|
This just in: We’ve surpassed our fundraising goal!
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * I told you this past Friday that I had reset our fundraising goal to $48,007. That matches what we raised last year plus inflation. We were more than $10,000 away from that goal on Friday, but we just surpassed the target and we’re now at $48,268 as I write this. We’ve now raised enough to allow Lutheran Social Services of Illinois to buy Christmas presents for 1,930 foster kids. I didn’t think we’d get here. Y’all are truly amazing. Thanks from the bottom of my heart. * LSSI has an overall goal of $63,250. Others are fundraising as well, of course, but let’s keep this going. I won’t change the official target, but growth is always important. So, please, if you haven’t donated yet, or if you can afford to give more, please help us buy Christmas presents for foster children by clicking here. CapitolFax.com is more than just a website. We’ve built a community here. And our annual fundraising drive helps bring us together in ways no other blog or news outlet can claim while helping lots of kids in need. I hope some of those children grow up to be readers or subscribers or even advertisers. Wouldn’t that be just the coolest thing? Please, click here. Thanks!!! …Adding… We’re now above $50,000!!!
|
|
Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * South Side Weekly | ICE Detains Illinois Immigrants in Out-of-State Jails: After the Way Forward Act banned ICE from detaining undocumented people in state jails last year, the agency began detaining undocumented Illinois residents in Wisconsin and other states. * Block Club | Aldermen Want Meetings With CHA Boss After Investigation Revealed Vacant, Decaying Properties: Other alderpeople also expressed concerns after Block Club and Illinois Answers found that nearly 500 of the CHA’s scattered-site properties are empty while more than 200,000 people are on the agency’s waiting lists for housing. After news outlets began asking questions, the CHA announced it plans to spend $50 million in 2024 to rehabilitate 176 of the scattered-site properties. * WTVO | Illinois AG charges Rockford instructor for falsifying concealed carry certifications: This is the second case of the Illinois Attorney General charging a Stateline man for falsifying documents to obtain concealed carry licenses in the last month. … Reyes ran for the 34th District Illinois Senate seat and was defeated by Steve Stadelman in 2022. * Tribune | Cook County state’s attorney’s office replaces head of unit that reviews possible wrongful convictions, rebrands effort: Assistant State’s Attorney Nancy Adduci, who previously lead the unit, will remain as a deputy, the release said. She was replaced by Michelle Mbekeani, who joined the office in 2018 as a legal and policy advisor. The office also renamed the Conviction Integrity Unit, now known as the Conviction Review Unit. The shift came as Adduci’s work had come under scrutiny in the past year due to her prosecution of defendants accused of shooting and killing Chicago Police Officer Clifton Lewis in 2011. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in June dropped charges against two of the three suspects amid accusations from defense attorneys of misconduct on behalf of the police and prosecutors who handled the case. * Bolts | “I’m Just Another Traffic Stop”: As the department poured resources into the Community Safety Team, Brown pledged their work would be driven by long-term relationships with residents, businesses, religious organizations and neighborhood groups. By the end of 2020, the Community Safety Teams logged over 200 of those community interactions, according to a Bolts analysis of data from the Office of Emergency Management and Communications’ dispatch system, which generates a unique record each time officers radio headquarters to document civilian interactions or routine activities. Those community interactions included food drives, youth sports events and community input meetings, according to a Chicago Police spokesperson. But those interactions were dwarfed by the 48,000 traffic stops the team conducted in 2020—nearly all of that unit’s documented activity that year. In 2021, when the Community Safety Team was at its largest, its officers logged over 150,000 traffic stops—more than twice the number of community engagement activities, the data show. * Crain’s | Friends of the Parks executive director departing after eight years of ‘good trouble’: Juanita Irizarry, executive director of city park advocate group Friends of the Parks, will be leaving her role after eight years at the nonprofit. Friends of the Parks’ board of directors made the announcement Tuesday, stating that Irizarry was the “face of good trouble” and that her resignation is “regrettable.” * WBEZ | Personal aides for students are the unsung heroes of special education in CPS: CPS was trying to cut costs and, though aides are not highly paid, assigning a full-time staffer to a small number of children is expensive. Over the last five years, the number of aides has gone up more than any other position in special education, except for case managers, which went from being an extra responsibility for teachers to a stand-alone position. There are now about 6,800 aide positions in the school district, up from 4,500 in 2018. The cost also has nearly doubled, from $150 million in 2018 to nearly $280 million. * WCIA | Effingham Flex-N-Gate workers return after two-week layoff: Flex-N-Gate Effingham officials said workers returned on Nov. 6 after a two-week layoff. The UAW strikes in Kentucky caused the plant to temporarily let people go on Oct. 12. One worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she’s relieved to be back. She said the days off put her and some colleagues behind financially. She said the time away taught her better money management. * Daily Herald | Another inmate death reported at McHenry County jail: According to the release, the man was found at about 4 p.m. Tuesday in a single-person booking cell. Corrections officers and Woodstock Fire/Rescue personnel attempted lifesaving measures, but the man was pronounced at the scene, officials said. […] It is the third inmate death reported in just two weeks. * WCIA | Family of Decatur woman killed by speeding trooper gets $2.5M settlement: The 8-year-old and 14-year-old daughters of Kelly Wilson from Decatur will split a $2,591,761.26 settlement after a former state trooper rammed into their mother’s car and killed her. The family originally asked for 10 million dollars from the lawsuit. […] In May 2016, Illinois Trooper Jeffrey Denning was working in Macon County when he received a call about a police officer shot in Mahomet. Denning was speeding over 100 miles per hour to the scene where he crashed into Wilson, making a left turn at the intersection of Oakland Avenue and Harrison Street. He later testified his sirens were not continuous as he should have set them when traveling that fast. * Daily Herald | ‘A step in the right direction’: Libertyville has new tool to battle electric vehicle battery fires: “The only effective method is to pierce the battery compartment and cool the thermal runaway (reaction) taking place in the battery bank,” he said. To do that, the department in partnership with the Libertyville Fire Protection District invested $30,000 for equipment specifically designed to quickly extinguish fires involving lithium-ion high voltage batteries in electric vehicles. * Crain’s | Feds provide $95 million toward Union Station upgrades: The funding will come in two buckets: $45 million will go towards track improvements to transform an area previously used for mail service, which has been out of service for nearly two decades, to handle an anticipated expansion of rail service in the Midwest. Another $44 million will fund platform expansions and help pay for ventilation upgrades. * AFP | Planet tipping points pose ‘unprecedented’ threat to humanity: report: The most comprehensive assessment ever conducted of Earth’s invisible tripwires was released as leaders meet for UN climate talks in Dubai with 2023 set to smash all heat records. While many of the 26 tipping points laid out in the report — such as melting ice sheets — are linked to global warming, other human activities like razing swathes of the Amazon rainforest could also push Earth’s ecosystems to the brink. * WSJ | Bitcoin Mining Used More Water Than New York City Last Year: Bitcoin-mining operations slurp up billions of gallons of water globally each year. Estimates vary, but the annual footprint is projected to surpass 591 billion gallons of water this year, according to an article published last week in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports Sustainability. * WCIA | Family sells everything, moves to Central IL to help others by opening ‘Monarch’s Haven’: Monarch’s Haven will aim to provide essential services for both the homeless and families facing difficult times. “We want to do a meal ministry and a day center for people to be able to help them with just having a place to hang out,” Jenny said. “If they need help with job applications, applying for assistance, applying for social security, any of those things.” * Daily Beast | You’ll Never See John Lennon’s Death the Same After This: A new Apple TV+ docuseries, John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial, centers almost entirely on the fateful night of Dec. 8, 1980, when Lennon was fatally shot outside his New York City apartment building, the Dakota. Director Nick Holt’s three-part series is mercifully short on cheap theatrics and loopy theories, instead putting us squarely in the middle of a real-life horror story. Narrator Kiefer Sutherland strikes the right tone of equanimity, and while there are aspects of the police procedural, the series doesn’t play like the true-crime docs to which we’ve all become so accustomed and desensitized.
|
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign news (Updated)
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Roundup: Prosecutors push ’shakedown’ narrative in Burke trial
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Tribune…
* WGN…
* Jon Seidel…
* Jason Meisner…
* More… * Tribune | ‘I was taken aback’: Burger King exec testifies about uneasiness with then-Ald. Ed Burke linking permits with tax firm work: Zohaib Dhanani, a vice president for the company founded by his father, Dhanani Group, was the latest witness to paint Burke as wearing two hats, both as the City Council’s most powerful and longest-serving alderman and as a private lawyer prowling for business for his firm, Klafter & Burke. * ABC Chicago | Ed Burke trial: New testimony about ties to alleged shakedown involving Burger King restaurant: Dhanani testified he was “taken back a bit” that Burke would mention property tax appeal work and permits in the same sentence. Dhanani told jurors, “It felt unusual. It felt weird, the two being linked together.” * Crain’s | The ‘unusual’ dealings of Ald. Ed Burke continue in court: Later, on June 27, Burke called his “friend in Houston” to check in. In a recording of that call between Burke and Dhanani obtained by the feds, Dhanani updated the alderman on parking issues at the Burger King. Burke once again brought up his private business. “We were going to talk about the real estate tax representation and you were going to have somebody get in touch with me so we can expedite your permits,” Burke told him, according to the recording played in court today. * ABC Chicago | Ed Burke trial juror replaced after falling ill, defense allowed to call witness out of order: Monday, a juror fell ill and was dismissed; an alternate took over, which comes on the heels of two COVID-related delays that forced the government to reshuffle its case and witnesses.
|
|
Brighton Park migrant tent city shutdown coverage roundup
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * We covered this yesterday, but lots of you might not have seen some late updates because of the timing and the very long length of the post. Mayor Brandon Johnson to NBC 5…
* From the mayor’s office…
* From the governor’s office…
* From Isabel… * Sun-Times | Pritzker tells Chicago to fold its tents — governor rejects toxic migrant shelter site in Brighton Park: Citing “serious environmental concerns,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday that the state is ending development of a proposed migrant camp in Brighton Park. The decision follows the city of Chicago’s release of an environmental report Friday night that showed the location at 38th Street and California Avenue required cleanup of heavy metals and toxic chemicals. The state halted construction Sunday. * CBS Chicago | Gov. JB Pritzker scraps Chicago’s plan for first migrant tent camp in Brighton Park over contaminated soil: “IEPA would not approve the proposed Brighton Park site for residential use, based on our regulatory standards for remediation of contaminated properties,” said Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim. “The well-being of residents and workers at the site is our highest priority, and current and planned site conditions do not adequately reduce risks of human exposure to known and potential environmental conditions.” * Greg Hinz | Brandon Johnson and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week: The nastiest flap is over a planned refugee tent base encampment the city had wanted to erect at a former industrial site at 38th and California in the Brighton Park neighborhood. The Johnson and Pritzker camps already had been jostling over that and an increasing number of other matters, but the situation exploded yesterday when Pritzker’s Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the site was still unfit for human habitation despite claims to the contrary from Johnson. * NBC Chicago | Chicago mayor reacts after state halts Brighton Park migrant site: Johnson said “discovering toxicity [at the site] wasn’t a surprise], but said “the contract that the state of Illinois went into with Gardaworld, as they continued to build out on this site, there was no indication throughout this entire process, that a standard or a different methodology was preferable by the state of Illinois.” “There was no additional information that was provided that would have led us to believe that this particular report that has been validated to be safe by third parties, that somehow that operation will be halted,” Johnson said. * Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker won’t proceed with Brighton Park migrant camp, citing ‘serious’ environmental concerns: Underscoring the escalating tension between Springfield and City Hall, Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh shot back at Johnson’s statement, saying state environmental standards “are clear and known to the city.” “Those are not the standards the city chose to use,” Abudayyeh said in a statement. “The city did not engage with IEPA or the state before releasing the report and when it did release the report, was unable to explain the lesser standards they did choose to use and how they arrived at those standards.” “While the city might be comfortable placing asylum seekers on a site where toxins are present without a full understanding of whether it is safe, the state is not,” Abudayyeh added. * NBC Chicago | City releases statement after state halts plans for migrant site in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood: “The City’s goal has been and continues to be to move with urgency in providing shelter for new arrivals currently sleeping on the floors of Chicago Police Department district stations, airports and sidewalks. We have been planning for both the present and the future of the new arrivals mission by standing up nearly one temporary shelter a week and reducing the number of new arrivals sleeping at emergency staging areas and outdoors from nearly 4,000 to approximately 600.” * Crain’s | Citing environmental concerns, Pritzker nixes Brighton Park migrant tent camp plan: No immediate plans were shared on where the state may pay for the construction of a tent camp at a new location. The city has identified another location for a separate tent camp, on vacant land at 115th and Halsted, but it’s unclear whethe the state will fund construction at that location. * ABC Chicago | State will not proceed with Brighton Park camp for Chicago migrants after environmental review: Alderwoman Julia Ramirez, who represents the 12th Ward, said on Tuesday that better decisions should have been made from the very beginning. “As manufacturing-zoned area that shouldn’t have ever been considered. And so, looking forward, I think that should use be something they don’t move forward with if a place is zone for heavy manufacturing,” Ramirez said. “It is unacceptable to proceed without a comprehensive assessment of the health risks. We are pleased to see the halt of construction and the continued work towards assessing the safety of this site.” * Block Club | State Says No Tent Camp For Migrants On Contaminated Brighton Park Site: Despite the tent plan being halted, Ramirez said she’s committed to making her ward a welcoming neighborhood for migrants. “I’m really, really happy the state intervened and was able to further assess,” she said. * Sun-Times Editorial Board | Gov. Pritzker took the right step by ending city’s Brighton Park migrant tent plan: The Johnson administration picked the known industrial site at 38th Street and California Avenue without any thought to its environmental ramifications. Then it rushed through soil testing and started construction last week — while test findings were still pending, and telling the public as little as possible. … Slapdash and slipshod from the start, the tent camp plan had all the warning signs of developing into a hot mess of the first order. And yet Johnson and his administration pressed on.
|
|
Caption contest!
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Wait. What?… 
|
|
Do better, IDFPR
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Beth Hundsdorfer at Capitol News Illinois…
It wasn’t until Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon held a press conference in September to express his outrage at what he’d seen that IDFPR finally took some action.
|
|
Fun with numbers
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Ray LaHood and Jim Nowlan writing in the Tribune…
Not mentioned is that the House Democrats ran 92 candidates last fall compared to 104 House Republican candidates. But let’s drill down a bit more. The House Democrats ran just five candidates in races that were won by Republicans with at least 60 percent of the vote. On the other hand, the House Republicans ran 38 candidates in races won by Democrats with at least 60 percent of the vote. That’s a difference of 33 races. So, a big part of this disparity is Republicans run a ton of candidates in no-chance districts and the Democrats don’t. Heck, one might even go as far as to say that groups like the Illinois Policy Institute spent a few bucks recruiting lots of GOP candidates to set up this very LaHood/Nowlan talking point. Just sayin. Did the Democrats gerrymander the districts? Of course they did. Hugely so. But a little context would’ve been nice.
|
|
Question of the day: 2023 Golden Horseshoe Awards
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Democrat Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager goes to Liz Moody…
It wasn’t even close. I’ve known Liz for years and she truly deserves this. Leader Jay Hoffman is fortunate to have her. Runner-up is Torrence Gardner with Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s office. Honorable mention to Michelle Cianferri, the district office manager for Rep. Stephanie Kifowit. Both legislators nominated their staffs, which is encouraged here. * The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Republican Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager goes to Karla Dirks, who works for Deputy Republican Leader Norine Hammond, who was among the nominators…
Runner-up goes to Tina Walters in Rep. Amy Elik’s office. Congratulations to everyone! * On to today’s categories…
This includes all legislative government and campaign staff members. Spokespersons will have their own category, but they’re still eligible here. As always, make sure to explain your nominations or they won’t count, and do your very best to nominate in both categories. Thanks. * As I write this, we are now up to $41,368 in donations toward our $48,007 goal to help Lutheran Social Services of Illinois buy Christmas presents for foster kids. This means 1,654 children will receive gifts because of your generous donations. That’s so very awesome. But LSSI serves 2,530 children, so there’s still a need. Please, click here and donate if you can. Thanks!!!
|
|
A trip down memory lane
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * From COGFA’s latest monthly report…  More from the report…
* Meanwhile…
|
|
Open thread
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
|
|
Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: US retail lobbyists retract key claim on ‘organized’ retail crime. Reuters…
-The research previously stated that “nearly half” of the $94.5 billion in inventory losses reported by retailers in a 2021 survey “was attributable” to organized retail crime. -The NRF’s claim of inventory losses was repeated in multiple media reports on the issue. The NRF has cited growing rates of crime in calls for Congress to pass new laws. * Related stories… ∙ The Street: What Target and Walmart just learned about retail theft ∙ NYT: Is Shoplifting Really Surging? * Isabel’s top picks… * WTTW | Pritzker Pulls State Funding From Migrant Base Camp in Brighton Park, Citing Environmental Concerns: Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for Pritzker, told WTTW News that the city chose not to follow the standards set by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and was “unable to explain the lesser standards the did choose to use and how they arrived at those standards.” “While the city might be comfortable placing asylum seekers on a site where toxins are present without a full understanding of whether it is safe, the state is not,” Abudayyeh said. * WGLT | Pritzker’s rail comments foreshadow transit debate in spring legislative session: Gov. JB Pritzker recently voiced support for the Chicago Hub Improvement Program [CHIP], a plan that also holds promise for Amtrak service through Bloomington-Normal. The investment in transportation infrastructure would fix several problems at Union Station and connect it to two potential passenger-focused main lines. * Sun-Times | Illinois in the middle of the road nationally on traffic safety: Illinois fell short for its lack of a motorcycle helmet requirement, child passenger safety rules and teen driving regulations, according to the report released Tuesday. The state drew good marks for having comprehensive distracted-driving laws and automated speed enforcement. * Here’s the rest of your morning roundup… * Scott Holland | Primary filing math points toward continued Democratic majorities: As of 10 p.m. Monday, four current Republican districts have no announced Democratic candidate. Of the 19 districts Democrats currently hold, only 11 have a GOP primary contender. Of the 118 House seats, only 52 appear set for a contested election. Of those, Democrats hold 36 and Republicans have 16. That leaves 42 Democratic and 24 Republican districts without a clear November opponent. With 60 seats needed for a majority, Democrats are bidding for 94 and Republicans 76. * SJ-R | Former Madigan, Welch chief of staff hired as Springfield’s statehouse lobbyist: Jessica Basham, a former chief of staff to Illinois House Speakers Michael Madigan and Emanuel “Chris” Welch, was approved by the city council Tuesday. The Sherman resident started Basham Government Solutions, LLC, after leaving Welch’s office in 2021. The contract with the city is for $75,000. * SJ-R | State, Dolly Parton Imagination Library partner for free books to children five and under: Already more than 30,000 children are registered statewide in the program. In Sangamon and Menard counties, United Way of Central Illinois is the local partner overseeing the distribution of books to nearly 1,000 children. To expand the program to all children from birth to age five, the Pritzker administration is imploring more organizations to partner with the Dollywood Foundation and those already in practice to increase their capacity. The state’s current population for that age range is about 745,000. * Sun-Times | Feds play recording of Burke seeming to link approval of Burger King permit with business for his law firm: “We were going to talk about the real estate tax representation, and you were going to have somebody get in touch with me so we can expedite your permits,” Burke was recorded saying during a call with an executive. * Tribune | Family members of incarcerated people call on State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to investigate convictions related to former CPD detective: The family members, who were joined by activists and attorneys at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, called for justice for incarcerated family members whose cases were investigated by Sgt. Brian Forberg. A Chicago Police Department spokesperson said Forberg retired effective Oct. 10. “We’re tired,” said Lakisha Jackson, whose brother Kevin is serving a 45-year murder sentence. “We want all this put behind us today.” * Sun-Times | Chicago taxpayers have paid nearly $700 million since 2000 in lawsuits by people who claimed they were framed by police: Multimillion dollar payouts come before the Chicago City Council on an almost monthly basis, with the largest sums typically going to victims of police misconduct. Since 2000, the city has paid out nearly $700 million in 300 cases where people claimed they were framed by Chicago police. Of that, $138 million went to outside lawyers who defended the city. * Crain’s | Meet two of the lawyers on the front lines of Chicago’s migrant crisis: Most of the attorneys are working on an unpaid, pro bono basis. They are people like Kimball Anderson, 71, a commercial trial lawyer and partner at the Loop firm Winston & Strawn who encountered his first migrant camp by accident as he approached the 12th District police station on the Near West Side a few months ago. “I was dressed like a lawyer, and the migrants recognized that and crowded around me looking for assistance,” Anderson, who does not speak Spanish, says. “It became obvious to me they were living on the street and were truly desperate for help.” * Daily Herald | Mount Prospect asks court to shut down factory amid ongoing odor complaints: Fed up with odors that have been drawing complaints from neighbors for years, Mount Prospect is moving to shut down a local animal feed producer until it resolves its olfactory issues. Mount Prospect and Prestige Feed Products have been involved in months of litigation, with the company attempting to prevent the village from shuttering its operations at 431 Lakeview Court. * Daily Herald | Buffalo Grove approves plan for Tesla, apartments on Rohrman site, leaving some unhappy: In addition to the Tesla sales and service center, the Shorewood Development Group and Double Eagle Development plans a 224-unit apartment building and 30,000 to 40,000 square feet of retail space on the 16-acre site at 915-945 Dundee Road. Residents who live south of the property told the village board Monday they support the development, but the apartment building, proposed to sit 79 feet from their property lines, is too close to their homes and would cost them their privacy.
|
|
Live Ed Burke Trial Coverage
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of a lagtime and you have to refresh the page every now and then. The service we’re using may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees. You can still click here to follow the Ed Burke trial on Twitter. Posts without a Twitter author name below them are from online news sources via Bing…
Comments Off |
|
Live coverage
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Live coverage is back, sorta. This will be different than the old Scribble Live feed because Twitter broke itself and almost everything else it touched. These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of posting lagtime, but it’s much better than nothing. We are also limited to just 20 Twitter sources. The service may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees about this. You can still click here or here to follow breaking news the way we’ve done since Twitter stopped Scribble Live from working…
Comments Off |
| « NEWER POSTS | PREVIOUS POSTS » |
