* As White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf emerged from one of his meetings with legislative leaders today, Isabel tried to get him to justify his subsidy plan…
Isabel: Sir, why do the White Sox need another subsidy after being…
Reinsdorf: Oh, I don’t want to talk about that.
And then he walked away.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Rich told subscribers about Rep. Cyril Nichols’ withdrawal Friday evening. From the Illinois State Board of Elections’ website…
As Rich explained in one of his recent newspaper columns, House Speaker Chris Welch was opposing Rep. Nichols’ reelection and several unions were providing big dollars to his Democratic primary opponent Lisa Davis.
* Sun-Times…
White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is heating up his pitch for a new South Loop baseball stadium.
Reinsdorf had a meeting scheduled Tuesday afternoon with Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, to discuss his ambitious proposal for a ball park-anchored megadevelopment at the undeveloped plot known as “The 78” near Roosevelt Road and Clark Street, according to a spokesperson for the speaker.
The billionaire owner was expected to hold court with other officials on the glitzy plan as lawmakers gather in Springfield ahead of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s annual budget address on Wednesday.
A spokesman for Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, didn’t have any details on a potential meeting with Reinsdorf. […]
A spokeswoman for Pritzker said no meeting with Reinsdorf was on the agenda, and he still hasn’t been briefed by the developer. The second-term Democratic governor has been lukewarm on the prospect of putting taxpayer dollars into a stadium.
He’ll be meeting with each of the four legislative leaders this afternoon.
* US Senator Tammy Duckworth…
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—lead sponsor of the Access to Family Building Act, which would protect every American’s right to access in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) services—issued the following statement after Alabama’s State Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created during the IVF process are “children” under state law, threatening access to IVF for those who need it to start or grow their family:
“Since the Supreme Court threw out Roe v. Wade, our nation has seen a wave of Republican-led states enacting strict abortion bans to severely limit their residents’ right to access basic reproductive care, leaving many hopeful parents—and those of us who relied on IVF to start and grow our own families—worried about whether access to these important technologies could be next. The ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court—effectively labeling women who undergo IVF as criminals and our doctors as killers—proves that we were right to be worried. No one looking to start or grow their family, in any state, deserves to be criminalized. Now is the time for Congress to pass my Access to Family Building Act and establish a statutory right to access IVF and other ART services for all Americans nationwide.”
* Here’s the rest…
* Crain’s | For hospitals, largely exposed to cyberattacks, Lurie demonstrates how bad it can get: “Not only is the organization a victim in these crimes, but obviously the patient inside the hospital or health systems is a victim, their care delivery is disrupted and delayed, and any delay, urgent or not, can harm patients’ health,” said John Riggi, the AHA’s national advisor for cybersecurity and risk. The state of care in these situations can be especially harrowing. A report from the Associated Press described a heart surgery performed at Lurie on a 7-month-old without the use of some high-tech devices.
* Daily Herald | ‘It’s very dangerous’: Residents lobby for traffic light amid rise in fatal crashes across Illinois: The situation took on added urgency after pedestrian Paige Donahue was killed by a hit-and-run driver about a mile east of Marian Park on Jan. 2, 2023. IDOT engineers studied the vicinity and decided a traffic signal was warranted at the nexus of Target and St. Francis. But it’s up to the city of Wheaton to sign off on the improvement, and residents say they’re frustrated by delays after years of peril.
* SJ-R | Bill would permit supervised use, decriminalize magic mushrooms in Illinois: It’s the latest attempt to pass the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act, previously introduced by state Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, last year. The naturally occurring psychedelic is seen as “breakthrough therapy” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a way to help those dealing with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions.
* WBEZ | Victor migrated from Venezuela. He’s grown to love Chicago: For much of his journey to the United States, Victor walked in a pair of mismatched Crocs, both made for left feet. With each painful step forward, he said he kept his kids in mind. Victor is originally from Maracaibo, the second-largest city in Venezuela. He moved his family to Colombia in 2019, hoping to escape the humanitarian and economic crisis in his home country.
* Tribune | Cannabis companies go ‘vertical’ to both grow and sell products: Galaxy is believed to be the first vertically integrated Black-owned cannabis company in Illinois. It boasts a state-of-the-art, multitiered electronic growing system that monitors and can control factors like humidity, lighting and carbon dioxide. The Ringolds raised capital from themselves, family, friends and a private lender. Like all craft growers, they initially were limited by law to 5,000 square feet of growing space, while the 21 originally licensed marijuana corporations can grow up to 210,000 square feet. After complaints that the small size limit was keeping craft growers from getting financing, the Illinois Department of Agriculture recently raised the craft limit to 14,000, but it will take time to get the agency’s approval and build the extra capacity.
* CBS Chicago | Suburban Chicago village to reimburse homeowners to replace lead pipes: As towns across Illinois work to replace their lead pipes, suburban Mount Prospect is taking its first steps in this massive undertaking. The village created a program to help residents who want to replace lead or galvanized steel water pipes with copper ones. They will reimburse 100% of the cost to replace the service line from the water main to the water shutoff valve.
* Block Club | Bridgeport Without The White Sox? Potential Move Has Some Locals Stressed: Ald. Nicole Lee (11th), a lifelong Sox fan whose ward includes Guaranteed Rate Field, said she’s committed to finding a “viable alternative to what the 78 is painting for the White Sox to keep them at 35th Street.” “Those are really nice drawings … and compared to what we have today, I understand the desire to have that and not what we currently have,” Lee told Block Club. “I think it’s incumbent upon us leaders that are down here on the South Side to really put some thought and work into providing the White Sox with another option of staying in their ancestral home.”
* Springfield News-Leader | Here’s how Missouri State’s rivals are filling the bleachers at basketball games: Chambers, along with more than 230 members of the Dawg Pound, set an example for other schools of SIU’s size about how to build a consistent student section that creates the desired college basketball atmosphere where others, including Missouri State, have struggled. Student leaders from across the Midwest have gone to SIU’s Dawg Pound leader for advice. University administrators at Southern Illinois have invested in the student organization, knowing the impact it has on its athletics event and university as a whole.
* NBC Chicago | Pequod’s has a message after being named best pizza in US by Yelp: “The team at Pequod’s Pizza want to take a moment to express our sincerest gratitude to all of our loyal customers for your continued and unwavering support,” Pequod’s wrote in a message on social media. “Your patronage means the world to us, and we are truly honored to serve you each time you dine with us, place an order for pick up or delivery or share your experiences with others. We will continually strive for excellence in every aspect of our restaurants to best serve you for years to come!”
* AZ Central | Polarizing Fountain Hills council member facing 6 ethics charges. Here’s why: Fountain Hills City Councilmember Allen Skillicorn is the subject of six ethics complaints, all filed in the last 60 days. Four people cited multiple incidents involving Skillicorn in numerous settings allegedly breaking Fountain Hills City Council’s code of ethics. Two Fountain Hills residents, as well as Fountain Hills Vice Mayor Sharron Grzybowski and Councilmember Brenda Kalivianakis, filed the allegations.
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* November 16, 2023 press release…
Governor JB Pritzker announced today that the State will invest an additional $160 million via the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis presented by the arrival of over 24,000 asylum seekers from the U.S. Southern Border.
The State, alongside our local partners, has led a comprehensive data driven analysis of the ongoing asylum seeker response, rooted in not only data but also input from frontline partners and new arrivals, which identified several “bottlenecks” where services and resettlement tended to slow. These bottlenecks included delays in initial intake at landing sites, access to shelter, and the transition to independent living. This has led to backlogs and capacity issues, most visible in individuals sleeping outside police stations, but more broadly across the process.
That same day, Chicago reported that it was sheltering 12,174 asylum-seekers and another 2,197 were awaiting placement, for a total of 14,371. The city also reported 7,402 people had so far been “resettled,” while 2,694 had been “reunited with sponsors.”
The city dashboard data goes back to October 28, but resettlement wasn’t even being tracked at that time.
So, what’s happened to the numbers since then?
* On December 27th, Chicago was sheltering 14,450 asylum-seekers and had another 284 awaiting placement, for a total of 14,734. The waiting list had fallen by 87 percent since November 16.
The city also reported that day that 9,803 people had so far been resettled, while 3,371 had been reunited with sponsors. That represented a 30 percent increase over the November 16 numbers.
* On January 5th, Chicago was sheltering 14,703 asylum-seekers and had another 408 awaiting placement, for a total of 15,111. By that date, 10,708 people had been resettled and 3,352 were reunited with sponsors.
* Today, the city reports its shelters contained 12,478 people with 16 awaiting placement, for a total of 12,494.
More importantly, perhaps, is that a total of 12,478 people have been resettled and 4,659 have been reunited with sponsors. That’s a 70 percent increase since November 16.
They still have a ways to go, but the needles all appear to be moving in the right direction - until Texas decides to fully open up the human cargo spigots again. The November funding announcement also included “$65 million to help the City of Chicago launch a winterized soft shelter site providing temporary housing for up to 2,000 people at any given time for six months.” We may see that return come spring.
*** UPDATE *** Sun-Times…
The city has closed four migrant shelters in the past week and a half as the number of migrants arriving in the city continues to slow.
The shelters were located in the Loop, North Lawndale, Lake View and North Park and at their busiest held around 400 people in total. The biggest was the North Park Village Nature Center shelter center, which the city closed to be used as a polling place, according to a city statement.
The city did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether any of the other shelters would reopen. Two of the shelters Harold Washington Library and the New Life Community Church in Lake View – have closed before and reopened.
Rev. Chad Bacon imagined the church would reopen if the city were to “get a bunch of buses leading up to the DNC.”
* Meanwhile…
To provide enhanced transparency into state spending, Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza has opened a portal on the IOC’s website to display expenditures related to the influx of asylum seekers into Illinois.
“While the state is incurring expenses that, frankly, should be paid by the federal government, I want to make sure that taxpayers know exactly what the state is spending money on when it comes to the arrival and care of asylum seekers,” Comptroller Mendoza said.
The new portal can be found here: https://illinoiscomptroller.gov/asylum-seekers
* More…
* NBC 5 | Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle addresses migrant funding: “The governor and the mayor and I met and we looked at the challenge ahead and decided on a way in which we could move forward.”
* ABC 7 | Mayor Johnson backs out of commitment to $250M joint city, county, state migrant care package: “No one in the state of Illinois this country is questioning there. Brandon Johnson is committed to this mission,” Johnson said. But now, some are. “I really want to believe that there is nobody more committed to this mission than Mayor Brandon Johnson. But of course, the money is really where that rubber hits the road,” [migrant care volunteer Annie Gomberg] said.
* Judith Crown at Crain’s | Chicago’s migrant crisis raises questions of equity: The migrant crisis has brought to light inequality in the way immigrants are treated. Members of the city’s undocumented Latino community like Garcia are angry when they see newly arrived immigrants from Venezuela able to obtain work permits, which gives them access to better-paying jobs. Other communities are infuriated, too, pointing out that public funding to shelter and feed migrants is money that might otherwise be used to further address the city’s daunting social problems, such as homelessness, mental illness and poverty. How is it that new arrivals are assigned to city shelters while there are tent camps in Humboldt Park and Columbus Park and along the Eisenhower Expressway?
* Judith Crown at Crain’s | Migrant crisis stirs tension in Oak Park, but village mounts a supportive response: At its Jan. 23 meeting, Oak Park trustees authorized staff to pursue a grant of $1.9 million through the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. The village received notice the following week that grant was approved. The funding will be used to provide aid to asylum-seekers through June 30. That will enable the village to continue helping migrants in a different shelter because asylum-seekers staying at the Carleton and West Cook YMCA must leave by the end of February.
* MSNBC | A Chicago professor and her students are helping migrants seeking asylum: DePaul professor Kathleen Arnold is leading a group of students in helping case workers and lawyers representing migrants with asylum applications. Together, they complete what are called “country condition reports,” which help lawyers prove that there is widespread persecution in the countries migrants are fleeing.
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* Click the pic for a link to the actual post…
Bailey hasn’t raised much money, and has put almost all of his campaign eggs into the Trump endorsement basket.
Oops.
…Adding… Brenden Moore…
In a statement, Bailey campaign spokesman Joe DeBose said the candidate still “proudly stands with President Trump despite disagreeing with him on this endorsement.”
“We look forward to working with President Trump to champion working families, secure our borders, defend our freedoms, and put America First—no compromises, no apologies,” DeBose said.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Background is here if you need it. New ad from Chicago Forward…
* Script…
Tired of politicians empty promises? Remember when the lottery was going to fund our schools and cut property taxes? That didn’t happen. Then we were told selling the parking meters would balance the budget and reduce debt. Didn’t happen either.
Now Mayor Johnson promises he’ll end homelessness if we approve a massive new tax on property sales across Chicago. Chicago already spends hundreds of millions on homeless programs. Now, the mayor wants another $100 million in taxes and has no plan. Sound familiar? Do you trust Mayor Johnson with $100 million in new taxes?
* The Question: Your rating? Explain.
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Follow the bouncing ball
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Days following the sentencing of Mike Madigan’s former chief of staff, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced a series of ethics reforms that would strengthen enforcement and require more transparency and disclosure regarding the financial dealings of lobbyists.
The measures – contained in House Bill 4591 – come amid the ongoing federal corruption probe of state government that has led to the criminal indictments and convictions of several Illinois politicians and insiders. As Secretary of State, Giannoulias’ office maintains lobbyist registrations and statements of economic interest filed by public officials.
“Given the recent headlines of public corruption in Illinois, it’s incumbent upon the state to enact ethical safeguards that demand accountability among those who serve the public and operate within our government,” Giannoulias said. “Illinoisans are sick and tired of scandals and ethics abuses that unfortunately have become all too common in state government. These reforms will go a long way toward making government more transparent and holding political insiders and influencers more accountable to fight corruption more effectively.”
“The BGA long ago identified unchecked lobbying activity as a contributor to corruption in Springfield. We are pleased to see Secretary Giannoulias commit to strengthen the oversight of lobbying by requiring details on lobbyist pay and granting the Secretary of State the power to enforce registration requirements,” said David Greising, President of the Better Government Association (BGA). “More must be done to eliminate corruption in state government, and these tools would be important steps toward reform that is long overdue.”
Aside from a nominal fine, no enforcement mechanism currently exists for the Secretary of State if lobbyists fail to comply with current reporting requirements. HB 4591 would enable the Secretary of State’s office to investigate allegations of wrongdoing and the authority to suspend or revoke a lobbyist’s registration.
The bill also requires lobbyists to provide more client information by way of compensation and would give the Secretary of State’s office the authority to suspend or revoke a lobbyist’s registration for violating the act or if convicted of certain crimes.
For example: Tim Mapes, former House Speaker Madigan’s longtime chief of staff, was sentenced Monday to 2 ½ years in prison; John Hooker, a lobbyist for ComEd before he was indicted and convicted in a scheme to bribe Madigan; and Mike McClain, a top Madigan confident and lobbyist found guilty on nine counts as part ComEd scheme to help advance the utility’s legislative agenda in Springfield each are currently eligible to register as a lobbyist and maintain that registration in good standing.
However, under the proposal, the Secretary of State’s office could bar or revoke the registrations of those individuals who have been convicted of felonies in relation to the Lobbyist Registration Act or the Illinois State Government Ethics Act, or a felony that causes a loss of a state pension.
In terms of compensation, a lobbyist would have to reveal the amount of compensation and the source in bi-monthly reports under the proposal. In contrast to federal requirements and ethics laws pertaining to the City of Chicago, lobbyists at the state level currently do not have to disclose how much clients pay them.
* Tribune…
Despite Giannoulias’ plans, the proposal’s legislative sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Maurice West of Rockford, last week would commit only to giving the issue a hearing before the House Ethics & Elections committee he chairs. […]
The idea could get incorporated into a larger legislative package with other efforts to strengthen government ethics laws, West said, but it will move forward only if the legislature’s Democratic leaders — Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside and Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park — and Gov. J.B. Pritzker are on board. […]
The speaker has met with West about all bills assigned to the Ethics & Elections Committee, but Welch “has not discussed specifics of this legislation,” Welch spokeswoman Jaclyn Driscoll told the Tribune in an email. […]
“Policing the lobbying industry is a key responsibility for that statewide office,” Harmon spokesman John Patterson said in a statement about the secretary of state’s office. “We look forward to the House debate and further reviewing the legislation and idea.”
The governor’s office did not respond Friday to a request for comment.
The Ethics Committee chair passes the buck of a bill he’s sponsoring to the leaders and the governor; the House Speaker hasn’t looked into it yet, the Senate President defers to the House Speaker and the governor has no comment as of yet.
My neck is sore.
* Anyway, your thoughts on the merits?
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Chalkbeat…
Illinois lawmakers have proposed a bill to create a statewide tax credit for families. Senate Bill 3329 and House Bill 4917 would allow families to receive up to $300 per child for children under 17. Married couples who make less than $75,000 and single people who make less than $50,000 would receive the additional financial support. […]
Illinois lawmakers, parents, and educators hope new legislation will require the state to recognize Montessori teaching credentials as another pathway to state licensure.
Under House Bill 4572 and Senate Bill 2689, the state would create the Montessori Educator Licensure, which would grant a state teaching license to educators who have graduated from a college or university with a bachelor’s degree, received a credential from an institution of higher education accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education, the American Montessori Society, or the Association Montessori Internationale; and completed state licensure testing. […]
In October, Pritzker announced plans to create a new department to house early childhood education.
To make this department a reality, state lawmakers have filed House Bill 5451 and Senate Bill 3777, which would start operations of the department on July 1, 2024. By July 1, 2026, the department would be the lead agency in charge of funding for preschools, licensing for child care programs, home-visiting services, early intervention services for students with disabilities, and other early childhood education and care programs.
* Sen. Laura Ellman…
To ensure all students receive access to school meals, State Senator Laura Ellman introduced legislation that will invest in the Healthy School Meals for All Program. […]
Senate Bill 3247 would invest $209 million in the State Board of Education for expenses related to the Healthy School Meals for All Program.
Under current law, the State Board of Education is required to establish and maintain this program by distributing funds appropriated for this program to participating school boards. Through this program, all students enrolled in the schools will receive free breakfast and lunch. […]
Senate Bill 3247 awaits discussion in the spring legislative session.
* Tribune…
As the Illinois General Assembly begins its spring session, among the mountain of legislation being proposed is a bill that aims to tackle two key issues around lobbying — requiring statehouse lobbyists to report the compensation they receive from their clients and giving the secretary of state’s office the power to boot bad actors.
Pushed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, the legislation could face an uphill climb in Springfield, where former lawmakers often become lobbyists and work hard to have their interests protected. But following a string of corruption trials — including persistent headlines of a bribery scandal involving Commonwealth Edison and lobbyists trying to influence now-indicted ex-Speaker Michael Madigan — Giannoulias said, “The timing is ripe for this legislation to be acted on and passed.” The proposal could strengthen a feeble state lobbying law that generally focuses on requiring the secretary of state to do little more than act as a repository for the registration of lobbyists, their client names and their basic expenses like the cost of wining and dining lawmakers. […]
Despite Giannoulias’ plans, the proposal’s legislative sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Maurice West of Rockford, last week would commit only to giving the issue a hearing before the House Ethics & Elections committee he chairs.
* WGEM…
A new Illinois Bill, Senate Bill 2921, looks to keep farmers from selling off their land. The proposed bill looks to raise the estate tax threshold for farms in Illinois.
Jack O’Connor, an Advisor and Head of Financial Planning for O’Connor Financial Group said the estate tax is a tax on assets that incur when the head of the household passes away. It’s done at a federal level and Illinois has one on a state level. The proposed bill looks to increase the threshold on when the estate tax would kick for farmers. He said currently it’s set at $4 million, and the bill proposes to raise it to $6 million. It takes the value of the farmers land and home into consideration, so if a farmer’s land is worth $4 million more at the time of the head of household’s passing, the tax would kick in. He said raising it would benefit farmers.
“Estate taxes are really difficult for illiquid assets which farmland would definitely be considered an illiquid asset. And what this bill is trying to help farmer with is to not have to sell land to pay that tax when they pass away, so more land can end up being transferred to often times their family,” O’Connor said.
* Landline Media…
Two Midwestern states could soon take up consideration of legislation that would revise one-year-old rules on pain-and-suffering damages related to incidents involving large trucks. […]
Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, is behind a pursuit to remove the provision in statute that permits unlimited pain and suffering damages. […]
His bill, HB4992, would cap non-economic damages in a civil action against a common carrier at up to $2 million per plaintiff. […]
“To preserve Illinois’ ability to maintain this status, it is the intent of this (bill) to preserve the economic health and strength of the industries that help make this possible,” he said.
* Rep. Ann Williams…
In an effort to support the work of the newly created Police District Councils in Chicago, Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) has introduced HB 5624, which will ensure the Police District Councils have the tools necessary to work most effectively on behalf of all Chicago’s communities.
The Police District Council is a new elected body in Chicago focused on issues of policing and public safety. There are 22 District Councils, one for every police district in Chicago, with each Council made up of three elected members. The District Councils were created by the Chicago City Council after years of activism to make policing more responsive to community needs.
“The District Councils give our communities a real and dynamic opportunity to shape public safety and policing policies for Chicago,” said Williams. “The focus of these Councils is to engage with the community and serve as a liaison between community and law enforcement. The existing laws which govern how smaller public bodies meet and do their jobs aren’t workable for the District Councils, and their role is different than most.”
Under current law, no two members of a District Council can discuss public safety issues, or even exchange emails about public safety, due to laws governing more traditional public bodies that prevent such discourse without posting public notice and agendas 48 hours in advance. Such restrictions significantly hamper the ability of the District Councils to do their work effectively. HB 5624 would allow such discussion, while still ensuring accountability and transparency by requiring advance notice for any regularly scheduled meeting or when adopting any motion, resolution or ordinance.
Additionally, the bill contains other provisions to ensure the District Councils can effectively do their work, including allowing the District Councils to host certain meetings remotely in addition to the monthly in-person meetings. This is designed to maximize their reach into the communities and ensure more residents can participate and provide input to the Councils. […]
Councilor Alexander Perez, 2nd Police District, agreed and supports the proposed legislation.
* Hyde Park Herald…
Since the General Assembly reconvened in January, [Rep. Curtis Tarver] has introduced several bills focused on amending state law and getting more funding for small businesses and schools. The 25th District, which encompasses parts of Kenwood and Hyde Park, extends from 43rd Street along the lakefront to the East Side. […]
For his first order of business at the Feb. 15 meeting, Tarver said he’s seeking community members for two task forces: one focused on political corruption and another focused on education.
The first is the product of Tarver’s House Bill (HB) 351, signed into law in November, which bars public officials convicted of corruption from holding public office again. The task force will review and make recommendations as to “what criminal conduct precludes a person from holding public office in the state,” per the law.
The second was created by Senate Bill (SB) 3986, the “Too Young to Test Act.” Co-sponsored by Tarver and signed into law in 2022, the act prohibits the use of standardized tests in public schools from pre-kindergarten through second grade. The task force will study the effects of “overtesting” young students, he said.
* News Media Alliance…
The News/Media Alliance applauds Illinois Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) for recently introducing the Journalism Preservation Act (SB 3591) in the Illinois Senate, which would require Big Tech platforms such as Meta and Google to pay news publishers a “journalism usage fee” to use local news content. Currently, creators of quality journalism are not adequately compensated for the use of their content – which takes a tremendous investment to produce – leading to layoffs of journalists and, in the worst cases, closure of news outlets completely.
Senator Stadelman was the Chair of the Illinois Local Journalism Task Force, which recently recommended legislation to counter the decline in sources of local journalism observed in the state.
The bill is similar to the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA, AB 886), which was introduced by California Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) last year and passed out of the Assembly in June 2023 with an overwhelming, bipartisan vote of 55-6. The CJPA is expected to be brought up during the 2024 session for a vote in the California Senate.
“The future of local journalism is in danger – which is why I have sponsored the Journalism Preservation Act,” said Senator Stadelman. “Local journalism is an essential part of our lives, and Illinois residents deserve access to accurate and important information.”
“We applaud Senator Stadelman for introducing this legislation and for recognizing the critical need to protect high-quality journalism and ensure that important, accurate information continues to be available to Illinois communities,” said Danielle Coffey, President & CEO of the News/Media Alliance. “States across the country are increasingly recognizing the need for legislation that corrects the current marketplace imbalance by requiring the tech platforms to fairly compensate publishers for the use of their valuable content.”
As with the CJPA, the Illinois JPA would also promote the hiring of more journalists, requiring news publishers to invest 70 percent of the profits from the usage fee into journalism jobs.
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Today’s quotables
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* SJ-R quoting Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson…
“For the first time in the history of the world, a local municipality has asked to establish, build, maintain and operate a migrant resettlement,” he said.
Um. The history of the world?
* More from the SJ-R…
House Minority Leader Tony McCombie is calling on a statewide moratorium when it comes to accepting migrants, claiming the expense is too high for the state.
“We have to take care of what is here today,” McCombie, R-Savanna, said during a press conference last week. “But we do not have the services that can accommodate this influx of folks.”
Just hit the “off” switch. Easy peasy.
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Mendoza defends honoring anti-abortion mayor
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dave Dahl last week…
It’s Black History Month, and Comptroller Susana Mendoza honored five Illinoisans who are helping others. […]
Mendoza, lamenting that she can’t honor everybody who is deserving, said, “We take a lot of pride in knowing that Illinois has some of the most amazing people in this country. Obviously, our Black community is a treasure in our state. Frankly, this month is too short, right? I’m just going to say it. It’s the shortest month. It shouldn’t be.” […]
The other four honorees: […]
Mayor Rickey Williams Jr.
Mayor of Danville
* You may recall that last year Danville’s Mayor Williams pushed an anti-abortion ordinance ahead of the opening of an abortion clinic in the town…
Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. explained that anyone shipping or receiving abortion pills or abortion-related supplies would be subject to fines of $1,500 per offense. There was discussion over an abortion clinic that may open up in Danville soon. Williams acknowledged that while he doesn’t think the ordinance would stop the clinic from opening, he said it could provide a means by which they couldn’t perform abortions.
The ordinance passed after Mayor Williams broke a tie.
Three weeks later…
A 73-year-old man is facing federal charges after he rammed a car into a planned abortion clinic in an eastern Illinois city and also was trying to set the building on fire, authorities announced Tuesday.
The site was attacked a second time a couple of weeks later.
* Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick…
We are certainly dismayed that Comptroller Susana Mendoza has included the anti-choice Mayor of Danville Rickey Williams, Jr. as an honoree for her celebration of Black History Month. We reached out to her office yesterday and requested that the honor be rescinded from Mayor Williams, who cast the deciding vote last May to pass anti-abortion legislation through Danville’s City Council.
Personal PAC, the ACLU of Illinois, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and our incredible Personal PAC chapter leaders from Danville lobbied Mayor Williams extensively last year, explaining that the ordinance he was supporting was not only harmful, but violated Illinois law. Despite the opposition of these pro-choice leaders, and his own constituents, he still cast the deciding vote, aligning himself with anti-abortion extremists.
* Comptroller’s office…
Comptroller Mendoza has a perfect record on the issue of choice. She has been honored time and time again by countless pro-choice groups for her steadfast support of women’s rights to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions. She also has a strong record of working across the aisle with people she disagrees with on some issues.
The Illinois Office of Comptroller was unaware of Mayor Williams’ vote to prevent an abortion clinic from opening in Danville. Nor was that vote ever brought to the Comptroller’s attention. Comptroller Mendoza vehemently disagrees with Mayor Williams’ vote on the clinic and she supports Personal PAC and Attorney General Kwame Raoul in their fight to void that law and bring access to health care to the women of Danville.
The Comptroller’s office recognized Mayor Williams during Black History Month for his historic achievement as the first Black mayor of the city of Danville, whose many Black residents have never had one of their own as mayor before; his financial success guiding the city, bringing $250 million in new economic development and the creation of over 500 new jobs; his achievement in driving down violent crime 60%; his service as executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Danville; his work helping kids learn at Project Success of Vermillion County; and his other life achievements.
According to Personal PAC, the owner of the Danville clinic, LaDonna Prince, is a Black woman.
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* My syndicated newspaper column…
“Everybody gets pinched, but you did it right; you told ‘em nothin’ and they got nothin’” Jimmy Conway told a youthful Henry Hill in the classic gangster movie “Goodfellas” after the mob-connected teenager was arrested for selling stolen cigarettes, clammed up to the police and was then released by a corrupt judge.
“You learned the two greatest things in life,” Conway told Hill. “Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.”
Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s people (and they weren’t alone in this, by the way) took that vow to heart.
It’s sometimes difficult to explain to Statehouse newbies how often the people in charge back then loved cosplaying as mafiosi.
And there are more newbies than you might expect.
Lobbyist and unofficial Statehouse historian John Amdor keeps track of stuff like this, so I asked him to run the numbers. Amdor found that a 55 percent majority of House Democrats - 43 of the 78 – have taken office since June 6, 2018, the day Madigan’s longtime chief of staff Tim Mapes was forced to resign after being accused of harassment.
To some of us, including journalists like me who are still covering politics today, the Statehouse #MeToo cataclysm of 2018 still feels recent. But most current House Democrats had nothing to do with any of it. They only know of Mapes’ autocratic reign and dramatic fall through the news coverage they’ve seen and the stories they’ve heard from colleagues. He’s just not relevant to their lives.
Currently, 33 percent of House Democrats (26) never even served under House Speaker Madigan, who left office in early 2021. If trends hold, it won’t be all that long before a majority of House Democrats never served with him.
Anyway, it’s clear from reading wiretap transcripts that those folks delighted in pretending to be part of some secret society.
And that all caught up to Tim Mapes last week.
Speaker Madigan’s former chief of staff had been busted cold for lying during his grand jury testimony. The feds were fishing for information about Madigan, but Mapes wouldn’t even admit to knowing about totally legal activities.
Mapes had to have figured at the time that federal prosecutors knew he was lying (as literally everyone understands, the FBI and the US Attorney rarely ask questions that they don’t already know the answers to), but he did it anyway. And he was convicted.
Before pronouncing his sentence on Mapes, US District Judge John Kness called out the defendant for his almost cartoonish adherence to “the Law of Omertà,” the ancient mafia vow to never, as Judge Kness put it, “rat on your friends.”
That behavior “had no place” in a federal grand jury room, Kness told Mapes. “And you will pay the price for it.” No lawyer, no matter how connected, could possibly spring Mapes from this trap.
The price Mapes paid was 30 months in federal prison. Thirty months for lying in response to innocuous grand jury questions that weren’t even about illegal acts while he had complete immunity from prosecution. Thirty months away from his family plus who knows how many hundreds of thousands of dollars in crushing legal fees and lost income. For what?
There are probably only two explanations:
1) Mapes stupidly and stubbornly stuck to the “This is the life we chose” script on principle; or
2) Mapes knew of other illegal activities that the feds might have been interested in, so he took the fall on the little stuff to avoid exposing his former boss and others to even greater legal peril.
Either way, the result is the same. Personal carnage.
Henry Hill was met by all his gangster buddies as he walked out of the courtroom that day, and they wildly applauded him for being a stand-up guy. Mapes’ friends may throw him a similar party when he is finally let loose. Cold comfort.
In the end, Henry Hill realized his silence was no longer worth the pain it was causing and he flipped. Mapes never got there.
Let’s not ever go back to those days, please. Thanks.
* By the way, can I just give a quick and heartfelt shout-out to the River Cities’ Reader, which almost always has a *chef’s kiss* headline on my weekly columns?…
I don’t know who writes those headlines, but I definitely want to buy that person(s) a fine dinner and copious cocktails the next time I’m in the Quad Cities.
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White Sox make their pitch (Updated x2)
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Justin Laurence at Crain’s…
To pay for the new Sox stadium, Reinsdorf is seeking to lay claim to the revenue from a 2% hotel occupancy tax, currently used to pay for ISFA’s annual debt service, for decades beyond when all outstanding bonds are currently meant to be paid off in 2034. […]
Reinsdorf is also seeking to create a tax-overlay district surrounding the proposed stadium that would capture the state’s portion of sales taxes generated in the area — estimated at roughly $400 million over an undisclosed period — to be set aside to subsidize the stadium and back the new bonds. […]
Adding the sales tax revenue to the pot would also allow ISFA to borrow more money, which a source familiar with the bonding plan said would get into the “ballpark” of the roughly $1.2 billion in assistance that Reinsdorf is seeking in order to build a park with a capacity to hold between 35,000 to 38,000 people and retire the current ISFA debt. […]
Currently, Related Midwest would pay the upfront costs to build a new $364 million CTA Red Line stop, the $85 million realignment of Metra tracks running through the site, and $102 million towards various street improvements and reconstructing the riverfront seawall. As incremental revenue flows into the TIF district, the city would repay Related for the infrastructure costs.
* Meanwhile…
* NBC 5…
White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf will meet with legislative leaders in Springfield on Tuesday as he attempts to secure public funding to construct a new stadium, according to multiple sources.
Multiple sources told NBC Chicago that Democratic and Republican leaders will sit down with Reinsdorf as he seeks $1 billion in public funding for a new White Sox Stadium near the South Loop.
…Adding… NBC Sports Chicago…
“We recognize discussions about The 78 serving as the future home of the Chicago White Sox have generated a lot of excitement over the potential of the larger project’s positive economic impact,” the [White Sox] statement says. “We are mindful and respectful of the legislative process and wanted to travel to Springfield to meet personally with legislative leaders. We’re excited to share our vision, and we appreciate their time and hospitality.”
Another statement followed from a Related Midwest Spokesperson.
“We appreciated the time afforded to us by lawmakers in Springfield today,” the statement says. “As we shared in the meetings, The 78 is a generational development and an investment in our hometown. It’s personal to us and we are excited about the prospect of delivering the city’s next great neighborhood, while making an historic economic investment that will bring over 10,000 construction jobs and 22,000 permanent jobs to our city and state. The long-term impact will be transformative – creating a new riverfront neighborhood anchored by a state-of-the-art ballpark for generations of fans to enjoy and help enhance Chicago’s place as a top destination.”
…Adding… Speaker Welch…
“I want to thank Jerry Reinsdorf for coming down to discuss his vision in person. There are a lot of conversations that still need to be had, but I appreciate the opportunity to discuss future goals for Chicago teams.”
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Open thread
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: Governor Pritzker will give his sixth budget address on Wednesday. Tribune…
- Funding challenges from the migrant crisis and immigrant health care to boosting early childhood education butt up against a projected shortfall of almost $900 million in the coming fiscal.
- Pritzker’s address follows his pledge last week to allocate $182 million in the next budget year for shelter and other services for asylum-seekers.
- The House Democrats’ top budget negotiator, Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth says the migrant crisis needs to be addressed in Washington.
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Rep. Margaret Croke…
Inseparable, a national organization focused on closing the treatment gap for people with mental health conditions, improving crisis response, and supporting youth mental health, today applauded the introduction of legislation in the General Assembly to improve access to mental health treatment by eliminating “ghost networks,” or provider networks that are filled with providers who are not actually in-network, not taking new patients, no longer in the same location, or not even practicing at all. The bill, HB5313, was recently introduced by State Representative Margaret Croke (IL-12) to ensure that enrollees seeking a mental health care provider can rely on accurate provider directories from their health plan. […]
While insurance companies are required to make provider directories available for consumers when selecting a health plan or looking for an in-network provider, research shows that these directories frequently mischaracterize available providers or include “ghost networks” that are not actually available to people enrolled in a plan. Research also proves the importance of ensuring people get the treatment they need – delays can cause conditions to worsen, a rise in additional health concerns, and a dramatic increase in costs. […]
HB5313 would expand what a plan must disclose in its provider directories to include a description of how to dispute charges for out-of-network providers that were incorrectly listed as in-network prior to the provision of care, including a phone number and email address. It would allow consumers to recoup out-of-pocket expenses if they were charged out-of-network costs for a provider that was listed as in-network in their provider directory. HB5313 would also require plans to audit at least 25% of its provider directories annually and make any necessary corrections, and would also require the Department of Insurance to randomly audit at least 10% of plans each year.
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* Injustice Watch | Questions of race and ethnicity in Illinois Supreme Court race highlight diversity of the Latinx experience: This year, with another of Cook County’s three seats on the court up for grabs, Latinx politicians are divided, with some supporting Reyes, who is again running on a platform of the need for Latinx representation on the highest court; some backing the Democratic Party’s endorsed candidate, Joy Cunningham; and some withholding their endorsement altogether.
* Daily Journal | Kerkstra removed from ballot for primary race: “There was a statement of economics that was filed with the secretary of state and also filed with the State Board of Elections,” Kerkstra said on Tuesday after the county board meeting. “But the one with the State Board of Elections was supposed to have a stamp on it [from] the secretary of state, and it didn’t have a stamp on it.” Kerkstra said he had a copy of the statement that had a stamp on it, but he was told by one party that he didn’t need the stamp on it for the State Board of Elections.
* Daily Herald | Right to die on your own terms? Illinois lawmakers propose medical aid in dying bill: “I’ve come to accept the fact that I might not be here when this does go through,” said Robertson, a former social worker who retired after being diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in 2022. “But I’m going to do everything I can while I’m here.” The Lombard woman and other supporters of the measure are quick to note what they are championing is not suicide. It is something to give terminal patients and their loved ones peace in those final moments.
* NPR | DeKalb State’s Attorney reprimands Zasada for using city email lists in fundraising for IL-76 race: According to the letter, Amato’s office says Zasada utilized City of DeKalb e-mail lists and possibly computer systems to solicit campaign contributions from employees of the City. In addition to instructing Zasada to cease and desist such fundraising activities, the letter reads, “Employees of the City should not be made to feel that their jobs are dependent on providing funding for a political campaign. This should go without saying, yet we are now driven to remind you of this activity’s implications.”
* Daily Herald | DuPage County recorder: Democratic primary challengers say it’s time for change: Incumbent Kathleen Carrier, DuPage County Board member Liz Chaplin, and former county board member Pete DiCianni are the candidates running in the Democratic primary for the recorder position. Whoever wins the March 19 primary will square off against Republican Nicole Prater in the November election.
* WBEZ | Longtime congressman Bill Foster faces multiple challengers in Illinois’ 11th District: With $1.6 million in the bank as of the end of 2023, according to federal campaign records, Foster has a bigger political war chest than his four potential challengers combined. In another byproduct of incumbency, he has sewn up endorsements from a who’s who of Illinois Democrats and prominent labor groups.
* WBEZ | U.S. Rep. Danny Davis faces a hard reelection fight as he faces challenges from fellow Democrats: The race takes place in a reliably blue district. But it marks “one of the most interesting congressional primaries to watch in Illinois,” according to one analyst, as four Democrats are trying to unseat Davis in the primary. His opponents include Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and community organizer Kina Collins, who is running her third campaign for the seat. Kouri Marshall, a former deputy director for Gov. JB Pritzker, and Nikhil Bhatia, an educator and former principal, are also running in the Democratic primary.
* Tribune | Rooftop solar skyrocketed in Illinois in the past five years, report shows: Small-scale solar — the majority of which is installed on roofs — produced 10 times as much electricity nationwide in 2022 as it did 10 years earlier, enough to power 5.7 million typical American homes, according to the report. And while the Midwest lagged behind other regions, Illinois, which passed a major climate bill in 2021, produced 1,300 gigawatt-hours of electricity from small-scale solar in 2022, or enough to power 116,300 homes.
* IMP | The feds sent letters to 44 states to fix SNAP application errors and inefficiencies: U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter to the governors of 44 states earlier this month that are failing to meet federal standards when it comes to processing applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The states include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio. The letters call for states to take immediate action to improve their rates on at least one of three metrics: application processing timeliness rate, payment error rate and case and procedural error rate, which relates to how accurately states are approving or denying benefits. In the letter, the federal government offers federal assistance and resources to help.
* ABC Chicago | Chicago ShotSpotter technology contract to last through at least late September: The city’s contract to use the gunshot detection program was set to end at midnight but the two sides continued negotiating about a possible extension through Friday. Friday evening SoundThinking, which owns ShotSpotter, announced it had reached an agreement with the city to extend the contract through September 22, with a transition period to follow that wasn’t defined.
* People’s Fabric: Study: ShotSpotter Has “No Effect” on Chicago’s Fatal Shootings or Arrest Rates: While the analysis shows ShotSpotter does not statistically improve the number of shootings, fatalities, or arrests, Chicago spends $8 to $10 million per year on the technology. The study, described as the “largest research project on gunshot detection technology (GDT) to date,” was funded by the National Institute of Justice, a federal government agency, and conducted with the cooperation of Chicago and Kansas City’s police departments.
* Block Club | Uptown Homeless Shelter Proposal Rejected By Zoning Board: The LGBTQ late-night bar 2 Bears Tavern could have an issue being insured if it shared a building with a homeless shelter, while church leaders were concerned about the project’s elevator plans and sharing a common hallway with the shelter, representatives said at the hearing. Uptown Covenant published an open letter highlighting its “concerns” with the shelter plans.
* NBC Chicago | Aldermen, lawmakers criticized Chicago Board of Education over selective enrollment in private briefings, newly obtained videos show: Through a Freedom of Information Act request, NBC 5 Investigates obtained recordings of five internal briefings officials from CPS and the Chicago Board of Education held in late January with city aldermen, as well as state and federal lawmakers to discuss the framework for the new five-year plan. Aldermen criticized the way the resolution was written, saying it suggested selective enrollment in the district will come to an end.
* Sun-Times | Mayor Brandon Johnson fires city’s cultural affairs chief, building commissioner: Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Erin Harkey was appointed by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2021 when the pandemic had shut down theater, live-music and Chicago’s myriad festivals and special events. She slowly brought those events back to life with the annual Blues Fest returning last summer. Matthew Beaudet was the city’s building commissioner since 2020.
* Block Club | Program Tries To Reach Homeless ‘Where They’re At’ — On CTA Trains: In the first nine months of 2023, outreach workers had more than 5,000 interactions with people using CTA trains as shelter. Many interactions ended with people indicating they didn’t want to talk further. Of those who interacted with the program, 122 people were placed in shelters, 27 were connected to “stable or permanent housing destinations” and 20 were housed through an event at Harold Washington Library set up specifically for people reached through the CTA program.
* Chicago Mag | The 50 Most Powerful Chicagoans, Ranked: Who’s in charge here? The heavy hitters in our Power 50 know how to use their influence to make things happen in Chicago and beyond.
* The Telegraph | Controversial shooting range to be discussed by county board: In a report by the county’s ethics advisor, attorney Bruce Mattea, a Prenzler appointee, the chairman is accused of passing out “campaign material” in the form of a political business card to an outside vendor. The investigation and report stems from a complaint that Prenzler was engaged in electioneering on county time and property by handing out a non-standard “political” business card to an outside vendor, and it was later found he had given another such card to an assistant state’s attorney.
* Tribune | Wisconsin’s Democratic governor signs his new legislative maps into law after Republicans pass them: Protasiewicz ended up providing the deciding fourth vote in a December ruling that declared the current maps to be unconstitutional because not all of the districts were contiguous, meaning some areas were geographically disconnected from the rest of the district. The court said it would draw the lines if the Legislature couldn’t pass maps that Evers would sign.
* Sun-Times | Monarch butterfly’s long reign as everyday Chicago summer treat could flutter away: This winter marked the second-lowest number of migratory monarch butterflies since recordkeeping began in 1993. The pollinator completes the longest known insect migration each year, leaving northern climates in the United States and Canada for Mexico and California every winter. The monarch, the state insect of Illinois, already faces threats such as pesticide use and habitat loss that have contributed to their low migration numbers.
* Daily Herald | Uihleins spent more than $1 million on DeSantis’ presidential campaign in fall — will they now back Trump?: “There is no reason to believe the Uihleins will sit out the presidential race,” said Mouritsen, a political science professor at College of DuPage. “A Republican win is a Republican win.” The Uihleins, who are reluctant to talk to reporters, couldn’t be reached for comment.
* AP | Southern Illinois home of Paul Powell, the ‘Shoebox Scandal’ politician, could soon be sold: The upkeep runs about $5,000 annually, while last year the society’s income was $4,300, said board member Gary Hacker, 85, whose parents were schoolmates of Powell and mowed his lawn as a teenager in the early 1950s. “We’re probably going to be putting it on the market for sale,” Hacker said. “The historical society will relocate.”
* NBC Chicago | Chicago White Sox’ 2024 schedule released by MLB: The White Sox begin their season against a divisional opponent next year when they host the Tigers for Opening Day. That’s a shift from this year when they had to travel to Houston to take on the defending champion Astros. From there the South Siders move straight into interleague play with a home series against the Braves.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
When Governor Pritzker’s appointees on the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) shut down the natural gas line Safety Modernization Program in Chicago, it not only wiped out 1,000 jobs, but also subjected residents and business owners to the unnecessary danger of aged gas infrastructure that is no longer allowed to be replaced.
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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