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Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This version just blew me away and I’ve been listening to it over and over…

I’ll come and hold you

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* State Week recapped the end of veto session…

The legislature’s two week fall session concluded with passage of the Dignity in Pay Act and an effort to protect victims who file lawsuits over childhood sex abuse. But a lot of discussion is what could happen when lawmakers return to the statehouse in January for the so-called lame duck session.

Our panel also talks about investments in electric vehicle charging stations and why some want the state to pull back on spending to help newly arrived migrants.

Host Sean Crawford is joined by Professor Emeritus Charlie Wheeler and WAND-TV Capitol Reporter Mike Miletich.

* ABC Chicago…

Across the country, Native American tribes are struggling to reclaim what was stolen from them over centuries: the remains of their ancestors and personal sacred items, now held in museums, universities, and other institutions that are, in many cases, far from home.

Despite federal legislation passed nearly 35 years ago aimed at correcting these past crimes, the ABC 7 I-Team found little progress has been made, and the state of Illinois tops the list of having the highest number of ancestral remains that haven’t been reunited with tribal descendants.

In addition, Illinois institutions including Chicago’s Field Museum and the Illinois State Museum have thousands of sacred items that officials tell the I-Team they are working to identify and return. […]

The ABC7 Data Team examined thousands of federal documents to identify how many ancestors and sacred objects are at institutions across the country. To search all U.S. institutions with collections, click here.

* If you follow me on Bluesky you may have seen this last night…

*** Statewide ***

* WCIA | IL Deer Donation Program evolving to fight hunger: As a response to increasing food prices and food pantries’ difficulties obtaining meat, the University of Illinois and key partners launched the Illinois Deer Donation Program in 2022. This mission initially covered 12 counties and has combated food insecurity by pairing hunters in East Central Illinois with meat processors and food pantries.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Howard Brown to pay $1.3 million to laid-off workers: The settlement, negotiated between Howard Brown and Region 13 of the National Labor Relations Board, marks the end to a nearly two-year dispute between the health care provider and the Illinois Nurses Association, the union that filed complaints with the NLRB over the workforce reduction and other labor issues.


* Block Club | New Emmett Till Exhibit At Chicago History Museum Shows Another Side To Lynching Victim: Exhibition curator Charles E. Bethea, the museum’s Andrew W. Mellon Director of Curatorial Affairs & Collections, said the curation of the exhibit came about after the closing of “Remembering Dr. King: 1929-1968” at the museum at 1601 N. Clark St. in March. “It dawned on me that if we had taken down King and replaced it with something else that wasn’t African-American related, then we would literally not have any narratives within the Chicago History Museum around African-American spirits specifically related to Chicago history,” Bethea said.

* Block Club | Walgreens Parking Nightmare: Avondale Shoppers Get $170 Boot Even Though They Went Inside: Natalie tried to explain they went into the store to pick up prescriptions, even showing the parking officer the receipt, but felt intimidated and belittled, they said. “I’m not in a great financial situation and I’m relying on a lot of other people in my life to help me meet my needs,” Natalie said. “I really didn’t budget for spending $170 today because I walked away from a parking lot for five minutes.”

* WBEZ | What’s the oldest family-owned business in Chicago?: The title of oldest family-owned business in the city could go to a tobacco shop in the Loop, originally called the E. Hoffman Co. when it started in 1857. In addition to a downtown store, German immigrant Edward Hoffman also manufactured pipe tobacco and cigars on the South Side. Hoffman needed help, but he didn’t have any children he could rely on, so he persuaded his nephew, Iwan Ries, to come from Germany and run the retail location for him. In 1891, Hoffman turned over ownership to Ries, who renamed the business.

* Sun-Times | The Bears’ offense — and Caleb Williams’ growth — is in Thomas Brown’s hands: Coordinator Thomas Brown gathered his offense Monday, less than 24 hours after the Bears’ gut-punch loss to the Packers, and delivered a message in his signature direct style. “There are no attaboys in this game,” he said. “We play the game to win. We came up short.” There was room for kudos for Brown, though, after he emerged from yet another chaotic week at Halas Hall to design an offensive attack that, for the first time in a month, made sense.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Crain’s | Cook County chips in $15M to help ‘vulnerable’ homeowners with tax bills: A $15 million piece of the budget that Cook County commissioners approved yesterday is designated as a give-back to senior homeowners and others who are struggling with fast-rising property tax bills. The pilot Homeowner Relief Fund, scheduled to launch in spring 2025, will give one-time payments of up to $1,000 to senior homeowners, moderate-income homeowners in gentrifying areas and others.

* CRAIN’s | Arlington Heights offices touted as industrial redevelopment play: Colliers plays up several factors that make One North Arlington a good industrial conversion candidate, including that the property is already zoned for it. The building is designated for “research, development and light manufacturing” use by the village of Arlington Heights, which the brokerage dubs a “development friendly municipality.”

* Crain’s | Despite finance, staffing headaches, County Health’s new chief sees path for growth: CCH, the seventh-largest health system in the Chicago area by revenue, operates Stroger and Provident hospitals, as well as its own Medicaid and Medicare Advantage health plans. It cares for 200,000 patients a year. CCH also has a fundamental mission to address some of the area’s largest health and economic disparities. Like other health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, CCH jumped into action but was often serving the poorest and sickest patients. And later, when a migrant surge brought thousands of new people to the area, it was CCH that made sure they were given checkups, vaccines and other medical attention.

*** Downstate ***

* People’s World | In Peoria, like many other Illinois towns, being homeless is now a crime: Now, the city’s unhoused population could face jail time of up to 180 days for the “crime” of having no home. This is despite the fact that, as the director of the Homes for All Continuum of Care, Kate Green, stressed there is not enough shelter space even if people wanted to use it.

* Daily Journal | Study shows economic impact of deteriorating bridges in rural Illinois: The study showed for every dollar invested in Illinois bridge maintenance results in nearly $5 in benefits for all roadway users, and bridge investments in the state will provide approximately 52,640 jobs, a labor income of $2.83 billion, and an added economic value of $5.63 billion over the next 30 years.

* WCBU | Tazewell County Health Department’s new Pekin campus ‘a perfect solution to our needs’: An emotional Amy Fox, health department director, thanked everyone involved in the renovation project, which included repairing flood damage, and said to a crowd that gathered in the building lobby, “Now we can do what we want to do here. Reach our clients. Our first client here was here at 9 o’clock Monday morning.”

* IPM | Danville school district says superintendent will return to on-site work following alleged racist threats: At a meeting on Wednesday, Danville School Board President Randal Ashton read a statement from the group. “We will be working with her on her return to on-site work, and we will not be commenting any further on this, as this is a personnel matter and there is still an open FBI investigation,” he said.

* SJ-R | ‘A deep and sacred trust has been violated’: Catholic priest from Taylorville resigns: A Taylorville Catholic priest who was in an acknowledged sexual relationship with a seminarian from the Springfield Catholic Diocese has submitted his resignation. Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, in a letter to parishioners of St. Mary’s Church, acknowledged that the Rev. Piotr Kosk faces a church investigation into his behavior as well as possible financial misconduct. Paprocki said he could petition the Vatican to have Kosk removed from the priesthood.

*** National ***

* AP | Supreme Court allows multibillion-dollar class action lawsuit to proceed against Meta: Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users’ personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump’s first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016. Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company’s shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say.

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The Waukegan City Clerk was railroaded

Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Lake County News-Sun…

A Lake County judge Friday dismissed all criminal counts against Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly, ruling that misleading grand jury testimony compromised indictments that alleged Kilkelly illegally waived fees to local businesses as part of a COVID-era relief effort.

Judge Patricia Fix said the flawed grand jury testimony from an Illinois State Police investigator resulted in due-process violations against Kilkelly, who had been charged in March with 10 counts of official misconduct and misapplication of funds.

“I would also like to thank the Waukegan residents who have always supported me, and who sent me their support and their well-wishes during this very difficult time,” she said in the statement. “As someone who has dedicated over 40 years of their life to the Waukegan community, I promise to continue serving and helping all Waukegan residents as their city clerk.”

Her attorneys, Donald Morrison, James Bertucci and Ricardo Meza, issued a joint statement that said in part, “We were always confident that Janet was 100% innocent of all charges and today’s ruling confirms that.”

Let’s drill down a bit.

* From Judge Patricia Fix’s ruling, with highlighting by me…

At the grand jury proceeding on these charges, the [Lake County State’s Attorney’s office] offered testimony from only one witness, Illinois State Police Special Agent David Juergensen. Juergensen explained that under the Waukegan City Code of Ordinances, Sam Cunningham, Mayor of Waukegan from 2017 to 2021, also acted as the Local Liquor Control Commissioner. In this capacity, Mayor Cunningham had the authority to appoint one Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner.

Jurgensen then testified:

    Q: .. .in approximately 2017, did Mayor Cunningham appoint [Defendant] to serve as Deputy Liquor Control Commissioner?
    A: Mayor Cunningham did do that, yes.
    Q: And [Defendant] remained in that role through June of 2021?
    A: That is correct.
    Q: And in that role, she possessed final authority to issue and approve liquor and gaming licenses?
    A: She did.

This testimony was false. […]

in the hearing before this court, former Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham testified that he never appointed Defendant as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner. Current Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor also testified that she never appointed Defendant as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner.

In his testimony before this court, Juergensen stated that Defendant never identified herself as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner. Juergensen admitted that he assumed Defendant had been appointed as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner. Juergensen testified that he never asked former Mayor Cunningham whether Cunningham appointed Defendant as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner. Juergensen further informed the court that none of the documents he reviewed identified Defendant in that role.

You gotta be kidding me.

* Ah, but there’s more…

Juergensen then testified that in his review of all the businesses who applied for the Covid credit relief, some were in good standing, but “the greatest majority were not in good standing.” […]

Based on Juergensen’s testimony the grand jury granted a true bill.

* Except, there was no definition of “good standing” in the ordinance…

Glaringly, Juergensen informed this court that he had his own personal idea of what the term “in good standing” meant for an organization to receive the Covid credit. Further, that crucial, and potentially exculpatory witnesses were never interviewed by Juergenson to ascertain a definition of “in good standing”.

Further, former Mayor Sam Cunningham testified that he did not know what the term “in good standing” meant; although the purpose of the resolution was to reduce required fees for Waukegan businesses impacted by the pandemic.

Robert Long, an attorney who drafted Resolution No. 20-R-95 as Waukegan’s Corporation Counsel, admitted that he did not include a definition of “in good standing” in the resolution, but had intended to prevent businesses with serious infractions, such as building code violations and repeated police activity, from receiving the credit.

None of those businesses had any of those “serious infractions” Long mentioned.

Unreal.

* Back to Judge Fix…

In this matter, so much misleading and false information was presented to the grand jury on material issues that the denial of due process is unequivocally clear. John Adam’s once famously stated “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” Perhaps even more pointedly Mark Twain stated, “Get your facts first”. Indeed, had ALL the facts been initially known and presented to the Grand Jury, there would likely have been a different outcome.

In conclusion, the court finds the State’s presentation of a wholly inaccurate definition of the role of Defendant as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner, coupled with the witnesses unsubstantiated personal definition of the term “in good standing” to be false, misleading and material and as such, affected the grand jury deliberations in a way that caused prejudice, actual and substantial, and a complete denial of due process.

So, Kilkelly was indicted based on the imagination of the investigator who also served as the lone grand jury witness?

The Illinois State Police and the Lake County State’s Attorney need to answer for this.

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Whatever happened, the city has a $40 million budget hole it didn’t disclose until now

Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The mayor’s people were telling city council members and at least some reporters this week that the Illinois Retail Merchants Association had blown a $40 million hole in the city budget. IRMA sent out a press release countering that argument…

The Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) released the following statement regarding the mayor’s proposed telecom tax increase.

“IRMA did not kill the mayor’s proposed telecom tax increase, but we would be happy to take credit for protecting low-income users. The city is not meaningfully nor consistently engaged in Springfield.

IRMA remains ready to offer assistance on issues where we align – as we have always done with previous administrations – but, prior to today, we have not seen a clear effort from the mayor’s office to do so,” said Rob Karr, president and CEO, Illinois Retail Merchants Association.

* Fran Spielman explains…

A tax on prepaid phones and calling cards the Johnson administration was counting on to raise $40 million has been shot down in Springfield.

Illinois Retail Merchants Association President Rob Karr said there were technical problems that must be fixed in the legal language the city drafted.

The city also had assumed the increased tax (9%, up from 3%) would take effect Jan. 1 — a virtually impossible deadline for retailers. […]

“There was a fix that was available, but we couldn’t implement it by Jan. 1. So we had suggested July 1. The governor’s office and others told the city, ‘No, we’re gonna take it back and you can … get it done correctly in the spring.’” […]

The change only exacerbates the Johnson administration’s dismal track record in Springfield at a time when the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs is shorthanded.

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Manar gives state agencies budget guidance: Cut, cut, cut

Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Deputy Gov. Andy Manar sent a memo to all state agency directors yesterday. I’ve highlighted some important passages…

Thank you for the thoughtful work that your leadership team and fiscal office staff put into your agency’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request to GOMB. Director Sturm and GOMB staff are currently reviewing each agency submission in detail and meeting with agency staff to walk through your budget submission and iterations to your funding requests. The administration appreciates your continued support of the Governor’s mission for providing strategic investments that serve the people of Illinois while prioritizing our continued commitment to fiscal stability and a balanced budget.

However, since Director Sturm provided agency guidance for the FY26 budget in early October, additional information regarding the outlook for the coming fiscal year has materialized that will impact the crafting of the Governor’s request to the General Assembly. The purpose of this memorandum is to provide additional instructions to agencies.

On November 1st , GOMB’s Economic and Fiscal Policy Report1 was published. The report provides a look toward the next five fiscal years and serves as a valuable tool to help us understand the fiscal challenges we face and develop proactive solutions to meet those challenges. This year’s report outlines the impact of a slowing national economy. In addition, the report also begins to quantify the impact of medical inflation, required pension contribution increases, statutory shifts of sales tax revenues away from the General Funds, and FY25 budget transfers that will not be repeated in FY26. The report shows the initial FY26 General Funds revenue forecast is roughly flat to FY25 revenues. The report illustrates that the combined impact, assuming modest agency budget growth in the 2%-4% range, yields a General Funds budget shortfall of over $3 billion. While this shortfall does not reflect the budget submissions provided by your agencies which are currently being reviewed, it does illustrate the magnitude of the challenge that must be addressed as the Governor prepares his FY26 budget submission.

Additionally, the upcoming changes at the national level in the executive and legislative branch are creating some additional uncertainty regarding federal funding and the economic outlook. We need to take steps to ensure that the State is in position to address any economic disruptions that may arise.

Governor Pritzker remains committed to responsible fiscal management. A balanced budget is and will continue to be the Governor’s top priority. As we begin to prepare for many unknowns in the coming year, please begin to work with your Deputy Governors and GOMB staff to review proposed reductions and identify spending that can be reduced further from your submitted FY26 agency budget requests. Please review your submissions and the cuts scenarios provided, and if not already included, submit the following additional information:

    • Agencies should identify programs that have increased in recent years, paying specific attention to those added in FY23, FY24, and FY25 and make suggestions for spending reductions and winding down of programs related to:

      o line-item grants,
      o grant programs,
      o programs that assume increasing or additional out-year contributions, and
      o other discretionary programs.

    • Agencies should identify and quantify operational efficiencies and program consolidations that can reduce costs.
    • Agencies should identify potential vacancies that can be eliminated.
    • Agencies should develop implementation plans for proposed reductions or winding down of programs, including providing GOMB with relevant statutory changes and timelines for those implementation plans.

In addition to this directive, please keep the following in mind as you go through this process:

    • Certain federal programs may be facing funding cuts or elimination beginning in calendar year 2025– the expectation should be that the State will not have resources backfill any of these emerging spending pressures.
    • As expected, certain federal funds (e.g. ARPA and other COVID era funding) may be coming to an end– the expectation should be that the State will not backfill any of these previously anticipated spending pressures.
    • Agencies should not request non-critical headcount increases and should focus on vacancy reductions as noted above.
    • All legislation with new FY26 budget impact should be highlighted for GOMB and for the Governor’s Office. At the direction of the Governor’s Office, no legislation with an increased FY26 fiscal impact should receive agency support.

The Governor appreciates your continued support and hard work. FY26 will be a challenging year but we are confident that we can meet those challenges by working together as we have always done. Please contact me or GOMB’s Director, Alexis Sturm, should you have any questions.

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Roundup: Ex-Chicago Ald. Danny Solis testifies in Madigan corruption trial

Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* WGN…

The government’s star witness took the stand Thursday in former Illinois Speaker of the House Mike Madigan’s ongoing corruption trial.

[Former Chicago alderman and FBI mole Danny Solis] briefly took the stand late for a little over a half hour before court adjourned for the day. During his testimony, Solis spoke in detail about his Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the government.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Prior to Solis’ appearance that began 45 minutes before trial broke for its usual weekend schedule, the jury heard again from FBI Special Agent Ryan McDonald, one of the lead agents in an investigation that long predated Madigan but nevertheless caught the powerful speaker in its tenterhooks. McDonald had previously testified about the feds’ wiretaps on Madigan co-defendant Mike McClain and detailed how he and another agent approached ComEd executive Fidel Marquez and asked him to cooperate with the FBI in January 2019.

Guided by questions from Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu, who has also long been involved in the investigation, McDonald laid out the decadelong timeline of FBI interest in Solis, dating back to a 2014 meeting between Solis, Madigan and a real estate developer. That developer, See Wong, was already cooperating with the FBI after he’d been caught committing fraud related to an apartment complex he’d built in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood.

“Mr. Solis requested Mr. Wong and his client attend a meeting with Michael Madigan,” McDonald said, detailing what led up to the Aug. 18, 2014 meeting at the speaker’s property tax law firm office in downtown Chicago.

The developer-turned-FBI mole had been pursuing a letter of support from Solis for a hotel project in Chinatown, which was in Solis’ 25th Ward. Solis allegedly told Wong that he’d lend his support if he and his associate, a Chinese real estate developer, met with Madigan about the speaker representing the project on property tax appeals.

* WTTW…

According to prosecutors, Solis in June 2018 spoke with Madigan about the potential for a state board seat before stating that he would “continue to get you legal business. I, I’ve got all kinds of stuff [referring to developments] happening in the South Loop and in the West Loop.”

Solis had been instructed by the FBI to make that board position and tell Madigan he’d introduce him to developers with the expectation Madigan’s private law firm would receive their business.

“… see, I never knew that that section was in your ward,” Madigan allegedly replied.

Later in the same conversation, after Solis again mentioned the possible board seat, Madigan allegedly stated that he would “put together a, uh, piece of paper that shows you all the” board members and their term dates.

* Tribune…

Solis began his testimony in a slightly hoarse, subdued voice, describing the bribery charge he’s facing, his decision to cooperate, and his deal with prosecutors that will see the case against him dropped as long as he testifies truthfully.

Asked what he was accused of, Solis said in a rehearsed tone: “Trying to solicit campaign contributions from a developer that had a pending application in my Zoning Committee.”

Solis, who represented the city’s 25th Ward and was the head of the City Council’s influential Zoning Committee, also testified last year in the corruption trial of former Ald. Edward Burke.

But in that case, Solis was called by Burke’s lawyers in a Hail Mary attempt to win acquittal. This time, Solis is being called as a foundation of the prosecution’s case, adding import to how he comes across to the jury and also exposing him to a much more wide-ranging cross-examination over his own alleged misdeeds.

* Sun-Times…

Solis testified that development in the 25th Ward was particularly active between 2011 and 2019, especially in the South Loop and West Loop neighborhoods. Meanwhile, prosecutors used Thursday’s testimony to introduce jurors to a crucial unwritten rule at City Hall: aldermanic privilege.

“A development would not get approval for a zoning change unless the alderman of that particular neighborhood would support it,” Solis told them.

Not only that, but he said developers also often required approval from the City Council’s Zoning Committee.

For many years, it was led by Solis.

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Open thread

Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on?…

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Bill to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers clears General Assembly. Capitol News Illinois…

    -The Senate took a bipartisan 43-11 vote to pass the legislation that supporters dub the “Dignity in Pay Act.”
    - The bill aims to stop Illinois organizations from paying subminimum wage to workers with disabilities will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk.
    -Under the bill, Illinois has through 2029 to abolish the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities.

* Related stories…

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Defamation suit can proceed against Sun-Times over Trump Tower stories, Illinois Supreme Court rules: In a 6-0 decision with one justice taking no part, the state’s top court ruled the suit filed by ex-Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board Executive Director Mauro Glorioso wasn’t lodged against the Sun-Times “solely based on defendant’s exercise of political rights.” Glorioso is suing the newspaper over a 2020 article about an anonymous complaint that accused him of improperly pushing for a property tax break on Donald Trump’s namesake riverfront tower.

* WBEZ | Hole in Johnson’s budget grows to $340 million thanks to cellphone tax snafu in Springfield: Illinois Retail Merchants Association President Rob Karr said there were technical problems that must be fixed in the legal language the city drafted. Although the higher tax rate would have applied to all pre-paid phone products, the now-failed legislation would have “treated those similarly-situated phone products differently,” Karr said. One category was “tangible personal property” with a sales tax. The other was not tangible and fell under an excise tax. “They drew this weird dividing line between these two sets of properties. … There were concerns about that. … The city was told to come back down and engage everyone to get it done correctly. They didn’t get it done correctly,” Karr said.

* Citizen’s Utility Board | ICC grants Aqua Illinois $11.6 million rate-hike: The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) on Thursday cut Aqua Illinois’ rate-hike request by about 40 percent, granting the water utility an $11.6 million increase. CUB called the ICC’s Final Order a step toward reining in a utility that was the subject of intense criticism for high rates and poor water quality from customers who attended ICC public forums requested by AARP Illinois over the summer. But CUB said more needed to be done: The next step is to work for reforms in Springfield.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Starvedrock Media | Newly-Elected Murri Briel Discusses Her Plans as New State Rep in Springfield: One topic was Briel’s view of the future of education in a district that not only includes Northern Illinois University, but also a number of community colleges. Briel said she’s concerned about the load that would be put on the state if the U.S. Department of Education is broken up or dissolved.

* NPR Illinois | Making sense of the state house, Mawa Iqbal shares what it’s like in the fast-paced environment of the Illinois State Capitol: Mawa Iqbal is the state house reporter for WBEZ and Illinois Public Radio. She spoke to Community Voices about what it’s like working in the state capitol, the challenges of reporting on social justice and the importance of media literacy.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune. | CPS: At a $10B impasse with CTU, ‘fact-finding’ hearings set for December in effort to resolve contract impasse: Leaders from the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools announced differing perspectives Thursday in what has become a very public teachers contract negotiation dispute, with the fate of district’s leader on the line. Facing mounting demands from CTU to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement, CPS told reporters they don’t have the revenue to meet many of the union’s asks.

* Tribune | Creation of quantum computer research park on South Works site wins Chicago Plan Commission approval: The vote came after hours of impassioned testimony from dozens of community residents. Many said the project represents an opportunity to bring billions of investment dollars and new businesses to a region that has suffered decades of isolation and disinvestment. Others said the massive development, first announced by Gov. JB Pritzker this past summer, is moving at a breakneck pace and needs to slow down, allowing environmental activists and community advocates the chance to secure a written agreement with the developers on wildlife protection, job creation and affordable housing.

* Daily Herald | Buffalo Grove DePaul student speaks out about antisemitic campus attack
: Kaminsky fractured his wrist, while Long suffered a brain injury in the assault by two masked attackers. Long said he has been the target of cyber harassment, with Pro-Hamas supporters putting up “wanted” posters online calling him an “IDF butcher” and saying he got what he deserved.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* ABC Chicago | IL comptroller among those calling for Cook County judge to resign after suspected killer’s release: “I think there is a need to evaluate how we find ourselves here again,” Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said. “I don’t even trust him with a parking ticket, nor should anyone else at this point. I think the honest thing for Judge Thomas Nowinski to do is to resign,” Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said.

* Daily Southtown | Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz to face former labor leader affiliated with Park District: Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz faces a reelection challenge from a former labor leader affiliated with the Park District’s project at the former state mental health center. Running with Glotz on the One Tinley Park ticket are Village Clerk Nancy O’Connor and trustees William Brady, Dennis Mahoney and Colleen Sullivan.

* Daily Herald | Former Ford Heights Mayor Annie Coulter among 4 challengers to interim Mayor Freddie Wilson: rustees Tyreese Andrews and Germaine Hooks are running for reelection, while trustees Douglas Jones, Elliott Harper and Johnny Griffin will not be on the ballot. Hooks and Jones were appointed to two vacancies on the board last month created after former Mayor Charles Griffin and Trustee Jimmy Viverette were forced to resign. Griffin was convicted of embezzling between $10,000 and $100,000 from the village and Viverette was found by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office to have previously been convicted of a felony, disqualifying them from holding office.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Springfield, Champaign-Urbana have largest October job increases among IL metro areas: Over-the-year, the unemployment rate decreased in six areas, increased in six and was unchanged in two. The metro areas that saw the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Springfield MSA (+1.9%, +2,000) and the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+1.7%, +2,100).

* WREX | Rochelle’s Kitchen Table has served its final meal after eight years: Kitchen Table, a unique establishment in Rochelle, has become a lifeline for hundreds in the community, offering meals with no prices on a ‘pay what you can basis’. But now, the organization has made the difficult decision to serve its final meal. “It would allow people to still come out and feed their families and pay what they could afford to pay. So to me, it was perfect,” said Carolyn Brown, founder of Kitchen Table.

*** National ***

* Sun-Times | What’s next for Rahm Emanuel?: U.S. Ambassador to Japan and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is in the mix for Democratic National Committee chair — and if there are vacancies — governor and senator. He told the Sun-Times he is weighing his options about the next “best way to serve.” Emanuel texted me: “First come home second talk and listen to folks at home about best way to serve and build what we care about.”

  11 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Live coverage

Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Governor Pritzker…

Far too often, people with disabilities still endure barriers to employment and discrimination in the workplace. Many are paid subminimum wages that devalue their contributions and diminish their likelihood to secure meaningful work and participate in other life enhancing activities.

The Dignity in Pay Act is an unprecedented, crucial leap forward to a future where all individuals, regardless of ability, can maximize their talents and contributions to our workforce—and earn a fair wage. Thank you to Chief Bill Sponsors Representative Teresa Mah, Senator Cristina Castro, bipartisan partners in the Illinois General Assembly, and all of the civil rights, human rights, organized labor, anti-poverty, and trade associations who worked together to achieve a more equitable and inclusive Illinois.

With the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, and the Illinois Department of Labor, we will join more than a dozen states in phasing out this practice over the next five years. This law will create employment opportunities for people with disabilities by providing a five-year transition period for employers and employees, establishing a support program to provide resources and assistance to service providers, raising the Personal Needs Allowance for group home residents, and increasing Supported Employment Rates to expand competitive, integrated work opportunities statewide.”

* Capitol News Illinois…

A conservative Catholic legal group is suing Illinois over a landmark state law enshrining a “fundamental right” to abortion care and requiring insurance companies to cover abortion and other reproductive health care.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Chicago by the Thomas More Society, seeks to prevent the state from requiring insurers to cover abortion coverage by arguing that doing so violates the First Amendment and 14th Amendment rights of its plaintiffs.

It also argues that the state is in violation of the Comstock Act, which criminalizes mailing abortion-related materials, because it requires health insurers to cover providers who send abortion medication in the mail. […]

The lawsuit also relies on the Coats-Snowe Amendment and the Weldon Amendment, which prevent states that receive federal funding from discriminating against health care entities because they don’t provide abortions.

* Daily Southtown…

Will County Board member reelected to his position spent this month sowing doubts into the integrity of the election via several now-deleted Facebook posts.

Vince Logan, a Republican from Joliet, was the second highest vote-getter among four candidates in the County Board’s 7th District based on results posted both on Election Day and after provisional ballots and all remaining mail-in ballots were counted Tuesday. Voters select two county board members per district, which reelected Logan for a four-year term. Newcomer Dawn Bullock, a Democrat, received the most votes in the District 7 race.

Between Election Day and Tuesday, Logan posted several messages on social media alleging the county clerk’s office may have been cheating. Posts, which have since been deleted from his campaign Facebook page, stated, “Opportunity to cheat is huge,” and “Alarm bells ringing.”

Logan claimed via the posts that the Democrat county clerk knew the exact votes needed for him to lose and questioned his motivation to incorrectly count the ballots, which included to tilt the balance of the board or elect the county executive’s attorney a judge. Some of his posts were shared on Facebook more than 100 times each, further spreading the allegations.

County Clerk Chuck Pelkie said the allegations were false.

* Illinois Department of Employment Security…

Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in eight metropolitan areas and decreased in six for the year ending October 2024, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over-the-year, the unemployment rate decreased in six areas, increased in six, and was unchanged in two.

“Illinois continues to benefit from job growth and positive economic trends in every corner of the state,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “As payroll expansion continues to motivate eager jobseekers, IDES and its local area workforce partners remain focused on providing the necessary services and tools to get workers matched with employers.”

The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Springfield MSA (+1.9%, +2,000), the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+1.7%, +2,100) and the Carbondale-Marion MSA (+1.3%, +800). The metro areas which posted the largest over-the-year decreases in total nonfarm jobs were the Danville MSA (-1.8%, -500) and the Peoria MSA (-1.1%, -1,900). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago Metro Division were nearly unchanged (0.0%, -600). Industries that saw job growth in most of the metro areas included: Government (twelve areas); Private Education and Health Services (eleven areas); Other Services (nine areas); and Mining and Construction (eight areas).

The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were the Rockford MSA (-0.7 percentage point to 5.4%), the Decatur MSA (-0.3 percentage point to 5.8%) and the Kankakee MSA (-0.3 percentage point to 5.4%). The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were the Chicago Metro (+1.2 points to 5.5%), the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (+0.7 point to 5.4%), the Danville MSA (+0.4 point to 6.2%), and the Bloomington MSA (+0.4 point to 4.3%). There was no unemployment rate change in the Carbondale-Marion MSA and Elgin Metropolitan Division.

*** Statewide ***

* Crain’s | Illinois hydrogen project gets initial federal funding: The Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen has inked a contract with the Department of Energy for $22.2 million to start planning a Midwest hydrogen hub. The multi-state hydrogen project called MachH2 could involve up to a $1 billion investment over a dozen years and create more than 12,000 jobs. The goal is to demonstrate how hydrogen fuel cells might work at commercial scale. Illinois plays a central role in the regional project, which also includes Iowa, Indiana and Michigan.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Woman Dead After Judge Declines To Jail Her Alleged Abuser: ‘The System Failed Her’ : Amanda Pyron, president of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, called for Nowinski to be reassigned from the domestic violence division and to no longer preside over any domestic violence cases. “Judge Nowinski’s failure to protect the community has now resulted in two tragic, preventable murders,” Pyron said in a statement. “When survivors go to the courts for protection, that protection must be effective. Judge Nowinski has failed in that duty, and allowing him to continue to hear domestic violence cases sends the wrong message to survivors across Chicagoland.”

* Block Club | ‘Pretty Impressive’: More Than 50% Of Voters Cast Ballots In Chicago’s First School Board Election: Out of a total 1,498,873 registered voters, 801,878 cast ballots for the city’s 10 school board districts, according to Max Bever, spokesperson for the Chicago Board of Elections. That means 53 percent of the city’s registered voters showed up and picked candidates for school board races. According to one estimate from the National School Boards Association, just 5-10 percent of registered voters vote in school board races.

* Tribune | Lake Michigan water levels drop to lowest in years amid warmth and lack of rain: “It’s a complicated picture,” said Lauren Fry, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory A few inches might not seem like a lot, but Fry said “it’s noteworthy” that October was the first time since 2014 that the monthly average was below the long-term average for any month. The lake’s all-time record low was in January 2013.

* Borderless | Sensitive Migrant Data Mishandled, Former Chicago Shelter Contractors Allege: In a complaint submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this month, two former Favorite Healthcare Staffing case managers contracted by Favorite alleged that Chicago’s shelters violated health information privacy laws by allowing shelter staff to access and download sensitive information on their own personal devices. The complaint notes that Favorite, the staffing company the City of Chicago hired to manage the migrant shelters, did not require data to be encrypted and allowed employees and independent contractors to share medical and other personal information over insecure communication channels.

* Crain’s | Johnson’s proposed alcohol tax hike likely dead amid pushback from Chicago’s hospitality industry: The proposal would raise the tax on beer 10 cents to $0.39 per gallon and the tax on spirits almost $1 to $3.62 per gallon. Other alcoholic beverages would also see taxes rise. At the liquor store, that would look like a 3-cent increase on a bottle of wine, a 6-cent increase on a six-pack of beer and a 19-cent increase on a bottle of liquor, according to the mayor’s office. The increase would result in an estimated $10.6 million in annual revenue.


*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WBEZ | Cook County Board unanimously approves nearly $10 billion budget for 2025: Democratic Commissioner Bridget Degnen spearheaded the effort to amend the budget to provide $2 million in grants to community organizations that provide wraparound reproductive health services. These organizations help cover the cost of everything from hotel stays and travel to medical bills for people seeking abortions.

* Coalition to End Money Bond | Cook County Board approves sunsetting the sheriff’s electronic monitoring program: After years of community pressure, Cook County will begin the process of sunsetting the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program. Today, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed a budget amendment that will reduce funding for the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program and increase funding for the Office of the Chief Judge in preparation for unifying the county’s duplicative pretrial electronic monitoring programs. The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice celebrates this historic announcement. For years, our coalition has called for the dismantling of the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program, which expanded mass incarceration and harmed tens of thousands of people subjected to pretrial surveillance as well as their families.

* Sun-Times | Crystal Lake man pleads guilty in Jan. 6 case: Giacchetti was part of a group of rioters who made their way into the U.S. Senate Gallery, where he yelled “Where’d you go?” — as senators had evacuated the building — and “Treason” using the same bullhorn, authorities said. After leaving the gallery, he allegedly confronted journalists, broke Associated Press-owned equipment and pushed over a camera on a tripod, striking a reporter.

* Daily Herald | Wheeling Township to decide on funding for mental health board: Wheeling Township Supervisor Kathy Penner is recommending the township board approve the Wheeling Township Community Mental Health Board’s request of $809,550 for the upcoming fiscal year beginning March 1, 2025. Penner made the recommendation at Tuesday’s township board meeting. The mental health board made the request at its Nov. 13 meeting. The township board will vote on the recommendation in December. She said the township would use funds from available township fund balances, instead of increasing property taxes for township residents.

* WBEZ | West Suburban hospital abruptly cuts ties with midwives and family medicine doctors: Citing the risk of losing liability insurance, West Suburban Medical Center will no longer allow midwives and family medicine physicians to deliver babies at the hospital, abruptly severing ties with a popular group of providers effective next week. The sudden announcement on Monday prompted anger from the midwives and family medicine providers at PCC Community Wellness Center, who have delivered at West Suburban in Oak Park for at least 20 years. The hospital and these providers have become a destination for pregnant people who want a more holistic birth with little medical intervention. PCC mostly treats low-income Black and Latino patients on the West Side, but women from across the region have sought out PCC’s midwifery care.

*** Downstate ***


* WIFR | University of Illinois Chicago-Rockford adds nursing program for non-RNs: Referred to as a direct-entry program, the Master of Science in Nursing Program for non-RNs is designed for students who already have a bachelor’s degree in a different subject and want to become a registered nurse. Students will take six semesters of hybrid courses, with on-campus requirements and clinical site placements.

* WTVO | Historic Winnebago landmark is saved from demolition: The Winnebago County Forest Preserve Board voted against tearing the historic landmark down on Wednesday. An early settler built the home using 400-million-year-old limestone on land that is now considered the Severson Dells Forest Preserve. The aging home is facing major repairs to keep it standing, but one supporter said the building was built to last.

* Riverbender | Former Southern Illinois Police Chief Facing Federal Charges, Accused of Public Corruption: A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the former Wayne City police chief with selling forfeited items confiscated by the department for his personal benefit. Anson Fenton, 46, of Belle Rive, is facing one count of misapplication of property from federally funded programs and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.

*** National ***

* Columbia Journalism Review | Journalists Are Leaving X for Bluesky. Will They Stay There?: While X hit a yearly traffic peak on Election Day, that was followed by the highest exit numbers since Musk acquired the platform, then known as Twitter, in 2022: over a hundred and fifteen thousand users in the US deactivated their accounts the day after the election, according to The Independent. The exodus has translated, at least in part, into a surge of new users joining Bluesky, a social network launched by Jack Dorsey in 2019, while he was still the chief executive of Twitter.

  3 Comments      


HGOPs whacked for opposing lame duck session

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon have both told their chambers to be prepared to return January 2-7 for a lame duck session. As you will recall, Gov. Pritzker and the two Democratic legislative leaders have talked about “Trump-proofing” the state, starting in lame duck session. In response, here’s House GOP Leader McCombie…

Following the adjournment of legislative veto session in the Illinois House, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie issued the following statement:

“We do not need more time for out-of-touch Democrats to dream up harmful legislation. We need bipartisan legislation that focuses on the issues Illinois families care about most. Until the Democrat majority can get their priorities in order, the House Republicans oppose a Lame Duck session.”

* I asked Speaker Welch’s spokesperson Jaclyn Driscoll for a response…

House Republicans oppose affordable, accessible health care. They oppose protecting our environment and reproductive care. They oppose public education, child care assistance, common-sense and lifesaving gun reform, and affordable housing. They’ve voted against making college more affordable and an increase in MAP grant funding. They oppose labor rights. They’ve opposed multiple balanced budgets that returned our state to A-level credit. It isn’t completely surprising to learn that House Republicans now also oppose coming to work altogether. Thankfully, Democrats remain committed to delivering lasting results for all of Illinois and continuing the people’s work in January.

Discuss.

  15 Comments      


Uber’s Local Partnership = Stress-Free Travel For Paratransit Riders

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

The Pace Rideshare Access Program subsidizes Uber trips, leaving riders with a co-pay of just $2.

The impact: “This program has been a godsend for me. It offers flexibility, independence, freedom and the ability to maintain a beautiful life on so many levels,” says one rider.

CTA: See how it works.

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Report: IDOC’s prison drug test found to be ‘wrong 91 percent of the time’

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Associated Press…

In 2022, New York City’s jails commissioner, Louis Molina, issued a dire warning to local lawmakers: fentanyl was pouring into Rikers Island through the mail, he said, spurring an overdose crisis among the jail’s detainees and putting guards at risk.

As evidence of the insidious threat, Molina passed around a child’s drawing of a reindeer, one of hundreds of seized items he said had been “literally soaked in the drug and mailed to people in custody.”

But that claim was based on faulty drug-testing kits with a stunning 85% false positive rate, according to a report released Wednesday by the city’s Department of Investigation. The report found the city vastly overstated the prevalence of fentanyl sent by mail to detainees. […]

The review by the Department of Investigation found DetectaChem’s test strips had a false positive rate of 79%, while Sirchie’s were wrong 91% of the time.

As I told you in September, the Illinois Department of Corrections uses Sirchie to test items for drugs.

* Back to the AP story…

Detainee advocates have long contended that drugs primarily enter the jail system via employees, who can easily smuggle them inside and sell them to gang leaders. In recent years, dozens of correction officers have been charged in multiple investigations of smuggling rings on Rikers Island.

In its report, the Department of Investigation said corrections officials had failed to implement many of the department’s previous recommendations aimed at screening staff for contraband.

As we’ve told you before, various reports have shown that moving to electronically scanned prison mail has actually resulted in increased drug overdoses.

* And yet, the drumbeat here continues to electronically scan mail. I’m kinda wondering if a private company is behind this push…

    * WBEZ | Here’s why some lawmakers want to ban paper mail going into Illinois prisons: Drug-soaked paper is making its way into Illinois prisons, causing overdoses and staff safety concerns. But banning it could pose legal issues.

    * The Southern Illinoisan | Friess, Windhorst sponsor Illinois House bill to make prison mail electronic: “Instead, we’ve seen a letter from several representatives of the majority party stating that mail services should continue despite clear evidence that this is how dangerous substances are entering our facilities,” Friess said. “While we all value the connections that physical mail provides, it’s hard to ignore the very real risk to safety that comes with it right now.”

    * Center Square | IL Department of Corrections quiet after lawmakers address drug-infused mail: John Howard Association Executive Director Jennifer Vollen-Katz said understanding where the contraband is coming from and what kind of contraband is getting into the prison is the first step. Vollen-Katz called the banning of physical mail a “knee-jerk reaction.” “Mail is one of the ways contraband comes in but it’s not the only one,” said Vollen-Katz. “It could be staff, it could be through vendors who work on contracts with IDOC, it could be visitors. There’s a lot of different ways contraband could get into prisons. Understanding what’s getting in and how is really critical information to solving the problem.”

I have tried and tried to get a response out of IDOC without success. Its silence is absolutely ridiculous.

  12 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Session update (Updated x2)

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Illinois Supreme Court rules state SLAPP law doesn’t automatically protect traditional journalism (Updated)

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Some good background is here and here on Glorioso v. Sun-Times Media Holdings. The state statute in question is here. The Sandholm case referenced below is here.

* Illinois Supreme Court Justice David Overstreet wrote the opinion, with all justices concurring except Justice Rochford, who took no part in the decision…

Defendants, Sun-Times Media Holdings, LLC, and Tim Novak, appeal the judgment of the appellate court, which affirmed an order of the circuit court of Cook County that denied their second motion to dismiss the defamation complaint filed by plaintiff, Mauro Glorioso. On appeal, defendants contend the complaint is subject to dismissal as a “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP)” pursuant to section 15 of the Citizen Participation Act (Act). 735 ILCS 110/15 (West 2022). For the following reasons, we find the lawsuit is not a SLAPP and affirm. […]

The [appellate] court noted precedent finding that a newspaper’s investigatory reporting on the activities of government fell into the activities protected by the Act but found major distinctions between those activities and the publication of the articles. Because the articles were published as news, rather than editorial or opinion pieces presenting the thoughts or stance of the writer, and had no bearing on any election, the court found that whether procuring favorable governmental action was the purpose of the articles remained an unsettled issue of fact.

That’s just ridiculous reasoning. Facts can clearly have as much or more bearing on governance and elections than opinion. But the top court bought it…

As we have stated, the first prong of the post-Sandholm test requires defendants to show that the movants’ acts were in furtherance of their rights to petition, speak, associate, or otherwise participate in government to obtain favorable government action. Defendants argue that, because the articles are “investigative reports” about the activities of a public official within a government agency, they address a matter of public concern and thus constitute “acts in furtherance of [defendants’] right to petition, speak, associate, or otherwise participate in government” within the meaning of section 15 of the Act. Plaintiff disagrees, arguing that an act of petition, speech, or association is not in furtherance of the right to participate in government within the meaning of section 15 unless it is aimed at procuring favorable government action or outcome. We agree with plaintiff. The Act’s plain language encompasses acts of “participation in government” and does not contain language extending such protection to speech regarding matters of public concern that do not amount to “government” participation.

* More…

The declared policy of the Act is to protect “the constitutional rights of citizens and organizations to be involved and participate freely in the process of government.” While section 5 speaks to the vitality of “[t]he information, reports, opinions, claims, arguments, and other expressions provided by citizens”, nowhere in section 5, or anywhere else in the language of the Act, is there any mention of news media or the freedom of the press. This is not to minimize or understate the importance of the press and other news media in our democracy. Our jurisprudence is replete with privileges and other protections designed to protect these concerns, many of which remain at issue in this lawsuit. We are simply holding that the Act specifically protects government participation and does not encompass all media reports on matters of public concern as advocated by defendants.

The Illinois General Assembly needs to add the news media to the SLAPP Act post-haste…

[Appellate] Justice Hyman dissented [in the appellate ruling], asserting that appellate decisions since Sandholm have strayed from its reasoning and erroneously required that a lawsuit be “ ‘meritless and retaliatory’ ” in order to be dismissed as a SLAPP. The dissent painstakingly outlined the origins of the test and its application by the appellate court in order to show that the retaliatory requirement has no basis, will encourage the filing of SLAPPs, and is unworkable. In Justice Hyman’s view, the articles were clearly published in sole furtherance of government participation because they reported on government malfeasance and were “undeniably newsworthy and of interest to the public,” which could lead to reform.

Hyman is exactly right. But there’s nothing to be done about it now except change the law.

* It’s important to note that even if the news media was explicitly included in the statute, that still might not have saved the Sun-Times because of another aspect of the court’s reasoning…

Turning to the second element of the Sandholm test, the appellate court agreed that whether plaintiff’s complaint is filed solely based on defendant’s exercise of political rights requires a showing that the suit is both meritless and retaliatory. With regard to lack of merit, the appellate court agreed with the circuit court, finding as follows:

    “We find that [defendants’] reporting could reasonably be read as not fair, accurate, or truthful by creating the implication that [plaintiff] was more culpable in the alleged activity than the anonymous complaint claimed, both in terms of his supposed actions and his supposed authority over PTAB employees. These are questions of fact that allow [plaintiff’s] complaint to survive the pleading stage. Defendants have failed to meet their burden of proving that [plaintiff’s] lawsuit is meritless.”

Turning to the issue of whether defendants showed that plaintiff’s complaint is retaliatory, the appellate court noted that this issue concerns whether plaintiff’s goal in filing the lawsuit was to seek damages for the harm caused to his reputation and character or whether the sole intent was to chill defendants’ rights of petition and speech related to participation in government. The court noted precedent that identified two factors considered on this issue: (1) the timing of the lawsuit and (2) the relationship between damages requested and the injury. In evaluating these factors, the appellate court concluded that defendants failed to show plaintiff’s lawsuit is retaliatory.

In my opinion, this case should never have been brought to the Supreme Court. What a mess.

…Adding… I talked to one of the lead lobbyists on the original SLAPP bill, who said there was no perceived need to mention news media in the language at the time, “because - until this decision today - no court had ever drawn a distinction regarding who was doing the speaking. Speech is speech. It didn’t matter if the speaker was part of the news media or not.”

  2 Comments      


‘This is how I reward my good soldiers’: Madigan ally testifies he was rewarded with do-nothing consulting contract

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Courthouse News Service…

Ed Moody, a former Cook County commissioner, Cook County recorder of deeds and Chicago 13th Ward precinct captain, took the stand Wednesday in the ongoing federal corruption trial of ex-Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. His testimony gave the jury a look into how Madigan’s political network in Chicago operated.

Moody testified that he began working in politics in Chicago in the early 1990s alongside his brother Fred. The brothers met Madigan in 1989 or 1990, Moody said, and they earned a reputation as effective political canvassers during the 1992 elections. Madigan’s political office in Chicago’s 13th Ward — which overlapped with his state legislative district — made them local precinct captains, charged with turning out Democratic votes. By 1994, Moody said he and his brother were training other Democratic political workers, and that Madigan attended their training seminars.

Moody stayed active in Chicago Democratic politics for more than two decades afterward, and said he landed a court coordinator job with the Cook County court system in 1993 with Madigan’s help. He kept that gig for 23 years, and was appointed a Cook County commissioner in October 2016 to fill a recent vacancy. He served in that role for two years before becoming Cook County recorder of deeds, a now-abolished position, from December 2018 to December 2020.

Through it all, he credited Madigan as his patron.

“He’s my political leader,” Moody said of Madigan on Wednesday.

* Capitol News Illinois…

In 2011, after two decades of steady campaign work – which eventually turned from volunteer hours to paid labor – Moody approached Madigan with a request. As he approached his 50th birthday, he realized he needed to save more for his retirement, despite the pension guaranteed to him from his years working for Cook County government. Moody asked the speaker if he could connect him with some political consulting work in order to earn an extra $45,000 a year.

But Moody said the speaker didn’t give him an answer in their initial meeting, and he never heard from Madigan afterward. The lack of response from their political mentor made both him and his brother “hurt and upset.” So, Moody set up another meeting with the speaker, this time with his twin in tow.

On Wednesday, he described the emotional meeting and said the normally taciturn Madigan grew upset too.

“He said, ‘calm down, calm down,’” Moody recalled. “He said ‘you’ll get your contract.’ … As the conversation was settling down a bit, Mr. Madigan said, ‘This is how I reward my good soldiers.’”

* Tribune…

According to his testimony, from 2012 to 2019, Moody was sent some $354,000 from ComEd through Madigan-connected contractors for essentially no work, beyond making a few pointless phone calls.

One person he supposedly worked for, Shaw Decremer, never even talked to him about it in person, Moody testified. When he saw Decremer once on the street downtown, he was on his cellphone and looked busy, and simply gave Moody a “thumbs up” before moving on, Moody said.

Throughout his time on ComEd’s payroll, Moody said, Madigan assured him that everyone was happy with the arrangement. In fact, in 2018, when Moody’s contract was moved again to another lobbyist, John Bradley, the speaker told him in no uncertain terms he had “nothing to worry about.”

At the time, Moody was campaigning on Madigan’s block, working against state Sen. Martin Sandoval’s daughter, Angie, who was running for Cook County commissioner. Moody said Madigan had thrown his political resources behind Jesús “Chuy” García’s favored candidate, Alma Anaya.

* Sun-Times…

As part of his deal with McClain, Moody said he made one round of phone calls to state lawmakers each month — a task that took him an entire hour. Between January and April 2013, he said he also made a canvassing effort on behalf of ComEd.

Then, the arrangement changed. Moody’s money began to flow instead through then-City Club President Jay Doherty, and then through firms belonging to Shaw Decremer and John Bradley, who also have ties to Madigan. Jurors have previously been told that all the money originated with ComEd.

Unlike with McClain, Moody said he did no work at all for the others. He also said that, when the arrangement first began, McClain told him it was “one hell of a plum.

“And I owe the speaker big.”

* Moody is back on the stand this morning…


* More…

    * Crain’s | Judge closes book on bribery case against AT&T tied to Madigan: Prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso today to dismiss the case, part of a deferred prosecution agreement the telecommunications giant entered into two years ago in the sprawling public corruption investigation, Chicago Sun-Times reports. The judge said he would sign the order. AT&T had admitted paying $22,500 to an associate of Madigan’s to influence legislation in Springfield but did not plead guilty to any crimes. Prosecutors charged former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza with participating in the alleged conspiracy, and his trial ended in a hung jury in September.

  20 Comments      


Illinois Supreme Court rules that Jussie Smollett’s second prosecution ‘is a due process violation, and we therefore reverse defendant’s conviction’

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is ubiquitous, so use the Google. Definition of Nolle Prosequi according to the Law Dictionary…

Lat. In practice. A formal entry upon the record, by the plaintiff in a civil suit or the prosecuting officer in a criminal action, by which he declares that he “will no further prosecute” the case, either as to some of the counts, or some of the defendants, or altogether. A nolle prosequi is in the nature of an acknowledgment or undertaking by the plaintiff in an action to forbear to proceed any further either in the action altogether, or as to some part of it, or as to some of the defendants; and is different from a non- pros., by which the plaintiff is put out of court with respect to all the defendants.

* And now on to People v. Smollett. Illinois Supreme Court’s Justice Rochford with the opinion concurred by four justices, with two others (Chief Justice Theis and Justice Cunningham) not participating…

“The public justifiably expects the State, above all others, to keep its bond.” - Bowers v. State, 500 N.E.2d 203, 204 (Ind. 1986).

Today we resolve a question about the State’s responsibility to honor the agreements it makes with defendants. Specifically, we address whether a dismissal of a case by nolle prosequi allows the State to bring a second prosecution when the dismissal was entered as part of an agreement with the defendant and the defendant has performed his part of the bargain. We hold that a second prosecution under these circumstances is a due process violation, and we therefore reverse defendant’s conviction. […]

That the parties intended finality is also supported by page after page of the [Office of the Special Prosecutor’s] summary report. There is no indication anywhere in the report that the [Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office] intended to further prosecute defendant, and there is every indication that the CCSAO considered the case resolved. […]

Defendant argues that he entered into a nonprosecution agreement with the State, that he fully performed his part of the agreement, and that therefore any further prosecution of him was barred. […]

We agree with Justice Lyle that the assistant state’s attorney’s statement on March 26, 2019, clearly showed that the parties intended finality. Again, the assistant state’s attorney stated that this outcome was a “just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case.” This is not the statement of someone who intends to refile the charges. […]

Because the charges were dismissed in exchange for defendant’s community service and forfeiture of his bail bond and because defendant fully performed his end of the agreement, the State is bound by the agreement. […]

Illinois case law establishes that it is fundamentally unfair to allow the prosecution to renege on a deal with a defendant when the defendant has relied on the agreement to his detriment. […]

The proper prosecutor rule exists to protect defendants, not to allow the State to take advantage of its own errors to get a do-over.

* Conclusion…

We are aware that this case has generated significant public interest and that many people were dissatisfied with the resolution of the original case and believed it to be unjust. Nevertheless, what would be more unjust than the resolution of any one criminal case would be a holding from this court that the State was not bound to honor agreements upon which people have detrimentally relied. As the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania recently stated when enforcing a prosecutorial promise not to prosecute:

    “It cannot be gainsaid that society holds a strong interest in the prosecution of crimes. It is also true that no such interest, however important, ever can eclipse society’s interest in ensuring that the constitutional rights of the people are vindicated. Society’s interest in prosecution does not displace the remedy due to constitutionally aggrieved persons.” Cosby, 252 A.2d at 1147.

That court further noted the consequences of failing to enforce prosecutorial promises when a defendant has relied on them to his detriment:

    “A contrary result would be patently untenable. It would violate long-cherished principles of fundamental fairness. It would be antithetical to, and corrosive of, the integrity and functionality of the criminal justice system that we strive to maintain.”

We reverse the judgment of the appellate court, reverse the judgment of the circuit court, and remand the cause with directions for the circuit court to enter a judgment of dismissal.

  20 Comments      


Dignity In Pay (HB 793): It Is Time To Ensure Fair Pay For Illinoisans With Disabilities

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Illinois has an opportunity to advance the promises of the Americans with Disabilities Act by passing the Dignity in Pay Act (HB 793): legislation that would end the practice of paying people with disabilities less than minimum wage by 2030.

This legislation represents years of discussion among the broader disability community and I am pleased to make clear that the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, as the largest Illinois association of disability and mental health service providers, supports Dignity in Pay.

Nearly 20 states across America have voted to end the practice of paying less than minimum wage to working age adults with disabilities. This issue cuts across partisan politics, which is why states such as Washington, Texas, Maryland, and South Carolina have ensured fair pay for an hour of work, regardless of disability status.

Back in May, the Illinois House of Representatives passed this legislation with 78 bipartisan yes votes. IARF believes it is time to invest in the future of persons with disabilities by passing Dignity in Pay in the Illinois Senate so we can continue shared goals of creating job opportunities for people with disabilities.

Josh Evans
President and CEO
Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities

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It’s just a bill (Updated)

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* WGEM…

Illinois is one step closer to requiring workers with intellection and developmental disabilities be paid the full minimum wage.

The state Senate Executive Committee passed the Dignity in Pay Act Wednesday by a 9-3 margin with bipartisan support. It now heads to the Senate floor.

“Old-fashioned stereotypes about the limit and worth of disabled lives must change,” said Ryan Croke from the Pritzker administration. […]

The bill would end Illinois’s 14(c) certificate program, which allows some employers to pay people with disabilities less than the minimum wage. Though administered by the federal government, Illinois lawmakers can outlaw the program from being used in the state.

…Adding… HB793 passed the Senate 43-11. It will be sent to the governor.

* Tribune…

With legislation pending in the Illinois General Assembly to govern coal ash, and proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules under consideration to regulate both coal ash and Ethelyn Oxide (EtO), a local sense of urgency is growing with changes coming in Washington, D.C.

For nearly three years, state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, pushed legislation to require NRG to remove rather than fill the two coal ash ponds at its decommissioned Waukegan electrical power plant. […]

When the 103rd General Assembly convened in early 2023, Mayfield posed her bill again and said she remains five votes short. Some of her Democratic colleagues fear it could cause coal-fired power plants in their districts to close, putting people out of work.

Mayfield said she hopes to get it done in January’s lame duck session which convenes a few days before the 104th General Assembly takes office.

* Sen. Laura Fine…

To ensure patients suffering from chronic pain receive recommended treatment, State Senator Laura Fine passed legislation to authorize physicians to prescribe controlled substances according to updated federal guidelines.

“To combat the opioid epidemic, in 2016 states instituted policies that severely restricted the prescribing of certain opioids,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “As a result, chronic pain patients with a legitimate need for these medications were at risk of self-medicating and putting their mental and physical health in jeopardy.”

House Bill 5373 reflects new guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the prescribing of opioids for chronic pain. The legislation would allow physicians to make necessary prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids, without strict limitations based on dosage amounts except as provided under federal law.

Additionally, Fine’s bill would protect patient confidentiality by preventing the release of opioid prescription and treatment information without a legal order verified by the Illinois Department of Human Services or an administrative subpoena from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. […]

House Bill 5373 passed the Senate on Wednesday.

* Rep. Cyril Nichols introduced HB5917 this morning…

Amends the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Article of the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that, on or before July 1 of each calendar year, each pharmacy benefit manager registered in this State must submit a report to the Director of Insurance detailing specified information concerning pricing discounts, rebates, or other financial incentives received by the pharmacy benefit manager during the previous calendar year; the terms and conditions of any contract between the pharmacy benefit manager and any party related to providing pharmacy benefit manager services to a health plan; and any activity, policy, practice, contract, or arrangement of the pharmacy benefit manager that may directly or indirectly present a conflict of interest. Provides that the Director may, at the Director’s discretion, require additional quarterly reports. Sets forth provisions concerning confidentiality and rulemaking. Effective January 1, 2026.

* 25News Now…

Wednesday in Springfield, Republican State Reps. Charlie Meier, David Friess, and Bill Hauter raised concerns over drug exposure in Illinois prisons.

They said many inmates receive mail, ask for bug fumigation in their cells, and then smoke the mail laced with insecticide as cigarettes. The lawmakers said this is causing other inmates and workers to get sick from the smoke. […]

The representatives are supporting Bill 5893, which will require the Illinois Department of Corrections to implement a policy of electronically scanning and processing all incoming mail for inmates.[…]

Meier said a pilot program for electronic mail is scheduled to start in seven months, but he said prisons cannot wait that long.

* Sen. Mike Simmons…

State Senator Mike Simmons is sponsoring legislation to strengthen workforce recruitment and retention for educators and childcare providers in Illinois.

“We need a plan for Illinois families and childcare providers to be able to find the best employees possible,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “By getting feedback from all parties, we can create a comprehensive plan that sets children, families and providers up for success.”

Under the legislation, the existing State Comprehensive Day Care Plan survey of day care facilities would include feedback from groups and individuals with relevant expertise and lived experiences with the goal of promoting workforce recruitment and retention for educators and childcare providers.

“We need to hear from the folks directly affected by workforce challenges, and with this legislation, we can bring more people to the table while we continue to address this ongoing problem,” Simmons said. “With the help of communities across the state who are struggling with childcare solutions, we can find better ways Illinois can assist in addressing the employment shortcomings.”

House Bill 814 passed the Senate on Wednesday.

  11 Comments      


Open thread

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

  10 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: ‘A danger to the people of Illinois’: Calls mount for lawmaker to step down over alleged racist comments. FOX 32…

    -Illinois State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz faces calls to resign after high school teacher Fuzia Jarad and CAIR accused her of making anti-Muslim comments during a personal encounter and on social media.
    -Feigenholtz denies the allegations, calling them baseless, and says she is working to rebuild trust with her community.
    -CAIR has urged Senate President Don Harmon to strip Feigenholtz of committee leadership roles if she refuses to step down.

* Related stories…

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Man suspected of killing estranged wife before being found dead was previously released on electronic monitoring: Weeks before a man allegedly fatally stabbed his estranged wife in a Portage Park attack that also injured a police officer, he appeared before a Cook County judge on accusations that he threw her to the ground and held her in his car, records show. During a detention hearing, Cook County prosecutors argued for detention as the public defender for Constantin Beldie, 57, hit back against the state’s evidence. Judge Thomas Nowinski ordered him released on electronic monitoring, finding that prosecutors did not meet their burden for detention. He criticized the case work, calling it “a little sloppy,” according to a court transcript of the Oct. 9 proceeding.

* Sun-Times | NW suburban state Rep. Martin McLaughlin on track for reelection by just 47 votes: With the final ballots counted this week in the hotly contested 52nd House District that includes Algonquin, Wauconda and Mundelein, Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, had 29,520 votes — about 50.04% of the total — compared to 29,473 for Democratic challenger Maria Peterson.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WCBU | Here’s why some lawmakers want to ban paper mail going into Illinois prisons: In a statement, Illinois Department of Corrections spokesperson Naomi Puzzello said while the agency is “exploring additional options to enhance safety,” it has already intensified mail screening protocols, and is encouraging staff to use personal protective equipment when handling mail.

* Tribune | Ex-transportation official gets 18 months in prison in bribery case involving then-state Sen. Sandoval: William Helm, the onetime deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation and a former state transportation official, also admitted in a plea agreement with prosecutors earlier this year that he and others helped arrange $40,000 in bribes to other, unnamed officials.

*** Statewide ***

* Tribune | Conservative group asks US Supreme Court to reverse ruling that allows Illinois mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day: The appeal, filed Tuesday by the organization Judicial Watch, also asks the nation’s highest court to clarify rulings about who has the right to appeal post-Election Day challenges, after many lawsuits contesting individual state results of the 2020 election filed on behalf of Donald Trump were tossed for lack of standing. Judicial Watch was among several groups that assisted Trump in seeking to halt the counting of mail-in ballots after Election Day four years ago when Trump lost to President Joe Biden.

*** Chicago ***

* WGN | Chicago ‘solves’ murders in which no arrest is made: Most notably, police closed 117 homicide cases this year due to what’s called “bar to prosecute.” Simply put, it means police believe they identified the killer, but prosecutors would not approve charges. If police included only cases closed by arrest, this year’s homicide clearance rate would be 23 percent, according to police data, reviewed by WGN Investigates.

* Bond Buyer | S&P places Chicago’s GO bonds on watch negative: S&P Global Ratings placed Chicago’s general obligation bond rating on watch negative Tuesday, warning the city against heavy reliance on one-time budget solutions, as reports suggest Mayor Brandon Johnson has slashed his proposed property tax increase in half in order to get his 2025 budget approved by the City Council.

* Press Release | CTU to Hold “Resist Trump’s Project 2025” Rally to Defend Public Schools & Chicago’s Students and their Families: The Chicago Teachers Union’s members will be rallying at the Chicago Temple on Thursday, November 21st, to demand the settlement of their contract, protest the planned closures of schools by Acero, and call for expanded protections against the racist, sexist, anti-LGBTQ, anti-worker agenda being planned by the Trump administration.

* The Triibe | Today’s Chicago City Council regrets the infamous 2008 parking meter deal: “I wasn’t in on the negotiation,” Ald. Emma Mitts (37th Ward) told The TRiiBE about the parking meters. She was one of the 40 alders who voted in favor of the deal. At the time, she had been in office for eight years. Today, Mitts and other alderpersons in the Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus, who also voted for Daley’s deal back then, admit that the deal wasn’t smart but some also say it would’ve done little to solve the city’s current financial crisis. The deal, now 16 years old, has been widely criticized as being one of the most foolish deals in Chicago’s history.

* WBBM | Ex-rideshare driver suing Uber, Lyft, Chicago for violating workers’ rights: Cohran is suing Uber, Lyft and the city of Chicago after she was deactivated from the rideshare apps for allegedly spitting on a passenger, which she said is not true. “That’s assault,” she said. “I’ve never assaulted anyone ever, so it was crazy. My life being turned around, and they wouldn’t even really hear me out.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau says state comptroller trying to ‘inflict harm’ on residents in holding back money: The Village Board approved a resolution Monday accusing the comptroller of singling out Orland Park for harsh treatment while dozens of government entities throughout the state have been late in filing audits but not subject to the same treatment. The comptroller has “decided to try to inflict harm on the people of Orland Park,” Mayor Keith Pekau said. He called the comptroller’s actions “capricious and unacceptable.”

* Crain’s | Evanston looks at eliminating single-family-only zoning: The proposal is one piece of a comprehensive overhaul of all zoning in the North Shore city that officials rolled out in early November and hope to have finalized in the spring. If approved, it will put Evanston in company with, among others, the city of Minneapolis and the states of Oregon, California and Washington. “It’s an important question for the community to consider based on the increasing costs of housing,” said Liz Williams, the city’s planning manager. “Evanston is known historically for its diversity of housing types, and this particular change is intended to expand housing choices for residents at all income levels and life stages.”

* Daily Herald | Just follow the arrows: Tollway unveils I-294 SmartRoad system to give real-time traffic tips: Similar to the Jane Addams Tollway SmartRoad that went live in 2017, the I-294 version introduced Wednesday will stretch between Wolf Road and Balmoral Avenue. The system will expand and eventually there will be 80 gantries placed every half mile on I-294 between Oak Lawn and Rosemont.

*** Downstate ***

* BND | Former East St. Louis administrator charged with alleged misuse of city credit card: Carlos Mayfield, 60, was arrested and charged on Oct. 1 after an investigation by Illinois State Police determined he used the card to make personal purchases. Mayfield is accused of taking between $500-$10,000 of Government property, a class 2 felony. He is also accused of fraudulent use of a credit/debit card, a class 4 felony, according to charging documents.

* Illinois Times | Frank Vala helped fund recorder’s race: Langfelder said he sees Springfield businessman Frank Vala’s political fingerprints behind the scenes. Vala helped finance Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher’s successful 2023 campaign to unseat Josh Langfelder’s brother, Jim. […] “I walked into a restaurant where he’s having breakfast with some individuals – some political individuals – and he basically grabbed my hand and said, ‘You know, it’s nothing against you, it’s against your brother.’ I said, ‘Well, I’ve never met you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Josh Langfelder. And he said, ‘Well, I’m just gonna tell you, your brother tried to kick me off the (Springfield Airport Authority) board. That’s the reason I got Frank Lesko to run against you.’ So, do I see fingerprints on it? Yeah.”

* RR Star | ’Please think!’: Anti-abortion protesters convene outside Rockford clinic on opening day : Midwest Reproductive Health Executive Director Ali Kliegman said the protesters did not interfere with the clinic’s opening. “We just, you know, let them do their thing and we ignored them,” Kliegman said. “They yelled at us, which I would say is a type of mental violence, but that was the extent of it.”

*** National ***

* NYT | U.S. Proposes Breakup of Google to Fix Search Monopoly: Beyond the sale of Chrome, the government asked Judge Mehta to give Google a choice: either sell Android, its smartphone operating system, or bar Google from making its services mandatory on phones that use Android to operate. If Google broke those terms, or the remedies failed to improve competition, the government could force the company to sell Android at a later date.

  12 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Live coverage

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Uber’s Local Partnership = Stress-Free Travel For Paratransit Riders

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

The Pace Rideshare Access Program subsidizes Uber trips, leaving riders with a co-pay of just $2.

The impact: “This program has been a godsend for me. It offers flexibility, independence, freedom and the ability to maintain a beautiful life on so many levels,” says one rider.

CTA: See how it works.

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Subscribers know more. Brenden Moore…


* Governor Pritzker…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), local leaders, and Marshalltown Hammer Company leadership to announce new investments in Bushnell. In support of the project, the State of Illinois provided a $5 million grant to enable Marshalltown Hammer to acquire and establish operations in the former Vaughan & Bushnell facility. […]

With the acquisition and support from Illinois, Marshalltown Hammer has committed to retaining at least 100 full-time jobs at its Bushnell facility, investing in updating manufacturing equipment, and rebuilding the inventory needed to continue to manufacture tools at this site. Facility improvements includes purchasing of material handling equipment, production equipment repairs, and installing robotic grinding.

Since the Marshalltown Hammer acquisition, the quality of work life has improved for employees, with increases in wages, improved health care plan with more affordable benefits, coverage of outstanding medical debt from previous owners, maintaining the years of service for each employee as it pertains to retirement, and reestablishment of a competitive Employee 401(k) Retirement Plan.

* FYI…


*** Madigan Trial ***

* Sun-Times | ‘Do the political work, keep the contract’: Top precinct captain takes the stand against Illinois’ once-powerful House speaker: A former top precinct captain for former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan testified Wednesday that he was paid thousands of dollars through another Madigan ally’s law firm so he’d continue campaigning for the Southwest Side Democrat — and for little else. That money came from ComEd, jurors in Madigan’s racketeering conspiracy trial have been told. It was funneled to Ed Moody through Michael McClain, an ex-lawmaker-turned-lobbyist. The utility ultimately paid $1.3 million to five Madigan allies over eight years, evidence has shown.

* Post-Tribune. | Court filing: Former Portage Mayor James Snyder can be tried on bribery charge: Former Portage Mayor James Snyder could find himself having another go in court on a bribery charge involving the purchase of garbage trucks if the government so chooses, according to a Wednesday filing by the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The appellate court had its say after the case was remanded from the U.S. Supreme Court, which in June overturned Snyder’s conviction 6-3 for accepting $13,000 from the Buha brothers, owners of Great Lakes Peterbilt, for alleged consulting work, and deemed the payment a gratuity.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Center Square | IL Republicans praise Trump’s Department of Education pick, plan to close agency: Wednesday, state Rep. Blaine Wilhour praised McMahon as Trump’s pick.“Linda McMahon did a great job cutting through the B.S. at the Small Business [Administration] in the last Trump presidency, so we’re pretty excited about it,” Wilhour said.

*** Chicago ***

* Bloomberg | S&P Warns It May Downgrade Chicago’s Credit Rating Amid Budget Fight: S&P Global Ratings late Tuesday put the city on “CreditWatch with negative implications” as officials mull one-time measures to close the shortfall. While the firm affirmed its BBB+ rating, analysts see at least a one-in-two chance of a cut in the next three months. A downgrade hinges on the 2025 budget passage and whether the gap is closed with one-time fixes rather than structural changes, Scott Nees, an S&P credit analyst, said in a statement.

* Press Release | Broad Coalition Launches to Oppose Chicago Alcohol Tax Hike: By hiking a regressive tax, City Hall would disproportionately harm those who can least afford it with low-income Chicagoans and local small businesses bearing the greatest share of the burden. As working families in Chicago struggle to make ends meet with rising costs, the proposed alcohol tax hike will mean paying even more at the checkout counter. “City Hall wants Chicagoans to pay one of the highest alcohol tax rates in the nation,” said the Chicago Alcohol Tax Coalition. “Instead of helping families make ends meet, supporting workers, and growing our small businesses, City Hall is trying to make it even harder to do business in the city of Chicago. As representatives of small businesses, home-grown companies, and working people across this city, we are coming together to tell City Hall that Chicago can’t afford this latest tax increase. We urge the members of Chicago City Council to stand with us and say no to the alcohol tax hike.”


* ProPublica | In Five Years, Chicago Has Barely Made Progress on Its Court-Ordered Police Reforms. Here’s Why: In fact, all told, police have fully complied with just 9% of the agreement’s requirements. And while excessive force complaints from citizens have dropped, complaints about all forms of misconduct have risen. Sheila Bedi, an attorney who represented the coalition of police reform groups that sued the city years ago, called the faltering reform effort a “tragedy.” “It has been a waste of time and money,” said Bedi, a Northwestern University law professor. “It has been nothing more than an exercise in pushing paper.”

* Tribune | Chicago Park District $600M budget includes fee hikes but stable property taxes: The fresh fees included in the proposed 2025 budget would apply to bowling, roller skating, harbor, parking and green fees at district golf courses. Day camp rates will also climb back to pre-pandemic levels, but only for some programs, General Superintendent and CEO Rosa Escareño told the Tribune Tuesday ahead of her budget presentation to the district’s board. “We’re looking at this through an equitable lens, so some of the camps that can absorb and be brought up to the 2019 levels, they will,” she said. In areas with lower-income families, “those will not rise yet.”

* Tribune | Chicago seen as safe haven for homeless youth in uncertain climate: ‘I wouldn’t trade it for the world’: Indeed, as attitudes and legal protections toward LGBTQ+ populations have deteriorated in other parts of the country, some Chicago-based organizations have reported a spike in the past two years of unaccompanied youth from outside Chicago who seek their help. “We’re at a moment where national policy and state policy are pushing people out of their communities,” said Niya Kelly, director of state legislative policy, equity and transformation for the Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness. “They may end up in the state of Illinois or in Chicago because it feels safe, or safer, like you can build a community here.”

* Block Club | State Board Of Ed Closes Investigation Into CPS Restraint, Timeout Practices After Almost Two Years: The district’s office for special education has created a Physical Restraint Time Out Team, which is responsible for documenting incidents, school staff has been fully trained in de-escalation and physical management techniques, and the district is working closely with schools if additional training is needed, according to the district spokesperson. Chicago Public Schools reports that 5,140 staff members across schools are fully trained in both de-escalation and physical management techniques as of this month.

* Chicago Reader | Shedd workers approve union: Shedd Aquarium is the ninth Chicago-area cultural institution to unionize with AFSCME Council 31 in the past three years. Now that they’ve won the union vote, members have set their sights on negotiating their first contract with Shedd leadership. The freshly unionized workers include 110 employees in guest relations, 50 in learning and community, and 15 in development and marketing. Some portion of workers are not yet unionized—like those in the animal care department—but are on track for a union vote soon.

* Sun-Times | Angel Reese, former Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon won’t reunite in Unrivaled league’s inaugural season: On Wednesday, rosters were announced for the league co-founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, and Reese landed on the Rose Basketball Club, coached by Nola Henry. Reese’s teammates include Kahleah Copper and Azurá Stevens, members of the Sky’s 2021 WNBA championship team; three-time WNBA champion Chelsea Gray; guard Brittney Sykes; and shooting guard Lexie Hull. Weatherspoon was tapped to lead Vinyl Basketball Club. Her roster includes Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale, Dream guard Rhyne Howard, Fever forward Aliyah Boston, Dream guard Jordin Canada, Sparks shooting guard Rae Burrell and Sparks forward Dearica Hamby. Weatherspoon was fired after one season with the Sky. The team went 13-27 and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

* WBEZ | Without Native Americans, would we have Chicago as we know it?: November is National Native American Heritage Month. Curious City listener Mark Liechty often finds himself wondering what Chicago was like hundreds of years ago, before the city was officially incorporated in 1837, when thousands of Native Americans were living in villages throughout the region. “One of the ways I try to relate to the place I’m living is to try to understand what it was like in the past,” he said.

* Sun-Times | Sake 101: Chicago experts help us navigate the mysterious, elegant Japanese rice wine: Daniel Bennett’s eye-opener came while working for Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. For Bennett, sake provided a window into Japanese cuisine and culture. Since then, he’s passionately explored this ancient beverage, including at his current gig as assistant general manager at Sushi-san and The Omakase Room. His journey includes earning the title of certified sake professional and crafting a private label sake, Sake-san, for the restaurants in partnership with a brewery in Osaka, Japan.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Move judge who released man accused of killing wife despite unsettling abuse charges, advocates say: The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence urged Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans to move Nowinski out of the domestic violence division and ensure that he no longer presides over such cases. Nowinski previously faced criticism for denying a protective order against Crosetti Brand, who later stabbed the pregnant woman who sought protection and killed her son in March. “Judge Nowinski’s failure to protect the community has now resulted in two tragic, preventable murders,” said Amanda Pyron, president and CEO of The Network. “He has repeatedly shown he does not have the judgment necessary to keep survivors safe, and at a minimum he must be reassigned.

* Cook County Record | Controversial Cook County judge loses retention bid, unofficial vote totals show: According to unofficial results posted by the Cook County Clerk and the Chicago Board of Elections, only 57.9% of voters had voted to allow O’Malley to retain his judgeship, more than 2 percentage points short of the 60% approval needed to win another term as judge.

* the Regional News | Peakau, Dodge to duke it out in Orland Park: At one time, Keith Pekau and Jim Dodge were on friendly terms. Pekau said he even supported Dodge for Illinois treasurer in the 2018 election. But things went sour during their time on the village board with Pekau being the mayor and Dodge a senior trustee and the two frequently locked horns until Dodge declined to run in 2021. Now the two will lock horns in the 2025 mayoral election, which will take place April 1.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | U of I study tracks harmful particles in landfills, wastewater plants: Scientists measured the liquid waste released by Illinois landfills and wastewater treatment plants. Although the study did find that landfills keep most of the plastic that’s dumped, and wastewater treatment plants remove 99% of microplastics, both microplastics and PFAS gather in biosolids.

* WCIA | Threats against superintendent ‘not credible’: Danville Police: According to Police Chief Chris Yates, the situation stems from the “bizarre behavior” of a former student who allegedly used racist language and was displaying a Confederate flag on his truck. Geddis first created a police report with Danville Police on Sept. 30. In the report, she said she noticed a truck with Confederate flags following her throughout town and outside her workplace multiple times in late September. After reviewing surveillance camera footage, Danville Police were able to confirm that Geddis had seen multiple different trucks. None of the trucks belonged to the former student that Geddis believed to have been harassing her.

* WCBU | Divided Peoria City Council passes full ban on homeless campsites: Political divisions on the Peoria City Council came to the forefront Tuesday as elected officials again weighed the possibility of adopting an ordinance to ban unauthorized camping in public. Ultimately, the council voted 6-5 to enact the prohibition of homeless encampments with the possibility of jail terms among potential penalties for multiple violations.

* WCBU | Spears ekes out a win over incumbent Ierulli in contested Peoria County judicial race: Spears had 63 more votes than the incumbent after the final tally was completed. The Tazewell County public defender consistently ran ahead of Ierulli, but his lead widened as additional mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day and provisional ballots continued to be counted ahead of the November 19 deadline to close the count out.

* BND | St. Clair County man, a decorated war veteran, fought years to save the home in which he died: Post-traumatic stress disorder, remnant of the firefights he took part in amid the highlands and valleys near the Cambodian border, had left him 70% disabled. Sculpture became his therapy. But neighbors complained to St. Clair County about the vividly colored scraps of metal and plastic bolted together that adorned Euge’s yard. Citations had been written and neighbor threatened a lawsuit, Jason Euge said. The most recent of those complaints was dismissed in 2020, according to St. Clair County Circuit Court records.

*** National ***

* NYT | How Bluesky, Alternative to X and Facebook, Is Handling Explosive Growth:Bluesky was initially financed with a grant from Twitter under Dorsey; Musk cut ties with the Bluesky team after he bought Twitter. Bluesky later raised more than $23 million in two rounds of venture funding from private investors. From there, a team of about a half dozen, led by Graber, began building the “AT protocol.” That is a technical term for the code that would essentially let independent developers create their own social networks atop it, while allowing people to carry their digital identities and information across different platforms. Using this technology, Bluesky executives say, people can tailor their own algorithms to show themselves the kinds of social media posts they want to see.

* AP | 6 monkeys are still on the loose from a South Carolina compound after dozens escaped: Two more Rhesus macaques were trapped Sunday outside the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee, bringing the total of recovered monkeys to 37 of the 43 that escaped, Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said in a statement relayed by Yemassee Police in a social media post. Both monkeys recaptured Sunday were examined and were in “excellent condition,” said Westergaard, who was present when they were recovered.

  6 Comments      


Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small.

We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Emil, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.

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Some election news (Updated)

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* President…

* Freshman incumbent Democrat Eric Sorensen increased his percentage to 54.3 from 51.98 in 2022…

More congressional results are here.

* Legislative…

Subscribers know more about other contested legislative and judicial races.

* Two years ago, Rep. Syed defeated a Republican incumbent who had managed to unseat a different Democratic incumbent, so she under-performed the top of the ticket. This time around, her percentages were more aligned with the new map…

Click here to read the rest of her thread.

…Adding… Wow…

  19 Comments      


Meanwhile… In Opposite Land

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* North Carolina…

North Carolina Republicans advanced extensive legislation Tuesday that would weaken the powers of the incoming governor, attorney general and schools superintendent — all Democrats who were elected two weeks ago — and shift election board appointments to the GOP state auditor.

The final 131-page measure, which also includes setting aside additional funds for Hurricane Helene relief, became public roughly an hour before the GOP-controlled House met to debate it during a lame-duck General Assembly session this week. The House voted largely along party lines Tuesday night for the measure, which the Republican-controlled Senate was expected to take up on Wednesday. […]

Currently the State Board of Elections’ five members are appointed by the governor based on recommendations by the Democratic and Republican parties. The governor’s party always holds three of the seats. Republican legislators have tried for years to wrest away those appointment powers but have been thwarted by courts. Judges have blocked for now a 2023 law that would move board appointment authority from the governor to the General Assembly.

Even with litigation pending, Tuesday’s measure would move the independent state board to the State Auditor’s Office starting next summer. At that time the new auditor — Republican Dave Boliek, who was elected this month — would make appointments. These changes likely would mean Republican control of the board.

In a likely response to complaints about slow vote-counting this month, the bill also would require in 2025 that county election boards count all provisional ballots by three days after Election Day.

* In 2021, Illinois became the second state to fully repeal its HIV-specific criminal law. Indiana…

Indiana laws criminalizing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission are “outdated” and largely unnecessary, asserts a Thursday report from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. […]

Nearly all are felonies punishable by years-long imprisonments and fines of up to $10,000 — and half include enhancements for actual transmission. None require intent to transmit.

Indiana’s contaminated bodily fluids and semen donations bans are the state’s oldest HIV criminal laws, per the report, which found that current U.S. Food and Drug Administration practices are “highly effective” at keeping the blood and plasma supply, as well as semen donations or transfers, safe. […]

In a separate report, the institute found that Indiana has arrested 18 Hoosiers with HIV on charges of donating plasma since 2000 — but not under provisions penalizing actual transmission. Nearly all were convicted of at least one HIV-related crime.

* Washington DC…

House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled support Tuesday for a Republican effort to ban Democrat Sarah McBride — the first transgender person to be elected to Congress — from using women’s restrooms in the Capitol once she’s sworn into office next year.

“We’re not going to have men in women’s bathrooms,” Johnson told The Associated Press. “I’ve been consistent about that with anyone I’ve talked to about this.”

Johnson earlier in the day emphasized the need to “treat all persons with dignity and respect,” adding, “This is an issue that Congress has never had to address before, and we’re going to do that in deliberate fashion with member consensus on it.”

A resolution proposed Monday by GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina would prohibit any lawmakers and House employees from “using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.” Mace said the bill is aimed specifically at McBride, who was elected to the House this month from Delaware.

* South Carolina…

South Carolina now faces a lawsuit stemming from a rule dictating who is allowed to use which restrooms at school.

The people who have filed the legal challenge claim they are now facing “grave violations of their civil and constitutional rights” because of it.

The lawsuit focuses on a temporary law in the current state budget, called a proviso, which requires people, including students, to use school restrooms and locker rooms based on their biological sex at birth.

Schools that violate the law by not enforcing it risk losing a quarter of their state funding.

* Alabama…

When the Alabama Legislature approved a near-total abortion ban in 2019, some Republican members of the Legislature downplayed the impact of the legislation, saying it was meant as a challenge to Roe v. Wade and that the state would revisit the issue if Roe fell, possibly in a “heartbeat” bill that would ban the procedure at about six weeks after conception.

“I have prayed my way through this issue and this bill, because it was hard to give up heartbeat,” Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, said at the time. “I believe we can’t get a heartbeat bill until we get Roe v. Wade turned over.”

More than five years later, and over two-and-a-half years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended federal abortion rights protections, Alabama’s ban seems unlikely to change despite successes of abortion rights advocates in other parts of the country.

Collins, who sponsored the legislation, said in a recent interview she had asked other lawmakers if they were interested in moving to a heartbeat bill, and she did not find that they did. […]

Seven states earlier this month voted to enshrine or expand abortion rights in their state constitutions, but such a move would face high hurdles in Alabama. The state has no referendum process allowing citizens to put proposed laws on the ballot, requiring any changes to be made by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Even if the Legislature was moved to add exceptions to the law, it would likely face major legal action from anti-abortion rights activists.

* Texas…

Texas’ education board on Tuesday advanced a new Bible-infused curriculum that would be optional for schools to incorporate in kindergarten through fifth grades, one of the latest Republican-led efforts in the U.S. to incorporate more religious teaching into classrooms.

The vote moves the Texas State Board of Education one step closer to signing off on what is known as the “Bluebonnet” textbook, which drew hours of often emotional testimony from school teachers and parents earlier this week.

The board is expected to hold a final vote on the measure Friday.

The curriculum — designed by the state’s public education agency — would allow teachings from the Bible such as the Golden Rule and lessons from books such as Genesis into classrooms. Under the plan, it would be optional for schools to adopt the curriculum though they would receive additional funding if they did so.

  58 Comments      


Roundup: Former ComEd board appointee testifies about Madigan’s role in securing his seat

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Courthouse News Service…

Juan Ochoa, a former board member of Illinois’ largest electric utility company ComEd, took the stand Tuesday in the ongoing federal corruption trial of ex-Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Ochoa, current CEO of facilities services company Miramar Group, is a businessman who has been active in Chicago politics for decades. He told jurors Tuesday he had done “election work” for ex-Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, and he helped found the Latino Leadership Council PAC in Chicago in 2018.

Blagojevich also appointed Ochoa CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which operates Chicago’s McCormick Place and Navy Pier, in January 2007, though Ochoa left the authority in May 2010.

Ochoa only stayed on the board of ComEd for a year, from April 2019 to April 2020, but how he got his seat — and the $78,000 pay that came with it — informs several of the government’s conspiracy and bribery charges against Madigan. Jurors saw evidence Tuesday that then-House Speaker Madigan pushed ComEd to take on Ochoa as a favor to other influential Latino politicians in the Chicago area, including former Democratic Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez and current Democratic Illinois Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.

* Tribune…

The episode of Ochoa’s appointment to ComEd’s board is central to the one of the biggest allegations in the case against Madigan and McClain, a longtime ComEd contract lobbyist and self-described “agent” of the speaker. In exchange, prosecutors allege, Madigan used his position to help with the utility’s legislative agenda.

It’s also a lesson in the strange political machinery of Chicago, where changing demographics in Madigan’s Southwest Side ward led to an unusual alliance with Gutierrez and Garcia, two influential Latino politicians who had never endorsed the speaker until the 2016 election.

In fact, Ochoa had been on the outs with Madigan ever since he had personally fired a McPier employee in 2007 who’d previously served as a Madigan legislative staffer in the General Assembly.

After the employee’s termination, Ochoa hit a brick wall when it came time to negotiate for House approval of legislation to refinance McPier’s high-interest bonds in early 2008. Eventually, Ochoa resigned because he felt the debt refinancing would never pass if he stayed on, according to Ochoa’s statements to investigators

* Sun-Times…

The process took more than a year. It prompted pushback from Latino leaders such as Martin Sandoval and Iris Martinez, who were Democratic state senators at the time. But jurors also heard how Madigan told McClain he wanted then-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore to keep pushing. They also heard McClain pass along the instruction and Pramaggiore agree to it.

“I will keep pressing,” she said of the pending Ochoa appointment, which didn’t become official until April 2019.

Along the way, Pramaggiore told McClain that, “you take good care of me … and so does our friend, and I will do the best that I can … to take care of you.” Jurors have heard that McClain and others often used the phrase “our friend” to refer to Madigan.[…]

Ochoa testified that he prompted the meeting with Gutierrez and Madigan. Todd Pugh, one of Madigan’s defense attorneys, pressed Ochoa on the point Tuesday. He asked Ochoa, “Mike Madigan didn’t reach out to you or Congressman Gutierrez to say, ‘Hey, thanks for helping me out with the election’? That’s not the way it worked, correct?”

Ochoa agreed that wasn’t how it happened.

* Capitol News Illinois…

They spoke once more a couple months later once Ochoa had finally been appointed to the board, asking McClain to pass along his thanks to Madigan. McClain told Ochoa that there was a “bigger team” behind him all along, including Pramaggiore, whom McClain encouraged Ochoa to thank separately.

Late in the afternoon on May 14, 2019 – two weeks after Ochoa’s first ComEd board meeting – Ochoa did just that, emailing Pramaggiore and asking if he could take her to breakfast or lunch that summer.

Unbeknownst to Ochoa, a few hours before he sent his message, FBI agents conducted a coordinated series of searches at the homes of Madigan allies, including McClain. Agents also showed up to Pramaggiore’s door with a subpoena to seize her cell phone, according to her testimony in last year’s “ComEd Four” trial.

Did Ochoa ever end up sharing a meal with Pramaggiore that summer, Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur asked as she wrapped up her direct examination on Tuesday.

“I did not,” Ochoa replied.

* More…

    * Tribune | Madigan jury expected to hear from precinct captain: Jurors in the Michael Madigan corruption trial on Wednesday are expected to hear testimony from legendary 13th Ward precinct captain Edward Moody, the onetime Cook County Recorder of Deeds who prosecutors say raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars from ComEd through do-nothing consulting contract. Moody, who along with his twin brother, Fred, was one of Madigan’s most trusted election-time door-knockers, testified at the related “ComEd Four” bribery trial last year that the speaker made it clear that the money would dry up if Moody stopped working on campaigns.

  17 Comments      


This judge needs to be pulled off of domestic violence cases (Updated x2)

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From March…

As Chicago’s top cop announced charges Friday against a convicted felon accused of brutally stabbing his ex-girlfriend and killing her 11-year-old son, Police Supt. Larry Snelling repeatedly said the attack “should’ve never happened.”

But questions remained over what should have been done to prevent the attack, including why Crosetti Brand, 37, was released from the Stateville Correctional Center on Tuesday after having been sent back to prison earlier this year for menacing the pregnant woman while on parole.

The next day, Brand allegedly forced his way into the woman’s Edgewater apartment, stabbed her repeatedly, then stabbed her son Jayden Perkins when the boy came to her aid.

The woman had repeatedly asked for help from authorities in the weeks before the attack, including seeking an emergency order of protection that was denied by a Cook County judge. […]

In the meantime, the woman sought an emergency protection order. During a Feb. 21 hearing, the woman told Judge Thomas Nowinski that Chicago police didn’t let her file a report when she called about Brand. Instead, they told her to get a protection order. “They asked me, do I have one currently,” she said, “and I told them no.”

At no time during the hearing did the judge ask questions about the alleged texts or Brand’s visit to the home, according to a transcript.

Nowinski decided against issuing an order, even though the woman testified under oath that she had previously sought one against Brand in 2009.

* Yesterday…

A man suspected of fatally stabbing his wife Tuesday in Portage Park had already been facing charges for allegedly choking and attempting to kidnap her last month, but he was released on GPS monitoring, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

Hours after the Tuesday stabbing, the suspect, 57, was found dead inside a car a block away.

An off-duty detective witnessed the stabbing about 2:25 p.m. in the 5600 block of West Leland Avenue and suffered a gunshot wound while trying to intervene, according to a preliminary statement from Chicago police. […]

The man was previously charged in a separate attack against his wife on Oct. 9 — the same day he was served with an emergency order of protection she had sought, court records show.

Prosecutors filed a petition that day to have him held in Cook County Jail pending trial, but it was denied by Judge Thomas E. Nowinski. Nowinski instead released the suspect on GPS monitoring, ordered him to refrain from possessing weapons and forbade him from visiting his wife’s home, work or school.

According to her petition for the protective order, the second the woman had sought against her husband this year, she said he grabbed her as she was walking to the bus, tried to cover her mouth to stop her from screaming and attempted to knock her unconscious.

Judge Nowinski, who serves in the court’s Domestic Violence Division, is Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Iris Martinez’s former chief of staff.

* And before anyone pops off in comments, every major group that works with domestic violence survivors in this state supported the SAFE-T Act because it gave judges and prosecutors far more power to keep abusers behind bars until trial.

…Adding… From The Network, an anti-domestic violence advocacy organization…

Yesterday, a woman was stabbed to death by her husband in Portage Park, who then injured an off-duty police officer before taking his own life. According to media reports, the man was previously charged in a separate attack against his wife in October and prosecutors filed a petition to have him held in Cook County Jail pending trial. However, Judge Thomas E. Nowinski denied the petition and released the individual on electronic monitoring. Now, the woman is dead and a police officer is injured.

Judge Nowinski was also at the center of the tragic murder of 11-year-old Jayden Perkins by Crosetti Brand in March. A few weeks prior to the murder, Nowinski refused to issue an order of protection to Jayden’s mother, who was told by Chicago Police to seek order of protection after Brand sent threatening text messages and appeared at Perkins’ home.

Today, The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence is calling on Chief Judge Timothy Evans to reassign Judge Thomas Nowinski from the domestic violence division and ensure Nowinski no longer presides over any domestic violence cases.

“Judge Nowinski’s failure to protect the community has now resulted in two tragic, preventable murders,” said Amanda Pyron, President and CEO of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence. “He has repeatedly shown he does not have the judgment necessary to keep survivors safe, and at a minimum he must be reassigned. When survivors go to the courts for protection, that protection must be effective. Judge Nowinski has failed in that duty, and allowing him to continue to hear domestic violence cases sends the wrong message to survivors across Chicagoland.”

“We also strongly encourage the Pretrial division to review procedures for domestic violence screening to ensure that judges have all necessary information to accurately understand risk, including recent petitions for orders of protection,” said Pyron. “The failure to provide correct information in this case proved lethal.”

…Adding… One of the judge’s longtime friends (who I also know well) wanted to get this into the record…

This is an awful tragedy. If there were tools to perfectly predict human behavior pretrial with zero error, they would be used to prevent these sorts of tragedies.

The facts of this case are that the defendant was served an order of protection to stay away from the victim at the hearing and placed on GPS monitoring. The petition to detain filed by the prosecution stated no history of orders of protection, no prior arrests for assault or threats, and no weapons used.

There are metrics used to assist in risk assessment on whether defendants should be held pretrial, and this defendant had very low pretrial risk assessment scores. He had a 1 for Domestic Violence Screening, no flag for violent criminal activity, and a 2 out of 6 on criminal activity scale. He had no prior convictions or supervisions in his background and no prior arrests for domestic battery based on what was presented in court.

Illinois Appellate Court precedent clearly states that judges must consider GPS and must issue the least restrictive conditions of release. If someone has no background and low scores from pretrial, and without other incidents, detention has routinely been reversed by the appellate court.

The role of protecting the community from violent offenders while also respecting the constitutional rights of the accused is complicated, especially in this modern era. Every case has different facts and must also be viewed in context with hundreds of previous cases that set precedent for the judiciary, public safety professionals, and the attorneys involved in these matters.

The person claims that the office of pretrial services and the state’s attorney claimed there was no history of orders of protection and no prior arrests for assault, harassment, or threats. The judge, he said, doesn’t recall anything brought up by the prosecutors, particularly not a threat to choke her. The state’s attorney didn’t appeal the decision.

  29 Comments      


Caption contest!

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* A top Chicago official was in Springfield yesterday…

Another angle on Capitol Avenue…

  29 Comments      


Open thread

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…

  8 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Here’s how the Citizens Utility Board has saved Illinois consumers billions. Sun-Times…

    - The nonpartisan Citizens Utility Board of Illinois has helped save consumers an estimated $20 billion in blocked rate hikes and refunds over the past 40 years.
    -Created by the state Legislature to be a voice for consumers in utility matters, CUB weighs in on proposed rate hikes by electric, gas and water utilities statewide. It also helps educate consumers, from warning people about shady alternative energy sellers to giving tips for lowering cellphone costs, getting heating discounts and obtaining solar power.
    - CUB started in 1984, and within a year, it had won state reforms requiring audits of utility plant construction costs and other spending.
    - Two years later, it notched its first win against a proposed ComEd rate increase that saved consumers $1.9 billion.

* At noon Governor Pritzker will announce a new DCEO grant award. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | LGBTQ+ families brace for Trump’s second term: ‘The stakes are a lot higher now’: The emails began trickling into Carol Jones’ inbox around 4:30 a.m. Nov. 6, shortly after the presidential election was called for Donald Trump. Later that day, the Chicago-based LGBTQ-focused family lawyer said she was inundated with calls and emails from people with questions about what same-sex parents could do to maintain their parental rights.

* Center Square | IL nursing home operators could be fined if they don’t comply with staffing ratios: A law signed in 2023 by Gov. J.B. Pritzker gives nursing homes until Jan. 1, 2025, to comply with the staffing requirements or they will face fines. Those requirements are based on the hours of care residents in those facilities need per day. Wearing a SEIU brooch and chanting “SEIU” and “put the nursing home industry on notice,” state Sen. Javier Cervantes, D-Chicago, said during his time as an SEIU representative, he heard many grievances about staffing shortages.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WAND | Senate committee unanimously approves bill prioritizing kin-first foster care placement: More than 10,000 youth in care currently live with relatives. Yet, over 60% of those caregivers are denied foster care benefits necessary to care for young people. House Bill 4781 requires DCFS to pursue federal funding to establish a kinship navigator program to help relatives who have youth in care.

* WCIA | Illinois State Capitol Complex security fortified with new rules: “We understand that these changes might present some challenges and – for some – may appear too extreme,” part of the memo reads. “However, in light of the growing number of threats and acts of violence across the nation, we must do everything we can to provide additional layers of security and prevent future tragedies from occurring here.”

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | Johnson accuses critics of ‘tantrums,’ says it’s time they ‘grow up’: Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday accused City Council members who engineered the 50-0 vote shooting down his proposed $300 million property tax increase of “having tantrums” and said it’s time for his critics to “grow up.” Johnson said the unanimous vote was an “additional step” created by a “small group of individuals” that blew a giant hole in his $17.3 billion spending plan and only managed to drag an already delayed budget process well into December.

* ABC Chicago | Chicago City Council considers Mayor Brandon Johnson’s new $150M property tax hike proposal: We want to go down to $100 million. In a perfect world, it’ll be none; that’s where we want to be. But, we also don’t want to go to fines and fees because all you’re doing is kicking it back to the taxpayers. So, we’re looking at efficiencies and enforcement,” 20th Ward Ald. Jeanette Taylor said. There appears to be agreement to tax cloud storage services. That would raise $128 million.

* WBEZ | Behind Chicago’s buzziest art destination: a mysterious Democratic megadonor: “The founder really wanted to create a — we don’t really know what to call ourselves,” says Jan Kallish,Wrightwood 659’s executive director. “Some people say ‘gallery’; some people say ‘museum.’ People, when they hear ‘gallery,’ they think we’re selling things. We’re not. When they hear ‘museum,’ they think we have a collection, and we’re not collecting. We used ‘exhibition space’ for a while.” There’s still no consensus inside the building on what word to use.

* Crain’s | Union League Club’s Monet auctioned for $9 million: The most-prized piece in the Union League Club of Chicago’s art collection sold at auction tonight for just over $9 million, topping the median of the predicted range of $7 million to $10 million. “Pommiers en Fleurs,” or “Apple Trees in Bloom,” by Claude Monet was put up for sale to raise cash for the club to pay down debt, fund upgrades and buy other art.

* ABC Chicago | Inside FBI file of Chicago Outfit boss Joey ‘the Clown’ Lombardo: An early mugshot of Joseph Patrick Lombardo set the bar for his public personality. Even though “the Clown” nickname stuck, in Chicago Outfit circles, Lombardo preferred the nickname “Lumpy,” as a reminder of what he liked to leave behind on the skulls of those he beat up.

* Sun-Times | Jesse White Tumblers keep rolling forward after 65 years of local, global shows: Anthony Cavin has been with the organization for 33 years. He’s 54, 5-foot-6 (“and a half”) and muscular with gray in his beard. He’s a coach, but he still tumbles, even though he’s previously torn both Achilles tendons, had reconstructive surgery on his right wrist and, as a kid, was hit by a ricocheting bullet. Oh yes — he also had a kidney transplant in 2002.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | After 40 years, Skokie mayor Van Dusen not running for re-election: Mayor Daniel Biss of neighboring Evanston told Pioneer Press that Van Dusen is a “thoughtful, extremely pragmatic guy. Skokie is like his universe; he loves that town; he knows it like the back of his hand.” Per the village’s website, Van Dusen has been a resident of Skokie since 1974, though he originally hails from Detroit, Michigan, he said in an interview with Pioneer Press. Van Dusen is also a former Niles Township assistant supervisor, per previous reporting.

* Daily Herald | Geneva council member’s critics, supporters speak out over Facebook post: Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns read aloud a review from the city’s appointed ethics adviser, attorney Charles Radovich, about Naperville attorney Lynda Segneri’s ethics complaint against Paschke. Radovich determined Segneri’s letter was not an ethics complaint because it did not allege a violation of either a prohibited political activity or gift ban activity.

* Daily Herald | Critical habitat’: DuPage forest preserve wants to buy oak-studded land: The roughly 43-acre tract features old-growth oaks. By the district’s count, there are some 240 trees on the site, on the north side of North Avenue, a bit west of Route 59. “It is critical habitat that’s already intact, would not need, necessarily, heavy restoration, and obviously, once those trees are gone, they’re gone forever,” Forest Preserve President Daniel Hebreard said.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | ‘I understand why people may have concerns’; Proposed Champaign homeless shelter: “We have a long waiting list that people have been on, and been sitting on for some time,” C-U at Home Executive Director Melissa Courtwright said. “So, it’s really important to us to try to meet the community need and expand our program.” C-U at Home operates seven shelters across Champaign-Urbana but said that isn’t enough. Courtwright said while they’re aware people in the area are concerned, there are regulations for who can be housed.

* WGEM | Students learn about future in trades at Central Illinois career fair Tuesday: Andrae Richardson was one of the union members answering students’ questions. A member of the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers, he believes events like Tuesday’s fair are key to showing the next generation they have options. “I think these are very big for the community, for us as a whole as the nation, advising children and some parents and people who are not education to this degree. Knowing that with the trades, you can build a better life. You don’t have to go to college to be successful and you can learn right here in your own backyard and get a great wage at the end of the day,” Richardson said.

* WSIL | Jackson County State’s Attorney race decided: What was a tie at the end of the election night on November 5th, both receiving 10,805 votes a piece, has now been decided after county election officials counted provisional ballots. Cascio-Hale will soon take over as the new Jackson County State’s Attorney, after tallying 39 votes more than Cervantez.

* SJ-R | Illinois Innocence Project based in Springfield helps free man after 32 years behind bars: A southern Illinois man who spent over three decades behind bars for a murder evidence proves he did not commit was freed last week thanks in part to the Springfield-based Illinois Innocence Project (IIP). The court vacated the sentence of Danny Davis, 52, of Cairo, and ordered him freed from the Department of Corrections. The state is appealing the ruling of Circuit Court Associate Judge Tyler Edmonds’ made last week in Alexander County.

* WCIA | Time capsule shows off 100 years of U of I history: The actual time capsule contents were damaged after years of being improperly stored. But thanks to the university archives, staff and students can still take a look at what is inside. The display shows off copies of books, pictures and other items that were in the original capsule.

  10 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Live coverage

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Ouch (Updated)

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune op-ed by Dave Nayak…

The results of the presidential election were shocking, not just because of Donald Trump’s landslide victory, but also because of the seismic shift in the electorate. Almost every demographic moved to the right; most strikingly, the working class and minority voters abandoned the status quo in masses.

This should have been a neon warning sign for Gov. JB Pritzker. Yet, he continues to use divisive rhetoric instead of tackling the real issues Illinoisans face daily.

It goes on and on. Nayak, who ran for the open 20th state Senate District in the Democratic primary last spring, asked me to post his op-ed here, but I said it seemed bereft of any actual ideas.

The Tribune identified Nayak as a Democrat, but since the primary he has contributed to the Chicago Republican Party and Republican candidate for the Illinois House Gabbie Shanahan.

* The governor’s chief of staff noted how just a few short months ago, Nayak was touting his connections to JB Pritzker, which apparently didn’t actually exist…


* In what may be related, Nayak just recently loaned his campaign committee $30,000.

…Adding… Nayak recently changed his campaign committee’s party affiliation to Republican. Maybe the Trib could run an addendum.

  18 Comments      


Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* KTVI…

The political battle over the future of EVs is playing out in parts of the St. Louis area and beyond. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to cut EV funding and end what he calls the “EV mandate” on day one of his upcoming presidency.

However, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has other ideas and is charging ahead.

The Democrat governor glad-handed those around at a news conference celebrating the first plug-in at the newest state-funded EV charging station in Joliet, Illinois, Monday. A charging station in Troy, Illinois, is among those already up and running.

Thousands more are in the process of being mapped out and paid for. The state has already awarded more than $60 million from multiple state and federal sources for nearly 1,200 charging ports at 265 locations. An IDOT document reveals the state expects $148 million in federal infrastructure funds for charging stations over 5 years. […]

“There will soon be a charging station along every highway, every 50 miles in Illinois. That’s just the start,” Pritzker boasted in Joliet.

* Illinois Capitol Development Board…

* Elections…

* FYI…


*** Statewide ***

* Kathy Salvi | JB Pritzker puts illegal border crossers before Illinois families: Sadly, but unsurprisingly, we have not heard solutions from Pritzker, just more divisive rhetoric and threats to fight against President Trump and his conservative populist movement. Pritzker’s policy positions stoke fearmongering that “Trump is bad” with nothing to back it up. Illinois is hurting under JB Pritzker’s iron-clad fist. Instead of focusing on solutions, Pritzker has been perfectly clear — his policies promote illegals over Illinois’s working men and women and families.

* WIFR | Illinois workers can claim back wages through I-CASH site: If an IDOL investigation finds an employer has underpaid workers through a violation of state law, back wages are recovered. However, because IDOL investigations take time and a worker’s contact information may have changed, workers may not know they have money that is rightfully theirs coming to them. Through the 2023 law change, the time for wage recovery was extended to three years, giving IDOL more time to find employees owed back pay. After three years, IDOL can send the unclaimed wages to the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund so workers can claim their money.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Friends of the Parks takes aim at South Works quantum plan: The Chicago Plan Commission is scheduled on Nov. 21 to consider approving the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park, which will take up a little more than a quarter of the 440-acre vacant site at 8080 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive. In an email sent out last night, Friends of the Parks said it will urge the Plan Commission to vote no on the zoning required for the quantum computing park, and it encouraged supporters to send comments to commission members ahead of the meeting. The group does not intend to pursue legal action, however, a spokeswoman said.

* Borderless Mag | City Contractor ‘Failed’ Clients As Migrant Shelter Complaints Mounted, Staffers Say: In grievances filed later that year, another migrant parent said that Favorite staff blamed the food shortage on the city. “I don’t believe that the government told them to only give us a spoonful of rice,” the resident wrote in Spanish in a December 2023 grievance, adding that workers treated residents with hostility. “Enough with the xenophobia.”

* Block Club | ComEd Fired Him. Now, Urban Historian Shermann ‘Dilla’ Thomas Is Launching His Own Show: But in an 18-month whirlwind, Thomas went from helping ComEd improve its online image to losing his job in a massive layoff spree in September. The company’s new president and CEO, Gil C. Quiniones, went from attending Bears games with Thomas and his family to blocking the historian’s number, Thomas said. … Undeterred, Thomas is using his new free time to share his truth and also put Chicago’s history on the map. On Sunday, he announced he is launching a show about “the positive aspects of Chicago and its amazing history.” The first episode of “You Don’t Know Chi” drops Nov. 29 on YouTube.

* Windy City Times | Ald. Lamont Robinson voted chair of Chicago’s LGBT Caucus: Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th Ward) was voted chair of the city’s LGBT Caucus in September and recently told Windy City Times the group of LGBTQ+ alderpeople plans to meet more regularly and collaborate with other groups to address the community’s most pressing issues. Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) will serve as the LGBT Caucus’ vice chair.

* Block Club | Ukrainian Village Residents Urge Neighbors To Help Fund Private Security Patrol: If the group does raise the necessary funding — $200,000 for a yearlong contract — the security company would patrol the area between Damen Avenue and Leavitt Street and Cortez and Crystal streets. That includes part of the busy Division Street business corridor west of Damen. One patrol car would be in the area for a six-hour shift during the week and an eight-hour shift on Saturday and Sunday, according to a presentation given by P4 leaders at a Monday night community meeting.

* Block Club | CTA Holiday Train, Bus Rides Start Next Week. Here’s The Schedule: The holiday train kicks off Nov. 29 and the holiday bus will roll beginning Nov. 26. Some dates include opportunities for photos with Santa. The schedules and arrival trackers can be found here.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Endeavor Health is spending up to $453 million to settle patients’ claims that a former doctor sexually abused them: Endeavor is one of the largest health systems in the Chicago area, with nine hospitals, including several in affluent northern and western suburbs. It had $5.6 billion in revenue in 2023. The system reported an operating loss of $462 million, including the $453 in settlement costs, for the three months that ended Sept. 30.

* Injustice Watch | Chief judge issues new order aimed at helping tenants facing eviction in troubled buildings: Tenants who live in substandard housing and face evictions got a boost from Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans last week, when he issued a new order making it easier for them to gather evidence against their landlords. The reform is one of several proposals stemming from the Injustice Watch series “The Tenant Trap,” which exposed how gaping inequities and legal loopholes give landlords an unfair advantage in court and often make it nearly impossible for tenants to assert their rights.

* Naperville Sun | New security measures in place at Naperville Municipal Center: With new measures in place, visitors entering the municipal center during regular hours will need first to stop by a visitors services desk. There, a security guard will greet visitors, verify appointments and provide directions inside. Visitors will not be required to show identification, sign-in or pass through a metal detector.

* WTTW | Cook County Finally Tops 70,000 Acres of Forest Preserve Land, Hitting Milestone With Newly Announced Purchase: More than 11% of Cook County — the second most populous county in the U.S. — is forest preserve land, a remarkable achievement given the region’s urbanization, according to Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, which also oversees the forest preserves. “It is unique for a metropolitan area like ours to have such a diversity of important habitats for native plants and wildlife at this scale and readily available to millions of local residents. It’s such an important legacy,” Preckwinkle said in a statement. “I am honored to preside over the moment when we cross over to more than 70,000 acres. This is a celebration of the importance of public land available for everyone to enjoy.”

*** Downstate ***


* WIFIR | Hundreds of northern Illinois residents receive citizenship: More than 200 people from 49 countries become official United States citizens during a ceremony Monday at the Coronado Performing Arts Center. “I was nervous coming here today, but I feel happy. I feel happy for myself, for my family this year with me, and just happy in general for the Hispanic community,” said new U.S. citizen Jesus Cruz.

* KFVS | Turkeys donated to southern Ill. volunteer organizations: State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) delivered the donated turkeys on Monday, November 18 to eight volunteer organizations in the communities of Mount Vernon, Mt. Carmel, Fairfield and Sesser. The donated turkeys will be used to help provide Thanksgiving dinners to southern Illinois families in need.

*** National ***

* Nieman Lab | Two-thirds of news influencers are men — and most have never worked for a news organization: For the new report, released Monday, Pew conducted a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults, examined a sample of 500 “news influencers” across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube, and analyzed more than 100,000 posts in summer 2024. Each of the news influencers has at least 100,000 followers, regularly posts about news, and is run by an individual (not a news organization). And, yup, Joe Rogan’s Instagram account (19.4 million followers) is among those sampled.

  13 Comments      


Illinois Needs Energy Storage Now!

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

In six short months, Illinois families will see their energy bills rise, as much as $30 per month for the average homeowner, due to a recent energy capacity auction. New legislation – HB 5856 and SB 3959 – would help avoid future increases by building battery storage to increase our energy capacity and keep our grid reliable, clean, and affordable.

Keep Illinois energy reliable, clean, and affordable by passing battery storage legislation now to help prevent future rate increases, before it’s too late.

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Caption contest!

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I did not know that Budzinski is a “champion for crypto”…

  18 Comments      


r/movingtoillinois is an interesting read

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Reddit sends me suggested threads every day, and yesterday it suggested “r/movingtoillinois.” It’s full of people looking to move out of their current home states and to this state, mainly for things like reproductive and gender freedoms…

How is Rockford?

Queer, multiracial family with three kids. Two of those kids have special needs and one is medically complex. We’re looking to move [to] Rockford from southern louisiana in the next 4-6 months

* Several posters are also Illinois boosters…

I’ve lived in the lake-mchenry county area, was born here, went to school here, and am thriving! I can try to answer any questions you may have. It’s a beautiful area!

Point being, the Illinois-bashers aren’t the only ones talking about their state.

  23 Comments      


It’s just a bill

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Sen. Laura Fine…

Working with advocates for patients with chronic pain and the State Medical Society, State Senator Laura Fine advanced legislation authorizing prescribers to make chronic pain health treatment decisions for their patients. In 2016, states began instituting policies severely restricting the prescription of certain opioids, however, for some patients this is a life-saving treatment.

“Chronic pain patients who cannot access the proper treatments may turn to self-medicating with dangerous alternatives. These alternatives can put a patient’s physical and mental health at risk,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “This initiative allows for healthcare professionals to make medical decisions based on their patient’s needs.”

House Bill 5373 reflects new guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the prescribing of opioids for chronic pain. The legislation allows physicians to make necessary prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids, without strict limitations based on dosage amounts except as provided under federal law.

Additionally, Fine’s bill protects patient confidentiality by preventing the release of opioid prescription and treatment information without a legal order verified by the Illinois Department of Human Services or an administrative subpoena from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

“Patients who need prescriptions that don’t conform to current recommended guidelines continue to suffer from chronic pain or risk health complications from lack of proper treatment,” said Fine. “This legislation will ensure medical professionals can provide the necessary, life-saving services to suffering patients.”

House Bill 5373 passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday.

* Rep. Sonya Harper introduced HB5914 yesterday…

Creates the Enslavement Era Disclosure and Redress Act. Requires each contractor that participates in a competitive bid with the State to review its records for evidence of the contractor’s or a related party’s participation in slaveholding or the slave trade and to make certain disclosures with respect to that participation. Contains notice concerning public hearings following the disclosures. Provides that the Illinois Office of Equity shall appoint an administrator to oversee the program. Provides that each contractor that has disclosed participation in slaveholding or the slave trade shall provide the State with a statement of financial redress at the time of submitting its bid. Contains provisions creating a Redress Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes.

* Yesterday, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie filed HB5915…

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that 90 days before the scheduled discharge of a person committed to the custody of the Department of Corrections, the Department shall provide the State’s Attorney of the committing county with the sentence calculation conducted by the Department, including documentation of completed programs or services that earned the person sentence credit for successful completion of those programs or services while the person was in custody of the Department. Provides that the State’s Attorney may challenge the calculation and request that the Department recalculate the sentence. Provides that upon recalculating the sentence, the State’s Attorney may request the Prisoner Review Board to review and approve the calculation.

* G-PAC CEO Kathleen Sances…

When Illinois lawmakers convene this week for their last days of session in 2024, they must act on Karina’s Bill and Safe at Home legislation to prevent tragedies that result when guns fall into the wrong hands.

We’ve seen the headlines when children and teens or at-risk people access deadly weapons in their homes and use them to inflict tragedy on themselves and others. Or in the case of Karina Gonzalez and her daughter, when a known domestic violence abuser used a gun to end their lives.

Legislators must act on Karina’s Bill to remove guns from known domestic abusers when an order of protection is filed against them. They must pass the Safe At Home package to enhance what it means to safely store weapons and strengthen reporting requirements when firearms are lost and stolen to prevent them from being trafficked to commit crime and violence. The Safe At Home package has two proposals: the Safe Gun Storage Act and the Lost & Stolen Firearms Reporting Bill.

At a time when there are more guns in our country than people, and when one in three children lives in a home with a gun, we need our laws to better prevent minors, at-risk people, domestic abusers and criminals from accessing these deadly weapons.

* WJOL…

In an attempt to address growing concerns about Illinois’ energy demands and potential national security risks, State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) has introduced legislation to prohibits data centers owned by foreign adversaries from operating in Illinois unless they generate their own power on-site, ensuring they do not strain Illinois’ energy infrastructure.

“With Illinois already facing an increased demand on our energy grid due to rapid data center expansion, we must take action to secure our infrastructure and prevent potential threats,” said Sen. Rezin. “This legislation ensures that foreign-owned data centers from known adversaries do not compromise our energy stability or burden Illinois residents with increased utility costs.”

Senate Bill 3890, also known as the Data Center Construction by Foreign Adversaries Act, requires Illinois’ regulatory agencies to jointly assess any proposed data center’s energy impact before allowing the construction of the center if it will be owned by a company tied to a foreign adversary. This assessment aims to confirm that the facility’s energy consumption is fully self-sustained, whether by on-site natural gas generation, battery storage, or renewable sources, so that no additional burden is placed on Illinois’ energy grid. The bill responds to a concerning trend of foreign entities acquiring land in the Midwest for industrial purposes, a trend that experts warn could jeopardize national security.

“Senate Bill 3980 is a necessary safeguard for Illinois and our national security,” continued Sen. Rezin. “We have to be vigilant about protecting our state’s resources and shielding our energy infrastructure from unnecessary risks.”

Sen. Rezin introduced HB3980 earlier this month.

  20 Comments      


Roundup: Madigan corruption trial

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Center Square…

Prosecutors on Monday took the jury in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan through nearly a decade of payments to subcontractors who they allege did little or no work for the state’s largest utility despite getting paid.

Jurors watched as Madigan associate Jay Doherty’s lobbying contract with Illinois electric utility Commonwealth Edison grew from $200,000 a year to more than $400,000 a year as he added subcontractors – without explanation – to his longstanding lobbying contract with ComEd.

Prosecutors allege that Madigan ordered ComEd to hire his political operatives for no-show jobs in exchange for passing legislation in Springfield that was favorable to the utility.

With Doherty’s longtime administrative assistant Janet Gallegos on the witness stand, prosecutors detailed month by month invoices that Doherty sent to ComEd, lobbying registration for the subcontractors and other details.

* Capitol News Illinois…

The arrangement began with former Chicago Ald. Frank Olivo in 2011 and grew to include top precinct captains Raymond Nice and Ed Moody from Madigan’s 13th Ward power base on Chicago’s Southwest Side. Later, former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo and former Chicago Ald. Michael Zalewski would also get in on the deal.

ComEd indirectly paid out more than $1.3 million to the men over the eight years, payments that prosecutors allege were meant to bribe Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation in Springfield. The names on McClain’s yellow legal pad list indicate it was written soon after his retirement in December 2016 before Acevedo was added to the mix. […]

The jury last week and Monday heard from FBI agents who searched Doherty’s downtown Chicago office and his home in a swanky condo in the affluent Streeterville neighborhood. Neither search turned up any evidence of work product put together by the subcontractors for ComEd, and Doherty’s former administrative assistant Janet Gallegos testified Monday that she was unaware of any work the subcontractors did for her boss.

But the agents did recover documents that indicated just how little the subcontractors spoke to the man whose name was on their checks. Olivo, the former alderman who’d been put under Doherty’s contract shortly after his retirement from city council in 2011, would usually write a little note to Gallegos on a fax cover sheet when he sent his $4,000 invoice each month. In two of the notes from 2013 and 2015, Olivo wrote “say hello to Jay.”

* ABC Chicago…

“What did you talk about with Mr. Olivo?” Assistant U.S Attorney Sarah Streicker asked, in reference to subcontractor and former 13th Ward Alderman Olivo.

“We talked about invoices being received, payments and also family,” Gallegos said.

“Did you ever talk to him about any work he was doing?” Streicker asked.

Gallegos said, “no.”

* Sun-Times…

On Monday, prosecutors called several FBI agents to the stand. Among them was Edward McNamara, who told jurors about a May 2019 search of McClain’s home in Quincy.

The panel got a glimpse of McClain’s basement office, including the exposed insulation in the walls and a row of at least 10 filing cabinets. That’s where agents recovered printed-off copies of McClain’s emails seeking internships and jobs for people allegedly tied to Madigan.

In two tote bags found in McClain’s Toyota Avalon, McNamara said agents found a handwritten note that included the words “Speaker” and “Available 24/7.”

Agents also found McClain’s well-known list of Madigan allies, written on stationary from the Talbott Hotel.

Also figuring in McClain’s earlier trial, it’s known as his ‘magic list.’

* Tribune…

Among the five pages was a printed email from McClain, one of Madigan’s closest confidants, describing the pages as a “Magic Lobbyist List” and using his favorite euphemism of “Friend” to refer to the speaker. The recipients of the email had been blind-copied, hiding their names.

“So since I don’t roam the halls like I use to do I do not have the same ‘on site’ engagement that I use to have,” read the email, which was shown to jurors Monday in the corruption trial of Madigan and McClain. “A Friend of ours and myself have gone through the ‘magic list’ and frankly culled quite a few names …There are now a little less than two dozen on the list.”

McClain went on to ask the recipient of the email for help fishing for potential clients.

“If you have a potential client come up to you and seek you as a lobbyist but you cannot for whatever reason please engage him/her and try to get him or her to consider a recommendation from you,” McClain wrote. “Please call me then and I will have a conversation with someone and get back to you asap.”

  14 Comments      


Open thread

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

  4 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Demand for abortion pills spiked in Illinois, countrywide after Trump reelection. Sun-Times…

    - Calls to Planned Parenthood Illinois surged 15% in the days immediately after the election, with wait times doubling to as much as 20 minutes.
    - Hey Jane, a New York-based health care company that provides sexual telehealth services, reported a 74% increase in medication abortion patients in Illinois the week after the election.
    - And sales in abortion pills have skyrocketed across the country. Telehealth company Wisp reported a 600% increase in abortion pill orders between Election Day and the following day.

* Related stories…

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Ballot challenges, big money, information gaps: How Chicago’s first school board elections played out: Forty-seven Chicagoans — including 10 in District 10 alone — tried to run for school board. But just four made it on the ballot here: Robert Jones, a pastor supported by the Chicago Teachers Union who once joined a hunger strike to keep a local high school open; Karin Norington-Reaves, a nonprofit CEO and mother of a blind CPS student who had run for Congress and got backing from pro-school choice super PACs; Adam Parrot-Sheffer, a CPS parent, former district principal, and education consultant; and Che “Rhymefest” Smith, a self-funded Grammy Award-winning rapper and activist.

* WGN | NIU Storm Chasers: Researcher team help national effort to advance hail forecasting: A group of 100 scientists, including professors and students from NIU and several other universities, will chase hailstorms next spring with the goal of advancing hail forecasting. The last field campaign to study hail in the United States was in the 1970s, and the results of that still drive the modeling and forecasting methods that we use today.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WGN | City Club of Chicago: Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton : The Lieutenant Governor is a highly qualified, experienced advocate for women’s rights, civil rights, and restorative justice. Her career is dedicated to making Illinois the best state to call home, especially for those who have been historically left out or behind. With any initiative or policy proposal, her focus is on uplifting every resident and ensuring they have the resources to thrive.

*** Statewide ***

* ABC Chicago | President-elect Trump plan to use military in mass deportations raising alarm in Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker said it would be uncalled for and possibly unconstitutional. “We, of course, are deeply concerned about, you know, the president of the United States calling out military inside the United States, where people are peaceful, even if there may be people who are undocumented,” Pritzker said.


*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Progressive Caucus co-chair accuses mayor of posturing in talks to cut failed property tax hike: Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) characterized the negotiating session he participated in more than a week ago as the “great beginning of a conversation” and a healthy “exchange of ideas.” But there were no agreements made or commitments given. “There was nothing landed on. There was no $150 million [in cuts]. There were ideas on how to bring it down without anyone agreeing to anything,” Vasquez said.

* Crain’s | Chicago hotel owners to Kaegi: We’re not doing as well as you think: “These outrageous assessments by the Cook County Assessor are not commensurate with the reality facing most hotel owners,” IHLA President and CEO Michael Jacobson said in a statement. “While we have seen many improvements and certainly had boosts to visitation from large-scale events this year, we are nowhere near pre-pandemic levels when it comes to profitability or occupancy. As hotels continue to work to recover, invest in our employees, and return to our place as an economic engine for the city, we cannot afford any unnecessary or unjustifiable expenses.”

* Crain’s | Report of extravagant spending is latest blow to National Association of Realtors: The Chicago-based National Association of Realtors, which has struggled for more than a year with the fallout of a broad sexual harassment scandal, took another hit today when The New York Times published a detailed exposé of extravagant spending by top executives and volunteers. Debra Kamin reported for the Times that former CEO Bob Goldberg’s perks included the NAR paying for his memberships at private clubs in Chicago and Washington, where the NAR’s second office is, as well as monthly stipends to cover his utility bills and car, and an agreement to pay for his pet sitter when he traveled. That was on top of his salary, which in five years more than doubled, from $1.2 million to $2.6 million.

* Sun-Times | Joey ‘The Clown’ Lombardo’s FBI files show Chicago Outfit boss complaining about government inspectors: Known for a wicked sense of humor as well as a penchant for violence, the late Chicago Outfit boss Joseph Lombardo was known as “Joey the Clown.” But newly released FBI files on the hoodlum, who died in 2019, showed he also could be, well, kind of prickly.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark to run with a slate for supervisor, Tiffany Henyard, incumbent trustees yet to announce: The Reform Thornton Township Party filed a slate of candidates with Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark running for supervisor and Corean Davis, Rachel Jones, Dominique Randle-El and Jacinta Gholston running for trustee. Davis is Harvey city administrator and Randle-El is Harvey 5th Ward alderman. […] While Henyard and the incumbent trustees did not file, major party candidates in township elections can be determined by caucus, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

* WGN | Two trustees skipping Tuesday’s Thornton Township board meeting amidst Tiffany Henyard’s spending concerns: Trustees opposed to Henyard said skipping the meeting will prevent votes on Henyard’s agenda items. The opponents also said they hope it could force a public vote to appoint a new trustee.

* Daily Herald | Long-serving mayors in Batavia, Geneva to face challengers in spring election: Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke, who has been in office almost 44 years, is being challenged by former alderman Thomas Connelly. Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns will face Karsten Pawlik in his bid for reelection. Burns has been mayor since 2001. Pawlik is operations manager for a demolition company owned by his wife.

* Tribune | As a polarizing eight years comes to an end, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx looks forward to a break from the spotlight: Foxx’s supporters laud her as a trailblazer, noting her early support of the historic bail reform measure that took effect last year, her expungement of past marijuana convictions and a sharp focus on wrongful convictions that led to hundreds of exonerations over her tenure. But she has often been a lightning rod for criticism of her style of progressive prosecution, from conservative critics nationally, Chicago’s former police superintendent and the Fraternal Order of Police, some longtime attorneys in her office and the Democratic candidate who will replace her. Her posture, they said, signaled the office was soft on crime.

* Daily Southtown | More than 50,000 people came to Southland casino in first week, officials say: The casino itself is in East Hazel Crest and adjacent parking garages are in Homewood. The two communities have a revenue sharing agreement that’s been in place since 2012, and some of the gaming revenue will flow to more than 40 other south suburbs. The casino’s parking lot as well as parking garage quickly filled to capacity the first day, and Wind Creek staff at one point had to direct people to turn around.

* Center Square | Governor touts EV charging port in Joliet, state partnership with ComEd: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded a $480,000 grant to Veterans Energy Team, a local veteran-owned business that partnered with the Joliet Park District to build EV fast chargers at Inwood Athletic Club and Nowell Park. Pritzker said the state has distributed more than $69 million under CEJA since June of last year to support EV chargers across the state.

* NBC Chicago | Southwest suburban DMV location permanently closing: The Illinois Secretary of State’s Lockport facility, 1029 31 E. 9th St., is permanently closing on Nov. 25, according to a Facebook post from Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office. A reason for the closure wasn’t given. Drivers are instead encouraged to visit the Joliet DMV facility, 201 Joyce Rd., which will remain open. While certain services must be performed in-person at a driver’s services facility, a number of tasks can be completed online, such as renewing a driver’s license or ID card, making a facility appointment or submitting an address change.

*** Downstate ***

* The 21st Show | How anti-abortion activists are responding to Carbondale’s controversial “buffer zone” ordinance: Anti-abortion protesters became a regular presence outside a few clinics offering reproductive health services in Carbondale and last year, the city council responded with a “buffer zone” ordinance to protect the clinincs. But that set off a legal fight of its own over free speech rights and even though the city council repealed the ordinance, the fight continues — and could matter far beyond the Carbondale city limits.

* WCIA | Danville School Board to discuss threats against superintendent at upcoming meeting: According to Geddis, the threats have been happening since the summer. In May, Geddis said she asked a truck with Confederate flags to take their flags down during a graduation ceremony. Shortly after that, she said she was being followed by trucks with Confederate flags. said that she continued to see these flags at school offices and at her home.

* WCIA | Massey Commission praises DOJ investigation, makes more recommendations in second meeting: The Sonya Massey Commission is not taking the credit for the U.S. Department of Justice opening an investigation into the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and the Sangamon County Dispatch, but they are happy that it’s happening. “I think it’s important to go back that far in order to really capture some of the underlying issues,” Sunshine Clemons, co-president of Springfield Black Lives Matter and a member of the Sonya Massey Commission said. “I think you don’t go back far enough. We’re just going to have some surface resolutions and maybe not really see the full extent of issues that could be there.”

* SJ-R | Massey Commission endorses resolution for county mental health board: Meeting with full membership for the second time Monday, the Massey Commission passed a resolution throwing its support for the creation of a 708 Mental Health Board in Sangamon County. The referendum could go before voters on April 1 if it passes the Sangamon County Board. Those same voters could also consider implementing “recall authority” for the sheriff’s office.

* WAND | Decatur residents call upon City Council to revise next year’s budget: Many community members are calling on the city to reduce its expenses and explore alternative revenue sources, such as attracting new businesses and permitting cannabis sales. One community member spoke during public comment stating “The city and the council are putting the burden of debt on the backs of the taxpaying citizens. Why is the answer for budget shortfalls- oh let’s just increase taxes?”

* WCIA | Champaign Co. State’s Attorney breaks down legalities behind ‘use of force’ following 2 shootings: Deadly force has been used twice in the past two weekends in Champaign County. After a road rage shooting over the weekend, the Champaign County State’s Attorney is breaking down the law behind uses of force, and when it would be justified to use a gun on someone.

* WTTW | What Happens When a Prison Closes? Dwight’s Demise 10 Years Ago Highlights Current Issues in Illinois Facilities: “I would like to ask the commission and the governor to reconsider this closing,” Bill Wilkey, then the village president of Dwight, said at the hearing. Wilkey was afraid the closure could worsen the economic impact felt on the village that had recently seen two car dealerships close and a printing plant cut its workforce. The shuttering of the prison could leave incarcerated women farther from their families, he said, as many of them were from the Chicago area. It was a similar sentiment shared by Dwight residents.

*** National ***

* WaPo | FBI investigating post-election text threats sent to Latino, LGBTQ people: “Some recipients reported being told they were selected for deportation or to report to a reeducation camp,” the agency said in a statement Friday, adding that some threats were sent by email as well. It was not immediately clear how many messages were sent by the anonymous users, but thousands more messages — and the numbers sending them — were blocked by wireless carriers once they were made aware of the situation, according to Nick Ludlum, senior vice president of CTIA, a trade group for the U.S. wireless communications industry.

  8 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Live coverage

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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« NEWER POSTS PREVIOUS POSTS »
* Hexaware: Your Globally Local IT Services Partner
* SB 328: Separating Lies From Truth
* When RETAIL Succeeds, Illinois Succeeds
* SB 328 Puts Illinois’s Economy At Risk
* SB 328: Separating Lies From Truth
* Hexaware: Your Globally Local IT Services Partner
* SB 328 Puts Illinois’s Economy At Risk
* When RETAIL Succeeds, Illinois Succeeds
* Reader comments closed for the next week
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign updates
* Three-quarters of OEIG investigations into Paycheck Protection Program abuses resulted in misconduct findings
* SB 328 Puts Illinois’s Economy At Risk
* Sen. Dale Fowler honors term limit pledge, won’t seek reelection; Rep. Paul Jacobs launches bid for 59th Senate seat
* Hexaware: Your Globally Local IT Services Partner
* Pritzker to meet with Texas Dems as Trump urges GOP remaps (Updated)
* SB 328: Separating Lies From Truth
* Open thread
* Isabel’s morning briefing
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today's edition
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today's edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
* Selected press releases (Live updates)
* Yesterday's stories

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