* Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) just told me that four nursing homes in her 49th Ward (where she is the Democratic committeeperson) have backed out of serving as polling places for next month’s primary over concerns about COVID-19. The Chicago Elections Board called her today to ask her for alternative site suggestions, Cassidy said.
This reluctance could easily spread to other sorts of facilities, including senior centers and schools. Hold on to your hats.
I’ve asked the Chicago Elections Board for comment. I’ll let you know.
*** UPDATE *** Chicago Elections Board…
Hi Rich,
In response to calls the Chicago Election Board has received from nursing homes, the Board will not be using any nursing homes that were previously designated to serve as Election Day polling places.
We are preparing mailings and emails to voters in the affected precincts to encourage use of Early Voting and Vote By Mail.
Replacement Election Day polling places for the affected precincts are not yet determined. We will be providing more information in the coming week.
Regards,
Jim
*** UPDATE 4 *** Jim Allen at the Chicago Elections Board…
There are no other categories of polling places that are affected.
Allen also told me the board met with the CPS CEO yesterday and two officials from Chicago Archdiocese, as well as the Park District and the Chicago Public Library.
“Right now, our biggest fear is fear itself,” Allen said.
*** UPDATE 5 *** Jim Allen at the Chicago Elections Board…
Hi Rich,
Am writing to update the information provided late Friday.
The Chicago Election Board has modified the pre-Election Day nursing-home voting program, so that is entirely Vote By Mail.
We will not necessarily be changing all Election Day precincts that are in building complexes that include nursing-home components. There are locations with nursing home components in one building, but senior living in other areas, where the residents may want to continue to vote in a polling place in that building instead of going elsewhere to vote. Thus, Election Day precinct polling places are being evaluated individually and changed as needed.
Chicago voters may check their polling place information at chicagoelections.gov/info
Regards,
Jim
Related…
Nursing homes are a perfect-storm environment for the coronavirus, pairing residents at greater risk of serious illness with facilities that may be ill-equipped to prevent the spread of infection within their walls and beyond.
Seventy-five percent of U.S. nursing homes have been cited for failing to properly monitor and control infections in the last three years — a higher proportion than previously known, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal inspection data. Those citations have been as mild as a paperwork problem, and as serious as a nursing home not telling state officials about an outbreak as unmonitored workers spread disease to patients.
More here.
* Let’s move on to the Atlantic…
Oregon, situated between the California and Washington hot spots, can test only about 40 people a day. Texas has 16 positive cases, according to media reports, but the health department’s website still lists only three cases. The Texas Tribune has reported that the state can test approximately 30 people a day.
Other states can test even fewer. Hawaii can test fewer than 20 people a day, though it could double that number in an emergency, an official told us. Iowa has supplies to test about 500 patients a day. Arkansas, though not near a current known outbreak, is able to test only four or five patients a day.
On the East Coast, testing capacity varies significantly. New York State has 22 positive cases, including several cases of community transmission in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It can test 100 to 200 people a day. Neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut have not shared any information about how many tests they have run, or about their daily testing capacity.
Pennsylvania can test only about a dozen people a day, and Delaware can test about 50 people, our survey found. An official in Massachusetts, where two of 20 tests have come back positive, said that she did not know the Bay State’s daily capacity, but that its health department “currently [has] an adequate supply of test kits.”
I’ve asked the governor’s office how many people can be tested every day in Illinois and am still waiting for a response. I will update if they get back to me.
*** UPDATE *** Uh-oh…
*** UPDATE *** Stay tuned…
* Roundup…
* Ace Hardware cancels spring convention at McCormick Place amid coronavirus worries, in another loss for Chicago convention business
* Fifth Coronavirus Patient in Illinois Speaks Out From Hospital Bed: “I’m feeling a lot better,” he said in a phone interview with NBC 5’s Christian Farr. “I feel safe. I don’t want anybody to be alarmed or be too worried because obviously, it’s hard when you see case number five on the news, you don’t really know what that means.”
* Health officials urge commmon sense regarding the coronavirus: “Of course, a virus absolutely is scary, but there’s a very simple way to take care of it. In the U.S., as I understand it, the people who passed away from it just ignored the symptoms, and by the time they checked it out, it was too late.
* Workplace vs. coronavirus: ‘No one has a playbook for this’
* SXSW canceled: Austin officials end 2020 festival amid coronavirus concerns
* Coronavirus could inflict biggest blow to travel industry since Great Recession
* Indiana confirms first illness linked to coronavirus outbreak
* First Responders Are ‘Trying To Stay Ahead’ Of Coronavirus: Around the country EMS departments are preparing. One concern they share is a looming shortage of masks. State EMS directors are worried agencies could run out “in the next couple weeks,” says Leslee Stein-Spencer, a program advisor at the National Association of State EMS Officials. The shortage will have significant consequences, Stein-Spencer says. When workers get sick, it gets harder to keep ambulance services running. “If it comes to that point, you would look at alternate staffing measures, and you would look at, you know, triaging,” she says. “The sickest patients would come to the hospital and the others would not get an ambulance.”
* University of Washington to hold all classes online
* Coronavirus concerns will keep Big Ten Network from sending its studio team to the conference men’s basketball tournament in Indianapolis: BTN sources on Friday confirmed the decision to have network mainstay Dave Revsine and company to do their tournament pregame, halftime and postgame programs, as well “The B1G Show,” from BTN’s Chicago headquarters.
* Coronavirus Concerns Prompt Illinois State GeoBee To Move Online
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Lightfoot, Durbin endorse Biden
Friday, Mar 6, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Greg Hinz…
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is scheduled to announce her presidential endorsement at a 1:30 p.m. press conference today, and it looks like U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin will join her in endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden.
A Lightfoot press advisory says only that the mayor and Durbin, D-Ill., will endorse a candidate for president. But it also says they’ll be joined by U.S. Reps. including Robin Kelly, Mike Quigley and Bill Foster, all of which are with Biden.
* The CTU is not amused, but the union itself has taken a pass on an endorsement so far…
…Adding… From the mayor…
Friend,
We need a leader who will use his power and influence to heal the divides and bring us together. That’s why I am proud to endorse Joe Biden for President.
As I have said from my first day as a candidate for this office, equity and inclusion must be our north star. Unfortunately, for the last three years we have seen these values completely trampled. Our Department of Justice is in a state of crisis, with fealty to the president more important to some than fairness or the rule of law.
By contrast, Joe Biden has a plan to strengthen our criminal justice system by reducing incarceration rates and rooting out racial and gender-based disparities.
I know President Biden will make Chicago a partner, not an adversary.
Joe is committed to rebuilding our middle class and expanding access to affordable health care, and I know he shares our vision for a stronger country where poverty is eradicated.
I believe that he can build a coalition – from small towns like Massillon, Ohio, where I grew up, to big cities like Chicago – that will unite people who want a better path forward. I believe he can win.
While our primary continues, I hope we’ll all be focused on the ultimate goal - victory in November. Because as Senator Sanders himself has said, “Donald Trump is the most dangerous President in American history.” And in the end, our party is united in understanding that threat.
I urge Democrats everywhere to join Joe Biden’s campaign and sign up at joebiden.com. I urge Independents and even Republicans to support Joe Biden for President. This election is about the future of our country and we don’t have a moment to waste.
Thank you,
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot
…Adding… IEA…
Today Jill Biden, Ph.D., wife of Presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden (D), talked with education leaders from across the state at the Illinois Education Association (IEA) Representative Assembly (RA). The IEA RA is the largest gathering of teachers, higher education faculty and support staff, education support staff, student educators and retired educators in the state.
“Public education matters. The primary in Illinois is a little more than a week away, and our educators are serious about voting for candidates who support public education,” IEA President Kathi Griffin said. “Our vote is our voice.”
More than 1200 educators are wearing red today in support of #RedforEd day at the IEA RA. #RedforEd is a grassroots movement that is inspiring large groups of educators to wear red in support of their students, schools and public education. All the democratic presidential candidates were invited to speak or send a surrogate to the IEA RA. After Biden addressed members during the official IEA RA, she, along with Griffin, visited with small groups of educators from across the state.
“There is nothing more important to our Democracy or the future of our nation than giving our children the kind of quality schools they deserve,” Biden said. “Educators, we are on the frontlines every day. We know what our kids need to grow, to be creative and inspired, to become the best versions of themselves.”
“Nearly everything that happens in our schools and on our college campuses is determined by a decision made outside of it,” Griffin said. “Our advocacy for our students can’t end with our work in the classroom. We need to make sure all our elected officials from school boards to the White House are people who support, value and advocate for the needs of public educators and our students.”
The video is here.
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* Tribune…
Cook County Commissioner Jeffrey Tobolski is resigning from office later this month, he said in a letter dated Friday.
Tobolski’s resignation letter addressed to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle did not give a reason for his pending departure. His resignation takes effect March 31.
FBI agents raided the village headquarters of suburban McCook, where he is mayor, on Sept. 26. The raid came on the same day as federal law enforcement authorities descended on the Village Hall in nearby Lyons and two days after raids on the offices and home of state Sen. Martin Sandoval, a Chicago Democrat whose district includes both towns.
* Sun-Times…
Preckwinkle did not immediately have a comment.
Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison, R-Palos Park, said he was “surprised” by the decision and “as a human being, I feel for him and his family.”
“As a colleague I wish him well and I hope he’ll be able to use the time to address whatever issues he’s struggling with,” Morrison said. “I wish him well in addressing them. In light of the reported stories, it’s probably for the best for his constituents in the 16th District.”
Tobolski was elected to the seat in 2010.
* Aldertrack…
*** UPDATE *** He gone…
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*** UPDATE *** The indictment is here.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
[Bumped up to Friday for visibility.]
* CBS 2…
William Helm, the former deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation and a Chicago political insider, was facing federal charges Thursday claiming that he bribed former state Sen. Martin Sandoval.
An indictment handed down on Thursday accuses Helm and his consulting company of offering the bribes in exchange for state approval for a development project in East Dundee.
The charge is outlined here.
* WBBM Radio…
A two-page indictment Thursday said Helm and his consulting company were hired by “Construction Company A” to try to get the Illinois Department of Transportation to approve roadwork that Company A wanted to do in East Dundee.
Helm allegedly bribed Martin Sandoval, then chairman of the Illinois Senate Transportation Committee, to push IDOT to give Company A the approval it wanted.
We still don’t know the names of the IDOT officials who were referenced in the Sandoval search warrant, by the way. Helm’s name was also on that search warrant.
* Tribune…
According to the indictment, Helm was retained in 2018 by a construction company that was seeking IDOT approval for a signalization and road construction project in East Dundee.
At the time, Sandoval was the head of the influential Senate Transportation Committee.
The indictment alleged Helm paid bribes of at least $5,000 to Sandoval between July and November 2018 in exchange for the senator’s influence in helping the project gain IDOT approval.
The company was referred to in the indictment only as Company A. Helm’s consulting company also was not identified, but records show he owns WAH Consulting LLC, which has a principal address in Schaumburg.
Marty appears to be singing like a canary.
* Sun-Times…
Helm could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday evening. But his name has previously surfaced in search warrants relating to the feds’ ongoing investigations, records show. One was used when the FBI searched Sandoval’s Springfield offices in September. Another came a short time later, when the feds hit the tiny southwest suburb of McCook and the offices of its mayor, Jeff Tobolski, who is also a Cook County commissioner.
A source said Helm and Tobolski “are very close, political allies.” Helm is also a longtime friend of Tobolski’s top county aide, Patrick Doherty.
The feds charged Doherty last month with three bribery counts related to his work as a paid consultant for the red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC. His indictment alleges he conspired in 2017 with another sales agent and someone with an interest in SafeSpeed to pay off a relative of an Oak Lawn trustee to support the installation of cameras. […]
Helm also worked as a paid sales representative for SafeSpeed while on the city payroll, the Chicago Sun-Times has reported. The company paid him a commission on red-light tickets written in Matteson and Glendale Heights, records show.
SafeSpeed has officially denied any involvement, of course.
* Sun-Times background from last October…
Helm isn’t well known, like some of the politicians he works for. But for decades, he’s been a old-school Chicago operator who has marshaled “volunteers” — often city employees — to circulate petitions and get out the vote for politicians. He also has used his contacts with bar and restaurant owners to hold fundraisers for campaigns, sources say.
He has gotten one plum government job after another, despite a history of disciplinary actions taken against him. In his latest job, at O’Hare, he got into trouble after being accused of allowing one of his workers to bring his wedding party onto the airfield for photos — without security clearance. In August, Helm abruptly resigned from that post, which paid him more than $125,000 a year.
Helm, 55, who hasn’t been charged with any crime, has deep ties to politicians as well as business owners who need friends in government — some of who’ve drawn the interest of the FBI and the IRS. […]
Helm is a longtime friend of Rick Heidner, a video-gaming magnate who was named in search warrants as part of the investigation. Heidner hasn’t been charged with any crime and says he’s done nothing wrong.
* Also October…
Helm is part of former Ald. Patrick O’Connor’s North Side political operation, but O’Connor said recently he doesn’t know what’s going on with Helm, only that he stopped working for the city in recent months. […]
Helm — who formerly worked at the Illinois Department of Transportation and resigned after being accused of having 41 hours of personal conversations on his phone during work hours — wouldn’t say whether federal agents have approached him.
* November…
When drivers get red-light camera tickets in Matteson, a portion of their fines has been going to a recently retired deputy Chicago city aviation commissioner who’s at the center of a political corruption investigation, records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show.
Bill Helm — a $125,000-a-year deputy aviation commissioner overseeing airfield maintenance at O’Hare Airport until he quit in August — also was a paid sales representative for SafeSpeed, LLC, while on the city payroll, the records show.
SafeSpeed paid Helm, who’d held the city aviation post since 2014, a commission on red-light tickets written in Matteson and also Glendale Heights, the records show. Glendale Heights ended its affiliation with the red-light camera operator in 2018, officials said. […]
Helm didn’t disclose the outside work to City Hall, as required for any “secondary employment,” a spokesman said. Nor did he inform the Chicago Board of Ethics of outside income.
Matteson and Glendale Heights officials told the Sun-Times they knew nothing about nothing.
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