Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Crain’s…
* FOP President John Catanzara says it was a legit shooting and that COPA wants to pit the “community against the police department”… * FYI…
* Here’s the rest…
* Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor announces reelection bid; will face at least 3 challengers: With three candidates — former Mayor Sam Cunningham, Miguel Rivera and Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward — having announced their plans to run to be Waukegan’s next chief executive, incumbent Mayor Ann Taylor is making her reelection bid official. […] Proud of increasing the city’s revenue approximately $32 million without hiking property taxes the past three years, Taylor said she wants to continue what she considers a good stewardship of the city. Four years is not sufficient to achieve long-term goals, she said. * AP | Librarians fear new penalties, even prison, as activists challenge books: When an illustrated edition of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” was released in 2019, educators in Clayton, Missouri needed little debate before deciding to keep copies in high school libraries. The book is widely regarded as a classic work of dystopian literature about the oppression of women, and a graphic novel would help it reach teens who struggle with words alone. But after Missouri legislators passed a law in 2022 subjecting librarians to fines and possible imprisonment for allowing sexually explicit materials on bookshelves, the suburban St. Louis district reconsidered the new Atwood edition, and withdrew it. * Tribune | Zombie malls and other retail centers getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times: Builders have built or plan to add hundreds of apartments at malls in Vernon Hills, Skokie and Aurora. The idea is that residents will have an affordable home with quick access to shopping, restaurants, gyms and things to do, while municipalities will get increased property taxes. The target audience for these developments often is young single workers, new families, or older empty nesters who want convenience and flexibility. * Crain’s | At City Hall, a progressive crusader steps into the chief of staff role: Cristina Pacione-Zayas, or CPZ, as you’ll hear around the fifth floor of City Hall, was appointed as Mayor Brandon Johnson’s new chief of staff at the beginning of this month. Before her promotion, she served as Johnson’s deputy chief of staff. In that role, her acronymic moniker became well known in part as she took the helm of the city’s migrant response — a task that raised her profile while also making her a lightning rod as the Johnson administration struggled to deal with the influx of asylum-seekers being bussed in from Texas. * Crain’s | Workers at a Chicago Trader Joe’s seek union representation: Employees at the 3745 North Lincoln Ave. location filed a petition yesterday to hold an election with the National Labor Relations Board to be represented by Trader Joe’s United, an independent union of Trader Joe’s workers. If the push is successful, the Lincoln Avenue location would be the fifth unionized Trader Joe’s nationwide. * Sports Media | Men’s Final Four viewership up slightly; both games trail Iowa-UConn women: Saturday’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament national semifinals averaged a combined 6.0 rating and 12.84 million viewers across TBS, TNT and truTV — down 2% in ratings but up 4% in viewership from last year on CBS (6.2, 12.34M). The games averaged a 21 share, tying 2001, 2015 and 2022 as the highest since 1998. … This year marks the first time in recent memory — if not ever — that the men’s Final Four was not the most-watched sporting event of the week in which it took place. * Crain’s | Art Institute lands another large donation: The John D. and Alexandra C. Nichols Family Foundation is donating $25 million to the Art Institute of Chicago to support campus and visitor-center upgrades. Alexandra Nichols, an Art Institute trustee, and her late husband John Nichols, who ran Illinois Tool Works and previously served as chairman of the museum’s board of trustees, have donated nearly $50 million to the Art Institute over time, including funding the Nichols Bridgeway, which connects the Modern Wing of the museum over Monroe Street to Millennium Park. * Block Club | Northwest Side Job Training Program Helps Students With Developmental Disabilities Succeed After High School: When Gerald Kelleher started interning at Eli’s Cheesecake Company, he was filled with nerves. Now, the 17-year-old is a pro at boxing cheesecakes and was able to land his first job. Kelleher was one of four Project Wright Access graduates honored Thursday during a ceremony at the Eli’s Cheesecake facility. Started in 2022, the Project Wright Access program teaches Chicago teens who have developmental disabilities about the workforce and helps them find jobs. * SJ-R | 3 a.m. liquor sales coming to an end at Sangamon County bars this summer: Bars operating outside of Springfield in Sangamon County will soon no longer be able to sell alcohol after 1 a.m. In a split vote 21 to 5, the present 26 members of the Sangamon County Board voted to amend the county’s liquor code, eliminating the sale of alcohol after one in the morning for any business operating within the Sangamon County Liquor Ordinance.
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First, a total eclipse, then a cicada-geddon
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the U of I Extension office in February…
* “Hyper-sexual ‘zombie cicadas’ that are infected with sexually transmitted fungus expected to emerge this year”…
Yuck. * More…
* Map… * Brood XII in the northern half of the state… * Brood XIX in the southern half… * Other info…
* ‘Only happens every 221 years’: Rare cicada emergence expected in Central IL this spring: She said although they’ll create a lot of noise, the cicadas can actually be helpful as a main food source for many animals. They also provide nutrients to the soil when dead. * When will cicadas emerge in Illinois? Billions of insects arrive this spring
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MLB open thread (Updated)
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Joe Cowley at the Sun-Times…
The White Sox finished the 2023 season with 61 wins and 101 losses. They are currently 1-9. And yet Reinsdorf wants up to $2 billion from taxpayers to build a new ballpark. Anyway, have at it. …Adding… A commenter notes that while Reisndorf hates spending “dead money” on fired coaches, he “wants taxpayers to pay dead money for an unused stadium.” Spot on.
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Pritzker refuses to criticize Mayor Johnson on migrant issue
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Governor JB Pritzker was asked today about Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson asking the city council to kick in $70 million for asylum seekers during an unrelated press conference…
* Here’s a migrant news coverage roundup… * NBC Chicago | Mayor Johnson to seek $70M more in funding for migrant crisis in an apparent reversal: sources: Aldermen were notified of briefings planned this week to learn more about the city kicking in its share of a three-way funding deal between the city, state of Illinois and Cook County, NBC Chicago has learned. * The Record | ‘Not something we would be able to manage’: More migrant buses are arriving in Wilmette and even more may be on the way: More than 50 migrant buses have arrived to the Wilmette Metra station, 722 Green Bay Road, since the new year. Approximately half of those have come in the past three weeks, Village Manager Mike Braiman told The Record. Village of Wilmette police and local volunteers support the migrants as they make their way to Chicago, and to this point, Braiman said the response has not strained Village resources, but any further increase may do just that. * The Daily Northwestern | City Council indicates support for migrant shelter — but not downtown: City staff revealed a proposal last week to use the two-story building at 1020 Church St. as a shelter for up to 65 migrants. According to the plan, Evanston would apply for Cook County grant funding to cover the projected $2 million annual operating cost. Still, many details remain unclear about how the city would pay for the renovation and whether it would operate indefinitely. * CNN | Dozens of migrants unexpectedly flown to Martha’s Vineyard can sue the transport company, federal judge rules: The migrants, solely identified in the lawsuit as Yanet, Pablo and Jesus, allege they were initially told they would be flown to “a city in the Northeast” and “if they got on the flight, they would be provided with stable housing, work, educational resources” and help in their immigration proceedings, according to the order. * CBS | Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appears at Republican gala in NYC, faces criticism over migrant crisis: Abbott […] wasted no time talking about the influx of migrants entering the country. “We were sending them only to Washington, D.C., and quite literally out of nowhere, Mayor Adams starts criticizing me for sending them to New York City,” Abbott said. “So after a while, I figured, gosh, if I’m gonna get the criticism, I’m gonna get the credit.” * Daily Beast | Fox News Uses the Solar Eclipse to Fearmonger About Migrant ‘Invasion’: While mainstream news coverage focuses on the eclipse’s path of totality and the potentially troublesome weather forecast, the conservative cable giant’s “hard news” programming found a way to link the event to Fox’s nearly round-the-clock fear-mongering about immigrants. “Fox News alert! A rare celestial event collides with a policy failure on the ground,” America’s Newsroom co-anchor Dana Perino declared on Monday morning. “The southern border will be directly in the path of totality today when the moon covers the sun for nearly four minutes.”
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small. We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Edwin, who serve their communities with dedication and pride. Click here to learn more.
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COGFA says its revenue forecast is holding up, but April will be key
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Capitol News Illinois…
The latest COGFA report is here.
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Illinois Is Top Ten In The Nation For Reported Gas Leaks, Fix Illinois’ Aging Natural Gas Lines Now
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Illinois ranks #9 in the U.S. for reported gas leaks, shows a study conducted in June 2022 on methane gas leaks. Frequent leaks are resulting in death, injury, and other damage to our health and environment. Pausing critical replacement of our aging natural gas lines is dangerous for everyone. When Governor Pritzker’s appointees on the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) shut down the natural gas line Safety Modernization Program in Chicago, it not only wiped out 1,000 jobs, but also subjected residents and business owners to the unnecessary danger of aged gas infrastructure that is no longer allowed to be replaced. Tell Gov. Pritzker and the ICC to restart the program, lives are at risk. Transitioning to electric without a plan will cost homeowners thousands of dollars. We need to fix our dangerous natural gas lines for our safety. Click on the links to view our ads: Ticking Time Bomb & Real Change. Paid for by Fight Back Fund
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Gov. Pritzker was asked by a reporter today if he is interested in running for governor again during an unrelated press conference…
* The Question: Do you think he’ll run again? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
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Improve Support For Relatives Caring For Youth In DCFS Care
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
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SAFE-T Act in the news again
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association…
The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice responds…
* Speaking of cash bail, let’s move along to the the House GOP blog…
From their top three examples…
Um, that third guy was released after posting cash bail. So, are they saying that the cash bail system was flawed and allowed alleged criminals to waltz out of jail if they had the money? Also, according to the ABC 7 news report, the perp was charged with several counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Just one count is now considered a detainable offense under the SAFE-T Act. As for the rest of the examples, I’m pretty darned positive I could match up each of those instances of people not being detained with instances of bad people who cash-bailed out of incarceration.
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WAND…
* President of Village Haven Housing Foundation Randy McIntyre…
* WGEM…
* WGEM…
*SJ-R…
* AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Pat Devaney and IMA President Mark Denzler…
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Open thread
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * How was your eclipse experience?…
∙ SJ-R: Feel a chill during the eclipse? A look at how much temperatures dropped in central Illinois ∙ Tribune: ‘I know why a lot of people chase them.’ Solar eclipse lives up to its hype in Illinois. ∙ NYT: Highlights From the Total Solar Eclipse’s Dark Path Through the U.S., Mexico and Canada ∙ Sun-Times: Sky high: Solar eclipse ‘holiday’ sparks exhilaration and emotions across Chicago, southern Illinois ∙ CBS Chicago: Eclipse watchers pour into Carbondale as Southern Illinois welcomes 200,000 * Isabel’s top picks… * ABC Chicago | Process begins to find replacement for Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough after her death: Bunting hangs over the Cook County buildings in the Loop in memory of Yarbrough. As a loyal foot soldier to the local and state Democratic Party, Yarbrough’s rise in politics was a quick one as she became a fixture in democratic politics for decades. “She worked very closely with Mike Madigan, and she was part of his leadership team. And that was when she was still in the legislature and then she moved on to the Cook County recorder of deeds office, and then the clerk,” said ABC7 Political Analyst Laura Washington. * Tribune | Rivian hosts R2 open house in Normal, its new production home: The low-key but festive event showcased the midsize R2 SUV, which will be built in Normal after Rivian delayed plans for a second plant in Georgia. The smaller and sportier R3 crossover, whose production plans have yet to be announced, was also on display. Rivian revealed both new models last month, while announcing that the R2, at least initially, will be made in Illinois. The company received more than 68,000 preorders for the $45,000 R2 within 24 hours of its online debut. * Daily Southtown | Dolton trustees hire former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot as special investigator: Under the terms of her hiring agreement, Lightfoot will provide regular updates to trustees, and when her billing totals $30,000 will give a full summary of her investigation to trustees. A law firm representing the village, the Del Galdo Law Group, sent a letter Monday to attorney Burt Odelson, whose firm serves as legal counsel to the Village Board, warning that hiring Lightfoot is beyond the trustees’ authority. * Norma Fuentes has been named Partner at Fuentes Consulting…
Governor Pritzker will be in Chicago to launch the second stage of the Illinois Grocery Initiative at 10:30. At 3:05 the governor will celebrate the tastytrade office expansion. Click here to watch. * Here’s the rest… * Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker taps northwest suburban lawmaker to run state insurance department: State Sen. Ann Gillespie of Arlington Heights will step down from her legislative post to lead the agency as acting director. Her appointment requires confirmation by the state senate. She replaces Dana Popish Severinghaus, who assumed the department’s top post in 2021 and will be leaving the position next week. * Daily Herald | Giving people a place to go for help: DuPage County breaks ground on new crisis center: County leaders on Monday will celebrate the start of a $25.8 million project to build the DuPage Crisis Recovery Center. The new 24/7 center will be on the grounds of the DuPage County Health Department and will act as a behavioral health triage center where patients experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis can be assessed and provided a plan of action within 24 hours. * News-Gazette | Urbana voters paying price for 1998 decision: Urbana voters foolishly decided in 1998 to elect school board members from municipal subdistricts rather than at-large. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that idea — at least in theory. But in practice, it’s been another story. The problem? There has been a disappointing lack of candidates in most of Urbana’s seven subdistricts to provide voters a real choice between competing candidates. * Tribune | Secret Service, CPD start bracing residents, businesses for impact of this summer’s Democratic National Convention: While it will be months before details such as parking restrictions, street closures and other security measures affecting day-to-day life for city residents are released, agencies charged with protecting delegates and the general public during the Aug. 19-22 convention have started to meet those living and working around McCormick Place south of the Loop. * WBEZ | Principals get first look at impact of Chicago’s new school funding formula: These are the first school budgets under a new funding formula that shifts to focusing on the needs of schools, rather than enrollment. Under this new “equity-based” formula, principals are mostly being given positions, rather than pots of money, as was done under the old formula. * Tribune | In Chicago, President Joe Biden raises millions, assails Donald Trump over abortion rights: Biden’s remarks came hours after Trump made his highly anticipated statement on abortion, stopping short of calling for nationwide federal limits on the procedure but saying he supported the decision of the conservative Supreme Court majority he appointed while president that sent decisions on legalizing the procedure back to the individual states. * Tribune | CTA said more train service would be coming. Most riders will have to wait longer for that to happen: The CTA’s latest schedules come after years of frustration about unreliable bus and train service, which has left riders with long wait times and crowded vehicles. An October Tribune analysis found the CTA slashed schedules on some train lines by as much as 25% to 30% compared with 2019 service levels. * Block Club | Antisemitic Flyers With Rat Poison-Like Pellets Found In Lincoln Park, Alderman Says: The small bags included light brown pellets that “I believe has the intent to appear like rat poison, whether it is or not,” Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) said. It’s the latest similar antisemitic incidents on the North Side. * Tribune | Northwestern gets initial application OK’d by Evanston for temporary football field, with conditions: The stadium, which hosts the university’s competitive men’s and women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse teams, would be used while the university executes its $800 million rebuild of the 98-year-old Ryan Field. Construction on the stadium is expected to be completed in 2026. * Sun-Times | Chicago man released from prison after serving 11 years for a murder he did not commit: In late 2012, Robinson was shot multiple times in the leg and foot, and endured multiple painful surgeries and a long recovery that left him unable to walk without crutches. In January 2013, just weeks after his surgery and still needing crutches to walk, he was identified by police as a gunman who sprinted after Kelvin Jemison in front of the Washington Park Homes and gunned Jemison down. * Seattle Times | How Boeing put Wall Street first, safety second ahead of Alaska Air blowout: The arc of Boeing’s fall can be traced back a quarter century, to when its leaders elevated the interests of shareholders above all others, said Richard Aboulafia, industry analyst with AeroDynamic Advisory. “Crush the workers. Share price. Share price. Share price. Financial moves and metrics come first,” was Boeing’s philosophy, he said. It was, he said, “a ruthless effort to cut costs without any realization of what it could do to capabilities.” * Crain’s | Music equipment marketplace moving HQ to the Salt Shed: Online music-equipment seller Reverb has leased about 25,000 square feet in a two-story brick building along the northern edge of the Salt Shed at 1357 N. Elston Ave., the company confirmed. Reverb is slated to move its main office to the building next year from its current home in a slightly larger space on Lincoln Avenue in the Roscoe Village neighborhood. * Screen Mag | Steph Curry TV Series ‘Mr. Throwback’ Begins Filming in Chicago in May: When Chicagoans hear “Steph Curry is coming to Chicago” they might quickly leap to the conclusion that the legendary NBA sharpshooter is being traded to the city’s beloved Chicago Bulls. No, Stephen Curry is not being traded to the Bulls. But he is reportedly coming to the Windy City to co-star in a mockumentary project entitled Mr. Throwback that has been ordered straight to series at Peacock. * WBEZ | Women saw red flags, one man saw defamation: Attorney Marc Trent said his client, D’Ambrosio, is one of dozens of men across the country who have been harmed by false claims about them made in online groups like “Are We Dating The Same Guy?” […] But experts dismissed the lawsuit as a “bad idea” that is aimed at groups that help keep women safe. “The service that [the groups] provide outweighs the danger that they could potentially pose to somebody that’s posted on them,” said Michele McBride Simonelli, an attorney specializing in internet defamation. * NYT | What Researchers Discovered When They Sent 80,000 Fake Résumés to U.S. Jobs: Two companies favored white applicants over Black applicants significantly more than others. They were AutoNation, a used car retailer, which contacted presumed white applicants 43 percent more often, and Genuine Parts Company, which sells auto parts including under the NAPA brand, and called presumed white candidates 33 percent more often. * AP | Tesla settles lawsuit over man’s death in a crash involving its semi-autonomous driving software: The amount Tesla paid to settle the case was not disclosed in court documents filed Monday, just a day before the trial stemming from the 2018 crash on a San Francisco Bay Area highway was scheduled to begin. In a court filing requesting to keep the sum private, Tesla said it agreed to settle the case in order to “end years of litigation.” Shares of Tesla Inc., down 30% this year, slipped 1% before the market opened Tuesday. * Daily Beast | Read Elon Musk’s Wild Deposition in Neo-Nazi Brawl Case: A transcript of the two-hour deposition from March 27 was made public on Monday, and was first obtained by HuffPost. In it, Musk admitted that he had a “limited understanding” of Brody’s allegations against him, to the extent that he originally believed Brody’s attorney was the plaintiff in the case. He also said he did no research of his own before tweeting last June that a brawl between two right-wing extremist groups in Portland, Oregon had actually been “a probable false flag situation,” and that Brody had been involved.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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