George Jones, known as “the greatest voice in country music,” died today at a Nashville Hospital after being hospitalized last week with a fever and irregular blood pressure, his publicist said today. He was 81 years old. “The world has lost the greatest country singer of all time,” his friend Merle Haggard said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “Amen.”
Born in Saratoga, Texas into an extremely poor household, Jones went on to 143 Top 40 country hits; fourteen went to Number One, beginning with 1959’s “White Lightning,” and they continued through the decades including “She Thinks I Still Care” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Sinatra called him “the second greatest singer in America” (second only to himself) while Keith Richards calls him “a national treasure.” “If we all could sound like we wanted to, we’d all sound like George Jones,” Waylon Jennings once sang.
“Most people’s voices are a gift from God,” Garth Brooks once said. “With George Jones, I think it started out as a gift from God and then they built a body around it because anybody who has ever wanted to sing country music wants to sound like George Jones.”
* Here’s one from last year with George, Jamey Johnson and Blackberry Smoke singing “Yesterday’s Wine”…
You give the appearence
Of one widely travelled
I’ll bet you’ve seen
Things in your time
Calvin Sutker devoted much of his adult life to politics — as chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party, Cook County commissioner, state representative, Skokie trustee — and for 33 years, the Niles Township Democratic committeeman.
But he spent his last decade speaking to community groups about his experience as a young soldier who witnessed firsthand the horror of the Dachau Nazi concentration camp in southern Germany.
“We were sickened at the ghastly spectacle of the depravity of the Nazi perpetrators,” Mr. Sutker said at a 2003 Kristallnacht observance marking the Nov. 9, 1938, night when Nazis destroyed thousands of Jewish businesses.
“He had never spoken publicly about it before that day,” said a daughter, Sharon McGowan.
A longtime Skokie resident, Mr. Sutker died Thursday morning, a few weeks before his 90th birthday, at Evanston Hospital.
Mr. Sutker met his late wife, Phyllis, when he delivered an order from his father’s Austin deli and grocery to her home — an event orchestrated by her mother. […]
Visitation will be at 12:45 p.m. and a funeral service at 2 p.m. Friday at Ezra-Habonim, the Niles Township Jewish Congregation, 4500 W. Dempster St., Skokie. Burial will be in Westlawn Cemetery, 7801 W. Montrose, in Norridge.
You can watch Sutker talk about his experience at Dachau by clicking here.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration has cut off funding to the state’s largest charter-school operator, the politically influential United Neighborhood Organization, over insider deals it says violated terms of a $98 million state grant, according to a letter obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
The deals involved millions of dollars in state funds that went to companies owned by two brothers of a high-ranking UNO executive, Miguel d’Escoto, that were hired as contractors on state-funded school construction projects in Chicago, according to the letter, which was sent to the organization Thursday from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
The state agency began investigating UNO in response to reports in the Sun-Times that revealed that d’Escoto Inc. and Reflection Window Co. have been paid a total of $8.5 million out of the state grant. D’Escoto Inc. is owned by Federico “Fred” d’Escoto. Reflection Window is owned by Rodrigo d’Escoto.
The two men are brothers of Miguel d’Escoto, a city transportation commissioner in former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration who resigned Feb. 12 from his $200,000-a-year position as UNO’s No. 2 executive following the Sun-Times reports.
State officials said UNO should have notified them it was using the companies owned by the d’Escoto family members.
* Gov. Quinn emphasized today that the grant funding suspension was “temporary” until the state can “get to the bottom” of what’s going on. Unless the group “straightens things out,” Quinn said, “they won’t get any money.”
Federal prosecutors raised the prospect on Friday in court of having their experts examine former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. if his lawyers plan to raise his bipolar disorder as a mitigating factor in trying to reduce his prison sentence.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson made no decision after prosecutor Matt Graves said he wanted to “alert” her to the possible issue in advance of the sentencing July 1 of Jackson and his wife, former Ald. Sandi Jackson. […]
Graves said the government is “entitled” to have Jackson checked “by our own experts” if Jackson’s lawyers decide to argue Jackson’s mental health should be taken into consideration by the judge when she sentences him.
Defense attorney Reid Weingarten told Judge Jackson that the former congressman’s bipolar disorder is well known and “not controversial.”
Seven of 12 Metro Areas See Increase in March Local Unemployment
4/25/2013
Chicago, Rockford, Kankakee Lead March Job Growth
CHICAGO - March local unemployment rates increased in seven of 12 metro areas, decreased in four, and were unchanged in one compared to last year, according to preliminary data released today by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). Not seasonally adjusted data compares March 2013 to March 2012.
The largest increases were in: Decatur MSA (+1.4 points to 11.8 percent), Danville MSA (+1.1 point to 10.8 percent), and Peoria MSA (+0.9 point to 8.9 percent). The Chicago-Joliet-Naperville Metropolitan Division was up +0.5 point to 9.5 percent. The largest decreases were Metro East (-0.9 point to 8.9 percent) and Quad Cities (-0.5 point to 7.2 percent).
Bost said the Legislature has put money in the budget for the center, but Gov. Pat Quinn still refuses to keep the Murray Center open.
“The Governor has never visited the center,” Bost said. “We are still trying to do everything we can procedurally to keep it open. These are our most vulnerable citizens. It’s awful what is happening.”
“The Governor is a politician and fake,” Bost continued. “I appreciate him showing up at veterans funerals. It’s easy to show care and compassion in a situation you have no control over. In this case, he has the control. It flies in the face of sincerity on other issues.
“If he is so compassionate, why doesn’t he just walk in the facility? If he had been there first, he may have understood the need. It’s heartbreaking.”
* The AP follows up on a story that first appeared here yesterday…
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn wants Attorney General Lisa Madigan to drop a lawsuit over back pay for unionized state workers so he can implement a new state contract he says will save hundreds of millions of dollars.
But Madigan’s office said Thursday the attorney general won’t dissolve the legal action until her lawyers know whether lawmakers will put up $140 million to pay the back wages that are at the center of the wrangling. If there’s a hang-up in the General Assembly, the attorney general needs to keep legal options open, spokeswoman Natalie Bauer said.
Quinn and the employees’ union settled the dispute at the bargaining table, and his assistant budget director, Abdon Pallasch, said prolonging the lawsuit holds up $900 million in health care savings. The union won’t sign the contract its membership ratified until the lawsuit is pulled off the docket.
Madigan, a Chicago Democrat like Quinn, is considering opposing him in the gubernatorial primary next spring, but officials were careful Thursday to stress the lawsuit is not a question of political ill will. […]
Quinn wants to put the rancor behind him now, particularly with election season approaching, but also because there are savings to be had. While he gave up the fight over the raises, Quinn is eager to realize the health care savings from current and retired state workers in the newly ratified pact, Pallasch said.
“Failing to resolve the $64 million lawsuit now risks the $900 million in health care savings for taxpayers under the contract,” he said.
This is a real standoff. Right now, it doesn’t look like the GA is in any mood to fund the back pay. So the lawsuit won’t be dropped. But that means the contract won’t be signed. The whole thing could come tumbling down, and might even spark another contract vote.
*** UPDATE *** AFSCME just sent this e-mail to its members…
AFSCME has informed the Quinn Administration that the union is not prepared to sign the new contract without further authorization from the union membership. Your AFSCME Bargaining Committee is convening on Monday to recommend a course of action—and further information will be coming to you soon.
I know that the situation can be confusing and frustrating—especially for those employees who have not received their negotiated raises. However, it’s critical to keep in mind how far we have come by standing together and standing firm.
When the pay raise was initially withheld, AFSCME immediately took the issue to arbitration—and won. When the State appealed that decision to court, the Union battled through all the legal delays and maneuvers and secured a ruling that the contract must be honored. When the state said it had no money to pay any raises, AFSCME’s research turned up tens of millions of dollars which resulted in thousands of employees receiving the wages owed over the past two years and many more in line to receive monies from the funds held in escrow.
We’ve succeeded time and again when others said it couldn’t be done. We’re not going to give up now. We’ll keep on fighting to ensure that justice is done for all members. And if all members stand together, we can succeed once more.
Sincerely,
Henry Bayer
Executive Director
*** UPDATE 2 *** If you click here, you’ll see an amendment to a Speaker Madigan bill filed today by Rep. John Bradley which appears to fund the back pay.
Not all that long ago, DuPage County was about as reliably Republican and rock-ribbed conservative as they came.
Things are changing
For one, it’s not nearly as Republican. Back in the 1998 governor’s race, Republican George Ryan defeated Democrat Glenn Poshard by 104,000 votes in DuPage.
But in 2010, during the greatest Republican landslide since 1946, Republican Bill Brady managed to beat Gov. Pat Quinn by less than half Ryan’s total: 45,000 votes. Barack Obama carried the county in both of his presidential bids.
DuPage used to be dominated by Pate Philip, the no-nonsense conservative former state Senate president. Pate wasn’t much for women’s rights, or civil rights, or gay rights or whatever. Back in those days, whenever you thought of DuPage County, you automatically thought of Pate Philip. He seemed to embody an area built on white and corporate flight out of Chicago.
I tried reaching Pate on Thursday because I wanted to ask him about some new polling I’d seen of his beloved county. No luck. That’s too bad, because I genuinely enjoy talking to him. You always know where you stand with that man, and he always tells you what he thinks.
The We Ask America poll I wanted to talk to Pate about found that a plurality of DuPage County’s likely voters support gay marriage.
According to the poll, 49 percent of DuPagers say lawmakers should pass legislation to allow gay marriage while 45 percent oppose it. The poll of 1,052 likely voters taken April 22nd had a margin of error of plus/minus 3 percent.
The poll found that 62 percent of people aged 18-24 support gay marriage. In fact, every age group backed gay marriage except for senior citizens, who opposed it 55-40.
If you had told me a year ago that a poll could turn up these sorts of results in DuPage, I would’ve thought you were dipping into your medical marijuana stash.
But here we are.
There are those in the Republican Party who say that their setbacks in Illinois are just temporary. The party, they say, needs to stick to its core principles, including its very clear party platform plank opposing gay marriage.
To compromise, they say, is to just become “Democrat Lite.” So, only one Republican state senator voted for gay marriage in February. Just three of 47 Republican state representatives say they’re in favor ahead of a House vote.
Famed political prognosticator Nate Silver projects that national support for gay marriage will continue increasing by 1.5 percentage points per year. If he’s right, it’ll just be a few more months before there’s actual majority support for the issue in DuPage.
Conservatives are, by nature, slow to change. That’s totally understandable. It’s who and what they are. But there’s slow and then there’s political suicide. Eventually, they’re going to have to come to grips with this issue. Their all too often harsh rhetoric is alienating the people they need to get their party members elected.
Pate Philip has been out of power for 10 years, now. I truly miss his straight talk, but his brand of politics was on the way out here even before he retired. These days, it seems as though he lived in another world. The trouble is, too many Republican politicians still live in that world.
But now that more people in Pate’s DuPage County favor gay marriage than oppose it, if the GOP still can’t see the writing on the wall, then they probably deserve whatever’s coming to them
* Let’s start our roundup of Aaron Schock’s decision not to run for governor with the Sun-Times report…
“He said back in the fall he was going to see whether he thought he could do more good running for re-election for Congress or running for governor,” Schock aide Steve Shearer told the Peoria Star late Thursday.
Schock, 31, ultimately decided to remain on Capitol Hill, where he serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, said Shearer, Schock’s chief of staff and campaign manager.
But the young third-term Peoria congressman also faced the reality of a crowded GOP field — and a tough general election race if he prevailed. […]
“Aaron realized he is only 31 and is not willing to risk everything against Rauner’s millions and probably Lisa Madigan,” said one state House Republican familiar with Schock’s thinking.
Had Congressman Schock survived a brutal Republican primary race, he still would have faced the daunting challenge of either facing an incumbent governor, Pat Quinn, or a popular attorney general with a well-known family name, Lisa Madigan. Or even throw in the longshot possibility of running against Bill Daley, former Secretary of Commerce and brother of Chicago’s former mayor, Richard M. Daley. All three would be tough opponents, making this race for governor “mission impossible,” that could have resulted in ending his promising political career.
In February, the House Ethics Committee announced it would continue an investigation into Schock over allegations he sought donations of more than $5,000 per donor to a political action committee. The super PAC backed Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who was running in a House primary against Rep. Don Manzullo. Kinzinger won the March 2012 primary.
At the time, Schock spokesman Steve Dutton said Schock hadn’t done anything wrong and the case was “without merit.”
Shearer said Schock’s increasing seniority in the House after the changeover of members in the previous two national congressional elections was a significant factor in the decision not to seek the governor’s office. Schock is only two seats away from the halfway point of seniority on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
Schock also serves on the House Administration Committee and in an advisory role to the House Republican Conference.
* Schock has had a storied career so far, and he’s only 31…
The 31-year-old won an unexpected write-in victory for the Peoria District 150 School Board in 2001 by a 20 percent margin over the incumbent board president while still a student at Bradley University. Three years later he won an equally difficult victory in a majority-Democratic state House district where he served for two terms before running for Congress in 2008.
In the House especially he has proven to be a prolific fundraiser, bringing a host of high-profile speakers to central Illinois including former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, House Speaker John Boehner, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, then-President George W. Bush, first lady Laura Bush, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former House colleague Allen West.
During the first three months of 2013, Schock brought in just shy of three-quarters of a million dollars to his federal campaign fund, and was sitting on a war chest of about $2.7 million, according to disclosure documents filed with the Federal Election Commission.
He could very well be the future of the GOP in this state.
His decision not to run leaves only one Republican candidate at the moment with access to major campaign cash, Chicago investment mogul Bruce Rauner, though Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford has raised some hundreds of thousands of dollars.
* 8:03 pm - Republican Congressman Aaron Schock is calling around this evening to inform people that he’s announcing Friday that he will not run for governor.
* 9:03 pm- The story is spreading so I took off the password protection.
* FRIDAY, 8:00 am - From a press release…
Aaron Schock has chosen to run for re-election to Congress in 2014
(PEORIA, IL) Last fall Congressman Aaron Schock said he was considering whether he could do the most good by running for re-election to Congress or by running for Governor of Illinois. After carefully considering both options, today he is announcing that he has chosen to run for Congress again in 2014.
The ISRA has learned that an anti-gun senator from Chicago has written a horrible “may issue” concealed carry bill that would “carve” Cook County out from the rest of the state. In effect, this bill would allow the Cook County Sheriff and the Chicago Superintendant to deny permit applications filed by Cook County residents. Furthermore, carry permits issued in other counties would be VOID in Cook County. In other words, it would be illegal for you to carry a defensive firearm in the place you need it most – Cook County.
It is important that every firearm owner in the state call their State Senator and express opposition to this bill – it affects every one of us, not just Cook County residents. No matter where you live in the state, as a gun owner you cannot sit idly by and watch millions of good citizens in Cook County have their civil rights trampled. If this bill passes, it won’t be long until the obstacles to concealed carry erected by Cook County will spread to many other counties in the state. You must act now!
As of the writing of this Action Alert, no bill number has been assigned to this bad carry bill. The Senate leadership is playing a shell game with us. There is no telling where it will pop up. Nonetheless, it is very important that you follow the instructions in this alert!
Remember. . .
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart does not have the right to decide if you are worth defending or not.
Chicago Police Superintendent Gerry McCarthy does not have the right to decide whether you will live or die.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel does not have the right to condemn your family members to rape, robbery and murder.
A Republican congressman from Virginia who chairs a key appropriations panel lashed out Wednesday over the federal government’s purchase of a vacant Illinois prison, telling Attorney General Eric Holder that he “really created a mess with your bailing out the state of Illinois with the Thomson prison purchase.”
Rep. Frank Wolf, of Vienna, Va., in suburban Washington, chairs a House Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Justice Department.
Wolf will be instrumental in approval of money necessary to upgrade and open the prison, where the Obama administration once hoped to send detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Now the administration wants federal prisoners held there.
* This warning has appeared above the comment box for years…
Inappropriate or excessively rabid comments, gratuitous insults and “rumors” will be deleted or held for moderation. Profanity is absolutely not acceptable in any form. “Sock puppetry” is forbidden. All violators risk permanent banishment without warning and may be blocked from accessing this site. Also, please try to be a little bit original.
Today, I added a new line…
In other words, do your best to be civilized and smart.
* The Question: How do you think you can be more “civilized and smart” in comments?
The panelists at times struggled to find common ground, and the deep divide between stakeholders on how to fix the pension funding crisis was painfully evident.
But a pension reform forum sponsored Wednesday by the Daily Herald and the nonpartisan reform website Reboot Illinois did produce civil discourse in the organizations’ attempt to further understanding of the $100 billion mess and, hopefully, prompt meaningful steps toward a solution.
There are no magic solutions to this mess. Legislators are intensely divided. Outsiders and “good government” types think it should be easy, and maybe it should be, but that isn’t legislative or political reality.
And if anybody thinks attending a forum on this topic will “prompt meaningful steps toward a solution” then I want some of whatever they’re smoking. I mean, is Rep. Tom Morrison going to back away from his 401(k) plan because he attended a forum? Nope…
One of the first questions asked to those in the audience was how many in attendance were state employees. When a strong majority in the room raised their hands, Morrison framed his argument that pensions should be moved to employee-managed 401(k)-style accounts with another question to those employees: “Who trusts Springfield politicians?”
“My ideal solution is to get the state out of the defined benefit pension plan,” he said. “One thing we can all agree on is that we can’t trust politicians who have been representing us down in Springfield.”
A proposal that would ban people from smoking outdoors on all state-supported university and community college campuses fell five votes shy of the 30 need to pass the Illinois Senate Wednesday.
Sponsoring Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, used a parliamentary maneuver to keep the bill alive for a possible second vote in the future.
“I want to be perfectly clear here that if you go to tailgate at a football game you will not be able to smoke at you car, standing next to your cookout grill, is that correct?” Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, asked Link. […]
Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, ridiculed the bill on the floor.
“So a university employee who is riding on a tractor, out in the middle of the university farm at the University of Illinois or Illinois State University, and who is literally so far away from anyone else that someone would have to use a telescope to see that they’re smoking a cigarette, that person under your bill would be banned from smoking a cigarette?” Righter asked. Link admitted the person would be banned from smoking.
“Surely all of us can get on board with the notion that the duly appointed members of the boards of trustees should be able to make some decisions,” he said. “And that the person who is literally a football field away from anyone else, working on a construction site and wants to have a cigarette, poses exactly no health risk to anyone else. There is a point, even for those who believe in the most active of governments, to which you say, ‘You know what, even Springfield’s arm isn’t that long.’”
* Roundup…
* State prison officials want more money: In a Senate hearing Wednesday, Corrections budget chief Brian Gleck-ler said the department is requesting about $41.8 million to finish out the fiscal year, which ends June 30. The money is needed because Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration was or-dered to pay wage hikes to employees it had withheld during tight budget times two years ago.
* Yesterday, the Chicago Tribune editorial board thundered its outrage over not being able to obtain an official copy of the new AFSCME contract with the state…
We’ve been asking for a copy since Feb. 28, the day the two sides announced the agreement. Quinn’s office said we had to wait until union members ratified the contract. That happened on March 19.
Since then, we’ve been told the lawyers needed time to tidy up the paperwork.
A full month of tidying? Sorry, but we’re out of patience. Taxpayers are picking up the tab for this contract. They deserve to know how much Quinn and the employee union ordered up in pay and benefits. In fact, taxpayers should have the opportunity to weigh in before the contract gets finalized with Quinn’s signature.
* So, I contacted a few folks to see if I could find out what was going on. Why couldn’t we get an official copy? We’ve already seen the copy that went out to union members, but what about the final copy? Anders Lindall with AFSCME e-mailed me back late yesterday afternoon…
As you know, once finalized, our state contract is publicly available; the previous contract is posted in its entirety on the CMS website. With respect to the new agreement, you and others have reported on all key provisions, even publishing our internal summary that covers economic issues as well changes in workplace practices, policies and procedures. But at this point, with the contract not yet signed and the parties still finalizing finely-tuned language changes, there is simply nothing more to release.
Wait. The contract isn’t signed? It was ratified weeks ago.
Why isn’t the contract signed?
Lindall replied…
Like I say, parties still finalizing language.
*** UPDATE 1 *** This may help clear things up, thanks to a commenter. From a message to union members from Henry Bayer…
The Administration has moved forward to fulfill these commitments:
1. The FY 14 budget that the governor submitted to the General Assembly includes funding to bring all employees to their proper wage level pursuant to the previous and the current contract.
2. The Administration is now moving forward on the dispersal of the escrowed funds. These are monies that the union had demonstrated to the court were appropriated in the FY12 budget and could therefore be used toward payment of the back wages owed for FY12. There is approximately $42 million in this fund. Many of the dollars are restricted in how they can be allocated (e.g., federal grants for specific purposes or appropriations for specific agencies), so the distribution to employees will not be uniform and the restrictions may prevent all of the $42 million from being distributed. Allocation of these funds is in the process of final review and affected employees will be notified in the coming weeks.
3. The remainder of the back pay owed (approximately $154 million) requires a supplemental appropriation by the General Assembly. The Administration has drafted the supplemental and expects it to be introduced next week.
4. The Governor’s Office notified Attorney General Lisa Madigan that the appeal of the circuit court ruling should be withdrawn. To date, the Attorney General has failed to do so, indicating that she is conducting a thorough review of the case before reaching a decision as to how to proceed.
Council 31 staff have been working intensively for weeks now to finalize the new contract, which requires ensuring the accuracy of the specific wording of the contract language and verifying all elements of the health plan and other economic components.
However, the new contract has not been signed, pending the state’s action on the lawsuit. [Emphasis added.]
So, it’s not all about the “language.” Attorney General Madigan is holding up the union’s signature. I’ll ask her why right now. Check back.
But, yes, the health plan language is still a sticking point. There’s some debate over what type of health plan should now be used. More on that another time.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The attorney general’s office responds…
It’s our understanding that the full payment of backpay is dependent on a special appropriation. We know the Legislature, the Governor and AFSCME are working on that. In the meantime, until a special appropriation bill moves forward, it’s most appropriate to put the lawsuits on hold, as the Governor, the legislature and AFSCME continue their work.
* I never would’ve thought this could be a problem, but it is for at least one person, so the Senate just approved a bill to help him out…
A measure that would allow an Edgar County man to stop paying child support for a teenager who isn’t his was approved 52-0 by the Illinois Senate.
The measure, SB 1867, was sponsored by Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, and was introduced to aid Brad Entrican, a Paris man who earlier told a Senate committee that he has been paying child support for years but didn’t learn until after DNA testing in 2011 that he was not the father of the boy, who is now 13. Attempts to resolve the case through administrative procedures and in the courts failed because Entrican had not filed his petition within the two-year statute of limitations.
The legislation allows a man to continue to challenge a finding of paternity after the statute of limitations has been filed when there is DNA evidence supporting him. […]
Entrican had said earlier this year that he didn’t challenge the paternity until the summer of 2011, after meeting the boy for the first time. He had failed to appear for a scheduled genetic testing in 2001 because at the time, he had no reason to doubt he was the boy’s father.
A fascinating personal story. I can’t help but feel sorry for the kid, though. Now what does he do?
Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In April 2012, Peoples Gas established the Utility Workers Training Program (UWTP) for military veterans—a $3.5 million multi-partner and union-backed training-to-placement program for those who have honorably served our country. To date, 60 veterans have completed the program and 42 have started a career as a gas utility worker at Peoples Gas.
Through this program, veterans develop the skills they need to enter Illinois’ natural gas industry. The curriculum of core classes has enabled each student to earn 52 college credits toward an AA degree. The new employees have also earned their Gas Utility Worker Advanced Certification at Dawson Technical Institute, a satellite site of Kennedy-King College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago.
The UWTP was created to support Peoples Gas’ Accelerated Main Replacement Program (AMRP) to replace 2,000 miles of cast and ductile iron mains in its distribution system. This project has already created over 1,000 jobs, including UWTP graduates.
The Natural Gas Modernization, Public Safety and Jobs Bill (SB 1665/HB 2414), is needed to allow natural gas utilities to confidently invest and continue hiring in Illinois. If it is not passed, Peoples Gas will be forced to slow or halt its pipeline modernization project, which would threaten the jobs that are putting Illinois veterans to work.
Members of the General Assembly: vote YES on SB 1665/HB 2414.
* Sen. Dan Duffy (R-Lake Barrington) was not at all happy with a bill that passed his chamber yesterday. Duffy was so angry that he posted a diatribe about the bill on his Facebook page, blasting his own Republican leader and two fellow GOP members, both likely gubernatorial candidates…
Yikes.
* Sen. Duffy has been an ardent opponent of red light cams ever since he received two red light tickets in three days at the very same red light. Video of the first infraction…
Under the proposal, local municipalities or counties would have to sign off before a school district could use the cameras because penalties for going around a stopped bus would need to be reviewed by law enforcement rather than school officials. Sponsoring Sen. Tony Munoz, D-Chicago, said school districts would receive the bulk of the money from fines and the rest would be used to underwrite costs of the program. A first offense would cost $150 and a second offense $500, Munoz said.
But the bill drew a skeptical eye from Sen. Dan Duffy, who challenged the need for the bill and feared that the cameras could lead to more controversies. As of mid-April, Redflex said it had been awarded 25 school bus contracts and 18 trial programs in eight states: Rhode Island, Connecticut, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Maine, Alabama and Washington.
Redflex is expanding into automated school bus cameras amid the federal probe of its Chicago red-light program that has led to questions from officials across the country. Federal authorities issued a subpoena for financial records of a former city official at the center of the escalating international scandal after the Tribune raised questions in October about the city’s contract with Redflex.
Duffy contended that the lobbyists for camera companies and lawmakers who support the measure are supporting one more way to squeeze “cold hard cash” from the taxpayers of Illinois. “This is the next generation of red-light cameras,” said Duffy, R-Lake Barrington.
* Duffy’s remarks went beyond even that. Sun-Times…
Duffy also alluded to a Chicago Tribune report on a federal bribery investigation into Chicago’s red-light camera program and a rival purveyor of red-light cameras, Redflex Traffic Systems - a probe Duffy bombastically characterized Wednesday as the “largest scandal in Illinois history.”
“It’s the same camera company and the same camera lobbyists associated with Gov. Blagojevich and other scandals who’s promoting this bill,” said state Sen. Dan Duffy (R-Lake Barrington), who has been a frequent critic of red-light cameras.
Neither RedSpeed nor Redflex testified in favor of Munoz’ bill in Senate committee, legislative records show.
“Here he stands now, saying there’s corruption about cameras, the worse there has ever been and bringing up Blagojevich. We took that matter up, and we know where he is,” Munoz said, referring at first to Duffy and then the imprisoned governor.
“You like to go around cameras,” Munoz snapped, his voice rising in a direct verbal hit on Duffy. “You drive right through them, you in your fancy car, your fancy suit. You want to bring it up? I can do it too.”
Sen. Munoz referenced an IDOT study which found that about 120 drivers reported seeing over 3,000 instances of drivers going around school buses with stop signs extended outward.
* Thanks to our very good friends at BlueRoomStream.com, you can watch the interchange, which begins at just after the 1-hour, 3-minute mark. The “good stuff” starts about ten minutes later…
* Sen. Dan Kotowski has a “puppy lemon law” proposal…
Consumers who buy a new dog or cat only to find out it has a serious disease or ailment would have a new form of recourse under an Illinois Senate proposal.
The Senate Executive Committee voted 8-5 Wednesday in favor of a bill described as a “puppy lemon law.”
The legislation would allow people who buy a dog or cat at a pet store to get a replacement or a refund if the animal needs veterinary care for certain illnesses or conditions within 20 days of purchase. The buyer also could seek damages for the cost of veterinary care.
Provides that, if there is an outbreak of distemper, parvovirus, or any other contagious and potentially life-threatening disease affecting more than 2 dogs at a seller’s pet shop or kennel within a 60-day period, then the seller shall provide each customer that purchases a dog a written notice stating the nature of the outbreak, and shall notify the State Veterinarian of the outbreak within 2 business days after becoming aware that a third animal has contracted the disease.
Provides that a customer who purchased a dog from a seller is entitled to a remedy if certain conditions relating to a disease, illness, condition, or death of the dog are met. Sets forth conditions that a customer shall meet to obtain a remedy from a seller and a timeframe in which the seller shall provide a reimbursement to the customer. Provides that a customer may not be entitled to a remedy if the customer fails to meet certain requirements. Provides that a seller may contest a remedy sought by a customer. Provides that if a customer and seller do not reach an agreement within 10 business days, then the parties may agree to binding arbitration or the customer may bring suit in a court of competent jurisdiction. Changes certain references from “pet shop operator” to “seller”.
* Republicans said that Kotowski should’ve also included pet shelters in the bill, even though everyone in the room knew there was no way the Republicans would ever vote for such a thing. They were simply using one of the arguments put forth by the pet store opponents…
Opponents of the proposal took issue with animal shelters being exempted, which leave those who adopt cats or dogs from shelters with no similar recourse.
Kotowski said there is a huge difference between spending $1,000 for a dog at a pet store versus the smaller amount one pays a shelter for immunizations.
He likened it to the difference between purchasing an item from Nordstrom versus going to a thrift shop.
State Sen. Dale Righter, a Charleston Republican, took exception with Kotowski’s characterization, saying he was essentially saying those who cannot afford to buy from a pet store don’t deserve consumer protection.
Gov. Rick Scott sent letters to Illinois business owners this week, telling them to book a “one-way” ticket to Florida and set up shop in the Sunshine State.
In the letter, Scott touts Florida’s economic recovery, low taxes and shrinking state debt. He continues his “It’s working” theme by painting Florida as a state that has undergone an “incredible economic turnaround” under his watch. In contrast, Scott writes, Illinois is raising taxes and has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.
“While Florida’s economic formula is working, we know Illinois’ formula of more taxing and more spending ISN’T WORKING,” Scott writes.
Florida’s economic development organization planned to create a similar ad campaign [as New York’s], touting the state as “The Perfect Climate for Business.” Some saw the brand logo—which features an orange business tie—as sexist, and lawmakers have opted not to fund the advertising effort.
The Legislature is also cutting Scott’s “economic incentives” budget, reducing the amount of money the governor can use to draw businesses to Florida with tax breaks and grants.
* I thought this was a rather odd story when I first saw a Bruce Rauner opposition research report a few weeks ago…
Last week, the Daily Herald ran an interesting piece about how Mr. Rauner improperly had claimed homestead exemptions on three separate residences. The law says you’re supposed to get the tax break on only one residence, but Mr. Rauner for several years declared it on a Winnetka home, and on a Chicago penthouse and a condo located in the same building. […]
“Englander said Thursday that the Winnetka address is currently Rauner’s primary residence,” the Herald reported.
However, since October 2008, Mr. Rauner’s legal voting residence has been at 340 E. Randolph St. in Chicago. And, according to Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Jim Allen, the law is clear: ‘You should register at your primary residence.” The courts have upheld that standard many times, he said.
So, where does Mr. Rauner live? In Chicago, where he votes, or in Winnetka, where he gets the tax break and where his wife, Diana Rauner, is registered to vote?
Mr. Rauner’s new spokesman, Mike Schrimpf, tries to blow off the whole matter as just a little unmeaningful detail.
“The Rauners have long owned a home in Winnetka, raised their children there and continue to cherish their ties to the community,” he said in a statement, “but Bruce also has worked in Chicago for years, spent a great deal of time there and been deeply involved in improving the city. Consequently, Bruce registered to vote there after purchasing an apartment in the city while Diana continues to vote in Winnetka.”
I’ve heard of people doing almost anything to get their kid into Walter Payton College Prep High School. Whatever might work, I’m sure someone would try. […]
According to multiple sources at Chicago Public Schools, Mr. Rauner in 2008 picked up the phone and called Mr. Duncan on behalf of his daughter, who was trying to get into Payton. […]
As it turns out, in establishing residence in the city, Mr. Rauner also established the right of his daughter to attend a Chicago public school. But not just any school. She could have gone to New Trier, since mom still lived in Winnetka and New Trier is pretty highly rated itself. But Payton is rated better. […]
Moreover, another source with direct knowledge confirms that Ms. Rauner was not admitted to Payton via the normal best-score route, but by way of a supplemental, alternate procedure.
So, Rauner buys a condo in the city and establishes residency by registering to vote, falsely claims homestead exemptions on that condo and other homes, claims to the media that he bought the condo because he was “deeply involved in improving the city,” but conveniently fails to mention that he used the residence to help clout his kid into Payton.
* Look, I have no real problems with a parent doing all he legally can to get his kid into the best public school in the Chicago area. You gotta do what you gotta do.
What bugs me is that Rauner always talks about himself like he’s some outsider, just one of us, a regular guy in an inexpensive suit who really, truly believes that Illinois must be reformed. From Rauner’s Twitter feed…
* The Daily Racing Form reports that Arlington International has come to an agreement with the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association on a new contract. The most interesting aspect of the report…
Also helping move negotiations forward, multiple sources reported, was an agreement by Illinois state lawmakers to drop a controversial provision from a gaming-expansion bill expected to pass out of a Senate committee and go before the full Senate for a vote in coming weeks. To vocal protests from the ITHA and other Illinois horsemen’s groups, the gaming bill was amended this spring to permit tracks to operate online casinos without using profits to fund purses. The online gaming provision, sources say, is expected to be dropped entirely from the bill.
The tracks hate sharing money with horsemen, or with anybody else, for that matter. Dealing with those guys has always been the hardest part of any gaming expansion proposal.
So when the I-Gaming stuff was added to the latest bill, you just knew it would cause an explosion, even though the boat owners really, REALLY wanted in on the game. Plus, the governor opposes the entire provision, so it’s probably best that it be dumped.
*** UPDATE *** The Senate President’s office says he intends to file the I-Gaming legislation on a separate bill.
State Rep. Jeanne Ives, freshman Republican from Wheaton, introduced two bills to infuse more sunlight into the negotiation process. One bill would require that the two sides negotiate in public. The other bill would require an Internet posting of the contract once the two sides strike an agreement.
We support those efforts. Unfortunately, her bills have little chance of getting to the House floor. One died in committee and the other got sent to House Rules, the graveyard for unpopular legislation. The unions have zealously defended the status quo. No public involvement until the ink is dry … and the lawyers work out the quirks, and they will take their sweet time, thank you very much.
* The Question: Should state union contracts be negotiated in public? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
As a recent town hall meeting in his district quickly grew heated, state Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) said for the first time in his political career he wished he had brought something with him — security.
Franks was talking pension reform, but one man opposed to same-sex marriage became particularly agitated.
“It was heated. For the first time, I felt, I really should have had security here,” Franks told the Chicago Sun-Times. “He got physically close, I probably asked him eight times to stop and felt he was being rude. We were in a public place. It was a little bizarre.”
Franks isn’t saying which way he’s going to vote on the issue, insisting he hasn’t decided and sees pension reform as his top issue.
In the last several weeks, behind-the-scenes pressure as well as public rancor over a same sex marriage bill still pending in the Illinois House has intensified. Picketers are coming out in force. Legislators have spoken to Cardinal Francis George personally on the phone.
One potential death threat — later deemed unfounded — was under investigation by the Illinois State Police and Mundelein police against Republican Ed Sullivan, a state representative who publicly disclosed his support for the bill.
The reality is we’ve seen at least isolated craziness on both sides of this debate.
*** UPDATE *** Greg Hinz reports that he’s hearing the bill has between 55 and 57 of the 60 House votes it needs to pass…
Key lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, speaking on background, say they expect the bill to pass in the next month, sending it to the desk of Gov. Pat Quinn, who has promised to sign it. At least a few Republicans are aboard, with House GOP Leader Tom Cross publicly neutral but privately said to be helpful.
One swing representative, who asked not to be named, said he’ll vote yes, but won’t publicly declare himself until the end. “I may lose my seat,” that official told me. “I don’t care. I want to be on the right side of history.”
That’s similar to statements being made by Chicago Democrat Ken Dunkin, the head of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, who earlier this week announced his support for the bill, explaining, “I have always believed that discrimination is wrong, no matter whom it targets.”
Indeed, African-American lawmakers likely are the most key group on this issue right now, caught between traditional civil rights concerns and religious conservatives. The announcement from Mr. Dunkin, who represents the old Cabrini-Green area on the Near North Side, may move some others.
But probably the biggest thing working for the bill right now: the Madigans. That would be Attorney General Lisa Madigan, and House Speaker Michael Madigan, her father.
Perhaps with an eye on a race for governor, Ms. Madigan has begun picking up the phone in recent days to personally urge wavering lawmakers to vote for the bill, which already has passed the Senate. More significantly, Mr. Madigan, who a few weeks ago suggested the bill was a dozen votes short, recently has begun to get more active behind the scenes, I’m told.
I kinda doubt that Dunkin will move other black votes his way. But the AG might. And if the Speaker is moving, then that’s a very positive sign for the legislation.
* Nobody was hurt, nobody was ever in any danger, so felony charges were absurd. The Cook County courts have enough real criminals to deal with, so this was the right decision by the state’s attorney…
State Sen. Donne Trotter was sentenced to one year of court supervision Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless conduct for trying to bring a gun onto an airplane at O’Hare Airport. […]
As part of the plea deal, Trotter has to perform 60 hours of community service. He also plans on talking about gun safety while serving his sentence, Trotter’s attorney, Thomas Durkin, said.
Durkin said the state’s attorney’s disposition to reduce the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor was “fair and appropriate.”
Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno of Lemont shepherded to passage a bill that would ban people younger than 18 from using tanning beds in commercial tanning salons. A similar bill has passed the House, and Radogno predicted the legislation will make it to the governor. The bill would not affect tanning beds in private residences.
Sponsoring Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, said she wasn’t necessarily surprised that senators didn’t debate the bill before voting on it.
“There really has been very little opposition,” she said. […]
“Skin cancer is a huge issue,” Radogno said. “The incidence of skin cancer when you first have used ultraviolet tanning before age 18 rises dramatically. This should be a no-brainer. It is a Class One carcinogen, and protecting kids from that makes perfect sense.”
Radogno also noted that more and more municipalities are enacting local ordinances to ban minors from tanning salons. Springfield passed a ban in September despite concerns raised by some that minors could simply go to tanning salons outside the city limits.
Current law requires teenagers to receive parental consent to use a tanning booth.
State Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican, said he voted for the ban because parental consent was not being properly enforced.
“We have had de facto license for 14 to 17 year olds to go in there without parental consent the way it’s been applied,” Murphy said. “Let’s make a clean break. It’s not being monitored the way it is, and I think parents would like a little bit of help making sure their kids stay safe with this.”
Among the dissenters was state Sen. Tom Cullerton, a Villa Park Democrat, who said he supported the current system of allowing teenagers to tan provided they had parental consent.
Illinois motorists would be able to legally drive 70 mph on interstate highways and tollways under legislation the Senate passed Tuesday.
The measure would allow Cook County, the suburban collar counties and two counties near St. Louis to opt out in areas where local officials did not think the higher speed would be appropriate. The current top speed on Illinois interstates is 65 mph.
Sponsoring Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, said the change would bring Illinois in line with the more than 30 states that allow drivers to go 70 or 75 mph. Oberweis said the higher speed would allow commerce to move faster, but the freshman lawmaker took some friendly razzing from colleagues who suggested he had self-interest in mind.
* Roundup…
* Illinois nets almost $6 billion more in taxes in 2012: But state Sen. Dan Kotowski, a Park Ridge Democrat, said the temporary income tax rate hike along with some policy shifts have made the state more fiscally responsible. He cited new spending rules, performance-based funding and other reforms as ways the state has worked to eliminate its deficit.
* Editorial: With reform essential, state lawmakers must stop wasting time
* Adlai Stevenson III has penned an op-ed about reforming Illinois. Most of the usual stuff was in there, revamping the remap process, cutting the number of local governments, consolidating school districts, shortening the campaign season, etc. But this one was a surprise…
The Illinois personnel code might be re-examined. It goes against the grain of conventional wisdom, but when I was state treasurer, I could hire and fire at will. It was a good old fashioned patronage office - and I was able to quadruple the return on the investment of state funds while cutting the budget every year.
That was also before state collective bargaining laws. Back then, you could join a union, but there was no contract.
As members of the State Senate Executive Appointments Committee prepare to decide whether to support Gov. Pat Quinn’s reappointment of Department of Corrections Director S.A. “Tony” Godinez, this picture was sent to our news department.
The picture shows an IDOC inmate transport bus parked Friday afternoon, outside Club Coyote, a “gentlemen’s club” on U.S. Highway 51 in De Soto that features exotic dancers and serves alcohol.
* I also received this photo from several people. There has obviously been a concerted effort by opponents of Director Godinez to get this photo out, including by former Illinois prison warden Andrew Ott, a sworn Godinez enemy.
Here’s the photo, which I’ve cropped down to an easier-to-view size. The full photo is here…
* The Department of Corrections says they investigated the photo, including viewing video from the club’s surveillance camera. The agency determined that the bus driver used the parking lot to turn around after missing a turn. IDOC says the the incident occurred at 8:30 in the morning. I called the club at 10:40 this morning and got an answering machine.
So, once again, it looks like there’s no there there and that Godinez’s opponents are going way over the top in their attempt to discredit him.
An Illinois prison-monitoring group says Menard Correctional Center inmates reported concern about “aggressive cellmates” during a visit shortly before a string of three inmate murders since January.
The John Howard Association visited the prison in far southern Illinois in December. Its report, released late Tuesday, said several older inmates were worried about cellmates. And the independent watchdog said housing inmates with long sentences with those facing shorter stretches “can be problematic.”
* House Republicans went to Normal yesterday to unveil a welfare reform plan…
Illinois Republicans are proposing a welfare reform package that they say could save the state millions of dollars. […]
“There are folks that definitely do need help, whether that’s in welfare or Medicaid,” said [House GOP Leader Tom Cross]. “We want to be there to make sure we have a system that is viable and can sustain itself but that is not abused.”
Another portion of the plan, under House Bill 2784, would prevent Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits (TANF) from being used for alcohol, lottery tickets and firearms.
“It’s even been reported that these benefits are being used for tattoos and body piercings,” Roth said. “We’re all about helping people that need help but we want to see these dollars put to good use.”
The final portion of the package would prevent criminals already in jail from receiving public aid.
* They also traveled to Decatur, where they admitted that the plan has no chance of passage…
The fate of the plan is bleak, though, with all four bills currently assigned to the House Rules Committee, where many bills are sent to die.
Additionally, no Democrats currently sponsor the legislation, which does not bode well for passage in the Democrat-controlled House or Senate.
Cross, who has not yet spoken to House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, about the proposal, said he talked to some Democrats about supporting the plan and sees no reason why the plan cannot be passed in a bipartisan fashion.
“These ideas should be bipartisan, and they should be receiving support from our friends on the other side of the aisle,” he said.
The bills are in Rules because the 3rd Reading deadline was last Friday. One of their bills, HB2784, lost in subcommittee on a partisan roll call. Another, HB3174, was voted down 7-5 in the Human Services Committee back in March. HB2490 and HB 133 were never moved for a vote in committee.
Ergo, out of town press conferences where local reporters probably wouldn’t know how to check bill status updates.
* House Bill 2784 guarantees that cash assistance benefits are used for the basic needs for which they are intended. TANF benefits are intended to provide financial assistance to help pay for basic needs such as food, shelter, utilities, and other necessary expenses, however under current law a person is free to spend this cash however they feel. The legislation would prevent TANF benefits from being used to purchase alcohol, lottery tickets, firearms, and other specified goods and services.
* House Bill 3174 and House Bill 2490 would prevent criminals from receiving aid. These bills would suspend public aid and benefits to inmates at State correctional facilities and recipients with outstanding warrants.
* House Bill 133 ensures that a person using a LINK card is the authorized user. The proposal would require all LINK cards to display a photo of the cardholder to ensure that the person presenting it at the checkout counter is the same person who is entitled to use it. The names of all secondary users will also be placed on the card. Secondary users will be required to show a valid photo id before they can use the card.
Amends the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that no person shall knowingly use or accept cash assistance benefits provided under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program for the purchase or sale of certain services or products, including alcoholic beverages, lottery tickets, firearms or firearms ammunition, admission to any performance, gambling games, and rental goods.
I’m not sure how they’re supposed to track that. Seems like a press release bill to me. Also, cash assistance was a national GOP idea. The prison idea seems like a good one. But we’ve already extensively discussed the problems with the LINK ID proposals.
Five people are dead and one injured in a shooting in the Village of Manchester, Illinois, according to Mayor Ronald Drake.
WLDS told NewsChannel 5 a suspect is in custody.
The Scott County Sheriff’s Department said a child was taken to a Springfield, Illinois hospital.
The pastor of Manchester Baptist Church told NewsChannel 5 that the murders happened inside a public housing complex on East Street Wednesday morning.
Multiple schools are on lockdown. The Jacksonville School District 117 secretary to Superintendent Steve Ptacek said the school is closed in response to a recent shootout with a suspect on Woodson Winchester Road. North Greene Unit School District #3 is closed and WLDS Radio reports Winchester schools are closed.
Mayor Drake said the attack took place in a home on 4th Street. Drake says the suspect fled and was caught near Winchester about 12 miles from Manchester.
The mayor said he has no idea what led to it.
“Not that I know of. This is a nice little town and I have no problems with anybody. What took place, I cannot tell you,” he said.
Illinois State Police are not yet releasing the names and ages of those involved. Drake said the survivor is in stable condition.
* More…
Two of the murder victims in the #Manchester Illinois shooting spree said to be children, and three adults. #crime
