Afternoon roundup
Friday, Jun 9, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers about this a couple of days ago…
The Illinois House Speaker’s Office says it’s been informed that the complaints against state Rep. Jonathan Carroll “have been resolved and closed” by the “ Legislative Inspector General’s office and determined “unsubstantiated.” Capitol Fax’s Rich Miller scooped the story.
Carroll was accused by former staffer Elly Fawcett-Neal of wrongly firing her because she was pregnant. Carroll had denied the accusations. (See The Buzz.) He did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.
Carroll has already been appointed chair of the House Police and Fire Committee after being sidelined from a leadership position while the IG investigation was going on.
Still outstanding: Fawcett-Neal told Playbook her complaint is still being investigated by the EEOC and the Illinois Human Rights Commission. “I stand by everything I reported. I think his appointment is premature,” she told Playbook.
* Gov. JB Pritzker signed 90 bills into law today. Click here for the list. RIP my inbox.
* Muddy River News…
QUINCY — A Texas man who is the founder of Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn will speak Friday night in Father McGivney Hall at the Knights of Columbus, 700 S. 36th, about the process for achieving a city ordinance that would call for prohibiting abortions in Quincy, a move that would be in direct conflict with state law.
Mark Lee Dickson is a director with Right to Life of East Texas and calls himself a pro-life activist. He claims to have helped 67 cities and two counties in the United States pass ordinances outlawing abortion. The first was in Waskom, Texas, which lies on the border with Louisiana. Waskom has no abortion clinic, but the City Council decided in June 2019 that prohibiting abortion was necessary as a preventive measure.
“What a Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn ordinance does is goes as far as (one) possibly can go in an effort to keep abortion out of a community,” Dickson said in a phone interview. “(Friday night’s) interest meeting will establish the background of what these ordinances do and what the process would look like if they’re in Quincy. Any abortion provider that wants to set up shop in Quincy would not be allowed to under these ordinances.”
Danville is the only sanctuary city in Illinois. City Council members were split 7-7 at a May 2 meeting on an ordinance that would impose fines on anyone shipping or receiving abortion pills or supplies in the mail. Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. made the tie-breaking “yes” vote. […]
“I think it is time for Illinois to let Gov. Pritzker know just how pro-life Illinois really is,” Dickson said.
Somebody is gonna learn something, but I’m not sure it’s that.
* Media advisory…
Harvey city employees to protest Mayor Clark’s refusal to bargain new union contract
Fighting for a new union contract seven years since the last agreement expired—and more than eight years since their last across-the-board pay increase, in January 2015—city of Harvey employees plan to leaflet outside and speak at Monday night’s City Council meeting. […]
Background
About 30 Harvey city workers—primarily public works employees as well as clerical employees in various departments—are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2404.
The local’s last contract with Harvey expired in 2016. Three years later, Christopher Clark took office as mayor; his promises of reform after his predecessor’s tenure included finally settling a new agreement. But now, in his second term in office, Mayor Clark refuses to even meet for contract negotiations. The parties last met in November; the city cancelled bargaining dates in December and March, and has refused to schedule any since.
Citing this pattern, the Illinois Labor Relations Board last week issued a complaint against the city of Harvey for failing and refusing to bargain in good faith, a violation of state labor law.
* This week…
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office announced Tuesday it will no longer object to waiving court fees for low-income defendants, a move it said was aimed at reducing racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
“One of the tragedies of the criminal justice system is that a disproportionate amount of its financing is shouldered by people of color and those living in poverty,” State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said in a statement. “Rather than end the cycles of racial disparities and criminalization, fees and fines perpetuate them.”
Fines and fees are used to cover court expenses.
That’s odd because more than five years ago, the Illinois Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act set up a procedure for people to request a full or partial waiver of criminal fees and fines based on their inability to pay. Foxx the progressive is only now getting on board?
* I totally understand despising someone for what they’ve done to others. I will never understand hating someone simply because of how they’re born…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* The 19th | Lawmakers in blue states are linking protections for abortion and gender-affirming care: Blue states are crafting a new kind of legislation to respond to a dramatic wave of restrictions on abortion access and gender-affirming care across the country. Democrats are invoking the fall of Roe v. Wade as a reason to protect both areas of health care simultaneously — while aiming to create safe havens for those fleeing surrounding Republican-controlled states. Lawmakers in five states — Illinois, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington state and Vermont, which has a Republican governor although Democrats control the state legislature — plus the District of Columbia have enacted such “shield” laws so far this year.
* Sun-Times | Ex-Cook County judge, accused of stealing decorated Tuskegee Airman’s life savings, is ordered to pay $1.2 million: Wilkerson sued Martin last September, saying she took advantage of him as he sought to get back his money, plus damages. Martin had “placed the vast majority of it into cryptocurrency before transferring it away into as-yet unknown locations,” according to his lawyers’ motion for a default judgment.
* Daily Herald | After meeting with Chicago and Naperville mayors, Bears president coming to Arlington Heights: Warren’s visit follows meetings in recent days with the mayors of Chicago and Naperville, and the NFL franchise’s declaration that its proposed $5 billion Arlington Park redevelopment is “at risk” and no longer its “singular focus.” The statement came amid tense negotiations over property tax assessments and payments for the 326-acre site the Bears purchased in February.
* Block Club | Trans Bus Operator Sues CTA And Union, Saying Agency Fired Him After His Gender-Affirming Surgery: In court documents, lawyers for the CTA said Brown provided “false statements” about an unrelated medical leave, which led to his termination. But Brown said he was fired after the agency “ran me in circles” on requirements to validate his leave, alleging the process was retaliation for his advocacy to receive gender-affirming care.
* WBEZ | How the Waukegan cops behind a teen’s false confession to a shooting avoided discipline: “The Police Department can’t and shouldn’t be trusted by the public if the department itself does not undertake an inquiry into whether its officers, and possibly even its command chain, broke the law,” said Joseph Ferguson, who oversaw high-profile police misconduct investigations during a 12-year tenure as Chicago inspector general.
* Sun-Times | Benedictines’ world leader calls on Chicago-area monks tied to Benet, Marmion high schools to fully report clergy sex abuse: “I think that they should be” posting such lists of abusive members “because it’s been actually asked of us by the larger church,” Polan said in an interview from Rome, where he is based. “I think we need to do what the larger church is asking of us.”
* WTTW | Aurora Mayor’s Girlfriend Didn’t Disclose Previous State COVID Relief Funding When Asking for Local Taxpayer Cash: Before the Aurora City Council voted to approve a slew of taxpayer-funded grants to local businesses last month, Mayor Richard Irvin said he’d heard repeatedly how “professional and precise” the staffers overseeing the program were. […] After Irvin recused himself from the vote and left the room, the council swiftly approved the grants to aid businesses suffering lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic — including $10,000 for the furniture store owned by Irvin’s girlfriend, Laura Ayala-Clarke.
* WTTW | Chicago Public Schools’ Special Education Chief Steps Down Amid Calls For Her Ouster: CPS confirmed Friday that Stephanie Jones, the district’s chief of the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services (ODLSS), is stepping down from that role after four years effective immediately. “We sincerely thank Dr. Jones for her commitment to serving students in Chicago with diverse learning needs, and we wish her well in her future endeavors,” a CPS spokesperson said in a statement Friday.
* CBS Chicago | Naperville woman sues Bank of America for discrimination over mishandling $24,000 check: Warren said she brought the check to a Naperville bank branch on April 17. She went back the next day with her daughter to check on the availability of the money and got odd responses. “I went over to the teller,” Charlotte said. “She said ‘No, you don’t have an account.’”
* Crain’s | Indicted crypto CEO selling Trump Tower condo: The three-bedroom condo on the tower’s 68th floor came on the market Thursday, priced at $2.5 million. Public records show it was purchased in June 2022 for a little more than $2.17 million by a legal entity controlled by Sonny Meraban.
* Daily Journal | Bradley eyes homeless shelter zoning: A recent inquiry from a Realtor into where a homeless shelter could be sited in Bradley turned up an issue within the municipality. The village did not have an ordinance anywhere within its codes regarding something like a homeless shelter, thereby making it impossible to even consider such a request.
* Tribune | In the wake of rooftop standoff on West Side, more questions than answers remain: “He walked around the community and could have been arrested,” she said. “This is just an incident that highlights the unchecked and untreated mental health issues that are ongoing, not just in our community, but in the greater Chicago area.”
* Crain’s | The Big Ticket: Old Town and Wells Street art fairs, plus music, dance and more: The Old Town Art Fair is the older of the two long-running events. It first took place in 1950, making it just a few years younger than the 57th Street Art Fair, which bills itself as the Midwest’s oldest juried art fair. Old Town’s event occupies residential streets north of North Avenue and books music from the eclectic mix of genres typical of the Old Town School of Folk Music, a neighbor in its early days.
* Daily Herald | How can the suburbs get tourists racing back for a visit? New tech, big attractions: Before the pandemic, the region was overcoming the non-pedestrian-friendly stereotype of the suburbs in attracting meetings and trade shows to venues including the Schaumburg Convention Center. But the ramping up of plans for entertainment, restaurants and stores in Schaumburg’s 90 North area — including Andretti Indoor Karting & Games, expected to break ground next to the Renaissance Hotel this year — should make those efforts more successful, Larson said.
* Tribune | Post-pandemic work, travel patterns leave questions for longtime summer commuter service: the Chicago Water Taxi: Behind the taxi’s schedule dilemma is the post-pandemic reality for downtown Chicago: Tourists have returned in force, but office workers haven’t, Sargis said. The taxi company has also faced lingering labor challenges after losing and furloughing employees during the pandemic. While many crew members are in training, it can take years to get the certifications needed to drive a boat, he said.
* Sun-Times | Digging into the mysteries of fireflies: Considering the Chicago area seems headed for a drought, I wondered if weather impacts the communications of fireflies. She replied that especially moisture and temperature did. “Most firefly species rely on having a moist environment. Some even concentrate on/near water bodies [1],” she emailed. “Ambient temperature can alter the flash pattern of some firefly species, making them flash slower (low temperatures), or faster (high temperatures) [2,3]. This is crucial because each species of flashing firefly has a unique flash pattern (used for mating recognition). As temperature changes, some patterns might start overlapping.”
* SJ-R | It’s county fair season around central Illinois. Here are the details: The county fair season kicked off with the Greene County Agricultural Fair, now in its late May slot. The Pike County Fair closes on Saturday while the Macoupin County Fair in Carlinville wraps up on Sunday. The Sangamon County Fair in New Berlin opens its five-day run Wednesday featuring headliner Blackberry Smoke with Stoney LaRue on Thursday.
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* The bill is here. It was an initiative of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, but the governor has been a strong supporter. Memo to reporters from the governor’s press office…
We’re writing today because you have expressed interest in when the Governor will sign HB2789. The day has come, Gov. Pritzker will sign the bill Monday afternoon in Chicago.
Across the nation, extremists are targeting literature, libraries, and books in a despicable effort to censor the material students need to thrive in the classroom. Governor Pritzker’s goal is to preserve Illinois libraries as bastions of knowledge, creativity, and truth. In Illinois, we embrace facts, and we trust librarians to continue maintaining a standard for what books students have access to at school. During his State of the State speech in February, Governor Pritzker outlined his vision for fighting back against these extremists and since then has taken a number of actions to protect the availability of books in schools.
HB2789 tasks the Illinois State Librarian and the Illinois State Library to work to adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, statewide. This Bill of rights indicates that reading materials should not be proscribed, removed, or restricted because of partisan or personal disproval. Alternatively, the state librarian and State Library can work together to develop their own written statement declaring that every library or library system must provide an adequate collection of books and other materials to satisfy the people in Illinois.
Illinois libraries would only be eligible for state funded grants if they adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights indicating reading materials should not be proscribed, removed, or restricted because of partisan or personal disapproval.
In addition to signing this legislation, Governor Pritzker has taken action over the past several months to continue fighting censorship in the classroom. In January, the Governor sent a letter to the CEO of the College Board, demanding they reverse the decision to remove crucial parts of curriculum from the Advanced Placement course in African American Studies after being criticized by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
This past week, Governor Pritzker joined a number of other governors to urge textbook publishers the Association of American Publishers, Cengage Learning, Goodheart-Willcox, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw Hill Education, Pearson, Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, Savvas Learning Co., Scholastic, and Teachers Curriculum Institute urging them to not censor educational materials in the face of additional pressure from Republicans.
Governor Pritzker also included $1.6 million in the FY 24 state budget to launch Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library statewide.
The new law will take effect January 1, 2024.
Attached you will find:
• A letter to textbook publishers (Association of American Publishers, Cengage Learning, Goodheart-Willcox, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw Hill Education, Pearson, Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, Savvas Learning Co., Scholastic, Teachers Curriculum Institute) urging them to not censor educational materials in the face of additional pressure from Republicans.
• A letter to Dr. David Coleman, CEO of The College Board in response to their decision to remove crucial parts of curriculum from the Advanced Placement course in African American Studies following pressure from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Background:
• The Governor highlighted protecting education during his State of the State speech: “This afternoon I’ve laid out a budget agenda that does everything possible to invest in the education of our children. Yet, it’s all meaningless if we become a nation that bans books from school libraries about racism suffered by Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron, and tells kids they can’t talk about being gay, and signals to Black and Brown people and Asian Americans and Jews and Muslims that our authentic stories can’t be told. I’m the father of two children. I care a great deal about their education. Like every good parent, I want to be involved in what they learn. I’m also a proud American. Our nation has a great history, and much to be proud of. I want my children to learn that history. But I don’t want them to be lied to. I want them to learn our true history, warts and all. Illinois’ young people shouldn’t be kept from learning about the realities of our world. I want them to become critical thinkers, exposed to ideas that they disagree with, proud of what our nation has overcome, and thoughtful about what comes next. Here in Illinois, we don’t hide from the truth, we embrace it. That’s what makes us strong.”
• Gov. Pritzker included $1.6 million in the FY 24 state budget to launch Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library statewide. Additional details will be announced Tuesday, 6/13/23.
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* Background is here if you need it. From the Illinois Department of Human Services…
Secretary Hou requested a review of resident safety reporting practices in September 2022 to provide additional context and recommendations related to abuse and neglect cases at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center (Choate) over the past decade. The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is grateful to the IDHS Office of the Inspector General for their diligence in putting together this report. IDHS leadership continues to be deeply concerned by the events investigated and reported on by the OIG. The report underscores the importance of actions that IDHS has taken since the beginning of the administration, including substantially expanding training, hiring new staff, and installing security cameras. IDHS has also received guidance from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to be able to install additional cameras in indoor, common area locations and will be installing those expeditiously.
Most importantly, the report affirms IDHS’ plan for a system-wide transformation aimed at providing better care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Illinois. This transformation is already underway with a focus on moving residents from Choate to community-based settings and other State centers and repurposing the existing campus. System-wide the department has hired a chief resident safety officer, implemented additional safety enhancements, and continued to invest in the community-based system, with funding nearly doubled under this administration. As we move forward, our top priority at IDHS is ensuring the safety of all our residents as they live and receive support in the setting of their choice that best meets their needs.
* As mentioned above, the OIG’s report recommends installing cameras to catch and perhaps prevent wrongdoing. But it also includes this recommendation…
OIG recommends that CMHDC conduct a top to bottom analysis of all processes related to the reporting of abuse and neglect, including training, because at the present time there appear to be fundamental problems with all aspects of that system, including: (1) repeated instances of CMHDC staff deliberately covering up misconduct—sometimes in coordination with other staff—that they either engaged in or witnessed; (2) repeated instances of CMHDC staff failing to report misconduct, or seeking to report that misconduct anonymously, in fear of possible retaliation from their fellow employees; (3) individuals experiencing retaliation after making reports or being threatened with potential harm for making reports; and (4) a lack of accuracy and thoroughness regarding the allegations that are reported to OIG or documented through CMHDC’s incident reporting system
* Enforcing the code of silence and resisting change…
CMHDC employees noted multiple obstacles to individuals [defined as people receiving services] reporting allegations, including that individuals must ask staff to use the phone and tell staff who they are calling and that OIG hotline posters—which include the number to call to report an allegation—are sometimes removed. […]
Another individual similarly stated that they had reported things and nothing was done. After reporting, staff come back to work and are even worse. The individual asked why individuals would put themselves out there and risk getting staff madder at them. […]
Retaliation was also identified as a concern for reporters of abuse and neglect. According to ISP- DII, people at CMHDC believe they are going to be punished for speaking the truth. Even security officers do not want to speak up. […]
A CMHDC employee related that an RN was reported for neglect because the RN had turned in the lower ranking staff for neglect. According to this CMHDC employee, lower ranking staff retaliate against individuals and higher-ranking staff. […]
A different CMHDC employee stated that as a trainee, you did not speak up for fear of losing your job. … The employee said that they regularly went home and cried over the way individuals were treated.
According to a CMHDC employee, by the time some allegations get to OIG, the paperwork or story has already changed. […]
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.
* One of the report’s last lines…
Preventing and eliminating abuse and neglect should be considered the floor, not the ceiling, regarding individual care.
…Adding… AFSCME Council 31…
“AFSCME-represented Choate employees are dedicated, compassionate and deeply committed to the individuals they serve. The well-being of Choate residents is employees’ top priority, which is why the AFSCME local union at Choate has called repeatedly for more staff, better training and the installation of security cameras throughout the facility—the same recommendations now found in this report.”
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Lacking context
Friday, Jun 9, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The latest Illinois Policy Institute story about the Chicago Teachers Union is entitled “CTU told lawmakers what to do over 1,360 times in just 6 legislative sessions”…
An entity’s witness slip for or against a bill doesn’t indicate a reason for the stance. It’s more of an up or down vote. But examined together, an entity’s slips over time provide a solid idea of its priorities and agenda.
CTU has used the process to slip at least 1,361 times on 480 bills in the past six legislative sessions, according to data obtained by Illinois Policy Institute from the Illinois General Assembly.
So, it filed witness slips at the astounding average rate of… 40 bills a year?
* Back to the IPI story…
CTU slipped against a bill requiring a school district to notify parents a school employee has been charged with a sex offense within seven days of receiving that information.
Also slipping against the bill were such far-left groups like the Illinois Principals Association, ED-RED, Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Association of School Boards and the Illinois Association of School Administrators.
* Next…
It also slipped in favor of at least three bills that could allow a school district to hide from a student’s parents that he or she has been a victim of sexual violence. Parents could inspect the student’s records only if the student consented. If the student had any “health or safety concerns” that were not “satisfied to the student’s satisfaction,” then the student’s status as a victim of sexual violence “shall not be disclosed.”
All three of those bills were supported by Diana Rauner’s Ounce of Prevention Fund, among other groups.
* Another one…
As for curriculum, CTU slipped against a bill requiring school districts with 300 or more students to post a list of learning materials and activities that were used for student instruction in the previous school year. That would include, for example, the title and author of textbooks or any guest lectures.
That Republican-sponsored bill was also opposed by the Illinois Alliance of Administrators of Special Education, Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois State Board of Education.
* Another…
CTU slipped against a bill allowing a school board or other district leaders to suspend (up to 10 days) or expel (up to two years) students convicted of violent felonies. “Violent felony” included first-degree murder, criminal sexual assault and aggravated arson. Set a fatal fire at school and CTU sees no reason to oust that student?
Also slipping in opposition were the Illinois State Board of Education, Equip for Equality, IL Statewide School Management Alliance, Illinois Collaboration on Youth, Beverly Area Parents for Special Education, Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ, Illinois Accountability Initiative, Chicago Public Schools, etc. The bill cleared the House and died in the Senate.
* Last one for me…
Similarly, it slipped against a bill, which still passed, requiring a district superintendent’s notification to the state superintendent related to a teacher’s dismissal or resignation because of an intentional act of abuse or neglect to include the teacher’s education identification number and a brief description of the alleged conduct.
The CTU did slip against the original bill, along with the IEA and IFT. The existing statute revoked pension benefits for certain felony convictions “relating to or arising out of or in connection with his or her service as a teacher.” The proposed legislation would’ve revoked teacher pensions for any Class X felonies, regardless of where those felonies took place. An amendment took out the pension language and the CTU and the others didn’t slip in opposition and the bill passed both chambers unanimously.
* OK, one more…
(T)he union also opposed the use of metal detectors in schools, slipping against a bill requiring public schools to install walk-through metal detectors at public entrances and directing the Illinois State Board of Education to make grants available, subject to appropriation. The bill also would have required medical detectors at institutions of higher education, hospitals and courthouses.
Joining the CTU in opposition were the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Health & Hospital Association, the Illinois State Association of Counties, the IL Statewide School Management Alliance, as well as several universities and regional offices of education.
* Point being, you may totally disagree with the CTU on any number of bills. But I clicked on a few other bills besides those mentioned above, and I didn’t see any that positioned the CTU as a clear outlier on anything. I may have missed some, so click here if you’d like, go through the bills and see if the union stood alone on anything. I’ll update the post if anyone finds one. Thanks.
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A bit of good news
Friday, Jun 9, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Chicago Tribune…
More than a half century’s worth of toxic coal ash will be excavated from the flood plain of Illinois’ only national scenic river as part of a deal announced Thursday that could establish a precedent for other hazardous waste dumps throughout the state.
Under a legal settlement brokered by environmental lawyers and Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office, Texas-based Vistra will drain pits of water-soaked coal ash along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River, about 120 miles south of Chicago. The company also will dig a trench to collect contaminated groundwater and monitor the fast-eroding riverbank after major storms.
Within the next three years, Vistra is required to apply for a permit to build a landfill nearby to safely dispose of enough coal ash from the former Vermilion Power Station to fill the Empire State Building nearly two and a half times.
Vistra previously had sought permission to cap the coal ash and leave it behind a wall of rocks nearly six football fields long. The company backed down after a Chicago Tribune reporter and photographer paddled the Middle Fork in 2018 with a trio of river advocates who documented how previous efforts to wall off the waste had failed. […]
Concerns about the Middle Fork also helped persuade state leaders to adopt new regulations requiring Vistra and other energy companies to clean up coal ash dumps near two dozen other power plants, most of which will be closed by the end of the decade.
* Kind of unrelated, but here’s another river story for ya…
Organizers of Floatzilla are kicking off their campaign for this year’s paddle, trying to create the largest raft of canoes and kayaks in the nation.
Last year, 1,648 people registered for the paddling event. Floatzilla will need 1,500 more people to beat the world record of 3,151.
“We are hoping to make this the largest paddling event in the nation,” Michael Corsiglia, River Action events manager, said. “River Action will be investing in the event more than ever before, both in terms of the variety of our approach and the total resources allocated.”
Participants must paddle their way to Lake Potter in Rock Island for the world-record attempt.
* The Tribune…
Three years after near-record high lake levels decimated parts of Chicago’s shoreline, some beaches are making a comeback.
Robin Mattheus, a coastal geologist with the Illinois State Geological Survey, said that after the Chicago Park District closed a few beaches due to severe erosion, establishing dune fields to stabilize the sand and encouraging plant growth allowed beaches like Rainbow and 63rd Street to stabilize.
“Those were the areas that took the brunt of the impact of lake level rise,” Mattheus said. “We’re actually seeing in our measurements, our sonar, our drone data, that the beaches are rebounding; they’re reforming. They seem to be doing so quickly in the areas that saw the most destruction.”
However, the outlook for some beaches isn’t clear. For the stretch between Fullerton and North avenues, where large sand trap bags line the shore to mitigate wave action, city officials have not said when the barriers will be removed.
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Because… Madigan!
Friday, Jun 9, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s…
In surprisingly strong terms, Illinois House GOP Leader Tony McCombie is castigating her Democratic counterpart, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, for his performance this spring in producing the state’s new $50.4 billion fiscal 2024 budget.
During an interview in which McCombie expanded on comments she made during the House budget debate, she not only called the budget unbalanced and preparatory to an eventual tax hike but went so far as to suggest former Speaker Mike Madigan was more candid in his dealings with the minority party than his successor has been.
“I think Madigan would have point blank said, ‘We don’t need you, want you. We’re going to pass our budget,’ ” McCombie said. “Whereas Welch kind of led us on.” […]
“It’s not a fiscally responsible budget,” the Savanna Republican charged. “I think it’s setting us up to revisit the graduated income tax,” which was rejected by voters in a 2020 referendum, she said.
* The article also quoted Speaker Welch’s spokesperson Jaclyn Driscoll. I asked her for her full statement. This sentence didn’t make it into the Crain’s story…
It’s almost remarkable that in just two years Republicans went from vilifying the former speaker at every opportunity to now wishing Speaker Welch was more like him.
Oof.
* The rest of Driscoll’s statement…
The fact is Speaker Welch met with Leader McCombie every time she requested and House Democrats held bipartisan budget meetings for weeks. It was made clear, early on in the process, that Republicans were not going to vote in favor of the budget. Unfortunately, when one group comes to the table only to say no, that disrupts the process for all of Illinois.
Democrats have passed five balanced budgets in a row and restored fiscal sanity to this state. Democrats have earned eight credit upgrades and returned Illinois back to an A-rating. Democrats have made sure that we are both financially responsible and compassionate. It’s up to the Republicans to decide whether they want to continue to try to obstruct this progress or work together. We hope they choose the latter.
As far as the Leader’s comments regarding this year’s budget, we’re going to take the word of economists who are already praising it.
* Back to Leader McCombie’s graduated income tax claim. Other House Republicans are making the same argument…
“We built into the agencies’ budget. We have, as you know, we have quite a number of agencies. We built in what we thought might be the appropriate amount of money for what we expect from that AFSCME negotiation,” Pritzker said.
The AFSCME contract is still being negotiated and there is yet to be a final number for the expense.
State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, told The Center Square that there is no way to prepare for the final cost and that if the contract is not fully funded in the 2024 budget, Democrats could offer a new tax on residents.
“I’m still afraid this budget will have holes when it gets later into the year, and then you will hear the talk right after the first of the year that we are going to have to put the progressive income tax back on the ballot,” Meier said.
This is not a particularly new post-budget-signing warning. From a year ago…
“Democrats in Illinois, like they have in the last several years, will have no choice but to come back to taxpayers and say ‘we need yet another income tax increase,’” [Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon] said.
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* Last August…
An objection has been filed against the nominating papers of Donny Anderson, who is running as a Republican in the 18th District for the Sangamon County Board. […]
The three [petition objectors] allege that Anderson filed papers that included signatures of persons not registered to vote or not registered at the proper address; that some people did not personally sign their own names and that some signers’ addresses were incomplete.
Gray said Anderson would have had to submit nine valid signatures to get on the ballot.
Nine valid signatures. Nine. Keep that in mind.
* The next day…
A Republican-appointed candidate for the Sangamon County Board seat in District 18 has withdrawn his nominating papers.
Donny Anderson, whose nominating papers had been challenged on several fronts, withdrew his nominating papers late Wednesday afternoon.
* Today…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a former candidate for Sangamon County Board was arraigned on charges he knowingly delivered forged candidacy petition signatures, resulting in those petitions being filed with the Sangamon County Clerk.
Attorney General Raoul charged Donald Anderson, 44, of Springfield, Illinois, with four counts of perjury, Class 3 felonies punishable by up to five years in prison, and four counts of forgery, Class 3 felonies punishable by up to five years in prison. Anderson was indicted by a Sangamon County grand jury on May 24 and pleaded not guilty on Thursday in Sangamon County Circuit Court. His next court date is scheduled for July 31.
“Any candidate for public office in Illinois must follow election law, which starts with obtaining genuine signatures from members of your community,” Raoul said. “Individuals who aspire to serve the public in elected office cannot violate the public’s trust from the outset, and I appreciate the work of the Springfield Police Department in investigating this case.”
According to Raoul, Anderson was a candidate for Sangamon County Board in the July 2022 election and is accused of delivering both pages of his candidate petitions with signatures that were not genuine. According to Raoul, Anderson falsely swore in his circulator’s affidavit that he observed the voters sign the petition in his presence, and that the signatures were genuine. Anderson withdrew his petition for the Sangamon County Board before the election took place.
The Springfield Police Department assisted in investigating this case.
“The election process is one of the most integral components of identifying leaders in our communities,” Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette said. “Those who seek election must demonstrate moral turpitude, both during elections and once in office. Mr. Anderson violated this sacred tradition in an attempt to defraud the constituents. As demonstrated in this investigation, the Springfield Police Department remains committed to thorough investigations which result in justice being fairly administered.”
The public is reminded that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Assistant Attorney General Mara Somlo is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s Public Integrity Bureau.
Dude allegedly couldn’t be bothered to find nine qualified people to sign his petitions. And now he’s looking at 8 felony counts. Unreal.
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* Illinois’ Fifth District Appellate Court…
Held: The circuit court’s order dismissing plaintiffs’ complaint for declaratory judgment
is affirmed where the circuit court lacked subject matter jurisdiction.
Plaintiffs, consisting of 45 individuals employed by the Illinois Department of Corrections, appeal the trial court’s dismissal of their complaint for declaratory judgment based on the court’s lack of subject matter jurisdiction. For the following reasons, we affirm.
On April 14, 2022, plaintiffs filed their amended verified complaint requesting a declaratory judgment based on section 2 of the Department of Public Health Act (20 ILCS 2305/2 (West 2020)), against defendants, the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) and the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS). The complaint alleged that CMS managed the employment relationship with state employees on behalf of IDOC and Governor Pritzker demanded state employees be vaccinated or tested to limit the spread of COVID, “subject to bargaining.” The complaint alleged that plaintiffs’ union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), engaged in interest arbitration with the State, which resulted in a final opinion and award as to how Governor Pritzker’s directive would be handled. The complaint further alleged that, pursuant to the final opinion, if state employees refused to submit to vaccination or testing, their livelihood was threatened as they could be placed on “no-pay administrative leave” into perpetuity or until the employee complied. […]
While plaintiffs claim the issue is one of statutory rights, the first count of their complaint requested a declaratory judgment stating that defendants had no lawful authority to compel plaintiffs to vaccinate or participate in testing. However, this issue, i.e., “the lawful authority of the employer,” was the basis of the December 29, 2021, interim interest arbitration award. In re Arbitration Between State of Illinois & AFSCME Council 31, No. S-MA- 22-121 (Dec. 29, 2021). The interim decision found it was “long and well established that governmental entities can mandate vaccinations.” […]
While plaintiffs claim the State violated their statutory rights under section 2 of the Health Act and their claims thereunder were not precluded by the arbitration award, we disagree. Plaintiffs’ argument ignores well-established law holding that waiver of a statutory right is a permissive subject of bargaining. […]
The default for any negotiation is that required by the statute; however, thereafter, “the Union may waive its rights on its own accord.” Accordingly, we find that plaintiffs’ claimed rights herein were waived pursuant to AFSCME’s request, and the State’s agreement, to submit the issue of mandatory vaccination to interest arbitration. Further, any dispute contesting the union’s waiver of the employee’s rights would be considered an “unfair labor practice” claim which lies within the province of the Illinois Labor Relations Board.
Tom DeVore and his firm filed this suit in Christian County last year.
…Adding… Here’s something I didn’t know. Darren Bailey walked away from his lawsuit against Gov. Pritzker last year…
12/13/2022
Entry Regarding Administrative Review
Case comes on for administrative review. Mr. DeVore was allowed to withdraw as attorney of record on 5/23/22 and Mr. Bailey was given 21 days to obtain new counsel. No attorney has entered their appearance nor has this case been prosecuted since April of 2022. The case is dismissed for want of prosecution. Case closed cause stricken.
Judge: GRISCHOW Reporter: N Clerk: N
Cause Stricken
Status: Cause Stricken Report: Terminated Dec 13, 2022
Civil Division Case Closed
Status: Cause Stricken Report: Terminated Dec 13, 2022
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* Stephanie Zimmermann has a fascinating story in today’s Sun-Times entitled “Chicago’s catalytic converter theft epidemic: How thieves operate, what you can do.” I learned a lot. For instance…
Catalytic converter thieves have struck more than 17,000 times in Chicago since 2019. And they almost never get caught.
Only 34 of those reported thefts — 0.2% — ended with an arrest, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis has found.
And…
An Illinois law enacted last year targeting scrap metal sales has barely put a dent in the illegal trade. In the months after it took effect, the number of thefts rose even higher.
And…
Some of the worst neighborhoods in Chicago for catalytic converter thefts, adjusted for population, were: West Town, Avalon Park, Irving Park, Logan Square, North Center, the Lower West Side, Lincoln Square, the Near West Side, Jefferson Park and Avondale.
* The feds need to be more involved since the thefts likely feed into interstate networks…
In its multistate case announced last November, the FBI and authorities in nine states stretching from California to New Jersey charged 21 people with operating a network of thieves, dealers and processors that pocketed $545 million from stolen converters between 2019 and 2022.
* Something to look at, perhaps…
[Lt. Adam Broshous of the Illinois secretary of state police, who heads the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Taskforce] says some states have prohibited cash sales of catalytic converters entirely.
* In the meantime…
[Ambrosio “Red” Montaño, who manages Value Plus Mufflers at 4321 N. Western Ave. in North Center] says a better way to protect the converter is to install a large metal shield over the entire area. These are sold online for $100 and up, customized for different vehicles and installed at auto shops.
“It’s a lot more work for them to cut around,” he says. “So they’ll just go to the next car that doesn’t have a shield.”
Go read the whole thing.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Jun 9, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Injustice Watch | ‘I call it pretend freedom’: Older adults coming out of Illinois prisons face steep roadblocks in their reentry journey: At least 17,000 adults age 50 and older have been released from Illinois prisons since 2014, and thousands more are in line to come out soon. Older adults are less likely to reoffend than their younger counterparts but face more hurdles to successful reentry.
* Crain’s | Illinois House GOP leader rips Speaker Welch over new state budget: During an interview in which McCombie expanded on comments she made during the House budget debate, she not only called the budget unbalanced and preparatory to an eventual tax hike but went so far as to suggest former Speaker Mike Madigan was more candid in his dealings with the minority party than his successor has been. … Welch spokeswoman Jaclyn Driscoll denies that. In fact, she says, “Speaker Welch met with Leader McCombie every time she requested and House Democrats held bipartisan budget meetings for weeks.” Another source familiar with what occurred says a series of meetings did get canceled late in the budget process. But that source blames the situation on bad staff work by Welch’s office, not on the speaker himself, and suggests that McCombie has internal reasons in a right-leaning caucus to battle Welch.
* Lake County News-Sun | Lake Forest councilman resigns amid police investigation; cites ‘personal reasons’: However, city police confirmed they are investigating a recent situation involving Mieling at the downtown Starbucks in the 600 block of Western Avenue. “We interviewed the alleged victim, and at least one witness,” Deputy Chief Rob Copeland said. Copeland said he could not confirm, nor deny the investigation involves photos allegedly taken by Mieling. He added that no charges had been filed in the case.
* Tribune | Legal settlement ensures toxic coal ash will be removed from flood plain of Illinois’ only national scenic river: Under a legal settlement brokered by environmental lawyers and Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office, Texas-based Vistra will drain pits of water-soaked coal ash along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River, about 120 miles south of Chicago. The company also will dig a trench to collect contaminated groundwater and monitor the fast-eroding riverbank after major storms.
* Patch | Elmhurst Church Leaves Conference: An Elmhurst Methodist church is leaving its national conference, part of an exodus of churches opposed to a greater role for the LGBTQ community. Faith Evangelical United Methodist Church is among eight in northern Illinois that have ended their longtime affiliation with the United Methodists, the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church announced Tuesday.
* Injustice Watch | Cook County Judge Vazquez loses retention vote: The vote comes after months of Injustice Watch reporting about Vazquez’s actions inside and outside the courtroom. In December 2021, Injustice Watch found Vazquez was the Cook County judge who most frequently sentenced defendants to wear electronic alcohol monitors as a condition of probation, despite scant scientific evidence that the monitors help address substance abuse. Vazquez sometimes assigned the monitors even in cases in which the underlying charges were unrelated to alcohol, and in at least one case used the threat of jail time to compel a defendant to wear the device, according to the woman and her attorney.
* Tribune | Feds ‘stepping into shoes’ of former Crestwood mayor in grab for his state pension contributions: A recent filing in the case looks to take $13,570 in contributions made by Presta to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund as part of restitution, that includes a bit more than $72,000 to the Internal Revenue Service, according to sentencing documents.
* Sun-Times | Justice Department officials take interest in Chicago anti-violence programs: The visit to UCAN, which was followed by a meeting in Little Village with a panel of parents who had lost children to gun violence, was not the first time Gupta has been to Chicago. As head of the department’s Office of Civil Rights during the federal investigation of the Chicago Police Department, Gupta announced the DOJ report that led to federal oversight of the department by a court-appointed monitor.
* Tribune | Third airport would create jobs needed to grow Southland economy and tax base, panelists say: All the Southland’s problems are interconnected. High rates of violent crime are directly related to a lack of economic opportunities. Abandoned buildings, declines in municipal services and struggles to maintain quality education and health care can all be link Leaders in government and the business community identified this dynamic years ago and have worked to solve problems. Some measures, such as granting tax incentives to private employers and investing public funds in infrastructure, have paid modest dividends.
* Sun-Times | Inside Chicago’s catalytic converter theft epidemic: Catalytic converter thieves have struck more than 17,000 times in Chicago since 2019. And they almost never get caught. Only 34 of those reported thefts — 0.2% — ended with an arrest, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis has found. “They just zip, zip, and Sawzall it out and leave,” says Shannon Cason of Edgewater, who had a catalytic converter stolen in December. “Nobody knew.”
* Chicago Reader | How the FBI used ‘Cop City’ protests to snoop on activists in Chicago: It took less than two weeks for the FBI to flag the account, which was the focal point of a sprawling federal inquiry that collected information on several Chicago-based activist and community groups. Those groups appear to have done little more than promote or attend events affiliated with the Atlanta-area activists. According to 28 pages of FBI records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, the Chicago case file is part of a larger federal law enforcement assessment related to “Anarchist extremism” and domestic terrorism.
* Tribune | Some Chicago beaches making a comeback after Lake Michigan’s high water levels ate into the shoreline: “Those were the areas that took the brunt of the impact of lake level rise,” Mattheus said. “We’re actually seeing in our measurements, our sonar, our drone data, that the beaches are rebounding; they’re reforming. They seem to be doing so quickly in the areas that saw the most destruction.”
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Live coverage
Friday, Jun 9, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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* The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability hired the actuarial firm Segal to look at “safe harbor” questions surrounding the Tier 2 pension systems. The report was written by Senior Vice President & Consulting Actuary Matthew Strom…
As requested, we are providing narrative and analysis regarding the impact of changes to the projected costs of the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS), State Employees’ Retirement System of Illinois (SERS), and State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS), based on potential benefit formula changes needed to maintain exemption from Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes.
* Tier 1 survives the test, of course. Not so with Tier 2…
• The following benefit formulas do not satisfy a safe harbor under the applicable IRS regulations
As such, individual testing may be required.
* Important point…
Note that the sample safe harbor tests shown in this letter (as defined below for FICA purposes) are included for illustrative purposes only. Neither Segal nor CoGFA is in possession of the data needed to determine the number of members who are not in compliance with the current safe harbor provisions. It is our understanding that, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the individual employers within each System to determine whether they qualify for exemption from FICA taxes.
* What that individual testing means…
The IRS has provided guidance on determining whether a system’s benefits are comparable to Social Security in Revenue Procedure 91-40. The guidance provides for three levels of testing:
• If the benefit provisions meet certain requirements, then the System qualifies under a safe harbor and no further testing is required.
• If the System does not satisfy the safe harbor requirements, then individual testing can be performed to confirm that the benefits for active members of an employer meet the minimum benefit requirements.
• Treas. Reg. 31.3121(b)(7)-2(e)(2) permits employers to compare the actual retirement benefits accrued by Tier 2 members to the estimated retirement benefits such members would receive from Social Security on an individual-by-individual basis. If the System’s benefit were greater for some or all Tier 2 members, those Tier 2 members would continue to be exempt from FICA taxes.
* Anyway, much actuarial language later, you get to the bottom line cost to put the pension systems in compliance…
Change in Total State Contributions Through FY2045 $5.606 billion
That works out to about $254.82 million a year if Illinois changed the program this year. The annual cost grows with any delays, of course, and it will grow because the budget has already been approved. A $2.1 billion up-front payment would wipe out the debt, but that isn’t likely.
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Afternoon roundup
Thursday, Jun 8, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Square…
The Illinois Psychiatric Society is offering a blueprint of policy pillars to drive conversations about the needs to treat the mentally ill.
The group’s reform ideas fit broadly into three categories: increasing equitable access to care, ensuring the various mental health systems of care are coordinating for patients’ benefit, and doing more to prevent mental health issues from developing and worsening.
“And how do we teach people about mental health, and really addressing families, parents and even faith leaders because a lot of times that’s really the place where you can reach people is at their churches,” IPS president Andrew Lancia said.
Several measures moved through the General Assembly during the spring session, including a bill that would increase the availability and accessibility of mental health resources for students.
Another measure, Senate Bill 724, would create an interagency youth services team to implement new technology for referring families to resources and improve service coordination to address behavioral health for children.
The bills cleared both chambers.
* Press release…
First-in-the-nation legislation introduced by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias aims to protect the privacy and safety of individuals seeking abortion care by restricting the use of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs).
Giannoulias joined the sponsors of House Bill 3326, State Rep. Ann Williams (11th District – Chicago) and State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (6th District – Chicago), along with Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois and other supporters today to underscore the importance of this model legislation.
House Bill 3326, which passed the Illinois General Assembly last month and awaits the governor’s consideration, would prohibit the use of license plate readers from tracking individuals seeking abortion care or assisting them. No other state specifically prohibits ALPRs from being used to track or penalize individuals seeking abortion care or from criminalizing a person’s immigration status.
“No one seeking abortion care in Illinois should be harassed in any fashion, and I’m committed to enabling individuals to pursue and obtain the lawful healthcare they need without government interference,” Giannoulias said. “License plate readers are an important tool for law enforcement – especially when apprehending suspects in violent crimes or recovering stolen vehicles in car jackings – but we need to regulate these cameras so they aren’t abused for surveillance, tracking the data of innocent people or criminalizing lawful behavior. This legislation sets common-sense standards and protocols to ensure that license plate data is used properly.”
* Press release…
The General Assembly passed and Governor JB Pritzker has signed a fiscal year 2024 state budget that includes a historic appropriation of $2.53 billion for higher education, an increase of $279 million (12.4 percent) compared to the previous fiscal year and the largest increase in over 20 years. Notable highlights from the budget include a $100 million increase for the Monetary Award Program (MAP), an $80.5 million (7 percent) increase for public universities, $19.4 million (7 percent) increase for community colleges, a $3.8 million increase to the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program (MTI) to recruit and retain minority teachers, and a $15 million increase for the AIM HIGH program.
The budget also includes an investment of $6 million for Grow Your Own (an increase of $3.5 million), $15.75 million for Golden Apple (an increase of $8.5 million) and $975,000 for the Teachers Loan Repayment Program (an increase of $535,000) – all of which are key in helping address teacher workforce needs.
“This year’s budget steps up our direct support for higher education institutions by $100 million—the largest dollar and percent increase in more than twenty years,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “And by raising the number and amount of college scholarships to a record-breaking, all-time high of more than $750 million, we’re making it possible for nearly every student from a working-class family to attend community college tuition free and fee free—a huge step towards closing the education gap and advancing equity here in Illinois.”
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker today announced the opening of a new homebuyer program designed to help increase home purchase accessibility for low- and moderate-income individuals, families and seniors interested in purchasing a home in Illinois. Administered by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), Illinois HFA1 provides $10,000 for down payment and/or closing cost assistance to make buying a home more affordable. By offering a competitive interest rate and limiting the total fees charged to the borrower, IHDA programs are designed to be as affordable as possible. This can allow for substantial savings over the life of the loan. Funding for Illinois HFA1 is expected to assist more than 1,500 new homebuyers.
* Press release…
Today, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced $2 million for Illinois to strengthen the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) network – focusing on emergency preparedness, response, and health equity needs. Funding for the first-ever MRC State, Territory and Tribal Nations, Representative Organizations for Next Generation (MRC-STTRONG) grant program is from the American Rescue Plan.
The MRC of Illinois, in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health, will use the funding to strengthen MRC’s capacity to respond by developing and implementing standardized training, grow and develop four new MRC units throughout the state in areas with greatest need and offer sub-awards to 50 MRC units in Illinois.
* Press release…
The Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) filed an emergency rule on May 26, 2023, to protect the public from confusion between alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beverages of the same brand and to prevent the marketing of alcohol to children. A “co-branded alcoholic beverage” is any alcoholic beverage containing the same or a similar brand name, logo, or packaging as a non-alcoholic beverage. The emergency rule applies to all establishments in Illinois that sell packaged alcohol for off-premises consumption.
Under the emergency rule, establishments with larger retail sales floors (exceeding 2,500 square feet) are prohibited from displaying co-branded alcoholic beverages immediately adjacent to soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water, candy, or snack foods portraying cartoons or youth-oriented photos. Establishments with retail sales floors of 2,500 square feet or less must either: (1) comply with the display requirements for establishments with larger retail sales floors; or (2) post clear signage on every display that contains co-branded alcoholic beverages and is immediately adjacent to soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water, candy, or snack foods portraying cartoons or youth-oriented photos.
* Sen. Andrew Chesney is, believe it or not, flat-out wrong…
Hidden within the pages of the 3,425-page budget and the accompanying 898-page BIMP is hundreds of millions of dollars toward free healthcare and other programs for illegal immigrants. Governor Pritzker’s own financial analysts put a price tag of $1.1 billion on this free healthcare program for illegals. In spite of his analysts’ cost estimate, the budget our Governor is touting as “balanced” only funds the healthcare program at $550 million. Gov. Pritzker has said no one currently eligible will be removed, so it’s pretty ridiculous to think the cost of the program will be half of what his own agency claims.
*facepalm*
The $1.1 billion was a projection for next fiscal year’s increase if nothing was done to rein in costs ahead of time. The governor had already set aside somewhere around $230 million extra for next fiscal year, so he can now use managed care (the recipients were among the few still receiving fee for service coverage), enrollment caps, etc. to stem the rest of the cost. This ain’t difficult to understand, unless possibly if you’re somebody who believes in the kitty litter myth.
* Media advisory…
40 years later Honoring Rudy Lozano
Black Brown Unity
BBQ + Showcase + Press conference
June 8 2023 5pm-7pm
Healthy Hood 2242 S Damen outdoor
During the 2020 unrest, after the assassination of George Floyd, the Black and Brown communities were pitted against each other. Grocery stores closing caused the crossing over of neighborhood borders with threat of violence so June 8 2020 the first Black Brown Unity event was held honoring Rudy Lozano and Harold Washington and the Rainbow Coalition
Now we see a similar tensions between our black brown communities around the immigrant refugee crisis.
That is why on June 8th 2023, the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Rudy Lozano a pillar in the Latino Community and across the city for his activism work in the labor movement and perhaps most notable role in the building of the black brown coalition during the Harold Washington campaign for mayor that ultimately made him a target and resulted in his assassinated.
SEIU Health Hood will come together to provide the education truth and transparency and love necessary and desperately need to meet the moment. A showcase of young leaders and change makers in music, poetry and art, who are tackling the issues of today with the examples of leaders of the past with a true people first approach.
* Wait. Nobody goes to Chicago…
More here.
* .435 ball and only 4 games out…
I’m going to my first Sox game of the season this month. I was dealing with session, but I also didn’t want to spend money to watch the dumpster fire when I could just watch one in Springfield…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Illinois Times | Preparing for the centennial of Route 66: The effort, being coordinated by the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission with a $200,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation, is taking place alongside planning to sketch out options for revitalizing housing stock and neighborhoods along a smaller section of Route 66.
* Daily Southtown | Protesters removed after disrupting Oak Lawn police commission meeting: Before Wednesday’s meeting, the groups said the commission removed three people from its May meeting, who shouted and interrupted the commissioners, and told them they were banned from the next meeting. The protesters claim that violates the Open Meetings Act.
* Illinois Times | Spreading fear about transgender people: YMCA of Springfield officials say “untrue statements” have been made online that a child was inappropriately exposed to male genitalia in a Y locker room by either a transgender female or a man pretending to be transgender. “These statements are false,” the nonprofit organization said in a news release June 2. “Any report of this nature would have been documented to authorities for investigation. The YMCA takes the protection of children very seriously.”
* Daily Herald | Bears have video chat with Chicago mayor ahead of possible stadium talks: “Today we met and discussed our shared values and commitment to the City of Chicago, the importance of deep roots and the need for equitable community investment throughout the city. We are both committed to the idea that the city and its major civic institutions must grow and evolve together to meet the needs of the future. We look forward to continuing the dialogue around these shared values.”
* Sun-Times | Johnson extends 12 weeks of parental leave to CPS: “I’m the mayor who said, ‘This is a really good idea. That we should get it done.’ And we got it done for the city. What sense would it make for me to then say, ‘But I want to deny it to every other person outside of the city of Chicago government proper’? That doesn’t make any sense. Think of the logic and the absurdity of that,” Lightfoot said on that day.
* Sun-Times | A list of every known Illinois resident charged in the U.S. Capitol breach: Thomas B. Adams Jr. of Springfield, an associate of Roy Franklin, was found guilty after a stipulated bench trial of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting; and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. He carried a “Trump” flag on the floor of the U.S. Senate during the breach. His sentencing is set for June 16.
* Fox Chicago | Thornton Township assessor says she was locked out of office after dispute with supervisor Tiffany Henyard: Not only had Elston been locked out of her own office, but boxes of sensitive documents she kept in her office were spread around the common area. “This was under lock and key,” Elston said, pointing to a box of files. “Now it’s just out in the open. So it has taxpayer’s names, addresses, telephone numbers, some of them even have a Social Security number.”
* Daily Herald | ‘Would you want this behind your house?’: Neighbors decry Elgin affordable housing plan: Development plans have been in the works since late 2020. A variety of projects involving up to 72 townhouses came to the city but failed to win the favor of staff members after the running afoul of the density and design guidelines that govern the city’s vision for the area.
* Block Club | At These Chicago Churches, Drag Performers Are Welcomed With Open Arms: ‘God Is Calling On Us To Expand Our Circles’: A few churches throughout the city regularly invite drag artists to perform in their sanctuaries, help lead worship services and read storybooks to children. Drag artists say that these experiences have helped them to better connect with their spirituality through safe community spaces. Church leaders say developing a more inclusive community has attracted more parishioners and helped to counteract traditional church structures that have harmed people for centuries.
* Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora Pride Parade on Sunday to feature largest number of registered marchers in event’s history: Ciesla believes the increase in participants is due to people’s excitement that the parade is occurring after last year’s parade permit was touch-and-go for a bit due to issues stemming from not having enough police officers signed up to work overtime or extra-duty shifts to provide security for the event.
* Crain’s | Moving to Miami? Go for the weather — not for the tax break, Chicago.: For people with a $650,000 salary who move from San Francisco to Miami, the savings is ballparked at around $150,000. But for residents of Chicago, where the cost of living is cheaper than San Francisco or New York, the savings were only about $10,500.
* SJ-R | City of Springfield will pay out over wrongful death lawsuit from 2008: Without discussion, the Springfield City Council unanimously passed an emergency ordinance Tuesday executing payment in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of a teenager who drowned at Lake Springfield Beach in 2007. It included a $750,000 judgment plus a little over $100,000 in accumulated interest and costs, Mayor Misty Buscher said afterwards.
* Sun-Times | 10 years after mass CPS school closings, enrollment is even worse. What can be done?: This time, Chicago’s path forward falls to Johnson. He strongly opposes closing schools, calling it an ineffective and harmful strategy. But the new mayor faces powerful headwinds in his attempts to find alternate solutions.
* Sun-Times | Chicago area air quality improving, but wildfire effects may linger a few days: The air quality in some parts of southern Cook County, near Tinley Park, Dolton, South Holland and Chicago Heights, was classified as unhealthy for sensitive groups due to a high level of fine particulate matter in the atmosphere from smoke blown into the area.
* TPM | Climate Crisis Is On Track To Push One-Third Of Humanity Out Of Its Most Livable Environment: The research, which adds novel detail about who will be most affected and where, suggests that climate-driven migration could easily eclipse even the largest estimates as enormous segments of the earth’s population seek safe havens. It also makes a moral case for immediate and aggressive policies to prevent such a change from occurring, in part by showing how unequal the distribution of pain will be and how great the improvements could be with even small achievements in slowing the pace of warming.
* Crain’s | Muddy Waters house museum gets $1.1M grant, its biggest financial boost yet: The grant will go toward restoring the basement level, which will become the main exhibit space in the red brick two-flat at 4339 S. Lake Park Ave., and “will catapult us to the next level in the project,” Chandra Cooper, great granddaughter of the musician and president of Muddy Waters Mojo Museum, wrote in an email to Crain’s.
* Sun-Times | Chicago Blues Festival to kick off full force after pandemic cancellations, constraints: Nearly 50 acts will be spread across three stages this year, down from a pre-pandemic number of six stages — a change meant to eliminate sound bleed. The Jay Pritzker Pavilion will serve as the main stage and feature big names like John Primer and the Real Deal Blues Band at 7:45 p.m. Friday and Los Lobos at 7:45 p.m. Sunday.
* Daily Herald | A bear in the suburbs? Police investigate sighting near Gurnee Mills mall: The Chicago football team may not be the only bears exploring a move to the suburbs. Gurnee police said a real bear may have been spotted near Gurnee Mills mall on Wednesday.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Jun 8, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Illinois’ first-ever student loan assistance program targeted to engineering students working at the Illinois Department of Transportation has become law with Governor JB Pritzker’s support and approval. The measure, sponsored by State Senator Ram Villivalam and supported by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC Illinois) creates a pilot program enabling the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to provide student loan repayment assistance to qualifying employees that meet certain requirements, helping to attract and encourage educated professionals to work on the state’s highest priority infrastructure projects.
Introduced by Sen. Ram Villivalam, the program was proposed by ACEC Illinois, passed into law and funded by the General Assembly with the provision of $750,000 in the budget to support it pending the Governor’s approval. The proposal provides for higher education student loan repayment assistance in the form of annual after-tax bonuses of $15,000 per year for not more than 4 years, for up to 50 engineers employed by IDOT. This will help address the shortage of skilled talent in the industry and help IDOT attract engineers and other qualified professionals to work on the state’s infrastructure projects.
“The inclusion of funding in the budget gives Illinois a competitive advantage when it comes to recruiting and retaining engineering talent and ensures that IDOT attracts educated professionals to work on our state’s road and transportation infrastructure,” said Kevin Artl, President and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. There is currently a shortage of about 82,000 professionals in the industry and the provision of student loan assistance will help draw talent both in-state and out-of-state to deliver key projects on time and within budget. We look forward to working with our policymakers on further incentives that will help transform Illinois into the top destination for engineers.”
“The promise of ReBuild Illinois can only be realized when we have the best professionals working on our infrastructure projects,” said Sen. Ram Villivalam. “The provision of incentives to attract the engineers to our state is a key element in ensuring the success of that promise and I will continue to work with my colleagues and other stakeholders on more initiatives to attract the best engineers so that the state’s infrastructure projects are delivered to the highest professional standards.”
* The Question: Should this $15,000 per year student loan assistance program be expanded and, if so, to whom? Make sure to explain your answer. Thanks.
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I’ll believe it when I see it
Thursday, Jun 8, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s…
Illinois’ efforts to lure a major electric vehicle battery plant here finally may be close to striking gold, as Gov. J.B. Pritzker is personally negotiating with multiple companies to come here.
Among the lures: hundreds of millions of incentives, in part coming from a recently authorized state “deal closing fund,” and in part a willingness by local municipalities to consider the type of long-term property tax breaks that factory owners are demanding. […]
Much of the chatter is about a site just off of Interstate 80 in Morris, 24 miles southwest of Joliet and 62 miles from downtown Chicago in Grundy County.
The deals are serious enough that Pritzker interrupted leadership talks in Springfield on a new state budget a few days ago to travel to Morris and meet with executives of the interested company to tour a site on the east end of town, multiple sources with direct knowledge report. It’s not known if Pritzker joined in the helicopter tour of the land, but he reportedly offered more than $600 million in potential incentives for the plant.
Fingers crossed, but not counting on anything.
* As you’ll recall, Stellantis’ Belvidere plant was idled months ago. From January…
Illinois has submitted what could be its best offer to keep the Belvidere Assembly Plant operating and save what could be thousands of jobs.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, said during a visit to Rockford that her office is supporting local and state officials in their efforts to keep the Stellantis plant open in Belvidere where 5,000 people worked a few years ago. Although details are unavailable because talks are on-going, Duckworth said the state submitted its latest offer Friday night.
Almost five months later and still no word on Illinois’ “best offer.”
* And this is ominous news from Ford…
Ford Motor Co (F.N) on Monday unveiled an ambitious strategy to profitably ramp up electric vehicle sales but faces a challenge to slash $7 billion in costs and regain credibility on Wall Street. […]
Ford, whose shares fell 1% at midday, estimated its total costs are $7 billion higher than its competition.
Also…
One way is to reduce investment in hypercompetitive market segments such as two-row smaller SUVs, [Ford CEO Jim Farley] told industry analysts.
Uh-oh. Ford’s Chicago plant, the oldest factory the company operates, assembles the two-row Ford Explorer. It does, however, assemble the three-row Lincoln Aviator.
And, of course, Rivian is having its own problems. Oy.
* Remember this column I wrote in February?…
Volkswagen filed a federal lawsuit in December describing a bill that overwhelmingly passed both Illinois legislative chambers and was signed into law in 2021 as “crony capitalism at work: redistributive legislation that takes hundreds of millions of dollars from some (but not all) motor vehicle manufacturers and, for no public purpose, deposits that money directly into the pockets of politically favored Illinois [car] dealers.” […]
The manufacturers say the law is costing the industry $240 million a year. Yes, you read that right. $240 million. Per year. They claim Illinois has the highest warranty repair costs in the nation. By far. […]
The subsidies the state can offer simply don’t compare with the gigantic annual cost of that 2021 law. Couple that with our high local property taxes (these electric vehicle plants take up huge amounts of space) and other costs and hurdles (Ohio, like Illinois, is not a “right to work” state but has a new concierge system to quickly clear red tape), and you can see why the state hasn’t yet convinced a national or international corporation to construct an electric vehicle-related facility here.
If Pritzker can lure a big, jobs-rich EV-related plant here, convince Ford to keep its plant open and prod Stellantis into reopening its plant, then he’s a hero. But color me skeptical on all three.
I try hard not to be a negative Nellie, but this state has a well-deserved toxic reputation with the auto industry.
…Adding… According to this article, Georgia gave Hyundai a $1.8 billion incentive package for an electric vehicle plant. North Carolina used $1.2 billion in incentives to land VinFast, a Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer. And South Carolina’s $1.3 billion state incentives package for Volkswagen included a $200 million loan from the state. Illinois’ $600 million kinda pales in comparison.
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* Jim Nowlan in the Tribune…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state lawmakers have recently been trumpeting the great financial shape of Illinois. Balderdash. And they know it. There will almost certainly be state tax increases by 2025. […]
The state legislature’s own budget forecasting agency predicted in March that by one reasonable scenario, the state’s operating funds in calendar 2025 will run at a deficit of more than $3 billion annually, with a whopping $18 billion in unpaid bills (from a total budget of around $100 billion).
A “reasonable scenario”? Balderdash.
I can’t believe we have to do this again, but here we go.
* From COGFA…
Scenario 3 assumes spending increases similar to the spending rates seen over the last five years of 7.1% per year on average. This scenario has the highest expenditure growth rate analyzed and leads to the least favorable results for the State. Expenditures grow to just over $61 billion by FY 2026. This scenario reflects deficits in all three years forecast and has the worst outcome when considering the aggregate accounts payable. After a surplus of $1.9 billion in FY 2023, a deficit of $3.1 billion occurs in FY 2024. This deficit grows to almost $6.4 billion in FY 2025 and $9.2 billion in FY 2026. Under this scenario, the accounts payable rises to $18.2 billion. This example shows that spending patterns seen in the past few years cannot continue without a comparable increase in revenues which is not seen in the Commission’s current estimates.
And this is what I wrote about that very same scenario in April…
Trouble is, that particular COGFA scenario is pure fantasy, likely included merely as a “what if.” Nobody is advocating that. Revenue and spending in that five-year average included huge amounts of one-time federal money to deal with the massive COVID pandemic, which is no longer with us. The spending also included billions of dollars in one-time approps to pay down gigantic amounts of debt, including for pensions and the unemployment insurance trust fund, rather than put the money into the spending base.
That scenario projected FY24 revenues of $50.41 billion and spending of $53.54 billion, for a deficit of $3.13 billion. In the real world, actual projected revenues are $50.6 billion and spending is projected at $50.4 billion.
The current projected spending for FY24, by the way, is lower than all of COGFA’s scenarios, which as I’ve pointed out before were just numbers games played by accountants who should know better than put that stuff into publication.
That current projected spending is even lower than COGFA’s most optimistic scenario, which predicted $50.9 billion in spending and a $495 million deficit with a tiny $37 million accounts payable this coming fiscal year. Accounts payable would rise to $1.455 billion by the end of Fiscal Year 2026. However, a $3 billion accounts payable level is considered a “normal” 30-day payment cycle. Accounts payables of $1.455 billion would mean the state’s bills would likely be paid within a couple of weeks.
* First, he cherry picked the worst possible fantasy scenario, and then he goes on to predict what taxes will have to rise to fill a budget hole that will not exist…
Let’s say Democrats decide they need to raise $3 billion a year to fill that projected deficit. Where to find the money? […]
But we won’t likely tax services and pensions, nor will we abandon the effort, unnecessary in my mind, to build up the pension nest egg — all are too hot to handle politically.
So, I fear Illinois policymakers will revert to the tried, true and simple; that is, raise the income tax rate. This would, unfortunately, encourage further flight of job creators and their wealth from Illinois.
Look, I’m not saying that a revenue enhancement of some sort is not in the future. Subscribers were told about one possible tax reform effort yesterday.
All I’m saying is that using an obviously way-out-there fictional scenario to make bold predictions about the future is not sound reasoning.
*** UPDATE *** Clayton Klenke at COGFA…
Like most of the publications that we do at CGFA, the 3-year budget forecast is driven by a specific state mandate. […]
We had internal discussions when the report was written on whether we should continue to use the same scenarios as we have in the past and in the end we chose to present the same scenarios – which is exactly what they are – scenarios. They are not budget predictions. They are examples of what would occur given certain scenarios. We recognized that scenario (3) included a higher growth rate than we would normally predict, and that is why we included the text to explain why that rate was higher than normally seen. Although we wouldn’t expect those circumstances to occur again, those spending levels were driven by actual needs to pay down a backlog of bills after a multi-year budget impasse, and also to deal with a worldwide pandemic – items not too many would have deemed plausible a few years ago.
As with all of our publications, we will continue to review our methodology as we develop future reports.
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Weiss trial coverage roundup
Thursday, Jun 8, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Sun-Times report from the trial’s first day…
Weiss, a son-in-law of former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios, is charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, bribery and lying to the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine O’Neill spent about 15 minutes laying out the case to jurors Tuesday, alleging that Weiss bribed Arroyo and Link and then lied to the FBI about it, even claiming he’d spoken to a fictional “ghost of a person” named “Katherine Hunter” who was invented by the FBI as part of their investigation.
Then Sorosky took his turn, using nearly an hour to explain away allegations first leveled against his client in October 2020. Among them is the claim that Weiss paid $32,500 in bribes to Arroyo, who then pushed the sweepstakes legislation in the General Assembly. […]
Still, Weiss also hoped to pass sweepstakes legislation in the Illinois General Assembly. When his bill didn’t go anywhere, Sorosky said Weiss asked Arroyo to set up a meeting with Link, a key legislator on gaming.
“That’s not a crime,” Sorosky said.
* The Tribune…
Three weeks later, Link was again wearing an FBI wire when Arroyo allegedly delivered the first of the promised $2,500 checks at a pancake house in Skokie, O’Neill said. Arroyo and Weiss had driven to the meeting together, but Weiss stayed in the car. […]
O’Neill said that at the direction of the FBI, Link had them make the check out to a purported associate named “Katherine Hunter,” who didn’t actually exist.
When Weiss was later questioned by agents, he lied and said Hunter was a a lobbyist who lived in Winnetka and that he’d spoken to her on the phone, O’Neill said.
Sorosky, however, said Weiss did not intentionally lie to any federal official. Instead, during a “surprise” interview, he “did his best to cooperate with the FBI agent and tell the FBI agent the truth as best as he knew it,” Sorosky said.
* Moving on to yesterday’s coverage via the Sun-Times…
Under cross-examination by defense attorney Ilia Usharovich, Rita and Munoz confirmed that Arroyo never offered them any bribe.
But when the gaming bill passed without the sweepstakes provision, the feds say Arroyo and Weiss turned to Link, meeting with him at a Wendy’s restaurant in Highland Park on Aug. 2, 2019.
Jurors on Wednesday heard excerpts of the recording Link made of the meeting inside the restaurant that day. Though the conversation was difficult to hear in the courtroom gallery, it came across as a legitimate chat about the legislation — amid a fast-food restaurant soundtrack that included “Broken Wings” by Mr. Mister.
* Seidel…
* The Tribune…
When the trial resumes Monday, prosecutors are expected to play a key portion of the recording, when Link and Arroyo excused themselves from the table to talk privately outside. FBI agents stationed outside took surveillance photos of the two legislators talking that are expected to be shown next week.
“This is you and I talkin’ now. Nobody else,” Link said to Arroyo once they were alone, according to the charges.
“Whatever you tell me stays between you and me,” Arroyo allegedly responded. “That’s my word.”
During their purportedly private talk, Link told Arroyo he was “in the twilight” of his career and was “looking for something” to bolster his income. Arroyo said he would “make sure that you’re rewarded for what you do, for what we’re gonna do moving forward,” according to court records.
* Jason Meisner…
* Ray Long…
* Hannah Meisel…
Weeks later, Weiss and Arroyo again traveled north to see Link, this time at a diner in Skokie. But Weiss was left in the car for that Aug. 20, 2019, meeting while Arroyo went inside to deliver three things to Link: Weiss’ business card, a copy of draft legislation that would explicitly legalize sweepstakes machines, and a signed $2,500 check with the payee line left blank.
Link told Arroyo that the name on the check would be a “friend” of Link’s named Katherine Hunter – who turned out to be a fictional person made up by the feds.
Sorosky told the jury on Tuesday that Weiss honestly believed that Katherine Hunter existed, and therefore hired her in good faith to appease Link, who at the time was the lead negotiator on gambling legislation in the Illinois Senate.
He also directed the jury to focus on Link’s “What’s in it for me?” question to Arroyo, noting that it occurred “outside the hearing and presence of Jim Weiss” and was a clear indicator that Link solicited a bribe at the behest of federal agents.
“And with all due respect,” Sorosky said, “the original bribe in this case is created by the government.”
* Jon Seidel of the Sun-Times…
…Adding…
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Um, what?
Thursday, Jun 8, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* For a publication dedicated almost solely to excerpting other outlets’ product, you’d think they would try to avoid insulting so many reporters by broadly mischaracterizing their work…
Almost unnoticed was a reduction veto — only Pritzker’s second veto in the five years he’s signed budgets. In a statement, the governor’s office described it as a fix for an “inadvertent” mistake when lawmakers last month voted themselves a 5.5 percent raise. State law says the maximum they can get is 5 percent. The tweak puts legislative salaries at $89,250 starting July 1, instead of $89,675.
Almost unnoticed? Only if you think unnoticed means ubiquitous.
Tribune…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs $50.4 billion state budget but vetoes legislators’ pay hike that exceeded state limit
Sun-Times…
Pritzker signs $50.4 billion budget that boosts early education funding — and stops state officials’ raises from breaking the law
WCIA…
Pritzker signs state budget, scales back lawmaker pay raises
SJ-R…
Pritzker signs $50.4 billion budget, championing investments in education
Raises to lawmakers reduced with governor’s amendment
Patch…
Lawmakers To Receive 5 Percent Pay Raise After Gov. Pritzker Signs Largest State Budget Ever […]
The budget will also include another pay raise for Illinois lawmakers. The annual cost of living increase for state lawmakers is capped at 5% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. The increase in pay was set for legislators at 5.5% but was vetoed by Pritzker and brought down to a 5% increase due to the cap on the COLA’s.
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Open thread
Thursday, Jun 8, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Jun 8, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Sun-Times | Pritzker signs $50.4 billion budget that boosts early education funding — and stops state officials’ raises from breaking the law: The governor’s office said line-item reductions of $192,700 were made after a review found that cost-of-living pay raises granted to constitutional officers, legislators and some appointed officials exceeded 5%, which they said was unconstitutional.
* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs $50.4 billion state budget but vetoes legislators’ pay hike that exceeded state limit: The change on salaries made by Pritzker, which takes effect unless lawmakers vote to override them, marks the second time in three years the governor has had to make technical fixes to the budget sent to him by lawmakers.
* ABC Chicago | Governor JB Pritzker signs $50B state budget: The governor signed it into law at Christopher House, a Pre-K through eighth grade nonprofit school, to highlight, among many aspects of the budget, the money the state is investing in early childhood development.
* Tribune | Ex-state Sen. Terry Link testifies about his turn as a government mole in federal bribery trial of Berrios son-in-law: Link’s appearance in a federal courtroom took on an added spectacle since the Vernon Hills Democrat had vehemently denied reports — including in the Tribune — that he was the cooperating state Senator A mentioned in the charges first made public in October 2019.
* Sun-Times | Former state Sen. Terry Link testifies about his cooperation with FBI — which he once denied: The first day of testimony in Weiss’ trial also featured appearances by state Rep. Robert “Bob” Rita and former state Sen. Antonio “Tony” Munoz. For Rita, it was his second time testifying in federal court in less than three months about bribery schemes at the Illinois Capitol. But only Link had to explain his own crimes to the jury. The former senator told the panel that he’d withdrawn money from his campaign account and, he said, “I used some for gambling.”
* Crain’s | Pritzker makes personal pitch as EV battery makers near decision on Illinois plants: Reliable sources say Pritzker has talked to — or in the next few days intends to talk to — at least three companies that have done site visits: one reportedly European based, the second Chinese and the third of unknown origin.
* NBC Chicago | Bears CEO Kevin Warren and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issue statement as team explores options: “Today we met and discussed our shared values and commitment to the city of Chicago, the importance of deep roots and the need for equitable community investment throughout the city,” the statement read. “We are both committed to the idea that the city and its major civic institutions must grow and evolve together to meet the needs of the future. We look forward to continuing the dialogue around these shared values.”
* WTTW | Mayor Brandon Johnson ‘Looking Forward’ to Continuing Work with CPS CEO Pedro Martinez: Johnson called out Martinez and other education leaders during his inauguration speech last month, saying: “I need you. We can do this together.” If Martinez remains in his position into next year, he’ll be tasked with negotiating a new labor agreement with the CTU, whose current deal is set to expire in 2024.
* Illinois Answers | A Popular Affordable Housing Initiative Is Ripe For Expansion in Chicago — But When?: The Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU) program has led to the construction of nearly 500 relatively affordable new homes since May 2021, mostly on the city’s North and Northwest sides — two of five “pilot zones” where the program has been rolled out. But advocates say that only represents a sliver of its potential, arguing city leaders need to put more money behind the program.
* Tribune | Wisconsin Republicans block meningitis vaccine requirement for students: The Legislature’s vote also makes it easier for parents to get an exemption from a chicken pox vaccine requirement that is in place for all K-6 students. Evers’ administration wanted to require parents seeking a chicken pox vaccination exemption to provide proof that their child has previously been infected.
* Sun-Times | Chicago Blues Festival to kick off full force after pandemic cancellations, constraints: After three years of pandemic blues, the Chicago Blues Festival is back in full force, and the free, four-day star-studded affair kicks off Thursday in Millennium Park with hometown hero Wayne Baker Brooks. “Words can’t express the way I’m feeling about it. Music is how I get my emotions across,” said Brooks, who leans into a bit of advice the late blues legend Albert King passed along when Brooks was 19 and trying to decide between playing drums and guitar.
* Scott Holland | Do we really need to ponder a new state flag?: Illinoisans understand how a flawless flag design becomes a ubiquitous, pride-inspiring pennant because Chicago’s is one of the best anywhere. NAVA should consider adding additional principles for flag design: must look cool as a tattoo, as a patch for city workers and vehicles, or easily blended into sports logos and uniforms.
* Sun-Times | Chicago area air quality improving, but wildfire effects may linger a few days: The air in Chicago isn’t colored in a hazy dystopian orange like some parts of the East Coast, but wildfires raging in Canada may continue to affect air quality in the city and across Illinois for the next several days.
* Tribune | 3 severed heads from donor bodies left at employee’s desk after complaints raised about alleged misconduct: Wheatley said the heads from AGA donors were placed next to his desk after he reported concerns about the mishandling and poor conditions of donated bodies to his supervisors. But AGA Executive Vice President William O’Connor denied any maltreatment accusations, saying that handling body parts is in Wheatley’s job description.
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Live coverage
Thursday, Jun 8, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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