The girl’s mother and grandmother brought the child to their local emergency room in Jacksonville, Illinois. (The girl and her family are not being identified because she is a victim of sexual assault.)
At Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, a doctor noted trauma to her vaginal area, records show. “My daddy touches me there,” she said during the exam, according to police records and an interview with the girl’s grandmother.
A state law enacted 48 years ago required the hospital to offer a forensic exam, often called a rape kit. A revision passed in 2018 also required the hospital to notify a sexual assault advocate on the girl’s behalf.
But neither of those things happened, state inspectors found when they arrived two weeks later in response to a complaint.
Instead, the doctor sent the girl home.
When faced with the inspectors’ findings, hospital leaders could have apologized and redoubled their efforts to treat sexual assault victims as the law intended.
Instead, they shut down services for sexual assault survivors. Today the hospital sends these patients 40 miles away to another hospital. A spokeswoman for Jacksonville Memorial Hospital declined to comment. […]
An investigation by APM Reports shows that what happened at the hospital in Jacksonville is not an isolated incident. Roughly two dozen hospitals have violated Illinois’ landmark sexual assault survivor law with few consequences.
Lawmakers also added a critical exception that undercut the premise of the law: Hospitals that found the requirements too onerous could send patients elsewhere.
In the 17 years since lawmakers created that exception, the number of hospitals transferring patients instead of treating them has more than tripled.
Today is the first day people can collect signatures to get on the ballot for Chicago’s first school board elections. […]
Candidates must live in Chicago in the district they plan to run for at least one year. They must be a U.S. citizen, registered to vote, and cannot be a child sex offender. In order to get on the ballot, candidates have to collect at least 1,000 and no more than 3,000 valid signatures from voters in the district they’ll represent.
Signatures must be filed with the Chicago Board of Elections between June 17 and June 24.
A small number of tuberculosis cases have been detected among migrants at city shelters, the Chicago Department of Public Health confirmed.
The health department would not share exactly how many cases were found or identify shelters. But the department said there haven’t been any reports of TB in the city from an exposure to migrants positive for the infection.
TB is curable with antibiotics, and transmitting the infection to others typically requires hours of contact between individuals.
A spokesperson said about 10% to 20% of Central and South American residents have latent TB infections, meaning they’re positive for the infection but are asymptomatic and can’t pass it to others. But the spokesperson did not say which of these cases, if any, are latent infections.
A referendum dealing with the separation of downstate Illinois from Cook County and Chicago was approved by the Madison County Board’s Government Relations Committee.
The resolution, which is likely to have some amendments when it goes before the full County Board, would ask residents if the county “should correspond with the boards of other counties … about the possibility of separating from Cook County to form a new state and to seek admission to the Union” and would appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The committee approved the resolution 6-1, with Alison Lamothe, D-Edwardsville, who has been critical of the idea, the only “no” vote. […]
For the separation to happen, it would have to be approved by the Illinois General Assembly, signed by the governor, then approved by both Houses of the U.S. Congress, and signed by the president.
The finalists for “The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois” contest have been selected. The competition began with over 200 nominees and has been narrowed down to the top 4 contenders. These finalists are:
- Komatsu Mining Truck manufactured by Komatsu in Peoria
- Mullen’s Imitation French Dressing produced by Mullen’s in Palestine
- The MQ-25 Stingray (Drone Refueler) built by Boeing in Mascoutah
- Mod Box by Enviro Buildings made by Craig Industries in Quincy
* Here’s the rest…
* WICS | Other cities in Central Illinois feeling impact of ambulance shortage: The Jacksonville Fire Department relies on a private ambulance company and has had situations where mutual aid partners had to come and assist, but the city is working to change that. “Echo ambulance has applied to the City of Jacksonville, the City of Jacksonville is entertaining the possibility of allowing another private entity to provide service,” said Phil McCarty, the director of Jacksonville Emergency Management.
* Blue Star Security | Rich Guidice jones Blue Star Security as director of business development: With three decades of experience in municipal government, Rich has extensive knowledge of the City’s management and operations, and Chicago’s vibrantly diverse communities. Previously, Rich Guidice served as Executive Director of the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications(OEMC) from March 2019 – April 2023. In his role as Executive Director, Mr. Guidice oversaw a wide array of public safety programming.
* SJ-R | Petition claims new evidence exonerates 3 suspects in 1996 murder case: “Junk science” was used in forensic comparison of cinders and concrete, clothing fasteners and dog hair, the petition claimed. “It was not, in fact, based on any real or existing science. This comparison evidence was unproven, unprecedented, and unreliable, and should have never been allowed in a court of law,” the petition stated.
* WMBD | Tazewell County finalizes votes in contested Third District Board race : Ballots postmarked by the March 19 primary contest proved to be the difference in the Republican contest for the three representatives from the Third District for the Tazewell County Board. In final tabulations on Monday, the top vote-getters were newcomer Eric Schmidgall at 2,312 and Board Parliamentarian William “Bill” Atkins at 1,987.
* WBEZ | Chicago Public Media lays off 14 staffers, citing financial troubles: The job cuts coincide with the debut of a $6.4 million, state-of-the-art studio at WBEZ’s Navy Pier office and follows a double-digit-percentage pay increase for Chicago Public Media’s top executive. Additionally, other high-level executives departed the not-for-profit news organization in December.
* Tribune | Attorney General Garland in Chicago, announces $78 million in new anti-violence funding: Garland, a Chicago-area native, made the announcement at the second annual summit for the Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, a federal grant program started by the Biden administration to provide resources to local agencies and groups in tune with the needs of specific communities. Garland told the gathering of several hundred stakeholders at the Hyatt Regency hotel on East Wacker Drive that solicitations for the $78 million in grants were “going live today,” prompting applause and murmurs of excitement in the crowd.
* Sun-Times | City officials and NASCAR unveil traffic plans for July 2024 street race: The NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series are scheduled for July 6-7, but setup and breakdown of the race course mean some road closures will begin as early as June 10 and last through July 18. The closures for setup and teardown are set to last 19 days compared with 25 days last year, according to a news release from the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
* Crain’s | Forbes billionaires list dotted with new names — some familiar to Chicago: Newcomers to the billionaire club with business ties to Illinois include Steve Lavin, the CEO of Aurora-based meat-packing company OSI Group who ranked 809th with $3.9 billion, tying with Joseph Grendys, CEO of Kosh Foods. Don Levin, CEO of Republic Brands paper rolling company in Glenview, is new to the list with a net worth of $1.7 billion coming in at No. 1851 alongside newcomer Matthew Pritzker, who sued his family for a piece of the Hyatt fortune back in 2005. Liesel Pritzker Simmons, who sued the empire along with her brother, joins the list this year with a 2046th ranking at $1.5 billion.
* Gizmodo | Amazon Ditches ‘Just Walk Out’ Checkouts at Its Grocery Stores: Just over half of Amazon Fresh stores are equipped with Just Walk Out. The technology allows customers to skip checkout altogether by scanning a QR code when they enter the store. Though it seemed completely automated, Just Walk Out relied on more than 1,000 people in India watching and labeling videos to ensure accurate checkouts. The cashiers were simply moved off-site, and they watched you as you shopped.
Eclipses are not particularly rare in the universe. One occurs every time a planet, its orbiting moon, and its sun line up. Nearly every planet has a sun, and astronomers have reason to believe that many of them have moons, so shadows are bound to be cast on one world or another as the years pass.
But solar eclipses like the one that millions of Americans will watch on April 8—in which a blood-red ring and shimmering corona emerge to surround a blackened sun—are a cosmic fluke. They’re an unlikely confluence of time, space, and planetary dynamics, the result of chance events that happened billions of years ago. And, as far as we know, Earth’s magnificent eclipses are unique in their frequency, an extraordinary case of habitual stellar spectacle. On April 8, anyone who watches in wonder as the moon silently glides over the sun will be witnessing the planetary version of a lightning strike. […]
Relative to the diameter of the Earth, our moon is unusually big for a satellite, at least in our solar system. If you were an alien astronomer visiting our corner of space, you’d probably think the Earth-moon system was two planets orbiting each other. And yet, rotund as it may be, our moon is still 400 times smaller in diameter than the sun—but it also just so happens to be roughly 400 times closer to Earth. And even that coincidence of space and size is, in truth, an accident of time. Today, the moon orbits about 240,000 miles from Earth. But 4.5 billion years ago, when it was first born from an apocalyptic collision between Earth and a Mars-size planet, it was only 14,000 or so miles away, and therefore would have looked about 17 times bigger in the sky than it does today. Since then, the moon has been slowly drifting away from Earth; currently, it’s moving at about 1.5 inches a year. As the size of its orbit increased, its apparent size in Earth’s sky decreased. That means the eclipses we see today were likely not possible until about 1 billion years ago, and will no longer be possible 1 billion years from now. Humanity has the luck of living in the brief cosmic window of stunning eclipses.
Chicago’s casino bet on Bally’s could go bust if the company goes private, according to a pair of high-profile investors trying to block a takeover effort by the debt-laden corporation’s chairman, Soo Kim.
As Bally’s scrambles to secure $800 million to build its permanent casino in River West, Kim’s bid “jeopardizes the completion of the Chicago project, putting at further risk gainful employment and tax generation in Illinois,” investors from K&F Growth Capital wrote in a letter to Bally’s board of directors Tuesday.
Shareholders — and Chicago taxpayers — would be better served if Bally’s “immediately” partnered with a more experienced, high-end gambling company to execute the remainder of the $1.7 billion project, according to K&F managing partners Dan Fetters and Edward King. […]
Kim announced his takeover bid last month at $15 per share — less than half the $38-per-share buyout he offered in 2022 shortly before former Mayor Lori Lightfoot picked Bally’s for the coveted Chicago casino license. […]
Meanwhile, early returns from their temporary casino inside the historic Medinah Temple have been underwhelming since opening in September 2023. While it’s quickly proven to be one of Illinois’ biggest casino draws, it’s only generated about $4.3 million for Chicago police and firefighter pension funds — far short of projections by both Lightfoot and Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Lightfoot’s decision was puzzling from the very beginning. And now it’s in danger of ending up on the large, steaming junk heap that was the four years of Lori Lightfoot.
Heckuva job.
* From what I’ve read so far, Gregory Royal Pratt’s “The City is Up for Grabs: How Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Led and Lost a City in Crisis” is the best political book out of Chicago in a very long time. Go buy a copy today. Pratt finished his book before the temporary downtown casino showed signs of weakness and even possible failure. But here’s his take…
And now “the only true major legislative victory for Lightfoot of her administration” ain’t turning out so well. At least for now.
Greg is clearly one of the best political reporters we have in Chicago. The spin coming out of the Lightfoot camp today against his book is just plain ridiculous. Again, go buy the book.
A new partnership to raise awareness about the lifesaving potential of Firearm Restraining Orders (FROs), or “red flag laws,” is launching today during National Public Health Week involving the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Brady: United Against Gun Violence, and the Ad Council.
The Illinois effort is the first phase of a planned multi-state campaign called “Pause to Heal.” It is designed to prevent firearm suicides and other shootings by educating the public about the state’s FRO law, and the power that family and household members have to ask a court to temporarily restrict access to guns and ammunition when a person poses a threat to themselves or others.
Though FROs can be highly effective, a recent study from the Ad Council Research Institute (ACRI) and Joyce Foundation found that only 10% of Illinoisans are familiar with these potentially life-saving tools and know how to use them if needed. The new campaign aims to bolster awareness of these interventions, featuring a new website PauseToHeal and ads that will launch today across radio, digital, print, and outdoor with video PSAs to come starting later this year.
* From Mike Claffey at IDPH yesterday…
For this first phase of the campaign, IDPH is partnering with the Ad Council and Brady, who have funded the new “Pause to Heal” campaign focused on educating people in Illinois about FROs. Assets for the new campaign roll out statewide today across digital, radio, print and outdoor. The Ad Council works within a donated media model, meaning media partners provide space and time at no cost to the nonprofit, helping to spread awareness about critical social issues, like this lifesaving firearm restraining order education program.
* I’ve combined both the 15-second and 30-second ads into one file…
Wednesday, Apr 3, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
“As a single parent and head of household, I am concerned about this legislation because the removal of the tip credit could change the way I am able to provide for my family. It could reduce the amount of money I can earn each night and eliminate my ability to have a schedule that allows me to be there for the ones I love.” - Dominique Juarez, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Peoria
Dominique with some of her regular customers at Alexander’s Steakhouse in Peoria, IL
* The referendum simply asked voters to weigh in on extending an existing three-eights of a cent sales tax by 40 years. Proponents were clobbered. AP…
The future of the Royals and Chiefs in Kansas City was thrown into question Tuesday night when residents of Jackson County, Missouri, resoundingly voted down a sales tax measure that would have helped to fund a new downtown ballpark along with major renovations to Arrowhead Stadium.
Royals owner John Sherman and Chiefs president Mark Donovan acknowledged long before the final tally that the initiative would fail. More than 58% of voters ultimately rejected the plan, which would have replaced an existing three-eighths of a cent sales tax that has been paying for the upkeep of Truman Sports Complex — the home for more than 50 years to Kauffman and Arrowhead Stadiums — with a similar tax that would have been in place for the next 40 years.
The Royals, who had pledged at least $1 billion from ownership for their project, wanted to use their share of the tax revenue to help fund a $2 billion-plus ballpark district. The Super Bowl champion Chiefs, who had committed $300 million in private money, would have used their share as part of an $800 million overhaul of Arrowhead Stadium. […]
The tax — or, more accurately, the stadium plans — received significant public pushback almost from the start, when the teams struggled to put concrete plans before voters and were accused of lacking transparency throughout the process.
The Royals sought to use their share of the tax revenue to help fund a $2 billion-plus ballpark district. The team had pledged $1 billion from ownership.
The Chiefs sought to use their share of the tax revenue to help fund $800 million in renovations to Arrowhead Stadium. Ownership committed $300 million to the plan.
In the coming days, weeks and perhaps even months, you’ll hear that Jackson County rebuffed downtown baseball, or rebuffed the Chiefs’ and Royals’ respective futures within the county’s boundaries.
Don’t buy it.
The voters of Jackson County did not reject simply the concept of sending taxes to billionaires to fund shiny new objects. This is not a cozy fit into a national narrative. They rejected a haphazard, moving target of a campaign that asked voters to trust what would come after the vote rather than what had come before it.
In fact, this mess of a campaign, the Royals’ 16-month crusade for a sweeping change in particular, could be defined in two words: Trust us.
Illinois state lawmakers took a step to essentially ban what’s commonly known as “gas station heroin” Tuesday.
The state House Judiciary-Criminal Committee passed a bill designating tianeptine as a Schedule III controlled substance. If it becomes law, it would make it illegal to posses the drug without a prescription.
Despite acting like an opioid, the drug is currently regulated as a dietary supplement. People can purchase it over-the-counter in gas stations and smoke shops […]
llinois state lawmakers took a step to essentially ban what’s commonly known as “gas station heroin” Tuesday.
The state House Judiciary-Criminal Committee passed a bill designating tianeptine as a Schedule III controlled substance. If it becomes law, it would make it illegal to posses the drug without a prescription.
Despite acting like an opioid, the drug is currently regulated as a dietary supplement. People can purchase it over-the-counter in gas stations and smoke shops. […]
The committee also passed a bill designated the animal tranquilizer xylazine a Schedule III controlled substance. The bill would exempt veterinarians allowing them to use the drug.
Tianeptine is prescribed as an antidepressant in some European, Asian and Latin American countries, but it’s not approved for any medical use in the U.S. Still, companies are marketing and selling tianeptine products as dietary supplements typically in pill and powder form, claiming it can improve brain function and treat depression, anxiety, pain and even opioid use disorder.
Tianeptine has been banned in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee. […]
Poison control cases involving tianeptine have increased nationwide, from 11 total cases between 2000 and 2013 to 151 cases in 2020, the FDA says. Many poison control calls often involve severe withdrawal symptoms, such as agitation, vomiting and diarrhea, because people typically consume higher doses than those prescribed in other countries, according to a 2018 CDC report.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced his office is introducing legislation to clarify that Illinois’ child pornography laws apply to images and videos created by artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The measure builds on the work being done by Attorney General Raoul’s office, in collaboration with state and federal law enforcement agencies, to crack down on child pornography throughout Illinois.
Attorney General Raoul initiated House Bill (HB) 4623, which is sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, to address the use of AI-generated child pornography. The legislation prohibits the use of AI technology to create child pornography that either involves real children or obscene imagery. The bill also separately prohibits the nonconsensual dissemination of certain AI-generated sexual images. Raoul’s legislation was heard today in the House of Representatives’ Judiciary - Criminal Committee where it was passed unanimously.
“Now more than ever, we must address the challenges of AI-generated images and videos in child pornography,” Raoul said. “Any and all child exploitation can be a devastating crime that leaves survivors and their families dealing with a lifetime of trauma. We must hold predators accountable so survivors can receive justice to support their healing.”
Experts from the Attorney General’s office testified before the committee to explain that technological advances have enabled the creation of realistic, computer-generated images and videos of children, and to highlight the ways in which AI-generated child pornography is harmful. When AI technology uses images of real children to generate child pornography, the children who are depicted experience real reputational, emotional and privacy injuries. However, even when the technology does not use images of real children, the resulting child pornography nonetheless perpetuates abusive and predatory behavior.
“Generative AI - the kind that can create realistic images and even videos - is already cheap or free,” said Gong-Gershowitz. “Disgustingly, this technology is being used to create explicit images depicting children. HB4623 is a vital piece of legislation that will help bring our existing sex offender laws up to speed with this rapidly evolving technology. I thank the Attorney General and his staff for their hard work on this legislation.”
HB 4623 will now be considered by the full House of Representatives.
The state House Insurance Committee passed a bill banning car insurance companies from discriminating based on age, race, color, national or ethnic origin, immigration or citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or gender expression when setting premiums. The bill is an initiative of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, a Democrat. […]
“We know that there is discrimination particularly in certain zip codes. We talk about safe drivers, we talk about seniors, we talk about law enforcement but you’re balancing those discounts on the backs of the poor and I have a problem with that,” said state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan.
“Illinois has a rich, decades-long history of allowing insurance companies open and competitive market places and that is working tremendously well right now,” said state Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore.
In addition to being a lawmaker, Keicher is an insurance agent.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, said he plans to meet with the representatives from both Secretary of State’s Office and the insurance industry to craft an amendment with compromise language to improve the bill. He then plans to bring the bill back to the committee once the amendment is written.
State Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, is optimistic that her House Bill 5295, which would expand hormone therapy treatments for women experiencing menopause, will make it out of committee.
In Illinois currently, “we require insurance to cover hormone replacement therapy if you have had a hysterectomy. But the latest research shows we really need to expand it for all people who go through menopause,” said Dias.
State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, touted a bill she got out of committee two weeks ago. Moeller said House Bill 5395 would prevent insurance companies from unfairly increasing rates on Illinoisans. […]
State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, said he has three bills he hopes to get out of committee this week, but said there are a disproportionate amount of Republican bills that don’t make it out of committee.
House Bill 545 states that DHS would have to provide sufficient funds to child care providers to buy 50 diapers per month for children under participating in full-day programs and 25 diapers per month for kids in part-day child care.
Sponsors believe this would cost roughly $6 million. Although, Republicans are concerned it would cost much more. […]
However, families would need to show proof that they qualify for the state’s child care assistance program in order to get help with diapers. Rep. Joyce Mason (D-Gurnee) also noted that her bill could coordinate well with Gov. JB Pritzker’s Smart Start Illinois program. […]
This plan passed unanimously out of the House Adoption & Child Welfare Committee. House Bill 545 now heads to the House floor for further consideration.
A new plan in Springfield could require DCFS caseworkers to develop hair care plans with youth in care and their parents.
The DCFS Youth Advisory Board worked with Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet (D-Chicago) to make their recommendation into legislation. […]
The legislation would allow DCFS to adopt rules to facilitate implementation of the changes, including responsibilities of caseworkers and placement plan specialists in developing the hair care plan, engaging parents regarding the hair care needs of youth and procedures to follow if the parents cannot be contacted, and factors to consider in granting children increased autonomy over hair care decisions. […]
House Bill 5097 passed unanimously out of the House Adoption & Child Welfare Committee. The proposal now heads to the House floor for further consideration.
* ICYMI: Senate Republicans push for a Illinois Prisoner Review Board overhaul. Sun-Times…
-The governor’s office said much of what Republicans are proposing is already “standard practice,” noting that anyone can sign up to receive victim notifications, the board is already made up of members with significant experience in the criminal justice system, and the prisoner review board’s decisions are accessible via a Freedom of Information Act request.
- Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran is pushing for immediate notifications to victims when inmates have been released — and also requiring all board members to complete yearly training on domestic violence and sexual assault.
- “Governor Pritzker has already instructed the PRB and Illinois Department of Corrections to conduct a review of current procedures and make any necessary changes in the reporting process for domestic violence cases,” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said.
* Tribune | House speaker’s top lawyer leaves post after being behind ban on lawmakers answering Tribune questions: Instead, in an email delivered to Driscoll in the evening of March 21 with the subject line, “Not what you were hoping for,” Hartmann wrote, “The more I think about it, the more I don’t want to justify or even discuss my ethical guidance publicly.” In that same email, Hartmann wrote, “In retrospect I probably shouldn’t have said anything to Jeremy (Gorner, the Tribune reporter) in the first place, but further explaining isn’t going to help given their response.”
* Rockford Register Star | Rockford state rep: $165 million available to communities willing to help asylum seekers: “Illinois believes in the morality of all human lives. That’s what it means for us to be a welcoming state,” said state Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford. In the first round of Supporting Municipalities for Asylum Seeker Services Grants, Chicago received $30.25 million; Elgin, $1.27 million; Lake County, $1 million; Urbana, $250,000; and the Village of Oak Park, $400,000.
* BND | Lawmakers asked CDC to assess IL city’s health after sewage exposure. What’s the holdup?: U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski said Monday during a visit to Cahokia Heights they haven’t gotten a commitment from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it will conduct the assessment. The lawmakers said they continue to follow up to make sure it happens. […] The full process for it to conduct a public health assessment typically takes five years on average, but the lawmakers are pushing for a faster timeline for Cahokia Heights, according to Congresswoman Budzinski’s office.
* Here’s the rest…
* Press Release | Illinois Launches New “Pause to Heal” Firearm Restraining Order Education Campaign: The Illinois effort is the first phase of a planned multi-state campaign called “Pause to Heal.” It is designed to prevent firearm suicides and other shootings by educating the public about the state’s FRO law, and the power that family and household members have to ask a court to temporarily restrict access to guns and ammunition when a person poses a threat to themselves or others.
* Daily Southtown | Dolton trustees walk out of meeting as Mayor Tiffany Henyard accuses them of a ‘theater stunt’: Monday’s meeting started nearly an hour after the scheduled time, and Deputy police Chief Lewis Lacey said it was due to threats police received about potential safety issues. “We do have credible threats in reference to this meeting tonight,” Lacey said, admonishing those in the audience any clapping or outbursts would not be tolerated or the “meeting will be closed.”
* Fox Chicago | ‘She doesn’t care’: Dolton residents locked out of Village Hall amid Mayor Tiffany Henyard controversy: It used to be that Dolton residents who needed to take care of a bill or a license perhaps would walk into the entrance through the front door into a common area where service desks are located. But now, that door is locked, forcing residents to talk to a security guard behind a window in the vestibule, and conduct their business in that small cramped area.
* WTVO | President Biden to visit Madison and Chicago on Monday: According to the White House, President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to Madison, Wisconsin, and then Chicago, Illinois on Monday, April 8th. According to a release, the president’s stop in Madison will be to deliver a speech centered on “lowering costs for Americans.”
* Crain’s | Durbin signals he’s pushing for the whole O’Hare revamp: “We want some realistic cost estimates, not just some pie-in-the-sky, back-of-the-envelope,” Durbin told the audience, an apparent reference to the Johnson administration’s recent efforts to lay out $1 billion in cuts to the modernization budget — figures the carriers have said “lack credibility.”
* Crain’s | Aviation Department adds well-known name to roster: Marty Joyce was chief of staff for Ald. Matt O’Shea before joining Commissioner Jamie Rhee’s team last month. O’Shea is chairman of the City Council’s aviation committee and represents the 19th Ward on the South Side. Joyce is the cousin of Jerry Joyce, who was a Chicago mayoral candidate in 2019, and is the nephew of Jeremiah Joyce, a former 19th Ward alderman and state senator who was a confidant of former Mayor Richard M. Daley.
* Tribune | Pat Fitzgerald’s lawsuit vs. Northwestern over the former football coach’s firing can continue, a judge rules: “As we set forth in announcing our complaint in October 2023, defendants’ actions have exacted terrible, immeasurable costs to coach Fitzgerald, his family and his career,” attorneys Dan Webb and Matthew Carter said in a statement. “As a result of that conduct, we had no choice but to file our complaint for breach of oral contract, breach of his employment contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, false light and tortious interference with a business expectancy.”
* Center Square | Legislators question funds for Cook County through state’s appellate prosecutor: ILSAAP is seeking more than $46 million in fiscal year 2025, which is not an increase from 2024. In fiscal year 2023, the office received over $31 million. State Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, questioned the accuracy of the office’s need for the funds.[…] Mayfield questioned the office’s funding needs because “we have so many other pressures as a state and that money could be better used as opposed to just sitting there and not being used.”
* Center Square | Sports betting in Illinois begins the year with a lull: Even though numbers were slightly down, Illinois sports betting totaled nearly $1.3 billion and trailed only New York and New Jersey. Illinois filled its coffers with nearly $20.3 million in tax revenue while Cook County received $1.36 million.
* NYT | Klaus Mäkelä, 28-Year-Old Finnish Conductor, to Lead Chicago Symphony: When he begins a five-year contract in 2027 at 31, Mäkelä will be the youngest maestro in the ensemble’s 133-year history, and one of the youngest ever to lead a top orchestra in the United States. Mäkelä, who will become music director designate immediately, said in an interview that he did not think his age was relevant, noting that he had been conducting for more than half his life, beginning when he was 12.
* Vintage Chicago Tribune | Solar eclipses and how Chicagoans viewed them: When was the last time Chicago experienced a total solar eclipse? Before the city existed! On June 16, 1806 — more than three decades before Chicago became a city — this area came within a whisker (99.9%) of a total solar eclipse with totality observed southward into central Illinois.
* Sun-Times | Open-water swim in Chicago River to be held in September, the first in more than 100 years: Five hundred swimmers are expected to take part in the Chicago River Swim, which starts between the Clark and Dearborn Street bridges and will navigate a looped course between State Street on the east and Wolf Point on the west. They can opt for a one-mile or two-mile swim. […] Proceeds from the Chicago River Swim will also support local learn-to-swim programs for at-risk youth. The event also raises funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough has been hospitalized with an undisclosed illness, her government spokesperson said Tuesday.
Yarbrough, 73, has a “serious medical condition and is currently undergoing medical treatment,” her deputy clerk of communications, Sally Daly, said. “Her family is requesting privacy, and we ask for prayers for the Clerk and her family at this difficult time.”
Daly did not say when Yarbrough was hospitalized or whether the clerk had been working during the recent primary election. In addition to managing suburban elections, the clerk’s office is in charge of certain property tax and business records, legislation at the Cook County Board and vital records such as marriage and birth certificates.
* Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson…
Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Dr. Cristina Pacione-Zayas as Chief of Staff to the Mayor. Pacione-Zayas, a distinguished leader born and raised in Chicago, with an extensive background in public service, policy development, and advocacy, steps into her new role today after serving as the First Deputy Chief of Staff. She will serve as the City’s first Latina chief of staff.
“Cristina’s unparalleled dedication to our city, her depth of knowledge on critical issues affecting our neighborhoods like housing, community safety and education, and her proven track record of leadership make her the ideal person to serve as my next chief of staff,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “I am confident that together, we will continue to make strides toward a better, stronger, safer Chicago.”
Dr. Pacione-Zayas brings to the position a wealth of experience gained from her service in the Illinois State Senate, where she served on several key committees including Early Childhood, Education, Education Appropriations, Health, Higher Education, Human Rights, and Revenue. Her contributions as secretary to the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Early Learning Council, the Legislative Audit Commission, the BUILD Initiative, the Illinois Crime Reduction Task Force, State Designated Cultural Districts Advisory Committee, and the Title V Needs Assessment Advisory Committee have been instrumental in shaping policies to support a spectrum of public programs and services across the state.
“I am deeply honored to serve as Chief of Staff for Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City of Chicago,” said Dr. Cristina Pacione-Zayas. “This role presents a unique opportunity to advance our collective vision for a city determined to deliver equity and opportunity for all, and I am committed to leveraging every resource and partnership to make this vision a reality.”
* Senate Republicans…
In the wake of a decision by Governor JB Pritzker’s Prisoner Review Board to release a dangerous felon with a history of domestic violence accused of murdering an 11-year-old boy less than 24 hours after his release, the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus is introducing fundamental reforms that would put victims first, remove politics from the appointment process, and hold members accountable for their decisions.
Crosetti Brand is accused of stabbing a former girlfriend, Laterria Smith, and killing her son Jayden as the boy attempted to defend his pregnant mother from Brand’s brutal attack. The murder occurred just a day after Brand was released by the PRB. In February, while on parole, Brand sent Smith messages threatening to kill her, and tried to break into her home. This violation of his parole landed him back in the State’s custody while the PRB could reconsider his parole. Despite the threats, the boy’s mother seeking an order of protection, and Brand’s history of domestic abuse that included orders of protection from four different women, the Pritzker-appointed PRB voted to release him.
“This never should have happened,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove). “Many areas of our criminal justice system failed Ms. Smith and her heroic son, but at the end of the day, it was Governor Pritzker’s Prisoner Review Board that released this violent criminal despite overwhelming evidence that he was a danger to his victims and to the general public.”
At a news conference Tuesday, Curran unveiled legislation that would implement a number of reforms to improve how the Prisoner Review Board operates. Curran’s legislation would:
Put Victims First
- Requires the Prisoner Review Board to immediately inform a victim of the early release of a prisoner from State custody or of the prisoner’s pardon, commutation, furlough, granting of sentence credit, or following a final revocation hearing when an individual has violated the conditions of their mandatory supervised release if the victim has previously requested notification of that information. If they have not, the board is to make every possible effort, which must be documented, to contact the victim.
- Requires members of the board to complete yearly mandatory training on domestic violence and sexual assault so they may better understand these crimes impact the women and children who often become victims.
Put Experience Ahead of Politics
- Requires that appointees to the Prisoner Review Board must have at least 20 years of cumulative experience in the criminal justice system.
- Experience in the criminal justice system is defined as time spent as either a prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, judge, probation officer, or public defender.
Increase Transparency and Hold PRB Accountable
- Requires the PRB to make written notice public within 24 hours of a decision to release in cases following a final revocation hearing when an individual has violated the conditions of their mandatory supervised release.
- Provides that notification must include votes from the members of the board and any relevant notes about information presented in the case, as well as notes about the board’s deliberations on the case.
The Senate Republican legislative package is two-fold, focusing both on reforms to the PRB and on more severe consequences for repeat domestic abusers like Crosetti Brand, who had previous convictions for home invasion causing injury and violating an order of protection.
State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield), who sits on the Executive Appointments Committee, will also be introducing legislation that will:
Protect Victims of Domestic Violence
- Increases the penalties for violating an order of protection.
- Provides that for a first-time violation, the penalty increases from a misdemeanor to a class 4 felony; and from a previous conviction, it increases from a class 4 to a class 3 felony. […]
Senate Republicans view this legislation as a first step in the larger process of reforming how the Prisoner Review Board operates. The Senators noted that in this particular case, Pritzker’s Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) was also complicit. IDOC was notified of Lateria Smith’s attempt to get another order of protection following Brand’s attempted home invasion three weeks before but failed to make the information available to the PRB.
Who is the rightful heir to Abraham Lincoln’s old U.S. House seat? The district he represented from 1847 to 1849 is currently split between five seats. Here’s how it’s now divided:
* WBEZ | How Eileen O’Neill Burke won the razor-thin primary for Cook County state’s attorney: Harris captured nearly 400 precincts by 50 percentage points or more, compared to about 300 such precincts for O’Neill Burke. Harris was strongest in precincts on the South and West sides of Chicago and throughout the south suburbs and near west suburbs. But O’Neill Burke captured nearly 460 more precincts than Harris overall. Her strongest showings came in precincts on the Northwest and Southwest sides of the city and near downtown. O’Neill Burke also scored big in the near northwest and near southwest suburbs. She carried more than twice as many precincts as Harris — 991 to 430 — in suburban Cook County.
* Crain’s | After nearly a decade, Walgreens kickback lawsuit by whistleblowers can go forward: A federal judge has given the green light for a whistleblower lawsuit contending that Walgreens violated U.S. and Illinois false claims statutes by steering Medicare and Medicaid patients to its own pharmacy by waiving co-pays. In a case that’s been kicked around for about a decade after several amendments and U.S. and Illinois governments trying to hop aboard, Judge John F. Kness of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled on March 29 that the complaint brought by two former Walgreens pharmacy technicians could continue. However, Kness dismissed an accompanying complaint by the state of Illinois.
* Sun-Times | Clark Street closure for outdoor dining ‘pending mayoral review,’ Ald. Reilly says: “It was amazing, what it did to the area,” The Smith General Manager Eric Scofield said. “[Clark Street] didn’t close until mid-July last year, and as soon as that happened, the foot traffic and environment in the area just became so much more vibrant … it was just a really kind of fun atmosphere in an otherwise bustling city.”
* Crain’s | These Chicagoans traded their Ventra cards for car keys: Penn is part of a growing cluster of frustrated CTA riders who are swapping their Ventra cards for car keys as the transit agency struggles to get back to pre-pandemic service levels. At CTA President Dorval Carter’s City Council appearance in February, transit advocates pointed to friends who had abandoned the CTA and become first-time car owners since COVID hit. In interviews with lapsed riders, Crain’s found that reliability stood out as the main reason for leaving the system, though other issues, including safety and cleanliness, played major roles for their exits.
* Crain’s | Bally’s shareholder blasts chairman’s ‘woeful’ takeover bid: In a sharply worded letter slamming “moon shot bets” and accusing Chairman Soo Kim of trying to take over the company “at a fraction of its fair value,” two investors are calling on Bally’s board to reject Kim’s “woefully undervalued” bid and reboot its overall strategy — including rethinking its Chicago plans.
* Fox 2 Now | Western Illinois University waives application fee for the month of April: The universities Assistant Vice President for Student Success and Enrollment is hoping this will bring more applications to the college. “We hope to see an uptick. And as I mentioned, just taking one financial burden off of the plate, so students can at least apply and see if, entering WIU and pursuing their degree is something that they are interested in,” said Justin Schuch.
* Block Club | Chicago Is The Deadliest City For Migrating Birds. Here’s How Advocates Want To Fix It: Advocates want the bird safety building requirements to be mandatory in an update to Chicago’s Sustainable Development Policy, which is set to be released this month, Prince said. […] The current sustainable development policy, last updated in 2016, doesn’t require developers to implement bird-safety measures. Instead, it uses a point system to reward developers who commit to protecting birds.
* NYT | Tesla’s Sales Drop, a Sign That Its Grip on the E.V. Market Is Slipping: Tesla said it delivered 387,000 cars worldwide in the first quarter, down 8.5 percent from 423,000 vehicles in the same period last year. This was the first time Tesla’s quarterly sales have fallen on a year over year basis since a modest drop at the start of the pandemic in 2020. The sales figures were also significantly lower than the estimates of Wall Street analysts who had expected a modest increase.
* Illinois Times | Photographing history: Lee Milner reflects on his life and career : After Milner came back to Springfield from Washington, a legislator friend of his asked then-state Rep. Bill Redmond, a DuPage County Democrat who had recently been elected speaker of the Illinois House and was building out his staff, to consider hiring Milner. Milner became Redmond’s assistant press secretary and worked for Redmond from 1975 to 1979.
* SJ-R | Eclipsing expectations: Why experts say this celestial event might make you gasp: Reif, who is planning a return trip to DuQuoin, said the event can’t be oversold. “It is absolutely humbling,” Reif said. “I’m a geologist. We study big things, and we think we understand it all and then you have this moment where you can see the movement of the heavens, literally.”
Rolling up to a Tesla charging port, Illinois Republican state Sen. Dan McConchie grimaced that wheelchair users like him couldn’t use it—or any of the others at the gas station where he filmed his Instagram reel. They’d all been placed on a raised surface that he couldn’t readily reach. McConchie introduced a state bill to improve relevant accessibility standards, including electric car chargers. But it’s a national problem: Electric vehicle charging stations are often inaccessible, despite being designed and built decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act became law.
By April 2023, the Department of Energy reported, there were more than 140,000 public EV charging ports in the US, up from around 80,000 just three years earlier. The number of charging ports accessible to disabled drivers isn’t easy to pin down, an issue in itself; Department of Transportation data estimates that half of disabled adults under 65, some 10 million people, drive themselves around. By 2030, there will be more than 25 million electric vehicles on US roads, according to industry group Edison Electric Insitute. That includes a growing share of more affordable plug-in hybrids, driving even more demand for charging infrastructure. But for drivers with disabilities, inaccessible chargers make it a lot less appealing to switch: In a 2022 UK survey, though two-thirds of disabled drivers planned to go electric, most—more than 70 percent—said concerns about inaccessible infrastructure factored in. And in a society that considers EVs key to a more sustainable future, the spread of inaccessible chargers signals that disabled people have been left behind. […]
Coming up with more effective ways for disabled people to access EV chargers isn’t always straightforward. Many are on raised platforms in parking lots. Car-to-car differences mean accessible parking spots can’t necessarily become EV stations. Building more municipal chargers on sidewalks near pedestrian ramps could let wheelchair users plug in more easily. These chargers would also help clear sidewalks blocked by the long, hefty cords of household chargers used by some drivers without garages.
Winchester-area native and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Ray Long’s in-depth work The House That Madigan Built moves to paperback after a successful two-year run in hard back for the University of Illinois Press. The book is a lengthy view of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s 36 years as House Speaker, and 38-year leadership of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
Long’s career of covering the Capitol in Springfield coincided with Madigan’s rise to power.
Long says it was important to have the full picture of Madigan’s time in Springfield from beginning to end: “I feel pretty good about the book going to paperback. I thought that it was an important book to write because a lot of people have not followed Madigan closely but they have kind of a gut reaction about him, most often times its negative, especially in recent years. The book lays it out, I believe, on the things that he did that either drew a lot of praise or scrutiny. There were things that he did that got him in trouble. He used the power of politics to push his agenda and pushed his personal political power. The book largely covers the time that he was a legislative leader, which happened to be in 1981 and that also happened to be the first year that I covered Springfield.”
Long says he watched all of the highs and lows of Madigan’s career and tried to portray it objectively and let people make their own conclusions.
A new book by Chicago Tribune reporter Gregory Pratt offers an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look into Lightfoot’s tumultuous time in office that ultimately led to her failed bid for reelection.
“It’s fundamentally an inability to have political relationships and to work with people who you don’t like,” Pratt said. “It’s adapt or die, and she was a prosecutor and she couldn’t get out of that mindset.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov JB Pritzker in the early days of COVID when she was dragging her feet, second guessing his moves and commenting on his visit to her conference room, via my book The City is Up for Grabs (now available for sale wherever books are sold) pic.twitter.com/5ZFjzPwvxM
Pratt hoped to talk to Lightfoot for the book, though “by the time 2022 came around, it was clear she was in her bunker and she was not coming out.”
“I was hoping that she would come around, because we’d always had good conversations even about difficult subjects. But by the end, she came to believe that everyone was against her.”
Pratt’s big takeaway? Leaders “have to be open to new ideas and understand soft power in addition to hard power … and be willing to make mistakes,” Pratt says.
“You can’t take things personal, and if you do, you can’t show that to the world at every moment and say ’screw you, poor me.’”
“I think that, when we look back, we’re going to see one of the most critical four years in the history of Chicago,” he told WBBM. “I thought it was important to document it in detail so that people could understand what exactly happened — where we went wrong and where we went right — and we can take some lessons for future generations.”
Pratt described Lightfoot as “an unsuccessful mayor who did a lot of good things but also screwed up a lot of problems.”
“You don’t get rejected by 85% of your voters because you did a great job,” he said.
Lightfoot became the first openly gay Black woman to serve as mayor not only of Chicago, but of any major U.S. city, after she defeated Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in the 2019 mayoral election.
* WBEZ spoke with Patrick Wohl about his new book…
Long before there was Bush v. Gore and the “dimpled chad” fiasco in Florida, there was Penny Pullen and Rosemary Mulligan, two suburban Chicago Republicans vying for the same statehouse seat in a race so close, it was decided at points by a handful of votes, a coin toss and eventually the Illinois Supreme Court.
Reset dives into a new book examining the significance of that race, the way it changed how we count votes today and why every vote counts.
[Patrick] Wohl, a Park Ridge native and 2012 graduate of Maine South High School, grew up hearing about the 1990 Republican primary for state representative, in which Penny Pullen and Rosemary Mulligan battled for the nomination in one of the closest races in Illinois history. The local election became a proxy fight on the question of legalized abortion, drawing national interest and money into the district.
“Growing up, it was this legendary story that people talked about,” he said. “You know, back in the day, this race was so close that they flipped a coin. I had no idea that it had gained all this national attention or had anything to do with abortion before I started going back to research it.”
The more he dove into the race — the coin flip was, in fact, true — the more he was drawn into the story. Four years later, the election is the subject of his first book: “Down Ballot: How a Local Campaign Became a National Referendum on Abortion.” […]
“When you look at the polls in Illinois now, it’s easy to forget that this was such a contentious issue 30 years ago,” Wohl said. “It was a 50-50 issue. You had Catholic Democrats who opposed abortion. Black Democrats opposed it, based on faith. You also had a lot of suburban Republicans who were supportive of abortion rights. This was a Republican primary, and it was an issue that split the party.”
In 2020, for instance, only 28% [of Illinois registered voters] voted in the primary — a low amount that can be attributed in part to Trump, as an incumbent, facing no competition on the Republican side and Biden having largely sewn up the Democratic nomination. But in the general election that November, nearly 73% of registered voters turned out, the best showing since 1992.
Sen. Dick Durbin was also unopposed in the primary that year.
We’ve seen a lot of hot takes about making changes to laws because of turnout last month. Turnout was indeed low, but Illinois had no other statewide races on the ballot besides POTUS (this happens every 12 years here). And turnout was not nearly as low as was initially reported because lots of mailed, provisional and maybe even some early ballots hadn’t yet been counted by election night.
* Even so, some folks want Illinois to become a “multi-party primary” state. Definition…
A small but growing number of states hold a single primary in which all candidates, regardless of party, are listed on a single ballot. States vary in the number of candidates who advance out of this primary to the general election. For example, California and Washington use a “top-two” primary format in which each candidate lists his or her party affiliation or, in Washington’s case, a party “preference.” The top two vote-getters in each race, regardless of party, advance to the general election.
Elections for Nebraska’s unicameral, nonpartisan legislature closely mirror this process except ballots do not identify the candidates’ party. (Nebraska uses open primaries for other state offices). Alaska uses a similar system except four candidates advance to the general election instead of two.
Advocates of the “top-two” format argue that it increases the likelihood of moderate candidates advancing to the general election ballot. Opponents maintain it reduces voter choice by making it possible that two candidates of the same party face off in the general election. They also contend it is tilted against minor parties who will face slim odds of earning a spot on the general election ballot.
Other options include allowing voters to choose one candidate in each race regardless of party. Others believe voters should have the right to choose their own party ballot without anyone else knowing about it. Some states require people to register as a party member in order to vote in a primary. More here.
* The Question: Should Illinois change its primary system? Explain either way. Thanks.
“The Illinois House is now grappling with a proposal to eliminate the tip credit provision from the minimum wage law. While I choose to believe there are good intentions here, I know – as intimately as one can – that the legislation will actually hurt the workers it seeks to help in addition to increasing the burden to small businesses.”
- Eric Williams, Bronzeville Winery, Chicago
Two massive industrial sites that symbolize Chicago’s manufacturing decline — a former steel mill on the South Side and a former refinery in the southwest suburbs — could get new life in the race to build cutting-edge technology.
PsiQuantum is considering the former U.S. Steel South Works site and the former Texaco refinery in Lockport for a facility to build and operate quantum computers, which could result in more than 1,000 jobs, sources familiar with the project tell Crain’s. A decision could come in the next six weeks. […]
Landing the company would go a long way to fulfilling Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s vision of turning Illinois into “the Silicon Valley of quantum development,” adding to a streak of economic-development wins over the past two years that includes electric-vehicle and battery manufacturing projects involving Stellantis and Gotion. It also would bring a long-awaited revitalization to one of two industrial sites in the Chicago area that had been left for dead. In the case of South Works, it would provide a long-sought catalyst to revitalize a neighborhood badly in need of an economic boost. […]
The massive, long-fallow lakefront property has stumped developers for years on how to repurpose it, with multiple suitors wary of unknown costs to clean up the land’s contaminated soil. But sources familiar with the property said a new developer is entering the mix: Related Midwest, which is believed to be closing in on an option to buy the entire 440-acre site in connection with the quantum project. Representatives from PsiQuantum met with officials from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office on the project last week, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.
California-based PsiQuantum is part of a select group leading the development of quantum computers, a technology poised to revolutionize various fields. The company seeks a location capable of sustaining cryogenic facilities crucial for operating quantum computers. Initial estimates indicate the creation of 250 to 1,000 jobs, with prospects for expansion in the future. […]
Illinois’ quantum investment, backed by $200 million funding and initiatives like the Chicago Quantum Exchange, has already attracted substantial federal research grants. The state now competes with Colorado for additional federal funding, aiming to establish itself as the nation’s quantum industry epicenter. […]
The prospective project involves colossal investments, spanning two facilities covering 500,000 square feet and demanding significant power and water resources.
* Related…
* WAND | Pritzker, Bloch tech leaders excited for next phase of quantum research: Pritzker announced an ambitious multi-year plan Monday for a Chicago quantum facility to develop technology solutions for fraud detection, grid resilience and drug discovery. The Bloch Tech Hub submitted this idea while applying for the second round of funding through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program.
*WGN | Pritzker announces plan to make Chicago quantum technology capital: On Monday, top executives from Fortune 500 companies like IBM and Microsoft joined leaders of tech start-ups and professors from top universities as Pritzker announced a plan for the state to invest $500 million in efforts that would cement Illinois’ status as the nation’s leading quantum tech hub.
Jails largely act independently so it’s up to each to set and enforce policies and procedures, she said. While the Illinois Department of Corrections has a jail and detention standards unit, which oversees county jails, the department does not have policies on reproductive health, the report said. […]
Illinois does have some standards for how pregnant people should be treated in detention. In 2000, Illinois became the first state to ban shackling an incarcerated person while they’re in labor.
Then in 2012, the state banned shackling throughout the entire term of a person’s pregnancy, but only in Cook County. The Illinois Reproductive Health Act does extend protections to people who are incarcerated. […]
A bill to ban the use of leg irons and shackles on pregnant people inside Illinois’ county jails passed a state House committee Friday. The bill would also require that pregnant and lactating people incarcerated in jails get extra rations of food, and it would allow for electronic ankle bracelets to be removed from them during labor and delivery.
Amends the County Department of Corrections Law. In provisions about pregnant prisoners, modifies the definitions of “post-partum” and “correctional institution”, including that “correctional institution” includes institutions in all counties (rather than only in counties more than 3,000,000 inhabitants). Modifies and removes provisions relating to security restraints on a prisoner who is pregnant or in postpartum recovery. Adds provisions relating to annual reports by sheriffs documenting the number of pregnant prisoners in custody each year and the number of people who deliver or miscarry while in custody, relating to county department of corrections providing informational materials concerning the laws pertaining to pregnant prisoners to any pregnant or postpartum prisoner, and relating to supplemental nutrition for prisoners who are pregnant or lactating. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections and the County Jail Act making similar changes. In the Unified Code of Corrections, also adds language relating to restraints of committed persons who are pregnant. Amends the Health Care Violence Prevention Act. In provisions relating to pregnant prisoners, removes a limitation on the provisions to pregnant prisoners in the custody of the Cook County. Provides that restraint of a pregnant prisoner shall comply with specified provisions of the Counties Code, the Unified Code of Corrections, and the County Jail Act (rather than only the Counties Code provisions).
Representative La Shawn Ford (D-8th) is opposed to HB 4045, which will allow non-citizens to apply to become Chicago firemen if they have a work permit. Ford says the bill fails to rectify the discrimination he says still exists within the Chicago Fire Department. […]
Standing his ground and making his position clear, Ford said, “Passing this bill without addressing the underlying issues of discrimination and inequity within our Fire Department will only exacerbate the problem. It would ignore the ongoing struggle of marginalized communities who have been systematically excluded from fair employment practices. […]
The bill amends the Illinois Municipal Code and the Fire Protection District Act. It provides that an individual who is not a citizen but is legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law is authorized to apply for the position of firefighter, subject to all requirements and limitations, other than citizenship, to which other applicants are subject. The bill became effective January 1, 2024.
The controversial HB 4045 was introduced by Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-50th) and supported by and sponsored by Reps. Edgar Gonzalez, Jr. (D-23rd), John M. Cabello (R-90th), Travis Weaver (R-93rd) and Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar (D-22nd).
…Adding…Republican Reps. John Cabello, Bradley Fritts, Jeff Keicher and Brad Stephens were removed as sponsors in early March. Rep Travis Weaver was removed as a sponsor last year.
As originally filed, House Bill 4045 would amend the Illinois Municipal Code and the Fire Protection District Act by establishing that non-citizens legally authorized to work in the country under federal law are eligible to apply for the position of firefighter subject to all other requirements and limitations.
“I hope that the sponsor pulls the bill and we have a bill that deals with hiring practices and also makes sure that we have some type of standards in place because these are taxpayer dollars,” Ford told The Center Square. “You can’t have racism and discrimination in your hiring and promotion practices and everyone should have equal opportunity to be hired in these positions.” […]
Ford added one change he would like to see is fire department doing more recruitment on the campuses of high schools, city colleges and trade schools along with the pools of unemployed people “to create a pipeline of diverse candidates.”
HB4045 was amended by dropping the non-citizen language, but keeping language saying firefighters can be any “individual who is legally authorized to work in the United States.” The measure passed the House Police and Fire Committee last month and awaits further floor action.
* Press release…
Advisory: Illinois Senate GOP to unveil legislation to reform Prisoner Review Board
WHO: Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove)
State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville)
State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield)
WHAT: Zoom press conference to discuss deadly agency failings and Senate GOP policy solutions to improve public safety.
State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) has filed and passed a bill out of committee to help combat ongoing trash and debris issues from landfills in Madison and St. Clair counties. […]
Senate Bill 3566 would require any landfill in any county with a population over 250,000 to provide facilities at landfill locations for the cleaning of mud, gravel, waste and other material from wheels and undercarriages of trucks and other vehicles leaving the site. […]
Currently, the Illinois Environmental Protection Act only requires landfills in counties with populations over 270,000 (Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry and Winnebago counties) to have the wheel washing requirements.
SB 3566 unanimously passed the Environment and Conservation committee and Senator Harriss hopes to present the legislation to the full Senate for a vote upon returning from spring recess.
House Bill 3239, sponsored by state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, would obligate Illinoisans who want to buy a firearm to go through eight hours of training and other requirements. The bill is in the House Judiciary Criminal Committee, which is scheduled to meet in Springfield Tuesday. Her office said she will not be calling the bill this week. […]
A FOID card is required in Illinois for residents to own or purchase firearms and ammunition. According to numbers from Illinois State Police, over 2.4 million Illinois residents possess FOID cards, nearly 19% of the state’s 12.7 million people. The greatest number of these cards have been issued in Cook County, with over 730,000 active cards at the end of 2023. Champaign County had issued 34,144. […]
HB3239 would require Illinois residents who want to buy a firearm to undergo eight hours of mandatory training approved by the director of the Illinois State Police. […]
Students Demand Action of Illinois are proponents of the bill. There are 15 proponents and nearly 1,800 opponents.
* President of Community Access National Network Jen Laws…
State lawmakers across the country are telling patients they’re working to reduce out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. However, in response to calls to better serve patients, many states are looking to use an unproven tool that simply is not going to get the job done and could worsen challenges patients face today to access medications.
Billed under names like “Prescription Drug Affordability Board,” legislation that states like Illinois are introducing pulls a bait-and-switch that ultimately threatens equitable access to medications and alters the landscape of health care financing in favor of insurers, not patients. […]
Affordability boards that seek to exclusively rely on these reimbursement limits to lower drug prices have yet to demonstrate meaningful cost savings for patients. Despite payment limits threatening the ability of providers to stock and administer critical treatments, nothing in Illinois’ proposed legislation requires any realized “savings” to be passed on to patients or returned to a plan sponsor, such as state public health programs, or employers in the case of employer-sponsored plans. […]
Policymakers’ goal to tackle barriers to care for patients is right. But if lawmakers in Springfield actually care about helping patients, perhaps starting with patients, rather than any other stakeholders, is the way to go.
State Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, sponsored House Bill 5617, which would require schools to alter mascots, logos or names with Native American tribes or feature Native American culture. […]
The bill prohibits schools from selling items with banned mascots and removes banned logos from school property. Schools would be able to use uniforms or other materials with Native logos or mascots until Sept. 1, 2027. […]
West said that the issue has been on his desk since 2019, after a group of students from a local student protested the use of a “humongous” Native American face on the wall of their school, sparking the idea of mascot reform.
West said in 2019, his posture was education not elimination and when he filed the original mascot bill it got traction but, members of federally recognized tribes throughout the nation, who originated from Illinois reached out to him to say that’s not what we want. They wanted education reform.
* ICYMI: Report details poor care for pregnant people in county jails. Sun-Times…
-Last week, a report from the ACLU of Illinois and the Women’s Justice Institute shared stories from women who were pregnant in custody and often denied basic medical care.
-A quarter of Illinois jails don’t have written policies for how to treat pregnant detainees. -A bill to ban the use of leg irons and shackles on pregnant people inside Illinois’ county jails passed a state House committee Friday.
* Chicago Crusader | Rep. Ford opposes bill allowing non-citizens to become firemen: Representative La Shawn Ford (D-8th) is opposed to HB 4045, which will allow non-citizens to apply to become Chicago firemen if they have a work permit. Ford says the bill fails to rectify the discrimination he says still exists within the Chicago Fire Department.
Jim Durkin, the former House minority leader and guiding force for the Illinois Republican Party for years, has joined the well-connected law firm of Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres. Durkin is a partner in the firm’s public finance, government affairs and regulatory law practice groups.
“Partnering with an accomplished legislator and lifelong public servant of Jim’s caliber is an honor for all of us,” CFDB partner and Management Committee Co-chair Lisa Duarte, a former Illinois first assistant deputy governor, said in a statement obtained by Playbook.
“It’s a great fit,” Durkin told Playbook. And in a statement, he called it “an opportunity to help the next generation of leaders apply business and legal solutions to the needs and challenges of our communities while also driving economic growth.”
* Here’s the rest…
* Daily Herald | Illinois’ sights and tax incentives bring Hollywood to the suburbs: A swing through Long Grove last week no doubt had drivers doing a double take: Instead of sporting spring pastels and Easter decorations, the town’s fixtures were all decked out for Christmas. Nope, it was not the result of village crews too busy to take down holiday decorations. Instead, the festive scene was created to accommodate “My Grown Up Christmas Wish,” a Christmas movie starring Mario Lopez that was making use of Long Grove’s quaint downtown and iconic covered bridge.
* Rockford Register-Star | Homicide suspect’s uncle, candidate for Congress: Stabbing should have been prevented: A statement of fact written by Rockford police said Timothy Carter had sought mental health treatment before the attack. Rosecrance Behavioral Health personnel evaluated Carter and then drove him to UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital which operates a 42-bed psychiatric ward. Police said Carter left the hospital without getting mental health treatment.
* Joshua Bandoch | Illinois could lower unemployment with more apprenticeship programs: In Chicago alone, there are 53,000 residents with at least a bachelor’s degree who live in poverty, according to our analysis of 2022 Census data. Research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows only 31% of Americans actually need post-secondary education for their jobs. And earning those degrees comes at the cost of time, money and usually debt. The better way to prepare people for viable careers is to move to a work-based educational model that translates tangible skills into good, well-paying jobs. This “career-first” model prioritizes professions that are in high demand now and will continue to be in demand as the economy evolves.
* Crain’s | South Works site, Lockport refinery eyed for potential quantum computer factory: PsiQuantum is considering the former U.S. Steel South Works site and the former Texaco refinery in Lockport for a facility to build and operate quantum computers, which could result in more than 1,000 jobs, sources familiar with the project tell Crain’s. A decision could come in the next six weeks.
* WAND | Pritzker, Bloch tech leaders excited for next phase of quantum research: Pritzker announced an ambitious multi-year plan Monday for a Chicago quantum facility to develop technology solutions for fraud detection, grid resilience and drug discovery. The Bloch Tech Hub submitted this idea while applying for the second round of funding through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program.
* Daily Herald | Can cement be greener? Industry seeking ways to lower carbon dioxide emissions: One team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, alongside the Meta Sustainability Net Zero program and concrete supplier Ozinga, are looking to discover better concrete formulas using artificial intelligence. Early-stage results found the AI-powered formulas reduced the carbon footprint of the concrete by 40% while maintaining the material’s critical strength and durability.
* WTTW | Chicago Tribune Reporter’s New Book Explores Lori Lightfoot’s Tumultuous Tenure Leading the City: “It’s fundamentally an inability to have political relationships and to work with people who you don’t like,” Pratt said. “It’s adapt or die, and she was a prosecutor and she couldn’t get out of that mindset.” Pratt’s book “The City is Up for Grabs: How Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Led and Lost a City in Crisis” will be released April 2.
* Block Club | Chicago’s 1st Chief Homelessness Officer Will Be Sendy Soto: Soto’s portfolio will include working to expand housing options for people who experience homelessness and housing insecurity, including creating rental assistance, rapid rehousing and non-congregate shelter programs, among other things, according to the Mayor’s Office.
* Tribune | Johnson unveils Chicago’s first chief homelessness officer, takes more shots at ‘wicked’ adversaries of Bring Chicago Home: “If my advocacy is defiant, what does that say about the systems who wish to keep people without dignity and unhoused? I call it wicked,” Johnson said Monday. “And so that’s why we are demonstrating in the first 10 months of my administration that we are committed to ending homelessness. … I had an older brother who had untreated trauma and died addicted and unhoused. So pardon me for wanting to be a bridge.”
* The Nation | Sam Bankman-Fried’s Hallucinations of Grandeur: During his sentencing, Bankman-Fried stuck to—and indeed amplified—one of his most enduring lies: that his theft of more than $8 billion in FTX customer funds resulted in no actual financial loss to anyone. The money to pay back customers was always there, he said in his final statement before being sentenced. “There is billions more than is necessary. It has been true for the whole time.”
* NYT | A Warhol Superstar, but Never a Star: The latest is Candy Darling, the transgender actress who succumbed to cancer at 29 in 1974, after being immortalized in a famous photograph by Peter Hujar and in the Lou Reed song “Walk on the Wild Side.” […] The first full-length biography of her, by Cynthia Carr, a longtime staff writer for The Village Voice — quite the Mother Ginger itself, of late — is compassionate and meticulous, reconstructing its brittle, gleaming subject as one might a broken Meissen figurine.
* AP | A biased test kept thousands of Black people from getting a kidney transplant. It’s finally changing: At issue is a once widely used test that overestimated how well Black people’s kidneys were functioning, making them look healthier than they really were — all because of an automated formula that calculated results for Black and non-Black patients differently. That race-based equation could delay diagnosis of organ failure and evaluation for a transplant, exacerbating other disparities that already make Black patients more at risk of needing a new kidney but less likely to get one.
* NYT | Florida Court Allows 6-Week Abortion Ban, but Voters Will Get to Weigh In: But in a separate decision released at the same time, the justices allowed Florida voters to decide this fall whether to expand abortion access. The court ruled 4 to 3 that a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to abortion “before viability,” usually around 24 weeks, could go on the November ballot.
* NYT | Peter Brown, One of the Beatles’ Closest Confidants, Tells All (Again): Next week, Brown and the writer Steven Gaines are releasing a book, “All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words,” made up of interviews they conducted in 1980 and 1981 with the band and people close to it, including business representatives, lawyers, wives and ex-wives — the raw material that Brown and Gaines used for their earlier narrative biography of the band, “The Love You Make: An Insider’s Story of the Beatles,” published in 1983.
* Crain’s | Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes urge Kansas City to seal $2B stadium subsidy: What they want is for Kansas City voters to approve a tax that would raise as much as $2 billion of taxpayer money for two stadiums. The NFL stars made their appeal in an ad encouraging Jackson County, Missouri, residents to vote yes on an April 2 ballot measure to renew a sales tax for another 40 years. The revenue would fund the relocation of the Kansas City Royals baseball team into a new ballpark downtown so the NFL’s Chiefs can expand into the space now occupied by the Royals at the teams’ joint sports complex.
* WaPo | In women’s basketball, ‘the NCAA regrets the error’ all too often: Even now, the women’s NCAA basketball tournament, that ceiling-rupturing Roman candle of an event, is still being treated with a combination of incompetence and indifference by its stagers. Somebody, multiple people actually, didn’t care enough to make sure the Sweet 16 court in Portland, Ore., had the right proportions. What else did they misdraw with such insulting lack of care? The world wonders. Don’t think for a second that small discrepancy in three-point lines didn’t matter. Just because something is petty doesn’t make it unimportant. Actually, it’s all the more belittling.
* News-Gazette | Former Illini great Vontae Davis dies at 35: Police told Miami’s WSVN-TV that no foul play was believed to be involved in the death of Davis, whose body was found Monday morning at a home owned by his brother. Davis played parts of 10 seasons in the NFL.
* News-Gazette | Illini advance to WBIT title game: The Illinois women’s basketball team started April off the same way the Illini ended March. With a win. A fourth win in a row, in fact. One that now has Shauna Green and Co. playing for a championship in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.
* The Atlantic | The Most Dazzling Eclipse in the Universe: They’re an unlikely confluence of time, space, and planetary dynamics, the result of chance events that happened billions of years ago. And, as far as we know, Earth’s magnificent eclipses are unique in their frequency, an extraordinary case of habitual stellar spectacle. On April 8, anyone who watches in wonder as the moon silently glides over the sun will be witnessing the planetary version of a lightning strike.
