* I don’t think I knew anyone at the Statehouse who loved their job more than Len Lieberman loved his. Len was the Jewish Federation’s lobbyist and he took his responsibility seriously as his faith’s top liaison to Illinois’ government. But he was also an incredibly kind person, a humble man with a genuine smile for everyone. A mensch in the truest sense of the word.
Len stayed out of politics because he lobbied both sides of the aisle and, before that, had worked for the state. But he proudly sent me an email back in 2014 with the announcement that these were his first two yard signs in 40 years, “two people I know personally and respect,” he said…
* Many, if not most members of the General Assembly never got to know Len because he’s been retired for so long. I feel sorry for you…
Len was born in Chicago on September 23rd 1947. There he attended Mather High School before graduating from Northern Illinois University in 1969. Len worked for ten years at both the Department of Transportation and Department of Corrections. He then found his dream job as a lobbyist for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and the statewide Jewish Federations for 29 years.
A community activist, Len was a prior President of Congregation Temple Israel and the Springfield Jewish Federation, among other board positions. He was a founding volunteer with the local Parents Anonymous chapter, and B’nai B’rith Lodge #67 when it was re-founded, later served on the boards of Oak Ridge Cemetery and the State Journal Register’s Advisory Committee. Among his accomplishments Len was named Professional of the Year, given a Lifetime Achievement Award, honored as Alumni of the Year by his alma mater, and upon his retirement had the Len Lieberman Professional of the Year award named for him by the Jewish Federations of North America. In retirement he became active in the LLCC Academy of Lifelong Learning, serving as president in 2017-2018 among other leadership roles.
What Len treasured most in his later years were his relationships with the individuals he mentored, his many bridge and poker groups, and the annual get-together with his fellow NIU alumnists.
Len often said that when he died, celebrate his life rather than mourn his death.
His family asks that you contribute to your local Jewish Federation or Temple Israel in his name. Also, make a point to do something fun and kind. I’m sure he’d like that…
After years of dysfunction in Springfield, JB is turning things around and getting big things done for Illinois.
From enshrining reproductive rights into state law, to a historic bipartisan infrastructure plan, to raising the minimum wage to a living wage, JB is moving Illinois in the right direction. And we want to hear why that matters to supporters like you, who’ve made all of this possible.
We want to know: Which of JB’s policies have benefited you and your family? Why would you re-elect JB for another term?
* The Question: Could you please tell us, as of today, why you would or why you would not vote to reelect the governor? Explain, please.
Among COVID-19–like illness hospitalizations among adults aged ≥18 years whose previous infection or vaccination occurred 90–179 days earlier, the adjusted odds of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 among unvaccinated adults with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection were5.49-fold higher than the odds among fully vaccinated recipients of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine who had no previous documented infection (95% confidence interval = 2.75–10.99).
What are the implications for public health practice?
All eligible persons should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible, including unvaccinated persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. [Emphasis added.]
According to the Food and Drug Administration’s announcement authorizing the use of the Pfizer vaccine in children 5 through 11, the recommendation would be for a two-dose series, three weeks apart, but at a lower dose than has been used for people 12 and older. Younger children would receive 10 micrograms, compared with individuals 12 years and older, who receive 30 micrograms.
The FDA noted that in the U.S., 39% of COVID-19 cases in people younger than 18 are in children 5 through 11 years old, and about 8,300 COVID-19 cases resulted in hospitalization in this younger age group. As of Oct. 17, according to the FDA, 691 deaths from COVID-19 had been reported in the U.S. in people under age 18; 146 of these deaths were of children 5 to 11.
The CDC notes that although fewer children have been infected with the virus compared to adults, kids can be infected, get sick and spread COVID-19. Right now, youths 12 and older receive the same dosage of the Pfizer vaccine as adults, and there are no patient weight requirements for vaccination, nor does the dosage vary by weight.
Illinois students from economically disadvantaged families — who represent nearly 50% of the state’s roughly 2 million students — appear to have borne the brunt of the disruptions to education during the pandemic, with test scores for students in grades 3-8 plunging in math and English language arts on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness.
Now, with Illinois schools slated to receive around $7 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding, educators hope to bridge the gap with everything from tutoring and teacher development, to after-school programs and extra social emotional support for students dealing with trauma.
Still, school officials say despite Illinois classrooms being fully reopened for in-person learning this fall, the pandemic is far from over, and academic recovery efforts continue to be hampered by students in quarantine, hiring challenges and educators who are already exhausted, just two months into the new school year.
While around 25% of low-income third graders met proficiency standards for math in 2019, that number declined sharply during the pandemic, with only 13% of third graders in that demographic meeting proficiency standards on the recent assessment.
About 47,000 patients with the virus are currently hospitalized nationwide, according to a seven-day average of data from the Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. is reporting an average of roughly 1,150 Covid fatalities per day, according to Johns Hopkins data. Both figures are flat over the past week.
Besides the plateauing cases, Fauci, also director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the U.S. must focus on vaccinating the roughly 60 million people nationwide who have not yet been immunized. That excludes 28 million children ages 5 to 11 who became eligible to receive Pfizer’s two-dose Covid vaccine earlier this month, he noted.
“There’s a lot of good news, but some challenging news that we really need to address as we go into the winter months,” Fauci said.
Fauci added that those who’ve been fully vaccinated for Covid can gather for the holiday season without concern. But he recommended wearing a mask in indoor congregate settings with cases still hovering at a high level nationwide.
“When you’re with your family at home, goodness, enjoy it with your parents, your children, your grandparents,” he said. “There’s no reason not to do that.”
1,150 deaths per day translates to almost 420,000 per year.
Though Lake County remains in the high risk category, the number of new cases of COVID-19 is approximately a quarter of what they were a year ago.
Local health officials say that decline is thanks in large part to the vaccine.
“It was four times higher without the vaccine,” said Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister. “The major difference is the vaccine. Most of the new cases and hospitalizations are people who were not vaccinated.”
The county experienced a 10.35% increase of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past week but also crossed the 80% threshold of vaccinated residents with 80.1% of those eligible for vaccination receiving their shots.
The opponents of vaccination requirements may be loud and litigious, “but they’re not going to get 50% of the vote plus one,” [Chris Mooney, a University of Illinois at Chicago political science professor] said. “And that’s, in some sense, what it’s coming down to for Pritzker.”
* More…
* ‘A real sense of relief’: Illinois school-based vaccine clinics get shots in arms of kids ages 5 to 11
The attorney suing the governor for defamation may have a high burden to prove his case.
After being called a “grifter” by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Attorney Thomas DeVore filed a defamation case in Sangamon County late last month.
Pritzker’s comments came after DeVore filed a lawsuit against COVID-19 mandates in schools on behalf of more than 700 parents.
“So to make the suggestion that somehow or another these people were stolen from for all intents and purposes is completely out of bounds,” DeVore told.
He said he’s not a thief, didn’t dupe anyone and the governor’s comments have a chilling effect, keeping people from speaking up or taking action against policies they disagree with.
DeVore is seeking damages of more than $50,000.
While some suggest the governor has executive immunity, DeVore downplayed that idea.
“Ultimately, the governor can’t just say whatever he wants to say about somebody in that fashion, he doesn’t have that ability,” DeVore said.
Attorney Don Craven explained Pritzker has absolute immunity due to an Illinois Supreme Court decision from 1976. Former governor Dan Walker had issued press releases with alleged statements of libel against two real estate brokers who were also attorneys.
Allan Blair and David Gray believed Walker made malicious statements about them and knew they were false. However, the highest court said executives need to exercise their duties free from civil liabilities for statements they make.
“So the use of the word grifter, even without the issue of absolute immunity, it’s simply name-calling. Perhaps it’s inartful name-calling, perhaps very artful name-calling,” Craven said. “But name-calling is not defamatory either.”
We emphasize that today’s decision is not an endorsement of either the tenor or the content of the defendant’s statements concerning the plaintiffs. The Governor’s position could undoubtedly have been expressed to the people with language less calculated to injure the plaintiffs’ personal and professional reputations. While it is unfortunate that the application of executive immunity may occasionally deny relief to a deserving individual, the sacrifice is justified by the public’s need for free and unfettered action by its representatives.
“I’ve accused him of making horrible policy decisions,” DeVore said. “And I will continue to do so. But again, I’m taking issue with him as a politician. He’s taking issue with me in my professional capacity as an attorney. It’s not the same thing.”
* I also told you a year ago today that DeVore was asked whether it might be time to stop filing lawsuits because he was losing so many of them…
If they think that any of this is going on is about winning or losing lawsuits, the people that say that need to consider if they’re as intelligent as they think they are. This isn’t about winning lawsuits.
…Adding… DeVore’s American Freedom website is hosted by a German company.
* Related…
* Editorial: Our COVID-19 obligations: What few of us fully appreciate — and certainly most of the unvaccinated and those who disdain masks don’t — is that each of those who died were, in reality, killed by other people. Yes, the virus is a killer. But it could not kill anyone without people who are complicit in passing it along.
Republicans and a Latino voting rights group have filed alternatives to the state legislative districts drawn by Democrats, with both challenges pushing for greater Chicago-area Latino representation than provided in the map signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
In federal court filings on Wednesday, both the GOP and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund contended the Democratic-drawn map violates constitutional and federal Voting Rights Act guarantees by diluting the votes of a growing Latino population. […]
In its filing, MALDEF contended the Democratic map violates the federal Voting Rights Act “with regard to Latino voters on the North Side and Southwest Side of Chicago” and that Democrats engaged in a “racial gerrymander” aimed at protecting white Southwest Side incumbents. […]
Democrats have until Nov. 22 to file their response to the alternatives with the court. The challengers will have until the week after to respond to Democrats. In court arguments over the boundaries are scheduled to begin Dec. 6.
The proposed GOP maps would create four House districts in northern Cook County where Latinos make up a majority of the citizen voting age population, seven Latino-majority districts in southern Cook County and one district in nearby Aurora, District 50, where Latinos make up slightly less than half the voting age population but would still have an opportunity to elect a Latino candidate.
Their plan would also create a Black-majority House district centered in East St. Louis.
Their proposed map would reconfigure House Districts 3, 4, 39 and 77, primarily in Chicago’s northwest side and neighboring suburbs like Franklin Park and Melrose Park. Other districts around those proposed Latino districts would be adjusted so they would be substantially equal in population, but otherwise would be similar to their configuration in the September maps.
In southern Cook County, the GOP map would reconfigure House Districts 1, 2, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 32, all in Chicago’s southwest side and adjacent suburbs such as Berwyn, Cicero, and Burbank.
MALDEF’s map would create 10 Latino citizen voting age population majority House districts and four such Senate districts.
In a separate interview with Crain’s, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he hadn’t yet seen the maps released by Republicans, so he couldn’t comment directly on whether they expanded minority representation, but did say “Republicans are not known for doing things to increase diversity and representation. Just look at their caucus.” […]
The UCCRO/NAACP coalition submitted their own fresh map that they say addresses the dilution of the Black vote in the 114th House District (currently represented by Rep. LaToya Greenwood). Their proposal keeps certain communities like Washington Park, Belleville, and the Scott Air Force Base together and boosts the Black voting age population to 49.45%, up from the 33.55% in the current map.
But it’s unclear whether the courts will take up any of the remedial maps. Ami Gandhi, senior counsel at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights who is representing UCCRO in the case, said they are “still awaiting details from the court on what procedures it will be planning from here on out.”
* Other stuff…
* Charles Selle: Illinois congressional districts were ‘cherrymandered’
A Chicago police leader who worked to implement the department’s federal consent decree sent a resignation letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot this summer alleging that CPD’s top leadership failed “to even feign interest in pursuing reform in a meaningful manner.”
Then the official alleged that Chicago police retaliated against him for raising concerns about the department’s progress complying with court-ordered reforms. […]
“Unfortunately, my disappointment with the inability of this department’s top leadership to even feign interest in pursuing reform in a meaningful manner has made it impossible for me to remain involved,” [Chad Williams, the former civilian commanding officer of the department’s audit division] wrote in the email [to Mayor Lighfoot], obtained by the Tribune via a public records request. “Even more unfortunate is that my experience is far from unique. Many well-meaning and talented civilians have signed up to help improve the nation’s (second largest) police department, only to find themselves steadily thwarted by its perverse incentive structures until they inevitably depart due to demoralization.” […]
“Despite my efforts, both the office of the superintendent and the office of constitutional policing & reform continue to insist upon employing a ‘check the boxes’ strategy that focuses on getting credit for ‘preliminary compliance’ based primarily on policy edits that lack operational considerations,” Williams said. “Over time, the optimism I brought to this role withered in an incessant stream of discussions with the singular intent of identifying ways to ‘move the needle’ by ‘getting the percentages up’ to improve portrayals in local media coverage.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel had to be dragged by Attorney General Lisa Madigan into that consent decree. Sounds like the current administration is just trying to do the easy stuff first to get some positive news media coverage.
A top adviser to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot resigned in August while raising concerns about the city’s ability to “keep moving the ball forward” on its violence prevention efforts and Police Department consent decree implementation, records obtained by the Tribune show.
Lightfoot’s one-time deputy mayor for public safety, Susan Lee, left that post in fall 2020 but remained involved at City Hall as an unpaid consultant on public safety issues, according to a contract between Lee and the city.
Part of her adviser role included consent decree implementation, according to the agreement.
Lee sent Lightfoot chief of staff Sybil Madison and current Deputy Mayor for Public Safety John O’Malley an email on Aug. 2 seeking to “clarify” her role as senior adviser. In the email, on which she also copied Lightfoot, Lee said she’d been trying to “connect” with the mayor “for weeks” but had been unsuccessful.
* Disorganized Cops Handcuffed Innocent Black Teens at Gunpoint Multiple Times In Bizarre 2019 Incident, New Body Camera Video Shows: As he stepped out of his family’s Rogers Park apartment, he didn’t know he’d soon be stopped by Chicago Police officers four times, and handcuffed twice, in the span of 20 minutes. He also didn’t know around that same time, officers in the area were responding to a 911 call about a group of “Black males” who were “up to no good,” according to dispatch audio, and that they would target him and his younger brother, who were innocent.
* The sergeant who led the botched raid in February 2019 that left Anjanette Young handcuffed while naked and pleading for help should be fired, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown told the Chicago Police Board.
* For years, the Chicago Tribune editorial board argued that voters should give Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios the hook. That finally happened a few years ago and many of the same upper-income people who backed Berrios’ opponent Fritz Kaegi are now upset at Kaegi for matching their property tax assessments to reality. The Tribune editorial board sums up the issues today…
During Berrios’ eight-year reign, ethics rules went ignored. Patronage and nepotism became the norm. Deep-pocketed insiders knew they could secure assessment reductions through well-timed campaign donations to his office. Finally, in 2018, voters indicated they had seen enough, and embraced Kaegi’s pledge to reform the county’s broken tax assessment system.
And so far, that’s exactly what Kaegi has set out to do. His reforms include basing assessments on the most accurate market value of properties — commercial and residential. What business community lobbyists conveniently forget is that, under Berrios, commercial and industrial properties were undervalued by nearly 40% in Cook County, and almost 50% in Chicago. Billions of dollars of tax burden was shifted from moneyed communities to low-income and minority neighborhoods.
And [business lobbyists] should push [state legislators] to get rid of Cook County’s tax classification system that assesses commercial and industrial properties at a higher rate than homeowners — a 2.5 to 1 difference.
Possible translation: We didn’t like it when Joe Berrios shifted billions of dollars of the property tax burden to low-income and minority communities. We’d prefer it, however, if the General Assembly would give business owners a gigantic property tax cut and force low income and minority residents to pay lots more because then it would be all nice and legal.
Maybe I’m missing something here, or maybe they just don’t quite understand what they wrote. But I don’t see how that comes out any other way in the end.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will be among the governors, mayors and members of Congress at the White House today to celebrate President Joe Biden signing the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
* Gov. Pritzker statement via press release…
President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure deal is a testament to what government should do for the people it serves: create millions of jobs, power local economies, double down on America’s global leadership, and ensure working families have the roads, routes, and digital access they need to succeed in the 21st century. And thanks to our Rebuild Illinois infrastructure plan — the largest in state history — the Land of Lincoln is prepped and ready for federal dollars to jumpstart our projects ahead of schedule.
I am proud to join President Biden, Vice President Harris, and colleagues from across the nation to celebrate this exemplary renewal of federal leadership. Every American deserves access to safe, reliable transportation. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — the largest of its kind in over a decade — is how we deliver on that mission. Let’s get to work.
According to Lightfoot, money from the bill will fund “huge improvements to our CTA without any change in cost to consumers while delivering the same service they expect.”
The CTA system will “become 100% accessible with the addition and improvement of elevators and other ADA enhancements,” Lightfoot said, and “the Red Line will finally be extended to 130th Street.” Also, she said “the bus system will become fully electric,” and lead pipe replacement will be faster. […]
Lawmakers were told the White House invited at least 200 to the bill ceremony, enough to include almost all yes votes. Illinois Democratic Reps. Marie Newman, Bobby Rush and Cheri Bustos are among those who will attend the White House signing. […]
The infrastructure bill, a major Biden agenda item, “marks the largest investments in roads, bridges and highways since the creation of the Interstate Highway System,” [deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation Polly Trottenberg] said.
* Background from the governor’s office…
• Gov. Pritzker last visited the White House July 14, 2021 to discuss the infrastructure package and how it would benefit states.
Under theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Illinois will receive:
• Water Infrastructure:The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal includesSenator Duckworth’s entireDrinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act,which would help rebuild our nation’s crumbling and dangerous water infrastructure,and also provides five years’ worth of appropriations totaling $1.7 billion to improve drinking and wastewater infrastructure throughout Illinois.
• Roads and bridges:$9.8 billion for federal-aid highway projects and $1.4 billion for bridge replacement and repairs. The state will be eligible for billions more in competitive grant programs.
• Public transportation:Approximately $4 billion over five years to improve public transportation options across the state. The state will be eligible for billions more in competitive grant programs.
• Broadband:A minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the at least 228,000 Illinoisans who currently lack it. 2,926,000 Illinoisans, or 23 percent, will be eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.
• Airports:Approximately $616 million for airport improvements over five years, increasing the Airport Improvement Grant Program and creating a new Airport Terminal Improvement Program.
• Electric vehicles:$149 million over five years to support the expansion of an electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the state. Illinois is eligible for $2.5 billion in competitive EV charging grants.
…Adding… DPI…
The Democratic Party of Illinois is launching a multi-platform digital ad campaign highlighting the opposition of four Illinois Republican members of Congress to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that will be signed into law later today by President Biden. In total, 32 Republicans in the House and Senate supported the bipartisan deal, however Reps. Mike Bost, Rodney Davis, Darin LaHood, and Mary Miller put partisanship above the needs of their own constituents and opposed the deal. The DPI digital ads campaign is designed to raise awareness of these legislators’ failure to deliver commonsense solutions for their constituents.
“After years of broken Republican promises on ‘infrastructure week,’ President Biden and Illinois Democrats finally delivered on a once-in-a-generation investment in our state and our nation that will improve the lives of every Illinoisan,” said Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt. “Unfortunately, instead of working in a bipartisan way for their communities, Reps. Bost, Davis, LaHood, and Miller followed Donald Trump’s lead, letting petty partisanship get in the way of a good deal for their constituents.”
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will deliver billions of dollars in investment for Illinois’ roads and bridges, safe drinking water, broadband access, cybersecurity systems, and more,” Witt continued. “These investments will grow good-paying union jobs while combating climate change, building on the progress already delivered by Gov. JB Pritzker and Democrats in the statehouse. Voters need to know that four Illinois Republicans decided to turn their backs on this bipartisan deal, and the DPI is ready to spread the word.”
The digital campaign begins today, will run across multiple social media platforms, and is expected to reach hundreds of thousands of voters across Illinois. Examples of the initial digital ads can be seen here.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker told reporters not long ago that he was worried about the plateauing COVID-19 hospitalization rate and said he wouldn’t yet lift his statewide mask mandate.
But the governor told me something around the same time during an interview that he hasn’t yet said publicly: He’s most concerned about what may happen in January and February and upbeat about the spring and summer.
“What we’re trying to evaluate is, are the hospitalization numbers increasing, decreasing or staying the same,” Pritzker told reporters in early November. “We want them decreasing. They’re not currently, just to be clear. New hospitalizations are flat. That is not a good sign. That’s not what’s happened in previous dips from surges. We went down for a while here, but now we’ve leveled out at a level that is much higher than the summer. And so the question is, is that just a temporary situation? Are we going to start heading downward in those numbers?”
Since the governor said that, hospitalizations have yet again begun to increase, rising by almost 22% as of this writing. Hospitalizations are up almost 30% since late October’s low of 1,198.
That increase led Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike to warn last week that the statewide mask mandate wouldn’t be lifted before Thanksgiving, as some had hoped when hospitalizations were plateauing.
“As we’ve moved indoors,” Ezike told Quincy’s WGEM-TV, “we haven’t maybe taken our masks indoors with us. So a lot of unmasked indoor gatherings are likely part of the problem.”
Last year, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths shot up in November and continued ravaging our still mostly unvaccinated state through January.
I interviewed Gov. Pritzker not long ago and asked him if he was worried about yet another big wave starting in November.
Pritzker said the top epidemiologists in Illinois he speaks with outside of IDPGH tell him, “Their expectation is that January and February we could see a surge of cases and the resulting hospitalizations. So, how worried am I? I am worried as much as the epidemiologists are.”
Asked how worried the epidemiologists are, Pritzker said he didn’t know how to characterize that, “other than that they tell me that they expect to see a surge. I have to take it very seriously.”
Pritzker also talked about the internal debate over what to do about mitigations, like mask mandates, in the meantime. “One of the questions that you have to ask yourself and that we all ask ourselves is, if we modify mitigations now as things are mildly reducing or getting better, what changes do you make now if you think that in January and February, you’re gonna see potentially a surge?”
A little later in the interview, Pritzker asked if he could clarify some things.
“I think when you look at the pattern here of surges, the surges are getting smaller because of vaccinations, because of where we are in the cycle. And so, the hope here is that each of the moves that we’re making going forward are really flattening those surges down.”
Pritzker went on to say that he’s hearing from the epidemiological community that by next spring or summer, the virus will become more like the flu “because people will be getting vaccinated on a regular basis or that boosters will be available, and because more people will have been vaccinated.”
The governor quickly added that he wasn’t suggesting COVID is anything like the flu. “I’m just saying if you look at other chronic diseases, other things that we’ve worked to overcome with vaccinations, this is becoming more and more like that because people are getting more and more vaccinated.”
And, it should be added, effective treatments may be on the horizon. Pfizer is developing a pill that shows real promise at preventing severe illness, the New York Times has reported.
But, as Dr. Ezike also said this month, “Of course, COVID is so complicated. It’s been throwing us curveball after curveball.”
Colorado is currently experiencing a surge in cases, and experts there have told reporters that they don’t know why and don’t know if they’ll ever know. And, as pointed out in a Denver CBS4-TV news story on that topic, the popularity of home COVID testing means that private results aren’t being reported and therefore not tracked by state and local public health departments.
That means the jobs of people who try to anticipate the future path of the disease have been made significantly more difficult, which is not what we need.
For calling an attorney challenging his executive orders in court a “grifter,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker faces a summons in Sangamon County Circuit Court to answer to a defamation allegation.
Thomas DeVore, an attorney who has filed multiple lawsuits against the governor over COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools and businesses, sued Pritzker late last month, claiming defamation.
* Thursday is a holiday, so I’m just gonna make it a four-day weekend because (and I hope I don’t jinx anything by saying this) there isn’t much going on anyway…
Wednesday, Nov 10, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
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In Arizona, a stay-at-home dad and part-time Lyft driver told the state’s chief election officer she would hang for treason. In Utah, a youth treatment center staffer warned Colorado’s election chief that he knew where she lived and watched her as she slept.
In Vermont, a man who says he works in construction told workers at the state election office and at Dominion Voting Systems that they were about to die.
“This might be a good time to put a f‑‑‑‑‑‑ pistol in your f‑‑‑‑‑‑ mouth and pull the trigger,” the man shouted at Vermont officials in a thick New England accent last December. “Your days are f‑‑‑‑‑‑ numbered.”
The three had much in common. All described themselves as patriots fighting a conspiracy that robbed Donald Trump of the 2020 election. They are regular consumers of far-right websites that embrace Trump’s stolen-election falsehoods. And none have been charged with a crime by the law enforcement agencies alerted to their threats.
They were among nine people who told Reuters in interviews that they made threats or left other hostile messages to election workers. In all, they are responsible for nearly two dozen harassing communications to six election officials in four states. Seven made threats explicit enough to put a reasonable person in fear of bodily harm or death, the U.S. federal standard for criminal prosecution, according to four legal experts who reviewed their messages at Reuters’ request.
These cases provide a unique perspective into how people with everyday jobs and lives have become radicalized to the point of terrorizing public officials. They are part of a broader campaign of fear waged against frontline workers of American democracy chronicled by Reuters this year. The news organization has documented nearly 800 intimidating messages to election officials in 12 states, including more than 100 that could warrant prosecution, according to legal experts.
I checked in with Linda So today and asked if any of these nearly 800 incidents in 12 states happened in Illinois. She told me that none of these cases were in this state.
However, if y’all hear about something like this happening near you, or if it’s happened to you, please get in touch with me. Thanks.
Competitive grant allocations in the [federal] bill may add to the $17 billion headed Illinois’ way. All 13 Democrats in Illinois’ House delegation voted for the deal while just one of five Republicans joined them.
The package allocates Illinois $1.7 billion over five years for drinking and wastewater infrastructure, $9.8 billion in for federally aided highway projects, $1.4 billion for bridge replacement, $4 billion for public transportation projects, $100 million for broadband expansion and $149 million for an electric vehicle charging network, according to a statement from U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats.
More than $600 million will flow to Illinois for airport improvements over five years, increasing the Airport Improvement Grant Program and creating a new Airport Terminal Improvement Program.
The known funding and potential for more under competitive grant awards could buoy several big ticket items on Chicago’s radar involving the replacement of lead pipes, O’Hare International Airport expansion and the expansion of a major Chicago Transit Authority train line.
* Now, let’s go back in time to this 2019 Bond Buyer story on the state’s six-year $45 billion capital plan…
Transportation-related projects receive $33 billion of funding, state buildings get $4 billion, educational facilities get $3.5 billion, and healthcare, broadband and environmental projects get the remainder.
* Here’s how the state plan allocated money for transportation projects ($33.2 billion)…
• Over $14 billion for new roads in bridges:
o $10.4 billion for state roads and bridges
o $3.9 billion for local governments to rebuild their roads and bridges
• Nearly $11 billion for Illinois Department of Transportation’s Multi-Year Plan for roads and bridges
• $4.5 billion for mass transit, including the Regional Transportation Authority (CTA, Metra and Pace)
• $1 billion for passenger rail, including Amtrak and other inter-city rail projects
• $558 million for aeronautics
• $492 million for the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE)
• $312 million for grade crossing protection
• $150 million for ports
• $679 million for other transportation projects
• $2.9 billion for higher education, including deferred maintenance and new projects at public universities, private universities and community colleges
• $415 million for preK-12 school maintenance
• $111 million for early childhood education
• $867 million for environmental, conservation and recreation projects, including:
o $290 million for hazardous waste
o $110 million for water revolving fund
o $100 million for unsewered communities
o $92 million for ecosystem restoration
o $75 million for park and recreational facility construction
o $40 million for well plugging
o $35 million for land acquisition
o $31 million for flood mitigation
o $29 million for Illinois green infrastructure grants
o $23 million for Open Space Land Acquisition and Development
o $22 million for dam and waterway projects
o $20 million for conservation reserve enhancement
• $140 million for renewable energy projects, including solar and energy efficiency upgrades at state facilities and transportation electrification in low-income communities
• $200 million for affordable housing
• $200 million for hospital and healthcare transformation
• $50 million for community health centers
• $15 million for human services grant program
• $594 million for community development
• $425 million for economic development
• $401 million for public infrastructure
• $112 million for education and scientific facilities
• $75 million for economically depressed areas
• $51 million for museums
• $50 million for libraries
• $50 million for emerging technology enterprises
• $50 million for the arts
• $25 million for an apprenticeship program
• $15 million for Minority Owned Business Program
The difference is the state should be able to quickly access its annual federal allotments, but we’re still waiting on new casino revenues to help fund “vertical” projects here. Also, that federal water/sewer money dwarfs Illinois’ allocation and we really need the cash.
With Congressman Chuy Garcia at his side yesterday, Alexi Giannoulias surprised a crowd of supporters in Pilsen when he took to the podium and spoke Spanish. […]
Giannoulias told yesterday’s crowd he understands the challenges faced by Latinos who aren’t fluent in English. After more than a minute he switched to English, saying: “The secretary of state’s office needs to do a better job of providing services to those who don’t speak perfect English,” Giannoulias said, adding he remembers he and his brothers having to translate for his parents who didn’t speak English well. “They faced enormous challenges in accessing government services and even more challenges starting their respective small businesses.” […]
Along with Garcia, Giannoulias is endorsed by state Sens. Celina Villanueva (11th), Cristina Castro (22nd), state Reps. Barbara, Hernandez (83rd), Edgar Gonzalez (21st) and Jaime Andrade (40th), and Chicago council members George Cardenas (12th), Ray Lopez (15th), Michael D. Rodriguez (22nd), Silvana Tabares (23rd), Ariel Reboyras (30th), and Felix Cardona (31st).
Valencia, who does not speak Spanish, says the race isn’t about “collecting endorsements” but “demonstrating how candidates have been consistently showing up for the Latino community.”
Among her backers are Latino Victory Fund, state Reps. Eva Dina Delgado (3rd) and Lisa Hernandez (24th), and council members Andre Vasquez (40th) and Roberto Maldonado (26th).
I did not know that Valencia doesn’t speak Spanish.
*** UPDATE *** Valencia campaign…
Today, in light of Republican Dan Brady’s intent to run for Illinois Secretary of State, Anna Valencia’s campaign issued the following statement from Campaign Manager Cheryl Bruce:
“Dan Brady is running because he is confident that he can beat Alexi Giannoulias. Last time Alexi ran statewide, he lost President Obama’s senate seat to a Republican, and just this summer, a poll showed Brady trailing him by just five points. As Republicans nationwide try to subvert democracy, we cannot take this race for granted. Anna Valencia is the best candidate to deliver a Democratic win next November.”
* As we discussed yesterday, billionaire Neil Bluhm is actively lobbying the Chicago city council to not expand in-person sports betting to the city’s professional sports facilities. Bluhm says the city shouldn’t try to hurt the profits of its future casino. But he’s also conveniently protecting the profits of his current suburban casino and he wants to eventually own the new Chicago casino. All that said, here’s Joe Cahill…
If Chicago is going to allow in-person sports betting, it should look to maximize competition, not constrain it. Any operator who can meet reasonable licensing requirements designed to protect the public at large from the well-known evils of gambling, such as mob influence and exploitation of gambling addicts, should be allowed to compete.
If Bluhm or any other casino bidder doesn’t want to compete with stadium sportsbooks, nobody is forcing them to. They’re free to drop out of the bidding if the ordinance passes. So far, none of them has threatened to do that.
In fact, at least one of the other bidders doesn’t share Bluhm’s worries about competing with stadiums.
“Bally’s is committed to making Chicago its flagship property, and we have no issue with Chicago sports teams having sportsbooks,” says Chris Jewett, director of corporate development for Rhode Island-based casino giant Bally’s Corp., which submitted two bids.
Pew Research Center’s new political typology provides a road map to today’s fractured political landscape. It segments the public into nine distinct groups, based on an analysis of their attitudes and values. The study is primarily based on a survey of 10,221 adults conducted July 8-18, 2021; it also draws from several additional interviews with these respondents conducted since January 2020.
They include two very different groups of liberal Democrats: Progressive Left and Establishment Liberals. Progressive Left, the only majority White, non-Hispanic group of Democrats, have very liberal views on virtually every issue and support far-reaching changes to address racial injustice and expand the social safety net. Establishment Liberals, while just as liberal in many ways as Progressive Left, are far less persuaded of the need for sweeping change.
Two other Democratic-aligned groups could not be more different from each other, both demographically and in their relationship to the party. Democratic Mainstays, the largest Democratic-oriented group, as well as the oldest on average, are unshakeable Democratic loyalists and have a moderate tilt on some issues. Outsider Left, the youngest typology group, voted overwhelmingly for Joe Biden a year ago and are very liberal in most of their views, but they are deeply frustrated with the political system – including the Democratic Party and its leaders.
The four Republican-oriented groups include three groups of conservatives: Faith and Flag Conservatives are intensely conservative in all realms; they are far more likely than all other typology groups to say government policies should support religious values and that compromise in politics is just “selling out on what you believe in.” Committed Conservatives also express conservative views across the board, but with a somewhat softer edge, particularly on issues of immigration and America’s place in the world. Populist Right, who have less formal education than most other typology groups and are among the most likely to live in rural areas, are highly critical of both immigrants and major U.S. corporations.
Ambivalent Right, the youngest and least conservative GOP-aligned group, hold conservative views about the size of government, the economic system and issues of race and gender. But they are the only group on the political right in which majorities favor legal abortion and say marijuana should be legal for recreational and medical use. They are also distinct in their views about Donald Trump – while a majority voted for him in 2020, most say they would prefer he not continue to be a major political figure.
The only typology group without a clear partisan orientation – Stressed Sideliners – also is the group with the lowest level of political engagement. Stressed Sideliners, who make up 15% of the public but constituted just 10% of voters in 2020, have a mix of conservative and liberal views but are largely defined by their minimal interest in politics.
* The Question: Which political typology are you? Take the poll and then let us know your answer in comments, along with anything else you’d like to say about this exercise…
[Illinois’ wealthiest resident Ken Griffin] first voiced the possibility of moving Citadel due to rising crime at an Economic Club event last month. At the time, Pritzker responded to Griffin’s complaints, calling him a “liar” and saying that Griffin has worked to dismantle social services that prevent violence.
“He called me a liar,” Griffin said at Wednesday’s event. “It’s all about politics for him. It’s not about people.”
“I’m going to make sure that if he runs again, that I am all in to support the candidate who will beat him,” Griffin continued. “He doesn’t deserve to be the governor of our state.”
Bailey, his campaign manager, and campaign spokesman all ignored multiple emails, calls, and texts seeking comment about his plans to release his full tax returns. Bailey has previously refused to answer questions in protest to [WCIA] reporting about his brother-in-law’s Coronavirus hospitalization that he considered “liberal” and “biased.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Pritzker campaign…
Today, JB for Governor spokesperson Natalie Edelstein released the following statement in response to Ken Griffin announcing he plans to go “all in” to financially back Governor Pritzker’s GOP opponent.
“Ken Griffin financed Bruce Rauner’s disastrous tenure as governor and now he is eager to once again elect someone who would hold our budget hostage, waste taxpayer money, ruin our credit rating, and destroy programs that keep our residents healthy and safe.
Governor Pritzker remains laser focused on putting Springfield back on the side of working families through unprecedented investments in health care and education, rebuilding our infrastructure, creating good paying jobs, and fighting climate change.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** DPI…
In an interview today, Ken Griffin said he is desperate to fund a challenger to Gov. JB Pritzker in next year’s election. In the last two gubernatorial elections, Griffin spent more than $36 million on failed former Gov. Bruce Rauner. Democratic Party of Illinois Deputy Director Jake Lewis responded to the news:
“We look forward to finding out who Ken Griffin picks to be Bruce Rauner 2.0,” said Jake Lewis, Deputy Director of the Democratic Party of Illinois. “While Mr. Griffin attempts to satisfy some personal vendetta and the crowded field of radical GOP candidates trip over themselves to win his attention, Illinois Democrats remain focused on delivering wins on the issues that actually matter to the people of this state.”
“I pointed out that he lied,” Pritzker said today, referring to a dispute over how and whether National Guard troops should have been called out during 2020 protests after the shooting of George Floyd. Griffin “is a guy who wants to take the state backward. I want to take it forward.” […]
“This is the guy who brought you Bruce Rauner,” Pritzker said, noting that the state’s credit rating during Rauner’s tenure was repeatedly reduced as Springfield stalemated over passage of a new state budget for more than a year.
“I don’t think the people want to do a redo and put his puppet in office,” Pritzker said. “I think we’ve made a lot of progress” with better funding of schools and more jobs created, as opposed to Rauner’s slashing of social programs.“Ken Griffin is someone who’s made a lot of bad decisions” in political matters, Pritzker concluded.
* This joint motion filed by the plaintiffs and defendants Exelon/ComEd and its current execs along with a separate Sidley & Austin team for former Exelon/ComEd honcho Anne Pramaggiore was filed yesterday…
On September 23, 2021, this Court granted the unopposed motion of the United States to intervene and stay discovery while the parties to this action and the government negotiated a proposed protective order concerning certain discovery materials. The Order stayed discovery in this action “for sixty days, or until a protective order is issued, whichever is earlier.” The Order also struck all previously set deadlines and stated that, “[u]pon completion of the discovery stay, Lead Plaintiff and Defendants shall submit a joint proposed amended scheduling order, reflecting an extension of deadlines commensurate with the length of the stay.”
On November 4, 2021, the United States submitted to the Court’s email a proposed amendment to the protective order (the “Confidentiality Order Amendment”), as contemplated by the Order. The Confidentiality Order Amendment would prohibit the Parties from requesting discovery into certain matters, including communications with the government, but contemplates continued discovery into other matters. The Confidentiality Order Amendment expires on February 15, 2022, and the government may move for an extension.
Upon the entry of the Confidentiality Order Amendment, the discovery stay will end under the terms of the Order.
Pursuant to ¶4 of the Order, Lead Plaintiff and Defendants jointly propose that the Court set a February 15, 2022 deadline for the substantial completion of the document discovery permitted under the Confidentiality Order Amendment. This deadline aligns with the expiration of the Confidentiality Order Amendment and allows the Parties to conduct certain party and non-party discovery that would not violate the Confidentiality Order Amendment.
Lead Plaintiff and Defendants further request that no other case deadlines be set at this time. The Confidentiality Order Amendment would preclude the completion of all document discovery (and written discovery such as interrogatories into certain subject matters), which will be necessary for continued proceedings, including deposition discovery and the completion of fact discovery. Moreover, the limitations on the scope of permissible production under the Confidentiality Order Amendment may present additional obstacles and issues in the completion of the Parties’ collection, review, and production of documents.
By February 15, 2022, the Parties will have a better understanding of (1) the document discovery that remains (and any issues that arose while operating under the Confidentiality Order Amendment), and (2) whether the government will seek to extend the stay of certain discovery. At that time, the Parties intend to either propose a schedule for the remaining dates or move for any other relief that any or all of the Parties believe necessary to continue and complete discovery.
WHEREFORE, Lead Plaintiff and Defendants respectfully request that this Court set a February 15, 2022 deadline for substantial completion of the document discovery permitted under the Confidentiality Order Amendment, with all other case deadlines to be set on or after February 15, 2022.
I reached out to the US Attorney’s office for insight. When you-know-what freezes over and they give me a full explanation, I’ll be sure to let you know. /s
But his is from an attorney pal…
Right now all discovery has been stayed. This allows discovery to start again, but only as allowed by the confidentiality order. That means some topics and parts of discovery are off limits. Discovery can begin again and continue through February 15, 2022, but certain aspects of discovery will be barred until after Feb 15th, and even then the prosecutors can seek an extension.
On Tuesday, Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch and other west suburban politicians called for completely rebuilding the Eisenhower Expressway.
“We love the Ike, but the Ike don’t love us,” Welch said.
The Eisenhower was ranked last year as America’s most-congested interstate highway. […]
Construction of the Eisenhower Expressway six decades ago required bulldozing 400 businesses and the homes of 13,000 people in some of Chicago’s then-most vibrant neighborhoods: Little Italy, Greek Town, the heart of the old Jewish west side and several African American communities.
As the city began clearing the path for the Congress Street Expressway, the first neighborhood hit with demolition was the Near West Side. […]
Of all the neighborhoods that the expressway sliced through, the Near West Side had the largest population of blacks in 1950. Nearly 40 percent of its people were African-American. […]
Chicago Mayor Martin Kennelly, who oversaw the superhighway project during his eight years leading the city, sounded proud of the destruction it was causing. “Just wiping out slums, that alone has made the work worthwhile,” he remarked in a Tribune article. […]
The expressway project continued to the west, disrupting the East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park and Austin neighborhoods. It ran through a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in West Garfield Park. “Its construction was a physical manifestation of Jewish Chicagoans’ political powerlessness,” historian Beryl Satter writes in her 2009 book Family Properties: Race, Real Estate, and the Exploitation of Black Urban America. Satter’s father was a civil-rights attorney who crusaded for black families victimized by real-estate speculators. […]
The story was similar for the Italians who lived nearby. “You can find Chicago Tribune articles calling the neighborhood a slum,” says Kathy Catrambone, co-author of Taylor Street: Chicago’s Little Italy. “I talked to many people who were here at the time, and they didn’t know they were living in a slum. They liked the neighborhood. And they really felt that they were forced out.”
Catrambone says many of the neighborhood’s Italians moved to suburbs like Melrose Park, Elmwood Park and Addison. “A lot of them got on the Eisenhower and headed west,” she says. […]
Christopher Reed, an African-American historian who grew up in East Garfield Park in the 1940s and ’50s, says the expressway did play a role. “The construction of the Eisenhower removed so many white families that an unnatural demographic imbalance took place,” he says. “The lure of the suburbs was powerful, especially with factories and jobs relocating into areas where the new superhighways reached. Equally, blacks sought new housing opportunities and moved into areas where vacancies occurred.”
And David Satter believes the expressway was a major factor in why so many Jewish residents and other whites abandoned the West Side, just as many African-Americans began to move in.
“It played a very important role,” he says. “The building of the Eisenhower Expressway with so little concern for the effect it would have on the community … it undercut any desire or any will to find solutions, to find ways to integrate the new arrivals. It was clear that the area was not going to stay all white. But that didn’t mean there had to be this mass white flight that took place. It didn’t mean that the whole community would have to move from the West Side to the North Side, which is pretty much what happened.
“But there were a lot of factors,” he says. “There were profiteers that were trying to spread panic and get people to move. … But the Eisenhower Expressway, it made people feel that it was the end of an era, and the community would never be the same and it didn’t make sense to fight to stay there.”
There is no doubt that the Ike helped make Chicago what it is today. But a little history never hurt anyone (until lately, apparently).
The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police was among the first to raise concerns about the changes. President Chris Southwood Tuesday said now it’s signed, they’re getting the word out.
“Freedom-loving citizens all across the state have been stripped of their basic right to conscientious choice and can now be discriminated against because of their conscientious refusal to have COVID vaccines forced on them,” Southwood told WMAY. […]
Calling Pritzker a “dictator,” Southwood said there will be political consequences for those that supported the change.
“And I think that those people have now certainly in our opinion have lost the right to represent freedom loving citizens all across this state and we’re going to make sure their constituents know about it as these elections come closer and closer,” Southwood said.
To the governor and Democrats that talk about supporting labor, Southwood said they’re being hypocrites if they supported changes to the HCRCA.
All you “lost” was your ability to sue your employer and recover treble damages if and only if you could find a judge who let you get away with exploiting a statutory loophole that was never intended to be interpreted this way in the first place.
Also, the Illinois FOP’s campaign committee has a whopping fifteen grand in it.
Today, on the 246th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps, Alderman Gilbert Villegas of Chicago’s 36th Ward announced his campaign for Congress. Villegas is a Marine and member of the Chicago City Council currently serving his second term. He is the first candidate to enter the race to represent Illinois’ newly drawn 3rd District since the state legislature passed the maps last month.
“As a Marine, an advocate for working families, and a member of the City Council, I’ve always put service to my community first. Illinois needs a proven fighter with the courage and conviction to combat the rising cost of living, lack of increase in wages, and struggles our small businesses face in today’s economy. Voters can count on me to deliver results, and I’m ready to hit the ground running,” said Alderman Gil Villegas.
The 36th Ward sits entirely within the new congressional district boundaries.
Villegas also announced the endorsement of Chicago native U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego of the 7th Congressional District of Arizona.
“I’m proud to endorse fellow Marine Gil Villegas. Alderman Villegas has fought for the people of Chicago honorably and dutifully while working to create much needed economic development in communities that have historically faced underinvestment and gun violence. Raised by a single mother who provided for him and his brother after a terrible family tragedy, he knows what it’s like for families who struggle. That’s why he was instrumental in Chicago becoming the largest City in America to engage in a guaranteed basic income pilot to provide low income families cash assistance,” said Congressman Ruben Gallego. “Congress needs more public servants like Gil Villegas who are prepared to put country over party, and to do the right thing.”
Expect a Chuy Garcia ally to also run in this primary.
The new 3rd is called a Hispanic-influenced district because although it’s heavily Hispanic, it does not have a majority Hispanic voting-age population. If multiple Hispanic candidates join the primary, the vote could split and the district may not elect another Hispanic member to Congress. I asked Villegas if that was a concern.
“If there are too many Latinx representatives that get in, I think that potentially could be an issue,” Villegas said.
* Press release…
Educator and former Rockford State Representative Litesa Wallace launches her campaign for Congress today in Illinois’ new Seventeenth Congressional District. Born and raised in Illinois and a 16 year resident of Rockford, Litesa’s parents were both public servants. Litesa understands the economic and social challenges facing the communities of the 17th district for whom she’s fiercely advocated throughout her career.
“As a single mom and former legislator, I know the challenges my neighbors face - from finding affordable childcare to the rising cost of food and rent. It’s why as a state legislator I strengthened the childcare assistance program, fought against food insecurity, advocated for affordable housing, and fought for a $15 minimum wage while in the state legislature”.
As a three-term Rockford State Representative, Litesa championed measures to reduce violence, expand affordable childcare and mental health care access, strengthen the economy, develop opportunities for women and girls, and extend the River’s Edge Historic Tax Credit to help redevelop Peoria and Rockford.
The 17th district is currently represented by outgoing Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. The recently redrawn district has a Biden +7 democratic performance and is economically, geographically, and racially diverse, with twenty-seven percent of residents being people of color.
Dr. Litesa Wallace is an alumna of Western Illinois University and Northern Illinois University, where she received a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. She has worked as an educator and an activist, co-founding the Rockford Anti-Racism Network and serving as a fellow for the Diversifying Faculty in Higher Education Board along with representing Rockford in the state legislature.
Video…
As a single mom, social worker, and former state representative I know the challenge of finding affordable childcare and the impacts of the rising cost of food and rent on our families.
Expect several candidates in that district. The Democrats already announced include Rock Island County Board member Angie Normoyle, former Rockford meteorologist Eric Sorensen (who kinda jumped in out of the blue) and Rockford’s 2nd Ward Alderperson Jonathan Logemann. There will likely be more. Sen. Steve Stadelman is still mulling his options as well.
Republican Esther Joy King has raised a ton of money for a bid in the swing district. King ran in 2020 and gave Cheri Bustos a real scare.
*** UPDATE *** NASW lobbyist…
I like former Rep Wallace and I hope she does well in this race, but social worker is a title protected profession. While she has worked in similar fields, she is not nor never has been a social worker, and should not use that title. #twillhttps://t.co/DBTCfeVHYq
