Afternoon roundup
Monday, Jul 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Decatur Herald & Review…
Property records show that a New Jersey-based company, Rising Newco LLC, spent $1.25 million buying the Decatur manufacturing facilities of bankrupt Akorn Pharmaceuticals. […]
Rising representatives did not immediately return calls seeking comment, but documents list an address that is the same as Rising Pharmaceuticals, which markets and distributes generic prescription products and medicines. […]
The arrival of Rising would appear to be good news for the empty Akorn buildings in Decatur, which shut down suddenly in February. More than 400 employees were abruptly thrown out of work as a result of the Akorn bankruptcy filing.
* SA Foxx press release…
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx today announced the release of a public “Do Not Call List” of law enforcement officers who will not be called to give testimony under oath as a witness in criminal cases. The release of the “Do Not Call List,” is part of the State’s Attorney’s commitment to transparency and the broader modernization of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office’s (CCSAO) Brady Giglio policy which outlines the procedures that prosecutors must follow when disclosing information that could question the credibility of government witnesses.
“The culture that allowed disreputable law enforcement officers to testify in court propelled Cook County’s reputation as the wrongful conviction capital of the country,” said State’s Attorney Foxx. “Releasing our “Do Not Call List” and updating our internal policy regarding witness disclosure are necessary steps to improve the office’s prosecutorial integrity and help rebuild public trust in our criminal justice system.”
“Brady Giglio” is named after two landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases - Brady v. Maryland and United States v. Giglio. The Supreme Court’s rulings in these cases established a prosecutor’s constitutional obligation to disclose impeachment information to the defense.
The list is here.
* There’s just way too much “fittin’ to get ready” in government…
(T)here was optimism in the air two years ago when then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot brought the media to an outdoor event in North Lawndale to announce full-throated city backing for 250 new single-family homes. Intended to be priced for working-class buyers, they would be put on city-owned vacant lots, numbering about 950 in North Lawndale. […]
Lightfoot is now out of office, and Novara, highly regarded by housing advocates, is leaving her city job later this month. So how are those homes coming?
[Richard Townsell, executive director of Lawndale Christian Development Corp.] doesn’t mince words. While he said he’d like to have 200 homes started by now, only 18 are in various stages of construction, with two sold and contracts on four others. They are mostly around 16th Street and Avers Avenue and 18th Street and Sawyer Avenue.
He said the hold up is from all types of municipal red tape over the properties, even though the transfer of city-owned land should be easier than private-market dealings for parcels with liens and back taxes. […]
While he won’t blame individuals, he clearly has problems with people in top-level city jobs. “The city is spending too much time on fluffy things — issues of design and policy,” he said. “It is not built around production. It is built around policy wonk ideas, and as a result nothing gets done.”
And…
The Chicago Housing Authority has revived a long-dormant plan to build hundreds of homes on the site of the former Cabrini-Green housing project, another step in a neighborhood transformation that has been underway for more than two decades. […]
The CHA picked the project’s development team back in 2017, raising expectations that construction on the site would get underway soon. But years passed without any visible progress on the parcel — or on other vacant Cabrini-Green sites nearby, including a key property at the corner of Division and Halsted streets. […]
“It’s been over 20 years for me and Cabrini,” Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th, who represents the neighborhood, said in 2021. “I’ve been trying to encourage (the CHA) to hurry up and get started.”
* Press release…
Friends of the Chicago River and Sierra Club Illinois have served a Notice of Intent (NOI) to sue Trump International for additional violations of the federal Clean Water Act and the facility’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. For over a decade, Trump Tower Chicago has underreported the rate at which it withdraws water from the Chicago River in reports required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), resulting in an underreporting of its withdrawals by approximately 44%.
IEPA requires that flow rate data be submitted in gallons per day, but Trump International reports a gallons per minute number that it multiplies by 1,000 and labels as gallons per day. Of course, there are not 1,000 minutes in a day—the conversion should be 60 minutes per hour x 24 hours per day; there are 1,440 minutes in a day. This misreporting dates back as far as February 28, 2013.
“Trump International’s persistent and systemic misrepresentation of its flow rates and violations of the Clean Water Act cannot be allowed to continue,” said Friends of the Chicago River Executive Director Margaret Frisbie. “Friends of the Chicago River and Sierra Club are filing a second suit because the amount of intake water actually being used is much higher than Trump International reports, and the damage to fish and other aquatic life is commensurate. Trump International’s egregious mis-reporting is not in line with the significant public investments that have dramatically improved the health of the Chicago River over the past several decades, and we cannot allow Trump International to endanger that critical progress.”
* From the UK…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker continued the delegation phase of his trade mission to the United Kingdom with meetings with government and education leaders as well as a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
The Governor and President of the University of Illinois system, Dr. Timothy Killeen, met with Sir Gerry McCormac, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Stirling, and Sir Peter Mathieson, the Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh. In addition to his leadership at the University of Stirling, Sir Gerry McCormac currently serves as the international policy lead for Universities UK, a collective of 140 universities.
The Governor discussed opportunities to strengthen the transatlantic connection between post-secondary institutions in the United Kingdom and Illinois. In particular, they discussed expanding mobility of distinguished researchers and students from the United Kingdom to Illinois, allowing for increased funding for researchers in the United Kingdom and increased flow of talent to Illinois.
The day continued with a tour of the Palace of Westminster led by Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office David Rutley, followed by a private lunch at Carlton Gardens. During this meeting, the Governor and fellow delegation members discussed trade and investment between the United States and United Kingdom.
Immediately following this lunch, the Governor attended a meeting with Jane Hartley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom. In this meeting the two discussed why Illinois is an ideal location for United Kingdom companies and ways to further strengthen the United States and United Kingdom’s economic relationship.
Lastly, the Governor attended the United States Embassy Reception with the Illinois delegation, United Kingdom company executives, and representatives from the United States and United Kingdom Embassy. This reception is the kickoff to a week full of meetings with United Kingdom business and government leaders. Over the coming days, the Governor will discuss economic cooperation related to manufacturing, clean energy and technology, quantum, hospitality and real estate.
* The Kennedy family appears horrified at RFK, Jr…
Maybe Paul Vallas can run his Illinois campaign /s
…Adding… Two new tollway board members…
Melissa Neddermeyer will serve as a Director on the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.* Melissa Neddermeyer is the Sole Practitioner and Owner of Neddermeyer Law Offices and has been a practicing attorney for nearly twenty years. She serves as Village President for the Village of Willow Springs, where she has significantly lowered the Village debt, increased services to residents and numbers of community events, enhanced infrastructures and road systems, and strengthened relationships with neighboring communities. Prior to being elected Village President, she served as Village Trustee. Committed to public service and collaboration, she is an active member of the Southwest Conference of Mayors and the West Central Municipal Conference. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePaul University and a Juris Doctor from Chicago Kent College of Law.
Mark Wright will serve as a Director on the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.* Mark Wright is Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Diverse Facility Solutions (DFS). Since January 2002, he has guided the company to new heights in facility management, janitorial services, project and construction management, and consulting. Under his leadership, DFS has emerged as a prominent player in the janitorial industry. Notably, DFS stands as a minority-owned and MBE certified corporation, proudly headquartered in Chicago while operating in multiple states. Prior to his tenure at DFS, Mark was the Director of Operations at Midway Airlines’ Terminal Consortium (MATCO) from 2001 to 2003, and he played an instrumental role in the monumental $793 million-dollar Midway Airport Development Project the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission, Naperville Development Partnership (NDP), SOS Children’s Village, and the College of DuPage Foundation.
Neddermeyer replaces Alice Gallagher and Wright replaces Stephen Davis.
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* Tribune | Bribery count against ComEd dismissed three years after agreement blew Michael Madigan probe wide open: The proceedings in court Monday were a formality, since U.S. District Judge John Kness had already accepted the terms of the agreement to defer prosecution, which required ComEd paid a record $200 million fine and cooperated in the probe of its lobbying practices in Springfield.
* Labor Tribune | New Illinois law requires prevailing wage for solar project workers: Under the new law, developers who apply to the Illinois Solar for All program are required to pay the prevailing wage on solar projects that receive renewable energy credits. The law provides exemptions for residential buildings and small projects on houses of worship.
* Tribune | United Airlines agrees to give union pilots big pay raises: United Airlines and the union representing its pilots said Saturday they reached agreement on a contract that will raise pilot pay by up to 40% over four years.
* WGN | CPS center opens program for newly arrived migrant children: The center will be apart of a ‘one-stop-shop’ for recent arrivals. Children who will be attending Chicago Public Schools will be able to get language screenings, health screenings and be placed in the proper programs within Chicago Public Schools.
* Patch | Civil Rights Attorney Crump To Represent 8 Northwestern Hazing Victims: Civil rights attorney Ben Crump will represent the players and said in a news release on Sunday that he expects more players will join the suit in the coming days. The legal action is also expected to expand beyond Northwestern’s program and will, Crump said, expose “extreme and abusive hazing in other college athletic programs as well.
* Crain’s | Nonprofit hospitals more than offset the city services they get: For more than 100 years, the Illinois court system has held that nonprofit hospitals should receive property tax exemption when they provide valuable charitable and community services. Aside from life-saving medical care, in fiscal years 2021 and 2022, Chicago’s nonprofit hospitals provided more than $2.6 billion in various community benefits, including nearly $200 million in direct charity care. Most important, they provide emergency medical care to anyone who walks through their doors, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, regardless of any patient’s ability to pay.
* NPR Illinois | Forum on CO2 pipeline set for Monday night: Both sides will be represented at the hearing at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the BOS Center in downtown Springfield. Navigator Heartland Greenway will make a presentation. Also, members of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines will lay out objections and concerns.
* Crain’s | Chan Zuckerberg biohub will move to new space in Fulton Market: The bioresearch hub, which was announced in March, quickly leased 25,698 square feet in a lab building at 1375 W. Fulton St. But now it’s looking to occupy 28,200 square feet of space at 400 N. Aberdeen St.
* Block Club | West Siders Struggle With Flood Cleanup As Local Officials Say Resources Are On The Way: Neighbors said they haven’t received much help from the government yet. Local officials expect more resources will begin to trickle in in the coming weeks, including a temporary site where people can get cleaning supplies, federal funding for grants and small business loans, Rep. Ford said.
* Block Club | North Park Marines Building Could Become Migrant Shelter: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office said in a statement the building is “one of many locations” being considered as a migrant shelter but that “no official confirmation has been made regarding its activation.”
* Tribune | Chicago aims to turn Diplomat Motel into ‘healthy housing’ for homeless people — with much more than a roof overhead: The City Council is slated to vote Wednesday on the $2.9 million purchase of the Diplomat Motel. That’s where the city plans to test a new “stabilization” shelter model whose goal is to transition homeless people into permanent housing by giving them their own rooms, as well as a host of medical and casework services. Next, the property will require a special-use zoning permit and modest renovations, with the aim to start the program in the first half of next year.
* Tribune | Antioch festival’s carnival shut down after child thrown from ride, police say: A 10-year-old boy was airlifted to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge after Antioch Police and Fire departments responded to calls about the injury around 2:40 p.m., the police wrote in a news release.
* Sun-Times | Blackhawks sign Connor Bedard to entry-level contract on 18th birthday: The Hawks signed Connor Bedard on Monday — his 18th birthday — to a standard three-year entry-level contract carrying the predetermined maximum salary-cap hit of $950,000.
* Tribune | Workers launch union effort at world’s largest Starbucks, downtown Chicago’s Michigan Avenue roastery: The prospective bargaining unit includes about 230 baristas and mixologists who serve elaborate coffee-based drinks and cocktails, bakers who make pastries in-house, and operations leads who work in retail and customer service at the five-story caffeine emporium, according to the workers’ union filing.
* Eater | The Definitive Guide to Restaurants Featured in ‘The Bear’: Superdawg is one of the most iconic places to get a Chicago dog, retaining its retro style and rooftop mascots Flaurie and Maurie since 1948. The restaurant can be spotted in the montage that opens Episode 7 of Season 1 and its hot dogs and fries are seen in their signature boxes at the party in Episode 5 of Season 2. The restaurant also has an outpost in suburban Wheeling.
* Malwarebytes | Proposed Massachusetts law to ban sale of your mobile location data: As the American Civil Liberties Union Massachusetts (ACLU) notes, the buying and selling of this data is unregulated and can impact on all manner of privacy and safety issues. Domestic abusers can track ex-partners. Foreign governments can use data for intelligence and tracking purposes. Employers can track and discriminate against employees. A variety of health and abortion access situations could lead to prosecution or harassment.
* Triibe | White Sox’s 17U baseball showcase honors Chicago’s rich Negro Leagues history: The Double Duty Classic (DDC) is an annual two-day baseball developmental experience featuring more than 30 top 17U high school players from across the U.S., hosted by the Chicago White Sox. Each of the players invited to participate in this year’s DDC will receive skill evaluations from collegiate scouts and coaches, a Negro Leagues edition of viral TikTok historian Shermann Dilla Thomas’s Chicago Mahogany Bus Tour, and an invitation to play a baseball game recreating the Negro Leagues’ East-West All-Star Game at Guaranteed Rate Field. Former Negro League player Dennis Biddle will be throwing the ceremonial first pitch.
* Sun-Times | A summer crappie big enough to draw a mention of palming a basketball: Jon Reith, who caught a true surprise of an allgator gar two years ago, caught the surprise of a crappe so big that he thought it was a bass to earn Fish of the Week.
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* From last week…
City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin is poised to challenge Rep. Danny Davis in the March 2024 Democratic primary, changing her mind about not running if he seeks another term as Kina Collins announces a third try against Davis.
Davis, 81, a South Austin resident, has made it clear for months that he will be seeking another term in 2024. […]
She will show fundraising muscle in her first Federal Election Commission report, pulling in, according to a draft, $283,486 as of June 30.
The Davis campaign raised about $100,000 in the last quarter, a spokesperson said.
Conyears-Ervin did, indeed, report raising a net of $283,486, and had $240,732.82 cash on hand, with no debt.
US Rep. Davis, however, reported raising significantly less than his spokesperson told the Sun-Times. Davis reported a net $64,280 raised (including $250 from Rep. La Shawn Ford). He spent about $29K and ended with $143,076.32 cash on hand and $58,954.71 in debt. He owes close to ten grand to some political consultants, $6,500 to a pollster and about $23K to himself.
Kina Collins has not yet filed a quarterly report.
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Question of the day
Monday, Jul 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times editorial…
In 2021, Lion Electric opened an electric bus manufacturing plant in Joliet. In 2019, Rivian Automotive moved into a former Mitsubishi plant in Normal to start building electric vehicles. But Illinois needs to build on those successes if it is to become an electric vehicle manufacturing center.
To help get there, the Legislature in 2021 passed the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois Act, which provides incentives to lure companies in the electric vehicle supply chain and promote renewable energy. Another law passed last year will require new or renovated homes to have conduits to charge electric vehicles. […]
But Illinois ought to do more to boost the market for electric vehicles. In its latest budget, the state trimmed about $7.3 million from its electric vehicle rebate program, cutting it to about $12 million. In the previous year, $19.3 million was available for the rebates, which give $4,000 to customers who buy new or used EVs from licensed dealers. Demand was so high, the program ran out of money about halfway through the fiscal year.
More money should be made available for rebates, though perhaps better targeted, to avoid them going to people buying top-end models who could afford to buy electric cars without rebates.
Environmental groups estimate the EV rebate need for this fiscal year to be about $40 million, which is $28 million more than was actually appropriated.
* The Question: Should Illinois increase funding for its electric vehicle rebate program? Explain.
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* Crain’s…
Research published earlier this month by the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, found higher maternal mortality rates in Black communities, while Native American and Alaska Native people experienced a particularly rapid rise. State median mortality rates more than tripled over the last two decades.
In Chicago, Black women have a maternal mortality rate that is nearly six times higher than white women and Latina women have a maternal mortality rate that is twice as high as white women.
“The root causes of disproportionate pregnancy complications in Black women are driven by inequality, discrimination and long-standing racism deeply rooted in the U.S. healthcare system,” Dr. Jana Richards, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UChicago Medicine, wrote in an article. […]
Undergirding the disparities is the disinvestment in health care systems in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods, where the legacy of discrimination and redlining has contributed to shorter lifespans. On Chicago’s South Side, only three hospitals offer maternity care, severely limiting residents’ options. Food and housing insecurity and chronic stress also impact birth outcomes for mother and baby, as do the lack of paid maternity leave and flexible work policies.
* Women Employed Director of Advocacy and Policy Sarah Labadie…
While there are many contributing factors to a healthy pregnancy and healthy babies, we know that maternal health is improved with paid maternity leave. Numerous studies have shown that paid leave is essential for healthy moms and babies. The National Partnership for Women & Families details the staggering benefits proven in these studies, including a reduction in preterm births and decreased chances of re-hospitalization for both mothers and babies.
And still, in Illinois, 62% of workers report not being able to take even unpaid leave, either because they are not eligible or because they cannot afford it. Nationally, 62% of workers in low-wage households reported they received no pay during leave. Black and Latino workers are also more likely to lack access to leave, both paid and unpaid, than white workers. […]
In Illinois, we are continuing to push for more protections for pregnant workers. Earlier this year, Women Employed helped champion the passage of the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. The bill provides up to 40 hours of paid time off for any reason to Illinois workers. For pregnant workers, this means paid time off to attend critical prenatal appointments without having to worry about losing a paycheck.
While groundbreaking, the law only provides time for short-term needs, like dealing with a cold or a flu. It does not offer enough time for bonding with or caring for a new child. That’s why we are looking to pass the Family & Medical Leave Insurance Act in Illinois. The law would create a state-run insurance program that allows Illinois workers to use up to 18 weeks of paid, job-protected leave a year. The program would be funded by a small contribution — less than 1% of wages.
* Holistic Birth Chief Strategy Officer Callan Jaress…
I imagine many people would be shocked to hear that the Black infant mortality rate in Cook County today (11.4 per 1,000 live births) is no better than the Black infant mortality rate in Mississippi (11.2 per 1,000 live births). In fact, the Black infant mortality rate in Illinois in 2017-2019 (12.2 per 1,000) was worse than in Mississippi (11.2 per 1,000).
Critical review of the most recent Illinois Maternal Morbidity & Mortality Report (reporting on statewide data for 2016-2017) reveals that the rate of avoidable mortality amenable to health care among Black mothers (35 per 100,000 live births) exceeded that of non-Hispanic white mothers (2 per 100,000 live births) by a factor of more than 15 to 1. Put another way, if our maternal health system furnished timely and effective health care to Black mothers as well as it did for white mothers, the rate of pregnancy-related deaths due to medical conditions among Black mothers would decrease by more than 80%. […]
Licensed certified professional midwives are newly legal in Illinois. Like certified nurse midwives, licensed certified professional midwives, or CPMs, are trained and educated to international standards and capable of providing the essential components of maternal-newborn care needed by 90% of the childbearing population. And importantly, licensure as a CPM does not require a bachelor’s degree.
Chicago should install a direct-entry midwifery program within one of the City Colleges of Chicago and have a new cadre of licensed CPMs ready to go within three years. And because licensed CPMs specialize in working in out-of-hospital settings, there is no reason to exclude underinvested neighborhoods from program installation. The “capital intensive” resources necessary to support conventional health care education programming (e.g., hospital simulators) are not necessary for successful community midwifery programs.
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* More in a bit…
…Adding… Sun-Times…
A federal judge agreed Monday to dismiss the federal bribery charge against ComEd that has loomed over the utility since 2020 for its role in a scheme that helped lead to the indictment of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.
While significant, the dismissal of the criminal charge against ComEd is not surprising. Under the terms of a deferred prosecution agreement between prosecutors and the utility, the feds agreed to seek dismissal as long as ComEd held up its end of the three-year deal. […]
The dismissal means ComEd no longer faces criminal charges and will avoid conviction, while others have faced prison time as a result of the aggressive investigation that targeted Madigan. Though ComEd has admitted to the conduct at the heart of the feds’ probe, its lawyers have insisted on pleading not guilty in court. […]
Meanwhile, Madigan faces trial in April on a racketeering indictment that alleges he also participated in the illegal ComEd conduct. McClain is set to go to trial again alongside Madigan on additional charges. AT&T Illinois and its former president Paul La Schiazza, have also been charged as a result of the investigation.
*** UPDATE *** ComEd…
ComEd today issued the following statement on behalf of CEO Gil Quiniones after a federal judge dismissed the charge against the company, noting ComEd has fully complied with the deferred prosecution agreement (DPA):
“With the completion of the DPA and dismissal of the charge, ComEd remains committed, at all levels of the company, to the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior for our business, and to continuing to build the trust of our customers. And, as the state transitions to a cleaner energy future, all of our more than 6,300 employees, who work hard to keep the lights on each day, remain focused on continuing to deliver highly reliable, resilient, and increasingly clean power to more than 9 million residents across northern Illinois.”
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* From the US Environmental Protection Agency…
On January 4, 2022, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that certain state and local air pollution control agencies failed to submit State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions to appropriately address excess emissions during periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction (SSM)
Illinois is one of the states currently out of compliance and faces an August 12 deadline or risk losing federal highway funds. The state has been working at least since last year to implement new administrative rules. The issue dates back decades, but a court ruled in 2008 that the US EPA’s rules were out of compliance with federal law and, in turn, the US EPA has been telling the state EPA to change its own rules since 2015. But then the feds watered down the requirement during the Trump administration. The Biden administration, however, has renewed the push.
* All of that is explained, and more, in this Capitol News Illinois story…
Illinois faces a deadline next month to either change the way it enforces air pollution emission limits on heavy industries or face federal sanctions that could eventually result in restricted access to billions of dollars in federal highway funding. […]
If the state does not come into compliance by Aug. 12, EPA will impose what are called “offset sanctions,” meaning any new or significantly modified sources of pollution for which a permit is required will come under significantly stricter emission limits.
And if the state does not comply by Feb. 11, 2024, its access to federal highway funds will be restricted to safety projects, capital programs for public transit and a select few other categories of funding.
Those sanctions would be lifted once the U.S. EPA determines the state has submitted an acceptable new SIP.
Because of the looming deadline, the rule change has been put on a “fast track” schedule, but that has irritated industry officials who say they haven’t had enough time to submit comments or try to negotiate an agreement.
* Speaking of highway funding, while road and bridge repairs are important, they’re also quite visible, which is one reason why politicians love to tout them. Sewer and water systems, however, are in dire need of repair and are often therefore neglected by governments. This Tribune story, “Costly Deep Tunnel flooding project can’t handle Chicago area’s severe storms fueled by climate change,” by Michael Hawthorne and Adriana Pérez about the recent Chicago-area flooding is definitely worth reading in its entirety, but here are a couple of excerpts…
Flood losses in the city and suburbs cost taxpayers $1.8 billion in subsidized grants, loans and insurance payments between 2004 and 2014, according to a 2019 report from the National Academy of Sciences. Only hurricane-ravaged areas of coastal Louisiana, New York and Texas received more federal flood aid during the decade.
Scientists who study flooding say the costs likely were significantly higher.
Computer models developed by the city can track down to the block level which neighborhoods are most at risk. Like so many other societal ills, the consequences hit the poorest Chicagoans the hardest. After a major storm in 2013, city officials determined the damages were concentrated in low- and middle-income census tracts on the West and South sides, similar to where many 311 calls originated after the more recent storms.
However…
Under a legal settlement with environmental groups, the district is obligated to expand the McCook Reservoir. A neighboring hard-rock quarry will be added to the existing retention basin by 2029, increasing storage to 10 billion gallons, up from 3.5 billion gallons today.
Maybe that could be expedited?
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* AP…
A misplaced naval ship in California. Overlooked college students in New York City. Missed inmates in Texas.
These are some of the reasons why the two most populous states and the largest city in the U.S. filed last-minute requests for corrections to their 2020 census figures right before the deadline at the end of last month. California, Texas and New York City were joined by a dozen and a half other stragglers, including Illinois and New Orleans, that made down-to-the-deadline appeals over the numbers that help determine political power and the annual distribution of $2.8 trillion in federal funding.
In total, nearly 200 requests for corrections were filed by local, state and tribal governments through two programs started by the U.S. Census Bureau to give governments opportunities to have their population totals reviewed and corrected if need be.
* Full Gov. Pritzker press release…
Because of an inaccurate census count, the state of Illinois received inadequate federal funding for Medicare, affordable housing, homeland security, and a number of other essential programs. Census undercounts often disservice Black, Latino, and minority communities who have been historically underserved by federal resources, making the correct appropriation of these funds even more crucial. That’s why, in June, we submitted two requests for review of the 2020 census to the Census Bureau. Firstly, for the overall state population count, and secondly for the “group quarters” count, which focuses on nursing homes, college dorms, correctional facilities, etc. The Governor remains committed to advocating for an improved census calculation process and ensuring Illinois receives its fair share of federal funding based on an accurate count of our state’s population, which topped 13 million for the first time in history during this most recent census period.
* The administration sent two letters to the Census Bureau. Excerpt from one…
Dear Director Santos,
I am writing to request a 2020 Post-Census Group Quarter Review for the State of Illinois. Based on data collected from our correctional facilities, state-operated facilities for adults and youth, public and private nursing homes, college and university student housing, adult group homes and residential treatment centers, shelters for people experiencing homelessness and other institutional facilities*, we believe the total count for Illinois group quarter residents may be higher than what was reported in the 2020 Census counts.
My office is working with administrators across the various group quarters to finalize our tally of Illinois residents residing in these facilities in order to submit the required data for review. We intend to provide the Bureau of the Census with the information needed to consider our request in a timely manner.
Two…
Dear Director Santos,
Illinois would like to submit a request for the 2020 Census Count Question Resolution Operation. We are aware not only of the overall nearly two percent statewide undercount acknowledged by the Census Bureau, but also have been made aware by local jurisdictions of potential errors related to boundaries and housing placement.
To this end, my office would like to work with the Bureau of the Census and provide you with the information you need to review Illinois 2020 Census count and make appropriate adjustments. My office is working with subject matter experts in local and state government to gather and furnish all of the required data for your review in a timely manner.
Thoughts?
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Bailey’s Guns N’ Roses vs. Bost’s Bon Jovi
Monday, Jul 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
The last time a sitting Illinois Republican congressperson faced a real primary challenge from a non-incumbent was more than seven years ago, when then-state Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, challenged U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville. Even so, nobody really thought McCarter had much of a chance, and, as expected, he ended up losing to Shimkus by more than 20 points.
We’ve seen reapportionment-related GOP primaries between congressional incumbents — the most recent being U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis’ 2022 crushing loss to fellow U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (no relation) — but serious challenges of sitting Republican U.S. representatives are otherwise fairly rare here.
Mike Bost is now finding himself in that fairly rare territory. The four-term congressman from southern Illinois gained national renown after throwing a paper copy of an Illinois House bill into the air during an angry floor tirade against reducing public employee pensions.
Bost is now up against former state legislator Darren Bailey, who two-upped Bost by posting an online video of himself shooting a paper copy of a state budget bill with a high-powered assault rifle and then posted another video of him taking a flame-thrower to a budget bill.
Bailey is Bost-plus. He is Guns N’ Roses to Bost’s Bon Jovi. The crewcut candidate pledged undying fealty to Donald Trump on a hot, sweaty public stage when the then-president publicly endorsed him for governor last year.
He’ll run as an outsider against a career politician who has held public office for 28 years. And, just last year, well over $200 million was spent for and against Bailey in the governor’s race, some of it by the same person (Gov. J.B. Pritzker). That adds up to a whole lot of name recognition for Bailey as he enters this contest.
But Bailey is also a not great fundraiser. Bost recently claimed to have $1 million in campaign cash on hand. Bailey only raised a couple of million dollars for the 2022 general election (much of it in large contributions from his family) outside of the money he got from billionaire Richard Uihlein, who chose to spend most of his pro-Bailey money via a Dan Proft independent expenditure committee.
There were no state contribution caps in that 2022 race, but congressional contribution caps are both stringent and low, and they don’t allow family members and billionaires to dump lots of cash. Unless some rich people come in with big-time dark money, Bailey will be running a shoestring race against Bost.
Bost can also count on the National Republican Congressional Committee, which runs a well-funded incumbent protection program.
“Darren Bailey moved to a downtown Chicago penthouse to get blown out by J.B. Pritzker; now he’s back seeking another political promotion,” said NRCC spokesperson Chris Gustafson when Bailey announced against Bost. “Mike Bost is focused on delivering conservative results for Southern Illinois, and that’s why voters will re-elect him.”
Bost has also lined up about half the Republican county sheriffs in his district, plus a couple of retired sheriffs. Those folks loved Darren Bailey last year but are sticking with Bost this time around. Bost received 75% of the vote last November, compared to Bailey’s 72.5 % in the district against Pritzker. And Bost was recently endorsed by National Right to Life, which he described as “America’s oldest and largest pro-life organization.”
Bost knows how to speak to “the base,” calling out “Joe Biden and the crazy liberals in Congress,” and their “woke, radical agenda” for “causing chaos with our economy, confusion in our schools, and a crisis at our southern border,” during his reelection announcement.
Bost also said that while the district needs a fighter, “We’ve got enough show horses in Washington as it is; that’s why I remain laser focused on serving the people and delivering real results for Southern Illinois, the place I’ve proudly called home my entire life.”
Bailey did not bother delivering any results when he was in the state legislature, other than making people feel good about voting for him. But he’s extremely adept at that task, so he probably doesn’t need a whole lot of money to remain competitive. He has authentic far-right street cred coming out his ears.
Cor Strategies, which polls for Republicans, released a poll last week showing the incumbent Bost ahead of Bailey 43-37. A Bost win could help show other “work horse” conservative Republicans how to fend off “show horse” insurgents. A Bailey win would once again illustrate the party’s far-rightward lurch.
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Open thread
Monday, Jul 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Hope you all had a relaxing weekend! What’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Jul 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Daily Herald | Illinois Supreme Court expected to rule on elimination of cash bail Tuesday: Illinois Supreme Court Clerk Cynthia Grant issued a notice Friday indicating that the court expects to file its ruling at 9 a.m. Tuesday deciding a lawsuit over the constitutionality of the state’s plan to eliminate cash bail, a key element of the criminal justice reform law known as the SAFE-T Act.
* Crain’s | The Week Ahead: State Supreme Court preps SAFE-T Act cash bail ruling:Just days before that was supposed to go into effect, a Kankakee County judge ruled that the cash bail provision violated the state’s separation of powers. Because that ruling applied to only about two-thirds of Illinois counties, the Illinois Supreme Court halted the cash bail elimination so it could review the challenge and apply a final decision across all counties in Illinois. Arguments were heard in March and we’ll know the final decision Tuesday. Pritzker will receive the news while overseas, on a “trade mission” to the UK.
* News-Gazette | Human services too often inhuman for developmentally disabled: Illinois operates seven centers that are home to about 1,600 residents and run from the bottom to the top of the state. They have been the subject of roughly 200 criminal investigations into employee misconduct since 2012.
* CST Editorial Board | Bring electric vehicle manufacturing to Illinois to help spark our economy: But Illinois ought to do more to boost the market for electric vehicles. In its latest budget, the state trimmed about $7.3 million from its electric vehicle rebate program, cutting it to about $12 million. In the previous year, $19.3 million was available for the rebates, which give $4,000 to customers who buy new or used EVs from licensed dealers. Demand was so high, the program ran out of money about halfway through the fiscal year.
* Tribune | In Chicago, Vice President Kamala Harris praises Rev. Jesse Jackson as he is ‘pivoting’ from heading Rainbow/PUSH: Harris was among several Democratic politicians who gathered at the Apostolic Church of God in the Woodlawn neighborhood for Rainbow/PUSH’s annual conference to celebrate Jackson’s more than half-century of influence on civil rights and American politics. Harris called Jackson “one of America’s greatest patriots, someone who deeply believes in the promise of our country.”
* Chicago Defender | Meet Rev. Frederick Haynes III: Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Successor: Rev. Haynes III will serve as Rainbow PUSH’s new president, while Rev. Jackson transitions to an emeritus role over the organization he founded over 50 years ago. In Rev. Haynes III, Rainbow PUSH gets a pastor, social activist, educator, orator and author committed to social and economic justice.
* Sun-Times | PPP fraud suspected of 5 more Cook County workers, including woman who used money to pay for daughter’s wedding, report says: Over the past year, 20 other county workers also were suspected of defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program, accoring to interim Inspector General Steven Cyranoski. They include three high-ranking county officials, including one in the county’s human resources office, a payroll supervisor in the comptroller’s office and a director in the health department, according to Cyranoski.
* Tribune | As progressives gather in Chicago, Brandon Johnson’s election and state’s social policies celebrated: Brandon Johnson’s election as mayor and Illinois’ enactment of liberalized social policies under Gov. J.B. Pritzker served as rallying points for the three-day Netroots Nation conference, the largest national gathering of progressives and a precursor to next year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
* The Guardian | Progressives press Chicago mayor over pledge to end controversial policing tool: “He’s a rising star in progressive politics and we’re going to hold him accountable,” Granate Kim, campaign director at MPower Change, a Chicago-based Muslim digital advocacy organization, told a panel held at Netroots. Kim added that if Johnson did not break with ShotSpotter: “We would be very upset and take him to task nationally.”
* Tribune | As asylum-seekers struggle while waiting for work permits, Chicago businesses can’t fill jobs: For most migrants, finding work is volatile and sometimes dangerous because they lack work authorization permits. And while many migrants work under the table, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation, Illinois business owners say they have open jobs they can’t fill. Business leaders, along with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other political leaders, have urged the federal government to expedite the process.
* Daily Southtown | Solar power company proposes building solar farm in Crete Township: Crete Cottage Grove Solar 1 is proposing a 3.42-megawatt solar farm at the northwest corner of Munz Road and Cottage Grove Avenue in Crete Township, said Stephanie Sienkowski, director of development for Soltage, LLC, which owns the company.
* Sun-Times | Chicago cops sidelined for allegedly seizing guns without making arrests, then lying about it: On March 3, two days after Brown announced he was stepping down, Andrea Kersten, COPA’s chief administrator, sent a letter to top police officials that laid bare the accusations and pushed for the officers to be benched. Her letter also raised questions over whether the officers snatched up guns, drugs and cash without turning in the evidence.
* Shaw Local | For insight on college athlete rights proposal, look west: While the sports department has comprehensive coverage of the ongoing problems with Northwestern University’s football and baseball programs, there’s a government angle as well. State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, a University of Illinois football alumnus, has made the rounds regarding plans to update his proposed College Athletes Bill of Rights.
* WBEZ | Severe weather and air pollution create more problems for Chicago’s unhoused: Koruba, who works with a nonprofit called the Night Ministry, said his team tries to take those patients to public indoor places with cleaner air, such as cooling centers or libraries. But not all their patients are able to find shelter. And when severe weather hits, Koruba said those experiencing homelessness don’t have much to protect themselves.
* Bloomberg | Canadian Wildfires Burn a Record 25 Million Acres With No End in Sight: About 900 active fires were reported as of Saturday, most of which remain out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. One firefighter was killed Thursday after a tree fell on her.
* Illinois Newsroom | Smoke from Canadian wildfires returns to Midwest: According to the Air Quality Index from the National Weather Service, the air over central Illinois was unhealthy for sensitive groups on Sunday, July 16. It is forecasted to upgrade to ‘moderate’ on Monday, July 17. That means the air quality is acceptable but there may be a risk to people who are sensitive to air pollution.
* Tribune | Costly Deep Tunnel flooding project can’t handle Chicago area’s severe storms fueled by climate change: “When you have a slow-moving storm that’s dumping a large amount of rainfall, it doesn’t take much to cause problems,” said Zachary Yack, a National Weather Service meteorologist who noted that up to 8 inches of rain fell in the western suburbs during the day. “That’s a lot of water to contend with in a very short period of time.”
* Sun-Times | Judge James Zagel, judge in Blagojevich case, dead at 82: Judge Zagel presided over thousands of cases during his nearly 30-year career on the bench and also kept busy outside the courtroom. He played a judge in the 1989 film “Music Box” and wrote a novel about a federal judge who robs the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
* Stacker | Counties with the lowest cost of living in Illinois: Nearly three-quarters of Americans surveyed by financial services provider Primerica at the end of 2022 said they are not able to save for their future due to rising costs. Home prices, rent, and food inflation as well as higher prices for gas in the last couple of years are making it so that each dollar earned has even less purchasing power than before. Stacker compiled a list of counties with the lowest cost of living in Illinois using 2022 rankings from Niche.
* Tribune | Pitchfork Music Festival 2023: The must-see musicians and all the entry details: In a summer and city filled with music festivals, Pitchfork Music Festival, taking place at Union Park on July 21-23, continues to set itself apart by curating an eclectic set of performers across a variety of music genres. This year is no exception, with acts as uber-popular as Bon Iver sharing space with emerging artists like Palm, and genres like reggae, hip hop, rock, electro-pop and R&B getting a chance to shine. We’re especially excited for this year’s abundance of local artists like Ric Wilson, Sen Morimoto, Deeper and Ariel Zetina, who prove Chicago artists are just as vital as any other city’s musicians to a festival focused on “what’s next.”
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Live coverage
Monday, Jul 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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