Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list and softball roster

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

Comments Off

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

There is no evidence a group of migrants took over a Washington Park apartment complex Monday, a false claim that went viral on social media and was amplified by Elon Musk.

A 911 call was made Monday night, saying there were “32 Venezuelans” trespassing in a building on the 6100 block of King Drive, “showing guns in the courtyard” and packing the courtyard and stairwells, according to scanner audio archived by crimeisdown.com.

Chicago police spokesperson Peggy Benz on Tuesday confirmed officers responded to a call for service to the building, but officers found nothing matching the report at the scene did not generate a police report for the incident. […]

A clip of the police dispatch radio relaying the 911 call was spread by major social media accounts including Libs of TikTok, an infamous right wing account known for targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community. The account’s tweet on the migrant takeover has over 9 million views.

Musk — who owns the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter — reposted the audio along with exclamation points. The unverified claim was trending on X, making the platform’s “explore” page with the caption “Venezuelan Group Overruns Chicago Apartment.”

* WGN…

llinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias on Tuesday launched a new program in partnership with the state’s Board of Education that aims to get more young people signed up as organ and tissue donors.

Under the new LEAD program, which stands for Lifesaving Education and Awareness on Donation, high school students who receive training and tout the message of donation will receive 20 hours of community service credits to be used on college or trade school applications. […]

His office says about 4,000 people across the state are currently waiting for a transplant. One donor may save up to 25 lives.

Giannoulias said he believes the LEAD program is the first-of-its-kind in the nation.

*** Chicago ***

* WTTW | Federal Judge Who Ruled Ald. Gardiner Violated First Amendment Admonishes Him for Approaching Her: U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman said she was attending the June funeral of U.S. District Court Judge Harry Leinenweber with the other judges who worked alongside the renowned jurist at the Dirksen courthouse when Gardiner approached her. […] Johnson Coleman told Gardiner’s attorney, Brian Wilson of Nathan & Kamionski LLP, to tell the alderperson that his behavior was inappropriate. Wilson agreed to do so.

* Crain’s | NAR says it will take fight with DOJ to Supreme Court: The National Association of Realtors plans to ask the Supreme Court to prevent the U.S. Department of Justice from restarting an investigation into the Chicago-based trade group’s practices around commissions. The move adds more uncertainty to the question of when the process of homebuying will start evolving toward a new standard practice for getting buyers’ agents paid for the work they do in a deal. NAR intends to petition the Supreme Court by Oct. 10, it said in an Aug. 29 court filing.

* WTTW | Chicago’s Top Cop Says Department’s Handling of DNC Protests Show ‘Transformation’; Reform Advocates Say Celebration is ‘Premature’: Just eight complaints of police misconduct were filed with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability between Aug. 18-22, records show. By comparison, there were 591 misconduct complaints filed between May 29, 2020, and June 11, 2020, the height of the protests after Floyd’s murder. […] “Some of our worst fears did not come to pass” during the DNC, said Alexandra Block, director of the Criminal Legal System and Policing Project at the ACLU of Illinois, which forced CPD to revise its mass arrest policy. “What remains to be seen is what does CPD do when the glare of the national and international media spotlight isn’t on them, in the same way it was during the DNC.”

* Sun-Times | White Sox DFA Touki Toussaint, recall Matt Foster: The White Sox are designating right-hander Touki Toussaint for assignment and replacing him on the active roster with righty Matt Foster, the team announced Tuesday. Foster has appeared in two games for the Sox this season, allowing no runs over three innings. He will be available when the Sox play the Orioles Tuesday night at Camden Yards. Toussaint (7.43 ERA this season) allowed 19 earned runs on 35 hits and 18 walks over 23 innings covering 11 relief appearances in 2024. In the Sox’ 13-3 loss to the Orioles Monday, the team’s 11th defeat in a row, he gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings.

* Block Club | Meg And The Wheelers’ Unique Brand Of Honky-Tonk Sounds Right At Home In Chicago: Cue the rhinestones, cowboy boots and pearl button western wear — Meg and the Wheelers are taking the stage. The band is part of the lineup at the free Block Club Block Party noon-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at the McCormick YMCA, 1834 N. Lawndale Ave. They are scheduled to play at 6 p.m.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* ABC Chicago | ComEd gives Village of Skokie $45K for electrical vehicle project: The funds are meant to help the village fund its project to electrify its municipal fleet. The village is working to buy all-electric models for the public works, police and fire departments.

* Tribune | Evanston adjusts liquor license for Northwestern football game schedules that are TBD: Because the Martin Stadium seats only 12,000 people, Northwestern is providing space for tailgating and watching the game on TV screens for 3,000 more people in a lakeside area just south of the temporary stadium, said Eliza Larson, a spokeswoman for the university. “Because the temporary stadium is so small and has limited seating, it’s far less than the real Ryan Field,” Ware said. “They knew they would not be able to get everyone who wanted to attend into the game.”

* Crain’s | In Ravinia v. Ravinia, both sides bury the hatchet — and the brewery name: Ravinia Brewing Company and Ravinia Festival reached a settlement agreement nearly a year after the festival sued the beer maker with allegations of trademark infringement. The brewing company will roll out a new name and new brand, according to a joint statement from the two parties. The festival will be “providing assistance during the transition,” the statement said.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora Public Library turns ‘things up about 10 notches’ for Comic and Pop Culture Extravaganza: Allison Lanthrum, events and program coordinator for the library, said she has overseen three of the five yearly Comic and Pop Culture Extravaganzas which “began during the pandemic when it was completely virtual.” […] Some of Saturday’s highlights, Lanthrum said, included a professional “foam-smith” named Maker Fishmeal “who is carving giant blocks of foam into oversized props and set pieces.”

* Tribune | Hinsdale Little League program continues to be most successful at state level: A recent trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was a first for the Hinsdale Little League in a tournament that included 10 U.S. teams and the same number of international teams with players aged 12 and under. The Hinsdale boys were eliminated with losses in their first two games. However, on a local level, the Hinsdale Little League has easily been the most successful in Illinois. And on a more local level, Hinsdale has been dominant. Since claiming its first state title in 2017, Hinsdale has added three additional Illinois championships: in 2021, 2022 and 2024.

*** Downstate ***

* Capitol City Now | Massey Commission to hold first listening session: The commission that was formed in response to the murder of Sonya Massey in July will hold its first listening session this month. The goal of the session, according to a press release issued Tuesday by Sangamon County, is to understand the public’s hopes and concerns before finalizing its formal mission and goals.

* WCIA | Decatur Police investigating after bronze Lincoln head found at City Hall: The Decatur Police Department is investigating after a bronze head of Abraham Lincoln, believed to be from a bust or statue, was found outside Decatur City Hall. Police are considering this to be an act of criminal damage. […] Decatur Police have yet to locate Lincoln’s body or identify the person who dropped the head off.

* Southland Journal | Rep. Rita Joins State, Local Officials to Celebrate Opening of Rockford Casino: Rep. Rita, D-Blue Island, joined state and local officials Thursday, Aug. 29, in Rockford for the debut of the $300 million Hard Rock Casino Rockford. It is one of six casinos fueling economic activity and job growth in communities across Illinois, as part of a legislative package pushed through the Legislature by Rep. Rita in 2019. The new 175,000-square-foot casino features nearly 1,300 slot machines, 50 live table games including poker, a sportsbook, and a 1,600 seat Hard Rock Live entertainment venue drawing major musical artists. Players can enjoy several dining options in the casino and dozens of music memorabilia items are on display including guitars owned by Rockford native and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen.

* WCIA | Hoopeston celebrates 80th annual National Sweetcorn Festival: For eight decades, Hoopeston has been adding their own twist to the holiday of Labor Day. On Monday, residents celebrated the 80th Annual National Sweetcorn Festival. Each year, nearly 50,000 ears of corn gets cooked for the community, with people coming from all over to have a good time and try some of the ears of sweetcorn.

*** National ***

* NYT | From School Librarian to Activist: ‘The Hate Level and the Vitriol Is Unreal’: One Sunday morning two years ago, Amanda Jones, a middle school librarian in Watson, La., woke up and saw an email on her phone that left her shaking and breathless. The expletive-laced message from a stranger accused her of being a pedophile and a groomer, and concluded with a threat: “You can’t hide. We know where you work + live. You have a LARGE target on your back,” it said. “Click … Click … see you soon!” It was part of a deluge of online threats and harassment that Jones has faced since the summer of 2022, when she was one of around 20 people to speak out against book banning during a July meeting at her local public library.

6 Comments

Davis Gates to the governor: ‘How do you summarily dismiss people who need?’

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Fran Spielman…

Tension between the CTU and CPS is largely spurred by differences over how to address a structural budget deficit and historical underfunding.

The union has advocated for a more aggressive approach: settling the contract, then joining with CPS officials to try to force Gov. JB Pritzker and state lawmakers to provide the money. […]

[Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates] said it’s not her job to figure out how to pay for a new teachers contract or where the money comes from.

“You can go to Jamie Dimon at Morgan Chase and tell them to renegotiate those toxic payday loans from the Rahm Emanuel and Bruce Rauner era. … You can figure out how to tax the rich and have those proceeds go to schools,” she said.

* More from the interview…

Fran Spielman: Pritzker says there’s not going to be any more state funding. He has made increases that are fiscally responsible for the state, and that’s all he he is able to do.

Stacy Davis Gates: Well, maybe Chicago would like to have a word with him.

Spielman: What do you mean?

Davis Gates: How do you summarily dismiss people who need? We serve the highest number of children of color in this state, the highest number of children existing in low income environments in this state. At the same time, this city puts a whole lot into Illinois. How do you refuse the children of Chicago? Like, how do you do that? I don’t even understand why. I just don’t I don’t understand, I’ve never understood it. I didn’t understand it when it was Bruce Rauner. Right? I didn’t understand it when it was Pat Quinn. I just don’t understand it. I don’t understand why we are so okay with good enough. Good enough for those kids that go to the Chicago Public Schools, good enough for those kids on the South Side of Chicago. And here’s the trick, even the kids up North are getting cheated because their parents are both paying tuition by creating the ‘Friends of’ and they’re paying taxes. So whether you are White parent in Chicago or a Black parent in Chicago, you are not getting the reciprocity from our investment in this region and in the state. And I think we need to have a word on that.

Spielman: Your demands include a 9% annual pay raise or the rate of inflation, whichever is higher, and a host of other add-ons that the Martinez administration claims would push CPS into a $2.9 billion deficit next year. Where is that money supposed to come from?

Davis Gates: I said very clearly, Fran, that we need to create revenue streams that reflect the investment that Chicago puts into this region and in this state. I think that question has already gotten an answer. For me to be perfectly honest with you, the question is, why don’t we already fund schools? Why is it okay to have a teacher shortage? Why don’t we pay teachers their actual worth? See, the question about, where are you going to get the money. Actually, my job is to as a leader, a civic leader, a parent, a resident of this city, a union leader, is to create pathways where people who need the advocacy can get the advocacy. For years, our union has offered revenue idea after revenue idea. We’ve said, sue the banks, get some money back, figure it out. So the question about where you get it from, that question has been posed to us like no other labor union, I might add, no other labor union get asked the question, how are you going to bargain for what you need in your workplace, what you need in your space, and how are you going to pay for it? Actually, the boss gets to tell us how they get to pay for what are their ideas to win the revenue, our job is to push to envision, to make better. But at the same time, this union has taken on that responsibility, and we have provided clarity and guidance on how this could potentially work. But again, Fran, this is a group project, right? We’re not the only ones out here who should be doing the work. We need the governor. We need the mayor. We need the [garbled] education. We need CEO Pedro Martinez. We need state legislators to understand that the only thing we win at together, where no one loses, is figuring out how to fund our schools and offering our young people what they need in Chicago and Cahokia and East St Louis and in Pontiac, no one loses figuring out how to fund schools. Corporations don’t lose, small businesses don’t lose, politicians don’t lose, families don’t lose, unions don’t lose. But most of all, students win.

As we’ve discussed before, the total statewide amount the CTU wants is $5.47 billion a year. And the mayor has never asked the governor or legislative leaders for that money.

* Also, while Chicago is definitely a strong regional economic engine, it gets back most of the money it sends to the state. The suburbs send almost twice is much to the state as they receive…

[Research by the Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute] breaks the state’s 102 counties into six specific regions, including Cook County, a five-county suburban section that surrounds Cook County, and the 96 remaining downstate regions which are subdivided into north, central, southwest and southern regions.

The research shows the south region receives $2.81 in state funds for every $1 generated. The Central Illinois region of 50 counties receives $1.87 back for every $1.00 sent to Springfield. All of the downstate regions receive more from the state budget than they pay in taxes. By comparison, Cook County receives 90 cents for every $1, and the suburban counties only 53 cents for every $1 generated.

39 Comments

Federal judge tries to head off Trump-related headline in ruling on mass transit concealed carry (Updated)

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune…

A federal judge in Rockford ruled it unconstitutional for Illinoisans with concealed carry permits to be prohibited from carrying guns on public transportation, a decision with uncertain implications for a decade-old state law.

The decision was a result of a 2022 lawsuit filed by four people who alleged the section of Illinois’ concealed carry law that bars holders of concealed carry licenses, or CCLs, from carrying the guns on public buses or trains violated their Second Amendment right to self-defense under the U.S. Constitution.

At issue in U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston’s ruling was a constitutional test requiring gun laws to be “historically” consistent with laws on the books in the 18th century, when the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms was written, or before that.

This arose from the landmark 2022 case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, in which the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative 6-3 majority established the new constitutional standard, which will also take center stage later this month when a federal judge representing southern Illinois hears arguments over the constitutionality of the state’s ban on so-called assault weapons. […]

On Monday, the plaintiffs’ attorney, David Sigale, welcomed the ruling and said that while its “technical impact is unclear” and mentions only his four clients, “the court’s analysis and ultimate declaration of unconstitutionality is arguably applicable to any CCL holder on any public transportation in Illinois.” Sigale still recommended that “until the judgment is final and the broader applicability is made clear,” CCL holders should continue to follow the law as written so they don’t have any trouble with authorities.

* Bloomberg…

The state first argued that the Bruen test was inapplicable, because the state, as a property owner can regulate what people bring on its property. Johnston rejected that argument, calling it “breathtaking, jawdropping, and eyepop-ping.” Among other things, he said that the “constitutional protection afforded to other individual rights isn’t nullified on public property.”

The plain text of the Second Amendment applies to the regulated conduct here, Johnston said. But the state didn’t provide any historical analogues to support the public transportation ban, he said.

The regulation of guns in crowded places in England and some US states, weren’t sufficient analogues, “because why they burdened the right to armed self-defense is not sufficiently similar” to the Illinois ban, Johnston said. An 1871 Texas law regulating handguns was an outlier and laws from several other states were insufficient to show a national tradition of handgun regulation to support the Illinois ban, he said.

Public transportation also isn’t a sensitive place where firearms can be regulated, Johnston said. Though trains and buses are moving vehicles with no escape, the state didn’t properly analogize them to enumerated sensitive places, such as government buildings and schools, or provide any evidence to support the creation of a new sensitive place category. he said.

Treating “any place where the government would want to protect public order and safety as a sensitive place casts too wide a net—this would seem to justify almost any gun restriction,” Johnston said.

* The opinion mentions Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx by name dozens of times. It also includes tons of footnotes, including this one…

Keeping in mind Justice Gorsuch’s explanation in his concurrence in Rahimi, this Court’s ruling is specific to the facts presented. See United States v. Rahimi, 144 S. Ct. 1889, 1909-10 (2024) (Gorsuch, J., concurring). “Trump-appointed judge allows firearms on Illinois public transit” is a likely chyron for this decision. That’s unfortunate. Federal judges—including those who will review this decision—engage in exacting, thoughtful, and careful analyses that are not results oriented or reducible to headlines and chyrons. We’re doing the best we can.

This is the same judge, by the way, who called a state law allowing lawsuits against crisis pregnancy centers under the state’s Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act “stupid.”

…Adding… Gov. Pritzker was asked today about the ruling…

Well, unfortunately, many of the conservative judges who’ve been appointed have misunderstood what it means to uphold public safety. And you know, we still believe in the Second Amendment. It’s part of the Constitution that you have rights as a result of the Second Amendment, but there are limitations to that. I mean, just to give one example, the right to bear arms. It’s not the right to a shoulder-fired missile, as one example. There are limitations on the kinds of weapons and the places that we need to, would we allow people to carry an AR 15 into the White House? No. So it’s clear that there are some misguided decisions that get made at the Circuit Court level, the federal court level, and I’m hoping that it will be overturned along the way, if it has to all the way the Supreme Court. It will be disappointing if they uphold this, but I’m hopeful that the law that was passed in Illinois a number of years ago, that’s frankly, done a lot to keep people safe, will be upheld.

40 Comments

ACLU of Illinois responds to one-day staff union strike

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* ACLU-IL staff union…

On September 3, 2024, the ACLU-IL Staff United will hold a one-day Unfair Labor Practice strike in response to a recent National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling that found ACLU-IL Management committed unfair labor practices for withholding annual salary raises for union members while continuing to provide raises to non-union staff.

The NLRB proposed a settlement that included retroactive raises for union members, but ACLU-IL Management rejected the settlement and is intending to challenge the NLRB’s ruling. Management has opted to line its own pockets and spend exorbitant amounts on corporate lawyers to fight the Union, all while denying union members another year of raises.

This isn’t ACLU-IL Management’s first run-in with the NLRB. This most recent NLRB ruling comes after a slew of Management’s union-busting tactics over the past three years, including contesting the inclusion of more than half the bargaining unit positions–only to lose on every single contested position after a two-day hearing with the NLRB.

Lance Rhines, Regional Organizer at NOLSW UAW Local 2320, commented on the situation, saying, “This is clearly an effort to undermine the Union by trying to starve out the workers and weaken their resolve to exercise their protected rights. We hope this one-day strike will serve as a wake-up call to management that their unlawful practices will not be tolerated, and encourage them to follow the law and respect their workers.”

The one-day Unfair Labor Practice strike is scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, the day after Labor Day. Union members will be stopping all work and picketing outside the ACLU-IL office, located at 150 N. Michigan Ave, at 8:00-10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m-1:30 p.m. Support is expected from members of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers (NOLSW) Local 2320, United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 4, and other labor and community groups.

Unionized staff have waited too long to obtain raises that are due to them, especially during a period of excessive inflation and accelerating cost of living. Management’s attitude towards paying workers what is theirs is disheartening. Many of the original union members have been forced to leave work in which they find purpose and meaning because they cannot pay the bills. This union-busting is not right.

The Union and ACLU-IL Management have been at the bargaining table for over two years, but there is still no contract in place. Management’s approach to bargaining hasn’t been about negotiating for a fair contract–instead they are trying to penalize the Union for its lawful decision to unionize. The Union stands ready to return to the table at any time, provided Management shows a genuine willingness to bargain in good faith and distribute the long overdue backpay to union members.

Together, the members of the ACLU of Illinois Staff United are fighting for a better ACLU.
The fight will not stop until our workplace is transformed into one that reflects the ideals that this organization litigates and advocates for every day.

* Statement from management at the Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU of Illinois…

The ACLU of Illinois is aware that our union colleagues have called a one-day strike for Tuesday. We respect the union’s right to take this action on behalf of their members. But this action does not move us closer to our shared goal – a complete contract with the union.

Since the union was certified two and a half years ago, and after the union took nearly a year’s delay in making proposals to reach a contract, we have bargained with the union in good faith, including in the midst of very busy times for the organization — like during the legislative session and planning for the Democratic National Convention. We have continued bargaining even when the union unilaterally decided to end a weekend session after less than an hour, with more work left to accomplish.

Still, we remain committed to securing a contract at the bargaining table. That is why our current offer would provide our union members – who already earn a salary at the top of the market for not-for-profit jobs in Chicago – with generous increases. Among other provisions, the current offer from management includes:

• Immediate and annual increases to salaries, which in the aggregate will raise bargaining unit employee salaries by more than 28% on average over the three-year term of a collective bargaining agreement, with annual salary increases of 5 to 6% each of the next three years. This is almost double national averages secured through collectively bargained agreements across all industries over the past year, and even higher when compared to national averages from earlier years.

• Continuing our current practice of paying 100% of the costs of health insurance coverage for employees and their family members – with no employee contribution.

• Continuing to contribute 6% of an employee’s salary to a retirement fund – again, with no contribution from the employee.

• Up to 49 paid days off per year—more than two months of working days annually. This includes 15 paid holidays, 2 personal days (the national norm is 8 days), 20 vacation days after the first year (15 in the first year) plus 12 sick days.

The ACLU of Illinois stands by these proposals; we believe they offer a fair contract to our employees and stand ready to continue to discuss them with the union.

At the same time we see the challenges to civil liberties across Illinois and across the country. The ACLU of Illinois will continue to ceaselessly and diligently protect the basic human dignity of our clients and advance civil rights and civil liberties in every corner of Illinois. We will do that work even as we continue to work on these internal issues – because there are people of color being unfairly treated by police, children in the custody of DCFS who need adequate health care and psychiatric care, transgender folks who deserve the full protections of Illinois law, and abortion providers who rely on our advice to deal with the crush of patients traveling to Illinois from states with abortion bans.

The ACLU of Illinois is proud of our work and it will go forward.

Thoughts?

10 Comments

Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

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

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

Comments Off

It’s just a bill

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* AP…

[Rep. Kelly Cassidy] is determined to keep pushing legislation in Illinois. She intends to bring back bills she sponsored this year to reform the Illinois Prison Review Board system — so that survivors can submit statements and that the board can provide video of the deliberations on its website.

The board came under fire when, earlier this year, it released a convicted domestic abuser who then attacked a pregnant woman with a knife and fatally stabbed her 11-year-old son in Chicago.

Cassidy’s bill — which had bipartisan support — also would mandate that the board notify people if their abuser is about to have a hearing and improve its protocol so people are immediately alerted when their abuser is released. This year, the legislation failed to get final approval before the state’s budget was finalized, but Cassidy is hopeful about getting it passed next session.

Her legislative to-do list also includes creating a fund for survivors to get to safety when that release alert comes through. Cassidy’s vision is to work with state agencies to establish a grant for people to use on temporary housing, transportation and moving expenses.

* WGEM…

Illinois lawmakers are renewing their calls to pass legislation increasing penalties for people who hurt workers at two state agencies, the Department of Children and Family Services and Department on Aging.

The push comes as a Sangamon County jury found Benjamin Reed guilty Thursday of the 2022 fatal stabbing of DCFS social worker Deidre Silas. […]

[House Minority Leader Tony McCombie] is sponsoring both HB1460 and HB1461, which would increase penalties for people who harm DCFS and Department on Aging workers. She believes state law should treat them similar to other first responders. […]

The bills would make harming a DCFS worker or Department on Aging Adult Protective Services worker a class-two felony. It’s currently a class-three felony. The bill would make it a class-one felony if the assault caused great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement. […]

Despite having received bipartisan support, the bills have not received a hearing during the 2023-24 general assembly.

* Rep. Sonya Harper filed HB5864…

Creates the Remedy to Remove Unauthorized Persons from Residential Real Property Act. Authorizes a property owner or authorized agent to request the sheriff for the immediate removal of a person or persons unlawfully occupying a residential dwelling. Creates a statutory form for the property owner to complete to give to the sheriff to use the provisions of the Act. Provides that if the sheriff verifies the information in the form, the sheriff must serve a notice on the unlawful occupant to vacate the dwelling. Authorizes the sheriff, if appropriate, to arrest any person for trespass, outstanding warrants, or any other legal cause. Authorizes the property owner to request the sheriff to remain on the premises to keep the peace while the locks are changed or the personal property of the unlawful occupant is removed. Authorizes the sheriff to charge a reasonable hourly rate to do so. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person commits a Class 4 felony if he or she lists or advertises residential real property for sale knowing that the purported seller has no legal title or authority to sell the property, or rents or leases the property to another person knowing that he or she has no lawful ownership in the property or leasehold interest in the property.

* Green Queen…

Two months after Florida’s ban on cultivated meat came into effect, and a month before one goes live in Alabama, Illinois has joined a number of other states to try and outlaw these proteins.

House Representative Chris Miller, a third-generation cattle farmer, has introduced HB 5872, a bill to make the sale, manufacture or distribution of cultivated meat a Class C misdemeanour.

It means that if you sell cultivated meat, you’ll be treated the same way as you would if you possessed less than 2.5g of marijuana, assaulted someone, or left a firearm in your house that could easily be accessed by a minor. The penalty can result in 30 days of jail time, and/or $1,500 in fines. […]

Miller’s bill, which hasn’t been referred to any of the committees yet, calls cultivated meat “a threat to the health, safety, and welfare” of Illinois residents.

A press release on the Representative’s website explains that HB 5872 was introduced as a response to “growing concerns from the notion of replacing real meat with laboratories”, and argued that it would protect “individual’s health, farmland, and agricultural products”.

* Rep. Kevin Olickal filed HB5871 last month…

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.

* HB5868 was filed by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford last week…

Amends the Secretary of State Act. Provides that the Secretary of State shall create an Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services to connect faith-based community organizations with grant opportunities, as well as provide assistance in completing grant applications. Provides that the Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services shall promote collaboration and unity among diverse groups, foster interfaith dialogue and interagency collaboration to offer comprehensive support services, ensure equitable distribution of resources across various community groups to support their missions and projects, leverage faith-based properties to increase housing opportunities, and develop guides on mental health, grant application processes, housing initiatives, and creating sensory-friendly spaces for the faith community. Provides that the Secretary of State shall appoint an Interfaith Advisory Council to advise the Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services and collaborate with religious communities in this State.

13 Comments

National Democrats catching up to Pritzker on ‘Freedom’

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…

Several stories and columns appeared in the national news media shortly before and during the recent Democratic National Convention about Vice President Kamala Harris’ emphasis on the concept of “freedom” in her speeches and messaging.

Convention delegates in Chicago hoisted signs with the word “Freedom” on them all week. Oprah Winfrey even talked about freedom in her speech to the DNC. Quite a few pundits seemed to be caught off guard by how popular the concept had suddenly become with Democrats.

The word has been used by Republicans to define their own party for decades and decades. These days, for instance, far-right congressional Republicans belong to a “Freedom Caucus,” as do several Illinois House Republicans.

I don’t know if he pioneered it or not, but while reading the national commentary, it occurred to me that Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker has been pressing home the importance of “freedom” for several years here.

His staff hasn’t always been comfortable with the rhetoric, viewing the word as almost a lost cause. But Pritzker has told his staff that he believed that Republicans were “usurping” freedom and that he and his party were supporting it.

Pritzker has long described abortion rights as “reproductive freedom.”

“The GOP should be ashamed of themselves,” the governor said two years ago on social media. “For a party that says they’re all about individual freedom, they’re hellbent on taking away freedoms for women.”

His use of the word has not been confined to abortion, however. Two years ago, Pritzker said, “As long as I’m governor, Illinois will remain a beacon of freedom among a rising sea of right-wing extremism.” Democrats, he said last year, will keep fighting for “more freedom.”

As far back as 2018, Pritzker said of then-President Donald Trump and then-Gov. Bruce Rauner, “While Trump and Rauner attack the freedom of working people to come together and fight for a better future, we must defend the hardworking men and women of the labor movement.”

“Trump and the anti-democracy, anti-freedom ideology he represents will systematically destroy our constitutional democracy if left unchecked,” the governor warned in January.

Pritzker described marriage equality in 2022 as “the equity and freedom that characterize America.”

In 2021, he described a bill to prevent discrimination against students for their hairstyle choices as “freedom of expression.”

In 2020, he said a bill he signed to excuse students from school for two hours to vote gave kids the “freedom to fit voting into their school day without fear of repercussion for engaging in the very civic education we should all be proud to encourage.” Getting a COVID booster shot in 2021 was, Pritzker said, “freedom from the virus.”

Two years ago, after attending a Juneteenth celebration, Pritzker said, “We’ll continue ensuring Illinois lives up to its promises of freedom for all.”

After I had pulled up all those quotes (and more), I asked the governor’s people why he has leaned so heavily on the concept.

“The governor uses freedom to describe Democratic policies to call out the truth about so many Republican policies: they’re about control,” a spokesperson said. “It is the Democratic Party that stands up for your right to make your own health care decisions, to choose what book you read, to live without fear of gun violence, to build a family on your own terms. It’s Democrats fighting for equal access to these rights. Republicans use buzzwords and branding, but what they don’t say is that their freedom only goes so far as the choices they would make for themselves. The governor truly believes that the Democratic Party is the party of freedom, and is working to ensure that freedom for all Americans.”

Pritzker also said a couple of years ago that he believed the state government standing up for these rights and freedoms will eventually help attract businesses to Illinois. “I do think in the long run it benefits the state of Illinois,” he said during a Crain’s Fast 50 Business Luncheon in 2022. “Does it happen overnight? Like everything, right, creating one tax incentive or creating a benefit for individuals and protecting people’s rights. That’s something that seeps into the groundwater, in my view, for workers and for companies.”

Now, you may understandably disagree with Pritzker over his definition of the word, his attacks on Republicans and how he believes this could eventually help Illinois’ economy, but there can be no doubt that the national party has finally caught up with him, even if he didn’t get the nod for national office.

39 Comments

Open thread

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

13 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: CTA Blue Line shooting: Four dead after being shot while sleeping, Forest Park mayor says WGN…

Forest Park authorities, including Mayor Hoskins, addressed the media during a press conference about the shooting late Monday morning.

The mayor noted that with two major train lines ending in the municipality of just 14,000 people, Forest Park leaders have appealed to state lawmakers for more resources.

“Our police department and our fire department respond to this location probably more than any other location in our jurisdiction,” Hoskins said. “Forest Park is the only community in Cook County … with two major train lines that end (there). So we provide police response, and fire and medical response.

“And so to the extent that our leaders in Springfield are considering any kind of CTA, mass-transit reorganization, we would ask them to consider investing additional resources — in terms of public safety, law enforcement personnel, what have you — to support a small community like Forest Park that has to respond to two major train lines ending (here).”

* Related stories…

∙ AP: 4 people fatally shot on Chicago-area train, police say
∙ Sun-Times: 4 sleeping passengers shot, killed on CTA Blue Line in Forest Park, suspect in custody
∙ NBC Chicago: Forest Park shooting: What we know after 4 shot, killed while sleeping on CTA Blue Line train

At 10 am Governor Pritzker will join ComEd for the electric vehicle rebate awards in Skokie. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Federal judge rules section of Illinois’ concealed carry law unconstitutional: A federal judge in Rockford ruled it unconstitutional for Illinoisans with concealed carry permits to be prohibited from carrying guns on public transportation, a decision with uncertain implications for a decade-old state law. […] Johnston, who was appointed to the bench in 2020 by then-Republican President Donald Trump, noted in his ruling that in satisfying Bruen’s historical test standard, the defendants tried to cite a nearly 700-year-old law that prohibited people from carrying firearms in certain instances. But the plaintiffs argued that law “is too old and should therefore be afforded no weight in ascertaining an American tradition” and that it “has little bearing” on the Second Amendment.

* Daily Herald | What Senate leaders learned on summer road trip, as transit mega merger looms: “I don’t know of another system that has four different agencies with 21 appointing authorities … in the world,” Villivalam remarked in Naperville. “If the governance system was working so well, we would have the service that we all want — of course the funding has to happen.”

* WBEZ | GOP-tilted websites showed where Illinois judges live despite a law that protects their privacy: An election conspiracy peddler exposed dates of birth and home addresses online for more than 6 million Illinois voters earlier this year, including dozens of state and federal judges whose places of residence are legally protected, a WBEZ investigation has found. An analysis of more than 30 websites of Lake Forest-based Local Government Information Services also identified home addresses for those involved in a high-profile federal narcotics case involving a foreign drug cartel, prosecutors involved in public-corruption cases, prominent Illinois-based actors and musicians, Chicago sports luminaries and several billionaires.

*** Statehouse News ***

* AP | Women behind bars are often survivors of abuse. A series of new laws aim to reduce their sentences: Advocates for domestic violence survivors in Illinois celebrated earlier this month when Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law making it easier for those who are incarcerated to get reduced sentences. House bill sponsor Rep. Kelly Cassidy was among those cheering. First elected in 2011, she has since written legislation designed to help survivors of gender-based and domestic violence, including the resentencing bill that was signed into law in August. The idea is that women who received harsh sentences without a court hearing about their histories of abuse should get an opportunity to tell their stories in court and potentially be resentenced.

You're a hero and a lifesaver, East Moline Mayor Reggie Freeman! We were speaking at the @RICoDemocrats #LaborDay picnic when a Navy vet had a heart attack. Not breathing. No pulse. Mayor Freeman, a former @EastMolinePD chief, gave him chest compressions until he came to. pic.twitter.com/cPN0WGDnpk

— Susana A. Mendoza ☮️ (@susanamendoza10) September 3, 2024

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | 2 Chicago police oversight officials fired amid allegations of anti-cop bias at the agency: Two high-ranking employees of the agency charged with investigating Chicago Police misconduct were abruptly fired Friday, just days after one of them complained to the inspector general about bias against police. Matt Haynam, a $163,068-a-year deputy chief administrator for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, said he was summoned to a virtual meeting with COPA Chief Andrea Kersten and general counsel Robin Murphy and told he was out, effective immediately. He said no reason was given.

📢Labor day news:📢 ACLU-IL Staff United will be striking starting at 8am tomorrow, in protest of @ACLUofIL management’s refusal to accept the NLRB’s settlement agreement. We are outraged at their refusal to pay us the wages the federal government agrees we are owed.

— ACLU of IL Staff United (@ACLUILUnited) September 2, 2024

* Tribune | Illinois mourns killing of Israeli hostages including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, who had Chicago ties: One of six hostages confirmed killed by Hamas in Gaza over the weekend was Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the 23-year-old son of Chicago natives Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg who was kidnapped from the Tribe of Nova music festival in the Negev desert in southern Israel on Oct. 7. On Saturday night, the Israel Foreign Ministry shared a confirmation from the family of the death of “their beloved son and brother.” Goldberg-Polin’s father had previously said the young man loved to travel and described him as a fun-loving, curious and funny person.

* Triibe | Leon brings late Chicago bluesman Eddie Taylor’s story to life in new film: A film documenting the life of blues legend and Chicago native Eddie Taylor is coming soon. On Aug. 21, The Rhythm and The Blues screened at Navy Pier. The family of the late Eddie Taylor, along with actor Leon and Chicago music stars like house DJ Terry Hunter, came together at the screening to honor and celebrate the life and legacy of the bluesman. The event also celebrated Chicago’s music history, honoring jazzist Herbie Hancock and the architect of the Mendel Bi Level dances, House Music legend Kirkland Townsend.

* Sun-Times | South Loop sandlot? White Sox, Related Midwest build temporary baseball diamond at stadium site: The Sox and developer Related Midwest brought their flashy renderings of a potential new South Loop stadium partially to life this week, creating a baseball diamond where players could eventually take the field if the team lands public financing for a ballpark in the vacant parcel known as The 78.

* WGN | South Side sisters go on once-in-a-lifetime experience to Sky vs. Fever: Walker and VMS Solutions CEO Kevin Corcoran donated $2,000 for tickets, while Walker organized a pre-game limo ride that would take Jade and Joy to Giordano’s for dinner, before traveling to Wintrust Arena for Friday night’s game. Walker also reached out to the Sky in hopes of partnering with the WNBA team to help reward the girls for their hard work and on Wednesday, the Sky came through.

* Daily Herald | Hey, White Sox fans, don’t skip the ending: Right now, after their 13-3 loss to the Orioles on Labor Day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the White Sox are 31-108. The 108 losses already are the most in Sox history, surpassing the dreadful 1970 team that went 56-106. […] Losing is what they do. It seems likely nobody has done it better.

* WBBM | ‘Keep the memories alive’: CTA revives decades-old railcars for special milestone: Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) riders got to experience a piece of history on Sunday, as the transit agency celebrated 40 years of service to and from O’Hare Airport. The idea to extend Chicago’s “L” to O’Hare Airport dates back to the 1950s, CTA officials said. It wasn’t until Labor Day in 1984, though, that O’Hare Station officially opened. At the time, Chicago was one of the only cities in the U.S. with direct, rapid transit to an airport.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | St. Charles library joins League of Women Voters for program on ‘Nobody’s Fool’: Join a talk with Professor Dan Simons, co-author of “Nobody’s Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do About It,” brought to you in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Illinois Mis/Disinformation Task Force. […] Simons is a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois where he heads the Visual Cognition Laboratory. In addition to his position in the department of psychology, he has courtesy appointments in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising and the Gies College of Business. His research explores the limits of awareness and memory, the reasons why we often are unaware of those limits, and the implications of such limits for our personal and professional lives.

*** Downstate ***

* Center Square | Staff are ‘securing jobs’ at Decatur prison ahead of expected Logan prison closure: Illinois state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, confirmed employees from the Logan County Correctional Center have started to transfer to Decatur. “They’re trying to get ahead of this closure. They [Decatur] are seeing folks from the Lincoln facility coming to Decatur to fill job openings,” said Caulkins. The Illinois Department of Corrections said they are not currently under a hiring freeze at either the Stateville prison or Logan County Correctional. Stateville prisoners must transfer due to a recent court ruling. The department said they’re discussing with labor partners the impact of that order on IDOC employees.

* SJ-R | ‘They will have leadership.’ Coroner steps in as temporary Sangamon County Sheriff: Current Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said it was “not sustainable” to hold his office and the title of sheriff together in the long run. But in an interview Friday with The State Journal-Register, Allmon said he would uphold “the constitution of (the sheriff’s) office and make sure things run smoothly, make sure that people in this community are safe.”

* WCIA | Mahomet-Seymour schools to put $112.8 million question on November ballot: Kenny Lee, the district’s superintendent, said if the $112.8 million question on November’s ballot is passed, it would build two new buildings, demolish the current junior high and work on other facility upgrades. One building would go behind Middletown Prairie Elementary and be dedicated to second and third-graders. The other one would be the new junior high, and go behind where the current one is. Then, more space would open up in the schools.

* KFVS | Giant City State Park to host 80th birthday event for Smokey Bear: Giant City State Park is holding an event next weekend to celebrate the birthday of Smokey Bear. This U.S. Forest Service icon is turning 80 years old this year and to celebrate, Giant City will be hosting the Wendelin Art Display, the best-known artist behind Smokey Bear.

* WTVO | Union Pacific’s Big Boy 4014 train steams into northern Illinois next week: The Big Boy 4014 is on a “Heartland of America” tour, running through 10 states to offer the public a chance to see the classic train up close. It is one of 25 built in the 1940s, and the only one to remain in operation today. The train, built to “conquer mountains,” last visited Rochelle in 2019 and was viewed by thousands of onlookers.

*** National ***

* Politico | Convicted fraudsters launch AI lobbying firm using fake names: LobbyMatic was founded last year by Jacob Wohl, who in 2022 was convicted along with his longtime associate Jack Burkman of felony telecom fraud after running a robocall campaign in largely Black neighborhoods in several states telling people not to vote by mail. An Ohio judge ordered them to spend 500 hours registering people to vote, and the Federal Communications Commission fined them $5 million. […] Running their new firm under pseudonyms appears to be the latest instance of shady behavior by a pair of convicted fraudsters who’ve become infamous in Washington for various schemes. Now, they are seizing on public exuberance around the promise of AI to transform the workplace — in this case, on K Street.

12 Comments

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

Comments Off

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

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

Comments Off

Live coverage

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.

Comments Off

Selected press releases (Live updates)

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

Comments Off

Reader comments closed for the holiday weekend

Friday, Aug 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* You may have heard that Oasis reunion tickets go on sale tomorrow. Not sure if I want to risk spending big money and booking a trip to the UK/Ireland/Scotland on a group of people who haven’t ever been able to get along. Sure will be a heckuva party, though.

Either way, I clearly remember the first time I ever heard this song. I was looking for a video to rent (yeah, it was a long time ago) and the store had the radio on. When the guitars kicked in just before “Someday you will find me caught beneath the landslide,” I stopped in my tracks and stood still for several minutes while I listened to the rest of this magnificent composition…

But you and I, we live and die
The world’s still spinnin’ ’round, we don’t know why

Comments Off

Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Friday, Aug 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Capitol News Illinois…

Overall participation in labor unions has declined in recent years in Illinois, although the state has seen an increase in successful unionization efforts for the second year in a row.

That’s according to the State of the Unions 2024 report, the latest installment in an annual review of unionization in Illinois and the U.S. by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois’ Project for Middle Class Renewal. ILEPI is a nonprofit research organization with a board of directors that’s closely tied to organized labor.

The study found that Illinois saw 86 successful union petitions in 2023, up from 67 the year before. Those are the two highest totals in a 10-year period dating back to 2014. The prior eight years ranged from 25 to 62 successful petitions. […]

The successful petitions led to 4,399 additional workers being unionized in 2023, down from 9,497 in 2022.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Contaminated drinking water found at downtown day care, 2 more federal buildings: “I am completely frustrated that we still have this problem,” said Virginia Kendall, chief judge for the Northern District of Illinois. Kendall said the federal agency in charge of fixing the problem, the General Services Administration, has failed to correct the water problem and only tested a portion of all the faucets and fountains used for drinking water.

* Sun-Times | Chicago’s answer to food deserts has left a trail of debts, lawsuits, ‘can’t pay’ an $800 utility bill: Yellow Banana promised to do better than the previous Save A Lot operators, criticizing them in 2022 for abandoning neighborhoods with “virtually no heads-up to the community.” And yet Yellow Banana itself has since shrunk to just one open store, the Chicago Sun-Times has found. During the past two years of blown deadlines, altered timelines and 16 store closures, the Ohio-based grocer has racked up unpaid tax and utility bills, health code violations, business fines and lawsuits — bills amounting to more than $2 million, a review of public records shows. Yellow Banana is in line for more than $20 million from city and federal funds, including $13.5 million from the city of Chicago, if it hits its city-set deadline in April.

AFAIK, the only outlet endorsing moving bus riders from Chicago's current Greyhound station to Union Station is the Tribune. Per the paper, the bus station is "owned by 20 Lake Holdings, an affiliate of Alden Global Capital, which also owns the Tribune."https://t.co/dk1tyLwPtj pic.twitter.com/zgqZejVMaG

— John Greenfield (@greenfieldjohn) August 30, 2024

* Media Matters | MAGA street artist claims to be responsible for racist and anti-immigrant signs in Chicago and Denver area: Sabo later posted pictures of some of the signs on Facebook, saying that he “put a few up in Chicago during the DNC” and trying to sell them for $2,000 each. (His Facebook page was previously shut down for hate speech, days after he attacked Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg with disparaging posters in 2017.)

* Sun-Times | Lyft follows Uber’s lead in trying rider verification in Chicago, but critics say it’s ‘too little, too late’: Nolberto Casas, a ride-hailing driver and spokesman for Chicago Gig Alliance, called the program “window dressing” and “too little, too late.” The Chicago Gig Alliance is lobbying for a city ordinance requiring ride-hailing apps to use identity verification for all riders. Casas said Lyft’s pilot program “puts the onus on the driver. What it says is: We’re putting up this mediocre program but unverified riders can still get rides. And you accept them at your own risk. We don’t accept that.”

* Crain’s | Chicago to spend $63 million less on migrant care in 2024, but budget woes remain: In a revised budget estimate released this week, the city revealed it expects to only spend $157 million of the $220 million allocated in the city’s “special event projects” line item dedicated to the migrant mission. Despite the $63 million in savings realized by the combination of additional federal resources and fewer migrants arriving this summer than expected, the city is still projecting a $222.9 million deficit that must be closed in 2024.

* Block Club | Striking South Side Bus Drivers Say They Want To Get Kids To School — But Need To Pay Their Rent, Too: Employees at SCR Medical Transportation, CPS’ largest bus service provider for students with disabilities, have been on strike for two weeks as CPS faces a bus shortage. “They’re not asking to be millionaires. They’re asking for a middle-class life.”

* Block Club | Artist Creates ‘Wooden Quilt’ From Pieces Of Emmett Till’s South Side Home: The large wooden quilt, completed days before the 69th anniversary of Till’s lynching, will be displayed at the future Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House Museum, 6427 S. St. Lawrence Ave. “This particular [artwork] is about overcoming that grief and focusing on the strength of his mother, his grandmother, who bought the house, and your people that came out here and bought property that became a foundation for folks to establish a Northern presence,” St. Jacques said.

* Sun-Times | Mary Mitchell retires from Chicago Sun-Times; hard to say good-bye: Still, not having a deadline to meet or a project to finish is going to feel strange. After all, the only time that happened was when I gave birth or was recovering from surgery. I also retired in 2019 but returned full-time to the paper the next year. In the future, I might write an occasional column. As a retiree, I’m expected to fill my days pursuing activities that I didn’t have time for when I was working full time and raising a family. I am stepping into a role I’ve never played — a woman of leisure.

* Crain’s | Harry Caray’s most famous line is the focus of a new trademark lawsuit: The lawsuit, filed in Texas federal court earlier this week, accuses a Dallas restaurant and its owner of trademark infringement for naming a restaurant Holy Cow, a move described in the complaint as “unlawfully taking full advantage” of the famous tagline, which the plaintiff asserts has an asset value in the millions. The complaint alleges the defendants “willfully, intentionally and unlawfully sought to create a false association with the Harry Caray restaurants, and to willfully, intentionally and unlawfully misappropriate the tremendous goodwill of Harry Caray Ltd.’s well known, if not famous, Holy Cow! mark.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Pritzker disaster proclamation could help south suburbs receive federal storm assistance: A media release from Pritzker’s office said the governor also requested a federal Major Disaster Declaration from President Joe Biden through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “After our Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment with local, county and FEMA partners in multiple municipalities across the state, we have found significant damages,” said Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau in the release. “Our Recovery Division continues to work closely with each of the affected communities helping them to recover from this severe weather.”

* Elgin Courier-News | Let the Great Orb Hunt begin — 100 glass balls hidden along Kane County trails: With the calendar heading in September, it’s time once again for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County’s Great Orb Hunt. There’s no need for a gun or a permit — just keen vision to spot the 100 blown-glass and carved ceramic balls made by Fine Line Creative Arts Center hidden in small batches between Thursday, Sept. 5, and Monday, Sept. 30, about two to five feet off established trails in three locations.

* Daily Herald | Bensenville moves to discontinue vehicle stickers: Village President Frank DeSimone has announced plans to discontinue vehicle sticker fees collected from residents in light of higher-than-expected revenue generated from a municipal gas tax. The village implemented the 3-cent-per-gallon tax at the start of January, with an initial revenue projection of $200,000 for the year.

* Crain’s | Northwestern University taps new athletic director: Northwestern University today named Mark Jackson, former head of Villanova’s athletic department, as its next athletic director effective Sept. 1. Jackson replaces Derrick Gragg, who was hired in 2021 and oversaw a department beset by scandal. The school announced in June that Gragg would be taking on a new advisory role, working closely with the new athletic director and the school’s president, Michael Schill.

*** Downstate ***

* KSDK | Southern Illinois power plant may have violated federal law for over a decade, judge says: Environmental protection advocate organization Sierra Club, which filed the lawsuit against Prairie State, said the power plant is Illinois’ top emitter of ozone-forming nitrogen oxide pollution and emitted almost twice as much carbon dioxide as the state’s next biggest greenhouse gas emitter. The plant also exceeded federal monthly limits on mercury emissions in 2021 and received a violation notice from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

* Illinois Times | SHS sophomore holds dress resales to benefit Emma Shafer Peace and Justice Fund: Lucy Schmadeke, a Springfield High School sophomore who turns 15 this weekend, is determined to “be like Emma.” The late Emma Shafer, Lucy’s babysitter for five years, inspired Lucy’s love of the arts, performing and big cities, along with her drive to make the world a better place. […] Combining her love of fashion, dedication to sustainability and realization that not all girls her age can afford formal dresses, Lucy organized the Be Like Emma – Dress Resale Aug. 24 at the Grant Conservatory of Music and Dance. The event featured gently used homecoming and prom attire and raised $560 for the Emma Shafer Peace and Justice Fund. Fifteen donated dresses were sold, but many remain, so a second sale is planned for Saturday, Sept. 7, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Wild Rose Artisans Gallery and Boutique in downtown Springfield.

* WGIL | ‘Farmers were panicking.’ 8 west central Illinois grain facilities saved from closure: Doug DeBuysere, general manager of Hillsdale Elevator Company, tells WGIL, “We’re excited, and really looking forward to the takeover. The phone has been ringing off the wall. “They were going to close those eight facilities, and would have left farmers there with nowhere to go. Guys were panicking.” […] “Normally, we’d buy a site or two at a time, but this opportunity came up and we bought all eight,” DeBuysere said. “We have a little work to do, but we’re excited and ready to get going.

* WSIL | Marion VA plans weeklong celebration of veterans: Alongside city officials, the VA has organized several events at local businesses to highlight and aid those who have fought for the U.S. The events will focus on resources available and highlighting talents of veterans throughout the region. The week will also include the return of the Honor Flight on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

* PJ Star | New $1.3 million ice plant coming to Peoria Civic Center as part of deal: The Civic Center Authority Board approved a plan Thursday night that would see $1.3 million go toward the purchase of a new ice plant from Cimco, with plans to install it by the summer 2026, according to Peoria City Councilmember Tim Riggenbach, who is also the council liaison to the Civic Center Board. A new ice plant, pumps, ice rink controller, gas cooler and starter panel will be part of the $1.3 million purchase. The Civic Center will put a 5% down payment of $64,837.00 toward the ice plant by Oct. 1.

* WJBC | Bridgestone & United Steel Workers representative running for McLean County Board: A Bloomington resident and longtime representative for the United Steel Workers has announced his candidacy for the McLean County Board’s 9th district. Sean Fagan has lived in the South Hill neighborhood since 1988. Recently, he celebrated 25 years as a pension and insurance advocate at the Bridgestone tire plant.

* WFIW | SOS mobile DMV unit coming to Albion: The Illinois Secretary of State Mobile DMV Unit will be coming to Albion on Wednesday, September 4th from 10am to 2pm at the Edwards County Courthouse. Services offered will be new and renewal Identification Cards, Renewal of Drivers Licenses, Sticker Purchases and REAL ID processing.

* Illinois Times | Out of the ashes: In the meantime, Café Moxo is continuing to pay its employees. Instead of serving sandwiches and chicken pot pies, they are providing services to organizations such as St. John’s Breadline, Central Illinois Food Bank and Compass for Kids. […] “We’re hoping it’ll happen in a pretty timely fashion,” he said. “We would love to see it happen in 2024. That would be on our Christmas wish list. We’re looking to start the new year off strong at Café Moxo.”

*** International ***

* AP | How one Brazilian judge could suspend Elon Musk’s X: The justice, Alexandre de Moraes, has threatened to suspend social media giant X nationwide if its billionaire owner Elon Musk doesn’t swiftly comply with one of his orders. Musk has responded with insults, including calling de Moraes a “tyrant” and “a dictator.” It is the latest chapter in the monthslong feud between the two men over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation. Many in Brazil are waiting and watching to see if either man will blink.

4 Comments

Jack Conaty

Friday, Aug 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune…

Jack Conaty brought a talent for concise and impactful writing, an acerbic wit and a willingness to help his colleagues to his work as political reporter at Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 for more than two decades.

“He had a razor-sharp political insight and a concision in writing — the man did not waste a word,” said former WFLD reporter Lilia Chacon. “He just cut to the crux of the (matter) and he did it in a way that was illuminating. We were in awe of his writing skills.”

Conaty, 77, died of complications from cancer on Aug. 28 at a hospital in Tucson, Arizona, said his daughter, Katherine. He had lived in Tucson for the last decade or so and previously had lived in Kennebunk, Maine. after leaving WFLD, which now is known as Fox 32. Prior to that, he had resided in River North and Wilmette. […]

In 1987, Conaty was hired to be political reporter at WFLD, which at that time was launching a nightly news operation. Conaty covered both national and local political stories, including interviewing leaders like Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro, and attended seven presidential conventions.

Jack’s contract wasn’t renewed at the end of 2009. I wrote at the time that I really liked the guy and that his departure was “another major blow to quality political journalism.”

Not long after that, I ran into Jack at WBEZ reporter Carlos Hernandez Gomez’s funeral.

Jack said he wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but also confided that he was irritated by Fox News Corp., which had taken over WFLD TV. He said he regularly felt pressured to follow the party line, and that just didn’t sit right with someone of Jack Conaty’s integrity. Jack was no flaming liberal, but he wanted to do his job in the most honest way he could.

* I don’t know why, but for the past couple of weeks I’d been thinking about Jack and wondering where he was and how I wanted to tell him that I missed him. Jack’s passing is another reminder that you shouldn’t wait to tell someone what they mean to you.

Rest in peace, Jack. You did good.

3 Comments

New state law to be tested by Will County case

Friday, Aug 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Daily Southtown…

A Will County clerk’s office employee filed a lawsuit alleging New Lenox Township Trustee Patricia “Patty” Deiters published a fraudulent public Facebook post that defamed and incited harassment against her.

The lawsuit, filed Aug. 9 by Ellen Moriarty, claims the Facebook page Will County Republican Women is operated by Deiters and published a screenshot of a post purportedly from Moriarty’s personal Facebook account.

The lawsuit alleges Moriarty never made the post and the alleged doctored image led “various third parties” to share the post at least 17 times and contact her employer with the intent of having her fired.

A screenshot of the post included in the lawsuit reads, “Too bad he missed!! A heroic effort, too bad he lost his life,” referring to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a July 13 campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

The lawsuit accuses Deiters of violating the Illinois Civil Liability for Doxing Act, a law that went into effect in January. The legislation, signed by Gov. JB Pritzker Aug. 4, 2023, makes anyone in Illinois civilly liable for partaking in doxxing, or the sharing of personal identifiable information about another person for the purpose of harming them.

The lawsuit accuses Deiters of creating the fake post, but according to her attorney, Thomas DeVore, another person shared the post with Deiters through a group message.

Everything comes from somewhere, Tom. It’s the choice to post it which matters.

* Speaking of DeVore…

* Didn’t happen…

A gathering featuring Southern Illinois attorney Thomas DeVore as the guest speaker was relocated to Washington Square in Ottawa, after the Ottawa American Legion canceled the Thursday evening event less than 48 hours before it was set to occur, because it would have violated its bylaws to host it.

The Ottawa American Legion said its bylaws do not allow political events and determined Thursday’s gathering was political in nature. […]

The flyer also said a free (Donald) Trump yard sign would be available with each $10 donation. The flyer said the event was sponsored by Mid-America Grassroots Action (spelling out “MAGA” in the background). The group said it serves to “promote, educate, and financially support Mid America grassroots organizations who are vested in returning our country to the people,” noting it is a “political organization” on Facebook.

Ottawa American Legion Commander Tom Shea said he believes the Legion was misled to believe the event wasn’t political when it was scheduled initially, but after receiving a phone call Wednesday morning from a concerned legionnaire, and then reviewing the flyer, said the organization’s leadership determined the event would be canceled to follow its bylaws.

“It’s been in our bylaws since 1919,” said John Duback of the Ottawa American Legion. “We are a non-political group.”

* And another thing. He’s not mad. Please don’t put it in the newspaper that he got mad…

Devore big mad he got canceled! pic.twitter.com/CgNho2pw6q

— ROSIE RIVETED (@ROSIERIVETED1) August 29, 2024

23 Comments

Why did ACLU Illinois staffers picket the organization this week?

Friday, Aug 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* In These Times back in 2021…

A union fight that is playing out in Illinois highlights how progressive organizations can use technical objections to the scope of a proposed union to effectively pursue union-busting while maintaining plausible deniability that they are doing so. This effort to have it both ways makes sense when you consider where this labor battle is happening: at the ACLU.

The past two years has been a landmark one for unionization at the ACLU, part of the broader, ongoing wave of nonprofit organizing. As the pandemic raged in 2020, workers at several ACLU state branches unionized–including in Kansas, where the staff faced a corporate-style anti-union campaign. In January of 2021 about 300 staffers nationwide formed the civil liberties group’s largest staff union, called ACLU Staff United. In subsequent months, more state ACLU staffs across the country have successfully unionized, and ACLU staff union drives are underway in other states, like Virginia and Illinois*. Workers have vowed to continue until they have successfully unionized every state office.

Though common sense might tell you that an organization that proudly declares that it “has championed the right of workers to organize unions since its inception more than 90 years ago” would be an easy place to unionize, that has not been completely true. While most of the union drives at the ACLU have secured voluntary recognition from management — a necessary baseline for any employer to be considered pro-union — that has not been the case in Illinois. In late June, workers there asked management to recognize their staff union, part of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers. More than five months later, they are still waiting. […]

For months now, management and the union have been locked in a stalemate over the issue of how many workers will be allowed to be members of the unit. Restricting the size of a proposed unit is a common tactic by employers, who often seek to assert that as many employees as possible are managers or supervisors, and are therefore not eligible to be union members. These sorts of negotiations, though cloaked in legalistic language, are usually more about power than about law — how fiercely management chooses to argue over vague job descriptions comes down to whether they are comfortable working with a staff union, or whether they see it as a priority to make the union as small and weak as possible from the very beginning.

Fed up with the delays, the ACLU of IL Staff United finally filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board in early October, seeking a resolution. The union had a two-day hearing at the NLRB that concluded on November 1. Though the timeline is not certain, the union expects to get a ruling on the size of its unit soon, and then it can proceed to a formal vote for certification.

* The National Labor Relations Board ruled in favor of the union’s right to hold an election in December of 2021…

[T]he Employer provided only broad assertions to support its claims, and has thus failed to meet its burden to prove that the disputed classifications should be excluded because they are supervisory, managerial, or confidential in nature. Accordingly, I am directing a self-determination election among the petitioned-for appropriate unit of employees, including permitting the professional employees in the unit to first determine whether or not they wish to be included in the same unit with the nonprofessional employees, as set forth below.

* The union claims they have not received raises since 2021…

(non-union employees have continued to get raises) (12/16)

— ACLU of IL Staff United (@ACLUILUnited) June 3, 2024

* Yesterday, the union picketed to demand a contract…

Thanks to all who came out in solidarity to the @ACLUILUnited picket today!

We made it clear that @ACLUofIL's union busting is disgusting, and that four years without a contract or raise from the ACLU is the height of hypocrisy–fair contract now!! 🙌✊✊✊ pic.twitter.com/pBKQcsoZm4

— NOLSW/ UAW Local 2320 (@NOLSW2320) August 29, 2024

* More…

Fortune | ACLU, a big defender of free speech, illegally fired worker for complaining about working conditions, labor board says:

* Law 360 | Illinois ACLU Staff Can Vote To Join Atty Union, NLRB Official Says: A National Labor Relations Board official ordered a representation election at an Illinois ACLU-affiliated organization in which attorneys and other staff members will vote on whether to be represented by a United Auto Workers-affiliated union.

* Law & Crime | ACLU Accused of ‘Union Busting’ by Hiring ‘Anti-Union’ Law Firm [Ogletree Deakins] Over Labor Dispute: Workers and labor organizers at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kansas have met resistance from the affiliate’s executive director Nadine Johnson after reportedly obtaining majority support for a union there–accusing the storied civil liberties organization of “union busting” over a series of procedural moves apparently aimed at slowing down the union recognition process.

9 Comments

Hopefully, IDHS will figure this out soon

Friday, Aug 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Capitol News Illinois…

An Illinois law intended to help people with mental illness avoid confrontations with police had been on the books for three years when Sonya Massey was shot by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy.

The Community Emergency Services and Supports Act, or CESSA, requires mental and behavioral health calls to 911 be handled by mental health professionals, rather than police. It was supposed to go into effect on July 1, 2022 – two years before Massey, who was having a mental health crisis, was shot by Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson.

“I think if this system was in place, and emergency responders were trained and aware of what is available to them, then I think Sonya Massey would still be with us today,” said Candace Coleman, community strategy specialist with Access Living, a Chicago-based organization that advocates for disabled people.

The struggle over CESSA’s execution has twice caused lawmakers to push back its effective date, but Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, one of the bill’s sponsors, said Massey’s death underscores the need to carry out reform.

“I feel confident that we are going to get this done. The state and the advocates want to get this right,” Peters said. “And Sonya Massey is the exactly the reason we need to get this done.”

* From the Illinois Department of Human Services…

In close partnership with the legislature and advocates for this law, the deadline for implementation has been adjusted to July 1, 2025. The most recent change to the implementation timeline was enacted by SB 3648 (P.A. 103-0645).

Implementing CESSA is a significant undertaking that involves changes to many existing systems, including those administered by at least five entities and multiple State agencies (IDHS-DMH, IDHS-SUPR, the State 911 Administrator, IDPH, and HFS), as well as county and local jurisdictions, including local law enforcement, community mental health providers, public and private emergency medical services, and the advocates and associations that represent the individuals involved in these systems.

All these groups and organizations have different perspectives on CESSA’s challenges and potential solutions. They have also made significant investments in existing systems and their provider networks. In addition, many of these systems and organizations are subject to legislation and regulations that must be addressed, normalized, and integrated.

The full implementation of CESSA involves building relationships, addressing conflicts, leveraging opportunities, and connecting human and technological systems across these different entities. With the guidance of the CESSA Statewide Advisory Council (SAC) and eleven Regional Advisory Councils (RACs), DMH and its partners are working to identify, test, and scale solutions. We are grateful for the deep and broad cooperation across these systems that we have already seen, and look forward to seeing this expand to statewide implementation of CESSA.

Sometimes, legislators pass bills that are hugely complicated to implement in real life.

7 Comments

Pete Townshend he ain’t /s

Friday, Aug 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Rockford Register Star…

Two dozen Rockford-area civic leaders, Hard Rock executives and Seminole Tribe of Florida leaders — owners of Hard Rock International — lifted guitars high above their heads and smashed them to pieces Thursday to celebrate the opening of Hard Rock Casino Rockford.

Pyrotechnics showered the 1,600-seat Hard Rock Live stage in sparks as the invite-only crowd cheered.

After a dozen years of planning and about two years of construction, the 175,000-square-foot Hard Rock Casino Rockford opened for business.

“Ninety percent of our investor group has local roots — no private equity,” said Dan Fischer, chief investor of 815 Entertainment, the local company that brought Hard Rock to Rockford. “When you look at this place, it was built with people who put in real money.”

* The governor also participated in a celebratory guitar smashing…

Caption?

30 Comments

Open thread

Friday, Aug 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* It’s Friday! What’s going on?…

16 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Aug 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Potential testimony in Madigan case is previewed as attorneys start wrangling over what a jury might hear. Tribune…

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was back in a federal courtroom Thursday to hear proposed expert testimony from a former Chicago alderman about the structure and importance of political operations like the one Madigan helmed during his record run in the state legislature.

Madigan’s attorneys asked a judge to bar Dick Simpson, a political science professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Chicago who served as the 44th Ward alderman in the 1970s, saying his opinions are not based on any scientific methodology and that he has a long history of bias against Madigan and the regular Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, with his racketeering trial rapidly approaching, Madigan’s attorneys also filed a lengthy list of other items they want to keep a jury from hearing. That included any evidence mentioning Madigan’s son, Andrew; wiretapped calls mentioning former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios; and a potentially damning recording where Madigan tells his confidant and co-defendant, Michael McClain, that some of his friends had “made out like bandits” with the contracts they’d landed for them.

The flurry of court activity comes as both sides are ramping up to the highly anticipated trial, which is scheduled to kick off Oct. 8 and will last up to three months.

* Related stories…

∙ Sun-Times: Madigan arguments turn to professor’s testimony with trial fast approaching
∙ Law360: Madigan Seeks To Block Ex-Alderman’s Expert Testimony

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Crain’s | Signature Bank stands by sponsorship of Dan Proft’s radio show after hosts mock Gus Walz: Signature Bank is maintaining its sponsorship of conservative talk radio show “Chicago’s Morning Answer” despite continued fallout from recent comments by hosts Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson about the son of Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. “Signature Bank works with a variety of media and partners, and the opinions expressed by them do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Signature Bank,” the company said in an email to Crain’s. “Every day, we deliver our banking services with integrity and respect, and we encourage our partners to do the same.”

* Sun-Times | CTA testing artificial intelligence to detect guns at train stations, but ACLU is raising questions: ACLU Illinois spokesman Ed Yohnka said the biggest concern of his organization is the lack of public input. ZeroEyes’ technology was implemented without public discussion, he said. And it adds another layer of technology to a surveillance network that has failed to improve public safety. […] CTA and CPD would not share the number of gun arrests attributable to ZeroEyes in its first month of operation. But the CPD did share that there have been 626 reports of violent crime on the CTA this year through Aug. 27, compared with 547 during the same period in 2023.

* Sun-Times | Abortion access could be in jeopardy as Chicago Abortion Fund, others run short of money: The Chicago Abortion Fund is set to receive about $5 million from the state of Illinois, which helps cover out-of-state patients’ travel and stay in the state, according to Jeyifo. She estimates that the organization needs at least $200,000 a month more to cover abortion procedures.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WAND | New law creates legal protections for Illinois certified forensic pathologists: Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said this can help address the drastic shortage of forensic pathologists in Illinois, as there are only three working south of I-80. “They are supposed to operate independently. They’re a non-biased stand alone entity,” Allmon said. “We want an honest opinion by the highly-trained forensic pathologist of why that person died and we don’t want those waters to be muddied at all.”

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | CPS to offer Chicago teachers raises up to 5% in each of the next four years: The union had been waiting on this proposal, which a source in the mayor’s office said it had greenlighted weeks ago. It includes annual raises between 4% and 5%. […] At a regularly scheduled bargaining session on Friday, Martinez plans to offer union members 4% raises in 2025 and between 4% and 5% raises in each of the next three years, depending on inflation, according to a statement from CPS. The district plans to expand healthcare and dental coverage without increasing costs for employees.

* Sun-Times | CTU president denies trying to force out Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez: Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said Thursday she’s not working behind the scenes to engineer the ouster of Schools CEO Pedro Martinez. She simply wants him to “do his job” and deliver the schools poor children deserve. “We give them an opportunity to remediate. I’m a high school social studies teacher. … I don’t offer the ‘F’ first. I offer a warning. I provide opportunity. I give support. I call home. I make [myself] available during lunch and after school,” Davis Gates told the Sun-Times.

* Tribune | New year, new (and old) challenges: First Chicago Board of Education meeting of the new school year reflects tension over district leadership: A day earlier, roughly 400 CPS principals and assistant principals sent a letter to Board of Education members, encouraging them to retain Martinez. As CTU’s criticism of Martinez mounts, the school administrators said that the “atmosphere of uncertainty” regarding his future has colored the start of the school year.

* Crain’s | Federal judge throws out CTU lawsuit accusing a nonprofit of election interference: An Illinois federal judge ruled against the Chicago Teachers Union in a lawsuit brought against an education nonprofit in 2022, alleging it was unlawfully interfering in a CTU election. The 2022 complaint accused the New York-based nonprofit Educators for Excellence of promoting candidates in favor of “thin contracts” with the “goal of limiting the power of teacher unions and limiting the scope of the bargaining that teacher unions may conduct.”

* Crain’s | Chicago faces dubious distinction with Greyhound station closure looming: The city is in danger of losing its transportation hub in less than a month as the property owner eyes the site for redevelopment. Greyhound’s parent company sold the bus line to German company Flix in 2021 for $172 million. Three years after the sale, the bus line’s lease on 630 W. Harrison St. is expiring Sept. 20, and there is not a “viable path” for an extension, said Gilda Brewton, head of public affairs at Flix.

* Tribune | Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark duel for Rookie of the Year offers intriguing subplot for final Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever matchup: Sky ticket sales have more than doubled this year in reaction to the popularity of Reese and fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso. And Friday’s fourth and final matchup against Clark and the Indiana Fever is expected to draw another sellout crowd with the second-highest average ticket price of the season.

* Tribune | Chicago White Sox swept again, suffer 104th loss — 2 shy of the franchise record — and fall to 4-33 in the 2nd half: The day after Wednesday’s heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers, Sizemore said “it’s been the theme of just coming up a little short, being right there and an inch or two away from a victory and just having it taken away.” The Sox proceeded to lose 2-1 to the Rangers on Thursday before an announced crowd of 10,402 for their 104th loss, getting swept for the 21st time in 2024.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Credit card bills reveal Dolton officials spending big on hotels, meals: Hotel spending for those the Atlanta and Portland trips topped $4,500, and that’s apart from airfare and dining charges, records show. Airline tickets in some instances included extra fees for seat upgrades, and charges for excess baggage, according to the statements, which include American Express and Fifth-Third Bank cards issued to Dolton.

* Daily Southtown | Tiffany Henyard says Thornton Township trustees spending caps harming residents: Supervisor Tiffany Henyard called a special Thornton Township Board meeting Wednesday in an effort to change recent ordinances that cap spending. But when none of the four township trustees showed up, Henyard railed against the measures, saying they prevent the township from providing services to children and older adults. “You thought it was just a way to stop Tiffany Henyard,” the supervisor told about 20 people, many of whom left after about 10 minutes, when Henyard refused to respond to their questions. “But it was a way to basically stop the services here in Thornton Township.”

* Daily Herald | Mayoral candidates already making their pitch in Gurnee, Vernon Hills: In Gurnee, incumbent Mayor Tom Hood this week said he would be seeking a second four-year term. And in Vernon Hills, longtime village Trustee Thom Koch Jr. will be running for the position formally known as village president but informally referred to as mayor.

* WSPY | Kane County Board Chairperson defends free speech zone at Kane County government building: Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog says that safety for visitors and staff is the top priority at the Kane County Government Building in Geneva. In a statement to WSPY News, Pierog said that while she respects the right to free speech, including the distribution of pamphlets, such activities cannot interfere with anyone’s ability to conduct business at the county office building.

* WTTW | Stateville Workers Rally Against Planned Prison Closure: ‘We’re Asking for No Layoffs and No Chaos’: Meanwhile, the state is moving forward with the closure; 103 incarcerated people have been transferred from Stateville to other facilities, according to IDOC. The union’s plea to keep the prison open is a stark contrast to the feelings of some of those incarcerated at Stateville. Abdul Malik Muhammad wrote to WTTW News earlier this month that the transfers are “life saving news.”

*** Downstate ***

* WAND | Man accused of murdering DCFS worker found guilty, but mentally ill: The defense had been arguing for a not guilty verdict by reason of insanity, but Reed was found guilty but mentally ill. In Illinois, a defendant found guilty but mentally ill will still serve time in prison, but may also get additional health care while in custody.

* WTVO | Hard Rock Casino Rockford finally opens, delay causes customer frustrations: “I’m really looking forward to all the different music that they’re going to have here,” Belvidere resident Paul Turner said. “They’re going to have everything from country to rock to folk. It’s going to be actually fantastic for the community.”

* AP | In Southern Illinois, BYU faces an FCS foe that knows how to beat upper-division teams: The Salukis are looking to take down an FBS opponent for the third straight season. They’re 0-5 all time against Big 12 teams but they upset Northern Illinois and Northwestern in back-to-back seasons.

* WSIL | New DCFS Field Office Opens in Marion: State and community leaders cut the ribbon, signifying the opening of the new field office; a 51,000 square foot building which is valued at $4.5 million and can accommodate 400 employees. Housed at the new site is the agency’s clinical, contract administration, day care and foster family licensing, education and transition services, permanency and quality assurance operations.

* AG Web | Chicago’s Urban Sprawl Leads Illinois Corn Growers to Start a Whole New Business Making Whiskey: “Rather than seeing urban sprawl as a threat, perhaps it’s an opportunity for us to create direct-to-consumer relationships and take advantage of the big population center that’s literally on our doorstep,” Jamie says. The Whiskey Acres brand was born. Of course, there was a lot of trial and error along the way and, since whiskey takes years to age properly, determining that an error had been made was a slow process.

22 Comments

Live coverage

Friday, Aug 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.

Comments Off

Selected press releases (Live updates)

Friday, Aug 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

Comments Off

Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Governor JB Pritzker…

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) today announced $26.5 million in funding for the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) for Public Infrastructure and Housing Rehabilitation. Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process. […]

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for Public Infrastructure

Public infrastructure grants are designed to provide communities with funding to improve public infrastructure, public health and quality of life. These projects include construction of storm sewer pipes, waterline replacements, and water storage tank construction, and other critical projects that help mitigate flooding and support sewage management, water delivery and other public water necessities.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for Housing Rehabilitation

Housing rehabilitation grants are designed to assist low-to-moderate income homeowners with improvements to ensure safe and sanitary living conditions. Eligible uses of funds include structural work, lead remediation, electrical, plumbing, new appliances, flooring, ADA, and accessibility accommodations, and more.

An additional $1.9 million is available for Economic Development projects funded by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) on an as-needed basis. This grant funding opportunity includes up to $1 million for economic development projects. This includes construction, reconstruction, and installation or rehabilitation of commercial or industrial buildings, structures and other real property. […]

Eligible applicants can apply for Public Infrastructure grants from $300,000 to $1 million and Housing Rehabilitation grants from $300,000 to $650,000. Applications for both grants will be accepted until December 4, 2024, at 5 p.m. Applications for economic development funding will be accepted on a rolling basis. DCEO will be hosting an Administration and Application Workshop for grant applicants on October 1, 2024, and October 2, 2024, at the Northfield Center in Springfield at 8:30 to12:30. p.m. Interested applicants can register and find more information on the DCEO website. Applicants can also view the Public Infrastructure and Housing and apply for the grants, on the DCEO website.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | CTA begins using gun detection system powered by AI: The $200,000 ZeroEyes test run, which has been in place for about a month, will run through summer 2025 to start, CTA Vice President of Security Kevin Ryan said. The program uses the CTA’s existing cameras to detect guns once they have been exposed, and is now installed on more than 250 of the agency’s roughly 30,000 cameras, he said. […] So far, the program has detected guns carried openly by law enforcement officers and toy guns, including large electronic water guns, he said. ZeroEyes alerted Chicago and CTA officials to the toy guns, noting they were not believed to be lethal weapons, and then it was up to local officials to determine how to respond, Ryan said.

* Block Club Chicago | The Race To Build Quantum Campus Is On — And South Siders Won’t Be Left Behind, Officials Say: The quantum campus is the latest proposal for the South Works brownfield, following failed pitches for a movie studio campus, a 20,000-home neighborhood and the mixed-use Chicago Lakeside development, among other ideas. “I know that is very difficult for people” to have seen so many stalled proposals for the site in the past, Angela Tovar, the city’s chief sustainability officer, said last month.

* Sun-Times | NASCAR street race to return to Chicago in 2025: The race has brought tourists to the city but has also been met with complaints by some Chicagoans. Some Sun-Times readers cited traffic woes and that part of downtown being out of commission for other activities as reasons to move or stop the street races. Others welcomed the positive attention and money it brought to the city.

* Tribune | Beach volleyball returns to Chicago on Labor Day weekend — and features Olympic medalists: Fresh off winning a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes will headline the AVP Chicago Open on Labor Day weekend. Returning to Chicago is special for the Canadian duo, as they first played together here in 2022. “Technically, this spot was the first time Melissa and I ever played volleyball together,” Wilkerson said. “That event that we paired up for, we weren’t officially a team. We were kind of just giving it a go because obviously we both played on the AVP and our partner situation had changed, so we’re like, let’s just try it out.

* Sun-Times | White Sox just as bad under Grady Sizemore, but players love him – and the feeling is mutual: “I love those guys in there,” Sizemore said of his clubhouse. Love is in the air, unaffected by the glum drum roll of daily defeats in a season headed to 120 or more. Whether Sizemore gets a chance to build his case for the full-time manager’s job for next year and beyond remains to be seen. General manager Chris Getz likes what he has seen, but remains intent on his stated plan to search outside the organization after the season.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WGN | Thornton Township meeting canceled, but Supervisor Tiffany Henyard speaks uninterrupted: With no trustees in attendance, the special Thornton Township meeting called by Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard ended before it began, but Henyard saw an opportunity to speak uninterrupted to the small group of people in the room. […] “That’s what all the hate is about. Your super mayor became too powerful too quick,” Henyard said. “I’m so rare, I’m so unique, and that’s why everybody got problems all about control.”

* ABC Chicago | Longmeadow Parkway Bridge over Fox River in Kane County opens after years-long, $204M project: There is also a bike and pedestrian path. The project, which used federal, state and local funds, cost $204 million. Kane County initially planned to pay for the bridge construction with tolls.

* Daily Herald | Kane GOP outraged at ‘First Amendment area’ at county building: A First Amendment brouhaha is brewing at the Kane County Government Center, with Republicans accusing Kane County Board Chairman Corinne Pierog of violating their free speech rights by creating a “First Amendment area” away from the main building’s front door.

* Naperville Sun | Demolition for Block 59 development in Naperville nearly finished: Block 59 is a $53 million, 91,000-square-foot venture. When complete, the complex will bring a slew of new dining options to the city, including Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheesecake Factory, Piccolo Buco by Cooper’s Hawk, Shake Shack, Stan’s Donuts, First Watch, Fresh Fin, Crisp & Green and Velvet Taco.

*** Downstate ***

* WSIL | A Dozen Staff Members at Menard Correctional Center Taken to Hospital After Experiencing Symptoms: Authorities said all Menard Correctional Center staff members have since been released from the hospital. The Illinois Poison Control Center, along with the St. Clair County EMA’s Hazmat Team, is assisting with the investigation. The Menard Correctional Center is placed on a level 1 lockdown and all personal protective equipment (PPE) is available to the staff members there.

* SJ-R | More than a kicker: Glenwood’s Mia Gerger has passion for football: Ask Mia Gerger what she loves most about being a kicker on the Chatham Glenwood football team, and she rattles off several things. She says the football team, including the coaching staff, is a large family and she’s happy to be part of that. She loves making kicks that help her team win games or advance in the postseason, such as she did in a Class 6A second round playoff game last year at Oak Lawn Richards. But what she truly embraces is the pressure.

* WSIL | 100 Blankets Donated to Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois: The Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois received another donation, this being one which will help keep everyone comfortable during their flight to Washington D.C. The Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois stated they are beyond grateful for the donation of 100 travel blankets for their 13th flight coming up.

*** National ***

* CBS | Bugs, mold and mildew found in Boar’s Head plant linked to deadly listeria outbreak: The outbreak has grown to 57 hospitalizations in 18 states linked to recalled products from the plant. At least nine deaths have now been reported, including two in South Carolina and one each in Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and New York. […] Records released by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to CBS News through a Freedom of Information Act request tally 69 records of “noncompliances” flagged by the agency over the past year at the Jarratt plant.

7 Comments

Tollway settles lawsuit for $25 million after neglecting to follow state law

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. Marni Pyke…

After months of construction delays on a massive interchange project, Illinois tollway board directors Thursday approved a nearly $25 million settlement to a lawsuit filed by a contractor.

Tollway leaders also acknowledged that the agency made an administrative error when it awarded a $323 million contract to New York-based Judlau Construction in 2023 to repair the I-290/I-88 interchange.

As a result, officials canceled the contract in May without any explanation to Judlau. The firm promptly sued for breach of contract, noting it had already hired workers, bought materials and was actively excavating and grading.

About $15 million of the settlement covers actual construction costs incurred by Judlau, and $10 million is related to damages. The tollway board also agreed to pay Judlau’s subcontractors $6.5 million for construction work performed on the interchange.

The contract was “canceled because a relatively new provision in state law that provides a bid preference for companies based in Illinois was inadvertently excluded from the original contract bid evaluation,” tollway officials said in a statement.

“Judlau is satisfied with the settlement and notes that the Tollway did not terminate the contract as a result of any performance issues on the part of Judlau.”

7 Comments

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition (Updated)

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

Comments Off

Another dire DNC prediction didn’t come true

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. August 13th…

The DNC was supposed to fill hotels — one week out, that hasn’t happened

* Today…

Downtown hotels enjoyed a lucrative week during the Democratic National Convention, with occupancy levels as much as 20% higher than the same period last year and rooms rented at much higher rates to the tens of thousands of visiting delegates, lobbyists and other convention attendees, according to data from CoStar, a real estate analytics firm.

“It’s economics 101. If demand goes up, prices go up,” said Jan Freitag, national director of hospitality analytics at CoStar. “These are very healthy numbers, so I think it was a very successful week, at least from a hotel perspective.” […]

Hotel room occupancy in Chicago’s central business district increased between 9% and 20% on the days of the convention when compared with the same time last year, according to CoStar data, with the largest boost happening on Aug. 18, the night before the DNC began.

The true windfall was the amounts per night that hotels were able to charge thousands of eager convention goers. The average daily rate at the same time last year hovered at $200, but last week hit a high of almost $375 on Aug. 20, the second night of the convention, a hike of more than 76% over the same day in 2023, CoStar found.

13 Comments

Uber Partners With Cities To Expand Urban Transportation

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Uber is leading the charge to close critical transportation gaps, ensuring reliable access to its services in places that need it most, such as underserved areas like Englewood. This is a part of Uber’s broader commitment to augment and expand the reach of Chicago’s transportation ecosystem, focusing on overcoming the first-mile/ last-mile hurdles that have long plagued residents in farther afield neighborhoods. Uber aims to extend the public transit network’s reach, making urban transportation more accessible and efficient for everyone. Discover the full story on how Uber is transforming city transportation for the better.

Comments Off

Woke alert!

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* I’ve seen a lot of excitement since yesterday’s announcement. However, Illinois Freedom Caucus member Rep. Adam Niemerg isn’t too keen on a new state flag…

* Here is part of the video’s transcript…

There’s an issue that I’m coming to you tonight about that I didn’t want to be missed, something that’s really important to me. There was a bill that passed last year, and it was to have a commission to change the Illinois state flag. And, you know, I put some press out about this, talked about it at the time.

But the reason that it kind of came back to me was last month when Kamala Harris chose the Minnesota Governor to be her running mate. I noticed that he had a commission to change the Minnesota State Flag. And as much as the liberal media and everybody want to say it doesn’t look like the Somali flag, it went from a very beautiful flag, to a flag that somewhat resembles the Somali flag, given the influence in Minnesota and what the radical left is doing in that state.

So it got me thinking, what is this going to look like in the state of Illinois? Because those two governors, the governors that run Illinois and Minnesota, they think alike.

So here in Illinois, there’s going to be a commission. This commission has met already, and they’re drafting, are going to draft, or have folks draft, a new Illinois state flag that will come to the General Assembly this December, to be discussed, worked on, approved, denied. [I] don’t know exactly where it’s going, but if you look at the makeup of this commission that the governor has ran this bill and who’s chosen to be on this commission, I’m very worried that our new Illinois State Flag could be very, very woke. And you should be worried too. Because the folks on these commissions that put these together, and I’ve heard some rumblings already about what’s going on in this commission, are radical leftists that are looking for equity, inclusion, DEI, all the key words that throw up very red flags to everybody outside and some folks also inside the city of Chicago.

So I’m coming to you tonight to discuss that with you. We need to preserve our state flag, at the very least. We need to make our voices known that we don’t want a woke ideology changing the Illinois state flag to make it something it shouldn’t be.

We should be talking about our history. I love history. You folks know that about me, but to change the flag into what the woke left want it to be is unacceptable.

* I added a bit more context to some of the members of Illinois’ flag commission…

Senate Republican Appointees

House Republican Appointees

Senate Democratic Appointees

House Democratic Appointees

Appointed by the Governor

and veteran

Appointed by statute

For more on how these members were picked, click here.

* This Somali flag stuff comes from posts like this…

* Reuters…

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s selection as the Democratic vice-presidential contender spurred false suggestions on social media, that he changed the state’s flag to resemble that of Somalia.

The new Minnesota flag, adopted in May, includes symbols specific to Minnesota and was not inspired by Somalia, the flag’s designer and a flag expert adviser on the redesign told Reuters.

Students, raised concerns about Minnesota’s previous flag design in 2017. The concerns were shared by vexillologistswho advised on the new design. The Minnesota State Emblems Redesign Commission (SERC), established in 2023 by a state house bill, presented its design for a new state flag in December 2023. […]

During a committee hearing about the flag’s redesign, a co-author of the bill pointed to the seal, which is displayed on the flag, depicting a white settler displacing a Native American. […]

Minnesota resident Andrew Prekker’s submission to the SERC’s design contest inspired the final flag design. In an email, Prekker said his design drew inspiration from the state’s history and culture. […]

The dark blue field is the shape of Minnesota, and the light blue field represents the significance of water to the state. The eight-point star represents the North Star, which is also the state motto “L’etoile Du Nord,” and is seen on the floor of the state Capitol’s Rotunda.

I mean… Minnesota’s flag is blue and has a star?…

* Somalia’s flag for reference…

43 Comments

IDOT ought to pay attention to its annual survey

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From IDOT’s 2024 Illinois Traveler Opinion Survey Key Findings Report…

Respondents were asked whether the current public transportation, air travel, highways, and bike and pedestrian paths were at adequate levels or should be expanded.

For public transportation, two-thirds (66%) of respondents believe that public transportation should be expanded in Illinois. In terms of air travel, 47% of respondents believe that airport facilities in Illinois are currently meeting the needs of travelers, while 41% report the airport facilities in Illinois need to be expanded.

Furthermore, 42% of respondents believe that Illinois should focus on maintaining the current highway system, while 36% believe Illinois should focus on expanding the highway system. Lastly, 56% of respondents believe Illinois should expand its pedestrian and bike paths.

As was the case in Section I, when asked to prioritize projects, respondents prioritize the highway system, though support has increased for the expansion of bicycle and pedestrian trails. Collectively, this possibility suggests that Illinois residents would like to see an expansion in other areas of public transportation, but not at the expense of deprioritizing the Illinois highway system.

* From the full report…

Looks like the public, including those who live in Downstate, is way ahead of the politicians. The handful of people we hear constantly carp about public transit is just that: A handful.

* It appears the public is also noticing the massive upgrades to roads and bridges and the topic is just no longer as urgent…

* IDOT really needs to take note of this…

If you’ve ever had to park your car across a wide, busy street from a business, the feeling of taking your life into your own hands is something you don’t soon forget. We’re all pedestrians at some point. We all want to live.

13 Comments

News coverage roundup: Chicago faces $982 million budget shortfall for 2025

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Crain’s…

Facing a budget shortfall of $982.4 million for 2025, Mayor Brandon Johnson is considering temporary freezes and permanent reductions in the city’s workforce while potentially going back on a campaign pledge to not raise property taxes.

The 2025 gap must be bridged before the City Council approves his second annual spending plan later this fall, even while city officials seek to close out a $222.9 million deficit remaining in 2024. This year’s shortfall is tied to a reduction in corporate tax revenue and a $175 million pension payment Chicago Public Schools refused to include in its own budget, despite Johnson’s insistence it’s the responsibility of the district.

Johnson won’t release his plan to address the $982.4 million shortfall until October, but in a call with reporters yesterday he said, “There are sacrifices that will be made.”

“Our focus is to minimize, as much as we possibly can, the impact on city services, programs and of course our workforce,” he said.

Click here for the city’s full budget forecast.

* Sun-Times…

Johnson’s hand-picked Chicago Board of Education approved a $9.9 billion budget that does not include the $175 million pension payment for non-teaching school employees. The city absorbed that payment until Johnson’s predecessor off-loaded that cost to the Chicago Public Schools.

In an unprecedented rebuke, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and the CPS board rejected the mayor’s request to take out a short-term, high-interest loan to cover the pension payment and the cost of a new teachers contract. That’s why the mayor is laying the groundwork to dump Martinez. […]

Johnson is still holding out hope for a reversal on the school pension issue.

He noted CPS has absorbed the payment for non-teaching members of the Municipal Employees Annuity and Benefit Fund “for the last four years.”

* Block Club…

But during Wednesday’s briefing, the mayor and other city officials declined to say if an increase is on the table to balance next year’s budget.

“This is just a forecast, it’s a moment in time, and so no decision will be made just based upon a forecasting,” Johnson said. “But what I will say is that I’m very much committed to our overall vision of investing in people, and making sure that we address the structural damage that has been in place for some time.”

Pressed by a reporter if that means he’s not ruling out a property tax hike, the mayor again did not give a definitive answer.

“What I can say is that there are plethora amount of options … we’re going to continue to work with City Council and all stakeholders to come up with viable solutions that will [offer] sustainability,” he said.

* Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson…

Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson released the City of Chicago 2025 Budget Forecast, offering a comprehensive financial outlook that addresses the City’s current year-end estimates and outlines projected revenues, expenditures, and fiscal challenges for fiscal years 2025-2027. These projections are informed by historical revenue and expenditure data, current economic and expense trends, and other factors expected to impact the City’s finances.

The forecast is built on a robust analysis that integrates these various data points, ensuring that the 2025 budget is developed with a full understanding of the City’s financial state and a forward-looking perspective. This approach allows the City to strategically consider long-term fiscal consequences. The forecast primarily focuses on the City of Chicago’s Corporate Fund — its general operating fund responsible for funding basic City operations and services — where the largest disparities between revenues and expenditures have historically occurred.

The collective work of the City’s fiscal teams, made up of the City Budget Office, Chief Financial Officer, and the Department of Finance, has identified an estimated year-end budget deficit of $229.9 million for 2024, and a projected 2025 fiscal year budget gap of $982.4 million. These gaps are largely driven by rising personnel, pension, and contractual costs, alongside a decrease in specific revenue streams.

“The 2025 Budget Forecast presents a significant challenge for our City, with a nearly $1 billion gap that we must address thoughtfully and strategically,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “My administration is committed to finding solutions that balance fiscal responsibility with our obligation to invest in the people of Chicago. Together, we will ensure our budget reflects the values of equity, fairness, and shared prosperity.”

Budget Director Annette Guzman added, “The forecasted budget gap is a clear indication of the financial pressures facing the City of Chicago. It also highlights the critical need for structural solutions that address these challenges not just for the
coming year, but for the future. We will continue to explore all options to close this gap while minimizing impact on essential services and making prudent investments in our city’s future.”

Year-End Estimate

The year-end projected shortfall is driven by a decline in specific revenue streams, including the State Personal Property Replacement Tax (PPRT) and the City not receiving the budgeted $175 million reimbursement for pension contributions for Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) non-teacher staff.

Local tax revenues have remained resilient, with an estimated 0.8 percent increase over budget projections, buoyed by stronger-than-expected performance in transaction taxes and ground transportation taxes. However, these gains were offset by lower-than-anticipated utility taxes and other revenue sources. The City continues to leverage fund balances and explore additional cost-saving measures to ensure fiscal responsibility and an end-of-year balanced budget.

While economic conditions may fluctuate throughout the remainder of the year, potentially impacting the City’s finances in either a positive or negative direction, Mayor Johnson and his fiscal leaders are laser focused on containing expenditures through disciplined spending and by maximizing available resources in the months ahead.

2025 Budget Forecast

Looking ahead, the 2025 forecast projects a substantial budget gap of $982.4 million, reflecting the City’s ongoing revenue challenges and rising costs. The forecast anticipates continued pressure from lower PPRT revenues and the expiration of one-time funding sources that helped close gaps in previous years. Additionally, rising personnel costs, driven by contractual wage increases, cost-of-living adjustments, and updated pension contributions, are significant factors contributing to the projected gap.

The forecast also highlights an increase in contractual services expenses, expected to rise by $16.1 million from 2024 levels, due to inflationary pressures and planned enhancements in information technology services.

The 2025 Budget will mark the sixth year for the City’s Police and Fire Pensions, and the fourth year for the Municipal and Laborers Pension Funds, in which contributions will be based on actuarially calculated, statutorily required contributions. The City plans to make advance pension payments totaling $272 million in 2025, further demonstrating its commitment to addressing long-term pension liabilities.

“While the road ahead may be challenging, I am confident in our ability to navigate these difficulties with the strength and resilience that Chicagoans are known for,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “Together, we will build a budget that not only addresses our current challenges but also lays the foundation for a brighter, more prosperous future for all.”

* WBEZ…

Despite savings this year, the nearly $223 million end-of-year deficit in the city’s corporate fund is affected by a $417.7 million underperformance of revenue, primarily from a decline in personal property replacement taxes and the refusal of Chicago Public Schools to make a pension payment that the city was counting on. The new end-of-year deficit comes after budget officials had passed a $16.77 billion dollar budget to close a previously estimated $538 million gap for 2024.

“We’re not overspending our budget,” Budget Director Annette Guzman said. “We have lagging indicators with some of our revenue sources.”

While Johnson stressed the ultimate goal is to not implement hiring freezes, the city would take into account “a number of factors” Guzman said. The Chicago Police Department faces a shortage of officers, and Guzman noted some positions within the police and fire departments are required by the federal consent decree and union contracts. […]

Guzman said Wednesday the city currently plans for $150 million to go toward supporting asylum seekers next year. That was the amount Johnson initially included in his 2024 budget — and he later returned to a testy City Council to ask for $70 million more from city reserves to continue the city’s support of migrants.

* Tribune…

ast November, Johnson proposed a $16.8 billion 2024 budget that passed with relative ease, even as critics sounded the alarm on one-time fixes for plugging in the projected $538 million deficit at the time.

The challenge for the City Council and Johnson now is to try to balance the 2025 budget without hiking property taxes, a red line Johnson drew during his mayoral campaign. Doing so could raise much more money than other revenue ideas but would also subject elected officials to the ire of Chicagoans weary of living under high levies and other rising costs. This year’s property tax levy was $1.77 billion, up from $1.47 billion in 2019 and $860 million a decade ago, according to the forecast.

Other efforts by Johnson to boost revenue failed in his first year in office.

The mayor campaigned on a bold agenda of taxing the rich, but his to-do list that included bringing back a corporate head tax, hiking the hotel levy and raising the real estate transfer tax has stalled. The third pitch, known as the Bring Chicago Home campaign, was rejected in a March tax referendum that signaled voter reluctance to entrust elected officials with more public money.

This year’s massive but not unexpected $982 million gap has already been in aldermen’s crosshairs.

* CBS Chicago…

Last year, Johnson plugged a $538 million budget gap for 2024 without layoffs or tax increases, but relied a great deal on one-time financial fixes, including declaring a surplus of tax increment financing funds, and rolling over a $50 million budget surplus from 2023.

In addition to rising costs for city employee salaries and pensions, the mayor’s budget team pointed to dropping revenue from two key tax sources as key factors in the $982 million projected shortfall for next year.

Budget Director Annette Guzman said the city is expecting continued drop in revenue from the personal property replacement tax – a tax on corporations collected by the state and passed on to local governments. The city saw a drop of $169 million in revenue from that tax in 2024, and is expecting an even bigger drop in 2025. […]

Another factor putting pressure on the city’s budget for next year is ongoing contract talks with the union for the city’s firefighters and paramedics, who have gone more than three years without a new contract.

* More…

WTTW | Chicago Faces $982M Budget Shortfall in 2025, $223M Gap in 2024: Johnson:

28 Comments

It’s just gonna keep getting worse

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times…

For the White Sox’ 102nd loss, a couple of hundred can say they were there.

For their 103rd loss hours later, quite a few more can say they saw one of the catches of the year by Rangers left fielder Travis Jankowski, who skied high above the wall to take a walk-off homer away from Andrew Vaughn in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss carrying the Rangers to their second win of the day.

Finishing a game suspended by rain after only four pitches the night before, the Sox lost 3-1 to the Rangers before the sparsest of crowds in the first of two games Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The 4:10 p.m. start, scheduled just 19 hours earlier, figured to attract a small crowd and had about 150-200 fans on a 77-degree afternoon at the first pitch. The loss in the second game left the Sox needing to go 12-16 over their last 28 games to avoid tying the 1962 Mets (40-120) for most losses in major league history.

The Sox, 4-32 since the All-Star break, fell to 72 games below .500.

38 Comments

Open thread

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

3 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Stateville begins transferring out prisoners amid concerns over conditions. Tribune…

* Related stories…

∙ WJOL: Stateville prison employees to picket, urge “No chaos, no layoffs!”
∙ First Listen: AFSCME weighs in on Stateville prison move out
∙ Shaw Local: Stateville union workers plan Crest Hill demonstration to oppose closure

At 11:30 am Governor Pritzker will give remarks at ribbon cutting for new Longmeadow Parkway Bridge. At 1:45 pm the governor will be at the opening of Hard Rock Casino in Rockford. Click here to watch.

* Envision Unlimited…

An anonymous donor has stepped forward with a $25,000 contribution matching 1:1 all contributions to a GoFundMe campaign launched for Envision Unlimited by three board members who are also family members of the organization that provides a full spectrum of care for people with intellectual, developmental and psychiatric disabilities in Illinois. The Envisioning More for People with Disabilities campaign to raise $100,000 was prompted by recent insensitive and insulting comments about the very people and families that Envision Unlimited serves. When the organization took a stand this past weekend it came with much positive feedback from people across the country, as well as parting ways with a major contributor whose words and actions were inconsistent with the organization’s mission and values.

To make up for a large gap in fundraising the departure created to continue to support services and care for thousands of members (how clients prefer to be known) and their caregivers, a group of board members with family ties to Envision Unlimited initiated a GoFundMe campaign that has brought in nearly $7,000 in the last 24 hours. When the campaign reaches its $100,000 goal, it will be met with a matching donation of $100,000 from another anonymous donor.

Proceeds are to support the opening of new homes in the community so more people with disabilities can live to their fullest potential. This includes a completely accessible home for people with physical disabilities allowing older members to age in place, and many other people transitioning out of state-run institutions to find a safe, fully supportive home in a real community.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Legionella bacteria, lead found in EPA Chicago offices’ drinking water: The bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease have been found in the drinking water of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Loop offices, and employees are demanding the problem be fixed. High levels of lead and copper were also found in a pair of water sources at the offices.

* Sun-Times | Chicago Archdiocese introduces natural burial plots, first Catholic diocese in state to do so: An area for natural burials will be dedicated this weekend at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery in Palatine. Natural burials typically avoid the embalming chemical formaldehyde and non-degradable materials such as concrete vaults and metal caskets.

* Crain’s | Here’s just how empty Chicago’s offices were during the DNC: As tens of thousands of delegates, volunteers, media members and more flocked to the United Center for the Democratic National Convention, much of Chicago’s workforce stayed home. In fact, offices in the city were up to half empty during the DNC compared to the same days the week prior, according to the latest data from real estate technology firm Kastle Systems, which tracks badge swipes at commercial office buildings. […] During the DNC, however, those numbers dropped significantly. On Monday, Aug. 19, the first day of the convention, Kastle data shows in-office occupancy was 29.3% relative to pre-pandemic levels. For context, that figure was 46.3% for Monday, Aug. 12.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WICS | Illinois State Treasurer’s Office reports record $1.495 billion earnings in FY 2024: Also in Fiscal Year 2024, which ended June 30, the Treasurer’s Office made a record $1.05 billion in gross investment earnings for cities, villages, school districts, counties and other units of government that take part in the highly rated Illinois Funds local government investment pool the State Treasurer’s Office operates. The Illinois Funds has received the highest rating of AAA from Fitch, a national credit ratings agency.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | For these companies, quantum computing isn’t a far-off dream. It’s now.: As the name implies, this new type of computing draws on the concepts of quantum mechanics in physics. Tiny particles of matter or specialized circuits can effectively be in multiple states at once. Instead of storing information as 1s or 0s, as traditional computers do, quantum machines store bits of data in a quantum superposition, which is neither 0 nor 1. If that explanation strikes you as clear as mud, know this: The result is computers that are uniquely suited to process more data and tackle more complicated problems than current machines. What quantum computers are really good at is tackling multiple problems with lots of ever-changing variables.

* Tribune | Chicago school board race finalized at 32 candidates: The two candidates removed from the ballot are Kirk Ortiz of the 3rd District and Brittany Bailey Preston of the 9th District. Four other candidates who had objections filed against them had their objections dismissed on Tuesday, confirming their spot on the ballot. Those are Bruce Leon of the 2nd District, Jason Dones of the 3rd District, Andre Smith of the 6th District and Raquel Don of the 7th District.

* WTTW | Officials Asked for Public Comment on Proposed DuSable Lake Shore Drive Redesign. They Got an Earful: CDOT provided WTTW News with 308 public comments under a Freedom of Information Act request. Almost all were forms filled out at the open house, with a handful sent via email. Of the 308 comments, 192 say the proposed redesign doesn’t do nearly enough to improve public transportation, with one saying “transit has been given the scraps of scraps.”

* Tribune | Downtown lodging industry was big winner during last week’s DNC, thanks to higher room rates and full hotels: Downtown hotels enjoyed a lucrative week during the Democratic National Convention, with occupancy levels as much as 20% higher than the same period last year and rooms rented at much higher rates to the tens of thousands of visiting delegates, lobbyists and other convention attendees, according to data from CoStar, a real estate analytics firm. “It’s economics 101. If demand goes up, prices go up,” said Jan Freitag, national director of hospitality analytics at CoStar. “These are very healthy numbers, so I think it was a very successful week, at least from a hotel perspective.”

* WAND | Advocates, riders renew calls for public transit reform in Chicagoland region: Lawmakers continue to hear complaints about delayed services, lack of routes and limited coordination between providers. Yet, transportation is even harder for people with disabilities. “You can’t just jump in a car with a friend when you’re wheelchair bound,” said Kane County resident Ruth Kuzmanic. “So, you got to schedule that bus. That driver does come and get him and get him there, but it’s always additional hassles because that app is not user friendly.”

BREAKING: On Saturday September 14th starting at 10am Nisei Lounge will host a “Design Illinois’s next flag!” contest all day.

Even young people (with guardian) welcome until 5pm to submit their own designs.

Because there is no more vexillology forward bar than Nisei Lounge! https://t.co/syO62TmG89

— Nisei Lounge Chicago (@NiseiLounge) August 29, 2024

* Sun-Times | White Sox swept by Rangers; losses mount to 103: Finishing a game suspended by rain after only four pitches the night before, the Sox lost 3-1 to the Rangers before the sparsest of crowds in the first of two games Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. The 4:10 p.m. start, scheduled just 19 hours earlier, figured to attract a small crowd and had about 150-200 fans on a 77-degree afternoon at the first pitch. The loss in the second game left the Sox needing to go 12-16 over their last 28 games to avoid tying the 1962 Mets (40-120) for most losses in major league history.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Past due: Bills from DuPage County clerk in question again: DuPage County Auditor Bill White said in an Aug. 21 memorandum that the county has been unable to pay 13 invoices totaling $142,823. The reason is insufficient funds in specific budget lines or a lack of documentation to process the bills. All the unpaid invoices are related to election services, including four bills totaling $57,614 from DFM Associates, a company that manages the voter registration program.

* Daily Southtown | Walt’s Food Centers to leave South Holland after 87-year run, closing in late September: Walt’s Food Centers is closing its South Holland store, a community where the small family-owned chain started nearly nine decades ago. In a letter posted for customers Monday outside the store, 16145 State St., the company said the store will close Sept. 28 and it is working to relocate employees to other Walt’s locations.

*** Downstate ***

* STL Today | Wentzville payroll clerk accused of falsifying timecards for years, stealing more than $49K: Prosecutors allege that Whitehead, a payroll specialist for an unnamed St. Charles County company from 2019 to 2022, paid herself for an additional 136 hours of vacation and bereavement time off, even though she was actually working during that time. Whitehead allowed her either overtime or her salary coefficient, but not both, if she worked more than 80 hours during her two-week pay period.

* FOX 2 Now | Illinois lawmaker plans resolution to honor fallen officer: For months, Viola Jonas has been coming up with a plan to honor her late husband, former Centreville police Lieutenant Gregory Jonas. […] Jonas wants a memorial sign in his honor, but after a back and forth with the city, she felt she was not getting anywhere. Lt. Jonas died in the line of duty in 2009, serving in an area now known as Cahokia Heights. With decades in law enforcement, Lt. Jonas is well known there. […] “I believe that the members of the general assembly in the (Illinois) House and the Senate will gladly honor Lt. Jonas,” Illinois State Representative Jay Hoffman (D – District 113) said.

* WCIA | Union for Decatur school custodians delivers intent to strike: Custodians delivered their 10-day strike notice at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday evening. They have been at the negotiation table bargaining for wage increases since February. Workers have spoken at several Board of Education meetings this year about how being underpaid affects them and their families. […] [Amanda Francis, who has worked at the district for 6 years,] also said the board offering only a two-year contract for the custodians gives the workers much uncertainty.

* PJ Star | What to know about the new $44 million justice center expansion coming to Pekin: The annex will be 79,000 square feet across four levels. It will house three fully finished courtrooms, a top floor shelled for an additional three courtrooms, state’s attorney and probation offices, the Circuit Clerk Traffic Division and an information technology data center.

* SJ-R | Springfield sees ‘record breaking’ tourism for third straight year in 2023: Last year, tourism generated a local economic impact of $601.3 million — an increase of more than $70 million from 2022 — per data provided by Tourism Economics, a global tourism research firm, and was part of a statewide increase in visitor spending. This was in addition to the $18.8 million contributed to local tax revenues and the creation of more than 5,000 jobs, per the announcement from the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, Visit Springfield on Aug. 22.

* SJ-R | ‘You can’t stop’: Springfield business thriving at new home after East Adams Street fire: It’s been more than two months since a fire ravaged the building at 413 E. Adams St. and almost everything inside of it, including the Electric Quill Tattoo parlor. Equipment and art inside the parlor, which had opened up in May and didn’t have building insurance at the time of the fire, were destroyed. Owner Steve Lima contemplated what he would do next but said receiving support from the community made things easier.

*** National ***

* The Guardian | ‘January 6 was just the warm-up’: the film that tracks three Maga extremists storming the Capitol: “I think January 6th was just the warm-up,” Premo says. “This November, we’re going to see an even more frantic and desperate attempt to attack every level of the electoral system.” He is not optimistic about the US’s current direction of travel. The country, he argues, is effectively on the brink of civil war. Homegrown premieres in the International Critics’ Week sidebar at this year’s Venice film festival. It is one of a number of campaigning political pictures that could put the event at loggerheads with Giorgia Meloni’s rightwing Italian government.

* WaPo | Technical error caused jobs data delay that sparked outrage, BLS says: The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday that a technical issue caused delays last week in the scheduled release of jobs data that carried major implications for the economy and the presidential election. A hitch related to time-stamping prevented the job revisions data from being released on time, according to information provided by the Labor Department, which the BLS is part of. Outside parties, the BLS said, then got the data because of a lack of communication within the agency over how to respond to public inquiries.

6 Comments

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

Comments Off

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

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

Comments Off

Live coverage

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.

Comments Off

Selected press releases (Live updates)

Thursday, Aug 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

Comments Off

Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Wednesday, Aug 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Center Square…

Illinois taxpayers could be on the hook for monetary awards to claimants suing Illinois State Police for alleged negligence in the run up to the 2022 Highland Park mass shooting. […]

“ISP should have denied the [Firearm Owners ID] card application made by Crimo,” the claimants charge in their filing to the Illinois Court of Claims. “That was used to purchase firearms, including the one purchased on Feb. 7, 2020, to perpetuate the shooting on July 4, 2022. ISP approved the transaction even though it knew or should have known Crimo had wrongfully been issued a FOID card.”

About 29 claimants in separate lawsuits through the Court of Claims are seeking at least $2 million apiece in damages for a total of $58 million. They allege willful and wanton conduct by Illinois State Police that caused the claimants wrongful death, personal injuries and/or emotional distress for which compensatory damages are sought. […]

The first case against ISP in the Court of Claims was filed June 27 with other cases filed July 2. Court of Claims procedure has cases being assigned to a commissioner to preside over after 60 days for the state to respond.

The Court of Claims administrator’s office said another rule requires any lawsuits against the state to be a last resort, meaning that any lawsuits against other defendants in other jurisdictions must be exhausted. That could lead to the cases being placed on a general continuance status for other cases to be adjudicated and settled.

Click here to read the redacted filing.

* AFSCME 31…

Stateville Correctional Center employees say the looming threat to close the prison and the abrupt transfer of Stateville’s incarcerated population has the prison system in disarray and their jobs in doubt. Calling for “No Chaos, No Layoffs,” Stateville employees will demonstrate outside the prison near Joliet tomorrow (Thursday, Aug. 29).

In response to a court order, the Illinois Department of Corrections has begun hastily transferring Stateville’s population to facilities up to 300 miles away. The transfers take incarcerated individuals out of their educational, employment and rehabilitative programming and make family visits from the Chicago area more difficult.

Hundreds of Stateville employees face the threat of layoff. The safety of thousands more workers is at risk in severely understaffed prisons now receiving Stateville’s population.

WHO: Employees of Stateville and other prisons, their supporters, elected officials and leaders of their union, AFSCME
WHAT: Picket and rally to urge “No Chaos, No Layoffs”
WHERE: Outside the prison at 16830 IL-53 in Crest Hill
WHEN: 4:00 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Aug. 29)

IDOC has proposed the closure of Stateville—a maximum-security prison with an incarcerated population of more than 400—for an indeterminate period of at least three to five years while a new facility is built at the same location.

Statevile employees and their union—the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)—say that to minimize disruption to individuals in custody, employees and the state prison system as a whole, the current facility should remain open while a new one is built.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Medical marijuana patients can now purchase cannabis grown by small businesses as part of their allotment, Illinois’ top cannabis regulator said, but smaller, newly licensed cannabis growers are still seeking greater access to the state’s medical marijuana customers. […]

Erin Johnson, the state’s cannabis regulation oversight officer, told Capitol News Illinois last month that her office has “been telling dispensaries, as they have been asking us” they can now sell craft-grown products to medical patients. […]

No notice has been posted, but Johnson’s verbal guidance comes almost two years after the first craft grow business went online in Illinois. […]

Berwyn Thompkins, who operates two cannabis businesses, said the rules limited options for patients and small businesses.

“It’s about access,” Thompkins said. “Why wouldn’t we want all the patients – which the (adult-use) program was initially built around – why wouldn’t we want them to have access? They should have access to any dispensary.”

* House Speaker Chris Welch…

Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced Wednesday the creation of a new House working group designed to look more closely at Illinois’ public transit system and provide recommendations on how it can better serve the communities that rely on it.

“We have a real opportunity to not only improve our public transit system but transform it into a world-class system our communities can depend on,” said Speaker Welch. “As we approach some important budget conversations surrounding public transit, we must also discuss how we can make it safer, more reliable and accessible, and environmentally conscious.

“We’ve had incredible success with our previous working groups, and I’m confident this dynamic and diverse group of lawmakers will produce the same results.”

Speaker Welch has selected Reps. Kam Buckner and Eva-Dina Delgado to lead the Public Transit Working Group. Their passion and knowledge of the public transportation system will be an integral part of future discussions. Committed to a collaborative process, Reps. Buckner and Delgado will engage all stakeholders, review any current proposals, and foster new ideas and solutions to strengthen the existing transit system.

“A high-quality and affordable public transportation system doesn’t just efficiently meet the needs of the community it serves, it also provides significant economic and health benefits, reduces congestion on our roadways, and allows the freedom of mobility to everyone,” said Rep. Kam Bucker (D-Chicago). “That’s exactly what the Chicagoland area deserves and it’s one I will be advocating for as we begin this collaborative work. We know we’ll be having important conversations surrounding investments and budgetary pressures, but we must use this as an opportunity to reimagine what our public transit system can be.”

“I have a bold vision for the future of our public transit system,” said Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado (D-Chicago). “With this working group and any future legislation, my hope is to make strides to achieve a regional transit system that our communities deserve, one that is seamless, equitable and rider-centered. I want people to choose transit first. In order to do that, we must ensure our transit system is safe, reliable, affordable, easy to navigate, and accessible. I look forward to thoughtful discussions and building a stronger and better system, alongside my colleagues and stakeholders.”

Members of the Public Transit Working Group include:

· Rep. Dagmara Avelar
· Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock
· Rep. Mary Beth Canty
· Rep. William “Will” Davis
· Rep. Mary Gill
· Rep. Matt Hanson
· Rep. Barbara Hernandez
· Rep. Hoan Huynh
· Rep. Natalie Manley
· Rep. Rita Mayfield
· Rep. Anna Moeller
· Rep. Yolanda Morris
· Rep. Marty Moylan

*** Statewide ***

* NBC Chicago | Illinois cheer families could be owed money after massive settlement against Varsity Brands: Illinois will now be part of a proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit against Varsity Brands, a company that puts on cheer camps and competitions and that was accused of using monopolistic tactics to raise prices and undercut competition. According to Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Illinois has signed onto the lawsuit, with a proposed settlement of $82.5 million currently in front of a judge in the case.

* BND | Mpox now a global health emergency. What an Illinois doctor says about cases, vaccine: The more severe mpox strain, also referred to as clade I, has been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has lead to at least 450 deaths so far, Southern Illinois University Medicine infectious diseases specialist Dr. Vidya Sundareshan said in a recent interview with the BND. […] While vaccination strategies in Illinois and across the U.S. are focusing primarily on men who have sex with men (some guidelines specify multiple partners), anyone can contract mpox. Both clade I and clade II can be spread by contact with infected wild animals, close contact with someone who has mpox and through contact with infected materials.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | CTA Boss Spent More Time Traveling World Than Visiting Chicago Transit Stations, Schedule Shows: From the end of May 2023 to spring 2024, as CTA riders had to cope with frequent delays and filthy conditions, Carter spent nearly 100 days out of town at conferences, some overseas, his schedule shows. Most of Carter’s trips between June 2023 and May 2024 were for events related to the American Public Transportation Association, a nonprofit advocacy group he chaired in 2022 and 2023. Carter spent a week in Pittsburgh and another in Orlando, six days in Puerto Rico and five days in Washington, D.C. He also took trips to Spain, New Zealand and Australia.

* WBEZ | Abortion took center stage during the DNC. But here’s why access could be in jeopardy: But abortion funds that are essential for so many people traveling to states like Illinois — paying for their flights, hotels, child care and their abortions — are running out of money. Providers and advocates say that’s putting access to reproductive medical care in jeopardy. Megan Jeyifo, for one, said she is exhausted. She runs the Chicago Abortion Fund, one of the largest of its kind in the country. […] Jeyifo estimates the fund needs at least $200,000 a month more to cover abortion procedures.

* Sun-Times | CPD traffic stops for minor violations ripped as ‘gateway to criminal charges’ at meeting seeking possible reforms: At a special hearing held by Chicago’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability on Tuesday evening, dozens of Chicagoans and a panel of experts gathered to provide input on what meaningful traffic stop reform could look like in Chicago. Commission president Anthony Driver Jr. said the purpose of the hearing was to learn how “pretextual traffic stops” — which critics describe as stops for minor infractions used as an excuse, or pretext, to search for evidence of other criminal activity — hurt communities and public safety, and “to learn from other jurisdictions that have changed their policies on police-initiated traffic stops.”

* Chalkbeat | Chicago Public Schools inspector general departs: Fletcher, who started a job this week at the Gateway Development Commission — a public transit agency run jointly by New York and New Jersey — said he had felt no pressure to find a new job and left the district only reluctantly. “This job was especially important to me because I had a personal commitment to CPS as a former student and a CPS parent,” he said.

* Block Club | Black Family Opens Stussy’s Diner In Bridgeport — 45 Years After Racist Attack Outside Same Spot: In 1979, the Nance family was chased by white men with baseball bats and tried to enter the old Bridgeport Restaurant for help, but no one would let them in. “Now, this place will support everybody.”

* WTTW | WTTW News Explains: How Did Redlining Work in Chicago?: Put simply: redlining is the act of denying people access to credit because of where they live and who they are, even if they’re qualified borrowers.  […] Furthermore, Blacks were often prevented from moving into new, developing communities due to racially restrictive covenants or clauses — pioneered by Chicago realty groups — that explicitly prohibited Blacks from purchasing that property.

* ABC Chicago | United Airlines flight attendants union votes 99.99% to authorize a strike: This is the first time they’ve voted on such a proposal, in nearly 20 years. The historic announcement was made after a demonstration at O’Hare Airport on Wednesday. […] The flight attendants are calling for raises, schedule flexibility, work rule improvements, job security, retirement and more. The flight attendants union said it filed for federal mediation over eight months ago and have been working under an amendable contract for nearly three years.

* Crain’s | How Roti went bankrupt: At the same time, Rōti pulled a lifeline to allow its remaining 26 locations to survive the initial pandemic punches: The company negotiated rent deferral agreements with its landlords. Those deferral agreements are now expiring — and Rōti appears unable to pay up. As Seamonds wrote in the court filings, the expired deferrals are “leading to a significant increase in operational expenses which have been difficult to meet.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* ABC Chicago | Lynwood police officer honored after running toward gunfire, suffering graze wound at homicide scene: “This evening, we’re gathered to recognize the extraordinary bravery of Michael Johnson,” said Lynwood Police Chief Gregory Thomas. […] “It’s just something that you just do. Law enforcement, just like any other thing that you put your life on the line, is something that you got to want to do,” Johnson said.

* Daily Herald | Raise a glass: Sip your way across the suburbs with these fall beer festivals: Over two dozen breweries will participate in the annual Illinois Brews @ Bowes Creek fundraiser at Bowes Creek Country Club. General admission tickets are $55 in advance and include admission to the main event from 4-8 p.m. for the craft and home brew beer tasting, snacks and a 5-ounce tasting mug. VIP ticket ($75) holders get in an hour earlier and have access to exclusive beer, whiskey and cocktail tastings. Hosted by the Elgin Parks & Recreation Foundation, ticket sales from the event support the Recreation Youth Scholarship Fund, which provides free access to Elgin Parks programs for at-risk kids.

*** Downstate ***

* WAND | Moms Demand Action giving away gun locks at Champaign-Urbana Public Health District: The group will be giving away free gun locks Wednesday. You can stop by the lobby of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, located at 201 S. Kenyon Rd. in Champaign from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

* Farm Week | New edible windbreak to provide multiple benefits: An outdoor part of the Heartland Community College’s Ag Complex in Normal is combining form and function. The new edible windbreak is part of the school’s sustainability efforts and offers a model for potential increased income for farmers. Layers of trees and bushes will act as a windbreak and supply a variety of fruits for students and others to enjoy. “It’s part of a sustainable ag model we are promoting,” said Kortney Watts, associate dean of career and technical education at the college. The college offers training in every step of the process.

* The Southern | Dobbins will remain Johnston City mayor after rescinding resignation: Mayor Doug Dobbins will continue his term as mayor of Johnston City despite reports of his possible resignation this week. Dobbins told The Southern on Tuesday evening that he had turned in a letter of resignation, but rescinded it before it became effective after discussing the matter with others.

* BND | From Belleville to Broadway, West grad makes St. Louis homecoming with cast of ‘Hamilton’: The Belleville native is among the 32-person ensemble that arrives at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis on Aug. 28. Known as the show about America then portrayed by America now, he is cast as George Eacker, a lawyer who gave a patriotic Fourth of July speech but is most known for shooting Philip Hamilton in a duel. He also fills the role of “Man 3.” “It’s crazy. I have wanted to be part of this ever since 2016 and I finally got it in 2024,” he said. “I feel incredibly blessed to be here. It is an amazing piece of art. It’s still so fresh, so relevant. I am so excited to tell this story,” he said in an interview.

* PJ Star | Peoria native Kendrick Green lands spot on NFL 53-man roster: The 6-foot-4, 315-pound offensive lineman from the University of Illinois will begin his fourth NFL season with the Texans. The Peoria High School graduate is listed as Houston’s backup left guard and one of nine offensive linemen on the roster for Houston, which last season won the AFC South and a playoff game behind rookie quarterback CJ Stroud.

*** National ***

* NPR | As cars and trucks get bigger and taller, lawmakers look to protect pedestrians: Now lawmakers in Congress are expected to introduce a bill on Friday that would require federal standards for hood height and visibility to protect pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. “We’ve seen these standards over time improve vehicle safety with a focus on the people in the vehicle,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), a co-sponsor of the Pedestrian Protection Act, in an interview with NPR. “But this would sort of expand that to pedestrians, bicyclists and people outside the vehicle.”

* AP | Immigrant families in limbo after judge puts US program for spouses on hold: Although the Biden administration’s “Keeping Families Together” program only began accepting applications last week, families and immigration attorneys say confusion, uncertainty and frustration is already mounting following the order by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker. Couples who already applied say they are in limbo and those who haven’t yet must weigh whether to wait for Republicans’ court challenge over the program to play out.

13 Comments

ComEd Four defendants claim prosecution was built on a ‘rotten foundation’

Wednesday, Aug 28, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Jason Meisner…

Lawyers for four ex-ComEd executives and lobbyists convicted in a scheme to bribe then-House Speaker Michael Madigan argue in a new court filing that the entire prosecution was built on a “rotten foundation” and the charges should be dismissed in light of a key Supreme Court ruling in June.

The motion filed late Tuesday lays out in the starkest detail yet how defense attorneys for the so-called “ComEd Four” view the impact of the high court’s ruling in the bribery case of a former Indiana Mayor James Snyder, which said the federal bribery statute known as “666” does not criminalize “gratuities,” which are favors or gifts given to a public official without any agreement ahead of time to take some kind of official action. […]

The motion does, however, offer a preview of what likely will be a key portion of Madigan’s defense: that there was never any agreed upon quid pro quo to help ComEd with its legislative goals.

The motion argued that even after years of investigation, hundreds of hours of wiretapped calls and the assistance of a key insider, then-ComEd Vice President Fidel Marquez, who secretly recorded his own colleagues talking about the plan, the evidence amounted to nothing more than a business seeking to “curry favor” with a powerful politician in the hopes it would help their bottom line — an everyday occurrence in politics that the Supreme Court has said is not illegal.

“The government could not come up with anything more than that Speaker Madigan had power, everyone knew it, and regulated entities like ComEd responded to that power,” the motion stated.

Even prosecutors’ own cooperator, Marquez, testified at trial he did not believe ComEd was doing favors for Madigan “in exchange for any official acts by him,” the motion said.

The full motion is here.

12 Comments

Amy Jacobson resigns from CPS coaching position after uproar

Wednesday, Aug 28, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here and here if you need it. Isabel has confirmed this with the school’s athletic director…

Update: @amyjacobson has resigned from her position as volleyball coach at Amundsen High School according to Daniel Jeske, Athletic Director at the school. pic.twitter.com/M7aDgDhQv0

— Eric Zorn (@EricZorn) August 28, 2024

44 Comments

Report: Heat deaths are underreported

Wednesday, Aug 28, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From the National Weather Service…

The footnote reads: “Due to an inherent delay in the reporting of official heat fatalities in some jurisdictions, this number will likely rise in subsequent updates.”

* From Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public media newsrooms in the Midwest…

Heat is the deadliest climate-driven disaster in the U.S. according to the National Weather Service, killing more people last year than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined. But experts say official estimates of deaths due to hot temperatures are likely low.

“This is a country-wide and even a worldwide phenomenon of the undercounting of heat deaths,” said Daniel Vecellio, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha who studies the impact of climate on human health. […]

Even official data tracking heat deaths can reveal reporting gaps. The National Weather Service reported 207 heat fatalities in 2023, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says approximately 1,220 people die from heat every year.

The NWS also reports state-specific numbers. In 2023, the agency does not list any heat deaths from Missouri, but the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said 34 people died from heat-related illness that year. A spokesperson for Missouri’s DHSS said it may not be possible to compare numbers between agencies because of “differences in case ascertainment and classification.” […]

Despite the worsening heat, Vecellio said scientists are still trying to determine if there is a direct link between climate change and an increase of heat deaths. That’s in part because as climate change brings more dangerous heat, people are also putting more adaptation measures in place. More people are installing air conditioning, several states have adopted worker protections, and there’s an increasing awareness of the dangers of heat, Vecellio said.

5 Comments

Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work

Wednesday, Aug 28, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

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

Comments Off

Illinois opens contest to redesign state flag (Updated)

Wednesday, Aug 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Click here for some background. Illinois Flag Commission…

Beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 3, the Illinois Flag Commission will start accepting public submissions for a new state flag design. […]

The commission was created in 2023 after Senate Bill 1818, sponsored by State Senator Doris Turner (48th District—Springfield) and State Representative Kam Buckner (26th District—Chicago) was signed into law.

The commission will select 10 designs based on how they reflect the identity of Illinois and will host an online public survey for the public to vote on their favorites or to keep the current flag. Voting will begin Jan. 1 and last six weeks.

After public feedback, the commission will report its findings to the Illinois General Assembly, whose members will vote on whether to adopt a new flag or retain the current flag design.

The bill allows for the commission to evaluate if a new state flag would better represent the state’s diversity of urban, suburban and rural communities and inspire renewed state pride among Illinoisians.

* Our current flag…

* Here are the guidelines…

Some general guidance for submissions includes:

- Design elements can include natural features of the state, history and culture of the state.
- No limit on flag shape or ratio but designs may be edited by the commission.
- No limit on colors but recommended less than three colors for clarity of design.
- Participants can upload online or can submit their design via mail addressed to Illinois Flag Commission, Howlett Building, Room 476, 501 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62756
- Participants are required to provide their first and last name, address, email address and phone number. They are also required to explain their relationship to Illinois and provide a description of their flag entry (each category limited to 500 characters).
- To upload an image, the file will need to be 5mb or less and in PNG, GIF, or JPG format.
- There should be no watermarks or frames around the image.
- By submitting a design to the Commission, the designer is authorizing the Commission and the State of Illinois to take ownership of the design
- Persons under 18 may submit designs if submitted in coordination with a parent/ guardian, teacher or adult mentor.
- Designs cannot be copied from other designs or use existing logos or copyrighted materials; however, the design can include elements or reproductions of the State Seal or any prior Illinois State flag.
- Designs cannot be AI generated.
Submissions are limited to three per person.
- Submissions from outside the United States, i.e. military bases, need to be made by regular mail.

* Voters in Maine will decide on a new state flag design this fall. The new design…

* The old one…

…Adding… WBEZ…

The City of Evanston has a new flag, thanks to 7-year-old Bernie Allen-Harrah.

The rising second grader’s design was chosen as the winner of the Mayor’s Youth Flag Redesign Contest.

The competition was open to Evanston K-12 students. Finalists worked with professional designers who volunteered to help the contestants polish their creations. […]

MARY DIXON: How about if you describe your design for our listeners? How would you describe it?

BERNIE ALLEN-HARRAH: The green represents all of the trees in Evanston and the star represents Grosse Point Lighthouse. The beach represents the beach of Lake Michigan and the water represents Lake Michigan.

MD: So the beach is like a nice sandy color. And the water is a really nice blue color, right? What gave you that idea?

BAH: I thought of a map. And it’s supposed to be like, a map, like if you were to be in a helicopter, you would look down and you would see that

* Evanston’s new flag…

* What it replaced…

What are your thoughts?

54 Comments

Open thread

Wednesday, Aug 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on?…

2 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Wednesday, Aug 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* River Bender | EV Manufacturer Ymer Technology Announces Opening of U.S. Headquarters in Illinois: Ymer Technology, a manufacturer of electric vehicle (EV) components for the heavy equipment industry, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), Lake County Partners, and the Village of Buffalo Grove, announced the grand opening of its new U.S. headquarters in Buffalo Grove. The company’s $5.7 million investment, bolstered by a Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois (REV Illinois) agreement, will enable Ymer Technology to produce cooling technology and thermal management systems for EVs while supporting Illinois’ clean energy economy.

* Lake County News-Sun | Efforts underway to revitalize naval station’s ‘zombie village’; ‘No one should be living in Halsey Village’: Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth called it a “zombie village,” and Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart suggested, “There is not a neighborhood in all of Lake County in a worse condition.” They were referring to the privately managed Halsey Village at Naval Station Great Lakes, where approximately 70.5% of the houses are uninhabitable. Of those, 44 are fenced off in the southwest corner of the project near Green Bay and Buckley roads.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WTTW | Homeowner Associations Can’t Ban Native Plants, Thanks to New Illinois Law: “This law gives all folks an opportunity to be part of a collective movement,” said state Rep. Laura Faver Dias (D-Grayslake), who introduced the bill in the General Assembly. “The reality of climate change can be debilitating, it’s hard to know where to even start. But now anyone can help restore native habitat right in our own yards.”

* WAND | Illinois lawmakers could create prescription drug affordability board to tackle high prices: A recent Public Policy Polling survey found 75% of Illinois voters take prescription medications on a regular basis. Although, an alarming amount of those people ration their drugs due to cost. “You are being pitted against how much money is being made off the stock market or off of someone’s profit,” said Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago). “To me, when we have have a healthcare system that pits you versus the quarterly earnings and there’s no controls to that, that is extremely dangerous to you as the patient.”

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Judge hits Amazon with $148M in interest on Chicago patent verdict: Adding interest to injury, a judge tacked on $148 million in interest payments to a $525 million jury award against Amazon Web Services in a case brought by a small Chicago software maker. […] Kennelly ordered Amazon to pay accumulated interest on the jury award for the more than five years that the case took to work its way through the courts. The two sides finalized the amount yesterday.

* Sun-Times | Chicago Latinos shared some of their top issues at the Democratic National Convention: Ahead of Monday night’s opening events, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza shared that reproductive rights are at stake for Latinas this election. “I’m a woman with a uterus,” Mendoza said. “As far as I’m concerned, Donald Trump has had way too much access to way too many uteruses in his lifetime and he shouldn’t have access to one more,” she said.

* Tribune | Cook County judge who implemented controversial courthouse ban over cellphone ordered to undergo training: A Cook County judge who controversially banned a law clerk from the county’s main courthouse for using a cellphone in her courtroom will undergo training and mentoring, officials said. The order comes after an executive committee convened by Chief Judge Tim Evans investigated the nine-month courthouse ban implemented by Judge Peggy Chiampas for Robert Almodóvar, an exoneree who was issued a certificate of innocence in 2018 and now clerks for a high-profile law group.

* Chalkbeat | Who are the Chicago school board candidates for the 2024 election?: To learn more about the new school board districts and find out which one you live in, Chalkbeat created an interactive map. Many candidates have also begun fundraising for their campaigns, reporting contributions to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

* Crain’s | Chicago Teachers’ Pension prepares to pull Wamco bond investment: The Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund is preparing to liquidate its investment in one of Western Asset Management Co.’s flagship bond funds, in an early sign of the potential fallout from federal investigations into the firm. The pension’s investment committee voted Tuesday to recommend terminating Wamco’s Core Plus fixed-income mandate, Fernando Vinzons, Chicago Teachers’ chief investment officer, said in an emailed statement. Wamco managed $550 million for the pension fund at the end of June.

* Sun-Times | COVID-19 also attended last week’s Democratic National Convention, infecting ‘too many’: Health officials say they saw no sign of a COVID-19 uptick after the convention, while attendees grumble on social media about getting sick. One union official said he knows at least 14 people who tested positive since attending the convention.

* Sun-Times | Developers of color shut out of multi-unit family housing in Chicago, analysis finds: Less than a quarter of the developers building multifamily housing in Chicago are led or managed by a person of color, a newly released analysis from the Urban Institute found. The analysis looked at building permits from 2019 to 2023 to identify 207 developers who were requesting permits for housing that included 10 or more units, according to the Urban Institute. From the 207 developers, the Washington, D.C.-based organization narrowed its scope to 177 developers, determining that only 17 had Black leaders, six had Latino leaders and seven had Asian leaders.

* Sun-Times | Girls running lemonade stand get $2,000 gift to attend Chicago Sky Barbie Night game: Jade and Joy Lee, 12 and 11, set up a lemonade stand on the corner of 111th Street and Princeton Avenue with a goal of raising $700. On Tuesday they received a gift of $2,000 for tickets to Friday night’s game. When philanthropist Early Walker, CEO of I’m Telling, Don’t Shoot, heard about the lemonade stand he said he wanted to make sure the sisters were able to attend.

* Sun-Times | Chicago breaks heat record at 99 degrees: The temperature around 3 p.m. reached 99 degrees at O’Hare, surpassing the previous record for Aug. 27 of 97 degrees, set in 1973. With heat and humidity, it could feel somewhere between 105 to 115 degrees outside, the weather service said.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WGN | Dolton mayor’s Texas trip tab: Tens of thousands billed to taxpayers: Based on a review of Dolton’s credit card statements, WGN Investigates found village taxpayers were charged an additional $33,920 for the same trips to New York, Atlanta, Portland and more. Expenditures include a five-day trip to Austin in July 2023. In attendance were Henyard, her top aide Keith Freeman and three township officials. In all, the group spent more than $20,000 of Dolton taxpayer money in Texas.

* Daily Herald | DuPage County Board welcomes beekeeping on smaller lots: County board members voted 10-8 Tuesday to support zoning code changes to allow beekeeping on lots smaller than an acre. Before the vote, the county only allowed beekeeping on lots greater than an acre. The change sparked debate among board members who worried the potential increase of honeybees would adversely impact native pollinators, like the endangered rusty patched bumblebee. However, board members supporting the change noted honeybees have buzzed about for centuries.

* FOX 32 | Lake County welcomes first courthouse comfort dog: Desi, a highly-trained one-year-old Standard Poodle, has officially joined the courthouse team, becoming Lake County’s only designated courthouse dog. “When first thing in the morning you see this little muppet face who loves to be petted and is such a calm, good girl, I think it changes your attitude about the start of your experience,” said Judge Patricia Fix, Desi’s primary handler.

* ABC Chicago | Illinois reports first West Nile Virus death this year: The person was in their 80s and lived in Lake County, Illinois. They developed symptoms in the middle of this month and died soon after. The Illinois Health Department says nine people across the state have come down with the virus so far this year.

*** Downstate ***

* SJ-R | Massey family makes presence felt at ex-deputy’s court hearing: About 20 to 30 members of Massey’s family and allies packed the courtroom Monday. “Every time Sean Grayson is here for court, you will see the Massey family,” promised Shadia Massey, Sonya Massey’s cousin, afterwards.

* WAND | Blue Mound employee fired due to ‘actions detrimental to the Village’: The village board voted to terminate Jennifer Prasun at a meeting on July 1st. According to minutes from the meeting, employees and board members were encouraged not to discuss particular issues and were instructed to say that she was terminated due to “Actions detrimental to the Village.”

* SJ-R | Rarely before seen Abraham Lincoln-related images now available to public. What to know: According to the library, 129 of the photos are of Lincoln. Some are from his time in Springfield, and some are from his presidency. Almost 200 of the photos are of Lincoln’s Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery, including some of Lincoln’s coffin when it was unearthed during a construction project in 1901.

* KFVS | Southern Illinois Food Insecurity Summit held at John A. Logan College: Numbers from Feeding America show food insecurity affects approximately 13,000 children across southern Illinois. Jennifer Paulson is working to change that by supplying food and teaching sustainable farming methods through the non-profit Food Works. ”That can look like a lot of things: workshops for farmers, farmers markets, food hubs, and then the snap and link program at farmers markets across southern Illinois,” Paulson said.

*** National ***

* Reuters | AI’s race for US energy butts up against bitcoin mining : The electricity scramble is jolting the energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining industry. Some miners are making huge profits leasing or selling their power-connected infrastructure and sites to tech, while others are losing access to the electricity needed to stay in business. “The AI battle for dominance is a battle being had by the biggest and best capitalized companies in the world and they care like their lives depend on it that they win,” said Greg Beard, CEO of Stronghold Digital Mining (SDIG.O), opens new tab, a publicly-traded bitcoin mining company. “Do they care about what they pay for power? Probably not.”

13 Comments

Live coverage

Wednesday, Aug 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.