* Though my first week of official employment was delayed after contracting COVID, I’ve finally started as a reporter for Capitol Fax. Maybe you’ve noticed some of my blog posts, or even commented on one. My favorite post on the blog so far was the coverage surrounding the Annual Redneck Fishing Tournament. Check it out if you have a chance.
Every time I would get a new comment on something I put together, it would hit me that people were enjoying and discussing something which had my name attached to it.
I’m looking forward to my future reporting - especially next week because I have an awesome job that has me covering the Illinois State Fair in Springfield (I grew up attending the other state fair in Du Quoin). A big thank you to Rich for being patient with me and helping me get rolling.
I hope you follow along as I cover Illinois politics and grow as a political reporter.
If you ever have any suggestions or just want to introduce yourself, feel free to DM me on Twitter: @IsabelMMiller!
* Sen. Darren Bailey lashed out on Facebook this morning at reporters who are reading his Facebook posts…
Political pundits, and all this other nonsense of digging back in our Facebook posts of 5, 6, 7 years ago. It’s absolute nonsense. And that’s the problem with government here in Illinois. They want to deal with the way things always have been and they don’t want to move forward and do something new and try to figure out our problems, trying to get crime under control, try to ease your burden of taxes so you can stay and flourish and raise a family here in Illinois. And guess what schools getting ready to start. No one wants to talk about making sure our schools are in proper order. The only thing they want to talk about is CRT and sex education and that’s absolute nonsense. Friends, that new day is coming to Illinois, and I know that people all across this state get that we’re fighting for you. You’re fighting with us, and we’re going to change Illinois.
Notice how he never disavows those posts or says he now believes something very different. He simply chafes at a little bit of scrutiny.
I served 17 years on our local school board of education from 1995 to 2012. Cindy and I have been very instrumental in our community. We’re Rotary members. We’re very, very active in our church We’ve always focused on the youth. And when it came to a back to that to 2017 date, many people might remember that, you know, the Illinois General Assembly came into session. Over the July 4 weekend, we were celebrating Cindy’s birthday that weekend. And yeah, I believe it was a total God thing that I was totally checked out of politics, because politicians are corrupt. Politicians are lazy. Politicians, you know, just make life harder for us by by doing what they do, and, and I wanted nothing to do with it. And I found it a little easier, especially when I discovered that, you know, the General Assembly had checked in under the guise of the Fourth of July weekend, I began exposing what I was discovering, within my Facebook group, and it exponentially grew. And I just kept complaining, I really liked that it’s easy to complain, you know, on social media, but in our area the day came when our friends and our family began to come and say you need to represent us and I knew I was in trouble. And I said absolutely not. But Cindy understood the the bigger plan. And again, we laid that down to our church in our community, prayed, fasted, and it just became evident that this is the new mission field that God wanted us to approach. And we’re very blessed that our three sons were able to manage to take over my role on the farm, and that our daughter was able to accomplish the co-administration of Full Armor. So that alleviated us because they knew we’re in this full time, we’re putting 150% of our energy into getting the state under control. We believe it is that important.
TL/DR: The end of the Rauner impasse is what set him off and his spouse was instrumental in getting him into the race.
* Also, it turns out that Bailey’s running mate agrees that comparing things to the Holocaust is a no-no…
“Wearing a #MAGA hat is the equivalent of wearing a swastika or a confederate flag”, @karenhunter on @SXMUrbanView. I wonder how people of Jewish descent feel about that comparison. There is a painful history associated with those symbols of hate.
* Meanwhile, the Pritzker campaign found a couple of Democratic sheriffs…
As Darren Bailey attempts to bolster his flimsy voting record and feign support for law enforcement, he once again finds himself in hot water for protecting the disgraced former president instead of police officers. When asked for comment on the FBI’s raid of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home following months of investigations into the former president’s role in the January 6th Capitol attacks, Bailey joined scores of other Republicans in casting doubt on the FBI’s legitimacy and demanding that the FBI “immediately explain their actions.”
Bailey has consistently refused to denounce the deadly insurrection on January 6th, where numerous Capitol police officers were brutally attacked.
He’s also spent the last four years voting against bipartisan legislation that supports law enforcement. Bailey voted against the single largest investment to expand cadet classes in Illinois history, $10 million for a local law enforcement retention grant program, and $8 million for a multi-year equipment replacement program at the Illinois State Police.
“Talking about supporting law enforcement and actually supporting law enforcement are two different things,” said Rick Watson, St. Clair County Sheriff. “When the going gets tough, Darren Bailey has failed first responders and proved that he treats support for the men and women who put others before themselves only as a political convenience.”
“Darren Bailey’s hypocrisy puts the public at risk. He talks about supporting law enforcement, yet in the same breath suggests nefarious motives simply because holding his favorite president accountable is an inconvenience to his campaign,” said John Idlenburg, Lake County Sheriff. “Meanwhile, he votes again and again against public safety measures and resources for our first responders.”
To date, Bailey has voted against:
• Strengthening the Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Services
• Strengthening safety for first responders on state highways
• Installing hundreds of highway cameras and doubling state police presence on Chicago-area interstates in response to on-road violence
• Providing tens of millions of dollars for police body cameras, retention grants, and mental health screenings
• Building new, state-of-the-art forensics labs to provide law enforcement with the resources to solve crimes
• Delivering millions of dollars to local fire departments to purchase firefighting and ambulance equipment
• Requiring municipalities to coordinate 911 and 988 services in order to respond to mental and behavioral health emergencies with proper emergency care, reduce danger to those in crisis, and lessen the burden on local police
* CD3 leans pretty heavily Democratic. The only Republican to win the district was Comptroller Leslie Munger in 2016. The Fair Tax lost in the district by 6 points Some commenters were right. I was accidentally using old numbers. No Republican won this district, and I don’t have Fair Tax numbers for the new districts…
Today, Giffords PAC, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, announced its endorsement of nine candidates running for the US House of Representatives to challenge the influence of the gun lobby in Washington. Each of these candidates will play a crucial role in ensuring that the issue of gun safety remains at the forefront of our policy decisions.
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords:
“The candidates we are endorsing today are the kind of fearless champions we need to end gun violence in America. Each one has proven to be a leader with the courage to act. At the state and local level around the country, they’ve stood with communities rocked by gun violence and pushed for legislation that will make all Americans safer.
“As we know all too well, the current House majority is one of the slimmest in decades. If we want to enact lifesaving reforms to stem America’s epidemic of gun violence—like universal background checks and strong extreme risk protection order laws—we must work to expand our gun safety majority this fall. Giffords is proud to help this group of challengers get to Washington DC so they can stand up to the gun lobby and deliver clear victories on gun safety legislation for the American people.” […]
Delia Ramirez (IL-03): State Representative Delia Ramirez is an accomplished legislator, community leader, and coalition builder who has dedicated her life and career to advocating for working families. Having grown up in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood—where gun violence is all too common—Representative Ramirez is acutely aware of the need to solve the root causes of crime and violence. She knows that building safe communities requires a comprehensive plan that includes funding community-based youth programs and mental health services, investing in domestic violence prevention, and reinvesting in communities that have long been neglected. As a state legislator, she fought to do just that—and secured $250 million for community-based violence prevention in neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence. Representative Ramirez also supported the Illinois General Assembly’s critical “Fix the FOID” legislation, which expanded background checks for firearm purchases across the state of Illinois. In Congress, we know she will be a strong proponent of passing universal background checks, banning assault-style weapons, reducing the flow of illegal guns across state lines, and adequately funding street outreach and intervention programs.
Marlon Watson, leader of the Freedmen Descendants of Chicago, and Pastor Anthony Williams of King International Ministry are calling on Chicagoans to draft state Rep La Shawn Ford to join a growing field of candidates challenging Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Thursday night, they expect a group of about 100 Chicago residents to gather at The Quarry Art & Cultural Center, 2423 E. 75th St., to garner support to launch Ford’s run for mayor.
Pastor Williams ran for US Senate as a Republican this year, receiving just 7.4 percent of the vote. He’s also run in Democratic, Libertarian and Green Party primaries, according to the Tribune. His main issue is anti-violence and he pushed hard for the passage of a bill that declared violence as a public health crisis.
As recently as March, Adam Shores and Laura Faver Dias were colleagues on the Grayslake village board. But in November, the duo will face off as voters choose which one will represent the 62nd state House District in Springfield. […]
The two started working together in 2019, when Dias was selected to serve as a resident member of the village’s Economic Development Commission, chaired by Shores. […]
“She was just elected last year, and we’ve had a respectful working relationship,” Shores said of Dias. “I’m proud of my leadership style where I work to find commonality even in the face of opposing opinions.”
When discussing how she and Shores differed, Dias cited the vote she cast in February against the plan to build a Casey’s General Store and gas station at Lake Street and Belvidere Road near the town’s namesake lake.
Dias said more than 500 residents expressed concerns about the project and she chose to take that into account.
“I’m looking forward to a robust campaign and debates when we have them,” Dias said. “Ultimately, it comes down to two people who want to serve in the state legislature and not about my relationship with Adam.”
I doubt the race will remain this cordial, but that’s a really nice piece.
…Adding… CD6…
Pelosi and her political allies are propping up one of their favorite candidates because they know his voting record is out of step with the new 6th District. Read my response to Pelosi throwing millions behind Sean Casten: https://t.co/SnQ4rIGZ1Lpic.twitter.com/kvZP7aY0cN
Union workers at Vandalia Correctional Center in Illinois will not be facing reduced capacity or layoffs in the near future, following protests from AFSCME and local officials.
AFSCME members had mobilized in recent weeks with petitions and appeals to elected officials after an announcement that the state was considering consolidation of populations within the prison that the union felt would lead to a reduction in employees and possibly closure of the prison in the future.
Council 31 pressed the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) and the governor’s office to reconsider while invoking the union’s right to bargain over the impact of the changes.
“This is the culmination of months of work,” said Eddie Caumiant, regional director of AFSCME Council 31 and the union liaison to IDOC.
IDOC’s statement insisted that closing Vandalia was not the intent of the consolidation and conversion review, but that the department was only seeking ways to more efficiently operate the facility as the prison population has declined under recent sentencing reforms in the criminal justice system. Vandalia’s population has dropped from 525 on June 1 to 458 this week, while in February it was as low as 301, according to IDOC.
“At this time we have decided to hold off on the consolidation/conversion at Vandalia,” read the statement from IDOC. “If it is decided in the future to revisit this plan, we will notify AFSCME Council 31 and continue discussions.”
That last part is key, according to Caumiant, as union leaders had made it clear to IDOC that they could not make unilateral changes in the workers’ jobs and working conditions without negotiating.
…Adding… The Pritzker administration insists that no layoffs were ever planned at Vandalia. IDOC was simply trying to move prisoners out of a very old section into a newer section to comply with a consent decree.
This year’s Redneck Fishing Tournament was quite the catch. Over the two days of the tournament, the participants netted over 3,300 of the invasive copi. All the fish together ended up weighing a whopping 20,000 pounds.
Aside from removing invasive species, the tournament also brought more good into the community. Over $6,700 was raised for veterans’ charities with the help of the local VFW chapter in Havana.
The tournament is unique from others, because fishing poles aren’t used. The fish shoot up from underwater whenever a boat goes by, and the participants try to grab the fish out of the air with nets. The first place team alone were able to catch 346 fish in just two hours. […]
Tournament founder Berry DeFord was excited to have a fun way to help with a good cause. DeFord said “We’ve educated thousands of people about the very real dangers of these fish getting in your waterways, raised money to help veterans and had a blast doing it. Can’t wait for next year.”
* Reuters…
Once a year, hundreds of people flock to the small village of Bath, Illinois, about three hours south of Chicago, to take part in the 'Redneck Fishing Tournament.' Competitors help rid the Great Lakes region of invasive carp and raise money for homeless veterans pic.twitter.com/JFgLXnaoDq
* Taste some Copi for yourself at the Illinois State Fair. Press release…
This year, IDNR will offer free samples of a Copi dish from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. the first weekend of the fair, Aug. 12-14. Copi is the new brand name for invasive carp launched by IDNR in June.
“We invite families and children to ‘grow with us’ at Conservation World, where they can learn about everything from archery, fishing and pollinators, to mining, forestry and habitat management. There truly is something for everyone to enjoy at Conservation World,” said IDNR Director Colleen Callahan. “Families are our focus, with free activities and entertainment that will provide a great day at the fair for visitors of all ages.”
During the fair, visitors to Conservation World will be able to purchase hunting and fishing licenses, pick up state park guides, purchase collectible lapel pins, and talk to IDNR staff and conservation officers about wildlife, laws and other topics.
* John Patterson, the spokesperson for Senate President Don Harmon, got some fishing in…
The clock is now running for the publicly traded Rhode Island-based company to win license approval from the state, finalize its proposal with the city’s planning department and get its casino opened on an ambitious timeline.
If all goes well, Chicago gamblers could be splitting aces and pulling slot levers in temporary quarters by next summer, but several hurdles remain.
The Bally’s proposal to build a $1.74 billion casino complex in River West is expected to generate $200 million in annual tax revenue for the city, transform a 30-acre industrial site into a bustling entertainment destination and send the Chicago Tribune packing from its Freedom Center printing plant along the Chicago River.
While the permanent casino is not expected to open before 2026, Bally’s plans to launch a temporary casino at Medinah Temple by June 2023. That may require an accelerated process at the gaming board.
A public park is just one in a 42-item wish list the group submitted to Bally’s. Brian Israel, president of the River North Residents Association, said residents across the river don’t want to be bothered by the loud noise a riverfront music venue would bring. […]
Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th), whose ward includes the River West casino site, said the River North Residents Association hasn’t met with him to discuss its concerns. But if Bally’s agrees to eliminate the outdoor music venue for a public park, he said he’d be “open” to the idea.
“I don’t know how that would affect the deal that was voted on and if that that legally can happen, because I’m sure it’s a part of the financial package in the agreement,” Burnett said.
The West Central Association, the chamber of commerce for the West Loop, hasn’t met with casino officials yet but will in the near future, said President Armando Chacon.
* River North Residents Association met with Bally’s representatives in July…
On July 7, 2022, RNRA leaders met with Bally’s representatives to review our initial 42 project improvement recommendations set forth below, which were published on June 14, based on input from many association members and partners. While RNRA believes that they address essential issues involving this project, the organization remains open to other suggestions as well. […]
Replace the outdoor music venue with a well-appointed and accessible public park, including an onsite Dog Friendly Area and river walk connection. Involve Friends of the Parks in this process.
-Bally’s originally assumed that the outdoor performance venue would be a welcome amenity for the neighborhood, but now understands the significant concerns of nearby residents about associated noise, light, and traffic disruption near their homes. Will consider this request, pending input from other groups.
The Rhode Island-based firm anticipates that 65% of its workers will be minorities and 45% women, with ownership at least 25% minority.
It also predicted “significant” economic impacts, with local taxes eventually reaching $200 million a year, annual gaming receipts of more than $800 million and four million people a year visiting the facility. […]
Under state law, the application itself is confidential, according to the gaming board’s spokesman. […]
The board gave no timetable as to when it will vote on the application. Construction work can’t begin, even at the temporary location, until Bally’s license is approved.
The 2019 state law that created the Chicago casino license and five others across Illinois gives the Gaming Board up to a year to review Bally’s application, with the possibility of an extension beyond that.
State regulators typically have taken at least that long to vet Illinois’ other new casino applicants. More than two years elapsed from the time partners in the Hard Rock Casino Rockford applied for Gaming Board approval until they launched a temporary casino last fall. […]
Bally’s has already made an upfront payment of $40 million to the city, one of the cards the gambling firm put down to beat out two other finalists in Lightfoot’s casino developer selection process. The company also has to pay the state a $250,000 application fee. […]
Potentially easing the process for Bally’s is the fact that it already operates a state-licensed casino in Rock Island, a known entity for the Gaming Board.
Governor JB Pritzker joined the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) today to announce a $34.6 billion program to improve roads, bridges, transit, rail, airports, and ports over the next six years. This funding represents a robust commitment to invest in people and communities backed by the historic Rebuild Illinois capital program.
“Since I signed our historic, bipartisan infrastructure program into law, Rebuild Illinois has undertaken a massive transformation of our state’s transportation systems,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “And today, I am proud to announce IDOT’s new Multi-Year Program for the next six years — with $20 billion going towards transportation investments including 2,500 miles of roads and nearly 10 million square feet of bridge deck and $10 billion going towards our state’s rail and transit systems, airports, and ports. At its very core, Rebuild Illinois and this MYP are an investment in our future — one that leads to economic prosperity and environmental sustainability.”
Of the major elements in the program released today, $6.36 billion will go toward highway reconstruction and preservation, $6.4 billion for bridge improvements, $2.03 billion for strategic expansion, $2.48 billion for system support such as engineering and land acquisition, and $1.55 billion for safety and system modernizations.
For the first time, road projects that add capacity were evaluated by a new Data-Driven Decisions Tool supported by Gov. Pritzker for selecting critical projects to ensure greater equity and transparency in transportation planning and programming. The FY2023-28 Proposed Highway Improvement Program aims to improve 2,562 miles of roads and nearly 10 million square feet of bridge deck. Of the $24.6 billion over the six years of the highway portion of program, $3.7 billion is identified for the current fiscal year. Included in the program are scores of projects in each of IDOT’s nine highway districts.
Thanks to last year’s passage of the federal Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, IDOT increased the investment in Illinois roads and bridges in the six-year program by $4 billion, further advancing Gov. Pritzker’s goals to create economic opportunity and jobs, promote quality of life, and improve safety on both state and local transportation systems throughout Illinois. The 2019 Rebuild Illinois capital plan’s framework and investments ideally positioned Illinois, the country’s transportation hub, to take advantage of the increased federal commitment and leverage additional funding which will help rebuild the state’s infrastructure more quickly and efficiently. The new federal transportation package is expected to contribute almost $16 billion across all modes of Illinois transportation, with the state eligible to compete for billions more in discretionary programs.
In addition to the six-year program for roads and bridges, Gov. Pritzker also released the FY2023-28 Proposed Multimodal Multi-Year Improvement Program further demonstrating the commitment through Rebuild Illinois to build connections across the modes of transportation and strengthen the state’s entire transportation network, resulting in even more economic activity and job creation. The program identifies a combined federal, state, and local investment of $6.5 billion for transit, $2.5 billion for passenger and freight rail, $817 million for aviation, and $150 million for ports. […]
Passed in 2019, Rebuild Illinois is investing a total $33.2 billion into the state’s transportation system over six years, creating jobs and promoting economic growth. Rebuild Illinois is not only the largest capital program in state history, but also the first plan that touches all modes of Illinois transportation: roads and bridges, transit, waterways, freight and passenger rail, aviation, and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.
Entering year four of Rebuild Illinois, IDOT has made approximately $8.6 billion in improvements statewide on 4,422 miles of highway, 412 bridges, and 621 additional safety improvements.
…Adding… Maybe IDOT could start addressing these mounting complaints…
Another sickening tragedy on an IDOT roadway in Chicago. The department urgently needs to either change its design rules to create more pedestrian protections, or just relinquish control of these roads completely. Current policy is a blatant failure. https://t.co/BW7oewuV29
Researchers from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign say the Illinois Right to Collective Bargaining Amendment, better known as the Workers’ Rights Amendment — which will be put to voters in the November 2022 election — would boost incomes and improve working conditions for workers, as well as better the state’s economy. […]
“The data shows that the Workers’ Rights Amendment would protect Illinois’ competitive advantage for essential workers,” said Frank Manzo IV, executive director for the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and one of the report’s authors. “Construction workers, police officers, first responders, teachers, registered nurses all earn between 5% and 35% more in Illinois, and they’re also more likely to have health insurance and to own their homes in Illinois.”
The report also says union workers are less likely to live in poverty and rely on public aid than their non-union counterparts. Union workers also contribute 8% more to state income taxes, according to the report.
An amendment that gives workers the right to unionize, researchers said, would also secure the state’s labor force in a time where the U.S. is experiencing worker shortages in many sectors.
The Workers’ Rights Amendment would prevent the passage of a state law or local ordinance “that interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively over their wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment and workplace safety.”
The Workers’ Rights Amendment would support collective bargaining and the ability of workers to organize and join unions. Union workers in Illinois:
• Earn 14 percent more and are 9 percent more likely to have health insurance coverage.
• Are 3 percent less likely to be below poverty, 3 percent less likely to rely on Medicaid, and 2 percent less likely to rely on food stamp government assistance.
• Contribute 8 percent more in state income taxes, after credits and deductions.
By protecting the right to collectively bargain, the Workers’ Rights Amendment would be good for the economy. By preventing Illinois’ labor market from deteriorating, the Amendment would:
• Protect $43 billion in annual income for Illinois workers and ensure workers can negotiate pay raises that help deal with high inflation.
• Ensure that 281,000 Illinois workers would not lose their health insurance coverage.
• Prevent 135,000 Illinois workers from suffering pay cuts that cause them to lose their homes.
• Keep 70,000 Illinois workers from falling below the federal poverty line.
• Promote safe workplaces and save 900 lives over a decade, because Illinois experiences 32 percent fewer on-the-job fatalities than states that do not support collective bargaining.
The Workers’ Rights Amendment would protect essential workers. Compared to their counterparts in states that do not support collective bargaining, in Illinois:
• Blue-collar construction workers earn 35 percent more, are 17 percent more likely to have health insurance coverage, and are 12 percent more likely to own their homes.
• Police officers, firefighters, and first responders earn 31 percent more, are 1 percent more likely to have health insurance coverage, and are 7 percent more likely to own their homes.
• Pre-K through high school teachers earn 22 percent more, are 2 percent more likely to have health insurance coverage, and are 4 percent more likely to own their homes.
• Registered nurses earn 5 percent more, are 1 percent more likely to have health insurance coverage, and are 2 percent more likely to own their homes.
• Manufacturing production workers earn 3 percent more, are 2 percent more likely to have health insurance coverage, and are 1 percent more likely to own their homes.
The Workers’ Rights Amendment would prevent laws from being passed that would interfere in private negotiations between businesses and workers or restrict their ability to bargain collectively. The Workers’ Rights Amendment would not only promote superior safety outcomes and a strong middle-class economy for Illinois workers and businesses, but it would also reduce burdens on state taxpayers while reducing turnover costs for employers and ensuring labor market competitiveness in the state’s most essential jobs.
Illinois Policy’s Ann Miller said the amendment would allow lawmakers to increase taxes if they choose.
“Illinois businesses are already dealing with a high tax environment, and this amendment would just exasperate that,” Miller told The Center Square. “It opens the door for any kind of policy or anything above and beyond salaries.”
Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, told The Center Square that restaurants and other businesses have had difficulty hiring workers. Miller believes that problem could worsen.
“If we have increased property taxes, it is going to hurt their bottom lines which will hurt their funding,” Miller said. “They might have a harder time finding workers because the cost of business will go up, and employees have the option to strike any day.”
What Amendment 1 would do if passed Nov. 8 is guarantee a $2,149 property tax hike on each Illinois family during the next four years by giving union bosses the nationally unprecedented power to negotiate contract concessions that carry more weight than state law.
The measure would ensure future union strikes over a nearly limitless range of subjects unrelated to wages and benefits. It would allow government union bosses to negate over 350 state laws and give the union contracts dominance over state law. It would make government unions the only special interest with constitutional protection and make Illinois the only state seeing those protections as a good move. It would let government unions protect bad actors from proper discipline, including those who pose a threat to children.
The website is sponsored by Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights, a union-backed independent expenditure committee. It claims Amendment 1 would help voters “build an economy that works for every Illinoisan.”
In reality, the amendment would only benefit the 7% of residents working for state and local governments while the vast majority of voters would see their taxes go up to support greater government union demands that state lawmakers would be prohibited from curbing.
IPI attempts to explain its $2,149 projection here…
Uses compound annual growth rates in home prices as reported by the All-Transactions House Price Index for Illinois from 2010-2021 to project future average home values through 2026. Uses compounded annual growth rate in average property taxes as calculated by U.S. Census Bureau for 2010-2019 to project property taxes through 2025.
* Workers’ Rights Amendment campaign embeds…
Are you ready to vote to: ✅Boost incomes for working Illinoisans? ✅Improve working conditions across the state? ✅Build an economy that works for all of us?
The People Who Play By The Rules PAC has launched a new series, “K-12 Parents Speak” featuring parents whose children were severely affected by JB Pritzker’s extreme lockdowns and school closure policies during COVID. An ad buy was placed in statewide media markets and the series is available on the PBR PAC Facebook page.
Parents are making their voices heard loud and clear: They’re our kids, not JB Pritzkers. These are their stories.
First up is Anastasia Andrews, a parent and resident of Barrington, IL:
:30 https://www.facebook.com/People-Who-Play-By-The-Rules-PAC-108710738604439
Script:
Anastasia Andrews, Resident / Parent:
“The decisions that Governor Pritzker has made for our state have not been to further our children’s future. The governor mandated school closures for such a long time, and when he did finally open the schools he mandated masks and had this overreaching authority…They’re realizing that the schools’ test scores are down, year over year, nationally, and the entire system was broken.
How much worse does it have to get? Illinois has got to change. Right now.”
:15 https://www.facebook.com/People-Who-Play-By-The-Rules-PAC-108710738604439
Script:
Anastasia Andrews, Resident / Parent, Barrington, IL:
“The governor-mandated school shut down in Illinois during COVID severely affected my children. The blank stares…It was horrifying to watch, and then now of course we have a mental health crisis on our hands.
A slate of legislators from Missouri took home the 2022 Bi-State Softball Showdown title against Illinois.
The game started slow, then both the Show-Me State and the Land of Lincoln picked up five runs in the third inning. Missouri’s three runs in the fifth sealed the team’s 8-6 victory.
Greater St. Louis Inc., the largest chamber of commerce in the region, put on the event for the second timeto “celebrate the bi-state, bipartisan cooperation that makes the St. Louis metro strong.”
“Even though one team will be in the field while the other is at bat, they are both the home team to us,” said GSL CEO Jason Hall. “St. Louis is incredibly lucky to have such a strong bi-state, bipartisan delegation that works together to drive pro-growth policy in Springfield and Jefferson City, and we want to take a moment to celebrate their efforts to move our metro forward.”
“They’re a lot younger (of a) team with some fresher legs,” Hoffman said. “I think towards the end of the game, we got a little tired. But we played so hard the entire way and I got to give them all credit. I truly don’t believe we lost, they just
beat us at the end of the day.” […]
Team Illinois also had strong play from [Rep. Bob Rita], who pitched a complete game and hit a two-run double. State Rep. Mike Kelly, D-Chicago and state Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, also played well. House Speaker Chris Welch, D-Hillside, who played baseball in college, played a strong second base.
For lawmakers like State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, D-Chicago, who was appointed in 2019, events like Monday’s are important for “team-building” and “relationship-building” with colleagues, especially across the aisle. She said there’s been few opportunities to do so the past few years given the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The best part was just honestly getting to spend fun, low key time with colleagues in the House and Senate in both parties and our counterparts in Missouri,” she said. “That was just so cool.”
* Images from the showdown…
A bipartisan slate of legislators from Missouri took home @greaterstlinc's 2022 Bi-State Softball Showdown title after defeating Illinois, 8-6, at Busch Stadium. #moleg#twill
Politics can get so bitterly intense and divisive at times, the fog of passionate debate can blind you to the human on the other side.
Last night, politicians from both parties in Missouri and Illinois played softball under the lights at Busch Stadium — in Baseball Heaven. pic.twitter.com/NsQOeEWEV1
Congratulations to our awesome team MVP Rep. Lindsey “LL” LaPointe and all of our new members. It was a joy playing with this group. It was a great game. pic.twitter.com/QRSjR47rzU
— Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (@RepChrisWelch) August 9, 2022
* Jesse White kicks off the Illinois State Fair as the Twilight Parade’s Grand Marshal. NPR…
White, who was first elected in 1998, had previously announced he won’t seek another term this year. The Democrat is the longest serving Secretary of State in Illinois history. He also spent 16 years in the Illinois General Assembly. […]
“Jesse White has spent his entire life devoted to service,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “From his time in the US Army, to inspiring our youth with decades of public service, his example should be celebrated throughout the state of Illinois. I couldn’t be prouder to join this great Illinoisan in leading the Illinois State Fair Twilight Parade.”
“We are thrilled to have Jesse White kick off the 2022 Twilight Parade,” said Rebecca Clark, Illinois State Fair Manager. “His years of participation in this parade with the famous Jesse White Tumbling Team has wowed children and adults for years. His participation this year embodies our Grow With Us theme.”
The parade begins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday August 11.
The theme of this year’s fair is “Grow With Us,” so it’s appropriate that IDOA has a tent spotlighting Illinois farmers, complete with three booths allowing visitors to sample and purchase home-grown food and groceries, an area for kids which allows little ones to ride a tractor or pet a piglet and even a stage for shows spotlighting Illinois farmers. […]
The fair is open from 7 a.m. to midnight on the 11th. However, rides are not open until 3 p.m., as maintenance and inspection work is being conducted.
Traffic on the roads around the fairgrounds will be limited to one way beginning Aug. 11 at 5 a.m., with Sangamon Avenue traffic moving east, Peoria Road going north, Taintor Road going west and Fifth Street going south.
* Agriculture is at the heart of the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. Illinois Farmer…
“We try to weave agriculture into every acre of the fair,” said Rebecca Clark, Illinois State Fair manager. […]
The first day of the fair this year kicks off with an additional day of harness racing. Horses will already be up and running as vendors set up and the Midway gets rolling.
“We see it as a time to introduce harness racing to a whole new generation,” Clark said.
Illinois Beef Association and Prairie Farms are sponsoring an ice cream social near the harness races at noon. The first 100 kids also get a stick horse to take home. Not everyone sees harness racing as agriculture, the fair manager said, but the tie in with beef and dairy helps bring it all together.
* A new “Dino-mite” attraction in Happy Hollow. WCIA…
The fair is hosting a prehistoric habitat complete with 21 animatronic dinosaurs for kids, families and dinosaur fans of all ages.
“What you’re doing is you’re walking through dinosaur time,” ‘Dino’ Don Lessem, the owner of the exhibit, said. “You get the whole idea of how these animals evolved and disappeared.”
Dino Don started his company in 1993, and has published books and consulted on dinosaur films like Jurassic Park. According to his website, the herbivore dinosaur Lessemsaurus was named after Dino Don to thank his contributions to the study of dinosaurs.
The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA), the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and the Illinois State Fair invite veterans and their family members to enjoy a free day at the Illinois State Fair on Sunday, August 14, 2022. This annual event offers exciting events, programs, and music. It concludes with a parade led by Governor JB Pritzker and IDVA Director Terry Prince along with veterans’ organizations, JROTC teams, and IDVA staff. This year’s theme, “Veterans Build Illinois,” features remarks from Brad Schaive, LIUNA Local 477.
Veterans and their families can show any form of military ID for free admission. Parking is not included.
The state fair website lists more than 150 food vendors. Many are participating in Feeding Frenzy, with daily discounts from 2 to 5 p.m. […]
If you’re looking for the Ethnic Village, this year it’s branded Village of Cultures. On the cuisine side that includes African, Cajun, Cuban, Filipino, German, Greek, Jamaican, Lithuanian, Mediterranean, Mexican and regional American options.
All up and down the Republican ballot, rural conservatives defeated establishment candidates. In the 15th Congressional District, U.S. representative Mary Miller, who earned Trump’s endorsement by objecting to the 2020 electoral count, beat fellow incumbent Rodney Davis, who voted to accept the results. Thomas DeVore of Greenville, who tattooed “Freedom” and “Liberty” on his forearms, won the nomination for attorney general over international business attorney Steve Kim of Deerfield.
This shift will pose a problem in November for state GOP candidates, particularly in Chicago’s outlying areas, says Jackson: “Republicans are going to have a very difficult time winning any of the constitutional offices. In some of these suburban districts, Bailey’s going to be a terrible drag on what could be competitive races and what could potentially be a big Republican year.”
Naturally, House Republican leader Jim Durkin, whose southwest suburban district runs from Hinsdale to Lockport, disagrees with that assessment. He is encouraging fellow GOP candidates to set aside hot-button social issues like abortion and gun control and run on “kitchen table” matters such as crime and inflation. “The economy is going to prevail as the single greatest issue in the suburbs and collar counties,” he says.
A moderate who voted to increase the gas tax, Durkin is the pro-Bailey crowd’s model of a RINO. “Much to the dislike of the far right, I don’t have flames coming out of my nose and mouth,” he says. Durkin supports the nominee, but as he sees it, Bailey won a primary, not the soul of the Illinois GOP. “The conservatives and the far left were the majority of voters who came out [for the primary];” in the general election, he says, it’s the middle that will determine outcomes. “I wholeheartedly believe there is a voice for moderates in the party. That’s what we see in the suburbs, and that’s what we need to compete statewide. I’m looking for legislators who are not going to be the party of no.”
That may still be true in the suburbs, but statewide, “the establishment is knocked back on its heels,” Jackson says. “The party from Jim Thompson to Jim Edgar to George Ryan has lost that control of the Republican Party.” And those Republicans will have to take their party back before Illinois elects another Republican governor.
* One of the local Republican Party ballot appointments last month…
Chicago City Wire recently had an opportunity to interview Patrycja Karlin, the Republican candidate for the Illinois 20th Senate District. […]
Q: Why did you decide to run for the state legislature?
Karlin: Illinois is drowning in crime, corruption and fiscal irresponsibility; it is killing the innocence of our children with impunity and depriving parents of any decision-making regarding their children. Businesses are running for cover in other states. Illinoisans are moving away in greater numbers than at any time in the history of Illinois. We can save Illinois! First by eliminating the Democratic Super Majority in the Illinois Congress. That does not happen by itself. District by district, seat by seat, Republicans can take the Illinois Legislature and start enacting laws that will protect all Illinoisans! We can make our state prosper again! It is possible! […]
Q: What’s the first bill you will sponsor in Springfield?
Karlin: I am extremely passionate about parental rights. The Chicago Public School system and the Chicago Teachers’ Union are taking away parents’ right to have a voice in what their children are taught. These progressive activists oversee our children’s education. I will propose legislation that will enshrine parents’ right to know what is taught in our local schools. I will work to keep the radical ideologies of gender ideology, and Critical Race Theory out of our schools. Given the opportunity, I will introduce the Illinois Bill of Parental Rights.
“Illinois Congress.” Her petitions have been challenged. She’s running against Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago).
Why can’t Republicans just stand up and say what Darren Bailey said was wrong? Why can’t Darren Bailey just apologize? He’s twisted himself into knots first trying to explain what he said, then going back and saying he meant what he said. This is a guy who does not understand what it takes to be a leader of Illinois [who] frankly doesn’t understand he needs to apologize to the survivors of the Holocaust who are still among us in Illinois and to all of us who care about how the governor speaks about the choice, the very difficult choice that women need to make sometimes about their reproductive rights, and the awful, truly tragic, traumatic and one of the worst tragedies in the history of the US and that’s the Holocaust.
* Illinois Republican Party…
In light of the DOJ and FBI’s unprecedented decision to raid the home of the Former President of the United States, ILGOP Chairman Don Tracy issued the following statement:
“Although it has been two days since the raid on the home of the immediate past President of the United States, the American people have heard nothing from Attorney General Merrick Garland. In view of this unprecedented breach of tradition and heavy handed approach to an investigation of a former President, and the apparent double standard relative to investigations of Democrats similarly situated at the national level, Attorney General Garland should have already provided a thorough and immediate explanation.” Chairman Tracy added, “The American people deserve honesty and transparency from our Department of Justice, which is why I am calling on Attorney General Garland to immediately disclose the justification for this extraordinary use of legal power against a political opponent of the current administration of which he is a major part.”
Joe Biden is underwater in a new poll of IL-13 with an approval rating of just 43% and a 57% disapproval rating, with 50% strongly disapproving.
Reminder: This is a district Biden won by 11 points in 2020.
That’s bad news for political insider Nikki Budzinski, who helped implement President Biden’s reckless spending spree that led to record-high inflation.
NRCC Comment: “Illinois voters will hold Nikki Budzinski personally accountable for her role in implementing Joe Biden’s toxic agenda that’s cost them more for basic necessities.” – NRCC Spokeswoman Courtney Parella
It’s not exactly new. Some of the numbers are three weeks old and Biden may have clicked up a bit since then. Also, despite the Biden numbers, Budzinski still holds a narrow lead, albeit within the margin of error. Still, she should be much better known than Republican Regan Deerin.
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy’ Garcia (D-Chicago) previously ran for mayor against Rahm Emanuel in 2015, and is leaving the door open to join the crowded field challenging Lori Lightfoot.
“I want to deliver for working families as my responsibility as a congressman, I’ve been working very hard for the past three and a half years, that is my top priority,” said Garcia said Wednesday. […[
“I’m getting a lot of calls, obviously from people across the city to consider it. I’m flattered by that,” Garcia said during a sit down interview in his southwest side congressional office.
He said he really enjoys being a congressman. But too much run for mayor again?
“I’m not shutting the door completely but I’ve gotta tell you, I’ve never been as challenged or rewarded as I have been over the past three and a half years as a member of the United States Congress,” Garcia said.
Lawrence “Larry” Stowe, who operated Stowe Biotherapy in downtown La Mesa for about five years, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell misbranded and unapproved drugs that he called cures for a variety of incurable diseases, according to U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson in Houston.
U.S. District Judge Gray Miller sentenced Stowe, 61, to a total sentence of 78 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Stowe had pleaded guilty Sept. 7, 2012.
In handing down the sentence Friday, Miller stressed that Stowe “took advantage of people dying and offered them hope.”
A man who was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison in a scheme to sell unlicensed drugs, claiming to treat or even cure the terminally ill, now is serving as a vice chairman for the Rock Island County GOP. […]
Stowe on Tuesday, speaking from GOP headquarters in Rock Island, said the federal judge threatened him with a 30-year sentence if he did not accept the plea.
“I never got the chance to defend myself,” he said. “It’s just like the people from January 6 (attack on the U.S. Capitol). Those people didn’t commit any crimes.” […]
Several members of the county party who reached out to a reporter about Stowe’s new position declined to comment on the record, saying they do not wish to inflict damage upon their party.
Um, the damage is done.
* But that’s not all the RICO GOP has done lately. This story is from 2018…
County Republicans have asked Glen Evans, state representative candidate for the 72nd District, to withdraw from the race. […]
Court records show Mr. Evans, of Rock Island, was charged with criminal trespass and criminal contempt after violating an order of protection in December 1997. The charges were dismissed in February 1998.
In addition, Marion County, Indiana records show an outstanding warrant for Mr. Evans in 2008 after he failed to appear for a probation hearing on a charge of violating an order of protection against his wife, Erica Evans. […]
Rock Island County Clerk Karen Kinney said Mr. Evans has previously run for office as a Democrat in about 18 different local races. He has lost every election with the exception of two precinct committeeman races. […]
According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Mr. Evans has never filed a campaign fundraising report. […]
“I do know he has never voted in a Republican primary other than this last one,” [Rock Island County Republican Central Committee Chairman Drue Mielke] said. “He is still welcome in our party, but we’ve asked him to not run. It was a consensus among leadership. We just don’t feel we can support Mr. Evans. We needed to let him know.”
The number of out-of-state abortion patients at Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ Flossmoor health center have tripled in the weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision overturning Roe v. Wade, stripping individuals of their constitutional right to an abortion.
Others who assist persons seeking abortions, which remain legal in Illinois, also say they’ve seen a surge in people needing help and traveling to Illinois for such care. Now that Indiana has outlawed most abortions, they say they expect those numbers to continue to rise as they and other pro-choice advocates blasted this latest blow to abortion care rights. […]
In response to the increased strain abortion providers are seeing in Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week announced a 20% Medicaid reimbursement rate increase for abortion services that will cost about $3 million annually.
Rep. Robin Kelly, a Democrat from Matteson, said it’s important that providers have the resources they need. In an interview after a Black Women and Girls Symposium on wellness she held at Prairie State College Saturday, she said the increased demand Illinois providers are already seeing will only worsen in the aftermath of Indiana’s new law, which she labeled a crime.
With more out-of-state patients having to come to Illinois for abortions, clinics like the planned parenthood one in Fairview Heights have to schedule patients out further. What would usually be a 3- or 4-day wait is now about 3 weeks and that means Illinois residents have to wait longer as well.
“This will impact people in the state of Illinois who need abortion access. They will be caught up in these wait times. They will be delayed in getting care,” Lee-Gilmore said.
The longer wait times also push people further into their pregnancy when they get the procedure. […]
“Our in-clinic abortion capacity is being stretched to the limits. We’re seeing appointment times triple and that’s with us double booking patients. I cannot stress enough that providers, particularly in the downstate region need capacity and we need help now,” Lee-Gilmore said.
The Waukegan clinic is Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ busiest for out-of-state abortion patients. After Roe fell, 60% of patients came to this clinic from outside the state – mostly from Wisconsin. In fact, the organization opened in Waukegan two years ago with Wisconsin in mind, knowing that if Roe v. Wade did fall, access to abortion in that state would greatly diminish.
After Roe was struck down, Planned Parenthood organizations in both states announced their partnership. More than a dozen employees from Wisconsin – including doctors, nurses and medical assistants – now commute to Waukegan to help provide care.[…]
The influx of patients into Illinois has had another impact. For years, abortion providers have been traveling once or twice a month to other states like Kansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma, where their help was badly needed.
“Now the script is totally flipped,” said Laursen, a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health. “This is where you are needed more than anywhere else.”
* In southern Illinois, some community members have mixed responses to the new clinic opening in Carbondale. St. Louis Public Radio…
As before, community members who oppose abortion, many from surrounding towns, expressed their ire about providers choosing to open clinics in Carbondale, this time using social media in addition to public comments at Carbondale City Council meetings.
“I do not want to see the abortion industry bring another abortion clinic to Carbondale,” said Donna Glaub, who has lived in the city for nearly 50 years. “If that’s what they think Carbondale is going to become and the new train station is going to become the hub — it doesn’t hit your heart right.” […]
“Instead of the death penalty being handed down to the innocent party, the baby, the death penalty should come upon the evil man that committed that violence,” said Justin Sparks, a pastor at Christ Church in Carbondale who has also pushed anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and opposition to the coronavirus vaccine on social media. […]
City Councilman Adam Loos said that those speaking out against abortion access are a minority of his constituents and that he emphasizes the city’s hands are legally tied.
“What I’ve told them, speaking for myself rather than for the city, is that even if there were something (to do) — I wouldn’t participate in it,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a majority for it.”
The Democratic candidate for Illinois Secretary of State, Alexi Giannoulias, wants to restrict other states’ access to license plate data in Illinois so that women who come here for abortions can’t be tracked.[…]
His Republican opponent, Dan Brady, said the Secretary of State’s office “is not about public policy, it’s about public service.
“As Secretary of State, I’ll stick to improving services at the drivers facilities and cutting wait times.”
Giannoulias says he can do that, too. Or, in his words: “I can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
In July, the Normal Police Department received approval to adopt license plate-reading cameras. WGLT…
The controversial cameras have raised privacy concerns, with groups including the American Civil Liberties Union speaking against the widespread adoption of the technology, and its aggregate collection of personal data. […]
“ALPRs represent a serious threat to the privacy and security of women who may be coming to Illinois, and come to Bloomington-Normal, to seek health care, who may be at risk for having their data accessed by out-of-state agencies, who may criminalize the act of seeking an abortion” across state lines, said Ravi Duvvuri, on behalf of the local chapter of the ACLU. […]
[Normal Police Chief Steve Petrilli] told WGLT that law enforcement agencies outside of Normal wouldn’t automatically gain access to NPD camera data. First, they’d need to present details of the criminal case they were investigating. In cases of women crossing state lines to seek an abortion, NPD would not release that data, he said.
The University of Illinois Springfield has elected to discontinue its contract with the state’s Department of Children and Family Services to offer simulation training for DCFS investigators in a house on campus.
The university decided against renewal of the agreement because the state had not followed its best-practice recommendation that simulation be included throughout a five-week course rather than four and a half days, said Dr. Betsy Goulet, who founded and directs the simulations at UIS and is former DCFS investigator.
”We really think that we could do a much better job if we had them over the course of their foundation training, and we could intersperse the classroom content with the experiences in the SIM lab with different environments and different scenarios,” she said. […]
She said by doing the simulation, “They have a whole different idea of what it’s like to come into somebody’s home and ask difficult questions. I mean, they have to ask parents to take a baby’s clothing off. So they can, you know, see where there might be… you know, marks or bruises.”
“That’s hard to do. As a perfect stranger, you’d you come in and say, well, I need you to take a baby’s clothes off. You know, imagine the stress that comes with doing that. But it’s part of your procedure,” she said. “And so we train them to have those really challenging hard conversations, but we don’t give them enough time to practice. And that’s the frustration.” […]
A spokesman for the Department of Children and Family Services said the agency “is deeply committed to simulation training and continues to expand simulation training across the state with new university partners.”
What the heck?
*** UPDATE 1 *** Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert…
This is a cutting-edge, highly regarded program that has received high marks from investigators, advocates, and academics.
The UIS training academy is a flagship program and a national model. UIS researchers use data from the simulation exercises for research to improve child protection practice. In March, UIS was awarded $720,000 in federal funds to support the training academy. In announcing the funding, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin remarked, “The University of Illinois at Springfield has established itself as a leader in training front line child protection workers and first responders.”
Nine young children have died since December despite DCFS’s extensive involvement with the family. We posted about the most recent child, 3-year-old I’Kera Hill, just this morning. Moreover, investigator safety issues have been prominent in the headlines after the murder of DCFS investigator Deidre Silas during the course of an investigation in January. It’s inexplicable, reckless and irresponsible for DCFS to suddenly discontinue this outstanding, critical resource for training its investigators.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From DCFS Director of Communications Bill McCaffrey…
“These allegations are both wrong and ridiculous, and they denigrate the hard work that has gone into improving and expanding training. In fact, DCFS is so committed to simulation training for child welfare workers that we’ve increased our investment from $320,000 in 2018 to $2.3 million this year so that we can open new hubs across the state and workers can be trained closer to the communities they serve. UIS proposed that they be the sole provider rather than allowing other university partners across the state to provide simulation training for child protection workers. Rather than accepting this demand, DCFS opted to continue to invest in a multi-site, multi-university program.
“Additionally, UIS was on a corrective action plan, including for their failures to hire a pipeline of diverse staff for the actual simulations. This failure posed serious problems for meeting our goals to be equitable and provide inclusive training opportunities. We are moving forward with a new site in Springfield that will meet these needs and provide state-of-the-art training.”
Background
• New DCFS investigators go through a six week training in order to become certified to conduct child protection investigation. This is primarily classroom based training for four weeks, called “foundations”, followed by a fifth week in the field for on the job training, and a sixth where they conduct simulation training. The first simulation training was developed in collaboration with University of Illinois Springfield and conducted on their campus.
• In order to meet the statewide needs of investigator training, a new simulation lab was opened in Chicago at a DCFS site on the South side of Chicago. That simulation site is run in collaboration with the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• DCFS has also expanded to include two additional simulation training sites and university partnerships. One is located at Northern Illinois University and is currently operational and training investigators. The other site is at Southern Illinois University, which is physically completed and will be operational by early 2023 once they are fully staffed and trained.
• DCFS is currently in the early stages of building out an additional simulation site in Springfield, that like the Chicago site, would be located on DCFS property. It would be staffed by DCFS employed trainers.
• DCFS has expanded our investment in simulation training from just $320,00 in fiscal year 2018 to $2.3 million in the current fiscal year.
Seems to me, if this is true, that DCFS should’ve said that from the beginning.
The end of DCFS’ ongoing relationship with the University of Illinois at Springfield to provide simulation training for investigators is depressing and dangerous. It is depressing to see the Department lose access to one of the few contract partners that was making a difference in improving investigations of alleged child abuse.
The Department claims there were issues with UIS’ performance on a “corrective action plan” for diversity – we don’t have knowledge of those circumstances. What we do know, though is that UIS developed the simulation training that Illinois pioneered and that now is viewed as a model worthy of implementation across the country.
It appears that the real schism between DCFS and UIS was that the Department could not accept – and integrate – the well-founded guidance of the UIS experts regarding how training should be delivered in order to be effective under the UIS model program. It may be that DCFS is using new partners for simulation training, but if that training does not track the UIS model, we lose the assurance that we currently have – that the training will be effective.
DCFS’ move is dangerous for children and for DCFS employees. The UIS program helped increase safety for DCFS employees who conduct home visits and the children they are seeking to protect. At a moment when we are all concerned about safety, the expertise and experience offered by this program should be honored and embraced, not truncated and parceled out to different providers.
* For a very long time, the “About” section of Cindy Bailey’s Facebook page has said she is the “chief consultant, strategist and cheerleader” for her spouse’s gubernatorial campaign. But that page has since been altered and then apparently taken down since Greg Hinz started looking around and asking questions. You can still Google the phrase, but here’s a screenshot…
She’s also listed as a “Board member” on Bailey’s D-1 filing with the State Board of Elections. And she is a regular on the campaign trail with Bailey and often acts as a surrogate for her husband’s campaign…
Just saw Stephanie W. Trussell running for Illinois Lieutenant Governor and Cindy Cindy J. Bailey, that’s the wife of Republican nominee Darren Bailey for Governor in Illinois at CPAC 2022 in Dallas. @DarrenBaileyIL@ReaganMom@Trussell4ILpic.twitter.com/tlmk9r5l3V
Speaking of Cindy Bailey, here she is posing with Kari Lake at CPAC four days ago. Lake is the GOP gubernatorial nominee from AZ, an election fraud/QAnon conspiracy theorist, and a Proud Boy fan. https://t.co/xNAd8fiIQKpic.twitter.com/2BK0QbpmM2
In one [post], she cited “amazing testimonies from ones who were once in the homosexual lifestyle!” In another, she called on “any red-blooded American” to drop their subscription to Netflix for “normalizing homosexuality” and other material she views as objectionable. “We are living in wicked days, just as in the time of Noah,” she stated.
* People on Twitter have been discussing this topic for a while now. A sampling..
Is this really who we want as the First Lady of IL. Do her morals and values represent all of us? Please make a plan to vote this November. #twillpic.twitter.com/GFDuAdARNh
Darren and Cindy Bailey aren't the best choice for the future of Illinois, they have both stated they think we're living in the "end times". In short they don't really see a longterm future for our state or country. pic.twitter.com/aKoSxQjzvY
JB Pritzker’s administration has been a disaster. Pritzker has raised taxes, attacked law enforcement and crime is skyrocketing on his watch. The Department of Children and Family Services is a criminal disaster under Pritzker’s Director Marc Smith. Families are suffering and kids are dying because Pritzker refuses to take ownership and fire his failed director. Friends, JB Pritzker hasn’t just failed working families, he’s downright abandoned every one of us.
Well now he’s more desperate than ever, and JB and his allies in the media shamelessly think that they can attack my wife Cindy and try to twist her words. Let me be clear, my wife is not on the ballot. I’m on the ballot and I speak for myself. So, JB, if you can fit it into your presidential campaign schedule and want to talk about someone in this race for governor and about the people of Illinois who are struggling under your watch, well I’m here in Illinois. And I’ll be waiting when you fly back. I’ll debate you anyplace anytime.
And if the media wants to look into spouses, well how about you find out what Pritzker’s pal Jennifer Thornley texted him and his wife after she stole money from taxpayers. The Pritzker/Thornley scandal stole over $700,000 from taxpayers because JB continues to scratch the backs of his cronies at the expense of working families.
Friends, people are being gunned down riding public transportation. Springfield corruption continues while families struggle to put gas in their cars and food on their tables. We have serious issues and I’m ready to get to work and restore Illinois.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* The Question: Fair hit on Cindy Bailey or not? Make sure to explain your answer in comments, please.
*** UPDATE *** A commenter reminds us that Darren Bailey posted a false story on his Facebook page about the governor’s daughter…
Like I’ve been saying from the beginning, this is how you handle a lockdown!
#supportsmallbusiness
#restoreillinois
#firepritzker
Today, Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza announces the latest installment of $180 million into the state’s Rainy Day Fund, bringing the balance to a record level of $1.036 billion, the highest balance in the fund, also called the Budget Stabilization Fund, to date.
Comptroller Mendoza has been a vocal advocate for reviving the Rainy Day Fund, which serves as the state’s main savings account. It had been decimated during the 2015-2017 state budget impasse. In April 2018, the reserve account stood at just $48,327.53.
“We’re saving today to invest in tomorrow,” said Comptroller Mendoza. “This latest infusion proves that we are prioritizing paying down our debts, addressing the pension shortfall and not putting the problems of yesterday on the backs of future generations.”
The appropriation was supported by Gov. JB Pritzker and approved by the Illinois General Assembly earlier this year. With higher-than-anticipated revenues for the prior fiscal year, not only did the General Assembly and the Governor approve of a $1.8 billion tax-relief plan for taxpayers, but they also resisted to spend, as this $1 billion into the state’s Rainy Day Fund for fiscal year ’22 and ’23 makes clear. The most recent budget also includes paying an extra $500 million into the Pension Stabilization Fund, which will lower pension debt liabilities by $1.8 billion.
This latest deposit into the Rainy Day Fund this week is the final installment based on the appropriations per the most recently approved state budget. Starting next fiscal year, the legislature has agreed to put in an additional $45 million into the fund annually.
“Building a robust emergency reserve account is responsible. And the credit rating agencies agree. They cited the state’s infusion into reserves as one reason for recent upgrades. Better credit ratings mean better rates on bonds, and that means more savings for taxpayers and better finances for the state overall,” Comptroller Mendoza said.
Illinois has earned six credit upgrades from the credit rating agencies since June 29, 2021 – the first upgrades in over two decades.
While these welcomed infusions into the Rainy Day Fund and the Pension Stabilization Fund are certainly a great boost, Comptroller Mendoza continues to call for more regular automatic deposits into these funds during strong economies, without having to depend on one-time infusions of future legislatures.
During the fall veto session Comptroller Mendoza will ask the General Assembly to take up HB 4118, sponsored by State Rep. Michael Halpin, D-Rock Island. The proposal would require additional annual contributions to both the Rainy Day Fund and the Pension Stabilization Fund.
“Further saving and paying down our debts when the state can afford it will better prepare us for the next fiscal downtown or crisis, such as a recession, that may come through no fault of our own,” said Comptroller Mendoza.
…Adding… At the request of the comptroller’s office, I’ve corrected the designation of Rep. Halpin as being from Rock Island, not Rock City. I prefer Rock City, however…
I feel so good, I’m so alive
Hear my song playin’ on the radio
At a recent event, Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow pushed for a repeal of the SAFE-T Act.
“It will destroy the state of Illinois,” Glasgow said. “I have 640 people in the Will County jail. All their bonds will be extinguished on Jan. 1, and 60 are charged with murder.” “
* I asked Jordan Abudayyeh for a response…
To be very clear, the Pre-trial Fairness Act creates a system where detention is based on risk, rather than poverty: that’s why domestic violence groups and other victims’ rights groups support it. There is nothing in the law that requires those suspected of crimes be let out of prison when it goes into effect. There are too many people that have been held not because they’re a risk, but simply because they could not afford monetary bail, and not only does that affect that person in custody but also their family. At the same time, victim’s rights groups have long been concerned that dangerous individuals have been released simply because they could afford to pay bail. Public safety is best addressed by focusing on risk rather than money.
Background
• When the law goes into effect, the State’s Attorney would have the ability to go to court and present evidence as to why a person suspected of a crime should be held, and a judge could rule to hold them.
• The State’s Attorney has seemingly identified 60 people that he believes will pose a risk to public safety if released. That is the first step in preparing for a future bond hearings focusing on the risk factors rather than monetary bail request considerations. The state’s attorneys have time to plan ahead, assessing both the pending and future cases.
• The Illinois Supreme Court Pretrial Implementation Task Force has published draft conditions flowcharts and considerations for use by all law enforcement and criminal justice officials. They are currently accepting suggestions at pretrialtaskforce@illinoiscourts.gov
With the latest election tally released Friday evening, Aug. 5, Allen Skillicorn edged ahead of Cindy Couture in a tight race for the third and final seat on the Fountain Hills Town Council.
Skillicorn had a very slim 19-vote edge over Couture, 4,756 to 4,737. Couture had lead the race since the initial results were released on Tuesday.
In a release Friday evening Maricopa County election officials reported having 6,500 ballots remaining to process and tabulate with 1,224 valid provisional ballots to be counted. There are also 7,500 “uncured” ballots in which signatures need further review. Voters have until Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 5 p.m. to have the ballots “cured” or verified by providing sufficient identification. These are county-wide numbers with no indication as to what remains to be counted for Fountain Hills.
One week after election day the Fountain Hills Town Council race is coming into focus. A vote tally released at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, indicates the race may be all but settled.
Mayor Ginny Dickey appears likely to be re-elected, while three newcomers will come to the Town Council, currently Brenda Kalivianakis, Allen Skillicorn and Hannah Toth.
Maricopa County Elections Department was not expected to release final, unofficial counts until after 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 9, the deadline for voters to cure questioned ballots. However, those appear to be pretty small numbers to affect the outcome.
