Gov. J.B. Pritzker stressed the importance of the 2020 census during an appearance in Normal on Wednesday morning.
“Redbirds, I want to make sure you know the stakes could not be higher,” Pritker said, encouraging everyone who has not completed the census to do so.
Pritzker was joined by Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Grace B. Hou, Illinois State University President Larry Dietz, state Sen. Bill Brady, state Rep. Dan Brady, Normal Mayor Chris Koos and Bloomington-Normal NAACP President Linda Foster.
Just a 1% undercount could result in the state losing over $195 million in federal funds each year, he said.
* The Question: Do you know anyone who hasn’t yet filled out their Census form? If you do, explain what you think is up with that.
As he was preparing to return to the nation’s capital, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said in Chicago today that he’s focused on working with lawmakers to put together a new COVID-19 relief package - an effort that’s been stalled for months amid a partisan standoff.
The domino effect, he says, is that with the expiration of federal paycheck protection and unemployment subsidies, more businesses will close and people simply won’t have the purchasing power to maintain sales and other tax revenues needed to keep governments functioning. […]
But a short time after Durbin’s downtown Chicago news conference, McConnell announced what the Washington Post called a slimmed-down COVID-19 bill that does not include help for state and local governments. […]
“We’ve seen state and local governments all across the United States take an inventory of where they are today and the news is not good. Whether it’s the state of Illinois or the city of Chicago, there’s been a dramatic loss of revenue for obvious reason,” Durbin told reporters this morning. “… And so governors and mayors are facing some of the most difficult choices, whether it’s Gov. Pritzker or Mayor Lightfoot, they’re in a situation where they don’t have the revenues to continue the service levels that they have traditionally provided. What that means is if Congress does not act and act soon, many of them will face cutbacks in critical employees. We’re talking about police, firefighters, teachers, health care workers, the list goes on and on.”
Illinois’ governor says state and local government workers could lose their jobs without a federal bailout. Governor JB Pritzker yesterday predicted that first responders and social service providers would feel the brunt of the coming economic impact of the coronavirus. Pritzker is pushing for a federal bailout for Illinois, but many Republicans on Capitol Hill say that looks very unlikely.
The Republican proposal would add $300 a week to unemployment checks, down from the $600 boost that expired last month. Democrat Bernie Sanders tweeted that it also included $161 million “corporate welfare to the coal industry.” But for many Democrats, the biggest objection is that Republicans offer nothing to local governments, such as the state of Illinois, which is warning of layoffs without at least $5 billion.
“Big corporations all across the nation have received billions and billions and billion of dollars of aid. But now when it comes to the very social services, the very education, the frontline, you know, first responders–our police, our firefighters–now they’re gonna fall short?” Pritzker said.
As members of Congress get back to work, some are looking for another COVID-19 aid package. President Donald Trump said he doesn’t support bailing out what he called “badly run” Democratic cities and states, “whether it’s New York or Illinois.” […]
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, said Illinois should not get a bailout for years of policymakers neglecting the state’s finances before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“No one is going to bail out the structural debt and deficit that Illinois has,” Davis said. “That’s not a pandemic expense, that’s not something that’s caused by the pandemic.” […]
U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, said Illinois’ structural debt is from years of Illinois paying more than it gets back in federal taxes.
“So until that problem is fixed, this mischaracterization of this as a bailout is just way off base,” Foster said. […]
Foster said a deal for additional COVID-19 relief may be wrapped in with an end-of-year spending plan to get passed the presidential inauguration in January. He said that would be to avoid making things more turbulent with threats of a government shutdown. Davis said he would support allowing local governments to cover COVID-related costs with money congress has already approved. […]
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday it’s up to Congress to “step up.” He said he is “very, very” concerned that social services will be diminished if Congress doesn’t take action.
Attorney Thomas DeVore, who has gained fame during the COVID-19 shutdowns for directly questioning and winning suits against Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s Executive Orders and shutdowns of restaurants, bars, and small businesses gave a presentation at Bella Vista Winery in Maryville on Wednesday afternoon about what the new mitigation measures mean to restaurants and bars and what they can do about it.
He’s winning suits? And since when is the state shutting down local bars and restaurants?
The basis for [DeVore’s] advice to the restaurant and bar owners came from the Department of Public Health Act (20 ILCS 2305/2(c)) which states “no place may be ordered to be closed and made off limits to the public except with the consent of the person or owner of the place or upon the prior order of a court of competent jurisdiction…In the event of an immediate order issued without prior consent or court order, the Department shall, as soon as practical, within 48 hours after issuing the order, obtain the consent of the person or owner or file a petition requesting a court order authorizing the isolation or quarantine or closure.”
That’s… not great advice. Those businesses could be hit with a misdemeanor charge and a possibly hefty fine for their defiance. It’s not about closing businesses, or pulling their licenses - something the governor has repeatedly said he doesn’t want to do.
DeVore informed business owners “I’m not advocating for social disobedience, I’m asking for business owners to stand up.” The crowd erupted in applause when DeVore said “If enough of you stay open, this is over.
The majority of restaurant and bar owners in attendance, as well as dozens that had contacted DeVore before today’s educational presentation from across the area, said they plan on keeping their indoor dining open this time. DeVore said the owners are not looking to be defiant of anything, and have not come by their decisions to stay open lightly. Many of the owners stated that if they shut down inside dining, they will never reopen. One owner of an establishment outside of Madison County said that last week he did a poll on Facebook asking his customers if he should stay open. Of the 300 responses he received, 297 said to stay open and he is going to do so.
DeVore encouraged each owner to speak with their own legal counsel about their decision since each business has its own unique needs.
…Adding… We went to the Sangamo Club for dinner last night (outside, of course) and I think the sign on its front door puts the whole mask issue into proper context…
Also, if establishments are listening to lawyers like DeVore instead of public health officials when it comes to things like masks, you gotta wonder what they’re doing in the kitchen. If I live to be 100, I will never again go to restaurants that flout these simple, basic public health rules. And I may compile a list before veto session.
IT IS ORDERED that the motion for clarification is allowed. This court’s order of August 5, 2020, transferring cases from Edgar, Bond, Clinton, and Richland Counties to Sangamon County to be consolidated with Sangamon County No. 20 MR 589, is hereby corrected, nunc pro tunc, to specify that these cases and the cases that were transferred to and consolidated in Sangamon County in case Nos. 126232 and 126261, shall be heard by the same judge, Judge Grischow, who was assigned to preside over Riley Craig et al. v. Governor Jay Robert Pritzker, etc., Sangamon County No. 20 MR 589, and Governor J.B. Pritzker, etc., et al. v. Board of Education of Hutsonville CUSD #1 et al., etc., Sangamon County No. 20 MR 557.
* Here’s an explainer from the attorney general’s office…
It is a procedural order. The Supreme Court’s earlier orders transferred the cases in other counties to Sangamon, but didn’t specify that they should all be heard by the same judge (Judge Grischow, who had previously been assigned to hear the Craig and Hutsonville cases). Because the earlier orders didn’t specifically say that the cases should go to Judge Grischow, DeVore thought he had the right to move for a substitution of judge. We filed our motions because we thought the court intended that all cases go to Judge Grischow, and the court agreed.
DeVore had moved for a substitution of the judge in the Bailey case, but waited to do so until after Judge Grischow ruled against him in the Hutsonville case. It wasn’t that long ago, you may recall, that DeVore was accusing the governor of judge-shopping.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 1,337 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 30 additional confirmed deaths.
• Adams County: 1 male 90s
• Christian County: 1 female 90s
• Coles County: 1 female 80s
• Cook County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
• Jackson County: 1 female 90s
• Jersey County: 1 female 100+
• Kane County: 1 male 80s
• Lake County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
• LaSalle County: 1 male 70s
• Macon County: 1 male 70s
• Madison County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s
• Peoria County: 1 male 90s
• Rock Island County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
• Sangamon County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
• St. Clair County: 1 male 80s
• Will County: 1 male 70s
• Williamson County: 1 female 80s, 3 females 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 253,690 cases, including 8,214 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from September 2 – September 8 is 3.7%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 48,029 specimens for a total of 4,526,739. As of last night, 1,580 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 357 patients were in the ICU and 133 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH is now reporting separately both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website. Reporting probable cases will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions. IDPH will update these data once a week.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
Two unsuccessful marijuana dispensary applicants are suing the state, hoping to hit the pause button on its plans to hand out 75 marijuana licenses.
Awarding of the licenses is more than four months behind schedule and last week, the state announced that only 21 of 700 applicants would proceed to a lottery for the 75 licenses.
Some lawmakers and unsuccessful applicants are decrying the state’s process, saying it defeats the stated goals of diversifying the largely white-owned industry. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Chicago federal court, is at least the second formal attempt to pause the process. The Illinois Legislative Black and Latino caucuses are calling on the Pritzker administration to suspend the lottery until the public can learn more about how and why the 21 groups were selected.
Southshore Restore and Heartland Greens, two applicants that will not proceed to the lottery, allege in the suit that the 21 groups are “politically-connected insider companies,” and seek to have the lottery delayed until they can challenge why they didn’t make the cut.
A pair of state lawmakers joined a group of losing pot shop applicants Tuesday to call on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to halt an upcoming lottery to determine the winners of the 75 long-delayed licenses and review the application grading process, which they claim was tainted and benefitted clouted firms.
“We are under the weather from this oppressive system, this rigged system, in which the state representatives and the state senators were lied to,” Rickey Hendon, a former Democratic state senator from Chicago, said during a news conference, noting that the “legislative intent” of the legalization law was to increase minority and local participation in the booming weed industry.
State law offers additional points on applications to groups and individuals deemed social equity applicants for living in an area disproportionately impacted by drug enforcement, having a past cannabis offense or meeting other criteria.
More than 700 groups applied for the next round dispensary licenses but only 21 applicants moved onto the lottery last week after receiving perfect scores on their applications, which were graded by the global accounting firm KPMG. All of the applicants in the lottery are considered social equity candidates, who were given a leg-up in the process in an effort to bolster minority participation in the overwhelmingly white pot industry.
An employee of the global accounting firm that was awarded a no-bid contract to grade applications for the state’s next round of pot shop licenses is also a partner in one of the 21 groups that secured a spot in the upcoming lottery to determine the winners.
Hamd Kamal works as a risk management consultant for KPMG, which is getting nearly $4.2 million through a no-bid contract with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the agency that oversees dispensaries. All told, more than 700 candidates submitted 1,667 total applications seeking upwards of 4,000 dispensary licenses. […]
KPMG spokesman James McGann said Kamal “is an employee but he was not part of the engagement team that scored the applications.”
He added: “The scoring process was objective, following the state’s criteria, with a blind scoring methodology. The team scoring the applications would have no knowledge of the names or affiliations of applicants. A separate team scored certain aspects of the application, such as social equity.”
Facing calls from Black and Latino lawmakers to suspend the lottery for 75 new marijuana dispensary licenses, Gov. JB Pritzker said he’s open to minor tweaks to the program, but he said the process needs to move forward before considering sweeping changes. […]
“When we’re done with this process, we will have the largest percentage ownership by people of color anywhere in the nation,” he said.
Hutchinson noted applicants were able to seek up to 10 licenses each, so overall there were more than 4,500 applications for the 75 new dispensary licenses, so “there was bound to be a lot of disappointment for this first round.”
“We knew that this was going to create a thunderstorm,” she said.
Asked if he will consider suspending the lottery for the 75 licenses, Pritzker said that’s not allowed under the current state law governing the program.
Part of the frustration stems from the fact that, while more than 700 different groups applied for licenses this time around, only 21 social equity groups are advancing to the lottery round to be considered for business licenses. According to the accounting firm KPMG, those are the groups that received perfect scores on their applications. Thus, many applicants are suspicious about what happened and what was wrong with their application.
Another application group, Cultivarx, was stunned to find out that it received no points for social equity applicants, despite the fact that its majority owner, Bernard Cobbins, is Black and a lifelong resident of Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood, a Disproportionately Impacted Area from the War on Drugs.
“We provided them with more than ample information, they had five years of Illinois state tax returns, and driver’s license, voter’s registration card, and a map showing he is in a disproportionate area,” said team member Nonna Knapp.
Despite the detailed information provided, Cultivarx received a discrepancy notice asking for additional information to prove Cobbins’ status. The team did so, and still did not receive points.
But as I told subscribers today, the perfect scores of those 21 applicants threw an unexpected wrench into the process because nobody expected it. So, several applicants didn’t do things like attract military veteran investors, which was only five points out of 250, but proved crucial in the end.
“It makes no sense that again, in 2020, Governor Pritzker, you have a Black lieutenant governor, you have a Black mayor of Chicago, you have a Black drug czar overseeing the marijuana industry here in Illinois, but you don’t have any Black-owned marijuana dispensaries?” said community activist Tio Hardiman.
According to the administration, of the 21 successful applicants, “13 are majority owned and controlled by people of color and 17 have at least one owner who is a person of color.”
* Decent points…
Hutchinson: "How far we've come in 9 months: We've expunged 10,000 criminal records. The sales of this have been through the roof … ."
* The Cannabis Equity IL Coalition and the Social Equity Empowerment Network want to delay the tie-breaking lottery and offered up some suggested improvements…
1. The Coalition demands that the following be immediately provided to each applicant:
1. Full Scorecard. Each applicant’s full scorecard with scoring broken down by exhibit.
2. Disqualification Explanation. Any applicant who was disqualified from the process must be provided with a substantive explanation justifying their disqualification.
2. The Coalition demands that the following be immediately made available to the public:
1. The full ownership structure of each “tied applicant” (as defined in 68 IAC 1290.10).
2. KPMG Contract. The KPMG contract and an explanation of the following:
i. Why were they chosen by the state?
ii. Why was this a no-bid contract?
iii. How much money was the contract worth?
iv. How much additional compensation did KPMG receive for being months late?
v. Did the State have an administrative review process for KPMG’s scoring?
3. Scoring Rubric. The scoring rubric that KPMG used to grade the applications.
A better approach would be to remove the cap on licenses while adopting a set of reasonable licensing standards meant to ensure the solvency and integrity of the industry. Anybody who meets those standards should get a license.
Opening up the market would ensure that supply rises to meet demand, spurring price competition, better service and innovation. Unfettered supply and demand allows a market to reach its full potential. Customers and business owners benefit. Fledgling enterprises serving minority communities would get to compete, without having to navigate a complex, costly application process and win a lottery.
Colorado offers a glimpse at the upside for states that don’t limit licenses. Nearly 3,000 marijuana licensees in that state rang up $1.7 billion in sales last year, generating more than $300 million in tax revenue, and employing more than 40,000 people. Imagine the potential in Illinois, with more twice Colorado’s population.
Lifting the cap on marijuana licenses is good economics, and good public policy for a state seeking to advance social equity.
Colorado is not exactly a great social equity example. In Denver, for example, Black residents comprise just 5.6 percent of ownership and 5.9 percent of industry employees.
Incumbent state Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, said taxpayers can send policymakers a message about budget principles.
“Just by simply voting ‘no’ on the progressive income tax,” Wilhour said. “You wanna force a tough conversation on our fiscal situation in Illinois, a conversation we’ve been needing to have for a long, long time, that’s a perfect place to start.”
If you want to force an increase in the state’s flat income tax, there’s no better way to do that than to vote against the progressive income tax. Democratic super-majorities in both chambers and the Democratic governor and the Democratic-leaning electorate in this state are not going to support deep spending cuts.
Libertarian candidate for US Congress in the 6th District, Bill Redpath, personally received an endorsement from his longtime friend and colleague Krist Novoselic, known most notably as the bassist from the Grammy award-winning band Nirvana.
Redpath and Novoselic were both longtime active members of the non-profit organization FairVote, where Redpath was the Treasurer from 1995 - 2019 and Novoselic was the Chair from 2008 - 2019.
FairVote works to reform the electoral process, making elections more fair and accessible for both voters and candidates. They also advocate for Ranked Choice Voting, which gives a citizen’s vote more weight and influence in an election. FairVote.org offers details on how ranked choice voting works.
“I am proud to receive the endorsement of Krist Noveselic. FairVote is a leading organization trying to change the electoral system in the US and calls for Ranked Choice Voting in both single winner elections and multiple winner elections for legislative seats. That is what is needed, so that so many voters don’t feel boxed into voting for the lesser of two evils.”
- Bill Redpath
Bill Redpath is the Libertarian candidate for US Congress from the IL 6th Congressional DIstrict. His opponents are Republican Jeanne Ives and Democrat Sean Casten.
The Chicago Board of Elections has received more than 350,000 vote-by-mail applications for the general election, up from about 250,000 in mid-August, and that number could grow to a third of all city voters by Election Day, the board’s chair said Tuesday. […]
The number of vote-by-mail applications the city has received so far is more than triple the board’s all-time record of 118,000, reached during this year’s primary, according to Marisel Hernandez, chairwoman of the Chicago Board of Elections.
Given the current rate, Hernandez said in an interview later, the city “could easily reach 500,000” vote-by-mail applications out of about 1.52 million registered voters.
More than 1 million Illinoisans have applied to vote by mail for the November election, roughly triple the number of the last presidential contest in 2016. […]
In southwestern Illinois, St. Clair County Clerk Thomas Holbrook said the office has received more than 25,000 mail ballot requests. That’s compared with roughly 9,200 people who cast ballots by mail in 2016. He said his office will hire more people to handle the influx. […]
A pending federal lawsuit against the [state’s vote by mail] expansion could further complicate things. Cook County Republicans allege expanded mail voting is a partisan scheme.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee intervened, accusing Republicans of “playing politics and risking the lives of Illinoisans by forcing them to choose between exercising their right to vote or the health and safety of themselves and their families.”
The judge has indicated he’ll rule before ballots go out this month.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is warning the public about robocalls trying to discourage people from voting by mail.
According to Raoul’s office, some voters have reported receiving robocalls warning them that voting by mail could result in their private information being provided to third parties.
According to Raoul, calls can involve an automated recording claiming that information belonging to people who vote by mail will be shared with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track people for mandatory vaccines, police departments and law enforcement in order to locate individuals who have outstanding warrants, and creditors to help find people who owe outstanding debt.
Raoul is urging individuals to disregard any messages containing such false claims, saying in part, “I am urging voters to be aware that Illinois law does not permit election authorities to share personal information, regardless of the voting method you choose. If you receive a call, email or text trying to convince you otherwise, please report the contact to my office or the Illinois State Board of Elections.”
When it comes to voter turnout, Chicago’s 3rd Ward, which includes Bronzeville, is one of the biggest.
But some voters, including Alderman Pat Dowell, were recently targets of robocalls discouraging vote by mail.
“The message was ‘don’t vote by mail because the information you’ve given the Board of Elections is going to go to a national data base for credit card companies to come after you,’” Dowell said.
She said the message also relayed that her private information will be given to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the police.
While the voice was an African American-sounding woman, Dowell said the caller ID came up as Jack Burkman, an ultra-conservative conspiracy theorist.
Michigan authorities are investigating a robocall that is targeting voters in Detroit by providing false information about mail-in voting.
The audio of the phone call in question:
This is [unintelligible] 1699, a civil rights organization founded by Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl. Mail-in voting sounds great. But did you know that if you vote by mail, your personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants, and be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debt? The CDC is even pushing to give preference for mail in voting to track people for mandatory vaccines Don’t be [unintelligible] into giving your private information to the man. Stay safe, and beware of vote by mail.
The recording alleges the call was made on behalf of Project 1599, a project spearheaded by conservative social media personality Jacob Wohl and GOP lobbyist Jack Burkman. The actual source of the call remains unknown, but Wohl and Burkman have a “known reputation for spreading misinformation in an effort to gain notoriety,” Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. Wohl denied involvement when contacted by The Detroit News on Thursday and said he and Burkman,while “not fans of mail-in voting,” were “puzzled” by the call.
In the wake of the economy-crippling COVID-19 pandemic, Teachers’ Retirement System assets experienced a $4.9 billion rebound between March and July, climbing to a total of $53.4 billion.
The worldwide effect of the coronavirus impacted TRS investments between January and the end of fiscal year 2020 (FY2020) on June 30. The preliminary TRS investment return for FY2020 hovered close to the break-even mark at +0.52 percent, net of fees, on June 30. By comparison, on December 31, 2019, the half-way mark in FY2020, the TRS rate of return was +13.41 percent.
The System began calendar year 2020 with $54.2 billion in assets. The effects of the pandemic caused total assets to drop to $48.5 billion at the end of March. On June 30, assets totaled $51.6 billion. At the end of July, TRS assets totaled $53.4 billion, a 10.1 percent increase since March.
“Everyone took a hit during the pandemic,” said TRS Interim Executive Director Stan Rupnik. “But the investment strategies we have in place limited losses and have allowed us to prudently rebuild the portfolio’s value.”
During the January-March quarter of FY2020, the TRS investment return was -9.95 percent, net of fees. During the previous quarter, October to December, the System’s return was +4.28 percent. The System’s return during the April to June quarter was +5.94 percent.
The TRS return between January and March, however, stood favorably compared to other economic measurements of the same period.
The Northern Trust Corporation’s analysis of the 300 largest U.S. institutional investors indicated that the median return for public pension plans between January and March was -12.6 percent. A similar analysis of public pension systems by Wilshire Associates found that the median quarterly return was -12.8 percent.
In general, the negative investment returns for various stock market measurements indicate that the TRS portfolio held up comparatively well. For instance, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index returned -19.6 percent during the January–March quarter.
Long-term, TRS investment returns continue to exceed the System’s long-term assumed return rate of 7 percent. For FY2020, the 40-year TRS return was +9.0 percent.
“The long-term investment returns are the most important numbers for our members,” Rupnik said. “These timeframes reflect the long-term relationship that TRS has with its members, both as active educators and as retirees. The long-term returns also indicate a successful investment program that values steady growth and strong risk management over several generations.”
Today, Rodney Davis’ campaign for Congress released a new ad titled “Madigan Machine,” which highlights Betsy Londrigan’s close ties to Speaker Mike Madigan’s corrupt political machine. The ad will be running on TV stations across IL-13 as well as online and digital platforms.
llinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is facing intense scrutiny after being subpoenaed in connection with a bribery investigation.
Mike Madigan is the most corrupt politician in Illinois and Betsy Londrigan is part of Madigan’s Machine.
Londrigan raises money for Madigan and his corrupt machine while her campaign is bankrolled by Madigan and his henchmen.
Now Londrigan is refusing to call for Madigan’s resignation.
Betsy Londrigan would make Washington more corrupt.
…Adding… Press release…
In response to Congressman Rodney Davis’ first TV ad that airs a misleading attack on his opponent rather than focusing on any accomplishments of his own, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan’s campaign released the following statement:
“After nearly a decade in Washington, Rodney Davis still can’t come up with a single positive reason for people to vote for him so he’s resorted to launching desperate and misleading attacks instead,” said campaign spokeswoman Eliza Glezer. “Davis doesn’t want Central Illinois families to know his real record of voting 11 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement, voting to gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and voting against lowering the cost of prescription drugs. If Davis doesn’t have a record he can win on, he shouldn’t be running.”
Winnebago County Coroner Bill Hintz does not plan to resign from office, so says his attorney.
Hintz, who was arrested last week on charges of forgery, theft, conspiracy to commit theft and official misconduct, appeared briefly in court Tuesday with his attorney, Mark Byrd.
Hintz was informed Judge Joe McGraw has been assigned to the case and was told his next court date is 9 a.m. Oct. 20.
Hintz declined to talk once outside the courtroom, but Byrd said his client is to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise, and he said the coroner has no intention of resigning from his post.
“Why would an innocent man leave a job that he loves?” Byrd said.
Winnebago County Board members are split on the call for Coroner Bill Hintz’s resignation after Hintz was charged Thursday with forgery, theft, conspiracy to commit theft and official misconduct.
Seven board members contacted by the Register Star said Hintz should step down immediately while four board members contend Hintz should be allowed to stay on the job pending the outcome of his criminal case.
Three County Board members said they are undecided. The remaining six board members were not immediately available for comment. […]
However, at least three County Board Republicans believe Hintz should be allowed to stay on the job while his case plays out in court.
“Innocent until proven guilty,” said Jim Webster, R-2. “Until it goes through the judicial system, we don’t know all of the facts of the case.”
When Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the state COVID-19 “mitigation” plan for the Metro East on Aug. 16, he said it was done in conjunction “with local officials in the Metro East region and across the border in St. Louis.”
Last week, though, the governor admitted the cross-border arrangement to try to contain the virus’ spread was a “mistake.”
Man, was it ever.
Instead of sticking to the state’s original mitigation plan, which would’ve included things like reducing indoor restaurant capacity and shutting down all indoor bar service, Pritzker only ordered bars and restaurants to close at 11 p.m., which was in line with what St. Louis was planning at the time.
But the region’s test positivity rate has since continued to rise to, as I write this, just above 10%, by far the highest in Illinois.
Then, last week, Region 7, which includes Will and Kankakee counties, experienced 8-plus percent positivity rates three days in a row, which triggered automatic state mitigation.
According to a Belleville News-Democrat report, the Illinois Department of Public Health informed Metro East officials last Monday that their region’s state restrictions would be tightened to match those that were about to be imposed on Will and Kankakee, including a ban on indoor dining and drinking.
But the same Metro East Democratic legislators who demanded prematurely that Pritzker speed up the business reopening process way back on May 12 pitched a fit and Pritzker backed down.
The protesting Democrats did have a point, I suppose. Pritzker originally said the restrictions he put in place would last two weeks. The local politicians wanted the governor to stick to his word. And the governor’s own plan states that once a region meets the “resurgence criteria,” then a “tiered menu of mitigation options will be considered.” There are no actual hard and fast rules in his plan and those Metro East Democrats undoubtedly knew the loopholes going in.
But that meant Pritzker would be imposing significantly tighter restrictions on Will and Kankakee counties, even though the two counties have substantially lower positivity rates than the Metro East (8.4% vs. 10.4% as I write this).
And that set off Republican state Senators Sue Rezin and John Curran, who represent parts of Region 7. The two claimed the governor had “decided to place partisan politics above science.” The same rules should apply to all regions, they said, “and they should be based on science, not politics.”
It didn’t help that Pritzker failed to reach out to the two Republican legislators before making his announcement. So, they, too, had a valid point.
On a crass political level, the Metro East was instrumental to Pritzker’s 2018 Democratic primary win. It’s also a vitally important region for his “Fair Tax” proposal. Without the full and fervent cooperation of those powerful local political organizations, there’s no dispute that his tax plan will be in serious trouble.
The plain fact of the matter, however, is that Pritzker cannot on the one hand say he values science over politics and then on the other even appear to cave on political grounds.
There may have been sound reasons to try and equalize restrictions with St. Louis because the city is mere minutes away from everyone in the Metro East, which is small in comparison to the Missouri metro region. It’s not like the governor can close the bridges, after all. And, yes, Pritzker said he’d give the region two weeks. But he openly admitted last week that his actions clearly didn’t work. Sometimes, you just gotta bite the bullet.
That region is on the verge of getting totally out of control, if it isn’t already. Illinois can’t do anything about Missouri. Deal with Illinois.
Thankfully, Pritzker seemed chastened by the whole experience last week when pressed by a reporter. “I will readily admit that that was not a good idea,” he said. He should never, ever do this again.
And it’s long past time for those Metro East Democratic legislators who’ve been up in arms since May about the governor’s executive orders to loudly demand that their constituents finally take this pandemic seriously. There’s no excuse for this nonsense. The region is fast becoming a national hot spot, for crying out loud.
Several of those same legislators pushed hard to establish a large local contact tracing pilot program in St. Clair County. But experts have said contact tracing can be overwhelmed when the positivity rate is above 5%. It’s not a panacea. Do better. There is no easy way out of this.
You’d think those folks in the Metro East would start taking this thing seriously. They are not. In fact, they’re growing more militant.
On behalf of the 650-member organizations and businesses of the RiverBend Growth Association, I write this letter to implore you to seek a better way to measure the positivity rate that has placed Region 4 back into resurgence mitigation. These efforts are affecting the local Riverbend economy, forcing the closure and/or severely limiting the capacities of our restaurant, bars and entertainment industries. Many owners, employees, and families are being unfairly placed in financial jeopardy.
• Why are bars, restaurants and our entertainment industry being looked at with scrutiny, when the contact tracing does not point to these specific industries as a source of the problem?
• Why are those incarcerated or living in nursing homes and assisted care facilities included in the totals when they are confined to their facilities and not a part of the community spread?
• Why are the daily hospital admissions, due to COVID-19, not factored into your decision to allow these businesses to operate when that was such a focus back in March and April?
The RiverBend Growth Association and its members ask that you take these questions into account as we continue to try and move further in the right direction. By looking at the above, and not just restaurants, bars and the entertainment industry, we can help create a better sense of normalcy for our local businesses who are trying to plan for employee scheduling and inventory ordering.
We ask that you give these questions your consideration as you weigh your decision, on Sept. 16, to remove the current restrictions placed on our area.
In closing, it is extremely unfair to all of our local businesses that have been doing their part to serve their customers in a safe and comfortable environment to endure the economic hardship that this resurgence mitigation has placed them in when other businesses are allowed to operate freely. The RiverBend Growth Association will continue to promote Safely Shopping Local in the Riverbend.
* I asked the governor’s office to address those three questions…
• Why are bars, restaurants and our entertainment industry being looked at with scrutiny, when the contact tracing does not point to these specific industries as a source of the problem?
1. Contact tracing does point to bars, restaurants and entertainment venues contributing to the spread of COVID-19.
2. Contact tracing in the area has pointed to bars and social gatherings at various venues as major contributors of spread. In Madison County, 23 percent of the most recent outbreaks occurred in restaurants and bars. The same is true of 12.5 percent of East St. Louis’ East Side Health District’s traced outbreaks and 10.5 percent of those in St. Clair County. In each jurisdiction, outbreaks were also tied to critical infrastructure such as healthcare, as well as workplaces, group homes and office settings.
3. As is highlighted in the weekly press release announcing the counties that are at warning level, which includes Madison County, some of the common factors for an increase in cases and outbreaks are associated with college parties, weddings, large gatherings, bars and clubs, long-term care facilities and other congregate settings, travel to neighboring states, and spread among members of the same household who are not isolating at home. Cases connected to schools are beginning to be reported. General transmission of the virus in the community is also increasing.
4. Local public health officials are observing people not social distancing, gathering in large groups, and not using face coverings. In some counties, local law enforcement and states’ attorneys are not enforcing important mitigation measures like social distancing and the wearing of face coverings. Additionally, some people refuse to participate in contact tracing and are not providing information on close contacts or answering the phone. Individuals are also waiting to get tested believing their symptoms are allergies or some other cause.
• Why are those incarcerated or living in nursing homes and assisted care facilities included in the totals when they are confined to their facilities and not a part of the community spread?
1. The notion that those with COVID-19 who live in congregate settings are not a part of community spread is not supported by science. People with COVID-19 who live in congregate settings interact with a variety of staff members who then interact with others in the community during the course of their life outside of work. Also, the assumption in this question is that congregate settings are leading to increased positivity rates for region 4. That again, is simply false. Those who live in congregate settings are counted because they are part of the community and they can contribute to the virus spreading in the community.
2. Between August 23rd and 29th, the region saw 1,064 new cases, 25 of which (2.35%) were associated with long-term care facilities. In preliminary data from August 30th to September 5th, long-term care facilities were associated with 5 of 1230 cases, or 0.41%.
• Why are the daily hospital admissions, due to COVID-19, not factored into your decision to allow these businesses to operate when that was such a focus back in March and April?
• There are two ways to trigger additional state level mitigation: Sustained increase in 7-day rolling average (7 out of 10 days) in the positivity rate AND ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: Sustained 7-day increase in hospital admissions for a COVID-19 like illness; Reduction in hospital capacity threatening surge capabilities (ICU capacity or medical/surgical beds under 20%) OR Three consecutive days averaging greater than or equal to 8% positivity rate (7 day rolling)
• Region 4 has triggered the 8 percent positivity rate, a rate that according to the public health experts is a warning sign that unless mitigations are in place to lower it, the rate of growth for the virus will be exponentially more difficult to manage.
* The president/CEO of the Illinois Press Association is very upset that the governor’s statewide mask-wearing publicity campaign did not purchase any newspaper ads…
We’ve been told by the governor’s office that the goal is to reach a younger demographic, and that’s why print advertising in newspapers wasn’t part of the media mix.
Ironically, a study conducted by Civis that was used to guide the campaign showed that, with the exception of adults 65 and over, there is little difference in mask wearing. […]
We understand the value of broadcast advertising to the governor’s campaign. Just like newspapers, broadcast media have been there every step of the way to get the message out about COVID-19 and the state’s response. However, there were no reporters from Facebook or any other social-media platform at any of the governor’s news conferences.
If we missed them, we apologize.
In fact, it seems that the only fact-based reporting on social media is from credible news outlets like newspapers and broadcast outlets, and those didn’t cost the state anything! As a result, Mark Zuckerberg profits while Illinois newspapers continue to struggle with economic hardships exacerbated by the pandemic.
Newspapers have disseminated the critical messages, but when it was time to receive the much-needed support of a paid advertising campaign, newspapers weren’t included.
Of the more than 400 newspapers in Illinois, 307 have accounted for the nearly 3,000 times COVID-19 coverage has been published from Capitol News Illinois (CNI), an initiative supported by Illinois newspapers. The CNI team has reported on every one of the governor’s news conferences.
Man, was that ever a huge insult to all newspaper reporters, particularly those at Capitol News Illinois. “We’re carrying your water, so wet our beaks!”
I mean, imagine the uproar from newspaper editorial boards if Speaker Madigan sent this memo to ComEd: “I have disseminated the critical messages, but when it was time to receive the much-needed support for a paid advertising campaign, I wasn’t included.”
* And check out the super-rich irony here…
Life update: Today is my last day contributing to @CapitolNewsIL's newsroom. #twill
Until I find a job in Harrisburg, PA, I will be freelancing for whoever will have me. Please still reach out if you have a news tip, need a reporter or want to say hi: rebecca.anzel@gmail.com.
(And my departure follows two other women's the month prior, and four in the months before that. Most definitely not a good trend.) https://t.co/hfEMoltQv1
Just gotta say that nearly every woman reporter I knew and worked with just a little over a year ago at the Capitol has either left Springfield or moved into another industry sooo 😬 https://t.co/z6yLngvyKr
* The Sun-Times editorial board has been asking all legislative candidates this question…
What grade — “A” to “F” — would you give Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic? Please explain. What, if anything, should he have done differently?
Being Governor in Illinois is a tough job on the best of days, and I do not envy the choices a governor has to make. However, we have seen Governor Pritzker put over a million Illinois residents out of work with the stroke of a pen without having a functional unemployment system. To this day, the IDES system is a complete disaster and it’s at the expense of those who are desperate to put food on the table for their families.
We all understand that we are living in unprecedented times, but the General Assembly is a co-equal branch of government and should be doing its job. The Governor continues to run state government via executive order over and over again. Myself and my colleagues from both sides of the aisle did not abdicate our constitutional responsibilities during this pandemic. Our governor cannot rule with unilateral authority.
* Freshman Democratic Rep. Diane Pappas also deferred..
I am grateful that our governor has chosen to listen to the advice of public health experts, scientists, doctors, and epidemiologists when making these very difficult decisions. I can appreciate that none of his decisions – whether I’ve agreed with them or not – have been easy, and that every possible solution and decision came with very real pros and cons. I think it’s clear when looking at Illinois’ data as compared to other states that didn’t rely on the science that we likely avoided an even greater crisis by focusing on medical science-based decision making rather than making the “easy” political decisions.
Unfortunately, what is in reality a very real public health crisis has been weaponized and used as a political tool across our nation. Rather than making decisions based on science and fact, our national response has been haphazard, confusing, and dismissive of the advice of the experts on the frontlines of this fight.
* Republican Rep. Mark Batinick (a Tier One target) was an early advocate for a mask-wearing mandate…
Solid B. The Governor acted relatively quickly to halt the spread of the pandemic. Decisions made hastily aren’t usually perfect but in this instance there was definitely more good than bad. The Governor certainly listened to some of my suggestions. I was the first elected state official to push for the use of face coverings indoors. I started a local campaign and gave away PPE to help make that happen. He acknowledged my efforts publicly several times. Being a Republican pushing early for the use of masks also made it much easier for him to implement their use statewide. People forget that early in the Pandemic there was a lot of pushback against the face covering requirement. It is always helpful for significant policy decisions to have bi-partisan support. My initial conversations to him about this were the end of March with an open letter mid-April. The requirement was put in place at the beginning of May. I wish it has been put in place even sooner.
Big box stores were allowed to stay open and sell all of their items while small businesses selling the same items were not. Not only was this not fair it put more people in fewer places. That is harmful not helpful. The picking of winners and losers should not have been allowed. I have filed legislation to eliminate this practice.
But the issues at Illinois Department of Employment Security alone make it impossible to give him and “A”. The calls to my office for people waiting months to receive benefits during this difficult time was massive. That is completely unacceptable. There were also many calls to my office over fraudulent use of their names to receive benefits. People who didn’t deserve benefits were getting them while people who were desperate did not.
As a former teacher, I think I’ll answer this more in a pass/fail grading scale. The Governor passes, but not with flying colors. I watched the daily updates carefully for several weeks. His constant criticism of the federal response distrurbed me since I saw with my own eyes that a hospital was built at McCormick Place within days and the hospitals and facilities in my district were getting much needed supplies. I was truly grateful for all of the responses at all levels of government with the extreme pressure and uncertainty of the crisis. Being mapped into an area with all of Chicago and Cook County for advancing through the Governor’s phases struck me as particularly unfair considering the vast differences between cases in DuPage vs. Cook. That has been rectified, so I’m grateful for the more appropriate change. I wish the Governor nothing but good fortune in leading this effort. I do so hoping and praying that he will make appropriate decisions for appropriate areas going forward. I don’t wish to criticize anyone who’s truly trying their best to help.
* Appointed Republican Rep. Brad Stephens is another Tier One target…
C. I was initially very supportive of the Governor’s response to Covid-19 and applauded him for moving decisively in an incredibly uncertain and unprecedented time. That said, as time went on I was frustrated with some inconsistencies in the reopening plan which created confusion and uncertainty over our path forward. Additionally the lack of organization and responsiveness from IDES has been unacceptable. Our district has been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic due to the high number of restaurant, hospitality, and gig economy workers. In late March I held a teletownhall for our residents with staff from IDES to help provide information on unemployment assistance and other services. Five months later my offices still receive calls and emails daily from constituents who are unable to get their deserved benefits or even a response from IDES - the State of Illinois must do better.
F — Governor Pritzker has moved the goal-posts on restrictions and requirements for all working-class individuals in the state. He condemned our elderly to a death sentence, keeping them locked down in COVID incubators, and was fine with Illinois’ economy going even further in the gutter. His only solution (it isn’t one) is a federal bailout. All the while, Pritzker has directed $55 million towards his efforts to pass a progressive tax that will hurt small businesses and working families even more. Governor Pritzker’s COVID regions put in place for his phases across the state were short-sided and indicative of his familiarity with the state of Illinois outside of Chicago.
* The Question: What grade — “A” to “F” — would you give Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 1,392 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including seven additional confirmed deaths.
• Clinton County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 80s
• Cook County: 1 male 30s
• Jackson County: 1 male 40s
• Montgomery County: 1 female 90s
• Williamson County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 252,353 cases, including 8,186 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from September 1 – September 7 is 4.0%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 31,363 specimens for a total of 4,478,710. As of last night, 1,504 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 343 patients were in the ICU and 133 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH is now reporting separately both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website. Reporting probable cases will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions. IDPH will update these data once a week.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
“Mike Madigan’s time is over,” said Keerti Gopal of @SunriseMvmtChi. “We will not be silenced, we will not put up with your corruption, we will not stand for your inaction… we are wide awake and we will not be silenced.” #ChicagoProtestspic.twitter.com/hqdBOnezHH
The group has made some recent campaign endorsements. It’s mainly focused on the Green New Deal.
…Adding… Duncan Black recently made some very important points about activist dynamics…
Here’s the way it’s supposed to work.
1) Activists make “extreme” maximalist demands.
2) Centrist politicians say whoa whoa this is a real issue, but those activists are a bit nuts, still here is a Common Sense Proposal That All Americans Can Agree On which addresses the problem in a good bipartisan fashion (blah blah blah cue West Wing theme).
3) Activists keep making extreme demands.
4) Centrist politicians say, “See how reasonable we are? We aren’t like those nutters, our proposals are Good! And Reasonable! And Common Sense! And that those crazy activists are still mad about it is proof that we aren’t just crazy weirdo lefties! See how mad they are!”
The point is that something can be achieved even as the politicians get cred for punching hippies. It’s a bit of kayfabe, but hopefully also a bit of win-win. Still it requires that the hippies remain mad! If the hippies are happy the show breaks down.
Now what happens is the “reasonable” proposals are made, the activists remain mad (as they are supposed to), and then people get mad at the activists for not being more grateful. That’s not how it works!
When activists, say, fight for $15, and then the politicians come back with, “well, that’s nuts, how about $12 in 3 years,” those politicians don’t get to run to their business donors and say, “see? we fought off the hippies for you,” if the hippies say, “wow, great, $12 in 3 years is good enough, thank you Mr. Politician.’
You see this a lot with the environmental groups as well.
Add Illinois Senate President Don Harmon’s office to the long list of organizations, politicians, lobbyists and others subpoenaed in a wide-ranging federal probe that has already led to a series of political corruption charges and convictions.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago demanded that Harmon’s office, which he took over early this year after the retirement of former Senate President John Cullerton, turn over all documents and communications related to a property at Cermak Road and Wentworth Avenue in Chinatown. The parcel is a state-owned parking lot long coveted by developers. […]
There’s no indication in the subpoena that Harmon is a target of a federal probe.
“Clearly there is an ongoing federal investigation related to Marty Sandoval’s legislative activities,” Harmon spokesman John Patterson said in a statement. “Our office has complied with requests for information.”
When the feds raided Sandoval’s offices last year, they sought records related to the law firm where Harmon used to work. The Oak Park Democrat stepped down from that firm after succeeding John Cullerton as Senate president in January.
Harmon, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, has said Sandoval had a habit of keeping files on political opponents.
“Clearly there is an ongoing federal investigation related to Marty Sandoval’s legislative activities,” Harmon spokesman John Patterson said. “Our office has complied with requests for information.”
All you will see in Harmon’s response is the Senate Judiciary Committee’s packet of information about bills that were currently in the committee at the time, which included the legislation in question.
Oh, and by the way, the Chinatown parcel was not even in the Senate bill when it passed the committee, nor was it in the bill when the Senate sent the bill to the House, nor was it in the bill when the House sent it back to the Senate for concurrence.
So, unless you’re prepared to say that Don Harmon is flat-out defying a federal subpoena, there’s pretty much nothing to see here.
* Politico has a good roundup today of the House Republican seats currently in play…
Republican Rep. Allen Skillicorn recently toyed with stepping aside this election season — but he told Playbook over the weekend that he’s still in the race. His waffling about running has tripped up his momentum, making the 66th District seat ripe for Democratic challenger Suzanne Ness to pick off.
The rematch in the 54th District between Republican Rep. Tom Morrison and Democratic challenger Maggie Trevor is expected to go Democrat this time. Morrison only barely won in 2018. And Palatine is likely to support Joe Biden for president.
Republican Rep. Grant Wehrli faces Democratic challenger Janet Yang Rohr. Their 41st District encompasses Naperville, a suburb that shifted Democrat in 2018 — and saw Congresswoman Lauren Underwood defeat a longtime Republican.
Ditto Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, a 47th District Republican from DuPage County, which is also leaning Democrat. Mazzochi won by just over 1,500 votes in 2018 and this time the Democrat, Jennifer Zordani, has strong party backing.
Republican Rep. Brad Stephens is in a tight race against Dem challenger Michelle Darbro, an EMT and firefighter backed by Madigan. Stephens will do well in Rosemont (where he’s also the mayor) but he’ll get clobbered in the Chicago area that’s part of the 20th District.
Rep. Amy Grant is in jeopardy of losing her 42nd District seat to progressive Ken Mejia-Beal.
Democrats also think they can defeat Republican Reps. John Cabello, Steve Reick, Norine Hammond, and Dan Ugaste, though GOP insiders expect the races to hinge on whether their GOP-leaning districts back Trump this time around.
And Republicans hope to flip the 116th District: Republican David Friess, an attorney, vs. the recently appointed Dem Rep. Nathan Reitz; 111th District: Republican Amy Elik vs. Democratic Rep. Monica Bristow (Republicans lost by 356 votes to Bristow two years ago); and the 112th District that has Republican Lisa Ciampoli challenging Democratic Rep. Katie Stuart.
Senate Majority Leader and Chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) joined colleagues at the Westside Justice Center on Tuesday to announce a plan to build a legislative agenda that addresses systemic racism in Illinois.
“We have an opportunity to leverage this moment to make sure other Black women, Black mothers and Black wives just like me can truly have peace, justice and hope for our future, knowing that our children and our grandchildren will not share the same kind of life experiences that everyone in my generation and generations before me have had to endure,” Lightford said.
Lightford and the ILBC plan to hold hearings on four pillars of policy to compose a legislative agenda to be brought forth during the fall veto session. The four pillars of policy are as follows:
I. Criminal justice reform, violence reduction and police accountability
II. Education and workforce development
III. Economic access, equity and opportunity
IV. Health care and human services
The caucus will hold a series of hearings in the months leading up to November’s post-election veto session – the first of which, focused on police accountability, was held Tuesday – so that definite proposals will be ready for the legislature to take up when it reconvenes Nov. 17-19 and Dec. 1-3, Lightford said.
Without concrete measures to evaluate, it’s impossible to gauge the probability of success and support Black lawmakers’ wish list will receive from their peers.
So far, the Democratic leaders who call the shots in the legislature are supportive, but vague on just what they’ll back.
* Illinois Senate President Don Harmon…
The Black Caucus is showing us the path to a better Illinois. I look forward to being an ally and helping win approval of needed reforms.
* Speaker Madigan…
“Like so many, I’ve been reflecting on the injustices our communities of color, especially within the Black community, have faced for generations and thinking about ways in which we can address these issues and ways we can do better in Illinois to improve the quality of life of Black America.
“We are at a turning point, and it’s past time to take action. We know there isn’t one single source that has contributed to issues of inequality in our country and our state. We must evaluate all of our institutions to finally bring about the change that will make a difference. We must revisit issues with our criminal justice system, policing tactics, education system, workforce and economic opportunities and access to healthcare, among others, to bring about equity in the lives of Black Illinoisans.
“I thank the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus (ILBC) for advancing these difficult but necessary discussions. I believe it’s time we build on the legislature’s past efforts to meaningfully explore the issues outlined in the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ Policy Agenda, and I will continue to work closely with the ILBC to support their efforts to end systemic racism throughout Illinois.
“Along with my staff, I have had many conversations with Black Caucus members, community leaders, other elected officials and residents across the state to understand the pain, concerns and ideas for moving forward. I am committed to working with everyone seeking changes to address those recommendations and enact policies that finally start to provide equal justice under the constitution.”
Rep. La Shawn Ford emphasized Black leaders have been fighting and struggling for years. However, their voices and efforts have gone unheard.
“We are now at a moment where our white colleagues that have been raised in white communities, that just didn’t understand what we were talking about, are now uncomfortable. They are so uncomfortable now that they are hearing all of the asks that they couldn’t hear before,” Ford said. “Now the question is, are they ready to act on what they are hearing? Are they ready to join in the effort to make Illinois healthy?”
Several caucus members note the state won’t move forward unless their concerns are addressed. They believe all people deserve the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
“I know that the Constitution that I love and hold so dear - when it was written - I was not the person it was written for, nor were my ancestors or people who look like me,” explained Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago). “But the reality is that for myself, my ancestors, my children, and future generations, I am owed a debt.”
State Senate Majority Leader and ILBC Chair Kimberly Lightford opened her remarks at the news conference by noting, “This is the moment that I have dreamed of, that I have prayed for, that I have worked towards my entire life.”
“This is a time when I stand on my parents’ shoulders, and their parents’ shoulders, and their parents’ shoulders and their parent’s shoulders,” she said. “We’re finally here … today as the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, to present to you our agenda to end systemic racism that has oppressed our people for as long as we’ve ever known.” […]
While none of the pillars of the agenda have been filed as legislation yet, Lightford said bills would be ready for the fall legislative session.
“We will have our legislative initiatives prepared for the veto session and we do intend on taking up all of veto session to address them,” she said.
It is still about three months and a presidential election away, but the veto session is shaping up to be a potentially busy time in Springfield.
This considering there were (and still are to some degree) people whispering that the veto session will be canceled. The basis of that is there are literally no vetoes for lawmakers to consider and with the coronavirus pandemic continuing, it will still be difficult to convene the General Assembly in a safe manner. There are also people pushing the idea that the Democratic leaders don’t want to convene with the questions hovering over House Speaker Michael Madigan and the federal investigation into Commonwealth Edison.
Counter that, though, with the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus saying last week that they fully expect the veto session to be dominated by their efforts to pass criminal justice and social justice reform legislation. They made it clear that they intend to move while there is a national focus on those issues. Or as Rep. Chris Welch, D-Hillside, said, “The Black agenda cannot wait.”
The Black Caucus is a significant force in the Democratic Caucus making it improbable they will be told to wait until later by the Democratic leaders.
These aren’t just Chicago issues; there are Black families throughout Illinois. It’s not just a youth mindset; the pillars focus on developing a solid labor force and working for equality of opportunity when it comes to starting businesses, getting loans and investing in property. Neither are they strictly Black issues; poverty knows no race, and Illinois has miles to go before it can be said all its young people have equal opportunities.
But if you shut down upon encountering phrases like “police accountability” and “systemic racism,” you’ll miss the big picture. We should listen to our neighbors when they tell us they’re hurting and fully engage with their ideas for solutions.
Yes, it is important to discuss how nonwhite communities are policed. But the people pushing for change know that’s only part of the equation.
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin made huge headlines recently when he filed a petition to commence formal disciplinary proceedings against House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Leader Durkin’s petition relied on information contained in ComEd’s “Deferred Prosecution Agreement” with the US Attorney’s office. The DPA claimed ComEd participated in a years-long scheme to essentially bribe Madigan into giving it favorable Statehouse treatment with jobs, contracts, internships and even a corporate board seat.
Speaker Madigan has denied all wrongdoing, and claimed Durkin’s rarely used maneuver was a “political stunt” in an election year to distract from Republican President Donald Trump’s spectacular unpopularity in Illinois.
Public opinion polling has consistently shown that Madigan is the most unpopular politician in Illinois – even more so than Trump, who lost Illinois by 17 points in 2016.
So, it’s natural that tying Madigan to his House Democratic incumbents and candidates has been the go-to move by Republicans for years. It appeared to work well only once, in 2016 when then-Gov. Bruce Rauner spent a fortune to bust Madigan’s chops and the House Speaker lost a net of four seats. The Madigan people blamed Trump’s huge popularity and Hillary Clinton’s unpopularity in Downstate districts for the setback.
Two of the three members Durkin appointed to the newly created investigative committee are in extremely difficult reelection battles. Both members, Reps. Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) and Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst), have darkly warned voters about Madigan’s ties to their opponents. They’re not exactly bringing open minds to the proceedings.
“Every ad you see for her,” one of Rep. Wehrli’s recent campaign mailers claimed as an arrow pointed to a photo of his Democratic opponent Janet Yang Rohr, “is paid for by him,” as an arrow pointed to a pic of Madigan.
So, is Madigan right that this is all about politics? Well, the petition and subsequent committee hearings (if any) will help Leader Durkin’s political interests. As in the past, all of Durkin’s candidates have been using the Madigan issue in their races.
Durkin has also vowed to defeat Gov. JB Pritzker’s graduated income tax proposal at the ballot, and at least one of the groups opposing the tax change has already used the investigation into Madigan to ask voters not to trust the “corrupt politicians” with additional taxation power.
Republicans filed paperwork this past week to launch the investigation, which will be led by state Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside. […]
“I have never seen the speaker engage in anything inappropriate,” Welch told WBEZ. “Every conversation I’ve had with him, every interaction I’ve had with him, he’s by the book.” […]
Welch said he could envision a scenario where the speaker might be willing to cooperate.
“This is going to be an opportunity for Speaker Madigan to receive due process and a fair hearing,” Welch said. “And if he’s called upon to participate, I’m sure he’ll participate.”
A majority vote of the committee is needed to authorize charges, so at least one Democrat would be needed for this to occur. […]
But the rules do not specify what constitutes a chargeable offense, something Wehrli said the General Assembly needs to address.
“If you look at our rules, it’s basically ‘conduct unbecoming’ and things like that. It’s very vague and nebulous, which is once again another reason why we’ve been pushing for ethics reforms is to highlight and make it crystal clear what goes beyond the pale when it comes to ethics,” he said. “Ethics can be very personal to each individual, and we can each interpret them differently. But what we need to do is make sure that the public has set a standard for us to adhere to, which is why I think the ethics reform is probably one of the most pressing issues we can do in Springfield.” […]
The first hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10 at 9 a.m.
Retired University of Illinois-Springfield political scientist Kent Redfield said he’s not even sure what kind of case House Republicans will be able to make against Madigan. The U.S. Attorney’s office has said it is continuing to investigate political corruption issues. When news of the investigating committee surfaced, Durkin said the U.S. Attorney’s office was notified of it and that it will not interfere with the federal investigation.
Based on that, Redfield said he’s not sure where the House committee investigation is headed.
“It’s not clear to me what they are going to look at or who they’re going to talk to,” Redfield said. “The U.S Attorney doesn’t want the ComEd people answering questions and going on the records on things that might come up in some kind of trial.”
He said it is doubtful that any potential targets of the feds will want to testify to state lawmakers about things federal investigators may be interested in. Moreover, a defense attorney wouldn’t allow a client to put himself in jeopardy by testifying, he said.
Federal prosecutors late Friday filed one count of conspiracy to commit bribery against Commonwealth Edison’s former chief lobbyist, a one-time powerhouse in Springfield whom Speaker Michael Madigan invited as his personal guest to House inauguration festivities last year.
Named in the four-page federal filing was Fidel Marquez, ComEd’s former senior vice president of governmental and external affairs from 2012 until his abrupt and unexplained departure from the company last September.
The specific kind of court filing naming Marquez is indicative of a likely guilty plea and is a clear tightening of the federal probe into potential wrongdoing by the longest-serving House speaker in American history.
Documents obtained Friday by WBEZ through an open-records request to the speaker’s office showed that Madigan issued a personal invitation to Marquez to attend January 2019 House inauguration ceremonies as the speaker’s guest, underscoring the close personal relationship between the two.
* The document…
Ex-ComEd Senior Vice President of Government Relations Fidel Marquez indicted for bribing Madigan 🚨 #twillpic.twitter.com/RHaMSucV5j
— Frank Calabrese 'Wear a Mask' 😷 (@FrankCalabrese) September 5, 2020
The Chicago Tribune reported last year that Marquez was a focus of the federal investigation, as is former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, who abruptly retired last year. Pramaggiore has not been charged. A Pramaggiore spokesman has said that she “has done nothing wrong and any inference to the contrary is misguided and false.”
Prosecutors have said ComEd’s scheme began around 2011 — when key regulatory matters were before the Illinois House that Madigan controls — and continued through last year.
Many of the illegal payments allegedly were arranged by downstate lobbyist Michael McClain, a key confidant and adviser at the center of the probe, according to court records. McClain also has not been charged.
One example cited in ComEd’s deferred prosecution agreement involved a man identified as “Consultant 1,” who allegedly was speaking to a ComEd executive identified by the Tribune as Marquez. The consultant said he believed McClain had spoken to Madigan about the payments, saying the money was “to keep (Public Official A) happy (and) I think it’s worth it, because you’d hear otherwise,” prosecutors alleged.
ComEd spokeswoman Shannon Breymaier issued this statement Friday night: “We are not in a position to comment on specific matters related to this former ComEd executive or beyond what is in the statement of facts in ComEd’s deferred prosecution agreement.”
A spokeswoman for Madigan, asked to comment Friday night, sent an email with an earlier statement maintaining Madigan’s innocence in the ongoing case:
“The speaker has never helped someone find a job with the expectation that the person would not be asked to perform work by their employer, nor did he ever expect to provide anything to a prospective employer if it should choose to hire a person he recommended. He has never made a legislative decision with improper motives and has engaged in no wrongdoing here. Any claim to the contrary is unfounded.”
“This is an unequivocal indication that Marquez is cooperating,” said Juliet Sorensen, a Northwestern University law professor and a former federal prosecutor who investigated corruption cases. […]
The feds’ deal with ComEd and the new case against Marquez are “signals by the U.S. attorney’s office that more is in the works,” Sorensen said.
“I expect that this is the tip of the iceberg,” she said. […]
In his final role at ComEd, Marquez helped win approval for massive state subsidies for nuclear power plants. The legislation, approved in 2016, was one of two landmark bills that greatly enhanced ComEd’s bottom line during the bribery scheme in Springfield, according to federal court records.
In a photo from a news conference that touted the measure’s passage, Marquez appears with three prominent Democratic lawmakers. Two of those three Springfield politicians — Martin Sandoval and Luis Arroyo — also got charged with corruption in the past year and have stepped down.
State officials announced Thursday the next round of long-delayed and highly sought after cannabis dispensary licenses will be awarded in a lottery later this month.
The 21 qualifying applicants for the 75 new licenses were informed after a global accounting firm finished grading 1,667 applications, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
All those applicants received perfect scores and qualify as social equity candidates, meaning they were afforded a leg up in the application process as part of the state’s efforts to build diversity in an industry dominated by white men. […]
Applicants with tied scores in each of the 17 regions will receive a single entry into a region’s lottery for each application they submitted, the IDFPR said. Some firms gambled and paid to submit multiple applications at a cost of $2,500 each.
* From the administration…
Social Equity Applicants
Of the 21 applicants eligible to enter the lottery process, all identified as Social Equity Applicants under the Act. See 410 ILCS 705/1-10.
14 of the 21 applicants qualify as Social Equity Applicants because they have least 51% ownership and control by one or more individuals who have resided for at least 5 of the preceding 10 years in a Disproportionately Impacted Area.
4 of the 21 applicants qualify as Social Equity Applicants because they have at least 51% ownership and control by one or more individuals who have been arrested for, convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent for any offense that is eligible for expungement under this Act.
2 of the 21 applicants qualify as Social Equity Applicants because they have at least 51% ownership and control by one or more individuals who have a parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, or dependent, or who was a dependent of an individual who, prior to the effective date of this Act, was arrested for, convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent for any offense that is eligible for expungement under this Act.
1 of the 21 applicants qualifies as a Social Equity Applicant because it had a minimum of 10 full-time employees, at least 51% of whom either currently reside in a Disproportionately Impacted Area or have been arrested for, convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent for any offense that is eligible for expungement under this Act or member of an impacted family.
Race
Of the 21 applicants, 13 are majority owned and controlled by people of color and 17 have at least one owner who is a person of color.
Gender
Of the 21 applicants, 16 have at least one owner who is a woman.
Age
The age range of the majority owners of the 21 applicants is 26 to 77 years old.
* But the small number of qualifying applicants for the large number of licenses has infuriated several folks. Here’s Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside)…
That list is a total disappointment and a punch in the gut to the small business owners who were looking for an opportunity. 75 licenses are going to 21 applicants. Mostly shill companies. The lottery should not take place until wholesale changes happen. At this moment when our country demands racial equity, the administration has screwed us!
“I’m disappointed. This is disheartening,” state Sen. Cristina Castro, whose district stretches from Elgin to Hoffman Estates, said after hearing from several constituents who didn’t make the cut. “We had quite a few minority-led groups. Many of them paid thousands and thousands of dollars to apply and were incredibly disappointed. The same names won in every region. Given everything going on today in the discussion about social equity, we had a huge opportunity to make a mark. But we failed. I want to see where and how this came about.”
Applicants were allowed to seek multiple licenses in each of 17 regions. Several applicants are seeking licenses in every district. Each license cost $2,500 to submit. “You saw the same names in every region,” Welch said. “There’s no way for a real social equity applicant to afford to apply for licenses in every region. That shows it was big-money people who made the list. […]
Ron Holmes, co-founder of consulting firm Majority Minority Group in Chicago, worked with more than 30 applicants, none of which was successful. “The people most impacted by the war on drugs were not successful today. Folks spent a substantial amount of money on this process. They’re going to have to find a way to put their lives back together at a time when the economy isn’t flush with jobs or opportunity.”
The move by Griffin sets up a battle among billionaires over the fate of the proposed tax amendment with Pritzker, who is an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune.
Pritzker already has pumped $56.5 million into the Vote Yes for Fairness political fund, which is promoting passage of the amendment, which is before voters on the Nov. 3 ballot. […]
Prior to Griffin’s contribution, which was reported Thursday, the anti-amendment coalition had received $950,000 in donations. They included $100,000 apiece from a trust run by real estate mogul Sam Zell, MacNeil Automotive Products of Bolingbrook which produces WeatherTech products, Craig Duchossois, who runs the diversified Duchossois Group, and Jay Bergman, president of Hinsdale-based Petco Petroleum Corp.
*** UPDATE *** Ken Griffin, Citadel Founder & CEO…
People aren’t waiting until November to vote against the economic hardship created by the Springfield’s spending addiction – they’ve been voting with their feet for the past decade as Illinois has lost more residents than any other state in the nation. In that time, two tax increases have already failed to improve our situation, and what’s now being marketed to voters under the guise of a “fair tax” is nothing more than a graduated tax scheme engineered to extract the greatest amount of money possible from all Illinois taxpayers. As we’ve seen in other states with a graduated tax scheme, everyone inevitably pays a higher rate. It’s time the Governor and Illinois legislature stop taking advantage of constituents and wasting hard-earned taxpayer dollars. It’s time for the Governor and the legislature to focus on spending our money wisely to provide for better schools, better public safely, better infrastructure and greater opportunities for all our citizens.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Vote Yes For Fairness Chairman Quentin Fulks…
Ken Griffin and his billionaire friends have collectively made more than $42 billion a week since the Coronavirus pandemic began, and yet he pays the same tax rate as our essential workers. Mr. Griffin reportedly made $1.5 billion last year, and under the Fair Tax, he would have had to pay $45 million more in taxes while 97% of Illinoisans would have seen their taxes go down or stay the same. It’s no surprise he’s now doing everything he can to protect the special deal he gets under Illinois’ current tax system. If Mr. Griffin would like to explain why he thinks it’s fair that he pays the same tax rate as our nurses and grocery store clerks, that’s a conversation we welcome having
* Vote Yes for Fair Tax chairman John Bouman…
Yesterday—the day that unions representing more than 1 million Illinois workers stood up to support Fair Tax reform—the state’s richest billionaire Ken Griffin spent $20 million to protect the broken status quo.
Griffin took home $1.5 billion in 2019 alone, yet paid the same state income tax rate as teachers, nurses, grocery store clerks and other essential workers. That’s wrong and it’s exactly why Illinois needs the Fair Tax amendment.
To end the sweet deals for the super-rich, cut taxes for everyone under $250,000 a year, make the wealthy pay their fair share and invest in shared priorities like education and health care, it’s time to Vote Yes for Fair Tax
* Coalition To Stop The Proposed Tax Hike Amendment…
We are encouraged that people from throughout Illinois, especially bipartisan small business owners, are responding positively to our message that this is the worst possible time to raise taxes. The Coalition welcomes support from anyone who believes we must stop Springfield Politicians from having new power to increase income taxes on every group of taxpayers, whenever they want.
The Constitutional Amendment sets no limit on the number of tax brackets that can be created and no limit on how high tax rates can be increased on groups of individual taxpayers – including middle-income families.
If passed, it would immediately result in billions in new taxes that would be especially devastating to over 100,000 small businesses, family farmers and large employers –causing tens of thousands of lost jobs that hurt women and minorities the most.
* Moving right along…
NEW: The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has again sided with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in a challenge to his COVID-19 restrictions, siding against the Illinois Republican Party. pic.twitter.com/8OGjaRy9Yy
ILGOP announces that former Republican state Rep. fired from IDOC for "inappropriately touching state employees at a Christmas party" is on the executive board of the new Illinois Black Republican Coalition https://t.co/v2cwOnD6yFpic.twitter.com/nkddeZpgT0
* Jeanne Ives has complained for a while now about how Democratic US Rep. Sean Casten won’t debate her. But…
The Jeanne for Congress campaign has made the decision not to participate in the Editorial Board endorsement processes with the Daily Herald, SunTimes or Northwest Herald. […]
We value a free and fair press. And we are happy to continue to work with those in the media who report with fairness and accuracy. But we won’t continue the charade. We are not going to pretend that our message and ideas have been fairly or accurately represented by these three outlets, or that they have held our opponents to the same level of scrutiny. We can simply no longer trust in the objectivity of the Daily Herald, SunTimes and Northwest Herald.
* On to our last topic. IDPH press release…
Earlier this week, a slowdown in data processing within Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) systems affected the reporting of tests due to the large volume of testing occurring in Illinois. All available resources were deployed to improve the data systems, which are now fixed, and the backlog created by the slowdown has been cleared. Two system upgrades were put in place and the systems now have significantly faster processing capacity. Although the slowdown did delay the reporting of some additional aggregate numbers, it did not affect the reporting of positive or negative results to individuals in any way.
IDPH today announced 5,368 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 29 additional confirmed deaths.
Bond County: 1 male 70s
Cook County: 1 male 40s, 2 males 50s, 2 females 70s, 1 male 80s
Cumberland County: 1 female 90s
Edgar County: 1 female 90s
Henry County: 1 male 90s
Kankakee County: 1 male 90s
Lake County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
LaSalle County: 1 female 80s
Macoupin County: 1 male 70s
Madison County: 2 male 70s
McHenry County: 1 male 80s
McLean County: 1 male 90s
Moultrie County: 1 female 90s
Perry County: 1 male 60s
Richland County: 1 female 90s
Rock Island County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 90s
Stark County: 1 male 80s
Tazewell County: 1 female 80s
Will County: 1 female 70s
Williamson County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 245,371 cases, including 8,143 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from August 28 – September 3 is 4.1%. Using a 7-day rolling average for this metric helps account for any variation in day to day data collection, such as a data processing slowdown, and provides the public and decisions makers with a consistent picture of trends over time. As of last night, 1,621 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 360 patients were in the ICU and 155 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 149,273 specimens for a total of 4,309,941.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH is now reporting both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website. Reporting probable cases will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions. IDPH will update these data once a week.
* Also from IDPH…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 29 counties in Illinois are considered to be at a warning level for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A county enters a warning level when two or more COVID-19 risk indicators that measure the amount of COVID-19 increase.
Twenty-nine counties are currently reported at a warning level – Boone, Bureau, Clinton, Coles, Cumberland, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Greene, Henry, Jasper, Jefferson, Jersey, Lake, Lawrence, Madison, McLean, Monroe, Pulaski, Randolph, Rock Island, Shelby, Stark, St. Clair, Union, Wabash, Warren, Williamson, Will.
Although the reasons for counties reaching a warning level varies, some of the common factors for an increase in cases and outbreaks are associated with college parties, weddings, large gatherings, bars and clubs, long-term care facilities and other congregate settings, travel to neighboring states, and spread among members of the same household who are not isolating at home. Cases connected to schools are beginning to be reported. General transmission of the virus in the community is also increasing.
Public health officials are observing people not social distancing, gathering in large groups, and not using face coverings. In some counties, local law enforcement and states’ attorneys are not enforcing important mitigation measures like social distancing and the wearing of face coverings. Additionally, some people refuse to participate in contact tracing and are not providing information on close contacts or answering the phone. Individuals are also waiting to get tested believing their symptoms are allergies or some other cause.
Several counties are taking swift action and implementing mitigation measures to help slow spread of the virus, including increasing testing opportunities, working with schools, meeting with local leaders, and educating businesses and large venues about the importance of mitigation measures.
IDPH uses numerous indicators when determining if a county is experiencing stable COVID-19 activity, or if there are warning signs of increased COVID-19 risk in the county. A county is considered at the warning level when at least two of the following metrics triggers a warning.
New cases per 100,000 people. If there are more than 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the county, this triggers a warning.
Number of deaths. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly number of deaths increases more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
Weekly test positivity. This metric indicates a warning when the 7-day test positivity rate rises above 8%.
ICU availability. If there are fewer than 20% of intensive care units available in the region, this triggers a warning.
Weekly emergency department visits. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly percent of COVID-19-like-illness emergency department visits increase by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
Weekly hospital admissions. A warning is triggered when the weekly number of hospital admissions for COVID-19-like-illness increases by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
Tests perform. This metric is used to provide context and indicate if more testing is needed in the county.
Clusters. This metric looks at the percent of COVID-19 cases associated with clusters or outbreaks and is used to understand large increase in cases.
These metrics are intended to be used for local level awareness to help local leaders, businesses, local health departments, and the public make informed decisions about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do. The metrics are updated weekly, from the Sunday-Saturday of the prior week.
* Related…
* Metro East school district decides to return to in-person learning: The Superintendent of Collinsville Schools announced to families today the district will start hybrid learning on Tuesday, September 8. Students will attend two days a week and learn remotely the other three. … The Metro East area of Illinois had a seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate of 9.6%, according to numbers released by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday. Two weeks ago, the positivity rate was 9.2%.
* Covid-19 has killed more police officers this year than all other causes combined, data shows: At the state level, Texas stands out for having the highest number of law enforcement covid fatalities with at least 21, according to NLEOMF. At least 16 of those represent officers with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which manages the state’s correctional facilities. Louisiana has 12 covid-related officer deaths. Florida, New Jersey and Illinois round out the top five with eight each.
* Herd Immunity Is Not a Strategy: But “herd-immunity strategy” is a contradiction in terms, in that herd immunity is the absence of a strategy. Herd immunity is an important public-health concept, developed and used to guide vaccination policy. It involves a calculation of the percentage of people in a population who would need to achieve immunity in order to prevent an outbreak. The same concept offers little such guidance during an ongoing pandemic without a vaccine. If it were a military strategy, it would mean letting the enemy tear through you until they stop because there’s no one left to attack.
House Special Investigative Committee, prompted by HGOP demands that Speaker Madigan face disciplinary measures, to meet on September 10 in Springfield pic.twitter.com/FIT39PRRz9
State Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch released the following statement Friday regarding the scheduled first meeting of the House Special Investigating Committee:
“The Special Investigating Committee has scheduled its first meeting for Thursday, September 10 at 9 a.m. in Springfield. As we begin work of this committee, I ask members of the committee to come prepared to conduct themselves in a manner reflective of the serious business before us.”
