Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Etta James will play us out…

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Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Be safe out there. Sun-Times…

Residents of Wilmington were warned of “life-threatening” flooding as the Kankakee River rose to dangerous levels in Will and Grundy counties Friday morning.

The National Weather Service urged people in Wilmington to move to higher ground because of flash flooding that could occur in parts of the town.

An ice jam has formed on the river from the extreme cold last week, according to weather service meteorologist Kevin Doom. When the ice jam breaks, flooding could happen quickly and without warning. […]

After rising around 3 feet in the course of an hour, the Kankakee River was recorded at 4.32 feet around 5:45 a.m. Friday. The flood level is considered 5 feet, according to the weather service.

* Rep. Maurice West filed HB4591 today…

Amends the Lobbyist Registration Act. Provides that the Secretary of State may (1) revoke or suspend for a maximum period of one year, or bar from registration for a maximum period of one year, the registration of an individual under the Act for the failure to file specified reports or to pay a specified penalty; (2) investigate the activities of any person who is or who has allegedly been engaged in lobbying and who may be in violation of the Act; and (3) require any registrant or entity registered under the Act to produce documentary evidence that is relevant or material or to give testimony that is relevant or material to an investigation. Provides that each person required to register or file a report under the Act shall maintain the records relating to the report for a period of at least 3 years. Provides that the Secretary of State may request to examine or cause to be examined the books and records of a registrant or an individual renewing his or her registration under the Act to the extent that those books and records relate to lobbying. Provides that documents and evidence produced or collected by the Secretary of State during the course of an investigation shall be exempted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that the Secretary of State may revoke or suspend the registration of a registrant or an individual renewing his or her registration under the Act if that individual fails to comply with a request from the Secretary of State to furnish the specified information. Makes changes in provisions concerning definitions; persons required to register; lobbyist registration and disclosure; and reports. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to make a conforming change.

* Center Square…

A Chicago state representative has called on the state to refuse to host the Democratic National Convention until the city receives federal funding for migrant care. Mayor Brandon Johnson is not on board with that idea, however. […]

“If Chicago doesn’t get federal help for its housing crisis, it should pass on hosting the DNC,” Buckner wrote in the Chicago Tribune. “I realize this is a bold and unprecedented suggestion, but our situation is also unprecedented, and we must act with that in mind.”

Johnson seemed to shoot down the idea Wednesday.

“Whether you have the DNC coming to your town or not, the DNC isn’t going to New York,” Johnson said. “They have just as much as a right to federal funds as the city that will host the DNC.”

* Background is here if you need it. Jeanne Ives’ campaign committee to put a non-binding statewide referendum about trans kids on the ballot has filed its state paperwork, and it misspells her own name…

* Press release…

Illinois anglers who chase walleye, sauger or saugeye are invited to participate in the virtual Midwest Walleye Challenge in 2024. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has teamed up with other states, provinces, and developers and researchers at Anglers Atlas to launch this year’s competition.

Information gathered through the competition will assist Illinois in providing anglers with important data and add to biologists’ knowledge of various waterbodies.

“Competitions like this are incredibly valuable to our understanding of the Illinois fishery,” said Kevin Irons, assistant chief of the IDNR fisheries division. “And not to worry, anglers - we’ll never know the exact location of your favorite secret fishing spot. Our biologists will only see information about the water body.”

The Midwest Walleye Challenge uses the mobile app MyCatch to record the length of each fish caught. Anglers take a picture of the fish on a measuring device using the app, and once the fish is reviewed by the catch team and meets the rules, it appears on a live leaderboard where anglers can see who is in the lead.

Anglers can go online to view the rules and sign up to participate.

* Here’s the rest…

WCIA | Bill would limit eminent domain power for CO2 Pipeline companies:

* WTAX | Biden challenge fizzles: That’s how an Illinois State Board of Elections hearing officer summed up his reasoning for rejecting an objection fronted by Arthur Jones of Lyons. […] Hearing officer David Herman: “Let’s move on to your next argument.” Jones: “… and plunge this country into depression, sir!” Biden lawyer Kevin Morphew: “All of this is hearsay.” Jones: “It’s not hearsay! It’s facts that’s going to take place if we allow this idiot to be on the ballot!”

* Marc Poulos | Illinois, let’s re-invest in working families with a state child tax credit: If the state passes the proposed child tax credit, it would provide $300 per child to families who earn at or below the median income. Unions like ours at International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 have been fighting for Illinois families for years. And as the cost of living continues to rise, that extra bit of supplementary help from policies like the child tax credit are precisely what our membership, and parents across this state, need right now to thrive.

*SJ-R | Homicides down in Springfield for third consecutive year: The Springfield Police Department handled five cases in 2023, though there were two other homicides with Springfield addresses investigated by Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputies. There was one murder-suicide in the Village of Southern View, also investigated by the sheriff’s department.

* Daily-Journal | Illinois DCFS offers post-secondary scholarships to current, former youth in care: The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is accepting applications for the 2024 DCFS Scholarship Program. Through the program, a minimum of 53 academic scholarships will be awarded to current and former youth in care for the upcoming school year, with four awards reserved for the children of veterans and two reserved for students pursuing degrees in social work in honor of Pamela Knight and Deidre Silas, two DCFS caseworkers who succumbed to injuries sustained in the line of duty.

* WREX | Hard Rock Casino Rockford announces potential opening date: During Labor Day weekend, the Hard Rock Casino will potentially open its doors and welcome a 101-year-old Rockford woman nicknamed “Queen Antoinette” as the first visitor to walk into the building. As of January 26, the casino remains under construction, but is on track to open for the holiday weekend.

* Block Club | South Side Food Desert Still Waiting On Grocery Store After Developers Snagged $5 Million City Grant: City officials approved nearly $5 million in community development grants last year for Save A Lot operator Yellow Banana to build a store at 13016 S. Rhodes Ave. The site is located near the Altgeld Gardens public housing development, which — along with the broader Riverdale community area — has not had a grocery store since the Rosebud Farm Stand closed in 2018.

* Block Club | How Many People Experience Homelessness In Chicago? Annual Count Aims To Boost Services: A total of 6,139 residents experiencing homelessness were counted in 2023 — 5,149 of them living in homeless shelters and 990 either on the street or “other locations not meant for human habitation,” according to city data. Of last year’s population, the city counted 2,196 asylum seekers. Sixty-nine percent of the non-asylum seekers counted in 2023 were Black and 62 percent identified as male.

* Triibe | Is the Johnson Administration listening to gender-based violence support groups? : With City Council’s approval of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2024 budget in November 2023, the CPD received a nearly $90 million increase for salary increases, to hire more detectives and add 400 new civilian positions, including 44 crime victim advocates and domestic violence advocates as part of an expansion of its Crime Victim Service Unit. However, gender-based violence advocates pleaded with Johnson’s administration and Chicago City Council members to amend the budget and redistribute those dollars to community-based organizations that are already working with survivors and victims and connecting them to resources and services.

* Crain’s | Apartments near Bally’s casino site sold for $42 million: Mondial was one of more than a dozen multifamily buildings in and near downtown Chicago that hit the market last year. But high interest rates have made it difficult to put together a deal, and many of those properties didn’t trade. Those that did felt the impact of the cooling investment climate on values: North Water Apartments in Streeterville sold at a 28% loss in June, and the developers of Lake & Wells in River North took about a 20% hit in that building’s sale in April.

* WBEZ | Don’t take away dollar stores without ‘backup plan,’ community members say: In a statement to WBEZ, a spokesperson for Dollar Tree Inc. said neighborhood “small-box” stores provide household goods at affordable prices. “As many ‘big box’ and full-service grocery retailers have exited Chicago neighborhoods in recent months, a moratorium or overreaching restrictions on new retail that fill a critical void in these neighborhoods are not the solution to the problems the ordinance seeks to solve,” the statement said.

* Chalkbeat | Chicago Board of Education renews contracts for 49 charter schools: The board extended contracts for all of the schools up for renewal. It renewed most of the contracts by either three or four years, starting this July. The maximum extension allowed under state law is 10 years. Each renewal came with a set of conditions, ranging from monitoring services for students with disabilities and students learning English as a new language to improving facilities, financial compliance, and accuracy of teacher licenses. Those conditions were a result of “issues that were identified during our comprehensive review,” said Zabrina Evans, executive director of the district’s Office of Innovation and Incubation in the Office of Portfolio Management.

* Block Club | Mining On The Southeast Side? As Alderman Pushes To Overturn City Ban, Environmentalists Fight Back: Representatives from Southeast Side community groups criticized an ordinance from alds. Peter Chico (10th) and Gilbert Villegas (36th) to change city zoning law to allow mining in certain areas. The legislation was introduced into City Council on Wednesday. Organizers believe it could be an avenue to help the Invert project, a years-old endeavor from cement company Ozinga to build a 6-million-square-foot underground mining warehouse on a former steel site near 112th Street and the Calumet River.

* SJ-R | Longtime Sangamon County Board member George Preckwinkle resigns: Preckwinkle, who splits time between Springfield and his home in Florida, owns 13 central Illinois Ace Hardware stores with his sister, Lucy Stafford of Pleasant Plains. The decision to step down was bittersweet, he said. “I’m elected to serve the people and my business and personal schedules have just gotten to where I can’t hardly do my role as a county board member,” said Preckwinkle, reached by phone Thursday. “It was a challenge last year and it’s just off the charts this year.

* WBEZ | In Chicago, a new music series is a ‘turning point’ for sober musicians and audiences: As a bassist, Matt Ciarleglio had played in bars all his life — which was good for his growth as a musician. But as someone struggling with addiction, playing in bars created challenges that could derail his life. “I had been struggling with substance abuse in some form or another most of my adult life,” he said. Last year, it dawned on him: “Why?”

* Columbia Journalism Review | The Death of the Washington Bureau: This worsens polarization. Without local coverage, the only times most Americans hear about their representatives is from campaign ads or when they’re on national news talking about partisan issues. That makes it harder for politicians who break with their party to get something done to survive politically—and it makes it harder for issues of local importance that might have crossover appeal to gain any traction. If the only way to gain attention (and raise money) is to talk about national issues on Fox News or MSNBC, why bother taking a political risk to cross the aisle and try to solve problems that actually matter to your district?

* Tribune | ‘He was such a sweet soul.’ A community grieves the loss of its neighbor Pete, who lived quietly in a big, orange tent: He had a kind heart and a wry sense of humor. (He placed a FOR RENT sign outside his tent.) He was quick to lend a hand, and he made friends easily. He was known, in part, for carrying around a stuffed Alf — furry star of the briefly, wildly popular ‘80s sitcom.

* Sun-Times | Wildfire smoke like what Chicago now gets worsens indoor air quality in long-term care facilities, research finds: Affected residents include seniors in long-term care facilities, many of them at-risk for smoke exposure because of respiratory or cardiac diseases. “An astonishing amount of smoke gets inside these facilities,” said Luke Montrose, an environmental toxicologist and researcher at Colorado State University.

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Greater Chicago Food Depository tries to set the record straight (Updated)

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* City of Chicago…

Today, the City of Chicago and the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) are announcing the conclusion of the Request for Proposals (RFP) process to find a new food service provider for city-run shelters for New Arrivals. DFSS is pleased to announce that two local agencies, Seventy-Seven Communities and 14 Parish, were selected.

Seventy-Seven Communities will serve as the food provider for shelters in the North Region of Chicago and 14 Parish will serve as the food provider for the New Arrivals shelters in the South Region.

* Block Club Chicago…

Seventy-Seven Communities is a suburban-based company created in October, according to state filings. It’s run by leaders at the popular and rapidly expanding Italian beef franchise Buona Beef as well as its sister company, Beyond Catering.

Seventy-Seven Communities’ executive director is listed as Joe Buonavolanto Jr., one of the sons of Buona Beef’s founders and an owner of Buona Beef, LLC, according to state filings. Mike Iovinelli, program director of Seventy-Seven Communities, is also listed as vice president of catering at Beyond Catering — whose parent company is Buona Beef.

The city’s press release did not mention Buona Beef or Beyond Catering. Officials said Seventy-Seven Communities had “decades” of experience in food service, even though records show the company has only existed for four months. It does not appear to have a website.

* Back to the city’s press release…

The goals of this RFP were to increase food quality for all New Arrivals shelters and to decrease the cost of the Meals Program for the City. Both Seventy-Seven Communities and 14 Parish have demonstrated that they can provide high quality and culturally congruent meal service to all shelters for $15-$17 per person per day. This is a significant decrease from the $21-$23 the City has been spending on food per person per day prior to this contract. Additionally, both agencies have demonstrated that they have many partnerships with local and minority-owned restaurants, including local Venezuelan restaurants, who will be assisting in creating menus and preparing food that fit both the nutritious and cultural needs of shelter residents.

* NBC 5…

Through these new vendors, the city of Chicago reported that the new direction in food servicing is proving to be cost efficient. The new price the city will pay for providing to the shelters is $15-17 per person. Prior to the new contract the price per person was $21-$23 with Greater Chicago Food Depository and Open Kitchens.

* The Greater Chicago Food Depository was the previous vendor. I reached out for comment today. A spokesperson noted that 1) The state government and private donors, not the city, paid for the meals; 2) Because of the private donations, the actual costs were well below the price claimed by the city; and 3) It was working with 17 minority-owned food businesses…

The Food Depository has never received any funding from the City of Chicago for our work over the last 8 months to provide food for new arrivals at their shelters, so the implication that we produced meals at a rate of $21-$23/person using City funding is wholly inaccurate.

The Food Depository’s work to provide meals at new arrival shelters was supported by private donors and funding from the State of Illinois. This detail is important for us to clarify as we have a responsibility to our donors and the state who gave generously to support this important work to know that their contributions were utilized responsibly.

Our price per meal was far more efficient than what is quoted in the City’s release and every dollar we spent on new arrival meals went toward food costs, with $17 million invested in local restaurants and caterers who partnered with us in this work. We essentially paid 17 minority-owned food businesses to prepare and deliver the meals as a way of supporting food vendors in historically disinvested communities.

…Adding… The city says its dig was at a different vendor, not at the Food Depository. NBC 5 reported this week that the Food Depository was one of the two vendors.

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Asylum-seekers coverage roundup

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* There is no recall law in Illinois, but Newsweek fell for the hype from a candidate who has not yet disclosed any campaign contributions and is likely to get clobbered by Rep. Kimberly Neely du Buclet in the primary…

Democrat Demands Recall of Chicago Mayor as Migrant Crisis Explodes

Illinois House of Representatives candidate Andre Smith has demanded a recall of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Friday amid an influx of migrants in the city.

“Our mayor has no plan now; he’s having panic attacks. We need to actually recall the mayor,” Smith, a Democrat and the founder of the Chicago Against Violence organization, said on Fox & Friends. “It’s a disaster, and it all falls on the mayor, Brandon Johnson; that’s why I’m pushing strongly that we repeal the mayor.”

Smith recently told Fox News he was arrested last year for standing in front of a bus carrying migrants.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Smith was paid $17,250 by the Paul Vallas campaign.

* Here’s the Tribune on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s demand that the state put new asylum-seeker shelters in other towns…

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Thursday she was “not privy” to any of the back-and-forth between Johnson and Pritzker this week, and has “no idea about the interests or intentions or willingness of mayors in suburban Cook County to help meet this challenge.”

The county has previously acknowledged it was “very closely coordinating with the city to at least identify locations for housing” in the city and in suburban Cook. But when she previously asked suburban mayors to step up, Preckwinkle said Thursday “those conversations didn’t result in offers of assistance.”

* On to the letter from alderpersons. Quinn Myers at Block Club Chicago…

A group of alderpeople are calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration to rescind a 60-day stay limit at city shelters housing migrants.

The first evictions under that policy are scheduled for Feb. 1, after having been pushed back twice in January during dangerously cold temperatures. About 1,900 people could be evicted from shelters on that date, with another 961 facing eviction Feb. 2, according to city data provided to Block Club last week.

On Thursday, 16 alderpeople signed onto a letter urging Johnson to eliminate the deadlines and improve conditions at the almost 30 city-run shelters housing migrants.

The eviction policy poses a “significant threat to the health and safety of new arrivals” who are “relying on shelters for their continued safety,” according to the letter.

The letter is here (scroll down).

* Jim Daley at the South Side Weekly…

Volunteers who spoke to the Weekly Thursday said they supported the letter and hoped it would lead to better conditions for migrants and improved transparency around shelter conditions. Johnson’s administration relied on volunteers to assist in providing food, clothing and other amenities to asylum seekers while they were staying at police stations, but volunteers say they have been prevented from accessing city-run shelters since then.

“I’m hoping to see improved conditions [at shelters], especially regarding scams and safety,” said SouthWest Collective member Jaime Groth Searle. Shelter eviction notices “make people get desperate and forego personal safety in search of a job or apartment. Clearly we need federal funding, but in the interim, official communication needs to improve.”

Rousemary Vega, an organizer with Grassroots Voices for Chicago, said there is “no transparency” from the city about conditions at the shelters, adding that volunteers have been prevented from accessing the shelters. “They’re limiting mutual aid volunteers from just doing the work, because they don’t want a stain on the [shelters’] image, because they don’t want the word to get out.They’re not allowing the help and resources, so I think it’s time for allies to call upon the mayor and hold him accountable.”

* Tessa Weinberg and Mariah Woelfel at WBEZ…

Johnson has pushed back the eviction deadline twice since announcing the policy in November. It was first set to be enforced on Jan. 16, but was pushed back to Jan. 22 amid a cold snap that saw sub-zero temperatures. The current deadline is now Feb. 1, when nearly 2,000 migrants are required to leave city shelters and request a new spot if they haven’t found housing.

“Some of the new arrivals are confused, because they’ve gotten eviction notices, but the dates keep moving,” said Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th Ward, who chairs the City Council’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

“We believe a 60-day policy isn’t the way to go forward, that it actually leads to potentially more homelessness in the city. And we do need the state to step up and do its part, but we can’t have people on…the streets in the winter, ultimately living in viaducts, in tents in parks and on the streets.” […]

“It’s not about being for or against the mayor,” Vasquez said. “There’s a recognition of the reality of the situation more than the ideology of it.”

* Michael Loria at the Sun-Times…

Carrying out the evictions will reinforce the kind of desperate mindset volunteers such as Jaime Groth Searle have been trying to help calm.

“They’re not in a headspace to think about safety, they’re thinking about where am I going to get my next meal, keep my kids warm, get my next $50,” Groth Searle said. “We’re trying to get them out of survival mode and get back to going to school, seeing a doctor — those normal things people do.”

Groth Searle volunteers outside the Pilsen shelter and said without more robust case work, many migrants are panicking as they near the end of their stay and don’t know what to do.

Lots more in that one, so read the rest.

* From Mayor Johnson’s response…

We continue to evaluate the 60-day policy and will provide updates as the situation develops. Our plan remains providing dignified care and basic support services for asylum seekers to aid them on the aforementioned path to self-sufficiency and independence, while also being fiscally responsible and fulfilling fiduciary responsibilities to the people of the City of Chicago.

They’ll provide the shelter and basic care until April, but then what? Nobody has yet come up with an answer.

* More…

Block Club | Buona Beef-Connected Group Gets $45 Million Contract For Migrant Shelter Meals:

* ABC Chicago | Chicago property owner opens vacant buildings to house nearly 500 asylum seekers: Chris Amatore, a property manager and real estate investor, is providing beds and food, and paying for it all himself. Food was delivered Thursday to the families staying in a South Shore building. In recent days, 57 Venezuelans moved in to the building on South Essex, according to Amatore, who said he owns the building.

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Question of the day

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WCIA meteorologist on an armadillo sighting near Danville…

* The Question: Name?

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Getting into the weeds of an outdated report

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This article from Capitol News Illinois stirred up some controversy…

State law currently says that by the 2025 delivery year, one-quarter of electricity purchased by the state must come from renewable sources. Goals laid out in CEJA are even more ambitious, requiring the state’s energy production to be carbon-free by 2045.

But the Illinois Power Agency – which handles energy procurement for the state’s utilities – reports that the state is lagging far behind its goals. In its current long-term plan for renewable purchasing, which was published in May, the agency projected that by the 2025 delivery year, only 8.1 percent of electricity will come from sources that qualify as renewable under state law.

“Achieving these goals would require a substantial increase in new renewable energy generation,” according to the agency’s report.

The federal Energy Information Administration, which uses a slightly different method to calculate its figures, reports that 15.4 percent of Illinois’ electricity generation came from renewables in October. That lags the state’s statutory goal for this year of 22 percent and behind the nation’s average renewable electricity generation of 22.3 percent.

* The governor’s spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh, tweeted in response, “IL isn’t behind in our energy goals and I wouldn’t use a report from May of last year to make that point. … Carbon-free is different than renewable energy and IL will rely heavily on nuclear to reach our carbon-free goals.”

Carbon-free is hugely important in the mix because the state gets more than half of its electrical power from nuclear plants.

* Since numbers from the Illinois Power Agency were used in the news story, I reached out to the agency to get their perspective…

Hi Rich,

We were not contacted by CNI on this story, so we can’t speak authoritatively on from where CNI pulled this information. It’s possible that the “May report” in the article refers to the Modified 2022 Long-Term Renewables Procurement Plan, but RPS [Renewable Portfolio Standards] goal/target data contained is indeed approximately two years outdated (as that Plan was originally filed with the ICC in January 2022). So, assuming that CNI used this document to inform its article, the Governor’s Office is correct that this information is outdated.

To the broader question, our 2022 Annual Report includes data on the overall nameplate capacity amount of installed renewable energy generation physically located in Illinois. The 2022 Annual Report shows the total installed percentage of renewable capacity at 18.6%, with the percentage of megawatt hours from renewables at 12.4%. These are percentages out of all electricity generation in Illinois, as opposed to all electricity consumed in Illinois—if the latter were used as the denominator, then these percentages would be higher [about 17 percent, as it turns out], as Illinois is a net exporter of electricity.

The Agency’s next annual report is due out on February 15 and will be published on the IPA’s website. I will make sure we send you a copy of the report when it’s published.

Setting aside the issue of outdated data, conflating RPS progress with overall share of electricity from renewables statewide is a common area of misunderstanding—people often reference the former while meaning the latter. To address this concern, CEJA (through changes to Section 1-125 of the IPA Act) now requires the IPA to report on items including “the percentage of installed and scheduled renewable energy generation capacity as a share of overall electricity generation capacity physically located in Illinois” through its annual report. We’d be happy to follow up with our latest copy of that report when it becomes available.

…Adding… CNI has now corrected its story.

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Report: White Sox likely want to empower the ISFA to extend bonds or issue new bonds

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Crain’s has a story about Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter’s support of a new White Sox ballpark in the South Loop…

The Sox organization may be trying to whip up as much support as it can before it meets with Pritzker and has to answer the biggest remaining question about the stadium proposal: Who would pay for it?

Reiter would say only that he was told “no new taxes built in . . . and right now that property isn’t generating nearly the amount of revenue as it would if it were fully developed.”

Sources familiar with what the team is planning, but who say they are not free to speak about the deal, have told Crain’s that the White Sox are likely to ask state legislators to empower the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority to either extend or issue new bonds backed by the existing 2% hotel occupancy tax currently used to satisfy the bonds issued to pay for Guaranteed Rate Field.

While that would not raise a new tax, because the hotel occupancy tax is already in place, state legislators may still turn up their noses at extending or issuing new bonds, or providing any public dollars to help build a stadium for a team whose value is measured in billions.

Thoughts?

…Adding… With a hat tip to a commenter, this is from the Bond Buyer last fall…

The ISFA owns, operates and issued $150 million of bonds in 1989 for Guaranteed Rate Field where the White Sox play, and issued $400 million of 2001 bonds that financed the renovation of the Chicago Park District-owned Soldier Field, home of the Bears. About $416 million of debt is outstanding, nearly all of it for the 2003 Soldier Field renovation.

39 Comments

It’s just a bill

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Rep. Anne Stava-Murray filed HB4585…

Amends the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the Illinois State Police Act, the Counties Code, and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that a law enforcement officer may not be required to arrest a specific number of persons within a designated period of time.

* HB4579 from Rep. Camille Lilly…

Creates the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact Act. Provides that the State of Illinois ratifies and approves the Compact. Provides that the purposes of the Compact are to facilitate the interstate practice of dentistry and dental hygiene and improve public access to dentistry and dental hygiene services by providing dentists and dental hygienists licensed in a participating state the ability to practice in participating states in which they are not licensed. Includes provisions about state participation in the Compact; qualifying licenses that are eligible for Compact privilege, including active military members or their spouses; imposition of adverse actions against a qualified license; establishment and operation of the Commission, including each participating state selecting one commissioner to the Commission; development, maintenance, operation, and utilization of a coordinated database and reporting system containing licensure; rulemaking powers of the Commission; oversight, dispute resolution, and enforcement of the Compact; effective date of and amendment to the Compact; withdrawal from the Compact by a participating state; construction and severability; and effect on and conflict with other state laws.

* Book Riot…

Introduced into the Illinois House January 23 by Representative Anne Stava-Murray and cosponsored by Representative Diane Blair-Sherlock, HB 4567 aims to protect library workers throughout the state from harassment, threats, and disorderly conduct. The bill comes in the new legislative session after the state passed the nation’s first anti-book ban bill last year and dealt with several bomb threats in the months following that bill’s passage. The new bill would amend the Criminal Code of 2012. […]

Where once library workers were not explicitly named among populations protected from threats, the new bill would include the profession by name. The threats would be investigated and taken seriously, whether they came in person or through electronic means, including social media.

Not only does naming library workers in the Criminal Code lend legitimacy to the profession–and it covers everyone within a library from professional librarians to shelvers, custodians, and others–it codifies the importance of libraries to democracy in the state. Protections would extend beyond public library workers, too. It also covers those working for private libraries.

Stava-Murray represents Illinois’s 81st district, which includes Downers Grove, as well as parts of Lisle, Naperville, Woodridge, Darien, Westmont, and Bolingbrook. Downers Grove was among the libraries targeted by protesters and threats over a teen drag queen bingo event in fall 2022. Other public libraries in the district have been subject to similar threats and harassment. Diane Blair-Sherlock represents the 46th district, which includes all or parts of Addison, Oak Brook Terrace, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Elmhurst, Villa Park, and more. Several of those libraries, including Addison, were subject tp bomb threats last fall.

* HB4584 from Rep. Stava-Murray…

Amends the School Code. Provides that any involvement by a law enforcement agency in an incident at a school or on school owned or leased property, including any conveyance owned, leased, or used by the school for the transport of students or school personnel, shall be reported monthly to the Illinois State Police by the school district superintendent or his or her designee or other appropriate administrative officer if the school is a nonpublic school. Provides that the State Board of Education shall receive an annual statistical compilation and related data associated with the reporting from the Illinois State Police. Provides that the State Board of Education shall compile this information by school and make it available to the public. Effective July 1, 2024.

* Center Square…

State Sen. Sally Turner, R-Beason, said her bill, Senate Bill 2668, aims to alleviate farmers’ fears that land acquisitions by foreign nations and investors may inflate farmland prices and pose a potential threat to national security.

“We can’t go get new farmland. We can’t invent more or manufacture new farmland. It is something that we need in order to feed the world,” Turner said.

Currently, 24 states have passed similar legislation to manage the risks associated with the purchase of farmland by foreign entities that may jeopardize national security.

The National Defense Authorization Act addresses the issue of foreign entities buying up farmland, Turner said. In fact, the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act became law in late 1978. The law requires foreign investors to report their purchases.

* WGEM…

A new bill aims to give teachers across Illinois at least 45 minutes of planning time each day.[…]

“We wouldn’t need a bill like this if the feedback from teachers wasn’t that they were losing their planning time,” said state Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, D-Shorewood.

She’s sponsoring the bill requiring teachers to get time to plan every day. […]

“What we’re finding is that teachers are promised planning time in their contracts but many times they’re pulled for different meetings or to sub and their planning times are being taken away, and they’re having to do those planning activities before school, after school, taking their work home,” Loughran Cappel said.

A special education teacher for 15 years, Loughran Cappel saw firsthand the importance of having time to plan. She also knows what she and her students lost when she didn’t have the time.

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Harmon further explains his rejection of a stand-alone migrant appropriations bill

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From the Tribune earlier this month…

But even among Democrats there is some reluctance to provide further funding for the migrant crisis without addressing long-standing issues involving poverty and the unhoused in Illinois, Senate President Don Harmon said.

“After saying for generations that we don’t have enough money to deal with real and similar issues affecting people here in the state, there’s no way we could advance an appropriation bill that dealt only with the newly arrived migrants,” said Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat, echoing concerns that have been raised by some members of the legislature’s Black Caucus.

“If we’re going to provide funding to deal with that crisis, we’re going to have to provide funding for crises that have existed in our communities for generations,” Harmon said. “I don’t see an appetite to solve one problem while ignoring others that have been at the forefront of people’s agendas for decades.”

* Harmon appeared on the 21st Show this week, so host Brian Mackey asked him about that quote. After criticizing the Texas governor and praising the concept of a nation of immigrants as “good for our culture,” Harmon had this to say…

I wasn’t channeling the Black Caucus in particular. Across the caucus, I think across the General Assembly, there is a discomfort in saying ‘yes.’ For generations we have told you that we do not have the resources to invest in solving seemingly intractable problems, like homelessness, like food insecurity, like workforce development. And yes, it is a humanitarian crisis foisted upon us. The volume of this crisis is different than things we’ve seen in the past.

But as a policy matter, I don’t see a way to get the votes to support a funding bill that deals only with the migrant crisis. Any response is going to need to be more holistic, it’s going to need to look for synergies between services and resources available for the migrant arrivals, that would also be available for people struggling with the same problems whose families have been here for generations. I just don’t see a way we say ‘yes’ to some and ‘no’ to others. […]

I want to emphasize that there are opportunities to invest in Illinois that can address the immediate issue, but also address long term issues.. … This is a good time for us to step back and say, what resources do we need in place in Illinois, not for this crisis, but for the next crisis, and the crisis after that, and the crisis after that, because surely they will come. Could we not invest in some safe emergency shelter that can be used for arriving migrants now, but also for Illinois residents, displaced and homeless and find a way to make this a lasting renewable resource? […]

In my best case, we find a path to give people stability, the opportunity to earn a living. And we build the infrastructure not only for the migrants, but also for everyone else who are in need of similar services, and that becomes a durable framework that lasts for decades.

Please pardon all transcription errors.

There’s more, so listen to the rest if you have the time.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Open thread

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Ethnicity, experience take center stage in first faceoff of Illinois Supreme Court candidates. Tribune…

- Reyes argued that ethnicity is important in the race because no Latino has ever sat on the state’s highest court.

- Both candidates spoke repeatedly of the role Illinois government has played in protecting access to abortion and other reproductive health services

* Isabel’s top picks…

Sun-Times | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s job performance rated fair to poor by majority of Chicago voters, new poll finds:

* AP | What you should know if you’re about to fly on a Boeing 737 Max 9: Alaska Airlines plans to resume flights with its Max 9s on Friday, and United aims to follow suit on Sunday. Those are the only two U.S. airlines that operate this particular model of the Boeing 737.

* 21st Show | Illinois Senate President talks about migrants, education, and economic priorities in 2024: President of the Illinois Senate, Don Harmon speaks to us about the work being done in the General Assembly this year. Issues for lawmakers range from how to balance the state budget, to how to respond to the influx of migrants.

* Campaign news…

* Thoughts?…

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* News-Sun | Despite likely presidential election rematch, Lake County political leaders focused on local races; ‘We’re excited to take on the challenge’
: In addition to working to elect more Democrats, the Lake County Democratic Party wants to retain positions currently held by party members, according to Lauren Beth Gash, chair of the local party chapter. Gash said the local party has been slowly changing the political makeup of local elected bodies and individuals, moving the county from mostly red to purple, or even solid blue in some regions of the county.

* News-Gazette | Faraci and Marron to discuss working across the aisle: Faraci and Marron, who is now president/CEO of Vermilion Advantage, will discuss how they were able to work across the aisle, how qualified local citizens might be encouraged to run for office and how individuals and organizations can support these efforts. The LWVCC hopes to reach people who are frustrated by trends of increased polarization and perceived decline in political candidate quality.

* Tribune | Aldermen sign letter urging Johnson to scrap 60-day migrant shelter policy: Their protest comes on the heels of a bloc of 27 aldermen signing on to co-sponsor legislation from Ald. Bill Conway, 34th, to add more City Council oversight to how federal stimulus dollars are used in the wake of the Johnson administration allocating $95 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to cover the costs of the migrant mission.

* Sun-Times | CPS renews contracts for charter schools — with shorter terms: After long discussions and public comments, the board voted to approve all the schools for terms between one and four years. Most received three or four years with conditions like pledging not to suspend students, shoring up their offerings for students who are learning English or rectifying problems with services to students in special education.

* Sun-Times | In crooked Bridgeport bank failure case, City Hall insider under 3 mayors faces a reckoning: Mahon was in his early 30s when, according to court testimony and the findings of a City Hall investigation, he helped rig test scores so politically connected job candidates could land city jobs or promotions — a violation of a federal court order known as the Shakman decree. A federal investigation of city hiring and promotions ended up rocking City Hall, with Daley’s patronage chief going to prison. Mahon wasn’t charged. He ended up facing disciplinary action, though the punishment for his role in the scandal didn’t come until years later.

* Tribune | After suburban pushback, Cook County leaders propose exempting parks, school districts from paid leave requirements: Shortly before the holidays, the Cook County Board passed its own expanded version of the state’s paid leave law. That new state law, which took effect Jan. 1 across Illinois for employees of businesses of any size, gave workers the right to accrue an hour of time off per 40 hours worked and use it for any reason, not just illness. The county’s rules went slightly beyond the state’s law to make it apply to airlines and government bodies. The county ordinance also allowed workers to sue their employers for violations.

* WJOL | Will County Emergency Management Agency Issues Update on Flash Flooding in Wilmington: Evacuations Begin: Will County EMA issued a mass notification message to residents, advising them of the rising water levels and the need to evacuate. Water rescue teams were deployed, and 14 individuals were successfully evacuated to a temporary shelter opened by Wilmington ESDA.

* WTTW | 211 Helpline Connects Cook County Residents to Health and Social Services: ‘It’s Those Everyday Emergencies’: 211 Metro Chicago is a free 24-hour helpline that serves Chicago and the suburban Cook County area. It’s essentially a referral service with an extensive database of organizations and businesses. “Housing is the biggest one, according to our data; others are access to food,” Garcia said. “When someone calls, we right away ask for their ZIP code, where you are located. From there we can say, ‘I don’t know if you have a car, or a bus card, but there is a food pantry two blocks from your home.’”

* Sun-Times | Young brains at risk under poorly funded effort to remove dangerous lead water pipes from child care centers: That city program aims to replace more than 100 lead pipes from day cares a year, putting the completion at well over a decade. Considering the vulnerability of the children — most of them living on the South Side and West Side — the timeline to replace the lead fixtures is unacceptably long, advocates for children say.

* Crainn’s | Boeing’s woes put the squeeze on United: “We are not canceling the order,” Kirby told analysts this week when United reported earnings. “We are taking it out of our internal plans. And — so we’re taking it out of our internal plans, and we’ll be working on what that means exactly with Boeing. But Boeing is not going to be able to meet their contractual deliveries on at least many of those airplanes. And I’ll just leave it at that.”

* Crain’s | Chief of powerful union group throws support behind Sox stadium plan: Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, says the “project is very exciting for the city.” “Not just for White Sox fans like me,” he told Crain’s on Jan. 25. “It means a lot of jobs, it means a great asset for the city to market to visitors. Not just the stadium, but also the other amenities that will be built out in the neighborhood and the way it would provide connectivity from the Near South Side by Chinatown up into the Loop.”

* WSJ | Inside the $800,000 Experiment to Turn a Frank Lloyd Wright Into a Net-Zero Energy Home: “I was not planning to buy a Frank Lloyd Wright house,” says Samantha Lotti, who grew up in a Manhattan apartment, studied at the University of Chicago, and then spent five postcollege years running her family’s farm in Tuscany. So in 2016, when she heard that the Oscar B. Balch House, one of more than two dozen Wright buildings in Oak Park, Ill., was for sale, she was only vaguely interested. But she did go look. And when she entered the main living space of the 1911 prairie-style house, which is named for its first owner, she says, “I fell in love.” Among the things that moved her were the size of the windows and the proportions of the rooms. The ceilings are low, “almost compressive,” she says, “which is intended to force you to engage with what’s outside the house. And, thanks to the windows, you feel like you’re outside when you’re inside.”

* 21st Show | Building a better democracy: A new book looks at the effects of a 1990 Illinois Primary: Patrick Wohl explains how an Illinois Statehouse campaign from 1990, which pit two Republican women against each other became the harbinger of future divisions within the GOP.