Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Background is here if you need it. Illinois Commerce Commission…
* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…
* Bloomberg…
* The Tax Foundation…
* Tribune | After prosecutors rest, defense in Madigan corruption trial calls ex-AT&T exec about deal to hire Eddie Acevedo: Defense attorneys are likely to call far fewer witnesses, but with a break next week for the Christmas holiday, it appears the defense phase of the trial will stretch into the new year. Prosecutors have indicated they will call at least one witness in rebuttal. The alleged scheme by AT&T to bribe Madigan makes up just one of the 23 counts of the indictment, but it has taken up a good portion of the last two weeks of testimony. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Illinois scholarship program aimed at getting more teachers of color faces court challenge: Now, even as advocates say more needs to be done to increase the number of teachers of color in classrooms, the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship program has become the target of a lawsuit claiming it discriminates against white students by limiting awards to Black, Latino, Asian American, and Native American students. Despite the lawsuit claims, numbers show that the majority of the teacher workforce in the state remains white and initiatives such as the scholarship program have made only a small dent in diversifying the ranks. In 2024, 80% of Illinois teachers were white, compared to 85% in 2010. Currently, about 6.4% of the teacher workforce is Black, 8.9% is Latino, and 2.2% is Asian American, according to the Illinois State Board of Education’s 2024 report card data. * Block Club | The Never-Ending Line: Migrants Wait For Benefits That Never Come: The families line up outside the state government office at North and California avenues as early as 4 every morning, several hours before it opens, to secure their spots. […] The families know the wait can be long, sometimes up to 10 hours. And they know it can be fruitless. In many cases, they leave with merely a piece of paper reminding them when they’ll have to come back. When they return, they start the process all over again. * Tribune | Martinez remains mum as alderman, advocates, call for special Board of Ed meeting to be rescheduled: Chicago Public Schools Chief Pedro Martinez didn’t address the controversy surrounding a special board of education meeting called to oust him, instead focusing on congratulating the Luther Bank Elementary School community for earning a rare designation, in being inclusive of students with disabilities as a Special Olympics Unified Champion School. Speaking in English and Spanish to a packed auditorium Thursday morning, Martinez thanked staff for their hard work and encouraged students to continue cultivating a culture of respect. “We need to be treating each other with kindness, with empathy,” he said. “Our children need our support. Our parents and family members need that support.” * Sun-Times | CTA locks down Red Line extension funding before Trump takes office: The Federal Transit Administration intends to sign an agreement that will contractually obligate the $1.9 billion in federal grants to the project, according to an announcement from Illinois’ congressional delegation. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin called the funding commitment a “significant milestone.” * Unraveled | Abusive cop named in whistleblower suit convicted of assault: A Chicago cop recently found guilty of assault is also the subject of a whistleblower lawsuit against the City of Chicago that alleges the police department failed to address his “history of violence and misconduct directed toward female colleagues.” According to an October 2023 complaint filed by an anonymous Jane Doe, first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times last year, Chicago police officer Marco Torres became intimately involved with the complainant, a fellow CPD detective, in 2022. His behavior quickly escalated to multiple instances of “aggravated assault, aggravated battery, stalking, intimidation, and criminal sexual assault,” according to attorneys representing Doe. Torres was arrested March 14 of this year on domestic battery and assault charges. * Block Club | Bally’s Casino Apologizes After Demolition Debris Spills Into Chicago River: The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, which oversees stormwater and wastewater treatment across the Chicago area, confirmed that Bally’s Chicago and the Chicago Community Builders Collective — the general contractor building the new casino — accepted responsibility for the demolition debris. “A multi-phase clean-up has been initiated by the construction company,” Fore said in an email to Block Club on Monday. “An oil boom was installed below the Chicago Avenue Bridge to collect any flowing debris, and a barge is now positioned at the site to stop additional debris from entering the river.” * Sun-Times | Sammy Sosa and Cubs begin reconciliation: A rift between the two, rooted in Sosa’s ties to the steroid era and refusal to admit that he used performance enhancing drugs, has kept Sosa out of Cubs events and away from Wrigley Field. But on Thursday, Sosa sent out a revealing statement. “There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games,” he said in part. “I never broke any laws, but in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize.” * Tribune | Are the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics ruining basketball? ‘We just have to play our generation of basketball.’: The main source of this panic is simple. Ratings are down. Fewer fans are tuning into games on television. And never mind that gate revenue and attendance remain steady — this loss of national viewership has thrown up panic flags for fans and executives alike across the league. The underlying fear behind this panic is more intense, more intimate: a sense that basketball itself is devolving into something lesser and unwanted. * Daily Herald | Does Bears GM Ryan Poles deserve to be next scapegoat? Here’s a look at his record: The first Poles draft was 2022 and he actually got off to a great start, choosing Kyler Gordon and Jaquon Brisker with his first two picks, both in the second round. Reminder: The worst Bears mistake this season was letting Brisker stay in the game after a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit against Carolina. The safety has been sidelined ever since. The rest of that draft isn’t looking great. Velus Jones is gone, Braxton Jones made an impressive rise from fifth-round pick to starting left tackle, but still doesn’t look cut out for that job. The rest of that class has one pleasant surprise in DB Elijah Hicks. * Tribune | Amazon delivery drivers in Skokie, six other facilities go on strike: ‘We’re the ones who move the packages every day’: Driver Luke Cianciotto called Amazon’s refusal to recognize the drivers as employees a “ruse.” “Everybody can see through it,” Cianciotto said. “If anybody is an Amazon worker, it’s us. We’re the ones who move the packages every day.” “I wear Amazon clothing. I deliver Amazon packages in Amazon vans to Amazon customers who order on an Amazon website,” said Ash’shura Brooks, another driver. “I just feel like it’s not right.” * Press Release | Former Head of Suburban Chicago Public Library Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Embezzling More Than $770,000: From 2009 to 2019, XAVIER MENZIES misappropriated approximately $770,715 from the library. Much of the money was initially received by the Markham library from the public library district in nearby Posen, Ill., which paid Markham for allowing Posen residents to access the library and use its services. Menzies opened bank accounts in the name of Markham Public Library and deposited checks made out to the library. He later withdrew the funds and used the money for personal expenses, including mortgage payments, ticket purchases, and auto repairs. Menzies concealed the scheme by routinely misrepresenting the library’s financial condition to the Markham Public Library’s Board of Trustees. * Sun-Times | Far-right provocateur Nicholas Fuentes appears for first hearing on battery charge: Simple battery, a Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine. Battery offenses are eligible for pretrial detention in Illinois if prosecutors ask for it and a judge makes certain findings in the case, but defendants in Illinois have the presumption of release. Fuentes, his attorney and Rose each appeared for the brief hearing via the live-streaming service Zoom before Judge Shawnte Raines-Welch at the Fourth District courthouse in Maywood. * WGN | Judge rules against Tiffany Henyard’s power grab: Judge Thaddeus Wilson said Henyard’s lawyer chose not file an answer to trustees’ complaint that she was acting beyond her authority to appoint people for key village positions without their advice and consent. The permanent injunction entered this week specifically says Ronnie Burge, Sr is restrained from “holding himself out at the Village Police Chief or conducting any duties.” * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin focuses on innovation, technology during fourth State of the City address of year: The mayor decided to break his State of the City address this year into quarterly speeches, each focusing on a different theme. During the speech on Wednesday, which was held at the Aurora factory and headquarters of Gripple Inc., Irvin said that Aurora has a history of innovation, such as its early adoption of electric street lights, and the city is continuing to embrace that spirit as it heads into the future. “Aurora is no longer simply the City of Lights. We are becoming a city of bytes, bandwidth and breakthroughs. We’re becoming the City of Light Speed,” he said. * WMBD | Peoria’s airport to have daily flights to Denver: United Airlines will have daily roundtrip flights to Denver that will leave at about 8:50 a.m. each day and then return 12 hours later. This will allow passengers to connect to various places out west as well as some international locations. * WCIA | ‘I think I’ve done pretty good’; Mattoon man donates 25th gallon of blood: David Myers has donated 25 gallons of blood over the last five decades. “I was trying to get my five, and then I was trying to get my ten, and 20 was my goal,” Myers said. A pint of blood can save about three lives. ImpactLife blood center in Mattoon says Myers’ 25 gallons can save about 600. * AP | California declared an emergency. How serious is bird flu?: Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed again this week that the virus poses low risk to the general public. Importantly, there are no reports of person-to-person transmission and no signs that the virus has changed to spread more easily among humans. In general, flu experts agreed with that assessment, saying it’s too soon to tell what trajectory the outbreak could take. * Popular Information | Lies, damn lies, and shoplifting statistics: But this year, the [National Retail Federation] announced it would not release its annual survey. What happened? Mary McGinty, NRF vice president of communications and public affairs, claims that “a broad study about retail shrink is no longer sufficient for capturing the key challenges and needs of the industry.” In other words, the survey did not reinforce the industry’s preferred narrative that shoplifting is a growing problem that demands an aggressive state and federal response.
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Illinois Supreme Court: Judges and attorneys can use AI tools, with limits
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Reuters…
From the court’s policy…
Click here for the fact sheet.
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Are we really doing this again?
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * A year ago, the Registrar and the Director of Research at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum voted against approving the purchase of a $15,625 flag, after it had already been bought in violation of ALPLM policy. Purchases above $2,000 must be reviewed by a collections committee in advance. One of the objections raised was the flag’s provenance. In an eerie flashback to the now-infamous Lincoln stovepipe hat, the flag’s authenticity has been challenged. More on that here. * In May, the Associated Press reported that one of the two “no” votes, Registrar Eldon Yeakel was fired by the ALPLM…
* And now we’ve learned that the Director of Research, who was the other “no” vote, was also fired…
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Madigan trial roundup: Defense calls ex-AT&T exec about deal to hire Acevedo (Updated)
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Sun-Times…
* Tribune…
…Adding… McClain rests his case…
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State spending pressures abound
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Capitol News Illinois…
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small. We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Janet, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
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Illinois education officials want lawmakers to revise student discipline, ticketing
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* From ISBE’s legislative agenda…
* Related…
* Word In Black | What Illinois’ Ticket Crackdown Means for Black Students: School-based ticketing is a growing concern nationwide, and its data has consistently shown the alarming impacts of such policies. While it’s unknown exactly how many schools or districts use the practice, it’s a particularly acute problem in Illinois. According to the Illinois Department of Education, Black students make up just 17% of the state’s public school population but account for 42% of ticketed incidents. In the 2021-22 school year, Illinois’s Black and Hispanic students received about 68% of the tickets issued at school, even though they make up about 33% of district enrollment. * Chalkbeat | Chicago to change how it flags disruptive behaviors for its youngest students: Chicago Public Schools did away with suspensions in preschool through second grade in 2014 — with one exception. A district official who oversees networks of schools can sign off on a one-day suspension in situations when school leaders fear a student presents a danger to peers and staff. In the school year before the change took effect, schools suspended students in those grades about 2,240 times, including 1,830 out-of-school suspensions. That was out of more than 5,000 times that students were flagged for misconduct under the student code of conduct that year. * USA Today | Young children misbehave. Some are kicked out of school for acting their age: An analysis by The Hechinger Report of school discipline data from 20 states found widespread use of suspensions for students of all ages for ill-defined, subjective categories of misbehavior, such as disorderly conduct, defiance and insubordination. From 2017 to 2022, state reports cited these categories as a reason for suspension or expulsion more than 2.8 million times. * Education Week | What Happened When a State Banned Suspensions for Young Students: A statewide ban on suspensions for some of the youngest learners in Maryland successfully reduced the use of the practice—but didn’t address how exclusionary discipline affects students of color or students with disabilities, researchers concluded in a recent study.
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Question of the day: Golden Horseshoe Awards
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Rich is taking the morning off, but he asked me to give out the awards today… * The 2024 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best State Agency Director goes to Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Kristin Richards…
* The 2024 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Statewide Staffer goes to Anne Caprara…
Congratulations! * On to today’s categories…
Best Statewide Officer Please explain your nominations or they won’t count. Also please nominate in both categories. Thanks! * A reminder! We’re shutting down for winter break on Friday, but there’s still time to help LSSI bring joy to children in foster care. While we won’t be here to nudge you, your support can make a world of difference. These kids have faced so much chaos in their lives. A simple gift can bring them comfort and remind them they’re cared for. Let’s spread some love and light this holiday season. Thank you for being part of this effort! Please click here and donate if you are able…
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Open thread
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?… Every child deserves a little holiday magic. Help LSSI bring joy to kids in foster care this Christmas—donate today.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller Make this Christmas special for a child in foster care—your support can bring joy and hope this holiday season. Donate now! * ICYMI: CPS board moves to oust schools CEO Pedro Martinez. WBEZ…
- Martinez has already fought off two attempts to remove him from what he has called his “dream job” at the helm of the nation’s fourth-largest school system. - Sources have said Martinez wanted to stay until at least the end of the school year. * Related stories… * Crain’s | How would Pritzker’s crackdown on delta-8 affect sales? These states’ track records offer clues.: More than a dozen states have passed laws to regulate or ban delta-8 products made from hemp, a cousin of cannabis that ordinarily contains low levels of THC, the chemical associated with marijuana’s high. In delta-8 products, the levels are concentrated to have increased potency. * Capitol News Illinois | Budget pressures could impact K-12 funding: With budget forecasters predicting flat revenue growth over the next year and continued demands for increased spending in other areas of the budget such as pension costs and health care, members of the Illinois State Board of Education were told Wednesday that they are now in a different fiscal environment. “I do not envy anybody involved in that process because it won’t be a fun time,” Eric Noggle, revenue manager of the legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, or COGFA, told the board. * Center Square | Starting Jan. 1, IL media companies must report 120 days before out-of-state sale: Senate Bill 3592 passed the Senate in April. Sponsor of the bill state Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, said it requires local media outlets looking to sell to an out-of-state buyer to provide a 120-day notice to the state and their staff. “Private equity firms are coming and buying newspapers, consolidating them until they provide very little local news content with no local journalist and sometimes those newsrooms are shut down as what happened in southern Illinois not that long ago,” Stadelman said in April. * WAND | Illinois Democratic lawmakers, advocates argue housing is a human right: Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order last week to tackle the lack of affordable housing across the state. However, some Democratic lawmakers believe the state should treat housing as a human right. Nearly one-third of Illinois households spend more than 30% of their income on housing and the state has a shortage of roughly 290,000 homes affordable for low-income families. * SJ-R | Illinois sees most significant wage drop in the country since 1935, data shows: Illinois nearly 100 years ago could boast the highest national average for an entry level hourly wage, but it is currently ranks close to last amongst other states. Coming from the top spot in 1935, Illinois now ranks 39th. Average entry level workers earn $14.06 hourly in Illinois, but in 1935 they would have earned $15.43 hourly with inflation adjustments. * Bloomberg | Chicago Faces More Fiscal Pain Even After Budget Narrowly Passes: Higher wages, pension bills and inflation are still weighing on the city as Covid-era funds used to help plug the 2025 deficit are ending. That means less cushion for future shortfalls, and the outlook for more state and federal aid is uncertain. Johnson said that he’ll keep pushing for progressive revenue like higher levies on the rich, a campaign vow that hasn’t panned out yet. * Sun-Times | Wall collapses at future Bally’s casino site sending debris into the Chicago River: Looking out her window early Saturday afternoon, Michele Berman noticed something that looked like black-mesh netting across the river, partially blocking demolition of the former Chicago Tribune’s Freedom Center printing plant. Within a couple of hours, she said, a wall collapsed, sinking the netting into the Chicago River while debris and a sizable amount of white substance dumped into the water. * ABC Chicago | Advocate investing $1B on Chicago’s South Side in new hospital at IL Quantum, Microelectronics Park: One billion dollars is going toward healthcare on the South Side of Chicago. It’s a monumental investment by Advocate Health Care, changing the lives of some of those who need it most. * Block Club | After School Matters Opening Huge Teen Center Near Cabrini-Green: After School Matters, a nonprofit that provides after-school and summer programs for CPS high school students, is overhauling a 36,000-square-foot building near the site of the former Cabrini-Green public housing projects. The renovated space, located inside a former Catholic school at 1065 N. Orleans St., will mark a significant expansion for After School Matters, allowing the organization to offer opportunities there for up to 1,500 teens annually. The facility will host classes in STEM subjects, the arts and culinary arts, as well as expanded sports programming. * WTTW | CTA Officially Secures $1.9B in Federal Funding for Red Line Extension: The 5.6-mile extension will add new stations at 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue near 116th Street, and 130th Street. In August, the transit agency’s board of directors awarded a design-build contract for the project to a coalition of firms with extensive transit experience, including work on the CTA’s ongoing Red and Purple Modernization effort on the North Side. * Sun-Times | CTA increasing bus service to pre-pandemic levels: The CTA’s winter schedule adds more weekday buses on 19 lines and additional weekend buses on six lines, the agency said Wednesday. The CTA has been increasing the frequency of its trains and buses since the COVID-19 pandemic sent ridership tumbling. The agency has struggled to hire and retain operators but has doubled its hiring efforts in the last year. * Block Club | South Side Metra Stations Get Accessible Upgrades For First Time In 100 Years: The 79th St./Chatham Metra Electric Line station resumed service Monday, over a year after closing for construction in summer 2023. The station is now equipped with ADA-accessible street-level entrances, lobbies with elevators and new stairs, deck platforms, lighting and signage, according to a news release. * Block Club | White Sox Change Stadium Name To ‘Rate Field,’ Fans Collectively Boo: “There’s apathy, more than anything,” one fan said about the anticlimactic name change. The White Sox’s naming rights deal with Chicago mortgage company Guaranteed Rate runs through 2029. * Daily Herald | ‘It does affect me’: Williams trying to deal with Bears’ losing streak: The Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, then fired head coach Matt Eberflus. Still, the team keeps losing. After Monday night’s 30-12 loss to the Vikings, Williams called this season “frustrating and encouraging.” He said he’s encouraged by the Bears’ fight. The frustrations come from, well, all the losing. * Daily Herald | ‘A big, bold undertaking’: Elgin plans to move ‘Tent City’ residents to hotel, tear down encampment: The city’s agreement with Litchfield Motel, Inc., the business operating the hotel at 1585 Dundee Ave., calls for a block of 50 rooms for four months at $65 per day for single occupancy. Provisions in the agreement will provide scaled rates for partnered individuals and those with pets. * Daily Herald | Schaumburg’s 5-year, $412.7 million capital improvement plan envisions no tax hikes: Schaumburg’s ambitious five-year, $412.7 million capital improvement plan includes replacements of village hall and the police station, renovations to two fire stations and the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts as well as extensive road maintenance, all without raising taxes. In fact, no property taxes are included among the revenue sources at all apart from eligible allocations from tax increment financing (TIF) districts. * Daily Southtown | Homer Glen Village Board race finalized with 9 candidates for 3 trustee positions: Objections were filed to nominating petitions for 15 of the 17 interested candidates who filed to run for three trustee positions. Pericles Abbasi, an attorney to Craig Carlson who objected to 14 of those petitions, withdrew the five outstanding objections to petitions from Ruben L. Pazmino, Kevin Koukol, John Hayes, Katie Surges and Kyle Surges. Because their objections were removed, they will appear on the April 1 ballot. * ABC Chicago | Teamsters union strike against Amazon to impact Skokie facility amid holiday shipping season: Workers in Skokie will be joining other amazon employees across the country in California and New York to put pressure on the company to reach a labor agreement. All of this taking place just days before Christmas. The unions said it gave Amazon a December 15 deadline to come to the bargaining table and negotiate a contract with better pay and working conditions. * WCIA | WCIA holds blood drive in memory of two former employees: For 10 years WCIA has been encouraging viewers to donate blood during our gift of life drive. It’s in honor of Robert Reese and Dave Benton. Jennifer Roscoe talked to their families this week about their legacy that lives on. We lost Robert Reese 12 years ago, and Dave Benton nine years ago. Both to cancer, both too soon. * WSIL | More than 82,000 deer harvested during Illinois firearm deer season: The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says hunters harvested a preliminary total of 82,496 deer during the seven-day 2024 Illinois firearm deer season that concluded December 8. That’s compared to 76,494 deer during the 2023 firearm season.
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Live coverage
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here to help LSSI bring Holiday joy to children in foster care. You can click here and here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Dec 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller Our LSSI fundraiser is active! So far we’ve raised over $36,000! Thank you to all those who donated! But there’s so much more Holiday joy to spread, so please give if you’re able.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller We’ve raised over $36,000 so far to help LSSI buy Christmas gifts for children in foster care—thank you! Let’s keep the holiday magic going. Donate today to bring joy to even more children in foster care.
* Bloomberg…
* WTTW…
* Tribune | After prosecutors rest, defense in Madigan corruption trial calls ex-AT&T exec about deal to hire Edward Acevedo: After 30 days of testimony over three months, prosecutors rested their case in chief Wednesday in the blockbuster public corruption trial of Michael Madigan, formerly the immensely powerful speaker of the Illinois House and leader of the state Democratic Party. Prosecutors presented about 150 wiretapped calls and undercover video recordings in the case against Madigan and his co-defendant, ex-lobbyist Michael McClain. * WGN | Prosecutors rest case in Madigan federal corruption trial: The only witness to take the stand for the defense so far is Stephen Selcke, longtime AT&T Illinois lobbyist, who testified separately for the prosecution during the trial of former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza, which ended in a hung jury. La Schiazza allegedly agreed to pay Madigan allies, including former state Rep. Edward “Eddie” Acevedo, a one-time assistant majority leader to Madigan, thousands of dollars in do-nothing contracts. * Capitol News Illinois | Feds set to rest case in Madigan trial; defense prepares to call first witnesses: Though he wouldn’t get a formal diagnosis of dementia until a few years – and one felony plea – later, former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo told FBI agents and government lawyers in a September 2019 interview that he had memory problems. Those memory issues made for confused and, at times, emotionally charged testimony this week when the government called Acevedo as one of its final witnesses in the trial of ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Prosecutors are set to rest their case Wednesday while defense attorneys gear up to call their own witnesses. * NBC Chicago | Is the DMV open in Illinois during Christmas week? What to know about holiday hours: Illinois drivers license and DMV facilities across the state will be closed for part of Christmas Week for 2024, according to the Illinois Secretary of State, as well as the week following. According to the Illinois Secretary of State’s list of state holidays, DMVs will be closed on Tuesday, Dec. 24 — Christmas Eve — and Wednesday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day. * WBEZ | How the new Chicago budget will hit your pocketbook: In all, increased fees, fines or taxes on everything from plastic bags to rideshares are expected to yield an additional $170 million in revenue for 2025 — helping to close a $982 million deficit. The hikes helped Johnson make good on a promise not to layoff or furlough city workers, or cut essential services. While his budget nixes some vacant positions from the city’s spending, no current employees will lose their jobs. * Tribune | Chicago Board of Education meeting called, schools’ chief job could be discussed: If the board were to vote to fire Martinez, it would happen in closed session. There is a motion for a closed session on the agenda to discuss the employment of CPS personnel, but it is not clear if the board’s lawyers will move to oust the district’s leader. Anything can technically be discussed in a closed session. * Block Club | Trump Wants To Deport Them. Chicago Is Scaling Back Help. Meet The Migrants Stuck In Limbo: More than two years after busloads of migrants began arriving in Chicago from the southern border, many of the new arrivals are broke, unhoused or facing eviction, prohibited from working legally and unable to return safely to their home countries — essentially stuck in limbo. Yet local government officials have scaled back resources for recent arrivals by closing shelters and ending rental assistance, citing a decline in new arrivals and budget constraints. * Crain’s | How did we get all these McMansions? UIC professor finds their origin story.: Stewart Hicks, an architecture professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, believes he’s found the birthplace of the McMansion movement. In a video he posted to YouTube Dec. 12, Hicks traces the McMansion back to the late 1950s invention of a modest metal plate made to keep roofs solid in the face of storms. “This little invention is responsible for the suburbs as we know it,” Hicks says in the video, the 139th in a series about architecture he started posting during the pandemic. Hicks, who has degrees in architecture from the University of Michigan and Princeton University, has been teaching at UIC since 2012. He’s now an associate professor of architecture and associate dean of physical resources and planning and lives in the West Loop.
* NBC Chicago | Chicago White Sox announce new ballpark name for 2025 season: The Chicago White Sox will be playing in a renamed ballpark for the 2025 season. According to an announcement from the team Tuesday, the ballpark will now be known as Rate Field beginning with the 2025 season, reflecting their sponsor’s name change that dropped the word “Guaranteed” earlier this year. * Daily Herald | Accused Highland Park parade shooter’s incriminating statements to be admitted at trial: Incriminating statements made by the man charged with fatally shooting seven people two years ago at Highland Park’s Independence Day parade can be played in court at his trial, a judge ruled Wednesday. Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti denied defense attorney’s motion to suppress the videotaped remarks Robert E. Crimo III gave to police after his arrest, rejecting arguments that his constitutional rights had been violated during questioning. * Daily Southtown | Homer Glen Village Board race finalized with 9 candidates for 3 trustee positions: Objections were filed to nominating petitions for 15 of the 17 interested candidates who filed to run for three trustee positions. Pericles Abbasi, an attorney to Craig Carlson who objected to 14 of those petitions, withdrew the five outstanding objections to petitions from Ruben L. Pazmino, Kevin Koukol, John Hayes, Katie Surges and Kyle Surges. Because their objections were removed, they will appear on the April 1 ballot. * Daily Southtown | Lawsuit seeking back rent from Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard pushed to January: Hull filed eviction papers in September, saying Henyard and Kamal Woods owe more than $3,350 in unpaid rent and late fees for the home in the 14600 block of Harvard Street. In an amended complaint filed Dec. 2, Hull now seeks more than $13,600 in rent, damages and attorney fees. The new complaint said Henyard and Woods last paid rent in August. * ABC Chicago | Supervisor Tiffany Henyard warns Thornton Township shutdown could start Wednesday: The threat of a government shutdown comes as a fifth Thornton Township meeting had to be canceled because of a lack of a quorum. The result of Trustees Carmen Carlisle and Chris Gonzalez not showing up. Their aim is to block Supervisor Tiffany Henyard from appointing someone to a vacant trustee position, who could provide tie-breaking votes. * Capitol City Now | The man with two jobs: The answer has not changed, but aldermen continue to press the question: Can Frank Lesko serve as Springfield city clerk and Sangamon County recorder simultaneously? “There’s about 26 pages from the attorney general’s office.” said corporation counsel Greg Moredock. “They will look at each individual conflict, and there has never been an opinion (dealing with the combination of) a city clerk and a county recorder.” * WJBD | Centralia City Manager announces plan to resign: “I’m going to miss you terribly, but you taught me a lot about city management, and I appreciate that,” Allen said to Smith. “You’ve taken the time, listened, and done a lot of things that I asked you to do. You have done fabulously for the city.” Smith plans to vacate the city manager position in January, and will be joining the Crain, Miller & Wernsman law firm in Centralia. * Herald & Review | Decatur council approves hiring of high-powered lobbying firm: The Decatur City Council unanimously approved a two year, $8,333-per-month contract with Mercury Public Affairs, adding to the city’s portfolio of lobbyists to push the city’s legislative agenda and fight to bring more state and federal dollars back to Soy City. * WSIL | Carbondale city leaders look to the future in their state of the city address: “I am proud of our budget,” Mayor Harvey says. “We’ve received these awards for our budget for many years.” During her speech, Harvey shared that the city has not raised its portion of property tax for several years, and talked about its work to invest in the town. * WaPo | How much abuse can a local newspaper reporter take?: On Feb. 1, Tom Lisi took a seat in Courtroom 12 of the Lancaster County Courthouse. He was looking into a possible story on how prosecutors handle criminal cases, a routine outing on his beat as county reporter for LNP/Lancaster Online, which is a daily newspaper of 70 newsroom positions in south-central Pennsylvania that shares ownership with Harrisburg-based public broadcaster WITF. After settling into his seat, Lisi received some not-so-routine attention from a deputy sheriff, who yanked the journalist from the courtroom and inquired about the topic of his reporting.
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Please, slow down and move over
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Fox Chicago…
* Meanwhile…
- Illinois launches campaign to combat teen distracted driving - Illinois State Police squad car hit while at scene of another crash in Downers Grove * Today from the Illinois State Police…
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Energy Storage Brings Cheaper Electricity, Greater Reliability
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Illinois’ economy is growing and as a result, so is electricity demand. This rising demand is projected to outpace supply, which means higher costs and the potential for reliability issues. The solution? Build more clean energy resources while lowering demand peaks. By expanding small- and large-scale energy storage and renewable energy, Illinois can ensure the economy has the electricity it needs to fuel growth. What’s more, renewable energy is low-cost while energy storage optimizes supply and demand, lowering costs for all Illinoisans. Illinois can’t make a successful transition away from expensive fossil fuel plants without enough energy storage. Support comprehensive renewable energy and energy storage policies; learn more here. https://www.solarpowersillinois.com/legislation-hb-5856
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Rep. Janet Yang Rohr filed HB5923 yesterday…
Click here for more background on Alyssa’s law. * A mobile panic alert system similar to Rep. Yang Rohr’s proposal was used during a school shooting in Georgia ABC…
* Florida passed legislation requiring panic buttons in classrooms in 2020. CNN…
In 2019, the Illinois State Board of Education reported a total of 4,231 public schools across the state. Outfitting each school with a panic button at an estimated cost of $8,000 could amount to nearly $34 million. * New York also passed legislation, though it only requires schools to consider installing the alarms…
Thoughts?
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Roundup: Federal prosecutors rest their case against Michael Madigan
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Just in…
* Sun-Times…
* Yesterday, ex-state Rep. Acevedo was back on the stand. Tribune…
* Sun-Times…
* WGN…
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Question of the day: Golden Horseshoe Awards
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * The 2024 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Do-Gooder Lobbyist goes to John Amdor…
Amdor is, indeed, an Illinois treasure. I just love the guy. John also has one of the coolest houses that you have ever seen. * The 2024 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Legislative Liaison goes to Wendy Butler…
Congratulations! * On to today’s categories…
Best Statewide Staffer Please explain your nominations or they won’t count. Also please nominate in both categories. Thanks! * We’re shutting down on Friday for the winter break. You’ll still be able to help buy Christmas presents for foster kids after then, but we won’t be around to bug you several times a day. So, please, please click here and donate whatever you can to help Lutheran Social Services of Illinois brighten a child’s life. Think of the awful chaos in these kids’ lives and the joy a simple gift could bring to their hearts. We’re not trying to solve big problems with this annual fundraiser, we’re simply hoping to alleviate some heartache. Again, please click here. Thank you.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please… We’ve raised over $35,000 to help LSSI buy Christmas gifts for children in foster care—every $25 brings us closer to making their holiday magical! Click here to donate if you are able.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: We’ve raised over $35,000 to make Christmas magical for children in foster care! Click here to donate… But with 2,530 kids to serve, we still need your help to cross the finish line. $25 buys a gift and brings joy to a child this holiday season. Let’s keep the momentum going—Christmas is just around the corner! * WTTW | Waiting for Grace: Incarcerated People Hope Pritzker Addresses More Petitions for Clemency: Zavala is one of more than 1,100 people who submitted petitions for clemency to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board in 2021 alone. He’s one of 535 that landed on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk. […] The Prisoner Review Board said just this year, Pritzker has granted only six clemency petitions. In 2023 he granted 57, and 11 in 2022. But he granted 144 in 2020 and 2021 each. * Center Square | Illinois Senate Human Rights Committee says housing is a human right: State Sen. Mike Simmons, D-Chicago, said he called for the hearing in an effort to fight for humane, clean and well-kept residential buildings while addressing the strain of increased property taxes in Illinois, the second highest in the nation. “Housing directly impacts a person’s health, ability to thrive, and generations of families just like my own, so today we aim to address the fact that housing is a human right,” said Simmons. * Sanborn Williams Consulting | IDFPR Hosts Town Hall on New Licensing Software Launch: Secretary Mario Treto opened up the town hall meeting with a pledge to be a partner with license holders, wanting to right the debacles of the past and not just start a new chapter but write a new book on the relationship between licensees and regulators. Treto’s genuine desire to improve the licensing system has already been felt by the music therapists, who have had a direct line of communication with the Department to get every glitch fixed, even something as small as a formatting issue on a pocket-sized license printout. * WREX | Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie has returned from the State of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Midwest Delegation: Representative McCombie sharing that following the delegation, the Illinois House’s next step is to successfully re-file a resolution in remembrance of October 7th. Adding that once passed, it’ll show as another form of strong support. * Covers | Revenue Plummets in Illinois Despite Record Sports Betting Handle in October: Sports betting operators’ 5.6% hold was the state’s eighth-lowest ever and down from four points year-over-year. Retail sportsbooks didn’t even produce a 4% win rate on the $36.7 million wagered in person. Mobile operators kept 5.7% of a nearly $1.41 billion handle. * WAND | Workers prepare for Illinois minimum wage increase in the new year: “So for tipped workers you know, it goes up to $9 dollars an hour. It was set at 8 dollars and 40 cents, so it goes up to nine. And, for those child workers or those under the age of 18, it will go up to $13 dollars,” explained Jason Keller, the Assistant Director for the Illinois Department of Labor. This is the 7th and final minimum wage increase, with the first one being in January of 2020. * Fox Chicago | Scott’s Law violations on the rise in Illinois, Dan Ryan and Eisenhower are ‘danger zones’: The Illinois State Police is urging drivers to follow Scott’s Law—commonly known as the Move-Over Law—after a troubling rise in crashes this year. With 25 crashes related to violations, 12 state troopers have been injured, and Chicagoland remains a hotspot for these dangerous incidents. * Tribune | Calls for CTU transparency from principals and newly elected school board members: Angel Gutierrez, who won the race for school board in the Southwest Side’s District 8, wrote a letter to Chicago Public Schools officials last Friday asking for an explanation as to why a scheduled training for newly elected school board members this week was canceled. Gutierrez urged the current seven-member appointed board “to refrain from making significant decisions until the new board — both elected and appointed — is officially seated in five weeks.” * Greg Hinz | Will Johnson learn from his budget fiasco?: Overall, this budget process was the bonehead amateur hour, be it initially proposing a $300 million property tax that was a deal breaker and not a conversation starter, moving to gut enforcement of the police department consent decree that is critical to achieving racial justice in Chicago, or trying to pass the budget tab to Chicago Public Schools, Springfield or the business community — anyone except Johnson’s labor allies, who suffered neither job nor pay cuts. * WBEZ | Chicago Film Office leader out of job at city’s cultural department: Deputy Commissioner Jonah Zeiger’s departure, which was confirmed Tuesday by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, is the latest in a series of high-profile staff changes in recent months at the department. Zeiger — who often greeted the public at events like Millennium Park’s movie series and other film festivals — is at least the fourth DCASE deputy commissioner to exit since Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Clinée Hedspeth to lead the department in March. * Crain’s | Old Post Office owner nears deal for East Loop office tower: If a sale is completed at close to that price — no guarantee, given many buyers’ struggle to secure financing today for office purchases — it would add to the list of office building sales downtown that have financially clobbered sellers over the past couple years. The COVID-19-fueled rise of remote work has combined with elevated interest rates to hammer office property values and leave landlords with few options to pay off maturing debt. The result: a Chicago central business district riddled with buildings in foreclosure and other types of financial distress. * ABC Chicago | Supervisor Tiffany Henyard threatens Thornton Township government shutdown: The threat of a shutdown comes as a Thornton Township meeting, for the fifth time in recent weeks, had to be canceled because of a lack of a quorum. It was the result of Trustees Carmen Carlisle and Chris Gonzalez not showing up. Their aim is to block Henyard from appointing someone who could provide tie-breaking votes to a vacant trustee position. * Sun-Times | Sheriff Tom Dart plans to scrap decades-old electronic monitoring program over safety concerns: More than 1,500 people are in the program, including more than 100 facing charges of murder or attempted murder. Dart says he thinks the program should be for people charged with lower-level crimes. He’s negotiating with Chief Judge Timothy Evans to handle all of the county’s electronic monitoring cases after April 1. * Naperville Sun | After decades of red, 2024 election shows DuPage County now ‘reliably blue,’ observers say: County-wide, three-term DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen was unseated by Democratic challenger Judith Lukas. Democratic incumbents prevailed in their reelection bids for circuit clerk and auditor while the Democratic candidate clinched a win in the race for recorder. On the DuPage County Board, a Democratic challenger unseated her Republican predecessor, while other Democratic incumbents held onto their seats, leaving the body with 12 Democrats, six Republicans and a Democratic chair. * Daily Herald | Des Plaines joins coalition against hate speech: Des Plaines is the latest community to join a suburban coalition against hate speech and hate crimes. The city council on Monday approved a resolution supporting the Cook County United Against Hate initiative. Championed by Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton, the organization formed nearly three years ago after antisemitic literature was left in residential driveways across northern Cook County. * Daily Herald | Authorities: Two dozen geese sickened, killed by lead pellets in suburban parks: The volunteer managed to catch one and bring it to the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center in Glen Ellyn. X-rays determined the goose had eaten lead pellets. From Nov. 15 to Dec. 7, volunteers captured sick geese nearby. Some were found in retention ditches off North Avenue in Lombard, at North Terrace Pond in Villa Park, and some at an industrial park retention pond in Addison. * Herald Whig | Quincy Park Board to consider action on Frankenhoff: Following accusations from Trent Lyons made last week as his explanation for his resignation, the Quincy Park Board will hold a special meeting on Thursday to consider action against long-time Commissioner John Frankenhoff. In his statement of resignation as a Park Board commissioner and the board’s vice president, Lyons said the motivating factor in his stepping down was what he called Frankenhoff’s “history of manipulation, bullying, harassment, and abuse.” * WCIA | Central IL volunteer fire departments facing staffing shortage issues: “The last ten years, we’ve kind of seen a trend in people not wanting to do it,” Dilley said. “The last five years, it’s become a crisis, for us at least. And I think for a lot of other departments.” He said right now they have a roster of 10 to 12 people. They’ve tried everything from recruitment videos, sending out mailers to the communities, pleading for help and brainstorming with other departments. But nothing has worked. * WCIA | 23 Central IL nursing homes, rehab facilities fined by IDPH: Almost two dozen nursing homes and rehab facilities across Central Illinois are facing fines from the IDPH for violations of both state and federal law. The Illinois Department of Public Health recently released its quarterly report for nursing home violations throughout the state. Over 300 facilities were fined between $50,000 and $500 for violations of varying severity that were found in the third quarter of the year. * WCIA | Southern Illinois organization temporarily closes meal centers after delays in reimbursements: The organization gets reimbursements through the Department on Aging, but in October, they never got paid and have used up their reserve funding. And when they do get payments, they say they’re often late. “Right now, it consistently runs about 60 plus days behind in funding,” Jessica Backs, the executive director of BCMW Community Services, said. “The program itself, on average is $50,000 to $60,000 a month to run, so it does take a big chunk of change to operate and run the program to ensure that we have staff, food, gas for the cars and so forth, insurance and things like that.” * WGLT | State grant to fund sustainable park in west Bloomington: The city said the project is a step forward in Bloomington’s commitment to environmental stewardship, public education, and residential quality of life. The grant is one of 100 park projects the state is funding with $55.2 million; 29 of the grants from the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development, or OSLAD, program will go to economically distressed communities. * WSIL | Local lawmakers team up with food pantry for free turkey giveaway: State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) and State Representative David Friess (R-Red Bud) partnered with Meridian Health Plan of Illinois and Chester Area Christian Food Pantry. On Wednesday, they handed out donated turkeys to more than 130 Randolph County residents at the food pantry’s mobile market. * SJ-R | Possible closure of Boys & Girls Clubs programs in Springfield has families in limbo: More than one parent or grandparent has said they are heartbroken that their child’s Boys & Girls Clubs of America program could be closing because of grant funding that was not able to be renewed earlier this month. Eight programs in Springfield are scheduled to end after New Years, though money raised and matched by large donor could extend the programs to reach the end of the school year. * WIFR | Rockford-area leaders support funding private school safety after Madison shooting: State Rep. Dave Vella (D-Rockford) attended Boylan Catholic High School years after a student shot his teacher in 1983. On Monday, a deadly shooting at a private Christian school in Madison, Wis., reminded him of his responsibility as a lawmaker: “to protect every child in my district.” That duty also raises a question to him: how can private schools stay as safe as public schools? * WTVO | ‘The culture is shifting’ Winnebago Co. overdose deaths plummet: The nation has experienced a decline in overdose deaths, according to the CDC, and Winnebago County is no exception. Overdose deaths in Winnebago County peaked in 2022 at 166, but as 2024 starts to wind down, there have been only 63 overdose deaths. This would be a 57.7% decrease compared to last year. * Crain’s | Marriott acquires cabins near Starved Rock as part of 2025 outdoor recreation push: Marriott International is expanding into the outdoor hospitality market through deals with Postcard Cabins and Trailborn that include the acquisition of a large network of cabins near the popular Starved Rock State Park. The two companies specialize in accommodations tailored to outdoor recreation, and the new portfolio will serve as the anchor of Marriott’s outdoor-focused collection set to launch in 2025. * Tampa Bay Times | Pinellas County approves bonds to pay for new Rays stadium: “It was unsurprising to see the Commissioners acknowledge how important the Tampa Bay Rays and our stadium development agreement are to this community and its citizens,” Rays president Matt Silverman said. “As we have made clear, the County’s delay has caused the ballpark’s completion to slide into 2029. As a result, the cost of the project has increased significantly, and we cannot absorb this increase alone. When the County and City wish to engage, we remain ready to solve this funding gap together.” * WaPo | In online drone panic, conspiracy thinking has gone mainstream: More than half of U.S. adults now get their news from social media, according to data from the Pew Research Center, and the voracious demands of the content economy often influence what’s considered newsworthy and how fast stories develop. Over the past month, as authorities have met the growing drone panic with occasional flight restrictions and scant information, online creators and communities have taken over, rushing to fill in the blanks with theories tailored to followers across the political spectrum.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here to help LSSI bring Holiday joy to children in foster care. You can click here and here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller Our LSSI fundraiser is active! So far we’ve raised over $32,000! Thank you to all those who donated! But there’s so much more Holiday joy to spread, so please give if you’re able.
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