Bears float new tax subsidy for suburban stadium
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller * Greg Hinz…
There’s more. Discuss.
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Labor news
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Daily Herald…
* Interesting insight from the New York Times…
* School of the Art Institute adjunct professors and lecturers have joined the union wave, the Sun-Times reports…
* More… * Sun-Times | Bally’s $1.7 billion River West casino gets final zoning approval from City Council: Burnett, who had been the casino’s biggest champion, threatened to “raise a lot of hell” if he didn’t see in writing the minority hiring agreements Bally’s had made with labor unions. For years, Burnett has criticized those same trade unions for shortchanging minorities. But after being bombarded with phone calls — from top mayoral aides, union leaders and Bally’s officials, Burnett dropped his threat, saying he’s convinced the casino giant will honor its promise to build a workforce composed of 60% minorities and 45% women. * CBS Chicago | Starbucks employees to rally at Federal Plaza for anniversary of unionization: Starbucks workers in Chicago will rally Friday to mark the first anniversary of a major unionization campaign. Chicago labor leaders will join Starbucks employees at the noon rally in Federal Plaza. * Sun-Times | UIC faculty union sets strike date: The nearly 900-member union has been working without a contract since mid-August and decisively authorized a strike last month. * Fairfield Sun Times | Illinois Is Pushing Back Against the Anti-Union Tide: Legal experts anticipate litigation over the amendment, including on issues as fundamental as who and what it actually covers. The amendment protects “employees” – not specifically “public-sector employees” – implying it could govern their private sector counterparts. That’s an apparent conflict with federal labor law. * Wardsauto | Stellantis Idling Illinois Plant; UAW ‘Deeply Angered’: Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson emphasizes the automaker is not closing the plant. “We are stopping production as of Feb. 28. We are not closing the plant,” she tells Wards. “We have to negotiate that with the union.”
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Addendum to today’s edition
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Afternoon news roundup
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller * First, an explainer…
Despite what Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown claimed yesterday and pretty much all Chicago news media repeated, Samuel Parsons-Salas wasn’t released early on parole in September. Parsons-Salas did his time and the state wasn’t allowed to hold him any longer. Parsons-Salas is currently charged with the brutal murder of three people and with kidnapping. The video is here, but I cannot recommend watching it. The shooter fired off 13 rounds in quick succession. Within half a minute, three people were killed and another was shot in the head. * Senate President Harmon told me he believes candidates are already required to list their sponsoring entities on their “paid for” messaging. The Board of Elections disagrees, so legislation is likely needed…
* Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) told WJPF that he’s heading to Taiwan today with a trade delegation. That Cairo port is still in the works, but it’s apparently generating some real buzz overseas. * Crypto bro fallout bites another candidate. Rep. Buckner press release…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Press Release | Gov. Pritzker Celebrates Historic Completion of Jane Byrne Interchange in Chicago: Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) joined local officials and community leaders today to celebrate the completion of the Jane Byrne Interchange reconstruction, a multiyear effort to modernize a key gateway into downtown Chicago and a critical transportation hub for the region and entire Midwest. One of the biggest projects in state history, the new-and-improved Jane Byrne Interchange eliminates a notorious national bottleneck and improves safety, efficiency, and mobility across multiple modes of transportation while better connecting people and jobs throughout the Chicago area. * Tribune | United to add 2,600 jobs in Chicago as part of plan to replace its aging fleet : The Boeing order alone will create 2,600 new jobs next year in the Chicago area, as United staffs up to handle the increased capacity the refreshed fleet will enable, the airline said. * CBS | Fed hikes interest rates for seventh time this year: The Fed’s rate-setting committee hiked its benchmark rate by 0.5 percentage point on Wednesday, lifting its target rate into a range between 4.25% and 4.5% — the highest level in 15 years. The federal funds rate affects the cost of borrowing for consumers and businesses throughout the economy. The half-percentage-point increase marks a step-down from a string of bigger interest rate hikes this summer, when the Fed made four consecutive 0.75% jumps in an effort to curb the most ferocious bout of inflation in four decades. * WGLT | Bill Hauter focuses on constituent services given the Illinois GOP superminority: An incoming freshman lawmaker says it will be hard to pass or hold up legislation in Springfield, given his party’s disappointing election results. Republican Bill Hauter of Morton said he plans to focus on constituent services. “What I can do and what I have been doing as an emergency physician is I’ve been helping people,” Hauter said. “What you can do in the super minority is you can be a voice for your district and you can also help people. You can help constituents.” * NPR Illinois | Republicans are making plans for Rep. Butler’s replacement: Republican county chairs from that district are seeking applications to serve until the new general assembly is sworn in next month. That would include being installed for what is often called the “lame duck” legislature the first week of January. Butler was elected in November in the newly drawn 95th House District, which includes parts of Sangamon, Macon and Christian counties. Chairs from those counties will select someone to fill the new year term starting January 11. * NBC Chicago | 10 New Illinois Laws Taking Effect in 2023: Passed in May, the Student Confidential Reporting Act, establishes a program where officials from schools, the state and Illinois State Police can receive reports and other information regarding the potential harm or self-harm of students or school employees. The Safe2Help helpline will involve a toll-free telephone number and other means of communication allowing messages and information to be given to operators. * Pluribus | Marijuana delivery gains traction as legalization spreads: “I think that as long as it is regulated, as long as we make sure that the person who is ordering it gets it, and that they’re legally allowed to, then it would seem to me like the same as somebody coming into a store,” Pritzker said at an event to celebrate the opening of his state’s first “social equity” marijuana dispensary. Recreational marijuana is now legal in 21 states, two territories and the District of Columbia. Thirty-seven states, three territories and D.C. allow medical use. An estimated 23 states allow the delivery of recreational marijuana or medical marijuana or both, according to tracking by the National Conference of State Legislatures. * Tribune | Aurora nominating petition challenge hearing continued to next week: A challenge to the nominating petitions of Aurora Ald. Patty Smith was continued Tuesday to next week. Members of the Municipal Officers Electoral Board are expected to make a decision then on whether the complaints about the petitions are enough to keep Smith off the ballot for the April 4, 2023, municipal election. * Illinois Newsroom | Students say Champaign schools fail to provide menstrual products: Loreal Allen was not surprised when she went into a bathroom at Central High School in Champaign in late November. Everything was as expected. She found soap, paper towels and a white dispenser that was supposed to contain menstrual products. As usual, she said, it was empty. * Crain’s | Illinois board approves sale of downstate hospitals: The Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board approved Quorum Health’s sale of four southern Illinois hospitals to Deaconess Health System. Evansville, Indiana-based Deaconess, a nonprofit 12-hospital system with facilities in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky, plans to acquire Crossroads Community Hospital in Mt. Vernon, Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, Union County Hospital in Anna and Red Bud Regional Hospital. * Crain’s | Red Line extension TIF earns full City Council approval: The City Council on Wednesday approved the creation of a new tax-increment financing district to create $950 million over three decades to help pay for the $3.6 billion extension of the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line from 95th Street south to 130th Street. * Press Release | Department of Human Services Launches Campaign to Help Those with Gambling Problems : The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) launched “Are You Really Winning?” - a campaign to build awareness of problem gambling and to promote helpline services for people experiencing gambling problems. According to research by Health Resources in Action (HRiA), four percent, or nearly 400,000, of Illinois residents have a gambling disorder, and another seven percent, or 700,000, are at risk of developing a gambling disorder. * Illinois Answers Project | Cook County Office Looks to Shed Anti-Patronage Monitor as Watchdog Raises Alarm: Since it was first brought by attorney and onetime political candidate Michael Shakman in 1969, the lawsuit Shakman v. Cook County Democratic Organization has spurred wave after wave of federal interventions designed to prevent public officials at the city, county and state level from doling out government jobs as rewards to political allies. Shakman, now 80, still oversees the litigation. * The American Prospect | The Easiest Criminal Indictment Ever : But embarrassingly bad criminals can help speed things along. As current FTX CEO John Ray, a restructuring specialist installed to manage the crypto exchange’s bankruptcy, told a House committee on Tuesday, crimes at Enron, another famously bankrupt company he stepped in to manage, “were highly orchestrated financial machinations by highly sophisticated people to keep transactions off balance sheets.” Enron declared bankruptcy in December 2001, but its former CEO Jeff Skilling wasn’t convicted of conspiracy, securities fraud, and other charges until May 2006. The group home in the Bahamas housing FTX executives, by contrast, “isn’t sophisticated whatsoever, this is just plain old embezzlement,” Ray said. * FOX 32 | Mother sues Flossmoor school after daughter was allegedly sexually assaulted in class: The alleged attack came months after hundreds of students staged a walkout at the same school over more allegations of sexual assault and harassment. * Tribune | No charges against students involved in apparent ‘wrestling incident’ at York Community High School: Parents of a special needs student seen pushed to the ground in a video posted on social media have declined a formal police investigation, Elmhurst police announced Tuesday. The Dec. 8 incident in a York Community High School restroom involved five students, including a boy with special needs. Police determined the students engaged in “willful physical contact,” while other students watched. The boy with special needs is on the wrestling team, and two of the boys involved are his teammates, police said. * Tribune | HIV/AIDS advocate and her family work to promote testing and fight stigma. ‘I feel like I’m not just existing, that I’m living.’: Four years later, the power of going public was on full display Saturday when friends, family and people hoping to learn more gathered at Lawndale’s Jesus Word Center to talk about how the deeply stigmatized disease has touched their lives. Openly sharing about the disease has changed their lives, those gathered said. * CBS Chicago | Biden signs Respect for Marriage Act, recognizing marriage equality in federal law: Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic and Republican lawmakers and more than 5,000 guests marked the occasion on a frigid White House South Lawn. The signing comes a decade after Mr. Biden as vice president put former President Barack Obama in an awkward position by getting ahead of the then-president and endorsing same-sex marriage on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” * The Center Square | Black carp spreading through the Midwest threatens Illinois waterways: Illinois waterways are being invaded by another invasive species that could threaten the ecosystem. Black carp, which are native to east Asia, were first imported into the U.S. to control snails in fish farms where fish are bred. How they escaped is unknown. * Illinois News Bureau | Book examines tallgrass prairies’ ecological history, effects on Indigenous cultures: History professor Robert Morrissey wrote the first comprehensive environmental history of the tallgrass prairies and how they shaped tribal cultures in his recently published book, “People of the Ecotone.” The book also examines how those transformations contributed to the Fox Wars * Crain’s | Walgreens bets its future on an unprecedented reinvention: Walgreens Boots Alliance is betting its future on an unprecedented effort to reinvent itself as a health care company, a venture of immense scale and complexity. There’s no playbook for what the Deerfield-based company hopes to achieve. Never before has a retail pharmacy chain transformed into a full-fledged provider of medical care. Walgreens’ ambitions threaten to disrupt long-standing U.S. health care delivery structures, a status quo guarded by powerful entrenched interests.
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Pritzker says federal government should “step up” and stave off mass transit’s upcoming “fiscal cliff”
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller * As we’ve already discussed, the RTA put federal into its operating base and now faces a “fiscal cliff” of $730 million a year in 2026 when the money dries up. That’s about 20 percent of the RTA’s operating base. The governor was asked about this today. His response…
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Another move to beef up the state’s EV incentive programs
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller * Stellantis North America COO Mark Stewart talked earlier this week about the company’s plans for its Jeep facility in Belvidere, which is scheduled to be idled in February. The company, he said, is “continuing to look at what we can do to repurpose that facility — but it’s idle, not closed.” And now all of a sudden, a new electric vehicle bill is being floated. Here’s Greg Hinz…
Illinois Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Maisch told Hinz that other states have used the “but for” provision against Illinois. “They say if you come here, we can guarantee you these benefits” without attaching any strings. * From the governor’s office…
Pritzker has floated the possibility of a $1 billion closing fund. * The state has approved several incentives already. This bill, for instance, ended up zipping through both chambers during veto session…
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Question of the day: 2022 Golden Horseshoe Awards
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller * The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Statewide Staffer goes to the crowd favorite Anne Caprara…
* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best State Agency Director goes to GOMB’s Alexis Sturm…
Congrats to both! * Today’s categories…
Best Statewide Officeholder As always, do your best to nominate in both categories and make sure to explain your nominations or they won’t count. The statewide officeholder can be a federal or state constitutional official. [I deleted “spokesperson” because I forgot that I already did that one. Oops!] * And after you cast your votes, please click here and donate to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois to help buy presents for foster kids. More about what LSSI does…
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Morning briefing
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Thank you to all who have donated!…
* Now to your morning briefing…
* WCIA | Sen. Bennett’s therapy dog law still making big impact, comforting child victims in Illinois: Prosecutors often hire victim advocates to help comfort victims, Sangamon county’s top victim advocate is so good, he doesn’t have to say a word to do his job. Gibson is a certified therapy dog. He was hired back in 2017, and since then, he’s made a huge impact. * WAND | Sen. Bennett to be honored at Wreaths Across America: Wreaths Across America honors those buried in national cemeteries in all 50 states including the Danville National Cemetery. On Saturday 4,000 wreaths will be laid on graves with a special wreath honoring State Senator Scott Bennett. * WILL 100 | Growing Asian American representation in the Illinois Statehouse : Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial demographic in Illinois. In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Asians make up almost six percent of the state’s population. It also estimated the number of Asian people in Illinois increased by almost a quarter in the prior decade. But for all that growth, representation in state government has lagged. It was only in 2016 that the Illinois General Assembly had its first Asian American representative elected to office. * Ted Slowik | Lawmakers on both sides face political pressure to oppose Illinois gun violence bill: This week, however, mainstream media paid modest attention to the testimony of survivors who spoke about the human toll of gun violence. It was one small step in a long struggle to wrest control of the narrative and talk about the human pain and suffering caused by guns, for a change. * The Center Square | Supporters, opponents of Illinois gun-ban legislation prepare for fight: In the ongoing debate around proposed gun control legislation at the Illinois statehouse, advocacy groups on both sides are working to advance their positions… “The ISRA will not be entering into any negotiations on this piece of legislation,” Lombardo said in a video posted to the group’s website. “You’ve wanted to draw a line in the sand for a long time? OK. Now it’s time to draw that line. We will see the state of Illinois in court if this law is enacted. But we have a problem.” * Crain’s | As Stellantis mulls Belvidere’s future, Pritzker moves to sweeten new EV incentives: Under the measure, expected to be put to a vote in the General Assembly’s January lame-duck session, Gov. J.B. Pritzker would get the huge “deal-closing fund” that other governors have. Insiders say the lack of such a fund recently cost the state a battery plant which, instead, was won by Michigan. The amount is being negotiated with General Assembly leaders, but Pritzker has suggested he’d like to have as much as $1 billion on hand to match offers from other states. * WCSJ News | Departing Morris State Rep and Wife Now Own Local Business: Morris residents Ashley and David Welter purchased RE/MAX Top Properties from Vicki Geiger and Tana Nordaker on November 28th, 2022. Ashley Welter is the President and will be running the day-to-day operations of the office while pursuing her broker’s license. David Welter has been a broker with the office since October 2018. * WTVO | New Illinois laws take effect Jan 1, 2023 after carjackings increase 767%: The first law makes it illegal to possess anything that unlocks or starts a car–other than a key fob– without permission of the owner. Such devices are considered burglary tools, the law states. Another law ensures that carjacking victims are not liable for violations or fees involving their stolen vehicles. The third provision that goes into effect on Jan. 1 provides grants and financial support to municipalities to assist with the identification, apprehension and prosecution of carjackers and the recovery of stolen vehicles. * Tammy Duckworth | President Biden, make site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riots a national monument:Last year, along with my fellow Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, I introduced legislation that would designate the site of the 1908 Race Riots as a national monument. And while despite our efforts, Congressional gridlock has thus far prevented the bill from passing, there is still another path forward. The President can bypass that stalemate and give the bill an alternative way ahead through the Antiquities Act: a law that empowers the President to designate federal lands as national monuments in the hope of preserving and protecting spaces of historical or cultural significance. * Sun-Times | Mayoral hopefuls agree solving crime is the answer — no matter what the question: Candidates often veered back to crime and public safety when answering questions on the CTA, businesses leaving the city and other matters at the forum, which was held on the Northwest Side. * WGLT | Connie Beard to resign as McLean County Republican Party chair: Beard said she was resigning “due to a local change of residence and family needs.” The move comes about a month after a disappointing election for McLean County Republicans, in which Democrats achieved an even power-sharing split on the County Board and won seats representing Bloomington-Normal in the U.S. House, Illinois House, and Illinois Senate. Beard herself said “it makes no sense in sugarcoating the results,” which she called a “disappointment.” * Lake Forester | Lake Forest mayoral race taking shape; ‘I think this is a really crucial time for the city’: Lake Forest is set to have a spirited mayoral race next year as former Alderwoman Prue Beidler has announced an independent candidacy, thus taking on the hierarchy of the Lake Forest Caucus. * Sun-Times | Jury awards CPD whistleblower nearly $1 million: Isaac Lambert’s lawyers had sought as much as $2 million for veteran detective who was demoted for speaking out about 2017 shooting of an unarmed teen by an off-duty officer. * Sun-Times | Ald. Sigcho-Lopez calls for hearings on CPD officer suspended over ties to the Proud Boys: The department’s handling of the probe “points out a much bigger problem about how internal affairs — and how, in general, the police department — is accountable to the public,” the alderperson said. * Block Club Chicago | Proco Joe Moreno Should Be Kicked Off 1st Ward Ballot, Objectors Argue In Complaint: Two neighbors of candidate Sam Royko are challenging Moreno’s bid for office in part because of his criminal history, while a longtime backer of the former alderperson also is trying to get Royko tossed from the race. * Washington Post | New penalties for companies that illegally fire workers who unionize: Companies that illegally fire or demote unionizing workers can now be held responsible for workers’ financial demise — including credit card late fees, lost housing or cars and health-care costs — in a move that could help some workers who have been fired from Starbucks and Amazon, labor activists say. * In These Times | Crypto Predators Wage Class War with a Smile: This conjured aura of an urgent fear-of-missing-out propels entire industries. Billions of dollars can be made cultivating people’s fear that an opportunity is passing them by. It amounts to an entire chunk of the economy that does little more than pull up next to consumers in a mysterious van and yell, “No time to explain — get in!” * Democracy Docket | New York Enacts Law To Count Valid Ballots Cast at Incorrect Polling Locations: On Tuesday, Dec. 6, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed into law S 284, which requires election officials to count provisional ballots cast by eligible voters who voted at the wrong precinct, but within the correct county and assembly district. Previously, New York would reject all ballots cast at incorrect polling locations, one of the factors that has contributed to New York’s exceedingly high ballot rejection rate, the third highest in the nation in 2020. * CBS Chicago | NBA unveils the ‘Michael Jordan Trophy’ for the MVP: The NBA unveiled the newly designed “Michael Jordan Trophy,” on Tuesday, along with five other trophies trophies named after NBA legends. The winners will be presented to the end-of-season Kia Performance Award winners.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Follow along with ScribbleLive…
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Afternoon news roundup
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller * This is what happens when your party’s top candidates and former President warn gullible hyperpartisans about voting by mail. It obviously wouldn’t have won the race for Bailey, but it would’ve taken some pressure off whatever election day workers he had…
* Sun-Times…
It really felt unprecedented. There was an even larger outpouring when Judy Baar Topinka passed, but she was widely known. * Lightfoot campaign press release…
US Rep. Garcia got $2,900 in direct contributions from Bankman-Fried, plus this…
We may never know the extent of SBF’s spending because he gave a lot of cash through dark money groups, including apparently to Republicans. Either way, I’m guessing the mayor believes the new poll. * Sun-Times op-ed…
A mayor has deliberately yanked money from her city’s schools after the General Assembly approved an elected school board and now it’s the legislature’s job to fix it? Maybe Rep. Cassidy can come up with a bill /s * Speaking of Lightfoot…
“Widen and open up opportunities” except for cutting K-12 spending. * Isabel’s roundup…
* Press Release | Gov. Pritzker Announces Sean M. Smoot as Chairman of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board: * Axios | Illinois lags in energy efficiency despite new law: Illinois ranked 16th best this year, slipping from 15th and 11th in two previous years. Why it matters: Policies can drive real change, and Gov. JB Pritzker has vowed to make the state a climate leader. Highs and lows: Top scores went to California and Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Maine; Kansas and Wyoming ranked worst. * Daily Herald | Travel is spiking as gas prices keep dipping, AAA forecasts: “If this trend continues, many states could see their average prices fall below $3 a gallon by early next year.” Gas price averages were $3.55 a gallon in the Chicago region Monday compared to $4.41 a month ago. * ProPublica | Ken Griffin Spent $54 Million Fighting a Tax Increase for the Rich. Secret IRS Data Shows It Paid Off for Him.: For billionaire Ken Griffin, it was well worth spending $54 million to ensure he and other rich Illinoisans wouldn’t have to pay more tax. By the time Illinois voters streamed into voting booths on Election Day in 2020, Griffin, then Illinois’ wealthiest resident, had made sure they’d heard plenty about why they should not vote to raise taxes on him and the state’s other rich people. His tens of millions paid for an unrelenting stream of ads and flyers against an initiative on that year’s ballot, which would have allowed Illinois lawmakers to join 32 other states in setting higher tax rates for the wealthy than for everyone else. * Illinois Answers Project | Pritzker will sign into law measure to prohibit state investments in Russian companies : State pension funds would have to pull millions of dollars in investments from Russian stocks and bonds under a measure the Illinois General Assembly has approved and that the governor is expected to sign into law. The measure unanimously passed the House in April of this year following the attack in February by Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the turnaround for the Senate to consider it was too quick for it to be made into law by the end of regular session, according to some lawmakers. * NYT | Republicans Are Breaking With the N.R.A., and It’s Because of Us: Her polling picked up an even more decisive change just recently. “We’ve broadened out the villain,” she said. For decades, Americans saw the N.R.A. as the impediment to gun legislation. But rage is refocusing on Congress, increasingly seen as the N.R.A.’s collaborators: “politicians who actually fail to do anything again and again,” she said, “and have failed to stand up to the N.R.A. And that’s what people actually want — are politicians with a backbone.” It’s why Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa — an N.R.A. darling who ran for office by firing a handgun in a major ad campaign — broke with the organization leading up to the June vote. She said her phone lines were swamped, six to one in favor of the gun safety bill, urgently repeating: “Please do something.” * CNBC | Consumer prices rose less than expected in November, up 7.1% from a year ago: Stocks initially roared higher following the report, with futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average up more than 800 points initially before easing a bit. However, the rally lost much of its steam through the session, and the Dow was up just 50 points or so near 2:30 p.m. ET. “Cooling inflation will boost the markets and take pressure off the Fed for raising rates, but most importantly this spells real relief starting for Americans whose finances have been punished by higher prices,” said Robert Frick, corporate economist with Navy Federal Credit Union. “This is especially true for lower-income Americans who are disproportionately hurt by inflation. * Crain’s | Paul Vallas’ anti-crime program takes a turn to the political right: Also on Vallas’ list is reviving the Chicago Transit Authority’s police transit unit and giving it full legal authority to make arrests. “Commuters should be as safe on the CTA as they are in our city’s airports,” he said. “Public transportation in Chicago under my administration will be synonymous with safe passage.” Vallas said he’d get some of the money to hire a force of 600 to 700 officers by replacing private security guards that the CTA recently hired. “This new unit would ensure that all stations and platforms have a police presence,” he said. The promise to enact and enforce, “a robust public nuisance ordinance” aimed at those “who disturb the public peace and threaten to do harm to witnesses, victims and communities” is a bit of a blast from the past—it sounds much like the controversial “broken windows” strategy employed by former New York City Mayor Rudi Giuliani. * WBEZ | Delaying access to Chicago police radio calls threatens public safety, media coalition says: The city’s new system prevents news reporters and the public from getting instant access to police scanners that broadcast information about crimes and emergencies — access that had been available for decades. * Sun-Times | Chicago Plan Commission endorses Bally’s casino plan: The city’s planning agency Monday approved zoning for the proposed Bally’s casino at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street, a step in the $1.7 billion project’s journey through government approvals. The approval came despite a last-minute objection from a key alderperson. The Chicago Plan Commission endorsed the Bally’s proposal embraced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, which includes a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater and event center and a riverwalk. The casino would get 4,000 gaming positions. * Crain’s | Local activist takes her fight for an assault weapons ban to the national stage: The current Senate bill, S.736, passed the House at the end of July but expires at the end of the year with congressional turnover. It needs 60 votes to pass and has the support of President Joe Biden. While both Illinois senators, Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, already are co-sponsors, two new ones, Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., are helping further the cause, Brandtner says: “We have time and we have momentum.” * Tribune | Chicago homicides in 2022: 661 people have been slain. Here’s how that compares with previous years.: The number of people slain so far in 2022: 661. That’s 110 fewer people killed when compared with this same date in 2021. * Crain’s | Sears Hometown files for bankruptcy: The retailer listed assets of no more than $50 million and liabilities of at least $50 million in its bankruptcy court petition, filed in Delaware. Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows companies to continue operating while working on a plan to repay creditors. * Crain’s | Belvidere Jeep plant to be ‘idle, not closed,’ Stellantis exec says: The Illinois plant that builds the Jeep Cherokee is being shut down in early 2023, but Stellantis North America COO Mark Stewart on Monday said the factory still could have a future. Stewart, during an event at a Detroit-area plant, said the automaker is “continuing to look at what we can do to repurpose that facility — but it’s idle, not closed.” * Daily Herald | Landmark Illinois compiling list of most endangered historic places: Landmarks Illinois is accepting nominations for the 2023 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois, which calls attention to historic and culturally significant sites across the state that are threatened with deterioration, demolition or inappropriate development. * Tribune | Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters leaves Illinois to be the new head coach at Purdue: Walters, 36, becomes the fourth-youngest coach in the Bowl Subdivision behind Kenny Dillingham (32, Arizona State), Kane Wommack (35, South Alabama) and Dan Lanning (36, Oregon). Walters replaces Jeff Brohm, who left to become the new head coach at Louisville. * The Guardian | Ninety-year-old woman is oldest person to graduate from Illinois university: Joyce DeFauw of Illinois has given a whole new meaning to the term super senior, used for students who take longer than the usual four years to get their undergraduate degrees. On Sunday, the 90-year-old received a bachelor’s of general studies from Northern Illinois University more than seven decades after she first stepped on campus, becoming what officials believe to be the eldest person to ever graduate from the school.
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Legal fight over the meaning of bail
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the Illinois Constitution…
That passage is at the heart of the state’s attorneys’ lawsuit challenging the SAFE-T Act’s constitutionality…
* As I’ve told you before, the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Pretrial Practices defined bail this way in its final report…
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Question of the day: 2022 Golden Horseshoe Awards
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller * The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Do-Gooder Lobbyist goes to John Amdor…
Nuff said. * The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Legislative Liaison goes to Andi VanderKolk from the Illinois Department of Insurance…
Andi was clearly the crowd favorite and had a ton of solid nominations. Congratulations!
Best State Agency Director Please do your utmost to nominate in both categories and explain your nominations or they won’t count. Thanks! * After you vote, please come back and read this story: Before 2019, I helped Lutheran Social Services of Illinois raise a little money during my annual Christmas speech. It was usually around a couple thousand dollars plus a bunch of toys for foster kids. But I stopped doing that speech and decided to switch to online fundraising in 2019. Y’all really stepped up by contributing $11,111 to honor our late commenter Wordslinger that year to buy presents for foster kids in LSSI’s programs. In 2020, we raised $12,175 for LSSI’s kids. Last year, we raised $22,700 for presents. Well, as I write this, you have so far contributed $39,798! That is just amazing, and the folks at LSSI are simply over the moon with joy. Most importantly, though, you’re helping give a whole lot of foster kids a great holiday to remember. Merry Christmas! As I’ve already told you, because of your generosity, LSSI has revised its fundraising goal to $45,000. We are not the only ones raising money to buy presents for those foster kids, but we’re by far the largest group. So if LSSI is going to make it to their new goal, it’s mainly up to us to help them get there. Please, click here and help buy presents for foster kids. If you haven’t yet done so, now’s your chance. If you have already given, but could contribute just a little more, that would be so very awesome. Thanks and I love you all.
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Chicago poll shows crime and public safety far above any other issues for voters
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller * Heather Cherone at WTTW…
* OK, let’s focus on crime and public safety. Here’s how the polling question was asked…
You will recall that crime was not a huge issue for voters in the fall campaign except in Chicago, where it consistently ranked at the top of the list. But now, when the question is about what city leaders should be doing, it has rocketed up even further. 57 percent said their number one issue was “crime and public safety.” Affordable housing and homelessness was second, but it came in at just 10 percent. As noted in Heather’s article, when you combine respondents’ first and second choices, crime and public safety came in at a whopping 71 percent. Affordable housing and homelessness was still second at 24 percent. Again, when you combine 1st and 2nd choices together, schools and education were next at 22 percent, inflation and rising costs were at 19 percent, taxes were at 17 percent, jobs and the economy were at 14 percent, government corruption and ethics were at 11 percent, racial equity was at 10 percent and roads and infrastructure were at 7 percent. Also of note, respondents were read favorable talking points about some of the candidates and then they were asked to reevaluate their votes. The needle barely moved on any of the candidates. * I was asked not to post the poll itself, but here is the polling memo…
* More runoff results…
Willie Wilson 37% [VOL] Undecided 24% Lori Lightfoot 34% Lori Lightfoot 24% Lori Lightfoot 31% Quinn has dropped out, but I included him to give you an idea of how unpopular Lightfoot is, except maybe when it comes to Willie Wilson. …Adding… Wanted to front-page something I wrote in comments…
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First House hearing held on new assault weapon proposal
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Mike Miletich…
* The Tribune…
* WTTW…
* ABC 7…
* Sen. Robert Peters…
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Services announced for Sen. Bennett
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller * WTAX…
* Also from the Office of the Senate President…
And you can click here to help Sen. Bennett’s family via Meal Train. Their friends have so far raised more than $29,000 for Sen. Bennett’s spouse and two kids. Several others have pledged their time to help out with meals and child care.
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Morning briefing
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Here you go…
* Ford County Chronicle | A life remembered: Sen. Scott Bennett made his native Gibson City proud: Indeed, a lot of people loved Sen. Bennett, D-Champaign, whose sudden, unexpected death Friday afternoon shocked and saddened countless people from his native Gibson City to across Illinois. From state officials and professional colleagues to constituents and friends, condolences came from around the state Friday for Sen. Bennett’s family, including his wife, Stacy, and their two young children, twins Emma and Sam. * SJ-R | Illinois Democrats want to act with ‘urgency’ on proposal banning assault weapons : First introduced during the final week of the veto session by House firearm safety and reform working group chairman Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, House Bill 5855 would outlaw the manufacture, possession, delivery, selling, and purchasing of assault weapons, .50 caliber rifles, and .50 caliber cartridges. The proposal comes as firearm homicides increased by 35% from 2019 to 2020 nationwide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. * WTTW | García Claims ‘Front Runner’ Status by 7 Points in Race for Mayor, Says Poll Commissioned by Operating Engineers Union: “Local 150 commissioned a comprehensive poll as an in-kind contribution to Garcia’s campaign,” said Ed Maher, the union’s spokesperson. “The poll made clear that García has broad support across the city of Chicago and that voters understand all of the positives that he will bring as mayor.” * ABC Chicago | Chicago mayor race: Hearings held as Willie Wilson, Ja’Mal Green try to kick each other off ballot: Several candidates challenged the petition signatures of their rivals in attempt to disqualify them from the February election. There were a total of six hearings on Monday involving the race for mayor, but the two of note have pitted businessman Willie Wilson against community activist Ja’Mal Green as they try to boot another off the ballot. * BGA Policy | How Illinois Courts Are Hidden From FOIA: To help shine light on Illinois’ judicial branch, BGA Policy is proud to lead the Court Transparency Coalition, which recommends that the judicial branch be added to the state’s Freedom of Information Act. The Coalition, composed of BGA Policy, The Civic Federation, the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, Chicago Community Bond Fund, Chicago Council of Lawyers, Chicago Justice Project, Illinois Justice Project, the League of Women Voters of Illinois, Common Cause Illinois and Reform for Illinois has committed to advocating for change to FOIA by amending the FOIA law to include the judiciary. * The Center Square | Illinois drivers can expect two gas tax increases in 2023: Motor fuel prices in Illinois are down nearly 70 cents a gallon since this time last month. However, the state is set to increase the fuel tax Jan. 1 by 3.1 cents a gallon, for a total of 42.3 cents per gallon, second highest in the U.S. Another increase will occur in the summer on July 1. * Tribune | The Satanic Temple of Illinois has the right to build a holiday display in Springfield. Members say it’s about religious freedom.: For the fourth time since 2018, the Satanic Temple of Illinois — a statewide chapter with about 100 members, part of a religion boasting half a million followers internationally — was in Springfield on an early December morning, not to worship a devil or perform a ritual sacrifice. Odd as it sounds, the Satanic Temple does not recognize a Biblical Satan. It is a self-described nontheistic group dedicated to the pursuit of religious plurality, free thought and pushing back against any form of conformist doctrine. * Tribune | Moms, rejected applicants decry new Chicago Fire Department exam procedures that shrink testing pool for city firefighters: Gone is the old-school method where tens of thousands of applicants sat at once for a written exam resulting in a hiring list whittled in the hiring process. City officials have abandoned wide-open hiring events of the past for smaller, more diverse pools of candidates, adding that those rejected could reapply to take the test in two years instead of the approximately 10 years between each exam. * The Center Square | Lawmaker says Illinois has work to do for better senior care: Pritzker spoke at the event and promised to continue working to prioritize senior care. “Over the past year, I have partnered with CHA to provide more than $137 million to help finance the creation and preservation of nearly 1,400 affordable housing apartments across Chicago,” Pritzker said. “Many of those are set aside for seniors.” * Sun-Times | Chicago Plan Commission endorses Bally’s casino plan: The action sends the zoning proposal to the City Council, but 27th Ward Ald. Walter Burnett Jr.’s objection could delay its consideration. * FOX Chicago | Naperville man put stickers in the shape of swastikas on campaign signs: prosecutors: Between Oct. 2 and Oct. 16, Klingeman allegedly defaced two campaign signs for Gustin with swastika stickers he created with a marker and other stickers, prosecutors said. * Tribune | NBA renames its MVP trophy after Michael Jordan — a 5-time winner of the award with the Chicago Bulls: The MVP trophy honors Jordan’s illustrious career, which included six NBA championships during his 13 seasons with the Bulls. Widely considered the greatest player in league history, Jordan received 11 All-NBA honors and 14 All-Star selections and won 10 scoring titles. In addition to the five MVP awards, he was named NBA Finals MVP six times, Defensive Player of the Year in 1988 and Rookie of the Year in 1985.
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Open thread
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois today?
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Follow along with ScribbleLive…
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