State officials have recorded 21,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Illinois since the outset of the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed 19,893 deaths through the end of February in Illinois where COVID-19 was listed among multiple causes. Of those deaths, about 1,830, or 9.2 percent, had COVID-19 listed as the sole cause of death.
That percentage is higher than it was in September 2020 when the rate was about 6%.
But a county coroner is calling for a full audit after reviewing some of the deaths in his county.
“My concern is, I’ve reviewed several cases, (of 100 cases) about ten of them here in Monroe County, that the state has deemed COVID-related deaths and none of them have had underlying conditions or contributing factors to COVID,” Monroe County Coroner Bob Hill said. “So my concern is no matter when the person was tested positive, the state is automatically giving them a death classification as related to COVID.”
Um, the state posts death information supplied to it by certifying physicians, local public health departments and coroners. If he’s got a problem, he needs to deal with it locally.
A year after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an executive order delaying the submission date for new cannabis license applications, there have been no new licenses issued.
Three bills have been introduced in the state Legislature to correct a scoring problem that shut out qualified cannabis entrepreneurs, many who are social equity applicants, from securing a spot in the lottery for a dispensary. And all three failed miserably.
Rep. La Shawn Ford hopes the fourth bill is a charm. He’s introducing a compromise measure that was crafted with equity applicants and the governor’s office. “I’m looking forward to the final language that the General Assembly can pass and the governor signs to have Black and brown people included in this industry,” he told Playbook.
Ford’s draft legislation would create two lottery drawings to dole out 110 licenses to sell recreational weed. The bill also calls for a separate lottery to add five licenses to sell medical marijuana.
To move forward with any lottery, the state is required to fix the scoring process and create an additional competition that would address lawsuits filed because of the flawed scoring in the first lottery.
After previously slamming Gov. J.B. Pritzker over the marred licensing rollout, Hendon praised him on Monday for halting the process after outrage and legal action followed the state’s announcement that just 21 of the more than 900 applicant groups had qualified. Hendon said the governor ultimately told Black cannabis applicants to “unify and come to us with a solution.”
In a statement Tuesday, Pritzker’s office expressed support for the bill.
“We welcome the legislation proposed by Rep. Ford in coordination with community stakeholders that aims to address acknowledged shortcomings in the Act,” said spokeswoman Charity Greene. “Holding an additional lottery for conditional adult-use dispensary licenses will not only provide a path to participation in the industry for Illinoisans from all backgrounds but also provide high-scoring applicants from the first round an opportunity to gain a license.”
Ford said he intends to file the new language soon by adding to a “shell bill” that was introduced shortly after Ford’s push to create 75 additional dispensary licenses fell short during the lame duck session in January.
Among some 300 cannabis-related bills introduced in Springfield, most of which are unlikely to pass, a few stand out.
One proposal provides that a county or municipality may allow the sale and consumption of cannabis at temporary events, clubs, and tours of cultivation centers.
Another bill would transfer cannabis business licensing and oversight from existing state regulators to a new Cannabis Control Commission to be appointed by the governor.
Yet another would require schools to teach the medical and legal ramifications of cannabis use, similar to warnings about alcohol and drug use.
And one measure provides that no one may knowingly allow an animal to ingest cannabis, including secondhand smoke, in a way that results in the animal’s sickness or death.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday he’s working with business interests and health professionals in developing an incremental reopening plan for Illinois that is expected to be released later this week.
“We’re working with industry leaders, (and) we’re working with our doctors at (the Illinois Department of Public Health) as well as other experts in the state to make sure that the phased reopening is not only healthy for everybody but also good for the economy as we move it forward,” Pritzker said outside Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in downstate Lincoln.
At a stop later in Decatur, Pritzker said the new reopening plan would balance economic interests with the need to stay ahead of new variants of the virus that spread more quickly than the strains that drove the spring and fall surges.
He said the state would have little time to react to an increase in the variants.
* More from his stop in Macon County…
I can tell you that we got together with leaders of various industries in Illinois to make sure that we’re covering all of the the stakeholders that would be interested from a business perspective. And then of course, we brought our doctors from IDPH and others into meetings to try to figure out how do we phase in as things get better in the state. Also, how do we take into account that there are variants out there that are faster moving in their transmission to people, and therefore, what we don’t want to see is a surge of cases. And so how do we make sure that as we’re opening up we’re taking into account that we could still see a surge of cases while we’re vaccinating everybody here. So that’s all part of the thinking, and contemplation as we look at, you know, how we gradually move entirely to phase Five. And that’s something we’re still working on, we’ll be announcing shortly.
The city of Chicago will greatly expand the number of people eligible for vaccination shots later this month, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced on Wednesday.
Under the move to phase 1C, Chicago residents who have medical conditions or are essential workers who haven’t yet qualified for the coronavirus vaccine will become eligible for the shot starting March 29, Lightfoot said.
The eligibility for those with health conditions applies to Chicagoans 16 and older and will follow the Illinois Department of Health’s guidelines that include cancer, lung disease, heart conditions and other ailments that put individuals at greater risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19. Unlike the rest of the state, however, Chicago will not include smokers in that category. Essential jobs will be defined as industries such as restaurants, construction, finance, media and other categories. […]
Chicago public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady has said she predicts most people in Phase 1c will get their vaccine throughout April and May. Meanwhile, Lightfoot has expressed optimism about President Joe Biden’s announcement last week that all adults in the U.S. should be eligible for the shot by May 1, but she prefaced that hope with the caveat that there must be more vaccine sent to Chicago.
The soon-to-be-eligible Phase 1C recipients are more likely to start receiving doses through April and May. […]
“We’ll definitely still be vaccinating hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans through the summer and beyond, but this is going to start feeling more like a traditional flu vaccine campaign where the problem is not finding a vaccine, it’s having the confidence and making the decision to get a vaccine.”
Cook County has launched a new COVID-19 vaccine campaign, based in part on a survey showing that 46% of African-American residents say they likely would not get the shot or were unsure about getting it.
“The ‘My Shot’ campaign speaks directly to these individuals who need to hear from their neighbors about the safety of these shots and the importance of making the choice to get vaccinated,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Monday during a Facebook Live event.
The campaign drew on responses from about 1,100 Cook County residents surveyed earlier this year. Among other things, it found that, overall, 32% of respondents were hesitant about getting the vaccine. Broken down by race, 46% of Black and 35% of Latino residents “probably would not, definitely would not or were unsure if they would get the vaccine.”
Not trying to pick on the Sun-Times because every Chicago media outlet ran essentially the same piece. But, like I said, there are two problems here if you look at the actual poll commissioned by the county. I decided to wait until I received the results before posting anything about them.
1) The poll was taken January 25 through February 9. Those are relatively ancient numbers because more recent polling shows vaccine hesitancy, including among African-Americans, has been declining for months as more people get their shots. This is from a March 3-8 NPR/PBS Marist poll…
According to a new poll, vaccine hesitancy among African-Americans is now on par with reluctance among white Americans.
That poll is here. The results clearly show that Republican men are by far the most resistant to getting vaxed, with 50 percent saying they would be vaccinated or have been vaccinated and 49 percent saying they would not be vaccinated. That’s compared to 73 percent of Black people who said they will or have been vaccinated and 25 percent who said they wouldn’t. Other recent polls have shown much the same thing.
Recent national Latinx attitudes seem to be more in line with that Cook County poll, however. 63 percent said they will or have been vaxed, while 37 percent said they would not take the shot.
2) Cook County’s media rollout lumped “definitely would not,” “probably would not” and “unsure” into the same result. Those are three very different attitudes. The results for African-Americans on this outdated survey were 19 percent definitely would not, 16 percent probably would not and 13 percent unsure.
* None of this is meant to say that Cook County shouldn’t be launching a campaign to convince people to take their shots. But things can change in life, and sometimes things change fast. So, using polling results that are as much as 51 days old on a rapidly evolving topic makes little sense to me and risks perpetuating a stereotype.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,655 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 17 additional deaths.
- Boone County: 1 male 70s
- Cook County: 1 female 40s, 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Grundy County: 1 male 30s, 1 female 60s
- Kane County: 1 male 90s
- Madison County: 1 male 50s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s
- Randolph County: 1 male 90s
- Will County: 1 male 60s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,213,765 cases, including 20,988 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 77,798 specimens for a total of 19,299,281. As of last night, 1,143 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 259 patients were in the ICU and 102 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 10-16, 2021 is 2.2%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 10-16, 2021 is 2.6%.
A total of doses of 5,101,825 vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 414,900 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 5,516,725. A total of 4,283,487 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 358,234 for long-term care facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 102,223 doses. Yesterday, 102,390 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
IDPH is now posting the weekly number of COVID-19 vaccine doses allocated from the federal government to the State of Illinois. Weekly allocations are broken out into the number of doses allotted for long-term care, second doses, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Safety Net Hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, Illinois National Guard Vaccine Sites, Illinois Retail Pharmacy, Minority Health and Mobile Teams, Illinois Department of Corrections, dialysis centers, and local health departments. Both first dose and second dose allocation will be broken out by local health department. The City of Chicago receives its own allocation of vaccine and therefore is not included on the IDPH website. These data include vaccine allocated to the state and do not include vaccine that is part of the federal supply, which is directly distributed by the federal government. Data can be found at http://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccineallocations.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
Rod Blagojevich is getting back into politics — but not as a candidate. He appears in a new digital ad to support Orland Township Supervisor Scott Kaspar, who’s running against Democrat Paul O’Grady in the April 6 consolidated election. The former governor takes a dig at O’Grady, by calling him a “Madi-goon,” a reference to being an ally of former House Speaker Michael Madigan, who butted heads with Blagojevich while in office. Blagojevich, who has appeared on “The Apprentice,” also had a bit of self-deprecating humor. “I’m the only guy in American history to have ever been fired and freed by the same guy.”
The 2.5-minute video is here if you’re at all interested. Dude is definitely in the “fat Elvis” phase of his life. The words are still there, but the spark is long gone.
* Kaspar’s ticket, Orland Residents for Responsible Government, has been endorsed by Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, who is up for reelection. But the local party is having some problems lately…
Orland Township Trustee candidate Lora Kreczmer posted bond on Tuesday afternoon after reports revealed she had an outstanding arrest warrant for three charges stemming from a car accident in August 2017, according to Chicago Ridge police. She is currently running on the Orland Residents For Responsible Government (ORRG) slate in the April 6 election.
According to Chicago Ridge police, Kreczmer got into a car crash Aug. 1, 2017, in the 10100 block of S. Harlem Avenue. The officer who wrote the accident report said Kreczmer was speaking with “mumbled speech,” she appeared to have “a blank stare” and her movements were “delayed/deliberate.” This lead to a field sobriety test, and Kreczmer was later faced with four charges, including driving under the influence - drugs, driving on a suspended or revoked license and failure to yield on a private road or drive,” according to records obtained and revealed in a Suburban Chicagoland report.
The report indicates a FOIA request — which cost a total of $9 — revealed that Kreczmer dodged her Sept. 26, 2017, Bridgeview court date to face the charges, and an arrest warrant was later issued on March 21, 2018, due to her failure to show up. According to records the outlet obtained, Kreczmer’s DUI charge included the use of prescription drugs.
Orland Township Board of Trustees candidate William Keefer is the latest on Orland Residents for Responsible Government’s slate to draw scrutiny.
Keefer, 25, has said he is a lawyer, listing it as his occupation in our Patch candidate survey. Although he did graduate from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2020, according to the Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, by definition, Keefer is not a lawyer, regardless of his degree.
In order to be considered a practicing lawyer in the state of Illinois, one must pass the bar exam, which is given to law school graduates to determine whether they are qualified to practice law in a specific jurisdiction.
Recently, readers asked Patch to look into Keefer’s qualifications as a lawyer. Before we could, the candidate’s profile on the political committee’s website changed. Prior, Keefer’s biography stated, “As a lawyer, William is interested in constitutional law ….” Now it reads, “William obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He is currently awaiting his bar exam results.”
An Illinois Senate committee will hold its first hearing Wednesday to begin the process of redrawing congressional and state legislative districts in line with the 2020 census, despite the fact that detailed census data will likely be unavailable until September.
Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said in an interview that despite the delay by the Census Bureau, he expects the General Assembly to complete the process before the June 30 deadline set in the state constitution.
“Well, the delay in the census data is certainly a new challenge, in a year full of challenges. But we’re prepared to forge ahead with our obligation to draw a map before June 30, as we’re required to do by the Constitution,” Harmon said.
Normally, states would receive the detailed “block-level” data from the Census Bureau in early April following the decennial census, but the process was delayed in 2020, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the Illinois Constitution, if lawmakers fail to approve new maps by June 30, the process is automatically handed over to an eight-member, bipartisan Legislative Redistricting Commission. That panel would then have until Aug. 10 to produce maps that have the support of at least five members. If it fails to meet that deadline, one more person would be chosen at random from a preapproved list to serve on the commission and the deadline would be extended to Oct. 5.
Harmon, however, said he does not believe that will be necessary, and the first committee hearing will feature testimony from the National Conference of State Legislatures about how other states are approaching the challenge.
“We know other states are getting started with their redistricting process as well, Iowa is kicking off their process,” he said. “Oklahoma seems to be a little bit ahead of us. Oklahoma evidently has announced that it’s going to begin using the 2019 estimated data from the American Community Survey, which in the past has been a fairly reliable predictor of what the final census data will look like.”
Senate President Don Harmon promises “a thoughtful, thorough, transparent process where everyone has a seat,” and that he and Welch share a belief that a fair map is one that reflects the racial diversity of Illinois.
Harmon says it’s too early to preordain how many majority-Black districts might be lost. “We have a proud tradition in Illinois of ensuring minority representation … that will continue to be a guiding principle.”
Harmon made state Sen. Omar Aquino, who is Latino, a chair and state Sen. Elgie Sims, who is Black, vice-chair (similarly in the House, Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez is chair, and Curtis J. Tarver is vice-chair). “For communities that have been traditionally marginalized, the African-American community, the Latino/Latina/Latinx community to not only have a seat at the table, but to have the gavel, is an important message to the residents of Illinois that all voices are going to be heard,” Harmon says. “They’ve both been staunch advocates for their communities and for good government, and I trust they’ll be able to lead a diverse and representative committee through their process.”
Any map is certain to draw a legal challenge and the accuracy of the data used would likely provide a new avenue to contest the final product.
Kimball Brace, a national redistricting expert who has worked generally for Democrats, including in Illinois, called redistricting the process of “the nonstop hiring of lawyers and expert witnesses” in court challenges.
But Brace also notes that questions about the accuracy of the census results are legal fodder in defending the use of other data to draw the maps.
“There is an added dimension to this data question. And that is the question of how good is the census anyway?” Brace said. “Did the Trump administration do a good job or not a good job? That is … what is starting to get talked about and argued back and forth, but it certainly is a realistic question mark right now.”
NPR Illinois: People get very animated about some of the weirdly shaped legislative districts and congressional districts and wards in Chicago. Does that make your list of things to worry about? Or is it more important to join minority communities to create a district for that population, no matter how “weird” it looks?
Harmon: [Laughs] Too much importance is attached to shapes. It would be lovely if everything were organized in rectangles. But Illinois is not a rectangle, and there are plenty of municipalities in the state that are incredibly irregular shaped themselves. What’s important in putting together a fair map is one that reflects the communities of interest and ties them together and gives everybody a seat at the table.
NPR Illinois: Speaking of rectangles, Some folks point to states like Iowa, which does map making via computer, and ends up having mostly square legislative districts. But of course, Iowa is a state with a much more homogenous population than Illinois. Is there a happy medium for folks who advocate for that sort of extreme nonpartisan process?
Harmon: I think that the Iowa process has been sold as something it is not. A computer doesn’t draw the districts; the people programming the computer do. Iowa is more homogenous, but there’s not a single African American in the Iowa Senate. And I don’t know that is a question of chance or or not. Illinois has a richly diverse community, and has led the way on representation of minority communities, particularly African Americans. And I wouldn’t trade places with Iowa on that score any day.
There’s additional info in all those links, particularly in Hannah Meisel’s interview, so click those links if you’re really interested in this topic. Subscribers also have additional information. Click here and here.
Two weeks before the first pitch of the season, the Chicago Cubs have already whiffed on an effort to force an injured fan into arbitration, in a ruling that could undermine a practice teams use to avoid litigation.
In a unanimous decision issued Tuesday, a state appeals court in Illinois upheld a trial court decision allowing a lawsuit by the fan to go forward. The court ruled that the arbitration provision—in small type on the back of the ticket, referring the holder to a web page with more information—was “so difficult to find, read or understand” that the fan couldn’t have known what she was agreeing to.
After a rash of fan injuries in recent years, Major League Baseball franchises have installed protective netting. That move has in turn given rise to a new batch of legal claims from injured fans who claim the effort is insufficient, challenging the century-old “baseball rule” that fans assume the risk of attending a game. Companies generally prefer arbitration since it’s secretive, they have a say in the selection of the judges, and the rulings are final, with only limited rights to appeal.
* Clifford Law handled the suit…
An Illinois Appellate Court today (Tuesday, March 16, 2021) held that a young woman hit in the face and injured by a foul ball at Wrigley Field may move forward with her civil lawsuit for damages and is not limited to arbitration against Major League Baseball.
In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Fitzgerald Smith, the appellate court affirmed the decision of the trial court that “the arbitration provision was effectively ‘hidden in a maze of fine print, unable to be appreciated by the Plaintiff,’” as stated by the trial court. Justices Terrence Lavin and Aurelia Pucinkski affirmed the opinion on the First District panel.
Laiah Zuninga, 28, attended the Chicago Cubs game on Aug. 28, 2018, when a foul ball struck her in the face, knocking her unconscious, creating permanent and severe head and facial injuries. MLB had announced earlier that year that all 30 stadiums would have netting that reached the far end of each dugout.
Zuninga sued MLB for negligence after obtaining the ticket to the game from her father after he won it at a raffle. She said she never read any fine print on the ticket or visited the Cubs website regarding any language regarding injuries sustained at the ballpark.
The appellate court held that “factors exist in this case that make the arbitration provision difficult or onerous to find or obtain at the time of using the ticket such that we cannot fairly say that the plaintiff was aware of what she was agreeing to. Principal among these factors is the fact that the paper ticket possessed by the plaintiff did not contain the actual terms and conditions of the contract, but merely contained a summary of the terms and conditions and informed ticket holders that they had to either access a website or visit the Cub’s administrative offices to obtain and read the full terms and conditions they were purportedly agreeing to, including the 8-paragraph arbitration provision.”
The appellate court went on to say that to access this language, one must have a cellular device, internet connection and the ability to read it likely when entering the stadium amidst a great deal of commotion which, when printed is four and a half single spaced pages.
“The likelihood that a ticket holder will actually find, obtain, and read the full arbitration provision by accessing the Cubs’s website or visiting the administrative office is diminished even further by the fact that minimal effort is made on the ticket itself to draw a ticket holder’s attention to the need to do one of these things in order to understand that they are agreeing to binding arbitration by using the ticket to enter Wrigley Field.”
Tracy Brammeier, associate at Clifford Law Offices, is handling this matter at the firm and successfully argued the matter before the Illinois Appellate Court.
Illinois came to market Tuesday, earlier than expected, with yields lowered by as much as 25 basis points from price talk Monday, as investor demand for high-yield paper welcomed the lowest-rated U.S. state. New deals from Oregon also re-priced to lower yields and New York State sold tax-exempt and taxable general obligation bonds in the competitive market to strong demand.
Triple-A benchmarks were little changed in mixed trading as the primary did the talking. U.S. Treasuries rose ahead of the Federal Reserve’s FOMC meeting conclusion Wednesday while equities lost ground.
Investors sitting on the sidelines in the secondary since Friday got a sense of what the primary had to offer and new deals were easily digested and underwriters bumped levels with the state of New York selling exempts through triple-A levels.
A repricing of Illinois general obligation bonds saw bonds bumped by 12 to 20 basis points from preliminary pricing wires Tuesday and 17 to 25 basis points from Monday’s price talk.
Morgan Stanley & Co. priced $1.25 billion of general obligation bonds for the State of Illinois (Baa3/BBB-/BBB-/). Bonds in 2022 with a 5% coupon at 0.69% (~63 basis points above triple-A benchmarks), 5s of 2026 at 1.51% (+108), 5s of 2031 at 2.22% (+102), 5s of 2036 at 2.47% (+119), 4s of 2041 at 2.81% (+132), 5s of 2046 at 2.75% (a 25 bps bump from Monday and about +111 bps). The second two series, $150 million priced with 5% coupons in 2022 to yield 0.69%, 1.51% in 2025, and 1.70% in 2031. The $258 million priced with 4% coupons in 2022 at 0.69%, 2025 at 1.30% and 2031 at 2.22%.
Maybe Google Translate needs to add a Bond Buyer function. Any help?
*** UPDATE 1 *** OK, this helps. Paul Chatalas, Director of Capital Markets, State of Illinois…
“The State received such strong demand and investor confidence that the bond sale was accelerated. Illinois received very impressive results, including more than 700 orders from more than 130 different investors, including respected names that have not invested in the State for a decade. This led to a contraction of credit spreads to 115 basis points over the benchmark in the longest maturity, the lowest in several years. Investors recognize the State is emerging from a period of unprecedented turbulence due to a global pandemic, and the bond market recognizes the fundamental security of the State’s bonds. The State appreciates the heavy subscription from long-time holders of its bonds, and welcomes the new investors that Illinois is seeing.”
Background…
Today the State of Illinois sold three series of tax-exempt General Obligation Bonds totaling $1.25 billion, to provide funding for capital projects, including projects authorized under the Rebuild Illinois capital program, for accelerated pension payments pursuant to the state’s ongoing pension buyout program and for refunding.
The Rebuild Illinois capital program, enacted in 2019, is the largest infrastructure program in the State’s history and the first in nearly a decade. The historic Rebuild Illinois capital plan passed with bipartisan supermajorities to improve the State’s infrastructure and improve economic development. The plan will invest $45 billion in roads, bridges, railways, universities, state facilities and other projects, creating and supporting an estimated 540,000 jobs over the life of the plan and revitalizing local economies across the state.
The pension benefit acceleration program allows program participants to receive an accelerated lump-sum payment in lieu of the right to receive future pension payments. With today’s issuance of $100 million, a total of $750 million of the authorized total of $1 billion pension acceleration bonds will have been issued.
The $850 million tax-exempt Series of March 2021A Bonds mature in 2022 through 2046 and funds capital projects and the pension acceleration program.
The $150 million tax-exempt Series of March 2021B Bonds mature in 2022 through 2031 and fund IT projects, which by statute may not have bond maturities that exceed 10 years.
The $250 million tax-exempt Series of March 2021C Bonds mature in 2022 through 2031 and are refunding bonds expected to save the State of Illinois $21.8 million, or 8 percent savings on a present value basis.
The G.O. Bonds were offered in three separate series in a negotiated sale, with an aggregate true interest cost of 2.90 percent. The bonds are being issued as fully exempt from federal taxation and are rated “BBB-” negative outlook by Fitch Ratings, “Baa3” negative outlook by Moody’s Investors Service and “BBB-” stable outlook by S&P Global Ratings.
The bond financing was led by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, with Co-Senior Managers Cabrera Capital Markets LLC, J.P. Morgan, Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC, and Stifel. Co-Managers were Blaylock Van LLC, Mischler Financial Group Inc., North South Capital, Podesta & Co. and Rice Financial Products Company.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From our favorite Bond Buyer reporter…
i know, still too much jargon….translation: Illinois did very very nicely cause market hungry for any bonds that offer a higher interest & at same time market no long worried in near term about cut to junk with improving taxes and fed windfall.
— yvette.shields@arizent.com (@Yvette_BB) March 17, 2021
Tuesday's results set a low for spreads not seen since 2014 before Illinois' two-year budget impasse that began in 2015 during then Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner clashed with the legislature’s Democratic majority. #municipalbonds@Yvette_BBhttps://t.co/frhk1xx8ON
Madigan’s tenure was often described as his “reign,” but [House Speaker Chris Welch] said he has no designs on the throne.
“The media and political junkies assume I’m here to be the new party king — I don’t want to be anybody’s king,” Welch said. “That could be the furthest from the truth. I’m not here to roll out top-down decisions and direction on policymaking and legislative.
“I am really here to get things done — fast and decisively, but done well and collaboratively. People need us to act, they need to see us do that by working together.” […]
“I think it’s extremely important that we are very intentional about providing access to health care, not just to the wealthy, but to lower income communities as well,” Welch said. “We have to not just talk about it, we have to do the work.”
At the end of the day, beyond the politicking, the deal-making and the usual business between business and politics, we ultimately answer to our communities. We are accountable to our communities. We need a spirit of unprecedented cooperation and congeniality at this time. As long as I am speaker, I will work to make sure that the Illinois House of Representatives operates in a way that reflects the commitment to openness and collaboration the public expects of us. I want to talk to you about a few of my priorities here today. Equity and justice is right in the center. Democratized, decentralized leadership is how we arrive at solutions that are deeper and more compelling than the challenges and injustices we face.
The first week of COVID-19 saliva testing for Illinois state Senators, staff members and journalists covering the proceedings cost taxpayers nearly $21,000.
Earlier this month, the office of Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said anyone entering the Capitol building or media areas not controlled by the Senate won’t have to show test results, but would need to show a negative COVID-19 test before entering the Senate chambers, committee rooms or Senators’ offices.
Members of the media were initially told to pay the bill for their tests, but that was later retracted and the cost was put on the taxpayers’ tab.
The Senate returned for an in-person session last week. Harmon’s office said 698 tests were performed at a cost of $30 per test for a total of $20,940. They’re also in this week with another round of testing.
“In order to make sure lawmakers, staff and their families are as safe as they can be during the ongoing pandemic, the Senate is working with the University of Illinois to regularly test everyone entering Senate offices, chambers and committee rooms,” Harmon’s office wrote earlier this month.
The Senate is using the University of Illinois-developed saliva testing program it calls SHIELD.
That weekly tab will likely double when the Senate begins to meet three days per week. We get tested on Monday for Tuesday and Wednesday session days, but must be re-tested on Wednesday for any Thursday sessions. Last week, they adjourned on Wednesday and the chamber will do so again later today.
Also, for the record, while I didn’t like it, I wasn’t opposed to paying my own way. Some other media outlets, however, raised a big stink about the cost.
Representative democracy works best when people actively engage in policy discussions and elections, ensuring that communities of color, long disenfranchised, are prioritized. Historically, Illinois’ redistricting process favors incumbents and is dominated by partisan, rather than community, objectives.
In 2021, we can create a fair map for Illinoisans that puts their interests first with a process that:
● Invites broad, meaningful public input through at least 35 public hearings for community members
● Requires fairness standards that prioritize people of color through the Federal Voting Rights Act, the Illinois Voting Rights Act, and communities of interest
● Allows for the public to weigh in on a map proposal through a public hearing and responses to suggestions before a final vote
● Is transparent, with a centralized website including all remap records and discussions and a compliance report detailing how the map meets these standards
First Lady MK Pritzker and Governor JB Pritzker announced that beginning today, the State of Illinois will host a memorial at the Governor’s Executive Mansion to commemorate the lives lost to COVID-19.
Today, March 16, 2021, signifies one year since the first known COVID-19 death in Illinois. To memorialize this painful milestone and the tragedy of the last year, the First Lady commissioned an installation to honor to the Illinoisans who have died from COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. Illinoisans are invited to visit the installation and pay tribute to their loved ones by tying a ribbon that is provided on site at the perimeter of the installation.
“This memorial offers all of our fellow Illinoisans a space to mourn our losses, individual and collective, in the name of healing,” said First Lady MK Pritzker and Governor JB Pritzker. “Together, one year into this pandemic, we honor those we’ve lost, as well as all the loved ones they left behind. It is through remembrance that we will move forward as one Illinois, committed to a shared vision of prosperity and hope. May the memories of those we’ve lost guide the way and be a blessing.”
Illinois has lost more than 23,000 lives in this pandemic, including both confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths as defined by the Centers for Disease Control. To commemorate this shared loss, the installation includes 102 wings representing Illinois’ 102 counties that together hold more than 5,500 ribbons, each representing approximately four Illinoisans who tragically lost their life to this virus. The ribbons are illuminated by glowing spheres that serve a twofold purpose: To remember the victims of the pandemic, while also representing the permanence of light in the darkest of times.
The memorial will be on display in the state’s capital city for one month, spanning from March 16, 2021, until April 17, 2021. The conclusion of the exhibit marks one year since Governor Pritzker directed all flags to be lowered to half-staff on all public buildings and grounds to honor those who lost their lives to COVID-19. Following the exhibit and the one-year anniversary of the lowered flags, Governor Pritzker will direct the flags to be returned to full staff on April 17.
Senators are meeting in hybrid committees. While most are here in-person, they’re also logged on to iPads using Zoom to hear witness testimony. Kind of awkward as some members speak to each other audibly in the room but forgot to “unmute” their Zoom microphones. pic.twitter.com/AKtLrMsQpe
State Senator Darren Bailey is calling on Governor JB Pritzker to fully reopen Illinois.
It has been almost a year since a Stay At Home order was issued in Illinois due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Sen. Bailey, who is running for governor, said of Pritzker in a statement, “His failed leadership continues to devastate businesses, families, students, and working people across the state.” […]
Bailey filed lawsuits fighting the Stay At Home order.
Just another attempt to spike the ball on the 20.
Also, the stay at home order expired in May of last year. And Bailey’s lawsuit success rate ain’t that great. Do better, 17. You’re not supposed to be a Facebook commenter.
* Senate President Don Harmon has a Sun-Times op-ed that begins with a story about how Oak Park was sliced into 6 different legislative districts until 20 years ago, when he and others pushed hard to get most of the town into one district, which he now represents. Here’s his conclusion…
Though this year presents unique challenges, from navigating public meetings during a global pandemic to delays in data from the U.S Census Bureau, we will not shy away from our constitutional duty to ensure that communities receive fair and equal representation. Black, Latinx, Asian and other minority communities have been marginalized and silenced for far too long, left to pay the ultimate price.
We must also embrace the wide geographic diversity of our state, unified by the richness wrought from our varied experiences.
We are dedicated to fulfilling our responsibility to approve a new map through a system that gives the people of Illinois a strong say in the process. Failure to meet deadlines would upend the democratic process and turn map-making over to a small commission of appointed political insiders and, as history has shown, ultimately yield a more partisan result. That would be a disservice to our citizens and counter to everyone’s stated goals.
As I recall my fight to win fair representation for Oak Park all those years ago, I can think of no more frustrating outcome than to have the will of my community ignored in favor of backroom political deals. But that is what is at stake for communities across Illinois if legislators do not forge ahead in a deliberate manner, placing people ahead of politics.
We must not let history repeat itself. We must make room at the table.
Notice that giving people “a strong say in the process” is not the same as forbidding politicians from drawing their own maps and choosing their own voters. And that’s some pretty interesting spin on the process of turning this over to a bipartisan commission with a partisan tiebreaker.
They could easily pass a law setting up an independent map-making process. Or just do it unilaterally. But they won’t. And that means a showdown is coming with the governor.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,997 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 19 additional deaths.
- Cook County: 1 female 40s, 1 female 60s, 2 males 60s, 1 female 70s, 3 males 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- DuPage County: 1 male 70s
- Madison County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 90s
- Ogle County: 1 male 60s
- Rock Island County: 1 female 70s
- St. Clair County: 1 male 60s
- Will County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,212,110 cases, including 20,973 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 51,240 specimens for a total of 19,221,483. As of last night, 1,152 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 250 patients were in the ICU and 124 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 9-15, 2021 is 2.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 9-15, 2021 is 2.6%.
A total of doses of 4,982,225 vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 414,900 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 5,397,125. A total of 4,181,097 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 356,427 for long-term care facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 102,564 doses, the highest number to date. Yesterday, 78,287 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
The Republican governors of Texas, Wyoming, and Maryland are lifting pandemic restrictions throughout their states. These governors have already been vaccinated against COVID-19, but the vast majority of their residents still await a potentially life-saving shot.
And at least 26 other American governors have received a COVID-19 vaccination, too — 13 Republicans and 13 Democrats.
But 24 other governors — 14 Republicans and 10 Democrats — tell Insider they’re waiting their turn, abiding by the vaccination distribution guidelines they’ve helped set or waiting for the vaccine supplies in their state to increase.
As Americans scramble to find vaccines, the state leaders are taking wildly different approaches in how they protect themselves — creating tension between getting a shot early to show skeptics it’s safe, and appearing like they’re jumping the line ahead of their constituents.
Insider contacted the offices of all 50 governors to inquire whether they had received the vaccine. They offered a multitude of reasons why they received it: age, continuity of government, and their own personal health histories, among others.
Frankly, as someone who is about to head over to the Senate to cover session, I’d like to know how many Illinois legislators have been vaccinated. I’d also like to know how many results came back positive yesterday when everyone planning to attend session this week had to be tested. But, you know, if wishes were fishes…
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis said it’s not too great being a Republican in a Democrat-controlled Congress.
“It sucks,” he said during a Monday visit to Champaign. “I’d much rather be in the majority.”
And with redistricting expected to remove one U.S. House seat in Illinois, putting his own seat on the line, Davis didn’t shoot down rumors that he’s considering a run for governor in 2022.
“You never say never,” Davis said, before criticizing current Gov. J.B. Pritzker for problems at the Illinois Department of Employment Security. “I’m gonna criticize any elected official who’s just not doing the job that I think my constituents expect him or her to do.”
* The Question: Think he’ll do it? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
More than 25 state treasurers and elected fiduciaries and trustees of funds with assets under management of over $1 trillion are calling on five top asset managers––Vanguard, State Street, Fidelity, JPMorgan Asset Management, and BNY Mellon––to answer for their political contributions and track records of blocking of shareholder accountability efforts on lobbying and political disclosure in the aftermath of the Capitol Insurrection. The calls build on last month’s letter to BlackRock sent by a number of state treasurers, elected fiduciaries and trustees expressing similar concerns about its corporate political spending and lobbying transparency and practices. Recent analysis by Majority Action, a nonprofit shareholder advocacy organization, found that the six top asset managers who received the letters contributed more than $1 million to members of Congress who opposed the election results after the Capitol insurrection through their political action committees (PACs) during the 2016-2020 election cycles.
Illinois’ treasurer is asking the nation’s top money managers not to donate to Republicans who objected to the certification of the 2020 election results, a move one critic said was a taxpayer-funded political bludgeon.
Treasurer Michael Frerichs defended signing a letter last month with other fiduciaries asking the nation’s top money managers to refrain from donating to 147 members of Congress who objected to certifying the 2020 election results on Jan. 6.
“There are a variety of people pushing lies about government, lies about our elections, destroying trust in our government, destroying trust in that process, which is destabilizing to our country,” Frerichs said Monday.
Last month’s letter – spearheaded by the nonprofit Majority Action and health care union SEIU – went to Vanguard, State Street, Fidelity, JPMorgan Asset Management and BNY Mellon last month. The funds donated $1 million to members of Congress who objected to the election results. Frerichs signed letters only to Vanguard, Fidelity and State Street.
“Will State Street forswear corporate political spending (direct or indirect) to the 147 members of Congress who voted to overturn the results of a free and fair democratic election on January 6th, 2021?” the letter to State Street said.
Members of Congress, by law, can raise objections to election certification, as was done Jan. 6, 2020. The objections found support in the U.S. Senate, but were not sustained. Certification of the electoral college was temporarily delayed because of the riots at the Capitol Building.
Asked if he’d urge the money managers not to support Democratic members of Congress who objected to the certification of President Donald Trump’s election win in 2017, Frerichs said he wouldn’t.
“In 2017, there were peaceful protests, there were not riots, there were not attacks on our … nation’s capital,” Frerichs said.
Combined, the signatories of the letters to the investment firms manage around $1 trillion of public funds.
Wirepoints founder Mark Glennon said there was violence across the country over the past four years and Democratic officials fueled skepticism of the 2016 outcome for years. He said Frerichs’ letter was a veiled political threat that used taxpayer resources.
“We all know that there’s too much money in politics, but this is an attempt by partisans to control that money and force it only into their coffers,” Glennon said.
Glennon said the letter seems designed to leverage taxpayer resources to chill political speech supporting Republicans.
“It’s nakedly partisan and it’s an attempt to force corporations to not make political contributions to [Republican], and to [Republicans] alone,” Glennon said.
Glennon is always supremely angry about something.
Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs has been in office since 2015. During that time as the head finance expert in the state he has earned more than $1 billion for state investments.
To put it in visual terms, Frerichs said $1 billion is the equivalent of funding 330 miles of new highways in the state. Frerichs is the first treasurer for the State of Illinois to reach the $1 billion threshold since Judy Baar Topinka in 1999.
Frerichs attributed his success to state lawmakers taking a bipartisan approach to investing and adopting more modern methods of earning money for the state. Frerichs gave the example that “lawmakers regulate what investments are possible and which are prohibited. For example, purchasing individual stocks in the state portfolio is not allowed.”
Changes in legislature have allowed Frerichs to invest the state’s funds into public sector bonds and highly rated corporate bonds. Some of these bonds come from well-known companies like Caterpillar, Deere & Co, and Pfizer.
The main reason he hit that same milestone as Topinka did 22 years ago is Frerichs was reelected, just like Topinka was in 1998. No treasurer since then has been reelected. Also, a billion dollars in 1999 is equivalent to $1.6 billion today.
Springfield progressives and a member of the Cook County Board are pushing a plan to raise up to $1.2 billion a year to help the disabled, including undocumented immigrants, by doubling the Illinois’ estate tax. […]
The payments would go to each of the roughly 270,000 Illinois residents who get federal Supplemental Security Income, commonly known as SSI, plus an estimated over 84,000 undocumented immigrants that sponsors say are disabled and deserve benefits, too. Sponsors say the money would get current SSI recipients just to the poverty level, since SSI itself does not provide that much of a benefit.
Money for the new spending would come from raising the state’s tax on estates worth $4 million or more from 4.95 percent now to 9.95 percent.
I wanted to take the opportunity to respond to this post and Sheriff Mendrick’s comments about it. I am the Director of the Housing Team at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, part of the coalition pushing this bill. I agree with Sheriff Mendrick that sexual assault prevention is our main priority and of the utmost importance.
The reason I chose to support this bill is that residency restrictions have been exhaustively researched and do not prevent sexual abuse or assault. Not only do they fail to prevent sexual violence, but they increase the social breakdowns that lead to crime, including sexual assault; the Sex Offenses and Sex Offender Registration Task Force, formed by the General Assembly, concluded in a 2018 report that residency restrictions “can prevent people convicted of sex offending from engaging in pro-social activities, such as work, that guard against reoffending.” I decided that I care more about protecting the public than hurting people with past convictions for sex offenses.
As was noted, the bill’s changes in weekly requirements are a matter of common sense. Currently, homeless registrants (on several registries) have to re-register 51 times more often than people with fixed addresses. All other registration requirements remain the same. This bill stops targeting people simply because they are homeless but still requires people to register annually or quarterly, and anytime any other information changes.
Remember that most people in this category are homeless because of these laws. In fact, most had safe and stable housing but were forced into homelessness as the restriction zones constantly shift. This bill would open up some housing and reduce homelessness.
Having to register every week prevents people from maintaining stable employment and taking care of their families. Several men pay rent and take care of their kids but have to sleep on trains at night because of these laws. There are men who have to take their kids with them to register. This is simply not sustainable for already indigent persons.
One of our main partners on this bill is CAASE, a victim advocates group, along with many other groups who have seen the damage caused by these laws. The question here is not ‘do you care about victims of sexual violence?’ but rather ‘do you care about hurting people with past sex offense convictions more than preventing sexual assault’?
Advocates and lawmakers have reintroduced legislation that would end a special gas utility surcharge that allows companies to raise customer bills in order to pay for infrastructure development with limited regulatory oversight.
The gas utility surcharge, known as the Qualified Infrastructure Plant, became law in 2013 after similar formula rate legislation that benefited utility giant Commonwealth Edison was passed.
House Bill 3941, sponsored by Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, and accompanying Senate Bill 570, sponsored by Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, would phase out the surcharge by the end of 2021. It is otherwise not set to expire in 2023.
By ending the program, the legislation would restore traditional oversight of rate hikes. Advocates say the existing QIP charge allows for gas utility companies such as Ameren Illinois, Nicor Gas and Peoples Gas to bring in revenue at a faster pace than it would with traditional regulations.
* From Jeff Berkowitz’s recent interview with Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul Schimpf…
Schimpf: But the other mistake that Governor Pritzker made - and this goes back to the idea that we should have been focusing on either protecting our most vulnerable population and then also making sure that our medical capacity was not overwhelmed - is he used the positivity rate as his metric for deciding whether or not areas were going to be reopened, or whether they were going to have to shut down again. And the positivity rate should not have been the metric that we were using.
Berkowitz: What metric would you have used knowing what you knew in April of 2020?
Schimpf: I would say we needed to focus on the hospitalization rate. How are the are the number of people that are being hospitalized, is that increasing? […]
Berkowitz: And knowing what you knew then, not what you know, when do you suppose you would have made that decision to start relaxing as well started opening?
Schimpf: I wrote that letter and signed that letter in the middle of April.
* The claim about the importance of the positivity rate vs. hospitalizations is historically inaccurate. Here’s Dr. Ezike [it actually may have been Gov. Pritzker, but I’d need to go back and listen to make sure] on April 14 of last year…
Perhaps the most accurate leading indicator of our progress is our hospitalization data. Right now, if someone is sick enough with a respiratory illness to need hospital care, then it’s likely that that person has COVID-19, whether or not they have been tested.
On April 6, the number of known COVID patients and suspected COVID patients totaled 3680. On April 10, that number was 4020. On April 11, it was 4104. On April 12 4091. As of today, it was 4283.
Hospitalizations peaked last spring on April 28 at 5,027. Hospitalizations didn’t drop below 4,000 until May 21. They didn’t drop below 3,000 until June 4th - 53 days after Schimpf would’ve let off the brakes.
In other words, Schimpf would’ve eased up on mitigations while his supposedly most important metric was still rapidly increasing and at the tail end of an enormous spike. That clearly would not have ended well.
By the way, IDPH didn’t even include the positivity rate in press releases by mid-April last year (I found that above Ezike/Pritzker quote while looking through media briefing transcripts). I checked with the governor’s office this morning and was told the 7-day average positivity rate last April 15 was 22.7 percent.
So, skyrocketing hospitalizations, huge positivity rate (albeit with low testing numbers) and yet, let’s open it up.
* Gov. JB Pritzker did several interviews with reporters yesterday. Subscribers have my report, but here are some highlights from the others. Mary Ann Ahern at NBC 5…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said while he anticipates opening up vaccine eligibility - particularly in the months ahead to meet President Joe Biden’s deadline of having all adults eligible by May 1 - the exact timing of Illinois’ expansion isn’t clear.
“No announcements yet about what 1C would look like, I just think that people should start to think very much about you know the fact that we’re going to open this up to everybody relatively sooner than I think people expected,” Pritzker said during the interview Monday. “Certainly by May 1 and we’ll do it sooner than that I believe in the state of Illinois.”
* CBS 2’s Dana Koslov focused on the IDES backlog…
Kozlov: “We’re a year in. Why is this still happening?”
Pritzker: “Well, let me begin by just saying that when you’re in the most difficult moment of your life – when you’ve lost your employment and you need help – you ought to be able to get to it.”
And that is exactly why alarms sounded when Acting IDES Director Kristin Richards stated, at a hearing, that some callback times were getting worse. She said current response times were “upwards of four weeks.”
Pritzker disputes that, calling it inaccurate. But he did say: “We’ve gotten better at this, but it’s not good enough. There’s no doubt about it. It’s not good enough, and that’s why we continue to apply people, technology, dollars to fixing the system; making it easier.”
Fixing it would make the questions go away. Just sayin.
After a full year of COVID-19 battles that has taken a toll on him and his state, Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he has no real second thoughts about the decisions he’s made to fight the pandemic.
“If I knew then what I know now, I probably would have made some changes,” such as implementing a statewide mask order earlier, Pritzker said in an interview late Monday, exactly one year after the state’s first COVID death. Of all government restrictions, “it’s clear masks have done the most” to slow the infection rate.
To date, Illinois has reported nearly 21,000 COVID-related fatalities and 1.2 million cases. That’s actually more on a per capita basis than in some states, notably Florida, which imposed far fewer restrictions for a far shorter time than Illinois, and whose experience has made some wonder if Pritzker made the right tradeoff.
Pritzker rejected that suggestion. Florida “is different,” he said, with a much different population mix than Illinois and a warmer climate which keeps people outside more often and away from indoor venues where the virus spreads more quickly.
The better comparison to make would be with New York and California, particularly New York City and Los Angeles. “Hospitals were over-run” in New York last spring and in LA this winter,” he noted. “That didn’t happen here.”
“From March to early June, Republican-led states had lower Covid-19 incidence rates compared with Democratic-led states. On June 3, the association reversed, and Republican-led states had higher incidence,” the study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Medical University of South Carolina showed.
“For death rates, Republican-led states had lower rates early in the pandemic, but higher rates from July 4 through mid-December,” the study found.
The governor says a hoped-for summer re-opening of the tourism-hospitality business, Illinois’ second-largest employer, is not entirely up to politicians.
“And I think it’s very important for us to recognize that there are a lot of people who are still afraid. And I don’t blame them,” Pritzker said.
“Remember, a hurricane hit us effectively with this pandemic and what Donald Trump ignited was a heavy headwind in addition to the hurricane that was hitting us,” Pritzker said. “I had to just decide that this wasn’t about politics and that, even if he was trying to convince people not to wear masks … that I needed to do everything that I could to keep people safe. And that’s what I’ve done.”
The governor gave an emphatic “no” when asked if he was worried that his efforts during the pandemic may tank his potential bid for a second term, adding “I’m focused on doing what’s right for the people of the state of Illinois and not on the politics.” […]
Half the funds from the recently passed COVID-19 relief bill should be available by April and the state has to make sure they’re used “prudently,” Pritzker said.
“What’s important about it is we we’ve got to make sure that those dollars are used prudently, that we pay down debt that we incurred as a result of the coronavirus, that we pay down bills that were incurred during this pandemic and that we ignite job creation and economic growth with those dollars,” Pritzker said. “I think that’s the best and wisest use for us in this pandemic, and that’s what I’m here to encourage the Legislature to do.” […]
Pritzker is eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1B plus, but he said he’s waiting to get his dose to avoid jumping the line.
While Pritzker stopped short of calling on Cuomo to resign, he said he supports a “thorough investigation,” believes the women accusing Cuomo of harassment and misconduct “should be listened to,” and suggested the Albany legislature may decide to remove him from office.
“A decision needs to get made in New York by the people of New York, by the people in the legislature in New York, whether or not Governor Cuomo should stay in office,” Pritzker said.
When asked if he plans to run for re-election in 2022, Pritzker said, “that’s not something I’m thinking about right now.”
“I feel better today than I have this entire year,” Pritzker said Monday during an interview with “Chicago Tonight.” “As you see, our numbers have significantly declined, the numbers of people going into the hospital, getting sick, going on a ventilator in an ICU, and we’ve got more people vaccinated on a per capita basis than any other of the top 10 largest states in the country.”
On Monday, Illinois launched a COVID-19 vaccine hotline to help residents book appointments — a process many have found to be challenging.
“We have a decentralized public health system in the state of Illinois, and so 97 local public health departments,” Pritzker said. “They don’t answer to the state, they answer to their local county governments. That’s been one of the challenges.”
Illinois offered the same appointment-making software to every local public health department, but many chose not to use it, he said.
Though COVID-19 has been all-encompassing this year, Pritzker has also dealt with issues not directly related to the pandemic — and much ink has been spilled over a string of perceived political losses. In November, voters overwhelmingly rejected his signature graduated income tax constitutional amendment, which he spent more than three years — and millions of his own dollars — campaigning on as both a gubernatorial candidate and as governor.
Pritzker recently backed Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris (8) to head the Democratic Party of Illinois after the departure of longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan from party chair last month, only to see U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson ascend to the position with backing from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. The governor also failed to muscle through a significant revenue-related bill during lawmakers’ Lame Duck session in January.
In these losses — coupled with the tension that’s built up between the executive and legislative branches of government during the past year where Pritzker has mostly ruled via executive order — does the governor think he has any bridges to mend with fellow Democrats and voters?
“Look, I’ve not been focused on the politics what I’ve been focused on is really keeping people safe, keeping them alive,” Pritzker said. “If I was focused on politics, I would have made different decisions and more people would have died.”
A recent poll from 1892 Polling found voters were split 41% to 41% on public opinion of Pritzker, with 18% reporting no opinion. Pritzker on Monday dismissed that poll for its pollster’s history in Republican politics, including former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s 2014 campaign, and instead pivoted to programs his administration set up to help struggling Illinoisans.
“It’s been a difficult year for everybody, there’s no doubt about it,” Pritzker said. “What I’ve been focused on is lifting people up trying to get them the assistance that they need, whether it’s with the largest rental assistance program in the United States, the Business Interruption Grant [BIG] program, the childcare support program that we put in place — the largest in the United States and uses a model now nationally.”
He did an interview with the Tribune, I’m told, but it’s not up yet.
…Adding… Oops. Missed one. Dave McKinney and Tony Arnold at WBEZ…
Another GOP criticism directed at Pritzker involves his administration’s inability to safeguard residents of Illinois’ state-run veterans’ homes from COVID-19. Since the pandemic began, nearly 80 COVID-19 deaths have been reported at state-run veterans’ homes, with 36 of those fatalities reported at the LaSalle veterans’ home alone.
“It does get to this level of (a) …question of competence,” said Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorn Woods, one of Pritzker’s harshest critics in the General Assembly. “Just because you have a pandemic going on, just because you have a long-term crisis, doesn’t mean the governor should get a pass in regards to this level of mismanagement on these and other things.” […]
But Pritzker shrugged off any negativity from the newly seated top Senate Republican.
“It’s clear there’s a lot of politics involved here. The Senate minority leader, Dan McConchie, [has] consistently been wrong in his criticism. Remember that it’s his caucus and members of his caucus that have been frequently the ones who are telling people ‘don’t worry about wearing masks, don’t worry about mitigations,’ that in fact have seen deaths and people getting sick in their areas,” the governor said.
“There’s been very little leadership on the part of Republicans, in general, and specifically here in Illinois,” Pritzker said.
* As far as I can tell, there’s a significant overlap between those who refuse to be vaccinated and those who refuse to wear masks, so, like it or not, the mask mandate is probably gonna have to stay in place for a while…
A year after the state logged its first death from the coronavirus, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his public health team are poised to release a retooled plan to reopen Illinois and end the majority of the COVID-19 restrictions as soon as adequate numbers of residents are fully vaccinated.
But while Illinoisans could get a better idea later this week just how soon they can expect to gather in larger crowds and resume visiting their regular restaurants and stores, they will apparently need to continue to let their eyes do the smiling.
“We’re not getting rid of masks,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the head of the Illinois Department of Public Health. “We think masks have to continue to be a mainstay.”
This is the last song our beloved @johnprinemusic ever wrote. It was an unspeakable honor to sing it tonight. Thank you to the Grammys for lifting our hero. Merry Christmas John 🎄
Let’s try something different today and talk about our favorite Illinois-born or Illinois-based musicians and bands. Hopefully, as they say, if the good Lord’s willing and the creek don’t rise, it won’t be too much longer before we can go see live music again.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration is set to unveil a plan later this week that will more gradually move the state from current coronavirus restrictions to a full reopening, officials said Monday. […]
But at a state Senate Health Committee meeting Monday, Illinois Department of Public Health director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said to get “from where we are now to phase five, (is) maybe not just an on-off switch but a dial, so there may be one more phase.”
Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh confirmed that the administration is “working on a phased-in reopening.” […]
Ezike said the key bench marks that will lead to full reopening include having a majority of seniors vaccinated, as well as consideration of overall vaccinations, and seeing the number of COVID-19 related deaths continue to go down.
The upper floors of the Cacciatore family’s eight-story brick office building at Wells and Congress offer a perfect view of Oscar D’Angelo Park just across the street.
For some members of the Cacciatore family, that was a source of irritation: being stuck with a view of a park named for D’Angelo on what they considered their South Loop turf.
After nearly three decades of suffering, they asked the Chicago Park District to rename the park for their family patriarch.
Thus was borne one of the most unusual attempted bribery allegations in memory.
In a recent federal indictment, prosecutors accuse government affairs consultant Roberto Caldero of promising $50,000 in campaign contributions from the Cacciatores to then-Ald. Danny Solis (25th) in exchange for Solis arranging an honorary street name designation for one deceased Cacciatore family member and renaming the park for another.
To appreciate the irony, you need to know the background.
Low-to-moderate-income Illinois taxpayers will not have unpaid fines deducted from their state income tax refunds this year as families struggle to deal with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois State Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza announced Monday.
“Families on the edge are counting on their state income tax refunds to pay bills they have been putting off as COVID-19 cost them jobs or increased their medical bills,” Comptroller Mendoza said.
This is decisive action that will provide relief to families that are struggling the most from the pandemic. Statewide, Earned Income Tax Credit eligible taxpayers will have access to an estimated $15 million that would have been intercepted. This comes as a result of collaboration between the Comptroller, Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, and advocacy groups that asked for relief for these families, who are standing together for a news conference Monday.
“I applaud Comptroller Mendoza for creating welcome financial relief for our working families in Chicago and across Illinois,” Mayor Lightfoot said. “These families have carried the heaviest burden from the COVID-19 crisis with hours cut and jobs lost, and with it, the health care, transportation, and other essentials we rely on to live our daily lives. As we move to put this terrible pandemic behind us, we must do everything in our power to ensure our recovery is equitable and brings everyone into to the success we hope to all share.”
Ten years ago, the Illinois General Assembly gave cities around the state the right to contract with the Comptroller’s office to withhold unpaid traffic and parking ticket fines, and other court judgments from state income tax returns and send those to the towns. The Comptroller already performed that function for other state agencies, garnishing unpaid child support for instance. Those garnishments will continue to be withheld and passed on to the custodial parent.
A year ago, Comptroller Mendoza announced the office would no longer withhold unpaid red-light camera ticket fines from taxpayers’ income-tax refunds. That decision was made because of corruption uncovered in the red-light camera industry resulting in indictments, as well as reports showing connected government officials getting a cut of those fines and the fact that these fines disproportionately impacted poor families. More than 90% of red-light camera tickets in many jurisdictions are not for running through red lights, but rather for failing to make a full stop during a legal right turn on red.
For this tax year, the office will not offset tax refunds going to families or individuals who qualify for the state Earned Income Tax Credit. The state EITC, which is based on the federal EITC, is a widely accepted standard for determining who is considered low-and moderate-income. For the current tax year (2020), a family of four earning $56,844 a year or less or a single person earning $15,820 a year or less qualifies.
All of the families benefitting from this policy change are, by definition, “working class.” If you do not earn income and file a tax return, this policy will not affect you.
“Key to combatting structural inequity is to put more money in the pockets of lower income folks, who are disproportionately people of color. In our economy, wealth creates wealth. Protecting the tax refunds of lower wealth families gives them a chance to build a better life for themselves and their community,” said Brent Adams, senior vice president of policy and communication of Woodstock Institute.
Today’s policy change could affect 41,000 households of the roughly 1 million across the state that qualify for the EITC. The $15 million that they will keep in their refunds will help them get through the pandemic. The average hit to families that are offset is $363 and can involve multiple tickets. Sometimes the fines have doubled. Families count on those income tax refunds to pay for more critical bills, like rent, groceries, and medications.
This change reflects efforts by the City of Chicago and Mayor Lori Lightfoot to tackle regressive fines and fees, from implementing affordable payment plans to eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars in fees related to vehicle impounds. As a member of Cities and Counties for Fine and Fee Justice, a national cohort dedicated to reducing the harm of fines and fees, the city has worked with the community to identify and address harmful practices. Those initial reforms have resulted in numerous people getting their driver’s licenses back, allowing them to work and earn income, as well as a sharp increase in compliance due to people paying into affordable payment plans.
The Comptroller’s office made this decision after reviewing the impact of the program on vulnerable populations and consulting with the City of Chicago and a coalition of advocacy groups including the Chicago Jobs Council, Woodstock Institute, Economic Security for Illinois, the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice, the Chicago Urban League, the Heartland Alliance, the Illinois Asset Building Group, the Illinois Coalition on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and POWER-PAC IL, among others that had advocated for this change.
The groups argued persuasively that COVID-19 has been a serious hardship on poor families that are disproportionately impacted by these fines and fees.
“Although families qualifying for the state Earned Income Tax Credit are only about 15% of the state population, they account for 36% of the money withheld from income tax refunds. So, yes, these fines and fees hit them harder,” Mendoza said. “We were happy to work with Mayor Lightfoot’s office and the advocacy groups to make this policy change happen in time for this tax season, for the benefit of poor- and moderate-income families around the state.”
“It’s encouraging to see the Comptroller and the Mayor safeguard the tax refunds that Illinois’ lowest-income workers rely on. We hope their action will inspire the Illinois General Assembly to implement further changes that automate, expand and protect the state earned income tax credit for all of our neighbors who need it most,” said Harish I. Patel, director of Economic Security for Illinois.
The change also provides an opportunity to highlight that approximately 20% of eligible Chicago taxpayers do not take advantage of the EITC, and a 5% increase in uptake among eligible Chicagoans would likely cover more than 19,000 additional families and add over $52 million in economic benefit to families.
“Stopping the seizure of tax returns this year will have an enormous impact on low-wage workers, and particularly workers of color who are hardest hit by fines, fees, and collections practices. These communities have yet to see good jobs return during the pandemic and can utilize this influx of cash to help pay for their families’ needs,” said Mari Castaldi, director of policy and advocacy at the Chicago Jobs Council.
“This is a great start. The community wants to be able to trust government in this time, and to do so requires a focus of care towards communities who are already experiencing severe hardship. Those in positions of power should be making every effort to create policy that puts people on the road to compliance, without causing further harm and hardship,” said Rose Grillier, co-president emeritus of POWER-PAC IL.
Here are a few things the Comptroller’s actions do NOT do:
• This policy does not eliminate fines, but rather defers collections to help people struggling through this pandemic. This is not an amnesty. The Comptroller’s Office does not have the authority to forgive debt.
• People still have a legal obligation to pay traffic and parking tickets and other fines. Cities can hire private collectors to collect these unpaid obligations, so our office encourages people to pay those fines.
• This change is not permanent. It affects tax refunds for this tax year, 2020. The Comptroller’s Office may extend this policy change at its discretion and will make a determination based on how quickly the state returns to normal.
Today’s action is a narrow, targeted approach to provide COVID-19 pandemic relief to low- and moderate-income families who need help now.
* Some very low case numbers, but those are from Sunday and testing numbers were quite low, so don’t jump to conclusions. Press release…
Record 7-day vaccine administration average at more than 102,000 doses daily
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 782 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 12 additional deaths.
Cook County: 1 female 30s, 2 males 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 female 90s
DuPage County: 1 female 80s
Kane County: 1 male 80s
Peoria County: 1 male 60s
Will County: 1 female 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,210,113 cases, including 20,955 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 39,145 specimens for a total of 19,170,243. As of last night, 1,112 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 227 patients were in the ICU and 95 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 8-14, 2021 is 2.2%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 8-14, 2021 is 2.6%.
A total of doses of 4,623,735 vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 414,900 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 5,038,635. A total of 4,102,810 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 354,773 for long-term care facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 102,147 doses. Yesterday, 62,508 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
More than 4 million doses of vaccine administered in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,484 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 19 additional deaths.
Cook County: 1 female 50s, 2 males 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 100+
Fulton County: 1 male 80s
Jackson County: 1 male 80s
Jersey County: 1 female 60s
Kane County: 1 male 70s
Kankakee County: 1 male 50s
Lake County: 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Lee County: 1 male 80s
Pulaski County: 1 male 60s
Rock Island County: 1 male 60s
St. Clair County: 1 female 70s
Whiteside County: 1 male 70s
Will County: 1 male 80s
Williamson County: 1 male 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,209,331 cases, including 20,943 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 65,028 specimens for a total of 19,131,098. As of last night, 1,141 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 238 patients were in the ICU and 94 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 7-13, 2021 is 2.2%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 7-13, 2021 is 2.6%.
A total of doses of 4,623,735 vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 414,900 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 5,038,635. A total of 4,040,302 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 354,414 for long-term care facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 97,441 doses. Yesterday, 96,332 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,675 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 23 additional deaths.
Champaign County: 1 female 80s
Cook County: 2 males 40s, 2 females 50s, 2 males 50s, 1 male 60s, 2 females 70s, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 females 90s
DuPage County: 1 female 80s
Lee County: 1 male 80s
Madison County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 80s, 1 male over 100
McLean County: 1 female 80s
Will County: 1 female 70s
Winnebago County: 1 female 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,207,847 cases, including 20,924 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 77,505 specimens for a total of 19,066,070. As of last night, 1,082 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 235 patients were in the ICU and 95 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 6-12, 2021 is 2.1%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 6-12, 2021 is 2.6%.
A total of doses of 4,623,735 vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 414,900 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 5,038,635. A total of 3,943,970 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 353,102 for long-term care facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 97,758 doses. Yesterday, 152,697 doses were reported administered in Illinois, the highest one day total to date.
Approximately 400 Illinois National Guard members return home today (March 15) following a drawdown of National Guard forces in Washington, D.C.
Approximately 100 Illinois National Guard members have volunteered to remain in the nation’s capital as part of nearly 2,300 National Guard members who will provide continued support to the U.S. Capitol Police until about mid-May. The U.S. Department of Defense approved an extension of this mission. These 100 Illinois National Guard Soldiers volunteered to continue supporting this mission as part of the overall National Guard force provided by the Governors of multiple states.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker activated the approximately 500 Illinois National Guard members to support security in the nation’s capital in late-January at the request of the Department of Defense.
“Since January hundreds of the brave men and women of the Illinois National Guard have been in D.C. to support the U.S. Department of Defense’s mission to protect our nation’s capital. They have done their duty with pride and immeasurable selflessness and I am proud to welcome them back home,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “On behalf of the entire State of Illinois, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Illinois National Guard and their ongoing commitment to protecting our state and the entire nation.”
The Illinois Army National Guard’s Chicago-based 108th Sustainment Brigade and its subordinate battalion, the North Riverside-based 198th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, provided the bulk of the Illinois National Guard force for the Washington, D.C. mission.
“Time and time again the Illinois National Guard has answered the call to duty,” said Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. “I am proud to lead these extraordinary Citizen-Soldiers and Citizen-Airmen as they continue to serve their state and nation.”
The Illinois National Guard members were activated under the provisions of U.S. Title 32, which leaves them under the authority of the Governor with all costs paid by the federal government.
I saw the post today on Capitol Fax regarding HB 3913, the bill that removes barriers for people on the sex offender registry. James Medrick doesn’t seem to understand that the sex offender registry has proven to be an ineffective method to ensure public safety. However, it is effective at continually letting legislators and law enforcement off the hook for failing to actually respond to survivors’ needs and addressing sexual violence.
As an organization that advocates for survivors, we support HB 3913. We understand the importance of reducing or eliminating punishments that are not evidence-based and redirecting resources to real prevention strategies and support for survivors. Also, lowering the housing restrictions (from 500 ft to 250 ft) will help address the housing crisis created by the sex offender registry in Chicago and elsewhere among people with sex offenses who have homes but legally cannot live in them when they exit prison.
If you are interested in learning about or sharing our perspective, this blog post details our position. You can also see a short synopsis of our view in our Legislative Priorities for 2021. Also, feel free to reach out if you would like to speak to someone at CAASE about this issue.
Thank you for your time!
–
Hayley Forrestal | Communications Manager
Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation
* Press release…
Senate GOP Leader Dan McConchie on the need for executive power changes
“One year ago, Gov. Pritzker issued his first executive order, granting him sole decision-making power for millions of Illinoisans,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods). “Over the next twelve months, the governor extended his state of emergency power by delivering executive order after executive order—a total of 76 times, shutting down our economy and making massive public health decisions without the inclusion of the legislature or the communities we represent. This go-it-alone strategy is not representative of our democracy, which is why I have introduced Senate Bill 103, requiring the General Assembly to approve any subsequent renewal of emergency powers after the initial 30-day state of emergency declaration.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated our families and businesses in Illinois. We must learn from this horrible situation and improve our governing process to allow for more seats at the decision-making table to reach better outcomes. I believe that this bill will help ensure Illinois has the most effective response possible in any future pandemic or disaster.”
The bill is co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Sue Rezin, Jason Barickman and Terri Bryant.
Abortion clinics would be required to offer patients the opportunity to view an ultrasound under legislation State Representative Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) is sponsoring.
House Bill 683 would create the Ultrasound Opportunity Act. It would require attending physicians, referring physicians or other qualified personnel to offer any woman seeking an abortion after 8 weeks of gestation the opportunity to receive and view an active ultrasound prior to an abortion being performed.
“This legislation does not require abortion clinics to show patients ultrasounds but merely requires them to at least make the offer to do so,” Jacobs said. “There is no question that seeing an ultrasound has a big impact and can change people’s minds about having an abortion. But women should have all of the facts before making such a big decision and besides, anyone who is pro-choice should be in favor of legislation that gives women more choice and that is what my bill does.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a renewed focus on mental health issues, particularly among students. Some Illinois lawmakers say schools must bolster suicide prevention procedures to better identify warning signs.
Back in 2015, the General Assembly passed “AnnMarie’s law,” named after 11-year-old AnnMarie Blaha of Orland Park, who died by suicide after two classmates allegedly set up fake profiles on social media and persuaded her to take her own life.
The law called for the Illinois State Board of Education to develop a statewide suicide awareness and prevention policy for schools. Prevention policies must include reporting procedures, intervention methods, and professional development training for teachers and staff.
The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee this week passed HB 577 , which is aimed at building on AnnMarie’s law by specifically identifying in state statute groups of students who are more at-risk of committing suicide — including students who are homeless, identify as LGBTQ, or suffer from substance abuse.
In 2019, Kyle Woodman ran for an at-large seat on the Eau Claire City Council. In his campaign, he commented on the local issues that were likely to be decided by the 11-member body. He told VolumeOne, a Chippewa Valley culture magazine, his priority was building infrastructure that would facilitate economic growth.
He finished in 10th in a 10-person race.
This year, he’s running for City Council again, against incumbent Emily Anderson, but now he’s got a much different strategy. Woodman is largely ignoring local issues — unless agitating against a countywide mask mandate counts.
In the years since his last run, Woodman, a member of the Eau Claire County Republican Party Executive Committee, has built a decently sized social media following by arguing for conservative government and fighting the culture war.
He’s brought that strategy to his latest campaign; his stated plans if he wins are to protect individual freedoms, open the economy, oppose high taxes and defend law enforcement. The resulting rhetoric is mostly full-throated defenses of 2nd Amendment rights and the spread of Stop the Steal conspiracy theories. […]
Woodman is part of a mostly conservative group of candidates for local office across the state who are forgoing the hyper-local issues that city council and school boards largely deal with — instead aligning themselves with controversial culture war topics and making appearances with some of the state’s most divisive conservative personalities.
The Illinois House Democrats have been using national issues like Social Security and Medicare in state legislative races here for what seems like decades. You use what works in politics. It’s up to the news media and the other side to call it out or counter it. So, kudos to the Wisconsin Examiner for shining some light on this. It would be nice if that happened more in this state.
ILLINOIS: has the potential to be Dems' biggest redistricting weapon of the cycle. Once again, it's losing a seat. But Dems could replace the current 13D-5R map (left) with a 14D-3R map (right) - and they might need to to have any chance of holding the House majority. pic.twitter.com/WnLY0lHL5J
Notice that he keeps the current Latino district intact. There will be pressure to create two Latinx districts in the coming mapmaking process. Also, the chair of the House Redistricting Committee is Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez and the Senate’s Redistricting Committee chair is Sen. Omar Aquino.
He does have a point about creating another Downstate Democratic district by correcting the Dems’ 2011 mistake and no longer splitting all of their Metro East turf into two districts. He would take away some GOP voters from Cheri Bustos and give her a few more Dems. Lauren Underwood does even better in this map.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s congressional seat could be eliminated when Illinois conducts its remap, according to the Cook Report’s David Wasserman.
Taking out the current 16th Congressional District makes “geographic sense,” Wasserman said in his subscription-only report. […]
The 16th District stretches from Indiana up to the border with Wisconsin and touches the fast-growing Chicago exurbs and some downstate districts. “More rural/GOP parts of it could go to Rep. Darin LaHood’s 18th CD and Rep. Mary Miller’s 15th CD, while its Rockford suburbs and the liberal university town of DeKalb could go to Democratic seats,” writes Wasserman.
* Back to Wasserman…
In the map above (right), 13/17 districts would have voted for Clinton *and* Biden by 10%+, up from 10/18 under the current lines.
Underwood's #IL14 could lose Lake/McHenry counties and pick up DeKalb, Aurora, Elgin or Bolingbrook, moving it from Trump +4 in '16 to Clinton +10.
* Jake Griffin at the Daily Herald has the best story I’ve yet seen about the governor’s corporate loophole closure proposal. There’s just too much good stuff to excerpt, so you should definitely click here and read the whole thing. However, buried deep down is this little nugget…
State Rep. Fred Crespo, a Hoffman Estates Democrat, said he doubts the governor can get those changes made by the legislature.
“I am always concerned when there are assumptions built into those budgets that might or might not happen,” Crespo said. “In closing those corporate loopholes, I think he valued that at close to $1 billion. … We’re not hearing that’s going to happen.”
Rep. Crespo chairs the House Appropriations-General Services Committee.
…Adding… From a House Dem involved with the budget-making process…
I’m not sure who Fred speaks for here. We haven’t even started going through each loophole yet.
For the first year or so of his administration leading up to the beginning of the pandemic, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s polling wasn’t exactly horrible, but it was still pretty darned underwhelming. And after some spectacular crisis-induced polling spikes last year, the governor has seemingly come back down to earth.
The first poll taken by Morning Consult after Pritzker was sworn into office in January of 2019 found his job approval rate at 40%, with his disapproval at 29% and 31% not saying either way. By the end of 2019, Morning Consult had his approve/disapprove at 43-41 with 16% not weighing in. An early February 2020 poll by Fako Research & Strategies found 39% of Illinois voters rated him positively, while 36% rated him negatively and 19% were neutral.
But then came the COVID-19 pandemic and Pritzker’s numbers really shot up, mainly because of his handling of the pandemic. Three polls in April and May of last year showed his pandemic job approval rating at 70% or higher and one had his overall job approval at 61-35. “He was bullet-proof,” a top Republican consultant recalled of those heady days.
What goes up often comes down, however, and by October, a quite prescient Change Research/Capitol Fax poll had Pritzker’s fave/unfaves at 48-45, possibly due at least in part to the unpopularity of his graduated income tax proposal.
A poll released last week that was conducted February 17-21 by Chip Englander’s firm 1892 Polling had Pritzker back to even, with 41% favorable and 41% unfavorable. The margin of error was +/-3.5 percent. Englander was a key figure in Bruce Rauner’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign, but I’ve always found his polling to be reliable.
Pritzker’s apparent problem now is the same problem he had in the early days: Lots of folks say they have no opinion either way about him – 18% in this instance.
A look at the crosstabs shows this is especially problematic with his party’s base. Black voters have a favorable opinion of Pritzker (58-14), but 29% said they had no opinion of the governor. Other groups with no opinion of the governor: 23% of women and Latinos; 21% of Democrats; 19% of Chicagoans and 17% of liberals. This more than just suggests that Pritzker has a serious enthusiasm issue.
There were some other warning signs in the poll. A quarter of Chicagoans said they had an unfavorable opinion of Pritzker, which is not far off the 28% of city voters who opposed the governor’s fair tax last November. Rauner beat Pat Quinn in 2014 with 21% of the city’s vote and lost to Pritzker four years later with just 15% of the city’s tally.
“We are where we need to be in the city and Downstate,” that aforementioned GOP consultant claimed. The key, he said, is the suburbs.
The “suburbs” classification in Englander crosstabs includes suburban Cook, DuPage and Lake counties. He’s separated those counties out for years because, an associate explained, that’s where the real battleground is. Pritzker took those three counties with 57% in 2018. This recent poll has the governor’s favorables in those counties at 47%, his unfavorables at 35% and “No opinion” at 18%.
This isn’t pandemic epidemiology here. Pritzker has to find a way to convince the large number of people with no stated opinion of him to move his direction. He has plenty of time to do it, but it’s more difficult to accomplish as the months click by for an incumbent.
As the virus hopefully fades away, it’ll also be easier to use pandemic-related issues against Pritzker, like the ongoing catastrophe at the Illinois Department of Employment Security, massive small business closures, the LaSalle Veterans’ Home deaths, etc. The criminal justice reform law is also going to be a very tricky issue to handle, if other states are any guide. And he needs to put some wins on the board to help people forget about his disastrous 2020 graduated income tax referendum.
In other words, Pritzker will have his own record to contend with instead of running against a horribly unpopular Republican incumbent in an off-year election during the term of a fabulously unpopular Republican president. The overall trend will not be so friendly next time, unless Pritzker gets lucky with a fatally flawed Republican opponent, or creates his own luck by quietly helping a far-right candidate across the primary finish line.
Monday, Mar 15, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
A few weeks ago, the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition sat down with small business owners on the South Side of Chicago to learn more about what Illinois is doing to support community-based clean energy companies. The short answer? Not enough.
Right now, instead of supporting these small businesses, we’re spending nearly $1.7 billion each year to bail out fossil fuel companies. The Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA, HB 804) will change that.
Watch Arthur Burton from AMB Renewable Energy, Wendell Terry of Terry Electric, William P. Davis with JitneyEV, and Stacey McIlvaine from SM Environmental Engineering explain the current outlook and their vision for a clean energy future in Illinois.
CEJA will create workforce development programs in the communities that need them most, prioritize equitable hiring and ownership, and increase solar projects in low-income and environmental justice communities. It’s a transformative investment that will ensure these small businesses can hire local talent and take advantage of one of the fastest growing job sectors in the world: clean energy.
Lawmakers from both parties told officials from Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on Thursday that the General Assembly should have some say in how the state spends the $7.5 billion in federal funds that Illinois expects to receive from the newly-enacted American Rescue Plan.
Those comments came during a virtual hearing of the House Revenue and Finance Committee that took place just hours after President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill into law.
“I think the legislature would like a say in appropriating money, given our role,” Rep. Michael Zalewski, D-Riverside, said to the director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, Alexis Sturm. “So my hope is that you could convey that to the governor’s office and we can develop a framework to work together on that.” […]
In a separate interview Thursday, however, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said officials should not get too excited over the sudden influx of federal money.
“I think that, the first thing to keep in mind is that the majority of that money is spoken for, I do believe that,” Mendoza said. “As soon as we get that, the first thing that we should spend that stimulus money on is to pay back the money that we borrowed from the Federal Reserve for the state’s COVID and other medical expenses.”
* From the governor’s office late this afternoon…
“The Governor spoke with the Speaker and Senate President today about how the administration and the General Assembly can again collaborate on how to best use federal funds from the American Rescue Plan. The Governor appreciated the collaboration with the General Assembly last May to determine how to best use federal resources, and the partnership resulted in state investments that led the nation – especially in supporting childcare, small businesses and housing assistance.
“The administration has reached out to schedule initial meetings with members who lead the General Assembly’s appropriations work, and the Governor continues to look forward to collaborating again to build on the progress we made together last year. The Governor fundamentally believes that these one-time funds must be used responsibly to address the state’s debt and inject resources into the areas where they will have the most economic impact, with a special eye toward equity.”
In a bid to vaccinate more people of color in neighborhoods hit hard by COVID-19, city officials Wednesday limited registration for United Center appointments to Chicagoans in a handful of South and Southwest Side neighborhoods.
Anyone who lives in the 60608, 60619, 60620, 60649 or 60652 ZIP codes can sign up for an appointment at events.juvare.com/chicago/UCPOD/ with the code “CCVICHICAGO,” or by reaching the multilingual call center at (312) 746-4835.
Chicago residents from outside those ZIP codes who try to sign up will have their appointments canceled, according to a city flyer circulated by several community groups.
Chicago will be allotted 60% of the vaccines administered at the United Center for its residents, while Cook County and the state determine rules for other residents. That’s the latest change in a signup process that has caused confusion from the start.
* Just got an anecdotal report about the United Center being a veritable ghost town…
A group of Illinois’ Democratic U.S. House members sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday condemning this week’s rollout of the highly trumpeted United Center mass vaccination site, arguing the decision to restrict appointments to Chicago and Cook County residents on behalf of equity goals has angered some of their most vulnerable constituents.
The letter to acting FEMA Administrator Robert Fenton was signed by 11 of Illinois’ 13 Democratic House members, who represent at least parts of the suburbs and collar counties, and initiated by U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, a Deerfield Democrat.
“Many of our constituents who fall in the vulnerable category, but who don’t live in Chicago, felt frustrated with the recent determination to limit eligibility at the United Center Federal Mass Vaccination Center for Illinois residents,” the letter reads. “Their confusion was exacerbated with the abruptness of the announcement, and the consequent uncertainty surrounding their future access to a vaccination appointment.” […]
Other representatives who signed the letter were: U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky, of Evanston, Danny Davis, of Chicago, Sean Casten, of Downers Grove, Robin Kelly, of Matteson, Bill Foster, of Naperville, Jesús “Chuy” García, of Chicago, Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Schaumburg, Bobby Rush, of Chicago, Mike Quigley, of Chicago, and Marie Newman, of La Grange.
The letter from the representatives said they too share the goal of equitable distribution, but completely barring some of their constituents from United Center appointments was an unfair “departure” from the operation’s original purpose of serving Illinoisans, they said. The lawmakers also lambasted the last-minute changes as particularly anguishing for those with health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19.
Interestingly enough, every Black and Brown US Rep. signed that letter [except for Lauren Underwood, but she has an exurban district].
On Thursday, Gov. Pritzker explained the recent limitations added to the United Center vaccination site.
It comes after complaints, frustration and accusations that the rules were changed in the middle of the game. […]
“It’s not a state site, it’s a federal site. We’re very glad to have it. Let me be clear,” Pritzker said. “We get 6,000 doses a day.”
The United Center’s mass vaccination site was hailed at the largest in the state, run by FEMA. It was initially open to the public for anyone 16 and over with an underlying condition, but that soon changed.
“FEMA decided to change the rules,” Pritzker said. “FEMA decided that there wasn’t enough equity that was being achieved with the location at the United Center. They had hoped to get more Black and Brown people in to get shots so they changes some of the rules, locations and zip codes for people.”
State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, introduced a bill in committee Wednesday that would have created the Eviction Moratorium Clarification Act. It provides that in any eviction moratorium issued by the governor through Executive Order or legislation passed by the General Assembly, the moratorium shall not prohibit the eviction of some people.
Meier told the House committee Wednesday he wants to go after so-called “bad actors” who receive federal rental assistance, but don’t pay their rent.
“We believe that if the tenants have taken the rent money while working, buying new vehicles, going on vacations, that the landlord should have been paid,” Meier said. […]
State Rep. Will Guzzardi took issue with the wording of the bill at a House committee hearing Wednesday.
“That is not how the program works,” he said. “The money was sent to the landlords and not to the tenants, so I believe that this bill maybe attempting to solve a problem that is not if fact happening.”
A coalition of progressive union and activist groups has unveiled its wish list for this spring’s legislative session, and sponsors certainly are dreaming big, seeking everything from background checks for all gun transfers to statewide sex-education standards for grade and high schools, to 100 percent use of clean energy, and restored voting rights for prison inmates.
The package “demonstrates the Forward Illinois commitment to our shared values of inclusion, opportunity, equity, justice, security, and the freedom to be who you are,” Myles Brady, communications director at Equality Illinois, said in a statement and in a web press conference. […]
Each of the bills backed by Forward Illinois has been introduced in written form and has a sponsor and at least some prospect of advancing in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. But passage is far from guaranteed, with foes of all of the proposals likely to surface and some splits even among left-leaning groups.
A new Illinois law caps insulin prices for those with state-regulated insurance plans, but some lawmakers are saying that is not enough and more needs to be done to address prescription drug prices.
In January, Illinois became the second state in the country to cap insulin costs. The law caps out-of-pocket insulin costs at $100 per month, but only for people covered by a state-regulated insurance plan. That covers about 20% of the plans available in the state. As a result, many Illinoisans still pay much more for insulin.
State Rep. Will Guzzardi, the sponsor of the law, said he’s heard stories about what he calls miscommunication around the question of what it means to be state-regulated.
“You may have seen reports in the media of people who saw that this bill took effect on January 1st of this year and raced down to the pharmacy to get their prescription filled and found out that their plan wasn’t covered by the cap and they’re still paying these high prices,” Guzzardi said.
Public Health Officials Announce 1,763 New Cases of Coronavirus Disease
Approximately 54% of those 65 years and older vaccinated in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,763 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 39 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 1 male 80s
- Cass County: 1 male 80s
- Clark County: 1 female 50s
- Cook County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s
- DuPage County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- Edwards County: 1 male 90s
- Fulton County: 1 female 90s
- Grundy County: 1 female 70s
- Iroquois County: 1 female 70s
- Kane County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Lake County: 1 female 80s
- Madison County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 90s
- Massac County: 1 female 80s
- McDonough County: 1 female 60s
- McHenry County: 1 male 90s
- Morgan County: 1 male 80s
- Peoria County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s
- Saline County: 1 male 70s
- Sangamon County: 1 female 80s
- Shelby County: 1 male 80s
- St. Clair County: 1 female 70s
- Stephenson County: 1 female 80s
- Washington County: 1 male 50s
- Will County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s
- Williamson County: 1 female 90s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,206,172 cases, including 20,901 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 93,913 specimens for a total of 18,988,565. As of last night, 1,128 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 240 patients were in the ICU and 108 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 5-11, 2021 is 2.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 5-11, 2021 is 2.6%.
A total of doses of 4,501,155 vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 414,900 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 4,916,055. A total of 3,791,273 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 353,655 for long-term care facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 95,121 doses. Yesterday, 110,570 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for a death previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Robin Kelly today announced she has formed a Transition Committee to gather input from Democratic leaders on the vision for the future of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
“Over the last several weeks, I have seen the energy and excitement of so many Democratic leaders and Democrats across Illinois who share in my vision of a more inclusive and engaged Democratic Party of Illinois,” Kelly said. “With input from a tremendous group of Democratic leaders around the state, we will begin the work of inspiring and expanding our party.”
The DPI Transition Committee will be chaired by Democratic State Central Committee Member Iris Martinez and political consultant Scott Kennedy, and co-chaired by Robert Blackwell Jr., Commissioner Michael Cabonargi, Sen. Cristina Castro, Rocco Claps, Michael Cudzik, Ald. Michelle Harris, Hanah Jubeh, Nancy Shepherdson, Patrick Watson, and Abby Witt. The Transition Committee includes other DSCC members and Democratic leaders with unique experiences to shape the vision of DPI. A full list of Transition Committee members is attached.
All recommendations and input from the Transition Committee will be brought to the DSCC before final decisions are made. Kelly also encouraged Democratic leaders with specific ideas to share to email contact@ildems.com.
I worked with Hanah Jubeh on more stories the last few weeks than I have in quite a while. Besides her work for Kelly, she also worked for 23rd Ward Democratic Committeeperson Silvana Tabares during the Madigan replacement saga.
* Anyway, this transition committee is kinda on the huge side…
Abandoning masks and social distancing now would be the worst possible move for Americans and their political leaders. The 1918 pandemic teaches us why. […]
(I)n the past several months, different variants have surfaced almost simultaneously in Britain, South Africa, Brazil, and now in California and New York. Each of these variants has independently developed similar and in some cases identical mutations and achieved greater transmissibility by binding more efficiently to human cells.
A virus that binds more efficiently to cells it infects would, logic suggests, also be more likely to bind to a larger number of cells, which could, in turn, increase disease severity and lethality. On Wednesday, BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal, reported that Britain’s so-called U.K. variant was 64 percent more lethal than the virus it replaced.
There is not enough data to evaluate the variants first identified in South Africa and Brazil, but whether or not they are also more lethal, one thing is certain — more variants will arise. Mutations are random. Most either make the virus so defective it can’t function or have no impact at all. But this virus has already demonstrated that it can become more deadly and evade some immune protection, making vaccines less effective. If we allow the virus additional opportunities to mutate, it will have more opportunities to become the worst version of itself. […]
There is no reason to expect that this virus will suddenly turn into 1918. There are limits as to how far it can mutate. But the more people who abandon masks and social distancing, the more infections can be expected — and the more variants will emerge.
As spikes in virus infections and exposures have forced more educators to stay home, the teacher shortage — exacerbated by limited access to COVID-19 testing and contact tracing — is among the main reasons that schools and even entire districts have had to shut down in-person instruction, often for weeks on end.
Soldiers running the mass vaccination site at the United Center have been hungry because they haven’t been fed enough food, a problem the Army says it’s aware of and trying to fix.
There are 222 soldiers, most from the 101st Airborne Division, who are staffing the vaccination site that opened Tuesday.
The soldiers arrived in Chicago on Friday and the food that’s been supplied to them since through a vendor hasn’t been adequate, Capt. Harpa Magnusdottir, an Army spokeswoman, acknowledged Wednesday. […]
Military spokesman Tim Lundberg said the issue arose because the contract with the vendor “wasn’t in firm enough language to ensure the food requirement was being met.” […]
[The wife of one of the soldiers working at the site] pointed to one meal consisting of a small salad and an orange and said her husband had lost weight since he’d been in Chicago.
When the coronavirus first hit Chicago and Cook County last spring, Black residents bore the brunt of the surging death toll.
But over the past year, as Cook County deaths have climbed toward 10,000, the virus has wreaked havoc in nearly every corner of the region. Low-income communities of all ethnicities have been hit especially hard, from the heavily Hispanic neighborhoods around Cicero to majority-white areas like Niles and Oak Lawn.
Early pandemic hot spots like South Shore have been surpassed by communities like Cicero, where two low-rated nursing homes and a profusion of multifamily apartment buildings have led to consistently high death rates, according to interviews with public health experts and government officials and an analysis of Cook County death data and medical records by the Chicago Sun-Times and the Brown Institute for Media Innovation’s Documenting COVID-19 project.
The number of total deaths in Cook County is only below the dense counties that makeup New York City and Los Angeles. Cook County also ranks in the top third of large U.S. counties in per-capita COVID-19 death rate, at 193 deaths per 100,000 people — far behind the nation’s hardest-hit areas, such as the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, but far worse than metro areas like Cleveland, Dallas and Manhattan.
Linda Blunt sat anxiously in the lobby of the Garden House Apartments in Maywood on Thursday, awaiting her turn to receive the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
She chatted merrily with her neighbors, bounced her legs and held her registration papers tight. Blunt, 65, was more than ready to move on, a year after the pandemic led to a lockdown that has kept her away from her family. […]
Blunt was among 100 residents, caregivers and staff of the senior living community, 515 S. 2nd Ave. in Maywood, who registered to get COVID-19 shots at Cook County Public Health’s pop-up vaccination event. […]
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch grew up just down the street from the Garden House. It was a special moment for him, Welch said, to see his constituents and neighbors finally being vaccinated.
State Rep. Thaddeus Jones’ name was legally placed on a February primary ballot seeking the Democratic nomination for Calumet City mayor, according to an Illinois Supreme Court opinion released Thursday.
But it’s unclear whether the opinion authorizes the Calumet City Democrat to be sworn in as that city’s mayor if he wins the April 6 General Election and remains a state lawmaker, according to an attorney for the city. That’s still in question, because the residents of Calumet City passed a referendum in November prohibiting anyone who holds an office created by the state’s constitution from serving as mayor.
The Supreme Court was ruling on an issue of timing regarding the local referendum’s effective date, not on the legality of Jones holding both positions – state law allows members of the General Assembly to hold another elected office.
Jones filed his nomination papers for Calumet City mayor on Nov. 16. Nearly two weeks earlier, on Nov. 3, voters in Calumet City passed a local referendum that prohibited a person from seeking mayoral office “if, at the time for filing nomination papers, that person also holds an elected, paid office created by the Constitution of the State of Illinois.” […]
According to [Ross Secler, attorney for the city] it is possible that Calumet City, the Cook County State’s Attorney or the Illinois Attorney General could seek to enforce the newly passed referendum and prevent Jones from being seated as mayor.
Or, Secler said, it is possible that Jones will resign from his position as state representative.
The FY 2022 Proposed General Fund Budget (the “FY 2022 GF Proposal”) makes one fact abundantly clear: spending on services is not driving the state’s fiscal problems. After acknowledging bolder plans for the upcoming fiscal year, Governor Pritzker ultimately proposed spending $27.748 billion on public services, which is roughly the same in nominal dollars as FY 2021. After adjusting for inflation, however, the total amount of spending on services proposed for FY 2022 would be $434 million less in real terms than in FY 2021.
Which means the often repeated contention that Illinois’s fiscal problems are caused by profligate spending on services is simply not supported by the data. Indeed, quite the contrary is true. As Governor Pritzker noted during his budget address: “Illinois state government already spends less money per person than the majority of states in the nation.”
Big picture, Illinois’ ongoing disinvestment in General Fund services is harming communities across the state for one simple reason: over 95 percent of all such spending goes to the four, core areas of Education (including Early Childhood, K-12, and Higher Education), Healthcare, Human Services, and Public Safety.
So what drove Illinois to embark on its long-term course of disinvesting in core, General Fund services? A structural deficit caused by flawed tax policy that generates inadequate revenue growth over-time; and the unaffordable back-loaded schedule for repaying the debt the state owes to its five public pension systems.
U.S. states saw new jobless claims fall more than expected to reach a four-month low last week, as impending spring weather and more vaccine-driven business reopenings allow hiring to pick up.
The Department of Labor released its weekly report on new jobless claims on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET. Here were the main metrics included in the report, compared to consensus data compiled by Bloomberg:
• Initial jobless claims, week ended March 6: 712,000 vs. 725,000 expected and a revised 754,000 during the prior week
• Continuing claims, week ended February 27: 4.144 million vs. 4.200 million expected and a revised 4.337 million during the prior week
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) reported 57,483 new unemployment claims were filed last week, a nearly 16% decrease from the week before, when 68,111 people filed.
For comparison, during the same timeframe last year, 8,727people filed claims in Illinois. That’s a 559% increase. […]
Illinois’ latest claims make up about 8% of the estimated 712,000 filed across the country last week.
There were 68,383 new unemployment claims filed during the week of Feb. 15 in Illinois.
There appears to be no end in sight to the avalanche of fraudulent unemployment filings in Illinois.
In the latest twist, the owner of a Northwest Side bridal shop called WGN Investigates after a stack of letters from the Illinois Department of Employment Security arrived at her business. The letters asked her to verify unemployment claims for 10 people.
But here’s the rub: They were sent to her address, but she didn’t recognize a single name. Not one person had worked at the bridal shop. There was even one in her mother’s name. […]
“The states are so overwhelmed, they haven’t figured out how to keep this from happening,” Terry Savage, a personal finance expert, said.
Savage has been tracking trends in fake unemployment claims since the start of the pandemic. Savage said scammers are constantly coming up with different ways to trick the system, including using random addresses to file claims.
*** UPDATE *** IDES…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate decreased -0.3 percentage point to 7.7 percent, while nonfarm payrolls were up +9,700 jobs in January, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The December monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from -2,500 to -9,200 jobs. The December unemployment rate was revised from the preliminary report, rising +0.4 percentage point to 8.0 percent.
The January payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflects activity for the week including the 12th. The BLS has published FAQs for the January payroll jobs and the unemployment rate.
In January, the three industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Professional and Business Services (+11,500), Leisure and Hospitality (+5,100), and Other Services (+2,400). The industry sectors that reported the largest monthly payroll declines were: Financial Activities (-6,400), Construction (-3,200), and Government (-1,800).
“While the unemployment rate and job markets continue to be impacted by the ongoing effects of COVID-19, with vaccination rates continuing to increase, we are focused on building a strong recovery on the other side of this pandemic,” said Deputy Governor Dan Hynes. “This administration is fully committed to supporting individuals displaced from their jobs and ensuring small businesses and working families have the support they need to recover and grow in a post-pandemic economy.”
“Today’s data shows that Illinois is making steady progress in restoring jobs and building towards economic recovery,” said Sylvia Garcia, Acting Director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). “Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, we have deployed over $1 billion to date in emergency relief programs to help some of the hardest hit businesses and communities in our state. The recent passage of the American Rescue Plan will further support our economic recovery with additional emergency relief to help build back key industries, support our workforce, and provide targeted investments for businesses and communities that need it most.”
The state’s unemployment rate was +1.4 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for January, which was 6.3 percent, down -0.4 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was up +4.2 percentage points from a year ago when it was 3.5 percent.
Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment decreased by -504,800 jobs, with losses across all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs decreases were: Leisure and Hospitality (-216,600), Government (-71,100) and Educational and Health Services (-65,400). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were down -8.2 percent over-the-year as compared to the nation’s -6.3 percent over-the-year decline in January.
The number of unemployed workers fell from the prior month, a -3.6 percent decrease to 473,000, and was up +114.0 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force was down -0.1 percent over-the-month and down -3.5 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
A Pekin woman said she wants to be Illinois’ next U.S. Senator, replacing incumbent Democrat Tammy Duckworth.
Allison Salinas said she’s running as a Republican, having gained attention for staging “Open Graduations” last year because commencement ceremonies were prohibited in Illinois due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Salinas also organized “Back the Blue” and “Open Business” rallies in several communities to show support for people in uniform and small businesses.
Allison Salinas is running on a platform of healthcare, school choice, infrastructure, and immigration. She has previously hosted “Back the Blue” rallies in Peoria. […]
Regarding school choice, Salinas believes public schools are saturated with government and unions dictating what children learn. She would prefer for parents to be aligned with what their children learn.
And people wonder why I refuse to cooperate with cable TV shows. I know everyone will be tempted to blow a gasket over this, but try to keep the vitriol to a minimum in comments, please. Thanks.
Illinois counties, municipalities and townships will receive $250 million for transportation needs Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday, unveiling the third installment of funds as part of the Rebuild Illinois capital program.
Chicago will receive $29.6 million for its infrastructure projects, according to the governor’s office.
“This difficult year has brought a whole lot of challenges, but it’s also underscored the vital importance of smart investments that open stable and steady doors for our working families and that fortify the bonds that tie our neighborhoods together,” Pritzker said. “Rebuild Illinois is exactly the kind of job-creating, community-shaping initiative that makes things happen for our people from construction to completion.” […]
In 2020, the state improved 1,700 miles of highway, over 120 bridges and completed 600 highway projects. In the first half of the current fiscal year, the state has improved 1,300 miles of highway, 65 bridges, awarded 270 new projects and completed “major initiatives” like the Chicago Veterans Home, Pritzker said.
Illinois Secretary of Transportation Omer Osman said the money announced Thursday will be the third of six installments for transportation infrastructure projects.
* Yesterday’s announcement in DeKalb was bipartisan…
“I was proud to help pass legislation for Illinois to once again invest in our infrastructure. We live in an incredible state with unlimited potential,” said Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore). “We can realize the dreams of generations if we work together on platforms for success like this. We can and will put Illinois on a path to a prosperous tomorrow with our hard work today.”
“Access to a robust transportation network makes it possible for new jobs and projects to come to cities and towns across Illinois. Today’s investment is made possible by a historic capital bill that provided new transportation funding and made Illinois more economically competitive. We’re already seeing many positive results from that legislation here in DeKalb County,” said Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon).
* Meanwhile…
MORRIS - Building on efforts to ensure the equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine across Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced that nine critical access hospitals were selected as part of the Safety Net Direct Vaccine Allocation Pilot program.
This is the next phase of the vaccine pilot program the administration announced on March 3, 2021, in which five federally qualified health centers and four safety net hospitals started receiving vaccine doses directly from the federal government. This next phase specifically targets rural communities, providing hundreds of doses to each site per week.
That announcement was also bipartisan. A small sampling of quotes..
“As we continue with the state’s vaccination rollout, it’s crucial that the more rural areas of Illinois are not forgotten and overlooked,” said Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg). “Especially here in Southern Illinois where gaining access or traveling to vaccine sites proves to be more of a challenge, we have to ensure that we are doing everything we can bring vaccine availability to our residents. I’m encouraged to learn that Hamilton Memorial Hospital will be receiving critical vaccine dosages and hope that we continue to expand vaccine access in the region.”
“The medical teams and staff at both Taylorville Memorial Hospital and Hillsboro Area Hospital have been working diligently to improve the health of those within their communities and this substantial increase in the COVID-19 vaccine supply is urgently needed,” said Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield). “We are certainly making strides to bring this pandemic to an end as we’ve seen more hospitals receive additional dosages. I am proud of this administration’s efforts to target vulnerable areas where residents have experienced limited access to the vaccine.”
* One more press release…
Governor JB Pritzker today announced a new plan for ending food insecurity across the state put forward by the Illinois Commission to End Hunger. The new plan, titled “From Food Insecurity to Food Equity: A Roadmap to End Hunger,” advances a three-part strategy for connecting residents in need to nutrition assistance programs while simultaneously promoting equitable access to food. The plan was compiled with input from various state agencies and stakeholders located across the state and will guide the administration’s work to achieve meaningful progress towards ending hunger in the coming years. To view the complete plan, click here.
Bipartisan statements as well…
“This road map identifies a three-pronged strategy that is critically needed to address the food insecurities that far too many Illinoisans face every day,” said Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris). “I look forward to working with the other members of the Commission to End Hunger as we continue our efforts to ensure that no one in Illinois has to face hunger ever again.”
“Too many were struggling from food insecurity and lack of access to nourishment even before the pandemic,” said Sen. Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago). “Lack of nourishment is linked to a plethora of health problems and must be put to an end. Everyone deserves access to healthy food, regardless of race, region, or income. I am happy to support this initiative and see these disparities eradicated in Illinois.”
* But not everything was sweetness and light yesterday…
Following the Grundy County mass vaccination site’s opening ceremony, State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) is continuing to raise questions regarding the state’s vaccine rollout, and released the following statement:
“While I am overjoyed that Grundy County has received the additional vaccines we have been seeking on their behalf, the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus still has several outstanding questions regarding the Pritzker Administration’s vaccination rollout.”
“After speaking with over 45 local county health departments, our Caucus compiled a vaccination rollout report that identifies the top logistical issues they shared with us along with their suggestions for improvement. We sent the Governor this report on March 4, and have still received no response. We have continually asked the Governor’s administration to provide more transparency on his vaccination rollout data, including his formula for allocation and why some counties are receiving far more vaccinations than others, so we can better understand the process and communicate it to our constituents.
“We all want to do everything we can to save as many lives as possible and to quickly bring an end to this public health crisis. The governor has chosen a go-it-alone approach from the very beginning of this pandemic and it is up to him to improve the transparency of his operation so everyone – legislators, public health officials and the general public alike – can understand his process.”
Click here to view a copy of the Illinois Senate Republicans’ vaccination rollout report. Additionally, click here to view a copy of the letter that Leader Dan McConchie and Deputy Leader Sue Rezin sent to Governor Pritzker on March 4.
* Response from Jordan Abudayyeh dated March 8th…
Illinois has administered over 3.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to our residents, the fifth highest in the nation – including 132,000 shots on Thursday, a new one-day record for Illinois. So far, more than 21% of Illinoisans 16 and over have been vaccinated, including over 47% of our seniors 65 and over. As of the morning of March 5th, Illinois is first among the ten largest states for percentage of population receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.
While we – and the nation – have a ways to go in getting vaccine into the arms of everyone who wants one, Illinois’ relative strength to date is a product of the great work of our 97 local public health departments, pharmacies, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, Illinois National Guard, state-run mass vax sites and healthcare professionals across the state. The COVID-19 vaccination rollout will prove one of the most difficult tasks of our lifetimes, and while Illinois’ network of local health departments are doing an incredible job reaching their communities, the process is undeniably exhausting for our frontline healthcare heroes who have been working so hard for months – not just in the vaccine rollout, but for the entirety of the last year. For that reason and more, IDPH continues to provide LHDs with a host of resources and opportunities for feedback as we navigate this process together – and, because LHDs can’t go it alone, IDPH continues to expand the number of providers in the state able to distribute vaccine, such as the recently announced FQHC expansion program direct from the state’s allocation.
The administration welcomes all willing partners in combating misinformation about vaccines, educating constituents about the vaccine availability timeline, spreading the word about vaccination opportunities, helping less tech-savvy family members access appointments, and lifting up our local health departments as they charge ahead in this final marathon stretch.
1. Vaccine allocation
• Doses delivered to the state of Illinois have increased in recent weeks, but still fall short of demand. The Biden Administration recently started providing states with longer lead time on projected dose deliveries, a major improvement for planning purposes both at the state and local level. Local health departments started receiving projections for the upcoming three weeks of deliveries on February 12. Doses are distributed to counties based on population. Counties that have demonstrated the ability to manage vaccination efforts efficiently have had additional doses directed to their region, while IDPH has directed resources and additional personnel to counties that have had doses sitting in inventory longer than necessary. IDPH is currently working to publish the county allocation numbers and that information will be publicly available soon.
• It is important to note local health departments outside of Chicago are not the only entities the state is allocating doses to. The state has more than 850 sites, including nearly 20 state-supported Illinois National Guard sites, and we’ve worked with our federal partners to establish a FEMA site at the United Center, bringing thousands of weekly doses into Illinois outside of our state-specific allocation. The federal government also delivers doses directly to pharmacies and federally qualified health centers in Illinois beyond our state allocation. To further expand our support for underserved communities, Illinois is sending additional deliveries from our state allocation to federally qualified health centers and safety-net hospitals around the state starting early next week.
• Allocations are already publicly available by state from the CDC, such as the National Weekly Pfizer and Moderna allocation dashboards.
• Illinois makes inventory, # of administered vaccines, and % population fully vaccinated available on a by-county basis.
2. Vaccine availability
• Local health departments are receiving vaccine as quickly as the state can get it to them, but as President Biden recently stated, the national supply won’t match the adult population until the end of May – an incredible feat by public health standards, but still a frustrating timeline for those who have not yet received a vaccine. To date, the CDC has only sent about 110 million doses of vaccine (and since the vast, vast majority of those represent a two-dose regimen, that’s only enough vaccine to vaccinate roughly 15 percent of Americans). As of March 5th, Illinois has given at least a first dose to 21 percent of our 16+ population, including to over 47 percent of our seniors.
• Illinois is building out our vaccination administration infrastructure so that no resident has to drive an exorbitant distance to access the vaccine – what’s more, we recognize that not every resident has access to long-haul transportation. While state government cannot go out and purchase more vaccine that would arrive more quickly than what the federal government has already secured, the federal government continues to ramp up supply, with more than 100,000 doses slated to come into Illinois per day on average starting later this month.
3. Delivery Communication
• The administration is in constant communication with our local health departments, understanding that this is a task far greater than anything they’ve taken on previously. In additional to weekly calls and multiple weekly opportunities for engagement, including office hours with the Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Assistant Director, IDPH offers webinars, guidance, and collaborative opportunities for departments to learn from one another. IDPH has also assigned regional health officers and emergency response coordinators for each region.
• Local health departments and IDPH have a historic working relationship that continues to serve as the backbone of this all-hands-on-deck rollout.
4. Qualified Technicians
• IDPH has already expanded the number of people who can administer the vaccine while still recognizing the specific clinical background that best supports vaccine administration.
• Illinois has no lack of qualified technicians – currently, we have more doctors able to administer the vaccine than we have supply. As vaccine supply grows, more and more of these localized physicians offices will come online as micro-distribution sites.
5. Financial resources
• Of Illinois’ $90 million allocation, $25 million went to local health department for their vaccination efforts. The vast majority of the money is specifically earmarked for the broad COVID-19 response, not just vaccination, including testing and contact tracing.
• The state is not sitting on a blank check. We run mobile teams, provide PR and education marketing support, and have contracted with additional 3rd party vendors.
• The American Rescue Plan, which passed the House without a single vote from Illinois’ Republican Congressional delegation, contains an additional $20 billion to create a national COVID-19 vaccination program. As we have more funding coming in from the federal government, the local health departments will see their fair share.
6. Vaccine Registration
• Illinois makes all vax sites in the state available at coronavirus.illinois.gov and includes booking information for all sites. IDPH has incentivized all local health departments to use our centralized EM Track booking service in order to free up more manpower for vaccinations. IDPH continues to work with LHDs to bring this service online if they haven’t already
• The state hotline for appointments will be up and running shortly.
• The United Center, the largest vaccination site in the state available to residents of every county, has a website and a phone number available to make appointments. As of March 5th, over 30,000 seniors have signed up during the senior-exclusive booking period that runs through this coming Sunday afternoon. Tens of thousands of appointments remain available as of this morning.
A drone operator shot a short video in a Minneapolis bowling alley to rally support for the business. It was viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media and won high praise from Hollywood directors. https://t.co/1hzsXQa7evpic.twitter.com/1SHY1HDy1d
