* This post will be updated…
He’s facing 20 years on the obstruction charge and 5 years for perjury.
…Adding… Alaina Hampton…
Alaina Hampton issued the following statement on Thursday following a jury’s decision to convict Tim Mapes of perjury:
“I have always said that my experience was the symptom of a toxic culture, and that it started at the top. Tim Mapes was as close to the top as it gets.
“Through these court proceedings, we have all had the chance to read the transcripts and listen to the recorded phone calls of Mapes and his closest colleagues strategizing in their efforts to undermine the Me Too movement in Illinois. None of it comes as a surprise.
“The Defense attempted to paint Tim Mapes as a victim worthy of pity after his resignation. It seems clear they were intentionally trying to divert attention from the reason for his resignation in the first place–his habitual sexual harassment and bullying of Sherri Garrett.
“Today’s verdict was an important step in the direction of full justice. But there’s more to be done.”
* Leader McCombie…
In light of the guilty verdict handed to Tim Mapes, former Speaker Mike Madigan’s right-hand man, House Republican Leader Tony McCombie issued the following statement:
“We have had too many glaring reminders that we must eliminate bad actors, self-serving politicians, and corruption from our statehouse, and this is just another verdict to prove it. It would be appalling if Speaker Welch did not move forward legislation House Republicans have filed to address ethics and instill public trust in our government.”
“While I strongly believe reform should start in the House, if Speaker Welch continues to stall on reforming the corrupt practices of this state, I hope President Harmon and the Senate will take the lead.”
* Sherri Garrett…
Following is a statement from Sherri Garrett regarding today’s verdict in Tim Mapes’ federal perjury trial. Garrett is the former Illinois House staff member whose public statements about her sexual harassment by then-Chief of Staff Mapes led to his resignation in 2018.
“Through the course of this trial, we’ve learned about the ways that Mr. Mapes and the rest of the inner circle of that organization worked to discredit those of us who were speaking out about our toxic work environment. My experience speaking out about the sexual harassment I endured in 2018 was painful–and more painful was knowing that there were countless others like me who were too afraid of Mr. Mapes to come forward and speak their own truths. I hope that those individuals feel some relief today, as I know I do. I remain hopeful, as I have all along, that more people will now feel safe coming forward, knowing that their stories can lead to real change.”
* Tribune story…
The jury of six men and six women deliberated for about 5 hours before delivering the verdict in U.S. District Judge John Kness’ courtroom.
Mapes, 68, of Springfield, faces up to 20 years in prison on the attempted obstruction count, while perjury calls for a maximum of five years behind bars.
The decision marked the conclusion of a nearly three-week criminal case that centered on relatively straightforward charges yet delved deeply into the behind-the-scenes political intrigue of the scandals that rocked Madigan’s office and ended his decadeslong grip on power.
The panel sent out only two notes during the deliberations Thursday, asking for a copies of the grand jury transcript of Mapes’ questioning as well as the indictment. The judge promised to send a hard copies back to the jury room.
* Rep. Kelly Cassidy…
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy issued the following statement on Thursday in response to the
conviction of Tim Mapes:
“Today’s verdict is a vindication for those who, over the years, were willing to stand up and speak out in the face of injustice and abuse by Mapes and his boss. More importantly, I hope it brings closure and some peace to those who shared their stories with me privately but still feared retribution from Mapes. Testimony in this trial showed the extent to which he retained a hand in the Speaker’s political operation, perhaps justifying their concern.”
“Anyone who has spent any time at all in the Capitol has to have found the defense’s attempt to portray Mapes as a victim who was ‘devastated’ by his completely justified removal as Madigan’s Chief of Staff and Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Illinois laughable at best. Mapes used his power to deliver abuse, harassment, and bullying customized for maximum impact on his victims.”
“We’ve taken some important steps forward, but it’s critical that we remain vigilant to prevent future entrenchment and concentration of power while we continue to expand protections for those who experience harassment in the Capitol.”
* Rep. Haas…
In response to the guilty verdict of former chief of staff to Michael Madigan, Tim Mapes, Assistant House Minority Leader Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) released the following statement:
“Another day, another conviction. If this isn’t a glaring sign that the culture of corruption that has plagued our state government must end, I don’t know what is. Although House Republicans are the minority in the House, we will always call out a problem when we see it. Why isn’t the revolving door halted? Why is self-interest placed above public service? Why are Republican bills to impose leadership term limits in the General Assembly, empower the Legislative Inspector General, and impose a 3-year lobbying ban for General Assembly members still stuck in Rules Committee?
“These principles are more important now than ever, and I certainly hope they are a top priority in the upcoming veto session in October.”
* HRO…
Statement from House Republican Organization Following Guilty Verdict in Mapes Trial
SPRINGFIELD - “In the end, protecting Madigan and his corrupt system at all costs comes with consequences. With yet another conviction in the string of corruption trials in Illinois, a jury again sees clearly that those who were working to protect Madigan’s criminal enterprise were not working for the good of Illinois. This guilty verdict is a good step towards holding the insiders accountable but more reform must be done to tear down the Madigan system.” - Tony Esposito, Executive Director of the Illinois House Republican Organization
* In response to Leader McCombie’s statement, here’s Speaker Welch’s spokesperson, Jaclyn Driscoll…
In addition to electing a new Speaker, hiring a new chief of staff, and building a new, diverse leadership team, the House recently passed comprehensive ethics reform, which Republicans voted against, and hired a new Legislative Inspector General who has a reputation of tenacity and independence. Speaker Welch has always said he believes in due process, and a guilty verdict is a signal the law is working. However, if the minority leader has any ideas on how to strengthen federal perjury laws, we’re all ears.
* ILGOP…
“The culture of corruption that Illinois Democrats fostered for decades is finally being exposed and prosecuted. There is more work to be done, but Illinois citizens deserve a government that works for them, not just for political insiders and their special interest allies.” - ILGOP Chairman Don Tracy
* SGOP Leader John Curran…
“Today’s conviction of the longtime Executive Director of the Illinois Democratic Party and House Democratic Chief of Staff delivers another clear message to the General Assembly that reform is needed. We must do more to empower local law enforcement officials with the same investigative tools that Federal Authorities possess, including wiretapping and grand jury authority. The Senate Republicans will continue to work for these reforms and others to help root out corruption and restore the trust and confidence of all Illinois citizens.”
* Feds…
The convictions were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia Schwartz and Diane MacArthur.
“Perjury and obstruction of justice are serious offenses that strike at the heart of the truth-seeking mission of the grand jury,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “This conviction should stand as a clear message to witnesses who choose to violate their oath to tell the truth before a grand jury that they will be held accountable.”
“There is no justice without truth,” said FBI SAC Wheeler. “Attempts to undermine the prosecutorial process chip away at trust in our institutions, and this conviction shows that we continue to work with our partners to ensure the integrity of our judicial system.”
“Citizens should expect that former public officials will maintain their integrity and be truthful even when it is inconvenient,” said IRS-CI SAC Campbell. “The investigation that resulted in this conviction is a testament to IRS-CI’s and our law enforcement partners’ commitment to ensuring that individuals who do not testify truthfully in the grand jury will be brought to justice.”
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Afternoon roundup
Thursday, Aug 24, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Follow along by clicking here and stand by for news…
* IDES…
Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in thirteen metropolitan areas and decreased in one for the year ending July 2023, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over-the-year, the unemployment rate increased in thirteen metropolitan areas and decreased in one. […]
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Danville MSA (+2.6%, +700), the Elgin Metro Division (+2.4%, +6,200), the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+2.1%, +2,400), and the Springfield MSA (+2.1%, +2,300). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago-Metro Division were up +1.3% or +50,900. Total nonfarm jobs were down slightly in the Kankakee MSA (-0.5%, -200). Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Leisure and Hospitality (twelve areas); Education and Health Services and Government (eleven areas each).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were the Danville MSA (+1.7 points to 6.6%), the Rockford MSA (+1.6 points to 6.8%), the Decatur MSA (+1.4 points to 6.9%), and the Kankakee MSA (+1.4 points to 6.1%). The only metro area with an unemployment rate decrease was the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division (-1.1 percentage points to 4.0%). The Chicago Metro Division unemployment rate tied 2019 for a record low in the month of July.
* WGN TV…
It’s payday in south suburban University Park. But when village employees checked their bank accounts Wednesday they found they had been stiffed. […]
“It’s no coincidence that this happened on the first payday after new Village Manager Elizabeth Scott wrongfully terminated the one and only employee who maintained the village payroll,” said Anders Lindall of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Council 31 (AFSCME).
All 30 of the village’s unionized employees went unpaid, according to union reps.
* IDOA…
Beginning Tuesday, August 29 the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) will host 31 international buyers from seven different Latin American countries to enhance existing relationships and increase export sales for the Illinois grain industry.
“The Illinois Grain Tour gives Illinois farmers, producers, and retailers the opportunity to showcase their world-class commodities and facilities to foreign investors,” said IDOA Director Jerry Costello. “We lead the nation in soybean production and nearly half of the soybeans and corn produced in Illinois are exported, resulting in billions of dollars in direct sales annually.”
In 2022, the Grain Tour returned to in-person for the first time since the pandemic and brought in $65 million in projected sales.
Participants begin the tour by meeting with representatives from the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The tour will also make stops at:
• RTS Farm, Aubur
• GSI, Assumption
• Farm Progress Show, Decatur
• Illinois Soybean Association, Bloomington
• Marquis Energy, Hennepin
• Seedburo Equipment Co., Des Plaines
• Delong Co., Joliet
• MANNS Traders, Chicago
All participants of the Illinois Grain Tour are required to pay their own airfare and a participation fee prior to joining the tour.
There will be a planned media stop at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur with Director Costello. Information regarding that stop will be shared in the following days.
* Congrats to Emily!…
I have long harbored a secret goal of winning the Marian Brockschmidt award for excellence in textile art from the…
Posted by Emily Bittner on Monday, August 21, 2023
More on Marian Brockschmidt is here.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Crain’s | The whole physics world will be watching Fermilab soon. Here’s why.: To answer the question, scientists at Fermilab and around the globe will conduct an elaborate experiment that will have the attention of the physics community focused on the Chicago area for the next several decades. “The reason there’s such worldwide interest is there’s possibly another Nobel Prize at stake,” says Mark Messier, a physics professor at Indiana University who is among the researchers involved with the project at Fermi and who worked on a groundbreaking neutrino experiment in Japan in the late ’90s. “In the pantheon of physics topics, it belongs right up there with the Higgs boson.”
* Reuters | Mexico says it won’t modify decree on GM corn ahead of USMCA panel: Mexico won’t make any further changes to a decree on genetically modified (GM) corn ahead of a dispute settlement panel requested by the United States through the USMCA trade pact, Mexican economy minister, Raquel Buenrostro, told Reuters on Monday. Buenrostro’s comments come after the United States last week escalated its objections to the restrictions imposed by Mexico on imports of GM corn and requested a dispute settlement panel under the North American trade pact, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
* Chalkbeat | I helped two migrant teens enroll in Chicago Public Schools. It was anything but straightforward.: After a few minutes, the Kelly teacher opens the door for us. We walk up to the security guard, who is helping with registration. She looks at the papers in Maria’s folder and a smaller stack of papers Rosa brought. Both moms have their daughters’ birth certificates, but neither has any transcripts from previous years. Both girls completed seventh grade in Colombia before making the trek to the U.S., their mothers say, but there are no records. The security guard says she can’t register them without a transcript evaluation. How do you do a transcript evaluation without transcripts? We’re not sure what to do next, so we step out.
* Daily Herald | Could the White Sox find happiness at Arlington Park?: Arlington Heights officials say there is plenty of room at the 326-acre former horse racing facility for both its owner — the Chicago Bears — and the South Siders.
* WBEZ | Chicago’s homeless living on streets and in shelters sharply increased in 2021: An estimated 68,440 people were unhoused in Chicago in 2021 with a sharp jump in the number of people staying on the street or in shelters, according to a new report released Thursday by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.
* People’s Fabric | Alleged CPD Child Predator Was Assigned to High Schools: A Chicago police officer currently facing charges of aggravated sexual assault, sexual abuse of minors, and filming his abuse of children was previously assigned as a substitute School Resource Officer (SRO) at two high schools on the city’s far Northwest Side, People’s Fabric has learned.
* Sun-Times | Jury awards $10.5 million to family of man killed in 2018 Rogers Park crash during police chase: Tuong Lam, 61, died after his car was struck by a drunk driver being pursued by CPD police officers in 2018. Chicago’s city law department said it’s assessing its legal options.
* Pioneer Press | Chicago Police Deputy Chief Loughran to take over as Glencoe Public Safety Director: The village has announced Sean Loughran, who has served with the Chicago Police for almost 27 years, has been hired as the new leader of the Glencoe’s Public Safety Department. He will succeed Cary Lewandowski, who is scheduled to retire Sept. 1.
* Post-Tribune | Valparaiso Creative Council raising funds for skatepark sculpture: “Our attempt is to raise $90,000 in 90 days,” she said. That’s not as simple as getting a few really large donations. “No one donor can be over 20% of what we’re doing,” she said. That shows broad public support for the group’s mission.
* AP | Transgender adults are worried about finding welcoming spaces to live in their later years: Now, as a wave of new state laws enacted this year limit transgender people’s rights, Narinesingh has new uncertainty about her own future as she ages. “Every now and then I have like this thought, like, oh my God, if I end up in a nursing home, how are they going to treat me?” Narinesingh said.
* Bloomberg | Student loan payments restart will dent US housing market, survey finds: About 70% of student loan borrowers — amounting to some 30 million people — are 25-49 years of age, a time of life when many Americans typically look to set up a new home, perhaps as they get married or have children. That source of demand is likely to come under pressure as household budgets are strained by student loan repayments after almost four years of forbearance.
* NBC Chicago | Chicago heat wave updates: At least 5 Chicago-area schools close due to heat-related issues: Many of Wednesday’s power outages from ComEd and WE Energy have been resolved. […] According to the National Weather Service, an excessive heat warning, with heat index values as high as 117 degrees will continue for all of northeastern Illinois until 8 p.m. Thursday.
* Sun-Times | More than 66,000 slated to receive up to $5,000 for unclaimed property: state treasurer: State Treasurer Michael Frerichs worked with lawmakers to create enhancements to a program that uses existing state records and technology to automatically return lost money to qualifying residents without the need to gather paperwork or file a claim.
* SJ-R | Springfield man sent to Arkansas prison for Capitol breach; another has Sept. 22 hearing: It wasn’t immediately clear when Adams reported to the facility. He was released on his own recognizance following his June 16 sentencing, said Daniel Ball, a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, reached Wednesday.
* BND | Men stole over $400,000 from Illinois mailboxes using stolen master key, feds say: Four men stole more than $400,000 worth of checks from mailboxes in Illinois, federal officials said. The men now face multiple federal charges, according to an Aug. 23 news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.
* Sun-Times | Driverless cars racing toward us: Waymo is taking on Los Angeles next, and will only say they’re coming to cities such as Chicago “as soon as possible.” Don’t expect the City Council to bail out taxi drivers — in 2017, Illinois passed a law banning local ordinances against self-driving cars. Such laws don’t work forever anyway. Just this month, Oregon passed a law allowing drivers to pump their own gas. Leaving New Jersey as the only state where pumping your own gas is a crime — a $250 fine if a driver touches the pump.
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* LLM Farm Vets…
A cow walks on the tips of her toes and the equivalent of our nails (the hoof wall) bears the majority of her weight. … The trimming length for a typical dairy cow’s toe should be 85mm long [3.3 inches]
According to PetKeen.com, dairy cows weigh between 900 and 1,600 pounds. That’s a whole lot of weight on those little feet.
* Now, let’s move on to this photo of the dismantling of the Illinois State Fair butter cow, which caused quite a stir…
Not trying to pick on Ben because hundreds and hundreds of people had the very same reaction…
The butter on that cow already weighs 500-800 pounds. A full cow made out of butter would weigh much more, perhaps even more than a real dairy cow.
Also, this is butter. It ain’t steel. How do you even get it to stand up and hold together for days on end without a frame? The process is kinda like decoupage, only with butter.
* I just figured people knew this, but nope…
* Charlotte Clymer did some research…
But there are only four state fairs that regularly feature a butter cow sculpture: Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Although Iowa’s butter cow sculpture is probably the most legen-dairy, Ohio was the first to do it in 1903, eight years before Iowa.
All four use a similar process: a frame of various materials, mostly wire-and-steel mesh, covered in layers of sculpted butter. Of course, the more you think about it, the more this makes sense. We’re usually talking 600-800 lbs. of butter with the frame, alone, so a solid butter heifer would probably be cowed by the laws of physics.
Never assume anything.
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* We talked yesterday about how the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board had decertified Riverside police officer Zenna Ramos in April of this year. Ramos said she was enduring domestic abuse at the time she was busted for retail theft of $14.99 merchandise from JC Penney, but she eventually rehabilitated herself and became a Cicero police officer. When she got a job with the Riverside PD, the ILETSB stretched the law and decertified her.
As part of our discussion, it came out that Ramos had been placed on the Cook County State’s Attorney’s “Do Not Call List” (otherwise known as a Brady List), which was released to the public in July.
I reached out this morning to the state’s attorney’s office with some questions…
1) When was Ramos put on the Brady list?
2) Why was Ramos put on the list?
3) How many other law enforcement officers are on that list for petty crimes committed more than 10 years before they became LEOs?
4) Does the SAO intend to conduct a review of Ramos’ case? If so, will that extend to other officers who may be in a similar situation?
I also pointed out that if Kim Foxx had been state’s attorney in 2008, Ramos would never have even been charged for a $14.99 retail theft bust.
* Anyway, here’s the response I received…
Upon notification from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) in April 2023, the officer was placed on the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) do not call list. Any police officer that is decertified is automatically placed on this list.
So, Ramos wasn’t on the CCSAO’s do not call list for committing petty crimes years ago. She was on the list because the ILETSB decertified her, even though retail theft isn’t on its own list of decertifying offenses.
Ramos is appealing the decertification and, if successful, she can then appeal her placement on the do not call list.
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Delivery Helps Chicago Restaurants Grow On Uber Eats
Thursday, Aug 24, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
At Uber Eats, local restaurants are the backbone of our communities and delivery continues to help small business owners reach new customers and increase sales.
We recently published the results of the 2022 US Merchant Impact Report—which come directly from a survey of merchant partners. Read More.
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Maybe a little context, please
Thursday, Aug 24, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The last time we heard out of David Shestokas was in June, when the attorney and his client were sanctioned by a judge for filing a “frivolous lawsuit”…
A Will County judge ordered the losing candidate in the 2022 race for Will County clerk and her attorney who filed an election fraud lawsuit to pay $35,000 in sanctions for what he called a “frivolous lawsuit.”
Republican Gretchen Fritz filed the lawsuit Dec. 28, claiming she believes “mistakes and fraud have been committed in the casting and counting of ballots” in the race because her opponent, Democratic Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry, received more votes than Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Judge John Anderson dismissed the case March 30 and approved the $35,000 in sanctions Monday.
“It’ll be a deterrent so that these fake election lawsuits don’t get filed,” said Burt Odelson, Staley Ferry’s attorney.
Odelson filed a motion in April for Rule 137 sanctions against Fritz and her attorney, David Shestokas. Odelson petitioned for $40,047.25 in fees and costs for the case through April 10, but Anderson adjusted the fee to $35,000.
That lawsuit was quite a doozy…
The losing candidate in the 2022 race for Will County clerk is asking a judge to order a new election in the case, citing mathematic formulas alleging the final count was fraudulent.
Republican Gretchen Fritz filed the lawsuit Dec. 28, claiming she believes “mistakes and fraud have been committed in the casting and counting of ballots” in the Will County clerk’s race because her opponent, Democratic Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry, received more votes than Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. […]
“Split ticket voting is a sign of a healthy democracy not bad elections,” [Erik Nisbet, Northwestern University associate professor of policy analysis and communication] said. “The fact that a local town clerk got more voters than the governor just means they saw the clerk race as less partisan than the governor race.” […]
Fritz’s attorney, David Shestokas, said Tuesday the lawsuit highlights a “21st Century approach to manipulating the election process.”
And…
The allegations ignore the fact Will County uses paper ballots, [Judge John Anderson] wrote, so if Fritz believes the machine totals were inaccurate she could ask for a recount of those ballots.
Shestokas was also a main speaker at a downstate secessionist meeting in Quincy.
* Shestokas is now representing Rev. Stephen Lee, who is accused of “participating in a plot to coerce election worker Ruby Freeman into falsely confessing election fraud,” and is “facing felony charges that include racketeering, influencing a witness and conspiracy to solicit false statements and writings.” A little background on Ruby Freeman…
Death threats from angry Trump supporters forced Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman, a 62-year-old grandmother, to flee her home of 20 years. Some messages called for her hanging; one urged people to “hunt” her. Freeman showed hundreds of menacing messages to police and called 911 three times.
But a year after Donald Trump and his allies falsely accused Freeman - along with her daughter and co-worker Wandrea “Shaye” Moss - of election fraud, the threats have not been investigated by local police or state authorities, according to a Reuters review of Georgia law enforcement records. Federal agents have monitored some of the threats, but made no arrests.
Offering the first detailed account of their ordeal, the two women told Reuters about threats of lynching and racial slurs, along with alarming visits by strangers to the homes of Freeman and her mother. The intimidation began last December, a month after the 2020 election, when the Trump campaign released surveillance video they falsely claimed showed the two women, who are Black, opening “suitcases” full of phony ballots to rig the vote count in predominantly Black Fulton County, which includes part of Atlanta.
With no one arrested for threatening them, and no police security detail, the women said their lives were thrown into chaos. Freeman told Reuters she moved from house to house out of fear for her safety.
A lot of those conspiracy theories were stoked by Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump.
* From the indictment…
On or about the 4th day of January 2021 STEPHEN CLIFFGARD LEE, HARRISON WILLIAM PRESCOTT FLOYD, and TREVIAN C. KUTTI committed the felony offense of SOLICITATION OF FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS, in Violation of O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-7 & 16-10-20, in Cobb County, Georgia, by soliciting, requesting, and importuning Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County, Georgia, election worker, to engage in conduct constituting the felony offense of False Statements and Writings, O.C.G.A. § 16-10-20, by knowingly and willfully making a false statement and representation concerning events at State Farm Arena in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia, said statement and representation being within the jurisdiction of the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, departments and agencies of state government, and county and city law enforcement agencies, with intent that said person engage in said conduct. This was an act of racketeering activity under O.C.G.A. § l614-3(5)(A)(xxii) and an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.
* And yet there was no mention of any of Shestokas’ history in a recent Sun-Times article on Lee and Shestokas and in this ABC I-Team interview…
In an exclusive interview, Lee’s attorney, David Shestokas, defended his client.
“He has the full complete support of this congregation, that I can tell you for sure because I was with them,” he said.
Shestokas also said the Georgia evidence is so thin that late last year a Kendall County, Illinois judge refused to order the minister to testify in front of a grand jury there as a possible witness. […]
Shestokas also said they will vigorously fight the charges.
“We will be entering a plea of not guilty, because frankly, there’s essentially four– four counts directly relating to Reverend Lee. Two of them has him knocking on, knocking on people’s doors and two of the others have him making a couple of telephone calls,” he said.
The knocking on doors thing were acts in furtherance of the RICO conspiracy.
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* This was an interesting, if horribly belated, development…
* From Meisel’s story…
Earlier in the day, Schwartz said Mapes had the opportunity to be a “star witness” in the government’s investigation into Madigan and McClain’s purportedly corrupt dealings. But Porter took issue with that assertion.
“So let’s unpack that,” Porter said of Schwartz’s “star witness” comment. “Because that assumes – without evidence – that Tim Mapes knew whether Madigan and McClain were discussing these topics.”
Porter reminded the jury of testimony from former Madigan staffer-turned-lobbyist Will Cousineau, who said Madigan and McClain would often use the conference room in his downtown Springfield office to have private meetings. Other witnesses in the case testified that Madigan and McClain often dined alone together in Springfield, and that Madigan was a private person.
By the time Mapes sat for his grand jury testimony, McClain and three others had already been indicted on bribery charges in connection with ComEd, and Porter said Mapes was well aware the grand jury was interested in potential criminal activity.
But, he said, Mapes was completely ignorant of that. […]
Further, Porter said, in order to prove the charges against Mapes, the government would have to prove Mapes lied about things that were material to the grand jury’s investigation.
More from the Tribune…
Saying Mapes could have been a star witness “assumes, without evidence, assumes that Tim Mapes knew whether Madigan and McClain were discussing these topics,” Porter said. “And he didn’t. … He couldn’t remember what he didn’t know.”
That’s a decent debating point, but I don’t know if it will have any impact on the jury, particularly since it came so late in the game.
* But, really, did Mapes hurt the federal government’s investigation? As I pointed out in my recent newspaper column, Mapes was never once asked during his grand jury testimony whether he’d witnessed or even suspected illegal activity. As I also noted in my column, the feds haven’t yet shared any Mapes or Mapes-related recordings or emails of him being part of any allegedly illegal act. If they had him on something, you’d think they would’ve shared that with the jury. So, how would the feds know that Mapes would’ve been a “star” prosecution witness?
* Instead, the feds asked a judge to give Mapes immunity then set what sure looked like a perjury trap. Mapes and his lawyers should’ve known this was happening and behaved accordingly. Instead, Mapes jumped right into that obvious trap like a “good soldier.” Sun-Times…
Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur at times turned and pointed toward Tim Mapes in the middle of a courtroom as she set out to shred his defense to perjury and attempted obstruction of justice charges at the end of a long day of arguments.
The veteran prosecutor told jurors in a dramatic high-energy closing that “this is the man who was loyal, who does not give any ground, who refused to give any insight or light into the world close to Michael Madigan or Michael McClain.” […]
MacArthur responded by telling the jury “the life that Mr. Mapes chose for himself was the one that he put on the table on March 31, 2021,” the day he allegedly lied to the grand jury.
* More from yesterday’s prosecution closing…
Also very true.
The jury is deliberating, so stay tuned.
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Open thread
Thursday, Aug 24, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Aug 24, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Sun-Times | Jury begins deliberations in perjury trial of ex-top aide to Madigan after feds hammer at ‘brazen’ and ‘preposterous’ lies: Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur at times turned and pointed toward Tim Mapes in the middle of a courtroom as she set out to shred his defense to perjury and attempted obstruction of justice charges at the end of a long day of arguments. The veteran prosecutor told jurors in a dramatic high-energy closing that “this is the man who was loyal, who does not give any ground, who refused to give any insight or light into the world close to Michael Madigan or Michael McClain.”
* Capitol News Illinois | Jurors to decide whether ex-Madigan aide had memory lapse or chose ‘loyalty over truth’: The defense has relied heavily on the notion that Mapes wasn’t shown documents – save for one memo he wrote in 2019 and requested to review during his grand jury testimony – or played any recordings during that testimony or the FBI interview that preceded it in February 2021. Defense lawyers frequently questioned witnesses about events they were struggling to remember, noting that the individuals’ memories could often be jogged when they were shown related documents.
* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Biden official promote investment in female trade workers: Although the federal grant isn’t a massive amount of money, Pritzker said it is part of a large-scale infrastructure improvement plan to help spur big construction projects, including in Chicago by next year when the nation’s spotlight will be on the city as it hosts the Democrats’ presidential nominating convention.
* Center Square | Illinois lawmakers discuss pension debt measure at hearing: House Bill 4098, which has been the center of conversation during these hearings, would allow the Illinois treasurer and comptroller to transfer $500 million from the General Revenue Fund to the Pension Unfunded Liability Reduction Fund each fiscal year. Those funds would then be used to make payments into the state’s systems.
* Tribune | Village of Arlington Heights hires Springfield lobbyist as Chicago Bears consider a stadium move to the NW suburb: Arlington Heights village trustees approved a consultant agreement with Mac Strategies Group Inc., calling for the firm to be paid $10,000 a month to lobby in Springfield on behalf of the village in an effort to protect the municipalities interests in the redevelopment of now-razed Arlington International Racecourse.
* Crain’s | Illinois closes in on $2 billion EV battery plant: Manteno Mayor Tim Nugent said his board and other local taxing bodies approved the abatement earlier this month, after being told by the state and a company agent that the facility will create 2,600 jobs and involve more than $2 billion in investment.
* Center Square | Republican primary for Illinois’ 88th House District shaping up: State Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, announced weeks ago he is not seeking reelection for the 88th House District that includes Decatur and surrounding areas. He endorsed Regan Deering for the position. Deering now has a Republican challenger in Chuck Erickson from Bloomington.
* Daily Herald | State legislators form sustainable fuels caucus: Rep. Terra Costa Howard, a Glen Ellyn Democrat, along with five other legislators formed the Sustainable Fuels Caucus to address domestic energy supply needs, offer policy solutions to air and environmental quality issues and explore alternative energies like ethanol, hydrogen and biodiesel.
* Herald-Whig | Ameren presents plans to increase Illinois network capacity: Central Illinois will be the subject of a 380-mile reconstruction of Ameren’s electric grid to increase the transmission capacity of the area to 345 kilovolts. The company is marketing the project as an opportunity for new power companies to compete in the Central Illinois market, possibly lowering the high prices that Ameren believes Illinois suffers from.
* BGA | 100 Days In, BGA Policy Reviews Mayor Johnson’s Government Ethics Campaign Promises: No legislation has been introduced to give the Inspector General independent release authority. The Johnson administration has not released any of a number of significant incident reports from prior administrations that are eligible for release under the current municipal code, such as the reports on the Hilco smokestack demolition or the botched raid on Anjanette Young. Johnson’s corporation counsel has the authority to release those reports at the administration’s discretion.
* Fox Chicago | Pritzker responds after suburban police officer decertified by Illinois for stealing $15 shirt in 2008: “As cities and municipalities across the state grapple with law enforcement officer shortages, it’s critical that we uplift and support the men and women selflessly stepping up to do this essential work.”
* SJ-R | Proposed CWLP storage facility draws ire of group for its proximity to 1908 race riot site: Teresa Haley, the president of the Illinois State NAACP and Springfield branch, told The State Journal-Register the group wants the adjacent land donated whether that be for parking or a park. “You don’t put a national monument on one side of the railroad tracks and on the opposite side of it, two city garages,” she said.
* Sun-Times | Bally’s temporary Chicago casino at Medinah Temple could open soon after Labor Day: Regulators will inspect the River North operation Sept. 5 and oversee practice gaming sessions Sept. 6-7, Illinois Gaming Board officials told the Chicago Sun-Times.
* Sun-Times | Chicago bakes under 116 heat index fueled by record-setting temperatures: An excessive heat warning is in effect for much of northern Illinois until 8 p.m. Thursday. The temperature is expected to again climb into the upper 90s on Thursday, according to the weather service. The heat index could also reach 115 degrees on Thursday.
* Commercial-News | DACC tree dedication to honor late Sen. Bennett: As a way of permanently remembering the late Sen. Scott Bennett, Danville Area Community College will dedicate a tree and a plaque in his honor with a ceremony set for 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4 near the Clock Tower building in the Campus Quad. All are welcome to attend.
* Sun-Times | Orland Park minister indicted in Trump election case to surrender Friday in Georgia — but lawyer calls bond ‘excessive’: Stephen Lee, a 70-year-old Lutheran minister, was charged for his alleged involvement in a scheme to pressure an election worker in 2020. His bond was set at $75,000.
* Bloomberg | More people call in sick on Aug. 24 than any other day: Perhaps it’s the inexplicable craving for a day off ahead of the big Labor Day holiday. Perhaps it really is a stomach bug, or that more recent fiend — the coronavirus. And of course, it might just be the blues at the end of summer.
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Live coverage
Thursday, Aug 24, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ScribbleLive is still down. Twitter has stopped allowing people to embed list feeds on websites. So, click here or here to follow breaking news. You can click here to follow the Tim Mapes trial.
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* I asked Jordan Abudayyeh at the governor’s office for comment about the wildly unpopular Jerry Reinsdorf trial balloon…
The White Sox are a Chicago institution, and the Governor always hopes Chicago teams will stay in Chicago. Governor Pritzker doesn’t support taxpayer subsidies for private teams, but with a lease that has six years remaining on Guaranteed Rate Field, this will likely be an ongoing conversation for several years among the team owners and local stakeholders. The Governor will ensure taxpayers are prioritized in those conversations when those conversations begin.
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Afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today about the prospect of carbon capture pipelines through Illinois…
Well, that’s something that the ICC is looking at and will be making decisions about. I am watching and listening on the subject of is there danger that really exists for the communities under which these pipelines will run? And so I’m listening to all of the discussion about it. No decision has been made by the ICC. I know the legislature might take action if it doesn’t like what the ICC does. But as far as I’m concerned, it is something we need to watch closely. Those farm communities and people who are engaged in this, this will be a big change for them. And I’m concerned that it will raise the prospect of safety challenges and raise the prospects as we’ve seen in other states, that if there is some sort of leak, that this could be a problem for all of Illinois.
* Kinda on-topic…
An analysis released earlier this year by climate and industry advocacy group Industrious Labs shows that municipal solid waste landfills account for more than half of Illinois’ industrial methane emissions, at 58%. That’s compared to other large industrial emissions from sectors like mining, metal manufacturing and food processing.
Nationally, landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States after livestock and natural gas, according to the federal EPA. […]
Statewide, landfills emitted 9 million metric tons in 2021, which can be translated to 1.9 million gas-powered cars driven for a year, according to the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. […]
Previously, methane gas collected at Countryside Landfill was used to fuel an electrical generation plant with excess methane gas flared at the site: Many landfills burn gas in a flare, a process that converts most of the methane to carbon dioxide, reducing the impact on global warming.
* Pritzker was also asked about tonight’s Republican presidential debate…
It’s going to be a cacophony of crazy, you know, maybe a smorgasbord of extremism. And I think it might be entertaining in some way to watch. But, for goodness sakes, we don’t want any of them running this country.
* WTTW…
Chicago taxpayers paid $91.3 million to resolve lawsuits that named 116 Chicago police officers whose alleged misconduct led more than once to payouts between 2019 and 2021, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.
In all, the city spent $197.7 million to resolve lawsuits alleging more than 1,000 Chicago police officers committed a wide range of misconduct — including false arrest and excessive force — in 2019, 2020 and 2021, according WTTW News’ analysis.
Cases that involved at least one officer with repeated claims of misconduct accounted for 47% of the cost borne by taxpayers to resolve police misconduct cases between 2019 and 2021, according to the analysis.
A spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Law, led by Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson Lowry, said the department is in the process of launching a new legal case management system to provide officials with “better data and analysis.” However, that system is not expected to be completed until March 2024.
* WTTW…
Despite warnings by the president of Chicago’s largest police union that the election of Mayor Brandon Johnson would trigger an “exodus” from the Chicago Police Department, the number of sworn officers remained steady during Johnson’s first 100 days in office, according to a WTTW News analysis. […]
However, the size of the Chicago Police Department was essentially unchanged on Johnson’s 100th day in office as compared with his first day in office. CPD had 12,360 employees on Johnson’s first full day in office and 12,363 employees on Monday, according to a city database. The number of sworn officers has also remained steady, with 11,720 officers on duty as of May 1, and 11,722 on the force as of Aug. 1, according to a database maintained by the Chicago Police Department.
* Friday’s Du Quoin State Fair Parade is canceled…
Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure safety of parade participants and spectators, the Du Quoin State Fair Parade is canceled for Friday evening, August 25. The decision was reached after consultation with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and working with forecasts from the National Weather Service. The ribbon cutting ceremony will continue as scheduled at 5:30pm.
“With forecasts projecting a high of 100 degrees and heat indexes between 111 and 117 degrees, we feel canceling the parade is in the best interest of our parade participants,” said Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II. “This is not to take away from people enjoying the fair safely, but to avoid a clustering of families along the parade route and parade participants in costumes and uniforms from overheating. We are working to ensure the safety of all fairgoers and we encourage all to enjoy the Du Quoin State Fair safely. With the exception of Friday, we are very encouraged that the forecast looks to provide comfortable weather for the remainder of the fair.”
Other steps are also being taken to accommodate the extreme weather. The Fairytales on Ice performance scheduled for Friday evening at 7:00pm will be moved from the Grandstand to inside the Southern Illinois Center. Families with previously purchased tickets will be provided preferred seating. Free hydration stations will also be placed throughout the fairgrounds.
* Press release…
State Rep. Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, will be the keynote speaker at the Illinois National Organization for Women (NOW) conference Saturday, Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Community United Methodist Church, 20 Center St. in Naperville. Attendance is free and open to the public. Avelar’s remarks are scheduled to begin at approximately 12:15 p.m. and to last approximately 25 minutes, followed by time for Q&A.
Topics will include reproductive justice, constitutional equality, economic and racial justice, ending violence against women, LGBTQIA+ rights, and the intersection of all of these areas with the ongoing situation involving migrants being sent to Illinois from other states.
* Michael Rabbitt, who ran for the House last year, announces for ward committeeperson against Ald. Jim Gardiner…
Today I’m announcing that I’m running for Democratic Committeeperson to bring active, engaged, and ethical leadership to Chicago’s 45th Ward.
As a longtime Northwest Side community leader and organizer, I have a track record of bringing people together to improve our communities. As Committeeperson, I will advance our shared values and champion the issues that Democrats are fighting for: affordable and accessible health care, reproductive rights, fully-funded public schools, housing affordability, environmental justice, and safe communities.
Under the current committeeperson, Jim Gardiner, the 45th Ward has been without representation in Democratic Party functions for years, due to Gardiner’s scandal-plagued tenure which prompted his removal from all Cook County Democratic Party committees for “repugnant, rude, and vulgar conduct.” This is unacceptable, and we deserve better.
* IDPH…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced the first Illinois human West Nile virus (WNV)-related death in 2023. Testing by CDC confirmed the case was WNV-related. The individual, who was in their 90’s and lived in suburban Cook County, had an onset of symptoms of WNV in early August and died soon after. IDPH is also reporting 11 non-fatal cases of WNV confirmed to date this year. […]
Of the 12 human cases, seven were reported from Cook County, including two in Chicago. To date, Kane, Macon, Madison, Will and Woodford counties have each reported one human WNV case.
* Chuy Garcia said the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” was his favorite. Sean Casten said his top song was “Getaway Car,” and the comms director for Bill Foster said “Shake it off” was his boss’ fave…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Sun-Times | Ahead of first GOP presidential debate, Illinois Republicans tread carefully: “I’m not gonna watch it,” former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar told the Sun-Times. […] For now, Illinois Republicans are treading cautiously into a presidential election that could once again reshape the party after big 2022 losses. Richard Porter, Illinois National committeeman on the Republican National Committee, arrived in Milwaukee Tuesday to attend the debate but declined to comment. Porter published a column last month urging the GOP to move on from Trump and told the Sun-Times he’s supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign.
* Capitol News Illinois | State looks to curb vehicle theft with grants to police task forces: Giannoulias was in Belleville Tuesday to promote the initiative and highlight a $2.5 million grant to the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force, which brings together law enforcement agencies from Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties.
* NPR | Abortion bans are fueling a rise in high-risk patients heading to Illinois hospitals: After the fetal diagnosis, the patient’s Missouri doctors told her that her life wasn’t in immediate danger, but they also pointed out the risks of carrying the pregnancy to term. And in her family, there’s a history of hemorrhaging while giving birth. If she started to bleed, her doctors said she might lose her uterus, too. The patient said this possibility was devastating. She’s a young mom who wants more children. So she chose to get an abortion. Her Missouri doctors told her it was the safest option — but they wouldn’t provide one.
* Solar Builder | Navitas USA to be first U.S.-based Black-owned solar panel manufacturer: In addition to the incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that make deals like this more feasible, Lloyd Wynn of Colby Solar points to the State of Illinois’ Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) legislation as another transformative step for equitable workforce development.
* WBEZ | Could a ‘noise-sensitive zone’ protect abortion seekers from anti-abortion rights protestors?: The ordinance has been on the books in Chicago since 2009, but one lawmaker says it’s time for an update after an uptick in loud protests by abortion rights opponents outside Family Planning Associates in the West Loop.
* Shaw Local | Ascension Joliet hospital will lock out nurses as strike continues: More than 500 nurses were off the job Tuesday morning at Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet in the first day of what amounts to a hybrid strike/lockout. Nurses were joined by Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy and the president of the Michigan Nurses Association at a rally where they voiced their contract demands.
* Sun-Times | City promises Damen Silos demolition will be different than Little Village debacle: “We care about our children, we care about the air we breathe,” McKinley Park resident Erica Montenegro told a panel of city officials at the meeting, imploring them to publicly provide timely air quality data if the demolition is approved and gets underway.
* SJ-R | On move-in day, UIS optimistic about enrollment numbers for the fall: About 185 University of Illinois Springfield freshmen were expected to move into residence halls on Tuesday as the school gears up for the start of classes on Friday. Last year, UIS reversed a five-year downward trend in enrollment, though the 6.4% overall increase was due to the growth of graduate students.
* Sun-Times | Heat got you down? High temps affect mood, work performance, studies show: Higher temps have been linked to lower motivation, higher suicide rates, higher ER visits for mental health reasons and poorer test scores. Other scientists say it’s still unclear how high temps exacerbate brain diseases.
* Tribune | Excessive heat warning spreads across US; Chicago adds ambulances anticipating calls for help: Wednesday marks the first excessive heat warning for the year in Chicago, said Kevin Birk, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Romeoville. He said the weather service issues the warning when the heat index climbs above 110 degrees in the afternoon, with little relief at night.
* WaPo | Justice Dept. brings wave of cases over $836 million in alleged covid fraud: In one of the largest national crackdowns on fraud targeting federal coronavirus aid, the Justice Department on Wednesday said it had brought 718 law enforcement actions in connection with the alleged theft of more than $836 million.
* NYT | How a Small Gender Clinic Landed in a Political Storm: Washington University’s youth gender clinic in St. Louis, like others around the world, was overwhelmed by new patients and struggled to provide them with mental health care.
* Pantagraph | Illinois State University faculty union considered: Tenure and tenure-track faculty members at Illinois State University could join a union for collective-bargaining purposes if a campaign that kicked off Tuesday proves successful.
* WCIA | Farm Progress Show returns to Decatur next week: Showcasing new technologies at the forefront of farming, the event is expected to bring in an estimated 200,000 visitors. The annual event shares its time with Booth, Iowa on even years and Decatur during the odd years.
* Sun-Times | More tales come of northern pike caught on the Chicago lakefront: ‘‘Fishing in Chicago has been a little slow this summer, so I have been making random challenges for myself,’’ Isaiah Jeong emailed. ‘‘I knew [northern] pike were around, so I threw some bigger spinner baits and crankbaits in bright chartreuse colors.’’
* CNN | Rolling Stones appear to tease new album in fake newspaper ad: The cryptic ad, which appeared in the east London-based Hackney Gazette last week, looks at first glance like a promotion for the new business, Hackney Diamonds, but on closer examination it contains references to several of the band’s biggest hits.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Rep. Jackie Haas introduced HB4127 yesterday…
Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that if the county jail located in the county where the committed person was residing immediately before his or her conviction for the offense for which he or she is serving sentence in the Department of Corrections has a reentry program for committed persons, the Department of Corrections shall reimburse the county for any expenses incurred in the transfer of the committed person to the sheriff of the county where the reentry program is located, including the housing of the committed person transferred to the reentry program.
* Rep. David Friess filed HB4122…
Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Changes the definition of “sex” to mean the classification of a person as either female or male based on the organization of the body of such person for a specific reproductive role, as indicated by the person’s sex chromosomes, naturally occurring sex hormones, and internal and external genitalia present at birth (rather than the status of being male or female). Provides that it is not a civil rights violation to discriminate based on sex or sexual orientation (rather than only sex) at any facility which is distinctly private in nature. Removes language allowing the Department of Human Rights to grant exemptions based on bona fide considerations of public policy.
* Sen. Donald DeWitte…
Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that a county or municipality may undertake local broadband projects and the provision of services in connection with local broadband projects, may lease infrastructure that it owns or controls relating to local broadband projects or services, may aggregate customers or demand for broadband services, and may apply for and receive funds or technical assistance to undertake local broadband projects to address the level of broadband access available to its businesses and residents. Provides that, to the extent that it seeks to serve as a retail provider of telecommunications services, the county or municipality must obtain appropriate certification from the Illinois Commerce Commission as a telecommunications carrier. Provides that certification of a county or municipality serving as a retail provider of telecommunication services is an exclusive power and function of the State. Amends the Public Utilities Act to make a conforming change.
* Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid…
State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid (D-Bridgeview) filed legislation to create an Illinois disaster relief grant program to address flooding and other extreme weather events. HB 4123 and HB 4124 would create and fund a grant program administered by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to assist individuals and households impacted by any disaster declared by the President of the United States, such as the flooding that occurred in early July. The bills’ chief sponsors include Deputy Majority Leader Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero), State Representative LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago), and State Representative Lindsay LaPointe (D-Chicago).
Last week, President Biden signed a disaster declaration allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to offer individual assistance to residents in Cook County who were impacted by severe weather and flooding in July. FEMA’s individual assistance offers grants for temporary housing, home repairs, low-cost loans for uninsured property loss, and other programs for storm recovery. However, it is unlikely to cover all damages incurred by individuals and their families.
The legislation filed by Rep. Rashid is similar to California’s State Supplemental Grant Program (SSGP). Rep. Rashid is proposing an initial allocation of $50 million for the program, with a cap of $10,000 per individual or household.
“With climate change accelerating, we unfortunately will see natural disasters that are more extreme, more devastating and more frequent. This grant program, if passed, will ensure Illinois is prepared to provide direct financial assistance to individuals and families impacted by natural disasters,” said Rep. Rashid. “Too many families in Cicero, Berwyn and Chicago are struggling with the cost of damages to their homes and property. If passed, this will take some of the financial burden off their shoulders as they work to get back on their feet.”
Deputy Majority Leader Lisa Hernandez said, “Establishing this supplemental grant program is an important step to provide financial assistance to Illinois families impacted by natural disasters.” Leader Hernandez also shared, “In July, Cicero was particularly devastated. Tomorrow, it could be any community in our state. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure Illinois is prepared to offer direct assistance to families struggling with the cost of recovery.”
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Another view
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I received some push-back about a post I did last Friday (click here) on the state constitution’s three readings requirement. From the Illinois Constitution…
A bill shall be read by title on three different days in each house. A bill and each amendment thereto shall be reproduced and placed on the desk of each member before passage.
The key to the other side’s argument is “shall be read by title.” Even when jamming through amended legislation at the last second, they’ve read the bill “by title” on three days in each chamber.
* This is from the state’s argument in the recent Caulkins vs. Pritzker assault weapons ban case…
First, as defendants noted in the circuit court, C498-99, plaintiffs did not establish a violation of the three readings rule. That rule requires that bills be “read by title” on three different days in each chamber of the legislature. Ill. Const., art. IV § 8(d). Plaintiffs acknowledged that the Act’s title was read on three different days in both the House and Senate, but they claimed that between readings, the Act was substantively amended and not read three times thereafter. C13-15. The title, however, did not change through the amendment process. C59 (reflecting title of “an act concerning regulation”); C67 (amendment preserving title). Thus, the three readings rule was satisfied.
I knew about that, but thought it was an awfully narrow and technical reading.
* I was reminded of that push-back while reading this column by Jim Dey…
It was designed then to prevent exactly what legislators do now: legislation by ambush. They propose complicated bills at the last minute that few have read or understand and then vote them into law.
The idea behind the mandate is that the legislative process should be open, that legislators should have time to review and debate the issues before them, and that the public should have forewarning of what’s on tap.
Nonetheless, legislators ignore the requirement.
I thought the drafters had that very same intent.
* But this is also from the government’s appeal, with emphasis added by me…
Plaintiffs appear to contend that the three readings rule required reading the Act’s text, but that does not comport with the Constitution. Although some cases have suggested that substantial amendments to a bill must be read three times, that authority relies on Giebelhausen. E.g., People v. Gill, 169 Ill. App. 3d 1049, 1056 (1st Dist. 1988) (citing Giebelhausen). Giebelhausen interpreted the three readings rule in the 1870, not the 1970, Constitution. See 407 Ill. at 46. The 1870 Constitution required a bill to be read “at large” on three different days in each house. Ill. Const. (1870), art. IV § 13.
This change from requiring three readings “at large” to three readings “by title” was a deliberate choice by the Constitution’s drafters. The Constitutional Convention’s Committee on the Legislature explained that the three readings requirement in the 1870 Constitution — requiring that bills be read “at large” — was adopted to ensure that “those members of the General Assembly who could not read what was in a bill know its contents,” and “the legislative process did not move with undue haste.” 6 Record of Proceedings, Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention 1385.
But in 1970, the committee noted, the rule was no longer needed to assist illiterate legislators. Id. The revised rule — that bills be read “by title” — struck the appropriate balance, avoiding “undue haste,” but “without unnecessarily allowing the legislative process to be bogged down in the interminable delay of ‘reading at large’ on three separate days.” Id. In other words, the drafters of the 1970 Constitution rejected the practice of reading the text of each bill, and recognized that, as a practical matter, legislators in the modern era were aware of the contents of bills. Plaintiffs’ argument, demanding three readings of the entirety of each bill, ignores the constitutional text and thwarts the drafters’ choice.
In other words, the contention is the 1970 drafters were actually relaxing the rules.
* Even so, I’m reminded that the Illinois Supreme Court finally got fed up with the legislature violating the constitution’s single-subject clause and clamped down…
The single subject requirement, therefore, “ensures that the legislature addresses the difficult decisions it faces directly and subject to public scrutiny, rather than passing unpopular measures on the backs of popular ones.”
In determining whether a particular enactment violates the single subject requirement, the term “subject” is to be liberally construed in favor of upholding the legislation, and the subject may be as comprehensive as the legislature chooses. Nevertheless, a legislative act violates the single subject rule when the General Assembly “includes within one bill unrelated provisions that by no fair interpretation have any legitimate relation to one another.” Therefore, in order to satisfy the single subject requirement, the matters included within the enactment must have a “natural and logical connection” to a single subject.
The GA really stretched that definition and got brought up short. It should probably be more careful on the three readings stuff. The court’s majority managed to avoid the question in the Caulkins case, but it’ll surely face this issue again.
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* Francia Garcia Hernandez at the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark…
State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (8th) called on the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board to reinstate Riverside police officer Zenna Ramos, who was decertified as a police officer by the state board in April. […]
Ford said the state board has taken the language of the state law known as Safe T Act as a reason to decertify Ramos after the village of Riverside requested the board waived basic training for the officer. Decertification means she can’t serve as a police officer anywhere in the state. […]
In 2008, Ramos was arrested for allegedly stealing three shirts, valued at a total of $14.99, from J.C. Penney at the North Riverside Park Mall. She was not a police officer then, but rather a 22-year-old single parent struggling with domestic violence-related issues who acted out of desperation.
“I take full responsibility for my actions,” Ramos said, standing next to Ford, near tears. “I did everything right to better myself for myself and my family so I could be a police officer.”
Ramos is a mother of three and her husband is a Cicero police officer.
* The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board literally stretched the law’s intended reach in its general counsel’s letter to Riverside…
50 ILCS 705/6.1 provides that the Board must review law enforcement officers’ records to ensure no law enforcement officer is provided a waiver if they have been convicted of a felony or disqualifying misdemeanor. Among the listed disqualifying misdemeanors is theft (720 IL.CS 5/16-1). Interestingly, retail theft (730 ILCS 5/16-ag) is not specifically listed, however, P.A, 101-652 (effective July 1, 2021) added the following language to 6: “or any felony or misdemeanor in violation of federal law or the law of any state that is the equivalent of any of the offenses specified therein.” Retail theft is not only the equivalent of theft but is arguably an even more serious offense. Simple theft of property not from the person and not exceeding $500 in value is a Class A misdemeanor, whereas any retail theft of property valued in excess of $300 is a felony. Furthermore, where a literal reading of a statute would lead to inconvenient, unjust, or absurd results, the literal reading should yield. See Kelly vs. Village of Kenilworth, 156 N.E. gd 480 (I* Dist. 2019).
And yet, instead of yielding, the board’s chief lawyer Patrick Hahn went with the unjust and absurd result.
* More from the ILETSB’s denial letter…
Past behavior is a logical predictor of future behavior. In the 2000s Ramos appeared to have a propensity for stealing from stores. In addition to the 2008 retail theft conviction, Ramos was also placed on court supervision in 2003 for retail theft. There’s an old proverb that says, “the person who steals once is always thought a thief”, and while such thinking may be unfair, it is not uncommon particularity in light of today’s jury opinions of police. Ensuring the credibility of prosecution witnesses is a modern-day challenge, which requires the reputation of testifying officers to be above reproach. Maryland v. Brady, 373 U.S. 83 (1963) was the landmark case that established that the prosecution must turn over all evidence that might exonerate a criminal defendant. Brady has been expanded to include evidence that calls into question the credibility of testifying officers. Ramos’ prior retail thefts call her credibility and character into question, which can be exploited to a criminal defendant’s advantage.
That looks to my eyes like a classic example of concern trolling from a SAFE-T Act opponent.
…Adding… Excellent point in comments…
“the person who steals once is always thought a thief”
A SAFE-T Act opponent in a position of power within the Law Enforcement standards agency having this opinion is a wonderful advertisement for why the SAFE-T Act was necessary. Law enforcement and prosecution have deep-seated opposition to believing that anyone who commits a crime can rehabilitate in any way.
* From comments on an earlier post…
If a young person commits a petty crime, and then leads an honorable life, they deserve not only our forgiveness, but our appreciation. They become a role model for other young people who do stupid stuff.
Holding a petty theft committed at the age of 22 over the head of a 37 year old person who has lived an honorable life is ironically not petty. It is malicious and contrary to the whole concept of reform. Rather than being able to go out into the schools and streets and tell young people, “I know your struggle, I have been there, and I can tell you there is a better way,” it appears the ILETSB would prefer to not provide role models for troubled youth.
* ILETSB Chair Sean Smoot has set up a waiver review committee chaired by Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly to deal with over-reach by legal staff, etc. Maybe Kelly can straighten this out.
…Adding… Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid says he delivered this statement at last month’s Riverside village council meeting…
I stand with Ms. Ramos and the Village of Riverside in calling on the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board to reverse its decision to decertify her. The charges against her were dismissed and vacated. She worked hard to turn her life around, to support her family, and to serve her community. I hope the IETSB promptly reviews its decision, and that the State’s Attorney’s Office removes her name from the Do Not Call list. This is simply the right thing to do.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The ILETSB’s website has a complete list of decertifiable offenses. Retail theft is not on it.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Gov. Pritzker…
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
The White Sox have fired Ken Williams and Rick Hahn.
In a surprising move — despite the Sox’ awful performance on the field this season — the team announced Tuesday that Williams, executive vice president, and Hahn, senior vice president/general manager, were relieved of their duties effective immediately.
“This is an incredibly difficult decision for me to make because they are both talented individuals with long-term relationships at the White Sox,” chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “Ken is like a son to me, and I will always consider him a member of my family.’’
The Sox will begin a search for a single decision-maker to lead the baseball-operations department and anticipate having someone in place by the end of the season, which is six weeks away. The organization embarked on a rebuild in 2016 that failed, leading to two postseason appearances, but the Sox have suffered a significant decline the last two seasons.
* Meanwhile, from Crain’s…
[11th Ward Ald. Nicole Lee] could have a huge impact on whether parking lots around the field are redeveloped for a new stadium or an entertainment area. Local neighbors traditionally have opposed the latter. […]
Lee, the local alderperson, says she’s open to a discussion about improvements in and around Guaranteed Rate Field, including adding entertainment and retail options that the team appears to want.
“I’m looking for a mutually beneficial outcome,” Lee said in a phone call. “I think all options are on the table.”
Added Lee, “I’m a lifelong fan of the Sox. I don’t want to see them leave. They’re a cornerstone of our ward. . . .I’m looking forward to being part of the conversation.”
I think a big problem in the past was the local political powers that be didn’t want reliable and machine-friendly Democrats pushed out of the ward while opening the door to wealthier, independent types if the area became more like Wrigleyville.
* The Question: What’s your take on these two developments?
…Adding… Make that three developments. Bob Nightengale is an MLB columnist for USA Today…
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Open thread
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s goin’ on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | Tim Mapes’ defense rests its case in perjury trial after 4 witnesses, setting stage for closing arguments Wednesday: Shortly before the defense rested Tuesday, Mapes confirmed to U.S. District Judge John Kness outside the presence of the jury that he wished to waive his right to testify in his own defense — a move that seemed all but certain given the inherent pitfalls of taking the witness stand.
* Sun-Times | Wife of ex-top aide to Madigan says he was ‘very sullen, very depressed … as if he was lost’ after being sacked: Rains said Mapes’ energy level went from “high” before he quit over bullying and harassment claims to “low-to-non-existent” afterward. She said his lethargy continued for months. After she encouraged him to find work, she said he wound up with a part-time job servicing trucks for UPS.
* Sun-Times | Illinois lands $1.3M federal grant to promote more women in construction industry: The grant money comes as part of President Joe Biden’s signature $1.2 trillion infrastructure package signed into law almost two years ago, and aims to promote gender equity and inclusion in the male-dominated field.
* WGN | Illinois operators warn of day care crisis: “We have eager staff and employees trying to work in the early childhood profession; unfortunately we can’t meet those qualifications,” said Karina Cortez who runs Ivy Academy in Elgin. Cortez and others say many day care centers already have waiting lists of children they can’t accommodate. She also says teachers need breaks through-out the day. “A human being can only work so many hours with love and joy in their heart until they’re burned out.”
* Landmark | Ford calls on state to reinstate decertified police officer: State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (8th) called on the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board to reinstate Riverside police officer Zenna Ramos, who was decertified as a police officer by the state board in April. […] In 2008, Ramos was arrested for allegedly stealing three shirts, valued at a total of $14.99, from J.C. Penney at the North Riverside Park Mall. She was not a police officer then, but rather a 22-year-old single parent struggling with domestic violence-related issues who acted out of desperation.
* Tribune | Joliet nurses begin 4-day strike for increased staffing, higher pay: The union has been negotiating for a new contract since May. Ascension canceled a bargaining session on Aug. 15, the day after the strike was announced. Ascension representatives have said they will not come back to the bargaining table until Sept. 8.
* Sun-Times | Highland Park High parents say students are evading weapons detection systems, call for enhanced security measures: School leaders approved a limited rollout to purchase units in an amount not to exceed $80,000, Warner added, but the expense is not in the units themselves but in the staffing required to operate them properly.
* Bloomberg | CVS Health layoffs will affect nearly 300 Illinois workers: The Woonsocket, R.I.-based company is laying off 5,000 non-customer-facing, corporate workers at its offices across the country, and recent layoff notices filed with the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity show that 294 workers will be affected at three Chicago-area offices.
* Daily Herald | ‘Hazing defeats the purpose of the team’: What some schools are doing to ensure it doesn’t happen: “We’ve actually had multiple conversations as a football staff addressing this situation and making sure we have a culture that kids want to be a part of and are proud to be in,” said Teonic, who is 42-7 in his five years at South Elgin, and who has also been the head coach at Larkin and Hersey High schools and Harper College.
* Block Club | Luxury Container Homes Planned For South Side ‘Paused’ For Now: Burton and Casboni hoped to have the first families moved in by Christmas 2022, the developers previously said. In December, the duo pushed back their timeline and Burton said they would break ground “in the first quarter of 2023.”
* The Guardian | US businessman is wannabe ‘warlord’ of secretive far-right men’s network: The founder and sponsor of a far-right network of secretive, men-only, invitation-only fraternal lodges in the US is a former industrialist who has frequently speculated about his future as a warlord after the collapse of America, a Guardian investigation has found.
* The Daily Beast | ‘Tesla Syndrome’ Explains Why Tech Is Making Us Miserable: There’s a class war going on, but it’s not the one we usually think about. Owners and managers are fighting, and it’s mangling capitalism beyond recognition. Workers are fighting to prevent jobs from becoming “gigs.” But in corporate boardrooms, a less visible and even more disastrous fight is being won by the wealthy. It’s led to a situation where we have science fiction aesthetics with diminished functions, like “smart” fridges that stop cooling after rebooting.
* AP | Some states reject federal money to find and replace dangerous lead pipes: Washington, Oregon, Maine and Alaska declined all or most of their federal funds in the first of five years that the mix of grants and loans is available, The Associated Press found. Some states are less prepared to pay for lead removal projects because, in many cases, the lead must first be found, experts said. And communities are hesitant to take out loans to search for their lead pipes.
* Sun-Times | White Sox fire vice president Ken Williams, general manager Rick Hahn: “This is an incredibly difficult decision for me to make because they are both talented individuals with long-term relationships at the White Sox,” chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “Ken is like a son to me, and I will always consider him a member of my family.’’
* Crain’s | Potential Sox move adds to Bears intrigue in Springfield: Negotiations among the Bears, local officials and lawmakers have continued to make progress this summer, Moylan said, and he still hopes to present a bill that can pass in the General Assembly’s fall veto session. Reinsdorf’s clearing his throat could help or hurt that process, he added. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ScribbleLive is still down. Twitter has stopped allowing people to embed list feeds on websites. So, click here or here to follow breaking news. You can click here to follow the Tim Mapes trial.
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