Question of the day
Friday, Oct 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A Bloomberg reporter yet again repeated the falsehood that Mayor Brandon Johnson has proposed a financial transactions tax within a story about CME Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy. In the story, Duffy reiterated his threat to pull CME out of Chicago. More…
As for the mayor, Duffy said he’s met with Johnson once since he was elected in April and is willing to throw his arms around him to help him succeed. But “we don’t agree on anything,” Duffy said.
This following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
What would you have done if you were Mayor?
I’d be doing things a lot differently. You can’t walk outside and not have commerce in one of the largest cities in the world. Who’s going to pay the taxes on these large buildings that are now vacant? You need to figure out ways to get people back into the cities. Can you imagine trying to convert everything into residential? It’d be unattainable. And that cost would be extraordinary.
I’d like to see us go away from some of the taxes that we already have in place. Let people not pay a sales tax and compete with online. If you want to sell it online then you pay a tax, and in the store where you’re employing people, you don’t pay a tax. But let’s think logically about how we’re going to get people back into work and into a society. We don’t have a society right now.
As usual with corporate types, he didn’t say how he’d make up for the loss of all that state and local sales tax revenue.
* The Question: Do you think state and local government should play a role in moving people back into offices, or should that be on employers? Explain.
…Adding… Something you may want to consider from Crain’s…
According to a new analysis prepared exclusively for Crain’s by the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation and the Center for Municipal Finance at the University of Chicago, the property tax bill paid by the average Chicago homeowner could rise hundreds of dollars a year as office tower owners pay less because of the depressed value of their property. Homeowners effectively would pick up a bigger share of the tax load.
For instance, if the tax value of downtown office buildings drops 20% — a figure that’s substantially lower than actual reality, according to some industry experts — the bill for the typical Chicago home would rise from $5,244 to $5,424. If there’s a 40% decline, the average residential bill would go up almost 10%, from $5,244 to $5,723, assuming taxing bodies don’t change their gross levy, the study found.
78 Comments  
|
Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Oct 6, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: Mayor Johnson is exploring backup plans for his migrant tent cities idea. Summary of a Tribune story…
- Winter is fast approaching with no start date on tent encampments.
- Pritzker told reporters Thursday that more state funding is unlikely.
- Johnson’s administration has been meeting with individual state legislators to ask for additional support.
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Time | State Legislative Staffers Across the U.S. Push to Unionize: “We’re not going to negotiate for anything crazy. We’re not going to ask for million-dollar salaries,” says Kelly Kupris, a policy analyst focused on K-12 education and a member of ILSA’s organizing committee. “We just want to be treated what we’re worth, listened to, and know that we have a safe workplace that is able to put food on the table at the end of the day.”
* Tribune | Almost 1,000 migrating birds die Thursday in Chicago after crashing into McCormick Place Lakeside Center, a 40-year record: “It was just discouraging as can be,” said [David Willard, a retired bird division collections manager at the Field Museum]. “You’re looking at a rose-breasted grosbeak that, if it hadn’t hit a Chicago window, would have made it to the Andes of Peru.” Willard blamed the worst day in 40 years of bird monitoring on an array of factors, including weather patterns, badly timed rain and lit windows at Lakeside Center.
* Tribune | ‘He was Chicago’s son’: Dick Butkus, the Hall of Fame Bears linebacker known for his toughness, dies at 80: “After football, it was difficult for me to find what I liked second-best,” Butkus once told the Tribune. “Football was always my first love. That certainly didn’t mean I couldn’t find something else. And the proof of the pudding is where I have ended up today. “I guess I could have been one of those guys who didn’t prepare to quit. But things happened and through hard work I found out that, hey, there are other things besides football
* Last year I met Jessica Handy from STAND for Children Illinois at a reception and we talked a bit about her love of creating crossword puzzles. Jessica told me yesterday that STAND now includes original, Illinois-themed crossword puzzles in its legislative newsletter. Click here to check them out!
…Added by Rich… Save the date!…
Illinois Third House Annual Holiday Party
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Palmer House Hilton
17 E. Monroe, Chicago, IL
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* Tribune | lllinois presidential primary process starts Saturday with petitions for candidates and delegates: While Illinois in recent general presidential elections has been flyover country due to its solid status as a blue state, the preparations necessary ahead of the March 19 primary still provide an organizational test for campaigns. The nitty-gritty details of the presidential primary process start Saturday, when candidates’ campaigns can begin seeking signatures from voters to place both the presidential hopefuls and candidates for national nominating delegates on the ballot.
* WJBC | McLean County Zoning tables CO2 sequestration drilling impacting Mahomet Aquifer: “Drilling a well that goes through the aquifer is not a good idea. Beyond that, they want to store liquid CO2 beneath the aquifer. And we know that leaks happen, especially over time,” said Julie Prandi. Danielle Anderson, Public Relations Manager for Navigation CO2, the company pushing for the drilling said the well would protect the groundwater.
* WTTW | CPS Suspended 2 Security Guards Last Month. Both Were Previously Fired Police Officers and Named on Chicago’s Do-Not-Hire List: One man, who has been working as a security guard at Lane Technical High School since 2021, was terminated in 2019 by the Chicago Police Department following allegations of sexual misconduct involving a minor, records show. He was suspended on Sept. 11. The other is a Kenwood Academy security guard who the police department ousted in 2012 because of a string of domestic violence incidents, according to CPD disciplinary files. He was also suspended on Sept. 11.
* Crain’s | Johnson to join UAW picket line on Saturday: Johnson will join Fain and other union leaders, including Association of Flight Attendants President Sara Nelson and Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates, according to a UAW press release. Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter confirmed to Crain’s he’ll also be in attendance.
* Crain’s | Why Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg are spending $250M on science in Chicago: Chan praised “the tenacity, the grit, not incidentally the enthusiasm of the city’s leadership” today when she visited the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub’s home being built out at Fulton Labs. It was her first visit to Chicago since the biohub’s announcement in March. She also noted that Gov. J.B. Pritzker “showed up at the applicant interview day as the top cheerleader of the team presenting their case for a biohub” a year ago. He also offered $25 million in state support.
* Sun-Times | Secret recordings cite ties between Berrios relative, Chicago mobster: ‘Jimmy and Frank were good friends’: “Jimmy and Frank were good friends,” Joseph Weiss said in that recorded conversation, according to federal prosecutors. “And some Russians were muscling Jimmy, but Frank was on the run. Frank was in hiding, and Jimmy called Frank and said, ‘Hey,’ ’cause they were partners. And Jimmy says, ‘Hey, man, these guys just busted up my f—ing store. Scared the f— out of the girls, this and that, you know, I need your help, where the f— are you?’ ”
* WAND | Cresco Labs settles with employees for back wages: As part of the job, Emperor was required to pick up personal protective gear at the company storage shed and walk to a changing room to put it on — before clocking in. “It was another coworker of mine, who changed behind me, and he brought to my attention that ‘you know we should be getting paid for this time’,” Emperor said. He was let go in 2022 and realized those 15 minutes here and there added up, and he was owed thousands of dollars in back wages.
* SJ-R | Bringing home the bacon: What do top 10 paid Springfield, county officials make?: The only official to make more than $250,000 is Doug Brown of City Water, Light and Power. His 2022 base pay was $253,844 according to public records. Brown serves as Chief Utility Engineer, where he is tasked with oversight of the Electric, Water and Finance divisions and Regulatory Affairs. He has worked for the utility since 1994, previously serving as the Major Projects Development Director.
* WCIA | U of I Extension urges caution as risk of farm fires rises for harvest season: Equipment fires, especially combine-related fires, are one of the most common and costly types of farm fire incidents. Trent Ford, state climatologist with the Illinois State Water Survey at the U of I, said this season’s increased risk is due to severe drought conditions in parts of the Midwest. A lack of precipitation, low soil moisture and dry vegetation paired with hot running farm equipment could increase chances of a fire.
* WBEZ | Chicago Public Library unveils public art piece taking on banned books: The newly-installed permanent Altar for the Unbanned by Theaster Gates sits in the middle of the third floor of the Harold Washington Library main branch. It features spiral shelves of books that have been banned in different periods of American history — titles like Antelope Woman by Louise Eldirch and The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood are part of the current piece. Atop the stacks of books sits a bright, neon sign that reads “Unbanned” in all capital letters.
* AP | Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, a rising political star, crosses partisan school choice divide: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — a first-term Democrat seen by his party as a rising star nationally — forcefully put his weight behind a Republican-backed proposal to send $100 million to families for private school tuition and school supplies.
* Sun-Times | Joyce Chapman, Far South Side community activist, a Lori Lightfoot Chicago Board of Ed appointee, dead at 67: Ms. Chapman’s appointment last year to the Chicago Board of Education was a momentous day for her, having spent years coming before the board to push for better education policies. “To sit on the other side of the podium, she knew she had a chance to make a difference, and she was proud to be there,” Amina Brooks said. […] Ms. Chapman left the board this year after Mayor Brandon Johnson was elected.
* Sun-Times | Dick Butkus a Bears legend for all generations: Butkus was a Chicagoan who played football like all of us wanted to — with grit, ferocity, anger and relentless aggressiveness. Through all those losing seasons, he played the game as if he felt our pain.
15 Comments
|
* Background is here if you need it. From Shaw Local…
An $8.6 million state grant awarded to Joliet Township for asylum seekers would fund services now being provided to migrants already coming to the area, Township Supervisor Angel Contreras said Wednesday. […]
He said asylum seekers being bused into the Chicago area already are finding their way to Joliet and other suburban areas. The Spanish Community Center in Joliet has done casework for 2,200 asylum seekers since August 2022, Contreras said.
The grant would be used to fund services already being provided to asylum seekers by the Spanish Community Center and Will-Grundy Medical Clinic, the two organizations named as grant recipients.
“I envision it (the grant) just stabilizing the work that the organizations are already doing so that they don’t go under,” Contreras said. “The people are here already, and we don’t want our systems to go under.”
Contreras’ full letter is here.
* From the township’s grant application…
Shelter and nights of stay are currently provided at the Mainstay Joliet hotel off of the Larkin exit at Interstate 80 in Joliet, Illinois. A Memorandum of agreement will exist with the hospitality owners to continue utilizing services for socially vulnerable individuals and providing guidance to triage, resources and services through direct continuity of care planning. This agreement provides protection to vulnerable clients that are experiencing acute or chronic stages of disease, and/or health and social vulnerability. […]
Spanish Community Center (SCC) will be opening and operating an Illinois Welcoming Center (IWC) program at its 309 N Eastern Ave location, which will be able to provide services to asylum-seekers. The IWC program will have the capacity to provide in-depth case management to 700 clients, crisis intervention services to 350 clients, and resource and referral services to 3000 clients, with a total funding award of $350,000. […]
In the last two years SCC also doubled the size of its legal and immigration programs, greatly increasing client capacity. So much so, that a secondary office location had to be opened in Joliet to house the expanding programs. Due to this growth, there have been several successes in the legal programs. In the current fiscal year, every employment authorization filed by the program has been approved, a family that filed for VAWA recently received their social security cards, and in FY23, the program surpassed its intake and case acceptance goals, conducting 145 screenings and accepting 63 cases.
* But, as you know, Joliet’s mayor claimed he and the local fire department were blindsided…
A state grant awarded to Joliet Township to provide services for migrants is raising concerns from elected leaders in Joliet.
“The decision maker in the city did not have knowledge of the grant request made by the Joliet Township with community partners and organization,” said Mayor Terry D’Arcy.
Mayor D’Arcy at a council meeting Tuesday night told the public his office and the Joliet Fire Department did not sign or approve any memorandum with the township as submitted to the state.
The township’s grant application not only featured the logos of the City of Joliet and the Joliet Fire Department at the top of its front page, the application itself more than just implied support from the mayor and cooperation with the fire department…
Joliet Township Government, with partners Will Grundy Medical Clinic, The Spanish Community Center, and The South Suburban Immigrant Project, with support from the City of Joliet Mayor’s Office, will work through memorandum of agreement alongside local safety net providers to offer temporary, rapid, and responsive support services to those individuals that are, under definition, seeking Asylum in the United States. […]
Working with the local Fire Department, to provide immediate on-site services through community paramedicine, and reciprocity through Joliet Township Government programs such as trauma informed services to violence prevention, non-emergency transportation, housing and shelter, food and nutrition access, and economic development.
If the township doesn’t have that cooperation, the entire program could founder.
* And there are clearly some proposed expansions in current efforts, including this one…
Will Grundy Medical Clinic Health Housing and Hope program has provided health care, shelter, medication and transportation, for over 800 individuals and families that reside unsheltered and within the emergency shelters, Morning Star Mission and Daybreak in Joliet, Illinois. This program will expand to offer a “Welcoming Clinic” for individuals and families seeking Asylum
*** UPDATE *** The City of Joliet’s interim city manager says the city was aware of the grant but it provided no input on the grant application and continues to oppose the proposal…
This statement is being released to provide clarity on the City’s position regarding Joliet Township’s application for asylum seeker funding. The City of Joliet routinely shares grant funding opportunities to other local government and social service agencies that support Joliet residents. We do this to help offset the financial impact to these agencies.
The City of Joliet received a notice of funding opportunity regarding this grant on August 9, 2023.
As standard practice, City staff reviewed the funding opportunity. A link was shared with Joliet Township and Spanish Community Center to attend a statewide zoom information session hosted by the grantor on this funding opportunity. On September 1, 2023, City staff met with Joliet Township, Spanish Community Center and Will Grundy Medical Clinic. A general discussion was held regarding the current pressures placed on these agencies from asylum seekers currently in the community and whether this grant would help stabilize the financial burden placed on the community.
City staff was aware these three organizations intended to have additional conversations regarding this grant opportunity and its applicability to meeting the current needs in the community. The City of Joliet provided no input in Joliet Township’s grant application.
The City did not receive a request from Joliet Township, nor did we authorize Joliet Township to include the Mayor’s Office and Joliet Fire Department as collaborators. In fact, the City did not receive a copy of the grant application until October 2, 2023.
The extreme amount ($12.1M) that Joliet Township requested does not correlate to any conversation City staff had regarding the current needs within the community.
As Interim City Manager, I do not support Joliet Township’s grant application. In the future, the City will continue to partner on funding opportunities with our governmental and community partners that benefit the residents and businesses of Joliet.
The Mayor’s strong request that Joliet Township withdraw the application stands.
30 Comments
|
* Tribune…
In a post-City Council meeting news conference Wednesday afternoon, the mayor said Chicago was now expecting at least 14 — and as many as 22 — buses that day
* From last week’s city council hearing…
Representatives from two volunteer-led organizations at Friday’s meeting said that volunteers haven’t gotten any financial support from the city. In a presentation, a representative from the mutual-aid Police Station Response Team estimated volunteers have spent about $2.4 million on food and water for migrants and nearly $1 million on supplies. They’ve also supplied about $2.9 million in free labor, according to the estimate.
* Chicago Ald. Nicole Lee told Mayor Brandon Johnson that her 9th Police District volunteers are simply overwhelmed after providing what looks like a remarkable level of comfort and goods for asylum-seekers. Lee is right that volunteers shouldn’t be expected to indefinitely carry this heavy of a load…
Dear Mayor Johnson:
I’m writing to you today on behalf of the residents of the 11th Ward, the mutual aid volunteers and roughly 298 migrants currently in the 9th District and the officers who work there. As a community, we have welcomed thousands of migrants who have come through the 9th District as they awaited shelter space. Our mutual aid volunteers, donors from the ward including residents and nonprofits, and police officers have provided food, clothing, blankets, suitcases, toys and more for more than a year now. My office works closely with the mutual aid organization for D9 and together, we operate a free shop where donated items are sorted and organized so that new arrivals can shop with dignity for basic items they need.
We’ve worked with our park district and community partners to provide showers which means the other citywide resources can be sent to other locations where they are needed. Our community has handled the pressures of this crisis as well as anyone could ask and thankfully, we have so far, not had any major incidents between migrants, residents and police. The number of ‘minor incidents’, however, are beginning to accrue and frankly, the situation has become untenable: last night, 25 asylum seekers were essentially “evicted” from D9 due to capacity constraints. Moreover, our mutual aid group has made gargantuan efforts to welcome asylum seekers but we can no longer sustain these efforts with the numbers we currently have. We need citywide equity across the police districts for placement of migrants. Our district has regularly ranked among the ones with the greatest number of people being “staged”. In fact, based on yesterday’s figures alone, Area 1 has 142 more migrants in its districts than the next highest which is Area 3. Area 1 has more migrants than all of Area 2 and Area 5 combined.
Mr. Mayor, the 9th District cannot handle any more migrants at this time. With the number we have currently, we know it is unsafe and unsanitary for the migrants, the police and our community. Our volunteers have done an incredible job, but, as you know, they have full time jobs too. I recognize the challenge of finding solutions and while we cannot control the flow of buses, and the use of migrants as ‘political weapons’ by the Republican Party, I would love to have a conversation about how we can better manage the situation on the ground specifically around:
1. Having full-time staff at our police districts to perform intake and conduct oversight
2. Leveraging technological tools to help process migrants and inform them of the resources at their disposal to better set them up for success for their new life in our city
3. Hiring a team of canvassers from Chicago to travel to border states to combat false information about what services and resources are available here.
4. Developing a playbook for this response with processes and protocols that should be followed at every location new arrivals are being staged, sheltered or housed.
Seems like she makes some good points and has decent ideas. The mayor should listen. Volunteers are of course essential (and the mayor ought to shower them with praise), but they just can’t handle all these tasks on their own. Especially going forward.
* Meanwhile…
Far and away, the best option is to come up with a solution at the source, in Venezuela. But until that happens, one thing the state, city and county can do is get tough on these bus companies. Yes, some of them have cooperated by tipping off officials about arrival times and places and other intel, but obviously that bus company did not cooperate.
* Bottom line: Since the federal government is not providing much assistance and the city is flailing without a plan, the state needs to step up and take at least temporary command.
…Adding… Something posted in comments that some of y’all need to keep in mind…
=== Why is there a presumption that everyone arriving in the city has some type of legal status.===
Because if they weren’t legal, Abbott wouldn’t be able to put them on the bus without breaking the law. Federal law – 8 USC 1324
46 Comments
|
* Press release from the Mayor Brandon Johnson administration…
“Today, NASCAR announced its 2024 schedule, which includes a return to Chicago on July 6th and 7th for Chicago Street Race weekend. At the conclusion of this year’s race, the Johnson Administration began conversations with NASCAR with the goal of addressing concerns raised by residents, alderpeople and other stakeholders, while acknowledging NASCAR’s contributions to the City’s economy and communities.
“As a result of these conversations, NASCAR has agreed to shorten the event’s set up and tear down windows, reducing travel disruption for impacted communities and other residents. NASCAR has also committed to addressing costs incurred by City departments and agencies in facilitating and securing the event as consistent with other large-scale events. This is a win for Chicago taxpayers, as the original agreement did not include provisions for such costs.
“Finally, NASCAR has committed to growing its impressive investments in Chicago communities and expanding opportunities for small-, minority- and women-owned businesses to participate as vendors in 2024. The City looks forward to working with NASCAR and other stakeholders to deliver a successful Chicago Street Race weekend in 2024 that works for residents, fans and Chicago’s economy.”
Thoughts?
…Adding… Crain’s…
The racing company issued a press release on Wednesday hours after the city’s tourism bureau, Choose Chicago, released the results of an economic impact study that showed the race weekend generated $108.9 million for the local economy, despite being hampered by rain that canceled the Saturday NASCAR Xfinity Series race and weekend concerts and postponed the main event, the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday.
The report is here.
21 Comments
|
* Press release…
Today Governor JB Pritzker announced several upcoming transitions in state agency leadership. Theresa Eagleson, Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), will step down at the end of 2023. The Governor has appointed Lizzy Whitehorn, who currently serves as First Assistant Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services, to serve as Director of HFS beginning January 1, 2024, pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate. The Governor also announced the upcoming transitions, also at the end of the calendar year, of Paula Basta, Director of the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA), and Marc D. Smith, Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Finally, the Governor announced the appointment of Camile Lindsay as Acting Director of Professional Regulation at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), pending confirmation. Lindsay is currently serving as First Assistant Deputy Governor for Public Safety, Infrastructure, Environment and Energy.
“Theresa, Paula, and Marc reflect the best of state government—people who have sacrificed to help millions of constituents through their dedication to service,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Despite the excellent quality of the candidates who will fill their shoes, their full impact on state government can never truly be articulated or replicated, and I thank them for their years of service. Lizzy and Camile’s years of service in my office have shown their passion for what they do, and I’m glad they will continue to have an opportunity to do this important work at an even higher level.”
Eagleson has served as Director of HFS since January of 2019. Prior to that appointment, Eagleson was the state’s longest serving Medicaid director, as well as the Executive Director of the University of Illinois’ System Office of Medicaid Innovation. Under Eagleson’s leadership, HFS has implemented numerous initiatives aimed at reducing disparities and creating a more equitable healthcare delivery system and child support services program and expanding behavioral and reproductive healthcare. She and the HFS team initiated and implemented a first-in-the-nation, equity-driven Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives program to incentivize health providers of all kinds and community-based organizations to partner in new ways to provide better care in historically underserved communities across the state. Together with DCFS, HFS successfully launched Youthcare, a managed care program specifically designed for youth in care. HFS also implemented new assessments for Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and other provider assessments, making the Illinois Medicaid program less dependent on state general funds, and implemented nation-leading nursing home rate reform to improve care for 45,000 residents in Illinois nursing homes.
“Serving the people of Illinois, especially the millions of customers within the Medicaid program, from newborns to seniors, drives me every day,” Eagleson said. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to lead this wonderful team of professionals at HFS, and I am grateful to Gov. Pritzker for giving us the opportunity to create transformational change within the larger healthcare landscape in this state, especially for nursing home residents. I will always treasure these 30 years spent serving the state of Illinois.”
Basta, who is retiring at the end of 2023, was appointed Director of IDoA in March of 2019. Prior to joining IDoA, Basta served as the Director of Senior Services and Health Initiatives at the Chicago Housing Authority, where she oversaw social services for 54 senior buildings and 10,000 seniors throughout Chicago. During her tenure at IDoA, Basta guided Illinois’ network of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), Care Coordination Units, and aging services providers through the COVID-19 public health emergency, ensuring continuity of services to older adults who are a population group at high risk of COVID-19 complications. Basta also helped to launch new programming to support older adults’ health, independence and well-being during and beyond the public health emergency, such as the Illinois Care Connections program to combat social isolation, emergency gap filling services, and the expansion of nutrition programs in partnership with locally owned restaurants.
“It has been a privilege to serve Governor Pritzker’s administration as Director of the Illinois Department on Aging,” said Basta. “As the agency celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall, I am optimistic about the direction it’s headed, and I am endlessly grateful to our staff and partner organizations for their ongoing efforts to meet the needs of older adults.”
Smith was appointed Director of DCFS in April 2019. Prior to his appointment, Smith served as the executive vice president of foster care and intact services at Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness, Illinois’ largest provider of services to families in crisis, since 2009. During his tenure, DCFS created a capital program investing in youth service providers and sought federal opportunities for funding, grew the agency budget to stable levels after years of disinvestment, and increased transparency and accountability to the public. Under Smith’s direction, DCFS also prioritized technology upgrades to a 30-year-old infrastructure enabling new operational efficiencies, grew funding for youth scholarships, and increased staffing to the highest levels the agency has seen in 15 years.
“When I joined this administration in 2019, my mission was clear. Build a child welfare system in Illinois that keeps kids safe and supports families in crisis,” said Smith. “As someone who has spent my entire career committed to improving the child welfare system – I am incredibly proud of the profound progress we have made. DCFS continues making a difference where it matters most – by keeping children safe, creating brighter futures for the youth in our care, and giving hope to families in crisis that need support. We are on our way to building a child welfare system in Illinois that will once again serve as a national model. The governor and his administration have been incredible partners. Together we confronted the longstanding challenges at DCFS head-on, with both optimism and pragmatism, so we can help families and children thrive. I am profoundly proud to have had the opportunity to lead and work alongside the amazing team of professionals at DCFS that have dedicated their lives to protecting and supporting our most vulnerable children.”
Whitehorn has served as First Assistant Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services since 2019. Alongside Deputy Governor Sol Flores, Whitehorn led the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including testing and vaccine efforts and the nation-leading rental assistance and childcare restoration grant programs. From the Governor’s Office, she spearheaded the Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative, a collaborative approach among six state agencies to improve services, resources, and outcomes for youth with significant behavioral health needs. Over the last five years, Whitehorn has worked closely on the administration’s healthcare initiatives, including legislation to authorize a state-based healthcare exchange, increased access to healthcare services, and expanded programs supporting reproductive healthcare, as well as efforts to strengthen the state’s early childhood system. Whitehorn is a committed public servant, who previously served as Deputy Director in the Department of Central Management Services and Associate General Counsel in the Governor’s Office.
“Over the last four and a half years, I’ve worked closely with the health and human service agencies and seen firsthand the results of interagency cooperation and coordination—a system that works better those we serve,” said Whitehorn. “I’m honored to continue this work at HFS to increase access to affordable and equitable healthcare and support the millions of Illinoisans who rely on our Medicaid system every day.”
Camile Lindsay currently serves as First Assistant Deputy Governor for Public Safety, Infrastructure, Environment and Energy. Lindsay was responsible for overseeing several Illinois state agencies, including the Department of Transportation, State Police, Department of Corrections, Emergency Management Agency, and the Capital Development Board. Prior to joining the Governor’s office, Lindsay served as Chief of Staff and Chief Legal Counsel for the Illinois Department of Corrections. Earlier in her career, she worked as Supervisory Regional Counsel for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Assistant Attorney General for the Illinois Attorney General’s office, and Assistant State’s Attorney for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office.
“Professional licensing serves as the economic backbone in Illinois, with more than 1.2 million individuals counting on IDFPR for the means to verify they’re qualified to work in their chosen field,” said Director of Professional Regulation Camile Lindsay. “I look forward to building upon the successes achieved at IDFPR to ensure the people of Illinois continue to receive the quality service they need from licensed professionals.”
Over the next several months, a national search will be conducted to find a new Director of IDoA and Director of DCFS.
…Adding… IARF President Josh Evans…
“Throughout her tenure leading the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Director Eagleson collaborated with sister state agencies involved in the regulating and provision of social safety net services, including to persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities and serious mental illnesses.”
“Even through the tremendously challenging months of the COVID-19 pandemic, which required constant engagement with healthcare and social safety net providers and the federal government, Director Eagleson worked to advance necessary Medicaid policies and rate changes to strengthen and support the disability and behavioral health service arrays, including unprecedented increased investments in Medicaid mental health funding.”
“Under Director Eagleson, HFS expanded access to Medicaid telemedicine services and we expect further work in this area. Illinois’ commitment to implementing and expanding Certified Community Behavioral Health Center models of providing behavioral health care is a credit to the Director’s leadership.”
“IARF thanks Director Eagleson for her public service. Further, we congratulate Lizzy Whitehorn, First Assistant Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services, on being named HFS Director this coming January. We look forward to working with Ms. Whitehorn to further advance shared priorities in ensuring high quality I/DD and behavioral health services and supports.”
27 Comments
|
* Hannah Meisel…
* CBS Chicago…
Smith, who was first appointed to the post in 2019, announced his resignation during a virtual town hall meeting for DCFS staff.
“After having some discussion with my family, and people who are part of our system who are important to me, and the way we think about the work, I wanted to announce today that I will be stepping down as director of DCFS,” Smith said.
* WGN…
In 2021, WGN Investigates cited data from Cook County public guardian Charles Golbert’s office which determined 356 kids had been hospitalized longer than medically necessary in the previous year. The average stay was 55 days longer than deemed medically necessary, according to the data. […]
In a statement issued Wednesday, Golbert said in part, “DCFS Director Marc Smith leaves a mixed legacy. On the one hand, in serving for four and a half years, Smith brought much needed consistency in leadership after DCFS rotated through 13 different directors and acting directors over the prior ten years. … On the other hand, over four and a half years and despite the increased resources, Smith failed to substantially expand desperately needed placement capacity. As a result, under Smith’s watch, we started to see children sleeping on the hard, cold floors of offices instead of in a warm, comfortable bed in an appropriate placement for the first time since the 1990s. This is now happening to hundreds of children every year. … The placement shortage crisis is so bad that Smith holds the dubious distinction of being the only director in DCFS’s history to be held in contempt of court a dozen times for failing to place children appropriately in violation of court orders. … During Smith’s tenure, hundreds of children have died despite DCFS involvement. At least a dozen of these deaths were high profile in the new media. This is likely, at least in part, because DCFS still has a 20% vacancy rate for investigators. DCFS has been in violation of the investigator caseload mandates of a federal consent decree for many years. … So Smith leaves a mixed legacy.”
* Sen. Craig Wilcox…
“Here in McHenry County we have a constant reminder of the failings of DCFS, as the senseless and avoidable death of AJ Freund is never far from people’s minds. The problems at this agency are vast, and simply replacing the Director will not solve them. The fact that many of the findings in the most recent Auditor General’s audit of DCFS are repeat findings clearly illustrates the agency is not taking these findings to heart and making necessary changes, and the fact that the new report identifies even more problems than the last audit is unacceptable. Until our Governor recognizes the dire need for a structural rebuild of DCFS from the ground up, I fear it is only a matter of time until another child experiences a tragic outcome due to negligence by the agency that is supposed to protect them.”
* Sens Steve McClure and Sally Turner…
“Protecting and caring for our state’s most vulnerable children and families is an incredibly important responsibility of the Governor’s administration. As the recent compliance audit makes crystal clear, the issues with DCFS aren’t getting better, the situation actually appears to be getting worse. We hope the Governor takes this opportunity to finally fix the issues that plague DCFS and have led to heartbreaking stories of children waiting months for placements, or those who tragically have lost their lives.
“Unfortunately, the issues with DCFS go much deeper than one appointed leader, the problems are systemic. Governor Pritzker needs to undertake a comprehensive review of agency operations, prioritizing solutions that protect children who cannot protect themselves.”
* Sen. Don DeWittee…
“Having met with Marc Smith and members of his staff on many occasions, it is clear he recognizes the problems at DCFS run very deep. Unfortunately, our Governor has refused to make the same acknowledgement or take steps to fix this agency from the ground up. Changing the individual at the helm is not enough to fix DCFS; deep organizational changes are needed to prevent tragedies like the murder of AJ Freund of Crystal Lake from happening again. We need to seek national expertise and identify best practices from states that are doing a good job with the welfare of children, because the system in place in Illinois is clearly failing the most vulnerable children and families among us.”
* NASW IL…
* House Minority Leader Tony McCombie…
“DCFS is undeniably a dysfunctional agency in our state, and immediate change is critically necessary. As children in our care and agency workers continue to be harmed or worse, the House Republican caucus will strongly advocate for common-sense proposals to structurally reform the functions of the agency. It is our duty to protect children in the state’s care.”
* Illinois Collaboration on Youth…
On behalf of the Board and members of the Illinois Collaboration on Youth, I want to thank DCFS Director Marc Smith for his service to our state. Director Smith is one of our longest- serving directors in recent memory and he brought much needed stability to our system.
When Governor Pritzker took office, Illinois was reeling from the wanton destruction of our health and human services system brought on by the budget impasse. Child welfare services are always a lagging indicator of the functionality of that system, and as predicted, the number of children and youth in care exploded following the impasse, putting an enormous strain on a system that had been neglected for nearly two decades. Governor Pritzker and Director Smith had only just begun to respond to this situation when they were forced to navigate the uncharted waters of a global pandemic. Illinois’ child welfare system had one of the best responses to COVID-19 in the nation; we salute their leadership in this area.
Thanks to the Governor and Director Smith, Illinois has seen five consecutive years of investments into the child welfare system to help it better cope with the growing population and the ongoing workforce crisis. We have also seen the implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act and the transition to YouthCare, as well as funding for capital expansion and building capacity in our residential treatment programs.
While there remains much more to do to improve outcomes for children and families, we are looking forward to the full implementation of the Governor’s Blueprint for Transformation, and continued collaboration with the new leadership to come.
19 Comments
|
Afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Oct 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Herald-Whig…
Quincy aldermen will consider an ordinance making the city a “Safehaven City of the Unborn.”
The ordinance would prevent health care providers offering abortions from setting up in Quincy by making it illegal to receive abortion-inducing pills and abortion-related medical equipment in the mail on the authority of the 1873 Comstock Act, a federal law prohibiting “obscene” or “lewd” materials from being sent in the mail, including birth control or abortion-related items.
The City Council heard from several residents in favor and opposed to the ordinance during Monday night’s meeting where Alderman Jake Reed, R-6, requested it be placed on the agenda.
Mayor Mike Troup and aldermen, such as Greg Fletcher, R-1, expressed support of the ordinance but also concerns the state of Illinois will sue Quincy and lay litigation fees at the taxpayer’s feet.
That’s a pretty safe bet, mayor.
…Adding… Sarah Garza Resnick, CEO, Personal PAC…
“The Quincy proposal is yet another attempt by anti-choice extremists to restrict abortion rights in Illinois. Like the ordinance that passed in Danville, this proposal is an insult to the Illinois Constitution and the Illinois Reproductive Health Act. Personal PAC is partnering with pro-choice organizers on the ground to make sure that if the Quincy Mayor and City Council take a vote on this ordinance, they know that we are watching, and we are working toward municipal elections in 2025.”
* Another campaign attack…
I asked whom Bailey was supporting, but never heard back. Follow along here.
…Adding… Looks like Bailey and Rep. Miller (No Relation) are on opposite sides at the moment…
Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) released the following statement on her vote to prevent a “coalition government” with Democrats:
“I agree with President Trump that right now, we should be focused on stopping the radical Democrats,” Miller said.
“I voted against Kevin McCarthy 15 times in January, but no one else has stepped forward to run for Speaker and I will NOT surrender the majority to a “coalition government” with the Democrats through a power-sharing agreement with extreme liberals Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries.
* This district is represented by freshman Democrat Eric Sorensen…
* Press release…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker visited the University of Chicago Library to announce the University’s plan to build a collection of books that have been historically banned, creating an accessible library open to the public. The event takes place during National Banned Books Week, which runs from October 1-7. The governor was joined by Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton and University of Chicago leadership.
“When we can engage with ideas that are new to us, challenge and be challenged by different perspectives, learn new things, understand all the amazing miracles and darkest hours of the world around us — we are all better off,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Today’s announcement not only means that any member of the public can come access commonly banned books here in person at UChicago — it also means that residents throughout Illinois can access these texts digitally. Even in the face of rising censorship around the country, I have faith in the power of free speech and free thinking to overcome. Through programming and protests and advocacy like this, Illinoisans demonstrate to the nation and the world what it really looks like to stand up for liberty.”
“Illinois continues to stand on the right side of history, refusing to censor educational and social reading material that celebrates our diversity and the richness of the human experience,” said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. “As we celebrate Banned Books Week, our administration is committed to protecting the voices and stories of those who have historically gone unheard and unseen.”
The event was held at the University of Chicago’s Regenstein Library and highlighted the value of intellectual freedom in Illinois and nationwide. Governor Pritzker emphasized the importance of literary access and supporting library staff, who have been dealing with threats around the state.
With support from the American Library Association (ALA), the University of Chicago will be consolidating dozens of “banned books” for their new collection, which can be freely accessed by members of the public with a UChicago Library visitor pass.
The collection will be digitized and made available to those nationwide who lack local access to these titles, in partnership with the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). The virtual “Banned Book Club” app uses geolocation services to determine book titles that have been banned in users’ areas. The UChicago Library and DPLA have already made over 900 titles accessible, and are consistently increasing the number of available titles on the app.
In June 2023, Governor Pritzker signed a bill making Illinois the first state to outlaw book bans, encouraging schools and libraries to embrace education, literary justice, and equity. HB2789, which takes effect January 1, 2024, protects libraries from external restrictions to book collections.
Governor Pritzker also included $1.6 million in the FY24 state budget to launch Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library statewide. This initiative includes a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter a family’s income.
The Banned Book Collection at the Regenstein Library is currently available for access. The digital collection can be found on DPLA’s recently launched “Banned Books Club” on the Palace e-reader app.
* Sun-Times…
With the downtown property market ranging from torpid to downright depressed, a bit of news about the sector in September had a “man bites dog” importance.
Menashe Properties bought a 29-story office building at 230 W. Monroe St. The family-owned firm, based in Portland, Oregon, and making its first investment in Chicago, took the plunge as other property moguls talk about tax rates, high crime and the still-uncertain comeback from COVID-19 as reasons to shun deals here. […]
Menashe said he checked out Chicago in his first visit to the city and found it to be “the polar opposite of what you hear about in the news.”
“It’s vibrant. It’s architecturally beautiful. You could feel the vibe,” he said. He was a follower of the late tycoon Sam Zell, remembered for an ability to profit from others’ failures.
* The horror…
“It was certainly a first in front of the Ritz: a good-sized, sort of fancy tent astride two large industrial carts, all topped with a large Chicago Fire [soccer] tarp,” said a nearby resident who is elderly and asked not to be identified.
“It was illegally blocking the use of a public way and up against the fence of Schulman Park on Pearson Street, ostensibly across from [Streeterville’s Ritz-Carlton hotel] in order to use the bathroom facilities.
“I was walking my shelter dog when I called to the inside of the tent, and a woman I didn’t see said she was nine months pregnant. Then, a well-groomed man appearing to be in his 30s showed up, accused my dog of pooping on his tent, swore at me in a salacious manner and told me to get lost when I told him the tent placement was illegal. So I called the police, who were there in minutes.”
No police report was filed, but the tent was gone the next day.
* And yet…
Chicago has been named the “Best Big City in the U.S.” for the seventh straight year by readers of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine, officials announced Tuesday.
According to a press release from City of Chicago tourism agency Choose Chicago, the award “speaks to Chicago’s enduring allure to all types of travelers from around the world.”
* Rep. Steve Reick…
The adverse opinion issued last week by the Illinois Auditor General’s office of its compliance audit of the Department of Children and Family Services deals not only with certain financial irregularities within the agency, but it also shines a harsh light on the failure of this agency to protect the children within its care. DCFS exists for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to protect vulnerable children from abuse and neglect. The fact that the agency failed on so many levels, and then saw fit to hide its failures by providing material misstatements boggles the mind.
Since the audit’s release, we’ve heard nothing from the Governor, even though he had two press availabilities last week where he could have addressed the issue. I just spoke with a member of the Springfield press who told me that the Governor’s office was going to leave it to the Agency to respond.
Since the audit was released on September 26th, there’s only been one comment made by DCFS regarding the findings. Heather Tarczan, DCFS communications director, pointed out the audit took place amid COVID-19 when many state agencies were dealing with staffing issues. I would find that to be somewhat persuasive if it wasn’t for the fact that the issues raised in this audit go back long before COVID.
The Auditor General’s report discloses 33 separate findings, of which 17 were “Category One” findings which describe “material weakness in internal control” or “material non-compliance with state laws and regulations”. Of the 17 Category One violations shown in the audit, twelve of them were raised as far back as 1998. These failures aren’t due to COVID.
And what about Director Smith? Was he hired to fix this agency, or was he merely hired as a caretaker of a dysfunctional agency that has failed so many kids? If he’s any kind of a leader, he should be marching into the Governor’s office and demanding that he be given complete authority to overhaul this agency. Neither he nor the Governor can be considered as profiles in political courage.
The governor is quick to point out that Republicans could be more supportive of his efforts if we would but vote in favor of his budgets. That’s a topic for another day, but let’s just say that if the administration were to propose its budget in piecemeal fashion (by appropriation committee) instead of as a single 3,000-page document, we might find things in there that we’d be willing to vote for, even though we had no say in what goes into it. But he’d rather have political talking points rather than a cooperative effort toward doing the work that the people of this state deserve.
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker urges Biden to intervene amid ‘untenable’ pace of migrant arrivals: Without naming GOP figures like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Pritzker blamed political leaders who “have shipped people to our state like cargo in a dehumanizing attempt to score political points.” But he also faulted the Biden administration for its lack of support for Illinois, which has already dedicated $330 million to addressing the influx of 15,000 migrants and counting.
* Sun-Times | Migrant shelter plan at Amundsen Park field house draws City Council member’s ire: Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) on Monday unleashed his anger at Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to turn the Amundsen Park Fieldhouse into a shelter for 200 migrants for at least six months. Three days after Taliaferro warned that the burgeoning migrant crisis was bringing historic tensions between Blacks and Latinos to a boil, the situation hit even closer to home.
* South Side Weekly | Tent Camp Debate Highlights Uneven Burdens in Migrant Response: Antonio Gutierrez, a strategic coordinator at Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD), told the Weekly that because the plan is a temporary solution, they’re concerned about the long-term plan. “The crisis is not the recently arrived migrants, but the overall lack of affordable housing in the city of Chicago,” Gutierrez said. “We also don’t think that will be the best usage of these millions of dollars…that could otherwise be used in other ways to actually create permanent affordable housing.”
* Block Club | Amazon Warehouse Workers Near Chicago Are Injured At Above-Average Rates. Will New West Side Center Be Safer?: Serious injury rates at most Chicago-area Amazon warehouses are double the statewide average, an analysis of Occupational Safety and Health Administration data by Block Club Chicago shows. At the warehouse facility in suburban Romeoville, where nearly 800 people work, the serious injury rate is 12.3 percent, over three times the state average of 3.4 percent.
* Shaw Local | Yorkville school board investigated by Illinois attorney general over closed meeting complaint: The Illinois Attorney General’s Office is investigating a complaint alleging that the Yorkville School District 115 board violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act when discussing the book “Just Mercy” in closed session. The board voted 4-2 at its Aug. 7 meeting to prohibit use of Bryan Stevenson’s memoir in the Yorkville High School English II Rhetorical Analysis course.
* Patch | $750,000 Settlement In Black Officer’s Lawsuit Against Joliet Chief: According to his federal lawsuit, the city of Joliet had at least 10 job openings on its police force in 2019, and Anthony Sinnott later discovered he ranked No. 5 out of the 227 eligible candidates. On Aug. 26, 2019, Sinnott learned that Joliet’s Police and Fire Board rejected his job application, his lawsuit states. […] Anthony Sinnott’s lawsuit also stated that, “Roechner made false statements about Sinnott to the Board and verbally accused him of being a ‘habitual woman beater’ in front of the Board.
* PJ Star | Peoria congressman Darin LaHood voted ‘no’ to avoid shutdown. Here’s what he said: In a Facebook post, LaHood said he voted no on the bill because it did not address “out of control spending addiction” and did not “address the crisis at our southern border.”"Families in #IL16 must meet a budget and it’s past time that DC do the same. With $33 Trillion in debt, Congress needs to change the way it spends or we will threaten the economic future of our kids and grandkids,” LaHood’s statement said.
* Lake County News-Sun | Officials scrambling to maintain federal funding levels for North Chicago schools in the face of potential cutbacks: Potentially facing a revenue loss of nearly $5 million over the next two years from a cut in federal impact aid received for educating military dependents, North Chicago School District Superintendent John Price is trying to maintain the current funding levels. With Naval Station Great Lakes occupying 30% of North Chicago’s real estate, the land is exempt from paying local property taxes. Instead, it pays impact aid of $12,700 annually for each military dependent student in the district. That may drop to $2,000.
* Rockford Register Star | Rockford rejects expansion of group homes for recovering addicts: Neighbors signed petitions and wrote letters opposing the expansion. Oxford House lawyers say the residents in their group homes are considered “disabled persons” under the law and therefore protected by it and the Fair Housing Act. They asked to increase the number of residents allowed at the homes beyond the six permitted in areas zoned R-1.
* WICS | Illinois police officer indicted, accused of assaulting handcuffed man: Justin Gaither, 33, was indicted on September 27 on one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force. The indictment accuses Gaither of assaulting someone on Nov. 20, 2022. The victim was handcuffed and was not posing a threat to anyone, the indictment says.
* Sun-Times | Bally’s casino at Medinah Temple will ‘secure Chicago’s fiscally strong and vibrant future,’ Johnson says: About three weeks after Illinois Gaming Board regulators let Bally’s open the doors to gamblers, Johnson helped cut the ceremonial ribbon at Medinah, which is expected to take bets for the next three years while a bigger, permanent casino is built in the River West neighborhood.
* Bloomberg | Video slot machines spur gambling revenue windfall for Illinois: Illinois’s tax collections from gaming climbed to a record of almost $2 billion in the year that ended June 30, according to data going back almost five decades. Video gaming currently represents about 41% of wagering revenue, while lottery makes up nearly 44%.
* The Messenger | Colorado Law to Ban ‘Abortion Reversal’ Procedures Could Spark National Trend: Passed by the state Legislature in April, the law has survived months of legal challenges. While anti-abortion activists maintain the “abortion reversal” procedure is a legitimate treatment for those seeking to “reverse” a medication abortion, it has been branded “unproved and unethical” by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The passage and soon-to-come enactment of Senate Bill 23-190 represents a major win for abortion advocates, who say that “abortion reversal” is merely a tool used by “crisis pregnancy centers”—or anti-abortion centers that have been frequently criticized for spreading misinformation and using deceptive measures to prevent women from accessing abortions—to increase stigma and fear around abortions.
* Bloomberg | Ethanol price manipulation lawsuit is back to haunt ADM: U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce on Sept. 26 denied ADM’s request to dismiss the case where competitors accuse the company of violating antitrust laws. The decision came after an analysis of an amended complaint by Midwest in which it names several ethanol producers allegedly affected by what the complaint characterizes as ADM’s anticompetitive practices. For a period between 2017 and 2019, ADM allegedly sold ethanol below cost at Kinder Morgan’s terminal in Argo, a subdivision of suburban Summit, while using derivatives traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to place an “outsized” bet on lower prices.
* WaPo | An epidemic of chronic illness is killing us too soon: After decades of progress, life expectancy — long regarded as a singular benchmark of a nation’s success — peaked in 2014 at 78.9 years, then drifted downward even before the coronavirus pandemic. Among wealthy nations, the United States in recent decades went from the middle of the pack to being an outlier. And it continues to fall further and further behind. A year-long Washington Post examination reveals that this erosion in life spans is deeper and broader than widely recognized, afflicting a far-reaching swath of the United States.
* KHQA | Illinois seeking State Historian: The search committee will be chaired by Millikin University history professor Dan Monroe. “Illinois is doing something important by reinventing the position of state historian. It’s a chance to explore overlooked parts of the Illinois story, amplify new voices, and reach folks who might not realize how exciting history can be,” said Dr. Monroe. “We want to cast a wide net in our search for candidates.”
* Daily Herald | Goodman’s ‘Tommy’ wins nine Jeff Awards: If Goodman Theatre’s production of “The Who’s Tommy” opens on Broadway next year (a transfer expected but not officially confirmed), it received a memorable send-off Monday at the 55th annual Joseph Jefferson Awards ceremony recognizing excellence in Chicago-area theater during the 2022-2023 equity season. Goodman’s record-breaking production — the highest grossing in the theater’s 98-year history — received nine Jeff Awards, more than any other production, and won every category in which it was nominated.
* KLAS | Never-before-seen photos, videos released in Tupac Shakur murder case: Last week, a Clark County grand jury indicted 60-year-old Duane “Keffe D” Davis in Shakur’s murder. Las Vegas Metro police arrested Davis near his Nevada home early Friday morning. The grand jury, which met at least five times over the course of three months, voted Thursday to indict Davis on a charge of murder with a deadly weapon with a gang enhancement. Prosecutors announced the indictment Friday.
* Daily Herald | Trailblazing Advocate president ready to face health industry challenges: Being the only person of color in a corporate board room isn’t unusual for Dia Nichols. For the last two years, the Inverness resident has served as president of the Central Chicagoland Patient Service Area and Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge — joining a small field of hospital executives who are people of color. The 49-year-old recently took the helm as Advocate Health Care’s first Black president.
* WCIA | Teutopolis stepping up to honor Bryan Family after ammonia leak: “It’s not your typical one funeral. It’s three,” Willenborg said. The ride is starting right in town at a place that’s helping out in a big way already: Ping’s Tavern. “Within two hours, they raised $8,000 for the Kenny Bryan family,” said Julia Henderson, a bartender at the bar.
10 Comments
|
* Patch…
Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy wants Joliet Township Supervisor Angel Contreras to withdraw his application that could bring $8.6 million in state of Illinois tax dollars to Joliet Township to cover the costs of bringing people from other countries seeking asylum status.
“I want to take a moment to clarify the facts regarding the recent news about a grant for Municipalities Serving Asylum Seekers,” D’Arcy announced Monday evening. “The people sitting on this dais were placed here by the people of Joliet with a duty and obligation to preserve and protect their investment in their property and preserve their quality of life.
“That said, the decision-makers in the city did not have knowledge of a grant request made by Joliet Township and with community partners and organizations.” […]
According to Joliet’s new mayor, “The City of Joliet Mayor’s Office and Joliet Fire Department did not sign or approve any Memorandum of Understanding with the Township or with other community partners and other organizations on the grant that was submitted.
* Joliet Herald-News…
Joliet Township is a separate unit of government from the city of Joliet and operates independently. But D’Arcy said he believes the terms of the grant required certain agreements with the city that were never made.
City officials have said they were unaware Joliet Township was seeking the grant and only learned about it after the governor’s office announced the award late Friday.
Contreras did not return calls on Monday seeking comments about the grant.
Township Trustee Ray Slattery told the council at its meeting that the township board did not know about the grant.
* WJOL…
Meanwhile, Illinois State Senator Rachel Ventura says Contreras had mentioned that Joliet Township would be a getting a large amount of money but didn’t know the details and nor did she hear from the governor’s office. Local officials say they want to know how and where the money will be spent and in what areas.
* The governor’s office is pointing at the Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus, which was quoted in the original press release as partnering with the Illinois Department of Human Services to provide “management oversight in the form of a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity process.” Jordan Abudayyeh…
While an award has been made to Joliet Township, that is subject to both an updated budget and entering into a grant agreement. No grant monies are paid until a grant agreement has been completed. As part of this process, the Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus, as the administrator and monitor of this program, will be asking the Township to provide additional information on any listed support and partnerships and, once confirmed, how they will support asylum seekers.
I’ve reached out to the Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus for a response. Nothing yet.
…Adding… The “updated budget” is for the locals, not the state. “Everyone applied for more money than they got so they have to update their budgets and plans as part of the grant agreements before money is released,” said Abudayyeh.
* More from the governor’s office on the Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus…
MMC identified external reviewers with expertise in philanthropy, grant-making, and immigrant services as a part of its administrative responsibilities. IDHS and MMC together determined grant award amounts based on reviewer recommendations and scoring.
Oak Park’s portion of grant funds is meant for planning – which is an opportunity to prepare for additional State funds that may become available in the future.
In the end, though, it sure looks like the township supervisor claimed he had the buy-in of other local governments and stakeholders when he clearly did not. And now the supervisor has gone to ground.
Oy.
48 Comments
|
Fringe group: China for me but not for thee
Tuesday, Oct 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Square making an assertion not evident in reality…
Opposition is building against a proposed Chinese battery plant for Manteno in Kankakee County.
In reality, it was just a press conference held by a tiny minority of a super-minority, which Center Square’s parent company offered free of charge on its newly purchased video platform.
* The release…
The IL Freedom Caucus today held a press conference to demand answers to some of the concerns Manteno residents have with a Chinese company building a battery plant in their community.
The Chinese company Gotion High-Tech Co. is in line for $ 7.5 billion in federal tax credits over five years, while the State of Illinois is kicking in an additional $536 million in subsidies to build the plant. The cost to build the plant is $2 billion and the subsidies add up to an astounding $3 million per job.
“Manteno may not be in our districts, but the people of this community deserve to have their voices heard,” said State Representative Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur). “This deal was negotiated in secret without the input of Manteno residents. The Governor needs to answer their questions and address their concerns.”
State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) said it defies common-sense to make a deal with a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party without requiring any kind of disclosures. He said China’s human rights abuses make them a bad-faith partner in business deals.
“China continues to engage in coercive population control through forced abortion, forced sterilization, and involuntary implantation of birth control and the CCP forced labor and detention of more than one million Uyghurs and other minority groups is well-documented,” Halbrook said. “China has forced Apple to remove features that allow people to contact each other without the knowledge of the Chinese government to prevent dissidents from organizing. On Nov. 25th, 2022, video surfaced of an apartment fire in Xinjiang. People were trapped inside because the Chinese government locked them in as part of their cruel response to COVID-19. Imagine being forcibly locked in your apartment building simply because someone in the building had COVID-19. Then imagine not being able to escape a fire because your building is locked from the outside. This is who the Chinese Communist Party is.”
To go into business with a company with CCP ties is one thing but to not even do any proper vetting is another matter entirely.
“What vetting was done to protect Illinois and US interests in this deal?” said State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Diederich). “What agreements were made to protect propriety information of US companies that may be involved in the project? Why wasn’t a Form 800, which is a standard federal form that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) uses to determine if any threats to national security exists in business deals, required? If any foreign companies need to be subject to a Form 800 – it would be a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. So again, I ask – Why weren’t any forms or disclosures required? This is what happens when ideology trumps common sense.”
The legislators called for answers to these questions and also called for the Legislature to take action to protect the interests of Illinois residents. Specifically, they called for legislation to ban the use of public funds in investments or institutions tied to the Chinese Communist Party or the People’s Republic of China; to ban government officials and employees from having Tik Tok accounts; and to prohibit China from buying farmland in the United States.
We need to put our money where our mouth is on human rights, and we need to lead by example when it comes to China,” said State Representative Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City). “JB Pritzker signed a law divesting Illinois from Russia because of the war in Ukraine. If we are condemning Russia – how can we not have the same policies in regard to the CCP? We say we are for human rights but not only are we blindly doing business with a company whose corporate papers pledge loyalty to the CCP, but we are handing over millions in subsidies. And instead of a substantive thoughtful response from JB Pritzker – all we get is insults and hyperbole. Illinois deserves better. Manteno deserves better. We need to put the brakes on this project and return sanity to our state.”
The Illinois Freedom Caucus is comprised of State Representatives Chris Miller (R-Hindsboro), chairman; Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), vice-chairman; Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich); Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville); Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur); Jed Davis (R-Newark) and David Friess (R-Red Bud). The members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus are members of the Illinois General Assembly who are advocating for limited government, lower taxes and accountability and integrity in government.
Oh, they want to ban ban government officials from having TikTok accounts, eh? Well, perhaps Rep. Niemerg can explain why he has an official legislative TikTok account?
I asked for an explanation from a Freedom Caucus spokesperson about that and about whether any Freedom Caucus member owned an Apple product, since that company was mentioned in the release as well. The only response was a personal insult.
Stay classy.
…Adding… Patiently awaiting a press conference denouncing the Illinois Soybean Association. From August…
In a bid to continue fostering international agricultural partnerships and enhance global trade relations, the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) recently hosted three Asian trade teams on the farms of Illinois soybean farmers. The farm visits aimed to provide representatives from South Korea, Taiwan, China and Japan with firsthand insight into the soybean farming practices, innovations, and quality standards maintained by Illinois farmers.
32 Comments
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax
Advertise Here
Mobile Version
Contact Rich Miller
|
