Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * SJ-R…
* Illinois Fraternal Order of Police press release…
* It’s not often you see a poll that has 70 percent of Americans agreeing on anything… ![]() * News from DC… * Here’s the rest… * SJ-R | Democrat, Republican lawmakers give support to bipartisan estate tax reform: State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, and Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington are leading identical legislation — Senate Bill 2921 and House Bill 4600 — in both chambers. As Chung explained, the legislation also would allow for the surviving spouses to receive any unused exemption amount and provide a pathway for the next generation to hold on to the family farm. * Play Illinois | Illinois iGaming Bill Shows Signs Of Life, Assigned To Gaming Committee: A stalled bill from 2023 that would legalize Illinois online casinos has regained a pulse. House Bill 2239, which was first introduced by Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, Jr. in February 2023, was recently assigned to the House Gaming Committee. Before that, there had been no activity on the bill since March 2023. * The Pantagraph | Illinois’ partially-open primaries help political parties, discourage some from participating: Under the letter of Illinois election law, any registered voter showing up to vote in a primary must state their “name, residence and party affiliation” to the precinct’s election judges. Next, one of those officials “shall thereupon announce the same in a distinct tone of voice, sufficiently loud to be heard by all persons in the polling place.” This language has been present in Illinois’ election code since before women gained the franchise in 1920. Like many other antiquated laws, this dramatic reading no longer takes place in practice at modern-day polling places. * Capitol News Illinois | Copays take effect for immigrant health programs as cost estimates continue to decline: Advocates for the programs contend they are not only lifesaving but also cost-saving in the long-run as they give individuals access to preventative care rather than making them reliant upon expensive emergency room visits to treat conditions that worsen due to lack of care. Opponents of the programs, namely Republican lawmakers, have criticized them as an expensive enticement for people illegally residing in the U.S. to relocate to Illinois. * Tribune | Inmate’s release 25 years ago paved way for Illinois ban on executions, but death penalty debate continues nationwide: Twenty-five years after the dramatic freeing of Porter, executions in the United States have been on an uptick for the past several years, although nowhere near as prevalent as they had been historically. Last year, 24 people were executed nationwide, compared to 18 in 2022 and 11 in 2021, according to data from the Death Penalty Information Center, a criminal justice nonprofit based in Washington D.C. In 1999, the year Porter was released from custody, 98 executions had occurred across the country, the most of any year since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, according to a Bureau of Justice Statistics report. Two of the executions in 1999 were carried out in Illinois. * The Telegraph | County looking at public camping ordinance: Madison County officials are considering emulating Alton, which recently passed an ordinance dealing with camping on public property. […] Under the ordinance, approved in November and set to take effect six months from then, it would be unlawful for people to camp on any public street, bridge, par, public property or public area where that activity would obstruct or interfere with the intended use of the property. * Tribune | Chicago police sergeant involved in two controversial fatal shootings now running for Cook County judge: Sgt. John Poulos, who is also a licensed attorney, is running for a vacant North Side judicial seat against three opponents: local attorneys Michael Zink and Nickolas Pappas, and Nadine Jean Wichern, chief of the civil appeals division in the Illinois attorney general’s office. At the end of last year, thanks primarily to loans from his wife, Poulos had about $500,000 in his campaign coffers, far more than his three challengers combined. * WGN | Lake County Sheriff Martinez Jr. pleads guilty to reckless driving: The sheriff was indicted on Jan. 6, 2022 after being accused of fleeing from Crown Point police on Sept. 18, 2021. A felony charge of resisting law enforcement was dropped in exchange for pleading guilty to reckless driving, a misdemeanor. * Chalkbeat | As Chicago gets its first elected school board, Local School Councils may become a proving ground for candidates: Chicago’s LSCs are unique and powerful. There’s nothing quite like them in other school districts across the U.S. The Chicago School Reform Act of 1988 established that every CPS-run school would have a Local School Council. Today LSCs are made up of six parents, two teachers, two community members, a student representative, and the school’s principal. * Robert Vargas | Chicago shouldn’t renew its ShotSpotter contract: As Chicago decides whether to renew its contract for SoundThinking’s gunshot detection technology called ShotSpotter, it is essential to weigh the evidence, as city leaders do with public safety interventions like CRED. The city granted an extension to the ShotSpotter contract last summer and must decide whether to renew the contract no later than February. * Crain’s | Alden Global Capital-linked firm emerges as a top delinquent tax buyer: A venture that shares an address with a nonprofit led by Alden’s co-founder was a top buyer of unpaid taxes in the annual auction held by the Cook County treasurer’s office in January, buying about $1.75 million worth of delinquent taxes on more than 600 properties, according to data provided by the Cook County treasurer’s office under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Including paying the taxes, interest and administrative fees, the firm spent almost $2.4 million to be the fifth-largest buyer in this year’s auction by number of properties purchased, records show. * ABC Chicago | Metra train riders continue to report problems with Ventra app Monday: “When I first got on the train, the app was working fine,” Metra rider Ed Svaldi said. “And then about halfway through they said the app was down they’re having issues and I when I went to go do it again to take the tickets it wasn’t working.” Monday morning’s commute was the true test of the system after last week’s ticketing nightmare when the Ventra app crashed as Metra rolled out a new fare structure on February 1. * Streetsblog | Study: Subsidizing Transit Actually Makes It More Efficient: In a fascinating recent analysis, researchers found that metro areas that received more government subsidies per capita were more likely to run buses and trains with lots of passengers on board, rather than running inefficient, wasteful routes with just a few heavily subsidized riders per vehicle. * WBEZ | Household income and education levels are on the rise in most parts of Chicago: Between the five-year periods ending in 2012 and 2022, the median household income in Chicago grew from $59,000 to more than $71,000 in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars. For Cook County, median household income improved from about $68,000 to more than $78,000. * CBS Chicago | “Skilling It” and “CTRL-SALT-DELETE” top winners of Chicago’s second snowplow naming contest: Signs bearing the winning snowplow names will now be attached to one snowplow in each of the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation’s six snow districts. The people who first submitted each of the winning names also will get a photo opportunity with the snowplow they named. * Chicago Mag | Someone Has to Wear the Jacket: “Wear the jacket” is a uniquely Chicago phrase. It means to take the blame, or to take the fall, and it generally applies to an underling whose career is sacrificed to save his boss’s skin. In an episode of the Sun-Times’s “Chicagopedia,” columnist Neil Steinberg explained the term’s origin * Block Club | Chicago’s South Side Wins Big At The Grammy Awards: Englewood native Lil Durk received the Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance for his single “All My Life,” featuring hip-hop superstar J. Cole. This was Durk’s first Grammy win out of four nominations and Cole’s second; his first was from his feature on “a lot” with 21 Savage back in 2020. * Daily Mail | SNL jokes Gaza has called for a ceasefire in CHICAGO, after crime-ridden metropolis’ progressive mayor passed controversial resolution: Even Saturday Night Live is poking fun at the Windy City after the crime-ridden metropolis’ progressive mayor passed a controversial resolution this week. SNL’s Weekend Update host Michael Che quipped, ‘Chicago became the U.S.’ largest city to call for a cease-fire in Gaza.’ He then continued with the punchline, ‘And in return, Gaza called for a ceasefire in Chicago.’
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Question of the day
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * SEIU Healthcare is demanding higher wages and a “path to retirement” for 45,000 home and child care workers. That’s a whole lot of people. Press release excerpt…
* The TV ad… * Script…
* The Question: Your thoughts on the merits of this campaign?
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Musical interlude
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * I don’t usually watch the Grammys, but I flipped to CBS last night just to see what was going on and landed in the middle of this amazing song…
![]() * Joni Mitchel wrote this song when she was in her early twenties. It seemed to take on far more meaning when she sang it last night at the age of 80…
“So many things I would have done / But clouds got in my way” * And congrats to 2024 Illinois State Fair performer Jason Isbell… ![]() Did you watch?
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Asylum-seekers coverage roundup
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * According to a document from the City of Chicago, 284 asylum-seekers arrived at staging centers during the week ending this past Friday. That’s up a bit from the 214 who arrived the previous week. * WTTW on the 60-day shelter limit policy…
* In other news, Ald. Raymond Lopez has put the migrant issue front and center as he attempts to generate news media coverage for his congressional campaign against US Rep. Chuy Garcia. How’s that campaign going so far? Lynn Sweet…
According to his filing, half of his operating expenses went to a single consultant. Chuy Garcia’s numbers…
* Speaking of Garcia…
* From Isabel… * CBS Chicago | Chicago suburb receives nearly $2 million to run shelter for migrants: The money allows [Oak Park] to operate its temporary shelter program. Some of the funds will go to a local nonprofit so it can operate a new temporary shelter at a former Catholic school through the end of June. Other money will be used for legal services to help migrants with their applications for asylum. * Pioneer Press | Oak Park given $1.9M more to aid migrants, plans new single-site shelter at former Catholic school building: The money had been sought to help Oak Park continue to provide services to nearly 200 migrants — most, if not all, of whom arrived in the village after being at the 15th District Chicago Police Department station in the city’s Austin neighborhood at the border with Oak Park. * Block Club | El Árbol Mutual Aid Group Opens Free Store In Logan Square For Migrants, Neighbors: The store opened Wednesday with about 25 people coming by to take advantage of the free items, said Daniel Orkin, a lead volunteer and El Árbol organizer. While it’s mostly geared for migrants, the store is open to anyone in the neighborhood who needs free winter items or personal items, Orkin said. * Tribune | A Chicago man offers housing and community to hundreds of migrants: Joselin Mendoza sleeps on the floor of a cold stone basement with her two kids at a house in Roseland. The two-story house has no furniture and 22 other migrants from Venezuela sleep on mattresses or blankets on the floor. Their clothes and stuffed animals are stacked in neat piles nearby. The property’s owner Chris Amatore came by in a truck one day in January and offered her the chance to leave a city-run shelter before she and her family were kicked out. […] He has now resettled close to 500 migrants in 15 buildings around the city, spending $150,000 of his own money, he said. Amatore’s solution isn’t a long-term fix — for himself or the migrants, who are grateful for the vacant buildings they now call home. * The Oregonian | Oregon spent $29 million to house asylum seekers. Then it shut down the program: The state of Oregon quietly launched and then abandoned a $29 million initiative to provide hotel accommodations, food and housing for immigrants seeking asylum, effectively ending the fledgling program Dec. 31 with no clear plan for how to help families who arrive in the future.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign updates
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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A run of bad news (Updated x2)
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * The Heartland Alliance is integral to the region’s social service delivery system. From the Tribune…
* WBEZ…
* Sun-Times…
* Meanwhile…
…Adding… Press release…
…Adding… Peoria Journal Star…
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Reboletti tries something different (Updated)
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
…Adding… From Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) in comments…
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It’s just a bill
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * HB4728 filed by Rep. La Shawn Ford…
* Sun-Times…
* Rep. Dagmara Avelar filed HB4732…
* WAND…
* HB4723 from Rep. Kevin Schmidt…
* Rep. Edgar Gonzalez filed HB4725…
* SB3081 from Sen. Celina Villanueva…
* SB3077 from Sen. David Koehler…
* HB4718 from Rep. Mark Walker…
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Open thread
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Mayor Johnson tells state lawmakers he wants 10 school board members elected this year — not all 21. Sun-Times…
- Johnson, who previously hadn’t publicly shared his view on the debate, said this week he would like to stick with the original legislation. - The original legislation was a compromise, establishing a hybrid board before transitioning to a fully elected one. Most pushing for an elected board — including the CTU — had wanted all 21 seats elected simultaneously. * Isabel’s top picks… * KXAN | Records: Abbott’s migrant busing has cost Texas $124 million: According to documents Nexstar obtained, Texas has paid $124,603,616.19 to bus more than 100,000 migrants from the state’s border communities to Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles as of Jan. 10. That equals out to 2,245 buses year to date, an average of 45 migrants per bus. * WTTW | Shootings, Homicides in Chicago Both Down at Least 25% to Start 2024, According to Police: “We are trending in the right direction,” Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said when discussing the city’s crime trends during an appearance Wednesday before the Economic Club of Chicago. “But we also understand that there are people who are still being affected, and we’re going to continue to work for those people.” * WGN | Police chief, pantry owner latest to say they’re victims of Dolton dysfunction: This isn’t the first time the Henyard administration has been accused, even sued, over allegations of political targeting by people inside and outside of local government. This week, former Dolton police chief Robert Collins filed a lawsuit against the village claiming the mayor wrongfully fired him in October. “Henyard discharged [Chief] Collins simply because his wife is friendly with some individuals who Henyard believes to be political opponents,” the lawsuit claims. * Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* SJ-R | Trial of former state senator scheduled to begin Monday in federal court: U.S. Central District Judge Colleen Lawless will preside over the bench trial for William “Sam” McCann on federal wire fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion charges. McCann was indicted in February 2021 on charges that he misused over $200,000 in campaign funds over five years from May 2015 to June 2020. Prosecutors say the funds were used to pay for a wide range of personal items, such as a Ford Exposition, a Ford F-250, a motor home with a recreational trailer, and a family vacation in Colorado. * SJ-R | ‘Meet voters where they are’, UIS grad running for GOP primary nod: Vying for the Republican nominee in Illinois Congressional District 13, Thomas Clatterbuck is facing off against Virden native and Army veteran Joshua Loyd in the Republican primary. The winner in the March 19 primary will then take on Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski in November. Both GOP candidates have served the country in varying ways and share many of the same policy initiatives, said Clatterbuck, a law student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Yet, Clatterbuck wants voters to fill the circle next to his name come March 19 for one reason: experience. * Sun-Times | Illinois incumbents in Congress have fundraising advantage over rivals heading into March primary: The main challenger to Rep. Danny Davis is City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. Davis has more cash on hand, but Conyears-Ervin raised more than Davis last year. Kina Collins, an executive in a nonprofit, is making her third try to oust Davis. There are several others in the race, none with substantial fundraising numbers. Collins so far has not gotten the robust fundraising help from progressive groups that boosted her in 2022. The district is drawn, under civil rights laws, to increase the power of Black voters. * Center for Illinois Politics | Trump lost voters in independent-voting suburbs, could that translate into a boon for Haley?: Collin Corbett, a Republican strategist and pollster based in the Northwest suburbs, said in Illinois right now, “enthusiasm is so low that Trump is winning by default. If Haley could excite Republicans and even bring some traditional (conservatives) back in, she could create some needed momentum. She’s going to have to do well in these next couple states and get people excited in order to be relevant here.” * Sun-Times | Left-wingers will not be ignored: Trying to be thorough, I sought out Kristi Keorkunian-Rivers, another protest organizer. Does the justification matter if they end up supplying images for Fox News to terrify their sheep into defeating Biden? ”I would say that if the Democrats lose then they didn’t meet expectations, not that our disobedience is the problem,” said Keorkunian-Rivers. “Democrats will never shift to more appropriate policies until we make them. Left to their own devices, they just slide more and more to the right.” * Tribune | Financial crisis at Heartland Alliance leads to furloughs, program cuts and an attempt to sell hundreds of affordable housing units: Heartland’s health division, struggling to cover escalating health costs and expenses associated with a surge of migrants in its shelters, indefinitely furloughed more than 150 employees between September and November and cut back programming. It’s now considering spinning off into an independent organization, according to a written statement from Mary Kay Gilbert, interim executive director of Heartland Alliance Health, and Chief External Affairs Officer Ed Stellon. Health care centers in Englewood, Uptown and the Near West Side remain open. * Daily Herald | A time of change: Suburban office market adjusts as tenants downsize and shift to higher-end buildings: Despite bright spots including the Federal Aviation Administration’s relocation and Culligan’s expansion in Rosemont, the market for suburban office space continued to soften during the last months of 2023, new data shows. The FAA will move to 108,000 square feet in the O’Hare Gateway Office Center in Rosemont, while Culligan is adding 66,000 square feet at Riverway West, according to Chicago-based Savills’ fourth quarter market report. * Sun-Times | Ex-Chicago gang leader’s third chance gets him an invitation to the White House: Rodney “Hot Rod” Phillips is a former Black Disciples member featured in “The Interrupters,” a documentary about felons hired to intervene in conflicts. But he wound up back in prison. “When I came home, I rededicated myself back to the work,” he says. “The flame was lit.” * Daily Herald | Controversial West Chicago trash site halted by state board: The decision by the Illinois Pollution Control Board delays but doesn’t kill the project, which was opposed by some Latino residents who called the plan racist. Opponents said that their community would be a landing place for garbage hauled from white communities, including Naperville and Wheaton. * Tribune | Belt Junction is a notorious bottleneck. Fixing it could increase rail capacity, but benefits to South Side residents could be mixed: It’s Chicago’s most notorious rail bottleneck because, more than a hundred years ago, somebody decided five sets of tracks should merge into two and cross each other’s path. It’s such a torment that Fields and other freight railroaders, plus Metra, Amtrak and government officials from across Chicago, have been working for more than 20 years to rip up Belt Junction and start over. * Sun-Times | Ventra app back up and running for Metra, but the real test comes during Monday commute: The new fee structure is meant to simplify pricing and attract new riders. Among the changes, Metra replaced the 10-ride ticket with a day pass five-pack available only on the Ventra app. Prices are now based on zones traveled. A monthly pass costs $75 from Zone 2 to Zone 1; $110 from Zone 3 to Zone 1; and $135 from Zone 4 to Zone 1. * Beacon-News | Kane County plans for carbon neutrality by 2050: In the short-term, the draft Climate Action Implementation Plan has the goal of reducing emissions to 25% below the county’s emissions in 2019. Kane County’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 were already falling, down nearly 5% from 2010 despite the county growing in population by around 3% and the economy growing by over 18%. * AP | 1 icon, 6 shoes, $8 million: An auction of Michael Jordan’s championship sneakers sets a record: The pair he wore in the second game of the 1998 NBA Finals was sold through Sotheby’s last April for $2.2 million, a record for a pair of sneakers. The highest auction price for any Jordan memorabilia was $10.1 million for his jersey from the first game at that series, according to Sotheby’s, which sold it 2022. * Jim O’Donnell | Is DraftKings weighing a plan to shake up sports media in Chicago?: Draftkings stock was selling for about $15 per share less than a year ago. It closed Friday at $41.59. Some informed speculators project that it will hit $100 in 2025. […] News that Theo Epstein is back as a senior adviser and minority partner with the Fenway Sports Group is another gut shot to the pursuit of championships in Chicago. The future Hall of Famer would have been a godsend as a controlling principal in a fresh White Sox ownership group. (Dream on.) * WCIA | Sen. Bennett honored at Gibson City Fire Department: The award thanked Senator Bennett for his role in getting the new tax credit law aimed at supporting volunteer firefighters. It passed on the state level this past spring. As of Thursday, volunteer firefighters from across the state can now qualify for up to $500 of credit on income taxes. * Mother Jones | “The Algorithm” Does Not Exist: In 2009, when Facebook changed its newsfeed significantly for the first time, there wasn’t much uproar over “the algorithm.” Now we’re all talking about it—whatever “it” is. The algorithm and its ramifications have been the focus of congressional hearings and scholarly debates. In an article on the collapse of Twitter, writer Willy Staley noted “vague concerns about ‘the algorithm,’ the exotic mathematical force accused of steering hypnotized users into right-wing extremism, or imprisoning people in a cocoon of smug liberalism, or somehow both.” But “the algorithm” does not exist. * ARS Technica | Google will no longer back up the Internet: Cached webpages are dead: A lot of Google Bot details are shrouded in secrecy to hide from SEO spammers, but you could learn a lot by investigating what cached pages look like. In 2020, Google switched to mobile-by-default, so for instance, if you visit that cached Ars link from earlier, you get the mobile site. If you run a website and want to learn more about what a site looks like to a Google Bot, you can still do that, though only for your own site, from the Search Console. The death of cached sites will mean the Internet Archive has a larger burden of archiving and tracking changes on the world’s webpages. * Triibe | A look into the Black women’s suffrage movement in Chicago: We can’t talk about abolition today without talking about the Black women integral to the movement. In Chicago, Ida B. Wells was essential to building political power for Black women. As an investigative journalist, teacher, anti-lynching crusader and mother of six, Wells was already influential to the national political arena before making an impression on Chicago politics.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Monday, Feb 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich 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.
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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * My thanks to the Illinois State Fair for booking Jason Isbell… It’s not the long, flowing dress that you’re in
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Report: Bears focusing on Chicago, also want to expand ISFA debt
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * I’ve been hearing some rumblings about this as well. We could know lots more by next week. Greg Hinz…
They will almost definitely have to come up with more revenues that don’t involve passing an unpopular tax hike for at least two unpopular teams in an election year.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ISP sending a message to Rep. Slaughter… ![]() * Sun-Times…
* Crain’s…
* Spring is coming early… ![]() * Heh… * Here’s the rest… * Daily Herald | Cavern excavation completed for Fermilab-based neutrino experiment: The three caverns, located a mile below the surface, are the core of a new research facility that spans an underground area about the size of eight soccer fields. Two caverns will house the detectors; the third will house utilities. Neutrinos will be sent from Fermilab in Batavia 800 miles west to liquid argon-filled detectors at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. The goal is to have the first detector operating by the end of 2028. * Sun-Times | CTU President Stacy Davis Gates was using ‘metaphor’ when she told teachers to ‘punch their principal in the face,’ union says: Hozian and Davis Gates did not respond to requests for comment, but a CTU spokesperson told the Sun-Times Thursday the case was closed and the report was marked as non-criminal. “We believe that this police report was filed in reference to a figurative comment made by President Davis Gates during impromptu remarks to union members … while talking about using the contract to challenge principals who bully our members,” an email sent out to CTU members said. * STL Today | Illinois congressional contest reflects broader split in GOP: Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, explains why his experience makes him worth keeping in Congress. Darren Bailey says it’s exactly why he needs to go. * Crain’s | Illinois getting share of $500 million opioid settlements: Illinois will receive $11.4 million of a $350 million national settlement with New York-based marketing and communications firm Publicis Health, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office announced Feb. 1. Meanwhile, Illinois will collect a slice of a $150 million multistate settlement with London-based opioid manufacturer Hikma Pharmaceuticals. The exact amount expected to come to Illinois was not disclosed. * Block Club | Magnificent Mile Association Hopes To Bring New Businesses Downtown With Storefront Grant: Separately, the Magnificent Mile Association received two storefront grants from the city to activate two vacant stores. One was used in 2022 to bring in a four-month exhibition by Kavi Gupta Gallery at a vacant retail spot at 535 N. Michigan Ave. The other was used in 2021 to open Colores Mexicanos, an artisan Mexican gift shop, for a one-month stint at an empty store at 605 N. Michigan Ave, along Chicago’s high-end shopping corridor. * Daily Herald | To combat climate change, Glen Ellyn couple helps fund solar projects: The couple has now supported 18 projects across the country, the majority in Illinois. With four still in progress, Jens estimates by the end of 2024, the developments will produce a total of 1,100,000 kW. The projects span a variety of groups, from churches to government organizations. * WICS | Police clear Springfield High School from bomb threat: After investigating and searching the grounds, the SHS administration and Springfield Police and the Secretary of State Police who operate our security dogs have deemed the building clear and students are returning to the building to continue the school day as usual. Out of an abundance of caution we are also having all students re-enter the building through our metal detectors with law enforcement overseeing the return. Students will return to their second hour and then will begin the lunch shifts before continuing with their schedule. * Sun-Times | Ex-Chicago gang leader’s third chance gets him an invitation to the White House: CeaseFire was launched in Chicago more than two decades ago on the West Side to address the city’s rampant gun killings. The concept — to treat violence like a curable disease — has since spread to New York, New Orleans, Baltimore and cities abroad. Many agencies have adopted the strategy. * Block Club | Southwest Siders Call On Federal Agency To Preserve Damen Silos From Demolition: The permit process with the Army Corps of Engineers is needed because the site is positioned along the south branch of the Chicago River, and demolition could affect the “course, condition or capacity” of the water, Colin Smalley, a regulatory project manager with the agency, said at a Thursday meeting where neighbors voiced support for saving the silos. * Tribune | University of Illinois police knew details about Terrence Shannon Jr. investigation but didn’t share with school officials, records show: Shortly after Lawrence police began their investigation in September and continuing throughout the fall, Whitman said the school’s Division of Intercollegiate Athletics knew little about the allegations against Shannon. Any information relayed from Lawrence investigators to athletics officials via the University of Illinois Police Department was “verbal, unsubstantiated and vague,” he would later say in a court filing, and “not sufficient to trigger” a student-athlete discipline policy. * WGN | The Great Migration: How a Chicago newspaper helped shape the nation: But in the nearly 100 years between the signing of the 13th Amendment and the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, something happened that would go on to shape the nation. At the beginning of the 20th Century, 90% of the African American population lived in the South, under conditions that can really only be described as oppressive. * News-Sun | Lake County to accept potentially harmful, hard-to-recycle items; ‘Waste haulers do not want to take them’: Properly disposing of paint, tanks, fire extinguishers and even no longer-needed children’s car seats can prevent environmental damage, and the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) has a program to make it easier in a sustainable way. * Press Release | Illinois Pork Producers Association Honors Retiring Directors: Jill Brokaw is a third-generation pig farmer and grew up on her family farm in Joy, Ill. Over the years she has had many industry experiences, including working with her family’s farrow to finish swine operation, management of their feeding and nutrition system and feed mill, as well as row crop farming. She is currently co-owner of Biddle Gilts, LLC., with her father, continuing their decades of partnership with PIC genetics in the sale of female breeding stock throughout the Midwest. * CNBC | U.S. economy added 353,000 jobs in January, much better than expected: Wage growth also showed strength, as average hourly earnings increased 0.6%, double the monthly estimate. On a year-over-year basis, wages jumped 4.5%, well above the 4.1% forecast. The wage gains came amid a decline in average hours worked, down to 34.1, or 0.2 hour lower for the month. * WBEZ | New indoor pickleball complex in Lincoln Park blends sport with beach resort vibes: Pickleball in paradise. It’s not a Jimmy Buffett song — it’s the concept behind the newly opened indoor pickleball facility in Lincoln Park where palm fronds and cabanas flank eight indoor courts. * The Triibe | The settlement that DuSable built: Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable’s settlement at the mouth of the Chicago River is the heart from which the city of Chicago was built. As time passed, and ownership of the land changed, its history has been smudged, so much so that most people had no idea he lived there until the mid 20th century. DuSable, Kitihawa and their children first showed up in future Chicago during the 1780s. They built a five-bedroom home, a horse mill, a bake house, a dairy, a smokehouse, a poultry house, a workshop, a stable, a barn, an orchard, and huts for DuSable’s employees. The family lived and worked on this land for at least a decade. It is unclear why DuSable moved his family to St. Charles, Missouri, where he ended up living a modest life as a ferry operator. * Alyssa Rosenberg | Opinion I’m pro-choice, but I’m grateful for what pro-life groups did this week: In today’s fractious political world, it’s important to extend credit where it’s due. And so, as a pro-choice liberal, I want to thank a group of pro-life organizations that spoke up this week in support of a congressional deal to improve the child tax credit. Antiabortion Americans United for Life hailed the bill, which will primarily help lower-income families and families with a larger number of children, as “a core part of an American pro-life and pro-family future.” Pro-choice Center for American Progress President Patrick Gaspard described the legislation as “an unmissable opportunity to reduce poverty among low-income children and families.” * Newsweek | Texas Border Convoy Descends into Antisemitism: The video shows Michael Yon making false claims regarding so-called “terrorists coming across the border being funded by Jewish money.” * Sun-Times | A list of every known Illinois resident charged in the U.S. Capitol breach: More than 1,200 people have been arrested in connection with the attack in almost all 50 states. That includes Illinois, where at least 46 residents face federal charges. They come from all around the state and include a onetime CEO, a Chicago police officer and a member of the Proud Boys. * NYT | Trump’s Tariffs Hurt U.S. Jobs but Swayed American Voters, Study Says: The findings contradict Trump’s claims that his tariffs helped to reverse some of the damage done by competition from China and bring back U.S. manufacturing jobs that had gone overseas. The economists conclude that the aggregate effect on U.S. jobs of the three measures — the original tariffs, retaliatory tariffs and subsidies granted to farmers — were “at best a wash, and it may have been mildly negative.” * SJ-R | The IHSA basketball state finals host contracts are expiring. Here’s what could be next: The format of four enrollment class state finals spread across a three-day weekend, Thursdays through Saturdays, was first played two years ago. Previously, the boys and girls final fours were held over four consecutive weekends, on Fridays and Saturdays, in Peoria and Normal, respectively. [IHSA’s Matt Troha] says the overall anecdotal feedback has been positive on the single weekends. He anticipates the IHSA will continue with that format moving forward. The IHSA still wants to give the IHSA basketball advisory committee and its board of directors a chance to formally review and discuss, according to Troha. * Sun-Times | Groundhog Day Chicago — ‘Woodstock Willie’ does not see his shadow, heralding an early spring: On hand for the festivities was beloved WGN chief meteorologist Tom Skilling, attending his very first Woodstock Groundhog Day event, according to the television station’s report. Skilling will be retiring from his longtime weather post at the station on Feb. 28. To honor Skilling, Woodstock Mayor Mike Turner officially declared Friday as “Tom Skilling Day” in addition to “Groundhog Day.”
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign updates (Updated)
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Judge denies protest permit for day before DNC
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * WGN earlier this week…
* CBS 2…
They lost their court battle. The full decision is here. * From Crain’s…
* The group does appear to have another agenda as well. From a Sun-Times story on the coalition last month…
Gonna get interesting.
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Fox News asks about migrants: ‘How much time do we have before there’s utter chaos in Chicago?’
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Fox News put dramatic music behind an interview of perennial Democratic candidate and Paul Vallas supporter Andre Smith…
Seems like an argument for keeping the shelters open. But, hey, at least Fox has moved on (for now) from its hysterical stories about Chicago murders. * This Pontiac Daily Leader story reminds me of the recurring rural-area freakouts when false rumors rapidly spread that BLM protesters were heading to town to cause trouble…
Good on the Daily Leader for debunking that nonsense. * Charlotte Alvarez, the Executive Director of The Immigration Project, explained on the 21st Show what’s going on in her part of Downstate…
* More from Isabel… * WBBM | Pritzker gives update on state effort to fund migrant shelters in Chicago, suggests it’s the city’s move: Gov. JB Pritzker says state government remains willing to fund new city-run migrant shelters in Chicago but is waiting for guidance from Mayor Johnson’s administration. […] Both said their administrations talk daily about the migrant crisis. But the city has put a hold on opening any new shelters. * Sun-Times | Ald. Greg Mitchell accused of threatening building owner who housed migrants: That’s where a “screaming” Mitchell “threatened my life, threatened to terminate a Chicago Housing Authority contract my company, Manage Chicago Inc., has … and threatened” to block “a potential zoning change” Amatore had discussed with a deputy buildings commissioner. * The Southern | Southern Illinois cities talk about the ability to care for an influx of illegal immigrants: In Marion, Communications and Market Director Rachel Stroud confirmed there is no policy or procedure in place for handling an influx of illegal immigrants. Stroud suggested The Southern Illinoisan contact the Williamson County Emergency Managment Agency (EMA), saying the agency might have a plan. When asked what Williamson County would do if buses of illegal immigrants were to start arriving in the county, with immigrants needing resources, the EMA Director Brian Burgess said, “The county believes this is more of a municipal issue.” * WSJ | The American City With a Message for Migrants: We Want You: While many American cities are struggling with large numbers of newly arrived migrants, Topeka is inviting anyone and everyone with permission to work in the U.S. to come its way. Like a lot of smaller cities, the Kansas capital is grappling with near-stagnant population growth and an unemployment rate well below the national average, according to city and economic-development officials. Finding people to fill its roughly 6,600 open jobs has been a struggle, they say. * Portland Press Herald | Feds deny request to accelerate work permits for Maine asylum seekers: Lawmakers last year passed a bill sponsored by Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, directing the Maine Department of Labor Commissioner to request a waiver, even though there is no waiver provision in federal law and no state has ever received one. Department of Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman submitted the request in October and received a response on Jan. 30. That response was forwarded to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Labor and Housing on Wednesday. * AP | Massachusetts turns recreational plex into shelter for homeless families, including migrants: [Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey] said about 75 individuals were expected to arrive at the Cass Recreational Complex, located in the city’s Roxbury neighborhood, before the end of the day. The complex can provide temporary shelter for up to 400 people, or about 100-125 families, as the state continues to grapple with an influx of homeless migrants. * 9 News | Denver tells migrants you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here: Next week, the city of Denver will start discharging hundreds of migrant families from its shelters again. Advocates for migrants worry that means many of those families will end up homeless on the streets. At a city council meeting Thursday, Evan Dreyer, the deputy chief of staff for Mayor Mike Johnston’s office, said the city doesn’t have enough room or money to house migrants indefinitely. * AP | Biden is left with few choices as immigration takes center stage in American politics: The influx has strained social services in cities including New York, Chicago and Denver, which are struggling to shelter thousands of asylum seekers without housing or work authorization. Images of migrants with nowhere to go camping out in public have dominated local newscasts. Nine Democratic governors from all across the country sent a letter last week to Biden and congressional leaders pleading for action from Washington “to solve what has become a humanitarian crisis.”
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A glimpse into the news future?
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Associated Press headline…
First line of that AP story…
SIU is not hosting UIC. It’s the other way around. The game is in Chicago. Also, the SIU player named “Johnson” is never once identified beyond his last name. * Now scroll to the end…
Data Skrive website…
Sportradar website…
AI and a sports betting-related company creating sub-par stories for the AP that wouldn’t be approved by a high school newspaper editor. Lovely.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * HB4681 from Rep. Cyril Nichols…
* HB4706 from Rep. Jenn Ladisch Douglass…
* WAND…
* Rep. Janet Yang Rohr filed HB4708 today…
* HB4709 from Rep. Maura Hirschauer…
* Rep. Tim Ozinga filed HB4690 yesterday…
* Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid…..
* Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin filed HB4704…
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Open thread
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * We made it to Friday! What’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI:Ambitious plan aims to raise $400 million to halve Chicago shootings, homicides in 5 years. Sun-Times…
- The target of 50% fewer murders from last year would put the city at less than 400 * Related stories… ∙ WBEZ: Shootings of Chicago students prompts push for anti-violence workers in high schools ∙ Crain’s: Pritzker dismisses significance of city’s cease-fire resolution * Isabel’s top picks… * Sun-Times | In Illinois politics, remaps keep the powerful in power: The Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ and the University of Chicago are examining the challenges to American democracy as part of the Democracy Solutions Project. The state’s redistricting ritual — largely carried out behind closed doors — most recently led two downstate districts to elect more extreme candidates while protecting and enhancing Democratic powers in other areas of the state. And while the dust settles on the last remap, there are already advocates plotting the 2030 map and pushing for reform. * WAND | Illinois lawmakers could cap monthly inhaler costs this spring: “We estimate that about 1.4 million people in Illinois have chronic lung disease, so asthma and COPD,” said Kristina Hamilton, Illinois advocacy director for the American Lung Association. The bill could cap the monthly cost of prescription inhalers at $25. People needing multiple inhalers per month would only pay $50. This change will not prevent health plans that already allow people to pay much lower co-pays. * CNI | Democratic leaders poised to revisit Biometric Information Privacy Act after court rulings: State Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, a high-ranking member of the Senate, said the proposal he filed this week strikes a balance between business groups’ concerns over the law and its original intent. “We think that the security restrictions embedded in (the law) are very important and we want to keep them in place, but we do want to address the way liability accrues so that businesses are not unfairly punished for technical violations of the act,” he said. * Cast your votes…
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup… * Sun-Times | Eileen O’Neill Burke would lose $211,000 yearly pension if elected Cook County state’s attorney. Here’s why: The law doesn’t let officeholders collect pensions based even in part on past work for the same government agency. So O’Neill Burke would have to give up her pension for as long as she’d be in that office. * Sun-Times | Illinois incumbents in Congress have fundraising advantage over rivals heading into March primary: Once again — and this has been the case for years — the champion fundraiser among House members from Illinois is U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., who collected $5,529,137 in 2023 and who has a balance of $15,360,692. He’s one of the top fundraisers in the entire Congress. As I’ve reported previously, Krishnamoorthi is stockpiling cash for a potential Senate run. Krishnamoorthi faces no primary Democratic opponent in his northwest suburban 8th Congressional District. * Block Club | The Strokes Playing Chicago Show To Benefit Kina Collins Campaign: The Grammy Award-winning rock band is performing March 8 at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Credit Union 1 Arena with local indie band Beach Bunny and musician NNAMDI, according to a news release. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday. * Illinois Times | Doing more for the homeless: The police department “wants to be part of the solution,” said Newman, the department’s homeless outreach team coordinator. “We don’t want to criminalize homelessness.”Newman and Allen said much more needs to be done. For example, Newman said there needs to be two or three more homeless outreach officers and more social workers such as Allen so all shifts can be staffed. * Lake and McHenry County Scanner | 150 Lake County Jail inmates now housed in McHenry County Jail under new agreement amid staffing shortage: With current employee vacancies, staff on leave for medical and family reasons and other absences, the Lake County Sheriff’s Corrections Division is down nearly 40% of its normal staffing levels. * Sun-Times | Johnson’s clout on the line with Bring Chicago Home referendum: The stakes are high for Johnson. He campaigned on a promise to create a dedicated funding source to help 68,000 unhoused Chicagoans. It’s something his predecessor promised, but failed to deliver. That broken promise by Lori Lightfoot alienated her progressive political base, contributing to her defeat last year. * Sun-Times | Ald. Greg Mitchell accused of threatening building owner who housed migrants: A finger-pointing Mitchell then “threw papers off his desk and stood up and looked down on me and screamed at the top of his lungs. [He said], `You better watch your f—-ing ass walking around my ward because you are no longer safe.’ Then, he said, `You have a f—ing CHA contract, don’t you? Consider that terminated. After I make one phone call, you can kiss that s–t goodbye.” * Crain’s | 180 laid off from University of Chicago Medical Center: In a statement to Crain’s, University of Chicago Medicine, the operator of the hospital, confirmed the cuts, which represent about 1% of the organization’s total workforce. The health system declined to disclose specific roles affected but said the majority are not direct patient facing. * Crain’s | Judge denies abortion-rights group’s protest permit ahead of DNC: Last month, the grassroots organizations filed for a parade permit to march downtown on Michigan Avenue on Aug. 18, the day before the DNC convention kicks off. The city denied that permit request, arguing the proposed route would interfere with traffic, and suggested an alternative route on Columbus Drive between Roosevelt Road and Jackson Drive. Coalition members balked at the city’s proposal, which they believed gave protesters little visibility to the convention’s delegates, and appealed the decision. * AP | Indiana legislation could hold back thousands of third graders who can’t read: Republicans have balked at those who have labeled the measure a “retention bill,” saying students need the intervention now. “Retention is the absolute last resort if we’ve exhausted all other methods to help struggling readers,” the bill’s author, state Sen. Linda Rogers, told lawmakers. * SJ-R | ‘Doc’ Temple at 100: Still writing, Lincoln historian is ‘a phenomenon’: Temple, one of the preeminent Lincoln historians, turns 100 on Monday. He will celebrate with a party his fellow Masons and some historians are throwing for him. A sought-after lecturer, Temple has written more than 20 books, mostly on Lincoln covering everything from his military service to his religious beliefs. Pulitzer Prize-winning Lincoln biographer, the late David Herbert Donald, called Temple’s “Abraham Lincoln: From Skeptic to Prophet” the “best book ever written about Lincoln’s religious views.” * WGN | WGN names Demetrius Ivory as chief meteorologist: “I’m so excited for Demetrius,” commented Tom Skilling, current Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV. “Through weather stormy, sunny, and everything in between, Demetrius has delivered accurate, compelling forecasts. He has a huge rapport with the audience. I’ve been honored to have him by my side during severe breaking weather coverage over this past decade. I wish him my sincerest congratulations. He will be fantastic!” * KFVS | World Shooting Complex in Sparta to host Grand American through 2036: “I’m thrilled we were able to extend this contract for another decade,” IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie said in a release. “The ATA Grand is a premier event and an important economic driver for Randolph County and southern Illinois. It’s a privilege to host the Grand at the World Shooting Complex, and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership with the ATA.” The Grand American is the largest and oldest shooting event of its kind. According to a release from the IDNR, it features more than 20 events and brings in more than 5,000 competitors and spectators from around the world. * AP | Puppy Bowl turns 20: Puppy Bowl, the original and longest running call-to-adoption television event, is turning 20 and this year it will feature 131 puppies, 73 shelters and rescues across 36 states and territories.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Feb 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich 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.
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