|
New Coalition Members from Across Illinois Unite to Protect the Tip Credit
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] “Eliminating the tip credit in Illinois would not only harm our hospitality industry and hardworking tipped employees but also inflict a negative trickle effect on businesses across various sectors. This legislation threatens to increase operational costs for businesses, leading to potential job losses and decreased consumer spending,” echoed Peter Tokar III, President & CEO of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. “It is imperative that policymakers consider the broader economic impact and work collaboratively with stakeholders to find effective solutions that support both businesses and consumers alike.” 
Tell your state legislators to VOTE NO on House Bill 5345 and Protect Illinois Hospitality
Comments Off |
|
Public mass transit coverage roundup
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Crain’s…
Heather Cherone has more on Acree’s transit experience…
Jake Sheridan at the Tribune…
Statehouse reporters asked Mayor Brandon Johnson yesterday about Acree’s experience…
Thoughts? * Nick Blumberg at WTTW covered the CTA board of directors meeting yesterday…
* WGN…
* Related… * Block Club | ‘Out Of Control’ Pigeon Poop Problem At Belmont Red Line Station Finally Cleaned Up, Ald. Says: After pleading with CTA President Dorval Carter and his staff to address the deplorable conditions of the Belmont stop, Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) was happy to announce the station has been deep cleaned and the pigeon poop removed. […] About a month ago, Lawson wrote a letter to Carter’s office asking the CTA president to visit the Belmont stop — the busiest CTA station north of the Loop — and see for himself how dirty and damaged the station had become. * Forest Park Review | CTA proposes new billboard, residents adamantly oppose it: The CTA proposed the 120-foot-tall billboard with two, 60-foot-wide LED screens that are always on, though they’re dimmed at night, at the southeast corner of the CTA Blue Line station in Forest Park. The CTA pitched the billboard to advertise goods and services, according to a staff report made last month by Steve Glinke, director of the village’s department of public health and safety. Because the billboard is slated to be on CTA property, Forest Park won’t get any money from the billboard’s advertisements. CTA said it’s still in discussion with the village and will have answers to questions at a later date.
|
|
Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Press release…
* Illinois Times | Future of Logan Correctional Center uncertain: The price tag for doing this would be about $935 million, Alex Gough, a spokesman for Pritzker said. State Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, said this estimate likely understates the cost of building a prison in the Chicago suburbs. * Triibe | Prison educators and abolitionists have mixed feelings about Pritzker’s proposal to rebuild Stateville and Logan correctional facilities: “I give him [Pritzker] credit for saying these buildings are terrible, and we need to just tear them down. I’m gonna give him credit for that,” Avalon Betts-Gaston said. She’s the executive director of the Illinois Alliance for Reentry & Justice, which aims to create alternatives to incarceration, reduce recidivism, and end mass incarceration. However, Betts-Gaston disagrees with state officials building new multi-million dollar carceral facilities while the root causes of crime and violence still aren’t being addressed. * Illinois Times | Legislation would support local journalism: The number of journalism jobs at Illinois newspapers has dropped 86% since 2005, but press advocates see signs of hope in proposed college scholarships, state tax credits, scholarships and other subsidies to benefit local news outlets. “I’m cautiously optimistic we will see something,” Sam Fisher, former president of the Illinois Press Association, said as the scheduled May 24 adjournment of the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session approaches. * Daily Herald | ‘Time for action is now’: Wheaton residents call for pedestrian traffic light on Roosevelt Road: Wheaton residents and educators implored state lawmakers to help save lives and fund a stoplight on a perilous stretch of Roosevelt Road at a Wednesday hearing in Springfield. “The time for action is now,” said resident Debbie Suggs, 77. “Every day of inaction brings us closer to another tragedy.” Community members, including Marian Park apartment dwellers and St. Francis High School leaders, are seeking help to pay for a traffic light at Roosevelt, east of County Farm Road. * NBC Chicago | Ascension hospitals report ‘disruptions’ to clinic operations following suspected cyber attack: The hospital system announced the disruption Wednesday, saying it had “detected unusual activity on select technology systems.”"At this time we continue to investigate the situation,” the hospital operator’s statement read in part. “We responded immediately, initiated our investigation and activated our remediation efforts.” * Chalkbeat | Not just oppression: Lessons from one state on how schools can get Asian American history right: The work happening in Illinois offers insight into what can help. It’s common for teachers to feel overwhelmed and think: “I need to teach this, I don’t even fully know this yet,” said Ouk, the visiting inclusive education director at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s College of Education. To address that, teacher trainers say they’re modeling lessons, showing teachers where Asian American voices and experiences naturally fit within existing curriculum, and sharing strategies that are useful for teaching the history of many marginalized groups. * NPR | Their first baby came with medical debt. These Illinois parents won’t have another: The first-time mother, a high school teacher in rural Illinois, had developed high blood pressure, a sometimes life-threatening condition in pregnancy that prompted doctors to hospitalize her. Then [Heather Crivilare’s] blood pressure spiked, and the baby’s heart rate dropped. “It was terrifying,” Crivilare said. She gave birth to a healthy daughter. What followed, though, was another ordeal: thousands of dollars in medical debt that sent Crivilare and her husband scrambling for nearly a year to keep collectors at bay. * WTTW | Johnson’s Senior Leadership Team More Diverse Than Previous Mayors’ Cabinets: Analysis: In all, the 34 appointments Johnson made between May 2023 and April 2024 that require confirmation by the Chicago City Council reflect the city’s racial diversity, as measured by the 2020 census, more closely than the appointments made by his two predecessors, former Mayors Lori Lightfoot and Rahm Emanuel. The second Black man elected Chicago mayor, Johnson tapped more Black Chicagoans to serve in positions of authority than Chicagoans of other races, according to WTTW News’ analysis. * Block Club | Police Rapidly Caught A Cop Killer. Families Of Slain Chicagoans Wonder: What About Us?: The group rallied Tuesday afternoon outside Chicago Police Area 1 Homicide Department, 5101 S. Wentworth Ave., to demand police resolve the investigations into their loved ones’ deaths with the same urgency as they did the fatal shooting of Officer Luis Huesca. A third of all murders recorded in 2023 in Chicago happened within the Area 1 boundaries, Chicago Police Department data shows. “Some of these mothers have been waiting for two years for justice. Officer Huesca’s mother, all she needed was 10 days,” said Baltazar Enriquez, director of Mother and Families United for Justice Committee of Chicago, a committee of the Little Village Community Council. * WTTW | Disgraced Detective Reynaldo Guevara Collecting $91K Annual Pension as Cost of His Misconduct Hits $62.5M With 33 Lawsuits Pending: In all, Guevara has banked more than $1.4 million in pension payments since he retired on June 15, 2005, having spent 32 years, two months and 27 days as a police officer and an employee of the Chicago Park District, according to records obtained by WTTW News through a Freedom of Information Act request. * Block Club | CHA Residents Rip CEO At Hearing: ‘We Need Something Much Better Than This’: Scott faced withering criticism and calls to resign from residents and even a member of the CHA’s governing board. They said the agency has let its properties deteriorate while failing to build additional homes during a citywide affordable housing crisis. Several resident leaders ripped Scott for rarely visiting CHA properties.“Tracey Scott, you seem to have forgotten that you are a guest here at CHA — you have outstayed your welcome,” said Francine Washington, speaking directly to Scott. Washington, a longtime CHA resident, has served on the CHA board since 2014. * Chicago | Frustrations rise after 9-year-old girl attacked by unleashed dog in Horner Park: ‘She was traumatized’: The attack has left some residents with mounting frustrations toward unleashed dogs in public. Just a few hundred feet from the attack is a gated, 25,000-square-foot designated dog park. “There’s no reason this should have happened,” Sieracki said. “A kid should be able to go play on the grass and do cartwheels and not have to worry about being attacked by dogs.” * WBEZ | You don’t have to be famous — or even from Chicago — to get an honorary street sign: Chicago started commemorating people who left their mark on the city through honorary street signs starting in the 1960s. It was an easier way to celebrate notable people without the logistical nightmare of officially changing a street name. The system was formalized in 1984 and has been in place since, with some tweaks over the years to try to slow down overzealous alderpeople. Today, you’ll find the little brown signs in every ward of Chicago, informally paying tribute along one or two designated blocks. * Daily Herald | Republican leaders slating legislative candidates despite new law banning it: Suburban Republican Party leaders are slating candidates for state legislative races that didn’t draw primary contenders despite a new law designed to prevent such aspirants from being considered by voters. The action is being encouraged by the Illinois State Board of Elections, which has said it will accept petitions from such candidates by a previously set June 3 deadline. The board then will consider any challenges to those petitions filed by June 10 — again, as scheduled. * Daily Herald | Campton Hills trustee resigns amid legal fight with state’s attorney: After barely serving a year, Campton Hills Trustee Timothy Morgan resigned at the end of Tuesday’s village board meeting. He said he was tired of fighting the Kane County state’s attorney’s office to keep his seat. Morgan was elected last year, but a 2002 felony DUI conviction in Michigan dogged his ability to keep his seat. * Pioneer Press | Arlington Heights School District 25 nurse fired over allegations of mishandling students’ meds: The Arlington Heights School District 25 Board of Education voted to fire the nurse at the center of a case the district has called a misuse of prescription medications, with the board president calling the situation a “breach of trust” that is “distressing and concerning.” The board voted 6-0 at a special meeting Wednesday night to fire registered nurse Tory Eitz, who had been the nurse at Westgate Elementary School for five years. Westgate is one of nine schools in District 25 and enrolls nearly 600 students in grades K to 5. * Illinois Times | Renovations, repairs ramping up at state fairgrounds: “Spring means construction here on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. And we’re still in the middle of a $58 million economic investment in the fairgrounds to address years of deferred maintenance,” said Rebecca Clark, Illinois State Fair manager. After completing the Coliseum roof overhaul in 2019, the crew now tackles a $16.8 million transformation. * WCIA | Springfield rolls out new crisis plan for severe weather, other emergencies: City officials said the plan was developed using lessons learned from last year’s derecho, which wreaked havoc on Springfield’s power grid. The crisis highlighted the need for effective communication during such an emergency; since then, officials worked to create a robust crisis communication strategy that ensures timely and accurate information when people need it most. * SJ-R | Ace Hardware acquires local franchise Bishop Ace across central Illinois: On May 9, a division of the Ace Hardware corporation announced the agreement to acquire Bishop Ace Hardware, a local 13-store chain in central Illinois which partnered with Ace in 1960. Bishop Ace owns and operates the Ace Hardware store in Chatham on North Main Street and two Springfield Ace Hardwares on North Walnut Street and Wabash Avenue. The buyout will be completed on July 28 of this year with the transition. * WCIA | 12 construction projects underway, starting soon in Macon Co.: 12 major construction projects are either underway or scheduled to begin in Macon County over the coming months, IDOT announced. Officials said the upcoming construction season is expected to be one of the busiest ever. The 12 projects, all under the scope of the Rebuild Illinois capital plan, will represent a state investment of nearly $195 million to improve safety and mobility. * Yahoo | Healthcare: Latinos still ‘experience particularly high uninsured rates,’ new data shows: Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made significant strides in healthcare coverage since it became enshrined into law in 2010, there are still racial and ethnic groups with high uninsured rates. According to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) exclusively shared with Yahoo Finance, the Latino uninsured rate in the US stands at 18%, twice as high as the US average. * AP | Guns are being stolen from cars at triple the rate they were 10 years ago, a report finds: The rate of stolen guns from cars climbed nearly every year and spiked during the coronavirus pandemic along with a major surge in weapons purchases in the U.S., according to the report, which analyzes FBI data from 337 cities in 44 states and was provided to The Associated Press. The stolen weapons have, in some cases, turned up at crime scenes. In July 2021, a gun taken from an unlocked car in Riverside, Florida, was used to kill a 27-year-old Coast Guard member as she tried to stop a car burglary in her neighborhood. * NYT | Cass Elliot’s Death Spawned a Horrible Myth. She Deserves Better.: Elliot was a charismatic performer who exuded infectious joy and a magnificent vocalist with acting chops she did not live to fully explore. July 29 is the 50th anniversary of her untimely death at 32, a tragedy that still spurs unanswerable questions. Might Elliot, who was one of Johnny Carson’s most beloved substitutes, have become the first female late-night talk show host? Would she have achieved EGOT status? […] For years, the origin of the story that Elliot died from choking on a ham sandwich — one of the cruelest and most persistent myths in rock ’n’ roll history — was largely unknown. Then in 2020, Elliot’s friend Sue Cameron, an entertainment journalist, admitted to publicizing it in her Hollywood Reporter obituary at the behest of Elliot’s manager Allan Carr, who did not want his client associated with drug use. (Elliot died of a heart attack, likely brought on by years of substance abuse and crash dieting.) * Poynter | Gannett fired an editor for talking to me: Sarah Leach, an experienced editor overseeing 26 Gannett community papers in four states, was fired via video conference first thing the morning of Monday, April 29. She was accused, she said, of “sharing proprietary information with (a reporter for) a competing media company.” […] Lyons did not say how the company identified her as a source. As best Leach and I can figure, they must have tapped into her office email. “That’s the only way I can think of that they could have known,” she said.
|
|
Illinois Credit Unions: Member Driven Financial Cooperatives
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] 
Comments Off |
|
Budget cuts coming?
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * I told subscribers to expect this on Tuesday, then told them about the memo yesterday and then again this morning. Here’s Capitol News Illinois…
Another memo excerpt…
* Back to CNI, which quoted Assistant House Majority Leader Jay Hoffman during his appearance on Jak Tichenor’s revived Illinois Lawmakers program about the memo…
Should be fun to watch. The governor proposed about $1 billion in tax and revenue enhancements during his budget address. As noted in the story, a recent report from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget shows next fiscal year’s revenue is expected to increase by $295 million over an earlier projection.
|
|
More on the Johnson visit
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some stuff in this Crain’s article didn’t actually happen (see above), but here’s one nugget…
I told subscribers about that yesterday. Click here to read it. Back to the article…
Asked if he had received any commitments for funding those and other items, Johnson told reporters…
* Back to Tina’s story…
Ald. Taylor learned something yesterday. Sfondeles made note of that when she asked the mayor this question yesterday…
|
|
Broad Support For Carbon Capture And Storage Across Illinois, “Vital” For The Environment and Downstate Growth
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] A growing chorus of labor unions, government officials, business and industry 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 legislation (SB3311/HB569) to advance CCS projects in our state while prioritizing jobs and economic development in local communities. Pat Devaney, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, and Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association:
For more information on Capture Jobs Now, please click here
Comments Off |
|
Musical interlude: Live Theater Production Tax Credit lobbying
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Isabel posted a couple of clips earlier today, but this is most of the video. Here’s how some folks lobbied for the passage of the Live Theater Production Tax Credit proposal during today’s House Revenue Committee hearing… Video credit: Steve Andersson.
|
|
Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Thursday, May 9, 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 Leslie, who serve their communities with dedication and pride. Black Beauty Collective - We Are RetaIL (irma.org)
Comments Off |
|
It’s just a bill
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WAND…
* WGEM…
* Sen. Natalie Toro…
* WAND…
* KHQA…
* Sen. Julie Morrison…
…Adding… HB5426 would extend the live theater production tax credit…
|
|
Eliminate Unnecessary Prior Authorization Delays To Improve Health Outcomes and Equity
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] In providing care to 3.6 million Medicaid customers, Illinois hospitals have seen the negative impact of managed care organizations’ (MCOs) prior authorization practices. It’s one of the biggest barriers to healthcare for children, people with disabilities, seniors and other adults with Medicaid coverage, who are disproportionately people of color. Inappropriate denials that lead to delayed care can worsen an individual’s health and lead to poor outcomes. Prior authorization can also exacerbate health disparities and “create barriers to care for medically underserved patients, patients of color, LGBTQ+ patients, patients in rural areas, and those at risk for poor health outcomes,” according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. What’s more, MCOs deny coverage requests for needed procedures or medical tests at twice the rate of Medicare, according to a 2023 U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services study. The Illinois Health and Hospital Association urges lawmakers to pass legislation that addresses harmful prior authorization practices and eliminates barriers to healthcare for Illinois’ most vulnerable populations. Medical decisions should be in the hands of patients and medical professionals, not insurance companies that reduce costs and increase profits by denying care that doctors recommend. Support IHA’s MCO prior authorization reforms.
Comments Off |
|
Open thread
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
|
|
Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Mayor Brandon Johnson talks school funding, Bears stadium and ‘less high-profile budget needs’ during Springfield visit. Tribune.…
* Related stories… ∙ Crain’s: Johnson visits Springfield with over $100M in funding requests beyond $1B ask for CPS ∙ Sun-Times: More buddying up than budgets and Bears in Johnson’s first trip to Springfield as mayor ∙ CBS: Johnson lobbies for money for Chicago while Biden touts new jobs in Wisconsin * SJ-R | Lawmakers, organizations express frustration over continued licensing delays in Illinois: Under legislation signed into by Gov. JB Pritzker in December, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation had 90 days, or until March 7 to enter into contract with a technology vendor to build a new computer software system. Now two months after the deadline, lawmakers pressed IDPFR officials during a subject matter hearing in Springfield on Wednesday. “I mean, the reality is, Mr. Secretary (Mario Treto Jr.), this is a self-imposed deadline,” state Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, said during the House Health Care Licenses Committee hearing. “And you told us 90 days and then you said another 90 days, it would be implemented… it is very disappointing that this didn’t happen.” * Sun-Times | Hemp sellers push back on delta-8 ban as lawmakers tackle unregulated cannabinoid market: [Rep. La Shawn Ford’s] bill would limit sales to people 21 or older, prohibit name-brand lookalike packaging and require manufacturers to undergo product testing to obtain $500 licenses. Products would be taxed 10% at wholesale and 10% retail. […] That stands in opposition to a bill introduced last month by state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Hillside, that would halt sales of mind-altering, hemp-derived products pending a lengthy evaluation to set consumer safety standards. * WTTW | New DCFS Director Shares Vision for Troubled Agency: ‘It Requires Collaboration’: Heidi Mueller is taking on the big task of leading the beleaguered Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). […] The director said core priorities for her are ensuring kids have the best placement and increasing the number of placements available. She attributes these historic problems, in part, to a lack of government investment in DCFS. Pritzker’s 2025 budget proposal invests $100 million into the agency. * Capitol News Illinois | State officials offer last goodbye to former Thompson Center as renovations begin: “It already looks better than when we owned it,” Gov. JB Pritzker quipped on Monday. The Thompson Center, built in 1985, gained a reputation for being difficult to maintain. At the time of its sale, the governor’s office said the state spent $17 million annually on the building due to “operational inefficiencies” and that bringing it up to standard would have cost more than $325 million. * WTTW | CTA Touts Report Showing Transit’s Key Role in Chicago Region – But Agency President Quiet on Proposal to Merge CTA, Metra and Pace: While board chair Lester Barclay and one public commenter briefly mentioned the proposed governance reforms, Carter kept mum on the issue and focused his comments on funding and the MIT/Argonne report. “We’ll be incorporating this into our broader strategy down in Springfield as we continue the conversation around the fiscal cliff,” he said. * WTTW | Key City Panel Advances Johnson’s Pick to Serve on RTA Board After Tense Hearing: Acree repeatedly struggled to articulate exactly what changes he would make if confirmed to the RTA board to serve a five-year term, declining to answer questions about Johnson’s specific transit agenda and how he would implement it as a member of the 16-person board charged with financial oversight. Board members earn $25,000 annually and meet once per month. * Block Club | Pastor’s Appointment To Transit Board Advances Despite Saying He Rarely Rides CTA: “As a man, I don’t have to use CTA. I’m fortunate to have a car. But I use the CTA often when I come Downtown,” Acree said. “I came up on the CTA. I know the glory days. I looked at my own leadership skills, my ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders…and I thought this would be a great opportunity to come here and share my wisdom and the networks I represent. * Sun-Times | City Hall thrown under the bus: Report rips ‘do nothing’ effort to save Greyhound terminal: The city of Chicago has adopted a “do nothing approach” and offered no substantial plan to either purchase the station or propose an alternate site before Greyhound’s lease ends in October, according to the report by DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development. The report builds on the Institute’s brief from last year, when it established the need to save the station that serves a half-million riders yearly, many of whom are low-income or disabled. The terminal at 630 W. Harrison St. was put up for sale last year by a company that wants to sell it to a residential high-rise developer. * Sun-Times | City to pay $1.75M to family of woman found hanged at South Side police station: * Sun-Times | Uniting Voices Chicago receives largest-ever gift, from anonymous donor: “We are thrilled that we were given this anonymous gift and someone recognizing us from New York City … that they are recognizing the work that we’re doing,” said the organization’s president, Josephine Lee. Among other things, the gift will “at least double” the available scholarships for domestic and international tours, a spokesman for the organization said. It will also help pay for the continuing education of the organization’s music teachers. * WBEZ | Musician Steve Albini — ‘provocateur, troublemaker, firestarter’ — had an outsized influence on Chicago’s sound: Albini’s influence as a recording engineer and punk sage spanned genres and all levels of the recording industry. He worked on more than 2,000 albums in his lifetime. Many of those were among the most important bands of his generation, from America’s punk underground — with bands such as Slint, Silkworm, Jawbreaker, Pegboy, Tar and the Jesus Lizard — to mainstream stars like Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Cheap Trick, Bush and the Pixies. * Daily Southtown | Calumet City mayor promises to pay back disputed credit card charges after aldermen flag spending: Thousands of dollars in charges made on Calumet City’s municipal credit card that aldermen say could not be fully explained by Mayor Thaddeus Jones led aldermen Tuesday to recommend policy changes, including taking away Jones’ access to the card. A city spokesman said Wednesday Jones will repay the city for some of the expenses. Aldermen in April asked Jones to provide more information about a series of charges that showed up on an itemized bill listing totaling more than $13,000, including hotel stays in New Orleans, Uber rides and meals the aldermen did not remember being for city business. * Lake County News-Sun | Lake County GOP chair angered by new ballot-access law; ‘We will challenge it in court’: Lake County Republican Central Committee Chair Keith Brin is angry about a new law eliminating the ability of political parties to nominate candidates for offices where no nominee was selected in the primary election. He is planning a challenge. “You only change the rules when you think your party is going to lose,” Brin said. “That’s exactly what the Democrats have done. It’s offensive. It’s terrible.” * ESPN | Three more former Northwestern players file hazing lawsuits: Former linebacker Nathan Fox, who played for Northwestern from 2015 to 2019, and two men identified as John Doe filed the lawsuits in Cook County circuit court this week. Both Fox and the whistleblower, identified as John Doe 22, spoke with attorney Maggie Hickey, whom Northwestern hired to investigate John Doe 22’s allegations after they were first brought forward in late 2022. Hickey’s investigation found that the player’s hazing allegations could largely be corroborated but that there was no evidence Fitzgerald and other coaches and staff members had knowledge of the incidents. After Hickey’s investigation concluded, Northwestern suspended Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay. The whistleblower then went public with his allegations in the Daily Northwestern campus newspaper, and Northwestern president Michael Schill fired Fitzgerald two days later. * Crain’s | DuPage Water Commission pays $80 million for shuttered Northbrook golf club: After rejecting a plan to turn the shuttered Green Acres Country Club into a residential subdivision and watching a senior living development proposal fall apart last year, the village of Northbrook is now facing the prospect of a massive water treatment facility being built on what its leaders have dubbed the “emerald” of the north suburban community. * Daily Herald | Food scrap collection services growing, but not in all suburbs: Like Oak Park, several suburbs have gone one step further than ride-along services, offering a subscription composting program that allows residents to compost year-round. But while Oak Park’s compost service is with its regular trash and recycling hauler, some towns partner with local composting haulers. For instance, Hoffman Estates offers subscription through Evanston-based Collective Resource Compost Cooperative and Morton Grove through Chicago-based WasteNot. * Daily Herald | Lisle police chief out following employee complaint: On Monday, village trustees approved the agreement that allows Kevin Licko to use unused sick and vacation time and stay on as a sergeant until he retires on Oct. 1. […] Licko was placed on leave in February following an employee complaint against him. Mayor Christoper Pecak and Village Manager Eric Ertmoed declined to comment on the complaint or the investigation that followed. * CBS Chicago | Suburban Chicago native and paralympic athlete hopes to bring home the gold from Paris: Sarah Adam is the first woman named to the U.S. Wheelchair Rugby Team. She hopes to win gold at the Paralympics in Paris this summer. “It’s really, truly a relief when your name is finally called, and it’s exciting to be a part of the opportunity to go to Paris.” * WICS | HSHS Medical Group, St. John’s Hospital set to leave Aetna network by July 1: Effective on July 1, HSHS Medical Group and St. John’s Hospital in Springfield will no longer be in the Aetna network. Officials say negotiations between the two parties are ongoing but as of right now on July 1, HSHS Medical Group and St. John’s Hospital will no longer be in the Aetna network. * AP | Net neutrality restored as Federal Communications Commission votes to regulate internet providers: Net neutrality effectively requires providers of internet service to treat all traffic equally, eliminating any incentive they might face to favor business partners or to hobble competitors. The public interest group Public Knowledge describes net neutrality as “the principle that the company that connects you to the internet does not get to control what you do on the internet.” * WaPo | Fish are shrinking around the world. Here’s why scientists are worried: Overfishing and human-caused climate change are decreasing the size of adult fish, threatening the food supply of more than 3 billion people who rely on seafood as a significant source of protein. […] “This is a pretty fundamental question,” said Lisa Komoroske, a conservation biologist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. “But we still don’t understand why.” * Reuters | Exclusive-In Tesla Autopilot probe, US prosecutors focus on securities, wire fraud: Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems assist with steering, braking and lane changes - but are not fully autonomous. While Tesla has warned drivers to stay ready to take over driving, the Justice Department is examining other statements by Tesla and Chief Executive Elon Musk suggesting its cars can drive themselves.
|
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Thursday, May 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Live coverage
Thursday, May 9, 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.
Comments Off |
|
Senate Exec Committee zooms CTU-opposed selective enrollment schools bill to the floor (Updated x2)
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * The Senate Executive Committee put House Bill 303 on the agreed bill list this afternoon and passed it unanimously without debate. That’s the bill sponsored by Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) which protects selective enrollment schools in Chicago from closure, admissions changes or disproportionate budget cuts. They did this while Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is in the Statehouse. Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union opposed the bill. Wow. …Adding… I had been told earlier this afternoon that Senate Exec likely wouldn’t be taking the bill up today out of deference to the mayor’s presence in the building. That obviously changed. …Adding… Mayor Johnson was asked for his reaction to the Senate Executive Committee’s action by reporters this afternoon…
Johnson also seemed to indicate he’ll do an availability at around 5 o’clock today.
|
|
Isabel’s afternoon roundup (Updated)
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller …Adding… Press release…
* WCIA…
Comptroller Susana Mendoza…
* Chronicle | Greenwood’s early cash influx outpaces Schmidt in 114th state House race: While money doesn’t guarantee political success, the lack of it all but guarantees failure. In 2022, Schmidt raised $131,000, with $22,000 coming from a loan from himself. He also received $57,000 in in-kind help, $42,000 of it from Republican political committees. […] On March 18, the Greenwood campaign received $61,000 from the Illinois Laborers’ Legislative Committee as part of $74,400 from 10 PACs, most of it union money. She also received $13,800 from Chicagoans Michael and Cari Sacks. Michael Sacks is chairman and CEO of Chicago-based GCM Grosvenor, a board member of the Barack Obama Foundation, and a member of two advisory boards to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnston. * Scott Holland | Truck fee proposal gives local governments options from the start: These thoughts surfaced while reading Bob Okon’s Herald-News report about Senate Bill 2784. State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, filed the plan to let municipal and county governments impose fees – from 50 cents to $8 – on each loaded semitrailer leaving an intermodal facility. She said the bill could raise $38 million a year for road repairs in the Joliet area. […] Imagine if there had never been a statewide grocery tax. Would someone like Rock Island’s Mike Halpin, another first-term Democratic senator, propose allowing local governments to enact a 1% tax on grocery sales? Backers could say it would raise up to $252 million to fund things like police and fire protection. State lawmakers wouldn’t be creating the tax, only the conditions for local officials to take those steps. […] One other thing to appreciate about SB 2784 is how it checks the “scalable solutions” box. As introduced, the plan applied only to trucks leaving yards of at least 3,500 acres, specifically facilities in Joliet and Elwood. Under a proposed amendment, it would apply to smaller facilities around the state. * Sun-Times | Illinois ended cash bail more than 6 months ago. Data shows early signs of success: Cook County Judge Charles Beach has presided over hundreds of pretrial hearings since Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail last fall. Despite all the anguish over the Pretrial Safety Act, Beach says he has been struck by how proceedings have significantly changed for the better in his courtroom. […] “There’s a sense in the courtroom that taking money out of the equation has leveled the playing field,” Beach said. * WJBC | Illinois saw massive increase in tourism in 2023: Illinois saw 39% more international tourists in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity news release. Roughly 2.16 million were welcomed into the Land of Lincoln, brining with them nearly $2.7 billion into the Illinois economy. * Sun-Times | 3 Chicago-area buildings are among state’s most at-risk historic locations: Portage Theater, located in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood, was one of those listed. The theater, completed in 1920, has been closed since 2018 and needs updates and repairs. […] “Restoring the historic Portage Theater would be the icing on the cake amid a real estate resurgence at Six Corners,” said Amie Zander, managing director for the Six Corners Association, an economic development organization focused on the neighborhood. * Block Club | Billy Goat Tavern Bringing Its Cheezborgers To Wrigleyville: Billy Goat Tavern is set to open its ninth Chicago-area location later this month at 3726 N. Clark St. in the former Full Shilling Public House. Although restaurant ownership has not announced an official opening date, Ana Luna, an assistant manager at the Billy Goat Tavern at 60 E. Lake Street, said the Wrigleyville location will be “opening soon.” * Sun-Times | Steve Albini, legendary rock underground pioneer, dies at 61: Steve Albini, the legendary studio sound engineer and artist who produced albums for Nirvana, the Pixies, Jesus Lizard, PJ Harvey and countless other icons of the indie rock underground has died. He was 61. […] For more than three decades, Albini made his musical magic happen at his Electrical Audio on Belmont Avenue, recording thousands of artists from across the city and across the globe. * Naperville Sun | Gun arrest No. 18 since August made at Naperville Topgolf parking lot: Joshua Passafiume, 25 of Coal City, was arrested Monday night outside the 3211 Odyssey Court business on a charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. His arraignment is scheduled for May 21, according to DuPage County Circuit Court records online. […] According to Naperville police Cmdr. Rick Krakow, officers were walking the lot on foot when they allegedly observed a firearm in plain view inside a Jeep. When Passafiume and another person returned to the Jeep, they asked them to exit and the observed firearm was recovered, he said. * WIFR | Stellantis reassures Belvidere the assembly plant will re-open: Morris adds there is no set deadline on when activity will pick up on Chrysler Drive, but he expects progress to start soon. […] In a statement from Stellantis, the manufacturing company says, “During the 2023 UAW contract negotiations, Stellantis remained true to our commitment to finding a sustainable solution for the Belvidere Assembly Plant. We are continuing to work toward finalizing the business case for Belvidere and will provide additional details at the appropriate time.” * WGLT | Normal mayor floats loan interest rate buydown program to address housing shortage: Normal Mayor Chris Koos has moved slightly off of his generally free market stance on development projects that could reduce the community housing shortage for mid-tier workers. Koos, speaking on WGLT’s Sound Ideas, said he’s now thinking about low interest buydowns of loans to get housing projects started, if a project meets the needs of the town for workforce housing. Such buydowns can lower the effective interest rate for financing used to put up apartment buildings. * STLPR | Mothers who need breast milk for their babies can turn to O’Fallon, Illinois dispensary: A newly opened dispensary at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, Illinois, is offering donated milk to families in the Metro East who need breast milk for their babies. The hospital opened the dispensary after a lactation nurse found many of her patients were having trouble breastfeeding but didn’t know where to find donor milk in the region, said Amanda Schaefer, the manager of the hospital’s women and infants center. * Crain’s | As pro sports teams seek larger stadium subsidies, some cities are pushing back: Pritzker isn’t alone. With many professional sports teams seeking public funding for new or renovated stadiums, voters and politicians in cities such as Kansas City, Washington D.C., Phoenix and, yes, Chicago are pushing back. […] Last week, the influential NFL website Pro Football Talk ran a story headlined, “The ship might be sailing on taxpayer money for NFL stadiums,” noting that while voters have always opposed taxpayer-funded stadium subsidies, “It’s becoming more clear that the elected officials are becoming less inclined to burn political capital by giving public funds to privately-owned football teams.” * NYT | Environmental Changes Are Fueling Human, Animal and Plant Diseases, Study Finds: “It’s a big step forward in the science,” said Colin Carlson, a biologist at Georgetown University, who was not an author of the new analysis. “This paper is one of the strongest pieces of evidence that I think has been published that shows how important it is health systems start getting ready to exist in a world with climate change, with biodiversity loss.”
|
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Another update to today’s edition (Updated)
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Inappropriate Prior Authorization Harms Patients: Support Reform For Private Insurers And MCOs
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] It’s a common practice among health insurance companies: denying coverage for a procedure or test a doctor recommends, and denying transfers and inpatient admissions. Denials through prior authorization can delay care that worsen patient health and lead to poor outcomes. Gov. JB Pritzker, in his Budget Address, promised to introduce a bill to “curb predatory insurance practices—putting power back into the hands of patients and their doctors.” The Illinois hospital community backs that bill, HB 5395, which would end prior authorization for inpatient mental health care for children and adults for the first 72 hours. We agree when the Governor said, “Doctors and their patients should be making decisions about patient care.… We should never, ever, ever, ever cede those decisions to the whims of insurance executives whose focus is always on the bottom line.” The Illinois Health and Hospital Association—and our membership of 211 hospitals—strongly supports efforts to hold insurance companies accountable and keep medical decisions in the hands of patients and medical professionals. Additional prior authorization reforms must extend to Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs). Inappropriate denials negatively impact healthcare for Medicaid patients, while reducing MCOs’ costs and increasing shareholder profits. Support IHA’s MCO prior authorization reforms.
Comments Off |
|
Mayor’s nominee to the RTA board says he didn’t know about upcoming $735 million transit fiscal cliff (Updated x3)
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here on politically connected Black church leaders being appointed to the CTA board who have little to no transit experience. And click here for some mass transit fiscal cliff background. Click here for live video… 
This, in a nutshell, is why the transit governing system needs to be reorganized and professionalized. …Adding… And he’s one step closer to the RTA board…  …Adding… Illinois Transportation Labor Association Chairman, J.J. Balonek…
|
|
Support House Bill 4781
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] 
Comments Off |
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Lil Wayne added to State Fair lineup
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WAND…
* WICS…
|
|
It’s just a bill
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WAND…
* AFSCME Council 31…
* WGIL…
* WGEM…
* Sen. Rachel Ventura…
* WAND…
* Sen. Julie Morrison…
|
at 11:45 a.m.|
Welcome to Springfield
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Media advisory…
* Tahman Bradley at WGN…
I’m not sure how he’s made it clear that he’s pushing for state school funding. He and his people haven’t been doing much of anything in Springfield on this topic. Also, they’re owed a billion dollars? I’d like to see the receipts. * Tribune…
Not to mention that the mayor was silent after the CTU, his most important ally, called that school closure bill “racist.” * Politico…
I mean, he can try to point fingers. I doubt it’ll succeed. The city is his. The “onus” is on him.
|
|
AG Raoul asks court to force Timpone/Proft papers to remove personal voter information from its websites
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * About a month ago in the Tribune…
* AG Raoul filed for a TRO and a preliminary injunction this week in Lake County…
* From the argument…
* The violation…
* Conclusion…
|
|
Uber Partners With Cities To Expand Urban Transportation
Wednesday, May 8, 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.
Comments Off |
|
Pritzker expresses some concern about data center power usage, says state is ‘monitoring’
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * A story last month from Bloomberg…
Data centers qualify for a range of state tax exemptions and credits in Illinois and in other states. The incentives have helped create a ton of construction jobs and Illinois is now one of the top locations for data centers in the country. * Gov. JB Pritzker held a press conference yesterday to showcase the state’s burgeoning electric vehicle industry, so Isabel asked him about this topic…
|
|
Get The Facts On The Illinois Prescription Drug Board
Wednesday, May 8, 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.
Comments Off |
|
Open thread
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on?…
|
|
Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Nearly 8 months into Illinois’ new era without cash bail, experts say recidivism and jail populations are trending lower. KDSK…
- The total number of inmates in custody at the jail is 384, down from a peak of 550, and a 19% reduction from where county jail population levels were on the day Illinois abolished cash bail. -Under the new system, Eric Rinehart, the top prosecutor in Lake County, said judges now place their focus on “safety, safety, safety, and not access to cash.” * Tribune | CTU’s credibility questioned in Springfield as their biggest ally, Mayor Brandon Johnson, heads to state Capitol: The Chicago Teachers Union’s role in the debate over legislation that would extend for two years a moratorium on closing public schools in the city — including selective enrollment and magnet schools — has raised questions about the powerful union’s credibility in Springfield for some lawmakers. The CTU’s biggest ally, Mayor Brandon Johnson, is headed to the state Capitol on Wednesday to plead for more school funding from the state amid negotiations over a new teachers union contract and on the same day a Senate committee hearing is scheduled on the moratorium extension, which was approved by the House last month. * Capitol News Illinois | Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers: Rampant sexual abuse occurred unchecked for decades at Illinois’ juvenile detention centers, a new lawsuit filed on behalf of 95 former detainees alleges, citing hundreds of incidents over more than two decades. The plaintiffs were boys between 12 and 17 years old when the alleged abuse occurred and are now adults. The alleged perpetrators were both men and women working in the facilities. * AP | Survivors of alleged abuse in Illinois youth detention facilities step forward: Calvin McDowell, 37, who alleged he was abused by a chaplain at a suburban Chicago youth center as a teenager, said he didn’t want others suffering as he did for decades. “Instead of being cared for, I felt more alone than ever,” McDowell said at a Chicago news conference. “I held my secret from the people I loved out of fear and embarrassment. I had nights where I wanted to give up on life.” * Tribune | Illinois hemp businesses owners call for regulation and taxation, not prohibition: Hemp entrepreneurs came out Tuesday in favor of a state legislative proposal to license hemp sales, require testing and labeling of their products, prohibit products that look like well-known snack brands, and limit sales to those 21 and over. The bill would create 10% wholesale and a 10% retail sales taxes, and an unlimited number of $500 licenses. That proposal stands in contrast with a bill backed by the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, which would prohibit sales of hemp-derived intoxicating products. * Capitol News Illinois | Thousands of youths at risk of losing access to after-school programs: Advocates for community-based after-school programs say as many as 40,000 youths statewide could lose access to tutoring services, recreation and other extracurricular activities this summer unless Illinois lawmakers approve an infusion of funds to keep them going. “The time is now for legislators to act to save after-school (programs),” Susan Stanton, executive director of Afterschool for Children and Teens, or ACT Now, said at a Statehouse rally Tuesday. “We literally only have weeks left before programs have to shut their doors. Staff will be laid off and families will be in crisis.” * Daily Herald | A push to raise pay for those who work with developmentally disabled: James Sitati, who has worked at Little City for 20 years, describes DSPs like himself as jacks-of-all-trades. His duties include waking up residents, getting them breakfast and medication, and taking them to daily enrichment activities. […] Sitati said the $2.50 raise this year has helped, but a raise next year also would mean less overtime and more time with his family. It would also help attract more people to the profession and ensure a higher quality of work, he added. * WAND | Gov. Pritzker marks grand opening of Ferrero chocolate factory in Bloomington: Governor Pritzker joined the Ferrero North America team three years ago to break ground on the new facility. Construction was completed this year. The $75 million investment from Ferrero builds on the company’s impact in Illinois. In 2018, Ferrero took over management of a manufacturing plant in Franklin Park, Illinois, where they focus on Butterfinger and Baby Ruth products. The company also manufactures Keebler products at a plant located on 110th street in Chicago. * Tribune | Bally’s Chicago sees first monthly revenue decline in April: Bally’s Chicago revenue was down 7% to about $10.4 million in adjusted gross receipts in April, the first month-over-month revenue decline since the temporary casino opened at Medinah Temple in September. Admissions were also down, declining more than 4% to 112,751 visitors for the month, according to data released Tuesday by the Illinois Gaming Board. * Crain’s | Legalizing video gambling in Chicago could come with a major hitch: The city’s agreement with Bally’s, called the host community agreement, or HCA, lays out parameters for the separate $2 million annual payments to the city. At the time the casino was approved, city officials said those payments were needed to support community groups and to cover an increased police presence around Bally’s temporary casino at Medinah Temple as well as its future permanent location in River West. But those payments would be “subject to good-faith renegotiation” if a second casino was permitted in the city, if gambling taxes were increased or if new forms of gambling were permitted in the city. * Tribune | Proposal aimed at quieting anti-abortion protests outside Chicago clinic moves forward in City Council: Protesters have targeted the West Loop’s Family Planning Associates clinic at West Washington Boulevard and North Desplaines Street for years, said Ald. Bill Conway, 34th. They rush toward arriving patients and amplify sound so loud that it disrupts work being done inside, he said. The ordinance Conway sponsored that passed through the City Council’s Public Safety committee Tuesday seeks to block the use of loud noise-making devices directly outside the clinic. * Sun-Times | Friends of the Parks ‘prepared to fight for the lakefront’ in battle for new Bears domed stadium: Gin Kilgore, acting executive director of the group, tried hard to thread a needle Tuesday, in her first extended interview since the Bears unveiled their $5.9 billion plan to build and finance that stadium and retire existing debt used to renovate Soldier Field and Guaranteed Rate Field, current home of the White Sox.[…] “We are prepared to fight for the lakefront. We are prepared to stand on behalf of the doctrines, the principles that say our lakefront should be forever open, clear and free for public use. … [But] this is not a fully-fleshed-out proposal,” she added. * Crain’s | Claiming fraud, lender sues migrant shelter landlord: A venture led by Chicago real estate investor A.G. Hollis and developer Scott Goodman defaulted on an $11.5 million loan tied to the 50,000-square-foot building at 344 N. Ogden Ave., according to a lawsuit filed May 3 in Cook County Circuit Court by an affiliate of Greenwich, Ct.-based lender Knighthead Funding. Knight alleged in the complaint that the Hollis-Goodman entity failed to make its loan payments since October and that it engaged in a “fraudulent scheme” to sign a lease for the property to be used as a shelter for asylum seekers. * Fox Chicago | Outdoor dining season kicks off amidst political debate over Clark Street closure: Some local restaurants along the 400 block of North Clark Street have petitioned the city to shut down the street, a measure implemented since the onset of COVID-19, to create an outdoor dining plaza. This proposal, which has been successful in previous years, has sparked division within the community. While advocates argue for the benefits of pedestrian-friendly dining spaces, opponents, including numerous businesses and neighborhood groups, insist on keeping the street open to vehicular traffic, citing concerns about traffic congestion and its impact on nearby establishments. * Pioneer Press | If a Bears stadium isn’t built in Arlington Heights, village leaders already listed what can’t be constructed on the site: It was almost three years ago when the Arlington Heights Village Board set restrictions on the usage of the now-former racecourse property. Those use stipulations came even before the Bears bought the land. […] The new zoning insists on sustainable development features such as permeable pavers, green rooftops, energy efficient building design, solar energy and bicycle access. It also permits the continued use of the property as a horse racing track. However, the grandstand, stables and all of the other elements of the racetrack have been demolished. * Daily Herald | Last billboards in Arlington Heights — other than one owned by Bears — to come down: With approvals due to expire next month for the Bears’ revenue-generating billboard at Arlington Park, Arlington Heights village board members this week told a small-business owner to tear his old billboards down. The village is one of the few towns in the area that prohibits such signage, but has made exceptions, such as the 20-by-60-foot double-sided digital sign installed on the west side of the racetrack site in 2017. * Daily Herald | Metra ‘wants to be part of the conversation’ on merging with CTA and Pace, but stays neutral: “We share the view that this is an opportunity to improve public transportation for this and future generations,” Metra officials said. “Metra stands ready to continue its work on behalf of regional riders and taxpayers. We want to be transparent; we want to listen to all stakeholders to address our funding issues; and we want to be part of the conversation to create the best possible public transportation system for the region.” * WCBU | Peoria Township residents cast their opinion on a different style of voting this November: Residents of Peoria Township face an unusual question down-ballot this November: would they support the adoption of ranked choice voting in Illinois? The question is non-binding, but it does check the temperature of the public’s sentiment toward the policy. Voters might remember a similar question on independent legislative redistricting, called “fair maps” by supporters, that township voters approved by a 3-to-1 margin in 2022. * WCIA | Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever confirmed in Champaign County: The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced that a case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever was recently confirmed in Champaign County. The illness is a tickborne disease that the CDC calls “one of the deadliest” in the Americas. It takes one to four days to show symptoms of RMSF, which include a high fever, a severe headache, muscle soreness, gastrointestinal distress, and swelling both around the eyes and the back of the hands. * Tribune | ‘We’re just getting bit’: Chicago White Sox back to 20 games under .500 with loss to Tampa Bay Rays: The Sox went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base while falling to 8-28 — their worst 36-game start in franchise history. For the second time this year, they are a season-high 20 games under .500. “It’s not too much different than what I’ve been telling you guys the whole year about me — there’s a lot of good, there’s some bad and we’re just getting bit,” Soroka said. “We’re putting together better at-bats of late, we’re putting together better innings. It’s just a matter of keep going.” * WaPo | Gregg Doyel, a longtime voice at the newspaper, will not be allowed to cover the Indiana Fever: The paper did not offer any details, saying it does not comment on personnel matters. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, Doyel will not attend Fever games in person this season but may still write about the team. Earlier Tuesday, Bob Kravitz, a former Star columnist, reported on Doyel’s ban on his Substack newsletter and said Doyel is in the midst of a two-week suspension. The person familiar with the situation confirmed the suspension to The Post and added that it is unpaid. * WaPo | Boy Scouts rebrands as Scouting America, dropping gendered name: After 114 years of being known as the Boy Scouts of America, the nation’s largest scouting organization is changing its name to the more inclusive Scouting America. The major rebrand, announced Tuesday, comes after years of turmoil for the organization, as well as major changes meant to stem the tide of declining membership. The new Scouting America name is also a reflection of the organization’s biggest change: the decision five years ago to welcome girls into its ranks at all levels. * NYT | France Says It Built the Olympics Safely. Migrant Workers Don’t Count.: But inspection records and other documents show that Olympics sites have been more dangerous than organizers have let on, with some projects failing to meet basic safety standards. When undocumented immigrants are hurt on the job, workers and officials say, the injuries are often handled off the books, all but guaranteeing that they will not show up in government statistics. […] When two workers died on a subway project that Mr. Macron’s former transportation minister called “the lifeline of the Olympics,” their deaths were not included in the Olympic total.
|
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Live coverage
Wednesday, May 8, 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.
Comments Off |
| « NEWER POSTS | PREVIOUS POSTS » |
