Afternoon roundup
Monday, Apr 3, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* From Heather Wier Vaught’s excellent weekend newsletter…
LEGISLATIVE
Schedule: Both chambers met [last] week. Friday was the Third Reading deadline in the Senate, and they finished early in the day without any major incidents. In total, the Senate passed 265 bills over to the House, and the House passed 443 bills to the Senate. Members will be back in their district offices for the next two weeks, and both chambers reconvene April 18-20.
Senate Hearings on Chicago Elected School Board: The General Assembly is tasked with drawing districts for the soon-to-be elected Chicago Board of Education. The Senate’s Special Committee on the Chicago Elected Representative School Board will hold hearings throughout Chicago April 5 through 17 to gather public input. The public may provide in-person testimony, submit written testimony, or submit witness slips in advance of the hearings via email at ChicagoERSBCommittee@senatedem.ilga.gov.
House Appropriations-Higher Education Procurement Subcommittee: House Appropriations-Higher Education Committee Chair, LaShawn Ford, announced the creation of a new subcommittee aimed at examining equity and inclusion in university procurements. Chairman Ford stated in a press release, “There is disparity in the number of contracts awarded to Black, Brown, and women contractors,” “The subcommittee would be examining what policies, if any, lead these institutions to not award contracts equitably, or if they hold standards that could dissuade companies from pursuing project bids.” Illinois has some of the most robust procurement laws in the country, and contractors and vendors often find the process difficult to navigate. Last year the General Assembly created a new Task Force on Procurement to undertake a comprehensive review of procurement laws and policies, including those that apply to universities. Universities are subject to the provisions of the Procurement Code and oversight by the Chief Procurement Officer for Higher Education.
Mary Gill Appointed to the House: Mary Gill was appointed to fill the vacancy of State Representative Fran Hurley, who Governor Pritzker appointed to the State Labor Relations Board. Gill is the Executive Director of the Mt. Greenwood Community and Business Association (MGCBA).
JUDICIAL
Plaintiffs in Assault Weapon Case Move to Disqualify Justices: Plaintiffs in the assault weapon ban case before the Illinois Supreme Court moved to disqualify Justices Elizabeth Rochford and Mary Kay O’Brien based on campaign contributions from Governor Pritzker, Speaker Welch, and attorneys representing President Harmon. Candidates for the judiciary are prohibited from soliciting or accepting campaign funds themselves, rather contributions to judicial candidate committees must be solicited and accepted by others. The Act being challenged was passed after the 2022 election, and contributions to the committees supporting the new justices were publicly available. Plaintiffs chose to named the Governor, Speaker, and President as defendants in the case, and now seek to use the named defendants as justification for the recusal of the two recently-elected justices.
This is not the first time campaign contributions have been used to attempt to disqualify justices in high profile cases. In 2005, plaintiffs in Avery v State Farm moved to disqualify then recently-elected Justice Lloyd Karmeier citing campaign contributions the committee supporting Karmeier received from State Farm and its employees. Justice Karmeier stated he would not recuse himself and the court denied the motion as moot. In 2014, plaintiffs in Price v Philip Morris moved to disqualify Justice Karmeier for the same contributions. Justice Karmeier wrote a 16-page opinion explaining his reasoning for not recusing, relying heavily on the rule of necessity, which holds that absent a clear reason to recuse a justice should hear a case, and no member of the court sought his recusal. He ultimately participated in both cases, in which billions of dollars were at stake for all parties in the case. Unlike the plaintiffs in Avery or Price, none of the defendants in this case have any financial interest in the outcome of the pending lawsuit, merely policy and political interests. More here.
* More…
* ABC Chicago | ‘I couldn’t save him’: Son recounts final moments before father killed in Belvidere roof collapse : “I just remember seeing all these people lifting the roof off of the people. And just trying to pull people out and seeing somebody not moving being pulled out was terrifying,” said concert-goer Christina Johnson. Outside the venue, high winds tore down the theater’s marquee, with bricks littering the street.
* Nebraska Examiner | Former Illinois prison chief being named to head Nebraska Department of Corrections: Jeffreys will succeed Diane Sabatka-Rine, who had served as interim director of the Nebraska of Corrections since October, when Scott Frakes retired. Frakes had led the Nebraska department since 2015, shortly after then-Gov. Pete Ricketts was elected to his first term, and was paid $255,000 a year — one of the highest salaries for a corrections director in the
* Crain’s | Walmart heirs pour money into pro-charter school groups backing Paul Vallas: The Walton family, both through individual relatives of Sam and Helen Walton and the Walton Family Foundation, is influential in the charter school space, spending hundreds of millions on education efforts across the country. That includes Chicago, where they’ve funded the launch of charter schools and donated to school-choice advocacy groups.
* Beatriz Diaz-Pollack | The culture wars have infected school and library board elections in Illinois: On March 24, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure with the deceivingly innocuous introduction, “To ensure the rights of parents are honored and protected in the nation’s public schools.” Make no mistake: This bill is a proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing and will have devastating effects, including right here in Illinois.
* WBEZ | Chicago State University faculty walk out on strike: In a written statement released over the weekend, university administrators said all support services and most, if not all, classes would continue during the strike. They said they have offered an additional bargaining session on Tuesday, but the union has yet to confirm it.
* Crain’s | Workers at 3 Navy Pier venues OK strike: Ahead of the strike vote yesterday, the National Labor Relations Board’s Region 13 filed a complaint Feb. 24 against Maverick Hotels & Restaurants, which employs the workers. The NLRB has alleged that the company has violated the National Labor Relations Act and “has been failing and refusing to bargain collectively and in good faith and failing to provide information necessary for the Union’s performance of its duties,” the agency said in a news release.
* Crain’s | Clayco unit taps Schnur as chief operating officer: The move comes less than a year after CRG raised $450 million to invest in industrial development projects, a commercial property sector that thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic as companies clamored for warehouse space to store and distribute goods bought online. Schnur also takes the operational reins at CRG after a series of regional office expansions over the past few years.
* Axios | Important elections to watch in Chicago’s suburbs: Pandemic precautions and culture wars over what’s taught in schools have thrust these previously sleepy, nonpartisan races into the center of political debate. Conservative groups have poured thousands of dollars into several suburban school board races and library board elections, only to be matched by Governor Pritzker and other Democrats.
* Sun-Times | Data centers keep coming, but not all deals will compute: Experts believe that as artificial intelligence gains acceptance, it will increase demand for data centers. Chicago is well positioned for this. A 2023 report by Cushman & Wakefield said among global markets, Chicago is tied for 5th place in its appeal for data centers. The ranking is based on factors such as land costs, reliable utilities and state-authorized tax incentives.
* PJ Star | Ask the candidates: What is your view on regulation of the cannabis industry in Peoria?: Here’s what we asked: What is your view on the regulation of the cannabis industry in Peoria? Should the city impose additional restrictions on the number and location of dispensaries? Should it allow on-site consumption of cannabis products at dispensaries?
* Media Matters | With conventional abortion pill regimens likely to be pulled, anti-choice activists are increasingly attacking a safe alternative: If mifepristone ceases to be widely available, clinics are expected to prescribe misoprostol-only protocols for medication abortions, a common regimen in other countries. Though misoprostol-only abortions do have a slightly higher failure rate and a higher incidence of side effects compared to mifepristone and misoprostol taken together, the World Health Organization and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have identified abortions via misoprostol as a safe and effective alternative when mifepristone is unavailable. Misoprostol is currently approved by the FDA to treat ulcers, meaning that doctors who prescribe the medication for abortions do so “off-label,” which is allowed “as long as it is within the standard of care.”
* AP | Man gets new trial in Chicago honor student’s death:Micheail Ward was found guilty in connection with the death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton and sentenced to 84 years in prison in 2019.[2] The Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday that the 1st District Appellate Court ruled that detectives improperly extracted a confession from Ward after he invoked his right to remain silent at least three times during a 12-hour interrogation.[3] Ward was 18 years old at the time of the shooting.
* ProPublica | The True Dangers of Long Trains: Today, the rail administration says it lacks enough evidence that long trains pose a particular risk. But ProPublica discovered it is a quandary of the agency’s own making: It doesn’t require companies to provide certain basic information after accidents — notably, the length of the train — that would allow it to assess once and for all the extent of the danger.
* Fox Chicago | Illinois State Police trooper injured after driver strikes squad car on I-94: The trooper’s vehicle was blocking traffic from entering the flooded southbound lanes of Interstate 94 around 8:20 p.m. due to a major storm that had passed through the area, according to ISP.
* Pantagraph | Here are some takeaways from the first two weeks of Illinois spring practice: Illinois wrapped up its second week of spring practice with a scrimmage on Saturday. It got some windy and cold conditions as a preview to a third fall under coach Bret Bielema. That didn’t stop kickers Caleb Griffin and David Olano from hitting 57-yard field goals at the end of the afternoon, or new quarterbacks Luke Altmyer and John Paddock.
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* Awake Illinois has unveiled all of its school board endorsements on its website. They endorsed three candidates in the race for Lyons Township High School board…
Awake Illinois supports Tim Vlcek, Frank Evans and David Herndon. The other candidates are incumbents Kari Dillon and Jill Beda Daniels and newcomers Tim Albores and Justin Clark. Three seats are available in the election. […]
In an email, Vlcek said, “I’m unaware of any endorsement from Awake nor have I requested one. I’ve run my own campaign delivering my message on my platform.”
Herndon said in an email that he did not seek the endorsement and that Awake did not speak with him about it.
“I made it clear from the start of my campaign since this was supposedly a nonpartisan election, I was not seeking or wanting any endorsements from any political organizations, and therefore I do not accept it,” he said. “I have received a broad range of endorsements from people that I have never met or spoken to. Because someone endorses me does not mean I absorb their platforms or values. All of this outside influence from all sides is distracting from the issues in this race which is how best to educate kids and bring transparency and public engagement back to the Board. If the Board was doing their job there would not be all of this influence pouring in from all sides.”
Vleck attended an Awake Illinois workshop in January. Vleck, Evans and Herndon were backed by an anonymous mailer last month.
* In Elmhurst, Awake Illinois is supporting Linda Nudera, Lan Li, Tom Chavez and Jammie Esker Schaer…
In response, Nudera emailed a statement saying she was not aware of the endorsement and was not part of the group.
But she said that after a review of Awake’s website, the group is “not just a platform for concerned parents, but they support inner-city initiatives like Project HOOD and our military Veterans – both honorable philanthropies.” […]
“I find irony in the fact that Democratic organizations are supporting a slate of homogeneous women for the school board versus a heterogeneous panel made up of both men and women, multicultural with diverse skill sets,” Nudera said. […]
In an email, Li said he is independent and has no involvement with Awake. He said he has received just one donation – $100 from an old friend in Arlington Heights. He said he has paid for everything else.
“Concerning the endorsement from Awake Illinois, I have not been directly contacted or interviewed by any of its members,” Li said. “My assumption is that they endorsed me based on my website and word of mouth. Maybe they believe that I am not as radical as some of the other candidates. Nonetheless, I have no control over who finds me agreeable or disagreeable.”
* Elmhurst also had an anonymous mailer. Patch…
A door hanger was spread in Elmhurst over the weekend urging residents to “save our children.”
The door hanger, which was authored anonymously, asked residents to vote in Tuesday’s election against incumbents Courtenae Trautmann and Beth Hosler and newcomers Kelly Henry and Kelly Asseff. […]
Then the flyer ended with a grammatical mistake.
“End Woke Policy’s and teach Math, Reading and Writing,” it said.
“Policy’s” is not possessive in this instance. It should have read “policies.”
* Awake Illinois is supporting Catherine Greenspon and Andrew Catton for Hinsdale High School District 86 board…
Greenspon said who endorses her doesn’t change who she is and what she stands for.
“That any group or individual would endorse me when I so openly stand for collaboration and unity gives me hope,” Greenspon said in an email. “My actions speak louder than words. My whole adult life has been dedicated to serving others. That’s who I am today and who I will be after all the votes are counted.”
At board meetings, Greenspon said, “I talk to everyone. I want for everyone to feel welcome to conversation, feel seen and feel heard. Throughout this campaign, I have been supported by a diverse group of people, which is representative of our school district.” […]
The endorsement of Catton was not a surprise. He has aired views that resemble those of Awake. Last year, he posted a story titled “Assume Public Schools Sexually Abuse Your Kids Til Proven Otherwise.” In January, Patch documented some of Catton’s social media posts.
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Today’s quotable
Monday, Apr 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet S. Bhachu during redirect with the prosecution’s star witness, former ComEd VP Fidel Marquez…
Thoughts?
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Meanwhile, in Opposite Land…
Monday, Apr 3, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* NBC…
With little fanfare, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday allowing residents to carry a concealed loaded weapon without a permit.
DeSantis signed the bill in a non-public event in his office with only bill sponsors, legislative leaders and gun rights advocates, including the National Rifle Association, in attendance. […]
Florida is now the 26th state in the country to pass some form of permitless carry legislation. The signing comes one week after six people, including three children were gunned down at The Covenant School in Nashville.
“This is a momentous step in the Constitutional Carry movement as now the majority of American states recognize the Constitution protects the right for law-abiding Americans to defend themselves outside their homes without fees or permits,” Randy Kozuch, interim executive director, NRA-ILA, said in a statement, which included a picture of the event. “The carry movement began decades ago and the NRA has been working to get this legislation passed throughout America. Therefore, today is indeed a day to celebrate.”
Opponents of the proposal have said it will increase gun violence, and they said it was telling that DeSantis did not hold a public signing ceremony like he has done in the past for other high-profile bills.
* It should be no surprise that there’s more out of Florida…
Florida’s ban on providing gender-affirming care to new patients went into effect this month after the state’s Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine voted to approve the rule last year. Under the rule, gender-affirming care includes treatments like puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy and surgery. The ban makes an exception to allow minors who were already receiving this care before January 2023 to continue their treatments.
“Everybody is in a kind of chaos right now,” said Joseph Knoll, a nurse practitioner and the CEO of Spektrum Health, a community-based health center located in central Florida that specializes in medical and mental health services for the LGBTQ community and beyond. He told me that the new rules leave healthcare professionals who provide this care “feeling helpless.”
Doctors and other practitioners who violate the ban could lose their medical license and be hit with hefty fines. Many are even considering leaving the state, given the uncertainty of future restrictions on their practice. Part of the dismay comes from feeling that the deck has been unfairly stacked. Local news outlets have reported that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appointed all the members of the “vociferously apolitical” Board of Medicine, several of whom made contributions to his campaign totaling $80,000. DeSantis is reportedly considering running for president in 2024 and gender-affirming care is an issue that many conservative lawmakers have been pushing across the country. […]
Florida, unlike the other states, initially chose not to take a legislative route, instead moving ahead via state medical boards. A bill, though, is currently making its way through the Florida House of Representatives to codify the ban on gender-affirming care. This bill also includes a ban on changing the sex as recorded on a birth certificate, prohibits health insurance providers from covering any treatments related to youth transitioning and prohibits organizations that provide transition-related healthcare to minors from receiving public funds.
Already, this has led to clinics shutting down preemptively. Outlets reported that the Johns Hopkins All Children Hospital in St. Petersburg and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, among others, stopped accepting new patients into programs that provided hormones or puberty blockers well before the law went into effect. The fear of prosecution leaves few providers still offering these services.
* Kentucky…
Kentucky state Sen. Karen Berg had to deal with the most devastating thing a mother could imagine.
In December last year, Berg’s transgender son Henry Berg-Brosseau died by suicide. He was just 24 and a prominent LGBTQ rights activist who inspired his mother to run for office. […]
Two weeks later, Berg was awash with grief but had to pick herself up and go to the state Capitol for the 2023 legislative session. She says she felt exhausted. […]
More than two months later, she watched her Republican colleagues, one by one, vote to override a veto on Senate Bill 150, banning all gender-affirming medical care for trans youth in Kentucky including puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
For public schools, the bill restricts which bathrooms students can use and puts limits on discussing gender and sexuality. It also allows teachers to refer to students by their gender assigned at birth.
It’s exactly what her son Henry fought against.
* Mississippi…
House Bill 1020, which would significantly increase state control over Jackson’s judicial system and policing, passed the Mississippi House, 72-41, on Friday, sending one of the most controversial bills of the 2023 session to the governor’s desk as lawmakers wind down their work for the year.
Democratic leadership promised the bill, if it is signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves, will see legal challenges immediately upon taking effect on July 1.
“Legal action takes place when there is a cause of action. Cause of action does not become effective until the law actually is enacted. As soon as this bill becomes law, there will be lawsuits filed,” House Minority Leader Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, said.
It would create a new unelected court system within an expanded Capitol Complex Improvement District, add temporary appointed judges to the Hinds County court system, increase the boundaries of the CCID and allow Capitol Police to work outside of that area, expanding their jurisdiction to include the entire city, all of which local leaders have opposed.
* Texas…
A federal judge in Texas ruled that at least 12 books removed from public libraries by Llano County officials, many because of their LGBTQ and racial content, must be placed back onto shelves within 24 hours, according to an order filed Thursday.
Seven residents sued county officials in April 2022, claiming their First and 14th Amendment rights were violated when books deemed inappropriate by some people in the community and Republican lawmakers were removed from public libraries or access was restricted.
The lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas in San Antonio claimed county officials removed books from the shelves of the three-branch public library system “because they disagree with the ideas within them” and terminated access to thousands of digital books because they could not ban two specific titles.
Books ordered to return to shelves include “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson, “They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and “Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen” by Jazz Jennings.
* Wisconsin…
Control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and likely the future of abortion access, Republican-drawn legislative maps and years of GOP policies in the key swing state rests with the outcome an election Tuesday that has seen record campaign spending.
The winner of the high-stakes contest between Republican-backed Dan Kelly and Democratic-supported Janet Protasiewicz will determine majority control of the court headed into the 2024 presidential election. The court came within one vote of overturning President Joe Biden’s narrow win in 2020, and both sides expect another close race in 2024.
It’s the latest election where abortion rights has been the central issue since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June. It’s also an example of how officially nonpartisan court races have grown into political battles as major legal fights play out at the state level.
All of it has fueled spending that will double, and likely triple or more, the previous high of $15.4 million spent on a state court race in Illinois in 2004. Democrats have spent heavily for Protasiewicz and Republicans for Kelly.
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Question of the day
Monday, Apr 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I had booked a train last week to Chicago on Friday evening. I figured it would be delayed because of the major storms rolling through. So I wasn’t surprised to receive a message saying it was, indeed, delayed. The train eventually departed at 8 o’clock, but it stopped a few minutes later, and then it began to back up. The conductor came on the intercom to tell us that downed power lines were on the tracks ahead, so the train would go back to the Springfield station to wait. I pulled out my iPad and booked a train for the next morning, figuring there was no way in heck that train would begin moving at any sort of reasonable hour. I got off the train and went back home and woke up to see the next morning that Amtrak had waited until 3:30 AM to cancel the route.
Oy. Those poor people.
Saturday morning, I received a text from Amtrak saying there was a problem with my train and its departure would be delayed by 20 minutes. A friend took me to the station and we arrived about 15 minutes before the train’s delayed departure. He suggested I look up the train’s status online to see if anything had changed. I did, and nothing had changed. I walked into the station only to find out that the train had left at its originally scheduled time, about five minutes before I got there.
Ugh. The first train couldn’t be helped, but that second one is on Amtrak.
I ended up renting a car online, but Hertz didn’t have a car when my friend (same guy) took me over there an hour later.
Argh.
I finally got out of town after booking a rental car from Budget over the phone.
Anyway, while frustrating, my experiences were nothing at all compared to some of the devastation that occurred in Illinois due to that major storm.
* The Question: Did you have any storm damage on Friday, or do you have any interesting storm-related stories to tell about Friday?
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It’s just a bill
Monday, Apr 3, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Rep. Kam Buckner now has the bill in the House…
Press release…
To ensure local governments do not compromise driver or pedestrian safety in order to accommodate large trucks on non-designated highways, State Senator Mike Simmons passed a measure out of the Senate on Friday.
“Construction on highways can be time consuming, dangerous and can significantly impact traffic flow,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “This legislation will allow local governments to avoid such a big undertaking by not requiring them to change their non-designated highways to accommodate larger trucks and vehicles.”
Senate Bill 2278 provides that an agency or local government will not be required to design, construct, widen or alter a non-designated highway to accommodate trucks between 55 and 65 feet in length. Additionally, a local government will be required to report to the Illinois Department of Transportation any limitations that prohibit the operation of vehicles on non-designated highways and any non-designated highway that is not designed or constructed after Jan. 1, 2023 to accommodate trucks between 55 and 65 feet in length.
“Widening intersections to accommodate these larger trucks takes away space that can be used for bike lanes, pedestrian walkways and green space,” Simmons said. “This is an unnecessary undertaking for what is, on many roads, only an occasional need.”
* HB3413 passed the House and is now in Senate Assignments. Here’s ProPublica…
In January, a ProPublica investigation revealed that institutions have not returned the remains of at least 15,461 Native Americans who were excavated from Illinois. We also revealed how the Illinois State Museum had for decades displayed open Native American graves at Dickson Mounds, a burial site that was billed as a tourist attraction and then as an “educational” exhibit before its closure in the 1990s. […]
State Rep. Mark L. Walker, a Democrat who represents part of Chicago’s northwest suburbs, said he introduced the bill after leaders of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation brought the issue to his attention. Walker, who has a master’s degree in anthropology, said it is “atrocious” that some museums and universities still keep the human remains and funerary items of Native Americans. […]
If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the bill would create a cemetery on state land where repatriated Native American ancestors and their belongings could be reburied. The state would be responsible for protecting the cemetery, which would not be for public use, from potential looting or vandalization. […]
The bill would establish a Tribal Repatriation Fund, which could only be used to help return ancestors and items and for reburial and would help pay for repatriation work using money from fines and other penalties collected from individuals or organizations that knowingly disturb burial sites.
* News-Gazette…
It will be easier for customers to pick up their prescriptions at drug stores if a bill sponsored by state Sen. Chapin Rose passes the Illinois House and is signed into law. […]
Rose said that currently a pharmacist can be in the building, but if he or she is taking lunch, a prescription that has been filled cannot be dispensed until he or she returns to work. It can make for a major inconvenience — and in some cases an emergency — for some people. […]
Andy Hudson of Hudson Drug Shop of Paxton said the bill seems designed to help the chain pharmacies because they generally only have one pharmacist on duty.
“Unfortunately that ultimately puts things on businesses like us who want to do things the high-quality way at even more of a disadvantage,” Hudson said. […]
“It’s a good access-to-care bill,” Rose said, adding he believes it is likely the House will pass it.
* Marijuana Moment…
The Illinois Senate has approved legislation that would prevent the smell of marijuana from being used as probable cause to search a vehicle or its passengers.
The Senate voted 33–20 on Thursday to pass the bill, SB 125. It’s now set to be considered by the state’s House of Representatives. […]
A striking amendment from [the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Rachel Ventura] that was approved on the Senate floor Thursday replaced the bill’s language as it was originally introduced in January.
As passed by the body, the bill says that “if a motor vehicle is driven or occupied by an individual 21 years of age or over, the odor of burnt or raw cannabis in a motor vehicle by itself shall not constitute probable cause for the search of the motor vehicle, vehicle operator, or passengers in the vehicle.”
* Illinois Community College Board…
A bill that would equalize the value of major course credits at all Illinois higher education institutions reducing the time and money students spend towards earning a degree has unanimously passed out of the Illinois Senate.
SB2288 strengthens the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) Act (110 ILCS 152) by requiring public colleges and universities to accept all major coursesapproved for transfer through IAI as equivalent major courses, as long as a specific major is offered at the receiving institution.
Under current law, 4-year institutions can accept IAI major courses as either direct course equivalents or as elective credits. As a result, some students transferring to a public university must repeat courses already completed at a community college level in order to complete a degree at the university level.
“Students that earn major coursework credit at a community college should not have to spend more precious time and money to re-earn the same credit at a four-year university. This legislation will reduce the burden on our students and accelerate the time it takes them to earn a degree and start a meaningful career,” said bill sponsor Sen. Cristina Castro (D-Elgin).
The bill is part of the Illinois Community College Board’s (ICCB) larger initiative to increase access to educational opportunities and strengthen Illinois’ growing workforce. […]
The bill now moves to the Illinois House of Representatives for approval.
* State Journal-Register…
Senate Bill 1463 from state Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, passed on Wednesday in a 37-19 vote and would eliminate the issuing of nearly all juvenile court fines and fees if [it passes the House and then] signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker.
Individuals under the age of 18 would still owe restitution for violations of traffic, boating, fishing or game law along with municipal ordinance violations. The bill has received its first reading in the state House of Representatives and is now in the House Rules Committee. […]
Peters said the real impact is often felt when families have to take-on credit card debt to cover their fines and fees. […]
Still, Republicans voting against the bill were concerned that this would be a financial loss for counties. State Sen. Jill Tracy, R-Quincy, said during floor debate on Wednesday that Adams County, her home county, issued $22,000 in fines either last year or in 2021. … The Illinois Sheriff’s Association also opposes the legislation.
* SB380 passed the Senate Friday…
When Bloomington resident Curt Richardson got his DNA test results back from Ancestry.com, his life – and those of his parents – changed forever when they learned they had been victims of fertility fraud.
Richardson’s story is similar to hundreds of others across the state and nation who have lived most of their lives thinking the very people who raised them were their biological parents. State Senator Dave Koehler is working to bring awareness to fertility fraud and provide justice to the families who fall victim to the heinous act.
“Fertility fraud is an issue that has been overlooked for far too long,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “This is a horrible practice that has gone unpunished. Illinois needs to join other states in taking a stand for those who have been affected by this horrendous act.”
Fertility fraud occurs when a health care provider knowingly or intentionally uses their own human reproductive cells during an assisted reproductive treatment without the patient’s informed written consent.
When Richardson received his at-home DNA test results in June of 2021, he knew he couldn’t be silent. Richardson reached out to Koehler for help to ensure that if any other Illinoisans becomes victim of fertility fraud, they would be able to take legal action.
Senate Bill 380 would create the Illinois Fertility Fraud Act, which would allow people to bring action against health care providers who knowingly or intentionally use their own reproductive cells without the patient’s informed written consent.
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That toddlin’ town roundup
Monday, Apr 3, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It’s just a poll, and we’ll know the real numbers soon enough, but Victory Research has now done four head-to-heads on the Vallas vs. Johnson race…
2/12-15: Vallas 46, Johnson 33
3/6-9: Vallas 45, Johnson 39
3/20-23: Vallas 46, Johnson 44
3/29-31: Vallas 50, Johnson 45
If this poll is right, then the undecideds are breaking toward Vallas and he’s finally moved above that 45-46 level he’d been stuck at for weeks.
If you compare the last two polls and look at where the candidates have moved at or beyond the overall 3.2 percent margin of error in the final poll (even though the MoE for these subsets are larger), you’ll see Vallas has moved up a bit with both men and women. He’s now equal with Johnson among women and leading Johnson by 13 big points among men.
Vallas’ numbers also increased by 5 points in Lakefront wards, and the poll found him ahead there by 9 points. Vallas moved up 4 points among Latinos and led by 7 in the latest survey.
Johnson was leading among 18-30s by 20, but they don’t vote in large numbers. Vallas was ahead by 11 points among seniors, and they do vote in large numbers.
Of those who hadn’t yet voted, Vallas led by 7 points. The two were tied among those who’d voted already.
* Crain’s…
Meanwhile, though Johnson pulled in another $125,000 over the weekend from the American Federation of Teachers union, United Working Families and state Sen. Mattie Hunter, D-Chicago, Vallas, yet again, pulled in a lot more. Vallas’ weekend haul topped $410,000, including another $100,000 from Koch Foods CEO Joe Grendys (the chicken processing mogul already had donated $200,000), $50,000 from airplane maintenance exec Neil Book and $25,000 from Merchandise Mart Properties.
The ad disparity on Chicago TV is simply breathtaking.
* Instead of paying these bills long ago, or immediately correcting the problem, Johnson initially brushed it all off and then flip-flopped, thereby extending the story and bringing in other news media outlets which had ignored the original piece, like the Tribune…
Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson paid off more than $3,000 in water and sewer bills to the city after facing criticism over his handling of his personal finances.
The controversy erupted in recent days after it emerged that Johnson owed $3,357.04 in unpaid water and sewer bills and more than $400 for unpaid parking tickets to the city.
* I have no idea why the Johnson campaign thinks that a two-minute ad featuring out-of-state talking heads is gonna move any kind of needle…
The Brandon Johnson campaign has taken the extraordinary step of airing a two-minute television ad on broadcast and cable across Chicago on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. The documentary-style ad––titled “Trail of Destruction”––features parents, policy experts, and community leaders from Philadelphia and New Orleans warning Chicagoans of Paul Vallas’ disastrous record.
* Not good…
* Pat Quinn isn’t really a “centrist,” but claiming that Tabares and Martinez are progressives is truly a laugh riot…
…Adding… Like I said…
* Former CTU leaders for Vallas…
* Vallas campaign…
Vallas for Mayor Public Events for April 3
Paul Vallas returns to his childhood community, joins Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Bobby Rush & others for GOTV events across Chicago
Chicago, IL – Mayoral Candidate Paul Vallas returns to his childhood neighborhood Monday morning with a visit to a longtime donut shop in Chicago’s Roseland community where he was born and raised. Vallas will also join U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, retired Congressman Bobby Rush, mayoral candidate Ja’Mal Green and others for a series of GOTV events.
* Digital ad or simply a YouTube video?…
The Brandon Johnson campaign today released a new digital ad exposing Paul Vallas repeatedly insulting President Joe Biden and criticizing the Biden Administration on conservative talk radio. The final digital ad before election day comes as Paul Vallas is still under fire for calling the impeachment of Donald Trump a “witch hunt.”
* Candidates generally have protected speech in their ads. Third party advertisers generally do not. Press release…
On Friday, March 31, 2023 the Chicago Republican Party served cease and desist demand letters on multiple local television stations over their broadcast of an advertisement by the Brandon Johnson Campaign that claimed that Paul Vallas had been “endorsed” by the Chicago GOP. […]
Boulton noted that no broadcaster had given a response to the letter despite the passage of 48 hours. “Perhaps they will respond to the Federal Communications Commission,” Boulton speculated.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Sun-Times | Johnson, Vallas tour South Side churches in final weekend campaign push before mayoral runoff: Johnson and Vallas both focused largely on African American wards where Mayor Lori Lightfoot performed well in the general election, as the runoff contenders vie for the nearly 17% of voter support that went to the outgoing mayor Feb. 28 — and the 10% or more Chicagoans who remain undecided, according to most polls.
* Tribune | Brandon Johnson on the campaign trail: Banter, invocations of Black forebears — and promises of a Chicago brimming in ‘vibrancy’: Johnson then launched into his stump speech centered on the single-word theme of his campaign: “investment.” He vowed access to fully funded neighborhood schools, affordable housing, new senior facilities, reliable transportation, a healthy environment and good jobs.
* Tribune | Paul Vallas on the campaign trail: ‘Wonkish’ spiels, boundless anecdotes — and a laser focus on crime: But soon, the focus turned to an issue that’s caused the Chicago mayoral candidate to visibly wince on the campaign trail: repeated attacks from rival Brandon Johnson claiming that Vallas opposes the teaching of Black history and has palled around with right-wing extremists. “It’s frustrating when somebody calls you a racist,” he said, unprompted. “Racists don’t do 55% minority contractors. Racists don’t go to New Orleans when 110 of the 120 schools have been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and were uninhabitable.”
* Sun-Times Editorial Board | The next mayor has a chance to revitalize public education in Chicago: Lobby in Springfield for full funding of the state’s Evidence-Based Formula. The EBF ties school funding directly to the costs of educational practices that research has proven will improve achievement. Created by legislators in fiscal year 2018, it has funneled $1.6 billion more to public schools since then, most of it going to the neediest schools across Illinois, and has provided money for property tax relief as well. Problem is, the state has yet to fully fund the EBF; it’s underfunded by $3.6 billion.
* The Hill | Chicago mayor’s race reaches fever pitch in final days: While some strategists caution against looking at municipal elections strictly through a national lens, many observers are watching the Chicago mayor’s race to gauge the mood of the electorate as Democrats prepare to face another presidential cycle.
* Politico | ‘A dangerous force’: Chicago mayor’s race tests teachers union clout: In Brandon Johnson — a progressive county commissioner, former CTU organizer and teacher whose soaring oratory has been a hallmark of rallies and contract fights — the union’s critics see a takeover of the city’s politics.
* NYT | Chicagoans Are Picking a Mayor. Here’s What Matters From 4 Key Wards.: The residents of the 19th Ward on the Far Southwest Side of Chicago know how the rest of the city sees them: a white, conservative bubble of police officers and firefighters, Irish pubs and Catholic churches that is a relic of the old Chicago political machine. “There is that history,” said Clare Duggan, a Democratic political organizer who is a resident and native of the Beverly neighborhood. “But we have a dichotomy in the 19th Ward.”
* Tribune | Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson pays off more than $3,000 in water bill debts to the city: Initially, the Johnson campaign released a statement noting the bills were “on a previously established payment plan, and are on schedule to be fully resolved before (he) takes office as our next mayor.” […] “Like a lot of working families, a few years ago, my family got behind on our water bills and established a payment plan. We’re not alone — there’s $421 million in unpaid water bills right now because for too long our city has leaned on rate hikes and fees to combat the budget deficit Paul contributed to,” Johnson said. “I don’t want this to be a distraction in the crucial final days of this race, so we’ve tightened our belt and decided to pay it off now. I have zero debt with the city.”
* New Yorker | Paul Vallas’s Cops-and-Crime Campaign to Run Chicago: Early on, Vallas seized on the violence that has spiked in Chicago, and across the country, during the pandemic. In a recent poll, sixty-three per cent of Chicagoans said that they feel unsafe in daily life. Vallas, who credits the four police officers in his family for inspiring his public-safety policies, has pledged to fill the department’s seventeen hundred vacancies. “He’s meeting people where they are,” Aviva Bowen, a political strategist, told me. “They’re afraid.” At the same time, he needs to draw in voters who want major reforms in a department that is currently operating under a federal consent decree and has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to settle complaints of brutality. It’s a tough needle to thread. He’s advancing a lower-key community-policing model and pledging “zero tolerance” for officers who violate the law or the Constitution, while also welcoming the endorsement of Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police, whose leader, John Catanzara, has posted on Facebook that Muslims “all deserve a bullet.”
* Monroe Anderson | What makes Paul Vallas the “Democrat of choice” for powerful Republicans?: If Vallas’s newly hired police turn out to be a bunch of Officer Friendlies, treating Black men on the West Side like they treat white men in Lincoln Park, that would be a step in the right direction. On the other hand, if the officers become an occupying army in the Black community, sprinkled with some Jon Burge and Jason Van Dyke types, then we can get ready for more tortured false confessions and more mass protests over trigger-happy cops using Black men for target practice.
* Chalkbeat | Comparing Chicago’s 2023 mayoral candidates on 5 key education issues: Johnson wants to overhaul the district’s current student-based budgeting system, which he argues has been harmful to schools. Basing school budgetson enrollment restricts individual campuses from giving students a full offering of programs and support, he’s said in the campaign trail. Instead, he favors an approach that fully funds school staff — including social workers, librarians, and nurses — regardless of enrollment. […] Vallas wants to get more funding directly to individual schools and out of central office. On the campaign trail, he has argued that only 60% of the district’s budget is currently making it to schools. Vallas favors a system that lets Local Schools Councils, elected members at each school, decide how funds are spent in their respective buildings. He also wants state funds such as Title I directly to assigned schools.
* Block Club | Election Day ‘Get-Out-The-Vote’ Efforts Could Be Deciding Factor In Nail-Biter Mayor’s Race, Experts Say: “A final push to get out the vote is going to make the difference,” Dominguez said. “There’s just such a large number of undecideds, and both candidates need to find ways to elevate enthusiasm amongst their base.” A neck-and-neck race with more than 200,000 vote-by-mail ballots out means there may not be a clear winner by election night, said Max Bever, Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesperson. Experts similarly warned of that possibility ahead of the Feb. 28 election, and multiple aldermanic results weren’t determined until mid-March.
* Sun-Times | 6th, 21st Ward candidates discuss future of South Side ahead of runoff: Time to ‘resurrect dreams of residents’: Two South Side City Council races put a pair of neighborhood pastors, a retired firefighter and a community activist into runoff contests in wards where longtime alderpersons are exiting their posts.
* Block Club | Chicagoans Should Vote Early As Tornadoes Possible, Severe Storms Expected Election Day, Officials Say: Tuesday’s election is expected to be highly consequential: Chicagoans will vote on the city’s next mayor, choosing between the ideologically divided Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas. Fourteen aldermanic races are also up for grabs in the runoff election. But potentially dangerous storms are also expected Tuesday, especially later in the day: There could be damaging wind, hail and tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.
* Tribune | As city’s most active voting precinct, Cook County inmates vote with help from jail and advocates: Voting at the Cook County Jail has risen sharply since the jail added pioneering in-person polling places in 2020. Incarcerated voters say they feel more heard as voting rights groups work to educate and register inmates, and politicians are taking note of the increasingly involved voters.
* WTTW | Chicago Public Schools Teacher Charged With Stalking Mayor Lori Lightfoot: Garrett McLinn was also charged with disorderly conduct and five counts of resisting a police officer, according to police. The arrest took place on the Logan Square block where Lightfoot lives. Sources close to Lightfoot say members of the mayor’s security detail confronted McLinn as he was causing a disruption outside of her home, and that the confrontation escalated. McLinn has appeared outside the mayor’s house on at least one other occasion, sources said.
* Crain’s | Why the City Council structure gives rise to corruption: “When people understandably and rationally assume that actors in city government are acting in their own interests and not the interests of the people they serve, that makes it harder to conduct responsible government,” says Deborah Witzburg, Chicago’s inspector general. “Chicago has not earned the benefit of any doubt. We have earned ourselves a world in which people profoundly distrust city government, and so when things go wrong, there is gaping space for worst assumptions.”
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
If you’re getting a strong and unpleasant sense of déjà vu about the new U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates for counties, including Cook County, you’re not alone. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., is feeling it as well.
Krishnamoorthi, who sits on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, has been trying to force the Census Bureau to retool its population estimates because they have been so awfully inaccurate going back years and years.
The Census Bureau’s annual statewide population estimates released in December 2020 claimed Illinois had cumulatively lost an astounding 240,000 people over the previous decade, representing 2% of the state’s population.
The publication of those estimates every year showing sharp population declines regularly provoked an uproar in the news media and among pundits, particularly on the rightward end of the spectrum. And it came to a head in 2020, when the Census claimed Illinois had lost the equivalent of more than two Springfields.
But when the actual Census, based on real-life counts of human beings and not estimates, was published in 2021, the state’s population loss was pegged at 18,000 people, just 7.5% of the previously estimated loss.
The following year, after the Census Bureau delved deeply into its own numbers, the federal agency admitted it had blundered. The Bureau’s Post-Enumeration Survey, using what the Census Bureau said was a “statistical technique called dual-system estimation,” found that Illinois’ population actually grew by about 250,000 people, an almost 500,000-person shift from that December 2020 estimate.
Yet, here we are, back to reading about the results of annual U.S. Census surveys, and nobody seems to remember any of that history or has bothered to remind the public to take these estimates with a gigantic grain of salt.
This past December, the Census Bureau released estimates claiming the state’s population had fallen by 113,776 people, which prompted several handwringing stories without any historical context.
In January, Krishnamoorthi called on the Bureau to conduct a thorough methodological review of its estimate process. A month later, Krishnamoorthi received a communication from the Bureau saying this review would, indeed, be done, but “potential” changes using tools from the Post-Enumeration Survey wouldn’t be implemented until this coming December at the very earliest, if at all.
Which brings us to last week.
“Cook County lost 68,000 people last year, Census Bureau says,” blared a recent Crain’s Chicago Business headline about the Bureau’s newly released “Vintage 2022 estimates.” The story included no context about the wild inaccuracy of previous Census Bureau estimates.
Crain’s wasn’t alone. “Cook County population drop second-worst in country,” declared a Sun-Times headline. That story, too, did not include any context of prior errors. “Baseball season has begun and Cook County residents are going, going, gone by the tens of thousands, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest estimates,” the story began.
“Census data shows urban counties rebounding, but Cook County’s population has yet to recover from pandemic dip,” was the Chicago Tribune’s take, also without any reference to the Bureau’s previous blunders.
The Bureau’s faulty estimates did vast reputational harm to the state during the previous decade and centered intense public debate around proposed policy fixes to halt what was thought to be a huge population decline, which turned out not to be real when actual noses were counted. And even then, a post-count examination found the physical headcount was short by a very large margin.
So, Krishnamoorthi has written yet another letter to the Census Bureau demanding answers. The latest estimate “appears to echo” earlier data “that drove misleading narratives and rhetoric surrounding purported population losses in Illinois which were subsequently revealed to be unfounded,” the Schaumburg Democrat wrote to Bureau Director Robert Santos.
And the numbers don’t just harm the state’s reputation and provoke public debates based on faulty data, but they can have a major impact on federal funding the state receives.
“Beyond the implications such data have for our understanding of our state’s population dynamics,” Krishnamoorthi wrote, “Census Bureau data will be utilized over the next decade to allocate roughly $1.5 trillion in federal funding through approximately 100 programs, including Medicaid, SNAP, Medicare, Highway Planning and Construction, and Pell grants.”
The rest of the state’s congressional delegation, including our two U.S. senators, should step up and join Krishnamoorthi’s calls for change at the Census Bureau. And in the meantime, the news media in this state ought to stop flushing the Bureau’s past mistakes down the collective memory hole.
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Open thread
Monday, Apr 3, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Hope y’all had a relaxing weekend! What’s goin’ on?
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Morning briefing
Monday, Apr 3, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go!…
* Sun-Times | Pritzker issues disaster proclamation after tornadoes hit Illinois, killing 4: Pritzker signed the proclamation late Saturday, allowing the state to send assistance to DuPage, Boone, Crawford, Marion and Sangamon counties. “The devastating storms that swept through our state last night have upended communities and resulted in heartbreaking injury and loss of life,” Pritzker said in a statement.
* SJ-R | NWS rates Sherman, Riverton tornadoes as EF2; severe weather may return to area Tuesday: The storm system that struck Arkansas, Illinois and Indiana Friday left seven people dead, including a concertgoer at the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, just outside Rockford. Five other people were seriously injured when the theatre’s roof collapsed at a heavy metal show.
* NBC Chicago | New Chicago Mayoral Poll Shows Vallas With Slight Lead Ahead of Johnson: The poll, conducted by Victory Research, showed Vallas’ with 49.6% of the potential vote and Johnson with 45.4%. Vallas’ lead widened from two points to 4.2 points, when compared to the previous poll, which was conducted in late March.
* Sun-Times | Census Bureau’s inaccurate population estimates create ‘misleading narrative’ about Illinois: The following year, after the Census Bureau delved deeply into its own numbers, the federal agency admitted it had blundered. The Bureau’s Post-Enumeration Survey, using what the Census Bureau said was a “statistical technique called dual-system estimation,” found that Illinois’ population actually grew by about 250,000 people, an almost 500,000-person shift from that December 2020 estimate. Yet, here we are, back to reading about the results of annual U.S. Census surveys, and nobody seems to remember any of that history or has bothered to remind the public to take these estimates with a gigantic grain of salt.
* WBEZ | Chicago State University faculty to go on strike Monday: University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100, representing more than 160 professors, lecturers, and academic and technical support professionals at Chicago State University, has been in negotiations with administrators since June. Their last contract expired in August.
* Sun-Times | Prosecutors seeking nearly 6-year prison sentence for downstate Jan. 6 rioter: Shane Woods remains jailed in Sangamon County on murder charges in a separate case, in which he allegedly caused a fatal crash during a botched attempt to take his own life rather than face prison time for his participation in the Washington D.C. riot.
* SJ-R | Here’s what Sangamon County voters need to know about Election Day: Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray said the office has encountered few problems in the runup to the election. “We’re fully staffed with election judges and registrars,” Gray said. “We have an ample level of backups in place.
* Lisa Castillo Richmond | Illinois legislators have the power to make higher education more affordable: It’s important to remember that the past 20 years have given us little to celebrate for Illinois higher education. Over this period, college and university appropriations were nearly halved, and MAP grants were cut by more than $100 million as college prices rose, denying 1.7 million need-based grants to eligible students. These funding decreases were punctuated by the 2017 budget impasse, in which universities nearly closed and students didn’t know whether they would receive the MAP grants they needed to stay in college.
* Crain’s | McDonald’s shuts down U.S. offices in advance of layoffs: The Chicago-based burger giant said in an internal email last week to U.S. employees and some international staff that they should work from home from Monday through Wednesday so it can deliver staffing decisions virtually. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news. The company asked employees to cancel all in-person meetings with vendors and other outside parties at its headquarters.
* STLPR | Renewable energy use is up sharply in Illinois and slightly in Missouri: Wind power accounts for 74% of the renewable energy in the United States. It is the biggest source in Missouri and Illinois, as well. Both are among the top 20 states in the country for wind energy supply.
* Joe Cahill | Illinois needs unity to win Uncle Sam’s cash: That’s the idea behind a coalition organized by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to compete for $80 billion or more in funding that will be doled out across the country under the CHIPS & Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act and other Biden administration programs. Dubbed Innovate Illinois, the group includes a wide array of business groups, universities and political leaders, such as P33, World Business Chicago, the University of Chicago, Northwestern University and the University of Illinois. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth signed on, too.
* Naperville Sun | Wehrli outpacing White when it comes to Naperville mayor election campaign donations: Illinois State Board of Elections records show Wehrli has received more than $207,000 in campaign donations since announcing his mayoral run in July, whereas White has taken in $108,000 since he launching his bid in October.
* AP | Twitter pulls check mark from main New York Times account: Early Sunday, Musk tweeted that the Times’ check mark would be removed. Later he posted disparaging remarks about the newspaper, which has aggressively reported on Twitter and on flaws with partially automated driving systems at Tesla, the electric car company, which he also runs.
* Northwestern Now | Gov. JB Pritzker, Morton Schapiro and three others to receive honorary degrees: Along with Pritzker and Schapiro, the following recipients will receive their honorary degrees at the ceremony: Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, retired vice chancellor and co-founder of the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), Rwanda; Sharon Bowen, commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and chair of the Board of the New York Stock Exchange; and Luis Valdez, playwright, director and founder of El Teatro Campesino.
* Crain’s | How a woman working in her basement created the 7th largest publisher in the U.S.: When the blockbuster $2.2 billion merger of book publishing giants Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster was blocked late last year for antitrust reasons — in what would have been a combination of two of the Big Five in New York publishing — nobody noted at the time that Random House had already taken a big stake in the nation’s No. 7 ranked publisher, Sourcebooks in Naperville.
* Sun-Times | White Sox show what they can be when talent is on the field, gain series split with Astros: Talent was never an issue for the underachieving White Sox last season. Keeping it on the field was. Luis Robert Jr., Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson reminded everyone of that in the Sox’ 6-3 victory Sunday against the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
* Sun-Times | San Diego State’s Dutcher took an extra-long route — starting at Illinois — to the Final Four: As many NCAA Tournament watchers have heard over the last couple of weeks, Dutcher, 63, didn’t become a head coach until deep into his career; he was 57 when SDSU finally promoted him. Before that, he was an assistant to Steve Fisher for 27 years, nine of them at Michigan — where he recruited the heck out of the “Fab Five” — and 18 with the Aztecs.
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Afternoon roundup
Friday, Mar 31, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Fitch revised the state’s rating outlook to “Positive” from “Stable” earlier this week. Click here for the analysis.
* Wirepoints is at it again, so the Illinois State Board of Education has issued another statement on proficiency standards…
Illinois has among the most rigorous proficiency standards in the nation, which State Superintendent Sanders recently outlined in ISBE’s Weekly Message newsletter. In Illinois, “proficient” means much more than just reading on grade level. Our standards cover a depth and breadth of higher order language arts skills from writing, to logic, to critical thinking and analysis. When you compare Illinois’ student performance to that of other states, it’s like comparing home runs across ballparks that all have differently sized outfields. It’s much easier to hit a home in the Colorado Rockies’ Coors Field than in the Detroit Tigers’ Comerica Park. Our rigorous standards help guide instruction, so students are truly ready for the next grade level.
Additionally, school context matters. School proficiency rates strongly correlate to the income levels of the students and families served. Schools that serve historically under-resourced communities, students in alternative schools, and high numbers of English learners have a much steeper hill to climb to reach “proficiency.” Therefore, Illinois evaluates schools based on multiple measures of performance, including growth, student attendance, climate and culture surveys, and graduation rates. Evaluating schools based on growth in addition to proficiency gives us a more holistic understanding of school quality because even if a student starts school below grade level due to living in poverty, a good school can still help that student achieve significant growth. ISBE is committed to providing every school with the support and resources they need so that every student can meet these high expectations.
* Press release…
State Senator Laura Fine has passed legislation to ensure reports of abuse or neglect in state-operated developmental centers are thoroughly investigated and addressed. The legislation intends to address allegations of abuse at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna, Illinois, where certain staff members have been accused and charged with multiple accounts of abuse to patients.
“Vulnerable residents living in state-run facilities are entitled to the best care possible and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “This initiative will ensure people who take advantage of people in our care will face consequences for their actions.”
Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center serves patients struggling with mental and behavioral health concerns and/or developmental disabilities. Some employees of Choate have been charged with and found guilty of physically or emotionally abusing patients, as well as obstructing official probes and lying to investigators about wrongdoing.
Senate Bill 855 would create repercussions for employees who do not report incidents of abuse under the Code of Silence. People who do not report cases of abuse or who actively obstructed investigative reports would be added to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s health care workers registry, letting future employers know their role in silencing survivors of abuse at their job. These additions will hold bad actors accountable and discourage employees from obstructing investigations.
“It is the responsibility of the state to protect our most vulnerable from abuse and neglect,” said Fine. “This legislation will be an important tool to deter further atrocities from taking place.”
Senate Bill 855 passed the Senate on Wednesday, March 29. It now goes to the House for further discussion.
* Center Square…
Because of “unreasonably large campaign contributions” to then-candidates now sitting justices on the Illinois Supreme Court from lead defendants in the case challenging the state’s gun ban, plaintiffs are seeking recusal. […]
Caulkins’ attorney Jerry Stocks filed a motion Thursday for the justice to recuse themselves because of “unreasonably large campaign contributions” from Pritzker and Welch that “undermine public confidence” in the judiciary. […[
Stocks argues the justices campaigned on supporting a ban on semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. The motion filed Thursday notes that “each candidate voiced their support of [gun control] organizations’ top legislative priority: banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines in Illinois.”
Also from the recusal motion: “The Justices were two of the G-PAC endorsed candidates that won the 2022 General Election with the support of G-PAC and Giffords PAC. The organizations claimed that they were heavily involved in delivering victories in many contested races. To earn the endorsement of G-PAC and Giffords PAC, each candidate voiced their support of the organizations’ top legislative priority: banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines in Illinois. Looking toward veto and lame duck session before the 103rd General Assembly is sworn in this coming January, the gun violence prevention movement will be forcefully advocating to pass the measure into law.”
The motion is here.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Tribune | Where and how to vote in mayor and City Council races on April 4: With Chicago’s mayoral race winnowed to two candidates — Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas — and only a dozen or so aldermanic races headed to runoffs, Chicagoans will head to the polls one more time, on April 4, to settle who will take over the fifth floor at City Hall as well as the direction of the City Council for the next four years.
* AdImpact | Chicago Mayoral Runoff Deep Dive: On Tuesday, April 4th, Chicago will be voting again in a runoff to decide who will become their next mayor. Last month, the general election resulted in Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson being the top two candidates, defeating seven other candidates, including incumbent mayor Lori Lightfoot, who placed third. We saw $22M spent on the general election—the most spent on a Chicago mayoral election. So far, $12.4M has been spent on the runoff election, for a combined total of $34M. This marks a 79% increase in spending from 2019’s mayoral election total of $19M, of which $16M was spent on the general election, and $3M on the runoff. The Chicago mayoral general and runoff elections are the second and third most expensive elections of 2023 thus far, trailing only Wisconsin’s Supreme Court general election.
* WCBU | Former Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman touts plan to fix what ails Peoria by attracting more executive talent: Former Caterpillar CEO and chairman Doug Oberhelman wants to attract more business executives to the Peoria area. The new “Choose Greater Peoria” talent attraction strategy is helmed by the Gilmore Foundation and Greater Peoria Leadership Council, in collaboration with marketing firm Simantel.
* Aurora Beacon-News | Planned Aurora marijuana dispensary a hometown affair: The principals - in addition to Salesky there is Linda Wirth, the chief operating officer and an East Aurora alum, and Spencer Thomas, assistant chief officer and a West Aurora grad - were awarded a conditional adult use dispensing license by the state of Illinois as a social equity applicant.
* NPR State Week | Key government witness on the stand in ComEd bribery trial: Fidel Marquez is a former Commonwealth Edison executive turned government informant. His testimony dominated the federal trial of four other former ComEd officials during the week. Prosecutors used Marquez in an effort to show how the utility worked to keep on the good side of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
* Newswise | Hope for salamanders? Illinois study recalibrates climate change effects: “The older estimates were predicting almost 100% of the suitable habitat being wiped out for some of these species. But once we incorporated microclimate data at fine spatial scales for our study area in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), we found it might not be nearly that severe.
* Shaw Local | Illinois Valley schools dismiss early with threat of severe weather: Numerous schools across the Illinois Valley either canceled sporting events and/or announced early dismissals ahead of a severe weather alert that has been moved up. Though earlier forecasts had called for a two-hour window of powerful storms Friday evening, the forecast now calls for an extended window of storms beginning at 2 p.m. through 9 p.m., with storms most likely (80% chance) at about 5 p.m. when extra-curricular activities were set to take place.
* Post Tribune | Gary shifts to new school bus company: Like Illinois Central, First Student’s drivers would belong to a union, he said. Illinois Central drivers had been represented by Local 73 of the Service Employees International Union. The move severs the often contentious relationship with Illinois Central, which provided bus service in Gary for several years. Gary has contracted out the service since the late 1980s.
* Telegraph | Meadowbrook fire fueled by Thursday winds: Firefighters from four departments battled a blaze in Meadowbrook Thursday evening that closed Illinois 140 for more than two hours. Medowbrook firefighters responded shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday to a commercial building on fire at the corner of Maple Drive and Illinois 140. The building was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, so they called for assistance from Bethalto, Cottage Hills and Rosewood Heights fire departments.
* Tribune | Tollway to resume issuing fines for drivers with unpaid tolls: Drivers will have 14 days after missing a toll to pay with no fee. After 30 days, the Tollway will issue an invoice for a $3 fee for passenger vehicles, or between $5 and $15 for commercial vehicles. After 90 days the fee will rise by $5 per missed toll.
* NYT | This Is What It Sounds Like When Plants Cry: To be clear, the sounds made by harried plants are not the same as the anxious mumbling you might utter if you have a big deadline at work. The researchers suspect the nervous, popping noise is instead a byproduct of cavitation, when tiny bubbles burst and produce mini-shock waves inside the plant’s vascular system, not unlike what happens in your joints when you crack your knuckles.
* Sun-Times | What’s Easter without jelly beans, say Illinoisans: If you’re like a lot of Illinoisans, it’s Starburst Easter Original Jelly Beans — at least according to Instacart, the online grocery pickup and delivery folks. While that particular brand of candy was tops in the Land of Lincoln, it was edged out nationally by Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs.
* Crain’s | Signature Room property in the Hancock tower goes up for sale: A venture led by New York-based Madison Capital and Newark, N.J.-based PGIM Real Estate has hired brokers in the Chicago office of Cushman & Wakefield to sell the 26,168-square-foot restaurant space on the 95th and 96th floors of the tower at 875 N. Michigan Ave., according to marketing materials. There is no formal asking price for the property, which includes the Signature Room restaurant as well as the Signature Lounge cocktail bar above it.
* Crain’s | Need a table for 2 tonight at a Chicago restaurant? ChatGPT can help.: With OpenTable, diners will be able to type a request into ChatGPT’s chat bubble such as: “I’m looking for a romantic table for two in River North tomorrow at 7 p.m.,” or “Where can I take my mom for brunch this Mother’s Day in Chicago?” The chatbot will then deliver recommendations and pull up available time slots for the diner to book.
* AP | Minor leaguers ratify 1st collective bargaining agreement with MLB: ‘Historic day for these players’: Minimum salaries will rise from $4,800 to $19,800 at rookie ball, $11,000 to $26,200 at Low Class A, $11,000 to $27,300 at High Class A, $13,800 to $27,300 at Double A and $17,500 to $35,800 at Triple-A. Players will be paid in the offseason for the first time.
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* SB1909 synopsis…
Prohibits a limited services pregnancy center from engaging in unfair methods of competition or unfair or deceptive acts or practices: (1) to interfere with or prevent an individual from seeking to gain entry or access to a provider of abortion or emergency contraception; (2) to induce an individual to enter or access the limited services pregnancy center; (3) in advertising, soliciting, or otherwise offering pregnancy-related services; or (4) in conducting, providing, or performing pregnancy-related services. Defines terms. Sets forth legislative intent. Effective immediately.
It passed the Senate today and the roll call is here.
* Press release…
State Senator Celina Villanueva’s measure to holds crisis pregnancy centers from using deceptive practices that interfere with women’s health care decisions continues the fight for equal healthcare reproductive rights for women in Illinois.
“The protection of women’s reproductive healthcare rights is something I will continue to put at the forefront of legislation,” said Villanueva D-Chicago). “Pregnancy is a life changing event in a woman’s life and brings up an array of emotions that deserve to be met with care rather than judgement and shame. “Any woman seeking guidance on what she should do when faced with pregnancy, should not be misled, bamboozled, or made to feel like they are doing something wrong for making the best medical decisions for their lives.”
Senate Bill 1909 prohibits the use of deceptive practices to interfere with an individual seeking to gain entry or access to the provider of an abortion or emergency contraceptives, induce an individual to enter a limited services pregnancy center, in advertising, soliciting, or otherwise offering pregnancy-related services, or in providing pregnancy-related services.
While crisis pregnancy centers may advertise themselves as health care clinics, many of these facilities provide very limited services, such as basic ultrasounds and counseling intended to discourage and limit access to abortion. Some centers are located near clinics that provide comprehensive reproductive health care and use names similar to these clinics in order to misdirect patients. Many provide misleading information overstating the risks associated with abortion, including conveying false claims that abortion causes cancer or infertility.
“Crisis pregnancy centers will often look like an abortion clinic, but often these professionals are not licensed and do not have licensed staff that can carry out proper medical procedures that will benefit women in need,” said Villanueva. “Deceptive practices can cause more harm than help and we need hold those who are at fault responsible for the mental, physical and emotion stress they are causing women all across the state.”
Senate Bill 1909 passed in the Senate and is headed to the House for further consideration.
Some provided audio is here.
* AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul applauded the Senate’s passage of his legislation to hold crisis pregnancy centers that engage in deceptive practices accountable.
Illinois law establishes the fundamental rights of individuals to make autonomous decisions about their reproductive health. There have been reports in Illinois and nationwide of limited services pregnancy centers, often referred to as “crisis pregnancy centers,” using deceptive and misleading practices to spread false information and interfere with patients’ timely access to the full range of reproductive care.
“I experienced deceptive crisis pregnancy center tactics firsthand on a visit to a Planned Parenthood health center in Illinois. People who appeared as though they might work there were outside attempting to divert us away from the health center,” Raoul said. “Patients report going to crisis pregnancy centers – sometimes even receiving exams and ultrasounds – thinking they were visiting a different clinic that offers the full range of reproductive care. This is an extreme violation of trust and patient privacy that should not occur in our state. I would like to thank members of the Senate for passing legislation to help my office hold those engaging in deceptive practices accountable.”
Senate Bill 1909, sponsored by Sen. Celina Villanueva, was approved by the Senate and will now be considered by the House.
“There is a war on people’s ability to make informed decisions about their reproductive health care,” said Sen. Villanueva. “Workers at crisis pregnancy centers should not be able to deceptively mislead women into making decisions that aren’t the best for them or their futures. When you go to the doctor and someone appears to be medical staff, you trust they are medical staff. You trust your ability to make autonomous, informed, evidence-based decisions. Reproductive health care should be no different.”
The mission of most crisis pregnancy centers is to convince pregnant people to carry to term and not have an abortion. While crisis pregnancy centers may advertise their services generally to pregnant people, many of these centers offer very limited services, such as basic ultrasounds and counseling against abortion. Many provide misleading information overstating the risks associated with abortion, including conveying false claims that abortion causes cancer or infertility.
Some are located near clinics that do provide comprehensive reproductive care and use names similar to clinics to misdirect patients from the full range of information and care that it is their right to access. Crisis pregnancy centers do not provide abortions or referrals for abortions. Many do not provide contraceptives or comprehensive prenatal care. They often do not have any medical professionals on site, and they do not necessarily disclose any of these limitations in their online or in-person materials. They also may not keep medical records and personal information private and confidential.
In addition to initiating SB 1909, Attorney General Raoul offered recommendations to patients seeking reproductive care to ensure they can access the full range of health services. Patients should check to be certain that they are entering the correct facility because crisis pregnancy centers may be located near abortion clinics and use similar names to divert women away from abortion providers. They should also make sure the facility they plan to visit offers the full range of reproductive care options if that is what they seek.
* Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action…
“We applaud the Illinois Senate for passing Senate Bill 1909. This bill holds anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) accountable for deceiving and misinforming people as they are trying to receive reproductive health care. For decades, CPCs have systematically employed deception, fraud, and false pretense to get people in their doors with the goal of denying them abortion access. Often CPCs pose as legitimate health care organizations yet do not have licensed medical staff or follow privacy laws. Thank you to State Senator Celina Villanueva for sponsoring this important legislation. We encourage the Illinois House to pass the bill. If this is signed into law, individuals can file complaints and the Illinois Attorney General will be able to bring legal action against CPCs for their harmful and deceptive practices.”
* Thomas More Society…
“Senate Bill 1909 is a radical attempt to silence and chill the speech of pro-life advocates in Illinois,” stated Peter Breen, former Illinois state legislator and the Executive Vice President and Head of Litigation for the Thomas More Society. “The bill is presented as a ‘consumer protection’ measure, but its purpose is to protect abortion clinics from competition—the supporters of this bill object to pro-life organizations’ highly successful efforts to convince abortion clinic customers to choose life for their children, instead of aborting them. By exempting pro-abortion speech and applying an opaque floating standard against pro-life speech, the bill directly and illegally targets Illinois’ pro-life organizations for civil injunctions and tens of thousands of dollars in fines. This bill is flagrantly unconstitutional, and if it becomes law, we will immediately file suit to protect pro-life organizations’ right to free speech.”
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That toddlin’ town roundup
Friday, Mar 31, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Brandon Johnson constantly says he “managed” a multi-billion dollar budget at Cook County. It’s pretty ridic, as the Tribune points out…
But Johnson’s record is complicated by the realities of serving since late 2018 as one of the junior members on a 17-person body where President Toni Preckwinkle, who has endorsed Johnson, runs a tight ship and much of the real decision-making is top-down. […]
Preckwinkle and her financial team design the county’s annual budget and drive many of the policy decisions, taking suggestions from commissioners before the board passes their plans with overwhelming support. The Cook County Board president wears the jacket for those choices, as the mayor does for the city budget.
* I am flabbergasted at Vallas’ blatant flip-flop on this, but the reweeted thread does give a progressive explanation for Johnson’s angle…
* Another surprisingly good get for Vallas…
Democratic mayoral candidate Paul Vallas is being endorsed by Chicago baseball great and World Series champion Ozzie Guillen. A local legend as a player, manager and broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox, Guillen is supportive of Vallas’ plans to make the city safer, improve public schools and grow the local economy.
Guillen released a video endorsement that is available here: https://youtube.com/shorts/GBii6Hf-GCk?feature=share
“I love Chicago, I’ve made this city my home, and I know that Paul Vallas is the right choice for Mayor,” said Guillen. “We need a Mayor who will hit the ball out of the ballpark, and Paul Vallas is the candidate to do it. He will make our city safer, improve our public schools and invest in every neighborhood. We’re getting close to the 9th inning in this election, and I’m encouraging all Chicagoans to join me in supporting Paul Vallas so he can bring home a big win for our city.”
“Ozzie Guillen is a legend in our city and I’m so excited to have his support as we head down the final stretch of this election,” said Vallas. “I grew up in Roseland as a huge Sox fan, and baseball is such an important part of our city’s culture and history. I’m running to be a Mayor for all Chicagoans, and whether you’re a Cubs fan or a Sox fan we can all agree that we need a safer, more prosperous Chicago.”
* Preaching to the choir…
* Without any real money behind it, this is also mainly just preaching to the choir [UPDATE: The campaign now says this is going up on cable TV]…
Yesterday, news broke that Donald Trump was indicted by a grand jury in New York. Shortly thereafter, audio surfaced of Paul Vallas calling Trump’s impeachment a “witch hunt” in February 2021. This morning, the Brandon for Chicago campaign released a new digital ad, “Witch Hunt?”, exposing Paul Vallas’ opposition to holding Donald Trump accountable.
VALLAS: “And, you know, I always felt that it was a witch hunt. I mean, it doesn’t mean that they didn’t make mistakes and that Trump has acted irresponsibly and I’ve certainly been a critic of what he’s done. But at some point it is time to move on”
Here are five questions Paul Vallas must answer NOW about his stance on Donald Trump:
Why did Paul Vallas call Donald Trump’s second impeachment a “witch hunt”?
Does Vallas believe Donald Trump incited an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021 despite his endorsers dismissing the violence of that day?
Does Vallas also believe the Mueller Investigation was a “witch hunt”?
Will Vallas reject any further donations from Donald Trump donors, who so far have fueled his campaign with more than $1 million in campaign contributions?
In 2021, Vallas described the Biden Administration as “a circus in terms of the administration’s inability to manage anything” and said, “it’s just incompetency,” and “I think they’re clueless, quite frankly.” Does Vallas stand by his own harsh criticism of the President?
The ad is here.
* The choir preaches back…
Today, the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association (CPAA) released their Mayoral Survey results, showing that Brandon Johnson was selected by 62% of principals and administrators who selected a candidate.
“Who better to chime in on which candidate should run the school system than the men and women who run each school in that system?” said Troy LaRaviere, President of CPAAA. “In a way, these survey results are more powerful than an endorsement because they represent the full breadth and depth of the mayoral preferences of Chicago’s school leaders rather than the decision of a handful of association officers.”
* Background is here if you need it…
The guy in the last pic appears to be this person. Sometimes, I think Steve Rhodes had a decent point.
* Ouch…
…Adding… Brandon Johnson release…
Mayoral candidate Paul Vallas is falsely denying his connections to former President Trump’s former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and an Illinois Super PAC that DeVos funds.
DeVos funds and controls the Illinois Federation for Children PAC which made a $59,000 independent expenditure in support of Vallas’ campaign last week. On the same day, DeVos’ American Federation for Children Action Fund, a national 527 PAC funded primarily by DeVos and her husband, made a $65,000 contribution to the Illinois Federation for Children PAC.
Yesterday evening at the Sun-Times-WBEZ mayoral debate, Vallas denied having contact with DeVos, stating “I’ve never had any conversations or contact with Betsy DeVos. And our campaign has not received any money from her.”
The Vallas campaign said on Wednesday evening that “our campaign has not been in contact with this organization [Illinois Federation for Children PAC].”
In reality, Vallas and DeVos served together as hosts at an Urban League of Chicago event on September, 9 2021 in honor of the superintendent of schools of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.
Moreover, the chair of the Illinois Federation for Children PAC Nathan Hoffman has been regularly attending Vallas campaign events in the last month, including Vallas’ February 28th election night party:
Hoffman was a registered contract lobbyist in Springfield for the DeVos-founded and funded 501c4 American Federation for Children until January 2023.
On June 18, 2022, Vallas appeared on a panel hosted by extremist anti-LGBTQ+ group Awake Illinois with keynote speaker Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow at DeVos-founded and funded American Federation for Children.
Paul Vallas’ decades-long history of privatizing multiple school districts in the US and extensive support for transferring public funds to private schools are tightly aligned with DeVos’ ideological opposition to the existence of publicly-run, publicly-funded schools.
* Heh…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Sun-Times | Johnson, Vallas weigh in on Trump, Arwady — and WBEZ weighs rivals’ facts on more familiar debate topics: The candidates exchanged barbs in the hour-long debate held by WBEZ’s Reset. There was little new in their remarks, except for their reaction to former President Donald Trump’s indictment and a question about Chicago’s Public Health Director, Dr. Allison Arwady.
* Tribune | Brandon Johnson has spent four years on the Cook County Board. Does his record there stand up to the achievements he touts?: Inflating one’s legislative victories is a time-honored tactic for political candidates trying to make the jump from a member of an elected legislative board to the top administrative seat at the front of the room, and Johnson is likewise claiming credit for major initiatives that have demonstrably benefited thousands of Cook County residents. But how critical a role he played is in some cases debatable.
* Sun-Times | Arrests at historic lows, murders up 50% since last election: Next mayor faces daunting challenges on public safety: Brandon Johnson says he’d hire 200 more detectives while Paul Vallas vows to build the detective ranks to 10% of overall staffing. The next mayor will also have to address the controversial spike in people being stopped for traffic violations.
* ABC Chicago | Chicago speed cameras: City quietly moves over a dozen speed cameras to new locations: Under the Freedom of Information Act, the I-Team uncovered that camera as one of 16 recently moved by the city. The Chicago Department of Transportation says it changed the camera locations based on an independent study by UIC that analyzed crash data.
* Chalkbeat | Chicago wants schools to adopt a new $135 million curriculum. It is getting high marks and pushback.: CPS is betting big that Skyline — the unprecedented $135 million trove of lessons in math, reading, science, social studies, and other subjects — will help students bounce back from COVID’s profound academic damage. The curriculum remains voluntary for schools, but the district has started pressing campuses that have not yet adopted Skyline to prove they have other quality curriculums in place.
* Tribune | Southeast Side residents fight shoreline dump as mayoral candidates vow to take on pollution: Earlier this month, two community organizations — Alliance of the Southeast and Friends of the Park — filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the Army Corps to stop the expansion. The suit alleges the Army Corps did not receive necessary legislative permission to expand the disposal facility and failed to adequately consider the environmental impacts.
* Sun-Times | Three more 7-Eleven stores robbed at gunpoint — at least 12 have been hit in Chicago this week: The three stores robbed early Friday were hit minutes apart on the North and Northwest sides.
* Crain’s | Accusations fly as court battle over failed River North high-rise heats up: It’s a mystery that remains unsolved as a federal securities fraud lawsuit over the unbuilt 60-story tower drags into its fifth year. Though the project’s developers agreed in late 2020 to return money owed to most of the investors, they haven’t followed through, court filings show.
* CBS Chicago | Man sues City of Chicago over nearly $20,000 water bill at three-flat he was trying to sell: But he is suing the city because he says they have refused to provide an explanation for the enormous bill. “When I think I can’t be any more astounded, you know, I’m suddenly more astounded,” Anderson said.
* Sun-Times | Powerful storm to hit Chicago area Friday: Wind gusts greater than 75 mph, large hail, isolated tornadoes possible: The greatest risk of severe weather is in the south and west suburbs, from 2 p.m. until 11 p.m., though a hazardous weather outlook has been issued for Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, McHenry, Kane, Kendall, Grundy and Kankakee counties in Illinois and Porter, Newton, Jasper and Benton counties in Indiana.
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The art of the possible
Friday, Mar 31, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Synopsis of Sen. Rachel Ventura’s SB1653 as originally introduced…
Requires the Department of Transportation, local authorities, or any responsible entity to erect and maintain hazard bars for all viaducts and underpasses with a clearance of less than 15 feet. Provides that the hazard bar shall hang at the same clearance level as the viaduct or underpass and at least 500 feet in front of the viaduct or underpass to alert motorists.
I get what she was trying to do there, but, as you might imagine, it did bring out a lot of opposition.
The Illinois Municipal League, the Township Officials, the Mid-West Truckers Association and the Illinois Trucking Association all registered in opposition to Sen. Ventura’s original bill.
Amendment 1 convinced the Illinois Municipal League to go neutral, but the others were still opposed and ABATE added its own opposition.
* So, she tried again. From Amendment 2…
Low-clearance early warning device pilot program. The Department shall establish a pilot program to erect early warning devices on or near bridges or viaducts in this State. Early warning devices may include LiDAR, radar, visual signals, or additional signage. The Department may work with interested stakeholders to identify bridges and viaducts for the erection of early warning devices on roads outside of the Department’s jurisdiction. The Department may work with the University of Illinois on the pilot program. The pilot program shall include, but shall not be limited to, evaluating the effectiveness of early warning devices, developing design specifications, and projecting estimated costs. The Department may adopt administrative rules regarding the pilot program. The Department or local authority responsible for maintaining an early warning device may impose a fine on a motorist who damages an early warning device. The fine shall not exceed $1,000.
That second amendment convinced the two truckers’ groups to go neutral. Nobody else registered in opposition.
* Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) rose to speak on the bill today…
I’d like to commend the sponsor as a freshman, the rest of us could all take a lesson from. When you let the committee process work, it works very well. You get a better piece of legislation. When you listen to the input from your colleagues, you get a better piece of legislation. When you take the time to amend it based upon that input, you get a better piece of legislation. This is a much better piece of legislation than it started.
I hope that we can all take a lesson from this freshman sponsor, and realize that shotgunning stuff through at the last minute really doesn’t help get anything done in the long term. So I’m very excited for this. And I thank the sponsor for actually taking the time to listen to members on both sides of the aisle who had very constructive input. … My mentor a long time ago, Rep. Bill Black, told me when you let this process work, it works very well. And this is an example of it.
Sen. Ventura’s close…
I want to thank my colleagues for helping me through this very frustrating bill. But I’m happy to have it passed and maybe see less trucks jammed underneath viaducts and bridges in the future. Thank you for the ‘aye’ vote.
The bill passed 56-0.
* I bring this up because Ventura had a reputation in Will County as a progressive, rabble-rousing challenger of the status quo. Many people told me they were convinced she’d alienate her Statehouse colleagues and get nothing done.
So, needless to say, not a lot of folks probably had “Chapin Rose praising Rachel Ventura” on their 2023 legislative bingo cards back in January.
People can be wrong. People can also learn.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, Mar 31, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Sen. Sue Rezin’s SB76 to lift Illinois’ moratorium on nuclear power plant construction passed 39-13. Capitol News Illinois…
“The bill is going to come to the House with a lot of momentum,” Rezin said in an interview after the bill passed. “The unions are out and working their members to explain the importance of the bill and to just explain the technology.” […]
Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, said the bill was “still not fully baked,” adding that the question of what is done with nuclear waste still doesn’t have a solution.
“Whether it’s one pound or a thousand pounds, it’s still nuclear waste,” he said. “We can’t wait for a national strategy, in my opinion.” […]
Some of the state’s largest environmental groups, including the Illinois Environmental Council, oppose the measure. Jack Darin, the head of the Illinois chapter of the Sierra Club, told Capitol News Illinois earlier this month that his organization doesn’t believe nuclear energy is “clean energy,” citing concerns over the environmental impact of nuclear waste.
A similar bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Mark Walker, D-Arlington Heights. That measure, House Bill 1079, was approved in committee with a bipartisan majority, 18-3, although it hasn’t been heard by the full House.
* SJ-R…
Legislation from state Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, passed with only one dissenting vote, 55-1, and would change several stipulations of supplier licenses.
Under the Sports Wagering Act (SWA), signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker in 2019, applicants owed a nonrefundable license and application fee of $150,000 dedicated to the IGB. Currently, these initial licenses last for four years before the license holder would have to pay another $150,000 annually to maintain them. […]
Senate Bill 1462 from state Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, would also deal with licenses and passed in a 44-12 vote mostly along party lines. Senate Minority Leader John Curran was among the six Republicans backing the legislation.
The bill updates eligibility standards for those seeking an occupational license, specifically with regard to their criminal record. IGB would be required to consider length of time since conviction, number of convictions and the severity of the charges among other factors when reviewing an individual’s application through the legislation.
* WAND…
The Illinois Senate unanimously approved a plan Thursday night to help address the shortage of firefighters and EMTs.
Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) worked with Sen. Neil Anderson (R-Moline) to create an EMT training, recruitment, and retention task force.
They hope this group can address the impact this shortage is having on the state’s EMS and health care systems. The bill also requires the task force to recommend how EMT testing and certification requirements affect recruitment and retention efforts. Senate Bill 761 notes that the group should also discuss how apprenticeship programs can be utilized to help recruit and retain EMRs, EMTs, and paramedics. […]
Nine members of the task force would represent rural and ground ambulance providers while three members would bring the perspective of hospitals. The proposal also calls for members representing the State Board of Education, community colleges, and a statewide association of nursing homes.
* Sen. Martwick…
State Senator Robert Martwick has passed a measure that would prohibit companies from using personal data gathered from retirement plan participants to sell products and services that are not related to the plan.
“When an employee deposits their money in a retirement savings account, they trust the people handling their money are working in their best interest,” said Martwick (D-Chicago). “As we have seen throughout history, unfortunately, this is not always the case.”
The measure enacts a series of strict conflict of interest provisions. Included in the measure are rules regarding companies who perform contracted recordkeeping services for public employee deferred compensation plans.
Current law does not prevent the recordkeeping companies from making use of the personal data provided to them to solicit plan holders. Martwick’s measure would ensure that they could no longer act outside the plan holder’s best interest, and solicit them with services they do not need.
“Account holders’ data should be kept safe from being used for financial product marketing and predatory practices from large financial corporations,” Martwick said.
Senate Bill 1646 passed the Senate Thursday sand now goes to the House for further consideration.
* Scott Holland…
When it comes to government, simple solutions are in short supply.
Consider House Bill 2500, which passed 107-0 March 24. State Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, filed the plan to waive animal shelter adoption fees for Illinois veterans, allowing one free dog or cat adoption every two years. […]
I’m not a veteran but we have two rescue mutts. Our fee covered micro-chipping, vaccines and the spay/neuter procedures at a partnering veterinarian. The rescue and its volunteers incurred expenses transporting the dogs to the suburbs and foster care, plus general website and office costs. […]
Perhaps the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare could certify veteran adoptions and send checks to the rescues, or the veterans could qualify for 1:1 state income tax credits. It’s easy to imagine the pushback if the state ordered county health departments to create veteran pet adoption funds, even if they could pass it along through increased rabies tag fees.
Maybe pet food and supply companies could get tax credits for donating to a fund that would cover the adoption fees, perhaps with an annual cap on expenditures. The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars or other groups might consider helping such an effort, although it’s not as if those groups are presently flush with excess cash. […]
We’re not talking about huge sums, but whenever government pledges waiving a fee, it’s fair to ask who ultimately pays and if there might be a better option.
* Scott Reeder at the Illinois Times…
The options for disposing of human remains in Illinois are limited. You can be buried, entombed or cremated. But a bill pending before the Illinois General Assembly would add another option: composting.
That process turns human remains into soil over the course of a few weeks. Companies that offer this service place a person’s remains in a container with wood chips, straw and other organic material and heat it to accelerate the growth of bacteria that breaks down the body.
LeNette Van Haverbeke, a representative of Illinois Cemetery and Funeral Home Association, told lawmakers that many in the field “oppose human composting as lacking the traditional dignity afforded to the dead.”
Call me a cynic, but could it be that some in the funeral home industry don’t like this idea because it limits their ability to upsell grieving loved ones on expensive caskets, vaults and burial plots?
* Sen. Mike Simmons…
To encourage cooperative housing developments, State Senator Mike Simmons advanced a measure out of the Senate on Thursday.
“Many communities across Illinois are experiencing a severe shortage of affordable housing,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “Cooperative housing models help to fill that gap by providing lower-income individuals access to long-term permanent housing.”
Senate Bill 1484 creates the Cooperative Housing Fund, which would be used by the Illinois Housing Development Authority to award up to $5 million in grants to organizations developing cooperative housing for residents with an income less than or equal to the median income within the municipality.
This measure will promote cooperative housing, a form of housing where entities own the residential building, but its residents are shareholders of the entity. Cooperative housing provides a viable alternative to homeownership for low- to middle-income earners who may not be able to buy a home, while adding a key affordable housing option to those who need it.
* Senate Majority Leader Lightford’s SB16 passed the Senate yesterday…
Building upon her steadfast leadership to take a more holistic, trauma-informed approach in schools, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford passed a measure to equip schools with the training and resources they need to meet the diverse trauma and mental health needs of students. […]
Schools across the state would be equipped with training and resources to meet the diverse trauma and mental health needs of students, under Lightford’s measure. The Illinois State Board of Education would create a Children’s Adversity Index, which would measure community childhood trauma exposure across the population of children 3-18 years old by May 31, 2025.
ISBE, under the bill, would create a committee to make recommendations amending education licensing requirements to include training on adverse childhood experiences, trauma, secondary traumatic stress, and creating trauma-responsive learning environments and/or communities.
* Naperville Sun…
The Illinois House has approved a measure sponsored by state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, of Naperville, that would allow the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office to deny grant funding to public and school libraries if they ban books or fail to devise policies against removing titles from their stacks.
The 69-39 party-line vote in the Democratic-led House reflected the partisan divide on the book-banning issue both in the state and nationally. The bill is now being considered by the Senate. […]
Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin called the bill “a complete go-around and end-around on the local control and authority” of elected library boards.
“I think it’s (a) very blatant attempt to strong-arm our local communities and how they want to direct their libraries to operate and function,” said McLaughlin, of Barrington Hills. “I don’t understand why we have local elections anymore if a bill like this passes.”
Moments before the bill passed, Stava-Murray called the “local control” argument “disgusting,” saying it is “a dog whistle for allowing statewide or nationwide racist or bigoted policies to persist.”
* Sen. Ann Gillespie…
To further prevent discrimination while looking for a place to live, State Senator Ann Gillespie passed legislation out of the Senate on Thursday that prohibits the consideration of immigration status during a real estate transaction.
“Those looking to rent or purchase property in Illinois should not be treated differently because of their immigration status,” said Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights). “Putting these protections in place will promote fairness to ensure people are not unjustly denied housing.”
Senate Bill 1817 amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to provide that it is a civil rights violation to consider immigration status when renting or selling property, including a refusal to engage in a transaction, receive or transmit offers, or negotiate terms of a deal. It would also prohibit a third party loan modification service provider from refusing to engage in loan modification services or altering the terms of such services based on a person’s immigration status. Inquiry or use of immigration status would still be allowed when required by either state or federal law. […]
The measure will now move to the House for consideration.
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* Background is here if you need it. We briefly talked about this story before, but here’s the Daily Southtown…
A Will County judge dismissed an election fraud case Thursday filed by the losing candidate in the 2022 race for Will County clerk that claimed mathematic formulas showed the final vote count was fraudulent.
Republican Gretchen Fritz filed the lawsuit Dec. 28, claiming she believes “mistakes and fraud have been committed in the casting and counting of ballots” in the race because her opponent, Democratic Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry, received more votes than Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
* Let’s take a look at Judge Anderson’s ruling…
Specifically, the petition states that Ms. Fritz, “in good faith based upon reasonable inquiry,” “believes that mistakes and fraud have been committed in the casting and counting of ballots for the office Will County Clerk,” in such a way “that the outcome of the … election was predetermined.” Ms. Fritz bases her remarkable claims on the following: (1) the fact that Ms. Staley received 4,358 more votes in Will County than did Governor JB Pritzker; (2) the gubernatorial election entailed vastly more media coverage, spending, and superior ballot position than did the County Clerk’s race; and (3) mathematical “analyses” by Messrs. Edward Solomon and Walter Daugherity supposedly establishing that the election “does not reflect the [w]ill of the [p]eople, but the [d]emand of an [a]lgorithm,” and that the vote totals were “artificially contrived according to a predetermined plan or algorithm.”
Ms. Fritz seeks an extraordinary remedy to match her extraordinary claims. She requests (1) a finding that the election was the predetermined result of a fraudulent and manipulated voting process; (2) an order declaring the office of Will County Clerk vacant; (3) an order requiring a new election to be held; and (4) an order that votes be cast with paper ballots and physically hand counted. Equally extraordinary is the remedy Ms. Fritz does not seek: a recount and/or examination of the paper ballots that were actually cast and counted.
Emphasis added.
* I love this first graf…
We do not use algorithmic, logarithmic, or statistical analyses to determine official election results. Generally speaking, we use addition.
Consequently, the “analyses” allegedly performed by Messrs. Solomon and Daugherity offer “expertise” that is no more valuable than that which a person with basic arithmetic skills could provide. Even the materials attached to Ms. Fritz’ response brief acknowledge that election forensics “do[] not produce definitive proof of fraud, only statistical anomalies. Finding proof for or explanation of the anomalies could come from in-person electoral monitoring or other social science research ….” Here, Illinois law provides a variety of tools which can actually produce definitive proof of vote counting fraud, such as recounts and in-person election monitoring-yet Ms. Fritz does not request or rely on any of that.
* Conclusion…
Fritz’ lawsuit is, in sum and substance, an attack on the legitimacy and security of our elections- an attack no less disturbing than the one imagined in her petition. Abraham Lincoln once said, “elections belong to the people.” Setting aside the electorate’s voice in the County Clerk’s race based on how many votes someone else got in some other race, and based on mathematical probability analyses “would disenfranchise all voters who voted *** and who did nothing wrong in exercising their right to vote.” Accordingly, Ms. Staley’s motion to dismiss is granted; the Verified Election Contest Petition is dismissed on 2-615 grounds.
* Back to the Southtown…
[Staley Ferry’s attorney Burt Odelson], who has been an election law attorney for 50 years, said in court Thursday he had “never ever” seen a case like this one, which he said was not based on facts or presented specific allegations but seemingly came from a “cosmic ray from Mars.”
Odelson said Solomon presented mathematical theories on elections that have been debunked in other election cases.
A previous analysis by Solomon is part of a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems against One America News Network, after Solomon told the network the results in Fulton County, Georgia, for the 2020 presidential election “can only have been done by an algorithm.”
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* I talked with two reporters who are covering the ComEd 4 trial and they both said yesterday’s cross-examination of Fidel Marquez by Mike McClain’s attorney Patrick Cotter was truly intense. Here’s Jon Seidel and Tina Sfondeles…
Fidel Marquez made a decision four years ago that might have saved the longtime ComEd executive from dying in prison: He joined Chicago’s long list of government moles and began to secretly record his friends and colleagues for the FBI.
But Thursday, while being grilled on a federal witness stand, Marquez learned that decision can come with a price. With the eyes of his since-indicted former co-workers burning in Marquez’s direction, defense attorney Patrick Cotter pointed their way.
He demanded of Marquez, “You didn’t choose to sit over there, did you?”
“You decided to become their worker,” Cotter said, referring to the feds. “And make calls when they wanted to make calls, and go to meetings and tell lies they wanted you to tell.”
Go read the whole thing. Whew.
* Jason Meisner and Ray Long…
Cotter also had harsh criticism for the deal the 61-year-old Marquez struck with investigators, in which he agreed to wire up on his colleagues and eventually pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy. Marquez could have faced the rest of his life in prison, but prosecutors will instead recommend that he get no jail time, Marquez has testified.
“So the government offered something you wanted — not to die in prison — and you offered something they wanted, your testimony,” Cotter said. “That wasn’t a bribe, was it?”
“No,” Marquez answered.
Again, there’s lots more.
* Hannah Meisel…
Cotter noted that for the first year of Marquez’s cooperation with the government, he still insisted he had not done anything criminal, attempting to paint his eventual guilty plea in September 2020 as a purely opportunistic move to avoid prison time.
“You understood that if you persisted in saying you were innocent, you could be criminally charged and potentially face 30 years in prison,” Cotter said.
Marquez responded with the exact maximum prison sentence: “405 months,” which is “33 years and five months,” Marquez offered.
“You remember,” Cotter replied. “And you remember because it’s important to you.…that’s why you’re sitting where you’re sitting.”
Cotter reminded the jury that FBI agents did not record their initial two-hour conversation with Marquez.
“By the end of that two hours, you had decided, without consulting with anybody on the planet except possibly the two FBI agents, that you were going to cooperate with the government and…(wear) a recording device and (record) your friends and co-workers, right?” Cotter asked Marquez.
“Yes,” Marquez responded.
And again, click here for more.
* Steve Daniels…
Likewise, the existence of voluminous emails where McClain leans on Marquez and ComEd to hire or find work for people at Madigan’s request should suggest that McClain had no criminal intent, Cotter said.
“Did Mike McClain ever say, let’s not send emails about this? Come by my office and we’ll talk?” Cotter asked Marquez.
After all, Cotter told Marquez, “You know emails never go away. The government can always find emails if they want.”
“Clearly,” Marquez said dryly, drawing laughs in the courtroom.
* Matt Masterson…
He also played a recorded phone call Thursday from May 2018 between Marquez, Pramaggiore and McClain in which they discussed strategies for defeating a rate increase bill backed by Madigan’s daughter, then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
On the call, the trio discuss using “all of our assets” — including labor unions, vendors, customers and municipal leaders — and “pulling out all the stops” to kill the legislation. But they make no mention of involving Madigan himself.
“At any point in this conversation, does McClain say, ‘Well, I’ll just go to the speaker because he owes us and I’ll ask him to ask Lisa to change the bill or pull it?’” Cotter asked.
“No. … He never said words like that,” Marquez said.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Tribune | ‘ComEd Four’ defense tries to turn Madigan ‘fear and intimidation’ testimony on its head: His voice rising in the courtroom, Patrick Cotter, an attorney for Michael McClain, grilled former ComEd Vice President Fidel Marquez about the morning he was confronted in 2019 by two FBI agents at his mother’s house, then put into a car and driven to a nearby strip mall parking lot, where he decided to become a government mole.
* Sun-Times | Key federal witness in ComEd bribery trial pays price on stand as defense grills him over his decision — and his personal life: A short time later, another defense attorney quickly stuck in the knife, asking Marquez about $400,000 he’d apparently given to a girlfriend to hide it from his ex-wife in divorce proceedings. “You’ve lied in the past to benefit yourself,” defense attorney Jacqueline Jacobson said.
* WTTW | ‘ComEd Four’ Attorneys Grill Government’s Star Witness on Lobbying Tactics, Madigan’s Influence: Cotter presented jurors with strategy emails between McClain and others, including Marquez, over the years, which referenced detailed plans for supporting or killing legislation without any reference or input from Madigan. He also played a recorded phone call Thursday from May 2018 between Marquez, Pramaggiore and McClain in which they discussed strategies for defeating a rate increase bill backed by Madigan’s daughter, then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
* ABC Chicago | Defense attorneys try to dismantle star witness Fidel Marquez’s testimony: And while prosecutors have spent weeks portraying Michael McClain as a man who relentlessly pursued Madigan’s requests, his defense attorney painted a picture, through emails and phone calls, of McClain as someone who used his close relationship with Madigan, and his knowledge of legislative issues, to best serve ComEd’s interests in the General Assembly, but did so without ever guaranteeing the speaker’s support. “Does he ever say, ‘I’ll go to the Speaker because he owes us?’” Cotter asked. “He never said words like that, correct,” answered Marque
* Crain’s | ‘ComEd Four’ star witness accused of changing story to save his own skin: Marquez admitted he’d hoped to avoid prosecution at all when he agreed to cooperate and for more than a year protested his innocence. “You just thought it was a moral or ethical problem,” Cotter said. “Yes,” Marquez responded. Prosecutors told Marquez, though, that he would have to plead guilty to avoid the risk of going to jail. He did just that, pleading to a single count of conspiracy in late September of 2020. Prosecutors will recommend probation only if he testifies truthfully in this trial and most likely the trial of Madigan himself, which is set for April 2024.
* Capitol News Illinois | ‘You had a choice to make’: Defense paints cooperating witness in ComEd trial as opportunistic : Cotter showed the jury a series of emails involving McClain, Marquez, Hooker and others within ComEd, detailing what would become a multi-pronged plan to defeat the legislation. He then showed an internal spreadsheet showing ComEd’s budget for legislative strategy in 2017: $2,067,789. Asked if that figure was unusually high, Marquez said it was less in some years.
* Sun-Times | List of Madigan tapes and more heard in the ComEd bribery trial: Listen to recordings collected by the FBI played in the ComEd bribery trial. The list will be updated with new audio and transcripts as the trial develops.
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Open thread
Friday, Mar 31, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Happy Friday! What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
25 Comments
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Mar 31, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Pantagraph | Pritzker on Illinois State Police’s inability to collect gun data: Gov. J.B. Pritzker says changes are needed to allow the Illinois State Police to comply with requirements of the 2019 Gun Trafficking Information Act, which called for comprehensive data collection that the agency says it has been unable to provide.
* Shaw Local | Northern Illinois politicians react to Donald Trump indictment: McHenry County Board Chair Mike Buehler said he viewed the indictment as an effort to keep Trump from another successful bid for the White House in 2024. “Whether or not you like Trump, it seems painfully obvious that the Democrats are going to do anything they can to make sure he isn’t reelected,” Buehler said.
* Sun-TImes | Trump’s defenders, including Rep. Mary Miller from Illinois, attack Manhattan DA Bragg: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., sitting on millions of dollars of campaign cash, used Trump’s indictment to raise more money for his already abundant congressional campaign fund.
* WGN | What Chicagoland, Illinois politicians are saying about Trump’s indictment: Politicians and elected officials from Chicagoland and Illinois are responding after former President Donald Trump was indicted in New York.
* SJ-R | Senate passes gambling bills as industry expands: Senate Bill 1462 from state Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, would also deal with licenses and passed in a 44-12 vote mostly along party lines. Senate Minority Leader John Curran was among the six Republicans backing the legislation. The bill updates eligibility standards for those seeking an occupational license, specifically with regard to their criminal record. IGB would be required to consider length of time since conviction, number of convictions and the severity of the charges among other factors when reviewing an individual’s application through the legislation.
* Daily Southtown | Orland Park to ask voters whether village should abandon long-standing form of municipal government: Orland Park voters will be asked in a referendum April 4 whether they want to change the form of government the village has operated under for nearly four decades. The Village Board approved the binding referendum Monday, stating the village manager now “has final decisionmaking authority in key areas” and “acts as administrative and executive head of the village government for key purposes.”
* Illinois Times | Progress at Pillsbury site: Moving Pillsbury Forward, the local nonprofit spearheading efforts to clean up the site of the old Pillsbury flour mill in northeast Springfield, has raised about $4 million towards the estimated $10-12 million cost of demolition and hazardous waste removal. The facility opened in 1929, and at its peak, employed about 1,500 people. It shut down in 2001, 10 years after being acquired by Cargill.
* Tribune | Outcome Health co-founder did not teach underling fraud, defense attorney says during closing arguments: Attorneys entered a third day of closing arguments Thursday, with a lawyer representing former co-founder and president Shradha Agarwal getting her turn to make a final impression on jurors. Agarwal, along with former Outcome CEO Rishi Shah and former Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Brad Purdy, stand accused of leading a $1 billion fraud scheme.
* NPR Illinois | The growing problem of food access in rural areas: Rural America has been losing its grocery stores for decades. Fewer people are living in the countryside, and mom and pop markets aren’t able to compete with large chains. But there are efforts to find a solution.
* Tribune | Pritzker: Illinois will work to protect preventive health care for residents, following Texas ruling: When asked Thursday whether the state would have the power to require most insurers cover preventive services, Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the governor, said in an email, “We’re currently exploring all legislative options and will have more details once we have some time to dig into them and figure out which one is the best path forward.”
* STPD | Can southern Illinois prosecute its way out of the opioid epidemic?: Rachelle Crowe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, said “comprehensive strategies” are needed, such as utilizing stiffer federal prison sentences involving fentanyl overdoses that can top 20 years in prison.
* Naperville Sun | Naperville state rep pushes bill to deny state grant money to public and school libraries that ban books: The 69-39 party-line vote in the Democratic-led House reflected the partisan divide on the book-banning issue both in the state and nationally. The bill is now being considered by the Senate.
* WTVO | Illinois Secretary of State Police officer stripped of badge for conduct at high school baseball game: The Secretary of State’s office said that in a statement that “we are currently investigating this incident and take these charges very seriously, especially given that he is a law enforcement officer. As a result, we have collected his gun and badge and assigned him to desk duty while the investigation continues. Until the investigation is complete, we are unable to comment any further.”
* Tribune | Chicago White Sox give Pedro Grifol a victory in his managerial debut, rallying for a 3-2 win against the Houston Astros in the season opener: Vaughn came through with a two-run double, and the Sox held on for a thrilling 3-2 victory against the defending champions in front of 43,032 at Minute Maid Park. “Coming out that last at-bat, got down two strikes, and I was like, ‘Hey, I have to get it done here,’ ” Vaughn said. “It’s a good feeling. Anything I can do to help the team win.
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