* Friday news dump press release…
Gov. Pritzker Takes Bill Action
Today, Governor JB Pritzker took the following bill action:
Bill Number: SB3268
Description: Annual Medicaid Omnibus. Contains rate increases for various healthcare services, professions, and facilities.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill Number: HB4582
Description: Bond Authorization Act of 2024. Increases bonding authority for General Obligation Bonds, Build Illinois Bonds and bonds issued by the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
Action: Signed
Effective: July 1, 2024
Bill Number: HB4951
Description: 2024 Revenue Omnibus
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately, with some provisions taking effect July 1, 2024, January 1, 2025, and July 1, 2025.
The revenue omnibus contains tax hikes, continuing a tax hike that was supposed to expire and, among other things, this…
Under a measure championed by State Senator Omar Aquino, working parents in Illinois will be able to claim a state-level child tax credit on their income taxes starting next year.
“Parents shouldn’t have to struggle to provide basic necessities to their children,” said Aquino (D-Chicago). “The child tax credit will help families put money toward things that are becoming even less affordable – like groceries and school supplies – during these inflationary times. The rising cost of living makes it even more vital to get this economic relief to folks who need it.”
House Bill 4951 – the Fiscal Year 2025 revenue package – includes $50 million for a new statewide child tax credit, something Aquino has been fighting for over the past several years. Beginning next year, parents eligible for the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit with at least one child under age 12 will receive the child tax credit – equal to 20% of the state’s EITC in 2025 and 40% of the EITC in 2026.
Analyses of the 2021 expansion of the federal child tax credit found that the benefit reached the most working families in U.S. history. In Illinois, the expansion is credited with reducing child poverty rates by over 45%.
The state child tax credit is a continuation of Aquino’s work getting money back into working families’ pockets to make a real impact on their lives. In 2022, he led the expansion of the Illinois EITC so the benefit includes new groups not previously covered – young adults, people over age 65 and filers utilizing an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Because the new measure is tied to Illinois EITC eligibility, these individuals will also qualify for the state child tax credit if they have children under 12.
“This additional help will provide meaningful financial relief for families while giving a boost to local economies,” Aquino said. “Study after study shows working parents who benefit from the child tax credit spend up to 80% of it immediately on goods and services in their local community. I’m proud of what we’ve done for families across the 2nd District and in Illinois with this measure.”
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Background is here if you need it. Ben Szalinski…
* Tribune…
Marseilles Redmond is pursuing early release in a case that her attorney and domestic violence advocates say is emblematic of a criminal justice system that has historically not taken the complexities of abuse into account when ordering harsh sentences.
Redmond, 44, for years has sought sentencing relief under an Illinois law that allows domestic violence survivors to make a case to a judge for a reduced sentence. But her quest for release from prison was thrown a new obstacle by the Illinois Supreme Court in November when it ruled in another case that the law doesn’t apply to defendants like Redmond who entered a guilty plea instead of having been convicted by a judge or jury.
Now, the door has cracked open again for Redmond. In May, the Illinois legislature amended the law to clarify that domestic violence survivors who pled guilty can seek resentencing. And though the change doesn’t take effect until next year, Cook County prosecutors withdrew their objection to a new sentencing hearing for Redmond.
Alexis Mansfield, a senior adviser with the Women’s Justice Institute who fought for the amendment in the wake of the court decision, said the legislation paves the way for more survivors to seek relief under the law.
* Supreme Court of Illinois…
Justice Lisa Holder White and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the assignment of Seventh Circuit Judge Raylene DeWitte Grischow to the Fourth District Appellate Court.
“Judge Raylene DeWitte Grischow will make an outstanding addition to the Appellate Court,” Justice Holder White said. “She is an accomplished, hardworking, community-minded person
who maintains the highest ethical standards. I am confident she will thrive at the appellate level.”
Judge Grischow is being assigned to fill the vacancy created by the impending retirement of Justice John W. Turner on July 5, 2024. The assignment of Judge Grischow is effective July 8,
2024, and will continue until further order of the Court. Judge Grischow was appointed to the bench as a Resident Circuit Judge in the Seventh Circuit for Sangamon County in 2019 and elected in 2020. Her assignments include the felony division and complex civil litigation as well as overseeing the Veteran’s Treatment Specialty Court. Prior to joining the bench, she was a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, where she worked from 2002 to 2018. She served as one of the business development leaders for the firm’s Government Practice Group and as a Network Coordinator for the firm’s Women Attorneys Network.
…Adding… Press release…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker took the following bill action:
Bill Number: SB3268
Description: Annual Medicaid Omnibus. Contains rate increases for various healthcare services, professions, and facilities.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill Number: HB4582
Description: Bond Authorization Act of 2024. Increases bonding authority for General Obligation Bonds, Build Illinois Bonds and bonds issued by the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
Action: Signed
Effective: July 1, 2024
Bill Number: HB4951
Description: 2024 Revenue Omnibus
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately, with some provisions taking effect July 1, 2024, January 1, 2025, and July 1, 2025.
*** Statewide ***
* NBC Chicago | Illinois to offer 4 ‘Free Fishing Days,’ where you won’t need a license to fish: According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Free Fishing Days will happen June 14-17. Any Illinois residents can fish without purchasing a license, salmon stamp or inland trout stamp, according to IDNR officials. Several communities will also host events in celebration of the free fishing days, including Will County’s Hidden Lakes Trout Farm, which will feature three days of giveaways and events, according to officials.
* NBC Chicago | Payments begin for class-action Instagram settlement in Illinois. What to know: Check your bank accounts: Instagram users who were part of a $68 million class-action settlement in Illinois have started receiving their payouts. According to users, many started receiving their settlement checks or automatic payments Friday. Many users reported receiving about $32 for their claims.
* Capitol News Illinois | Time running out to net and protect young plants from cicada-related damage: While Illinois’ dual emergence of periodical cicada broods is harmless to people and animals, young trees may sustain serious damage if not protected by mid-June, experts at The Morton Arboretum said. This is the first co-emergence of these two broods since 1803, researcher Katie Dana from the Illinois Natural History Survey told Capitol News Illinois, making it a truly once-in-a-lifetime event. Although each brood will appear in 2037 and 2041, respectively, the 221-year-long cycle means the next time both broods emerge at the same time will happen in 2245.
* Daily Herald | Is double elimination an answer for IHSA baseball, softball?: Alas, I doubt a double-elimination format will fly in the IHSA. A proposal could be submitted and advanced to a vote by the member schools, but would there be any support. Three full days of games is an awfully long commitment. The four semifinalists would have to arrive to the tournament site on Wednesday. The finalists probably couldn’t leave until Sunday if they played that decisive seventh game.
*** Chicago ***
* Sun-Times | Chicago’s homeless population increased threefold, a city snapshot shows, owing largely to migrants: More than 18,800 Chicagoans experienced homelessness on a single night in January — a threefold increase over last year that was largely driven by 13,900 asylum-seekers who had no permanent place to stay. The estimates released Friday come from the city’s annual snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night. This year’s point-in-time count was conducted on Jan. 25 — shortly after the city saw its peak of the number of migrants it sheltered. During the count, 13,679 asylum-seekers were living in shelters, with 212 unsheltered.
* Sun-Times | PPP fraud was fueled in part by brokers taking kickbacks but escaping punishment, Sun-Times finds: In one case, the Chicago Housing Authority revoked a rent voucher for a woman accused of getting fraudulent loans through the federal Paycheck Protection Program that a broker on Facebook offered to arrange. And six fired Illinois state government workers also said they kicked back parts of their loans. But the people arranging them escaped punishment.
* Sun-Times | Another summer, another debate over teen curfews as downtown residents question their effectiveness: “I think all one has to do is just google ‘How effective are teen curfews?’ and you’ll find almost all the research indicates they are ineffective at controlling crime,” Jim Wales, president of South Loop Neighbors, told the Sun-Times. […] Wales, who also sits on the Grant Park Advisory Board and has a background in law enforcement, said he understands the need to respond to these “horrendous situations.” As a resident, Wales also wants violent crime to be addressed, but cautioned council members against passing laws that “aren’t necessarily effective in dealing with that problem.”
* Crain’s | Chicago has third-most Fortune 500 companies in the U.S.: Chicago is now home to 15 companies ranked on the 2024 Fortune 500 list, the third-most in the U.S. after New York City with 41 companies and Houston with 21. Last year, Chicago only had 13 companies making the esteemed list and didn’t even place among the top three cities — Atlanta came in third. The two new companies on this year’s edition include GE HealthCare and Kellanova. Last year, Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg split into two separate publicly traded companies: WK Kellogg, which is still based in Battle Creek, and Kellanova, which is headquartered in Chicago.
* Tribune | Federal racketeering charges accuse two reputed gang members with slaying of National Guard cadet: Weeks after a high-profile FBI raid on a quiet Lincoln Square street, federal racketeering charges have been unsealed accusing two gang members in the 2021 drive-by slaying of a teenage National Guard member on the Northwest Side. Gary Roberson, who goes by the nickname “Gotti,” and Joseph Matos, whose street name is “Troubles,” were charged in an indictment unsealed Thursday with murder in furtherance of racketeering conspiracy, which could bring the death penalty if convicted, court records show.
* Tribune | Bally’s Chicago rebounds with record revenue in May, as Freedom Center nears demolition to make way for permanent casino: The gaming revenue represented a 13% increase from April, when Bally’s saw its first month-over-month decline since the temporary casino opened at Medinah Temple in September. Bally’s Chicago admissions were up 5% for May to nearly 119,000 visitors, ranking second behind Rivers Casino Des Plaines, which remains the busiest and top revenue-generating casino in the state, according to the monthly data.
* WBEZ | How blues legend Buddy Guy made his indelible mark on Chicago: “Anyone who has never seen Buddy Guy before, this is the time to do it,” said Brother Jacob, aka Jacob Schulz, a Chicago blues singer and blues history aficionado who hosts a show on the Buddy Guy Radio internet station. “He really puts on a masterclass during his performances, and I think they get better and better every year.”
* Block Club | NASCAR Street Race Closures Start Monday. Here’s Where To Avoid: Pre-race closures for July’s NASCAR Street Race start early Monday morning Downtown. Ida B. Wells Drive will close from Michigan Avenue to Columbus Drive for construction of the main viewing areas. The next set of closures is set to take place June 19 along Michigan Avenue. The NASCAR race is July 6-7, though the city will need 19 days in all for setting up and then tearing down the course.
*** Downstate ***
* IPM | New opponent emerges for Nikki Budzinski, with support from Green Party presidential hopeful Jill Stein: A 27-year-old Green Party candidate has entered the race for Congress in Illinois’ 13th District. On Thursday, Chibuihe “Chibu” Asonye stumped with Green Party presidential hopeful Jill Stein in Champaign-Urbana. Asonye is a residence hall director at the University of Illinois and a former Democrat. She says she tells her Democratic family and friends, that the party isn’t serving them.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | Will County Board OKs landfill consultant contract for ex-state tollway chairman: The hiring of [Robert Schillerstrom] reflects one more partisan divide in county government. Landfill oversight falls under the duties of County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, a Democrat. The county board, which is divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans, however, will have a say in the future of the landfill.
* Daily Herald | Wheels, Inc. to lease more than a quarter of Zurich North America headquarters in Schaumburg: When that announcement was made last summer, Jones Lang LaSalle Senior Managing Director Andrea Van Gelder described a trend of companies gravitating to smaller but higher-quality office spaces. Zurich’s building would be the highest-end leasable space available in the region, she said.
* Daily Herald | Habitat for Humanity building a 28-home subdivision in Carpentersville: Village trustees recently signed off on a 28-home subdivision proposed by Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity. It will be off Kings Road near Dundee Crown High School. The subdivision is named Carter Crossing after President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn, both longtime Habitat supporters. It will be one of the largest Habitat developments in Illinois, said Barbara Beckman, executive director of Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity.
*** National ***
* NYT | Clarence Thomas, in Financial Disclosure, Acknowledges 2019 Trips Paid by Harlan Crow: Other Supreme Court justices chronicled their gifts, travel and money earned from books and teaching. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson reported receiving four concert tickets valued at about $3,700 from Beyoncé and $10,000 of artwork for her chambers from the Alabama artist and musician Lonnie Holley.
* Arkansas Advocate | For some rural communities, a stripped-down hospital is better than none at all: On many days, some small hospitals in rural Mississippi admit just one patient — or none at all. The hospitals are drowning in debt. The small, tight-knit communities they’ve anchored for decades can do little but watch as the hospitals shed services and staff just to stay afloat. The federal government recently offered a lifeline: a new Medicare program designed to save dying rural hospitals that will pay them millions to stop offering inpatient services and instead focus on emergency care.
* NewsGuard | Fake Local News Network Infects 49 States with Fake COVID-19 Death Claims: Metric Media operates a network consisting of locally branded websites across the U.S., with names such as East Arizona News, Nevada Business Daily, and Central Wisconsin News. In fact, those outlets are so-called pink slime sites, which are used by groups on the left and the right to influence voters with one-sided news coverage, undermining the overall trust in news. These secretly partisan sites masquerade as independent local news sites.
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Meanwhile… In Opposite Land
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Texas…
It had been nearly a day since the Surepoint Emergency Center outside of Fort Worth told her that she was miscarrying at nearly 13 weeks and sent her home with a prescription and a set of instructions.
Administer the misoprostol, a drug that helps empty the uterus, and wait, the instructions said. If it doesn’t work, take another dose. There will be a lot of blood, the doctor said, but you only need to worry if it’s scarlet instead of a rusty brown. The woman, who asked not to be named out of concern for her safety, wanted a surgical procedure to clear her uterus, but the doctor told her it wasn’t an option at the facility.
Worried by the amount of blood, the woman and her husband, Ryan Hamilton, returned to Surepoint, their 9-month-old daughter in tow. The trip was the beginning of a 24-hour race to get the woman additional abortion care while she bled until she lost consciousness on her bathroom floor. […]
The woman’s story, which her husband first shared on social media and with The News, is yet another example of a Texan stuck in the gray space of the state’s abortion laws that ban the procedure in all cases except to preserve the life of the mother. Her miscarriage occurred two weeks before the Texas Supreme Court ruled against several other women who sued the state because they struggled to get medical assistance for complications including conditions that lead to miscarriage, they said.
* Texas…
Two professors at the University of Texas at Austin are suing for the right to penalize students who miss class to obtain an abortion out of state. The professors, John Hatfield and Daniel Bonevac, are contesting the Biden administration’s efforts to shield students from retaliation when they obtain reproductive health care, a long-standing guarantee under Title IX. They also demand the freedom to discriminate against students and teaching assistants who identify as LGBTQ.
* Louisiana…
When State Representative Delisha Boyd of Louisiana read news reports in early May that a man accused of raping a 12-year-old girl was already a registered sex offender who had previously assaulted a 5-year-old, she said she couldn’t help but think about her own family: Her mother carried trauma for much of her life after being raped by a family acquaintance at age 15. […]
Within two weeks, Ms. Boyd and Ms. Barrow persuaded their respective chambers, both dominated by Republicans, to approve final passage of the bill on Monday, putting the state on track to become the first to codify such a procedure.
While Louisiana and a handful of other states, including California, Texas and Florida, have long allowed courts to order chemical castration, surgical castration — far more intrusive — propels Louisiana to the forefront of a conversation over a form of punishment that has been more associated with countries, like Pakistan and Nigeria, with much harsher criminal sanctions.
The bill would permit judges to order people who have finished serving time for sex crimes against children under 13 to undergo surgical castration within a week of their release from prison. If the prisoner refuses, then an additional prison term of three to five years could be tacked on. […]
It now awaits the signature of Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican who took office in January vowing to take a tough-on-crime approach. If adopted, it would apply to those convicted of crimes that occurred after Aug. 1.
* Also in Louisiana…
As Louisiana’s LGBTQ+ community began celebrating Pride month, the state’s lawmakers were giving the OK to new bills targeting their freedoms.
Similar bills were vetoed under Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, but they aren’t facing the same opposition with Republican Jeff Landry behind the governor’s desk. […]
HB 122, a version of the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, bans K-12 teachers from discussing gender or sexual orientation. It was authored by Rep. Dodie Horton (R-Haughton), who also authored the 10 Commandments bill.
HB 121 by Rep. Raymond Crews (R-Bossier City) requires teachers get parental permission to use a trans student’s preferred pronouns, and protects teachers from disciplinary action if they refuse to use them.
HB608 by Rep. Roger Wilder III (R-Denham Springs) bans the use of bathrooms that don’t match a person’s sex assigned at birth at public schools, domestic violence shelters and correctional facilities.
Landry signed the bathroom bill Monday, making it effective Aug. 1.
* Utah…
After reviewing five transgender bathroom ban complaints that “might reflect a good-faith effort to attempt to make plausible allegations,” the Utah auditor’s office was “unable to substantiate” four of the complaints. The last complaint is still under review.
Utah Auditor John Dougall also reviewed the “privacy compliance plan” of four separate government entities that oversee the buildings where the unsubstantiated claims allegedly took place.
His office urged the Provo School District to finalize its drafted plan and Duchesne County to adopt a plan within the next 30 days. […]
In the weeks since the auditor’s reporting form went live, it has received more than 12,000 hoax complaints. Some of the reports published by the auditor’s office include song lyrics and jokes that people were “flaunting their transness all over the bathroom.”
* Texas…
Eight books dealing with subjects including racism and transgender issues must be returned to library shelves in a rural Texas county that had removed them in an ongoing book banning controversy, a divided panel of three federal appeals court judges ruled Thursday.
It was a partial victory for seven library patrons who sued numerous officials with the Llano County library system and the county government after 17 books were removed. In Thursday’s opinion from a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, one judge voted to uphold a lower court order that the books should be returned. Another largely agreed but said nine of the books could stay off the shelves as the appeal plays out. […]
The main opinion was by Judge Jacques Wiener, nominated to the court by former President George H. W. Bush. Wiener said the books were clearly removed at the behest of county officials who disagreed with the books’ messages.
* Colorado…
The Colorado Republican Party says it stands by a social media post that called for the burning of all Pride flags this week as the LGBTQ+ community celebrated the beginning of Pride month.
“Burn all the #pride flags this June,” the state GOP wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. The party also sent an email blast targeting Pride month.
“The month of June has arrived and, once again, the godless groomers in our society want to attack what is decent, holy, and righteous so they can ultimately harm our children,” said the email, signed by party Chairman Dave Williams.
The chairman told USA TODAY in an email Wednesday that the state GOP makes “no apologies” for its message. […]
The Colorado GOP’s message is the latest incident targeting the LGBTQ+ community as Pride month kicks off. In Carlisle, Massachusetts, more than 200 Pride flags were stolen days before a local Pride event. Last June, Pride flags were stolen, slashed or burned in several states.
* Iowa…
It’s been an age-old ritual for many teens to impatiently wait to work until they’re issued a driver’s license at 16.
But no worries, Iowa is fixing that problem. A new law permitting them to legally drive to their jobs when they’re as young as 14 1/2 years old means they can go to even greater lengths to solve Iowa’s worker shortage. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed it on May 17.
In 2022, a new law enabled 16- and 17-year-olds to care for kids at child care centers without direct supervision. Last year, the governor signed a law allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to obtain an exemption to work at jobs including excavation, demolition and roofing as part of an employer training or school work-study. Teens over age 16 also would be permitted to sell and serve alcohol as long as the restaurant kitchen remains open. Expanded work hours for 14- and 15-year-olds also lets them work until 11 p.m. in the summer, 9 p.m. during the school year, and up to six hours on a school day. (Iowa’s state law doesn’t comply with federal law, creating a gray area for employers.)
But these laws weren’t enough. A new law was needed so that younger Iowa teens could legally drive to these new fields of opportunity. Legislators justified their votes on the premise of helping minors develop skills in the workforce. The governor stated that “opportunities to earn and save to build a better life should be available” to young adults.
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* Ralph Martire…
Of the $53.1 billion in total expenditures for FY 2025, roughly $15.1 billion, or 28.4%, cover “hard costs” the state has to pay, because they’re either required by law, such as debt service owed to bondholders, or contractual obligations, like health insurance for state workers. Since these expenditures are legally required, they’d be in the budget irrespective of the party in power.
The remaining $38 billion funds current services for the year. In FY 2025, 94% of current service expenditures are targeted to the four core areas of education, health care, social services and public safety. Those priorities seem right, especially when you consider that Illinois has historically devoted a similar percentage of current service expenditures to those same four core areas, whether Republicans or Democrats controlled Springfield. This doesn’t mean there aren’t legitimate differences of opinion between — and even within — the parties about specific lines in the budget, but rather highlights the fact that the data show there’s broad consensus across ideological lines about what the priorities should be. […]
Indeed, at the end of FY 2025, spending on the four core services will still be about 10% less in real, inflation-adjusted terms than it was almost a quarter-century earlier in FY 2000 — under Republican Governor George Ryan.
A big part of the reason for the spending discrepancy is that pensions were horribly under-funded in those days. During the upcoming fiscal year, mandated pension payments will be 19 percent of General Funds spending. Manageable, but way higher than it was in the old days, when pension funding was barely an after-thought.
Whoever is elected governor in 22 years - after the pensions are fully funded - is gonna party like it’s 1999. Literally.
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Mendick’s eephus
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This may turn out to be the high point of the entire White Sox season…
* From MLB.com…
Definition
The eephus is one of the rarest pitches thrown in baseball, and it is known for its exceptionally low speed and ability to catch a hitter off guard.
Typically, an eephus is thrown very high in the air, resembling the trajectory of a slow-pitch softball pitch. Hitters, expecting a fastball that’s nearly twice the velocity of the eephus, can get over-zealous and swing too early and hard. But for a hitter who is able to keep his weight back and put a normal swing on the pitch, it is the easiest pitch to hit in baseball — one without unexpected movement or excessive velocity.
Origin
Pirates pitcher Rip Sewell was the first pitcher to throw the eephus pitch regularly — although, at the time, the pitch hadn’t yet been named. Sewell’s teammate Maurice Van Robays took care of that. He concocted the name “eephus” and when asked why, he responded by saying, “Eephus ain’t nothing, and that’s a nothing pitch.” In Hebrew, the word “efes” can be loosely translated into “nothing,” and the word “eephus” undoubtedly stems from that.
Zack Greinke is famous for surprising hitters with an eephus on occasion, one of the only modern-day pitchers to use the eephus pitch with any frequency.
Mendick threw seven eephuses (eephi?) out of 15 pitches yesterday.
Feel free to use this post as an Illinois sports open thread.
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* Mack Liederman at Block Club Chicago…
A group of alderpeople want the state to pump the brakes on plans to redesign DuSable Lake Shore Drive and instead find ways to prioritize public transit on the city’s most famous road.
Fourteen alderpeople have signed a letter to Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Omer Osman and Chicago Department of Transportation President Tom Carney, asking the state to “halt” its Redefine the Drive project, which calls for redesigning and rebuilding DuSable Lake Shore Drive from Grand to Hollywood avenues on the North Side.
A final design for the decade-plus project has yet to be determined. Roadway configurations were released by the state in 2022, with two of five possible designs calling for bus-only lanes.
But each of the proposals would maintain the Drive as as “an urban highway without significant mass transit elements,” alderpeople said in the letter.
The 14 alderpeople, in partnership with transit advocacy group Bike Grid Now, want the proposals scrapped in favor of a new one centered around bus-rapid transit, including bus-only lanes or a light rail system along the lakefront. […]
Those who signed the letter include Alds. Daniel La Spata (1st), Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), Ruth Cruz (30th), Scott Waguespack (32nd), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), Andre Vasquez (40th), Brendan Reilly (42nd), Timmy Knudsen (43rd), Bennett Lawson (44th), Angela Clay (46th), Matt Martin (47th), Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th), Maria Hadden (49th) and Debra Silverstein (50th).
* This House resolution passed unanimously last month…
Urges CDOT and IDOT to transform Du Sable Lake Shore Drive into a true boulevard and to be creative and forward-thinking in their redesign of Du Sable Lake Shore Drive, to incorporate safe and efficient multimodal transportation throughout Du Sable Lake Shore Drive for pedestrians, cyclists, public transit users, and drivers, to emphasize green urban mobility, to ensure that any proposed changes are considered as part of a comprehensive plan for efficient traffic management and movement of people, including during special events and weather challenges, to create more green space and recreational opportunities for Chicagoans, as well as visitors, and to repurpose, where possible, existing infrastructure as part of expanded recreational opportunities.
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* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker, alongside state economic development leaders, will embark on a trade mission to Canada from June 10 to June 13. During the trip, the Governor will participate in the 2024 U.S.-Canada Summit and meet with key government leaders as well as business leaders in quantum, finance, electric vehicles (EVs), technology, and other growing sectors.
“For generations, the people of Canada and the people of Illinois have been connected in more ways than one,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As each of our economies grow and evolve, we have remained reliable partners to one another. Over the coming years, Illinois will work to build out the industries of the future – electric vehicles, quantum computing, nanotechnology – and will forge greater bonds with forward-thinking governments and businesses such as these to truly unleash our shared potential.”
As part of the trade mission, Governor Pritzker will provide a keynote address at the 2024 U.S.-Canada Summit which is hosted by BMO and the Eurasia Group. The Summit will bring together senior decision-makers from across the U.S. and Canada to promote and discuss joint opportunities in trade, tech innovation, energy, and the environment.
“Through this trade mission, the State of Illinois will build upon its storied history of collaboration with Canadian businesses and economic leaders,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Director Kristin Richards. “As one of Illinois’ greatest economic partners, we look forward to strengthening our connections as we grow economic opportunities in key sectors.”
In addition to participating in the U.S.-Canada Summit, the Governor will visit and participate in various meetings and roundtables, including a visit to MaRS Discovery District, which is North America’s largest urban innovation hub, to discuss opportunities to collaborate on quantum and promote Illinois’ start up and innovation landscape.
“As Canadian companies look at where to invest and grow, we want to show them that in Illinois they’ll find the workforce, infrastructure, ecosystem of like-minded companies, and support they need to thrive,” said Intersect Illinois Board Chairman John Atkinson. “We look forward to coming back from this trade mission with even stronger relationships that will help facilitate investment in Illinois.”
After the Summit and various business meetings and roundtables in Toronto, the delegation will head to Montreal where the Governor will participate in a fireside chat at the Conference De’ Montreal. While in Montreal, the delegation will tour Lion Electric, whose Joliet facility is considered the largest all-electric U.S. manufacturing facility dedicated to medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicle production.
Exports and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) play a critical role in Illinois’ economy. Canada is Illinois’ top trading partner, with over $92 billion in bilateral trade in 2022, with Illinois exports increasing 30% between 2021 and 2022. Top exports include transportation equipment, machinery, chemicals and food and kindred products. Canada is Illinois’ 4th largest FDI market based on employment, with more than 370 Canadian companies located in Illinois, including BMO, McCain Foods and Lion Electric. Canadian companies employ approximately 32,000 Illinoisans in the state.
Illinois has experienced tremendous economic success over the past year, attracting nearly $5 billion in company investments through incentive programs alone, and has been named the number two state in the nation for corporate expansions and relocations by Site Selection Magazine. Illinois was also ranked by CBNC as one of the Top States for Business and continues to attract companies looking to call the state home. Over the past several years, Illinois has launched new business attraction incentives while making improvements to its existing suite.
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* This is definitely not a good look and will undoubtedly generate a kabillion clicks and hot takes…
But some might be surprised at how much the mayor spends on personal grooming, for which he pays with money contributed by political supporters to his Friends of Brandon Johnson campaign fund: More than $30,000 in the past year, according to elections board records.
Nearly all the money went to makeup artist and self-described “skincare enthusiast” Denise Milloy’s Makeup Majic, which is based in a home on the South Side. More than 30 payments were reported going to her in 2023 and 2024, records show.
The payments prior to Johnson’s 2023 election listed various descriptions including:
• “Candidate makeup for TV.”
• “Candidate makeup for debate.”
• “Candidate makeup.”
• “Makeup retainer.”
After Johnson took office last year, the payments to Makeup Majic have been explained only as “event expenses.”
* This allegation, however, could very well turn out to be illegal, even though it was buried at the end of an NBC5 story…
Questions are also being raised about [Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard] using taxpayer dollars for personal expenses, including her personal make-up artist.
An itemized payroll sheet for the township sent to NBC Chicago from May of last year lists Brandon Momon as an administrative assistant, but when we reached out to him, he told us he’s Henyard’s make-up artist.
“It is just once again a long series of things done incorrectly – or possibly illegally,” said Chris Gonzalez, a Thornton Township trustee.
NBC Chicago reached out to Henyard’s administration for comment but did not hear back.
Wow.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: ‘An impossible job’: Illinois DCFS comes under new leadership yet again amidst years of challenges. WBEZ…
- Illinois’ Department of Children and Family Services has faced challenges and reports of dysfunction for years – from failing to report cases of abuse in schools to reports of improper use of funds.
- Reset checks in with the new leader of the embattled DCFS, Heidi Mueller, for how she plans to right the ship.
* Related stories…
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* WTTW | More Than Half of Migrants Forced to Leave City Shelters Immediately Returned, Chicago Officials Say: But the acknowledgement that approximately 500 people would be unhoused months after arriving in Chicago raises new questions about plans by officials to start evicting families with school-age children from city shelters Monday. The academic year for Chicago Public Schools students ended Friday, eliminating the dispensation granted to families with children. […] City officials do “not expect a mass exit from shelters” starting Monday because a “number of extensions remain in place and shelter exit dates are staggered according to when individuals entered the shelter,” according to a statement from Department of Family and Support Services Commissioner Brandie Knazze.
* Sun-Times | White Sox blown out in franchise record 14th straight defeat: The White Sox set a franchise record with their 14th consecutive loss Thursday, routed 14-2 by the Red Sox. Surpassing a mark set by the 1924 team and extending the longest skid in the majors this season, the Sox lost for the 18th time in their last 19 games, tumbling to 15-48.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Tribune | Legislation would block carbon dioxide pipelines in Illinois for up to 2 years: “We’ve got a moratorium — that’s a good thing and we might get more safety measures depending on what (the federal regulators) do,” said Pam Richart, coordinator of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines. Still, she said, members of her coalition were dismayed that the bill didn’t ban or severely limit eminent domain, in which land can be taken from a nonconsenting owner for the public good.
* Daily Herald | State senator hopes gas-leak detector bill can prevent catastrophes like house explosions: If Tuesday’s house explosion in Lake Zurich is determined to have been caused by a natural gas leak, one state senator from suburbs says it would be another example of the dangers he hopes his proposed legislation can prevent. Republican state Sen. Craig Wilcox of McHenry introduced the Fuel Gas Detector Act in February 2023, and hopes to continue negotiating for a version of it to become law during this summer’s veto session in Springfield.
*** Statewide ***
* Sports Handle | Illinois Gaming Board Renews 7 Retail Sports Betting Licenses: Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter renewed seven sports betting licenses for retail sportsbooks Thursday, the first such renewals since in the state since operators began taking wagers in March 2020. Fruchter, using the expanded powers delegated to him following the COVID-19 pandemic and since renewed on an annual basis, granted four-year license renewals through June 2028 to the following casinos: Argosy Casino Alton, DraftKings at Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, Hollywood Casino Aurora, Hollywood Casino Joliet, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, and Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino in East Peoria.
*** Chicago ***
* NBC Chicago | DNC protesters, Chicago officials seek compromise ahead of event: During a status hearing Thursday, Andrew Worseck, an attorney for the city, told federal Judge Andrea Wood city officials have finally obtained enough information from the U.S. Secret Service to propose another route. Part of the problem is officials with the Secret Service have not yet announced the security perimeter for the convention, though city officials have begun honing their strategies for the event.
* Sun-Times | Mayor’s pricey hair and makeup: In one year, Brandon Johnson’s campaign has spent $30K on hair, makeup: Asked about Johnson’s spending — including his having a makeup artist paid a retainer, which hair and makeup sessions were for which events and whether any of the payments were for anyone other than the mayor — [the Johnson campaign’s Bill Neidhardt] says in a written statement: “The mayor does not spend taxpayer dollars in preparation for the many public appearances and events he attends every day. “Instead, he is using his own campaign funds to pay Black- and women-owned businesses a fair wage in compensation for their work in preparing the mayor and individuals associated with the campaign for public appearances, events, media segments and other availabilities.
* Chalkbeat | CPS did not violate state law in moving to take over Urban Prep, appeals court rules: The court’s decision is the latest twist in a nearly two-year battle between Chicago Public Schools and Urban Prep, which has fought to stay open amid allegations of financial mismanagement, violation of special-education rights, and sexual misconduct. The appeals court’s decision comes as charter schools face greater scrutiny under the new board of education appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former teacher and union leader. In January, the board renewed contracts for 49 charters, most by three or four years. State law allows extensions up to 10 years.
* Sun-Times | Calumet Fisheries to reopen Saturday — rebuilt after devastating fire last fall: The seafood restaurant, one of the few smokehouses left in Illinois, was gutted in a fire in November due to an electrical issue. It underwent extensive renovation for its Saturday soft reopening. “My Facebook page has been off the hook with people just dying to come back,” co-owner Mark Kotlick said.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | How Arlington Heights police are taking drones ‘to the next level’: “Time,” Chief Nicholas Pecora replied when we asked about the main benefit of the department’s new addition. “You don’t want a delayed response. You want to have it out on the street and up in the air as soon as possible.” […] Back in 2019, Arlington Heights was among the first suburban municipal police departments to add drones. Today, the department has three drones in service and 26 officers licensed to fly them.
* NBC Chicago | Gov. Pritzker weighs in on Dolton saga, answers questions on if state should intervene: “We’ve looked into whether we ought to put resources, whether it’s state police and their anti-corruption efforts or asking the Attorney General,” Pritzker said. “The reality is there are already two pretty significant investigations going on. We’ll support them in every way we can, but it’s just a matter if you want everybody running over each other in those investigations, or do you want two concerted efforts to get the facts?”
* ABC Chicago | Cook County Assessor to correct thousands of property tax assessment errors in south, west suburbs: In past reports, the Assessor’s Office admitted some south suburban homeowners were over-assessed. Now we have found there were more than 4,000 of these errors. A letter obtained by the I-Team shows that the Assessor’s Office is working to correct problems.
* NBC Chicago | Blowing dust, gusty winds could cause hazardous travel in Chicago area: According to a special weather statement issued Thursday afternoon, winds of 35-to-45 miles per hour are expected to continue throughout the afternoon and into the evening, leading to serious travel concerns around the area. The main threats will be felt on north-south roadways, where winds could impact high-profile vehicles, according to the alert.
*** Downstate ***
* Daily Journal | Judge rules not to detain two Shapiro workers charged with battering resident: Two Shapiro Developmental Center employees charged with battering a resident in September 2023 were released following their detention hearings Wednesday in Kankakee County Court. Both are charged with the battery of a 32-year-old Shapiro resident. […] While Cunnington released the pair, he did order both to report to pretrial services, wear GPS monitoring devices and to have no contact with Shapiro Developmental Center, the victim or a witness.
* SJ-R | New workforce program launching for seniors in the Springfield area: The HAP Foundation partnered with AmeriCorps for the program, which is intended to train seniors to help them reenter the workforce as community health workers. […] Volunteers in the program will receive a monthly stipend of $200, and once the program is complete participants will receive $1,000 through a grant from the Illinois Public Health Association.
* WPSD | Annual Superman celebrations return in Metropolis, Illinois: This year’s guests include Tyler Hoechil, who fans will recognize as Superman on “Superman & Lois,” the “Supergirl” series and other shows in the CW’s Arrowverse. Fans can also catch Nicole Maines, who played Nia Nal on “Supergirl” and “The Flash,” and Jess Rath, known as Brainiac-5 on “Supergirl” and Alak Tarr on the SyFy series “Defiance.”
* PJ Star | Deere and Co. to pay $1.1 million for discriminatory hiring practices in Illinois, Iowa: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs settled with Deere and Co. to pay back wages and interest to Black and Hispanic employees at the company’s locations in Milan, Illinois; Ankeny, Iowa; and Waterloo, Iowa.[…] As part of its settlement, Deere and Co. has agreed to pay $1.1 million in back wages and interest as well as provide 58 jobs to eligible class members.
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Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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