U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, asked the Biden Administration to use executive authority to keep the Byron and Dresden nuclear power stations operating.
Kinzinger, in a letter addressed to President Joe Biden, asks that emergency powers be used until the legislative process in Illinois or Washington offers a solution. […]
“I am gravely concerned about both the nationwide trend of a thinning nuclear fleet as well the parochial interests involved with the decommissioning of Byron and Dresden stations, the result of which will be disastrous for individuals and municipalities in my district.”
Kinzinger wrote that the Defense Production Act and the Federal Power Act both offer routes the president could take to keep the stations open for reasons of national defense and public interest.
* Gov. JB Pritzker was asked today where he stands with current union negotiations on his limited vaccine mandate and if he planned to expand the mandate to all state workers…
Well, I want to remind you that we’ve already implemented a number of significant mitigations. And we’re always looking at whether we need to impose more. One is, of course, the indoor mask mandate in schools. We’ve required vaccinations for all of our state employees in congregate settings, we’ve got a vaccination requirement for nursing home personnel across the state of Illinois, we’ve required masks in all of our state buildings, we do regular testing in our congregate settings. And we’ve adopted the CDC guidelines for masking indoors. So we’re consistently looking at the menu of options that we may need to impose in order to bring down the numbers.
I will remind you that if we are not able to bring these numbers down, if hospitals continue to fill, if the hospital beds and ICUs get full, like they are in Kentucky, that’s just next door to Illinois, if that happens, we’re going to have to impose significantly greater mitigations. So those are things that we don’t want to go back. Those are, you know, phases, situations, things on the menu that I think we don’t want to go to. But right now, I think, you know, again, we want everybody to wear a mask everywhere. indoors. And, you know, we’ve recommended that that’s what the CDC has recommended. And then we’ve got a variety of mandates already in place.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* Pritzker was then asked about Mayor Lightfoot’s decision to mandate vaccines for all state employees. Was it an overreach?…
No. What I would say is that, and I’ve said this for a year and a half during this pandemic, that local leaders need to make decisions for their local populations, to make sure to keep them safe. And those decisions need to be made in a serious fashion, to make sure that they’re doing everything that they can to keep everybody safe. But that means mitigations that are tougher than the ones that are in the state of Illinois more broadly. So we set a standard in the state of Illinois, a minimum, but local officials should react properly to the data in their local areas in order to keep everybody safe.
* “So far, 51 school districts out of 859 are defying your mask mandate and allowing parental choice. Are you really going to withdraw funding, take away their sports and deny their high school diplomas, or was that just an idle threat?”…
Am I really going to do that? Yes, we are really going to do that. And by the way, many school districts are heeding our call to have mask mandates in their schools. And so they’re reversing their position. What I would tell you is that it’s extraordinarily important that we keep our kids safe. Remember, the numbers are going up before schools went back in session. And now, [crosstalk] I’m just explaining to you that look at all of the other states around the country where schools have reopened, and now you’ve seen schools close right back up again, or have massive numbers of kids who need to stay at home because they’ve caught COVID, or because they’ve been exposed to COVID. So, let’s get serious about this.
I mean, I realize that there are people who like to show up and shout at local school boards, at the local school board members. But the reality is that the vast majority of people in Illinois want to make sure that the children of Illinois, their parents, their communities are safe. And having a mask mandate operative in schools will help to do that.
* Meanwhile…
More than 1,200 K-12 schools across the state have signed up to use the SHIELD Illinois COVID-19 saliva test for the start of the 2021-22 academic year. More than 650,000 students in Illinois will now have access to the test, pioneered by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) recently expanded access to free SHIELD testing to all K-12 public schools statewide outside of Chicago, which had earlier received its own federal funding.
IDPH is utilizing funding from the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan to fund testing in public schools. Funding for testing in non-public schools statewide comes from the U.S. Health and Human Services’ Midwest Expanded Testing Coordination Hub, which is run by Batelle, a non-profit technology development company.
* The Rolling Stones wouldn’t ever have been a thing without Charlie Watts’ swing. RIP, man…
It was hard to imagine the Stones without Watts even then, though. His light touch, singular rhythmic sense, and impeccable feel, as heard on canonical rock songs such as “Paint It, Black,” “Gimme Shelter,” and “Brown Sugar,” made him both the engine that powered the Stones’ music and one of the most famous and respected drummers of all time.
As Keith Richards said in 1979: “Everybody thinks Mick and Keith are the Rolling Stones. If Charlie wasn’t doing what he’s doing on drums, that wouldn’t be true at all. You’d find out that Charlie Watts is the Stones.”
Yesterday, Governor Pritzker signed bipartisan legislation filed by State Representative Chris Bos (R-Lake Zurich) to support students. House Bill 3359 ensures students with developmental disabilities attending public universities or community colleges will be able to have their personal support workers at their sides during classes.
“I’m honored I was able to serve as the lead sponsor for this bipartisan legislation and see it signed into law by the Governor,” said Bos. “When I became aware of the situation involving a constituent in my district, I was frankly shocked. The fact that not one, but two, public community colleges had prevented a student with developmental disabilities from having his support worker with him in class didn’t make sense. Yesterday, we made sure this won’t happen again in Illinois and ensure all students will have access to the support they may need to be successful in the classroom.”
As Bos referenced, a student in the 51st House District had been denied the ability to have his support worker with him in class in pursuit of coursework in photography. To correct this problem, HB 3359 provides that if a student has a support worker, the governing board of the public university or community college district must permit the support worker to attend class with the student but is not responsible for providing or paying for the support worker. It further provides that if the support worker’s attendance in class is solely to provide personal support services to the student, the governing board may not charge the support worker tuition and fees for such attendance.
HB 3359 received unanimous support in both the Illinois House and Senate, where the legislation was carried by Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods)
* Restore Justice press release…
Restore Justice Applauds Governor Pritzker, Senator Fine, Representative Gabel, and the Illinois Department of Corrections for Supporting Families with Incarcerated Loved Ones
We applaud Governor JB Pritzker, Senator Laura Fine, Representative Robyn Gabel, and the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) for their partnership in taking a step towards better supporting families with incarcerated loved ones. Senate Bill 1976 was signed into law on August 20, 2021, after unanimously passing through the Illinois House and Senate.
Senate Bill 1976 creates a Family Liaison within IDOC to receive complaints, suggestions, and requests from visitors and help to resolve issues. Previously, those with incarcerated loved ones had to rely on the staff at a particular facility to address visitation issues, including conflicts over visitation rules, concerns with staff behavior, or questions. These same staff members may have been directly involved in the issue.
One family member explained the significance of this bill by recalling an earlier experience when they needed help. “I drove 6 plus hours to visit my son and I brought his brother to see him. We had not seen him in over a year. The officer at the front desk stated my 12-year-old son needed a state ID even though it isn’t part of IDOC’s policy. I had brought his birth certificate but that was not enough. When I asked to speak to a supervisor I was told, ‘I am the supervisor.’ I had to turn around and drive home without seeing my son. I wish I would have had someone I could call.”
Visits can also be stressful and humiliating for families. Another family member shared, “They gave my friend a stapler to staple her blouse closed because they felt it showed too much of her collarbone. Yet, they denied another woman her visit for the same thing.”
Regular in-person visits have substantial benefits to people who are incarcerated as well as their families. Senator Laura Fine and Representative Robyn Gabel sponsored Senate Bill 1976. These legislators are champions of families and understand the importance of visits to promote rehabilitation, successful reentry, and increasing family stability.
* Press release…
Senator Linda Holmes’ (D-Aurora) legislation to allow pregnant women to use a disabilities vehicle placard or sticker in their third trimester was signed into law by the governor Friday.
Holmes was motivated to sponsor the legislation, originally introduced by Representative Keith Wheeler (R-North Aurora) in the House, after hearing the story of Wheeler’s district office director Ben Marcum and his family, who inspired the measure.
“This family suffered a devastating loss that may have been avoided if this accommodation for expectant mothers had been in place two years ago,” Holmes said. “This can prevent future heartbreak if an expectant mother in her third trimester can get temporary disability parking access.”
When Marcum’s wife was pregnant with their first child in 2019, she faced a long, difficult walk from her car to her office, which only became more grueling as her pregnancy progressed. When Marcum tried to secure disability parking privileges for his wife, he was shocked to learn that pregnancy was not considered a qualifying condition. Unfortunately, his wife went into early labor at 21 weeks, and their son Henry only survived an hour.
The legislation would allow an expectant mother in her third trimester to use a disabilities placard for up to 90 days. To qualify, an individual would have to provide documentation proving that they have entered the third trimester.
“In memory of Henry Marcum and in honor of pregnant women who could use some additional support during their third trimester, I’m am happy to sponsor this commonsense measure,” Holmes said. “I’m grateful to Rep. Wheeler for bringing it to my attention.”
Today, Illinois State Senator Robert J. Peters, Illinois State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr., and Illinois State Representative Justin Slaughter were presented with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ (NACDL) Champion of State Criminal Justice Reform Award at NACDL’s 20th Annual State Criminal Justice Network (SCJN) Conference. The award recognizes an individual or group whose tremendous efforts have led toward progressive reform of a state criminal justice system.
Senator Peters, Senator Sims, and Representative Slaughter ushered in the passage of the monumental 2021 Illinois Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act. The SAFE-T Act, also called the Criminal Justice Reform Omnibus, contains long-awaited comprehensive public safety reforms, including ending cash bail and reforming the pretrial system, policing reform, sentencing and prison reform, and victim service reform. This Act makes Illinois a national leader in public safety reforms and begins the process of addressing and untangling decades of racist, ineffective criminal legal system policies, in addition to making communities left behind by the criminal legal system safer. The legislators worked with numerous stakeholders across the state and spent countless hours drafting a bill that puts evidence-based reforms at the forefront, addresses widespread racial disparities, and improves support systems for victims of crime. All three legislators have dedicated their careers to addressing racism and inequity to better their communities and transform their state’s criminal legal system.
A measure led by State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) to expand the amount of birthing center licenses in Illinois was signed into law Friday by Governor JB Pritzker.
“Tragically, 75 women die every year while pregnant or within a year of pregnancy,” Van Pelt said. “It is even more heartbreaking to know that four out of five pregnancy-related deaths could have been preventable. That is why this measure is so important – we must do everything we can to combat the issues of maternal mortality, including increasing birthing centers.”
Currently, the Alternative Health Care Delivery Act provides for 10 birthing center licenses: four birthing center licenses in the Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, or Will Counties; three in municipalities with a population of 50,000 or more not located in the collar counties; and three in rural areas.
This initiative expands the available licenses for birthing centers under the Alternative Health Care Delivery Demonstration Program from 10 to 17, providing that birth center alternative health care models shall be located in the Westside of Chicago, the Southside of Chicago and East St. Louis.
* The state peaked at 1,289 ICU beds in use on April 29th last year, then 1,224 ICU beds on November 25th, and 506 on April 25th this year. ICU bed usage is now at 487. We found out last year that ICU beds can be created fairly quickly. But after a year and a half of this, hospitals are dealing with extreme staff burnout, so finding nurses and doctors to actually staff those beds ain’t easy, especially with the American South burning with COVID. With that in mind, here’s NBC 5…
Thirty-seven Illinois counties and Chicago are now at “warning level” for intensive care unit bed availability, according to COVID-19 data from the state health department.
The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting that the following areas are experiencing limited ICU bed availability: Alexander, Bond, Boone, Carroll, Chicago, Clinton, Cook, DeKalb, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Lee, Madison, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Ogle, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, St. Clair, Stephenson, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, Whiteside, Williamson, Winnebago.
Since the start of the global pandemic, more police officers have died of COVID than all other causes combined in the line of duty. Just by the nature of their work, having to interact with the public on a near-daily basis, exposure to the virus is almost a certainty.
But despite the mounting death count, law enforcement officers in the country are simply not getting vaccinated. Their reluctance—whether over politics, retaliation for growing criticism toward their profession, or distrust for something as new as the COVID-19 vaccine—is putting themselves, and the communities they’re supposed to serve, at risk. And their bosses are running out of ways to convince them otherwise.
“In the profession as a whole, you generally find a lot of skepticism inside law enforcement,” Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant told VICE News. “Police officers are just overly cautious about things they don’t understand. They don’t move quickly into place without a lot of detail and a lot of information. That apprehension is shared throughout the profession.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday there “absolutely” will be a vaccine mandate for city employees — but the police union vowed to go to court to stop it. […]
Not on the same page with the mayor is Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara, whose union represents rank-and-file Chicago police officers.
“It cannot be mandated. It’s that simple. Our members don’t want to be mandated to do anything like that,” Catanzara said Monday. “This vaccine has no studies for long-term side effects or consequences. None. To mandate anybody to get that vaccine, without that data as a baseline, amongst other issues, is a ‘Hell, no’ for us.”
* American Medical Association…
“The FDA has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the meticulously collected evidence from more than 100 million vaccinated Americans is clear: the vaccines we have to defeat COVID-19 are safe, effective, and the only way out of this pandemic.
“For months, physicians have advocated for vaccination against COVID-19, urging our patients to take the step that will save their lives and protect those closest to them. States have even offered numerous incentives – from lotteries with a chance to win a million dollars or scholarship money to cash prizes. Vaccine supply is ample, and for months, access has been easier.
“But these incentives have not gotten us where we need to be. With the highly transmissible and more virulent Delta variant wreaking havoc and emergency departments once again overwhelmed, physicians and all frontline health care workers need help. The way to regain the upper hand in this fight is requiring vaccinations – specifically vaccine mandates.
“The simple fact is unless a significant percentage of our population is vaccinated against COVID-19 – we could be stuck fighting this virus for many more months or even years to come. Now is the time for the public and private sectors to come together, listen to the science, and mandate vaccination.
“The AMA has robust policy on vaccine mandates - a tool that has been used across the U.S. and around the world for generations to defeat polio, measles, and other vaccine-preventable disease. And now, we urge similar mandates to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. Physicians and frontline health care workers have taken tremendous risks during this pandemic, and we continue today risking our own safety and well-being—putting our families at risk—to treat mostly unvaccinated people afflicted with COVID-19. Help us win this fight, follow science, and end this pandemic by requiring vaccination.”
* I’m hearing about lots of school quarantines these days, but I’m wondering if the mayor looked around before making this blanket statement…
“Our schools are safe. We have a mountain of evidence of that fact starting back in February of this year when we first opened elementary schools,” Lightfoot said at an unrelated news conference.
While it’s true that far more people are vaccinated now than in February, the delta variant wasn’t much of a thing in the spring. But it’s clearly hitting people hard these days.
* More…
* IHSA mask mandate enforcement policies: If the school is still on probation on the date of seeding (or the list of participant entry deadline) in that sport they will not be allowed to participate in the State Series. [More here.]
* Edward-Elmhurst, Amita requiring COVID-19 employee vaccinations: “We recognize that not everyone will agree with this decision,” said Mary Lou Mastro, Edward-Elmhurst’s CEO. “The ethical framework under which we operate, however, means that it is our responsibility to do good, and an individual’s right to autonomy ends when that person’s actions may harm others.”
* Faith leaders pray for hospitalized Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline: Jesse Jackson, who has Parkinson’s disease, received his first dose of the vaccine publicly in January to encourage the Black community and others to receive the immunization. His wife has not been vaccinated, according to longtime family spokesman Frank Watkins. He declined to elaborate Monday.
Gov. Pritzker Signs Legislation Creating the Local Journalism Task Force
Task Force Aims to Promote and Aid Local Journalism
Governor JB Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill 134, which creates the Local Journalism Task Force. The Task Force will conduct a comprehensive study of the status of journalism and make recommendations for improvement to the Governor and General Assembly.
“Many communities across our country have become news deserts – through this legislation, Illinois is taking a step toward addressing that challenge,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Robust local journalism is vitally important and I look forward to reviewing the recommendations from the Task Force as we seek to maintain and grow a strong press corps in Illinois.”
“I’ve dedicated years of my life to journalism, so I understand the importance of having access to local news,” said State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford). “People deserve to know what’s going on in their community, regardless of where they live.”
“Many of the residents of the state are deprived of comprehensive local news coverage,” said State Rep. Dave Vella (D-Rockford). “Local news coverage provides a shared sense of community and a vital check on local government. SB134 creates a task force that seeks to find out what can be done to save it.
Senate Bill 134 creates the Local Journalism Task Force, which will:
• conduct a comprehensive study relative to communities underserved by local journalism in Illinois,
• review all aspects of local journalism including, but not limited to, the adequacy of press coverage of communities, print and digital business models for media outlets, the impact of social media on local news, strategies to improve local news access, and public policy solutions to improve the sustainability of local press business models and private and nonprofit solutions, and
• submit findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by January 1, 2023.
The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will be required to provide administrative and other support to the Task Force. The Task Force is also required to meet a minimum of five times.
The membership of the Task Force will consist of the following 15 members:
• one member of each chamber appointed by the caucus leader,
• one member appointed by the Governor,
• one representative of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University,
• one representative of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois at Springfield,
• one representative of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
• one representative of the School of Journalism at SIU-C,
• one representative of the Illinois Press Association,
• one representative of the Illinois Broadcasters Association,
• one representative of the Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association,
• one representative of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association,
• one representative of the Illinois Public Broadcasting Council, and
• one representative of the Illinois Municipal League.
SB 134 is effective January 1, 2022.
The legislation was supported by numerous publishing/broadcasting groups.
* The Question: What are your suggestions to improve local news?
*** UPDATE *** How about we start with not running ubiquitous and goofy stories like this?…
A Freeport lawmaker wants the state to let local school boards and health departments determine if students and staff should wear masks at school.
Rep. Andrew Chesney (R) filed HB 4131 on Friday. […]
Rep. Chesney hopes the bill be discussed during the state’s Special Session on Aug. 31 to discuss the political maps.
Um, yeah, no. The bill hasn’t even been assigned to a committee yet and the only way it will be “discussed” during the special session called for a specific purpose that has nothing to do with masks in schools is if Chesney gets up to speak about it during a lull. A quick phone call could’ve cleared that up.
Facebook is helping kill off local journalism, but that doesn’t mean local news stories ought to be just like Facebook posts. How about, maybe, you know, report the thing out a bit? There’s literally nothing in that story which actually challenges Chesney’s claims.
Defense attorneys for four former ComEd executives and consultants with close ties to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan are seeking to dismiss some of the federal charges filed against them last year, arguing the bribery indictment against them “fails to allege any quid pro quo.” […]
“The indictment loosely strings together an assortment of events over a ten-year period of time—largely hiring decisions made by ComEd made at the recommendation of Public Official A—and alleges that, because such recommendations were made in the same decade that legislation affecting ComEd was passed, a crime must have been committed. But the indictment fails to allege any connection between these hiring decisions and any agreement or understanding with Public Official A that he would take (or refrain from) any action on ComEd’s behalf in exchange for the things of value Defendants allegedly provided,” attorneys wrote.
Further, the defense team argued that accepting federal prosecutors’ stance that an explicit quid pro quo is not necessary to uphold the bribery charges “would put huge numbers of American citizens at risk of prosecution for their ordinary participation in the political process.”
“These gaps are fatal to the indictment because giving things of value to public officials can be perfectly legal. The Supreme Court has unanimously held that it is not a crime to give something to a public official ‘to build a reservoir of goodwill that might ultimately affect one or more of a multitude of unspecified acts, now and in the future,’” defense attorneys wrote.
The attorneys argued that allowing the bribery charges to stand without an explicit quid pro quo “would provide the government essentially unlimited discretion to prosecute anyone who has provided a benefit to a public official, and convict them on evidence that the public official took some official act that the defendant favored, without ever proving that the official’s actions were taken in exchange for the benefit provided, or even that the defendant understood or expected that the benefit would influence the official’s actions.”
Federal prosecutors argued Monday that a bid from four members of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle to convince a judge to toss part of the indictment filed against them ignores the alleged corruption at the heart of the case.
“The illegal conduct alleged in the indictment did not consist merely of lobbying, and it did not include campaign contributions made by ComEd,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote in a new 74-page court filing.
Instead, Bhachu wrote, the four allegedly delivered benefits to Madigan’s associates with the hope Madigan “would give favorable treatment to ComEd legislation” — an arrangement that could be understood as a quid pro quo. […]
Bhachu countered Monday that the four sought “to influence and reward Public Official A in his capacity as Speaker of the House of Representatives with significant power over legislation affecting ComEd’s interests.
“These were not bona fide arrangements made in the usual course of business,” Bhachu wrote, “and there is no legal basis to dismiss these charges from the indictment.”
But in a 74-page response filed late Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote the federal bribery law does not require a quid pro quo, and even if it did, the allegations in the indictment make clear that Madigan — identified only as Public Official A — was in on the scheme. […]
“Here, the charges are not based on political logrolling, but rather, on private benefits in the form of jobs, contracts, and payments offered to be paid by a private company in order to influence and reward a legislator in carrying out his official duties,” the motion stated.
Bhachu also blasted arguments by the defendants that some of the bribery charges should be dismissed because they could not be tied to a specific “official act,” citing former Republican Gov. George Ryan’s corruption conviction.
Bhachu said the 7th Circuit ruled in the Ryan case that a “stream of benefits” was provided to the governor over time, “more like a meal plan in which you don’t pay for each item on the menu.” The indictment in the ComEd case alleges a similar scenario, he said.
* Related…
* Ed Burke’s lawyers say feds spent four years investigating him before tapping phones: Additionally, Burke’s lawyers responded to a revelation by the feds last spring that Burke allegedly made a “distasteful” comment about Jewish people. His attorneys insisted Friday the comment is too prejudicial, and any relevance to the racketeering case is outweighed by “the risk that the jury will infer from the statement that Ald. Burke is anti-Semitic.”
The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) Public Safety section has issued a report on the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD) use of ShotSpotter acoustic gunshot detection technology and CPD’s response to ShotSpotter alert notifications. OIG concluded from its analysis that CPD responses to ShotSpotter alerts can seldom be shown to lead to investigatory stops which might have investigative value and rarely produce evidence of a gun-related crime. Additionally, OIG identified evidence that the introduction of ShotSpotter technology in Chicago has changed the way some CPD members perceive and interact with individuals present in areas where ShotSpotter alerts are frequent.
OIG issued its descriptive analysis on the outcomes of ShotSpotter alerts to provide the public and City government officials—to the extent feasible given the quality of the Office of Emergency Management (OEMC) and CPD’s data—with clear and accurate information regarding CPD’s use of ShotSpotter technology. ShotSpotter is a gunshot detection system that uses a network of acoustic sensors to identify and locate suspected gunshots, and currently operates in more than 100 U.S. cities. Chicago’s $33 million, three-year contract with ShotSpotter began on August 20, 2018; in December 2020, well before the end of the contract term, the City exercised an option to extend the contract, setting a new expiration date for August 19, 2023.
The CPD data examined by OIG does not support a conclusion that ShotSpotter is an effective tool in developing evidence of gun-related crime. If this result is attributable in part to missing or non-matched records of investigatory stops that did take place as a direct consequence of a ShotSpotter alert, CPD’s record-keeping practices are obstructing a meaningful analysis of the effectiveness of the technology.
OIG analyzed data collected by CPD and OEMC regarding all ShotSpotter alert notifications that occurred between January 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021, and investigatory stops confirmed to be associated with CPD’s response to a ShotSpotter alert. OIG’s analysis of OEMC data and investigatory stop report (ISR) data revealed:
• A total of 50,176 ShotSpotter alerts were confirmed as probable gunshots, issued an event number—a unique record identification number assigned to distinct “events” of police activity—and dispatched by OEMC; each of these resulted in a CPD response to the location.
• Of the 50,176 confirmed, 41,830 report a disposition—the outcome of the police response to an incident. Of those dispositions, a total of 4,556 indicate that evidence of a gun-related criminal offense was found, representing 9.1% of CPD responses to ShotSpotter alerts.
• Among the 50,176 confirmed and dispatched ShotSpotter alerts, a total of 1,056 share their event number with at least one ISR, indicating that a documented investigatory stop was a direct result of a particular ShotSpotter alert. That is, at least one investigatory stop is documented under a matching event number in 2.1% of all CPD responses to ShotSpotter alerts.
• Through a separate keyword search analysis of all ISR narratives within the analysis period, OIG identified an additional 1,366 investigatory stops potentially associated with ShotSpotter alerts whose event number did not match any of the 50,176 confirmed and dispatched ShotSpotter alerts.
OIG’s analysis of ISR narratives further revealed that the presence of the technology is changing police behavior. Specifically, OIG reviewed instances in which CPD members rely, at least in part, on a perceived aggregate frequency of ShotSpotter alerts in an area to form the basis for an investigatory stop or as part of the rationale for a pat down once a stop has been initiated. Additionally, better data on law enforcement outcomes from ShotSpotter alerts would be valuable to support the City’s future assessments of whether to extend, amend, or discontinue its contractual relationship with ShotSpotter.
“Our study of ShotSpotter data is not about technological accuracy, it’s about operational value,” said Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety Deborah Witzburg. “If the Department is to continue to invest in technology which sends CPD members into potentially dangerous situations with little information––and about which there are important community concerns–– it should be able to demonstrate the benefit of its use in combatting violent crime. The data we analyzed plainly doesn’t do that. Meanwhile, the very presence of this technology is changing the way CPD members interact with members of Chicago’s communities. We hope that this analysis will equip stakeholders to make well-informed decisions about the ongoing use of ShotSpotter technology.”
Today, Nikki Budzinski, a labor activist, former senior advisor to Governor JB Pritzker, and former member of the Biden administration at OMB announced her campaign for Congress in Illinois’ 13th congressional district with a coalition of support.
Born in Peoria, Nikki’s parents taught her the importance of family, community, and service to others. From her grandpa, a union painter, she saw how unions built and sustained the middle class. From her grandma, a public-school teacher, she learned the value of a good education. After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign, Nikki traveled the country fighting to get hard-working people the pay and workplace protections they deserve while working with the IAFF firefighters union and UFCW.
As Governor JB Pritzker’s senior advisor, Nikki helped pass a $15 minimum wage in Illinois and expand high speed internet across the state. As the Chief of Staff in President Biden’s Office of Management and Budget, she helped implement the American Rescue Plan and established the Made in America office.
Budzinski also announced the endorsement of UFCW Local 881, Pastor Ray McJunkins, the Lead Pastor of Union Baptist Church in Springfield, State Representative Katie Stuart, Sangamon County Democratic Chairman Bill Houlihan, Christian County Democratic Chairman Ben Curtin, Jersey County Democratic Chairman Mark Pohlman, Calhoun County Democratic Chairman Paul “Snow” Herkert, and Macoupin County Democrats Chairwoman Pam Monetti.
Budzinski made the following statement: “I’ve spent my whole life fighting for working people and I’ll do the same in Congress. I want to make sure every Illinoisan has access to the same middle-class opportunities that my grandparents did as union painters and teachers.
Rodney Davis isn’t getting the job done. The stakes are too high for middle class families like the one I grew up in to have ineffective leaders in Congress and I plan to go to Congress and deliver for Illinois.”
Steve Powell, President of Local 881 and UFCW International Vice President made the following statement: “Nikki has spent her entire professional life fighting for working people. As we recover from COVID19 and build a new 21st-century economy, we need leaders like Nikki in Congress that are going to stand up for our members and make sure labor has a seat at the decision-making table. My job is to deliver for our members and having advocates like Nikki in Congress makes that easier. That’s why UFCW Local 881 is supporting Nikki.”
Pam Monetti, Chairwoman of the Macoupin County Democrats made the following statement: “Working people need allies in Congress that will make sure middle-class families get a fair shake. We haven’t gotten that from Rodney Davis the entire time he’s been in office. We need a true ally to working people which is why I’m supporting Nikki. She’s walked the walk - working in the labor movement, working to pass a $15 minimum wage in Illinois, and working on the American Rescue Plan in President Biden’s administration. Nikki will get the job done and I encourage others to support her.”
Pastor Ray McJunkins made the following statement: “Nikki Budzinski’s career spans over 20 years as a public servant. With an impressive and extensive background in government and political science Nikki is an exceptional individual when it comes to her passion of making a difference. She understands the importance of involvement in the decision-making process while working for the common good. With her education and experience, I am confident she will be a strong voice for the working class. Nikki Budzinski will bring to Capitol Hill knowledge, skill, experience, integrity, determination, and character. In fact, my descriptive summary of Nikki includes words such as competent, committed, talented, and innovative. She is an asset to local and state government and will be an even greater asset to federal government as she works for the people.”
Keep in mind that we don’t yet know what the districts will look like, and probably won’t until late October.
*** UPDATE *** Aaron DeGroot at the Rodney Davis campaign…
Hey, Rich.
Here is a quote from me as Davis campaign spokesperson regarding the Nikki Budzinski announcement:
“Nikki Budzinski is a lifelong Democrat political operative who is steeped in corrupt, Madigan-style politics. When she was a top staffer for Governor Pritzker, she helped Mike Madigan put his allies in patronage jobs throughout state government. Illinois voters have had enough of corrupt Madigan Machine politicians like Budzinski.”
And since Budzinski is Dick Durbin’s candidate for Congress against Rodney, I’ll note that Durbin is 0-5 against Rodney.
* I gave this info to subscribers yesterday, but it’s been picked up by another outlet and wasn’t quite reported right, so I thought I should take off the password protection. This docket entry was filed yesterday by a federal judge (not the Illinois Supreme Court, as reported elsewhere) in the lawsuit against the new redistricting law after a Monday morning hearing…
Taking into account the parties’ written submissions and the discussion held on the record this morning, Defendants’ motion to adjourn the expert discovery schedule and to set status conference for September 1, 2021 is granted in part and denied in part. Opening expert reports and supporting materials, which are due today under the existing schedule, are still to be exchanged no later than August 25, 2021. All other expert deadlines and expert discovery are stayed until further order of the Court and will be discussed either with the three−judge panel on September 1, or with Magistrate Judge Jantz, or both. Plaintiffs’ motion to expedite briefing schedule with respect to pending dispositive motions is denied. The pending dispositive motions remain under advisement, though the panel observes that in the event that the General Assembly enacts an amended redistricting plan in next week’s special session, the parties may need to consider whether to amend the pleadings and motions that currently are on file. The panel also reiterates the comments made on the record urging the General Assembly to take into account the views of the Plaintiffs in crafting any amended plan with the objective of presenting for the Court’s consideration a plan that satisfies all constitutional and statutory obligations, not just those raised in the existing pleadings and motions. To the extent that an amended plan still raises viable legal challenges, the parties should expect to update their pleadings, motions, and expert work (including proposed revisions or alternatives to the map(s) under consideration) on a highly compressed schedule given the need for an expeditious conclusion to this litigation to accommodate the 2022 election calendar. As a housekeeping matter, the motions to dismiss the original (and now superseded complaint) are stricken as moot. In view of the foregoing, the status conference previously set for 8/24/2021 at 12:30 p.m. is stricken and reset to 9/1/2021 at 12:30 p.m. Information regarding the video link for the panel and counsel and the telephone link for members of the public and media will be provided in a separate minute order. Finally, the notice of motion date of 8/27/2021 on Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment is stricken and no appearances are necessary on that date.
* Basic translation: The Republicans wanted the court to step in before the special session, but that was a no-go and the GOP’s motion to expedite the briefing for summary judgment was denied. Instead, the court punted the case until after the scheduled August 31st legislative special session on the remap. Democrats were urged to listen to plaintiffs on the constitutionality of the new remap plan (I’m told that means in particular the plaintiffs arguing insufficient Hispanic origin districts) because this could be their last chance to save their map.
In other words, the Democrats better get it done and get it right next week or they could lose control of the map-making process to a federal three-judge panel.
The Senate and House Redistricting Committees will hold a series of public hearings to consider potential changes to legislative boundaries following information recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
At least seven hearings will take place to gather input on possible adjustments to the legislative map, as Democrats remain committed to enacting a fair map that reflects the broad racial and geographic diversity of Illinois. All of the hearings will include a virtual component to ensure stakeholders from across the state can safely participate during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Members of the public may request to provide testimony, submit electronic testimony or submit electronic witness slips in advance of the hearings via the General Assembly website www.ilga.gov or through email at redistrictingcommittee@senatedem.ilga.gov and redistrictingcommittee@hds.ilga.gov.
Those who wish to provide testimony at a hearing location will be given the opportunity to do so as well.
This week, there will be seven hearings on the proposed map:
• Thursday, Aug. 26 at 1 p.m. – Joint House and Senate Hearing (Hybrid Hearing – participants may testify in person or via Zoom)
o Room C-600, 6th Floor, Michael A. Bilandic Building, 160 N LaSalle St, Chicago, IL
• Friday, Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. – House Hearing (In-Person Hearing)
o IBEW Local 309, 2000 Mall St., Collinsville, IL
• Friday, Aug. 27 at 12 p.m. – Senate Hearing (Virtual Hearing – participants may testify at the hearing location or via Zoom)
o Will County Board Room, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL
• Saturday, Aug. 28 at 10 a.m. – Joint House and Senate Hearing (Hybrid Hearing – participants may testify in person or via Zoom)
o Gilmore Auditorium at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, 222 SW Washington St, Peoria, IL
• Saturday, Aug. 28 at 12 p.m. – House Hearing (Virtual Hearing – participates may testify via Zoom)
o Champaign Region
• Saturday, Aug. 28 at 3 p.m. – Senate Hearing (Virtual Hearing – participants may testify at the hearing location or via Zoom)
o Vermilion Room located on the 2nd Floor of the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale SIU Student Center, 1255 Lincoln Dr., Carbondale, IL
• Sunday, Aug. 29 at 10 a.m. – House Hearing (In-Person Hearing)
o Phillips Park Visitors’ Center, 1000 Ray Moses Dr., Aurora, IL
“Our goal throughout this entire process has been to ensure that every person in Illinois receives fair and equal representation. The maps passed in May were drawn with the best data available at the time. Now that the long-awaited Census data has arrived, we will make adjustments as needed,” said Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, Chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee. “I look forward to once again engaging with community groups and organizations from across Illinois to gain better insight into what the Census data reveals about our state’s changing demographics.”
“Our goal from the beginning has always been passing a map that adheres to state and federal law while reflecting the diversity of this state and remaining a model for the nation for minority representation,” said Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Cicero, Chairperson of the House Redistricting Committee. “Now that we have received the 2020 census data, I look forward to additional public hearings to gather more testimony from our community organizers, advocacy groups and the general public and make sure all voices are heard as we update our legislative map to reflect the most recent data.”
You’ll recall they held hearings in the spring without a finished map on the table. Looks like the same thing this week.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Aug. 20 issued his 20th statewide COVID-19 disaster proclamation, meaning by the end of this new proclamation he will have declared Illinois to be in a state of disaster for 559 consecutive days. […]
Now that Pritzker’s again anointed himself for a 20th time, state lawmakers would be wise to impose some limits. After 559 days, it will be hard to argue the emergency precluded elected representatives from weighing in on one-man rule.
The South is burning with COVID and southern, western, northwestern and parts of central Illinois ain’t doing too great, either. But, yeah, the legislature, which was in session for several months earlier this year and chose to not limit the governor’s powers one iota, ought to come back to town and open ‘er all the way up. Right. Maybe even forbid schools from imposing mask mandates or some such nonsense.
Republican legislative candidates are coming forward “at a much higher rate” than they did for the 2018 election, a signal that the Illinois GOP is working to make good on a promise to fill every slot on the 2022 ballot.
“I attribute [the uptick] to people understanding the opportunity that we have this cycle and the issues that we’ll run against Democrats,” Jayme Odom, the executive director of the Illinois House Republicans, told Playbook. She says those issues include Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “overreach” by not working with the legislature to enact Covid-19 mitigation rules, passage of police-reform legislation, and signing a law that decriminalizes possession of certain amounts of fentanyl and cocaine.
On the state Senate side, “More Republicans in the Cook County region are interested in running for state office than I’ve seen before,” says Senate GOP Political Director Nick McNeely.
There’s no litmus test for running, but the House Republican organization is asking whether candidates believe the 2020 election was stolen. “We’re looking for people who are interested in running and who fit the constituency of their district,” said Odom.
The obvious follow-up would be what they’ll do with potential candidates who believe the Big Lie. I’m assuming the House Republicans are weeding out the dead-enders (particularly in the suburbs, where that would be a killer issue), but I wasn’t able to get that confirmed.
The first time Kim Brace drew electoral district maps for the state of Illinois, more than 40 years ago, things moved slowly.
He and his colleagues hung maps of the state on the walls in the office of the speaker of the state house of representatives. Someone would climb a ladder, moving different blocks of people into different districts while another took notes below. In the evenings, they would go to the largest bank in Springfield and use a mainframe computer to generate a daily report. Over the course of the four-month legislative session, Brace was able to draw about 10 possibilities for electoral maps.
Ten years later, in the 1990 redistricting cycle, Brace, the president of Election Data Services, a redistricting consulting firm, was back at the drawing board. But this time, he and his colleagues didn’t have to draw on walls. They rigged up two personal computers – one couldn’t handle all the data they needed – with rudimentary mapping software. They drew about 100 potential maps.
By 2000, Brace was able to draw about 1,000 plans. In 2010, the last time he drew maps, he was able to produce 10,000 possible maps. “It lets you see and imagine different alternatives,” Brace said. “It gives me that capability of understanding the parameters and playing field that I’m playing in.”
Is the South Side lakefront headed toward the same type of revival that has lifted the North Side in recent decades and made neighborhoods such as Lincoln Park, Lake View, Roscoe Village and North Center among the most desirable in the city?
The answer may well be yes, suggests some very solid new data emerging from the 2020 Census.
The phenomenon is in its early stages and is coming from a small base. But it appears real and is backed up by other data. If it continues, it suggests that despite all of Chicago’s other problems, a portion of the city that is heavily Black is making major strides to move up the economic scale.
The data is the first actual population count by community area in the city. It comes from demographer and consultant Frank Calabrese, who developed it while working on upcoming ward reapportionment for the City Council’s Latino Caucus.
* Greg Hinz reports on Deputy Gov. Jesse Ruiz’s decision to step down after more than 2.5 years overseeing education agencies…
Ruiz, 56, was not immediately available for comment. But the Chicago lawyer is believed headed back into private practice. An affable and generally well liked official, Pritzker noted that he’d frequently show up at the office with a smile on his face and a box of doughnuts from his favorite bakery in his hands.
Earlier another deputy governor left the administration, Dan Hynes, who has supervised financial, economic development and other fields. The governor’s top campaign aide, Quentin Fulks, left to run U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s re-election campaign in Georgia.
Pritzker insiders have suggested there’s no pattern to the departures beyond the obvious fact that in the administration’s third year, some turnover is to be expected.
Ruiz was also the focus of a particularly intense personal attack organized by some sports parents and “advocates” last year. Also, I believe Dan Hynes is still in the administration. I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago.
* Gov. JB Pritzker was asked today how the FDA’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine and subsequent Pentagon vaccine mandate for service members alters his “leverage” with state employees, teachers or other people. “Will you expand vaccine mandates now that this full approval is here?” His response…
Well, it’s not about leverage. I mean, let’s start with the idea that there are people who have been hesitant to get vaccinated because these vaccines were only under emergency use authorization. At this point now today, as a result of what the FDA has done, there is reams and reams of research that has now been done to prove that these vaccines are effective, especially the mRNA vaccines, like Pfizer. And so I’m very happy about that. I think so many people who may have been hesitant, wondering whether it was approved too quickly, now, literally almost a year later, we now have so much research to show these work. I’m very happy about that. I think that that means many more people will choose to get vaccinated. And I do think that there will be private institutions that will choose to require vaccinations now that it’s no longer under EUA.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* The Question: How long should the governor wait before mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for all state employees? Make sure to explain your answer, even if you believe that he shouldn’t ever mandate the vax.
“City employees are absolutely going to be required to be vaccinated,” she said, adding that discussions are still ongoing with the unions that represent most city workers, but specific announcements would land in the coming days. “We absolutely have to have a vaccine mandate. It’s for the safety of all involved, particularly members of the public, who are interacting with city employees on a daily basis.”
About 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to wear face masks while in school, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Similar shares say teachers and eligible students should also be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. […]
The poll shows 59% of Americans support vaccination requirements for teachers and nearly as many — 55% — say the same for students age 12 and over, who are eligible to be vaccinated. Among parents, support was lower, with 42% backing vaccine mandates for students.
[Dr. Marc Shelton, HSHS senior vice president and chief clinical officer] said the delta variant is more likely to hospitalize unvaccinated people younger than 65 because older people are more likely to be vaccinated. The variant also appears to make people sicker and in a shorter time period, he said.
A year ago, a rise in COVID-19 diagnoses typically was followed by a surge in hospitalizations eight to 15 weeks later, Shelton said. Now, because of the delta variant, it takes five weeks for patients to show up at the hospital after being diagnosed, he said. […]
The average age of COVID-19 patients in MHS hospitals now is 58, compared with 69 in 2020. These patients are requesting more interventions to maximize their chance of survival, and those interventions, such as using a ventilator to help a patient breathe, must take place in inpatient settings, Govindaiah said.
The rising hospitalizations has prompted Memorial officials to open new COVID-19 units and redeploy some staff from other jobs to provide more support at the bedside, he said.
* This is far worse than scamming the government to get a handicapped parking pass and should be treated far more harshly…
An Oregon school superintendent is telling parents they can get their children out of wearing masks by citing federal disability law. […]
In some cases, he said, he believes those problems justify an exemption under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 because they interfere with learning.
But Laurie VanderPloeg, an associate executive director at the Council for Exceptional Children, an advocacy group, cautioned that under the federal law, children would not be allowed to go maskless simply because they asked.
Under the law, she said, school districts would have to go through a formal process to establish whether a child does, in fact, have a particular mental or physical disability, such as a respiratory condition, that would warrant an exception to the mask rule.
In Kansas, the Spring Hill school board is allowing parents to claim a medical or mental health exemption from the county’s requirement that elementary school students mask up. They do not need a medical provider to sign off.
I recently saw a video online of an anti-mask Illinois parent citing ADA at a school, so I presume this scam has arrived here. I’m so old I remember when we used to be disgusted when people lied about a disability to obtain undeserved special treatment.
As Chicago Public Schools students prepare to return to classrooms next week, a group of City Council and General Assembly members say they are “deeply concerned” about the district’s COVID-19 safety plans.
“The delta variant of COVID-19 has demonstrated its stronger transmission among unvaccinated young people, and we are deeply concerned that Chicago Public Schools’ current plan for students and staff to return to school buildings rolls back many important safety mitigation standards that can undermine the district’s objective of increasing equity for students especially in light of an ever-changing pandemic that is increasingly harming younger age groups,” Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th, and Democratic state Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas wrote in a letter Sunday to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Board of Education President Miguel del Valle and interim CPS CEO José Torres.
The full letter is here. The full list of signatories is here and here.
Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union have hammered out about 25% of a COVID-19 safety agreement with just a week to go until students return to classrooms for full-time in-person learning, the union said Monday as it called on Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her team to “get serious” about working out a full deal.
* Press release…
Rev. & Mrs. Jesse Jackson’s COVID-19 Update
Sunday, August 22, 2021, 6:00 p.m.
Statement by son, Jonathan Jackson
Chicago, IL — Both of my parents have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, and especially because of their ages, physicians at the Northwestern University Memorial Hospital are carefully monitoring their condition.
Both are resting comfortably and are responding positively to their treatments.
My family appreciates all of the expressions of concern and prayers that have been offered on their behalf, and we will continue to offer our prayers for your family as well. We ask that you continue to pray for the full recovery of our parents. We will continue to update you on a regular basis.
Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) appointed Jeremy Margolis, Co-Chair of White Collar Criminal Defense & Investigations at Loeb & Loeb,to serve on the Legislative Ethics Commission’s search committee tasked with finding qualified candidates for the position of Legislative Inspector General.
“Jeremy’s extensive legal accolades and accomplishments will allow him to bring an experienced perspective to this very important process,” McConchie said. “Specifically his prosecutorial experience and tenure as Director of the Illinois State Police make him uniquely qualified to see the talents, skills and dedication to ethical behavior we need in Illinois government.”
Margolis practices law internationally with an emphasis on grand jury, white collar, and internal investigations, compliance counseling, investigations and complex commercial litigation.
“I am honored to be able to serve Illinois’ Senate leadership in this role,” Margolis said. “I will do all that I can to help enhance the level of integrity in state government and to restore public confidence in what is often viewed as a broken and self-serving system”.
He has tried dozens of United States District Court jury cases to verdict, both for and against the government, and he has briefed and argued over 30 cases in the United States Court of Appeals.
Prior to entering private practice, Jeremy served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Chicago for 11 years, handling many cases of national interest. He conducted complex and sensitive investigations and prosecutions of sophisticated financial schemes, official corruption involving high-ranking federal and state elected and appointed public officials, and organized crime cases ranging from loan sharking to murder. His cases included both domestic and international terrorism involving bombings, air piracy, hostage taking and seditious conspiracy. Jeremy was one of the co-founders and coordinators of the multiagency Chicago Joint Terrorist Task Force, directly responsible for many matters directly affecting national security.
He also served for four years as Director of the Illinois State Police (ISP), a full-service law enforcement agency numbering over 2,500 officers and 1,000 support and laboratory personnel. The ISP’s law enforcement responsibilities include uniformed and tactical patrol, investigations, operating the State Police Academy, and delivering crime laboratory services to Illinois law enforcement agencies through a network of regional laboratories.
In addition, Jeremy served as Illinois Inspector General for three years, overseeing both criminal and regulatory investigations involving child abuse, public health, the environment and public safety. During his appointment as inspector general, he briefly served as Illinois Acting Director of Public Health during a statewide salmonella crisis caused by contaminated milk, which affected over 10,000 child and adult victims. The crisis was resolved with the coordinated involvement of the U.S. FDA and CDC.
Jeremy has lectured extensively at law schools, bar associations and civic organizations, and he has conducted training for state and local prosecutors and local, state and federal law enforcement officers. He is regularly quoted in local and national media, including in hundreds of case-related newspaper and magazine articles, and he has been interviewed on radio and television programs.
Margolis earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before graduating cum laude from the Northwestern University School of Law. He has received many awards and honors throughout his career including the Anti-Defamation League’s Civil Rights Award, the United States Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service and the United States Secret Service Honor Award.
He is a member of the FBI Chicago Chapter of the Society of Former Special Agents and a member of the Board of Governors of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists and a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
*** UPDATE *** From one of my syndicated newspaper columns way back in the day…
Margolis is a walking conflict of interest, and that’s the least of his faults. A former director of the Illinois State Police, he first gained notoriety in the 1998 governor’s race, when George Ryan brought him in to investigate allegations that secretary of state workers were handing out commercial drivers licenses to anyone who bought George Ryan campaign-fundraiser tickets.
Margolis took a quick look and declared there was no organized effort to sell licenses for campaign donations, and insisted that no follow-up investigations were needed. And then he began aggressively, and dishonestly, defending Ryan in the media.
“This is campaign time,” he told reporters with a dismissive tone. “Six-hundred-dollar bribes which you wouldn’t normally report are big news now.”
Margolis reviewed a diary kept by secretary of state whistle-blower Tony Berlin, but he claimed when his investigation was complete that the whistle-blower had a “lengthy arrest record,” so Berlin was chalked up as untrustworthy. But after Ryan was safely elected governor, the U.S. attorney revealed that Berlin’s diary was crucial in making bribery cases against Marion Sieble, Berlin’s boss, and others. And Berlin’s supposedly “lengthy” arrest record? He was busted once for DUI. Margolis smeared him.
One of the documents Margolis never mentioned was a memo written a week after the Rev. Scott Willis drove over a piece of metal that had fallen off a semi, which caused his van to blow up and kill all six of his children. In the memo, Secretary of State Inspector General Dean Bauer said he suspected the truck driver, who didn’t speak any English, had bribed his way to a driver’s license. The memo didn’t surface until many months after the 1998 election.
The Margolis influence was felt beyond the license-for-bribes scandal. A Margolis friend at Ryan’s secretary of state office was given the job of spying on a separate state-police investigation into campaign work done on state time.
After Ryan was elected governor, Margolis chaired a gubernatorial transition committee and began “monitoring” the federal corruption investigation for the governor.
It wasn’t long before Ryan’s campaign was paying Margolis to represent almost all the Ryan employees who were receiving visits from FBI agents and testifying before grand juries.
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.
“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.”
Since Dec. 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been available under EUA in individuals 16 years of age and older, and the authorization was expanded to include those 12 through 15 years of age on May 10, 2021. EUAs can be used by the FDA during public health emergencies to provide access to medical products that may be effective in preventing, diagnosing, or treating a disease, provided that the FDA determines that the known and potential benefits of a product, when used to prevent, diagnose, or treat the disease, outweigh the known and potential risks of the product.
FDA-approved vaccines undergo the agency’s standard process for reviewing the quality, safety and effectiveness of medical products. For all vaccines, the FDA evaluates data and information included in the manufacturer’s submission of a biologics license application (BLA). A BLA is a comprehensive document that is submitted to the agency providing very specific requirements. For Comirnaty, the BLA builds on the extensive data and information previously submitted that supported the EUA, such as preclinical and clinical data and information, as well as details of the manufacturing process, vaccine testing results to ensure vaccine quality, and inspections of the sites where the vaccine is made. The agency conducts its own analyses of the information in the BLA to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective and meets the FDA’s standards for approval.
Comirnaty contains messenger RNA (mRNA), a kind of genetic material. The mRNA is used by the body to make a mimic of one of the proteins in the virus that causes COVID-19. The result of a person receiving this vaccine is that their immune system will ultimately react defensively to the virus that causes COVID-19. The mRNA in Comirnaty is only present in the body for a short time and is not incorporated into - nor does it alter - an individual’s genetic material. Comirnaty has the same formulation as the EUA vaccine and is administered as a series of two doses, three weeks apart.
“Our scientific and medical experts conducted an incredibly thorough and thoughtful evaluation of this vaccine. We evaluated scientific data and information included in hundreds of thousands of pages, conducted our own analyses of Comirnaty’s safety and effectiveness, and performed a detailed assessment of the manufacturing processes, including inspections of the manufacturing facilities,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “We have not lost sight that the COVID-19 public health crisis continues in the U.S. and that the public is counting on safe and effective vaccines. The public and medical community can be confident that although we approved this vaccine expeditiously, it was fully in keeping with our existing high standards for vaccines in the U.S.”
FDA Evaluation of Safety and Effectiveness Data for Approval for 16 Years of Age and Older
The first EUA, issued Dec. 11, for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for individuals 16 years of age and older was based on safety and effectiveness data from a randomized, controlled, blinded ongoing clinical trial of thousands of individuals.
To support the FDA’s approval decision today, the FDA reviewed updated data from the clinical trial which supported the EUA and included a longer duration of follow-up in a larger clinical trial population.
Specifically, in the FDA’s review for approval, the agency analyzed effectiveness data from approximately 20,000 vaccine and 20,000 placebo recipients ages 16 and older who did not have evidence of the COVID-19 virus infection within a week of receiving the second dose. The safety of Comirnaty was evaluated in approximately 22,000 people who received the vaccine and 22,000 people who received a placebo 16 years of age and older.
Based on results from the clinical trial, the vaccine was 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease.
More than half of the clinical trial participants were followed for safety outcomes for at least four months after the second dose. Overall, approximately 12,000 recipients have been followed for at least 6 months.
The most commonly reported side effects by those clinical trial participants who received Comirnaty were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, chills, and fever. The vaccine is effective in preventing COVID-19 and potentially serious outcomes including hospitalization and death.
Additionally, the FDA conducted a rigorous evaluation of the post-authorization safety surveillance data pertaining to myocarditis and pericarditis following administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and has determined that the data demonstrate increased risks, particularly within the seven days following the second dose. The observed risk is higher among males under 40 years of age compared to females and older males. The observed risk is highest in males 12 through 17 years of age. Available data from short-term follow-up suggest that most individuals have had resolution of symptoms. However, some individuals required intensive care support. Information is not yet available about potential long-term health outcomes. The Comirnaty Prescribing Information includes a warning about these risks.
Ongoing Safety Monitoring
The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have monitoring systems in place to ensure that any safety concerns continue to be identified and evaluated in a timely manner. In addition, the FDA is requiring the company to conduct postmarketing studies to further assess the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following vaccination with Comirnaty. These studies will include an evaluation of long-term outcomes among individuals who develop myocarditis following vaccination with Comirnaty. In addition, although not FDA requirements, the company has committed to additional post-marketing safety studies, including conducting a pregnancy registry study to evaluate pregnancy and infant outcomes after receipt of Comirnaty during pregnancy.
The FDA granted this application Priority Review. The approval was granted to BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH.
* My parents had five boys. Whenever we were on a road trip and their passel of sons was starting to get restless and unruly, my father would warn us with what he called “The three S’s”…
Rod Blagojevich is looking for some heavy-duty polish to spiff up his sullied reputation. He thinks he may have found it. The disgraced ex-governor has filed a lawsuit seeking to nullify the ban on him running for office — either statewide or locally.
“If I were to fall dead right here, my obituary in tomorrow’s papers wouldn’t be that good,” he told a gaggle of reporters earlier this month outside the Dirksen Federal Building, adding that he wanted to pursue “things with my life where that obituary can be corrected.” […]
We have a message for Rod. You can spiff up that reputation faster than you can say Roland Burris. Simply make the ultimate sacrifice, and step away from that limelight you crave so dearly. Your 15 minutes are up. Just walk away. Embrace a private life.
I’d add an admonition to ABC 7 for producing a “documentary” on Blagojevich that the station hyped with “exclusive” coverage of his goofy lawsuit.
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon decided last week to join House Speaker Chris Welch in his decision to not participate in the Democratic Party of Illinois’ new “BLUE Committee” structure.
The state party chair, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, is barred by federal election laws from participating in any fundraising or spending of money that is raised outside the federally regulated campaign system. So, with direction from the Federal Election Commission, the state party cobbled together the BLUE (Building Leadership, Unity, and Equity) Committee to oversee that activity and insulate Chair Kelly from possible legal violations.
The committee has five members, two of whom would be the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate. But Speaker Welch has said for weeks that he had concerns about whether the new committee actually followed federal law, and had his own issues to deal with as a new chamber leader ahead of a remap election year. So, he wouldn’t be participating and wouldn’t be appointing a proxy.
The state central committee met last week to vote on the bylaw change and Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, a member of the central committee, said she had spoken with Senate President Harmon earlier in the day and he told her he also would not be serving on the new committee because he believed the structure was “problematic.”
Former Senate President John Cullerton, who also is a member of the state central committee, spoke against the proposed bylaw change as well. Cullerton warned earlier this year that electing U.S. Rep. Kelly as state party chair would open up a can of legal worms and he agreed that the committee’s structure was problematic. He and Castro also noted that since Harmon and Welch wouldn’t be participating, the committee would have only three voting members.
But Bill Houlihan, a central committee member who was U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s top guy in Springfield for years until his recent retirement, disputed the notion that Harmon had any problems with the committee’s structure, saying he’d spoken with both Harmon and Welch and they “indicated to me that they were trying to find a way to make this work.” He also dismissed criticisms of the committee by Castro and Cullerton and said the language was only a “first step” and could be amended down the road.
Asked whether Harmon viewed the BLUE Committee’s structure as “problematic,” a Harmon spokesperson directed me to Sen. Castro’s statement during the meeting — which is a clever way of confirming her claim without directly doing so. And that means Houlihan may have not correctly characterized his conversation with the Senate president.
But Harmon’s person also said that the Senate president plans to be “helpful to Democrats up and down the ballot.” Speaker Welch’s people have issued similar statements in the past.
The new bylaws passed with seven of the central committee’s 36 members voting against it. Former Speaker Michael Madigan and a few others did not attend or approve proxies.
Houlihan subsequently was elected to a spot on the new BLUE Committee and said after the meeting that he had no plans to be the committee’s chair.
The reality is, the most powerful Democrats in the state are not part of this process, including the billionaire governor, who supported Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris for chair against Kelly earlier this year. Asked by a central committee member during the meeting why the governor wasn’t included on the BLUE Committee, Kelly went out of her way to make it clear that “I don’t have issues” with Gov. J.B. Pritzker. “I’ve been above-board, graceful,” she said.
Sen. Durbin was solidly behind Kelly’s election as state party chair, which exacerbated the tensions between Durbin and Pritzker that have existed since the 2018 election.
Durbin also built up the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association from basically nothing as a counterweight to then-Speaker Michael Madigan’s Democratic Party of Illinois machine. It’s likely no coincidence, therefore, that Pritzker didn’t attend the IDCCA’s annual brunch event on Governor’s Day. He initially said he wouldn’t attend because the group was holding a large event indoors, but when it was moved outside, he said he’d already made other plans. OK.
The rift will matter if campaigns suffer, but the state party has always been mainly a pass-through mechanism to obtain direct mail discounts, and the IDCCA is never a gigantic factor. So, I’m not yet sure that anything will truly suffer as long as the billionaire is spreading cash around and the two legislative leaders bring in big bucks.
Even though allegations of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election haven’t been substantiated, four conservatives challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger for his congressional seat insist Donald Trump actually won reelection.
All four maintain Democrat Joe Biden holds the Oval Office only through chicanery.
“I believe that is likely,” said James Marter, an Oswego software consultant running for the 16th District post. “There were serious irregularities across the nation.” […]
Fellow 16th District candidates Teresa Pfaff and Geno Young also ardently believe Biden wrongfully occupies the White House. […]
Two other Republicans in the race — Catalina Lauf of Woodstock and Jack Lombardi of Manhattan — suspect the election was marred by fraud and believe investigations are warranted.
Keep in mind that Illinois doesn’t have new congressional maps yet, so we don’t even know what his district will look like, if it exists at all.
After a close contact advised today they were positive for COVID-19, I immediately was tested & learned that I too have the virus–despite being fully vaccinated for many months.
While this is a breakthrough case, thankfully the symptoms are relatively mild.
Full disclosure, I had an indoor contact with Leader McConchie on Wednesday, so I will be tested Saturday and Sunday, and, heck, maybe Monday just to make sure.
…Adding… Statement from Leader McConchie…
Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie has confirmed he is experiencing a break-through case of COVID-19. McConchie was vaccinated against the virus earlier this spring, and presently has very mild symptoms.
Additionally, contact tracing in accordance with public health guidelines was implemented immediately upon receiving the positive test result.
“I am very grateful to have been vaccinated and experiencing only mild symptoms,” McConchie said. “I encourage everyone reading these words to be vaccinated and protect themselves and their families agasint the virus. I encourage anyone with whom I have had the most brief contact in the last few days to be tested as a safeguard.”
I’m heading out soon to Springfield Clinic to be tested.
…Adding… I’m feeling great, but will be taking another test tomorrow and one more just before session starts to make extra sure…
My rapid test came back negative. PCR test scheduled tomorrow. I feel fine. No symptoms. Please, people, get vaccinated.
Still no symptoms at all and got an easy-peasy PCR test today at Walgreen's drive-thru. Was told to expect results in 3-5 days, so lots of folks must be getting themselves tested. Please, get vaccinated.
Gov. Pritzker Signs Two Bills Updating Sex Education Standards in K-12 Schools
Voluntary Standards to Emphasize Health, Safety and Inclusivity with Age-Appropriate Education
SPRINGFIELD —Building on efforts to modernize and strengthen Illinois’ education system, Governor JB Pritzker signed two bills today that update the state’s sex education standards in K-12 schools. The voluntary standards will emphasize health, safety, and inclusivity with age-appropriate resources. The standards do not need to be adopted in school districts that do not provide comprehensive sexual health education and parents may choose to opt their children out.
“Modernizing our sex education standards will help keep our children safe and ensure important lessons like consent and internet safety are taught in classrooms,”said Governor JB Pritzker. “By working together, we’ll continue to strengthen our education system and deliver the bright future our kids deserve.”
Senate Bill 818 brings Illinois’ sexual health education into the 21st century by adding new personal health and safety education standards in kindergarten through 5th grade, and making comprehensive health education more inclusive in grades 6 through 12. School districts do not have to adopt the voluntary standards unless they are teaching comprehensive sexual health education, and parents can choose to opt out.
Course material and instruction will help students learn about concepts like consent and will develop self-advocacy skills for effective communication with parents or guardians, health and social service professionals, other trusted adults, and peers about health and relationships.
The Illinois State Board of Education will develop and adopt these new voluntary learning standards in consultation with stakeholders, including parents, sexual health and violence prevention experts, health care providers, and education advocates. They will make these free resources available online no later than August 1, 2022.
SB 818 takes effect immediately.
“No student should feel stigmatized or excluded in the classroom,” said State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago). “This legislation puts forth guidelines for an inclusive, culturally competent curriculum to keep students safe and healthy.”
“As a legislator, assuring that young people have all the tools to make healthy decisions has been a priority for me,” said State Representative Camille Lilly (D-Chicago). “Seven years ago when we fought to move sexual health education in Illinois beyond abstinence-only education, we knew there was more work to be done. Today marks another step in our efforts to ensure that young people receive a full toolbox of knowledge and skills to reduce harm and support overall health for their entire lives. I thank all those who have worked on the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act as well as all those who voted to pass it. We know that the need of young people evolves, we must keep pace.”
House Bill 24 requires classes that teach sex education to include an age-appropriate discussion regarding sexting. The discussion will include:
• information regarding the possible consequences of sharing or forwarding sexually explicit or suggestive content
• the identification of situations in which bullying or harassment may result as a consequence of sexting
• the potential for long-term legal, social, academic, and other consequences from possessing sexual content,
• the importance of internet safety,
• the identification of people who could be of assistance on this issue to students
• and the development of strategies to resist peer pressure.
HB 24 takes effect immediately.
“Technology has grown a lot in the last decade, and our education needs to adapt as well,” said State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford). “This new law requires those schools that teach sex education to include a lesson on sexting, so students can learn about the real-life consequences of the virtual act.”
“With the evolution of technology and the increasing access for our children, it is vital that they understand the consequences of sexting. And now they will,” said State Representative Maurice West (D-Rockford). “I want to thank Governor Pritzker and my colleagues in the General Assembly for their support in passing this important legislation.”
…Adding… ACLU…
Earlier today, Governor JB Pritzker signed the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act, which creates age-appropriate learning standards for public schools that decide to teach comprehensive personal health and safety education (grades K-5) and comprehensive sexual health education (grades 6-12).
“Years after changing Illinois law so that sexual health education is not simply abstinence-only, we are pleased that this new law will help students who have been stigmatized and or made invisible in these courses, such as LGBTQIA+ students and pregnant and parenting students, feel affirmed and seen in their classrooms,” said Khadine Bennett, Director of Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs for the ACLU of Illinois. “With the Governor’s signature today, students across Illinois can anticipate receiving information and education they need to support informed decision making to lead healthy lives.”
“This is good policy for all students in our state.”
…Adding… Schimpf…
Paul Schimpf, Republican candidate for Governor of Illinois, issued the following statement in response to Pritzker’s signing of SB818:
“By signing SB818, a bill that authorizes sex education as early as kindergarten, Governor Pritzker has shown an unwillingness to listen to the commonsense views of parents who want schools to focus on teaching academics, rather than social engineering. Now, more than ever, we need an Illinois Governor who understands that parents, not the government, should make decisions about their children’s education, healthcare, and maturation into adulthood. With his misguided action today, Governor Pritzker proves once again that he is too extreme to lead our state.”
* Rabine…
Gary Rabine, candidate for Governor, says the fact Governor JB Pritzker chose to sign the controversial sex education bill late on a Friday shows even he knows how insidious this legislation is for the children of this state.
“As Illinoisans across the state were gearing up for Family Day this weekend at the State Fair, our Governor signed legislation to effectively declare war on Illinois families,” Rabine said. “There is no justifiable reason to sexualize kindergartners. Signing this legislation is beyond irresponsible. Our children need to be protected and understand that their privacy is essential. Governor Pritzker should be ashamed of himself.”
The new (SB 818) would require schools to adopt the National Sex Education Standards beginning in kindergarten. Under the latest iteration of the standards, students starting in 6th grade will be taught how to define the meaning of oral and anal sex and third graders will be taught concepts such as masturbation. The bill passed without a single Republican vote.
“No wonder this atrocious bill was dropped late on a Friday afternoon,” Rabine said. “It is not the job of government to parent our children. It is not the job of government to teach third graders about masturbation. It is a sad day for our state.”
Rabine noted that there is an opt-out clause in the legislation that states:
“No student shall be required to take or participate in any class or course in comprehensive personal health and safety and comprehensive sexual health education. A student’s parent or guardian may opt the student out of comprehensive personal health and safety and comprehensive sexual health education by submitting the request in writing. Refusal to take or participate in such a course or program may not be a reason for disciplinary action, academic penalty, suspension, or expulsion or any other sanction of a student.”
“We need new leadership in Illinois, but until we have an election and vote out irresponsible leaders like JB Pritzker, parents must step up and take control of their children’s education,” Rabine said. “I urge every parent in Illinois to exercise this opt out option while it is still an option. My worry is that this bill is the trojan horse that eventually has no opt-out option, and our parents lose more freedoms over their children.”
BREAKING: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announces that all Cook County employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15. CONTEXT: Mayor Lori Lightfoot has declined to impose a vaccination mandate on city employees, although teachers must be vaccinated @wttw
The Illinois State Police Division of Forensic services has reduced the backlog. The biology backlog has decreased by 62 percent since its peak in March 2019. The number of pending sexual assault assignments that are more than six months old has gone from over 1,000 cases in January 2019 to 56. Today, the age of pending biology assignments has been reduced from 247 in May of 2019 to 69 days today. The biology section is completing 38 percent more assignments per month this year compared with 2019.
That backlog was egregious and it’s still not great, but at least things are now definitely moving in the right direction.
* Meanwhile, from a press release…
This week, Illinois State Police (ISP), in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) began installing license plate reading cameras on Chicago area expressways.
Earlier this year, the ISP received a $12.5 million grant for purchase of specialized cameras to read the license plate numbers of vehicles moving in traffic. The installations will also include a communication system to backhaul the video images to a central location where additional software is used to query and match license plates to existing license plate and vehicle databases.
“This investment in expressway cameras further strengthens the Illinois State Police’s ability to hold violent offenders accountable and fulfill our mission to help all Illinois residents live safely,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Our roadways should be connections between communities, not crime scenes, and the ISP will offer the additional support necessary to local law enforcement in Chicago to protect traveling residents.”
“This is an important step toward expanding force-multiplying technology we have long needed to protect the public traveling on Chicago expressways,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “These cameras will be an increasingly important tool for the ISP to collect the evidence we need to detect and deter crime on our interstates.”
As of Thursday, there were 157 reported shootings on Chicago area expressways in 2021.
The ISP continues to work with IDOT and CDOT to assist with the installation of more than 200 license plate reader cameras over the next year. The images from these cameras will not be used for petty offenses, such as speeding.
Increasingly, we’ve seen shootings throughout the Chicagoland expressways, and I am glad that we will now have the access to technology that will aid in the investigation of expressway shootings,” said State Senator Napoleon Harris, III (D-Harvey). “With these innovations, I hope many crimes are solved and brought to justice, so that the victims’ families may know peace.”
“Thank you, Governor Pritzker, for providing comfort and confidence to the victims of expressway shootings. I empathize with the family of Tamara Clayton, her sister Alma Hill, and other family members for enduring the time it took to erect these cameras,” said State Rep. Thaddeus M. Jones (D-Calumet City). “Governor Pritzker, Deputy Governor Christian Mitchell, ISP Director Kelly, and IDOT must be commended for their hard work in making sure that we provide ISP with the tools to capture the individuals who are shooting on our expressways. I would like to invite the public to join forces with ISP, and all law enforcement, and immediately report any person who intentionally targets any human being on our expressways, so we can stop these horrible shootings.”
The Tamara Clayton Expressway Camera Act (Expressway Camera Act) was signed into law on July 12, 2019 and became effective on Jan. 1, 2020. Ms. Clayton was on her way to work on Feb. 4, 2019 when she was tragically shot and killed while driving on Interstate 57 near Cicero Avenue. ISP investigators responded and the investigation into her death remains open and ongoing.
Following the state procurement process, Motorola was selected as the vendor for the camera system.
Two people arrested after allegedly speeding from the scene of a deadly shooting of a retired school teacher on the Dan Ryan have been released without charges.
There is no one else in custody for the murder of Denise Huguelet, an Illinois State Police spokesperson said Friday morning.
Huguelet, 67, was reportedly struck by crossfire coming from two other cars as she headed home from a White Sox game with her husband. The shooting happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday in the southbound lanes at 63rd Street.
The Illinois State Police (ISP) announce three upcoming Cadet Classes and encourage applicants from all of Illinois’ diverse communities to join the ranks of the ISP as we continue to build toward our next 100 years. Two of the new classes will be traditional classes while one will be a fast track class, providing certified police officers an opportunity to become Illinois State Troopers through participation in an accelerated training program
These new classes build on significant efforts to bolster the ranks of the Illinois State Police under the Pritzker Administration. Since 2019, Illinois has fielded 235 Troopers with three cadet classes – Cadet Class (CC) 129, CC 130, and CC 131 – and these three additional cadet classes will sustain the effort to rebuild the Illinois State Police.
A Message from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul
It has been an honor to serve the people of the State of Illinois as the 42nd Attorney General for the past two years. Our office has consistently advocated on behalf of Illinois and its people by protecting consumers, defending our rights, and collaborating with the law enforcement community to help keep our communities and children safe.
The responsibilities of the Attorney General, to defend and advocate for the state and its people, were brought into sharp focus with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Despite the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, our staff immediately moved into action to adapt our operations to meet the needs of Illinois residents, while also keeping our employees safe. Our attorneys and staff answered thousands of calls from consumers about price gouging and from workers concerned about COVID-19 safety practices in their workplaces. Our attorneys also fought to uphold the Governor’s actions to keep Illinois residents safe in accordance with public health guidance.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has created unique challenges to serving as the Attorney General, our office continues to provide ongoing support and services to the people and communities across Illinois. This report reflects the hard work and dedication of the attorneys and staff of the Attorney General’s office. I could not be more thankful for their dedication and service, and I look forward to continuing to build on our accomplishments.
Skim through the report by clicking here. AG Raoul announced his reelection bid on Governor’s Day.
* The Question: On a 1-10 scale, with 1 being the best and 10 the worst, how would you rate Attorney General Raoul’s performance to date? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
A new law sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) expands the rights of victims and survivors of violent crimes to take unpaid time off work.
“Trauma can often be a life-changing experience, so victims and survivors of violent crimes and their families should be able to deal with that trauma on their own time without having to risk losing their jobs,” Peters said. “Otherwise, we’re creating a situation where a person might experience serious trauma and then suffer loss of livelihood as a result.”
House Bill 3582 extends the Victims Economic and Safety Act, which entitles victims and survivors and families of victims and survivors of domestic, sexual or gender violence to various amounts of unpaid leave from work to deal with the trauma caused by the experience. The new law extends the act to include victims of any other type of violent crime and provides protections against discriminatory acts from employers.
“Trauma should never beget more trauma,” Peters said.
The legislation received bipartisan support from both chambers of the General Assembly. Gov. JB Pritzker signed it into law Friday, and it is effective immediately.
His comms person better get a nice holiday bonus. [They accidentally sent the wrong release, so content has been changed.]
Governor Pritzker signed a package of legislation to expand protection for immigrants and refugee communities in Illinois on Thursday.
Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 709 and House Bill 2790 into law. Officials said the new laws provide residents in Cook County with legal representation and launches information campaigns to help immigrants and refugees in Illinois understand their rights.
“The legislation I’m signing today builds on our nation-leading efforts to make Illinois a welcoming state for immigrants and refugees,” said Gov. Pritzker. “I’m proud that these critical protections advance our mission to give our immigrant neighbors the equitable representation that they deserve. Everyone should feel safe and secure in the place they call home and I remain committed to ensuring that our efforts to protect immigrants define what it means to live, work, and thrive in Illinois.”
* ISMS press release…
[Yesterday’s] action by Governor Pritzker to sign into law the Prior Authorization Reform Act (House Bill 711) is a major victory for reducing the bureaucratic barriers for Illinois patients to receive the medical treatment they need in a timely manner.
“The misuse of prior authorization has caused delays and denials to patients who may need potentially life-saving care. Our hope is that by enacting this law, patients will get the medical care they deserve and need without unnecessary delays,” said Regan Thomas, MD, President, Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS).
With bipartisan support in both chambers, the Illinois General Assembly unanimously approved ISMS’ top initiative during the Spring legislative session.
The law requires important, substantive changes to health insurer prior authorization practices. These require that:
• Health insurance companies respond to prior authorization requests within well-defined shortened and more immediate timelines for urgent and non-urgent care; no one will have to wait longer than one week for an answer from their health insurance company
• Insurers use medical professionals with relevant experience in the appropriate specialty to make prior authorization decisions
• Clear and definite time frames be in place for how long a prior authorization approval is valid for acute and chronic conditions to avoid disruptions in medical care for patients who are stable on a prescribed treatment
• Prior authorization requirements are transparent and follow evidence-based guidelines
ISMS has been leading this fight for reform along with many other healthcare and patient advocacy organizations as part of the Your Care Can’t Wait Coalition.
“The issues with prior authorization became so cumbersome that when we conducted a survey of Illinois physicians, more than 95% reported that this process had caused harm to their patients,” Dr. Thomas noted. “The physicians of Illinois appreciate that the Governor and the General Assembly have supported this legislation to make sure patients receive the medical care and treatment they deserve without delays.”
The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2022. It applies to state-regulated insurance plans, including Medicaid. It does not apply to federally regulated ERISA plans or Medicare.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation today that creates a path for the compassionate release of medically incapacitated individuals by the Prison Review Board (PRB). House Bill 3665, also known as the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act, reflects the administration’s commitment to bringing about true, meaningful reform in the justice system.
“By signing the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act into law, it’s my intention to honor Joe Coleman’s legacy as a father, as a veteran, as a man who spent his days raising funds for charity from behind bars,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to the many advocates and General Assembly sponsors Senator John Connor and Representative Will Guzzardi, more families will get to say goodbye to their loved ones the way we all hope to get to when the time comes: together. This is another step toward the world, the Illinois, our families deserve. And I’m proud to turn it into law today.”
To provide dignity for all Illinois residents in their final days, HB 3665 allows for the discretionary early release of those who are medically incapacitated or terminally ill and serving time in an Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) facility.
“This bill creates policy that honors people’s humanity while at the same time prioritizing public safety,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “I am proud that Illinois is leading with compassion and bringing a restorative justice lens to criminal justice policy making.”
Joined by state lawmakers and survivors of domestic violence, today Governor JB Pritzker signed seven pieces of legislation into law to address domestic violence and remove some of the obstacles survivors face.
“Every difficult choice and obstacle we eliminate for victims of domestic violence unlocks an opportunity for them to prioritize their safety,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “While our work to make Illinois a safer and more compassionate state for survivors is not done, I am heartened by the steps we have taken today.”
“As chair of the Illinois Council on Women and Girls, we have been focused on preventing gender-based violence and supporting survivors,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “I am thankful that Governor Pritzker is prioritizing gender-based violence and his signature on these bills is just one more example of how we are working to make Illinois safer, more equitable, and empowering for women and girls.”
“A permanent Illinois Forensic Science Commission will drive improvements in the collection and analysis of forensic evidence,” said ISP Assistant Deputy Director of Division of Forensic Services Robin Woolery. “An Illinois Forensic Science Commission will be a forum for discussions between forensic science stakeholders to improve communication and coordination and ultimately empower them to monitor and address the important issues. By taking a strong systems-based approach, Illinois can further address the inefficiencies that contribute to backlogs.”
Building on efforts to fully support workers and their families, Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation that lowers employee contributions to the CTA’s Retiree Health Care Trust while maintaining 100% funding. The law allows workers to take home every hard-earned dollar possible, while protecting their full benefits and healthcare they earned upon retirement.
“This is progress made possible because this promise is properly funded. It’s proof that, with patience, determination and commitment, Illinois is a state where commitments to our retirees can be responsibly fulfilled,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’ve been proud to put Springfield back on the side of working families throughout the state. In partnership with the General Assembly, this is yet another step we’re taking to build back our state after years of neglecting our workers.” ”
…Adding… Press release…
Building on efforts to expand mental health services, Governor JB Pritzker today signed House Bill 1778 into law, helping to prevent teen suicide in high schools, colleges and universities by combatting mental health crises. The legislation was championed by students from Naperville Central, who formed the nonprofit Beyond Charity, to raise mental health awareness.
“As many students have spent more time isolated from friends, teachers, and even family, it is more important than ever they have resources to remind them they are not alone,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to the legislation I am signing today, next year, all middle school, high school, and public university student IDs will feature the numbers for crisis hotlines. Every student – regardless of their grade, school, and struggles – will carry an affirmation that mental health matters – with a life-saving resource in their back pocket.”
Named after the Naperville nonprofit, the Beyond Charity Law requires public high schools and institutions of higher education to add contact information for suicide prevention on school IDs. The legislation will ensure that students in sixth through 12th grade, as well as colleges and universities have contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, and either the Safe2Help Illinois or a local suicide prevention hotline on their ID cards.
…Adding… Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker today signed legislation that establishes the Childhood Anaphylactic Policy, creating added safety measures for students with life-threatening allergies. House Bill 102 provides guidance to school districts and daycares regarding anaphylactic reactions, furthering the administration’s commitment to making Illinois’ educational systems safe and inclusive for all students.
“I’m glad that the Childhood Anaphylactic Policy will not only provide comfort to parents of children with severe allergies, but it will better equip daycares and K-12 schools with the expertise to help these kids,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As a parent myself, I’m intent upon making Illinois the best state in the nation to raise a young family. Thanks to this bill, we’re locking in another piece of the puzzle today.”
In an effort to better help schools protect all students, House Bill 102 requires the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to establish anaphylaxis policies and procedures for school districts and daycare settings.
* You’ll undoubtedly recall this story from yesterday…
State investigators who grant and revoke medical licenses have opened an investigation into a sports doctor at Carle Hospital because of his personal stance opposing a mask mandate in schools, according to emails he says he received from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).
Dr. Jeremy Henrichs, a team physician for the University of Illinois’ Athletic Department, is also an elected member of the Mahomet-Seymour school board. Despite his opposition to mandatory mask rules in classrooms, the school district will still enforce the Governor’s new statewide school mask mandate and require all students to wear masks in class, according to documents posted on its website.
* Well, Sen. Chapin Rose called me today to say that an IDFPR attorney has reached out to Dr. Hendrix’s attorney and “formally apologized.”
IDFPR admitted, Rose said, “that the line of inquiry was inappropriate and said that nothing further is required, as far as the statement goes, of Dr. Hendrix. We’re trying to confirm that that means that this is being dismissed and that there’s no further action.”
* From IDFPR Acting Secretary Mario Treto, Jr…
Our preliminary review of this complaint has concluded and the strong recommendation to the Medical Disciplinary Board will be that this complaint be closed. Under current law, only the Medical Disciplinary Board can close a complaint. We are pleased that Governor Pritzker signed Public Act 102-0020 into law, which becomes effective January 1, 2022, and will allow the Department to be able to review and close medical complaints that do not have merit related to a violation of the Medical Practice Act.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 24,682 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 126 additional deaths since reporting last Friday, August 13, 2021. More than 77% of Illinois adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and more than 60% of Illinois adults are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,482,369 cases, including 23,717 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since reporting on Friday, August 13, 2021, laboratories have reported 462,916 specimens for a total of 28,072,697. As of last night, 2,000 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 468 patients were in the ICU and 234 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from August 13-19, 2021 is 5.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from August 13-19, 2021 is 6.1%. However, regional 7-day test positivity averages range from 4.2% to 10.4%. http://www.dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics?regionID=11.
A total of 13,745,822 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 33,564 doses. Since reporting on Friday, August 13, 2021, 234,949 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
For perspective, the spring spike peaked at 2,288 hospitalizations on April 19.
*** UPDATE 2 *** I know Nancy Werden and she’s a conscientious person who did the right things and stuff still went wrong…
Staunton, Illinois schools shut down after one week because of COVID-19 spread
After opening for one week of classes, schools in Staunton, Illinois, moved to virtual learning Thursday due to an increase in cases of COVID-19, district officials said.
The first day of school in the Macoupin County district was Aug. 11.
Staunton schools will reopen Aug. 30 for anyone not under a quarantine order, reads a message from Nancy Werden, interim superintendent.
Gonna be rough for a while. Get your shots, people.
MAA: Where do you stand on a statewide mask mandate as the city of Chicago puts theirs in place today? Certainly there are a high number of counties with a high transmission.
JBP: Well, as you know, I have not been reticent to act when I think it’s appropriate to do so on mitigations. And we’re always considering every day what next we need to do. I applaud the city of Chicago and taking proactive efforts here. I encourage other local governments, whether they be cities or townships or counties, to also take proactive steps and we will look at the state level, whether that’s an appropriate thing at some moment. And again, every day I’m looking at these numbers and talking to Dr. Ezike.
MAA: But what else would it take? It’s almost [garbled] political governor, now.
JBP: No, you would like to say that. This is not political. This is every day, [crosstalk]. As you know, listen, if it was political, we wouldn’t have any mitigations. It would be much easier not to have mitigations. [Crosstalk] The truth, the truth of the matter is that I have acted, every time I have believed and the doctors have advised me that we need to put mitigations in place, we have done it. And so I’m not reticent to do that. We know now that we have vaccines available, and masks work. People should follow the science. If you wear a mask and you get vaccinated, you’re pretty safe. And I hope that everybody will do that and I will take action, if we see that the numbers can move up in an exponential fashion, which they’re not there, But in an exponential fashion, that’s something that we’ll look very closely at. And again, I talk every day or text or have communication with Dr. Ezike or with her senior staff to try to determine what we need to do on any given day. Also to be helpful, I’ll just add this to the hospitals, especially in Southern Illinois. And in areas where there are a limited number of ICU beds that are yet still available, how we can provide more staffing, how we can provide support for those hospitals. […]
MAA: If you can’t give us the metric on the masks, it makes folks think, wow, the city of Chicago has to wear a mask but boy if you go out to, you know, I don’t know, pick a town in the suburbs, you don’t have to.
JBP: It’s always been the case, Mary Ann that local communities and cities have decisions that they can make that are more stringent on mitigations than what the state, that’s always been the case. And there have been moments throughout the last year and a half that you’ve seen, not just the city of Chicago, but other places that have taken proactive actions that they believe would work in their communities. So I encourage those local community leaders to do so. Indeed, I have celebrated those people throughout the last year and a half, because very few, frankly, local leaders, very few elected leaders have been willing to stand up and make tough decisions for their communities. I mean, it’s about time for some of them, but I want to congratulate folks who actually already do that.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday declined to give a specific metric at which the state might impose another indoor masking mandate, leaving the door open for further mitigations but deferring to local authorities to take action, even as he called the current COVID-19 surge fueled by the delta variant a “very dangerous moment.”
The Archdiocese of Chicago this week announced that all employees and clergy will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19. While people will have an opportunity to request a medical exemption, religious objections will not be considered.
The Archdiocese of Chicago and its agencies, including Catholic Charities and Misericordia, join a growing list of organizations mandating COVID-19 shots for workers and patrons as the delta variant surges.
“We have made this decision convinced that this is the best way to stop the spread of this deadly illness,” Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, said in a Thursday email to clergy and staff. “Following the lead of Pope Francis, we encourage everyone to be vaccinated as an act of charity. … Religious exemptions to vaccination cannot be supported by Catholic teaching and I have instructed our pastors not to grant them.” [Emphasis added.]
Cupich claims that more than 90 percent of staff and clergy are already vaccinated.
* More…
* Editorial: Americans need a better vaccination ID than a flimsy piece of paper
* A House Democratic spokesperson just confirmed to me that the chamber is returning for session on Tuesday, August 31. A one-day special session is scheduled so far. More in a bit.
…Adding… Email to members from Speaker Chris Welch’s chief of staff Tiffany Moy…
Hi, Members:
The Speaker and Senate President are convening a special session on Tuesday, August 31 at 12 pm, for the purpose of considering legislative measures related to the legislative redistricting plan, pursuant to a Joint Proclamation that will be filed shortly.
We will also have a Caucus meeting on Monday. I will follow up with further details including the exact time later this afternoon.
Thank you!
Tiffany
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
House Speaker and Senate President Statements on Return for Special Session
The Speaker and Senate President are convening a special session on Tuesday, August 31 at 12 pm, for the purpose of considering legislative measures related to the legislative redistricting plan, pursuant to a Joint Proclamation.
“Following the recent release of 2020 census data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the House will be returning for a one-day special session on August 31 to amend the legislative map enacted in June to incorporate the latest census data,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. “As we have said since the beginning of this process, we want to make sure every voice is heard and represented. We invite the public to participate at the open hearings we will be holding prior to the return of the legislature.”
“Our goal has always been to implement a map that is fair and represents the diversity of the population of Illinois,” said Senate President Don Harmon. “With census data now available, we will take any necessary legislative action with that same goal in mind.”
Information on the legislative map can be found at ilhousedems.com/redistricting. Details on the public hearings will be forthcoming.
…Adding… The proclamation is here. The Senate is also working on the climate/energy bill, but they can adjourn to regular session to deal with that. Members, however, won’t receive their extra travel stipend for regular session if this goes beyond one day.
…Adding… I wouldn’t bet too much money on this happening since special session was announced…
Following the publication of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census data last week, which confirmed Illinois Democrats’ map included district populations three times the maximum range allowed by law, Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) filed a motion for summary judgment in federal court.
“This was quite possibly the most secretive, non-transparent process in the history of Springfield politics,” said McConchie. “The proclamation for a special session is admission that the Democrats’ enacted map was unconstitutional. Instead of ensuring the protection of Illinoisans’ voting rights, Governor Pritzker and his Democratic insiders drafted an unconstitutional map that sought to ensure their absolute power for another decade. With the data on the people’s side, we are confident the court will see through the Democrats’ charade and agree with our motion to void this map.”
The motion for summary judgment outlines that the facts and evidence presented in the case are so overwhelming that no real dispute still exists and requests an immediate ruling because a trial is no longer necessary to determine the case.
“A motion for summary judgment is filed when there is no longer a dispute over the law and the facts,” Durkin said. “The release of the Census data is game-set-match against the Illinois Democrats. Now knowing that their original map is unconstitutional, the Democrats are now scrambling to draw a new backroom map on short notice. There is no way to ‘put the toothpaste back into the tube’ as discussed in our summary judgment motion.”
If the motion is granted by the court, the current plan, HB 2777, will be declared unconstitutional and void without a lengthy trial and provide an opportunity for the process to go to a bipartisan commission.
And I also wouldn’t bet on a bipartisan commission. Also, the Democrats were scheduled to file a motion to dismiss.
…Adding… I meant to post this Sun-Times article and forgot…
The number of home solar panel installations in Illinois has plummeted as state consumer incentives dried up amid a standoff in Springfield that’s seen lawmakers unable to agree on major energy legislation.
After a state incentive program ran out of money late last year, just 313 small rooftop solar projects were completed statewide in the three-month period ending June 30, compared with 2,908 a year earlier, Illinois Power Agency records show. Those numbers account for most of the rooftop solar projects done in Illinois.
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy said Thursday during Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair that the Democratic Party in Illinois is making the state “woke and weak” and the state is falling behind many states run by Republican governors. He called Gov. J.B. Pritzker a “king.”
One of his main goals was plastered on campaign signs throughout the GOP event.
“You wanna know what my biggest priority is in 2022, if you haven’t guessed, look at the banner, let’s fire Pritzker,” Tracy said.
As expected, Illinois Republicans spent the majority of their Thursday rally at the Illinois State Fair attacking Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, with the rally’s emcee resorting to criticism of Pritzker’s weight.
Though the rally didn’t feature any of the three Republican candidates confirmed to be running for governor, Grand Old Party lawmakers and committee members attacked the governor during their Republicans Day rally for his executive orders during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, among other issues.
Republicans also called on Pritzker to veto a controversial ethics bill passed by the Illinois General Assembly this spring that Republicans have argued does not do enough to address corruption in state politics. […]
“Illinois Republicans have more enthusiasm than I’ve seen at this state fair in a very long time,” said U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, beckoning to the couple hundred attendees at the Director’s Lawn. “And I want (the media) to report on it, too.”
Just saying that meant Davis got his desired reporting into the SJ-R and elsewhere. But the quote didn’t really match the reality. Most folks were far away from the stage and talking amongst themselves throughout the program. The few folks up front were beaten down by the sun, heat and humidity and were relatively sedate as a result. It wasn’t much different than the previous day’s Democratic rally…
“I’ve spent a lot of time in blue states this year and I like what I’ve seen,” RNC Co-Chairman Tommy Hicks, of Texas, said at the rally. “I’ve been in the state of Washington, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey and now Illinois. Every event is packed. The excitement is real. And the enthusiasm is firmly on the Republican side.”
But throughout the day, which began with a joint meeting of the Illinois GOP State Central Committee and Illinois Republican County Chairs Association in downtown Springfield before the festivities moved to the fairgrounds in the afternoon, it was clear that internal divisions remain between conservatives and moderates on how the party wins back the voters it needs to win statewide again. […]
[Kirk Dillard], the chairman of the Chicago Regional Transportation Authority, said he’s “not looking to run for governor,” but has been approached by some business leaders about the prospect.
“If the election were held today, I think JB Pritzker would win against the current field,” Dillard said, speaking with reporters after the rally. “But it’s early, and I’m here as an observer just to see what what these candidates are like, but I worry that the Republicans, if they run somebody, they’ll run somebody that’s unelectable. And you’ll want to win the general election and govern when you get there.”
Some of these concerns were on display Thursday, with Bailey, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, refusing to say whether President Joe Biden legally won the 2020 election.
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of the Peoria-area laid out his vision for what would happen in Washington if the White House and Congress were in GOP hands:
Ban race theory, implement patriotic education to teach children to “love American,” continue building a wall at the Southern U.S. border and hire 100,000 police officers “to support law and order.”
“And we have an obligation to go after big tech,” he said. ‘How ironic is it that the leader of the Taliban has a Twitter account and President Trump doesn’t? Absolutely irresponsible to let these tech companies continue what they’re doing.”
Local control for masks, but Orwellian federal teaching mandates on history and social studies classes. Gotcha.
Among them is Paul Schimpf, a former GOP state senator from Waterloo who is one of the three announced Republican candidates for governor. He was the Republican nominee for attorney general in 2014.
Speaking to reporters at an event earlier in the day, Schimpf recalled his 2016 Illinois Senate race against former Democratic Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon.
“We won that race by almost 22 points, and the reason we won that race is because we talked about the issues that unite us,” he said. “And we also ran a campaign where it wasn’t toxic. The people of Illinois are tired, really, of toxic politics I think at this point.”
Many speeches Thursday criticized Pritzker’s latest mask mandate for schools, implemented earlier this month after COVID’s more transmissible Delta variant set off an uptick in new cases and hospitalizations in Illinois, and has also filled up hospitals and children’s ICU beds in other states. Appeals to the crowd steered clear of vaccine talk, but earlier in the day, the candidates addressed that issue with reporters.
Schimpf is the only candidate who has gotten his COVID shots, though he said he isn’t in favor of government mandates for the vaccine. Bailey refused to say whether he is vaccinated, incorrectly claiming HIPAA laws protect him from having to answer. Earlier this summer, he told a closed-door crowd of Republicans he was not vaccinated.
Rabine repeated falsehoods about the vaccine killing “thousands of people” and contended that because he already had COVID, he believed getting the vaccine would weaken his natural immunity, which is not true.
“The CDC can say what they want,” Rabine replied when told the Centers for Disease Control has advised the opposite. “I listen to scientists all over the world…We shouldn’t demand a vaccine in anybody, in my opinion. It’s my body. It’s my choice.”
“This is a do-or-die election,” GOP Co-chair Mark Shaw of Lake County said of the 2022 races. “You can’t beat somebody with nobody on the ballot. We have to have candidates everywhere up and down the ballot for everything from governor to dogcatcher.”
While seeking to recapture areas where it once dominated, the state GOP is burdened by candidates who take hard-right stands on issues that have divided the state and nation. Republican candidates for governor include hopefuls who won’t say if they think Biden legally defeated President Donald Trump, won’t reveal their COVID-19 vaccination status and won’t back down from repeating misinformation that the vaccine has caused deaths.
The misinformation on COVID-19 carried over to Illinois history on Thursday. Shaw touted Republican events at the upcoming DuQuoin State Fair and referred to the Southern Illinois town as “a former state capitol of Illinois.” Kaskaskia, Vandalia and Springfield, but not DuQuoin, have served as Illinois’ seat of government.
There was a time in this state when a geography flub like that would be news.
Others addressing the party at the hotel included state Rep. Tom Demmer, a Dixon Republican who said he’s still “exploring” a run for Illinois secretary of state, and state Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington, who may also seek the party’s nomination to succeed outgoing Democrat Jesse White.
Republicans who’ve said they want a shot at the top of the ticket include Bobby Piton, a portfolio manager who bills himself as a “Conservative Patriot committed to preserving our Freedom and Republic,” and Allison Salinas, whose Facebook page says she stands up “for the unborn, backing our 2nd Amendment and standing up for our law enforcement agencies.”
Others include Peggy Hubbard, a Navy veteran and former police officer, and Tim Arview, who bills himself as a “conservative Republican” on his Facebook page.
A local lawmaker is taking some of his colleagues to task over their refusal to say whether they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Republican Representative Tim Butler says it’s important for people in public positions to share the message that the vaccine is safe and effective, and is the fastest way to bring the pandemic to an end once and for all.
Butler says vaccine misinformation remains a problem, but he says the medical and public health professionals who are encouraging vaccination do not have an agenda other than trying to keep people healthy.
Sangamon County Circuit Clerk told some political jokes during Republican Day events at the @ILStateFair. He responds to the critics. pic.twitter.com/vq63hanYab
The material, if anything, is based on what Bob Hope would have done 20-30 years ago. If we believe that Bob Hope is cancelable, I’m really concerned about our country. Bob Hope was a comedian who was able to gently rib, you know, all parties and all people, whether it was Lyndon Johnson, or Richard Nixon or John F Kennedy, or George HW Bush. Bob Hope was an American first, and he gently ribbed those who were in power.
ITRS investments closed out FY 2021 with more than $10 billion in investment income, an extremely strong rate of return and record assets under management, despite the worldwide economic upheaval caused by the pandemic.
On June 30, 2021, ITRS managed assets totaling approximately $62.7 billion – a record for the System and a 20 percent increase in assets during the year. ITRS closed fiscal year 2020 with $52.3 billion.
Through June 30, 2021 the preliminary fiscal year to-date investment return is expected to exceed 23.1 percent, net of fees. The ITRS long-term investment return exceeded the System’s long-term assumed investment return of 7 percent with a 40-year return during FY 2021 of 9.3 percent.
Through forethought and careful planning, the ITRS Investment Department successfully navigated the perils of COVID-19’s attack on the economy. All public pension systems lost money during the early weeks of the pandemic, but compared to similar public pension systems, ITRS was among the nation’s leaders in protecting member assets. During the first three months of the pandemic, ITRS assets fell from $54.2 billion to $48.5 billion. However, within eight months, dedicated work by the System reclaimed all of the losses, rebuilt the value of the portfolio to $55.7 billion and added another $6.8 billion by the end of the fiscal year.
Dedicated to Equality and Inclusion
The trustees and staff are re-doubling their efforts for the System’s long-standing commitment to increase diversity, equity and inclusion within the ITRS investment program. First, it enlarged the size of a 15-year-old program designed to mentor smaller, “emerging” money managers from a commitment of $750 million to $1 billion.
Along with an increase in funding, the re-doubled effort also focuses on an increase in diversity hiring across asset classes; updated diversity selection metrics; and the development of a standardized evaluation tool to measure diversity, equity and inclusion practices within money management firms.
The total assets in the ITRS portfolio managed by Minority and Women Business Enterprises has increased from $8.2 billion to $13 billion in the last five years. In FY 2021 ITRS continued to exceed its annual aspirational goal to have 20 percent of total assets managed by MWBE firms. Currently, ITRS commitments to MWBE firms total $13 billion, or 21 percent of the System’s portfolio.
Taken together, all of these accomplishments affirm the commitment of the ITRS staff and the entire Board of Trustees to the goal of building one of the premier public pension systems in the United States.
We envision a system that is innovative, transparent, hard-working and responsive to all stakeholders. Above all, we see a system that fulfills its mission – ensure a stable retirement for Illinois educators who dedicated their careers to helping others succeed.
Reaching our goal will take time. The renaissance at ITRS is underway. We look forward to the future and together we are more than ready to conquer new challenges.
Talks have reached such a low that some negotiators are longing for the days of former House Speaker Michael Madigan. Whenever negotiations on a crucial piece of legislation hit an impasse back then, one negotiator quietly said, Madigan would call everybody together and essentially say, “You get this, you get this and you get this” — and a bill would get passed.
Both sides in the energy fight allege the other has injected new issues into negotiations, and leaders in both groups privately say their fight would not have reached such a fever pitch if Madigan were still around to call balls and strikes.
They are not wrong. I’ve heard the same things many, many times. But Big Daddy is gone. He’s not coming back, kids. Deal with it.
