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Question of the day
Monday, Mar 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I may have missed it, but I don’t think I’ve yet seen a thing from the usual good government groups about this remap process…
The Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus today launched an online map making portal to encourage public participation in the creation of new Chicago elected school board districts. The portal will allow the public to draw and submit proposed district boundaries as legislators seek to gather input on mapmaking from across the city’s diverse communities.
The portal can be accessed at www.ilsenateredistricting.com. All maps submitted through the portal will be reviewed as part of the public record. In addition, a newly-convened Special Committee on the Chicago Elected Representative School Board will conduct citywide hearings to gather information and ideas from a wide variety of stakeholders including parents, education advocates and community groups.
“Transitioning the Chicago Board of Education from an appointed to an elected body is about empowering families with the ability to decide what is best for their children, especially Black, Latinx and minority students who are too often left behind,” said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford, who is serving as Chair of the committee. “It’s vital that the leadership of our state’s largest school district reflect the diversity of our neighborhoods, and it’s important residents know they can have a say in this process right now.”
The General Assembly faces a July 1 deadline to draw Chicago school board districts, which must be consistent with the Illinois Voting Rights Act. That law ensures districts are crafted in a way that preserves clusters of minority voters if they are of size or cohesion to exert collective electoral power.
Currently appointed by the mayor, the Chicago Board of Education will transition to become fully-elected over the course of a two-year hybrid period.
During the November 2024 election, ten members of the Chicago Board of Education will be elected by voters, and ten members and the board president will be appointed by the mayor. Elected members will serve four-year terms, while appointed members, including the appointed board president, will serve two-year terms. The board will become fully-elected after the November 2026 general election, when the number of electoral districts will expand from 10 districts to 20 districts.
* The Question: Should the district maps for the new elected Chicago school board be drawn independently, without regard to politics? Explain.
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Afternoon roundup
Monday, Mar 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* CBS 2…
The Illinois Department of Transportation said the Kennedy will be under construction for three years. […]
Lane closures begin at 10 p.m. Monday. From the Edens junction to Ohio Street, the two left local inbound lanes will be closed until mid-July. Then, from July through December, the remaining right local inbound lanes will be closed, with a rolling closure of the on and off ramps on the inbound Kennedy. During the entire first phase of the project, the reversible express lanes will be locked inbound to alleviate excess traffic buildup during construction. Crews also will be installing new signs and LED lighting.
The first phase of the project is expected to be complete by the end of this year.
Next, workers will close the reversible express lanes for repaving next year, while also rehabbing 36 bridges along the Kennedy. Some local inbound and outbound lanes will be closed during this phase to allow crews to install new LED lighting in both directions.
Then, in the final phase of the project, IDOT will resurface the outbound lanes of the Kennedy in the same process as the inbound side, starting with the two left local outbound lanes, before repaving the remaining local outbound lanes, while the reversible express lanes will be locked in outbound during work on the local outbound lanes in 2025.
I’d expect to see more working from home by people who don’t want to sit in traffic all day. And that’s just gonna exacerbate the Loop’s financial troubles…
While the Illinois Department of Transportation has been telling drivers to seek alternate routes, there may not be many options for drivers.
“Look for alternate routes, take Metra, take CTA,” IDOT’s Bureau Chief of Construction Jon Schumacher told NBC 5. “We’ve also recommended that people look into maybe staggering their work times. So if they could start … a couple hours earlier, they might be able to avoid the worst of the rush hour traffic. And then similarly, with coming off the pandemic, a lot of people were able to work remotely. So if some people that are able to work remotely, if that’s something that they’re able to do, that’s also going to help us minimize some of the traffic impacts that we’re gonna see.”
Metra announced this week that it was revising its schedule on the UP Northwest Line beginning April 3 to add 12 trains to its weekday service lineup.
* AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined Illinois workers and members of Raise the Floor Alliance this morning at a press conference to unveil legislation that would protect workers from retaliatory conduct by employers, which includes protections for workers who inform governmental authorities about unlawful behavior by their employers.
“Workers who want to assert their basic workplace rights risk losing their income, livelihood, liberty, and – for some immigrant workers – their ability to remain in the United States with their families,” Raoul said. “To encourage people to stand up, we need to ensure that they will not be punished for doing so. I look forward to working with Raise the Floor Alliance and members of the General Assembly to pass these critical worker protections.”
Raoul’s office is collaborating with Raise the Floor Alliance on the Work Without Fear Act – contained in House Bill 361 – that would fill existing voids in labor enforcement that leave workers unprotected from often-devastating employer retaliation when they seek to enforce their rights or blow the whistle on unlawful employer practices.
Specifically, the legislation would:
• Prohibit employers from engaging in retaliatory conduct, including unfair immigration-related practices, against workers who exercise their rights.
• Amend the Whistleblower Protection Act to increase protections against retaliation for all workers, particularly low-wage and immigrant workers, who inform government authorities about employers’ unlawful practices that harm Illinois workers and their communities.
• Prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who exercise their rights by using E-Verify in ways not authorized by federal law, filing or threatening to file a false police report, or contacting or threatening to contact immigration authorities.
• Protect the ability of workers to report issues of discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace, without fear of immigration consequences or any other adverse employment actions.
• Grant the Attorney General effective tools to protect witnesses from retaliation.
* Even the Republican floor leader mocked Scott Drury back in the day…
* Not messing around…
* Press release…
Last night Krissie Harris, candidate for Evanston’s 2nd ward council seat, issued a statement explaining that she was returning two $6000 donations she had received from a relative and an employee of Pat Ryan. The Ryans are behind the proposed $1 billion Ryan stadium expansion project at Northwestern University, for which the school is requesting rezoning to a commercial district, while insisting that it need not pay commercial property taxes. Ms Harris’ opponent, Darlene Cannon has spoken out strongly about her concerns over this project.
Lesley Williams, President of the Community Alliance for Better Government responded that “We are pleased that Ms Harris has done the right thing by returning the $12,000 in donations she received from the Ryan family and staff. However the question remains: why would two Ryan affiliates feel so strongly about her candidacy that they would make such a large contribution to sway the election results? Why are they so desperate to keep Harris in and keep Darlene Cannon out?
* Happy spring!…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* News-Gazette | Behind-the-scenes state office helps judges decide bond amounts: “There’s been a law on the books that required pretrial services since the ’80s, but nothing was done with it because the Legislature never funded it,” said Champaign County Judge Brett Olmstead, whose primary assignment is to set bonds five days a week for people accused of crimes. […] The state Supreme Court realized that judges would need information quickly about defendants — as much and as accurate as possible — to make those decisions. Enter Cara LeFevour Smith, hired in fall 2021 to start the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services from scratch.
* Herald & Review | Comprehensive Illinois gun violence data ‘unattainable,’ state police say: But in the four years since the law was signed, the state’s top law enforcement agency is still in the dark, telling lawmakers in the February report that the “lack of a centralized and uniform data collection tool for use by all Illinois law enforcement agencies has made the collection and reporting of all mandated information unattainable.”
* Tribune | Political rift between Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton gets public airing at ‘ComEd Four’ trial: Madigan complained about a political ad critical of him and tied to Senate Democrats that Cullerton led in 2018, saying that the attacks should be aimed at President Donald Trump and other Republicans rather than the speaker, who doubled as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
* Crain’s | Nursing home workers ask for stricter staffing rules amid industrywide worker shortage: SEIU is advocating for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to enforce a stricter staffing rule recommended in its own research, which found that a minimum of 4.1 nursing hours per resident a day are needed to prevent harm to residents. But in some Illinois facilities, nursing homes report as low as 2.16 required hours of care per day, SEIU officials say. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation in January requiring minimum staffing levels of 3.8 hours per resident per day, and 2.5 hours per day for residents who need intermediate care, but the rules won’t go into effect until 2025.
* Tribune | Lake in the Hills bakery ‘likely forced to close’ due to financial struggles after threats, vandalism last summer over planned drag event: Lake in the Hills-based UpRising Bakery and Cafe announced “horrific attacks” on the establishment dating back to last summer, including threats and vandalism that led up to a planned drag show in July, have forced the bakery to close its doors as soon as the end of March.
* Daily Herald | Election workers wanted in Cook, DuPage, McHenry counties: “Our election (workers) are a precious resource and they deserve this pay raise,” County Clerk Karen Yarbrough said in a news release. “They are the lifeblood of our election operations and we could not get the job done without their service.”
* JG-TC | More female firefighter recruitment encouraged in Illinois: “It seems like we wait until we get into a war before we start recognizing the women on the other side that can very much contribute to the success of the fire service,” Swan said. “Without (women), we would be really struggling, and that’s happening all around Illinois and this country. Realizing that we need both sexes to be able to do our jobs out there, to protect lives and property.”
* ABC 20 | GOP, Dems draw battle lines over few swing districts: Battle lines are being drawn for the 2024 election, with congressional Republicans going on offense and releasing a list of targeted Democrats in competitive districts. The NRCC listed 37 seats, two of which will be open, that it’s eyeing as “prime pick-up opportunities for Republicans.”
* Crain’s | California firm buys Mag Mile retail property: A venture of Los Angeles-based Blatteis & Schnur last week bought the fully leased, 5,860-square-foot block of retail space at 909 N. Michigan Ave. on the ground floor of the Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago, according to a source familiar with the deal. Bethesda, Md.-based Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, which owns the hotel and sold the retail portion, announced today that it sold the retail property for $27.3 million but did not disclose the name of the buyer.
* AP | World on ‘thin ice’ as UN climate report gives stark warning: Stepping up his pleas for action on fossil fuels, Guterres called for rich countries to accelerate their target for achieving net zero emissions to as early as 2040, and developing nations to aim for 2050 — about a decade earlier than most current targets. He also called for them to stop using coal by 2030 and 2040, respectively, and ensure carbon-free electricity generation in the developed world by 2035, meaning no gas-fired power plants either.
* WCIA | Gov. Oglesby Mansion hosting its first open house of the year next weekend: The house, located on W. William Street, was built in 1876 in the Italianate style with a low-pitched roof and a widow’s walk. Officials said notable skyscraper architect William Jenney was commissioned by Oglesby to design the home in Decatur. The Macon County Conservation District purchased the home in 1972 and began restoration in 1976.
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It’s just a bill
Monday, Mar 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* CBS Chicago…
The Electric Vehicle Charging Act is meant to provide relief and calls for various mandates in Illinois as more and more EVs hit the roads.
“My experience hearing from constituents about this is what’s encouraging me,” said State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, who is sponsoring the bill. […]
Tenants would have the right to ask for an EV plug, then landlords have the right to make the requesting renter pay for installation.
Another requirement would apply to developers of new residential buildings or single-family homes, who would need to provide conduit, tubing that protects and routes wires, to establish framework for possible future EV parking spots. […]
The Illinois Senate could vote on the Electric Vehicle Charging Act as soon as this week.
* Press release…
State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Northbrook, is continuing to advocate for both companion and livestock animals statewide after advancing a bill aimed at ensuring consumers know, based on product labeling, whether pet food and commercial feed contain major food allergens.
“Farmers, ranchers and pet owners need and deserve to know what is in their animals’ food, especially when it comes to common food allergens,” Carroll said. “That’s why it’s important to have clear definitions of what counts as a food allergen, as well as unambiguous standards as to how allergen-containing food and feed are labeled.”
Carroll’s House Bill 1290 would provide that commercial feed or pet food is mislabeled when its label fails to disclose that it contains a “food allergen”. Milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans, sesame, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans—as well as any food ingredient containing proteins derived from any of those—are currently defined as food allergens. The bill was recently approved for consideration by the full House of Representatives by the House Consumer Protection Committee.
* HB3950 is on First Reading…
* The Edwardsville Intelligencer…
Introduced by House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, House Bill 3203 would allow pharmacists and retail stores to sell fentanyl test strips over the counter. County health departments could also distribute the test strips for free.
McCombie said the bill, which has Democrats and Republicans signed on as co-sponsors, is a necessary first step to address the fentanyl epidemic.
“It also amends the word for test strips to be removed from statute,” McCombie said. “Currently, it’s considered drug paraphernalia, so it takes that definition out of there.” […]
McCombie’s bill Thursday was placed on the calendar for a third reading. March 24 is the deadline to advance bills in the House out of third reading. […]
Davidsmeyer said House Bill 1121, sponsored by state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, unanimously passed on third reading this week and would allow any trained overdose responder to use a testing device. Davidsmeyer he favors McCombie’s bill because it is stronger, but he hopes the provisions of both will be enacted into law.
* WGN…
House Bill 1110, introduced by Illinois Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) on Jan. 12, would give Illinois residents the option to carry a digital driver’s license.
“Pull up their phone and have all their information right there,” Rep. Buckner said. “(I) embraced this idea that Illinois can come once again to the 21st century and our ability to use technological tools at our disposable to make things easier.” […]
Recently elected Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias also has expressed support for the idea of a mobile driver’s license and having it act as a companion to the physical one.
From the synopsis…
Provides that the display of a digitized driver’s license shall not serve as consent or authorization for a law enforcement officer, or any other person, to search, view, or access any other data or application on the mobile device
* Fox Chicago…
On Friday, healthcare professionals and state officials launched the “Healthy Illinois For All” bill. The expansion would include long-term services and support immigrant health benefits.
“Without the ability to stay healthy and seek regular preventive care, our community members cannot maintain stable jobs, cannot get their education in schools, cannot care for their families at home. That’s why this legislation is so critical,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, President and CEO of Sinai Chicago.
The bill would make Illinois the first state to pay for health care coverage to uninsured, low-income immigrant adults under the age of 55.
* Play Illinois…
Folks are waiting to find out if Illinois online casinos will become a reality in The Prairie State. Unfortunately, the bills that could make that happen have run into some roadblocks on their way to becoming law.
Illinois online casino bills HB2239 and SB1656 both hit snags on March 10 when they entered committees where they could die due to inaction. However, there is still hope for the Internet Gaming Act before the Illinois General Assembly adjourns on May 19.
HB2239 was re-routed from the House Gaming Committee to the House Rules Committee. That same day, SB1656 moved from the Senate Executive Committee to the Senate Assignments Committee.
Lawmakers appear to be treating the bills the same way right now. State Senator Cristina Castro introduced SB1655. She is also the chair of the Senate Executive Committee.
Meanwhile, The House Gaming Committee canceled its March 1 and 8 hearings on the measure before re-referring it to Rules Committee.
* Patrick Keck…
At a House Ethics and Elections Committee hearing this week, two bills were discussed that would bring ranked choice voting to the state. The format, where voters select a first, second, third, and so forth candidate, has gained traction recently in states such as Alaska. […]
The bills - House Bill 2807 from state Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, and House Bill 3749 from state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago - focus on presidential primaries, and municipal and township office races respectively. […]
Amber McReynolds, a senior political strategist with Issue One, said that based on RCV data from states such as Alaska, New York, and California that already use RCV, voter turnout has improved while helping to manage a large field of candidates.
Neither HB 2807 nor HB 3749 have effective dates nor have been moved out of committee, but McReynolds thinks if passed, the legislation could be quickly implemented.
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Meanwhile, in Opposite Land…
Monday, Mar 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Idaho…
Bonner General Health, the only hospital in Sandpoint, announced Friday that it will no longer provide obstetrical services to the city of more than 9,000 people, meaning patients will have to drive 46 miles for labor and delivery care. […]
The release also said highly respected, talented physicians are leaving the state, and recruiting replacements will be “extraordinarily difficult.” Idaho has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country, with affirmative defenses in court only for documented instances of rape, incest or to save the pregnant person’s life. Physicians are subject to felony charges and the revocation of their medical licenses for violating the statute, which the Idaho Supreme Court in January determined is constitutional. […]
Dr. Amelia Huntsberger, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Bonner General Health, said in an email to States Newsroom, a national nonprofit whose newsrooms include the Idaho Capital Sun in Boise, that she will soon leave the hospital and the state because of the abortion laws and the Legislature’s decision not to continue the state’s maternal mortality review committee.
* Bonner General Health press release…
Bonner General Health’s Board of Directors and Senior Leadership team has made the emotional and difficult decision to discontinue providing Obstetrical services at Bonner General Health for the following reasons:
* Loss of Pediatrician coverage - Without pediatrician coverage to manage neonatal resuscitations and perinatal care, it is unsafe and unethical to offer routine Labor and Delivery services; despite our best efforts over months of negotiations. Our inpatient pediatric services will no longer be consistent and reliable in May. BGH has reached out to other active and retired providers in the community requesting assistance with pediatric call coverage with no long-term sustainable solutions. Our low patient volume is insufficient to attract candidates for pediatric hospitalists, and we cannot afford to continue having locum tenens physicians.
* Volumes and changing demographics – The number of deliveries at BGH has continued to decrease yearly. We delivered 265 babies in 2022 and admitted less than ten pediatric patients for other reasons. There are many reasons, including a nationwide decrease in births, an older population moving to Bonner County, and Kootenai Health having a new, updated unit with Neonatologists and OBs in-house 24/7.
* Idaho’s legal and political climate - Highly respected, talented physicians are leaving. Recruiting replacements will be extraordinarily difficult. In addition, the Idaho Legislature continues to introduce and pass bills that criminalize physicians for medical care nationally recognized as the standard of care.
* Ohio…
A coalition of groups that oppose abortion have launched a $5 million dollar television and digital ad campaign to try to convince Ohioans that it is a bad idea. Backers of the amendment are getting ready to circulate petitions to put abortion rights on the ballot and if passed, in the state’s constitution. Ohio Right to Life, Citizens for Christian Virtue and other groups that oppose abortion rights have formed a group called Protect Women Ohio (PWO). That entity that will be airing ads over the next four weeks while a coalition of abortion rights groups will be circulating petitions, trying to get the more than 413,388 valid signatures needed by July 5 to put the issue on the Ohio ballot in November. […]
Molly Smith, board member for Protect Women Ohio, said the ads will focus on parents rights when it comes to the ballot measure. […]
Smith said the amendment would take away a parent’s right to have a say in whether their child can “change her sex” and eliminate any current or future protections for minors to get parent consent before getting an abortion.
The amendment does not mention gender affirming surgery at all, and doesn’t have any impact on Ohio’s existing abortion laws pertaining to minors.
* What it looks like to carry a life-threatening pregnancy in an abortion ban state. Tennessee…
The post-Dobbs antiabortion laws have reached far beyond mothers trying to end their pregnancies voluntarily. They are also inhibiting access to healthcare for women like me who want to have a viable pregnancy. The political advocates responsible for the new laws proclaim themselves to be protecting human life, yet their laws can have the opposite effect.
These bans were passed in a hurry, and the end result is poorly drafted laws that are difficult for lawyers and courts to interpret. Because the consequences of violating them are so draconian, many healthcare systems and physicians are understandably avoiding all procedures and medicines associated with voluntary termination of pregnancy, even if they are being used for another purpose. […]
The D&C procedure, which can be used to terminate a pregnancy voluntarily, can also be used to help women like me — women who want to have a viable pregnancy but cannot carry to term. D&Cs can help women who have an incomplete miscarriage or unexplained pregnancy loss. A delay in expelling pregnancy tissue can cause health complications such as infections, and some women cannot have a successful future pregnancy without first having a D&C.
I was never able to get a D&C. On the morning of my final ultrasound — following nearly two weeks of waiting — I started to miscarry on my own. My doctor immediately prescribed hormones in an attempt to slow the progression of the miscarriage, but it was not enough. When I went for the procedure the following day, I had insufficient pregnancy tissue remaining to collect. After a painful waiting period, my husband and I were left without answers regarding what went wrong in this pregnancy.
* Texas…
On a sunny August day, after I had just finished the invite list for the baby shower my sister was planning for me, everything changed. Some unexpected and curious symptoms arrived. I contacted my obstetrician to be safe, and was surprised when I was told to come in as soon as possible. After a brief examination, my husband and I received the harrowing news that I had dilated prematurely due to a condition known as cervical insufficiency. Soon after, my membranes ruptured prematurely, and we were told by multiple doctors that, because of the seriousness of this condition, called PPROM, the loss of our daughter was inevitable. […]
My health care team was anguished as they explained there was nothing they could do because of Texas’s anti-abortion laws, the latest of which had taken effect two days after my water broke. It meant that even though we would, with complete certainty, lose Willow, my doctor could not intervene as long as her heart was beating or until I was sick enough for the ethics board at the hospital to consider my life at risk and permit the standard health care I needed at that point — an abortion.
So even though I had lost all of my amniotic fluid — something an unborn child simply cannot survive without — we had to wait. I cannot adequately put into words the trauma and despair that comes with waiting to either lose your own life, your child’s, or both. For days, I was locked in this bizarre and avoidable hell. Would Willow’s heart stop, or would I deteriorate to the brink of death?
The answer arrived three long days later. In a matter of minutes, I went from being physically healthy to developing sepsis — a condition in which bacteria in the blood develops into infection, with the ability to kill in under an hour. I spent the next three days in the intensive care unit, surrounded by family who booked last-minute flights because they feared for my life. I spent another three days in a less critical unit of the hospital — all because I was denied access to reasonable health care due to Texas’s new abortion bans.
* Nebraska…
Nebraska’s state legislature has been unable to pass a single bill this year. One senator’s distaste with the advancement of a bill seeking to ban gender-affirming care for Nebraskans under 19, coupled with the state’s unique filibustering rules, has brought the session to a standstill.
While filibustering is not rare for Nebraska’s unicameral legislature, Democratic state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh is the first lawmaker to filibuster every bill introduced to the floor, said lawmakers and political scientists. Traditionally, senators have only stalled debate around the bills they oppose.
If the filibuster does not end, the clerk of the legislature predicted, as few as 30 bills out of the roughly 820 that were introduced would be debated this session. Senators opposing the bill seeking to restrict gender-affirming care say this is the first time their legislature has become a part of the national culture war around transgender rights. Lawmakers also say the bill and the filibuster are a sign that one of the least-polarized legislatures in the country is becoming partisan
She has defined her own priorities clearly. “I will burn this session to the ground over this bill,” she told the body last month. “I have nothing but time, and I am going to use all of it.”
Sen. Cavanaugh is related to Statehouse lobbyist John Amdor.
* Wyoming…
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) late Friday signed into law a ban on abortion pills, as the state adopted what appears to be the nation’s first such state law.
The new law says that it will be “unlawful to prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing an abortion.”
The law includes penalties of up to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $9,000. But it exempts people who take abortion pills from criminal liability. It also allows drugs to be used in case they are needed to treat “natural miscarriages.”
Abortion rights advocates expressed dismay. “A person’s health, not politics, should guide important medical decisions — including the decision to have an abortion,” said Antonio Serrano, an advocacy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming.
* Georgia…
Local Georgia officials refused to change a department’s health insurance plan to cover the gender-affirming surgery of a trans employee, citing cost as a reason.
But Georgia’s Houston County ended up paying a private law firm nearly $1.2 million to fight the employee in federal court, far more than the estimated $10,000 a year it would have cost to add transition-related care to the health plan, ProPublica reported.
And this month a federal judge ordered it to cover transition care for its employees.
“It was a slap in the face, really, to find out how much they had spent,” Anna Lange, the sheriff’s deputy who filed a federal discrimination lawsuit, said.
* Back to Idaho…
A bill that would allow Idaho to execute condemned inmates by firing squad is headed to the governor’s desk after passing the Legislature on Monday with a veto-proof majority.
Firing squads will be used only if the state cannot obtain the drugs needed for lethal injections — but one death row inmate has already had his scheduled execution postponed multiple times because of drug scarcity.
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* They never give up….
* Meanwhile, this exchange is about TV ads that three of Cullerton’s candidates were running which touted their support for leadership term limits and specifically mentioned Madigan’s name. Madigan was furious…
From one of my reports to subscribers at the time…
At least three SDem candidates are explicitly touting “term limits for leaders like Mike Madigan” in their pitches to voters. Ann Gillespie reported a $211,900 contribution from the Senate Democratic Victory Fund last week and has apparently put that cash behind her new ad where she mentions “term limits for leaders like Mike Madigan” as she talks to the camera. Gillespie is running against Sen. Tom Rooney (R-Rolling Meadows) in a race the Democrats believe they can win.
Laura Ellman reported a $282,880 contribution from the SDVF last week and her own TV ad, which, like the others, position her as a problem solver. “I just can’t ignore something that’s broken,” she says in the ad while carrying a toolbox around her house. “So, when I look at Springfield, I have to try to fix it,” she says. She says she opposes pay raises for legislators and touts the “no budget, no pay” line that has suddenly become very popular among Democratic candidates and then uses the exact same “term limits for leaders like Mike Madigan” language as Gillespie. Ellman is running against Sen. Mike Connelly (R-Lisle), another Tier One target.
Bridget Fitzgerald hasn’t yet reported a large contribution from SDVF, but she’s also up with a new cable ad that says her Democratic mother and Republican father taught their five children to “compromise and work together.” Fitzgerald, who is running against Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove), talks about no pay raises, “no budget, no pay” and a property tax freeze, then says she supporters “term limits for leaders like Mike Madigan.” Times have certainly changed.
In the end, organized labor put the arm on Cullerton. No more Madigan ads were produced.
* And…
Prosecutors had earlier presented evidence showing Madigan used other peoples’ mobile phones to make calls.
*** UPDATE *** Durbin and Duckworth forward Sergio Acosta and April Perry’s names to Biden for US Attorney…
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today recommended two individuals for the position of U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois to President Joe Biden for consideration. The two finalists are, in alphabetical order: Sergio Acosta and April Perry. […]
On January 19, the Senators announced that they would begin accepting applications from those interested in serving as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. The Senators were assisted by a screening committee whose task was to review and vet candidates and advise the Senators regarding the candidates’ qualifications and fitness for the position. The panel was chaired by the Honorable David H. Coar (Ret.), and included Alejandro Caffarelli, Michael Chu, Kevin Conway, Herschella Conyers, Edward Feldman, Betty Y. Jang, Monica L. Llorente, Laurie Mikva, Carlina Tapia-Ruano, Zaldwaynaka (“Z”) Scott, and Diana White.
In sending two candidates to the White House for consideration, the next phase of the process will begin. The White House will now review the Senators’ recommendations. Until a nominee is confirmed by the Senate, Morris Pasqual will continue to serve as Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. […]
The individuals’ biographies are below:
Sergio Acosta is currently a partner at Akerman, LLP in Chicago, where he has practiced since 2018. Acosta previously served for a total of 18 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois, including serving as Chief of the General Crimes Section and as the Criminal Civil Rights Coordinator from 2003-2010. He has also served as an Assistant State Attorney in the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office, as the Administrator of the Illinois Gaming Board, and as a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP in Chicago. He received his B.A. from DePaul University and his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.
April Perry is currently Senior Counsel for Global Investigations and Fraud and Abuse Prevention at GE Healthcare, based in Chicago. She previously served for 12 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois, including serving as the Project Safe Childhood and Violence Against Women Act Coordinator from 2010-2016 and as the Civil Rights and Hate Crimes Coordinator from 2014-2016. She also currently serves as a Hearing Officer for the Chicago Police Board, and she has previously served as the Chief Deputy State’s Attorney and Chief Ethics Officer for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and as the General Counsel for Ubiety Technologies Inc. She received her B.S. and her J.D. from Northwestern University, and she clerked for Judge Joel Flaum on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.
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That toddlin’ town roundup
Monday, Mar 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Chalkbeat…
Chicago’s two mayoral candidates have starkly different visions for reckoning with the city’s steep enrollment losses and under-enrolled schools.
Paul Vallas has said these shrinking campuses could become or share space with specialized magnets, charter schools, or alternative high schools — the kinds of overhauls he oversaw during his tenure as Chicago Public Schools CEO from 1995 to 2001. The city should continue to give families more quality choices, he argues.
Brandon Johnson, on the other hand, says Chicago’s system of choice — in which families can pick from a myriad of district-run, charter, and private programs anywhere in the city — has created a “Hunger Games scenario” in which neighborhood schools lose out to better-funded competitors. The solution, the Chicago Teachers Union organizer says, is a major influx of resources for schools that already exist.
That’s just a taste. Click here for more.
* Wall Street Journal editorial board…
In two recent polls by IZQ Strategies, respondents were asked their view of the CTU, the longtime power in city politics. In January 57% of likely voters said they had a favorable view of the union. By February that number had sunk to less than half, while unfavorables rose.
That is true. The fave/unfave split in January was 57-40. The most recent poll had it at 48-46.
But Paul Vallas’ fave/unfave rating also took a hit with that same pollster. Vallas’ rating went from 46-31 in January to 47-47 in March. Brandon Johnson’s was 35-20 in January and 51-40 in March. Both saw increases in their unfavorable rating, but Johnson also saw a big spike in his favorability as more people came to know him.
But we can expect lots more intense hits on Johnson in the coming weeks.
* Here’s Greg Hinz…
Mayoral hopeful Paul Vallas on Saturday pulled in his biggest cash haul yet, reporting just over $1 million in contributions in one day, many from big hitters in the real estate, trading and other industries. […]
Vallas appears to have pulled ahead of rival Brandon Johnson in the fundraising derby, despite major contributions to Johnson from teachers unions and units of SEIU.
Not mentioned in the piece is that, on Friday, INCS Action Independent Committee (charter schools) reported spending $258,000 on cable TV ads against Brandon Johnson. Two days earlier, INCS Action spent $359,000 on digital media against Johnson. More to come, I’m told. The group reported an $800,000 contribution from Wheels, Inc. executive chairman James Frank last week.
Johnson has reported $723,879.56 in contributions since a week ago Sunday. Vallas has reported $1,668,050 in the same time period.
…Adding… Greg Goldner’s Priorities Chicago PAC just reported spending $320,000 on TV ads against Johnson.
* Meanwhile, here’s a press release…
Chicago business leaders are endorsing Paul Vallas for Mayor and sounding the alarm on his opponent Brandon Johnson’s plan to raise taxes by $800 million, with much of it hitting the middle class and small businesses. The Chicago Tribune has called Johnson’s tax increase plan “radical,” and now leaders from the Chicagoland Apartment Association, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association are endorsing Vallas and speaking out about the disastrous impact Johnson’s plans would have on the city’s economy.
The organizations are releasing the following joint statement:
“It is imperative that business and government leaders work in tandem with a balanced approach to solving complex issues related to our city’s economy, and Brandon Johnson’s extreme tax increase plan would devastate Chicago and cost countless jobs. Johnson’s plan, which the Chicago Tribune called “radical,” would increase taxes by $800 Million and hit the middle class and small businesses. He would increase taxes on hotels and motels that are still struggling to get through the pandemic, reinstate the employee head tax which charges businesses for each job they create within the city, increase taxes on real estate transactions which would stifle affordable housing development and much more. Meanwhile, Johnson’s plan to defund the police would make the city less safe and further damage our economy. Paul Vallas is the only candidate in this race with a real plan for economic development that will uplift communities throughout the city, and that is why we are proud to endorse him today.”
* Two more alds for Johnson…
* Crain’s…
And both candidates made appearances Sunday afternoon at a meeting of United Power, a church-based nonprofit, at the Harmony Community Church in Lawndale.
Unsurprisingly, at least five of Sunday’s stops were in Black majority wards Mayor Lori Lightfoot won in the first round of voting — Vallas in the 18th, Johnson in the 3rd, 28th and 37th and both at the United Power event in the 24th ward. This fight to win over Black voters will remain one of the key battlegrounds through April 4 — and whoever gets Lightfoot’s backing would almost certainly get an edge.
If, that is, she endorses at all.
Lightfoot remains an endorsement holdout and it’s getting late in the campaign. But you can bet either Vallas or Johnson would be thrilled to receive the outgoing mayor’s support and efforts even if campaigning for her replacement is a little awkward.
Your thoughts on that?
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Sun-Times | Chicago’s mayoral candidates have radically different approaches to fixing public schools. Here’s why.: Vallas built a long career on pledges he could give children a better education by reforming low-performing schools in dramatic and controversial ways. Johnson has spent his time organizing around better support for students and targeting the conditions around them in neighborhoods, decrying drastic reforms as disruptive to relationships kids need to succeed.
* CBS Chicago | Vallas, Johnson keep busy on campaign trail ahead of early voting in mayoral race: South and West side community leaders met with both candidates for mayor on Sunday about their plans to rebuild neighborhoods. United Power for Action and Justice hosted a forum Sunday afternoon, asking Johnson and Vallas to commit to affordable housing and reclaim vacant lots.
* Sun-Times | Chicago’s longtime chief labor negotiator sizes up Paul Vallas, Brandon Johnson: Jim Franczek, the city’s chief labor negotiator, doesn’t see it that way — and he’s in a unique position to know. Franczek called Vallas the “clear choice” and Johnson and his ties to the CTU a grave concern.
* Block Club | Paul Vallas Endorsed By Slate Of Northwest Side Alderpeople: Alds. Samantha Nugent (39th), Nick Sposato (38th) and Ald. Felix Cardona (31st) have endorsed Vallas since he made the April 4 runoff. Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) has not made a public endorsement but told attendees at a February 45th Ward candidate forum that people “should strongly consider Vallas.”
* WTTW | Chances Lightfoot Will Convince Lame Duck City Council to Pass ComEd Deal Fade: Instead, alderpeople balked at the mayor’s demand and sent the proposal to the Rules Committee, where controversial legislative proposals frequently go to die. Lightfoot’s allies, led by Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward), the chair of the powerful Finance Committee, tried to schedule a hearing on the proposal, only to have that effort deluged by a wave of criticism. That last-ditch hearing never took place.
* CBS Chicago | Pilsen and Little Village activists want mayoral candidates to make environmental issues a priority: The Southwest Environmental Alliance, which gathered at Lincoln United Methodist church on Sunday, called on mayoral candidates Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson to take more action against developers like Sims Metal Management, MAT Asphalt, and Hilco for what they call violence against the environment.
* Block Club | Ald. Timmy Knudsen Nabs Endorsements From 5 Retired Alderpeople, Former Rival In 43rd Ward Runoff: Former Ald. Michele Smith and former candidate Wendi Taylor Nations previously blasted Knudsen but are now backing him over Brian Comer. Comer accused Knudsen of sending a “misleading” poll about him.
* Crain’s | New questions for Uptown aldermanic candidate over IRS lien: Angela Clay, the 46th Ward aldermanic hopeful who failed to disclose she operated a company that received nearly $42,000 in federal COVID-relief funds, also has something else in her financial record she hasn’t talked about: an outstanding $18,450 IRS lien against her.
* Sun-Times | Villegas fights to hold onto ward called both ‘snake’ and ‘noodle’ against challenge from CTU-backed Torres Whitt: The newly redrawn ward stretches from Sayre Avenue in the Northwest Side’s Montclare neighborhood across parts of the West Side to Wood Street in West Town. Along the way, the ward that was described as a “pool noodle” picks up parts of Ukrainian Village, Humboldt Park, Dunning and Belmont Cragin.
* Tribune | The 11th Ward’s complex history is ever-present in latest campaign for alderman: Mayor Lori Lightfoot a year ago appointed Ald. Nicole Lee, a Chinese American with deep roots in the Asian community, to replace Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson after he was convicted on federal tax-related charges. The political shift was reaffirmed when the council OK’d new ward maps that brought both Chinatown and Bridgeport fully into the 11th to make it the first ward in city history with a majority Asian population.
* Block Club | Ald. Nicole Lee Faces Police Officer Anthony Ciaravino For 11th Ward Seat — And Both Support Vallas For Mayor: The 11th Ward — which includes Chinatown, Bridgeport, Armour Square and Canaryville — has long been influential in city politics; five mayors have come from the community, including Richard M. Daley and his father, Richard J. Daley. Lee’s family has connections with the powerful Daleys, who backed her in the February election, while this is Ciaravino’s first bid for public office.
* Sun-Times | Chicago’s next mayor has water problems to fix: Chicago has at least 387,000 lead service lines, the most of any city in the country. But to date, only 280 lines have been replaced. There is no argument anymore about whether they need to be replaced — we know there is no safe level of lead in drinking water. Replacement comes down to prioritization and leadership. State law gives the city a 50-year timeline to finish the job, which is a nonstarter.
* WTTW | The Little-Known Social Worker and Writer Who Embodied Chicago’s Role as a “Cauldron” for Social Movements: Mary Field Parton was a “progressive crusader” and avant-garde writer who embodied the progressive politics and social values of the early 20th century in Chicago. She’s the subject of a book called Mary Field Parton and the Pursuit of a Progressive Society by historian Mark McGarvie, who also recently taught a class on her at the Newberry Library, where he is a scholar-in-residence.
* Bloomberg | Chicago, Atlanta, NYC: Biden Faces Early Test on Convention Site: “It’s a close political call,” said David Axelrod who worked as a top strategist for former President Barack Obama. “They are not just looking for a great convention town. They are looking for a town that is also going to offer them the most political benefit.”
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* We’ve talked about this before. From Capitol News Illinois…
Religious and environmental ideals are at odds for some in the ongoing debate around what to do with human remains.
A proposal at the Illinois Statehouse would legalize and regulate “natural organic reduction,” a process in which human remains are rapidly decomposed into compost. The process is also known as human composting or terramation. […]
Notable among the bill’s opponents is the Catholic Church. Daniel Welter, the recently retired chancellor of the Archdiocese of Chicago, spoke to lawmakers at the request of the Catholic Conference of Illinois on Tuesday.
“Turning the mortal remains of a human person into compost for the purpose of fertilization, as one would with vegetable trimmings or eggshells, degrades the human person and dishonors the life that was lived by that person,” he said during the committee hearing.
Welter added that he and the church “oppose any tendency to minimize the dignity of a human being, even after death.”
“Even after death.”
* There’s a man trying to get Decatur’s Calvary Catholic Cemetery cleaned up. He and one other person took these pics within the past few days. Maybe this post will help the cause, considering the current debate…
Not great.
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A look ahead
Monday, Mar 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* There’s a lot more to this story, but here are a few highlights of Marni Pyke’s piece on what happens when the public health emergency declaration ends in May…
But pulling the plug on federal and state public health emergencies, which enabled actions such as setting up mass vaccination sites, is not without repercussions. They include thousands losing Medicaid, no more at-home COVID-19 test reimbursements for many, and general confusion. […]
Federal data indicates up to 700,000 statewide could fall off Medicaid, but the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services estimates it’s closer to 384,000.
“The truth is, nobody knows for sure,” department spokeswoman Jamie Munks said. “What we do know is that we are committed to ensuring everyone who is eligible maintains their coverage, and that those who are deemed ineligible are given information about finding alternative coverage.” […]
But one major shift with over-the-counter tests is that private insurance companies will no longer have to offer reimbursements, although some may opt to continue. […]
The public health emergencies broadened the use of virtual doctor visits during the pandemic, and experts said telehealth won’t go away when they end.
The Medicaid issue is probably the most dramatic.
* From the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans…
Beginning at the end of April, Medicaid enrollees in Illinois will start to receive information to renew their healthcare benefits as part of the nationwide redetermination process. However, a new study shows that there is significant opportunity for Medicaid enrollee education on the redetermination process.
This is in part due to the fact that Medicaid enrollees have not been asked to update their information, or renew their coverage, for three years. The process, that would usually occur at least once a year for Medicaid enrollees, was put on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that Congress has set an end to the public health emergency, that renewal process, or redeterminations, is resuming.
Although nationwide, Congress has declared that April 1st will mark the start of redeterminations, state officials in Illinois will begin sending correspondence out to Medicaid members at the end of April. This entire process will take twelve months to complete, with enrollees being redetermined iteratively - not everyone will be renewing their benefits at the same time.
“This is really important to note as there are so many misconceptions and misinformation circulating about the redeterminations process here in Illinois,” said Samantha Olds Frey, CEO of the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans, a trade association that represents the Medicaid Managed Care Organizations that provide Medicaid coverage in Illinois. […]
What Illinois Medicaid enrollees should know is that beginning at the end of April, they could expect to receive correspondence from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) regarding submitting information to determine their eligibility. They must submit the requested information by the given due date they are provided with. If they miss the deadline, they risk losing their health coverage.
If they are no longer eligible for coverage, they have options to sign up for a marketplace plan. Their current Medicaid Managed Care Health Plan can assist them with this process. […]
The likelihood of losing healthcare coverage is even higher with those who have chronic health conditions or who have an increased risk related to social influencers of health because they are more focused on health issues than returning redetermination paperwork. Considering the disproportionate impact of chronic health conditions on Black and Brown communities, there is a huge concern about loss of coverage for those who are still eligible for Medicaid within those communities.
…Adding… Rep. Bob Morgan says he’s been working to broker a deal on temporary healthcare workers losing their licenses. He’ll be moving this bill this week, he said.
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Today’s quotable
Monday, Mar 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the must-read Tribune story on how county sheriffs here have dramatically shifted positions on constitutional matters over the past ten years…
Among those who issued the letter stating the Illinois law violated the Second Amendment was DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, who faced intense criticism from county Democrats, including County Board Chair Deb Conroy, over the refusal to enforce the law. […]
Mendrick in late January issued a joint statement with [DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy] and State’s Attorney Bob Berlin, a Republican, that acknowledged door-to-door checks were not part of the law and that the sheriff “was committed to enforcing all state and local laws.”
But Mendrick later denied backing down. Speaking at a Wayne Township Republican Organization meeting at a Carol Stream restaurant on Feb. 9, he said language specifically dealing with his enforcement of the law was removed from the statement at his insistence before he agreed to sign it.
“The gun law verbiage was taken out to satisfy me that I wasn’t going to pledge to this gun law,” he said, later lashing out at the law as “garbage” and an example of Democratic ideology and “a furtherance of their socialist agenda.”
“This is a pattern, people. This is a pattern of taking away your freedom. It’s a pattern toward socialism. It’s a pattern of taking away everything that you know. Look at the economy. Look at what’s going on in your schools. Look what’s going on in law enforcement. I mean, is there a realm I am missing that they didn’t touch? Your entire way of life is changing,” Mendrick said to an audience of about 35 people.
“I don’t care if the Democrats hate me and the media hates me. Do you really think I’m gonna get their votes anyway? I mean, really. And this is the Republican problem. A lot will be, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. Let me join with …’” he told the GOP group. “No. Absolutely not. Hold firm. Do your job. Be a Republican. And don’t waver to these people just because they’re crying and screaming at you.”
Go read the whole thing.
* From DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy…
It is very sad that some of those we elect to protect us have chosen inflationary political rhetoric over the safety of our communities. The Supreme Court will decide on the constitutionality of the law, not far right Sheriffs.
We agreed to say nothing more in the press about this issue and focus on the work of the county. It appears the Sheriff is more interested in politics and being on Fox News than doing his job.
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Some possible holes in the defense
Monday, Mar 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
ComEd has long been a source of political patronage. The company’s deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors even references how former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s “old-fashioned patronage system” obtained ComEd meter reader jobs for its precinct workers.
Madigan’s wasn’t the only patronage network to do this. It was a widespread practice and, as old-timers tell it, became even more important when Mayor Harold Washington, Chicago’s first Black mayor, cut some prominent white politicians out of the city’s patronage spoils.
Madigan came up through a city ward system that was fed by patronage. But his people would always say that because he started his career as an employee of the Illinois Commerce Commission, he didn’t much care for utility companies. So, when ComEd did things like fire a bunch of his Statehouse lobbyist allies during a 2007 battle with Senate President Emil Jones and Gov. Rod Blagojevich, he liked them even less.
After Blagojevich and Jones departed the scene, Madigan was left as the unrivaled Statehouse king. ComEd bent over backward to get into his good graces, and Madigan seemed, at least from a distance, to enjoy the groveling. It helped that Madigan’s own members complained at the time that the company’s services had deteriorated and that ComEd wasn’t respecting them when they complained. Madigan couldn’t have squeezed the company if his members loved ComEd.
The company eventually got much of what it wanted, but it always had to jump through Madigan’s many hoops, even more so than other interests did. Eventually, those hoops included things like funding no-show contracts for Madigan cronies through various folks in Madigan’s circle.
ComEd wasn’t alone, of course. Madigan’s crew put the arm on plenty of special interests. He would often bring hand-written lists of people he wanted taken care of to his meetings with governors. He was running a small army, and his soldiers required sustenance.
ComEd stood out partly because it often needed things, and because of its patronage history and because it had so many jobs and so much money for contracts. It was the old Willie Sutton story. When the notorious criminal was asked why he robbed banks, he reportedly said, “Because that’s where the money is.”
And Madigan’s top lieutenant Mike McClain made sure ComEd’s key executives never forgot that Madigan could turn on them at any moment and the company would go right back into the penalty box. They complied mainly because they didn’t want any trouble, and when that compliance led to legislative successes, that, in turn, helped their own careers.
It was likely no accident that, after working closely with Madigan and McClain, ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore was being paid $2.7 million a year, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. Pramaggiore is now on trial in the “ComEd 4” bribery case, along with McClain and lobbyists Jay Doherty and John Hooker, a former ComEd official.
The federal government claims that their behavior crossed numerous legal boundaries. The defendants claim, in part, that this was simply the way things were always done.
But times changed, and Madigan’s demands became ever-more voracious while the feds were listening in. It was almost like making a U-turn in front of a police squad car. They’re gonna get you for that.
If McClain had any doubt that the feds were looking at both him and Madigan, it should’ve been confirmed when he decided to cooperate with their investigation into a fraudulent scheme involving a federal immigration program that granted visas to millionaire foreign investors. The feds asked him at the time, for instance, why he used code words when speaking or writing emails about Madigan.
“McClain admitted that he ‘referred to Madigan as our friend in e-mails and in public conversations because people might be listening to or reading McClain’s conversations,’” the government claimed in a court filing last month.
The defendants also claim that the federal government essentially shoe-horned whatever they found into a vast criminal conspiracy case. They saw what they wanted to see, McClain’s defense attorney Patrick Cotter told jurors.
But the prosecution claims that Madigan could kill any bill he wanted to kill. So, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker told jurors last week, according to the Chicago Tribune, “The defendants bribed him, and they did so by paying Madigan’s associates through jobs and contracts at ComEd.”
And he did indeed get a whole lot of those.
* Keep in mind that Anne Pramaggiore’s defense attorney used the same approach with his opening remarks…
Scott Lassar, Pramaggiore’s defense attorney, told the jury that his client was well aware that Madigan was only concerned with his political well-being.
“Anne knew, and others knew at ComEd, that Mike Madigan was only concerned with one thing, and that was staying in power, staying the Speaker of the House, staying has head of the Democratic Party,” Lassar said. “Anne knew that Mike Madigan was not a friend of ComEd, never was and never would be. And she was right.”
But that may have played right into the hands of Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker, who essentially said that Madigan’s reluctance to help ComEd was the reason for the alleged bribery.
* Meanwhile, this is from the Tribune’s weekend story…
At that meeting, which was video recorded, Marquez tells McClain he’s worried that new ComEd CEO Joseph Dominguez, a former federal prosecutor, might raise alarms when he sees how much money is being paid on a monthly basis.
“I forget the amount, Mike, but it’s a monthly amount,” Marquez said, according to a transcript in court records. “Equal to a yearly amount, and it’s a pretty hefty amount.”
McClain responded it was “168 grand” just for Madigan’s associates, plus “probably 10 grand a month at least” for Doherty himself.
Later in the conversation, McClain said, “If that hour (Dominguez) got his ex-prosecutor hat on, he’s gonna say we can’t do this,” according to the transcript. “It’s very possible that that’s what his reaction is going to be, and then I think you have to have, at least I’d ask you to recommend that, ‘Before you do anything, can McClain and you have a sit-down?’”
Does that look to you like McClain knew or at least suspected that what they were doing was or could be construed as being illegal?
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Open thread
Monday, Mar 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* I hope you all had a relaxing weekend! What’s going on in your part of Illinois?
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Mar 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go!
* Injustice Watch | Teens at Cook County juvenile jail face excessive force, extreme isolation, and other civil rights abuses, watchdog finds: A yearlong review of practices inside the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center found that staff often use dangerous and illegal forms of restraint and isolation, fail to keep adequate records, and are sometimes “entirely inhumane” to the teenagers they oversee.
* Tribune | Illinois sheriffs’ opposition to enforcing weapons ban signals rightward movement about constitutional authority: The 10-year shift from county sheriffs respecting the courts’ role of determining a law’s constitutionality to now declaring themselves the arbiter of a law’s constitutional compliance represents an increasingly rightward tilt among law enforcement nationally toward what is known as the “constitutional sheriff” movement.
* Tribune | New customer-friendly legal recreational cannabis in Missouri cuts into Illinois’ market: Some cannabis customers say they prefer buying in Missouri, which unlike Illinois, offers home delivery, drive-through windows, and deli style service, in which customers can see and smell the product before they buy it.
* Crain’s Editorial | ‘ComEd Four’ trial shines a spotlight on the Madigan machine: Anyone who has paid even passing attention to Illinois politics for the past several decades has been aware that Madigan ruled the Statehouse. But this trial is prying open the doors to the fabled smoke-filled rooms that those outside the system have long imagined, and there’s something about hearing the details — at times from Madigan’s own lips, via freshly revealed conversations — that drives the point home like never before. Not much went on in the Capitol that didn’t have Madigan’s say-so. Lobbying, it seems, wasn’t so much the rather academic matter of persuading lawmakers of the merits of a particular policy but instead an exercise in trading favors — often with the perceived and sometimes bluntly stated wishes of the speaker in mind.
* Tribune | ‘I wouldn’t do anything to damage my speaker’: Recordings in ComEd Four case show Madigan playing political hardball as trial pivots to week two: Not only was the FBI listening in on that call, within weeks, two agents would knock on the door of a top Commonwealth Edison executive and convince him to cooperate in a burgeoning bribery investigation implicating the speaker.
* Chicago Reader | Asafonie Obed, the diversity advocate: By her own admission, Asafonie Obed might be the last person you’d expect to lead a charge against a MAGA insurgency in DuPage County’s public schools. She’s not even from DuPage County—only moved there about a decade ago, when she was still in college. Yet for about a year she’s been at the forefront of a showdown with MAGA school activist Shannon Adcock, a leader of Awake Illinois and Moms for Liberty—two organizations which, as far as I can tell, fervently believe in liberty for themselves and no one else. Especially members of the LGBTQ+ community.
* Sun-Times | Kennedy Expressway construction begins Monday, expect major delays: Stretches of the inbound Kennedy will be blocked between the Edens Expressway and Ohio Street as part of a three-year construction project that’s sure to cause misery.
* WCCU | Illinois State Senators and the IEA tackle issues within the states education system: The Illinois Education Association (IEA) released its fifth state of education 2022-2023 report. The results show deep concerns around teacher and education employee shortages, retaining and attracting educators, as well as support and respect in the education system.
* Crain’s | Vallas hauls in $1 million in one day as mayoral vote nears: A total of $75,000 came from apartment mogul Harry Langer and an executive at his firm, with $50,000 from Amanda Leopardo of the Barrington electrical contracting company. Trader Ilan Shalit gave $50,000 according to the new disclosure filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections, with $10,000 from former Chicago zoning commissioner and building commissioner Graham Grady. Auto trader Robert Loquercio gave $25,000.
* Sun-Times | Led by Willie Wilson, Black clergy are backing Paul Vallas: ‘We should not look at color’: Willie Wilson’s endorsement of Paul Vallas for mayor — and the endorsement of the pastors who stood with him Sunday — could persuade Black voters to cross racial lines.
* Daily Herald | How health care has changed forever after 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic: “We knew this was a marathon,” said Dr. Tom Oryszczak, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Northwest Community Healthcare in Arlington Heights. “It was very disheartening to see the level of illness and scale of suffering and destruction to people and their families, but you learn along the way how to provide better care, and we learned collectively as a group of medical professionals across the country and around the world.”
* WPSD | Candidates for Carbondale, Illinois city council address gun violence in the community: Gun violence continues to be at the forefront of focus in Carbondale, Illinois and addressing the issue is vital for the community. It’s one that seven candidates for the city council take seriously.
* Sun-Times | Chicago businesses adapt to outlast ‘agonizingly slow’ COVID recovery 3 years after shutdown: The businesses are in a “long COVID” fight of their own. Some have changed their hours and competitive approaches. But few who run them are certain about the rhythms of urban life they depended on. The pandemic, while receding as a health threat, has had a lasting effect on where people want to work and, therefore, spend.
* Crain’s | Developers share the spoils on big projects — as far as the law allows: Electrical contractor Cristina Beran is benefiting from the billions of dollars pouring into Chicago megaprojects. With jobs at the O’Hare 21 project and Lincoln Yards, her company has grown to about $10 million in revenue and is employing a team of more than 60.
* SJ-R | Nicole Hill makes history as chief doorkeeper for Illinois House: “Safety is my vision and everything we do is about preparedness so we just want to be prepared for every event,” Hill said. “I had never envisioned being in leadership in the House chamber but I’m excited to work with the leaders of Illinois.”
* Crain’s | She was the queen of Chicago’s arts community. But her collection now means trouble for the Art Institute.: Twenty-four objects from the Alsdorf collection at the Art Institute have incomplete provenance by modern standards, according to a national online registry of museum pieces. No other single collection at the museum that’s listed on the registry has as many gaps. Beyond that, ProPublica and Crain’s Chicago Business have identified at least four Alsdorf pieces at the Art Institute for which there’s evidence that they may have been looted from Nepal and exported illegally.
* Chicago Mag | Want Great Lakes Water? Move Here.: I thought of Sam last week when I read a USA Today article about water shortages in the western states. Apparently, the Colorado River, which flows through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California, “is drying up from drought and overuse.” Perhaps, NASA hydrologist Jay Famiglietti suggested, the West could slake its thirst by draining the Great Lakes, which contain 6 quadrillion gallons of water — 20 percent of the surface freshwater on Earth.
* NYT | Kenji López-Alt Spent 5 Months Studying Chicago Thin-Crust Pizza. Here’s What He Learned.: With its roots in the 1940s at working-class taverns like Vito & Nick’s on the South Side of Chicago, the cheap-to-produce, thirst-inducing style was invented to encourage customers to linger long enough to order another beer.
* LA Times | At this California prison, ‘we are no longer prisoners. We are professionals’: For more than a year and a half, these 20 men had been working for this: their graduation from training as alcohol and drug counselors. It was an accomplishment that could help them secure jobs both inside and outside the California prisons. It had also become a brotherhood they dubbed the Storming Cohort: Scarred Team of Recovering Men Inspiring New Generations.
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Live coverage
Monday, Mar 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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Afternoon roundup
Friday, Mar 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s…
While former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore stands trial for her alleged role in the utility’s admitted bribery scheme, ComEd parent Exelon finally is getting around to imposing some financial consequence on her boss at the time, Chris Crane.
Crane, who retired as Exelon CEO at the end of last year due to health reasons, had his payout of performance shares reduced by more than $4.2 million for 2022 due to the $200 million fine ComEd paid in 2020 when it entered into a deferred-prosecution agreement with the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago. […]
As for Crane, the $4.2 million decline in his performance-share award doesn’t mean he wasn’t paid handsomely in his last year at the helm of Exelon. His compensation came to more than $30 million, although nearly $13 million of that was in the form of adjusted pension value. Even with the penalty, his stock awards totaled more than $11 million.
* Daily Herald…
The number of shootings along Chicago-area expressways continues to fall this year after a record 310 in 2021, but within that nugget of good news is a worrying trend.
Shooting victims are increasingly reporting that road rage is the reason behind the gunfire, Illinois State Police say.
Road rage was reported in about 40% of the 189 expressway shootings in 2022, according to the state police. That was a 12% increase over 2021.
* Ugh…
Unless “a miracle happens,” UpRising Bakery and Cafe in Lake in the Hills is set to close on March 31, owner Corinna Sac said.
The closure is the “direct result of the horrific attacks, endless harassment, and unrelenting negative misinformation about our establishment in the last eight months,” the business said in a news release Thursday afternoon.
“It is a pretty tough thing and a tough pill to swallow for myself, my family and my staff,” Sac said Thursday evening. […]
Sac’s business came under fire in July 2022 when Sac announced a ticketed, all-ages brunch drag show. Set for July 23, the show was postponed when the store was attacked by a vandal. An Alsip man was charged in the attack. […]
“We have been rebranded by misinformation as ‘gay only’ and ‘pedophiles,’” the business said in the release. “Local customers no longer come here because of the perceived threat that tarnished our good name and the fears of their license plates are photographed, and they are harassed.”
* Daily Herald…
A school board candidate in Palatine Township Elementary School District 15 is being sued by two former campaign managers who claim they are owed more than $220,000 for their work on his 2022 bid for a seat in Congress.
John Kieken and Tanja Biebel say they helped Chris Dargis of Palatine win the Republican nomination for the 8th District seat but were not fully compensated for their work.
Dargis went on to lose to Democratic U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg in November’s general election. […]
“It’s a frivolous lawsuit from former employees,” said Dargis, noting that Biebel was suspended from his campaign last year after a rival in the GOP primary accused her of unethical behavior.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), leaders in Illinois’ film industry, and state leaders today announced Illinois’ soaring film production expenditures with a record-breaking $691 million for 2022 - a $131 million increase from the pre-pandemic record in 2019. […]
One of the improvements adopted by the General Assembly is the creation of the Film Workforce Development Fund, which funds the Film & TV Workforce Training Program. The program is designed to increase diversity in the state’s film industry and build out a qualified talent pipeline. The pilot program served approximately 175 students at seven locations across the state in its inaugural class in 2022, and more than 70 percent students of color and 80 percent of the program’s participants obtained paid positions on productions after graduation. Illinois’ FY24 proposed budget allocates $1 million to expand the program, as outlined in statute. […]
These annual figures are now comparable with pre-pandemic levels and represent an increase of more than 55% from 2020, when the production year was severely impacted by Covid. 2021 was a banner year for the City’s film production as the pent-up demand from projects delayed by the pandemic shutdowns of 2020 brought the total permits issued to 1,771.
The state estimates non-extra hires at 15,400 last year.
* Press release…
The Illinois Finance Authority (IFA), in its role as the State Climate Bank, today announced a landmark year of deploying over $250 million in private capital to further clean and sustainable development projects. Additionally, the IFA Climate Bank is holding public hearings and stakeholder meetings as it crafts applications for up to $1.3 billion in federal funds to advance clean energy, climate, and equity goals as outlined by Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) through climate finance and program deployment.
During the first year of the IFA’s Climate Bank designation, the institution mobilized and deployed $256 million in private capital for clean energy projects across the state, including $233 million for public water quality infrastructure and $23 million for Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) projects. Sixty-five percent of these projects, funded by private capital, were made in or benefited disadvantaged communities. The IFA Climate Bank is further implementing clean energy goals through the development of new standardized financial tools to reduce the cost of decarbonization for all Illinoisans and ensuring that marginalized businesses are supported in fair and equitable manner.
* For a quick second I thought retiring Illinois Commerce Commission Chair Carrie Zalewski was going out with a bang…
ICC Issues Arrest Warrant For Putin Over Ukraine War Crimes
Different ICC, as it turns out. Heh.
* Press release…
On the final day of his Community College Tour, Governor JB Pritzker was joined by Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, state officials, and community leaders at Malcolm X College to highlight proposed investments in higher education. The Governor’s FY24 budget calls for the largest increase for community colleges in over two decades and historic investments in financial aid, putting Illinois on track to guarantee every student has access to the education and training they need to thrive.
“Since I took office in 2019, Illinois has increased our MAP grant program by 50%, creating over $200 million more for college scholarships every year,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “And when the General Assembly passes the FY24 budget proposal, every working-class resident of Illinois will be able to get a degree from any community college in our state – tuition free and fee free. That means people across our state can get a good education and graduate with no student loans.”
“There is nothing more powerful than to help someone learn and find their voice. I watched my late mother give her all to teach students at Malcolm X College and saw the joy it inspired in both her and her students,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “That’s why I am especially proud of the historic investments our state is making in community colleges and state universities. We know the struggle that many first-generation and working-class students face, and we are easing their financial burdens to help their dreams come true.”
The proposed FY24 investments in day-to-day operations and state financial aid would make attending a higher education institution easier and more affordable. The Governor’s proposed budget also calls for a $100 million investment in Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants, making it the highest in state history and a 75% increase in the program since he took office.
“Money and lack of resources should not be reasons why students are missing out on the opportunity to pursue a higher education,” said State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago). “It is imperative that we continue fighting to ensure that students in Illinois have a fair chance at succeeding in life with sustainable and affordable college options.”
At today’s event, Governor Pritzker stood alongside Community College President David Sanders to highlight the above proposed investments.
Malcolm X College was founded in 1911, making it the oldest City College in Chicago. Last fall, the institution served 7,312 students demonstrating an 11.5% increase since the 2021-2022 school year. Notably, year over year (21-22 vs 22-23) preliminary data shows that City Colleges saw an 8 percent increase in credit enrollment for Black students and a 6 percent increase in credit enrollment for Latino students. City Colleges’ enrollment has outperformed state and national averages.
Increased enrollment is due in part to a variety of programs the colleges offer, including:
• Future Ready, which offers students the opportunity to receive short-term credentials at no additional cost
• Fresh Start - a debt forgiveness program allowing students who left City Colleges with debt to return and continue their studies
• The Chicago Roadmap - an unprecedented partnership with Chicago Public Schools that creates a clear path for CPS students to attend and complete college
Malcolm X College has evolved over the years in response to student needs. Tuition at City Colleges has not increased since 2016, and the administration has ensured that every student has a pathway to career or to transfer to a four-year institution. The College has raised more than $20 million in grant funding to execute its equity plan and remove barriers for students, which would alleviate the cost of tuition, uniforms, transportation, food, housing, mental health services and personal hygiene.
These initiatives, alongside the proposed investments by Governor Pritzker’s administration, would allow all community college students at or below median income to attend school tuition and fee free.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Capitol News Illinois | Nuclear option: Illinois grapples with the future of nuclear power: While proponents are hopeful, the technology behind nuclear power’s potential resurgence hasn’t yet been deployed for power generation anywhere in the United States. A few examples of small next generation reactors exist across the world, but in the U.S. only one of these smaller nuclear reactor designs has been approved by regulators.
* WGN | Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois fined $600K, lawmakers say it’s not enough: That report laid out all of the problems the state found with their network, but Senator Steve McClure said that the fine on its own is not enough. He is calling for public hearings so patients have the chance to voice their issues with the company.
* Daily Southtown | Homer Township Library Board candidates debate guidelines, safeguards for what material is checked out: “I want to make this as clear and as blunt as possible: I do not believe in banning any books nor do I believe there will be anything like book burnings,” said Stephen J. Balich III, an employee of the Homer Township assessor’s office. “I think the parents should have ultimate control over what their children read. I believe our community has a set of values and standards that is important to maintain.”
* Crain’s | Rivian Automotive’s chief engineer returns to McLaren: Sanderson, who joined Rivian nearly five years ago to develop its R1 vehicle platform, returns to supercar maker McLaren in the role of chief technical officer, McLaren said earlier this week.
* Sun-Times | Allison Arwady, City Hall’s calming voice on COVID, hopes to stay on under next mayor: Chicago’s public health commissioner and coronavirus point person says she doesn’t get recognized as much as she used to. But that’s OK with her, especially given the “scary mail at my house” she’d get.
* Sun-Times | 3 years, 4 million cases, more than 36,000 deaths: Numbers shape Illinois’ dismal COVID-19 story: Statewide death toll now is nearing 37,000 — roughly the equivalent of wiping out the population of Calumet City. Chicago area accounts for nearly half the deaths — about 8,000 in the city, over 7,500 in suburban Cook County.
* Crain’s | U of I clean energy research gets $120 million boost from feds: The announcement extends funding for the Center for Advanced Bioenergy & Bioproducts Innovation, or CABBI, where U of I helps lead research, for five more years until 2027 and will now total more than $230 million across a decade of research. The first five-year commitment was announced in 2017.
* Crain’s | Chicago competing for another big biomedical hub: The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, a new federal agency armed with $2.5 billion to work on biomedical innovation, announced this week that it is starting its search for two cities to plant offices, and local lawmakers and economic development leaders say they’re throwing Chicago’s hat in the ring.
* WGN | Record betting expected in Illinois for ‘March Madness’: Sportsbooks are expecting record numbers of bets in Illinois during the tournament. While residents cannot bet on Illinois or Northwestern, them being in the tournament should boost betting numbers.
* WGEM | Illinois Trout season to begin for some this weekend: Catch and release season begins Saturday, March 18, at Siloam Springs State Park in Adams County and Horton Lake at Nauvoo State Park.
* Crain’s | University of Chicago grad students win union vote: The National Labor Relations Board on Thursday certified the tally of votes cast Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, and by mail up to March 14, confirming a landslide victory for the Graduate Students United, or GSU, union. Some 1,696 students voted for union representation while 155 voted against organizing, a 92% margin of victory.
* WTTW | Lincoln Park Zoo Reveals Names of Lion Cubs, and They’re Unexpectedly Sweet: Lincoln Park Zoo has revealed the names of its new lion cubs: Meet Pesho, Sidai and Lomelok. The names were chosen by Maasai “lion guardians” (Ilchokuti) in Tanzania, who work with Lincoln Park Zoo’s conservation partner, KopeLion. Each name has a special meaning in the Maa language:
* SJ-R | Richmond ‘convinced’ Springfield artist had hand in creating Pillsbury Doughboy: Richmond said Wednesday he has talked to family members of Wilkins, who was reputed to have originated the “Bicep Doughboy” image, the one Richmond found on a control panel in the bakery mix building.
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* The comptroller’s office issued a report in 2018 about the consequences of the 736-day state budget impasse. This is from their spokesperson at the time…
Hi Rich,
Wanted to make a pitch for 3,916 to be Today’s Number. As far as I know, this accounting of the drop in state contracts with nonprofits has not been out there before this report.
State contracting with non-profits declined due to the lack of state budgets. Grant contracts with non-profits decreased from 6,333 in fiscal year 2015 to 3,916 in fiscal year 2016—a drop of just over 38 percent. While it’s difficult to pinpoint the number of social service providers that closed as a direct result of the impasse, this drop in contracts shows the negative effect on the state’s provider network.
I found that email yesterday when I was looking for something else.
It’s just extraordinary when you look at it that way. Some non-profits, of course, had more than one state grant contract, but that’s still mind-boggling.
* I reached out to the comptroller’s spokesperson today to see if she could get me some updated numbers…
As of FY ’22, there were 6,957 state grant contracts with nonprofits.
That means state grant contracts with nonprofits increased 78 percent by last June over the number of contracts when the Rauner impasse finally ended. And were about 10 percent higher by last June than they were at the impasse’s beginning. I’m assuming the number is even higher this fiscal year. But it does take time to rebuild after wiping out the infrastructure.
Discuss.
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* WISN…
Wisconsin residents are choosing to spend their hard-earned cash in Illinois, specifically on weed.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation estimates the state made $36.1 million in tax revenue last year from Wisconsinites traveling across state lines to buy marijuana. […]
“If we’re going to do medical marijuana, it has nothing to do with generating taxes for the state and it has nothing to do with creating a new industry,” [Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin] Vos said. “We do not need to become like Illinois or Michigan where anywhere you go, there’s the stench of marijuana.”
A recent Marquette Law Poll reports 61% of Wisconsin voters support cannabis legalization in Wisconsin.
* Milwaukee Journal Sentinel…
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has proposed legalizing marijuana three times but Republican lawmakers who control the state Legislature have rejected the idea. It appeared at the start of the new legislative session that began in January that GOP legislative leaders were changing course and moving closer to creating a medical marijuana program in Wisconsin after years of opposition to the idea but the effort quickly stalled.
Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard, D-Madison, has also unsuccessfully proposed marijuana legalization for years and this week released revenue estimates from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, which show $36.1 million are estimated to be paid in Illinois taxes by marijuana customers in counties bordering the Badger State.
The analysis assumes that all sales to out-of-state residents in counties bordering Wisconsin were made to Wisconsin residents, according to the memo.
“It should upset every Wisconsinite that our hard earned tax dollars are going across the border to Illinois. This is revenue that could be going toward Wisconsin’s public schools, transportation infrastructure, and public safety,” she said in a statement. “Instead, Illinois is reaping the benefits of Republican obstructionism and their prohibitionist stance on marijuana legalization.”
* Patch…
There are four counties in Illinois that immediately border Wisconsin with dispensaries, the memo said, including Jo Daviess, Lake, McHenry and Winnebago. Of the sales made in those counties, just over $121 million, or 50.6 percent, were to people from out-of-state, the memo said citing data from Illinois. The overall analysis assumed that all out-of-state sales in the bordering counties were made to Wisconsinites, but the memo noted other out-of-state buyers may have come in such as from Iowa.
Altogether about 7.8 percent of Illinois’ cannabis sales revenue came from out-of-state buyers in the counties bordering Wisconsin, the memo said. Much of that is likely attributable to Wisconsinites.
* More…
* Sun-Times | Weed’s impact on teenagers? UIC neuroscientist uses rats to study marijuana’s effects on adolescent brains: Kuei Tseng is a key figure in the emerging field of biological psychiatry. His findings and those of others might give teens and parents pause about marijuana’s effects on developing brains.
* Forbes | Cannabis Brand Stiiizy Enters Illinois Recreational Marijuana Market: “We planted our flag in the Midwest with our Michigan launch. Now that we’ve established our brand and team there, it made perfect sense to expand to Illinois. The market had time to mature, which was essential to us since we are known for product consistency: always available, tastes the same and fairly priced,” Stiiizy managing partner Ryan Jundt said in a statement from the company on Thursday. “We also see a true cannabis culture in Illinois, one that’s underserved. We love markets like that, because when we go where there’s a genuine cannabis culture, we meet that demand.”
* Evanston Roundtable | Evanston may get marijuana dispensary, bakery on Howard: Scott Weiner, a co-owner of Chicago-based OKAY Cannabis Ltd., said his business plans to open an Evanston location at the 100 Chicago Ave. site., which is just across the street from Chicago. Weiner is also co-founder and president of the local Fifty/50 Restaurant Group, which includes the West Town Bakery brand that is teaming up with OKAY Cannabis.
* Daily Herald | Cannabis cultivation facility proposed for vacant Wheeling building: A Chicago-based limited liability company called Mae Lee Tinker has requested a special use permit from the village to operate a cannabis business at 160 W. Hintz Road, documents indicate. The site is a vacant, 59,446-square-foot industrial building.
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Today’s number: 0.006 percent
Friday, Mar 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Policy Institute…
Documents show the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund may have taken a multi-million dollar hit when Silicon Valley Bank recently collapsed.
The latest report of detailed investments available from the IMRF shows the fund had over $4.5 million invested in 12,621 shares of SVB Financial Group, the parent company of Silicon Valley Bank. Those shares had a fair market value of $8.6 million at the end of 2021 when the stock had a value near $700 per share.
Incomplete data makes it difficult to say what the IMRF’s exposure was when SVB went belly up.
This is apparently stirring up the same very online people who always seem to be easily stirred up. And oftentimes they’re stirred up for no good reason.
* So, I reached out to the IMRF’s John Krupa…
IMRF does hold some shares in Silicon Valley Bank Financial Group. As of a few days ago, these shares represented a market value of about $3 million. While we are always concerned about any losses, for context, IMRF holds about $49 billion in assets. So, these shares make up a very small part of our total portfolio - about 0.006% (a fraction of a percent). Any potential losses will have no impact on IMRF’s ability to pay benefits. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and adjust in accordance with our investment policies.
In your article, please consider adding the context that nearly every large institutional investor with index fund holdings has some exposure here. I think the recent coverage linking IMRF and SVB Financial Group is incomplete and confusing for readers. It’s almost as though IMRF’s name was “picked out of a hat” and linked with SVB. This connection is ironic considering we are widely considered the “gold standard” in the public pension industry. We are one of the best-funded pensions in America at 98%, and our local government contribution rates remain stable. We have even won a presidential award for performance excellence (The Baldrige National Quality Award).
So, in summary, IMRF’s SVB Financial Group losses are regrettable, and we take them seriously. But this is an industry-wide issue; it’s not unique to IMRF. And in our individual case, it’s having a de minimis impact on our overall portfolio and IMRF members, employers, and taxpayers should rest assured that the fund remains healthy and strong.
Discuss.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, Mar 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As we discussed, freshman GOP Rep. Jed Davis had some harsh things to say about his Republican colleagues the other day. He doubled down in his latest constituent newsletter…
My hand was slapped for calling out republicans last week. I stand by my comments, we shouldn’t hold up committees no matter the excuses, which were basically the dems made us do it… Feels like I’m back in grade school at times.
* On to the topic at hand. Let’s go back to Rep. Davis’ newsletter…
The house moved legislation this week, mostly low hanging fruit, although I still voted no 12 times. Curious about my votes, just click What is Jed Doing below, everything is right there. Here’s a bill of interest…
HB1591: Illinois is already an out of state abortion haven. This bill paves the way on the marriage front by removing roadblocks for Illinois becoming an out of state marriage haven. You often hear republicans struggle with platform. Well, the votes here exemplify this statement. We’re all over the map with no votes, not voting votes, and yes votes. Hmm.
HB1591’s synopsis…
Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act by repealing all of the following provisions: (i) no marriage shall be contracted in this State by a party residing and intending to continue to reside in another state or jurisdiction if the marriage would be void if contracted in the other state or jurisdiction, and every marriage celebrated in this State in violation of that provision is null and void; (ii) before issuing a license to marry a person who resides and intends to continue to reside in another state, the officer having authority to issue the license shall satisfy himself by requiring affidavits or otherwise that the person is not prohibited from intermarrying by the laws of the jurisdiction where the person resides; and (iii) an official issuing a marriage license with knowledge that the parties are prohibited from marrying and a person authorized to solemnize marriages who knowingly solemnizes such a marriage are guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.
* The bill is sponsored by Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago). From her own constituent newsletter…
I plan to advance HB1591, which cleans up outdated language in our marriage laws that could have unintended consequences in a post-Dobbs world if states start to prohibit certain marriages. The Dobbs decision specifically noted the two landmark decisions legalizing interracial marriage and same-sex marriage as being vulnerable, so it’s important that we take steps to protect people who could be impacted by the decision just as we did in the reproductive health space.
Mike Miletich also did a story.
* It was indeed an odd roll call. Click here. The Republican “Yes” votes (7, including House Minority Leader McCombie) and non-voters (8) are highlighted for ease of use.
…Adding… Illinois Freedom Caucus…
It is not the place of Illinois state government to do an end run on the laws of other states just because the radical left might not like the laws the duly elected officials in these states enact and enforce. If Illinois denies someone a professional license, we expect other states to honor our standards of professional regulations. This is how we have been able to live in one country with different states and different state laws. Our state government is in effect becoming the 21-year-old being paid to buy alcohol for high school students. It is a disgrace and an embarrassment to state leaders in other states. We are basically thumbing our nose at other states and saying we will not respect their laws and if the circumstances surrounding this legislation were to actually happen – we would be creating tremendous legal issues. Our state needs thoughtful leadership and unfortunately all we are getting is more extremism and radicalism.
* Moving right along. C’mon, it’s just one bill among thousands. Also, Senator Turner lives in Springfield, not Decatur…
Because our legislative leaders do not have anything better to do, the State of Illinois is considering the design and adoption of a new state flag. It seems that some people in the state say our current banner – a picture of an eagle perched on a boulder with the word “Illinois” underneath is not symbolic enough.
“Illinois is a diverse state made up of rural, urban and suburban communities known for its agriculture, strong workforce, home of Abraham Lincoln and more,” State Representative Doris Turner, a Democrat from Decatur, said in a statement. “Our flag doesn’t show that. It’s time we have a flag that truly represents our state.” […]
I appreciate Representative Turner’s desire to reflect all of Illinois’ diversity on a new flag, but I doubt any new design will be able to make everyone happy. There just is no way to come up with a design to reflect farm and city; Chicago and Cobden, concrete and Cache River basin all at the same time.
Pretty sure that divide can be bridged (including the suburbs). That’s one reason why I personally think we should try to do this. It would be a good exercise in reuniting after years of people running us down and trying to divide us, in some cases literally so.
* The Illinois Opportunity Project has been ginning up electronic witness slips in opposition to this bill…
Grassroots engagement remains the most effective way to make policy changes. And we saw this again with your advocacy in the fight against ranked-choice voting (RCV).
This week, IOP Field Director, Andy Bakker, brought his expertise to the state capitol and testified against this confusing and disenfranchising voting system. Andy testified on behalf of the Coalition to Stop Ranked-Choice Voting, the over 3,000 Illinois residents who filed witness slips, and the thousands more who sent emails and called their legislators urging them to reject RCV in Illinois.
The “thousands more who sent emails,” is kind of a hoot, since many of those emails were received at the same exact time. Didn’t look at all like bots. Nope.
The bill (HB2807) would allow a pilot project for the presidential primary. The political parties can opt out. It’s most definitely not soup yet, regardless of the attacks.
* Center Square…
Some state lawmakers are looking to hold rideshare companies in Illinois to the same standard as other common carriers like taxis.
State Rep. Jennifer-Gong Gershowitz, D-Glenview, introduced House Bill 2231, which would set up a new standard for companies like Uber and Lyft by getting rid of an exemption that says rideshare companies are not responsible for their drivers.
Gong-Gershowitz explained her measure on Thursday.
“House Bill 2231 puts rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft on the same playing field as taxis and other common carriers,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “The policy rationale for granting this statutory exemption nearly a decade ago no longer makes sense, and its extended use harms public safety.” […]
The bill passed the House 73-36 and now awaits to be sent to the Illinois Senate.
ABATE, the group which lobbies against motorcycle helmet mandates, supported the bill. I reached out and was told they got involved after two young motorcycle riders were killed by a rideshare driver while his app was on. Current law exempts rideshare companies from these sorts of suits.
From the Illinois State Bar Association…
Injured customers of the ridesharing companies are now statutorily limited in their efforts to be made whole for an injury that they had received because of the actions of the ridesharing companies. If they had been injured by the actions of any other common carrier who competes with the ridesharing companies, they would have an opportunity to be made whole. The injured customer should have a right to seek to be made whole.
Lyft settled a lawsuit filed by a woman who alleged she was raped by one of their drivers before the Illinois Supreme Court could rule on the law. The appellate court had sided with rideshare companies after the legislature exempted them from suits.
* Press release…
The Illinois House and Senate Committees advanced more than 1600 bills last week, but missing were any significant reforms needed to address pensions, create new jobs, and provide tax relief to working families, according to State Representative Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City).
One bill left on the table at the Committee deadline is House Bill 2986, which prevents the rate of growth of general fund spending from exceeding the rate of growth of the Illinois median household income. Another measure not considered in a House Committee (HB 1640) creates the Efficient School District Commission to make recommendations on where reorganization and realignment of school districts into unit districts would be beneficial. Wilhour also introduced measures (HB 2136) to end the legislative pension system for new members and to implement some other basic pension reforms (HB 1644 and HB 1645), but none of these bills were considered in a legislative Committee.
“Every year Governor Pritzker has been in office, he has increased spending and there is no effort on the part of the leadership in the House and the Senate to provide any kind of financial restraint,” Wilhour said. “We continue to ignore the pension crisis and do nothing about it. We can’t even put together a commission to look at what reducing the number of school districts would look like. We keep creating new programs and creating new ways of spending money while our state continues to march toward insolvency. We will never improve our financial outlook as a state until we resolve the structural obstacles in Illinois government preventing real reform from taking place.”
Wilhour noted that instead of tackling the big issues, legislative leaders are prioritizing measures such as House Bill 1596 which strikes pronouns from state statutes involving children and Senate Bill 1818 which establishes a commission to study if Illinois needs a new flag.
Ah, yes, there’s the new flag proposal again. Rep. Wilhour co-sponsored the resolution to kick Chicago out of Illinois. Dividers don’t want a symbolic exercise that could help heal some wounds.
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A look at day 2 of the ComEd 4 trial
Friday, Mar 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Both former Reps. Scott Drury and Carol Sente, who testified for the prosecution yesterday, voted for ComEd’s bill in December of 2018. That bill is the basis for this corruption trial. Madigan didn’t vote either way. But this transcript from September of 2018 sure looks like Madigan was involved with details and Mike McClain was doing his bidding…
MADIGAN: What about the PLA at ComEd for one-fifty and the laborers?
McCLAIN: Right. So, I’m, I’m, I gotta call into Fidel uh, I, what is today, Friday? I called him on Wednesday to see what the status is, if Dick Gannon’s taking that around so, um, once, once Fidel gets back to me I’ll, I’ll call you right away.
This doesn’t prove bribery, of course, but it does show Madigan was involved.
…Adding… From an insider…
The unions typically go to the legislative leaders and ask them to help push companies that are slow to sign off on PLAs. I presume that’s what the call was. It’s not related to the ComEd bill.
* The federal government is trying to prove that McClain acted as Madigan’s agent on the ComEd bill, and they have recordings to back up their general argument about McClain’s duties. From Hannah Meisel’s story…
But McClain called Lang with some bad news: Another woman was threatening to come forward with harassment allegations if Lang was reinstated to a leadership position. What’s more, Madigan wanted Lang to resign from office to become a lobbyist.
“So this is no longer me talking,” McClain said in that Nov. 2018 call. “I’m an agent of somebody that cares deeply about you, who thinks that you really oughta move on.”
“Agent,” as used by McClain, is exactly how federal prosecutors want the jury to think of the defendant in the trial where he and three others stand accused of bribing Madigan with jobs and contracts for the speaker’s political allies in exchange for legislation favorable – and lucrative – to ComEd.
…Adding… The Lang thing does have that vibe…
* From the Tribune…
Asked about the call, Lang testified he knew McClain called him that day to deliver a message from Madigan. He said he knew that McClain often delivered messages for the speaker, and sometimes referred to Madigan as “our friend” or “‘Himself,’ as if it had a capital ‘H.’”
“It was very clear that there had been a decision made by the speaker that I was not going to move up in the ranks,” he told the jury. […]
On cross examination by McClain’s attorney, Lang acknowledged that in decades as a legislator, “Mike Madigan never ordered me to do anything.” He also says he remembers “nothing” about Madigan doing anything special to pass ComEd’s legislation.
* Sun-Times…
Despite the gravity of the request McClain made in November 2018, Lang said he was not surprised to get the message from McClain — who was then a ComEd lobbyist — and not Madigan himself.
“Because Mr. McClain was the person who was often sent by the speaker to talk to members about various issues involving the workings and operations of the Illinois House of Representatives,” Lang told prosecutors.
* ABC7…
In another call with then-Madigan staffer Craig Willert on February 20, 2019, [McClain] is heard saying: “My client is not ComED…My client is not Walgreens. My client is the Speaker.”
Full McClain quote…
My client is not ComEd, my client is not is not uh CBOE, my client is not Walgreens. My client is the Speaker. And once you come at, not you, but once a lobbyist comes to peace that that’s their client, it’s a lot easier. (Laughs)
* The government is also trying to show the jury the alleged seediness of Illinois politics under Madigan…
“I would never embarrass him that way,” replied Lang, who continues to deny the allegations, but then asks, “Do you think he [Madigan] would be helpful to me in business procurements?”
“Yes,” McClain replied.
* Meanwhile, Madigan’s people monitored every channel, including comments on this website…
Nobody followed Drury because Drury was not in any way collegial. When you spend most of your time at your job lecturing colleagues and grandstanding instead of working with them, you just don’t get too far in life, no matter what profession you’re in.
* More on Drury…
Drury said Madigan would determine House committees, who sat on them and who the chairmen would be. He had the power, Drury said, to control the flow and the schedule of legislation. […]
[Drury and former Rep. Carol Sente] described how Madigan would use the rules committee to either bless or kill litigation.
1) All chamber leaders in both parties have controlled the appointment of committee members and chairs/spokespersons for longer than I’ve been around, and still do to this day. And the majority chamber leaders still control the legislative flow and schedule.
2) After moving all bills out of Rules to standing committees for two years, the House has now reverted back to the old ways. More here.
* Isabel’s coverage roundup…
* Tribune: Despite nearly four decades at the helm of Illinois politics, ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s voice was rarely heard publicly, outside of an occasional news conference or speech on the House floor. But Madigan’s voice echoed through a Chicago federal courtroom on Thursday as prosecutors played a series of undercover recordings showing how the then-powerful speaker muscled out one of his longtime allies, Lou Lang, to stave off a potentially new sexual harassment scandal.
* Crain’s: A series of bombshell recordings, many of which were excerpts of intercepted conversations not disclosed in previous court filings, showed Madigan greatly concerned with getting Lang out of his caucus in 2018 following sexual harassment allegations leveled against Lang earlier that year.
* Hannah Meisel: Calls between Madigan and McClain mentioned they’d been informed of the harassment claims against Lang by the former top attorney in the speaker’s office at the time, Heather Wier Vaught. Wier Vaught on Thursday confirmed the existence of those 2018-era harassment claims surrounding Lang. “I don’t dispute that more than one person came forward with allegations against Lou,” she told Capitol News Illinois, noting those individuals whose claims never were made public had a right to privacy.
* WGEM: During cross-examination, McClain attorney Pat Cotter said it was understandable that Madigan wouldn’t want “someone in leadership who was at that point facing a second sexual harassment claim.” But Lang declined to acknowledge he was facing harassment claims at the time, employing the line “just because someone says there was an allegation does not make it true.” He especially chafed at Cotter’s later use of the word “charges.”
* ABC Chicago: today was about establishing former House Speaker Mike Madigan as the one person during his tenure who could make or break a piece of legislation, wrote the rules that ran the House and would substitute committee members if he knew a particular member was going to vote against his wishes. “I did not expect to lose my chairmanship because I was acting in the best interests of my district,” said Carol Sente, a former State Representative from Vernon Hills who believes she was punished for not supporting bills that were important to Madigan.
* NBC Chicago: Scott Drury, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney who came to Springfield in hopes of passing legislation to address what he saw as large number of wrongful convictions in his native Lake County, testified that the Illinois House was run by what many called the “Speaker’s Rules.” […] Both former House members described how Madigan would use the rules committee to either bless or kill litigation.
* Sun-Times: Other revelations in the trial Thursday included details of the FBI’s approach to ComEd executive Fidel Marquez on Jan. 16, 2019. FBI special agent Ryan McDonald told jurors that he and another agent, dressed in suits, visited Marquez at a family member’s home around 6 a.m. that day. McDonald said they played tapes for Marquez. In one, the agent said Marquez had been caught discussing allies of Madigan who were being paid by ComEd through Doherty’s company. In another, Marquez was allegedly heard discussing efforts by Madigan to install former McPier boss Juan Ochoa on the ComEd board.
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That toddlin’ town roundup
Friday, Mar 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* IZQ Strategies was one of the few pollsters which predicted a Vallas/Johnson runoff…
* From the toplines, Johnson’s favorable/unfavorable rating is 51-40, while Vallas’ is 47-47. Gov. Pritzker’s is 64-35, Chuy Garcia’s is 34-55 (see below), Bernie Sanders’ is 56-36.
Among institutions, the Chicago Teachers Union’s favorable/unfavorable rating is 48-46, while the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police’s rating is 38-50 and the Chicago Police Department’s is 57-40.
* On to the crosstabs…
[7] In the April 4th runoff election for mayor of Chicago, which candidate will you vote for?
Likely Latino voters are by far the smallest subset, so you have to be careful about assuming too much. But still. Whew.
* With that in mind, while Chuy Garcia is endorsing Johnson, he did himself no favors in the first round, particularly with Latinos…
-30 among Latinos? Whew.
* Check out the governor’s numbers with Vallas voters…
They don’t like him much.
* And this is why it’s so politically dangerous to call for defunding the police…
* With that last set of crosstabs in mind…
With leaders from various community organizations asking the questions, Johnson and Vallas first weighed in on the issue of public safety.
“What we’re going to do is train and promote 200 more detectives because we’re not solving crime in the city of Chicago, especially in Black and brown, poor communities,” Johnson said.
“New York has 6,000 detectives. That’s not smart policing. Smart policing is filling the vacancies and pushing the police officers down to the local beats, so they can respond within minutes of a 911 call,” said Vallas.
Johnson said Chicago would become safer with more investments in affordable housing, paid for in part by raising the real estate transfer tax on million dollar homes.
* Sun-Times…
Johnson is not saying it anymore. But, he still won’t commit to fully funding the Chicago Police Department’s $1.94 billion budget. In fact, he’s vowed to cut the CPD budget by at least $150 million, in part, by reducing the number of supervisors.
“My opponent wants to defund the police. He doesn’t want to fill the 1,100 vacancies. He does not want to bring back retired officers or invite other officers who have left to return without any loss of seniority,” Vallas said. […]
Vallas also took aim at the cornerstone of Johnson’s anti-violence strategy: $800 million in tax increases to help bankroll $1 billion worth of “investments in people.”
“You’re not gonna promote businesses by re-imposing the head tax, which taxes small businesses. That is not a tax-the-rich tax. You’re not gonna help businesses in general by increasing the hotel-motel tax by 66% which, of course, is part of my opponent’s $800 million tax plan. Hotels and motels are already paying the highest taxes in the country and they have barely survived, if they’ve come close to recovering from COVID,” Vallas said.
Johnson said $1 billion in social service investments is “what it takes for a better, stronger city.” He argued that his tax plan is based on a “fundamental Democratic principle.”
* Tribune…
“What has failed us is the politics of old,” Johnson said. “My opponent talks about school closures. Well, he set up the market for schools to be closed. He got so good at it, he went around the country doing it.”
Johnson then argued there is a link between violence and neighborhoods that faced school closures or privatization. To that, Vallas said his opponent is the one who should be to blame for any classroom shutdowns.
“The only one up here who has closed schools is my opponent,” Vallas said, before touting new schools built and rising CPS enrollment when he led the school district. “… Have you ever been to New Orleans? Have you ever seen New Orleans after Katrina? Eighty percent of the schools were destroyed.” […]
Johnson retorted that there was a “100-year pandemic” and said: “I have been to New Orleans. And I’m going to take a vacation there once I become mayor of the city of Chicago. … People from New Orleans actually came here to Chicago today, Paul, to talk about your failures,” a reference to a news conference Johnson held earlier Thursday with parents from school districts Vallas previously led.
* Another trade union weighs in for Vallas…
The Chicago Laborers’ District Council is endorsing Paul Vallas for Mayor and declaring that he is the candidate best equipped to create more jobs and economic opportunities for Chicagoans. Representing a diverse group of over 20,000 men and women across 15 Affiliated Local Unions in the construction, municipal, and industrial sectors, the Chicago Laborers’ District Council joins other major unions like Plumbers Local 130, Operating Engineers Local 150, IBEW Local 134 and IBEW Local 9.
“Paul prioritizes infrastructure and shares our view that the city must encourage development and invest in projects that will create jobs and opportunities to build a bigger, better and safer future for all Chicagoans,” said Chicago Laborers’ District Council Business Manager James P. Connolly. “On behalf of our membership, we are proud to support Paul Vallas because he will be a Mayor for all Chicagoans who will fight for the middle class.”
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Crain’s | Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia endorses Brandon Johnson: The Johnson campaign has teased an announcement for Friday morning at La Villita Community Church in the Little Village neighborhood, well-known as Garcia’s home base. The City Council’s Little Village rep, Ald. Mike Rodriguez, 22nd, will also be in attendance.
* Block Club | Tempers Flare As Supporters Of Mayoral Candidates Clash Over Paul Vallas’ Education Record: Outside the Johnson news conference, Vallas supporters — which included several other former Philadelphia schools executives — called out Johnson out for his lack of experience and said the former social studies teacher is a “progressive pawn” for county board President Toni Preckwinkle.
* CBS Chicago | Brandon Johnson, Paul Vallas go after each other for public safety, fiscal proposals at mayoral forum: Johnson called for hiring 200 more detectives, a greater effort to implement the federal consent decree mandating reforms in the Chicago Police Department, and ensuring the enforcement of laws now on the books such as red flag laws regarding gun possession. He also called for a long-term approach to addressing the root causes of crime – including youth employment and job creation. Vallas called for a return to “community-based policing,” rather than 911 calls that are answered in three hours instead of three minutes due to the lack of beat cars. He went on to accuse Johnson of “wanting to defund the police” as he claimed Johnson does not support his proposals for filling 1,100 vacancies in the CPD and bringing back retired officers and officers who have left the department.
* Sun-Times | From handshakes to hand grenades: Vallas lobs his own verbal bombs in lively debate with Johnson: During their first televised debate last week, Brandon Johnson was the undisputed aggressor. That night, Paul Vallas played it safe by trying to remain above the fray. On Thursday, it was a dramatically different Vallas who showed up to debate his runoff opponent at ABC7 Chicago.
* Crain’s | Johnson insists he won’t defund the Chicago Police Department at debate: Johnson has tried to walk a tightrope on the issue during the campaign, carefully avoiding using the phrase while saying he would become the “investor in chief” who invests in social policies that he says would lead to a “safer, stronger Chicago.”
* Chalkbeat | Vallas supporters disrupt Johnson event focused on Vallas’ schools leadership: A press conference denouncing Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas’ record running public schools devolved into a shouting match as his supporters interrupted an event for his opponent at Rainbow PUSH Coalition Thursday morning in Kenwood.
* Block Club | 45th Ward Runoff Comes Down To Ald. Jim Gardiner, Attorney Megan Mathias: Results made official this week showed Gardiner received 7,683 votes, or 48 percent of the vote, leading to the runoff. Mathias was his closest challenger with 2,699 votes, or 16.8 percent of the vote.
* Sun-Times | A tale of two cities, told in Chicago’s mayoral election: When Harold Washington ran to become the first Black mayor in 1983, his white opponent Bernie Epton urged voters to elect him before “it’s too late,” a tacit racial plea. Washington battled hostile white City Council members and won reelection in 1987, besting more white candidates. Back then, the sheer audacity of a Black man as mayor rocked the city. So much so that columnist Mike Royko famously wrote, “Uncle Chester: Don’t worry, Harold Washington doesn’t want to marry your sister.”
* Block Club | 6 South And West Side Alderpeople Endorse Paul Vallas, Banking On Him To Cut Crime And Boost Policing: Some alderpeople said neighbors are afraid to leave their homes because of crime. Vallas’ pledge to boost policing with “zero tolerance for misconduct” is the best solution for the city, they said.
60 Comments
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Morning briefing
Friday, Mar 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | Dan Proft corrects $3 million typo on campaign finance report following complaint by Democrats: In the amended report filed Wednesday, Proft showed what had been originally reported as a $3,000,078.33 expenditure for advertising on CBS-2 Chicago was in reality a $300,078.33 ad buy — $3 million less than originally reported.
* WBEZ | The 411 on the ‘ComEd Four’ bribery trial: Four people with connections to ComEd and the former speaker go on trial over an alleged bribery scheme to push the utility company’s legislative agenda in Springfield.
* Sun-Times | State oversight agency alleges fathers’ rights lawyer Jeffery Leving charged ‘unreasonable fees’ to clients: A complaint filed by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission also accuses Leving of failing to refund unearned fees, in violation of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct.
* Tribune | Casino at Hawthorne Race Course remains in limbo, while downstate project moving ahead: The general contractor, Pepper Construction, has demolished much of the inside and the front glass face of the Hawthorne’s grandstand in preparation for building the casino with a view of the Stickney racetrack.
* Sun-Times | ‘Proof of airport business’ required to enter O’Hare during overnight hours from Blue Line, officials say: People arriving at O’Hare after 10 p.m. must have a boarding pass or employee badge, the city Department of Aviation says. The policy has been in place since 2020.
* Sun-Times | Illinois is funding ‘what works’ for public schools, but there’s still more to be done: The state’s ‘evidence-based formula,’ created in 2018 with bipartisan legislation, is sending more money to under-resourced schools, including some Downstate schools. But Illinois is behind schedule on providing the full funding the legislation calls for.
* Center Square | Scope of Illinois pension funds’ impact from recent bank turmoil unclear
: “While we are always concerned about any losses, for context, IMRF holds about $49 billion in assets,” IMRF Communications Officer John Krupa said. “So these shares make up a very small part of our total portfolio – about 0.006% (a fraction of a percent).”
* WBEZ | A former Illinois prison guard gets 20-year sentence for fatal beating: In pleading for leniency Alex Banta said he took a job as a prison guard at 23 and had no idea how it would change him.
* Tribune | Mayoral candidates debate who would tax and spend responsibly: ‘You clearly don’t know about budgets’: Johnson, a Cook County commissioner, went first, asking Vallas to disavow a group of demonstrators who crashed one of his campaign events that morning. Vallas, a former Chicago Public Schools CEO, did not acknowledge the event and instead said “supporters on both sides” have caused a ruckus during a “rough-and-tumble campaign” in Chicago.
* RRStar | Rockford Casino generated near-record revenue in February: Rockford’s temporary casino, 610 N. Bell School Road, raked in $5.1 million in gross revenue in February after winnings were paid out to gamblers, according to data released by the Illinois Gaming Board. It was $1.5 million, or 42%, more than the $3.6 million in revenue it generated in February a year ago.
* WTTW | New 400 Theaters Facing Closure After More Than 100 Years in Rogers Park: Fox bought The New 400 Theaters and surrounding storefronts in 2007 as a redevelopment project. Two years later, he began operating the theater, which has been open in Rogers Park for more than 100 years.
* Vintage Chicago Tribune | March Madness was born in Illinois. Here’s history of Chicago teams in the tournament: Henry V. Porter, an Illinois High School Association official who was later inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, is credited with originally using the phrase to describe the state’s high school basketball tournament in 1939.
* Tribune | Ravinia Festival 2023: Boyz II Men with Isley Brothers, women composers with the CSO: Ravinia Festival on Thursday unveiled an especially broad and star-studded 2023 season, featuring several high-profile debuts and the return of the weekend-long Breaking Barriers Festival of classical music (July 21-23), steered and curated by conductor Marin Alsop.
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Live coverage
Friday, Mar 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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