Norb Andy’s Tabarin is closed indefinitely and the building is for lease a little less than a year after the landmark downtown restaurant reopened following a major renovation.
Owner David Ridenour said Thursday that dining traffic had not met expectations, though he said the bar and live music shows did well. Ridenour said he also has had trouble staffing the restaurant in recent weeks, including loss of the chef.
The restaurant and bar at 518 E. Capitol Ave. closed and then reopened briefly before the latest shutdown.
“It’s closed indefinitely. I don’t see it reopening temporarily,” said Ridenhour.
* The Question: Your favorite Norb Andy’s memory from back in the day?
By definition, fake news ignores the facts. It disregards and/or distorts the truth to deliver a message that is far removed from reality.
I would argue that much of the news coming out of the Illinois Statehouse is fake.
I say “news” but I mean more than that. Much of the conversation surrounding the budget impasse is fake.
News media, lawmakers, public employee unions, gossip peddlers … all are culpable to some extent.
Illinois is on the brink of fiscal insolvency yet the conversation still focuses on the need for Democrats and Republicans to compromise so a budget – any budget – can be passed.
But passing a budget and saving Illinois aren’t the same thing. In fact, passing a bad budget will only worsen the state’s outlook.
Illinois needs massive structural reforms: to pensions, to workers’ compensation, to overly burdensome regulations that have stifled economic growth, to lopsided rules and regulations that overwhelmingly favor state-worker unions to the detriment of taxpayers.
Short of these absolutely necessary reforms, bankruptcy might be the only option.
But no one is talking about that.
Nobody is talking about the bankruptcy option because it’s not allowed under federal law. So, pardon me if we don’t constantly talk about something that can’t currently happen and isn’t under Statehouse control.
* But, yeah, passing a budget will only make things worse. Yep…
Center for Tax & Budget Accountability finding: Illinois spent significantly less on higher ed in 2016 than in 2000 under Gov Ryan. #SenRfrm
Today, House Republicans will vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with the American Health Care Act. This dangerous plan would be a disaster for millions of Americans across the country and here in Illinois.
JB Pritzker released the following statement in response:
“It’s unbelievable that Republicans, who are supposed to represent our families, will vote to take away health care from nearly 24 million Americans today,” said JB Pritzker. “This is exactly what we don’t need, tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires on the backs of Illinois’ working families and those with preexisting conditions. It’s time for Bruce Rauner to break his silence and stand up for the more than one million Illinoisans who will lose their health care. As governor, I will stand up against the Trump-Rauner agenda and fight for all Illinoisans to have access to health care.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office has said nothing for months about the Washington debate, but insiders say the governor remains concerned about big cuts in Medicaid spending included in the Ryan bill.
* And I’m kinda surprised that nobody has picked up on this Illinois Working Together press release yet…
President Donald Trump’s proposed replacement of the Affordable Care Act would save Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner millions of dollars each year by eliminating a tax provision that funds health insurance for working people under Obamacare.
In 2015, Gov. Rauner paid $6.6 million in the Net Investment Income Tax, a provision created by the Affordable Care Act that applies only to the wealthiest individuals and is a critically important source of funding for the ACA’s health insurance premium subsidies. See here for Gov. Rauner’s 2015 tax return; Net Investment Income Tax is listed on line 62.
The American Health Care Act — TrumpCare — would eliminate the Net Investment Income Tax, simultaneously gutting ACA funding and funneling money to rich individuals like Rauner.
Gov. Rauner also paid $1.8 million in the Net Investment Income Tax in 2014 and $1.9 million in 2013, running his three-year savings to $10.3 million. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, repealing the Net Investment Income Tax would cost the U.S. Treasury $158 billion over 10 years.
If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, 1.2 million Illinoisans would lose health coverage according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. To date, Rauner has refused to take a position on the Trump-GOP effort to repeal the ACA.
“After supporting Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential campaign, Gov. Bruce Rauner now stands to save millions if Trump guts health coverage while slashing taxes for the rich,” said Jake Lewis, Campaign Director for Illinois Working Together. “The people of Illinois deserve to know where Gov. Rauner stands: Will he defend the 1.2 million Illinoisans who will lose care if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, or would he rather pocket millions of dollars while hard-working people lose their health care?”
*** UPDATE *** The governor says he’s “concerned”…
Governor Bruce Rauner has released the following statement regarding the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the American Healthcare Act:
“The bill that passed in the U.S. House today continues to be of deep concern to our administration. Recent changes did not address fundamental concerns about the bill’s impact on the 650,000 individuals that are part of our Medicaid expansion population, nor have those changes eased the concerns of the 350,000 people in the individual market who are dealing with skyrocketing premiums and fewer choices. We will continue to voice our concerns as the law moves to the Senate.
“The Affordable Care Act is a seriously flawed law that should be changed. Difficult as the task has proven, we are hopeful that our federal lawmakers will continue to work hard to get this right for the people of Illinois and our nation.”
Just six months ago, workers at PECO Pallet in Hegewisch brought out the giant inflatable rat to draw attention to their frustrations in negotiating their first union contract with an ownership group led by billionaire venture capitalist J.B. Pritzker.
On Wednesday, a group of 14 other unions made an exceptionally early leap into the 2018 governor’s race by endorsing the very same Pritzker for the Democratic nomination, lauding him for his commitment to working people.
These are not necessarily conflicting facts, but they do highlight the complications of an ultra-wealthy businessman trying to launch a political career on the Democratic side of the ledger.
For Pritzker, who is trying to build early momentum in the multi-candidate Democratic field with a likely goal of convincing opponent Chris Kennedy to back out, the union support is key to knocking down criticism that he’s just another rich guy.
But it’s just as plain that it’s Pritzker’s vast wealth — and his stated willingness to invest it toward vanquishing Gov. Bruce Rauner and in support of other Democrats — that makes his candidacy so attractive to party leaders working behind the scenes to help launch his campaign.
You really should read the whole thing. The union pickets came down after Pritzker personally intervened, but it’s chock full of other interesting stuff.
Illinois Senate Democrats say Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration inappropriately spent money to move records from a closed prison to new warehouse space.
Sen. Andy Manar is a Bunker Hill Democrat. He questioned Corrections Department Director John Baldwin during an appropriations committee hearing Wednesday.
Manar says Department of Human Services records had been stored in at least one building on the campus of the former Dwight Correctional Center in Livingston County. But he says those records were moved to a Springfield warehouse the state recently leased for $2.4 million amid a two-year budget stalemate. […]
Manar says he was told the Dwight building needed extensive roof repairs. But there is other vacant state space.
“What was occurring at the Dwight facility that would cause these documents to have to be moved out of a state-owned facility to another facility that is leased to a private vendor?” Manar asked.
“I have no idea at all,” Baldwin replied. “I have not heard of that.”
Manar then asked Baldwin if he was aware the documents had been stored at Dwight.
“No,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin acknowledged the department has a number of vacant buildings on its hands, but told Manar he could not vouch for them being suitable for storing paper documents.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the Department of Corrections…
Hey Rich,
I just wanted to clarify that CMS assumed full financial obligation for the facility in Dwight in 2014 and entered into an agreement with DHS on the DOCs behalf. The agreements between the agencies gave DHS access to several buildings on the grounds so they could store their files. Neither CMS nor DHS were required to notify the Department or the Director about when or why they moved the documents.
Nicole
* And this is from the Department of Human Services…
Hi Rich –
I saw your post about the DHS records being moved. The attached memo details some of the issues at the Dwight facility and illustrates the need for a new location. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Once again, our committee is left with more questions than when we started. The governor is more than halfway through his term and it’s as if no one knows who’s running what within the Rauner administration.
We’ve asked very simple, straightforward questions now to three different agency directors and the governor’s chief of staff. We have yet to receive a simple, straightforward answer back about why millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent to move and house old state paperwork in a former furniture store when Illinois has several empty buildings available at no cost.
These records were kept at the now vacant state women’s prison in Dwight. If there were maintenance concerns at that site, we would like to know the cost of remedying them because it’s hard to believe it would cost more than the $2.4 million that taxpayers will pay to lease the former furniture store.
Keep in mind, we are in a budget crisis and we are talking about the Rauner administration spending millions to find new homes for old paperwork. We have simple questions we would like answered: Who in the administration is directing this and why is it such a priority?
Bruce Rauner promised management expertise from a proven businessman. Given the mismanagement and confusion we’re witnessing, clearly the taxpayers are not getting what was promised.
“Madigan’s spokesman confirmed yesterday what we already knew - Democrat candidates for governor are doing Madigan’s bidding by supporting his tax hike, no reform agenda. Illinois can’t afford to return to the days where governors worked for the Chicago Machine, not Illinois families and taxpayers.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
In a rare moment of honesty, Madigan Spokesman Steve Brown admitted that the the Democrat candidates running for governor - J.B. Pritzker, Chris Kennedy, Daniel Biss, and Ameya Pawar - support Speaker Madigan’s tax hike, no reform agenda to balance Illinois’ budget.
In his interview with the Chicago Tribune, Brown said, “It appears, as near as I can tell, that every one of the candidates pretty much supports (Madigan’s) idea that you need a balanced approach to the state budget… We’ll let the candidates go out and prove themselves.”
And what is Madigan’s “balanced” approach to the state budget?
At the end of 2015, Madigan said income taxes should be hiked by at least 33%.
Additionally, Madigan refuses to consider any reforms to state government as part of a bipartisan budget deal.
Just last month, Madigan’s spokesman telegraphed Madigan’s true sentiments of the Senate’s efforts to pass a balanced budget with job-creating reforms by saying the grand bargain is “a group of bad ideas.”
As expected, the Democrat candidates for governor have been working overtime to “prove” themselves to Speaker Madigan. Watch Madigan’s tax hike puppets betray taxpayers HERE.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown and Local 150 spokesman Ed Maher said there was no involvement by the speaker.
“The speaker’s not taking a position in the Democratic primary,” Brown said. “It appears, as near as I can tell, that every one of the candidates pretty much supports (Madigan’s) idea that you need a balanced approach to the state budget, which is really the No. 1 issue in the state of Illinois. We’ll let the candidates go out and prove themselves.”
Um, a “balanced approach to the state budget” actually means cuts and new revenues. Gov. Rauner says the same thing all the time. So is he in Madigan’s pocket, too?
For the small business owners, the entrepreneurs, the risk-takers and change-agents. There’s no 9-5. Work doesn’t stop and they don’t stop, because they know there’s always more to be done, more to achieve.
Bruce Rauner knows that drive. He made his name leading one of Illinois’ most respected businesses.
But his first job was cooking burgers. His second? Parking cars. In college, he worked in the dining hall to earn extra money.
When he moved back to Chicago to work at a data company, he spent nine months sleeping on a camping mattress, because he didn’t have any furniture.
But this self-made businessman would go on to earn an MBA from Harvard, joining an investment start-up and building a reputation as a business pioneer.
That same spirit now drives his push for real reform in our state, because across Illinois more than one million small businesses are led by creative, driven innovative people from every walk of life. And they need a governor who’s fighting for them.
Working for you and our future. Bruce Rauner.
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE 1 *** The ILGOP press release puts the video into context…
More than one million small businesses in Illinois are hurting from decades of tax-hikes, burdensome regulations, and corrupt politics in Springfield.
As Governor Rauner cuts the red tape and fights for change to help small businesses, Democratic candidates for Governor shockingly had nothing to say this small business week.
That’s right, J.B. Pritzker, Chris Kennedy, Daniel Biss and Ameya Pawar refused to even acknowledge small business week and the challenges that half of Illinois’ workforce faces.
But Governor Rauner is speaking out.
This week, Rauner toured small businesses across Illinois – pushing for real reform to help small businesses grow. See coverage of the Governor’s tour below.
And this morning, Rauner released a new digital ad highlighting the role small businesses play in Illinois, and how his business background and reform plan is paving the way to deliver change for struggling small businesses.
So, the governor officially declared “Small Business Week,” embarked on an official tour of the state to celebrate it, and then his state party whacks Democratic candidates for not following suit.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Ameya Pawar campaign…
Like Donald Trump, Bruce Rauner ran as a populist but governs as a plutocrat. Bruce Rauner claims he’s fighting for working families but under his leadership,130,000 low-income college students aren’t receiving tuition grants, 47,000 children aren’t receiving affordable child care that allows their parents to go to work, and 80,000 people have lost access to mental health services in Illinois.
Like Donald Trump, Bruce Rauner was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and this video is just another attempt to draw a veil over a life of privilege. Governor Rauner, you might have been “successful” in business, but spare us the theatre, the costume, and the phony accent. Do your job and pass a budget.
* Illinois Working Together Campaign Director Jake Lewis…
Today, Gov. Bruce Rauner visited the Small Business Development Center at Lincoln Land Community College. According to Crain’s Chicago, nearly a quarter of small business centers at Illinois colleges have closed because of the Rauner budget crisis. Colleges with shuttered small business centers include Governors State University, Joliet Junior College, Illinois State University, and Waubonsee Community College in Aurora.
When Governors State University was forced to close its Illinois Small Business Development Center and Illinois SBDC International Trade Center, school officials noted that “the centers have helped more than 6,000 clients create 4,650 new jobs with 190 new business starts and 150 business expansions.”
Other universities have made extensive cuts to their small business centers. Southern Illinois University’s Small Business Center, which was on the brink of closing due to the budget crisis, has cut its staff from 11 to two.
“It is the height of hypocrisy for Gov. Rauner to tout his failed political agenda at a college small business center while the Rauner budget crisis has shuttered similar centers across Illinois. By holding the budget hostage, Gov. Rauner has forced nearly a quarter of college small business centers to close and others to severely cut programming. To actually help small businesses in Illinois grow, Rauner should put people before politics, drop his failed political agenda, and pass a budget.”
Nursing home workers have reached a tentative agreement with nursing home owners for a three-year contract, averting the largest nursing home strike in history.
Through this contract, the owners and management teams at the 103 nursing homes of the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities recognize 10,000 SEIU Healthcare Illinois members as skilled, dedicated, and irreplaceable employees who provide quality care.
Nursing home workers won important improvements, including:
Significant wage increases. This means nursing home workers will be able to provide for their families while taking care of others.
Staffing provisions to help reduce turnover and increase the quality of care for residents.
The union had planned another rally early this morning and most of the Democratic gubernatorial candidates were expected to attend.
We’re left to presume that Emanuel’s remarks had more to do with his sour relationship with Rauner and “Don’t give the governor a win,” the unofficial motto of Illinois Democrats.
Rauner vetoed an Emanuel-backed, much-needed pension package in March that would have eased the city’s financial crunch, and he hasn’t stormed to rescue Chicago Public Schools from its need for pension relief.
Tit for tat. Rauner needs Emanuel to get the Thompson Center deal done; Emanuel throws up a roadblock. Politics and revenge play into what could be a partnership benefiting all taxpayers.
Here’s an idea: Get city and state lawyers in a room — or better yet, Emanuel and Rauner — and you could have a deal in an afternoon. That would be the mature solution. Instead, petulance all around.
Getting them into a room together for an afternoon would be a good idea. No doubt. People should act like grownups.
But there are far too many other issues out there to be resolved first, and neither man has direct control over all of them.
“From storefront shops that anchor Main Street to the high tech startups that keep American on the cutting edge, small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstone or our nation’s promise”
Governor Bruce Rauner served as the keynote speaker at the sixth annual DuPage County Regional Business Outlook event held Tuesday at the Drury Lane Conference Center, providing his framework for driving growth and economic development in DuPage County and statewide.
Governor Rauner shared his insight with a gathering of nearly 1,000 of the region’s business and civic leaders, welcoming them as “the backbone of the Illinois economy,” before sharing his vision for the future of the state.
* From the Sun-Times interview of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bob Daiber…
As for Illinois House Speaker and Democratic Party of Illinois Chairman Michael Madigan — the state Republican Party’s primo target — Daiber said the speaker was his second call when he decided to run. Daiber said the speaker “heard the rumor” and asked if he was serious. Daiber said Madigan told him to “move forward.”
“He’s not a bad guy. I’m probably the only guy who says that,” Daiber said of Madigan. “I have respect for him.”
* The Question: Suggested Daiber campaign slogans?
* From Biss for Illinois campaign manager, Abby Witt, regarding today’s labor union endorsements of JB Pritzker today…
“The fact that these endorsements were given out to a candidate who is only weeks into his public life, who has no voting record on union issues, but does have a family business with a history of anti-union behavior — and without so much as an endorsement questionnaire or interview — tells you all you need to know about these announcements. While this is the way business is done in Springfield, the working men and women of Illinois deserve better.
“Daniel Biss is never going to be the choice of the billionaires or Mike Madigan because our campaign is building a movement of ordinary people ready to take their state back from money and the machine.”
Like I said earlier today, the gloves are coming off.
*** UPDATE *** From Sam Hobert of the Pawar campaign…
Ameya Pawar will always be a steadfast supporter of organized labor and collective bargaining rights and his partnership with labor to pass paid sick leave, raise the minimum wage, and combat wage theft are a reflection of his commitment to labor and working people–endorsements or non-endorsements won’t change that.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
SB 1502 is a highly complex privacy and transparency regulation that punishes small businesses, companies and organizations alike that have websites or online newsletters to hire lawyers to set up new IT and compliance systems—even in cases where these businesses already offer significant protections and privacy controls.
It encourages frivolous lawsuits that hurt Illinois businesses by incentivizing cases that recover fees through class action lawsuits over minor technical violations, putting small businesses and start-ups in the crosshairs of unfair litigation.
The Illinois State Fair filled the last open spot in its Grandstand concert on Wednesday by announcing the addition of Sublime with Rome and Blues Traveler.
The show will be Tuesday, Aug. 15.
Sublime with Rome consists of members of the band Sublime, perhaps best known for its 1990s hit “What I Got,” and singer/guitarist Rome Ramirez. The rock band, which has heavy influences from both hip and reggae, is promoting their latest album “Sirens,” which includes “Wherever You Go” and the title track.
Blues Traveler has been performing since 1987 and covers a variety of genres, including blues, psychedelic, folk and Southern rock. Their hits include “Run-Around” and “Hook.”
The concert joins the rest of the Grandstand lineup headlined by Brad Paisely, John Mellencamp, Pentatonix and more.
So, we get those guys, Foghat, Peter Noone from Herman’s Hermits and Alabama.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza wants Gov. Bruce Rauner to hit the pause button on revamping the Medicaid managed care program.
In a state without a budget for two years, rebidding a program that could potentially award up to $9 billion a year over four years in contracts should have more scrutiny, Mendoza, a Democrat, said in a letter today to the Republican governor. She said the procurement could be the largest in the state’s history.
“We are effectively seeking to restructure the state’s largest budget item without a budget,” Mendoza wrote. “Why are we making this monumental change during this period of unprecedented upheaval?”
Rauner in February announced that he would overhaul the managed care program, a key Medicaid initiative that intends to rein in costs, but one that the governor says hasn’t saved enough money. It’s an unpopular program with doctors and hospitals alike. They complain about its heavy administrative burden.
In a letter sent to Gov. Bruce Rauner Tuesday – and also released publicly – Mendoza said the proposal calls for a 25 percent increase in Medicaid recipients using managed care while also greatly reducing the number of managed care providers.
“Similar initiatives in other states, advanced without appropriate questions being raised, have been met with unforeseen challenges, including reduced access to service and increased administrative costs,” Mendoza said.
The Democratic comptroller asked Rauner, a Republican with whom she has often been at odds, to delay implementation of the contract to give lawmakers and others more time to review the proposal. She is also asking legislative leaders to set up a forum for further discussion of the plan. […]
“The managed care reboot will improve healthcare delivery through a transparent process that was designed with significant stakeholder input to ensure integrity, competition and sustainable program costs for Illinois,” DHFS spokesman John Hoffman said in a statement.
The board chairman of one of the largest private Medicaid health plans in Illinois fears the Rauner administration is locking the nonprofit out of a lucrative state contract.
If so, the health plan, Chicago-based Family Health Network, likely will dissolve, forcing its more than 200,000 members to find health insurance and doctors alike elsewhere, said Jose Sanchez. He’s board chairman of the plan, known as FHN, and CEO of Norwegian American Hospital, one of five hospitals that founded the plan 22 years ago.
A group of state lawmakers is taking it one step further, suggesting in a letter to Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner that the hospitals would close without revenue generated from the health plan. Many of the facilities are anchors of impoverished neighborhoods.
“The healthcare delivery infrastructure for Latino and African-American communities are in grave danger of collapse,” the lawmakers wrote in the March 28 letter to Rauner.
The reason those hospitals could close is that they depend on the revenues from their stake in FHN to remain viable.
In anticipation of today’s event with working families at the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399 in Chicago, the Pritzker campaign released the following video to share why members of the labor movement are standing with JB.
Illinois ranks eighth in the nation in the number of cases of human trafficking, which includes many child victims. Yet, an overwhelming majority of Illinois citizens are uninformed about this important human rights issue, according to the results of the latest poll from Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
The poll provided voters the definition of human trafficking from the Trafficking Victims Protection Act as the act of recruiting, harboring, moving or obtaining a person, by force, fraud or coercion, for the purposes of involuntary servitude, debt bondage or sexual exploitation. This definition was provided to inform voters on the issue and remove potential bias.
The poll was taken March 4 to March 11. The sample included 1,000 randomly selected registered voters and the margin for error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Sixty percent of the interviews were with respondents on cell phones.
More than half, 51 percent, of voters surveyed disagree or strongly disagree that sex trafficking affects their area, with 28 percent reporting that it does. One in five voters, 21 percent, did not know or refused to answer.
The full poll, along with some crosstabs can be read by clicking here.
An organization representing homebuilding contractors said Tuesday that a proposal in the Illinois Senate’s “grand bargain” that would apply the sales tax to home repairs, among other services, would cost the state hundreds of jobs.
The sponsor of the legislation, however, said extension of the tax to certain services is necessary to get the state out of its financial hole.
The bill would apply a 6.25 percent sales tax to home repairs, landscaping, dry cleaning and the use of storage units.
According to the Home Builders Association of Illinois, imposition of the tax would discourage home owners from having work done, causing a $47 million decline in home repair and maintenance work, 521 fewer Illinois jobs and nearly $8 million less in local and state tax revenue.
We need every, single job we can get in this state and I don’t want to seem harsh or dismissive, but the lack of a fully funded state budget has cost Illinois a whole lot more than 521 jobs - if, indeed, those home repair jobs will actually disappear. That’s a pretty darned precise estimate.
Again, when you lose your own job the unemployment rate is 100 percent. I’ve been there. I don’t wish that desperation on anybody. But something has got to give here and it would be helpful if the Home Builders Association could come up with their own ideas.
* The Tribune reports that DCFS Director George Sheldon may be leaving for a job in Florida…
The change of leadership would be another blow to DCFS, which had seven directors or acting directors in the three years before Gov. Bruce Rauner appointed Sheldon in February 2015.
The Tribune has also learned that in recent months that Sheldon fell under a cloud of ethics probes by DCFS Inspector General Denise Kane and Illinois Executive Inspector General Margaret Hickey. Kane’s office has investigated allegations of favoritism in contracts and hiring, as well as abuse of authority by a top aide, according to government documents and interviews.
Separately, Sheldon faced pushback from veteran agency investigators who say they are pressured to quickly close abuse and neglect cases even when children face serious harm.
The agency last week was roiled by the death of 16-month-old Semaj Crosby in Joliet. DCFS opened and closed four investigations into alleged abuse in her home and had visited just hours before she was reported missing. She was later found dead under a couch in the home.
The revelation that veteran investigators are complaining about pressure to quickly close abuse cases couldn’t come at a worse time, as the Tribune notes.
Semaj’s family told police she’d been playing with other children in the front yard Tuesday afternoon when she disappeared and they spent an hour looking for her before calling police. Semaj’s mother, Sheri Gordon, was questioned twice by investigators and consulted with a lawyer before allowing police to search the house late Wednesday. […]
A representative of the Department of Children and Family Services was at the house about an hour before Semaj went missing. The agency opened two investigations of Gordon for allegations of neglect last month. DCFS spokeswoman Veronica Resa stated in an email that DCFS personnel had been at the home about 3:20 p.m. Tuesday “and had seen all three of the mother’s children, including Semaj. There were no obvious hazards or safety concerns at that time.”
But sheriff’s police described the house’s condition as “deplorable,” with garbage strewn throughout. The residence was tagged Thursday as unfit for occupancy.
Including Gordon, her two sons and Semaj, five to 15 people were regularly living in the house as “squatters,” according to sheriff’s police.
An Illinois judge is demanding to know what did state child care workers do to help the family of a 1-year-old girl who was found dead in their home.
Will County Circuit Judge Paula Gomora made the request Tuesday during a hearing to determine where to place the deceased girl’s three older brothers. […]
During the hearing, Gomora said Department of Children and Family Services caseworkers missed obvious signs of trouble in previous visits to the home.
DCFS contracted with the private child welfare agency Children’s Home and Aid to provide services to the family. Both DCFS and Children’s Home and Aid declined to comment Tuesday.
Officials released photos on Monday giving a glimpse inside the now-condemned home in far southwest suburban Joliet Township where 16-month-old Semaj Crosby was found dead last week. […]
As police conduct a “suspicious death” investigation, the newly released photos and reports provided by the Will County Land Use Department in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by the Chicago Sun-Times appear to back up the “deplorable” conditions inside the home that authorities described last week. […]
“The entire structure appeared unsanitary because of the heavily soiled carpets, walls, garbage and [it] contains a serious degree of filth,” an inspector noted in her report.
Will County Sheriff’s deputies encountered little Semaj Crosby on Easter Sunday when they did a well-being check.
The department said on its Facebook page that three deputies went to a Joliet Township residence April 16 after someone made an “abandoned” call to 9-1-1.
“When they arrived at the home they came across some kids outside playing with sticks,” the Facebook post said. “They went inside and spoke to the mom and grandmother and found that everything was fine.”
* But Director Sheldon told a Senate committee this morning that he has reviewed the case and didn’t find anything wrong…
"We do not bring children into care because of a dirty house,” DCFS director says. Reviewed records and did not warrant removal, he says. https://t.co/bHcWZzIICI
“There are two things that make this a particularly difficult job right now,” [ACLU of Illinois legal director Ben Wolf] added. “The agency’s problems are very profound … and the budget impasse and political paralysis that caused it are putting enormous pressure on the child welfare system and all of the other human services in Illinois.”
SCOOPLET — As we first reported Monday, J.B. Pritzker today will hold a news conference touting an endorsement from a series of trade unions. POLITICO has the first glimpse of a full list of the 14 groups backing him early in the game. Here they are: Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, The Chicago District Council of Laborers’, Local 881 UFCW, Boilermakers Local 1, Bricklayers District Council, International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 2, Heat and Frost Insulators Local 17, Ironworkers Chicago District Council & Vicinity, Operating Engineers Local 150, Operating Engineers Local 399, Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 502, UA Plumbers Local 130, Roofers and Waterproofers Local 11, Sheet Metal Workers Local 73.
That’s no scooplet. As I told subscribers this morning, Local 150 of the Operating Engineers is a huge get for Pritzker. That local is the de facto leader of this state’s construction trade unions. It is heavily involved in Illinois politics and has plenty of money to play with.
And Kennedy’s helming of the Wolf Point construction project, done in conjunction with organized labor, should’ve given him a much better foothold with all those trade unions that are now backing Pritzker.
Big win for Pritzker, big loss for Kennedy.
* Meanwhile, Sen. Daniel Biss responded to JB Pritzker’s new TV ad last night at 7:41…
“His tag line should be ‘I can write big checks.’ Bragging about how you threw money at problems is not thinking big; it’s thinking like a billionaire. And it’s not a case for being a good governor. We already learned our lesson on this front with failed experiment Bruce Rauner.
“While JB Pritzker and Chris Kennedy are copying plays from the Bruce Rauner billionaire’s playbook, Daniel Biss is fighting for legislation today that would change the way campaigns are financed in this state — because, the fundamental problem in Springfield is that our government has been answering to the very rich, under both parties.
“The answer to Illinois’s problems isn’t going to come from billionaires or machine politicians. They’re the people at the root of our problems. It’s going to come from a movement of people ready to take their state back from money and the machine.”
Daiber says “people in Springfield” know he “knows the game.” He calls himself the “poor guy in the room.”
“I’m the guy that most people wish would go away, but it’s not going to happen,” Daiber said.
Daiber might lack the popularity and Camelot mystique of Kennedy, but he’s banking on his name recognition in Downstate Illinois to help him in the race — despite having a bit more than $37,000 on hand at the end of March. Daiber knows he’s up against millions in the race, but he says he’s making plans for the next few months and focusing on the issues. Among his plans is a June meeting with the AFL-CIO to try to gain its endorsement. He also plans to unveil detailed tax structure plans — in January.
“I stay focused on the issues. I look at the support that comes. The money will follow me,” Daiber said. “And that’s how I plan to stay in the race.”
I doubt if he’s known Downstate anywhere beyond Madison County. And considering the trade unions’ endorsement of Pritzker, he probably shouldn’t count on the Illinois AFL-CIO unless Pritzker stumbles really badly. And I do mean badly.
Q: Rauner has waged war on Democrats, saying they’re just interested in raising taxes and he’s guarding against it.
A: I think $1 billion of unpaid bills is pretty much evidence his plan isn’t working very well. His deficit has almost tripled since he’s been in office … The average person is saying: look, if you got to raise taxes, raise taxes. Let’s just get on with it and get a budget … Saying you’re a tax and spend Democrat? How about a tax and stabilize Democrat? Just to bring stability to the state. Let’s look at a progressive income tax system.”
I sure hope that $1 billion thing is a typo. It’s a whole lot more than that.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel acknowledged Tuesday he was blocking the sale of the Thompson Center in the heart of the Loop until he’s certain that Chicago taxpayers won’t get “stuck with the tab” for rebuilding the massive CTA station underneath the state building.
“I’m not going to stick that tab on Chicago taxpayers,” Emanuel said at an unrelated event to tout park and library improvements in Bronzeville. “Why would I do that to Chicago taxpayers?”
The sale of the center is contingent on the City Council changing the rules that will dictate the size of the building that will eventually replace the the three-decade-old state office building at 100 W. Randolph St.
Eleni Demertzis, a spokeswoman for Gov. Bruce Rauner, responded by saying said Emanuel was “trying to distract from the real issue — which is the city being greedy and trying to extort the state taxpayers for more money than what the property is worth.”
“I am not going to let the state have a short term, book a couple hundred million and then stick the Chicago taxpayers with [a bill for] $100 million. How about paying the teachers’ pensions?” Emanuel asked.
Call me crazy, but I kinda think that if Gov. Rauner wasn’t holding up progress on appropriating $215 million for Chicago teacher pensions and hadn’t vetoed another city pension bill that this sale might be going more smoothly.
And for the governor’s office to complain when somebody else holds something hostage that Rauner wants is a bit rich.
But, man, it’s like everybody is in the room throwing roundhouse punches at each other these days.
The mayor noted the Thompson Center station is “one of the busiest stations in the entire network of 140-plus L stations.” That begs the question: “If you sell it and it has to come down, who builds it and who takes the cost?”
“I’m not gonna stick that on Chicago taxpayers. The developer or the state has to do it,” the mayor said.
“I’m not gonna have a short-term gain [and a long-term loss] when you have one of the most important stations and the reason that property is so valuable [being demolished]. Yes, the state gets to book the money when they sell. But, who’s gonna build or rebuild that station? I’m responsible to make sure that tab is not on the Chicago taxpayers.”
A significant part of the value of the Thompson Center site is that incredibly busy station underneath. You gotta figure the new owners would want to keep that station intact.
* Not to mention that the city would get a bunch of money from the sale…
“If we maximize the development in the way that we’ve conceived of at 3 million square feet, it could be over $40 million a year in additional property tax revenue for the city,” Hoffman added.
Again, this is likely a lot more about CPS funding than it is about the CTA.
Chicago police were questioning three people and were searching for others after two plainclothes officers were wounded Tuesday night in the Back of the Yards when gunmen began firing “indiscriminately” at them, authorities said.
Both Deering District officers were shot by a “high-powered weapon,” police said. One officer was hit in the arm and hip, the other in the back.
They were taken to Stroger Hospital, where they were in serious condition but stable. Officials said their injuries were not life-threatening.
The officers were sitting in an unmarked car in the 4300 block of South Ashland Avenue around 9 p.m., following up an earlier investigation, when they saw someone in a silver van shooting at another vehicle, according to preliminary information from police.
“The occupants began firing shots indiscriminately in the direction of the officers,” the Police Department said in a statement. “The officers returned fire.” It is not believed they hit anyone.
Multiple security cameras are in place around the intersection where the shooting occurred, near 43rd Street and Ashland Avenue. […]
Multiple weapons were recovered in the area, as well as a vehicle possibly used in the shooting, Johnson said. […]
The vehicle the officers were in was “riddled with bullets” from what police believe was a high powered rifle, he added. […]
Hundreds of officers from across the city had swarmed the area in the hours after the shooting. Dozens more congregated at the hospital. Mayor Rahm Emanuel visited the officers and their families before leaving about 10:35 p.m.
*** UPDATE *** The CPD dispatch audio is horrifying…
Hotel Scion Pritzker Using Inherited Wealth on Inherited Agenda
Pritzker’s Advertising Follows Gov. Rauner’s Action
Today, J.B. Pritzker launched an ad campaign that aims to mirror Bruce Rauner’s actions as Governor.
He’s using his inherited wealth to push for an inherited agenda.
Pritzker’s ad claims he helped 55,000 kids get school breakfasts and touts his support for early childhood education.
What J.B. won’t tell you is that Gov. Rauner signed a bill providing 175,000 children with school breakfasts last year.
As Governor, Bruce Rauner increased education funding by $700 million since taking office, including a $100 million increase for early childhood education.
If J.B. Pritzker wants to take real, impactful steps to fix our state, he should use his fortune to encourage Mike Madigan to come to the table and pass reforms.
* The Question: How would you rate the phrase “using inherited wealth on an inherited agenda”? Don’t forget to explain your answer.
*** UPDATE *** From Pritzker campaign manager Anne Caprara responding to the above release…
“Yesterday it was reported that early childhood education programs were at risk of getting cut because of Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership.
“This is laughable. The only person Rauner’s convinced that he’s making a difference when it comes to these issues is unfortunately himself.”
Downstate transit is funded in part through city and county sales taxes. But before that money can be spent, it passes through state government. That means transit agencies have to wait in a long line to get paid — Illinois’ so-called backlog of bills stands at more than $11 billion.
State Rep. Katie Stuart, a Democrat from Edwardsville, is sponsoring legislation that would essentially pull downstate transit out of line, sending them tax money directly.
“We have transit districts downstate that are under threat of closing, and we have people that can’t get to school, and jobs, and medical appointments,” Stuart says.
In a fiscal note on the legislation, the Illinois comptroller warns that this would remove her discretion to say whether some other claim on state money should take priority over transit — like schools, drug treatment centers, or even state employee paychecks. But spokeswoman Jamey Dunn says the office is not taking a position for or against the bill.
Dunn says the comptroller’s office released $19.3 million for the transit agencies Monday, but still owes $70 million.
The legislation was approved in the Illinois House last week on a bipartisan vote of 102-12, and goes next to the state Senate.
Provisions of HB 2453 would require the deposit of transit funds derived from sales taxes directly into the Downstate Public Transportation Fund that would amount to an estimated $205 million annually. Currently, the Office of the Comptroller makes transfers from the General Revenue Fund into the Downstate Public Transportation Fund as available balances in the GRF allows throughout the fiscal year while facing a general funds backlog of bills at $12.6 billion. This legislation would essentially remove the Comptroller’s discretion for making such payments for downstate transit districts from cash management criteria used by the Comptroller in balancing payments for all the other pending obligations such as for education, medical programs, certain human service programs, debt service and State payrolls. As of March 24, 2017 the pending backlog for the Downstate transit programs was estimated at $70 million.
So, wait a second.
When money is piling up in special accounts for higher education and social services, legislators shouldn’t remove the “pressure” by releasing those funds? But when money for transit agencies is caught in the impasse morass, it’s OK to appropriate the money?
“The fact that we have gone now without a budget for over two years has put this state in the worst condition I can ever remember. Even during the Blagojevich years it wasn’t this bad.”
“All our universities are great assets. I think that they are one of the most important elements in our economic progress. And the damage that’s been done now, it’s gonna take years to undo that. If people are worried about the economy, that alone ought to underscore why we need to get a budget.”
* Related…
* Greg Hinz: State gets new reminder of slipping finances
* Bob Reed: Illinois’ medical debt spiral injures people, economy
Today, the JB Pritzker for Governor campaign released its first TV ad, a 60-second spot called “Think Big.” The ad will air in markets across the state.
“Think Big” highlights JB’s progressive record of getting things done, including his work to bring new, good paying jobs to Illinois by helping build 1871, a non-profit technology small business incubator, by working with non-profits like Share Our Strength and Greater Chicago Food Depository to provide school breakfast to 55,000 Illinois kids, and JB’s work as a national leader in early childhood education.
“Today, I’m excited to release our campaign’s first TV ad and continue introducing myself to people across Illinois,” said JB Pritzker. “As I’ve traveled across the state, I’ve visited organizations and met with Illinoisans who are paying the price for Governor Rauner’s failure every day. It’s time we fight for what’s right and get our state back on track. By working together, I know that we can get real results for Illinois families and our communities.”
In the spot, Pritzker takes only a passing shot at incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner, saying that, under him, “things have only gotten worse” in Illinois. And he completely ignores other rivals for the Democratic nomination.
Instead, under the theme of thinking “big,” Pritzker talks about how he founded a successful tech incubator and worked to arrange funding for early-childhood education and nutrition programs. “Small ideas won’t help Illinois’ future,” he concludes.
But the “big” line is used to self-deprecating purpose, too. I’m not sure if he’s ever been skinny, and the spot depicts him walking down a street, stomach bumping above his belt, hammering on the “big” line.
Kinda cute, I thought. But look for yourself. At least we’re starting what likely will be a bitter campaign on a humorous note.
* We’ve already talked about JB Pritzker’s 2012 remark on a cable TV show how he hadn’t yet made up his mind whether he would support the Republican presidential nominee or President Obama’s reelection. At the time, the Republican candidates remaining in the race were Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.
If you watch the video, however, you’ll see Pritzker first say “Look, I’m a Democrat and I tend to lean toward voting for the President,” and then he went on to say…
But I think this is gonna be a long campaign, we’re gonna learn a lot during this campaign. And ultimately, as in every election, it’s gonna be a choice between two people and two parties that you’re not a hundred percent behind either one. You just have to pick sort of the, the best of a mediocre set of choices.
The Pritzker camp is shrugging off the attack. “J.B. looks forward to working with grassroots, Democratic and other organizations across Illinois to fight back against the failed leadership of Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump,” said his communications director, Galia Slayen. “And, unlike the current governor, J.B. doesn’t tear things down. He has a proven record of bringing people together.” […]
The Kennedy folks think they’re on to something here and intend to continue this line of attack. “We’ve seen what happens when someone like Gov. Rauner doesn’t need to reach out,” spokesman Mark Bergman said. “It’s resulted in gridlock” as GOP lawmakers who need Rauner’s financial help in their campaigns have refused to back a bipartisan deal, perhaps fearing that Rauner allies will oppose them in primaries as occurred in some instances this spring. Or, as the mailer put it: Big money “silences us. It says . . . that if you fight our fight for us, we’ll make you our king.”
Of course, Kennedy does not exactly reside in the poorhouse, having donated $250,100 to his own campaign. But that’s peanuts compared to the $7 million Pritzker donated to himself just in the campaign’s early days, Bergman said. “There’s a difference (between them). Chris has to raise money from people across Illinois,” Bergman said. “J.B. doesn’t.”
All of this will thoroughly delight GOP leaders. “Do the Democrats listen to any voice except Mike Madigan?” asked former state GOP Chairman Pat Brady.
There’s also some word going around that Pritzker may be going up on TV very soon. Stay tuned.
Planned Parenthood on Tuesday released a poll and TV ad aimed at putting pressure on Rep. Peter Roskam — who is already being targeted by Democrats as a vulnerable Republican in a district that favored Hillary Clinton for president.
“Extreme politicians are trying to defund Planned Parenthood which would have a devastating impact on the more than 60,000 people who rely on Planned Parenthood in Illinois,” the ad says, while urging constituents to call Roskam to ask him “to protect women’s health.” The ad is paid for by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. The ads will run for at least one week in the Chicago area media market. […]
The Planned Parenthood poll conducted by Public Policy Polling found — out of 566 voters in the Sixth Congressional District — 57 percent opposed changes to health care that would “defund” Planned Parenthood. Of those polled 49 percent said they supported the Affordable Care Act, with 39 percent opposing and 11 percent unsure. […]
The poll also sought to learn whether Trump’s proposed actions to defund Planned Parenthood made them more likely to participate in grassroots activity: 51 percent said they were more likely; 26 percent said they were less likely; 22 percent said it didn’t make a difference and 1 percent said they were not sure.
* Democrat and former Naperville school board member Suzyn Price has been hitting the incumbent hard in recent days on this general topic…
“If you have cancer, diabetes or if you’re pregnant, insurance companies will be able to deny you care or vastly increase the cost of it under the new Roskam-Ryan-Trump plan,” she said in a statement. “We need a representative in the 6th district that listens to what people want and stands up against this radical agenda.”
Alex Paterakis is arguably the longest shot of all of them. He is the youngest candidate in the race at 29 years old. The graduate of Purdue University is a civil engineer by trade who’s worked on highway construction projects in Illinois.
He has never run for political office before.
He has an economic agenda that sounds a bit like the current governor. Paterakis calls for spending reform to limit the taxes on manufacturing companies, tax reform that includes a property tax freeze, removing sales taxes on manufacturing and he supports term limits.
Then he has ideas that align more with Democrats: providing more money for primary education, reforming the financing system for college like being able to refinance student loans and cutting interest rates. He calls for increasing the minimum wage to $12 an hour. All of this seems hard to do while holding the line on taxes.
CT: Many people may agree with you in terms of not liking how money can dominate politics but, nevertheless, the system as it is certainly favors people who can buy lots of political advertising and get their message out more easily. How are you planning on overcoming that disadvantage?
AP: Through my social media presence. To take advantage of the volunteers that have advocated for me and who are going to be working for me. Money does not always buy… it gets you to the table. Trust me it gets you to the table. Some of these guys running throw millions and millions of dollars – Bruce Rauner for example threw millions of millions of dollars (at his campaign) and it got him to the table, he’s self-funding the Republican Party, but I see it as I’m going to reject the system and reject that you have to spend $40 to $50 million on advertising agencies and am going to use social media platforms via live videos, via Facebook, via Instagram, via Twitter, via Snapchat – all those things to get my message out there rather than the traditional form of media which is going through advertising on TV and things like that. I’ll have to do some of that there’s no doubt about that but that’s how I’m going about things. And also visiting as many people as I can both in the north suburbs of Chicago, in Chicago and also the people that have been forgotten in southern Illinois.
Give the guy some credit. He’s working the social media angle hard. His Facebook page has 37,984 “likes.” That’s more than every other Democratic candidate, but shy of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s 52,570.
Rauner and Pritzker have far more Twitter followers. But Paterakis has more Twitter loyalists than Kennedy, Biss and Pawar.
But, to give you a little perspective, I have more Twitter followers than all the candidates and the Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet has almost twice as many Twitter followers as Rauner.
Paterakis has just $5,000 cash on hand. He’ll need more than that for gas money to get to southern Illinois from Vernon Hills.
Koshko: How would you balance the budget if you were governor right now?
Kennedy: Well, the first thing I would do is I would abandon the need to adopt his Turnaround Agenda first. This isn’t a stalemate, this isn’t a logjam, this is a hostage-taking. Gov. Rauner is holding the state budget hostage for ideas that only he thinks are more important than what the rest of the state believes in. If he gave up on those ideas, there would be a balanced budget passed in Springfield within ten days.
Koshko: Revenue, cuts or both?
Kennedy: I think the legislature would figure that out in these next ten days. If you’re talking about what happens two years from now, I think we need to know what damage Gov. Rauner does. Enormous pile of unpaid bills that he has created under his own management, it leaves the state really at risk and I don’t know how bad it will get.
Koshko: With some Democrats saying, look, it’s Rauner’s job to propose the budget, it would be reasonable for them to say it’ll be your job to propose the budget. So what would you do, how would you propose the budget?
Kennedy: I don’t know what the size of the unpaid bills is. How can I answer that? Could you have predicted that he’d go with $12-14 billion in unpaid bills? Can you tell me what it will be like, you know, two years from now? I’m sorry, I can’t do that. We have one governor at a time. It’s his job. He ought to get it done.
* The House, in its infinite wisdom, is on break this week (the first time I can remember that happening in May). The Senate convenes at noon with an approp committee meeting this morning at 9. Follow everything in real time right here with ScribbleLive…
“It’s a horrible situation,” Lisa Madigan said. “It’s unconscionable that there hasn’t been a budget in place because people who rely on state services are suffering.”
Is it something she and her father talk about during family gatherings? Nope.
When there are grandchildren about, her father is focused only on them, she said. Indeed, Madigan’s mom, Shirley Madigan, attended the luncheon with pictures of Lisa’s two daughters hanging on a lanyard around her neck.
“She’s everyone’s favorite Madigan,” Lisa Madigan said of her mom, prompting laughter and applause.
That last part is certainly true. Nobody doesn’t like Shirley Madigan.
