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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
Beth Hundsdorfer recently reported a camera at the facility catching a mental health technician assaulting a patient, but it took 11 days for anyone to take action. * Illinois Department of Human Services…
* Ballot Access News | Illinois Legislature Passes Bill Moving Petition Deadline for Independent Candidates and the Nominees of Unqualified Parties from June to May: The bill had been introduced early this year on the subject of Crohns and Colitis Awareness, health concerns that do not relate to election law. But on May 23, the Senate deleted all the original contents of the bill and substituted various election law provisions, including the ballot access restrictions. It passed the Senate in its new version on May 24, and passed the House again on May 25. It was sent to Governor J. B. Pritzker on June 6. The news media has not reported on the bill’s ballot access restrictions. The bill does not take effect until 2025. * Block Club | New Law Will Ensure Nearly 1 Million Asian Americans Can Access Vital State Services In Native Languages: On May 23, Illinois lawmakers passed the Language Equity and Access Act, following a rally in Springfield of more than 300 Asian American community members who protested for language justice. The act aims to transform language access across Illinois for limited English-proficient individuals by requiring state agencies to provide adequate and timely oral and written language services in more than a dozen languages. It now awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature. * WICS | Illinois awards $6.9 million to boost urban forestry in disadvantaged areas: The Morton Arboretum announced its selection of the 22 urban forestry projects in priority communities in Illinois which receive funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, under the direction of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). [Arboretum President and CEO Jill Koski said] reported that the organization received 61 applications requesting more than $14 million from communities meeting federal guidelines for disadvantaged areas. * WBEZ | Feds investigating last year’s massive data breach at Cook County hospital system: WBEZ obtained a copy of the subpoena last week, after suing Cook County Health in April for violating the state’s open-records law. Justice Department officials did not return messages, while the spokespeople for Pasqual and the FBI declined to comment, saying in a statement that agency policy prevents officials from commenting “on the nature of any investigation that may be occurring.” * Sun-Times | Southwest suburban residents plead guilty in Jan. 6 case: Kelly Lynn Fontaine and Bryan Dula of Lockport were charged earlier this year and accused of spending 11 minutes inside the Capitol building that day. They are among nearly 50 known Illinois residents to face federal criminal charges connected to the attack. Fontaine and Dula each pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, records show. Their sentencing is set for Oct. 1. * Daily Southtown | Palos Hospital clinic brings recovery a step closer for Oak Forest double lung transplant patient: Northwestern performed the first double-lung transplant in 2020 and its Double Lung Replacement and Multidisciplinary Care program has now performed double-lung transplants on 40 patients, including Knight, at the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute in Chicago. * Crain’s | Medical debt weighs on Chicagoans even when they have health insurance: Despite 91% of Cook County’s 5 million residents having health care coverage, 13% have medical debt in collections, according to nonprofit research organization the Urban Institute. In general, half of U.S. adults are unable to pay an unexpected medical bill of $500 in full, according to recent data by KFF, a nonprofit health policy research, polling and news organization. * Block Club | Holiday Club In Uptown Would Be Replaced With Apartments Under Plan: During the meeting, Paul Dincin, Catapult Real Estate Solutions founder, said he’d be “happy to talk to [the Holiday Club] if they’re interested in the space we have, if it fits with their business plan versus finding other space right in the area.” […] But Dincin said he wasn’t sure if it would be feasible for Holiday Club to return, given the smaller retail space available and the likelihood that demolition and construction could take up to two years. * Crain’s | Hancock tower observation deck operator buys Signature Room space: Managing Director Nichole Benolken said 360 Chicago is “exploring a number of options for the space.” “I can confirm that we’re not planning on reopening a restaurant at this time, but beyond that, our team is in the very early development stages, and we’ll have more information to share in the coming months,” Benolken said in a statement. * WBEZ | What’s That Building? An architectural tour of the Lakefront Trail: Built in 1916 to replace the smaller clubhouse of a private organization with a nine-hole golf course, Marshall and Fox — the architects behind the Blackstone and Drake hotels — designed this Mediterranean fantasy(South Shore Cultural Center). The Chicago Park District bought the South Shore Cultural Center in 1975. Two of the building’s most quintessentially Chicago moments are when it was used as The Palace Hotel in The Blues Brothers movie in 1980 and when it was the site of future President Barack Obama and future first lady Michelle Obama’s wedding reception in 1992. * Illinois Times | Lakeisha Purchase violated IDOT policy, report says: Lakeisha Purchase took part in phone calls unrelated to her job at the Illinois Department of Transportation for almost half of the time she was supposed to be working during an 18-month period in 2021 and 2022, a state report says. Purchase, 35, a former Capital Township trustee and the Springfield Ward 5 alderperson since September 2021, quit her job as an IDOT supportive services specialist on July 5, 2023, after 14 years with the department. * WREX | RFD passengers to take flight on inaugural flight to LAX: Los Angeles is the second of two new destinations offered at RFD this year with Nashville flights being added and taking off since last month. In January, three international destinations will be added to RFD’s lineup and will offer travelers a wider range of travel opportunities. * Rockford Register Star | Rockford to offer $500K to local manufacturer for expansion: Rockford officials are proposing an incentive package to help the family-owned Slidematic Precision Components expand its operations at 1303 and 1325 Samuelson Road. Slidematic engineers and manufactures cold-headed fasteners and provides supply-chain management for customers internationally. It is planning a 45,000-square-foot addition to its 190,000-square-foot Samuelson Road operation. * Journal Courier | Writer Pensoneau to cover familiar topic in program on governors: “I’ve known a lot of them personally,” said Pensoneau, a statehouse reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1965 to 1978. “I have an idea what they are really like.” Pensoneau will present “Inside Revelations of the High and Mighty,” an inside look at governors of Illinois over the past half-century, at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Carlinville Public Library. The program is free and open to the public. * Bloomberg | Ventilator-maker Vyaire goes bankrupt as COVID-19 demand wanes: The Mettawa-based provider of medical equipment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Sunday, listing assets of as much as $500 million and liabilities of up to $1 billion. The company said it intends to sell all its assets and is seeking approval to keep operating through the sales process. Vyaire, which develops breathing technology, experienced significantly higher demand for its products during Covid. But pandemic-related supply chain disruptions diminished the company’s cash flow, while increased competition hurt its business. Vyaire has lost over 10% of its market share in its ventilation segment since Covid infections began to wane.
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Question of the day
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Should Illinois Democrats try to do this, too? Explain your answer…
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Rides For Moms Provides Transportation To Prenatal Care
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Surgo Ventures partnered with Uber Health and local health centers to provide transportation assistance to expectant mothers facing transportation challenges to their prenatal appointments. Across one city, the initiative covered over 30,000 miles, ensuring over 450 participants reached their prenatal appointments without hassle. One participant shared, ‘There were days when I didn’t want to get up from bed. Knowing that someone was going to pick me up… made me feel safer.’ With programs like Rides for Moms, transportation is no longer a barrier for new mothers to access essential medical care. Learn more
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Work your bills, people
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Press release…
Rep. Niemerg filed that bill last October, 234 days ago. Niemerg has since picked up exactly zero co-sponsors. He didn’t even bother to sign up his fellow Eastern Bloc members. If the object is to issue a press release and maybe convince your local news outlets that you’re working hard for the district and that the super-majority is just cold and callous to the people you represent, then by all means carry on. If you want to pass a House bill to make things better for your community, however, you need 60 House votes, not 1. And then you need 30 in the Senate. And then a gubernatorial signature. Success doesn’t happen by magic. Success takes work.
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PPIL: More than 90 percent of Carbondale Health Center’s abortion patients are from out of state
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Planned Parenthood of Illinois…
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Musical interlude
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Some clips of Buddy Guy’s powerful performance yesterday…
* The Sun-Times’ Selena Fragassi…
Buddy Guy’s full performance was not recorded, but you can click here to watch performances from the Cash Box Kings, a tribute to Otis Spann.
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Gotion under fire
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Wall St. Journal…
The letters from Sen. Rubio, US Rep. Darin LaHood and others are here and here. * But this goes beyond Gotion. AF…
That’s a huge portion of the industry. * Reuters…
* Pritzker spokesperson Alex Gough…
* Jeanne Ives is jumping in, appearing on WLS Radio to attack Gotion and releasing statements like this…
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Bad law takes a turn for the worse (Updated)
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
…Adding… Sara Albrecht at the Liberty Justice Center…
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Open thread
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Governor Pritzker heads to Canada to discuss trade opportunities. SJ-R…
- The delegation will tour the Lion Electric headquarters in Montreal, an electric vehicle manufacturer who opened the nation’s largest EV facility in Joliet last July, and North America’s largest urban innovation hub, MaRS Discovery District, to discuss potential quantum investments. * Related stories…
∙ Politico: Pritzker taking show on the road * Healthy Illinois…
* Chicago Reader | Illinois promised to help with funeral costs for children lost to gun violence. Only two families benefitted: But almost a year after the measure went into effect, only eight people across the state have applied. Two of them have received funds. That number is far below the 106 juveniles who’ve been fatally shot in Chicago alone since July 1, 2022, and whose families could have been eligible to apply for the funding. Across the state, 203 died in a similar manner. These unexpected deaths leave families to cope with overwhelming grief as well as thousands of dollars in burial costs. The statewide compensation program is meant to relieve families of these financial burdens but, despite the bill’s clear guidelines for how to publicize it, it’s reaching just a few applicants. The bill passed unanimously, but the program’s advocates were uncertain if the program was open a year later, until they were contacted by a Trace reporter. * WCIA | State Representative thanks first responders after a deer got stuck in his office: State Representative Jason R. Bunting is thanking Watseka first responders for their quick response after a deer got stuck in his office on Friday. According to Bunting, the deer jumped and broke through a window at the building, before getting stuck inside. Watseka EMS, Fire and Police Departments all responded to the scene. * WBEZ | Illinois Legislature puts the brakes on a carbon capture boom: “It does offer some really good protections for Illinois that are needed at a time when we are not just anticipating projects —- but those projects are moving forward rapidly,” said Pam Richart, the co-founder of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, an environmental advocacy group that has been organizing across southern and central Illinois. The sweeping package of new rules breaks down into three categories: requirements for how carbon emissions must be captured, regulations around pipeline construction, and rules for what happens once the carbon is stored underground. * Crain’s | Biz leaders give Pritzker, legislators solid marks after spring session: In separate interviews, the heads of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, Illinois Retail Merchants Association and Illinois Chamber of Commerce all cited progress on things such as cutting back on the state’s franchise tax and expanded efforts to lure the emerging quantum computing industry and more TV and film production here. Business would have liked more, all three conceded. But with all three branches of state government controlled by Democrats, “We’re making the best lemonade we can,” chamber CEO Les Sandoval put it. “I’m a realist.” Still, he added, “There are a lot of plusses.” * WBEZ | Chair of Illinois Democratic Party floats state law granting work permits to immigrants: Illinois State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, said she is exploring state legislation that could grant work permits to all unauthorized immigrant workers in Illinois. That would include the thousands of migrants who have arrived in Illinois over the last two years, and an estimated 400,000-plus longtime undocumented immigrant workers. Hernandez spoke at a press conference Friday, championing a recent state resolution urging President Joe Biden to use his executive power to grant work permits to all immigrants. * WGEM | DCSF receives more money from new Illinois budget: Illinois lawmakers passed the new state budget Wednesday, which included an additional $50.3 million for the Department of Children and Family Services. Local organizations who partner with DCFS say that money will benefit them as well. Todd Shackleford, the executive director of the Advocacy Network for Children, said they get money from DCFS and the boost gives their organizations much needed help, as they have had a 16% increase in clientele this year. * Pantagraph | Proposal to shield farm families from estate tax doesn’t move in Springfield: The concept, introduced as a standalone bill in January by state Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, and state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, was not among the tax code changes that were included in a massive revenue package that passed alongside the state’s fiscal year 2025 budget last month. […] Koehler told Lee Enterprises that a legislative push on estate tax relief is unlikely during the fall veto session in November, but that he expects it’s “gonna be part of the next year’s budget discussions.” * Center Square | Pretrial service expansion awaits Pritzker’s signature: House Bill 4621 was sent to the governor’s desk for signature and would create the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services, allowing it to provide pretrial services to circuit courts and counties that don’t currently have pretrial services agencies. There has been an explosion of pretrial hearings since cash bail was eliminated with the Pretrial Fairness Act, a component of the SAFE-T Act. * Daily Herald | Illinois to consider the ‘Future of Gas’ in unprecedented regulatory proceeding: Between electric vehicles and all-electric buildings, electrification has emerged as a leading tool in the fight against climate change. But if we start to plug everything into the grid, where does that leave Illinois’ extensive natural gas system? It’s a question the Illinois Commerce Commission is looking to answer. The regulatory body, which oversees Illinois’ investor-owned utilities, initiated what’s called a “Future of Gas” proceeding this March. The process will “evaluate the impacts of Illinois’ current decarbonization and electrification goals on the natural gas system,” according to the commission website. * Tribune | With soy products booming, Illinois farmers have their eyes on clean, green innovation: Todd Main, director of marketing development for the association, said the innovation center will not only commercialize new uses of soy, but also create jobs in Illinois. “Because about 60% of Illinois soybeans go overseas, we have a broader focus than a lot of other states because we have to have a good relationship with buyers all over the world,” Main said. * Sun-Times | How do I change my name and gender marker? A guide to Illinois’ system for the LGBTQ+ community: In 2019, legislation out of the statehouse paved the way for the state to add an “X” gender marker to designate a nonbinary identity, or one that doesn’t fall under male or female. Last year the state made it so that people can choose the gender on their birth certificate without medical documentation. A way to reduce costs for name changes, which currently can exceed several hundred dollars, is also in the works. * Tribune | Black Chicago drivers more likely to be stopped by police than to get traffic camera tickets, study finds: The findings, published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, follow years of scrutiny of racial disparities in Chicago traffic stops. They also come amid renewed debate about the use of the stops, as outgoing Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx unveiled a controversial proposal to decline to prosecute possession cases when guns or drugs are found during traffic stops initiated for reasons like expired registration or a broken light. Officials also recently moved to add oversight of traffic stops to a federal consent decree guiding Chicago Police Department reform. * Tribune | Migrant woman searches for husband who has vanished, a common occurrence as men struggle to find jobs: Licensed therapists and those working closely with migrants say the frustration and shame felt by men of not being able to provide for their families may be a factor in their choice to just walk away. “We see cases like that,” said Ana Gil-Garcia, founder of the Illinois Venezuelan Alliance, who has led informational sessions for migrants at dozens of shelters across the city. “When men can’t provide, they decide to leave. They don’t take responsibility — and then mom is left with the children.” * Tribune | Democratic National Convention poised to drive up hotel room rates this summer — even more than Lollapalooza: Lollapalooza is typically the busiest weekend of the year for Chicago’s hotels, but 50,000 people flocking here for the Democratic National Convention this August are pushing hotel room rates even higher. The average rate during the DNC is $534.88 a night, according to a Sun-Times search of downtown hotel rates during three major events taking place in the city this year — the convention, Lollapalooza and NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend. The search, which was conducted Thursday, looked at hotels within a one-mile radius of downtown Chicago. * WBEZ | Northwestern is so busy it’s cutting back on scheduling patients for induced labors: That’s even though Northwestern led a national study that found inducing low-risk women at 39 weeks instead of letting labor happen naturally reduces the rate of Cesarean sections and decreases complications for mothers and babies. C-sections can be life-saving, but also are major surgeries with potential consequences that disproportionately affect Black women, research shows, such as infections and hysterectomies. * Tribune | Country’s first documented gay rights organization started 100 years ago in Old Town: A plaque in the sidewalk outside the building where he lived on the second floor notes it is a Chicago landmark, explaining that the home was where Gerber wrote at least the first of the two published issues of “Friendship and Freedom,” the first documented gay periodical in America. * Tribune | Mom of Palestinian boy who was fatally stabbed in Will County files suit against alleged killer: Shahin’s attorney, John Simon, said the lawsuit, filed late last month in Will County Circuit Court, had been delayed due to the federal hate crime investigation that is currently underway and which has limited some discovery. “We are welcoming the opportunity to get to the bottom of what caused this man to do this and who knew about it,” he said. “This is a racially and religiously charged incident and anyone who had any ability to stop it should have intervened.” * Daily Herald | ‘We’ve got to be ready’: Suburban police gearing up for political conventions this summer: With the national political conventions in Chicago and Milwaukee just weeks away, some suburban law enforcement agencies are preparing for an influx of visitors as well as protests and other activities that could require their intervention. The Lake County sheriff’s office and the Rosemont Public Safety Department already have been asked to assist Chicago police when the Democratic National Convention occurs Aug. 19-22 at the United Center. * SJ-R | 3 a.m. alcohol sales could be coming to an end in Springfield: If the ordinance were to clear the committee of the whole meeting and pass through full city council, bars would have to stop serving alcohol at 1 a.m. This would take effect Jan. 1, 2025. The proposed change would include during the Illinois State Fair when Springfield locations have previously been granted temporary 3 a.m. sale permits for packaged alcohol. * WCIA | Boat races return to Lake Decatur after two decades: Hardy’s Highway Race for the Lake returned on Saturday. A total of 64 boats from throughout the country turned out to race. The event did have a wind delay which pushed back the event later into the afternoon. […] Upwards of 30 sponsors from the community helped to make it happen. Races will continue into Sunday night. Organizers say the race will be back in Decatur for years to come.
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Live coverage
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Prince would’ve been 66 today. Turn it all the way up… It’s time we all reach out for something new
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Pritzker signs revenue omnibus, bond authorization and Medicaid omnibus into law
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Friday news dump press release…
The revenue omnibus contains tax hikes, continuing a tax hike that was supposed to expire and, among other things, this…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Background is here if you need it. Ben Szalinski… 
* Tribune…
…Adding… Press release…
* NBC Chicago | Illinois to offer 4 ‘Free Fishing Days,’ where you won’t need a license to fish: According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Free Fishing Days will happen June 14-17. Any Illinois residents can fish without purchasing a license, salmon stamp or inland trout stamp, according to IDNR officials. Several communities will also host events in celebration of the free fishing days, including Will County’s Hidden Lakes Trout Farm, which will feature three days of giveaways and events, according to officials. * NBC Chicago | Payments begin for class-action Instagram settlement in Illinois. What to know: Check your bank accounts: Instagram users who were part of a $68 million class-action settlement in Illinois have started receiving their payouts. According to users, many started receiving their settlement checks or automatic payments Friday. Many users reported receiving about $32 for their claims. * Capitol News Illinois | Time running out to net and protect young plants from cicada-related damage: While Illinois’ dual emergence of periodical cicada broods is harmless to people and animals, young trees may sustain serious damage if not protected by mid-June, experts at The Morton Arboretum said. This is the first co-emergence of these two broods since 1803, researcher Katie Dana from the Illinois Natural History Survey told Capitol News Illinois, making it a truly once-in-a-lifetime event. Although each brood will appear in 2037 and 2041, respectively, the 221-year-long cycle means the next time both broods emerge at the same time will happen in 2245. * Daily Herald | Is double elimination an answer for IHSA baseball, softball?: Alas, I doubt a double-elimination format will fly in the IHSA. A proposal could be submitted and advanced to a vote by the member schools, but would there be any support. Three full days of games is an awfully long commitment. The four semifinalists would have to arrive to the tournament site on Wednesday. The finalists probably couldn’t leave until Sunday if they played that decisive seventh game. * Sun-Times | Chicago’s homeless population increased threefold, a city snapshot shows, owing largely to migrants: More than 18,800 Chicagoans experienced homelessness on a single night in January — a threefold increase over last year that was largely driven by 13,900 asylum-seekers who had no permanent place to stay. The estimates released Friday come from the city’s annual snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night. This year’s point-in-time count was conducted on Jan. 25 — shortly after the city saw its peak of the number of migrants it sheltered. During the count, 13,679 asylum-seekers were living in shelters, with 212 unsheltered. * Sun-Times | PPP fraud was fueled in part by brokers taking kickbacks but escaping punishment, Sun-Times finds: In one case, the Chicago Housing Authority revoked a rent voucher for a woman accused of getting fraudulent loans through the federal Paycheck Protection Program that a broker on Facebook offered to arrange. And six fired Illinois state government workers also said they kicked back parts of their loans. But the people arranging them escaped punishment. * Sun-Times | Another summer, another debate over teen curfews as downtown residents question their effectiveness: “I think all one has to do is just google ‘How effective are teen curfews?’ and you’ll find almost all the research indicates they are ineffective at controlling crime,” Jim Wales, president of South Loop Neighbors, told the Sun-Times. […] Wales, who also sits on the Grant Park Advisory Board and has a background in law enforcement, said he understands the need to respond to these “horrendous situations.” As a resident, Wales also wants violent crime to be addressed, but cautioned council members against passing laws that “aren’t necessarily effective in dealing with that problem.” * Crain’s | Chicago has third-most Fortune 500 companies in the U.S.: Chicago is now home to 15 companies ranked on the 2024 Fortune 500 list, the third-most in the U.S. after New York City with 41 companies and Houston with 21. Last year, Chicago only had 13 companies making the esteemed list and didn’t even place among the top three cities — Atlanta came in third. The two new companies on this year’s edition include GE HealthCare and Kellanova. Last year, Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg split into two separate publicly traded companies: WK Kellogg, which is still based in Battle Creek, and Kellanova, which is headquartered in Chicago. * Tribune | Federal racketeering charges accuse two reputed gang members with slaying of National Guard cadet: Weeks after a high-profile FBI raid on a quiet Lincoln Square street, federal racketeering charges have been unsealed accusing two gang members in the 2021 drive-by slaying of a teenage National Guard member on the Northwest Side. Gary Roberson, who goes by the nickname “Gotti,” and Joseph Matos, whose street name is “Troubles,” were charged in an indictment unsealed Thursday with murder in furtherance of racketeering conspiracy, which could bring the death penalty if convicted, court records show. * Tribune | Bally’s Chicago rebounds with record revenue in May, as Freedom Center nears demolition to make way for permanent casino: The gaming revenue represented a 13% increase from April, when Bally’s saw its first month-over-month decline since the temporary casino opened at Medinah Temple in September. Bally’s Chicago admissions were up 5% for May to nearly 119,000 visitors, ranking second behind Rivers Casino Des Plaines, which remains the busiest and top revenue-generating casino in the state, according to the monthly data. * WBEZ | How blues legend Buddy Guy made his indelible mark on Chicago: “Anyone who has never seen Buddy Guy before, this is the time to do it,” said Brother Jacob, aka Jacob Schulz, a Chicago blues singer and blues history aficionado who hosts a show on the Buddy Guy Radio internet station. “He really puts on a masterclass during his performances, and I think they get better and better every year.” * Block Club | NASCAR Street Race Closures Start Monday. Here’s Where To Avoid: Pre-race closures for July’s NASCAR Street Race start early Monday morning Downtown. Ida B. Wells Drive will close from Michigan Avenue to Columbus Drive for construction of the main viewing areas. The next set of closures is set to take place June 19 along Michigan Avenue. The NASCAR race is July 6-7, though the city will need 19 days in all for setting up and then tearing down the course. * IPM | New opponent emerges for Nikki Budzinski, with support from Green Party presidential hopeful Jill Stein: A 27-year-old Green Party candidate has entered the race for Congress in Illinois’ 13th District. On Thursday, Chibuihe “Chibu” Asonye stumped with Green Party presidential hopeful Jill Stein in Champaign-Urbana. Asonye is a residence hall director at the University of Illinois and a former Democrat. She says she tells her Democratic family and friends, that the party isn’t serving them. * Daily Herald | Will County Board OKs landfill consultant contract for ex-state tollway chairman: The hiring of [Robert Schillerstrom] reflects one more partisan divide in county government. Landfill oversight falls under the duties of County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, a Democrat. The county board, which is divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans, however, will have a say in the future of the landfill. * Daily Herald | Wheels, Inc. to lease more than a quarter of Zurich North America headquarters in Schaumburg: When that announcement was made last summer, Jones Lang LaSalle Senior Managing Director Andrea Van Gelder described a trend of companies gravitating to smaller but higher-quality office spaces. Zurich’s building would be the highest-end leasable space available in the region, she said. * Daily Herald | Habitat for Humanity building a 28-home subdivision in Carpentersville: Village trustees recently signed off on a 28-home subdivision proposed by Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity. It will be off Kings Road near Dundee Crown High School. The subdivision is named Carter Crossing after President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn, both longtime Habitat supporters. It will be one of the largest Habitat developments in Illinois, said Barbara Beckman, executive director of Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity. * NYT | Clarence Thomas, in Financial Disclosure, Acknowledges 2019 Trips Paid by Harlan Crow: Other Supreme Court justices chronicled their gifts, travel and money earned from books and teaching. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson reported receiving four concert tickets valued at about $3,700 from Beyoncé and $10,000 of artwork for her chambers from the Alabama artist and musician Lonnie Holley. * Arkansas Advocate | For some rural communities, a stripped-down hospital is better than none at all: On many days, some small hospitals in rural Mississippi admit just one patient — or none at all. The hospitals are drowning in debt. The small, tight-knit communities they’ve anchored for decades can do little but watch as the hospitals shed services and staff just to stay afloat. The federal government recently offered a lifeline: a new Medicare program designed to save dying rural hospitals that will pay them millions to stop offering inpatient services and instead focus on emergency care. * NewsGuard | Fake Local News Network Infects 49 States with Fake COVID-19 Death Claims: Metric Media operates a network consisting of locally branded websites across the U.S., with names such as East Arizona News, Nevada Business Daily, and Central Wisconsin News. In fact, those outlets are so-called pink slime sites, which are used by groups on the left and the right to influence voters with one-sided news coverage, undermining the overall trust in news. These secretly partisan sites masquerade as independent local news sites.
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Meanwhile… In Opposite Land
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Texas…
* Texas…
* Louisiana…
* Also in Louisiana…
* Utah…
* Texas…
* Colorado…
* Iowa…
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Martire: Spending on state’s four ‘core services’ about 10 percent lower than in FY2000
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Ralph Martire…
A big part of the reason for the spending discrepancy is that pensions were horribly under-funded in those days. During the upcoming fiscal year, mandated pension payments will be 19 percent of General Funds spending. Manageable, but way higher than it was in the old days, when pension funding was barely an after-thought. Whoever is elected governor in 22 years - after the pensions are fully funded - is gonna party like it’s 1999. Literally.
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Mendick’s eephus
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * This may turn out to be the high point of the entire White Sox season…
* From MLB.com…
Mendick threw seven eephuses (eephi?) out of 15 pitches yesterday. Feel free to use this post as an Illinois sports open thread.
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Alderpersons join legislative call on IDOT to rethink DuSable Lake Shore Drive plans
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Mack Liederman at Block Club Chicago…
* This House resolution passed unanimously last month…
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Pritzker to participate in US-Canada Summit next week
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Press release…
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There’s more than one makeup story in the news
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * This is definitely not a good look and will undoubtedly generate a kabillion clicks and hot takes…
* This allegation, however, could very well turn out to be illegal, even though it was buried at the end of an NBC5 story…
Wow.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Open thread
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Happy Friday! What’s up?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: ‘An impossible job’: Illinois DCFS comes under new leadership yet again amidst years of challenges. WBEZ…
- Reset checks in with the new leader of the embattled DCFS, Heidi Mueller, for how she plans to right the ship. * Related stories…
∙ ABC Chicago: New Illinois DCFS director Heidi Mueller reflects 100 days into role: ‘Where I was meant to be’ * WTTW | More Than Half of Migrants Forced to Leave City Shelters Immediately Returned, Chicago Officials Say: But the acknowledgement that approximately 500 people would be unhoused months after arriving in Chicago raises new questions about plans by officials to start evicting families with school-age children from city shelters Monday. The academic year for Chicago Public Schools students ended Friday, eliminating the dispensation granted to families with children. […] City officials do “not expect a mass exit from shelters” starting Monday because a “number of extensions remain in place and shelter exit dates are staggered according to when individuals entered the shelter,” according to a statement from Department of Family and Support Services Commissioner Brandie Knazze. * Sun-Times | White Sox blown out in franchise record 14th straight defeat: The White Sox set a franchise record with their 14th consecutive loss Thursday, routed 14-2 by the Red Sox. Surpassing a mark set by the 1924 team and extending the longest skid in the majors this season, the Sox lost for the 18th time in their last 19 games, tumbling to 15-48. * Tribune | Legislation would block carbon dioxide pipelines in Illinois for up to 2 years: “We’ve got a moratorium — that’s a good thing and we might get more safety measures depending on what (the federal regulators) do,” said Pam Richart, coordinator of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines. Still, she said, members of her coalition were dismayed that the bill didn’t ban or severely limit eminent domain, in which land can be taken from a nonconsenting owner for the public good. * Daily Herald | State senator hopes gas-leak detector bill can prevent catastrophes like house explosions: If Tuesday’s house explosion in Lake Zurich is determined to have been caused by a natural gas leak, one state senator from suburbs says it would be another example of the dangers he hopes his proposed legislation can prevent. Republican state Sen. Craig Wilcox of McHenry introduced the Fuel Gas Detector Act in February 2023, and hopes to continue negotiating for a version of it to become law during this summer’s veto session in Springfield. * Sports Handle | Illinois Gaming Board Renews 7 Retail Sports Betting Licenses: Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter renewed seven sports betting licenses for retail sportsbooks Thursday, the first such renewals since in the state since operators began taking wagers in March 2020. Fruchter, using the expanded powers delegated to him following the COVID-19 pandemic and since renewed on an annual basis, granted four-year license renewals through June 2028 to the following casinos: Argosy Casino Alton, DraftKings at Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, Hollywood Casino Aurora, Hollywood Casino Joliet, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, and Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino in East Peoria. * NBC Chicago | DNC protesters, Chicago officials seek compromise ahead of event: During a status hearing Thursday, Andrew Worseck, an attorney for the city, told federal Judge Andrea Wood city officials have finally obtained enough information from the U.S. Secret Service to propose another route. Part of the problem is officials with the Secret Service have not yet announced the security perimeter for the convention, though city officials have begun honing their strategies for the event. * Sun-Times | Mayor’s pricey hair and makeup: In one year, Brandon Johnson’s campaign has spent $30K on hair, makeup: Asked about Johnson’s spending — including his having a makeup artist paid a retainer, which hair and makeup sessions were for which events and whether any of the payments were for anyone other than the mayor — [the Johnson campaign’s Bill Neidhardt] says in a written statement: “The mayor does not spend taxpayer dollars in preparation for the many public appearances and events he attends every day. “Instead, he is using his own campaign funds to pay Black- and women-owned businesses a fair wage in compensation for their work in preparing the mayor and individuals associated with the campaign for public appearances, events, media segments and other availabilities. * Chalkbeat | CPS did not violate state law in moving to take over Urban Prep, appeals court rules: The court’s decision is the latest twist in a nearly two-year battle between Chicago Public Schools and Urban Prep, which has fought to stay open amid allegations of financial mismanagement, violation of special-education rights, and sexual misconduct. The appeals court’s decision comes as charter schools face greater scrutiny under the new board of education appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former teacher and union leader. In January, the board renewed contracts for 49 charters, most by three or four years. State law allows extensions up to 10 years. * Sun-Times | Calumet Fisheries to reopen Saturday — rebuilt after devastating fire last fall: The seafood restaurant, one of the few smokehouses left in Illinois, was gutted in a fire in November due to an electrical issue. It underwent extensive renovation for its Saturday soft reopening. “My Facebook page has been off the hook with people just dying to come back,” co-owner Mark Kotlick said. * Daily Herald | How Arlington Heights police are taking drones ‘to the next level’: “Time,” Chief Nicholas Pecora replied when we asked about the main benefit of the department’s new addition. “You don’t want a delayed response. You want to have it out on the street and up in the air as soon as possible.” […] Back in 2019, Arlington Heights was among the first suburban municipal police departments to add drones. Today, the department has three drones in service and 26 officers licensed to fly them. * NBC Chicago | Gov. Pritzker weighs in on Dolton saga, answers questions on if state should intervene: “We’ve looked into whether we ought to put resources, whether it’s state police and their anti-corruption efforts or asking the Attorney General,” Pritzker said. “The reality is there are already two pretty significant investigations going on. We’ll support them in every way we can, but it’s just a matter if you want everybody running over each other in those investigations, or do you want two concerted efforts to get the facts?” * ABC Chicago | Cook County Assessor to correct thousands of property tax assessment errors in south, west suburbs: In past reports, the Assessor’s Office admitted some south suburban homeowners were over-assessed. Now we have found there were more than 4,000 of these errors. A letter obtained by the I-Team shows that the Assessor’s Office is working to correct problems. * NBC Chicago | Blowing dust, gusty winds could cause hazardous travel in Chicago area: According to a special weather statement issued Thursday afternoon, winds of 35-to-45 miles per hour are expected to continue throughout the afternoon and into the evening, leading to serious travel concerns around the area. The main threats will be felt on north-south roadways, where winds could impact high-profile vehicles, according to the alert. * Daily Journal | Judge rules not to detain two Shapiro workers charged with battering resident: Two Shapiro Developmental Center employees charged with battering a resident in September 2023 were released following their detention hearings Wednesday in Kankakee County Court. Both are charged with the battery of a 32-year-old Shapiro resident. […] While Cunnington released the pair, he did order both to report to pretrial services, wear GPS monitoring devices and to have no contact with Shapiro Developmental Center, the victim or a witness. * SJ-R | New workforce program launching for seniors in the Springfield area: The HAP Foundation partnered with AmeriCorps for the program, which is intended to train seniors to help them reenter the workforce as community health workers. […] Volunteers in the program will receive a monthly stipend of $200, and once the program is complete participants will receive $1,000 through a grant from the Illinois Public Health Association. * WPSD | Annual Superman celebrations return in Metropolis, Illinois: This year’s guests include Tyler Hoechil, who fans will recognize as Superman on “Superman & Lois,” the “Supergirl” series and other shows in the CW’s Arrowverse. Fans can also catch Nicole Maines, who played Nia Nal on “Supergirl” and “The Flash,” and Jess Rath, known as Brainiac-5 on “Supergirl” and Alak Tarr on the SyFy series “Defiance.” * PJ Star | Deere and Co. to pay $1.1 million for discriminatory hiring practices in Illinois, Iowa: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs settled with Deere and Co. to pay back wages and interest to Black and Hispanic employees at the company’s locations in Milan, Illinois; Ankeny, Iowa; and Waterloo, Iowa.[…] As part of its settlement, Deere and Co. has agreed to pay $1.1 million in back wages and interest as well as provide 58 jobs to eligible class members.
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Live coverage
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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