The People Who Play By The Rules PAC has launched a new series, “K-12 Parents Speak” featuring parents whose children were severely affected by JB Pritzker’s extreme lockdowns and school closure policies during COVID. An ad buy was placed in statewide media markets and the series is available on the PBR PAC Facebook page.
Parents are making their voices heard loud and clear: They’re our kids, not JB Pritzkers. These are their stories.
First up is Anastasia Andrews, a parent and resident of Barrington, IL:
:30 https://www.facebook.com/People-Who-Play-By-The-Rules-PAC-108710738604439
Script:
Anastasia Andrews, Resident / Parent:
“The decisions that Governor Pritzker has made for our state have not been to further our children’s future. The governor mandated school closures for such a long time, and when he did finally open the schools he mandated masks and had this overreaching authority…They’re realizing that the schools’ test scores are down, year over year, nationally, and the entire system was broken.
How much worse does it have to get? Illinois has got to change. Right now.”
:15 https://www.facebook.com/People-Who-Play-By-The-Rules-PAC-108710738604439
Script:
Anastasia Andrews, Resident / Parent, Barrington, IL:
“The governor-mandated school shut down in Illinois during COVID severely affected my children. The blank stares…It was horrifying to watch, and then now of course we have a mental health crisis on our hands.
A slate of legislators from Missouri took home the 2022 Bi-State Softball Showdown title against Illinois.
The game started slow, then both the Show-Me State and the Land of Lincoln picked up five runs in the third inning. Missouri’s three runs in the fifth sealed the team’s 8-6 victory.
Greater St. Louis Inc., the largest chamber of commerce in the region, put on the event for the second timeto “celebrate the bi-state, bipartisan cooperation that makes the St. Louis metro strong.”
“Even though one team will be in the field while the other is at bat, they are both the home team to us,” said GSL CEO Jason Hall. “St. Louis is incredibly lucky to have such a strong bi-state, bipartisan delegation that works together to drive pro-growth policy in Springfield and Jefferson City, and we want to take a moment to celebrate their efforts to move our metro forward.”
“They’re a lot younger (of a) team with some fresher legs,” Hoffman said. “I think towards the end of the game, we got a little tired. But we played so hard the entire way and I got to give them all credit. I truly don’t believe we lost, they just
beat us at the end of the day.” […]
Team Illinois also had strong play from [Rep. Bob Rita], who pitched a complete game and hit a two-run double. State Rep. Mike Kelly, D-Chicago and state Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, also played well. House Speaker Chris Welch, D-Hillside, who played baseball in college, played a strong second base.
For lawmakers like State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, D-Chicago, who was appointed in 2019, events like Monday’s are important for “team-building” and “relationship-building” with colleagues, especially across the aisle. She said there’s been few opportunities to do so the past few years given the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The best part was just honestly getting to spend fun, low key time with colleagues in the House and Senate in both parties and our counterparts in Missouri,” she said. “That was just so cool.”
* Images from the showdown…
A bipartisan slate of legislators from Missouri took home @greaterstlinc's 2022 Bi-State Softball Showdown title after defeating Illinois, 8-6, at Busch Stadium. #moleg#twill
Politics can get so bitterly intense and divisive at times, the fog of passionate debate can blind you to the human on the other side.
Last night, politicians from both parties in Missouri and Illinois played softball under the lights at Busch Stadium — in Baseball Heaven. pic.twitter.com/NsQOeEWEV1
Congratulations to our awesome team MVP Rep. Lindsey “LL” LaPointe and all of our new members. It was a joy playing with this group. It was a great game. pic.twitter.com/QRSjR47rzU
— Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (@RepChrisWelch) August 9, 2022
* Jesse White kicks off the Illinois State Fair as the Twilight Parade’s Grand Marshal. NPR…
White, who was first elected in 1998, had previously announced he won’t seek another term this year. The Democrat is the longest serving Secretary of State in Illinois history. He also spent 16 years in the Illinois General Assembly. […]
“Jesse White has spent his entire life devoted to service,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “From his time in the US Army, to inspiring our youth with decades of public service, his example should be celebrated throughout the state of Illinois. I couldn’t be prouder to join this great Illinoisan in leading the Illinois State Fair Twilight Parade.”
“We are thrilled to have Jesse White kick off the 2022 Twilight Parade,” said Rebecca Clark, Illinois State Fair Manager. “His years of participation in this parade with the famous Jesse White Tumbling Team has wowed children and adults for years. His participation this year embodies our Grow With Us theme.”
The parade begins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday August 11.
The theme of this year’s fair is “Grow With Us,” so it’s appropriate that IDOA has a tent spotlighting Illinois farmers, complete with three booths allowing visitors to sample and purchase home-grown food and groceries, an area for kids which allows little ones to ride a tractor or pet a piglet and even a stage for shows spotlighting Illinois farmers. […]
The fair is open from 7 a.m. to midnight on the 11th. However, rides are not open until 3 p.m., as maintenance and inspection work is being conducted.
Traffic on the roads around the fairgrounds will be limited to one way beginning Aug. 11 at 5 a.m., with Sangamon Avenue traffic moving east, Peoria Road going north, Taintor Road going west and Fifth Street going south.
* Agriculture is at the heart of the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. Illinois Farmer…
“We try to weave agriculture into every acre of the fair,” said Rebecca Clark, Illinois State Fair manager. […]
The first day of the fair this year kicks off with an additional day of harness racing. Horses will already be up and running as vendors set up and the Midway gets rolling.
“We see it as a time to introduce harness racing to a whole new generation,” Clark said.
Illinois Beef Association and Prairie Farms are sponsoring an ice cream social near the harness races at noon. The first 100 kids also get a stick horse to take home. Not everyone sees harness racing as agriculture, the fair manager said, but the tie in with beef and dairy helps bring it all together.
* A new “Dino-mite” attraction in Happy Hollow. WCIA…
The fair is hosting a prehistoric habitat complete with 21 animatronic dinosaurs for kids, families and dinosaur fans of all ages.
“What you’re doing is you’re walking through dinosaur time,” ‘Dino’ Don Lessem, the owner of the exhibit, said. “You get the whole idea of how these animals evolved and disappeared.”
Dino Don started his company in 1993, and has published books and consulted on dinosaur films like Jurassic Park. According to his website, the herbivore dinosaur Lessemsaurus was named after Dino Don to thank his contributions to the study of dinosaurs.
The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA), the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and the Illinois State Fair invite veterans and their family members to enjoy a free day at the Illinois State Fair on Sunday, August 14, 2022. This annual event offers exciting events, programs, and music. It concludes with a parade led by Governor JB Pritzker and IDVA Director Terry Prince along with veterans’ organizations, JROTC teams, and IDVA staff. This year’s theme, “Veterans Build Illinois,” features remarks from Brad Schaive, LIUNA Local 477.
Veterans and their families can show any form of military ID for free admission. Parking is not included.
The state fair website lists more than 150 food vendors. Many are participating in Feeding Frenzy, with daily discounts from 2 to 5 p.m. […]
If you’re looking for the Ethnic Village, this year it’s branded Village of Cultures. On the cuisine side that includes African, Cajun, Cuban, Filipino, German, Greek, Jamaican, Lithuanian, Mediterranean, Mexican and regional American options.
All up and down the Republican ballot, rural conservatives defeated establishment candidates. In the 15th Congressional District, U.S. representative Mary Miller, who earned Trump’s endorsement by objecting to the 2020 electoral count, beat fellow incumbent Rodney Davis, who voted to accept the results. Thomas DeVore of Greenville, who tattooed “Freedom” and “Liberty” on his forearms, won the nomination for attorney general over international business attorney Steve Kim of Deerfield.
This shift will pose a problem in November for state GOP candidates, particularly in Chicago’s outlying areas, says Jackson: “Republicans are going to have a very difficult time winning any of the constitutional offices. In some of these suburban districts, Bailey’s going to be a terrible drag on what could be competitive races and what could potentially be a big Republican year.”
Naturally, House Republican leader Jim Durkin, whose southwest suburban district runs from Hinsdale to Lockport, disagrees with that assessment. He is encouraging fellow GOP candidates to set aside hot-button social issues like abortion and gun control and run on “kitchen table” matters such as crime and inflation. “The economy is going to prevail as the single greatest issue in the suburbs and collar counties,” he says.
A moderate who voted to increase the gas tax, Durkin is the pro-Bailey crowd’s model of a RINO. “Much to the dislike of the far right, I don’t have flames coming out of my nose and mouth,” he says. Durkin supports the nominee, but as he sees it, Bailey won a primary, not the soul of the Illinois GOP. “The conservatives and the far left were the majority of voters who came out [for the primary];” in the general election, he says, it’s the middle that will determine outcomes. “I wholeheartedly believe there is a voice for moderates in the party. That’s what we see in the suburbs, and that’s what we need to compete statewide. I’m looking for legislators who are not going to be the party of no.”
That may still be true in the suburbs, but statewide, “the establishment is knocked back on its heels,” Jackson says. “The party from Jim Thompson to Jim Edgar to George Ryan has lost that control of the Republican Party.” And those Republicans will have to take their party back before Illinois elects another Republican governor.
* One of the local Republican Party ballot appointments last month…
Chicago City Wire recently had an opportunity to interview Patrycja Karlin, the Republican candidate for the Illinois 20th Senate District. […]
Q: Why did you decide to run for the state legislature?
Karlin: Illinois is drowning in crime, corruption and fiscal irresponsibility; it is killing the innocence of our children with impunity and depriving parents of any decision-making regarding their children. Businesses are running for cover in other states. Illinoisans are moving away in greater numbers than at any time in the history of Illinois. We can save Illinois! First by eliminating the Democratic Super Majority in the Illinois Congress. That does not happen by itself. District by district, seat by seat, Republicans can take the Illinois Legislature and start enacting laws that will protect all Illinoisans! We can make our state prosper again! It is possible! […]
Q: What’s the first bill you will sponsor in Springfield?
Karlin: I am extremely passionate about parental rights. The Chicago Public School system and the Chicago Teachers’ Union are taking away parents’ right to have a voice in what their children are taught. These progressive activists oversee our children’s education. I will propose legislation that will enshrine parents’ right to know what is taught in our local schools. I will work to keep the radical ideologies of gender ideology, and Critical Race Theory out of our schools. Given the opportunity, I will introduce the Illinois Bill of Parental Rights.
“Illinois Congress.” Her petitions have been challenged. She’s running against Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago).
Why can’t Republicans just stand up and say what Darren Bailey said was wrong? Why can’t Darren Bailey just apologize? He’s twisted himself into knots first trying to explain what he said, then going back and saying he meant what he said. This is a guy who does not understand what it takes to be a leader of Illinois [who] frankly doesn’t understand he needs to apologize to the survivors of the Holocaust who are still among us in Illinois and to all of us who care about how the governor speaks about the choice, the very difficult choice that women need to make sometimes about their reproductive rights, and the awful, truly tragic, traumatic and one of the worst tragedies in the history of the US and that’s the Holocaust.
* Illinois Republican Party…
In light of the DOJ and FBI’s unprecedented decision to raid the home of the Former President of the United States, ILGOP Chairman Don Tracy issued the following statement:
“Although it has been two days since the raid on the home of the immediate past President of the United States, the American people have heard nothing from Attorney General Merrick Garland. In view of this unprecedented breach of tradition and heavy handed approach to an investigation of a former President, and the apparent double standard relative to investigations of Democrats similarly situated at the national level, Attorney General Garland should have already provided a thorough and immediate explanation.” Chairman Tracy added, “The American people deserve honesty and transparency from our Department of Justice, which is why I am calling on Attorney General Garland to immediately disclose the justification for this extraordinary use of legal power against a political opponent of the current administration of which he is a major part.”
Joe Biden is underwater in a new poll of IL-13 with an approval rating of just 43% and a 57% disapproval rating, with 50% strongly disapproving.
Reminder: This is a district Biden won by 11 points in 2020.
That’s bad news for political insider Nikki Budzinski, who helped implement President Biden’s reckless spending spree that led to record-high inflation.
NRCC Comment: “Illinois voters will hold Nikki Budzinski personally accountable for her role in implementing Joe Biden’s toxic agenda that’s cost them more for basic necessities.” – NRCC Spokeswoman Courtney Parella
It’s not exactly new. Some of the numbers are three weeks old and Biden may have clicked up a bit since then. Also, despite the Biden numbers, Budzinski still holds a narrow lead, albeit within the margin of error. Still, she should be much better known than Republican Regan Deerin.
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy’ Garcia (D-Chicago) previously ran for mayor against Rahm Emanuel in 2015, and is leaving the door open to join the crowded field challenging Lori Lightfoot.
“I want to deliver for working families as my responsibility as a congressman, I’ve been working very hard for the past three and a half years, that is my top priority,” said Garcia said Wednesday. […[
“I’m getting a lot of calls, obviously from people across the city to consider it. I’m flattered by that,” Garcia said during a sit down interview in his southwest side congressional office.
He said he really enjoys being a congressman. But too much run for mayor again?
“I’m not shutting the door completely but I’ve gotta tell you, I’ve never been as challenged or rewarded as I have been over the past three and a half years as a member of the United States Congress,” Garcia said.
Lawrence “Larry” Stowe, who operated Stowe Biotherapy in downtown La Mesa for about five years, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell misbranded and unapproved drugs that he called cures for a variety of incurable diseases, according to U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson in Houston.
U.S. District Judge Gray Miller sentenced Stowe, 61, to a total sentence of 78 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Stowe had pleaded guilty Sept. 7, 2012.
In handing down the sentence Friday, Miller stressed that Stowe “took advantage of people dying and offered them hope.”
A man who was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison in a scheme to sell unlicensed drugs, claiming to treat or even cure the terminally ill, now is serving as a vice chairman for the Rock Island County GOP. […]
Stowe on Tuesday, speaking from GOP headquarters in Rock Island, said the federal judge threatened him with a 30-year sentence if he did not accept the plea.
“I never got the chance to defend myself,” he said. “It’s just like the people from January 6 (attack on the U.S. Capitol). Those people didn’t commit any crimes.” […]
Several members of the county party who reached out to a reporter about Stowe’s new position declined to comment on the record, saying they do not wish to inflict damage upon their party.
Um, the damage is done.
* But that’s not all the RICO GOP has done lately. This story is from 2018…
County Republicans have asked Glen Evans, state representative candidate for the 72nd District, to withdraw from the race. […]
Court records show Mr. Evans, of Rock Island, was charged with criminal trespass and criminal contempt after violating an order of protection in December 1997. The charges were dismissed in February 1998.
In addition, Marion County, Indiana records show an outstanding warrant for Mr. Evans in 2008 after he failed to appear for a probation hearing on a charge of violating an order of protection against his wife, Erica Evans. […]
Rock Island County Clerk Karen Kinney said Mr. Evans has previously run for office as a Democrat in about 18 different local races. He has lost every election with the exception of two precinct committeeman races. […]
According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Mr. Evans has never filed a campaign fundraising report. […]
“I do know he has never voted in a Republican primary other than this last one,” [Rock Island County Republican Central Committee Chairman Drue Mielke] said. “He is still welcome in our party, but we’ve asked him to not run. It was a consensus among leadership. We just don’t feel we can support Mr. Evans. We needed to let him know.”
The number of out-of-state abortion patients at Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ Flossmoor health center have tripled in the weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision overturning Roe v. Wade, stripping individuals of their constitutional right to an abortion.
Others who assist persons seeking abortions, which remain legal in Illinois, also say they’ve seen a surge in people needing help and traveling to Illinois for such care. Now that Indiana has outlawed most abortions, they say they expect those numbers to continue to rise as they and other pro-choice advocates blasted this latest blow to abortion care rights. […]
In response to the increased strain abortion providers are seeing in Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week announced a 20% Medicaid reimbursement rate increase for abortion services that will cost about $3 million annually.
Rep. Robin Kelly, a Democrat from Matteson, said it’s important that providers have the resources they need. In an interview after a Black Women and Girls Symposium on wellness she held at Prairie State College Saturday, she said the increased demand Illinois providers are already seeing will only worsen in the aftermath of Indiana’s new law, which she labeled a crime.
With more out-of-state patients having to come to Illinois for abortions, clinics like the planned parenthood one in Fairview Heights have to schedule patients out further. What would usually be a 3- or 4-day wait is now about 3 weeks and that means Illinois residents have to wait longer as well.
“This will impact people in the state of Illinois who need abortion access. They will be caught up in these wait times. They will be delayed in getting care,” Lee-Gilmore said.
The longer wait times also push people further into their pregnancy when they get the procedure. […]
“Our in-clinic abortion capacity is being stretched to the limits. We’re seeing appointment times triple and that’s with us double booking patients. I cannot stress enough that providers, particularly in the downstate region need capacity and we need help now,” Lee-Gilmore said.
The Waukegan clinic is Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ busiest for out-of-state abortion patients. After Roe fell, 60% of patients came to this clinic from outside the state – mostly from Wisconsin. In fact, the organization opened in Waukegan two years ago with Wisconsin in mind, knowing that if Roe v. Wade did fall, access to abortion in that state would greatly diminish.
After Roe was struck down, Planned Parenthood organizations in both states announced their partnership. More than a dozen employees from Wisconsin – including doctors, nurses and medical assistants – now commute to Waukegan to help provide care.[…]
The influx of patients into Illinois has had another impact. For years, abortion providers have been traveling once or twice a month to other states like Kansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma, where their help was badly needed.
“Now the script is totally flipped,” said Laursen, a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health. “This is where you are needed more than anywhere else.”
* In southern Illinois, some community members have mixed responses to the new clinic opening in Carbondale. St. Louis Public Radio…
As before, community members who oppose abortion, many from surrounding towns, expressed their ire about providers choosing to open clinics in Carbondale, this time using social media in addition to public comments at Carbondale City Council meetings.
“I do not want to see the abortion industry bring another abortion clinic to Carbondale,” said Donna Glaub, who has lived in the city for nearly 50 years. “If that’s what they think Carbondale is going to become and the new train station is going to become the hub — it doesn’t hit your heart right.” […]
“Instead of the death penalty being handed down to the innocent party, the baby, the death penalty should come upon the evil man that committed that violence,” said Justin Sparks, a pastor at Christ Church in Carbondale who has also pushed anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and opposition to the coronavirus vaccine on social media. […]
City Councilman Adam Loos said that those speaking out against abortion access are a minority of his constituents and that he emphasizes the city’s hands are legally tied.
“What I’ve told them, speaking for myself rather than for the city, is that even if there were something (to do) — I wouldn’t participate in it,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a majority for it.”
The Democratic candidate for Illinois Secretary of State, Alexi Giannoulias, wants to restrict other states’ access to license plate data in Illinois so that women who come here for abortions can’t be tracked.[…]
His Republican opponent, Dan Brady, said the Secretary of State’s office “is not about public policy, it’s about public service.
“As Secretary of State, I’ll stick to improving services at the drivers facilities and cutting wait times.”
Giannoulias says he can do that, too. Or, in his words: “I can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
In July, the Normal Police Department received approval to adopt license plate-reading cameras. WGLT…
The controversial cameras have raised privacy concerns, with groups including the American Civil Liberties Union speaking against the widespread adoption of the technology, and its aggregate collection of personal data. […]
“ALPRs represent a serious threat to the privacy and security of women who may be coming to Illinois, and come to Bloomington-Normal, to seek health care, who may be at risk for having their data accessed by out-of-state agencies, who may criminalize the act of seeking an abortion” across state lines, said Ravi Duvvuri, on behalf of the local chapter of the ACLU. […]
[Normal Police Chief Steve Petrilli] told WGLT that law enforcement agencies outside of Normal wouldn’t automatically gain access to NPD camera data. First, they’d need to present details of the criminal case they were investigating. In cases of women crossing state lines to seek an abortion, NPD would not release that data, he said.
The University of Illinois Springfield has elected to discontinue its contract with the state’s Department of Children and Family Services to offer simulation training for DCFS investigators in a house on campus.
The university decided against renewal of the agreement because the state had not followed its best-practice recommendation that simulation be included throughout a five-week course rather than four and a half days, said Dr. Betsy Goulet, who founded and directs the simulations at UIS and is former DCFS investigator.
”We really think that we could do a much better job if we had them over the course of their foundation training, and we could intersperse the classroom content with the experiences in the SIM lab with different environments and different scenarios,” she said. […]
She said by doing the simulation, “They have a whole different idea of what it’s like to come into somebody’s home and ask difficult questions. I mean, they have to ask parents to take a baby’s clothing off. So they can, you know, see where there might be… you know, marks or bruises.”
“That’s hard to do. As a perfect stranger, you’d you come in and say, well, I need you to take a baby’s clothes off. You know, imagine the stress that comes with doing that. But it’s part of your procedure,” she said. “And so we train them to have those really challenging hard conversations, but we don’t give them enough time to practice. And that’s the frustration.” […]
A spokesman for the Department of Children and Family Services said the agency “is deeply committed to simulation training and continues to expand simulation training across the state with new university partners.”
What the heck?
*** UPDATE 1 *** Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert…
This is a cutting-edge, highly regarded program that has received high marks from investigators, advocates, and academics.
The UIS training academy is a flagship program and a national model. UIS researchers use data from the simulation exercises for research to improve child protection practice. In March, UIS was awarded $720,000 in federal funds to support the training academy. In announcing the funding, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin remarked, “The University of Illinois at Springfield has established itself as a leader in training front line child protection workers and first responders.”
Nine young children have died since December despite DCFS’s extensive involvement with the family. We posted about the most recent child, 3-year-old I’Kera Hill, just this morning. Moreover, investigator safety issues have been prominent in the headlines after the murder of DCFS investigator Deidre Silas during the course of an investigation in January. It’s inexplicable, reckless and irresponsible for DCFS to suddenly discontinue this outstanding, critical resource for training its investigators.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From DCFS Director of Communications Bill McCaffrey…
“These allegations are both wrong and ridiculous, and they denigrate the hard work that has gone into improving and expanding training. In fact, DCFS is so committed to simulation training for child welfare workers that we’ve increased our investment from $320,000 in 2018 to $2.3 million this year so that we can open new hubs across the state and workers can be trained closer to the communities they serve. UIS proposed that they be the sole provider rather than allowing other university partners across the state to provide simulation training for child protection workers. Rather than accepting this demand, DCFS opted to continue to invest in a multi-site, multi-university program.
“Additionally, UIS was on a corrective action plan, including for their failures to hire a pipeline of diverse staff for the actual simulations. This failure posed serious problems for meeting our goals to be equitable and provide inclusive training opportunities. We are moving forward with a new site in Springfield that will meet these needs and provide state-of-the-art training.”
Background
• New DCFS investigators go through a six week training in order to become certified to conduct child protection investigation. This is primarily classroom based training for four weeks, called “foundations”, followed by a fifth week in the field for on the job training, and a sixth where they conduct simulation training. The first simulation training was developed in collaboration with University of Illinois Springfield and conducted on their campus.
• In order to meet the statewide needs of investigator training, a new simulation lab was opened in Chicago at a DCFS site on the South side of Chicago. That simulation site is run in collaboration with the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• DCFS has also expanded to include two additional simulation training sites and university partnerships. One is located at Northern Illinois University and is currently operational and training investigators. The other site is at Southern Illinois University, which is physically completed and will be operational by early 2023 once they are fully staffed and trained.
• DCFS is currently in the early stages of building out an additional simulation site in Springfield, that like the Chicago site, would be located on DCFS property. It would be staffed by DCFS employed trainers.
• DCFS has expanded our investment in simulation training from just $320,00 in fiscal year 2018 to $2.3 million in the current fiscal year.
Seems to me, if this is true, that DCFS should’ve said that from the beginning.
The end of DCFS’ ongoing relationship with the University of Illinois at Springfield to provide simulation training for investigators is depressing and dangerous. It is depressing to see the Department lose access to one of the few contract partners that was making a difference in improving investigations of alleged child abuse.
The Department claims there were issues with UIS’ performance on a “corrective action plan” for diversity – we don’t have knowledge of those circumstances. What we do know, though is that UIS developed the simulation training that Illinois pioneered and that now is viewed as a model worthy of implementation across the country.
It appears that the real schism between DCFS and UIS was that the Department could not accept – and integrate – the well-founded guidance of the UIS experts regarding how training should be delivered in order to be effective under the UIS model program. It may be that DCFS is using new partners for simulation training, but if that training does not track the UIS model, we lose the assurance that we currently have – that the training will be effective.
DCFS’ move is dangerous for children and for DCFS employees. The UIS program helped increase safety for DCFS employees who conduct home visits and the children they are seeking to protect. At a moment when we are all concerned about safety, the expertise and experience offered by this program should be honored and embraced, not truncated and parceled out to different providers.
* For a very long time, the “About” section of Cindy Bailey’s Facebook page has said she is the “chief consultant, strategist and cheerleader” for her spouse’s gubernatorial campaign. But that page has since been altered and then apparently taken down since Greg Hinz started looking around and asking questions. You can still Google the phrase, but here’s a screenshot…
She’s also listed as a “Board member” on Bailey’s D-1 filing with the State Board of Elections. And she is a regular on the campaign trail with Bailey and often acts as a surrogate for her husband’s campaign…
Just saw Stephanie W. Trussell running for Illinois Lieutenant Governor and Cindy Cindy J. Bailey, that’s the wife of Republican nominee Darren Bailey for Governor in Illinois at CPAC 2022 in Dallas. @DarrenBaileyIL@ReaganMom@Trussell4ILpic.twitter.com/tlmk9r5l3V
Speaking of Cindy Bailey, here she is posing with Kari Lake at CPAC four days ago. Lake is the GOP gubernatorial nominee from AZ, an election fraud/QAnon conspiracy theorist, and a Proud Boy fan. https://t.co/xNAd8fiIQKpic.twitter.com/2BK0QbpmM2
In one [post], she cited “amazing testimonies from ones who were once in the homosexual lifestyle!” In another, she called on “any red-blooded American” to drop their subscription to Netflix for “normalizing homosexuality” and other material she views as objectionable. “We are living in wicked days, just as in the time of Noah,” she stated.
* People on Twitter have been discussing this topic for a while now. A sampling..
Is this really who we want as the First Lady of IL. Do her morals and values represent all of us? Please make a plan to vote this November. #twillpic.twitter.com/GFDuAdARNh
Darren and Cindy Bailey aren't the best choice for the future of Illinois, they have both stated they think we're living in the "end times". In short they don't really see a longterm future for our state or country. pic.twitter.com/aKoSxQjzvY
JB Pritzker’s administration has been a disaster. Pritzker has raised taxes, attacked law enforcement and crime is skyrocketing on his watch. The Department of Children and Family Services is a criminal disaster under Pritzker’s Director Marc Smith. Families are suffering and kids are dying because Pritzker refuses to take ownership and fire his failed director. Friends, JB Pritzker hasn’t just failed working families, he’s downright abandoned every one of us.
Well now he’s more desperate than ever, and JB and his allies in the media shamelessly think that they can attack my wife Cindy and try to twist her words. Let me be clear, my wife is not on the ballot. I’m on the ballot and I speak for myself. So, JB, if you can fit it into your presidential campaign schedule and want to talk about someone in this race for governor and about the people of Illinois who are struggling under your watch, well I’m here in Illinois. And I’ll be waiting when you fly back. I’ll debate you anyplace anytime.
And if the media wants to look into spouses, well how about you find out what Pritzker’s pal Jennifer Thornley texted him and his wife after she stole money from taxpayers. The Pritzker/Thornley scandal stole over $700,000 from taxpayers because JB continues to scratch the backs of his cronies at the expense of working families.
Friends, people are being gunned down riding public transportation. Springfield corruption continues while families struggle to put gas in their cars and food on their tables. We have serious issues and I’m ready to get to work and restore Illinois.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* The Question: Fair hit on Cindy Bailey or not? Make sure to explain your answer in comments, please.
*** UPDATE *** A commenter reminds us that Darren Bailey posted a false story on his Facebook page about the governor’s daughter…
Like I’ve been saying from the beginning, this is how you handle a lockdown!
#supportsmallbusiness
#restoreillinois
#firepritzker
Today, Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza announces the latest installment of $180 million into the state’s Rainy Day Fund, bringing the balance to a record level of $1.036 billion, the highest balance in the fund, also called the Budget Stabilization Fund, to date.
Comptroller Mendoza has been a vocal advocate for reviving the Rainy Day Fund, which serves as the state’s main savings account. It had been decimated during the 2015-2017 state budget impasse. In April 2018, the reserve account stood at just $48,327.53.
“We’re saving today to invest in tomorrow,” said Comptroller Mendoza. “This latest infusion proves that we are prioritizing paying down our debts, addressing the pension shortfall and not putting the problems of yesterday on the backs of future generations.”
The appropriation was supported by Gov. JB Pritzker and approved by the Illinois General Assembly earlier this year. With higher-than-anticipated revenues for the prior fiscal year, not only did the General Assembly and the Governor approve of a $1.8 billion tax-relief plan for taxpayers, but they also resisted to spend, as this $1 billion into the state’s Rainy Day Fund for fiscal year ’22 and ’23 makes clear. The most recent budget also includes paying an extra $500 million into the Pension Stabilization Fund, which will lower pension debt liabilities by $1.8 billion.
This latest deposit into the Rainy Day Fund this week is the final installment based on the appropriations per the most recently approved state budget. Starting next fiscal year, the legislature has agreed to put in an additional $45 million into the fund annually.
“Building a robust emergency reserve account is responsible. And the credit rating agencies agree. They cited the state’s infusion into reserves as one reason for recent upgrades. Better credit ratings mean better rates on bonds, and that means more savings for taxpayers and better finances for the state overall,” Comptroller Mendoza said.
Illinois has earned six credit upgrades from the credit rating agencies since June 29, 2021 – the first upgrades in over two decades.
While these welcomed infusions into the Rainy Day Fund and the Pension Stabilization Fund are certainly a great boost, Comptroller Mendoza continues to call for more regular automatic deposits into these funds during strong economies, without having to depend on one-time infusions of future legislatures.
During the fall veto session Comptroller Mendoza will ask the General Assembly to take up HB 4118, sponsored by State Rep. Michael Halpin, D-Rock Island. The proposal would require additional annual contributions to both the Rainy Day Fund and the Pension Stabilization Fund.
“Further saving and paying down our debts when the state can afford it will better prepare us for the next fiscal downtown or crisis, such as a recession, that may come through no fault of our own,” said Comptroller Mendoza.
…Adding… At the request of the comptroller’s office, I’ve corrected the designation of Rep. Halpin as being from Rock Island, not Rock City. I prefer Rock City, however…
I feel so good, I’m so alive
Hear my song playin’ on the radio
At a recent event, Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow pushed for a repeal of the SAFE-T Act.
“It will destroy the state of Illinois,” Glasgow said. “I have 640 people in the Will County jail. All their bonds will be extinguished on Jan. 1, and 60 are charged with murder.” “
* I asked Jordan Abudayyeh for a response…
To be very clear, the Pre-trial Fairness Act creates a system where detention is based on risk, rather than poverty: that’s why domestic violence groups and other victims’ rights groups support it. There is nothing in the law that requires those suspected of crimes be let out of prison when it goes into effect. There are too many people that have been held not because they’re a risk, but simply because they could not afford monetary bail, and not only does that affect that person in custody but also their family. At the same time, victim’s rights groups have long been concerned that dangerous individuals have been released simply because they could afford to pay bail. Public safety is best addressed by focusing on risk rather than money.
Background
• When the law goes into effect, the State’s Attorney would have the ability to go to court and present evidence as to why a person suspected of a crime should be held, and a judge could rule to hold them.
• The State’s Attorney has seemingly identified 60 people that he believes will pose a risk to public safety if released. That is the first step in preparing for a future bond hearings focusing on the risk factors rather than monetary bail request considerations. The state’s attorneys have time to plan ahead, assessing both the pending and future cases.
• The Illinois Supreme Court Pretrial Implementation Task Force has published draft conditions flowcharts and considerations for use by all law enforcement and criminal justice officials. They are currently accepting suggestions at pretrialtaskforce@illinoiscourts.gov
With the latest election tally released Friday evening, Aug. 5, Allen Skillicorn edged ahead of Cindy Couture in a tight race for the third and final seat on the Fountain Hills Town Council.
Skillicorn had a very slim 19-vote edge over Couture, 4,756 to 4,737. Couture had lead the race since the initial results were released on Tuesday.
In a release Friday evening Maricopa County election officials reported having 6,500 ballots remaining to process and tabulate with 1,224 valid provisional ballots to be counted. There are also 7,500 “uncured” ballots in which signatures need further review. Voters have until Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 5 p.m. to have the ballots “cured” or verified by providing sufficient identification. These are county-wide numbers with no indication as to what remains to be counted for Fountain Hills.
One week after election day the Fountain Hills Town Council race is coming into focus. A vote tally released at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, indicates the race may be all but settled.
Mayor Ginny Dickey appears likely to be re-elected, while three newcomers will come to the Town Council, currently Brenda Kalivianakis, Allen Skillicorn and Hannah Toth.
Maricopa County Elections Department was not expected to release final, unofficial counts until after 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 9, the deadline for voters to cure questioned ballots. However, those appear to be pretty small numbers to affect the outcome.
Illinois State Fair officials unveiled the treasured Butter Cow today in the Dairy Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Using the theme “Grow with Us,” sculptor Sarah Pratt’s creation brings together the interaction between the farmer, the land, and the animal. The sculpture features the iconic butter cow with a farmer kneeling beside her to tend to the land.
“I really connected with the theme ‘Grow with Us,’ said Sarah Pratt, 2022 Illinois State Fair Butter Cow Sculptor. “This design was personal for me. Our family just moved to a home with acreage and started growing our own garden. Through that experience, I was inspired to include a farmer growing on the land that in turns allows the cow to grow.”
“For a lot of families, it is not a trip to the Illinois State Fair unless they see the iconic butter cow,” said Illinois Agriculture Director, Jerry Costello II. “I am amazed by the thought and detail that is put into this buttery creation ever year.”
“Illinois Dairy Farmers are proud to carry on the tradition of the iconic butter cow at the Illinois State Fair,” said Kendra Anderson, Midwest Dairy Farmer Relations Manager. “The 2022 butter cow follows this year’s fair theme of ‘Grow with Us.’ We hope that State Fair visitors come to the Dairy Building to view the butter cow and celebrate the Illinois dairy industry.”
As in years past, 13 hearts have been hidden into the display to signify the 13 essential nutrients found naturally in milk.
The iconic sculpture will remain on display in the Dairy Building for the duration of the fair and is viewable live via the Butter Cow webcam.
The webcam doesn’t appear to be working as I write this, so here’s a first look…
* Things have been a bit tense at DPI, to say the least, and several contributions made out of the party’s precious federal funds “hard money” account just before the July 30 chair’s election to some of Chair Kelly’s supporters didn’t help matters much. Click here for a couple of them, but I’m told others will be reported later.
Letter to Democratic state central committee members from Abby Witt, the executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois…
Dear Members,
I’m writing today to share some news about staff changes. While I know the hope was that our staff would continue on in its entirety, the reality of any organization as it grows and evolves over time is that some departures are inevitable. This time that includes the departure of myself and DPI’s Deputy Director Jake Lewis.
We share a respect for this body and its decision to elect a new Chairwoman. And as Illinois Democrats, we are counting on Chair Hernandez’s success in this role. But it has become clear that we are no longer the right people to implement the new direction for the party.
We have both been extremely proud to serve the party and all Illinois Democrats since last year. The work we’ve done together has been important, modernizing the DPI and building a new foundation for Democratic success. We know this foundation will serve Chair Hernandez well and wish her the best as she executes her plans for the November elections and beyond.
To ensure a smooth transition for the Chairwoman and DPI, my last day will be Friday, September 2. Jake will depart earlier, ending his time with DPI this Friday, August 12.
To our incumbent members: it has been an honor working with you as members of the Democratic State Central Committee, as well as Democratic campaigns, local organizations, activists, and volunteers over the past seventeen months. Thank you for welcoming me into this role and for your trust and partnership along the way. To our new members: thank you for taking on this challenge.
I deeply understand the promise of a modern Democratic Party that serves all Democrats, and know that with your guidance, the Democratic Party of Illinois can and will fulfill that promise.
Thank you,
Abby
* From new state party chair Lisa Hernandez…
Members of State Central Committee,
I am grateful to Abby and Jake for their demonstrated commitment to supporting Democrats across the state and dedication to the Democratic Party of Illinois. They played critical roles at DPI in service of the Party and I wish them the very best in their next endeavors.
For next steps, we will prepare to have an Interim Executive Director following Abby’s departure and establish a committee with SCC members to conduct an executive director search.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. I look forward to working with you on this.
Pritzker isn’t weighing in on Florida’s Democratic primary for governor, where Rep. Charlie Crist and state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried are battling in a caustic rivalry. Instead, he’s committed to backing the victor of the Aug. 23 contest. […]
In the interview with POLITICO, Pritzker declined to say how much he might spend this cycle but explained his strategy for the midterms — and its limits: He plans to help Democrats running for governor in states with GOP-controlled legislatures, but he draws the line at places where Republicans hold supermajorities that could override even a governor’s veto. […]
Pritzker has given $500,000 to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin this cycle. Pritzker and his wife, MK Pritzker, have given $40,000 to Evers, according to the governor’s campaign.
In mid-July, Pritzker met with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, to discuss how the Illinois governor could support Democrats. That eventually led to the $2 million contribution.
Pritzker has also given $250,000 to the Minnesota Democratic Party, and MK Pritzker has given $4,000 to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
And Pritzker expects to donate to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s political campaign as well.
* The Question: Your thoughts on Gov. Pritzker becoming a player in gubernatorial races around the country?
The Libertarian Party of Illinois completed its 2022 statewide petition drive on July 11, 2022. We handed in about 36,600 signatures to meet the 25,000 minimum required for our statewide slate to make the ballot. Although there is a presumption that a party has enough valid signatures to make the ballot, Illinois allows opponents to enlist voters to file objections to remove candidates for various reasons. The Democratic Party enlisted a voter to file an objection to our candidate for Secretary of State, Jesse White. Our other six statewide candidates did not draw an objection and will be on the November ballot.
The objection was filed by an individual affiliated with the Democratic Party of Illinois, and advanced by the Democratic Party of Illinois’ attorney. The objection sought to disqualify thousands of petition signatures based upon methods used to gather the signatures, and other grounds, such as one of our notaries was not eligible to notarize our petitions.
It became clear from the first electoral board meeting that the Democratic Party of Illinois was very serious in its goal to knock Jesse White off the ballot. No doubt the Democrats feared that Democratic voters would confuse the LP’s Jesse White (who would be shown on the ballot as “Libertarian Party”) with the retiring Secretary of State, and Jesse White would receive enough votes to cause the Democrat’s candidate to lose the November election.
The objection from the Democrats was largely based on two allegations:
“Pattern of Fraud #1” Two petitioners from a petitioning firm the LPIL hired produced over 5,000 signatures. The objection asserted one of the petitioners who signed the circulator affidavit (bottom of each petition) did not personally circulate those sheets (whether this was true could not be confirmed), and the other petitioner wrote three different residence addresses on his petition sheets, and he apparently lived in different places during the petition drive.
“Pattern of Fraud #2” Some sheets had additional info written at the address lines where petition signers had printed abbreviations (e.g., “Lake in the Hills” written in where the signer had written “LITH,” or “Arlington Heights” where there was “AH,”or “Lake Zurich” for “LZ”, etc.). No changes were made to voter names, signatures, or addresses. While these and other corrections may have constituted technical errors on the petition sheet, no signatures and no substantive information on the petition sheets were altered in any way, and it has been our policy to only add this information before the sheets were signed by a circulator and notarized.
We deny there was any “fraud” by our members. However, it was clear the Democrats intended to do everything possible to kick Jesse White off the ballot, with no budget restrictions. The Democrats hired six experienced election attorneys and a handwriting expert to advance their objection. A handwriting expert of our own would have potentially cost $15,000 or more. First thing, the Democrats requested subpoenas for many party members, the two petitioners above, and to several petitioners hired directly by LPIL (one of whom was in New Hampshire and the other in Las Vegas). Subpoenas would have required everyone to testify under oath at an evidentiary hearing that could have lasted many days, with cross-examination.
Then-LPIL Chair Steve Suess, then-Vice Chair Donny Henry, Treasurer Russ Clark, and Ballot Access Director Bill Redpath held discussions with our attorney, Andrew Finko, and evaluated where we stood from a legal perspective, the likelihood of having over 25,000 valid signatures after a long and costly objection process, and the anticipated negative publicity. What we faced was a huge financial setback if we spent every last dollar fighting this objection, with a significant risk of an adverse decision despite spending every dollar we have. We also realized the political establishment had a much bigger concern with our Jesse White for Secretary of State than any of us previously realized. This was a difficult decision for us to make.
We apologize to Jesse White, who was an excellent Secretary of State candidate and gathered about 1,400 signatures on the petition drive. Unfortunately, hindsight has again proven itself to be 20/20. Even though it had its issues, no other party in Illinois did a petition drive like the LPIL did this year, and we need to go forth and make this a great year for the LPIL by earning over 5% of the vote at the November 2022 election to achieve established party status.
Thank you,
Chase Renwick
Chairman, Libertarian Party of Illinois
Illinois could see part of the $280 billion dollar boost to make key products right here in America.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law.
Biden say it will help strengthen our nation’s domestic manufacturing and supply chains to prevent future backlogs. […]
“We have a lot of manufacturing,” said Pritzker. “We’re in the heart of what use to be called the rust belt, now the innovation belt, and our manufacturers use semiconductors in virtually everything that they do, and it’s been very hard to obtain those chips when they needed it.”
In the future, Pritzker says this law will bring production back to America and Illinois will benefit from it.
Rivian is the biggest producer of electric vehicles in Illinois at its Normal plant, but, like all EV producers, the company has faced delays in ramping up production due to a shortage of components, including chips (especially semiconductors) and batteries. Rivian and Pritzker both have been trying to get a battery manufacturer to set up shop in the state.
Meanwhile, Ford runs the largest conventional vehicle assembly plant in Illinois, on Chicago’s Far South Side. But its future is increasingly in doubt unless the company makes the commitment to invest billions in converting it from gasoline-powered to electric vehicles.
Ford has been pretty mum about whether it will do so and when, but Pritzker’s decision to invite Tony Reinhart, the company’s regional director of government affairs, certainly would seem to leave the door open for lots of productive conversation.
Also on Pritzker’s invite list – the White House let him bring a limited number of guests – are execs from electric bus maker Lion Electric and Decatur electric compressor maker T/CCI.
Nationally, the House GOP is calling CHIPS an “inflationary death spiral.” Touting an opinion piece that CHIPS is not needed to compete with China, from the Wall Street Journal.
“Democrats have confirmed: CHIPS is a green light for higher taxes, worse inflation, and corporate welfare, just as President Biden’s cruel economy fell into a recession for the second quarter in a row.
If congressional Democrats succeed in providing $76 billion in corporate subsidies and carveouts to politically connected corporations, their next step will be tax increases, greater IRS audits, and inflationary spending that will hurt everyone else.”
Even so, lame duck Republican US Reps. Rodney Davis and Adam Kinzinger voted for the measure.
The new legislation is designed to increase domestic production of semiconductors over the long term to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign suppliers. Proponents also say it will help the U.S. compete with China, which has its own chip market.
The bill includes more than $50 billion in incentives for manufacturers of semiconductors, or chips, to build domestic semiconductor plants. It also includes more than $80 billion for the National Science Foundation authorized over five years to support innovation and research. […]
White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese told reporters at a recent press briefing that the bill would have near-immediate impacts on decisions by companies to stand up operations in the U.S. But he acknowledged the impact on the domestic supply chain would be longer term.
“This is a long-term project, a long-term national project, that is a vital economic and national security consequence, and the ultimate impact of that will be felt over the course of years,” Deese said.
* Excerpt from an Eric Sorensen fundraising pitch. Sorensen is a Democrat running for US Rep. in the 17th District…
I knew that attacks would be coming our way, but I didn’t expect this:
Over the weekend, we got word that some unmarked mailers had made their way to voters’ mailboxes. They contained some pretty heinous attacks on “E.R.I.C” — an “Extreme Radical Indoctrinating Children” — I wonder who that might be?
The obvious implication is that because I’m gay, a vote for me means a vote for “sexual perversion” against children. Oh, and they threw in an illustration of a terrified kid for good measure
This is sickening, but it’s not shocking — and I’m not holding my breath for my opponent Esther King to comment about this homophobic attack.
The truth is that the GOP has a longstanding policy of embracing this kind of hateful rhetoric. I grew up in an era when homophobic scare tactics were normal. It’s a shame we’re reverting back to this sort of shameful bigotry.
I’ve got thick skin, [name redacted]. If anything, this a reminder that our campaign is bigger than just flipping a House seat — this is about standing up to the extremism and hate that’s only grown in recent years. We need to restore some decency to the halls of Congress. That’s why I’m running, and it’s why I need your support:
The mailer…
If you’re having trouble reading the text…
Extreme Radicals Indoctrinating Children (E.R.I.C) is what democrats do. Goal to teach your children hate via CRT, life has no value via Abortion, that sexual perversion (homosexuality, lesbianism, transgender, bestiality) is normal. Democrats do not care about your safety or financial future. Extreme gas, food prices, taxes are all E.R.I.C offers. A vote for E.R.I.C is a vote against innocent children, for killing babies, a vote against your safety, financial well being, and for America’s downfall.
* Press release…
Today, the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) announced their endorsement of Judge Elizabeth Rochford in the race for the Illinois Supreme Court’s Second District. Following a decisive victory in the Democratic primary, Rochford continues to build support for November’s general election campaign. She also received a general election endorsement last month from Personal PAC.
“It’s an honor to receive the support of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and its hardworking educators and education professionals. My mother was a special education teacher, so this endorsement is especially meaningful to me,” said Judge Elizabeth Rochford. “Throughout my career, I’ve dedicated myself to literacy and education efforts for our young people, and I’m grateful to the Illinois Federation of Teachers for their belief in my campaign for the Illinois Supreme Court’s Second District.”
IFT represents over 100,000 members throughout the state including a broad spectrum of professionals in four membership divisions, including teachers, paraprofessionals and school personnel; higher education faculty, staff, and graduate employees; and public employees in Illinois state agencies that govern education, in addition to retirees in each category.
“Judge Elizabeth Rochford knows how important it is to support our educators and education professionals. She has worked throughout her distinguished career to advance literacy programs for our children, and will bring her commitment to equity and fairness to the Illinois Supreme Court,” said Daniel J. Montgomery, President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. “The Illinois Federation of Teachers is proud to endorse Judge Rochford, the daughter of a special education teacher, in this race and look forward to seeing her elected in November.”
The newly redrawn second Supreme Court District encompasses DeKalb, Kendall, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties.
Bailey recently criticized Pritzker for increasing regulations on casual workers such as nannies and caregivers. “The last thing we need in Illinois is more red tape, more rules and more regulations. If we want to grow our economy and be a leader for jobs and opportunities in the Midwest, we need to prioritize policies that will create jobs, not jeopardize the ones we have. Pritzker’s priorities are misguided. Silly bureaucratic rules won’t grow our economy. Families are wondering how to afford to gas up their cars and purchase basic household necessities and the focus of the Pritzker administration is making sure people fill out time sheets for their nannies? It is no wonder we are losing jobs and opportunities here in Illinois,” Bailey said
Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic nominee for secretary of state, is pushing for legislation to protect abortion-care data that could be threatened by anti-abortion groups known to use license plate scanners to get information about patients.
He’s working with state Reps. Kelly Cassidy (D-14th) and Ann Williams (D-11th), who have pledged to sponsor the proposed legislation in Springfield.
“Illinois must enact protections to ensure the data is not used to target women seeking access to abortion services or employing it as a surveillance system to track them,” Giannoulias said in a statement.
What the legislation would do: Giannoulias wants to limit the purpose for which Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) can be used, such as to locate drivers involved in serious crimes and stolen vehicles. Giannoulias also is calling for legislation that specifies ALPRs cannot be used to track individuals seeking abortion care or individuals assisting them and nor should information be shared with other states.
* Media advisory…
Congressional candidate for Illinois-14 and Kendall County Board Chairman Scott Gryder is announcing today a joint media availability with U.S. Senate candidate Kathy Salvi on the impact of Democrats’ IRA bill on Illinois manufacturing.
Gryder and Salvi will be touring manufacturing plant Maze Nails in Peru, meeting with business executives, employees and stakeholders, then holding a media availability directly after to discuss the state of manufacturing in Illinois and what ramifications will occur from Democrats’ IRA bill.
Full details are below:
Thursday, August 11, 2022
IL-14 candidate Scott Gryder and U.S. Senate candidate Kathy Salvi hold joint media availability
Town Square - Maud Powell Plaza
Peru, Illinois
2:30 p.m.
…Adding… SGOP Leader McConchie is up against Democrat Maria Peterson. Here’s the most recent McConchie fundraiser pitch…
It seems every day, whether we like it or not, we are reminded about the stakes involved with this November’s election. As I meet with families in Algonquin, Barrington, Lake Zurich, Palatine, and Wauconda, I am committed more than ever before to ensuring that we have a strong check on the abuses of power of Governor JB Pritzker and his enablers.
As the Republican leader in the Illinois State Senate, I have been working hard to get Republicans out of the super minority and to bring balance back to our state government. There is a long way to go, but we are making real progress and I am encouraged by the support we have received thus far.
To that end, Springfield insiders have decided that I am a threat and have determined that I need to be given the treatment of their political machine this November.
Too much is at stake to let that happen, so I am reaching out to let you know about upcoming opportunities that you can help this campaign.
Take a moment to learn about some of the upcoming events that my campaign is organizing, learn about how you can make a difference in your neighborhood in this important race, and share this information with your neighbors, friends, and family in the area.
If you have any thoughts or questions for me, please send me an email at info@danmcconchie.com.
Thank you for all of your prayers, advice, and support, we simply cannot do it without you!
* More…
* Raspanti touts previous Park Ridge political experience in State Senate run challenging Sen. Murphy: Raspanti said he doesn’t expect to outraise Murphy, who had almost half a million dollars in the bank at the end of the second quarter. As of Aug. 9, he had $10,000 in funding, half of which came from a loan to himself. But, he said, “I think contested elections are good for the district. I think they’re good for taxpayers. And so that motivates me.”
A top Democratic state lawmaker from Republican-led Missouri on Wednesday wrote to the Democratic Illinois and Kansas governors asking for help paying for abortions for out-of-state Medicaid patients.
Missouri House Democratic Minority Leader Crystal Quade called on Illinois and Kansas to apply for Medicaid waivers to cover abortions for out-of-state patients.
Her request came after Democratic President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday aimed in part at making it easier for women seeking abortions to travel between states to obtain access to the procedure. […]
Spokespeople for Kelly and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker did not immediately respond to Associated Press requests for comment on the federal waiver and Quade’s request.
Missouri’s top Democratic lawmakers have yet to receive a formal response to letters urging governors in Kansas and Illinois to help pay for abortions for out-of-state Medicaid patients […]
Where there may be more political will is in Democratically-controlled Illinois, where the state’s Medicaid program already pays for abortions for its residents through state funds.
The Illinois legislature is set to convene for a special session on abortion rights, but a date has not yet been announced. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and legislative leaders said in July lawmakers would be convened “in the coming months,” according to The Chicago Tribune.
Representatives for Pritzker, House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday. […]
They noted a report released Monday by the state’s Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review board found that women on Medicaid made up the largest percentage of pregnancy-related deaths at nearly 53% over the course of the three years analyzed. Women on Medicaid were also eight times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than their counterparts with private health insurance.
An executive order by President Joe Biden last week would let states use Medicaid to help pay for abortions for out-of-state residents in cases of rape, incest or medical emergencies.
Pritzker’s office did not immediately comment on an Associated Press report that Missouri House Democratic Minority Leader Crystal Quade called on Illinois to apply for Medicaid waivers to do just that.
*** UPDATE *** Apparently, nobody in the governor’s office has actually heard from the Missouri legislator…
After we learned of the Missouri leader’s request through the press we reached out to start a discussion, but have not heard back. Our administration remains open to any dialogue with leaders who are working to protect women in states where their rights are being rolled back.
A federal court judge issued an order of contempt against the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) after the Department repeatedly ignored court orders and failed to take appropriate steps to improve health care in the State’s prison system.
Specifically, the court acted after repeated failures by IDOC since 2018 to develop a specific, detailed plan needed to implement and remedy problems in the prison health care system that court experts identified multiple times.
“IDOC’s failure here is staggering,” said Camille Bennett, attorney at ACLU of Illinois. “They were required by court order three years ago to develop a plan to fix the unconstitutional health care deficiencies for our clients across the state, and they have yet to do it. We hope this will wake up their leadership.”
Prisoners first sued IDOC in 2010, alleging systemic problems in health care, problems that lead to serious disease, harm and even death for people under the care of IDOC. The lawsuit, brought by named prisoners represented by the ACLU of Illinois, Dentons, and Uptown People’s Law Center resulted in an agreement with the State of Illinois in 2018, approved by the court in May 2019.
The agreement required IDOC to develop a comprehensive plan to improve medical care. For more than three years, the Department has failed to take that step, leading the court to enforce the contempt order.
“The delay in simply developing a plan has resulted in harm and death for people detained throughout the state,” added Harold Hirshman, attorney at Dentons. “That is not speculation – the court’s own experts have reported this sad reality on a regular basis.”
• developed bed sores because staff did not turn them in bed,
• were left to sit in their own waste in wheelchairs,
• wasted away because staff did not bother to feed them,
• broke their bones because staff did not help them get out of bed, and
• had symptoms of cancer that were ignored until the cancer had advanced so far that it could not be treated.
“IDOC clearly wants to continue their misconduct with impunity, hidden behind prison walls. Their complete disregard for the health and safety of people in prison should disgust every taxpayer in Illinois. If this was a private nursing home, the way these elders have been treated would trigger a state investigation, and the home would immediately be shut down,” said Alan Mills, executive director of Uptown People’s Law Center, which is co-counsel on all three lawsuits.
The contempt order on health care provided by IDOC fits a pattern of issues that the Department has failed to address in recent years. Prisoners with a mental illness, for example, have been in court since 2007 trying to force IDOC to provide them with meaningful treatment, represented by Equip for Equality, Dentons, and Uptown People’s Law Center. In May 2016, a settlement was reached in which IDOC agreed to make dozens of changes to ensure that prisoners received the treatment they needed.
Also yesterday, the federal court monitor’s sixth annual report on mental health care in IDOC was filed with the court, which found prison officials had failed to comply with almost every remaining term of the settlement—from hiring needed staff, to providing out-of-cell recreation and treatment. Even the most seriously ill prisoners in the Department’s residential treatment units received virtually no treatment and many were locked in their cells nearly 24 hours per day most days. In the face of these findings, prison officials declared they no longer had any obligation to comply with the settlement. Now, the plaintiff class—over 11,000 people with mental illness in Illinois prisons—must return to court, to prove their case all over again.
Prisoners who are deaf and hard of hearing also sued the prison system in 2011, represented by Equip for Equality, the National Association of the Deaf, Uptown People’s Law Center, and Winston & Strawn. In July 2018, a court order was entered by agreement which required prison officials to provide the accommodations necessary to allow deaf and hard of hearing prisoners to communicate effectively. A key step was to have all eligible prisoners examined by an audiologist to determine the degree of their hearing loss. On August 3rd of this year, the federal court found that for the first two years after the consent decree was entered, IDOC did virtually nothing, and did not make a reasonable effort as required by the court order to get prisoners an audiologist exam. As a result, rather than prompt evaluation, prisoners had to wait many months, and sometimes as long as two years before they were evaluated by an audiologist, let alone actually provided needed accommodations such as hearing aids. Only in year three, after plaintiffs sought sanctions from the federal court, did they make any real effort to comply.
The contempt order is here. The court monitor’s report is here.
I’ve asked the governor’s office for comment. Stay tuned.
*** UPDATE *** From IDOC…
Lippert –
The Department has been moving forward with detailed plans to improve healthcare services, completed an implementation plan on time and is working closely with an expert on those plans. The Court hearing was about the procedural disagreements in finalizing the official implementation plan for this year. The Court has asked for a document that details the areas of disagreement so that it can rule on those disagreements. The Department has been working through issues with the monitor and that process continues. We expect to have a finalized document very soon.
Background
Judge Alonso held Defendants in contempt because of our “failure to comply with this Court’s orders respecting an implementation plan”
o The order that we did not follow was a requirement to
* Defendants shall submit a revised implementation plan to the monitor and Plaintiffs’ counsel by 4/20/22.
* The monitor shall respond to Defendants with any disagreements by 5/10/22.
* Defendants shall respond and submit the revised implementation plan back to the Court by 5/31/22.
* The Defendants are directed to make their consultant available for a conference with the monitor before 5/10/22.
o We did each of these tasks.
o The one thing that was mentioned on the record was that we were supposed to respond to the Monitor’s redlines when we tendered the revised implementation plan to the court on 5/31. This was not possible because the redlines that we had were to an early version of the plan so it was unclear what if any disputes still existed (based on the changes between the April plan and the May plan)
o In our response to Plaintiffs’ motion for contempt we outline 8 pages of general disagreements that we believed still existed based on the monitor’s comments. This was the best we could do because the Monitor never commented on the May plan.
Rasho –
The Department of Corrections has prevailed on numerous motions in the Rasho litigation, including findings that the Department’s efforts are appropriate and not a violation of its Constitutional obligations. Plaintiffs’ recent motions seeking a preliminary injunction and seeking contempt have all been denied and the prior injunction against the Department was vacated in full by the 7th Circuit. As a result of these rulings, the District Court denied Plaintiffs’ motion to extend the already multi-year consent decree, finding the agreement could no longer be enforced against the Department. The Department recently opened the first ever state of the art inpatient facility this summer and remains committed to ensuring appropriate mental health care and treatment for all individuals in its custody.
Holmes –
The Court recently issued an order finding the Department is in full compliance with its obligations under the Settlement Agreement to use best efforts to send individuals in custody to audiologists for failed hearing screenings for the last two years. The Court and the parties agreed that all of the Settlement Agreement would terminate based on the Department’s substantial compliance with the exception of one issue that will remain subject to Court oversight for a short period of time. On August 3, 2022, the court issued an order finding IDOC violated the now terminated provisions of the agreement in 2018 and 2019, but finding that the Department had since engaged in best efforts for at least two years.
…Adding… Press release…
Illinois State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) released the following statement after a federal court judge issued an order of contempt against the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) after the Department failed to take steps to improve health care for Illinois inmates and ignored court orders:
“Today’s announcement is just the most recent example of a long line of incidents that reveals the disturbing reality that the Pritzker Administration is incapable of ensuring that the state agencies under his control are protecting the people in their care.
“There are no good excuses and any spin that the Governor can use to justify the fact that under his watch state agencies have repeatedly failed the people of our state in the worst possible ways. We have had veterans lose their lives for his Administration’s inability to properly implement recommendations, countless children have suffered under the so-called care of the Department of Children and Family Services, and now we have a state agency that can’t even come up with a detailed plan in three years to address health care deficiencies for Illinois inmates.
“This latest incident begs the question of how many times and how many agencies will it take before the Governor accepts responsibility for these failures and finally takes action to do the right thing for the people hurt under his inaction and failed leadership?”
State Sen. Michael Hastings is suing Frankfort’s Police Department and alleges that unnamed employees of the department or Will County released “a fabricated police report with false claims” of domestic violence against him alleged by his wife, who he said he is divorcing.
A petition for discovery, filed last month, seeks records from Frankfort and Will County regarding who may have accessed the June 20, 2021, police report in which his wife alleged that Hastings was verbally abusive toward her and had, several months earlier, battered her at the Frankfort home they shared.
In the discovery request, attorneys for Hastings are seeking records of who electronically accessed and printed copies of the report and who those copies may have been given to. In a news release issued Tuesday, Hastings alleges copies of the report were released in an effort to hurt his reelection chances.
Such records are needed by Hastings, according to the filing, in order to pursue claims against those “who deliberately disseminated and published false statements of fact to third parties.”
The Senate Republicans have made Hastings a priority this year, even tracking him at times, so he may be trying to get this story out there before they attack him. Hastings is up against Republican Patrick Sheehan.
Within the Motion, Hasting alleges claims of Defamation, False Light Invasion of Privacy, and related torts from the publication of false statements of fact in a police report that the Frankfort Police Department prepared on or about June 20, 2021. […]
Additionally, Hastings goes on to explain, in substantial detail, the contents of the “sealed” police reports, which we believe constitutes his waiver of any claim for having them sealed, and based on this new filing they need unsealed so the public will know what is happening within their court systems and with their elected state Senator.
The police report indicates Hasting’s wife complained of him being verbally abusive and that he battered her – both of which Hastings claims in this filing to be false. He follows this with claiming the police report was a false statement of fact and it was distributed to third parties.
No word yet from his spouse.
*** UPDATE *** Sen. Hastings posted a statement on Facebook…
Senator Michael Hastings filed a lawsuit seeking discovery from the Frankfort Police Department to determine whether any Frankfort employees republished defamatory statements about him by releasing, without authorization, a fabricated police report. The report contains false claims by his estranged wife to pressure him during his divorce proceedings during his re-election campaign. Hastings, filed for divorce against his wife because of her infidelity with another man. The police report she filed contains multiple falsehood involving “domestic violence” which never occurred.
The police report as written accuses Hastings of an alleged event that occurred seven months prior to his wife making the statement to the police, to which, Senator Hastings vehemently denies. Then she explicitly stated that she did not want police to investigate the matter, nor did she want the senator to be interviewed. Further, no investigation was conducted by the Frankfort Police Department and the matter was closed.
The divorce proceedings began in 2021 after Hastings discovered that his wife was having a long term, eight-month secret affair with another individual. This came to light after Senator Hastings discovered excessive amounts of text messages and late-night phone calls, some of which lasted more than two hours after midnight, in addition to geolocation information pinning his estranged wife at her paramour’s residence.
To make matters worse, Hasting’s wife then communicated with two of his known political adversaries’ and conspired with them to smear and defame him to gain a litigation advantage during the divorce proceedings through an underhanded pressure campaign.
“My whole focus has been to ensure that in this unfortunate divorce proceedings, the interests of our two young children are protected and they would be spared from this trauma,” Hastings said. “But, someone within the Frankfort Police Department, working with my wife, produced a police report to which I was never contacted or investigated, in which my wife makes false allegations of domestic violence that never occurred. That information was then intentionally leaked to the news media in a sinister attempt to influence the elections, hurt me politically by tarnishing my reputation, and turning the divorce around to blame the divorce on me by using these false domestic violence accusations. She wanted to turn her infidelity away from herself and put it all on me.”
Hastings, an Iraq war veteran who served as State Senator for the 19th District for 10 years, said that the sole purpose of the false police report was to create a political narrative that could be used to undermine his re-election campaign.
“To exploit a family’s personal problems for political gain is reprehensible, and I will be filing subsequent legal actions to defend my reputation in the court of law” Hastings said.
