* From WBBM…
* From Jordan Abudayyeh at the Governor’s office…
The State has repeatedly requested this report from the city and despite assurances it would be sent, that has yet to occur. When the State does receive the report the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will need to review it. We will not have additional comment until we receive the report.
* Alice Yin…
* Abudayyeh at 8:33 tonight…
Update. We just got it: The state just received the environmental report. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will need to review it. We will not have additional comment until the review of the nearly 800 page document is complete.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From Natalie Moore at WBEZ…
*** UPDATE 2 *** Click here for the full report…
* Metals were below the residential ROs with the exception of arsenic, lead, mercury, and manganese, which exceeded in residential ingestion exposure route at certain sample locations.
* Mercury exceeded the residential outdoor inhalation exposure route and the default CSAT limit in sample SB-15 (1-3’) and its associated duplicate sample, DUP-004. These two samples were further evaluated with elemental mercury laboratory analysis, as provided in Table 1, which confirmed the exceedances.
*** UPDATE 3 *** From Rich: The governor’s office has been asking for this report for days, and they sent it to reporters first? Yeah, that’s wise…
*** UPDATE 4 *** Coverage roundup…
* Tribune…
After weeks of pressure, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration dropped a voluminous environmental assessment of a proposed tent camp for migrants late Friday that said contaminants are being removed from the former Southwest Side industrial site.
The nearly 800-page report by outside contractor Terracon Consultants was released to the Tribune on Friday evening.
It said high levels of mercury and other chemicals were found and are being removed from the Brighton Park lot at 3710 S. California Ave., where workers had already begun building the giant tents for incoming migrants this week. […]
“Terracon conducted a field investigation under a sampling plan that was developed for this specific site,” a Johnson spokesperson wrote in a statement, before noting soil with mercury levels and other contaminants, which were addressed through removal as well as an “engineered barrier” along the site. “With the limited soil removal and placement and maintenance of the barrier, the site is safe for temporary residential use.”
The report notes that despite the presence of toxic substances at the site, the levels detected are within state guidelines and as a result pose minimal risks to temporary occupants of the tent encampment.
* WTTW…
Tests were performed in 16 locations on the site, and soil, groundwater and soil gas samples were taken and analyzed, according to the report.
Mercury was located in one location on the site, and the soil in that area was removed and disposed of, according to the report.
In another location, the organic compound bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate was found, the report said. That compound is used in the manufacturing of polyvinyl chloride, a rigid yet flexible plastic. That soil will also be removed and disposed of, according to the report.
At multiple locations on the site, the tests found evidence of two semi-volatile organic compounds and four metals that exceeded limits considered safe for residential use, according to the report.
That prompted city officials to require that the entire site “be covered with imported clean stone from a quarry and compaction of the stone to a minimum thickness of six inches throughout the site. The stone layer will be periodically inspected and maintained,” the report said.
* ABC Chicago…
Crews are also placing a clean crushed stone barrier around the site that will be regularly inspected.
The statement goes on to say in part, “With the limited soil removal and placement and maintenance of the barrier, the site is safe for temporary residential use.” […]
City officials have said they hope to have the site up and running by mid-December.
Alderwoman Julia Ramirez and her office are reviewing the new findings and plan to comment soon.
* Sun-Times…
The state, which is committing $65 million for the shelter and is directing the contractor building on the site, will have to sign off on the environmental report.
“The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will have to review it,” said Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokeswoman for Gov. J.B. Pritzker. “We will not utilize that site if IEPA does not sign off.”
She declined to comment further until state officials review the report.
The city’s consultant said it can’t guarantee there isn’t additional contamination, and if additional materials are discovered, “activities should be halted.”
“We cannot represent that the site contains no hazardous substances, toxic material, petroleum products or other latent conditions beyond those identified during this evaluation,” the city consultant Terracon said in the report.
Comments Off  
|
* Yesterday…
Migrant Camp Sight Target of Iron Workers Picket;
Construction Shutdown Likely
What:
On Thursday, November 30, Iron Workers Local 1 Union filed a notice of intention to picket the Brighton Park migrant camp site on Friday, December 1, which is currently under construction, due to the contractor’s failure to hire certified union ironworkers. The Iron Workers Local 1 Union’s picket line will likely be honored by other union workers, if any, on the site, causing them to lay down their tools and leading to a construction shutdown.
Who:
· Ken Davis, Business Agent, Iron Workers Local 1 Union
· John Gardiner, President, Iron Workers Local 1 Union
· Rank and file Iron Workers from Local 1 Union
· Scabby The Rat
Where:
Brighton Park, 2822 W. 38th Street, Chicago (corner of 38th and California)
When:
Friday, December 1, 2023; 6 a.m. – 2p.m.
Trade union members almost never cross a picket line, and there are plenty of other unions on that site. A picket would have likely shut the whole thing down.
* Today…
The following statement can be attributed to John Gardiner, President/Business Manager, Iron Workers Union Local 1:
“On Thursday, November 30, Iron Workers Union Local 1 filed a notice of intention to picket the Brighton Park migrant camp site on Friday, December 1, which is currently under construction, due to the contractor’s failure to hire certified union ironworkers. After receiving a call from the governor’s office last night, Thursday, the Iron Workers Local 1 agreed to a 24-hour pause on our picket to allow for negotiations. We paused our picket for 24-hours out of courtesy to the governor’s office. We met virtually this morning with multiple, high-level officials, and will continue to talk throughout the day.”
Apparently, nobody told the governor’s office in advance about the impending labor action until I sent them the union’s press release last night asking for comment.
…Adding… The mayor’s office has reached out to say they had “Multiple conversations on Thursday” with the governor’s office.
[Both releases had a date typo, so I was asked to update the post.]
29 Comments
|
Today’s quotable
Friday, Dec 1, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Former Kenwood Oakland Community Organization organizer, Chicago Democratic Socialist Caucus member and second-term Chicago Ald. Jeanette Taylor was on Ben Joravsky’s show…
Joravsky: As you said, we’ve got some work to do in the movement.
Taylor: Absolutely.
Joravsky: What do you mean by that?
Taylor: A) we should not be on the Fifth Floor. And I’m speaking my whole heart. I feel like, and I’ve said this to them, and so whoever get the backlash, come on with it because I’m ready for it.
We were not ready because we haven’t been in government long enough to know how government really runs. You still got Rahm’s, you still got Daddy Daley’s people still in these committees, still in these departments. And so we got some uprooting to do.
But we just weren’t, I felt like we’re not ready and it’s showing out in the wash. I don’t gotta say it, people see it.
And we stopped doing the most important thing that movements do, and that means organize. Ain’t no way we’re on the Fifth Floor and we’re having all these issues and now they’re talking about he’s going to be a one-term mayor. Because we ain’t doing the thing that the movement does best, and that’s to organize our people and get people to see the entire picture, not the part of the picture or not a part of a conversation that they came in on.
Half of the people that are hollering at us that come to City Hall are not things that City Hall can fix. They are things that City Hall initiated, but they are not things that City Hall can fix. Why not take those people to the side and say, Hey, how do we help you? How do we do this? Well, we won’t do that.
We’re pretending like now we got the power let us show you how it’s supposed to be done. And we look real stupid right now.
The full show is here.
…Adding… I wrote this in comments, then decided to front-page it…
===Practitioners of “movement” politics are intellectually wired to operate as disrupters — or as an opposition party. Being in charge is not part of what they do.===
While mostly true, the alderperson’s comments are spot on.
The Brighton Park fiasco is a great case in point. They could’ve had people canvassing that neighborhood to calm folks down and counter the misinformation. The CTU has plenty of front groups and allies that could be dispatched.
Also, Johnson’s father is a pastor. He’s tapped in to a huge church network. Why did it take the mayor so long to talk to churches about taking in asylum-seekers? Why didn’t he bring pastors in and urge them to calm down their parishioners with facts instead of inciting fear and hate?
I could go on, but why bother?
42 Comments
|
* Press release…
To help root out public corruption in Illinois, the Illinois State Police (ISP) Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has created an online form for the public to report suspected corruption directly to ISP.
“The Illinois State Police Special Investigations Unit is dedicated to seeking out those who abuse their position and power to take advantage of others, betraying the public’s trust,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “By making it easier for the public to confidentially report suspected corruption, we can begin restoring the public’s trust in government. ISP will continue to work with its partners in law enforcement to investigate misconduct and corruption.”
ISP created an online form where the public can provide information confidentially to the ISP SIU about suspected corruption. Examples of public corruption may include an elected official steering contracts to friends in exchange for a monetary kickback, overbilling a contractor and embezzling the money, personally benefiting from federal/state-funded programs, wire fraud, and money laundering.
The online form is for suspected public corruption allegations only. Individuals may be unsure to which law enforcement agency or department they should report claims of public corruption. Having allegations reported to one place will streamline the process and allow ISP to respond more quickly. ISP will triage all online submissions and determine the correct agency to handle the investigation.
Director Kelly established the Statewide SIU within the Division of Criminal Investigation in March 2020. SIU focuses on public corruption crimes and conducting investigations into criminal misconduct by elected officials and government appointees at the state, county, and local levels. SIU handles allegations of intimidation by public officials, fraud as it relates to state and local government procurement contracts, election fraud, misuse of a public official position, and acting as a source of influence to benefit from matters concerning the allocation of business enterprise, contracts, state-funded programs, kickbacks, and bribery. Since its creation, SIU has opened 82 cases, including dozens of joint cases with federal law enforcement agencies.
In one case, SIU investigated allegations of theft and official misconduct against a former township road commissioner accused of using the township credit card to make personal purchases. SIU found the purchases were made over two and a half years and totaled approximately $27,300. After SIU’s extensive investigation, the former commissioner faced 22 count of felony charges. He pled guilty and was sentenced to 18 months of probation and $27,300 restitution.
-
In another case, SIU investigated allegations of theft and fraud by a former county coroner. SIU found the former coroner and his wife used taxpayer dollars to fund travel to other states for their son’s sports tournaments, forged official documents, and used a county credit card to buy gas for their personal vehicles for almost two years. SIU estimated the total thefts to be in the tens of thousands of dollars. SIU arrested both the former coroner and his wife who were charged with numerous felonies, including Theft of Government Funds, Unlawful Use of a Credit Card, Conspiracy to Commit Theft, Conspiracy to Commit Credit Card Fraud, and Official Misconduct. The coroner pled guilty and was sentenced to six months in jail, four years of probation, and ordered to repay $32,817.05.
The online form can be found on the ISP website under the Division of Criminal Investigations, Special Investigations Unit at https://isp.illinois.gov/CriminalInvestigations/SIUComplaintDisclaimerForm
I clicked through. You don’t need to include your name or address, but an email and phone number are required.
Thoughts?
…Adding… Maybe somebody could report this one…
At issue is the future of the building at 320 E. Main St. in Rochester that once housed The Alibi, a bar and restaurant. The building’s most recent tenant was Ben Suerdieck, who was evicted June 13 by a Sangamon County judge for failing to pay $9,075 in rent.
The week after Ben Suerdieck was evicted, his former landlord, who sought to reopen a business in the building, had his application for a liquor license rejected. The decision was made by Village President Joe Suerdieck, who is also the municipality’s liquor commissioner and the father of Ben.
17 Comments
|
* From September…
The [Illinois Supreme Court case] case stems from two people requesting public records regarding why their FOID cards, a state-issued identification required in Illinois to own or buy firearms and ammunition, were either revoked or suspended. The plaintiffs’ FOIA requests to Illinois State Police were denied. After challenges, the case made it to the Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Illinois State Police attorney Valerie Quinn said that they can’t release such personal information through FOIA and the proper way to request such information is through the Firearms Services Bureau.
“No one is trying to keep people’s personal applications and denial letters a secret from them but the Firearms Services Bureau needs to be able to verify that you are who you say you are before releasing copies of your confidential information,” Quinn said. […]
Representing the plaintiffs, attorney Thomas Maag said going through the FSB isn’t conducive.
“They don’t answer the telephone for hours at a time. They don’t answer emails for days and or weeks at a time,” Maag said. “I invite this court to go to their website and dial the telephone number and see how many hours it takes to get a person, if you even can.”
They’re not a third party seeking their own address or other personal information, Maag said.
* The Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling today, with Justice Joy Cunningham writing the opinion…
The appellate court agreed with the trial court that the legislature’s use of the plural terms “names” and “people,” rather than the singular terms “name” and “person”, meant the exemption set forth in section 7.5(v) does not apply to a request for one’s own FOID card information. According to the appellate court, the term “people,” by its plain meaning, necessitates more than a single individual. To interpret section 7.5(v) as applying to a request for one’s own information, the court concluded, would render the term “people” meaningless. […]
The appellate court then rejected ISP’s argument that there is no way for it to verify that the FOIA requester is, in fact, the person whose information is being sought, finding it “unpersuasive as the individual’s written FOIA request, by necessity to identify the application and denial letter sought, should provide ISP with sufficient information to demonstrate that the requester was seeking his/her own information.” According to the appellate court, if the request is insufficient, additional verifying information could be required before release of the information. […]
ISP contends the appellate court erred in its interpretation of section 7.5(v). According to ISP, section 7.5(v) is a blanket exemption prohibiting the disclosure of all FOID card information under FOIA, and there is no exception for individuals who are seeking their own information. We agree. […]
In support of its interpretation of section 7.5(v), the appellate court emphasized that the statute uses the plural terms “names” and “people” and, therefore, must not exempt from disclosure an individual’s request for his or her own information. However, section 1.03 of the Statute on Statutes provides that “[w]ords importing the singular number may extend and be applied to several persons or things, and words importing the plural number may include the singular.” This is a well-settled principle of statutory construction. […]
Section 7(1)(b), in turn, states that “[p]rivate information” is exempt from disclosure [under FOIA] “unless disclosure is required by another provision of this Act, a State or federal law, or a court order.” Here, there is no dispute that no state or federal law or court order requires the disclosure of FOID card information. Accordingly, we conclude the appellate court erred in holding that an individual may consent to disclosure of his or her FOID card information under FOIA.
…Adding… Somebody just pointed something out to me via text…
I get it, they were FOIAing their own info. But I don’t think the FOIA law makes that distinction. Once you release something through FOIA it is a public record. I don’t think you can release it to one person and then say no to everyone else. That seems to be counter to what FOIA is about.
Yeah. Maag and the other courts seemed to have a profound misunderstanding about what FOIA is.
19 Comments
|
Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Nov 30, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: Burke case judge to consider granting a mistrial, Jon Seidel at the Sun-Times writes…
- This comes after prosecutors elicited a comment from a witness Wednesday about the “Chicago way of doing business” being “very corrupt.”
- Layers will file written briefs early today.
-When Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur explained that she did not expect Amtrak executive Ray Lang to make the comment at issue, Kendall quickly asked the veteran prosecutor, “What were you expecting him to say?”
* Related stories…
* …Adding…Here’s an update from Jason Meisner…
* Jon Seidel…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Sun-Times | Black utility workers in lawsuit allege they face discrimination while working at Peoples Gas: She is among 11 former and current Peoples Gas employees who filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Peoples Gas, alleging that Black workers and customers were sexualized by non-Black workers and faced racial slurs. The lawsuit alleges that Black workers are relegated to an area that serves the South Side, and they frequently get assigned to jobs in neighborhoods without security where some have faced attacks. The workers also allege that Peoples Gas did not do enough after concerns were raised about workplace racism and hazards.
* Tribune | Illinois grape growers prepare to take on the invasive spotted lanternfly after first sighting this fall: The black spotted insects were identified for the first time in Illinois in September. Since then, there’s been at least seven more positive sightings, according to Scott Schirmer, the nursery and northern field office section manager at the Illinois Department of Agriculture. One of them was in DuPage County, while the rest were in southern Cook County, he said.
* WTTW | Teacher Vacancies in Illinois Disproportionately Impact Students of Color: Report: Advance Illinois breaks down in its latest report, “The State of Our Educator Pipeline 2023,” how school districts across the state are struggling to fill special education and bilingual teaching positions. The organization said that’s having a disproportionate impact on Black and Latino students. “Most tragically, students of color and students from low-income households are dramatically more likely to be in districts with high vacancy levels, more than twice the vacancy rates than the rest of state,” said Robin Steans, president of Advance Illinois.
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* Crain’s | Opponents of Illinois’ assault-weapons ban file emergency plea at U.S. Supreme Court:
“The 7th Circuit’s decision was manifestly erroneous,” says the emergency application filed in National Association for Gun Rights v. City of Naperville. Besides the gun rights group, the opponents include Robert C. Bevis, owner of Law Weapons & Supply in Naperville, and their challenge applies as well to a separate Naperville ordinance prohibiting assault weapons.
* Daily Herald | Study: Illinois, other Midwestern states behind on renewable energy: Five Midwestern states — Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin — are lagging behind other states when it comes to renewable energy, a new study from environmental organization The Nature Conservancy reports. In Illinois, almost 20% of generated electricity comes from wind and solar as of March 2023. While that’s more than triple the amount generated a decade earlier, the state’s renewable portfolio pales in comparison to states such as Iowa, South Dakota and Oklahoma that are each generating more than 50% of their electricity from solar and wind.
* QC Times | Henry County board member announces candidancy for Illinois’ 37th State Senate District: Republican Henry County Board member Tim Wager is running for the 37th State Senate District in Illinois. Republican Sen. Win Stoller holds the seat. Stoller was elected in 2020 and announced in August that he would not seek reelection.
* Center Square | Illinois’ cannabis industry seeking changes to increase licensing: During the fall veto session, advocates and lawmakers discussed an amendment to a measure to make it easier for small growers and address a lack of licenses for transporters. State Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, said the amendment does three things, including cutting application fees.
* Tribune | Biden EPA proposes requirements for utilities to remove toxic lead water pipes within a decade; Chicago likely to get more time: More than 9 million homes nationwide get their drinking water from a service line made of lead. Chicago has 400,000 of the toxic pipes, more than any other city. Illinois has more than any other state.
* BGA | Johnson Proposes Historically Large Pay Raises for Police: Johnson’s proposal includes a 5% salary bump for FOP-represented police in 2024 and 2025, up from the 2.5% and 2% raises for those years that were agreed upon in the Lightfoot administration’s extension. A larger raise for 2024 was not included in the roughly $2 billion appropriation for the police department passed by City Council earlier this month, meaning approval of a contract with Johnson’s proposed terms would immediately put the city approximately $27.7 million over budget for 2024.
* Tribune | Protesters in Brighton Park speak out against migrant camp as construction begins: The construction begins after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday that the state would take an increased role in opening the tent encampment, a location chosen by the city that appears to be the most expedient option. The state will foot the cost of operating the Brighton Park lot as part of its $160 million contribution to migrant services in Chicago.
* Shaw Local | State Police gun violence prevention effort requires broad input: The Illinois State Police issued a news release Monday touting its updated Clear and Present Danger reporting system, through which education, medical and law enforcement professionals submit information about people believed to pose a significant threat. ISP evaluates the reports against the person’s status within the Firearm Owner’s Identification program.
* SJ-R | ‘A capital place for giants’: Museum has village of Atlanta thinking big: “I’ll never forget it,” recalled Thomas. “It was my job to go to Atlanta’s then-mayor (Bill Martin). I sat down at his kitchen table, and I can remember looking at him across the table, saying, ‘Bill, how would you like a 19-foot-tall statue of a guy holding a hot dog right downtown?’ To his ever-lasting credit, he didn’t pause for more than three seconds, and said, ‘Sure, I think that sounds like a great idea.’”
* Bloomberg | Chicago billionaire Byron Trott is in talks for minority stake in Miami Dolphins: Trott, the chairman and co-chief executive officer of merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners, may be taking part in the discussions with another prospective investor, according to one of the people. The negotiations are preliminary and could end with Trott deciding not to invest. Bloomberg News reported earlier this month that billionaire Ken Griffin is in talks with Ross to buy a minority stake in the team, the Hard Rock Stadium and the F1 Miami Grand Prix.
* Crain’s | McDonald’s secretive new restaurant is getting set to open in Bolingbrook: A peek at the menu reveals beverages like a S’Mores Cold Brew, a Churro Frappe and a Blueberry Ginger Boost, but more familiar McDonald’s fare such as the Egg McMuffin is also on display.
* Sun-Times | Arthur Williams, beloved circulation desk worker at the Brookfield Library, dies at 52: Countless children will never forget getting their first library card, with Mr. Williams speaking to them like they were readers of any age about to embark on a special journey. “These touches, these small things was how he got to know the community and in return he just developed these long lasting relationships,” Coughran said.
* WJBC | No holiday displays this season at the Illinois Capitol due to ongoing construction: Rabbi Meir Moscowitz of the group responsible for the annual menorah display, Lubavich Chabad of Illinois, does not sound as if the one-year absence has thrown him. “We’re definitely going to put up the menorah somewhere – not sure yet where. Every year we put more and more menorahs. It’s like the holiday itself: every night, you light one more candle.”
15 Comments
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax
Advertise Here
Mobile Version
Contact Rich Miller
|
