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Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Afternoon roundup

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WBEZ…

Health care behind bars in Illinois comes with heavy financial and human costs. Since 2011 Illinois has paid Wexford Health Sources, a private company, well over a billion dollars to provide medical care to people in the state’s prisons. During that time, a federal judge determined the care was so poor it violated the US constitution, and an independent monitor has released reports documenting deaths from substandard medical care.

Wexford’s shortcomings could be measured in numbers:

Fifty percent of the health care provider’s jobs in Illinois are unfilled. Three Wexford doctors lack the proper credentials. Patients in need of dental fillings at one prison are on a 104-week waitlist. And in a review of 17 deaths, an outside monitor found that medical staff gave two prisoners medications that contributed to their deaths.

Or you could measure the failings in the horror stories:

Go read the rest.

* Good news for cannabis sales…

Illinois pot shops sold $136.4 million worth of cannabis to recreational buyers, according to the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation. That’s the largest total since a record-setting haul of $143.9 million in December, which is typically the best month of the year for marijuana sales. […]

Total revenue was up, despite falling prices, fueled by a 15% increase in the number of products sold to a record 3.46 million items. Sales are benefiting from an increase in the number of retail outlets, as winners of new licenses awarded last year begin opening stores.

“There are close to 30 more stores open this June versus a year ago, which is making cannabis much more accessible across the state,” said Jason Erkes, spokesman for Cresco Labs. “That, combined with lower prices, contributed to last month’s bump in sales.”

Competition works. Keep at it.

* Good news on tourism…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), elected officials, and industry leaders to announce that Illinois reached its highest-ever hotel revenue figures in FY23 ($308 million) – surpassing the pre-pandemic record in FY19. Additionally, Illinois welcomed 111 million visitors who spent $44 billion in 2022 – representing 14 million additional travelers spending $12 billion more than calendar year 2021. […]

State hotel revenue collections are provided by the Illinois Department of Revenue. The figure represents all of Illinois’ hotels, motels, and lodging establishment’s taxable revenue. Additionally, the annual economic impact of visitors is compiled by Tourism Economics and measures the number of visitors as well as their impact on Illinois’ economy during the calendar year.

* ICCB…

The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) is picking up the cost for state residents to earn a State of Illinois High School Diploma (formerly high school equivalency certificate).

Over 1.2 million Illinoisans don’t have a high school diploma. The state grant funding can be used in the form of discount codes to take the tests free of charge.

“People that earn a high school diploma make $600 more a month on average so taking these tests and earning that diploma is a big deal. It can lead to better lives for thousands of Illinoisans and we want to remove as many barriers as possible,” said ICCB Executive Director Brian Durham.

To educate the public, the ICCB has launched a digital campaign to spread the word about the critical grant funding available to take the test for free using the discount code ILSAVE.

Interested residents can go to FREEGEDIL.ORG to access the testing site, use the code and take the test.

* This was in the morning roundup…

A state representative has launched a petition drive to demonstrate the level of support for Illinois’ Invest in Kids scholarship program, which is in danger of being phased out.

State Rep. Randy Frese, R-Paloma started the petition drive to show Democrat leadership in the General Assembly there is grassroots support for the state-backed scholarship program for children who attend non-public schools and technical academies.

So far, just 13 people have signed.

Oops.

* ABATE of Illinois…

TESLA has announced the expansion of testing their experimental full-service autonomous driving technology on public roadways into 14 additional cities including Elgin, Illinois. They announced new positions for drivers to collect data from the use of their autopilot and full-service driving systems. This technology was the subject of a blockbuster Washington Post Report that revealed TESLA’s full-service driving & autopilot driving systems have killed more drivers than previously disclosed. This included four motorcyclists, three of whom were run over at highway speeds by TESLA vehicles using these driving modes.

The specific threat posed to bikers by Tesla vehicles was recently recognized by former NHTSA Senior Safety Advisor Missy Cummings who stated, “It’s very dangerous for motorcycles to be around Teslas”. Missy continues to be active in the autonomous vehicle field as a professor at George Mason University’s College of Engineering & Computing.

“Despite the documented dangers to motorcyclists and the driving public, Tesla continues to push forward with the irresponsible and hazardous testing of their vehicles on public roadways.” Said Bob Ellinger, State Coordinator of ABATE of Illinois. “ABATE of Illinois has been a leader in talking about the dangers of Tesla vehicles in Illinois and nationwide. We will continue to fight against technology on the road that has shown to be fatal to riders.”

In addition to being dangerous to bikers and motorists, Tesla autonomous systems are under investigation for 16 different crashes into first responder vehicles including one fatality. The initial investigation was for 10 collisions, and 6 additional collisions were found during that investigation.

“While Congress removed any reference to Autonomous Vehicles in recently passed Highway Bills, there were several bills filed this year to deal with the responsible regulation of these vehicles here in Illinois.” According to Josh Witkowski, State Legislative Coordinator & Lobbyist for ABATE of Illinois. “Our lives are not a field test for autonomous vehicles like Tesla, and Illinois must step up to lead in responsible regulation and development of autonomous technology. There was talk of a serious autonomous vehicles working group during session. Now is the time to make that happen.”

A recent AAA study found that only 9% of Americans “trust” self driving vehicles and 68% are “afraid” of it. This is an increase in the level of distrust of autonomous vehicles since the AAA started tracking surveys on the issue. ABATE believes that this increased level of distrust is directly due to increased fatalities caused by Tesla’s haphazard deployment of testing their dangerous technologies. This increased distrust is harmful to those companies who want to responsibly develop autonomous technology in Illinois.

Therefore, in an effort to protect the motorcyclists of Illinois and encourage responsible development of autonomous technology in Illinois, ABATE of Illinois is calling on the Governor and legislative leaders to convene an Autonomous Vehicle Working Group to develop legislation that will both protect the public and help keep Illinois a leader in developing the next generation of transportation technologies. This group should have representatives from the manufacturing and industry sectors, transportation safety advocates and professionals, and transportation advocacy groups representing all modes of transportation and road users.

* Isabel’s roundup…

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Pramaggiore stands by innocence claim in appeal

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Crain’s in April…

Questioned by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker, [former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore] was asked about when she met with the FBI and government lawyers in September 2019. In that meeting — a “proffer” session in which she promised to tell the truth in return for not having any evidence she presented used against her — Pramaggiore told the feds she didn’t remember anything about the Doherty arrangements. She then was played the intercepted call from February 2019 between her and Fidel Marquez, ComEd’s senior internal lobbyist, in which he told her about Doherty’s no-work subcontracts.

The meeting with the feds, attended also by Pramaggiore attorney Scott Lassar, himself a former U.S. attorney for Illinois’ Northern District, then ended, apparently abruptly. After a sidebar in which lawyers for each side jostled about whether and how that meeting with the feds would be discussed, Pramaggiore testified, “It was the end of the day, yes. The interview was over.”

“You and your counsel ended the interview, correct?” Streicker asked.

Lassar immediately objected and said she’d violated the judge’s instructions. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber directed the jury to disregard that question.

But the seed had been planted — Lassar apparently thought the call when it was played was damaging enough that he ended Pramaggiore’s session with the feds before they were done with her.

From Pramaggiore’s newly filed appeal…

Introducing this irrelevant and untrue evidence gave a powerful impression of guilt before the jury. There can be little question that “there is a reasonable possibility” that the Government’s improper question “had a prejudicial effect upon the jury’s verdict.”

Wait. It was untrue? Back to the appeal…

During the course of the interview, counsel for Ms. Pramaggiore took typed, transcript-style notes, including both questions and answers, totaling approximately 60 pages. The FBI agent taking notes on behalf of the Government was writing notes in longhand. The transcript-style notes taken by counsel for Ms. Pramaggiore reflect that, after Mr. Lassar asked to speak to Ms. Pramaggiore about a particular recorded conversation, Mr. Bhachu said substantially in words and effect that “it doesn’t do us much good for us to play recordings that you will keep saying you don’t remember.” After a break during which Ms. Pramaggiore spoke with counsel, Mr. Lassar told [Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu] that he needed time to discuss the recording with his client, Mr. Bhachu said substantially in words and effect that “I think that’s best. . . . I would encourage you to take this time to think through that. We’re done here today.” This statement demonstrates that Ms. Pramaggiore did not unilaterally end the interview.

* Crain’s today…

Former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore, one of the four appealing the jury convictions from early May, laid out a wide array of arguments in a 77-page appeal, filed Friday with U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber. They include assertions that Leinenweber’s jury instructions weren’t in line with precedents on such public-corruption cases, as well as claims that some of the actions on which Pramaggiore was convicted of bribery weren’t any different than other executives at ComEd or parent Exelon, including Exelon CEO Chris Crane, who weren’t charged in the scheme. […]

[The appeal] also says the judge improperly excluded evidence Pramaggiore wanted to present in her defense. That included a series of emails in June 2012, more than a year after the scheme allegedly began, Pramaggiore sent to others within the company requesting an investigation of ComEd’s lobbyists and their activities. In one such email, included in the brief, Pramaggiore wrote, “I want to make sure we have done everything we can (including a broader investigation if need be) to insure we have protected the company against exposure to public embarrassment or worse.”

“If Ms. Pramaggiore had the corrupt intent to bribe Mr. Madigan by paying (associates) Mr. Olivo and Mr. Nice, who were in fact being paid at that time, or if she were in a conspiracy to bribe Mr. Madigan, she would never have suggested that non-conspirators such as Mr. O’Neill and (Exelon General Counsel Darryl) Bradford be involved in an investigation into the activities of ComEd lobbyists,” the brief states.

* Back to the appeal…

Anne Pramaggiore was convicted of nine felonies for conduct that violates no law and is commonplace in American society—accepting job recommendations from public officials without any expectation that the public official will do anything in return. If what
Ms. Pramaggiore did was bribery, any executive who has accepted a job recommendation from a public official has paid a bribe. Any public official who has made a job recommendation has committed bribery. And any judge who has recommended a clerk to a law firm with cases before the court has solicited a bribe.

How is it possible that such unremarkable conduct is punishable as criminal bribery? Were the bribery statutes amended to become strict-liability crimes stating that no one with business before a public official is ever permitted to give any thing of value to him? Did the Supreme Court overturn decades-old precedent holding that convicting someone of bribery requires proof of a quid pro quo and that providing things of value to public officials to foster goodwill is legal? […]

[Prosecutors] asked the jury to convict Ms. Pramaggiore for conduct that is unquestionably legal by saying repeatedly that she should be convicted of a crime if she was motivated by a desire to keep Mr. Madigan happy, despite knowing that the Supreme Court has held that it is not illegal to give things of value to a public official to build a reservoir of goodwill. The Government knew that it could not convict her of conduct that is illegal, so it repeatedly asked the jury to convict her of conduct that violates no law.

* Steve Daniels also pointed to this passage in his excellent write-up of the appeal…

Ms. Pramaggiore’s conviction on Count Five illustrates well the dangerous breadth of allowing the prosecution to obtain a conviction of bribery without proving a quid pro quo. She was convicted of bribery for acting on Michael Madigan’s recommendation that Juan Ochoa be appointed to ComEd’s board. All the evidence showed that she expected that Mr. Ochoa would add value and do the work expected of board members, and the proof at trial confirmed that she was correct. Mr. Ochoa was highly qualified and did the work required. She acted with full transparency, sharing the fact that Mr. Ochoa was recommended by Mr. Madigan with Exelon’s General Counsel Tom O’Neill (an experienced white collar defense attorney), Exelon’s Chief Legal Officer Bill Von Hoene (another experienced white collar defense attorney), her successor Joe Dominguez (a former prosecutor), and the ultimate decision-maker, Exelon CEO Chris Crane, none of whom raised a concern that ComEd would be bribing Mr. Madigan by appointing Mr. Ochoa. She never expected that Mr. Madigan would do anything for ComEd in return for Mr. Ochoa’s appointment, never asked him for anything in connection with Mr. Ochoa’s appointment, and never learned that anyone else asked him for anything in connection with Mr. Ochoa’s appointment. And there is no evidence that Mr. Madigan took any unusual action following Mr. Ochoa’s appointment to benefit ComEd from which a tacit agreement could be implied—instead, the evidence showed that Mr. Madigan refused ComEd’s request to allow a vote on a bill it wanted at around the same time that Mr. Ochoa was appointed to the ComEd board.

* More from the appeal…

This case illustrates well the wisdom of the Supreme Court’s repeated admonition that federal prosecutors must not be permitted to stretch federal laws to enforce their own views of integrity in state and local affairs. … Here, it is absurd to think that the politicians serving in Congress, many of whom previously served in state and local government, intended by enacting 18 U.S.C. § 666 to make it per se criminal for state or local officials to make job recommendations or for individuals with business before the officials to accept those recommendations. Had that been Congress’s intent, it could have enacted a much clearer and simpler statute.

* And…

Even if the Court somehow finds that no quid pro quo need be proved to convict someone of bribery, it should acquit Ms. Pramaggiore because the Government failed to offer evidence that Ms. Pramaggiore acted with a corrupt intent, that is, with knowledge that giving the thing of value was forbidden. Instead of showing that Ms. Pramaggiore knew that her conduct was forbidden by law, the evidence clearly demonstrated that many others who were not allegedly members of the conspiracy agreed to accept job recommendations from Mr. Madigan, including attorneys experienced in criminal law such as Messrs. O’Neill, Von Hoene, and Dominguez, none of whom ever raised a concern that they were bribing Mr. Madigan. If they did not think that what they were doing was illegal, there is no reason to think that Ms. Pramaggiore had the requisite knowledge. Indeed, the fact that they all personally participated in these actions without raising a concern demonstrates that the theory the Government pursued at trial does not provide “sufficient definiteness that ordinary people can understand what conduct is prohibited” and is susceptible to “arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement,” demonstrating its infirmity under binding Supreme Court precedent.

* Regarding the ghost payrollers, the appeal claims the government never proved that she knew about their connection to Madigan…

[Star prosecution witness Fidel Marquez’s] inability to testify that Ms. Pramaggiore knew that Messrs. Nice, Olivo, Moody, or Acevedo were recommended by Mr. Madigan is particularly glaring in light of the fact that the Government met with him over 50 times, including no fewer than 14 times in 2023 prior to trial, interviewing him over and over and over again to ensure that his testimony would be as favorable to the Government’s case as possible. Yet he did not say under oath that Ms. Pramaggiore knew this basic fact because he could not without perjuring himself. Mr. Marquez is the only witness who purported to connect Ms. Pramaggiore to these subcontractors, and his inability to testify that she knew they were connected to Mr. Madigan shows the failure of proof on this essential point.

Discuss.

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*** UPDATED x3 *** Rep. Buckner says he will introduce legislation in response to NU football hazing allegations

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

…Adding… The Daily Northwestern…

Northwestern has parted ways with football head coach Pat Fitzgerald, sources familiar with the situation told The Daily.

Fitzgerald had previously been suspended for two weeks without pay after the University announced Friday that an independent investigation into the team indicated hazing reports were “largely supported by evidence.”

The Daily published reports on Saturday and Monday with details of the hazing allegations and additional racism allegations from former players.

University President Michael Schill told community members in an email Saturday that he believed he may have “erred” in his decision to suspend NU football coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks hours after two former Northwestern football players detailed allegations of hazing to The Daily, including coerced sexual acts.

A source familiar with the situation told The Daily that board members had kept up with coverage of the situation today and grew increasingly frustrated.

* ESPN….

Northwestern will reconsider penalties for coach Pat Fitzgerald after new details emerged Saturday surrounding allegations of hazing in the football program.

University President Michael Schill, in a letter sent late Saturday to the Northwestern community, wrote that he “may have erred in weighing the appropriate sanction” for Fitzgerald, who began serving a two-week unpaid suspension Friday. Fitzgerald’s suspension was among the measures Northwestern announced after concluding the six-month investigation it commissioned into hazing allegations made by an anonymous whistleblower. […]

The former player, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Daily Northwestern that sexualized hazing activities took place in the team’s locker room. One common practice, called “running,” involved a younger player being restrained while eight to 10 older players engaged in a sexualized act in the locker room. Versions of “running” took place during certain portions of the year, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“It’s a shocking experience as a freshman to see your fellow freshman teammates get ran, but then you see everybody bystanding in the locker room,” the former player told The Daily Northwestern. “It’s just a really abrasive and barbaric culture that has permeated throughout that program for years on end now.”

According to the newspaper, the former player reported his claims to the school in late 2022, and he spoke to investigators during the six-month university-commissioned probe.

…Adding… Daily Northwestern…

Three former Northwestern football players told The Daily about what they called a toxic environment in the program, recalling multiple racist actions and remarks from both coaching staff and players.

All three players, who played for the team in late 2000s, also corroborated some of the hazing allegations reported by The Daily on Saturday.

Ramon Diaz Jr., a Latino offensive lineman for Northwestern from 2005 to 2008, said his experience on the football team was hostile as a non-white player. […]

Another player, who asked to remain anonymous and played through the 2009 season, said racism on the team was often blatant. He alleged head coach Pat Fitzgerald would ask Black players and coaches to cut off longer hairstyles — including dreadlocks — so that they were more in line with what Fitzgerald called the “Wildcat Way.”

* Daily Northwestern…

If a player was selected for “running,” the player who spoke to The Daily said, they would be restrained by a group of 8-10 upperclassmen dressed in various “Purge-like” masks, who would then begin “dry-humping” the victim in a dark locker room.

“It’s a shocking experience as a freshman to see your fellow freshman teammates get ran, but then you see everybody bystanding in the locker room,” the player said. “It’s just a really abrasive and barbaric culture that has permeated throughout that program for years on end now.” […]

According to the former player, team members allegedly identified players for “running” by clapping their hands above their heads around that player. The practice, the player said, was known within the team as “the Shrek clap.” […]

According to the player who spoke with The Daily, Fitzgerald repeatedly made the signal during practices when players, specifically freshmen, made a mistake. […]

Diaz, the former offensive lineman, is now a clinical therapist. He said the program’s culture had a profound mental impact on him. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after graduating from Northwestern, and said that his time on the football team was a major factor in that diagnosis.

* The Daily Northwestern today…

Illinois State Representative Kam Buckner, who played defensive tackle for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been working on what he calls a “college athlete’s bill of rights” in Illinois. He said this weekend’s hazing reports have encouraged him to include additional language protecting student athletes in the bill.

“Today, hazing and sexual assault allegations showcase another grotesque way Student Athletes have been preyed upon,” Bucker said Saturday. “As a former college athlete this culture of turning a blind eye to harms, deliberate endangerment, neglect & dereliction of duty all in the name of “Wins” & revenue is disgusting.”

The bill is modeled after similar protections for student athletes in California.

* Rep. Buckner…


* Politico…

Maggie Hickey, former inspector general of Illinois who previously reviewed Chicago Public Schools’ policies in wake of a separate sexual abuse scandal, led the investigation of the whistleblower’s allegations against the Northwestern football team. According to the Daily Northwestern’s report, Hickey’s investigation “revealed that while current and former players ‘varied on their perspective regarding the conduct, the whistleblower’s claims were ‘largely supported by evidence.’”

*** UPDATE *** Another one…

As Northwestern University deals with the fallout from allegations of hazing on its football team, the university’s athletic department has been mired in a different controversy centered on first-year head baseball coach Jim Foster, sources said.

Former players, alumni and people close to the baseball program told the Chicago Tribune that they alerted university administration — including President Michael Schill and athletic director Derrick Gragg — of problematic behavior from Foster starting last fall before the team kicked off its 2023 season. At least some of those complaints spurred a human resources investigation.

The university’s investigation found “sufficient evidence” that Foster “engaged in bullying and abusive behavior,” according to an internal HR document obtained by the Tribune. The probe went on to conclude that Foster “made an inappropriate comment regarding a female staff member, and spoke negatively about his staff to other staff members.” […]

While these allegations were not made public, signs of trouble were visible. In February, hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Dusty Napoleon, who had been with the team since 2015, left before the first game of the season. By the time the team returned from that opening road trip, pitching coach Jon Strauss and operations director Chris Beacom had also left the team. After the team’s 10-40 season concluded, 16 players entered the transfer portal, sources told the Tribune, and at least a half-dozen players individually met with Gragg or other athletic department leaders to voice their concerns over Foster.

…Adding… Listen…


* More…

    * Poynter | Northwestern’s student newspaper broke a blockbuster national story: In his column for the Chicago Sun-Times, sports columnist Rick Morrissey wrote, “If everything indeed starts with the coach, then NU needs to fire Fitzgerald. If the school really does put the well-being of its students first, then it needs to find someone else to run the football program. And if the university’s trustees are paying attention to this very public mess, they might want to take a hard look at the man handing out two-week vacations that are masquerading as suspensions.” Morrissey also pointed out, “It took the university’s student newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, to bring to light what the school chose not to after a six-month investigation that it had authorized.”

    * NBC Chicago | What we know after Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald suspended following hazing allegations: Many current and former players rushed to Fitzgerald’s defense after suspension was announced. Wildcats quarterback Ryan Hilinski tweeted: “When it comes to being a man I admire and respect, Coach Fitz has always been that man for me in my time at Northwestern! He always offers an ear when I need to talk and a hand whenever I need help up! I’ve got his back like he always has had ours.” Former quarterback Trevor Semien, now with the Cincinnati Bengals, tweeted: “Fitz emphasized integrity, sacrificing for others, respect, and accountability. These are values that I strive to uphold now as a husband and father. While I won’t speak for anyone else, I can say that my experience at NU did not reflect what I read in the Daily Northwestern.”

  27 Comments      


What’s in IDOT’s 6-year, $41 billion infrastructure plan?

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Capitol News Illinois…

The Illinois Department of Transportation unveiled a plan on Friday for spending nearly $41 billion in federal, state and local funds over the next six years to repair and upgrade roads, bridges, airports, rail lines and other infrastructure throughout the state.

The latest version of the plan, which IDOT updates annually, is the largest multiyear plan in state history. It’s driven by the state’s 2019 Rebuild Illinois capital infrastructure program. The initial six-year Rebuild Illinois plan included $33.2 billion for transportation, funded largely by annualized increases to the state’s motor fuel tax and increases to driving-related licensing fees that took effect in 2020.

“Over the next six years, we’re investing over $40 billion to improve all modes of transportation across our great state,” Gov. JB Pritzker said at a news conference in Springfield. “And that means better roads and bridges, modernized transit and aviation, and expanded and faster passenger rail service. It even extends to improved river ports, new sewers and water infrastructure and a huge upgrade to bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.”

More than half of the plan, $27 billion, will go toward road and bridge projects, including $4.6 billion in the current fiscal year. That will fund repair and reconstruction of 2,866 miles of roadway and 9.8 million square feet of bridge deck on the state highway system, along with another 738 miles of roadway and 1.1 million square feet of bridge deck in systems maintained by local governments.

Click here for the full list of projects.

* A breakdown from IDOT…


* The Metro East will be allotted $3 billion. St. Louis Public Radio…

In the Metro East, Illinois Route 3 in St. Clair County will get the most funding at $305.5 million, according to IDOT plans. The project includes grading and paving the 4-mile stretch from Monsanto Ave. in Sauget to River Park Drive in East St. Louis.

A 2.7-mile stretch of I-55 and I-64 in East St. Louis will receive $288.3 million for the Poplar Street Bridge and road repairs from the Mississippi River to the I-64 interchange. […]

The third priciest project will be $245 million to replace the Joe Page Bridge in Hardin, Illinois, which stretches across the Illinois River about 60 miles north of St. Louis.

In both Monroe and St. Clair counties, a nearly 21-mile portion of I-255 will undergo $188.3 million in bridge repairs and replacement. The project starts near Columbia, Illinois, city limits and extends all the way north to Cahokia Heights.

I-64 in Washington County will get $112 million for resurfacing and bridge repairs over a 20-mile section about 5 miles east of Okawville, Illinois, to the Jefferson County line.

* WGEM…

Projects are already underway and everything will be done by June 2029. […]

Quincy is receiving $156 million to replace the Memorial Bridge.

Adams County will receive $15.2 million to resurface 4.2 miles, replace traffic signals, ADA improvements and other improvements from 12th Street to I-172.

Hancock County is set to receive $19.3 million to for vertical realignment on 0.8 mile, bridge replacement, railroad crossing improvements and other improvements from the Mississippi River to Main Street in Hamilton.

$29.3 million will be distributed to McDonough, Fulton and Knox Counties to resurface 11.7 miles and utility adjustments from Illinois 116 to Illinois 9.

* SJ-R…

Sangamon County, along with Adams, Hancock and Logan counties, will be beneficiaries to the $1.7 billion in improvements coming to the district between fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2029. Coffey estimated more than $280 million of that will benefit Sangamon County.

Most of the projects are receiving similar amounts of funding as seen in the latest multi-year plan announced last August, another six-year, $34.6 billion plan. That includes the continued work a 7.8-mile stretch from Sangamon Avenue to 2.7 miles south of Illinois 123, now valued at $125.9 million instead of the earlier $124.2 million.

Bridge repairs and resurfacing on Interstate 55 to the sum of $21.6 million will also proceed between 6.2 miles of Illinois 104 to Horse Farm Road.

Outside of I-55, there are two projects at the Illinois 97/125 junction and MacArthur Boulevard. The 1.5-mile area on MacArthur between Wabash Avenue and South Grand Avenue will replace traffic signals and make Americans with Disabilities Act improvements for $20 million, down from $28 million in last year’s plan. […]

Perhaps the most noted change in funding comes to the I-55 business area south of Stanford Avenue on Sixth Street. A total of $68.6 million, up from $40 million, will feed into 3.9 miles of reconstruction including additional lanes, intersection improvement, turning lanes, sidewalks, traffic signal replacement, bikeway and utility adjustments.

* Transit Mag…

The $40.99 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-29 Proposed Highway and Multimodal Improvement Program will target investments that include:

    • $27.03 billion in roads and bridges
    • $9.85 billion for transit
    • $2.67 billion for freight and passenger rail
    • $1.25 billion for aviation
    • $190 million for ports and waterways

[…] The Rebuild Illinois capital program created three new transit funding programs: The Multimodal Transportation Bond Fund, the Regional Transportation Authority Capital Improvement Fund and the Downstate Mass Transportation Capital Improvement Fund. This past January, IDOT awarded $113.8 million in capital grants to downstate transit providers (those outside the Chicago region) as part of the third and final round of Rebuild Illinois Multimodal Transportation Bond and Pay-Go Funds.

The proposed program also notes the importance of passenger rail as part of a balanced transportation system. The proposal points to the recent growth passenger rail travel in Illinois has experienced as an indicator of why more investment is needed. The six-year capital program includes $1.58 billion for maintenance, safety repairs and other capital improvements of the state’s passenger rail systems. This amount includes $242 million for the Illinois High-Speed Rail Project between Chicago and St. Louis, which started operating 110 mph trains last month. Additional passenger rail corridors earmarked for funding include Chicago to Quad Cities, Chicago to Rockford and Chicago to Carbondale.

* Related…

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The system is still failing (Updated)

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sophie Sherry at the Sun-Times…

Jose Alvarez was angry and sweating, a gun within reach, as he talked to Chicago police officers who had been called to the Little Village neighborhood for a disturbance late last month.

The officers took defensive positions as they spoke to Alvarez through an open window, according to a police report. They finally left when he refused to come to the door and turned off the lights.

Ten days later, authorities say Alvarez used the gun to kill his wife and 15-year-old daughter and wound his 18-year-old son, who ran to a neighbor’s home for help.

It is not clear why the officers chose not to seize the gun when they were concerned enough to later file a “clear and present danger” report about Alvarez, according to records. The police department had no immediate comment. […]

The day before the officers visited the home, a judge had issued a protection order requiring him to stay away from his family and away from the home. There’s no indication in the police report that the officers knew about the order when they found Alvarez still in the home.

A day after their visit, June 23, Cook County sheriff’s deputies tried to serve the protection order at the home but found no one there.

On the same day, the Illinois State Police officially revoked Alvarez’s FOID card, as required by law when an order of protection is issued. The state police said it notified both Chicago police and the sheriff’s office about the revocation the next day, June 24, eight days before the shooting.

There’s more, so go read the whole thing. Ugh.

* You may recall that the “clear and present danger” topic was much-discussed last year…

The Illinois State Police announced Monday they will start using a broader definition of what constitutes a “clear and present danger” when reviewing a person’s Firearm Owners Identification card.

That’s a factor ISP considers when deciding whether to grant someone a FOID card or to revoke or suspend a card that has already been issued.

The change is meant to address gaps in the process that were identified in the wake of the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park. The alleged shooter in that case had been the subject of a clear and present danger investigation, but under standards used at that time, ISP determined there was insufficient evidence to support such a determination.

So, they fixed one major reporting issue, but the real-world problem remains unresolved: Getting guns away from people who have revoked FOID cards after domestic violence and/or are deemed to present a “clear and present danger.”

…Adding… The Illinois State Police provides funding after local law enforcement agencies conduct weapons seizures. Click here for the latest list of grantees.

  7 Comments      


A small win, but more like this, please

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning informed members that it is moving its annual conference out of Florida and to Chicago…

At its virtual meeting on June 27th, 2023, the ACSP Governing Board decided to move the Fall 2023 annual conference away from Miami and to host the 2023 conference in another city. The Governing Board made this very difficult decision to stay in alignment with the ACSP Values statement, specifically our commitment to welcome all members, scholars, and educators and to develop events, meetings, and publications that are welcoming, inclusive, and safe venues for discourse and inquiry.

The ACSP board has carefully considered our fiduciary responsibilities. Paying a steep penalty to the hotel will surely have a major impact on a small volunteer-driven organization like ACSP. Although we can weather this specific financial cost, we will deplete our investment accounts significantly, making us vulnerable to any unanticipated future surprises. That said, I am happy that the Board has made a decision consistent with our values statement, conference location policy, and organizational mission.

For ACSP conference attendees, the attraction of an in-person conference is about enjoying a sense of community and camaraderie, and having an opportunity to have unique place-based experiences that can energize and engage us. For students and early career scholars, the annual conference is often about connecting with senior scholars and their peers from across the world in formal and informal settings, attending job fairs and other recruitment events, and being introduced to the complexities of planning in a very real way by attending an action-packed three day event.

Despite myriad assurances from the Florida hospitality industry, members of all ACSP interest groups expressed significant concerns regarding travel to Florida. While no place can be 100% safe, Florida this fall did not feel like the best place to gather for our annual conference. As with the State of Florida, other states curtail what can and cannot be taught in high school and college classrooms. Planning educators have a lot of issues we should be concerned about including how we prepare future planners to work in environments hostile to the ideals and principles of planning.

We urge all of you to come to the Fall 2023 conference to show support for ACSP and to engage with these issues that caused us to move away from Florida while also thinking critically about how to make and sustain transformative social change. The Fall 2023 conference is also a great opportunity to begin conversations about crafting a new strategic vision for the Association and its conferences in future years.

We are very happy to announce to you today that we have been welcomed by the Palmer House Hilton, an art-deco historic venue in the city of Chicago, to serve as our conference hotel.

* From Konstantine “Gus” Drosos, General Manager of the Palmer House…

On behalf of the Palmer House and all of our staff we would like to thank you for placing your program with us. Our staff are ecstatic about winning your confidence and trust to place your program with us so close to your program date. Chicago is known as one of the most hospitable and inclusive cities in the country if not the world. Our team members exemplify that hospitality, diversity, and inclusion, and are grateful for your business. Rest assured you are in great hands at the Palmer House. We will make sure your program is successful and we hope to see you come back for many years to come. Thank you!

* Florida Phoenix…

Organizations representing Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ communities in Florida have issued travel advisories in recent months, citing “open hostility” to those groups manifested in laws passed during the recent legislative session, as noted by [ACSP President Laxmi Ramasubramanian] in a message sent out to members last month.

In another letter dated May 26, Ramasubramanian wrote that, “Like you, I have been following the escalating waves of hostile actions and legislation coming out of Florida but also other states that are following a political playbook. It is disheartening, painful and it makes me angry. As president of ACSP, I write today to acknowledge the anxieties, hurt, and anger that you may be feeling and experiencing.”

The Orlando Sentinel reported last week that a number of conferences slated to be held later this year or in future years in Orange County have been moved or cancelled due to the political environment in Florida, including a convention for Game of Thrones fans, with “Con of Thrones” organizers citing the “increasingly anti-humanitarian legislation in the state.” […]

A spokesperson for ACSP anticipated about 1,200 conference attendees who will now make the trip to the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago in October.

* Pritzker react…


  20 Comments      


Pritzker says state could earn more interest on its cash if bills weren’t paid “too fast” (Updated)

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I posted this excerpt from the legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability on Friday…

Incorporating June’s figures, FY 2023 finished the year with a base General Funds revenue total of $50.707 billion. This is $373 million higher than the FY 2022 base General Funds revenue total of $50.334 billion. When including the one-time reimbursement and transfers received in FY 2023 associated with pandemic-related federal dollars, the overall FY 2023 total rises to $53.134 billion, which is $2.064 billion higher than the $51.070 billion receipted in FY 2022. The FY 2023 General Funds revenue totals, in terms of both base receipts and total receipts, become the highest on record for the State of Illinois.

* Capitol News Illinois…

State revenues once again reached a record high in the fiscal year that ended June 30, creating what Gov. JB Pritzker called a “one-time” budget surplus of over $700 million.

The $50.7 billion in base general revenues that the state collected in fiscal year 2023 – which exclude one-time pandemic-related federal funds – topped last year’s previous record by $373 million.

That’s $726 million beyond what was projected by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget in its most recent estimate adopted in May during negotiations for the fiscal year 2024 budget. […]

“The overperformance in FY 2023 revenues essentially translated into a lower than projected June 30 bills on hold at the (comptroller’s office) and higher than expected cash balances going into the new fiscal year,” Carol Knowles, a spokesperson for GOMB, said in a statement prior to the governor’s comments. “We will continue to monitor the revenue performance in FY 2024 as the national economy continues to have mixed economic projections.”

* The governor was asked about the surplus on Friday…

Well, it’s always good to have a surplus. And that’s something that we’ve done consistently now for four years.

I would add that much of the surplus that we saw that came in at the end of the year is one-time dollars that were added to our revenues. So that’s not something that you can program in year after year to spend money on. You have to spend one-time dollars on one-time things at least if you want to continue to balance the budget of our state, which again, I’m very committed to and we’ve been doing every year since I took office. So obviously better to have a surplus. In fact it’s the it’s the first real significant surplus that we have had because we’ve taken all the surpluses in the previous years and assigned them to those one-time expenditures. This is a kind of an unexpected additional amount of money.

We’re going to try to apply it to things like paying down debt, the things that we’ve been doing, paying down debt, making sure that we’re lowering the number of unpaid bills. It’s almost impossible now, I should tell you, for us to provide more money to pay off bills. We’re down to paying bills in about three, four or five days. You would almost argue that that’s too fast. We could be earning interest on the money, and wouldn’t be paying interest on that if you just extended it for a few more days.

But meanwhile, I think we should all celebrate the fact that Illinois is in such good fiscal shape in terms of our annual operating budget, that we’re able to pay bills on time and faster than ever before. [Emphasis added.]

It’s an interesting point and a pretty good problem to have. Your thoughts?

…Adding… I posted this in comments, but I’m gonna bump it up because I think there’s another point to be made here…

My own argument would be to start gradually moving back to a normal business cycle of a 30-day payment window before the economy forces the state to do so all at once, and maybe even beyond that.

  29 Comments      


Chicago crime by the numbers

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* David Olson and Don Stemen from the the Center for Criminal Justice at Loyola University Chicago writing in the Tribune…

A few specific facts about crime in Chicago need to be laid out to place discussions of gun violence into the larger context. The context might surprise many, but more importantly, the lack of this context can steer people to the wrong conclusions about solutions. First, most of the crimes committed in Chicago are not violent crimes. Last year, just 24% of serious crimes reported in Chicago were violent offenses. Rather, most — 76% — were property crimes. And the total number of property crimes reported to the Chicago police decreased almost every single year from 2001 to 2019 (pre-pandemic), falling almost 50% during that period, before seeing a slight (3%) increase from 2019 to 2022.

And while there is a perception that overall violent crime is increasing, the total number of serious violent crimes reported to Chicago police decreased almost every year from 2001 to 2022, dropping 46% from 2001 to 2019 (pre-pandemic), before increasing slightly (2%) from 2019 to 2022. Further, the vast majority (90%) of all serious crime in Chicago does not involve a firearm, and homicides committed with a firearm account for less than 0.5% of all serious crime.

This is not to diminish the severity of homicides and nonfatal gun crimes — e.g., robberies, assaults, batteries, and sexual assaults — but to emphasize that they are rare relative to other crime. Further, and critical to understanding the nature of violent crime in Chicago, the number of violent crimes that do not involve a firearm decreased almost every single year from 2001 to 2022, falling 50% during that period.

Thus, most forms of serious crime have decreased substantially over the past 20 years. The one exception, particularly in recent years, is gun violence. Although gun violence decreased steadily through the early 2000s, Chicago has experienced several annual increases since. Most substantially, between 2019 and 2022, there was a 46% increase in gun violence in Chicago. Despite that increase, gun violence in 2022 was 23% lower than in 2001.

In addition to more gun violence in recent years, the lethality of these offenses has also increased. In the early 2000s, Chicago experienced roughly 30 nonfatal violent crimes committed with a firearm for every firearm homicide; in the past four years, this ratio changed to 15 to 1. This pattern is being seen nationally, not just in Chicago. This increase in lethality could be due to the intent of the perpetrator, larger-capacity magazines increasing the likelihood that at least one bullet will fatally strike a victim, larger-caliber ammunition increasing the likelihood that a wound will prove fatal or a combination of all these.

In any case, this dramatic increase in gun violence over the past few years coincides not only with the pandemic but also with an unprecedented increase in the number of handguns produced and purchased in the United States. And it is likely that some of these legally produced (and mostly legally purchased) handguns are illegally ending up in the hands of young people. While their motivation for possessing a firearm may be fear of victimization, increased status among their peers or to commit a crime, they are also impulsive and don’t fully appreciate the impact of their behaviors.

  25 Comments      


The bitter and puzzling BIPA fight

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon told public radio talk show host Brian Mackey in late June that some of the most prominent business association leaders had “punched us in the nose” after Senate Democrats devised what he called a “good faith solution” to solve problems created by the state’s super-controversial Biometric Information Privacy Act.

Harmon also claimed the Senate Democratic proposal that the business groups attacked was “very friendly to the business community that has been asking for these changes.”

Companies routinely collect biometric data like facial recognition and fingerprint scans. But in Illinois that’s illegal, unless the companies first obtain informed consent. Lots of lawsuits have been filed as a result, and businesses want relief.

The Illinois Supreme Court all but begged the General Assembly earlier this spring to take another look at the law in its ruling against the White Castle company. That ruling could ultimately cost the burger chain as much as $17 billion for collecting employee fingerprint scans.

The Illinois Retail Merchants Association, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce held a press conference with other business leaders near the originally scheduled end of the spring legislative session to denounce the Senate Democrats’ proposal in no uncertain terms.

IMA President and CEO Mark Denzler, who has not exactly been known for vitriol, claimed the proposal would make the problem even worse. The legislation, Denzler claimed, “will only increase abuse of this law by trial attorneys” who have filed thousands of claims under the statute.

The three business groups either refused to respond to Harmon’s comments, or, in one case, didn’t respond at all.

Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Cunningham, who helped lead the negotiations and is also not generally known for his temper, said he was even more upset than Harmon after the business groups’ press conference.

He said he reached out to them, and said the Democrats were “trying to draft a pro-business piece of legislation,” and since they claimed the bill would make matters worse, he and the Senate Democrats decided to not run any bill during the spring session and maintain the status quo.

The Supreme Court ruled that the legislative intent of BIPA was to penalize each and every collection of employee biometric information. With large numbers of White Castle employees being scanned several times a day for five years, “that’s how we ended up with a $17 billion” penalty, Cunningham said.

The Democratic proposal would’ve specifically changed the law to base the penalty on the number of employees, not the number of scans. But they also increased the penalty from $1,000 to $1,500, which the business groups denounced as well.

Opponents of the BIPA law claim the original state statute has little to nothing to do with the real world. The idea behind the law is to protect people against having their biometric data stored and even traded without their knowledge or permission. After all, an online password can be changed after a data hack, but people can’t just change their fingerprints to protect their identities.

All true, the critics say, but the fingerprints that are used to verify timecards, etc., aren’t kept or stored after they are scanned. Instead, the fingerprints are immediately converted into a set of numbers using a proprietary algorithm.

“The only biometric information utilized by employers to identify employees is an encrypted string of numbers, systemically created as a result of the mathematical algorithm,” according to a white paper released last week by Littler, a pro-employer law firm. “There is no biometric identifier being stored or disseminated,” and, therefore, “it is virtually impossible to reverse engineer an employee’s original fingerprint.”

Cunningham said he heard a theory from a Republican lawmaker that the business groups have been told by the corporate defense bar that they’re confident they can get the state law overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, so there was no reason to settle for a compromise at the state level.

“I have no idea if that’s true or not,” Cunningham said, “But it’s a better explanation than I can come up with.”

Another person close to the issue said the Senate Dems ordered the handful of people involved with the talks to not communicate with anyone outside the room. The business groups, this person claimed, weren’t experts on the topic, so it wasn’t until the actual legislation surfaced when experienced business lawyers could see what was going on, and that’s when everything fell apart.

Cunningham said while they took input from others, the “big lobbying groups” were what they were most concerned with.

  16 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Open thread

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* And we’re back! How was y’all’s break and what’s goin on in your part of Illinois today?…

  12 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Here you go!…

  11 Comments      


Live coverage

Monday, Jul 10, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Follow along with ScribbleLive…


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« NEWER POSTS PREVIOUS POSTS »
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup
* Governor Pritzker meets with the family of Sonya Massey (Updated)
* It’s just a bill
* Showcasing the Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
* Pritzker hasn’t received VP vetting materials from Harris, but doesn’t shut down speculations that he’s interested
* Open thread
* Isabel’s morning briefing
* Selected press releases (Live updates)
* Your moment of zen
* Yesterday's stories

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