Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, May 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Keeping up with the congressionals…
* Click here for some background on the bill. Ben & Jerry’s launched a small Meta ad campaign this week for the FAIR Act…
The bill passed through the House in April but has yet to move in the Senate.
* Be safe out there folks…
…Adding… Sen. Meg Loughran-Cappel’s father Edward Loughran has passed away. Click here to read his obituary.
*** Statewide ***
* NWI Times | Around 30 lawsuits filed against Indiana, Illinois cremation services over mishandled, misidentified remains: The Indianapolis-based law firm CohenMalad, Chicago-based attorney Scott Yonover and the Chicago-based law firm Costello, Gilbreth & Murphy have filed 28 lawsuits in Indiana alleging negligence and the mishandling of human remains, and plan to file “dozens more” in coming days. They also additionally plan to file “numerous” lawsuits in Illinois on behalf of family members who say their loved ones’ remains were mishandled, that their loved ones’ ashes were co-mingled with other people’s, and that they were sent the wrong remains.
* Daily Herald | ‘Anything to raise awareness’: Drivers asked to watch for turtles crossing roads: Unlike squirrels or deer that dart out of the woods and can startle drivers, turtles aren’t going to surprise anyone and can’t take evasive maneuvers to avoid being struck. That’s why wildlife experts are reminding drivers to be alert for the slow-moving reptiles crossing roads near lakes, ponds and marshes throughout the region searching for water, food and mates. “This time of the year is probably the highest concentration of road mortality or encounters,” said Dan Thompson, ecologist for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
*** Statehouse News ***
* WTTW | Deadline Approaching for Illinois Lawmakers to Secure Transit Funding and Reform Bill: “In order to realize the savings of 20%, you’d have to cut service by up to 40%,” said Orlando Rojas, a Metra train conductor and legislative representative at Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation (SMART) Union Local 653. “There’s certain fixed costs that the transit agencies have. Whether it’s fully funded or not, they’re obligated to meet those costs. So where they have the most room is in service cuts, unfortunately, and that’s the actual service that we provide. Now you’re talking a 40% reduction. Obviously, the people that I work with are concerned about cuts.”
* Chicago Eater | Illinois Third-Party Reservation Ban Bill Awaits Gov. Pritzker’s Approval: The Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act was unanimously passed with 58 votes on Thursday, May 22. The Illinois bill is modeled after a New York policy signed into law in December. The measure seemingly targets Appointment Trader, a website where users sell reservations to trendy restaurants. Lawmakers contend users deploy bots on sites like OpenTable and Resy to scoop up desirable times before customers can book tables. Illinois State Rep. Margaret Croke says the difficulty in finding reservations at restaurants like Armitage Alehouse led her to introduce the legislation in February in Springfield.
*** Downstate ***
* WGLT | CIRA taxis down $70 million capital projects runway: The Central Illinois Regional Airport has about $70 million in infrastructure projects underway, or in a six-year pipeline. Some are moving faster than others. A road project at CIRA has hit a snag. Airport executive director Carl Olson said a proposed cargo access road has lost about $1.5 million in federal funding. The road would divert heavy truck traffic from the main airport road used by passenger traffic, increasing safety and reducing road wear. Olson said design work for an intersection is done.
* Telegraph | Judge denies protection order for Madison County board member after social media dispute: A hostile response to a social media post by Madison County Board member Alison Lamothe led to a court hearing Thursday, where Associate Judge John Hackett denied Lamothe’s request for an order of protection. On May 7, Madison County Board member and Edwardsville resident Alison Lamothe filed a petition for a stalking/no contact order against Russell Wheat of Roxana. Wheat previously received attention for his battles with the Roxana Landfill.
* WICA | Potential legal action: Rantoul officials upset with landlords following large fire at former Air Force base: Charred piles of mattresses, burned brick and busted windows are what’s left of a vacant building on the former Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul following a fire on Tuesday. Some village officials are upset with landlords for their lack of action and communication. Now, Rantoul leaders are taking legal action. Fire Chief Chad Smith and Mayor Sam Hall feel the recent fire could have been prevented if the owners had taken care of the property.
* IPM News | Danville says goodbye to Bresee Tower: The demolition of the 12-story downtown office building began in early May. With no explosives involved in the process, city officials say it could take months for a demolition crew to remove the long-vacant building. In its first few days on the job, a demolition crew focused on Bresee Tower’s north side, tearing down the fire escape, and punching through walls.
* PJ Star | Major courthouse renovations will change the look of this Downtown Peoria block: Capped at $6.76 million in construction costs, the Courthouse Plaza and surrounding block will undergo an aesthetic upgrade that will include “new permeable pavers, water jets, lighting, electrical and irrigation systems, vehicle protection bollards, benches, picnic tables, and landscaping,” according to a news release.
*** Chicago ***
* Sun-Times | Chicago restaurateurs push for repeal of law raising tipped wages; supporters want to expand it statewide: Lopez acknowledged getting the 26 City Council votes needed to repeal the ordinance will likely be an uphill climb. “I’ve had one or two individuals mention [a repeal] to me anecdotally but nothing in terms of a serious effort, which is problematic if it’s going to be successful,” he said.
* WTTW | Jussie Smollett Agrees to Make $50K Charitable Donation to Resolve City of Chicago Lawsuit: On Thursday, the city announced the case will be dismissed in exchange for Smollett making a charitable contribution of $50,000 to BBF Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, a local organization that provides community, health and education opportunities for Chicago’s underprivileged youth.
* WGN | ‘In crisis mode’: CACC warns of pet drop-offs as daily line keeps getting longer: The shelter is averaging in May around 56 animals being surrendered per day, up from 54 in April. Some are strays, but many are owners giving up their pets. […] “Most of it is the economy — the cost of pet food, vet appointments, other stuff,” Tejeda said. “A lot of people truly love their pets but they just don’t know about all of the resources out there.”
* Sun-Times | No charges for shooter in Roseland double homicide sparked by argument over cheese: The shooting was sparked by an argument over what kind of cheese was being put on a customer’s sandwich at Momty’s Grill, located at 9 East 111th St., on Monday afternoon, according to a Chicago police report. An employee, Lois Wheeler, became upset with the customer, who was yelling at her about the cheese, the Chicago police report said. Wheeler called her son, Tate Wheeler, to the restaurant.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | Naperville mayor touts Block 59 dining district, calls I-88 corridor the ‘most significant redevelopment opportunity’ in city history: A new study calls the corridor the only “opportunity area” of its scale left in the city. Much of the corridor in Naperville — once known as its “Innovation Corridor” — was developed with single-use, low-density office space and is underused and “underperforming relative to its potential,” according to the report by AECOM, a consultant hired by the Naperville Development Partnership.
* Daily Southtown | Substitute teacher charged with assault of student at Country Club Hills school: Officers took a statement from Lavana McEwen, who said that earlier that day, her son had been chased and battered by a school staff member, police said. […] Moore is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on June 3, according to court records. […] Parents and students said a substitute teacher chased, choked and hit a student after becoming angry in a fourth grade classroom at Meadowview. Another student was injured when the teacher allegedly pushed and overturned classroom furniture, leaving the child pinned in a corner, according to parents.
* Crain’s | A year ago, Oberweis Dairy was in bankruptcy. Now it’s launching an expansion: Five to seven new stores are set to open in the Chicago area — Oberweis’ largest market — and five in St. Louis, where the company already operates four stores. Oberweis is also targeting an “aggressive expansion” into Southwest Florida, where it plans to open five stores. “We know that (Florida has) a rich history of Midwest-rooted people that live there, whether it’s from Chicago, St. Louis, Wisconsin — all markets we serve, where they’re familiar with the Oberweis brand,” Hoffmann said. “We want to capitalize on all that brand recognition.”
*** National ***
* Courthouse News Service | Florida judge rules AI chatbots not protected by First Amendment: But in her order, U.S. District Court Judge Anne Conway said the company’s “large language models” — an artificial intelligence system designed to understand human language — are not speech. “Defendants fail to articulate why words strung together by an LLM are speech,” she wrote. “By failing to advance their analogies, defendants miss the operative question. This court’s decision as to the First Amendment protections Character A.I. receives, if any, does not turn on whether Character A.I. is similar to other mediums that have received First Amendment protections; rather, the decision turns on how Character A.I. is similar to the other mediums. The court is not prepared to hold that Character A.I.’s output is speech.”
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* The Illinois Environmental Council on the congressional budget reconciliation bill…
The budget reconciliation bill, which narrowly advanced early Thursday morning in a 215-214 vote, includes sweeping rollbacks to the clean energy tax credits established under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and signals an extreme reversal of the federal government’s commitment to climate action and environmental justice. Among the most concerning provisions of the bill are drastic cuts and limitations to clean energy tax credits:
• Due to the repeal of these tax credits, residential energy bills in Illinois are projected to increase $168 annually, and commercial and industrial energy bills are predicted to increase 21%.
• Illinois is projected to lose over $16.8 billion worth of investments from public and private sources due to the repeal of the clean energy investments, putting 105 facilities at risk of closure across the state.
• Repealing the clean energy tax credits will increase air pollution in Illinois by 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2030 and 6 million metric tons by 2035.
• Illinois stands to lose almost 30,000 jobs due to the repeal of the clean energy tax incentives and federal programs by 2030.
* Meanwhile, on a different but still related topic, this is from the Citizens Utility Board…
Ameren Illinois’ summer price for electricity will soar by an estimated 50 percent on June 1, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) warned in a consumer alert Thursday, as the watchdog urged the utility to work with customers struggling to pay their bills so they can keep their power on during hot weather.
At a news conference, CUB explained the causes of the price spike – including the regional power grid operator’s new methodology for pricing reserve power that unacceptably raised consumer costs. CUB has launched CUBHelpCenter.com, which has tips on how to get through an expensive summer.
While cautioning that pricing has not been finalized, CUB said Ameren has reported that its electricity supply rate, also known as the “price to compare,” is set to increase by about 50 percent, to about 12 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) on June 1. This higher rate, which includes the supply price, a transmission charge and a “supply cost adjustment,” will increase summer power bills (June through September) by 18 percent to 22 percent, Ameren has estimated. In October, the price is expected to decrease–to roughly 8 cents to 9 cents per kWh, Ameren said.
“We urge Ameren Illinois to work with customers to keep their power on this summer, so they can stay safe and cool,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said. “High bills can be stressful, so we ask people across central and southern Illinois to check on neighbors, friends and family this summer to make sure nobody is taking risks by keeping their homes too hot. Long-term, this price spike just shows we’ve got to keep working for consumer protections for electric customers.”
Moskowitz called for passage of the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (SB2473/HB3779) in Springfield. The bill would implement a number of pro-consumer clean energy policies, including expanding energy efficiency and other programs that help reduce demand. She also said there is a continuing need for reform at the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the regional grid operator for all or parts of 15 states from the upper Midwest through Ameren Illinois’ territory in central and southern Illinois and down to Louisiana.
CUB provided information about the price spike as well as consumer tips:
What’s the cause? The price for reserve power—called “capacity”—skyrocketed in a MISO-run auction that has a major impact on what consumers pay for electricity. In addition to years-long delays in connecting power plants that could help lower prices–which is also a problem with PJM Interconnection, northern Illinois’ grid operator–perhaps the biggest factor in the price spike was that MISO introduced a new pricing methodology that CUB said unfairly compromised affordability in the latest capacity auction.
What part of the bill is impacted? Supply, which is the cost of the actual electricity, and transmission. This makes up about a half to two-thirds of bills. Ameren does not profit off this price spike–under law the utility is required to pass supply costs onto customers with no markup. (Ameren profits off rate hikes on the delivery side of bills.)
If Ameren doesn’t profit off this spike, who does? Big energy companies that sell electricity to utilities.
…Adding… CUB…
Since distributing its news release (pasted below and attached) this morning, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) has received additional information from Ameren Illinois on how much the price spike could cost customers this summer.
As reported in the release this morning, Ameren has estimated that a typical residential customer (10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year) could see an 18-22% increase in their summer bills. Now Ameren has confirmed that this 18-22% increase would lead to customers paying an average of about $37.62 to $45.98 per month more during this four-month summer season (June through September).
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* AP…
Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled, “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested, police said. […]
The two people killed, identified as Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Milgrim, an American, were a young couple about to be engaged, according to Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. […]
The gunman, identified by police as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, then walked into the museum, was detained by event security and began chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” Smith said. FBI agents on Thursday morning conducted a search of a home believed to be connected to Rodriguez in the 4700 block of North Troy on Chicago’s Northwest Side.
A spokesperson for the FBI’s Chicago Field Office on Thursday confirmed its agents are supporting the FBI’s Washington Field Office and conducting related “court-authorized law enforcement activity in the Chicago-area“ in connection to the shooting.
* Sun-Times…
According to a LinkedIn page associated with Rodriguez, he worked an administrative job at the Chicago-based American Osteopathic Information Association. The group confirmed his employment there, saying in a statement that they are “shocked and saddened to learn that an AOIA employee has been arrested as a suspect in this horrific crime.”
Rodriguez was once a member of a local branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the group confirmed Thursday. The group said he has not been affiliated with the group since 2017, the group said.
“We reject any attempt to associate the PSL with the D.C. shooting. Elias Rodriguez is not a member of the PSL,” the Party for Socialism and Liberation wrote on social media.
“He had a brief association with one branch of the PSL that ended in 2017. We know of no contact with him in over 7 years. We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it,” the group wrote.
* Washington Post…
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post to X on Thursday that authorities are working to confirm whether “certain writings” are linked to Rodriguez, an apparent reference to the manifesto. The document, titled, “Escalate For Gaza, Bring The War Home,” accuses Israel of “genocide” and says “a perpetrator” may be a good person at times, “and yet be a monster all the same.” The message concludes, “Free Palestine — Elias Rodriguez.”
* Gov. JB Pritzker…
“I was horrified to hear of the deadly shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC last night. Shortly after the incident occurred, I learned that a member of my team was attending the event. While they are shaken up, they are thankfully safe. MK and I are praying for the victims and their families and all of those affected by this tragedy.
“Law enforcement has apprehended the suspected gunman, and although the investigation continues, make no mistake: this was an attack on the Jewish community.
“An evening of connecting and belonging hosted by the American Jewish Committee quickly turned into a nightmare. Young Jewish people and diplomats came together in a museum built to honor their shared history but then had to flee gun shots and witness the killing of a young couple. As a Jew who led the building of a museum dedicated to standing up against bigotry and hatred, I know how sacred these places are and what trauma this incident has caused.
“Whether it’s gun violence or the rising tide of antisemitism, Americans of all backgrounds have an urgent obligation to stand for peace and reject bigotry in all its forms and in every way possible.”
* Rep. Bob Morgan…
When extremists tell us they want to ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ we must believe them. This double murder is the direct result of dehumanizing language against Jews and the exponential rise in antisemitism in the far-left and far-right of our political system. The Jewish community has been sounding the alarm about fear for our safety, and too many have turned a blind eye. We will say prayers for Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lishinsky as we mourn during Sabbath prayers Friday night, and I will say an extra prayer that elected officials from all backgrounds step up to combat antisemitism in all its forms.
…Adding… Press release…
Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, State Senator Graciela Guzman, & Alderperson Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez released the following statement regarding misinformation circulating regarding the Capital Jewish Museum shooter.
“This morning, the New York Times published an image of campaign window signs that makes an insinuation that the Jewish Museum shooter was a supporter of the campaigns of several elected leaders on Chicago’s northwest side: specifically Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, State Senator Graciela Guzman, and Alderperson Rossana Rodriguez.
The image that was shared was not of the shooter’s residence but that of a neighbor, a senior citizen who is a known community organizer and volunteer to our campaigns. This person has no ties to the shooter beyond being their neighbor. Despite this, that image and misinformation around it have been circulated across media outlets that have made inquiries and various social media platforms.
At times of tragedy and senseless acts of violence, the media has a difficult responsibility of safeguarding the public from misinformation that could endanger the safety of community members and our elected leaders. The deadly attack and the details surrounding it are highly sensitive and should require the highest standards of fact-checking to ensure everyone’s safety. We ask that any media outlets that have printed or posted this image act expeditiously to correct and retract any misinformation.”
…Adding… The Tribune’s A.D. Quig…
…Adding… More misinformation…
* Related…
* Neighbor describes alleged DC shooter as ‘normal, friendly guy’
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Sun-Times in AI flap (Updated x2)
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 404 Media…
The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper’s “Best of Summer” section published over the weekend contains a guide to summer reads that features real authors and fake books that they did not write was partially generated by artificial intelligence, the person who generated it told 404 Media.
The article, called “Summer Reading list for 2025,” suggests reading Tidewater by Isabel Allende, a “multigenerational saga set in a coastal town where magical realism meets environmental activism. Allende’s first climate fiction novel explores how one family confronts rising sea levels while uncovering long-buried secrets.” It also suggests reading The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir, “another science-driven thriller” by the author of The Martian. “This time, the story follows a programmer who discovers that an AI system has developed consciousness—and has been secretly influencing global events for years.” Neither of these books exist, and many of the books on the list either do not exist or were written by other authors than the ones they are attributed to.
The article is not bylined but was written by Marco Buscaglia, whose name is on most of the other articles in the 64-page section. Buscaglia told 404 Media via email and on the phone that the list was AI-generated. “I do use AI for background at times but always check out the material first. This time, I did not and I can’t believe I missed it because it’s so obvious. No excuses,” he said. “On me 100 percent and I’m completely embarrassed.” […]
The AI-generated article was first noticed by a book podcaster named Tina on Threads. It was then posted by Rachael King to Bluesky, where it quickly went viral. […]
Other articles in the Heat Index insert have what appear to be AI-generated sections as well. For example, in an article called “Hanging Out: Inside America’s growing hammock culture,” Buscaglia quotes “Dr. Jennifer Campos, a professor of leisure studies at the University of Colorado, in her 2023 research paper published in the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography.” A search for Campos in the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography does not return any results. While it’s not exactly clear why the AI said this, the only mention of “Jennifer Campos” on the University of Colorado’s website is about the graduation of a student named Jennifer Campos, who works in advertising.
Go read the rest.
* OK, Buscaglia made the mistakes, but how did the articles make it into the Sun-Times?…
…Adding… Sun-Times Guild…
The Sun-Times Guild is aware of the third-party “summer guide” content in the Sunday, May 18 edition of the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper.
This was a syndicated section produced externally without the knowledge of the members of our newsroom.
We take great pride in the union-produced journalism that goes into the respected pages of our newspaper and on our website. We’re deeply disturbed that AI-generated content was printed alongside our work.
The fact that it was sixty-plus pages of this “content” is very concerning — primarily for our relationship with our audience but also for our union’s jurisdiction.
Our members go to great lengths to build trust with our sources and communities and are horrified by this slop syndication.
We call on Chicago Public Media management to do everything it can to prevent repeating this disaster in the future.
…Adding… The Sun-Times…
Our partner confirmed that a freelancer used an AI agent to write the article. This should be a learning moment for all of journalism that our work is valued because of the relationship our very real, human reporters and editors have with our audiences.
At Chicago Public Media, we are proud of our credible, independent journalism created for and by people. And part of the journalistic process is a commitment to acknowledging mistakes. It is unacceptable that this content was inaccurate, and it is equally unacceptable that we did not make it clear to readers that the section was produced outside the Sun-Times newsroom. Our audiences expect content with our name on it to meet our editorial standards.
What we are doing
- Subscribers will not be charged for this premium edition.
- The section is being removed from our e-paper version and will be replaced with this note.
- We are updating our policies to ensure that all such third-party licensed editorial content meets the same editorial standards as content we create ourselves.
- Moving forward, we will explicitly identify third-party licensed editorial content and ensure transparency about its origin.
- We are reviewing our relationship with this national content partner to ensure that mistakes of this nature no longer happen.
We are committed to making sure this never happens again. We know that there is work to be done to provide more answers and transparency around the production and publication of this section, and will share additional updates in the coming days.
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Completely unclear on the concept (Updated)
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Freedom Caucus member and likely gubernatorial candidate doesn’t understand how numbers work…
The Chalkbeat story is here.
* As we’ve discussed many, many times before, Illinois’ proficiency standards are higher than almost all other states…
Illinois has some of the most rigorous learning standards in the nation: ranking fourth most rigorous for 4th grade reading and fifth most rigorous for 8th grade reading. In Illinois, a student needs to earn a level of 4 or 5 to be considered proficient. In comparison, the rigor of Florida’s standards ranks 39th and 42nd, respectively, and a student only needs to earn a level 3 on the state assessment to be considered proficient.
We simply set the bar much higher for our kids. So, when those students don’t clear that high bar, they’re labeled as not proficient, but they would be labeled as proficient in lots of other states.
* “Other states like Mississippi are getting better results,” Wilhour said. Nonsense! Not even close. That’s just plain ridiculous. From the National Assessment of Educational Progress…
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has periodically published reports using results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to compare the proficiency standards states and jurisdictions set for their students. The latest report highlights the results of mapping state proficiency standards onto the NAEP scales using state/jurisdiction assessment results from the 2021–22 school year and the 2022 NAEP assessments for public schools.
* The NAEP did an apples to apples comparison and found that Illinois was third highest in the nation for 8th Grade math, while Mississippi was third from the bottom.
According to the NAEP, Illinois was second highest in 8th Grade reading, while Mississippi was fourth from the bottom.
Fourth grade math? Illinois was number one. Mississippi was 15th.
Fourth grade reading? Illinois was fourth and Mississippi was 22nd.
Stop insulting our school kids, Blaine. After all, they appear to be better at both math and reading comprehension than you.
…Adding… Rep. Wilhour…
Two things are abundantly clear: Illinois government schools are struggling with proficiency and we spend a tremendous amount of money.
Will lowering proficiency standards help more students read or do math proficiently? […]
The answer is no. It’s a misdirection designed to deflect negative and necessary attention. We have a proficiency crisis in our government schools.
Illinois low state scores are in line with the low scores on national assessments-either way it’s a failure.
We can either strive for excellence and accountability or we can move the goalposts.
As for Mississippi, it is well documented that the literacy rates, which were extremely poor, are increasing at a pace that is worthy of study-for many reasons. They are also doing so at a fraction of the money spent.
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