* NPR correspondent Tom Dreisbach…
A top adviser to President Joe Biden, whose prominent communications firm helped launch a high-profile effort to assist victims of sexual harassment, rape and assault, was also a paid adviser to a powerful Illinois politician while he was being sued by one of those victims.
Anita Dunn, co-founder of the communications firm SKDK and widely considered a member of the president’s inner circle, provided “crisis communications” assistance to Michael Madigan, the then-Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, from 2018 to 2019. That work netted Dunn and her firm more than $200,000, according to campaign finance disclosures.
Madigan, who was also the leader of the state Democratic Party at the time, was not personally accused of sexual misconduct, but was being sued by a former employee of his political committees. That former employee, Alaina Hampton, alleged that Madigan retaliated against her when she reported that her direct supervisor had repeatedly harassed her over text messages.
While Dunn was advising Madigan, Hampton received support in her case from Dunn’s firm, which partnered with the anti-harassment charity Time’s Up. Dunn’s work for Madigan was specifically focused on responding to allegations stemming from Hampton’s lawsuit.
As a result, SKDK (the D stands for “Dunn”) was on the one hand supporting Hampton in her harassment and retaliation case through its partnership with Time’s Up, and on the other getting paid by a defendant in that very lawsuit.
There’s lots more, so go read the whole thing.
* A brief mention was made of this in the Tribune’s August 27th Mapes trial roundup, which I regrettably didn’t read because I was on vacation at the time…
In one email to Mapes, McClain described how Madigan’s operation hired SKDK to “handle this problem” and develop a plan to be “assertive” and met with the firm’s Anita Dunn, a top player in the Obama and Biden administrations, to develop a strategy that included beginning with an op-ed.
Mapes had initiated the email exchange on Sept. 21, 2018, the day a Madigan-signed a commentary in the Tribune said he took responsibility for failing to “do enough’ and promising to do more to address inappropriate behavior in Springfield.
Records showed the “Friends of Madigan” campaign fund paid more than $200,000 to SKDK over 2018 and 2019 for advice on how to address the #MeToo issues.
It came around the same time that McClain gathered a group of utility lobbyists — including political gurus Tom Cullen and Will Cousineau — to work out arrangements to send checks to help Kevin Quinn after Madigan had tossed him from the speaker’s organization due to the longtime lieutenant’s own #MeToo scandal.
…Adding… A new Tribune story was just posted…
“If I knew SKDK was working with Mike Madigan, I wouldn’t have even applied for funding from Time’s Up,” Hampton said in an interview with the Tribune. “It’s a clear conflict of interest that the communications firm SKDK was working with Mike Madigan while also working with the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund when I was a client and the legal defense fund was paying money for my legal fees and public relation fees.”
Following days of Tribune questions, SKDK issued an apology Wednesday morning.
“We understand the concerns that have been raised,” SKDK partner Jill Zuckman said in a statement to the Tribune. “In retrospect, we realize that the decision to work with then-Speaker Madigan’s campaign on these matters was an error in light of the support Ms. Hampton was receiving from another firm through a separate initiative we were proud to support.
“We apologize to Ms. Hampton and her allies and reiterate our full support for the survivor community,” Zuckman said.
To Hampton, though, the apology fell flat: “It feels like they’re gaslighting me. Even now.”
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* Not a lot of details in this pretty thin story, but it raises several questions: Are private organizations really responsible for two-thirds of the migrant influx? If so, which organizations are they? Are these aid groups really shipping migrants to Chicago knowing they can’t help the migrants once they get to Chicago and that the migrants then have nowhere to go? And approximately what percentage of these trips are paid for with federal dollars? Also, if the feds are paying for this travel, why isn’t the federal government paying to house and feed them at their destinations?…
About a third of new arrivals are bused here by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, but many are also sent by Texas and Denver organizations using federal money without coordinating with Chicago officials.
Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed to Axios last week that the federal funds they provide to local organizations can be — and are — used to buy bus, train and plane tickets for migrants to come to Chicago. […]
[First Deputy Chief of Staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas] first got wind of the issue from migrants arriving at O’Hare this month who told Chicago officials that FEMA had paid for their tickets.
As far as the numbers go, Gov. Abbott claimed last week that his state has shipped about 7,200 migrants to Chicago since last year. NBC 5 reported at the end of August that Chicago “has received over 13,500 migrants in the past year from Texas, and as 6,500 are spread among the 15 currently operating shelters.” So, that’s a little over half the total, not a third. But he could be including private groups in that total.
Whatever the case, it would be nice to know who these groups are so that we can ask them for their rationale about what the heck they’re doing. I have an inkling about who one of those groups might be, but I’m still waiting on a reply.
* Back to the story…
Other priorities, according to Pacione-Zayas, include … Taking a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border to share information about Chicago’s challenges and “the forecasting of a brutal winter.”
Talking to these groups might be helpful. It would also be helpful if the rest of us knew who those groups are.
*** UPDATE *** From the Tribune last month…
Buses to Chicago are sent not only by Abbott, but also by the city of Denver and Catholic Charities in San Antonio. Denver began providing free transportation for people to other destinations in mid-December, much to the exasperation of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who in January demanded in a letter to Colorado’s governor that the city stop. Months later, under a new mayor, the buses keep arriving. […]
Denver has received more than 14,000 migrants since December, and has bought about 6,400 bus and Amtrak tickets for over $2.3 million since then, according to Victoria Aguilar, a spokesperson for Denver Human Services. Roughly a third of those have gone to Chicago, according to Denver data.
A spokesperson for Catholic Charities in Chicago told me this afternoon she was not aware of any direct collaboration with Catholic Charities in San Antonio, but would check.
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* Mark Maxwell…
In St. Clair County, home to some of the most severe poverty anywhere in the state, taking money bonds out of the system amounts to a major disruption, both for the government entities tasked with upholding justice and for many of the private attorneys that make their living defending the accused.
“Lawyers won’t want to do this work anymore,” one attorney quipped. “This is going to eviscerate the private bar.”
Defense attorneys who take cases to represent their clients often make their money by placing a lien against the bond payments. Now that the system is removing those funds from the equation, private lawyers and county clerks stand to lose significant streams of reliable revenue.
If the incentives for private attorneys dry up, then the public defender’s office could see their workload swell even larger. In addition to the expectation of higher caseloads, the county workers anticipate more vigorous work in the early phases of their client’s cases when the judge assesses their risk.
“I don’t have enough lawyers to handle both the beginning and end stages of the case in great detail,” [St. Clair County public defender Cathy MacElroy] said. “There’s only so many hours in a day.”
* PD MacElroy, by the way, has just five full-time public defenders on staff. In addition to their daily caseloads, MacElroy told Maxwell that her defenders represent 360 of the 474 people currently sitting in the county jail, many of whom have filed for pretrial release.
The General Assembly appropriated $10 million in new, additional funding for suburban and Downstate public defenders, but the Illinois Supreme Court has not yet distributed the money. *Heavy sigh*
*** UPDATE *** From the Illinois Supreme Court…
Rich,
I noticed your comment on the PD Fund (created by PA 102-1104). This has been stayed until Sept. 18 so is not possible to distribute the funds before then. There has been a lot of work to prepare for the distribution. This was included in the release we just sent out on preparations for the end of cash bail:
The 101 counties that are a part of the fund will receive from $77,000 up to $147,555 using a formula based on several factors. This additional funding is expected to be transformative for public defenders and their clients across Illinois. It is expected to be distributed in the next few weeks.
* Meanwhile, ABC 7 got a look at a new $20 million renovation and expansion of DuPage County’s judicial facilities…
“What people need to realize in DuPage County is, we are the second biggest judicial circuit in this state. We have 48 judges, the second biggest number of judges in this state,” said 18th Circuit Chief Judge Kenneth Popejoy.
Popejoy called the new $20 million renovation and expansion “necessary tools.” […]
The improvements include new courtrooms, a new, expanded grand jury room, more space for the public defender and a renovation of space for the state’s attorney. The new square footage means more space for additional staffing necessary to navigate new challenges brought on by the SAFE-T Act.
“We are going to be seven days a week, 365 days a year having detention hearings. These hearings must take place within 24, 48 or 72 hours. We have to be available Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 in the afternoon to do hearings. Bond court never used to be that way; 15-20 minutes, this bond, this bond, this bond, this bond, go home,” Popejoy said.
Cash bail let the system off easy. We’ll see if the actors are up to the new order.
* Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell Jr. described Chief Judge Popejoy’s “15-20 minutes, this bond, this bond, this bond, this bond, go home,” depiction in highly stark terms…
“You go to a bond hearing, it sounds like a slave auction. People are talking very fast. They’re putting price tags on people’s freedom.”
* Context from the AP…
Between 1970 and 2015, there was a fivefold increase in the number of people jailed before trials, according to the 2022 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report. Data shows more than 60% of defendants were detained prior to trial because they couldn’t afford to post bail, and that nearly 74% of the 631,000 people jailed daily in the United States are awaiting trial.
* Last item…
Excerpt…
Some members of your association have opposed this legislation and spread misinformation about it from the moment it was introduced and have continued to engage in fear-mongering about its impact even after it was upheld by our highest court. Others have supported this reform from the beginning, while more came to the table to collaborate on making modifications in the trailer bill. Some prosecutors have acknowledged your collective responsibility to abide by the law in the wake of the recent ruling. Every member of the State’s Attorneys Association has a responsibility to call on its members to cease all continued attempts to deliberately obstruct the law’s implementation. Ample time and space was provided to craft this policy and prepare to enact it—now it’s time to put differences aside to protect community safety and the rights of those harmed and those accused
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Bill Black
Monday, Sep 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bill Pickett…
A former longtime member of the Illinois General Assembly from Danville has died. Bill Black was 81 when he died on Saturday, September 9, 2023.
Black was a former Assistant Minority Leader for Republicans when he served in the Illinois House of Representatives. He was known for his sometimes feisty debate style on issues on the House floor.
Black is survived by his wife, Sharon, and two children. When he announced he would not be seeking re-election to his House seat in 2010 he said he wanted to spend more time with his family, including his grandchildren. Black had served in the House since 1986.
* This excerpt of a News-Gazette story about Bill’s retirement pretty well sums him up…
House members gave Black, one of the senior members of the chamber, an extraordinarily warm and lengthy tribute. More than 30 of his colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, spoke and offered praise and thanks to the lawmaker known for his sometimes-bombastic, sometimes-eloquent speeches and for his playfulness.
“I hope you know how much I love this place, how much I love the process,” Black said in a 23-minute-long response to all the accolades from his colleagues. “Look around here. Look where you work. There are few people who ever get this privilege. This ain’t exactly a 6-foot by 6-foot cubicle. This is a phenomenally beautiful, historic building that has been well-maintained. And you should always consider it an honor and a privilege to sit in this chamber.”
House Republican Leader Tom Cross, who last spring demoted Black from his leadership position after Black voted for a Democratic-backed pension borrowing bill, was the first to pay tribute to Black.
“He’s a guy who is incredibly passionate about his district and, above all, at the end of the day, he cares most about what’s best for Danville, what’s best for central Illinois,” Cross said. “He has never ever forgotten his district or the people he represents.”
Beloved, controversial, civic-minded and locally focused.
* From his retirement resolution…
WHEREAS, Representative Black has championed other issues important to families in his district, including protecting the funding for roads and other needed infrastructure improvements, helping low income families and seniors keep warm in the winter by removing the sales tax on natural gas, creating jobs through the creation of Job Renewal Zones, cracking down on drunk and distracted drivers that pose a deadly hazard on our roads, and protecting the rights of adoptive parents; and
WHEREAS, Representative Black successfully worked to keep our State parks and recreational areas open for the education and enjoyment of our families and worked with colleagues across the State and Chicago city leaders to stop the infamous phantom Chicago parking tickets; and
WHEREAS, Representative Black’s good humor is infectious, and House Republican members and staff can always count on Representative Black to make them laugh on long session days by ambushing them with squirt guns, silly string, and other toys, or by relaying a funny story or joke; and
WHEREAS, Representative Black has received many honors for his service to his local communities, including several Outstanding Legislator Awards from various Illinois associations; he was also named one of the ten Outstanding State Legislators in the country in 1991;
* He could also be a humble man. From his retirement announcement…
“I have always tried my best to represent the legislative districts which I served. I may not have always succeeded, but I always tried.”
* From the Danville Commercial News…
“On his DACC resume, you’d have to point out that he once ran the public-relations department at the college. Then after getting elected to the State House, Bill was a passionate and successful advocate for those of us in his district, and especially for Danville Area Community College. As an Illinois Representative, he brought desperately needed funds to bring the DACC campus to a state of good repair,” according to [DACC President Stephen Nacco].
“On a personal note, I met Bill in June 2016 when he was a member of the DACC board that hired me as the college president. He’s one of the most colorful and entertaining people I’ve ever met. One of my favorite memories of Bill was when Dave Harby (board chair), Bill, and I went to Springfield for a community college ‘Lobby Day’ visit to the offices of elected officials. By that time, Bill had been out of office for almost 10 years. But whenever someone spotted him in those majestic hallways — elected officials and staffers and even building workers — they’d stop whatever they were doing and rush over to him to give him a handshake, a hug, a pat on the back, and they’d say how much they missed him and that Springfield needed him to come back. It’s quite a legacy he left as someone who was enormously popular and was able to touch so many lives,” stated Nacco.
When state Rep. Mike Marron first started in the position once held by Black, Marron said he will work tirelessly to uphold the tradition of excellence that has embodied the House seat from Harry “Babe” Woodyard to Bill Black to Chad Hays.
“He (Black) was the best. Personally he was a friend, a mentor, and someone I’ve looked up to since I was a kid. As public servants go, he was the gold standard. He is a legend in Springfield to this day, and you will never find anyone who fought harder for Danville and Vermilion County. He is going to be missed by us all,” Marron stated.
…Adding… Treasurer Michael Frerichs…
I had the privilege of knowing and working with Bill Black and the honor to call him a friend. My heart goes out to Sharon and all of Bill’s family on his passing.
I was blessed to have Bill as a mentor when I was elected to the State Senate. The Republican Representative from Danville and the Democratic Senator from Champaign were able to get a lot done for our constituents in Champaign and Vermillion counties. Bill was a loyal Republican, who frequently served as a floor leader aggressively challenging Democratic legislation. But he knew how to put aside partisanship to get things done for our constituents. I’m grateful for all he taught me and for his lifetime of service to his community and our state. Leaders like Bill Black are all too rare today – and our world is all the worse for it.
* Sen. Chapin Rose…
“Bill was one of a kind. As much as he will be remembered for his fierce and fiery speeches as a staunch defender of the people of East Central Illinois, his wit and sense of humor were unparalleled. He also deserves much credit and respect for his support of quality education. He was a huge advocate for the community college system here in Illinois, and even served in later years as trustee at his beloved Danville Area Community College. He truly understood and believed in the power of a quality education to transform lives.
“I was lucky enough to serve in the House of Representatives with Bill for several years. As a young legislator at the time, Bill was someone I looked up to,” said Rose.
“I extend my sincerest sympathies to Sharon and the rest of the family. There will never be another like him,” he concluded.
* Comptroller Susana Mendoza…
A legend has passed. State Representative Bill Black, R-Danville, was such a great mentor to so many of us who served in Illinois’ General Assembly. I was honored to be part of his tradition of hazing new legislators. I had been forewarned and donned protective gear when I introduced my first bill. He found that highly amusing and we got on great ever since. I’ve missed his insightful commentary since he retired. Illinois was lucky to have him as long as we did. I send my prayers to his family. May he rest in God’s peace and eternal glory.
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Today’s quotable
Friday, Sep 8, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
Two head-turning moments.
Along with goals to hire more detectives, pass “treatment not trauma” and address the “mental health crisis,” Johnson said he will consider his administration successful “when people are not living in tents.” It probably was a reference to the unhoused, but given a report just a few hours earlier about a plan to build tent cities for asylum seekers, his comment had us wondering.
And get this: Johnson took credit for bringing the 2024 Democratic Convention to Chicago. The decision was announced after his election, though it was well-known to Thursday night’s crowd that for two-plus years Sen. Tammy Duckworth, governor’s chief of staff Anne Caprara, Lightfoot and political consultant Kaitlin Fahey worked to land the 2024 event. If Johnson was being funny, the joke didn’t land with the crowd.
…Adding… Check this out from Block Club Chicago…
Alderpeople will be briefed on the city’s updated plans Friday, said [Ald. Andre Vasquez], who chairs the City Council’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights. […]
Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33rd) told Block Club that although she doesn’t know yet what Johnson’s plan is, she doesn’t think the tents are a permanent solution.
Giving a couple of reporters some insufficient details before briefing alderpeople and stakeholders is not the wisest move I’ve ever seen.
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Afternoon roundup
Thursday, Sep 7, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. JB Pritzker was asked again today about the unionization attempt among some House Democratic employees. Would he support a law that puts legislative employees under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Labor Relations Board to give them a pathway to unionizing?…
Look, I think these are decisions that will get made by Speaker Welch and by the legislators. It’s their chamber, and the General Assembly, in general, that have to make some decisions about this. … I’m not engaging in the discussion other than to say this is something that they’re going to have to work out.
…Adding… I asked AFSCME Council 31 for its response to the organizing effort…
As an affiliate of the Illinois AFL-CIO we echo the support previously expressed by the federation (https://twitter.com/ILAFLCIO/status/1653502000728887297) for the right of these and all workers to come together in unions and have a voice on the job.
* Background is here if you need it. WBEZ…
The head of the Chicago Teachers Union is facing backlash for sending her eldest child to a private high school, a decision she says represents a stark statement about disinvestment in public schools and drives home why the fight to fully fund neighborhood schools is so important. […]
In an interview with WBEZ, Davis Gates defended her decision and said it was the result of “unfair choices” she and other South and West Side parents face.
“It was a very difficult decision for us because there is not a lot to offer Black youth who are entering high school” in Chicago, Davis Gates said. “In many of our schools on the South Side and the West Side, the course offerings are very marginal and limited. Then the other thing, and it was a very strong priority, was his ability to participate in co-curricular and extracurricular activities, which quite frankly, don’t exist in many of the schools, high schools in particular.” […]
Another big consideration: Her son plays soccer, and the South Side schools with good programs are in Latino neighborhoods far from her home.
Davis Gates said they looked at selective enrollment and magnet high schools, which tend to have healthy enrollments and fundraising that allows them to offer more complete programs. But that would have required her son to spend hours traveling.
This is basically an admission that the city’s public schools are not up to par. Gee, if only she was in a position to do something about that, or perhaps help others in similar situations to attend private schools who don’t have her personal financial resources. Just saying.
Also, she was not asked in the interview about her previous statements like this one...
“I’m also a mother,” Davis Gates said on March 6, 2022. “My children go to Chicago Public Schools. These are the things that legitimize my space within the coalition.”
…Adding… Press release…
The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago today named Mark Hoplamazian, President and CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Eric Smith, Vice Chairman of BMO Bank, as the new co-chairs of the Committee’s Public Safety Task Force (PSTF). The two Chicago business leaders are replacing the late James Crown, who led the task force up until his tragic death in June.
* Dave Dahl…
[The Illinois Emergency Management Agency] is hosting more than 600 emergency planners from throughout the state for an annual conference.
[IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau] says a newer responsibility for the emergency professionals is election security. “Really thinking about the physical security of the poll workers who are out there,” she said. “Like anything, our job is to plan. That doesn’t mean that something is going to occur, but our job is to make sure that we prepare.”
* WMBD…
Candidates are starting to declare their candidacy to battle for a seat in Springfield in the 93rd District of the Illinois House. […]
Travis Weaver (R-Edwards) is the incumbent, and is seeking a second term. […]
Weaver says he reached out to his first known opponent, Democrat Zoey Carter of Pekin, on Facebook after she announced her candidacy last week.
He says he wants to keep the race cordial and respectful.
“I think it’s important to have open lines of communication, because Zoey may say something at some point that I believe is untruthful or deceptive, and I’d like to be able to call that out,” Weaver said. “And I also empower Zoey to have that same relationship with me.”
Carter, who other media outlets have reported could be the first transgender person elected to state office, was not available for comment. But in a Facebook post announcing her candidacy, she says she’s running “because I know that we are not getting the proper representation that we deserve.”
The 93rd House District is overwhelmingly Republican. Darren Bailey won it by 26 points.
* Daily Wire…
Democrat state lawmakers are more unified and committed to a leftist ideology than Republican lawmakers are to conservatism, according to a report from the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Republicans voted for conservative policies 77% of the time, while Democrats voted for liberal policies 87% of the time, according to the analysis of all 7,400 lawmakers in the 50 statehouses during last year’s legislative sessions.
The study by CPAC’s affiliated Center for Legislative Accountability concluded that Democrats were more likely to “stick together” on issues important to the party’s base, while Republicans “broke apart.” […]
The most-radical Democrats were in New Jersey, where they had a 0% conservative ranking, followed by Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maine, and Oregon, at 1%. […]
“The red states are actually the worst” when it comes to moderate Republicans, Andrew Roth, president of the State Freedom Caucus Network, told The Daily Wire in 2021. “A lot of Democrats know they can’t get elected with a D next to their name, so they put an R next to their name and then vote like liberals.”
Illinois ranked 37th in most conservative Republican legislative voting behavior in 2022, at 72 percent, which is about average and the opposite of what’s portrayed in the last paragraph of that excerpt.
* Mayor Brandon Johnson chafes at the suggestion that he’s moving too slow on appointments, but I don’t think it’s out of line to ask why CTA President Dorval Carter still has a job…
38 percent of Red Line trains ran? What the heck?
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Illinois Times | Tough choices at Memorial Health: Illinois Times has learned Memorial Health’s recently announced layoffs totaled about 300 – with 120 involving people in leadership positions – and that the cuts will save the Springfield-based health care system an estimated $40 million a year.
* Sun-Times | Toxic Acme site on Southeast Side picked for EPA Superfund cleanup: Cyanide and mercury are among the harmful chemicals and metals found through recent testing of the Acme soil and surrounding areas used for fishing may be contaminated as well, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said.
* Center Square | Right-to-work group enters nursing home labor dispute: Officials from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Illinois had threatened to call a strike on Labor Day, but have since gone back to the bargaining table. If talks break down, employees from 11 Infinity Healthcare nursing facilities in northern Illinois will be ordered off the job. National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation Vice President Patrick Semmens said workers don’t have to walk off the job if they choose not to.
* Farm Progress | Illinois FFA to help spread the word on mental health: Following the success of a state-supported program to help Illinois farm families access mental health resources, Gov. JB Pritzker announced funding for up to 20 grants at $1,000 each to support FFA chapters implementing local initiatives that encourage access to such resources. All FFA chapters in Illinois are eligible to apply for the grant, and grant applications will be available from the Illinois FFA Foundation in fall 2023.
* NBC Chicago | University of Illinois, 4 other Midwest schools rank on Forbes’ ‘Top 25 Public Colleges’ in US:“University of Illinois is home to more than 9,000 works of art, over 46,000 artifacts, four theaters and four cultural centers,’ Forbes wrote. “Students have the opportunity to be mentored by faculty members who have been awarded Nobel Prizes, Pulitzer Prizes and the Fields Medal in Mathematics.”
* WMBD | Tazewell County files to intervene in CO2 pipeline running under central Illinois: “The Tazewell County Board is currently in the process of taking public comment from Tazewell County residents and the developer of the proposed (carbon dioxide) pipeline. The filing of this Petition to Intervene will ensure that Tazewell County will be a participant in all future proceedings,’ said State’s Attorney Kevin Johnson.
* Sun-Times | Committee approves labor contracts for thousands of city workers: The deal’s prevailing wage portion covers 7,000 members of 30 trade unions employed by 16 city departments. Those workers also will now accrue half a day of sick leave per month and be eligible for 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
* Chalkbeat | Chicago Public Schools is becoming less low-income. Here’s why that matters.: A decade ago, nearly 73% of students at the school, Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies, came from low-income households, according to district data. Last school year, that figure was just over 34%. […] Even though the number of students from low-income families has dropped, nearly three-quarters of the district’s student body is still considered “economically disadvantaged.” But if the downward trend continues, Chicago schools could continue to see fewer dollars than expected from the state, which funds districts in part by considering how many students from low-income families are enrolled.
* WICS | Push for state funding amid learning loss: Illinois schools strive to bounce back post-pandemic: According to the 2022 Illinois Report Card, proficiency in reading and math for Illinois students is running below pre-COVID-19 levels. Federal and state dollars have been dished out to try to help students get caught up. […] Next year, Illinois won’t be receiving federal COVID-19 funds, which has helped pay after school programs. Pritzker said increasing state funds for education is key, along with targeting those in need the most.
* NYT | Who’s really paying to bus migrants from the border?: No. In fact, the migrants boarding the Texas-funded buses represent only a fraction of the thousands arriving at the border each month, and some migrants are wary of accepting a free ride. The Texas busing program has sent about 34,740 migrants to other states since April 2022, enough to populate a small city. But that is a paltry subset of the hundreds of thousands who have crossed the border during that period, most of whom have probably also made their way to destinations outside Texas.
* South Side Weekly | Larry Snelling Garnered Multiple Use-of-Force Complaints in the 1990s: As a beat cop in Englewood and Morgan Park in the 1990s, Larry Snelling was the subject of eight excessive force complaints, two of which resulted in suspensions. Some of the allegations describe Snelling slapping or punching people as young as fourteen in the head, while others detail verbal abuse. The allegations describe behavior that, if true, violated long-standing departmental rules that “prohibit all brutality, and physical or verbal maltreatment of any citizen while on or off duty.”
* South Side Weekly | ‘Doesn’t Make it Wrong’:While he was a sergeant working at the Police Training Academy in 2015, Larry Snelling testified in a civil suit that a lieutenant who allegedly pressed his hand forcefully into a mentally ill woman’s nose because she would not submit to fingerprinting had used an appropriate amount of force for that type of situation, according to documents obtained by the Weekly.
* Block Club Chicago | Migrant Barbers Arrested, Ticketed For Cutting Hair Without License Downtown: One of the migrants who was arrested, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, told Block Club Wednesday police handcuffed all of the barbers and detained them for eight hours, informing them it was illegal to operate a pop-up barbershop without a license or permit.
* Bloomberg | Chicago Area Faces 30% Transit Cuts Without New Taxes, State Aid: The area’s three transit systems, which average about a million daily rides combined in northeast Illinois, could see collective deficits expand to $1.19 billion in 2031 from about $730 million in 2026 after emergency pandemic funds run out and if no new money is allocated, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning said in a draft report this month.
* Block Club Chicago | Judge Urges Feds To Review Whether Soccer Team’s Deal To Build On Public Housing Land Violates Civil Rights Laws: The advocates want the CHA to fulfill 20-year-old written plans to build hundreds of new homes on and around the Near West Side site. It was once part of the ABLA public housing development where 3,600 families lived. Instead, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot engineered a no-bid deal last year that would let the Chicago Fire lease 23 acres for at least 40 years. The team, owned by billionaire Joe Mansueto, plans to build a state-of-the-art training center on the property.
* Crain’s | Stadium rebuild can’t happen without concerts, Northwestern insists: Until last night, it was unclear to the commissioners and members of Evanston’s City Council, who will have final approval after the Land Use Commission gives its recommendations, on what would happen if a proposal for the stadium was approved by the city, but the separate concert proposal was struck down.
* Facing South | Illinois town offers solidarity to gender migrants fleeing far-right tyranny in Southern states: Right now, C.A.R.E is working with 16 “cases” through its organizational offshoot, Rainbow Refuge. They are mostly from Florida; others hail from Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, according to Carrie Vine, one of C.A.R.E.’s founders and volunteer case managers.
* Tribune | Column: Sheriff ‘frustrated’ after recent fatalities on Kane County roads: While these crashes have all been in different locations and were caused by different reasons, they were “mostly due to the lack of awareness or attention to the surroundings of the drivers,” he said. And even if there had been deputies “on every corner of the county, most of these crashes would’ve still occurred.” […] “People need to stop blaming the sheriff’s office for failing to have a presence” when these crashes are often caused by “sheer negligence or ignorance of traffic laws,” Hain said on Tuesday.
* Tribune | Chicago calls for safety as city prepares for Mexican Independence Day events following problems last year: “Car caravans that create a threat to public safety will not be tolerated,” spokesperson Mary May said in the statement. “We also remind everyone that drag racing and drifting are not only illegal, but dangerous. Anyone in violation of the ordinance will be held accountable.”
* Crain’s | Inside and around the Obama Presidential Center as it rises in Jackson Park: Cement trucks roar around the 19.3-acre site and workers — 53% of them minority, according to the center — scurry about. The shell of the combination 425-car parking garage and Chicago Public Library branch is done, all to be topped with a landscaped green roof. The center’s central tower, which will house a digital presidential library and museum filled with memorabilia from Barack and Michelle Obama’s lives and time in Washington, is now several stories in the air and set to be topped off by April.
* WBEZ | Three big questions, asked and answered, about Chicago’s move to an elected school board: The move to an elected board is the realization of a dream for many organizers who have long argued that parents and communities are shut out of important decisions affecting their schools. They think an elected board will ensure that parent and community wishes and concerns will be heard.
* Farm Progress | Illinois FFA soils judgers win big at Farm Progress Show: The 2023 edition featured the largest participation ever, with over 120 students competing from Indiana and Illinois combined. Sixteen schools fielded around 30 teams combined for the contest. Illinois FFA members competed against other Illinois FFA members for bragging rights and cash awards, provided to the winners by Farm Credit Illinois, one of the contest sponsors.
* Marijuana Moment | Illinois Concert This Weekend Will Be State’s First To Allow On-Site Marijuana Consumption: Kicking off Saturday afternoon, the two-day Miracle in Mundelein festival will feature complimentary rolling papers, lighters and grinders, as well as dab bars and rolling stations for use by attendees. Marijuana products themselves will be available for sale through a retailer located next door.
* Block Club Chicago | ‘DMVs’ In Illinois? Secretary Of State Says So — But It’s Not Quite What You Think: Asked Thursday if “DMV” was part of an official change in terminology by his office, Giannoulias joked that he’s “not creative enough” to launch a rebrand. Instead, the acronym is just a way to specifically refer to the services offered at each location, he said.
* NYT | Philanthropies Pledge $500 Million to Address Crisis in Local News: The initiative, called Press Forward, is spearheaded by the MacArthur Foundation and supported by organizations including the Knight Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
49 Comments
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Food for thought
Thursday, Sep 7, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Far too much of our public discourse is at the cartoon level…
…Adding… I just realized that the national Republican Legislative Campaign Committee is meeting in Chicago this week. So, if the city is truly the cartoonish hellscape the GOP regularly claims, why the heck are they there? It’s all just rhetoric.
12 Comments
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It’s not likely to get any better
Thursday, Sep 7, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday…
Four more buses carrying asylum seekers will land in Chicago today, according to Mayor Brandon Johnson, who accused Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the MAGA world of using migrants as tools as the city prepares to host the Democratic National Convention in 2024.
“This is a direct response from governors, particularly in these red states, that are really trying to call attention to our values,” Johnson told a crowd gathered at the Promontory event center on the South Side for an evening discussion marking his 100-plus days in office. Some 150 buses of asylum seekers have arrived since the conventidon announcement by the Democratic National Committee, said Johnson, ticking off the work that’s been done in recent weeks to help find shelter for the migrants.
Johnson says he has a plan: The city has erected 18 shelters and worked with county and state governments to provide resources. And he said he’ll be “rolling out a stronger presentation” on the “humanitarian endeavor” later this week.
Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, said much the same thing last month.
* OK, keep in mind when reading the figures in this next item that the DNC announced Chicago would host the convention on April 11th…
Title 42 expired on May 11th, which also had a lot to do with this.
* From Amnesty International’s report on Venezuela…
Lack of access to economic and social rights remained a serious concern, with the majority of the population experiencing severe food insecurity and unable to access adequate healthcare. The security forces responded with excessive force and other repressive measures to protests, involving various sectors of the population, to demand economic and social rights, including the right to water. Impunity for ongoing extrajudicial executions by the security forces persisted. Intelligence services and other security forces, with the acquiescence of the judicial system, continued to arbitrarily detain, torture and otherwise ill-treat those perceived to be opponents of the government of Nicolás Maduro. A report by the UN Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Venezuela exposed patterns of crimes against humanity and called for investigations into several named government officials. Prison conditions remained a major concern, especially regarding overcrowding and the use of illegal detention centres, as well as access to basic rights such as water and food. Despite the adoption of legal reforms regarding the administration of justice, access to the right to truth and reparations for victims of human rights violations remained a challenge. Between 240 and 310 people remained arbitrarily detained on political grounds. The state’s repressive policies targeted journalists, independent media and human rights defenders. Illegal mining and violence threatened Indigenous peoples’ rights in the Orinoco Mining Arc. Abortion was still criminalized in almost all circumstances. Violence against women persisted, despite the existing legal framework. There was no progress in ensuring the rights of LGBTI people. By the end of the year more than 7.1 million Venezuelans had fled the country.
* Inflation has been a gigantic problem…
In 2014, the annual inflation rate reached 69%, the highest in the world. In 2015, the inflation rate was 181%, again the highest in the world and the highest in the country’s history at the time. The rate reached 800% in 2016, over 4,000% in 2017, and about 1,700,000% in 2018, and reaching 2,000,000%, with Venezuela spiraling into hyperinflation. While the Venezuelan government “had essentially stopped” producing official inflation estimates as of early 2018, inflation economist Steve Hanke estimated the rate at that time to be 5,220%. The Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) officially estimates that the inflation rate increased to 53,798,500% between 2016 and April 2019. In April 2019, the International Monetary Fund estimated that inflation would reach 10,000,000% by the end of 2019.
…Adding… Good point in comments…
Seems like a tactical blunder to tie the needed federal funding to the DNCC. Makes it much harder for Biden to get the $$$ here because it gives opponents an easy talking point: he’s only funding this to get rid of a problem before his convention. Stick with the humanitarian case/federal responsibility here.
34 Comments
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