* Click here for instant updates…
Pramaggiore and McClain are now in the courtroom. Stay tuned.
*** UPDATE *** All four guilty on all counts…
OK, back to the softball game for me.
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* WBEZ…
Employees in Democratic Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office have declared their intent to unionize citing, among other grievances, low pay and confusing compensatory time off policies. The union push is months in the making and has been slowed down in part by caveats in the state’s labor laws.
Two-dozen staffers in Legislative and Research and Appropriations roles asked the Speaker’s Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel for voluntary recognition in November 2022, January 2023 and again in April, but the office said it won’t voluntarily recognize the Illinois Legislative Staff Association. […]
An internal survey distributed among potential bargaining unit members showed 79% of respondents don’t have enough savings to cover an emergency and 84% of respondents were struggling to pay bills. Of those surveyed, 75% said they likely wouldn’t stay on staff longer than two years without improvements. […]
The Speaker’s Chief Counsel, James Hartmann, in an email to unit members on May 1, told them the Speaker would not voluntarily recognize the union because that would deny an opportunity for a democratic election. ILSA in response contended a separate election isn’t required as a majority of would-be members are in support.
Thoughts?
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Afternoon roundup
Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a subscriber…
About a quarter mile south of where the pavement is burned to a crisp on 55, a bunch of cars and trucks were pulled off as another dust storm kicked up and made for bad visibility.
Once it settled, we had a bunch of dust clouds out to the west.
Pic from about 1 o’clock this afternoon…
…Adding… Crain’s…
Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi has thrown a haymaker punch at the Chicago Bears as they ponder whether to proceed with plans to build a stadium complex in Arlington Heights, moving to raise six-fold the property tax value of the land involved even before any construction occurs.
The move is being appealed to the Cook County Board of Review, a three-person panel that can overrule Kaegi’s decisions. But if the assessment is upheld, it would cost the team roughly an additional $15 million a year in property taxes — a very steep price the NFL franchise would have to pay while it decides whether to develop the former Arlington International Racecourse property.
* Daily Herald…
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is giving the city of Naperville until next Monday to provide further information regarding its local ordinance prohibiting the sale of certain high-powered weapons.
Barrett’s request comes after a Naperville gun shop owner asked her to temporarily halt enforcement of Naperville’s gun ban and Illinois’ similar ban while both are being challenged in lower courts. […]
The National Association for Gun Rights claims in a statement Barrett’s request “indicates interest from the Supreme Court in granting the request for relief.”
“We’re thankful the Supreme Court is taking the Second Amendment rights of Illinoisans seriously,” said Dudley Brown, president of the National Association for Gun Rights. “Any ban on so-called ‘Assault Weapons’ is plainly unconstitutional, and now it is on the city of Naperville to explain the legal justification for their ban. Of course, there isn’t any. The bans were ludicrous from the start, and if Illinois had any sense, they would wave the white flag now and save us all some time.”
* G-PAC…
Today, the Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC) released the following statement from its CEO and President, Kathleen Sances, in response to reports of gun shops experiencing surges in sales following a judge’s recent decision to place an injunction on Illinois’ assault weapons ban.
“As our country continues to reel from a slew of mass shootings, gun dealers in our state are using a recent court decision to continue to push the gun industry’s agenda of guns everywhere for anyone. Once again, we’re reminded that the gun lobby’s primary goal is to make a profit at every turn – and they’re willing to sacrifice the safety of our communities and families to make it happen.
“Make no mistake, assault weapons only serve one purpose, and that is to kill and injure as many people as possible as quickly as possible. They have no legitimate civilian use, and their accessibility to the public only increases the risk of mass shootings, homicides, and other violent crimes.
“While the gun lobby remains hellbent on turning back the hands of time on Illinois and doing away with critical laws, our people-powered movement of lawmakers, survivors and gun safety advocates is prepared to fight for the future of our state. We have a right to be safe, and we are determined to protect it.”
* Still growing, but a tiny bit slower…
The University of Illinois Flash Index for April 2023 continued to decline from 103.1 in March to 102.9 in April. This suggests growth is slowing, but still positive. Any index value above 100 indicates expansion.
“In the ongoing recession watch, the needle has moved more toward a recession later this year according to many observers.”
GDP for the first quarter slowed to 1.1% accompanied by many reports of layoffs in the formerly hot tech sector. However, the unemployment rate continues its robust performance with both the Illinois and national rates falling one-tenth of a percentage point. These rates remain near the post-WWII low.
The three main components of the Index (individual income, corporate, and sales tax receipts) were all down in inflation-adjusted terms from April 2022. Individual income tax revenues fell the most compared to the strong receipts in the April 2022 filing period.
* Gov. Pritzker has been doing this same thing a lot lately…
President Biden is flipping the script on Republicans by casting himself as the protector of “freedom,” going on offense by using a word and concept conservatives have frequently cited to push back on the president and his party.
Biden’s campaign launch video was titled “Freedom,” and he referenced “freedom” or “freedoms” six times over the course of the clip. The campaign’s first official ad used those words seven times.
* No news yet today…
Keep an eye on the live coverage post for quick updates.
* Press release…
Following the news that Dr. Cristina Pacione-Zayas will leave the Illinois State Senate to join the administration of mayor-elect Brandon Johnson as his First Deputy Chief of Staff, six northwest-side grassroots, independent political organizations have come together to host a “People’s Appointment” process for the pending vacancy in the 20th State Senate District.
The People’s Appointment process will ensure that 20th State Senate District residents vet applicants for the Senate vacancy in an open, transparent, and democratic process. Upon Senator Pacione-Zayas’s resignation, 20th State Senate District Ward Democratic committeepeople will have 30 days to fill the vacancy via a weighted vote. 1st Ward Democratic Committeeman Daniel La Spata and 35th Ward Democratic Committeeman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa have already committed to participate in the People’s Appointment process and abide by the results.
“Illinois’ 20th State Senate District is one of the most progressive districts in the nation,” said Cesareo Moreno, a leader with United Neighbors of the 35th Ward, “our community will not accept an insider selected behind closed doors. The People’s Appointment process will democratically identify a candidate our community and our Democratic committeepeople can proudly support.”
The community groups convening and supporting the People’s Appointment are United Neighbors of the 35th Ward, 1st Ward United, 33rd Ward Working Families, United Northwest Side, 30th United, and 39th Ward Neighbors United. 20th State Senate residents interested in the process can sign up at: https://www.tinyurl.com/20thAppointment. All Democratic committeepeople in the district are invited to participate in this open and democratic process.
…Adding… DPI…
On Saturday, members of the Democratic State Central Committee voted to approve the Democratic Party of Illinois’ Delegate Selection Plan for the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Illinois will use a proportional representation system based on the results of the March 19, 2024 Primary Election for apportioning district level delegates to the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Participation in the state’s delegate selection process is open to all voters who wish to participate as Democrats.
Prior to its passage, the plan was publicized and open for public comment for 30 days and was reviewed during a convening of the appointed Affirmative Action and Inclusion Committee where members discussed strategies for achieving outreach and inclusion goals. The plan includes educational and informational materials and programming that will commence in September to ensure the delegation is representative of the demographic diversity across Illinois. Diversity is a high priority of the Democratic Party of Illinois, and for this reason, DPI has increased delegate representation goals across historically underrepresented constituencies by 15% over National Party recommendations. To achieve those goals, DPI will hold educational workshops in each delegate district beginning September 2023 open to all Democratic voters. […]
The approved Illinois Delegate Selection Plan is being submitted to the Democratic National Committee for review by the Rules and Bylaws Committee for final adoption.
* Perhaps the dumbest “both sides” argument I’ve seen in a while…
I’m 100 percent certain that Colonel McCormick loved paid advertising…
Under his direction the Chicago Tribune achieved the largest circulation among American standard-sized newspapers and led the world in newspaper advertising revenue.
* I texted Jim Edgar yesterday to “inform” the former governor that a hair style had been named after him…
Picture a bowl cut but with the bangs straight across — and the sides shaved clean.
It’s called The Edgar, and it has gained widespread popularity among Gen-Z Latinos in recent years.
The owner of a barbershop on the Southwest Side says kids request the somewhat divisive haircut with Mexican and Indigenous roots on a near-daily basis.
First popularized in border states such as California, New Mexico and Texas, the haircut has become a viral meme on social media during the pandemic.
In classic Edgar style, he wondered how much the haircut costs.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* WGN | 6 deaths in Illinois dust storm, police need help identifying 2 victims: Of the victims who died, ISP is working to identify two other adults. Police have not disclosed the genders or possible ages of those victims. However, one victim was found inside a blue Chrysler 300, while the other was found inside an unknown-colored Hyundai.
* Sun-Times | Authorities ask for public’s help identifying 2 of the 6 people who died in massive pile-up on I-55 during blinding windstorm: One victim has been positively identified, 88-year-old Shirley Harper of Franklin, Wis. Three others have been tentatively identified and their names have not been released yet.
* Tribune | Fred Waller, a former chief in CPD, expected to be named interim superintendent this week: Waller, 61, retired in August 2020 after spending 34 years in CPD, climbing the ranks from patrol officer to district commander to, ultimately, chief of patrol, the third-highest rank in the department. Waller’s return could be announced as soon as Wednesday, according to the source. The terms of Waller’s agreement with the city were not immediately known and police did not immediately comment.
* Block Club | Lightfoot Plans To Turn Old South Shore High School Into Migrant Shelter As More Buses Arrive: The plan comes after the city’s short-notice rollout of a migrant shelter in neighboring Woodlawn sparked months of outrage. Officials will host a meeting on the plan Thursday.
* Press release | Gov. Pritzker Announces Ten Appointments to Boards and Commissions: James Connolly will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.* Connolly has a long history working in organized labor. […] Jacqueline Gomez will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.* Gomez currently serves as the Director of Supplier and Workforce Diversity at the Obama Foundation, where she is responsible for the implementation and management of the Foundation’s diversity and inclusion programming.
* Sun-Times | Gun possession arrests doubled in Chicago, but shootings remained high — and unsolved: The Marshall Project’s year-long investigation found that arrests for gun possession — the vast majority involving young Black men — have grown to their highest level in decades. But violent crimes involving guns continued to jump, with few arrests in those cases.
* Block Club | South Side Group Wants To Beef Up Teen Programs After Youth Gatherings Downtown Turned Violent: The Support Group has helped thousands of Chicago teens through entrepreneur camps, basketball clinics and work opportunities. “More funding needs to come to our communities for programs like this,” its founder said.
* Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan, Shields townships approve cooperation pact; ‘This is an unprecedented agreement’: The Waukegan Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved an agreement with Shields Township Thursday in Waukegan, a day after the Shields Township trustees approved the same pact, making services available to Shields residents in Waukegan.
* Crain’s | Uihleins spread their money beyond Illinois: In all, the Uihleins gave nearly $7 million in total during the first quarter of 2023, with $5.5 million of that going to the Club for Growth Action PAC which supports Republican candidates in U.S. Congress.
* WAND | Gun sellers deal with whiplash from Illinois gun ban rulings: Raymond McAfee, owner of The Piggy Bank Pawn and Guns, said within minutes of the injunction, customers were calling with questions about the new ruling. Many wanted to pawn guns they were holding on to or purchase guns that were regulated after the law was passed in January.
* Crain’s | Chicago’s $1 billion water deal shows Great Lakes wealth: Chicago has just signed a contract valued at $1 billion to sell its water elsewhere — the first such deal in 40 years — and the city expects more to come. Illinois is also launching a federally funded plan to expand its $17 billion “Blue Economy” to lure companies from water-intensive chip manufacturers to climate-tech startups.
* Block Club | Dying Oak Tree Older Than City Of Chicago Removed From Lincoln Park Zoo: ‘It’s Emotional’: The bur oak tree is estimated to be 250-300 years old, but a more accurate estimate will be available once arborists have a chance to count its rings.
* WBEZ | Note to NYC: Chicago already has a rat czar, and her name is Josie Cruz: Orkin, a pest control company based in Atlanta, has named Chicago the “rattiest” city in the country eight years running in an annual list based on the number of service calls it receives.
* My Radio Link | Illinois State Fair to Host 100 Days Out Kickoff Party: The event will feature some of your favorite fair foods and drinks. State Fair favorites such as Mr. Ribeye, Coleman Concessions, Wafflelicious, and Illinois Wine will be on hand to sell fairgoers their favorite fair-food concoctions.
* The Marshall Project | Why Inflation Price Hikes Are Even Worse Behind Bars: A jar of peanut butter, for example, now costs between 25% and 35% more across the state prisons. In the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, the price of peanut butter increased 61 cents, even though the portion size decreased by 2 ounces. Soap is more expensive, too. Incarcerated people could be paying between 4% and 80% more per bar, depending on where they’re imprisoned. In Illinois state prisons, the cost of a pack of instant ramen now costs 32 cents — a 68% increase from the year before.
* Sun-Times | Linda Lenz, kept generations of Chicago Public Schools parents informed through her nonprofit publication Catalyst, dead at 77: “What she really emphasized was that education reporting should be about school improvement and the interests of students with a focus on the nitty-gritty, like principal turnover and curriculum development,” said WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp, who formerly worked at Catalyst.
* Sun-Times | White Sox calling up Billy Hamilton from Charlotte: The struggling White Sox will welcome the return of shortstop Tim Anderson, as well as infielder Hanser Alberto, from the injured list before they open a three-game series against the American League Central leading Minnesota Twins Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.
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Today’s quotable
Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Legislation passed by the Illinois House would levy an escalating series of fines against anyone caught removing a cat’s claws for anything other than medical or therapeutic reasons. Under the measure, declawing would not be allowed simply to “make the cat more convenient to keep or handle.” […]
Republican state Rep. Charles Meier of Highland, who voted against the bill, questioned how much cats actually suffer when they are declawed. […]
Meier also brought a partisan angle into the argument, alleging that the bill’s 10 Democratic sponsors and other supporters “are willing to abort a baby right before birth but they won’t let you declaw a cat.”
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* From a prominent personal injury firm…
Investigators Need to Find Out if 72-Car Pileup in Downstate Illinois Could Have Been Avoided if Motor Vehicle Laws Were Followed
As the investigation continues on a two-mile stretch of highway in downstate Illinois, it makes one pause as to if the 72-car pileup really should never should have happened at all. The Federal Motor Vehicle Carrier Administration and the Department of Transportation expect trucking companies and motor carriers to practice defensive driving which is an industry term to mean exercise caution in a situation like this and refrain from operating 80,000-pound tractor-trailers when visibility conditions dictated otherwise.
“Driving a tractor trailer with little to no visibility is reckless and wanton conduct that can place other motorists in the worst possible scenario – the death and injuries of innocent people,” said Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago. “This terrible tragedy needs to be thoroughly examined so those whose lives have been forever changed have answers.”
Six people are reported dead and at least 30 more injured when Interstate 55 outside of Springfield, Illinois, resulted in what state police described as zero visibility on the road for about a two-mile stretch at about 11 a.m. Monday when a “dust-out” storm occurred.
Federal motor vehicle laws governing truck drivers require that truck drivers pull over. The FMVCA rules says, “If conditions become sufficiently dangerous, operations must immediately be discontinued until the vehicle can again be safely operated.” https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/safetyplanner/MyFiles/SubSections.aspx?ch=23&sec=68&sub=172
Instead, it was reported that semi-trucks carrying heavy loads and perhaps hazardous materials crashed into helpless others. “It was very dangerous – the drivers couldn’t see. Truck drivers know that it takes a long time to stop their heavy vehicles when traveling on highways at higher speeds, and if they strike something, the other person doesn’t have a chance,” Clifford said. “Drivers, particularly truck drivers, cannot be in a hurry. In situations like this, safety must take precedence over everything else.”
In the pile-up on I-55 near the state’s capital of Springfield, six people are now dead. Dozens of others are critically injured ranging in age from 2 to 80 years old, including some who had to be airlifted to hospitals. Several tractor-trailers turned over and others burned out on the highway. I-55 reopened Tuesday morning as police continue to examine what happened in this horrible wreckage that some witnesses described as a scene from 9/11.
This “dust-out” is very similar to a winter “white-out” when responsible drivers pull off of the road and seek shelter to avoid tragedies like this that can be caused by zero visibility conditions. The incident brings back horrible memories of a family whose car was crushed in a pile-up on I-90 near Rockford, Illinois, during a white-out snowstorm. The Yoder’s car was crushed. Their four-year old daughter in the back seat was killed. The little two-year-old boy suffered permanent brain damage that required round-the-clock care for the rest of life. The mom suffered severe skull and facial injuries requiring 31 surgeries. Of course, that family was devastated, despite Kevin Durkin at Clifford Law Offices obtaining a record $38.3 million verdict in 2004.
* The topic of culpability came up often during Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly’s press conference today…
Q: Why did it take until somebody got into an accident for these roads to be shut down, so that fatalities like this could be avoided?
Kelly: Well, I don’t think we have any evidence at this point that there was any reason to have shut the road down. It is a pretty extreme thing to shut a road down. We do that during blizzards, we do that when we have hazmat or circumstances like this. And the parameters for shutting a road down are not always predictable in a sense, just the weather is not always predictable. So at this point there’s nothing to indicate that IDOT or ISP or anybody had any information that warranted shutting a road down now. We are certainly looking at the timeline for what the weather warnings were. Some of those warnings in terms of the warning about there being a dust storm came after some of the accidents that occurred yesterday. You’ve obviously seen that IDOT has updated some of their signs to put information out that people can be can be more aware of this. And we’ll look at that, we’ll certainly look at that. But at this stage, we don’t have any reason to believe there were factors that indicated an interstate should have been shut down preemptively. There was nothing that just would have warranted that. […]
Q: Have any drivers been cited? Will they be cited for speed or any other factors?
A: So, our traffic crash reconstruction folks, that is what they will do. They will go through the process of trying to reconstruct what exactly happened here. They will look at things like black boxes that are in the car to be able to see what the speed was. They’ll interview as many people as possible. But we’re talking about 100 objects all moving at potentially high speeds. And maybe you know, under the speed limit, but maybe not necessarily safe for conditions. Those are questions that we have to ask, those are questions that we ask anytime there’s an accident of this nature, or even a smaller accident to determine what the events were that to this. So, we’ll see. But we’re very early in this process. We have a lot of evidence to go through, we have a lot of people to interview, we have a lot of science that has to be done to be able to see what we can determine from this.
* On to another, but similar topic…
* Back to Director Kelly’s press conference…
Q: Director Kelly, we have heard in the last 24 hours from some in the local farming community who are upset [saying] this was avoidable based on the farming techniques used. Is any part of your investigation looking at who may be responsible?
Kelly: Well, certainly we’re looking at the surrounding area to see what information we can ascertain that may link where the dust was coming from. But we know again, just listening to what the National Weather Service has had to say, and meteorologists have had to say about the circumstances is that there’s any number of things that could have led to this. And there’s many different ways of tilling soil. There’s no till, there’s lots of different types of agricultural activity. But some of these things may be related to a period of dryness, where there’s not as much rain as there usually has been. And we’re going to try to connect as many dots as we can and see if there’s anything we can learn from that. But we’re not jumping to any conclusions.
Q: Are criminal charges possible?
Kelly: We have a process to make that determination. And if and when there’s something that warrants that, we’ll certainly share that with the public. But nowhere, no way are we anywhere near that type of conclusion.
Q: Are you aware of any type of regulations that would limit the amount of tilling that a farmer can do…?
Kelly: Well, I can say this, again, there’s many different types of agricultural techniques that are used in terms of plowing a field. And there’s a whole host of factors that go into into how that process works. And the timing. It does not benefit a farmer to lose a bunch of their topsoil. So they have no motivation, or no reason that they would want to do something that would cause this in any way. So there’s no logic to saying that someone did this on purpose. And they were somehow skirting some sort of regulation. But again, we’re gonna look at everything. That is our job. And this is what the Illinois State Police do well, is to follow the facts wherever they take us, good, bad, ugly. But we also don’t want to jump to any conclusions beyond what the evidence shows.
It would probably be helpful if the federal departments of transportation, agriculture and environmental protection also get involved.
In the meantime, people should refrain from jumping to too many conclusions.
* Horrific aftermath videos…
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* HB2531 is on Second Reading in the Senate…
* Illinois Radio Network…
State Rep. Mark Walker, D-Arlington Heights, said House Bill 3479 creates the Uniform Money Transmission Modernization Act, which requires exchanges and crypto businesses to obtain a license from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
“We can add stability to our entire banking system and put them in a situation where they don’t have to be bailed out,” said Walker.
If businesses are approved for a digital asset license in Illinois, the bill allows the state to access their books and pass along relevant information to enforcement agencies.
Walker said the legislation also includes safeguards to help prevent fraudsters from taking advantage of Illinoisans. […]
The measure passed the House by a 90-21 vote.
* Rep. Kam Buckner…
As Chicago and Illinois get ready to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, our state should be paving the way towards a more democratic system of voting, starting with the presidential primary.
Bringing ranked choice voting (RCV) to Illinois is something we can all get behind, regardless of political ideology. Legislation (HB2807 and SB 1456) is now making its way through Springfield that would put Illinois on the growing list of states that are considering adopting RCV.
Such a system would benefit both voters and candidates, creating a political landscape that is more hospitable to a larger and more diverse pool of qualified candidates to run for office.
One of the biggest problems with our current presidential primary system is that votes go to waste. State primaries take place over months, and during that time, people are voting early or absentee for candidates who may end up dropping out before primary election day, or are otherwise not viable because they don’t receive enough votes. This impacts both Democrats and Republicans. During their last competitive presidential primary in Illinois, over 70,000 Democrats and 30,000 Republicans had their votes thrown out because the candidate they voted for dropped out before their primary.
* SB684 is on Second Reading in the House. Here’s 25News Now…
A proposed bill would create a new tax for people in rural McLean County, helping fund the Central Illinois Regional Airport. […]
Legislation co-sponsored by State Sen. David Koehler (D - Peoria) says “This issue is about fairness. Right now, the only tax support for the Central Illinois Regional Airport is from residents of Bloomington and Normal. The goal is to spread the support to the entire county of McLean, as we did for the airport in Peoria and Peoria County in 2007.”
Last year, about 180,000 passengers flew through CIRA in Bloomington. However, the only taxes supporting it, were the people who live in Bloomington and Normal. […]
The bill would reduce the tax rate for people in Bloomington-Normal by about 33%. It would bring their current 14 cents per $100 of assessed value to 9.5 cents per $100 of assessed value.
For people outside the Twin Cities, it would be about $55 more a year for the owner of a house valued at $175,000.
* SB85 has not left the Senate. From Resource Recycling…
The aluminum recycling industry continues to push for new beverage container deposit programs, with an executive pointing to potential in the Upper Midwest and in the nation’s capital. […]
Henry Gordinier, president and CEO of Louisville, Ky.-based Tri-Arrows, which recycles used beverage cans (UBCs) into sheets for making cans, said that since the Aluminum Association and Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) launched their campaign to lobby for bottle bills, the industry “has been firing on all cylinders to advocate for these policies.”
Gordinier pointed to progress in the legislatures in Illinois and Minnesota, while also mentioning that Maryland lawmakers held a hearing recently on recycling refunds. He also noted that U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, is working to introduce legislation for a national bottle deposit program.
“There is strong bipartisan support for recycling refund programs,” he said, adding that states with bottle bills have aluminum can recycling rates nearly double those in states without them.
* Center Square…
There is legislation moving through the Illinois Capitol [Added by Rich: Despite what the Center Square people claim, this particular bill is not “moving” - it has been stuck in House Rules since early March, for crying out loud] that would require auto insurance companies to undergo the same rate hike oversight that utility companies are subjected to. […]
The measure would empower the Illinois Department of Insurance to reject or modify excessive rate hikes and end the use of non-driving factors, such as credit scores, to set rates. A coalition of 15 consumer, community and civil rights organizations is backing the legislation.
“Yet again, insurance companies raise rates on families who are struggling to get by, all while lavishing its CEO with exorbitant compensation,” said Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, the bill’s sponsor. “We need accountability for these rate hikes, and we need strong rules to protect consumers from predatory, discriminatory, and unnecessary rate increases.” […]
Kevin Martin, executive director of the Illinois Insurance Association, said if passed, the legislation will do the exact opposite of what it is designed to do.
“I think if this bill is passed and signed into law, Illinois will go from probably the premiere state for insurance companies to want to do business to by far the worst,” said Martin.
* WAND…
Agriculture advocates gathered at the Capitol for Black Farmers Lobby Week.
State Legislators say they’ve seen a decrease in black farmers and black-owned farms across the state. […]
Advocates presented several bills to provide additional support to farmers of color:
House Bill 2557, the Farmer Equity and Innovation Act, creates a program with the University of Illinois Extension to keep small and midsize farms competitive.
House Bill 3556 creates the farmer restoration and conservancy program which helps historically underserved farmers get assistance with land access.
House Bill 3557 increases the proportion of food used by state agencies that is sources from socially disadvantaged farmers.
House Bill 2523 appropriates 5 million dollars from the general revenue fund to the Department of Agriculture to create grants for socially disadvantaged farmers.
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* Strong reporting from the Sun-Times…
Chicago’s response to a growing immigrant crisis has turned police stations into makeshift shelters where asylum seekers have been provided with expired meal rations and where infections and infestations are a common problem. […]
Boxes of meal rations that were sent to the Gresham District last week had expired in September 2020, and a notice was sent out urging police officials to return any expired meals they’d received, according to sources with knowledge of the situation and photos shared with the Sun-Times. […]
A City Hall source said hospitals, hotels and short-term rentals have all declined to take in the asylum seekers because they view the crisis as a public health matter, leaving city officials in a tough spot. […]
Some of the new arrivals have stayed at police stations with no beds for as long as a week, according to [Mary Schaaf, a volunteer with the online community Refugee Community Connection], who noted that some residents have opened up their homes to allow individuals to take a shower or wash their clothes while they wait for a city shelter. […]
A family staying at a police station last week developed what was believed to be lice or bed bugs, leading to a logistical scramble to get them treatment, said Dr. Evelyn Figueroa of the Pilsen Food Pantry, who has been assisting in community efforts to help the new arrivals. […]
“How long are we going to fight about politics and let people sleep in police stations?” Figueroa said. “We are trying to separate social work from policing, and yet we are coercing them into these roles we know are not right for them, not what they signed up for and overwhelm the police stations.”
A police source complained that officers are being given “zero assistance” from the city, leaving them to personally support those in need. He recalled sending a tactical officer to grab food for a group of immigrants and personally purchasing baby wipes and diapers for an infant after his district started filling up in recent weeks.
* Regardless of what’s happened in the past week or so, the city and the state have been well aware for months that a big surge was likely coming…
The Covid restriction known as Title 42 has blocked migrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum more than 2.5 million times since it was put in place at the start of the pandemic. It is the third time the Biden administration has been preparing to lift Title 42. The previous attempts were blocked by courts, but this time a court challenge does not seem likely to prevent the ban from lifting on May 11.
And yet…
The city has established 20 shelters since the 108 buses were sent from Texas, [Matt Doughtie, manager of emergency management services at the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications] said. Twelve of them have closed, leaving just eight, he said.
Lovely.
So, once again, the city is engaged in a hair-on-fire crisis management situation.
Brandon Johnson could do everyone in this entire state a huge favor by not waiting for these sorts of situations to explode before finally trying to manage a problem.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I already told you that my friend Marcus Lucas passed away last week. Marcus’ services info is here.
His family has since given me permission to tell you that he died while waiting on a kidney transplant.
This is the second friend I’ve lost because they didn’t receive a kidney in time. Another good friend of mine received his transplant last year and is doing really well. It’s like night and day.
* The Question: Do you have any stories from your life about people who were saved by an organ donation? Tell us about them. Conversely, if you know of anyone who didn’t make it while awaiting a donation, please let us know about their struggles.
By the way, if you haven’t yet signed up to be an organ/tissue donor, please click here.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
A new report from the American Hospital Association describes the impact of rising labor, supply and drug costs—along with staffing shortages and longer hospital stays—that are debilitating financially strained hospitals and imperiling patient access to care.
Hospital expenses increased 17.5% between 2019 and 2022, the report says, due to cost pressures that include essential operations such as IT, sanitation, facilities management, and food and nutrition services.
Under extreme financial pressure, Illinois hospitals are urging state lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 1763 to invest in hospitals that are investing in patients and their communities.
• SB 1763 would provide the first General Revenue Fund (GRF) Medicaid hospital rate increase in 28 years.
• The bill would bring a much-needed 20% across-the-board increase to hospital Medicaid base rates.
With Medicaid as the state’s largest health insurer, Illinois hospitals are being squeezed by the shortfall between the cost to provide care and Medicaid reimbursement, which is less than 80 cents per $1. Research by the Illinois Health and Hospital Association shows hospital expenses have increased 85% since 1995, while Medicaid GFR hospital reimbursement has remained flat.
Support and co-sponsor SB 1763 to help preserve access to care for everyone. Discover the facts to learn more.
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* An update…
* Illinois State Police…
Preliminary information indicates the following occurred: ISP Troops 6 and 8 responded to the above area for multiple crashes with injuries. At 10:55 a.m. there was a crash on northbound Interstate 55 at Milepost 76. At the same time, there were numerous crashes on southbound Interstate 55 at Milepost 76. The crashes occurred within a two-mile stretch – from roughly Milepost 76 to Milepost 78.
At this time, 72 vehicles are reported being involved in the crash. A total of 37 people were transported to area hospitals. Injuries range from minor to life-threatening and ages span from 2-years-old to 80-years-old.
Reports show there are six fatalities, all occurring in the northbound lanes. At this time, one decedent has been identified as 88-year-old Shirley Harper of Franklin, WI. The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office is working diligently to identify the other five individuals and notify their families.
The ISP is planning a press conference for 9:30 this morning.
* AP…
“The only thing you could hear after we got hit was crash after crash after crash behind us,” said Tom Thomas, 43, who was traveling south to St. Louis. […]
Starrick told reporters that it was a spring version of a “whiteout situation” typically seen in winter snowstorms. Gov. J.B. Pritzker described the scene as “horrific.” […]
Kevin Schott, director of emergency services in Montgomery County, said it was a “very difficult scene” and one that’s “very hard to train for.”
“We had to search every vehicle, whether they were involved in the accident or just pulled over, to check for injuries,” he said, adding that people were “upset — visibly so, understandably so.”
* NYT…
Although dust storms can occur anywhere in the United States, they are most common in the Southwest, according to the National Weather Service. They rarely occur in central Illinois, Ben Deubelbeiss, a meteorologist with the service, said.
But a dry spell, combined with very strong winds, had created Monday’s conditions, Mr. Deubelbeiss added, noting that the Springfield airport — about 30 miles north of the crash site — had recorded just half of its usual rainfall for the month of April. Wind gusts at the airport were blowing up to 40 miles per hour on Monday, he added.
* State Journal-Register…
The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency said 10 helicopters were requested to the scene and buses from Panhandle School District were picking up stranded motorists.
The Auburn Travel Center in Divernon was established as a reunification spot for travelers.
The Springfield Fire Department sent several trucks and engines to the scene via a mutual aid call, Chief Brandon Blough confirmed and a Hazardous Materials Team from SFD was dealing with a tanker fire, doing fire suppression and damming and docking of hazardous material run-off. […]
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said deputies were assisting ISP on detours off the interstate in the southern part of the county.
* This has happened here before, but the results were not nearly as horrific. From 2017…
Dust storms causing poor visibility in central Illinois are being blamed for car accidents that killed two people.
Illinois State Police say visibility was poor when a 53-year-old Chatham man was killed when he struck a semitrailer, and another vehicle rear-ended his vehicle, Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 72. The third vehicle’s driver was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
A 16-year-old Mahomet boy died in a separate accident after crashing into the back of a semitrailer in Douglas County an hour later. Two 17-year-old passengers suffered injuries that weren’t life-threatening.
National Weather Service meteorologist Ed Shimon says dust storms are rare in the area, but that near-perfect storm conditions existed Wednesday. Gusting winds hit speeds of 45 mph, blanketing rural interstates and roads with clouds of blinding dust.
More info on that storm is here.
WCIA also looked back…
May 6th, 1983: A dust storm, unusual in Illinois, affected central and northeast parts of the state. The dust was kicked up from freshly plowed farm fields, and blown northeast by winds up to 60 mph. The dust reduced visibility in some areas to near zero. Numerous accidents resulted, including one near Rantoul which involved 9 cars and 2 semi-trailers. […]
June 3, 1990: Strong winds to near 60 mph affected large areas of northern and east central Illinois. A 13-mile stretch of Interstate 57 was closed from Arcola to Mattoon due to blowing dust. Some damage occurred to trees, power lines, and roofs.
* Meanwhile, this is from an NBC5 story…
“Be ready for a sudden drop in visibility to near zero,” the NWS stated. “If you encounter blowing dust on the roadway or see it approaching, pull off the road as far as possible and put your vehicle in park. Turn the lights all the way off and keep your foot off the brake pedal.”
Why would you want to go dark? From the Arizona Department of Transportation, which has experience dealing with dust issues…
If your car’s lights remain on, any vehicles coming up from behind could use the lights as a beacon, crashing into your car. Remember, you’ve pulled off the roadway to avoid other vehicles. Don’t leave on the lights and increase the possibility of attracting one.
* More…
* Fox 2 Now | I-55 reopens after dust storm causes fatal Illinois crashes: Investigators explained the first crash took place on northbound 55 then at the same time numerous crashes took place southbound on the highway. The wrecks all happened between milepost 76 and 78.
* The Pantagraph | 6 killed, dozens hurt in crashes on dust-choked I-55 in Central Illinois: State police said 37 people were transported to area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening. Their ages ranged from 2 to 80 years old, state police said.
* NBC Chicago | 1 of 6 Victims ID’d After I-55 Dust Storm Causes Deadly 72-Vehicle Pile-Up: “Two or three weeks ago, we had a dust storm on Route 104 and it caused some accidents,” Divernon Mayor Jim Copelin told NBC 5 Tuesday. “But nothing of this magnitude. This is beyond unreal.”
* WAND | Drivers in I-55 crash describe chaotic, blinding scene: “There was a truck in front of me and I could see that they were braking hard, and I was able to drive off the road, around the accident,” Maclean told WAND News. Maclean and his wife got out of their car, and could hear more cars crashing, but were blinded by the dust.
[Rich contributed to this post.]
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Open thread
Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Good morning! What’s going on today?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go!…
* AP | At least 6 dead, more than 30 injured after dust storm causes crashes and shutdown of I-55 near Springfield, police say: Evan Anderson, 25, who was returning home to St. Louis from Chicago, said a tractor-trailer turned before striking his vehicle, sparing him from even more damage. ”You couldn’t even see,” Anderson said. “People tried to slow down and other people didn’t, and I just got plowed into. There was just so many cars and semitrucks with so much momentum behind them.”
* Sun-Times | CPD’s former No. 3 official emerges as front-runner for interim top cop — and maybe an audition for permanent job: Fred Waller spent 34 years with the department, rising through the ranks before joining a parade of top brass who left during the turbulent tenure of former Supt. David Brown.
* Sun-Times | Expired food, infections, infestations reported at Chicago police stations serving as makeshift shelters for immigrants: “How do you let stuff out like that?” a police supervisor asked. “Even during COVID, when we were going through that, they were giving us hand sanitizer that was two years expired.” John Catanzara, the fiery president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, said bed bugs have been “a consistent issue.” There also has been a lice problem at the Near West District and cases of chicken pox at the Shakespeare District, according to Catanzara, who said it’s “improper” to use police buildings and resources to house immigrants.
* Daily Herald | Lake Forest megadonors eschewed suburban candidates in the first quarter, records show: The vast majority of donations from Lake Forest’s Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein went to Republican congressional campaigns in 21 other states and to national groups, records show.
* Tribune | FBI searched Ald. Jim Gardiner’s text messages amid probe into alleged $5,000 cash payment from developer, court records show: According to the July 24, 2020, affidavit, a cooperating witness saw Gardiner accept an envelope from a person while the two sat in the person’s black Mercedes Benz in May 2019. According to the unsealed records, Gardiner then passed the envelope on to the owners of the West Lawrence Avenue building in which his ward office was located as a “down payment” on new windows the alderman wanted installed. One of the owners counted out $5,000 in cash in the envelope, the search warrant application states.
* WAND | Pritzker pushes IL Medicaid customers to complete renewals for continued coverage as federal pandemic-era policies end: According to Pritzker’s Administration, in Illinois, there will not be a “coverage cliff,” where everyone loses coverage at one time. Rather, redeterminations will happen on a rolling basis through mid-2024. Everybody’s due date is different, and all Illinois Medicaid customers will have a chance to go through the redetermination process.
* Sun-Times | Medicaid renewal process resumes, putting thousands of Illinoisans at risk of losing coverage: Half a million Illinois Medicaid users could lose coverage in the coming months as a national auto-renewal program ends and they are required to reapply for the first time in three years.
* Crain’s | Guggenheim Partners readying move to Miami: Another pillar of Chicago’s financial community is headed toward the exits — and apparently has quietly slashed its Chicago workforce in recent months. Multiple industry sources report that Guggenheim Partners, an investment firm which has employed roughly 1,000 people in the West Loop, is on the verge of deciding to move its headquarters to Miami, the Florida city to which Citadel recently decamped.
* WBBM | Lightfoot offers no apologies for her sometimes combative style – especially not after Daley, Emanuel: “I’m a Black, queer woman,” she told WBBM Newsradio as she prepares to leave office. “I have always known my entire adult life that there’s a different set of rules and standards by which I’m going to be judged. That is not a surprise.”
* Tribune | Mayor Lightfoot loves libraries and gives the city a trio of new ones on South and West Side as parting gifts: Lori Lightfoot, the bruised outgoing mayor, has so far been reluctant to grant my Tribune colleagues’ requests for an exit interview, but she did offer some words for a news release, saying she looks “forward to seeing these new libraries become hubs of activity and lifelong learning.”
* Daily Herald | Supreme Court justice requests more information on Naperville gun sale ban: Barrett’s request comes after a Naperville gun shop owner asked her to temporarily halt enforcement of Naperville’s gun ban and Illinois’ similar ban while both are being challenged in lower courts.
* Pontiac Daily Leader | Rep. Jason Bunting settling into Springfield digs: “It has been drinking from a firehose since the fourth of February, but I think we’re finally getting settled in,” Rep. Jason Bunting told the Daily Leader in an interview Thursday morning. “And I might dare to say, even kind of enjoying it.”
* Patch | Hinsdale Central Admits Governor Not Coming: At the time, Hinsdale Central credited the school’s Student Liberal Association for inviting the governor. […] In its statement Monday, Hinsdale Central said, “Should the Student Liberal Association or another student group have a continued interest in Governor Pritzker or another state official coming to Hinsdale Central, the students will coordinate with the state official’s office and the Hinsdale Central’s building administration.”
* WBEZ | 150 years later, Dixon bridge tragedy among nation’s worst: “It’s not as though the bridge just collapsed and went straight down,” says Tom Wadsworth, 70, a retired magazine editor and expert on the calamity. “It turns over on top of these people. … As the (Chicago) Tribune said, the truss ‘fell over with the weight and imprisoned the doomed in an iron cage with which they sunk and from which there was no escape.’”
* AP | Hollywood writers, slamming ‘gig economy,’ to go on strike: The Writers Guild of America said that its 11,500 unionized screenwriters will head to the picket lines on Tuesday. Negotiations between studios and the writers, which began in March, failed to reach a new contract before the writers’ current deal expired just after midnight, at 12:01 a.m. PST Tuesday. All script writing is to immediately cease, the guild informed its members.
* Politico | My descent into TikTok news hell: But a Pew survey conducted last summer showed that “the share of U.S. adults who say they regularly get news from TikTok has roughly tripled,” from merely 3 percent in 2020 to 10 percent last year. And as Rebecca Jennings pointed out in Vox before the 2022 midterm elections, organizers on both sides of the aisle are laser-focused on using it as a tool to reach voters.
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Live coverage
Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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