Afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Tim Mapes trial…
…[Defense attorney Katie Hill] stepped up to speak on Mapes’ behalf. She told jurors to imagine being forced to take a pop quiz on their way into their high school reunion.
“The test is full of questions about your life from that time period,” Hill said. “Who was elected class president your junior year? What was the name of that guy your best friend had a crush on when you were a freshman? What color was the corsage you wore to prom?”
Hill later turned to the reputations Madigan and McClain had in Springfield — where people assumed McClain spoke for Madigan. But she said Madigan was not “free-flowing” with information. And when information is not free-flowing, she said, “folklore takes its place.”
But for someone like Mapes, she said, “there was no need to rely on folklore or common knowledge.”
Hill said someone like Mapes, with rare direct access to Madigan, “would not have considered what McClain said to be the gospel truth about what Madigan actually said or wanted.”
More…
According to Hill, Mapes did his “level best” to inform the grand jury about his relationships with Madigan and McClain. She claimed he was only charged because in seven questions out of some 500 he was asked, Mapes gave “answers the government did not like.”
More…
Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur contended Mapes “perverted” the grand jury process and “jeopardized” the corruption investigation against Madigan with “false testimony.”
“The defendant lied. Not just once but again and again and again, to prevent the grand jury from finding out” about Madigan’s actions.
* Not going well, particularly for the Belvidere workers…
UAW President Shawn Fain on Tuesday criticized early bargaining proposals from Stellantis as a “slap in the face” to members before throwing a copy of the document in a trash can during a livestream on Facebook.
Fain, who last week detailed the union’s “audacious and ambitious” economic demands, including more than 40 percent raises, said the response from Stellantis doesn’t address the union’s concerns. The two sides started bargaining last month on contracts that expire Sept. 14. […]
The company, Fain said, is seeking cuts to medical coverage, threatening profit-sharing payouts, refusing to reopen the idled Belvidere Assembly Plant and insisting on keeping a two-tier wage system.
* The Washington Post took a look at the costs of recharging electric vehicles as opposed to filling up with gas…
The bottom line? In all 50 states, it’s cheaper for the everyday American to fill up with electrons — and much cheaper in some regions such as the Pacific Northwest, with low electricity rates and high gas prices.
Illinois finished in the top ten for average savings…
* Shades of Gov. Abbott in the SJ-R…
That frustration was also voiced by Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette who detailed how recently a neighboring law enforcement agency drove a homeless individual from their community to Springfield to drop that person off.
“That person is now a consumer of our health system, is now a consumer of our social service system, is now a consumer of the mental health system,” Scarlette said. “People are bringing homeless individuals into our community because they think this is where the services exist.”
* Press release…
In a year that saw exponential growth in the youth in agriculture movement, the Illinois State Fair, along with Governor JB Pritzker, announced that the Illinois State FFA Officers will serve as Grand Marshals for the annual Twilight Parade.
Since Governor Pritzker announced in 2022 that every student in the state of Illinois taking an agriculture class would have their FFA dues paid, FFA membership increased from 23,000 to over 41,000 members strong. Additionally, 5,500 students not enrolled in agricultural education courses joined FFA, demonstrating an appreciation of the value of the organization. […]
The Grand Marshals are as follows:
President Thaddeus Bergschneider- Franklin FFA
Vice President Eric Wisely- Nashville FFA
Reporter Cooper Nelson- Canton FFA
Secretary Riley Kessler- Staunton FFA
Treasurer Benjamin Bremmer- Pearl City FFA
* Northwestern’s sports culture ain’t ready for reform…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* WBEZ | Researchers say tens of thousands in Cook County have a high risk of flooding: Roughly 172,000 properties in Cook County have a high risk of flooding — about eight times more than what FEMA’s maps show, according to First Street’s assessment. In the city of Chicago, roughly 79,000 properties are at high risk, according to First Street. That’s more than 50 times higher than the number of high-risk Chicago properties indicated in FEMA’s maps.
* Sun-Times | ‘We’ll protect the boss’: Perjury trial kicks off for Madigan’s chief of staff, but defense says no evidence he lied: “Tim Mapes did not lie in the grand jury,” defense attorney Katie Hill argued as Mapes’ perjury trial began in earnest. “He did not attempt to obstruct justice.” And, she said, the trial jury he now faces will not hear any direct evidence that Mapes knew and remembered the things he was asked about before the grand jury March 31, 2021.
* WTTW | ‘The Defendant Always Tries to Defend the Boss’: Opening Statements Underway in Perjury Trial of Ex-Madigan Chief of Staff Tim Mapes: MacArthur said Mapes spent his entire professional career working for Madigan — whom she repeatedly referred to as “the boss” — describing him as the former speaker’s “right hand man, the gatekeeper, the person who kept the trains running on time.”
* Tribune | Tim Mapes perjury trial opens in earnest with clash over alleged lies in sprawling federal probe: Hill maintained Mapes was “limited to what he actually knows” and an appearance before a grand jury “is not the time to start making assumptions, not the time to start guessing.” And while McClain might have told Mapes directly at times about orders he got from Madigan, Mapes knew that McClain was prone to exaggerating, Hill said.
* SJ-R | Helping Hands will most likely open shelter on Dirksen after New Year’s: As members of the city council took up consideration of an ordinance dealing with already-budgeted funds to deal with the city’s homelessness issue, Ward 3 Ald. Roy Williams Jr. raised a question of whether the issue had worsened in the city.
* Business Wire | ComEd Announces New Programs to Accelerate Adoption of EVs Across Northern Illinois: ComEd today joined with regional and municipal leaders to unveil its latest programs designed to accelerate the adoption of electrified technologies, including electric vehicles (EVs), in northern Illinois. As part of ComEd’s $231 million investment in new customer programs geared toward removing barriers to electrification, ComEd today announced a new EV Charging Delivery Rate option to incentivize the buildout of an expanded network of EV charging infrastructure to meet a growing need in the northern Illinois region.
* Daily Southtown | Thornton administrator says help may be coming to alleviate stench from quarry reservoir: But Beckman said the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is now taking a proactive approach to address the odor concerns. “They’ve been talking to us about different operational procedures to try to control it, but I think they finally realized they have to do more than that,” Beckman said. “They finally started investing some money.”
* Block Club | Walter Payton Grad’s Study Finds ‘Adequate’ But Not ‘Equitable’ Internet Access At 6 CPS Schools: But only 13 percent of tests run at the schools met the federal long-term benchmark, which is 1 megabit per second for every person in the school. None of the tests met a national tech directors association’s goal for large districts like Chicago Public Schools, which is 1.4 megabits per second per person.
* Block Club | Police Are Launching A Nightlife Patrol In The West Loop And West Town: The new unit will consist of six officers and one sergeant, all focusing on criminal activity along entertainment strips. Several focus areas include Greektown, parts of Taylor Street, the University of Illinois Chicago and part of Division Street, said Sgt. Mike Karczewski, business, licensing, and special events supervisor for the 12th District.
* Bond Buyer | On Yvette Shields, and the Hall of Fame: I first want to make it clear that this is not a decision we came to lightly, impulsively, or emotionally. Our intention with this Hall of Fame has been to celebrate those individuals who, over the course of their life’s work, have made an indelible impact on the municipal finance community. When we set that criteria, we did so intending to honor the practitioners of muni finance themselves, not necessarily fellow journalists covering the industry. But that notion began to change after Yvette’s passing.
* WGN | Elmhurst baseball team on the brink of Little League World Series: That has shown as the Elmhurst team is now just one win away from Little League World Series after an impressive season & run through the Great Lakes tournament. They’ll face Ohio for the regional championship in Whitestown, Indiana at 4 p.m. time and will be televised nationally on ESPN.
* ABC Chicago | Red Bull bringing Formula One race car to Chicago for free showrun: The Formula One grand-prix winning race car RB7 to show its speed and agility on a 2,000-foot temporary “pop-up” circuit down Madison Street and in the parking lots surrounding the United Center.
* Forbes | Chicago’s 30 under 30: The Second City is first class when it comes to its bevy of young entrepreneurs, tech geniuses and changemakers. The inaugural 30 Under 30 Local Chicago list includes a photographer capturing the 2020 protests across the city, a duo creating a burgeoning ceramics studio and a founder streamlining composting for apartments.
* Crain’s | McDonald’s new meal celebrates its pop culture cameos — from ‘Seinfeld’ to ‘Loki’: The meal, which will be available for a limited time starting Aug. 14, is tied to the chain’s upcoming appearance in the second season of “Loki” on Disney+. The bag for the meal includes a list of TV shows, movies and songs that have also referenced McDonald’s, including “Seinfeld” and “Space Jam.” “Loki Season 2” appears last on the list, with an asterisk that clarifies, “New season streaming soon.” The season premieres Oct. 6.
* Sun-Times | Out of sriracha? Try one of these 12 Chicago-made hot sauces: Even now, a 28-ounce bottle of Huy Fong sriracha was spotted selling on Amazon for $24.99, down from $29.99. On eBay, you can still find sellers listing sriracha packets, possibly a hangover from the height of the pandemic-driven hoarding mania.
* NYT | This Is a Reminder That You’re Probably Oversharing on Venmo: The snooping works the other way around, too. Even if you seldom use Venmo today, the app is most likely leaking sensitive information about you to the general public. How do I know? I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I recently discovered that my contacts list, which includes the names of people in my phone book, was published on Venmo for anyone using the app to see.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Last night…
* From Gov. Pritzker’s press conference today…
Q: Last night, voters in Ohio rejected a measure which would have made it more difficult for them to amend the constitution. You sent a tweet that it is a massive win for democracy. However, Ohio makes it a lot easier than Illinois does for citizens [scrambled audio about passing constitutional questions]. Would you support a change to the Illinois Constitution to make it more easy for Illinois citizens to make similar changes like they currently do in Ohio [simple majority]?
Pritzker: What went on in Ohio, leading up to the vote last night was solely an effort to stop pro-choice forces from passing an amendment to their constitution, that’s all it was about. That’s all it was about. It was masquerading as we need to make it harder or, you know, raise the bar for putting an amendment into our Constitution. But it only grew out of the fact that they had already put together the petitions to get it on the ballot, to change the constitution to make Ohio a pro-choice state. So entirely, that’s what that was about. And I’m proud to have supported the Vote No, that’s the side that supported choice. And it was a resounding victory, as you saw in 2022 in so many places around the country, a resounding victory for those of us who are pro-choice and for the people who live in those states who just want to preserve their reproductive freedom. So I was pleased with the outcome.
You’re asking about whether Illinois should change. We have a 60 percent threshold here. We’ve had amendments pass and fail in Illinois. And I think I wouldn’t change what we’re doing here in Illinois.
But I’m just saying what you saw last night was really about choice. That’s all it was. And you also heard Republicans who are backing that, saying last night that they intend to bring their referendum back, to make it hard for people to change the constitution. Maybe they will. But by that time, Ohio would have put into its constitution a restoration of a woman’s right to choose.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
The Illinois Constitution allows the General Assembly, with three-fifth majorities, to put constitutional amendments on the ballot. Those questions must be approved “by either three-fifths of those voting on the question or a majority of those voting in the election.”
* The Question: Should Illinois lower its constitutional amendment threshold to simple majorities of those who vote on the question? Make sure to explain your answer. We’re not going to tackle the legislative aspect of this today. So please just stick to the question at hand. Thanks.
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Meanwhile… In Opposite Land
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Prepare yourself for a lot of Florida…
After Florida adopted its Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking standards in 2020, the Department of Education distributed recommended reading lists it said included “top of the line literary works with world renowned titles.”
Authors on the high school list included William Shakespeare.
Three years later, some Florida school districts are shying away from Shakespeare, along with other classic and popular materials. They say they’re attempting to comply with new state law restricting books with and instruction about sexual content.
Hillsborough County became the latest to take this step, telling teachers they could assign excerpts of plays such as “Romeo and Juliet,” but not the full text.
* More from Florida…
To comply with state law, a major Florida school district has issued guidance that will bar transgender employees from sharing their preferred pronouns and force trans students and staff members to use group restrooms that follow their “biological sex at birth.”
Orange County Public Schools — the fourth-largest district in Florida, with about 209,000 students at 210 schools — released the new guidance for the 2023-24 academic year Monday. […]
As a result, transgender employees or contractors “may not provide a personal title or pronoun to students which does not correspond [to] the employee’s or contractor’s biological sex at birth,” the memo said.
The law also mandates that employees and contractors may not ask a student to provide his or her preferred personal title or pronoun, the memo said.
* Florida…
Large school districts across Florida are dropping plans to offer Advanced Placement Psychology, heeding a warning from state officials that the course’s discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity violates state law.
Eight of the 11 districts with the largest enrollments in the class are switching to alternate courses, and just one said it will stick with AP Psychology. Two others are still deciding, officials said.
The state of Florida has encouraged schools to teach the course without objectionable material about sexual orientation and gender identity. But the College Board, which runs AP, says these topics are central to the study of psychology and cannot simply be excised. Last week, the College Board said the course was “effectively banned” and advised districts not to offer it.
Further complicating the matter, a day later, Florida’s education chief told districts that his agency believes the schools can offer the course “in its entirety” but also said it should be “in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate.” The state has previously said teaching school-age students about sexual orientation and gender is inappropriate.
* Even more from the Sunshine state…
Civil rights groups asked a federal judge Tuesday to stop Florida officials from enforcing a section of a new state immigration law that criminalizes transporting someone who has entered the United States unlawfully. But the jurist denied the request immediately on a technicality.
The portion of the law known as Section 10 makes it unsafe for people to get to medical appointments, meet with family and go to work, the groups said in a motion that is part of a July lawsuit challenging the law.
“For many individual Plaintiffs, Section 10 interferes with their ability to go about their daily lives,” said the motion, which asks for a temporary injunction halting enforcement.
Almost immediately after it was filed, U.S. District Judge Roy Altman denied the request for a temporary injunction on a technicality, saying Gov. Ron DeSantis and other defendants who include prosecutors from across Florida hadn’t been properly given notice about the motion. The judge said the civil rights groups could file the request again.
* This is the last one from Florida today. I promise…
* Moving on to Nevada…
The long-simmering debate over school choice in Nevada will hit a pivotal moment Wednesday, when the state’s Interim Finance Committee decides whether to use unallocated federal money to replace dried-up funds for a private school scholarship program pushed by the Republican governor but rejected by legislative Democrats.
It’s a last-ditch effort by Gov. Joe Lombardo to pass a remnant of his landmark school choice priority in Nevada’s increasingly rare split-party government. Instead of expanding the program in both funding and eligibility, Lombardo now is looking to maintain the program at previous levels.
Lombardo originally wanted to expand eligibility and provide an additional $50 million for the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program, passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2015, that allows businesses to receive tax credits on donations that go toward the private and religious school tuitions of mostly low-income students.
With that proposal dead, Lombardo is seeking $3.2 million in unallocated federal coronavirus relief funds to maintain existing scholarships that his office says will soon run out. Lombardo’s spokesperson Elizabeth Ray said nearly 800 students could be forced to switch schools without additional funding.
* Texas…
Newly uncovered records show Texas officials ignored warnings that installing anti-migrant buoys in the Rio Grande and concertina wire along the banks violated federal law and a U.S. treaty with Mexico.
On March 29, a Texas Highway Patrol captain even asked the International Boundary Commission that controls the Rio Grande to help with a permit the city of El Paso refused to grant, to put electricity in a command trailer.
The commission declined, reminding the captain that the trailer — under a bridge in the floodplain — was on federal property without authorization.
“The State of Texas, operating through various entities, including but not limited to, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) (and its contractors) does not have authorization for its presence on the federal property that is managed, owned, and/or controlled by the United States, International Boundary and Water Commission” or USIBWC, said the April 21 response.
* Here’s a closer look at those buoys…
* Indiana…
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana says it filed a lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of a citizen journalist from South Bend, claiming Indiana’s new 25-foot “encroachment” law violated his constitutional right to observe and record the police.
The new law, which went into effect on July 1, prohibits a person from knowingly or intentionally approaching within 25 feet of a police officer after the officer has ordered them to stop. According to our sister station WTHR, it is classified as a Class C misdemeanor.
The ACLU of Indiana says the plaintiff, Donald Nicodemus, is a citizen journalist who lives in South Bend and monitors the activity of public-safety personnel — primarily the South Bend Police Department. Nicodemus regularly posts videos to his YouTube channel “Freedom 2 Film,” which has more than 24,500 subscribers as of Tuesday afternoon. […]
“The unbridled discretion given to law enforcement officers by the new 25-foot law allows for, and invites content and viewpoint-based discrimination,” said Ken Falk, legal director at the ACLU of Indiana, in a press release sent to 16 News Now. “This gives police officers unchecked authority to prohibit citizens from approaching within 25 feet of the officers to observe their actions, even if the actions of the citizens are not and will not interfere with the police.”
* Idaho…
Six university professors and two teachers’ unions are suing Idaho over a law that they say violates their First Amendment rights by criminalizing teaching and classroom discussion about pro-abortion viewpoints.
The 2021 No Public Funds for Abortion Act prohibits state contracts or transactions with abortion providers and also bans public employees from promoting abortion, counseling in favor of abortion or referring someone to abortion services. Public employees who violate the law can be charged with misuse of public funds, a felony, and be fired, fined and ordered to pay back the funds they are accused of misusing.
The law is “simultaneously sweeping and unclear” and places a “strait jacket upon the intellectual leaders” of Idaho’s public universities, the educators, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho, wrote in the lawsuit.
The case was brought by five University of Idaho professors who teach philosophy, political science, American literature and journalism, as well as a Boise State University professor of social work. Other plaintiffs include the Idaho Federation of Teachers, which represents faculty at UI, BSU and Idaho State University, and the University of Idaho Faculty Federation.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Let’s do this
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A few comments on a post about some new state laws yesterday were a hoot, particularly this one…
I don’t believe that Illinois has any need to design or adopt a new/better/different/progressive state flag. Those pushing this agenda aim to abolish history, like Lori Lightfoot removing the Christopher Columbus statues in Chicago.
“The first of these was adopted on July 6, 1915, after a campaign by Ella Park Laurence, State Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution.” This is what the leftists don’t like, pesky reminders of the people that founded this state and nation.
Hilarious.
* To the synopsis…
Establishes the Illinois Flag Commission Act. Creates the Illinois Flag Commission for the purpose of developing new State flag designs and making recommendations to the General Assembly concerning whether the current State flag ought to be replaced with a redesigned State flag. Identifies the members to be appointed to the Commission. Describes the duties of the Commission. Requires the Chair of the Commission to convene the first Commission meeting by no later than September 1, 2023. Requires the Commission to report its recommendations to the General Assembly by no later than December 3, 2024. Provides for the repeal of the Act on January 1, 2026. Effective immediately.
One of the top proponents of Senate Bill 1818 (get it?) is former Rep. Tim Butler, a Springfield Republican and hardly a leftist progressive.
* And abolish history? Here’s the flag…
Let’s see, there’s “1818″, the year Illinois became a state. “1868″ is the year Illinois adopted a new state seal, which is hardly an historically significant fact except that it’s a self-referential nod to the flag’s design…
Illinois Secretary of State Sharon Tyndale spearheaded the drive to create a third state seal for Illinois. In 1867, he asked State Senator Allen C. Fuller to introduce legislation requiring a new seal, and suggested to Fuller that the words of the state motto be reversed, from “State Sovereignty, National Union”, to “National Union, State Sovereignty”. However, the bill passed by the legislature on March 7, 1867, kept the original wording. Despite declining his suggestion, the legislature nonetheless entrusted Tyndale with designing the new seal. And Tyndale managed to (literally) twist the legislature’s intent; he kept the words in the correct order on the banner, but the banner twists, so the word “Sovereignty” is upside down, arguably making it less readable.
So, the state seal, which is on the state flag, violates legislative intent.
Lovely.
* And the design was so non-Illinois that the state actually added the word “Illinois” to the flag in 1970…
In the 1960s, Chief Petty Officer Bruce McDaniel petitioned to have the name of the state added to the flag. He noted that many of the people with whom he served during the Vietnam War did not recognize the banner. Governor Richard B. Ogilvie signed the addition to the flag into law on September 17, 1969, and the new flag, designed by Sanford (Florence) Hutchinson, became official on July 1, 1970.
* And who the heck is reminded of the founders of our country by looking at the state flag? Ella Park Lawrence was designated “Honorary State Regent of Illinois for life” for her work to pass the flag bill. But, I gotta say it, the flag she helped choose is subpar.
If you still need more convincing, here’s another commenter from yesterday…
The main reason we need a new flag is that Indiana’s flag is much better than ours, and we cannot be upstaged by Indiana.
*** UPDATE *** Rep. Dan Didech recently received an email from George Lonngren with his suggestion for a “Union State” flag…
I like that. Lonngren’s explanation…
It’s “The Union State” flag because our state is really a microcosm and representation of our nation as a whole. We are in the core of the country, we have provided greatly to its defense and preservation. We are a major portion of its breadbasket. Culturally we have strong communities of all groups large and small from all over the nation, and world. We have large cities and small rural communities. If you removed the other 49 states and just had Illinois, the American Spirit would be little diminished in Illinois’ sole contribution to our nation.
Blue Field: Illinois massive contribution to the union army during the civil war to preserve our nation
Lincoln Silhouette: The president who saw us preserve our nation, also from our state
Yellow Silhouette: For Illinois Agriculture
Stars: One for each president with strong ties to Illinois (Reagan, Grant, Lincoln, Obama).
Point being, let’s see what people can come up with.
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Unclear on the concept
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The headline, “Alderman Taylor turns thumbs down on migrants becoming cops,” tells you all you need to know about this story…
When Governor JB Pritzker signed HB 3751 into law allowing non-U.S. citizens to become police officers, it sparked a flurry of protests, especially from Alderman Jeanette Taylor (20th).
“It’s a no for me,” Taylor said. “The folks at Wadsworth (in Woodlawn) have been kicked out of their shelter. They are standing around the shelters because they are not familiar with the city.
“Your allowing people who are not familiar with our city or our laws to become law enforcement officers just doesn’t make sense,” Taylor said. “I think once they go through the immigration process and they become citizens, then yes.”
Reminded that federal law prohibits non-citizens from carrying guns, Taylor said she doesn’t understand why the bill was passed in the first place, chalking it up to politics.
“I hope this was not the reason, but I don’t support it because you are talking about people who don’t know the United States. If we know anything about policing, it has not worked in Black and brown communities,” Taylor stated.
The alderman is so frustrated over this added burden of keeping the peace between her residents and migrants, along with fighting for resources, that she placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott who continues to send busloads of migrants to Chicago.
She actually believes that asylum-seeking migrants, who are not even allowed to work, are gonna become police officers. Wow.
Also, just saying, but it might help “keep the peace” between residents and migrants if she stopped ignorantly popping off like this.
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* Press release…
Former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the Paul Simon-Jim Edgar Statesmanship Award. Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar and John Shaw, director of Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, announced White’s selection on Aug. 8.
Edgar and Shaw applauded White’s half-century of constructive, practical and principled leadership in Illinois.
White, a native of Alton, Illinois, served in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division, played baseball in the Chicago Cubs farm system and created the nationally famous Jesse White Tumbling Team for underprivileged young people.
He served in the Illinois House of Representatives, as the Cook County Recorder of Deeds and as the 37th Illinois Secretary of State. As secretary of state from 1999 to 2023, White worked for traffic safety, teen driver safety, strong DUI laws, truck safety, and enhanced organ and tissue donations.
“I first met Secretary White in the 1970s when we were both junior members of the Illinois General Assembly,” Edgar said. “Jesse has always been modest, gracious and committed to working with members of both parties to solve problems.”
“Jesse respected the people of Illinois, and they liked and respected him – and -voted for him in record numbers.”
Shaw said White’s career illustrates the value of searching for common ground and viewing everyone as potential allies and partners.
“Secretary White has been a model public servant,” Shaw said. “He has demonstrated the ability to set partisanship aside to advance the public interest.”
The annual Simon-Edgar Statesmanship Award is presented to an elected state or local government official in Illinois who has demonstrated a pattern of public service characterized by vision, courage, compassion, effectiveness, civility and bipartisanship.
The Simon-Edgar Award shines a spotlight on remarkable leadership that is taking place in our state and our communities, inspiring current and future public servants to act in the best traditions of Illinois.
Edgar, the 38th governor of Illinois, founded the Edgar Fellows Program at the University of Illinois’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Shaw is the director of SIU Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
Discuss.
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* From the Sangamon County Historical Society’s website…
Dr. Andrew McFarland, the namesake of the Andrew McFarland Mental Health Center near Springfield, directed the Illinois Hospital and Asylum for the Insane in Jacksonville in the 1850s and ’60s. Perversely, McFarland (1817-91) also helped expand the rights of people accused of mental instability – by opposing them.
McFarland’s nemesis was a Manteno woman, Elizabeth Packard (1816-97), who won national fame in the late 1800s for her efforts to reform mental treatment and the mental confinement process.
Packard was sent to the Jacksonville asylum in June 1860 – literally carried out of her house and put on a train – on the sole authority of her husband, Theophilus, a Calvinist minister. The “evidence” of her insanity was that she publicly disagreed with Theophilus on religious issues. […]
The legislature nonetheless set up a commission in 1867 to investigate Packard’s allegations against McFarland and the asylum. Among other things, the panel found McFarland had tolerated a variety of abusive treatments, including one similar to modern-day waterboarding: obstreperous patients would be wrapped in a straitjacket and dunked in a bathtub over and over, submerged each time until they nearly passed out. […]
McFarland, suffering from depression, hanged himself at Oak Lawn in 1891.
* Today, Gov. Pritzker fittingly announced that the Andrew McFarland Mental Health Center’s name would be changed to commemorate Elizabeth Packard…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announced a new name for the McFarland Mental Health Center. By executive proclamation, it is now officially the Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard Mental Health Center. On signage and in common use, it will become known simply as the Packard Mental Health Center. Located on the south side of Springfield, the psychiatric hospital employs more than 250 staff and supports over 120 patients with serious mental illness on a 24/7 basis.
“Today, we are putting a spotlight on the real hero associated with this institution, someone who in truth better expresses our proud history of positive reform and someone who changed our world for the better,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Here in Illinois, we are committed to righting the wrongs of the past wherever we can. Renaming this Center in honor of Elizabeth Packard, who founded the Anti-Insane Asylum Society and pushed multiple states to reform their laws to better recognize the rights of mental health patients, is an important step in the right direction.” […]
Best-selling author Kate Moore published The Woman They Could Not Silence about Packard in 2021. This non-fiction book tells the story of Packard’s involuntary commitment and chronicles Dr. McFarland’s role in keeping her inappropriately confined. Since the book’s release, staff and community members have questioned the appropriateness of keeping Dr. McFarland’s name on the building. In January 2023, an online petition was created, calling on the State to rename the facility.
“I am delighted for Elizabeth that this mental health center is being renamed in her honor, and I have no doubt she would be thrilled too. In her lifetime, she was denigrated and dismissed as a madwoman because she stood up for those in need, but today we honor her courageous stance and her remarkable achievements,” said Kate Moore. “It is fitting, too, that Elizabeth’s name replaces that of her tormentor and doctor, McFarland. She always warned him she was not mad, simply ahead of her time, and today, at long last, her truth is heard. Truly the woman they could not silence, Elizabeth deserves this honor deeply and I am so grateful to the Governor and the State for recognizing this very special woman.”
This renaming reflects the State’s commitment to righting the wrongs of the past, while celebrating the contributions of those who have historically been overlooked.
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Do these guys ever win?
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* By now, you’ve certainly heard about this…
Ohio abortion rights backers have a clearer path to victory in November now that voters refused to make it harder to amend the state constitution.
Those pushing for a reproductive rights amendment will only need to convince a simple majority of the electorate rather than the 60% sought by the Republican-led legislature and Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
About 57% voted against the proposal (Issue 1) to raise the threshold for future constitutional amendments after some ad campaigns emphasized the potential impact on the abortion question to come in the fall election. The initiative was closely watched as the latest evidence of the extent to which abortion is an issue that animates voters and gets them to the polls.
* Ohio Capital Journal…
The yes campaign committee, Protect Our Constitution, raised a little more than $4.85 million according to its filing. Nearly all of it came from a single individual who lives out of state.
Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein donated a total of $4 million to the committee. The right-wing megadonor owns the Uline shipping and office supply company, and his grandfather and great-grandfather ran Schlitz brewing.
* The Uihlein crew also appears to have done its usual schtick, adding to the boss’ direct spending by pushing fake news…
Some of the messaging from the outside groups has been deceptive. A fake newspaper distributed throughout the state has spread misleading claims about the opposition while conspiracy theorists hosted a get-out-the-vote event. […]
But a closer look revealed the mailer was far from unbiased journalism. The articles emphasized prominent elected Republicans who supported Issue 1, while stereotyping the opposition as communists, Black Lives Matter supporters and LGBTQ+ allies. […]
An internet search for The Buckeye Reporter reveals it is one of more than a thousand pseudo-local news outlets created by an Illinois-based network known as Metric Media or Pipeline Media, which churns out content promoting Republican candidates and ballot issues across the country.
A Chicago return address on the mailer matches the business address of Pipeline Media, according to state filing documents.
* You remember these folks, and so does Pearson…
* Earlier this week, Marcus Gilmer at Crain’s noted that Uihlein is backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid. The closing paragraph was about DeSantis, but could’ve also been about the Ohio effort…
Ahead of last year’s midterm elections, Richard Uihlein donated millions to candidates up and down the Illinois ballot, including GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey. And given what happened to Bailey — not to mention Walker and Cruz in 2016 — there’s reason to think that this could just be more money sunk into a candidate destined to fall short.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s up! Keep it related to Illinois please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Sun-Times | Jury of 6 men, 6 women selected as perjury trial gets underway for ex-top aide to Madigan: Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Schwartz has signaled one witness will likely be former state Rep. Greg Harris, who was secretly recorded by the FBI speaking with a longtime Madigan ally about becoming majority leader.
* WTTW | Illinois Lawmakers Look to Address Domestic Violence Rise With Laws to Help Survivors: “Illinois is one of the best funded states for domestic violence services. In this year’s budget we allocated $70 million,” said state Rep. Joyce Mason (D-Gurnee). “We also have one of the most comprehensive Domestic Violence Acts. So, we stack up very well compared to other states — but that doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of work still to be done and so many victims who need better protection and services.”
* WGFA | Ducat to seek 53rd Senate seat: Ducat is currently the Vice-Chair of the Iroquois County Board. He’s held several positions at the county level. He’s chairman of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) committee, which came about thru the Federal government plan to distribute recovery monies from the COVID pandemic. ARPA is filtering federal dollars to help agencies and people recover from the economic burdens brought on from the pandemic.
* Tribune | Metra took its board members on a train ride to a monthly meeting. It cost the agency more than $10,000: Board members and Metra executives made the journey in an observation car lent by BNSF Railway. Attendees had coffee and breakfast available during the train ride, and lunch after the board meeting. Shuttle vans were provided to take the board members from the Joliet train station to the meeting at the Will County Office Building. All told, records show the outing cost Metra at least $10,836.
* NBC Chicago | Cook County improperly used nearly $240 million in transportation funds for other projects: The legal battle has been raging for years after the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association filed a lawsuit, along with numerous other groups, arguing that Cook County was violating the language of the “Illinois Transportation taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment,” which was overwhelmingly supported by voters in the 2016 election.
* Fox 2 | This Metro East school district serves 93 students, but costs $3M to operate: The Venice School District runs only one school building, caters to exactly 93 kids, and costs $3 million per year. On top of that, district leadership received state funds to build a brand-new school for the kids, to the tune of $26 million.
* Crain’s | Wilmette officials unanimously oppose Northwestern’s Ryan Field proposal: In a unanimous vote late Tuesday night, Wilmette’s board passed a resolution outlining its concerns over the addition of up to 10 concerts at the stadium, citing increased traffic and parking issues, noise pollution and potential public safety effects.
* Chicago Mag | As companies flee big headquarters and office parks, suburbs are scrambling to reinvent those spaces — and themselves: One popular option for filling these vacancies: companies acquiring, demolishing, and replacing office campuses and towers with multibuilding logistics hubs that will rival Amazon’s 200-acre distribution center in Kenosha, Wisconsin. That metamorphosis is underway at Allstate’s former 232-acre site (since annexed by Glenview), which sold last year to a Nevada investor group for about $232 million. The insurance giant’s home since 1967 is becoming a 10-building trucking and warehousing complex.
* Sun-Times | Chicago’s ‘bikeability’ is behind the curve in recent cycling studies: Compared to the average of the 50 cities, Chicago had fewer fatal crashes, more bike-share docking stations, a higher percentage of bike commuters and a bikeability score of 72 out of 100. But the city fell short of having enough trails, bike shops and bike rental places per 100,000 people.
* Grist | On Chicago’s South Side, neighbors fight to keep Lake Michigan at bay: Lake Michigan has long tried to take back the land on its shores. But climate change has increased the amount of ground lost to increasingly variable lake levels and ever more intense storms. What was once a tedious but manageable issue is now a crisis. The problem became particularly acute in early 2020 when a storm wreaked havoc on the neighborhood, severely damaging homes, flooding streets, and spurring neighbors to demand that City Hall support a $5 million plan to hold back the water.
* USA Today | Supreme Court backs Biden’s tougher federal rules on untraceable ‘ghost guns’ for now: A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday backed a Biden administration effort to regulate “ghost guns,” temporarily allowing the government to require manufacturers of the untraceable weapon kits to conduct background checks on customers and mark their products with serial numbers.
* AP | Voters in Ohio reject GOP-backed proposal that would have made it tougher to protect abortion rights: The defeat of Issue 1 keeps in place a simple majority threshold for passing future constitutional amendments, rather than the 60% supermajority that was proposed. Its supporters said the higher bar would protect the state’s foundational document from outside interest groups.
* Sun-Times | Obama Foundation, fueled by two mega-donors, has record fundraising year in 2022: The Obama Foundation compensation package for its chief executive, Valerie Jarrett, jumped to $754,064, in 2022, up from $592,905 in 2021.
* Bloomberg | Rivian’s software chief vows big upgrades in surprise visit on earnings call: Rivian Automotive Inc.’s head of software made a surprise appearance on the EV maker’s Tuesday call with analysts, promising upgrades ranging from adaptive tracking of battery range to “drone mode” operation using augmented reality.
* NBC Chicago | Sorry, sunshine lovers: Tuesday marks milestone in Chicago’s march toward winter: By the end of August, the sun will be setting before 7:30 p.m. each night, and the city of Chicago will be down to just over 13 hours of daily sunlight.
* Tribune | Can you eat a dish from every nation on Earth without leaving Chicago? This TikTok influencer is trying: Since January, he has been posting videos of himself on TikTok eating those meals. He uses the tag @BoredinChicago, though considering the work and prickly issues he must navigate to accomplish his goal, he may be the least bored person in the city. His videos, which are posted alphabetically by nation and only now moving into the F’s, have drawn an average of 100,000 viewers per post. What started as a personal project has become decidedly public.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ScribbleLive is still down. Twitter has stopped allowing people to embed list feeds on websites. So, click here or here to follow breaking news. You can click here to follow the Tim Mapes trial.
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