Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Carbon capture and storage, or “CCS,” is a technology that captures carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at their source and stores them deep underground. CCS is a proven and safe process and the Illinois State Geologic Survey has confirmed that our state’s geology is perfectly suited for this technology. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) enforces federal requirements to regulate the safety of the pipelines that will support CCS.

In addition to delivering a cleaner environment, CCS will generate $3.3 billion in value for the region and could spur 14,440 jobs. Now is the time to bring carbon capture technology and its environmental and economic benefits to Illinois. Policymakers must pass legislation to advance CCS and bring this opportunity to Illinois.

Learn more about the CCS opportunity in Illinois.

Comments Off

Afternoon roundup

Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From the FBI yesterday…

The FBI’s crime statistics estimates for 2022 show that national violent crime decreased an estimated 1.7% in 2022 compared to 2021 estimates:

• Murder and non-negligent manslaughter recorded a 2022 estimated nationwide decrease of 6.1% compared to the previous year.
• In 2022, the estimated number of offenses in the revised rape category saw an estimated 5.4% decrease.
• Aggravated assault in 2022 decreased an estimated 1.1% in 2022.
• Robbery showed an estimated increase of 1.3% nationally.

Click the pic for the entire graph, but this is the rate per 100,000 people, by year, with Illinois in blue and national rate in grey…

That’s quite a steep drop-off compared to the national numbers (287 vs. 381 per 100,000 last year)

* Illinois Policy Institute…

Illinois Policy Institute polling found 60% of Illinois voters would not support Gov. J.B. Pritzker in seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2024.

The Lincoln Poll found 60% don’t want Pritzker to run for president, 28% do and 12% were unsure. The survey of 800 registered Illinois voters from Sept. 20-24 was conducted by Echelon Insights for the Illinois Policy Institute.

No reasons were given for why they don’t want him to run, but Biden is running, so the question is moot. The poll also found Pritzker’s job approval was at 48-47. It also found that 68 percent of Republican voters and 69 percent of Republican-leaning voters oppose vote-by-mail for elections in Illinois. Just 13 percent in both GOP categories strongly support mail-in voting. 89 percent of Democrats and 87 percent of Democratic-leaners support mail-in voting, while 7 and 9 percent, respectively, strongly oppose.

* The video is here. Press release…

llinois Secretary of State employees will begin sporting brand new navy-blue vests at all 138 DMV facilities statewide as part of a rebranding effort aimed at improving the overall customer experience, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced today.

As part of the announcement, Giannoulias’ office released a video displaying the new vests, which were union made in Illinois, that the more than 1,800 DMV employees started wearing today.

“The vests will make it easier for all DMV visitors to immediately identify employees as they walk in while creating a sense of professionalism and approachability that will improve customer satisfaction,” Giannoulias said. “They will also help build a sense of teamwork and enhance the workplace environment for employees.”

A few hours after sending out that press release, he sent out a fundraising email about the vests and other office improvements.

* Letter to the editor published by Crain’s…

Crain’s should spend less time falsely attacking me from afar and instead focus on the real issues important to the future of the people of Chicago.

KEN GRIFFIN
Florida

I mean, if you’re gonna leave, then leave already.

* Thoughts?…

Results! In these states, this percentage of people believe they are in the Midwest. Chew on these results while we crunch the data down to the zip code level and get granular. What parts of these Midwestern states do you think will shade less Midwestern? All input welcome pic.twitter.com/jjS16CEDLk

— MiddleWestReview (@MiddleWestRev) October 17, 2023

* Heh…

* Background is here. I’ll finish with an animal story. Firefighters rescued a python yesterday during a fire at Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington…

* Isabel’s roundup…

IPM | The Piatt County Board, with reluctance, approves the county’s first wind farm:

* WGEM | Agriculture Secretary visits Illinois, discusses sustainable farming: The U.S. has lost about 438,000 farms since 1981, according to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Stemming that tide was the main topic of conversation during his visit to a Kankakee County farm Monday. Vilsack spoke about agriculture’s struggles and what’s being done to make things better.

* Herald-Whig | Illinois-led project to sequence soybean genomes, improve future crops: An ambitious effort led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the U.S. department of Energy Joint Genome Institute will sequence 400 soybean genomes to develop a “pangemone” — an attempt to characterize all the useful diversity in the genome to create an even more robust and resilient crop.

* Journal Star | ‘What is in the food’: Peoria native creates documentary that explores farming methods: With the goal of demystifying organic agriculture, “Organic Rising” presents the two main forms of agriculture used in the U.S. and shows how truly different they are. The documentary delves into how agricultural practices impact both human health and the environment, and also explains the USDA organic regulatory process. Ultimately, the film aims to help consumers make informed choices to support a robust agricultural future.

* Shaw Local | First American Bank fires Kane County as banking customer, citing security concerns: Kane County’s primary bank, with more than $40 million on deposit, fired the county as a customer, warning Treasurer Chris Lauzen he has until Nov. 30 to find a new bank, according to an Oct. 6. letter. The letter, from First American Bank, follows an earlier letter on Aug. 24 from bank officials that cited concerns with the county’s banking activities

* Crain’s | Even with affordability shrinking, Chicago remains cheaper than most big cities: A buyer would need a household income of about $91,400 to afford that median-priced home in the Chicago area in August, according to a new report from Redfin, the online real estate marketplace. That’s the second-lowest income needed among the 10 largest U.S. metro areas. Only Philadelphians need a lower income — $75,003.

* WBEZ | Here’s a look at how Toni Preckwinkle plans to improve the Forest Preserves next year: Toni Preckwinkle, who doubles as president of the district and Cook County boards, is pitching a proposed nearly $189 million budget for next year. That’s $6.6 million or nearly 4% more than this year’s budget. (For comparison, Preckwinkle is pitching a $9 billion budget for Cook County government.)

* Sun-Times | Second-installment property tax bills in Cook County due Dec. 1: Cook County tax bills are sent twice a year. The first installment is typically due in March. In past years the second installment has been due in August, but bills were delayed this year and last year. Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi blamed the holdup on a lengthy assessment process and a computer system upgrade.

* WTHI | Illinois students can show off their creativity in a state-wide art contest: The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the State Board of Education are sponsoring the competition. The theme is “I Wonder…”

* WCIA | African cat owner asks for public attention and safety in Decatur search: Christopher Solomon bought the big cat in September and two weeks later it got out. He said after a week or so of it missing, he thought it was dead, but hearing about his pet’s sightings throughout Decatur reignited his hope and concern.

* NBC Chicago | Bird migration 2023: When flyovers peak, and how many birds have crossed Illinois: According to the latest figures from BirdCast, nearly 8.5 million birds crossed Illinois between Monday night and Tuesday morning. At the peak of the migration, more than 13.5 million birds were estimated to be in flight over the state, according to BirdCast data.

* NYT | To Save Monarch Butterflies, They Had to Silence the Lawn Mowers: For the past several years, Ms. Elman, 47, has been on a quest to help save monarchs, which are under consideration for the endangered species list. She does this by preventing milkweed, which grows wild in New York City, from being razed. […] Ms. Elman first started thinking about the wild milkweed four years ago, when she began rearing monarchs in her backyard in the Bellerose neighborhood of Queens. She was collecting the eggs from plants growing along highways in nearby northern Queens, but often she found the plants reduced to stubs.

* Columbia Journalism Review | Trouble in Wyoming: When a GOP megadonor didn’t like the coverage he was getting from Wyoming’s newsrooms, he funded a new one. Now it’s pushing anti-trans talking points and climate misinformation.

* Block Club Chicago | City Plans To Spend $1.5 Million More To Fight Rats In 2024: As Chicagoans filed over 50,000 rat complaints last year, the city’s Inspector General’s office said it would audit the bureau for being ill-prepared to handle the surge in complaints and failing to exterminate rodents efficiently.

34 Comments

Question of the day

Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I’m not trying to single out one person here. It just brings up an important point. From Block Club Chicago…

Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) is facing financial consequences for instructing a city employee to ticket a vocal critic in his ward in 2019.

The Chicago Board of Ethics slapped the alderman with a $20,000 fine Monday, after ruling that Gardiner retaliated against Jefferson Park resident Pete Czosnyka.

Czosnyka, who has routinely criticized the alderman online, was hit with a $600 fine for overgrown weeds and rodents. He said his garden was not violating any city ordinances, and the city ultimately agreed with him. Block Club was first to report on the incident.

Under current state law, the alderman could pay that fine with campaign funds. But there is some ambiguity in state law. From the Illinois Supreme Court’s ruling in Byron Sigcho-Lopez vs. Illinois State Board of Elections…

Byron Sigcho-Lopez, the alderman for Chicago’s 25th Ward, filed a complaint with the Illinois State Board of Elections (Board), alleging that his predecessor’s campaign committee, the 25th Ward Regular Democratic Organization (Committee), unlawfully paid personal legal fees from campaign funds. […]

Until the General Assembly amends the statute to, for example, specifically prohibit payment from campaign funds for legal fees incurred in defense of criminal allegations against a public official or candidate, the issue requires the Board’s consideration on a case-by-case basis, applying the plain language of the applicable statutory provisions. In this case, despite the parties’ arguments regarding legal defense fees incurred as a result of public corruption allegations, the record here reveals that Solis had not been indicted on criminal charges but only that he had worked with federal investigators using his official capacity to expose public corruption. Considering the evidence before the Board, we find that the Board’s conclusion—that Solis’s legal fees amounted to a proper expenditure not prohibited as “satisfaction or repayment” of a personal debt (10 ILCS 5/9-8.10(a)(3) (West 2018)) but incurred “to defray the customary and reasonable expenses of an officeholder in connection with the performance of governmental and public service functions” (id. § 9-8.10(c))—was not clearly erroneous. Thus, we affirm the Board’s decision, finding that the complaint was not factually and legally justified.

The State Board of Elections referred me to that ruling when it responded to my question…

Yes, he could use [campaign funds] to pay the fine but someone could file a complaint about it and our board might rule otherwise. … A complaint could be filed alleging that this fine did not result from customary and reasonable expenses of governmental/public service functions. … Just as with legal fees, there is no specific [state] prohibition on paying fines.

* The Question: Should the Illinois General Assembly specifically prohibit elected officials from paying governmental ethics violation and similar fines with campaign funds, and require them to pay the fines with their own personal funds, perhaps deducted directly out of their government paychecks, or should this be left up to the State Board of Elections? Explain.

17 Comments

Read beyond the headlines

Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Crain’s…

More than 204,800 Illinoisans have lost Medicaid coverage over the last three months as the resumption of a nationwide eligibility process continues, according to data from the Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services.

* But, according to the article, almost half of those folks had other health coverage…

Of those that lost coverage, more than 86,000, or 42%, had another source of health care or liability coverage and about 14,300, or about 7%, had Medicare, HFS said.

* A large number no longer met income requirements…

Of those that lost Medicaid in August, September and October, about 62,179, or 30%, lost coverage because they were no longer eligible for Medicaid based on income requirements.

* And while 69 percent didn’t submit the required paperwork, a big chunk have filed paperwork to be reinstated…

Meanwhile, an additional 142,642, or 69%, residents were disenrolled because they did not submit required paperwork showing need for the program.

As of Oct. 6, more than 43,200, or 21%, of those who lost Medicaid over the last three months have returned redetermination paperwork to HFS, the agency said, meaning they may have the opportunity to be reinstated to the program.

It seems that many of those who didn’t submit the paperwork may have known they weren’t eligible anyway.

1 Comment

Fingers crossed

Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This likely has as much to do with the situation in the Middle East as the migrants, or maybe even more. But if it helps staunch the flow out of Venezuela, that’ll certainly help. Washington Post…

The Biden administration and the Venezuelan government of President Nicolás Maduro have agreed to a deal in which the United States would ease sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry and the authoritarian state would allow a competitive, internationally monitored presidential election next year, according to two people familiar with the breakthrough talks.

The sanctions relief is to be announced after Maduro’s government and Venezuela’s U.S.-backed opposition sign an agreement to include commitments by the socialist government to allow a freer vote in 2024, the people said. They are expected to do that during a meeting in Barbados on Tuesday with U.S. officials in attendance.

Maduro, who claimed victory in a 2018 election widely viewed as fraudulent, would agree to a process for lifting bans on opposition candidates running, one of the people said, though it is not clear how quickly that process would take place. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the talks.

The deal, which follows multiple attempts at negotiation between the Maduro government and opposition, would be the most significant progress in Venezuela’s political stalemate in years. It also suggests a willingness on behalf of the Biden administration to provide incentives to Maduro in the hopes of ensuring free and fair presidential elections in 2024.

* AP…

Mexico hosted multiple rounds of talks in 2021 and 2022. When the sides last met, in November 2022, they agreed to create a U.N.-managed fund to finance health, food and education programs for the poor while the U.S. government agreed to allow oil giant Chevron to pump Venezuelan oil.

Colombia and other countries have tried in recent months to restart negotiations between the sides, but Maduro has demanded that the U.S. drop economic sanctions and unfreeze Venezuelan funds held overseas as a condition of resuming talks.

Norway’s statement Monday said the two sides had decided to resume the dialogue “with the objective of reaching a political agreement.” […]

Earlier Monday, a U.S. official who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations said there was no “deal” between the U.S. government and Venezuela.

The official said the Biden administration supported Venezuelan-led negotiations and was prepared to provide relief from sanctions in response to concrete actions toward holding competitive elections.

* BBC…

Previous attempts at finding a way out of the political deadlock have stalled and while Mr Maduro struck an optimistic note on Monday, he provided little detail.

“We are on the verge of signing new agreements with the opposition, agreements beneficial for peace and the upcoming election,” he said, referring to presidential elections due to be held in Venezuela in 2024. […]

While the Maduro government frequently bashes the US in public, labelling it an “imperialist aggressor” and blaming it for Venezuela’s dire economic state, Mr Maduro is keen to come to an agreement with the Biden administration in order to have US sanctions on Venezuela relaxed.

The US, in turn, has a vested interest in the crisis in Venezuela easing as the dire state of the economy in the Andean country has driven more than seven million to emigrate, with many heading for the United States.

An unnamed US official told the Washington Post that the Biden administration was “prepared to provide sanctions relief in response to concrete actions toward competitive elections”.

* Reuters…

Reuters reported last week that Venezuela and the United States had progressed at their own talks in Qatar toward a deal that could allow at least one additional foreign oil firm to take Venezuelan crude oil for debt repayment if Maduro resumed negotiations with the opposition.

Maduro said late on Monday his government and the opposition would sign a deal he said would be beneficial for a 2024 election, though he offered no further details.

Sources have told Reuters the deal will include an election date in the latter half of next year and allow the participation of opposition figures currently barred from holding office, among other things. It remained unclear whether all opposition candidates would have their bans lifted. […]

The United States imposed sanctions on Venezuela to punish Maduro’s government following a 2018 election that Washington considered a sham. Since 2019, U.S. sanctions have banned PDVSA from exporting its oil to its chosen markets.

11 Comments

Ald. Walter Burnett says he’s telling commercial building owners to stop offering space to the city for migrants

Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Leigh Giangreco and Justin Laurence for Crain’s…

In September, the city entered a deal to turn a 50,000-square-foot office building at 344 N. Ogden Ave. into a temporary shelter, Crain’s reported. While the shelter would operate out of an office rather than a residential building, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency declaration allows more flexibility around zoning restrictions, according to Pacione-Zayas.

Commercial landlords have been calling the city to offer their vacant space because of the city’s ability to pay lease terms comparable to high-end office tenants even as the demand for office space has lessened. The pairing could prove beneficial to both parties as the city scrambles to find space to care for migrants in an effort to stop relying on the city’s police districts and airports. However, downtown council members like Burnett are pushing back, arguing that enough shelters have opened in his neighborhood. Of the 24 shelters in operation, at least three have opened in Burnett’s ward, including the sites at 344 N. Ogden, 1640 W. Walnut St. and 939 W. Lake St.

“We’ve got a number of vacancies in my community, and the builder-owners are asking the city and I’m telling them they can’t, there’s enough in our ward,” he said.

Thoughts?

* City’s Spending Plan For Migrants Doesn’t Add Up, Critics Say: But alderpeople during Monday’s budget hearing remained skeptical the city is allocating enough for 2024, and they worried the council will be asked to come back to approve additional funds throughout the year. Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), chair of the council’s Committee on Immigration and Refugee Rights, said the city should prepare for a “worst-case scenario” plan in case outside funding sources did not come through. “As people have been kind of mentioning almost ad nauseam, it looks like we’d run out of those funds before the year is over. I get that the answer we’re hearing is what we’re hoping that the state or the federal government are going to provide the funding and make up the gap. But hope isn’t a strategy,” Vasquez said.

* Renderings show proposed Chicago migrant base camp: There are multiple areas for housing, a few for sanitation, a central location for dining, and a spot for intake. The draft takes up almost an entire city block and borders residential homes as well as Metra tracks. The developments contradict what CBS 2 heard from Alderwoman Julia Ramirez (12th) whose office told CBS 2 she was unaware of crews working here on Monday. Ramirez’s office maintains the city only told her they’re “surveying” the area, though the Johnson administration does not need aldermanic approval to move forward with a base camp.

* Video: Camp Johnson site walk

49 Comments

Do The Right Thing – Extend The Tax Credit Scholarship

Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

If the General Assembly fails to take action to save the Tax Credit Scholarship Program, then over 9,500 students from low-income families will lose their scholarships, causing many to leave their best-fit schools.

The kids who stand to lose opportunities are 20% Black and 30% Hispanic – proportions considerably higher than demographic populations in Illinois — and 100% of these students are from families with demonstrated financial need. Additionally, 26,000 more students from low-income and working-class families sit anxiously on the waitlist hoping to receive the same opportunities as some of their peers.

This program is an investment in poverty reduction and economic acceleration, so lawmakers should do the right thing: Extend the Tax Credit Scholarship Program.

Comments Off

Open thread

Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

10 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Hundreds attended funeral of Palestinian boy, landlord detained on murder and hate crime charges. Tribune…

- Landlord, Joseph Czubam made his first court appearance Monday, where he was denied pre-trial release.

* Related stories…

∙ NYT: Muslim Boy, 6, Is Mourned After Illinois Attack Linked to Mideast War
∙ NBC Chicago: Funeral held for Illinois Muslim boy stabbed to death in Plainfield
∙ AP: Mourners in heavily Palestinian Chicago suburb remember Muslim boy killed as kind and energetic

* Isabel’s top picks…

* Tribune | Lawyers for ex-Ald. Edward Burke confirm they will call alderman turned government mole Daniel Solis as a defense witness: The announcement by Burke’s high-powered defense team comes a month after prosecutors left Solis off their witness list, saying they planned to introduce dozens of undercover audio and video recording Solis made in the bombshell investigation through other witnesses.

* NYT | Longer Commutes, Shorter Lives: The Costs of Not Investing in America: The speed at which people can get from one place to another is one of the most basic measures of a society’s sophistication. It affects economic productivity and human happiness; academic research has found that commuting makes people more unhappy than almost any other daily activity. Yet in one area of U.S. travel after another, progress has largely stopped over the past half-century.

* Crain’s | City reups contract with Jones Lang LaSalle to scout sites for migrant housing: In August 2018, the city inked a contract worth $2.3 million with JLL for site reviews, appraisals and brokerage services. That contract expired this year on Aug. 5, but was extended to 2025, spokesman Michael Grimm said in an email to Crain’s. The city’s contracting website does not list an extension and Grimm did not share further information on the cost of the contract.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

Sun-Times | War has judge mulling whether jurors should hear Burke’s comments about Jewish people at his trial next month:

* Tribune | Ald. Jim Gardiner hit with $20,000 fine for ethics violations: The Chicago Board of Ethics on Monday fined Northwest Side Ald. Jim Gardiner $20,000 after he was accused of retaliating against a constituent and vocal critic by directing city staff to issue bogus citations against the resident for overgrown weeds and rodents in September 2019.

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson announces citywide composting initiative amid promises to reopen long-shuttered Department of Environment: The city of Minneapolis reported that it diverted over 35% of its municipal waste from landfills in 2022. Just over 19% of the diverted waste was recycled and over 16% of it was composted. These numbers offer a promising outlook for Chicago’s new initiative.

* Tribune | As evictions tick back up in Cook County, new proposal aims to help renters who land in court: If the City Council passes the right to counsel ordinance, Chicago would join cities including Baltimore and New York, which have in recent years approved such legislation. Introduced Sept. 14, the proposal has been referred to the housing and real estate committee, where it is expected to be discussed in the coming months.

* Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson cancels trip to Mexico border for look at migrant crisis, will send aides instead: Beatriz Ponce de Leon, deputy mayor of immigrant, migrant and refugee rights, will lead a small delegation to four Texas cities that are the primary points of departure for migrants traveling to Chicago by bus and air: El Paso, San Antonio, McAllen and Brownsville.

* Block Club | University Of Chicago Radio Station Works To Bounce Back After Funding Cut: Two-thirds of WHPK’s funding was slashed in the spring. Station leaders secured more money directly from the dean, but are having to pivot to stay afloat, continue community events and fundraise.

* WCIA | Don’t veer for deer, IDOT and IDNR remind motorists: “While your natural instinct is to steer quickly out of the way when you see a deer, remember to not veer suddenly because you could lose control of your vehicle and swerve into another lane or off the road,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said. “Always prepare for the unexpected. A deer might stop in the middle of the road or double back. They also frequently travel in groups so when you see one there likely are others nearby.”

* AP | Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford calls on autoworkers to end strike, says company’s future is at stake: In a rare speech coming during contract talks in the company’s hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, Ford said high labor costs could limit spending on developing new vehicles and investing in factories.

* AP | GOP’s Jim Jordan is shoring up support and peeling off detractors ahead of a House speaker vote: Tuesday’s scheduled floor vote could turn into a showdown as remaining holdouts refuse to back Jordan. After a private late-night meeting at the Capitol turned into a venting session of angry Republicans, he acknowledged: “We’ve got a few more people to talk to, listen to.”