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WGN Chicago poll: Lightfoot and Foxx under water, crime top issue, positive opinion of CPD at 70 percent and rising

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WGN-TV/Emerson College poll taken August 13-15 of 1,000 Chicago residents with a MoE of +/- 3 percent

About 45.9% of those polled disapprove of the job Lightfoot is doing as mayor, 42.5% approve of her performance and another 10.8% are unsure or have no opinion.

These numbers represent a shift from the start of the summer. On June 1, Lightfoot’s approval rating among Chicago voters was 48%.

Also under water with Chicago residents, but by a much wider margin, is Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Just 34.7% of Chicagoans polled approve of the job the county’s top prosecutor is doing overall, 47.7% disapprove and 15.9% are unsure or have no opinion. […]

By an overwhelming number, Chicagoans still think crime is the number one issue facing the city. Of those asked, 44.2% said their top concern was crime — that’s more than three times for any other issue. The city’s handling of the deadly COVID-19 virus came in second at 12%, followed by education/schools at 7.8%, health care at 7.3% and police reform at 7.2%. […]

In the wake of the shooting death of Chicago Police Officer Ella French, support for the police force is growing overall. One week after French was shot to death during a traffic stop on the South Side, 70% of residents who were polled say they have at least a somewhat positive opinion of CPD. That’s an uptick of 10 points since June 1. As of Aug. 15, 23% have a somewhat or very negative opinion of the Chicago Police Department and just 7% are unsure.

The full poll is here.

  32 Comments      


Durkin appoints inspector general who quit in disgust to search committee for her own replacement

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it…

Senator Jil Tracy
Chairwoman
Legislative Ethics Commission
103C Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706

Dear Chairwoman Tracy:

Please be advised, pursuant to 5 ILCS 430/25-10 (b-5), I have appointed Carol Pope to serve on the Legislative Ethics Commission’s search committee for the purpose of conducting a search for qualified candidates for the position of the Legislative Inspector General. Ms. Pope’s contact information is xxxx.

This appointment is effective immediately. If you have any questions concerning this matter, please contact xxxxx.

Sincerely,

Jim Durkin
House Republican Leader

Heh.

  4 Comments      


Chicago mandates indoor masks

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Kelly Bauer

All people 2 and older must once again wear masks when indoors in public in Chicago starting Friday, officials announced Tuesday.

The return of the mask mandate comes as the city sees a surge of COVID-19 cases fueled by the more contagious Delta variant.

Masks will be required for all people — including those fully vaccinated — so long as they’re 2 or older and indoors in a public place. They can be removed during certain activities, like eating and drinking at bars and restaurants.

People working in settings not open to the public and who can remain distant from coworkers — like those in office cubicles — can also remove their masks, according to the city’s policy.

Gov. Pritzker was asked about a possible statewide mask mandate this afternoon, but he didn’t appear to be at all ready to do something like that.

  18 Comments      


New laws

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation that builds on the legacy of unsung hero Mary K. Hunt and designates Penicillium Rubens as the official state microbe of Illinois. The Governor also signed legislation which adds agricultural sciences and agricultural education as an option to fulfill the coursework requirements for university admission.

HB 1879 designated penicillium rubens NRRL 1951 as the official state microbe of Illinois. The designation recognizes the contribution of Mary K. Hunt, also known as Moldy Mary, and the Northern Regional Research Library – now known as the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research. Due to their research and work, penicillin’s yield soared at a time when demand was high all across the world.

“It’s no secret that penicillin production is an achievement Peoria takes great pride in – but as of today, it becomes a point of pride for all of Illinois, with new status as our official state microbe,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The additional legislation will help Illinois not lose any more Marys to history by recognizing the value of agricultural science in our education system for students of all backgrounds. By supporting our young learners who want to take ag sciences through to a university education – and beyond – Illinois is diversifying what it means to learn, to grow, to innovate – and to set the stage for our future generations to live their dreams.” […]

HB 3218 and SB 1624 add agricultural sciences as a course option for the science category and agricultural education as a course option for the elective category as part of the required high school coursework for university admission. This expansion of agricultural education options was made possible by students, teachers, FFA clubs, and lawmakers working to ensure high school students in Illinois can access the tools they need to continue our proud Illinois agriculture tradition.

* Capitol News Illinois

With the ongoing Illinois State Fair as a backdrop, Gov. JB Pritzker signed several bills into law in recent days during ceremonies that coincided with daily fair themes.

On Monday, which was Senior and Scout Day at the fair, Pritzker signed a package of bills aimed at improving health care for seniors, including those suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

“I am excited to sign four pieces of legislation that will make Illinois an even safer state for seniors,” Pritzker said at the signing ceremony. “Together, the steps we’re taking today mark a bipartisan commitment to ensuring that Illinois seniors can live their best lives.” […]

Monday’s signing ceremony followed a similar ceremony Sunday, which was Veterans and Gold Star Families Day at the fair, during which Pritzker signed several bills dealing with services for military veterans and their families.

More info here.

* Tribune

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed into law a measure that makes it illegal for police to use at least one commonly searched law enforcement database to conduct criminal background checks on citizens who sign up to speak at public meetings statewide.

The law was inspired by a 2019 Tribune story that disclosed how the Chicago Police Department ran secret background checks for over a decade on several hundred citizens who signed up to speak at public meetings before the Chicago Police Board. […]

The new law, which goes into effect immediately, bars police agencies throughout Illinois from conducting background checks on citizens “for the sole reason” of that person speaking “at an open meeting of a public body, including police disciplinary boards.”

* WLDS

Governor J.B. Pritzker announced the signing of 3 bills reforming education and juvenile justice in the state yesterday.

The first law will seek to end the use of physical restraints to discipline students in public schools. The legislation, which received wide bipartisan support, aims to eliminate solitary time out and other restrictive interventions within three years, while expanding training and accountability in schools as it relates to these practices.

The bill bans prone restraint. It may only be permitted for use as an emergency measure until the end of the 2021-22 school year. The bill also prohibits the use of medical and chemical restraint. The legislation ensures that timeouts, isolated timeouts, and other forms of physical restraint may only be used if a student’s behavior is an imminent danger to the individual student or to others, and the school staff member applying the invention tactic must be trained in its safe application. The law takes effect immediately.

* Center Square

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed Senate Bill 805 to implement a program to distribute unused school lunches to needy students, but questions remain about just how the program will be implemented by school districts across the state.

State Rep. LaToya Greenwood, who is a co-sponsor of the legislation, said the program will make sure unused food at the state’s more than 850 school districts goes to those who need it most.

The unused food program will be implemented by local school districts, which are now required to come up with a plan to distribute food to families of students who may not get enough to eat at home.

The program will be a “joint effort between school districts and their local health departments,” Greenwood said.

* Not a new law, but a law that’s producing some results

A local cannabis grower is hoping to fill up to 200 positions in the next few months and they are starting efforts with a two-day job fair this week.

In two sessions at the Shawnee Community College Anna Extension Center, the company, aeriz (pronounced “arise”), will hold informational meetings and open interviews for a wide range of positions.

The medical and recreational cannabis grower has a facility near Anna as well as one in Arizona, both of which use an aeroponic – or soilless – system to raise cannabis in a wholesale operation. The company does not sell its products directly to consumers.

* Related…

* Gov. Pritzker Honors Gold Star Families At Illinois State Fair, Signs Legislation To Improve Services For Servicemembers And Veterans

* New laws aim to lower prescription drug prices in Illinois

  1 Comment      


We need to find another way to do this

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune

Cook County property tax increases hit Black and Latino suburbs the hardest, according to a report being released by the treasurer’s office today.

In west suburban Bellwood, the total amount of property taxes billed to homeowners went up 28.5% between 2019 and 2020. In south suburban Ford Heights, the commercial property tax tab went up 42%.

In fact, six of the 10 communities with the largest total residential tax increases were in majority Black or Latino areas, according to the treasurer’s office. For commercial property taxes, seven of the 10 communities with the highest increases were majority Black or Latino.

This is just not sustainable.

  24 Comments      


Campaign roundup: DPI meeting; Governor’s Day speakers; Demmer’s digital ad; Bailey’s new $$$; Giannoulias’ new backers; Another Supreme Court candidate

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* DPI will try to (at least somewhat) align itself with the recent FEC guidance today

Members of the Democratic State Central Committee will meet to vote on proposed amendments to the rules on Aug. 17 at 4 p.m. at the Operating Engineers Local 965 located at 3520 E. Cook St. in Springfield, Ill.

* The Governor’s Day event at the Illinois State Fair will kick off tomorrow at noon. Scheduled speakers…

Governor JB Pritzker, Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Treasurer Mike Frerichs, Comptroller Susana Mendoza, and Secretary of State Jesse White

I walked through the Director’s Lawn last night. They’ve moved the stage to the opposite side of the lawn. It was always up by the street. Now it’s set way back and faces the street.

* Greg Hinz

Rep. Tom Demmer, a hospital administrator by trade who serves as Illinois House deputy GOP leader, said he’s launching a digital ad campaign today to raise his profile in expectation of running for either Illinois Secretary of State or Treasurer next year.

“As I consider what to do in the 2022 cycle, this is a good time to get out there and interact with voters statewide,” Demmer told me in a phone call.

* Politico

State Sen. Darren Bailey, who’s running for the GOP nomination for governor, reports raising more than $420,000 in the past week, including $200,000 from businessman Melvin Alex, according to the State Board of Elections.

He got another $100K from Kaskaskia Organic, LLC in Mattoon.

* Speaking of Bailey…

It’s a small piece of cloth you put over your nose and mouth to help prevent the spread of a deadly and debilitating disease. Sheesh. Some people are just so into make-believe victimhood.

Also, Jessica Hockett is an interesting element. She’s got quite the online personality.

* Alexi Giannoulias fundraising letter…

The New Trier Township Democratic Committeeperson Dean Marago and Schaumburg Township Democratic Committeeperson Michael Cudzik announced their support, joining more than 100 elected officials, political organizations and labor unions throughout the State that have endorsed my 2022 bid for Secretary of State.

In addition, the following labor organizations endorsed our campaign: Illinois Postal Workers Union and its Northwest Illinois Area Local 7140; United Steelworkers District 7, which includes 60 locals with more than 15,000 members in Illinois; SMART-Transportation Division (formerly United Transportation Union), which represents 10,000 active and retired Illinois members; Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 265; and the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Union No. 1, which includes 3,500 statewide members.

* Press release…

Judge Rene Cruz filed his paperwork on Monday, August 16, 2021, with the State Board of Elections to establish his campaign committee that will support his candidacy for the 2nd District of the Illinois Supreme Court. Cruz currently serves as a judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit of Illinois as the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Misdemeanor and Traffic Division after having served eight years and presiding over the Family Division. Judge Cruz was first appointed as a judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit which served DeKalb, Kane and Kendall Counties in 2012, and was elected to another term in the 1st Judicial SubCircuit in 2018 after having been unanimously appointed by the Supreme Court of Illinois as a Circuit Judge in 2016.

  30 Comments      


Court news roundup: Judge allows plaintiff into cannabis lottery; Madigan inner circle trial date set for September, 2022

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Unreal

A Cook County judge on Monday conceded that an ongoing lawsuit he’s presiding over could potentially upend the state’s troubled cannabis licensing rollout and lead to a complete do-over.

During a lengthy hearing, Judge Moshe Jacobius issued an order granting WAH Group LLC a place in Thursday’s third and final lottery for dispensary licenses. But as Jacobius ruled the group was unjustly excluded from the drawing, he acknowledged the underlying suit could have serious implications for the state’s lucrative cannabis industry.

“We can’t predict the future. And counsel says that if you ultimately rule that the whole structure was improper, then the whole thing will have to be redone over again,” he said of the licensing process. “That may very well be, but I can’t anticipate what’s going to happen.

“And that’s just the most extreme thing that can happen. It might happen,” he added. “It’s very possible. But then, everybody then would be subject to just another application process or another lottery, who knows what.”

“Who knows what.” Wonderful.

* In other court news, here’s the Sun-Times

Four members of former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle could face trial late in 2022 for their alleged roles in the ComEd bribery scandal.

What’s still not clear is whether new allegations might surface in the case by then.

U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber on Tuesday scheduled a Sept. 12, 2022, trial for Madigan confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, onetime ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and ex-City Club President Jay Doherty. All four have pleaded not guilty in response to a 50-page indictment filed last November that accused them of a long-term bribery scheme designed to curry favor with Madigan.

But Leinenweber also asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker about the ongoing possibility of a superseding indictment — which could add new allegations and defendants to the case. Streicker insisted she had “no further information about whether there will be a superseding indictment” and told the judge, “the investigation is ongoing.”

* Tribune

Prosecutors also said Tuesday they’re still in the process of turning over records and evidence in the case, with the most recent “large production” made in late-June. Another discovery production was “being loaded now,” Streicker said.

The feds had previously turned over more than a million pages of records in discovery as well as discs containing wiretapped calls and other electronic evidence.

A status hearing in the case was scheduled for Oct. 21.

  8 Comments      


COVID-19 roundup

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* New Axios/Ipsos poll

Two-thirds (64%) support their state or local government requiring masks to be worn in all public places. […]

Almost seven in ten (69%) support their local school districts requiring teachers, students, and administrators to wear masks in schools. Mask requirements in schools have broad support among the public, with no significant difference in support among parents (68%) and non-parents (70%). […]

About half (51%) of those who are employed report that their employer is requiring all employees to wear a mask at work. […]

Three in five Americans (63%) say they are wearing a mask at least sometimes when leaving the home. This marks a six-point increase from late July/early August, and an 11-point increase from mid-July.

Point being, Illinois news outlets which have been endlessly hyping small anti-mask protests really need to ease up on the ol’ Facebook time. Social media is not reality.

* The difference between now and then, of course, is that we now have a vaccine

The average number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Chicago topped 400 Monday, the highest it’s been since May 7 and a tenfold increase from the rate’s lowest point in June.

The 400-case bench mark is another indicator of the latest coronavirus surge, this one largely driven by the contagious delta variant and mostly sickening those who aren’t vaccinated. It’s a metric that Chicago’s top doctor also has referred to as “a line in the sand for us.”

That was in August 2020, when city and Chicago Public Schools officials announced that they would start the 2020-21 school year with all remote learning.

Then again, kids under 12 can’t be vaxed yet.

* The same admonition about vaxes applies here

Gov. JB Pritzker didn’t directly say Monday whether he would extend the state’s eviction moratorium for those facing hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic as cases, deaths and hospitalizations for the virus continue to rise.

“We’ve looked at that, we continue to look at it. We’ll make a decision about that soon,” Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference in Springfield when asked if he would extend the moratorium, which is set to expire at the end of the month.

The governor’s comments come as COVID-19 intensive care bed utilization has increased by 290 percent on a weekly average since July 11. Positivity rates and death counts also continue to rise, although vaccinations have picked up in recent days as well.

When it comes to evictions, Illinois courts are currently under a Supreme Court order until Sept. 1 allowing for the filing of eviction claims but staying certain final trials and judgements. Pritzker’s current disaster declaration and associated eviction moratorium is due to be renewed or expire on Aug. 21.

* I saw a couple people wearing masks last night, but not many

Fairgoers are required to wear a mask at the Illinois State Fair and that includes food vendors. It’s a message that Newschannel20 and Fox Illinois have repeatedly shared from the state.

But what is the state doing to enforce that policy after reports that hardly anyone is following it?

As the Illinois State Fair goes on for its fifth day, fairgoers that after every year including Quinn Slightom noticed others are not following the rules.

“I don’t remember the last time I saw a mask besides my own, I don’t think anybody cares,” Slightom said.

The food vendors, at least, really should be masked up.

* Related…

* Despite vaccine mandate, IDOC staff only at 44% inoculation

* Chicago pharmacist charged with selling authentic COVID-19 vaccine cards on eBay

* Stevenson High School District 125 mandates teacher and staff vaccinations by October

* Retail sales drop worse-than-expected 1.1% in July as rising Covid fears hit consumers

* September unemployment cliff looms for 7 million Americans

* This Summer Was Destined for Failure

  26 Comments      


Downstate population loss makes it much easier for Democrats to reduce Republican congressional presence here

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tom Kacich

Illinois’ population decline — 18,124 over the last decade — isn’t because of the six-county Chicago metropolitan area. That region’s population grew by 129,216 between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, including a gain of 50,790 in the city of Chicago.

The state’s losses have been in the other 96 counties in Illinois, where total population has sunk by 147,340 over the last decade.

If you include Kendall, Grundy and Kankakee counties — three that the federal government combines into the Chicago metropolitan area — the contrast is even more severe. Grundy County added about 2,500 people between 2010 and 2020, while Kendall County added 17,133.

Every county but four south of Interstate 80 in Illinois — Champaign, McLean, Effingham and Williamson — lost population over the last 10 years.

* Downstate’s population issue will, as the headline says, make it much easier for Democrats to delete a Republican congressional district whenever they get around to it…


* He tweeted a somewhat similar hypothetical map before with more context…


Keep in mind that the final map may very well look a whole lot different than the ones above. The point here is that the new Census results have made the Democrats’ job much easier.

  37 Comments      


Bluhm pressure could undermine funding for capital projects

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Crain’s has a story on casino magnate Neil Bluhm and his potential bid for a Chicago casino

As Bluhm mulls his next moves, FanDuel and DraftKings are inking partnerships with sportsbooks at Chicago’s stadiums. The most potentially lucrative and furthest along is a DraftKings sportsbook at Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs have already received the OK from the city’s Landmarks Commission to build a betting parlor at the corner of Addison Street and Sheffield Avenue.

But the City Council hasn’t approved stadium-based wagering yet. Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th, whose ward includes the United Center, got the ball rolling last month when he introduced an ordinance allowing betting at stadiums. City Hall sources say people in Bluhm’s camp argued against the bill, which has been sidelined in the rules committee.

Bluhm confirms that he opposes the stadium-betting bill. He warns that stadium-based sportsbooks would generate little money for the city beyond a licensing fee of $50,000 for the first year and $25,000 per year following, while cutting into the action at a Chicago casino that city leaders hope will generate about $200 million in tax revenue annually to shore up sagging municipal pensions. […]

Stadium sportsbook proponents say the argument is disingenuous: Money will flow to the city, just via vertical capital spending through the state’s “Rebuild Illinois” program. Chicago is expected to receive hundreds of millions to improve university and community college facilities as the state’s gambling expansion takes off.

Unreal.

Chicago undercut the last capital bill by not opting into video gaming for the same sort of “reasons.” Bird in the hand, folks.

* Meanwhile

July was a strong month for Northwest Indiana’s four casinos, with a favorable calendar and more visitors helping to bump total revenues up by more than 12% over June.

The casinos took in a total of $104.2 million in July compared to $92.2 million in June, according to the monthly revenue report released Thursday by the Indiana Gaming Commission.

* Related…

* Which Companies Are – And Aren’t – Making A Play For The Chicago Casino License

* Mayor: Arlington Park sale announcement could come in next month or two

* Arlington Million Day media gets parting gift — Petrillo throws all out of press box: “I’ve certainly never seen or heard of anything like it,” said Marcus Hersh of The Daily Racing Form — one of the most respected turf writers in North America.

  9 Comments      


State pushes back Thompson Center RFP deadline, but scheduled sale date remains intact

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* CMS…

The Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) has adjusted the deadline for Request for Proposal (RFP) submissions for the sale of the James R. Thompson Center (JRTC) to October 8, 2021. Several vendors interested in responding to the RFP have requested additional time to develop their proposals to reflect a number of positive developments that will impact pricing including the zoning change passed by City Council, memorandum of understanding with the Chicago Transit Authority, and a memorandum of agreement with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. CMS released the RFP in May 2021 and the sale of the JRTC is scheduled to be completed by April 2022.

Only the RFP deadline has been altered. The scheduled sale date has not changed.

* Greg Hinz

State officials familiar with the matter said the main reason for the RFP delay indeed is to give potential buyers more time to familiarize themselves with the complex site, which include a CTA transit station and direct connection to the city’s underground pedway system. They also noted a change in city zoning on the site since the RFP was issued, doubling to 2 million square feet the size of an office tower which could go on the property at LaSalle and Randolph.

However, officials also agreed the office market may be more fully recovered by next spring, something that could get the state a better price.

* I have yet to find anyone who can say it’s a pleasure to work in that building…


  4 Comments      


Remap problem coverage roundup

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. Capitol News Illinois

Republicans in the Illinois General Assembly say new, detailed census numbers released last week show the legislative maps that Democrats pushed through in the spring are unconstitutional.

The Census Bureau released the data Thursday, Aug. 12, several months later than usual due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors. The numbers show population counts down to the block level, which is what lawmakers need in order to draw districts that are as close to equal in population as possible.

Due to the delays, Democrats who control the General Assembly drew maps using population estimates based on survey data. Under the Illinois Constitution, waiting beyond June 30 for the official data would have triggered a provision putting the process in the hands of a bipartisan legislative commission in which Democrats could have lost their partisan advantage. […]

If the maps are found to be unconstitutional, though, it is not certain that the court would invoke the state constitution’s provision calling for the bipartisan commission.

Democrats could argue that they met the constitution’s June 30 deadline and, therefore, only need to go back and make adjustments to the maps to bring them into compliance.

* Sun-Times

Asked to respond to the Republican lawmakers’ claims, a spokeswoman for Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said Democrats are still “analyzing the data. We have no further updates.” […]

State Senators Omar Aquino and Elgie Sims, two Chicago Democrats who oversaw the senate’s redistricting committee, said in a joint statement they continue to analyze the information released by the Census Bureau but “our commitment to the people of Illinois remains the same: we support a fair map that reflects the broad racial and geographic diversity of Illinois.

“As we go through this review process, if it becomes clear that updates need to be made, we will take the appropriate steps to do so,” they said.

“This has been a unique Census, and it’s important we take time to fully understand the data. This includes the impact of ‘differential privacy,’ which is which is used by the Census Bureau to protect identities of respondents but may also result in inaccuracies, especially in more ethnically and racially diverse communities.”

* Center Square

Pritzker on Monday said lawmakers may have to rework things.

“And to the extent that there are changes that will need to be made, that’s certainly something the Legislature will need to take up and I’ll consider,” Pritzker said.

He said something similar this spring before approving the maps.

“I think there will be Census data that comes out and there may need to be some adjustments made as a result of that Census data,” Pritzker said June 1.

* SJ-R

Political consultant Frank Calabrese, who performed an analysis of Census data for the Capitol Fax newsletter, said he found three new legislative districts that differed in population from the statewide average by more than 10 percentage points.

According to Calabrese, the new district for Rep. LaMont Robinson, D-Chicago, has a population of 124,823 based on the official 2020 Census, or 15% higher than the House district average of 108,581.

On the other hand, Calabrese said the new district created for Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, was 15.4% below the population average, while the new district occupied by Sen. Mattie Hunter, D-Chicago, was 11% above the average population for new Senate districts.

  12 Comments      


Reports: Booster shots to begin next month

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* AP

U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country.

Federal health officials have been actively looking at whether extra shots for the vaccinated would be needed as early as this fall, reviewing case numbers in the U.S. as well as the situation in other countries such as Israel, where preliminary studies suggest the vaccine’s protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January.

An announcement on the U.S. booster recommendation was expected as soon as this week, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Doses would only begin to be administered widely once the Food and Drug Administration formally approves the vaccines. That action is expected for the Pfizer shot in the coming weeks.

* New York Times

The first boosters are likely to go to nursing home residents, health care workers and emergency workers. They would probably be followed by other older people who were near the front of the line when vaccinations began late last year, then by the general population. Officials envision giving people the same vaccine they originally received.

* WaPo

Administration of boosters would not occur until mid- or late September, after an application from Pfizer-BioNTech for the additional shots is cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, the individuals said.

The conclusion that boosters will be broadly needed was reached after intense discussions last weekend involving high-ranking officials who scrutinized the latest data from the United States and other countries on the effectiveness of the shots.

It is a striking change from public statements by senior officials in recent months who had said it was far too soon to conclude that Americans would need booster shots. In July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA put out an unusual statement that said, “Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time.” Officials have repeatedly said it was not clear whether boosters would be needed.

But in recent days, the messaging has started to change. As data from other countries and the United States showed waning immunity, health officials moderated their language, hinting that booster shots would be likely. Last week, Anthony S. Fauci, the White House chief medical adviser, said it was “likely” everyone will need a coronavirus booster at some point.

  5 Comments      


Open thread

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Felt good to be there…


Anything particular on your mind?

  14 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

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*** LIVE COVERAGE ***

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Follow along with ScribbleLive


  Comments Off      


Caption contest!

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* It’s only hemp. But maybe one day…

  29 Comments      


Bill Haine

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Madison-St. Clair Record

Former Madison County State’s Attorney and Illinois State Sen. Bill Haine passed away early Monday morning.

Haine, a Democrat, was elected in 2002 as senator of Illinois’ 56th District, which includes the Alton area. He completed his last term in 2018 and chose not to run for re-election after he was diagnosed with blood cancer.

He served on the Criminal Law Committee, Judiciary Committee, Licensed Activities and Pensions Committee, Veterans Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Special Issues and Committee of the Whole.

Haine’s son, Tom Haine, is the current Madison County State’s Attorney. Tom Haine, a Republican, was elected State’s Attorney last year.

* From the Haine family…

Strengthened by the sacraments of the Catholic Church and with his beloved wife of 50 years Anna by his side, retired Senator William R. Haine passed away early in the morning on August 16 after the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. In this time of great sorrow, we feel great joy in knowing that Bill, our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, died peacefully. He was to the end a man of deep and committed Faith in Jesus Christ, surrounded by the songs and prayers of his family, to whom he had offered every ounce of his care and devotion. Though we have every hope that Bill has now joined all the angels and saints in the Kingdom of God for eternity, please continue to pray for his eternal salvation and the comfort of his family, who will miss him greatly.

* Senate President Don Harmon…

“There was no more a gentleman in the Senate than Bill Haine.

“We came to Springfield around the same time, and I learned so much from him.

“Bill dedicated his life to public service, beginning by serving his country in Vietnam, holding several local elected offices and ultimately having a storied career in the Senate.

“His focus was always on serving the people of the Metro East, and he frequently worked across party lines to do so.

“He was a man of faith and family. Every time his family came to visit him on the Senate floor, it was easy to see he had a lot of which to be proud.

“My deepest sympathies go out to his children, grandchildren, great-grandchild and his beloved wife, Anna. We will all miss you, Bill.”

Harmon really said it best. I’d add that Sen. Haine was also a student of history, particularly about his region. He was a fascinating conversationalist. And, while he was a conservative, law-and-order Democrat, he also sponsored the state’s medical cannabis bill.

…Adding… AG Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul today issued the following statement in response to the passing of former state Sen. William R. “Bill” Haine.

“I had the honor of serving with Bill Haine in the Illinois Senate and working closely with him on the Senate’s Judiciary and Criminal Law Committees where we developed a friendship I have valued throughout my career. He was more than a colleague, he was a mentor and a teacher. Like many of my colleagues, I was not only impressed by ‘Professor’ Haine’s grasp of the law, but his knowledge of the history behind it, as well as history at large. I am a better lawyer and public servant as a result of my time with Bill Haine.

“Bill was a true statesman who was able to disagree without being disagreeable and for whom ‘bipartisanship’ was more than a talking point. He worked across the aisle and across county lines to improve the quality of life for residents of every region of our state.

“Those of us fortunate to know Bill knew that only his deep love of his large family came before his commitment to service. On behalf of the people of Illinois, thank you for sharing your husband, father and grandfather for so many years. We are all better because of his kindness, integrity and leadership. The state of Illinois mourns your loss and celebrates the life of our great friend and colleague.”

* DPI’s Robin Kelly…

The following statement is from Chair Robin Kelly on the passing of former state senator Bill Haine:

“Everyone who knew Bill Haine respected him deeply. Bill was a true professional who led by example and with a deep commitment to public service. His constituents in Metro East and throughout Illinois benefitted from his dedication to making Illinois a great place to live and work. My thoughts and sympathies are with Bill’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.”

* ISBE…

It is with profound sadness that the Illinois State Board of Elections announces the passing of Board Member William R. Haine.

Haine, 77, of Alton, died Monday.

A former four-term Madison County State’s Attorney and state senator representing parts of the Metro East area, Haine was appointed to the State Board of Elections’ eight-member board as a Democrat in July 2019.

“As a former lawmaker, Member Haine had a particular acumen for helping develop the agency’s legislative agenda,” said Acting Executive Director Bernadette Matthews. “He will be greatly missed both for his deep knowledge and his friendly demeanor.”
The board’s chair and vice-chair also praised Haine.

“Member Haine possessed a wisdom matched only by his wit and charm,” said Chair Ian Linnabary. “His board service, though relatively brief, was marked by the insights of a man who lived a rich, full life. We will all miss him.”

“I was finally able to speak directly with him just last week. Prior thereto, I would leave our messages of support and encouragement with his wife Anna,” said Board Vice-Chair Casandra B. Watson. “It was truly a pleasure to work with him as a member of the State Board of Elections. He will be missed.”

By Illinois law, Gov. JB Pritzker will appoint Haine’s replacement on the eight-member board within 30 days. The board is comprised of four members of each party appointed by the governor.

A full biography of Member Haine can be found on the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

  22 Comments      


Campaign roundup: Bustos; Underwood; MKO; ILGOP; Latino power

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* New York Times

Message discipline. Focus on local issues. Find ways to work with Republicans. And show up. Everywhere.

That is some of the advice offered to swing-district Democrats for winning in conservative areas in a new report written by Representative Cheri Bustos of Illinois, a former leader of the House Democrats’ campaign arm. […]

Ms. Bustos interviewed 25 national and local Democratic lawmakers who won areas carried by former President Donald J. Trump in 2020. She had help from a longtime adviser — Robin Johnson, a political scientist at Monmouth College, which is in Ms. Bustos’s district.

Democrats who won districts where Mr. Trump got a majority of votes are a distinct minority in Congress: There are only seven in the House.

Bustos was one of those seven, but she just barely won reelection and is now leaving the House. She probably shoulda taken her own advice. One constant criticism last year was that she wasn’t spending enough time in her district. The report is here, by the way.

* A group called Patients for Affordable Drugs just dropped $50,000 on cable TV ads in US Rep. Lauren Underwood’s district. Click here to see the buy. Also at that link, Gov. Pritzker’s campaign has spent another $127K on cable.

* I told subscribers a little bit about this earlier today

Judge Mary K. O’Brien (who many know as “Mary Kay”) is launching her campaign for the Illinois Supreme Court’s 3rd District this week. And she’s already got her first big endorsement — from Sen. Dick Durbin. “I’ve watched Mary Kay O’Brien grow from a promising legislator to an accomplished jurist, and I know she will be a thoughtful Supreme Court judge,” he said in a statement. O’Brien will be campaigning at the State Fair festivities this week. The Third District comprises DuPage and Will counties as well as Bureau, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, and LaSalle counties. O’Brien, who was a state legislator from 1996 to 2003, has served on the Illinois Appellate Court for nearly 18 years. She’s heard more than 4,500 cases, according to her campaign team.

* Journal & Topics

Char Foss-Eggemann, former Maine Township Republican committeeman and current 9th Congressional District Republican state central committeeman, will retain her position as a member of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee despite recently moving from Park Ridge to Munster, IN.

In an email to the Journal & Topics, Foss-Eggemann authorized Aaron Del Mar to speak on her behalf. Del Mar is the deputy chairman of, and spokesman for, the Cook County Republican Party. He is a member of the Illinois Executive Board of the Illinois Republican Party and Palatine Township Republican committeeman.

“I understand she did move, but she is still working in Illinois,” Del Mar said. He said when Foss-Eggemann informed him of the move, she offered her resignation. However, Del Mar said he would not accept the resignation. Foss-Eggemann’s term as the 9th Congressional District state central committeeman ends in 2022.

Del Mar said he understood Foss-Eggemann’s son attends college in Indiana. The family found a good opportunity to move and be near their son.

* Sun-Times

The rising Latino population across the state isn’t likely to change the face of City Hall or the governor’s mansion overnight — but some Hispanic leaders say it’s only a matter of time.

“I think before the decade is over there will be a Latina or Latino mayor in Chicago,” said U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who ran for mayor himself in 2015.

“And the possibility that Latinos can run statewide — as has been done already but with more frequency — certainly suggests that a Latino or Latina can be a state office holder, whether it’s secretary of state or treasurer or comptroller or governor.

“That is certainly a realistic expectation of what we will see without a doubt.”

Just remember what we discussed last week. A significant aspect to this change has to do with the new way the questions were asked and how the answers were coded.

  8 Comments      


Today’s must-read: Pandemic fraud on an unprecedented scale

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* NBC News reports on the massive fraud involving pandemic benefits. It’s likely the biggest swindle ever pulled anywhere. The whole story is a must-read, but here are a few excerpts

Officials and analysts say both domestic and foreign fraudsters took advantage of an already weak system of unemployment verification maintained by the states, which has been flagged for years by federal watchdogs. Adding to the vulnerability, states made it easier to apply for Covid benefits online during the pandemic, and officials felt pressure to expedite processing. The federal government also rolled out new benefits for contractors and gig workers that required no employer verification.

In that environment, crooks were easily able to impersonate jobless Americans using stolen identity information for sale in bulk in the dark corners of the internet. The data — birthdates, Social Security numbers, addresses and other private information — have accumulated online for years through huge data breaches, including hacks of Yahoo, LinkedIn, Facebook, Marriott and Experian. […]

In some cases, overseas organized crime groups flooded state unemployment systems with bogus online claims, overwhelming antiquated computer software benefits in blunt-force attacks that siphoned out millions of dollars. On several occasions, states have had to suspend benefit payments while they tried to figure out what was real and what was not.

“It’s definitely an economic attack on the United States,” said FBI Deputy Assistant Director Jay Greenberg, who is investigating cases as part of the Justice Department’s Covid fraud task force. “Tens of billions of dollars will be missing. … It’s a significant amount of money that’s gone overseas.” […]

The investigative journalism site ProPublica calculated last month that from March to December 2020, the number of jobless claims added up to about two-thirds of the country’s labor force, when the actual unemployment rate was 23 percent. Although some people lose jobs more than once in a given year, that alone could not account for the vast disparity. […]

“The states have been chronically underfunded for years — they’re running 1980s technology,” Hall said. […]

The inspector general has projected that there will be $87 billion in misspent unemployment funds, a conservative estimate that assumes no spike in fraud rates. Both the inspector general and the FBI declined to offer an estimate of what the actual value of lost funds might be.

ID.me’s estimate of $400 billion comes from the data the company has seen across the states, Hall said.

Illinois alone has at least a $5 billion deficit in its unemployment insurance trust fund. The feds need to help before insurance rates skyrocket.

  20 Comments      


Musical interlude: Illinois

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This is actually pretty good…


  5 Comments      


Question of the day

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Capitol News Illinois

The state of Illinois is teaming up with the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln to develop a master plan for year-round use of state fairgrounds facilities in Springfield and Du Quoin.

Gov. JB Pritzker and Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II made that announcement Friday, along with John Stremsterfer, president and CEO of the foundation.

“Today, we honor the legacy of paving an even better path forward for these fairgrounds for generations to come,” Pritzker said during a news conference early Friday morning outside the Department of Agriculture building next to the Springfield fairgrounds. “That’s our intention. That’s what our state fair advisory board is tasked with.”

* The Question: Your suggestions for year-round use of the state fairgrounds? Snark isn’t encouraged, but will be allowed.

  28 Comments      


COVID-19 roundup

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Two different anti-masker rallies, two very different newspaper takes. Daily Herald

A day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved McHenry County to the “high” level of COVID-19 transmission, residents rallied Saturday at the intersection of Route 14 and Main Street in Crystal Lake against the state’s mask mandate for students.

When several local school districts initially chose to make face masks optional for students, “we thought we won,” said Crystal Lake resident Ame Greco, who organized the rally. […]

Several people at the rally said they were concerned about the health effects of children wearing masks.

In an FAQ on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s website, the CDC notes that carbon dioxide levels breathed in by mask wearers do not rise. Though carbon dioxide molecules are small enough to pass through cloth masks, the respiratory droplets that carry the virus that causes COVID-19 are much larger than carbon dioxide so they cannot pass as easily, according to the CDC.

Some people are willing to believe almost anything except actual science.

* Paris Beacon-News

Approximately 60 people attended a peaceful rally to express their concern about Gov. JB Pritzker’s mask mandate requirement for all Illinois schools.

The rally, held Sunday afternoon, Aug. 8, was organized by Paris mother Brooke Vice Bishop. It featured Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) who represents most of Edgar County. […]

Describing Pritzker’s action as COVID fascism Halbrook said it is time that tyrannical governors stop picking and choosing what they do.

“This is not the end until we make it the end,” he said. The question, he said, “Is what are you prepared to do?”

Paris 95 Superintendent Jeremy Larson and Crestwood Superintendent Danette Young along with Paris High School Principal Mark Cox and Crestwood Dean of Students Meghan Damler were present to answer questions following the rally.

COVID fascism? Another victim heard from.

* Meanwhile

Illinois State Board of Education officials have reinstated Timothy Christian Schools’ recognition status after initially revoking it over noncompliance with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask mandate intended to reduce spread of COVID-19.

A letter from ISBE State Superintendent Carmen Ayala on Friday, which Timothy Christian administrators shared with the Daily Herald, stated that the institution “is now in compliance with the universal masking requirements” set forth in Pritzker’s executive order. The order requires face masks inside schools. […]

Since having its recognition status removed, the school has changed its position and newly updated its health plan to require universal indoor masking,” ISBE spokeswoman Jaclyn Matthews said. “We appreciate the school’s cooperation to protect the health and safety of its students and staff.

“However, any future verified reports of noncompliance will result in immediate revocation of recognition status.”

* And, apparently, being related to a retired sports celebrity is newsworthy to ABC 7

Officials at a suburban Chicago high school sent a freshman student home for refusing to put on a mask - a decision her mother said violates her daughter’s rights.

Sheri Urlacher said her 14-year-old daughter was sent home from Fremd High School in Palatine on Friday after officials at the door of the school handed her a mask and asked her to put it on. […]

“As a matter of public safety, we are required to enforce the state of Illinois’ school mask mandate to minimize the risk of COVID virus transmission,” Township High School District spokeswoman Erin Holmes said.

“A student’s refusal to wear a mask poses a potential threat to the safety of other students and staff as we return to full in-person instruction,” Holmes continued. She declined to discuss any specific disciplinary decisions.

* More…

* As delta rises, so do COVID-19 cases in Illinois kids. They’re starting to make up more of the hospitalizations.

* All Counties in Illinois Except 1 Seeing ‘Substantial’ or ‘High’ COVID Transmission and Should Mask Indoors, CDC Says

* US might decide to offer COVID vaccine boosters to more Americans this fall

* Northwestern and Amita hospitals have yet to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for workers. Here’s why.

* What suburban colleges are doing to motivate students to get vaccines

* Uber Eats dumps Jay Cutler from ad campaign over anti-mask views

  21 Comments      


Today’s quotable

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From Mary Ann Ahern’s interview with SoS candidate Alexi Giannoulias

MAA: Some have used the Secretary of State’s office as a launching pad for other offices, to go on to run for governor. Is that your hope as well?

AG: I haven’t even thought about that.

Believe him?

  57 Comments      


Because… Madigan!

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Daily Herald

Amid the pageantry of the final Arlington Million Day — a day to honor Dick Duchossois and his family for their contributions to horse racing — Duchossois’ son blamed not Arlington Park owner Churchill Downs Inc. but Illinois politicians for the planned destruction of the grand racing palace his father built.

Craig Duchossois, his father’s longtime right-hand man in family business matters, called Saturday’s tributes at the racetrack bittersweet and emotional after what he said has been the family’s “enjoyable but challenging” journey in Illinois racing and politics. His father, Arlington Park’s 99-year-old chairman emeritus, was at his Barrington Hills home, where he’s spent most of his time since the onset of the pandemic.

“I have no faith in our government in Illinois at all, including Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker. Springfield is a bigger swamp than Washington, if that’s possible,” Craig Duchossois said during an exclusive interview with the Daily Herald from his family’s grandstand suite.

Duchossois said Pritzker’s 2019 massive gambling expansion that awarded long-sought slots and table games to racetracks like Arlington came “too late.” […]

“My father’s strategy to Springfield was just put our industry on a level playing field so that we can have the same level of purses to attract quality horses. And they absolutely refused to. Madigan was afraid because it would be perceived as helping out someone that had a strong balance sheet. Guess who creates the jobs? Someone that’s got a strong balance sheet.”

“They killed it.”

* Maybe he’s still upset about this 1985 spat

The owners of Arlington Park Race Track Friday reiterated that they will not rebuild their fire-ravaged facility because the General Assembly Thursday did not approve favorable tax legislation for the track. […]

However, the prospects of reviving the package appear dim, especially in the House, where Speaker Michael Madigan (D., Chicago) has remained steadfastly opposed to tax breaks for the track owners, claiming the owners can easily afford to rebuild without the tax relief.

  30 Comments      


Harmon says he’s recovering from “mild” breakthrough case

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) is recovering from a mild breakthrough case of COVID-19.

He experienced mild symptoms late last week. He immediately self-isolated and sought testing. Contact tracing was implemented upon receiving the result.

Harmon was vaccinated this spring.

“I’m even more grateful to be vaccinated, given how mild my symptoms have been. I encourage everyone to get vaccinated and also to not let their guard down as we try to get back to normal,” Harmon said.

…Adding… The Senate Democrats just finished a virtual caucus meeting. “He looked and sounded good,” said one member.

…Adding… Sun-Times

Harmon’s political spokesman said he would not attend any political events this week at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. Harmon was slated to speak at the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association brunch on Wednesday.

  6 Comments      


We Must Repeal PNA

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

  Comments Off      


Hobby Lobby loses appeal in Illinois transgender rights case

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced an Illinois appellate court’s opinion in Hobby Lobby v. Sommerville that reaffirms the rights of transgender individuals under the Illinois Human Rights Act.

The 2nd District Appellate Court issued the opinion in response to Hobby Lobby’s appeal of a previous Illinois Human Rights Commission’s determination. The commission had found that Hobby Lobby violated the Illinois Human Rights Act when it denied Meggan Sommerville, a transgender woman, use of the women’s bathroom at the store where she works. The court affirmed the commission’s determination that Hobby Lobby violated articles two and five of the Human Rights Act, which prohibit discrimination based on gender identity in the terms and conditions of employment and in the provision of facilities in a place of public accommodation. The commission had awarded Sommerville $220,000 in damages and required Hobby Lobby to grant Sommerville access to the women’s bathroom.

“Nobody deserves to be discriminated against or feel unsafe in their workplace due to their gender identity,” Raoul said. “I applaud the court for reaffirming the Illinois Human Rights Commission’s determination and the rights of transgender individuals in Illinois. Discrimination of any kind has no place in our society, and I will continue to protect the rights of transgender individuals and fight to hold all employers accountable for following antidiscrimination laws.”

Sommerville, a transgender woman, has worked at Hobby Lobby’s East Aurora, Illinois location since the early 2000s. In 2007, she began transitioning from male to female. In early 2010, she legally changed her name, began presenting as female at work, and formally informed Hobby Lobby of her transition and her intent to begin using the women’s bathroom at the store where she works. Hobby Lobby refused to allow Sommerville to use the women’s bathroom.

In February 2013, Sommerville filed complaints with the Illinois Human Rights Commission alleging she had been discriminated against on the basis of her gender identity. In its appeal of the commission’s determination, Hobby Lobby argued that its policy of regulating bathroom access based upon the users’ “sex” – which, it contended, references users’ reproductive organs and structures – does not violate the Illinois Human Rights Act. Hobby Lobby also argued that the damages awarded by the commission were excessive.

The Attorney General’s office represented the Illinois Human Rights Commission and argued that the commission’s determination was correct because Hobby Lobby’s refusal to allow Sommerville to use the women’s bathroom because she is a transgender woman – which resulted in her being treated differently from other women in the store based solely on her gender identity – falls within the Illinois Human Rights Act’s definition of “unlawful discrimination.” As Raoul explained, the law defines “sex” as “the status of being male or female,” and does not draw distinctions based on reproductive organs, genetic information, or the sex marker used on a birth certificate. Raoul also argued that Hobby Lobby could stigmatize Sommerville by requiring her to use a single-occupant, unisex bathroom that, during the litigation, was built at the store where she works.

Supervising Attorney Evan Siegel handled the matter for Raoul’s Civil Appeals Bureau.

Attorney General Raoul encourages individuals to report instances of discrimination or harassment by calling his Civil Rights Hotline at 1-877-581-3692.

The decision is here.

…Adding… Press release…

“I’m pleased to see the court recognize Hobby Lobby’s stance against its employee as what it is: discrimination based on gender-identity,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Ours is a welcoming and inclusive state, and the Illinois Department of Human Rights will go toe to toe with any employer or business that tries to treat individuals differently because of their identity. Just last month, I convened a round table with leaders in the state’s transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming community to connect with those on the ground, fighting these fights every day, on the work still left to do. In our continued efforts to shape a safer Illinois, my administration is on a mission to lift up and empower those who too often have been overlooked or forgotten.”

“The Sommerville decision couldn’t have been better for the transgender community in Illinois,” said IDHR Director Jim Bennett. “It means that trans individuals have strong protection from discrimination under the Illinois Human Rights Act. Ms. Sommerville’s experience of discrimination is certainly not unique, as too many of our transgender friends and neighbors continue to face acts of discrimination and hate. With this decision, the IDHR has been given a clear path to enforce the Commission’s orders concerning the rights of trans persons. It is our expectation that Hobby Lobby will comply with the Court’s opinion and allow Ms. Sommerville to exercise her right to use the women’s bathroom.”

…Adding… Press release…

In a case of first impression, the Illinois Second District Appellate Court of Illinois issued an opinion today upholding the decision of the Illinois Human Rights Commission (IHRC) decision under the Illinois Human Rights Act in favor of Meggan Sommerville, a transgender woman, to gain access to the women’s facilities at work that match her gender identity.

Sommerville, a Hobby Lobby employee for more than 23 years, was forced to use the men’s restroom or wait until her lunch break to use a women’s facility at a nearby business after she transitioned on the job. In 2011, Sommerville filed a complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights and subsequently with the IHRC which upheld an administrative judge’s findings that Hobby Lobby violated the Illinois Human Rights Act and awarded her damages of $220,000. Hobby Lobby appealed the decision of the Commission and refused to comply with the order that she be permitted to us the bathroom at work while its appeal was pending.

Meggan Sommerville, “I really want to thank the court for the power of its decision. Today, we are seeing anti-transgender legislation all over the country but today I am overjoyed that I live in a State that has such absolute protections for its transgender citizens. The language of the Court’s decision is so clear that it will have positive ramifications across the US.”

Jacob Meister, an attorney for Sommerville says, “Today is a great day in Illinois for transgender rights. With its decision, the Illinois courts have made clear that Illinois law mandates equal treatment for transgender citizens and that those, like Hobby Lobby who discriminate will be held accountable.”

Illinois State Representative Sam Yingling, who represents a portion of the 2nd Appellate District said, “Illinois was one of the first states in the nation to afford full employment protections to the transgender community. I’m proud that Illinois leads the nation in protection of transgender rights. Meggan Sommerville has endured over a decade of abuse at work by Hobby Lobby solely because of her gender identity. But today the Illinois courts sent a clear message that discrimination on the basis of gender identity is not tolerated in Illinois.”

  7 Comments      


*** UPDATED x1 - Leader McConchie insists he repeatedly tried to get to the table *** You gotta come to the table if you want to eat

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune

Republican state lawmakers were almost entirely united in opposition to the Democratic-controlled General Assembly’s decisions on how to dole out $2.8 billion in federal coronavirus relief money through the budget passed this spring. […]

Republicans said the money was handed out with few specifics, little public scrutiny and no real opportunity for the minority party to advocate for the needs of their constituents. GOP lawmakers were angry both about being denied the chance to make special requests for their districts and critical of a spending plan that uses federal coronavirus relief funding for programs that reflect Democratic priorities.

* Now, scroll way, way down

If Republicans feel like similar priorities in their communities have gone unaddressed in the first round of funding from the last federal coronavirus relief package, [Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Elgie Sims] said, the onus is on them to be more productive partners in the budget process.

“When you come to the table in a meaningful way, you’re able to identify and outline those priorities,” Sims said. “That’s how they end up in the budget. But if you don’t identify them and don’t come to the table to talk about that, it’s hard to know what your priorities are.”

As the article mentions, the lone Republican who worked the process was Rep. Brad Stephens, who secured some one-time money for Rosemont’s pandemic-battered convention center.

*** UPDATE *** Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie just called. Here’s some of what he said, edited for space and readability…

Probably about a month before the end of session, I pushed myself over to Don Harmon’s office and I went in and I said, ‘Hey, you guys can pass whatever it is you want on your own if you guys get on the same page. What is it that you’re actually interested in doing on a bipartisan basis?’ And he said ‘That’s a good question, budget, ethics.’ He joked about remap, which wasn’t serious, obviously. [I said] let’s keep in contact about those things. Multiple times over the next month, I brought it up in leadership meetings, as well as personally. Every time I had a meeting with Harmon, I would ask about that. My budget people would go over to Elgie’s office for these budget meetings, at which there’s no information that was provided, there was no mock up, there was nothing in regards to that stuff. It would just be kind of like a real generic level of detail, to the point I would bring this up at Harmon. And at one point Harmon finally said, ‘Well, we’re trying to get on the same page with ourselves.’ This was about a week before the end of session. And he’s like, ‘Once we do that, then we’ll bring you in,’ and it never happened. So I can’t comment about what went on in the house. But I can comment that I specifically tried multiple times with Harmon as well as Chapin and DeWitte and Wilcox, with the budget people, would try to and it was a closed door the entire time. So I’m a little frustrated by the characterization.

  19 Comments      


Republicans claim remap is unconstitutionally imbalanced

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Subscribers know more. Press release…

The official 2020 decennial counts released by the U.S. Census Bureau on August 12 confirm that the Democrats’ redistricting plan, H.B. 2777, violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law, as well as comparable provisions of the Illinois Constitution. Accordingly, no lawful redistricting plan was effective on June 30, 2021. The Illinois Constitution is clear that responsibility for the plan has shifted to the bipartisan Legislative Redistricting Commission.

“Just as we predicted, the maps that were drawn by Illinois Democrats in a closed room and without public input, and signed by Governor Pritzker, have proven to be unusable and unlawful given the release of the U.S. Census data,” said House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs). “It is now up to the Legislative Redistricting Commission to draw the fair maps our state so desperately needs.”

The Democrats’ proposed House districts have population counts ranging from 92,390 (District 83) to 124,836 (District 5)—a difference of 32,446. Based on a test directed by the U.S. Supreme Court, that difference represents a total population range of 29.88 percent, which is three times the maximum range allowed by federal law. Because the Democrats’ plan unequivocally violates federal law, it is and will be declared void.

“Despite bipartisan pleas to wait for the Census number like 48 other states, Illinois Democratic politicians that were led by Governor Pritzker ignored the voting rights of their own constituents in an attempt to hold absolute power for another decade,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods). “By breaking his promise and signing this map that has now been proven to be widely inaccurate, Governor Pritzker once again sided with political insiders against the people of Illinois.”

Background:

    • The US Census Bureau released the official 2020 decennial census counts, which is sometimes called P.L. 94-171 data, on August 12, 2021. Those counts were released in “legacy format,” which means that they are capable of being read by computer programs commonly used in redistricting and by demographers and statisticians. The Bureau will release interactive data for public consumption later in September, but the counts will be unchanged.
    • Experts and consultants retained by the House and Senate Republican Caucuses computed the population counts for each district in the Democrats’ redistricting plan (H.B. 2777). This is done by overlaying the Democrats’ district boundaries on the population counts.
    • This is a simple tabulation. Any qualified person attempting to perform the same calculation will arrive at the same counts by district. Unlike the use of ACS estimates, the Census counts are reported to the block-level, so no manipulation, assumptions, or algorithms are needed.
    • The U.S. Supreme Court provided instructions for calculating the so-called “maximum population deviation” in Evenwel v. Abbott(2016), based on an earlier 1975 case (Chapman v. Meier). The maximum population deviation of a plan is the sum of the percentage deviations of the most-populated and least-populated districts from perfect population equality.
    • The Democrats’ redistricting plan has a maximum population deviation of 29.88 percent, which is three times the maximum deviation allowed by federal law (10 percent). The least-populated House district is House District 83 (92,390 people), which is 14.91 percent below the average district population, and the most-populated House district is House District 5 (124,836), which is 14.97 percent above the average district population.
    • This total deviation of approximately 30 percent is within the range forecasted in the Republican Leaders’ complaint filed in federal court. Based on simulations of the use of 2005-2009 ACS estimates compared to the 2010 decennial census counts, we had forecasted a deviation of at least 23 percent.
    • Because the Democrats’ plan violates federal law, the Republican Leaders have asked the federal court to declare H.B. 2777 void, meaning it was never of any force or effect. The Illinois Constitution is clear that if no valid plan was in effect on June 30th, responsibility for enacting a plan shifts to the bipartisan Legislative Redistricting Commission.

This post may be updated. But, as I told subscribers earlier today, the Democrats do not agree with the Republican claim about what this development may do to the existing maps.

* Meanwhile, my weekly syndicated newspaper column went over some of the same ground we covered here last week

In the wake of last week’s Census numbers release, the news media has widely reported a seeming reduction in the number of white people, both nationally and here in Illinois.

“Census shows U.S. is diversifying, white population shrinking,” the Associated Press reported.

“Overall, in the five collar counties [of the Chicago area], the white population declined by 183,869 over the past decade,” the Chicago Tribune reported.

But is that true?

The Census Bureau itself claims that racial and Hispanic origin population changes are “largely due to improvements in the design of the two separate questions for race data collection and processing, as well as some demographic changes over the past 10 years.” The Census Bureau has been working since 2015 to find a different way to ask questions that yielded more informative and realistic results. And the Bureau now claims the tweaks it ended up making to its questions yielded, “a more accurate portrait of how people report their Hispanic origin and race.”

In other words, while significant population increases, decreases, movements and racial mixtures undoubtedly did occur, the new Census questions mean people are supposedly now more able to self-define who they really are, and that has resulted in a major change in the results.

The number of people identifying as white alone “dropped 14% during the 10-year period,” the State Journal-Register reported on the Illinois results. “Meanwhile, the number of people who said they are white and at least one other race rose by 334%, or 820,879 people.” If the Census Bureau is right about the impact of its changes, then all those 800,000+ people didn’t just materialize in the past decade. Many or even most were already here.

The same goes for Black people. “The number of people identifying as Black alone, about 1.8 million people, dropped 3.1%” in Illinois, the State Journal-Register reported. “However, those who said they were Black and at least one other race increased by 76,243, or almost 89%.”

And the 15 % increase here of folks with “Hispanic origin” may have as much to do with the Bureau’s new and “more accurate portrait” than an actual change.

Anyway, it’s food for thought, especially since legislative and congressional districts are drawn with those results in mind.

…Adding… Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy…

“Illinois Democrats forged ahead with a nakedly partisan and sham process of politicians drawing their own districts behind closed doors in the face of repeated pleas from good government reformers and community groups to wait until the official census numbers were released. Democrats refused. Now the courts have no option but to strike down this wildly unconstitutional amatuer artwork presentation masquerading as a lawful legislative map. It’s time for the bi-partisan map-making process to take over.”

* Related…

* 2020 census will fuel Black-Latino power struggle over Chicago ward map. ‘It’s absolutely going to get ugly.’

* Census shifts put power up for grabs but some see Hispanic Chicago mayor by end of decade

  12 Comments      


Your morning Oscar zen

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I went to Chicago for Saturday’s White Sox game, among other things, and left Oscar with a new sitter

* He really did seem to enjoy himself

The boy can hold his own.

* But he was so very tired when he got home…

  11 Comments      


Open thread

Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Anything Illinois-related on your mind?

  26 Comments      


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Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Monday, Aug 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

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