Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

Sixty percent of rural Americans live in child care deserts — regions with too few licensed slots for children. In rural Illinois, that number rises to nearly 70%. […]

But opening new facilities is hard, and the government itself makes things harder. Here are five reasons it’s difficult to open and operate new child care centers in Illinois: […]

Rebuild Illinois is a $45 billion, multiyear capital improvement plan that was passed in 2019, the state’s first such plan in nearly a decade. Through it, the state allocated $100 million for early childhood facilities. But in the first round of funding, only eight programs out of 238 applicants received a combined $55 million in January 2023, with most grants awarded in Chicago and suburban areas. No providers in the southern half of the state received funding. A second $45 million round is planned, but no timeline has been announced.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which oversees child care licensing, is grappling with a staffing crisis. The agency has a 20% vacancy rate for licensing staff and 45% for supervisors, who must review and approve all applications for child care providers.

* Sun-Times…

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and three other attorneys general are suing President Donald Trump over the constitutionality of his Inauguration Day executive order that would end birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants without legal status.

Attorneys general in 18 other states also filed a similar lawsuit Tuesday in federal district court in Massachusetts.

The Illinois suit was filed in the Western District of Washington, along with attorneys general from Arizona, Oregon and Washington.

The suit claims Trump’s executive order violates the 14th Amendment and the Immigration and Nationality Act, which specifies that the law does not empower the president to determine who should or should not be granted U.S. citizenship at birth.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Crain’s | Activist mounts legal challenge to another Illinois diversity law: Activist Edward Blum is targeting another diversity effort in Illinois, this time suing over a new state law that requires many nonprofit organizations to publicly disclose aggregate data about the race, gender and other demographics of their board members and officers. Blum’s Austin, Texas-based American Alliance for Equal Rights has recently sued Illinois over a minority scholarship program for aspiring teachers and Chicago-based McDonald’s over a nationwide college scholarship program for Hispanic or Latino high school students.

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | Trump’s pardons for Jan. 6 riot help more than 50 defendants from Illinois: A phone number associated with Kevin J. Lyons — who received one of the longest prison sentences among the Illinois defendants, at 51 months — replied to a request for comment from a reporter Monday evening with a profanity. Lyons, of Chicago, wrongly entered the Capitol and took a photo of a plaque outside then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, according to court records. He was found guilty of all the charges lodged against him, although a judge later tossed a count of obstruction of an official proceeding after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Fischer v. United States.

*** Chicago ***

* Daily Herald | Threat of immigration raids turns Chicago’s ‘Little Village’ into ghost town: Foot traffic at the 2-mile stretch of 26th Street in the Little Village neighborhood plunged — by some measures, the decline had hit the 50%-mark, according to Jennifer Aguilar, who heads the local chamber of commerce and spoke to a number of the 400 or so businesses in the area. “It’s going to be disastrous,” Aguilar said in an interview. “If raids happen and people are too afraid to go out, it’s going to be an impact that’s going to last for years.”

* Chicago Eater | Chicago Restaurants Brace For Trump Immigration Raids as Misinformation Flourishes: The restaurant industry will collapse without undocumented workers, says Sanchez, a past chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association who made national headlines for admitting he voted for Trump, something few admit in Chicago, a stronghold for Democrats. Sanchez says a shift was needed as he predicted that the GOP would gain control of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Executive branches. He believes a bipartisan effort is necessary to solve the issue.

* Block Club | Judge Who Faced Backlash After Domestic Violence Rulings Moved To Traffic Court: By his own request, Judge Thomas E. Nowinski will now preside over misdemeanor and traffic-related cases, according to a statement from Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans. […] Amanda Pyron, president of The Network, a coalition of domestic violence advocacy organizations, said in a statement Thursday night they “agree” with Nowinski’s transfer.

* Crain’s | Longtime investigative reporter Chuck Goudie exits ABC7 Chicago: Some of the notable stories he covered included being the first Chicago reporter on the air from New York’s ground zero after the 9/11 attacks and ongoing coverage of the Chicago mob. The reason for Goudie’s departure from the station is unclear. “Chuck was a valued member of our ABC7 team for many years and we thank him for his groundbreaking contributions. We wish him only the best in his next chapter,” company spokesperson Jayme Nicholas told Crain’s.

* Sun-Times | Rich Hein, a Sun-Times photo editor whose theatrical work was art, died Sunday: Rich Hein looked through the lens of his camera into the hearts of people. He shot the city for nearly half a century, taking thousands of images that captured the human condition, first for suburban newspapers, then for 40 years on staff at the Chicago Sun Times, rising to become its photo editor. “Rich was a tough but fair boss,” said Alex Wroblewski, pausing from shooting the inauguration of President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday for Agence France-Presse. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. He opened the door for me. A sweet and gracious man.”

* Block Club | Chicago Is Colder Than Antarctica Right Now — But Things Will Warm Up (A Little) Tomorrow: “It’s the coldest stretch of weather since January of last year,” said Jake Petr, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “Limit the time you spend outside.” Temperatures that feel as low as -15 to -25 degrees will “hold steady” until the cold snap breaks after midnight, Petr said.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Mount Prospect pedestrian bridge still faces funding gap: Mount Prospect trustees have approved substantial engineering work and landed on a design for the pedestrian bridge linking Meadows and Melas parks. But the village still needs to bridge an approximately $1.6 million funding gap before it’s built. […] Still, the village also reported more than $43.7 million in reserve in 2023.

* Aurora Beacon News | Some Kendall County offices moving temporarily to courthouse: Due to a $9.9 million building upgrade at the Kendall County Office Building in Yorkville, several of the county’s administrative offices at the Fox Street facility will move and temporarily operate in the Kendall County Courthouse in the city pending completion of the renovation project, county officials said.

*** Downstate ***

* NPR Illinois | County is short millions for supportive housing: An estimated $3 million is what it would take to put Sangamon County’s unhoused population in homes. That’s according to Josh Sabo, executive director of Heartland HOUSED, an agency that oversees county efforts on homelessness. He says state and federal funding falls short. […] There 341 people in the county on a waiting list for those types of housing.

* WSIL | Read S.I. celebrates successful partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library: So far, more than 7,300 children are enrolled in the Read S.I. program, which is double what organizers were expecting. More than 30,000 books have been put in the hands of children in our region, that might not have otherwise had the opportunity. While the program is very affordable and based on donation, it’s not entirely free. The breakdown comes to about $16 to sponsor a child for a year. Eligible children fall between the ages of birth to 5-years-old and reside in the southern 18 counties in Illinois.

* WCIA | Ford County Chronicle fights for tax credit meant to save local journalism: It turns out, the Ford County Chronicle does not qualify for the credit because of how Brumleve filed taxes for the business. In order to get the credit, the Ford County Chronicle needed employees, but Brumleve and Rosten were co-owners, so they weren’t paid as employees. Brumleve already worked with an accountant to file his taxes as an S corporation, which will allow him to qualify for the credit next year, but he intends to keep fighting this year.

* WSIL | Foreigner to headline 2025 Gibson City Summer Bash: Foreigner will play the bash, which is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16. Gibson City Area Hospital and Health Services officials announced the lineup on WCIA 3’s The Morning Show Tuesday. […] English rock singer John Waite will open for the band. General admission tickets for the 5th annual bash cost $10. Party Pit tickets will allow attendees to see the band closer to the stage. Tickets go on sale Friday at 8 a.m.

*** National ***

* AP | Garth Hudson, master instrumentalist and last surviving member of The Band, dies at 87: A rustic figure with an expansive forehead and sprawling beard, Hudson was a classically trained performer and self-educated Greek chorus who spoke through piano, synthesizers, horns and his favored Lowrey organ. No matter the song, Hudson summoned just the right feeling or shading, whether the tipsy clavinet and wah-wah pedal on “Up on Cripple Creek,” the galloping piano on “Rag Mama Rag” or the melancholy saxophone on “It Makes No Difference.”

The Trump administration has revoked a Biden-era memo that prohibited ICE from arresting unauthorized immigrants at or near "sensitive locations," like schools, places of worship, healthcare sites, shelters and relief centers.

Admin. says it "trusts" ICE to "use common sense." pic.twitter.com/JTUAO70DOo

— Camilo Montoya-Galvez (@camiloreports) January 21, 2025

* AP | President Donald Trump signed an order to end birthright citizenship. What is it and what does that mean?: The 14th Amendment was born in the aftermath of the Civil War and ratified in 1868. It says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Trump’s order excludes the following people from automatic citizenship: those whose mothers were not legally in the United States and whose fathers were not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents; people whose mothers were in the country legally but on a temporary basis and whose fathers were not citizens or legal permanent residents.

* Tribune | What’s next for EVs under President Trump?: Trump’s order said he would “eliminate the electric vehicle (EV) mandate” and promote true consumer choice, which is essential for economic growth and innovation, by removing regulatory barriers to motor vehicle access; by ensuring a level regulatory playing field for consumer choice in vehicles.” While there is no Biden “mandate” to force the purchase of EVs, the Democratic president’s policies were aimed at encouraging Americans to buy them and car companies to shift from gas-powered vehicles to electric cars.

* Utility Drive | Trump executive orders halt wind development, declare energy emergency: President Donald Trump began his second term Monday with a bevy of executive orders, including one that temporarily withdraws all federal waters from consideration for offshore wind leasing, and pauses permitting, approvals and loans for all onshore and offshore wind projects. The administration’s pick for Secretary of the Interior, former North Dakota governor Doug Burgum, will lead a comprehensive assessment of federal wind leasing and permitting practices, the order said.

* AP | Musk’s straight-arm gesture embraced by right-wing extremists regardless of what he meant: Musk’s representative in Italy, Andrea Stroppa, published the photo on X with the words: “Roman Empire is back, starting with the Roman salute,” according to the news agency ANSA. He later deleted the post, writing that Musk “is autistic,” and was expressing his emotions but denying he was emulating fascism.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Pritzker talks about Trump’s first day, deportation rumors, etc.

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Governor Pritzker was asked today if he has received any communications from President Donald Trump’s administration about mass deportations in Chicago at an unrelated news conference…

Pritzker: None. And I think that’s just more evidence of the chaos and confusion that they’re trying to sow. And it’s very disappointing.

Yesterday, as you may have heard, there was an executive order issued that would suggest that President Trump is trying to get rid of birthright citizenship in this country. That’s unconstitutional what he issued, the executive order. We will not follow an unconstitutional executive order. We will follow the law in this state.

Please pardon all transcription errors.

* Pritzker’s reaction to rumors about ICE enforcement in Chicago…

Governor Pritzker: Look, I don’t know. They’ve not communicated with us, so we don’t know when exactly those enforcement actions might take place. We have heard that they are targeting as many as 2,000 people initially, in the city of Chicago alone. I don’t know whether they’ll effectuate that or how.

Rich checked on that claim and was told the 2,000 number came from local law enforcement.

* Back to Pritzker…

I want to be clear about what my position is and what the law is. If there are violent criminals who have been convicted of violent crimes, who are undocumented, they are supposed to be deported. That is the law of the United States, and has been for quite a long time. I don’t want them in my state. I don’t want them in the country. If you’re going to commit crimes and you’re undocumented, you don’t deserve to stay in this country.

Now, as for undocumented people and residents of the state of Illinois, by the way, there are people who are discriminating against documented immigrants in the process of all this, but we’re talking about people who are paying taxes. Who are not getting any services for those taxes. When they’re undocumented, they can’t show themselves to get the services that other people who pay taxes would get.

And these are people who have raised families in the United States, who are law abiding, and often are the anchors of their communities. And I think we should think very carefully about what immigration means to this country. It is what we were founded upon. It is something that we should have comprehensive immigration reform in this country, and not simply have a president who is scaring people, forcing them out of their jobs because they’re afraid to go to work.

Go to 26th, go to Little Village, go to Pilsen. I was there yesterday. I was in businesses yesterday that were relatively empty because people are afraid to show up. Because even documented immigrants, even citizens who are from another country, but now are citizens of the United States have relatives who are undocumented. They’re afraid. That is what this President is doing, and it’s wrong.

* On the President’s executive orders…

Reporter: Governor, there’s a notion that the Trump administration is sort of trying to issue this flood of orders to cause either chaos and perhaps lack of focus. Is there a particular area that you are directing the state’s attention? […] That you’re really trying to focus in on?

Pritzker: Let me begin by saying, I’m continuing to do my job, and that’s to protect the people of the state of Illinois, to lift people up, to make sure that we’re passing and signing a Dignity in Pay Act, for example.

Importantly, to make life more affordable for people we got rid of the grocery tax in the state of Illinois.

You know, that was something that President Trump talked about. He said, not that the grocery tax, but just lowering prices at grocery stores. And yet, in the flood of all the proposals that he made yesterday, there was nothing that would lower costs. In fact, he proposed tariffs on goods coming into this country from Canada and Mexico, and is proposing having an entire department that’s dedicated to tariffs. Well, guess who is going to pay for tariffs?

So he is raising costs for people across this country, not lowering them. We’re doing our job here to make life better for people in the state of Illinois.

* A reporter asked the governor if the president has succeeded in his promise to be a “dictator” on his first day in office…

Pritzker: What I know is that people across the United States are having their rights taken away. What I know is that vulnerable people across the country, are under attack as a result of this new administration.

And I think it’s frightening that right there at the inauguration in the front row were a bunch of what some people have called them oligarchs. These are the wealthiest people in the country who essentially Donald Trump, well feels better about having them around than having ordinary Americans backing him up or standing with him.

And I think it’s just an indication of what this administration is really all about. It isn’t about what he ran on. It isn’t. And you’re going to see over and over and over again what I think we saw when I was governor when he was last president, which is he makes promises that sound good and doesn’t deliver on the promises that are good for people. And then instead, is actually effectuating policies that are either good for him personally and enrich him personally or his family, or are good for his friends and allies, but bad for anyone else in the country.

When you are a leader in this country, you’re a governor of a state, President of the United States, you have an obligation in office to fight for everybody that you represent, everybody.

* I asked the governor what he thinks about billionaires “making nice” with President Trump…

Pritzker: Why are these people making nice? They hope to become greater than billionaires. They hope to double what they already have. That is why they’re making nice. That’s all I can imagine. I mean, maybe some of them have delusions of becoming dictators themselves.

So I can’t read between the lines on what it is exactly, but that’s what I can imagine. And I was frankly disgusted when I saw yesterday at a presidential rally, not a campaign rally. This is a rally of the President of the United States, Elon Musk, standing up and giving a Sieg Heil and then excusing himself for it by saying, well, he was just putting his heart out to people. I think it’s disgusting. It should be called out. The president should call it out. And Elon Musk owes an apology to the Americans.

* On Trump pardoning January 6 rioters…

Reporter: Trump promised to pardon January 6 rioters. Yesterday he went through with blanket pardons. What does this say, I guess to law enforcement? What does it say to the rule of law and the lawmakers who were there?

Pritzker: What used to be the party of law and order is now the party of chaos and disorder, and that stands against law enforcement. The people who attacked the Capitol on January 6 were attacking law enforcement, because that’s who was there guarding the Capitol.

And there are so many pictures and videos. If you don’t know it, go look, because there were people who died, who died as a result of the attack by those January 6 rioters and he fomented that.

I was at the White House not very long ago with President Biden. And there’s a room behind the Oval Office, which is the dining room when you don’t have lunch or dinner in a private setting. People don’t usually see this room. It’s the room that that the President Trump sat in for three and a half hours watching TV as the January 6 rioters, that he incurred, attacking the Capitol sat there doing nothing, doing nothing. One of the most important institutions of our nation was under attack, and President Trump, who had the ability to stop it, did nothing for three and a half hours, and people died.

Deeeeeeeeeep breaths.

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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small.

We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Jeff, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.

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Always check the rollcall, always read the bill and do a simple Google search

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Tribune throws Sen. Castro under the bus with the other opponents…

Hemp business owners sent a flurry of campaign contributions to key Illinois lawmakers this fall to ward off a feared shutdown of their industry, though it paled in comparison to the money that licensed cannabis companies have given over the years, state records show. […]

Charles Wu, owner of Chicago-based Chi’tiva and lobbyist for the Illinois Hemp Business Association, made contributions totaling $21,831 in the past two years, the state Board of Elections reported.

That includes reported campaign contributions of $9,000 to Welch’s main fund in 2024, $3,500 to state Rep. LaShawn Ford, who sponsored legislation for looser regulations than the governor supported, $1,250 to Rep. Teresa Mah, who appeared with Ford at a news conference supporting the bill, $1,500 to a fund for state Sen. Cristina Castro and $2,500 to Neighbors for state Rep. Hoan Huynh, all Democrats.

Um, not only did Castro vote for the bill, she was the legislation’s chief Senate co-sponsor.

C’mon. “Follow the money” doesn’t explain everything.

* Meanwhile, the Post-Tribune almost had it…

Indiana legislators would like to redraw the Indiana-Illinois border to absorb parts of Illinois, but the proposed action would face roadblocks on the Illinois side, which would prevent a border shift, political officials and experts said.

Indiana House Bill 1008, authored by Speaker Todd Huston, would establish an Indiana-Illinois boundary adjustment commission to research the possibility of adjusting the boundaries between the two states. The commission would include five members appointed by the Indiana governor and five members appointed under Illinois law. […]

For the boundary to change, the U.S. Constitution dictates that the Indiana legislature, the Illinois legislature and then Congress would have to approve the measure, Helmke said.

The article quotes an expert, but doesn’t actually quote the proposed bill. I warned subscribers about this silly legislation last week. From HB1008…

The commission consists of the following members: (1) Five (5) individuals who are not members of the general assembly appointed by the [Indiana] governor. […]

Five (5) individuals from the State of Illinois appointed under Illinois law. […]

A quorum of the commission consists of:

(1) at least three (3) Indiana members; and
(2) at least three (3) members appointed from the State of Illinois.

In other words, the goofy commission can’t even meet if the Illinois governor and the General Assembly don’t cooperate.

C’mon.

* Last one…

Newly inaugurated state Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-Ottawa, introduced her first bill, which she said aims to investigate the challenges facing rural health care.

“Rural hospitals are closing at alarming rates, leaving handfuls of its patients and their families scrambling to find out-of-town options,” Briel said in a news release. “These closures leave people traveling for hours for the most basic care, or worse, without care at all. My bill aims to investigate why these closures are happening in the first place and allow us to identify solutions to expand and maintain care in rural communities.”

Rural hospitals in Illinois have faced multiple challenges, including financial pressures and staff shortages, Briel said. Briel introduced House Bill 1301, which creates The Rural Hospital Task Force within the Illinois Department of Public Health to: investigate the current state of rural hospitals in Illinois, provide actionable recommendations to prevent further closures and explore ways to expand and improve healthcare services for rural residents.

The task force will deliver its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by January 2027 to ensure accountability and progress measures are in place, Briel said.

*Deep sigh*

* Legislators blithely create these commissions on the regular for a nice press pop back home. But, a ton of research has been done on this topic already…

The Center for Rural Health was formed in 1989 on the recommendation of the Governor’s Rural Health Task Force. The goal of the center is to improve access to primary health care in rural and underserved areas of Illinois and to encourage community involvement in health issues. The center also serves as an information clearinghouse on rural health issues.

Maybe call them?

* Also, there was this thing called the Illinois Rural Health Summit and they covered this topic pretty well. More here.

The Illinois Hospital Association is also a good resource.

There’s also a study of of 28 Illinois rural hospitals called “Rural Illinois hospital chief executive officers’ perceptions of provider shortages and issues in rural recruitment and retention.”

And then there’s the Google. You can also Google some stuff that has already been accomplished by clicking here.

I’m not trying to pick on a freshman. I saw the press release come through and then noticed the news story and it bugged me. This merely gives me an opportunity to say that if members want to do something, then they should first read the studies that are gathering dust on countless shelves and then put together actual legislation to address the problem. Another study just kicks the can further down the road and gives everyone an excuse to do nothing and spends taxpayer money that could be spent on, you know, rural hospitals.

And, needless to say, local news outlets ought to stop falling for this.

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Too late for regrets

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s longtime law firm partner Vincent “Bud” Getzendanner testified in Madigan’s defense against numerous federal charges last week.

One of the main themes of Getzendanner’s testimony was the property tax firm’s process of weeding out clients and potential clients who could pose a conflict of interest to Madigan.

Getzendanner testified “there would be a meeting once or twice a year involving Madigan’s statehouse legal staff regarding Madigan & Getzendanner clients,” Sun-Times reporter Jon Seidel reported from the courtroom.

Getzendanner would also periodically send the firm’s client list to some of Madigan’s Statehouse staffers so that they could check it against legislation that was currently before the Illinois House, Seidel noted.

The jury was also shown emails from Madigan’s legislative staffers to Getzendanner regarding inquiries about the firm’s clients, or whether some entities with issues before the legislature were clients.

“There was a constant back and forth between Mike’s legislative staff and the law office,” Getzendanner told jurors, according to Dave Byrnes with Courthouse News.

Getzendanner also testified that he had the final say about whether to bring in clients.

As an example, in a memo shown to jurors from Getzendanner to Madigan, Getzendanner wrote, “No file is accepted and opened until I do a review to determine if the firm’s representation would constitute a conflict, or the appearance of a conflict, with your legislative duties,” reported the Tribune’s Jason Meisner.

Jurors were shown a chart of Madigan clients with notations from various folks about potential conflicts. “Most entries on the chart say, ‘no conflict,’” reported Seidel. Madigan attorney Dan Collins highlighted one email that read, “possible appearance of conflict; principal owner of Walton is Neil Bluhm who is principal owner of Rivers Casino. Very thin connection, but err on side of caution.”

This thorough and nearly constant vetting process is why the people who thought they knew Madigan well firmly believed that he understood where the legal lines were and that he had never crossed them. Some still believe that’s true today.

Clients with land-transfer issues would definitely be screened out, Getzendanner testified, according to Seidel. “That’s a category where you absolutely could not take on a client.”

And yet, the prosecution has shown jurors evidence that Madigan did, indeed, work on legislation to help a real estate investor by trying to move a Chinatown land transfer bill through the House. The feds also presented evidence that allege a successful transfer would’ve resulted in legal business for Madigan & Getzendanner from that developer.

The deal was being put together by then-Chicago Ald. Danny Solis (25th), who became a mole for the FBI after being confronted with his own lawbreaking. As I’ve told you before, Madigan instructed Solis to reach out to Michael McClain to see if he could help. McClain was Madigan’s top advisor and the trial’s Madigan co-defendant.

Madigan later told Solis that he was considering approaching the Illinois Department of Transportation about the transfer, because the agency was an important part of the process. He then told Solis, “I’m trying to figure out a way to approach it,” suggesting that he was trying to help with the transfer while avoiding leaving his fingerprints.

Madigan suggested at one point that McClain talk to a senator, then received a briefing from McClain about legislators who were opposing the bill.

At one point, Solis told Madigan that if the House Speaker could “take care” of that Chinatown transfer by the end of spring session, “I’m confident they’ll appreciate it and … sign you up on after May,” as their property tax attorney.

OK, wait a second. Didn’t Getzendanner testify under oath that he had the final say in taking on new clients and that there was no way a client with a land transfer bill would ever be accepted? And wasn’t there a massive and ongoing client vetting process?

It doesn’t matter to the feds. Policies can be changed, after all. And they have enough recordings to suggest Madigan was pushing the bill and was being told he’d get a new client out of it.

“One of my regrets is that I had any time spent with Danny Solis,” Madigan told jurors, according to the Sun-Times.

The trial is wrapping up as I write this. But whatever happens, Madigan should’ve known better than to have ever worked with Solis. He brought all this on himself.

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Mayor Brandon Johnson, Gov. JB Pritzker in phone call compare notes, brace for the Trump era ahead. Sun-Times…

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | DCFS has made small steps in improving child placement but troubling issues persist: Last week, DCFS Director Heidi Mueller said the agency has done better in placing children in proper settings and shared new findings showing fewer kids are sleeping in government offices, a key subject of complaints from watchdogs. But data released at the end of last year indicates that while there were pockets of improvement during her initial months in office, troubling issues persist and the agency is far from solving its child placement problem.

* Center Square | Judge to confer with attorneys ahead of closing arguments at Madigan trial: Judge John Robert “Jack” Blakey said he planned to work on jury instructions over the weekend before meeting with prosecutors and defense attorneys. With jurors not scheduled to return until Wednesday, the judge told attorneys he would review the instructions with them Tuesday afternoon at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.

* Sun-Times | Undercover sting exposes rampant housing discrimination across Chicago area, watchdog group says: The Housing Rights Initiative filed a slew of complaints with the Illinois Department of Human Rights, claiming that real estate agents, brokerage firms and landlords discriminated against prospective renters who sought to use vouchers provided through the federal rental assistance program known as Section 8.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WCIA | Sen. Rose refiles bill to keep carbon storage projects away from the Mahomet Aquifer: The senators worry carbon dioxide storage projects can contaminate the source of water for hundreds of thousands. “Clean water is not negotiable,” Rose said. “The Mahomet Aquifer is a lifeline for central Illinois, and we cannot keep ignoring the risks posed by CO2 storage beneath it.”

*** Statewide ***

* Tribune | Illinois affected by a record number of billion-dollar climate disasters in 2024, mostly severe storms: In 2024, Illinois was affected by the most billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the state since recordkeeping began in 1980, making it the fourth-costliest year after 2012, 1993 and 2023, according to an annual report released last week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Twelve events that touched multiple states cost Illinois a total of nearly $4 billion in damages — nine of those were severe storms with tornadoes, hail and high winds.

* Illinois News Bureau | Schools need to boost entry-level salaries to better compete for novice teachers, study says: In the study, published in the Labor Studies Journal, Bruno found that when teacher salaries in districts increased by 1%, adjacent districts increased their own pay scales by just .15% to .25%. And the ratios of increases were no bigger for novice teachers’ salaries than for more experienced educators.

* Peter Steinmeyer | New laws Illinois employers need to know in 2025: The Illinois Personnel Record Review Act, which applies to Illinois employers with five or more employees, requires employers to permit employees, including former employees terminated within the preceding year, to review, copy or obtain copies of records twice per calendar year. The law was amended to not only expand the list of documents employers must provide but also clarify which documents need not be disclosed and revise the procedures for requesting and obtaining the records.

* Judith Ruiz-Branch | How IL’s grid plans will focus on underserved communities: Illinois plans to spend $1.5 billion through 2027 in significant grid investments to help meet the state’s ambitious clean-energy goals, with nearly half of funds going toward addressing environmental disparities. The Climate and Equity Jobs Act requires at least 40% of state grid investments to benefit underserved and low-income communities. Brad Klein, managing attorney with the Environmental Law and Policy Center, said fulfilling it means first learning more about existing issues.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Man banned from Chicago Park District jobs after scandal now working for alderman: A November 2021 investigation cited Alonzo Williams, then the Park District’s chief programs officer, and other district executives for mishandling allegations of abuse and sexual harassment in the lifeguard program. Williams resigned when the report came out and was designated “do not rehire” by the agency. But Williams quickly found contracting work in the City Council. And now, despite the still-in-place label from the sister city agency, South Side Ald. Greg Mitchell has hired Williams, city payroll records show.

* Block Club | With Chicago Reader At ‘Imminent Risk Of Closure,’ Alt-Weekly Staff Works To Cut Costs, Find Donors: Six non-union staffers were laid off, the paper announced Tuesday. To stay afloat, the Reader is trying to increase donor outreach and crowdfunding, and some staff have offered pay cuts or deferred compensation.

* ABC Chicago | Amtrak announces cancellations, delays amid extremely cold temps: Amtrak announced dozens of cancellations and delays as an arctic blast plunged temperatures to subfreezing. ABC7 Accuweather meteorologist Tracy Butler said wind chills are forecast to get between -15 to -35 Tuesday. Wednesday morning is also forecast to have below-zero wind chills.

* Sun-Times | Bears to hire Lions OC Ben Johnson as coach; next step is assembling staff: Johnson is widely regarded as one of the smartest offensive minds in football and has turned down multiple NFL teams over the last three hiring cycles while waiting for an ideal situation to become a head coach. He saw that at Halas Hall, where the Bears have a promising quarterback in Caleb Williams, along with other young talent, a bevy of salary-cap space and draft capital.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Park Forest Mayor Joe Woods, businessman won’t seek criminal charges for August confrontation: Both Park Forest Mayor Joe Woods and local businessman Antiwone Hardy have agreed not to seek criminal charges against each other in the wake of a confrontation between the two men and Hardy’s wife, Shalonda, in August. […] Woods told police Oct. 18 that he wondered aloud why the daughter was treating that way, using a vile name for how he thought he was being treated. Woods said the Hardys misconstrued his words and that Shalonda became irate, believing Woods was calling the daughter that vile name, the report states. But the Hardys insist Woods called their 15-year-old daughter the name, according to the report.

* Daily Herald | Huntley District 158 to buy electric buses, but switches supplier after company suspends Joliet operations: District 158 officials worked with the school district’s attorney and requested the cancellation of the Lion Electric contract. The district cited Lion’s “inability” to meet district needs, “which includes meeting the initial promised delivery date” of July 31, according to district documents. The district instead is getting four buses manufactured by Blue Bird through a contract with Central States Bus Sales, Inc. The school district has previously purchased four Blue Bird electric buses and is pleased with their performance, officials stated on Thursday.

* Daily Herald | League of Women Voters to host mayor and city council candidate forums for Tri-Cities: All three forums will be live, in-person, and open to the public. They also will be livestreamed and available for later viewing on the websites of the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County (lwvckcil.com) and the Illinois Voter Guide (illinoisvoterguide.org).

*** Downstate ***

* WSIL | Ameren Illinois line workers finish repairs on large power line in Jackson County: One particular major power line was damaged in Jackson County. Electric crews temporarily redirected power with a different line to turn the lights back on in the area. In the meantime, crews have finished rebuilding the major power line to get customers permanently switched back from the temporary line.

* WICS | More brutal cold gripping central Illinois: Frigid Arctic air continues to grip central Illinois creating dangerously cold wind chills. Through Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, wind chills will range from 10 BELOW TO 20 BELOW ZERO, AND AT TIMES, APPROACH 25 BELOW ZERO.

* WCIA | Central Illinois warming centers open this season: Winter weather is here and warming centers in Central Illinois are available to ensure that no one is left out in the cold. The City of Champaign has a list of resources available on their website. They have shelters for adults and for families and children.

*** National ***

* AP | Ohio State defeats Notre Dame 34-23 in college football championship game: When that teardrop of a throw from Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard on third-and-11 finally landed, light as a feather, in the hands of receiver Jeremiah Smith late in the fourth quarter Monday, Ohio State had locked up what would be a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame for its sixth national title and first in a decade. It was that 56-yard gain that snuffed out a feverish Notre Dame comeback and made the Buckeyes the champion of the sport’s first 12-team playoff, just as they were champions of its first four-team tournament a decade ago.

* DOL Study | Registered Apprenticeships Expand Access to Living Wages for Millions of U.S. Workers : A new study commissioned by the United States Department of Labor has revealed that registered apprenticeship programs—career training alternatives to college in which enrollment has doubled over the past decade—dramatically increases the ability of participants to afford basic needs in their communities, with union-affiliated programs delivering the biggest gains across all occupational sectors. The research was performed by Economist Frank Manzo IV of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) and Professor Robert Bruno of the Project for Middle Class Renewal (PMCR) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Live coverage

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Reader comments closed for the holiday weekend

Friday, Jan 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* All rise…

Marvin Gaye delivered the greatest national anthem of all time pic.twitter.com/SMLaAFU01t

— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) January 17, 2025

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - This just in…

Friday, Jan 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Friday, Jan 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Capitol News Illinois…

But now, as he enters his third term as speaker, [Chris Welch] and the Democratic caucus he leads face several new challenges, including significant budget constraints and divisions within the caucus itself. Those divisions erupted in a closed-door caucus meeting during the recent lame duck session and spilled over into public view during contentious negotiations over a bill to regulate the hemp industry. […]

“Let me say that we had a caucus on a very divisive issue,” Welch said. “We’ve had three caucuses in three different years now on that particular issue, and it gets very emotional. And I have talked to members who, I think, crossed the line and asked them to apologize. And it’s my understanding, at least one member has reached out to a staffer and tried to apologize.”

As for the governor, Welch said, “our relationship is great.”

“I love and respect the governor. In my four years as speaker, we’ve accomplished some great policy victories,” he said. “I’ve got two more years here as speaker again, thank God, and we’re going to land more big policy victories. You know, the governor has a job to do, but I have a job to do too.”

* City Bureau…

City Bureau spoke with more than a dozen migrant day laborers who said wage theft, sub-minimum wage rates and clashes with Home Depot security personnel — including off-duty Chicago Police Department officers — have made it precarious for them to look for work.

For decades, Chicago immigrants have turned to informal gigs, often solicited on street corners or in Home Depot parking lots, in hopes of earning money to survive. […]

Unlike publicly funded hiring halls in California and Texas, where day laborers can safely connect with contractors and negotiate pay rates, Chicago’s day labor industry is rife with wage theft, unsafe working conditions, physical violence and exploitation, City Bureau found.

People entering the day labor sector don’t always know about minimum wage laws. Some get paid far less than they were promised at the start of the day, while others might finish a full day of work and end up with no pay at all, organizers and workers said.

*** Statewide ***

* Press Release | Illinois EPA Bringing Recycle Coach To All Illinois Communities: Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director James Jennings has announced a new partnership with Recycle Coach to provide all Illinois residents in 6,835 units of local government a holistic, locally-tailored, easy to access recycling education platform. In the coming months, Recycle Coach will be engaging counties and municipalities across the state to ensure all Illinois residents are afforded the opportunity to have their community participate in this opportunity. Use of the program will decrease inbound contamination at material recovery facilities in Illinois, increase the amount of material diverted from Illinois landfills, prevent environmental contamination, and ultimately reduce emissions that contribute to climate change.

* NPR | Illinois students have sent over 5,000 tips to ‘Safe2Help’ school safety helpline since launch: Since its initial launch four years ago, Illinois students have submitted over 5,000 tips to the service. That’s according to a Freedom of Information Act request by WNIJ. The state says if students don’t have a trusted adult in their life, they can confidentially send in information online, through text, or an app. It’s then vetted by the Illinois State Police. They can get in touch with local law enforcement or school staff like a social worker.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | United Center owners snap up nearby lots as Near West Side megaproject takes shape: A venture controlled by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families that own the teams and arena paid nearly $36 million late last month for a series of surface lots within blocks of the venue, according to Cook County property records. The entity bought the lots from an affiliate of Red Top Parking, a longtime operator of parking lots near the United Center that has sold other land to the team owners over the past few years.

* Carole Brown and Julie Hamos | Money alone won’t resolve the region’s transit crisis: As a former state legislator and transit board chair, we strongly believe in the importance of the public transit services provided by CTA, Metra, and Pace. We are also intimately aware of the shortcomings of the current system, including fragmented and inefficient decision-making, a lack of coordination, rigid and outdated funding formulas, and unclear lines of accountability. So while it is important to address the looming funding crisis, we want to stress that funding alone will not address the very real structural challenges at the heart of the system.

While she apologized for remarks made comparing Pedro Martinez to a special education student, Stacy Davis Gates has not apologized directly to Martinez by phone, text or in person.
⁦@PedroCPSCEO⁩
⁦@stacydavisgates⁩ pic.twitter.com/dEryWQUr57

— Mary Ann Ahern (@MaryAnnAhernNBC) January 16, 2025

* Crain’s | At 97, Chicago’s pioneering Black capitalist reflects on a career spanning from Afro Sheen to ‘Soul Train’: Johnson is not the first or last business owner to have second thoughts about heading to Wall Street. “Once we went public everything was exposed,” he writes. “Essentially, it meant taking our clothes off in public, in our personal life as well as professionally. The dynamics change when investors own stock in your company. The investors get to ask questions, and you’re there to answer them.”

* ESPN | Are NFL teams letting agents impact coach hiring? Why the league cares: Since 2018, agent and ex-Chicago defensive end Trace Armstrong and his agency, Athletes First, have represented two fired Bears head coaches, Matt Nagy and Eberflus; three fired offensive coordinators, Mark Helfrich, Luke Getsy and Shane Waldron; as well as current general manager Ryan Poles. “I’ve never seen one agent have so much influence on one team and had so little success, but they keep going back and taking his guys,” said one coaching agent, who requested anonymity to speak freely on the topic. “And we all kind of shake our heads like, have they not figured this out yet?”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Lake County News Sun | Lake County business leaders told to expect ‘solid’ economic growth, despite uncertainties: Economic analysis painted a generally positive, if somewhat uncertain, picture of 2025 during the Forecast Lake County Luncheon Thursday, with Thomas Walstrum, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, walking local business leaders and officials through an assortment of economic data from S&P Global. “I would call it a good forecast,” Walstrum said. “GDP growth is near trend; unemployment is low. There’s the potential for a bump in inflation … but overall, I’d call it a forecast for solid growth.”

* Daily Herald | ‘He had been wandering all night’: Forest preserve police lauded for finding man missing in frigid conditions: Two veteran Lake County Forest Preserves police officers have been honored for their dedication and effort to find a 60-year-old man with autism who had been lost overnight while the temperature dipped below freezing. Sgt. Brad Ehrhardt was presented with the Service Award and Officer Michael Viramontes received the Lifesaving Award as special recognition during the forest board meeting Wednesday.

* Daily Herald | County, DuPage Foundation raise almost $400K to help shelter homeless this winter: County board members agreed in December to allocate $200,000 from the county’s affordable housing fund to support DuPagePads after President and CEO April Redzic highlighted the demand for shelter. The nonprofit’s board dedicated $150,000 — tripling the budgeted amount — to provide additional winter emergency shelter for people on a waitlist for rooms at an interim housing center DuPagePads operates in a former Downers Grove hotel. But that sum still wasn’t going to be enough.

* Crain’s | Northwestern posts surplus and near-record fundraising: The university posted a budget surplus of $54.6 million for fiscal year 2024, up from a surplus of $8.6 million in fiscal 2023, despite spending north of $200 million more on operating expenses in 2024 compared to the previous year.

*** Downstate ***

* ABC Chicago | Rockford becomes nation’s ‘Hottest Housing Market’ for first time, according to Realtor.com: Their rankings put Rockford in the top spot ahead of Manchester, New Hampshire. Manchester has claimed the top spot on the list for 31 times since 2017. Homes in Rockford, which list for a median price of $242,000, spend just 43 days on the market, compared to the national average of 70, according to Realtor.com. The national median listing price of a home is $424,900.

* WaPo | Only one coach beat Notre Dame this season. Let him tell you about it: The wonderland of this long college football season sits just off Interstate 88 way west of Chicago and just down a boulevard named for Annie Glidden, the famed farmer who lived from 1865 to 1965 while coaxing the soil into wonders. It’s a wonderland that went 8-5 but a wonderland no less, dammit, because of the storybook day it gave itself and the country Sept. 7. It proved how a sunny day can shine even into January when the horizon looks barren and the winter wind means serious business.

* BND | East St. Louis schools reopen a week after others as residents vent about still-icy roads: Most schools across St. Clair and Madison County were back in session by Friday of last week, with several smaller districts with fewer bus routes welcoming students back as early as Wednesday. “Belleville got the same amount of snow as East St. Louis and all of their schools are open. Their buses and cars are running. I’ve gotten stuck three times,” said resident April Jenkins. “I have hit so many pot holes because you can’t see the pot holes over the snow. It’s not fair to the city, the teachers, the students.”

* WCIA | Senior workforce program coming to Decatur: An Illinois non-profit is tapping into a group that might be looking for a new opportunity. It’s offering free healthcare training for people 55 and over. […] The Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation said it will go on for 10-12 weeks. Classes will meet once a week for around 4 hours and teach what you need to know to become a community health worker.

* WSIL | MLK Love Train happening Saturday in southern Illinois: The program will open with a prayer by Darrell Wimberly with a musical performance by LaCaje Hill. Speakers for the event will be Julian Watkins and Ginger Rye Sanders with a performance by Clo Johnson. The closing song will be performed by Aveon Winfield and Anu Dai.

*** National ***

* Atlanta Journal Constitution | Federal loan for Rivian earns approval days before Biden leaves office: The loan, which comes as President Joe Biden exits the White House, will provide Rivian with the financial backing to build its plant in southern Morgan and Walton counties, roughly an hour east of Atlanta. The $5 billion project was first proposed in late 2021 and was initially supposed to open in 2024, but delays mounted as the upstart automaker slogged through supply chain issues and other challenges.

* WaPo | Antiabortion advocates look for men to report their partners’ abortions: The strategy propelled a first-of-its-kind lawsuit filed last month by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that cited first-hand information from an unnamed “biological father” to accuse a New York doctor of illegally providing abortion pills to a woman in the Dallas area, according to two people familiar with the case’s origins.

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Transit fiefdoms ignored 2015 state deadline to streamline fares

Friday, Jan 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Carole Brown and Julie Hamos writing in Crain’s about mass transit reform…

As just one example, many regional travelers are still unable to transfer easily between Metra and CTA or Pace (without having to pay twice), despite a legislative requirement to achieve this more than a decade ago.

* House Bill 3597 was signed into law almost 14 years ago…

Provides that, by January 1, 2013, the Regional Transportation Authority, in consultation with the Service Boards (Chicago Transit Authority, Commuter Rail Division, and Suburban Bus Division) and the general public, must develop a policy regarding transfer fares on all fixed-route public transportation services provided by the Service Boards. Sets forth the requirements for the policy.

Provides that, by January 1, 2015, the Authority must develop and implement a regional fare payment system. Requires that the payment system developed by the Authority allow consumers to use contactless credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards to pay for all fixed-route public transportation services

And yet, we’re supposed to trust these same agencies to reform themselves now?

* Back to Speaker Chris Welch’s interview with the Sun-Times…

I think it’s extremely important that we consider reforms to improve administration and rider experience. I think to talk about money before talking about reforms is irresponsible. […]

They’re not getting anything before we talk about reforms, everyone agrees that we need to implement some reforms first. We need to improve administration. We need to improve the rider experience. We can’t even have that money conversation before that. […]

They gotta get the trains to run on time. They gotta get people to and from work on time. They gotta get people around the city, around the suburbs, so that the transit experience helps our economy and not hurts it.

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Question of the day

Friday, Jan 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Associated Press…

The Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the federal law banning TikTok beginning Sunday unless it’s sold by its China-based parent company, holding that the risk to national security posed by its ties to China overcomes concerns about limiting speech by the app or its 170 million users in the United States.

A sale does not appear imminent and, although experts have said the app will not disappear from existing users’ phones once the law takes effect on Jan. 19, new users won’t be able to download it and updates won’t be available. That will eventually render the app unworkable, the Justice Department has said in court filings.

The decision came against the backdrop of unusual political agitation by President-elect Donald Trump, who vowed that he could negotiate a solution and the administration of President Joe Biden, which has signaled it won’t enforce the law beginning Sunday, his final full day in office.

Trump, mindful of TikTok’s popularity, and his own 14.7 million followers on the app, finds himself on the opposite side of the argument from prominent Senate Republicans who fault TikTok’s Chinese owner for not finding a buyer before now.

* The Question: Which social media apps do you use the most? Explain.

37 Comments

Today’s quotable

Friday, Jan 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* More from the Fran Spielman interview with House Speaker Chris Welch. This part focused on the Chicago Public Schools and state school funding…

Q: Will the messy divorce with Pedro Martinez help or hurt the case for school funding?

Welch: Well, you know, school funding is always a debate in Springfield every year, regardless of what’s going on with the Chicago Board of Education. You know, since I’ve been speaker, we have increased education funding every single year. We’re well over a billion dollars in increased funding to the evidence based funding formula. And as we go through this year’s budget, that’s going to be a big topic of conversation. Again, coming from a school board, I spent 12 years on the school board. I know what school districts need, and they need more funding. They don’t need less. And so while I’m trying to be as helpful as we possibly can, but there’s a lot of pressures on us right now, Fran.

Q: But the Pedro Martinez fight, shouldn’t [Mayor Johnson] have waited until the elected board was seated? Isn’t that a distraction and show that there’s turmoil there, and there’s this feeling that he’s giving away the story to the CTU, his former union? Does that hurt his case?

Welch: Fran, I gotta stay focused on what’s going on in Springfield and state government, I gotta leave it to the mayor to decide what fights he wants to have in the city of Chicago.

Oof.

Also, Chicago is a hugely important city. But it’s only about 20 percent of the Illinois population. Everything can’t and shouldn’t be about that place.

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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work

Friday, Jan 17, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like the McKay family, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.

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It’s just a bill

Friday, Jan 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* HB1077 from Rep. Daniel Didech…

Creates the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act. Applies the Act to a civil cause of action, including an action in federal court under its supplemental or diversity jurisdiction, against a person based on the person’s: (i) communication in a legislative, executive, judicial, administrative, or other governmental proceeding; (ii) communication on an issue under consideration or review in any of these proceedings; or (iii) exercise of a right guaranteed by the United States Constitution or the Illinois Constitution on a matter of public concern. Provides that the Act does not apply to a cause of action asserted: (i) against a governmental unit or an employee or agent of a governmental unit acting or purporting to act in an official capacity; (ii) by a governmental unit or an employee or agent of a governmental unit acting in an official capacity to enforce a law to protect against an imminent threat to public health or safety; or (iii) against a person primarily engaged in the business of selling or leasing goods or services if the cause of action arises out of a communication related to the person’s sale or lease of the goods or services. Creates a procedure for a special motion for expedited relief for a party being sued for issues covered by the Act to dismiss or strike the action in whole or in part within 60 days of being sued. Requires the court to rule on a special motion for expedited relief within 60 days after a hearing, and the court must conduct a hearing not later than 60 days after the filing of such a motion unless it continues it for discovery under the Act or for other good cause. Makes other changes. Makes a conforming change in the Citizen Participation Act. Effective immediately.

This would overturn a recent Illinois Supreme Court ruling that SLAPP suit protections don’t apply to news reporting. Click here and here for some background.

* HB3713 passed out of the House 68-35 last March before dying in the Senate…

Good news! Our sponsors plan to reintroduce our Clean Air for Healthy Equitable Schools bill to both chambers of the ILGA this spring. Stay tuned for updates and action items! #Twill pic.twitter.com/eiDxWsSnJ8

— Illinois Stakeholders for Air Quality in Schools (@IllinoisAir) January 17, 2025

* Rep. Brad Halbrook introduced HB1400 yesterday…

Amends the Time Standardization Act. Provides that daylight saving time shall be the year-round standard time of the entire State. Makes other changes.

* Rep. Kevin Olickal introduced HB1427…

Creates the Prohibition of Algorithmics in Rent Act. Provides that in setting the amount of rent to be charged to a tenant for the occupancy of a residential premises, including determining any change in the amount of rent to be charged for the renewed occupancy of a residential premises, a landlord shall not employ, use, or rely upon, or cause another person to employ, use, or rely upon, an algorithmic device that uses, incorporates, or was trained with nonpublic competitor data. Defines “algorithmic device” to mean a device that uses one or more algorithms to perform calculations of data, including data concerning local or statewide rent amounts being charged to tenants by landlords, for the purpose of advising a landlord concerning the amount of rent that the landlord may consider charging a tenant. Provides that this definition does not include (i) any report published periodically, but no more frequently than monthly, by a trade association that receives renter data and publishes it in an aggregated and anonymous manner; or (ii) a product used for the purpose of establishing rent or income limits in accordance with the affordable housing program guidelines of a local government, the State, the federal government, or other political subdivision. Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to make a corresponding change. Provides that any person who violates the Prohibition of Algorithmics in Rent Act commits an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

Some background from WBEZ…

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined the U.S. Department of Justice and nine other state attorneys general in a lawsuit against real estate software company RealPage and some of the nation’s largest landlords.

The civil antitrust complaint filed Tuesday alleges the companies coordinated to keep rents high by using an algorithm to help set rents and privately sharing sensitive information to boost profits. […]

Together, the landlords operate more than 1.3 million housing units in 43 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Justice Department. All manage multifamily apartment buildings; several own some or all of the properties under their management. […]

The lawsuit accuses the landlords of sharing sensitive data on rents and occupancy with competing firms via email, phone calls or in groups. The information shared included renewal rates, how often they accept an algorithm’s price recommendation, the use of concessions such as offering one month free, and even their approach to pricing for the next quarter, according to the lawsuit.

9 Comments

Open thread

Friday, Jan 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please!

6 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Jan 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Madigan defense rests its case as landmark corruption trial winds toward an end. WTTW…

* Related stories…

∙ Sun-Times: Former speaker rests his case against fed claims he was a racketeer running criminal “Madigan Enterprise”
∙ ABC Chicago: Defense rests case in trial of former IL House Speaker Michael Madigan

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Cook County judge reassigned from domestic violence cases after releasing man later accused of killing wife: Judge Thomas Nowinski made the request himself to be transferred to the court’s Third Municipal District in Rolling Meadows where he will hear misdemeanor and traffic cases starting Tuesday, according to a statement released Thursday by Evans. The move stems from Nowinski electing to release Constantin Beldie, 57, on GPS monitoring after he was charged Oct. 9 with choking and attempting to kidnap his wife, Lacramioara Beldie, 54.

* Silver Bulletin | Polling is becoming more of an art than a science: Natalie Jackson — pollster and Vice President at GQR Insights — thinks pollsters are hesitant to get too excited about this result but sees their mood as optimistic relative to the last few cycles — where large errors dominated the post-election conversation about the polls: “The good thing is it was better than 2020 and 2016. The not-so-good thing is that we still underestimated Trump, which is concerning. It’s concerning when the bias runs in the same direction three cycles in a row. So… it’s really nice that we don’t have a bajillion articles saying death to the polling industry, but I don’t think that means we’re home free either.”

* The Invisible Institute | Illinois law requires transparency when police kill people. Many cases stay in the dark: After fatal police shootings and other deaths at the hands of law enforcement in Illinois, investigating agencies are required to “publicly release a report” if no charges are brought against the officers. However, two Metro East prosecutors have proved to be reluctant participants in that process, giving up what should be public documents only after records requests and maintaining that they are following the law by doing so.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WTTW | Illinois Black Hemp Association Says Industry ‘Under Attack’ by Pritzker Amid Push for Stricter Regulation: Illinois’ legalization of recreational marijuana in 2020 was supposed to be a course corrective on the lopsided implementation of the war on drugs — an opportunity for Black people who were disproportionally prosecuted and imprisoned for drug-related crimes to get in on the ground floor of the legal cannabis industry. Giving Black and Brown people the opportunity was a priority for Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and he has considered it a crowning achievement — the state released a study last year showing that 60% of cannabis dispensary licenses went to businesses owned by minorities or women.

*** Chicago ***

* WGN | FBI Chicago sees bank robberies in city, suburbs plummet in 2024: New data shared with WGN News from the FBI’s Chicago field office shows a major drop in the number of bank robberies that happened last year in both city limits and throughout the suburbs within the field office’s geographic area. According to the data, there were 62 bank robberies in Chicago in 2023 compared to 31 in 2024, a sharp decline of 50%.

* Sun-Times | City Hall lobbyist repays $96,000 in tax breaks Sun-Times showed he never should have been given: Now, after a Chicago Sun-Times investigation uncovered the improper tax breaks, Saleh has paid up — $96,000 including penalties and interest. Saleh, a registered lobbyist for PepsiCo, won’t talk about why he repaid the money he saved as a result of the 34 tax breaks he’s gotten since 2017, along with the penalties and interest, and chose not to fight to prove he should have gotten them.

* Sun-Times | Chicago’s crypto ATMs are magnets for drug dealing and scams on elderly people: Legislation was introduced last year in the Illinois Senate to regulate crypto ATMs and cap usage fees, but the bills were never called for a vote. A state senator from Chicago says the issue may be addressed again after President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has become a champion of cryptocurrencies and has promised to deregulate the industry.

* Tribune | Chicago Bulls’ and Blackhawks’ plan to begin remaking the neighborhood surrounding United Center wins commission approval: This initial step will include the privately financed construction of a 6,000-seat music hall, a boutique hotel and nearly 10 acres of green space, including play areas for all age groups. The initial phase also includes several parking garages topped by elevated parks open to the public, with retail spaces and cafes on the ground floors.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WGN | Markham promotes home ownership with moratorium on new rental properties: Markham’s homeownership rate stands at 72 percent, higher than the rates in all of Illinois and Cook County, according to U.S. Census Data. But city officials say its growing number of rental properties account for a disproportionate number of police and fire service calls, as well as code enforcement and public works problems. […] Ideally, Agpawa said he’d like Markham’s homeownership rate to touch 90 percent. That goal may be challenging to reach, but Markham still took action by recently instituting a moratorium on new rental properties.

* ABC Chicago | Suburban school districts try to calm immigrant community’s fears of mass deportations: By law, Illinois schools must welcome students regardless of race, creed or immigration status. Most public officials in the state have expressed confidence that will continue. However, with the Trump administration about to take over leadership in Washington, some families in the immigrant community are on edge.

* Tribune | Winnetka house made famous by the movie ‘Home Alone’ sells for $5.5M: Now, the five-bedroom mansion has gotten its first new owners in 13 years — and seven years after the current owners renovated and expanded it. The home has six bathrooms, four fireplaces, an entry staircase that famously was showcased in the film, a recently added family room with 10-foot-high coffered ceilings, French doors and a kitchen with double islands, bespoke white cabinetry, a hidden pantry, an eight-burner Wolf range, a Sub-Zero refrigerator and a built-in banquette.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | U.S. Department of Justice, Sangamon County Sheriff settle investigation over Sonya Massey’s murder: The agreement they reached demands several changes from the county, but there is little in the way of punishments outlined in the deal for following not following through. […] The deal requires the Sheriff’s office to “review and update policies, rules, and procedures and provide training on a variety of topics, including non-discriminatory policing and interactions with individuals with behavioral health disabilities.”

* ABC Chicago | Amber Alert canceled for girl abducted in Rock Island; 5 arrested, police say: An 18-year-old man and four other teens were arrested and charged in connection to the kidnapping and vehicle theft, police said. Rock Island police said just before 3 p.m. a 4-year-old girl, who had been in her mother’s car when the vehicle was stolen Thursday morning, was later found safe. She has been reunited with her mother, and will be evaluated by EMS, police said.

* Capitol City Now | Monster Pawn at center of alleged retail crime operation: Two pawn shops in Springfield are named as part of an alleged organized retail crime ring, leading to charges against a Bloomington family and employees. On Thursday, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced charges against Monster Pawn owners Edwin Pierce, 65, and Kathleen Pierce, 58, as well as their son, Everson Pierce, 28. Four other employees also face charges in the case.

* WSIU | Governor Pritzker Announces Construction of Applied Technology Center for Olney Central College: Governor JB Pritzker announced that construction will begin on the $3.15 million Applied Technology Center at Olney Central College. The new facility will include additions to the college’s nursing and radiography programs. It will also feature new classrooms, simulation and skill labs, faculty office space, and a student lounge.

* WIFR | Zoning Board of Appeals denies Red Barn Golf Course’s request to build apartments on driving range: Barnes delivers an appeal to the board: allow his special use permit to build “luxury townhomes” on Red Barn’s driving range. The owner claims a 27% decline in business leaves him no choice but to pivot – potentially constructing multifamily housing on the property. In July, Summit Condos spoke out against Red Barn’s driving range: a TopTracer by Topgolf system that reportedly leads to golf balls crashing into nearby homes.

* WIFR | Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition preparation underway at Sinnissippi Park: The 39th annual Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition is back at Sinnissippi Park and organizers are preparing for the bitter battle. On Wednesday morning, crews were at the park constructing blocks of snow for participating teams to use as their canvases. Because of the lack of snow on the ground, the Rockford Park District had to make the snow earlier in the week.

*** National ***

* Bloomberg | Walgreens Replaced Fridge Doors With Smart Screens. It’s Now a $200 Million Fiasco: The digital displays had a distinct advantage over regular glass, at least for the retailer: ads. When proximity sensors detected passersby, the fridge doors started playing short videos hawking Doritos or urging customers to check out with Apple Pay. If this sounds disruptive—in the ordinary sense of the word, not Silicon Valley’s—that might have seemed a generous description in December 2023, when all the screens went blank.

* NYT | General Motors Is Banned From Selling Driving Behavior Data for 5 Years: The New York Times reported last year that G.M. was collecting data about people’s driving behavior, including how often they sped or drove at night, and selling it to data brokers that generated risk profiles for insurance companies. Some drivers reported that their auto insurance rates increased as a result.

* Mediaite | SCOTUSBlog Publisher Indicted for Tax Evasion, Accused of Misusing Funds to Cover Gambling Debts:
Tom Goldstein, the publisher of the popular Supreme Court news site SCOTUSblog and veteran practitioner before the nation’s highest court himself, was indicted Thursday for tax evasion related to a stunning series of alleged schemes to use funds from his law firm to cover millions of dollars of gambling debts, Law360 reported.

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