* Friday’s press release is here. Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs…
November 9, 2020
To residents, families or responsible parties, and staff of the Illinois Veterans Home at LaSalle:
We are committed to communicating with you in a responsible and transparent manner about COVID-19 (coronavirus). Today we want to update you regarding our COVID-19 status. At this time we have 62 positive residents and 69 positive employees. We are following the latest medical guidance and will work with state and local health officials regarding any possible quarantines and to ensure the full care, testing and protection of anyone potentially exposed.
As always, our top priority is the health and safety of our veteran heroes and the devoted staff who care for them. Throughout this pandemic we have been following recommendations from state and local health officials to safeguard everyone at the facility. This includes continuing our health screenings of staff and residents, maintaining social distancing practices, wearing face coverings, using gloves and gowns when indicated, and intensified cleaning and disinfection protocols. We are grateful to our team for remaining highly vigilant for signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and for responding swiftly, appropriately, and professionally to any potential cases.
We understand this news can be distressing, which is why we encourage you to contact your loved ones for mutual support of one another. While we conduct additional testing, we are taking the extra precaution to suspend all visitation until we have a clearer picture of our status. We appreciate your understanding and support for any precautions we may need to take. We promise to keep you informed as we do everything possible to keep our residents safe. Our military veterans and our wonderful home staff are strong and resilient people. With your continued support, we will get through this together.
Sincerely,
Angela Mehlbrech Administrator
What in the heck is going on over there?
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Bustos out at DCCC
Monday, Nov 9, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* NYT…
Representative Cheri Bustos of Illinois, the leader of the House Democrats’s campaign arm, told colleagues on Monday that she would not seek another term as chairwoman after she led her party to unexpected losses last week and only narrowly won her own re-election race.
In a letter to colleagues, Ms. Bustos conceded she had “hoped for better results” and was “gutted at the losses we sustained” even as she noted that she had delivered on “job No. 1,” maintaining the majority.
Ms. Bustos will remain in her position in the coming weeks, as Democrats continue to battle for a dozen or so seats where vote-counting continues. But she said she would not seek any other leadership post days after Democrats from the party’s moderate and progressive wings traded blame over the losses on a caucus conference call.
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Question of the day
Monday, Nov 9, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The tree is already up at the governor’s mansion…
* The Question: Caption?
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* One of the things I was most concerned about back in March was that the coronavirus could potentially cripple essential services like power generating stations, water and other utility plants as well as first responders. If we as a people do not start taking this resurgence more seriously, we are in for a world of hurt…
Thirty-seven Springfield firefighters are currently quarantined due to COVID-19 and from this number, 12 firefighters have tested positive. Among those who have tested positive is Springfield Fire Chief Allen Reyne.
The majority of firefighters came in to contact with an individual who was asymptomatic at an outside gathering, not on work time. The individual was not a Springfield firefighter. Since receiving test results, any employee who was in direct contact with patient zero or any firefighter who has tested positive, have been sent to have a COVID-19 test and asked to follow the guidance provided by the testing facility including quarantining.
The outbreak has had no impact on their operations other than an increase in overtime. There is a total of 214 sworn Springfield firefighters with the department.
* From last Tuesday…
Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder said today that he will defy the governor’s order and allow his city’s restaurants and bars to stay open with 25 percent indoor capacity. State mitigations forbid indoor dining and drinking because the IDPH region has surpassed an 8 percent positivity rate.
This same 25 percent strategy failed miserably in the Metro East when it was tried earlier this year, by the way. The mayor and county board chairman said they’ll be trying this policy out for a couple of weeks and then will reassess. It the county’s positivity rate is above 12 percent at that time, then the city and Sangamon County will drop its “phased approach.” Sangamon County’s average positivity rate is currently 9.8 percent.
In less than a week, the county’s seven-day positivity rate has jumped from 9.8 percent to 13.4 percent.
Heckuva job.
…Adding… WBEZ…
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker today is expected to announce tighter restrictions on DuPage, Kane, Will and Kankakee counties because of escalating coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, a source confirmed this morning.
That will mean outdoor dining will be limited to six people per table instead of 10, and maximum allowable gatherings will be limited to 10 people instead of 25 in those areas.
In Region 8, which covers DuPage and Kane counties, positivity rates have been climbing for 10 straight days, and COVID-related hospitalizations have risen for eight straight days, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data.
The rolling positivity rate over seven days is now at 13.3% in those collar counties, the state is reporting.
*** UPDATE *** The governor also added southern Illinois’ Region 5 to the list of tighter mitigations.
…Adding… Press release…
Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are announcing additional COVID-19 mitigation efforts that will be implemented in Region 5 (Southern Illinois), Region 7 (Will and Kankakee counties), and Region 8 (Kane and DuPage counties), beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, 2020. These regions are seeing a test positivity rate that remains above 8 percent and continues to rise after more than 14-days under Tier 1 mitigations, which exceeds the threshold set for establishing additional mitigation measures under the state’s Restore Illinois Resurgence Plan.
Region 5 has been under Tier 1 of the state’s resurgence mitigation plan since October 22 and Regions 7 and 8 since October 23, after seeing a 7-day rolling average test positivity rate of 8 percent or above for three consecutive days. However, the positivity rate has continued to significantly increase in these regions. Beginning November 11, Regions 5, 7, and 8 will face additional mitigations, such as a tighter gathering cap of 10 individuals rather than 25 and new table caps of six rather than 10 when eating out.
“The situation has worsened considerably in certain areas of the state, with massive increases in the rates of community transmission specifically in three regions. As a result, Regions 5, 7 and 8 – that’s Southern Illinois, and Chicago’s South and Western Suburbs – will join Region 1, Northwestern Illinois, in Tier 2 of our resurgence mitigations starting Wednesday,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Mitigations are only effective if they are followed. The end goal of mitigating the damage the virus is doing to people’s lives is this: keep as much of our economy and our schools as open as possible in a safe manner, and when risk rates in the community surge up, take meaningful action to bring things back down in order to protect ourselves and the people we love.”
“We continue to see COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths increase,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Science tells us that when you are in close contact with someone, there is an increased risk for virus transmission. We must reduce the opportunities for the virus to spread. Only when the virus can no longer sustainably spread can we end this pandemic. It will take all of us working together, so please, be part of the solution and not the problem and help us reduce the risk of spread.”
For Regions 5, 7, and 8, additional mitigation measures taking effect November 11 include the following:
Bars and Restaurants
Reduce party size from 10 to six individuals
Meetings, Social Events and Gatherings
Maximum indoor/outdoor gathering size of 10 individuals
Applicable to professional, cultural and social group gatherings
This does not reduce the overall facility capacity dictated by general business guidance, such as office, retail, etc.
Not applicable to students participating in-person classroom learning
Not applicable to sports, see sports guidance
Organized Group Recreational Activities
Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25 percent of overall room capacity both indoors and outdoors
Groups limited to 10 individuals or fewer
Does not apply to fitness centers
These mitigations do not apply to schools.
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* Highest number of hospitalizations since May 13. Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 10,573 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 14 additional deaths.
- Carroll County: 1 male 60s
- Coles County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s
- Cook County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s, 3 males 80s, 1 male 90s
- DuPage County: 1 female 80s
- LaSalle County: 1 male 70s
- Macoupin County: 1 female 90s
- Tazewell County: 1 female 70s
- Will County: 1 female over 100
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 498,560 cases, including 10,210 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 64,760 specimens for a total 8,469,064. As of last night, 4,409 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 857 patients were in the ICU and 376 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from November 2 – November 8 is 11.4%. This is the number that IDPH has been consistently reporting in its daily releases and is calculated using total cases over total tests. Similar to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH has been using test positivity for regional mitigation metrics on its website since mid-July. Test positivity is calculated using the number of COVID-19 positive tests over total tests. On October 29, 2020, IDPH began reporting the statewide test positivity in its daily releases. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from November 2, 2020 – November 8, 2020 is 12.4%.
Case positivity and test positivity rate are both relevant and offer insight into the bigger COVID-19 picture. Case positivity helps us understand whether changes in the number of confirmed cases is due to more testing or due to more infections. Whereas, test positivity accounts for repeated testing and helps us understand how the virus is spreading in the population over time.
Following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, beginning November 6, 2020 and going forward, IDPH will report confirmed cases and probable cases combined. A confirmed case is laboratory confirmed via molecular test. A probable case meets clinical criteria AND is epidemiologically linked or has a positive antigen test. If a probable case is later confirmed, the case will be deduplicated and will only be counted once. Probable deaths and confirmed deaths will continue to be reported separately.
*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. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
* Sunday…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 10,009 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 42 additional deaths.
Champaign County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 60s
Cook County: 1 male 30s, 1 female 50s, 2 females 60s, 3 males 60s, 1 male 70s, 3 females 80s, 8 males 80s, 4 females 90s, 3 males 90s, 1 female 100+
DuPage County: 1 female 70s
Franklin County: 1 female 70s
Hancock County: 1 male 70s
Kane County: 1 female 80s
Lake County: 1 male 90s
LaSalle County: 1 female 90s
Macon County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Madison County: 1 female 80s
Moultrie County: 1 female 90s
Vermilion County: 1 male 80s
Will County: 1 male 80s
Winnebago County: 1 female 60s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 487,987 cases, including 10,196 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 90,757 specimens for a total 8,404,304. As of last night, 4,303 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 833 patients were in the ICU and 368 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from November 1 – November 7 is 10.6%. This is the number that IDPH has been consistently reporting in its daily releases and is calculated using total cases over total tests. Similar to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH has been using test positivity for regional mitigation metrics on its website since mid-July. Test positivity is calculated using the number of COVID-19 positive tests over total tests. On October 29, 2020, IDPH began reporting the statewide test positivity in its daily releases. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from November 1, 2020 – November 7, 2020 is 12.0%.
Case positivity and test positivity rate are both relevant and offer insight into the bigger COVID-19 picture. Case positivity helps us understand whether changes in the number of confirmed cases is due to more testing or due to more infections. Whereas, test positivity accounts for repeated testing and helps us understand how the virus is spreading in the population over time.
Following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, beginning November 6, 2020 and going forward, IDPH will report confirmed cases and probable cases combined. A confirmed case is laboratory confirmed via molecular test. A probable case meets clinical criteria AND is epidemiologically linked or has a positive antigen test. If a probable case is later confirmed, the case will be deduplicated and will only be counted once. Probable deaths and confirmed deaths will continue to be reported separately.
* Saturday…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 12,438 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 76 additional deaths.
Adams County: 1 male 90s
Champaign County: 1 male 50s
Clark County: 1 female 80s
Clay County: 1 male 70s
Cook County: 1 female 60s, 2 males 60s, 3 females 70s, 7 males 70s, 5 females 80s, 3 males 80s. 2 females 90s, 3 males 90s
DuPage County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 80s, 2 females 90s
Fulton County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Jefferson County: 2 males 70s, 1 male 80s
Kane County: 2 males 80s
Kankakee County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
Knox County: 1 female 90s
LaSalle County: 1 male 80s
Macon County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
Madison County: 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s
Marion County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s
McHenry County: 1 male 60s
McLean County: 1 male 50s,
Peoria County: 1 female 90s
Randolph County: 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
Rock Island County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
St. Clair County: 1 female 90s
Stephenson County: 1 male 80s
Vermilion County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
Warren County: 1 male 70s
Whiteside County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s
Will County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 50s
Winnebago County: 3 males 70s, 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 477,978 cases, including 10,154 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 98,418 specimens for a total 8,313,547. As of last night, 4,250 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 813 patients were in the ICU and 367 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 31 – November 6 is 10.3%. This is the number that IDPH has been consistently reporting in its daily releases and is calculated using total cases over total tests. Similar to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH has been using test positivity for regional mitigation metrics on its website since mid-July. Test positivity is calculated using the number of COVID-19 positive tests over total tests. On October 29, 2020, IDPH began reporting the statewide test positivity in its daily releases. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from October 31, 2020 – November 6, 2020 is 11.5%.
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COVID-19 roundup
Monday, Nov 9, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Daily Herald…
FoxFire Restaurant in Geneva has lost the temporary restraining order that prevented state and local authorities from enforcing the governor’s recent ban on indoor dining at the business.
The Illinois 2nd District Appellate Court dissolved the TRO Friday, saying a Kane County judge was wrong to have ordered it.
“We are a little upset by the ruling,” said K.C. Gulbro, co-owner of the steakhouse at 17 W. State St. in Geneva’s downtown, which was open for indoor dinging on Friday night.
“We will sit down with our lawyers tomorrow and decide where we go from here,” Gulbro said when asked if FoxFire would continue with indoor dining. “We’ve still got a lot of fight left and we still think that we have a valid case.”
* Tribune…
In the last 30 days, people who tested positive for the novel coronavirus reported having recently visited a total of 647 public and private schools statewide, according to Illinois public health data released Friday.
The data also lists 10 schools with current COVID-19 outbreaks, defined as at least five cases among staff or students that were traced to school exposure. Among those sites are a DuPage County religious school and three public schools in McHenry County.
The figures do not include cases related to Chicago Public Schools buildings. Chicago, the state’s largest school district, tracks those separately; data shows 137 COVID-19 cases linked to CPS sites.
The statewide data, obtained through contact tracing, is the first school-related COVID-19 data that Illinois officials have published. It comes after parents and educators urged the state to release information about the virus’s spread in schools. In many parts of Illinois, the school year began nearly three months ago, and people have had to make decisions about in-person learning without comprehensive information.
It’s really time that Chicago got with the program here.
* Speaking of school outbreaks…
The first [basketball] practices for teams who decide to take the IHSA up on winter basketball start on Nov. 16, with contests beginning on Nov. 30. The end of the regular season would be Feb. 6, with a postseason event scheduled for Feb. 8-13.
The IHSA board also released “considerations” for the 2020-21 basketball season. As they were during golf, cross country and girls tennis, schools may only play games within their IDPH COVID-19 region and against schools in their conference and meet IHSA contest limitations.
Players will be wearing masks during contests and a media time-out will be taken each quarter at the first dead ball under the five-minute mark to give players an opportunity to catch their breath.
All other coaches, administrators, timers, paid and volunteer game officials, cheerleaders and media members also must wear masks and count toward the 50 people maximum gym capacity that also includes players.
* It keeps going, and going, and…
An additional 60 Coles County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, the county Health Department announced on Saturday.
It marked the second straight day with 60 new cases in the county. The announcement also came three days after the department announced the highest one-day total of 72 cases since the coronavirus began.
* If you can, please read the whole thing…
Names and faces get lost in the din of COVID-19 statistics. It’s easy to become numb to it. But the family of McLean County’s youngest coronavirus victim wants to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Danielle Kater, 30, of Bloomington died Nov. 3. The McLean County Health Department reported her death the next day as “a woman in her 30s” who did not have any prior health conditions and was not affiliated with a long-term care facility.
Dani’s family offers a more robust account of her life. Kater was an only child. Her parents, Tina and Bob Rubin, recall her always being kind, studious and passionate about animals.
* Tribune live coverage headlines…
Pfizer says early data signals COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective; company on track for emergency use application
Biden names COVID-19 task force, including former Chicago public health official
New confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus reported in Illinois topped 10,000 for both Saturday and Sunday.
Hospitalizations in Illinois are headed to a level above the previous, spring peak of coronavirus cases, worrying health officials.
Illinois state officials started reporting confirmed COVID-19 cases and probable cases together as one statistic, on Friday reporting them as separate numbers, but subsequently aggregating them as one number, following what they said was CDC guidance.
* Sun-Times headlines…
2 more Cook County judges test positive for COVID-19
Notre Dame president disappointed in students disregard of COVID-19 protocols after football game
Illinois reports 10,000-plus coronavirus caseload for 3rd consecutive day
Preckwinkle staffer tests positive for COVID-19
Shop locally this holiday season for the sake of pandemic-hammered Chicago businesses
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More election news
Monday, Nov 9, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
DuPage County, once known as one of the most solidly Republican areas in the country, appears to have given Democrats control of the County Board for the first time since the 1930s. Two more Democrats are leading their races for countywide office, and could be joined by another when the final votes are tallied.
DuPage voters also backed Democrats in every federal race from president to U.S. representative, as well as every state senator and nine of 13 state representatives.
It’s a stunning turn of fortune two decades in the making, observers say, the result of shifting demographics, shrewd campaigning and the divisive reign of President Donald Trump.
“He doesn’t do well with suburban women and I think that hurts us,” said Jim Zay, a County Board member and chairman of DuPage County Republicans. “It’s time to rebrand and regroup and come back in two years.”
George W. Bush also didn’t do well with suburban women. They have been a major key to winning statewide since 1990, when Jim Edgar specifically targeted them with a pro-choice message (as well as the property tax issue).
Also, the governor’s “Fair Tax” is losing DuPage by close to 15 points.
* Daily Herald…
A ballot count update late Saturday by the Lake County clerk’s office has shaken up two key county races and, if the gains hold, could further increase Democratic control of county leadership.
The changes include Republican incumbent State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim falling behind Democratic challenger Eric Rinehart. Nerheim held a 4,832-vote lead when the clerk posted results Wednesday, but now Rinehart is ahead with 135,238 votes to the incumbent’s 134,209, according to the clerk’s website. […]
The other race to flip after the update is the contest to represent District 12 on the Lake County Board. After Wednesday, Republican incumbent Mike Rummel of Lake Forest led Democrat Paras Parekh by 239 votes, but the update put the challenger ahead with 8,679 votes to Rummel’s 8,223 votes.
Rinehart’s lead is now 4,359 after Sunday’s update. Parehkh is now up by 576.
And despite those Democratic gains, the “Fair Tax” is losing by 10 points.
* Daily Herald…
Republican David Rickert conceded victory Friday to Democrat Corinne Pierog in the race for Kane County Board chairman.
“Although not mathematically eliminated, it’s time to call this race. Congratulations to Ms. Pierog the next county chairman,” Rickert wrote on his Facebook page.
And the Fair Tax is losing that county by 12+ points.
* Meanwhile, in our state’s “other” suburban region…
In recent years, Republicans have enjoyed increased success in Madison County elections, and the trend continued on Tuesday with Republicans winning four of five countywide offices.
Incumbents also fared well overall, but there was a local State Representative race where a Democrat could not overcome the Republican surge.
In the 111th District, incumbent Democrat Monica Bristow was defeated by Republican challenger Amy Elik.
Elik had 26,521 votes for 54.5 percent, while Bristow had 22,141 votes for 45.5 percent.
* Chicago Crusader…
Businessman Willie Wilson, once a rising star in the Black community, lost all 18 Black wards in a crushing defeat to Senator Dick Durbin in Tuesday’s General Election, according to the Crusader analysis of results released from the Chicago Board of Elections. […]
Wilson’s bid for the U.S. ended in a stunning defeat in his bid to unseat Durbin, who won all 18 Black wards. Election data show that Wilson finished second to Durbin in all 18 Black wards but ahead of Republican candidate Mark Curran, Jr.
Overall, Durbin received a total of 243,193 votes from the Black wards, or 75.94 percent of the Black vote. Durbin received 70 percent of the vote in 16 Black wards and won over 80 percent of the vote in the 4th and 5th wards, election data show.
There were 16 Black wards where Wilson received less than 20 percent of the vote.
Statewide, Wilson is so far receiving 4 percent, which is below the 5 percent threshold to make his Willie Wilson Party an established political party under state law.
* The number of Chicago-area white people who insisted to me that Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx would lose reelection baffled me…
Scott Roberts, senior director of criminal justice campaigns for the national progressive group Color Of Change, said Foxx’s 2016 election was the start of a national wave of more reform-minded prosecutors being elected. He said Foxx handily winning reelection could have an even bigger effect nationwide.
Color Of Change works to elect so-called progressive prosecutors nationally and supported Foxx.
“We were watching closely to make sure that she was able to bring it home … and really serve as an example to prosecutors around the country,” Roberts said. “That we can even survive vicious attacks by everyone from the Department of Justice to local police unions. And even in the face of, frankly, heightened violence in Chicago this summer, that people will still choose a reform agenda, that this agenda is popular, that it’s a winner. And we’re hoping that that will, you know, stiffen the backbone of these prosecutors around the country.”
Roberts said the opposition Foxx faced in Cook County followed a “playbook” they’ve seen throughout the country against prosecutors who support criminal justice reform. He said the opposition has been “particularly pronounced against Black women.”
She is trailing in the suburbs by almost six points, although plenty of ballots remain to be counted. Same with the city.
* Not a lot happened in Edgar County…
The only contested race in Edgar County was for County Board 7th District. Incumbent John Chittick, an independent, lost re-election to Republican challenger Russell Lawton. Lawton polled 503 votes to Chittick’s 377.
The rest of the local election was decided before the first ballot was cast, since the other candidates in Edgar County were unopposed for re-election.
* Southern Illinoisan…
Paul Simon Public Policy Institute visiting professor John Jackson has been in Southern Illinois for 50 years, and said he has seen the slow erosion of the Democratic Party’s control in the region. He said he saw similar changes happening here as in his native Arkansas.
“We lagged probably a decade behind the changes in the South that took it from the solid Democratic South to the almost solid Republican South,” he said. He pointed to the weakening of unions in Southern Illinois for some of the hurt the Democrats have felt — he said in some races this year, the party couldn’t even get a candidate to run for some seats. He said Republicans have done a good job of siphoning off the traditional “blue dog” Democrats.
“What the Republicans have done is successfully split those off and persuaded the union members that cultural things … took precedent,” Jackson said. He said these “highly symbolic” items, like LGBTQ rights and other social issues have been used to sway middle-leaning voters to the right. But, he said, these issues likely don’t have any day-to-day impact on most voters.
What notable stuff happened by you?
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600+ Days Later, It’s Time For Clean Jobs
Monday, Nov 9, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
It’s been more than 600 days since the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) was first introduced, but communities across the state that developed this bill are still waiting for their lawmakers to take action.
Since its introduction in February of 2019, support for CEJA has continued to grow. 82% of Illinois voters support the bill, and 74% of voters say that legislators must pass it this year, not delay it until 2021.
CEJA was recently updated to include stronger utility reforms, end automatic rate hikes and double down on our commitment to equity for Black and Brown communities through meaningful wealth-building opportunities. CEJA isn’t just a set of ideas, it’s a fully drafted bill. You can read about it at ilcleanjobs.org.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage our state’s economy, we need solutions that will create thousands of new jobs by unlocking millions of dollars in private investment, without raising taxes or hiking rates. CEJA can’t wait.
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Democrats prepare for chaos
Monday, Nov 9, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Illinois Democrats were hoping for some big election night wins last week, but now everything has devolved into finger-pointing chaos.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s graduated income tax proposal was in some doubt for a while. The governor’s campaign chose not to advertise early because of the delicacies of politics during a pandemic, so they passed up a chance at total dominance of the playing field during crucial months.
When billionaire Ken Griffin finally decided to weigh in against it, the proponents had lost the crucial advantage of time to drive their message home unfettered. And the “anti” message was strong and relatable: Don’t trust Illinois politicians to do the right thing. The proponents’ much less focused message simply had no chance.
The ballot measure was losing as of Nov. 6 by almost 10 percentage points and about 500,000 votes.
A narrow loss would’ve been one thing. But after voters overwhelmingly rejected taxing a relatively few upper-income people, it’s going to be hugely difficult to convince Democratic state legislators to make up for those billions in lost revenues by increasing the state’s flat tax on everyone.
Without the money generated by a graduated income tax, Gov. Pritzker’s fallback was the hope that Joe Biden would win the White House and the Democrats would take control of the U.S. Senate and give big bucks to the states. As I write this, Democratic control of the Senate appears in doubt.
So, if Pritzker can’t raise taxes and he can’t get a federal bailout, that leaves a $5 billion Federal Reserve loan, and the only way to make room for those payments will be to slash an already bare-bones budget to the marrow or consider shafting the public employee unions and “reform” pensions.
Pritzker is most definitely not in a good place. He put literally everything on this tax vote and he came up way short.
A big loss like that can easily devastate legislative confidence in a governor. As I’ve said for years, this business is a protection racket. You earn support by proving you can protect your fellow politicians’ interests. Despite Pritzker’s billions, his big win two years ago over an incumbent governor and broad public support for his handling of the pandemic, he did not hold up his end on this one.
That brings us to soon-to-be-former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride, who conceded defeat in his retention bid. The opposition’s message, also mainly funded by Ken Griffin, was brisk and simple: A vote against Kilbride is a vote against Madigan.
We’re to the point where I don’t even have to explain that “Madigan” means House Speaker Michael Madigan. Everybody knows who he is and most despise him, so the attack worked like a charm in that Downstate, blue-collar district.
Like Pritzker, Kilbride did not have an effective counter-argument. Kilbride fell way short of the votes he needed to be retained.
One of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s favored Democratic congressional candidates, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, was handily defeated last week after narrowly losing to U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis two years before. The ads run by Davis and his allies constantly featured “Madigan.”
And while the Griffin-funded effort to defeat the Fair Tax didn’t mention Madigan in their TV spots, they did use Madigan in direct mail and people generally hate Madigan so much that it’s probably not a huge leap to say he’s why the “Don’t trust ‘em” approach worked so well.
In disgust, the governor and U.S. Sens. Durbin and Tammy Duckworth all threw Madigan under the bus after the election ended, calling on him to quit the chairmanship of the state Democratic Party. Duckworth even suggested he should no longer be House Speaker.
But if you zoom out for a moment, you’ll see that congressional Democrats failed to meet expectations all over the country last week and a massive national push to elect more Democratic state legislators crashed and burned.
On election night, Madigan appeared to have lost two House seats to the Republicans when expectations were that he’d pick up several, but that might change for the better when all the votes are finally counted.
The bottom line is the “Madigan” message appears to have worked and it’s probably only going to get worse for the Democrats if he remains in power.
But that doesn’t let the governor, Durbin and Kilbride off the hook. And a much better than expected performance by President Donald Trump in Illinois combined with a national trend that defied expectations were also involved.
In other words, simple explanations are usually neither.
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* From a letter to Rep. Morgan’s constituents…
Dear Friend,
First, thank you for allowing me to continue serving as your state representative during this time of unprecedented state and federal government challenges.
I want you to hear directly from me - I will not support Mike Madigan for House Speaker. You deserve a government you can trust.
You know my story. I ran for office three years ago because I could no longer sit on the sidelines. The Trump travel ban replicated the kind of heartless government that kept my great-grandparents and so many thousands of others from escaping genocide and religious persecution. The State of Illinois had not had a budget in 700 days - hurting the most vulnerable citizens among us.
I had enough. I decided to run for a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives because it is the people’s house and should reflect our collective voice. It can no longer be led by a Speaker who is uniquely and completely distrusted by the people in our state.
The allegations surrounding Speaker Madigan and Commonwealth Edison are extremely troubling, as are ones about sexual harassment by top aides. Leadership requires taking responsibility, and the pervasive culture of mistrust and corruption in Illinois rests at Mike Madigan’s feet.
Therefore, I will not support Mike Madigan for Speaker under any circumstances. I will work with my colleagues to bring new leadership to the Illinois House of Representatives.
The challenges before the Illinois General Assembly are formidable and it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We cannot do that without you firmly behind us.
Mike Madigan has irreparably breached the trust of the people of Illinois and he cannot lead us any longer. I encourage my colleagues to cast a vote for change we can believe in, and reflect the promise of the great State of Illinois.
Sincerely,
Bob Morgan
Morgan’s defection brings the public count to eight House Democrats who want Madigan to resign or say they won’t vote to reelect him: Reps. Kelly Cassidy, Terra Costa Howard, Stephanie Kifowit, Lindsey LaPointe, Anne Stava-Murray, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz and Maurice West.
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* IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike at the November 4 news media briefing…
While votes are still being tallied, let’s be clear, whomever is elected or re-elected president does not absolve any one of us from taking personal responsibility to curb the transmission of COVID-19.
Again, regardless of the occupants of 600 Pennsylvania Ave., our role is unchanged. So please, let’s do our part. And let’s encourage one another to do the right thing. […]
I’d also like to encourage people who participated in recent campaign rallies, worked in polling places, stood in line to vote where maybe they couldn’t maintain the 6-foot of distance, anyone who participated in a recent protest or any other recent events, please get tested. Wait approximately one week after the high-risk exposure because it takes several days after exposure for a test to be positive if in fact you’ve contracted the virus. But if at that 7-day mark the test is negative, remember that it can take up to 14 days to have a positive test. […]
So, if you think you have been exposed to COVID-19, please get tested and quarantine so that you don’t spread the virus to others. The virus is spreading rapidly. We are fully into the second wave or second surge and the cases are increasing exponentially.
* November 6 press release…
The Governor’s Office was notified this afternoon of a recent exposure to COVID-19 and as result of that possible exposure is currently conducting contact tracing and following all necessary health protocols from IDPH. The exposure was the result of an external meeting with the Governor that took place on Monday in a large conference room in the Governor’s Office. The Governor was tested today and his results will be made public when available. The Governor is currently isolating pending his test results.
* November 7 press release…
Governor Pritzker and staff who attended the meeting Monday where they were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 have tested negative. The PCR tests were conducted Friday afternoon. This is the second negative test result for the Governor and staff after they underwent their weekly test on Wednesday.
Per the CDC, the Governor and staff who attended the meeting, are not considered close contacts because they met with the individual prior to 48 hours before symptom onset. Following CDC guidance, the Governor and staff will not be required to quarantine for 14 days
* CDC…
Close contact is defined by CDC as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.
* I followed up with the governor’s spokesperson…
It’s a close contact if you were in contact with someone 48 hours prior to symptoms. Gov met with this person outside that window. So he only had to isolate pending a negative test. And he had two negative tests. We asked Ezike what we needed to do and she told us. You know we always listen to her
* So, the governor was following the fine print of CDC guidelines. But that’s a lot of nuance and people don’t do nuance. So it looked to many like he was flouting the rules on Saturday, particularly his adversaries who probably did not like what he was celebrating…
But at a time when the virus is spreading at a very dangerous rate and when the governor refuses to completely rule out another stay at home order, he should probably be setting an example by staying out of sight. And now that he’s been out and about, he ought to consider taking Dr. Ezike’s advice about what to do next.
*** UPDATE *** Pritzker was asked about this today and he deferred to Dr. Ezike…
I’ve actually been stricter in cases, just to be overly cautious, I’ve probably put him on quarantine when we probably didn’t have to.
Just to be abundantly cautious in this case, there was an exposure on Monday. The person develops symptoms on Thursday, and got tested, found out, on Friday. So, per CDC guidelines if someone is identified, you go back two days from when symptoms began. And so, from Thursday when the symptoms began if you go back Wednesday and Tuesday. Anyone that that person was around on Tuesday and Wednesday, if they had more than 15 minutes of contact within six feet. Those people would be the identified contacts. The meeting on Monday was outside of that period.
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Open thread
Monday, Nov 9, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My best wishes to Rep. Mah…
Please keep your conversations Illinois-centric and polite. Thanks.
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