Here we go again
Thursday, Jan 25, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* ABC 7…
The girlfriend of a Joliet area murder suspect looked distraught and emotional as she appeared in court Thursday morning.
Joliet police said 21-year-old Kyleigh Cleveland-Singleton made statements in an attempt to stop police from arresting her boyfriend, Romeo Nance, before he was found dead in Texas.
Cleveland-Singleton was taken to the Will County Jail, as she’s charged with obstructing justice. […]
A Will County judge said Thursday the SAFE-T act forced the court to release her from custody.
Police said Cleveland-Singleton lied to them on Monday by saying she didn’t have Nance’s phone number.
* From the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice…
Cleveland-Singleton has not been accused of any violence, her offense is the lowest class of felony, and she is caring for a three year-old son who just lost numerous members of his family to violence.
Importantly, the old money bond system also did not allow judges to deny someone release for obstruction of justice, a non-violent Class 4 felony. Before the Pretrial Fairness Act took effect, Ms. Cleveland-Singleton would have been ordered released — either with or without payment of a money bond. The court now retains the power to set numerous conditions of release that do not involve paying money. And though Ms. Cleveland-Singleton was ordered released today, she must remain on electronic monitoring. Moving forward, should Ms. Cleveland-Singleton violate the conditions of her pretrial release, the court has the power to take her into custody.
All emphasis added.
…Adding… From comments…
It’s almost like the entire Will County legal system needs to take a remedial class.
10 Comments
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Jan 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Oops…
…Adding… Welp…
* Politico…
— NEW AD: The Bring Chicago Home campaign is launching its first ad encouraging voters to check yes for the Ballot Measure 1. The ad features all the buzz words that voters might be drawn to, including “cutting taxes” and “ensuring the rich pay their fair share.” And it addresses the main point: helping homeless get out of the cold and into homes. That ad has already started appearing on Hulu, YouTube and other digital platforms. Watch it here
— TWO-FER: Congressmen Sean Casten (IL-06) and Bill Foster (IL-11) are scheduled to take part in a combined candidate forum along with primary challengers to their reelection bids. Details here
— Vidal Vasquez will remain on the ballot for the Democratic primary in the 21st House District, according to the Board of Elections. He’s challenging incumbent state Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid.
* Rockford Register Star…
Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center officials have implemented a new disciplinary system, made major staffing changes, hired therapists and altered policies in the wake of an alarming June inspection that raised concerns about excessive confinement.
Some of the measures had already been in progress and others were accelerated by the annual audit conducted by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.
It found youth detainees at the 48-bed Winnebago County facility in Rockford at 5350 Northrock Drive were locked in their cells for hours at a time, many weren’t getting access to required education and that some had access to water cut off when misbehaving juveniles flooded their rooms.
Although the Department of Juvenile Justice has no authority to enforce its findings, 17th Circuit Court Director of Court Services Debbie Jarvis said it was taken seriously.
Some corrections — like ending the practice of shutting off water to cells of misbehaving youth who clogged their toilets with sheets, clothes or books — were taken in response to the report.
* Tribune…
If you stop by the Field Museum right now and find yourself in the Alsdorf Hall of Northwest Coast and Arctic Peoples, or the Robert R. McCormick Halls of the Ancient Americas, you will notice something about the display cases: Several are covered up.
That in itself is not unusual — who hasn’t been to a museum and seen a display case displaying nothing? What’s unusual is the reason: On Jan. 12, federal regulations concerning the exhibition and study of Native American remains and sacred artifacts were tightened, to bring teeth and clarity to a set of rules that languished for decades.
The revised regulations are sweeping: They demand museums speed up the process of repatriating Native American “human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects or objects of cultural patrimony,” establishing ownership and lineage between museum collections and Native American descendants, returning anything requested. Museums must update their inventories of Native American remains and funerary objects within five years. Also, curators can no longer categorize such items as “culturally unidentifiable,” thereby holding them indefinitely. Tribal knowledge and traditions must be deferred to.
Moreover, institutions must get “free, prior and informed consent” from Native tribes before the exhibition or research of sacred artifacts. According to a Field Museum statement, the covered displays hold “cultural items that could be subject to these regulations,” and will stay covered “pending consultation with the represented (tribal) communities.” (The Field also noted it does not have any human remains on display.)
* Here’s the rest…
* McLean Chronicle | Decatur’s Deering versus Bloomington’s Erickson in 88th House primary: With the district a solidly red enclave politically, the primary election will determine the next state representative, as no Democrat filed nominating petitions. Deering is endorsed by the retiring Caulkins, and Erickson is endorsed by retired State Sen. Dan Brady, a longtime political force in the Bloomington-Normal area.
* WBEZ | Army Corps plans $1 billion barricade to deter invasive carp at Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers: Invasive carp is shorthand for a family of giant fish that can out-eat, out-grow and out-reproduce native fish. In parts of the Illinois river, researchers say there’s more carp than anywhere else on the planet. The furthest upstream populations of the carp are approximately 14 miles downstream. But Whitney and other scientists worry that there’s increasingly an opportunity for the carp to make it through and disrupt the food web inside the Great Lakes. Carp could decimate the entire recreational and commercial fishing industry that has sprung up around the lakes that’s valued at $7 billion annually.
* Post-Tribune | BP tank leak spreads chemical odor across Indiana, Illinois communities: In the days following the incident, residents of nearby communities in Indiana and Illinois — including Crete, Steger, Tinley Park, Oak Forest and Posen — took to social media and contacted 911 to complain of an odor they described as strong and gas-like.
* Crain’s | Measure to ban natural gas in new buildings stumbles out of the gate: Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, and Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st, sent the ordinance to the Rules Committee when it was introduced, meaning the supporters of the measure will have to take a vote to redirect it to a joint-committee of the Environmental Protection Committee and Zoning Committee where it can be put up for a vote.
* Tribune | National Endowment for the Arts gives more than $1.6 million in grants for art projects in Illinois: The grants include funding for art projects, research awards, literature fellowships, and Challenge America grants, which seek to reach historically underserved communities.
* WSPY | Sugar Grove Trustee Gets Deal from Kane State’s Attorney for Forgery Charges: Under the deal, Michels will only have to pay just over $1,500 in fines, complete a theft awareness program, and avoid arrest. If he abides by the agreement, which includes conditions such as not breaking any Illinois laws, the state’s attorney’s office will dismiss charges against him. The deal also appeared to stipulate Community Service to be performed. No documents were found in the court records explaining the extent of the community service. WSPY asked the Kane County States Attorney for comment on what the extent of community service would be and the Kane County States Attorney’s Office refused to respond.
* DE | The state of SIU’s buildings a cause for concern: The maintenance log, obtained under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, shows the types of concerns that have prompted students and faculty to call campus maintenance. They include dozens of instances of plumbing troubles, water damage, heating and cooling issues, mold, insects and more spanning from 2019 to 2022. In total, facilities management fielded 16,384 different requests over that time frame.
* Block Club | Residents Of Humboldt Park Tent Encampment Are Finding Homes, But More Help Is Needed: Officials with the city’s Department of Family & Support Services and the Department of Housing have hosted three accelerated moving events since May to get residents enrolled in a rapid rehousing program, leaders said. Fifty-six people have found permanent housing, and another 30 are finding new apartments or are in negotiations with providers, city officials said at a community meeting this month hosted by Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th).
* Shaw Local | Marengo, Harvard enact laws to deter surprise migrant drop-offs: The ordinance is about ensuring safety, and is not meant to be punitive, city leaders said. “The city of Marengo hasn’t had any issues in regard to this, but we want to be prepared just in case,” Radcliffe said. “Better safe than sorry. We don’t envision getting this, but just in case, we have something in place to cover this.”
* Sun-Times | Council’s Budget Committee chair wants to fire head of financial analysis office: The stand-off began on July 14, when Williams said he was summoned to Ervin’s office and told the newly-appointed Budget chair was “going in a different direction and I’m putting you on administrative leave” with pay. “He took all my credentials and access away. I would love to come to work. I wasn’t allowed to come to work,” Williams, 50, said Wednesday.
* Daily Herald | Mount Prospect resumes effort to shut down source of bad odors: Prestige Feed Products, 431 Lakeview Court, recently installed equipment intended to mitigate odors coming from the factory. But village attorney Allen Wall told Cook County Judge Clare Quish that neighboring businesses and residents continue to file complaints. The village has requested a preliminary injunction requiring Prestige to halt operations until it can get the odors under control.
* Tribune | All things grow: Justin Peck is transforming Sufjan Stevens’ album into ‘Illinoise,’ a different kind of stage musical: Somewhere after the turn of the millennium, Stevens (who declined to be interviewed for this piece) came up with the idea of recording an album for every state in the union — an organizing principal, you might say, akin to August Wilson writing a play for every decade in the 20th century. But he only ever recorded two entries in his Fifty States project, later dismissing the whole enterprise: “Michigan,” a 2003 album with tracks about Detroit and the Upper Peninsula, but also Flint, Romulus (home of the Detroit airport) and Holland (Stevens went to Hope College). Not that he restricted himself to cities: there’s also “Wolverine” and the melancholic “Vito’s Ordination Song” about a friend of his, the Rev. Thomas Vito Aiuto, who became a minister.
22 Comments
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Asylum-seeker coverage roundup
Wednesday, Jan 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Injustice Watch…
A monthslong feud between a Woodlawn landlord and his tenants over allegations of unlivable conditions reached a boiling point last week, when a skeptical judge threatened to jail tenants he found to be lying. […]
“This is a nightmare,” said one tenant, a 23-year-old whose first name is Esdras. His family moved to the $1,827-per-month apartment in September as part of a state-sponsored emergency rental program for asylum-seekers. […]
Chicago housing advocates interviewed by Injustice Watch say they know of other instances in which newly arrived asylum-seekers were housed in buildings the city has taken to housing court for building code violations.
A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Human Services, one of two agencies administering the program, did not respond to an Injustice Watch question about why the state would place a family in a building being sued by the city for poor conditions.
…Adding… From the Illinois Department of Human Services…
The rental assistance program has a call center which tenants/landlords can access to ask questions or bring up issues with the program. Tenants also have access to legal aid clinics and/or community agencies that can help tenants with any apartment issues. Please note that all units are viewed by tenants prior to moving in and services are connected prior to move-in. Any issues brought to our attention are investigated and properly addressed.
* Press release…
Today, the City of Chicago and the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) are announcing the conclusion of the Request for Proposals (RFP) process to find a new food service provider for city-run shelters for New Arrivals. DFSS is pleased to announce that two local agencies, Seventy-Seven Communities and 14 Parish, were selected.
Seventy-Seven Communities will serve as the food provider for shelters in the North Region of Chicago and 14 Parish will serve as the food provider for the New Arrivals shelters in the South Region. Both local agencies have participated in a rigorous and multi-step request for proposal review and evaluation process. They each were able to demonstrate their understanding of the target population and the ability to meet logistical needs of this mission as well as preparation and delivery capacities.
“We know that the New Arrivals Mission is very complex and being able to provide healthy, nutritious, and culturally relevant meals at a time when we know people need our help the most is an important part of this work,” said DFSS Commissioner Brandie Knazze.
Seventy-Seven Communities has been delivering quality meals around Chicagoland for decades and has experience creating specific menus for groups with complex needs, such as Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students. […]
The goals of this RFP were to increase food quality for all New Arrivals shelters and to decrease the cost of the Meals Program for the City. Both Seventy-Seven Communities and 14 Parish have demonstrated that they can provide high quality and culturally congruent meal service to all shelters for $15-$17 per person per day. This is a significant decrease from the $21-$23 the City has been spending on food per person per day prior to this contract. Additionally, both agencies have demonstrated that they have many partnerships with local and minority-owned restaurants, including local Venezuelan restaurants, who will be assisting in creating menus and preparing food that fit both the nutritious and cultural needs of shelter residents.
* ABC Chicago…
North Side residents plan to be at City Hall for Wednesday’s Council meeting, as they push for a migrant shelter to be returned to the community. […]
“It is hard for us to repurpose space, but it’s the time we’re living in now where we need to repurpose space,” [Deputy Mayor of Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights] Beatriz Ponce de Leon said back in July.
At that time, the city promised to reevaluate in six months, which will be on Feb. 1. […]
Edgewater residents are asking the Chicago Park District once again to make space for community programs and migrants inside the Broadway Armory.
“Nobody wants anybody out on the street,” [block club President Pat Sharkey] said. “But what we do want is a commitment for a date by which they will have unwound this facility and we can restart park programs.”
* Oak Park Journal…
Oak Park’s village board of trustees unanimously approved the submission of a grant application for more than $1.94 million to provide aid to asylum seekers in the village.
Of that, $11 million in Supporting Municipalities for Asylum Seekers Services funds is available to exclusively to municipalities outside of Chicago that such people, according to an Illinois Department of Human Services news release. The funds cannot be used, however, to transport the migrants to another municipality. […]
An approval of this grant funding would be expected within five days, said Kira Tchang, human resources director and assistant village manager. Village staff intends to submit the application Wednesday.
City of Chicago officials have said it would be best for migrants in Oak Park to remain where they are rather than being transported to Chicago’s “landing zone,” Tchang said.
“Last time we spoke with representatives from Chicago, they indicated that shelters were full,” she said.
* Shaw Local…
La Salle County’s Committee on Appointment and Legislation and Rules is expected to review the county’s migrant resolution 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 25.
The Insurance Trust Committee discussed the resolution Jan. 18 and the county’s insurance consultants said they saw no red flags with the resolution, which added language to assist migrants in a humanitarian manner.
The La Salle County Board began discussion Jan. 11 on coming up with a plan if a bus initially en route to Chicago were to abandon migrants within the county, as had occurred recently in suburbs around Chicago. At this time, there have not been any migrants dropped off by buses in La Salle County.
A resolution modeled after Grundy County was sent from the full County Board on Jan. 11 to the Committee on Appointment, Legislation and Rules, which met Jan. 16 and decided to send the item to the Insurance Trust Committee to make sure the county was not overlooking any liability.
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