Question of the day
Thursday, Mar 18, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The governor’s first press conference question today was about the state’s new vaccine policy. Click here if you need to brush up on the particulars…
Q: The city of Chicago is not following the plan. So the state of Illinois is reopening [audio garbled] and the city is a big part of the state. And I’m wondering, are you OK, by getting rid of the phases, are you OK with perhaps a 25 year old healthy Lincoln Parker going ahead of a 55 year old with heart disease from Englewood?
A: Let’s be clear that we’re talking about three weeks, three and a half weeks hence that this change is going to take place. And in the meantime, as you know, not only have we done well with seniors 65 and over, we have an increasing number of people as we opened up Phase 1B+, people who have pre-existing conditions, to get vaccinated. And so we have a great deal of people who have already been vaccinated that are in these categories. And over the next three and a half weeks, increasing numbers of pods that are specifically focused on those populations.
So, as to the question of a 25 year old who’s in the city of Chicago, the city of Chicago gets separate shipments from the federal government separate from the rest of the state. It represents 21% of the population of the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago does. And it can make decisions on its own, it has the ability to do that. I hope that it will move expeditiously toward opening up even more. That’s what we’re doing across the rest of the state of Illinois. And I think that it will be hard for the city if people who can get vaccinated who live just beyond the city borders are able to get an appointment to go get vaccinated, but people who are within the city may not be able to because they haven’t opened that up. But again I think that’s up to them. And President Biden has set at absolute date of May 1 And I know that the city. This morning acknowledge that they were hoping to not only get there by May 1 But even earlier than that, so it’ll match up at some point you know between April 12th, and May 1st.
According to the state’s statistics, over 58 percent of Illinoisans ages 65+ have been administered vaccines. The state and the city combined are receiving more than 800,000 doses this week, with a million doses a week anticipated in April. And the J&J vaccine will only require one shot. Also, the state has allowed people with medical conditions to be vaxed for weeks, and that hypothetical person from Englewood currently qualifies for a vaccine at the United Center.
Given all that and given that the new vaccine availability won’t begin for a few more weeks…
* The Question: Are you OK with perhaps a 25 year old healthy Lincoln Parker going ahead of a 55 year old with heart disease from Englewood starting April 12th? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
online surveys
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Mar 18, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s…
Two consumer groups and a prominent environmental organization are joining forces to clamp down on utility practices that resulted in favorable legislation raising delivery rates for consumers and padding profits of Commonwealth Edison and downstate power company Ameren Illinois.
AARP Illinois, Illinois PIRG and the Environmental Law & Policy Center have formed a “Take Our Power Back” coalition. It’s advocating that ComEd reimburse consumers for the profits it gained through a nearly decade-long bribery scheme aimed at winning support from then-House Speaker Michael Madigan, the most powerful politician in the state at them time. ComEd admitted to the scheme in a deferred-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in July.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Some Democratic lawmakers want to repeal an abortion law that requires girls under the age of 18 who are seeking an abortion to notify their parents at least 48 hours before the procedure, with some exceptions.
Under the current law, the notice requirement doesn’t apply if a minor is accompanied by an adult family member, such as a parent, grandparent, stepparent or legal guardian, or if an adult family member waives the notice in writing.
Additionally, there are exceptions for minors who are victims of physical or sexual abuse or neglect by an adult family member. Exceptions to the 48-hour notice requirement also apply in cases where the minor is married, divorced or widowed, if the minor has been legally emancipated, or if the health care provider determines that there is a medical emergency.
* Capitol News Illinois…
State Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago, reintroduced a bill on Wednesday that would offer emergency support to tenants, landlords and homeowners struggling to make payments in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
House Bill 2877, known as the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Act, would create a process for allocating funding for rental support that was made available in federal stimulus packages since December. It would also expand the sealing of eviction records in the state through July of 2022.
Ramirez, who previously introduced the legislation during the lame duck session in January, said the new bill offers “a comprehensive approach” to addressing what she referred to as “a crisis of housing instability” as a result of COVID-19.
* WAND TV…
State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is reintroducing a measure that would require pharmacies to post a notice informing consumers that a consumer may request current pharmacy retail prices at the point of sale.
“Retail prices at pharmacies generally bear no relationship to the actual market prices of the medications,” Bennett said. “Patients deserve to know the ‘real’ price of the medication they intend to purchase so they can make an informed decision about where they buy their prescriptions.”
Under Senate Bill 1682, pharmacies would be required to post a notice informing consumers that they may request current pharmacy retail prices at the point of sale and must also provide customers directly with the retail price of a prescription drug, both in writing and electronically prior to purchase.
* Press release…
Today, leading advocates in Illinois launched Health is Health, a coalition campaign backed by more than 75 groups advocating for commonsense mental health and addiction care that everyone can agree on. The campaign comes on the heels of the Illinois General Assembly’s subject matter hearing on mental health in the state tied to proposed legislation SB697/HB2595, which would advance access and equity in mental health care. During the hearing, it became clear that this legislation is commonsense and would save lives.
“When I talk to pediatricians, they’re telling me they’re not seeing kids for physical health issues because they’re not getting sick, there’s no flu, there’s no cold because they’re wearing masks, but they’re seeing children every single day for mental health issues,” said Rep. Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park.
“With proper care, we have positive outcomes. We need to find a place in our society where we have no stigma when it comes to mental health and people can get the services they need when they need it so we can have those positive outcomes.” said Sen. Laura Fine
“The need for mental health care has never been more essential than it is right now.”
Currently, large inequities exist in how health plans cover mental health care. Many insurers use flawed and discriminatory guidelines to avoid paying for the mental health care and treatment services granted under existing federal law.
“Mental health care is health care, period,” said Bill Smith, Founder of Inseparable, a Health is Health coalition member. “The cost of mental health care should not be your life savings. Yet, large inequities still exist in how health plans cover mental health care. We need to pass SB 697 and HB 2595”
“Fifty-three percent of adults report that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacts their mental health, yet nothing about the current reimbursement process is based on Generally Accepted Standards of Care and clinical best practices that are rooted in evidence and science. That is why we need to take action,” said David Applegate, Director of State Policy at The Kennedy Forum Illinois.
* And…
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* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,325 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 34 additional deaths.
- Champaign County: 1 female 80s
- Cook County; 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Cumberland County: 1 male 60s
- DuPage County: 1 female 70s, 2 males 70s, 1 male 90s
- Kane County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- Lake County: 1 male 70s
- Madison County: 1 male 60s, 2 males 90s
- Rock Island Cunty: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
- St. Clair County: 1 male 70s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 70s
- Whiteside County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s
- Will County: 2 males 60s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,216,090 cases, including 21,022 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 89,817 specimens for a total of 19,389,098. As of last night, 1,120 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 252 patients were in the ICU and 100 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 11-17, 2021 is 2.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 11-17, 2021 is 2.7%.
A total of doses of 5,172,415 vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 414,900 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 5,587,315. A total of 4,375,171 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 359,041 for long-term care facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 99,210 doses. Yesterday, 91,684 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
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React to Pritzker’s new vaccine/reopening plan
Thursday, Mar 18, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* CFL…
Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter released the following statement regarding the announcement of new reopening guidelines by the Pritzker Administration:
“We applaud the Pritzker Administration for taking steps today to continue the safe reopening of our economy as vaccines become more readily accessible and eligibility expands. For more than a year, union workers have sacrificed their health and safety to keep our city, county, state, and nation moving. These workers put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe. Meanwhile, thousands of workers sacrificed their livelihoods as entire sectors of the economy were shut down, especially in the hospitality and tourism industries. These skilled workers struggled to put food on the table, pay their bills, and keep their healthcare. The pain and hardship endured by so many can never be forgotten, and the debt we owe these heroes may never be repaid.
“Now, thanks to the heroic efforts of so many, we are finally ready to move closer to reopening our economy and returning to normal. Having a pathway toward reopening helps both workers and their employer plan a more defined path forward. To continue on this pathway to reopening, the health and safety of workers remains an absolute priority. To continue the progress toward reopening and to protect worker safety, continue to follow guidance from the Illinois, Cook County, and Chicago Departments of Public Health. That includes wearing a mask and following all capacity and social distancing guidelines. And when it’s your turn, get vaccinated. Let’s stay committed, stay masked up, and move past this pandemic once and for all.”
This post will likely be updated.
* IHLA…
The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association released the following statement regarding the plan outlined by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to ease capacity limits and further reopen Illinois over the next several months:
“The plan outlined by Governor Pritzker is a step in the right direction, and we appreciate him understanding the need for a roadmap to allow hotels and convention centers to hold larger meetings and events. This underscores the importance of providing clarity to event planners, supports our shared goal of getting people back to work safely, and illustrates why the Governor’s announcement reflects his desire to serve as the chief marketing officer for the state,” said Michael Jacobson, President and CEO, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association
* ICCVB…
The following is a statement from Jayne DeLuce, Board Chair of the Illinois Council of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (ICCVB) and President & CEO of Visit Champaign County:
“Governor Pritzker’s announcement today that Illinois will progress toward reopening as more people continue to become vaccinated, coupled with last week’s news that conventions will likely re-start this summer under safe guidelines, is exactly the kind of action needed to jumpstart recovery for our state’s tourism industry.
“This is a sign that Illinois is on track to safely welcome visitors and with that comes revenue for our state and municipalities, customers for our small businesses, and jobs for our workforce.”
* Sen. Sara Feigenholtz…
“The testimony provided to the Tourism & Hospitality Committee by leaders from the industry likely had a great impact on some of the Governor’s decisions today. Planning and discussing a path moving forward is the only hope we have to bring jobs back and keep this sector alive.”
“With infection rates dropping and the vaccine more widely available, the Governor messaging that Illinois will soon be open for business was urgently needed to keep conventions and visitors on the books.”
* Chicagoland Chamber…
The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce released the following statement in response to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement regarding additional steps to ease restrictions and reopen Illinois:
“Gov. Pritzker’s announcement of reopening steps provides important guidance that will allow businesses to prepare for greater capacity over the next several months. As the economic engine of the state, Chicago’s businesses require consistency in order to plan how to reopen further, rehire workers and bring employees back to the worksite. This guidance is especially important to small businesses and our tourism, conventions and hospitality industries, which have been devastated by the pandemic with thousands of businesses closing their doors, resulting in tens of thousands of people losing their jobs. While the road to recovery is long, we applaud the governor for outlining metrics and creating a path forward for the business community to get people back to work and jumpstart our economy,” said Jack Lavin, President & CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.
* Harmon…
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon welcomed news of expanded vaccine access and plans to re-open the state’s economy.
“We’ve made it to this point thanks to modern science and the personal sacrifices of people all across this state. You’ve followed the rules and kept each other safe until a vaccine was widely available. Thank you.
“I urge everyone to remain patient and vigilant as we head into what is hopefully the final phase of this horrible pandemic.”
* NFIB…
NFIB State Director Mark Grant released the following statement today in response to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s revised reopening plan:
“Small businesses appreciate Governor Pritzker’s plan to increase capacity limits as more people receive the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s been a frustratingly difficult year for small business, and today’s announcement is another sign the worst is behind us.
“However, given everything they’ve endured over the past 12 months, small business owners can’t look away from the threat of a $900 billion tax hit if the governor succeeds in decoupling Illinois’s tax structure from the federal changes enacted specifically to help small businesses recover from the pandemic. This misguided proposal not only hurts employers but creates barriers to rehiring many of the workers who lost their jobs when businesses had to scale back or shut down.”
* Affordable Assisted Living Coalition…
“AALC welcomes the announcement today from Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (DPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike on the implementation of a metrics-based, vaccination informed framework for Illinois to fully reopen. We also want to applaud the outstanding work our Supportive Living Program communities have done to vaccinate residents and staff, which has contributed to the state’s ability to move toward normalcy and phase 5 of the Restore Illinois reopening plan, ” said Karin Zosel, Executive Director of the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition. “We encourage all eligible populations to get vaccinated as soon as possible so that we can visit with loved ones, return to normalcy and live a healthier life.”
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* Press release…
Governor Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike today announced a metrics-based, vaccination-informed framework for Illinois to advance to Phase 5 of the state’s Restore Illinois Plan, our new normal. In recognition of an increasing national vaccine supply and the state now averaging 100,000 vaccine administrations per day, Governor Pritzker also announced that all Illinois residents age 16+ will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting April 12th, with additional announcements to come about populations who will be made eligible prior to universal eligibility.
Currently, every region of the state is in Phase 4 of the five-phase Restore Illinois mitigation plan, with Phase 5 comprising a post-pandemic normalcy as detailed here. The newly announced metrics offer Illinois a bridge between the state’s current Phase 4 restrictions and the “new normal” operations of Phase 5. This “Bridge Phase” will serve as a transition period with higher capacity limits and increased business operations, without prematurely embracing a reckless reopening before the majority of Illinoisans have been vaccinated. All regions of the state will move through the Bridge Phase and ultimately to Phase 5, together. The state’s mask mandate will continue in accordance with current CDC guidance.
“COVID-19 has not gone away, but the light we can see at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter as more people get vaccinated,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “It’s time to begin to cautiously move toward normalcy, and it’s imperative that we do so in a way that maintains all the progress we’ve made to date. With projections from the Biden Administration indicating that weekly vaccine deliveries to Illinois will surpass one million doses in April, it is fully in our power to turn the page on this dark and devastating chapter even as we race a tough clock: the new variants. I invite all Illinoisans to join me in wearing your mask and getting vaccinated when it’s your turn. Step by step, we can get out of this the same we came into it – together.”
“We want and need to move forward, but we must be measured and cautious in the approach,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Rather than flipping a switch and saying we’re now in Phase 5, we’re looking at it more like a dial – dialing back some of the capacity restrictions that helped reduce transmission, and ultimately the number of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. We don’t want to move too quickly and risk a significant reversal of our progress.”
“We are proud to have worked alongside IDPH and our industry partners to craft guidelines that will allow a safe return for some of the biggest economic drivers in our state,” said Sylvia Garcia, Acting Director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). “This measured approach to reopening under Governor Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan will help support a sustained economic recovery for our businesses and communities.”
METRICS AND GUIDELINES
As Illinois moves towards our new normal, the administration is outlining clear metrics that will allow the state to continue progressing in the battle against COVID-19 without sacrificing the gains made over the last twelve months.
The bridge to Phase 5 allows for higher capacity limits at places like museums, zoos and spectator events as well as increased business operations. As with all mitigations the administration has implemented to combat the virus to date, the Bridge Phase is based on science and was developed by health experts.
To advance into the Bridge Phase, the entire state must reach a 70% first dose vaccination rate for residents 65 and over, maintain a 20% or lower ICU bed availability rate and hold steady on COVID-19 and COVID-like illness hospital admissions, mortality rate, and case rate over a 28-day monitoring period. To advance to Phase 5, the state must reach a 50% vaccination rate for residents age 16 and over and meet the same metrics and rates required to enter the transition phase, over an additional 28-day period.
To prevent a large increase in new COVID-19 cases, Illinois will revert back to an earlier phase if over the course of 10 days the state experiences an increasing trend in COVID-19 and COVID-like illness hospital admissions, a decrease in ICU bed availability, an increase in the mortality rate, and an increasing case rate.
In an update to current Phase 4 mitigations and the capacity limits of the bridge to Phase 5, individuals with proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (PCR) 1-3 days prior to an event or outing do not count against capacity limits. The mitigation plan announced today also includes additional adjustments to current Phase 4 mitigations, made in coordination with business leaders and health experts, to ensure mitigations reflect the latest science and are consistent across industries.
As regulations are rolled back gradually in the weeks ahead, Illinoisans should continue practicing the public health guidelines that have kept us safe during the pandemic, including wearing face coverings and maintaining social distance.
“Today’s announcement provides what retailers across Illinois have been seeking: a clear path forward to a full re-opening that will help stem the devastation the pandemic has inflicted on the industry. This will also help bring some financial stability to state and local governments that rely on the vital revenue stream retail generates. With the expanding availability of vaccines – including those offered at hundreds of retail pharmacy locations across Illinois – we are hopeful the pathway toward a full re-opening will be a short one,” said Rob Karr, President and CEO, Illinois Retail Merchants Association.
“The plan outlined by Governor Pritzker is a step in the right direction, and we appreciate him understanding the need for a roadmap to allow hotels and convention centers to hold larger meetings and events,” said Michael Jacobson, President and CEO, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association. “This underscores the importance of providing clarity to event planners, supports our shared goal of getting people back to work safely, and illustrates why the Governor’s announcement reflects his desire to serve as the chief marketing officer for the state.”
“While we still have a long way to go, today’s announcement is an important step towards recovery,” said Sam Toia, President and CEO, Illinois Restaurant Association. “We have urged Governor Pritzker to set a path to allow for expanded events with extensive safety measures in place, and this pragmatic approach to loosening restrictions will greatly enhance business opportunities for restaurants, event companies, conventions, and culinary tourism — all of which are critical to Illinois’ economic engine.”
COVID-19 VACCINE AVAILABILITY
Since the COVID-19 vaccine was first made available in Illinois last December, the state has administered over 4.3 million doses. Through partnerships with local health departments, pharmacies, community health centers and other care providers, the state is currently administering an average of 100,000 vaccines each day. So far, the state has administered the COVID-19 vaccine to more than 1 in 4 Illinois adults over the age of 16, including over 58% of Illinoisans ages 65 and over.
Since coming into office two months ago, the Biden Administration has taken the weekly vaccine distribution to states from 8.6 million when it came into office to over 16 million this week. Back in December, the first shipment that came into Illinois was about 109,000 doses. This week, including the federal government’s allocations for pharmacy partners, community health centers, the United Center and the City of Chicago, more than 800,000 doses were delivered to Illinois. Based on current projections, the state expects that number to surpass one million doses a week in April.
Thanks to an increased allocation of vaccine doses from the federal government, all Illinois residents will be eligible to receive the vaccine beginning April 12th. At that date, all state-supported mass vaccination sites, local health departments, pharmacy partners – in short, every jurisdiction that receives vaccine from the State of Illinois’ allocation – will be instructed to move to widespread eligibility.
Currently, all vaccines are administered by appointment only. While vaccine eligibility is expanding on April 12th, making an appointment to receive a shot may take time. Information regarding vaccination locations as well as details on how to book an appointment to receive the vaccine can be found at the state’s COVID website, coronavirus.illinois.gov. Residents who don’t have access to or need assistance navigating online services can call the toll-free IDPH hotline at 833-621-1284 to book an appointment. The hotline is open 7 days a week from 6am to midnight with agents available in English and Spanish.
Illinoisans who are not currently eligible to receive the vaccine cannot schedule an appointment for a future date. Residents are encouraged to be patient in the days and weeks following April 12th as vaccination appointments may be limited.
To date, the FDA has authorized the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in 16- and 17-year-olds as well as adults. The Johnson & Johnson and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are currently FDA authorized for use in those 18 and older.
*** UPDATE *** I should’ve included these charts…
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Unclear on the concept
Thursday, Mar 18, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Op-ed by Illinois Republican Senators Sue Rezin, Don DeWitte and Craig Wilcox…
Since the plan was created and publicized, rules, metrics and guidance have changed quickly and regularly, and the goal posts for returning to normalcy keep moving. But one thing has remained constant over the last year: Governor Pritzker still insists on unilaterally controlling every aspect of the COVID-19 response, and he refuses to allow for input from the legislative branch. The governor has issued 76 executive orders over the last year, and during that same time period, legislators have been offered exactly zero opportunities to weigh in on COVID-19 policy decisions.
Their beef is with the Senate President. His name is not mentioned once.
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* Market Watch…
The number of new applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose to a one-month high of 770,000 in mid-March, reflecting some of the damage caused to the Texas economy by a winter freeze.
Initial jobless claims filed traditionally through the states increased by 45,000 to 770,000 in the week ended March 13, the government said Thursday.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal had forecast new claims would fall to a seasonally adjusted 700,000.
Another 282,394 applications for benefits were filed through a temporary federal-relief program. These numbers are unadjusted.
Combined state and federal jobless claims totaled 1.02 million last week. They’ve yet to fall below 1 million since the onset of the pandemic last year, underscoring the massive damage to the U.S. economy caused by the coronavirus.
* Duncan Black…
That makes 52 consecutive weeks of claims above the one week peak of The Great Recession.
* CBS 2…
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 74,630 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of March 8 in Illinois, according to the DOL’s weekly claims report released Thursday. […]
Illinois’ estimated claims make up nearly 10% of the estimated 770,000 filed across the country last week.
Despite a decline in COVID cases and reopening efforts, the latest unemployment numbers show the devastating effects of the pandemic on Illinois’ economy aren’t over.
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* Post-Dispatch last year…
In Lincoln and Hazel LeFlore’s front yard, near the street, is what appears to be a fountain, poking out of the ground. It flows continuously, carving a trench that runs alongside their home and into the woods out back.
Look closer, though, and take a breath — and it’s clear this is no fountain, but rather an open pipe that leads to a sewer. Pressure popped the cap off years ago, allowing raw sewage to flow to the surface. The LeFlores said if they tried closing it, the wastewater would instead pour from their toilets, bathtubs and sinks. The same would happen at their neighbors’ homes.
For 15 years, sewage has been flowing in their yard, the couple says, despite their frequent complaints to local utility and city officials. They can’t sit outside. They can’t enjoy visits from family and friends. […]
Their situation is similar to that of dozens of residents of this town, which was ranked last year as the poorest in the United States, based on census data. Just 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis, Centreville was incorporated in 1957. In 1960 — when the area was full of steel, railroading, meatpacking and other industrial jobs — the city had nearly 12,800 people, 28% of whom were white.
Over the years, as factories closed and jobs left, white families moved away. Centreville is now home to about 5,000 residents; over 95% are African American. The median home value is $47,900. The main businesses are the few strip clubs and questionable massage parlors on the southeast edge of town. […]
In parts of the city, dirt trenches are used to drain runoff instead of storm drains. The trenches, however, have not been maintained. Clogged culverts under driveways prevent water from moving. The trenches fill with standing water, trash and swirls of colors, surrounding homes like moats, and breeding mosquitoes.
A system of above-ground pumps moves wastewater through the sewer system, but the motors often don’t work because they are overtaken by stormwater or overwhelmed by clogged lines. Some are cracked and covered in tarps after being struck by cars.
Wastewater bubbles out of manholes and into the streets, mixing with runoff. Many residents can’t flush their toilets and have to resort to using public restrooms.
* Post-Dispatch last August…
In a letter sent Wednesday to Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, a group of residents pleaded for the state government to enforce environmental laws and require repairs to the city’s failing wastewater and stormwater systems. […]
Residents have complained about sewage overflows, failing pump stations and leaking manholes for two decades. The letter accuses the state of not doing enough to hold local government agencies accountable.
The IEPA has been aware of the hazards since 2003, the letter states, yet little has been to done to require repairs. One couple has had an open sewer line continually flowing like a fountain in their front yard since 2007 or 2008.
* GovTech this week…
With the support of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who called the situation “a textbook example of environmental racism,” Centreville, Cahokia and Alorton hope to share $22 million through a FEMA BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) grant.
The grant will supply funds to repair and maintain sewage systems in the area that have long been neglected. Residents have, for decades, routinely experienced yards and houses flooded with sewage, with little or no help from officials. Residents filed a lawsuit last summer seeking help with the sewage and flooding issues. […]
Whether the cities are granted the money won’t be known until December.
We’ve got a multi-billion-dollar capital program right here in Illinois. Why isn’t the state spending some of that money? Also, while the grant will be great, the IEPA obviously needs to step up enforcement. Perhaps the governor can address this, too.
* Turns out, some local elected officials are also making money off the sewer district…
A state senator from Centreville made nearly $58,500 last year for a position that doesn’t have a job description at a controversial water and sewer district.
Democratic state Sen. Christopher Belt is listed as superintendent of Commonfields of Cahokia Public Water and Sewage District in 2020 documents. He did not respond to the BND’s 12 phone calls, text messages and emails over more than a week requesting information about what he does there.
General manager Dennis Traiteur and district board chairman Curtis McCall Sr. both declined to talk about Belt’s role, citing a pending citizen lawsuit against Commonfields over years of flooding issues. Mark Scoggins, the Columbia attorney representing the district, did not immediately know about Belt’s role but confirmed he works there. […]
Belt is McCall’s brother-in-law. […] McCall is Centreville Township supervisor and is expected to become the first mayor of Cahokia Heights, a new city that will be established by the consolidation of Cahokia, Centreville and Alorton after the April 6 elections. McCall is unopposed.
McCall’s son, Curtis McCall Jr., is the current mayor of Cahokia. Commonfields paid McCall Sr.’s other son, Kerchavian McCall, $27,439 as a laborer who did maintenance and operated equipment for 752 hours, according to 2020 salary documents the BND obtained through the open records request.
[Alorton Mayor Jo Ann Reed] was on the Commonfields payroll as a cashier, clerk and board secretary, earning nearly $29,400 in 2020 for 830 hours.
McCall also chairs Sen. Belt’s campaign committee. Kelsey Landis, Deasia Paige and Kavahn Mansouri wrote that story for the Belleville News-Democrat. Really good stuff. Goes well beyond the usual “Somebody contributed $50 and that means corruption” crud that passes for muckraking.
Local voters have a chance to dissolve Commonfields next month. I’ll let you know what happens.
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* Alexander County, which is in deep southern Illinois, has many, many problems. It’s lost 30 percent of its population since 2010. Its median income is less than $37,000. Almost a quarter of its residents, a third of whom are Black, live in poverty.
According to IDPH, less than 2.6 percent of Alexander County residents are fully vaccinated - 156 out of 6,060. That’s the worst in the entire state. And even though African-Americans make up a third of its population, just 20 percent are fully vaccinated while 64 percent of whites in the county are fully vaxed. At last check, the county is sitting on 180 unused vaccine doses.
* So NPR Illinois’ Hannah Meisel asked Gov. Pritzker yesterday why things are going so wrong down there. This is what he said…
So let me say, you know, there’s a wide range of capability among the 97 local public health departments. And we’ve tried to provide greater capability for those that may be less well staffed, for example, or have less resources. So you’ve seen us move the Illinois National Guard all across the state where we need to bring greater equity, or we need to add manpower, I have to say, woman power too. The Illinois, the Illinois National Guard, honestly, we’ve had such terrific, the men and women who have been at those sites, if any of you who have been to those sites, these are amazing people who are stepping in and doing life saving work. You usually think of them as going to war on our behalf or defending our nation outside our borders or handling a flood or some other challenge. But here, they’re you know, they’re literally saving people’s lives every day by vaccines. So we’ve sent them on in mobile missions across the state to areas, we have one coming up that attempts to address the areas that you were talking about in far southern Illinois, the southern seven region. And so that’s, you know, really what we’re doing is trying to measure capability and then add to the capability where it may not exist. Taking Adams County as a pretty good example, they’re very good at moving their vaccine into people’s arms. There are some other counties, even bigger counties, that have what they did with their vaccines is they handed them off to community partners. And then in some cases, those community partners put some of it on the shelves in inventory, thinking that they might have a need for them at a clinic that they might run two weeks hence. What we want is for everybody to get this vaccine into people’s arms right away. And at the Illinois Department of Public Health, it’s hard for us to track what the local public health department does with each of those doses, sending them to those local community partners. And so we rely on the LHDs to continually speak with their community partners to get that vaccine off the shelves and into people’s arms. And they’re doing a much better job today than they have ever before. And again, when you look at the top 10 biggest states in the country, we’re actually number two among those top 10 states at getting the vaccine from the delivery into people’s arms fastest.
Lots of words.
Also, you’d think that since the county has the worst vaccination rate in the state, Dr. Ezike would be more informed about what’s going on down there. But she didn’t appear to have any knowledge about what was happening when asked about the county in a Senate committee hearing earlier this week.
…Adding… Hannah…
*** UPDATE *** The governor’s office says that in addition to National Guard mobile teams…
The IDPH minority health office in partnership with the LHD this weekend will be on the ground in Alexander County providing additional access to vaccine for minority and hard to reach populations in Cairo, Mounds and Cobden.
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* WGEM…
House Republicans unveiled their main goals for the spring session Wednesday. Caucus members hope to “reimagine Illinois” with significant reforms.
Republicans renewed their call for fiscal responsibility, job growth, public safety, and an end to corruption in Springfield. Members want to use the first year without former Speaker Mike Madigan to try and pass many of the proposals they’ve had for years.
They hope to ban lawmakers from lobbying while in office, allow citizens to petition for amendments to the state’s constitution, and give every lawmaker the opportunity for a floor vote on their proposals. Republicans also plan to pass bills requiring balanced budgets and complete transparency in the budgetary process allowing for public comment.
“This is important that people realize that House Republicans are not the party of no. We’re prepared to move forward,” said House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs). “We want this state to survive, we want this state to thrive. We want our kids and grandkids to have availability, we want them to have opportunity.”
The HGOP’s new website touting the ideas is here.
* Center Square…
The four pillars of the platform to improve state government include addressing corruption, fiscal responsibility, creating jobs, and ensuring public safety.
“Illinois used to be a powerhouse. We were not only a powerhouse in the Midwest, but in the entire nation,” said Rep. Mike Murphy. “We have lost our way. It is time to refind our way and that will come with Reimagine Illinois.”
The group did not hide the fact that it opposed new justice laws brought forth by the Illinois Black Caucus which include police reforms. State Rep. Avery Bourne said the laws are prompting would-be police officers to consider another profession or leave the state.
“We have to make the profession one where good people want to go in and they are able to do their job and protect the public without these problematic bills that have passed recently,” Bourne said.
House Republican leader Jim Durkin added the justice reform bill that became law is a mess and an inoperable disaster for the practitioners, judges and anyone else involved.
“It vilifies police officers,” Durkin said. “It creates new standards and duties upon law enforcement officers that were created for no other reason than to trip up law enforcement officers.”
* Capitol News Illinois…
Rep. Mike Murphy, of Springfield, chairs the initiative. At Wednesday’s news conference, Murphy said he was asked by Minority Leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs several months ago to lead the group and “present a comprehensive framework of proposals that we believe resonates throughout the entire state.”
“I expressed some concerns about us being the party of ‘no’ a lot of times,” Murphy said in a podcast uploaded to the Reimagine website, reimagineillinois.com. “We need to do a better job of messaging rather than just saying what’s being proposed is bad.” […]
Durkin said he’s open to working with Democrats on anti-corruption and transparency measures, a notion that House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch has reciprocated in a departure from his predecessor, former Speaker Michael Madigan.
Madigan and his legacy were mentioned several times by Republicans on the Reimagine website and at their news conference as the reason many of the proposals are necessary.
* SJ-R…
Bourne said House Republicans have filed 81 bills to address the four areas. Specifically, they want to ban lawmakers from lobbying, allow citizens easier access to introduce constitutional amendments, tackle pension reform through either an amendment or the legislative process, reduce regulations on employers, reform gun laws and find a way to recruit and retain police officers.
“Our purpose is to present a comprehensive framework of proposals that we believe resonates throughout the entire state,” Murphy said. “These are not just talking points. We have legislation to back up these platforms.” […]
Democrats have proposed legislation similar to proposals by Republicans on some topics. Democrats have committed to pursuing ethics reform. Pension reform once received bipartisan support before the agreed upon constitutional amendment was struck down by the Illinois Supreme Court.
“At the end of the day, what matters is we have common-sense legislation,” Murphy said when asked if Republicans would back similar bills from Democrats.
* Sun-Times…
On the budgeting front, Bourne said the Republican platform focuses on making sure spending plans are “truly balanced, mandating transparency in the budgeting process,” including a 72-hour waiting period before the state begins spending money, saving the state’s pension system and tackling government inefficiency.
Bourne pointed to eliminating over-regulation and mandates, and creating better apprenticeship programs to train people for jobs as a way to build jobs in the state. On public safety, Bourne said there needs to be a “back the badge” program and either a reform or repeal of the state’s FOID system among other things. […]
Durkin said he’s already talked to Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch about taking up pension reform this session and conveyed that, should the Democrats want to address the state’s fiscal woes, they “will have a partner in the House Republicans.”
“It’s up to them,” Durkin said. “They have the agenda, it’s up to them whether or not they want to take on, and go back and address the pension disaster that we have,” Durkin said. “Out of every dollar, 25 cents of it goes towards our pension systems, and this is going to get higher and higher until we do something. It’s not going to be solved by putting a constitutional amendment forward that’s going to have a graduated tax that’s going to fund our pensions, it’s going to have to be reformed within the system.”
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* Fox Illinois…
Legislation making its way through the Illinois House aims to add Asian-American history into the curriculum of public schools across the state.
The proposed legislation would specifically require lessons on events such as the internment of Japanese-American citizens in World War II and the contributions of Asian-Americans during that war. […]
“Empathy comes from understanding,” State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, said. “We simply cannot expect to do better unless we know better, and it starts with education.”
Gong-Gershowitz, who introduced the legislation, says she was first inspired to introduce the bill after not learning much Asian-American history until college.
The bill passed 14-9 through a House committee on Wednesday. It now heads to the House floor for a vote.
* WSIL TV
Student advocate Phong Nguyen said he wants society to recognize Asians have made such significant contributions to this nation’s uprising. The Lane Tech High School student said the Asian community shouldn’t “become a monolith,” as that image creates dangerous situations.
“I want society to recognize that Asians hold such diverse cultures and traditions amongst ourselves. I want society to recognize that Asians have made such important contributions to the uprising of this nation. Most of all, I just want society to understand,” Nguyen explained. “I want them to simply understand my community and me, the way I’ve spent almost 13 years of my life trying to adjust to and understand theirs. But, how can people understand if they don’t learn?”
Nguyen said House Bill 376 could allow thousands of Asian students to see themselves represented properly in United States history. […]
The measure requires the teaching of Japanese Americans’ wrongful incarceration during World War II under former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It also calls for instruction on heroic service of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regiment of the US Army. […]
“Inclusion is a choice. So is exclusion,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “The drafters of current American history chose not to include Asian Americans in teaching our shared history.”
* Not mentioned in either of the above stories was the unanimous Republican opposition. Representatives voting “No” yesterday were Bennett, Elik, Morrison, Reick, Wheeler, Bourne, Friess, McCombie and Severin. All were Republicans. Only Democrats voted “Yes.” Republicans did not explain their votes, according to the Daily Herald…
None of the Republican members of the committee voiced opposition to the legislation Wednesday, yet all nine voted no on the bill
* Wednesday press release…
Tomorrow, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) will speak as a witness at the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties hearing on the discrimination and violence Asian Americans have faced both historically and since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. After multiple shootings in Atlanta last night left at least eight people dead, including six Asian American women, the need to address this past year’s surge in racist attacks against the Asian American community is as urgent as ever.
* WTTW…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday condemned a mass shooting a day earlier in Georgia that left eight people dead, most of them women of Asian descent.
Speaking at an unrelated event, the governor called the shooting “an attack on all of our communities,” saying it “reeks of racialized misogyny and comes on the heels of a year in which Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities experienced so much racist scapegoating for the COVID-19 pandemic (that) damages the soul of inclusion.
“We believe in the ability to live without fear of hate,” Pritzker said. […]
“While the investigation of this sickening events of Georgia are ongoing, I am certain of one thing – fully certain – Illinois stands with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community,” Pritzker said. “Ours is a welcoming state today and always, and our great obligation is to live up to our ideals to allow all of our residents to find safety, community and joy in who they are and where they come from.”
* Related…
* Cop Who Said Spa Shooter Wasn’t Racist Against Asians Had Promoted Racism Against Asians
* The Onion: Atlanta Police Rule Out Mass Shooting As Cause Of Death After Suspect Says He Didn’t Shoot Anyone
* Atlanta shootings a chance to speak out, say members of Illinois’ Asian American community. ‘We’re tired of being quiet.’: “Look at the Chinese Exclusion Act,” Morita continued, referring to an 1882 federal law prohibiting Chinese workers from entering the United States, the first and only U.S. legislation barring a single nationality from immigrating here. “Look at Japanese internment camps. We’ve had a long history of our government not speaking up for us.”
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[This post has been bumped up from last night for greater visibility and to add fresh updates.]
* Confirmed…
*** UPDATE *** Pritzker public schedule…
Daily Public Schedule: Thursday, Mar. 18, 2021
What: Gov. Pritzker to join Dr. Ezike to give a COVID-19 update.
Where: James R. Thompson Center, 15th Floor, Blue Room, Chicago
When: 11:30 a.m.
Watch live: https://www.Illinois.gov/LiveVideo
* St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern…
What the governor’s office is saying is… the mitigations now are going to be hopefully rolled back based upon the number of people vaccinated. […]
So the governor will be rolling out percentages of here’s a number of people above this age limit that need to be vaccinated. If we meet that goal, then we’re able to start to roll back whatever mitigations are still remaining.
* WREX TV…
The new phase will rely on factors like the vaccination rate in each region and will allow more capacity at bars, restaurants and gatherings.
* Crain’s…
Gov. Pritzker will announce Thursday that on April 12, vaccine eligibility will expand to any Illinoisan 16 and over, according to two people familiar with the state’s plans. The sources could not confirm a Chicago Tribune report that the expansion will not apply to Chicago. The city receives a separate vaccine allocation from the federal government than the state. […]
The state is also expected to announce details tomorrow on a “bridge phase” between the current Phase 4 and the coming Phase 5. During the bridge phase, more pandemic restrictions will be lifted.
That interim phase will begin when 70 percent of people 65 and older have received at least one vaccine dose. Currently, 59 percent of seniors have received their first dose.
Phase 5 would begin when at least half of Illinois residents 16 and older have received their first dose. Currently, 18 percent of those between 16 and 64 have received theirs.
* Tribune…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday is expected to widely expand eligibility for the coronavirus vaccine starting April 12 to all Illinois residents 16 and older except those in Chicago, sources told the Tribune.
It’s part of a revised reopening plan that also includes slightly increased capacity limits for retail stores, theaters and outdoor venues, among other changes, sources said. […]
Pritzker said Wednesday he’s working with business interests and health professionals in developing an incremental reopening plan for Illinois that is expected to be released this week.
“We’re working with industry leaders, (and) we’re working with our doctors at (the Illinois Department of Public Health) as well as other experts in the state to make sure that the phased reopening is not only healthy for everybody but also good for the economy as we move it forward,” Pritzker said outside Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in downstate Lincoln.
* ABC 7…
The step between Phase 4 and 5 will allow for greater capacity limits for bars and restaurants, social gatherings, museums and zoos, etc., depending on whether they are indoors or outdoors. Bars in particular will be allowed 20% standing capacity, but the six-foot social distancing will still be required. […]
Suburban Cook County is expanding its eligibility starting Monday, March 22, as the county moves to Phase 1B+, which includes people younger than 65 with underlying conditions.
Cook County public health officials said the decision was partly made based on the promise of more vaccine doses on the way.
* Sun-Times…
The bridged reopening Pritzker is planning to announce on Thursday will allow for “a gradual increase in capacity limitations” as the state vaccinates more people and continues to monitor case numbers, one source said.
All of the state’s regions will move into the intermediate phase — there will be additional metrics to meet, involving new case numbers and the state’s positivity rate, to get to Phase 5, which is a full reopening, the source said. The state has been in Phase 4 since last summer. […]
Part of the challenge to lifting restrictions will be handling threats posed by newer, faster spreading coronavirus variants — but the governor suggested that was not an insurmountable hurdle to reopening.
“Let me be clear to everybody,” the governor said at a news conference in downstate Decatur. “I am more optimistic today than I have ever been throughout this pandemic, about where we are going and getting to the end of the pandemic.”
* WTTW…
President Joe Biden set a goal that all American adults be made eligible for the vaccine by May 1.
“We’re looking at following President Biden’s prescription for opening everything up for all comers who want the vaccine, and perhaps even earlier than that if we can do it,” Pritzker said.
Chicago’s public health commissioner, Dr. Allison Arwady, at a separate event on Wednesday, appeared dubious the city will be able to reach that mark
* Related…
* Chicago Walgreens stores aren’t consistently giving COVID-19 vaccines to people with health conditions. Why?
* Can state strike a balance for a more ‘normal’ summer? What officials say
* Navy Pier hotel to open Thursday, as the popular Chicago attraction prepares for crowds to return
* Trump Tower vaccine fiasco ‘absolutely can never be repeated,’ Lightfoot says
* Mass COVID-19 vaccination site in Batavia to open Friday
* ‘I’m ready to see people’: More than 6,000 vaccinated at Schaumburg Convention Center
* Despite reopening talk, Frontier Days organizers stand by cancellation
* Why Rockford’s real estate industry may be the most competitive in its history
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Open thread
Thursday, Mar 18, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* One of the best follows on Twitter…
Keep it Illinois-centric and be decent to each other. Thanks.
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Unclear on the concept
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Square…
State officials have recorded 21,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Illinois since the outset of the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed 19,893 deaths through the end of February in Illinois where COVID-19 was listed among multiple causes. Of those deaths, about 1,830, or 9.2 percent, had COVID-19 listed as the sole cause of death.
That percentage is higher than it was in September 2020 when the rate was about 6%.
But a county coroner is calling for a full audit after reviewing some of the deaths in his county.
“My concern is, I’ve reviewed several cases, (of 100 cases) about ten of them here in Monroe County, that the state has deemed COVID-related deaths and none of them have had underlying conditions or contributing factors to COVID,” Monroe County Coroner Bob Hill said. “So my concern is no matter when the person was tested positive, the state is automatically giving them a death classification as related to COVID.”
Um, the state posts death information supplied to it by certifying physicians, local public health departments and coroners. If he’s got a problem, he needs to deal with it locally.
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It’s just a bill: Cannabis edition
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
A year after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an executive order delaying the submission date for new cannabis license applications, there have been no new licenses issued.
Three bills have been introduced in the state Legislature to correct a scoring problem that shut out qualified cannabis entrepreneurs, many who are social equity applicants, from securing a spot in the lottery for a dispensary. And all three failed miserably.
Rep. La Shawn Ford hopes the fourth bill is a charm. He’s introducing a compromise measure that was crafted with equity applicants and the governor’s office. “I’m looking forward to the final language that the General Assembly can pass and the governor signs to have Black and brown people included in this industry,” he told Playbook.
Ford’s draft legislation would create two lottery drawings to dole out 110 licenses to sell recreational weed. The bill also calls for a separate lottery to add five licenses to sell medical marijuana.
To move forward with any lottery, the state is required to fix the scoring process and create an additional competition that would address lawsuits filed because of the flawed scoring in the first lottery.
* Sun-Times..
After previously slamming Gov. J.B. Pritzker over the marred licensing rollout, Hendon praised him on Monday for halting the process after outrage and legal action followed the state’s announcement that just 21 of the more than 900 applicant groups had qualified. Hendon said the governor ultimately told Black cannabis applicants to “unify and come to us with a solution.”
In a statement Tuesday, Pritzker’s office expressed support for the bill.
“We welcome the legislation proposed by Rep. Ford in coordination with community stakeholders that aims to address acknowledged shortcomings in the Act,” said spokeswoman Charity Greene. “Holding an additional lottery for conditional adult-use dispensary licenses will not only provide a path to participation in the industry for Illinoisans from all backgrounds but also provide high-scoring applicants from the first round an opportunity to gain a license.”
Ford said he intends to file the new language soon by adding to a “shell bill” that was introduced shortly after Ford’s push to create 75 additional dispensary licenses fell short during the lame duck session in January.
* Meanwhile, from the Tribune…
Among some 300 cannabis-related bills introduced in Springfield, most of which are unlikely to pass, a few stand out.
One proposal provides that a county or municipality may allow the sale and consumption of cannabis at temporary events, clubs, and tours of cultivation centers.
Another bill would transfer cannabis business licensing and oversight from existing state regulators to a new Cannabis Control Commission to be appointed by the governor.
Yet another would require schools to teach the medical and legal ramifications of cannabis use, similar to warnings about alcohol and drug use.
And one measure provides that no one may knowingly allow an animal to ingest cannabis, including secondhand smoke, in a way that results in the animal’s sickness or death.
* Related…
* This Recent Cannabis SPAC Is Looking to Make Acquisitions in These 5 Key States
* Illinois’ first on-site consumption cannabis bar set to open in Sesser
* United Way of Adams County hopes to use cannabis funds to improve programs
* This McLean County cannabis business is growing so much, they need more parking
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* Tribune…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday he’s working with business interests and health professionals in developing an incremental reopening plan for Illinois that is expected to be released later this week.
“We’re working with industry leaders, (and) we’re working with our doctors at (the Illinois Department of Public Health) as well as other experts in the state to make sure that the phased reopening is not only healthy for everybody but also good for the economy as we move it forward,” Pritzker said outside Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in downstate Lincoln.
At a stop later in Decatur, Pritzker said the new reopening plan would balance economic interests with the need to stay ahead of new variants of the virus that spread more quickly than the strains that drove the spring and fall surges.
He said the state would have little time to react to an increase in the variants.
* More from his stop in Macon County…
I can tell you that we got together with leaders of various industries in Illinois to make sure that we’re covering all of the the stakeholders that would be interested from a business perspective. And then of course, we brought our doctors from IDPH and others into meetings to try to figure out how do we phase in as things get better in the state. Also, how do we take into account that there are variants out there that are faster moving in their transmission to people, and therefore, what we don’t want to see is a surge of cases. And so how do we make sure that as we’re opening up we’re taking into account that we could still see a surge of cases while we’re vaccinating everybody here. So that’s all part of the thinking, and contemplation as we look at, you know, how we gradually move entirely to phase Five. And that’s something we’re still working on, we’ll be announcing shortly.
* Meanwhile…
The city of Chicago will greatly expand the number of people eligible for vaccination shots later this month, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced on Wednesday.
Under the move to phase 1C, Chicago residents who have medical conditions or are essential workers who haven’t yet qualified for the coronavirus vaccine will become eligible for the shot starting March 29, Lightfoot said.
The eligibility for those with health conditions applies to Chicagoans 16 and older and will follow the Illinois Department of Health’s guidelines that include cancer, lung disease, heart conditions and other ailments that put individuals at greater risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19. Unlike the rest of the state, however, Chicago will not include smokers in that category. Essential jobs will be defined as industries such as restaurants, construction, finance, media and other categories. […]
Chicago public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady has said she predicts most people in Phase 1c will get their vaccine throughout April and May. Meanwhile, Lightfoot has expressed optimism about President Joe Biden’s announcement last week that all adults in the U.S. should be eligible for the shot by May 1, but she prefaced that hope with the caveat that there must be more vaccine sent to Chicago.
* Sun-Times…
The soon-to-be-eligible Phase 1C recipients are more likely to start receiving doses through April and May. […]
“We’ll definitely still be vaccinating hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans through the summer and beyond, but this is going to start feeling more like a traditional flu vaccine campaign where the problem is not finding a vaccine, it’s having the confidence and making the decision to get a vaccine.”
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* There are two big, undisclosed problems with this story…
Cook County has launched a new COVID-19 vaccine campaign, based in part on a survey showing that 46% of African-American residents say they likely would not get the shot or were unsure about getting it.
“The ‘My Shot’ campaign speaks directly to these individuals who need to hear from their neighbors about the safety of these shots and the importance of making the choice to get vaccinated,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Monday during a Facebook Live event.
The campaign drew on responses from about 1,100 Cook County residents surveyed earlier this year. Among other things, it found that, overall, 32% of respondents were hesitant about getting the vaccine. Broken down by race, 46% of Black and 35% of Latino residents “probably would not, definitely would not or were unsure if they would get the vaccine.”
Not trying to pick on the Sun-Times because every Chicago media outlet ran essentially the same piece. But, like I said, there are two problems here if you look at the actual poll commissioned by the county. I decided to wait until I received the results before posting anything about them.
1) The poll was taken January 25 through February 9. Those are relatively ancient numbers because more recent polling shows vaccine hesitancy, including among African-Americans, has been declining for months as more people get their shots. This is from a March 3-8 NPR/PBS Marist poll…
According to a new poll, vaccine hesitancy among African-Americans is now on par with reluctance among white Americans.
That poll is here. The results clearly show that Republican men are by far the most resistant to getting vaxed, with 50 percent saying they would be vaccinated or have been vaccinated and 49 percent saying they would not be vaccinated. That’s compared to 73 percent of Black people who said they will or have been vaccinated and 25 percent who said they wouldn’t. Other recent polls have shown much the same thing.
Recent national Latinx attitudes seem to be more in line with that Cook County poll, however. 63 percent said they will or have been vaxed, while 37 percent said they would not take the shot.
2) Cook County’s media rollout lumped “definitely would not,” “probably would not” and “unsure” into the same result. Those are three very different attitudes. The results for African-Americans on this outdated survey were 19 percent definitely would not, 16 percent probably would not and 13 percent unsure.
* None of this is meant to say that Cook County shouldn’t be launching a campaign to convince people to take their shots. But things can change in life, and sometimes things change fast. So, using polling results that are as much as 51 days old on a rapidly evolving topic makes little sense to me and risks perpetuating a stereotype.
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* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,655 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 17 additional deaths.
- Boone County: 1 male 70s
- Cook County: 1 female 40s, 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Grundy County: 1 male 30s, 1 female 60s
- Kane County: 1 male 90s
- Madison County: 1 male 50s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s
- Randolph County: 1 male 90s
- Will County: 1 male 60s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,213,765 cases, including 20,988 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 77,798 specimens for a total of 19,299,281. As of last night, 1,143 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 259 patients were in the ICU and 102 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 10-16, 2021 is 2.2%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 10-16, 2021 is 2.6%.
A total of doses of 5,101,825 vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 414,900 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 5,516,725. A total of 4,283,487 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 358,234 for long-term care facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 102,223 doses. Yesterday, 102,390 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
IDPH is now posting the weekly number of COVID-19 vaccine doses allocated from the federal government to the State of Illinois. Weekly allocations are broken out into the number of doses allotted for long-term care, second doses, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Safety Net Hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, Illinois National Guard Vaccine Sites, Illinois Retail Pharmacy, Minority Health and Mobile Teams, Illinois Department of Corrections, dialysis centers, and local health departments. Both first dose and second dose allocation will be broken out by local health department. The City of Chicago receives its own allocation of vaccine and therefore is not included on the IDPH website. These data include vaccine allocated to the state and do not include vaccine that is part of the federal supply, which is directly distributed by the federal government. Data can be found at http://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccineallocations.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
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Oppo dumps!
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico today…
Rod Blagojevich is getting back into politics — but not as a candidate. He appears in a new digital ad to support Orland Township Supervisor Scott Kaspar, who’s running against Democrat Paul O’Grady in the April 6 consolidated election. The former governor takes a dig at O’Grady, by calling him a “Madi-goon,” a reference to being an ally of former House Speaker Michael Madigan, who butted heads with Blagojevich while in office. Blagojevich, who has appeared on “The Apprentice,” also had a bit of self-deprecating humor. “I’m the only guy in American history to have ever been fired and freed by the same guy.”
The 2.5-minute video is here if you’re at all interested. Dude is definitely in the “fat Elvis” phase of his life. The words are still there, but the spark is long gone.
* Kaspar’s ticket, Orland Residents for Responsible Government, has been endorsed by Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, who is up for reelection. But the local party is having some problems lately…
Orland Township Trustee candidate Lora Kreczmer posted bond on Tuesday afternoon after reports revealed she had an outstanding arrest warrant for three charges stemming from a car accident in August 2017, according to Chicago Ridge police. She is currently running on the Orland Residents For Responsible Government (ORRG) slate in the April 6 election.
According to Chicago Ridge police, Kreczmer got into a car crash Aug. 1, 2017, in the 10100 block of S. Harlem Avenue. The officer who wrote the accident report said Kreczmer was speaking with “mumbled speech,” she appeared to have “a blank stare” and her movements were “delayed/deliberate.” This lead to a field sobriety test, and Kreczmer was later faced with four charges, including driving under the influence - drugs, driving on a suspended or revoked license and failure to yield on a private road or drive,” according to records obtained and revealed in a Suburban Chicagoland report.
The report indicates a FOIA request — which cost a total of $9 — revealed that Kreczmer dodged her Sept. 26, 2017, Bridgeview court date to face the charges, and an arrest warrant was later issued on March 21, 2018, due to her failure to show up. According to records the outlet obtained, Kreczmer’s DUI charge included the use of prescription drugs.
Oops.
* And then…
Orland Township Board of Trustees candidate William Keefer is the latest on Orland Residents for Responsible Government’s slate to draw scrutiny.
Keefer, 25, has said he is a lawyer, listing it as his occupation in our Patch candidate survey. Although he did graduate from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2020, according to the Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, by definition, Keefer is not a lawyer, regardless of his degree.
In order to be considered a practicing lawyer in the state of Illinois, one must pass the bar exam, which is given to law school graduates to determine whether they are qualified to practice law in a specific jurisdiction.
Recently, readers asked Patch to look into Keefer’s qualifications as a lawyer. Before we could, the candidate’s profile on the political committee’s website changed. Prior, Keefer’s biography stated, “As a lawyer, William is interested in constitutional law ….” Now it reads, “William obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He is currently awaiting his bar exam results.”
Oops.
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* Washington Post…
An Illinois Senate committee will hold its first hearing Wednesday to begin the process of redrawing congressional and state legislative districts in line with the 2020 census, despite the fact that detailed census data will likely be unavailable until September.
Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said in an interview that despite the delay by the Census Bureau, he expects the General Assembly to complete the process before the June 30 deadline set in the state constitution.
“Well, the delay in the census data is certainly a new challenge, in a year full of challenges. But we’re prepared to forge ahead with our obligation to draw a map before June 30, as we’re required to do by the Constitution,” Harmon said.
Normally, states would receive the detailed “block-level” data from the Census Bureau in early April following the decennial census, but the process was delayed in 2020, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Under the Illinois Constitution, if lawmakers fail to approve new maps by June 30, the process is automatically handed over to an eight-member, bipartisan Legislative Redistricting Commission. That panel would then have until Aug. 10 to produce maps that have the support of at least five members. If it fails to meet that deadline, one more person would be chosen at random from a preapproved list to serve on the commission and the deadline would be extended to Oct. 5.
Harmon, however, said he does not believe that will be necessary, and the first committee hearing will feature testimony from the National Conference of State Legislatures about how other states are approaching the challenge.
“We know other states are getting started with their redistricting process as well, Iowa is kicking off their process,” he said. “Oklahoma seems to be a little bit ahead of us. Oklahoma evidently has announced that it’s going to begin using the 2019 estimated data from the American Community Survey, which in the past has been a fairly reliable predictor of what the final census data will look like.”
Keep an eye on the Oklahoma option.
* Crain’s…
Senate President Don Harmon promises “a thoughtful, thorough, transparent process where everyone has a seat,” and that he and Welch share a belief that a fair map is one that reflects the racial diversity of Illinois.
Harmon says it’s too early to preordain how many majority-Black districts might be lost. “We have a proud tradition in Illinois of ensuring minority representation … that will continue to be a guiding principle.”
Harmon made state Sen. Omar Aquino, who is Latino, a chair and state Sen. Elgie Sims, who is Black, vice-chair (similarly in the House, Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez is chair, and Curtis J. Tarver is vice-chair). “For communities that have been traditionally marginalized, the African-American community, the Latino/Latina/Latinx community to not only have a seat at the table, but to have the gavel, is an important message to the residents of Illinois that all voices are going to be heard,” Harmon says. “They’ve both been staunch advocates for their communities and for good government, and I trust they’ll be able to lead a diverse and representative committee through their process.”
* Tribune…
Any map is certain to draw a legal challenge and the accuracy of the data used would likely provide a new avenue to contest the final product.
Kimball Brace, a national redistricting expert who has worked generally for Democrats, including in Illinois, called redistricting the process of “the nonstop hiring of lawyers and expert witnesses” in court challenges.
But Brace also notes that questions about the accuracy of the census results are legal fodder in defending the use of other data to draw the maps.
“There is an added dimension to this data question. And that is the question of how good is the census anyway?” Brace said. “Did the Trump administration do a good job or not a good job? That is … what is starting to get talked about and argued back and forth, but it certainly is a realistic question mark right now.”
* NPR Illinois…
NPR Illinois: People get very animated about some of the weirdly shaped legislative districts and congressional districts and wards in Chicago. Does that make your list of things to worry about? Or is it more important to join minority communities to create a district for that population, no matter how “weird” it looks?
Harmon: [Laughs] Too much importance is attached to shapes. It would be lovely if everything were organized in rectangles. But Illinois is not a rectangle, and there are plenty of municipalities in the state that are incredibly irregular shaped themselves. What’s important in putting together a fair map is one that reflects the communities of interest and ties them together and gives everybody a seat at the table.
NPR Illinois: Speaking of rectangles, Some folks point to states like Iowa, which does map making via computer, and ends up having mostly square legislative districts. But of course, Iowa is a state with a much more homogenous population than Illinois. Is there a happy medium for folks who advocate for that sort of extreme nonpartisan process?
Harmon: I think that the Iowa process has been sold as something it is not. A computer doesn’t draw the districts; the people programming the computer do. Iowa is more homogenous, but there’s not a single African American in the Iowa Senate. And I don’t know that is a question of chance or or not. Illinois has a richly diverse community, and has led the way on representation of minority communities, particularly African Americans. And I wouldn’t trade places with Iowa on that score any day.
There’s additional info in all those links, particularly in Hannah Meisel’s interview, so click those links if you’re really interested in this topic. Subscribers also have additional information. Click here and here.
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Cubs fly the L on injury appeal
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bloomberg…
Two weeks before the first pitch of the season, the Chicago Cubs have already whiffed on an effort to force an injured fan into arbitration, in a ruling that could undermine a practice teams use to avoid litigation.
In a unanimous decision issued Tuesday, a state appeals court in Illinois upheld a trial court decision allowing a lawsuit by the fan to go forward. The court ruled that the arbitration provision—in small type on the back of the ticket, referring the holder to a web page with more information—was “so difficult to find, read or understand” that the fan couldn’t have known what she was agreeing to.
After a rash of fan injuries in recent years, Major League Baseball franchises have installed protective netting. That move has in turn given rise to a new batch of legal claims from injured fans who claim the effort is insufficient, challenging the century-old “baseball rule” that fans assume the risk of attending a game. Companies generally prefer arbitration since it’s secretive, they have a say in the selection of the judges, and the rulings are final, with only limited rights to appeal.
* Clifford Law handled the suit…
An Illinois Appellate Court today (Tuesday, March 16, 2021) held that a young woman hit in the face and injured by a foul ball at Wrigley Field may move forward with her civil lawsuit for damages and is not limited to arbitration against Major League Baseball.
In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Fitzgerald Smith, the appellate court affirmed the decision of the trial court that “the arbitration provision was effectively ‘hidden in a maze of fine print, unable to be appreciated by the Plaintiff,’” as stated by the trial court. Justices Terrence Lavin and Aurelia Pucinkski affirmed the opinion on the First District panel.
Laiah Zuninga, 28, attended the Chicago Cubs game on Aug. 28, 2018, when a foul ball struck her in the face, knocking her unconscious, creating permanent and severe head and facial injuries. MLB had announced earlier that year that all 30 stadiums would have netting that reached the far end of each dugout.
Zuninga sued MLB for negligence after obtaining the ticket to the game from her father after he won it at a raffle. She said she never read any fine print on the ticket or visited the Cubs website regarding any language regarding injuries sustained at the ballpark.
The appellate court held that “factors exist in this case that make the arbitration provision difficult or onerous to find or obtain at the time of using the ticket such that we cannot fairly say that the plaintiff was aware of what she was agreeing to. Principal among these factors is the fact that the paper ticket possessed by the plaintiff did not contain the actual terms and conditions of the contract, but merely contained a summary of the terms and conditions and informed ticket holders that they had to either access a website or visit the Cub’s administrative offices to obtain and read the full terms and conditions they were purportedly agreeing to, including the 8-paragraph arbitration provision.”
The appellate court went on to say that to access this language, one must have a cellular device, internet connection and the ability to read it likely when entering the stadium amidst a great deal of commotion which, when printed is four and a half single spaced pages.
“The likelihood that a ticket holder will actually find, obtain, and read the full arbitration provision by accessing the Cubs’s website or visiting the administrative office is diminished even further by the fact that minimal effort is made on the ticket itself to draw a ticket holder’s attention to the need to do one of these things in order to understand that they are agreeing to binding arbitration by using the ticket to enter Wrigley Field.”
Tracy Brammeier, associate at Clifford Law Offices, is handling this matter at the firm and successfully argued the matter before the Illinois Appellate Court.
The opinion is here.
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*** UPDATED x2 *** I think this is good news?
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I love the Bond Buyer. I just don’t always fully understand it…
Illinois came to market Tuesday, earlier than expected, with yields lowered by as much as 25 basis points from price talk Monday, as investor demand for high-yield paper welcomed the lowest-rated U.S. state. New deals from Oregon also re-priced to lower yields and New York State sold tax-exempt and taxable general obligation bonds in the competitive market to strong demand.
Triple-A benchmarks were little changed in mixed trading as the primary did the talking. U.S. Treasuries rose ahead of the Federal Reserve’s FOMC meeting conclusion Wednesday while equities lost ground.
Investors sitting on the sidelines in the secondary since Friday got a sense of what the primary had to offer and new deals were easily digested and underwriters bumped levels with the state of New York selling exempts through triple-A levels.
A repricing of Illinois general obligation bonds saw bonds bumped by 12 to 20 basis points from preliminary pricing wires Tuesday and 17 to 25 basis points from Monday’s price talk.
Morgan Stanley & Co. priced $1.25 billion of general obligation bonds for the State of Illinois (Baa3/BBB-/BBB-/). Bonds in 2022 with a 5% coupon at 0.69% (~63 basis points above triple-A benchmarks), 5s of 2026 at 1.51% (+108), 5s of 2031 at 2.22% (+102), 5s of 2036 at 2.47% (+119), 4s of 2041 at 2.81% (+132), 5s of 2046 at 2.75% (a 25 bps bump from Monday and about +111 bps). The second two series, $150 million priced with 5% coupons in 2022 to yield 0.69%, 1.51% in 2025, and 1.70% in 2031. The $258 million priced with 4% coupons in 2022 at 0.69%, 2025 at 1.30% and 2031 at 2.22%.
Maybe Google Translate needs to add a Bond Buyer function. Any help?
*** UPDATE 1 *** OK, this helps. Paul Chatalas, Director of Capital Markets, State of Illinois…
“The State received such strong demand and investor confidence that the bond sale was accelerated. Illinois received very impressive results, including more than 700 orders from more than 130 different investors, including respected names that have not invested in the State for a decade. This led to a contraction of credit spreads to 115 basis points over the benchmark in the longest maturity, the lowest in several years. Investors recognize the State is emerging from a period of unprecedented turbulence due to a global pandemic, and the bond market recognizes the fundamental security of the State’s bonds. The State appreciates the heavy subscription from long-time holders of its bonds, and welcomes the new investors that Illinois is seeing.”
Background…
Today the State of Illinois sold three series of tax-exempt General Obligation Bonds totaling $1.25 billion, to provide funding for capital projects, including projects authorized under the Rebuild Illinois capital program, for accelerated pension payments pursuant to the state’s ongoing pension buyout program and for refunding.
The Rebuild Illinois capital program, enacted in 2019, is the largest infrastructure program in the State’s history and the first in nearly a decade. The historic Rebuild Illinois capital plan passed with bipartisan supermajorities to improve the State’s infrastructure and improve economic development. The plan will invest $45 billion in roads, bridges, railways, universities, state facilities and other projects, creating and supporting an estimated 540,000 jobs over the life of the plan and revitalizing local economies across the state.
The pension benefit acceleration program allows program participants to receive an accelerated lump-sum payment in lieu of the right to receive future pension payments. With today’s issuance of $100 million, a total of $750 million of the authorized total of $1 billion pension acceleration bonds will have been issued.
The $850 million tax-exempt Series of March 2021A Bonds mature in 2022 through 2046 and funds capital projects and the pension acceleration program.
The $150 million tax-exempt Series of March 2021B Bonds mature in 2022 through 2031 and fund IT projects, which by statute may not have bond maturities that exceed 10 years.
The $250 million tax-exempt Series of March 2021C Bonds mature in 2022 through 2031 and are refunding bonds expected to save the State of Illinois $21.8 million, or 8 percent savings on a present value basis.
The G.O. Bonds were offered in three separate series in a negotiated sale, with an aggregate true interest cost of 2.90 percent. The bonds are being issued as fully exempt from federal taxation and are rated “BBB-” negative outlook by Fitch Ratings, “Baa3” negative outlook by Moody’s Investors Service and “BBB-” stable outlook by S&P Global Ratings.
The bond financing was led by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, with Co-Senior Managers Cabrera Capital Markets LLC, J.P. Morgan, Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC, and Stifel. Co-Managers were Blaylock Van LLC, Mischler Financial Group Inc., North South Capital, Podesta & Co. and Rice Financial Products Company.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From our favorite Bond Buyer reporter…
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* Rachel Hinton at the Sun-Times…
Madigan’s tenure was often described as his “reign,” but [House Speaker Chris Welch] said he has no designs on the throne.
“The media and political junkies assume I’m here to be the new party king — I don’t want to be anybody’s king,” Welch said. “That could be the furthest from the truth. I’m not here to roll out top-down decisions and direction on policymaking and legislative.
“I am really here to get things done — fast and decisively, but done well and collaboratively. People need us to act, they need to see us do that by working together.” […]
“I think it’s extremely important that we are very intentional about providing access to health care, not just to the wealthy, but to lower income communities as well,” Welch said. “We have to not just talk about it, we have to do the work.”
More on this topic from his remarks…
At the end of the day, beyond the politicking, the deal-making and the usual business between business and politics, we ultimately answer to our communities. We are accountable to our communities. We need a spirit of unprecedented cooperation and congeniality at this time. As long as I am speaker, I will work to make sure that the Illinois House of Representatives operates in a way that reflects the commitment to openness and collaboration the public expects of us. I want to talk to you about a few of my priorities here today. Equity and justice is right in the center. Democratized, decentralized leadership is how we arrive at solutions that are deeper and more compelling than the challenges and injustices we face.
Subscribers know more about the appearance.
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Today’s number: $20,940
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Greg Bishop at the Center Square…
The first week of COVID-19 saliva testing for Illinois state Senators, staff members and journalists covering the proceedings cost taxpayers nearly $21,000.
Earlier this month, the office of Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said anyone entering the Capitol building or media areas not controlled by the Senate won’t have to show test results, but would need to show a negative COVID-19 test before entering the Senate chambers, committee rooms or Senators’ offices.
Members of the media were initially told to pay the bill for their tests, but that was later retracted and the cost was put on the taxpayers’ tab.
The Senate returned for an in-person session last week. Harmon’s office said 698 tests were performed at a cost of $30 per test for a total of $20,940. They’re also in this week with another round of testing.
“In order to make sure lawmakers, staff and their families are as safe as they can be during the ongoing pandemic, the Senate is working with the University of Illinois to regularly test everyone entering Senate offices, chambers and committee rooms,” Harmon’s office wrote earlier this month.
The Senate is using the University of Illinois-developed saliva testing program it calls SHIELD.
That weekly tab will likely double when the Senate begins to meet three days per week. We get tested on Monday for Tuesday and Wednesday session days, but must be re-tested on Wednesday for any Thursday sessions. Last week, they adjourned on Wednesday and the chamber will do so again later today.
Also, for the record, while I didn’t like it, I wasn’t opposed to paying my own way. Some other media outlets, however, raised a big stink about the cost.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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* Tuesday press release…
First Lady MK Pritzker and Governor JB Pritzker announced that beginning today, the State of Illinois will host a memorial at the Governor’s Executive Mansion to commemorate the lives lost to COVID-19.
Today, March 16, 2021, signifies one year since the first known COVID-19 death in Illinois. To memorialize this painful milestone and the tragedy of the last year, the First Lady commissioned an installation to honor to the Illinoisans who have died from COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. Illinoisans are invited to visit the installation and pay tribute to their loved ones by tying a ribbon that is provided on site at the perimeter of the installation.
“This memorial offers all of our fellow Illinoisans a space to mourn our losses, individual and collective, in the name of healing,” said First Lady MK Pritzker and Governor JB Pritzker. “Together, one year into this pandemic, we honor those we’ve lost, as well as all the loved ones they left behind. It is through remembrance that we will move forward as one Illinois, committed to a shared vision of prosperity and hope. May the memories of those we’ve lost guide the way and be a blessing.”
Illinois has lost more than 23,000 lives in this pandemic, including both confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths as defined by the Centers for Disease Control. To commemorate this shared loss, the installation includes 102 wings representing Illinois’ 102 counties that together hold more than 5,500 ribbons, each representing approximately four Illinoisans who tragically lost their life to this virus. The ribbons are illuminated by glowing spheres that serve a twofold purpose: To remember the victims of the pandemic, while also representing the permanence of light in the darkest of times.
The memorial will be on display in the state’s capital city for one month, spanning from March 16, 2021, until April 17, 2021. The conclusion of the exhibit marks one year since Governor Pritzker directed all flags to be lowered to half-staff on all public buildings and grounds to honor those who lost their lives to COVID-19. Following the exhibit and the one-year anniversary of the lowered flags, Governor Pritzker will direct the flags to be returned to full staff on April 17.
*** UPDATE *** Pics from the governor’s office…
Pics from the SJ-R are here.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Ain’t nothing easy these days…
Keep it Illinois-centric and polite, please. Thanks.
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