An attorney for state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, says he’s confident a final judgment against Illinois’ new gun ban issued by a Macon County judge Friday is statewide pending an expected appeal from the state.
Gov. J.B. Pritzer enacted the ban on certain semi-automatic weapons and magazines over certain capacities on Jan. 10. Two weeks after the ban was in effect, lawsuits were filed in federal- and state-level courts.
Macon County Judge Rodney Forbes ruled the state’s gun ban and registry unconstitutional.
“The Court is bound to apply the appellate court’s holdings to plaintiffs’ identical equal protection claim in this case,” Forbes said.
From Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office…
We believe it applies to named plaintiffs only.
* We talked about this very issue in January, but it’s not quite fixed yet. If you click your back button to start a brand new search, the search page won’t accept the text input and you get kicked to another page…
looks like @Giannoulias fixed the state's LLC/corp lookup website so when you hit the back button on your browser you can return to your list of results instead of having to start a whole new search.
The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced the launch of a new webpage dedicated to keeping the public informed of the progress delivering Gov. Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program. The online dashboard offers up-to-date cumulative data on accomplishments for improving roads and bridges since the 2019 passage of Rebuild Illinois.
“Rebuild Illinois is delivering lasting, positive improvements to transportation and infrastructure throughout our state,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “Our new dashboard is a simple, effective way to share with you details on this transformational capital program in a convenient, transparent format that’s easy to understand.”
On the dashboard, the public can find information on number of projects awarded, miles and bridges improved and safety improvements completed, as well as the total amount of investment that has been made possible by Rebuild Illinois. The data can be looked up annually or by each quarter of each fiscal year, showing the impact of Rebuild Illinois on roads and bridges under IDOT’s jurisdiction as well as accomplishments on the local system overseen by counties, municipalities and townships.
The page will be updated on a quarterly basis, adding accomplishments as the year progresses.
No, Lori Lightfoot did not blame her loss on racism and gender bias
The story included a quick interview with the AP reporter whose work was being badly mischaracterized by some Rupert Murdoch news outlets to make a point that didn’t exist.
Today in another publication…
Every time I post something without explicitly mentioning it’s from that publication, I receive a chiding email. Yet, that company casually rips me off on the regular. Not cool.
* On to something more fun…
The Illinois State Museum (ISM) will celebrate the opening of its Growing Up X exhibition with a Gen-X Prom on Friday, March 10 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at its flagship facility in Springfield.
The Illinois State Museum invites guests to break out the hairspray and their best ’80s or ’90s attire. Visit the museum after hours for Gen-X Prom, a reinvented version of this high school rite of passage, including all the traditions: great music, food, keepsake photos, and prizes for best ’80s and ’90s attire.
“Whether you were prom queen or spent prom night playing Dungeons and Dragons at home, whether you went to prom in 1966, 1986, or 2016, this event is for you!” said ISM Curator of History Erika Holst. “We hope you’ll buy tickets and join us for a truly rad night.”
Tickets are $40 for ISM members and $50 for non-members and include Gen X-inspired food, non-alcoholic drinks, and sick tunes spun by local DJs. Alcoholic-beverage packages and individual beverage tickets are available for pre-purchase online or at the door.
“Buying a ticket to prom is fun with a purpose – your purchase helps the Illinois State Museum continue to put on awesome exhibits and programs,” Holst said.
Gen-X Prom is an Illinois State Museum Society fundraiser. The Society, founded in 1952, is a non-profit that supports the Museum’s programs, exhibitions, and research projects.
* Pantagraph | How Democrats can win more ‘Waffle House’ districts, from a congresswoman who did: “I think that Democrats, as a whole, we need to start winning more in Waffle House and Cracker Barrel districts,” Budzinski told me. “I mean, I’m really honored to get to represent this district, which is very classically Midwestern. It’s a big district, but it is connected by a lot of common interests, common challenges and, I think, also opportunities.”
* Axios | Millions in Illinois hit by end of enhanced SNAP benefits: Extra food assistance benefits put into place during the pandemic ended nationwide last week. The change cut monthly benefits to nearly 2 million Illinoisans — about 16% of the state — who received the aid known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
* Tribune Editorial | Carbon capture could be a boon for rural Illinois: In an ideal world, of course, emissions would stop altogether. Realistically, though, fossil fuels will be needed to produce electricity and industrial goods for decades to come. During that inevitably lengthy transition, something needs to be done to reduce their impact on the environment.
* WTTW | Childbirth is Deadlier for Black Families at Any Income, Study Finds: The nearly decade-long study from the National Bureau of Economic Research looked at births in California. The study found that babies born to the richest Black women were still more likely to die than babies born to the poorest White women.
* Pantagraph | Livingston County courthouse dispute spans more than a decade : Efforts to make Livingston County Law and Justice Center compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other accessibility statutes span more than a decade. The issues stem from an alleged breach of contract between the county and the firm responsible for the design and construction of the new courthouse, 110 Main St. But after being stuck in litigation for years and hiring new architectural firms and contractors, the county could be weeks away from settling the matter.
* WaPo | ‘Slavery was wrong’ and 5 other things some educators won’t teach anymore: A study published by the Rand Corp. in January found that nearly one-quarter of a nationally representative sample of 8,000 English, math and science teachers reported revising their instructional materials to limit or eliminate discussions of race and gender. Educators most commonly blamed parents and families for the shift, according to the Rand study.
* Sun-Times | White Sox working on ‘togetherness’ in 2023, Tim Anderson says: “For sure, we have to find that togetherness and this spring has been good,” Anderson said. “Being as one. We weren’t as one last year, and it showed in the way we played. We looked good on paper but didn’t look good on the field.”
* This is a pretty good story in Crain’s, but it fails to mention the name of Paul Vallas, who was a principal Daley budget architect back in the day…
As Chicago’s second Daley dynasty ended in May 2011, the departing regime left a gift for the new one: a pension-debt problem that had been quietly snowballing for a decade before exploding into view in the run-up to the election.
With nearly a third of the City Council following departing Mayor Richard M. Daley out the door, a bewildered cohort of freshmen council members scrambled to understand the mess they had inherited.
Unofficial election results show Vallas and Johnson had obvious bases of support, with clear room for potential growth. Vallas was strongest in the conservative white bungalow belts along the Northwest and Southwest sides and found backers along the lakefront near downtown. But it was Lightfoot who won all the city’s Black wards, while U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” García was successful in low-voting Latino wards and generated some white lakefront support. Johnson’s best showings were in progressive areas around the northern lakefront, though he also won some Black votes. […]
“I actually did well in every ward, and I don’t think Brandon won a single Black ward,” Vallas said Wednesday morning. “So I just want to point that out.”
That’s obviously why the Jesse White endorsement is so important for Vallas on many levels. Bernie Sanders-style lefties (and Sanders himself) generally don’t do well with older Black voters. Jesse White can help Vallas take full advantage of his position and fend off attacks that he’s a racist.
Veteran political consultant Delmarie Cobb said she isn’t surprised by White’s endorsement. But while White is popular, she said, it also gives Johnson an opportunity to argue that the endorsement represents “the politics of old … that got us in this mess in the first place.”
Why does the city have such fiscal problems? You can trace it back to skipping pension payments during the Daley years. And Vallas was there, mapping the path.
Even so, Johnson’s defund the police comments are undoubtedly gonna be a powerful weapon against him. And after four years of instability and upheaval, some folks are definitely looking to the past for comfort, regardless of how hazy that looking glass might be.
* Then again, speaking of older folks…
I am honored to receive the endorsement of @RepDannyDavis, my neighbor, my congressman and my friend. He is a pioneer of our movement, and a tireless advocate for our community, and I am proud to stand alongside him in the fight for a just and equitable Chicago! pic.twitter.com/UExplhjr16
Retiring Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) chose Paul Vallas, becoming the first of seven mayoral challengers to choose sides in the April 4 runoff. […]
Although Johnson no longer talks about “defunding” the police, Sawyer said he is equally concerned about Johnson’s refusal to commit to filling the 1,700 police vacancies or fully funding the Chicago Police Department’s $1.94 billion budget.
In fact, Johnson wants to cut at least $150 million from the CPD budget by reducing the ratio of supervisors to rank-and-file officers and make the shortage of officers worse by promoting 200 detectives.
“When Johnson talked about moving up detectives, I didn’t see a real plan to replace those officers. I don’t want to take more officers off the street to do that,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer said he has no doubt Vallas will get the 20% to 25% percent of the Black vote he needs to win the runoff. His only concern is how ugly and racially divisive the race might get.
Johnson, in Selma, Ala., over the weekend for the Bloody Sunday march, reported the first contribution of what’s likely to be a flood of national union money: $568,500 from the American Federation of Teachers. SEIU is expected to write a big check, too.
Vallas is hoping to get help from building trades unions that were big Lightfoot backers. Johnson’s folks are hoping to keep them neutral, with no firm indication yet whether the Chicago Federation of Labor will join in.
And Vallas may also get a flood of big business dough from execs worried about Johnson’s tax-hike plans. The $100,000 he got from Citadel COO Gerald Beeson could be just a down payment of such cash.
Meanwhile, both sides are holding their fire in their TV ads so far, sticking to positive messages. That could change after Wednesday’s scheduled debate on Channel 5, which could be a very lively affair.
* When Charlie Kirk is saying nice things about you, does that tell the rest of us something?…
Activists rallied Sunday in front of Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas’ headquarters to demand a controversial piece of history be returned to Grant Park.
They said Vallas recently promised the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans that he will put the Christopher Columbus statues back in Grant Park and Arrigo Park. Vallas has not made that statement publicly, and his campaign did not return FOX 32 Chicago’s requests for comment.
“The confusing thing is he’s saying it behind closed doors, he’s not saying it in public,” said activist Frank Coconate. “We want clarification. We don’t want to just go out there and support a guy that saying it behind closed doors because we’ve been let down in the past by [Mayor Lori] Lightfoot and other people.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois sat comfortably in an office board room high above the Loop on Monday and halfheartedly batted away the notion that he was preparing a run for the White House.
The billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune may be seen by some Democrats as the “in case of emergency break glass” candidate, one of the few prominent politicians who could stand up a White House run at a moment’s notice. Although President Biden has said he intends to mount a campaign, that has not eased Democrats’ obvious worry: the famously dilatory Hamlet on the Potomac might decide not to run for re-election at 81, and worry could turn to panic.
But while Mr. Pritzker declined to provide a yea or nay on whether he would run, he added that a last-minute swap of an understudy for Mr. Biden was “such an odd hypothetical if you ask me.”
They’re really working overtime to keep that thread alive. The “in case of emergency break glass” candidate? Who came up with that pitch?
* But this bit could’ve been written by the pitchbot author…
Late last month in the Lexington Elementary School gym in Maywood, a Chicago suburb, Mr. Pritzker unveiled his youth mental health initiative, then waited, sitting on a foldout metal chair, as each health policy expert, school official, state representative and state senator took their turn at the lectern. His security detail and black S.U.V. were at the ready behind the school, but he listened for over an hour with a wry smile on his face.
Patience, of course, is a virtue in politics, but don’t try to tell Mr. Pritzker there was a metaphor in his ability to wait out other Democrats.
“He’s notoriously slow on campaign decisions,” said Andrew Feldman, a Democratic strategist who interned on Biden’s 2008 presidential campaign and worked as part of an advance staffer team during his vice presidency. “None of this should be a surprise.”
MARGARET BRENNAN: I have a lot to get to with you. But I want to get something out of the way. New York Times has a big feature on you calling you the Democrats’ SOS candidate, saying you’re keeping your options open for a presidential run in 2024. In case Biden doesn’t run, is that true?
GOV. PRITZKER: No, I’m supporting Joe Biden. He’s running for reelection, and he’s going to get re-elected. I’m just, you know, happy that people think of me in that way. That’s certainly very flattering, but I intend to serve out my term as Governor of Illinois. […]
MARGARET BRENNAN: So do you think he needs to make it official and say he’s running so that there isn’t more speculation or people considering other options?
GOV. PRITZKER: I don’t think there’s anybody that’s serious, that’s actually considering running against Joe Biden, because he’s done such a great job.
The first Black woman hired to lead Northeastern Illinois University is on her way out from the campus on Chicago’s North Side — but not before directing serious accusations at two board members who pushed for her removal.
In an email obtained by WBEZ, NEIU President Gloria Gibson told a top state official that the university’s board discriminated against her “based on my race and gender.” Gibson also accused the two board members of trying to force her out in “retaliation” for her refusal to give scholarships to three ineligible students — including the wife of a board member.
Using her personal email account, Gibson leveled those charges in December against the then-chairman of the NEIU board, Jim Palos, and another board member at the time, Charles Serrano. In an email to Illinois Deputy Gov. Martin Torres, Gibson wrote that she had filed grievances against board members and that NEIU’s ethics officer advised her that none of the three students should get scholarships. […]
In January, the governor did not reappoint Palos to the university’s board at the end of his term. Contacted by WBEZ, Palos denied the charges that Gibson leveled in the letter, saying he and others pushed for her removal because they thought NEIU would benefit from new leadership. […]
Serrano declined to comment on the letter Gibson sent to the governor. But he told WBEZ he felt he had done nothing wrong by calling a university official on behalf of his wife, who wanted to enroll in a graduate class but was erroneously listed as an international student. He also defended trying to get scholarships for the charter school students.
Northeastern Illinois University was hardly in great shape before state budget cuts and the pandemic clobbered it. Now, it’s got a president in limbo and a board in upheaval after trustees moved to get rid of the president and the Pritzker administration began overhauling the board.
Trustees are expected to meet Monday for the first time since November to decide what’s next for a school that, having lost half of the 11,580 students it had a decade ago, is an extreme example of higher education’s fiscal challenges and a case study in how public universities are run. […]
Only 331 full-time students enrolled in fall 2021, and among recent full-time graduates, a mere 4.5% finished within four years. Fewer than 20% did within six years. Tuition doubled over the decade ended in 2016, just as public education in the state reeled under a two-year budget impasse between then-Gov. Bruce Rauner and the General Assembly, and Northeastern’s debt ratings plunged to junk status. […]
Relations began to sour when the faculty and some trustees felt [Gibson] wasn’t listening to their turnaround ideas, which included better connections with Chicago business and its job-training needs. The faculty grew frustrated with what it perceived as a lack of urgency to address the enrollment crisis and related budget shortfalls.
* Last month, faculty asked the Board of Trustees to pressure Gibson to resign. NEIU Independent…
Several faculty members voiced their concerns of mismanagement, incompetence and lack of transparency, regarding the looming deficit to the Board of Trustees. Dr. Olivia Perlow, the Department Chair Sociology, and Dr. Ashley L. Elrod, Assistant Professor of History, voiced their concerns and asked the Board of Trustees to consider pressuring President Gloria J. Gibson to resign immediately and appoint Dr. Wamucii Njogu as interim president.
At NEIU’s Town Hall Presentation on January, 24, 2023, Manish Kumar, Vice President of Finance and Administration confirmed that the university has a projected $11 million in deficit for the current fiscal year. The fiscal problem goes down to 10 years of mismanagement, declining enrollments of 50% less than pre-COVID-19 levels and reduced state appropriations. The university is considering a reorganization and restructuring plan to save $680,000. That is a saving of only 6.18% from the projected deficit. […]
Dr. Stacey Goguen, Associate Professor of Philosophy, said, “Thus, I ask you, the trustees of the university, to take action now. Let us remember, if her reorganization plan fails, she will not be here when it does. Instead, you will be left with the fallout from her bad decisions.”
Dr. Goguen confirmed a group of 160 faculty members have sent a letter to the Board of Trustees and Governor J.B. Pritzker demanded Dr. Njogu to be nominated as interim president of NEIU. Dr. Njogu already held that position in 2018 for two months, and Dr. Elrod stated Dr. Njogu is more in touch with the university’s students, processes and faculty.
Those are the words of Dr. Olivia Perlow, Sociology professor and Chair of the African American Studies Department at Northeastern Illinois University.
NEIU faculty and professors met with State Senator Ram Villivillam Tuesday afternoon to address grievances they have with the university’s president — Gloria J. Gibson — and their board of trustees over damaging cuts that have slashed departmental chairs and allegedly reinforced the school’s declining enrollment.
Dr. Olivia Perlow, who chairs two other departments on top of African American Studies, pointed toward the College of Arts and Sciences dropping from 17 to eight department chairs as a major reason why enrollment is dropping as well.
“At this very moment, we have 3,500 students going into the Spring,” Perlow said.
A financial disclosure filing from the Democratic Party of Illinois was just made public, and it confirms our worst predictions about Governor Pritzker’s involvement in our local school and library elections this April:
This $500,000.00 donation follows Prtizker’s commitment to infuse his radical ideology into our own schools and motivate Democratic “base” voters to vote in traditionally low-turnout municipal elections.
With over a dozen key school board races on the ballot across Kane County this year, we are certain that these funds will be used to prop up hyper-partisan school board candidates across Kane County who do not prioritize safety, academic excellence, and college preparedness.
Q: I want to ask you about the issue set that Democrats are running on. Your office told us you’re very focused on school board races in Illinois to make sure extreme right wing candidates aren’t dominating them. I’m wondering how strong the Republican ground operation is on things like school boards is parents rights, really something you think Democrats need to be concerned about on the national scale?
Pritzker: Well, what Republicans are trying to do is, of course, ban books in libraries, they’re trying to keep our schools from teaching Black history. They make up things about CRT in schools that just don’t exist. And so they’ve got a lot of extreme right-wing candidates, frankly, on the crazy end of things that are running and we just want to make sure that people know who they are and know not to vote for them.
Q: I want to follow up on something you said right before we took that break. You said you want to make sure people know who they are and not to vote for them. And we’re talking about Republicans, you said trying to do things like ban teaching Black history, ban books and ban CRT. You talking about people in Illinois? What are you talking about? Where’s that happening?
Pritzker: Well, you asked me about school boards. [Crosstalk] We’ve got people running at the local level. [Crosstalk] But of course, the Republicans are carrying this as a national message. And honestly, it’s something that’s offensive to most Americans. This idea of banning Black history. It’s important for people to understand the history of slavery in the United States, our entire US History, warts at all.
Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs urges people to assist with Operation Purple Heart, an unprecedented mission to return 11 Purple Heart medals to their rightful owners.
The military honors were submitted to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office for safekeeping and return as part of the Unclaimed Property program, also known as I-Cash or missing money.
Military medals are among the most difficult items to return because neither the Armed Forces nor the federal government maintains a comprehensive list of awardees.
In an effort to find the rightful owners, the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office is releasing additional information that the owners or their relatives might recognize. A thorough vetting of inquiries will occur once an electronic claim is made at www. illinoistreasurer.gov/icash.
Misrepresenting oneself in an effort to recover unclaimed property is a crime, will not be tolerated, and the state treasurer’s office will seek prosecution to the fullest extent of the law, especially with regard to military honors.
Each of the 11 Purple Heart medals was inside a bank safe deposit box. Each bank determined the safe deposit box as abandoned because the owner(s) of the box had not touched it in several years. As a result, the contents of each safe deposit box were turned over to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office.
In most cases, the conflict in which the Purple Heart was awarded, such as World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam or Desert Storm, is unclear or unknown. […]
Since 2015, the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office has successfully reunited seven Purple Hearts with their owners or heirs. It did so through an internal investigatory process, and the office is required by law to try to return unclaimed property no matter how long it takes. Private entities holding abandoned or misplaced property are not compelled to try to identify nor locate the owner.
Kenneth Wiest, turned over to the treasurer’s office in October 2019. Wiest may have lived in O’Fallon in southern Illinois, about five miles from Scott Air Force Base.
* Weekend press conference…
Mr. Wiest’s three daughters received the medal as part of Operation Purple Heart, our office’s unprecedented mission to return 11 Purple Heart medals to their rightful owners.
“This is an absolute honor. I will treasure this for the rest of my life,” said Andrea Wiest Schone. pic.twitter.com/uGwkTV8Ezt
— Treasurer Michael Frerichs (@ILTreasurer) March 5, 2023
“Army Specialist Wiest served his country, and it is our duty to honor this soldier no matter how many years have passed,” Frerichs said during a somber ceremony in Springfield with Mr. Wiest’s children.
Wiest was born in Kelly Township, Pennsylvania, on July 28, 1950. Wiest’s family moved to O’Fallon while he was a child. He graduated from Mascoutah High School in 1968, entered the Army, and was deployed to Vietnam.
Wiest died in O’Fallon on Sept. 4, 1998. He was 48.
“Dad was a good soldier, a loyal friend and dedicated father,” said Andrea Wiest Schone, the youngest of Wiest’s four children. “My brother and sisters are grateful to have these medals that honor his legacy.”
Last month, I wrote a tongue-in-cheek headline for my blog: “Poll conducted for IEA finds about 10% of Illinoisans are wackos.”
The Normington-Petts and Next Generation Strategies poll of 1,000 Illinoisans conducted in January found that 11% strongly favor “the fighting, yelling, or other contention at school board meetings that has been happening around the country.”
Ten percent strongly opposed “teaching Illinois high school students about slavery in the United States and its impacts.” Another 14% strongly opposed “teaching Illinois high school students about racism and its impact in the United States.” And 11% strongly favored “banning books from Illinois school libraries.”
But we didn’t need a scientific survey to know that “wackos” are proliferating.
Last year, then-Rep. Deb Conroy (D-Villa Park) came under attack after false and ridiculous claims were made that she sponsored a bill to forcibly round people up and lock them in internment camps for refusing to take a vaccine.
The attack was patently absurd on its face, but it was fanned by some Republican legislators and even so-called “moderates” like Republican DuPage County Board chair candidate Greg Hart, who lost to Conroy last November.
The result was, I wrote last year, “profanity-laden, disgusting, misogynistic messages from hateful and violent-sounding people.” It got so bad that Conroy closed her district office for a time, and a man was eventually charged with two felonies for making threats against her.
Conroy stood firm, but the bill as introduced died on the vine and more than 21,000 electronic witness slips were filed in opposition.
Then, the other day, Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) announced she had canceled a constituent meet and greet over threats about her own bill.
House Bill 1286 merely sets state guidelines for commercial property owners who want to construct multiple-occupancy, all-gender restrooms. The Illinois Retail Merchants Association, the American Institute of Architects-Illinois, the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, the Illinois Public Health Association, Equality Illinois, Illinois NOW and large numbers of other reputable groups filed electronic witness slips in support.
But the same usual suspects fanned the flames against Stuart’s bill. Some current legislators, Stuart’s former Republican opponent, former Rep. Jeanne Ives, and groups like Awake Illinois and the Illinois Family Institute ginned up yet another social media explosion, warning people that Stuart wanted to mandate all-gender public restrooms everywhere.
The result was “phone calls, emails filled with vile language,” to Stuart, according to a House Democratic spokesperson. None of the communications referenced the people and groups spewing the misinformation, the spokesperson said.
“There’s no specific connection other than they’re all saying the same things essentially, all using the same language as these groups are, and they’re all taking the same misinterpretation.”
Stuart “has shared everything she has” with the Illinois State Police and other local law enforcement, the spokesperson said.
So far, the number of electronic witness slips generated against Stuart’s bill hasn’t come close to the massive numbers recorded on Conroy’s legislation. (Perhaps partially because last year was an election year, and groups had been organizing around vaccines in general for years.)
But the end result is essentially the same: A legislator was forced to temporarily back away from the public because a bunch of easily manipulated, perpetually angry “wackos” got all worked up over nothing — again.
The witness slips are an incredibly useful tool for activists because the groups can track their efforts’ real-time results online. Groups all across the political and issue spectrum try to encourage people to file witness slips on the General Assembly’s website in support of or opposition to bills to show supporters, donors, the other side and legislators they have public backing.
The slips are empowering. People feel seen. They believe they’re making a difference. But the slip wars also provide a positive feedback loop for dark conspiracy theories.
And since it’s pretty easy to post one’s position online, the witness slip web pages have become an extension of social media, for good and ill. There is no identity verification required, although users do have to fill out a “captcha” box to prove they’re not a robot.
There was a time when filling out a paper witness slip made you subject to forgery laws. Maybe it’s time now for responsible groups that are committed to public involvement to sit down with legislators and come up with a solution for this.
It won’t stop all the craziness, but at least the state doesn’t have to play a role.
* NYT | The Democrats’ SOS Candidate Keeps His Options Open: Although President Biden has said he intends to mount a campaign, that has not eased Democrats’ obvious worry: the famously dilatory Hamlet on the Potomac might decide not to run for re-election at 81, and worry could turn to panic. But while Mr. Pritzker declined to provide a yea or nay on whether he would run, he added that a last-minute swap of an understudy for Mr. Biden was “such an odd hypothetical if you ask me.”
* Fox 2 | Illinois State Treasurer returns Purple Heart to family of O’Fallon veteran: Army Specialist Kenneth Wiest received the Purple Heart for his service in the Vietnam War, which included injuries suffered taking enemy fire while inside a helicopter, Treasurer Michael Frerichs said. Wiest also received a pair of Gulf War service medals for his participation in Operation Desert Storm.
* AP | Fox libel defense at odds with top GOP presidential foes: In an email a few weeks after the 2020 election, Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch described a news conference featuring Powell and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, another attorney who pushed the election lies: “Really crazy stuff. And damaging.”
* Sun-Times | Walking Man revealed: Friends who knew him as ‘Mojo’ in the ’70s share photos, stories: Mammina remembers one personal moment with Kromelis. She had taken a sudden trip to Hawaii for two weeks but Kromelis didn’t know. “I think he was worried about me,” she said. Kromelis found her at a payphone “and we ended up kissing,” she said. “It was so funny because, I mean, I had a major crush on him. But we never talked about it after that,” she said. “I’m sorry today I wasn’t bolder, because I would’ve followed him anywhere.”
* Freshman Rep. Nabeela Syed (D-Inverness) was asked recently by former Rep. Mike Zalewski whether she’d had any moments when she thought that maybe she shouldn’t have run for office…
I remember after the assault weapons ban passed. I didn’t vote on that. That was before I was inaugurated. And I got some messages, some letters that not only I got, but my future colleagues were getting, requesting me to burn my hijab, and they were related to the assault weapons ban. And I was looking at that, you know, they were, on one page, they were talking about how we shouldn’t support the assault weapons ban, and on the other page, they’re talking about how Nabeela Syed should burn her hijab. And that was a moment where I was like, you know, maybe I signed up for this too quickly in life. [Laughs.] But I think it comes with the job. And it was nice to get that early on because I’ve gotten some more stuff since and it’s been easier to kind of shrug it off because someone told me to burn my hijab even before I was here. [Laughs.]
She has a heckuva spirit.
* IDPH…
The department is reporting 10,772 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois in the week ending February 26, and 52 deaths. … As of last night, 921 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 113 patients were in the ICU and 41 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Amazon.com Inc. is pausing construction on its sprawling second headquarters near Washington, a decision that coincides with the company’s deepest ever job cuts and a reassessment of office needs to account for remote work.
* Press release…
Vallas for Mayor is announcing its second key endorsement of the runoff campaign, this time earning the support of former Chicago School Board President, State Board of Education Chairman and mayoral candidate Gery Chico. Chico joins legendary former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White in endorsing Vallas and reflects the growing consensus that Paul Vallas is the right choice to be Mayor.
“Paul Vallas is unequivocally the most qualified candidate to be mayor,” said Chico. “Throughout his time in city government and leading our public schools he has taken on tough challenges and delivered real results for the people of Chicago. I know Chicagoans will make the right choice on April 4th.”
Vallas and Chico worked closely together during their years of collaboration as CEO and Board President of Chicago Public Schools. That collaboration resulted in increased student test scores, labor peace with no teacher strikes, expanded enrollment by over 33,000 students and almost $1 billion in surplus for the district.
“When Gery Chico and I worked together at Chicago Public Schools we raised test scores, built new schools in underserved neighborhoods and created what President Bill Clinton at the time called a national model for public education,” said Vallas. “We’re building a broad coalition in this campaign and with leaders like Jesse White, Gery Chico and more standing beside me, I feel very proud of the team we are putting together.”
Longtime Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) is backing Paul Vallas in the mayoral runoff.
The alderman told Block Club he plans on formally backing Vallas at a campaign event Saturday. The endorsement comes after Burnett’s mentor, former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, endorsed Vallas on Thursday.
When Frank Sinatra sang in Chicago, he’d often dine afterward at Gene & Georgetti, a white-tablecloth steakhouse in River North.
Sinatra would come to dinner after hours in search of privacy, said managing partner Michelle Durpetti, whose family has operated the restaurant since 1941. Though no plaque at the oxblood leather booth commemorates Sinatra’s years holding court there, the table is in demand from those in the know, Durpetti said. So is the booth next to it, which has hosted many famous diners, including Sting, Nat King Cole and members of Fleetwood Mac.
Now, Gene & Georgetti has found a way to capitalize on those starry legacies. Diners eager to guarantee a meal at either booth can pay to reserve their spot on a booking platform called Tablz, a Toronto-based startup that allows restaurants to charge fees for desirable tables.
Maybe Saputo’s could charge extra for a certain booth in their restaurant?
* Crain’s | After 2024 buzz, Pritzker reportedly named to Biden re-election advisory board: In addition to the three state executives, the Post reports that the group will also include other Dem politicians who, alongside Pritzker and his peers, will coordinate on a bevy of 2024 campaign issues and act as surrogates in the runup to what’s expected to be another raucous national race.
* Daily Herald | A flurry of filings as SAFE-T Act fight heads to state Supreme Court: Among those weighing in was Chicago Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #7, which called the SAFE-T Act “a recipe for increases in crime, recidivism, dysfunction in the criminal prosecution system, and danger to police officers and the communities they serve.”
* Politico | The 23-year-old ready to take on Illinois: Enter Nabeela Syed — the youngest Democrat in the Illinois state House — who broke barriers when voters overwhelmingly voted to send her to Springfield. At just 23 years old, Syed, the daughter of Indian immigrants, became the first Muslim woman to win a General Assembly seat and did so by flipping a district held by two-term GOP state Rep. Chris Bos. She’s one of two new youngest lawmakers in the Assembly.
* NPR Illinois | Illinois offers guide explaining reproductive rights under state law: The guidance covers scenarios and examples of discrimination in a variety of settings, including in the workplace, housing, health care, schools, retail and service establishments, and other public accommodations. It is intended to help Illinois residents, employers, housing providers, and the business and health care communities better understand their rights and responsibilities concerning reproductive autonomy and how to avoid engaging in discrimination.
* Tribune | Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s signature Invest South/West program is 3 years old. But some of its big projects were already planned when she took office.: Some of the largest investments were already on the launchpad when Lightfoot took office. Others were for standard repairs to existing buildings. And many of the projects are still in the conceptual phase and have not even begun to be built. Of the more than $750 million that the city counts as part of the public spend for Invest South/West, more than half has been allocated toward those kinds of expenditures rather than new or groundbreaking projects, the Tribune found.
* SJ-R | Windy, rainy conditions causing power outages in central Illinois: The outages have come about thanks to a large, dynamic storm system moving through much of the state, bringing with it severe weather. The National Weather Service in Lincoln said that 0.92 inches of rain have fallen in Springfield since the storm began, with 1.5-2 inches on the way once the storm ends.
* WGEM | Several local Illinois fire departments and EMS providers awarded grants: The program provides grants up to $26,000 for the purchase of small firefighting and ambulance equipment. 296 applications were received for this grant period and 64 fire departments and EMS providers were awarded across the state. Seven local departments were selected as recipients.
* The American Prospect | The Useful Idiots Fueling the Right-Wing Transphobia Panic: Many centrist and liberal journalists are doing the same thing, only in a passive-aggressive fashion. The repeated front-page investigations in The New York Times over the past year are, just like Reed’s article, based almost entirely on anecdotes—some of them from openly transphobic organizations that are not identified as such—rather than actual studies, which have overwhelmingly found that transition is quite rare, detransition relatively unlikely, the regret rate of gender affirmation surgery low, and treatment difficult and expensive to access.
* WREX | ‘House Hunters’ television show episode features Rockford: The IMDb synopsis of the episode reads: “A young couple looks to buy their first home together after relocating for work to Illinois. He’s looking for a newer ranch-style house with a big yard, but she’s hoping for an older Craftsman with unique details.”
* Herald-Whig | ‘You definitely can grow ginger in Illinois’: “It’s just another crop that farmers are adding to their palette of fruits and vegetables they sell and offer to their customers,” he said. “If we’re able to offer a local source, it’s going to become more a part of our diet.”
State Senator Doris Turner has introduced a measure that would create a commission to develop a new Illinois state flag.
“After more than 100 years of the same design, I think it’s time to rework it,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “I’d like to see us take a community approach to create a new design for Illinois’ official state flag.”
Senate Bill 1818 would create the Illinois Flag Commission to develop new state flag designs. The commission would make recommendations to the General Assembly deciding whether the current state flag should be replaced with a redesigned state flag by Sept. 1.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources explains Illinois’ state flag history. There have been two official state flags – the first was adopted in 1915. The second was adopted in 1969, which did not change the original design of the flag but added “Illinois.”
In 2021, Utah passed a similar law creating the Utah State Flag Task Force which provided design toolkits to libraries, schools and other institutions. The task force received around 7,000 flag designs and over 44,000 public comments. According to Utah’s Department of Cultural and Community Engagement, students, educators, families and more were invited to participate in the process of choosing Utah’s new state flag.
“This initiative would promote public involvement and embody civic pride for our communities and state,” Turner said. “For years, Illinois was seen as fiscally irresponsible. We have turned that around and returned Illinois to the great state it is and our flag should reflect that.”
Senate Bill 1818 is assigned to the Senate State Government Committee.
* Old Utah state flag…
New Utah state flag…
My family lived in Utah for a couple of years, so it has a special place in my heart. I do like that flag. More here.
* So, what do you think? Has the time come to set up a commission like Utah did and replace this flag?…
Today Governor JB Pritzker visited Streamwood High School in Elgin to highlight a new teacher pipeline initiative aimed at addressing chronic shortages in the state’s most understaffed districts. The proposed Teacher Pipeline Grant Program will direct $70 million per year over the next three years to the 170 school districts with the greatest need to fill teaching positions.
“When it comes to our kids, we can always do more. And when that comes to our schools, that means not just more funding, but more resources — and most crucially, more educators,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “All across the nation, school districts are fighting the impact of teacher shortages — as education professionals struggle to weigh their passion for their classrooms with their own mental, financial, and personal wellbeing. So as part of my education investment plan, I’m proposing an additional $70 million annually specifically targeted at addressing teacher shortages.”
Governor Pritzker was joined by, Dr. Tony Sanders, who began his tenure as state superintendent on Feb. 23. He previously served as the superintendent of School District U-46, which is based in Elgin and is the second largest school district in Illinois, for nearly a decade. […]
The Teacher Pipeline Grant Program will allow districts maximum flexibility to use the funds in innovative, creative, and evidenced-based ways, such as offering signing bonuses, housing stipends, down-payment assistance, or loan repayments; paying tuition and fees or providing residencies or apprenticeships; and sustaining current teachers by providing materials, supplies, coaching, and school culture supports.
ISBE will also utilize $6 million in federal funds to procure a multimedia advertising and marketing firm to develop and implement a statewide teacher recruitment campaign. […]
However, teacher shortage data recently released by ISBE show that Illinois schools reported 3,558 unfilled teaching positions as of October 2022; these unfilled teaching positions are concentrated in high-need subjects and in under-resourced schools. The vacancies in the 170 districts targeted for the Teacher Pipeline Grant Program account for 80 percent of all unfilled teaching positions and affect 870,000 students.
This announcement comes as the Illinois Education Association released a study showing concerning numbers of teacher and education employee shortages.
Additionally, 83% of Illinois schools are underfunded, and these concerns could potentially impact student performance.
“Persistent vacancies in under-resourced schools still exist, and we need to do something about it now,” said Tony Sanders, state superintendent of education.
The study also showed Illinois residents support policy changes to help turn things around, including changing the pension system, loan forgiveness for educators and higher pay. […]
Right now, there are 3,500 open teaching positions across the state.
* Last month, the governor signed four bills addressing the teacher shortage. SJ-R…
Pritzker announces new proposal to address shortage of teachers. […]
The four bills mostly deal with making it easier to hire and keep substitute teachers in classrooms. The first of the four, HB 4246, was sponsored by Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur. The bill lowers the fee for reinstating a lapsed teaching license from $500 to $50. […]
SB 3907, shifts the number of days a short-term substitute can teach in a row from five to 15. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, was passed unanimously and goes into effect immediately, though it does only apply in the event of a disaster declaration. […]
A third bill, HB 4798, removes a requirement that substitute teachers have a bachelor’s degree and instead requires that subs have 90 credit hours of college education. This is roughly equivalent to two years of a four-year degree or a completed associate’s degree. […]
SB 3988 lowers the minimum age for paraprofessionals from 19 to 18 years old.
* Pritzker during today’s press conference…
Before I take any questions, if we have any, I just wanted to acknowledge a group that hasn’t gotten a lot of acknowledgement yet today. And that’s the parents out there that support teachers. There are so many parents who really do care about the teachers and know how important the work is that you do.
I know there’s a loud minority out there of folks who want to attack teachers, frankly, with misinformation and other things. And I think it’s important for us just to acknowledge that parents want what’s best for their children, there’s no doubt about it. And I appreciate very much all the parents out there who know how important teachers are, and who are willing to stand with us in investing in the existing teachers, as well as our teacher pipeline.
* I think a big part of the answer to this Injustice Watch reporter’s observation is probably the “defund the police” topic…
Interesting how Gov Pritzker is still on the sidelines of the Chicago mayoral election. The state’s most powerful and most popular Democrat won’t say who he’d vote for, even though there’s a progressive choice — that’s how Pritzker describes himself too — and then there’s Vallas.
The issue polls horribly, and for good reason. There’s also Johnson’s various tax hike proposals and whatever else might be out there. Not to mention that Pritzker and Jesse White have been staunch political allies going back at least to Pritzker’s first bid for governor, and White, a CTU member himself, endorsed Vallas yesterday.
* On the other hand, Paul Vallas regularly and disturbingly cozies up to folks on the far right. “After listening to Shannon Adcock’s speech, I think she should run for governor,” Vallas says in this video. Awake Illinois has called the governor a “groomer” and the governor is currently battling against the group’s school and library board candidates…
In March 2021, @PaulVallas suggested Awake IL President @Shannon_A_IL run for Governor during a Reopen Schools Rally.
* And here Vallas is agreeing with the pointy wires guy that teaching Black kids about racism will push them into a life of crime…
A reminder of who Paul Vallas is. He will cut pensions, destroy schools, and hang with dangerous racists. In fact, he and his right wing friend here think being anti-racist is causing crime. Don’t believe me, just listen: pic.twitter.com/qduxPnIO8R
You may recall that a different Wirepoints official spoke at a Downstate secessionist convention last year, but Vallas regularly recommends Wirepoints as a good information source, even though quite a bit of their arguments have been debunked.
* Vallas also loves fellow Greek-American and Indiana resident John Kass, who regularly launches over the top attacks on Pritzker, and who Vallas vigorously defended against claims of antisemitism.
* The Question: Should Chicago resident JB Pritzker endorse either of the mayoral candidates or stay on the sidelines? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
A new bill in the Illinois House aims to stop schools from working with police to issue students tickets for minor misbehavior, a harmful and sometimes costly practice that many districts have continued despite pleas to stop from the state’s top education officials.
An investigation by ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune revealed last year that school-based ticketing was rampant across Illinois, with police writing citations that can result in a fine of up to $750 for conduct once handled by the principal’s office. […]
The new legislation, introduced last month, would amend the state’s school code to make it illegal for school personnel to involve police to issue students citations for incidents that can be addressed through a school’s disciplinary process. […]
Ford’s legislation deals only with school tickets, which are issued for civil violations of local laws and often are adjudicated in administrative hearings. The bill is not intended to stop police from arresting students for crimes. It would also not prevent schools from seeking restitution from students for lost, stolen or damaged property.
* The proposal was referred to Senate Assignments on February 28. From WICS…
The Illinois Constitution could be seeing some changes.
A proposed amendment would see all gender-specific language change to gender-neutral terms.
This Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment (SJRCA) would allow the State to be more inclusive.
Phrases such as “governments are instituted among men” have been included since as early as 1970.
Senate Bill 2211 would restrict grocery stores from providing or selling plastic or paper bags to customers. […]
Senator Mary Edley-Allen sponsors the bill and said that they have been working on this for quite some time.
“I don’t know, I just think, wouldn’t it be a lovely sight to not see these bags hanging from tree limbs after there’s a big storm and a big wind? It seems like they’re just everywhere after the fact,” said Senator Edler-Allen.
She also said that a big reason why it has not passed yet is because of the inclusion of paper bags.
Though paper bags are more of a rarity, citizens have told lawmakers that they want to keep at least one of the two.
* SB2193 was assigned to Senate Executive on Feb. 28. From WIFR…
Illinois brew pubs may soon have a new way to increase their business after a bill that would allow them to ship their suds to remote customers was filed Thursday.
Senate Bill 2193 creates the “Brewer Shipper’s License” that mirrors the permit that lets winemakers ship their products to customers in other states using third-party delivery services like DHL, FedEx, and UPS.
Reed Sjostrom, co-founder of Prairie Street Brewing Co. in Rockford, says says if the bill becomes law, it will mean more sales and an opportunity to promote the Forest City.
“I think it will be huge to be able to represent Rockford and our brewery outside of our area,” Sjostrom said. “And if we can ship beer to all the states that can legally accept alcohol shipping, we can start sending beer to so many more people. And so many more people will know about our brand and our wonderful city.”
State Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, has introduced a bill that would prohibit auto insurers in the state from considering consumer credit information in setting rates. After a Feb. 28 hearing, the bill was sent to a subcommittee, a signal that it may not be considered by the full House this term.
If the measure were to pass, Illinois would join five other states that ban or limit insurance companies’ use of credit scores in determining policy rates. Outside of those states the practice is common; Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO), which created the concept of credit-based insurance scoring, estimates that 95% of auto insurers use credit-based insurance scores as a factor in setting premiums.
* HB29 was assigned to the House Judiciary Criminal Committee Tuesday. Here’s KHQA…
Illinois State Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat, filed a bill that would create the offense of parental bullying.
Under House Bill 0029, a parent or legal guardian of a minor commits parental bullying “when he or she knowingly and with the intent to discipline, embarrass, or alter the behavior of the minor, transmits any verbal or visual message that the parent or legal guardian reasonably believes would coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to the minor.”
The bill states parental bullying would be classified as a petty offense.
If convicted, a fine would be imposed and a portion of the fine would be placed in escrow for the purchase of a certificate of deposit for use by the victim when he or she attains 18.
Efforts are underway to help improve literacy and add classes to Illinois public schools.
State Representative Amy Elik of Alton says one way to help kids learn how to read is to go old school and teach phonics. She is supporting legislation that requires phonics to be taught to kids.
“In education when you look back over a number of decades, there are things that work and suddenly they change. And I think there is always these new methods of instruction out there and are worth trying, it’s also important to recognize what works and to go back to it if need be.”
There’s also a proposal requiring high school juniors and seniors to take a course on personal finance. Another bill mandates a course on recognizing the signs of anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses.
* Check out the politically diverse House sponsorship of HB3203…
Rep. Tony M. McCombie - Wayne A Rosenthal - La Shawn K. Ford, Will Guzzardi and Michael J. Coffey, Jr.
Amends the Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction Act. Provides that a pharmacist may sell fentanyl test strips over-the-counter to the public to test for the presence of fentanyl, a fentanyl analogue, or a drug adulterant within a controlled substance. Provides that a county health department may distribute fentanyl test strips at the county health department facility for no fee. Amends the Drug Paraphernalia Control Act. Provides that “drug paraphernalia” does not include equipment, products, or materials to analyze or test for the presence of fentanyl, a fentanyl analogue, or a drug adulterant within a controlled substance.
Florida Sen. Jason Brodeur (R-Lake Mary) wants bloggers who write about Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, and other members of the Florida executive cabinet or legislature to register with the state or face fines.
Brodeur’s proposal, Senate Bill 1316: Information Dissemination, would require any blogger writing about government officials to register with the Florida Office of Legislative Services or the Commission on Ethics.
In the bill, Brodeur wrote that those who write “an article, a story, or a series of stories,” about “the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, a Cabinet officer, or any member of the Legislature,” and receives or will receive payment for doing so, must register with state offices within five days after the publication of an article that mentions an elected state official. […]
Failure to file these disclosures or register with state officials, if the bill passes, would lead to daily fines for the bloggers, with a maximum amount per report, not per writer, of $2,500. The per-day fine is $25 per report for each day it’s late.
The nation’s second-largest pharmacy chain confirmed Thursday that it will not dispense abortion pills in several states where they remain legal — acting out of an abundance of caution amid a shifting policy landscape, threats from state officials and pressure from anti-abortion activists.
Nearly two dozen Republican state attorneys general wrote to Walgreens in February, threatening legal action if the company began distributing the drugs, which have become the nation’s most popular method for ending a pregnancy.
The company told POLITICO that it has since responded to all the officials, assuring them that they will not dispense abortion pills either by mail or at their brick-and-mortar locations in those states.
The list includes several states where abortion in general, and the medications specifically, remain legal — including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas and Montana. For example, Kansas’ law that patients only obtain the pills directly from a physician is blocked in court.
I reached out to Walgreens this morning and found out that this decision does not apply to Illinois, where the company continues to seek certification to dispense the medication. “We have only indicated we won’t dispense in the 20 states that their AGs signed the letter to us on Feb 1,” texted Fraser Engerman, Walgreens’ Senior Director of External Relations.
* It will apply to these states, according to CBS News…
In addition to Missouri, the attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and West Virginia signed the letter.
* Gov. Pritzker sent a message to the company last night…
Women across the nation will be denied their right to access healthcare they are legally entitled to because of this awful corporate decision. @Walgreens must rethink this policy.
To all the other pharmacy providers, we’ll stand with you so you can provide this lifesaving care. https://t.co/8i65lRLxsT
Pritzker’s office reached out to Walgreens last night, asking to schedule a meeting for today to discuss the issue, though they are still nailing down the exact time, Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh told Crain’s. Walgreens declined to comment about the meeting.
*** UPDATE *** AG Raoul..
Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following statement regarding the availability of the medication abortion drug mifepristone at Walgreens stores throughout the United States.
“My office has advocated historically to ensure that Walgreens and other pharmacies dispense proven-safe medications for abortions. I understand that the legal landscape around abortion is uncertain and shifting every day. In fact, some states have laws on the books, have proposed legislation or pending litigation that create challenges for expanding medication abortion access. Today I had the opportunity to speak directly with the global chief legal officer at Walgreens, as a company headquartered in Illinois, and I was assured that where Walgreens can legally and operationally dispense mifepristone, its pharmacies will continue to do so. Their commitment included the state of Illinois, where more than half of abortions are medication abortions. I encourage the other major pharmacies and medication abortion distributors to make a similar commitment, and provide mifepristone everywhere it is legally allowed.
“I commend Walgreens for seeking certification to dispense mifepristone in stores, despite the FDA’s onerous and overly-burdensome process. Mifepristone has been used safely and effectively for decades more than 5 million times in the United States, which is why I and 11 other state attorneys general have filed a federal lawsuit in Washington to request the FDA lift the unnecessarily stringent restrictions that apply to mifepristone. We are pleased that more states will be joining our coalition. Ample evidence has shown that mifepristone is safe with fewer serious side effects than common drugs like Tylenol or Viagra, which are not subject to the same FDA restrictions. Mifespristone, a medication doctors recommend as the ‘gold standard’ for administering medication abortion, should not be classified the same way as fentanyl.
“My concern first and foremost is ensuring Illinois remains a reproductive health care oasis in the Midwest. As we are surrounded by states attempting to restrict access to abortion, including to mifepristone, I am committed to working beyond Illinois’ borders to protect access to safe abortion medication.”
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Thursday filed a brief defending Illinois’ assault weapon ban, arguing the weapons restricted by the newly enacted law aren’t commonly used for self-defense and that large capacity magazines are accessories — not “arms.”
It also argues the country’s founding fathers owned guns that could only fire a single shot before reloading — proving assault weapons and large capacity magazines weren’t in “common use” when the Constitution was ratified.
“The assault weapons restricted by the Act are not commonly used for self-defense; by design and in practice, they exist for offensive infliction of mass casualties,” the brief states.
It also argues the term “arms” refers to weapons and not “accessories,” and that large capacity magazines are therefore not protected under the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms.
Those are among the key arguments in a 72-page brief filed by Raoul, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly in the Southern District of Illinois — in response to challenges to the ban in four federal lawsuits that were consolidated on Feb. 24.
* What follows is the brief’s table of contents, which will give you the highlights. But click here for the whole thing…
Even if Plaintiffs meet their textual burden, history and tradition allow regulating these weapons and accessories
Large capacity magazines are not “arms”
Neither large capacity magazines nor assault weapons were in common use when the Second and Fourteenth Amendments were ratified
The Act restricts weapons and accessories not commonly used for self-defense today
1. The restricted weapons are for war—not individual self-defense
2. Sales and ownership numbers do not show commonality or use
The Act responds to dramatic technological changes and unprecedented societal concerns
There is a historical tradition of regulating dangerous and unusual weapons associated with increased criminality and violence
1. From the Founding Era through the 19th century, legislatures enacted categorical restrictions on dangerous and unusual weapons, including specific firearms 43
2. This tradition continued when 20th century legislatures regulated machine guns and assault weapons
The Act is relevantly similar to historical regulations
1. The Act’s minimal burden on the right to self-defense is equivalent to, or less than, comparable historical regulations
2. The Act’s justifications are the same as historical analogues, but even more compelling 58
3. Plaintiffs’ attempts to distinguish the Act from the historical tradition of regulating dangerous and unusual weapons will fail
Argue away, but do your utmost to keep the conversation civil. Thanks.
* Capitol News Illinois | One year after Madigan’s indictment, former House speaker’s allies prepare for trial: The anniversary comes roughly two years after Madigan’s fellow Democrats forced him to cede the title of longest-serving speaker of any legislature in U.S. history. His ouster in January 2021 was followed by his resignation from both the House seat he’d held since 1971 and as chair of the state Democratic Party he’d molded in order to further consolidate power.
* WAND | IEA: Retirement age forcing teachers out of Illinois: The General Assembly passed a measure a decade ago requiring teachers who were hired after 2011 to work until age 67 before they can collect full retirement benefits. IEA President Kathi Griffin says the age requirement forces teachers to either find another career or leave the state.
* Bloomberg | Chicago’s Next Mayor Must Have a Plan to Tackle the City’s $34 Billion in Pension Debt: The city has long struggled with pension debt and chronic structural deficits. With about one out of every five budget dollars going to pensions, there’s less money available for crucial services like policing. This comes as the city struggles with rising crime, a key issue that contributed to Lightfoot’s loss. Both Vallas and Johnson have promised to make the city safer and more equitable for residents but differ on how to fund their plans.
* Jim Dey | ‘It’s just politics’? Maybe that’s one of Illinois’ problems: Get ready to hear that defense raised as four alleged ringleaders of the Commonwealth Edison bribery conspiracy prepare for their mid-March trial while former House Speaker Michael Madigan seeks dismissal of charges against him.
* Michael Frerichs | Climate change poses financial risks. Why would officials want investors to ignore that fact?: That ongoing risk and reward analysis is what the investment industry is all about. That’s why there are whole subfields of analysts who study the short- and long-term horizon of the economy, the fluctuations of specific industries and the growth prospects of individual companies. And as part of that responsibility, institutional investors, such as large asset managers running mutual funds or state treasurers managing public funds, are legally required to identify risks that can pose material harm to returns.
* Tribune | Chicago police union President John Catanzara faces election challenge: Elected in 2020, former CPD officer and firebrand Catanzara helped secure a long-awaited raise for officers during his first term. But as a loud and often confrontational union figurehead who traded verbal jabs with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Catanzara has faced criticism for souring relationships with city leaders and making controversial statements.
* Press release | Rep. Ann Williams Selected as NCEL State Lead for Illinois : State Representative Ann Williams, D-Chicago, has been named the 2023-2024 Illinois State Lead for the National Conference of Environmental Legislators. In this role, Williams will serve as Illinois’ liaison to the leading national organization of state legislators focused on environmental issues, clean energy policy and growing the green economy.
