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Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Republican candidate for DuPage County Forest Preserve commissioner has a life-sized sign…  What are the sign wars looking like by you? [Headline explained here.]
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Illinois Department of Human Services…
* Crain’s | Telling the “Why Illinois” story on the global stage: With Illinois now on stronger financial footing, the state is able to prioritize economic growth and development in ways that it couldn’t before — and telling the “Why Illinois” story on the global stage is a key component of that strategy. The Gubernatorial Trade Mission to Japan this October is one such example, in addition to recent trips to Canada and the United Kingdom. John Atkinson, Chairman of Intersect Illinois, outlines how the state is building connections and driving increased investment through these delegations. * IPM | Illinois is the nation’s pumpkin producer. Here’s why: Mohammed Babadoost, a plant pathology professor at the College of Aces, said the significance of pumpkins in Illinois is measurable. “We grow almost all, at least 90% of canned pumpkins, meaning that if Illinois fails in pumpkin production there would be no pumpkin pie,” Babadoost said. Other states, such as Indiana, Ohio, New York and California, produce seasonal pumpkins for decoration, but not for processing, he said. * Tribune | ComEd’s former top lawyer takes stand in Madigan corruption trial after state Rep. Bob Rita’s testimony derailed: In 2011, as Thomas O’Neill was in Springfield pushing for legislation on behalf of utility giant ComEd, he heard one question over and over: What did Michael Madigan think of the bill? “Everyone – I think without fail, but most everyone – was interested in where the speaker stood on this,” O’Neill, formerly ComEd’s general counsel, testified Monday in Madigan’s corruption trial. “House, Senate, Rs, Ds.” * WTTW | Ex-ComEd Lawyer Tells Jurors Madigan’s Support Was Critical for Legislative Success in Speaker’s Ongoing Corruption Trial: O’Neill testified that while working on that bill, both Hooker and McClain told him that they had a relationship with Madigan and that, if they could secure the necessary legislative votes for Smart Grid, then “the speaker will run this bill.” Jurors saw a December 2010 email from then-ComEd CEO Frank Clark who wrote that Madigan had informed Hooker “to put the formula rate proposal in bill format, (and) that he would take it up in January. * Center Square | Prosecutors lay foundation in Madigan corruption trial: Prosecutors spent several hours with O’Neill on the stand as they worked to establish a foundation for their case against Madigan. O’Neill also testified that a representative from the speaker’s office clarified that any utility legislation would carry an expiration date or sunset clause when it would automatically end. * Sun-Times | Pepsi closes only Chicago plant without warning employees, union alleges: Pepsi shuttered its South Side plant without notice Monday morning and laid off at least 79 employees. Workers showed up at the plant as usual early Monday only to learn they had been let go and the facility would be closed, according to their union, Teamsters Local 727. They were sent home at 5:45 a.m., and deliveries to the plant at 650 W. 51st St. were being rerouted shortly after, according to a union spokesperson. * WTTW | Pay $4M to Family of Man Who Spent 33 Years in Prison After Being Wrongfully Convicted, City Lawyers Recommend: Lee Harris was 36 when he was convicted in 1992 and sentenced to 90 years in prison for murdering 24-year-old Dana Feitler, who was forced to withdraw $400 from an ATM after being kidnapped from the lobby of her apartment building in the city’s most affluent neighborhood. Eight months after Harris was exonerated in March 2023, he died of natural causes, records show. * Sun-Times | Pilsen ’serial polluter,’ shouldn’t get new permit for shredding metal, residents say: “Sims has been in violation, not once or twice but many, many, many times,” Theresa McNamara, chairwoman of the Southwest Environmental Alliance, told the Sun-Times. “This is what the mayor needs to look at. He needs to see that this is a serial polluter.” Under an agreement with the state, Sims is building new equipment to contain emissions from the site. “They should not get a permit [from the city] until they put in the equipment,” McNamara added. “We need the mayor to stop giving Sims special treatment by overlooking their history in our community.” * Crain’s | Quantum park adds two more U of I leaders to senior team: Two more senior University of Illinois staffers have signed on to help turn the quantum-computing park on the South Side into reality. Laura Appenzeller, executive director of the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign, will be an associate director and chief operating officer. Brian DeMarco, a physics professor and quantum technology researcher in Urbana, will be associate director and chief technology officer. They’ll also continue to serve in their campus roles. * Crain’s | Chicago’s oldest steakhouse isn’t shying away from change anymore: Founded in 1941, Gene & Georgetti is Chicago’s oldest steakhouse. The restaurant has been resistant to change for most of its existence. The decor went untouched for decades. The owners repeatedly turned down proposals to expand because they did not want to dilute the brand. […] Michelle Durpetti said she consulted with her father on her vision for the future of the restaurant. “I sat down with my parents and said, ‘Look, if it’s my turn . . . I’d like to make a few modifications to how we do things,’ ” she told Manilow. “If I was going to do it, and I was going to give it 100% and put my heart and soul into it, I had to believe in what I was doing.”
* Daily Southtown | Flossmoor settles lawsuit with fired police Chief Jerel Jones, who alleged racial discrimination: The village agreed to pay Jones nearly $60,000 “to avoid the cost and distraction of prolonged litigation,” Mayor Michelle Nelson said in a statement Friday. “Our priority has always been to serve the best interests of our community, and we believe that this resolution will allow us to focus our resources on continuing to provide high-quality services and fostering a positive and inclusive environment for all residents,” Nelson said. “I look forward to continuing to work together, with residents and staff, toward our shared goals.” * News-Sun | Lake County state’s attorney candidates trade accusations as election nears: Incumbent Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart will be seeking a second term in office on Nov. 5, with a challenge coming from Republican candidate Mary Cole. […] Their responses occasionally sparked some sharp remarks, with Cole alleging that crime is up due to Rinehart’s policies. Rinehart said Cole was running “the most dishonest and cynical campaign imaginable.” * Fox 2 Now | Illinois Eaton workers strike enters week two, demand fair wages: The International Association of Machinists local 660 is going on strike against Eaton and it’s B-line business. Workers at the Eaton facility here in Troy as well as the location in Highland are taking part in the walkout. There are a total of about 400 workers walking the picket lines. * WSIL | Free aviation program coming to Cairo: A local organization is bringing the new program to Cairo to educate and help prepare students for a career in aviation. The Harold S Jones Fine Arts Center is introducing their Aviation Industry Workshop. This workshop is designed to introduce high school students to jobs in the airline industry, which includes pilots for helicopters, aircrafts, drones, also jobs for flight attendants, aircraft and airport maintenance and more. * SJ-R | Springfield could set record high temperature on Tuesday: A high of 83 degrees is predicted for Tuesday, but if temperatures reach 84 degrees in Springfield, it’d be a new record high for Oct. 29. Daryl Onton, a meteorologist at the NWS in Lincoln, said there is a strong chance of Springfield breaking that record. * The Atlantic | A Touch Revolution Could Transform Pitching: Mariano Rivera was never secretive about the grip on his signature pitch. He’d show it to teammates, coaches, even reporters. He placed his index and middle fingers together along the seams. He pulled down with his middle finger upon release. The ball would whiz arrow-straight before veering sharply a few inches from where the hitter expected it. When teaching pitchers how it should feel coming out of their hand, however, Rivera could be frustratingly vague. Put pressure on the middle finger, he would say. This can be a moneymaker for you. * AP | Researchers say an AI-powered transcription tool used in hospitals invents things no one ever said: Tech behemoth OpenAI has touted its artificial intelligence-powered transcription tool Whisper as having near “human level robustness and accuracy.” But Whisper has a major flaw: It is prone to making up chunks of text or even entire sentences, according to interviews with more than a dozen software engineers, developers and academic researchers. Those experts said some of the invented text — known in the industry as hallucinations — can include racial commentary, violent rhetoric and even imagined medical treatments.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small. We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Dana, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
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Pritzker faced a tough crowd
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Chicagoans will boo anybody…
* Aftermath… Hilarious.
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Energy Storage Can Minimize Price Spikes
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Each month, families and businesses pay a capacity charge through their energy bill. It’s essentially an insurance policy that pays energy resources (or “capacity”) to be available for when the grid needs them most. Grid operators project a possible shortage of capacity in the coming years, which means the charge for this insurance policy will rise next year for many Illinoisans. Batteries, or energy storage, are currently the best solution to minimize this price spike—but building them at the pace we need will require legislation. The added benefit is the ability to store cheap electricity for use when demand peaks during the day—lowering energy bills and making the grid more reliable. Learn more about legislation that builds urgently needed energy storage here. Paid for by Counterspark.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Question of the day
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Chicago Tribune Editorial Board…
During my time in Springfield, I’ve heard “why don’t you return ___’s contribution” many times. I never did get why. See: If you can’t take their money and vote against ‘em anyway, you don’t belong in the Legislature. …Adding… During a press conference last week, the Republican candidate for House District 97, Gabby Shanahan, called on Rep. Harry Benton to return campaign contributions from ex-speaker Mike Madigan…
* The Tribune in 2022…
The Question: What do you think pols should do with controversial campaign donations?
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Illinois Statehouse gets spooky for Halloween
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * It’s that time of year again! The Senate and House staff held their annual Capitol Trick-or-Treat event on Friday. This year, Monique Garcia of Mac Strategies, is our wonderful guest judge…
2nd place: Dracula’s Lair Senate Dems Legal 3rd place: Leader McCombie’s Office 4th place: LRB * Pics!…
Illinois really does have the best Statehouse staffers. A big thank you to all involved! * A little more…
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Polling shows public open to concept of consolidation, but lots of hard work remains (Updated)
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
…Adding… I get letters…
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Open thread
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Madigan Trial Week in Review. Capitol News Illinois…
- Tuesday, October 22: Feds ‘turned over heaven and earth’ in Madigan probe but found no real bribes, co-defendant says - Wednesday, October 23: ComEd exec testifies utility prepared for bankruptcy before 2011 law threw it a lifeline - Thursday, October 24: ‘My client is the speaker’: Jury hears wiretapped calls of Madigan co-defendant, longtime friend * Related stories… At 2:30 pm Governor Pritzker will give remarks at Award Ceremony for Major Chase Wilhelm. Click here to watch. * ABC Chicago | Gov. Pritzker, first lady dress up as Shrek, Fiona for Halloween: ‘What are you doing in my swamp?’: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and First Lady Mary Kathryn Muenster celebrated Halloween dressed as Shrek and Fiona this year. “What are you doing in my swamp?” the governor joked on social media. “Thanks for coming out early to celebrate Halloween with MK and I!” The couple passed out candy to trick-or-treaters on Saturday at the Governor’s mansion. * Daily Herald | ‘It’s got to be a fair deal’: Arlington Heights legislators open to Bears funding if the team comes back to town: “The deal will not have substantial state funding,” said Democratic state Sen. Mark Walker, whose 27th District includes the former 326-acre racetrack the Bears purchased in 2023. “And if there is tax relief available for the corporate enterprise, we can work that out, provided in the end it balances out to an advantaged situation for the community.” * QC Times | Johnson faces challenger Rodriguez to represent IL-72 District: The incumbent Democrat representative, Gregg Johnson, said his priorities are improving opportunities for the future generations by increasing investment in local schools, improving access to mental health care, and focusing on local economic growth opportunities. His Republican opponent, Charlie Helmick, said that his top priority is the well-being of residents in the area. To achieve this goal he proposes curbing illegal immigration and increasing spending on law enforcement to improve safety, and expanding incentives for businesses. * WSPD | Paid voting leave to assist voters who work on election day: Eligible voters in Illinois can take up to two hours off from work on election day, anytime between the opening and closing of the polls. Any employer found in violation will receive a written letter from the Illinois Board of Elections detailing the allegations but will not face criminal penalties, according to Matt Dietrich with the Illinois Board of Elections. * Tribune | Illinois has the most public bodies in the nation, multiplying opportunities for graft: Most infamous is the case of Rita Crundwell, who, as comptroller and treasurer of the small north central Illinois town of Dixon, perpetrated the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history. Crundwell embezzled $54 million in city funds to pay for a lifestyle that included expensive quarter horses, jewelry, vehicles and properties while city services went lacking. * Capitol News Illinois | State, Cook County use similar arguments to defend assault weapon bans: Attorneys in the offices of Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx made similar arguments in recent court filings as both defend bans on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines against constitutional challenges. In separate cases at different levels of the federal court system, both offices are trying to make the case that the laws under challenge – a state law enacted in 2023 and a county ordinance that dates to 1993 –fall within the bounds of the U.S. Supreme Court’s most recent interpretation of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. * Tribune | What happens if Chicago can’t pass a budget? ‘Murky waters,’ ‘dire situation.’: Experts say failing to pass a budget in time could quickly threaten the city government’s ability to carry out many services and pay its workers. It could harm the city’s credit rating and jack up costs for borrowing money while deeply shaking the faith Chicagoans have in their elected officials. Those pricey pitfalls should serve as a warning as the mayor and aldermen start to work out a budget in earnest, said Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, a nonpartisan fiscal policy think tank. * In These Times | Chicago Teachers Have an Ally As Mayor—Now They’re Fighting for a Historic Contract: “He only understands austerity,” Davis Gates says of Martinez, who was appointed by previous Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “What you see is a struggle between what was and what will be. Pedro came of age at a time when Arne Duncan was ‘turning schools around,’ where he would fire every worker in the building from the faculty to administration to the janitor to the lunchroom. It’s a struggle against what was once good enough versus the transformative power of a fully-resourced, fully-staffed school community.” * Crain’s | New CPS board president won’t say if board will fire CEO, calls question ’silly’: Rev. Johnson said it was “politicized” and a “loaded question” to ask whether he and the new board would fire Martinez. “If the city is on fire, don’t talk to me about anyone else other than putting the fire out,” he said. “And the fire that we have now is inequity when it comes to every group of people in this community, and Black students in particular.” * ABC Chicago | After School Matters breaks ground on 36K square foot facility in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green: The nonprofit’s meaningful mission is to provide after school and summer opportunities for nearly 20,000 students across Chicago. The organization broke ground Saturday on the start of renovations on a 36,000 square-foot facility located at North Orleans and West Hill Streets in the city’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood dedicated to teen programming. * Sun-Times | Former Ald. William Beavers dies at 89: “Bill Beavers will go down in history as one of the most progressive African American Alderman in the Chicago City Council,” Sean Howard, the family’s representative, said in a statement. “He was unapologetically Black and proved so by his countless efforts to propel Black businesspersons to engage in city business and contracts.” * Sun-Times | Illinois Black Panthers heritage trail sets record straight about its history: The Black Panther Heritage Trail will mark 13 historical sites important to the Illinois chapter of the civil rights organization in the Chicago area in an effort to reveal long-buried truths about its work in the community. * Tribune | ‘A mutual combat situation’: Trial for former Cook County assistant state’s attorneys gets contentious as prosecutors allege wrongdoing: The defendant was Jackie Wilson, whose infamous case was critical to unveiling systemic practices of torture within the Chicago Police Department, and he was being tried for a third time for murder in the slayings of Chicago police Officers William Fahey and Richard O’Brien. The certificate showed that Nicholas Trutenko, a former Cook County assistant state’s attorney who prosecuted Wilson during his second trial in 1989, flew to the United Kingdom a few years later to serve as godfather for the daughter of one of the key witnesses against Wilson — a jailhouse informant with a long rap sheet. * Naperville Sun | Naperville Central High School’s new ‘tiny forest’ meant to pack big environmental punch: Together, they planted some 276 trees on just under 1,100 square feet of the campus. Just saplings to start, it will be a while before the forest is fully matured. But the hope, Tse says, is to eventually have the hub of greenery grow to be a self-sufficient ecosystem like any other forest you’d find across the state — just a lot smaller. * Daily Southtown | Lemont fire district seeks voter OK for $46 million bond sale, aims to drop response times: For the owner of a home in Cook County with a value of $400,000, the bond issue would mean an extra $185 in property taxes, according to the district. For the owner of a home with the same value in DuPage or Will, the extra tax cost would be $209 a year, according to the district. * Daily Herald | ‘This gives us more tools’: Why Libertyville wants historical designation for its downtown: To expand the availability of state and federal tax credits and incentives, Libertyville officials are now taking steps to have the entire area in and around the village’s downtown designated as a National Register district. “This just gives us some more tools to move forward (with historic preservation) and it gives property owners incentives to upgrade in a historically acceptable way,” said Mike Kollman, a local architect and member of the village’s historic preservation commission. * WCIA | Fallen IL State Trooper Thompsen remembered by loved ones: Thompsen’s middle school teacher remembered him as someone that “you just want your own children to be.” Hilton is a 7th grade social studies teacher at St. Joseph Middle School. She taught Thompsen about 15 years ago. “Corey was strong and definitely showed that in his running abilities on the track, in his academics and overall, just a kid to admire,” Hilton said. * Illinois Answers | He attempted suicide. Peoria Jail restrained him in a chair for five days.: Clark and Fenderson were strapped down for the next four days. They spent Christmas together – restrained. Their treatment is not unique at Peoria County Jail, which has the distinction, in recent years, of restraining its charges in chairs for longer durations than other jails in the state and far past industry recommendations. * NBC | Elon Musk’s X is boosting election conspiracy theories with AI-powered trending topics: The dubious content is spreading in the app’s “explore” section, which says it uses Musk’s AI software, named Grok, to aggregate trending social media topics. The information does not appear to be fact-checked by humans, and in several recent examples it seemed to repeat false or unsubstantiated claims as if they were true.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/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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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Monday, Oct 28, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Phil’s bass lines in this are just crazy good… Once in a while, you get shown the light
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Phil Lesh
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* NY Times…
* Turn up the bass in your mix and listen to this song… Nothin’s gonna bring him back. I played bass guitar in bands during high school and college. But what Phil did was just so far out of reach. Nobody could do it. He was an essential element to the Grateful Dead’s music and he can’t ever be replicated. * Bertha… It was like having another guitar player in the band, but with that bass kick. Top of the scale and way down low. Click here for another example. Amazing stuff. * The camera focuses often on Phil in this video, so you can see how he made the magic…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * I thoroughly enjoyed reading this profile of courtroom sketch artist Lou Chukman from Block Club…
* At 7 pm the governor will give remarks at La Casa Norte Annual Gala Esperanza. Click here to watch. * Sun-Times | A Chicago cop faces firing over a fatal shooting. Months earlier, he shot and paralyzed another man: Ruiz arrived with other officers, approached the driver’s side of Comer’s friend’s vehicle “and immediately fired his weapon at Mr. Comer at least eleven times without issuing commands,” the lawsuit claims. Comer was trying to park the car closer to the curb when the cops showed up, and he wasn’t holding a gun at the time. “At no point did Mr. Comer grab a weapon, much less threaten an officer with it or pose a threat to any officer or citizen of bodily harm or death,” the suit holds. The shooting left Comer, 39, paralyzed from the waist down, according to the suit, which targets the city of Chicago, Ruiz and other officers. * Chicago Reader | ‘A common sense problem’ : A coalition of Black women alders led by Jeanette Taylor (20) and Stephanie Coleman (16), along with Mayor Brandon Johnson, pushed for the hearing. The resolution that called for the hearing cited the seven-part investigation “Missing in Chicago,” copublished by Invisible Institute and City Bureau in November, an excerpt of which also ran as a Chicago Reader cover story. The series was awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting. Alders also highlighted a 2023 series by CBS Chicago journalist Dorothy Tucker on crime and violence against Black women. * Bloomberg | Bally’s $1.8 Billion Chicago Casino Hinged on Landlord Redesign: For months, casino industry veteran Peter Carlino pondered whether to back the massive gambling resort Bally’s Corp. had won approval to build in downtown Chicago. Carlino, chief executive officer of Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc., liked the idea of financing the only casino in America’s third-largest city, but he had issues with the design. So he dispatched one of his staffers to engage with Bally’s on a top-to-bottom rethink of the property. * Block Club | Latino-Owned Cannabis Dispensary Opens In Avondale: Bloc Avondale opened last week at 3545 N. Kedzie Ave., a former mattress and paint warehouse building. Bloc is the first social equity license dispensary for Avondale and the second dispensary to open in the neighborhood. Louis Lopez, who grew up in Hermosa and Belmont Cragin, owns the dispensary. It’s one of 11 stores nationwide from operator Justice Cannabis Co., which was started by Chicago civil rights attorneys in 2014. Justice CEO Alexzandra Fields, who lives in Lakeview, helps run the shop. * Sun-Times | Former Loyola football teammates battle cancer together as doctor and patient: Mike Lowe and Dan Dammrich watched the Loyola vs. Providence game together. The two former Loyola football teammates blended in with all the others hanging out on the sideline. They greeted old friends, talked with assistant coaches and enjoyed a warm mid-October Saturday afternoon. […] Lowe, a reporter for WGN-TV, was diagnosed with stage 3(c)N+ colon cancer in May. […] But the personal connection and the old high school football tie is making it easier for Lowe. * Sun-Times | Substandard Media: Chicago Sports Network’s broadcast partner isn’t doing channel, fans any favors: The decision by the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks to partner with Standard Media for their new regional sports network was perplexing from the start. Here was a small media company based in Nashville, Tennessee, carrying the teams’ hopes and dreams. Its job would be to get the network distributed as widely as possible. For that to happen, Standard would need to agree to a carriage deal with Comcast, the largest TV provider in the Chicago market. More than three weeks into Chicago Sports Network’s existence, no deal is in sight, validating concerns that Standard was not equipped for the job. * WTTW | Day of the Dead’s Iconic Flower Plants Seeds of Cultural Connection in Chicago: For the past six months, staff and students at the University of Illinois Chicago have been tending thousands of marigolds on the grounds of the school’s Plant Research Laboratory, sowing seeds in the spring and nurturing plots of the flowers throughout the growing season. The brilliant orange and yellow blooms aren’t part of an official scientific study, but they do represent a cultural experiment of sorts. […] Turns out the marigolds in UIC’s garden — specifically the species known as Aztec marigolds (Tagetes erecta) — are destined for use during Dia de los Muertos. * Block Club | Old Irving Park Lawn Transformed Into ‘Six Hags Boosment Park’ For Halloween: The Old Irving Park Halloween display features amusement park rides like Skelly the Striker, The Bone Rattler roller coaster, the Wheel of Death and the Fright Flight swing tower. An archery target with a skeleton is spinning in the background, and a skeleton dog and human are at the park enjoying the fun. * AP | DNA tests identify 19th-century teenager’s skull found in Illinois home’s wall: The skull went forgotten until March of 2021, when museum supervisors discovered it during an inventory audit. They called police, who sent the skull to the coroner’s office. Working with Othram Laboratories, a forensic laboratory in Texas that assists law enforcement, the office was able to build a DNA profile from the skull that suggested it was that of Esther Granger, a 17-year-old woman who died during childbirth in Merrillville, Indiana, in 1866. * Shaw Local | Downers Grove at odds: Video gambling referendum stirs passionate debate: Residents will be asked to vote on a nonbinding advisory referendum that would allow restaurants and recreational/club/private facilities to operate video gambling terminals beginning Jan. 1. If approved, the measure would restrict the number of licenses to 10. The ordinance also would have specific stipulations on the number of terminals (six), terminal configuration and terminal visibility. * Sun-Times | At this Northwestern professor’s lab, plastic-eating microbes show promise to gobble up microplastics in nature: The 18-person team’s latest finding has helped science inch closer to answering a question that’s perplexed researchers for years: Can the bacteria that cling to plastic bottles in rivers eat up all of that plastic and help get rid of that pollutant? The answer, according to Aristilde’s team’s recently published research, is yes. * Daily Herald | Delnor Hospital’s drone delivery program saves time transferring specimens, medical supplies: A partnership between Northwestern Medicine and the Valqari drone delivery company in Lombard sends specimens and medical supplies in time-saving flights between the hospital and the Delnor Cancer Center. Without the drones, most deliveries at Delnor are made during four scheduled courier trips, or by nursing staff or laboratory technicians who make the deliveries on foot across Delnor Drive. It takes about a half-hour to cover the half-mile round-trip on foot. Staff does this more than 40 times a month. […] “A half-hour is a good chunk of a nurse’s day,” said Ryan Walsh, Valqari CEO and founder. “We can make that same delivery in about 4 minutes.” * WCIA | Former deputy accused of murdering Sonya Massey now in Macon County Jail: Macon County Jail records show Sean Grayson was transferred Thursday afternoon to the facility. He was previously held in Menard County Jail. […] Grayson’s next trial date is Dec. 2. His lawyer appealed for pre-trial release for him under the SAFE-T Act, but two courts so far have denied him. * Rockford Register Star | Winnebago County Mental Health Board appointee drops out after questions are raised: County Board Chairman Joe Chiarelli during a Thursday night board meeting said that Terri Hitzke of Loves Park no longer wanted to be considered for the four-year appointment “for reasons that she is going to put in a letter to the county board chairman and to the county board about what she has had to endure during this process.” […] Chiarelli said he looked into concerns that had been raised and ultimately decided they were unfounded. Chiarelli had planned to bring her appointment back to the County Board floor on Thursday night. * WIFR | Winnebago County Board members react to RAVE Board vacancy: ‘Surprised’ is how some Winnebago County Board members describe the news that Hard Rock Casino Rockford President Geno Iafrate is stepping down from his position with the RAVE Board. […] John Guevara, Winnebago County Board member, says he’s surprised to hear about Iafrate leaving RAVE. “I think the contributions, you know, spoke for themselves. There was a significant partnership between entities across the board,” he says. * SJ-R | Public gets a look at new master plan for downtown Springfield, medical district: The 278-page document was recently rolled out online, but members of the public got a close-up of specifics at an open house at Memorial Learning Center on Oct. 24. […] “We all kind of want to see, in my opinion, the end result. We want cool shops. We want good restaurants,” Stremsterfer said. “We do have a lot of those great things already. We just want more of them. * SJ-R | City of Springfield will resume showing faces of public commenters at meetings: The city of Springfield will resume showing faces of public commenters at its committee of the whole meeting Tuesday. For the past two meetings, the city preempted video but not audio during public commentary citing “unauthorized recording and sharing of meeting content.” Haley Wilson, a spokeswoman for the city, told The State Journal-Register last week the move was “temporary” and may be lifted. * STLPR | A Metro East nonprofit increases after-school programs with a $450,000 Illinois state grant: East Side Aligned, a local nonprofit serving youth, received a nearly $450,000 Illinois state grant to help bring more after-school programs and services to children and families in East St. Louis and the surrounding communities. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority’s Restore, Reinvest and Renew program funds community organizations that work in areas that have been harmed by economic disinvestment, violence and excessive incarceration. It is funded through state revenue from adult recreational cannabis sales. * Semafor | Why there are fewer polls this election: In addition to the usual concerns about accurately predicting a race that’s effectively deadlocked in every swing state, the sheer number of high-quality, brand-name polls has been in decline for several cycles. Politico’s polling reporter Steven Shepard lamented that last weekend bizarrely passed without any major polls of note nationally or in battlegrounds, although they picked up later this week on both counts. That means less grist for obsessive news consumers and less data for big aggregators and forecasters trying to make sense of the race. * The Atlantic | Election officials are under siege: ”Stop counting votes, or we’re going to murder your children”: Around the country, election officials have already received death threats and packages filled with white powder. Their dogs have been poisoned, their homes swatted, their family members targeted. In Texas, one man called for a “a mass shooting of poll workers and election officials” in precincts with results he found suspicious. “The point is coercion; the point is intimidation. It’s to get you to do or not do something,” Al Schmidt, the secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, told me—to get you to “stop counting votes, or we’re going to murder your children, and they name your children,” a threat that Schmidt said he received in 2020. This year, the same things may well happen again. “I had one election official who said they called her on her cellphone and said, ‘Looks like your mom made lasagna tonight; she’s wearing that pretty yellow dress that she likes to wear to church,” Tammy Patrick, the chief programs officer at the National Association of Election Officials and a former elections officer in Maricopa County, Arizona, told me. “It’s terrorism here in America.”
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It’s far more complicated than this
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * WBEZ on why extending the Invest in Kids tax credit program failed…
The teachers unions did indeed lobby hard against the extension. But as we’ve discussed before, the big money people funding the extension push absolutely refused to even consider a compromise. * Proponents could’ve divided the opposition by agreeing to phasing out the program over time. Kids with scholarships would keep them until they graduated, for example. It’s a pretty easy argument to make and one that loads of Democrats were open to. The benefit for proponents would be keeping the tax credit alive. The idea in situations like this is to find a way to live to fight another day. Instead, both sides took an all-or-nothing stance and the side with the most votes won.
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Illinois temporarily suspends betting on certain aspects of NFL games
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Tribune…
* Meanwhile, from Casino Reports…
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Question of the day
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Tribune management is obviously lacking in the training department. Email exchange… 
The initial mistake is probably understandable. Following up with something like, “Ope, my bad,” would be fine. But then to go on and ask a person via a state email account for help reaching a campaign account after being told such correspondence is prohibited is probably not a great idea. Again, this is obviously a training issue. But it’s not uncommon, even among people who should know better. I regularly hear gripes from government spokespeople about reporters asking them campaign questions. Heck, I’ve done it occasionally because I just wasn’t thinking. But I backed off when realizing my mistake. Not everyone does that. Anyway… * The Question: If you were the state legislator in question, how would you respond to that follow-up email? It’s Friday, so snark is not discouraged.
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small. We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Ellen and Julie, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
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Roundup: Jury hears first wiretaps in Madigan corruption trial
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Sun-Times…
* Tribune…
* More…
* WBEZ | Dozens of secret recordings at Madigan trial show close ties with McClain, undercutting key defense point: In court Thursday, Lang told Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu that, “I understood at that time that [McClain] was a messenger for the speaker.” He also told the prosecutor that “it was very clear to me, from this call, that my career had ended. Because the speaker was in control of my ability to move up the ranks and get the leadership that I wanted to have.” * WGN | Secret recordings expose Madigan and McClain’s close ties in corruption trial: Taking the stand Thursday, FBI agent Ryan McDonald vouched for the blizzard of phone conversations and emails. Aside from official business, many recordings heard in court between Madigan and McClain were brief and to the point. The two were heard making dinner plans or travel arrangements, which prosecutors say demonstrates the closeness of their relationship while meting out punishment in the Illinois House. * ABC Chicago | State Rep. Bob Rita begins testimony: State Rep. Bob Rita began his testimony Thursday. He testified for about 10 minutes before court was dismissed about 5 p.m. […] Rita’s testimony will resume Monday.
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Pritzker responds to Local 150 claim about data center power usage growth
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * From yesterday…
40 percent more electricity? The governor has said he’s been monitoring data center power usage, so I asked his office for a response. * From Gov. JB Pritzker…
Thoughts?
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Kenneally goes down swinging
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * WTVO…
* The news story was essentially just a rewrite of a press release without question from lame duck McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally. Fox32 Chicago did the same thing, but they at least acknowledged it…
* The press release…
* I asked the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice for a response…
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Open thread
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois community colleges see largest enrollment jump in 15 years. KHQA…
∙ The report recorded an overall increase of 7.4%, the largest fall-to-fall enrollment growth in the last 15 years, outpacing last year’s fall enrollment increase of 5.7%. ∙ Statewide enrollment data shows 37 of 45 community colleges experienced an increase in headcount enrollment from Fall 2023 to Fall 2024. * Illinois Times | Exhibit honors Illinois sculptor Richard Hunt: The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will open “Freedom in Form: Richard Hunt” on Oct. 25, an exhibition dedicated to world-famous Chicago-based sculptor Richard Hunt, who died Dec. 18, 2023. This will be the first major show of Hunt’s work since his death. Hunt is known for his large abstract metal works utilizing welding and steel casting, often manifesting the Black experience through his work. * Pantagraph | Illinois, Normal leaders discuss the future of rail, transportation: “I am fascinated by what I see happening here especially with Amtrak,” said U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Schaumburg. “This is the first time I’ve seen a city hall above the train station.” Krishnamoorthi met with Normal Mayor Chris Koos at City Hall in uptown Normal for a roundtable in which they primarily discussed the current state of transportation and future developments locally, regionally and nationally.
* Journal-Topics | Candidates In 17th, 57th House Districts Square Off At League Forum: Four candidates running in two Illinois State House races — incumbent state representatives Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-17th) and Tracy Katz Muhl (D-57th), and their challengers Jim Geldermann (R) and Daniel Behr ® — squared off in a recent League of Women Voters candidate forum in Wilmette.[…] “As a citizen, I consent to be governed by delegating limited powers to the government,” Geldermann began his opening statements with. “I was asked to run not because I had a burning desire, but I believe as a citizen I have a duty to stand up and to serve when asked.” He said he was running against the “big crime lobby,” the “let’s keep our kids stupid lobby,” the “DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) lobby,” and the “death lobby.” * WBEZ | How does seemingly popular legislation die at the Illinois capitol? Many ways — here’s one of them.: Illinois lawmakers introduce thousands of bills every year – and sometimes one of them seems really popular. People flood the capitol in support chanting and carrying signs, lawmakers are hashing it out with each other and meeting with constituents. It’s getting a lot of media coverage. But even if the momentum seems there, sometimes the bill just dies – for any number of reasons. * Crain’s | Doc groups target alleged center of insurers’ price-fixing ‘cartel’ in lawsuit: The American Medical Association and the Illinois State Medical Society say MultiPlan, a data analytics agency for health plans, is at the center of a price-fixing “cartel” with commercial health insurers. In a lawsuit filed today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Chicago-based associations say New York-based MultiPlan has undercut fair payment for out-of-network health care services and eliminated market competition. * WGEM | Gov. Pritzker celebrates expansion of ‘Reach Out and Read’ children’s literacy program: “Our program strengthens the relationships between children and their caregivers and lays the foundation for early learning,” said Reach Out and Read Illinois Medical Director Dr. Mariana Glusman. Participating pediatricians give their patients a book following their checkups starting at six months old until they’re five. Doctors give Illinois families more than 180,000 books annually according to Reach Out and Read Illinois. * 25 News Now | Illinois residents can voice their opinion on ranked choice voting: Voters will be able to weigh in on ranked choice voting (RCV) with an advisory question on this fall’s ballot, which means the result will not be binding, A 20-member state task force is studying the issue by reviewing different voting systems and processes to see if RCV should be implemented in Illinois. * Sun-Times | Chicago Police Department exodus: New cops are leaving in droves, Sun-Times investigation finds: One of every six Chicago cops hired since 2016 is no longer on the payroll. About 950 of the more than 5,750 people hired in that period have left. Their average time with the department? Not even three years. Many moved to suburban police departments. * ABC Chicago | Pending lawsuit over police overtime pay could worsen Chicago budget debt crisis: Chicago’s budget crisis may be worse than many had thought. A still-pending lawsuit over police overtime pay could put the city on the hook for $200 million. It’s a liability Chicago City Council members recently learned about as the city heads into budget season. * Sun-Times | New CPS board president picked by mayor praises Johnson, makes clear he backs mayor’s plans: Three weeks after the entire Chicago Board of Education resigned, the board’s new president on Thursday lauded Mayor Brandon Johnson in a politically tumultuous time and indicated he’s willing to take the school district in the direction Johnson has ordered. “This is a moment in time that we can not afford to squander,” the Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson said at his first meeting as board president. “My opinion is the mayor has a clear vision for public education here in Chicago: a fully funded school district that gives every Chicagoan a world-class public school in their neighborhoods. A transformation of our public education is a critical piece for [Mayor] Johnson’s vision for transforming Chicago. * Crain’s | True Value weighs laying off almost half its workforce as company seeks sale: As True Value tries to win approval to sell “substantially all” of its business operations to Indiana-based home improvement competitor Do It Best, the Chicago-based retailer says it could lay off a considerable portion of its workforce if the deal doesn’t come together. * Sun-Times | Settlement reached in case involving former CPS teacher’s alleged abuse of 3 young boys: The families of three boys allegedly sexually abused by a former Chicago Public Schools teacher have settled their lawsuit against the school board for $2 million, lawyers announced Thursday. The families contended in federal court that CPS did not notify families sufficiently of sexual abuse allegations against Andrew Castro, a former gym teacher at Federico Garcia Lorca Elementary School on the Northwest Side, that led to his removal in 2021. While the notification said a teacher had been removed, it did not name Castro. * Southside Weekly | Chicago Fashion Week Threads Together Community and Culture: The inaugural Chicago Fashion Week (CFW) made a citywide impact with more than fifty events across both the North and South Sides and extending into nearby suburbs. Anchored by three pillars—history, ingenuity and commerce—CFW was designed with a clear purpose: a fashion experience created by and for the people of Chicago. * Daily Herald | Democratic candidate for Cook circuit court clerk promises modernization, transparency; Opponent silent: Failure to modernize and lack of transparency are the biggest challenges facing the Cook County circuit court clerk’s office, according to Mariyana Spyropoulos, Democratic candidate for clerk of the Cook County circuit court. She faces Republican candidate Lupe Aguirre on Nov. 5. The Daily Herald attempted to contact Aguirre, a former Chicago police officer and attorney, through the Cook County Republican Party, but was unable to do so. Aguirre does not appear to have a campaign website. * Naperville Sun | Naperville’s tentative 2025 budget calls for 9 new hires, including 4 for the police department:ity staff presented a $641.88 million budget for next year, 3.3% more than the city’s amended 2024 budget. It includes a $166.43 million general fund, which is 6.4% — a little more than $10 million — higher than what had been allocated this year. The tentative budget also includes a hefty $179.38 million capital improvement fund program, which council members reviewed at a workshop meeting last month. * Crain’s | Property rights lawsuit over counties’ tax sales gets go-ahead from judge: A lawsuit that aims to halt suburban counties’ longstanding practice of seizing properties over unpaid property taxes — claiming it’s a violation of property rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution — can move forward, a judge ruled last week. At stake in the case is potentially millions of dollars in home equity that homeowners lose when Illinois counties including DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will seize their properties through the labyrinthine tax sale mechanism. For decades, property owners have been compelled by state legislation to forfeit the entire value of their property so the county can recoup a relatively small amount, the tax debt. * Action | Accel Unveils Plans for Racino at FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing Track: Accel Entertainment unveiled plans for its racino at the horse track formerly known Fairmount Park during the Illinois Gaming Board meeting on Thursday, targeting an opening of its temporary casino before the Kentucky Derby next May. Accel reached an agreement to purchase Fairmount Holdings, which owns the FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing track in Collinsville, for $35 million in July. Accel plans to invest an additional $90 million in converting the venue into a single-site horse racing track as part of an eventual racino. It made its presentation to the IGB prior to the stage agency voting to transfer the organizational and master sports wagering licenses from Fairmount Holdings to Accel, with the sports wagering license also renewed through October 2028. * Tribune | Cook County Board approves new health system CEO: After a monthslong search, Cook County Health found its new leader right back at home, with the current interim CEO getting elevated Thursday to the permanent job. The Cook County Board affirmed a search committee’s pick, appointing Dr. Erik Mikaitis to oversee management of Stroger and Provident hospitals, a network of more than a dozen clinics, and the county’s Medicaid managed care program, CountyCare. He inherits a proposed $5.2 billion budget for 2025 and a workforce of roughly 7,600. Though the system has faced significant financial hurdles in recent years — including high costs for providing free care — 2025 is the first year in recent history the county’s health fund does not have a projected deficit. * Pantagraph | Illinois Democrats rally student voters at ISU: As a mother of two daughters, state Rep. Sharon Chung said she was proud to convey the message “bans off our bodies” in voice and through the message of the T-shirt she wore. “It terrifies me. … they’re growing up in a world today where they have fewer rights than I did when I was their age,” Chung said, referring to her children. * Rockford Register Star | Winnebago County is on a mission to replace Mental Health Board with new faces. Here’s why: County Board Member Tim Nabors, D-14, said even as a Nov. 5 referendum for renewal of a 0.5% mental health sales tax approaches, some on the County Board are working to assert greater influence by installing new board members. “The ones that are on there aren’t being given the opportunity to be reappointed,” Nabors said. “They just want them to be replaced because they don’t like not having control of the Mental Health Board.” * Shaw Local | As ‘skills gap’ grows, teens learn about potential careers – and try out big machines – at Johnsburg High: SkillsUSA Illinois’ ‘career experience’ gave students from across northern Illinois a chance to explore future job pathways that don’t involve four-year college degrees * News Chanel 20 | Businesses Continue to Struggle after Adams St Fire: Daisy Jane’s said being an older established business meant they were able to bounce back faster. But newer businesses like The Wakery have had to reduce their hours just to survive. “In the business world you see ups and downs all the time. So the key thing is that I chose not to just close my doors and not call it quitsI know that we make income through our events I know we make income through rentals and I can pay my bills through that, so we’re going to focus on that until we get our feet steady again,” Elizabeth Wake, owner and founder of The Wakery, said. * WICS | Jacksonville Education Association speaks out on violence against teachers: Issues about the treatment of teachers at Jacksonville district schools have been making headlines over the past few weeks. While there has been some friction over the district’s statements and claims from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the teacher’s union is also speaking out now. Members of the Jacksonville Education Association said they expect a certain level of respect and safety from students and parents. * BND | Belleville high school teachers will wear panic buttons to help head off emergencies: In an effort to boost school safety, Belleville Township High School District 201 employees will soon be able to click a button on a wearable badge to request help or initiate a rapid response during an emergency. The buttons are part of the Centegix Safety Platform, which is “an alert and response system designed to reduce response times … when there is a security issue,” Superintendent Brian Mentzer said. * AP | Georgia officials say they thwarted an attempt to crash a state election website: The attack was limited to that part of the state’s website, which voters use to request an absentee ballot. Users may have experienced a brief slowdown, but the site never crashed and no data was compromised, said Gabriel Sterling, a top official at the agency. He said it was not clear where the attack originated. There has been no public indication that similar systems in any other state were subject to the same kind of attack.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/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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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Friday, Oct 25, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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