*** UPDATED x4 *** Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller *** UPDATE 1 (by Rich) *** Hmm… And here’s update 2… Update 3…
* WTTW…
* Crain’s…
* Daily Herald…
* As subscribers know, Coburn withdrew a week ago. SJ-R…
* Release the bloopers!…
* More…
* WTTW | ‘It’s a Human Dignity Issue’: Data Reveals Racial, Economic Disparities in Access to Quality Nursing Home Care Across Chicago: An analysis by WTTW News and the Hyde Park Herald/South Side Weekly found that the disparity between access to quality nursing home care for Black and White Chicagoans is stark: Three of the city’s five-star homes, as rated by Medicare, house majority White residents and are concentrated on the city’s North Side. There is another five-star home on the North Side that did not submit demographic data for 2021 to the Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board (HFSRB), the agency that collects this information. * ABC Chicago | UIC under federal investigation for discrimination by Education Department : The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was added to the list of schools a few weeks ago. Other newly added schools include Springfield, IL Public Schools District 186, MNIT, UC Davis and Drexel University. * Capitol News Illinois | High court says unless pavement markings or signs are present, cyclists are merely ‘permitted’ users: That distinction means the city of Chicago is not liable for damages sustained by a bicyclist who was injured after he hit a pothole on a city street that had no such signage. * Patch | Rosemont Medical Co. Accused Of Filing False Claims Settles For $14.7M: BioTelemetry Inc., headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and its subsidiary, LifeWatch Services Inc., based in Rosemont, will pay more than $14.7 million after being accused of violating the False Claims Act, authorities said. “Diagnostic companies, like other providers, are expected to bill federal healthcare programs only for medically necessary services,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division, said in a news release. “We will hold accountable those who misuse taxpayer-funded programs for their own enrichment.” * AP | Some state abortion bans stir confusion, and it’s uncertain if lawmakers will clarify them: [A] provision included in a law enacted by Congress in 1986 and signed by Republican President Ronald Reagan said abortion must be available when a pregnant woman’s life is at risk during a medical emergency. But a lack of clarity over how to apply that rule and other exceptions in state laws has escalated the trauma and heartache some women experience while facing serious medical issues but unable to access abortion in their home states. * Billboard | Mitski, Father John Misty & More Artists’ Online Shops Affected After Merch Company SCP Shuts Down: SCP Merchandising, an Illinois-based merch company used by artists including Mitski, Father John Misty and Carly Rae Jepsen, has shut down, according to a member of SCP leadership still on-site after the company laid off its staff over the weekend. Based on accounts from multiple former SCP employees on LinkedIn, the company’s employees were abruptly laid off on Sunday evening (Dec. 17). * ABC Chicago | Xfinity hack could impact 36 million customers: Xfinity concluded on Dec. 6 that usernames and passwords for some customers were stolen along with names, contact information, last four digits of social security numbers, dates of birth and/or secret questions. The company says it is still taking a complete stock of what was stolen. * Reuters | Tesla blamed drivers for failures of parts it long knew were defective: Wheels falling off cars at speed. Suspensions collapsing on brand-new vehicles. Axles breaking under acceleration. Tens of thousands of customers told Tesla about a host of part failures on low-mileage cars. The automaker sought to blame drivers for vehicle ‘abuse,’ but Tesla documents show it had tracked the chronic ‘flaws’ and ‘failures’ for years. * NYT | How College Football Is Clobbering Housing Markets Across the Country: “College athletics, in particular college football, have become so enormous in this country, particularly in the Southeast, that it has caused this phenomenon of short-term rentals,” said Adrien Bouchet, director of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida. “On one hand it creates value, but on the other hand, it definitely hurts people that have lived in and around the university for a long time.” * Good Morning America | Chicago Christmas market shoppers find unclaimed money: ABC News’ DeMarco Morgan heads to the city’s Christkindle Market with members from the Illinois State Treasurer’s office to help holiday shoppers see if they have any unclaimed money. * Sun-Times | Chicago may get a ‘moist’ Christmas, but snow unlikely: forecast calls for rain, temps in the 50s: The forecast is likely to be “mild and moist,” according to Todd Kluber, a meteorologist with the NWS. The good news is weather probably won’t cause travel woes for those staying in the Midwest. “Temperatures are fortunately gonna be well above freezing through Christmas,” Kluber said. “Freezing precipitation is not an issue for us for that holiday period and around that holiday travel time.” * Dave Joachim | Great Outdoor Recipes For Christmas, Hanukkah And New Years: Nibble and nosh your way to New Year’s Eve with appetizers like homemade Boursin cheese spread. When it’s chilly, sip on hot Southern Comfort cider. And when it snows, make maple taffy on snow! The holidays are the best time to invite friends and family over for a get-together and celebrate the many blessings that you have.
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Question of the day: 2023 Golden Horseshoe Awards
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best US Representative goes to Nikki Budzinski…
Some of that was snark, of course, but Budzinski had a ton of nominations that couldn’t be ignored even though she’s just starting out. Let’s hope she can live up to the hype. * The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Statewide Officer yet again goes to Gov. JB Pritzker…
We may have to retire this category until his poll numbers tank. /s * On to our final 2023 category…
Remember to explain your nomination or it won’t count. Thanks. …Adding… The winner will be announced at 4:30ish today, so get your nominations in now, please. * I expressed doubt yesterday that we could raise a total of $55,000 by the end of the day to buy Christmas presents for foster kids. Instead, we surpassed $56,000. That’s so great! Thanks! This is our final day of fundraising. I haven’t spoken with the folks at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois for at least a couple of weeks, but I have to believe they’re thrilled with your generosity this year, because I sure am. Because of you, LSSI can buy presents for 2,256 foster children in Illinois. You done really good, folks. But we still have time to help more kids. LSSI serves a total of 2,530 foster children. So, if you haven’t yet done so or if you have a few extra bucks available ahead of the holidays, please click here. Thanks! Merry Christmas!
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