* Gov. Rauner this morning…
I’m funding Erika Harold. I’m giving her a million dollars which is a lot of money for me. I need her to win. Lisa Madigan has defended the corruption of her dad. Erika Harold will prosecute Madigan and the corruption. She’s awesome.
* The governor held a Statehouse press conference today…
Bernie: You said on the radio that you’re going to give a million dollars to Erika Harold and she ‘will prosecute Madigan and the corruption. She’s awesome.’ Corruption? Are you saying that Mr. Madigan has committed a crime? Are you a prosecutor now and what exactly should she prosecute him for? Because I know you like talking about everybody’s corrupt, but what are you talking about when you’re giving a million dollars and telling this person ‘I’m going to get you elected and you’re going to prosecute this man’? Is that the American way? And what is he guilty of?
Gov. Rauner: [Laughs] Well, the Illinois way is corruption. Madigan has been in control of our state for 35 years. Why do we tolerate a system where the leader of the legislature, the leader of the Democrat Party, uh, can control much of our state government, force policies that cause our property taxes and taxes to rise and then own a property tax appeal law firm, and charge property owners millions of dollars to get property taxes reduced? He’s on both sides of that. It’s corrupt, it’s broken it’s a fundamental conflict of interest.
Reporter: Is it legal?
Rauner: It shouldn’t be.
Bernie: Why didn’t you propose that?
Rauner: [Laughs] I have proposed many variations on this issue. I tried to get a law passed, uh, the General Assembly under Speaker Madigan blocked it, a law passed to stop legislators from, uh, owning property tax appeal law firms, so it would be illegal, and stop arguing cases in front of, um, tax appeal boards because they’re in, it’s a conflict. They, they raise taxes on their policy side and then make money reducing them. That’s, that’s a conflict. That’s a rigged system. And, uh, they wouldn’t pass that bill. So I went ahead and did an executive order. And now, legislators can’t argue cases in front of the state board. That I can do unilaterally.
Monique: But you also said that she should prosecute the speaker.
Rauner: Yes.
Monique: So, are you alleging that he has committed a crime? And also, how could she prosecute because that office can only refer crimes right now?
Rauner: [Laughs] So, attorneys’ general job is to enforce the law and investigate wrongdoing, especially in state government. The, the, the attorney general’s job is to represent the people of Illinois as their chief prosecutor and, and, uh, and legal, uh, representative. Um, we in Illinois have suffered for years. Our attorney general has defended the current system. Defended the conflicts of interest. Protect the problems in this state. Defend the status quo. We need someone who will challenge the status quo, investigate wrongdoing, investigate possible illegal activity, certainly investigate unethical activity and, and propose laws to make it illegal, rather only unethical. That’s what an attorney general who will primarily do. And in Illinois that has not been happening. Erika Harold will make that happen and that’s my point.
Rauner aide: Last question! Last question!
* By the way, I sent these questions to Erika Harold’s campaign this morning at 10:10…
1) Has Ms. Harold spoken with the governor about her plans to prosecute Speaker Madigan?
2) Does she have any plans to prosecute Speaker Madigan?
3) Does she have any other comment on the governor’s statement?
4) Does she have any comment on the governor’s pledge to contribute $1 million to her campaign?
I haven’t heard back.
*** UPDATE *** The Erika Harold campaign finally got back to me, but they didn’t answer any of my questions…
Erika is grateful for the support from not only Governor Rauner, but also many citizens across Illinois who want to reform state government.
If presented with evidence, Erika will investigate and pursue any allegation of wrongdoing or corruption at any level of government in Illinois as Attorney General. Additionally, Erika has called on lawmakers to give the Attorney General additional tools to crack down on public corruption, including the authority to convene a statewide grand jury and issue subpoenas.
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* This year’s butter cow…
Zoom in on the sign, though, and you’ll see a typo…
Bicenntenial? Oops.
*** UPDATE *** SJ-R…
The superintendent of the Illinois State Fair’s Dairy Building says the misspelling of the word “bicentennial” on the fair’s famed Butter Cow display will be repaired before big crowds hit the building this weekend to view the spinning refrigerated case holding the 600-pound creation.
Marla Behrends, the Dairy Building’s superintendent, said workers at the building were expecting to complete the fix Thursday evening.
Behrends said the Butter Cow’s sculptor, Sarah Pratt of West Des Moines, Iowa, felt terrible and was very sorry when she was informed about the mistake, which happened on a butter-based sign sitting next to the cow. The sign includes the word “bicenntenial,” with one of the buttery Ns in the wrong place.
* Speaking of butter cows, this is very cool…
* On to today’s parade…
The Illinois Department of Agriculture says the Wiseman Family, which owns the Wiseman Farm in Wabash County, will be the Grand Marshals for the 2018 Illinois State Fair Twilight Parade tonight.
The Wisemans have been recognized as one of only two Bicentennial Farm families in Illinois. They grow corn and soybeans on their land, which has been in their family since 1818.
* Parade deets…
The parade will begin in Lincoln Park, head north through the park to Sangamon Avenue and then east to the Main Gate and into the fairgrounds. Staging for the parade will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the park.
It is the second year for the Twilight Parade’s new route. For many years prior to 2017, the parade started near Ninth Street and North Grand and marched up Peoria Road to the fairgrounds.
The parade route will close to traffic at 4 p.m., and detour signs along North Grand Avenue and Veterans and J. David Jones parkways will be in place. The Parade Run begins at 5 p.m. and the parade at 5:30 p.m. The route is expected to remain closed until 9 p.m.
No public parking will be available for parade watchers in Lincoln Park or the Nelson Center. Patrons of the Nelson Center will be able to access the center using the intersection of Third Street and Black Avenue.
* Related…
* Old standbys, new roller coaster await Illinois State Fair fans
* Illinois bicentennial puts extra sparkle in Illinois State Fair: Inside, fairgoers will find a special display of “The Past to Today through Twinkies,” which were invented in Illinois. In fact, free samples will be made available to the first “200” visitors from a variety of companies.
* Grandstand preview: Culture Club comes back for ultimate ’80s experience
* Ready for battle: B-N teens to compete in band competition at State Fair
* Raleigh girl among winners of ‘Cream of Crop’ contest: The winning entries will be featured in the Treasurer’s tent on the north side of Brian Raney Avenue during the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. The fair kicks off on Aug. 9 with the Twilight Parade and ends Aug. 19.
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* Tribune…
Nearly 33,000 juveniles arrested over about the last two decades have been labeled by Chicago police as gang members, according to police data. […]
At the time of their arrest, 13 of the juveniles were just 10 years old. About 60 were 11. And more than 300 were 12, a Tribune analysis of the records showed.
Experts cautioned that labeling juveniles as gang members can create a stigma that causes lifelong problems for them yet serves little purpose for police.
The Police Department defends its gang databases, saying they remain an important tool in fighting what drives much of Chicago’s violence. However, the department has promised reforms in how people end up listed as gang members and in how they can remove their names.
Um, based on available evidence, that crime prevention “tool” isn’t working so well. It’s also allegedly unreliable…
Civil rights groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging that the Chicago Police Department relies on an error-plagued database that names up to 195,000 people as gang members, including many who have never been in a gang.
Many people were erroneously listed in the database simply because of a tattoo, social media post or address, according to the federal lawsuit from Northwestern University’s MacArthur Justice Center and other groups. Those listed as gang members have a harder time landing jobs, are more likely to be denied bond after arrests and are often targets of harassment by police or immigration officers, it contends.
The way police manage the database is “arbitrary, discriminatory” and “over-inclusive,” and it gives beat officers “unlimited discretion” to falsely label people gang members “based solely on their race and neighborhood,” the lawsuit states. In some cases, license-reading devices flag cars registered to someone in the gang database, increasing the odds of the car being stopped.
* And then there’s this…
A joint investigation by Chicago police and the Norfolk Southern Railroad that used a truck loaded with goods and left parked in Englewood as a lure for potential thieves has come under fire after video of the operation went viral.
“This bait truck operation is an unacceptable and inappropriate use of police resources,” said Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, chair of the City Council’s Black Caucus. “In a moment where police capacity is clearly under extreme strain, these sort of tactics are the last thing we should be spending manpower and energy on.”
A video shot earlier this month that was posted on the Facebook page of community activist Charles Mckenzie appears to show officers arresting a man after he allegedly broke into a “bait truck” in the Englewood neighborhood. People on the video argue that community members are being set up for arrest.
Police have often used bait vehicles to catch people in the act of committing a robbery or a theft. Susan Terpay, a spokeswoman for the Norfolk Southern Railroad police, which worked with Chicago police on the investigation, defended the Englewood investigation, noting these sting operations are tactics used by law enforcement to crack down on patterns of thefts in certain areas.
Except…
In a statement, Norfolk Southern spokeswoman Susan Terpay said the trucks were part of a “joint surveillance operation to apprehend the individuals who have been breaking into freight containers at NS railyards in Southside Chicago.”
However, the railyards are more than a mile away from where the trucks were parked on city streets.
A mile away? Sheesh.
*** UPDATE *** Paul Vallas…
I’m for law and order, but the the time and resources used for a theft sting in Englewood is a misappropriation of limited police resources. Those resources should be focused on catching shooters and killers! How can a community engage with police if they feel their kids are being tricked by police? We need to build and earn trust with the community if we are to make headway in reducing the unacceptable levels of violence.
Agreed on all counts.
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* Gov. Bruce Rauner on WJPF this morning…
I’m being challenged by this guy Pritzker. He is a corrupt insider, loyal to Madigan, works for the Chicago machine.
We talked about coal. He is anti-coal. He supported Obama and Clinton and their war on coal. He’s funded them.
Just for clarity’s sake. Hillary Clinton won Illinois by 17 points in 2016. Barack Obama won it by 17 points in 2012 and 25 in 2008. This is not the fight to pick in a Democratic wave year, even if he is on a southern Illinois radio station because those words won’t necessarily stay in southern Illinois.
…Adding… Hmm…
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* The audio isn’t online yet, but Gov. Bruce Rauner told WJPF’s Tom Miller this morning that he is contributing $4 million to the House Republican Organization on top of the $2 million he’s already given them. He also said he is giving $1 million to Republican attorney general candidate Erika Harold.
The dude is finally going all-in, it appears.
JB Pritzker has contributed $2 million so far to Speaker Madigan’s House Democratic Majority PAC. And he’s given just $50,000 to Democratic attorney general candidate Kwame Raoul’s campaign.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Transcript provided by the Rauner campaign…
I’m funding Erika Harold. I’m giving her a million dollars which is a lot of money for me. I need her to win. Lisa Madigan has defended the corruption of her dad. Erika Harold will prosecute Madigan and the corruption. She’s awesome.
I’m also going to give another $4 million to the House Republicans. They are the ones who will vote to oust Madigan and get him out of office. They’re the ones who blocked the income tax hike that Pritzker and Madigan are pushing. I’m all in.
I need some help from all the folks around the state. But I need the folks in Southern Illinois. Get out and vote. Vote for reformers in the General Assembly, vote for Erika Harold. Vote for me so we can fight Madigan and get a better future.
…Adding… Also from today’s show…
*** UPDATE 2 *** Audio is here.
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