Saying Illinois could become the epicenter of a “clean transportation revolution,” Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act during a visit to the Rockford region.
Pritzker signed the law championed by Illinois state Rep. Dave Vella and state Sen. Steve Stadelman during a visit to the future home of the Rock Valley College Advanced Technology Center in Belvidere. The facility focused on advanced manufacturing education is expected to open in 2022.
“With this bill, we intend to attract more EV manufacturers, charging station manufacturers and automotive parts manufacturers than ever before and help Illinois to become one of the leading EV hubs in the entire nation,” Pritzker said.
“With this new focus on electric vehicles, our state can also become a leader in the clean transportation revolution. Electric school buses, electric municipal buses, electric delivery trucks, electric 18-wheelers and so much more.”
After the presentation, the governor offered to take questions from the media. Nobody spoke up. “OK,” he said after a pause. “That was the easiest press conference I ever had.”
* We’ve seen time and time again on this blog that whenever I post a question having to do with the Illinois Senate, it gets almost no responses. So, I’m wondering, could the presence of this man behind Pritzker have somehow caused reporters to clam up?…
Yes, it’s the comment-killer himself, Don Harmon. And his trusty sidekick John Patterson (also a notorious comment killer) was at the event as well.
* The Question: Why don’t you like to answer questions about the Illinois Senate?
* First we find out that the US Census Bureau was drastically overestimating annual population losses for states like Illinois, and now this…
The government sharply underestimated job gains for most of 2021, including four months this summer in which it missed more job growth than at any other time on record.
In the most recent four months with revisions, June through September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported it underestimated job growth by a cumulative 626,000 jobs — that’s the largest underestimate of any other comparable period, going back to 1979. If those revisions were themselves a jobs report, they’d be an absolute blockbuster.
In an average month before the pandemic, estimates would be revised by a little over 30,000 jobs, or just 0.02 percent of all the jobs in the United States. The recent revisions to the jobs reports have been much larger.
The missing jobs surfaced through revisions to the widely watched non-farm payrolls number that BLS releases each month. The data is considered preliminary until it has been revised twice. The fixes are typically minor, but recent revisions have been big enough to turn a substantial slump into a surprising surge.
Riverside Healthcare has terminated 40 employees for noncompliance with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
On Nov. 1, the hospital placed 62 employees on a two-week unpaid suspension for failing to become vaccinated by a Oct. 31 deadline. Kyle Benoît, Riverside’s chief operating officer, said of those, 35 percent (or 22 employees) became vaccinated and will remain in their positions. When the suspension period concluded on Monday, the 40 employees who still had not complied with the requirement were informed they were no longer employed.
“We were happy to see more employees become vaccinated,” Benoit said. “We wish it would have been 100 percent of them.”
Not included in Monday’s terminations are the 57 employees who gained a court-issued restraining order from a Kankakee County judge that protects them from being either fired or suspended until a Jan. 11 hearing on an injunction seeking to bar the hospital from firing unvaccinated employees.
Springfield District 186’s board of education voted Monday to fire a teacher for opting not to follow the state and district mandates about testing and vaccinations.
Franklin Middle School band teacher, Kingsley Keys, is now a former teacher after the board unanimously voted to dismiss him Monday.
The rules are that teachers and faculty must prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or get weekly testing. Keys decided to not do this so the board dismissed him.
[Springfield school teacher Kadence Koen] recently caved to the pressure of being on unpaid leave and provided a photo of her vaccination card to district officials. News reports state the dates on her card showed she got two shots on June 29 and July 19, well before the mandate she protested so publicly was put in place.
So what was all the fuss about?
Koen contends that being “anti-mandate does not mean anti-vaccination” and that what she was really protesting was the district’s requirement that she show a vaccination card or submit to regular testing.
Few, however, will take that explanation credible because Koen could have been more forthcoming about her motivation. After all, Koen could have revealed that she was vaccinated, but did not.
Why? Who knows? Call it the coronavirus effect.
Call it a lot of things, I suppose. I cannot understand these odd ducks and I’ve mostly given up trying.
* Ms. Koen appeared on Jim Leach’s radio show a few days ago and showed a remarkable lack of understanding about vaccines and COVID-19 and masking and numerous other things. For instance, here’s a direct quote…
I am no less likely to contract COVID because I’m vaccinated.
Koen also said she was still planning to pursue legal action against the district, but the suit wasn’t yet filed and she wouldn’t name her attorney.
* But while the weird people get a lot of headlines, there is still hope. From The Atlantic…
It’s possible COVID could become endemic in some countries in the coming months. That is, a disease that’s present and unshakable, but totally manageable without massive disruptions to work, education and travel. […]
There’s a cumulative effect from the mandates, a drop in hesitancy and the recent decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize boosters for many Americans, as well as first doses for children over five years old. From a recent low of just half a million doses a day back in July, the vaccination rate has climbed to a healthy 1.2 million doses a day.
“The combination of vaccinating children, continuing to get vaccination rates up in older individuals and natural immunity from the substantial numbers of people who have already been infected now puts the long elusive herd immunity within reach,” Alberg said.
Today, 59 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated. And that percentage has been increasing by a point roughly every two weeks.
A vocal and sometimes violent minority might make it seem like the United States has an insurmountable anti-vax problem. It doesn’t. And as COVID surges in its third winter, vaccines are likely to keep a lot of people out of hospitals and morgues in the U.S. and other countries with high case counts. The SARS-CoV-2 virus isn’t endemic yet, but it’s getting closer, Alberg said. “We can confidently say that endemicity is now within reach.”
The CDC reports 98.5% of adults 65 and older [nationwide] have received at least a first vaccine dose as of Wednesday, while 85.8% are fully vaccinated.
Illinois’ rates are 89 percent and 84 percent, respectively. Those folks are the most vulnerable by far.
* And this announcement will also help those folks, since they are also the most vulnerable to harmful breakthrough infections…
The Biden administration is expected to announce this week that it is purchasing 10 million courses of Pfizer’s covid pill, a multibillion-dollar investment in a medication that officials hope will help change the trajectory of the pandemic by staving off many hospitalizations and deaths, according to two people with knowledge of the transaction.
U.S. officials see this antiviral pill, and another by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, as potential game-changers to help restore a broader sense of normalcy and are eager to add them to a small arsenal of treatments for Americans who contract the coronavirus. With breakthrough cases rising and 30 percent of American adults not fully vaccinated, health officials believe the pills will help tame the pandemic because of their ability to thwart the virus’s most pernicious effects.
* More…
* COVID-19 update: 1,627 hospitalized, 20 more deaths, 3,005 new cases: Hospitalizations have increased by 16.8% from a week ago, IDPH figures show. … The state’s seven-day case positivity rate is at 2.8%. … A week ago, the state’s seven-day case positivity rate was at 2.2%.
* Why Health-Care Workers Are Quitting in Droves: About one in five health-care workers has left medicine since the pandemic started. This is their story—and the story of those left behind.
* Pfizer agrees to let other companies make its COVID-19 pill
18th District Congressman Darin LaHood said he was pleased with the recent bi-partisan compromise struck by the Biden Administration with Senators last week: “I’m optimistic that the Senate will take up action this week and next week. They are going to be the drivers of this initially. I give the Biden Administration and the bi-partisan group of Senators a lot of credit. They keep working at this and working on it, and they have made a lot of progress. It’s about a trillion dollar bill – doesn’t raise significant taxes. It has some user fees on airports and the rail system. It gives back a lot of COVID money to help pay for infrastructure, but it’s a significant amount of money. It would be about a trillion dollars that would fund roads and bridges, and our locks and dams, and traditional infrastructure. We’ll see if it passes the Senate next week. If it does, I think it’ll pick up some momentum and it’ll come over to the House. I’m going to give it strong consideration if that happens. I’m looking forward to seeing this new progress that’s being made.”
The Senate voted 69-30 Tuesday to approve a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, a historic piece of legislation that could reshape American lives for decades.
The measure fulfills a call from President Biden for the two major parties to work together to deliver one of his top priorities, but it faces an uncertain fate in the House of Representatives as progressive Democrats press for even greater spending. […]
The 19 Republicans who voted for the bill, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did so despite pressure from former President Donald Trump to deny Democrats a victory. Trump released a statement that called the bill “the beginning of the Green New Deal.”
Republican negotiators, including Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, dismissed that criticism and promoted the agreement as a huge breakthrough for the Senate.
The House passed a more than $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill late Friday, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk in a critical step toward enacting sprawling Democratic economic plans.
The Senate approved the revamp of transportation, utilities and broadband in August.
Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-18) released the following statement on his vote against the infrastructure bill:
“I voted no on the infrastructure package which enables the Democrats to ram through their reckless tax and spending agenda using reconciliation. Given the reconciliation process initiated by President Biden and Speaker Pelosi at the behest of Senator Sanders and the radical progressive wing of the Democrat party, the reality remains that the infrastructure bill and reconciliation package are linked and cannot be viewed separately. A vote for the infrastructure bill is a vote that paves the way for an extreme reconciliation spending bill that includes crippling tax hikes that will kill American jobs and send them overseas, hammer small businesses as they struggle to recover from COVID-19, and worsen the labor shortage while driving up inflation on working families.”
So, he’s now the process police.
* This News-Gazette editorial on November 10th was about Rodney Davis’ argument, which was the same as LaHood’s…
Equally disappointing was the response of Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville — the ranking Republican on the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee — who voted no on the legislation and falsely claimed that it was paired with another infrastructure bill.
“I’m beyond disappointed that President Biden and Democrats in Congress paired bipartisan infrastructure investment to their reckless, multi-trillion-dollar, tax-and-spending proposal,” said Davis.
Davis could have voted for the physical infrastructure bill — as other Republicans did — without voting for the separate social-safety-net and climate-change bill that Democrats hope to pass later this month. Further, Davis last summer asked that about $23 million in “member-directed spending” or earmarks for his district be included in the infrastructure bill.
Congress’ history is full of hypocrisy, and last week’s voting on the infrastructure bill is another example.
One caller instructed Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois to slit his wrists and “rot in hell.” Another hoped Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska would slip and fall down a staircase. The office of Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York has been inundated with angry messages tagging her as a “traitor.”
Investing in the nation’s roads and bridges was once considered one of the last realms of bipartisanship in Congress, and President Biden’s infrastructure bill drew ample support over the summer from Republicans in the Senate. But in the days since 13 House Republicans broke with their party leaders and voted for the $1 trillion legislation last week, they have been flooded by menacing messages from voters — and even some of their own colleagues — who regard their votes as a betrayal.
[US Rep. Darin LaHood’s] Illinois district includes the heart of the nation’s heavy construction equipment manufacturing industry, where Caterpillar, Komatsu America and their suppliers are mainstays of the Peoria economy. The upstart electric truck maker Rivian in Normal, Ill., has much to gain from the bill’s funds to electrify the nation’s highways and boost its power grid. […]
But while the new 16th District may have infrastructure needs, it also has Republicans — lots of them — with a heavy conservative tilt. The new district will almost certainly be represented by the Republican Party in 2023. […]
Eli Nicolosi, the Republican chairman in Winnebago County, which includes Rockford, had the misimpression that the bill was full of social policies that had nothing to do with infrastructure, some of which are in the reconciliation bill. He said he understood and accepted Mr. LaHood’s vote, even though he noted that the local airport could use some help and that aerospace manufacturing would most likely benefit from a cash infusion. […]
Connie Beard, the chairwoman of the McLean County Republicans, brought up Rivian as a company of the future, but she worried aloud that the infrastructure measure would mean “tremendous amounts of tax increases.” Told that there were none in the bill, which is dominated by old-fashioned public works programs, Ms. Beard pivoted.
“It’s hard for the legislators themselves to understand what was left in the bill and what was on the cutting room floor,” she said, adding, “I understand why Congressman LaHood wanted to take more time.”
Extreme partisanship combined with newly drawn districts and a whole new crop of voters will make politicians skittish as heck about breaking party ranks and drawing primary challengers. That’s not an excuse, but it’s clearly why they did what they did.
Campaign contributions from out-of-staters and so-called dark money groups will be banned in Illinois judicial campaigns beginning in January under legislation Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law Monday. […]
But making Illinois the first state to outright ban certain political contributions to judicial candidates is the biggest change contained in the law, which comes a year after an Illinois Supreme Court justice first elected as a Democrat became the first sitting high court member in state history to lose his retention bid — an expensive race fueled in part by dark money.
Republicans voted against Stuart’s legislation last month, with several members arguing during the House debate that the majority party was making another adjustment in state elections law to benefit their party.
“This is another effort for the majority [party] to change the rules of the game because they don’t like the outcome,” State Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) said before voting no on the bill. “And the voters of the state of Illinois are noticing that the policies and practices and elected officials that they’ve put in power have not served them well.”
I mean, I get it, but I’m still not sure how you can claim with a straight face that a bill to ban dark money contributions is a scary bad thing.
The law also makes adjustments in deadlines and other technical requirements for candidates in next year’s primary election because it’s later. Pritzker signed a law in June moving the primary from March 15 to June 28 because late-arriving 2020 Census numbers delayed the drawing of new congressional district boundaries.
Under the law, which takes effect immediately, any polling place that is accessible to voters with disabilities and elderly voters shall include at least one voting booth that is wheelchair accessible. […]
Another change allows voters to designate sex on voter registration forms as “male,” “female” or “non-binary.”
…Adding… Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul Schimpf…
Out of all of the items included in SB 536, improving and increasing election integrity safeguards was not one of them.
If the Democrats are going to make voting vastly more accessible, they need to increase voting safeguards. Yet, they are so focused on their one-party control that they don’t even consider what the voters want—and Illinoisans want to know their vote will be counted fairly and securely. But Democrats couldn’t even reach across the aisle to make election integrity a pillar of our voting process. Good government and governance starts at the top and under JB Pritzker’s leadership deficit, Illinois voters will experience another election with a lack of safeguards that promote integrity in the system.
I would have VETOED SB 536 because of the lack of election integrity safeguards. Integrity and trust must be restored in our elections.
I’ve asked what specific safeguards he was talking about, since he didn’t mention any. I’ll let you know.
The board just voted 7-0 to dismiss the case, finding Mautino did not *knowingly* violate campaign finance law when his campaign committee’s account was used to fill up gas tanks and paid for repairs on personal vehicles instead of paying mileage reimbursements.
* I told subscribers about this press release earlier today. Despite a retraction sent yesterday, Moylan said only one word needed to be changed because it misidentified somebody…
State Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, has stated that he is convening a press conference with other state legislators and police chiefs to discuss proposed legislation regarding the increasing crime rate around Chicago and surging violence against police officers.
“The situation is getting out of control. FBI data this year shows that violent, fatal attacks against police officers are up 31%. Just this month, Officer Stephen Kotlewski of Bensenville was shot and hospitalized during a domestic violence call. It’s reaching into every community,” said Moylan.
Moylan is sponsoring two pieces of legislation to combat the alarming rise in fatal attacks. House Bill 4159, the Police Protection Act filed by Moylan, increases penalties for offenses when the act is taken against a police officer. House Bill 4125, proposed by State Representative Fran Hurley, creates the Police “Hate Crime” Act, which would label any offense where an individual attacks, harms or stalks a police officer as “hate crime” and increases penalties for those offenses.
Moylan is also asking for up to $100,000,000 to increase protections for officers on duty.
The conference will reportedly be attended by colleagues from both houses of the General Assembly including State Representatives Jaime Andrade, Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar, Eva Dina Delgado, and State Senators Laura Murphy and John Connor. Additionally, Des Plaines Police Chief David Anderson and Park Ridge Police Chief Frank Kaminski have announced their attendance, along with Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow and DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin.
“The brave men and women who put their lives on the line each day to protect our communities deserve to know they, too, are protected.” Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) said. “Law enforcement officers are facing an increase in dangerous and stressful situations. Together, we must build mutual trust between our officers and the community to reduce violence on our streets.”
“We must address this issue immediately. We are not at war with our police departments. Too many lives are being lost and too many people are being made victims,” said Moylan.
The press conference will be held at Des Plaines City Hall on Thursday, November 18th, at 10:15 AM.
An Illinois police union on Wednesday ousted from its membership an officer facing criminal charges for exposing a squad car video that showed his fellow officers slapping and cursing a man dying of a drug overdose.
The case of Sgt. Javier Esqueda, a 27-year veteran of the Joliet Police Department, was featured in September as the first installment of the USA TODAY series “Behind the Blue Wall,” an investigation involving more than 300 cases of police officers over the past decade who have spoken out against alleged misconduct in their departments. […]
Esqueda told USA TODAY that he’s become a pariah among his coworkers since July 2020, when he shared with a television reporter footage from January of that year showing how officers treated a handcuffed Black man in medical distress. Officers slapped Eric Lurry, restricted his airway and shoved a baton in his mouth hours before his death. Esqueda faces up to 20 years in prison after department officials opened a criminal investigation into his actions and prosecutors charged him with four counts of official misconduct.
Members of the Joliet Police Officer’s Association on Wednesday voted 35-1 to expel Esqueda, a move first reported by The Herald-Ledger newspaper in Joliet. In a letter informing him of the impending vote last month, union leaders described his conduct as “reprehensible.” The letter did not offer specifics on what actions from Esqueda prompted the vote.
The controversial head of Chicago’s largest police union said Monday he will retire from the Chicago Police Department — an announcement that came just after he took the stand in a disciplinary hearing that could have ended with his firing.
John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, also declared that he will run for mayor in 2023, alluding multiple times to his combative relationship with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and said he felt the outcome of the proceedings against him was predetermined.
“It was pretty evident very early on that this cake was already baked,” Catanzara said, “I am going to be at human resources first thing in the morning, and I am going to be retiring. I will no longer be a Chicago police officer. … No one will be able to touch me.”
“This has all been a farce from the get-go,” he added, later saying to reporters: “There was never a possibility under God’s green earth that I was ever going to give this mayor the ability to utter the words, ‘I fired him.’ ”
* Oh, man, what a weird morning I had. Got up really early, but it’s just been one thing after another seemingly conspiring to prevent me from finishing my subscriber work. Oy.
Anyway, what’s on your mind?
*** UPDATE *** I just realized that this is our 400th open thread. Not sure what it means or if anyone cares, but it’s kinda boring today.
* I don’t think I knew anyone at the Statehouse who loved their job more than Len Lieberman loved his. Len was the Jewish Federation’s lobbyist and he took his responsibility seriously as his faith’s top liaison to Illinois’ government. But he was also an incredibly kind person, a humble man with a genuine smile for everyone. A mensch in the truest sense of the word.
Len stayed out of politics because he lobbied both sides of the aisle and, before that, had worked for the state. But he proudly sent me an email back in 2014 with the announcement that these were his first two yard signs in 40 years, “two people I know personally and respect,” he said…
* Many, if not most members of the General Assembly never got to know Len because he’s been retired for so long. I feel sorry for you…
Len was born in Chicago on September 23rd 1947. There he attended Mather High School before graduating from Northern Illinois University in 1969. Len worked for ten years at both the Department of Transportation and Department of Corrections. He then found his dream job as a lobbyist for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and the statewide Jewish Federations for 29 years.
A community activist, Len was a prior President of Congregation Temple Israel and the Springfield Jewish Federation, among other board positions. He was a founding volunteer with the local Parents Anonymous chapter, and B’nai B’rith Lodge #67 when it was re-founded, later served on the boards of Oak Ridge Cemetery and the State Journal Register’s Advisory Committee. Among his accomplishments Len was named Professional of the Year, given a Lifetime Achievement Award, honored as Alumni of the Year by his alma mater, and upon his retirement had the Len Lieberman Professional of the Year award named for him by the Jewish Federations of North America. In retirement he became active in the LLCC Academy of Lifelong Learning, serving as president in 2017-2018 among other leadership roles.
What Len treasured most in his later years were his relationships with the individuals he mentored, his many bridge and poker groups, and the annual get-together with his fellow NIU alumnists.
Len often said that when he died, celebrate his life rather than mourn his death.
His family asks that you contribute to your local Jewish Federation or Temple Israel in his name. Also, make a point to do something fun and kind. I’m sure he’d like that…
After years of dysfunction in Springfield, JB is turning things around and getting big things done for Illinois.
From enshrining reproductive rights into state law, to a historic bipartisan infrastructure plan, to raising the minimum wage to a living wage, JB is moving Illinois in the right direction. And we want to hear why that matters to supporters like you, who’ve made all of this possible.
We want to know: Which of JB’s policies have benefited you and your family? Why would you re-elect JB for another term?
* The Question: Could you please tell us, as of today, why you would or why you would not vote to reelect the governor? Explain, please.
Among COVID-19–like illness hospitalizations among adults aged ≥18 years whose previous infection or vaccination occurred 90–179 days earlier, the adjusted odds of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 among unvaccinated adults with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection were5.49-fold higher than the odds among fully vaccinated recipients of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine who had no previous documented infection (95% confidence interval = 2.75–10.99).
What are the implications for public health practice?
All eligible persons should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible, including unvaccinated persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. [Emphasis added.]
According to the Food and Drug Administration’s announcement authorizing the use of the Pfizer vaccine in children 5 through 11, the recommendation would be for a two-dose series, three weeks apart, but at a lower dose than has been used for people 12 and older. Younger children would receive 10 micrograms, compared with individuals 12 years and older, who receive 30 micrograms.
The FDA noted that in the U.S., 39% of COVID-19 cases in people younger than 18 are in children 5 through 11 years old, and about 8,300 COVID-19 cases resulted in hospitalization in this younger age group. As of Oct. 17, according to the FDA, 691 deaths from COVID-19 had been reported in the U.S. in people under age 18; 146 of these deaths were of children 5 to 11.
The CDC notes that although fewer children have been infected with the virus compared to adults, kids can be infected, get sick and spread COVID-19. Right now, youths 12 and older receive the same dosage of the Pfizer vaccine as adults, and there are no patient weight requirements for vaccination, nor does the dosage vary by weight.
Illinois students from economically disadvantaged families — who represent nearly 50% of the state’s roughly 2 million students — appear to have borne the brunt of the disruptions to education during the pandemic, with test scores for students in grades 3-8 plunging in math and English language arts on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness.
Now, with Illinois schools slated to receive around $7 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding, educators hope to bridge the gap with everything from tutoring and teacher development, to after-school programs and extra social emotional support for students dealing with trauma.
Still, school officials say despite Illinois classrooms being fully reopened for in-person learning this fall, the pandemic is far from over, and academic recovery efforts continue to be hampered by students in quarantine, hiring challenges and educators who are already exhausted, just two months into the new school year.
While around 25% of low-income third graders met proficiency standards for math in 2019, that number declined sharply during the pandemic, with only 13% of third graders in that demographic meeting proficiency standards on the recent assessment.
About 47,000 patients with the virus are currently hospitalized nationwide, according to a seven-day average of data from the Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. is reporting an average of roughly 1,150 Covid fatalities per day, according to Johns Hopkins data. Both figures are flat over the past week.
Besides the plateauing cases, Fauci, also director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the U.S. must focus on vaccinating the roughly 60 million people nationwide who have not yet been immunized. That excludes 28 million children ages 5 to 11 who became eligible to receive Pfizer’s two-dose Covid vaccine earlier this month, he noted.
“There’s a lot of good news, but some challenging news that we really need to address as we go into the winter months,” Fauci said.
Fauci added that those who’ve been fully vaccinated for Covid can gather for the holiday season without concern. But he recommended wearing a mask in indoor congregate settings with cases still hovering at a high level nationwide.
“When you’re with your family at home, goodness, enjoy it with your parents, your children, your grandparents,” he said. “There’s no reason not to do that.”
1,150 deaths per day translates to almost 420,000 per year.
Though Lake County remains in the high risk category, the number of new cases of COVID-19 is approximately a quarter of what they were a year ago.
Local health officials say that decline is thanks in large part to the vaccine.
“It was four times higher without the vaccine,” said Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister. “The major difference is the vaccine. Most of the new cases and hospitalizations are people who were not vaccinated.”
The county experienced a 10.35% increase of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past week but also crossed the 80% threshold of vaccinated residents with 80.1% of those eligible for vaccination receiving their shots.
The opponents of vaccination requirements may be loud and litigious, “but they’re not going to get 50% of the vote plus one,” [Chris Mooney, a University of Illinois at Chicago political science professor] said. “And that’s, in some sense, what it’s coming down to for Pritzker.”
* More…
* ‘A real sense of relief’: Illinois school-based vaccine clinics get shots in arms of kids ages 5 to 11
The attorney suing the governor for defamation may have a high burden to prove his case.
After being called a “grifter” by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Attorney Thomas DeVore filed a defamation case in Sangamon County late last month.
Pritzker’s comments came after DeVore filed a lawsuit against COVID-19 mandates in schools on behalf of more than 700 parents.
“So to make the suggestion that somehow or another these people were stolen from for all intents and purposes is completely out of bounds,” DeVore told.
He said he’s not a thief, didn’t dupe anyone and the governor’s comments have a chilling effect, keeping people from speaking up or taking action against policies they disagree with.
DeVore is seeking damages of more than $50,000.
While some suggest the governor has executive immunity, DeVore downplayed that idea.
“Ultimately, the governor can’t just say whatever he wants to say about somebody in that fashion, he doesn’t have that ability,” DeVore said.
Attorney Don Craven explained Pritzker has absolute immunity due to an Illinois Supreme Court decision from 1976. Former governor Dan Walker had issued press releases with alleged statements of libel against two real estate brokers who were also attorneys.
Allan Blair and David Gray believed Walker made malicious statements about them and knew they were false. However, the highest court said executives need to exercise their duties free from civil liabilities for statements they make.
“So the use of the word grifter, even without the issue of absolute immunity, it’s simply name-calling. Perhaps it’s inartful name-calling, perhaps very artful name-calling,” Craven said. “But name-calling is not defamatory either.”
We emphasize that today’s decision is not an endorsement of either the tenor or the content of the defendant’s statements concerning the plaintiffs. The Governor’s position could undoubtedly have been expressed to the people with language less calculated to injure the plaintiffs’ personal and professional reputations. While it is unfortunate that the application of executive immunity may occasionally deny relief to a deserving individual, the sacrifice is justified by the public’s need for free and unfettered action by its representatives.
“I’ve accused him of making horrible policy decisions,” DeVore said. “And I will continue to do so. But again, I’m taking issue with him as a politician. He’s taking issue with me in my professional capacity as an attorney. It’s not the same thing.”
* I also told you a year ago today that DeVore was asked whether it might be time to stop filing lawsuits because he was losing so many of them…
If they think that any of this is going on is about winning or losing lawsuits, the people that say that need to consider if they’re as intelligent as they think they are. This isn’t about winning lawsuits.
…Adding… DeVore’s American Freedom website is hosted by a German company.
* Related…
* Editorial: Our COVID-19 obligations: What few of us fully appreciate — and certainly most of the unvaccinated and those who disdain masks don’t — is that each of those who died were, in reality, killed by other people. Yes, the virus is a killer. But it could not kill anyone without people who are complicit in passing it along.
Republicans and a Latino voting rights group have filed alternatives to the state legislative districts drawn by Democrats, with both challenges pushing for greater Chicago-area Latino representation than provided in the map signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
In federal court filings on Wednesday, both the GOP and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund contended the Democratic-drawn map violates constitutional and federal Voting Rights Act guarantees by diluting the votes of a growing Latino population. […]
In its filing, MALDEF contended the Democratic map violates the federal Voting Rights Act “with regard to Latino voters on the North Side and Southwest Side of Chicago” and that Democrats engaged in a “racial gerrymander” aimed at protecting white Southwest Side incumbents. […]
Democrats have until Nov. 22 to file their response to the alternatives with the court. The challengers will have until the week after to respond to Democrats. In court arguments over the boundaries are scheduled to begin Dec. 6.
The proposed GOP maps would create four House districts in northern Cook County where Latinos make up a majority of the citizen voting age population, seven Latino-majority districts in southern Cook County and one district in nearby Aurora, District 50, where Latinos make up slightly less than half the voting age population but would still have an opportunity to elect a Latino candidate.
Their plan would also create a Black-majority House district centered in East St. Louis.
Their proposed map would reconfigure House Districts 3, 4, 39 and 77, primarily in Chicago’s northwest side and neighboring suburbs like Franklin Park and Melrose Park. Other districts around those proposed Latino districts would be adjusted so they would be substantially equal in population, but otherwise would be similar to their configuration in the September maps.
In southern Cook County, the GOP map would reconfigure House Districts 1, 2, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 32, all in Chicago’s southwest side and adjacent suburbs such as Berwyn, Cicero, and Burbank.
MALDEF’s map would create 10 Latino citizen voting age population majority House districts and four such Senate districts.
In a separate interview with Crain’s, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he hadn’t yet seen the maps released by Republicans, so he couldn’t comment directly on whether they expanded minority representation, but did say “Republicans are not known for doing things to increase diversity and representation. Just look at their caucus.” […]
The UCCRO/NAACP coalition submitted their own fresh map that they say addresses the dilution of the Black vote in the 114th House District (currently represented by Rep. LaToya Greenwood). Their proposal keeps certain communities like Washington Park, Belleville, and the Scott Air Force Base together and boosts the Black voting age population to 49.45%, up from the 33.55% in the current map.
But it’s unclear whether the courts will take up any of the remedial maps. Ami Gandhi, senior counsel at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights who is representing UCCRO in the case, said they are “still awaiting details from the court on what procedures it will be planning from here on out.”
* Other stuff…
* Charles Selle: Illinois congressional districts were ‘cherrymandered’
A Chicago police leader who worked to implement the department’s federal consent decree sent a resignation letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot this summer alleging that CPD’s top leadership failed “to even feign interest in pursuing reform in a meaningful manner.”
Then the official alleged that Chicago police retaliated against him for raising concerns about the department’s progress complying with court-ordered reforms. […]
“Unfortunately, my disappointment with the inability of this department’s top leadership to even feign interest in pursuing reform in a meaningful manner has made it impossible for me to remain involved,” [Chad Williams, the former civilian commanding officer of the department’s audit division] wrote in the email [to Mayor Lighfoot], obtained by the Tribune via a public records request. “Even more unfortunate is that my experience is far from unique. Many well-meaning and talented civilians have signed up to help improve the nation’s (second largest) police department, only to find themselves steadily thwarted by its perverse incentive structures until they inevitably depart due to demoralization.” […]
“Despite my efforts, both the office of the superintendent and the office of constitutional policing & reform continue to insist upon employing a ‘check the boxes’ strategy that focuses on getting credit for ‘preliminary compliance’ based primarily on policy edits that lack operational considerations,” Williams said. “Over time, the optimism I brought to this role withered in an incessant stream of discussions with the singular intent of identifying ways to ‘move the needle’ by ‘getting the percentages up’ to improve portrayals in local media coverage.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel had to be dragged by Attorney General Lisa Madigan into that consent decree. Sounds like the current administration is just trying to do the easy stuff first to get some positive news media coverage.
A top adviser to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot resigned in August while raising concerns about the city’s ability to “keep moving the ball forward” on its violence prevention efforts and Police Department consent decree implementation, records obtained by the Tribune show.
Lightfoot’s one-time deputy mayor for public safety, Susan Lee, left that post in fall 2020 but remained involved at City Hall as an unpaid consultant on public safety issues, according to a contract between Lee and the city.
Part of her adviser role included consent decree implementation, according to the agreement.
Lee sent Lightfoot chief of staff Sybil Madison and current Deputy Mayor for Public Safety John O’Malley an email on Aug. 2 seeking to “clarify” her role as senior adviser. In the email, on which she also copied Lightfoot, Lee said she’d been trying to “connect” with the mayor “for weeks” but had been unsuccessful.
* Disorganized Cops Handcuffed Innocent Black Teens at Gunpoint Multiple Times In Bizarre 2019 Incident, New Body Camera Video Shows: As he stepped out of his family’s Rogers Park apartment, he didn’t know he’d soon be stopped by Chicago Police officers four times, and handcuffed twice, in the span of 20 minutes. He also didn’t know around that same time, officers in the area were responding to a 911 call about a group of “Black males” who were “up to no good,” according to dispatch audio, and that they would target him and his younger brother, who were innocent.
* The sergeant who led the botched raid in February 2019 that left Anjanette Young handcuffed while naked and pleading for help should be fired, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown told the Chicago Police Board.
* For years, the Chicago Tribune editorial board argued that voters should give Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios the hook. That finally happened a few years ago and many of the same upper-income people who backed Berrios’ opponent Fritz Kaegi are now upset at Kaegi for matching their property tax assessments to reality. The Tribune editorial board sums up the issues today…
During Berrios’ eight-year reign, ethics rules went ignored. Patronage and nepotism became the norm. Deep-pocketed insiders knew they could secure assessment reductions through well-timed campaign donations to his office. Finally, in 2018, voters indicated they had seen enough, and embraced Kaegi’s pledge to reform the county’s broken tax assessment system.
And so far, that’s exactly what Kaegi has set out to do. His reforms include basing assessments on the most accurate market value of properties — commercial and residential. What business community lobbyists conveniently forget is that, under Berrios, commercial and industrial properties were undervalued by nearly 40% in Cook County, and almost 50% in Chicago. Billions of dollars of tax burden was shifted from moneyed communities to low-income and minority neighborhoods.
And [business lobbyists] should push [state legislators] to get rid of Cook County’s tax classification system that assesses commercial and industrial properties at a higher rate than homeowners — a 2.5 to 1 difference.
Possible translation: We didn’t like it when Joe Berrios shifted billions of dollars of the property tax burden to low-income and minority communities. We’d prefer it, however, if the General Assembly would give business owners a gigantic property tax cut and force low income and minority residents to pay lots more because then it would be all nice and legal.
Maybe I’m missing something here, or maybe they just don’t quite understand what they wrote. But I don’t see how that comes out any other way in the end.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will be among the governors, mayors and members of Congress at the White House today to celebrate President Joe Biden signing the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
* Gov. Pritzker statement via press release…
President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure deal is a testament to what government should do for the people it serves: create millions of jobs, power local economies, double down on America’s global leadership, and ensure working families have the roads, routes, and digital access they need to succeed in the 21st century. And thanks to our Rebuild Illinois infrastructure plan — the largest in state history — the Land of Lincoln is prepped and ready for federal dollars to jumpstart our projects ahead of schedule.
I am proud to join President Biden, Vice President Harris, and colleagues from across the nation to celebrate this exemplary renewal of federal leadership. Every American deserves access to safe, reliable transportation. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — the largest of its kind in over a decade — is how we deliver on that mission. Let’s get to work.
According to Lightfoot, money from the bill will fund “huge improvements to our CTA without any change in cost to consumers while delivering the same service they expect.”
The CTA system will “become 100% accessible with the addition and improvement of elevators and other ADA enhancements,” Lightfoot said, and “the Red Line will finally be extended to 130th Street.” Also, she said “the bus system will become fully electric,” and lead pipe replacement will be faster. […]
Lawmakers were told the White House invited at least 200 to the bill ceremony, enough to include almost all yes votes. Illinois Democratic Reps. Marie Newman, Bobby Rush and Cheri Bustos are among those who will attend the White House signing. […]
The infrastructure bill, a major Biden agenda item, “marks the largest investments in roads, bridges and highways since the creation of the Interstate Highway System,” [deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation Polly Trottenberg] said.
* Background from the governor’s office…
• Gov. Pritzker last visited the White House July 14, 2021 to discuss the infrastructure package and how it would benefit states.
Under theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Illinois will receive:
• Water Infrastructure:The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal includesSenator Duckworth’s entireDrinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act,which would help rebuild our nation’s crumbling and dangerous water infrastructure,and also provides five years’ worth of appropriations totaling $1.7 billion to improve drinking and wastewater infrastructure throughout Illinois.
• Roads and bridges:$9.8 billion for federal-aid highway projects and $1.4 billion for bridge replacement and repairs. The state will be eligible for billions more in competitive grant programs.
• Public transportation:Approximately $4 billion over five years to improve public transportation options across the state. The state will be eligible for billions more in competitive grant programs.
• Broadband:A minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the at least 228,000 Illinoisans who currently lack it. 2,926,000 Illinoisans, or 23 percent, will be eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.
• Airports:Approximately $616 million for airport improvements over five years, increasing the Airport Improvement Grant Program and creating a new Airport Terminal Improvement Program.
• Electric vehicles:$149 million over five years to support the expansion of an electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the state. Illinois is eligible for $2.5 billion in competitive EV charging grants.
…Adding… DPI…
The Democratic Party of Illinois is launching a multi-platform digital ad campaign highlighting the opposition of four Illinois Republican members of Congress to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that will be signed into law later today by President Biden. In total, 32 Republicans in the House and Senate supported the bipartisan deal, however Reps. Mike Bost, Rodney Davis, Darin LaHood, and Mary Miller put partisanship above the needs of their own constituents and opposed the deal. The DPI digital ads campaign is designed to raise awareness of these legislators’ failure to deliver commonsense solutions for their constituents.
“After years of broken Republican promises on ‘infrastructure week,’ President Biden and Illinois Democrats finally delivered on a once-in-a-generation investment in our state and our nation that will improve the lives of every Illinoisan,” said Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt. “Unfortunately, instead of working in a bipartisan way for their communities, Reps. Bost, Davis, LaHood, and Miller followed Donald Trump’s lead, letting petty partisanship get in the way of a good deal for their constituents.”
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will deliver billions of dollars in investment for Illinois’ roads and bridges, safe drinking water, broadband access, cybersecurity systems, and more,” Witt continued. “These investments will grow good-paying union jobs while combating climate change, building on the progress already delivered by Gov. JB Pritzker and Democrats in the statehouse. Voters need to know that four Illinois Republicans decided to turn their backs on this bipartisan deal, and the DPI is ready to spread the word.”
The digital campaign begins today, will run across multiple social media platforms, and is expected to reach hundreds of thousands of voters across Illinois. Examples of the initial digital ads can be seen here.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker told reporters not long ago that he was worried about the plateauing COVID-19 hospitalization rate and said he wouldn’t yet lift his statewide mask mandate.
But the governor told me something around the same time during an interview that he hasn’t yet said publicly: He’s most concerned about what may happen in January and February and upbeat about the spring and summer.
“What we’re trying to evaluate is, are the hospitalization numbers increasing, decreasing or staying the same,” Pritzker told reporters in early November. “We want them decreasing. They’re not currently, just to be clear. New hospitalizations are flat. That is not a good sign. That’s not what’s happened in previous dips from surges. We went down for a while here, but now we’ve leveled out at a level that is much higher than the summer. And so the question is, is that just a temporary situation? Are we going to start heading downward in those numbers?”
Since the governor said that, hospitalizations have yet again begun to increase, rising by almost 22% as of this writing. Hospitalizations are up almost 30% since late October’s low of 1,198.
That increase led Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike to warn last week that the statewide mask mandate wouldn’t be lifted before Thanksgiving, as some had hoped when hospitalizations were plateauing.
“As we’ve moved indoors,” Ezike told Quincy’s WGEM-TV, “we haven’t maybe taken our masks indoors with us. So a lot of unmasked indoor gatherings are likely part of the problem.”
Last year, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths shot up in November and continued ravaging our still mostly unvaccinated state through January.
I interviewed Gov. Pritzker not long ago and asked him if he was worried about yet another big wave starting in November.
Pritzker said the top epidemiologists in Illinois he speaks with outside of IDPGH tell him, “Their expectation is that January and February we could see a surge of cases and the resulting hospitalizations. So, how worried am I? I am worried as much as the epidemiologists are.”
Asked how worried the epidemiologists are, Pritzker said he didn’t know how to characterize that, “other than that they tell me that they expect to see a surge. I have to take it very seriously.”
Pritzker also talked about the internal debate over what to do about mitigations, like mask mandates, in the meantime. “One of the questions that you have to ask yourself and that we all ask ourselves is, if we modify mitigations now as things are mildly reducing or getting better, what changes do you make now if you think that in January and February, you’re gonna see potentially a surge?”
A little later in the interview, Pritzker asked if he could clarify some things.
“I think when you look at the pattern here of surges, the surges are getting smaller because of vaccinations, because of where we are in the cycle. And so, the hope here is that each of the moves that we’re making going forward are really flattening those surges down.”
Pritzker went on to say that he’s hearing from the epidemiological community that by next spring or summer, the virus will become more like the flu “because people will be getting vaccinated on a regular basis or that boosters will be available, and because more people will have been vaccinated.”
The governor quickly added that he wasn’t suggesting COVID is anything like the flu. “I’m just saying if you look at other chronic diseases, other things that we’ve worked to overcome with vaccinations, this is becoming more and more like that because people are getting more and more vaccinated.”
And, it should be added, effective treatments may be on the horizon. Pfizer is developing a pill that shows real promise at preventing severe illness, the New York Times has reported.
But, as Dr. Ezike also said this month, “Of course, COVID is so complicated. It’s been throwing us curveball after curveball.”
Colorado is currently experiencing a surge in cases, and experts there have told reporters that they don’t know why and don’t know if they’ll ever know. And, as pointed out in a Denver CBS4-TV news story on that topic, the popularity of home COVID testing means that private results aren’t being reported and therefore not tracked by state and local public health departments.
That means the jobs of people who try to anticipate the future path of the disease have been made significantly more difficult, which is not what we need.
For calling an attorney challenging his executive orders in court a “grifter,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker faces a summons in Sangamon County Circuit Court to answer to a defamation allegation.
Thomas DeVore, an attorney who has filed multiple lawsuits against the governor over COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools and businesses, sued Pritzker late last month, claiming defamation.
* Thursday is a holiday, so I’m just gonna make it a four-day weekend because (and I hope I don’t jinx anything by saying this) there isn’t much going on anyway…
Wednesday, Nov 10, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
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In Arizona, a stay-at-home dad and part-time Lyft driver told the state’s chief election officer she would hang for treason. In Utah, a youth treatment center staffer warned Colorado’s election chief that he knew where she lived and watched her as she slept.
In Vermont, a man who says he works in construction told workers at the state election office and at Dominion Voting Systems that they were about to die.
“This might be a good time to put a f‑‑‑‑‑‑ pistol in your f‑‑‑‑‑‑ mouth and pull the trigger,” the man shouted at Vermont officials in a thick New England accent last December. “Your days are f‑‑‑‑‑‑ numbered.”
The three had much in common. All described themselves as patriots fighting a conspiracy that robbed Donald Trump of the 2020 election. They are regular consumers of far-right websites that embrace Trump’s stolen-election falsehoods. And none have been charged with a crime by the law enforcement agencies alerted to their threats.
They were among nine people who told Reuters in interviews that they made threats or left other hostile messages to election workers. In all, they are responsible for nearly two dozen harassing communications to six election officials in four states. Seven made threats explicit enough to put a reasonable person in fear of bodily harm or death, the U.S. federal standard for criminal prosecution, according to four legal experts who reviewed their messages at Reuters’ request.
These cases provide a unique perspective into how people with everyday jobs and lives have become radicalized to the point of terrorizing public officials. They are part of a broader campaign of fear waged against frontline workers of American democracy chronicled by Reuters this year. The news organization has documented nearly 800 intimidating messages to election officials in 12 states, including more than 100 that could warrant prosecution, according to legal experts.
I checked in with Linda So today and asked if any of these nearly 800 incidents in 12 states happened in Illinois. She told me that none of these cases were in this state.
However, if y’all hear about something like this happening near you, or if it’s happened to you, please get in touch with me. Thanks.
Competitive grant allocations in the [federal] bill may add to the $17 billion headed Illinois’ way. All 13 Democrats in Illinois’ House delegation voted for the deal while just one of five Republicans joined them.
The package allocates Illinois $1.7 billion over five years for drinking and wastewater infrastructure, $9.8 billion in for federally aided highway projects, $1.4 billion for bridge replacement, $4 billion for public transportation projects, $100 million for broadband expansion and $149 million for an electric vehicle charging network, according to a statement from U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats.
More than $600 million will flow to Illinois for airport improvements over five years, increasing the Airport Improvement Grant Program and creating a new Airport Terminal Improvement Program.
The known funding and potential for more under competitive grant awards could buoy several big ticket items on Chicago’s radar involving the replacement of lead pipes, O’Hare International Airport expansion and the expansion of a major Chicago Transit Authority train line.
* Now, let’s go back in time to this 2019 Bond Buyer story on the state’s six-year $45 billion capital plan…
Transportation-related projects receive $33 billion of funding, state buildings get $4 billion, educational facilities get $3.5 billion, and healthcare, broadband and environmental projects get the remainder.
* Here’s how the state plan allocated money for transportation projects ($33.2 billion)…
• Over $14 billion for new roads in bridges:
o $10.4 billion for state roads and bridges
o $3.9 billion for local governments to rebuild their roads and bridges
• Nearly $11 billion for Illinois Department of Transportation’s Multi-Year Plan for roads and bridges
• $4.5 billion for mass transit, including the Regional Transportation Authority (CTA, Metra and Pace)
• $1 billion for passenger rail, including Amtrak and other inter-city rail projects
• $558 million for aeronautics
• $492 million for the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE)
• $312 million for grade crossing protection
• $150 million for ports
• $679 million for other transportation projects
• $2.9 billion for higher education, including deferred maintenance and new projects at public universities, private universities and community colleges
• $415 million for preK-12 school maintenance
• $111 million for early childhood education
• $867 million for environmental, conservation and recreation projects, including:
o $290 million for hazardous waste
o $110 million for water revolving fund
o $100 million for unsewered communities
o $92 million for ecosystem restoration
o $75 million for park and recreational facility construction
o $40 million for well plugging
o $35 million for land acquisition
o $31 million for flood mitigation
o $29 million for Illinois green infrastructure grants
o $23 million for Open Space Land Acquisition and Development
o $22 million for dam and waterway projects
o $20 million for conservation reserve enhancement
• $140 million for renewable energy projects, including solar and energy efficiency upgrades at state facilities and transportation electrification in low-income communities
• $200 million for affordable housing
• $200 million for hospital and healthcare transformation
• $50 million for community health centers
• $15 million for human services grant program
• $594 million for community development
• $425 million for economic development
• $401 million for public infrastructure
• $112 million for education and scientific facilities
• $75 million for economically depressed areas
• $51 million for museums
• $50 million for libraries
• $50 million for emerging technology enterprises
• $50 million for the arts
• $25 million for an apprenticeship program
• $15 million for Minority Owned Business Program
The difference is the state should be able to quickly access its annual federal allotments, but we’re still waiting on new casino revenues to help fund “vertical” projects here. Also, that federal water/sewer money dwarfs Illinois’ allocation and we really need the cash.
With Congressman Chuy Garcia at his side yesterday, Alexi Giannoulias surprised a crowd of supporters in Pilsen when he took to the podium and spoke Spanish. […]
Giannoulias told yesterday’s crowd he understands the challenges faced by Latinos who aren’t fluent in English. After more than a minute he switched to English, saying: “The secretary of state’s office needs to do a better job of providing services to those who don’t speak perfect English,” Giannoulias said, adding he remembers he and his brothers having to translate for his parents who didn’t speak English well. “They faced enormous challenges in accessing government services and even more challenges starting their respective small businesses.” […]
Along with Garcia, Giannoulias is endorsed by state Sens. Celina Villanueva (11th), Cristina Castro (22nd), state Reps. Barbara, Hernandez (83rd), Edgar Gonzalez (21st) and Jaime Andrade (40th), and Chicago council members George Cardenas (12th), Ray Lopez (15th), Michael D. Rodriguez (22nd), Silvana Tabares (23rd), Ariel Reboyras (30th), and Felix Cardona (31st).
Valencia, who does not speak Spanish, says the race isn’t about “collecting endorsements” but “demonstrating how candidates have been consistently showing up for the Latino community.”
Among her backers are Latino Victory Fund, state Reps. Eva Dina Delgado (3rd) and Lisa Hernandez (24th), and council members Andre Vasquez (40th) and Roberto Maldonado (26th).
I did not know that Valencia doesn’t speak Spanish.
*** UPDATE *** Valencia campaign…
Today, in light of Republican Dan Brady’s intent to run for Illinois Secretary of State, Anna Valencia’s campaign issued the following statement from Campaign Manager Cheryl Bruce:
“Dan Brady is running because he is confident that he can beat Alexi Giannoulias. Last time Alexi ran statewide, he lost President Obama’s senate seat to a Republican, and just this summer, a poll showed Brady trailing him by just five points. As Republicans nationwide try to subvert democracy, we cannot take this race for granted. Anna Valencia is the best candidate to deliver a Democratic win next November.”
* As we discussed yesterday, billionaire Neil Bluhm is actively lobbying the Chicago city council to not expand in-person sports betting to the city’s professional sports facilities. Bluhm says the city shouldn’t try to hurt the profits of its future casino. But he’s also conveniently protecting the profits of his current suburban casino and he wants to eventually own the new Chicago casino. All that said, here’s Joe Cahill…
If Chicago is going to allow in-person sports betting, it should look to maximize competition, not constrain it. Any operator who can meet reasonable licensing requirements designed to protect the public at large from the well-known evils of gambling, such as mob influence and exploitation of gambling addicts, should be allowed to compete.
If Bluhm or any other casino bidder doesn’t want to compete with stadium sportsbooks, nobody is forcing them to. They’re free to drop out of the bidding if the ordinance passes. So far, none of them has threatened to do that.
In fact, at least one of the other bidders doesn’t share Bluhm’s worries about competing with stadiums.
“Bally’s is committed to making Chicago its flagship property, and we have no issue with Chicago sports teams having sportsbooks,” says Chris Jewett, director of corporate development for Rhode Island-based casino giant Bally’s Corp., which submitted two bids.
Pew Research Center’s new political typology provides a road map to today’s fractured political landscape. It segments the public into nine distinct groups, based on an analysis of their attitudes and values. The study is primarily based on a survey of 10,221 adults conducted July 8-18, 2021; it also draws from several additional interviews with these respondents conducted since January 2020.
They include two very different groups of liberal Democrats: Progressive Left and Establishment Liberals. Progressive Left, the only majority White, non-Hispanic group of Democrats, have very liberal views on virtually every issue and support far-reaching changes to address racial injustice and expand the social safety net. Establishment Liberals, while just as liberal in many ways as Progressive Left, are far less persuaded of the need for sweeping change.
Two other Democratic-aligned groups could not be more different from each other, both demographically and in their relationship to the party. Democratic Mainstays, the largest Democratic-oriented group, as well as the oldest on average, are unshakeable Democratic loyalists and have a moderate tilt on some issues. Outsider Left, the youngest typology group, voted overwhelmingly for Joe Biden a year ago and are very liberal in most of their views, but they are deeply frustrated with the political system – including the Democratic Party and its leaders.
The four Republican-oriented groups include three groups of conservatives: Faith and Flag Conservatives are intensely conservative in all realms; they are far more likely than all other typology groups to say government policies should support religious values and that compromise in politics is just “selling out on what you believe in.” Committed Conservatives also express conservative views across the board, but with a somewhat softer edge, particularly on issues of immigration and America’s place in the world. Populist Right, who have less formal education than most other typology groups and are among the most likely to live in rural areas, are highly critical of both immigrants and major U.S. corporations.
Ambivalent Right, the youngest and least conservative GOP-aligned group, hold conservative views about the size of government, the economic system and issues of race and gender. But they are the only group on the political right in which majorities favor legal abortion and say marijuana should be legal for recreational and medical use. They are also distinct in their views about Donald Trump – while a majority voted for him in 2020, most say they would prefer he not continue to be a major political figure.
The only typology group without a clear partisan orientation – Stressed Sideliners – also is the group with the lowest level of political engagement. Stressed Sideliners, who make up 15% of the public but constituted just 10% of voters in 2020, have a mix of conservative and liberal views but are largely defined by their minimal interest in politics.
* The Question: Which political typology are you? Take the poll and then let us know your answer in comments, along with anything else you’d like to say about this exercise…
[Illinois’ wealthiest resident Ken Griffin] first voiced the possibility of moving Citadel due to rising crime at an Economic Club event last month. At the time, Pritzker responded to Griffin’s complaints, calling him a “liar” and saying that Griffin has worked to dismantle social services that prevent violence.
“He called me a liar,” Griffin said at Wednesday’s event. “It’s all about politics for him. It’s not about people.”
“I’m going to make sure that if he runs again, that I am all in to support the candidate who will beat him,” Griffin continued. “He doesn’t deserve to be the governor of our state.”
Bailey, his campaign manager, and campaign spokesman all ignored multiple emails, calls, and texts seeking comment about his plans to release his full tax returns. Bailey has previously refused to answer questions in protest to [WCIA] reporting about his brother-in-law’s Coronavirus hospitalization that he considered “liberal” and “biased.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Pritzker campaign…
Today, JB for Governor spokesperson Natalie Edelstein released the following statement in response to Ken Griffin announcing he plans to go “all in” to financially back Governor Pritzker’s GOP opponent.
“Ken Griffin financed Bruce Rauner’s disastrous tenure as governor and now he is eager to once again elect someone who would hold our budget hostage, waste taxpayer money, ruin our credit rating, and destroy programs that keep our residents healthy and safe.
Governor Pritzker remains laser focused on putting Springfield back on the side of working families through unprecedented investments in health care and education, rebuilding our infrastructure, creating good paying jobs, and fighting climate change.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** DPI…
In an interview today, Ken Griffin said he is desperate to fund a challenger to Gov. JB Pritzker in next year’s election. In the last two gubernatorial elections, Griffin spent more than $36 million on failed former Gov. Bruce Rauner. Democratic Party of Illinois Deputy Director Jake Lewis responded to the news:
“We look forward to finding out who Ken Griffin picks to be Bruce Rauner 2.0,” said Jake Lewis, Deputy Director of the Democratic Party of Illinois. “While Mr. Griffin attempts to satisfy some personal vendetta and the crowded field of radical GOP candidates trip over themselves to win his attention, Illinois Democrats remain focused on delivering wins on the issues that actually matter to the people of this state.”
“I pointed out that he lied,” Pritzker said today, referring to a dispute over how and whether National Guard troops should have been called out during 2020 protests after the shooting of George Floyd. Griffin “is a guy who wants to take the state backward. I want to take it forward.” […]
“This is the guy who brought you Bruce Rauner,” Pritzker said, noting that the state’s credit rating during Rauner’s tenure was repeatedly reduced as Springfield stalemated over passage of a new state budget for more than a year.
“I don’t think the people want to do a redo and put his puppet in office,” Pritzker said. “I think we’ve made a lot of progress” with better funding of schools and more jobs created, as opposed to Rauner’s slashing of social programs.“Ken Griffin is someone who’s made a lot of bad decisions” in political matters, Pritzker concluded.
* This joint motion filed by the plaintiffs and defendants Exelon/ComEd and its current execs along with a separate Sidley & Austin team for former Exelon/ComEd honcho Anne Pramaggiore was filed yesterday…
On September 23, 2021, this Court granted the unopposed motion of the United States to intervene and stay discovery while the parties to this action and the government negotiated a proposed protective order concerning certain discovery materials. The Order stayed discovery in this action “for sixty days, or until a protective order is issued, whichever is earlier.” The Order also struck all previously set deadlines and stated that, “[u]pon completion of the discovery stay, Lead Plaintiff and Defendants shall submit a joint proposed amended scheduling order, reflecting an extension of deadlines commensurate with the length of the stay.”
On November 4, 2021, the United States submitted to the Court’s email a proposed amendment to the protective order (the “Confidentiality Order Amendment”), as contemplated by the Order. The Confidentiality Order Amendment would prohibit the Parties from requesting discovery into certain matters, including communications with the government, but contemplates continued discovery into other matters. The Confidentiality Order Amendment expires on February 15, 2022, and the government may move for an extension.
Upon the entry of the Confidentiality Order Amendment, the discovery stay will end under the terms of the Order.
Pursuant to ¶4 of the Order, Lead Plaintiff and Defendants jointly propose that the Court set a February 15, 2022 deadline for the substantial completion of the document discovery permitted under the Confidentiality Order Amendment. This deadline aligns with the expiration of the Confidentiality Order Amendment and allows the Parties to conduct certain party and non-party discovery that would not violate the Confidentiality Order Amendment.
Lead Plaintiff and Defendants further request that no other case deadlines be set at this time. The Confidentiality Order Amendment would preclude the completion of all document discovery (and written discovery such as interrogatories into certain subject matters), which will be necessary for continued proceedings, including deposition discovery and the completion of fact discovery. Moreover, the limitations on the scope of permissible production under the Confidentiality Order Amendment may present additional obstacles and issues in the completion of the Parties’ collection, review, and production of documents.
By February 15, 2022, the Parties will have a better understanding of (1) the document discovery that remains (and any issues that arose while operating under the Confidentiality Order Amendment), and (2) whether the government will seek to extend the stay of certain discovery. At that time, the Parties intend to either propose a schedule for the remaining dates or move for any other relief that any or all of the Parties believe necessary to continue and complete discovery.
WHEREFORE, Lead Plaintiff and Defendants respectfully request that this Court set a February 15, 2022 deadline for substantial completion of the document discovery permitted under the Confidentiality Order Amendment, with all other case deadlines to be set on or after February 15, 2022.
I reached out to the US Attorney’s office for insight. When you-know-what freezes over and they give me a full explanation, I’ll be sure to let you know. /s
But his is from an attorney pal…
Right now all discovery has been stayed. This allows discovery to start again, but only as allowed by the confidentiality order. That means some topics and parts of discovery are off limits. Discovery can begin again and continue through February 15, 2022, but certain aspects of discovery will be barred until after Feb 15th, and even then the prosecutors can seek an extension.
On Tuesday, Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch and other west suburban politicians called for completely rebuilding the Eisenhower Expressway.
“We love the Ike, but the Ike don’t love us,” Welch said.
The Eisenhower was ranked last year as America’s most-congested interstate highway. […]
Construction of the Eisenhower Expressway six decades ago required bulldozing 400 businesses and the homes of 13,000 people in some of Chicago’s then-most vibrant neighborhoods: Little Italy, Greek Town, the heart of the old Jewish west side and several African American communities.
As the city began clearing the path for the Congress Street Expressway, the first neighborhood hit with demolition was the Near West Side. […]
Of all the neighborhoods that the expressway sliced through, the Near West Side had the largest population of blacks in 1950. Nearly 40 percent of its people were African-American. […]
Chicago Mayor Martin Kennelly, who oversaw the superhighway project during his eight years leading the city, sounded proud of the destruction it was causing. “Just wiping out slums, that alone has made the work worthwhile,” he remarked in a Tribune article. […]
The expressway project continued to the west, disrupting the East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park and Austin neighborhoods. It ran through a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in West Garfield Park. “Its construction was a physical manifestation of Jewish Chicagoans’ political powerlessness,” historian Beryl Satter writes in her 2009 book Family Properties: Race, Real Estate, and the Exploitation of Black Urban America. Satter’s father was a civil-rights attorney who crusaded for black families victimized by real-estate speculators. […]
The story was similar for the Italians who lived nearby. “You can find Chicago Tribune articles calling the neighborhood a slum,” says Kathy Catrambone, co-author of Taylor Street: Chicago’s Little Italy. “I talked to many people who were here at the time, and they didn’t know they were living in a slum. They liked the neighborhood. And they really felt that they were forced out.”
Catrambone says many of the neighborhood’s Italians moved to suburbs like Melrose Park, Elmwood Park and Addison. “A lot of them got on the Eisenhower and headed west,” she says. […]
Christopher Reed, an African-American historian who grew up in East Garfield Park in the 1940s and ’50s, says the expressway did play a role. “The construction of the Eisenhower removed so many white families that an unnatural demographic imbalance took place,” he says. “The lure of the suburbs was powerful, especially with factories and jobs relocating into areas where the new superhighways reached. Equally, blacks sought new housing opportunities and moved into areas where vacancies occurred.”
And David Satter believes the expressway was a major factor in why so many Jewish residents and other whites abandoned the West Side, just as many African-Americans began to move in.
“It played a very important role,” he says. “The building of the Eisenhower Expressway with so little concern for the effect it would have on the community … it undercut any desire or any will to find solutions, to find ways to integrate the new arrivals. It was clear that the area was not going to stay all white. But that didn’t mean there had to be this mass white flight that took place. It didn’t mean that the whole community would have to move from the West Side to the North Side, which is pretty much what happened.
“But there were a lot of factors,” he says. “There were profiteers that were trying to spread panic and get people to move. … But the Eisenhower Expressway, it made people feel that it was the end of an era, and the community would never be the same and it didn’t make sense to fight to stay there.”
There is no doubt that the Ike helped make Chicago what it is today. But a little history never hurt anyone (until lately, apparently).
The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police was among the first to raise concerns about the changes. President Chris Southwood Tuesday said now it’s signed, they’re getting the word out.
“Freedom-loving citizens all across the state have been stripped of their basic right to conscientious choice and can now be discriminated against because of their conscientious refusal to have COVID vaccines forced on them,” Southwood told WMAY. […]
Calling Pritzker a “dictator,” Southwood said there will be political consequences for those that supported the change.
“And I think that those people have now certainly in our opinion have lost the right to represent freedom loving citizens all across this state and we’re going to make sure their constituents know about it as these elections come closer and closer,” Southwood said.
To the governor and Democrats that talk about supporting labor, Southwood said they’re being hypocrites if they supported changes to the HCRCA.
All you “lost” was your ability to sue your employer and recover treble damages if and only if you could find a judge who let you get away with exploiting a statutory loophole that was never intended to be interpreted this way in the first place.
Also, the Illinois FOP’s campaign committee has a whopping fifteen grand in it.
Today, on the 246th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps, Alderman Gilbert Villegas of Chicago’s 36th Ward announced his campaign for Congress. Villegas is a Marine and member of the Chicago City Council currently serving his second term. He is the first candidate to enter the race to represent Illinois’ newly drawn 3rd District since the state legislature passed the maps last month.
“As a Marine, an advocate for working families, and a member of the City Council, I’ve always put service to my community first. Illinois needs a proven fighter with the courage and conviction to combat the rising cost of living, lack of increase in wages, and struggles our small businesses face in today’s economy. Voters can count on me to deliver results, and I’m ready to hit the ground running,” said Alderman Gil Villegas.
The 36th Ward sits entirely within the new congressional district boundaries.
Villegas also announced the endorsement of Chicago native U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego of the 7th Congressional District of Arizona.
“I’m proud to endorse fellow Marine Gil Villegas. Alderman Villegas has fought for the people of Chicago honorably and dutifully while working to create much needed economic development in communities that have historically faced underinvestment and gun violence. Raised by a single mother who provided for him and his brother after a terrible family tragedy, he knows what it’s like for families who struggle. That’s why he was instrumental in Chicago becoming the largest City in America to engage in a guaranteed basic income pilot to provide low income families cash assistance,” said Congressman Ruben Gallego. “Congress needs more public servants like Gil Villegas who are prepared to put country over party, and to do the right thing.”
Expect a Chuy Garcia ally to also run in this primary.
The new 3rd is called a Hispanic-influenced district because although it’s heavily Hispanic, it does not have a majority Hispanic voting-age population. If multiple Hispanic candidates join the primary, the vote could split and the district may not elect another Hispanic member to Congress. I asked Villegas if that was a concern.
“If there are too many Latinx representatives that get in, I think that potentially could be an issue,” Villegas said.
* Press release…
Educator and former Rockford State Representative Litesa Wallace launches her campaign for Congress today in Illinois’ new Seventeenth Congressional District. Born and raised in Illinois and a 16 year resident of Rockford, Litesa’s parents were both public servants. Litesa understands the economic and social challenges facing the communities of the 17th district for whom she’s fiercely advocated throughout her career.
“As a single mom and former legislator, I know the challenges my neighbors face - from finding affordable childcare to the rising cost of food and rent. It’s why as a state legislator I strengthened the childcare assistance program, fought against food insecurity, advocated for affordable housing, and fought for a $15 minimum wage while in the state legislature”.
As a three-term Rockford State Representative, Litesa championed measures to reduce violence, expand affordable childcare and mental health care access, strengthen the economy, develop opportunities for women and girls, and extend the River’s Edge Historic Tax Credit to help redevelop Peoria and Rockford.
The 17th district is currently represented by outgoing Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. The recently redrawn district has a Biden +7 democratic performance and is economically, geographically, and racially diverse, with twenty-seven percent of residents being people of color.
Dr. Litesa Wallace is an alumna of Western Illinois University and Northern Illinois University, where she received a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. She has worked as an educator and an activist, co-founding the Rockford Anti-Racism Network and serving as a fellow for the Diversifying Faculty in Higher Education Board along with representing Rockford in the state legislature.
Video…
As a single mom, social worker, and former state representative I know the challenge of finding affordable childcare and the impacts of the rising cost of food and rent on our families.
Expect several candidates in that district. The Democrats already announced include Rock Island County Board member Angie Normoyle, former Rockford meteorologist Eric Sorensen (who kinda jumped in out of the blue) and Rockford’s 2nd Ward Alderperson Jonathan Logemann. There will likely be more. Sen. Steve Stadelman is still mulling his options as well.
Republican Esther Joy King has raised a ton of money for a bid in the swing district. King ran in 2020 and gave Cheri Bustos a real scare.
*** UPDATE *** NASW lobbyist…
I like former Rep Wallace and I hope she does well in this race, but social worker is a title protected profession. While she has worked in similar fields, she is not nor never has been a social worker, and should not use that title. #twillhttps://t.co/DBTCfeVHYq
Illinois had several weeks of continued decrease in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. However, that quickly changed over the past ten days.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has tracked an uptick in new cases across the entire state. IDPH officials also said that led to more people going into the hospital in certain regions. […]
Gov. JB Pritzker recently said he hoped to ease back the mask mandate for the holiday season, but that may not happen now. IDPH Director Ngozi Ezike said it’s inappropriate right now to think of going mask-free for the holidays. […]
Ezike said many events that may have been held outdoors with warmer weather moved inside over the last few weeks.
“As we’ve moved indoors, we haven’t maybe taken our masks indoors with us. So a lot of unmasked indoor gatherings are likely part of the problem,” Ezike said. “Of course, COVID is so complicated. It’s been throwing us curveball after curveball.”
Ezike said she understands the fatigue around wearing masks and that people want to return to the lifestyle they enjoyed before the pandemic started, but she stressed we’re not beyond this virus. COVID-19 is still spreading quickly in indoor settings.
Displeased by that development, some of Casten’s DuPage County-based allies in the Illinois House threatened to withhold voting for the congressional maps unless he was treated more favorably. That appeared to be why the final map that won approval on Oct. 29 moved Newman’s home in LaGrange six blocks out of the 6th, unleashing fury in her camp.
“Clearly, the folks who did that little maneuver in the middle of the night didn’t understand Marie Newman,” she told WBEZ. […]
So, in a last-ditch political Hail Mary, Newman’s backers got their hands on the personal cell phone numbers of Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and made call after call after call to protest her treatment. It was pure lobbying chutzpah, multiple legislative sources confirmed.
Ultimately, it didn’t move the needle, and it’s a tactic from which Newman seeks to distance herself.
“I know they made calls to all the legislators that had involvement in remapping,” she said, when asked whether she signed off on the move. “So I have no idea who was called or who wasn’t called. But I do know that my constituents followed all of the rules, and they were very angry about these middle-of-the-night shenanigans.”
So, wait. She says that the people who drew the map “didn’t understand Marie Newman” and yet she claims no knowledge of her people bombarding the two legislative leaders’ private mobile phones?
Right. OK.
Both Newman and Casten complain about their predicament in the article, but Illinois lost a congressional district and a Latino-influenced district had to be created. Somebody in the Chicago area was gonna end up with the short end of the stick.
* Last year’s General Funds Walk Down produced by GOMB projected the Fiscal Year 2021 deficit at $3.9 billion with a payment backlog of $10.16 billion. That backlog was projected to grow to $33.16 billion by Fiscal Year 2026, with deficits between $4.2 billion and $4.8 billion every single fiscal year.
This year’s GOMB walk down is a whole lot different. GOMB is projecting a surplus in FY 2022 of $418 million, with deficits of $406, $820, $1,061, $903 and $598 million in the coming fiscal years.
That still ain’t great, but it’s a world away from where the state was. That is, of course, if those projections hold up. Last year’s projections were obviously way off.
* Press release…
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) released the annual Economic and Fiscal Policy Report showing Illinois has made significant improvement in its structural deficit under Governor Pritzker’s leadership. As the state recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, this progress has been fueled by the Governor and the General Assembly passing and implementing balanced budgets, promoting economic development to create jobs and boost economic activity, and closing corporate tax loopholes.
GOMB is now projecting significantly smaller deficits than estimated previously in the general funds budget for fiscal years 2023 through 2027. The forecasted fiscal year 2023 shortfall was reduced from $2.9 billion, as estimated in 2019, to $406 million, and the 2024 shortfall was reduced from $3.2 billion, as estimated in 2019, to a deficit of $820 million.
“With our partners in the General Assembly we’ve made tremendous progress in putting Illinois on the right fiscal path, supporting small businesses, and creating good jobs in every part of our state,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I am committed to building on this significant progress while tackling our remaining fiscal challenges. Together, we can build long term fiscal stability for Illinois while ensuring economic opportunity in all of our communities.”
The future years’ budget outlook also benefits from strong pension fund investment returns in fiscal year 2021, substantial early debt retirement in 2021 and interest cost savings from paying down the State’s unpaid bill backlog.
The Governor intends to pursue several actions to continue Illinois’ strong path forward, including directing funds to further reduce the state’s existing payables, reserving additional funds for fiscal emergencies or economic downturns, and continuing the management controls put in place at the beginning of the Pritzker Administration to continue to responsibly manage the limited resources of state government. With the Governor’s recommended actions, the state’s unpaid bills have been significantly tamed, with the vast majority of bills now paid within 30 days. The outstanding invoices, most of which are less than 30 days old, are estimated to fall below $2.75 billion by the end of fiscal year 2022, down from the $9.2 billion of outstanding bills and cashflow borrowings prior to taking office. This would be a nearly $6.5 billion - or 70 percent reduction - while replenishing the Budget Stabilization Fund that was drained during the previous administration.
Illinois’ significant improvement to its fiscal outlook was heralded last summer by the state’s credit rating agencies, with an upgrade to its general obligation bond credit rating granted by Moody’s Investor Services and S&P Global Ratings in June and July 2021.
GOMB is required to annually submit an Economic and Fiscal Policy Report to the General Assembly outlining the long-term economic and fiscal policy objectives of the state, along with the economic and fiscal policy intentions for the upcoming fiscal year and for the subsequent four fiscal years.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) today announced $38 million in federal funding to identify and support students experiencing housing insecurity. The funding will bolster schools’ efforts to identify students in temporary living situations and provide them with services.
Students in many different living situations qualify for extra resources. The additional funding announced today will help schools overcome barriers to identifying students for services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools statewide identified 17 percent fewer students to receive services related to housing insecurity last school year compared to the year before. The number of students identified statewide dropped from 38,898 to 32,301.
* The Daily Herald’s Katlyn Smith had a good piece over the weekend about this very topic…
Months into the pandemic, school districts across Illinois braced for a rise in the number of students without stable housing.
The COVID-19 crisis had unleashed widespread job loss and health complications, leaving “many more families and children homeless or at risk of homelessness,” the Illinois State Board of Education warned in July 2020.
When the numbers came in, however, it was “quite a shock,” said Deb Dempsey, an advocate for homeless students with the Kane County Regional Office of Education. Schools identified thousands fewer homeless students in 2020-21 than in the year before.
“It was like, ‘Oh my God, where are these kids?’” Dempsey said.
But what appears to be a significant decline is not only misleading. It’s cause for concern. Educators say there isn’t a reduction in homelessness.
“It’s just that we’ve lost track of them, which is the worst thing that can happen because then they’re kind of falling through the cracks and not getting the services that they need,” said Tom Bookler, a regional homeless liaison in the North Cook Intermediate Service Center.
* Back to the press release…
“So many families have experienced financial hardship during the pandemic. We hope to increase understanding among parents and educators that students in many different living situations can qualify for and benefit from this funding,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala, “Living with friends or relatives, staying in motels or other short-term housing, or having to move out due to unsafe conditions or a disaster like flooding or fire – students and families in any of these circumstances are entitled to extra money to ensure they can continue to participate fully in all the opportunities school has to offer, as well as support for any trauma they may be going through.”
A new study by the University of Chicago’s Inclusive Economy Lab found that housing insecurity can affect students’ grade point averages, attendance rates, and graduation rates. The extra funding for schools will help ensure students experiencing housing insecurity have equitable opportunities by covering the costs of school fees and school supplies; transportation to and from school, extracurricular activities, and appointments; counseling; and other supports.
ISBE has already distributed $6 million to the state’s regional lead area liaisons and allocated $6 million in regular federal funding for students experiencing housing insecurity. An additional $24 million will go directly to school districts to boost their efforts to identify students who quality for extra services due to housing insecurity. ISBE will use the remaining $2 million to provide professional development to educators and community partners to increase understanding about the impact housing insecurity has on students.
“You know, I’m embarrassed if somebody says I’m a billionaire,” he said in an interview with another Chicago billionaire, Sam Zell. “It’s like I’m a criminal.” […]
“I’m a Democrat, but I worry that there’s part of our country that views that as being wrong because of the inequality over wealth,” Bluhm said. “Inequality in part has occurred because of the action of the (Federal Reserve) and interest rates being so low, so asset values have gone up, and our net worth has gone up. But it isn’t our fault. We took chances, we got educated, we went into business and there was the hope—and that was what America was all about.”
Bluhm knows something about the American Dream. He came from a modest upbringing, raised by a single mother, who worked as a bookkeeper, in an apartment over a drugstore in Albany Park. He went on to obtain a law degree from Northwestern University and made a fortune in real estate. He’s the founder of JMB Realty, Walton Street Capital, two Chicago real estate investment firms, and Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, a casino owner whose assets include the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.
Bluhm is worth $6.4 billion, up from $4 billion in 2020, according to Forbes magazine. He’s slightly ahead of Zell, whose fortune rose to $6 billion this year, up from $4.7 billion.
Casino magnate Neil Bluhm has lined up a team of blue-ribbon lobbyists to try to convince the City Council not to lift the ban on sports betting in Chicago.
On Monday, Bluhm made the argument himself during a subject matter hearing on sports betting before a joint meeting of the zoning and license committees. It’s the political equivalent of a heavyweight boxing match that has pitted sports team owners against clout-heavy developers vying to build a Chicago casino. […]
Bluhm’s interest in blocking the ordinance is two-fold. His Rush Street Gaming company is part of two separate groups vying to build a Chicago casino.
And his Des Plaines-based Rivers Casino already has a sports book that stands to lose business if sports betting is legalized in Chicago.
Mara Georges, who worked as the city’s top attorney under former Mayor Richard M. Daley, said Bluhm’s projections on tax revenue losses “are not to be taken seriously.” Georges is lobbying for the ordinance on behalf of the Wirtz family, who own the Blackhawks and the United Center, and the Ricketts family, who own the Cubs and Wrigley Field.
Bluhm’s projections “rest in conjecture and fail to accurately state the facts,” Georges said, adding his comments “seem to assume that no person who places a wager at a sports book venue will venture to a casino after the game.”
Plus, Bluhm’s Rivers Casino in suburban Des Plaines is already benefiting from the ban on sports betting in Chicago, Georges said.
“If the tax rate in Illinois gets too high on sports book or sports book is not allowed in the city of Chicago, all that will happen is those bettors will leave the city and flee to locations outside the city,” she said.
With the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill now awaiting only a presidential signature, a parade of state and local officials is moving to insure that a stalled plan to rebuild the Eisenhower Expressway is a priority to get some of that money.
Legislative leaders, Chicago Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi and top labor officials are set to hold a press conference in the morning intended to give a big push to fund reconstruction of I-290 from the Jane Byrne Interchange to Hillside.
The state in 2017 estimated the cost of rebuilding the road and the Chicago Transit Authority blue line, which runs in its center, at $3.2 billion. But no construction has occurred because the state has lacked funding.
Notice of the event came from a spokesman for IUOE Local 150, a politically connected union representing operating engineers that has considerable Springfield influence.
* Press release…
Following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon will join the Rebuild 290 Coalition today to call for federal funds to speed up the reconstruction of Interstate 290 from Hillside to the Byrne Interchange and the CTA’s Blue Line. Both legislative chambers passed Senate Joint Resolution 31 in June, which requested federal support to expedite engineering and construction.
Local mayors, business leaders, organized labor representatives, community organizations and economic policy analysts will discuss I-290’s current state of disrepair as well as the economic, community and safety benefits of the proposed reconstruction.
* From the Illinois Economic Policy Institute…
A multi-modal infrastructure proposal that would modernize the 13-mile stretch of I-290 between I-94 and the I-88/294 interchange would create more than 22,000 jobs, reduce traffic congestion by 25-56%, and dramatically enhance access to jobs for Chicago’s most disadvantaged communities, according to a new study by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI).
The $2.7 billion project, which combines innovative transit and pedestrian improvements alongside bridge and roadway upgrades, is projected by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to provide amongst the best economic, equity, and traffic impacts of any project in the region by 2050. The recently passed Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 31 encouraged priority funding for the project. […]
Originally built in the 1950’s alongside CTA’s blue-line, as much as ninety percent of the project’s existing pavement structure is original and exceeds the normal roadway design life of 25-30 years. Of its 44 bridges, 34% are considered “structurally deficient” and 86% are “functionally obsolete,” according to Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) data. According to CMAP, vehicle traffic on the stretch has increased by more than 16% since 1984.
In her research, Tyler illustrates the severely limited pedestrian access to adjacent transit facilities, emphasizing safety hazards from narrow sidewalks along busy roads and dangerous crosswalks across I-290 exit and entrance ramps. Tyler also found that over the past decade, I-290 had both the highest number of fatal crashes and the highest fatal crash rate amongst comparable stretches of highway in the Chicago metropolitan area. […]
The proposed I-290 reconstruction project, that was detailed in a 2017 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from the Illinois Department of Transportation, incorporates not only bridge and highway upgrades—including a new High Occupancy Toll lane (HOT3+) to support Express Bus service and promote carpooling—but also wider sidewalks, pedestrian safety islands, high visibility crosswalks, lighting, and signals to better facilitate pedestrian/bicycle traffic and transit riders. A concurrent CTA project would upgrade blue line transit facilities, including reconstruction of the entire Forest Park Branch (including track and related infrastructure) as well as stations from UIC-Halsted to Forest Park and six substations.
By 2050, CMAP projects the project will reduce travel times by 25-56%, while increasing the number of jobs within 45 minutes of each household in the region by more than 17,000, and high wage jobs not requiring a college degree for “Economically Disconnected Areas” (EDAs) by more than 1,300. Importantly, it projects that fully 31% of those using the rehabilitated stretch of I-290 will come from EDAs, making the project not only one of the region’s best values to reduce congestion, but to expand opportunity to historically marginalized communities.
Using industry standard IMPLAN modelling, Tyler’s study examined the potential overall economic impact of the project, concluding that it would create nearly 22,000 new jobs paying an average of almost $80,000 per year, while growing the economy by more than $2.6 billion and boosting local, state and federal tax revenues by more than $450 million.
“While I-290 is a prime example of an infrastructure corridor in dire need of attention for safety and traffic related concerns, it is an equally stark example of how such investments can be a game changer for the local economy that uplifts our most historically disadvantaged communities,” Tyler added.
While SJR 31 were recently passed, calling for the project to be prioritized, a funding source has yet to be identified. However, Tyler’s research highlights several potential sources—including tens of millions in toll revenues expected from the project, a new state law providing Tax Increment Financing for certain transit systems, and the possibility of over $300 billion in new federal transportation funds that have been proposed as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Republicans outnumber Democrats 22-7 on the board.
I don’t pay much if any attention to the county board where I live, so I don’t know if the Democrats just run ridiculously horrible candidates and back them with amazingly lousy campaigns or if the map is truly that lopsided.
Either way, though… Wow.
In comparison, the Illinois Senate Democrats hold 70 percent of the seats in their chamber, but Biden beat Trump statewide by 17 points.
At the request of the Attorney General, Governor JB Pritzker today signed SB 1169 into law, clarifying the legislative intent of the Health Care Right of Conscience Act so that it cannot be abused or misinterpreted to jeopardize workplace safety. This amendment will ensure the long tradition of vaccine requirements by employers can continue with regard to the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Masks, vaccines, and testing requirements are life-saving measures that keep our workplaces and communities safe,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Keeping workplaces safe is a high priority, and I applaud the General Assembly for ensuring that the Health Care Right of Conscience Act is no longer wrongly used against institutions who are putting safety and science first.”
The Health Care Right of Conscience Act was originally enacted to allow medical professionals to refuse to receive or participate in healthcare services that are contrary to their personal beliefs, including religious or moral objections to specific services, such as abortion.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the law has been improperly invoked to evade employers’ requirements for testing, masking, and vaccines. The misuse of the law’s original intent has put customers, staff, and community members at risk by exposing employers to legal retaliation for enacting life-saving public health measures.
“With Governor Pritzker’s signature today, we continue our effort to keep the people of this state as safe as possible,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D- Westchester). “Despite deliberate attempts to misinform the public, nothing about this law takes away anyone’s rights to claim religious or medical exemption, which are protected by federal law. While only a small minority of people are skirting COVID-19 requirements, our goal is to make sure workers in high-risk environments are doing what’s needed to fulfill their responsibility to public health and keep everyone alive and healthy.”
“I hope this provides clarity to the situation as we work to protect the public’s health and beat back this pandemic that has taken so much from us,” said Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park).
“Today we are taking critical action to protect people in high-risk environments—such as hospitals, veterans’ homes and schools—from the dangers of COVID-19,” said State Representative Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston). “While this law will not take away anyone’s right to claim exemptions based on religion or medical need, it prevents a small group of people from distorting the meaning of the Health Care Right of Consciousness Act and putting some of our most vulnerable members of society in danger. I would like to thank Governor Pritzker for the steps he’s taking today.”
This amendment preserves the legislative intent established by the Act’s 40 years of precedent, clarifying that it is not a violation of the Act to take workplaces measures intended to prevent the spread of deadly, communicable diseases like COVID-19.
The law explicitly reiterates federal protections of sincerely held religious objections.
“He continues to strip individual freedoms and make decisions that should be between an individual and their doctor,” said state Sen. Darren Bailey of downstate Xenia. “A few months ago we called healthcare workers heroes [but] now Pritzker wants to ensure they can be fired if they don’t submit to his tyrannical rule.
“These never-ending mandates and radical attacks by Pritzker on individual freedom must stop.”
The campaign of venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan argued the Health Care Right of Conscience Act was in place to “ensure no one could be discriminated against in their job because of their conscientious objection to not getting a medical procedure.
“Over 50,000 Illinoisans filed witness slips against this radical change,” according to Sullivan’s campaign statement. “Nevertheless, Pritzker pushed ahead, once again demonstrating his disregard for the will of the people. Jesse Sullivan opposes this scary legislation.”
“Scary.”
* Gary Rabine…
Gary Rabine, Republican candidate for Illinois Governor, is issuing the following statement on the Governor signing legislation to shield employers from litigation stemming from vaccine mandates.
“The Right of Conscience has long been a part of our nation’s heritage. Going all of the way back to the American Revolution, the Colonial Army made allowances for conscientious objectors. The Right of Conscience is engrained in our American heritage and our way of life.
The idea that employers can mandate a vaccine and be protected from lawsuits ought to frighten us all. If we cannot make healthcare for ourselves, what other ways can government limit our freedoms?
Governor Pritzker may not like the choices people make, but he should respect their right to make decisions for themselves. The courts will ultimately decide the legality of this new law, but there is no denying our individual rights and freedoms were dealt a major setback today.
Illinois does not need a despot. The residents of our state need and deserve a Governor who will listen to them and treat them with dignity and respect. Unlike JB Pritzker, I will put the rights and liberties of Illinois citizens first. I will end the war on families, and I will protect the Right of Conscience for all Illinoisans.”
Senate President Don Harmon argued there are legitimate limits to personal freedoms.
“The line of my personal liberty ends at the beginning of your nose,” Harmon said [during floor debate]. “That’s all we’re trying to do here. We’re trying to strike a balance. This law was never intended to preclude public health responses to a pandemic. And it shouldn’t be.”
