Thursday, Apr 6, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
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* I think we all need a break from this. But even if you don’t, Isabel and I do. Also, you’ll still have the live coverage feed, the ComEd 4 trial live coverage post and all the news widgets on the right side of the page. Have a great one and we’ll see you again on April 17th…
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today why he became involved in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Pritzker contributed $1 million to the state party and $20,000 directly to Janet Protasiewicz…
First of all, the Wisconsin Supreme Court race was a critically important race. There were election deniers that had been running for offices all over Wisconsin. You know, it’s a swing state. It’s an important state in the general election, in next year’s presidential election. There were moves to invalidate electors in Wisconsin… three years ago. And so having a Supreme Court made up of rational, non-extremist people who will simply evaluate the law and do the right thing is very, very important to all of us across the nation. In addition to that, it happens that one of the candidates was a severely anti-choice candidate, somebody who wanted to abide by an 1800s law in Wisconsin that should have been frankly, not part of the discussion, but that would have literally made women second-class citizens in the state of Wisconsin. And one of the candidates was pro-choice and wanted to make sure that we were upholding the equal rights of women in Wisconsin. So, to me, that’s an important race. I’ve supported Democrats all across the country. She was a Democrat, and I was glad to be one of the leading supporters of of her race. And she won, by the way and then it was literally an overwhelming victory of 11 points.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* Krishnamoorthi press release…
On Tuesday, candidates of AAPI origin backed by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D IL-08)- Alderwoman Nicole Lee of the 11th Ward in Chicago, Zubair Kahn, an incumbent school board member for the Community Consolidated School Board District 15, and Samreen Khan, a candidate for U-46 School Board- made history in winning their respective elections. Nicole Lee became the first Chinese-American woman elected to a full term on the Chicago City Council, Zubair Khan retained his seat as the first Muslim-American to serve on the District 15 School Board, and Samreen Khan became the first Asian-American woman to win a seat on the District U-46 school board.
“I’m incredibly proud to have endorsed and supported these stellar candidates and public servants,” said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. “These critical victories in 2023 follow an historic 2022 election cycle, where we shattered glass ceilings by electing diverse AAPI leaders at the state and local level in Illinois. Nicole, Samreen, and Zubair represent the best of their communities and I know they’ll continue to deliver for the people that elected them.”
“I’d also like to thank Congressman Raja again for his unyielding support of my campaign for School Board, the second largest School Board in Illinois,” said Samreen Khan. “Having the support of Congressman Raja confirms his understanding that ‘If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu’. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with him during my term on behalf of all of us.”
“Thank you to Congressman Raja and the many state AAPI elected leaders, from Senator Ram Villivalam to Rep. Theresa Mah, who strongly coalesced around my campaign to represent the first majority Asian ward in the history of the City of Chicago,” said Alderwoman Nicole Lee. I am very grateful for the strong support of the AAPI diaspora, and I look forward to serving as their voice on the Chicago City Council.”
“I also want to thank every candidate who ran for local elected office, from Trustee to Park District Commissioner, who wasn’t successful,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi added. “Your leadership will serve as a building block for the future as we collectively work to form a more diverse government that is truly representative of the people it serves. And I will continue to have your back.”
States considering enacting biometric privacy legislation should be “wary” of following Illinois’ example, which has exposed businesses to massive costs, a new study shared exclusively with Bloomberg Law concludes.
Employers using biometric timekeeping technology are especially at risk of litigation under the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act, according to the analysis of 296 federal and 381 state court filings released Wednesday by the Chamber of Progress. It found 88% of the BIPA litigation arose from employer-employee disputes over biometric timekeeping.
The announcement of a $109 million health sciences building at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville was the highlight of a Thursday morning press conference at SIUE by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Pritzker is visiting universities across the state to promote his proposed FY24 budget, which includes an $80 million increase in higher education funding and record investments in MAP (Monetary Award Program) grants.
The funding is made possible by the governor’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, the largest capital plan in state history.
* This could be seen as a message to Darren Bailey…
U.S. Representative Mike Bost (IL-12) today announced that his campaign raised over $400,000 in the first quarter and is approaching $700,000 cash-on-hand.
“I am humbled by the overwhelming grassroots and financial support our campaign has received from across the new 12th District,” said Bost. “We are in the midst of a major battle to protect our rights as parents, our rights as law-abiding gun owners, and our rights as citizens who deserve to be safe from crime, drugs, and open borders. We’re taking the fight directly to the woke leftists and extreme liberals who undermine our values at every turn. And we have the conservative record and resources to win.”
Happy Thursday, Illinois. Just 153 days until nominating petitions are due for 2024, folks. h/t John Amdor
Amdor tweeted that petitions can be circulated in 153 days. He didn’t claim that petitions are due in 153 days.
* IML press release…
On April 6th, the Illinois Municipal League (IML), in partnership with the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), released Volume 7 of the Illinois Municipal Policy Journal. This academic journal addresses critical issues Illinois and its municipalities are facing.
This volume of the Journal includes articles on sustainability and climate action plans, networked supply chains, political civility, population and employment changes, a study on policing and a study on the impact of video gaming. The Journal also includes a book review of Survival of the City: Living and Thriving in an Age of Isolation.
“In recent years, challenges have grown and become more complex for state and local governments,” said Brad Cole, IML Executive Director. “As municipalities continue to push forward, this Journal equips leaders at all levels of government with solid academic research to broaden their understanding of topics to help build stronger, more vibrant communities.”
Since 2016, IML has published the Journal as a resource that provides elected and appointed officials with academic research on issues facing Illinois and its 1,295 cities, villages and towns. Additionally, it provides an arena for academics to publish their scholarly work on important topics, like municipal budgeting, public health and public financing of infrastructure projects.
The Journal is shared with political science and public administration departments at colleges and universities throughout the state. It is also distributed to the Illinois General Assembly and constitutional officers, the Illinois Congressional Delegation and other IML partners.
The Journal is available, free of charge (excluding shipping and handling), at iml.org/publications. An electronic version is also available at iml.org/journal.
* Press release…
Frontline Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) employees are now able to take training to safely and effectively use pepper spray in emergency situations, with the goal of being better able to protect themselves in the field. The training also includes instruction on situational awareness. The new program was created by legislation filed by State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield).
“Frontline DCFS employees need to be able to stay safe while they work to protect vulnerable children and families,” said Senator McClure. “I hope this program gives them vital tools and information that they can use to help protect themselves.”
Recently, Senator McClure was able to take the training course along with DCFS employees and Rodrigo Remolina, the Acting Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for DCFS. They were trained in how to properly deploy pepper spray against an attacker, as well as how to safely carry the products. They were also sprayed with pepper spray to learn how their own bodies would react to it, so that they can be ready for situations where they deploy pepper spray in self-defense, but wind or other factors cause them to come into contact with the spray.
“Pepper spray is a serious tool for self-defense, and very painful for attackers who are sprayed,” said McClure. “If pepper spray can give an investigator even a few extra moments to escape a bad situation, it could prevent a tragedy.”
In 2022, McClure’s legislation was signed into law, requiring the Illinois State Police to develop a training program for DCFS employees on the proper usage of pepper spray for self-defense. The legislation allows DCFS employees who complete the training to carry pepper spray while on the job. McClure had filed the legislation in response to the deaths of DCFS investigators Pamela Knight and Deidre Silas, who were both tragically killed while on the job. Silas was a constituent of McClure’s.
“DCFS is grateful to Senator McClure and the sponsors of Public Act 102-0990 for their support and commitment to keeping our child protection investigators safe,” said DCFS Director Marc D Smith. “When he attended our training in Bloomington, Senator McClure received firsthand experience with just how potent the OC pepper spray is, even from a distance. This training is critical to ensure the safety of our staff and those we serve and we’re grateful for Senator McClure’s support in these efforts.”
Senator McClure took part in the training session in Bloomington on March 24th.
Video…
* Update to the Twitter issue that I mentioned yesterday…
We’re pleased to announce our access to the Twitter API has been restored. Posting to Twitter has resumed. We appreciate your patience and support. Happy posting!
* Patch | Lake Forest High School Students Walk Out In Gun Violence Protest: About 100 Lake Forest High School students took part in the protest, which was also attended by about 50 adults, the Lake County News-Sun reported, including several Democratic politicians. Organizers Alia Attar, a Lake Forest senior, and Sophia Zar, a Lake Bluff junior, said the turnout exceeded their expectations. There are about 1,500 students enrolled at LFHS.
* Press release | City Of Chicago Held in Violation of Americans with Disabilities Act: In April of 2021, the Justice Department moved to intervene in a disability discrimination lawsuit that people with visual disabilities brought against the City under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act. The United States’ complaint in intervention alleged that the city fails to provide people who are blind, have low vision or are deaf-blind with equal access to pedestrian signal information at intersections. Pedestrian signal information, such as a flashing “Walk/Don’t Walk” signal, indicates when it is safe to cross the street for sighted pedestrians.
* Lake County News-Sun | Three newly elected Waukegan aldermen plan to form Hispanic caucus; ‘More people will feel like they’re represented’: Felix said he, Guzman and Martinez plan to form a Hispanic caucus, which he believes will activate the Latinx community now approaching a majority in the city, as well as benefit Waukegan overall. “It’s beautiful to see the three of us going to the council,” Felix said. “More people will feel like they’re represented. More people will pay attention. We’ll hear more Hispanic voices, and when they get engaged in the community it benefits everyone.”
* Naperville Sun | Kelly returned to Naperville council, joined by McBroom and Longenbaugh; Wilson holds lead for 4th seat: Incumbent Patrick Kelly said he’s grateful voters reelected him to a second four-year term on the Naperville City Council. He was the top vote-getter this week in a crowded field of 11 candidates, garnering 13% of the vote, followed by newcomers Allison Longenbaugh, a Naperville Public Library Board member who also received 13%, and Josh McBroom, a former Naperville Park Board commissioner who received 12%, unofficial election results show.
* ABC Chicago | Northwestern submits $800M Ryan Field redevelopment plan to City of Evanston: An informational meeting was held Wednesday with the community, and minority and women-owned businesses, as the university submits its redevelopment application to the City of Evanston for the $800 million project. The project will completely redesign Ryan Field. Although it will lower capacity by 12,000, it will add new multi-use space on the outside in the largest single capital expenditure in Northwestern and Evanston history.
* NPR Illinois | Officials mark continued progress on Springfield Rail Improvements Project: This week, work began on new $68.3 million underpasses at Madison and Jefferson Streets. By separating railroad tracks from regular vehicle traffic, the overpasses will reduce congestion and delays, improve safety, provide better access for bikes and pedestrians and cut down on emergency response times. “When all is said and done, $475 million will have been invested in the Springfield Rail Improvements Program — with $262 million already out the door. These investments bring us another step closer to building a rejuvenated, multimodal transportation system that works for everyone,” Pritzker said.
* Kaiser Health News | Gavin Newsom wanted California to cut ties with Walgreens. Then federal law got in the way.: Check Into Cash was an especially abusive example of a practice that has hurt a vulnerable part of the workforce. Because of the contracts, companies can practically own their workers, who would then face greatly diminished prospects if they decide to leave. The FTC has rightly identified these one-sided deals involving low-paid workers as anti-competitive restraints on trade that suppress job mobility and wages. In Illinois, the Check Into Cash case inspired legislation that was surprisingly fair-minded. Rather than ban non-competes, as worker advocates initially wanted, Illinois lawmakers balanced the concerns of employers as well as employees to specifically protect workers earning $75,000 a year or less
* Crain’s | Feds plan demolition between historic State Street skyscrapers: “A recent conditions assessment found the nonhistoric building, which has been unoccupied for several years, is not structurally sound and presents risks, including potential facade collapse that would endanger pedestrians and street traffic,” the GSA’s press release said.
* WCIA | Central Illinois city named top place in state for beer lovers: The website Move.org found that Springfield was named the best city in Illinois for beer lovers. The rankings were determined by highest capita of breweries within city limits for municipalities with populations over 100,000. The site found there are six breweries, contact brewers and microbreweries in the capital city, including Engrained Brewing Company, Obed and Isaac’s Microbrewery, Buzz Bomb Brewery, and Anvil & Forge Brewing and Distilling.
* Daily Herald | A new home for Rocky the coyote: Rocky was born under a deck in Tennessee in 2018 and was mistaken for a German shepherd puppy. By the time people learned he was a coyote, he already had imprinted on humans. He was moved to River Trail Nature Center when efforts to rehabilitate him to live in the wild failed. Despite the efforts of Rocky’s advocates, which include In Defense of Animals and the Chicago Alliance for Animals, to have him moved to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, the Forest Preserves of Cook County has stood firm about displaying the animal as part of the Animal Ambassadors program.
Chicago had 86,725 outstanding mail-in ballots as of Wednesday, according to the city’s election board.
Not all of those ballots will be mailed back in time or postmarked correctly, but Bever said the elections officials expect at least 50-52 percent — about 43,000-45,000 ballots — to be returned and counted over the next two weeks based on figures from the Feb. 28 election.
A Chicago Board of Elections spokesperson told Isabel this morning that their website will be updated every day by 6 pm during the mail-in count.
The [Chicagoland Chamber’s] political wing endorsed Vallas, but now, “We need to look forward,” Lavin said in a phone interview. “We need to bring people together. The city has a lot of challenges. . . .To be successful as mayor, you have to have a relationship with the business community.”
Lavin hinted that, perhaps, Johnson might see his way to back off of some of the items in his tax plan, like reinstating the employer head tax, something that business groups say would send the wrong message to companies considering opening or expanding operations here. “Lots of things are said during a campaign,” said Lavin, who formerly served as chief of staff to Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. “Then you get to governing.”
Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia, who was a strong ally of progressive Ald. Helen Shiller, 46th, said he believes Johnson “has a pragmatic side. He understands the need to communicate.” Toia said his hope is that Johnson appreciates that business “needs a little longer runway on his tax plans. We can’t do it all right away.”
The head of a third group, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association chief Michael Jacobson, said his group is “moving forward” despite Johnson’s proposal to raise the city’s hotel tax, which at 17.4% already is the highest of any major convention and meeting city. His conversation with Johnson went well, Jacobson said, though nothing final was resolved. “We all want to make Chicago a good place to visit and live. . . .There’s going to be disagreements with any mayor” on policy.
* What’s that saying about how all Chicago maps tell the same basic story?…
Here's a map of violent crime in Chicago over the last five years (left) and a map of mayoral election results by precint (right).
The areas hit hardest by violence voted for Brandon Johnson, who campaigned hard on alternatives to policing, instead of tough-on-crime Paul Vallas. pic.twitter.com/jqQaXcz5p8
“We tend to limit our conversations around toughness and more police officers, and what has been proven over and over again, that is not a recipe for absolute success,” Johnson said. “And so our mission and my platform has been very clear. We get at the immediate dynamic of public safety, but we also set up long-term solutions.”
Johnson did not discuss the policing specifics he had touted on the campaign trail beyond hiring 200 more detectives via promotion from beat cops and ensuring less churn of officer supervisors. But he rebutted a question about Fraternal Order of Police local President John Catanzara’s previous warning there would be “blood in the streets” as the result of a mass Chicago police exodus under Johnson’s administration.
“Well, first of all, I don’t believe there’s a difference between me and the Police Department,” Johnson said. “Now, what the Fraternal Order of Police leader has said, that doesn’t necessarily reflect the values of the city of Chicago. … We’re not going to base our administration off of what, you know, the police union leader has said.”
Johnson told WTTW News Tuesday that he hoped his victory would reshape the national debate over policing that has raged since the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 triggered massive racial justice protests and unrest. Johnson’s margin of victory over Vallas stood at approximately 3 percentage points, according to unofficial returns released by the Chicago Board of Elections.
“What was remarkable about this journey was that people saw public safety in a more holistic way,” Johnson said. “Bringing people together around a holistic approach of how we address public safety that will be the test of my leadership.”
Q: It wasn’t part of your budget plan to slash the Police Department’s budget or defund the police as you were accused of intending to do throughout the campaign. But regardless, I’m sure there are many police officers who voted for Vallas who do believe that that’s in your heart of hearts. And that’s your intention. How do you build a bridge with police officers who see you as the defund candidate?
Johnson: Well, look, I’ve served as a public school teacher in the city of Chicago. And when you serve in the city of Chicago, you see firsthand the type of trauma that causes tremendous turmoil.
And police officers, in many instances, like teachers, are oftentimes asked to do their job and someone else’s. I’m going to understand that better than any other person who was running for office. I’m going to have a conversation with our police officers with our lieutenants, our sergeants to come up with a plan that ultimately places police officers in a position to do their job and not place them in a position where the strain and conflict that exists in communities have pulled us apart.
My job and responsibility is to unite the city and bring people together. I’m going to do that as mayor of Chicago.
* Morgan Elise Johnson got a lot of online props for her appearance on WGN during election night. Here’s what The TRiiBE publisher said at the end of the program…
Forbes published an article in January of this year of the most violent cities. Chicago is not even in the top 15. We’re not the violence capital of America. We are the violence narrative capital of America, and somehow Black Chicago has become the face of violent crime. And for those of us who are dedicated to reshaping the narrative, we’re saying enough with that narrative. We are a community of vibrant people who are very interested in keeping our people safe. I think the vast majority of Chicagoans are open to those strategies and learning more about them and I hope they listened to the young people who are forging that path. We saw a first step with that with the election of Brandon Johnson.
As for the mayor-elect, he spoke Wednesday about the need to unite Chicago, concentrate on public safety and crime, and his desire to bring together City Council.
“What I want to see is that everyone gets to participate; I’m looking to unite and bring people together. The type of divisive nature that has separated our communities in a way that have left us incredibly damaged, we’re gonna put an end to that,” Johnson said.
[Brandon Johnson] won 29 of 50 wards, including a clean sweep of majority African-American wards. He won six Hispanic majority wards to Vallas’ nine. The Latino wards Johnson carried included the 22nd Ward that is home to former mayoral challenger Jesus “Chuy Garcia, the Southwest Side congressman who endorsed Johnson. […]
The Cook County commissioner passed the 80% mark in eight African-American wards: the 6th, 8th, 16th, 17th, 20th and 21st, on the South Side and the 24th and 37th on the West Side. The Austin resident scored his highest percentage — 84.2% — in the 24th Ward.
Johnson sealed the deal by padding his Feb. 28 vote totals along the progressive-minded north lakefront, the hipster Milwaukee Avenue corridor and in three Northwest Side wards with Hispanic majorities, two of them represented by Democratic Socialists: the 33rd and 35th. […]
Bowen also pointed to Johnson’s narrow win in Tunney’s home 44th Ward as evidence that attacks on Vallas as a closet Republican did enormous political damage in a ward with a large LGBTQ+ community that also includes a lot of younger voters.
[United Working Families] Executive Director Emma Tai said that its field operation knocked on 555,000 doors, made 1.26 million phone calls, fired off nearly 2 million texts and raised over $400,000 in grassroots donations.
Many of those [UW] volunteers were “true believers” ready to convince voters that while no one thinks police officers have no role to play as part of efforts to increase public safety in Chicago, the solution is not just to hire more police officers, as Vallas promised, Tai said.
“People have a right to expect more, and a fully functioning city,” Tai said.
ShotSpotter (NASDAQ:SSTI) dropped 11% after plunging 22% on Wednesday amid speculation that the newly elected Chicago mayor could look to end the city’s contract with the gunfire detection company.
On Thursday Craig-Hallum downgraded ShotSpotter (SSTI) to hold from buy and its price target was cut to $30 from $48.
The Chicago contract is up for renewal in a less than a year and “we see significant risk the contract will be terminated within six months,” Craig-Hallum analyst Jeremy Hamblin wrote in a note. “While SSTI has diversified its business over the past few years, we are concerned that investors will worry about potential for other Tier 1 cities to terminate ther service.”
Brandon Johnson, who was elected Chicago mayor on Tuesday after a runoff election, has said that he plans to end the use of ShotSpotter (SSTI), as some critics have alleged that it’s faulty and can lead to dangerous police interactions.
How many aldermen will join the council’s formal Progressive Caucus is unclear. In the past, the caucus organized around labor issues, good government reforms, and generally, opposition to Mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel. The caucus has been less active during Lightfoot’s administration: The domain for its website, for example, apparently lapsed and now directs to a Dutch steroid supplier. Its fundraising also has lagged: According to state records, the caucus’ political action committee has less than $14,000 on hand.
Two-term state Rep. Lamont Robinson (D-5th) has been elected alderman of the 4th Ward over Prentice Butler, the ward’s current chief of staff.
With all precincts reporting on Tuesday night, April 4, Robinson captured 66.52% of the vote and Butler captured 33.48%, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. They are separated by a little more than 4,000 votes. […]
“We worked endlessly to make sure that our message got out to the residents of the 4th Ward,” Robinson told the crowd. “I want to thank my wonderful team for allowing me the opportunity to make history again in the city of Chicago and in the state of Illinois.”
He went on to thank those who endorsed him, including Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who made an appearance at the event. Preckwinkle was alderperson of the 4th Ward from 1991 to 2010.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Chalkbeat | Chicagoans want elected school board to better represent Black and Latino students: The hearing was the first of five held by the Illinois’ Senate’s Special Committee on the Chicago Elected Representative School Board, which is tasked with drawing the districts where school board members will be elected. The board has a July 1 deadline. The first Chicago school board elections will be held November 2024. According to state law, school board districts must reflect the city’s population. In Chicago’s case, public schools serve predominantly Black and Latino students, while the city’s overall population is 33% white.
* WBEZ | How will the Chicago Teachers Union make the transition from agitators to insiders?: In introducing Johnson at the victory party, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates extended an olive branch to entities the union has vigorously opposed — charter schools and police. “Tonight you chose a city where everyone gets a seat,” she declared. “You chose the city where there are charter and public schools. You chose the city where teachers and cops live in the same neighborhood.”
* WGN | Who Might be Chicago’s ‘next’ Top Cop?: Johnson will be part of the initial search process and can submit names for consideration. The mayor-elect has said he wants the next police superintendent to be from the department as opposed to an outsider. “I believe that’s important — someone who is tethered to the rank and file who understands the dynamic nature of the City of Chicago,” Johnson said in an interview with WGN.
* Crain’s | As labor’s ally Johnson takes office, biz owners doublecheck their bottom lines: The restaurant industry, for example, has seen the cost of labor rise since the pandemic struck. Restaurants have also been hit with high costs of goods. Those two factors, along with other changes to the industry that COVID-19 wrought, caused the notoriously low-margin industry to become even less profitable. Gross profit at restaurants around the country sank to 35% from 37% between 2020 and 2022, according to data from market research firm Technomic.
* NYT | How Brandon Johnson Made Up Ground and Won Chicago’s Mayoral Race: Mr. Johnson took advantage of widespread doubts among Democratic voters over Mr. Vallas’s party identification, ever since the emergence of a television interview from 2009 in which Mr. Vallas called himself “more of a Republican than a Democrat.” And Mr. Johnson capitalized on key endorsements to bolster his credibility among voters who did not know him well, especially those from Senator Sanders and Representative Jesús G. García, a progressive congressman with a base of support in mostly Hispanic neighborhoods on the West Side.
* Block Club | Thousands Of Mail-In Ballots Still Left To Be Counted Could Sway Close Aldermanic Races: Chicago had 86,725 outstanding mail-in ballots as of Wednesday, according to the city’s election board. Not all of those ballots will be mailed back in time or postmarked correctly, but Bever said the elections officials expect at least 50-52 percent — about 43,000-45,000 ballots — to be returned and counted over the next two weeks based on figures from the Feb. 28 election.
* ABC Chicago | Newly-elected alderpersons to bring more progressive voices to Chicago City Council: “They are going to come in with ideology, they are going to come in wanted advocate for social change, public policy. It’s not just going to be about picking up the garbage and paving the streets,” said ABC7 Political Analyst Laura Washington. Washington said she expects to see more debate in the city council with fewer moderates and more progressive voices.
* Sun-Times | Firefighter Jermaine Pelt died of carbon monoxide poisoning, autopsy finds: Pelt’s father, John Pelt, said his son had a proud moment in November when he walked his 28-year-old daughter down the aisle. The newlywed had delayed her honeymoon and was about to leave town for Jamaica when tragedy struck, he said. “I would call him a hero. He’s my hero,” John Pelt said. “Right now I’m not feeling that great.”
* Crain’s | As HQ layoffs loom, McDonald’s cuts field offices: Crain’s obtained an email sent to employees Thursday that lays out some details about how certain teams and initiatives are being restructured. McDonald’s plans to close its field office facilities. The email said the facilities are underutilized, as many of the workers based there spend their time in the restaurants. The move largely seems to be a real estate play: Only the physical offices will close, while the 10 field divisions will remain to support restaurants. The email emphasized that the work field office-based employees do is vital and will continue.
* Bill Savage | Writing about Chicago politics? Drop the deep-dish.: One such parachute journalism aerial assault lit up Twitter early on Election Day, when FiveThirtyEight set out to explain us to the world by mapping “The Four Political Neighborhoods of Chicago.” Outsiders’ examinations should not automatically be dismissed. Locals tend to take the standard operating procedure as the given state of nature, rather than something to analyze. But such analysis has to do at least two things to be worth bothering with: It has to be accurate and it has to avoid cliché. FiveThirtyEight’s piece does neither.
* Crain’s | O’Hare ranked 4th-busiest airport in the world: Although O’Hare served 19% fewer passengers last year than before the pandemic, it had the fourth-highest number of travelers among the world’s big airports. It’s the same spot O’Hare claimed in 2021 on the annual ranking by Airports Council International. In 2019, however, O’Hare ranked sixth.
* Tribune | 1 food critic, 40 burritos: Finding the best in Chicago: To see the burrito unadulterated from American meddling, visit Gordillas on 26th Street in the Little Village neighborhood, where I experienced my first burrito epiphany. Employees made the flour tortillas fresh before my eyes. Instead of swamping the tortilla with a dozen components, each burrito came smeared with refried beans, topped with a filling, folded over, and griddled until golden. That was it. And it was small, just slightly bigger than a normal taco. Each bite centered on the interplay of the soft tortilla, creamy beans and meaty filling. It was the best burrito I’d ever eaten.
Whether the patient is a human or an animal, a healthcare professional’s first duty is to do no harm. Following that ethic, numerous veterinary providers and practices in Illinois have chosen not to perform elective declaw surgeries on cats.
While a small percentage of declaw procedures are necessary for the health of the cat, the majority of these surgeries are elective, performed for the convenience of the cat’s guardian. But declawing can cause lifelong pain and discomfort for the cat, and often leads to more serious behavioral problems. Meanwhile, guardians can typically control unwanted scratching of furniture and other possessions through humane, non-invasive measures.
Currently, Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill, HB 1533, that would ban elective cat declawing, while still permitting the procedure when necessary for a therapeutic purpose.
* Rep. Ann Williams…
This is not an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s real life now for women and girls in Idaho. And it’s why I’m working with SOS @Giannoulias to pass a bill which limits IL ALPR data from being shared with states like Idaho that prosecute citizens for seeking healthcare. #twillhttps://t.co/wBet5vm8K6
Legislation could soon be introduced in the US state of Illinois that aims to promote the cost-effective deployment of energy storage on the grid.
Sponsored by Democrat Senator Bill Cunningham, Senate Bill 1587 (SB1587) would make energy storage-friendly amendments to the Illinois Power Agency Act, which is the framework for electricity procurement in the service territories of Illinois grid operators ComEd and Ameren.
SB1587 was filed by the Senator in February, when it had its first reading in the Senate. Now being considered by lawmakers, it “makes legislative declarations and findings regarding the deployment of energy storage systems,” according to the bill’s text.
It calls for the establishment of an energy storage credit system, which would be added to the procurement processes of the Illinois Power Agency (IPA), the independent state body established in 2007 with duties that include developing electricity procurement plans and conducting competitive procurement processes, long-term electricity system planning and the development of electric and co-generation facilities.
Through the bill, the agency would be authorised to conduct competitive solicitations for storage credits and execute contracts to ensure the Illinois electric system gets sufficient energy storage resources. It would also be tasked with developing an electricity storage procurement plan within 90 days of the bill’s amendments becoming effective.
What do you get when you cross a “non-religious” person with an eco-freak? You get a devotee of human composting. And by that, I don’t mean humans who compost. I mean humans who are turned into compost—after death, of course. Lesbian Katrina Spade has been promoting the eco-friendly composting of human remains since 2014 when she founded the Urban Death Project, since renamed Recomposed. Get it? Composting humans is recast as re-composing them, kind of like re-purposing them. What the new name loses in forthrightness, it gains in marketability. […]
Isn’t “recomposition” what the “trans” cult believes they can do? Don’t they believe they can recompose male bodies into female bodies? […]
Human composting will be voluntary at first, but how long will that last? Probably about as long as voluntary euthanasia. Doctors are now performing non-voluntary euthanizations. And what comes after non-voluntary human composting? Mandatory human composting.
How long before cannibalism of recently deceased humans is legalized? After all, why waste all that good meat. Maybe we could call it Soylent Green.
Legislation that increases the fines for spraying humans with pesticides has passed the Illinois Senate.
First introduced in 2021, this is the first time the legislation passed a statehouse chamber. The push for higher fines came in the wake of two 2019 incidents involving the same crew of farmworkers. On two separate occasions that summer, an airplane and a helicopter sprayed them with pesticides while they detasseled corn, according to a lawsuit and state investigations.
The legislation, which passed the state senate March 30, now moves to the state’s House of Representatives. The higher fines would apply only if an applicator is spraying “off-label” — meaning they’re not spraying exactly as the product label dictates.
Illinois currently uses a point system to assign fines to pesticide violators. More points means a higher fine. Spraying a human — the current law doesn’t take into account how many — is worth the same number of points as spraying without a permit or falsifying records.
With less than a month to go until Election Day, the libertarian-leaning Illinois Policy Institute filed a lawsuit today challenging Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s graduated income tax amendment, arguing it contains “extremely biased language . . . that deprives Illinoisans of a fair, informed vote on the progressive tax question.” […]
Jack Vrett of Honigman is representing the plaintiffs. He was previously deputy counsel at the Department of Central Management Services in Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration, helping negotiate labor contracts, including the contentious negotiation with AFSCME Council 31 in 2015.
A group of Cook County residents have filed suit to challenge the efforts of labor unions and their Democratic allies in Springfield to rewrite the Illinois state constitution to create an unfettered “right to collectively bargain,” a revision critics say would give labor unions the power to use union contracts to supersede state law, while violating federal law, in the process.
On April 21, attorneys from the Liberty Justice Center and from the Illinois Policy Institute, both of Chicago, filed a petition in Sangamon County Circuit Court in Springfield, seeking permission to file a complaint challenging the ability of the Democrat-dominated Illinois General Assembly to place the measure, generally known as Amendment 1, before voters on the ballot this fall.
“Amendment 1 violates the U.S. Constitution and must be taken off the ballot,” said attorney Jacob Huebert, of the Liberty Justice Center, in a prepared statement released when the petition was filed.
Less than a week before the mayoral runoff election between Chicago Teachers Union organizer Brandon Johnson and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, three CTU members filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the union.
Questioning the union’s approximately $2.2 million in donations to Johnson’s campaign for mayor, the complaint alleges CTU “breached its duty of fair representation to its members” in using membership dues for political purposes, contrary to a policy stated in the union’s member handbook. Hancock High School teacher Froylan “Froy” Jimenez, who recently failed to advance to the runoff in his bid to become 11th Ward alderman, is among the complainants.
Not mentioned anywhere in the story is the group’s attorney is Jack Vrett, the same lawyer who handled the Illinois Policy Institute’s failed suit to stop the graduated income tax amendment proposal. IPI was also Vrett’s second-largest direct contributor when he ran against Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights) last year (after Jeanne Ives’ committee). Just sayin.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) signed a bill into law Wednesday that makes it a crime for an adult to help a minor obtain an abortion without parental consent, including by traveling to a state where abortion is legal.
The new law brands such involvement by adults as “abortion trafficking.” With a near-total abortion ban already in place in Idaho, the legislation, passed by Republican state lawmakers, adds restrictions to prevent minors from going out of state when their parents aren’t involved. […]
An adult convicted of breaking the law will face two to five years in prison, and the minor’s parents and siblings can sue, as can the person who impregnated the minor and children of the minor.
Even in cases of rape, someone who helps a minor obtain an abortion can be charged, the Associated Press reported, though the person who raped the minor can’t sue under the law.
* The ACLU of Idaho plans to sue the state for also prohibiting medical procedures for youth gender affirming care…
Starting next year, anyone in Idaho who provides gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth could end up a convicted felon, after the state’s Republican governor signed legislation banning the treatment late Tuesday.
At least one organization has already promised to sue over the new law. The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho announced Wednesday it was looking for potential plaintiffs for the lawsuit and asked anyone impacted by the legislation to reach out.
Idaho is one of at least 13 states to enact a law restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, and nearly two dozen more are considering similar bills. Under Idaho’s new law, physicians will face up to 10 years in prison if they provide hormones, puberty blockers or other gender-affirming care to people under age 18. […]
ACLU of Idaho executive director Leo Morales said the law is discriminatory.
“For lawmakers to interfere in decisions that ought to be made by families and their healthcare providers is clear government overreach and is unacceptable,” Morales said in a statement.
Indiana’s governor signed a bill banning all gender-affirming care for minors Wednesday, joining at least 12 other states that have enacted laws restricting or banning such care.
Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the legislation after Republican majorities in the Legislature approved it. The law will go into effect July 1, and trans youth currently taking medication to transition would have until the end of the year to stop doing so. […]
Opponents of the legislation said the types of care the bill would ban, such as hormone therapy and puberty blockers, are vital and often life-saving for transgender kids. Medical providers say most of the procedures banned in the bill are reversible and safe for minors. Transgender medical treatments for children and teens have been available in the U.S. for more than a decade and are endorsed by major medical associations.
But supporters of the legislation have contended such care is not reversible or carries side effects that only an adult — and not a minor’s parent — can consent to.
As teenagers and demonstrators flooded the Tennessee state legislature last week to call for lawmakers to toughen access to guns after a deadly shooting at a Christian school, three Democrats headed to the well of the House chamber.
Holding a hand-drawn sign calling to “protect kids, not guns” and speaking through a megaphone, State Representatives Justin Jones, Justin J. Pearson and Gloria Johnson led chants and called on their colleagues to pass stricter gun laws, forcing the legislative proceedings to a temporary halt.
Now, in what would be an extraordinary act of retribution for the protest, Republicans are poised to vote on Thursday to oust the three Democrats from the General Assembly and carry out the first partisan expulsion in the state’s modern history.
The House of Representatives has voted only twice since the Civil War to expel a member, once in 1980 after a sitting lawmaker was convicted of soliciting a bribe and again in 2016 after the House majority whip faced allegations of sexual misconduct while in office.
Despite the absence of any criminal charges or investigation, Republicans argue that the expulsions are warranted because the protest flouted the rules of procedure and decorum, with the House speaker going so far as to invoke the violence of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. And with Republicans holding a supermajority that provides the necessary two-thirds majority for expulsion, Democrats have little recourse to stop the vote.
Here’s video from Tennessean reporter Vivian Jones of the Democratic Reps. today…
Tennessee also advanced a bill in the House to let teachers carry firearms without notifying student’s parents. But…
Even if the Tennessee bill clears the full House, it’s not likely to pass in the Senate this year.
Bucking gun control advocates who have called for an urgent response to the tragedy, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to defer all gun-related legislation — including the companion bill to let teachers go armed — until 2024, the second year of the legislature’s two-year session. Chairman Todd Gardenhire, a Republican from Chattanooga, said he didn’t want to rush legislation as the city mourned the victims and police continued their investigation.
Kansas is banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports from kindergarten through college, the first of several possible new laws restricting the rights of transgender people pushed through by Republican legislators over the wishes of the Democratic governor.
The Legislature on Wednesday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s third veto in three years of a bill to ban transgender athletes, and came a day after state lawmakers passed a broad bathroom bill. Nineteen other states have imposed restrictions on transgender athletes, most recently Wyoming.
The Kansas law takes effect July 1 and is among several hundred proposals that Republican lawmakers across the U.S. have pursued this year to push back on LGBTQ rights. Kansas lawmakers who back the ban are also pursuing proposals to end gender-affirming care for minors and restrict restroom use.
The measure approved by Kansas lawmakers Tuesday would prevent transgender people from using public restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities associated with their gender identities, and bars them from changing their name or gender on their driver’s licenses. Kelly is expected to veto that.
The legislation requires children to participate in school activities based on the gender they were assigned at birth, from elementary school to college. Challenges could require them to undergo genital inspections, or require a birth certificate for proof of the child’s gender.
The Texas Senate on Wednesday voted in favor of two bills that would restrict, and at times criminalize, drag shows and anything else deemed a “sexually oriented performance.”
Both bills were expanded broadly during debate on Tuesday, which was punctuated by contention and raucous reaction from members of the public gathered in the Senate gallery. Both bills now head to the House for more debate.
Senate Bill 12 by Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, would criminalize performances that occur or could occur in front of a minor if they appeal to the “prurient interest in sex” or meet several other definitions for “sexual conduct,” including real or “simulated” touching of the buttocks, breasts or genitals, real or simulated sex acts or the “exhibition” of sex toys.
Performers could be charged with a class A misdemeanor, and businesses who host them would face $10,000 in fines.
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* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Brandon Johnson’s victory part of a ‘sea change’ in Midwestern politics: “I do believe that this is a change for the city, something new. But you know what? It’s a new generation of voters that came to the polls,” Pritzker said during an unrelated news conference on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. “I think he’s part of a kind of a sea change that’s going on in what I guess politically we’d all call ‘the Blue Wall.’ ”
* The Pantagraph | Chicago’s mayor still matters in Springfield — but not like it used to: “Looking at it historically, the mayor of Chicago has about maybe 10% of the influence now, the impact in Springfield now, than when I started as a reporter 50 some years ago,” said Charlie Wheeler, retired director of the public affairs reporting program at the University of Illinois Springfield.
* Center Square | Illinois hopes to lure renewable energy storage companies to the state: State Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, who has introduced Senate Bill 1587, said not enough attention is being paid to energy storage. “The essence of the bill is that it would require the Illinois Power Agency to facilitate the procurement of energy storage credits in order to promote storage,” Cunningham said.
* Axios | Illinois to get more lead removal money: Illinois will get an extra $143 million for lead water line removal this year in the wake of new changes to the federal funding formula that now take into account how bad the lead problem is in each state.
* KFVS | First trans person to serve on a city council in Illinois elected in Carbondale: Killman said she came to Carbondale seeking a better life, and did not imagine she would be rewarded with the opportunity to give back to the city. “The prospect of being the first transgender person ever elected to a city council in Illinois is one that I hope will stand as a testament to what it means to be an Illinoisan,” Killman said.
* Illinois Answers Project | Bill for New State-Backed Tax Credit Could Yield Thousands More Affordable Units per Year: New housing construction has lagged for residents across the income spectrum for decades — especially in Illinois, where the D.C.-based nonprofit Up for Growth calculated a unit underproduction of 120,000 homes last year. The shortage is especially acute for low-income renters, who are often unable to afford to live in buildings without government subsidies. The advocacy group Housing Action Illinois last month counted more than 450,000 “extremely low-income” renter households in the state, but only about 150,000 affordable rental units available to them.
* Tribune | Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson will face early examination from newly emboldened City Council: And a majority of the council just last week got a jump on the new term by throwing down their own council reorganization plan. In their latest bid to prove they’re more than patsies for the fifth floor, aldermen vastly expanded the number of council committees and handed out chairmanships to themselves rather than waiting for Johnson to do so. It will be up to Johnson to respond to that proposal. But while veteran aldermen expect him to soon proffer his own committee leadership plan, they may not be as willing to hand the keys to him as they have for decades when mayors dictated council committee leadership posts.
* Shaw Local | Did you vote? Would a cookie have changed your mind?: Two-plus decades spent encouraging readers to make positive societal contributions by providing a pint or marking a ballot yields plenty of thoughtful explanations for why people don’t engage in one or both, which serves as a helpful reminder my experiences are mine alone, and perhaps the fact voting took five minutes and giving blood about 30 doesn’t come close to moving someone else’s needle.
* Tribune | A Winnetka man spent years trying to prove he had found a Raphael painting. Was he right?: Twenty-seven years, reams of research and hundreds of thousands of dollars later, Ayers’ associates have come forward to claim the artwork, called the Flaget Madonna, as a work from the studio of Raphael, an Italian painter from the High Renaissance. They were convinced to go public with the attribution after an AI brushstroke analysis deduced that at least two of the faces in the painting matched Raphael’s known handiwork. The rest of the panel was likely painted by multiple hands, common in studio works of the period.
* ProPublica | Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire: In late June 2019, right after the U.S. Supreme Court released its final opinion of the term, Justice Clarence Thomas boarded a large private jet headed to Indonesia. He and his wife were going on vacation: nine days of island-hopping in a volcanic archipelago on a superyacht staffed by a coterie of attendants and a private chef.
After a resounding number of local election wins, the Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) is celebrating its success in preventing extremists from being elected to numerous school and library board seats across the state.
While results are yet to be certified, 73 of the 101 extremists that DPI identified and opposed lost their races, and of the 117 candidates recommended by DPI, 84 were elected.
In several districts including Oswego CUSD 308, Lyons Township High School District 204, Hononegah High School District 207, and McLean County School District 5 each of the extreme candidates that DPI exposed were unsuccessful.
Additionally, DPI targeted 42 Awake IL endorsed candidates, and 37 of them lost, a clear indication that Illinoisans disavowed their hateful rhetoric and dangerous platform.
“Last night, Illinoisans rejected the regressive vision of extremist candidates across the state, and once again showed that they believe in continuing to move our state forward. With so much on the line, DPI was proud to step in to push back against political agendas that posed a threat to our fundamental values,” DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez said. “I look forward to the ways in which these newly elected board members will work to make Illinois a safe and just place for all our children to grow up.”
“Illinoisans continue to reaffirm their commitment to a forward-looking state, and DPI is proud to have played a part in making that vision a reality. While we’re pleased by the outcomes of yesterday’s elections, our work isn’t done. This is just the beginning for DPI as we build a state party that functions as a resource and a support system for Democrats every year, in every corner of Illinois,” said DPI Executive Director Ben Hardin. “We knew this work wouldn’t be easy, especially given the organized movement from the far-right to disguise their true agenda, but we’re grateful that voters saw through the falsehoods and turned out to support credible community advocates. Our values were on the line in these races, and I’m proud that Illinoisans once again voted for fairness, equity, and inclusion in our state.”
The Democratic Party of Illinois launched an innovative program to prevent extremists from taking over school and library boards in response to dark money and candidate support from far-right organizations. DPI opposed candidates backed by known far-right organizations as well as those who have embraced values and policies that contradict those of the Party including censoring or banning books, blocking full spectrum sex education, teaching revisionist history and ignoring public health.” Throughout this unprecedented program, DPI reached hundreds of thousands of individuals and households in Illinois via digital and mail communications as well as on the ground organizing support, keeping over 70 extremists out of school and library board seats. The positive impacts of this support were made clear by the results of yesterday’s elections.
This initiative was brought forth as part of the new party building directive under the leadership of Chair Hernandez to provide year round support to Democrats through grassroots organizing and continuous voter engagement.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today about a bill passed by the Senate to rescind the state’s longtime moratorium on constructing new nuclear plants. The object is to spur development of small nuke plants…
Over the years, I think the environmental movement has looked at nuclear differently, especially over the last 15 years, than it did prior. Because you talk about nuclear today, you’re not talking about building another Byron plant or Zion as it used to be. Instead, you’re talking about small modular reactors. And that’s something that’s new. They’re small, they are considered much, much safer. There’s something you can really, if you had a million square foot plant for example, you could have your own small modular reactor that’s next to that plant that’s providing all the energy just for that plant.
So you know, banning nuclear entirely in a world where it’s become much safer and these are smaller, less prone to an accident, more likely for us to be able to maintain them for a long period of time. That’s something that’s worthy of consideration.
Now the devil’s in the details and we want to make sure that we’re not just opening this up to nuclear everywhere or any type of nuclear. So, I’ve talked to Sen. Rezin a bit about this and to some of the people who are contemplating sponsoring it in the House, and we will continue that dialogue. I don’t know where that bill will go this session, but I’m not opposed to it as if I’m just dead set against any nuclear. I just want, if we’re going to consider it, it’s got to be safe.
Well, I congratulate her on her victory. I’ve worked with Mayor Langfelder now for the last four years, and we’ve gotten an awful lot done for Springfield together and I know that I’ll work with the new mayor on whatever is best for the city of Springfield. We all spend an awful lot of time here, even if we’re not here full time. And we know that this is a special city. It’s our capital city, it ought to shine for the world. We want to bring tourists and bring the rest of the world to Springfield. And so I’m going to work closely, as I will with the mayors all across the state of Illinois.
* He was also asked about why he thought the move to ban books was gaining steam and where it was coming from…
Well, the extremists are coming after your literature. They’re coming after your libraries, they’re coming after your books under the guise of ‘we’re protecting somebody.’ That’s always the guise under which people end up banning or burning books.
The reality is more information is better. Obviously we all believe in age-appropriate materials. But the reality is our libraries have been able to manage this for years and years and years. And all of a sudden there’s this mythical thing that’s popped up with the far right, that, you know these books are being pushed on people somehow. That’s not what’s happening hasn’t been happening. Just like there’s no CRT in schools. They’ve made that up. K through 12 education has no CRT. In higher ed, there are graduate programs where people are teaching, learning, choosing. These are adults choosing to take courses like that or teach them. But K 12 education, there’s no CRT, just like there is no need for us to take books off the shelves in our libraries. They have been age appropriate for many years, librarians are highly capable of managing that.
* On that topic, he was asked which book had the most impact on him growing up…
You’re gonna look for me to pick Moby Dick or some other major classic. But I’m going to tell you the book that had the most impact on me. My great-grandfather immigrated to this country from Ukraine in 1881. And he was nine years old when he arrived. He had nothing. He sold Chicago Tribunes on a street corner to survive. There was a social service agency that gave him a place to live, a public school that gave him a place to go to school and learn English. And he became a successful lawyer during his lifetime.
He wrote a book near the end of his life, it’s called Three Score after Ten. It’s not on the bookshelves anywhere because it was just written privately by him for our family. And it’s a quite a long tome, but it’s about the history of my family, where we came from, the challenges that our family went through, the the fact that our lives, our family’s lives were threatened, had to escape and become refugees out of Ukraine, and made it to the United States. And it’s one of the reasons I believe in standing up for refugees and helping them resettle when they come to the United States when they’re escaping violence. So that book had an enormous impact on me. I read it when I was 13 years old first, and I’ve probably read it at least five or seven times since. .
* AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 22 states, urged the Biden administration to scrap dangerous federal rules that allow employers to interfere in the reproductive health decisions of their employees.
The rules, put in place under the prior administration, took away contraceptive coverage from women who should have been entitled to complete coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). They added broad, unreasonable exemptions that allowed nearly all types of employers to deny birth control coverage to their employees based on religious or moral objections.
In a comment letter addressed to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su, Raoul and the coalition applaud the Biden administration’s proposal to restore access to cost-free contraceptive coverage by rescinding the moral exemption and creating alternate means to cover contraceptive services for individuals whose plan sponsors claim the religious exemption. However, the letter also expresses opposition to the administration’s decision to retain the overly broad religious exemption promulgated in 2018, which is deemed far beyond what is necessary to protect those with religious objections.
“More than 60 million women rely on coverage for preventative services, including contraception, as a fundamental part of their health care plan,” Raoul said. “Access to contraceptive care supports people’s ability to control their reproductive health and promotes access to education, jobs and financial empowerment. Employers do not have the right to stand between their employees and the reproductive health care they need.”
By the way, I checked back in my records and on @capitolfax for May 14, 2019 - the day the simultaneous FBI raids occurred - to see what was going on in Springfield that day. Was the day of the (mostly) annual House vs. Senate softball game. For the record, the House won 15 to 5. https://t.co/wHgJkjYyyT
Gov. J.B. Pritzker appointed five new members to the board of trustees of Northeastern Illinois University, pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.
The announcement comes after trustees moved to oust president Gloria Gibson amid concerns over the school’s flagging enrollment and abysmal graduation rates. Four of the previous trustees’ terms have expired and another quit in frustration. The board is made up of nine members. […]
As Crain’s previously reported, the faculty last fall issued a vote of no confidence in president Gibson and followed that with another no-confidence vote for the board. By then, the board had acted, deciding not to renew Gibson’s contract that expires June 30. In February, the vice president for enrollment management resigned.
A federal judge in Chicago held the City of Chicago liable for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act by failing to provide accessible pedestrian signals at signalized intersections throughout the city to those who are blind or have low vision.
In April of 2021, the Justice Department moved to intervene in a disability discrimination lawsuit that people with visual disabilities brought against the City under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act. The United States’ complaint in intervention alleged that the city fails to provide people who are blind, have low vision or are deaf-blind with equal access to pedestrian signal information at intersections. Pedestrian signal information, such as a flashing “Walk/Don’t Walk” signal, indicates when it is safe to cross the street for sighted pedestrians.
Accessible pedestrian signals (APSs) are devices that provide pedestrians with safe-crossing information in a non-visual format, such as through audible tones, speech messages and vibrotactile surfaces. Since at least 2006, Chicago has recognized the need to install APSs for pedestrians with visual disabilities, specifically identifying the need for such installation in multiple city documents. Yet, while Chicago currently provides sighted pedestrians visual crossing signals at nearly 2,800 intersections, the United States’ suit alleged that — at the time it intervened — fewer than one percent of those were equipped with APSs for people who are blind or have low vision.
On March 31, U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo sided with the United States and the private plaintiffs in a decision on both sides’ motions for summary judgment, holding the city in violation of the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The court found that the city had provided APS at only a “miniscule portion of the whole,” and thus had failed “to provide ‘meaningful access’ to its network of existing facilities and to ensure that newly constructed signals are designed and constructed in such a manner as to be ‘readily accessible’ by blind individuals.”
* NYT | Chicago Mayor’s Race Could Be a Blueprint for Democratic Messaging on Crime: Mr. Johnson’s victory may be a lesson for other Democrats struggling with the issue under the verbal assault of Republicans. Representative Delia Ramirez, a newly elected progressive Democrat from Chicago’s Northwest Side, was ecstatic. “We’ve had a police department that had been attempting to do the jobs of social workers, counselors, mediators, you name it,” she said. “What we haven’t had is help.”
* Tribune | Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s advice to successor Brandon Johnson: ‘Be humble. Be grateful.’: Later in the day, Lightfoot broke weeks of silence since losing her bid for re-election to address a question about what advice she’d give Johnson when it comes to handling the all-too-frequent call of a first responder death. This time, it was Chicago Fire Department Lt. Jan Tchoryk, 55. “Be humble. Be grateful,” Lightfoot said she would tell her successor. “Our first responders literally give their lives. There’s a lot of rhetoric that’s out there about first responders, particularly on the police side. When you’ve seen what I’ve seen, when you have to make the calls that I’ve had to make, you better be humble, and you better be grateful.”
* The 21st Show | What’s going on in the ComEd trials?: To explain the history of the case and what’s been happening in court, The 21st was joined by a pair of journalists who have been following the story, Dave McKinney and Hannah Meisel.
* KFVS | Carolin Harvey wins election to become first Black mayor of Carbondale: ”I want to say thank you and I would like to say hopefully we all can work together whether you voted for me or not,” Harvey said. “We’re all part of Carbondale and we want to move forward to do what’s best for all of the citizens of Carbondale.”
* Medill Reports | ‘I’m not that scared kid anymore’: Highland Park’s Rachel Jacoby on her path to becoming an anti-gun violence activist: Jacoby, 26, never expected to be on the front line of the anti-gun violence movement. She grew up “Midwestern polite”: She didn’t talk about religion or politics. She hung out with her parents, baked the “best cookies in Highland Park” and competed in soccer, tennis and other sports. But today, she is one of the loudest voices fighting for change and a driving force behind recent groundbreaking gun-reform legislation in Illinois.
* Crain’s | Northwestern, U of C join effort to boost enrollment from rural America: The newly formed STARS College Network is bankrolled by a $20 million gift from Chicago-based Trott Family Philanthropies, the foundation of Byron and Tina Trott. The nationwide effort is designed to empower students to find the best institution for them, whether that be a STARS — Small-Town And Rural Students — member university or not, said James G. Nondorf, STARS co-chair and vice president of enrollment and student advancement at the University of Chicago, in a statement.
* Bloomberg | For-profit colleges ask Supreme Court to block student loan deal: The emergency application, which challenges the Education Department’s authority to cancel so many loans in the accord, bears similarities to a pending Supreme Court fight over President Joe Biden’s plan to slash the student debt of more than 40 million people. The Supreme Court’s handling of the new case could offer hints about the outcome of the bigger fight. The court heard arguments on Biden’s plan Feb. 28 and is scheduled to rule by the end of June.
* State Journal-Register | Cannabis, electric aggregation questions fail; township questions pass: Chatham voters saw two cannabis-related measures on their ballots, one allowing dispensaries to establish businesses and the other permitting growers, cultivation centers, and transporters to operate within the village. […] Before 9 p.m., 100% of the 11 voting precincts had been tallied and the advisory questions failed. Slightly more than 1,500 voters cast their ballots on the questions, where neither levied more than 45% of the voter’s support.
* PJ Star | Fulton County suffers damage from funnel clouds, storms: Illinois Route 100 was closed Tuesday night from Lewistown to the junction with Illinois Route 78 due to multiple power poles and power lines being down, according to the Fulton County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency. Authorities also reported that several people were injured from the storm. The National Weather Service in Lincoln said one funnel cloud was observed near Bryant.
* NPR | Twitter labels NPR’s account as ’state-affiliated media’, which is untrue: NPR operates independently of the U.S. government. And while federal money is important to the overall public media system, NPR gets less than 1% of its annual budget, on average, from federal sources. Noting the millions of listeners who support and rely upon NPR for “independent, fact-based journalism,” NPR CEO John Lansing stated, “NPR stands for freedom of speech and holding the powerful accountable. It is unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way. A vigorous, vibrant free press is essential to the health of our democracy.”
* NFL | Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon runs 4.42-second 40-yard dash at private workout: The 5-foot-11, 181-pound Witherspoon ran 40-yard dash times of 4.46 and 4.42 seconds at his private workout at Illinois, according to NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. Because of a hamstring injury, Witherspoon was unable to work out at all at the NFL Scouting Combine or Illinois’ pro day on March 10.
* Capital B | What Happens When a Black Enclave Is Built by Big Oil: Despite a historic focus on environmental injustices by the Biden administration, ExxonMobil leaders last year cited his administration’s calls for the country’s oil companies to ramp up production as one of the motivators behind completing the project. A recent forecast by the Energy Information Administration found that petrochemical projects ushered in during the first two years of Biden’s administration will not allow the country to reach a 50% drop in domestic greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 as once targeted by the administration.
* CBS Chicago | Brandon Johnson wins race for mayor; Paul Vallas concedes in tight election: “They said this would never happen. So, you know, if they didn’t know, now they know,” Johnson said at his victory rally Tuesday night. “To the Chicagoans who did not vote for me, here’s what I want you to know; that I care about you, I value you, and I want to hear from you. I want to work with you, and I’ll be the mayor for you too, because this campaign has always been about building a better, stronger, safer Chicago for all the people of Chicago.”
* Sun-Times | What can we expect from Brandon Johnson — Chicago’s next mayor: Johnson’s original plan included closing the CPD’s Homan Square facility, streamlining “non-sergeant” positions and ending a $33 million contract with ShotSpotter. He planned to cut $150 million from CPD’s budget as mayor.
* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson is Chicago’s new mayor. So what’s next for CPS?: Martinez’s first 19 months on the job has aligned with Johnson’s vision for CPS. Martinez has attempted to centralize some staffing to ensure every school — no matter its enrollment — has art teachers, reasonable class sizes, limited split-grade classes and other vital resources. Johnson has vowed to take that work further by securing more funding for the district, which is also a goal of Martinez’s. Johnson would have plenty of names in mind if he chose a new CEO having been entrenched in the city’s education world for a decade and a half.
* Crain’s | What’s next for Mayor-elect Johnson — and Chicago?: Unless something hugely unexpected occurs with late-arriving mail ballots — Johnson leads 51%-49%, and that lead is expected to widen as more votes trickle in — Chicago has decided to go in a dramatically different direction, one with huge implications for public safety policy, the city’s tax structure and a business community skittish about Johnson.
* Sun-Times | Long to-do list looms for new Mayor Johnson: Two weeks after the new mayor is sworn in, Memorial Day weekend arrives. Over the years, it typically has been among the most violent weekends in Chicago and the start of the traditional summer surge of bloodshed. Brown’s abrupt decision to high-tail it back to Dallas just days after Lightfoot’s fourth-place finish left the Chicago Police Department in a tough spot. His hand-picked first deputy, now Acting Supt. Eric Carter, will try to keep Chicago safe over the holiday weekend.
* Chalkbeat | Brandon Johnson defeats Paul Vallas: Johnson’s win marks a stunning achievement in the grassroots movement started by Chicago Teachers Union leadership roughly a decade ago to focus on issues beyond the classroom, such as affordable housing, public health, environmental justice, and police reform.
* Crain’s | Progressives and sitting aldermen clinch City Council runoff victories: Keeping the momentum that began in the Feb. 28 primary, three candidates backed by the United Working Families political organization, affiliated with the Chicago Teachers Union, won contests for three open seats despite hundreds of thousands of dollars being spent on ads criticizing the aldermanic hopefuls as too radical for Chicago.
* Geoffrey Cubbage | The Chicago City Council has new committees. Now it’s time to reform their staffing.: Thursday’s council session did not include budget amendments, meaning the funding and the staffing for the new committees have yet to be determined. The City Council has an opportunity here to eliminate the long-standing practice of letting individual committee chairs control the hiring, firing and supervision of committee staff members and replace it with a centralized model of professional support staff that serves the council as a whole body.
* Block Club | Chicago’s Getting 13 New Alderpeople. Meet Your Next City Council: Among the new crop of alderpeople is Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th), the first Filipina alderperson in Chicago’s history, and Jessie Fuentes, the first queer Latina to lead the 26th Ward. The 21st Ward’s Ronnie Mosley is a longtime organizer who said his work stretches back to his birth: He was named for a cousin of his mother’s who was killed just before he was born; now, he wants to prioritize changes to improve public safety.
* Tribune | State Rep. Lamont Robinson set to become next alderman of the 4th Ward on the South Side: Butler conceded Tuesday night. “I appreciate the time of service in the 4th Ward the last 12 years. I’m looking forward to the next phase, the next step of life,” he said. “I’ve learned so much in this campaign, and I thank the community for giving me the opportunity to serve the past decade.”
* Block Club | Desmon Yancy Wins 5th Ward Seat To Represent Area Around Obama Presidential Center: Yancy plans to push for legislation that addresses the root causes of community violence within his first 100 days in City Council, he told Block Club outside his election party in Jeffery Plaza, 2101 E. 71st St. He also “wants to meet with everybody” before taking office, including representatives from the South Shore and Hyde Park chambers of commerce, the Workers Center for Racial Justice, the Neighborhood Network Alliance and the South Shore Compact, he said.
* Block Club | William Hall Declares Victory In 6th Ward Race To Replace Ald. Roderick Sawyer: “I am overjoyed, overwhelmed and grateful for every volunteer and voter,” Hall said. “In the 6th Ward, we’re fighting for a safer community, greater schools, and thriving businesses.” Sawyer, who has led the ward since 2011, gave up his seat in an unsuccessful bid for mayor. Hall will be sworn in at City Council on May 15.
* Block Club | Peter Chico Wins 10th Ward Seat To Represent Southeast Side: “To those of you who voted for me — and there were a lot — thank you. I will work hard for you every day,” Chico said during his victory speech Tuesday at Crow Bar, 4001 E. 106th St. in East Side. “To those of you who didn’t vote for me, I will be your alderman too, and I will work with you every single day.”
* Block Club | Ald. Nicole Lee Wins 1st Full Term To Represent City’s First Asian-Majority Ward: Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) hung onto her City Council seat after prevailing in Tuesday’s runoff election. With all 23 precincts reporting Tuesday night, the incumbent held 61.7 percent of the vote to Chicago Police officer Anthony Ciaravino’s 38.2 percent, sealing Lee’s first full term.
* Block Club | Community Organizer Ronnie Mosley Wins 21st Ward Runoff To Replace Ald. Howard Brookins: “I am honored to have been elected alderman of the 21st Ward,” Mosley said in a statement. “This was a groundswell campaign that was built on a shared vision, and I’m incredibly thankful to the voters, volunteers, endorsers and staff who made this a winning campaign. Now our goal is to bring everyone together so we can build our community with business growth, resources for youth and seniors, and smart solutions for public safety.”
* Block Club | Ald. Monique Scott Wins 24th Ward Race, Keeping West Side Ward In The Family: At an election night party Downtown, Monique Scott thanked her supporters Tuesday night — and vowed to revive the West Side. “On this day in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated and a day later, we burned the West Side to the ground,” she told supporters. “We have been disinvested in ever since. Starting today, we are going to reclaim and revive this community.”
* ABC Chicago | 29th Ward race between Chris Taliaferro, CB Johnson too close to call: “Hopefully there will be a resolution tonight, because we had enough overtime,” challenger CB Johnson said. “But let me tell you, I’m an old ball player - I played baseball for many years - anytime you went to extra innings, you work, you win. And we did the work.”
* Block Club | West Side’s 29th Ward Too Close To Call With Ald. Chris Taliaferro Narrowly Ahead: Taliaferro previously said he was shifting his focus to public safety as his “No. 1 priority” after hearing voters voice it as their top concern in the Feb. 28 election. The incumbent said he supports Brandon Johnson’s idea to hire and promote 200 detective to deter crime by solving more cases. Preventing crime also requires a “holistic approach” and addressing root causes through actions like “providing jobs and mental health resources,” Taliaferro previously said.
* Block Club | Ald. Timmy Knudsen Declares Victory In Lincoln Park’s 43rd Ward:
“We left everything on the table and look where we landed,” Knudsen said. “I was beyond humbled to be appointed to this position as the first LGBTQ aldermen in the 43rd Ward and the youngest member of Chicago City Council.” Knudsen was appointed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot in September after Ald. Michele Smith abruptly retired. Smith supported Knudsen in the runoff after criticizing him in the Feb. 28 election for having ties to Lightfoot, who appointed him chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals before giving him the alderman’s office.
* Block Club | Angela Clay Wins Uptown’s 46th Ward Race, Despite Big Money Against Her From Outside Groups: Clay will replace Cappleman, who is retiring from City Council after three terms. She emerged from a six-person race to become the ward’s next alderperson after a tough and closely watched runoff election. Clay challenged Cappleman in the 2019 race and came in fourth out of six candidates. At her victory party Tuesday night, Clay said special interests spent $250,000 opposing her candidacy — but voters saw through the outside noise.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today about his react to yesterday’s mayoral race. Brandon Johnson, the reporter said, “barely won” the race (which is an odd thing to say because Johnson’s currently ahead by three percentage points and that lead is expected to grow as more mail-in ballots are received). Anyway, to the response…
Well, let’s start by saying congratulations to Brandon Johnson on his big win. I think there were a lot of people who were surprised and in fact, when you say it was a small margin, actually, I think there were people who thought he would lose by a larger margin than he ended up winning by, but he won. And he overcame, I think, suggestions that he couldn’t. And so anybody that’s ever run for public office knows that when you can overcome expectations, and eke out or succeed in winning, especially in an important city like Chicago, they deserve enormous kudos. I look forward to working with Mayor-elect Johnson. I spoke with him last night, he was still celebrating and had had a very long day. But we’ll be meeting no doubt over the next couple of weeks as he moves in, his transition, to make sure that the state of Illinois is doing whatever we can to be supportive of him as mayor as we are of mayors all across the state.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* Asked if the election signified a “sea change” for the city, Pritzker said…
Look, he’s younger than most of the mayors that have gotten elected. He’s somebody who comes out of an activist background. I think there’s a lot to admire about him. He’s a teacher, and I believe that he will bring a certain vibrancy to the city. So I’m excited about that. And I want to make sure that all of the very important things that Chicago needs to work on, whether it’s balancing its budget, paying its pensions, all the stuff that sounds boring to everybody, and doesn’t get brought up sometimes in the midst of an election campaign, but are very important for the future of the city. That those are just baseline things. And I want the state to be helpful in that endeavor as we are trying to be for municipalities across the state. So I do believe that this is a change for the city, something new. But you know what? It’s a new generation of voters that came to the polls. There is a change that’s gone on across the Midwest, I might add, that people who believe in investing in workers, investing in families, investing in young people have come to leadership positions as governor, as mayor in states think about Wisconsin and Michigan and Minnesota and how those legislatures turned Democratic in Michigan and Minnesota. And so I think he’s part of a kind of a sea change that’s going on, in what I guess politically we’d all call the Blue Wall.
* Later, in talking about gun violence, Pritzker returned to the topic of the mayor’s race, without mentioning Paul Vallas by name…
There was one candidate who made out crime as if it’s a single issue. You know, that it has one facet to it, and that is putting more law enforcement on the street. Now, I happen to think that we do need more law enforcement on the street, but that doesn’t mean that that’s the only thing that you should do. That doesn’t solve the problem by itself. You also have to make sure that, again, that we’re providing resources for mental health and substance use treatment. And many of the young people who are getting ahold of guns are in need of mental health and substance use treatment. And if we can address those issues, we take a huge burden off the police and, I believe, reduce violent crime significantly, because we’re addressing some of the underlying causes.
Yes, my reaction is that fortunately, the voters saw through the hidden extremists who were running for school board across … the Chicago suburbs and the surrounding counties. Just to be clear, Cook County suburbs and surrounding counties. I mean, really, you know, the extremists got trounced yesterday, and it’s been acknowledged by some of the more extreme politicians in the state overnight and this morning on Facebook and elsewhere. And I’m glad that those folks were shown up, and, frankly, tossed out.
* Sun-Times | FBI raids uncovered no evidence that Madigan allies did any work for ComEd salaries: And that’s despite $1.3 million in payments to the men that jurors also heard about Tuesday. The money came from ComEd, through various intermediaries, allegedly as part of a bribery conspiracy that lasted nearly a decade. The feds say it was aimed at swaying Madigan as legislation crucial to ComEd moved through Springfield. A parade of FBI special agents revealed the details of the May 2019 raids during the ongoing trial of McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and onetime City Club President Jay Doherty.
* Crain’s | In FBI raids on Madigan pals’ homes, one in particular yields treasure: Many of the figures who’ve become familiar names to the jury in the “ComEd Four” trial after more than two weeks of courtroom proceedings were on that list, usually identified by a single name. Shaw Decremer, former Madigan aide turned lobbyist, was one. Decremer was one of the Commonwealth Edison lobbyists that evidence showed acted as a conduit to pay Madigan’s political associates under subcontracting arrangements meant to hide the payments, according to prosecutors.
* Tribune | Jurors in ‘ComEd Four’ bribery trial shown ‘Magic Lobbying List’ of Michael Madigan allies: Stuffed in a tote bag in the back of McClain’s silver Toyota Avalon was a handwritten “Magic Lobbying List,” with the names of former Madigan staffers, associates and allies, who’d gone on to lucrative lobbying careers, scrawled on stationery from a boutique hotel in Chicago. The list was shown for the first time Tuesday in the ongoing trial of the “ComEd Four,” where McClain and three former ComEd executives and lobbyists are accused of conspiring to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars to various Madigan-connected “subcontractors” in exchange for the powerful Democrat’s influence over legislation the utility wanted passed, or blocked, in Springfield.
* Hannah Meisel | FBI agents say they found no evidence ComEd subcontractors worked for monthly stipends: One of the versions of the list also bore the speaker’s distinctive cursive script, adding names and phone numbers to the collection – and crossing one of his additions out. […] “As best as I know, it was a list of individuals who had been helpful to the speaker and speaker’s office over time,” Will Cousineau, Madigan’s longtime political director said during his testimony, adding that McClain would use the list to dole out work on certain projects.
* CST Editorial Board | Utilities must be transparent about secret ‘risk ranking’ of customers: The “riskiest” ComEd customers, for instance, could have their service cut off 16 days after they are flagged for disconnection based on their risk ranking. Others who aren’t designated as high-risk receive a 40-day cushion. It all means faster disconnection for those with the least ability to pay, while those with more financial means get more of a break. At a time when more people are struggling to pay their utility bills, more people are at risk of finding their utilities shut off if they get behind on payment
It’s our favorite time of year–Enviro #LobbyDay2023! We're so excited to join forces with IL's enviro community for a rally, meetings with elected officials, and the shared goal of getting pro-environment bills passed! Sign up today: https://t.co/cg6jIBsxJ8pic.twitter.com/0odNAGigcb
— Chicago Food Policy (@ChiFoodPolicy) April 4, 2023
Sometimes lawmakers advance plans that shape the state for generations. Others are simple applications of common sense that solve an obvious problem.
The latter aren’t always headline material, but can have significant benefits. Consider Senate Bill 2288, headed to the House on a 57-0 vote, which Amends the Articulation Initiative Act in hopes of eliminating situations where community college students have to repeat courses at four-year schools
State Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, introduced the bill and said the idea is to “reduce the burden on our students and accelerate the time it takes them to earn a degree and start a meaningful career.”
So long as the four-year school offers the specific major, a student’s community college transcripts would transfer as fully equivalent. This effort represents another vote of confidence in the vital community college network, one of the state’s best investments in higher education.
* WMBD…
Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Illinois) has introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen existing laws for mishandling classified documents.
The Classified Documents Accountability Act would create civil penalties of $500,000 per violation, create a screening and certification process for classified materials during administration transitions, and revoke security clearances from officials who violate the act. Outgoing Presidents and Vice Presidents would also be required to certify they do not have any classified documents in their possession.
“So right now the law, the way it’s structured, it really turns on intent or knowledge, and what was your intent and knowledge in that. It doesn’t address carelessness or negligence or sloppiness,” said LaHood. […]
LaHood introduced the bill with Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Chicago), who also sits on the House Intelligence Committee.
* Rep. Yang Rohr will be the lead sponsor in the House. WAND…
Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) said her bill allows school buses to have two stop arms with flashing red lights to partially obstruct roads to ensure safety for riders and pedestrians.
“Student safety has to be our top priority,” Turner said. “Allowing school busses to have an extended arm would provide more protections for passengers and hopefully lessen the number of drivers who pass stopped busses.”
Any drivers hitting a bus or outstretched stop arm will face steep fines. […]
Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) passed the same plan nearly five years ago. Although, he stressed that the Illinois Department of Transportation never created administrative rules to implement the law.
“They could’ve done this well before now,” Rose said. “So what this bill is doing now is basically telling IDOT, ‘Too late. We’re just going to go ahead and tell you you have no choice now but to do it.’ Thank goodness that nobody has gotten killed in the meantime.”
* Sen. Dan McConchie introduced legislation after seeing news coverage on a couple claiming the City of Chicago was forcing them to pay a red light violation that wasn’t theirs. Here’s WGN…
A new bill has been introduced to protect Illinois drivers from wrongfully issued automated tickets. […]
“It is abysmal that it takes a news outlet such as yours to run a story and contact these elected officials or these employees in order to get them to do the right thing,” Illinois Senator Dan McConchie (R-26) said.
The Department of Finance said the red light violation has been withdrawn, and the motorist will receive a confirmation notice. […]
“It needs to be a streamline simplified process and it cannot be allowed that you prove it’s actually not me that the fine could stick anyway,” McConchie said.
Illinois [legislature] should pass the bill to legalize natural organic reduction, or human composting. Think the circle of life, not the woodchipper scene from “Fargo.”
Proposed by Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, the bill was recently passed by the Illinois House of Representatives. Should it pass the Senate, Illinois will become the seventh state to legalize the procedure. […]
While Neil Blackstone, a professor in the biological sciences department at NIU, notes the logistical downsides of human composting, he said he ultimately supports the bill. Blackstone’s only true critique is the procedure’s unsettling name.
“If people want to do it, what’s the harm? I mean, as long as, you know, people realize that you don’t put a dead body out in your backyard to compost,” Blackstone said. […]
“Turning human persons into compost for the purpose of fertilization of trees, as one would with vegetable trimmings and eggshells, degrades the human person,” according to Catholic Conference of Illinois.
Returning to the Earth should not be so heavily stigmatized. The decomposition of our bodies is not a process we should be afraid of. Joining the soil is one of the few realities we share with every other organism on the planet.
* One problem the state government has had with recruiting new employees is convincing people to live in Springfield. The city just hasn’t moved forward in years. Maybe this will change things some…
Two-term mayor Jim Langfelder conceded Tuesday night following an unsuccessful bid for a third term as the city’s top official.
The concession means that City Treasurer Misty Buscher will be just the second woman elected mayor of Springfield. With all precincts reporting, Buscher defeated Langfelder by 772 votes, getting 51.5% of the vote to Langfelder’s 48.5%.
* Equality Illinois…
“We are extremely proud of the historic electoral victories of Clare Killman for the Carbondale City Council and Jackie McKethen for the Crete Library Board. With yesterday’s exciting election results, Killman will be the first Trans person to serve on a city council in Illinois and McKethen will be the first Trans person to serve on a library board in Illinois. With only five Trans people now elected to office in Illinois, Trans people remain severely underrepresented in all levels of government. Killman and McKethen will be powerful voices for change and will inspire more Trans people to run for office in their communities. Now more than ever, we need Trans voices in rooms of power. We look forward to advancing justice with Clare Killman on the Carbondale City Council and Jackie McKethen on the Crete Library Board.”
On Tuesday, April 4, just after 9 p.m., mayoral candidate Harold Visser conceded, giving the win to opponent Carolin Harvey. Harvey has been acting mayor, or mayor pro tem, since Mayor Mike Henry took a leave of absence.
She is now the City of Carbondale’s first Black mayor. Her platform includes curbing crime in the city and increasing the availability of housing for low and middle income families.
If unofficial totals hold once mail-in and early voting ballots are counted and with the election of Carolin Harvey as mayor, for the first time in Carbondale history a majority of the city council will be women.
* Some Awake Illinois results…
With 52 of 52 precincts counted (and some mail still to come) all three of Awake Illinois' candidates are trailing in the Quincy School District 172 race (Kaufman, Allen and Randolph). Quincy is pretty darned conservative. pic.twitter.com/f1NFzdukjW
— Illinois School Watch (@ILschoolwatch) April 5, 2023
…Adding… Those Quincy candidates were also supported by US Rep. Mary Miller and Tom Devore. And Darren Bailey’s candidate in Richland County’s school district, Dusty Kocher, lost.
Candidates from both of the informal slates seeking four seats on the Unit 5 school board said the heated race left them exhausted, though their reasons differ.
Vote totals as of late tonight indicate incumbents Amy Roser and Kelly Pyle, along with newcomers Alex Williams and Mark Adams, are slated to win those four seats. Together, they comprised an informal slate that was pro-referendum and endorsed by the Unit Five Education Association teachers’ union. […]
Dennis Frank was one of four candidates who ran on an informal Students First slate, largely united by a shared campaign value that the referendum was not a solution to a growing deficit in the district’s education fund. Frank ran with Mollie Emery, Brad Wurth and Amee Jada; none appeared to have a viable chance at snagging a seat as of late tonight with 100% precincts reporting. […]
“I think we ran a good race. I think it’s unfortunate that we voted in the same school board that we had before; Unit 5 is in a mess, I truly believe that,” Frank said. “I’m probably joining a lot of other people and I’ll probably leave the state of Illinois. That’s where my next step is — meaning you can’t stay here and hope for better things. We just keep voting the same way.”
* And, finally, my youngest brother (Isabel’s dad) won his race…
WE DID IT. 'Thank you' to every person who voted for me and supported our campaign. Now it is time to get to work!
…Adding… Moms Demand Action is declaring victory in some Illinois races…
• David Kaptain, who was elected Mayor of Elgin, IL
• Martha Paschke, who was elected Alderperson for Geneva, IL, Ward 4
• Kelly Henry, who was elected to the Elmhurst, IL School District 205 Board of Education
• Julie Hill, who was elected to the Glen Ellyn, IL School District 41 Board of Education
• Becky McCabe, who was elected to the St. Charles, IL Community School Unit District 303 Board of Education
• Beth Pope, who was elected to the Warren, IL Township High School District 121 Board of Education
• Meghan McMillin, who was elected to the West Northfield, IL School District 31 Board of Education
• Amy Sabor, who was elected to the Woodland, IL Community Consolidated School District 50 Board of Education
• Jackie McGrath, who was elected as Barrington, IL Public Library District Trustee
• Lauren Kunstler, who was elected as Geneva, IL Public Library Board Trustee
[Naperville mayoral candidate Scott] Wehrli took in almost twice as much in campaign donations as White, much of it from real estate developers and brokers and Republican political action committees, while much of White’s money came from unions and Democratic state lawmakers.
White voted for the city’s ban on the sale of assault rifles, made in response to last year’s mass shooting in Highland Park, while Wehrli questioned whether it’s made anyone safer. […]
Terry D’Arcy, a car dealer and well-known philanthropist, held a big lead and declared victory over two-term incumbent Bob O’Dekirk in the race for Joliet mayor. […]
Still, the mayor’s critics accuse him of alienating neighboring communities with an often-overbearing leadership style that provokes political infighting that has marred his tenure as mayor. The city has had five city managers in as many years. The Police Department, meanwhile, is on its fourth chief since 2017 and is the target of an ongoing Illinois attorney general’s office civil probe.
*** UPDATE *** From IEA President Kathi Griffin…
We are thrilled to see public education win and win big during the April 4 consolidated elections. This was an unprecedented school board election cycle. For the first time ever, there was a national dark money group created to put extremist, fringe candidates on our local school boards. But these outside influences were no match for our members and the good people of Illinois. Illinois voters have spoken. They believe we need strong public schools for all students.
It gives me great joy to say the Illinois Education Association (IEA) had a nearly 90 percent success rate in the races for which we recommended candidates. This confirms what we see reflected in the data from the IEA’s State of Education Report year after year, Illinoisans trust our educators most when it comes to making decisions within our public schools.
Our IEA locals participated in school board elections at an astounding rate this cycle. We were involved in upwards of 100 different races across the state, holding meet and greets, canvassing and campaigning on behalf of pro-public education candidates who will put our students first. We also supported and helped elect former public education teacher and union organizer, Brandon Johnson, to be Chicago’s next mayor. I want to issue a deep, heartfelt thank you to all our teachers, education support staff and public education advocates for your hard work. Because of you, voters knew what was at stake and overwhelmingly chose to support our students, our educators and our public schools. We know strong schools mean strong communities. Together we can do what’s best for ALL students. Public schools unite us.
* WBEZ | Brandon Johnson will be Chicago’s next mayor: Despite raising far less campaign cash than Vallas — who was the favorite of the city’s business community — Johnson had 51.45% of the vote to 48.55% for Vallas with almost 99% of the city’s precincts reporting. The Associated Press called the race for Johnson about 9:30 p.m.
* SJ-R | Buscher unseats Langfelder as mayor of Springfield: The concession means that City Treasurer Misty Buscher will be just the second woman elected mayor of Springfield. With all precincts reporting, Buscher defeated Langfelder by 772 votes, getting 51.5% of the vote to Langfelder’s 48.5%.
* Natalie Moore | After tight race for mayor, Black political establishment may face a ‘reckoning’: Johnson and his opponent Paul Vallas had presented mayoral visions that couldn’t differ more. One focused on investing in people rather than police, the other focused on abating the fear of crime by hiring more officers. One prioritized a future that eschews moderation in favor of progressive politics, while the other could be viewed as protecting the status quo.
* Block Club | Rep. Lamont Robinson Wins 4th Ward Race To Replace Ald. Sophia King: Rep. Lamont Robinson will be the next 4th Ward alderperson after defeating Prentice Butler in Tuesday’s election to replace Ald. Sophia King. With all 28 precincts reporting Tuesday night, Robinson held 66.5 percent of the vote to Butler’s 33.4 percent.
* Shaw Local | Here are unofficial election results from across northern Illinois: The results include only contested races. The tallies do not include all ballots, in particular provisional and late-arriving mail-in ballots. Vote totals for write-in candidates are rarely released election night and in some cases, clerks do not publish them until results are certified two weeks after the election.
* Daily Herald | Kaptain takes early lead in Elgin mayor race: With about one-quarter of precincts reporting in Kane County and all the votes counted from Cook County, Kaptain had 5,780 votes compared to Dixon’s 4,143 votes as of 10 p.m., according to unofficial results.
* Daily Herald | Wehrli tops White in Naperville mayoral race: Wehrli had 15,634 votes compared to White’s 13,265 votes as of 10:30 p.m., according to unofficial results. Tiffany Stephens, who runs a nonprofit organization, was a distant third to White and Wehrl.
* Center Square | Judge: Illinois can’t suspend FOID cards of people charged, not convicted of felonies: The state of Illinois has been given an extension to the deadline it has to file an appeal of a circuit court’s ruling in a case over when the state can suspend someone’s Firearm Owner ID Card. Attorney Thomas Maag said his clients Aaron and Charles Davis were celebrating Independence Day years ago and fired guns into the ground at their home. Police came and arrested them on felony charges and their FOID cards were then suspended.
* Politico | ‘Not if, but when’: Mass shootings change what it means to be a mayor in America: Nancy Rotering, the mayor of Highland Park, Ill., was there when it happened, walking with City Council members in last year’s Fourth of July parade. She saw the marching band rush down the sidewalk and when she realized what was happening, her stomach dropped. She yelled for people to evacuate. “The looks on people’s faces was incomprehensible,” she said. “It took probably 20 to 30 seconds to hear us or comprehend us. But the kids heard us. And they ran. The kids knew what to do.”
* NBC Chicago | ‘Once Again, Our Community Was Terrorized’: Highland Park Mayor Addresses School Incident: Five students are in custody following the lockdowns at Highland Park High School and other district schools, which were the result of a report of a student “potentially in possession of a gun” on the high school’s campus, city officials said Tuesday. The situation unfolded just after 11 a.m. when the city of Highland Park issued an alert stating “please be advised of a heavy police presence at Highland Park High School.”
* Shaw Local | Gov. JB Pritzker touts public college funding plan during NIU visit: At NIU, Pritzker was joined by Republican and Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, NIU president Lisa Freeman and DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes. After the November election and statewide redistricting, Rezin and Yednock’s territories now include the city of DeKalb. Yednock and Keicher also are NIU graduates.
* Capitol News Illinois | As Chicago State University faculty begins strike, other universities could follow: Faculty at Eastern Illinois University and Governors State University have also filed paperwork declaring their intent to strike, with strikes possible as early as Thursday and Friday, respectively. All three faculties, which are part of University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100, voted to authorize a strike with a 97 percent margin of membership or higher.
* QC Times | Sen. Mike Halpin visits Augustana College in higher education “listening tour”: Halpin will visit four-year institutions within his representative district — aiming to help him gauge their needs, priorities and challenges, also forming relationships with school leaders as he embarks his first Senate term as chairman of the Illinois Senate Higher Education Committee.
* AP | Florida Has Most Lead Pipes in U.S., Illinois Second: EPA Survey: Illinois ranked second in Tuesday’s survey, with 1.04 million lead pipes, followed by Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and New York. The agency’s drinking water infrastructure survey will be used to steer billions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to water infrastructure upgrades like finding and removing lead pipes in states that need it most. Previously, a state’s share of lead pipe funds was based on its general infrastructure need and didn’t consider how many lead pipes the state had.
* AP | Democrats’ choice wins key Wisconsin Supreme Court race: Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, 60, defeated former Justice Dan Kelly, who previously worked for Republicans and had support from the state’s leading anti-abortion groups.
