Campaign notebook
Friday, Apr 29, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* GOP gubernatorial candidate…
Gee. Strategies for equity and diversity. In a diverse state, of all places.
Also, clever phrasing, but $5.1 billion would be more than half of Illinois’ K-12 budget.
* Sullivan’s tweet is based on this Fox News story…
Blue states across the country are using billions of taxpayer dollars from President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package to push core tenets of critical race theory (CRT) in public schools.
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, which the Democrats passed in March 2021 without any Republican support, was billed by the Democratic Party as a necessity for reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the law provided over $122 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), which helped multiple states implement “implicit bias” and “anti-racism” training, among other programs, according to research from One Nation shared with and verified by Fox News Digital.
* NRCC…
Hi there –
Fox News reports Illinois is using $5.1 billion in COVID relief money to teach students Critical Race Theory.
Illinois is one of a handful of states “that have used or plan to use billions of dollars in ARP funding for their state education departments to implement certain tenets of CRT.”
NRCC Comment: “Illinois children are being taught Critical Race Theory because Sean Casten, Marie Newman, Bill Foster, and Lauren Underwood voted for Democrats’ corrupt socialist stimulus.” – NRCC Spokeswoman Courtney Parella
* Emily Bittner at the governor’s office…
This story is a sensationalized lie about a manufactured far right boogeyman. Illinois is committed to teaching history accurately and has worked to make schools more equitable and inclusive for all students and staff – which is a strange and troubling thing to see Republicans criticize. They want to take schools back to the 1950s, and Governor Pritzker stands firm in his commitment to make sure schools are safe and welcoming centers of learning.
…Adding… DPI…
“Instead of focusing on cutting costs, supporting our education system, or safeguarding public health, Illinois Republicans seem to be more interested in banning books, defunding public schools, and inserting their extremist views into the classroom,” said Jake Lewis, Deputy Director of the Democratic Party of Illinois. “While the Illinois Republican Party moves even further to the right, Democrats have passed another balanced budget, led the state to its third credit upgrade, and fought to lower costs for all families. Illinois voters will not let the Republican Party roll back the clock on the progress our state has made.”
* Meanwhile, this looks like fun…
* Delia…
Today, Delia Ramirez’s campaign for Congress announced the endorsement of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) which represents 14,000 members in Illinois, many living in the 3rd Congressional District, working for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
“Representative Ramirez has a track record of fighting to improve the lives of workers and every resident of Illinois. Her legislative accomplishments on affordable housing, healthcare for seniors and education are without a doubt exemplary of her unwavering commitment to working families. We are proud to support her campaign and look forward to continuing to partner with Leader Ramirez to fight for workers and infrastructure funding at the federal level,” said Deborah Cosey- Lane, Illinois State Conference Board President.
In addition, Representative Ramirez was also endorsed by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Division 294 and Peace Action, a political organization focusing on reducing the deployment of nuclear weapons and maintaining peace resolution at the center of U.S Foreign Policy.
* WGN’s Ben Bradley and Andrew Schroedter…
The harassment occurs via text messages, blasted out to voters across the south suburb. Three officials are in the crosshairs: Clerk Nyota Figgs, Alderman James Patton and Alderman Monet Wilson
The scope extends far beyond politics.
One message falsely stated Patton’s family participated in racially motivated attacks.
Another mocked the physical appearance of Wilson and her children, while another listed names of 17 men that Figgs allegedly slept with. […]
The three officials routinely clash with Thaddeus Jones, the mayor of Calumet City who doubles as a Democratic state representative.
In Wilson’s case, she says she wasn’t targeted by the texter until announcing she would run against Jones in the upcoming Democratic primary, for the 29th District state representative seat.
However, she and Patton and Figgs acknowledge they have no evidence tying Jones or his allies to the messages. And he denies any involvement.
* But of course…
* State Senate…
Rachel Ventura earned three new endorsements from Illinois-based organizations. Planned Parenthood Illinois Action PAC, Equality Illinois, and Vote Mama were three state organizations who saw Ventura as the strongest candidate to win the 43rd State Senate seat.
* Russ Stewart…
The noisy emergence of police officer Erin Jones as an opponent of state Senator Rob Martwick (D-10) is interesting. Martwick has $348,515 on-hand, raised $119,089, and will be given another $100,00 by senate President Don Harmon’s (D) campaign committee. Jones has $4,584 on-hand, giving Martwick a 76-1 money advantage. Jones touts FOP’s endorsement, but needs more from the FOP, which has indicated that her candidacy is her top priority. Having survived a petition challenge from the Martwick camp, can or will FOP president John Catanzara deliver for her? […]
Tina Wallace got noticed when she reported $83,719 on-hand in her D-2s, compared to state Representative opponent Lindsey LaPointe’s (D-19) on-hand of $155,888. But $80,000 of that was a personal loan from Wallace, and she raised $20,000 from others but has only a few thousand left on-hand, She’s in trouble. Keith Thornton has withdrawn.
An interesting race is developing in the 15th District, vacated in 2021 by John D’Amico (D) to take a job with the Plumbers Union. D’Amico still has $316,047 on-hand, a bundle more than appointee Mike Kelly’s (D) on-hand of $22,222. D’Amico told me he would spend some of his money to nominate and elect Kelly, a Mayfair firefighter, who is facing a challenge from the Left in Michael Rabbitt, who has $25,115 on-hand.
The big question is what the campaign cash-rich charter schools will do in those Martwick and LaPointe races. And as long as Wallace is willing to spend the money she loaned her campaign, she has decent bucks on hand. Rep. Kelly will get the cash he needs, and he will also have plenty of help in the field. The Northwest Side is buzzing with political activity again, and we haven’t even mentioned Rep. Kathleen Willis’ Democratic primary in this post.
…Adding… The first round of Personal PAC endorsements is out. Click here. Rep. Denyse Wang Stoneback isn’t on the list, but that could change. Also, no nod yet in the 16th Senate District primary between Lamont Williams and Willie Preston.
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Question of the day
Friday, Apr 29, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the comptroller’s office…
The rainy day fund was at $22 million a day earlier.
* The Question: What is your one-word reaction to the comptroller’s chart? One word only, please.
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* Cases are up 26 percent compared to last Friday. Hospitalizations, a lagging indicator, are up 19 percent. The last time we were in the low 700s on hospitalizations while cases were rising was July 25, 2021, and admissions were up by 20 percent from the previous week. The resulting increase eventually led to a late summer surge, topping out at about 3,000 hospitalizations by early September. However, we now have widespread availability of medicine to counter-act the virus. Let’s just hope the supplies hold out. IDPH…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 24,646 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 46 deaths since April 22, 2022.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,138,682 cases, including 33,614 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic.
As of last night, 732 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 75 patients were in the ICU and 32 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 193 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Illinoisans.
IDPH officials noted that the case rate has been slowly rising in the state and five Illinois counties are now rated by the CDC as having a Medium Community Level of COVID-19. These counties are DuPage, Lake, Champaign, Logan and McLean. At the Medium Community Level, persons who are elderly or immunocompromised (at risk of severe outcomes) are advised to wear a mask in indoor public places. In addition, they should make sure to get up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines or get their 2nd booster, if eligible.
IDPH Acting Director Amaal Tokars said the State of Illinois remains strongly positioned to respond in the event of a new COVID-19 surge. The department has been supporting pharmacies and healthcare providers in efforts to increase their inventories of the various FDA-authorized treatment. There are over 2,200 treatment locations in Illinois - including all the major retail pharmacies - and that over 96.7% of the state’s population is within a 10-mile radius of one of these locations.
“The most important point we want to stress about COVID-19 treatments is that timing is essential, and the public should know that it is critically important to consult a healthcare provider and seek treatment immediately if you test positive,” Tokars said. “The treatments are widely available with a prescription, and they are much more effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths when they are taken early in the course of the illness.”
A total of 21,871,464 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 15,913 doses. Since April 22, 2022, 111,391 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than 76% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, more than 68% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and more than 51% of the vaccinated population is boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data indicates that the risk of hospitalization and severe outcomes from COVID-19 is much higher for unvaccinated people than for those who are up to date on their vaccinations.
All data are provisional and are subject to change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
The federal government has established a new website that provides an all-purpose toolkit with information on how to obtain masks, treatment, vaccines and testing resources for all areas of the country at: https://www.covid.gov/.
Did you get your second booster?
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* Clare Spaulding at the Tribune…
The number of Illinois bridges in poor condition has increased over the last four years and a quarter of the state’s water lines are tainted by lead, according to the latest infrastructure report card from the Illinois Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
But despite the state’s third consecutive below-average overall grade of C-minus in the quadrennial report, massive investments from the state and federal governments led the authors to conclude that “fortunately, the future is bright.” […]
Across 11 infrastructure categories, the state maintained or improved its ranking in all but one category, its drinking water score, which fell to a poor rating.
* More from Greg Hinz…
But the state’s overall rating remained at C- because the group added a new category on which Illinois fared very low—handling of stormwater, rated D.
“Prioritizing additional funding for aging stormwater infrastructure is needed to keep up with increasing rainfall trends from climate change,” Walton said.
Related drinking water infrastructure also is aging faster than it’s being fixed, the group said, a reason why the state’s grade for drinking water slipped from C- to D+.
The report noted that Illinois has one of the largest shares of lead pipes in the country. “While efforts from Congress and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency are addressing those service lines to protect residents, grant programs must be accelerated to improve conditions at a faster pace.”
The report card is here. The full study is here.
* From the press release…
The state has continued to prioritize critical investments for the sectors that move goods and services; Aviation (C+), Inland Waterways (D), Ports (C-) and Rail (C+). The results of this could not be clearer as all these categories were able to maintain and, in some cases, improve their grades since 2018.
Illinois’ communities and water agencies are making progress, but the state continues to have one of the largest shares of lead service pipelines in the nation, impacting residents who rely on these systems for clean drinking water. Out of 4 million total service lines, over 675,000 have been identified as lead and almost 380,000 as copper with lead solder services. While efforts from Congress and the Illinois EPA are addressing these service lines to protect residents, grant programs must be accelerated to improve conditions at a faster pace. Illinois’ aging drinking water infrastructure is leading to leaking pipelines, costing taxpayers money and critical resources. In 2017, a total of 106 million gallons per day (MGD) were lost amongst Lake Michigan allocation permittees, or 13% of total water supplied. Additional funding is also needed for aging stormwater infrastructure that must keep up with increasing rainfall trends from climate change.
Transit and roads both receiving a “D+” were able to show notable increases. These systems have stabilized and begun to improve thanks in large part to Rebuild Illinois, despite most of the funding not taking effect yet. The percentage of state-maintained highways in excellent condition grew 5.2% in 2020 when compared to 2019. In 2021, the state raised its gas tax to 39.2 cents per gallon and its diesel tax to 46.7 cents per gallon, which will contribute to future growth. Through the federal bill and Rebuild Illinois, operating budgets for transit systems are also expanding. For example, in 2022, Metra (commuter trains) is budgeting operating expenses of $900 million, which is $100 million or 12.5% higher than in 2021. 101 out of Illinois’ 102 counties offer transit service, and 57 public transit operators and providers supported an estimated 600 million trips in 2019, the second largest public transportation system in the U.S.
The report card says the state needs to spend $2 billion to repair and modernize the transit system.
* Meanwhile…
Governor JB Pritzker today joined leaders from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) at an event announcing a $33.5 million investment at four universities, bringing the total investment in deferred maintenance projects for higher education institutions across the state to $434 million. These new projects will take place at UIC, Western Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
* And…
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) is announcing the issuance of $182,222,203 in water infrastructure loans to local governments and sanitary districts for the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2022 (January - March 2022). The Illinois EPA State Revolving Fund (SRF) Program provides low-interest loans, which fund wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water projects. Twenty (20) of the thirty-three (33) loans qualified for a total of $8,571,149.62 in Disadvantaged Community Principal Forgiveness, providing additional benefits to those recipients meeting the loan rules for either the Small Community Rate or Hardship Rate. These projects are in addition to more than $9.6 million of funding and principal forgiveness already announced for lead service line replacement projects issued by Illinois EPA in the third quarter.
* Not strictly infrastructure-related, but worth including…
Higher education leaders across the state are celebrating the comprehensive FY 2023 state budget recently passed by the Illinois General Assembly and signed by Governor JB Pritzker on April 19, which includes a historic higher education budget of $2.24 billion - representing a $248.5 million increase from last year and the largest increase in over 20 years.
*** UPDATE *** CBS 2…
Chicago has the most lead service pipes of any city in the country — which means this freshwater isn’t always “fresh” by the time it gets to your house.
The Metropolitan Planning Council says Illinois isn’t getting its fair share of federal funds to fix it. […]
Justin Williams with the Metropolitan Planning Council explained that Illinois is set to receive $565 million out of the $15 billion worth of federal funding allocated to lead service line replacement.
But based on the percentage of the lead pipes in the nation, Illinois’ share should be more like $1.8 billion. […]
He says that’s because the U.S. EPA is going by old data.
In 2022, the federal government is updating the formula by which they determine each state’s allotment to include lead pipe replacement costs.
And he says that survey can’t come soon enough.
Ugh.
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Police chiefs complain about 911 fund sweep
Friday, Apr 29, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Square…
The budget package lawmakers approved in the early morning hours on the final day of session earlier this month creates the Statewide 9-8-8 Trust Fund. The Department of Human Services will use the fund to establish and maintain a suicide prevention and mental health crisis system.
To fund the new 9-8-8 program, the budget transfers $5 million from the Statewide 9-1-1 Fund.
The latest numbers from the Illinois Comptroller’s website shows the Statewide 9-1-1 Fund has $81.6 million and is administered by Illinois State Police.
“The sweep of $5 million was done without the knowledge of law enforcement,” the ILACP said in a statement this week. “We are in close communication with the Illinois State Police and others about this to determine what our next best steps will be to protect our 911 centers and to make sure Illinois does not suffer any consequences from the feds by sweeping 911 funds.”
Pritzker was asked about the fund sweep this week. Despite signing the budget, he wasn’t aware of the exact details.
“I can’t speak to it specifically, because I haven’t looked at that, but the 988 number that we’re establishing and we’re launching does take an enormous burden off our police, these are for mental health calls,” Pritzker said.
The police chiefs are asking the state to postpone the sweep and for lawmakers to amend that provision of the budget when they return to the state capitol after the November election.
The Statewide 9-1-1 Fund is derived from surcharges on phone bills consumers pay. The ILACP said they intended to ask the governor to line-item veto that portion of the budget, but it’s too late. Reducing the fund could make the state ineligible for federal grants at a time when next generation 9-1-1 operations ramp up, the chiefs said.
* I asked the comptroller’s office for the fund’s spending history…
State Police spending out of the Statewide 9-1-1 Fund (0612) (no other agency has spent out of this fund)
FY18 $138.7M
FY19 $205.3M
FY20 $194.4M
FY21 $192.4M
FY22 YTD $126.3M
Looks like the fund has plenty of money to handle this sweep, with more coming in.
But, everyone who has a stake in any of these special state funds will always get upset when they’re swept for any reason, even good ones.
…Adding… From the ISP…
Projected revenue amount FY 22- $197M. Projected expenditure FY 22 - $191M
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LIG weaponized in Senate campaign
Friday, Apr 29, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This “complaint” is based on numerous false assumptions and gigantic leaps of faith. But, of course, the media outlet didn’t bother to run anything down before spreading this goofiness…
DIRTY LAUNDRY? A complaint was filed yesterday with the Legislative Inspector General, claiming state Sen. Melinda Bush has filed false documents, and engaged in pay-to-play and money laundering schemes with her political accounts and private business.
The complaint also claims Bush held an illegal fundraiser during the legislative session, and it accuses former state Rep. Mary Edly-Allen of laundering money from a campaign account to a personal account.
The allegations are going to shake up an already heated primary to replace Bush, who isn’t running for reelection. The Lake County Democrat is backing Edly-Allen, a former state rep, who’s facing current state Rep. Sam Yingling in the Democratic primary.
The LIG complaint was filed by good government advocate Jan Czarnik, the former executive director of the League of Women Voters in Illinois. “I believe that corruption must be called out and that those of us familiar with how Springfield operates have a responsibility to do so,” Czarnik said in a statement to Playbook.
Bush did not immediately respond to our late request for comment.
That “illegal fundraiser” was actually a meet and greet. I was there. No tickets were sold. Also, the whole money laundering allegation is beyond a stretch. And the Legislative Inspector General is limited to investigating public office-related items, not private life or campaign-related things, which even the spokesperson who distributed the press release admitted knowing about. But, hey, they got their campaign advertising fodder, so mission accomplished.
* Response from Sen. Bush…
“While it shouldn’t surprise anyone when flailing, floundering campaigns resort to dirty political attacks, weaponizing the Office of the LIG to lob false, frivolous complaints is an extraordinary new low. In today’s environment, we should hold every member of the General Assembly to the highest of standards and that not only applies to our actions in the chamber, but also our activities in political campaigns. When I led the passage of groundbreaking ethics reform in the Senate, it certainly wasn’t designed to allow members of this chamber to abuse it as a tool to forward their political agenda. Sadly, that’s exactly what is happening today and shame on them for doing so as these attacks are based in political fiction, not reality.”
BACKGROUND:
“Pay to Play”
• This complaint falsely alleges that there is a pay to play scheme happening, but no one at For the People has taken a salary.
• The Lake County Democratic Women gave Judge Rochford its award before Rochford’s campaign had ever paid For the People.
“Money Laundering”
• Mary Edly-Allen has made numerous contributions to the Lake County Democratic Women over the years, and she was hired by the board to serve as the Executive Director for a period of time. When she first ran for office, Edly-Allen stepped down from the Lake County Democratic Women. When she opened her campaign account, she said that if she ever disbanded the account, she would send the money to the Lake County Democratic Women.
• The Lake County Democratic Women is a grassroots organization dedicated to helping the women of Lake County build connections in their community, get involved, and work toward reaching the goal of women making up 51% of those in office.
“Illegal Fundraiser”
• The alleged fundraiser mentioned in the complaint was not a fundraiser. It was a “meet and greet” opportunity for candidates to get together at the Sangamon Club. There was no payment or donations made for admittance as it was a free event.
“For The People”
• For the People, LLC incorporated using a digital service called ZenBusiness. While we correctly listed our identities and personal information with the service, ZenBusiness acknowledged an automation error that led to my name being changed from ‘Melinda Bush’ to ‘Melinda Meyer’ when our paperwork was filed with the State of Illinois.” The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office acknowledged the error by Zen Business, and is taking steps to rectify the records retroactively.
• When Senator Bush filed her 2021 statement of economic interest, the LLC had yet to take in any money. By the end of 2021, it had taken in $6,000, far below the $10,000 threshold for requiring to file an updated statement of economic interest.
Bush provided me documentation showing that ZenBusiness had accidentally used the last name of the other person on the incorporation filing, Nickolas Meyer, as her last name. So, she appears on the filing as Melinda Meyer.
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Get it together, already
Friday, Apr 29, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* NBC 5…
NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago are partnering with the Chicago Urban League, The Latino Policy Forum and the Union League Club of Chicago to host a televised forum for Republican candidates vying for the party’s nomination to challenge Gov. J.B. Pritzker in the 2022 election.
The one-hour forum will take place on Tuesday, May 24 at 6 p.m., and will be hosted at NBC Tower.
NBC 5 Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern will moderate the forum, and Telemundo Chicago anchor Anabel Monge will take questions from a live-studio audience for the roundtable-format event.
“We are pleased to host the Republican candidates for Illinois governor in this forum,” NBC 5 Station Manager and Vice President of News Frank Whittaker said in a statement. “We’re committed to providing our community with unmatched political coverage.”
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin has announced that he will participate in the forum.
* Trouble is, Darren Bailey and Jesse Sullivan both committed to doing a WGN-hosted debate the same evening. And Irvin may only do one debate. Bailey’s campaign spokesperson sent me this exchange with NBC 5’s political reporter…
* Team Bailey is not happy and they unfairly took it out on MAA…
Either way, one or both of these TV stations needs to change their debate dates to avoid being used as pawns by the campaigns. Also, one Chicago debate is ridic.
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* Chicago Sun-Times editorial…
For another session, the Illinois Legislature has wisely neither repealed nor weakened a pioneering law that protects the biometric information of each of the state’s residents, the Biometric Information Privacy Act. The Legislature stood firm even though many big tech companies would like to boot the law into cyberspace.
Individuals’ thumbprints, retinas, irises and faces become biometric information once they are stored digitally. Companies can profit when they use or sell the data. But if the data falls into the hands of criminals who scoop it up on the dark web or through data breaches, it could make ordinary identity theft look like a parking ticket. Unlike getting a new credit card number, biometric data can’t be changed.
BIPA requires entities that collect biometric information to notify people they are collecting it, say how it will be used and obtain their approval. It was the country’s first such law and remains the most stringent. On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled it doesn’t exclude photo-derived facial recognition.
But as reasonable as the law is — companies can collect the information, but they have to be open about it — it keeps popping up in lawsuits.
On Thursday, Google settled a $100 million class-action privacy lawsuit that alleged Google didn’t get users’ consent for a tool that sorts faces in its Google Photos app by similarity.
Last month, the U.S. Ninth Court of Appeals allowed a settlement to go forward in a lawsuit that claimed Facebook violated BIPA by collecting and storing users’ biometrics as part of its “tag suggestions” and other features involving facial recognition technology.
* The state law hasn’t scared Facebook away from Illinois. From a couple of days ago…
Today, Meta announced that they are expanding the Meta DeKalb Data Center by three new buildings. Once completed, the nearly 2.4 million-square-foot data center will represent an investment of over $1 billion and will support more than 200 operational jobs.
“We are thrilled to be expanding our presence in Illinois. The city of DeKalb and the State of Illinois have been great partners from the beginning, and we look forward to a continued strong and fruitful partnership for years to come,” said Darcy Nothnagle, Director of Community and Economic Development, Meta.
“The impact Meta has made within the City of DeKalb goes beyond just an economic one,” said Mayor Cohen Barnes, City of DeKalb, IL. “Since day one, they have made a concerted effort to make a larger impact on DeKalb, and I look forward, with this announcement, to seeing that partnership continue to grow over the years to come.”
“With more than 1,200 construction workers on site every day at the Meta DeKalb Data Center and plans to support hundreds of permanent employees when fully operational, all of Illinois can agree the data center project has been a boon to Illinois and a great benefit to the City of DeKalb and DeKalb County,” said Paul Borek, Executive Director, DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation. “The expansion proves Illinois, and specifically DeKalb County, can meet the needs of large global companies which require a skilled workforce, modern infrastructure, and a strong and competitive business environment.”
Additionally, Meta is announcing the application window for the company’s Community Action Grants program will launch in DeKalb County in the fall of 2022. Meta’s Community Action Grants are available to schools and registered 501c3 non-profit organizations in locations where Meta has an online data center. For more information, you can visit: https://datacenters.fb.com/grants/. To further enhance the local impact of this announcement, Meta also provided a $50,000 grant to support STEM materials and opportunities in 2022 for elementary and secondary students in DeKalb Community School District 428.
“At Meta, we are committed to playing a positive role and investing in the long-term vitality of the communities in which we operate. One of the ways we do this is by funding projects that meet community needs through our Community Action Grants program,” said Nothnagle.
“District 428 is very excited about the opportunities the STEM grant and Community Action Grants will afford DeKalb students,” said Dr. Minerva Garcia-Sanchez, Superintendent of Schools, DeKalb CUSD 428 School District. “Meta continues to be a great partner to the District. We look forward to the future as we transform from being known as an agricultural community to one of the leading technological centers in the nation and we look forward to our future endeavors.”
“From the moment Meta announced its intention to develop its facility in DeKalb County, company representatives began engaging with the community in meaningful ways: as a thought partner on local issues, a generous supporter of community events and a progressive employer,” said Dr. Lisa Freeman, President, Northern Illinois University. “We look forward to expanding our excellent partnership with Meta to advance our mutual goals for advancing equitable economic development, innovation and educational attainment for the region.”
Meta is also announcing an exciting Illinois partnership that is helping the company - and has the potential to eventually help others - lower the carbon footprint of our construction. Meta is collaborating with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on a pilot with the goal of developing a more sustainable concrete mix. The process uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help experts generate the possible formulas for the concrete mixes. This work helps Meta move toward further reduction of our carbon footprint to reach net zero emissions across our value chain in 2030. Through collaboration with Meta’s concrete trade partner, Ozinga, the formula was refined and test applications were poured in non-critical areas of the DeKalb Data Center. These test applications confirm early signs that Meta has been able to successfully design and use concrete that meets our long-term strength requirements and has a 40 percent lower carbon impact than the regional benchmark. While Meta is encouraged by the success of this pilot, further developments and tests are needed to scale the impact of this innovation.
In Illinois, Meta has invested in two new wind energy projects in Morgan and DeWitt counties, adding a total of 295 MW of renewable energy to the local grid. Meta data centers are on average 80% more water efficient than the industry standard, and the company’s global operations, including the DeKalb Data Center, are supported by 100% renewable energy. These renewable energy projects represent over $140 million in local investment and will support nearly 700 construction jobs. Project operations will support 30 jobs annually across the state.
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* Darren Bailey to his Facebook followers this morning…
As you know, we’ll talk more about this in the coming days, Cindy and I were blessed with many others to be able to go to Mar-a-Lago two days ago to support Mary Miller for Congress and we had a pretty amazing conversation with President Trump. So we’ll be sharing some more details of that in the coming days.
That’s the very first time he’s publicly mentioned the Trump conversation since he was in Florida. Odd.
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Open thread
Friday, Apr 29, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I wasn’t feeling great when I woke up early this morning, but I quickly rallied and started writing the subscriber edition, but then wrote myself into a corner and eventually decided my main story needed more time and thought. Needless to say, this has most definitely not been an optimal morning for yours truly. How’s your morning so far?
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* These Morning Consult results are always a bit questionable because their methodology is opaque and they survey over several months, in this case January 1 through March 31, 2022. Anyway…
Across the country, all but eight governors are backed by 50% or more of their state’s voters. And in nearly all cases, the Democrats among them are getting higher approval ratings than Biden, while more often than not drawing more cross-party support than the president and Democratic senators.
But when considering each state, the average GOP governor has a higher approval rating than the average Democratic governor (58% to 51%), boosted by the popularity of a handful of blue-state Republicans.
Thoughts?
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* Christian County? Whew…
State of Illinois, Fourth Judicial Circuit Christian County
Robert Thornton, et al. v. Illinois Department of Corrections, et al.
Plaintiffs argue they cannot be required to vaccinate or test for COVID-19 as a condition of employment without first being afforded the statutory procedures available under Section 2 of the Illinois Department of Public Health Act, 20 ILCS 2305/2.
Plaintiffs also argue that although the vaccination and testing requirements are imposed pursuant to their collective bargaining agreement and the interest arbitration award, they are not bound by the requirements because their union lacks power to waive their rights under the IDPH Act, and the arbitrator lacked jurisdiction to issue the award, under the theory that the requirements are general public health measures, not work safety measures.
Specifically, and in addition, Plaintiffs argued that: “Defendants ask once again for this Court to stay this proceeding in hopes to take it out of the hands of the 5th Appellate District. The Attorney General sets for to this Court the request for stay filed by counsel for Plaintiffs in another matter arguing the case should remain in Sangamon. The suggestion is that this case must be stayed while the Supreme Court is reviewing it because there was a request in another case by Attorney Devore under similar circumstances. First off, that case does not have a TRO pending where emergency relief is being sought. Secondly, and more importantly, that case includes the Governor as a Defendant as it attacks the Governor’s authority. Any case that has included the Governor and his authority to issue executive orders have been transferred to Sangamon County. This case is not such a case as the Governor is not a party.”
Defendants are seeking a stay of the within proceeding, or a dismissal with prejudice of Plaintiff’s Petition: “One day after vigorously opposing a brief stay in this case to allow the Illinois Supreme Court to determine, pursuant to the Department’s Rule 384 motion to transfer whether this case belongs in Sangamon County with dozens of other COVID-related cases, including a case that raises the exact same claim made here, Mr. DeVore admits that this case belongs in Sangamon County. Of course, Defendant’s Rule 384 motion to transfer this case to Sangamon County was necessitated by Mr. DeVore’s decision to file this case in Christian County in the first place, despite his admission that such a filing goes against the clearly expressed intent of the Illinois Supreme Court. In light of Mr. DeVore’s admission, the Court should reconsider its earlier ruling and grant a stay of this case pending the Illinois Supreme Court’s ruling on the Rule 384 motion. In the alternative, the Court should deny the motion for temporary restraining order because the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, Plaintiffs’ claims have already been rejected by the Illinois Appellate Court, and Plaintiffs have failed to establish any of the elements necessary for such extraordinary relief.”
This Court, as previously stated, has heard and considered the arguments of esteemed Counsel and finds no need to grant the Motion for Stay. As Plaintiffs’ attorney has cogently argued, the Governor is not a named Party to this cause of action and therefore a transfer to Sangamon County is unnecessary.
Instead, this Court adopts the Defendant’s argument as that argument relates to the prayer for a dismissal. As a result of the prior Fourth District decisions, most recently in Graham v. Pekin Fire Department, 2022 IL App (4th) 220270, issued one day before Plaintiffs filed this case, and in Allen v. Bd. of Educ. of N. Mac Cmty. Unit Sch. Dist. No. 34, 2022 IL App (4th) 220307-U, which was issued on April 20, 2022; this Court is required to follow and adopt the same reasoning stated in those decisions.
The Appellate Court also ruled, three months ago, that the circuit court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over this claim, and that exclusive jurisdiction lies with the Illinois Labor Relations Board because the requirements are terms and conditions of employment negotiated between the State and Plaintiffs’ collective bargaining representative. Glass v. Ill. Dep’t of Corr., 2022 IL App (4th) 210740.
This Court is unable to ignore the reasoning set out in Graham and Glass. Both decisions are binding on this Court, and the persuasive authority most recently provided in Allen is further confirmation that this Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over Plaintiffs’ claims.
The General Assembly has not conferred subject-matter jurisdiction on this court to review the correctness of the interest arbitration award unless either the employer or the exclusive bargaining representative seeks judicial review pursuant to 5 ILCS 315/14. Glass, 2022 IL App (4th) 210740, ffll 49, 51. For the foregoing reasons the Plaintiff’s Motion for Temporary Restraining Order is denied, and the within cause is dismissed.
DeVore may be trying to get this issue into the more conservative Fifth Appellate District. But the Christian County ruling and the opinion it’s based on were pretty darned cut and dried.
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Campaign notebook
Thursday, Apr 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Didn’t somebody tell us this week that Sen. Darren Bailey was supposed to have a sitdown with former President Donald Trump yesterday? Well, Bailey hasn’t yet posted anything online, including any pics. People did post a few from the Mary Miller endorsement event at Mar-a-Lago, including this one from a few rows back…
Looks like I had better seats at the Wilco show. Alas, I didn’t get a sit-down with Jeff Tweedy, either. But I didn’t try. Stay tuned, I suppose.
* Equality Illinois’ 2022 primary endorsement list is out today and, so far, the group is staying out of the Democratic race for secretary of state. Planned Parenthood Illinois Action endorsed Anna Valencia earlier this week.
* Casten…
Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) released his first digital ads of the cycle. The ads will run on Facebook, Google, YouTube, and Hulu through Election Day as part of a six-figure digital buy. They are the first in a series of digital ads the campaign will run to highlight Rep. Casten’s work to lower costs for families, fight climate change, and protect a woman’s right to choose.
You can watch the first ad, “Prices”, here.
You can watch the second ad, “Moment”, here.
You can watch the third ad, “Worry”, here.
You can watch the fourth ad, “Marcie, here.
* Levin dropped out of this race earlier in the week…
Speaking of Dordek…
For State House District 13, where LGBTQ+ champion House Majority Leader Greg Harris is retiring, Equality Illinois endorsed out LGBTQ+ candidate Fernando “Sergio” Mojica and super-ally Eileen Dordek.
Planned Parenthood Illinois Action endorsed Dordek as well.
* WHOI…
The press team for GOP gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin has responded to our requests for comment as to why he wasn’t present during the forum Monday night in Washington.
The Central Illinois 2022 Republicans Gubernatorial Candidate Forum distributed six invitations to remaining candidates, including Senator Darren Bailey, businessman Gary Rabine, state Senator Paul Schimpf, attorney Max Solomon, and businessman Jesse Sullivan. All were in attendance at the event except for Irvin.
In an email, Irvin campaign member Eleni Demertzis says the candidate had a “prior commitment” that evening, adding in a statement:
“As a former prosecutor who put violent criminals behind bars, a mayor who cut spending to lower taxes and the only Republican candidate for governor to take on Mike Madigan and win, Mayor Irvin looks forward to sharing the stage with his opponents which will prove he is the best candidate to roll back the crime, corruption and high taxes we’ve seen under J.B. Pritzker.”
Bailey ain’t buying it…
* Two press releases from the Gary Rabine campaign…
“The Schaumburg Township Republican Organization (STRO) has announced its endorsed candidates for the June 28 Republican primary. Chairman Joe Folisi said “We are very pleased to announce that STRO has endorsed Gary Rabine and Aaron DelMar for governor and lieutenant governor, Kathy Salvi for United States Senator and Dan Brady for Secretary of state. These individuals are of high caliber and will serve Illinois well once elected.”
“Continuing the strong momentum gained over the last couple of weeks, we picked up another township endorsement last night. The Republican Organization of Elk Grove Township endorsed my campaign because I am the conservative candidate that can beat JB Pritzker in November. Thank you to all the members of the Republican Organization of Elk Grove Township for all the hard work they do for Republican candidates every day.”
…Adding… CD17…
Today, Jonathan Logemann, Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, announced the endorsement of Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara. Mayor McNamara and Alderman Logemann have served Rockford since 2017 in their respective roles and have worked hand-in-hand to improve their local neighborhoods and strengthen the Rockford region’s economy.
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* SJ-R…
Awake Illinois, a right-leaning political organization focused on education, is attracting some candidates for office in Illinois to sign a pledge promising support for, among other things, school choice, requiring schools to provide parents with annual reports about schools’ curriculum and prohibiting schools from teaching about consent, sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Not only do we stand beside you completely, I look forward to working with you once elected as governor to work to begin to rescind the nonsense,” said gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, at a virtual event hosted by Awake Illinois on Sunday. […]
“Our way of life is under attack,” said Bailey in that virtual event with the group’s president and founder, Shannon Adcock. […]
Illinois allows parents to opt their students out of sexual health education classes, according to [Brigid Leahy, vice president of public policy at Planned Parenthood Illinois Action]. In addition to the opt-out, SB 818 also requires that schools provide parents with an opportunity to review the sex education curriculum to be used at their children’s schools.
* The prohibition against teaching “inaccurate and false history” is kind of a tell…
Nice bit about lawyer fees, too. Tom DeVore has also signed on. Click the pic for a better view.
Thoughts?
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* Capitol News Illinois…
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a package of bills Wednesday aimed at easing the state’s shortage of teachers and other education professionals, even as a new report shows Illinois just added a record number of new teachers to its ranks.
Speaking in the library of Springfield High School just blocks from the Capitol, Pritzker said that while the education workforce picture is improving, more work still needs to be done. […]
Pritzker noted that the budget bill he signed into law April 19 increases funding for minority teacher scholarships to $4.2 million. And starting next year, the minimum annual salary for first-year teachers will increase to $40,000 due to a bill he signed in 2019. […]
A survey conducted in 2021 by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools found 88 percent of local school districts believed they had a teacher shortage problem while 96 percent reported problems finding enough substitute teachers.
* Fox 32…
Illinois has hired more than 5,600 teachers this school year — a figure greater than the number of hires over the more five years combined.,
The state still has about 2,100 unfilled teaching positions across Illinois.
* Tribune…
Those vacancies are “concentrated in hard-to-staff schools and subjects,” disparately affecting low-income, bilingual and special education students, Ayala said. An additional 2,400 paraprofessional openings are also vacant, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
“As we look forward, we must continue to root our efforts to strengthen the teaching profession in equity,” Ayala said. “Not all schools and not all students are experiencing teacher staffing issues in the same way.”
State Rep. Sue Scherer, a former teacher who sponsored parts of the legislative package, said the new laws will “make a difference” in classrooms even before the current school year ends. The expansion to allow short-term substitutes to spend 15 consecutive days in a classroom, rather than just five, is effective immediately, as is the reduced license reinstatement fee.
“So many politicians will say education is important, but then when you get to the backroom deals and it’s time to finalize the budget, it’s the first thing cut,” said Scherer, a Decatur Democrat. “It’s heartwarming that people are kind of putting their money where their mouth is.”
* WICS…
House Bill 4246
State law currently requires educators to pay a $500 penalty to immediately reinstate a lapsed license. Under House Bill 4246, fees for renewing lapsed educator license will be reduced to $50.
The law is effective immediately.
House Bill 4798
Under current law, substitute teaching candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. House Bill 4798 allows currently enrolled teaching students to obtain additional classroom training by giving them the option to obtain a substitute teaching license if they have completed 90 credit hours.
The law is effective January 1, 2023.
Senate Bill 3988
Currently, the minimum age requirement is 19 for paraprofessional educators who work with students from pre-K to eighth grade. Senate Bill 3988 lowers this age requirement to 18, providing prospective educators with the chance to start a career earlier.
The law is effective January 1, 2023.
Senate Bill 3907
In the event of a disaster declaration, short term substitute teachers are only able to spend 5 consecutive days in the same classroom. Under Senate Bill 3907, this number is increased to 15.
The law is effective immediately.
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* Patrick Smith at WBEZ…
A new study from University of Chicago researchers raises questions about what exactly has driven the recent surge in carjackings in the city.
Chicago police officials have repeatedly laid the blame at the feet of the city’s young people, saying the violent car thefts are motivated by kids seeking joyrides or looking for a vehicle to use in other crimes. […]
In press conferences over the last 18 months, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown has highlighted the extremely young age of some of the alleged carjackers they’ve arrested and called for a combination of more services and more “accountability” for young people as a way to stem the tide of carjackings.
At a March 10, 2021 news conference, Brown said the No. 1 motivation for carjackings was joyriding.
“It’s a shame that you’ll hold a gun to someone’s head just to joyride, but that seems to be what our young people are doing that we’re capturing,” Brown said.
The problem is that CPD is only catching a small percentage of carjackers (15 percent in 2020, for instance), and apparently most of those are joyriding young people.
* But Professor Robert Vargas, director of the UChicago Justice Project, saw something interesting in the data. From his study…
If youth joyrides have, in fact, been driving the carjacking spike, then one would expect most cars to be recovered as the point of a joyride is to drive the car and not sell it.
As it turns out, less than 20 percent of carjacked autos are recovered each year. Lately, it’s been closer to 10 percent. And as carjackings have risen, the percentage of recovered autos has decreased…
* Back to the study…
If the majority of carjacking incidents are cases of youth seeking joyrides, these data indicate that something more is happening. Either these cars are being sold for profit, or carjacking offenders are really good at hiding vehicles after their joyride. Figure 3 is a time series graph that attempts to test alternative explanations for changes in carjacking from 2017-2021. One hypothesis put forward by the Chicago Police Department has been that its carjacking taskforce contributed to a decline in carjackings. Another hypothesis is that the stimulus checks dispersed through the COVID relief bill may have reduced economic incentives for carjacking. Figure 3 illustrates no evidence to support either of these alternative explanations, as the timing of the stimulus checks and implementation of the carjacking task force had no visible impact on carjacking trends.
Figure 3 does appear to show that the joyriding (but not carjackings) may have peaked during the early months of 2021…
* Professor Vargas’ conclusion…
These findings are important for several reasons. The percent of recovered vehicles can shed light on the scale at which carjacking may be motivated by economics. As a panel on carjacking organized by Senator Dick Durbin made clear, carjacking is linked to the informal economy and fueled (in part) by the soaring price of used cars brought on by COVID-19 related supply chain issues (Vinicky 2022). Cars are not only stripped for parts and sold, they are also sold out of state. More information is needed to shed light on what is happening to the cars that are not getting recovered.
It is worth noting a few limitations of our analysis. Just because only 20% of carjacked vehicles are recovered, does not mean that all of those cars have been sold in the informal economy. Some may have been abandoned and never found. Others may be sitting on an impound lot. The best source of information to clarify these issues would be car insurance companies whose claims data can bring greater clarity on what happened to each of these vehicles. Our efforts to reach out to Chicago’s largest private car insurance providers for these data have gone without response.
Vargas also rightly complained that this data should be more widely available to the public. “It should not take a FOIA request and over a year’s worth of time to get an answer to a simple question about carjacking,” he wrote.
* From the referenced WTTW story above…
With demand high and supply low for used cars, criminals can make a profit from stolen vehicles.
“Cars are being stolen here in the United States. There’s VIN swaps that are utilized to resell the vehicles so they’re not known that they are stolen. They’re shipped overseas, Middle East criminal enterprises,” said David Glawe, president of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. “And then cars are also shipped to Mexico. We repatriate hundreds of cars a year…after they’re stolen.”
Perpetrators may be looking for an anonymous car to use in another crime, like a drive-by shooting.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart points to that as a common motive.
If criminals were only looking for cars to use in another crime, you’d think the police would find lots more of those cars than they are.
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* ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune…
The courthouse lobby echoed like a crowded school cafeteria. Teenagers in sweatshirts and sneakers gossiped and scrolled on their phones as they clutched the yellow tickets that police had issued them at school.
Abigail, a 16-year-old facing a $200 penalty for truancy, missed school again while she waited hours for a prosecutor to call her name. Sophia, a 14-year-old looking at $175 in fines and fees after school security caught her with a vape pen, sat on her mother’s lap.
A boy named Kameron, who had shoved his friend over a Lipton peach iced tea in the school cafeteria, had been cited for violating East Peoria’s municipal code forbidding “assault, battery, and affray.” He didn’t know what that phrase meant; he was 12 years old.
“He was wrong for what he did, but this is a bit extreme for the first time being in trouble. He isn’t even a teenager yet,” Shannon Poole said as her son signed a plea agreement that came with $250 in fines and fees. They spent three hours at the courthouse as Kameron missed math, social studies and science.
The nearly 30 students summoned to the Tazewell County Courthouse that January morning were not facing criminal charges; they’d received tickets for violating a municipal ordinance while at school. Each was presented with a choice: agree to pay a fine or challenge the ticket at a later hearing. Failing to pay, they were told, could bring adult consequences, from losing their driving privileges to harming their future credit scores.
Across Illinois, police are ticketing thousands of students a year for in-school adolescent behavior once handled only by the principal’s office — for littering, for making loud noises, for using offensive words or gestures, for breaking a soap dish in the bathroom.
Ticketing students violates the intent of an Illinois law that prohibits schools from fining students as a form of discipline. Instead of issuing fines directly, school officials refer students to police, who then ticket them for municipal ordinance violations, an investigation by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica has found. (Use our interactive database to look up how many and what kinds of tickets have been issued in an Illinois public school or district.)
Another state law prohibits schools from notifying police when students are truant so officers can ticket them. But the investigation found dozens of school districts routinely fail to follow this law.
“Basically schools are using this as a way to have municipalities do their dirty work,” said Jackie Ross, an attorney at Loyola University Chicago’s ChildLaw Clinic who specializes in school discipline. “It’s the next iteration of the school-to-prison pipeline. Schools might be patting themselves on the back and saying it’s just the school-to-municipality pipeline, but it’s the same philosophy.”
At the assembly-line hearings where many of these cases are handled, students have no right to legal representation and little chance to defend themselves against charges that can have long-term consequences. Ticket fines can be hundreds of dollars, presenting an impossible burden for some families, and administrative or court fees of up to $150 are often tacked on.
Unpaid fines are sometimes sent to collections or deducted from parents’ tax refunds. And, unlike records from juvenile court, these cases can’t be expunged under state law.
No government entity tracks student ticketing, either in Illinois or nationally. Though a handful of communities in other states have sought to limit the practice, Illinois has not tried to monitor it, even after lawmakers attempted several years ago to stop schools from fining students as discipline. The Tribune and ProPublica quantified school tickets through more than 500 Freedom of Information Act requests to school districts and police departments, focusing on nearly 200 high-school-only districts and large K-12 districts.
In all, the investigation documented more than 11,800 tickets issued during the last three school years, even though the COVID-19 pandemic kept students out of school for much of that period and even though records show no students were ticketed in the state’s biggest district, the Chicago Public Schools.
The analysis of 199 districts, which together encompass more than 86% of the state’s high school students, found that ticketing occurred in at least 141. In some K-12 districts, tickets were issued to children as young as 8. […]
The chief sponsor of the discipline legislation in the House, Democratic Rep. William Davis, called school-related ticketing “in opposition” to the law. Current House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, also a sponsor, agreed and said legislators should revisit the law.
Emphasis added.
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Open thread
Thursday, Apr 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’m in dire need of more coffee. How are you?
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Apr 27, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Lynn Sweet…
Illinois Democratic officials are poised to make the case to the Democratic National Committee that Illinois should be among the states with the first votes in the presidential primaries, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Illinois, if it’s an early primary state starting in 2024, could become a power player in determining a Democratic presidential nominee.
The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee passed a resolution at its April meeting calling for a 2024 nominating calendar that reflects diversity; helps Democrats win the White House and “contributes to a fair and sound electoral process.”
For a practical matter, Iowa, the state with the traditional kickoff vote for Republicans and Democrats, will most likely lose its special status with Democrats. That’s because Iowa votes Republican in presidential elections; is not diverse; and has a much-criticized caucus voting system. […]
If Iowa is knocked out, the Illinois competition for the Midwest spot will likely be Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska, a source said.
* The Question: Do you think Illinois should be one of the first states to hold a presidential primary? Explain.
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* Just so we’re clear, somebody other than the pollster and the client leaked me this internal tracking poll today. I’m not sure how this person obtained it, and I didn’t ask. We’ll get to the strong caveats in a moment…
The first takeaway is that spending lots of money works, particularly if it’s spent well, as the Irvin campaign is doing.
Just keep in mind that these were automated landline polls done on the cheap and for internal use only. No mobile phones. No text or online contacts.
The polls were not meant for public consumption, but since I had the results, Cor Strategies and its client decided to confirm their existence.
* Details from the pollster…
Universe: Likely Republican Primary Voters
Field Dates: Monday, April 18 - Thursday, April 21
Method: IVR (automated)
Responses: 536
MoE: ±4.23%
Discuss.
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Pick up the tempo just a little
Wednesday, Apr 27, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It’s about time more cams went up…
The Illinois State Police (ISP), working with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Chicago Department of Transportation, is currently installing 56 additional Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) on Chicago expressways. In addition to the 99 ISP ALPRs already covering the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-94), the additional ALPRs are being installed on I-90, I-290, I-55, and I-57. ” […]
In February of 2021, ISP received a $12.5 million grant to cover the costs of engineering, permitting, and labor associated with the purchase and installation of readers, controllers, servers/software, electrical power, and communications equipment required to install ALPR systems. In the first phase, ALPRs were installed on the Dan Ryan expressway during the summer and fall of 2021. For the second phase, ALPRs are currently being installed and have an estimated completion date of mid-May 2022 pending weather or other unforeseen delays. For the final phase, ISP is currently working on permits with the target of a total of 300 ALPRs installed for all three phases by the end of June 2022.
The funding and installation of ALPRs stem from the Tamara Clayton Expressway Camera Act (Expressway Camera Act), which was signed into law on July 12, 2019 and became effective on January 1, 2020. [Emphasis added.]
It’s totally understandable why people get so upset at the pace of government. But, hey, at least they’re finally going up.
* Speaking of the pace of government, let’s revisit this WBEZ piece I posted yesterday and look at another angle…
Pritzker’s administration set aside more than $50 million from the COVID stimulus funds for violence prevention in the budget that passed last year. The funding, to be administered through the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, offered a unique opportunity to flood resources into neighborhoods impacted by violence. But with the fiscal year almost over, the state has spent only $56,764, one-tenth of 1% of the money, as Illinois experiences its worst gun violence in decades.
“Normally the argument would be, we just don’t have the money. Now we have the money, and we’re sitting on the money,” said Illinois State Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago), co-chair of the Public Safety and Violence Prevention Task Force. “Right now, the city of Chicago is on fire with violence, and we have to respond to that … There shouldn’t be a delay … people are dying.” […]
“They claim to be working for the community and the people … yet our government doesn’t see the urgency in getting funding to us so that we can have boots on the ground … to stop the shootings,” said Tyrone Muhammad, executive director of the anti-violence group Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change.
The budget included $500,000 in funding specifically allocated to Muhammad’s organization, but they still haven’t gotten a dime. He said they were planning to spend the ARPA dollars expanding their street intervention teams so they can mediate gang conflicts in more parts of the city.
“How is it possible for [lawmakers] to allocate funding in a line item last year, and we still haven’t received it this year?” Muhammad asked incredulously.
* You may remember this gentleman from last month…
A rally to draw attention to the deaths of two Black transgender Chicago women turned into a chaotic shouting match when another small group of anti-violence advocates crashed the event at Federal Plaza on Monday evening.
As transgender activist Zahara Bassett was pleading for justice for the two women, several members of Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, including founder Tyrone Muhammad, interrupted the event with bullhorns.
There was no mention of that disruption in WBEZ’s story.
* The ECCSC is fairly visible at the Statehouse partly because they sometimes park one of their special cars between the Capitol and the Stratton Building while they try to speak with legislators…
 
And they make no bones about their approach to things…
Advocating for social change is at the forefront of our approach, as we view the current political system and allocation of resources as corrupt, unhelpful for improvement and unaware of what needs to be done to fix blighted communities.
Rep. Ford, by the way, requested that ECCSC’s line-item be included in the appropriations bill. So, of course he’s pushing hard to get that money released.
* And while there are good reasons for the government to take its time with these grants, another member pointed out to me yesterday there’s no way that anti-violence groups, particularly the small groups, can spend the state money right away. This isn’t just about installing cams on the expressways, after all. It will take a while to stand up new programs or to expand existing programs. By then, the summer could be over. Not cool. We don’t want any big mistakes, but people have the right to expect that stuff gets done.
However, the money mentioned in the WBEZ piece is not the only game in town. From Jordan Abudayyeh at the governor’s office…
The state of Illinois has already sent more than $75 million in violence prevent dollars out the door with another $45 million in various stages of the award process and additional NOFOs ready to go out in the coming days. We have also funded $26 million for a summer expansion initiative to fuel existing providers that are already up and running and doing the work in communities. The bucket of federal funding at ICJIA is just one small part of our comprehensive funding, and that federal funding comes with strict rules and reporting requirements, so it’s taken some time to get organizations up to speed and able to utilize federal dollars.
[Headline explained here.]
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* Steve Daniels…
Households and small businesses that get their power from Commonwealth Edison will be unprotected from commodity price spikes in the high-demand summer months unless state regulators take fast action.
For the first time in the 14 years since the state took over the job from utilities of negotiating with power generators, the Illinois Power Agency was unable to reach an agreement on an electricity price in northern Illinois for the entire months of July and August, as well as part of June. […]
But ComEd customers won’t feel the increase in their wallets, thanks to the way the Pritzker administration structured a separate ratepayer bailout for Illinois nuclear plants now owned by Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Group.
In June, customers would have started paying about $2 extra on their bills to support the plants under the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act, or CEJA, enacted last year. But, with energy prices soaring, the subsidy will instead become a credit beginning next month.
* ICJC…
Today, utility Commonwealth Edison filed new rates with the Illinois Commerce Commission that will provide direct credits of more than $1 billion to customers as a result of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) that was signed into law last fall.
The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC), whose advocacy over several years was instrumental in passing the nation-leading legislation, released the following statement:
“At a time when electricity costs are skyrocketing across the country, Governor Pritzker negotiated protections against price spikes that mean electricity prices for ComEd customers will actually be going DOWN. For families struggling with the high cost of inflation, this is welcome relief. What could have been a nuclear subsidy was smartly negotiated into a billion-dollar bonanza for Illinois consumers.
“The deal shows the wisdom of Illinois’ approach to combat the climate crisis and create good-paying, equitable clean energy jobs, while saving money for consumers. […]
The “Carbon Mitigation Credit” program, created under CEJA, provides revenue certainty to three Illinois nuclear power plants, and was originally expected to potentially cost ComEd customers $700 million over the 5-year life of the program. The deal was structured, however, so that if wholesale electricity prices increased above a certain level, the nuclear plants would owe money instead. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, electricity prices have risen dramatically across the country.
As part of the deal, residential customers will see an average credit of $18/month starting in June through next May, as a separate line item on their bill. ComEd customers have not paid any money to the nuclear plants to date, and current electricity price forecasts show the customer credit will continue for at least the next several years.
* Ameren opted out of the Carbon Mitigation Credit program and its consumers will pay a steep price. Back to Steve’s article…
So central and southern Illinoisans will experience directly the brunt of an even more dramatic power-price spike down there. Their costs for energy will roughly double beginning June 1
* Back to the ICJC’s release…
We wish that Central and Southern Illinois consumers were also receiving this windfall, but Ameren chose not to participate in the Carbon Mitigation Credit program. […]
In a mistake that will cost their customers dearly, Ameren, the utility that serves most of Central and Southern Illinois, refused to join the Carbon Mitigation Credit program. As a result, their customers will see painful hikes in their electricity bills like consumers all over the Midwest.
*** UPDATE *** Ameren…
Ameren Illinois Statement on False Claims About Carbon Mitigation Credit Program
April 27, 2022
The statement issued today by the Clean Jobs Coalition is blatantly false. Ameren Illinois was never involved in the negotiations of the Carbon Mitigation Credit and was never given an option to opt in or out. In fact, throughout the process of negotiating the legislation, it was publicly stated by numerous CEJA members and supporters that the utilities would not be involved in crafting the new law.
This Carbon Mitigation Credit provision was written specifically to subsidize the Exelon nuclear facilities in Chicago, which are in a separate energy market from downstate. Again, the legislation specifically applies to “electric utilities serving at least 3,000,000 retail customers” in the state. Ameren Illinois has 1.2 million customers.
This policy was written specifically to benefit to Exelon nuclear plants in Chicago.
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* WTTW’s Amanda Vinicky…
Despite Bailey’s walkout, lawsuits, and campaign rhetoric, masks have been required for stretches during the pandemic in a downstate area he represents.
Specifically, per documents on file with the federal government, face coverings are required for certain workers at the Bailey Family Farm, where according to Bailey’s campaign website, he grew up. […]
When farms bring on seasonal workers via the federal H-2A Temporary Agricultural Employment of Foreign Workers program, like to aide with a labor-intensive harvest, they have to file employment conditions forms with the U.S. Department of Labor.
The Bailey farm has postings up for jobs that run from early April through June and pay $15.89 an hour.
Those hired will run agricultural equipment, and help in the corn and soybean fields.
The job order, signed by Bailey’s son Zach, specifically states that the Bailey Family Farm will follow Centers for Disease Control, state and local health requirements and that the employer may implement its own additional safety measures.
Employees must “wear a face covering that covers your nose and mouth, always, unless you have received specific instruction otherwise. Stay at least 6 feet away from all other people, always. If a 6-foot distance cannot be maintained, a mask must be worn, even if you are otherwise exempted from that requirement” the form states in a final addendum.
The Baileys use similar language in relation to COVID precautions and masking in a job order that led to the farm hiring migrant workers in the spring and summer of ‘21. […]
The Bailey farm was under no apparent legal obligation to take such strict measures. Other Illinois farms, including another in Xenia, do not list COVID safety requirements. […]
“They farm over 12,000 acres, so social distancing comes naturally. The H2A is a federal program that legally brings migrant workers, and they’re required to abide by federal rules and make available to workers whatever they need,” the [Bailey campaign] statement said. “The Bailey Family Farm employs several local families and continues to advertise jobs locally to fill positions, but no one wants to work.”
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* So, Valencia admits that she’s had to previously prevent her husband from trying to cross an ethical line? Sheesh…
By the way, a Downstate reporter emailed me this morning about a press release he’d received from Chicago Ald. Silvana Tabares announcing she was asking the city’s new inspector general to investigate “recent allegations that City Clerk Anna Valencia inappropriately used her position as an elected citywide office holder to benefit the business interests of her lobbyist husband and his private clients.”
“Explain that one,” the reporter quipped.
Using inspectors general to further the aims of political campaigns will only undermine IGs. More on that topic later today.
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Another day, another lawsuit
Wednesday, Apr 27, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bloomberg…
The legal marijuana business in Illinois is being controlled by a state-protected “Chicago cartel” that includes companies linked to the wealthy Pritzker, Wrigley and Kovler families, according to a lawsuit filed by a group called True Social Equity in Cannabis.
Marijuana companies Akerna Corp., Green Thumb Industries Inc., Verano Holdings and Surterra Holdings Inc. have successfully monopolized the Illinois-branded marijuana market, from cultivation to manufacturing to retail dispensaries, the plaintiffs said in a complaint filed Monday in Chicago federal court.
* Tribune…
The suit notes that some of the companies sell each other’s products. But Illinois law requires that cannabis dispensaries sell competitors’ products. The complaint also notes that GTI and Verano share a shell company that manages both a GTI Rise dispensary in Effingham and a Verano Zen Leaf store in Charleston.
The suit, filed by attorney Mark Lavery, seeks to stop all the companies from selling marijuana and divest them of all assets. […]
[Edie Moore, a founder and legislative co-chair of Chicago NORML and a cannabis business license applicant] acknowledged that the Illinois cannabis market is restricted by law to 21 licensed growers, but said the solution is for the state to issue pending licenses. Those licenses have been held up in court, primarily hurting Black and Latino “social equity” applicants.
“People who keep suing don’t do anything but slow it down,” she said. “It doesn’t help anyone.”
Akerna, which sells software to track data in the cannabis industry, issued the following statement: “The document has multiple inaccuracies, including but not limited to the fact that we are not a plant-touching operator. As a public company, our shareholders and board of directors are a matter of public record. Our legal team is preparing their response.”
* From the lawsuit…
The “Chicago Cartel” state-protected cannabis operation was started in 2014 as part of a partnership between Michael McClain of the “Madigan Racketeering Enterprise”, Terrance Gainer of the U.S. Capitol Police and heir to the Jim Beam bourbon fortune, Benjamin Kovler.
I did not make that up.
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Today’s quotable
Wednesday, Apr 27, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WGEM…
The elimination of cash bail is fast approaching for Illinois following the passage of the SAFE-T act in January 2021. Some judges have even begun the transition to no cash bail, but prosecutors are saying no cash bail will make their job a lot harder.
One state’s attorney spoke out against the elimination of cash bail today. He argued in some situations, having an offender out on the street because there was no bail will harm victims and make them afraid.
“It’s not like we lock people up who are innocent, awaiting trial,” Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said. “I do everything I can to make certain that if I can’t prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt, I dismiss it.”
…Adding… From comments…
Is this the same James Glasgow who sent a police officer to jail for six days on murder charges only to dismiss charges AFTER an investigation proved his alibi, which resulted in Will County having to settle a lawsuit with the wrongfully jailed, innocent cop?
Because if it is the same James Glasgow, he’s literally locked up an innocent person (a cop no less) awaiting a trial that never happened.
References…
* Will County panel OKs settlement over wrongful arrest in ‘honeybee’ case: Will County officials are nearing a settlement with a Lynwood police officer who spent six days in jail on murder charges that were later dropped.
* Another fumble for Will County: “You can’t make the problem, clean it up and then act like a hero,” Carlson said. “He’s the one who charged him. He knew the evidence and now he’s acting like he’s trying to save the world. There’s only one person who charged Brian Dorian, that’s Jim Glasgow. There’s only one person who’s now claiming that he fixed it and that’s Jim Glasgow. He can’t have it both ways.”
…Adding… Want more? Here you go…
* Charges Dropped After Giant Meth Seizure By Will County Sheriffs: A 47-year-old California man who had nearly 23 lbs of methamphetamine seized from his car by the Will County Sheriff’s Office last September was the subject of an illegal and improper search, Will County Judge Vincent Cornelius ruled. On Wednesday morning, Assistant Will County State’s Attorney Tom Bahar appeared in Courtroom 404 informing Cornelius that Henry Duenas is being released from custody at the Will County Jail and his two Class X felonies are being dismissed. Duenas was in the Will County Jail for more than six months, facing a $1 million bail. Last week, Cornelius announced the search was illegal, and the evidence was inadmissible. On Sept. 27, the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office of Jim Glasgow charged Duenas with two Class X felonies, unlawful possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and unlawful possession of methamphetamine.
* Charges dropped against father in Riley Fox case: Prosecutors had promised to seek the death penalty against Kevin Fox. Now, they are back to where they were almost a year ago, with no named suspects and a development that has stunned even prosecutors. It turns out DNA from the crime scene doesn’t match the man they had in jail. Kevin Fox is free after prosecutors concede there is now considerable doubt about his guilt. “It was a nightmare, and I don’t want to relive it right now. I’m happy. I’m excited,” said Fox. Will County Prosecutor James Glasgow and Sheriff Paul Kaupas dropped the charge, but offered no apology and few answers about why law enforcement was so convinced Fox was their man.
* 1st Degree Murder Charges Dropped For Joliet 19-Year-Old: On Friday morning, an angry Joliet criminal defense attorney Jeff Tomczak raised his voice before Will County Chief Judge Dan Kennedy, insisting that 19-year-old client Rasean Stokes has no criminal culpability in the Feb. 8, 2020 gunshot homicide along Joliet’s Republic Avenue that ended the life of 17-year-old Jeremiah Frazier. Tomczak implored Judge Kennedy reduce his incarcerated client’s bail from $750,000 to $5,000, but the judge was not willing to make a decision on the bail at Friday’s hearing. Instead, Kennedy took the matter under advisement and put the case back on the court docket for Tuesday, Feb. 2. However, the judge did agree to dismiss both first-degree murder counts against Tomczak’s client during Friday’s hearing. As relatives of his client were seated in Will County Courtroom 403, Tomczak was livid, pointing out that Stokes has already spent an entire year in the Will County Jail “on a bad murder charge.”
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Open thread
Wednesday, Apr 27, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Please keep your discussions to Illinois-related topics. Thanks.
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