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Afternoon roundup

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From the Auditor General…

The Illinois Office of Comptroller prepares the State of Illinois’ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report is the State’s official annual report, which provides the readers with the financial position of the State as of June 30, 2022, and its results of operations during the fiscal year. […]

The GAAP basis financial position of the General Fund improved at June 30, 2022, from June 30, 2021. The fund balance in the State’s General Fund improved by $4.6 billion on a GAAP basis. The June 30, 2022, balance was $1.5 billion. Exhibit 2 reflects the General Fund balance for Fiscal Years 2015 through 2022.

…Adding… From the governor’s office…

The last time we had a surplus on the general fund was 1985, and it was only $19 million.

Wow.

Exhibit 2…

* Cook County receives an upgrade…

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today applauded Moody’s Investors Service upgrading Cook County’s bond rating from A2 to A1. This marks the second ratings upgrade in less than two years.

“We are incredibly proud of Moody’s Investors Service’s decision today to upgrade Cook County’s bond rating from A2 to A1. This step shows once again that we are on the right track and our efforts to create long-term fiscal stability are being rightfully recognized,” said President Preckwinkle. “Today’s recognition is proof of concept that local governments can both invest in our communities and remain responsible stewards of our residents’ tax dollars.”

Moody’s noted the upgrade to A1 reflects the County’s accumulation of sound reserves and considers pension reform legislation recently signed by Governor JB Pritzker. Improved financial operations have been driven by a willingness and ability to raise revenue, robust growth in sales tax receipts, operational improvements and an influx of federal aid.

* This prediction may very well turn out to be accurate, but excuses won’t be enough come convention time. The White House really needs to step up its act, including the source of much of the problem: Venezuela itself. Fran Spielman…

Chicago could experience a fivefold increase in arriving migrants — up to 10 busloads a day — sent here by Republican governors trying to embarrass and strain Democratic sanctuary cities in the run-up to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, a top mayoral aide said Monday.

Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, predicted the burgeoning crisis that has seen more than 13,000 migrants descend on the city over the last year will intensify the closer it gets to the Chicago convention next August.

In the last week alone, the number of new arrivals sleeping on the floors of Chicago police stations has increased 6% to 1,100, even though Johnson has made it a priority to “decompress” police stations. Another 170 new arrivals have taken up residence at O’Hare International Airport.

There is $150 million in migrant funding that “the feds have not appropriated,” and City Hall is “trying to make the case that we should be getting a large chunk of that because we have not closed our doors, and we are forecasting for next year with the DNC,” Pacione-Zayas said.

“We have to plan for the increase. They’re gonna do everything they can because this is all political, and they want to make the case that Democratic-led cities are not capable of living up to the values that we have … You know how it works in campaigns. That’s all that’s motivating this,” the deputy chief of staff said.

“We’re already getting two buses a day … New York has been getting 10 buses” per day, she said, adding, “I wouldn’t be surprised” if Chicago also started getting 10 per day.

“They want to stretch our resources. They want to basically topple our operation. Then they can make the case that Democratic-led states are not fit. That they’re incompetent. It draws the contrast. Then, they seem to come off in a way that they’re righteous and they’ve always said, ‘This is impossible work, and we have no business doing it,’” Pacione-Zayas said.

* Staying on politics, here’s the NRCC…

Hey Rich,

As mentioned via text, the NRCC is launching a national ad campaign targeting 21 vulnerable House Democrats regarding increasing gas prices.

Included in the campaign is Eric Sorensen.

Please consider the following quote as well:

“Rising gas prices are a fresh gut punch to millions of Americans already struggling under Bidenomics,” said NRCC Communications Director Jack Pandol. “Every trip to the pump is a reminder that extreme House Democrats put their radical war on American energy ahead of working families’ wallets.”

It’s a five-figure buy across 21 districts…



* Tollway news…

The Illinois Tollway is launching around-the-clock Hot Weather Patrols to more quickly locate and assist customers stranded along its roads during the dangerously high temperatures and humidity expected to continue through Thursday.

The Illinois Tollway typically operates special Hot Weather Patrols whenever temperatures or heat indexes indicate conditions could be hazardous for stranded drivers. The 24-hour patrols search for drivers stranded in disabled vehicles and respond to calls that come in to *999 motorist assistance, Illinois Tollway dispatch or Illinois State Police Troop 15.

* From the Office of the Executive Inspector General…

The OEIG received a complaint that an Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) employee had listed on an employment application that he had graduated from high school when he had not done so. The OEIG obtained four separate employment applications for the employee dated August 27, 2013, October 27, 2013, March 12, 2015, and June 25, 2017 (for different positions). All of these applications in the employee’s name were marked with a handwritten “X” in the “Yes” box in response to the question “High School Graduate?” During his OEIG interviews, the employee said he had not graduated from high school, nor had he passed the General Educational Development test. The employee admitted that the applications were his and that the signature and handwriting on the applications were his. The employee was terminated as a result of the investigation.

Seems a bit harsh. More here.

* UIUC Chancellor Robert Jones sat down for an interview with the News-Gazette. Here’s the first part of his answer to a mascot question…

Well, let me just say that, I think people maybe lost sight of the whole underlying core principle around a mascot. I’ve had to contend with this during the whole seven years that I’ve been chancellor.

Our core principle has been around inappropriate use of Native American imagery. That’s always what it has been about for us, not whether they have a mascot or not. To me, that’s secondary to the fact that it is highly inappropriate, from where I sit and where most of my colleagues sit, to use Native American imagery in the way that we have historically used it.

There have been NCAA rules about that, and we moved away from that 20-some years ago, but there still persist images.

People expect me to be the fashion police. I’m not the fashion police. I can’t tell people what to wear, and I won’t spend my time trying to reprimand folks for wearing whatever they feel like. But that does not mean that our core principles don’t remain the same, that Native American imagery has no place as a part of intercollegiate athletics here at the university. That’s full stop. That’s the core principle.

* Isabel’s roundup…

    * Crain’s | Glendale Heights hospital ending birthing services — joining a national trend: In its filing, Glen Oaks argues that the planned closure of the primary obstetrics unit, services from which are already suspended, will have minimal impact on access to birthing services in the area because they are still available at nearby hospitals. The closest available sites for full-range obstetrics services are eight miles away at Northwestern Medicine’s Central DuPage Hospital and about nine miles away at Ascension Alexian Brothers in Elk Grove Village, which has a 28-bed obstetrics unit, according to the filing.

    * Sun-Times | Johnson OKs deal to raise tax on high-end home sales, use funds to combat homelessness: Mayor Brandon Johnson has signed off on a compromise plan to raise the real estate transfer tax on high-end home sales to generate $100 million in annual revenue to combat homelessness, but in a way that will reduce the tax for homes sold for less than $1 million. Zoning Committee Chair Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), the mayor’s City Council floor leader, predicted that the 11th-hour concessions would minimize opposition from Chicago developers and guarantee City Council approval of a binding referendum on the March ballot. He also predicted overwhelming voter approval. … Properties sold for under $1 million that currently account for 94% of all sales will see a decrease in the real estate transaction tax owed. The new tax rate would be 0.60%, down from the current rate of 0.75% — a 20% cut. Sales of $1 million or over, but under $1.5 million, will pay a 2% tax — more than 21⁄2 times what they pay now. And sales of $1.5 million and higher will pay 3%, which is four times the current rate.

    * Bond Buyer | Illinois defies Midwest’s downward issuance trend: Municipal bond issuers in the Midwest largely tracked their national peers in the first half of 2023, with volume down 19.4% compared to the first half of 2022. They sold $32.6 billion of debt spread over 1,223 deals in the first half, down from $40.5 billion in 1,764 deals in the year-ago period, according to Refinitiv data. Nationally, municipal bond volume was down 17.1% to $180.8 billion.

    * Crain’s | Despite years of affirmative action, Black student enrollment percentages remain low at local universities: A Crain’s analysis of changes in enrollment demographics at six area schools since 2012 shows modest increases in the percentage of Black students at some and declines at others. During the same time frame, Asian and Hispanic numbers rose, while the share of white students fell.

    * 21st Show | Freedom Caucus Member Rep. Adam Niemerg on the Illinois Republican Party in 2023: On the eve of the first Republican presidential primary debate of the 2024 election cycle, we delve into the party’s rebuilding phase here in Illinois. We hear from a representative from the Illinois Freedom Caucus. Join us as we explore what voters want from the modern-day party, how Illinois Republicans negotiate with a Democratic majority on the state floor, and the Freedom Caucus’s future role in the party.

    * Our Quad Cities | Quad City area towns receive water infrastructure loans from Illinois EPA: Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director John J. Kim has announced that more than $571 million in water infrastructure loans will be provided to local governments and water districts for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023. The Illinois EPA State Revolving Fund (SRF) Program provides low-interest loans to fund wastewater, stormwater and drinking water projects. Over $53 million in loan forgiveness will be provided to recipients who meet the loan rules for either the Small Community Rate or Hardship Rate. Illinois EPA issued over $803 million in low-interest loans for water infrastructure in total for fiscal year 2023. Illinois provided nearly $54 million in funding for lead service line replacement over the last 12 months, in addition to the SRF loans.

    * Daily Herald | How suburban school districts are dealing with extreme heat this week: Downers Grove School District 58 postponed the start of classes from Wednesday to Friday. “Unfortunately, our classrooms and most areas of our schools are not equipped with air conditioning nor modern HVAC systems,” Superintendent Kevin Russell told parents in a message Monday. “By postponing the start of school by two days, we aim to provide a more favorable environment for effective teaching and learning.”

    * Tribune | Field Museum researchers enlist hundreds of home gardeners in fight to save the iconic monarch butterfly: The gardeners, who range from beginners with one milkweed plant to veterans with hundreds, have collected detailed data on monarchs, eggs and caterpillars in their yards, decks, community gardens and balconies — contributing up to 1,800 records each summer.

    * WCBU | Copi in the spotlight at Illinois State Fair as fish’s popularity as a food source increases: Copi, the Midwest waterways nuisance fish formerly known as Asian carp, is enjoying a surge in popularity as a human food source in the United States. Don’t believe it? Just ask Brian Schoenung, an aquatic nuisance species expert for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). Schoenung has tracked the habitat-destroying “silverfish” since well before IDNR’s June 2022 rebranding of Asian carp as “Copi,” which is short for “copious” and an adequate description of the invasive, habitat-destroying fish whose presence is threatening crucial food sources for sportfish in Midwestern waterways

    * AP | From MLK to today, the March on Washington highlights the evolution of activism by Black churches: “The issues are multiracial. It’s too simplistic now to say, “Black church/white church,’” said the Rev. William Barber, who in 2018 became co-chair of a national anti-poverty initiative called The Poor People’s Campaign. It took its name from a movement launched by King and other SCLC leaders in 1968 shortly before King’s assassination. Barber, now director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School, admires King immensely yet is critical of those who “water down the March on Washington to one man, one speech.”

    * SJ-R | Springfield man punches ticket to World Championship Chili Cook-off on fair’s last day: Les Eastep of Springfield said Sunday at the Illinois State Fair Chili Cookoff that he was hanging it up as far as competitive cooking. But by virtue of his first-place finish in the homestyle category on the final day of the fair, Eastep, 86, was guaranteed a spot in the World Championship Chili Cook-off in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 2024.

  14 Comments      


MAA grills the mayor on the CTU, CPD and Arwady

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Mayor Brandon Johnson sat down with Mary Ann Ahern for quite an interview. Long excerpt..

MAA: What do you say to those who say that you are doing the bidding for the Chicago Teachers Union?

Johnson: Well, again, I mean, we have brought so many people together over the course of these last 100 days, I mean, so much so that you know, that people are embracing the fact that we have [interrupted]

MAA: But that’s not the answer. Are you there on behest of the Chicago Teachers Union?

Johnson: Chicago voted for me. And so I’m serving the people of Chicago. What does that look like? Bringing Chicago Home. For years that legislation has been stalled. We are now moving towards Treatment Not Trauma. For years that legislation has been stalled. I mean, the fact that we’re going to eliminate this sub minimum wage work, you know, where Black and Brown women will actually get an opportunity for raises. I mean, these are our policies that have been stalled for years now. And we’ve moved it within the first 100 days.

MAA: Is Stacy Davis Gates the most inner circle?

Johnson: We have a full team that works directly with me, but we also have business partners. We have philanthropy. We have faith based leaders. We have the full force of government that continues to be on display.

MAA: What’s her role?

Johnson: I believe she’s the President of the Chicago Teachers Union.

MAA: What is her role with you?

Johnson: She’s the President of the Chicago Teachers Union. I’m the Mayor of the City of Chicago.

MAA: How often do you see her and hear from her?

Johnson: I’m the Mayor of the City of Chicago, Mary Ann.

MAA: By not answering that it gives the impression that she is very much a part of your every-day decision-making.

Johnson: I have a superintendent, an interim, and we appointed with the expectation that we’re going to have confirmation for new police superintendent Larry Snelling. We are literally bringing the entire City of Chicago together.

MAA: Teachers’ negotiations are coming up. How much of a raise, if any, do they deserve?

Johnson: Well, I think at this point, it’s important to know that for the first time in the history of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Teachers Union are actually collaborating together. We have a school board that is made up of parents, community leaders, business leaders, philanthropic leaders, we have a special education committee…

MAA: I’m just, I don’t mean to be rude, but when I have such limited time, what about the raise? Do they deserve a raise?

Johnson: So right now, you have for the first time in the history of Chicago, where you have a mayor who sends their children to the Chicago Public Schools. Making sure that we have a public school system that works for all of our families, that’s what I’m committed to doing.

MAA: That’s a non-answer as well. The FOP, deserve the same parental leave as the teachers received?

Johnson: Making sure that we have a police force that is fully supported, building the morale, I’m confident that the new superintendent, that I’m looking forward to his confirmation Chief Snelling, is going to continue to boost that morale. But we also have to make sure that we are providing support for our police officers. What I’ve seen repeatedly, and law enforcement agrees with me, we are asking way too much from police officers.

MAA: So parental leave, they should get that as well?

Johnson: So Treatment Not Trauma is something that is very important to making sure that police officers are not responding to mental health crises, making sure that we have 200 more detectives over the course of my administration…

MAA: When’s that gonna happen? That was my next question.

Johnson: We’re working towards it. Listen, we have a confirmation that is coming soon with a new police superintendent. And so we’re bringing all of our stakeholders together to make sure that we have real smart constitutional policing, leading towards the type of investments that are going to be needed to ensure that public safety is fully reached, using the [cross-talk] of government.

MAA: That 200 detectives was really part of a campaign promise, but we haven’t seen it yet.

Johnson: Well, again, we have a new police superintendent that’s going to be confirmed. And I know that there are people, some people that are accustomed to a dictatorial style of governance. That is not my style. And so it’s going to be the full responsibility of our leadership within our police department to help us come up with a full strategy around community safety that does not require simply police intervention, but it also takes into account how we have sergeants, lieutenants, commanders, chiefs, detectives all working towards the same goal.

MAA: Whether you call them a mob action or large teen takeover; when property is destroyed, when cars are vandalized, when businesses are robbed, what should the police do?

Johnson: Well, as you know, with the last gathering that took place, there were 40 arrests. And what I’m grateful for, though, is that police officers in that situation displayed an enormous amount of restraint. I know that wasn’t easy, and I appreciate that level of restraint that was on full display. And so, again, as I’ve said repeatedly, we do not condone any behavior that is criminal. They don’t behave, we don’t condone any of that. But we also have to make sure that we’re committed to investing in people and that’s what I’m committed to doing.

MAA: And another topic. COVID cases are rising. Arwady’s gone. Strategically, what did her firing accomplish?

Johnson: This is the last thing I want to say on this. And I’ve been reluctant to talk about this in public because I don’t believe it’s right to discuss personnel or decisions to terminate someone publicly. I believe that’s morally not right.

MAA: That is it.

Johnson: I know that there are some people…

MAA: I was asking about COVID. So now what do we do? We don’t have a health commissioner.

Johnson: You asked about her firing.

MAA: Right.

Johnson: That’s what you asked about and…

MAA: I said what did it accomplish, and we have COVID cases.

Johnson: So again, I know that there are some people that are accustomed to a combative approach to how we do politics in the city of Chicago. I’ve been reluctant to speak about the termination of an employee publicly because I don’t believe that’s morally right.

MAA: Okay, so now we have a health department without a leader, the medical director is about to leave and we have COVID cases rising. Who’s going to run the health department?

Johnson: The health department is being fully ran by the person who has now assumed the rule, and we’re going to continue to make sure that we’re putting forth all of the practices, as well as the strategic, necessary interventions to make sure that we are mitigating the expansion or proliferation of COVID.

MAA: Migrants. Even more have arrived in the last week. We have aldermen who are concerned, they’re talking about crimes that are being committed. If you’ve walked, as I did yesterday, down State Street, it’s not safe. What’s going on and what are you going to do to get help move perhaps have the suburbs as you mentioned, to help you out?

Johnson: Well, look, everyone is participating in, working towards addressing this humanitarian crisis. The state of Illinois and I appreciate the support of Governor Pritzker, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, as well as the full force of government here in the City of Chicago. Since I’ve been in office, 90 more buses have arrived. Thousands of families continue to show up over the course of these last 90 days. And so what I’ve said repeatedly and I’ll say it again, that we’re committed to making sure that what was passed 40 years ago by Mayor Harold Washington to make sure that the city of Chicago is a sanctuary city, that we’re going to continue to embrace that and so we’re going to continue to make sure like we’ve been doing to expand shelters. A we’ve put ten more shelters online since I’ve been in office. And of course we’re going to continue to work to move people out of police stations because we know that police stations, that is not an ideal place for people to…

MAA: You thanked Preckwinkle, but yet at the same time, what has she done to help you on this?

Johnson: Well, there’s been full participation by Governor Pritzker and the board president. The board president has been very helpful in providing medical support and health care services, providing transportation for migrants. And so look, there’s a lot of work to be done. But here’s the part that I’m clear about. We’ve laid a very clear foundation in the City of Chicago over the course of these 90 days. I’m fully aware of what I inherited, whether it’s climate injustice, whether it’s the fact that our public schools have not been fully supported. The fact that we have not had a full plan to address the migrant dynamic in the city of Chicago public safety. All of these dynamics have been a part of the infrastructure in the City of Chicago for decades. Once upon a time as you know, 900 murders annually. This last administration, upwards of 700 murders. These are challenges we have all over the country. And what I’m excited about in this moment, is that the city of Chicago is fully embracing the collaborative spirit that I promised and I ran on, and it’s going to take all of us. There’s not one person, there’s not one department that can solve the challenges that we have right now. But the best part about the city of Chicago is that the city of Chicago, the people of Chicago, are committed to transformation. I’m grateful that people have actually stepped up, particularly with migrants to provide mutual aid and support for families. The fact that again, that we’re bringing entities together to solve these dynamics within our education system. That’s the exciting part about being the mayor of the City of Chicago.

It goes on from there.

Please pardon all transcription errors.

  42 Comments      


Today’s number: 4 percent

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WTTW…

Chicago Police Department crime statistics show a sharp rise in car thefts — from just under 9,000 in 2019 to more than 21,000 last year. That’s a 139% spike in just three years. And 2023’s numbers are on track to be even higher.

Ernesto Lopez is a research specialist for the Council on Criminal Justice, a national organization that studies crime trends.

“It looks like these are mostly Kia and Hyundai related … select makes and models are vulnerable to thefts,” Lopez said. […]

But other makes and models are vulnerable too, and crime statistics show every corner of the city is seeing thefts. […]

And according to CPD statistics, most thieves get away with the initial crime. Last year, the clearance rate for solving motor vehicle thefts was a paltry 4%.

Sources close to CPD say the department de-emphasizes solving these types of crimes to devote more resources to more serious crimes.

  12 Comments      


Reinsdorf: ‘A savvy negotiator creates leverage’

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I don’t think I’m the only one getting sick and tired of wealthy sports team owners leveraging my love.

Let’s start with some ancient history. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel…

If you can’t get a team, rent one.

That was the idea in 1968, when Milwaukee, still smarting from the loss of the Braves to Atlanta in 1966, lured the Chicago White Sox to play at County Stadium for 10 games. […]

But at the turnstiles, the White Sox were a big winner in Milwaukee. The team drew 265,552 fans in their nine games at County Stadium, vs. 538,323 for 59 dates at Comiskey.

“I see no reason why we can’t play here next season,” White Sox owner Allyn told The Journal’s Cleon Walfoort in an Aug. 27 story after the final game at County Stadium, a 3-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 26. There were 42,808 fans at the game, in part because the Tigers’ roster included Eddie Mathews, the former Braves slugger in his final season in the majors.

* From a 1995 interview of White Sox/Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf…

But Reinsdorf’s sentimentality extends only so far. Business is still business. So in 1983, claiming the old Comiskey Park was “disintegrating,” and “if we didn’t get a new ballpark we’d go broke,” Reinsdorf again played hardball. Threatening to move the Sox to St. Petersburg, Florida, if Illinois legislators didn’t fund a new stadium, he now explained, “a savvy negotiator creates leverage. People had to think we were going to leave Chicago.” Those machinations angered St. Petersburg city administrator Rick Dodge. Realizing Reinsdorf was simultaneously negotiating with him and Illinois officials, he told his attorneys, “He was playing us off against each other. I’m not going to sit here and get chewed up like this.” […]

Known as a negotiator who “lets things linger until he gets what he wants,” Reinsdorf did have one friend during the three-year imbroglio, Illinois Governor Jim Thompson. By June 1988, when it seemed certain that St. Pete would lure the Sox to its new Suncoast Dome, Big Jim twisted arms on the floor of the Illinois Senate, and the deal was done. Illinois funded a new stadium. As John Helyar writes, “Reinsdorf got the gold mine, and [St. Petersburg] got the shaft.”

Illinois taxpayers also got the short end of the deal. While Reinsdorf innocently insists, “I didn’t get into baseball to make money. Baseball is my religion. I’m happy to break even,” the Comiskey deal gave him free rent for up to 1.2 million in attendance each year. The Sox pay the state $2.50 for every ticket from 1.2 to 2 million, yet the team also gets back $5 million a year for stadium repairs and maintenance. In addition, the state buys 300,000 tickets if attendance drops below 1.5 after the year 2001, so in actuality, Reinsdorf got public funds to build his stadium and subsidies to guarantee its profitability.

* 2013…

Jerry Reinsdorf confirmed Tuesday a published report that he has recommended to his sons a family succession plan that includes selling its interest in the Chicago White Sox, but he emphasized the decision won’t be up to him.

Reinsdorf is the controlling partner of the White Sox and Chicago Bulls. His sons include Michael, who is the Bulls’ president and COO, as well as David and Jonathan.

“I recommended it to the boys, but it’s up to them when the time comes,” Reinsdorf said.

* Crain’s yesterday…

Knowledgeable sources say Jerry Reinsdorf, the team’s majority owner and chairman, is considering moving the organization from Guaranteed Rate Field in Bridgeport when the team’s lease expires just six years from now.

No decision has been made or appears imminent. But among the possibilities are moving to a new stadium in the city or suburbs, or even relocating to Nashville, a subject of recurring gossip on and off for years.

There also is some chatter among team insiders that, at age 87, Reinsdorf may seek to sell the Sox, while keeping ownership of the Chicago Bulls. Reinsdorf’s longtime business partner at the United Center, Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz, recently died.

The prospect of a Sox move is serious enough that at least one Chicago developer who asked not to be named is preparing a bid. And the situation has caught the attention of City Hall, where Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration “is planning to hold a conversation with the team about its future,” according to senior adviser Jason Lee.

* The Athletic…

Hours after a story broke about the organization grasping for leverage for a new stadium, the actual team immediately fell behind by five runs in the top of the first inning en route to a 14-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners. […]

A fun, expensive and unlikely solution would be for the Sox and Soldier Field to simply trade spaces. Tear down the old football stadium, put a 35,000-seat stadium in its stead and then transform the Sox’s old ballpark into a Lambeau Field-like stadium in Bridgeport.

The stadium isn’t the reason the Sox have been so regularly disappointing, of course, but that doesn’t matter when it comes to pro sports teams’ never-satiated gluttony. The team has trouble drawing fans for a variety of reasons, but the fact the team has only made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons once in franchise history (it just happened in 2020 and 2021) certainly has a lot to do with it. The Sox rarely have a desirable product to sell, and you can’t hold “Elvis Night” 81 times a year.

  47 Comments      


A look behind the numbers

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* We are definitely seeing a whole lot of alarming online videos and news reports of mobs swooping into retailers and hauling off goods. There is a problem out there. WTTW…

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that theft cost American retailers nearly $100 billion last year.

In Illinois, the chamber estimates more than $2 billion worth of goods were stolen from retailers in 2021, but it says the cost to Illinois businesses was more than double that when other factors are taken into account.

One major change occurring over the past decade or so is that organized crime gangs have moved into retail theft in a big way, say retail experts.

Rob Karr, CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, says stores started to notice a change in the pattern of retail thefts about 12 years ago.

“Some of the larger stores’ loss prevention units started to notice that there were these groups that would go literally state to state, store to store and steal a large amount of things and monetize them,” said Karr. “It has grown in complexity and it has grown exponentially in terms of its scope. You have these organized retail crime syndicates who come in and sweep large amounts of merchandise in an extraordinarily short period of time and then ship them all over the world for profit.”

* From the National Retail Federation’s 2022 Security Survey…

On average, respondents reported inventory shrink of 1.4% (see Figure 10). This is in line with the five-year average of 1.5%.

That 1.5 percent figure is more than just a five-year average. The National Retail Federation’s 2010 report, for example, shows shrinkage at 1.49 percent.

Anyway, here’s Figure 10…


The majority of retailers’ problems are clearly internal. And that’s been the case for a long while. If you look at the National Retail Federation’s 2018 survey, you’ll see that the category of external theft and organized retail crime theft is actually two points lower than it was in 2016…

* From January…

Throughout the pandemic, major retailers have warned about surging theft and a rise in brazen shoplifting attempts. But a top Walgreens executive now says the freakout may have been overblown.

“Maybe we cried too much last year” about merchandise losses, Walgreens finance chief James Kehoe acknowledged Thursday on an earnings call. The company’s rate of shrink — merchandise losses due to theft, fraud, damages, mis-scanned items and other errors — fell from 3.5% of total sales last year to around 2.5% during its latest quarter.

Kehoe’s message is a notable shift from comments about theft from Walgreens and other retailers like Walmart and Target over the last nearly three years.

Companies and retail industry groups have tried to draw attention to shoplifting and “organized retail crime” rings smashing windows and grabbing aisles full of merchandise off shelves, urging lawmakers to crack down. Incidents have certainly happened: Many political leaders and local and national news outlets, including CNN, have picked up on viral incidents of smash-and-grab robberies.

* But let’s go back to the 2022 report…

In fact, retailers, on average, saw a 26.5% increase in ORC incidents in 2021. Beyond the loss of goods, these incidents are increasingly alarming. Eight in 10 retailers surveyed report that the violence and aggression associated with ORC incidents increased in the past year.

Overall, though, the percentages are pretty much the same as they’ve been for years. So what we may have is a smallish number of extremely high-profile and potentially quite dangerous incidents that are understandably freaking people out.

  20 Comments      


Report: Illinois crisis pregnancy centers outnumber abortion providers almost three-to-one

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* WBEZ…

In Illinois, it might be common for women to encounter a crisis pregnancy center before an abortion provider because the centers are in far greater supply throughout the state, according to a WBEZ analysis of data provided by CPC Map Project at the University of Georgia and from the Abortion Finder directory.

Overall, there are nearly three times as many crisis pregnancy centers in Illinois than abortion providers, the analysis shows. Among the state’s 102 counties, there are 42 counties with crisis pregnancy centers and no in-person abortion providers. Only 12 counties in Illinois have abortion providers, and 23 of the state’s 36 abortion providers are in Cook or DuPage counties.

* Here are some WBEZ visualizations of crisis pregnancy centers and abortion providers….

* More from WBEZ…

Michele Landeau, who runs Hope Clinic, an abortion provider in downstate Granite City, has also seen patients who’ve made prior visits to crisis pregnancy centers. In times of crisis, patients sometimes choose what’s closest, Landeau said. “If I find out that I’m pregnant, unexpectedly, and I Google, you know, abortion near me, and a crisis pregnancy center comes up first, and they’re 15 minutes away. And then an abortion clinic comes up second, and they’re four hours away, I’m gonna go to the crisis pregnancy center, of course.” […]

Crisis pregnancy centers, or CPCs, have been at the center of recent debates and protests surrounding abortion access in Illinois. Most often run by nonprofit anti-abortion or religious organizations, they exist in suburban strip malls, rural town Main streets and in downtown Chicago. They are considered one of the most widespread outreach initiatives against abortion.

* Related…

  10 Comments      


Paranoia, the destroyer

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune…

In the July 2018 call played Monday, Mapes and McClain were critical of then-private attorney Heather Wier Vaught, whom they blamed for recommending Hickey’s appointment to the sexual harassment inquiry.

“It was all Heather,” Mapes told McClain. Wier Vaught said in an interview that she reached out to Hickey, at Madigan’s request, to see if she would be interested in doing the review. “Ultimately,” Wier Vaught said, “the women’s caucus recommended her, and Madigan hired her to conduct the full review of the office.”

McClain mused that “we may be saved” if Hickey was distracted enough by another appointment aimed at protecting students from sexual violence, though he suspected Rauner had something up his sleeve [to force Madigan’s resignation].

“But if Rauner slips her 50 or 100 grand … that’ll be her recommendation November 15th,” McClain said. “Well, it would be all, a huge thing, right? It’ll be national news. It’ll be all the women’s groups. It’ll (be state Rep.) Kelly Cassidy. It’ll be a huge tsunami goin’ after him.”

Under criticism for how he handled sexual harassment complaints, Madigan hired Hickey in 2018 to review his office and the Democratic caucus following a series of #MeToo scandals alleging misbehavior of political aides and allies, including the accusations against Mapes, who has denied improper conduct.

So, according to Mike McClain, Heather Wier Vaught was the mastermind working to get more “skirts” in government. She was also the person who wouldn’t tell McClain the names of women making allegations against members. And she was the person McClain blamed for Maggie Hickey’s appointment, which, coupled with a fat bribe from Bruce Rauner, would result in Kelly Cassidy being the next House Speaker and the ushering in of a new feminist tsunami utopia… or something.

Man, McClain really nailed HWV’s secret plan. /s

* Meanwhile, from the Sun-Times…

Jurors also heard a discussion between the two men about Joe Dominguez, who became CEO of ComEd in 2018 following the promotion of outgoing CEO Anne Pramaggiore. During the May 2018 call, McClain seems to reference Madigan.

“He told me Monday night that, um, uh, ‘Don’t you wanna bring to a head before he comes into the office, uh, this Joe Dominguez is really not trusted in Springfield?’ That’s the guy who’s taking Anne’s place,” McClain said.

McClain goes on to say “that’s the third time he’s brought it up.” McClain then said he “had a real serious conversation with Anne Pramaggiore,” who said she was trying to figure out how to broach the issue internally.

Mapes is also accused of testifying falsely about knowing Madigan’s impressions of Dominguez. Before the grand jury, a prosecutor asked Mapes, “You didn’t get any information from any source about what Mr. Madigan thought about Joe Dominguez at all?”

Mapes answered, “No, no, I haven’t. I don’t have any idea.”

Oopsie.

* More Mapes…

    * Ex-top aide to Madigan gets chance to tell his side of story to jurors in his perjury trial: Mapes’ defense attorneys have argued he either didn’t know the answers to the questions he was asked before the grand jury, or he didn’t remember them. In opening statements, they compared Mapes’ testimony to a pop quiz ahead of a high school prom — in which a wrong answer could result in a felony. They’ve also suggested that Mapes, who had direct access to Madigan, didn’t necessarily buy into the accepted narrative in Springfield that McClain carried messages and performed other tasks for Madigan — a narrative McClain had a financial interest in pushing as a lobbyist.

(Headline explained here.)

  43 Comments      


*** UPDATED x2 *** Numerous bomb threats forcing suburban libraries to close out of caution

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This is just awful…


* From the Tribune story…

Several libraries across the northern suburbs received bomb threats Thursday afternoon, and while police found no bombs, the libraries responded by shutting down in order to calm shaken employees and patrons.

Libraries in Morton Grove, Park Ridge, Gurnee and Wilmette have reported receiving threats, prompting Glencoe Public Library, which did not receive a threat, to close its doors, citing a building emergency. […]

Libraries have been facing increased scrutiny across the country, as well as in Lincolnwood and other local suburbs, with some individuals or organizations pushing for book bans or bans on events such as drag queen story hours. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed legislation in June designed to combat book bans in Illinois by withholding state funding from libraries that remove books and other materials from their shelves for “partisan or doctrinal” reasons. […]

At the Lincolnwood Public Library, which did not receive a threat, Library Director Susan Dove Lempke said, “My understanding is that the threats came through libraries’ chat functions on their website, and we don’t have that on ours.” […]

“It’s very upsetting,” Illinois Library Association Executive Director Cynthia Robinson said. “Public libraries are available to everybody and it is one of the few places where you can go and not spend any money. It is scary, as libraries work very hard to be safe spaces for their patrons.”

* Tribune yesterday…

The Oak Park Public Library is set to reopen Tuesday after being closed Monday “out of an abundance of caution” following a threat, officials told Pioneer Press.

According to village of Oak Park spokesman Dan Yopchick, library officials made a decision to close all three village library branches Monday after getting an ominous online message.

The message, “There will be a big explosion all over Cook county’s highways and librarys including Chicago gurnee and oak park. It will explode sometime tomorrow 8/21/2023,” was received by the library over the weekend, Yopchick stated in an email to Pioneer Press Monday. […]

Yopchick said the Oak Park police noted that several libraries across the northern suburbs received similar threats on Aug. 17 and that no explosives were ever found or detonated.

These acts are designed to instill terror, so I hope the feds are taking this seriously.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias…

As the State’s Librarian, I strongly condemn these threats of violence and intimidation that are unfortunately becoming all too common at libraries in Illinois and across our nation. The bomb threats received by Illinois libraries during the past several days represent a troublesome and disturbing trend that has escalated from banning books, to harassing and criminalizing librarians and now to endangering the lives of innocent people.

I wholeheartedly support our libraries, which are committed to serving our communities as safe, welcoming havens to learn and access ideas and especially our librarians who are dedicated public servants devoted to treating people with dignity and respect. Libraries and librarians protect our First Amendment right to free speech and our constitutional right to read. We must join together to stand up to fringe elements that resort to threats of violence and seek to destroy the fundamental freedoms that our nation was founded upon.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Edwin C. Yohnka, Director of Communications, at the ACLU of Illinois…

Public libraries are sanctuaries for communities to gather to read, study, go online, get out of the heat and explore new ideas. They are places to build community. For this reason, the recent bomb threats targeting public libraries across the Chicago area are sad and deeply troubling. But these disturbing events cannot be a trigger for giving into those seeking to ban materials and displays from our public libraries.

We should all be clear. The recent threats result from ideologically driven attacks on libraries, attacks from a small handful of loud voices who seek to ban books and displays that reflect and elevate the experiences and views of LGBTQ+ people, people of color and other voices too often ignored in our society. The language and misinformation driving these book bans sadly lead some to believe that threats of violence are an appropriate response to children’s books they do not like.

Threats of violence against libraries make clear that each of us must support the work of all librarians across Illinois. It is time that we unite as a state in opposing the voices of anger that want to ban books and not allow ourselves to be coerced by threats. We encourage everyone to show support for their public library by increasing your patronage, attending a library board meeting or sharing a message of support with your local librarians. It is time to speak up.

  32 Comments      


Gannett moves further toward AI-generated news stories

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Voice of America in June…

[Gannett] recently announced a plan to use “generative AI” to add short pieces of information to the top of each story. Generative AI tools use machine learning methods to train computer systems on huge amounts of data to produce human-quality results.

Gannett says it will test the system later this year. Human writers and editors will look at what the technology produces and decide whether it meets the company’s standards for publishing.

Renn Turiano is a top official with Gannett. He explained that AI technology can be useful to reduce “tedious” jobs currently performed by journalists. He noted that Gannett will test its AI system slowly before it is permanently deployed. […]

Gannett recently announced it was cutting 600 jobs. Some of the journalists still working at the company worry that AI will one day replace them. In early June, hundreds of Gannett workers left their jobs for a short time to protest job cuts and low pay. The labor group that represents some of the journalists said the company’s use of generative AI is one of its main concerns.

* More on that from Reuters…

Next quarter Gannett will roll out a live pilot program using AI to identify the most important points of an article and create bulleted summaries at the top of it. It will launch that feature in the fourth quarter at USA Today. Journalists will have the final say, deciding whether to use what the AI proposed. Gannett will eventually incorporate that summarization technology into its publishing system.

Gannett’s journalists are fighting to ensure that they aren’t replaced by the technology. Hundreds walked off the job over staff cuts and stagnant wages on June 5. Generative AI is a sticking point in some negotiations with the company, the union said. […]

A company spokesperson said its use of AI will not replace journalists, and that it is being used as a tool to help them be more efficient and focus on creating more valuable content.

* Yesterday…

* The Big Lead…

If you Google “close encounters of the athletic kind + Columbus Dispatch” it returns 18 different news briefs in which it was used to describe the tightness of said affair.

And it’d be funny if the situation weren’t incredibly bleak. For whatever reason the machine has latched onto this phrase and used it as a crutch as it spits out content faster than feeble fingers could ever dream of doing.

From a financial standpoint it makes all the sense in the world to cut out people who are collecting a salary from the process. A machine is never going to ask for a raise. It has one job and it is to answer a prompt with the most human-like response it can muster and if actual readers glean one or two facts out of the ordeal then it’s a success. My question, though, is on the consumer side.

Like, who actually wants this?

  22 Comments      


Open thread

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

  9 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Here you go…

  28 Comments      


Live coverage

Tuesday, Aug 22, 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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Caption contest!

Monday, Aug 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Senate President Don Harmon, Chicago FOP Lodge 7 President John Catanzara and House Speaker Chris Welch…

This photo was taken by a subscriber at the Operating Engineers Union Local 150 charity golf outing for the Navy Seals Family Foundation.

  28 Comments      


Afternoon roundup

Monday, Aug 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Hollywood Reporter…

Broadcast and cable networks made up less than half of all TV use in July — the first time linear TV viewing has fallen below 50 percent in Nielsen’s two-plus years of tracking viewing time by platform.

While overall TV use in July edged up from the previous month, the growth came in streaming — which hit an all-time high of 38.7 percent of all TV usage — and the “other use” category, which includes video games played on a TV screen and physical media playback, among other things. That made up 11.6 percent of usage.

Streaming was up from 37.7 percent of TV viewing in June, marking its third consecutive month of an increased share of viewers’ time. July was also the third straight month that streaming’s share of TV use hit a high.

…Adding… Access the full project list and more from the press release by clicking here…

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director John J. Kim is announcing the issuance of more than $571 million in water infrastructure loans to local governments and water districts for the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2023 (April – June 2023). The Illinois EPA State Revolving Fund (SRF) Program provides low-interest loans which fund wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water projects. More than $53 million in loan forgiveness was also provided to those recipients meeting the loan rules for either the Small Community Rate or Hardship Rate. In total for fiscal year 2023, Illinois EPA issued over $803 million in low-interest loans for water infrastructure. In addition to the SRF loans, Illinois provided nearly $54 million in funding for lead service line replacement over the last 12 months.

…Adding… I missed this one earlier…

Samantha McClain has been hired as chief of staff for the Illinois AFL-CIO, working to advance the organization’s strategic vision to support working families across Illinois.

“We are excited to have Samantha join our team at the Illinois AFL-CIO,” remarked President Tim Drea. “Samantha is one of the most talented strategists that I have worked with, demonstrating her expertise when she managed the Workers’ Rights Amendment campaign. Samantha understands the diverse needs of working families fighting for equitable wages, safety conditions and the ability to bargain and will bring a unique perspective to the table to advance the needs of working people in our state.”

McClain is a political veteran and most recently served as State Director to successfully pass the Workers’ Rights Amendment in Illinois. The ballot measure added the right to collectively bargain to the state constitution and was the first of its kind in the nation. Prior to that campaign, Samantha served as Research Director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in the 2020 election cycle, helping Democrats hold the House majority. Samantha was also Deputy Research Director in the historic 2018 cycle, and Southern Regional Research Director in 2014.

Samantha’s previous experience also includes Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the campaigns of Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. She is a native Michigander and graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s in economics and communications.

* The fellows are getting together…

The Edgar Fellows Program is having its second annual fundraiser dinner at the Sheraton Grand in downtown Chicago on August 31. Gov. Jim Edgar started the program in 2012 to foster relationships and understanding between people involved in public policy from all corners of the state, ethnicities and political backgrounds. It promotes bi-partisanship and compromise over political expediency.

The keynote speaker for the 2023 event is David Axelrod, founder of the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago. This event is not just for Fellows; all are welcome. For more information and to reserve your place at this special event, go to https://givebutter.com/EFChicago23. The RSVP deadline is August 24.

* The State Board of Education has been leaning on CPS to clean up its act on physical restraint. From a press release…

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced today that all District-run schools have met the first-day-of-school benchmark for training staff on physical restraint and time out (PRTO), as agreed upon with the Illinois State Board of Education. Over the past several months, CPS prioritized PRTO training to ensure personnel at every school were properly trained by August 21, 2023, a deadline that was set in collaboration with ISBE. This marks the first milestone in the District’s efforts to reduce incidents of physical restraint or time-out procedures, and build a sustainable plan for training and support.

“I appreciate the partnership on the part of CEO Martinez and his team at Chicago Public Schools since April to meet the goal of training staff at every school in the safe and appropriate use of restraint and time out. Having appropriately trained staff is critical in the rare situations when a student’s behavior puts them or others in imminent danger,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. “The Illinois State Board of Education will continue to work with CPS to provide additional support and to maintain this level of training on an annual basis.”

As of today, all 517 District-run schools are in full compliance with having at least two staff members trained to de-escalate and manage student safety.

Two doesn’t seem like a lot.

…Adding… NASW IL…


* Politico…

— Rep. Eric Sorensen is getting support from high-profile Democratic donor Fred Eychaner in his reelection bid. Eychaner, a huge donor to Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, is headlining a fundraiser for Sorensen on Tuesday. Details here.

— Rep. Lauren Underwood headlines a fundraiser tonight for her reelection bid. Details here

— Chicago Ald. Jessie Fuentes is running for committeeperson in the 26th Ward. She’s holding a fundraiser Wednesday.

* PCC…

The Partnership for College Completion (PCC) applauds Governor Pritzker for signing HB2898 into law. We are grateful for the Governor’s and the legislature’s leadership for this step toward holding for-profit colleges accountable for practices that harm students. The bill requires for-profit colleges with a final judgment or determination against them for operating with unfair or deceptive practices to reimburse the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) funding they received during the period of their deceptive practices.

“We were proud to work alongside Representative Maurice West and Senator Celina Villanueva this past legislative session to get this bill passed,” Government Affairs Manager Danielle Stanley said. “Now that Governor Pritzker has signed it into law, for-profit colleges will finally be held accountable for their deceptive practices, but our work won’t stop there. We look forward to continuing to work with the legislature and the Governor to create and pass legislation that will protect Illinois students and make higher education more accessible for all who seek it.”

In the last 15 years, Illinois has given more than $255 million of MAP funding from taxpayers to these institutions. Four of the ten for-profit institutions that received MAP in 2017 have since closed, leaving many former students with unmanageable debt and limited options to complete their college degrees.

* Speaking of higher ed…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker visited the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to welcome students back for a new school year. He was joined by state officials, Chancellor Robert Jones, students, and faculty to celebrate the back-to-school season and wish students, teachers, and families across Illinois a successful year ahead.

“It’s been my mission as governor to make higher education more affordable for every Illinoisan, no matter their background. And I couldn’t be prouder to say we’re doing exactly that,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “By restoring public funding directly to our universities, we’re eliminating the need for major tuition hikes, so students know what to expect semester after semester.”

During the event, Gov. Pritzker shared his administration’s recent FY24 budget investments to improve college affordability. This includes increasing funding for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) to an all-time high, ensuring awards for all eligible applicants. With these new investments, every student at or below median income will be able to attend community college for free in Illinois. The budget also included an additional $115 million to in-state scholarship funding, bringing the total amount to a record-breaking $750 million.
Gov. Pritzker also highlighted notable investments that will directly impact students attending institutions within the University of Illinois system, including a total state investment of $632 million ($41 million more than FY23). Other public universities across Illinois will also see funding increases, as the investments for higher education institutions grew by 7%, the largest increase in more than 20 years.

The Pritzker Administration is also investing in higher education infrastructure through the historic Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan. Campuses across Illinois will see nearly $2.8 billion dedicated to public universities and community colleges. The U of I system specifically will receive $504 million of those allocated funds.

Upcoming renovation projects in progress at UIUC include:

    • New science and data analysis research facilities to support the Department of Mathematics and Statistics
    • Repairs to lab infrastructure, including masonry and chimneys at Wohler Hall, Madigan Laboratory, and Noyes Laboratory
    • Replacement of approximately 11,000 square feet of roofing on the Armory building

As affirmative action in higher education takes a national spotlight following June’s Supreme Court decision, Governor Pritzker ensured students of his intentions to support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in Illinois.

“Here in the Land of Lincoln, our institutions will continue to be inclusive of all students, including those who have been historically left out of or locked out of postsecondary education,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “To every single student: you are among the best of the best. And as your Governor, I’ll continue to have your back. I can’t wait to see all that you will accomplish.”

* LG Stratton…

Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton celebrates the newly signed Senate Bill 646 that creates the Healing Centered Task Force, signed by Governor JB Pritzker. The Lieutenant Governor will chair the Task Force as a driver of transformative change and help create a more equitable Illinois.

“The new Healing Centered Task Force will ensure Illinoisians who have experienced trauma can get the support that they need,” said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. “Overseeing the Justice, Opportunity, and Equity Initiative housed in my office, I am committed to the collaborative work to foster healing mechanisms for communities to thrive. Senate Bill 646 is a testament to our mission of joining forces to repair intergenerational harm, and I thank Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly for their support to create this Task Force that will benefit all residents.”

The Healing Centered Task Force in Illinois created by SB 646 will develop recommendations to bring more cohesion, coordination, and consistency to this important and transformative work. The Task Force will be a driver of diversity and equity within Illinois, composed of expert trauma informed stakeholders and people who have experienced trauma. This Task Force is a result of the collaborative work of Governor JB Pritzker, the General Assembly, and advocacy groups such as the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative, Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, Illinois Childhood Trauma Coalition, and the Center for Childhood Resilience, among others.

The goal of the Task Force will be to design a state-level comprehensive and equitable strategy for addressing and supporting communities who have experienced trauma. This will be a significant step forward, with a trauma-informed and healing-centered lens that will support Illinoisians across our state.

* WCIA…

Earlier this year, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released its 2023 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps report, which is meant to raise awareness about factors that can impact health outcomes and disparities nationwide. […]

In Illinois, just 15% of adults reported excessive drinking, which is smaller than the U.S. average of 19%. However, a handful of Illinois counties reported 19% of adults excessively drinking. Those include Calhoun, Clark, Clinton, DuPage, Greene, Grundy, Henry, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Menard, Mercer, Monroe, Moultrie, Putnam, Tazewell, Washington, and Woodford Counties.

The University of Wisconsin also reviewed the number of alcohol-impaired driving deaths per state and county.

Even though Illinois reported a below-average rate of adults drinking excessively (15%), the state still reported almost 30% of motor vehicle crash deaths involved alcohol between 2016 and 2020.

* Isabel’s roundup…

  13 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list

Monday, Aug 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Meanwhile… In Opposite Land

Monday, Aug 21, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Indiana…

The Indiana Supreme Court has denied the rehearing request by abortion advocates after the Supreme Court ruled in June that the pending abortion ban is constitutional. […]

With this move, Indiana is likely days away from the abortion restrictions passed in August 2022 from taking effect. The ban will take effect as soon as their June 30 ruling is certified by the Appellate Clerk. […]

Under the new law, there are four abortion exceptions — rape, incest, life and physical health of the mother, and lethal fetal anomalies.

Rape or incest exemptions will need to be performed 10 weeks before post-fertilization. In the case of the life of a mother or lethal fetal anomalies, women will have up to 20 weeks post-fertilization for an abortion.

* Idaho’s loss is Illinois’ gain…

When Karen Lauritzen was named the 2023 Idaho Teacher of the Year last September, she was hoping it would be her best school year yet. Instead, she said, it turned out to be one of the worst in her two decades teaching — and, she decided by the summer, her last.

Despite her selection by a Republican administration after a rigorous application process, her nomination was met with attacks on her character from conservative outlets in the state, accusing her of “promoting transgenderism” and being a “left-wing activist,” smears that carried into her fourth-grade classroom in the form of sudden suspicions about her from parents in her school.

Lauritzen, 44, is still the reigning teacher of the year, but she is no longer teaching elementary school or even living in Idaho. Instead she is taking her talents to a university in Illinois, a long-considered career move hastened by the experience. […]

The day after she was announced as Idaho Teacher of the Year, Lauritzen was accused by conservative outlets in her state of being a “left-wing activist” because she had expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community and Black Lives Matter on her personal social media accounts. Though the outlets offered no evidence linking her personal views to her classroom instruction, parents in her rural western Idaho community began emailing and confronting her with questions. Some accused her of teaching fourth-graders inappropriate content, even though no discussion of sexuality was in her curriculum and was already prohibited by her school district. Her own global interests often inspired her teaching, but Lauritzen said she faced complaints from parents about a lesson on some worldwide cultures who eat insects, and even objections to students learning about the United Nations.

“When it’s, ‘My kid can’t do this because it’s propaganda,’ and ‘My kid can’t do that because we don’t believe in United Nations,’ it’s like, what? It’s not Santa Claus, what do you mean you don’t believe in it?” Lauritzen said. “Even if I have certain beliefs myself, that does not mean that I teach kids. It’s not my job to ‘indoctrinate’ or make kids little versions of myself. It’s to make kids into the best versions of themselves.”

* Arkansas…

The six Arkansas schools that planned to offer an Advanced Placement (AP) course on African American studies say they will continue to do so despite state officials saying the class will not count toward a student’s graduation credit.

The North Little Rock and Jacksonville North Pulaski school districts and eStem charter schools said on Thursday they would offer the course as a “local elective” despite the Arkansas education department saying it is not considered a state-approved course. They join two other school districts that have said they will continue offering the class. […]

The state, however, has said that schools can still offer the course and it can count toward a student’s grade-point average. […]

The Little Rock school district on Wednesday said it planned to continue teaching the course at Central high, site of the historic 1957 racial desegregation crisis. Central is one of six schools in the state that had been slated to offer the course this year. The Jonesboro school district told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette it also planned to continue offering the course.

* Missouri…

The Missouri Supreme Court upheld a state law requiring school attendance after two Lebanon, Missouri, parents were sentenced to jail following excessive absences by their children.

Court documents indicated that during the 2021-2022 academic year, a first-grade student missed nine days of school, while a kindergartner missed seven days without any explanation. […]

The two mothers, Caitlyn Williams and Tamarae Larue, took their case to the Supreme Court, arguing that the state law mandating “regular” attendance lacks clarity. […]

Williams received a one-week jail sentence for her first grader’s attendance, while Tamarae Larue was sentenced to 15 days in jail for her kindergartner’s attendance. Larue later agreed to serve on a two-year probation. […]

“I don’t know that jailing parents — and these were both single moms, I want to point out — taking them out of their households and away from their children, when the issue is the children attending school,” [Family law attorney Susan Guthrie] said. “I think the ends are not justified by the needs.”

* Texas…

The Justice Department scoffed Thursday at Texas’ assertion it’s free to install anti-migrant buoys in the Rio Grande, regardless of treaties and federal law, because “Texas purportedly is being ‘invaded’” by migrants.

“Whether and when an `invasion’ occurs is a matter of foreign policy and national defense, which the Constitution specifically commits to the federal government,” the Justice Department argued.

A federal judge in Austin will hear arguments Tuesday as the Biden administration tries to force Gov. Greg Abbott to remove the $850,000 floating barrier deployed near Eagle Pass last month. […]

The evidence includes a survey showing that Texas put most of the buoys on the wrong side of the border, and excerpts from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in 1848, where Mexico gave up its claims to Texas three years after statehood.

* North Carolina…

Transgender youth in North Carolina lost access Wednesday to gender-affirming medical treatments after the Republican-led General Assembly overrode the governor’s vetoes of that legislation and other bills touching on gender in sports and LGBTQ+ instruction in the classroom.

GOP supermajorities in the House and Senate enacted — over Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s opposition — a bill barring medical professionals from providing hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs and surgical gender-transition procedures to anyone under 18, with limited exceptions.

The law takes effect immediately. But minors who had begun treatment before Aug. 1 may continue receiving that care if their doctors deem it medically necessary and their parents consent.

North Carolina becomes the 22nd state to enact legislation restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. But most face legal challenges, and local LGBTQ+ rights advocates vow to take the ban to court. The Senate voted 27-18 to complete the veto override after the House voted 74-45 earlier. Two House Democrats joined all present Republicans in supporting the override bid.

* Florida…

This year, Florida lawmakers made national headlines for approving anti-LGBTQ+ measures. And as those laws went into effect, they have pushed a majority of transgender Floridians to consider leaving the state, according to results of a survey released Thursday morning.

The survey, co-sponsored and released by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, found that four of five transgender people wanted — or were planning — to leave Florida for another state or country because of gender-affirming care bans. More than 93% stated that they feel less safe now than they did before the laws. […]

Almost 80% of trans people — and 45% of other LGBTQ+ adults — reported that bans on gender-affirming care affect their or their loved ones’ physical or mental health.

More than 80% of trans people — and more than 76% of other LGBTQ+ adults — felt that bans on gender-affirming care worsen stereotypes, discrimination, hate and stigma.

* Oklahoma…

After two failed efforts in the state legislature to define a woman and a man based on their sex assigned at birth, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order limiting those definitions, the latest blow to transgender rights in the state.

The order, which along with government agencies applies to schools and state institutions, stipulates definitions for certain terms, like “man,” “boy,” “woman,” “girl,” “father,” and “mother.” The narrow definitions in the so-called “Women’s Bill of Rights” exclude trans and nonbinary people or anyone whose gender does not fit into the binary categories of woman or man. The order’s language does not make room for those with chromosomal variations, like intersex people. […]

Nicole McAfee, executive director of Freedom Oklahoma, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, said the directive is “neither about rights, nor is it about protecting women.”

It “instead opens the door for further civil rights violations that open all women to being harassed and targeted as they have their femininity assessed and judged by a public who feels increased permission to police gender,” they said.

* Kentucky, Mississippi and Virginia…

Voters in the South will elect dozens of local prosecutors this November. But the proceedings are overshadowed by Southern state governments’ escalating maneuvers to undercut the will of voters in prosecutor races—fueled in part by Republican anger against some prosecutors’ policies of not enforcing low-level charges and new abortion bans.

Mississippi this year removed predominantly white sections of Hinds County, the majority-Black county that’s home to Jackson, from the control of its Black district attorney. Georgia reacted similarly to recent wins by DAs of color: It cut off a white county from a circuit that had elected a Black prosecutor, and also set up a new state agency with the power to fire DAs. Last week, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis suspended Orlando’s elected Democratic prosecutor, citing disagreements with her office’s approach to prosecution, one year after he similarly replaced Tampa’s Democratic prosecutor with a member of the Federalist Society. […]

Still, the electoral cycle churns on. There will be 123 local prosecutor races across Kentucky, Mississippi, and Virginia—the only three Southern states voting on this office in 2023.

The lion’s share is in Virginia, a state that may soon experience its own version of this dynamic. Republican officials have wanted to crack down on reform prosecutors but have not been able to push their proposals through so far; they may try again in 2024 if they gain the legislature. In the meantime, these policy debates are playing out in a more usual place—the electoral arena. […]

Mississippi also features challenges to three Democratic prosecutors who have, to varying degrees, implemented some priorities of criminal justice reformers, such as expanding alternatives to incarceration or vowing to not prosecute abortion cases. Their opponents have indicated that they wish to reel back some of these efforts.

* Georgia…

A Georgia school board voted along party lines Thursday to fire a teacher after officials said she improperly read a book on gender fluidity to her fifth grade class.

The Cobb County School Board in suburban Atlanta voted 4-3 to fire Katie Rinderle, overriding the recommendation of a panel of three retired educators. The panel found after a two-day hearing that Rinderle had violated district policies, but said she should not be fired.

She had been a teacher for 10 years when she got into trouble in March for reading the picture book “My Shadow Is Purple” by Scott Stuart at Due West Elementary School, after which some parents complained. […]

Cobb County adopted a rule barring teaching on controversial issues in 2022, after Georgia lawmakers earlier that year enacted laws barring the teaching of “divisive concepts” and creating a parents’ bill of rights. The divisive concepts law, although it addresses teaching on race, bars teachers from “espousing personal political beliefs.” The bill of rights guarantees that parents have “the right to direct the upbringing and the moral or religious training of his or her minor child.”

Rinderle is believed to be the first public school teacher in Georgia to be fired because of the laws. None of the board members discussed the decision, but school district lawyer Sherry Culves said at the hearing that discussing gender identity and gender fluidity was inappropriate.

  20 Comments      


Always read the bill

Monday, Aug 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From WGLT…

Joshua Livingston has been indicted on — but pleaded not guilty to — three counts of first-degree murder and one count of homicidal death related to [Melissa] Ostrom’s disappearance […]

A domestic battery complaint filed March 22 against Livingston points to the volatile relationship he had with his girlfriend. The 42-year-old was accused of grabbing and throwing his 39-year-old partner to the ground 10 days earlier, on March 12. Livingston was released March 27 after posting $200, the required 10% of his $2,000 bond.

* The reason I’m posting this story is that McLean County State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds insists she would’ve had to release Livingston if the SAFE-T Act had been in place…

Reynolds said she’s concerned about how interpretations of the new law will impact domestic violence situations.

“We may be in a scenario in which there will be no way to hold a misdemeanor defendant, which is typically your domestic violence cases – unless there’s some type of other circumstances that would make it a felony,” Reynolds said.

The way that the court system determines whether a person should be released from jail still includes a person’s potential flight risk and their risk to the safety of the victim and community.

Supporters of the Pretrial Fairness Act stressed those points Friday as they pushed back on Reynolds’ comments. They say domestic violence is, in fact, one of several misdemeanors eligible for detention – and that the new law could ultimately provide more latitude to hold defendants deemed to be a threat, not less. They also note support for the bill came, in part, from organizations like the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Reynolds on Friday doubled down on her interpretation of the law, saying in a statement that her comments are part of “my job to inform the public about what may or may not happen when the SAFE-T Act takes effect.” Reynolds said her opinion stems from arguments made in favor of the SAFE-T Act before the Illinois Supreme Court by the bill’s proponents.

“The proponents of the bill publicly made other suggestions but argued during the litigation that holding a defendant in pretrial detention on misdemeanor offenses, including domestic battery offenses, would violate a defendant’s rights,” the statement read. “Consistent with that theory, as I have stated before, we may find ourselves in a situation in which we will be unable to hold anyone charged with a misdemeanor pretrial, including domestic battery defendants.”

* Reynolds should read the actual law…

In determining which conditions of pretrial release, if any, will reasonably ensure the appearance of a defendant as required or the safety of any other person or the community and the likelihood of compliance by the defendant with all the conditions of pretrial release, the court shall, on the basis of available information, take into account such matters as […]

(6) when a person is charged with a violation of a protective order, domestic battery, aggravated domestic battery, kidnapping, aggravated kidnaping, unlawful restraint, aggravated unlawful restraint, cyberstalking, harassment by telephone, harassment through electronic communications, or an attempt to commit first degree murder committed against a spouse or a current or former partner in a cohabitation or dating relationship, regardless of whether an order of protection has been issued against the person, the court may consider the following additional factors:

    (A) whether the alleged incident involved harassment or abuse, as defined in the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986;
    (B) whether the person has a history of domestic violence, as defined in the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, or a history of other criminal acts;
    (C) the mental health of the person;
    (D) whether the person has a history of violating the orders of any court or governmental entity;
    (E) whether the person has been, or is, potentially a threat to any other person;
    (F) whether the person has access to deadly weapons or a history of using deadly weapons;
    (G) whether the person has a history of abusing alcohol or any controlled substance;
    (H) the severity of the alleged incident that is the basis of the alleged offense, including, but not limited to, the duration of the current incident, and whether the alleged incident involved the use of a weapon, physical injury, sexual assault, strangulation, abuse during the alleged victim’s pregnancy, abuse of pets, or forcible entry to gain access to the alleged victim;
    (I) whether a separation of the person from the victim of abuse or a termination of the relationship between the person and the victim of abuse has recently occurred or is pending;
    (J) whether the person has exhibited obsessive or controlling behaviors toward the victim of abuse, including, but not limited to, stalking, surveillance, or isolation of the victim of abuse or the victim’s family member or members;
    (K) whether the person has expressed suicidal or homicidal ideations; and
    (L) any other factors deemed by the court to have a reasonable bearing upon the defendant’s propensity or reputation for violent, abusive, or assaultive behavior, or lack of that behavior.

Instead of a she-said, he-said, maybe point to the actual law. Or, at the very least, reference this Illinois Supreme Court explainer.

My suspicion is that the state’s attorney is pointing fingers because Livingston was released on such low bond.

  30 Comments      


Question of the day

Monday, Aug 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Title of a recent Reddit post…

Who do you think should be Governor after JB leaves?

Make sure to explain your answer. Thanks.

  58 Comments      


Delivery Helps Chicago Restaurants Grow On Uber Eats

Monday, Aug 21, 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.

  Comments Off      


I don’t think I’ll ever understand Mapes’ rationale

Monday, Aug 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…

I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand why Tim Mapes allowed himself to be put into this situation.

Not one of the lies former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s former chief of staff is accused of telling a grand jury while under a grant of immunity was about illegal activity. During his two hours on the stand and through 650 questions, he was never once asked if he’d witnessed any sort of crime or suspected wrongdoing by others. And now he’s standing trial on federal charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

His alleged lies were in response to fairly benign queries, like, for instance: “Did [Madigan’s top lieutenant Mike McClain], after he retired, kind of give you any insight into what his interactions with [Madigan] were that you weren’t privy to personally?”

Mapes’ response: “No, that wouldn’t — that wouldn’t happen.”

But it did happen. And the feds recorded quite a few instances of it happening.

That’s another thing about those questions: The feds didn’t ask Mapes anything they didn’t already know in advance.

And Mapes knew all too well that the government was likely listening in. Mapes testified to the grand jury in February 2021. The Chicago Tribune reported as far back as November 2019 that investigators had tapped McClain’s mobile phone. McClain has since been convicted based in part on those very recordings.

The feds basically set a trap for Mapes with the grand jury. Mapes knew the trap was likely there, but then he jumped right in anyway.

Maybe he was just being a tough guy like in a gangster movie.

But this is real life, not a movie, and the man has a real-life family. And he wasn’t being asked to say anything particularly incriminating of either Madigan or McClain.

The federal government doesn’t usually ask a judge to involuntarily impose immunity on a witness to compel grand jury testimony under oath if that witness has been cooperative during an investigation. I’ve assumed all along Mapes really ticked off government investigators during the interview process.

There are those who say Mapes was so arrogant after decades of amassing power that he couldn’t shake the habit while on the stand. And his strict Madigan gate-keeper status (a sign on his office wall read: “Nobody gets in to see the Wizard”) may have naturally compelled him to mum up under questioning.

His non-answers to simple questions about whether Madigan had “any sort of esteem or regard” for the late Mayor Richard J. Daley or if Madigan ever talked about Daley points to that. Madigan loved to talk about old man Daley, who Madigan used as a model for his entire political and patronage structure.

That Madigan wouldn’t have ever spoken to his highest level employee about his political idol and personal mentor is truly difficult to believe.

Mapes, in the end, just seemed like he wouldn’t cop to anything.

And now he’s looking at up to 20 years in prison for an obstruction of justice charge and another 5 years for perjury.

None of the federal government’s released recordings of Mapes’ conversations show that anyone he spoke with talked about actually committing a crime. The government apparently didn’t have Mapes on anything. I suppose Mapes might have been trying to protect himself about something else, but he probably would’ve received a far better deal if he’d just fessed up then.

Aside from opening statements and cross-examination, we have as of this writing yet to hear Mapes’ full defense. His lawyers have claimed in previous filings that the feds have twisted Mapes’ deliberately careful and cautious answers into lies.

That’s also difficult to believe in its entirety.

“I have no knowledge or recall of that,” Mapes said during his grand jury appearance when asked if McClain had been in contact with a House member whom McClain wanted to push out of the legislature after a very public scandal that was never actually proved to be true.

“But according to the wiretapped calls, [the legislator in question] was a frequent topic of conversation between Mapes and McClain,” Hannah Meisel reported for Capitol News Illinois last week. She then gave her readers some examples.

Mapes was widely considered to have a very detailed memory when he was Madigan’s chief of staff, but maybe he did somehow forget. Even so, he most certainly had “knowledge” of the calls because he was on them.

Other Madigan “made men” have testified for the prosecution in Mapes’ trial, so perhaps Mapes believes he did the honorable thing by not fully cooperating. But those other folks are going home to their families. Mapes may not.

Your thoughts?

  40 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Monday, Aug 21, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  Comments Off      


Open thread

Monday, Aug 21, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

  2 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Monday, Aug 21, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Here you go…

  9 Comments      


Live coverage

Monday, Aug 21, 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.

  1 Comment      


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