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Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Another reminder to click here and help Lutheran Social Services of Illinois buy Christmas presents for foster kids. Thanks!

* The city’s aldermanic briefing on new arrivals just landed in my in-box. A total of 26 buses arrived in the previous seven days for a total of 1,111 people. But the number of asylum-seekers at police stations and O’Hare airport is down to just 339, from 575 last Friday and more than 3,000 earlier this year. Most, 228, are currently at O’Hare. According to the city, 767 people exited the shelter system during the past week, for a grand total of 11,069. The city also has a cost dashboard online, so click here for that.

* You can continue nominating in today’s Golden Horseshoe awards post throughout the weekend. I’ll still be able to see your comments.

* Elvis will play us out…

Got no sleigh with reindeer
No sack on my back
You’re gonna see me comin’
In a big black Cadillac

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Subscribers know more. Politico…

Jake Butcher, the chief of staff to Senate President Don Harmon, is stepping down to practice law. Moving up is Ashley Jenkins-Jordan, who’s been deputy chief of staff. She’ll be the first African American woman chief to hold the position in Illinois.

* The truth comes out!…

* A feel-good story for your Friday via Block Club…

Monique Cauley knows the life stories of more than 500 Logan Square neighbors, down to their dogs and children’s names.

As a beloved postal carrier who serves homes between Talman and Artesian avenues starting at Logan Boulevard, Cauley receives high praise from her customers — including the four-legged ones who have grown up seeing her every day. […]

The Bronzeville resident, who has worked in Logan Square with the United States Postal Service for 16 years, isn’t just popular for her kind attitude, big smile and impeccable memory. She’s also known for sharing mail tips, changes to deliveries and other important information for 60647 residents.

Cauley is active on the community Facebook page, which she started using during the pandemic as a way to keep in touch with her customers and share information, she said. She shares periodic mail advice, including a detailed annual Christmas post with useful tips to make sure everyone gets their holiday cards and gifts as postal workers prepare for a stressful season.

* Tribune…

Signaling a paradigm shift in a school system largely shaped by choice, the Chicago Board of Education passed a resolution Thursday to prioritize neighborhood schools in Chicago Public Schools’ forthcoming five-year strategic plan — a document that will guide investments in the district through 2029 and is slated to be released in June.

Among a range of goals aimed at “disrupting cycles of inequity,” the resolution commits to “transition away from privatization and admissions/enrollment policies and approaches that further stratification and inequity in CPS and drive student enrollment away from neighborhood schools.” […]

The eventual impact could be seismic, with more than 75% of high school students and about 44% of elementary students attending schools outside of their neighborhood boundaries as of last school year. White and Asian students disproportionately attend CPS’ selective enrollment schools. Meanwhile, Black students face persistent opportunity gaps, disproportionately attending neighborhood schools long starved of investments, officials and community organizers said.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

    * Chalkbeat | Chicago Public Schools leaders want to move away from school choice: However, Todd-Breland did signal that the board might move to close charter schools. “If you are a privately-managed school, taking public dollars from our taxpayers that would otherwise go to the other schools that we know need to be invested in because they haven’t [been] for years, and you are not performing at a level that we find to be a high quality educational experience for young people, then why do you continue to exist in this system?” she said.

    * Sun-Times | Activists praise Board of Ed’s push toward neighborhood schools, away from school choice: Todd-Breland said the board recognizes that charter schools are part of CPS’ fabric and is “not proposing blanket non-renewals of all charter schools.” But the board wants to hold charter operators accountable. And she pointed out that magnet and selective enrollment schools, initially meant to desegregate schools, have more recently become more segregated. “[This] is not about closing selective enrollment schools,” she said. “It is about a shift towards emphasizing supporting neighborhood schools, particularly in those communities that have been historically disinvested in and where young people are furthest from opportunity.”

    * Rep. Edgar Gonzalez | Running for Office As a Young Person Means Dealing With Ageism. I Did It Anyway: As a young legislator, the motives that drive your decision to run for office consistently get put under a microscope, especially when compared to those who have spent decades in their political careers. On one hand, critics often view career politicians with cynicism, assuming their motives revolve around money and power. Meanwhile, inexperienced candidates face doubts about their ability to perform the job. This contrast underscores the challenges faced by young individuals entering politics, as their motivations and capabilities are frequently questioned.

    * Bond Buyer | Munis rally, new-issues from Illinois, NY see strong demand: Municipals rallied hard Thursday, playing catch up to the moves in U.S. Treasuries, which extended their gains for a second session following the Federal Open Market Committee’s clear communication of future rate cuts in 2024. Equities continued their rally.

    * Daily Herald | Back to the beginning: Project aims to return Libertyville-area site to its natural state: Given the amount of equipment and activity in the highly visible area north and east of Route 45 and Casey Road in Libertyville Township, it may appear the site is being readied for new homes or a big box store. Quite the opposite is taking place. Instead, the work is part of a $2.17 million project to restore nearly 178 acres to its natural state.

    * WBEZ | State’s attorney hopefuls back effort to require lawyers for kids in police interrogations: The pledge comes in response to video footage showing a detective in suburban Lake County steering a 15-year-old to falsely confess to a shooting. The video, obtained by WBEZ through an open-records lawsuit against the city of Waukegan, prompted a state senator to draft a bill that would raise the age at which a child must have an attorney present to be questioned in police custody. Now Clayton Harris III and Eileen O’Neill Burke, facing off in a March primary for Cook County state’s attorney, are vowing to help push the legislation into law.

    * Sun-Times | These are the voices of five survivors of Chicago’s violence: Each of their essays offers a peek into the ways violence rearranges a life. There are stories of loss and grief but also redemption, love, regret and shifting notions of justice.

    * Crain’s | After court order, CPS extends contract with Urban Prep charter schools: The extension comes more than a year after the board voted not to renew the contracts, with plans to take over those schools. The board’s decision was based on allegations that Urban Prep mismanaged finances and failed to comply with special education laws, as well as allegations that the school’s founder, Tim King, sexually abused a now-former student. King has denied those allegations.

    * Crain’s | Chicago Tribune union members taking contract fight to Tribune Tower: The “rally to save the Tribune” is planned to take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday to protest “detrimental labor practices and profiteering-driven bargaining efforts” by Alden Global Capital, the investment firm that owns Tribune Publishing, according to the Chicago Tribune Guild. The rally will also include members of the DPS Guild, representing workers at Tribune Publishing’s Design & Production Studio, as well as the Suburban Chicago Tribune Guild and the Tribune Content Guild.

    * WBEZ | Little Village residents install air sensors to monitor neighborhood pollution: Residents say public officials aren’t doing enough to protect them so they are taking matters into their own hands — monitoring air quality themselves with nearly $200 sensors. Five are currently in operation with a goal of installing 10 in the neighborhood. Data collected could be used to understand the severity of pollution and inform environmental policy.

    * WaPo | She miscarried in her bathroom. Now she’s charged with abuse of a corpse: “Moving this over to the individual after a miscarriage just heightens the question, ‘What are they supposed to do?’ ” said Dov Fox, a national health law and bioethics expert at the University of San Diego School of Law. “If it’s already difficult for hospitals, for individuals facing difficult circumstances and navigating pregnancy loss to undertake the medical system is not just a tall order but a prohibitive one.” Watts later learned through her lawyer that the nurse who had reassured her had reported her to the police.

    * NYT | Behind the Scenes at the Dismantling of Roe v. Wade: The Supreme Court deliberates in secret, and those who speak can be cast out of the fold. To piece together the hidden narrative of how the court, guided by Justice Alito, engineered a titanic shift in the law, The New York Times drew on internal documents, contemporaneous notes and interviews with more than a dozen people from the court — both conservative and liberal — who had real-time knowledge of the proceedings. Because of the institution’s insistence on confidentiality, they spoke on the condition of anonymity.

    * AP | US homelessness up 12% to highest reported level as rents soar and coronavirus pandemic aid lapses: About 653,000 people were experiencing homelessness during the January snapshot. That’s the highest number since the country began using the yearly point-in-time survey in 2007 to count the homeless population. The total represents an increase of about 70,650 homeless people compared to January 2022.

    * Business Insider | I showed up to a GOP congressman’s 16-minute Christmas party. Here’s what it was like to watch Democrats and Republicans rub shoulders in his cramped Capitol Hill office: I also watched as staffers for progressive House Democrats rubbed shoulders with Republican Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, who was there along with her husband Chris, an Illinois state representative who was censured by the state legislature for attending Trump’s rally on the Ellipse on January 6.

  4 Comments      


Campaign coverage roundup

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Oops…


* Speaking of oops. AP…

A county board incumbent in Illinois wants election officials to disqualify his primary opponent because he misspelled “Republican” on his nomination papers.

McHenry County Board member Eric Hendricks has filed an objection to primary opponent Bob Nowak’s candidacy, the Northwest Herald reported Wednesday.

Hendricks wrote in the objection that Nowak filed to run as a member of the “Republian Party,” omitting the “c” in “Republican.” Hendricks argues such a party does not exist.

Nowak said he had heard there was an objection to his candidacy but hasn’t seen a copy of it.

County officials have scheduled a hearing on the objection for Tuesday. The primary is March 19.

* Patch…

An Elmhurst alderwoman running for state representative on Monday praised Illinois’ achievements over the last few years.

“Illinois has made progress on important issues in recent years and is moving in the right direction as demonstrated by nine credit rating upgrades since June of 2021,” Alderwoman Marti Deuter, a Democrat, said in a news release about her candidacy. “There is more to be done, and we need legislators with a demonstrated ability to bring people together.”

A month ago, Patch reported on Deuter’s candidacy. That was after Rep. Jenn Ladisch Douglass, an Elmhurst Democrat, announced she would not seek a second term. […]

Deuter, an alderwoman for a decade, is set to run unopposed in the Democratic primary in March. The only Republican candidate is Dennis Reboletti.

* NPR…

Joe McGraw of Rockford and Scott Alan Crowl of Milan are both seeking the Republican nomination in the 17th congressional district. The winner of the primary will face Democratic incumbent Eric Sorensen next November, who’s unopposed in his party’s primary.

In the 99th state representative district, Republicans Kyle Moore of Quincy and Eric Snellgrove of Beardstown filed to replace Republican Representative Randy Frese, who isn’t running for a sixth term. No Democratic candidates have filed in that district.

Elsewhere in the region, several Republicans are running unopposed in their primaries — and in each case, no Democratic candidate filed.

They are Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lisa Holder White, Ninth District Circuit Judge Nigel Graham, Congresswoman Mary Miller, and state representatives Norine Hammond and Dan Swanson.

* Subscribers know more…

An initiative designed to let Illinois voters truly make decisions when they go to the polls again succeeded in putting Illinois Statehouse candidates on the 2024 ballot.

Illinois Policy, a 501(c)(4) advocacy partner of the Illinois Policy Institute, helped usher 27 Illinois General Assembly candidates through the process, including collecting signatures on nominating petitions.

These candidates represent a significant share of the 2024 contested races. Without the new candidate program, Illinois would have seen a low number of choices and its more traditional list of unchallenged incumbents. According to an Illinois Policy Institute analysis, 207 candidates have filed to run for 118 Illinois House of Representatives seats in 2024. These include about 10 contested Republican primaries, 20 contested Democratic primaries and 53 contested general election races.

For over 20 years, less than half of all Illinois House races had just one candidate on the ballot – the least competitive rate in the Midwest and the seventh worst in the nation.

Among Illinois Policy’s recruited candidates:

    • 24 are Republicans and three are Democrats
    • 12 are women
    • 8 are non-white
    • 16 are running in districts that are wholly or partially in Chicago

Research shows contested elections help lower corruption, make government more responsive and increase voter turnout.

“Thanks to these candidates being willing to challenge entrenched incumbents, Illinois will experience real choice on Election Day and will be able to hold lawmakers accountable. That is good news that Illinois voters can feel proud of,” said Josh Bandoch, head of policy at the Illinois Policy Institute. “It’s amazing to see candidates take on this responsibility, especially considering how partisan gerrymandering leads voters to feel powerless to foster change in the voting booth.”

The number of contested races will change during the next six months as candidacies are challenged and political parties “slate” candidates for races.

…Adding…Jake Lewis…



* More…

    * WLBK | Stage being set for 14th District Congressional race: Two years ago several viable candidates were gunning for the GOP nomination. This time around Jim Marter says he’s the only serious contender for the March Primary. Two other people filed as Republicans.

    * Pantagraph | 53rd Senate District candidate faces objection to nominating petition: An objection has been filed with the Illinois Board of Elections for one of the four candidates vying for McLean County’s state Senate seat. Joshua Belter of Pontiac, Matthew Snider of Benson and Brooke Uphoff of El Paso have filed an objection against Livingston County Board Member Mike Kirkton, who is running in the Illinois 53rd Senate District. All four candidates are Republicans.

    * Landmark | RBHS school board member Laura Hruska files to run for state representative: Hruska, a longtime resident of Brookfield, is running for state representative, challenging 2nd District incumbent Democrat Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, who is an assistant majority leader in the Illinois House of Representatives and the chairwoman of the Illinois Democratic Party. Neither Hruska nor Hernandez has a primary opponent, so Hruska is guaranteed to face Hernandez in the November general election.

    * Shaw Local | No primary election petition challenges in DuPage County: There were no primary candidate petition challenges filed for 2024 local races – the second major election cycle in a row with no ballot objections in the county, DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek has announced in a news release. “It was unprecedented in 2022 when no candidate petition challenges were filed here,” Kaczmarek said. “We just surpassed our own record.”

    * Patch | Will County Judge Anderson To Seek Seat On Illinois Appellate Court: Anderson, a former Will County Board member, has served as a county circuit court judge since 2010. He will be on the ballot for the March primary election to represent the 3rd District, which includes Will, Kankakee, DuPage, Grundy, LaSalle, Bureau, and Iroquois counties.

    * Journal and Topics | Local Reps In Congress, State Senate, House, Judicial Candidates Filing To Run In March 2024 Primary: A petition challenge period, where challenges to the validity of signatures will be adjudicated, and some candidates could be removed from the ballot, will take place in the coming weeks. Where there is no candidate in a given party for a given race, township political committeemen may later name a candidate. Candidates may also later mount write-in candidate drives.

  8 Comments      


More new laws

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sen. Sims…

Children who are detained will no longer be able to be held in solitary confinement starting Jan. 1 thanks to advocacy from State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr.

“Sadly, across the nation, young people are being held in solitary confinement for unreasonably long periods of time, sometimes spending 22 hours or more alone each day,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “That is inhumane and can cause long-term grave psychological, physical and developmental harm.”

Sims’ law prohibits the use of solitary confinement on young detainees in detention centers for any purpose other than preventing immediate physical harm.

Young people in solitary confinement are isolated both physically and socially, often for days, weeks, or even months on end. Sometimes there is a window allowing natural light to enter or a view of the world outside cell walls. Sometimes it is possible to communicate by yelling to other inmates, with voices distorted, reverberating against concrete and metal. Occasionally, they get a book or bible, and if they are lucky, study materials. But inside this cramped space, few contours distinguish one hour, one day, week, or one month, from the next.

“For children, who are still developing and more vulnerable to irreparable harm, risks are magnified – particularly those with disabilities or histories of trauma and abuse,” said Sims. “Children should not be deprived of the services, programming, and other tools they need for healthy growth, education, and development. We should be helping children grow into productive and healthy adults, not harming them, this is particularly true when they have come into the criminal legal system. If we are going to have true safety and justice, we must invest in a criminal legal system that creates pathways to success not one that tears down our young people and creates a cycle of recidivism.”

House Bill 3140 takes effect Jan. 1, 2024.

* Sen. Morrison…

Illinois is one step closer to becoming smoke free thanks, in part, to a new law from State Senator Julie Morrison set to take effect on Jan. 1 that bans e-cigarettes inside public places.

“E-cigarettes, in all of their many forms, continue to be one of the most addictive products readily available for purchase in gas stations, vape shops and online,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “We have made solid progress toward de-normalizing the perception of tobacco, and I am proud that on Jan. 1, e-cigarette usage will be banned indoors.”

Passed in 2007, the Smoke Free Illinois Act prohibited smoking in most public places and within 15 feet of entrances, and required “no smoking” signs to be posted. However, this law took effect when people primarily smoked cigarettes and cigars.

In recent years, the use and popularity of e-cigarettes, or vapes, has increased – especially by middle school children – according to recent reports, leading Morrison to add such products to the Smoke Free Illinois Act through the passage of House Bill 1540, signed by Governor JB Pritzker on July 28, 2023.

Morrison has been an advocate for putting an end to tobacco use by teens since entering the General Assembly. In 2019, she successfully passed a law that increases the age to legally purchase tobacco to 21 and last year passed a measure to place a number of restrictions on marketing e-cigarettes to children.

“Secondhand e-cigarette aerosol contains harmful and potentially harmful chemicals. The use of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed in recent years with tobacco companies targeting teens and young people with enticing flavors,” said Kristina Hamilton, Illinois advocacy director for the American Lung Association. “This expansion of the landmark Smoke-Free Illinois Act will reduce the negative effects of e-cigarettes on our communities.”

House Bill 1540 takes effect Jan. 1.

* Sen. Koehler…

Illinois residents who are victims of fertility fraud will soon be able to bring action against health care providers, thanks to a new law from State Senator Dave Koehler.

When Bloomington resident Curt Richardson got his DNA test results back from Ancestry.com in June 2021, his life – and those of his parents – changed forever when they learned they had been victims of fertility fraud.

Richardson’s story is similar to hundreds of others across the state and nation who have lived most of their lives thinking the very people who raised them were their biological parents. Koehler worked to bring awareness to fertility fraud and provide justice to the families who fall victim to the heinous act.

“The pain a person feels when they find out they are victims of fertility fraud is something no one should have to go through,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “These acts have gone unpunished for too long, and the health care professionals who commit such acts deserve to face dire consequences.”

Fertility fraud occurs when a health care provider knowingly or intentionally uses their own human reproductive cells during an assisted reproductive treatment without the patient’s informed written consent.

Koehler’s new law allows people to bring action against health care providers who commit fertility fraud. It provides a civil cause of action for donor fertility fraud against health care providers who treat patients for infertility using donated human reproductive material without consent. It also states that any child born as a result of fertility fraud is entitled to a qualified protective order allowing the child access to the personal medical records and health history of the person who committed the fraud.

“This crime has caused trauma for countless families across Illinois and the country,” said Koehler. “Under this new law, victims will be able to bring action against those who commit this heinous crime.”

Senate Bill 380 takes effect Jan. 1, 2024.

And in case you’re wondering, I haven’t yet seen anything from the House Democrats about their bills. Only Senators.

  3 Comments      


Illinois, Maine tied for highest Medicaid renewal rates

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

As the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) approaches the halfway point in resuming customer Medicaid redeterminations following the end of the pandemic-era continuous Medicaid coverage requirement, Illinois has the highest renewal rate among states, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker. The tracker relies on renewal data that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) collects from states.

Following the end of the continuous coverage requirement earlier this year, states resumed Medicaid renewals, or redeterminations, which are regular customer eligibility verifications.

According to the data tracker, at this stage of the unwinding process, Illinois and Maine have the highest renewal rates among all states, at 90%. HFS credits robust preparations and ongoing process improvements to being able to preserve health care coverage for Medicaid-eligible individuals across the state.

* From the Kaiser Family Foundation…

At least 12,573,000 Medicaid enrollees have been disenrolled as of December 13, 2023, based on the most current data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Overall, 34% of people with a completed renewal were disenrolled in reporting states while 66%, or 23.4 million enrollees, had their coverage renewed (one reporting state does not include data on renewed enrollees). Due to varying lags for when states report data, the data reported here undercount the actual number of disenrollments to date.

There is wide variation in disenrollment rates across reporting states, ranging from 62% in Texas to 10% in Illinois and Maine.

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Question of the day: 2023 Golden Horseshoe Awards

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Do-Gooder Lobbyist is a tie. I decided to break tradition by seconding the nomination of William McNary with Citizen Action…

I spoke at Will’s recent retirement dinner, as did the governor, both US Senators, several members of the congressional delegation, Chicago’s mayor, the two Democratic legislative leaders and others.

They all spoke of the big things Will did during his career. And that list is very long. I focused on the smaller things that don’t get a lot of notice, like putting a lid on payday loans, helping people pay their utility bills, etc.

Will is one of the smartest people I know. He’s also one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met. He’s honest and he’s never sold his soul. He’s also a kind, sweet man who believes that his short-term legislative defeats are only temporary.

Chuy Garcia spoke after I did. He started by saying that the person sitting next to him leaned over during my speech and said “I didn’t know Rich Miller could be so nice.”

That got a good laugh. But I was nice for a very good reason: McNary truly deserved it.

And Niya Kelly at Chicago Coalition for the Homeless…

She is very smart, always prepared for the excepted and unexpected, she preps and supports her sponsors and their staff, she’s a resource for staff generally, does substantive and budget work on an issue that can sometimes feel like fighting an uphill battle. On top of that, she’s a good person. She takes the time to develop relationships with LA’s, security and staff around the Capitol, Stratton and Howlett, and can be a blast of sunshine and fun when you see her. She also shows up every day and gets the work done. There aren’t that many lobbyists who do the work on a consistent basis the way she does. All these years of committed EFFECTIVE hard work sure merits the best do-gooder designation.

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Legislative Liaison is also a tie. Allison Nickrent at IDPH…

Allison Nickrent at DPH is single-handedly one of the most talented professionals in the business. DPH is a behemoth of an agency and the level of institutional knowledge she has is impressive. Allison was tasked with negotiating the bylaws of a newly created board with its (*sometimes pushbacky*) membership and she handled it with precision, intuition, and class. She is no stranger to JCAR and knows her way around every square inch of DPH’s rules and regs. Allison’s unique skill set makes her a pleasure to work with. She takes a hands-on approach to mentoring her team and truly is one of the best.

And Wendy Miller Butler at CMS…

I love working with Wendy Butler at CMS. She’s super responsive and understands the extremely difficult machinations of procurement. She works with you to meet your goal in a way that will be effective.

Honorable mention to Kieran Fitzgerald at DHS.

Y’all submitted some very strong nominations in both of these categories. It was difficult to choose winners, hence the ties.

* On to today’s categories…

    Best State Agency Director

    Best Statewide Staffer

As always, please explain your nominations or they won’t count. Also do your best to nominate in both categories. Thanks!

* And here’s your daily reminder to contribute to our fundraiser so that Lutheran Social Services of Illinois can buy Christmas presents for foster kids. As I write this, we’ve raised $53,432, which is enough to buy presents for 2,137 children. LSSI helps care for 2,530 children, and while others are also raising money for this cause, LSSI needs to raise another $10K to help all those kids. So, please, click here and contribute if you can. Thanks!

  26 Comments      


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

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Open thread

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…

  2 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Regulators once again reject a record rate increase request from ComEd and Peoples Gas. Sun-Times…

    - The Illinois Commerce Commission rejected Peoples Gas’ request for “clarification” on its order last month that cut off spending for the pipe program pending an investigation into the project.

    - The order slashed a request from the utility to raise rates on its 884,000 Chicago customers by a collective $402 million, down to $301 million.

    - The panel previously noted it “will not remove any funding related to emergency response to leaks, pipe breaks, or other critical safety measures.”

* Related stories…

* Isabel’s top picks…

    * WJBC | Candidates for March primary election in Illinois assigned their spots: The process of determining which candidates place where on the Illinois primary election ballot is high-tech enough to attract an audience on Zoom – and simple enough to require only Ping Pong balls and a wooden box. “I do think the lack of complexities makes it easier for us to have a transparent process,” said Brent Davis, director of election operations for the Illinois State Board of Elections. “Not much can go wrong with an empty box and a set of Lotto balls.”

    * Crain’s | Thompson Center assessed at more than double 2022 sale price: Kaegi’s office pegged the market value of the 17-story building at 100 W. Randolph St. at $222.8 million for tax year 2023, according to the assessor’s website. That estimate represents what the assessor thinks the property was worth as of the beginning of this year, which is the key number used to determine its next property tax bill. It also marked the first time the assessor’s office estimated the value of the Thompson Center, since it was owned by the state of Illinois and tax-exempt from its completion in 1985 until it was sold last year.

    * SJ-R | Haley issues apology; has backing of NAACP branch presidents: The one-minute-and-forty-eight-second video of Haley making the remarks during an NAACP state presidents’ meeting last month was recorded and made public by former NAACP DuPage County president Patrick Watson. It was a segment in a nearly two-hour-long video.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

  10 Comments      


Live coverage

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Live coverage is back, sorta. This will be different than the old Scribble Live feed because Twitter broke itself and almost everything else it touched. These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of posting lagtime, but it’s much better than nothing. We are also limited to just 20 Twitter sources. The service may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees about this. You can still click here or here to follow breaking news the way we’ve done since Twitter stopped Scribble Live from working…

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Live Ed Burke Trial Coverage

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of a lagtime and you have to refresh the page every now and then. The service we’re using may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees. You can still click here to follow the Ed Burke trial on Twitter. Posts without a Twitter author name below them are from online news sources via Bing…

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*** UPDATED x5 - Presser canceled - Haley to hold press conference at NAACP office - National organization suspended her on 13th - National NAACP weighs in - Haley suspended *** Illinois NAACP board unanimously backs president after racist remarks

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. NAACP of Illinois…

Illinois State Conference President Teresa Haley offers a statement in response to a video excerpt disseminated by former DuPage County President Patrick Watson on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. Watson received an unprecedented and embarrassing “Vote Of No Confidence” by his Branch members on November 14, 2023. Illinois Branch Presidents met on December 13, 2023 and unanimously supported Haley’s quintessential leadership skills. Haley’s heartfelt sentiments are appended below:

“First and foremost, I express my sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or offended by my comments. I love and value all members of our communities—including immigrants. I have worked tirelessly to advocate for the underserved and the voiceless. I remain focused on denouncing injustices, racism, and discrimination. I am empathetic to the plight of all people, and I proudly serve as a beacon of hope to the hopeless. I embrace the mission of the NAACP, which is to “Achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights, eliminate discrimination, and accelerate the well- being, education, and economic security of Black people and all persons of color.”

Quintessential, adj.

    perfectly typical or representative of a particular kind of person or thing

I’m guessing the AI alibi has been abandoned.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Welp…


*** UPDATE 2 *** From a national NAACP spokesperson…

The NAACP stands firm in our commitment to advancing racial justice and cultivating a society where human dignity is respected. As of December 13, NAACP Illinois State Conference President Teresa Haley has been suspended. As an internal matter, there will be no additional comment at this time. The NAACP will continue to foster an environment that is reflective of our mission and respective of our membership.

So, she was suspended on the 13th, but the board voted unanimously to support her on the 14th? Checking on that.

*** UPDATE 3 *** I asked for clarification on the dates from the national NAACP…

The notice of suspension from NAACP National was dated on December 13th.

…Adding… I asked ICIRR earlier today for a statement. This is from them and the Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network…

The Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network (SIAN) and our statewide coalition partner the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights reject the statements made by Illinois NAACP president Teresa Haley at a meeting in October, in which she referred to migrants in Chicago as criminals and “savages.”

Divisive rhetoric damages communities. It reinforces harmful stereotypes, which in turn hurt entire groups of people. True apologies must include strategies to begin dialogue, deliberate actions to repair relationships, and commitment to share accurate information. We don’t heal alone but in community. Our leaders need to work in solidarity to advocate and create better policies, and to make our cities better for all of us.

SIAN has worked diligently to advocate for immigrants and refugees who have arrived in Springfield within the last year, many of whom were originally sent to Chicago by bus from Texas. At SIAN, we know that the NAACP has a history of supporting immigrants and refugees in our country that we ought to honor and remember. We have worked with our NAACP siblings to fight injustice and racial profiling and to protect our immigrant youth, as we know most of our Illinois DACA recipients and migrants applying for asylum and refugee status are people of color coming mostly from the Global South.

We should not be calling groups of people rapists, inciting fear at migrants’ arrival, and calling cities to refuse Venezuelans seeking shelter happens when we still must contend with the supremacist, structural values of scarcity, silo-planning and thinking, and the predicament that marginalized communities must fight each other for a tiny piece of a pie. We know that immigrants, refugees, and other historically excluded communities live together at the margins. We have shared spaces and built families together while fighting injustice, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and oppression. When we lift one group, when we support and elevate communities, we must also lift up our neighbors and other marginalized peoples.

SIAN serves immigrants and refugees, children and families, who have come to Illinois after surviving life-threatening living conditions as well as environmental, economic, and political turmoil. In a welcoming state like Illinois, we encourage our organizations, leaders, and institutions to serve immigrants and refugees with compassion, understanding, respect, and attention to the many intersections of being and experience of marginalization our communities encounter.

We need to understand and identify a manufactured crisis when we see it. This moment of Illinois being targeted for our welcoming values is a perfect example of how oppression works against immigrants and people of color. When the humanity, safety, and survival of children and families are at stake, we need to stop seeing ‘us’ versus ‘them.’ We instead need to see communities as whole, fully human, deserving of our respect and assistance–and our policies have to reflect this. We hope that our historical partners at NAACP chapters across the state join us in this analysis as we strive to move forward together.

*** UPDATE 4 *** OK, this is getting weird…

NAACP Illinois State Conference

President Teresa Haley will hold a Press Conference on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at the NAACP’s Office:

801 South 11th Street
Springfield, Illinois 62703

The media is invited to attend, arriving no earlier than 10:45 a.m. Thank you.

*** UPDATE 5 *** Press release from the state council…

Effective 8:10 p.m., President Teresa Haley’s Press Conference is cancelled, in accordance with the recent request from the National NAACP Office. Ms. Haley stands by her heartfelt apology and will not provide any further comments at this juncture.

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Protected: Subscribers only - This just in… (Updated)

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Block Club Chicago…

The city has begun impounding “rogue buses” that do not follow established guidelines for dropping off migrants coming to Chicago. […]

The city towed and impounded the first bus under the new order at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office said in a statement Thursday.

Mayoral advisor Jason Lee said the “main trigger” for impounding the bus was the lack of a necessary permit through the Chicago Department of Transportation, but that it also arrived outside the city’s drop-off window.

Another bus carrying migrants in Chicago also arrived after the 5 p.m. curfew, but ended up not stopping and ultimately left the city, Lee told reporters ahead of a special City Council meeting Thursday morning regarding Chicago’s sanctuary city status.

* Press release…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation were joined by local officials and community leaders to celebrate the latest milestones on the $251.8 million replacement of the Interstate 57/74 interchange, a signature project of the historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program. As it moves into its next phase, the overall project will positively impact safety and mobility while positioning the region for long-term economic growth. […]

The I-57/74 project is replacing a traditional cloverleaf interchange built in 1965 that no longer meets current traffic volumes and demands. The new interchange will feature a design that includes two flyover ramps to improve traffic flow and efficiency: Eastbound I-74 to northbound I-57 and westbound I-74 to southbound I-57. To add capacity, a third, auxiliary lane will be added to both directions of I-74 between Prospect Avenue and Duncan Road.

* Sun-Times…

Four people convicted of conspiring to bribe then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to benefit ComEd want their fast-approaching sentencings put on hold as the Supreme Court considers a separate case, arguing its ruling could prove “fatal” to the verdict against them. […]

The ComEd defense attorneys insist in their six-page filing that “the Supreme Court’s decision in Snyder is certain to impact [the ComEd] case, and it has a substantial chance of requiring dismissal of the charges, acquittal or, at a minimum, a new trial.”

In dispute in the ComEd case is whether the federal program bribery statute criminalizes only bribery, as opposed to also criminalizing so-called gratuities or rewards. Another point of contention is whether a bribery conviction under the statute requires proof of a “quid pro quo.”

Federal prosecutors in Chicago insist that it does not.

The filing is here.

* Press release…

State Rep. Anna Moeller’s work to protect young women seeking reproductive health protections is being honored by a respected statewide civil rights organization.

Rep. Moeller, D-Elgin, will be recognized Dec. 14 at a ceremony in Chicago as an honored guest at the ACLU of Illinois Annual Legislator Awards. This was the first ceremony held in person to recognize civil liberties legislation since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

* Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel…

Illinois veterans will be able to adopt a pet without paying fees on Jan. 1, thanks to a new law from State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel. […]

Across the state, pet adoption fees vary widely depending on the organization, ranging from $50 to $275. Loughran Cappel’s new law requires animal shelters and animal control facilities to waive the adoption fee for military veterans in Illinois.

* More…

    * SJ-R | Illinois Innocence Project, UIS grad help exonerate man wrongfully imprisoned for 35 years: The two provided evidence to a Cook County judge that Beals wasn’t the perpetrator of Campbell’s death, but the target of attacks by a local drug supplier. At least five witnesses confirmed to the IIP and Nirider that Beals was indeed the target, with photographic evidence showing five bullet holes in his car, aiding in his claims of innocence.

    * Tribune | Aldermen block plan to put sanctuary city question to Chicago voters: Beale, Lopez and Moore have been plotting the mini-rebellion for several weeks, with Johnson’s allies outmaneuvering them by using to their advantage the fact Chicago only allows three referendum questions per election. One spot is already reserved for the “Bring Chicago Home” referendum that would increase the real estate transfer tax for some to fund homelessness services, a major plank of Johnson’s progressive agenda.

    * WBEZ | The harrowing journeys of migrants are revealed in the quiet spaces of Chicago: More than 25,000 migrants and asylum seekers have arrived mostly from South and Central America since late August of last year. They are fleeing the collapse of their economies, the lack of jobs and food, and as one social worker puts it, “misery.” Many came here on a bus from Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Chicago and other sanctuary cities that embrace immigrants would provide much-needed relief “to our small, overrun border towns.” The buses haven’t stopped since.

    * Crain’s | Jewel, Mariano’s parents brace for feds’ decision on merger in January: Progressive lawmakers and the Teamsters union both urged the antitrust agency this week to veto the deal after its yearlong probe. The FTC has until Jan. 17 to decide on their deal under a timing agreement the companies reached with the agency, according to a court filing in a class action brought by consumers opposed to the deal. The agency’s deadline hasn’t been disclosed previously.

    * Sun-Times | Want to volunteer for the Democratic, Republican conventions? Here’s how to apply: Both conventions will need thousands of volunteers — from airport greeters and drivers to party and event staff, and local folks stationed in the hotels housing delegates providing advice and guidance to the visitors on sightseeing, restaurants and how to get around town.

    * Daily Herald | Will Prestige’s new equipment pass the smell test?: A Mount Prospect animal feed producer that neighbors say has inundated nearby residents with a “burnt cheese” odor for four years will be allowed to operate during the daytime over the next three weeks. Mount Prospect conducted an inspection Wednesday of the $300,000 odor mitigation equipment installed by Prestige Feed Products, 431 Lakeview Court, village attorney Allen Wall said at a hearing in Cook County Circuit Court later that day. Wall said the inspection “seemed to go very well.”

    * Sun-Times | Tony’s Place: A healthier La Russa is back, wants to state where he fits with White Sox: Hired at age 76 by chairman and good friend Jerry Reinsdorf before the 2021 season to lead the White Sox beyond the wild-card finish manager Rick Renteria led them to in 2020, La Russa’s Sox went 93-69 with an AL Central title. In 2022, La Russa didn’t feel well. His pacemaker needed attention, and unbeknownst to most everyone, he was dealing with cancer.

    * The Hill | News media outlets slashed record 2,700 jobs in 2023, with more expected: Data from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas found media companies overall have made 20,324 cuts so far in 2023, the highest year-to-date total since 2020. In the “news” subcategory the firm tracks, 2,681 jobs have been cut, including those in broadcast, digital and print. That total surpassed the 1,808 cuts announced during 2022 and 1,511 announced the year before.

    * WaPo | Bigots use AI to make Nazi memes on 4chan. Verified users post them on X: An antisemitic post on Elon Musk’s X is not exactly news. But new research finds the site has emerged as a conduit to mainstream exposure for a fresh wave of automated hate memes, generated using cutting-edge AI image tools by trolls on the notorious online forum 4chan. The research by the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), shared with and verified by The Washington Post, finds that a campaign by 4chan members to spread “AI Jew memes” in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack resulted in 43 different images reaching a combined 2.2 million views on X between Oct. 5 and Nov. 16, according to the site’s publicly displayed metrics.

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US Supreme Court again refuses to block Illinois’ assault weapons ban law

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* CBS News…

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to block an Illinois law banning assault-style weapons, leaving the measure in place while proceedings before a federal appellate court continue.

The decision from the justices marks the second time they have declined to halt Illinois’ statewide ban, which a gun rights advocacy group and gun shop owner argued violates the Second Amendment. It has also left in place a similar ordinance in Naperville, a suburb of Chicago.

The unsigned order from the court rejecting the request from the pro-Second Amendment organization comes on the heels of the latest spate of shootings, on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus and in Austin and San Antonio, Texas. The shootings have reignited now-familiar calls from President Biden for Congress to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

* Courthouse News…

For the second time, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday turned down an opportunity to pause an assault weapons ban in Illinois implemented in response to a deadly shooting. […]

The National Association for Gun Rights, a gun store, and the store’s owner sued Naperville — and later Illinois — claiming the new ordinance violated the Second Amendment. Two lower courts refused to block the regulations, leading to the group’s first trip to the Supreme Court’s emergency docket.

The justices’ denial left the law in place while the challenge was under review. While this case was proceeding two other lower courts upheld the law in five different cases challenging the ban. The Seventh Circuit consolidated all six cases.

In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court declined to grant preliminary relief, finding that the gun advocacy group was not likely to prevail on its Second Amendment challenge.

The gun advocacy group then returned to the high court for relief. The group says the law would ban the most popular rifle in America, and therefore, in unlawful because it bans weapons in common use.

Click here to read the Court’s order.

* NPR…

The court’s action on Thursday, leaving the Illinois law in place, is not a decision on the merits of the case; as of now, there have been no conflicting decisions by lower appeals courts, and the justices may well have felt there was no need to intervene without such a conflict.

This post will likely be updated.

…Adding… GPAC…

Gun rights groups continue to try to block the new law, even after repeated failures. And they continue to get nowhere. They asked the Supreme Court for relief before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the new law and the Supreme Court said no. Now after the Court of Appeals has upheld the law they’ve gone back and asked again. Not surprisingly the Supreme Court again said no. No amount of flailing around by losing lawyers alters the basic fact that sale in Illinois of these destructive weapons continues to be blocked completely.

…Adding… Protect Illinois Communities…

Once again, the US Supreme Court has refused to listen to requests from extremist organizations to block the Protect Illinois Communities Act, a commonsense gun safety measure to keep assault weapons off of our streets. This law helps save lives, and every day it remains in place is a step toward keeping weapons of war out of our neighborhoods.”

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Rate the tweets

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Heh…

* Ha!…

* Attempted recovery…

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Consumer group praises ICC for two victories: One vs. ComEd/Ameren, the other against Peoples Gas

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Illinois PIRG…

For the second time in a month, utility regulators at the Illinois Commerce Commission on Thursday handed down decisions that portend the beginning of a new era of consumer- and climate-focused utility oversight in Illinois.

“We applaud Chairman Doug Scott and other members of the Illinois Commerce Commission for making a decisive pivot away from the more utility-friendly approach of the past,” said Illinois PIRG Director Abe Scarr.

The five-person commission, recently overhauled by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, set new rates for the electric utilities ComEd and Ameren. Notably, the Commission rejected ComEd and Ameren’s grid plans, finding that the utilities failed to meet the standards set by law, and ordered them to re-submit compliant plans next year. The Commission rejected significant planned utility spending based on the lack of compliant grid plans.

The commission set Comed’s authorized profit rate, known as the return on equity (ROE), at 8.9% over the next four years. ComEd initially proposed a 10.5% ROE in 2024, which would escalate over four years to 10.65% in 2027. Illinois PIRG submitted expert testimony recommending a 6.5% ROE, arguing that state policies virtually guarantee ComEd’s profits, so it does not need a high ROE for financial health. Miniscule differences in profit rates can translate into hundreds of millions of dollars on customer bills.

“As it did with the gas rate cases, the Commission took important steps to rightsize ComEd and Ameren’s spending levels and limit their impact on customer bills. It also set a much lower profit rate than proposed by ComEd, saving customers hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Scarr. “We are pleased the Commission invited further consideration of profits rates under multi-year rate plans and will continue to make our case to the Commission that Illinois utilities can remain financially healthy with significantly lower profit rates.”

The Commission also denied Peoples Gas’ motion to “clarify” and reverse portions of the Commission’s November decision regarding the failing Peoples Gas pipe replacement program and authorize an additional $134 million in 2024 spending, which would raise its already record-breaking rate hike by an additional $8.1 million.

“We hope Peoples Gas now has the clarity it needs: while it maintains its fundamental service obligation to maintain public safety, it can no longer operate accountability-free and waste billions of dollars on a pipe replacement program that fails to achieve its public safety objective,” said Scarr. “We look forward to working with the commission and other parties to enact meaningful reforms to the program next year.”

Since the November decision, Peoples Gas and its allies had mounted a pressure campaign targeting the Commission. It included suggesting the legislature intervene, threatening the pending confirmation of three commissioners and sending more than 20 letters in support of the motion from unions, contractors, and others, each requiring an ethics report from the Commission in compliance with its “ex-parte” communications rules. Commissioner Scott directly addressed these ex-parte communications, asking members of the public to use more appropriate means of communicating with the Commission.

That last paragraph is quite something, but the two linked examples are an op-ed by two high-level labor leaders and a tweet by Local 150.

…Adding… CUB…

In an unprecedented ruling in favor of electric customers, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) today reined in reckless spending by ComEd and Ameren, said no to excessive profit rates and lowered the electric utilities’ rate-hike requests by hundreds of millions of dollars. After a decade in which electric utilities exploited lax oversight, scandal, and rampant rate hikes to reap excessive profits, the ICC made it clear that ComEd and Ameren must be held accountable to their customers and provide more affordable electric service. Today’s ICC ruling delivered an important message: Utilities need to prove that their grid plans will actually benefit consumers. Clean energy is about lowering costs for electric customers in the long run, not giving a blank check to Ameren and ComEd.

Also CUB…

Less than three weeks after receiving a record rate hike, Peoples Gas tried to bully the ICC into raising costs, yet again, for the utility’s beleaguered customers by manufacturing a fictitious emergency. We’re grateful that regulators saw through these blatant theatrics and protected Chicago consumers, who have been buffeted by spiraling heating bills, from another money grab by the utility.

Peoples Gas has reaped record profits for six straight years – and that was before it obtained its record rate hike last month. No company that has amassed such a staggering fortune should ever threaten to neglect public safety and lay off workers. If Peoples continues to put jobs in jeopardy as a form of political extortion, the unions that represent the utility’s employees should put the blame where it belongs – on Peoples Gas, not on the state regulators entrusted with holding the company accountable.

For the past decade, Chicago families have been suffering through a heating affordability crisis, as People Gas bills skyrocketed to pay for the company’s bloated pipe-replacement program. Peoples Gas customers pay an average of $50 in fixed monthly costs before they ever turn on the heat or the stove. Nearly 200,000 households have been assessed a late fee, and 160,000 families have fallen behind on payments by more than 30 days.

Given all this financial woe, the ICC did the right thing when it put a moratorium on discretionary, non-emergency pipe-replacement, pending further investigation. Nonetheless, Peoples Gas responded by trying to hold its workers and public safety hostage as a ploy to coerce another rate hike out of financially burdened customers. We urge regulators, lawmakers, and the public at large to continue to stand strong and resist cynical attempts to pit the utility’s workers against its customers when it is obvious that both are being made victims of the company’s greed.

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Protected: Subscribers only - Campaign update

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of the day: 2023 Golden Horseshoe Awards

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Contract Lobbyist is a tie. Liz Brown-Reeves…

Liz Brown is everywhere all the time. If you need something done you can call her and know it’s handled. She’s a superstar staffer turned lobbyist who knows everyone and knows who to call to ensure your issue is at the top of the list. If you’re looking to succeed in Springfield she’s someone you need to have on your side.

And Dave Sullivan…

Just take a walk around the Capitol early morning or late into the evening you will see him. He ALWAYS greets everyone with a smile and very respectful to Staff & LA’s all while working multiple clients difficult agendas.

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best In-House Lobbyist is also a tie. Mark Denzler with the Illinois Manufacturers Association…

He spent 2,000 miles on a bus to promote manufacturing. Traveled to London with the Governor on a trade mission. Helped lead efforts on REV to land Gotion and Stellantis with 7,000 good jobs. And his peers named him Speaker of the Third House. Not a bad year.

* And Jen Walling with the Illinois Environmental Council…

I cannot think of another lobbyist that is more passionate about their cause than Jen. Professional and knowledgeable, Jen has taken on some heavy hitters on big issues and prevailed. I couldn’t think of a better leader for the environmental movement.

Congratulations to our winners and to everyone who was nominated!

* On to today’s categories…

    Best Do-Gooder Lobbyist

    Best Legislative Liaison

As always, explain your nominations or they won’t count. And please do your very best to nominate in both categories. Thanks!

* And here’s your daily reminder to click here and help buy Christmas presents for foster kids served by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. Thanks!

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2022 called: It wants its SAFE-T Act talking points back

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Federalist is still spouting 2022 talking points…

Illinois Cooks Up Cashless Bail And Discovers It’s A ‘Perfect Recipe For Lawlessness’

The story is ridden with errors…

Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, a rare Democrat speaking out against the end of cash bail in the Land of Lincoln, told Fox News’ “America Reports” in October that innocent people are being “hunted down like prey.” 

“[T]hings like robbery, burglary, arson, assault, even threatening elected officials like myself, do not warrant you being held on bond anymore in the state of Illinois, and criminals are taking note,” Lopez told the cable news outlet. 

Um, all but one of those crimes are detainable offenses, including threatening elected officials. Assault, defined as “conduct which places another in reasonable apprehension of receiving a battery,” has long been a Class C misdemeanor, but past “assaultive behavior” is a factor judges can use to detain someone.

And then the article talks about somebody who was arrested and is still being detained by the feds on “14 federal felony counts of interstate communication of a threat to injure.”

The article goes on to note that the same person had been arrested by the Perry County sheriff’s office and released after two days behind bars. The sheriff blames the SAFE-T Act, but the person was released on a charge of resisting arrest, and the important underlying charge related to the threats was “dropped due to a lack of a specific target.”

Sure sounds like the local sheriff messed up and blamed state law.

* Meanwhile, in reality…

In Sangamon County, the average daily number of people in custody at the jail was 323 before the Pretrial Fairness Act took effect and has ranged between 220 and 240 since then, according to Sheriff Jack Campbell. It’s obvious the new law is the reason for the drop, he said.

The reduction has meant less crowding in the facility, less stress among inmates and higher morale among the jail staff, Campbell said. […]

It is “too early to tell” the long-term impact, [Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser] said, but he collected statistics that show Sangamon County judges are agreeing with prosecutors almost 70% of the time when the State’s Attorney’s Office has requested detention. There have been 99 petitions for detainment so far, and 69 were granted, he told Illinois Times Dec. 13.

The rate is similar to numbers released Dec. 11 by the state administrative court office, which is overseen by the Supreme Court. For 71 of the state’s 102 counties – a number that doesn’t include Sangamon and mostly consists of smaller counties – judges had issued decisions on 1,445 petitions for detention. Of those, 976 (67.55%) petitions were granted, and 469 were denied. Another 51 petitions were waiting to be heard

* And in southern Illinois…

[Jackson County State’s Attorney Joseph Cervantez] said if someone violates their pretrial release conditions, they can face sanctions. If a defendant continues to violate them, prosecutors can petition to revoke bail.

Cervantez also said that since the start of the SAFE-T Act, he has not seen crime increase in Jackson County.

  19 Comments      


It’s just a bill

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* HB4266 filed by Rep. Maurice West…

Amends the Lobbyist Registration Act. Directs the Secretary of State to grant a waiver of the lobbyist registration fee for any not-for-profit entity with an annual budget of less than $5,000,000 that is classified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, including a waiver for any lobbyist that exclusively lobbies on behalf of such an entity.

* Rep. Kimberly du Buclet filed HB4269 yesterday…

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that, on and after January 1, 2030, no person shall sell or offer for sale in the State a new washing machine for residential, commercial, or State use unless the washing machine: (1) contains a microfiber filtration system with a mesh size of not greater than 100 micrometers; and (2) bears a conspicuous label that is visible to the consumer, in the form of a sticker or any other label type, that includes a specified statement. Provides that a person or entity who violates this prohibition shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $10,000 for a first violation and not to exceed $30,000 for each subsequent violation.

* HB4268 is another bill fromRep. Du Buclet…

Creates the Climate Corporate Accountability Act. Provides that, on or before July 1, 2024, the Secretary of State shall develop and adopt rules to require a reporting entity to annually disclose to the emissions registry, and verify, all of the reporting entity’s scope 1 emissions, scope 2 emissions, and scope 3 emissions. Provides that a reporting entity, starting on January 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, publicly disclose to the emissions registry all of the reporting entity’s scope 1 emissions and scope 2 emissions for the prior calendar year, and its scope 3 emissions for that same calendar year no later than 180 days after that date. Provides that the Secretary of State shall contract with an emissions registry to develop a reporting and registry program to receive and make publicly available disclosures. Provides that, on or before January 1, 2025, the Secretary of State shall contract with the University of Illinois, a national laboratory, or another equivalent academic institution to prepare a report on the public disclosures made by reporting entities to the emissions registry. Provides that the emissions registry, on or before January 1, 2025, shall create a digital platform, which shall be accessible to the public, that will house all disclosures submitted by reporting entities to the emissions registry. Provides for enforcement of the Act. Effective immediately.

* HB4258 from Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado…

Amends the License to Read Act. Defines terms. Provides that no contract or license agreement entered into between a publisher and library shall preclude, limit, or restrict the library from performing customary operational functions or lending functions, restrict the library from disclosing any terms of its license agreements to other libraries, or require, coerce, or enable the library to violate the Library Records Confidentiality Act. Provides that nothing in the amendatory Act affects existing contracts that are in effect on the effective date of the amendatory Act. Sets forth remedies. Contains a severability provision. Effective immediately.

* HB4263 from Rep. Jed Davis…

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that the photograph of each minor for whom the Department of Children and Family Services is responsible under the Abused, Dependent, or Neglected Minors Article of the Act shall be transmitted to the clerk of the circuit court of the county in which the minor resides for placement in the court file. Provides that the photograph shall be taken within 6 months before transmission and shall be accessible by the judge who is to decide the placement, custody, or other disposition concerning the minor.

* Rep. Amy Elik…

Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that, if the Illinois State Police denies an application for or revokes and seizes a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card because an individual has been a patient of a mental health facility, the notice to the applicant or card holder of denial of an application for or revocation of the person’s Firearm Owner’s Identification Card shall include the date or dates of admission of the person to the mental health facility and the name of the facility. Provides that, if the Firearm Owner’s Identification Card Review Board does not, within 90 days of the filing of the applicant’s appeal of a denial of a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card or revocation of a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card, render a decision on the appeal, the failure to render a decision shall constitute a rejection of the appeal, and the applicant or card holder may appeal to the circuit court for relief. Provides that the cost for replacement of a combined Firearm Owner’s Identification Card and concealed carry license is $5 if the person has changed his or her address. Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act to make conforming changes.

* Rep. Barbara Hernandez filed HB4264 earlier this week…

Creates the Good Samaritan Menstrual Products Act. Prohibits a person, manufacturer, or distributor from being held liable for damages incurred resulting from any illness or disease contracted by the ultimate user or recipient of an apparently usable menstrual product due to the nature, age, condition, or packaging of the menstrual product that the person, manufacturer, or distributor donates in good faith to a nonprofit organization for ultimate distribution to an individual in need of such menstrual product. Prohibits a nonprofit organization from being held liable for damages incurred resulting from any illness or disease contracted by the ultimate user or recipient of an apparently usable menstrual product due to the condition of the menstrual product. Sets forth exceptions. Effective immediately.

* Rep. Chris Miller…

Amends the Reproductive Health Act. Provides that consent to a termination of pregnancy is voluntary and informed only if: the physician who is to perform the procedure, or the referring physician, has, at a minimum, orally, while physically present in the same room, and at least 24 hours before the procedure, provided the woman with specified information; specified printed materials prepared and provided by the Department of Public Health have been provided to the pregnant woman, if she chooses to view these materials; and the woman acknowledges in writing, before the termination of pregnancy, that the information required to be provided has been provided. Provides that if a medical emergency exists and a physician cannot comply with the requirements for informed consent, a physician may terminate a pregnancy if he or she has obtained at least one corroborative medical opinion attesting to the medical necessity for emergency medical procedures and to the fact that to a reasonable degree of medical certainty the continuation of the pregnancy would threaten the life of the pregnant woman. Provides that a physician or other person who violates the provisions shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

  14 Comments      


Open thread

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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

  9 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Chicago spent almost $1M on Brighton Park migrant base camp.Sun-Times …

    - Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office says the $985,621.21 of taxpayer money didn’t go to waste because the land at 38th Street and California Avenue “has been assessed and further prepared for future use.”
    - Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Johnson’s deputy chief-of-staff, said the city wouldn’t be reimbursed by the state.

* Related stories…

* Isabel’s top picks…

    * Illinois Answers | Illinois Taxpayers Shell Out Hundreds of Millions as Prison Reform Lawsuits Grind On: Progress has been slow as the bill to taxpayers keeps rising. Court-ordered audits show the IDOC continues to fail to provide basic care to inmates — a point underscored by the Illinois Answers Project in interviews with more than a dozen people who are incarcerated. The state has paid more than $13 million in legal fees and fines so far as part of the settlements and faces an ultimate tab of hundreds of millions of dollars to fulfill settlement requirements. Separately, a report published earlier this year estimates the state has a multibillion dollar backlog in maintenance expenses to repair its dilapidated prisons, some of which date to the 19th century.

    * Post-Tribune | Supreme Court agrees to review former Portage Mayor James Snyder’s public corruption case: Snyder was elected mayor in 2011 and reelected in 2015. He resigned in February 2019 after his first conviction on the IRS and garbage truck charges; in a second trial a jury confirmed the guilty verdict in the garbage truck case. Snyder was indicted in November 2016, on the same day former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich, who is serving a 12-year sentence in federal prison, was indicted on public corruption charges. Federal attorneys argued in a November filing that Snyder does not deserve to have his conviction on a public corruption charge involving garbage truck contracts reviewed because earlier court rulings in the case indicate Snyder received a bribe of $13,000 in regard to a contract for garbage trucks.

    * WTTW | Sponsor of State Law Targeting Crisis Pregnancy Centers in ‘Shock and Dismay’ After AG Backs Off Legal Fight:“If the attorney general wasn’t prepared to defend the law — even a little bit — it never should have been introduced,” said Lisa Battisfore, president of Reproductive Transparency Now.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

    * The Southern | Williamson County commissioners talk Paid Leave Act, plan to adopt policy Dec. 15: “It’s going to be a bookkeeping nightmare,” was the consensus of the County Commissioners as they discussed the policy to be adopted by the county that would keep them within the new Paid Leave for All Workers Act. They discussed how the first 40 hours could be pulled from sick time, would need to be used within the year and would not require a doctor’s note. The decision to accrue sick leave or give it out as a lump sum at the beginning of the year was not determined during the meeting.

    * Daily Herald | Suburbs scramble to exempt public safety employees from state’s on-demand paid-leave law: The announcement was publicly applauded by a number of legislators and civic leaders. While their comments focused on the benefit to those employees receiving this right for the first time, they didn’t reflect the specific concern suburban municipalities and fire protection districts have been trying to address this fall.

    * Chalkbeat | Illinois’ education budget might be tighter over the next several years, say officials: That’s because local revenue projections are modest and federal COVID relief dollars are set to run out, state finance and budget officials told board members. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget has predicted the Illinois State Board of Education can expect to receive an additional $425 million in revenue next year.

    * Illinois Times | Elimination of cash bail seems to be working: “It’s a fairly orderly process,” Matthew McLoughlin, campaign coordinator of the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, told Illinois Times, adding that naysayers so far have been proven wrong. “The courts have slowed the process down. “The big thing here is the dramatic pronouncements made last year of chaos in our communities have turned out to be patently false. We’re thrilled with the implementation of the law.”

    * Crain’s | Johnson says city close to clearing migrants from police districts: As of Wednesday morning, city officials reported 354 asylum seekers were living in police district stations, with another 221 living at O’Hare International Airport. By Wednesday afternoon, Johnson said that number was reduced and that all but one of the city’s 22 police districts had been cleared of migrants.

    * Tribune | Oak Park, which has been providing shelter for migrants, will require them to move out of hotel, YMCA by Jan. 31: The approximately 160 people at The Carleton of Oak Park hotel and the West Cook YMCA are to be notified of the eviction date this week. They will be asked to work with a case manager or village staff to find new shelter and possibly move them to another city or state if they have stable housing there, according to a memo from the village Emergency Operations Center. For anyone who can’t find shelter, the village will help relocate them to the Chicago shelter program, the memo states.

    * Crain’s | Prosecution begins closing arguments in Ed Burke trial: After the media frenzy surrounding the testimony of FBI mole Danny Solis on Tuesday, the crowd inside the 25th-floor courtroom at the Dirksen Federal Building had simmered down by the time Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur addressed the jury Wednesday afternoon. Understated and methodical, MacArthur laid out the 19-count federal indictment that named Burke as well as his chief of staff Peter Andrews and local developer Charles Cui.

    * Block Club | MAT Asphalt Agrees To $1.2 Million Class-Action Settlement With McKinley Park Neighbors: The settlement, agreed upon in early November, applies to any resident who lives within a half-mile radius of MAT Asphalt, 2055 W. Pershing Road. The facility is situated across the street from McKinley Park and makes hot-mix asphalt, among other industrial products. […] With the settlement agreement, lawyers from the Detroit-based law office of Liddle Sheets Coulson P.C. are now requesting that neighbors interested in the payout file a claim form to receive compensation from the settlement fund. The form must be postmarked by Jan. 22.

    * Sun-Times | Judge vacates murder conviction of Chicago man wrongfully imprisoned for 35 years: Beals was convicted in the 1988 murder of 6-year-old Demetrius Campbell in Englewood. At the time, Beals, a 22-year-old student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, was home in Chicago during Thanksgiving break. He was approached by a drug dealer and they argued, according to news accounts at the time. Attorneys say Beals got in his car and drove off. Bullets fired in Beals’ direction hit two bystanders, the boy and his mother, Valerie Campbell. Despite three witnesses describing a different offender, Beals was convicted, namely on Campbell’s testimony. She said she saw Beals in the argument and believed he fired the shots. Beals maintained his innocence.

    * Sun-Times | Heartland Alliance cuts 65 jobs and shuts affordable housing division: Ed Stellon, the group’s chief external affairs officer, said the nonprofit is “managing a very severe cash flow challenge.” He said the layoffs were among 125 workers who got temporary furloughs in recent months. “It’s just a terrible situation for them,” Stellon said.

    * NBC Chicago | Illinois’ New Laws: Transit bill includes reduced fares, requires zero-emission buses: The legislation will provide free fare cards for victims of domestic violence, with state agencies partnering with The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, according to the language of the bill. The legislation also included several provisions aimed at younger Illinois residents. Both PACE and Metra will be required to offer youth job opportunities and internship programs as part of the bill, and participants in the “One Summer Chicago” program, which provides employment opportunities for Chicago residents age 14-to-24, will also receive reduced-fares on transit.

    * WAND | Illinois lawmakers, industry experts discuss future broadband expansion: Roughly 234,000 Illinoisans are unserved and lack access to basic broadband service. However, about 132,000 people live in underserved locations across the state. “How are we going to reach 100% coverage for all Illinoisans? That’s a really big hurdle,” said Greg Claus with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. “This is the first time a grant program has been set up to connect all homes and businesses.”

    * Sun-Times | CTA boss says Yellow Line crash conditions are isolated, not systemwide: Brushing aside criticism that he has remained silent since the crash, CTA President Dorval Carter said National Transportation Safety Board rules prohibit him from commenting on the investigation. But he tried to allay speculation about a potential design flaw.

    * Our Quad Cities | Pat O’Brien, Moline 6th ward alderman, dies: Pat O’Brien was a longtime resident of Moline. He served eight years as the 2nd Ward Alderman for the city until 2005. In 2021, he was elected as the 6th Ward Alderman. Pat was also the former President of the Council on Community Services and also served as President of the Moline Preservation society. His co-workers and friends describe him as selfless.

    * WREX | Illinois Comptroller Mendoza shares safe holiday shopping tips: In a recent release to Illinois residents, Comptroller Susana Mendoza encourages safe shopping for the holidays. Providing tips to the public, the state leader charged with fiscal control calls for consumer caution. “That perfect present you picked out for a loved one may end up costing you dearly if you aren’t careful,” states Mendoza.

    * Tribune | Anti-Cruelty Society sees uptick in adoptions after waiving fees for December to reduce overcrowding: Pistachio is one of 158 animals that has been adopted from the Anti-Cruelty Society animal shelter since it waived adoption fees for the month of December in its “Home for Howlidays” promotion to encourage and remove one financial barrier to adoption. The large-scale promotion aims to combat overcrowding at the shelter, which has seen in the past two years animals, particularly big dogs, linger at the shelter.

  9 Comments      


Live coverage

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Live coverage is back, sorta. This will be different than the old Scribble Live feed because Twitter broke itself and almost everything else it touched. These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of posting lagtime, but it’s much better than nothing. We are also limited to just 20 Twitter sources. The service may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees about this. You can still click here or here to follow breaking news the way we’ve done since Twitter stopped Scribble Live from working…

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Live Ed Burke Trial Coverage

Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of a lagtime and you have to refresh the page every now and then. The service we’re using may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees. You can still click here to follow the Ed Burke trial on Twitter. Posts without a Twitter author name below them are from online news sources via Bing…

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* From Rich: Congrats to DeShana Forney, who was just elected the new Third House Speaker!

* From Rich: The candidate ballot-position lottery was held today. If you click here and scroll down to “Link: More Information,” and then click that link, you’ll bring up the pre-lottery’s pdf report. Today’s lottery sequence is: 1, 3, 4, 2. So the “1″ candidate on the pre-lottery report will appear first on the ballot, the “3″ will appear second, and so on. As an example, Darren Bailey is a “1,” so his name will appear at the top of the ballot. Mike Bost will be second.

* Press Release…

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that IDOT has reached an agreement to provide $10 million to Chicago to help the city expand its network of safety cameras along both state routes and city streets. The increased presence of cameras will be a valuable tool to help ensure the safety and effective movement of traffic through Chicago during special events and emergencies as well as in typically busy areas. […]

The intergovernmental agreement will increase the city’s ability to monitor traffic, manage incidents and assist in increased enforcement and safety along rights of way in Chicago.

The $10 million from IDOT will cover the costs of equipment, permitting and labor associated with the purchase and installation of the cameras. The city, under the terms of the agreement, will own and manage the physical and technological infrastructure and data as well as use a vendor to provide the required supplies and services, including equipment, installation, maintenance and any repairs.

The city also will determine the specific locations of the cameras and coordinate best practices for sharing information with law enforcement agencies.

* Lake County News-Sun…

The father of the alleged Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooter was released from jail Wednesday morning after serving less than a month of his 60-day sentence due to “good behavior,” according to the Lake County sheriff’s office. […]

Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli, and public information officer for the sheriff’s office, said the charge to which Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to is served at 50% for good behavior, meaning he received a day-for-day credit for his behavior. […]

On the day he reported for his jail sentence, Crimo Jr. arrived at the Lake County Courthouse wearing a white shirt that read, “I’m a political pawn,” in black letters. On the back of his shirt were the words “laws,” “facts” and “reality.”

* Senate Democrats…

As the new year starts, a number of new laws will take effect. Over 300 new laws will officially be on the books Jan. 1 – from one that makes Illinois the first state in the nation to prohibit the banning of books, to another that waives pet adoption fees for our nation’s heroes.

The Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus outlined 10 of the most interesting laws that will take effect Jan. 1. Those include:

    · House Bill 2789: Prohibits state-funded libraries from banning or removing materials due to religious or partisan disapproval
    · House Bill 1541: Prohibits utility companies from discontinuing gas or electric services for residential users due to nonpayment of bills on days when the temperature exceeds 90 degrees or there is a heat watch, advisory or warning
    · House Bill 2389: Clarifies that no vehicle can be stopped or searched solely on the basis of any objects placed or suspended between the driver and the front windshield that may obstruct the driver’s view
    · House Bill 2245: Requires Illinois car manufacturers to establish a vehicle theft hotline to facilitate the location of stolen vehicles via their existing global positioning systems
    · House Bill 3924: Requires high schools to teach students about the dangers of fentanyl in all state-required health courses
    · House Bill 1540: Prohibits the use of electronic cigarettes in public places and within 15 feet of entrances
    · House Bill 3516: Allows employees up to 10 days of paid leave in any 12-month period to serve as an organ donor
    · House Bill 2431: Provides people operating a motor vehicle may not use an electronic device to participate in video conferences or access social media sites
    · Senate Bill 380: Provides a civil cause of action for fertility fraud against health care providers who knowingly or intentionally use their own human reproductive material without the patient’s informed written consent for assisted reproductive treatment
    · House Bill 2500: Requires animal shelters and animal control facilities to waive the adoption fee for military veterans in Illinois

Dozens of other laws will also take effect Jan. 1, 2024. A full list can be found at https://www.illinoissenatedemocrats.com/2024NewLaws.

* Tribune…

Four City Hall lobbyists apparently donated improperly to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s political fund, the Chicago Board of Ethics found this week.

The board found the registered lobbyists appeared to violate a mayoral executive order by giving money to Johnson, according to probable cause findings issued at a recent meeting. […]

[A] Tribune analysis of campaign finance records identified four registered lobbyists who donated to Johnson’s candidate committee after he was sworn in as mayor in May.

Those donors include former 49th Ward Ald. Joe Moore, who now has his own lobbying business; John Dunn, former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s director of intergovernmental affairs who now works for Cozen O’Connor; Michael Cassidy with Zephyr Government Strategies; and Anthony B. Bruno, a politically connected business and government consultant in the west suburbs who was previously convicted of tax fraud.

* Block Club’s Colin Boyle captured some chaotic City Council moments …


* Press release…

U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $20,927,748 in new federal funding for the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Ogden Avenue Improvement Project in the North Lawndale neighborhood. This federal investment from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All program will support improvements along Ogden Avenue to reduce crashes and create a safer and more comfortable corridor for people walking, biking and driving.

“Improving street safety and increasing multimodal transportation infrastructure makes for safer, more active and more vibrant communities,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud to announce this important funding to help the City of Chicago to make much-needed improvements to catalyze economic development, enhance community connectivity and improve quality of life for the North Lawndale community.”

“A smoother, more streamlined transportation network allows residents to more readily and safely access opportunities, and fosters an environment where businesses can thrive,” Durbin said. “Whether it’s getting to work, school, or exploring all that Chicago has to offer, this investment will unlock new possibilities for the North Lawndale community.” […]

“Thanks to the leadership of Senators Durbin and Duckworth and all our federal partners for securing funding to support this transformative project in North Lawndale,” said CDOT Acting Commissioner Tom Carney. “CDOT will continue working closely with the community to bring this project to life and ensure that people using all modes of transportation can more safely and comfortably travel along Ogden Avenue.”

* Governor Pritzker named this week Dog and Cat Adoption Week in Illinois during a press conference today…


* Holiday season is approaching, so take a moment to listen to this certified holiday classic from Tom Irwin…



* Here’s the rest…

    * Tribune | Federal judge hears arguments on gun ban registry, while legislative panel considers rules for implementation: A federal judge in southern Illinois who earlier this year put a hold on the state’s gun ban — a decision that was reversed on appeal — on Tuesday heard arguments on a challenge to the registration process for guns grandfathered in under the law. U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn indicated he was not inclined to issue an injunction that would put off the Jan. 1 deadline for Illinois residents to register guns covered by the ban with Illinois State Police.

    * Daily Herald | Big upgrades coming to Union Station; more trains to Midwestern cities planned: A massive revamp of Chicago’s Union Station plus potentially more trains to Midwestern cities including Milwaukee are among the projects Amtrak is eying with over $101 million in new federal grants. The lion’s share of the funding, nearly $94 million, is earmarked for Union Station renovations.

    * Sun-Times | Another call for mistrial in FBG Duck murder trial — this one sparked by YouTuber’s removal from courtroom: While mainstream media outlets have largely ignored the federal murder and racketeering trial, the extraordinary events unfolding at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse have repeatedly spilled onto YouTube channels and rap blogs. In a motion filed on behalf of all the defense attorneys, lawyer Steve Greenberg said Aleta “Mickey Truth” Williams was pulled out of court last week after she falsely claimed that Rakeem “FBG Butta” Wilton had been paid to work with the feds.

    * WaPo | Pregnant women take a leading role in new legal battles over abortion: Kate Cox caught the attention of the nation last week when she asked a Texas judge for permission to end her pregnancy. Three days later, a pregnant woman filed suit anonymously in Kentucky, arguing that the state’s near-total abortion ban violates her constitutional right to privacy and self-determination.

    * Crain’s | As U.S. EV market flattens, some brands perk up and gain on Tesla: Notably, luxury kings BMW and Mercedes-Benz are carving out bigger numbers of new EV registrations, according to the latest data from Experian. BMW more than quadrupled its EV sales from January through October, with Mercedes and Volkswagen close behind. And newcomer EV brand Rivian, freed of the production problems that held it back earlier in the year, nearly tripled its new registrations for the period.

    * AP | Tesla recalls nearly all vehicles sold in US to fix system that monitors drivers using Autopilot: Documents posted Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators say the update will increase warnings and alerts to drivers and even limit the areas where basic versions of Autopilot can operate. The recall comes after a two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into a series of crashes that happened while the Autopilot partially automated driving system was in use. Some were deadly.

    * Reuters | Meet Ashley, the world’s first AI-powered political campaign caller: Ashley is not your typical robocaller; none of her responses are canned or pre-recorded. Her creators, who intend to mainly work with Democratic campaigns and candidates, say she is the first political phone banker powered by generative AI technology similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. She is capable of having an infinite number of customized one-on-one conversations at the same time.

    * Daily Herald | A hero is born: Drucker’s buzzer-beater lifts Prospect over Glenbrook North: Prospect senior Jerry Drucker’s last shot Tuesday night was the kind a player might pull out to win a game of horse. But Drucker’s driving and fading 18-footer from the right baseline over three defenders had much bigger implications at Jean Walker Field House. When it swished through the net at the buzzer Drucker had given the Knights a dramatic 40-38 nonconference victory and Glenbrook North its first loss in 9 games.

    * Sun-Times | Obama surprises South Shore pre-K class with presents and a story: Obama, who was joined by Parkside Principal Tori Williams-Hughes, CPS Chief Schools Officer Felicia Sanders and CPS Network 12 Chief Shenethe Parks, made the surprise holiday visit as a way of spreading holiday cheer in the community ahead of winter break. And he came bearing gifts. Each student in the classroom received toys, and every student at the academy got winter accessories.

    * WCIA | How three men saved Christmas in Champaign Co.: It took a few good men and an idea. It all started in December 2022, when a Toys for Tots trailer was broken into. Thieves stole hundreds of children’s toys and items — including bikes. […] “I made contact with these guys and said, ‘Hey, well we’ll get the bikes back. Tell me how many you had,’” Peeler said. “I rounded up a bunch of guys that I know and we just went out shopping and replaced them.” But replacing last year’s stolen bikes wasn’t enough. This year, “the guys” delivered 110 bikes, eight scooters and a big wheel — all going to kids in need this Christmas.

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Pritzker says GardaWorld will eat the state’s costs of canceled Brighton Park tent city

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* A reporter asked Gov. Pritzker today about what payment arrangements have been made with GardaWorld now that the tent city it was building has been canceled…

So, from the state, the understanding with GardaWorld is that they will do other work with us. And they knew as they were building this shelter, before the environmental report came in, that it was possible that the environmental report wouldn’t allow the completion of the shelter.

And so they understood that and they were willing to take that liability on through the state’s contract. I can’t speak to what may have pre-existed or been in place with the city. Meanwhile, they are going to be involved and have been working to help us stand up other shelters. Remember, even the bricks and mortar shelters that already exist need work. And GardaWorld is helping us to complete that work very quickly so we can get people sheltered in the right places.

* Asked what else was happening as far as site building goes…

We’ve been working together with the Archdiocese of Chicago. They have a number of buildings that they’ve made available over time. And so we’re continuing to look at the sites. A few of them are better than others. But I want to compliment the Archdiocese and especially the Cardinal because they’ve worked from the very beginning to assist the migrants, the asylum seekers here. There are lots of other organizations that have stepped up, but I just wanted to highlight them today. And I thank the Cardinal and the church for the work that they’re doing. And there are many other faith leaders, let’s be clear, who’ve come together. I think the mayor held a press conference with some of them. We’ve also talked to a number of others and people have stepped up to do the right thing to help out and especially in this holiday season, that’s heartwarming.

* Any announcements imminent?…

Not yet, but I promise you that the city will be announcing as those shelter sites are available. I think they’ve stood up one shelter site roughly every eight or nine days during this challenge, and during the mayor’s term. And so I’m sure that there will be others announced.

* More from Isabel…

    * Crain’s | Oak Park helped Chicago house migrants. It can’t take any buses: Although no new buses have arrived in Oak Park since October, the village is currently housing roughly 180 asylum-seekers between its West Cook YMCA, the Carleton Hotel and local churches. Scaman said Oak Park is providing “wraparound services,” including daily meals and some legal support.

    * Block Club | City Paying Well More Than Typical Rent For Migrant Shelter Buildings — And Keeping Details Secret: A picture has emerged through interviews and public records: As the new mayor and his team grew desperate to find housing for the migrants, the emergency offered lucrative opportunities to some city contractors and well-connected property owners, Block Club Chicago found. In the West Loop, Johnson aides ultimately approved deals to convert three former office buildings into migrant housing at a cost to the city of as much as $1.3 million a month, according to information provided by the city.

    * ABC Buffalo | ‘Diversity is the future’: Working to recruit migrants to help restaurant industry staff shortage: “Diversity is the future. I mean we shouldn’t have waited this long to diversify the workplace,” says Kailey Gyorffy, vice president of WNY Chapter NYSRA. “Getting these people that have worked so hard in their countries and they’re completely overlooked by other major corporations in the area and we’d like to offer them an opportunity to show their skills and use their skills.”

    * Seattle Times | A year into crisis, Tukwila church struggles as 500 asylum-seekers face winter: Local and state officials were first notified by the church of the situation in the spring, a few months into people arriving. The state said it has prepared for crowds as large as New York or Chicago, but that hasn’t happened yet, meaning a full emergency response isn’t warranted. Because the crowd that does exist is outside Seattle limits, Seattle-specific agencies say they can’t help. King County has said that it’s mainly Tukwila’s problem, while Tukwila says it can’t solve this problem alone.

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Chicago FOP’s new contract includes more money, looser disciplinary rules

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Better Government Association…

The BGA analysis found costs totaling at least $76.8 million above the budgeted position costs for 2024 passed by City Council in November, including:

    • $27.7 million from the change from a 2.5% raise to a 5% raise
    • $10.6 million from salary step changes
    • Potentially $11 million or more from stipends paid to officers with medical, crisis intervention, or bicycle officer training certifications, depending on the number of officers who opt for training and fulfill the stipend eligibility requirements.
    • $27.5 million for one-time retention bonuses paid to every FOP-represented officer

[…] As announced previously by the administration and analyzed by the BGA, the contract includes 5% pay raises for FOP-represented officers in 2024 and 2025, up from the 2.5% and 2% raises in those years previously contained in the union’s bargaining agreement with the Lightfoot administration. […]

In addition to the across-the-board raises, the contract contains new language increasing the salary grade of multiple CPD titles. […]

The contract includes new stipends of $1,000 annually for officers with emergency medical, crisis intervention or bike officer training certificates. […]

Referred to in the summary sheet presented to city council as a “signing bonus,” the contract language includes a one-time, non-pensionable bonus of $2,500 for all FOP-represented officers. At the 2024 budgeted headcount of 11,013 FOP-represented officers, this would cost the city $27.5 million, the BGA analysis estimates.

* So, did the city’s progressive mayor promise to spend money the city clearly doesn’t have to leverage stronger disciplinary procedures in order to prevent those multi-million-dollar settlements and weed out the bad apples? According to the BGA, nope…

In addition to its financial impacts, the contract adds significant new protections for officers facing discipline for misconduct, including time limits on how long internal investigations can take before invalidating any potential discipline, expedited and off-the-record arbitration for suspensions of thirty days or less, and new restrictions on when and where body worn cameras can be active and whether body worn camera footage can be used in disciplinary proceedings. […]

A separate amendment allows officers who have been fired to cash out all their unused compensatory time in the same manner as officers who resigned, retired or died. Previously, fired officers had only been entitled to comp time accumulated as a result of earned overtime for hours worked in excess of 171 per 28 day period. […]

One of the most significant disciplinary changes in the new contract is a stipulation that if an investigation takes more than 18 months to conclude, measured from the date on which the investigation was opened, the union can request arbitration to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for the investigation to take more than 18 months.

In such cases, the Police Department would bear the burden of demonstrating reasonable cause for delay. If the arbitrator deems reasonable cause does not exist, the hearing on the merits of the discipline cannot proceed.

* The contract does include this, however…

New language adds requirements that the department … provide officers with “appropriate training” on use-of-force rules that are consistent with department policy.

FOP President John Catanzara told me last year that he didn’t believe his members were receiving enough and proper training. He’s right.

Man, if Johnson does this with the FOP, just imagine what he’s gonna do with the CTU.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign updates

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Who thumbs it better?

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Starting off with Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton)…



* On to Rep. Hoan Huynh (D-Chicago) who has regularly posted thumbs-up photos since he started running for the House…

* Back to Severin…



* Huyn’s got a whole crew…



* Trust me, this post could have hundreds of images…

* Vote here!

online polls


  21 Comments      


Unclear on the concept

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WEEK TV…

An appeals court finds a Livingston County judge must abide by Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act even though she’s strongly opposed to ending the cash bond system for people awaiting trial.

Three justices on the Fourth District Appellate Court found that Brandin Atterberry, charged in Livingston County with indecent solicitation of a child and traveling to meet a child, is entitled to a second pretrial detention hearing applying the new law’s provisions.

In early October, Judge Jennifer Bauknecht ordered Atterberry jailed before his trial, claiming he’s a threat to Livingston County children and that the new law has taken away her authority to set bond in the case.

* Here’s some of what Judge Bauknecht said…

Here I do find that the proof is evident and the presumption is great that the Defendant has committed a qualifying offense for which he is eligible for detention under the dangerousness standard. I do believe that the State has shown by clear and convincing evidence based upon the nature of the charges and the probable cause statement that the Defendant poses a very real and present threat to the safety of all of the young children under the age of 18 living in Livingston County, and I do find that at present there are no conditions of pretrial release or combination of conditions that could mitigate the real and present threat of safety to the endangered persons in Livingston County. […]

As I stated earlier, before the Pretrial Fairnesses [sic] Act, I would have given the Defendant a reasonable monetary bond that would have taken into consideration the factors that I have just enumerated here that raise concern about the Defendant having contact with any child under the age of 18 within this community; and I believe that that monetary bond would have taken into consideration his ability to pay. The Defendant may or may not have been able to post that. However, that would have served as a very strong deterrent for the Defendant; and the risk of losing that bond money has historically proven to provide a good incentive for people to not continue to engage in criminal behavior.

And since I do not have that incentive because the legislature, governor and Illinois Supreme Court have taken that discretion away from me and because the Defendant meets the dangerousness standard by clear and convincing evidence, I am ordering that he be detained pending trial.

Um, what? She’d be willing to release him on bail even though she believed he was a threat to the community?

* More from the judge…

I would note that although I have not formally incorporated this into my notes, that while the legislature has funded this brand new department [Office of Statewide Pretrial Services] with over five layers of bureaucratic management, we continue to see an inordinate amount of people with mental health disorders in our jail awaiting transfer to the Department of Human Services; and I would further note that I am aware of at least one county, that being Sangamon County, that is also concerned that we have individuals who have been found to be unfit by courts sitting in our jails for months at a time while we have this brand new department with all this money and all of this bureaucratic oversight to deal with people who have been charged with crimes.

So I point out that we have at least one individual in the Livingston County Jail who’s been there since June 23rd awaiting transfer to the Department of Human Services for mental health treatment. I have found that person to be unfit for trial and in desperate need of mental health treatment, yet he sits in our jail waiting to be transferred.

I received a letter from DHS today indicating that they have 180 people waiting for admission to a mental health facility and that it will be at least another four to five weeks before this individual will be able to obtain his mental health treatment, yet we have spent not only our time but also our very valuable resources setting up this nice, new Pretrial Fairnesses [sic] Act with a brand new department with five layers of bureaucratic oversight.

Publicity hounds gonna publicity hound.

* Yadda-yadda-yadda, the appellate court sent the case back to the judge…

Accordingly, we remand the cause with directions to hold a new detention hearing applying the proper statutory criteria. Specifically, the trial court shall make express findings, based on defendant’s individual circumstances, as to whether any condition or combination of conditions allow for defendant’s pretrial release. As judges, our role is not to choose the law but to faithfully apply it; that is, in fact, the sole object of our oath. Where a law is passed by the legislature and upheld by our supreme court as constitutional, the role of the judge is to apply the law as it is, not as the judge might wish it to be. On remand, it is the trial court’s obligation to give this case the individualized attention it deserves.

  18 Comments      


Question of the day: 2023 Golden Horseshoe Awards

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Democratic Illinois State Senator goes to Sen. Cristina Castro…

She runs the exec committee efficiently, but ensures every opinion is heard. She quickly picks up on issue specifics, and can articulate key points in hearings and floor debate. She is also a political animal, and does the work needed to win, and to help her colleagues win.

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Republican Illinois State Senator goes to Sen. Sue Rezin…

Republican Senator Sue Rezin was impressive in efforts to pass the nuclear bill. She worked with Democrats to get the legislation through both Chambers and find a compromise with the Governor. She’s an experienced, solid lawmaker who knows how to get things done even though her party is in the super minority.

They’re both highly deserving, but congratulations to everyone who was nominated yesterday.

* On to today’s categories…

Best Contract Lobbyist

Best In-House Lobbyist

Please fully explain your nominations, and please do your best to nominate in both categories. Thanks!

* Here’s your daily reminder about buying Christmas presents for foster kids. So far, we’ve helped Lutheran Social Services of Illinois buy presents for 2,087 children who don’t have a lot going for them in life right now. LSSI, their foster families and people like you who help out every year are their lifelines.

Isabel and I will be closing up shop next Wednesday or Thursday, so we’re running out of time. If you haven’t yet done so, please click here to contribute. Also, if you’ve already contributed but think you can give just a little bit more, click here.

  45 Comments      


Google releases renderings of Thompson Center’s new look

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Crain’s…

Google’s long-awaited overhaul of the Thompson Center will begin next year, the tech company says, providing the first glimpses of what it might look like.

The iconic downtown Chicago building, which has inspired legions of both passionate admirers and detractors, will maintain a distinctive glass exterior and soaring atrium inside.

But the glass will be newer and more energy efficient. The three exterior rings where the layers of the building come together appear to feature outdoor terraces. […]

The tech company says fencing will go up around the perimeter early next year, followed by construction work. Retailers already are clearing out, with the last departure expected in mid-January.

* Here’s the renderings from Google…

* Google Chicago Site Lead Karen Sauder posted a blog update this morning…

At Google, we’ve set an ambitious goal to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. This means running our offices and data centers on clean energy, every hour of every day. One of the important steps we can take to achieve this goal is to make our offices require less energy in the first place. That’s why last year, when we announced our intent to purchase the Thompson Center, we also pledged to upgrade it to a LEED Platinum, all-electric building.

For a building like the Thompson Center, this isn’t easy. In order to achieve the efficiency gains we’re targeting, the building’s facade and internal systems have to be completely replaced. The new triple-pane glass exterior will improve both the thermal performance of the building and the comfort of those inside by requiring less energy to heat and cool. Additionally, it will modernize the way the building looks, and maximize natural daylight and views. We’ll also replace outdated heating and cooling equipment with high-efficiency systems that are capable of managing Chicago’s famously varied seasons.

Covered terraces along three levels of the southeast perimeter will offer new greenspaces. With more natural light, access to greenspace, and biophilic design elements that borrow from nature, the original design’s ode to transparency and openness will live on.

Not to be preachy, but I wonder what precautions are planned for migrating birds? Especially since 1,000 birds collided with McCormick Place in October.

* More…

    * WTTW | Google Unveils New Rendering of Thompson Center Renovation, Says the Atrium is Staying: “For the Thompson Center, we’re working with the building’s original architects at Jahn to help bring the design into the 21st century while maintaining its iconic form,” said Karen Sauder, Google Chicago site lead and global clients and agency solutions president. “The Thompson Center’s signature 17-story, light-filled atrium will remain.” But the covered colonnade at the building’s base will be significantly altered to “allow for an enhanced ground floor experience, including opportunities for more food and beverage retail and seasonal activations of the plaza,” Sauder said.

    * Block Club | Here’s A Look At The Thompson Center’s New Design: In July 2022, Google announced it would buy the center for $105 million and received city approval for redevelopment this October. Google plans to begin work in early 2024, and residents will start to see construction fencing going up soon. Sauder said the full redevelopment will take “several years” to complete.

    * Tribune | Google will reconstruct the Thompson Center starting early next year, but will retain the building’s atrium:One unknown is how the internet giant’s arrival will impact the Central Loop. The submarket was hit hard by the rise of remote work, which leaves downtown quiet several days each week. Many property owners hope Google will ignite a revival, much as it did for Fulton Market by opening in 2015 its Midwest headquarters in a former cold storage building renovated by developer Sterling Bay.

    * Sun-Times | Google releases new renderings of planned Thompson Center makeover: Google officials offered no details on what changes in color or material might be made to the atrium. The Sun-Times reported last October that Google received city permits to remove the atrium’s current metal and glass skin. The new glass exterior facade would also allow the atrium to be visible from inside outside of the building.

  26 Comments      


Open thread

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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

  4 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: NAACP IL President called to resign after comparing asylum seekers to ‘savages’. Tribune…

    - Illinois State Conference NAACP President Teresa Haley compared migrants to “savages” and accused them of rape.
    - Gov. J.B. Pritzker called the remarks “reprehensible.”
    - Reached by WLS-Ch. 7 while on vacation in Dubai, Haley denied the statements, but when confronted about them being on video suggested it was fake, saying “With AI, anything is possible.”

* Related stories…

* Isabel’s top picks…

Governor Pritzker is holding a press conference to encourage Illinoisans to adopt shelter animals at 11:15 am. Click here to watch.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

    * WICS | First set of data released related to pretrial legislation: The Office of Statewide Pretrial Services (OSPS) released the first sets of data following the implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act. […] Since Sept. 18, OSPS has completed 4,375 investigations and 2,318 defendants have been ordered to OSPS supervision. There were 1,496 petitions for detention filed in OSPS involved cases filed on or after Sept. 18, with 976 petitions granted, 469 petitions denied and 51 petitions waiting to be heard.

    * The 21st Show | Illinois’ First Lady MK Pritzker takes us inside the Governor’s mansion: In Illinois, the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield serves as the residency for the governor and their family, and the hub for the state’s social settings. The 168-year-old building has a very rich history, dating back to before the Civil War. The mansion’s history and its renovations have been documented by Illinois’ First Lady, MK Pritzker, through a new coffee-table book called A House that Made History: The Illinois Governor’s Mansion, Legacy of an Architectural Treasure.

    * NPR Illinois | Illinois anti-hate commission calls for unity, decries bias crime and builds helpline: A recent report by the Anti Defamation League found that “Illinois has seen a dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents in recent years. In 2022, the number of incidents increased by 128% from 2021 levels, rising from 53 to 121. The state’s total was the seventh-highest number of incidents in the country in a year when ADL tracked the highest-ever number of antisemitic incidents nationwide.

    * Tribune | ‘I was working under the direction of the government’: Calm and cool former alderman and FBI mole Daniel Solis heats up Ed Burke corruption trial: The last time Daniel Solis and Edward Burke were in the same room together was November 2018, when the two powerful longtime aldermen talked about Solis’ future. Solis said on the secretly recorded video that he planned to retire in the middle of his next term, maybe become a consultant and “go off into the sunset.” He told Burke he’d still bring developers his way, looking to hire Burke’s private law firm for tax work, “as long as, you know, you remember me.”

    * The Landmark | Two Chicagoans file to oppose Rashid in March primary : The Rashid campaign filed the maximum number of signatures, 1,500, allowed on nominating petitions, while Synowiecki and Vasquez each filed about 650 signatures. A minimum of 500 valid signatures are needed. The challengers to the nominating petitions include former Berwyn mayoral candidate Brendan O’Connor. The petition challenges will be heard by a hearing officer appointed by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

    * Landmark | RBHS school board member Laura Hruska files to run for state representative: Laura Hruska has never been one to avoid a challenge. But the longtime Riverside Brookfield High School District 208 school board member is taking on a big one in the upcoming year. Hruska, a longtime resident of Brookfield, is running for state representative, challenging 2nd District incumbent Democrat Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, who is an assistant majority leader in the Illinois House of Representatives and the chairwoman of the Illinois Democratic Party. Neither Hruska nor Hernandez has a primary opponent, so Hruska is guaranteed to face Hernandez in the November general election.

    * Sun-Times | City Council set to alter paid leave ordinance, but not enough to satisfy business leaders: The quick fixes teed up for approval at Wednesday’s City Council meeting include a six-month delay — until July 1 — in the requirement that businesses give their Chicago employees 10 paid days off per year, including five sick days and five vacation days. The changes would also give businesses 16 days, or “one pay period,” to remedy a problem with paid leave. But the so-called “cure period” would last only one year. After that, employees who believe they have been denied paid leave would be free to sue their employers.

    * Crain’s | The City Council will revisit migrant issues that sparked chaos in October: But a committee vote on the resolution supporting the referendum set for Tuesday was canceled and several members of the body have instead called for a City Council meeting to vote on their own non-binding referendum question asking voters if Chicago should remain a “sanctuary city.”

    * WBEZ | After swift backlash, Chicago drops restrictive new rules to public seating in city council chambers: The Chicago City Council Sergeant-at-Arms has “postponed until further notice” a controversial change to seating protocols for public meetings that sparked swift and significant backlash when made public just two weeks ago, according to a notice on the City Clerk’s website.

    * WTTW | CPS Security Guard Charged With Sexual Assault of Student Previously Cleared Backgrounding Process Despite More Than 20 Arrests, 4 Convictions: There was the time he was accused of pulling a silver BB gun on a man he attempted to rob for marijuana in Chicago. Or the time an officer reportedly found a bag of cocaine after it fell out of Campoverde’s pant leg. Or when the members of a crew breaking into vehicles in the southwest suburbs, including Campoverde, were arrested in Bolingbrook and charged with felony burglary for breaking into a man’s car.

    * WTTW | Family of 3 Boys Allegedly Abused by CPS Gym Teacher Suing School District: A family is suing Chicago Public Schools, alleging a gym teacher at a Northwest Side elementary school groomed and sexually abused three young boys. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of three minor, unnamed victims, alleged that Federico Garcia Lorca Elementary School physical education teacher Andrew Castro was able to continuously abuse the boys despite prior complaints of similar abuse.

    * Chalkbeat | Chicago Public Schools leaders want to move away from school choice: The move puts in motion Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign promise to reinvigorate Chicago Public Schools’ neighborhood schools. On the campaign trail, Johnson likened the city’s school choice system to a “Hunger Games scenario” that forces competition for resources and ultimately harms schools, particularly those where students are zoned based on their address.

    * Sun-Times | CTA Yellow Line operator knew plow would be on tracks before crash but not where, federal report says: The National Transportation Safety Board is focusing on CTA rail signals, railcar brakes and track conditions as it tries to determine why the train couldn’t avoid hitting the snowplow near the Howard Street station.

    * Streetsblog | Woman, 57, fatally struck by hit-and-run SUV driver is third pedestrian killed near one-mile stretch of Congress in Garfield Park in three months: The crash report says a witness told officers she was driving in front of the SUV, heading west from Pulaski Road (4000 W.) on Congress, when she noticed the SUV driver was speeding towards her. She pulled over to the side of the road, presumably to avoid a crash, and saw the SUV driver strike the victim and flee north on Kildare Avenue (4300 W.) The witness said she was unable to identify the driver because of tinted windows.

    * Daily Herald | Judge injured in explosion at Wheaton home: DuPage County Judge Kenneth Popejoy is recuperating after suffering injuries Sunday in a fireplace explosion at his home in Wheaton. […] Brill said a man was injured when a wood-burning fireplace with a gas log igniter exploded. Per department policy, Brill did not give out the name of the victim. The Daily Herald learned it was Popejoy from other sources, and confirmed it with office of the 18th Judicial Circuit.

    * Sun-Times | In strip club extortion case, brother of ex-Harvey Mayor Eric Kellogg found guilty: Rommell Kellogg was found guilty Monday of charges that accused him of collecting bribes from the since-closed Arnie’s Idle Hour in exchange for keeping keep officials in the south suburb from closing the strip club.

    * Tribune | Republican National Committee backs effort to block mail-in ballots received after Election Day: The RNC, which is promoting a “bank the vote” program to get Republicans to pledge to vote by mail, joined with the National Republican Congressional Committee in filing a court brief in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the effort to nullify ballots received by Illinois election authorities after Election Day.

    * WaPo | Pharmacies share medical data with police without a warrant, inquiry finds: The nation’s largest pharmacy chains have handed over Americans’ prescription records to police and government investigators without a warrant, a congressional investigation found, raising concerns about threats to medical privacy. Though some of the chains require their lawyers to review law enforcement requests, three of the largest — CVS Health, Kroger and Rite Aid, with a combined 60,000 locations nationwide — said they allow pharmacy staff members to hand over customers’ medical records in the store.

  9 Comments      


Live coverage

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Live coverage is back, sorta. This will be different than the old Scribble Live feed because Twitter broke itself and almost everything else it touched. These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of posting lagtime, but it’s much better than nothing. We are also limited to just 20 Twitter sources. The service may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees about this. You can still click here or here to follow breaking news the way we’ve done since Twitter stopped Scribble Live from working…

  Comments Off      


Live Ed Burke Trial Coverage

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of a lagtime and you have to refresh the page every now and then. The service we’re using may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees. You can still click here to follow the Ed Burke trial on Twitter. Posts without a Twitter author name below them are from online news sources via Bing…

  Comments Off      


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