As Election Day nears, we and local election authorities are fielding many questions regarding voting by mail. On the assumption that you probably are hearing these questions from your readers, viewers and listeners, I wanted to provide you with the FAQ document from our website. It addresses the questions we’ve heard most often and contains background on voting by mail in general.
As in past elections, the most frequently asked question pertains to voters who request a mail ballot but then decide they’re rather vote in person.
Also attached are spreadsheets showing the early voting and vote-by-mail numbers as of today and those for Nov. 18, 2016, which also was three weeks before the election. This year, we have recorded more than double the number of early votes cast three weeks before the 2016 election – 177,652 to 87,777. (Please note that you will need to add columns F and G to get early vote totals. “Grace” refers to votes cast after Oct. 6 by voters registering to vote during grace period registration, which begins 27 days before an election. Those who register in person during the grace period must vote at the time of registration.)
The 2.15 million vote-by-mail applications for 2020 is more than eight times the number of applications at this time in the 2016 election cycle.
I also want to remind you of some important dates and deadlines for your election coverage. While Illinois law allows a voter to request a vote-by-mail ballot through Oct. 29, we are strongly encouraging those who wish to vote by mail to submit their application much earlier – preferably by Oct. 15. Details are explained the FAQ.
Also, while we like to point out that voter registration in Illinois never closes before the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, online voter registration closes at the end of the day Oct. 18. This week is a good time to remind your readers, viewers and listeners of that deadline, after which they can still register to vote at all early voting locations and at their polling place on Election Day.
Statement by Good Government Groups Calling for the Immediate Release of the Report of the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform
We are a group of nonpartisan organizations concerned with good governance in Illinois. We welcome the recent statement from Senate President Don Harmon’s office suggesting that ethics reform will be a priority in the upcoming November veto session. However, we are extremely concerned that despite the session’s rapid approach, the public still has not seen the report of the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform.
The public deserves to see what the legislature is going to consider in November with enough time to respond. Yet in mid-October, just a few weeks before session is scheduled to start, we still have no idea what the Commission will recommend.
The Commission was supposed to release its report on March 31. While some delay is understandable in light of the emergence of the COVID-19 epidemic, it has now been more than six months. This was more than enough time for the Commission to issue its report, or, if more meetings were necessary, to meet remotely or in person with full public participation.
We welcome ethics reform, but only if it’s done right. This rushed, opaque process is wrong. With the litany of corruption scandals Illinoisans have endured, they deserve a transparent process that will produce real, meaningful results. Anything less will further increase cynicism about our legislature at a time when trust in Illinois’ government is already lowest in the nation.
We call on the Joint Ethics Commission’s chairs to release the Commission report immediately.
Signed,
The Better Government Association (BGA)
Change Illinois
Common Cause Illinois
Reform for Illinois
I asked if there was even a report to release…
In late August they said it would be released “in the coming weeks.”
* So, I reached out to a commission member, Sen. Cristina Castro…
The committee hasn’t met. They’d have to meet first to review a report. In the meantime, I’m not only working on finding solutions to get my constituents the help they need during this pandemic, but also talking with my colleagues to gauge what middle ground we can find to enact longterm solutions. There are a lot of the same ideas out there with small differences which mean a lot to some and not much to others. We have to find areas to compromise. That takes time.
Brian Gaines, a political science professor at the University of Illinois, made a prediction just after the 2018 elections: If the local congressman, Rep. Rodney Davis, could survive that year’s Democratic wave, then the Republican would be safe through 2020.
Now Gaines has lost confidence in his prognosis.
“I still think that’s true, but I’m a little more inclined to think he could lose this election,” said Gaines, a professor at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the university, who recently ventured out of Urbana-Champaign and into the district’s more rural parts.
“I was surprised how few Trump signs I saw,” he said.
*facepalm*
* Meanwhile…
Lobbyist-turned-politician Betsy Dirksen Londrigan used to raise money for Mike Madigan and his cronies.
Now, they’re bankrolling her campaign to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Today the NRCC launched a new ad in IL-13 reminding folks Betsy and Springfield corruption go hand in hand.
* My own prediction: If Congressman Davis holds on this year, it’ll be at least partially because of the late “Madigan” attacks on Dirksen Londrigan that have become ubiquitous in the district’s media markets. This race will show us which is more powerful: Significant Trump headwinds (as defined by actual data and bolstered by the Democrats’ healthcare argument) or the Illinois House Speaker, who polls worse than Trump but isn’t running the national government.
Forget about 2018, forget about non-existent yard signs that don’t vote anyway. Focus on what’s happening in the here and now.
John A. Logan College abruptly canceled all planned diversity activities last week pending a review of their content. In doing so, officials cited concerns the college could lose millions of dollars in federal funding if they violate President Donald Trump’s Sept. 22 executive order prohibiting workforce diversity trainings he considers “offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating.”
Though college officials say they will reinstate events once compliance can be assured, the decision reflects a broader concern. Diversity experts said Trump’s executive order may have a chilling effect on diversity-related training and programs at colleges and universities in a time of national reckoning over race relations in America. […]
John A. Logan College President Ron House said the decision to suspend campus diversity activities affected two planned events: a talk by a Southern Illinois University professor as part of National Hispanic Heritage Month activities and a forum geared toward youth about their rights and responsibilities during a police traffic stop.
“The nature of the topics of what we’re doing are perfectly OK. We’ve got to take a look at how the topic is going to be presented, and that’s the crux of it and we’re trying to figure that out,” House said. House said the program content would be amended, if necessary, to comply with the order and rescheduled, though he was unable to say when that would happen.
Organizers of the police-related forum have already moved it off campus, and Roberto Barrios, the SIU professor scheduled to speak Oct. 12, said he is alarmed by the college’s decision and would only be interested in rescheduling if all diversity activities are reinstated immediately and the college president apologies.
According to House, the decision was prompted by a letter from Terrance Bond, vice president of the Illinois Community College Diversity Commission, in which Bond wrote that community colleges – federal grant recipients – may be affected by the order. Thus, ignoring the order was not an option.
“We get several million dollars in federal money here that could be jeopardized if we don’t,” House said.
Roberto Barrios, a professor at Southern Illinois University, had planned to give a talk at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill., on Monday in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The program included discussions of Hispanic identity as well as Mr. Barrios’s own story as an immigrant from Guatemala. The talk was canceled for fear of the executive order, less than two weeks before it was scheduled, he said.
“To me, it is the absolute obligation of institutions of higher education to become ethical beacons for the nation,” Mr. Barrios said. “We should not kneel before executive orders that seek to politicize education.”
Ron House, the president of John A. Logan College, did not respond to a request for comment.
House has promised that the delayed events will be reinstated once the college clears them for compliance, but Barrios said he wouldn’t return unless he got an apology and an assurance that all diversity efforts were immediately back on. “My talk was canceled without anyone consulting me about the contents,” he said. “They in no way violated the executive order.”
The title of Barrios’s virtual presentation was “Reflections on Hispanic and Latinx Identity in a Time of Upheaval,” and it was in commemoration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed September 15 to October 15.
* I asked the Pritzker administration for a response…
Despite what Donald Trump says, structural racism is real. Diversity and inclusion training is an important component of creating an environment that is welcoming for all, while learning to understand the role each of us plays in making the world a more just and equitable place.
The Governor’s Office recently participated in diversity and inclusion training and will continue to do so. The Governor would urge all workplaces in Illinois to do the same. Trump’s empty threats shouldn’t hold us back from working to create a better Illinois.
* Related…
* State Senate Majority Leader Lightford to discuss career, state issues: Illinois State Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford, the first Black woman to serve as the state’s Senate Majority Leader, will discuss a variety of topics including her career and next month’s elections during a virtual conversation next week hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
* Black Caucus highlights racial health disparities in Illinois: According to Lightford, Black Illinoisans are 3.4 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than white Illinoisans as the pandemic has exposed and exacerbated long-existing racial health disparities.
* The state’s positivity rate is up more than 10 percent in recent days. Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,851 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 29 additional confirmed deaths.
“More than 9,000 Illinoisans — our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, family, friends, and neighbors — have had their lives cut short by COVID-19, leaving tens of thousands more to grieve loved ones lost too soon,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As we pause today to mourn these individual and collective losses, may we find strength in the tools we have to protect our communities: wearing a mask, watching our distance, and respecting public health and each other. My heart breaks for all those who have lost a loved one in this battle we never asked to fight – may their memories be for a blessing.”
“After 9 months of battling this virus and hearing the updates each day, many of us forget that the hospitalizations and deaths are more than just numbers,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “They are our family, friends, and loved ones who have been directly impacted by COVID-19, which continues to spread. You can help slow the spread and reduce the number of people who become sick with COVID-19 by wearing your mask, washing your hands, and watching your distance.”
Bond County: 1 male 70s
Clay County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
Cook County: 1 female 40s, 1 female 60s, 4 males 60s, 2 females 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s
DeWitt County: 1 male 70s
DuPage County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
Fayette County: 1 female 90s
Lake County: 1 female 50s
McLean County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 90s
St. Clair County: 1 female 60s, 2 males 80s
Warren County: 1 male 80s
Will County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 324,743 cases, including 9,026 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 6 – October 12 is 4.5%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 55,993 specimens for a total of 6,411,254. As of last night, 1,848 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 406 patients were in the ICU and 160 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH is now reporting separately both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website. Reporting probable cases will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions. IDPH will update these data once a week.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,742 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 13 additional confirmed deaths.
Clay County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 100+
Cook County: 1 female 50s, 2 males 60s, 1 female 70s
Douglas County: 1 male 80s
Fayette County: 1 male 70s
Monroe County: 1 female 80s
Peoria County: 1 male 70s
Richland County: 1 male 80s
Rock Island County: 1 female 60s
Will County: 1 male 70s,
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 321,892 cases, including 8,997 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 5 – October 11 is 4.3%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 47,579 specimens for a total of 6,355,261. As of last night, 1,764 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 377 patients were in the ICU and 153 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,727 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 9 additional confirmed deaths.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 319,150 cases, including 8,984 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 4 – October 10 is 4.2%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 64,047 specimens for a total of 6,307,682. As of last night, 1,776 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 388 patients were in the ICU and 159 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,905 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 31 additional confirmed deaths.
Christian County: 1 male 70s
Cook County: 1 female 40s, 2 males 40s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
DuPage County: 1 female 70s
Fayette County: 2 males 70s
Jefferson County: 1 female 70s
Jersey County: 1 female 80s
Kane County: 1 male 60s
Knox County: 1 male 80s
Lake County: 1 female 50s, 2 females 90s
LaSalle County: 1 male 80s
Marion County: 1 female 80s
Monroe County: 1 male 80s
Richland County: 1 male 90s
Rock Island County: 1 female 90s
Tazewell County: 1 female 80s
Union County: 1 male 70s
Will County: 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
Winnebago County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 316,423 cases, including 8,975 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 3 – October 9 is 4.0%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 66,256 specimens for a total of 6,243,635. As of last night, 1,807 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 406 patients were in the ICU and 166 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
* Zorn takes a look at the constitutional amendment passage requirement of 60 percent of those voting on the measure or over 50 percent of all those voting in the election…
The either/or requirement makes interpreting the results feel like one of those vexatious story problems from junior high math. If 6 million people go to the polls, and half a million of them leave the referendum question blank on their ballots, what share of the yes/no votes needs to be “yes” for the amendment to pass?
The answer is 54.5% because the “majority of all votes cast” requirement would be achieved first with 3,000,001 votes, even though it is a lot lower than the three-fifths (60%) of yes/no votes cast — the other path to passage.
And, not uncoincidentally for the purposes of this column, it is approximately the percentage of the vote that Gov. J.B. Pritzker received when he beat incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner in the 2018 general election in a campaign marked by his strong support of switching to a graduated-rate system.
The basic idea behind this unusually convoluted requirement is that the more the public is engaged with a referendum question, the more the constitution wants to honor the principle of majority rule. But the more the public is tuned out — doesn’t care or doesn’t feel informed enough to vote either way — the more the constitution wants to raise the standard for passage so that reforms that are obscure, complicated or actually unpopular don’t slip in under the radar.
Includes $500K from Jennifer Pritzker, cousin to the governor A-1: $510,000.00 Coalition To Stop The Proposed Tax Hike Amendmenthttps://t.co/ZT4erQmwbL
Illinois voters will decide next month whether to enact a progressive income tax, paving the way for a new top rate of 7.99%. In addition to the direct damage higher rates would inflict on bottom lines, voters should consider the high-tax neighborhood they’d be moving to.
The Tax Foundation ranks states by tax competitiveness, and its latest analysis is bad news for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other progressive-tax backers. The Prairie State currently ranks 36th worst in overall tax burden because its flat individual rate of 4.95% offsets very high property and other taxes. (See the nearby table.)
But its proposed slate of new individual income tax rates, along with a corporate tax hike tied to the same ballot measure, would drop the state’s rank overall to 47th. That would move Illinois into Dante’s ninth ring of tax hell, ahead of only New Jersey, New York and California.
* And it’s little surprise that the Sun-Times editorial board is for it…
Millionaires and billionaires don’t like paying higher taxes any more than the rest of us, though they are in a much better position to do so. It’s in their bald self-interest to kill the Fair Tax proposal, meaning Illinois would remain stuck with its regressive flat tax — no matter what harm is done, down the road, to middle-class and low-wage earners.
And you can count on that: If Illinois does not approve a graduated income tax, the likelihood that ordinary working people will have to pay higher taxes will only grow.
The states’ finances are in crisis and additional revenue is necessary. Cutting expenses alone won’t do the trick. If that additional tax revenue is not paid by the very wealthiest taxpayers, as set out in the Fair Tax plan, it will be paid by everybody else — every carpenter, hair stylist, accountant and store clerk.
But what the fate of Pritzker’s so-called Fair Tax will mean for Chicago’s financial future is less clear cut. The potential for extra revenues at the state level doesn’t make a significant dent in the city deficit, and isn’t a silver bullet for fully funding items Lightfoot campaigned on last year.
The mayor has been far less vocal than the governor about where she stands on the graduated income tax, endorsing it when prompted, but not leading on the issue.
“I’m a for,” Lightfoot told reporters last week when asked about her position on the tax change. “I’ve been fortunate enough in my life to make a substantial amount over time. And I think people recognize the need for everyone to pay their fair share, but I think we have to do it in an equitable way and I think that’s what the Fair Tax, as it’s known, seeks to accomplish.” […]
But State Sen. Rob Martwick (D-Chicago), who championed a progressive tax for years and sponsored the graduated tax amendment in 2019, was not shy about his belief that the city’s finances would be devastated without voter approval of the tax, as it would “stabiliz[e] the state revenues that flow through to the city.”
“As bad as the state’s budget is, the city’s is immeasurably worse,” Martwick said. “If [the graduated income tax amendment] doesn’t pass, it could be catastrophic all around, especially for the City of Chicago.”
There are 2 million Illinoisans of retirement age, and currently the state does not tax their retirement income. But there is significant reason to believe the “fair tax” amendment to the Illinois Constitution would bring retirement taxes if passed.
And then there might be 10,577 fewer of those seniors in Illinois if its experience with a progressive tax matches Connecticut’s.
I love how they project down to the person. You can pretty much figure a projection is phony when you see that.
Governor J.B. Pritzker is assuring voters that a proposed graduated income tax will not impact their retirement income. Pritzker said late last week that opponents of the “fair tax” are planning to tax retirement income. Republican opponents say Pritzker’s statement isn’t true. Republican lawmaker Tim Butler says that it is unlikely that legislation will be proposed to change rules on taxing retirement income, whether the graduated income tax passes or not.
…Adding… Rep. Butler says he doesn’t know where WJOL got that info and pointed to this story…
Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, opposes the proposed tax amendment.
“From the House Republican perspective, we in no way support taxing retirement income,” Butler said. “I don’t know where the governor comes up with that statement.”
Redfield said whether this tax is passed or not, the legislature has always had the power to tax retirement income, but he said he thinks it’s unlikely that there will be a legislation change to that.
“What stops from taxing retirees today is that we have a flat tax in Illinois. If we tax one retiree, we have to tax all retirees,” Butler said. “That’s the firewall against raising taxes.”
A previous version of this story attributed comments to lawmaker Tim Butler that were not accurate. We regret the error.
*** UPDATE 1 *** I told you last week that a judge had denied IPI’s motion for a TRO against part of the official Fair Tax explanation language. The final order was released today. Excerpt…
While Plaintiffs have a clear right to a free and equal election, they have not demonstrated a clear right to corrective action on an emergency basis, for it is not patently clear the language on the ballot or pamphlet is so rnisleading that it abridges a constitutional right in need of protection. Like it or not, the proposed amendment does give the State the ability to impose higher tax rates on those with higher income levels and lower income tax rates on those with middle or lower income levels, just as the ballot describes. Plaintiffs have not shown on the clearest of grounds that this language is so misleading and confusing to give rise to a constitutional violation. Plaintiffs merely conclude and speculate that the language is deceiving and confusing to voters without any specific evidence demonstrating confusion or obstruction to a particular individual or group of voters.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
COL (IL) Jennifer Pritzker, ARNG (Ret.) has donated $500,000 to the Coalition to Stop the Proposed Tax Hike Amendment as a measure to help protect the citizens of Illinois. Jennifer Pritzker believes the proposed graduated tax will only hurt already overburdened Illinois taxpayers and removes any political barrier to impose a tax on retirement funds.
“There is evidence that the tax hike amendment could eventually raise taxes on the middle and working classes. With so many families and small businesses struggling to recover from the ravages of the pandemic, raising taxes is not a financial solution Illinoisans can afford to enact,” said Jennifer Pritzker, President and CEO of TAWANI Enterprises, President and Founder of the TAWANI Foundation and the Pritzker Military Foundation, and Founder and Chair of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library.
Now, confidential statewide coronavirus outbreak data, obtained by the Documenting COVID-19 project at the Brown Institute for Media Innovation as part of a collaboration with the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, shows workplace, school and prison outbreaks are driving the increases – and that many of these outbreaks have never been made public.
The Illinois Department of Public Health, citing a state communicable disease code, does not release details about where many outbreaks have occurred, limiting its disclosures to long-term care and assisted living facilities. Separately, the Illinois Department of Corrections and some county health departments regularly release numbers of infected inmates and prison staff.
But the internal statewide data we obtained – prepared by the state health department and covering four different dates between July and September – gives detailed information and case counts for nearly 2,600 separate outbreaks across Illinois.
* OK, but I’m not sure they have what they think they have. For instance…
The single biggest source of coronavirus infections in Illinois are federal, state and county prisons and jails. The Cook County Jail has 1,074 positive cases, the largest count of any single outbreak.
Um, what?
* From Matt Walberg at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office…
From the moment the first positive case was identified in March, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office has been extraordinarily transparent in its reporting on the status of the outbreak and subsequent containment of COVID-19 at the Cook County Jail.
It is absolutely false that we currently have 1,074 positive cases currently. As of Monday, Oct. 12, there were 28 positive cases at the jail, with a current population of more than 5,300.
Since the first confirmed case in March to present, the cumulative number of detainees who either became positive for COVID-19 while in custody or were found to be positive as the entered the jail is 968 as of 10/8/20. (10/8 is the most recent count I have; I will get updated figures tomorrow morning, but it may not be in time for your piece.)
Our staff have worked incredibly hard to institute social distancing measures, limit unnecessary movement, educate on the use of PPE and hygiene, all of which were noted by the CDC as examples for other similar organizations to follow. But to further put the outbreak at the jail in context:
• From March 1 to Sept. 30, approximately 22,000 individuals were processed by the jail a total of 24,000 times. Of those, approximately 13,300 were admitted into custody 14,300 times. (The larger figures for each category indicate some individuals were processed/admitted multiple times.)
• Since the advent of rapid testing in late April, approximately 6 out of every 10 cases at the jail have come from newly arriving detainees.
• Nevertheless, our positivity rate has remained incredibly low to the widespread strategic testing protocols enacted by the Sheriff’s Office and our partners at Cermak Health Services, which provides all medical care for detainees including COVID-19 testing.
• This low positivity rate has continued despite the fact that our in-custody population has returned to nearly Pre-COVID levels.
• To date, Cermak staff have administered approximately 13,000 tests to detainees, nearly 80 percent of our current in-custody population has been tested, and the current rolling positivity rate is 0.9%.
These reporters never contacted our office, or apparently ever visit the COVID-19 information page updated each day on our website. If the reporters had reached out to our office prior to publishing, they would have learned that while perhaps IDPH’s data was confidential, the Sheriff’s Office has been sharing our COVID-19 data with the public and the media from the beginning.
Instead, they published an inaccurate report that ignores the incredible success we have achieved in stemming the outbreak and maintaining containment for the past five months. While other agencies have chosen to withhold timely, accurate information about COVID-19 outbreaks, the Sheriff’s Office has been open and forthcoming with its data about the pandemic. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of inaccurate, sensational reporting about COVID-19 at the Cook County Jail.
* Remember this statement by DeWitt/Piatt Bi-County Health Department Director Dave Remmert last week?…
This weekend’s mobile COVID testing site should help DeWitt County increase testing and allow the County to come off the Governor’s COVID warning list.
95 samples were taken over the weekend at the mobile testing unit at the DeWitt/Piatt Bi-County Health Department location on Revere Road in Clinton.
Results from those tests are not in yet however, the health department is reporting a large spike in cases, including multiple positive tests at Liberty Village in Clinton.
Monday, the health department reported 11 new cases in Clinton and four new cases in Piatt County, with three in Monticello and one in Mansfield. Sunday the Health Department did not issue a report. Saturday there were four new DeWitt County cases reported, all in Clinton, while there were three new Piatt County cases with three in Monticello and one each in Bement and Hammond.
Friday the health department reported three new cases in DeWitt County, all in Clinton. Piatt County reported four new cases with two in La Place and one each in Cerro Gordo and Monticello.
Thursday there were 34 new cases reported in Clinton and the health department described them as, quote - “outbreak-related”. There was also a new case in Weldon.
* Related…
* Winnebago County Board chairman candidate on COVID-19 quarantine: “It’s tough,” Chiarelli said. “I’ve been really careful going out, but during a campaign you meet a lot of people. You’re masked up, but you’re going places. At that time, that week, the restaurants and facilities were still open.”
But for the next six years of a Senate term, we think the dysfunctional Prairie State could benefit from a change to a senator who is Illinois-centric, not Washington-centric, and who would be eager to shake up the status quo here.
Yes, there’s important work to be done in Washington for the good of the country. But Illinois’ disastrous problems, which have landed the state on numerous embarrassing lists (worst managed, worst credit rating, worst unfunded pension liabilities, worst outmigration, worst corruption) should be the business of our federal elected officials, too, and especially our senators: High property taxes, unfunded pensions, a near-junk credit rating, property values that still haven’t recovered from the Great Recession compared with other states — Illinois in an outlier in nearly every category.
But Durbin demurs when asked about the general state of affairs in Illinois. He won’t criticize Democratic Party leadership, policies or House Speaker Michael Madigan’s management. Durbin says he is troubled by the unfolding corruption investigation that has, so far, ensnared numerous members of his party. But there is no sense of anger or urgency at the toll it has taken on voters’ trust toward government.
In other words, vote for Mark Curran because Madigan.
* The Trib didn’t mention any of this, but if you’d like a different view, here’s an oppo file…
Curran in June 2020 said he was “more aligned with President Trump than with any president in history.
• Curran defended Trump when the president in July 2020 proposed delaying the election.
• Curran backed Trump on other issues, including construction of a border wall and trade.
• Curran signaled support for Trump’s efforts to racially profile immigrants entering the
U.S.: “I agree with President Trump, you know, when people come from certain regions of the world, we need to vet them. … And, you know, when he says we’ve got to take a closer look at people when they come from certain countries and certain regions, he’s spot-on.”
Two days after John Lewis’ passing, Curran said he was “not much of a civil rights leader”
• At a July press conference defending a Columbus statue in Chicago, Curran went on a tangent about abortion being the number one killer of Black and Brown babies, and then argued John Lewis support of Planned Parenthood meant he was “not much of a civil rights leader.”
Curran has said he does not believe climate change is a threat to humankind and said “antifa” may be responsible for setting wildfires in the West.
• In a candidate forum in September, Curran said “there’s evidence that groups, maybe antifa, are amongst them that are lighting some of these fires” when discussing wildfires in western states and the rise of global warming.
• In his Daily Herald candidate questionnaire, Curran stated that he “[is] not convinced that climate change is currently a threat to humankind.”
Curran has opposed progressive police reform policies.
• Curran has spoken at Back the Blue rallies in Illinois that are a response to Black Lives Matter and other protests seeking remedies for racial injustice.9
• Curran called Black Lives Matter “an evil entity”: “Black Lives Matter is an evil entity. I’ve never supported Black Lives Matter. They’re in bed with the abortion industry, and defund police, and they stand for so many evil things.”10
• Curran opposed defunding police, saying, “the gangs are going to run the cities.”11
• Curran called people protesting against racial injustice “thugs”: “We’re not going to surrender the city to thugs and these violent, evil human beings – and they are evil in many circumstances.”
• Curran praised “stop and frisk” as a key tool in combatting violence in cities.
• Curran said he supported a FOP contract provision in Chicago that allowed officers to
decline to be interviewed for 24 hours after an officer-involved shooting.
• Curran said in 2010 that he was not a proponent of early release programs for prisoners: “Bottom line is, you do the crime, you do the time.”
• Curran suggested ideological differences between the political left and the political right could lead to secession of portions of the country: “We’ve seen the left in the streets. We have not seen the right. And I’ve been down to Central Illinois and Southern Illinois and spent a lot of time. And their DNA is such that they ain’t going down without a fight. So maybe secession of portions of this country is in our future. Who knows? Nobody knows. But I’m going to tell you this much. They’re not going to go quietly in the night. They’re not ready to surrender. This is their America. You know, people died for it, and their ancestors died for it. And you know, these leftists that want to destroy America - and that’s why they want open borders, because they want people who have no respect or appreciation for the heritage of this country. No. Not in our America. Not in my America. I’ll die first.” […]
Pushed for Reopening of Illinois amid Pandemic
Curran stated in a Facebook video that the coronavirus needed to “run its course and we have to let people get infected” to achieve herd immunity.
• Curran noted he was “severely asthmatic,” – but not worried about it even though he is in the “vulnerable class.”
• He also stated that Governor Pritzker, in his work to flatten the curve should “slow it down.”
• Curran said the virus will not go away until “we build up herd immunity, and enough people get the virus…ultimately, we have to let the virus run its course and we have to let people get infected.”
Curran in May 2020 spoke at a Re-Open Illinois protest where crowd members carried anti-Semitic signs, garnering condemnation from his own party leaders.
• Leaders of the Republican Party condemned the protestors who brought anti-Semitic signs. House Republican Leader Jim Durkin who called the protestors’ actions “contemptible and repugnant.”
• Leader Durkin’s spokesperson went further, saying “the reason the Republican Party has difficulties in Illinois is because of people like Mr. Curran who find time to criticize everyone but the hate-mongers and Nazi protesters he panders to.”
• In March, Curran said Illinois’ response to the pandemic had gone too far.
• Curran continued to push for reopening during summer despite the clear severity of the
pandemic.
• Curran criticized decision to cancel some high school sports in Illinois due to pandemic, saying on social media, “Death will eventually come for everyone.”
Curran said the Catholic Church had fallen short during the pandemic
● In April, Curran said the church should have found ways to have in-person mass and confessional.
● In March, the Pope said people could confess directly to God in lieu of confession: “Do what the Catechism (of the Catholic Church) says. It is very clear: If you cannot find a priest to confess to, speak directly with God, your father, and tell him the truth. Say, ‘Lord, I did this, this, this. Forgive me,’ and ask for pardon with all your heart.”
● Cardinal Cupich: As for those, including Republican Senate candidate Mark Curran, who believe the church should have found safe ways to have in-person masses, the cardinal said, “Religion is not magic where we just say prayers and think things are going to change. God gave us a brain and the gift of intelligence and we have to use it in this moment.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is dumping an Illinois official who’s under investigation for trying to force a state agency to give President Donald J. Trump a refund of more than $1 million on the property taxes he paid on his Chicago skyscraper eight years ago.
Mauro Glorioso, executive director and general counsel for the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, will be out of his job as of Thursday as the Trump case continues to cast a cloud over a state agency that’s also grappling with a backlog of about 90,000 tax cases.
The agency’s handling of Trump’s tax appeal — filed by the Chicago law firm of Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) — has been under investigation since November. That’s when an anonymous complaint was filed with the Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General, saying Glorioso ordered the agency to approve the $1 million payout for Trump, rejecting a staff report that found no valid reason to support the refund on the tax bill for the Trump International Hotel & Tower’s hotel and commercial space. Trump’s appeal cited vacant storefronts along the Chicago River in seeking the tax cut.
Since April, Glorioso’s staff has repeatedly placed Trump’s proposed refund on PTAB’s monthly agenda — only to have the five-member board of the state agency repeatedly postpone a decision, records show.
Go read the whole thing. And try to take a deep breath before commenting, please. Actually, maybe take two. Or even three.
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin is a former prosecutor, and that outlook on life has never really left him.
He’s not big on a lot of criminal justice reforms, even standing up to his party’s president to oppose the early prison release of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He was staunchly opposed to legalizing cannabis. I’m sure that House Speaker Michael Madigan’s highly public legal troubles grate on Durkin to no end, as they would on almost any former prosecutor.
So, even though Durkin’s petition, which triggered the creation of the House Special Investigating Committee to look into the allegations against Madigan, is steeped in the politics of the moment (for the obvious campaign reasons, but also to satisfy the demands of some of his members and some major GOP campaign donors who want him to get much tougher on Madigan, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other Democrats), I would argue that his main thrust is legitimate from his own perspective.
Even if Madigan didn’t directly engage in “conduct unbecoming a legislator,” as the petition alleges, people under his control most certainly did say and do some things that, if not all illegal, are certainly distasteful and disreputable. Madigan created this environment and yet says he cannot and should not be held responsible for those acting within the confines of that environment; and refuses to cooperate with a committee that is enshrined in the very same rules that Madigan insists must be approved by his members every two years.
Leader Durkin held a press conference last week to express his outrage that the investigatory committee’s chairman, Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside), had delayed all future hearings until after the November election.
“Citizens of Illinois must know what the single most powerful person in the state’s role is in this scandal, this ever-growing scandal,” Durkin said. “Illinois residents deserve so much better and they deserve the truth.”
“He needs to stand up and answer those questions,” Durkin quoted Gov. J.B. Pritzker as saying about fellow Democrat Madigan, then called on Pritzker to “immediately demand those answers he has been requesting from Speaker Madigan or demand that he resign immediately.”
But Durkin’s answer to the press conference’s very first question demonstrated how the demand for Madigan’s testimony is far more about putting Madigan in a bad spot than it is about an actual investigation.
Durkin was asked: “What would the speaker say that he has not already said in writing?” a question which referred to Madigan’s long, single-spaced letter denying all allegations and explaining why he would not cooperate with the committee, which he said was nothing more than a political stunt.
“Well, based on what I know,” Durkin replied, “I think the speaker at this point, the only thing you can say is that ‘I take the Fifth Amendment.’”
“This isn’t politics,” Durkin insisted later. But the Leader’s answer gave up the ghost. He essentially admitted that this demand for testimony is about political advantage and not a search for truth. Yes, I know, it’s all so very shocking. Politics in a legislative committee during an election year? My goodness, that’s simply unprecedented.
“Remember,” Durkin told reporters, “the committee’s name is the Special Investigative Committee. The committee has a duty and an obligation to investigate.”
OK, but forcing a televised spectacle where almost everyone including Durkin himself believe that Speaker Madigan will take the Fifth would be more akin to a show trial than an actual investigative hearing. Yes, such a thing would undoubtedly be immensely satisfying for everyone who despises Madigan (and that’s a very long list), but that’s about it. Durkin is doing a good job of keeping Madigan’s name out there and putting the Democrats on defense, but don’t hose down my shoes and tell me it’s raining.
The committee’s Republicans have requested documents from ComEd specifically related to testimony by the company’s compliance officer during its last hearing. Fulfilling that request should be simple and relatively quick. Chairman Welch, on the other hand, has requested what could be thousands of documents containing correspondence between the company and just about everybody under the Illinois political sun going back years. That’s the ostensible reason for the hearing’s delay, along with the claim that Republicans are playing politics. Welch says it shouldn’t take long to fulfill his request, but I still have my doubts.
Hopefully, the Republican request can be fulfilled and the ComEd documents released soon. Maybe we can get some actual substance out of this process going forward.
Ricky Renteria is a good man. I wish him well. The Sox need an experienced manager who is ready and capable of winning a World Series. Understanding pitching is essential. A guy that blends analytics with baseball savvy is the key. A former catcher. Sounds about right. But who?
* Click here for the A-1 detailing the contribution from the state’s wealthiest political contributor.
Citizens for Judicial Fairness, the main committee attempting to prevent Illinois Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride from being retained, has now reported raising a total of $2.558 million.
Justice Kilbride’s retention committee has reported raising $2.3 million.
…Adding… Press release…
Rich -
Below is a statement from Jim Nowlan on the recent contribution to Citizens for Judicial Fairness:
“Our grassroots movement to end the Madigan-Kilbride alliance on the Illinois Supreme Court is now close to leveling the playing field with the trial lawyers and liberal special interests funding Kilbride’s campaign and can effectively inform voters about Tom Kilbride’s pro-Madigan, anti-taxpayer record as a Supreme Court Justice.” - Jim Nowlan, Chairman, Citizens for Judicial Fairness
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Over the weekend, Citizens for Judicial Fairness, a coalition of advocates calling for the non-retention of Illinois Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride, launched their first ad airing across the 3rd Supreme Court District of Illinois. Additionally, the coalition launched a new website highlighting Kilbride’s ties to Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan: MadiganKilbride.com
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary and Congressman Ray LaHood, Professor and Newspaper Publisher Jim Nowlan, and former Knox County judge Harry Bulkeley, all leaders in the coalition, released the following statements on the effort to prevent Kilbride’s retention.
Secretary LaHood said, “After more than 20 years, Justice Tom Kilbride has displayed plainly that he is ‘Madigan’s Favorite Judge.’ He was the deciding vote and wrote the majority opinion killing Fair Maps, which would have taken the power away from Mike Madigan and career politicians to draw legislative districts. That decision and others came after Kilbride’s campaign received millions of dollars directly from Madigan’s Machine to remain on the Court. Kilbride has voted for Madigan time and again. It’s time to vote him out.”
Jim Nowlan added, “Make no mistake about it, Mike Madigan is on the ballot in November. By voting No on Tom Kilbride’s retention, you can vote against Madigan and against the culture of corruption that has plagued our state for decades. After taking nearly $4 million from Madigan and his allies in his last two campaigns, Kilbride knows who he owes his seat to and has judged accordingly.”
Former Knox county judge Harry Bulkeley closed, “The Chicago Machine and Mike Madigan have played puppeteer in this state for decades, but now voters have the opportunity to cut some of those strings. In my 24 years on the bench, like all judges in Illinois I was governed by the Code of Judicial Conduct. That code require judges to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Madigan’s money gives the unmistakable appearance of impropriety. Most people in the state cannot vote against Madigan but in November, voting no on Kilbride is saying no to Mike Madigan.”
* After I wrote about Eddie Van Halen the other day, I reconnected with a couple of old friends from my days living in Utah, including Art Tryon, the guy I was with when I first heard “You Really Got Me.” Daryn Tanner, my best friend from those days, helped put us together. Art posted this song on his Facebook page before we talked, so I’ll close out the week with it. And since Monday’s a state holiday, I’ll talk with you Tuesday…
The number of people who just assume that a governor, any governor, can just snap their fingers and make something happen never ceases to amaze me, particularly after the Blagojevich/Quinn/Rauner experiences.
* That assumption often comes from people who rarely or never spend any actual time with rank-and-file members of either party, let alone the super-majority Democrats. With that in mind, here’s BGA President David Greising…
If the [graduated income tax] amendment fails, Pritzker’s short-term loss might possibly be turned to the state’s advantage. He need not give up on the graduated tax entirely. Instead, a loss Nov. 3 might give Pritzker a reason to do what he should have done in the first place: pair pension reform with his graduated income tax, a combination that could win broader support.
If Pritzker does add pension reform to the mix, the state’s two battling billionaires and their millions of followers might find common ground—to the benefit of all the people in Illinois.
Yeah, OK. First tell us where you’re finding the three-fifths majority votes for this in the face of a huge organized labor revolt. Then… Actually, forget about “then.” Put it on the board, thumbsuckers.
The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) believes that progressive forms of taxation are more just and equitable, for that reason alone, we urge a Yes vote on the Fair Tax Amendment. The cumulative tax burden on Illinois’ low-income and middle-income residents is regressive, and shifting to a progressive state income tax is one step toward solving that systemic inequity. That is the opportunity on the table, we do not know when it will come again, and we should seize it.
Illinois cannot equitably recover from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racial inequalities without creating additional revenue to invest in job creation, infrastructure, education and more. One danger in not adopting the Fair Tax now is that as revenue pressures build, future tax increases will continue the pattern of placing a disproportionate taxation burden on those who can bear it least. This is an opportunity to forestall that by instituting progressive tax policies. It is also a moment to live up to our commitments to end systemic racism – the regressive nature of our cumulative tax burden hits Black and Brown communities the hardest – and again, this a real opportunity to do something tangible about it. So, vote Yes.
And then demand more. More from our leaders in Springfield, more from our 7,000+ units of government, more from the private sector and philanthropy, more from civic organizations, and more from MPC. We cannot help but feel some sense of collective shame that this – a shift to the normal mode of taxation in most of the U.S.– is the only thing on the table. We know that State and local governments have crushing pension obligations. We know we could be investing in our communities and infrastructure more wisely. We know there is more to be done about our regressive cumulative tax burden. We know the Fair Tax will relieve some burden on those that need it, but only some, as the State still needs revenue. It is a part of narrowing the racial wealth gap, but we know it is not enough. We know all these things, and yet, the table is laid with one choice. A fair and just one, but the only one. Why?
There are meaningful steps we can take to make our pension obligations more manageable, so that more of our tax revenue goes to paying for the needed government services of today, rather than the unaffordable employee benefits of yesterday. Yet that dialogue has gone cold.
The State can lean on all the school districts, townships, single-purpose districts and more to consider consolidation, shared services and other measures to bring that regressive cumulative tax burden down. Instead we have Task Force after Task Force resulting in little or no change.
We can spur growth in communities that need it by coordinating investments across and between state agencies, and reshaping the distribution of resources from the State to villages and cities throughout Illinois. But will we?
The State can adopt more rigorous selection criteria for major infrastructure projects, leading to more equitable, sustainable and economically catalytic outcomes. In recent weeks, the Governor’s Office, legislative leaders and the RTA have indicated support for this approach – let’s get it done.
And there’s more, so much more. Demand more. If the Fair Tax is the first step, what’s the next, and the next, and the next? Together those steps could create a path to recovery, racial equity, fiscal health and our collective, brighter future.
The Fair Tax is just; it just isn’t enough. It’s necessary, but it isn’t sufficient. Comprehensive reforms are needed. Instead, voters are already at the polls, being asked to support either a progressive income tax or the status quo. There’s no third option of equitable revenues plus true reform. We wish that was the case, but it isn’t. Vote Yes, because it is the right thing to do. And then hold everyone accountable, again and again, to shape that option, to chart those next steps, and to create the Illinois we all deserve.
While federal prosecutors continue their probe into the ComEd bribery scandal that implicates House Speaker Michael Madigan, a citizen hopes another avenue will hold the speaker to account.
Back in July, federal prosecutors released a deferred prosecution agreement ComEd entered into where the utility admitted it paid $1.3 million in bribes to associates of “Public Official A,” who was identified in court documents as the Illinois House Speaker. That’s been Madigan for all but two years since 1983. The utility has testified in a public hearing it paid the bribes through jobs and vendor contracts for little to no work in an effort to influence the speaker.
Thursday, in expressing frustration that the House Special Investigating Committee into Madigan’s conduct has been stalled by Democrats, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, was asked about whether the Legislative Inspector General was a possible avenue for accountability.
“I’m not aware of any complaint that has been filed by the LIG,” Durkin said. “They can make recommendations.”
Citizen Denise Rotheimer filed a complaint against Madigan in August after the revelations of the scandal a few weeks before. She was disappointed Durkin didn’t file his own complaint through the LIG as well.
“Because this is an avenue that is supposed to be for all of us in this state to hold these state officials, and elected officials, accountable, ethically,” Rotheimer said.
Back in 2016, Rotheimer exposed a multi-year vacancy of the LIG position when she testified about her stalled abuse of power complaint against a then-state Senator. There were a dozen other complaints that had not been investigated.
Rotheimer shared a confirmation letter the LIG sent notifying her they have received the complaint. It’s unclear if the LIG has been given permission by the Legislative Ethics Commission to investigate the matter and make recommendations. That commission is made of state lawmakers legislative leaders appoint.
Reform For Illinois Executive Director Alisa Kaplan said the way it’s set up right now, legislators police themselves, equating that to the fox guarding the henhouse. That’s because the LIG has to get permission from the Legislative Ethics Commission to investigate most complaints.
* I asked Durkin’s spokesperson yesterday why he hadn’t yet filed an LIG complaint…
The first step in this process is to invoke the actual House Rules that were meant to address this exact type of situation or behavior - conduct unbecoming of a legislator and breach of public trust. We have not ruled out an LIG complaint.
As first reported by National Journal, a new poll conducted on behalf of the DCCC IE in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District finds Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan leading incumbent Congressman Rodney Davis by five points, 48% - 43%. Former VP Joe Biden also leads President Trump in the district, 53% - 40%.
In 2018, IL-13 was one of the closest elections in the country with Dirksen Londrigan coming within one point – a mere 2,058 votes – of unseating Davis, and the race is considered one of the top pickup opportunities for Democrats across the country.
“This latest poll makes clear that working people in Central Illinois are ready to reject Congressman Rodney Davis’ career in Washington of looking out for himself and his special interest friends,” said DCCC Spokesperson Courtney Rice. “From his long record of voting to gut affordable health care and protections for people with pre-existing conditions to his corporate tax giveaway that hamstrung families, Davis has made it clear that he’ll always prioritize himself and his donors over his constituents.”
The DCCC has been on air in IL-13 since Labor Day. “Secret,” which is currently on air, slams Davis who twice voted against transparency for the federal loan program meant to help small businesses during the pandemic – after his own family took more than $1 million in loans. “Working For” and “Perfect Match” were previously on air and highlighted how Davis takes millions in contributions from special interests and votes their way in Washington.
The poll was conducted on behalf of the DCCC IE by Tulchin Research among 400 likely voters between October 1-6, 2020. The margin of error is +/-4.9.
President Trump won that district by 5.5 points four years ago.
* Meanwhile…
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan continues to show strength in her campaign, announcing today that she raised nearly $1.55 million in the latest FEC fundraising quarter, which ended September 30. Dirksen Londrigan outraised Congressman Rodney Davis the last three quarters, and will report more than $1.3 million cash on hand to finish out the final month of the campaign.
Dirksen Londrigan’s campaign is powered by the people, with over 85% of her donations coming in amounts of $100 or less. Betsy also refuses to accept corporate PAC money, now or when in Congress, and she will not be beholden to anyone except the voters who elect her to Congress.
That couldn’t stand in clearer contrast to Davis who has accepted more than $3 million from corporate PACs and more than $200,000 from Big Pharma corporate PACs, all while voting in their best interests rather than the interests of Central Illinois families.
* And…
Today, Rodney Davis’ campaign for Congress released a new ad titled “Shannon,” which highlights Rodney’s work to protect healthcare coverage for individual’s with pre-existing conditions and make healthcare more affordable.
The ad features Rodney’s wife Shannon, who is a registered nurse and 21-year survivor of colon cancer. She was able to receive treatment for her cancer diagnosis and live thanks to her healthcare coverage. Rodney believes that all Americans should have access to those same healthcare protections because it will save lives. This issue is personal to him.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says he’s feeling well as he finishes out the last few days of quarantine. He has been sheltering in for 14-days since September 29th when a member of his staff tested positive for COVID-19. Pritzker added that he’s been tested twice for the virus since being quarantined and both tests have come back negative.
* The Question: Have you ever been tested for COVID-19? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
* We’ve gone from “we’re testing too many people” to “we’re gonna game the system by testing more people.” Both are false claims. DeWitt/Piatt Bi-County Health Department Director Dave Remmert…
This weekend’s mobile COVID testing site should help DeWitt County increase testing and allow the County to come off the Governor’s COVID warning list.
Public Health Administrators in Region 6 are talking about possible mitigation and taking action to reduce the test positivity rate with additional testing sites.
* Once again, I asked for a response from the governor’s office. Here’s Jordan Abudayyeh…
This administration has worked around the clock to build one of the best testing programs in the nation. The goal has always been frequent mass testing, because as the experts have said, frequent testing will be able to identify symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers so they can isolate before spreading the virus for days undetected.
Testing a large population does not necessarily lead to lower positivity rates because more testing often means you will also identify more positive results.
But, testing regularly is an effective tool for identifying cases and preventing further spread and testing in communities with higher rates of skeptics is a good practice because residents who aren’t following public health guidelines are at higher risk of contracting the virus.
Officials tasked with the responsibility to keep their residents safe should not be attempting to game the system, instead they should be focused on identifying cases, ensuring enforcement of public health orders, and educating their communities on best public health practices.
UIUC is testing the same people over and over again. That’s what is causing the county’s positivity rate to look so low. But, the governor’s office says those results are not used to make any official decisions, either at the statewide or regional levels. So, if other counties somehow replicated UIUC’s system, it wouldn’t matter.
Chicagoan Don Wojtowicz worked for nearly 50 years in public service in hopes of a decent retirement. But for Don and more than 2 million retirement-age Illinoisans like him, a progressive income tax constitutional amendment up for a vote Nov. 3 threatens that retirement security.
Making matters worse: extremely biased language on the ballot that deprives Illinoisans of a fair, informed vote on the progressive tax question.
Don joined the Illinois Policy Institute and two more retired Illinoisans in a lawsuit filed Oct. 5 to challenge that language in court.
“I try to stay out of political conversations,” Don said, “But this is how I feel about it and I don’t know how anyone could feel different when you’re getting taxed and taxed, and the politicians keep lying.”
* I heard this morning that the group’s TRO motion was denied, so I checked with the attorney general’s office. Their response…
Hi, Rich.
The plaintiffs’ TRO was denied – I’ll send the order when I have it.
That was quick.
You’ll know more when I know more.
…Adding… Press release…
Vote Yes For Fairness Chairman Quentin Fulks released the following statement in response to the court throwing out the Illinois Policy Institute’s desperate and frivolous lawsuit:
“Today, our legal system agreed with what we already knew to be true – the Illinois Policy Institute’s frivolous lawsuit was nothing more than a desperate and egregious stunt to try to mislead voters and trick them into thinking the Fair Tax has anything to do with retirement income. As the court has made clear today, the Fair Tax does not tax retirement income, and will not make it any easier to do so.
“Opponents of the Fair Tax know that they have no excuse for why they’re against a tax cut for 97% of Illinoisans, and that’s why they’re resorting to desperate attacks in this campaign. We hope this ruling today settles this issue once and for all, and that opponents will stop with this outright lie.”
…Adding… Press release…
Statement of Vote Yes for Fair Tax Chair John Bouman on Failed Frivolous Lawsuit from Illinois Policy Institute:
“The wealthy special interests are desperate to avoid paying their fair share, but their latest ploy has failed. Their frivolous lawsuit was a publicity stunt meant to confuse and silence voters. The court was right to reject it.
“The fact is the Fair Tax amendment does not tax retirement income. Period. That’s why seniors and their advocates like AARP Illinois support Fair Tax reform.
“The people of Illinois are voting yes for a tax cut for everyone who makes less than $250,000, yes for new funding for schools and health care, and yes to make the very rich pay their share. The time is now: Vote yes today for a better tomorrow.”
…Adding… Press release…
A lawsuit challenging the misleading progressive tax ballot language, brought by the Illinois Policy Institute and Illinois retirees, continues to its next legal phase.
Although a Circuit Court Judge denied an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order in the lawsuit Wojtowicz, McGann, Sutherland and the Illinois Policy Institute v. Jesse White and the Illinois State Board of Elections, et al, the case is ongoing.
Austin Berg, vice president of marketing at the nonpartisan Illinois Policy Institute, issued the following statement:
“Today, the court concluded that, under the circumstances, we were not entitled to emergency relief without an evidentiary hearing. However, the lawsuit to address the misleading ballot language surrounding the progressive tax was not dismissed, and it continues to work its way through court procedures. Along with our co-plaintiffs, we expect to file a motion with the court in the near future to allow for an evidentiary hearing.
“We are committed to prosecuting our claims in court and will continue to fight for Illinois voters’ right to fair and accurate information on the ballot and in state-issued pamphlets. We look forward to our next opportunity to argue on behalf of voters and retirees.”
To obtain a TRO, you have to claim that you have a large likelihood of success. Those odds can be overcome, but it ain’t gonna be easy.
*** UPDATE *** Rep. Darren Bailey had asked the Supreme Court to reconsider and clarify its order consolidating various cases (click here and scroll down) and handing them all to a Sangamon County judge who had already ruled against him. Today, the Supremes denied the request.
* Hospitalizations and ICU admissions are again very troubling. Haven’t seen consistent numbers like those since June…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,818 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 35 additional confirmed deaths.
Coles County: 1 female 90s
Cook County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 2 males 70s, 2 female 80s, 3 males 80s
DuPage County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
Ford County: 1 male 90s
Lake County: 1 female 100+
Logan County: 1 female 50s
Macon County: 1 male 80s
Marion County: 1 female 90s
Marshall County: 1 female 90s
McLean County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s
Monroe County: 1 female 90s
Sangamon County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s
St. Clair County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Tazewell County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 2 males 80s
Warren County: 1 female 80s
Wayne County: 1 female 70s
Will County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 90s
Williamson County: 1 male 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 313,518 cases, including 8,945 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 2 – October 8 is 3.8%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 71,599 specimens for a total of 6,177,379. As of last night, 1,812 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 395 patients were in the ICU and 153 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH is now reporting separately both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website. Reporting probable cases will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions. IDPH will update these data once a week.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 26 counties in Illinois are considered to be at a warning level for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A county enters a warning level when two or more COVID-19 risk indicators that measure the amount of COVID-19 increase.
Twenty-six counties are currently reported at a warning level – Case, Christian, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, Effingham, Fayette, Henderson, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lake, Lee, Mason, Massac, Pulaski, Richland, Saline, Shelby, Union, Vermilion, Whiteside, Winnebago, Warren.
Although the reasons for counties reaching a warning level varies, some of the common factors for an increase in cases and outbreaks are associated with large gatherings and events, bars and clubs, weddings and funerals, university and college parties as well as college sports teams, family gatherings, long-term care facilities, correctional centers, schools, and cases among the community at large, especially people in their 20s.
Public health officials are observing businesses blatantly disregarding mitigation measures, people not social distancing, gathering in large groups, and not using face coverings. Mayors, local law enforcement, state’s attorneys, and other community leaders can be influential in ensuring citizens and businesses follow best practices.
Several counties are taking swift action to help slow spread of the virus, including increasing testing opportunities, stressing the importance of testing to providers, hiring additional contact tracers, working with schools, and meeting with local leaders.
After learning of an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 and visited a bar, the Whiteside County Health Department (WCHD) worked with the business and quickly alerted the community of potential exposures, helping limit spread of the virus. Additionally, WCHD provides pre-event consultations for establishments planning events that may draw larger crowds. Pre-event consultations include, educating businesses about the importance of masking and social distancing, as well as reviewing emergency rules, and guidance, and other ways to keep attendees and the community safe.
IDPH uses numerous indicators when determining if a county is experiencing stable COVID-19 activity, or if there are warning signs of increased COVID-19 risk in the county. A county is considered at the warning level when at least two of the following metrics triggers a warning.
• New cases per 100,000 people. If there are more than 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the county, this triggers a warning.
• Number of deaths. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly number of deaths increases more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly test positivity. This metric indicates a warning when the 7-day test positivity rate rises above 8%.
• ICU availability. If there are fewer than 20% of intensive care units available in the region, this triggers a warning.
• Weekly emergency department visits. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly percent of COVID-19-like-illness emergency department visits increase by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly hospital admissions. A warning is triggered when the weekly number of hospital admissions for COVID-19-like-illness increases by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Tests performed. This metric is used to provide context and indicate if more testing is needed in the county.
• Clusters. This metric looks at the percent of COVID-19 cases associated with clusters or outbreaks and is used to understand large increase in cases.
These metrics are intended to be used for local level awareness to help local leaders, businesses, local health departments, and the public make informed decisions about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do. The metrics are updated weekly, from the Sunday-Saturday of the prior week.
A map and information of each county’s status can be found on the IDPH website at https://www.dph.illinois.gov/countymetrics.
The senior member of the Illinois High School Association’s sports medicine advisory committee said Thursday that high school basketball might be possible this year if all players wear masks.
Dr. Preston Wolin said that idea is being considered by the Illinois Department of Public Health, whose COVID-19 guidelines place restrictions on high school and youth sports. As of now, basketball is considered a medium risk for virus transmission, meaning athletes can scrimmage but not compete against other schools. […]
Wolin said recent communication between the IHSA and the state has included “a draft considering allowing a basketball season to proceed with everybody being masked. As to whether there is actually an IDPH policy that has been promulgated describing this, that I don’t think I can answer.”
Asked for comment, an IDPH spokeswoman responded: “There are no updates to the guidance planned at this time.”
* IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson to his membership…
There was a report yesterday that Dr. Wolin, a valued member of the IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC), stated that IDPH is considering an IHSA proposal to play basketball in masks. I wasn’t on that call, so I can’t speak to exactly to what was said, but I believe that Dr. Wolin misspoke or was misconstrued. Internally, the IHSA is exploring every positive angle to gain acceptance from IDPH to play sports, including basketball. One of the ideas in basketball includes the possibility of wearing masks. We have passed that proposal along to our SMAC to review and provide medical feedback on. If they support that position, there is a possibility that we would ask IDPH to approve it. However, if we believe basketball can be done safely without masks, our preference remains to begin basketball in November with masks as a player option, as opposed to being mandatory.
Craig Anderson wishes to dispel the notion he and others within the Illinois High School Association don’t want certain sports to take place amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Same with the idea that the IHSA executive director and those around him aren’t willing to fight for as normal a fall athletic season as possible.
Just listen to what Anderson has to say about fall football — or a lack thereof in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My perspective is we could’ve done it safely this fall,” Anderson told The News-Gazette this week. “I do believe we could put in place the protocols that would mitigate the spread of the virus and let our students compete.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his health officials don’t seem to agree, and so high school football will join volleyball and boys’ soccer in a spring format during the 2020-21 school year.
A DeKalb County judge has again denied an appeal by local restaurant and bar owners to end the prohibition on indoor dining, citing Governor JB Pritzker’s authority during a public health crisis.
DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Bradley Waller ruled Friday on a second attempt by 10 local businesses owners to stay the governor’s order amid COVID-19 resurgence cases in Region 1, designated by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“The reality is it is what it is,” Waller said. “This statue gives the governor the authority to do what he’s doing. Whether you agree or not. He has authority for purposes of preserving public health, safety & welfare.”
My lawyer talked me out of filing suits more than once back in the day. He’s a good guy who provides sound legal counsel, even though he knows he’s leaving money on the table.
At some point, the state should consider asking for sanctions against attorneys who file lawsuits that are almost immediately (and, in this case, repeatedly) tossed out. Enough, already.
While the closing of restaurants and bars to indoor dining has received much attention, there’s a third element to the restrictions put in place for DeKalb County’s health region, and county Health Administrator Lisa Gonzalez said it’s an important one.
Large gatherings were capped at 25 people or 25% of room capacity beginning last week. Gonzalez said these gatherings can range from weddings to church to graduation parties. Gonzalez said she saw a report from within the region about a quinceanera that had multiple cases tied back to it and mentioned that youth sports at both the club and IHSA levels were sources of spread as well.
“What we’re really trying to do is encourage people to limit participation in large gatherings at this time,” Gonzalez said. “But people are going to be attending these events. We’d really encourage, with nicer weather right now anyway, they consider attending outdoor events because the studies show that when you’re indoors and the ventilation isn’t as good, the spread ends up being greater.” […]
“I can tell you early on at NIU we don’t think there was much social distancing or masking happening,” Gonzalez said. “The good news is that at NIU we’re not seeing the number of cases we were early on. That tells me they’re making different choices now.”
The top Republican in the Illinois House on Thursday called for Democrats, including Gov. JB Pritzker, to either demand that Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan answer questions before a Special Investigating Committee or resign immediately.
During a virtual news conference, Minority Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs, openly accused the investigating committee’s chairman, Hillside Democrat Emanuel “Chris” Welch, of deliberately stalling the investigation until after the Nov. 3 election, a move that Republicans warn could thwart the entire investigation.
“There is one person who is in charge, and that is Gov. Pritzker, and he is the leader of the state Democratic Party,” Durkin said. “Today I call on him to immediately demand those answers he has been requesting from Speaker Madigan or demand that he resign immediately.”
Durkin is one of three House Republicans who filed a petition calling for the investigation after Madigan was implicated in a bribery scheme involving utility giant Commonwealth Edison. In a deferred prosecution agreement filed in federal court in July, ComEd officials admitted that, over a nine-year period, they awarded no-work jobs and lobbying contracts to Madigan’s close associates in order to curry his favor for legislation that benefitted the company.
The number of people who just assume that a governor, any governor, can just snap their fingers and make something happen never ceases to amaze me, particularly after the Blagojevich/Quinn/Rauner experiences. My complaint isn’t really about Durkin, by the way. He undoubtedly knows he’s using a rhetorical device. But statements like that are just accepted whole cloth by others and it’s puzzling because it defies all history. Should the governor speak out? Yep. Should people pressure him to do so? Of course. But let’s not pretend we live in a world that doesn’t exist.
State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, the Democrat leading the panel looking into Madigan’s dealings with ComEd, fired back that Durkin is the one who must “put the political performances aside and let our investigation take its course.”
Durkin started the latest verbal volley over the simmering legislative probe with a news conference responding to Welch’s decision two days earlier to delay any further hearings in the probe until after the Nov. 3 election.
The Republican leader from Western Springs, who filed the petition that created the special investigative committee, said the stalling of its work until after the election amounted to Welch attempting to take a dive for Madigan.
“After trying to find every possible roadblock to delay this committee, be it by repeatedly misrepresenting the U.S. Attorney’s Office position and refusing to discuss subpoenaed testimony … Chairman Welch conveniently realized that he was out of excuses and pulled the plug,” Durkin said.
The Illinois House created a Special Investigating Committee in September to study whether Speaker Michael Madigan should be censured for connections to the ComEd bribery scandal. This week, the committee’s chairman, Hillside Democrat Emanuel “Chris” Welch, said the body won’t meet again until after the election. Welch complained that committee members are doing too much political campaigning around the committee’s actions.
To be clear, only two of the committee’s six members face political challenges in November — Republicans Deanne Mazzochi, of Elmhurst, and Grant Wehrli, of Naperville — but, to whatever extent they are inserting the group’s activities into their campaign messages, they are hardly alone in trying to steer its work to political advantage.
Welch and the committee’s other two Democrats have done everything possible to block efforts to subpoena the speaker to answer questions about his involvement with the ComEd case. And, when ComEd offered to provide a document it said would clarify that Madigan — identified in the federal bribery case only as Public Official A — pressed the utility to place one of his supporters on its board of directors, Welch instead asked federal investigators to release several years’ worth of documents related to ComEd and Illinois governors, House and Senate leaders and their staffs going back through the Rauner and Quinn administrations.
In a release condemning delays of the committee’s work, Mazzochi colorfully, and accurately, called this tactic “asking for the haystack after we’ve already found the needle.”
That’s her best line yet.
*** UPDATE *** Jordan Abudayyeh…
As the Governor has said, he strongly believes the Speaker should answer questions and that any opportunity to answer questions is one the Speaker should take. That being said, there is a legislative process underway and as a co-equal branch of government, members of the General Assembly have used this process before and they are capable of managing it on their own.
The Coalition to Stop the Proposed Tax Hike Amendment launched a new ad today reminding voters nothing in the Tax Hike Amendment protects retirement income from being taxed.
In the ad, 85-year-old Phyllis Barklow speaks for retirees in Illinois when she says to vote No to the Springfield Politicians who are threatening to tax retirement income.
This threat was amplified in June by Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs when he said, “One thing a progressive tax would do is make clear you can have graduated rates when you are taxing retirement income.”
As further evidence the Springfield Politicians cannot be trusted on the issue of taxing retirement income, Frerichs this week tried reversing his position, but no amount of flip-flopping can steer voters away from knowing that the Tax Hike Amendment gives Springfield Politicians a blank check to change tax rates and set as many tax brackets as they want—whenever they want, including taxing retirement income.
“Nothing in the Constitutional Amendment protects retirement income from being taxed,” said Lissa Druss, Coalition Spokesperson. “Springfield Politicians want us to trust them with our taxes when they can’t even keep their word on taxing retirement income. Retirees across the state know the Tax Hike Amendment is a direct threat to them. Retirees like Phyllis, who are living on a fixed income, will have to survive with even less if more power is granted to Springfield Politicians.”
It is important to note that of the states that have a graduated income tax, they also have a retirement tax.
They promise they won’t tax retirement income if their constitutional amendment passes, but their measure lets them increase income taxes on every group of taxpayers including retirees.
Even our state treasurer said so publicly.
The truth is nothing in the constitutional amendment protects retirement income from being taxed.
So, we could trust the politicians to be fair to taxpayers or vote no.
…Adding… Quentin Fulks at Vote Yes for Fairness…
Opponents of the Fair Tax are tripling down on an attack that’s been repeatedly called out as flat out false. Their motivation is clear — they have no excuse for why a billionaire is paying the same tax rate as a nurse or why they’re fighting against a tax cut for 97% of Illinoisans, so they’re trying to force the conversation away from what the Fair Tax is really about. Voters won’t be fooled by their deceptive tactics and lies.
He’s not wrong about almost anything until his last sentence. Not convinced of that.
Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are announcing that Region 4, the Metro East, will return to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan today, October 9, 2020 at 5 p.m. While the rate of testing in Region 4 has remained relatively stable, the rolling average positivity rate in the region has fallen from a high of 10.5 percent on August 27, 2020 to a rate of 5.8 percent today. The roll back is a result of close coordination between IDPH, local health departments, and community leaders encouraging proven and targeted mitigation efforts.
“After surpassing an 8 percent positivity average in August – later reaching a peak 7-day average of over 10 percent– Metro East leveled off between an average of 7 and 8 percent positivity for several weeks, and as of this morning, has secured the progress necessary to end the increased mitigations in Region 4,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “All of this takes place in a landscape where Illinois is continuously increasing our ability to test for and monitor this virus: we are now pushing an average of nearly 60,000 tests a day – and we surpassed 6 million tests to date. There is testing available to you if you need it. If you were potentially in contact with a COVID-19 case, if you’re feeling unwell, or if you just want to check in, you are able to get a test at no cost.”
“We are excited to see that after weeks of mitigation measures and sacrifice, Region 4 has reduced its positivity rate and can return to Phase 4,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “It takes communities working together to reduce the spread of the virus and lower the positivity rate. I want to thank Region 4 for its hard work to decrease the risk for all of Illinois.”
Region 4 — which includes Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington counties — initially moved to stricter mitigations on August 18, following three consecutive days of a rolling positivity rate above 8%. On September 2, additional mitigations were implemented after the region increased its positivity rate to a 7-day rolling positivity rate of 9.6%.
As of today, Region 4 has reached the threshold to lift mitigations following three consecutive days of a rolling positivity rate below 6.5%. Therefore, indoor dining and bar service can resume along with larger gathering sizes as outlined in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan. IDPH will continue working closely with the region to prevent another spike in cases.
The administration also continues to strengthen its nation-leading testing operation. In early May, the State of Illinois opened a community-based testing site at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis to make testing more readily available for anyone. On Wednesday, the state surpassed 6 million tests, less than three weeks after Illinois was one of the first states to cross the 5 million test benchmark. Testing remains a critical step in reducing the spread of the virus, given that a positive test result begins the contact tracing process and can prevent further spread in communities.
In addition to testing, IDPH continues to monitor each region in the state for several key indicators to identify early increases of COVID-19 transmission in Illinois, potentially signifying resurgence. Additional measures will be implemented if a region experiences an increase in COVID-19 test positivity with a simultaneous decrease in hospital capacity or increase in hospital admissions for COVID-like-illness, or if the 7-day rolling positivity rate is above 8% for three consecutive days.
Region 1, home to Rockford, Dixon and Galena, is currently operating under additional mitigations as the region continues to report a 7-day rolling positivity rate above 8%. Additional mitigations can be found online here.
A full list of mitigation measures pertaining to certain businesses and industries may be found on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) website at www.dceocovid19resources.com/restore-illinois.
“I learned last night that I have tested positive for COVID-19. Despite taking my temperature regularly and having no evidence of a fever, I experienced a mild cough and a rapid loss of both taste and smell and recognized it was important to get tested immediately.
“My staff and I have consulted with Congress’ Office of the Attending Physician for additional guidance and any staff I’ve been in close contact with will quarantine until receiving their own test results. We are also beginning the process of reaching out to any constituents I’ve met with in recent days.
“I am postponing my public event schedule but will continue conducting virtual meetings as I isolate at home. We are taking this situation seriously and will continue to serve the people of Southern Illinois while doing our best to ensure their health and safety. I will provide additional updates in the days ahead and am anxious to get back to work as soon as I make a full recovery.”
A Will County landlord wants Gov. J.B. Pritzker to modify his blanket moratorium on evictions to address tenants who were set to be evicted for nonpayment of rent before the pandemic began.
Craig Horvath, 48, of Chicago, said he is dealing with a tenant in unincorporated Lockport who has not paid rent for more than a year.
“This is incredibly unfair to me as a landlord, as my problem existed prior to anything related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Horvath said.
Horvath owns multiple properties in Cook and Will counties, he said. He said he has worked with some tenants who fell behind in rent payments because their incomes were affected by the pandemic.
The existing eviction moratorium is in effect until October 17.
Less than a week after a state mandate shuttered bars and restaurants for indoor dining in the Rockford region, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara and State Rep. Maurice West call on Gov. JB Pritzker to remove such restrictions in place due to rising COVID-19 cases.
Among closing indoor dining, the restrictions, which went into effect Oct. 3, said bars and restaurants must close at 11 p.m. The restrictions were in response to the region’s rising positivity rate, which Thursday sits at higher than 8 percent for the 11th day in a row.
Mayor McNamara and State Rep. West request the governor move Region 1 from Tier 2 mitigation status of the Restore Illinois Plan, to Tier 1 status, which would allow restaurants to maintain indoor dining capacity at 25 percent.
“As you also know, residents and businesses in IDPH Region 1 are struggling with the economic challenges brought on by COVID-19,” the letter said in part. “Now, we are seeing small businesses, and especially restaurants, bearing the brunt of the recent move to Tier 2 mitigation status of the Restore Illinois Plan.”
The Rockford region’s COVID-19 test positivity rate is moving in the wrong direction to get itself removed from the list of places required to operate under additional state restrictions.
Since additional COVID-19 mitigation rules went into effect Saturday, the region’s positivity rate has gone up instead of down. Positivity rate is a key measurement the state uses to determine whether a region can remain in Phase 4 of Restore Illinois, the state’s plan for reopening the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.
The nine-county region’s seven-day rolling average for COVID-19 test positivity was 8.7% on Sept. 30, the same day Gov. JB Pritzker announced that the Rockford region would move into resurgence status and that area businesses — specifically bars and restaurants — would be required to adhere to a new set of rules, such as closing at 11 p.m. and shutting down indoor dining and bars.
Winnebago County’s average positivity rate is 10.1 percent.
* And this is from a CDC report on an amazing success in Arizona…
The average number of daily cases increased approximately 151%, from 808 on June 1, 2020 to 2,026 on June 15, 2020 (after stay-at-home order lifted), necessitating increased preventive measures. On June 17, local officials began implementing and enforcing mask wearing (via county and city mandates), affecting approximately 85% of the state population. Statewide mitigation measures included limitation of public events; closures of bars, gyms, movie theaters, and water parks; reduced restaurant dine-in capacity; and voluntary resident action to stay at home and wear masks (when and where not mandated). The number of COVID-19 cases in Arizona peaked during June 29–July 2, stabilized during July 3–July 12, and further declined by approximately 75% during July 13–August 7. Widespread implementation and enforcement of sustained community mitigation measures informed by state and local officials’ continual data monitoring and collaboration can help prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and decrease the numbers of COVID-19 cases.
Emphasis added for obvious reasons. These mitigation measures are effective. Work the program.
Several organizations and city leaders in Champaign County wrote and signed a letter addressed to Governor JB Pritzker, D-Illinois, and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) asking to make Champaign County its own region.
If Region 6, the region Champaign County is currently in, reaches above 8% positivity rate three days in a row, mitigation efforts will be applied.
Last week, Champaign County data started to be excluded from Region 6 data to give an accurate representation of what testing is being done without the influence of the University of Illinois’s testing sites.
The region’s 7-day rolling average positivity rate [without Champaign County] is currently on the downswing, however. It peaked at 7.6 percent and declined over four days to 6.9 percent. So, maybe they’ll dodge the bullet.
We’ll know later today whether the Metro East Region 4 will escape mitigation measures. The positivity rate has been under 6.5 percent for two straight days.
* In other news…
Also, remember the jammed international terminal at O’Hare on March 15, 2020, as Americans in Europe scrambled to fly home ahead of the travel ban?
