challenges that could upend how agents receive commissions on the sale of a home.
* Crain’s | President and CEO of the Joyce Foundation will step down: Ellen Alberding, president and CEO of the Joyce Foundation, announced today she will be stepping down in 2024 after 22 years of helming the organization. The foundation said it will begin its next CEO search in January, with Alberding, 66, continuing to lead the organization until a successor is named.
* Illinois Times | City’s employee residency requirement could be suspended: Supporters of the measure say suspending enforcement of the requirement is needed – at least for a year – to fill job vacancies amid a dearth of qualified candidates and a lack of available housing in Springfield. Moratorium supporters say hiring challenges have been seen across the country because of employment trends related to the COVID-19 pandemic, retirements by members of the baby boom generation and high home mortgage interest rates.
* Tribune | Illinois man serving life for drug conviction under ‘three-strikes’ law is granted clemency, arrives in Chicago: He was one of three people in Illinois still serving life sentences for drug offenses due to the so-called “three-strikes” law, which allows prosecutors to seek a life sentence when someone is convicted of their third serious felony, according to data from the Illinois Department of Corrections and Lightfoot’s attorney. Pritzker granted clemency to all three prisoners who were released this week, turning a page in the history of mass incarceration in Illinois.
* WBEZ | Six plays written by teens take a hard look at gun violence a year before the elections: “Regardless of an audience member’s age … I think we can consider what it has been like for these young people to grow up in a post-Columbine world,” said Neena Arndt, one of the directors for the Goodman readings. “Their whole life, they’ve had drills in school and it’s been a part of daily life … in a way that it wasn’t for previous generations.”
* WaPo | In pain? Listening to your favorite music can provide relief, study says: After Michelle Yang pulled on a pair of headphones to listen to one of her favorite songs — Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” — she felt a flash of pain on her left forearm. Yang was participating in a study by researchers at a Montreal university to determine how listening to one’s favorite music alters perception of pain. After participants selected their top songs, researchers placed a thermal simulator on their forearms, which created a sensation similar to touching a hot cup of coffee.
* AP | Vaping by high school students dropped this year, says US report: In a survey, 10% of high school students said they had used electronic cigarettes in the previous month, down from 14% last year. Use of any tobacco product — including cigarettes and cigars — also fell among high schoolers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
* Reader | When Sly Stone fronted a Chicagoland bar band: Jack Sweeney was on tour with Sly Stone, and business was slow. His Chicago-based seven-piece, One Eyed Jacks, had accepted a job as the erratic pop star’s backing band in late 1982. Long past his Woodstock-era prime, Stone had all but abandoned live performance seven years earlier. He was now attempting a comeback via small club shows, playing a series of one-night stands.
