Afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Sen. Martwick is well known for starting “discussions.” Sometimes it works out, oftentimes, well, here’s Crain’s…
* Meanwhile…
* Jim Dey looks at the future of Rep. Carol Ammons after she was passed over for a Senate appointment…
* Politico…
* More on that apparent arson at Planned Parenthood in Peoria…
* From Davos…
Au contraire, mon gouverneur…
Don’t tell Darren Bailey. He could use that laser to zap state budgets. Not sure if he’d need a FOID card, though. …Adding… Equality Illinois press release…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Chalkbeat | Departing State Superintendent Carmen Ayala looks back at her tenure, COVID challenges: Just one year after being named superintendent, Ayala found herself standing next to Gov. J.B. Pritzker as he announced the closing of over 3,000 schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. With Ayala at the helm, the State Board of Education quickly responded to the pandemic. Now, with schools reopened, classrooms buzzing with activity, and districts flush with federal dollars to help schools deal with the fallout from the pandemic, Ayala said she feels that “It’s time to rest.” * Crain’s | ComEd seeks four-year rate hike totaling $1.5 billion: The numbers are well above the historically high rate hikes ComEd obtained under the 2011 formula-rate law, which permitted the utility to change its delivery rates annually under a formula that essentially removed the ordinary authority the Illinois Commerce Commission has to set utility rates. In 2024 alone, ComEd seeks to hike its delivery rates by $894 million, by far the steepest one-year rate increase ComEd ever has sought. After that, rates would increase by an average of $198 million annually through 2027. * WGN | UIC faculty strike after failing to reach agreement with administration: While the union is pushing for pay and support of mental health resources for students, UIC says mental health needs are met holistically, not as part of a single-union contract. In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for the union said they have spent the last three years scrambling to mitigate the effects of the pandemic saying “our whole community, students and faculty are exhausted.” * NBC Chicago | ‘Kraken’ COVID Variant, XBB.1.5 Climbing in Midwest, Experts Say More Cases Expected: The variant now makes up 43% of cases in the U.S. and more than 14% of cases in the Midwest, climbing in both metrics from 30.4% and roughly 7% the week prior, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. * Crain’s | The scion of one of Chicago’s richest families is taking on the city’s crime problems: Crown, though, is on the move elsewhere. Since October, he’s been leading a public safety task force established by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. At 69, he may be finally stepping into his father Lester’s civic leadership shoes to take on Chicago’s scourge of gun violence and the city’s regrettable global image as one big crime scene. The issue is more intractable and politically radioactive than even the knotty ones like O’Hare expansion and a new county hospital the elder Crown took on. * WBEZ | From state regulations to finding financing, Illinois cannabis craft growers face multiple obstacles: The vast majority of future craft growers in Illinois are facing significant obstacles. It’s been three years since recreational cannabis became legal in Illinois. Out of 88 licenses issued, so far only one facility has opened and only one secured a loan through a state program set up specifically for marijuana businesses. Craft growers are finding it difficult to get financing or outside investments and they’re hamstrung by state regulations. Plus, they only have until March 1 to be ready to operate. Xavier is among those 88 applicants selected by a state lottery for a conditional craft grow license. These licenses were created, in part, as a way to help people get into the cannabis industry who otherwise wouldn’t have the means to do so. * NBC Chicago | Zelle Fraud: More People Tricked Into Sending Money Over Popular E-Pay Option: Each year, millions of dollars are stolen from consumers through Zelle in fraudulent transfers, data shows, and victims say getting help or refunds from their banks has been difficult. That could soon be changing, as the Wall Street Journal reports the big banks that own Zelle’s parent company, Early Warning Services, have been meeting and negotiating the standardization of refund procedures, as well as the sharing of liability within the Zelle network. * Tribune | Freshwater fish are significantly more contaminated with toxic forever chemicals than saltwater fish and shellfish, analysis shows: Eating just one freshwater fish a year can dramatically increase the amount of toxic forever chemicals coursing through a person’s blood, according to a new study that reflects more than a half century of pollution contaminating the Great Lakes and rivers nationwide. The alarming finding is based on an analysis of hundreds of fish caught by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency since 2013. Though the EPA has concluded some of the chemicals are harmful at any level, the agency hasn’t drawn attention to its fish sampling or warned Americans they could be in danger. * Tribune | Two south suburban cops stole cash, drugs, extorted drivers: A south suburban police sergeant and a patrol officer under his command are facing federal charges alleging they robbed motorists of cash and drugs during traffic stops and extorted people in exchange for declining to press charges or tow their vehicles. Jarrett Snowden, 34, of Lansing, and Antoine “Bell” Larry, 46, of Bolingbrook, both officers for the small village of Phoenix, were charged in a four-count indictment made public Tuesday with bribery conspiracy, extortion, and attempted extortion. * WBEZ | Everybody’s late and everything smells like weed: What nearly 2,000 CTA riders told us: The second-largest transit system in the United States spent 2022 trying to bounce back from a slew of challenges: a pandemic that wiped out ridership in systems across the country, shortages of bus and train operators and a massive culture shift toward remote work. That’s not much solace to John Wilmes, a professor at Roosevelt University who is pursuing a career change so he can work remotely after commuting for 12 years. “It’s been that bad. I can’t rely on it anymore,” he said. “I’ve always been a defender of the Chicago Transit Authority. I’ve always said, ‘Actually, it’s not that bad. It’s actually one of the good things about living here. It’s pretty reliable.’ That’s no longer true. And the city doesn’t seem to care.” * Sun-Times | Shoddy investigations of officers tied to Oath Keepers, Proud Boys diminishes CPD’s integrity: If the Chicago Police Department expects residents to assist in their investigations and view its officers as honest and hard-working, it would help if they did a better job weeding out and thoroughly vetting cops who rubbed elbows with extremist right-wing organizations. * Herald & Review | The steep plunge in used car prices — what it means, and what’s ahead: Since the start of the pandemic and the resulting disruptions to new car supply chains first sent prices soaring, used car prices posted their largest annual increase on record — up 45% in the 12 months ending in June 2021, according to the Consumer Price Index — before swinging to a 12-month drop of 8.8% in the most recent reading for December. * News-Gazette | New abortion clinic to open in west Champaign: Plans for this new clinic have been afoot since at least June, when a fundraiser to help pay for a building purchase was launched on GoFundMe by Dayton, Ohio-based OB-GYN Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle and two others listed as fundraising team members, Aeran Trick and James Reisinger-Kindle. * Tribune | A new lane in Chicago politics? Movement for more bike infrastructure grows: Rebecca Resman’s biking education group had long focused on teaching kids to safely ride bikes, hosting parent forums, family group rides and bike-to-school days. But then three children were killed in car crashes last June, including 2-year-old Raphael “Rafi” Cardenas atop a mini-scooter in Lincoln Square and 11-year-old Ja’Lon James biking to the store to get milk in Lawndale. The family of 3-year-old Lily Grace Shambrook, who was riding on the back of her mother’s bike in Uptown when she was killed in a semi-truck crash, plans to file a lawsuit Tuesday against the companies and drivers involved with her death, Clifford Law Offices said. * WCIA | Champaign organization donates books to Central Illinois prisoners: For almost 20 years, Books To Prisoners has collected books to send to prisons in the area. The non-profit donates more than 6,000 books a year. Program coordinator Rachel Rasmussen said books are a great way to humanize and educate prisoners who don’t have access to reading. * Sun-Times | Gay-owned restaurant in Rogers Park targeted in suspected homophobic attack: The owners of R Public House say a hammer-wielding man yelled gay slurs at patrons and broke a glass door Monday evening. ‘We’re not afraid,’ co-owner Sandra Carter says. * WSIL | Doughboy Statue Vandalized in Herrin: The Doughboy Statue was recently vandalized in Herrin overnight with paint splattered on the base of the memorial and on the grounds around it. * NYT | How Restaurant Workers Help Pay for Lobbying to Keep Their Wages Low: The National Restaurant Association uses mandatory $15 food-safety classes to turn waiters and cooks into unwitting funders of its battle against minimum wage increases. * Sun-Times | Chicagoan awarded high honors from France for work rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral ravaged by fire: Knorowski organized a global virtual fundraising event whose participants included cellist and onetime Paris resident Yo-Yo Ma, actress Glenn Close, filmmaker Ken Burns, journalist Scott Simon and Notre Dame Cathedral organist Olivier Latry. The event raised about $500,000. * WGN | Voting underway for 50 finalists in Chicago’s ‘Name a Snowplow’ contest: Last month, Chicago officials announced the contest and encouraged residents to use their “ingenuity and imagination” to create names by Jan. 6. The Department of Streets and Sanitation picked the finalists and voting is open through Jan. 31. * Press release | Department on Aging Seeks Nominations for Senior Illinoisan Hall of Fame: “Nominating an older friend, family member or neighbor for the Senior Illinoisan Hall of Fame is a wonderful way to show them the impact of their contributions to your community,” said IDoA Director Paula Basta. “Each year, we enjoy reading the nominations to get to know Illinois’ most outstanding older adults and giving special recognition to four of them.”
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Protected: *** UPDATED x1 *** SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Session update
Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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*** UPDATED x3 *** AG Raoul steps up to defend NY gun lawsuit statute
Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * AG Raoul obliquely mentioned this topic during his inaugural address and I fleshed it out a bit for subscribers last week. Suffice it to say, Raoul wants a similar law passed here. Press release…
The amicus brief is here. …Adding… Meanwhile, I told subscribers about this today, so I’ll just share it here without comment…
*** UPDATE 1 *** The first lawsuit against the new assault weapons ban has been filed. Looks like they’re using the kitchen sink approach. Click here. *** UPDATE 2 *** You knew it wouldn’t be long before Tom DeVore found a pigeon… er… client…
“Bureaucrats”? This is duly enacted legislation, Tom. Good to see he hasn’t lost his dramatic flair /s *** UPDATE 3 *** ISRA…
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Follow along with ScribbleLive…
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