* Interesting…
* Meanwhile…
WEDS, 1:30PM: Women accuse Cure Violence, formerly CeaseFire, of culture of rampant sexual abuse
Women file suits with Illinois Department of Human Rights, federal court
WHO: Ameena Matthews, star of the award-winning documentary about CeaseFire, “The Interrupters”; Angalia Bianca and Lakisha McGowan, women employees and former employees of Cure Violence, the organization formerly known as CeaseFire; attorney Ed Mullen
WHERE: Union League Club of Chicago, Room 700, 65 W. Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60604
WHEN: Wednesday, October 31, 2018, 1:30PM
WHAT: Women employees and former employees at Cure Violence, formerly known as CeaseFire, a project of the University of Illinois at Chicago, will hold a press conference on Wednesday to come forward about their experiences being sexually abused and harassed at work and the resulting federal lawsuit, Illinois Department of Human Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints.
*** UPDATE *** ILGOP…
Last night, it was reported that a federal judge has refused a motion from the Democratic Party of Illinois to dismiss the case filed by Alaina Hampton alleging sexual harassment within the organization. This means that DPI and Speaker Madigan will enter Election Day next Tuesday with a cloud of harassment and intimidation hanging over their heads.
Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Travis Sterling issued the following statement:
“The judge’s denial of this motion to dismiss further proves that the Democratic Party of Illinois and the rest of Mike Madigan’s operation has fostered a culture of harassment, intimidation, and bullying. Madigan tried to keep this hidden and he has only shown faux remorse now that he’s been caught. What’s shameful is that while other Democrats spoke out against Mike Madigan when these allegations first surfaced, JB Pritzker couldn’t muster a single criticism of Madigan. Pritzker is Madigan’s handpicked candidate and he put his campaign ahead of the concerns of women.” - Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Travis Sterling
The opinion is here. From the Cook County Record’s story…
Ellis said she found lacking the state Democratic Party’s attempt to argue it could not be considered Hampton’s employer, noting Hampton worked on Democratic political campaigns under the watch and thumb of Speaker Madigan, and Madigan was involved in the decisions concerning her continued employment with his political organizations. Essentially, the judge determined the campaign organizations under Madigan’s sway are close enough to the Illinois Democratic Party to allow Hampton’s lawsuit to continue against all the political organizations Madigan controls, including the state party.
“As the Chairman of all four Defendants, Madigan controls their bank accounts, has the ability to transfer money between the accounts, and controls the employment decisions for each Defendant,” Ellis wrote in her six-page decision. “Madigan took an active role in assigning Hampton to various positions working for the Defendants and he made these decisions in his capacity as Chairman of DPI (Democratic Party of Illinois).”
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* Tribune…
The cancer-causing gas released by Sterigenics in west suburban Willowbrook is so dangerous the company is violating state laws intended to protect Illinoisans from harmful pollution, according to a bipartisan lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat who isn’t running for re-election, and Robert Berlin, the Republican state’s attorney of DuPage County, urged a state court to either shut down Sterigenics or enforce more stringent limits on its emissions of ethylene oxide, a toxic chemical that increases the long-term risks of breast cancer and lymphomas at extremely low levels.
By filing their complaint at the state level, Madigan and Berlin sidestepped federal regulations that haven’t been updated to reflect the chemical’s long-studied dangers. They also increased the legal and political pressure on a company owned in part by a private equity firm co-founded by Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican on the Nov. 6 ballot who initially downplayed the pollution problems before joining officials from both political parties calling for Sterigenics to shut down its local operations.
The 21-page lawsuit, filed in DuPage County Circuit Court, provides new details about how Sterigenics uses ethylene oxide to sterilize medical instruments, pharmaceutical drugs and food. While annual emissions from the Willowbrook facility generally have declined during the past 25 years, company-provided records cited in the complaint show it released more than 254,000 pounds of the chemical into surrounding neighborhoods between 1993 and 2017.
* The lawsuit (click here) quotes the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry on July 26…
These elevated risks present a public health hazard to these populations.
* Gov. Rauner a month later…
“This is not an emergency, this is not a public health immediate crisis, this is something we’re managing”
Rauner’s IEPA then punted to the attorney general.
The lawsuit is filed on some pretty broad grounds, including “creating a public nuisance.” We’ll see how it works out, but at least somebody is doing something.
…Adding… Sen. Curran…
State Sen. John Curran (R-41st District) is commending the Illinois Attorney General and the DuPage County State’s Attorney for filing a lawsuit against Sterigenics, which will provide temporary relief for area residents concerned about the release of ethylene oxide into their communities. At the same time, Curran is reiterating his call for the Illinois Senate to advance his legislation that addresses this critical public health issue.
“While today’s action has taken longer than I would have liked, I am thankful for the thoroughness and support provided by the Illinois Attorney General and DuPage County State’s Attorney,” said Curran. “It is clear in reading their release that if we’re going to adequately address this issue, and bring peace of mind to the residents in Willowbrook and surrounding communities, then the Illinois Legislature is going to have to act. And we must act now.”
In their release announcing the lawsuit, the Attorney General and DuPage County State’s Attorney “called on the Illinois General Assembly to address the public health impacts from the use of ethylene oxide.”
Curran, the only member of the Senate to introduce legislation addressing this issue, filed Senate Bill 3630 on Sept. 5th, which would reopen Sterigenics’ current air permit for an additional public comment period and hearing process at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). He’s also introduced Senate Bill 3640, which would immediately prohibit all non-medical uses of ethylene oxide while moving toward a complete ban throughout Illinois by 2022.
“I want to reiterate my call that Senate President John Cullerton advance the legislation I introduced in the Senate so we can bring peace of mind to those being adversely impacted,” said Curran. “I also look forward to working with the Attorney General and DuPage County State’s Attorney on advancing my legislation, and welcome their continued support and expertise to ensure the measure’s success.”
*** UPDATE *** From Sterigenics…
Sterigenics is disappointed that the Illinois Attorney General has chosen to assert “air pollution” and “public nuisance” claims against the company’s Willowbrook facility. The lawsuit filed today expressly recognizes that Sterigenics has operated, and continues to operate, well within the limits of its permit and the regulations. Any action brought against a business operating well within regulatory limits sets an extremely bad precedent.
The sterilization process that we operate is the only one approved by the Food and Drug Administration for sterilizing many vital medical instruments, devices and surgical kits, necessary for surgeries and other health care procedures. As such, any disruption to the operations of the Sterigenics Willowbrook facility would seriously undermine the ability to proceed with scheduled surgeries and procedures and would put patients’ lives at risk.
By properly controlling emissions and preventing life-threatening infection, the Willowbrook facility serves to improve public health every day. We will work with public officials to achieve the appropriate limits to allay the concerns of the community and the regulatory agencies. However, we will vigorously defend ourselves against this lawsuit.
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Random numbers on a random day
Tuesday, Oct 30, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Ad Age…
TV and radio DMAs (designated market areas) cross state lines in various parts of the country, and much of the time that works out just fine—particularly for brand advertising and merchants that routinely draw customers from a wide region. But when it comes to political advertising, an ad for a local candidate in State X is, of course, useless for a person who lives and votes in neighboring State Y. Yet this person still has to endure the message because of DMA bleed-over.
According to an Ad Age Datacenter analysis of political-ad spending from Kantar Media, the problem is most maddeningly acute in the St. Louis DMA. From January 2017 through Election Day next month (including advance bookings), 47 percent of the spending on TV and radio political ads for races tracked by Kantar directed at the Missouri city and its suburbs are for Illinois candidates. That equates to $29 million of the $62.1 million in Republican and Democratic spending in the St. Louis market (both by candidates themselves and groups, such as PACs, supporting them) tallied by Datacenter.
Illinoisans make up 695,117 out of the region’s 2,916,447 people. So, that works out to 31 percent of the population. In other words, Illinoisans are less than a third of the area’s population, but our candidates are spending almost half the money on STL TV.
* Advertising Analytics…
* Meanwhile…
As of Tuesday, about 600,000 ballots had been cast either at the polls or via mail. That’s double the number cast as of this time last week, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
This year’s number is creeping up on the early voting tally from 2014, which was about 800,000, but still has a way to go to match the 1.9 million early votes cast in 2016.
* Our next number is 3…
Only Rhode Island, Delaware and Alaska give their attorneys general exclusive criminal jurisdiction, according to the National Association of Attorneys General. In six other states, Connecticut among them, attorneys general have no criminal jurisdiction, the group says. The rest, Illinois included, impose varying levels of impediments.
* Speaking of the Madigan family…
Friends of MJM has raised more than $11.5 million since the House Speaker busted the contribution caps in August. Madigan’s personal committee has transferred out about $4 million in that same time period.
…Adding… Make that $5 million. MJM transferred another $1 million to DPI just now.
…Adding… One more number…
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Who says journalism is dead?
Tuesday, Oct 30, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* By Michael Winter, a “contributor” to the Olney Daily Mail…
Sunday, the Richland County Republican Central Committee hosted their annual fall event at Olney City Park. The community building was filled with republicans from the top down.
In a surprise visit, Governor Bruce Rauner made an appearance to meet and greet his Illinois constituents. He also took the microphone and showed his support for republican candidates here in Richland County; for County Council, Tim Grove, and Mike Hann as candidate for County Treasurer. […]
The governor thanked J.C., then spoke to the gathered crowd. “Thank you for being republicans and thank you for your commitment to the republican party. I want to say a quick hello. I’m on my way to Murphysboro, and I’m riding a motorcycle today…..a beautiful fall day. […]
Amid rousing cheers and appreciative applause, the governor made toward the front of the community center, a man keeping his schedule on his own whistle stop tour of southern Illinois.
The governor stopped for a photo op with Mike Hann on one side and Tim Grove on the other. With handshakes all around, he at last climbed on his iron horse to move on down the road.
The Governor, dressed in black leather riding gear, headed for Murphysboro on a large, throbbing jet black motorcycle. He left Olney to cheers and undoubtedly heads for more at his next stop ‘on the trail’.
[Hat tip: Anon221]
…Adding… Heh…
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* The voter-shaming letters are back…
* But there’s some “new” news in Hannah’s story…
In the weeks before Pritzker cast his ballot last month, his campaign had sent two rounds of vote-by-mail applications to 2.5 million likely voters around Illinois, the campaign said. Campaign finance records show the Pritzker campaign paid $1.2 million to Chicago-based firm The Strategy Group, Inc. for the first round of applications, which went out in early September, and spent an additional $1 million on the second round of mailings, which were sent later in the month.
Rauner is not doing a vote-by-mail application drive this campaign cycle, breaking tradition from the last few general elections when the gubernatorial candidates from both parties had done so. […]
Though local election authorities don’t keep track of which vote-by-mail applications come in through specific channels like the Pritzker campaign, the campaign can still keep track via information provided by the U.S. Postal Service. The applications sent out to likely voters also had pre-paid return envelopes, which allows the Pritzker campaign to keep a running tally of how many vote-by-mail applications the Democrat has spurred.
The Pritzker campaign told The Daily Line on Monday that the latest numbers indicate 200,000 of the 450,000 vote-by-mail applications originated from Pritzker’s mailings.
Emphasis added.
*** UPDATE *** The Rauner campaign insists it did do a vote-by-mail campaign. “Mail, digital, texting, doors, phones,” I was told.
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