Survivors of the mass shooting at a suburban Chicago Independence Day parade and family members of those killed filed 11 lawsuits Wednesday against the manufacturer of the rifle used in the attack, accusing gun-maker Smith & Wesson of illegally targeting its ads at young men at risk of committing mass violence.
The sweeping effort by dozens of victims of the Highland Park shooting, anti-gun violence advocates and private attorneys announced Wednesday is the latest bid to hold gun manufacturers accountable for a mass killing despite broad protections for the industry in federal law.
The group’s strategy mirrors the approach used by relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school killings, who in February reached a $73 million settlement with the firearm company that produced the rifle used in that attack. That was believed to be the largest payment by a gun-maker related to a mass killing and hinged on the families’ accusation that Remington violated Connecticut consumer protection law by marketing its AR-15-style weapons to young men already at risk of committing violence.
“The shooter did not act on his own,” said Alla Lefkowitz, senior director of affirmative litigation for the gun safety organization Everytown. “What happened in Highland Park on July 4 was the result of deliberate choices made by certain members of the industry.”
A central claim of the legal action is that the gun manufacturer behind the M&P 15 semiautomatic rifle illegally targeted young men at risk of violence with advertisements for firearms. […]
The suit alleges Smith & Wesson ads mimic a first-person shooter perspective depicted in many popular video games, utilize visuals of apparent military or law enforcement personnel and emphasize the gun’s combat features. […]
Families of Sandy Hook victims claimed Remington violated Connecticut consumer protection law by marketing its guns to young men with an existing risk of committing violence. A lawyer at the center of the Sandy Hook settlement issued a letter in June to the maker of the AR-15 used in the Uvalde Elementary School mass shooting in Texas on behalf of the father of one of the victims, seeking answers about marketing their products to teens and children.
In addition to Smith & Wesson, the accused gunman and his father, the victims are also suing Red Dot Arms, the gun store where the accused gunman purchased the weapon and Bud’s Gun Shop, an online gun distributor.
Gun manufacturers have historically been protected from lawsuits like this under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, a law Congress passed in 2005 that gives gun manufacturers and dealers broad immunity from lawsuits. But attorneys and experts on Wednesday asserted that there is an exception that allows for the lawsuits to proceed.
“That exception is when a member of the gun industry knowingly violates a state or federal law applicable to the sale or marketing of firearms, and here that is exactly what is being alleged,” Alla Lefkowitz, senior director of affirmative litigation for Everytown Law, said at the news conference. “Smith & Wesson, in addition to the two guns shops named as defendants, did violate the law.”
Lefkowitz said the legal coalition believes Smith & Wesson violated Illinois consumer protection laws by using deceptive marketing and advertising to sell the M&P15 as a military weapon. But the lawsuit claims that the sales do not reflect this, and attorneys on Wednesday called the idea that the weapon was used by the military a “fiction” pushed by the company, which went so far as to trademark the name “M&P,” a reference to “military and police” as a way to attract customers. […]
It was people like Crimo, the lawsuit contends, that Smith & Wesson had directly in their crosshairs as they sought to make more money through such marketing, which also promised “more adrenaline” and encourages consumers to “kick brass.”
While police say the assault-style rifle Crimo III allegedly used in the shooting, a Smith and Wesson M&P 15, was legally purchased, the lawsuit says Smith and Wesson “facilitates violence for profit,” and targets vulnerable young men to market their products too.
“The shooter fits the demographic of customers that Smith & Wesson targeted with its negligent and unlawful marketing,” the lawsuit says. “An avid user of the social media platforms used by Smith & Wesson to promote its assault rifles, the shooter displayed his hardcore violent fantasies online, styling himself on one platform as a “Master Gunnery Sergeant,” and on others as a video game assassin. He spewed hatred online and often posted videos of himself playing first-person-shooter games.”
The lawsuit says that after the shooting, Smith and Wesson portrayed itself as the victim and outlines what the plaintiffs say is a pattern and history of marketing towards young men with a propensity for violence.
“Smith & Wessson’s marketing campaigns don’t just blur the line between fantasy and reality, they destroy it,” said attorney Ari Scharg, with Edelson.
The civil lawsuits now pending in Lake County are separate from the criminal charges that shooting suspect Robert Crimo III faces and assert the defendants violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits consumer fraud and deceptive practices. […]
The gunmaker, the lawsuits say, “markets its assault rifles to young, impulsive men by appealing to their propensity for risk and excitement” by maintaining an active presence on social media using violent video games — including ones played by Crimo — and social influencers as marketing tools.
“For Smith & Wesson, the younger the shooter, the better,” the lawsuits say.
They say the gunmaker’s marketing campaign continued even though Smith & Wesson “knew or should have known in the last decade, mass shooters have used Smith & Wesson weapons as their weapons of choice.”
* The Question: Your thoughts on this legal action?
Fabrizio, Lee & Associates recently completed a survey of 800 likely voters in the 2022 Illinois gubernatorial general election, and it is clear that the Pritzker vs. Bailey race is tightening significantly.
Some key takeaways:
- Pritzker previously was leading Bailey by 10 points in August, but Bailey has chopped that lead in half to 5 in September.
- Among “definite” voters, Pritzker is only up by 3 points, which is within margin of error.
- If you have an option of both candidates, Prizker’s lead is 3; if you’ve heard of both, Pritzker is up by only 1.
- Bailey is crushing it with independents, leading Pritzker by 12 points.
- Bailey is leading among all men by 2 points, while Pritzker leads with women by 12.
- Pritzker is underwater in both Total Approval (49% Approve vs. 50% Disapprove), and Strongly Disapprove (45%) vs. Strongly Approve (just 18%).
* I think the last time Pritzker was at a Chicago Tribune editorial board meeting was during the 2018 Democratic primary. He’s met with several other newspaper editorial boards, but he hasn’t been back to the Tribune since then…
JB’s once again hiding from his failed record of high taxes and skyrocketing crime. He’s “unable to participate” in the @chicagotribune Editorial Board Meeting. He’s an out-of-touch billionaire who fears accountability. I’ll be here when you’re done hiding, @JBPritzker. #twill
* A new ballot initiative committee has been formed to oppose the Workers’ Rights Amendment. It’s called Say No to the Proposed Amendment 1 Tax Hike, has no money yet, but is chaired by former Republican Comptroller Leslie Munger.
Candidate for Congress Chris Dargis has held numerous leadership roles for companies sued for deceptive advertising, marketing unsafe products, and selling consumer’s data without their consent. Thread:
I’m Lovin It! I stand with @McDonalds in their fight to keep our communities safe & their restaurants open. Sadly, @TammyDuckworth sides with Mayor Lightfoot. McDonald’s is my go-to comfort food on the campaign trail. We need to support our great Chicago business. #imlovinitpic.twitter.com/p1h53zcpwh
* Also must-watch, with the background that Rep. Kelly was once the lone “Present” vote on Speaker Welch’s election and with a forewarning that Welch is an absolutely horrible singer…
Harmon clearly has Welch beat when it comes to musical talent.
* There aren’t too many statewide Republican candidates that Jim Edgar can endorse, and Dan Brady is definitely one of them…
Former Illinois Governor and Secretary of State Jim Edgar, plus major labor, business, public safety and advocacy organizations have endorsed Dan Brady, a Bloomington Republican, for Illinois Secretary of State.
“As former Secretary of State, I know Dan Brady possesses the skills, experience, and work ethic to improve the office and provide efficiency to the public,” former Gov. Jim Edgar said. “As former Governor, I know Dan has the experience and talent to work with the General Assembly and the executive branch to provide service for the people.”
“It is truly an honor to receive Gov. Edgar’s endorsement,” Brady said. “He continues to be the standard by which honest and responsible governing is judged, and I will be proud to carry that legacy of public service as your next Secretary of State.”
Brady has also received the endorsements of the Illinois Education Association, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge, the Sheriffs’ of Illinois PAC, Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois, and ABATE of Illinois.
Kathi Griffin, Illinois Education Association President: “The Illinois Education Association is the largest union in Illinois. On behalf of our board and more than 135,000 members, I’m glad to recommend Dan Brady for Secretary of State. He is recommended because of his commitment to public education. Dan Brady’s vision for continuing drivers’ education, improving library development and helping ease the school bus driver shortage makes him the most qualified candidate for Secretary of State.”
The Republican candidate for Illinois treasurer is speaking out against Democratic lawmakers and warns tax increases are coming after the November election.
Tom Demmer, a state representative from Dixon, hosted a news conference Wednesday and said the Democrats are being secretive with the public about their post-election plans.
“The concerning item I want to talk about today is how Illinois Democrats seem to be hiding many of their pending tax increases until right after the election,” Demmer said.
Demmer, who faces off against incumbent Democratic Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs in the November election, said some of the increases are already going into effect.
“On Jan. 1, this temporary gas tax freeze expires, and the gas tax will increase again. That was timed to cover just half a year and push us right past the election,” Demmer said. “Cook County residents have not seen what they will be required to pay this year and will not see until the end of the year. Again conveniently timed until after the election.”
100 of 102 Illinois State’s Attorneys have come out against the [un] SAFE-T act - including multiple Democratic States Attorneys who have filed lawsuits to stop its most dangerous provisions that go into effect on January 1st 2023. Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Chris Welch is doubling down on House Democrats’ support with open arms.
From the Chicago Tribune yesterday:
“Despite continuing criticism about the law that will do away with cash bail next year, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch doubled down in his support for the SAFE-T Act, addressing critics head on during a City Club speech.”
As reported by NBC5 Chicago:
“The debate over the SAFE-T Act is pitting Democrats against members of their own party. Today Speaker of the house Chris Welch defended the wide-ranging bill but several States Attorneys are suing the Governor and the Attorney General saying the changes are unconstitutional.
In his speech, Welch defended the Act despite its extreme unpopularity with the general public, saying “We know the SAFE-T Act will help people, it will help people.”
Violent crime in Chicago is up 37% over this time last year. Meanwhile, since similarly eliminating cash bail for most nonviolent offenses in 2019, New York City has seen a massive spike in crime citywide. It has also increased recidivism - 20.1% of “felony arraignments” are rearrested, with 16.1% failing to appear at arraignment.
“It’s unclear who the ‘people’ are that Speaker Welch feels that the un-SAFE-T Act will help, because the Act will lead to the release of more dangerous criminals and more crime in our communities,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “The question remains, does Democratic leadership in the General Assembly even care about law-abiding citizens of Illinois including crime victims? With so many Illinois Democrat legislators recently indicted for criminal misconduct, it may be that protecting career criminals is more of a priority for Democrat legislators than public safety.”
Seven members of the Illinois General Assembly and nine Chicago Democrat Aldermen and women have been indicted, convicted or plead guilty since 2019. Also, the [un] SAFE-T Act’s chief sponsor, Senator Elgie Sims, is now under federal criminal investigation, and another Democrat - Senator Michael Hastings - has faced accusations of domestic violence and workplace harassment.
Residents of a Far North Side tent city were given fake eviction notices this week as part of an apparent stunt from a college student linked to a political gadfly challenging the incumbent aldermen.
The one-page notices titled “Maria Hadden’s Five Day Notice To Vacate” were stuffed into belongings and posted on signs in and around Touhy Park, 7348 N. Paulina St., residents said. They were dated Sept. 27 and listed the name of Hadden, the 49th Ward alderperson, in bold blue type over a line reading “landlord/agent.” […]
It also says residents will be relocated for free to the Four Seasons Hotel in Gold Coast. Their stay at the hotel, 120 E. Delaware Place, would be open-ended “for as long as it takes for Maria Hadden to find you appropriate housing,” the notice states.
The worst part is this reasoning from the person who admitted handing out the “eviction notices”…
“I do have a plan for the homeless problem there, and this was a publicity stunt to drive traffic to my site where I am going to discuss it,” [Sarah Lim, a DePaul University freshman who is considering a run for mayor] said.
With the bulk coming from Cook County and Chicago, more than 463,000 vote-by-mail ballots could be in the mix for Illinois’ Nov. 8 election, delaying election outcomes by up to two weeks.
Along with early voting beginning Thursday in Illinois, local elections officials are sending out requested vote-by-mail ballots. Illinois State Board of Elections spokesman Matt Dietrich said those mail-in ballots will take up to two weeks to count after the polls close Nov. 8.
“It really depends on how many vote-by-mail ballots are still out on election night,” Dietrich told The Center Square. “We do want to be clear to people that this is normal.” […]
Dietrich remembers that as recently as the 2014 Illinois Treasurer’s race, projections changed drastically.
The article goes on to warn about “election integrity.”
* More…
* The national wave of unfounded election-fraud accusations does not spare Illinois: Votebeat, a nonpartisan website covering voting and elections, reported earlier this month that many of the letters were sent to practically every state in response to calls from conspiracy theorists, including Mike Lindell, the CEO of My Pillow and Trump supporter who continues to state without proof that the 2020 election was stolen. Lindell and others have called on sympathizers to request these records, providing them with a template that many are using in their own states. The requesters are then directed to provide whatever they get back to a central repository for analysis. Jessica Huseman, Votebeat’s editorial director, said the requesters are seeking something known in elections parlance as “cast vote record.” That cannot be used to show fraud anyway, she said.
* Chicago Teachers Union endorses Brandon Johnson for mayor, but he’s not in the race yet: In 2015 and 2019, CTU and SEIU threw their support to Cook County commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and Board President Toni Preckwinkle, respectively, in their unsuccessful campaigns. Garcia, now a congressman, is considering a run for mayor in 2023 but those efforts are potentially complicated by the teachers union supporting another candidate.
In one matchup, ex-Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran, a Republican, faces Democratic Lake County Judge Elizabeth “Liz” Rochford. The 2nd Supreme Court District covers Kane, Lake and McHenry counties as well as DeKalb and Kendall counties. […]
Asked who won the 2020 presidency, [Mark] Curran told WBEZ, “It’s kind of irrelevant, but Joe Biden won the election.” But in a Jan. 3, 2021, Facebook post, Curran circulated now-debunked claims about vote fraud in the presidential elections.
Despite the fact 18 more states signed on to Texas’ petition, the Supreme Court dismissed the case, citing lack of standing. Only Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a student of history, compared the long list of anomalies to another election nearly 200 years in the past.
“The more data comes out on vote anomalies that clearly are not legitimate the more it looks like 2020 may be the biggest presidential theft since Adams and Clay robbed Andrew Jackson in 1824.” Gingrich tweeted. “State legislatures should demand recounts.”
* But, wait, there’s more where that came from…
* Note the date below the video on his “Who knows what 2021 will bring” Dec 30, 2020 post…
Chicago’s Board of Education on Wednesday narrowly approved key steps toward the construction of a Near South Side high school despite significant opposition from even the strongest advocates for a new neighborhood school.
The school board in a 4-3 vote opted to move forward with leasing former public housing land from the Chicago Housing Authority to build a high school and to acquire another nearby parcel for the CHA in exchange. The district will also ask the city’s Public Building Commission to begin designing the school.
The rare split vote came after heavy debate about the need, viability and fiscal responsibility of the project. Several board members questioned the speed with which the city is attempting to push forward the proposal, with one calling the decision to proceed a “misuse of public money.” […]
State Rep. Theresa Mah, a Chicago Democrat, made waves this week when she said she would block $50 million in state funding for the project that she had pushed through the General Assembly two years ago. Long a supporter of an open-enrollment high school for Near South residents, Mah said the city has not taken genuine community concerns into consideration. She accused Lightfoot and CPS of “manufacturing” support for the school.
I asked the governor’s people this morning what Gov. Pritzker will do with the disputed state funds. But, as it turns out, there’s no public money to “misuse.”
* From Jordan Abudayyeh at the governor’s office…
Capital projects are generally funded through the issuance of state bonds. To ensure that Illinois continues its improving fiscal trajectory, this administration also requires that capital bonds are backed by a specific revenue source, so that they can be paid back in a predictable and stable manner.
The authority to issue bonds is granted by the General Assembly, and requires a vote of 3/5 of the members.
In the case of this project, the General Assembly included the appropriation for the project but not the bonding authority in legislation. Until the administration has the needed bond authority or other source of revenue, this project is not funded.
So, while there is an official state appropriation, there’s no actual state money for CPS to spend because no bonding was authorized. It’s kinda like writing a check to pay off a bill and never mailing it because the bank account doesn’t exist.
Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine on Wednesday sent a letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, saying he is willing to work with the governor to correct problems with the SAFE-T Act before it takes effect Jan. 1.
Haine’s letter, in response to Pritzker’s Sept. 23 message, said the SAFE-T Act, which abolishes the cash bail system in Illinois, will limit the ability of his office – as well as local judges – to detain dangerous defendants prior to trial.
“(T)he percentage of aggravated domestic violence prosecutions that prosecutors dropped increased from 56% before [Cook County’s 2017 bail reform] to 70% after. A reasonable inference is that the increase in dropped cases resulted from batterers more frequently obtaining pretrial release and intimidating their victims into not pursuing charges at trial.”
But Cook County’s bail reform isn’t the same as the SAFE-T Act.
* Something that’s gotten lost in the uproar is that respected groups which advocate for domestic violence victims are strongly in favor of the state law because they contend the SAFE-T Act is a major improvement to the current system. From Mike Miletich’s latest story…
“It isn’t about letting people out of jail,” said Vickie Smith, President and CEO of the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “It’s about doing your job to determine whether or not the individual being charged is a danger to the community or individuals.”
ICADV said the law will prioritize the safety of survivors by having a comprehensive, fact-based hearing process for individual decisions about pretrial release. Smith said no one can force crime victims to participate in the hearing process. Attorneys or local crisis advocates can go to court hearings on their behalf. However, Smith stressed that it is important to allow them to have the opportunity to participate if they choose to. […]
Advocates noted that lawmakers needed to address the current timeline for pretrial hearings as people are frequently arrested and appear in bond court within a few hours, leaving victims confused and worried about their future. […]
[Mallory Littlejohn, the Legal Director with the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation] explained that pretrial release may be denied if the defendant is charged with stalking or aggravated stalking and it is alleged that release poses a real and present threat to the safety of a victim. A judge can also deny release if the survivor of abuse was a family or household member with an order of protection against the defendants. The law calls for denial of pretrial release for any defendants charged with domestic battery if the suspect poses a threat to the safety of a victim or other people as well.
“We were able to include issues regarding civil no contact orders and stalking no contact orders when the bill originally only referenced orders of protection. That’s an expansion,” said Carrie Ward, President and CEO of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. […]
“We believe firmly that whether or not you can write a check is not how we should determine whether or not someone is safe enough to let out of jail,” Smith explained. “In the best interest of victims of domestic violence and the community, we need these procedures in place so we actually look at an individual, look at the circumstances and then decide whether or not they can be released or if they should be detained.”
That piece was published today - a day after WGN released its poll…
But despite Bailey’s efforts, and an onslaught of political ads paid for by Dan Proft’s “People Who Play By the Rules” PAC, Illinois likely voters say the economy is still the No. 1 issue (35%) driving their vote in November, followed by threats to democracy (17%) and abortion access (14%).
Crime is fourth on that list, with only 10% of voters picking the issue as their top concern. Of that group, the advantage does go to Bailey. About 58% of those who say crime is their top issue support his campaign.
* Speaking of that poll…
Bailey campaign spokesman reacts to WGN-TV/The Hill/Emerson College Poll showing his candidate down by 15 points. pic.twitter.com/vpaZJZ9IiJ
That 2022 primary poll was taken in May, before Bailey started surging. Polls can’t predict the future, they can only give you a snapshot of the time they were taken.
I don’t know what other independent polls are out there, but that internal poll that Fox 32 ridiculously hyped was a push poll and Bailey was still trailing.
* One more…
WGN poll on the IL Gov race is crap and so is the reporting on it. For example, on the slides from the pollster they have Pritzker fav/unfav at 54-40. In the actual story, they report his fav/unfav as 45-41. Which is it? Another media poll used to try and drive a desired outcome.
The simple explanation is that the story has an error. It doesn’t match up with the actual poll results. And, excuse me, but how does it hurt Bailey that WGN screwed up a story that more people saw than will see its accurate tweet?
Gov. JB Pritzker is in the process of donating more than $11 million from his campaign fund to Illinois Democrats up and down the ballot, according to the State Board of Elections and his campaign office. […]
The governor is still talking with Illinois Senate Democrats before a likely donation of $1 million. Pritzker wants to ensure that those resources aren’t used to support senators the governor has urged to resign.
Statewide candidates Kwame Raoul, the incumbent attorney general, and Alexi Giannoulias, the secretary of state candidate, each received $1 million. Raoul faces Republican Tom DeVore, an attorney notorious for filing lawsuits against Pritzker’s Covid-19 mandates. And Giannoulias, a former state treasurer, faces Republican state Rep. Dan Brady.
Supreme donations: The Democrats running in the two highly contested Illinois Supreme Court races — Elizabeth Rochford and Mary Kay O’Brien — each received $500,000.
Courting counties: Pritzker donated $1 million to Cook County Democrats, the bluest county in the state and anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 to other Democratic county organizations across Illinois.
Also, the Senate Democrats have already said they won’t be backing Sen. Michael Hastings’ reelection and Sen. Emil Jones III has no Republican opponent.
* Meanwhile, soon after Tom Devore fled his own press conference because of a single protestor, the Republican attorney general nominee attended the City Club luncheon for House Speaker Chris Welch’s speech. DeVore even submitted a question, but a problem arose when the moderator couldn’t read his handwriting. I kid you not…
* Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker topped this Minnesota campaign contribution list at $2.25 million…
In Minnesota politics, state-level candidates and political action committees have received $95.9 million in total donations between Jan. 1, 2021, and July 18, 2022. The 10 largest donors gave more than $9.4 million, or 10 percent of all contributions.
Some Black Chicagoans Hit by Crime Consider Skipping Midterm Elections
Republicans see disillusioned voters as path to upset in Illinois governor’s race, though many Democrats remain reluctant to switch parties
That’s what this is all about. Drive down turnout. However, the Wall St. Journal isn’t relying on polling data and instead just did what East Coast news outlets excel at doing: They sent a couple of DC-based reporters out on a very brief foray into Black neighborhoods to “get the pulse,” along with reporting on some Republican aspirations. Sloppy. But it is true that the Democrats have to make sure their base turns out.
* Press release…
With polls opening tomorrow for early voting, the Vote No on Amendment 1 ballot committee has launched two digital ads to warn voters about the dangers of Amendment 1, the first item at the top of the ballot.
The new ads link to an Illinois Policy Institute property tax calculator that allows homeowners to see how much more Amendment 1 could cost them on their property tax bills. The ads are paid for by Vote No on Amendment 1.
The first ad, entitled “Amendment 1 threatens my American Dream,” features first-generation American Argie Karafotias, whose business Golden Brunch survived the pandemic but is still getting crushed by high taxes. He says his local business can’t afford another property tax hike.
The second, entitled “Amendment 1 = Higher Illinois property taxes,” showcases Katy Stryker, a mom and small business owner who is worried about future challenges, including higher property taxes from Amendment 1.
Statement from Matt Paprocki, treasurer of Vote No on Amendment 1:
“The last thing Illinois needs is another property tax hike. Our campaign is proud to highlight local Illinois business owners and residents who see the true cost unchecked government union power will have on Illinoisans. Amendment 1 will harm local businesses, foster Illinois’ culture of corruption and raise property taxes statewide. Voters can’t afford it.”
To view the property tax calculator, visit illin.is/taxcalc.
To view the ads against Amendment 1, visit illin.is/ads.
…Adding… Forgot about this one…
State Treasurer Mike Frerichs is untruthful again and cannot keep his retirement tax story straight. In an interview that aired on WGN, Frerichs was asked about his June 17, 2020 comments in support of a retirement tax.
“My opponent in that debate supported taxing people’s pension income. He wanted to tax specifically people with higher incomes….That’s something I thought he would like and that was the argument I made.”
He is referring to Todd Maisch, President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, who led a coalition against the progressive income tax and has been and continues to be an ardent opponent of new tax increases. Todd Maisch directly responded to Frerichs’ false claims:
“I do not, nor does the Chamber, support a progressive income or retirement tax and have spent my entire career fighting to reduce, not increase taxes in Illinois,” said Maisch, who has been with the Illinois Chamber of Commerce for nearly 30 years.
“I was surprised that Treasurer Frerichs brought up taxing retirement as an argument for the progressive tax because it is such an unpopular idea in Illinois.
“It’s par for the course with Treasurer Frerichs who ducks, dodges, and deflects to hide his own failures,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “Multiple sources have now confirmed what we all know - Frerichs is untruthful in his comments claiming he never supported a retirement tax.”
In 2020, he ran away from reporters and voters at a press conference he called to address his comments. Last month, his campaign said anyone saying he supports a retirement tax is “lying.” State Treasurer Mike Frerichs is now blaming a fellow forum participant for his comments on why Illinois should consider taxing retirement income.
“While there is no winner in Treasurer Frerichs’ never-ending blame game, there is one clear loser, Illinois voters,” said Chairman Tracy. “Illinois voters must hold Frerichs accountable and elect a true fiscal watchdog in Tom Demmer.”
Frerichs has spent his time as a state legislator championing tax increases. Introducing not one, but five pieces of legislation to create a progressive income tax with SJRCA69, SJRCA92 , SJRCA89 , SJRCA101 and SJRCA17 .
…Adding… Another one…
Today, Illinois NOW (National Organization for Women) PAC announced its endorsement of Judge Elizabeth Rochford in her campaign for the Illinois Supreme Court’s Second District. A non-partisan organization, NOW’s mission is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now - sharing equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities with men, while living free from discrimination. Illinois NOW is an organization of chapters from every area in Illinois.
“Illinois NOW PAC works tirelessly to protect women and their right to reproductive care and justice, to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and to eliminate racial inequality. As these fights intensify, we need proven and experienced leaders at every level of government, including the Illinois Supreme Court,” says Laura Welch, President of IL NOW. “That’s why we support Judge Elizabeth Rochford in the Second District, whose experience and qualifications are unmatched by her opponent, who not only never served as a judge, but is rated not recommended by the Illinois State Bar Association.”
Rochford has been rated “highly recommended” by the Illinois State Bar Association and “highly qualified” by the Lake County Bar Association, the only candidate in the race for the Second District rated qualified. Rochford has been endorsed by the Lake County Democratic Women, Personal PAC, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Equality Illinois, pro-choice legislative leaders, and other groups who know there is no stronger champion for women in this race. She has also earned the endorsement of a number of organizations, including the Illinois AFL-CIO, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois, GPAC, and Giffords PAC.
“I am grateful for the support of Illinois NOW, an organization dedicated to establishing access to resources and opportunities for women and other vulnerable members of our communities,” said Judge Elizabeth Rochford. “The best way to realize our vision of equal justice for all, is to have the best qualified, and experienced members of the judiciary serving on our state’s highest court. I am humbled to have earned the Illinois NOW endorsement for the Supreme Court seat in the Second District.”
But despite Bailey’s efforts, and an onslaught of political ads paid for by Dan Proft’s “People Who Play By the Rules” PAC, Illinois likely voters say the economy is still the No. 1 issue (35%) driving their vote in November, followed by threats to democracy (17%) and abortion access (14%).
Crime is fourth on that list, with only 10% of voters picking the issue as their top concern. Of that group, the advantage does go to Bailey. About 58% of those who say crime is their top issue support his campaign. […]
Since the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade, Pritzker and Democratic allies have leaned into their support for abortion rights, promising to expand access for women. The strategy appears to be paying off, with 90% of those who say abortion access is their top concern planning to vote for his re-election. Pritzker also has broad support among female likely voters with 55% of women polled planning to vote for him, and 46% going for Bailey. Male voters were nearly split, with 46% supporting Pritzker and 44% supporting Bailey.
If memory serves, Pritzker also outpolled Bruce Rauner among men four years ago.
Madigan Machine Judge Mary K. O’Brien is misrepresenting Illinois Supreme Court Justice Michael Burke in a negative TV ad regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned the Roe v. Wade abortion decision. O’Brien offered no proof or citation for her misleading claims.
Unlike Mary K. O’Brien apparently, Justice Burke supports judicial independence and has not expressed any opinion on that issue or any issue that may come before the Illinois Supreme Court, which is ethically required of judges and candidates for judicial office. That may be partly why the Illinois State Bar Association, which is comprised of attorneys from across the legal field and political spectrum, has rated Justice Burke as “Highly Recommended,” a rating higher than that of O’Brien.
The Illinois Republican Party is calling on Mary K. O’Brien to take down her misleading ad and apologize for running a smear campaign against a respected and qualified judge, Justice Michael Burke.
“It’s unsurprising that Madigan Machine Judge Mary K. O’Brien is resorting to misleading attacks against Justice Michael Burke so close to Election Day. As someone who cut her teeth as a Madigan loyalist in the General Assembly, O’Brien seems to be following the Madigan playbook. We call on O’Brien to take down her misleading TV ad and apologize for running a smear campaign against Justice Burke,” said Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Shaun McCabe.
Judge Mary Kay O’Brien’s deep ties to the Madigan Machine are well known. O’Brien was appointed as an Appellate Court Justice during her final year in the Illinois General Assembly after voting with Madigan 93.6% of the time. O’Brien also “Helped Madigan Regain The Speakership,” and received over $200,000 in political contributions from political groups led by Madigan over the course of her career.
19:30: Q: “How is the situation in Illinois any different if at all now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned by the Dobbs decision?”
Burke: “It’s not.”
20:02: Burke: “What Dobbs did was very specifically sent the issue of abortion back to the state legislatures, and Illinois has spoken on that.”
25:08: Burke: “If the General Assembly passes a law, it’s clear and unambiguous, it should be applied as written. Whether I would have voted for it, or whether I would have signed it as a governor doesn’t matter. It should be applied as written, and I say that to people when I’m out talking to groups. I say if you don’t like the laws that are passed by the legislature, your obligation is to get new legislators, not to go to the courts.”
Q: “So you don’t legislate? That’s what you’re saying?”
Burke: That’s what I’m saying.”
Q: “If you don’t legislate, what do you do?”
Burke: “We apply the law as it’s written to the facts. We’re called upon to interpret the law and interpret constitutional provisions from time to time.”
26:26: Q: “If you had a case before you dealing with abortion issues, would you start with the U.S. Constitution, would you start with the Illinois Constitution, where would you start as you began to think about that?
Burke: “Well, you would probably start with the statute…”
* OK, now let’s go to the MKO campaign’s response…
The stakes in this Illinois Supreme Court race could not be higher. Now that the US Supreme Court has overturned Roe versus Wade, only Illinois law protects a woman’s right to choose in our state. Extremists are hard at work trying to challenge Illinois law.
This Illinois Supreme Court race will decide who controls our courts. Justice Mary Kay O’Brien has been endorsed by the leading pro-choice advocates in Illinois. Mike Burke has made clear that he agrees with the decision to overturn Roe, and he is supported by the same anti-choice groups that are trying to overturn Illinois law protecting that right.
Justice Burke is trying to backtrack, but his position is clear. He has told us where he stands.
In an interview with Jeff Berkowitz posted July 28, 2022, Mike Burke was asked if the majority that overturned Roe were originalists. He said yes, and was then asked if he was an originalist to which he replied, “…I am…That’s the way I view the constitution.”
Burke also said when it comes to the right to choose, there is no enumerated right to privacy in the US or State Constitution.
The only statement we have from Mike Burke is that he supports Dobbs. If he opposes Dobbs, he should say so.
Justice Burke is supported by pro-life groups, including Illinois Right to Life Action, a group who is strongly anti-choice. On April 29, 2022 of this year Burke was photographed at the Right to Life 53rd Annual Leaders for Life Banquet.
Justice Michael Burke is endorsed and found qualified by the Illinois Right to Life Action. Voter Guides - Illinois Right to Life Action
Justice Burke has also been a member of the St. Thomas More Society, a group for DuPage County attorneys. Illinois Right to Life filed an amicus brief in Dobbs, drafted by St. Thomas More Society’s attorneys, advocating overturning Roe.
Burke on calling himself, the Dobbs majority Originalists
23:34 BERKOWITZ: So the majority on the court, and this was a, was a split decision on some things, it was 5-4, some 6-3. Something like that?
BURKE: Right.
BERKOWITZ: Is there a concurring opinions but certainly the majority whether it’s 5-4 or 6-3 those folks, those justices, who basically decided as you’ve just stated, they’re what people often call Originalists - Textualists - would that be correct?
BURKE: That’s correct. It actually would have been - the - it would have been 5-4 on the way I described it, because Justice Roberts wrote a separate opinion. It didn’t really go along with that analysis.
BERKOWITZ: He would have decided without overturning Roe, but basically saying the state the Mississippi statute before them was constitutional.
BURKE: Right.
BERKOWITZ: But he would have gone further
BURKE: Under Casey, yeah.
BERKOWITZ: Okay. - but there was 5-4- really faced- really, it seems, did what you said. They were originalists. They went through that history. They went through what the wording said, this is what these prior decisions had decided. This is our precedent. Not Roe. And you’re an Originalist, right?
BURKE: Well, I am. I mean, that’s the way I view the constitution. That’s the way I view statutes.
Burke stating abortion is not an enumerated right
27:05 BURKE: You know, if you look at the issue of abortion - again because it’s not an enumerated right in any constitution, whether the US, or the state constitution. It’s not an enumerated right.
* Since both sides only gave snippets of Burke’s “enumerated right” comment, let’s look at the whole thing…
Q: If you had a case before you dealing with abortion issues, would you start with the U.S. Constitution, would you start with the Illinois Constitution, where would you start as you began to think about that?
Burke: Well, you would probably start with the statute and then look at the statute and then again, a lot of it is is determined by the path that you’re led down by the lawyers to some degree. You have to listen to their arguments and read their briefs and the cases that they’re citing. You know, if you look at the issue of abortion - again because it’s not an enumerated right in any constitution, whether the US, or the state constitution. It’s not an enumerated right.
I don’t know where you would go other than to say that, again, Dodds says now send it back to the legislatures and then we have to look at the legislature’s enactment to determine whether it’s otherwise valid, but remember that the US Supreme Court didn’t say abortion was illegal. It’s sent back for regulation by the states. So, that’s kind of a tricky question as to where do you start, what Constitution? Because, really, Dodds is the ultimate arbiter of what the 14th Amendment says. And they said, ‘This is a state issue. Let the state legislatures decide it.’
Q: So you start certainly with, well, you certainly take a look at the Illinois statute, if that’s being litigated then…
Burke: Right
Q: …which talks about, you refer to it, I guess, as being signed in what 2020? The Illinois statute that made abortion a fundamental right…
Burke: 2019
Q: 2019, Okay. You certainly are going to look at that because that’s the law in Illinois.
Burke: Sure.
Q: You might want to look at the US Constitution…
Burke: Right.
Q: …and remind yourself with the 14th Amendment says.
Burke: Right.
Q: You might want to look at the Dobbs decision, because that’s, that’s your guide, right?
Burke: Right.
Q: They said a few things other than just sending it back. They gave you the history that you talked about right?
Right.
Q: So those are the things you’d be, anything else that I’ve…
Burke: No. But again, it’s put it back in the legislature’s lap, not necessarily the court’s. And will we be called upon to review legislation at some point in time? Possibly.
* The MKO campaign also sent this, which I believe I’ve posted before…
Thoughts?
[I briefly took this post down because I’d made a mistake in the transcript.]
An Illinois state grant program is touted as a means to help businesses decimated by looting – with the money meant for immediate repairs so businesses can survive.
But two years after the launch of the program, CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov found out only a small fraction of those millions have been given out. And some of that money has been used to pay the salaries of those overseeing the program.
Kozlov met Najee Landon as she looked with despair around her Englewood company’s office space.
“The rioting and everything that happened at the summer, it really hit us hard,” Landon said. “It’s like a knife to the heart.” […]
According to the state’s own website, the whole point of the $25 million program is to “support economically distressed Illinois businesses” that were damaged “due to civil unrest.” […]
Landon qualified in the fall of 2020, ultimately being awarded $133,307,57. […]
Two years later, and Landon has only gotten a third of the grant money promised to her. She didn’t even get that until a few months ago.
Landon has used that money for approved repairs. But she calls the delay devastating, and her offices have further deteriorated.
* DCEO statement…
DCEO has made available an unprecedented amount of funding not only through COVID-19 relief funding, but also for community revitalization and support for businesses following damage due to civil unrest. DCEO takes seriously its responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars and this first-of-its kind program – which uses local qualified contractors to conduct repairs and capital improvements on behalf of recipients – requires grantees to follow state contracting protocols. CNI – the organization which has been tasked with receiving applications, vetting eligibility of applicants, and managing projects where needed – is providing the funds once the qualifications are met and projects are approved. DCEO remains committed to supporting grantees and will continue to work with CNI on remaining projects.
Our state contracting protocols are a byzantine mess, and have been for years. No wonder the money isn’t getting out.
* Background from DCEO…
• Rebuild Distressed Communities distributes funds though two program administrators (CNI and LISC), which were selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity process.
• The overarching program has three capital grant components:
1. Funding corridor improvements – grants to localities
2. Reimbursing businesses for repairs already completed – grants to businesses
3. Funding for new repairs for businesses – subject to state capital grant protocol; must select from list of qualified contractors
- The third category is particularly complex because by statute, it must follow state capital grant contracting processes.
• The program requirements have remained the same since its inception.
That state statute probably needs to be changed. And soon. There are several more of these capital grant programs with money just waiting to be spent. Most small independent businesses don’t have any idea how to jump through these hoops.
People Who Play By The Rules PAC has launched a new ad, “Oh My God.” It is available on YouTube, the PBR PAC Facebook Page and will run on statewide media.
It’s footage of some poor guy getting hit on the head with a bottle as the words “A non-detainable offense under Pritzker’s purge law” are flashed on the screen.
State Rep. Theresa Mah, who has long backed the construction of a Near South Side high school, says she will block $50 million in state funding from the project until Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools officials take community concerns more seriously.
City officials nonetheless say they are moving forward with key votes Wednesday to advance the proposal and are still counting on state funding coming through.
Mah, a Chicago Democrat, said she wants to see authentic community engagement and a stronger, “good faith” effort to find an alternative site before she considers backing the district’s plan again. The school is slated to be built on former public housing land at 24th and State streets.
Her move came hours after the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ reported that senior CPS officials warned leaders last year that a new Near South high school could undermine nearby Black schools and ultimately harm Black students — a vastly different story than Lightfoot and district officials have told publicly.
Primary among my concerns was the proximity to existing schools, whose decline in enrollment would be accelerated —a concern that was also cited in a confidential internal memo by CPS officials but ignored by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS leadership as they press forward with this plan.
I also expressed my objection to the dynamic that would be set up, in which it would appear as though the Chinatown community were in favor of taking away land previously promised as a site for affordable housing for former CHA residents. This could not be further from the truth. If the mayor and CPS truly listened to community members, they would understand that it is possible for advocates to be for a new high school but not support their currently proposed site.
Community members have long sought a high school to serve the Chinatown, Bridgeport and South Loop communities. This area has seen tremendous population growth, a significant portion of that due to new immigration from China. The need for a new school is not simply about having one in close proximity, although that is an important consideration given studies that have shown a disproportionate number of students commuting long distances to attend high school. […]
The more urgent need, however, is to have a school that provides the bilingual staffing and language supports for English learners, who make up a significant portion of this area’s population. A new school that truly serves this community has to have robust bilingual or dual language programming and cultural competency, to communicate with these immigrant families to help them thrive.
Despite a strong and growing elementary school population in the area, students across the Near South Side lack an open enrollment high school option and are forced to travel well outside of their neighborhoods to attend school. This has a significant impact on the well-being of families in these communities — which include Armour Square, Bridgeport, Chinatown, Douglas and South Loop — as they travel sometimes more than an hour to attend parent-teacher conferences, sporting events, and performances at their kids’ schools.
This distance also creates barriers for students who must choose between getting home at a decent hour or participating in after-school activities. Imagine what students could do with their time if they were to get several hours a week back that otherwise would be spent on transportation to and from schools outside their communities.
This geographical chasm can also inhibit parents and families from being involved in their children’s educational experience. It becomes a lot more difficult to volunteer or attend activities at school when you have to travel significant distances to do so. Family and community involvement in school is linked to more positive outcomes for students, and the families on the Near South Side deserve the opportunity to participate in full. […]
While the need is clear, we know that discussion around this historic opportunity also elicited a set of questions among community members. For some, the proposed location at 24th and State raised questions about the Chicago Housing Authority’s commitments to public and affordable housing in connection with the site. These remain intact. And, as alderpersons serving these communities, we are prepared to hold CHA accountable to ensure they come through on those commitments in full.
City and schools officials have publicly promised their plan to build a new $120 million public high school on Chicago’s Near South Side won’t cause significant harm to nearby historically Black schools that fear they’ll lose students and funding.
But that rosy outlook repeatedly touted by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, schools chief Pedro Martinez and other city leaders is vastly different than what a foreboding district analysis showed last year.
The Sun-Times and WBEZ have learned a team of senior officials at Chicago Public Schools privately warned leaders that the project could undermine those schools and ultimately hurt Black students.
They wrote in a confidential memo that their preliminary analysis showed a new school would “accelerate the enrollment declines in several nearby schools, causing the schools to be constrained financially and academically in providing an equitable learning experience to all students.”
Mayoral hopeful Kambium “Kam” Buckner is promising to transform Chicago Public Schools by funding schools based on need, not enrollment; staffing every school with a nurse, librarian, and social worker; and expanding universal preschool to all 3-year-olds. […]
“As mayor, I will continue to work with Springfield to hold CPS accountable for directing state funds to schools based on need, and not on any other criteria,” Buckner said, adding that funding should not be strictly based on enrollment.
Currently, schools get a set amount of money per student, plus a few centrally-funded positions, such as principal and school clerk. This system – implemented in the wake of the 2013 closings – has been criticized by the Chicago Teachers Union because it penalizes schools with fewer students and sets them on a downward spiral of declining enrollment and disinvestment. Others – including former CPS CEO Janice Jackson – have said the method is more equitable because money follows students. […]
The plan outlined on Thursday also calls for an external audit of CPS special education practices to improve services, a leadership academy for principals to address morale, and targeted recruitment for teachers from Chicago communities.
* Background is here if you need it. Deputy House Majority Leader Jehan Gordon-Booth responds to Sen. Scott Bennett’s proposed SAFE-T Act changes…
State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, leader of the House Public Safety Working Group, released the following statement Wednesday:
“Since the SAFE-T Act was passed in January 2021, legislators have worked with stakeholders from across the state to address sincere concerns and facilitate the law’s successful implementation. These conversations have been invaluable, and as a result the House has passed three trailer bills refining and improving the law. That work continues. The Public Safety Working Group is meeting regularly, both internally and with state’s attorneys, law enforcement, survivors, advocates, and others to discuss further refinements and improvements.
“We will review Senate Bill 4228 through the same process of thoughtful consideration within our working group to ensure all voices are being considered. This is the same process that delivered $200 million to address public safety across Illinois, and developed bipartisan measures to give police high-tech tools they need to solve carjackings, home burglaries, and violent crimes against people, and crack down on ’smash and grab’ retail crime rings. We believe in the transformative and holistic changes to our criminal justice system included in the SAFE-T Act, and we also recognize we can continue to improve upon that progress through thoughtful, honest, and collaborative dialogue.”
Jersey County State’s Attorney Ben Goetten is urging calm in the midst of a storm of controversy over the Jan 1, 2023, effective date for the SAFE-T Act, a criminal justice reform bill approved by the Illinois General Assembly in 2021.
“There is no reason to panic,” Goetten said Tuesday, adding he and state legislators are working to fine tune the legislation before it goes into effect.
Goetten’s statement come a week after he announced his office had filed suit challenging the constitutionality of the SAFE-T Act, short for Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today. […]
Goetten said critics of the SAFE-T Act should remember the key legal principle: that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. People in custody awaiting trial are presumed innocent, he said.
* Democratic Illinois senator proposes changes to SAFE-T Act: Bennett believes that he has the votes to get this language, or at least something close to it, through the Senate during veto sessions this November. He does not know if it would pass the House.
* State Senator Proposes Changes to Illinois’ SAFE-T Act Amid ‘Purge’ Rumors: But Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr., who sponsored the bill, said “the entirety of the SAFE-T Act says if you are a threat to public safety or you are a flight risk, you are going to be held.” He noted the law replaces the current cash bail policies with a system that “focuses on safety, not how much money a person has in their bank account.”
* Joyce backs measure to update SAFE-T Act, support law enforcement: “With all the confusion surrounding the SAFE-T Act, it’s important that we make things as clear as possible,” said Joyce. “It is my hope that by clarifying items brought to me by my local State’s Attorneys and police, we will give law enforcement and the courts the tools they feel they need to keep people safe.”
* Champaign state senator proposes clarifications to SAFE-T Act: “We have to look at this bill like we would any other major bill, bring stakeholders to the table and make it better,” Bennett said. “I recognize this is a bill that’s going to need to be negotiated, it’s going to need to be discussed with our colleagues.”
* Safe-T Act To Be Discussed At Chamber630 Event In Naperville: The Oct. 4 panel discussion, facilitated by Stefanie Hood, will feature, among others: DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin; Supreme Court Justice Michael J. Burke; DuPage County Chairman Greg Hart; DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick
* Danville Chief Yates Says Police Department & State’s Attorney’s Office are United on Victims’ Rights: Chief Yates explained during the meeting the difficulties of law enforcement needing to plead their case each and every time they want to keep a dangerous person off the streets, and how it could cause petty criminals to simply not be arrested due to the backlog of cases, Chief Yates says there are challenges to this, and at this point, no one has any definite answers.
* Gov. JB Pritzker earns endorsements from anti-gun violence PACs, faces more pushback on SAFE-T Act: “I take seriously all of [Sen. Bennett’s] proposals, but we’ll have to go through one by one to figure out what works,” Pritzker said. Bailey said the Safe-T Act should be repealed, and lawmakers should start over from scratch. On Tuesday, he fired back at Pritzker. “He’s in trouble with his campaign right now and he knows it, so he’s backing up saying ‘hey, maybe we need to relook at this now,’” said State Sen. Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for governor. The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, a coalition of 42 organizations that helped shaped the original Pretrial Fairness Act, which is a part of the Safe-T Act, is already lining up to oppose changes.
* Pritzker in Aurora advocates for gun reform as Bailey warns about Safe-T Act: Under Pritzker, [Bailey said] “mental health is a disaster, our schools are a disaster, he has nothing to show for it. That’s what the press should be talking about, but they’re not. They’re continuing on the craziness of Republicans running for office.”
* AARP has filed a few lawsuits over assisted living nursing home facilities, but this is the first time they’ve gone after a nursing home company. And it’s the first time the group has asked for injunctive relief. From a media advisory…
AARP Foundation, Chicago Law Firms and Equip for Equality Announce Class Action Lawsuit Against Alden Nursing Facilities Accusing the Nursing Care Chain of Putting Profits Over Resident Care and Lying About it to State Regulators
Class Action suit seeks a court order to protect residents from Alden’s neglect and harm due to chronic, intentional and dangerous understaffing that violates the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act and the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
WHAT: Attorneys from AARP Foundation, Equip for Equality, Levin & Perconti, and Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd. will host a press conference today to announce residents of six area nursing facilities filed a class action lawsuit against the Alden Group, one of the largest health care providers for older adults in Illinois. The complaint alleges Alden attracts thousands of residents to its facilities, and then systematically understaffs those facilities, leading to neglect, preventable injuries and illnesses, and dangerous and often grossly unsanitary living conditions for the residents. According to the complaint, Alden saves millions of dollars each year by refusing to hire sufficient staff to comply with legal staffing requirements and then intentionally hides it from state regulators. This class action will also send a strong message to other nursing homes and assisted living facilities that they too will be held accountable for intentional understaffing,
They will also announce how people can contact them if they suspect abuse and short staffing is going on at Alden Nursing facilities and others as well.
WHEN: Wednesday, September 28, 2022, 10 a.m. CDT
WHERE: AARP Illinois, 222 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL, 60601
WHO:
• Kelly Bagby, Vice President, AARP Foundation Litigation
• Steven Levin,Founder and Sr. Partner, Levin & Perconti
• Charlie Wysong,Partner, Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym
• Barry C. Taylor,Vice President for Civil Rights and Systemic Litigation, Equip for Equality
• Philippe Largent, State Director, AARP Illinois
ALDEN FACILITIES NAMED IN THE COMPLAINT( MORE THAN 1400 RESIDENTS AT THE SIX FACILITIES)
• Alden Heather Health Care Center, 15600 S. Honore, Harvey
• Alden Town Manor Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, 120 W. Ogden, Cicero
• Alden Terrace of McHenry County Rehabilitation Center, 803 Royal Drive, McHenry,
• Alden Village North, 7464 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago
• Alden Lakeland Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, 820 W. Lawrence Avenue, Chicago
• Alden Princeton Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, 255 W. 69th Street, Chicago
A fundraiser Tuesday night for the Illinois Environmental Council felt more like a reunion of authors of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. The law passed last year to overhaul Illinois’ energy policy and put the state on a path to 100 percent clean energy by 2045.
Gov. JB Pritzker, who signed the 900-plus-page legislation into law, headlined the event, and his deputy governor, Christian Mitchell, was among those honored. Mitchell was a key negotiator in the bill’s passage. […]
There was drama: Jen Walling, executive director of the Environmental Council, drew a standing ovation for her work on the legislation. She also addressed recent headlines in which she said she felt bullied by state Sen. Michael Hastings, who also had been involved in writing the environmental legislation. Without saying Hasting’s name, Walling said he “threatened, screamed and abused his power” while the legislation was being written. And she thanked those in the room who she said “had my back.”
Bully-pulpit: A Hastings spokesman had responded to Walling’s claims, calling her “the bully.” The exchange prompted a number of guests at last night’s fundraiser to wear buttons with a picture of Walling and the word “Bully.”
I was also at the event and gave subscribers my take (along with a stupid typo that I fixed in the online version). I snagged one of the buttons…
Tom Devore fled his own press conference on the Safe-T act today, after one of his speakers ripped signs from a protester and grabbed at his arms. Protester’s sign called for pre-trial fairness, a reference to Devore’s pro cash bail stance pic.twitter.com/aWF7PYOjud
The man introducing DeVore, Paul McKinley of "Voice of the Ex-Offender," had claimed Democrat & incumbent AG Kwame Raoul hasn't spoken about the SAFE-T Act.
Raoul signaled he was open to discussing changes to some parts of SAFE-T last week. Our story: https://t.co/i4srX7dkDt
DeVore just had a FB livestream. He suggested without evidence that Gov. Pritzker and AG Raoul sent the disruptive protestor. Then he talked about recent violent crimes in Chicago & SAFE-T. He accused lawmakers trying to tweak the incoming law of using "backdoor processes."
A viral snowstorm of misinformation online. Political ads disguised as newspapers. Darren Bailey and his allies incessantly spreading myths and obvious falsehoods.
There is no “Purge Law” in Illinois. The law allows judges to keep violent defendants behind bars. Convicted criminals currently in jail will not be released.
Did you know Darren Bailey runs a school? And they use quite the curriculum.
Lessons like:
Women in the workforce have been harmful to America.
Evolution isn’t real.
Dinosaurs and humans were definitely on Earth at the same time.
Gay people have no more claims to special rights than child molesters or rapists.
The majority of slave holders treated their slaves well.
Class dismissed. Darren Bailey is too extreme for Illinois.
* The Question: Your ratings for each ad? Don’t forget to explain.
Republicans elsewhere who, with Mr. Trump’s endorsement, won primaries against the wishes of their local political establishments are facing similar disparities in TV advertising in the final weeks of the midterm campaigns. Along with Mr. Mastriano in Pennsylvania, Trump-backed candidates for governor in five other states — Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and Michigan — have combined to air zero television advertisements since winning their primaries.
Trump-backed candidates are very likely to win GOP primaries given the sway the former President still holds over the party faithful. But those candidates oftentimes appear ill-equipped to run the sort of professional (and well-funded) operation that is required to persuade voters in a general election. […]
Of course, Trump could help solve this problem – or at least mitigate it. He is sitting on more than $90 million in his Save America PAC, all of which could be spent on ads to bolster the underfunded candidacies of the likes of Mastriano and Dixon. To date, he has not done so, though his allies formed a new super PAC last week aimed at supporting his endorsed candidates.
“Public safety is on the ballot this November. This election is about more than the usual policy differences; it’s about what kind of state we want to be on January 1st when the Democrats’ no-cash-bail provision is slated to go into effect,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “Beyond merely being ‘soft-on-crime’, Illinois Democrats are fast becoming the party of ‘crime’. 15 Democratic legislators and Chicago Alderman have been indicted, convicted, or plead guilty to criminal misconduct since Pritzker became governor. Some of these same legislators helped pass the [un]-SAFE-T act in the dead of night. We must send corrupt Democrats packing and repeal the Democrat’s no-cash bail law on November 8th, before it’s too late.”
Steve Cochran: You’re running for Congress in the Sixth. And the incumbent, your opponent, has not spoken out about something that’s very important to Illinois residents the you have. I’m talking about the SAFE-T Act. There are lots of things that have been said on the far right. There are some reactions on the far left, but it’s hard to argue with 100 state’s attorneys who all say the same thing, this is a bad law. So what do you say to potential voters about how you could, if not repeal it prior to going into play, at least fix it?
You’d think a bigtime radio host who’s been doing this politics thing forever would know the difference between a state and a federal law. Sheesh, man. C’mon.
Well, so you’re right about my opponent. And that’s because at the national level, he voted on a law that was very similar to this, to impose it federally, that would have done many of these things nationwide. It didn’t pass. But so we have a very different, very different opinion. This law, as you mentioned, it’s very dangerous, as all states attorney’s have said, and we have to do something to to repeal it, or at least make significant changes. And the changes are so significant. And this is what happens when you pass a 760-page bill in the middle of the night with 40 minutes for people to review it. You get extremely bad laws like this that are very, very one sided and frankly, quite dangerous. You talk to our police officers, you talk to our police department, that we’re not exactly sure how we’ll handle it. We do have some workarounds, like we have entered a new partnership with the ATF to deal with, two of our officers are now part time special agents, and they will be able to take anything that’s weapons related. So a lot of violent crimes we can take straight to the USA and go federal which will allow those people to be kept behind bars on bail.
Unless, of course, they bail out of jail.
…Adding… Pekau’s campaign just purchased $39,000 in cable TV ads.
* CD8 press release…
Yesterday, we saw the impact of the anti-police rhetoric Raja Krishnamoorthi’s allies in Washington DC continue to promote. An active shooter training turned into a live shooter situation putting the lives of officers and civilians at risk when the offender turned his weapon on police.
Chris Dargis released the following statement:
“Raja Krishnamoorthi has hid behind one local grant to bolster his ‘law and order’ credentials but has stood idly by as his allies in Congress decry our law enforcement, leading to violence like we saw yesterday in Chicago. This is hardly an isolated incident, and while Democrats like Raja continue to defame law enforcement, chaos on our streets will continue.”
Blaming a suburban congressman for some whacked-out nutjob trying to break in to a Chicago police station is a bit much, but, whatevs. Politics.
* CD13…
Today, Nikki Budzinski, candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, called out her Republican opponent, Regan Deering, for her silence on Republicans’ recent policy agenda, “Commitment to America,” which doubled down on extreme Republicans’ recent promise to implement a nationwide abortion ban. The plan was even praised by the radical anti-choice organization, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which is supporting Regan and advocating for a national abortion ban if Republicans win back Congress this November.
Deering said that she was “thrilled” when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June and supports allowing states to outlaw abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest, or danger to the life of the woman.
Nikki Budzinski made the following statement: “Regan supports allowing states to ban abortion without exceptions, and now she is standing by and saying nothing while extreme Republicans work to implement a national abortion ban. It’s clear Regan will be a rubber stamp for national Republicans. She is drastically out of step with voters in this district on choice and many other issues. I’ll always stand up for a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions without interference from the government.”
Awake Illinois founder Shannon Adcock announced her bid for the Indian Prairie District 204 School board this week.
The announcement comes two days after her organization and the parents rights group she chairs, Mothers for Liberty, hosted a school board candidate training program in Des Plaines — an event that drew protesters opposed to the organizations’ positions on several issues, including diversity curriculum. […]
After losing in 2021, Adcock launched Awake Illinois to push against school and library COVID-19 mitigations and then went after schools for equity and inclusion training. […]
Cassie Creswell, director of Illinois Families for Public Schools, said plans are underway to host candidate training sessions for people who support equity and inclusion.
They’d better start cranking up.
* New ad by MKO…
Justice Mary Kay O’Brien, candidate for Illinois Supreme Court, Third District, released a second commercial today. The ad highlights the pro-choice organizations that support Justice O’Brien’s candidacy and the extremist groups that support opponent Mike Burke, who want to ban all abortion for Illinois women.
The new ad is entitled “Clear Choice.”
TRANSCRIPT: Now that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade -
In Illinois, extreme groups are trying to take away women’s freedom to choose
And THIS State Supreme Court race will decide who controls our Court.
Mike Burke says he agreed with the decision to overturn Roe.
He’s supported by the extreme groups that want to ban all abortion for Illinois women.
Justice Mary Kay O’Brien is supported by pro-choice groups, and in the past fought to protect a woman’s freedom.
Illinois has a clear choice, Mary Kay O’Brien. A Justice for All.
* Democratic nominee for Macon County judge voted in Republican primary: “At this point, the ballot is set,” said Matt Dietrich, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections. “That candidate could have been challenged in the primary, was not, won the primary (and) went on to be certified. So I’m unaware of any process at this point where they could file any sort of objection to it.”
* Kane County Democratic Women to host forum on abortion rights: The panelists will be Ameri Klafeta, director of the Women’s and Reproductive Rights Project for the Illinois American Civil Liberties Union; State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin; and Rianne Hawkins, director of Advocacy and Campaigns for Illinois Planned Parenthood.
* Candidates draw distinctions in state 32nd Senate District and 64th House District races: Wilcox said he considers himself a right-to-life legislator and candidate, though he does not see the Illinois General Assembly changing the law here. He believes it will remain legal. He said there is a lot of support for the law as it was decided in 1973, but people pushed for more including in Illinois. “Had abortion remained safe, legal and relatively rare, Roe v. Wade would likely not have been overturned,” Wilcox said.
The actual transfer of assets, however, has hit some roadblocks, one of which was a lawsuit filed shortly after the permanent investment fund boards began their work.
In February 2021, the boards of 16 municipal police pension funds and two firefighters pension funds, along with some participants from each fund, filed a lawsuit in Kane County Circuit Court against Mr. Pritzker, the consolidated police and fire pension fund boards and others, alleging the legislation consolidating the pension funds’ assets was unconstitutional.
The lawsuit said the law violated the state’s pension protection clause, the contracts clause and the takings clause of the Illinois Constitution by terminating “plaintiffs’ authority to exclusively manage and control their investment expenditures and income,” according to the original court filing.
Daniel F. Konicek of Konicek & Dillon PC, attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a phone interview the judge will rule May 20 on the constitutionality of the investment funds.
* The Kane County judge ruled in favor of consolidation. However, the local pension systems which filed the lawsuit appealed the decision. Jake Griffin on the delay’s cost…
[Bill Atwood, executive director of the new statewide Firefighters’ Pension Investment Fund] said the firefighters’ pension agency has paid nearly $140,000 to its own lawyers since the suit was filed in February 2021. Those costs are covered by the pension system, which is funded by employee contributions, investment income and municipal tax dollars. […]
Firefighters began the consolidation despite the lingering lawsuit. Only four of the 292 local firefighter pension plans have yet to transfer funds to the consolidated system; two are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
But barely 60% of the 357 local police pension funds are consolidated so far, according to Richard White, executive director of the Illinois Police Officers’ Pension Investment Fund. Most of the fund transfers took place after the judge’s ruling in May. […]
“We anticipate a reduction of $34 million a year alone on investment fees,” Atwood said. “The bottom line is it’s much cheaper to manage a single $7.5 billion portfolio than 296 funds that add up to $7.5 billion.”
Experts say the savings ultimately will require less local property tax revenue to fund pensions and reduce pension debt. The longer the local pension systems hold out from consolidating, the longer it will take to reap those benefits.
A 2019 law championed by Pritzker seeks to combine more than 600 local public safety pension funds into two funds — one for firefighters and another for police. Pritzker argues that doing so would increase the funds’ returns and contribute to fixing the problem of low funding levels that has weighed on budgets and dampened credit ratings. However, his plans are being delayed by a pending circuit court lawsuit and mistrust about shifting local funds to a state entity, particularly among the police pension plans. […]
The stakes are high for Illinois, the U.S. state with the lowest rating despite upgrades from S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service. Moody’s bumped up the state’s rating in June and again on Thursday to Baa1, citing its “capacity to rebuild financial reserves and increase payments towards unfunded liabilities.”
While the state’s $130 billion unfunded pension liability weighs on its rating and finances, the same problem plagues towns and cities across Illinois. The collective unfunded liability of local public safety pension plans through the end of fiscal 2020 was $13.3 billion, according to state data compiled by the Illinois Municipal League.
The state isn’t obligated to find solutions for the local plans, but underfunded pensions weigh on budgets and soak up revenue that could be used for other services. It can also lead to higher property taxes and erode credit outlooks. And, if its municipal governments struggle, the state’s economic rebound that already lags the national average could fall further behind.
* From Paddock Publications’ announcement last week that it was dropping the printing and distribution contract with the Proft papers…
Paddock Publications has made the decision to cancel commercial printing jobs with LGIS. As an independent newspaper publisher, we want no part of the flame-throwing accusations taking place between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and LGIS. Many critics cannot or refuse to differentiate between a commercial printing operation, for which the parent company Paddock Publications has many customers, and the Daily Herald’s editorial mission to be unbiased and fair.
On Thursday morning came a public news release from Pritzker’s campaign manager, Michael Ollen, excoriating Paddock for the print job. No one from Pritzker’s office had contacted the company regarding its concerns and instead sent out a news release announcing it would withdraw from an upcoming online forum with his Republican opponent, Darren Bailey, because of the printing issue.
The Daily Herald arranged for the forum on behalf of the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors group, which represents dozens of newspapers around the state. The joint forum was created to provide a variety of papers access to the candidates.
Senior company leaders sought an audience with Pritzker Thursday afternoon, but he was unavailable. Instead, campaign manager Ollen agreed to meet. Senior management outlined Paddock’s position on the printing, but Ollen would not commit on the governor’s behalf to participate in the forum.
Withdrawing from the forum would be a grave disservice to voters.
* The Chicago Tribune’s chief political reporter Rick Pearson was on John Williams’ WGN Radio show yesterday and had this to say…
Pearson: When Paddock Publications said that Pritzker’s non-participation would be a ‘grave disservice to the voters,’ you perhaps could argue the same thing that by printing these political mailings filled with vast amounts of misinformation and distortion does a great disservice to the voters.
Williams: I suppose so, but the newspaper could also argue that that was not the newspaper’s decision, that was this company that could be on Mars for that matter. Granted, they have co-owners but they are not co-deciders, that company made a decision. The newspaper makes a decision. What do you think of that?
Pearson: The company owns the newspaper. [Cross-talk] I mean, the printing plant is the Daily Herald Printing Center. It’s not Paddock Publications Printing Center. […]
Williams: So you think that Paddock Publications made the right decision to no longer print, ostensibly, Darren Bailey’s campaign literature?
Pearson: The mere fact that these are fake newspapers is a disservice to journalism. That’s just the bottom line. They’re nothing more than political mailers that are fake as newspapers. To try to use and distinguish and give them the credibility of legitimate newspapers. It’s phony. And to assist in the phoniness of this is beyond the pale.
To help ensure the State of Illinois achieves the goals of the SAFE-T Act, State Senator Scott Bennett filed legislation to clarify language and improve how officials can enforce the law.
“As a former prosecutor, I understand the importance of presuming innocence for individuals before being proven guilty, supporting police and keeping violent criminals out of our neighborhoods,” said Bennett (D-Champaign). “Senate Bill 4228 is an effort to improve consistency in the SAFE-T Act and allow law enforcement officials to continue to effectively perform their duties and protect our communities.”
The intent of the law aims to do away with cash bail in an effort to end systemic racism in the criminal justice system. Senate Bill 4228 updates many provisions in the SAFE-T Act by clarifying language to address concerns raised by local law enforcement officials.
Sen. Bennett’s legislation states pretrial release will apply to individuals arrested on or after Jan. 1, 2023. The measure also permits judges to deny pretrial release for any alleged crime if the person arrested poses a threat to the safety of any person or the community.
Sen. Bennett is going to continue to work with all stakeholders, advocates, and his colleagues in hopes of a resolution on these issues during the fall Veto Session.
The following is a statement from the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice (INPJ) responding to the Safe-T Act trailer bill introduced yesterday to modify the Pretrial Fairness provisions of the law. INPJ is a coalition of 42 organizations whose advocacy and policy work helped shape the Pretrial Fairness Act, a piece of the Safe-T Act:
“The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice strongly opposes SB4228, the Safe-T Act trailer bill introduced yesterday to modify the Pretrial Fairness provisions of the law. If passed, this bill would cause the number of people jailed while awaiting trial to skyrocket and exacerbate racial disparities in Illinois’ jails.
“The Pretrial Fairness Act was passed after the police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor galvanized millions of people to demand action to address the racism that permeates the criminal legal system. The changes being proposed are in complete opposition to the spirit of those calls for racial justice and criminal legal system reform.
“The Pretrial Fairness Act was designed to ensure that everyone has access to the presumption of innocence, and the changes included in SB4228 would deny all Illinoisians that right. If passed, these measures would create a pretrial system that is far worse than the one in place today.
“It is absolutely essential that any changes to the Pretrial Fairness Act be made in the same spirit in which it was written. Using this historic legislation as a vehicle for incarcerating more Black and brown people would be a slap in the face to the communities that have suffered under the injustices of the money bond system for decades.”
Creates a presumption of detention for people charged with crimes that would require them to serve life in prison if convicted. The Illinois Constitution requires that the state have the burden to prove that an individual should be detained. The individual cannot be given the burden to prove they deserve release. […]
Removes the Pretrial Fairness Act’s provisions requiring tickets instead of arrests for very minor, non-violent crimes, allowing police to arrest in nearly every circumstance.
* Meanwhile, DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin has a reputation for being a voice of moderation on this topic…
With so many questions about bond provisions in Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, we invited DuPage County state’s attorney Bob Berlin to the studio to outline his concerns as well as changes he would support. Here’s our conversation on @WGNNews https://t.co/IX7wJwzldJ
* SAFE-T Act takes center stage at candidate debate: [Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex] voted against the bill. “The bill has a lot of good merits [including use of body cams] and it also has some real problems,” Joyce said, noting that he has having conversations with sheriff’s offices and state’s attorneys’ offices to continue understanding what’s needed in the bill before it’s to be signed on Jan. 1.
* SAFE-T slander: Misinformation surrounds Illinois’ new criminal justice reform law
* Here’s what a Republican-led ‘Contract with Illinois’ would look like: 1) Make Illinois a safer and better place to live. This starts with an immediate repeal of the “SAFE-T Act,” which ends the practice of “cash bail” and removes an important roadblock preventing hardened criminals from simply reoffending without much consequence. In other areas, such as funding for mental health professionals, we can work to make sure our local police departments have the resources they need to keep our communities safe.
As retired military, the words ‘duty and honor’ mean everything to me. Those values mean nothing to Governor Pritzker, who tried to get me fired from my job as a nurse. People like me and you need to STAND UP to J.B. Pritzker’s mafia politics.
* Streetsblog Chicago co-editor John Greenfield notes that Miles previously said she couldn’t prove that Pritzker was the one who beefed about her allegedly violating the federal Hatch Act, and her attorney concurred…
Yep. Miles says in this ad "[Pritzker] tried to get me fired." But she previously told Patch, "I can't prove [Pritzker tried to get me fired.]" (1/2)https://t.co/iLDBEBC94Dpic.twitter.com/GoajEbwdUX
Well, that’s not good. Sure appears actionable, unless they’ve uncovered some new evidence which they haven’t yet shared.
* I was watching Fox 32 Sunday evening and saw Proft’s Beverly Miles ad. I asked the Pritzker campaign about it, and the campaign’s legal team apparently reached out and gave the station until the end of business today to pull the ad off the air.
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released her first campaign ad for her re-election to the U.S. Senate this November. In the ad titled “Sacrificing,” Duckworth highlights her work in holding big corporations accountable for their price gouging that hurts working families. Earlier this year, Duckworth introduced her Gas Price Gouging Prevention Act, which would stop big oil companies from excessively price gouging in times of crisis.
In 2022 amid Vladimir Putin’s war of choice in Ukraine, Big Oil companies blamed soaring gas prices on the conflict, but netted record profits to line the pockets of CEOs and shareholders while working families felt the burden the most.
In contrast, Duckworth highlights her and her family’s military service and their sacrifice as a way of life. Her father was a Vietnam Veteran and her family has served in uniform during every period of conflict in our nation’s history, dating back to before the Revolution. Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran and Purple Heart recipient who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014.
But today, Illinoisans are back to work, the driving force behind our growing economy whose GDP is larger than it was pre pandemic. For 20 consecutive weeks, Illinois has had historically low unemployment claims, outperforming expectations. Our unemployment system is back on track and the balance of the unemployment trust fund continues to experience strong and steady growth.
Thanks to Illinois’ economic recovery, the Illinois Department of Employment Security has advised me that the UI trust fund balance is sufficient enough to pay down another $450 million of its pandemic-related debt. This payment will reduce the remaining balance of our loan by 25% and reduce interest costs by an estimated $10 million over the course of the next year.
This announcement comes just months after the General Assembly and I directed $2.7 billion of federal ARPA dollars toward the loan, cutting the original $4.5 billion loan down to $1.8 billion.
Today’s action is another major step toward eliminating pandemic-related UI debt, which we intend to complete by the end of this calendar year. And we will. I will work closely with the General Assembly to continue supporting the agreed bill process between labor and business to conclude negotiations.
Please pardon any transcription errors.
…Adding… Press release excerpt…
“Paying down this debt continues to strengthen our fiscal security, adding to the benefits the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is seeing from historic low unemployment,” state Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) said. “The fund now has a $1.2 billion surplus due to fewer claims, making it very practical to pay back the borrowed funds. It’s another great step in our state’s record of continuous financial improvements of the past few years”
Illinois has remained below the previously recorded low of just more than 70,000 continued claims for twenty consecutive weeks, unprecedented since the beginning of the series in January 1987. Since the start of this year, Illinois has gained nearly 120,000 jobs throughout the state, with the most significant increases seen in the hotels and food services, manufacturing, healthcare and social assistance, construction, and transportation and warehousing industries.
Federal funds borrowed under Title XII were necessary to supplement the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and provide economic relief to unemployed workers throughout the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic. A plan to pay off the remaining balance on the loan will need to be developed through the agreed bill process.
…Adding… The talking points didn’t completely bite the dust, but yeah…
Another big step in fiscal responsibility for our Illinois government. Another GOP talking point hits the dust. https://t.co/CwF2RhzzDf
On September 27, Governor JB Pritzker held a press conference to tout the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s (IDES) use of $450 million from Illinois businesses’ tax dollars to pay down the remaining $1.8 billion borrowed under Title XII of the Social Security Act. Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris) and State Senator Win Stoller (R-Germantown Hills), who were the Senate Republicans’ chief Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund negotiators, released the following statements in reaction to the announcement:
“While it is always good for the state of Illinois to make down payments on its outstanding debt, today’s announcement comes on the verge of the largest tax increase on businesses in Illinois history and does little to nothing to prevent it,” said Sen. Rezin. “No matter how the Governor and his allies try to spin this, Illinois is one of only five states to still owe money on its UI Trust Fund loan. This $450 million already paid by Illinois businesses will have no impact on future taxes that they will be forced to pay if we don’t completely repay our loan. We should have and could have filled this hole with the unexpected money we received from the federal government. Instead, the Majority Party waited for that money to be depleted on other proposals and programs, including personal pork projects.”
The state of Illinois received $8.1 billion from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, which was designed to be used for COVID-19 relief and help with economic recovery. The federal government approved ARPA funds to be used on items like the UI Trust Fund, which prompted 31 states used their APRA dollars to eliminate their deficits and replenish their Trust Fund balance.
“It is disingenuous and a disservice for the Governor and Democratic lawmakers to be patting themselves on the back for today’s payment when they know that the burden of paying the remaining debt of $1.3 billion will be placed on struggling Illinois businesses,” said Sen. Stoller. “Illinois businesses did not create the lockdowns or give out billions of dollars of unemployment benefits to fraudsters that helped create our state’s nearly $5 billion UI Trust Fund debt. Now, Democratic lawmakers expect businesses to fix a problem of their own creation, which they could’ve easily fixed with the billions of dollars that the federal government provided them.”
If remaining UI Trust Fund debt isn’t repaid by Nov. 10, Illinois employers will lose Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) credit in 2023. The FUTA tax credit loss will be 0.3 percent of the first $7k of wages per employee or a maximum of $21 per employee. Consequently, for each employee earning $12,960 in 2023 a minimum rate taxed employer, the UI tax per employee will increase from $93.96 to $173.28 and for each employee earning $12, 960 in 2023 a maximum rate taxed employer, the UI per employee will increase from $988.20 to $1,326.72. The General Assembly is not expected to return to Springfield until the fall Veto Session on Nov. 15.
The proposed Illinois amendment would guarantee not only the right to organize for the most common elements of collective bargaining, like wages, hours and working conditions, but also for “economic welfare and safety at work.”
It also would essentially ban so-called right-to-work laws or ordinances, which prohibit companies and unions from agreeing to require union membership as a condition of employment. Right-to-work laws disempower unions by allowing workers to avoid paying “fair share” fees to unions — money used for nonpolitical union costs for actions such as collective bargaining. […]
It was intentionally drafted to apply to all workers, Poulos said, adding it will cover “droves” of workers not yet protected by federal or state law, such as agricultural workers and independent contractors, and would also work as a backstop if the federal laws that protect many private workers were ever repealed by federal courts or legislators. […]
The amendment would make the state uniquely anti-business, said Todd Maisch, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. Many nearby states that could be competing for business have right-to-work laws, he said.
“It’s a terrible message to send to the rest of the nation,” Maisch said.
* Proft on his PAC’s new book…
People Who Play By The Rules PAC has published a new book, The Governor You Do Not Know, written by former Chicago Sun-Times columnist and long-time moderate Democrat Dennis Byrne. The book has been mailed to voters across Illinois and is available to download for free at www.pritzkerbook.com. On Monday morning Byrne was interviewed by PBR PAC President Dan Proft and host of Dan & Amy on AM 560 Chicago’s Morning Answer. That full interview is also available at www.pritzkerbook.com.
About The Author: “I can’t remember exactly when I was no longer a committed and loyal Democrat. It started to happen, gradually, back when I wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times. As a member of the paper’s editorial board, I had to argue and defend opinions and values that were basic to most Americans way back then. But the cracks had started to form.”
…
Some more excerpts: “To make a change means taking a risk. It means many of you will have to temporarily step outside of your old political comfort zone. To not make a change also entails risk. In fact, hoping things get better with the same people pursuing the same destructive policies…is actually the most hopeless choice of all.
…
“I hope you will travel along with me in this little book, all the way to the last chapter. It should not take you very long. You will find out many things not reported in the news media, which I hope will help you make an informed decision for your future—for you, your family, your neighbors, and your fellow citizens of Illinois.”
…
In The Governor You Do Not Know Byrne explains what the major changes in Illinois’ laws brought about by Pritzker and his “new” Democrats will mean to moderate Democrat and Independent voters who may have voted for the governor four years ago…and what lies ahead for us who live in Illinois if he wins again.
Dennis Byrne is a native Chicagoan and long-time journalist who was variously an op-ed columnist, editorial board member, science writer, transportation reporter, and urban affairs writer for the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and Chicago Daily News. He blogs at The Barbershop: Dennis Byre, Proprietor, and is also the author of the historical novel Madness: The War of 1812. He now lives in Florida with his wife, Barbara, and their extended family.
To book Byrne for interviews, contact Mike Koolidge at michael@koolidge.com.
* Just another day in the life of our Republican nominee for attorney general…
The gender fluid, all-inclusive, woke liberal agenda, etc., etc. is simultaneously rearing its head in every nation…
As part of his focus on expanding Illinois’ innovation economy, Governor JB Pritzker and the University of Illinois’ Discovery Partners Institute unveiled the design for the new headquarters in The 78, a vibrant new innovation district along the Chicago River.
In addition, CVS Health announced today that it will be an anchor employer for DPI’s new partnership with technology services firm Interapt. Over the next five years, the Chicago/Skills apprenticeship program will provide as many as 2,500 individuals with tuition-free technology training and paid apprenticeship opportunities, with a focus on diverse apprentices. CVS Health has committed to hiring more than 200 successful participants over the next three years.
“The State of Illinois is building a world-class innovation hub in the heart of Chicago on the site of an old railroad yard that has sat vacant for decades,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “Already DPI has helped launch our state’s COVID-testing system, is searching for COVID-19 and other viruses in our wastewater, and is training hundreds of students for careers in tech – and has a plan to spread the opportunities equitably. This futuristic design from OMA/Jacobs matches our ambitions.”
“This new building is a testament to the innovation and forward-thinking ideas Illinois aims to foster across the state,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “The future headquarters will also show how much we can do to grow and progress when we invest in infrastructure that pushes us forward. That was the mission of Rebuild Illinois, and the funds coming from this plan continue to positively shape diverse communities throughout the state.”
Located on a one-acre site southwest of the Loop, the new DPI headquarters will provide more than 200,000 square feet of office, classroom, lab, and event space for DPI and its university and industry partners.
The State of Illinois is committing $500 million in capital funding to launch DPI and establish its Innovation Network at regional universities throughout the state. DPI is part of the University of Illinois System.
Construction has begun at the site of the former United Airlines headquarters in Mount Prospect, with recent demolition at the property clearing the way for the creation of a $2.5 billion data center campus expected to launch in 2024.
Officials with CloudHQ, a Washington, D.C.-based global data center provider that specializes in the design, development and operation of “hyperscale” data center facilities, said the 1.5 million-square-foot campus is expected to create 75 to 100 jobs for each of three planned buildings, including operations, maintenance and security positions.
The site, which is bordered by Dempster Street and Algonquin and Linneman roads, is anticipated to generate up to 3,000 construction jobs during construction of the three buildings.
* First, an update on the Burr Ridge Mayor, via Patch…
Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso earlier this month suggested the village had the power to determine which guests local hotels could accept under its village license.
A lawyer by trade, Grasso has not publicly cited the village’s legal authority. […]
Patch could find no provisions in the village code in which the mayor or Village Board could require a hotel to reject certain groups of paying customers. In this case, the state paid for the lodging. […]
Grasso did not cite any specific legal authority in which the village could compel the hotel to reject migrants or lodgers who were there as the result of “politically charged events.”
As of Sept. 24, Chicago has accepted 1,177 asylum-seekers who have arrived from Texas on buses sent by Abbott since the first bus arrived in the city on Aug. 31. […]
According to city officials, many children and infants are among those seeking refuge in the United States, many of whom traveled through several countries en route to Texas.
“Illinois is a welcoming state. We are committed to assisting each family and individual, providing human services with respect and dignity. We expect more arrivals to be welcomed and the City will continue to provide daily updates on those arrivals,” city spokesperson Joseph Dutra said.
Dutra added that upon arrival, migrants are provided immediate shelter and support with in-depth case management and connections to city and community-based services and agencies.
Earlier this month, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office and the Illinois Department of Human Services held conversations with Evanston leaders about housing some of the more than 1,000 refugees that have been bused to Illinois, according to City Manager Luke Stowe.
At the moment, Evanston’s shelters are full and most hotels are booked with Northwestern football games and other events coming up this fall, Stowe said. So no arrangements have yet been set.
But Illinois officials, including Pritzker, expect more migrants to arrive in the coming days and weeks, and the state is looking for Chicago and surrounding suburbs to help provide food, clothing and shelter until these people have a chance to get on their feet and find more permanent housing.
“We’ve had multiple discussions with the Governor’s office and IDHS in September about whether Evanston could help house migrants,” Stowe told the RoundTable. “One of the challenges is that the request is typically for 60 to 90 days of housing, which is difficult for our hotel partners due to Northwestern events and demand for hotel rooms. We are not currently housing any migrants, but we expect future requests and are preparing for it.”
The City of Peoria is preparing for the potential arrival of asylum seekers in the coming weeks. [..]
“At that point, we started putting our thinking caps on,” [Mayor Rita Ali] said. “We scheduled an emergency meeting for this week with, really, many of the same public and private agencies that responded to COVID and had an emergency response plan and really a system for dealing with that here.”
Latin American language speakers will be needed to serve as cultural connections. The migrants also will need access to shelter, food and health care. Peoria does not have an official welcoming center, and Ali said some private shelters are already full. […]
She said the city was told a bus of migrants sent to Peoria would most likely transport around 50 people. The city would hopefully receive advance notice of at least three hours, the mayor said.
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said while the city is not necessarily inviting buses of migrants, the potential for their arrival is certainly present. City leaders and other key community stakeholders are developing a game plan if migrants are brought to the area.
“They often get off the bus needing medical attention, I know that’s not the way you should treat human beings,” Ali said.
While plans for migrants to be sent to Central Illinois are not imminent, Peoria leaders are getting ready in case that changes.
“We want to be prepared, we don’t want to be blindsided by that,” Ali said.
* Anyway, the school board candidate training was met by a protest…
Saturday morning parents from an array of suburban school districts along with representatives of state and local advocacy organizations, including Equality Illinois, ADL Midwest, Illinois Families for Public Schools, and more, gathered out front of the Marriott Courtyard hotel in Des Plaines to share their stories of how extremism is seeping into the public sphere—whether it be at school board meetings, public libraries, bakeries that support LGBTQ+ rights, and more.
Inside the Marriott, a school board candidate training took place sponsored by the anti-equity, anti-equality groups Moms for Liberty and Awake Illinois. Posing as concerned parent groups, these organizations have made calls to action against LGBTQ+ friendly events, harassed school board members and school staff, mounted opposition to a diverse and rich history curriculum that reflects all students, called for book bans, and more.
Opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs and support for civil rights protections for transgender and non-gender conforming youth in public schools has emerged around Illinois in recent years. Then in the summer of 2021, parents and others virulently opposing covid mitigation measures in schools began organizing to disrupt school boards and harass and threaten board members. They then pivoted to attacks on “Critical Race Theory”, a term erroneously used to characterize schools teaching accurate and honest history that addresses racial injustice in the US. In 2022, the focus of their attacks has been to spread transphobia and homophobia via book bans and attempts to exclude and eliminate protections and support for LGBTQ+ students. “We are here today in solidarity with parents, with teachers, with youth and our partners to call out the hate and intimidation and to tell LGBTQ+ Illinoisans, and particularly youth, that you belong, that you matter, that you are beautiful, that you are exactly who you are meant to be, and that we are grateful that you are in the world,“ said Mony Ruiz-Velasco, Deputy Director of Equality Illinois. “LGBTQ+ people deserve the same rights, same treatment and respect as our straight and cisgender allies. We are here because we will not let these hate groups control our narratives, our families or our ability to see ourselves reflected in our schools and our libraries,” added Ruiz-Velasco.
Parent of four, Asafonie Obed of District 204 (Indian Prairie) contacted after the event, said, “I encountered the founder of Awake Illinois, a fellow-parent at my children’s school, when she told me to start a charter school if I wanted diversity, equity and inclusion practices and a social justice framework at District 204. I was flabbergasted. And then I helped organize our community so she would not have a seat at the important school board table, where policies impacting my children are made.” (You can see Obed’s video of her story here. She was unable to attend in person due to family illness.)
In Downers Grove, students and parents defeated an attempt to ban Gender Queer. School board meetings were attended by members of the Proud Boys hate group, there to intimidate the students who were speaking out for the basic right to see themselves reflected in books in the school library. Downers Grove parent Kylie Spahn said, “It’s not always an easy battle, but it is winnable if you are organized. Due to being outspoken, I was attacked verbally at meetings, and my employer was called by someone a number of times who claimed I was a groomer and shouldn’t be around kids.”
In District 200, Wheaton parent Shannon Limjuco has witnessed how these anti-equality groups have reacted to pushback over the last year, saying “They continually model the worst bullying behavior possible for all of our children. I’ve seen them target and harass in person and online, school board members, administrators, teachers, and even parents who speak out against them.“ The message shared by all the parents was that organizing has worked thus far, and that it is more important than ever to stay focused on these races and vote in them next spring. Some coalition groups will be doing their own school board trainings to ensure Illinois schools are inclusive, child-centered and welcoming to all families and students.
A group of Republican state legislators who support former President Donald Trump have called on the Illinois GOP to censure Congressman Adam Kinzinger for “incendiary language, wild exaggeration and personal opinions” during the House select committee’s hearings investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
But GOP governor candidate Darren Bailey, who’s backed by Trump, and Illinois Republican Party President Don Tracy are ignoring the request, signaling a division within the party as the General Election approaches in November.
Political pivot: Bailey and Tracy issued statements worded the same way that address party kumbaya, not Kinzinger. “The Illinois GOP is focused on uniting the party to defeat Gov. [JB] Pritzker in November and make Illinois a safe and affordable place for people to live. That’s what Republicans are rallying around. That is our priority.”
The message being: Bailey and party leaders are working together after a bitter primary and in spite of their historically divergent political views within the Republican Party. Bailey’s far-right-leaning politics holds sway Downstate but not so much in Chicago.
Darren Bailey has made a major pivot. His team told reporter Mark Maxwell that “Mike Pence followed the constitutional process” and “Joe Biden is the duly elected president.”
Jan. 6 connection: Bailey made his comments in response to a former campaign aide being charged in the attack on the Capitol, according to KSDK’s Maxwell.
‘Definitive’ pivot: “Those comments may represent the most definitive statement from Bailey’s campaign to date about the outcome of the 2020 election and could be another sign Republicans fear litigating the last election might interfere with their designs to win a statewide race in 2022 in a state where Joe Biden won handily,” reports Maxwell.
Don’t go thinking Bailey is woke. On Tuesday, the GOP candidate for governor stood with members of Awake Illinois, an anti-mask, anti-LGBTQ and anti-Critical Race Theory organization, protesting at the state Capitol. Bailey stressed the importance of fighting for “these freedoms that are being taken away from us,” report Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner and Dan Petrella.
Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey won the endorsement of Donald Trump in the GOP primary, but he’s all but ignored the former president as he heads into November’s General election.
The big pivot: Bailey has “largely avoided answering reporter questions about the former president,” Mark Guarino writes in The Washington Post. There’s a reason, of course. Bailey knows that Chicago and its collar counties lean more to the left than Trump and his acolytes.
The Republican state senator who once pushed Illinois to secede from Chicago, has also pulled back from his anti-abortion claims, acknowledging he can do little to change the state’s laws supporting abortion rights.
The question is whether Bailey’s pivot away from far-right rhetoric is enough to help down-ballot Republicans. State GOP leaders aren’t so sure. They set out on the election season hoping to gain seats in the General Assembly but concede it will still be an uphill climb.
* The Question: How would you rate the success of these multiple “pivot” attempts? Explain.
* This is big, and particularly timely considering the recent Daily Herald scandal…
The Robert R. McCormick Foundation today announced investments in Block Club Chicago, Capitol News Illinois, Injustice Watch, and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. These investments complement the Foundation’s investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, formed with the Better Government Association and announced in 2021.
Together, these commitments to strengthening and scaling impactful reporting in Chicago and Illinois are intended to increase government transparency, enhance accountability of decision-makers to their constituents, and ensure public investments are creating and supporting opportunities for all, especially Chicago’s South and West Side residents.
McCormick Foundation grants to Block Club Chicago and Injustice Watch will support more robust investigative reporting on persistent challenges disinvested communities face and the promising efforts many are leading, in Chicago and elsewhere, to create thriving communities. Springfield-made decisions, from education spending to public safety policy, play a pivotal role in Chicago’s communities, but the attrition in statehouse reporting means these political transactions often go unexamined and remain outside the public eye. The grant to Capitol News Illinois will help a promising three year-old outlet scale to meet the need for greater scrutiny in Springfield.
To ensure these funds drive long-term change, the grants include support for both editorial and business operations at Block Club Chicago, Capitol News Illinois, and Injustice Watch to help these outlets implement sustainability plans that will see them augment and diversify their revenue streams to support continued editorial growth and impact.
Medill, which is already supporting several local news outlets, will be able to expand its support for local media with the new grant from McCormick and provide a range of business analytics, market research, and expert advice to help outlets sustainably scale and serve the Chicago region’s residents.
“Chicago is fortunate to have one of the most dynamic and innovative networks of nonprofit news organizations in the country,” said Timothy P. Knight, the McCormick Foundation’s President and CEO. “All of these organizations have a history of collaborating closely with others, and several of these organizations currently collaborate with each other on a range of editorial, promotional, and operational initiatives. The simultaneous investment in each of these organizations, together with our investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, is intended to promote and strengthen collaboration and recognize the strong, complementary skills each of these organizations brings to Chicago and Illinois media.”
Block Club Chicago will receive $1.6M over three years to build a six-person investigative team and deepen its coverage of Chicago’s South and West Sides. Launched in 2018, the nonprofit newsroom delivers daily nonpartisan coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. Its more than a dozen reporters embedded in neighborhoods across the city provide residents continual insights on economic, political, and social developments in their communities. The new investigative team will complement Block Club’s existing daily news team and be positioned to act on tips and pursue longer-lead, high impact stories to improve government transparency and accountability.
“When reporters are embedded in the communities they cover, they’re able to report with context, respect and deep knowledge instead of parachuting in. Block Club’s reporters have proved time and again that our ground-level approach builds trust with readers, leads to news that is more responsive to the community’s needs and offers a more accurate portrayal of our neighborhoods,” said Stephanie Lulay, Executive Editor and Co-founder of Block Club Chicago. “Thanks to the incredible support of the McCormick Foundation, we’re excited to give Chicago neighborhoods the dedicated investigative coverage they deserve.”
Injustice Watch will receive $1.5M over three years to grow its editorial capacity and expand its audience and revenue building efforts. The outlet is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism organization that focuses on issues of equity and justice in the courts, especially in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The outlet’s public service journalism is bringing needed awareness and transparency to court proceedings and judicial elections, while engaging community members in the process. The outlet’s three-year strategic growth plan will add investigative reporters and editors, alongside an audience and fundraising team to increase in-person and digital engagement and grow the outlet’s readership and supporter base.
“The McCormick Foundation’s grant to Injustice Watch will enable the organization to amplify its impact,” said Juliet Sorensen, executive director of Injustice Watch. “Our research-driven, human-centered approach to systemic issues will reach more community members and inform and engage them in the process. We are honored by this investment in our future.”
Capitol News Illinois will receive $2M over three years to expand its editorial capacity and add more investigative and Chicago-based reporting. Importantly, the outlet will also hire its first full-time fundraising position and start to build a team to diversify its revenue. It will also add broadcast journalists to their reporting team in 2023 in a partnership with the Illinois Broadcasters Association. Capitol News Illinois (CNI) is a nonprofit news service that covers state government daily for newspapers statewide. Launched in 2019, its stories have been published more than 70,000 times in 460 daily and nondaily newspapers statewide. Since its launch, the news service has added a daily newsletter and a podcast and last year launched a partnership with Illinois Public Radio stations.
“Our news service has had a big impact in its first 3-plus years in the state’s print media because of the initial investments made by the McCormick Foundation and the Illinois Press Foundation,” said Jeff Rogers, director of the IPF, which operates Capitol News Illinois. Rogers is also editor of Capitol News Illinois.
“We are excited about the significant next steps our news service will be able to take with this investment from McCormick. We look forward to greatly expanding our funding base and business operations, extending our audience into TV and radio, and growing our reporting team in the next 3 years. We’re also looking forward to being a part of a collaborative investigative journalism powerhouse McCormick is fostering with these grants.”
Medill will receive $2.4M over three years to launch the Medill Local News Accelerator, a program to spur innovation and improve long-term sustainability of independent Chicago news organizations. The Accelerator will grow audience engagement; spur revenue growth through digital subscriptions, memberships, sponsorships and other diversified income streams; and create strategies for long-term self-sustainability of Chicago news organizations. Additionally, Northwestern will launch a new, immersive media leadership training program. Faculty experts from Medill and the Kellogg School of Management, along with media thought leaders outside the university, will provide in-depth training for Chicago media leaders to help give them the tools they need to better manage their news outlets for long-term sustainability.
“We are honored that the McCormick Foundation has chosen to invest in our efforts to help bolster outlets in the Chicago media ecosystem,” said Medill Dean Charles Whitaker. “We look forward to partnering with a wide swath of local news organizations to help them chart paths that will lead to their long-term viability and the continued production of robust journalism for our communities.”
* And from Capitol News Illinois…
Capitol News Illinois will significantly expand its operations as it enters the fifth year of operations in 2023 because of a significant grant from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
The McCormick Foundation has announced a three-year, $2 million investment in Capitol News Illinois, a nonprofit news organization that provides daily coverage of state government and is operated by the Illinois Press Foundation.
The CNI grant is one of four being announced by the McCormick Foundation, which is also investing in Block Club Chicago, Injustice Watch and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. The four grants total $7.5 million over three years. The grants complement the McCormick Foundation’s investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, formed with the Better Government Association and announced in 2021.
The McCormick Foundation has granted Capitol News Illinois $700,000 over its first four years of operations. McCormick said the increased investment in CNI will “help a promising outlet scale to meet the need for greater scrutiny in Springfield.”
Jeff Rogers, the executive director of the Illinois Press Foundation and editor of Capitol News Illinois, said the McCormick investment will be used to expand the news service’s print reporting operations, launch a broadcast news operation in 2023, and hire a development director that will be tasked with growing and diversifying revenue streams to support continued editorial growth and impact.
Other Capitol News Illinois initiatives planned in the coming months and years with the McCormick investment include adding print reporters outside of the Springfield area; continuing to grow the broadcast newsroom; and hiring a photographer/videographer, a web/digital developer, an events coordinator, and a college internships coordinator. News literacy and civics initiatives are also planned, as is an expanded effort to provide analytical reporting and commentary.
“Capitol News Illinois’ mission has always been to connect as many people as possible to state government in Illinois,” Rogers said. “We have been very successful in doing that through the more than 460 newspapers in Illinois that have published CNI stories since 2019. This investment in Capitol News Illinois from the McCormick Foundation will allow us to expand our audience significantly through broadcast reporting and through significantly expanded print offerings.”
Capitol News Illinois stories have been published more than 75,000 times in Illinois newspapers with a combined circulation of about 2 million.
“Equally important is the investment in CNI’s business operations which will yield more funding for our newsrooms in the coming years that will enable us to continue to grow our news service,” Rogers said.
Capitol News Illinois operates solely on grants and donations. It does not charge a subscription for access to its coverage or a fee to publish its stories. The McCormick Foundation and Illinois Press Foundation have been the major donors to CNI during its nearly four years of operation.
Rogers also said CNI is “looking forward to being a part of a collaborative investigative journalism powerhouse McCormick is fostering with these grants.”
Timothy P. Knight, the McCormick Foundation president and CEO, shared that sentiment.
“All of these organizations have a history of collaborating closely with others, and several of these organizations currently collaborate with each other on a range of editorial, promotional, and operational initiatives,” Knight said. “The simultaneous investment in each of these organizations, together with our investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, is intended to promote and strengthen collaboration and recognize the strong, complementary skills each of these organizations brings to Chicago and Illinois media.”
In recent weeks, Capitol News Illinois has also received financial commitments from the Illinois Broadcasters Association and the Southern Illinois Editorial Association that will also aid in the news service’s expansion efforts. More details on those investments will be made soon.
Rogers said searches for a development director, an additional print reporter, and broadcast reporters are underway. He can be reached at jrogers@capitolnewsillinois.com.
Far-right activist Dan Proft has proved time and time again that he is very effective at calling attention to himself and getting under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s skin in the worst way.
Proft’s newspapers have, for instance, published several articles with photos of Pritzker’s daughter. Sometimes the stories were wrong, like when a false claim was made that Pritzker’s daughter was sitting outdoors at a Chicago restaurant with several friends in violation of the 10-person rule during the pandemic.
“It wasn’t her,” Pritzker told reporters back in November 2020, when COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations were rising sharply. “But the picture falsely identifying her started making the rounds on social media, helped along by the trolls who permeate these social media platforms these days. My office put out a statement making clear this wasn’t my daughter. But that didn’t stop Republican elected officials, a network of propaganda publications in the state and some radio shock jocks from telling people that the picture was of my daughter, despite knowing that this was a lie.”
“Put yourself in the shoes of a high school girl who is being weaponized against her father by his political opponents. Weaponized with lies,” Pritzker said. Even so, the photo and the story are still online.
The papers, owned by parent company Local Government Information Services (LGIS), have run articles showing the young woman partying in the Bahamas outdoors, riding on a horse outdoors and having fun with friends outdoors at Lollapalooza.
Proft also co-hosts a morning radio show with Amy Jacobson, who spoke at a public rally against the governor’s pandemic mitigations and regularly showed up to Pritzker’s press conferences to ask loaded questions, to the point where she was eventually banned from the pressers, although the ban was lifted not long after.
Proft’s exact affiliation with LGIS is not clear. The print version is being mailed unsolicited on a regular basis to large numbers of registered voters. The latest edition features a front-page claim that Pritzker and his transgender aunt (a wealthy Republican who supported Bruce Rauner) are in league to eliminate the “myth” of gender, a claim that has been circulated by far-right websites for months.
The papers have also been accused of publishing incendiary, racist stories about accused criminals who would soon be released into suburban communities. Pritzker himself addressed that edition, calling it “messaging that’s coming from a racist political consultant.” The paper also printed wildly false claims by a state’s attorney who warned that the reforms in the now-notorious SAFE-T Act would bring the “end of days.”
It’s unclear who is funding the papers, but Proft also heads the People Who Play by the Rules PAC, an independent expenditure committee backing Darren Bailey’s gubernatorial campaign and funded solely by far-right billionaire Dick Uihlein.
Last week, a Shaw Local newspaper story about the Proft papers noted in passing that LGIS was using Paddock Publications’ postage permit. According to a recent Illinois Press Association news release, Paddock’s Schaumburg printing facility is owned by the Daily Herald Media Group.
Many journalists and others were stunned by the revelation. Proft’s papers have been accused of deliberately spreading disinformation and amplifying racism and homophobia. The Illinois Press Association has tried its best to point out that LGIS is not a member and the company’s papers are not actually news. That a respected publisher was printing and mailing those papers came as a shock, particularly since the Daily Herald has taken an active role in the Illinois Press Association.
Pritzker then goosed the story into overdrive by backing out of a debate hosted in part by the Daily Herald. Hours later, Paddock Publications announced that it had dropped its printing and mailing contract with LGIS, claiming it wanted no part in the fight between Pritzker and Proft, but denying that it did anything wrong. In a bitter response, Proft claimed that he was a “longstanding client” of the Daily Herald, so you gotta wonder how long the Daily Herald has been doing this.
The big loser in all this is the Daily Herald, which lost an incalculable amount of respect for its integrity that it may never regain because of its active participation in a tsunami of viral disinformation during dangerous times. Pritzker prevailed and was able to keep the focus off other important campaign issues. And Proft got attention for himself and his radio show and a platform to say things like calling Pritzker a “bedwetting, spoiled brat.”
“Many critics cannot or refuse to differentiate between a commercial printing operation . . . and the Daily Herald’s editorial mission to be unbiased and fair,” the letter states, without addressing the still-unanswered question of whether LGIS mailed these materials on Paddock’s dime. “The perception for some has become that the Daily Herald favors one party over another and by printing for LGIS, it’s somehow promoting its message. That is not true.”
Actually, producing and apparently providing postage for this stuff is pretty much the definition of promoting this message. And, to be clear, the look would be just as bad if Paddock had printed and lent its postal permit to sham newspapers that amounted to unlabeled ads for Pritzker or Lightfoot.
We’re not talking about slick pamphlets, brochures or posters here—the kind of material that voters are accustomed to finding in their mailboxes, stuck into their doorjambs or pressed into their hands as they run for the train during campaign season. We’re talking about deceptively designed mailers that are clearly meant to simulate newspapers—printed and evidently distributed by a company that, however inconveniently in this case, happens to be in the news business.
* ‘Deceptive’ Chicago City Wire Hitting Mailboxes Looks Like A Newspaper. But It’s Really A Conservative Campaign Mailer: While media law experts said that the publications were protected by the free speech provision of the First Amendment, they agreed that they were essentially political mailers, intentionally disguised as newspapers. “I don’t call them newspapers for a very good reason,” said Don Craven, president of the Springfield-based Illinois Press Association. “They’re not.”
*** UPDATE *** Money will always find a way around impediments, but that doesn’t mean the Daily Herald had to sully itself…
This is where we say: Thank you, Your Magnificence. You honor us by agreeing to answer questions from the jesters of your court.
P.S. Paddock Publications has been replaced as the printer by a bigger operation and the distro of newspapers will imcrease.https://t.co/4xLgAP1XII
