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Ozinga campaign aide charged with harassing Sen. Hastings with obscene images (Updated x3)
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Isabel and I have also been working on this story…
* Pawula was not Ozinga’s chief of staff when Ozinga abruptly resigned without explaining his reasons. But he had worked in Ozinga’s district office prior to that and is currently listed as treasurer of Ozinga’s campaign committee. He’s also listed as treasurer of Ozinga’s Big Tent Coalition PAC. Ozinga and Sen. Hastings have been political adversaries. The Illinois State Police opened an investigation after Sen. Hastings filed a complaint. The results of that investigation were then turned over to the attorney general’s office, which ultimate filed these charges in Will County…
Pawula’s booking photo…  * Pawula could not be reached and he has no attorney on file in Will County. Ozinga did not respond to phone calls and text messages, which included these questions…
I’ll be happy to update with any response. Ozinga has not been charged. Pawula’s first court date is June 5. * Meanwhile, Jeff Berkowitz recently interviewed Ozinga and sent out this press release…
I’m thinking maybe not. Watch the interview here. *** Adding *** Tim Ozinga texted me this response…
*** Adding *** Click here to see Pawula’s notice to appear. Something to note, the date of the offense is November 8, 2022, the day of the general election. *** Adding *** It turns out that Ozinga put Pawula back on staff. I kid you not. I circled back to Ozinga and here’s what he said…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Sun-Times…
* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…
* KMOX | Illinois Judge: State has ’successfully turned the Titanic’ with cash bail reform: “This is an overhaul of a system I’ve known in my 40 years of my legal career,” said Andrew Gleeson, Chief Judge in the 20th Judicial Circuit in Illinois in 2023 on Total Information A.M. when the decision initially happened. Months later, has it changed criminal justice system in Illinois for the better or for worse? “I think as of now, you’d have to say yes, it’s changed for the better” said Gleeson on Total Information A.M. Wednesday. * Crain’s | Chicago newsrooms get $1.6 million in grants to strengthen local journalism: The newsrooms receiving the funding are Borderless Magazine, Chicago News Weekly, Cicero Independiente, Growing Community Media, Injustice Watch, Investigative Project on Race & Equity, Invisible Institute, Lansing Journal, La Raza Chicago, Reparations Media NFP, Respair Production & Media, South Side Weekly and the Windy City Times. Each news group has a different plan for using the money, ranging from hiring staff to creating hard copy reports for distribution. Each of the participating newsrooms has an operating budget of less than $2 million and prioritizes “amplifying community voices,” among other criteria. * Sun-Times | CTA unveils ideas for open space under revamped L tracks in Edgewater, Uptown: Skate parks, dog parks, fitness spaces, playgrounds, walking paths and areas for outdoor markets, all shaded under L tracks on the North Side. Those were some of the proposals in the Chicago Transit Authority’s vision for more than a mile of new open space under renovated Red Line tracks stretching from West Lawrence to West Ardmore avenues in Edgewater and Uptown. * Crain’s | Lagunitas is moving its brewing operations out of Chicago: The Lagunitas Brewing Company is moving its Chicago brewing operations to Petaluma, Calif. The brewery will maintain operations of its Chicago warehouse but is closing its Chicago tap room in Douglas Park. “The changes were prompted by a need to future-proof the organization amid changing tides in the craft beverage industry,” the company said in a statement. “The transition will allow for a more efficient and flexible supply chain, with a greater focus on innovation and the acceleration of more sustainable brewing practices.” * Daily Herald | Hanover Township offering free summer lunches to youth: Hanover Township is partnering with the Northern Illinois Food Bank to provide free lunches to youth beginning Monday, June 3, at the Township’s Astor Avenue Community Center, 7431 Astor Ave., Hanover Park and at the Izaak Walton Youth Center, 899 Jay St., Elgin. Lunches will be available Monday through Friday between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., at the Youth Center and 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., at the Community Center. No registration is required. * NBC Chicago | Wayfair’s first-ever physical store opens in Wilmette with freebies, giveaways: According to Wilmette village president Senta Plunkett, the store is expected to have a “transformative effect” on the suburb. “It will be our largest sales tax generator,” Plunkett told NBC Chicago in an interview. “We’re excited to be able to reinvest those sales tax dollars into our infrastructure. It’s a big deal here.” * Sun-Times | Cook County jury rules Zantac not the cause of Brookfield woman’s colon cancer: Jurors deliberated for just over four hours from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning. The three-week long trial — a first of thousands of similar cases nationwide to appear before a jury — wrapped up Wednesday. Lawyers laid out two starkly different arguments in their final pitches to the jury of nine women and three men. They did agree she proved she took Zantac for nearly 20 years, but they did not find it was the cause of her colon cancer. * WTTW | Some Landscapers Say Evanston’s Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Ban Created a Tense Atmosphere, With the Public and Fellow Landscapers Submitting More Than 1,000 Violations: Tom Klitzkie, president and co-owner of Nature’s Perspective Landscaping, who runs what he has called the “largest landscaping business in Evanston,” served as a member of the city’s Environmental Board. That board helped advise the Evanston City Council on legislation directly impacting his own company: the city’s controversial ban on gas- and propane-powered leaf blowers. In turn, Klitzkie is one of the top submitters of leaf blower violation complaints involving other landscaping companies. He’s the second most frequent submitter, accounting for 283 of the whopping 1,385 submissions made to the city as of April 25. Most of the submitters — 640 — left their name blank. 122 are under “hire reputable landscapers.” * The Telegraph | Collinsville hosts Illinois GOP state convention this weekend: Unlike a national convention, which is focused on selecting a presidential candidate, the state convention is about networking and training. Approximately 500 to 600 people will attend, according to Convention Coordinator Deb Detmers. * ABC Chicago | Rare blue-eyed cicada donated to Field Museum: ‘One in a million’: A rare blue-eyed cicada found by a suburban family has been donated to Chicago’s Field Museum. A 4-year-old, Jack Bailey, from Wheaton discovered it. His sister noticed it had blue eyes. The family took pictures of the cicada and then released it back into the yard. Later, they discovered how rare blue-eyed cicadas are, so they found it again. * WCIA | ‘I’m staying inside’: Decatur neighborhood reacts to cicada influx: People have been doing all they can to try to keep their yards clear of the bugs and what they leave behind, but Tapscott says when they start cleaning in the morning — by the next day it looks like nothing was done. “There’s not much you can do about them. It’ll be nice when they’re gone. Because its very noisy,” said Tapscott. * AP | Political consultant behind fake Biden robocalls faces $6 million fine and criminal charges: The Federal Communications Commission said the fine it proposed Thursday for Steven Kramer is its first involving generative AI technology. The company accused of transmitting the calls, Lingo Telecom, faces a $2 million fine, though in both cases the parties could settle or further negotiate, the FCC said. * USA Today | Activist Rev. Al Sharpton issues stark warning to the FTC about two gambling giants: In the letter, obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Sharpton writes to FTC Chair Lina Khan that the domination of the two gambling platforms threatens consumer protection in the market. “As you are well aware, DraftKings and FanDuel dominate the online sports betting market in the United States,” Sharpton wrote. “As of September 2023, they had a combined market share of approximately 75% in mobile sports betting. Their Sports Betting Alliance (SBA), which includes fellow legacy operators BetMGM and Fanatics Sportsbook, likely controls close to 90% of the market now. * Crain’s | Durbin renews call for Alito to recuse himself in 2020 election cases: Referring to a New York Times report that the “Appeal to Heaven” flag was seen flying outside Alito’s New Jersey vacation home — news that follows revelations that an upside-down American flag had been displayed at the conservative justice’s Virginia residence — Durbin argued tonight that the incidents “further erode public faith in the court.”
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New bill could prohibit infamous ‘pink slime’ sites from publishing any more voter registration data
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. From the elections omnibus bill…
As we’ve already discussed, the attorney general has sued Local Government Information Services over their publishing of the data. I’m still looking through the omnibus bill. Have you found anything?
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WAND…
* WAND…
* WTVO…
* Rep. Adam Niemerg….
* WAND…
* Sen. Javier Cervantes…
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Showcasing the Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small. We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Martin, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
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Pritzker on Choate, his health care bill and the sports betting tax
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. From the governor’s Q&A today…
* More questions from other reporters…
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Investment In Carbon Capture Technology Will Help Grow Illinois’ Corn Industry, Spur Job Creation, And Keep Nation ‘Fed and Fueled’
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Labor unions, government officials, business voices, and the academic community are speaking up about the critical role that carbon capture and storage (CCS) can play in helping Illinois reach its clean energy goals. The Capture Jobs Now Coalition is supporting SB3311/HB569 to advance CCS projects, prioritizing jobs and economic development in local communities. Matt Rush, Farmer from Fairfield and Past President of the Illinois Corn Growers Association:
Joe Heinrich, Executive Director of the Smart Carbon Network and Rick Terven, Jr., Legislative & Political Director for the Illinois Pipe Trades Association:
For more information visit CaptureJobsNow.com.
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Listen To Servers – Vote No On House Bill 5345
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Dominique Juarez, a server at Alexander’s Steakhouse in Peoria, said at the news conference she opposes the elimination of tip credit and that the bill “corners us into a no-win situation.”  Dominique with some of her regular customers at Alexander’s Steakhouse in Peoria, IL Tell your state legislators to VOTE NO on House Bill 5345 and Protect Illinois Hospitality
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Pritzker addresses Madison County secession issue during visit to county
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Alton Telegraph last month…
* Gov. JB Pritzker was in the county today to mark the completion of the Madison County Transit Administration Building. He specifically addressed the nonbinding referendum in his speech…
Please pardon all transcription errors. * He was subsequently asked by a reporter why he wanted to talk about the issue today…
Thoughts?
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Help Illinois Patients Achieve Better Health: Support IHA’s MCO Reforms
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] As enrollment in Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) has grown, so have concerns with MCOs inappropriately delaying or denying care for thousands of patients—including cancer patients, people with cardiac conditions, elderly patients and people with disabilities. In a 2023 study, the U.S. Dept. of Healthcare and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that, on average, the MCO denial rate was over twice that of Medicare. The study said, “Prior authorization can be used to manage costs by denying services that the MCO judges to be inappropriate or not medically necessary. However, Federal regulations stipulate that prior authorization may not be used to arbitrarily restrict access to medically necessary services covered by the MCO’s contract.” The Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) agrees with the OIG. Illinois MCOs are using unnecessarily burdensome prior authorization policies to manage their costs, instead of coordinating care. IHA’s legislative reform package is a commonsense approach to addressing issues that have made prior authorization a top challenge to providing healthcare to Medicaid patients. Learn about IHA’s MCO reform package and see how MCO practices have impacted Illinois patients and providers. Illinois’ 3.6 million Medicaid patients need YOUR support to achieve optimal health!
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Chicago CFO: ‘The City cannot and would not pursue expanding the tax base on our own’
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Chicago Tribune editorial…
* Chicago’s CFO Jill Jaworski reached out to talk to me this week about my post on this very topic the other day, so I asked her to read the Tribune editorial and provide a response to both the Trib and myself…
Keep in mind that local governments receive a share of the state sales tax on goods. It would presumably be the same if the state imposed a sales tax on services. As you’ll recall, Gov. Pritzker has so far refused to rule out any revenue ideas to fund mass transit, including a service tax. The city is hoping to build on that.
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The disinformation outrage machine strikes again
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Center Square…
* CWB ran the Center Square story with the headline: “Apologizing for the criminal? Illinois set to change ‘offender’ to ‘justice-impacted individual’ in state laws.” * Paul Vallas…  * Fox News…
* Elon…  * WGN tried to clear things up…
* This is a county-run program. Here’s DuPage’s description…
It’s such a minor thing. But, I mean, I can easily see why people could be irritated by the phrase. It’s just so egg-head. People don’t talk that way.
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Open thread
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s up? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Brenden Moore…  Governor Pritzker will be at the Madison County Administration Building at 10 am to celebrate its completion. Click here to watch. * Tribune | Judge temporarily blocks hastily passed election law that favored Democrats in November: Sangamon County Judge Gail Noll issued the order pending a hearing on June 3, which had been the statutory date for filling the unfilled candidate slots on the Nov. 5 ballot. Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the measure into law on May 3 shortly after Democratic majorities in the House and Senate passed the legislation in a two-day tour de force. * Tribune | Contractor sues Illinois Tollway, alleging breach of $323 million contract: Judlau Contracting, a New York-based company, says in its lawsuit that it had started work on the interchange of Interstate 290 and Interstate 88 when its contract was terminated by the Illinois Tollway on May 16. The lawsuit, filed in DuPage County Circuit Court, says the action was without proper legal basis and harmed the company’s reputation and overall business. The company also says the sudden halt in the project could cost taxpayers millions of dollars extra and create safety risks for drivers on the interchange. * NPR | When Illinois adults with intellectual disabilities seek care, they often wait years: The toughest positions to fill are Direct Support Professionals(DSPs) who work directly with people with disabilities. That’s because agencies — like Opportunity House — who contract with the state can only use state funding to pay those salaries. So, the state, essentially, dictates the wages and if they get a raise. “On average, our DSPs when you look at our starting wage is like $16 an hour,” said Matya. Supporting adults with intellectual disabilities can be really tough. So, when you can make just as much or more at Starbucks, he says, it’s a difficult sell. * Sun-Times | Illinois General Assembly budget talks stall over sportsbook tax hike, retailer discounts: In what’s become a springtime rite in the Illinois Capitol, state legislators on Wednesday were bumping up against their self-imposed deadline to approve an annual spending plan, as Democrats wrangle over a sports betting tax hike, retailer discounts and other key revenue proposals floated by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Lawmakers needed to file a budget bill by Wednesday night in order to wrap up the legislative session Friday as originally scheduled by Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and state Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. * Tribune | In possible DNC preview, Gov. J.B. Pritzker mocks ex-President Donald Trump: Before a captive crowd of national media members in Chicago on Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker heaped scorn upon former President Donald Trump, saying the presumptive GOP presidential nominee is cruel, wants to be a dictator and is “waiting to become the first felon elected president.” The remarks, made at a media gathering at the United Center in preparation for this August’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, hinted at just some of the barbs certain to be aimed at Trump this summer and highlighted the attack-dog surrogate role Pritzker is playing in the 2024 presidential campaign. * AP | Illinois governor’s office says Bears’ plan for stadium remains ‘non-starter’ after meeting: “As the Governor has said, the current proposal is a non-starter for the state,” press secretary Alex Gough said in a statement. “In order to subsidize a brand new stadium for a privately owned sports team, the Governor would need to see a demonstrable and tangible benefit to the taxpayers of Illinois. The Governor’s office remains open to conversations with the Bears, lawmakers, and other stakeholders with the understanding that responsible fiscal stewardship of tax-payer dollars remains the foremost priority.” * Sun-Times | CPS expert’s remarks that not all instances of sex abuse cause trauma met with ire in state legislature: State Rep. Curtis Tarver, D-Chicago, introduced a bill in the final days of the spring session this week to protect child sex abuse victims in court. Tarver said on the House floor last week that CPS’ top lawyer, Ruchi Verma, “needs to go” for approving the use of the expert witness and the legal strategy in the case, including trying to make the victim’s name public. CPS regularly hires outside law firms to handle litigation, but Verma oversees the district’s legal activity. In this case, the Board of Education hired Chicago-based Nielsen, Zehe & Antas, which has been paid $634,317 since it first started working for CPS in 2020. * Crain’s | Johnson pushing to fire official in charge of city contracts: For months, Johnson’s office has wanted to replace Aileen Velazquez, the city’s chief procurement officer, according to sources familiar with the effort to remove her. Johnson has even identified a replacement, according to the same sources. But, unlike the heads of other city departments, Velazquez serves a four-year term and can only be fired for cause after a full hearing before the City Council where she would be afforded an attorney to defend her record. * Windy City Times | Mayor’s new press secretary deletes controversial tweet about 2010 Chicago Pride Parade:“i brake for gay pride. reluctantly.” Reese wrote. The tweet, which has since been deleted, was shared around social media and among LGBTQ+ groups who felt it could be perceived as harmful to the community. But Reese told Windy City Times he was making a joke about traffic, and not LGBTQ+ people. “I lived in Uptown for 10 years and traffic was atrocious,” Reese said. “I meant no slight against LGBTQ+ people at all. I DJ’d the parade back in 2022, and it was an absolute blast.” * Crain’s | Johnson hiring head of progressive political party that helped push him into office: Kennedy Bartley, who took over as executive director of United Working Families in July after previously serving as the party’s legislative director, is joining the mayor’s office as a liaison to progressive elected officials, unions and community groups. The hire comes after Johnson’s first year in office, but has been in the works for months, according to sources familiar with the hire. It also comes as some of the mayor’s allies on the City Council have grown concerned their longtime agenda is in peril after the Bring Chicago Home referendum failed, denying the movement a win they had pushed for nearly a decade. * Tribune | Council gives itself power to take control of ShotSpotter’s future, defies Johnson campaign promise: The 34-to-14 vote to give the City Council final say over the mayor’s cancellation plans sharply defies Johnson, who campaigned on the promise of getting rid of the controversial and expensive technology. Under the order that passed Wednesday, the pact with ShotSpotter is now subject to an up-or-down council vote before it can be terminated. It is not clear how the new rule will be applied to a deal the mayor already announced will end, however, especially since Johnson has suggested it’s illegal for aldermen to try to exert such authority over a city contract. * Sun-Times | Anti-abortion members of City Council stall approval of quiet zone around West Loop clinic: At the behest of Planned Parenthood, Ald. Bill Conway (34th) was trying for the second time in six months to establish a “quiet zone” around the abortion clinic operated by Family Planning Associates at 659 W. Washington Blvd. Conway was furious after Ald. Nick Sposato (38th) and Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) used a parliamentary maneuver to delay the quiet zone vote by one meeting. * Crain’s | Cook County plans $12 million in factory-built homes: Of a planned 120 to 150 units, the first will go up in the city’s Humboldt Park neighborhood — where there are already some modular homes — and suburban Chicago Heights by the end of the summer, said Karl Bradley, deputy director of housing and strategic finance. By fall, units should be underway in Maywood, Bellwood and Broadview, Bradley said. * Tribune | Another piping plover — apparently a female — has joined Imani at Montrose Beach: The newcomer joins Imani — the city’s most celebrated avian bachelor — who has returned to the North Side beach for three summers, apparently looking for love. The only known surviving chick of local legends Monty and Rose, Imani has endured a series of very public disappointments in his search for a mate. But his luck may be changing. * Block Club | The Cubs-White Sox Rivalry Goes Back To A Baseball ‘War’ In 1900. Here’s Why It Still Rages On: In response to the rumor of the new American League placing a team in Chicago, Cubs President Jim Hart said he welcomed a “war” between the leagues. “If the break-up of the national agreement must come, let it come in a hurry,” he told reporters. “It cannot happen too soon so far as I am concerned. Under the present low condition of baseball, the war would help considerable to clear up the baseball atmosphere and let us know where we are standing. On the whole, it would be a good thing if the national agreement was broken.” * Daily Herald | Students to help build homes on land District 211 sold to developer: Students in Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211’s Building Construction program soon will benefit from the district’s 2020 sale of 62 acres in Schaumburg to a housing developer. The 149-lot Summit Grove development will provide three home sites where the construction students will gain real-world experience over the next three years. * Naperville Sun | Naperville’s Human Library will let you ‘check out’ a person for conversation and learning: Next Saturday, April 20, the city of Naperville, Naperville Public Library and Naper Pride are teaming up to present the “Human Library,” an event where people — rather than books — will be on loan to engage with borrowers in conversation. The three-hour opportunity to peruse, and exchange, personal stories will take place between 1 to 4 p.m. at the 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive. * WICS | Cicada season draws crowds to Lincoln Memorial Garden in Springfield: The Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center in Springfield is seeing a surge of out-of-state visitors just to see the cicadas. Our crews met people who traveled here from California to experience and learn about them. “This is a unique time in Central Illinois,” Joel Horwedel, Executive Director at the Lincoln Memorial Garden, said. * WICS | Iroquois County reels from severe windstorm damage, EMA urges emergency sign-ups: “The EMA office started to make notifications on our Facebook page- as early as Sunday, about the potential of an upcoming storm event Tuesday. This allowed Iroquois County residents time to prepare,” said EMA Coordinator Scott Anderson. Even though the severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes did not materialize locally, the high winds did. * Tech Crunch | Meta’s new AI council is composed entirely of white men: Meta on Wednesday announced the creation of an AI advisory council with only white men on it. What else would we expect? Women and people of color have been speaking out for decades about being ignored and excluded from the world of artificial intelligence despite them being qualified and playing a key role in the evolution of this space. Meta did not immediately respond to our request to comment about the diversity of the advisory board.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - More news
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Judge issues preliminary injunction for post-primary slating law (Updated)
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Pearson at the Tribune…
Basically, the judge told the State Board of Elections not to reject the locally slated candidates. The board has already said it would continue processing the filings until the courts worked it out. …Adding… Senate Republican Leader John Curran…
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Sun-Times reports two revenue sticking points remain (Updated)
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Mitchell Armentrout and Tina Sfondeles…
The sports betting tax hike is projected to bring in $200 million. The reduced retailers’ discount is expected to generate $101 million for the state and $85 million for local governments. The Illinois Retail Merchants Association has beaten back every attempt to take away their sales tax discount, but governors keep trying. …Adding… Budgeteers went into a meeting at around 9:30 pm.
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WBEZ report: Comms job candidate with mayor’s office claims he was not hired because he formerly worked for Pritzker
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * From a WBEZ story entitled “Who’s in Brandon Johnson’s cabinet?”…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Common Cause…
* Capitol Connection | Tradeswomen travel to Springfield, advocates for worker’s rights: The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades partnered with labor advocates to hold the first Tradeswomen Take Over Springfield Advocacy Day at the Capitol. The group wanted to show lawmakers that women make up a significant portion of these union jobs, and that their interests should be taken into account when developing policies at the State level. * Innocence Project | Illinois Can Once Again Lead in Preventing Wrongful Convictions by Passing a Critical False Confession Bill: Despite the fact that Illinois judges routinely rule on the reliability of other evidence, such as eyewitness identifications and forensic evidence, Illinois has not asked its judges to assess the reliability of the alleged confession. In the Dixmoor Five case, given that the DNA evidence, pre-trial, excluded each of them as the source of the semen on the victim’s body and their so-called confessions did not align with the other evidence, it is unlikely that a judge would have found the confessions reliable. Wrongly convicted, the Dixmoor Five spent a total of 95 years behind bars, losing years of their lives they can never get back, until they were exonerated. Meanwhile, the real perpetrator, subsequently matched to a DNA database search, remained free and, in fact, committed other sexual assaults. * Tribune | More kinds of ticks, longer season as experts warn ‘Illinois is at the frontline’: * WBEZ | Who’s in Brandon Johnson’s cabinet? Many are holdovers from the administrations he often criticizes: Pacione-Zayas points to the infrastructure the city has built in the past year — and the creation of new positions devoted to the city’s response — as evidence of its nimbleness. “Given what we’ve been able to accomplish, albeit some bumps, it’s pretty amazing that we’ve kept government running,” Pacione-Zayas said. “And we’ve also addressed this situation in ways that nobody ever gave you instructions on how to do — without any federal support or intervention.” * NYT | Chicago Is Tired of Waiting for Trains, and Thinks It Knows Who’s to Blame: “Yes, C.T.A. chief Carter needs to go,” Crain’s Chicago Business wrote in an editorial last month, saying that his agency was in a “shambolic state.” Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Democrat of Illinois, said recently that there “needs to be an evolution of leadership in order for us to get where we need to go with the C.T.A.” Since the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Carter has drawn the ire of public transportation advocates, who have called him out for failing to fix the system’s financial problems, sluggish service and thefts and assaults on L trains and buses. * Block Club | Simon’s Tavern Celebrates 90 Years As Andersonville’s Bar: It became a legally licensed bar in May 1934 under its original owner Simon Lundberg after operating as an illegal basement speakeasy during the latter years of Prohibition. In 1970, Lundberg passed the business to his son Roy Lundberg who ran it until 1994, when Martin took the reins. * ProPublica | Ticketed at School as a Teen, a Young Black Woman Is Suing an Illinois City for Violating Her Civil Rights: Amara Harris, the young Black woman from suburban Chicago who won a yearslong fight against a police ticket that accused her of stealing a classmate’s AirPods, took her fight to court again Tuesday. This time, she was the plaintiff, not the defendant. Harris’ attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging civil rights violations, including racial discrimination and malicious prosecution. When she was a high school junior in 2019, a city police officer based at the school, using information gathered by school deans, ticketed her for violating a municipal ordinance against theft. Harris has always said she did not steal the AirPods but picked them up by mistake, thinking they were her own. * Daily Herald | ‘We need resolution’: State lawsuit against Wheaton history group drags on: Twenty-three historical societies or museums help tell the history of towns in DuPage County, according to the Illinois State Historical Society. But if you want to see a treasure trove of historic artifacts from the county seat in Wheaton, you are out of luck. A lengthy court battle is still trying to determine what the Wheaton Historic Preservation Council did with its extensive collection and more than $300,000. * Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan roofing contractor pays $365K in penalties ‘for putting his workers’ lives … in danger repeatedly’: The payment came after the Department of Labor moved to seize the contractor’s assets as part of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) debt collection program, the release said. According to the news release, the employer, Joshua Herion, “repeatedly expos(ed) employees to falls from elevations.” Falls are the leading cause of death and serious injuries in the construction industry, it said. * Muddy River News | Adams County public defender questioning local interpretation of Pretrial Fairness Act in cases of Springfield, Quincy men: Kareun Brewer, 21, and Latwaon McCray, 42, appeared in Adams County Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon with Public Defender Kevin Bross before Judge Tad Brenner. Bross filed an “objection to arraignment” motion on Tuesday afternoon. Brenner asked Assistant State’s Attorney Brett Jansen how long it would take for the Adams County State’s Attorney’s Office to respond to the motion. Jansen said he thought they could respond and be ready for a hearing in a week. Bross told Brenner his motion was a challenge to the application of the Pretrial Fairness Act. He believes the constitutional rights of Brewer and Latwaon have been violated. Both men are in the Adams County Jail on denial of pretrial release. * SJ-R | City Water, Lights and Power gearing up for possible lawsuit against EPA over new rules: City Water, Light and Power got the green light from city council in a 7-3 vote to seek counsel outside of the Springfield Office of Public Utilities to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over new regulations. On April 25 of this year, the EPA announced a final rule to reduce the discharge of toxic metals and other pollutants into the nation’s water bodies from coal-fired power plants. * SJ-R | Frustration mounting for tenants of apartment complex in downtown Springfield: Frustration is mounting over the condition of one of Springfield’s premier downtown living quarters. The owners of Lincoln Tower Apartments at 520 S. Second St., Illinois-based Lincoln Tower Holdings, LLC and Delaware-based Strategic Lincoln, LLC, have been taken to court by the city of Springfield over a crumbling underground garage for residents and other fire code violations, said city attorney Gregory Moredock. * WBEZ | Who wins during the cicada eruption of 2024? It turns out it’s the caterpillars: More than just a nuisance, periodical cicadas are an important player in the forest ecosystem. A 2023 study published in the journal Science, found that 80 species of birds started eating cicadas instead of caterpillars during the Brood X emergence, which had an effect on trees where the caterpillars live. Reset learns how the current eruption of cicadas affects the forest ecosystem, and the ripple effects we could be seeing for years to come. * Sun-Times | Cicada-infused Malört shots are all the buzz at Lombard brewpub: Noon Whistle Brewing in Lombard got the idea to create the creepy drink as a fun way to spread the word of the establishment via social media. Their twist on Malört, an iconic Chicago spirit made of wormwood known for its bitter, slightly grapefruit taste, uses real bugs collected in a wooded park neighboring the restaurant. […] “Everyone already hates Malört, so it’s like, let’s just make it even worse,” said Joey Giardiniera, the restaurant’s creative director. * Sun-Times | Ex-Bears QB Justin Fields ‘nowhere near my ceiling’ as he relaunches career with Steelers: Three years after the Bears drafted him 11th overall, hoping he would be their franchise quarterback, they offloaded him to the Steelers for next to nothing. But Fields seems happy to have moved on, as well, and this is the second chance he wanted as soon as he realized the Bears were done with him. * Sun-Times | White Sox’ Eloy Jimenez suffers hamstring strain; OF Zach DeLoach recalled from Charlotte: Jimenez appeared to be hurt as he crossed home plate on Corey Julks’ two-run single in the fifth inning that gave the Sox a three-run lead in their 5-0 victory Tuesday. Jimenez was pinch-hit for by Gavin Sheets in the seventh inning. Jimenez, who has a long history of soft tissue injury problems, missed the first two weeks of April after suffering an adductor strain in the third game of the season. * Federal News Network | Labor Dept backs state-by-state refresh of UI benefits systems rocked by pandemic: Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su told reporters Tuesday that a nearly 3,000% surge in UI claims in 2020 demonstrated how these legacy IT systems were “inadequate to meet the needs of people who were suddenly out of work.” The department first awarded UI modernization grants to states in 2021. It’s now funding projects in 18 other states, at a time when their systems are experiencing historically low levels of strain. * Tribune | All eyes are on Milwaukee this summer. Here’s what to do beyond the Republican National Convention.: Long known as Brew City (that German influence), 27 breweries operate in Milwaukee. That compares with more than 40 breweries tapping kegs back in the 1860s. Of those 40, four are still around: Blatz, Pabst, Miller and Schlitz, once the largest beer producer in the U.S. and known as “the beer that made Milwaukee famous.” Hanging out at Lakefront Brewery, especially after a stroll along the Milwaukee RiverWalk, is a great way to spend some time. Sample the gold-medal winning RiverWest Stein, an amber lager, alongside some tasty fried cheese curds. * NYT | ‘A Completely Different Town Now’: A Community Reels From a Deadly Tornado: Not long after the tornado hit Greenfield, Iowa, residents were already using skid loaders to clear streets. With the hospital damaged, a medical triage center started at the local lumberyard. Paramedics and police officers from across the western half of Iowa were speeding in to help. “Everybody became little makeshift ambulances,” said Ray Sorensen, a member of the Iowa House of Representatives who lives in Greenfield, and who said he helped with the rescues after racing back into town shortly after the storm hit on Tuesday afternoon. “We pulled a guy from the rubble and put him on a little makeshift stretcher that we made, threw him in the back of a truck.” * Business Journal | Riverfront Times sold, newspaper’s editorial staff laid off: The Riverfront Times’ owner has sold the St. Louis alternative weekly newspaper, and its buyer is not retaining any current editorial staff, according to the RFT’s top editor. “I am absolutely heartsick to see the good writers, editors and photographers who made this publication a must-read for so many years losing their jobs,” said Sarah Fenske. “We fought the good fight, and what else can you say? The journalists here did terrific work day and day out. I hope someone will hire them — and that somehow, despite long odds, they’ll continue in the 47-year RFT tradition of printing the truth and raising hell.” * Tribune | Amid campus protests against Israel-Hamas war, student journalists assume the spotlight: The reporting has been applauded at a national level. The Pulitzer Prize Board — which is housed at Columbia University, the site of the first solidarity encampment — released a statement May 1 recognizing “the tireless efforts of student journalists” covering protests while facing “great personal and academic risk.” On the front lines, student reporters have been assaulted at UCLA and arrested at Dartmouth College.
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Uber Partners With Cities To Expand Urban Transportation
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Uber is leading the charge to close critical transportation gaps, ensuring reliable access to its services in places that need it most, such as underserved areas like Englewood. This is a part of Uber’s broader commitment to augment and expand the reach of Chicago’s transportation ecosystem, focusing on overcoming the first-mile/ last-mile hurdles that have long plagued residents in farther afield neighborhoods. Uber aims to extend the public transit network’s reach, making urban transportation more accessible and efficient for everyone. Discover the full story on how Uber is transforming city transportation for the better.
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Behind the 1969 LGDF agreement
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Daily Herald…
I’ve heard about this agreement so many times, but I’ve wondered who made the agreement and how. * So, I asked the Illinois Municipal League. I was pointed to their LGDF fact sheet…
Thoughts?
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Question of the day
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Gov. Pritzker went to California last month to meet with Hollywood execs. The Tribune ran an interesting story about it. Pritzker was asked about the trip during his City Club Q&A last week…
* Center Square…
* Amendment 2 to House Bill 817 makes a change to the state film incentive law. Up until now, incentives were not available for “a production in respect of a game, questionnaire, or contest.” The amendment lines out that language, making the shows eligible. It also allows national talk shows to access the incentives. * The Question: What new game, questionnaire or contest shows would you like to see produced in Illinois? New ideas only, please. Have fun.
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You gotta be kidding me
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Beth Hundsdorfer…
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Get The Facts On The Illinois Prescription Drug Board
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] The price-setting board proposed in HB4472 is not the solution for Illinois. It would give bureaucrats the power to arbitrarily set medicine prices, deciding what medicines and treatments are “worth” paying for. We can’t leave Illinoisans’ health care up to political whims. Let’s make it easier, not harder for patients to access their medicines. Click here to learn more.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WCIA…
* WBBM…
* SJ-R…
* Tribune…
* KFVS…
* WAND…
* Rep. Dagmara Avelar…
Sen. Robert Peters…
* WBBM…
* Sen. Rachel Ventura…
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Vote YES On The Kinship In Demand (KIND) Act To Support Youth In DCFS Care
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] 
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Session stuff (Updated)
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Vote YES On IHA’s MCO Prior Authorization Reforms To Benefit 3.6 Million Illinoisans
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Medicaid managed care came to Illinois with the promise of better healthcare for the state’s most vulnerable residents. Yet, 13 years later and countless preauthorization denials and delays by managed care organizations (MCOs), hospitals are urging legislators to fix egregious MCO practices that worsen patient health. Access to primary and preventive care is woefully lacking as MCOs manage their costs by denying needed medical services. Nearly 30% of Illinois residents, 3.6 million people, have coverage through an MCO. They are adults, children, seniors and people with disabilities across the state. Every one of them should have access to the care they need, when they need it. Yet MCOs use complex and inconsistent prior authorization processes to deny and delay necessary healthcare, and deny reimbursement to healthcare providers. The Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) has put together commonsense legislative reforms—with NO fiscal impact on the State’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget—to streamline access to patient care and improve health outcomes by eliminating inappropriate prior authorization practices. These reforms address inpatient stabilization, standardization and transparency, and a “gold card” program for physicians and hospitals with historically high service authorization approvals. Learn more about IHA’s reform package and VOTE YES to support patients!
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Open thread
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Would-be union of legislative staffers accuse Welch of undermining organizing effort. Capitol News Illinois…
- In their statement, the Illinois Legislative Staff Association accused Welch of passing the bill “to deflect rising criticism” and feigning solidarity in public while privately colluding with Democratic Senate President Don Harmon to ensure the bill “went no further” once it passed the House. - Welch’s office responded Tuesday saying the speaker’s “record is clear” on the staff unionization effort. - The speaker’s office also pointed to nine specific areas of improvement for staffers within the speaker’s purview since Welch took power in 2021. * Sun-Times | Bill calling for interest rate disclosures on small business loans dies in Illinois House: Known as SB2234, it had strong support by a large coalition of advocates representing more than 250,000 small businesses and it passed the state Senate on May 2 by a vote of 36-19. But on Monday, the House Financial Institutions Committee didn’t call the bill for a vote. The committee gave no explanation for its decision. A prior version of the bill also died in committee last year. * Capitol News Illinois | Potawatomi land transfer advances in Illinois House: House Bill 4718 would authorize the state to hand over what is now Shabbona Lake and State Park to the tribe for $1. It also allows the tribe and the Department of Natural Resources to enter into a land management agreement under which the land would remain open to the public for recreational use for an unspecified period. * Crain’s | Craft brewers say new hemp rules could cut the industry’s lifeline: THC drinks: After watching sales of their new THC-infused beverages explode in recent months, Illinois’ craft beer makers are worried proposed regulation could zap their newfound revenue stream. The state’s craft beer industry struggled following the pandemic. Ten percent of the state’s breweries permanently closed throughout 2022 and 2023, as taproom traffic failed to return to pre-pandemic norms and consumer drinking habits shifted away from craft beer. Survivors began looking to THC-infused drinks as a lifeline. * Center Square | Awareness campaign kicks off on Illinois law to provide plant-based meals: The law, which went into effect August 2023, requires schools receiving federal reimbursement for lunch meals to serve plant-based meals with prior request. Audrey Sanchez-Lawson, executive director of the public health advocacy group Balanced, said most parents are not aware of the law. * WGLT | State employees union disputes IDOC plan to move Logan Correctional Center: AFSCME Council 31 issued a report Tuesday analyzing a joint proposal from the Illinois Department of Corrections [IDOC] and Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration that lays out a plan to rebuild both LCC, a medium-security women’s prison, and Stateville, a maximum security men’s prison, outside of Joliet. The union wrote in its report it supports the rebuild of both facilities — but on different terms than has been laid out by IDOC. In a recent report to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability [COGFA], the agency delineated plans to move LCC to the Stateville campus, leaving LCC open during the 3-5 year construction period, but closing Stateville in the interim. * WGN | Majority of Chicago alders support CTA chief’s ouster: Twenty-six of the city’s alders have signed on to a non-binding resolution calling on Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter to resign or for the mayor to fire him, as what began as a handful of leaders calling for his dismissal has grown to a majority. Ald. Andre Vasquez of the 40th Ward plans to introduce the resolution at Wednesday’s meeting of the Chicago City Council as critics point out that Chicago trails several cities in post-pandemic ridership recovery, including Washington, DC, Los Angeles and Boston. * Crain’s | City Council could take control over where pot shops open downtown: An ordinance introduced by Ald. Bill Conway, 34th, gives members of the City Council more control over pot shops in the downtown area by cutting the city’s quasi-judicial Zoning Board of Appeals out of the process and requiring the dispensaries to receive zoning approval from the City Council instead. * Sun-Times | Mariachi Potosino gallery at Pilsen art museum honors the legacy of Chicago musicians: More than 20 years since the death of Mariachi Potosino founder José Cruz Alba, his legacy comes to life in an exhibit at the National Museum of Mexican Art — from his birthplace in Ignacio Allende, Durango, Mexico in 1918, to his life on the South Side of Chicago, where his love for music spread among the working-class immigrant communities searching for reminders of home in the bold brass, strings and vibrato of mariachi. * Block Club | Butterfly Sculptures Landing Along Mag Mile, Across Chicago This Summer: Ten butterfly sculptures have spread their wings across the Magnificent Mile as part of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum’s latest citywide art project, The Flight of the Butterflies. For this initiative — which combines nature, art and storytelling — the nature museum is installing 29 larger-than-life butterfly sculptures across the city. Each is 6 feet tall and was designed by an artist from around the city. * Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan council to consider censuring alderman who posted severed-arm photo; ‘How could you do something like this?’: As Waukegan Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward, remained silent at Monday’s City Council meeting about his recent social media post in which he included the picture of a woman’s arm recently found along the city’s beach, Ald. Lynn Florian, 8th Ward, had plenty to say. […] Florian successfully collected signatures of two other council members Monday in Waukegan to place a proposal to censure Turner’s behavior on the agenda of the next City Council meeting. * Daily Herald | Suburban mayors ask state legislature to boost their share of income tax: Suburban mayors are calling on the Illinois General Assembly to restore the local share of state income tax to levels first agreed upon 55 years ago, before cuts began in 2011. The group of about 50 mayors gathered this week in Elmhurst, where they also urged that lawmakers be more sensitive to the impact of unfunded mandates, particularly while reducing state funding to municipalities and counties. * Sun-Times | 2 more Cook County sheriff’s correctional officers accused of PPP fraud: Two Cook County sheriff’s correctional officers have been indicted on charges of defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program, bringing the total number of the county’s jail guards accused of ripping off the program to three. Officer John Williams received two PPP loans for $20,833 each from the fraud-plagued program created to help struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. On his application, he said he owned a barbershop. Kiara Brown also got two loans, for $20,000 and $19,790, for a nail salon and a beauty salon. * Daily Herald | Elk Grove selling vacant site to builder of affordable senior housing: Village officials announced plans to sell the 1.2-acre lot at 750 S. Arlington Heights Road to the Housing Opportunity Development Corp., a Skokie-based nonprofit that is developer, owner and manager of affordable housing projects across the northern suburbs. […] The proposed two-story apartment building would contain about 30 units — mostly one-bedroom residences with some two-bedrooms. * Politico | Hemp and marijuana go to war: A farm bill battle is pitting hemp against its closest cousin: marijuana. The fight centers on intoxicating hemp products, which have developed into a multi-billion-dollar industry subject to few rules and regulations. Some marijuana companies and trade groups are pushing Congress to close a loophole that allows the production and sale of intoxicating substances derived from legal hemp. The hemp industry has a very different ask for lawmakers: leave the federal definition of hemp unchanged. * Quick Take | AI Chatbots Sucked Up Troves of Data. Now Copyright Holders Want a Cut: It turns out this vast trawling of mankind’s past endeavors doesn’t come for free. News organizations, novelists, music publishers and others whose copyrighted works were fed into the chatbots’ large language models as part of their training are demanding a share of the profits. Some have cut deals with ChatGPT’s owner, OpenAI, for using their work. Others are suing the company and other AI platform developers in US courts. The outcome will be a test of the “fair use” principle, which makes it possible — in certain circumstances — to use books, news stories, song lyrics and other copyrighted material without paying their creators.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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