The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), after several days of tracking and observing a mountain lion on the west side of Springfield, made the decision today to tranquilize the animal and transport it to a sanctuary specializing in the care of large felines.
Wildlife experts and public safety officials from IDNR, the Illinois Conservation Police, the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (USDA WS), and the Springfield Police Department determined that the mountain lion, or cougar, that had strayed into residential and business areas of Springfield posed an imminent threat to residents and property and therefore needed to be removed.
The animal, which is wearing a GPS collar and has made its way to Illinois from Nebraska, was detected by satellite in western Springfield Wednesday morning. IDNR officials conferred with their counterparts at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, who declined an offer to send the mountain lion back to their state.
USDA WS staff tranquilized the mountain lion around noon on Friday and will be transporting the animal to the Exotic Feline Rescue Center (ERFC), a 260-acre feline sanctuary in Center Point, Indiana that provides homes and veterinary care for large and exotic cats.
“Thank you to our hardworking wildlife staff and conservation police and our partners across federal, state, and local agencies for handling this difficult situation with the professionalism and care that this beautiful wild animal and concerned residents deserve,” said IDNR Director Colleen Callahan. “I am confident that the mountain lion will be protected and cared for at its new home. I also want to thank the families of Springfield for being cautious and keeping their distance while our experts worked to ensure the safety of the community and the mountain lion.”
Earlier this week, IDNR notified residents living west of Veterans Parkway in Springfield that the mountain lion was detected on the western edge of the city and was being tracked by researchers.
The cougar is a young male that has been moving through central Illinois the past couple weeks. It was captured and fitted with a GPS collar by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in November 2021 as part of an ongoing research project. IDNR continues to cooperate with biologists and researchers in Nebraska. It previously was detected in McDonough and Cass counties.
Although classified as an animal of “least concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on their Red List of Threatened Species, mountain lions are protected in Illinois, and it is unlawful to harm, harass or kill them unless they pose an imminent threat to a person or property, which rarely occurs. While cougars can travel great distances, they tend to avoid conflict with humans.
For more information about mountain lions in Illinois, visit https://bit.ly/ILmountainlions.
* For whatever reason, RCP has moved the Illinois governor’s race from Likely Dem to Lean Dem, with a projection for Dem Hold. The RCP poll list did not include either the Proft or Bailey polls, which had the race tight, but also didn’t include the Civiqs poll, which had it as a blowout.
* Halloween…
GOP candidate for IL Governor Darren Bailey is holding an event Monday night with former Democratic presidential candidate turned independent Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. IL Republican Chairman Don Tracy will also be on hand.
This morning we had an awesome, early stop at the Fullerton CTA station meeting with voters on their commute alongside Tommy Hanson! Friends, I promise you we are working hard every dayto meet new people no matter where they are at. We will #firepritzker on November 8th! pic.twitter.com/hiBCpsCXRc
Recently uncovered public records indicate that, since Keith Pekau became Mayor in 2017, Orland Park Police have been sent to Pekau’s home over 260 times for “extra watch”, including the day of an armed robbery at the Orland Square Mall.
Taking hours of police time and costing taxpayer resources, these calls are unprecedented in Orland Park history and pull officers away from keeping the rest of their community safe.
“From his self-interested misuse of law enforcement to being investigated for using taxpayer money to enrich himself, Keith Pekau has shown us who he prioritizes as mayor – himself”, said Casten for Congress campaign spokesman Trevor Nyland.
“As voters and constituents grow increasingly concerned about crime and safety, Mayor Pekau wasted police resources to check on him more than 260 times. Meanwhile, Congressman Sean Casten was fighting for local law enforcement in Congress, bringing home millions of dollars in police funding through the American Rescue Plan & sponsoring the Invest to Protect Act, which provides local law enforcement the resources they need to fight crime,” Nyland continued.
* Illinois early vote totals…
The @illinoissbe has updated early vote totals (10/28/22): Total VBM requested: 832,456 Total VBM returned: 362,604 Total VBM outstanding: 469,852 Return Rate: 44% Total Early Vote: 224,595 Total Grace Period: 3,134 Total Already Voted: 590,333https://t.co/44ga6Axjmq
A federal judge Friday ordered a southern Illinois couple to each spend 14 days in jail for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. District Senior Judge Thomas Hogan said he would allow Christopher and Tina Logsdon, of Sesser, to serve their sentences intermittently, on weekends. He said Tina Logsdon could start serving her time after her husband finished his sentence.
But the judge also put both of them on probation for three years — noting that it would last until after the next presidential election. […]
Tina Logsdon plans to serve as an election judge in November, according to her husband’s letter. She told the judge Friday that she has “no ill will toward any of our government.”
Sure, Jan.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Facebook’s parent is fined nearly $25M for violating a campaign finance disclosure law: Washington’s transparency law requires ad sellers such as Meta to keep and make public the names and addresses of those who buy political ads, the target of such ads, how the ads were paid for and the total number of views of each ad. Ad sellers must provide the information to anyone who asks for it. Television stations and newspapers have complied with the law for decades. But Meta has repeatedly objected to the requirements, arguing unsuccessfully in court that the law is unconstitutional because it “unduly burdens political speech” and is “virtually impossible to fully comply with.” While Facebook does keep an archive of political ads that run on the platform, the archive does not disclose all the information required under Washington’s law.
Illinois’ annual school report card was released Thursday, with the state’s board of education touting the highest graduation rate in a decade and academic growth in students outpacing pre-pandemic levels.
While officials noted there’s still much work to be done following a disruption during the coronavirus pandemic, the numbers show gains in a variety of areas.
Last year, the Illinois State Board of Education noted data illustrated “the significant impact of the pandemic and remote learning on student enrollment, attendance, and academic achievement.”
This year, the report card showed average student growth rose in English language arts and math compared to 2021’s metrics. That growth stretched across every demographic group, officials said.
The 2022 state report card also shows continuing disparities among racial and ethnic groups, English language learners, and students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), according to a Chalkbeat analysis.
On the IAR and SAT, Asian American and white students far outpaced their Black and Hispanic peers, who were among the hardest hit by the pandemic.
The 2022 data shows that, on the IAR, only 6.9% of the state’s English language learners were proficient in reading and 6.8% were proficient in math. English language learners make up over 13% of the student population. […]
During Chicago’s school board meeting on Wednesday, district CEO Pedro Martinez acknowledged “significant drops in proficiency in math and reading” in both NAEP and state tests results. The declines are consistent with results from other school districts across the country, he said.
“This is data that is very sobering,” Martinez said, calling it “a reflection of the pandemic,” not of students’ abilities or the hard work of faculty.
The Tribune has some great background if you want data visualizations broken down by county.
While eight elementary schools in School District 186 moved into the “commendable” category, the district lags behind the state in graduation rates and chronic absenteeism, according to the 2022 Illinois State Board of Education report card, released Thursday.[…]
“Not having test scores for two full years has left a big gap in us being able to look at trend data or anything else,” [Superintendent Jennifer Gill] said. “We were so used to looking at three years to five years to seven years of trend data. Now, it really needs to be a start over and use this data as a kickoff to our next three- to five-year look.” […]
Much like initiatives started in the district, Gill projected it would be an overall “three- to five-year recovery” for the district from the effects of the pandemic, including students who engaged in online learning or who were otherwise affected by COVID. […]
Before the pandemic, 14 schools were in the “improvement” category, including eight “targeted” and six “comprehensive,” Gill said.
Test scores continued to decline in Lake Forest High School during the 2021-22 school year, newly released data from state education officials shows. […]
From 2021 to 2022, the percentage of Lake Forest High School 11th graders scoring at or above state standards on the test declined by 8 points to 60.6 percent in English language arts and fell by 2.6 points in math.
Back in 2017, more than 80 percent of LFHS juniors were scoring at or above state standards in English, with nearly 73 percent meeting math standards.
Test scores at Lake Forest High School are still better than the state average. Last year, just 29.8 percent of students met or exceeded English standards and just 28.8 percent met math proficiency standards statewide.
The 2022 Illinois State School Report Card indicated that every demographic in Illinois experienced accelerated growth in both English language arts and math, outpacing pre-pandemic levels. Children in grades 4 and 8 scored above the national average in reading and math, and high schoolers showed the highest graduation rate in over a decade.
“Illinois has taken monumental steps in ensuring that all children receive quality education that prioritizes their needs,” said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood). “Today’s news is a positive step toward making education equitable and no longer letting ZIP codes determine the quality of a student’s education.”
The 2022 State School Report Card also showed an increase in teachers in Illinois. More than 2,500 full-time teachers joined the workforce, including more than 500 Black and Hispanic teachers. Teacher retention also hit a nine-year high with 87% of current teachers returning to the same school year to year.
Some highlights of the 2022 state report card include increased student growth in English language arts and math across all demographics, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
Illinois students also recorded an 87.3 graduation rate, the highest in 12 years. “Largely driven by black and Hispanic students,” Pritzker said. […]
While Illinois still faces challenges, Pritzker said the state is heading in the right direction.
“Nobody is suggesting the report card is perfect, it is not. But it is an indicator of directionally, things are getting better and accelerating in a way that I think is unexpected as compared to many other states,” Pritzker said.
[State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala] identified student absenteeism as one area of focus for the state. The state report card shows 30% of students statewide as chronically absent — meaning they missed 17 or more days of school last year.
Absentee rates were higher across the state for students of color, low-income students and English language learners. Ayala noted states across the country saw similar absentee rates.
The Illinois State Board of Education has earmarked $12 million to help combat chronic absenteeism. Each of the state’s Regional Offices of Education received from $180,000 to $1.2 million this fall to address absenteeism through truancy intervention services, including counseling, home visits, transportation and mentoring.
“This school year we have an opportunity and obligation to work toward addressing those challenges,” Ayala said.
* More…
* McLean County districts react to 2022 Illinois Report Card: The 2022 Illinois Report Card is the first since 2019 to include summative designations, though some administrators say schools have not yet recovered enough from the pandemic for those to be fair measures, if they ever can be.
* Report card designates four area schools as ‘targeted’: The report card, released Thursday, designates Iles Elementary and Lincoln-Douglas Elementary as “targeted” schools along with Hamilton Elementary based on performance of children with disabilities. LaHarpe Elementary was designated as “targeted” due to performance of low-income students, while other schools across Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike counties were designated “commendable.”
* State identifies Sauk Valley’s Exemplary, Targeted schools in latest report card: Six schools in the Sauk Valley region were categorized as Exemplary by the 2022 Illinois Report Card, the Illinois State Board of Education released Thursday morning. Another four schools carried the Targeted tag, requiring them to develop a four-year action plan to address a specific need; in their cases, how they can improve education for children with disabilities.
* River Trails District 26 schools receive ‘commendable’ designations in state report card: Euclid Elementary School, Indian Grove Elementary School and River Trails Middle School were placed into the second tier of summative designations. The district’s fourth school, Prairie Trails, did not receive a designation based on its status as an early learning center. “The report card results support what we already knew - River Trails’s students and staff are impressive,” Superintendent Dr. Jodi Megerle said. “I could not be prouder of what the district has accomplished in the past year or more eager to see what we can accomplish moving forward.”
One surprising finding coming out of our research on Illinois’ implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act—which, among other big changes, will eliminate the use of cash bail when it goes into effect next year—is that the current cash bail system results in much less pretrial detention than is generally assumed. This is true even when the charges are serious. Statewide, on any given day, almost two-thirds of those with pending felony charges are not in jail custody or under any kind of supervision or monitoring.
This finding casts doubt on a central assumption behind much of the current criticism of the PFA—that the cash bail system protects the community by keeping dangerous people behind bars until their cases are resolved. What we’ve found is that, while it’s true that many people are jailed under the current cash bail system, most jail stays are brief. Most people pass through jails, being held for relatively short periods before bonding out—and that includes people charged with the kinds of serious offenses that are designated “detainable” under the PFA.
We don’t have statewide numbers for this. But data from a range of urban, suburban, and rural counties we’ve examined so far suggest that, under current practice, the majority of those charged with detainable offenses are released within a week.
More Americans say crime is up in their area than at any point over the last five decades, according to new polling from Gallup.
The survey, conducted in October, found 56% of respondents reported crime has increased over the last year in their neighborhood, up from 51% in 2021, and just 38% in 2020. 78% say there’s more crime in the country overall, similar to last year.
Public safety is playing a starring role in the midterms as Republicans highlight crime in campaigns and promising a tougher approach.
Not coincidentally, Gallup found the increase in perceived crime was driven by a major shift among Republicans —73% said local crime was up last year, versus 51% of independents and 42% of Democrats, whose views have barely moved over the last two years. […]
Philip Bump of the Washington Post tracked a massive explosion in crime coverage over the Fall led by Fox News, but followed by other networks, as Republican campaigns pivoted to the issue in ads and messaging. A story in Bloomberg earlier this year documented a similar phenomenon in New York City, where media coverage and voter fears surged alongside high-profile attacks in subways and a crime-focused campaign by eventual Mayor Eric Adams — even as murders hovered around 2009 levels, a time when the city was widely hailed as a national model for crimefighting.
To give you an example of how intense the media coverage is, check out this story from WBBM Radio…
A man was robbed Wednesday night while dining at a restaurant in Streeterville, Chicago police said.
The man, 52, was sitting inside a restaurant in the 500 block of North Michigan Avenue about 7:30 p.m. when another man walked inside and approached his table from where he grabbed the 52-year-old’s cell phone and personal items, then fled the area, police said.
No injuries or arrests were reported.
I was in Paris many years ago and was sitting at a cafe. I put my mobile phone on the table and the waiter advised me to put it away because of the danger of theft. It’s just kinda crazy to me that something like that is elevated to a news story. Fear sells, I guess.
Pritzker: “Opponents of this law don’t want any change…and are preying upon fear of change to lie and fear monger in defense of the status quo.”
“Fearmongers and liars.” That’s what JB Pritzker called the opponents of his Purge Law.
Among the opponents are 100 of Illinois’ 102 county state’s attorneys, Democrats and Republicans alike.
Pritzker has claimed, “there is no such thing as non-detainable offenses.”
Adding, “No one gets out…if they do that’s on prosecutors.”
“Well obviously that’s not the truth,” said fellow Democrat and Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow “for the vast majority of these people committing forcible felonies, they can’t be detained.”
Here’s what will happen in Will County to the 500 prison inmates with pending cases according to Glasgow: “About half of them would walk out on day one and that’s not on the prosecutor, that’s on the statute…It’s the most lenient criminal law in the country.”
When it comes to your personal safety, who do you believe? Punish Pritzker. Purge him from Illinois Politics.
Paid for by People Who Play By The Rules PAC.
* More…
* Civic Federation demands more transparency in Chicago Police Department spending: Civic Federation President Laurence Msall said it is “very difficult to track how much is going into policing,” how much is tied to complying with a federal consent decree and where exactly the nearly $100 million increase in the Chicago Police Department’s $1.87 billion budget is going. … “There’s just a lack of transparency and a lack of data on how the police department allocates staff, whether we have adequate staff and what we need to do to make sure we have adequate staff in the future. … We urge the city to conduct and publish an independent workforce allocation study of the police department.”
* Sheriff Tom Dart wants more restrictions for people on electronic monitoring: Electronic monitors can track where defendants are located, and Dart told county commissioners during yearly budget hearings on Wednesday that he has to “literally shut their machine off” during those 48 hours of “essential movement.” There is nothing in the SAFE-T Act that mandates Dart turn off machines or stop surveillance — the law only requires that people on EM have the ability to leave their house for essential tasks.
* Little common ground between Attorney General Kwame Raoul and challenger Tom DeVore - The incumbent and his Republican opponent on the November ballot are on opposite ends of, among other things, the fight over a major criminal justice reform signed into law last year: “Everywhere you go, people are wanting to talk about crime,” DeVore said.
* GOP candidates: SAFE-T Act will only cause new problems
* Senate candidates McConchie, Peterson debate SAFE-T Act, abortion at Palatine forum: “(The Act addresses) the chaotic situation that we have in the criminal justice system, where dangerous criminals can pay their way out back onto the street, even before a police officer has an opportunity to finish the paperwork,” the North Barrington resident said. But McConchie, the Republican leader in the state senate, said the legislation makes Illinois less safe. “It ties the hands of judges who are working to try to keep us safe” and keep the most dangerous people in jail, the Hawthorn Woods resident said.
* Beyond the heated rhetoric about bail, what else is in the SAFE-T Act? The massive criminal justice bill that ends cash bail in Illinois also supports crime victims and increases police oversight: 1. Expands services for victims of crime … 2. Increases police oversight and accountability … 3. Ends so-called “prison gerrymandering” … 4. Narrows the felony murder law … 5. Requires documentation of deaths in custody
Today, Nikki Budzinski, Democratic candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, released her 4th and final TV spot of the campaign.
Titled, “Work for a Living”, the spot focuses on Republican Regan Deering’s recent announcement of support for making cuts to social security and Medicare. The TV and matching digital ads will run on broadcast television in the St. Louis, and Springfield, Decatur, and Champaign markets. Budzinski was the first candidate in the race to begin paid communications and has significantly out-communicated Deering in every platform. The ad can be viewed here.
Nikki Budzinski made the following statement: “I am proud of the issue-focused campaign that we have run. I want to go to Congress to fight for working families and protect them from people like Regan Deering that would cut Social Security and Medicare. We cannot afford to send Regan Deering to Congress.”
Times are tough. Especially if you work for a living.
But Regan Deering – the wealthy heiress who inherited millions – doesn’t get it…
Deering wants to slash the Social Security and Medicare you paid into.
Cutting the retirement benefits you earned.
Regan Deering’s not for us.
Nikki:
I’m Nikki Budzinski. I grew up middle class and the only thing I inherited was my mom’s common sense.
I approve this message because I’ve spent my life fighting for working people.
…Adding… Whitney Barnes…
Hey, Rich. I wanted to personally respond to the most recent hypocritical, sexist (and boringly unoriginal) campaign ad from the Budzinski camp.
Regan was adopted into a loving family and is proud of her career giving back to her community as a science teacher, small business owner and advocate.
Nikki Budzinski campaigned and worked for heir to the Hyatt fortune Gov. JB Prtizker and now, in an overwhelming display of sexism and hypocrisy, she’s spending millions of her special interest dollars painting Regan as an ‘heiress’ because apparently to Nikki, inherited wealth is only ok if you’re a man.
She’s desperately trying to use Regan’s finances to distract from a week of bad press around the fact that she can’t answer simple questions like, “What services did you provide as a consultant to lobbyists and special interest groups to earn half a million dollars?”
‘Working people’ in the 13th District can generally say what they do for a living, and I assure you their response is never, ‘I followed all ethics laws.’
Nikki is out-of-touch and out of time and the people of the 13th Congressional District are not going to be fooled by her sexism or lies.
The IL Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in Illinois with respect to employment, financial credit, public accommodations, housing and sexual harassment, as well as sexual harassment in education.
Sec. 2-101. Definitions. The following definitions are applicable strictly in the context of this Article.
(A) Employee.
(1) “Employee” includes:
(a) Any individual performing services for remuneration within this State for an employer […]
“Employee” does not include: […]
Elected public officials or the members of their immediate personal staffs
* Sen. Melinda Bush introduced Amendment 1 to SB576 in February of 2017. It passed the Senate 56-0, but went nowhere in the House because Speaker Madigan bricked it…
Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Deletes language providing that “employee” does not include members of the immediate personal staffs of elected public officials. Effective immediately.
Bush introduced the bill again in 2019 and it went nowhere.
* Whether you believe Elly Fawcett-Neal’s story about Rep. Jonathan Carroll or not, it just seems obvious to me, at least, that elected officials’ personal staffs should not be specifically exempted from the Illinois Human Rights Act.
Your thoughts?
…Adding… Press release…
Today, Jack Vrett, candidate for State Representative in the 53rd district, called on State Representative Mark Walker to donate $21,250 in tainted funds from accused abuser, State Representative Jonathan Carroll.
Carroll is accused of firing a staffer who refused to have an abortion, subjecting her to a toxic and abusive work environment where she endured the type of harassment, intimidation, and retaliation known to occur in state government under Democratic rule.
“Mark Walker continues to benefit from Springfield’s most corrupt politicians,” said Vrett. “Whether it is Mike Madigan, Kim Foxx, or Jonathan Carroll, we must turn the page on corruption and purge Illinois of self-dealers and unethical politicians who put families at risk.”
In taking funds from Carroll, Walker continues his pattern of funding his campaign with donations taken from questionable sources. Walker previously accepted $1,924,914 from indicted former Speaker Michael Madigan, even after investigations, indictments, and arrests of Madigan’s closest allies.
…Adding… Press release…
Today, Rich Janor, candidate for State Representative in the 41st district, called on Rep. Janet Yang Rohr to donate $35,800 in tainted funds from accused abuser, State Representative Jonathan Carroll.
Carroll is accused of firing a staffer who refused to have an abortion, subjecting her to a toxic and abusive work environment where she endured the type of harassment, intimidation, and retaliation known to occur in state government under Democratic rule.
“After taking over a million dollars from Mike Madigan, Janet Yang Rohr continues to fund her campaign with donations from men who do not respect women,” said Janor. “While Springfield corruption continues unchecked, Yang Rohr not only stands by silently, but is part of the financial ecosystem that allows these men to stay in positions of power.”
Yang Rohr previously accepted over $1 million from indicted former Speaker Michael Madigan, even after allegations swirled around Madigan and his closest allies, including a rape cover-up and allegations of sexual harassment in Madigan’s 13th Ward office.
We looked at presentation, too: Duckworth, who’s been senator six years and was in Congress two terms before that, focused on her experience. Salvi was in challenger mode, mostly on the attack, calling the senator a “radical extremist” on abortion rights and a “rubber stamp” to President Joe Biden.
Here’s the video of the forum, which was moderated by WTTW’s Paris Schutz and Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles. WBEZ also was a sponsor.
Zinger of the night: Salvi tried to pin crime problems in Chicago on Duckworth, who pushed back, saying: “I think she’s running for mayor of Chicago in the municipal elections next year, not for Senate. We’re here to talk about November.”
It was testy. But … Duckworth and Salvi found one area of agreement. They both support the Bears moving from Chicago to the suburbs.
Duckworth: “I do think they should go to Arlington Heights with a new stadium because more people will get to it, and I think there’s a greater chance of having greater growth out there.”
Salvi: “I’d love to see the Chicago Bears in the Arlington Heights area, too, but don’t you love Soldier Field? It’s an iconic place, a lot of history.”
With the nation’s ongoing gun violence epidemic, the sitting senator said “we need to pass an assault weapons ban and a high-capacity magazine ban that will get those guns off the streets.”
Duckworth went after Salvi for her “A” rating from the National Rifle Association.
“She’s never going to vote for an assault weapons ban,” Duckworth said of Salvi, who said the emphasis should be on treating mental illness rather than restricting firearms.
Asked if they own guns, both candidates said no. Salvi said some of her adult children own firearms with concealed carry licenses, for “target practice and for protection.”
Duckworth defended Biden’s one-time student-loan forgiveness program, which has been put on hold by a judge, from Salvi’s criticism by noting that the Mundelein lawyer took a $200,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan during the COVID-19 pandemic — and then took advantage of a provision allowing it to be forgiven.
“I do think it is hypocritical to ask for loan forgiveness for yourself and your law firm but not for students,” Duckworth said.
Salvi did not answer a number of questions, including whether she would support a proposal to ban assault weapons; vote to support the bill proposed by Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham from South Carolina that would ban abortions after 15 weeks or vote to allow participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program permanent. DACA prevents the deportation of immigrants who entered the United States illegally as children.
Salvi also did not answer what her first piece of legislation would be if elected, and did not name a living Republican on the national stage she admires. After naming Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant and Ronald Regan, Salvi when pressed mentioned the two U.S. senators from Iowa “to our east” but did not name them. Iowa is west of Illinois.
* Pritzker: ‘SAFE-T Act is to keep our neighborhoods safe,’ needs changed: Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who signed the act in 2021, was campaigning in Lake County this week. When asked about the controversy around the measure, Pritzker said there needs to be changes to clear up what he calls misinformation regarding the measure. “So let us amend the act to make it very explicit,” Pritzker said. “That violent criminals that are in jail awaiting trial, that Jan. 1 is not some deadline to let people out.”
* Meet the 6 Latina GOP Candidates That Are Driving Democrats Nuts: Running to flip a seat in America’s heartland is Catalina Lauf, who is up against longtime Democratic Rep. Bill Foster, who was first elected to Congress in 2012. Lauf is a second-generation Latin American and was one of the youngest presidential appointees at the United States Department of Commerce.
* Federal lawsuit threatens validity of potentially tens of thousands of Illinois mail-in, military ballots: The lawsuit, led by four-term U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of Murphysboro echoes some of the rejected court challenges filed by former President Donald Trump in other states in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election that he falsely contends was stolen. Bost is being assisted in the suit by a nonprofit conservative advocacy organization that has backed a number of Trump’s efforts.
* Illinois Chamber of Commerce backs Demmer for Treasurer: The Chamber appreciated that Demmer has been able to work across the aisle to get proposals passed even though he is in the minority party. Kaericher said Demmer can also serve as a bipartisan check on uniparty control in Springfield.
