Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday that he and state health officials will no longer be holding daily coronavirus briefings, but will provide updates “as needed.”
Pritzker said he and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike will end in-person COVID-19 updates because coronavirus numbers are “moving in the right direction.”
“I’ll start with some housekeeping that might bring some relief to our tireless press corps this holiday season,” Pritzker said. “We are moving away from daily press conferences, and instead returning to an as-needed basis.”
Friday marked the 42nd consecutive weekday coronavirus press briefing for the Illinois officials and the 155th since the pandemic began.
He took a break from them last summer and then ramped back up in the fall.
* Manny Sanchez is out as chairman of the Sports Facilities Authority. No word yet on why.
* The Senate has a new spring session schedule. Click here. It’s easier to cancel days than add them, so don’t count on the chamber being in session all of those days. No lame duck session days have yet been scheduled, although Senate President Harmon told me several days ago that he had asked his members to set aside the five days before inauguration, which would mean a January 8th return. And, of course, we’re still waiting on the House to issue its own calendar. The Senate apparently got tired of waiting.
* The SDems also released a list of new laws. Click here.
Governor JB Pritzker today announced the administration has provided over $1.3 billion in funding this year for businesses and families through COVID-19 emergency assistance programs. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has so far overseen the distribution of $214 million in funding to over 7,500 small businesses through the Business Interruption Grants program, with the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) providing more than $269 million in funding to 4,987 childcare providers through the same program. DCEO also oversees the Help for Illinois Families Initiative which includes programs that offer energy assistance to Illinois residents in need as well as emergency assistance for rent, temporary shelter and other necessities. The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) has provided $325 million in emergency rental and mortgage assistance to 54,500 families.
“Over the summer, in partnership with the General Assembly, I announced a series of programs dedicated to supporting our small businesses and our working families hit hard by the economic impacts of COVID-19 – and structuring each with a significant on equity, ensuring that disproportionately impacted communities receive their fair share of support,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m especially proud to say Illinois led the nation in ensuring that our CARES dollars went to the front lines of the economic dislocation impacting the lives of the people we serve. From housing assistance to grants for small business impacted by the virus, the efforts launched by my administration amount to a unique and historic effort in Illinois to mitigate this virus’s devastating effects on the health and livelihoods of the residents of this state. While there is so much need that is still unmet and for which we need further support from Congress, Illinois has been a leader in protecting workers and small businesses with our CARES Act dollars.”
Help for Illinois Families Program
As of today, DCEO has provided $93 million in emergency funding to more than 155,000 households across the state through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grants (CSBG) programs, which are both part of the Help for Illinois Families initiative. Launched by the administration in June, the $275 million initiative was created to assist the growing number of families experiencing economic hardship as a result of COVID-19 by directing additional funding from the federal CARES Act and an expanded eligibility threshold to ensure more families statewide could benefit from assistance on utilities and other basic household bills.
“Given the enormous economic challenges facing many in our state as a result of COVID-19, state programs like Help for Illinois Families are being provided to help residents across our communities make ends meet,” said DCEO Director Erin Guthrie. “Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, DCEO is proud that we’ve made record investments to serve more families this year, as part of more than $1 billion in aid launched so support communities in the wake of the crisis. For those still struggling– it’s not too late to apply, and we encourage that families in need reach out to DCEO or our community agency partners for help with basic household needs that may currently be out of reach.”
As a result of the Governor’s investments in this program, more than$80 million has been provided to 119,000 households for LIHEAP, with more than$13 million in direct client assistance costs provided to 36,000 households as part of the CSBG program. Funding has been provided to families in all 102 counties statewide, with tens of thousands of new households served so far this program year.
The Pritzker administration worked with the General Assembly to expand the program’s eligibility requirements to boost the income eligibility threshold to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, making an additional 1 million residents eligible for the program. The administration also adjusted requirements to LIHEAP to make it possible for undocumented families to receive assistance through the program for the first time.
“Since the pandemic has begun, CEDA has seen an unprecedented increase in the number of individuals seeking help with making ends meet,” said Harold Rice, Jr., Chief Executive Officer and President, CEDA. “Thankfully, the Governor’s Help for Illinois Families program recognizes the urgent needs our neighbors face as they struggle to pay bills, and provides critical assistance that will allow them to provide for their families and rebuild. We remain committed to ensuring every family has peace of mind during these challenging times.”
While many have already benefitted, the administration is urging families to claim the more than $180 million which remains available to help offset costs on heating, utilities, water, rent, food and other forms of basic assistance. To make applying for relief funding easy, DCEO has taken steps to streamline the process, providing a new virtual application process, technical assistance and other infrastructure that allows residents to complete the application from the comfort of their home. A new Help for Illinois Families hotline launched earlier this year offers assistance in over 30 languages, and CAAs provide services in a variety of languages to ensure access for all communities.
“The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) has certainly been on the frontlines of assisting families and individuals during this COVID -19 pandemic utilizing the Governor’s Help for Illinois Families programs,” said Dalitso Sulamoyo, Chief Executive Officer of CCRPC. “Our staff have applied a combination of approaches to be able to reach many families and individuals who have not sought our assistance in the past so that they get the help they desperately need during this challenging moment of our history. We are appreciative of Governor Pritzker’s leadership in ensuring that Illinois’s families and individuals are able to get the help they need.”
This program remains open and is accepting applications. For more information on how to apply and to find out about relief programs available near you, please visit www.helpillinoisfamilies.com today.
Business Interruption Grants
The Business Interruption Grant (BIG) program is a $540 million initiative Governor Pritzker developed in partnership with the Illinois General Assembly to provide economic relief for small businesses hit hardest by COVID-19. BIG is the largest program of its kind in the nation and uses federal CARES Act funds to provide grants to businesses in need. The program devotes $270 million for childcare businesses, and $270 million for all other small businesses demonstrating a significant impact or limited ability to operate during the pandemic.
DCEO, which oversaw the small business portion of the BIG program, recently concluded the second round of applications for grant funding. To date, the department has issued more than $214 million in grants to over 7,500 businesses statewide, using an equity framework to ensure that the hardest hit businesses in the hardest hit geographies would be prioritized for funding. As a result, grants have been deployed to a wide range of businesses representing more than 500 cities across the state, with nearly half of the grants provided to minority owned businesses, $98 million for restaurants and taverns, and nearly $80 million for downstate businesses. Moreover, the program has helped direct funding for the smallest and most vulnerable businesses in the state, with 85 percent committed to the smallest sized businesses, those with revenues of $1 million or less.
DCEO continues to review applications for the program and will make grants weekly over the next several weeks. BIG applicants will be notified if they will receive a grant award by December 30, 2020. More information on the DCEO program can be found here: https://www2.illinois.gov/dceo/SmallBizAssistance/pages/c19disadvantagedbusgrants.aspx.
As part of the broader BIG program, IDHS facilitated the release of $270 million in funding to aid child care providers across the state through the Child Care Restoration Grants (CCRG). The grants leveraged funds received by the state from the CARES Act, making Illinois the only state to dedicate this level of federal aid for child care programs.
“Under the bold and compassionate leadership of Governor Pritzker, one of our administration’s top priorities is investment in early childhood programs and the workforce that powers it – child care providers, teachers, and other caregivers. Providing support to these essential workers is critical to our economic recovery and getting families back to work. Thousands of children and families will benefit from the BIG grants. We will continue to work alongside DCEO, to help childcare businesses across the state get every dollar possible to help rebuild after an unprecedented pandemic,” said Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Secretary Grace Hou.
Beginning in March, the majority of child care programs closed due to COVID-19, with the exception of providers who served the children of essential workers. The CCRG program offered relief to child care programs, with priority given to child care businesses serving disproportionately impacted areas.
“Operating a child care center during a pandemic has been difficult on many levels. The extra expenses we are incurring (cleaning supplies, PPE, extra staffing expenses), combined with a lowered capacity, make an already tight budget even tighter. We are thankful for the Child Care Restoration Grant,” said Chris Gansauer of Magic Building Block Child Care Center in Fairview Heights.
IDHS has released a total of $270 million in grant funding to nearly five thousand child-care providers located across the state. All outstanding BIG grantee applications will receive notification regarding potential funding by December 30, 2020.
“The grant worked well for me because it allowed me to continue to pay my assistant and keep my day care opened during these very low attendance months I am having due to COVID-19. I was able to continue my day to day operation without having to worry about closing down and losing my home or car due to inadequate income,” said home child care provider Monica Pierce.
Emergency Housing Assistance
In August, Governor Pritzker and IHDA announced two programs to help renters and homeowners who have lost a job or income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the Emergency Rental Assistance and Emergency Mortgage Assistance Programs, IHDA allocated $325 million to help income-eligible residents across the state pay their rent or mortgage during the pandemic.
“Stable housing is essential to help Illinois families stay safe during this crisis, and IHDA remains committed to providing this critical support to the families and communities who have been hit hardest by the pandemic,” said IHDA Executive Director Kristin Faust. “Under the leadership of the Pritzker administration, IHDA mobilized to disburse these funds as equitably and as quickly as possible to provide much needed security against eviction and foreclosure, and we will continue to work diligently to help struggling households access this assistance before the end of 2020.”
Through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA), IHDA offered funding to support Illinois tenants unable to pay their rent due to a COVID-19-related loss of income. Eligible tenants whose applications were approved received a one-time grant of $5,000 paid directly to their landlord to cover missed rent payments beginning March 2020, as well as prepay on payments through this month, or until the $5,000 is exhausted. IHDA received nearly 79,000 applications for the program and assisted 38,000 households with rental payments.
IHDA also aided homeowners who experienced a COVID-19 related loss of income resulting in past due mortgage balances starting in March 2020. The Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (EMA) provided eligible homeowners with up to $25,000 in grants paid directly to their mortgage servicer. The assistance provided covered the homeowner’s past due or forbearance balance and their regular mortgage payments through the end of this month, or until the funding was exhausted. IHDA received more than 18,000 applications and to date have assisted about 9,500 homeowners with $84 million total in grants. Applications for both programs have closed and repayment is not required.
Financial assistance for both housing programs was funded through Illinois’ allocation of federal Coronavirus Relief Funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136). Passed in March 2020, the CARES Act provided $3.5 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds to the State of Illinois to help residents and businesses impacted by the pandemic. In May, the Illinois General Assembly directed this funding to IHDA to provide direct assistance to struggling renters and homeowners.
Local CURE Program
The Pritzker administration worked with the Illinois General Assembly and local government partners to launch the Local Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency (CURE) program, aimed at leveraging federal CARES Act dollars to help municipalities reimburse costs incurred during the ongoing pandemic.
To date, more than $158 million has been paid out or is in the pipeline to help over 700 downstate communities cover the costs of COVID-19. This funding provides an essential boost, with funds that can be used for: PPE, payroll, contact tracing and other emergency public health expenses. Reimbursable expenses must be incurred between March 1 – December 30, 2020.
While a significant amount of payments have been made to date, much more funding remains available, and nearly 350 local governments have yet to claim their allotted costs. DCEO is working to support the remainder of cities and towns with submitting eligible costs through the program and has facilitated over 4,000 direct calls and emails to assist local leaders and to get the word out about the program. As a result of extensive outreach and technical assistance, payments to local governments through the program have more than doubled in the last month alone.
It’s not too late to claim costs through this program. The state of Illinois and DCEO continue to urge local governments to take advantage of their allocation and to leave no costs on the table. The program will continue accepting applications for eligible expenses through January 31, 2020. For more on Local CURE and to determine eligibility, please visit: https://www2.illinois.gov/dceo/Pages/CURE.aspx.
Yates told me I wasn’t asking the right questions. What I should have been asking was about how the coronavirus vaccine will implant people with the biblical “mark of the beast” from the Book of Revelation and allow them to be taken over by Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates.
* Catholic Conference of Illinois…
Recent days have brought hopeful news to the global fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. A COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by federal regulators, shipped across the country and used to inoculate front-line health care workers. Authorization of another vaccine appears imminent.
As a faith community concerned about the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, we realize that many may be questioning the moral permissibility of these vaccines. We, the Catholic bishops of Illinois, join entirely the document released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Moral Considerations Regarding the New COVID-19 Vaccines.” The document offers a detailed analysis of the origin of current vaccines and concludes that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are morally acceptable. We urge all Catholics to read this document.
We thank the dedicated health care workers who have tended to and comforted those afflicted by the coronavirus, as well as their families. We express our gratitude to the resourceful scientists who have produced vaccines in record time and offer encouragement to those pursuing additional remedies. And we pray for all affected by this global health crisis, be it from the death of a loved one, illness from the virus, financial hardship or isolation from families and friends.
* Press release…
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a total of $9.709 million in federal funding to Illinois to provide critical COVID-19 public health infrastructure support, such as data monitoring capabilities, for vaccination distribution and administration. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will receive $6,691,329 for vaccine distribution, laboratory support, and other activities, and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) will receive $3,017,831 for these coronavirus response efforts.
Healthcare workers who treated the first COVID-19 cases in Illinois back in January at St. Alexius Hospital in Hoffman Estates are now getting inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine Friday.
“Today, I feel hopeful, because you know we’re able to get the vaccine now,” said Registered Nurse Claire Antemann.
The hospital made headlines almost a year ago when the second known COVID-19 case in the country walked through the doors and soon after, her spouse became the first person-to-person transmission of the virus in the U.S.
Friday, some of the frontline workers, physicians, nurses and more that helped care for that exact couple, is getting care themselves with a shot in the arm.
Pfizer is pushing back on the Trump administration’s suggestion that the company is having trouble producing its COVID-19 vaccine, saying it’s ready to ship millions more doses – once the government asks for them. As the company spoke out, several states said their vaccine allocations for next week have been sharply reduced.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine:
“The Attending Physician of the Capitol notified all Members of Congress and staff that, consistent with Presidential Policy Directive, Congress and the Supreme Court – along with Executive Branch agencies – would be provided and encouraged administration of the COVID-19 vaccine to meet the requirements for continuity of government operations. Therefore, I received my first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination today. I trust our public health and medical experts and encourage everyone, in consultation with your personal physician, to do the same as the distribution process continues so we can collectively end this pandemic.”
* The Case for Vaccinating Prisoners: For example, a study of the Cook County Jail in Chicago early in the pandemic found that inmates going in and out of the facility accounting for 55 percent of the variance in case rates across zip codes in Chicago and 37 percent in Illinois. Neighborhoods where prisoners were being released, in other words, had higher rates of infection.
The 34-year-old Illinois House Deputy Minority Leader has most recently been in the news as the leading Republican on the House Special Investigating Committee of Democratic Speaker Michael Madigan. He’s also one of the House Republicans’ lead negotiators on the state budget and Medicaid legislation.
“Tom, I think, fits the profile of what the Republican Party needs to put forward in this next election cycle,” Durkin said in a phone call this week, praising Demmer’s budget skills and ability to distill the complicated document into “common language.”
Jeffrey Brincat – a political donor who supported Rauner’s two campaigns, was appointed by the former governor to the Illinois Racing Board and served as finance chair on the campaigns of former U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk and former U.S. Rep. Bob Dold, both Republicans – said in a phone call this week he will also back Demmer.
Whether for governor, U.S. Senate or another position, he has not decided.
I actually like Demmer a lot and think he would be a good face for his party. Personally, I hope he runs for reelection because I think he’s a highly valuable member of Durkin’s team. But, hey, I get it, people catch the move-up itch. As a friend said today, maybe he’ll wind up running for Congress if Adam Kinzinger aims for governor. The state would be fortunate to have him in DC.
It’s just kinda odd that CNI would expend so much energy on a story about a legislator who hasn’t yet decided what office to seek.
State and local governments face about $500 billion in revenue shortfalls from the pandemic, spread over three fiscal years, research published this fall by the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity estimates. […]
Calculations from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office support the case for more aid, concluding that money for states and localities provided the most cost-effective economic boost of any of the provisions in the first wave of economic assistance this spring. […]
Influential conservative groups like Americans for Tax Reform and Heritage Action for America have called the issue a “red line for conservatives.”
“When you have less money, it makes you do reforms to reduce spending,” said Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Don’t bail them out,” he said, “or there will be no normal budget discipline.”
The CBO report is here. Of all the items in the spring stimulus package, the aid to state and local governments had the best projected GDP return, including direct payments to individuals. Also, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics said several months ago that the $500 billion in revenue shortfalls could shrink GDP by 2 percent.
Six of the seven states that are expected to suffer the biggest revenue declines over the next two years are red — states led by Republican governors and won by President Trump this year, according to a report from Moody’s Analytics.
States are still broadly hurting from the economic crisis. But California now expects a one-time windfall this fiscal year. Wisconsin said it might still be able to sock away some revenue in its rainy day fund. Maryland nudged up its projected revenues, for the second time this fall. And Minnesota now forecasts a surplus.
This good news reflects in part the dire economic expectations of six months ago; even modest numbers look good now compared with the worst fears written into state budgets in the spring. And state officials say they’ll still need federal help, as they expect the pandemic’s effects to drag on for years and to batter local governments. Federal help, after all, is part of what has buoyed them so far.
The states with rosier forecasts also complicate the political fight in Washington over state aid, which is likely to get pushed into the new year after lawmakers dropped the aid from a year-end stimulus deal nearing completion. Republicans have characterized state aid as a bailout for profligate blue states. But many states that are looking better now have among the most progressive tax structures in the country, and that is part of what has rescued them this year.
This recession, distinct from many before it, has piled its worst effects on low-wage workers. That means that state budgets that rely the most on wealthier residents to fund government haven’t been hurt as much by an economic crisis that left the well-off largely unscathed. [Emphasis added]
Many of the same people who are now arguing against federal money for state and local governments also argued against a graduated income tax here. Just sayin…
* Good to see the test positivity rate fall below 10 percent. Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 7,377 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 181 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 1 male 80s
- Boone County: 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
- Cass County: 1 female 70s
- Clay County: 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Cook County: 2 males 40s, 2 females 50s, 4 males 50s, 6 females 60s, 8 males 60s, 7 females 70s, 14 males 70s, 11 females 80s, 9 males 80s, 8 females 90s, 5 males 90s
- Cumberland County: 1 male 90s
- DeKalb County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
- Douglas County: 1 male 90s
- DuPage County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Effingham County: 1 female 100+
- Ford County: 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Fulton County: 1 male 80s
- Grundy County: 1 male 80s
- Hancock County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
- Iroquois County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
- Jasper County: 1 male 80s
- Jefferson County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 80s
- Jersey County: 1 female 90s
- Kane County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
- Kankakee County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- Knox County: 1 male 70s
- Lake County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 3 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 5 females 90s
- LaSalle County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
- Lawrence County: 1 male 70s
- Livingston County: 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s
- Logan County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Madison County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s
- Marion County: 1 female 50s, 2 males 70s
- McHenry County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- McLean County: 1 female 60s
- Morgan County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Ogle County: 1 male 70s
- Peoria County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Rock Island County: 2 males 70s
- Sangamon County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 90s
- Shelby County: 1 male 70s
- St. Clair County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Stephenson County: 1 male 80s
- Tazewell County: 2 females 80s, 1 male 90s, 1 female 100+
- Warren County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Wayne County: 1 male 70s
- White County: 1 female 70s
- Whiteside County: 1 female 80s
- Will County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 3 males 80s, 1 male 90s
- Williamson County: 1 male 60s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- Woodford County: 2 females 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 886,805 cases, including 15,015 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 112,292 specimens for a total 12,259,595. As of last night, 4,690 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,023 patients were in the ICU and 589 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from December 11 – December 17, 2020 is 8.0%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from December 11 – December 17, 2020 is 9.7%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for a death previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
Attorneys have launched multiple investigations on behalf of families whose loved ones died from COVID-19 following exposure at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home.
The families of Korean War veterans Richard Cieski and Anthony Samolinski want to know how the facility could have failed to protect the men, who shared a lunch table, from the novel coronavirus.
Since reporting began in March, the veterans home has reported 209 infections and 33 COVID-19 related deaths. A massive outbreak at the state-run facility in November led to 75 veterans and 48 staff members testing positive for the virus. Media reports say that many staff members attended an off-site Halloween party that might have led to the outbreak, the second experienced by the veterans facility. Other reports indicate that staff members were given 3-day tests for the virus and continued to work at the facility during the 3-day period while they awaited results. The state’s Dept. of Veterans Affairs has admitted that hand sanitizer used at the facility was found ineffective against the virus.
The home had a previous outbreak in May that resulted in 53 coronavirus cases and two deaths.
Levin & Perconti, a law firm nationally renowned for its work representing victims in nursing home abuse and neglect cases, is working with the Cieski and Samlinski families to investigate the causes of the November outbreak and could file lawsuits on their behalf. The firm has already filed suits on behalf of COVID victims in a dozen private nursing homes across the state.
“What we’ve seen in looking at other cases is that there’s a consistent pattern of gross negligence among facilities where these massive outbreaks happen,” said Levin & Perconti founding partner Steven Levin. “There are well-documented ways to protect nursing home residents from infection, clearly outlined in federal guidelines, but when leaders fail to put those protocols into practice, we see the results. These are predictable and avoidable tragedies.”
* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Legislative Liaison goes to Amanda Elliot at ISBE…
Amanda is the go to person at ISBE for legislators, lobbyists and staff. She knows her stuff. She’s passionate and believes in what she is working on. She always returns calls and emails and I wouldn’t want to be on the other side of any bill she is against!
* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Statewide Staffer goes to Ellen Andres with the Comptroller’s Office…
As you may have seen, she was profiled in a number of articles for taking extreme measures early on during the COVID crisis - when much was unknown and people were experiencing a lot of fear - to ensure that PPE could be obtained by the state for front line service providers. This included a 3.5 hour race against the clock down I-55 to make a payment to a vendor who then deposited a check to purchase PPE in China.
Her office never closed. Staff was rotated in and managed in shifts on site so that payments - many millions of checks - have been delivered.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike received some nominations, but I don’t consider an agency director to be a staffer. Also, as I mentioned several days ago, I unilaterally awarded her the 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best State Agency Director.
* On to today’s category…
Lifetime Achievement
This can be for an elected official, lobbyist, staff member, etc. The person doesn’t have to be retired or deceased. But it would probably be helpful if the person did something particularly important this crazy year, as well as in prior years. And, as always, please make sure to explain your nomination or it won’t count. Thanks.
Guns were drawn, even on small children, when Chicago officers raided a family’s home. Dave Savini is investigating why this happened and how this family will never be the same.
“One guy said you better shut the F up if you know any better,” said Peter Mendez.
Peter was 9 when the trauma began. It was dinner time when Chicago police busted his front door open, invading his family’s home.
“Assault rifles, maybe like a few pistols,” Peter recalled.
His little brother Jack was by his side that night shaking with fear. […]
The CBS 2 investigators found officers from the 11th district used a search warrant filled with mistakes, even the judge’s printed name as required by police order is missing.
In fact, police tell CBS2 they don’t even have their own copy of the warrant or any record the warrant even exists.
“I think the Chicago Police Department needs to be held accountable. They came in and tore our home up. They tore our lives upside down, and we’ve never been the same,” said Hester Mendez.
She says police refused to show her the warrant but after an hour of searching she caught a glimpse of it and saw the two people actually named in the warrant lived in a different unit in that same apartment building.
Last year Peter Mendez tearfully told his story of police wrongly raiding his home and pointing guns at him and his family. Now he is thrilled because Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Peter Mendez Act this week.
It’s a new law to protect kids and is the result of a CBS 2 investigation. […]
[Sen. Jacqueline Collins, D-Chicago] sponsored the legislation requiring police training on how children experience trauma by police actions and training on de-escalation tactics for when children are involved.
* The Sun-Times published a letter from Sen. Collins today…
What remedy exists for what happened to Anjanette Young in February 2019? What restitution is truly just when police, acting on poor information, raided her home and handcuffed her while she was naked and pleading with them, only to be yelled at and told to calm down?
Nearly two years later, there has been no disciplinary action against the officers. Indeed, we only heard of Anjanette’s terrifying situation 22 months after it occurred, following what appears to be a coordinated, bureaucratic effort to deny giving her footage of the incident from officers’ body cameras.
The City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department remain more concerned with covering up these wrongful raids than stopping them.
Ms. Young was not guilty of any crime, and police raided her house in error. As I made clear when I sponsored the Peter Mendez Act (Public Act 101-224) mandating better training in the event of raids on homes where children are present, raids like these are civil rights violations.
Bursting into the home of someone who has not been convicted of a crime and handcuffing them naked, then forcing them to air this indignity publicly to have any hope for justice, is a civil rights violation whether or not that person is eventually convicted of a crime. These actions are not about public safety or deterring criminal activity. It is about sending a message that police may do as they please.
More than a year since the documentary “[un]warranted” aired young Peter Mendez’s story, people like Peter’s family and like Anjanette Young must fight tooth and nail for Chicago to even acknowledge the wrongs done to them. This cannot stand. We must see accountability on the part of the Chicago Police Department and the City of Chicago.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday acknowledged that she has known since November 2019 that Chicago police officers handcuffed a naked woman during a mistaken raid of her home in February 2019. […]
Lightfoot acknowledged that the raid — and efforts by city lawyers to prevent Young from getting a copy of the video and to stop CBS2-TV from publishing the video — had damaged her efforts to reform the Chicago Police Department. […]
Officers will now need a top department official to sign off on a no-knock warrant, Brown said. Those warrants will only be approved in cases where there is an imminent risk to someone’s health and safety, Brown said.
Lightfoot on Wednesday said she would not suspend the practice of no-knock warrants, which allow officers to enter a home without announcing themselves, like the one that occurred in Young’s home.
I do not understand why anyone even asks for no-knock warrants if there’s no imminent threat. But the complete lack of humanity displayed by officers in the Anjanette Young case (and others) certainly makes a strong case for much stronger police reforms in general, including strict and tough licensing.
* The BND has a really good story about 2020 today, but here’s a brief excerpt…
Lack of awareness or recognition of the pandemic’s deadliness costs lives, and not just those who are sick with COVID-19, said Dr. Jeff Ripperda, a family medicine doctor at Shawnee Healthcare in Murphysboro.
He had to send a terminally ill cancer patient to a hospital more than a hundred miles away because all the local intensive care units were taken by COVID-19 patients. She needed intensive care to help her die a peaceful death.
“The problem that she ran into? There were no beds available for her. She wasn’t able to stay in Murphysboro because she was too sick. Carbondale, no ICU beds. Herrin, no ICU beds. Marion, no ICU beds. Cape Girardeau, no ICU beds. The metro-east, no ICU beds.
“Someone who wants to go to a bar on Friday night might say ‘that has nothing to do with me’ but they’re wrong, it has everything to do with them.”
A close family member of mine had the very same problem getting admitted to a hospital this week.
If Speaker Madigan wants to continue in a position of enormous public trust with such a serious ethical cloud hanging over his head, then he has to, at the very least, be willing to stand in front of the press and the people to answer every last question to their satisfaction. Written statements and dodged investigatory hearings are not going to cut it. If the speaker cannot commit to that level of transparency, then the time has come for him to resign as speaker.
* From Gov. Pritzker’s news media conference on Tuesday…
Q: The committee looking into Madigan concluded yesterday, and the speaker did not testify, nor has he come out and answered all the questions from the press, or residents of the state. Should Madigan step down as speaker?
A: Well I’ve said time and time again that the speaker needs to answer questions. These are very troubling allegations against him. And the next phase of this is clearly in the hands of the General Assembly, but I’m really disappointed that with the forum of the special committee that that was not taken up as an opportunity to answer questions. But listen, the speaker can call a press conference today, he can call one right now and answer questions and I would hope that he will.
So, as you just heard right there, the governor is no longer calling for the speaker’s resignation, but the speaker never answered any questions in front of the media.
* Maybe a quick check with the governor’s office before making such a bold statement, or perhaps even submitting a question to the governor himself Wednesday or Thursday? So, I checked in with Jordan Abudayyeh just in case I was the one who missed something…
The Governor’s stance on this issue remains the same. The people of Illinois deserve answers and just like the Governor said this week, he stands up and answers questions from the press every day. The Speaker can do the same.
The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District removed the food permit of Apple Dumplin’, 2014 N. High Cross Road, for continuing to serve indoors, but the restaurant continued to operate without the permit, according to health district Administrator Julie Pryde. […]
Earlier Wednesday, Flanigan contended it’s not illegal to serve indoors, and that he believes Gov. J.B. Pritzker would have had to turn to the state Legislature to pass a law banning indoor restaurant and bar service beyond 30 days of the original order back in March.
Apple Dumplin’ restaurant is now under a temporary court order forbidding its continued operation without a valid health permit.
In a hearing Thursday, Judge Benjamin Dyer ruled in favor of the Champaign County Public Health Department — which is staffed and run by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District — and granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting the restaurant at 2014 N. High Cross Road, U from operating as a food establishment without a health permit. […]
Apple Dumplin’ owners Jim and Kathryn Flaningam had continued to operate their restaurant with indoor service after health district authorities first issued warnings, then revoked the restaurant’s health permit last week. […]
After granting the county’s motion for a temporary restraining order, Dyer also denied a temporary restraining order sought by the Flaningams’ attorney, Thomas DeVore. That was in connection with a separate but related case the Flaningams filed against the Champaign County Public Health Department and Administrator Julie Pryde after their health permit was revoked.
These frivolous, downright harmful lawsuits need to end.
To change things in Illinois, Democrats first must take the courageous step to vote Madigan out of power. And then they must agree to reforms in House rules that start breaking down the hermetically-sealed decision-making structure Madigan has enjoyed all these years — so that we don’t replace him with someone else who can wield the same unchecked power.
