The governor said he “balanced four budgets in a row” and saw the state’s credit rating upgraded six times.
“We’re going to go block-by-block, house-by-house to elect the greatest governor in the history of Illinois, since (Abraham) Lincoln,” an enthusiastic State Rep. Marty Moylan (D-55th) told his hometown crowd.
…Adding… I forgot that somebody sent me the video last night…
* I told Isabel today that I am just so pleased with the way things are going since she started working with me. She thrives on the pace. She works hard, finishes tasks promptly, listens attentively and has good ideas and input. She’s picked up a lot of things quickly. She’s taken a large load off of my back and my hope is she can also start contributing to the subscriber section soon.
I knew going in that Isabel was smart, funny and a real treat to hang out with. Yes, I’m biased because she’s also my niece, but I’ve heard that working with family can be tricky. That hasn’t been the case here. Her dad, my brother Devin, teaches at a college part-time, so he’s helped me with the teaching aspect of this experience. It’s truly worked out well.
Anyway, I just wanted to take a few moments to publicly acknowledge Isabel’s contribution and her value and to allow y’all to chime in if you want. She says she loves working here, and that really makes me happy and appreciative.
* Background is here if you need it. Sen. Michael Hastings’ former spouse is named Kate. As I told subscribers, this campaign letter from “Kate Hastings” was sent to voters a few days ago…
Sen. Hastings claims he has a sister named Kate, but that relationship is not at all spelled out in the letter and the former Mrs. Kate Hastings wanted to make darned sure people don’t get confused. From her Facebook page…
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
I have stayed extremely quiet the last two years. Those closest to me know I value my privacy. With that being said, you can imagine how difficult these past two years have been on not only me, but my children, my family and my closest friends.
I know it’s election season. I have seen the mailers, the horrific text messages, the social media posts and have read all of the dozen of articles written.
THIS IS NOT OK.
This IS NOT ME. I did NOT write this letter. I had NO knowledge of this letter being written. This is NOT my signature. I have NEVER lived at the address that is posted as the return of address. I would also never use such terrible stationary.
What this is, is a slap across the face to any victim of domestic violence.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for every single call, text message and email with words of comfort and support. They mean more to me then you know.
* Senate President Harmon’s statement…
We have not been involved in any way, shape or form with the Hastings’ campaign. No campaign run or supported by the Senate Democrats would do something so boneheaded, so beneath accepted campaign tactics. The election is a week away and voters have an important decision to make.
* Sen. Hastings’ full statement…
I have been in bi-weekly, if not weekly, communications with the Senate Chief of Staff, members of our Senate Leadership team, and other members of the Senate since the inception of my campaign.
They have all offered me great comfort during a difficult time for my family and support throughout my campaign.
More specifically, the Chief of Staff has been fully briefed on all aspects of my campaign to include this support letter from my sister, associated text messages and social media posting.
Up until today, it has always been acceptable practice for a member of a family to support another running for office. Throughout the past 15 years, my family has been more than supportive of my campaigns.
My sister, Kate Hastings, has been one my biggest champions and overly supportive throughout this difficult time for our family. She believes in worker’s rights, a women’s right to choose, among many other issues that matter most to the neighbors in our community. Her letter of support means the world to me.
This attempt to discredit of my sister’s letter is the antithesis of standing up for a woman’s voice. And I will not stand for that.
As you are aware, multiple news sources have sued to intervene in my settled divorce from my estranged ex-wife. Sadly, your republishing of the one-sided reporting does not tell the whole story.
I also hope during the course of your due diligence you may have noticed that my estranged ex-wife has changed her name back to her maiden name.
* From Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie…
This is not a question of politics, it’s a question of human decency. Both Governor Pritzker and I have called for Senator Hastings to resign due to his disturbing past record of violence and abuse of women. This latest, twisted, last-ditch effort to save his campaign is reprehensible, and his continued presence in the Senate should not be tolerated by anyone in the General Assembly.
People throughout Chicago are receiving anonymous text messages that encourage them to vote Tuesday — but also include their name and, in some cases, photos or maps of their home.
The text messages come from various phone numbers that, when called, lead to nowhere — and recipients have not subscribed for them. The messages tell the recipient they haven’t voted yet and list their name, home address and a nearby polling location. They sometimes include a Google Maps picture of the person’s home or a screenshot of their address on a map.
The messages aren’t coming from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, said spokesperson Max Bever. The agency — which governs elections in the city — doesn’t send text to voters, Bever said.
Chicagoans said the texts have left them annoyed, confused and, in some cases, concerned about their safety or worried about their ballot. […]
A resident who received one of the texts sent a message back to ask for information about the messages. The respondent said they are a volunteer with Voting Futures, a nonprofit “dedicated to ensuring every eligible voter is registered and participating in democracy.”
An official-looking text message created confusion among some Oregon voters because the information in the text — including the voter’s name or address — was incorrect. It didn’t match official voting records.
“They have my first name correct. The address is one in Eugene that I have never lived at,” explained Lauren Dunn in an email to KGW. “Seems like a scam.”
The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office and Multnomah County Elections have received complaints about the text messages. Tim Scott, director of Multnomah County Elections said he personally received one of the text messages.
The texts claim to be from someone named Myra, a volunteer with Voting Futures. The message explained that if you live at a particular address, you will receive your 2022 ballot in the mail soon. […]
A company hired by political organizations that rally people to cast their ballot sent the text message.
The company, Movement Labs, admits some of the text messages were addressed to the wrong person or had incorrect voting information because of old or outdated cell phone records.
Movement Labs, a company that facilitates political text message campaigns, took responsibility for accidentally sending voters in five states messages with erroneous instructions for voting. […]
The statement explains that the company sent the messages to voters in Kansas, New Jersey, Illinois, North Carolina, and Virginia on behalf of text campaign clients Voto Latino, Black Voters Matter, and Voting Futures.
Movement Labs founder Yoni Landau assured it was not their intention to confuse voters. “In some of our texts, we sent addresses and images of drop-box locations when we intended only to include in-person early vote locations,” he said. “We didn’t specify in our text that we were trying to encourage voters to vote early. Some voters familiar with their election day location thought we were telling them to vote on election day at an early vote location.”
This program relies on difficult-to-compile polling location data from multiple sources matched to individuals on the voter file, and we fell short of our rigorous standards with some of these errors, which we believe impacted around 10% of the voters we contacted.
Moving forward, we are conducting an investigation and commit to releasing a report widely summarizing our findings.
*** UPDATE *** From the State Board of Elections…
For the past several days, voters in Illinois have complained of receiving unsolicited text messages with incorrect information on Election Day polling places.
The text messages, from a group called Voting Futures, list the recipient’s voting address, state that public records indicate the recipient has not yet voted and then inform the recipient of a voting location that often is incorrect.
Voters are reminded that correct polling place information can be found by using the Polling Place Locator tool on the State Board of Elections website. The State Board of Elections does not communicate with voters using text messages, nor does it hire third parties to communicate with voters.
“We want Illinois voters to know that their election information should come only from trusted sources like the State Board of Elections or their local election authority,” said Board of Elections Executive Director Bernadette Matthews. Voters can also receive election information by following the State Board of Elections on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Voters who receive suspicious election-related text messages or emails or view social media posts that contain suspected election misinformation should forward screenshots and/or links to scamalert@elections.il.gov.
* Dan Proft has done this a few times in the past, and now he’s done it again…
Some 85 in 100 Illinois journalists and news media executives lean Democrat, according to an analysis of primary voting records by Prairie State Wire.
The analysis tracked the Illinois State Board of Elections’ public voter files of 400+ journalists and news media staff working across the state, identifying 225 who have voted in a primary election and declared a political party. […]
Of the 26 who voted in more GOP primaries, eleven were from outside the Chicagoland area. They include Capitol Fax publisher Rich Miller of Springfield, who has voted in five GOP primaries and four Democrat ones.
I vote in primaries where there are contested races that I’m interested in. If I voted in Cook County, most of the contested local races would be Democratic. I mean, Chicago resident Amy Jacobson, who is about as out there on the right as one can get, has voted in 4 Democratic primaries. The ratings don’t really mean much.
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-Ill.) would easily defeat Mayor Lori Lightfoot in a runoff — and he’s the only top challenger who’d win a head-to-head match-up, according to a new poll, bankrolled by Garcia, that makes it likely he will join the race.
“It’s further encouragement to consider taking the dive into the race. … If I sense that there is a way forward and that I can win the support of people across Chicagoland, I’m inclined to do so,” Garcia, whose supporters have been circulating his nominating petitions for weeks, told the Sun-Times Monday.
“Getting a strong mandate from voters across Chicago would be important. Finding the financial resources to run an effective campaign is another consideration and, of course, I’m working on that,” he added. “Chicago is facing some very serious challenges that will require that everyone lend a hand and be involved in moving the city forward.”
And…
Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia has filed an economic disclosure statement with Chicago’s Board of Ethics, a necessary step in his increasingly likely campaign for mayor. https://t.co/ZIJBXuT0iS@CrainsChicago
Chuy Garcia’s campaign committee is now amended to support a run for Chicago Mayor, one more step as he gears up for a potential challenge to Lightfoot pic.twitter.com/UN72kCEuWd
WTTW News counted five dozen contributions [to the 13th Ward Democratic Organization] since Madigan’s March 2020 indictment, the bulk of which came from labor groups.
Just last Wednesday, the Illinois Union of Operating Engineers (I.U.O.E. Local 150) Local Area Political Action Committee and the Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC each gave $59,900, the full amount they’re allotted to under law.
The Engineers Political Education Committee (listed as the 13th Ward Democratic Organization’s all-time top donor, with $391,200 in contributions) and the Laborers’ Political League Great Lakes Region each gave the max amount in September, while the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Chicago Laborers’ District Council PAC did so in August.
Multiple unions contacted by WTTW News did not return calls seeking comment.
The operating engineers’ union issued a statement, saying “Local 150 has a longstanding relationship with the 13th Ward Democratic Organization, which advocates for many policies and candidates that we support.”
Yes, he was really good to the trade union folks. But he’s gone now and he’s never coming back.
And he’s using some of their cash to buy Sox tickets…
New FEC filings reveal GOP congressional candidate and current Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau accepted thousands of dollars of campaign donations last week from Orland Park contractors to whom he had awarded lucrative taxpayer-funded contracts. In 2019, Keith Pekau was investigated for dishing out lucrative government contracts as part of a pay-to-play scheme. Now, he’s at it again.
Pekau’s 48-hour report filed Friday revealed he has accepted $6,250 in donations from employees of Edwards Realty. Pekau voted to give Edwards Realty a TEXT $10,000 a month consulting contract with the Village of Orland Park last year, and voted again this past August to grant the company another development contract.
Despite reservations from village trustees, Pekau led Orland Park in approving the new contract for Edwards Realty last March. Coincidentally, Pekau has accepted over $18,000 from the consulting firm and its executives since 2017, including $1,000 just weeks before Pekau voted to approve the first contract.
Keith Pekau has made it clear time and time again that he values himself over the residents of Orland Park. Voters are tired of corrupt, self-interested politicians — and they’ll remember the truth about Keith Pekau at the ballot box.
211 is an easy to remember telephone number assigned by the Federal Communications Commission to streamline access to health and human services.
211 is available on a 24-hour basis to connect residents to a wide variety of human services or social services across the state.
If someone needs information or referral services but has little or no prior knowledge or experience, dialing 211 is much simpler than other options. Once the person dials 211, a professional Information and Referral specialist will then either refer or connect that caller to the correct agency based on the services needed.
* Illinois early vote totals…
The @illinoissbe has updated early vote totals (11/01/22): Total VBM requested: 854,376 Total VBM returned: 439,489 Total VBM outstanding: 414,887 Return Rate: 51% Total Early Vote: 370,799 Total Grace Period: 5,224 Total Already Voted: 815,512https://t.co/44ga6Axjmq
The most up-to-date Early Vote and Vote By Mail totals in Chicago, night of Monday, October 31, 2022.
The Early Vote total stands at 61,018 ballots cast.
Additionally, 70,147 Vote By Mail ballots have been returned to the Board – total VBM applications stands at 206,815.
The grand total is 131,165 ballots cast so far in Chicago for the November 8th General Election.
FOR COMPARISON:
As of June 21, 2022 (7 days out from the 6/28/22 Primary Election): 52,197 ballots cast
As of October 26, 2020 (7 days out from the 11/3/20 Presidential Election): 553,307 ballots cast
As of October 29, 2018 (7 days out from the 11/6/18 General Election): 132,065 ballots cast
Illinois as a whole was ahead of 2018 by about 100,000 votes as of yesterday. This shows Chicago is still behind 2018 early voting as of this morning.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* In campaign that has raised social issues, US Rep. Sean Casten looks to cement power against Keith Pekau: Pekau said Awake Illinois is made up of “normal people, they’re not violent in any way or any of that. They’re just parents who care about their kids.” “I don’t know what their broader positions are,” Pekau said. “The people that I’ve talked to from Awake Illinois, they’re parents that are concerned, and they want their children to be children. They want their children — they don’t want (critical race theory) in their classrooms. They don’t want their children being exposed to a bunch of sexual (themes) in their classrooms. I agree with those positions.” Casten, who has publicly battled with Awake Illinois so much that he says the group has threatened to take legal action against him, scoffed at that.
* Madigan skips arraignment as lawyers enter plea of not guilty on new AT&T conspiracy charges: Madigan was not required to be on the phone because his attorneys invoked a rarely used procedural rule allowing criminal defendants to waive their right to be present for their arraignment under certain circumstances. […] The hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole lasted less than three minutes, most of which was taken up by attorneys identifying themselves on the line. Cole set a status hearing before the trial judge, U.S. District Judge Robert Blakey, for Nov. 17.
* Abraham Lincoln is a role model for today’s turbulent times: First lesson: Incremental progress is important for solving difficult policy problems. The book traces such progress, from the abolition of slavery in Washington, D.C. in 1862, to the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in states that had seceded in 1863, to the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery in 1865. Today, this approach can be used to strengthen gun laws. Both liberal Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering and conservative U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., agree that Congress raising the minimum age for purchase of assault weapons to 21, with narrow exceptions, is a possible step focused on individuals with the greatest propensity to engage in mass shootings.
* Republican McConchie, Democrat Peterson exchanges jabs in League of Women Voters candidate forum for state Senate 26th District: “My opponent has missed key votes on critical gun violence laws,” Peterson said. “Your absence has weakened these laws by letting people get killed in Highland Park, Aurora, Waukegan and Chicago. Your absence is more devastating than my being six days late on a real estate tax bill.” McConchie offered an explanation for his voting record. “I did miss a number of votes, but unfortunately, I was in the hospital. I have a spinal cord injury and I have health issues associated with the disability,” McConchie said. “I’m sorry, Maria, I missed a vote that day. I appreciate you not using my disability against me in that way.”
* Hurley faces Hebein in 35th District race: “I will fight to get our communities what we deserve,” Hurley said. “I will fight to improve public safety, support our small businesses, invest in our communities, and ensure access to quality schools with increased access to vocational programs while fighting against attempts to raise taxes even further.” Hebein did not return the questionnaire sent by The Beverly Review.
* Education, taxes at the forefront for candidates vying for state representative seat: Republican Joe Sosnowski faces a challenge from Democrat Peter Janko for State Representative from Illinois’ 69th legislative district, which encompasses much of Boone County and sections of Rockford, Cherry Valley and McHenry County. Ahead of the Nov. 8 election, we asked the candidates what the most pressing issues they’ll face if elected and what they would do about them. Here is a closer look at the candidates.
* The right’s worst offenders on Paul Pelosi conspiracy theories: The details also poke even more gaping holes in (and in some cases outright debunk) the conspiracy theories dismissing or downplaying the political nature of the attack — including theories promoted by some of the most prominent right-leaning figures in the country. Let’s run through what some of those people have said and how those comments have aged (poorly, and rather quickly).
As coronavirus cases climb once again, health officials are urging Illinoisans to get their COVID-19 vaccine booster shots now to help avoid a full-blown winter surge like the state has seen the last two years.
Not even 15% of eligible Chicagoans have gotten the updated bivalent booster designed to target the Omicron variant — a rate that is “absolutely not enough for us to avoid trouble this winter,” Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Friday.
“This fall is critical. We are not where we need to be as a city, in people getting that fall 2022 booster,” Arwady said during a downtown news conference, dressed as a wizard for Halloween. “And my crystal ball tells me we are not going to make it through the winter unscathed from COVID, especially if we can’t get more people up to date with vaccines.”
Once again, mitigations were designed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. We’ve been in the same basic range of hospitalizations since May.
Asked in Arlington Heights if he anticipates vaccination mandates as COVID-19 cases rise, Pritzker said, “I don’t.”
“I think people understand that we’ve got vaccinations available to everybody,” he said. “We’ve got one of the highest vaccinations rates in the Midwest here in Illinois, one of the lowest mortality rates in the Midwest.
“We are seeing a rise in COVID as we head into winter. I want to encourage everybody to get their bivalent booster that’s available now. You get boosted. It really is a safe thing to do and will keep you safe all winter long.”
We have vaccinations and effective treatments. Hospitals aren’t overwhelmed like they were at the start of this year, when they peaked at over 7,000.
* The Question: Did you ever catch COVID-19? Describe the experience.
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released her final ad in her campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate. In the new ad, Illinoisans highlight why they’re supporting Duckworth on November 8 for a second term in the U.S. Senate.
Everyday Illinoisans including Beth, a member of Painters District Council No. 30, Jimmy, a Veteran, Dawn, a community leader and David, a firefighter show their support for Duckworth—a leader like them who overcame hunger, worked her way through college and served her nation in uniform before serving Illinois in the U.S. Senate.
Duckworth’s prior ads from this cycle highlight her work to hold big corporations accountable and save working families money, the importance of protecting women’s reproductive freedom and her work to support and grow Illinois manufacturing and production.
Secretary of State Jesse White said Oct. 25 he stands by the candidate he appointed to fill the vacancy on the Niles-Maine Library District Board and expects to see that candidate, Umair Qadeer, sworn in once the Illinois General Assembly clarifies legislation empowering the Secretary of State to make library board appointments to vacancies open for longer than three months. […]
He said the appointment to the Niles-Maine Library board was not a decision his office had taken lightly.
“When we make an appointment to the library board, we take into consideration all that is required of the individual to not only take on the job and take on the responsibility that goes with it,” White said.
White’s office announced its selection of Qadeer for the board on Sept. 16. Qadeer had also applied to fill the vacancy left by former Trustee Olivia Hanusiak after she resigned in August 2021, and prior to that, Qadeer sat on the Des Plaines Public Library Board before moving within the Niles-Maine Library District boundaries.
End of story? Not exactly. A sitting board member filed for a temporary restraining order against White’s pick, preventing Qadeer from participating in meetings, leaving the stalemate in place. On Oct. 7, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Alison Conlon made the restraining order permanent. Now, state Sen. Laura Murphy, D-Des Plaines, has filed legislation she told us will be acted on in next month’s veto session to make it clear White’s pick can take his seat.
How does this infighting help the library serve its patrons? We’re not sure. A Niles-Maine librarian told us patrons say they want an end to the conflict — as well as an end to both a hiring freeze and a cutback in hours.
The brouhaha in Niles-Maine feels like a piece of a larger nationwide story in which many of those elected to governmental seats or who are running for them seem to have less interest in making government work than in sticking it to the opposition.
Somehow, America needs to nurture a stronger sense of civic-mindedness, in which we recognize we are all in this together. Political factions will never agree on everything, but they should do a better job of seeking common ground.
* In June of last year, Niles-Maine employees unionized…
Employees of the Niles-Maine District Library are organizing their union with AFSCME Council 31.
Nearly 100 librarians, patron support staff and other library workers will be part of the new union. They filed a majority-interest petition with the local panel of the Illinois Labor Relations Board last week.
Niles library workers are coming together in the wake of cuts to library funding, staff and programs threatened by newly elected members of the library board, who are engulfed in controversy over giving a $100-an-hour no-bid contract to their political supporter, Steven Yasell.
“The staff at the Niles-Maine District Library has spent decades working with different Board leadership to maintain a valuable community space and resource. But within just a few weeks, this new Board majority has made it obvious that they do not understand the functions of a public library and have no interest in learning them,” teen services librarian Rachel Colias said. “Once we realized we weren’t being offered a seat at the table, we pulled up our own with AFSCME. The people who work here have invested too much in this library to be so easily dismissed, and we hope to work as a union to protect our ability to serve anyone who relies on us.” […]
“Our library provides access to every member of our community so they can bridge the digital divide and succeed in the 21st Century. That means not just books and periodicals but computers, printers, internet, video equipment, and most of all the award-winning expert staff,” said Elizabeth Lynch of The Niles Coalition. “When my husband and I chose Niles to raise our family, one of the reasons was the library. Yet immediately upon taking office, the new library trustees began trying to reduce staff and hours, cut funding to programs and outreach, and establish an open-ended contract for their unqualified buddy, all without any input from the staff or the community. The members of the Niles Coalition love our library and will stand with library employees to protect it.”
Ever since the seating of the current board of trustees in May 2021, we have watched the Niles-Maine District Library shrivel. As the library staff, we deal daily with the effects of the board’s actions and inaction, while our concerns go unaddressed.
Nearly 30 resignations are unreplaced due to the ongoing 14-month hiring freeze. […]
Employees’ health insurance contributions increased from $96 to $164 per month — a yearly increase of over $800. […]
While trustees Patti Rozanski, Diane Olson, and Becky Keane strive to see the library regain its former vibrancy, the three others — President Carolyn Drblik, Secretary Suzanne Schoenfeldt and Treasurer Joe Makula — seem to regard us purely as functionaries, not the professional and paraprofessional staff we are. […]
President Drblik tries to justify severe cuts to professional development by saying training could be provided at the library by our own staff. And yet they eliminated our staff day, the one day a year when the library would close for such training. She also suggested staff could watch training videos during their lunch break, before being reminded staff cannot be forced to work during their unpaid lunch. […]
Trustee Makula endlessly parrots the need for cross-training to fill staffing gaps. Staff are already cross-trained. There is no lack of cross-training; the lack is simply in people to perform the work. He says the library has too many staff based on his own analysis, but he never says what the appropriate staffing level would be.
Not only has the library as an institution been diminished, but the staff continues to be disrespected and devalued. We are not pieces on a gameboard. Our morale should be a valid and critical concern to the trustees. If employees are continually devalued, there will come a time when they say enough is enough and choose to join an organization that values their talents, skills, and abilities.
The icing on the cake came at the July board meeting when these three trustees said they would not pay the new fiscal year’s bills until they have the budget in place. (There is, of course, no legal reason for this and until a few years ago the library routinely passed its budget in August.) Since they have so far been unwilling to compromise with the other trustees on the budget, on top of everything else it seems we now have to wonder if we’ll even get paid.
By all indications, Drblik, Schoenfeldt, and Makula are content to see the library wither. Is their ultimate goal to close the library?
* Jesse White appointed Umair Qadeer in September. Journal & Topics…
[Library Trustees Olivia] Hanusiak’s departure left two equally and bitterly divided voting blocs of three library trustees each. Although more than a dozen candidates filed applications to be appointed to the library board, shortly after Hanusiak’s resignation, board members were unable to reach an agreement on who to appoint.
Typically library board trustees would vote to make their own appointment to fill a vacancy. Because of the deadlock on the appointment, State Sen. Laura Murphy (D-28th) who represents a large section of Maine Township, introduced legislation, last spring similar to what exists for local school boards, mandating that, if the library is unable to make an appointment within 90 days of a vacancy being declared, or of the legislation becoming law, the state’s chief librarian, Secretary White, would then have 60 days after that to make the appointment. That legislation passed the Illinois General Assembly on unanimous votes and was then signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker.
The timing of the appointment is also significant. The library is set to hold a hearing on its final budget, where a vote could also be taken, at a special library board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26.
Discussion on the tentative budget was contentious. The tentative budget was adopted after a five-hour meeting with Library Board President Carolyn Drblik saying she would not pay library bills without the tentative budget in place. She also indicated library trustees in the other voting bloc could amend the budget, “When you have control” of the board.
* A legal wrench was thrown in the Sept 21 meeting where Qadeer would’ve been sworn in.Niles Herald-Spectator…
The Niles-Maine District Library Board had its shortest meeting in many months just hours after a Cook County judge issued a temporary restraining order against Secretary of State Jesse White that prevented a seventh, tie-breaker trustee from being seated on the board at the meeting.
Umair Qadeer’s seating on the board would have broken the 3-3 deadlock that has plagued the board since August of last year, hindering decision-making about staff, spending, legal fees, repairing the roof and many other significant matters.
Board Treasurer Joe Makula’s decision to file for a restraining order that prevents Qadeer from joining the board came just five days before the library was scheduled to have its budget hearing on the spending plan for the coming year. That budget hearing was scheduled for Sept. 26, and the restraining order remains in effect until Sept. 30. Illinois law requires the library to have a budget in place by Sept. 27. […]
The decision on the restraining order came down Wednesday from Cook County Circuit Court Judge Alison Conlon, Secretary of State Spokesperson Dave Druker said.
As Library Board President Carilyn Drblik arrived for Wednesday’s library board meeting she walked past a line of protesters, many from the Niles Coalition, chanting that she needs to go. Protesters did not see Makula enter the building.
As the meeting got underway, during the public comment portion of the meeting, residents railed against the injunction, including a 13-year-old named Dana, who said, “We need education of the youth, which helps history from repeating.” She criticized board members for cutting spending and said she would form a group at her school to protect the library against trustees.
Former Maine Township Trustee David Carrabotta told trustees he thinks the proposed budget should be reduced.
Niles Mayor George Alpogianis weighed in on the situation at the library: “Once again (Joe) Maukla and his cronies are being disrespectful to the library and its citizens. We all have been elected to do what’s best for our community. Lawsuit after lawsuit (by Makula) does nothing but costs all of us money.” He concluded, “As elected officials when we enter the board room, all of our personal agendas should be left at the door.”
* On Sept 27 the Board approved a $6.6 million budget a day before a legal deadline and after months of argument. The Tribune…
President Carolyn Drblik, Treasurer Joe Makula and Secretary Suzanne Schoenfeldt pushed to cut spending, including on such items as preventive building maintenance, and to preserve a hiring freeze enacted in May 2021.
Trustees Becky Keane and Dianne Olson voted for the plan but called it “mediocre” for not funding the 35 vacant staff positions at the library. Vice President Patti Rozanski voted no.
Rozanski, Keane and Olson have vocally opposed the spending cuts made by Drblik, Makula and Schoenfeldt for more than a year. The Rozanski-Keane-Olson bloc has advocated for funding to prevent the roof from leaking and for hiring traditional levels of staff, deferring to the leadership of library professionalson operational questions and funding items like overnight cleaning for bathrooms.
Over the past year, meetings with trustees deadlocked 3-3 have gone on for hours, punctuated by shouting. The board approved a tentative spending plan in August after Rozanski indicated that she’d vote for a budget so the library could start paying its bills but accused Drblik, Makula and Schoenfeldt of using “bullying tactics.”
* On Oct 6 a Cook County Circuit Court Judge issued a permanent restraining order. Niles Herald-Spectator…
In his request for a restraining order, Makula’s attorney Daniel Kelley argued that the law does not apply retroactively.
Since former Trustee Olivia Hanusiak’s seat was declared vacant in September 2021, Kelley argued that the 90-day clock would have begun then and expired in December 2021, requiring Secretary White to have made an appointment before February 12, 2022 to comply with the law. […]
“We’re going to be working with Senator Murphy; she’s going to do the bill for the veto session,” [Secretary of State spokesperson Dave Druker] said. “We’re trying to clarify the legislation.”
…Adding… Neil Steinberg’s column on the Libarry from July…
That’s the reason I came here. A reader alerted me to what he described as “the cabal of four right-wing library-haters who took control of the 7-member Niles Library board, pushed out the executive director, and are slashing the budget, slashing the hours, cancelling orders for new books and a new roof. They especially don’t want any foreign-language books because people oughta learn English.”
Can that be true?
“It is,” said Niles Mayor George D. Alpogianis. “What they’re asking for, in my opinion, is ludicrous. Big politics are starting to trickle down into smaller communities and are now hitting our libraries. The library has always been a safe haven. I have five children, and we’ve spent hundreds of hours in the library. We’ve always felt good about it.”
Many Niles residents aren’t feeling very good about their library lately. Like all local issues, the complexities and personalities involved can be numbing. […]
The basic situation seems to be four board members applying a Reaganite kill-the-beast approach to their local library, throwing out anything that isn’t about stacking books in a room — no yoga for seniors, no librarians visiting schools. A bare-bones library run by people who hate libraries and hate most of the people they serve.
The Paul Pelosi attacker was hit w/ kidnapping and assault charges. He's in the US illegally. In the sanctuary state of IL, were the charges only state-level, local cops couldn't help the feds. Under Pritzker's Purge Law, his offenses are non-detainable. An illustration of IL.
Detention only shall be imposed when it is determined that the defendant poses a specific, real and present threat to a person or has a high likelihood of willful flight.
I am pretty sure any prosecutor could effectively argue that the confessed Paul Pelosi attacker posed a specific, real and present threat to a person, since his actual intended target was the Speaker of the US House, who wasn’t home at the time.
* From the Pritzker campaign…
There is no such thing as a non-detainable offense. After spending an entire year recycling tired talking points, the Illinois GOP has woken up to the reality that they don’t have a single new idea or policy position that would make life better for Illinois working families. For the next week, they’ll repeat pathetic lies because they quite literally have nothing else to say. It’s laughable to suggest that people like Darren Bailey and Tom Devore, who often spend their free time stalking elected officials, filming corny videos outside of their homes, and offering bounties for photos of their family, are concerned about the safety of those serving the public.
Last night, the JB for Governor campaign sent a letter to Darren Bailey’s campaign calling on the candidate to publicly commit to accepting the results of next week’s election. The letter also addresses the Bailey campaign’s so-called “election integrity” efforts, led by a January 6 insurrectionist.
“Governor JB Pritzker, the JB for Governor campaign, and each and every one of our staff members commits to accepting the results of the election—win or lose––because we trust and respect Illinois voters. We call upon your campaign and Senator Bailey himself to publicly commit to doing the same,” said JB for Governor Campaign Manager Mike Ollen.
READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE LETTER BELOW
Mr. Durbin,
I write on behalf of the JB for Governor campaign to ensure that in advance of polls closing on November 8, 2022, all candidates for governor will commit to publicly accepting the results of Illinois’ free and fair midterm election being held next week.
Election denialism is a dark plague that threatens the very foundation of our democracy. In this time of unparalleled division, it is important we as campaign leaders, along with our candidates, promise to respect Illinoisans’ wishes.
On January 6, 2021, we witnessed an assault on our nation’s capital. As we learned from the recent Congressional hearings, this insurrection was sparked by Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election. As a result, voters’ trust in the fairness and freedom of our elections has plummeted.
Senator Bailey has been largely quiet about his affiliation with Donald Trump since accepting the former president’s endorsement. He has not denounced Trump’s efforts to pre-emptively undermine the results of the 2022 midterms. In fact, he’s planted similar doubts here in Illinois. In September, WBCU asked if the senator would accept the Election Day results. His response: “Yes, because we’re empowering the people to be poll watchers…So, if people show up as poll watchers, monitor the election process (and) we get elected, then we will create a voter reform and we will restore confidence in our elections.”
Your candidate’s assertion that his acceptance of the results of a free and fair election is contingent upon his success does not restore faith in our democratic system. The people of Illinois deserve to know whether Senator Bailey is ready and willing to accept the outcome of their votes.
You know as well as I do that Illinois has undertaken painstaking efforts to protect the integrity of elections. At this very moment, early voters are casting their ballots, and mail-in-ballots are arriving at election offices. Meanwhile, Senator Bailey has stoked the flames of poll-aggression. In a recent Facebook Live video, he instructed followers: “a poll watcher can be positioned by us…go to BaileyForIllinois.com and click on election integrity, and you can sign up and we’ll train you. We’ll train you how to do the job number one, and then we’ll train you number two on what to look out for and what to do if you suspect fraud.” It is imperative that neither campaign encourages poll watchers to intimidate voters and election workers or interfere with the proceedings at local election offices. Illinois must conduct a fair and free election.
We have a responsibility to this state, and to people watching across the nation, to end our campaigns with honor and integrity, no matter the final tally. Illinoisans deserve to have faith in the most fundamental part of our nation’s democratic process. They deserve to know that their voice matters. They deserve to make the choice that best represents their values.
Governor JB Pritzker, the JB for Governor campaign, and each and every one of our staff members commits to accepting the results of the election—win or lose––because we trust and respect Illinois voters. We call upon your campaign and Senator Bailey himself to publicly commit to doing the same.
Darren’s been clear he will accept the outcome of the election. JB hasn’t been clear about how he will fix the SAFE-T Act and has made life unaffordable for working families. That’s why we will win. The real question is, will JB pledge not to remove the toilets from the governor’s mansion once he loses?
* Governor Pritzker talks campaign trail, state finances and Darren Bailey: Governor Pritzker joins Capitol Connection to discuss the campaign trail, his re-election bid and his opponent Darren Bailey. […] The interview aired on Capitol Connection Sunday morning. This is the unedited version of the interview.
* Illinois Governor’s race gaining attention on national stage: Monday night Hawaii’s former congresswoman stopped in Illinois to stump for Republican candidate Darren Bailey. “He is a farmer who cares for his community, he cares for his people, he cares for his future for his grandkids- just like every one of you,” Tulsi Gabbard said to a crowd of Republican voters.
* Republican candidate for 92nd district provides info on campaign: Watt says there were no other Republicans on the ballot, so he decided to fill the gap to give Gordon-Booth an opponent. “I just disagree with her policies, and I feel like you can either just disagree, or do something about it, so I decided to do something about it,” he says. The family pastor adds that his campaign revolves around three ideals: parents rights, pro-life, and affordable living.
* With one week left, Illinois gubernatorial candidates continue campaign: Pritzker’s campaign preempted Gabbard’s visit to Glen Ellyn Monday evening with a statement calling Gabbard a “conspiracy theorist,” “virulently anti-LGBTQ” and a “Russian apologist.”Gabbard has said the Democrat’s “woke” ideology goes too far and distracts from real issues.
* Preckwinkle running decidedly low-key reelection campaign: Preckwinkle, for her part, thinks fellow Democrats need to message their “support for the full spectrum of health care for women,” including abortion rights, given that that issue has now become strictly polarized. Asked if she thought abortion rights would be a galvanizing issue for Illinois voters, Preckwinkle said she hopes it galvanizes Illinois women.
* Stava-Murray, Leong both favor gun control, but issue remains contentious in 81st House race : Leong noted the consistency of his position, referencing a vote he made as a Naperville Unit District 203 board member against arming teachers in the classroom. Leong also questioned the dedication of Democratic state legislators such as Stava-Murray. […] Stava-Murray detailed her support for strengthening “red flag” laws, universal background checks, a modernization of the Firearm Owner’s Identification card system and increasing focus on mental health.
* Illinois politicians spending millions ahead of Election Day: The heavy spending isn’t exclusive to federal political races. The Illinois’ Governor race is where the most green can be seen. Incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) had over $42 million on hand after last quarter. His campaign has reported taking in nearly $3 million after, totaling over $45 million now.
* A look at the statewide races as election enters its final week: As of Monday, the Illinois State Board of Elections had reported 590,333 early votes had already been cast, including 362,604 mail-in ballots, 224,595 early in-person ballots and 3,134 grace period ballots. […] A brief summary of the statewide races. Links to other coverage on the races and interviews with the candidates can be found.
* Barickman suggests revamping state’s cannabis regulation: Marijuana is too expensive in Illinois, according to Republican state Sen. Jason Barickman of Bloomington, who says he’d support lowering taxes on legal cannabis in the state. “There are plenty of Illinoisans today who claim they go to other states to buy their cannabis because it is legalized in other states, but it’s cheaper. I think this is an area in which we could make significant improvements,” said Barickman.
* Pritzker dipping into the trust fund to get around the spending caps…
You gotta figure Elizabeth Rochford will get that as well.
* Speaking of contribution caps, DeVore busted his with a loan to himself, then has bitterly and repeatedly complained about a large contribution to his opponent…
This is about my favorite Devoreism. Raises spending cap, complains about Raoul campaign spending for the rest of the election cycle. pic.twitter.com/OM2PzgAkXC
@TPUSA Students and I had the opportunity to join Republican Women of Park Ridge for brunch today, as well as hear from speakers Attorney Tom Devore, Attorney Kathy Salvi, and Stephanie Trussel! pic.twitter.com/M2wVFeasvq
Prosecutors charged the suspected gunman in the shooting rampage at a Fourth of July parade in this Chicago suburb with seven counts of first-degree murder Tuesday, hoping to put him behind bars for the rest of his life.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said that, if convicted, Robert E. “Bobby'’ Crimo III faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. […]
Crimo can be seen in a widely circulated Chicago Tribune photo of a Trump rally. The man standing to Crimo’s right in the photo is Peter Christos, 18, according to Deerfield resident Natalie Reed, 18, who attended school with Christos at Glenbrook North.
“He’s very anti-mask, anti-vaccine,” Reed said of Christos. “He would kind of harass other students for wearing masks. He rallied up a bunch of people and did a lot of Trump rallies. He’s the one who got people together for most of them in Northbrook.”
Democratic oppo file on Christos is here. He was close to the Bailey campaign for a while and Bailey’s running mate was reportedly at that Republican Women of Park Ridge event.
Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15) is the only member of the state’s Republican congressional delegation not to condemn last week’s violent attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The silence from Miller shows how divided politics has become, especially since Jan. 6 when protesters stormed the Capitol calling out for Pelosi.
Others in the GOP spoke up: Congressmen Mike Bost (IL-12), Rodney Davis (IL-13), Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) and Darin LaHood (IL-18) all expressed outrage at the assault. They followed the lead of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former Vice President Mike Pence, who also condemned the attack.
* Illinois early vote totals…
The @illinoissbe has updated early vote totals (10/31/22): Total VBM requested: 841,270 Total VBM returned: 400,385 Total VBM outstanding: 440,885 Return Rate: 48% Total Early Vote: 290,868 Total Grace Period: 3,770 Total Already Voted: 695,023https://t.co/44ga6Axjmq
The most up-to-date Early Vote and Vote By Mail totals in Chicago, night of Sunday, October 30, 2022.
The Early Vote total stands at 52,599 ballots cast.
Additionally, 61,643 Vote By Mail ballots have been returned to the Board – total VBM applications stands at 203,119.
The grand total is 114,242 ballots cast so far in Chicago for the November 8th General Election.
Chicago has about 21 percent of the state’s population, but turnout so far is only about 16 percent of the statewide total. That’s up from before, but not there yet.
…Adding… Ahead of 2018, but people are getting accustomed to the process…
* Judge allows GOP AG candidate Thomas DeVore’s defamation lawsuit against girlfriend’s mom to proceed: In his decision, Christian County Associate Judge Kevin Parker wrote that he couldn’t properly evaluate whether DeVore’s lawsuit fell under the state law without first determining whether Craig wrote or helped publish the article in question. “At this pleading stage of the case, that material fact is in no way settled,” Parker wrote.
* Vote no on the Workers’ Rights Amendment: As Crain’s business columnist Joe Cahill pointed out on Oct. 3, if the WRA passes, Illinois will stand out for giving broader constitutional protections to organized labor than any other state. The amendment bars any legislation that interferes with unions’ bargaining rights, and—going further than any of the handful of states that constitutionally protect collective bargaining—explicitly prohibits “right-to-work laws” like those recently adopted by neighboring states.
* Tulsi Gabbard endorses Bailey for governor: “It’s time for new leadership, and I urge you to elect Darren Bailey as your next governor,” Gabbard said. “He is a farmer who knows what it means to put in an honest day’s work, puts people first and is not beholden to the political insiders who have corrupted the Illinois government.” Gabbard will speak at a Bailey campaign rally with Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy Monday night in Glen Ellyn. The downstate lawmaker said Gabbard understands that Illinois voters need to stand up to extremists, put people ahead of politics and do what’s right. Bailey said he can unite Illinoisans by focusing on tax relief, safer streets and improving schools.
* RTMD offering free rides to the polls in southern Illinois: Rides Mass Transit District (RMTD) is offering free rides to the polls for the General Election on Tuesday, November 8. The transportation company says it is offering the free rides on their regular routes in southern Illinois.
* Kifowit, West square off in Illinois House 84th District race: If re-elected, Kifowit said she hopes to continue serving as the chair of Veterans Affairs and serve as a voice for veterans as the only female veteran in the House. She also looks to focus on ensuring mental health is on par with physical health for residents, working toward more ethics reforms and balancing the state’s budget, she said.
…Adding… From Dan Proft’s PAC…
Former Democrat, congresswoman, and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard appeared on Chicago’s Morning Answer with Dan Proft & Amy Jacobson Monday morning before scheduled appearances with Illinois GOP candidate Darren Bailey later in the day in both Palatine and Glen Ellyn.
The whole interview can be listened to here:
http://morninganswerchicago.com/2022/10/31/fmr-us-rep-tulsi-gabbard-on-her-exit-from-the-democratic-party/
Gabbard: “I just came from being with [GOP gubernatorial candidate] Tudor Dixon over the weekend in Michigan, and I know a lot of the same challenges that people are frustrated with and feeling in Michigan are the same things that Darren is telling me folks are frustrated with here in Illinois. Things obviously, like incredibly-rising crime rates…heavily restricted controls by the government throughout the COVID pandemic…parents being told ‘Hey you don’t have a right to have a say in what your child is being taught in school.’ These are all things that aren’t Democrat or Republican, they are issues that are affecting every person and every family in this state, and that this governor, Governor Pritzker, has failed on.”
She went on to say: “My message to voters here in the state of Illinois:…Do you feel like our economy is working for you? Do you feel like you are being honored and empowered as parents with policies that actually strengthen families, rather than trying to tear us apart? And if the answer to any of those is NO then I urge you to really take a hard look and consider casting your vote for [DARREN BAILEY] because he is a man of the people.”
Dan Proft is president of People Who Play By The Rules PAC.
When Emerson College unveiled its latest Illinois poll last week, its press release included three “key takeaways.” At the very top of its list was this: “Fifty-two percent (52%) majority of voters think things in Illinois are on the wrong track, while 48% think things are headed in the right direction.”
The college is based in Massachusetts, a liberal state with a popular Republican governor. A recent poll taken in Massachusetts by Suffolk University found that 59% believed their state was on the right track, while 33% said it was on the wrong track.
So, while I can easily see why people in Massachusetts would highlight an inverse opinion in Illinois as bad news, that poll result was actually pretty darned good news.
Way back in 2008, when Rod Blagojevich was nearing his fateful end, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute found that 75% of Illinoisans believed Illinois was heading in the wrong direction, while 12.4% believed it was going in the right direction.
In 2010, the Simon Institute had the wrong/right track result at 81%-11%. In 2011, the Institute poll pegged the numbers at 75%-15% wrong/right, and it stayed there for a while. The Simon poll’s 2012 wrong/right results were 70%-20%. The 2013 Simon poll had it at 75%-16%.
In early 2015, shortly after Republican Bruce Rauner was sworn in as governor, Illinoisans’ mood improved a little.“Only” 63% said the state was headed in the wrong direction, while 22% said it was moving in the right direction.
By 2016, after all heck had broken loose in Springfield amid Rauner’s refusal to negotiate a budget until he won his war with organized labor, things got even worse. The Simon poll found a whopping 84% of the state’s voters believed Illinois was off on the wrong track, while only 10% thought it was following the right path. The Simon poll numbers were essentially unchanged two years later (84%-9%) as Rauner was finishing up his first and only term.
Illinoisans have overwhelmingly agreed on one thing over the years: Illinois sucks. It’s quite a remarkable consensus.
And it isn’t like people were totally wrong.
We have more than our share of crooked politicians. We had three governors in a row who made a complete mess of things. Our former House speaker had more concentrated power than anyone in our state’s history, and he often used his office to play other people and institutions for sport.
Issues were ignored, everything seemed to be in decay, there was never enough money to achieve basic goals.
Entire cottage industries sprang up to take advantage of Illinoisans’ collective hatred of their state by giving them often-massaged data to feed their rage. Everything is bad all the time to these groups. “Death spiral” was one of their favorite phrases to describe Illinois’ predicament. People have been paid quite well to live in nice homes and tell everyone else their lives were miserable because of state employee pensions, or whatever the current bogeyman was.
Then something happened that upset a lot of people at the time but turned everything around. A super-majority of Republicans and Democrats overrode Rauner’s veto of an income tax hike. Oh, there was such blinding, white-hot rage from the well-paid doomsayers at the time. But I think they knew the gig was up.
It took some years to pay off the crushing short-term debts incurred under Rauner and his predecessors, but the state started to right itself again thanks to that extra revenue. After some decent governance, the “death spiral” people have mostly moved on to opposing COVID-19 mitigations, or complaining about “Critical Race Theory” or whatever.
Because of that increased tax revenue, our pension debt, while high, has become far more manageable. Businesses and nonprofit organizations that do much of the actual physical work of government don’t have to worry about not being paid in a timely manner. Subsequent tax hikes on motor fuel and gaming expansion and legalizing cannabis have provided needed funds to fix our decrepit roads and bridges, repair our dilapidated public buildings and invest in neglected communities.
Again, I don’t strongly disagree with popular sentiment over the years. Illinois has often been a basket case, even without the deliberately provocative exaggerations from the doom-and-gloom types. And I also agree with what appears to be current sentiment that Illinois is slightly more negative than positive. We still have a ways to go. But, at least now, the destination might possibly be in sight.
It sure would be nice to live in a more “normal” state.
In August, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration alerted the public to the existence of bright-colored fentanyl pills that resemble candy — now dubbed “rainbow fentanyl.” The DEA warned that the pills were a deliberate scheme by drug cartels to sell addictive fentanyl to children and young people.
Although the agency didn’t mention Halloween specifically, people remain alarmed this holiday following the DEA’s warning.
Drug experts, however, say that there is no new fentanyl threat to kids this Halloween. […]
Dr. Ryan Marino, medical toxicologist, emergency physician and addiction medicine specialist at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, also points to the upcoming midterm elections.
“It also seems to have become heavily politicized because this is a very tense election year with very intense partisan politics,” he said. “It also seems as if people are using fentanyl for political purposes.”
* Today, Fox News published an opinion piece online titled “Halloween fentanyl from Biden’s border crisis the latest horror from this administration” but with no examples. Rep. Mary Miller is also guilty of this Halloween hoax…
The Biden Border Crisis is posing a serious threat to our children. As Halloween approaches, we must warn parents that cartels are trafficking and selling rainbow fentanyl to appeal to kids. These pills are deadly, and parents should carefully check over Halloween candy this year pic.twitter.com/9MlHzsl8mm
DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick was looking over bulletins from other law enforcement agencies when he saw something that chilled him — an alert about a new kind of fentanyl that he said, “looks exactly like SweeTarts candy.” […]
He relayed his concerns to state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) and recently she and some Republican colleagues introduced a bill that would add five years to the prison sentence of anyone convicted of selling fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, in that guise. […]
Laura Fry, of Live4Lali, an overdose prevention group that serves the northern suburbs, was even more skeptical.
“Because of the work we do I know a lot of dealers, and no, they’re not going to be bagging it up and giving it out at Halloween,” she said. “It’s just scaremongering at its best.”
* Earlier this month Danville PD posted on Facebook that parents should be aware of traffic, using sidewalks and fentanyl…
Halloween is right around the corner and our community enjoys being involved in the festivities and giving or receiving “Tricks or Treats”. The Danville Police Department wants to help keep everyone safe. Trick-or-Treating will be permitted in Danville from 5 pm – 8 pm on Monday, October 31st.
Our primary concern is pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the roadways and other risks to our children’s safety. We must also remain concerned with Covid-19 for those who are most vulnerable to it. Parents and guardians must remain vigilant again this year. The choice of allowing your children to trick or treat and responsibility will, as it should, fall on the individual parents, guardians and families. As with any contagious illness, if a parent, guardian or child is not feeling well, please consider not taking the risk. […]
Unfortunately, we always have to keep our guard up for additional risks that could jeopardize the community’s safety. There has been attention given to “rainbow colored” Fentanyl. We have not seen this variation of the deadly drug in Danville or Vermilion County but we want to warn that all candy collected by our children should be inspected by an adult prior to its consumption. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) this variation of the street version of Fentanyl has been located and seized in 18 states and the distributors are targeting the younger population. There is no indication of a threat in our area but we know that the question will be asked based on the coverage by national media. Anything suspicious should be reported to local police. Any unsealed candy should be discarded. Use your best discretion as you would for anything involving our most precious commodity, our kids.
Advocates warn that some of the alarms being sounded by politicians and officials are wrong and potentially dangerous. Among those ideas: that tightening control of the U.S.-Mexico border would stop the flow of the drugs, though experts say the key to reining in the crisis is reducing drug demand; that fentanyl might turn up in kids’ trick-or-treat baskets this Halloween; and that merely touching the drug briefly can be fatal — something that researchers found untrue and that advocates worry can make first responders hesitate about giving lifesaving treatment.
All three ideas were brought up this month in an online video billed as a pre-Halloween public service announcement from a dozen Republican U.S. senators.[…]
Jon DeLena, the agency’s associate special agent in charge, said at the National Crime Prevention Council summit on fentanyl in Washington this month that there’s “no direct information that Halloween is specifically being targeted or young people are being targeted for Halloween,” but that hasn’t kept that idea from spreading.
Joel Best, an emeritus sociology professor at the University of Delaware, said that idea falls in with a long line of Halloween-related scares. He has examined cases since 1958 and has not found a single instance of a child dying because of something foreign put into Halloween candy — and few instances of that being done at all.
The Illinois Poison Center (IPC) is giving out tips to keep your children safe on Halloween.
Officials say it is rare for Halloween candy to be poisoned but IPC manages cases each year involving dry ice, glow sticks, and more.
“It is very rare to get poisoned from Halloween candy, but parents should still check their child’s candy as a safety precaution, especially with the recent increase in the use of candy-like products that contain THC or fentanyl,” said IPC Medical Director Michael Wahl, MD. “While IPC doesn’t typically see poison incidents involving candy during this time of year, we do get calls about glow sticks, dry ice, and other potentially harmful items children eat.”
Three former Illinois prison guards face life behind bars after the 2018 fatal beating of a 65-year-old inmate in a case marked by the unpunished lies of other correctional officers who continue to get pay raises, records obtained and court documents show.
Juries convicted Department of Corrections Officer Alex Banta in April and Lt. Todd Sheffler in August of federal civil rights violations owing largely to the cooperation of the third, Sgt. Willie Hedden. Hedden hopes for a reduced sentence — even though he admitted lying about his involvement until entering a guilty plea 18 months ago.
But Hedden’s account of what happened to Western Illinois Correctional Center inmate Larry Earvin on May 17, 2018, is not unique. Similar testimony was offered by six other correctional officers who still work at the lockup in Mount Sterling, 249 miles southwest of Chicago.
Like Hedden, all admitted under oath that initially, they lied to authorities investigating Earvin’s death, including to the Illinois State Police and the FBI. They covered up the brutal beatings that took place and led to Earvin’s death six weeks later from blunt-force trauma to the chest and abdomen, according to an autopsy reports.
Documents obtained under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act indicate that none of the guards has been punished for the coverup. Despite admitting their indiscretions, Lts. Matthew Lindsey and Blake Haubrich, Sgts. Derek Hasten, Brett Hendricks and Shawn Volk and Officer Richard Waterstraat have flourished — three have been promoted, one has been on paid leave, and on average, they’ve seen salary hikes of nearly 30% and increases in pension benefits.
* The John Howard Association helped push Illinois into compliance with federal and state disclosure laws…
JHA led the effort to bring IL into compliance with the federal Death in Custody Reporting Act; more transparency is critical to identifying preventable deaths, abuse, and neglect & addressing these problems. @ICJIA_Illinois Learn more here: https://t.co/qYkcntauzX
Mailers like this perpetuate dangerous stereotypes and put the lives of our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors at risk. These unhinged conspiracies have led to legitimate threats on doctors, nurses, and hospitals and fuel the acts of violence that have become all too common in our political discourse.
When a federal court threw out two Illinois laws that barred both out-of-state contributions to judicial races, and donations from groups that don’t disclose their donors, the chief legislative sponsor of the laws wasn’t particularly surprised. […]
In his decision, U.S. District Court Judge John Tharp Jr. ruled in favor of Chicago-based Liberty Justice Center saying the state “does not and cannot explain why money is more corrupting simply because its source is from outside the state.”
The campaign finance laws were pushed by Democrats as part of an effort to preserve their 4 to 3 majority on the state high court. The Illinois Supreme Court has had a Democratic majority since the state adopted a new constitution in 1970. But the 2020 defeat of Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride, the first member to the high court to lose a retention bid, sent shockwaves through the Democrats political establishment and set up the possibility that Democrats might lose control of the high court in the 2022 elections.
* Pritzker campaign…
In a final move of desperation, Darren Bailey announced he will campaign with noted Russia sympathizer and conspiracy theorist, former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard, who is most famous for polling at only 1% in the early days of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, has a long history of apologizing for Vladimir Putin’s brutal regime and spreading conspiracy theories.
In the early days of the Ukraine war, Gabbard spread decidedly pro-Russia propaganda, saying, “This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if Biden Admin/NATO had simply acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine’s becoming a member of NATO.” Gabbard has made repeated appearances on Fox News to parrot false Russian propaganda.
Gabbard has been widely criticized for pushing a Russian-backed conspiracy about U.S.-backed biological labs in Ukraine. Experts have warned that the baseless conspiracy theory “could serve as justification for Russia to use biological and chemical weapons against Ukraine.”
“It is no surprise Darren Bailey has to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find campaign surrogates in the final days of this election,” said JB for Governor spokeswoman Eliza Glezer. “Disliked by Republicans and Democrats alike, Tulsi Gabbard has repeatedly shown that her loyalties lie with foreign adversaries. Darren Bailey should answer for why he is so proud to campaign with a Trump-aligned, Russian apologist.”
We can verify the passing of Amendment 1 does not guarantee a property tax increase. There is no language in the amendment regarding property taxes. […]
You may have seen the [Illinois Policy Institute’s] campaign claiming property tax could increase by $2,100 for the typical Illinois homeowner.
The IPI reached that number by taking the average property tax increase since 2010 and projected future annual property tax increases for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Those four years of increases were combined and equal around $2,100.
Bryce Hill came up with the formula.
The Verify team asked Hill why the future tax numbers wouldn’t still apply if Amendment 1 fails. The formula is based on tax averages since 2010 when Amendment 1 protections were not in place.
Hill answered, “Not necessarily…You could get a reform-minded candidate in there who wants to lower property taxes or freeze them.”
He added, “We have a much more likely scenario for property tax reform and cost of government coming down if Amendment 1 does not pass.”
Yeah, they always have a magical solution at the ready if only everyone would just do what they say.
It’s election season in Illinois, and politicians are running on the promise of property tax relief as usual, including every major candidate for governor.
Illinois’ property taxes are already the second-highest in the nation and a major reason taxpayers are fleeing to lower-tax states. That problem could be made worse on Nov. 8 when voters will be asked to decide the fate of Amendment 1, a tax hike disguised as a “workers rights amendment.”
The change would prevent commonsense reforms to reduce homeowners’ tax burdens while giving government union leaders virtually limitless new ways to demand higher costs from taxpayers. If it passes, Illinois’ trend of large annual property tax increases will likely grow faster than ever. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has failed to deliver on property tax relief during his term – the average family paid $1,913 more during his administration.
Amendment 1 would guarantee that family pays at least $2,149 in higher property tax bills over the next four years, no matter which politicians win this November or how well they try to follow through on their promises.
This is a conservative estimate, assuming the rapid growth of Illinois’ property tax burden holds steady. It’s likely property taxes would grow at an even faster rate, because Amendment 1 would give Illinois government unions unprecedented bargaining powers that don’t exist in any other state. Exactly how much faster is an open question.
You have to read it closely, but, aside from the headline, they’re not saying the Workers’ Rights Amendment would in itself guarantee property tax hikes. They’re claiming it would be next to impossible to lower the historical rate of increase if Amendment 1 passes.
So, essentially, they cover themselves with the full explanation. A more honest pitch would be: “If you vote No on this thing then your property taxes might possibly if everything works out the way we hope not go up as fast,” but that probably wouldn’t be effective, or even believable. So, they stick to the shorthand with a long explanation that few will likely read.
Darren Bailey’s not telling you the truth. He’s just trying to scare you. You deserve to know the facts about the Illinois SAFE-T Act. There is no such thing as a purge law in Illinois. We will be able to keep violent offenders behind bars, where they belong. And convicted criminals will not be released. I’m tired of politicians trying to fool you. Darren Bailey is all lies and no solutions. It’s JB Pritzker I trust to keep Illinois safe. Go to JB’s website to see the facts for yourself.
The Pritzker campaign points to a Bailey Facebook ad that claims Pritzker “passed laws to let criminals out of prison. Darren Bailey will repeal Pritzker’s pro-crime laws.”
…Adding… John Oliver had a long segment on cash bail reform last night. Click here.
* Pritzker’s ex-tollway chairman accused in lawsuit of trying to steer contracts, hire pals at agency: Not long after taking office in 2019, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation that restructured the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, promising “transparency and accountability” and declaring: “Our new leadership will uphold the highest ethical standards, deliver the value to taxpayers and serve Illinoisans in every corner of our state.”A new lawsuit filed by two former high-ranking tollway officials paints a different picture of the state agency under Pritzker’s chosen team, accusing now-former board chairman Will Evans of trying to steer contracts to favored firms and engaging in patronage hiring.
* House candidates in south, southwest suburbs differ on benefits, drawbacks of SAFE-T law: Several candidates responded to questions about the law sent by the Daily Southtown. Not all candidates returned completed questionnaires. Republican candidate Patricia Bonk said the law in its current form “makes law enforcement less effective and jeopardizes our safety.” Democrat Fran Hurley, whose 35th District is home to many Chicago police officers, said she voted against the legislation. She said she had spoken with officials throughout law enforcement who raised concerns.
* Tom Cullen, longtime brain in Madigan political operation, provided testimony for feds: Now, the Tribune has learned that Cullen, a lobbyist who played political point man for years on Madigan’s government staff, has testified before the ongoing federal grand jury looking into broad aspects of Madigan’s political world, which prosecutors allege included a criminal enterprise aimed at providing personal financial rewards for Madigan and his associates. Any details Cullen offered in his testimony about Madigan and his former associates are still secret, but the blanks he could have filled in as part of Madigan’s famously tight inner circle are manifold.
* After a tumultuous first term, Gov. J.B. Pritzker spends big and plays it safe in reelection bid: The governor is all but assured to lose the Nov. 8 balloting in surrounding Franklin County. In the June Democratic primary, he garnered just 777 votes, compared with the 3,230 ballots cast for the Republican primary winner, conservative southern Illinois state Sen. Darren Bailey. No Democratic candidate for governor has won the county in the general election since Rod Blagojevich in 2006, a trend that holds across much of southern Illinois. But as he seeks a second term, Pritzker, who’s spent much of his adult life nursing political ambitions, is casting a wide net for support, an effort aided by a personal fortune that can underwrite months’ worth of TV ads and a robust campaign operation.
* What drives Pritzker, Bailey on transportation issues?: Transportation has taken a back seat in the gubernatorial election to hot-button topics like abortion and crime. Not in this column, however. If elected, Bailey would consider tolled lanes that run parallel to untolled roads to “create new transportation options and help pay for the maintenance of existing roads. There were previous proposals to create dynamic-priced lanes that would run parallel to I-55 going southwest from Chicago,” he said in answering questions from the Daily Herald. […] Pritzker is promising more capital improvements with the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois program, funded by raising gas taxes and other fees in 2019.
* Right-wing “zombie” papers attack Illinois Democrats ahead of elections: That erosion of local news has created an opening for these newer publications, which lie dormant and then spring up at election time. They look a lot like hometown newspapers — nothing flashy, just long, printed broadsheet pages, with color photos and graphics — but without any real interest in local news.
* Highland Park parade shooting suspect returning to court Tuesday for pretrial hearing: The man accused of killing seven people at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade is due back in court Tuesday, his first appearance there since he was indicted on more than 100 felony counts. Robert Crimo, 22, of Highland Park, is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court in front of Judge Victoria Rossetti. Crimo’s case is scheduled for case management, which is often a routine appearance intended to ensure that evidence is being shared and attorneys are working through any pretrial issues.
* Court Ruling Opens Crucial State Supreme Court Races to Fundraising Free-for-All: When a federal court threw out two Illinois laws that barred both out-of-state contributions to judicial races, and donations from groups that don’t disclose their donors, the chief legislative sponsor of the laws wasn’t particularly surprised. “I was disappointed but not exactly shocked,” Illinois Senate President Don Harmon told Center for Illinois Politics. “The U.S. Supreme Court with its Citizens United decision really threw the doors wide open into the Wild West of campaign finance.”
* Six candidates from three parties fighting for two offices voters know little about — but probably should: Illinois is on a path of financial recovery. Or is it hurtling downward in a fiscal free fall? Depends on whom you ask: the Democrats seeking to maintain their long hold on the state comptroller’s and treasurer’s offices — or the Republicans looking to replace them. In a little over a week, voters will get to decide which narrative they believe — and who sits in the two relatively obscure fiscal offices.
* Incumbent Kifowit faces challenge from West in 84th Illinois House District: Kifowit said the state’s prospects are brighter with new legislative leadership in Springfield and a balanced budget that is resulting in credit-rating upgrades for the state. The incumbent likes to point out that she was the first to challenge former Speaker Michael Madigan, leading other lawmakers to denounce Madigan and paving the way for a new speaker.
* Rockford man challenges Stadelman’s bid for 4th term in Senate: Stadelman, 61, is a former TV news anchor first elected to the state senate representing the Rockford region in 2012. He supported legislation that expanded gaming in Illinois and gave Rockford a casino license, a bill that incentivizes the growth of the electric vehicle and battery manufacturing industry in Illinois and secured $275 million to restore passenger rail service in Rockford. He also supported legislation that provided River’s Edge redevelopment funding that was instrumental in the redevelopment of properties in downtown Rockford. But Reyes, 50, says Stadelman “skipped the vote” on the controversial SAFE-T Act, the criminal justice reform bill that made body cameras mandatory for police, standardizes use-of-force training and seeks to end the cash bail system in Illinois.
* Newcomers from Bloomington, Normal face in 91st Illinois House District: A newly drawn district is giving two newcomers a chance for a statehouse seat this November. Democrat Sharon Chung and Republican Scott Preston each secured commanding leads in their respective primary races. To win the new 91st District of the Illinois House, however, they’ve had to reach outside their home base.
