Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Illinois Answers reporter Alex Nitkin…
I give you “Moo Lincoln”… ![]() * Sun-Times | Kamala Harris picks Walz for VP — not Pritzker: Speaking at a bill signing in Chicago on Tuesday, Pritzker said he was “torn” about being considered as a vice presidential candidate and called the vetting “a grueling, long process,” despite it being an abbreviated one. * Sun-Times | National blood supply is running thin. Here’s how to help keep it from hurting local health care: Since July 1, the organization’s supply has fallen by more than 25%. Four blood drives in Illinois and more than 100 others nationwide had to be called off because of high temperatures, the Red Cross said. Other seasonal obstacles such as travel and summer activities also have meant fewer people donating. All those factors contributed to a shortfall of over 19,000 blood donations in July, the organization reported. * WSIU | IDPH to Offer Public Health Information, Services at Illinois State Fair: You will also find IDPH at Conservation World at the State Fair, with information about how to prevent “vector-borne” diseases carried by mosquitoes and ticks, along with information on safe consumption of fish from Illinois waterways. * SJ-R | There’s nothing fair about these new food items at the 2024 Illinois State Fair: The flavor of the Illinois State Fair has been announced, and it’s about as close as you can get to healthy as far as fair foods go. Raspberry Crunch, a Prairie Farms original, features fresh raspberries frozen in vanilla ice cream with granola crunch topping. Midwest Dairy manager of farmers relations Kendra Anderson said the idea came to the team around six months ago, as a healthy follow up to last years’ theme of cookies and cream. * Outdoor News | Illinois Mixed Bag: Conservation World returns to state fair: Among the offerings this year is DNR’s cicada art show, an Eagle’s nest photo opportunity, opportunities to catch a fish, try Copi (invasive carp), practice archery and BB shooting skills, ride in the Voyageur Canoe, dunk a conservation police officer, enjoy the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, talk with DNR wildlife biologists and purchase hunting and fishing licenses. * Sun-Times | Fed judge mulling whether to intervene in DNC dustup between City Hall, protest groups: A federal judge is expected to hand down a key ruling by early next week in a months-long dispute between City Hall and groups promising a massive protest during Chicago’s upcoming Democratic National Convention. U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood heard roughly two hours of arguments Monday while considering a request for her intervention in a conflict over where those protesters will be allowed to march during the convention, which begins Aug. 19. * Tribune | City, protests groups still at odds over routes for DNC marches and demonstrations: Several pro-Palestinian groups who together sued the city in March in an effort to secure protest routes within “sight and sound” of the convention were in court again Monday to demand a more direct and longer route along Washington Boulevard for their “March on the DNC.” Their attorney, Chris Williams, said they were “blindsided” by the possibility that they might not be able to hold speeches in a park two blocks north of the United Center. […] “The way the city is doing this is take-it-or-leave-it, ‘you do what we say,’” Williams told U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood. “It’s not enough to say, ‘You have a route, you’re going to live with it.’ You’re going to have chaos.” * Sun-Times | Indiana businessman not guilty of bribing Cook County assessor officials with free golf, fed jury finds: A federal jury Tuesday cleared an Indiana businessman who had been accused of bribing officials at the Cook County assessor’s office with free golf in return for lowered property assessments — a rare loss for public corruption prosecutors at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. The trial of businessman Robert Mitziga lasted roughly a week. It exposed jurors not just to the inner-workings of the assessor’s office but to the lure of posh, high-end golf clubs — particularly one in southwest Michigan, about 90 miles from Chicago. * Crain’s | Chicago’s maternal care gap worsening, creating deserts in South and West sides: A joint report by the American Medical Association and the Sinai Urban Health Institute finds obstetric and gynecological closures, particularly since 2018, have had a significant negative effect on maternal and infant health in its analysis of maternal care by ZIP code. […] Since 2018, three OB-GYN facilities that were more convenient for residents of the South and West sides have closed and many ZIP codes have no access to OB-GYN physicians for childbearing female residents, the release said. These maternity deserts require expectant mothers to travel outside of their neighborhoods to receive routine or specialty OB-GYN care, the release noted. * Block Club | Day Laborers Say They Are Being Beaten, Harassed Outside Home Depot By Off-Duty Cops: Five recently arrived migrants say criminal trespassing enforcement at a Southwest Side Home Depot has escalated to alleged physical assaults by security personnel, including multiple off-duty Chicago Police officers. The allegations are at the heart of a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, which names two Chicago police officers, two Home Depot employees, and other unnamed security personnel and police officers, in addition to the city and Home Depot, as defendants. In the course of its six-month investigation into the treatment of migrant laborers, City Bureau learned of the pending suit. * Tribune | Protesters in Daley Plaza rally decry reelection of Venezuelan president, claim voter fraud: The Venezuelan community in Chicago was disheartened in the days after the election. Many have family members in areas affected by protests and said they were worried their relatives might get imprisoned or even killed for having ties to the opposition. Human rights organizations in Venezuela have found the government’s solution to silence people’s discontent has been “through the disproportionate use of force” that has resulted in the deaths of protesters. * Block Club | Divvy ‘Bike Sculpture’ On Oak Street Beach Made Entirely Of Bikes Dumped In The Lake: Members of the the group, the Alternative Anglers Association, pulled out 15 bikes from the lake in just a few hours Friday afternoon and built the bike sculpture over two days. Glenn Rischke, who created the group — formerly known as the Divvy Fishers Society — was shocked by how many bikes and how much construction material was on the floor of the lake, he said. * Block Club | The Dave Matthews Band Chicago River Poop Incident, 20 Years Later: ‘Our Generation’s O’Leary’s Cow’: On the afternoon of Aug. 8, 2004, a charter bus belonging to the Dave Matthews Band drove across the Kinzie Street Bridge and emptied its septic tank over the Chicago River. The sewage ran through the metal grates of the bridge, and rather than landing in the water — itself a health hazard — it splattered onto more than 100 people on a sightseeing boat operated by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. * Tribune | Three Skokie parks renamed to honor Native American tribes: The name changes have been made online, but physical changes to the signs will take some time, said Michelle Tuft, executive director of the park district. […] The park district board unanimously voted in favor of the name changes at its July board meeting. In addition to the new signage, the park district will add QR codes with links to web pages about the history of the tribes and the pronunciation of the names, Tuft said. * Daily Herald | DuPage Forest Preserve District moves to buy horse farm near Wheaton for $12 million: After several stalled attempts through the years, Danada’s owner — the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County — is now on track to buy the pastoral property to its east. On Tuesday, forest preserve commissioners authorized district leaders to negotiate and enter into a contract to acquire the Gladstone Ridge horse boarding center — also known as Bolger Farm — along Leask Lane. The cost is anticipated to be $12 million. * Daily Southtown | Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard says administrator fired, trustees OK handful of layoffs: Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard said Monday that Keith Freeman, the village’s administrator, has been fired, although trustees said the mayor lacked the legal authority to do so and did not move to support her decision. Trustees also voted to eliminate a handful of village jobs amid what they described as a “financial disaster” for the village and placed police Deputy Chief Lewis Lacey on administrative leave for an undefined period. * WGN | Big Lots to close additional stores in Illinois: According to the company’s website, Burbank, Calumet City, Elgin and Oakbrook Terrace are Chicago-area stores on the chopping block. Centralia and Fairview Heights are two other Illinois locations set to close. Last month, the company announced Crest Hill, Lockport, and Niles will be shuttered. * SJ-R | County board members pushing advisory referendum to voters to recall Campbell: Five Democrat Sangamon County Board members are pushing for an advisory referendum to give voters a say on the future of Sheriff Jack Campbell at the ballot box in November. The county board would have to pass the referendum at its Aug. 13 meeting for it to get on the ballot. Even if it passes the voters on Nov. 5, Campbell would not be bound to resign. * WIFR | Former Rockford Speedway redevelopment off to the races: The former Rockford Speedway sits idly by, without so much as the roar of an engine or the cheer of a crowd. But not for much longer, according to Loves Park Mayor Greg Jury who says multiple businesses are on their way to fill in the empty space. Club Carwash and Belle Tire will start construction in just a few days as the only current businesses staking claim to the area. But Mayor Jury says this is just the beginning. * VCF | Custard Cup Celebrates 75th Anniversary with Special Local Donations: These checks presented, representing $1,000 Custard Cup donations on top of funding donated by customers to their “Beneficiary of the Month;” included $2,126.77 to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Vermilion County, $2,000 to Danville Youth Hockey, and $2,201.13 to the St, James United Methodist Church Food Pantry. * WCIA | Communities across Central Illinois celebrating National Night Out: “National Night Out was started to bring neighbors and law enforcement together to establish relationships, and trust that it will do just that,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a news release. “Preventing crime in Illinois is one of my office’s top priorities, and I am proud that an increased number of volunteers from my office will participate in National Night Out events throughout the state. I encourage everyone to locate an event in their own community.” * AP | Elon Musk’s X sues advertisers over alleged ‘massive advertiser boycott’ after Twitter takeover: The lawsuit’s allegations center on the early days of Musk’s Twitter takeover and not a more recent dispute with advertisers that came a year later. In November 2023, about a year after Musk bought the company, a number of advertisers began fleeing X over concerns about their ads showing up next to pro-Nazi content and hate speech on the site in general, with Musk inflaming tensions with his own posts endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory. Musk later said those fleeing advertisers were engaging in “blackmail” and, using a profanity, essentially told them to go away.
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ISP says it’s making progress
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Press release…
* I followed up by asking how many firearms had been seized in Fiscal Year 2024, which ended June 30. ISP’s response…
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IDFPR will finally purchase online licensing system
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. This took way too long, but IDFPR looks to be on track. Implementation is key, however. So, we’ll just have to see…
* NASW Illinois…
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Tuesday, Aug 6, 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 Graham, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
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Pritzker criticizes the Sangamon County sheriff, but stops short of calling on him to resign
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
The Massey family has called on the sheriff to resign. * Earlier this week, I asked Sen. Dick Durbin’s office where Durbin, a Springfield resident, stood on Sheriff Campbell’s future…
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Pritzker reflects on VP vetting, asked about his future
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Gov. Pritzker said today that his vetting process by Vice President Harris and her team “was handled with the utmost professionalism, and I was glad that I made it through that process, made it to the final number of candidates.” Then said…
Please pardon all transcription errors. * Gov. Walz is the current chair of the Democratic Governors Association, and Pritzker was asked whether he’d like that job…
He also said he hasn’t had any discussions about his electoral future when asked whether he had talked with family or staff about a third term. * Is a cabinet position in his future?…
* He was also asked about the vetting process. Sen. Joe Lieberman, it was pointed out, once compared the process to having a colonoscopy without any anesthesia. Pritzker said Lieberman “described it very well” then said…
Discuss.
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Kamala Harris picks Tim Walz as her running mate (Updated)
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * AP…
The NYT, CNN and Reuters are all confirming Walz as Harris’ pick. * NBC…
* Illinois Playbook…
…Adding… Governor JB Pritzker…
* Governor Pritzker’s statement…
…Adding… ILGOP…
* Comptroller Mendoza…
* More…
* Crain’s | Union members go to bat for Pritzker as VP speculation ramps up: The letter, signed by over 100 members of local Chicago and Illinois unions, including members of the Laborers’ International Union of North America and the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, circulated late last week and comes just days before Harris is expected to make her selection for vice president. * WJBC | Illinois Senior Senator campaigns for Gov. Pritzker to be Kamala Harris’ running mate: Illinois’ senior U.S. senator, Democrat Dick Durbin, thinks Gov. JB Pritzker would be a worthy choice as Kamala Harris’ running mate. “I think he has shown as governor that he is a real leader,” Durbin told reporters at a ribbon-cutting in Springfield. “He would be a good ally of Kamala Harris, and I happen to know Juliana Stratton, the lieutenant governor, very well. She is a very impressive person.” * N’DIGO | Q&A – Chris Welch- Speaker Of The Illinois House Of Representatives: What do you think of Governor Pritzker being the vice president? Welch: It would be good for Illinois. Having a direct White House connection would be excellent. I see nothing but positives. We have done well working together.
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Today’s must-read
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * ABC7 I-Team…
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Open thread
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Pritzker signs measures reining in biometric data privacy law, eliminating grocery tax. Capitol News Illinois…
* Related stories… ∙ CBS: Gov. JB Pritzker signs legislation ending Illinois grocery tax in 2026 ∙ WSPY: Oswego not currently in position to decide on potential grocery tax following repeal of state tax, says DiSanto ∙ WSPY: Pritzker signs bill repealing state grocery tax, effective January 1, 2026 Governor Pritzker will be at the Women’s Justice Institute at 10 am to sign the returning citizens identification access bill. Click here to watch. * Sun-Times | White Sox lose 21st straight to tie American League record: The beauty of baseball is that after a loss, there’s another game the next day. But anguish sets in after repeated beatdowns, day after day after day. Another game, another “L.” Defeat and unrelenting failure have taken a toll on the White Sox, who lost their 21st consecutive game Monday, 5-1 at the hands of the Athletics to tie the 1988 Orioles’ American League-record skid. The Sox, a national story they don’t want to be, are now two losses from tying the 1961 Phillies’ major-league record of 23. * Block Club | Billy Joel Jr. Is ‘The Next Big Chicago Band You Don’t Know About’: Billy Joel Jr. is on the rise after dropping their EP, “Rubberhose,” and catching Stereogum’s attention with an April Fools’ Day joke. The indie rockers — who aren’t actually the Piano Man’s spawn — perform Wednesday at Sleeping Village. * Sun-Times | Sonya Massey’s family is pushing for a change in state law after her death, but policymakers aren’t so sure: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said that based on Grayson’s record, it’s questionable whether Grayson should have ever been hired as a law enforcement officer. But like Turner, he said he’s not certain a new law is needed. It’s going to take some time for the current laws to “get going,” Raoul said. The problem is not the laws on the books right now, but in how they’re being implemented, Raoul said. * SJ-R | Illinois lawmakers looking to lower prescription drug costs, but not everyone is on board : He, along with state Sen. David Koehler, D-Peoria, and Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, are now urging lawmakers to take-up House Bill 4472 which would create a prescription drug affordability board. The board would be composed of 15 appointed members in-charge of establishing upper payment limits to certain prescription drugs and ensure those savings are passed down to consumers. Per the bill language, it could only set those limits on drugs with a wholesale acquisition cost of at least $60,000 per year or those experiencing a wholesale acquisition cost increase of $3,000 in the most recent 12-month period. For price limits on biosimilar drugs, the board could only do so if the biosimilar cost is not at least 20% lower than the name brand cost. For price limits on generic drugs, a 30-day supply of that drug must at least cost $100 and its price increased by no less than 200% in the preceding 12 months. * WAND | Illinois local food infrastructure grant plan signed into law: Recipients could use the local food infrastructure grants for production, packaging, refrigerated trucks and processing equipment. Lawmakers said this is a great incentive for local food providers to invest in a healthier Illinois. “Right now, if you look at Illinois, 95% of our food is brought in from outside,” said Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria). “That means trucking food thousands of miles away when we have the richest, fertile farmland anywhere in the world right here.” * Sun-Times | Measure to streamline IDs for people exiting Illinois prisons, jails poised for Pritzker’s signature: The measure pushed by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias eliminates the need for inmates and detainees to show physical copies of their birth certificates or Social Security cards in order to line up an ID — a common roadblock for people trying to find housing and work after incarceration. “We take our IDs for granted, but for people leaving jail, it’s an essential tool for reentry to perform everyday tasks and increase the likelihood of successfully building a productive life,” Giannoulias said ahead of the bill signing. * WSIU | Illinois Increases Funding for Schools: The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has released data showing the impact of a $1.8 billion increase in funding for the state’s highest-need schools under Governor JB Pritzker’s administration. The Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula, established in fiscal year 2018, aims to distribute resources more equitably among Illinois schools. Since then, the state’s investment in EBF has increased from $6.8 billion in FY 2019 to $8.6 billion in FY 2025. * Tribune | At a tense time in American politics, Chicago hospitals prepare for Democratic National Convention: In some ways, preparing for the convention has been like readying for other large events, such as the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, the Chicago Marathon and Lollapalooza, say hospital leaders. In fact, it’s somewhat of a relief that the DNC is expected to attract far fewer attendees than Lollapalooza, said George DiLeonardi, vice president of security services and emergency management for Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. The DNC is expected to draw about 50,000 people, while Lollapalooza often attracts about 100,000 a day. * Chalkbeat | Amid financial woes, Chicago Public Schools to receive similar state funding increase this year: Amid a bump in students learning English as a new language and a dip in local tax revenue, Chicago Public Schools would now need nearly $1.2 billion to be adequately funded, according to state data released Monday. The updated figure, which is $93 million more than was projected last year, was provided as part of an annual calculation determining how Illinois will distribute state money to public school districts — and comes as the city’s school district grapples with complex financial problems in the next school year. * Tribune | Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant celebrates 100 years on the Southeast Side, from building the Model T to the Explorer: Built at a cost of about $8 million, the massive Torrence Avenue factory employed 2,000 workers at the outset, with the capacity to turn out 600 “flivvers” — a nickname for the Model T — each day, according to a Chicago Tribune story at the time of its launch. The new plant built nearly 107,000 Model Ts in its first year and expanded to Ford delivery trucks in 1925. In 1927, it switched to producing the new Ford Model A. * Tribune | Bud Billiken Parade 2024: Route, start time and a look back at 95 years of Chicago’s back-to-school tradition: Hundreds of thousands of spectators and generations of families will gather along the almost 3-mile route in Bronzeville Saturday to cheer on a variety of performers — bands, dance and drill teams, tumblers and cheerleaders — and watch honorary grand marshals and celebrities ride in style aboard floats and classic cars. And thousands of school supplies and other amenities will be handed out in Washington Park following the parade. * WGN | Dolton trustees: Henyard mismanagement may lead to layoffs: Three trustees from the Village of Dolton called a special meeting on Monday night to try and keep the village running as they deal with embattled Mayor Tiffany Henyard. Trustees who do not support Henyard said she would not allow them to put items on the regular meeting agenda, so they set their own meeting to start before hers. * Daily Herald | Will DNC bring migrant influx to Chicago? Municipalities, organizations prepare for possible bump: “We know more new immigrant arrivals are coming and we are doing a number of things to prepare,” said Dianha Ortega-Ehreth, executive director of Elgin’s Centro de Información in an email. The preparation comes as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported a “significant decline in migrant encounters” in the wake of President Joe Biden’s June 4 executive order barring migrants who unlawfully cross the southern border from receiving asylum in the U.S. * Daily Herald | Buffalo Grove’s ‘human archive’ leaves after 38 years, will remain as chat bot: Administrative Services Director Brett Robinson has retired. He began working for the village 38 years ago, while still a student at Buffalo Grove High School. He has been there ever since, moving from the public works department to village administration. The 55-year-old Wauconda resident eventually was the village’s purchasing manager and treasurer before assuming his latest position in 2020. […] A loyal public servant, Robinson will still play a role in retirement — the AI-powered chat bot on the village’s website is called “Mr. Robinson” and has the image of a bespectacled buffalo with a goatee and cardigan. If you have a village-related question, you can chat with “Mr. Robinson.” * WCIA | ‘I should have died’: Missouri woman connects with Effingham firefighters who saved her life in Teutopolis HAZMAT spill: Terrie Tudor should not be alive today. She said it herself, along with the three firefighters who saved her life on Sept. 29, 2023. […] She was blind, using a ventilator and on continuous dialysis in hospitals in Springfield, Rockford and Hinsdale. Tudor has had five surgeries on her eyes alone. * WTVO | Rockford’s Hard Rock Casino to feature 62-foot guitar monument to Rick Nielsen and Cheap Trick: The black and white checkerboard guitar monument that will adorn the front entrance to the Hard Rock Casino Rockford will stand 62 feet tall when it is installed later this month. Rockford’s Code and Regulations Committee has recommended the City Council approve several variances to the casino’s signage to allow for the huge guitar, which is modeled after the pattern made famous by Rockford natives Cheap Trick and guitarist Rick Nielsen.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Aug 6, 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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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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