* The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Illinois had the second-highest unemployment rate in September, behind only Washington, DC. Minnesota (2.0%), Missouri (2.5%), Iowa (2.7%), Indiana (2.8%), Wisconsin (3.2%), Kentucky (3.8%), Ohio (4.0%) and Michigan (4.1%) were all lower than Illinois’ reported rate of 4.5%.
And according to WalletHub, Illinois’ unemployment rate is almost 20 percent higher than it was in September of 2019, months before the pandemic. Only three states, South Carolina, Colorado and Hawaii, fared worse by that measure.
On Thursday, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced the unemployment rate hasn’t changed.
The unemployment rate is at 4.5% right now.
Nonagricultural jobs did increase by over 14,500 in September.
The industries with the most growth are educational and health services, government, and professional and business services.
“Today’s data is a clear indicator that the Illinois labor market continues to remain strong and stable,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “As continued claims levels remain at historical lows, IDES is committed to connecting job seekers and employers throughout the state with the tools and resources they need to take advantage of the current landscape.”
Illinois’ unemployment rate was up one percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for September.
The Illinois unemployment rate was down one percentage point from a year ago when it was at 5.5%.
We may be seeing the first signs of a cooling job market after a red hot summer. The Labor Department reports that US employers added 263,000 jobs in September, a smaller increase and in August the month before, and this might be good news for the Federal Reserve which has been trying to slow down the rate of inflation. And Bureau Chief Economics Correspondent Scott Horsley joins us now. […]
Horsley: Well, it shows that September was another solid month for job gains, but not quite as strong as the month before. The economy added about 16% fewer jobs last month than it did in August. by historical standards. This is still a pretty hot job market but it’s not quite as hot as it was during the summertime. And as you mentioned, that’s kind of what the Federal Reserve has been hoping for,
Q: Which is kind of counterintuitive, right? I mean, a cooling job market is a positive signal for the Federal Reserve. Can you explain that?
Horsley: Well, it is in this case, and that’s because the Fed has been concerned that the job markets been out of balance. There is too much demand for workers for the workers who are available to fill those jobs. And as result, employers have been bidding up wages at an unusually fast pace. Now of course, rising wages is a good thing for workers but it can also add fuel to the inflationary fires. So the Fed has been hoping to see more of a balance between help wanted signs and job applicants. We did get an encouraging sign earlier in the week when the report came out from the Labor Department showing job openings in August fell by about 10% from about 11 million jobs at the start of the month to 10 million just before Labor Day, even as hiring held pretty steady.
* More…
* Illinois gets $7 million for unemployment system upgrades as debt persists : Four major equity projects will be funded through the grant, according to a news release by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. These projects include upgrading the UI service delivery systems, processes and communications for easier access and experience. This involves making the UI information easier to understand, translating the information into various languages, growing the self-service digital options and increasing the outreach to organizations within the community.
* Illinois manufacturers have a job waiting for you: There are nearly 800,000 manufacturing jobs open in the U.S. These are some of the best-paying, most technologically advanced and exciting careers out there. That’s especially true in Illinois, which might be called the epicenter of manufacturing in the United States. A recent study found the total economic impact of manufacturing in Illinois is estimated to be between $580 billion and $611 billion annually — the largest share of state’s gross domestic product of any industry. Manufacturing directly employs 662,298 workers but ultimately supports as many as 1,771,928 jobs, generating up to $150 billion in labor income for Illinois residents annually.
* Illinois’ clean energy jobs grew by 5% in 2021: Here’s where the work is: Jobs in clean energy — such as installing solar panel arrays, recycling lithium-ion battery modules and planning electric vehicle charging infrastructure — grew by more than 5,000 in Illinois last year, according to a recent report.
A federal judge Friday agreed to let the feds delay their prosecution of AT&T Illinois for two years, apparently following the lead set in 2020 by another judge when prosecutors first leveled a bribery charge against ComEd.
Both utilities have now faced charges as a result of the yearslong investigation that led to this year’s racketeering case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. And both have now entered into deferred-prosecution agreements with the office of U.S. Attorney John Lausch.
AT&T Illinois, like ComEd, agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. And Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu on Friday told U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso he expected that cooperation to be helpful in the prosecution of Madigan and former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza. […]
Meanwhile, AT&T Illinois aims to resolve its own criminal charge through its deal with the feds. If the utility holds up its end of the bargain, including payment of a $23 million fine, prosecutors are expected to drop the criminal charge filed against it. Alonso set a status hearing in the case for Oct. 14, 2024.
For more than a decade, Brian Gray was AT&T’s top executive in Illinois for a critical area — dealing with politicians in a state known for its corruption.
As the director of legislative affairs, he oversaw a stable of lobbyists, and in recent years he also headed the telecom giant’s political action committee in Illinois.
Gray had joined AT&T in 2000 after serving as a military pilot and rising to the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy, according to his online professional networking profile.
But Gray was one of two longtime executives who stopped working for AT&T in Springfield last month after many years as lobbyists, records show.
And sources close to the ongoing federal investigation into political corruption at the Illinois Capitol say Gray was one of the three unnamed and unindicted employees referred to by authorities in the case filed last week against their onetime boss, the former AT&T President Paul La Schiazza.
The former president of AT&T Illinois pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges alleging he orchestrated and approved a scheme to funnel payments to an associate of then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for the speaker’s help passing legislation important to the company.
Paul La Schiazza, 65, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury last week with conspiracy, federal program bribery, and using a facility in interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity. The most serious counts carry up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
La Schiazza, who has homes in Rhode Island and Florida, pleaded not guilty through his attorney during a telephone hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cummings. He will remain free on a recognizance bond while his case is pending.
Asked by the judge if he’s currently employed, La Schiazza replied, “No your honor, I am not.”
* Madeleine Doubek, executive director of Change Illinois in Crain’s…
Acevedo was a lobbyist when he took the AT&T payoff, according to federal prosecutors, as was former state Rep. Luis Arroyo when he was caught trying to bribe former state Sen. Terry Link.
Campaign mailers this season claim lawmakers are banned from lobbying their colleagues right after they leave office. That’s technically true, but the key word there is “right.” Former legislators can lobby their colleagues after waiting six months or less if they quit near the end of a General Assembly session. This is one of the weakest cooling-off periods in the nation. It needs to be at least two years.
We need more disclosure and better, searchable databases of lobbyists, consultants and their clients. And what happened to the push to create a searchable database of lobbyists who are campaign donation bundlers? If lobbyist Jane Doe is a bundler who collected $100,000 in donations for candidate John Smith, she likely has much greater influence with Smith than others do.
Acevedo was a consultant for an AT&T lobbyist, so he didn’t have to register. Now he would have to register. I do not understand why the good government advocates continue to ignore this new law. But whether or not the GA strengthens its weak revolving door ban, it ought to include lobbyist consultants in the mix.
The Illinois Veterans’ Home at LaSalle is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases among its veterans and staff. Based on robust rapid testing and the support of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) laboratories, in quick succession, we have identified 23 staff and 42 residents as positive for COVID-19. All the residents who tested positive have been moved to the negative pressure isolation unit and are being closely monitored and cared for by dedicated Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA) personnel. All cases are mild presenting mostly as cold-like symptoms, and no one has required hospitalization. Responsible parties have been notified per CDC regulations and notice of the outbreak is posted on the IDVA website. The IDVA Senior Infection Preventionist has been at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home working with clinical personnel since the onset of this outbreak. Additionally, the State Medical Officer of the Illinois Department Public Health along with IDVA Director Terry Prince have been at the Home to provide advice and assistance. The residents are vaccinated, and COVID-19 treatment therapies have been administered as needed.
Our top priority is the health and safety of our military veterans and the heroic staff who care for them. We take this very seriously. We are following recommendations from local health officials, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the CDC, and the IDPH to safeguard everyone at the facility. This includes conducting health screenings every four hours on our veterans, COVID-19 testing of staff at each shift change, use of N-95 respirator masks with protective face shields, maintaining social-distancing practices, using gloves and gowns, and intensified cleaning and disinfection protocols.
Communal dining has been curtailed in the home until the outbreak has ended. Activities and social services staff continue to develop leisure activities, in accordance with social distancing practices, to care for the psychosocial wellbeing of our veterans. Visitation is allowed; however, we highly encourage family members to delay their visit until the outbreak is resolved.
We are grateful to our team for their incredible work during this difficult time as they have responded swiftly, appropriately, and professionally to this outbreak.
I live in the Northwest suburbs, and we are less than four weeks from an election when the political signs start to blossom for the second time this year, and they are an eyesore.
Most of the villages have specific guidance and allowance for political signs, and don’t allow these signs: in the right of way (between the sidewalk and the curb); on medians within 2 feet of the roadway; in front of empty lots or buildings; or on public property.
It seems that the volunteer organizations that put these signs in place are ignoring the ordinances of the various cities they are in. These are politicians who want our votes ignoring their constituents’ laws.
When one sign is left, many more pop up around it. I know it has been accepted for a long time, but I never knew the cities were against these signs, yet seem neutered to act. While villages allow public displays of personal political support on homes and businesses because they are a great and a powerful representation of our democracy, politicians and their proxies place their signage on public roadways artificially representing the size of their local support while being a visual nuisance and against city code using public property.
* The Question: Should Illinois law be changed to allow the state and local communities to fine campaign committees for each sign removed from a public right of way? Explain, along with how high or low you would make the fine if you could.
* DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin was on the Jeanne Ives SAFE-T Act panel the other day and said this…
One final part about the law, what happens when you dry up cash bail, is that right now, when defendants post bond and they’re found guilty, when restitution is ordered to victims, that money comes out of bond money, and victims of crime will not receive that restitution out of bond money.
* I reached out to the governor’s office to ask about state funding for victims’ assistance and was told the Fiscal Year 2023 budget puts $10.5 million new GRF in the Attorney General’s budget for awards and grants under the Violent Crime Victims Assistance Act, on top of the existing $5.5 million appropriation. Plus, the AG received a new $7 million GRF appropriation for the Crime Victims Service Division. Plus the GRF appropriation for the Court of Claims’ Crime Victims Compensation Act went from $6 million to $7 million. The Court of Claims also gets federal money. There’s also new state funding for the Violent Crime Witness Protection program.
* And there’s another side of the money issue from Sen. Elgie Sims, a SAFE-T Act sponsor…
Sims said the opposition’s misinformation campaign against the ACT is nothing more than a “red herring that is there to distract you from the real issue. The real issue is that over the last five years, not my numbers, $700 million has gone into the cash bail system. Imagine what could happen in the communities” with that kind of money.
Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser has spent the last two weeks working with other state’s attorneys, law enforcement officials and legislators to make changes to the SAFE-T Act before its introduction Jan. 1, 2023.
Mosser, Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz, Peoria County State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos and DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin have met twice a week over Zoom with legislators and advocates for the SAFE-T Act, the Illinois Sheriffs Association, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police for negotiations over changes to the act. […]
Mosser said she worries about how under the new law, defendants in serious crimes would not be detained. For instance, someone involved in a motor vehicle accident that results in death who fled the scene or someone who threatened a school would not be able to be detained, she said.
“I think this was all unintended and when you have a year and a half to pick apart the legislation, you find these things,” Mosser said.
We have the fall veto session coming up here in mid-November. Are you anticipating a follow-up measure related to the SAFE-T Act?
We do have a public safety working group that’s been meeting on this continuously since the end of session. I do understand that they are having some very productive conversations. And if that group has a recommendation for us, we will be prepared to put it on the board and call it (for a vote). It’s likely that they will have a recommendation for us, because we’ve already had three trailer acts to the SAFE-T Act pass. And they’ve committed to continuing to do the work. And a fourth trailer bill would only be keeping with that commitment.
What are your priorities in a follow-up bill?
I don’t have any priorities. My priority is to listen to my caucus. And the caucus is doing the work. They’ve been meeting since the end of session. Our public safety working group is very diverse and geographically diverse, ethnically diverse, genderly diverse. And they’ve been doing the work, meeting with the advocates. They’re going to have a recommendation for me, as the leader of the caucus. I’ll put it before the entire caucus, we’ll vet it, and likely put it on the board, because it’s gone through our process. But it would be premature for me to get ahead of a group that’s been doing that kind of work, with talk about what my agenda would be. I haven’t met with any of these advocacy groups. They’ve been doing work, and the proper respect would be to allow them to continue to do that work.
* More…
* How will eliminating bail affect counties’ finances?: “The first use of bail bond money that comes into the county is for victim restitution and that’s where you’re trying to make those victims whole,” said Hawthorn Woods state Sen. Dan McConchie, the chamber’s Republican leader. “They’re not sure how they’ll handle victim restitution going forward.”
* Lake County sheriff candidates debate SAFE-T Act merits, myths: Idleburg said he’s told people on the campaign trail that when a resident reports someone is trespassing on their property a deputy will come out and tell the person they need to leave and will be able to arrest the person if they determine it is necessary. “(If) you said that this person is a threat to you and your family that individual will be detained and they will be escorted off the property,” Idleburg said. But in a separate interview with the Daily Herald Editorial Board, challenger Mark Vice, a Round Lake Republican, cited that same debunked claim as one reason he’s 100% against the law. Vice is a 16-year veteran of the sheriff’s office.
* SAFE-T Act concerns or making political hay? McHenry County Board sends resolutions opposing act on party-line vote to Springfield: All seven Democrats present voted against the resolution for the SAFE-T Act, while all but County Board member Kelli Wegener, D-Crystal Lake, voted against the resolution opposing House Bill 3447. Wegener abstained, and on Wednesday said she did so because she felt more information was needed before a full vote could take place. Wegener in a statement Wednesday said the resolutions were brought forth “to create a political issue just before the elections.”
* Halpin, Thoms go head-to-head on SAFE-T Act & inflation policy: “It does end the cash bail system, and gets the system back to a threat-based system as opposed to how much money you have in your wallet,” Halpin said. “No cash bail puts a financial burden on the counties,” Thoms said. “Now that could end up increasing property taxes. We’re starting to give the criminals more rights than the victims.”
* Illinois Attorney General candidate Thomas DeVore visits Sycamore to discuss SAFE-T Act: Evans also said she’s concerned by recent gun violence on DeKalb’s north side, especially as it pertains to DeKalb County youth. “That’s why I’m getting involved in politics and even getting involved in the school board because I also know what they kids are being taught in school,” Evans said. “I just see a lot of damage being done to society. And I believe that the SAFE-T Act is going to only make things worse for our communities, make them unsafe, and probably get a lot of people killed.”
* Some of these numbers are inaccurate or, at the very least, confusing. Politico…
Women passing men at the polls
… The data shows 146,362 women and 122,010 men have requested and returned their mail-in-ballots or voted at early-polling sites as of Oct. 20 — or, 54 percent of women and 45 percent of men have voted.
Still outstanding: More women than men have also requested but not yet returned their ballots. The data shows 318,896 women (58 percent) and 229,255 men (42 percent) are still holding on to their ballots.
Not a surprise: Women have outnumbered men in recent elections, according to historical data from the Board of Elections. In the 2020 General Election, women outnumbered men by 15 percent. In the 2018 General Election it was by 14 percent.
OK, using Politico’s numbers, current Illinois data shows that of all ballots returned this fall, 54.5 percent were from women and 45.5 percent were from men. That’s a nine-point spread.
Using State Board of Elections data, in the 2020 general election, the turnout by gender was 54 percent women and 46 percent men, an 8-point spread among the vast majority of voters with identifiable gender status.
In 2018, the spread was 54 percent women to 47 percent men, or 8 points.
So, yeah, if women return their ballots in the same approximate percentage as they requested/received them (16-point spread), then that would be a big difference from years past and signal an absolute blow-out. Right now, though, the return rate is just a wee bit higher than the past two election cycles. That is, of course, still good news on its face for Democrats because that party did very well the last two cycles.
As Bailey seeks to weaken Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Black support, governor launches new ad with endorsement from former President Barack Obama
A new TV spot from Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker touts an endorsement from former President Barack Obama just as the governor’s opponents are seeking to weaken his support among Black voters. […]
The commercial’s release comes after Bailey and his allies have sought to tamp down enthusiasm among Black voters for the first-term governor.
“Black people should not vote for J.B. Pritzker,” former WLS-Ch. 7 reporter Charles Thomas, who is Black, says in an ad from a Bailey-aligned political action committee called People Who Play By The Rules.
OK, first of all, a whole lot of Illinoisans voted for Obama, not just Black Illinoisans.
And, secondly, it looks like the former POTUS cut a bunch of ads the same day, in the same room, wearing the same clothes. This is what a five-minute Twitter search found over the weekend…
When you cast your vote this election, it’s not just candidates on the ballot. Democracy itself is on the line and it’s up to us to defend it. pic.twitter.com/1mI6DO1R70
Obama doesn’t mention Ron DeSantis by name here, but he does say Charlie Crist “cares about people, instead of bullying them.” pic.twitter.com/fsYMIgbbT5
With Democrats struggling against well-funded Republicans to retain control of the U.S. House, some in the party are gazing covetously at the huge war chest assembled by U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., perhaps for a future bid for the U.S. Senate.
Krishnamoorthi says he’s getting a bad rap and that he has more than paid his dues by sharing proceeds of his fundraising with members of his caucus. “When someone else in the House asks me to help, I do,” he said in a phone interview.
But quiet grumbling from other Democrats has been going on for a while and shows no sign of ending soon. […]
Krishnamoorthi doesn’t deny that he’s potentially interested in running for the Senate someday. “I have no idea what’s going to happen to (incumbents) Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth,” he says. “What I do know is that having money obviously helps you get things done in Washington.”
* DPI…
The Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) today launched wrongforillinois.com to make sure voters know the truth about State Supreme Court candidates Mark Curran and Mike Burke. Both candidates are wrong on abortion, wrong on democracy, wrong on January 6th — and wrong for Illinois.
With zero experience as a judge, Mark Curran is a far-right extremist who is totally unqualified to serve on the State Supreme Court. In addition to his ultra-MAGA views on abortion, election fraud, and January 6th, Curran has been rated “not recommended” by the Illinois State Bar Association.
Mike Burke is being propped up by anti-choice groups and far-right extremists with ties to the January 6th rally. Can we trust Mike Burke to be independent when that’s the company he keeps?
Click HERE to visit the website and learn the truth.
* Illinois early vote totals…
The @illinoissbe has updated early vote totals (10/24/22): Total VBM requested: 795,085 Total VBM returned: 265,937 Total VBM outstanding: 529,148 Return Rate: 33% Total Early Vote: 66,934 Total Grace Period: 1,009 Total Already Voted: 333,880https://t.co/44ga6Axjmq
The most up-to-date Early Vote and Vote By Mail totals in Chicago, night of Sunday, October 23, 2022.
The Early Vote total stands at 5,220 ballots cast.
Additionally, 28,903 Vote By Mail ballots have been returned to the Board – total VBM applications stands at 192,542.
The grand total is 34,123 ballots cast so far in Chicago for the November 8th General Election.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Early voting expands throughout Illinois Monday: Every county has additional designated voting sites open and if you are a Chicago resident, you can vote at any early voting site no matter what ward you live in but voters must cast their ballot at their home precinct.
* Darren Bailey’s uphill candidacy for farmers, cops and Illinoisans who feel ‘pushed aside’: In his run for governor, Bailey has offered himself up as a herald for those he considers to be the overlooked in Illinois, those he believes have been ignored, forgotten and excluded from a Chicago-driven plan led by Pritzker for the state to thrive. It’s a religion-rooted regional crusade that has made Bailey the most conservative major nominee for the highest elected office in Illinois, a state where all three branches of its government are controlled by Democrats.
* Meet the Illinois 72nd House District Candidates: Gregg Johnson and Tom Martens: Johnson: “I do not support repealing the SAFE-T Act, but I do believe it is an imperfect bill that needs further clarification before it takes effect. Working in the Illinois Department of Corrections for over 30 years, I have seen what works and what doesn’t, and the current status quo does not work. […] Martens: “The SAFE-T Act is not criminal justice reform, and it needs to go. Having bail is supposed to be the first deterrent when deciding to commit a crime. No one is holding a gun to anyone’s head and making them commit crime. Sentencing guidelines need reform more than anything.”
* GOP voters told to hold onto mail ballots until Election Day: Republican activists who believe the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump have crafted a plan that, in their telling, will thwart cheating in this year’s midterm elections. The strategy: Vote in person on Election Day or — for voters who receive a mailed ballot — hold onto it and hand it in at a polling place or election office on Nov. 8.
* State’s attorneys have repeatedly called out the governor for this anecdote about moms shoplifting diapers as not reflecting actual reality. But Gov. Pritzker continues using it…
Keep in mind that Darren Bailey is defending a system that’s in place now, where wealthy, the violent people can go free if they have enough cash. And we’re talking murderers and rapists and domestic abusers being led out because they happen to have enough money. And yet someone who might be a shoplifter, a young mother who you know steals diapers and formula, might be put in jail and not be able to get out because she does have a couple hundred dollars to get out awaiting trial.
* From the Chicago Tribune’s story on Darren Bailey…
In one of his daily devotionals that he posts on Facebook, Darren Bailey read passages from Ephesians that included God’s guidance that “slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear.” Bailey said of the slave reference that “we know today what that means is people, if you’re working for someone, if you have someone above you in authority, you know, respect.”
But then he continued reading the passage that included, “Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good that we do, whether we were slaves or free. Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them. Remember, you both have the same master in heaven and he has no favorites.”
I mean, even if he’s right about the passage pertaining to workers and not to actual slaves (and there’s some real debate about that), why even bring it up?
* From the Tribune’s story on Illinois Supreme Court candidate Mark Curran…
This year, in an interview on the political news show “Public Affairs,” he told host Jeff Berkowitz that God prompted him to run for the court after allowing him to see that Freemasons, members of a fraternal organization that has clashed with Catholicism, held sway over the judicial system in Lake County.
Curran walked back some of those comments in his interview with the Tribune. He said he believes many same-sex parents are doing a good job raising their children, and that his concerns were based in religious liberty. He added he didn’t write everything on his Facebook page, doesn’t think the election was rigged against Trump and doesn’t believe the Freemasons still control Lake County’s courts.
As for his faith, he said it is based in “natural law,” and that compels him to rule upon laws as they are, not how he might want them to be. The former Democrat said he is no lockstep partisan, and suggested some of his remarks had a political calculation.
“I ran for U.S. Senate,” he said. “Regardless of how I felt about it, how do you think it would have worked out if I just threw President Trump under the bus? It’s not going to be well-received.”
The “religious liberty” line was mainly in defense of people who didn’t want to serve LGBTQ customers. And that’s what you might call natural law.
And he admits that he went all-in for Trump to avoid upsetting the guy and his followers?
Also, how did he come to the conclusion about the Freemasons controlling Lake County’s courts? Bizarre.
Curran also points to Rochford’s campaign contributions to Chicago power broker Ald. Edward Burke, including a $1,500 donation recorded weeks after federal agents raided the alderman’s offices in 2018 (he has since been indicted on racketeering and bribery charges).
Rochford’s spokeswoman said that check had been written before the news broke, and that the contributions had been a way of honoring the judge’s late father James Rochford, a Chicago police superintendent who had a tradition of donating to Burke’s annual Christmas event.
If that’s truly the reason, then she shoulda had more sense than that.
In a small southern Illinois town earlier this year, a 58-year-old employee at the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center was accused of sexually assaulting a person with a “severe or profound intellectual disability.”
The victim, who was unable to give consent, was only identified in court records with the initials “E.K.” and the alleged assailant was later identified as a mental health technician at the 270-bed, state-run home who also was accused of a separate sexual assault of a girl under 13.
The shocking charges against Charles Mills this March were the latest in a string of scandals at Choate, a home in downstate Anna for people with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses, though few significant reforms at the home had been taken. […]
But some advocates for people with developmental disabilities question whether Pritzker’s reforms are enough and why Choate continues to operate. Experts who’ve studied and monitored residential services in Illinois and nationally say harmful conditions can flourish in large, state-run homes for people with developmental disabilities — of which Choate is one of seven in Illinois. Federally funded research shows 16 other states and the District of Columbia had “closed, downsized, privatized or converted” all of their similar facilities as of 2018.
Disability service providers across the nation are overwhelmingly turning away new referrals, shutting down programs and services and struggling to maintain standards and there’s no relief in sight.
Findings released this month from a survey of 718 organizations serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities nationally show that providers are continuing to shrink more than two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic set the beleaguered sector into a tailspin.
Of the providers surveyed, 83% said they are turning away new referrals, 63% indicated that they have discontinued programs and services and more than half said they’re considering further closures. Nearly all respondents said they’ve had trouble achieving quality standards. […]
And the problems are only expected to get worse. The survey found that 66% of providers anticipate more vacancies and higher turnover when COVID-19 relief funding runs out and other regulatory flexibilities associated with the public health emergency end.
The findings come just months after Congress failed to move forward despite more than a year of negotiation on an ambitious Biden administration plan to invest $400 billion to reinvigorate the nation’s home and community-based services system.
71% of Case Managers are Struggling to Find Available Providers
FACT: More than four in 10 respondents (42%) reported that they offer case management services in addition to long-term services and supports. Of those respondents, 71% indicated that it is difficult to connect families with services due to lack of available providers.
IMPACT: Case managers work with people with I/DD to coordinate services to meet their needs. Due to their role finding and managing availability of services, case managers are often in a unique position to assess accessibility of the provider network—suggesting there are now fewer services to be offered than before.
I get it. To many of you, I’m different. I’m a working farmer who speaks with a Downstate twang and buys my suits off the rack. But like you, I feel that taxes are too high, our streets aren’t safe and our education system is failing our kids. And after back-to-back billionaire governors, it just isn’t working for us. It’s time we have a governor who understands families. I will put people first, not the elites. Let’s fire Pritzker and take our state back
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
In Darren Bailey’s latest ad, he claims he “understands families,” but time and time again he’s made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t understand any family who lives, loves, or worships differently than he does.
Bailey and his running mate, Stephanie Trussell, have repeatedly used social media to disparage the Muslim and LGBTQ+ communities. He once posted a video that claimed “Islam is NOT a religion of peace,” and denigrated transgender individuals, writing, “When a young girl decides she is too fat and develops an eating disorder, we get her psychological help. When a young girl decides she is a boy, we adjust reality to fit her desires.” Bailey has also stated that he “believe[s] in biblical marriage between a man and a woman.”
Numerous anti-woman, anti-LGBTQ+ groups have supported Bailey, including the Illinois Family Institute and Awake IL, an organization that Bailey continued to support even after their posts led to vandalism and harassment at UpRising Bakery and Café.
“Darren Bailey’s hateful speech and dangerous positions towards women, Muslims, Jews, and LGBTQ+ individuals show how far he is from ‘understanding’ Illinois families. He enthusiastically takes every opportunity to double down on his radical agenda to spread hate and divide us, even going so far as to introduce legislation that would kick Chicago out of the state,” said JB for Governor spokeswoman Eliza Glezer. “With Darren Bailey at the top of the Republican ticket, hate is truly on the ballot. On November 8, Illinoisans will send a resounding message that hate has no home in Illinois.”
House Speaker Chris Welch reported raising a whopping $14 million in the third quarter, with almost half of that, $6 million, coming from Gov. J.B. Pritzker. That gives Welch a huge cash advantage for the home stretch over his Republican counterpart.
Welch’s personal campaign committee reported raising $7 million between July 1 and Sept. 30, and reported having $11.6 million cash on hand at the end.
Welch’s caucus committee, Democrats for the Illinois House, also reported raising $7 million in the same time period, with $6 million of that coming from Pritzker. The committee ended the quarter with about $5.8 million in the bank after spending $6.4 million.
From Oct. 1 through Oct. 21, Welch reported raising another $1.5 million for his personal committee and about $500,000 for his caucus committee, giving him a total of $19.4 million to spend in the final five weeks or so of the campaign if he cleans out the accounts. Welch earlier transferred close to $10 million from his personal committee to his caucus committee. So, his available cash for the final push is likely up to $16 million, but could be more if the need arises.
Senate President Don Harmon reported raising $4.9 million during the third quarter for his personal committee and ended with $13 million in the bank.
Harmon’s caucus committee, ISDF, raised about $9 million, with $7 million of that coming from Harmon’s personal committee and another $1 million from Pritzker. It ended the quarter with $4 million after transferring out $4.5 million to members and spending $1.9 million on polling, media production, etc. plus some overhead.
Harmon has reported raising another $1.8 million from Oct. 1-21 for his personal committee and $6.1 million for his caucus committee, with $1 million from Pritzker and $5 million transferred from Harmon’s personal committee. So, he’s sitting on a total of $19.9 million, plus another million or so in his other accounts.
As expected, Republican fundraising could not even come close to keeping pace with the Democrats. House Republican Leader Jim Durkin’s personal committee reported raising $820,000 in the third quarter, just 12% of Welch’s haul. Durkin ended the quarter with $319,000, after spending $1.8 million, including sending $300,000 to his caucus committee, House Republican Majority. He’s since reported raising $1.4 million through Oct. 21.
House Republican Majority reported raising about $1.4 million in the third quarter, plus Durkin’s $300,000. It spent $1.6 million and ended the quarter with $220,000. It has since reported raising $1.6 million through Oct. 21, but $850,000 of that came from Durkin’s personal committee.
All told, that left Durkin with about $2.5 million to spend in the final five weeks — about 16% of Welch’s grand total.
Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie reported raising $2.7 million in the third quarter, with about $2.2 million of that coming from Richard Uihlein. He reported spending $3.1 million, with $2.9 million going to his caucus committee, Senate Republican Victory Fund. He ended the third quarter with $1.2 million cash on hand and has since reported raising $870,000.
The Senate Republican Victory Fund reported raising about $400,000 in the quarter, plus the $2.9 million transferred in by McConchie. It spent $3.3 million, and ended the quarter with $296,000. It has since reported raising $1.3 million, with $1 million of that coming from McConchie’s personal campaign.
Total it up, and it appears that McConchie has about $2.6 million to spend on the final five weeks — about 12% of what Harmon has.
Legislative caucuses, the governor and other candidates all qualify for a major postage discount by using their respective state parties to handle their mailing operations. So, looking at party spending gives us an idea of what’s happening on the mailer front.
After shedding leadership that couldn’t legally raise or spend state campaign funds, the Democratic Party of Illinois reported bringing in $8.3 million in the third quarter and ended with $5.8 million. It has since reported bringing in $4.3 million, giving it $10.1 million in available mailer spending during the final weeks.
The Illinois Republican Party raised $2.2 million, spent $1.5 million and ended with $1.1 million cash on hand. The ILGOP has since reported bringing in $3 million, giving it $4.1 million for the home stretch — much less than half what DPI had.
* With redistricting, two IL lawmakers don’t live in the districts they want to represent: Two candidates from Madison County filed to run for state offices in the Nov. 8 election even though they do not live within the new boundaries of the districts they wanted to represent. But since this is the first election after the state’s redistricting process, the two candidates — state Rep. Amy Elik, a Republican running in the 111th District, and state Sen. Kris Tharp, a Democrat running in the 56th District — are allowed to stay on the ballot.
* Suburban Democrats spend big to hold two U.S. House seats in newly redrawn districts: ‘We are running to win’: The congressional districts mapped last year by the Democratic super-majorities in the state Legislature were drawn to give the party an advantage, and analysts have rated both seats as likely wins for Democrats. On top of that, Underwood and Casten both have out-spent their Republican rivals, with Underwood’s $3.7 million more than 10 times the $300,000 Gryder had spent as of the latest campaign finance reports. Casten has outspent Pekau nearly 5 to 1.
* Neither side is taking anything for granted in this congressional race: Foster is in a potential semi-pickle in part because Democratic Party leaders got greedy earlier this year. In hopes of shoring up neighboring suburban Democrat Lauren Underwood and creating a second district for Latinos on the north side of the metropolitan area, Foster’s old district was dismembered in the remap. Joliet and parts of Naperville and Aurora were taken out and the new district was moved so far west, all the way to Belvidere, that Foster prizes an endorsement that he just got from the Illinois Farm Bureau. A district that was majority minority now is heavily white.
* We’re getting out of the endorsement game: Crain’s reporting is and always will be independent and rigorous. But at a time when trust in the media generally is at a low point, we’re cognizant that anything we do that erodes that trust further is a mistake. And given the plethora of political information that’s readily available now, continuing an endorsement tradition rooted in the days when such information was scarce is unnecessary.
