Afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* ILGOP with a totally expected reaction…
Fresh off voting to give themselves massive pay raises, Illinois Democrats are at it again. This time, they’re talking about reviving JB Pritzker’s failed 2020 tax referendum that would raise taxes on middle-class families and businesses which was resoundingly defeated 55-45% by the voters.
From Crain’s Chicago Business yesterday afternoon, “asserting that the second time could be the charm, a veteran Illinois lawmaker is preparing a new effort to get the state to enact a graduated income tax. In a phone interview, Sen. Rob Martwick, who represents portions of Chicago’s Northwest Side and adjacent suburbs, said he still believes the state, and particularly middle-class families, need the income and lower property taxes, respectively, that a graduated income tax would bring, even though voters in 2020 rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to do that by about a 10-point margin.”
“First they voted to give themselves self-congratulatory pay raises, now Illinois Democrats are talking about reviving Governor Pritzker’s rejected tax referendum to help pay for them,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “If the past week is any indication, we’re in for two years of massively out-of-touch overreach by Illinois Democrats, that sadly Illinois voters will be asked to foot the bill for. I don’t recall a single Democrat campaigning on these issues last fall.”
Like I said, totally expected. You knew it was coming. Part of the “conversation.”
From the Crain’s article…
Martwick said he has not yet decided whether the new graduated tax should be revenue neutral, cutting taxes at the bottom of the scale as much as it raises them at the top, or instead boost the state’s income in dealing with continuing massive debt in the state’s pension funds, which are short more than $130 billion of what’s needed to pay promised benefits.
Either way, the proposal must guarantee property tax relief in the way the “fair tax” didn’t, Martwick said. “When you look at people leaving the state, the vast majority are middle-class people,” with high taxes on their homes a prime reason. To be successful, a new graduated income tax plan must provide property tax relief and deal with the pension problem, he said.
* Politico…
A new poll shows Garcia leading with 28 percent of the vote to Lightfoot’s 21 percent
The poll is not new. It’s more than a month old. You can find it here if you want, but Chicago reporters are really getting sloppy with this topic. Old polls, non-polls, blatant partisan push-polls, even non-surveys have all been hyped as the real deal. It’s the Wild West in that town.
* Press release…
Today, victims of crypto fraud stood by Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) as he introduced a resolution for the Illinois Attorney General to investigate a multi-state crypto Ponzi scheme that has targeted Latinos throughout Illinois and should be included as part of a broader federal investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Ald. Sigcho-Lopez has received more than 200 complaints from community members who were contacted by an alleged crypto investment LLC with promises of quick and substantial returns on their investment. Many have become victims of these crypto scammers and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of their personal savings.
“The same type of scam perpetrated by Sam Bankman-Fried at FTX is happening right here in our neighborhoods with crypto scammers targeting people in our communities by posing as real investment firms and taking the life savings of hard working families,” Sigcho-Lopez said. “It is my obligation to stand up for the victims and protect others in our community from being taken advantage of by these con artists that use the allure of cryptocurrencies to cheat people out of their money.”
CryptoFX, LLC operates a Ponzi scheme that has been under investigation by the SEC, which placed a temporary restraining order that halted their offerings. When that order ended, however, the scheme continued and Latinos throughout Illinois have been contacted by CryptoFX’s satellite offices to invest with them.
“Through this resolution I hope to bring justice to the families that have been impacted by this crypto fraud, put an end to the practices of CryptoFX, LLC in Illinois, hold the founders of this scam responsible for their crimes, and prevent any future exploitation by crypto scammers,” Sigcho-Lopez said.
Victims of CryptoFX, LLC have been contacted by the company via Whatsapp with invitations to seminars and workshops that teach financial literacy. Many victims have been invited to join by family members and friends.
…Adding… Bill action…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker took the following bill action:
Bill Number: HB 0240
Description: Healthcare omnibus that makes several changes to statute including around nursing homes, ambulance payments, hospitals, podiatrists, and mental health.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Chalkbeat | Illinois superintendent proposes $516 million education budget increase; advocates want more: State Superintendent Carmen Ayala is proposing a $516 million, or 5.3%, increase to the state’s education budget next year, a request that education advocates say falls short of what Illinois school districts need. Ayala’s budget proposal calls for a $350 million boost for K-12 schools, or about 4%, plus a $60 million increase to early childhood education. The rest of the requested increase relates to transportation, special education, and free meals.
* Forbes | The Average Rent In Chicago Reaches Its Highest Point Ever: According to Zillow’s data, the estimated average rent in Chicago is $1,925, as of November 2022 (the most recent rental data available at the time of writing). While that figure is certainly cheaper than the average rent in America’s largest city — New York City, with an average rent of $3,353 for that same month — as well as cheaper than the nation’s second largest city — Los Angeles, with an average rent of $2,915 — Chicago’s average rent is comparatively expensive for the Midwest region of the U.S.
* WILL | Rockford lawsuit reignites debate over student resource officers: There’s an ongoing conversation about the role that police officers or student resources officers should play in school settings. A Rockford 14-year-old and his family are suing the Rockford Public Schools, claiming that one such officer at the school used unreasonable and lethal force against the teen and that the school attempted to cover the incident up. Security camera footage shows the officer bodyslamming the student, slamming his head into the ground, which knocked the boy unconscious and fractured his skull. Why? The 14-year-old had skipped part of one class and was walking down the hall.
* NBC Chicago | Illinois Coronavirus Updates: Undercount of Counties at ‘High’ COVID Alert, XBB.1.5 Grows: Illinois now has two additional counties reporting what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refers to as having a “high” community spread of COVID after a data delay led to an undercount last week, the state’s health department said in a press release Tuesday. Last week, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported only three counties in the state — Hancock in Western Illinois, along with Marion and Washington in Southern Illinois — had fallen into the CDC’s “high” category. However, on Tuesday, the state’s health department sent out an update, saying it had undercounted.
* Tribune | Illinois comes in No. 2 on the annual green buildings list, ahead of New York and California: Illinois was the No. 2 state for green building in 2022, second only to Massachusetts, according to an annual ranking released Tuesday by the U.S. Green Building Council. The state was No. 1 in 2021, and has ranked in the top 10 every year since the rankings began in 2010. Illinois is the only state to have topped the list five times, according to U.S. Green Building Council managing director of U.S. market transformation and development Rhiannon Jacobsen.
* Newsweek | Democratic Governor Takes Aim at Kyrsten Sinema While on Stage With Her: When asked for clarification on the meaning of Pritzker’s remarks about “reluctant members of his own party,” Jordan Abudayyeh, the governor’s deputy chief of staff for communications, told Newsweek, “I think the Governor’s words were pretty clear here and I’ll let them speak for [themselves].
* Tribune | Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s campaign spending outpacing how much she’s raising: Lightfoot began the quarter with $2.9 million in the bank and raised a little less than $1.5 million, according to newly filed campaign disclosure records. But the reelection-seeking mayor spent roughly $3 million from October through December, leaving her with about $1.4 million before the Feb. 28 mayoral election where she faces eight opponents.
* Patch | Ease Public Records Burden: Elmhurst Officials: The group wants the state to extend the response period for non-commercial public records requests. Now, it is five business days, allowing reasons for extensions. The conference does not say what it would like the period to be.
* WSIU | Behind your speedy Amazon delivery are serious hazards for workers, government finds: As part of a larger investigation into hazardous working conditions, the Occupational Safety and and Health Administration announced on Wednesday it has cited Amazon for failing to keep workers safe at warehouses in Deltona, Florida; Waukegan, Illinois; and New Windsor, New York. “While Amazon has developed impressive systems to make sure its customers’ orders are shipped efficiently and quickly, the company has failed to show the same level of commitment to protecting the safety and wellbeing of its workers,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker.
* Tribune | Alderman blocks Norfolk Southern’s Englewood rail yard expansion with delay on land vote: ‘It’s just been a disrespect to me and the community’: Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th, and allies used a parliamentary tactic to defer the legislation that would allow the railroad to acquire the streets and alleys it doesn’t already own between two existing sets of tracks from Garfield Boulevard south to 59th Street.
* WGN | ‘Nothing happened,’ Ald. Derrick Curtis says of shooting that left daughter wounded: Less than two weeks after his adult daughter was shot during one of his gun safety classes, 18th Ward Ald. Derrick Curtis insisted that “nothing happened” and “she’s fine.” […] Asked if he was in touch with the Illinois State Police regarding his certification to teach concealed carry classes, Curtis said, “Absolutely. I’m good.”
* Sun-Times | Woman pleads guilty to stealing from HIV services agency, Planned Parenthood: Andrea Peoples, 43, was sentenced to four years in prison by Judge Michael Clancy after she pleaded guilty to felony counts of theft. But after receiving credit for nearly two years while on bond in the cases, Peoples will be released on parole, court records show. Peoples was first charged in January 2020 after a routine audit by Planned Parenthood found that she stole more than $100,000 from the organization’s operating budget between July 2015 and April 2017.
* CBS Chicago | Illinois ranks near bottom of states in use of ‘red flag’ gun laws: In a recent Johns Hopkins University study on policies to reduce gun violence in Illinois, their number one recommendation was to improve firearm restraining order implementation. Here is part of why that is – in 2020 and 2021, Florida had 4,895 cases where petitions were filed to remove guns. In Illinois over the same period, the number was 105.
* Block Club | Queer Sober Social Offers LGBTQ+ Chicagoans A Chance To Build Community Without Booze : Queer Sober Social, founded in 2020, organizes monthly meetups and bi-weekly video calls and maintains an active online community. Hundreds of LGBTQ+, sober adults have connected with each other through the group, leader Carly Novoselsky said.
* Intelligencer | Extremely Hardcore Twitter’s staff spent years trying to protect the platform against impulsive ranting billionaires — then one made himself the CEO.: The days surrounding the acquisition passed in a blur of ominous, unlikely scenes. Musk posing as the world’s richest prop comic, announcing his takeover by lugging a kitchen sink into the office: “Entering Twitter HQ — let that sink in!” (181.2K retweets, 43.6K quote tweets, 1.3M likes.) A fleet of Teslas in the parking lot. Musk’s intimidating security detail standing outside his glass conference room as if guarding the leader of a developing nation. Musk’s 2-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii, toddling around the second floor, occasionally crying.
* Reuters | Tesla video promoting self-driving was staged, engineer testifies: A 2016 video that Tesla (TSLA.O) used to promote its self-driving technology was staged to show capabilities like stopping at a red light and accelerating at a green light that the system did not have, according to testimony by a senior engineer. The video, which remains archived on Tesla’s website, was released in October 2016 and promoted on Twitter by Chief Executive Elon Musk as evidence that “Tesla drives itself.”
* WSIL | Mt. Vernon ELKS to donate $6,000 to VA clinic: Mt. Vernon Elks #819 members will meet with Marion VA Health Care System Executive Director Zach Sage to present a donation of $6,000. The donation will be for the veterans treated by the Mt. Vernon VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic.
* Press release | Secretary Blinken’s Travel to Chicago, Illinois: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Chicago, Illinois, January 19-20 to participate in a moderated conversation at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, where he will help mark the Institute’s 10-year anniversary. While in Chicago, Secretary Blinken will also meet with leaders from the Ukrainian diaspora community, as well as with members of the Illinois Congressional delegation. Additionally, the Secretary will visit Ukrainian Village, and participate in a roundtable discussion centered around local engagement in support of Ukraine. Secretary Blinken will also visit the Chicago Passport Agency and meet with Department of State employees.
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* Sen. Sally Turner is a reasonable Republican. She and many others like her undoubtedly fret at the state of her party these days. With respect, it’s just bizarre to me that these same people never seem to realize how they have enthusiastically enabled that base…
In an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas, [Sen. Sally Turner, R-Beason] said she plans to introduce a bill to require voters provide ID at the ballot box.
Turner, a former county clerk, said she’s not seen evidence of election fraud in Illinois, but added some voters may feel disenfranchised.
“They think others may be casting a ballot that really isn’t them. Indeed, I have not seen that be the case personally, but that might alleviate some of that headache,” Turner said.
People have to show proof of identification when they register to vote. Your voter registration signature is then your ID at the polls. Introducing a bill based on other people’s perceived feelings about stolen elections or whatnot is empowering the conspiracy theorists.
During the winter break, some goofy Minnesotan was going on and on at the pool about how tons of people were bused from Chicago to vote in Minneapolis. It didn’t appear to occur to this dude how impossibly difficult it would be to conceal such a gigantic logistics effort at either end, or even in between. Laws shouldn’t be passed to placate that person’s feelings, who would undoubtedly just come up with an insane replacement conspiracy theory anyway.
If there’s a problem, fix it. Sen. Turner says there’s not a problem, and she was a county clerk so she would know. Stop pandering to the mob.
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Your feel-good story of the day
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Kay Shipman at FarmWeek…
Sam Acho saw a solution to food insecurity in the hundreds of people at the Everything Local Conference Wednesday in Springfield.
The former Chicago Bears linebacker and ESPN college football analyst shared how professional athletes on different Chicago teams helped create a source of healthy food on Chicago’s West Side. He delivered the keynote address for the conference sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Specialty Growers Association and Illinois Farmers Market Association in the Crowne Plaza.
During the racial strife in 2020, Acho and nine professional Chicago athletes “pulled up chairs and sat in a circle and listened” to 10 police officers and 30 teens in the Austin neighborhood. While touring the neighborhood, Acho remembered he and one of the other athletes noticed only one grocery store, but 10 liquor stores. The athletes wondered if they could do something about that problem.
Before they left the tour bus, a young girl spoke to the group. “You come to our community and leave, but a lot of us choose to live here. Some of you will remember that when you go to your homes,” Acho recalled.
* But, a week later, the athletes did come back to the neighborhood…
The athletes proposed buying one of the liquor stores and turning it into a food market where the teens would work.
In August 2020, the Austin Harvest food mart pop-up opened with eight student entrepreneurs working after school three days a week. They sold fresh produce and flowers.
When the open-air market had to close for the season, a radiothon helped raise money for a permanent building and ground was broken in May 2022.
Now, 15 students are participating in a 12-week entrepreneurship program. They learn everything about starting a business from architectural design to customer service. They’re also learning banking, money management and budgeting.
* This is the liquor store they bought…
* Wednesday Journal…
The forthcoming building will be 2,500-square-feet and will maintain the look and feel of Austin Harvest’s outdoor pop-up market. Even the design process was youth led, with Austin Harvest staff working with architects to offer input into the building’s design and functionality. The design incorporates the pop-up’s original orange shipping container and will have a retractable roof to give the community gathering space an open feel. The permanent structure will also include dry storage space and state-of-the-art refrigeration units, allowing students to offer a wider array of fruits, vegetables and fresh flowers. […]
During the first two market seasons Austin Harvest was open three afternoons per week. More than 100 shoppers visited the market each week and students rung up more than 2,400 transactions. When Austin Harvest opens in spring 2023, Williams said the team plans to ease into operations and will consider expanding their hours of operation gradually. He pointed out that this is the first year since the market’s inception that it has operated without pandemic-related limitations.
“We don’t want to rob students of their school experience,” said Williams. “It’s all about balance. We want to serve in excellence and don’t want our students to be overwhelmed.”
* Artist rendering…
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* CNBC’s Squawk Box interviewed Gov. Pritzker at Davos today…
Q: Tell us what the message is, because we’ve been hearing from a lot of different business leaders quite publicly, as you know, who’ve been talking about the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois, and to be quite blunt about it, a lot of them say they want to get out.
Pritzker: Well, that’s not what we’re hearing, in fact, to you, but you saw that Kellogg moved to Chicago just recently. So just another example of corporate headquarters coming to Illinois, and we’re doing a lot to attract business and retain businesses. We had one business that left Citadel because, frankly, he lost a political election, trying to unseat me, and, you know, wanting to get out and made as an excuse that we have high crime but the reality [crosstalk] not about my run for reelection. he just decided he didn’t want me as governor and so he went after me, and spent $50 million trying to take me out. But the reality of Miami where they have a worse [crosstalk]
Q: You’re talking about [crosstalk] Citadel. Tell us about that, though. Did you guys ever have a conversation yourselves about this?
Pritzker: Not about my run for reelection. He just decided he didn’t want me as governor. And so he went after me and spent $50 million trying to take me out. And then another guy rich, Richard Uhlein, who owns Uline, spent another $55 million trying to take me out in the same election. And look, I you know, I’ve talked to Ken Griffin. I’ve known him for a number of years. We still have a major Citadel headquarters in Chicago, and quite a number of people still working there. They haven’t moved jobs. And we’re glad to have them in Illinois, but I’m sorry he left.
Q: But it’s not political to say for example, the CEO of McDonald’s, for example, has raised concerns about the security issues in Chicago.
Pritzker: And I’ve sat down with him to talk to him about that. I think his comments are not inappropriate to talk about the safety and security, public safety of people in the city of Chicago and and what that means for business, and we’re doing actually quite a lot to address that, both in crime prevention dollars applied so that we’re intervening on the street literally providing jobs for young people. And then of course, you know, we just passed the assault weapons ban in the state of Illinois and that’s going to help, but crime is coming down gradually in the city and across the state. It’s going to take a little while, these things don’t come down immediately. But it’s getting better.
Q: Governor, you know the other side would say that it’s, you know, no cash bail and lenient prosecutors. You got to approach it a whole different way. And I guess the mayor, obviously Chicago gets a lot of criticism on that as well. You’re sure that the cure that you’re prescribing is what needs to be done?
Pritzker: It’s working. And the reality is that when you talk about no cash bail, you know, people misunderstand that [crosstalk] that doesn’t mean that you’re just letting you double doors [crosstalk]
Q: By the way, the state of New York though we’ve had we have a similar issue. In fact an employee from Goldman Sachs was killed in in the subway, this just earlier this year, after somebody who was let out on bail, probably should not have clearly should not have been [crosstalk]
Pritzker: Exactly the point that is violent criminals shouldn’t be let out, right. But when you’ve got somebody who committed a non-violent offense, and frankly, that would be kept in jail…
Q: That’s a broken windows argument… ,
Pritzker: …because they just don’t have a few hundred dollars. That’s not a [crosstalk] it’s an injustice.
Q: Some people say, when you let the broken windows, that whole idea that if you let minor crimes go without any punishment, that it’s just, the whole environment seems to be more lenient, and it just leads to more serious crimes. You don’t adhere to that.
Pritzker: It’s the serious criminals that are, you know, they’re committing the violent crimes. So, those are the ones, it’s not people who are committing shoplifting that are going out…
Q: If 100 People, what if 100 People go in and steal from stores…
Pritzker: I understand. They should be held accountable. That’s not the suggestion that we’re not holding them accountable. The issue is that it’s violent criminals that need to be [crosstalk] without bail. Because right now, if you’re wealthy enough, you can simply buy your way out. You’re a wealthy drug dealer, you can buy your way out.
And then the video ends.
Lot of Mayor Giuliani hardliners on that network, apparently.
* Related…
* Northeastern University researchers find little evidence for ‘broken windows theory,’ say neighborhood disorder doesn’t cause crime: More than 35 years ago, researchers theorized that graffiti, abandoned buildings, panhandling, and other signs of disorder in neighborhoods create an environment that leads people to commit more crime. In the “broken windows theory,” as it has come to be known, such characteristics convey the message that these places aren’t monitored and crime will go unpunished. The theory has led police to crack down on minor crimes with the idea that this will prevent more serious crimes, and inspired research on how disorder affects people’s health. Now, Northeastern researchers say they have debunked the “broken windows theory.” In research published in the Annual Review of Criminology and in Social Science & Medicine, they have found that disorder in a neighborhood doesn’t cause people to break the law, commit more crimes, have a lower opinion of their neighborhoods, or participate in dangerous or unhealthy behavior. “The body of evidence for the broken windows theory does not stand, in terms of how disorder impacts individuals,” said Daniel T. O’Brien, associate professor in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern.
* ADDED: Is Bail Reform Causing an Increase in Crime?: As jurisdictions throughout the U.S. consider reducing or eliminating the use of pretrial detention and cash bail, criminologists Don Stemen and David Olson of Loyola University Chicago examine whether crime has increased in places that have implemented bail reforms since 2017. In Is Bail Reform Causing an Increase in Crime?, the authors examine eleven jurisdictions that constrained or ended use of these long-established practices and found “no clear or obvious pattern” connecting bail reforms and violent crime. They conclude that “reducing pretrial detention and eliminating money considerations from decisions about detention have had minimal negative effects on public safety” and that, considering the harmful effects of pretrial detention on defendants, bail reforms might, in fact, “improve the well-being of communities most impacted by crime.”
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* December…
A pair of longtime government reform advocates are pushing back against an attempt by Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to force them to pay the state $1.5 million, alleging they are being punished for opposing Pritzker’s bid to end decades of federal court oversight of corrupt state government hiring practices.
On Dec. 1, attorneys Michael Shakman and Paul Lurie filed a motion in Chicago federal court, opposing Pritzker’s efforts to force them to repay fees the court awarded them from the state as Pritzker argued in court that continued federal oversight of state hiring practices was no longer warranted.
“Granting the Governor’s request … would unjustly punish two civil rights champions who achieved massive reforms,” Shakman and Lurie wrote.
Included in that demand was the return of state money paid to the Special Master. Shakman lost his appeal last August. From the state’s filing…
(U)nder black letter law and binding Seventh Circuit precedent, Plaintiffs no longer are prevailing parties with respect to the competing termination and expansion motions, and must shoulder their own fees for opposing the State’s termination motion and requesting expansion of the special master’s duties.
Similarly, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 53 requires the court to allocate payment for a special master’s services based on the “extent to which any party is more responsible than other parties for the reference to a master,” and allows reassessment of the allocation of special master payments between the parties “to reflect a decision on the merits.” The costs of the special master’s expanded duties and monitoring after Rule 60(b) was satisfied should be borne by Plaintiffs who sought the now-reversed order expanding her responsibilities over the State’s objection. In the wake of the Seventh Circuit’s repudiation of Plaintiffs’ arguments, there is no reason in law or equity that the State as opposed to the Plaintiffs should bear the cost of Plaintiffs advancing them and continuing special master monitoring and litigation past when it should have ended.
* Today at the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois…
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Gabriel A. Fuentes: Settlement conference held on 1/17/23 on Governor’s Motion for Order that Plaintiffs Repay Attorneys Fees and Costs of Special Master Monitoring (doc. #[8160]). The parties reached an agreement to settle all of the disputed issues in that motion, with the agreement calling for plaintiffs to pay the sum of $525,000 to the State of Illinois. A further joint written status report is due by noon on 3/31/23 on settlement finalization but will be vacated if the Court is advised before then that the settlement funds have been paid.
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* WTTW’s Paris Schutz interviewed Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard last night about the new assault weapons ban…
Paris Schutz: At the same time, Sheriff, though, I mean, you say that this does violate the Second Amendment. I think there’s still a question of that, even the most conservative Supreme Court justices have said the Second Amendment is not absolute. There is no absolute right to keep and bear arms. There will be limitations and this is sort of the gray area being litigated. You mentioned some case law, but how can you confidently say it’s constitutional when there still are these questions about it?
Sheriff Bullard: Well, the, to answer that, is because I can read the English language and I can read the Constitution. And unfortunately, the Supreme Court justices who have ruled in the matter have stepped outside of their authority. The Constitution does not give the Supreme Court the right to infringe rights either and the Second Amendment states ’shall not be infringed’ and there has been infringements over the years in government and the people have allowed that to a point. And but that’s not something that was ever within my control. But what is in my control since December 1st of 2018, as the Sheriff of Jefferson County, is that if I see a civil rights violation occurring in my county, I’m duty-bound to stop it. And I can say with 100 percent certainty that the Protect Illinois Communities Act is a violation of the Second Amendment. Registering firearms, forcing registry of firearms turns a second amendment from an inalienable right…
Paris Schutz: You’re gonna stop the Illinois State Police from trying to register those firearms?
Sheriff Bullard: I have put out a notice to the people Jefferson County that if they’re being harassed by agents of governments who are violating any civil liberties that they should contact me so I can be aware of it and develop a strategy on how to deal with it.
This is what Sheriff Bullard said on Facebook…
In the meantime, any citizen who’s having a problem with any agent of government that’s trying to enforce this act in my county, you need to contact me so we can make sure that citizens’ rights are protected in this county, because as your sheriff, public safety is my priority, but it must be followed inside the guidelines of the Constitution.
Your local law enforcement leaders are your experts on public safety. And a vast majority of us understand that gun control is not the answer to public safety, that disarms law abiding citizens and makes them less capable of protecting themselves from people who would victimize them, that do not pay attention to laws like the Protect Illinois Communities Act anyway.
Say whatever you want, but this topic has not been litigated through the top court. Everyone on the pro-gun side is so very sure that the US Supremes totally have their backs. But as we’ve seen before, that doesn’t always work out.
* From Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg…
There have been many questions on where I stand regarding the assault weapons ban bill just signed into law. Following the horrifically tragic mass shooting right here in Highland Park, not seven months ago, along with the mass shootings we see on a weekly basis across our nation, I issued a statement, which remains true today.
I said: “As a society, so many have become numb to mass shootings as we read about them nearly every day. Then, on Independence Day, when our families, our children, our friends, were gathered along parade routes to celebrate this nation’s independence a calculated coward unleashed unprecedented terror on our community with a weapon of war. I truly hope this is the last mass shooting we live through before assault-style rifles are banned. Assault-style rifles are nothing more than killing machines, and they have no place in a civilized society. It is time action is taken. While the intent of my message is not meant to be political, I feel the most significant action that can be taken to minimize and prevent further carnage is by enacting a full ban on assault-style rifles.”
While I am a believer in our Constitution and our 2nd Amendment, I firmly support the ban on assault-style rifles and I truly hope our federal government follows to ban them nationwide. Since our Constitution and the 2nd Amendment were formed, firearms have become much more sophisticated and much more deadly. Our Founding Fathers were not loading .223 rounds into their muskets. They were not using firearms designed to disintegrate human bodies. As I said following the Highland Park mass shooting, these weapons of war do not belong on our streets. They’re used to kill our police, used to kill innocent people, and used to inflict maximum carnage on their victims.
Our Illinois legislators discussed and created a bill, which was amended several times, after input from law-enforcement and other stakeholders. The bill was voted on and passed. It was then signed by the governor, which makes the bill law. I, as your Sheriff, am sworn to enforce the law. It’s incredibly dangerous for me to cherry-pick and enforce only laws I agree with, or only laws I feel are important. That is not what our Constitution of the State or Illinois intends for law-enforcement. That is not what the people of Lake County or Illinois deserve.
It’s important to note, unfortunately many remain very divided in this country, which leads to mudslinging, hate, rumors, false information, and innuendo being spread, instead of fact. I ask everyone to take a deep breath. I encourage those who haven’t read the law to give it a read for themselves, instead of listening to others who might be spreading misleading or false information.
This law does not mean our deputies will be going door to door, asking for documentation on weapons. It does not mean we are forming a team to search your home for weapons. Like everything else we do in our profession, we will use discretion and common sense.
I, along with other Lake County leaders have heard from thousands of people who support this legislation. I stand with the people of Lake County, and I will always do everything in my power to keep you safe.
* Meanwhile, from ISRA…
Lawful gun owners from around the State of Illinois, along with the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA), the Firearms Policy Coalition, Inc., and the Second Amendment Foundation, have filed a federal lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, the Director of the Illinois State Police Brendan Reilly, and numerous Illinois States Attorneys challenging Illinois’ new law.
On January 10, 2023, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation that enacted an extensive ban on firearms and high-capacity magazines in the state. Plaintiffs say the new law infringes on the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear commonly possessed firearms and ammunition magazines for the defense of self and family and other lawful purposes.
“Governor Pritzker and the legislators who voted for this law did this for self-serving political purposes and are not upholding the United States Constitution,” said Richard Pearson, Executive Director of the ISRA. “The 2nd Amendment is fundamentally about self-defense, and the 14th Amendment is about not having our rights infringed. This new law makes criminals out of law-abiding citizens.”
“The real problem is that there are existing gun laws that do not work because they are not enforced,” Pearson added. “We would all be much safer if the police had the resources they need, and there were stronger consequences for the non-law-abiding citizens.”
A resident of St. Clair County and two Illinois gun stores join the three non-profit organizations seeking declaratory and injunctive relief.
Click here for the lawsuit.
…Adding… I missed the funny little typo. Brendan Reilly is a Chicago alderman. Brendan Kelly is ISP director.
*** UPDATE 1 *** “U.S. Supreme Court declines to block New York gun restrictions,” from Reuters…
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday turned away a challenge by a group of firearms dealers in New York to numerous Democratic-backed measures adopted by the state last year regulating gun purchases that the businesses said hurt their businesses.
The justices, with no public dissents, denied a request by the dealers to block the laws, some of which imposed gun safety requirements on retailers, while their appeal of a lower court’s decision in favor of New York proceeds.
The state’s Democratic-led legislature passed some of the laws last June. Others were adopted in July after the Supreme Court the prior month struck down New York’s limits on carrying concealed handguns outside the home in a landmark ruling expanding gun rights.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The federal case is far more important, but “friendly” county judges can easily muck up the works…
*** UPDATE 3 *** AG Raoul press release…
Over the last few years, my office has become accustomed to facing a barrage of challenges to newly-enacted state statutes and executive orders. As we have done previously, we are prepared to defend the Protect Illinois Communities Act in courtrooms around Illinois. As in other actions, we recognize that the act’s constitutionality will ultimately be decided by a higher court, and we will continue to defend it throughout the appellate process. This law is an important tool in our fight to protect Illinois residents from gun violence, and in the event that a court stays the statute’s effective date pending appellate review, we are committed to pushing for a quick resolution.
Here’s the state’s outline. We’ve seen most of these tired arguments fail over the years in various suits, but click here for the whole thing…
I. Plaintiffs are unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claims.
A. Plaintiffs’ single-subject challenge fails because the Act’s provisions all relate to the regulation of firearms.
B. The Illinois Supreme Court’s enrolled billed doctrine forecloses Plaintiffs’ challenge under the three-readings clause.
C. Plaintiffs’ attempt to recycle their single-subject and three-readings challenges as a procedural due process claim fails as a matter of law.
D. Plaintiffs’ equal protection challenge fails because the Act’s exceptions draw a rational distinction based on military and law enforcement training and experience.
II. CONCLUSION
Plaintiffs have not shown they will suffer irreparable harm without a TRO.
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A quick, but sincere note of thanks
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A comment last night on our Afternoon roundup nearly floored me…
That commenter gets a lot of grief on this-here blog, but I did want to express my thanks. I’ve received some very positive feedback from several others about our morning/afternoon roundup posts as well. Multi-topic posts don’t normally generate a lot of online comments, but I think the roundups are a service. Before I brought Isabel into the fold, I wasn’t posting some stories because they weren’t quite worthy of their own stand-alone posts.
So, thanks to all!
* As an aside, some groupchat friends and I were discussing the name “Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch” the other day. The House Speaker talked about the origin of his first name during his inaugural address. We moved on to joking about what our “names” would be.
After attending several inauguration-week events with my new associate last week, I decided my new name is “Rich ‘Oh my goodness, is that Isabel?’ Miller.”
Heh.
My niece is really quite something. Here we are at the governor’s ball…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* People Who Play by the Rules PAC ended the year with -$1.2 million…
* Here’s your roundup…
* Crain’s | Illinois AG opens new front in Illinois’ gun wars: In an amicus brief filed today on behalf of attorneys general from 17 states and the District of Columbia, Raoul strongly defends a New York state statute that allows some gun dealers and makers to be sued for negligence if they fail to take “reasonable” steps to prevent guns’ misuse.
* Daily Herald | County board members assail DuPage sheriff over weapons ban remarks: Committee members echoed calls for Mendrick to retract his statement, with some suggesting the board should censure the sheriff if he does not. It was unclear Tuesday if the board has the authority to censure a sheriff. Committee members asked a representative from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office to research the matter.
* The Southern | Legislators focus on gun law during town hall meeting in Marion: Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich asked the crowd if they believed in the Second Amendment, which was answered with loud cheers. “We’re targeting the wrong people with this legislation,” Diederich said, adding that the police have no business getting behind an unconstitutional law.
* Sun-Times | State’s assault weapons ban challenged by two lawsuits — with others on the way: A suit filed Jan. 13 in southern Illinois marked the beginning of the legal battle to overturn the law Gov. J.B Pritzker has called “one of the strongest assault weapons bans in the nation.” Another complaint was filed Tuesday by former Republican Illinois attorney general candidate Tom DeVore.
* Block Club | Chicagoans Are Worried About Gun Violence. How Are Mayoral Candidates Responding?: With Chicago’s mayoral election less than two months away, Williams is worried that no one among the slate of candidates has a feasible plan to quell the violence hurting the people she cares about. Eight candidates are running against incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot on February 28. If none receives over half of the votes, the top two candidates will face off in a runoff election on April 4. Williams is disappointed, she said, that she hasn’t seen the candidates talk in any depth about the underlying causes of gun violence.
* Press Release | Didech Appointed Chairman of House Gaming Committee: Today, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced that State Rep. Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) will be appointed to serve as Chairman of the House Gaming Committee for the 103rd General Assembly. The Gaming Committee will exercise oversight and consider legislation that impacts Illinois’ casinos, racetracks, lottery, sports betting, and video gaming establishments.
* WCIA | Giannoulias releases final transition report: Some of his goals his transition team highlighted include expanding library access, release public education campaigns about fraud prevention, improving marketing for the organ donation program, and shorten wait times at Secretary of State facilities.
* Tribune | State police execute search warrant at Waukegan City Hall: Kirkwood was indicted by a Lake County grand jury in July on 26 counts of forgery, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of official misconduct — all Class 3 felonies — and one count of theft by deception, a Class 1 felony.
* Sun-Times | Striking UIC faculty pickets, rallies with local, national leaders: ‘Without you, this place would not run’: The union is demanding higher minimum salaries, bigger pay raises that match inflation, mental health support for students, better job security for non-tenure track faculty, learning disability assessments for students and more.
* WSJ | Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Faces Tough Re-Election Bid: Ms. Lightfoot, a 60-year-old former federal prosecutor, was the first Black woman and first gay person elected mayor of the nation’s third-largest city, winning every city ward in a 2019 runoff against Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Now, early polls show the mayor as an underdog in the Feb. 28 election, with the top two vote-getters expected to face off in an April runoff if no candidate wins a majority in the first round.
* Sun-Times | Chuy Garcia outlines ‘Women’s Agenda’: On Tuesday, Garcia outlined a “Women’s Agenda” that includes everything from free City Colleges tuition and student loan forgiveness for “women, immigrants, trades, veterans and adult learners” to advocating for “legislative solutions” that, he claims, would “make child care universal and affordable.”
* Pew | More States Are Doing What They Can to Cap Insulin Costs: In response to the steep rise in out-of-pocket costs for insulin over the past two decades — enough to compel many diabetic patients, like Hunt, to ration their use of the medicine — nearly two dozen states have passed measures in the past few years capping the out-of-pocket costs for some patients.
* Crain’s | U of I uses money from COVID-test spinout to fund DPI talent effort: Here’s one good thing that came out the pandemic: The University of Illinois is using $3.5 million from its COVID-testing spinout to fund tech-education efforts at the Discovery Partners Institute. U of I is using funds from Shield T3, the company that’s commercializing the saliva-based test developed by the university’s researchers to screen students on campus for COVID-19, to seed an endowment that it hopes to grow to $50 million with additional donations.
* CBS Chicago | CPS teachers say disinfecting wipes were removed with no notice over safety concerns: As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported Tuesday, teachers are upset because CPS never flagged teachers, or parents, to inform them that there were concerns about the wipes.
* Daily Herald | LGBTQ advocates blast upcoming conservative gathering at city-owned Des Plaines Theatre: Awake Illinois’ website describes the event as “a diverse group of advocates (gathering) together to transform the conversation on issues affecting children.” Speakers are set to include Jaimee Michell, founder of a group called Gays Against Groomers; Stephanie Trussell, recent Republican candidate for lieutenant governor; Shannon Adcock, founder of Awake Illinois and a leader of Moms for Liberty DuPage; and former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Matt Dubiel.
* Sun-Times | City sells bonds to the masses: It’s a program that sounds tailor-made for die-hard city boosters. No longer do you have to just lobby for or cheer on municipal efforts to rehab dumpy buildings, increase supportive housing or bring something productive to vacant lots. Now you can earn a return from presumably good works, maybe in your neighborhood.
* Jstor | When Uptown Chicago was “Hillbilly Heaven”: After World War II, Guy writes, tens of thousands of white Appalachians moved to Midwestern cities. In Chicago, they generally settled in Uptown. Soon, this became a neighborhood of rundown housing and honky-tonk bars known either affectionately as “Hillbilly Heaven” or disparagingly as the “Hillbilly Ghetto.”
* Commercial-News | Bennett’s socks drive ‘most successful’: For seven years, the late state Sen. Scott Bennett hosted a Warm Socks Drive in the Danville community during the winter. The donations are given to Danville Rescue Mission, Fair Hope Children’s Ministry and Crosspoint at the Y Homeless Program.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Good morning! What’s up? Keep it Illinois-centric, please…
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sen. Martwick is well known for starting “discussions.” Sometimes it works out, oftentimes, well, here’s Crain’s…
In a phone interview, Sen. Rob Martwick, who represents portions of Chicago’s Northwest Side and adjacent suburbs, said he still believes the state and particularly middle-class families need the income and lower property taxes, respectively, that a graduated income tax would bring, even though voters in 2020 rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to do that by about a 10-point margin. […]
Martwick said he has not yet drafted enabling legislation for a second referendum and that his version likely would be somewhat different that the 2022 proposal, which he sponsored when he was in the Illinois House. The matter could drag on until next year, but Martwick said his hope is to offer a bill as soon as next month and see what support it draws.
“I want to keep the discussion going,” Martwick said. […]
Martwick said he has not discussed his pending new campaign with Pritzker. He did bring it up Senate President Don Harmon, who did not endorse the idea, but said “OK, file the bill.”
* Meanwhile…
Left-leaning proponents of taxing the assets held by America’s billionaires have a new target: In lieu of a federal wealth tax, state lawmakers want to tax billionaires where they live, in states like California, Washington and New York.
A group of legislators in statehouses across the country have coordinated to introduce bills simultaneously in seven states later this week, with the same goal of raising taxes on the rich. […]
Sponsors told The Washington Post that they will introduce their bills on Thursday in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Washington, and shared the text of their draft bills. […]
In four states — the three that drafted bills with Saez’s involvement, along with Illinois — lawmakers say they will float versions of a tax on wealthy people’s holdings, or so-called “mark-to-market” taxes on their unrealized capital gains.
* Jim Dey looks at the future of Rep. Carol Ammons after she was passed over for a Senate appointment…
What’s next on her political radar? Those who follow the political process will be waiting to see if she takes on Faraci in 2024 for their party’s nomination for the 52nd District seat.
Ammons already has filed required campaign committee papers for the Senate race. That shot across the bow was intended to persuade party leaders to appoint her to Sen. Bennett’s post.
But that move — as well as incendiary comments made by both Ammons and their supporters — had a more negative than positive impact on local Democrats.
The only Ammons supporter who has spoken publicly after the Faraci appointment is outgoing Cunningham Township Assessor Wayne Williams.
“While I’m happy for Paul, I stand by my previous comments,” he said. “I expect to be supporting (Carol Ammons) for state Senate.”
* Politico…
The Illinois State Board of Elections administers elections, but Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias wants his office to play a bigger role in their outcomes.
His transition committee of 125 people, including former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, issued a report that calls for ramping up automatic voter registration, launching mail-in-ballot awareness and increasing polling places. The SOS report also calls for modernizing technology, improving driver services facilities and beefing up library enhancements, among other goals. Here’s the full report
* More on that apparent arson at Planned Parenthood in Peoria…
According to the Peoria Fire Department, the fire happened around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Firefighters and paramedics responded around 12:15 a.m., finding flames and smoke coming out of a front window. After putting it out, firefighters searched the building and found no one inside, but a firefighter was taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Total damages are estimated at around $150,000.
A neighbor who lives on the street tells 25News she was the one who called the incident in. According to her, an individual pulled up in a car with a maroon door at the corner close to her house. They then took what looked like a lunchbox out of the car and walked down the sidewalk towards the facility. That’s when the witness saw the suspect smash a window in, throw a flaming object inside, and run down the length of the street back to their vehicle, after which they drove away from the scene quickly.
The Fire Department says this isn’t the first incident of its kind at the facility. It marks the latest act of vandalism that Planned Parenthood says is on the rise across the state and country, a trend local lawmakers are also noticing.
* From Davos…
Au contraire, mon gouverneur…
Scientists in France have created a way to divert lightning strikes using a weather-controlling super laser.
Researchers with the Polytechnic Institute of Paris guided the strikes from thunderclouds to places where they don’t cause damage. The team says the new technique could save power stations, airports, launchpads, and other buildings from disaster.
Don’t tell Darren Bailey. He could use that laser to zap state budgets. Not sure if he’d need a FOID card, though.
…Adding… Equality Illinois press release…
The state’s LGBTQ+ civil rights organization endorses Mayor Lori Lightfoot for re-election as Chicago’s Mayor. […]
While Equality Illinois unequivocally endorses Mayor Lightfoot, we echo the sentiments of many of our valued partners that the Mayor should accelerate her administration’s response to many of our city’s most daunting challenges, particularly those challenges like health care and housing access which disproportionately impact our city’s BIPOC residents, including LGBTQ+ BIPOC residents. At the top of this list, we hope to see a bolder, more proactive agenda to redress the inequities perpetuated by the current state of policing in the city. The city must more boldly redress the harmful over-policing of Black and Brown communities and more aggressively root out harmful police actors, including those who affiliate with anti-LGBTQ+ organizations. We call on the Mayor to lead a re-envisioning of public safety in our city; one that centers equity in its approach and keeps its residents safe.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* STL Today | Guns in St. Louis are increasingly semi-automatic — with higher caliber bullets, too: Police in recent years have seen a sharp rise in both semi-automatic guns and higher caliber ammunition in St. Louis — so shooters fire more rounds in a short amount of time, with guns that are more likely to be loaded with bullets that do more damage upon impact. That’s a grim recipe for a city that consistently has one of the highest homicide rates in the nation.
* Chalkbeat | Departing State Superintendent Carmen Ayala looks back at her tenure, COVID challenges: Just one year after being named superintendent, Ayala found herself standing next to Gov. J.B. Pritzker as he announced the closing of over 3,000 schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. With Ayala at the helm, the State Board of Education quickly responded to the pandemic. Now, with schools reopened, classrooms buzzing with activity, and districts flush with federal dollars to help schools deal with the fallout from the pandemic, Ayala said she feels that “It’s time to rest.”
* Crain’s | ComEd seeks four-year rate hike totaling $1.5 billion: The numbers are well above the historically high rate hikes ComEd obtained under the 2011 formula-rate law, which permitted the utility to change its delivery rates annually under a formula that essentially removed the ordinary authority the Illinois Commerce Commission has to set utility rates. In 2024 alone, ComEd seeks to hike its delivery rates by $894 million, by far the steepest one-year rate increase ComEd ever has sought. After that, rates would increase by an average of $198 million annually through 2027.
* WGN | UIC faculty strike after failing to reach agreement with administration: While the union is pushing for pay and support of mental health resources for students, UIC says mental health needs are met holistically, not as part of a single-union contract. In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for the union said they have spent the last three years scrambling to mitigate the effects of the pandemic saying “our whole community, students and faculty are exhausted.”
* NBC Chicago | ‘Kraken’ COVID Variant, XBB.1.5 Climbing in Midwest, Experts Say More Cases Expected: The variant now makes up 43% of cases in the U.S. and more than 14% of cases in the Midwest, climbing in both metrics from 30.4% and roughly 7% the week prior, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
* Crain’s | The scion of one of Chicago’s richest families is taking on the city’s crime problems: Crown, though, is on the move elsewhere. Since October, he’s been leading a public safety task force established by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. At 69, he may be finally stepping into his father Lester’s civic leadership shoes to take on Chicago’s scourge of gun violence and the city’s regrettable global image as one big crime scene. The issue is more intractable and politically radioactive than even the knotty ones like O’Hare expansion and a new county hospital the elder Crown took on.
* WBEZ | From state regulations to finding financing, Illinois cannabis craft growers face multiple obstacles: The vast majority of future craft growers in Illinois are facing significant obstacles. It’s been three years since recreational cannabis became legal in Illinois. Out of 88 licenses issued, so far only one facility has opened and only one secured a loan through a state program set up specifically for marijuana businesses. Craft growers are finding it difficult to get financing or outside investments and they’re hamstrung by state regulations. Plus, they only have until March 1 to be ready to operate. Xavier is among those 88 applicants selected by a state lottery for a conditional craft grow license. These licenses were created, in part, as a way to help people get into the cannabis industry who otherwise wouldn’t have the means to do so.
* NBC Chicago | Zelle Fraud: More People Tricked Into Sending Money Over Popular E-Pay Option: Each year, millions of dollars are stolen from consumers through Zelle in fraudulent transfers, data shows, and victims say getting help or refunds from their banks has been difficult. That could soon be changing, as the Wall Street Journal reports the big banks that own Zelle’s parent company, Early Warning Services, have been meeting and negotiating the standardization of refund procedures, as well as the sharing of liability within the Zelle network.
* Tribune | Freshwater fish are significantly more contaminated with toxic forever chemicals than saltwater fish and shellfish, analysis shows: Eating just one freshwater fish a year can dramatically increase the amount of toxic forever chemicals coursing through a person’s blood, according to a new study that reflects more than a half century of pollution contaminating the Great Lakes and rivers nationwide. The alarming finding is based on an analysis of hundreds of fish caught by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency since 2013. Though the EPA has concluded some of the chemicals are harmful at any level, the agency hasn’t drawn attention to its fish sampling or warned Americans they could be in danger.
* Tribune | Two south suburban cops stole cash, drugs, extorted drivers: A south suburban police sergeant and a patrol officer under his command are facing federal charges alleging they robbed motorists of cash and drugs during traffic stops and extorted people in exchange for declining to press charges or tow their vehicles. Jarrett Snowden, 34, of Lansing, and Antoine “Bell” Larry, 46, of Bolingbrook, both officers for the small village of Phoenix, were charged in a four-count indictment made public Tuesday with bribery conspiracy, extortion, and attempted extortion.
* WBEZ | Everybody’s late and everything smells like weed: What nearly 2,000 CTA riders told us: The second-largest transit system in the United States spent 2022 trying to bounce back from a slew of challenges: a pandemic that wiped out ridership in systems across the country, shortages of bus and train operators and a massive culture shift toward remote work. That’s not much solace to John Wilmes, a professor at Roosevelt University who is pursuing a career change so he can work remotely after commuting for 12 years. “It’s been that bad. I can’t rely on it anymore,” he said. “I’ve always been a defender of the Chicago Transit Authority. I’ve always said, ‘Actually, it’s not that bad. It’s actually one of the good things about living here. It’s pretty reliable.’ That’s no longer true. And the city doesn’t seem to care.”
* Sun-Times | Shoddy investigations of officers tied to Oath Keepers, Proud Boys diminishes CPD’s integrity: If the Chicago Police Department expects residents to assist in their investigations and view its officers as honest and hard-working, it would help if they did a better job weeding out and thoroughly vetting cops who rubbed elbows with extremist right-wing organizations.
* Herald & Review | The steep plunge in used car prices — what it means, and what’s ahead: Since the start of the pandemic and the resulting disruptions to new car supply chains first sent prices soaring, used car prices posted their largest annual increase on record — up 45% in the 12 months ending in June 2021, according to the Consumer Price Index — before swinging to a 12-month drop of 8.8% in the most recent reading for December.
* News-Gazette | New abortion clinic to open in west Champaign: Plans for this new clinic have been afoot since at least June, when a fundraiser to help pay for a building purchase was launched on GoFundMe by Dayton, Ohio-based OB-GYN Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle and two others listed as fundraising team members, Aeran Trick and James Reisinger-Kindle.
* Tribune | A new lane in Chicago politics? Movement for more bike infrastructure grows: Rebecca Resman’s biking education group had long focused on teaching kids to safely ride bikes, hosting parent forums, family group rides and bike-to-school days. But then three children were killed in car crashes last June, including 2-year-old Raphael “Rafi” Cardenas atop a mini-scooter in Lincoln Square and 11-year-old Ja’Lon James biking to the store to get milk in Lawndale. The family of 3-year-old Lily Grace Shambrook, who was riding on the back of her mother’s bike in Uptown when she was killed in a semi-truck crash, plans to file a lawsuit Tuesday against the companies and drivers involved with her death, Clifford Law Offices said.
* WCIA | Champaign organization donates books to Central Illinois prisoners: For almost 20 years, Books To Prisoners has collected books to send to prisons in the area. The non-profit donates more than 6,000 books a year. Program coordinator Rachel Rasmussen said books are a great way to humanize and educate prisoners who don’t have access to reading.
* Sun-Times | Gay-owned restaurant in Rogers Park targeted in suspected homophobic attack: The owners of R Public House say a hammer-wielding man yelled gay slurs at patrons and broke a glass door Monday evening. ‘We’re not afraid,’ co-owner Sandra Carter says.
* WSIL | Doughboy Statue Vandalized in Herrin: The Doughboy Statue was recently vandalized in Herrin overnight with paint splattered on the base of the memorial and on the grounds around it.
Charles Parola, Chairman of the Doughboy Committee, assessed the damage to the sculpture on Monday after hearing about what happened.
* NYT | How Restaurant Workers Help Pay for Lobbying to Keep Their Wages Low: The National Restaurant Association uses mandatory $15 food-safety classes to turn waiters and cooks into unwitting funders of its battle against minimum wage increases.
* Sun-Times | Chicagoan awarded high honors from France for work rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral ravaged by fire: Knorowski organized a global virtual fundraising event whose participants included cellist and onetime Paris resident Yo-Yo Ma, actress Glenn Close, filmmaker Ken Burns, journalist Scott Simon and Notre Dame Cathedral organist Olivier Latry. The event raised about $500,000.
* WGN | Voting underway for 50 finalists in Chicago’s ‘Name a Snowplow’ contest: Last month, Chicago officials announced the contest and encouraged residents to use their “ingenuity and imagination” to create names by Jan. 6. The Department of Streets and Sanitation picked the finalists and voting is open through Jan. 31.
* Press release | Department on Aging Seeks Nominations for Senior Illinoisan Hall of Fame: “Nominating an older friend, family member or neighbor for the Senior Illinoisan Hall of Fame is a wonderful way to show them the impact of their contributions to your community,” said IDoA Director Paula Basta. “Each year, we enjoy reading the nominations to get to know Illinois’ most outstanding older adults and giving special recognition to four of them.”
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Arson investigation at Peoria Planned Parenthood
Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WCBU…
Officials say an overnight fire at the Peoria Planned Parenthood clinic was intentionally set.
Peoria Fire Department battalion chief Jeff Hascall said firefighters responded to a call at 2709 N. Knoxville Ave. just after 11:30 p.m. They found fire and smoke showing from one of the front windows. Planned Parenthood of Illinois president and CEO Jennifer Welch said a fire accelerant was thrown through the window.
The fire was brought under control by 12:15 a.m. Nobody was in the building at the time. One firefighter was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The fire was deemed to be an arson. Damage, estimated at $150,000, to the building are “significant,” said Welch.
“Thankfully, no patients or team members were present or harmed. Senseless acts of vandalism have been on the rise across the country and Illinois has become a target as extreme and divisive rhetoric increases,” Welch said in a statement.
Abortion procedures are not performed at the Peoria Planned Parenthood clinic, though abortion pills effective through the 11th week of pregnancy are available. The clinic offers services, including birth control, sexually-transmitted infection testing and treatment, and hormone replacement therapy for trans patients.
Welch said Planned Parenthood will work with authorities to prosecute those responsible “to the fullest extent of the law.” No arrests have been made.
* Meanwhile, here’s ABC Chicago…
Eight of the nine candidates vying for Chicago’s mayor took to the stage Saturday for a two-hour Women’s Mayoral Forum at the Chicago Temple. […]
“Do you remember how you felt when you heard about that draft decision? It was like a punch in the gut,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said while calling out Paul Vallas on the issue of abortion rights. “All of us were up in arms. All of us took to social media. All of us were doing everything that we could, except for Paul Vallas, who has been silent on us for seven months until today at this forum.” […]
“Lori likes to reinvent new facts to suit her narrative. That dog doesn’t hunt in this game,” Vallas, who is the former CPS CEO, responded. “As mayor, I pledge to work tirelessly to ensure that Chicago is a reproductive safe haven.”
“Shame on you, Paul, for not talking about women’s rights until today,” Lightfoot added.
* PBS…
Anti-abortion activists’ greatest ambition is to shape public opinion on abortion regardless of whether the procedure is legal, several of them said in conversations with the PBS NewsHour. The same advocates are also concerned about people who face unexpected pregnancies, and said that they want to expand social safety nets to help parents and infants — though much of their vision of the safety net is centered around Christian religious community.
“Quite frankly, this is all kind of new and there’s so much up in the air,” said Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, of her organization’s plans. “It’s kind of like throwing darts at that board to see where it’s going to land. We’re certainly going to try to direct it, but there are just a lot of unknown possibilities out there yet.”
“Nothing begets success like success,” said Shawn Carney, co-founder, CEO and president of 40 Days for Life, an anti-abortion activist group that twice a year organizes simultaneous prayer campaigns outside of abortion facilities for 40 days.
“People who were hesitant to do 40 Days for Life said, ‘Oh, we’ve got to do it now. We’re winning.’”
* The Daily Beast…
Leading up to the fall of Roe v. Wade last summer, activists and Republican politicians fought to restrict and ban abortion via medication, which has become the most popular and increasingly accessible way to terminate a first-trimester pregnancy in America. And the Food and Drug Administration’s recent rule change allowing retail pharmacies to provide the abortion drug mifepristone directly to patients has only heightened abortion opponents’ urgency to disrupt access to these pills. National anti-abortion groups have already announced upcoming protests at CVS and Walgreens, which have agreed to obtain certification to dispense the drug. […]
The text of one email [Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition] sent to the anti-abortion listserv, which he shared with The Daily Beast, outlined a specific strategy to win a boycott campaign. “Focus in on JUST ONE national chain. Pick the one that is in the weakest financial position.” Mahoney wrote. “Focus on the chain that has the most locations in the pro-life leaning states. Direct action and peaceful protests and local pharmacies. In other words, treat each pharmacy like an abortion clinic.”
For now, Stanton Public Policy Center has tabled its wild goose chase—finding Danco’s HQ—to focus on disrupting access to medication abortion. The group has planned a demonstration at a CVS in Northwest Washington, D.C. next Wednesday afternoon. Different groups have announced protests at various CVS and Walgreens locations all over the country on Feb. 4 and at Walgreens’ headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois, on Valentine’s Day.
* Jessica Valenti…
Idaho’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s abortion ban—but they also offered some ‘clarifications’ on law that aren’t likely to do anything other than further confusion and suffering. For example, Idaho’s ban requires that doctors who legally terminate pregnancies (in the limited exceptions that the state allows to do so) in a way that “provide[s] the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive.” Like, what?
The court writes that doctors performing abortions “must remove that unborn child in a manner that provides the best opportunity for survival (e.g., vaginal delivery or cesarean delivery)” as opposed to a procedure like a D&C—even if the doctor understands that the fetus will not be viable—unless doing so would pose a “greater risk of the death of the pregnant woman.”
The ruling is here.
* More…
* WSIL | Gun legislation, abortion among topics at Tuesday’s town hall in Marion: State Reps. David Friees (R-Red Bud), Dave Severin (R-Benton), Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) and Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) and Sens. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) and Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) are expected to attend. Severin wants to make clear that the town hall is not a gun rally and that organizers planned the event weeks before the gun legislation came to a vote.
* Bloomberg Law | State Abortion Rulings Post-Dobbs Begin Defining Scope of Rights: State top courts have begun weighing in on whether their laws provide greater protection for abortion rights than the federal constitution, with mixed results. A majority of South Carolina’s Supreme Court justices recently held that the state constitution’s guarantee against unreasonable invasions of privacy extends to abortion. But the Idaho Supreme Court reached the opposite conclusion, holding that there’s no fundamental right to abortion in the state constitution.
* NWI | Indiana Supreme Court weighs constitutionality of near-total abortion ban Thursday: At issue is whether the near-total abortion ban enacted in August by the Republican-controlled General Assembly and Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb infringes on liberties guaranteed by the Indiana Constitution. The 60-minute hearing before the five Republican-appointed justices is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Region time.
* Youth Today | For foster youth, new restrictions make abortion access even more difficult: As a growing number of states ban or further limit abortion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June, women in many places face increasing barriers to seeking abortion. But for teenagers and young people in foster care or those who have recently aged out, the new restrictions are making abortion access, already a challenge, even more difficult. Foster youth are more likely to become pregnant than their peers and less likely to have financial resources and a family support system. An American Academy of Pediatrics study found that half of children born to teens in foster care ended up in child protective services custody by their second birthday.
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* AG Raoul obliquely mentioned this topic during his inaugural address and I fleshed it out a bit for subscribers last week. Suffice it to say, Raoul wants a similar law passed here. Press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 18 attorneys general supporting a New York law to hold the firearms industry accountable. In an amicus brief, Raoul and the coalition argue that New York has the authority to protect residents and public safety.
New York enacted its statute to hold gun industry members accountable for the irresponsible sale and marketing of firearms when that conduct results in harm to the public. Under the law, public officials or private citizens can file a lawsuit against a gun industry member when they knowingly or recklessly endanger the safety or health of the public in New York state through the unlawful or unreasonable sale, manufacturing, importing, or marketing of firearms. Gun industry members can also be held liable when they fail to use reasonable controls and procedures to prevent firearms from being unlawfully used or sold in New York state.
“Attorneys general play a key role in protecting residents from unlawful industry practices,” Raoul said. “My office has used its consumer protection powers to hold the tobacco, opioid, and payday loan industries accountable. Our enforcement actions have significantly changed industry behavior to protect Illinois residents. The firearms industry is not exempt from that same accountability, and that is why I filed this brief in support of New York’s law.”
Several members of the firearms industry sued New York, arguing that the statute is preempted by federal law and is unconstitutional. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York dismissed the lawsuit. Raoul and the coalition are now asking the appellate court to affirm the lower court’s ruling, which found that the law is not preempted by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act — a federal law that limits civil remedies against gun industry members for harms caused solely by the misconduct of individuals who use firearms. The court also found that the law did not run afoul of either the Dormant Commerce Clause or the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Raoul and the coalition argue that New York’s statute is lawful and benefits the public. As the brief explains, empirical evidence suggests a direct link between the harmful effects of gun violence and the irresponsible actions of gun industry members, such as dealers failing to enact reasonable controls to prevent straw purchasing or manufacturers designing novel marketing schemes to target vulnerable youth. New York’s law serves the important purpose of deterring gun industry members from engaging in irresponsible practices that actively contribute to increasing gun violence and, where necessary, holds those who engage in such tactics accountable for their own actions.
The brief is the most recent step in Attorney General Raoul’s work to address gun violence throughout Illinois and across the nation. The Attorney General’s office created a state-of-the-art crime-gun tracing database for Illinois law enforcement called Crime Gun Connect. Raoul’s office also collaborates with local law enforcement to combat gun trafficking and has used the office’s jurisdiction to prosecute multi-county gun trafficking offenses. Additionally, the Attorney General’s office works with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to increase awareness of Illinois’ red flag law and to address gaps in Illinois’ firearms licensing system. The office also continues to prosecute individuals who lie on FOID card applications.
The Attorney General’s office partners with the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) to try to avert violence by hosting trainings for law enforcement officers, educators, religious leaders and other community members that are designed to prevent targeted acts of violence.
Attorney General Raoul has persistently advocated at the federal and state levels to strengthen regulation of 3D-printed guns and ghost guns. Illinois law now prohibits ghost guns, but the office continues to fight in federal court to help defend a recent rule closing the federal loophole. Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s office also defends cases pending in courts across the state challenging Illinois regulations of firearms. Nationally, Attorney General Raoul successfully filed and resolved a lawsuit to get the federal firearm license of an unscrupulous arms manufacturer revoked.
In addition to supporting law enforcement, the Attorney General’s office supports victims service providers around Illinois that offer trauma-informed services for crime victims and their families. Raoul’s Crime Victims Services Division administers a host of programs and services to assist survivors of violent crime. More information is available on the Attorney General’s website.
Joining Raoul in the filing the brief, are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
The amicus brief is here.
…Adding… Meanwhile, I told subscribers about this today, so I’ll just share it here without comment…
*** UPDATE 1 *** The first lawsuit against the new assault weapons ban has been filed. Looks like they’re using the kitchen sink approach. Click here.
*** UPDATE 2 *** You knew it wouldn’t be long before Tom DeVore found a pigeon… er… client…
I am pleased to announce this moming we have filed our first lawsuit in Effingham County against Governor Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon, Speaker of the House Christopher Welch and Attorney General Kwame Raul in regard to HB 5471, which law is an outright attack on the constitutional rights of lawful gun owners across the state unless one is so fortunate to be in the large group of persons who somehow are excepted out. The case is styled as Accuracy Firearms, LLC et al. v. Pritzker et al. which case number is 2023-MR-04. The people came together, and as result, citizens from 87 counties joined in this effort to defend their inalienable rights to bear arms and to further stand up against the tyrannical ways which their legislature and the Governor continue to pass legislation in violation of clear constitutional mandates.
No longer can the citizens sit idly by while bureaucrats destroy the very foundational fabric of our great Republic. It’s an honor of my lifetime to play a role in representing the People against tyranny. Whether it be with the Illinois Supreme Court or the United States Supreme Court, we will continue to seek redress at every available turn until such time as the foundational principles which make this country great are restored to the People.
The Court has graciously provided my clients with an emergency hearing at 11:00 A.M. tomorow in Effingham County wherein we are asking for a temporary restraining order to restore their constitutional right to bear arms while this matter proceeds through the Courts.
“Bureaucrats”? This is duly enacted legislation, Tom. Good to see he hasn’t lost his dramatic flair /s
*** UPDATE 3 *** ISRA…
“The ISRA leads the charge in opposing Illinois’ new gun legislation, which we believe to be unconstitutional. We will be filing a federal lawsuit imminently.”
Richard Pearson Executive Director
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* Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) on Tucker Carlson…
Wilhour: Tucker, there are sheriffs all over the state, in fact, the majority of them said they’re not going to enforce this because it’s unconstitutional and it’s not enforceable. And, Tucker, man, I think that we are in danger of losing our country if we don’t stand up, if we don’t wake up. And you know, I didn’t leave the farm to go to the General Assembly to stand by and watch somebody like JB Pritzker trash our Constitution. He trashed it during COVID with his illegal lockdowns. He trashed it with his so called SAFE-T Act letting violent criminals out on the street. And now he’s coming after our guns and we’re just here to tell him that there’s 2.5 million legal gun owners in the state of Illinois that need a word and if he thinks that he’s going to come in here and make us register or legally obtained firearms, well, he better pack a lunch because it’s not going to happen we won’t comply.
Carlson: Well, of course, these are people who were not committing crimes, who are threat to nobody. And here is one of the dumbest, least accomplished people in our country. His family’s rich, he buys the seat and he can violate the Constitution because his family’s rich? So I really hope that people will just say no, this is too far and you think that people will do that?
Wilhour: I think they will. Violence is out of control in Chicago, they got the toughest gun laws in the country. You know, if they want to solve the crime problem they need to solve the opportunity problem in this state. Democrats in this state have destroyed the ability to make a good wage for too many people in this state.
Carlson: Yeah, so let’s go after the law abiders.
Wilhour: And that’s left too many people behind, Tucker, and that’s where the violence comes from.
Carlson: Blaine Wilhour, remaining in Illinois I hope for a long time. Great to speak to you, thank you.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Interesting work from home data from a noted Stanford Economics Professor…
From the link…
• The American Community Survey measures the share of employees who work fully from home.
• On a comparable sample – employees aged 20-64 earning at least $10,000 – the [American Community Survey] finds 18.39% of employees are fully remote while [the US Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes] finds 19.97%
• Google Workplace Mobility data measures the reduction in commuting days to workplaces across all cellphone users.
• Google records a 24.4% reduction in daily trips to workplaces, which when added to an ATUS-based estimate of 5% of days WFH pre-pandemic (see Barrero et al, 2021), yields a 29.4% share of WFH days. The corresponding SWAA estimate is 28.2%.
• The Household Pulse Survey measures the amount of working from home 1-2, 3-4, or 5+ days in the previous week at the individual level. For an aligned sample by age and income from June 2022 to December they estimate 30.2% of days WFH a week compared to 29.3% of days for SWAA
• On all three measures our SWWA data aligns extremely closely and levels and time series, giving us confidence in the accuracy of the analysis using this.
* The Question: How does your workplace location differ from before the pandemic? Explain.
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
When the Democrats get their act together during a legislative lame duck session, they can really pass a lot of stuff in short order.
We’ve seen it before. Two years ago, the Democrats passed a huge amount of important legislation, including the SAFE-T Act, in just a few days.
Except maybe for the assault weapons ban, which is proving unpopular with county sheriffs who believe they have the right to personally interpret the Constitution, nothing quite that intensely controversial passed during this year’s lame duck session.
Both chambers also passed a bill to protect out-of-state abortion providers who travel to Illinois, which has since been signed into law. The bill also protects non-Illinois physicians and parents of children who travel here for gender-affirming care.
And both chambers gave Gov. J.B. Pritzker a big win with the passage of his $500 million Large Business Attraction Fund. There are hopes that the governor can use at least some of that money to persuade Stellantis to transform its about-to-be-closed Belvidere plant to one that makes electric vehicles.
The coverage of those three bills will likely overshadow some other bills of note:
• SB208: I think this bill could have more impact on the day-to-day lives of struggling working people than maybe anything else I’ve ever seen passed in Illinois. All workers at private companies will now qualify for five paid leave days per year, no questions asked.
Just try missing a couple of days’ pay on a budget with absolutely no wiggle room. It can be a disaster. And now, some, or even much of that pain will be avoided.
The state’s top business groups, led by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, have been negotiating this bill for years, mainly in an attempt to preempt Chicago from passing a more generous plan. But the final bill allows the city and other home rule units to pass more expansive benefit laws, and the groups were neutral.
All props to sponsors Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth and Sen. Kimberly Lightford for getting this thing across the finish line with the help of the two Democratic legislative leaders, the governor and organized labor. Some Republicans even voted for it in the House. I really can’t believe this all came together.
• HB1563: The legislature approved a bill a few years ago which required all state jobs with no specific location requirements to be relocated to Sangamon County. Newly created jobs had to be located in the state capital’s county as well. But both lame duck chambers significantly loosened those requirements.
• HB969: The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability revised this fiscal year’s revenue outlook upward by a whopping $4.9 billion last November. The belief is that this money is one-time only, so the governor and the Democratic legislative leaders have proposed using most of that cash to pay down bills, build up the Rainy Day Fund, create a business attraction fund, etc.
But legislators are spending creatures and they all have priorities, so the pressure to add big-time dollars into the state’s base spending is undoubtedly intense, which could cause a fiscal disaster if/and/or when revenues fall.
One solution is to divert some of that extra cash into one-time spending for members, including capital projects. The idea would be to placate legislators without putting future pressure on the state budget.
So, the new supplemental appropriations bill has a ton of one-time local and Democratic priority spending, like $5 million to the Hate Crimes and Bias Incident and Response Fund; $162 million for “costs associated with care and services provided to asylum seekers” that the city has sought; $1 million to the Chicago Recovering Communities Coalition for the South Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force; $10 million to the Office of the State Appellate Defender for “all costs associated with pretrial release”; $500K to the Peoria Civic Center for “audience building seed”; $75 million for housing programs; $4 million for East St. Louis home renovation grants; $11 million for construction of an East St. Louis trauma recovery center; $9 million to community colleges and universities to administer the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act; etc., etc., etc. Several churches will receive state funds as well.
Not everyone was happy. Just $12.5 million was appropriated to community-based services for persons with developmental disabilities, when advocates wanted at least $30 million.
And there’s a danger that a few of these one-time grants could create future spending pressure. Casa Central, a Latino social service agency, is getting $500,000 for ongoing operating expenses as is the Peoria Riverfront Museum and others. But it’s not really a huge amount.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | Illinois’ sweeping firearms ban certain to end up in court, and some experts doubt it will stand: While no lawsuit has yet been filed, experts on gun legislation and constitutional law said the new restrictions face a murky legal future, particularly in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision striking down New York state’s concealed carry law.
* Tucker Carlson | Rep. Blaine Wilhour on Gov. Pritzker’s gun ban: ‘We are in danger of losing our country if we don’t stand up’: Illinois State Rep. Blaine Wilhour lambasts Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker’s law banning ‘assault weapons’ and comments on the sheriffs who say they will not enforce the law on ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’
* People | Late Ill. Senator’s Wife Discusses ‘Therapeutic’ Decision to Carry Out His Term in Office After Abrupt Death: Dr. Stacy Bennett — now former Illinois state Sen. Stacy Bennett — tells PEOPLE about stepping into her late husband’s Senate seat after he unexpectedly died of a brain tumor in December
* Chicago Tribune | As Illinois’ CROWN Act goes into effect, we catch up with Jett Hawkins, a boy who made legislative history with his hair: A call from Hawkins’ West Side private school, Providence St. Mel, would lead Nelson to remove the braids from Jett’s hair because his look was in violation of the hairstyle policy in the student handbook. Nelson advocated for her son’s freedom of expression, and state Sen. Mike Simmons, a North Side Democrat, sponsored Senate Bill 817, which was signed into law Aug. 13, 2021.
* The Daily Northwestern | Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) becomes Illinois House majority leader: Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Hillside) selected Gabel for the role. Gabel will replace state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) — who did not run for reelection last year — as the majority leader.
* WSIL | Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton speaks at 2 MLK events in Southern Illinois: Stratton first joined the community at the SIU Student Center where she spoke at the MLK 41st Scholarship Breakfast sponsored by the Carbondale Branch NAACP. She then made her way to Pulaski, IL, where she then attended and spoke at a Martin Luther King Jr. event there as well.
* Tribune | Just let the Bears go? Chicago’s mayoral candidates on what they’d do to keep the team — and what happens to Soldier Field.: At a forum in December, three candidates — Paul Vallas, Ja’Mal Green and 6th Ward Ald. Roderick Sawyer — quipped that the city should just let its NFL team go. Green elaborated that the next mayor should focus on revitalizing Soldier Field by “maybe a couple of $100 million” so it can be leased for college sports or to another NFL team.
* Sun-Times | Illinois Gaming Board OKs gaming license for clout-heavy lawyer James J. Banks in an about-face: But the state agency won’t say what new evidence prompted it to approve James J. Banks — an Illinois Tollway board member under five governors — for video poker machines and other gambling devices.
* Capitol News Illinois | Report predicts billions in motor fuel tax revenue losses if state meets EV goals: Despite Illinois’ efforts to smoothly integrate electric vehicles into the state’s economy, a new report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute is warning of a potential steep decline in transportation revenue as the process of electrification accelerates.
* Crain’s | Chuy Garcia unveils public safety plan in race for mayor: The anticipated plan sought to walk the difficult tightrope other campaigns have faced in advocating for both investing in the police department by “increasing staff levels and focusing” on patrol beats, while investing in violence prevention efforts. Garcia’s speech touting the plan heavily criticized Lightfoot for “broken promises” and backtracking on reform efforts, but his own plan mirrored Lightfoot’s approach in some aspects and was light on specifics when calling for new approaches.
* Sun-Times | Garcia tries to distance himself from indicted crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried: Under fire by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia said he has never met nor spoken to Bankman-Fried and has no idea why he spent $151,420 on direct mail pieces that introduced Garcia to voters of his newly remapped congressional district.
* Politico | US lawmakers in Davos tell Europeans: America’s not protectionist: As snow pounds the Swiss mountain town of Davos, American lawmakers are huddled in warm, quiet rooms trying to assuage European concerns that the United States hasn’t just turned into a protectionist power.
* Herald and Review | How Alexi Giannoulias hopes to shorten your wait at the DMV : “We are excited about bringing some of this new technology. We are looking at implementing our skip-line appointment program, which will reduce wait times,” Giannoulias told Lee Enterprises in an interview last week. “We’re going to launch an electronic car title system to streamline the car registration process.”
* Tribune | Migrants arriving in Chicago sleeping in bus shelters and police stations as community steps in to help: Pino Marcano and three other men he met on his journey north from Venezuela walked to a place where they heard from other asylum-seekers that they could find space. But they were turned away because there were no more beds, Pino Marcano said. That night the group slept under a bus shelter, but Pino Marcano found resolve.
* Crain’s | Orphe Divounguy: How Illinois could benefit from a Midwestern revival: Today’s affordability crunch in expensive coastal cities creates an opportunity for the Midwest. As people look for new ways to overcome the home affordability crisis, Midwestern markets—which tend to be relatively more affordable—are expected to fare better than other similarly sized metro areas amid the current nationwide housing cooldown.
* Crain’s | Ken Griffin sells Park Tower condo for $11.2 million: The 66th-floor condo at the Park Tower on Michigan Avenue sold Jan. 13. It’s the second completed deal in the sell-off of his downtown Chicago portfolio, which began in July when he put four units on the market with a combined asking price of $54.5 million.
* Tribune | Hotels are getting close to pre-pandemic business levels, and more convention travelers in 2023 could close the gap: More than 2.5 million people are expected to attend 2023 events at the convention complex, up from the nearly 1.5 million who showed up last year, according to Cynthia McCafferty, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the corporation that owns McCormick Place and Navy Pier.
* AP | Memorial for Lisa Marie Presley to be held at Graceland: A public memorial service for Lisa Marie Presley will be held next weekend at Graceland, the famed Memphis home of her father, Elvis Presley. The memorial for Lisa Marie Presley will be held on the front lawn of the mansion at 9 a.m. on Jan. 22, according to a representative of her daughter and actor Riley Keough.
* AP | On King’s holiday, daughter calls for bold action over words: The Rev. Bernice King, who leads The King Center in Atlanta, said leaders — especially politicians — too often cheapen her father’s legacy into a “comfortable and convenient King” offering easy platitudes. “We love to quote King in and around the holiday. … But then we refuse to live King 365 days of the year,” she declared at the commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her father once preached.
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Open thread
Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* I hope y’all had a relaxing long weekend. What’s going on in your part of Illinois today?
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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