Afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Jul 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* ISP…
For the second year, the Illinois State Police (ISP) is reporting a decrease in the number of shootings on Chicago area expressways. At the midway mark for 2023, the Illinois State Police (ISP) is reporting the total number of Chicago area expressway shootings is down 23% compared to this time last year. The number of non-fatal injury expressway shooting in the Chicago area is down 50% compared to this time in 2022.
“The Illinois State Police’s dedication of additional resources has reduced shootings on Chicago area expressways for the second year in a row,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “This year’s reduction in the number of shootings, on top of the decreases we saw last year, shows our actions to reduce violence on the expressway are effective and we will continue tackling shootings head-on to make the expressways safer.”
Expressway shootings have dropped from 109 in the first six months of 2021 to 59 so far this year, but that’s still more than two per week.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) today highlighted Illinois’ top rankings in CNBC’s 2023 Top States for Business publication - an annual report that ranks states based on 10 broad categories of competitiveness. This year, Illinois ranked in the top 10 in the nation for four categories of competitiveness, and six categories in the top 20. Illinois is ranked 17th best state for business, rising ahead two spots from the 2022 ranking and up from 30th in the 2019 ranking.
Highlights include:
• #2 in the nation for infrastructure (up from #3 in ‘22)
• #2 in the nation for education (up from #6 in ‘22)
• #6 in the nation for access to capital (up from #8 in ‘22)
• #9 in the nation for cost of living (up from #20 in ‘22)
Not mentioned is that CNBC ranked Illinois 39th for business friendliness, 33rd for the economy, 32nd for cost of doing business and 28th for workforce.
Minnesota ranked 5th overall, Michigan ranked 10th, Ohio was 12th, Indiana was 13th and Pennsylvania was 15th. Illinois, as mentioned above, was 17th.
* Can Illinois get some of this?…
Florida Republican Governor and 2024 presidential contender Ron DeSantis quietly rejected hundreds of millions of dollars in federal energy funding, as the Biden administration touts the benefits of its marquee climate law on the campaign trail in battleground states.
The funding, totaling about $377 million, included hundreds of millions of dollars for energy-efficiency rebates and electrification as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as money from the bipartisan infrastructure legislation that became law in 2021.
* Some of this is a bit of a stretch…
EXCLUSIVE — A freshman House Democrat may have violated federal law due to his “improper” Twitter usage, according to a right-leaning ethics watchdog group.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust is demanding that the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent and nonpartisan body that reviews misconduct allegations against lawmakers, “immediately investigate” if Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL) “has abused official resources for political purposes” by using the Twitter account for his campaign to post content from his congressional office and the House floor, according to a Wednesday ethics complaint obtained by the Washington Examiner. […]
Sorensen, a former weatherman who was elected in 2022, links on his campaign Twitter account to his official social media account. The congressman’s campaign account, as of this writing, also has a pinned tweet linking to “all of his official accounts” for social media, the watchdog noted in its complaint.
The complaint cites several Twitter posts from Sorensen’s campaign account that purportedly use official resources, including one from May 25 that shows the House floor with the caption, “It’s not even 11 o’clock on Thursday morning and every Republican left the House and went home.”
I reached out to Sorensen’s DC office and haven’t heard back. I’m not quite sure why someone can’t link to government accounts from a campaign account. The other way around would definitely be a problem.
* Background is here if you need it. From Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois…
“This is a sad day for Iowa residents who are facing a draconian 6-week abortion ban, a time when many people are unaware they are even pregnant. Abortion bans and restrictions do not stop people from having abortions, it just creates unnecessary and burdensome barriers to those most vulnerable like young people, immigrants, people living in poverty and people facing domestic violence. Already Illinois is welcoming more abortion patients than any other state; our doors are open and we are actively preparing for the waves of pregnant Iowans fleeing their home in search of care. We continue to fight for everyone to access the health care they need and deserve.”
* StudyFinds…
To find out who is currently dealing with crippling amounts of stress, the WalletHub team compared more than 180 cities across 39 key metrics, looking at everything from unemployment rates and household income to health and divorce rates.
Chicago ranked 32nd most stressed, but Aurora was 147th out of 182.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Bloomberg | Inflation at 3% Flags End of Emergency, Turning Point for Fed: At 3% last month, consumer-price inflation is now just one-third of the level it reached a year ago, which was the highest in four decades. And the details for June were also better than expected, with key measures of underlying inflation coming in below forecasts.
* WTTW | Battle Lines Drawn in Northwest Side State Senate District as Progressives Look to Consolidate Power: In next year’s primary, Toro is likely to face Graciela Guzman, who has the support of the political movement that not only elected Johnson in April but also notched a series of victories in the 2022 Democratic primaries, winning six of seven contested races.
* WTTW | Chicago Officials Seek Community Input on Environmental Issues Facing Neighborhoods: Chicago Department of Public Health Managing Deputy Commissioner Megan Cunningham said that identifying neighborhoods that experience the greatest combined impact of environmental exposure, along with health and social stressors, is important so the city knows which areas might require additional protections and investment when it comes to decisions related to zoning, permits and planning.
* In These Times | Meet the New Leader of Chicago’s Progressive Political Powerhouse: Kennedy Bartley is taking over as the next executive director of United Working Families, the group that helped elect Chicago’s new left-wing leadership.
* Shaw Local | Joliet City Council not in agreement on limiting City Hall contacts: The Joliet City Council had a mixed reaction to a presentation advising how much influence elected officials should have at City Hall.
* Crain’s | Could a union have protected Northwestern football players?: In the wake of the scandal, former University of Minnesota regent and college athlete advocate Michael Hsu has filed a new complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against Northwestern. His goal: to help athletes gain employment status — partially so they can better protect themselves in the future.
* Crain’s | CEO of med tech giant joins Walgreens board: “Tom is a strong addition to our board,” Roz Brewer, CEO of Walgreens, said in the statement. “As the health care landscape continues to evolve, his extensive industry and technology experience will be a great benefit to delivering on our consumer-centric health care strategy and driving long-term shareholder value.”
* SJ-R | Disaster proclamation sends city workers scurrying to submit report: Tuesday’s meeting had the added attraction of former Mayor Jim Langfelder addressing what he called “misstatements” by Buscher about technology which might have better aided City Water, Light and Power in the aftermath of the storm that caused widespread damage across the city and knocked power for more than half of its customers.
* KMOV | 3 dead, 14 injured in Greyhound bus crash along I-70 near Highland, Illinois: Illinois State Police told News 4 the Greyhound bus hit three semi-trucks that were parked in the off-ramp on a rest stop on westbound I-70 just before 2 a.m. Officials told News 4 the Greyhound bus was traveling from Indianapolis to St. Louis.
* Sun-Times | Northern lights unlikely to illuminate Chicago skies this week: Though Chicago didn’t get lucky this time, some best practices to see the northern lights include avoiding city light and downtown areas. Light pollution can make it more difficult, especially since the aurora borealis is dim to begin with, said Adam Miller, an astronomy professor at Northwestern University.
* CBS Chicago | More than 500 flights delayed, 200 canceled at Chicago airports due to weather: As of 11:30 a.m., 415 flights were delayed at O’Hare International Airport. There have been 243 flight cancellations. At Midway International Airport, 217 flights were delayed. Two flights have been canceled.
* WCIA | Illinois-shaped pollinator garden coming to Champaign: “I hope that when people visit the pollinator garden, they, number one, recognize the importance of pollinators to agriculture,” said Farm Manager Sophia Hortin. “But number two, the agriculture commitment to pollinators. Farmers really do care about the role that pollinators play and are committed to preserving them and having a role for them in the environment. And that’s what we’re trying to showcase here.”
* AP | A Biden plan cuts student loan payments for millions to $0. Will it be the next legal battle?: Starting this summer, millions of Americans with student loans will be able to enroll in a new repayment plan that offers some of the most lenient terms ever. Interest won’t pile up as long as borrowers make regular payments. Millions of people will have monthly payments reduced to $0. And in as little as 10 years, any remaining debt will be canceled.
* Art News | Illinois State Museum Returns Stolen Artifacts to Kenyan Officials: The Illinois State Museum has returned more than 30 stolen artifacts with ties to the Mijikenda peoples, who are native to modern-day Kenya, to the country’s network of national museums. The memorial statues, known as “vigango,” are considered spiritual objects commemorating deceased ancestors.
* Block Club | A 7-Year-Old’s Mullet Made Him Stand Out. Now, His ‘Chicago Cascade’ Could Win A National Championship: Evan Hall, of Gladstone Park, wanted to highlight that city kids can rock a mullet just as well as country kids. You can vote for him in the USA Mullet Championships.
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* Jason Meisner and Ray Long…
Former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s attempt to suppress the dozens of wiretapped calls and secret recordings that form the backbone of the government’s bombshell racketeering case is a “flimsy effort to create an air of impropriety where none exists,” federal prosecutors said in a motion Tuesday.
* From the federal filing…
Defendant Michael Madigan was the leader of a corrupt criminal enterprise, the tentacles of which extended from the Office of the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives in Springfield, to the Thirteenth Ward Democratic Organization on the south side of Chicago. For approximately eight years, through the operation of this criminal enterprise, Madigan exploited his position as a high-ranking public official to manipulate the levers of State and local government for the purpose of illegally enriching himself and his associates. Madigan, together with his loyal lieutenant Michael McClain—a self-described soldier and faithful agent for Madigan—arranged for a flood of corrupt payments and perks to be doled out to Madigan and his associates in exchange and as a reward for Madigan’s abuse of his official powers.
Major corporations handed out more than one million dollars in bribes to Madigan’s cronies to secure Madigan’s assistance and favor with respect to the passage of legislation worth hundreds of millions to the companies. Madigan was sure to line his own pockets as well through the abuse of his official position. Without batting an eye, time and again Madigan stood prepared to take official action in his capacity as an Illinois Representative and Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, at times with the connivance and assistance of his confederate McClain, in exchange for legal work being steered to his private law firm. Indeed, Madigan was prepared to exploit the official positions of others, including Chicago Alderman A, in order to personally benefit himself.
* Prosecutors justify the personal benefit argument by relying on an alleged attempt by Madigan to pick up a new law firm client in Chinatown by transferring property ownership from the government to private hands…
Here, Madigan’s and McClain’s scheme was designed to facilitate the transfer of public property to private hands—exactly the scenario contemplated by the Kelly Court. Moreover, unlike in Kelly, the Chinatown parcel did not play “some bit part in a scheme.” The entire object of the scheme was to transfer the real property and to allow Madigan to privately benefit from the transfer by cashing in on the associated real estate tax work.
* Back to the Tribune’s story…
The [defense] motions have focused largely on an Aug. 18, 2014, meeting at Madigan’s law office where developer See Wong, who was secretly cooperating with investigators due to his own misdeeds, met with the speaker, [then-Ald. Daniel Solis, who was also cooperating and wearing a wire], and a Chinese real estate magnate who wanted to build a hotel in Chinatown.
The roughly half-hour meeting formed the basis of future wiretap requests for Solis and was also included in later applications to tap a phone belonging to McClain, which led to numerous recordings of Madigan himself.
The defense motion said prosecutors improperly “theorized” in their original 2014 application that Madigan and his law partner had conspired with Solis, who at the time was the head of city’s Zoning Committee, to threaten to withhold Solis’ approval of a zoning request unless the developer hired Madigan’s law firm. […]
It wasn’t until 2018 that the government, in a footnote “buried” in the McClain wiretap application, acknowledged Solis’ statements denying any quid pro quo at the meeting. But the footnote also tried to “spin” Solis’ comments by adding he’d admitted “an independent observer would interpret” what was said at the meeting as pressure to hire Madigan’s firm.
But even that alleged Solis admission has been challenged because he would only tell prosecutors “I see (your) point.” Also, the Chinatown deal was never consummated because no bill was passed.
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Choate management blasted in new IG report
Wednesday, Jul 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From an IDHS Office of the Inspector General report entitled “Reducing Abuse and Neglect at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center”…
Although changing a facility’s culture is by no means a simple task, the first step in that process is recognizing that there is indeed a problem. Stated plainly, the status quo at CMHDC is not acceptable. Every CMHDC employee has to understand that the reporting of misconduct is one of their fundamental responsibilities and that not reporting misconduct is what could lead to their discharge. That message is clearly not getting through right now. CMHDC must take steps to identify how it is that certain CMHDC staff are so effectively able to indoctrinate and intimidate new staff and counteract the training that is being provided regarding reporting.
It is also imperative that CMHDC staff feel safe and secure when reporting abuse and neglect. If current CMHDC staff are worried about possible negative reactions if they do the right thing and report misconduct, an important oversight component is removed and abuse and neglect, even when witnessed, will not be punished.
* From a ProPublica story in conjunction with Lee Enterprises and Capitol News Illinois entitled “Illinois Leaves Three Administrators in Charge at Choate Despite Troubled History of Resident Care”…
The inspector general’s report raises new questions about the management and administration of Choate, as well. Employees at the facility “raised concerns that CMHDC administration played favorites and was biased in their decision making,” the report said. “Another CMHDC employee stated that abuse and neglect occurred at the facility due to the systemic tone from the administration and nursing staff.”
The report also found “some indication that substandard work performance is seen and accepted by CMHDC supervisors and management.”
The findings about Choate administrators are particularly notable because Pritzker’s administration decided to retain the facility’s top three administrators in March when announcing a plan to reduce the size of Choate and move some residents to community settings or other state-run facilities.
All three administrators were previously indicted on felony charges in connection with their handling of an abuse allegation at the facility. Facility Director Bryant Davis and Gary Goins, who has served as quality assurance and improvements director, were both charged with official misconduct in 2021. Assistant Director Teresa Smith was charged twice with official misconduct and obstruction of justice, in 2020 and 2021. A judge dismissed the first case, finding there was not probable cause to sustain the charge. The prosecutor dismissed the most recent charges against the three administrators. Smith, Goins and Davis did not respond to requests for comment.
In explaining her rationale for keeping the administrators, IDHS Secretary Grace Hou said in March: “We’ve weighed a lot of different perspectives, but I think we need a leader who knows Choate inside and out, who has relationships with the residents and the parents and the staff to lead us through this challenging transition.” Pritzker publicly backed Hou’s decision at the time. […]
In her official response to the report, Hou wrote that her agency had hired new leadership, including Tonya Piephoff, the new director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities, and a chief resident safety officer, to oversee patient care at the state’s seven developmental centers. […]
The status-quo approach to facility leadership has drawn criticism, including from a southern Illinois state senator and longtime proponent of reforming Choate but also keeping it open. Sen. Terri Bryant, a Murphysboro Republican, has said keeping the same leadership demonstrates a lack of commitment to Choate’s long-term success.
“This is a no-brainer. How do you change the culture of the facility and leave the people in place who allowed the culture to grow and flourish?” Bryant said in an interview. “This plan is a setup for failure. I don’t care how much money you are going to put into the buildings, you will change nothing without removing the leadership.”
* From IDHS…
Earlier this year, IDHS announced a system-wide transformation aimed at providing better care and resources for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This system-wide transformation includes appointing new division-level leadership, improving safety, employing new staffing strategies, and planning and implementing resident transitions. IDHS believes these changes will bring Illinois in closer alignment with nationwide, research-informed best practices and advance the State’s commitment to equity and civil rights of people with disabilities, and meet the State’s legal duty to ensure that residents with disabilities have a full opportunity to live in the least restrictive environment of their choosing. IDHS knows that strong, effective leaders at State-Operated Developmental Centers are imperative to carrying out this system-wide transformation. IDHS leadership is constantly working with and evaluating the performance and effectiveness of facility administrators to ensure alignment with IDHS’ mission and priorities.
I’m hearing that some top administrators at Choate may be moved out soon. But this “trust us” stuff just isn’t gonna fly.
Also, the old saying “fittin’ to get ready” comes to mind after reading that IDHS statement. As with much of government, it’s time to conclude those things and get on with the taking action stuff.
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* Danny Parkins at 670 The Score…
In his first season leading the Northwestern baseball program, coach Jim Foster created a toxic environment that has run off coaches, broken the spirit of his team and led to a human resources investigation by the university regarding his alleged bullying and verbally abusive behavior, nine sources told 670 The Score.
As part of the toxic culture, Foster discouraged players from seeking medical attention for their injuries, made racially insensitive comments and made an inappropriate comment to a female staff member. Northwestern’s internal investigation didn’t find enough evidence to corroborate all of the allegations, but the university didn’t speak with players on the team while looking into the allegations, sources said.
Northwestern pitchers, in particular, hid their injuries from Foster this past season due to his demanding nature, and they instead sought treatment from trainer Josh Kuester away from the field, sources said. One Northwestern player had an elbow injury and pushed too hard to return because Foster wanted him back by a certain date. That player ended up needing Tommy John surgery. Foster also told multiple upperclassmen that they should quit if they didn’t return from injury sooner than expected, sources said. […]
One player detailed to 670 The Score how he was the subject of a punishment run for nearly the entirety of a 2 1/2-hour practice last fall. After that, in November, the HR complaint was filed against Foster, and the university began monitoring him more closely, though toxic culture didn’t stop, sources said. […]
This isn’t the first time that Foster has found himself in a concerning situation regarding his players’ physical well-being. Foster was the head coach of the Rhode Island program from 2006-’14. In October 2011, a player on his team died following a strength and conditioning workout outdoors. The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the university, and it was settled for $1.45 million.
Other Northwestern baseball coaches and staffers made repeated attempts to meet with athletic director Derrick Gragg to detail the toxic culture and medical mistreatment, but they were repeatedly denied a chance to meet with him, sources said. […]
Foster was hired in June 2022 by Northwestern, which went 10-40 this past season. The Wildcats have about 15 players who plan to transfer, sources said. […]
The nine sources that spoke with 670 The Score were comprised of former coaches, current and former players and others close to the program. [Emphasis added.]
Foster denies everything. Go read the whole story.
* More on athletic director Derrick Gragg in the Tribune…
The last week of turmoil surrounding Northwestern’s football and baseball programs has thrown a spotlight on one key administrator — athletic director Derrick Gragg.
The university fired longtime football coach Pat Fitzgerald on Monday in the wake of a hazing scandal. Now, the department is facing a similar choice after accusations of a toxic workplace and problematic behavior were levied against head baseball coach Jim Foster. […]
When Northwestern announced Jim Foster as the new head baseball coach last June, Gragg cited Foster’s “combination of on-field success and student-athlete development” at West Point as the deciding factor in the hire. He added that “the future of Wildcats baseball is exceptionally bright with Jim at the helm.”
But within months, the program had begun to fall apart. A collection of current and former players, alumni and people close to the program told the Tribune they reported problematic behavior dating back to last fall to the university, which prompted an HR investigation. Complaints of Foster’s behavior detailed to the Tribune included an intimidating workplace environment, expletive-filled tirades directed at staffers, and pressure on players to forego medical advice on injuries to maintain their roster spots.
* In related news…
* Two Northwestern recruits have decommitted from the football program since the scandal broke. NBC Sports…
According to social media, Greenville, South Carolina offensive lineman Julius Tate was the first to decommit from the school on Tuesday: […]
A short time later, Payton Stewart, an offensive tackle from Kelso High School in Washington, followed suit.
“After talking with my parents and coaches about the news that has broke, I have reconsidered my decision and decided to decommit from Northwestern,” he said.
* An open letter from a group of Northwestern women faculty…
We are a group of tenured Northwestern women faculty who have worked together for several years to improve the university. We have built careers here and care about what happens on campus. In 2021, we drew attention to abuses on the Northwestern cheer squad and to the misguided promotion of Mike Polisky to athletic director after he was implicated in Northwestern’s failure to adequately respond to the cheer team’s experiences of race and gender discrimination and harassment. […]
The athletics department desperately needs long-term institutionalized oversight. Though staffed by professionals who care about athletes’ well-being, the potential for abuse in such high-pressure environments is immense. Students have been paying the price. […]
Is Northwestern Athletics ready to be “showcased”? The university should halt the marketing and focus attention on reforming the athletics department first. The evidence of harassment and abuse across several programs – and high-level efforts to minimize these problems – suggests that we need to get our existing house in order before we expand it. And if the Ryan Field project does go forward, the university must ensure that we invest in our athletes equitably, supporting our women’s teams and ensuring that all athletes can thrive in an atmosphere of gender equity, free of abuse and harassment, as we pointed out in an open letter on May 17.
My colleague Isabel Miller collaborated on this post.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Poll: Bost leads Bailey 43-37
Wednesday, Jul 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
*** UPDATE *** Some limited crosstabs are here.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Cor Strategies has polled the GOP primary race between US Rep. Mike Bost and former legislator Darren Bailey…
More in a bit.
…Adding… Bailey’s name recognition is actually a bit higher than Bost’s…
* They also polled by region. Bailey is doing well in areas he represented in the General Assembly…
* Trump is polling at 53 percent in the district, with DeSantis at 16 and Pence at 9…
* If Trump were to endorse one way or another, would that impact your decision?…
I think people tend to be reticent about questions like that, but here’s the breakdown of how a Trump endorsement would help each candidate…
Thoughts?
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* Background is here if you need it. Press release from yesterday…
Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi continued his efforts to correct the Census Bureau’s undercounting of Illinois in the 2020 Census and its resulting loss in its fair share of federal funding by urging the Department of Commerce’s Office of the Inspector General (COIG) to address ways to improve the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program (PEP) as part of its ongoing audit of the Census Bureau’s Post-Enumeration Survey (PES).
The PES is a tool used to evaluate the accuracy of the decennial census and the PES of the 2020 Decennial Census found 14 states had been undercounted or overcounted, including Illinois which was undercounted by an estimated 1.97 percent.
Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s new letter requests that, as the COIG audits the 2020 PES, that it also addresses how PES findings can be used to improve the PEP’s annual population and resulting federal aid allocations as a means to ensuring Illinois receives its fair share of funding from Washington.
* The letter…
Assistant Inspector General Scott,
I am writing regarding your June 14, 2023 announcement that you had initiated an audit of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Post-Enumeration Survey (PES) to assess the validity of the 2020 PES results as they relate to overcounts and undercounts. Those results included the estimate that 14 states had an undercount or overcount, including my home state of Illinois, which was undercounted by an estimated 1.97 percent.[1]
As part of your audit of the PES’s validity, I urge you and your office to specifically address not only the quality of the PES, but also the applicability and transferability of those results and any methodological findings to immediately improve the accuracy of the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program (PEP) and the resulting federal funding allocations, in addition to improving the 2030 Decennial Census.
As you know, Census Bureau data determines the allocation of $1.5 trillion of federal funding over the course of a decade, and Illinoisans rely on roughly 100 programs, such as health care and education programs, for which federal funding levels are determined by such allocations. Because of this funding structure, the undercount and flawed projections are not simply questions of statistical theory and data practices, but of the health and wellbeing of millions of people.
Given the high stakes inherent in Census-based funding allocations and thus the accuracy of the Decennial Census, the PEP, and other Census Bureau programs that rely on it, I sincerely ask that your audit of the PES addresses not only the validity of the PES, but also how it can be most quickly and effectively used to improve other Census Bureau data.
Sincerely,
Raja Krishnamoorthi
Member of Congress
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Jul 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* An official with the secretary of state’s office told me yesterday that they specifically looked at your comments on this January post during the process of revamping their website. From a press release..
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office launched a redesign of its website, making it easier to navigate and adding new functions for services that users can access remotely, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced today.
“The revamped website is more intuitive and prioritizes our most popular programs and services so customers can find the information they want and need faster and more conveniently,” Giannoulias said. “Whether it’s renewing your driver’s license, searching for information about a business or looking for a job, making these changes and adding new functionality to the website reflect our commitment to residents and understanding their needs.”
Along with creating a new and consistent look throughout the website that is easier to view and navigate, other enhancements include:
• Simplifying the homepage to prominently feature key services and most frequently sought information.
• Consolidating the process of renewing a driver’s license or ID card online by eliminating unnecessary and confusing steps.
• Developing a job portal allowing people to search and apply for available Secretary of State positions.
• Adding new functionality to Businesses Services that allow users to submit more filings online, including terminating an LLC.
• Creating a new Business Entity search function that details more information about all Illinois corporations, LLCs, and other businesses and allows the entity to perform transactions such as ordering a certificate of good standing or filing an annual report.
• Enhancing the search function to allow for detailed searches and a reformatted page to display more information about lobbyist activities.
• Streamlining the search functions for business entities and lobbyists to allow the user to use the back button on the browser to return to the list of entities generated by the user’s initial search entry. The old website feature took the user back to the original blank search page.
• Uploading essential lobbyists’ information maintained by the office to the State of Illinois Data Portal.
Giannoulias emphasized that his office will continue implementing new features on the website in conjunction with the efforts to modernize the office’s antiquated IT infrastructure.
“This is only the beginning,” said Giannoulias. “I hope people explore ilsos.gov to see what services they can conduct online. We will continue modernizing the website and adding capabilities to ensure customers can access the resources they need. We look forward to feedback from the public about their experience with the new functions on the site and incorporating more updates and improvements in the future.”
Giannoulias has spearheaded efforts to modernize the office since taking office in January, and this represents another step in the ongoing process.
* The Question: What do you think of the new ilsos.gov?
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Jul 12, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Sun-Times | Pritzker proclaims disaster after record-setting area rainfall, downstate tornadoes ‘to mobilize every available resource’: The Democratic governor’s proclamation also extends across a swath of central Illinois that fell in the path of a June 29 derecho, a massive wind storm that raked much of the central Plains and spawned at least five tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.
* Sun-Times | Ex-top aide to Madigan kept the former House speaker’s lawyer informed about meeting with FBI agents, prosecutors say: Details about the case against Timothy Mapes were revealed in a 65-page document filed by prosecutors early Tuesday morning, four weeks ahead of Mapes’ trial on perjury and attempted obstruction of justice charges.
* Center Square | Illinois law prohibits landlords from refusing to rent or sell property to undocumented migrant: Illinois landlords will soon be required to rent or sell property to undocumented migrants. Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, protections go into place in the Illinois Human Rights Act for housing regarding immigration status and discriminatory advertising. The law will add immigration status as a protected class.
* Sun-Times | Residents, organizations weigh in on preliminary Cook County 2024 budget: The preliminary budget shows a projected gap of $85.6 million for next year. At a public hearing, speakers representing various organizations advocated for continued funding of their programs.
* Tribune | Fired NU coach Pat Fitzgerald exploring breach-of-contract claims, lawyer Dan Webb says: “Northwestern University made some unusual, bizarre decisions in the past week that seriously have damaged Pat Fitzgerald’s reputation,” attorney Dan Webb told the Tribune. The university initially handed Fitzgerald a two-week unpaid suspension after an outside investigation that confirmed hazing among teammates but did not implicate Fitzgerald. Then on Monday, Fitzgerald was ousted altogether.
* Tribune | Northwestern University had many anti-hazing tools in place before the football scandal. So what went wrong?: Northwestern University’s anti-hazing policies and prevention tools are extensive, including an online hazing education course all incoming undergraduates are required to complete during their first term of enrollment.
* Chicago Mag | As the city spends millions of dollars to house bused-in migrants, many Black residents worry about getting pushed aside again: “No one should be surprised over tension between migrants and Black Americans,” says Adrian Norman, a member of the Black leadership network Project 21, which is affiliated with the conservative National Center for Public Policy Research. “There are destabilized communities across the entire country that have produced horrible outcomes for Black folks for decades, and there is a case to be made that those communities should be prioritized over individuals who forced their way into the country unlawfully.”
* ABC Chicago | Alderman calls on COPA to expedite investigation into CPD, migrants: ‘We have to resolve this’: The Fraternal Order of Police, the union that represents the rank-and-file police officers, is questioning the validity of the allegations, suggesting that if there was anything to them, the suspected officers would have been taken off the streets pending the investigation.
* Tribune | Arlington Heights downtown area needs a distinct identity, especially if Bears come to town, merchants say: Group members at a July 10 Village Board committee meeting said they’d formed the alliance to improve the village downtown overall and support its growth as an entertainment destination. Many downtown business owners have been discussing how to maintain and grow the central business district with village officials since the onset of the pandemic, which led to the village’s outdoor dining and entertainment program Arlington Alfresco.
* Tribune | Former Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin sells Western Springs home for $1M: The Durkins previously tried selling the house several times. They first listed it in 2018 for $1.15 million and reduced it to $1.05 million and then to just under $1 million before taking it off the market late that year. They then had it on the market for several months in 2021 at $1.19 million. Finally, they relisted it in March for $1.09 million, and the house went under contract within two weeks.
* Jim Dey | Cash continues to pour into Illinois’ coffers: “The record levels of revenue are despite the volatility of General Funds receipts throughout much of FY 2023. Through the first two-thirds of the fiscal year, General Funds base revenues were $2.2 billion above” FY 22’s level, reported Eric Noggle, revenue manager for the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting & Accountability
* CBS Chicago | Amid worker shortage, Chicago hotels want to be able to hire migrants more easily: Leyva said other Chicago hotels are struggling to hire for housekeeping roles. If only some of the rooms get cleaned, not all the rooms can be available. That means lost hotel revenue and less hotel tax for the city.
* CBS Chicago | After several years Chicago’s water arc is still off, so when will the fountain be back on?: “It should be alive. It should flow,” said Centennial Fountain architect Dirk Lohan. The water was flowing here since 1989 but it came to a halt in 2020. Broken and in need of repair, it’s been off ever since.
* Sun-Times | One of stars of Lightfoot’s cabinet moving on: Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara announced her resignation Tuesday after a four-year sprint that included leading Chicago through a pandemic that shined an even more glaring light on the city’s 120,000-unit shortage of affordable housing.
* Tribune | City Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara leaving Mayor Johnson’s administration: Novara announced her resignation Tuesday after leading the department for four years and through a time when the city saw mounting concerns over gentrification and homelessness as well as a pandemic. She was appointed in 2019 by then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot after serving as vice president of the Metropolitan Planning Council.
* Tribune | Wrigley Field in the mix to host the 2025 All-Star Game — its 1st since 1990 — MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says: The Chicago Cubs haven’t held the Midsummer Classic at their historic ballpark since 1990, with all but two teams — the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays — hosting since then. Six teams have received two All-Star Games in that span: the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.
* Chicago Mag | The Bear Understands That Chicago Makes Room for Class and Comfort: This season makes explicit the ways in which people like Carmy, who’ve endured family trauma, fall into this work environment. The sixth episode of this season, “Fishes,” takes us in flashback to a dinner in the Berzatto family home. We meet Carmy and Natalie’s mother Donna, an alcoholic with a borderline personality disorder who is staging an elaborate Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve for a full house of family and friends. Between forensic shots of tomato-sauce-shmutzed timers screaming like harpies, we spend a grueling hour in this domestic hellscape. If the terse and claustrophobic “Review” from the first season was like Das Boot with sweet or hot peppers, “Fishes” is more like the overstuffed metaverse of Everything Everywhere All At Once collapsed into a black hole of family dysfunction.
* Sun-Times | Jamie Foxx, out of view for months, resurfaces on Chicago River boat: The public outing comes two months after his daughter Corinne Foxx revealed Foxx is out of the hospital and recovering at home following a medical complication.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Jul 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Melissa Conyears-Ervin has decided to run against Danny Davis. Lynn Sweet…
City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin is poised to challenge Rep. Danny Davis in the March 2024 Democratic primary, changing her mind about not running if he seeks another term as Kina Collins announces a third try against Davis.
Davis, 81, a South Austin resident, has made it clear for months that he will be seeking another term in 2024. […]
She will show fundraising muscle in her first Federal Election Commission report, pulling in, according to a draft, $283,486 as of June 30.
The Davis campaign raised about $100,000 in the last quarter, a spokesperson said.
* Not a bad idea…
A Lincoln Avenue motel once known as a hot-pillow haven and targeted for demolition will be turned into “stabilization housing” for people with mental health and substance abuse issues, thanks to a plan to combat homelessness that could become a model for all 50 wards.
On Monday, the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Real Estate gave Mayor Brandon Johnson the go-ahead to acquire the Diplomat Motel, 5230 N. Lincoln Ave., for $2.9 million and turn its 40 rooms into supportive housing with a host of wrap-around service on site.
The plan is aimed at duplicating the nurturing, hotel-to-housing model that worked so well during the pandemic.
Residents would stay for three to six months.
* Subscribers have been briefed (including two updates today), but here’s Politico…
Natalie Toro, a Chicago Public Schools teacher, was appointed Monday evening to the sought-after 20th District state Senate seat vacated by Cristina Pacione-Zayas, who’s now in the Chicago mayor’s office.
Chicago Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) and Clerk of the Circuit Court Iris Martinez both endorsed Toro, giving her a huge block of support over the other seven candidates, some of whom she will face in next year’s election. Waguespack and Martinez held large weighted votes that pushed Toro over the finish line. Here’s how the votes are dispersed.
The appointment process was tension-filled as it saw a range of Latino candidates from Democratic to progressive to left-of-progressive. Toro sits in the middle while Graciela Guzman, Pacione-Zayas’ Senate district director, is seen as the more progressive candidate. Only Toro and Guzman received votes.
Ald. Carlos Ramirez Rosa said Guzman lost out because committee people backed by the Fraternal Order of Police picked a more conservative candidate. In a statement, he praised the Northwest Side Progressive Coalition for supporting Guzman.
Toro drew a quick congratulations Monday evening from Sylvia Puente, CEO of the Latino Policy Forum and co-chair of the Illinois Latino Agenda. “We look forward to a productive working relationship,” she said in a statement.
The district is a bit more progressive than the weighted vote suggests. Gonna be a barn-burner of a primary.
* Rep. Kelly has done a lot right since being appointed to that seat in 2021…
* Center Square…
Despite a heavy emphasis on equity at the Illinois Statehouse, a new study ranks Illinois as the worst state in the country on racial economic equality.
The personal finance website WalletHub placed Illinois near the bottom in several categories, including the difference between white and Black residents in median annual income.
“The fifth largest gap in the country,” researcher Jill Gonzalez said. “The same with the labor force participation rate. Illinois is again the fifth highest and the second highest when looking at the unemployment rate.” […]
Illinois ranked 40th in the poverty rate, 46th in the homeless rate, and 49th in the share of unsheltered homeless. […]
Other Midwestern states scored poorly in the study, including Wisconsin as the second worst state and Iowa the third worst in the country.
“Despite”? Maybe that would be the reason why this state needs to do more.
* Press release…
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle issued a disaster proclamation today for suburban Cook County in response to storms that hit the region on July 2. Several rounds of storms dumped nearly nine inches of rain in less than 24 hours in parts of the County, leading to severe flooding and other storm damage. Berwyn, Cicero and Stickney were the hardest hit suburban Cook County municipalities.
By signing this proclamation, the County is able to pursue all available resources to assist communities and residents in their recovery efforts.
The MWRD was criticized for not opening the Chicago River lock to Lake Michigan earlier. From its response…
The elevation of the Chicago River downtown exceeded Lake Michigan’s elevation so the locks were opened at 4 p.m. on July 2 and the reversal ended at 2:30 a.m. on July 3. Reversing to the lake only happens in extreme situations. Reversals dating back to 1985 are listed at this link: https://mwrd.org/sites/default/files/documents/Lake_Michigan_Reversals_0422.pdf
In other words, when the Chicago area waterway levels are higher than Lake Michigan, only then can the MWRD open control structures to move as much water as possible out of the system. We cannot open the gates and lock before that time. There is NO MAGIC KEY OR BUTTON to use at will. Opening the gates and lock not only provide overbank flooding protection but they allow for more capacity for stormwater. As a result, the MWRD can only reverse the waterway to the lake when the river level is ABOVE Lake Michigan levels. If we were to open the lock and gates too early, Lake Michigan would have a tsunami effect, overtaking the river and flooding everything in its path in downtown Chicago and along the waterways, totally decimating the riverwalk and municipalities downstream, on the South side and on the North side. The destruction that would be caused by opening the gates and lock too early is unimaginable.
Yikes.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Tribune | ‘Let me put you on with the boss, OK?’: Feds detail wiretaps involving former Michael Madigan chief of staff: The 65-page filing Tuesday comes as prosecutors are seeking to play many of the recordings at Mapes’ trial next month on charges he lied to a federal grand jury investigating Madigan and his relationship with longtime confidant Michael McClain.
* Crain’s | Ryan Field backlash grows amid Northwestern football hazing scandal: A group of six NU tenured professors released a letter yesterday calling on the school to “halt that planning and marketing process (of the stadium) until this crisis is satisfactorily resolved,” joining a group of Evanston residents who called on the university to “pause” its project amid the scandal.
* Sun-Times | London bridges? Pritzker to lead United Kingdom trade mission with state business and education leaders: Gov. J.B. Pritzker in January traveled to Davos, Switzerland to speak at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting and promote the state’s achievements. And more international trips are in the works, according to his office.
* Bloomberg | Black workers account for 90% of the recent rise in unemployment: The unemployment rate for African Americans jumped for a second straight month in June as workers left the workforce amid early signs of a cooling labor market. That cooling has been uneven: The number of unemployed African Americans has increased by 267,000 since April, meaning they account for close to 90% of the 300,000 increase in overall joblessness during that period.
* Sun-Times | FOP vows court fight after Johnson rejects demand for 12 weeks of paid parental leave: In a YouTube video, FOP President John Catanzara slammed Mayor Brandon Johnson for setting one standard of benefits for his former union and a lesser standard for the union representing rank-and-file police officers.
* Tribune | Landmark Illinois wants to redefine historic preservation, and now has a $1 million Driehaus Foundation grant: Chicago’s Driehaus Foundation approved Monday evening $1 million in funding for a Landmarks Illinois program that revives historic buildings on the city’s South and West sides. The move will help fulfill the vision of philanthropist Richard Driehaus, the founder of Driehaus Capital Management who died in 2021, that historic preservation can both save beautiful buildings and develop underserved communities, according to Anne Lazar, the foundation’s executive director.
* Block Club | Italian American Groups Rip Alderperson For Tweet About Honoring Italian Ice, Coffee Maker Instead Of Columbus: Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, who introduced an ordinance to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day, said her tweet wasn’t offensive and she “doesn’t have anything to apologize for.”
* Daily Southtown | Defeated Lockport High School candidate Mike Clausen promoted to Homer Township trustee: Clausen was sworn in as collector April 11, seven days after he lost his school board bid as part of the We the Parents Illinois slate, coming in sixth in an eight-person race for three seats. Township trustees appointed him to the board Tuesday to fill the vacancy of Matt Connelly, who resigned because he moved out of the township.
* Winnetka Talk | Proposed lakefront regulations stir up trouble in Winnetka: Justin Ishbia, who already owns five parcels along the lake, is willing to exchange one of those parcels — at 261 Sheridan Road — with the Park District in exchange for a 70-foot piece of beach property. The Park District would use its newly acquired property to connect two nearby parks and turn them into one, a project that has been dreamed of for decades.
* Axios | Golden handcuffs lock up Illinois’ housing supply: Nearly a quarter of Illinois homeowners with mortgages had a rate below 3% in the fourth quarter of 2022, per Redfin. And 38% of mortgage holders had a rate between 3% and 4%.
* Tom McNamee | Tylenol suspect James Lewis told me anyone could have poisoned those capsules — and calmly explained how: In the summer of 1987, as Chicago was coming up on the fifth anniversary of the Tylenol murders, I interviewed Lewis at the federal penitentiary in Danbury, Connecticut.
* WGN | See the largest movie theatre screen in Illinois: Emagine Entertainment has opened a Super EMX Theatre in Batavia, 550 N. Randall Road, that features what’s described as “the largest Cinemascope screen in the state of Illinois.” It’s over 96 feet wide and 53 feet tall, or just about the size of a regulation NBA court.
* CBS Chicago | Shedd Aquarium welcomes penguin rockhopper chick: A rockhopper chick joins the penguin colony. According to the Shedd, the last rockhopper chick born there was Diego. It was hatched in 2015. The chick, who currently does not have a name, is being taken care of by its cared for by its parents Edward and Annie, and the aquarium’s animal care team.
* Courier-News | Mullet growing contest and the Rhinestone Roper among the new attractions at this year’s Kane County Fair: Along with its usual array of 4-H Club projects, carnival rides and family-friendly attractions, this year’s Kane County Fair will be doing its part to bring back the mullet. A contest for the best mullet haircut is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the livestock showing area on the county fairgrounds in St. Charles, the second day of the annual fair that runs through Sunday.
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Rate the new CTBA pension idea
Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability has released a new pension payment plan…
Under CTBA’s model:
o the funded ratio target for 2045 moves from its current level of 90 percent under the Pension Ramp to a target of 80 percent funded, which is the GAO standard for a public pension system to be healthy;
o a total of $6.7 billion in pension obligations bonds are issued over the FY 2023 through FY 2030 sequence, with all the bond proceeds being used to front-load payments to the pension systems and retire existing unfunded liability debt;
o the contributions to the pension systems are moved from the last day of the fiscal year to the first day, thereby generating an additional year of investment returns on said contributions, which has a positive, compounding effect over time; and
o the repayment of outstanding unfunded liabilities is re-amortized on a level-dollar basis, eliminating the fiscal strain created by the back-loading of payments under the existing Pension Ramp.
The CTBA claims doing this would save the state $62.8 billion. From a press release…
Based on the re-amortization approach modeled out in the report, the state can save 19 percent of the total debt service remaining under the Pension Ramp, which would reduce taxpayer costs by $62.8 billion between now and 2045, the final year of the Pension Ramp payment schedule.
Another benefit of the re-amortization of the debt owed to the pension system outlined in the Report is that it would get the state’s five pension systems healthier faster than the current Pension Ramp.
According to Sarah Wasik, CTBA’s Senior Research and Policy Analyst: “Any business that could refinance debt and save billions of dollars would do so. It makes sense for the state of Illinois to do the same and take the opportunity to refinance its pension debt, so it can save billions of taxpayer dollars.”
Click here for lots more details.
Considering that the NY rating agencies have been complaining for years that Illinois has a 90 percent funding model by 2045 instead of a 100 percent model, I’m not sure how this would go over with them.
Your thoughts?
…Adding… I always pay attention to what Yvette Shields at the Bond Buyer says…
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* Washington Post…
Blistering temperatures reached unheard-of northerly latitudes in Canada over the weekend amid dangerously hot and dry conditions, lightning storms and new blazes that intensified the country’s historically severe fire season.
The temperature soared as high as 100 degrees in the Northwest Territories on Saturday, the hottest temperature ever measured north of 65 degrees latitude in the Western Hemisphere, according to Christopher Burt, an extreme-weather historian.
The scorching temperatures over western Canada exacerbated the country’s unprecedented wildfire crisis. A record 22.7 million acres (9.2 million hectares) have burned so far, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, blowing past the previous high mark of 17.5 million acres (7.1 million hectares) in 1995. There are months of the wildfire season to go.
I got curious so I looked up some things. 9.2 million hectares works out to 35,521 square miles, making it 64 percent of all the land in Illinois (55,593 square miles). Indiana land is 35,868 square miles, meaning it’s just a tiny bit larger than the area burned so far (and there are “months of the wildfire season to go”).
* From the CBC…
Researchers say there are ways to slow these changes, starting with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition, [Jennifer Baltzer, an associate professor in the department of biology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario] said improved fire management, by allowing some fires to burn in some cases, and increasing the number of prescribed burns in others, would help scale back the number of out-of-control, large-scale fires.
* Isabel did a quick roundup…
* NYT | Canada’s Ability to Prevent Forest Fires Lags Behind the Need: At a time when many Canadians are asking if the country has enough wildfire fighting resources, several experts say the government should be focused on doing all it can to prevent wildfires, a focus from which it has strayed since budget cuts imposed in the 1990s that hampered the nation’s forest service.
* Sun-Times | Underground climate change poses a ‘silent hazard’ in Chicago and other cities, researchers find: Heat can cause the ground to swell and building foundations to slowly sink, particularly in the high-temperature Loop — but that hot air can be captured and turned into energy, Northwestern researchers say.
* Accesswire | Wilmette Park District is Ready to ‘Go Solar’ After Governor Pritzker Signs Bill Legalizing Long-Term Solar Contracts: “We are very excited for this change in state law that will finally allow us to go solar,” said Mike Murdock, Wilmette Park District commissioner and former board president. “The project will cover over 90 percent of the Community Recreation Center’s roof and provide more than 50 percent of the building’s electrical usage over the next 25 years. It will help us do our part to support the climate and save taxpayer money, all while continuing to provide top-tier services for our residents.”
* Ben Jealous | To feel less heat, we need more trees in our cities: The need couldn’t be simpler to state: Plant more trees where there are too few. But meeting the need has been less of a priority for those in neighborhoods where shade isn’t a luxury. We can’t overlook the fact that urban trees help everyone — they keep close to a billion metric tons of climate-killing carbon out of the atmosphere.
* Fox Illinois | University YMCA announces 21st annual Dump & Run Recycling Program and sale: Each year, the YMCA keeps around 30 tons of unwanted goods out of Champaign-Urbana’s dumpsters and landfills. Collection of usable items will begin from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, July 31 at the U of I Stock Pavillion, located at 1402 W. Pennsylvania Ave. in Urbana. Collections will then occur from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every weekday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays through August 12. The YMCA offers free pick-up days for furniture and bicycle donations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on August 5 and August 12. Request a pick-up here.
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Pritzker leading trade mission to UK
Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Governor Pritzker along with leaders in business and education from around the state will embark on a trade mission to the United Kingdom on July 16. The Governor will kick off the international trip by attending the Goodwood Festival of Speed from July 13-16 to discuss Illinois’ commitment to electric vehicle manufacturing with automobile, energy, and supply chain industry leaders.
Following the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a delegation of business and education leaders will meet with their counterparts in London to discuss strengthening economic cooperation between the State of Illinois and the United Kingdom. Programming throughout the mission will focus on manufacturing, clean energy and technology, quantum, higher education collaboration, and other key industries.
“When I first ran for Governor, I promised to be our state’s best Chief Marketing Officer—letting the world know that Illinois is the best place to live, work, and do business,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Over the next several days, I couldn’t be more excited to meet with UK and international leaders—sharing the many virtues of our state, from our talented workforce and world-class manufacturing industry to our booming electric vehicle ecosystem and ambitious clean energy goals.”
“The State of Illinois and the United Kingdom have a longstanding economic relationship and as Illinois’ economic development agency, we look forward to building upon this enduring partnership,” said DCEO Director Kristin Richards. “With $5 billion in bilateral trade in 2022, this trip will help us further strengthen our ties and give us the opportunity to meet with some of the most talented leaders across industries in the UK while forging connections on business opportunities that will benefit Illinoisans and people from Britain alike.”
“The UK is one of the top foreign investors in Illinois, so this trip is about building on that strength to encourage more British companies to be in Illinois,” said Intersect Illinois CEO Dan Seals. “We’re making the case for our skilled workforce, our central location, our quality of life, and our international outlook.”
Leaders joining the trade mission include:
• Governor JB Pritzker
• First Lady MK Pritzker
• Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Speaker of the IL House
• Anne Caprara, Chief of Staff to Governor Pritzker
• Andy Manar, Deputy Governor
• Christy George, First Assistant Deputy Governor
• Martin Torres, Deputy Governor
• Sean Rapelyea, Senior Advisor for External Affairs
• Jordan Abudayyeh, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications
• Kristin Richards, Director, DCEO
• Margo Markopoulos, DCEO, Director of Trade and Investment
• Cas Peters, DCEO, Senior Policy Advisor
• Dan Seals, Intersect Illinois, CEO
• Paulina San Millan, Intersect Illinois, VP for Business Development
• Alan Gogbashian, UK Consul General to Chicago
• Tim Killeen, University of Illinois, President
• Jay Walsh, University of Illinois, VP
• Juan de Pablo, University of Chicago, EVP
• Raj Echambadi, Illinois Institute of Technology, President
• Kate Waimey Timmerman, Chicago Quantum Exchange, CEO
• David Awschalom, Chicago Quantum Exchange, Director
• Pranav Gokhale, Infleqtion, VP of Quantum Software
• Carmen Rossi, 8 Hospitality, CEO
• Meredith O’Connor, JLL, International Director
• AJ Patton, 548 Enterprise, CEO
• Jim Reynolds, Loop Capital, CEO
• Wendell Dallas, Nicor Gas, President and CEO
• Gil Quiniones, ComEd, CEO
• Torrence Hinton, People’s Gas and North Shore Gas, President
• Leonard Singh, Ameren, Chairman and President
• Kara Demirjian Huss, T/CCI Manufacturing, VP; DCC Marketing, Founder & President
• Berardino Baratta, MxD, CEO
• Mark Denzler, Illinois Manufacturing Association, CEO
• David Boulay, Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center, President
• Michael Jacobson, Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, CEO
• Rob Karr, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, CEO
• Jeff Baker, Illinois Realtors Association, CEO
• Michael Gobber, Illinois Realtors Association, President
• Brad Tietz, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, VP of Gov. Relations
• Monica Mueller, Motorola Solutions, VP of Gov. Affairs
• Dan Lynch, United Airlines, VP of State and Local Govt.
• John Atkinson, Marsh US in Chicago, Chairman and Managing Director
Illinois and the United Kingdom have a long history of shared economic cooperation.
Exports are a Vital Part of Illinois’ Economy
• Illinois exports exceeded $78 billion in 2022 with the preliminary agricultural adjusted figure reaching $82.2 billion, both all-time highs
• Illinois is the largest exporting state in the Midwest and the 5th largest in the nation
• 19 out of the top 20 export industries increased since 2021
• Since 2009, Illinois exports have increased by $36.55 billion, or 87.8%
• Export activities support over 800K jobs in Illinois
Total Trade between Illinois and United Kingdom in 2022
• Illinois exports to United Kingdom totaled $1.94 billion in 2022
• United Kingdom is Illinois’ 9th largest export market
• Illinois ranks 10th among the 50 U.S. states in exports to United Kingdom
• Illinois imports from United Kingdom totaled $3.14 billion in 2022, a 139.8% increase since 2009.
• United Kingdom is Illinois’ 13th largest import market
• Illinois ranks 6th among the 50 U.S. states in imports from United Kingdom
…Adding… According to the governor’s office, staff travel is covered by the governor’s office and DCEO is covering its staff travel. The governor is paying for his own travel and for staff travel to Goodwood and lodging at Goodwood. Everyone else is paying for their own stuff. DCEO and Intersect are sharing some of the costs associated with programming
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* Background is here and here if you need it. Jon Seidel…
Michael Madigan’s former chief of staff reached out to a defense attorney for the then-powerful Illinois House speaker after he was approached by FBI agents in early 2019, then he called a longtime Madigan confidant and said he was “reporting in,” prosecutors say.
While the feds do not argue those actions by Timothy Mapes were unlawful, they do say it demonstrates “his loyalty” to Madigan and Michael McClain, “and his intentional effort to withhold information” from a federal grand jury in March 2021.
That and other details about the case against Mapes were revealed in a 65-page document filed by prosecutors early Tuesday morning, four weeks ahead of Mapes’ trial on perjury and attempted obstruction of justice charges. […]
Mapes told a grand jury in March 2021 that he did not recall being told if McClain did any work for Madigan between 2017 and 2019. But prosecutors contend the “close relationship” between Mapes and McClain, as well as their “consistent communications,” show that “Mapes could not have forgotten the critical role McClain played in Madigan’s political operation.”
* From the federal filing…
This evidence demonstrates that Mapes lied in the grand jury when he testified that he did not know what interactions McClain had with Madigan from 2017 to 2019. The evidence reveals that Mapes knew McClain was working on a piece of legislation related to property in Chinatown for Madigan, and that Mapes contacted Madigan’s lawyer after FBI agents contacted Mapes in 2019. The evidence also shows Mapes’ frequent communications with McClain concerning a wide range of personal and professional topics and their close relationship with each other.
* The feds have a lot of audio files to back up their claim that Mapes knew about interactions between McClain and Madigan. There are a ton of examples, but here are some…
GX15 (5/30/18 at 6:26 p.m.). This call again is an example of Mapes and McClain discussing sensitive political issues that affect Madigan. It is the first of four calls between the two men on one night. McClain fills Mapes in on a woman who accused then-Representative Public Official B of sexual harassment. At the end of the call, McClain gives Mapes advice as to how Public Official B should address the allegations, and Mapes says “okay.” Contrary to Mapes’ motion, this is an adoptive admission, but in any event it is admissible to show Mapes was on notice of the sensitive role McClain played in matters affecting Madigan and the Speaker’s Office. This call is relevant for the additional reason that Mapes specifically lied about Public Official B, as alleged in Count Two of the indictment. This and other calls show that Mapes is highly attuned to the drama surrounding Public Official B and McClain’s role in mitigating the fall-out for Madigan. This call thus makes it more likely that Mapes was well aware of McClain’s role in forcing Public Official B out of office months later, in the fall of 2018. (There are also calls between Mapes and McClain about Public Official B’s ouster, but this earlier call also makes it more likely that Mapes would not have somehow forgotten those later calls.)
GX16 (5/30/18 at 9:34 p.m.). In this short follow-up call, Mapes tells McClain that “we’re in the midst of all kind of things going on,” including related to Public Official B. McClain offers to share what he knows, and Mapes says ‘let me put you on with the boss. Okay? . . . so you’re going to inform him what you know and go from there.” This call demonstrates as clear as day that Mapes knew McClain communicated with Madigan in 2018, because Mapes sets up that conversation. It also is an example of McClain working for Madigan, helping get information to him about a brewing sexual harassment scandal. Although the call was minimized, and thus the conversation with Madigan was not included in the recorded portion, the excerpted portion nevertheless clearly shows the manner in which McClain was brought in to help with sensitive issues impacting the Speaker’s Office.
Public Official B is former Rep. Lou Lang, who, the filing claims, will be testifying at Mapes’ trial.
* Public Official C is Rep. Bob Rita, who will also be testifying…
GX57 (8/21/18). In this call, McClain tells Mapes that he is in Chicago to meet with Public Official C about gaming legislation (which Public Official C will testify about at trial) and that he was having dinner with Madigan. This is yet another example of McClain relaying assignments he was working on for Madigan and describing plans to meet with Madigan. Mapes also asks McClain if “they” had started “Sunday phone calls,” a reference to Sunday review meetings held by Madigan and his close staff in the Speaker’s Office, which the jury will also hear about at trial. Again, this call shows that Mapes is well aware that McClain is doing work for Madigan. Mapes also asks about Public Official B, and if there had been any report as to the sexual harassment allegations against him. The entirety of this call shows how much detail Mapes knows about McClain’s comings and goings, in just one brief phone call. […]
GX12 (5/24/18). This is a call between McClain and Public Official C, who will testify about trial. The indictment alleges that Mapes gave testimony about McClain’s interactions with Public Official C. Dkt. 1, Count 2. The two men are generally discussing gaming legislation, a topic that is relevant because McClain tells Mapes in another call (GX57) that one of McClain’s “assignments” from Madigan was to work with Public Official C on gaming legislation. The bulk of the call will not be offered for its truth but to show McClain playing the exact role he told Mapes about; advising Public Official C on gaming. Significantly, when Public Official C asks how to move the bill, McClain tells him, “let me check with Mapes.” This last statement is admissible as a statement of intention or plan under Rule 803(3), and it is relevant because it shows McClain’s plan to talk to Mapes about gaming legislation.
* Will Cousineau will also testify at the trial…
GX13 (5/25/18). In this call, McClain tells Cousineau that he should talk to Mapes about a piece of legislation one of Cousineau’s lobbying clients want on a bill. This is not offered for its truth. Instead it’s a piece of advice, and thus admissible as a “verbal act” rather than for its truth. Cousineau will be able to testify about this call, and the role Mapes played in the Speaker’s Office both before and after his resignation.
Lang, Rita and Cousineau all testified at the ComEd Four trial. None have been accused of wrongdoing. Lang and Rita both received “non-target” letters from prosecutors. Cousineau was granted immunity.
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* Former Northwestern University cheerleader Alyssa Johnson…
* A February 2021 article from the Daily Northwestern…
Erika Carter (SESP ’18) never imagined she would sue her alma mater.
As a Black member of Northwestern’s cheer program from 2016 to 2018, she faced unequal treatment for wearing her natural hair, was forced to split up from other Black teammates on the sidelines for “optics” and was told in writing that ethnically Black hairstyles like braids were not allowed on the team. Now in her post-graduation years, she said she plans to take legal action for the racial discrimination she experienced.[…]
Carter is one of many women to detail racist behavior and abuse from former Northwestern cheer coach Pamela Bonnevier. Bonnevier was fired in Fall 2020, but interviews with current and former cheer team members indicate consistent negligence and cover-up from other University officials. The experiences Carter and her teammates voice raise questions about reporting processes and the handling of racism in the University’s athletic and marketing departments.
In an April 2017 email, Bonnevier told Carter wearing braids would impact her eligibility for post-season events and travel to away football games.
“You have to decide for yourself how (getting braids) fits into your needs/wants,” Bonnevier added in the email. “Just throwing this out there.. A wig for events could be an option for you.”
In her second season on the team, Carter said she felt she was given less prominence and fewer opportunities to travel to away games because she chose to wear her natural hair. Carter also said she and other Black cheerleaders were also told by Bonnevier they were not allowed to stand next to each other at games and events because of “optics.”
* That wasn’t the only cheerleader lawsuit against the university that year. Tribune…
But early in her first season, the “dark side” of the program emerged, according to a federal lawsuit Richardson filed Friday against Northwestern. In the 58-page complaint, Richardson details repeated instances where she said she was groped by drunken fans and alumni during university-sanctioned events, alleging the cheer team’s head coach required female members to “mingle” with powerful donors for the school’s financial gain.
“It became clear to (Richardson) that the cheerleaders were being presented as sex objects to titillate the men that funded the majority of Northwestern’s athletics programs,” the lawsuit says. “After all, the happier these men were, the more money the university would receive from them.”
During these encounters in 2018 and 2019, Richardson alleges that older men touched her breasts and buttocks over her uniform, picked her up without her consent and made “sexually charged comments” about her appearance, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in the Northern District of Illinois. Richardson recalled instances when the men offered her alcohol, though she was underage, or asked to meet up later, the lawsuit says.
Still, according to the lawsuit, head coach Pam Bonnevier continued telling the cheerleaders to socialize on their own, despite their requests to pair up during football tailgates and donor events. The female students were instructed to take photos with fans even if they behaved inappropriately, the lawsuit says.
* WBEZ in May of 2021…
Northwestern University’s athletic director admitted in a secretly-taped meeting just before his Wednesday resignation that he had not been sufficiently sympathetic about allegations of sexual harassment that were brought to him.
A day before his resignation, Mike Polisky admitted during a private meeting with Northwestern student-athletes and staff that he had regrets about how he reacted when cheerleaders came to him with allegations of sexual harassment two years ago.
“I wish that I would have been more empathetic in the moment. … I think that that might have alleviated some of the angst and frustration from some of the members of the cheer team,” Polisky said on a secretly recorded tape of the meeting, obtained exclusively by WBEZ.[…]
In the university meeting, Polisky also said he felt sickened by what he heard from the members of the cheer squad when they came to see him in his office.
“There was also alleged inappropriate touching and different things at some of the tailgates, and what I felt in my head, what I felt in my stomach … again, as a father of two daughters, this cannot happen to anybody. And by the way, our mascot, we came to learn, also had been inappropriately touched at tailgates out on the road. It’s not acceptable.”
* NYT coverage…
The lawsuit, filed in a U.S. District Court in the school’s state of Illinois, also contends that the Title IX office violated federal policy by delaying a formal investigation into these actions over a year after Richardson reported them.
In her university thesis, which details the experiences of her and other cheerleaders, Richardson wrote that in January 2019 members of her team met with Polisky to voice their concerns around tailgating. He responded, “What did you expect as cheerleaders?” She added that Polisky had accused two teammates of fabricating evidence when they sent 16 anonymously written accounts of harassment to him and Heather Obering, the associate athletic director for marketing, at the same meeting. […]
Polisky denied these allegations in an email through his attorneys to The New York Times on Friday, as did a representative for Obering. Both have moved to dismiss the case, along with the university. An attorney for Bonnevier did not respond to requests for comment.
Polisky and Obering forwarded complaints from the January 2019 meeting to the university’s Office of Equity, which investigated. Later in 2019, policies restricting hairstyles were removed and cheerleaders were no longer required to participate in tailgates, a spokeswoman for the university, Jeri B. Ward, wrote in an email to The Times on Thursday. Bonnevier’s contract was not renewed in 2020 after she was found to have violated the university’s discrimination and harassment policy, Ward said.
* Tribune in May of 2021…
That fateful meeting in January 2019 set the stage for a controversy that rocked Northwestern this month, leading to a large campus protest and Polisky’s resignation just nine days after he was promoted to the department’s top post. Students, faculty and even some powerful university trustees opposed Polisky’s appointment because he is named as a defendant in an ongoing lawsuit brought by Richardson alleging the university mishandled her repeated complaints. Polisky didn’t respond to requests for comment. […]
Even though Polisky stepped down, the difficult questions provoked by his selection are anything but settled. Many in the university community are demanding answers as to why Polisky, a white man involved in active litigation, was chosen over the other finalists, two of whom were Black and one a white woman. Some say it feels as if an old boys’ club drives hiring decisions.
“It’s always important for us to understand when things go wrong, how do we hold people accountable and who do we hold accountable…?” said Tyris Jones, a former Northwestern running back who graduated in 2012.
Jones said he reached out to the athletic department with concerns and ideas and encourages former teammates and alumni to do the same. As a “predominantly white institution,” Northwestern has an opportunity to rebuild trust in the Black and brown communities based on whom it picks for leadership roles, Jones said.
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Time for some leadership
Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I usually try to avoid writing much about local Springfield matters, but this really jumped out at me. SJ-R…
City Water, Light and Power’s Chief Utility Engineer [Doug Brown] said the cost of the June 29 storm is somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million to the utility itself. […]
The utility, he said, is focused for now on returning the grid to the state it was in. “Any discussion,” Brown said, of further improvements, like burying power lines or installing Advanced Metering Infrastructure, or AMI, would be done “at enormous cost and with competing priorities, it would be up to the mayor and city council if we want to proceed in that direction in the future.”
The AMI technology would not have sped up the physical repairs but would have improved communication by automatically letting the utility know about outages, Brown acknowledged.
* WCIA…
Right now, the city learns that an area of the grid is down by hearing directly from customers. Other infrastructure upgrades might be too far fetched going forward, though.
“Where do you draw the line, you know, people say, we’ll bury the power lines that’s an enormous cost,” Brown said. “I don’t think that they want to pay for that kind of a rate increase for.”
These storms aren’t going to be any weaker or less frequent as time goes by. So, either pay now or pay later. Some actual leadership would be nice, for a change. Turn the discussion to the possibilities of a bright future with a new direction.
* Flashback to 2009…
Downtown Springfield’s skyline is becoming de-cluttered, block by block.
City Water, Light and Power crews have been burying unattractive power lines that run through downtown’s alleys for about eight years.
The 10-year, $7 million undertaking is about two-thirds of the way complete, according to the city-owned utility. Estimated completion date: 2012.
If they can do it downtown, they can do it elsewhere.
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* A bit of background…
Pursuant to 730 ILCS 5/3-15-2(b), the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) is responsible for establishing minimum standards for juvenile detention centers across the state. For the first time since 1998, the County Detention Standards were updated in 2021 to reflect current practice. Updates included the addition of portions for the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), and enhanced guidelines for areas such as youth grievances, mental health service requirements, visitation guidelines, educational guidelines, and restrictions to the use of confinement. IDJJ conducts annual inspections of all county detention centers to monitor compliance and offer technical assistance.
Illinois county juvenile detention centers do NOT fall under the jurisdiction of the State of Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.
And…
The Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center serves law enforcement and the juvenile justice system within 26 rural southern Illinois counties.
* From last October…
A southern Illinois juvenile detention center is a “a facility in crisis.”
That’s the words used by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice following an inspection in Franklin County.
The full, 15-page report can be found here.
During an August 2 inspection at the Franklin County Detention Center, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice found what it calls “extremely low” staffing levels at the facility.
The report shows just eight full-time works and four part-time employees were working at the detention center at the time of the inspection.
Inspectors say they also found the facility to be non-compliant in several areas, including personal hygiene, food services and education.
* ACLU of Illinois…
A young person who has been housed at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center filed a federal lawsuit challenging the conditions at the facility. The lawsuit’s description of horrific conditions at the facility mirror the findings of a recent report by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. The youth, along with several others currently or recently detained at the facility, describe being locked into cells the size of parking spaces for 20 to 24 hours a day, unable to flush their own toilets, and struggling to sleep under fluorescent lights that never turn off. The youth held at the facility also are not provided any meaningful mental health care or allowed to attend school.
These conditions are present in a facility that detains youth as young as 11 years old. Each year, Franklin County JDC detains hundreds from multiple counties across Southern Illinois.
“The bottom line is that the officials responsible for this facility are failing to treat youth in their care as children,” said Kevin Fee, Senior Special Litigation Counsel at the ACLU of Illinois, one of the lawyers representing the unnamed youth in the lawsuit. “These youth are isolated for long periods of time with no chance to exercise their minds or bodies. There is widespread consensus that no one should be subjected to solitary confinement, let alone an 11 year old who is at such a crucial early stage in their social and emotional development. It is inhumane.”
Among conditions detailed in the complaint filed in federal court:
• Young people are regularly confined alone their small rooms for 20-23 hours per day, and sometimes receive enhanced solitary confinement for days on end;
• Fluorescent lights in the rooms remain at full brightness for 24 hours each day;
• The rooms are not sanitary, including many that leak when it rains and others that have significant mold;
• Youth are not provided pillows or adequate bed linen for the mattresses where they sleep;
• Water is regularly shut off as a part of an opaque discipline system;
• Youth must “buzz” detention staff if they need additional toilet paper or to have their toilet flushed (toilets in the rooms are flushed from outside);
• Young people have no meaningful access to mental health care to deal with their inhumane surroundings;
• Youth have no regular educational classes, instead being given worksheets to complete on their own.
Nearly a year ago, in August 2022, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice conducted an audit of the Franklin County facility and concluded that it was a “facility in crisis.” The IDJJ cited a range of problems from extended confinement to the lack of clothing and personal hygiene to a behavioral program that was standardless and vague.
“Our clients all make one thing clear – Franklin County and the leadership of the JDC have put policies in place that led to youth being detained in constitutionally inadequate conditions, and they have failed to organize and pay for the resources necessary to appropriately care for children in its facility,” added Fee. “This situation must be rectified now, so that no 11 year old is locked up in these awful conditions. We look forward to sharing all this information with a federal court.”
The federal lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of Illinois on behalf of a young person (known by his initials, L.S.) and a putative class of other youth detained at the facility. The complaint asks the federal court to ensure that immediate steps are taken to address the harms caused by the conditions and lack of services.
A full copy of the complaint can be found here.
…Adding… A bill was passed this spring to extend the jurisdiction of the Department of Juvenile Justice’s independent ombudsman to cover county detention facilities like the one in Franklin County. The governor has yet to take action on the bill.
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Fun with numbers
Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s…
llinois hotels pulled in a record amount of tax revenue for the state during the past 12 months, another benchmark in the hospitality sector’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that devastated it.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker today announced that the state collected nearly $308 million in hotel tax revenue during its 2023 fiscal year, which ended on June 30. The figure was up 36% from the 2022 fiscal year and topped the previous record high of $296 million the state pulled in from hotels during its 2019 fiscal year.
The hotel tax revenue number is still below pre-pandemic levels when factoring in inflation, but remains an important financial boost for a state that has leaned more heavily in recent years on taxes tied to tourism and the convention industry.
Statewide hotel tax proceeds fell as low as $93 million during the fiscal year that ended in mid-2021, a drop-off that forced multiple public agencies that rely on hotel taxes to dip deep into their reserves to maintain operations or make debt service payments. […]
Visitation statewide totaled 111.3 million in 2022, the state reported. That was up 14% year over year, though still below the 122.8 million visitors that came to Illinois in 2019.
As noted in the article, the new revenue numbers did not outpace inflation. The $296 million collected through June of 2019 would equal $351.45 million in the most recent available calculation (May) from the BLS inflation calculator. That’s $43.45 million below revenues collected in FY2023.
Even so, the trend appears friendly.
* Sun-Times…
Three consecutive Taylor Swift concerts last month helped to break an all-time hotel weekend occupancy record in Chicago.
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Kristin Richards credited the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR race, held last month in Madison near the Missouri border, with boosting tourism downstate. Rend Lake and Walkers Bluff in southern Illinois also saw an increase in tourism.
The Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association said record attendance at the 2022 Illinois State Fair, Lollapalooza and Suenos music festivals in Chicago and the John Deere Classic in the Quad Cities also helped boost hotel numbers. Having the Illinois Legislature back in full session for the first time since 2020 helped downtown Springfield — and corporate relocations, such as Rivian in Bloomington, also helped increase hotel traffic.
State and local tax revenue from visitor spending totaled in $4.2 billion in 2022, according to a Tourism Economics Report. The report also noted there were 270,600 workers in the state’s tourism and hospitality industry, an increase of 38,300 jobs from 2021.
* Tribune…
The record hotel revenue likely reflects higher room rates, however, as occupancy remains below pre-pandemic levels in Chicago, the state’s largest hotel market, according to data from Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism arm. Illinois did not provide statewide hotel occupancy rates. […]
The state’s tourism industry was essentially cut in half during the depths of the pandemic, bottoming at 67 million visitors and $23 billion in spending in calendar year 2020, according to the data. In April 2022, the state launched the $30 million “Middle of Everything” TV campaign featuring Illinois-born actress and comedian Jane Lynch.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Michael Jacobson, president of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, said that while revenues have returned, staffing levels and occupancy rates overall have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels, although they were trending toward recovery.
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* Choate is the tip of the iceberg, according to this story from Lee Enterprises Midwest, Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica…
People with developmental disabilities living in Illinois’ publicly run institutions have been punched, slapped, hosed down, thrown about and dragged across rooms; in other cases, staff failures contributed to patient harm and death, state police and internal investigative records show.
The Illinois State Police division that looks into alleged criminal wrongdoing by state employees investigates more allegations against workers at these seven residential centers than it does at any other department’s workplaces, including state prisons, which house far more people, according to an analysis of state police data.
It has opened 200 investigations into employee misconduct at these developmental centers since 2012 — most of them outside of Choate.
The state’s seven developmental centers, home to about 1,600 people, are situated from the bottom of the state at the edge of the Shawnee National Forest all the way north to the Wisconsin border. The oldest operating facility opened in 1873 and the newest one in 1987. They house dozens, and in some cases hundreds, of people with developmental disabilities in a hospital-like setting. These residents have a range of conditions: genetic, acquired from a problematic birth, or resulting from exposure to dangerous chemicals or from injury in childhood or adolescence.
As in other states, many of these facilities were built in small towns and rural areas. Today, they are short-staffed and at times chaotic and dangerous, according to a slew of reports and interviews with workers and advocates. This May, the safety concerns inside the developmental centers prompted a court-appointed monitor to urge IDHS to stop placing anyone covered by an expansive consent decree into any of the agency’s developmental centers.
“Too many residents suffer physical injury, sexual assault and death to regard placement in such facilities as safe,” wrote Ronnie Cohn, the monitor and a New-York based expert on disability services, in a report that was prepared at the behest of a federal judge in ongoing proceedings.
Illinois is a stubborn outlier among states, continuing to funnel huge sums of money into institutional care. Many others have entirely shuttered or significantly downsized their state-run institutions. Illinois has about the same number of people living in them as do California, Florida, New York and Ohio combined. In Illinois, the lawsuit that led to the 2011 consent decree argued that the state had violated the civil rights of people with developmental disabilities by failing to offer enough options for community-based care. The next year, the state closed one of its centers and tried to shut another; that effort, to shutter the Murray Developmental Center in southern Illinois, failed in the face of union and community pushback. Now, the state is making space for 60 more residents at Murray, some of which will likely transfer from Choate.
“This is one of the most backwards states in the nation on everything we know how to measure when it comes to the care of people with developmental disabilities,” said Allan Bergman, a consultant from suburban Chicago who advises clients and governments across the U.S. on disability policies and programs.
We asked IDHS about the new reporting on issues within the state’s developmental centers. Agency spokesperson Marisa Kollias pointed out that the state had announced a broader review of every facility that IDHS operates as part of its response to the reporting on Choate. She said in a statement that the state has worked to “identify the root causes of misconduct” and correct them. Among recent improvements, IDHS has appointed a new chief safety officer, held numerous trainings on how to report abuse and neglect and ordered more than 400 security cameras for installation across all of its facilities by the end of the year, she said.
Additionally, IDHS acknowledged shortcomings in the community care settings that operate under the agency’s oversight. Kollias said that the community system had been financially neglected by the prior administration and noted that Pritzker’s administration has successfully advocated for millions of dollars in new spending for these programs. Funding for home- and community-based care has roughly doubled what it was when Pritzker took office to more than $1.7 billion, though advocates contend it’s still not enough after years of steep cuts.
State police investigations of claims against staff at Illinois’ developmental centers are on the rise: Nearly 70% of them over the past decade were initiated since 2019, the year Pritzker took office.
Of the 200 state police investigations into employee misconduct over the past decade, 161 pertained to allegations of physical abuse and criminal battery; 25 to allegations of sexual assault and custodial sexual misconduct; and 10 to alleged criminal neglect of residents. Four were death investigations.
Of those cases, 22 led to convictions, almost all of them for abuse.
A spokesperson for the state police said the agency could not speak to the reasons for the increase or for the disparity in the volume of cases from IDHS facilities that it handled in recent years as compared with Illinois Department of Corrections prisons or other agency workplaces.
But Kollias, the IDHS spokesperson, said the department views the increase in state police investigations “as an improvement in accountability at the facilities.” She also noted that most cases did not lead to convictions.
Both the numbers and interviews show how difficult it is to pursue charges, even when investigations get underway. In the facilities outside of Choate, between 50% and 99% of residents have disabilities that are diagnosed as “severe and profound”; some of those individuals are nonverbal and unable to communicate in traditional ways. Investigative records show instances of employees failing to report abuse or working together to hide it, or a general reluctance on the part of state employees to share information with investigators. Even when there’s a conviction, state police investigators are not always able to fully determine what happened.
For instance, among the more recent physical abuse cases where a conviction was secured is one from Shapiro Developmental Center in Kankakee, a small industrial city on the outskirts of suburban Chicago. In 2020, a patient was found with U-shaped markings and dark bruising on his chest, back, arms, legs and genitals.
A nurse examined his injuries but dismissed them as a rash from medication. A physician who examined him the next day had a different take: She believed the markings were consistent with someone striking the patient with an object, such as a belt or cord. The U-shaped markings looked like they could have been from a belt buckle, she told investigators.
Police interviewed multiple employees who worked the night shift, but they offered little information. The patient was unable to provide police specific details of the incident. He was only able to tell them a female worker “beat the hell” out of him on the night shift by striking his genitals with an unknown object.
The patient’s treatment plan notes that he needs help managing behaviors that include irritability, agitation and outbursts. One employee admitted to police that she had slapped the patient across the face that evening after she had directed the patient to stop a problematic behavior and he told her to “shut up, bitch.” But the worker denied she was responsible for any of his more serious injuries. No one else came forward with any information.
The worker pleaded guilty last year to misdemeanor battery and received 12 months of court supervision. She was fired from Shapiro, but neither state police nor IDHS’ inspector general were able to determine the cause of the patient’s more extensive injuries.
Peter Neumer, the IDHS inspector general, said his department regularly encounters cover-ups at facilities across the state, which prompted him to push for a new legal measure enhancing the penalty options against those who attempt to stonewall or obfuscate investigators. Pritzker recently signed it into law.
Go read the rest.
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Open thread
Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* ProPublica | Problems with abuse, neglect and cover-ups at Choate extend to other developmental centers in Illinois: But a new investigation by Lee Enterprises Midwest, Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica has found that the problems at Choate extend to the other centers as well. People with developmental disabilities living in Illinois’ publicly run institutions have been punched, slapped, hosed down, thrown about and dragged across rooms; in other cases, staff failures contributed to patient harm and death, state police and internal investigative records show.
* WGN | Illinois lawmaker looks to create student-athlete bill of rights: Illinois State Representative and former University of Illinois football player Kam Bucker has turned focus on gender equity, guaranteed education benefits and more to protect student-athletes moving forward.
* Tribune | ‘Infuriating.’ Northwestern students, former players and Illinois leaders react to football program hazing reports: Northwestern President Michael Schill said in a statement Monday that 11 current or former players had acknowledged that hazing “has been ongoing within the football program,” based on an independent investigation that was spurred by a former player’s allegations in late 2022; the full report, however, has not been released publicly.
* SJR | CWLP’s Brown: Storm’s cost to utility already near $20 million: Doug Brown said 75 CWLP workers and some 175 outside workers from utility companies around the country working through mutual aid replaced over 1,000 pieces of equipment, including poles, crossarms, fuses, switches and transformers after the derecho, packing 100-plus mph winds, raced through Springfield. Brown cautioned that is a rough estimate and “we won’t know exact costs for some time.”
* Center for Illinois Politics | The confusing saga and upcoming next steps for an elected Chicago School Board: During the November 2024 election, ten members of the Chicago Board of Education will be elected by voters, and ten members and the board president will be appointed by the mayor. Elected members will serve four-year terms, while appointed members, including the appointed board president, will serve two-year terms. Following the November 2026 general election, the board will be fully elected, beginning their terms in January 2027.
* Block Club Chicago | Calls To Move Migrants Out Of Police Stations Grow Louder After Cops Accused Of Sexual Misconduct: Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), who oversees the City Council’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said the allegations are “reprehensible.” “If the allegations ring true, the officers must be removed from the force swiftly and brought to justice,” Vasquez said in a statement. “A police station is no place for anyone to live, and the inherent power dynamics, the potential language issues, the vulnerability of a teenage woman coming from another country with no other option for shelter — all of those factors make these allegations particularly heinous if true.”
* Illinois Newsroom | A “Pattern of Problematic Conduct”: Urbana Officer Tests Police Accountability: In December 2018, while responding to a complaint of a fight during a house party a block east of the university campus, Franquemont kneed a resident of the house in the stomach and pushed him to the ground after the resident became upset that he was receiving a noise citation and tried to walk away from officers. Inin June 2019, he repeatedly closed the door of his squad car on the knees of an arrestee who claimed his legs were bruised and couldn’t place them in the car, and could be heard mocking him on his bodycam. In January 2020, he shoved a detainee who was inquiring why he was being arrested into his squad car. The man later told investigators his head was “slammed” into the bars in the backseat of the car.
* Fox 2 Now | Illinois Treasurer provides new loan options for students: Frerichs’ office will be partnering with ISL Education Lending, a non-profit company, to offer affordable private student loans to Illinois students and families who qualify.
* KHQA | Quincy city council narrowly passes no confidence vote in Mayor Troup: The Quincy City Council on Monday voted 7-6 in favor of a resolution declaring they had no confidence in Mayor Mike Troup. One council member abstained from voting.
* Tribune | Kina Collins announces third straight run for Congress against veteran US Rep. Danny Davis: Collins this week announced her third straight bid for the Democratic nomination in the overwhelmingly Democratic 7th Congressional District, arguing the progressive political organization she’s built and the connections she has with voters will finally carry her to victory.
* Tribune | Ex-Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson accused of failing to pay restitution in tax case: Thompson, 54, the former 11th Ward alderman and scion of the Daley political dynasty, was sentenced to four months in prison in July 2022 for tax evasion and lying to banking regulators. He served his time at the minimum security facility in Oxford, Wisconsin, and was released five days before Christmas, records show.
* Sun-Times | Bitwise bankruptcy ends plan for tech-training venture on South Side: The California-based firm closed abruptly, laying off 900 people, and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy amid several lawsuits and a report of an FBI probe.
* NYT | Heat Down Below Is Making the Ground Shift Under Chicago: Since the mid-20th century, the ground between the city surface and the bedrock has warmed by 5.6 degrees Fahrenheit on average, according to a new study out of Northwestern University. All that heat, which comes mostly from basements and other underground structures, has caused the layers of sand, clay and rock beneath some buildings to subside or swell by several millimeters over the decades, enough to worsen cracks and defects in walls and foundations.
* Brownfield Ag News | Former Illinois AG Director Larry Werries dies : Werries also served as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the USDA before moving to Chicago where he was a member of Chicago Farmers and served on an advisory committee for the Chicago School of Ag Sciences. He eventually returned to the Jacksonville area as a realtor and upon retirement there served as a consultant to the American Farmland Trust.
* Crain’s | Tribune parent buys San Diego paper: The billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times, Patrick Soon-Shiong, sold the San Diego Union-Tribune to MediaNews Group, a chain controlled by hedge fund Alden Global Capital.
* Sun-Times | Swifties, post-pandemic travelers help Illinois break hotel revenue record: ‘Our tourism industry is back and it’s booming’: The state’s hotel revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30 reached $309 million — beating a pre-pandemic 2019 record of $296 million. In total, 111 million visitors spent $40 billion on all tourism in 2022. That’s 14 million additional travelers who spent $12 billion more than the previous year.
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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