* Background is here if you need it. I posted this on Saturday…
The tweet provoked a quick response from the mayor’s office, which denied the claim. They eventually sent me this email chain which showed that at least one person from the advisory council was kept in the loop.
* Today…
A press release was issued from the Mayor’s Press Office on May 10, 2024. The Mayor’s Advisory Council on LGBTQ+ Affairs was listed as a signatory to the joint statement. While advisory council chair Jin-Soo Huh did provide input on technical parts of the statement, there was no explicit agreement for the advisory council to sign on to the letter. Having the advisory council join a statement requires review and input from the full advisory council, which did not take place. As soon as the press release was sent, Huh reached out to the Office of Community Engagement and the Mayor’s Press Office asking for a correction to be sent. This request was denied.
As members of the advisory council, we are disappointed that the initial changes to the Pride Parade were made by the City without consulting the LGBTQ+ community given the significance of this event. While we understand that there are logistical and safety considerations due to festivities after the Pride Parade, selectively enforcing an ordinance without any community engagement is unacceptable. No decisions should be made about us without us. While we are glad that our advocacy in a short time frame did lead to more groups being able to participate in the parade, we are disappointed that the Pride Parade will have fewer entries and a shorter route compared to prior years.
The LGBTQ+ community is a resilient one and we know that Pride will be a celebratory event. We look forward to celebrating with fellow members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies.
Respectfully,
Members of the Mayor’s Advisory Council on LGBTQ+ Affairs
Maliyah Arnold
Dr. Christopher Balthazar
Donald Bell
Miguel Blancarte, Jr.
Robert Castillo
Stefanie Clark
Starr De Los Santos
Anna DeShawn
Jin-Soo Huh
Kim L. Hunt
Mony Ruiz-Velasco
Sanjeev Singh
Stephanie Skora
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Afternoon roundup
Monday, May 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Jason Meisner at the Tribune…
Less than two weeks after AT&T Illinois’ bill to end mandated land line service became law in 2017, the utility’s then-president, Paul La Schiazza, allegedly received a request from a relative of House Speaker Michael Madigan to sponsor a non-profit event.
The unidentified relative said the idea came “at the suggestion of our good friend, Mike McClain,” a former lobbyist and Madigan’s longtime confidant, according to a new prosecution filing. La Schiazza forwarded the request to a colleague in the legislative affairs department on July 12, 2017, writing “this will be endless,” according to the filing.
“I suspect the ‘thank you’ opportunities will be plentiful,’” the colleague allegedly emailed back, referring to the recent passage of AT&T’s coveted landline legislation expected to save to company millions of dollars.
“Yep,” La Schiazza allegedly responded. “We are on the friends and family plan now.”
The email exchange, which was disclosed for the first time in a recent court filing, gets to the heart of the bribery case against La Schiazza, who is set to go on trial in September on charges he approved a scheme to funnel payments to a Madigan associate in exchange for the speaker’s help passing legislation important to the company.
* These are becoming all too common…
A ransomware attack has forced hospital group Ascension’s computer systems offline and diverted ambulances away from some of its emergency departments, including one in the Chicago area.
The hospital group that operates Ascension Resurrection in Chicago, St. Alexius in Hoffman Estates and Alexian Brothers in Elk Grove Village said it was a victim of a “cybersecurity event” after noticing “unusual activity” on its computer network on Wednesday.
It confirmed Saturday that it is recovering from a ransomware attack and is working with cybersecurity experts and the FBI. Ascension did not say when its computer systems would be restored.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker joined Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) Director Lizzy Whitehorn, Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dulce Quintero, and other leaders today to celebrate the success of the campaign to keep eligible Medicaid customers enrolled in coverage during the yearlong unwinding from the federal Continuous Medicaid Coverage Requirement.
During this yearlong process, nearly 3.8 million individual Illinois Medicaid customers went through care redeterminations for the first time since March 2020. Redeterminations are an annual verification to ensure customers remain eligible for Medicaid benefits before their coverage is renewed for the next year.
Throughout this unwinding process, Illinois has consistently been among the leading states in its effort to keep eligible customers enrolled in Medicaid. Roughly 73% of Illinois Medicaid customers have retained their coverage throughout this process according to the latest data available from HFS, which administers the Illinois Medicaid program. […]
According to a Kaiser state redetermination data tracker, Illinois is among the 10 states with the lowest percentage of customers terminated for procedural reasons, such as unsubmitted redetermination forms or lack of a response to a request for more information to verify eligibility before the deadline. HFS is now returning to the regular practice of conducting redeterminations annually for all Medicaid customers in the state.
* Crain’s…
The story is the same, although the details differ, in a half-dozen small Midwestern cities. A house in Fond du Lac, Wis., sold swiftly and closed at $10,000 over its asking price. In Racine, a house went on the market on a Friday, got a full-price offer, and was under contract to a buyer by Sunday. In Champaign, a seller boosted her asking price by $25,000 just before her house went on the market and still got a full-price offer the first day.
Home prices are rising so fast in those and three other small cities in Illinois and Wisconsin that this swath of the Midwest dominated the National Association of Realtors’ May 8 report on U.S. home price increases during the first quarter of the year. […]
The other five Midwestern cities in the top 10 were No. 2 Kankakee, where prices are up 22%; No. 3 Rockford, 20.1%; No. 4 Champaign-Urbana, 20.0%; No. 6 Racine, 19.0%; and No. 8 Bloomington, 18.5%. Cities in Tennessee, New York, New Jersey and Maryland filled out the rest of the top 10.
Prices in those cities are rising at more than twice the speed of Chicago. The median price of Chicago-area homes sold during the quarter was up 8.8%, according to the same report.
The national median price was up 5 percent from a year earlier.
* Letter to the editor from Madison County Board Chair Kurt Prenzler, who got clobbered 62-38 in the March primary…
Four years ago, we were in lock down and on May 2, 2020, I wrote a letter to Gov. J.B Pritzker, requesting that our county be allowed to re-open. Hearing nothing, the county board voted 26 to 2 to re-open, according to our own schedule.
Later, the county board passed resolutions encouraging school districts to let parents make decisions regarding masks (July 2021) and opposing employer-mandated covid shots (January 2022).
During the past four years I wrote letters to the editor, encouraging people to think for themselves regarding the covid shots.
What did we learn? […]
Is there a way for us to hear alternate views?
Yes, may I suggest X / Twitter, purchased by Elon Musk in 2022. The platform now allows a variety of views, which are often banned from main stream and other social media.
* Did you see it?…
*** Feds ***
* Ex-Loretto Hospital exec charged with helping embezzle $500,000 amid COVID crisis: A former high-level executive at Loretto Hospital has been hit with federal charges alleging she helped embezzle nearly half a million dollars from the small safety-net facility on Chicago’s West Side at the height of the COVID-19 crisis. Heather Bergdahl, 37, who currently lives in the Houston area, was charged in a criminal complaint made public Monday with embezzlement from a federally funded program. Bergdahl was arrested on Thursday night shortly before a scheduled flight to Dubai. She’s scheduled to have a detention hearing in U.S. District Court in Houston on Monday, court records show. An attorney for her was not listed on the docket.
*** Chicago ***
* U. of C. study shows cops at high risk of misconduct also at elevated risk for off-duty trouble: The study, which examined 10 years of Chicago Police Department data as part of implementing the federal consent decree, found that police misconduct was predictable based on an officer’s history of complaints. It suggested that a relatively simple system of tracking past complaints to prevent future incidents could have a public value of “infinity,” considering the potential to avoid costly lawsuits that result from high-profile incidents of officer misconduct.
*** Infrastructure ***
* DigitalBridge CEO: Data Centers To Run Out Of Power In 2 Years Or Less: Data centers are going to be starved for power in as little as two years, according to DigitalBridge CEO Marc Ganzi, who offered a warning for the industry during the company’s first-quarter earnings call last week. “Power is really the constraining factor” for industry growth, Ganzi said. “And that’s going to become more evident to you and to the rest of the investor community over the next two years.” Ganzi said he told investors two years ago that data centers would run out of power in five years. “Well, I was wrong about that,” he said. “We’re running out of power in the next 18 to 24 months.”
* Press release: Rebuilding Springfield: Rails and rest stops highlight another historic construction season: Entering one of its busiest construction seasons ever, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that major projects in the Springfield area are planned or underway, fueled by Gov. JB Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program. Six major projects combined represent a total investment of nearly $103 million, improving safety and mobility while sustaining and creating good-paying jobs throughout the region.
* From ho-hum to 6 levels: New parking lot at O’Hare’s Terminal 5 hits milestone: The new structure will provide 2,600 spaces, more than twice the amount currently available. It will also offer real-time guidance on the number of available spots and charging stations for electric vehicles.
* Johnson offers relief to home, business owners soaked by high water bills tied to underground leaks: The City Council’s Finance Committee on Monday unanimously approved the mayor’s two-year plan to offer nearly $2.4 million in financial relief to homeowners and business owners drowning in water bills tied to leaks in underground service lines repaired on or after Jan. 1, 2023. The measure could be passed by the full Council next week.
* ‘Right now, it’s almost a nightmare’: After years of crashes, IDOT eyeing fix for exit ramp in Elgin: Elgin resident Christopher Hilton’s wish is simple — a yard without careening cars. After years of screeching tires and hawklike vigilance when his three kids play outside, his wish may be granted. The Illinois Department of Transportation is considering closing an exit ramp from Route 20 to Route 25 by way of Illinois Avenue, where Hilton lives with his wife, Cassie Ross.
* ‘Tis the Season: Repaving starts on DuSable Lake Shore Drive: From Lawrence Avenue to Hollywood Avenue, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has started repaving North DuSable Lake Shore Drive. It marks the first phase of a project that is expected to continue until late June.
*** Suburbs ***
* Embattled Campton Hills trustee resigns: Saying he is tired of fighting efforts to remove him from office, Campton Hills village Trustee Timothy Morgan has resigned. Morgan was elected last year, but a 2002 felony DUI conviction in Michigan dogged his ability to keep his seat. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser warned Morgan not to take his seat because the conviction made him ineligible. Morgan said he resigned at Tuesday’s village board meeting, a day before he was scheduled to be deposed on civil litigation brought by Mosser’s office aimed at removing him.
*** Downstate ***
* Metro-east city named among the ‘cheapest, safest’ places to live in US. Here’s why: Edwardsville made the list for its grocery prices, crime rate and cost of living. The metro-east city had the highest crime rate of any locality on the list, but was still “relatively low” at 5.5 per 1,000 residents. The average cost of groceries is $431 per month in Edwardsville, according to the analysis. Lake in the Hills, Ill., also made the list and had the lowest crime rate of the 15 cities. Mundelein rounded out the three Illinois towns in the ranking with one of the lowest housing costs.
* Feral cats are a problem in this central Illinois county. Here’s how they’re handling it: Tazewell County Animal Control now addresses feral cat nuisance issues through trapping and humane euthanasia. The Tazewell County Board last month passed a resolution approving the launch of a new “Trap-Neuter-Return” program for feral cats.
*** Business ***
* Kraft Heinz explores a sale of Oscar Mayer: The Chicago-based food maker has enlisted the help of Bank of America and Centerview Partners to test the waters of a potential sale of the hot dog and deli meat brand, the report said, emphasizing that it remains possible no transaction actually materializes.
* Here’s how Boeing delivery delays are hitting Chicago ahead of busy summer travel season: Southwest Airlines is slashing the number of flights it will offer out of O’Hare by 33% this summer, according to data from aviation firm Cirium, as it deals with delays getting planes from Boeing and weak financial results. Boeing delays also caused American Airlines to suspend a flight from O’Hare to Paris, and prompted United Airlines to offer pilots voluntary time off in May and June. O’Hare will ultimately have more scheduled flights from May to August than it did last year, according to Cirium, including from the airport’s two main carriers, American and United.
* Peoria distillery earns two medals in ‘prestigious’ spirits competition: Two Peoria-made products were awarded medals at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. BLACK BAND Distillery’s Straight Wheat Whiskey earned gold, while its Peoria Bourbon secured a silver medal. “(Getting) a nod from San Fran World Spirits Competition at any level – meaning like of any medal – (is) fantastic,” said Chris Ober, founder and principal distiller at BLACK BAND. “So, we’re really happy with the outcome this year.”
*** National ***
* Canadian wildfire smoke chokes upper Midwest: At least some smoke could drift as far south as Iowa and Chicago, leaving skies looking milky by late Tuesday or early Wednesday, said Rafal Ogorek, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Chicago office.
* Tennessee woman denied abortion after fetus’ ‘brain not attached’ slams state ban: A Tennessee woman who was denied an abortion despite a severe abnormality that meant her fetus would die during the pregnancy says the state’s anti-abortion laws resulted in her losing an ovary, a fallopian tube, and her hopes for a large family. “The state of Tennessee took my fertility from me,” Breanna Cecil, 34, told The Independent. State lawmakers “took away my opportunity to have a family like my own biological family because of these horrible laws that they put in place.”
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* Daily Herald…
Four would-be state legislative candidates, including one from Northbrook, are suing state officials over a new law forbidding political parties from slating candidates after primary elections.
The plaintiffs — all Republicans — also are seeking an emergency temporary restraining order to prevent enforcement of the law so they can appear on Nov. 5 ballots. The lawsuit names the Illinois State Board of Elections and state Attorney General Kwame Raoul as defendants. […]
The elections board has said it will accept petitions from slated candidates by a previously set June 3 deadline, and it is encouraging such candidates to file. The board will consider any challenges to those petitions filed by June 10 — again, as scheduled.
The elections board — comprised of four Democrats and four Republicans — will hold hearings to consider any objections. Those likely would be held July 9, a board spokesman has said.
* Their legal argument…
Article III, Section 1 of the 1970 Illinois Constitution guarantees the right to vote to every United States citizen of at least 18 years of age who has been a permanent resident of Illinois for at least 30 days preceding any election.
“Legislation that affects any stage of the election process implicates the right to vote.” Tully v. Edgar, 171 Il. 2d 297, 307 (1996) (emphasis in original). Thus, “the right to vote is implicated by legislation that restricts a candidate’s effort to gain access to the ballot.” Id., citing Anderson v. Schneider, 67 III. 2d 165, 172-73 (1977).
But for P.A. 103-0586, Plaintiffs would comport with the provisions of 10 ILCS 5/8-17 (2023) and 10 ILCS 5/7-61 and stand as candidates for office in the November election.
Plaintiffs were all designated to fill the vacancies in nomination by their respective Representative or Legislative Committees prior to the enactment of P.A. 103-0586.
P.A. 103-0586 removed the provisions of 10 ILCS 5/8-17 that would allow Plaintiffs to gain access to the ballot, after that process had already begun.
P.A. 103-0586 impairs the rights of suffrage exercised by Plaintiffs and others in the 2024 general election by restricting Plaintiffs’ efforts to gain access to the ballot by changing the rules in the middle of that process.
‘When the means used by a legislature to achieve a legislative goal impinge upon a fundamental right, the court will examine the statute under the strict scrutiny standard.” Tully, 171 Il. 2d at 304.
The Illinois Supreme Court has recognized that the right to vote is a fundamental constitutional right, essential to our system of government. Fumarolo v. Chicago Board of Education, 142 Il. 2d 54, 74 (1990).
The elimination of the process of filling ballot vacancies used by Plaintiffs set forth in P.A. 103-0586 does not advance a compelling state interest in preventing Plaintiffs from accessing the ballot in the November 2024 general election.
The provision of P.A. 103-0586 eliminating the process of filling ballot vacancies used by Plaintiffs is not necessary to achieve the legislation’s goal.
Nor are the provision of P.A. 103-0586 eliminating the process of filling ballot vacancies used by Plaintiffs the least restrictive means available to attain the legislation’s goal.
The fact that P.A. 103-0586 would prohibit Plaintiffs from accessing the November 2024 general election ballot using the process set forth in Section 7-61 of the Election Code as it existed prior to the enactment of P.A. 103-0586, but would permit other candidates to be listed on the November 2024 general election ballot who completed the process set forth in Section 7-61 of the Election Code prior to P.A. 103-0586’s enactment is sufficient to show that P.A. 103-0586, as applied to Plaintiffs, fails strict scrutiny.
P.A. 103-0586, as applied to Plaintiffs, fails strict scrutiny analysis and, thus, unconstitutionally restricts Plaintiffs’ fundamental rights to suffrage by negating their efforts to gain access to the ballot.
Plaintiffs need immediate relief from the revisions to 10 ILCS 5/8-17 in order to lawfully comply with the June 3, 2024, deadline to file their nomination petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
* Tully v. Edgar dealt with a new law that ended the terms of elected University of Illinois trustees. The Supreme Court sided with the trustees…
Legislation that nullifies the votes cast in a valid election and removes the elected trustees from office midterm is not necessary to or narrowly tailored to achieve the legislature’s presumed goal. There is no suggestion that the currently elected trustees are incompetent. Nor is there any assertion that the immediate removal of those trustees is necessary to improve the quality of education at the University of Illinois.
Moreover, it is evident that the legislature’s goal could be achieved by other means that would not impinge upon the fundamental right to vote. The legislature could certainly provide that, upon the expiration of the terms of office of the currently elected trustees, successor trustees will be appointed rather than elected. We conclude that the section of the Act which provides for the removal of the elected trustees midterm is not necessary to achieve the legislature’s presumed goal. Nor is the immediate removal of the elected trustees the least restrictive means of achieving that presumed goal. We therefore hold that the portion of the Act that removes the sitting trustees from office does not meet the strict scrutiny standard and is violative of the right to vote guaranteed under the Illinois Constitution.
Fumarolo v. Chicago Board of Education is here.
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* From the May 10th Fran Spielman Show, with special guest Mayor Brandon Johnson…
Tessa Weinberg: Mayor, the CTU is also beginning contract negotiations with a demand for 9% raises or the rate of inflation, whichever is higher. At the same time, the district faces a budget deficit of at least $391 million, which is only likely to grow. Is that request realistic? Where will that money come from?
Mayor Johnson: You know, again, the state of Illinois owes the city of Chicago $1.1 billion. And, you know, we cannot lose sight of that. There has been a real concerted effort over the course of decades now to disrupt public education in this city. And without, you know, full cooperation from the state of Illinois, you’re going to leave one of the largest school districts in the entire country woefully underfunded. And I’m going to continue to advocate to make sure the people of Chicago receive their just due.
Please pardon any transcription errors.
…Adding… Click here to read the CPS funding background memo sent by the governor’s office last week.
* Bears…
Mayor Johnson: You know, as far as making critical investments to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago, of course, there will be ongoing debates and conversations about that. Here’s the problem. We have a 100-year-old building that has owed hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. That’s the problem.
Fran Spielman: It’s a 100-year-old building that’s been rebuilt. It was rebuilt totally in 2003. It was totally rebuilt, that stadium.
Mayor Johnson: So stay with me then. I’m glad you brought that up, because not only is it a 100-year-old building that there’s no, with no dome, so no public benefit for it. We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.
When it was, quote-unquote, rebuilt in 2003, 67% of the dollars that were used were public dollars to build a stadium where there’s no public benefit in which we still owe debt to. I’m saying is, I have put forth, so stay with me, I have put forth a solution to the problem. What is that solution?
That the Bears are willing to put $2 billion into the stadium, so their own money, billionaires putting their own money in it, while visitors, the hotel tax, pays for the rest. So we’re talking 72%, almost 75% of the building being paid for by the billionaires. And then there’s another 28% that comes from ISFA, which is designed to build stadiums.
The only function of ISFA is to build stadiums. And so I have this problem, the city of Chicago has this problem, and Illinois has this problem, that you have a 100-year-old building that has hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, and we can’t even use it beyond the 10 or 12 games. So if someone else has another solution that addresses this problem, then they should put that on the table.
Now, the Bears, of course, have a responsibility to continue to make their case, but the bottom line is this, I’ve said from the very beginning, whatever we do, we have to invest in people. That’s what I’ve done this first year, and there has to be a public benefit and a public use for it. The Bears have put together a proposal that absorbs 72% of the cost, and the other cost will be paid for by visitors.
If someone else has a better solution to that, they should put it on the table.
Mariah Woelfel: If we want to stay on Bears for a second, Mayor, I mean, that is the breakdown when you look at the stadium itself, but the overall plan will rely on $1.5 billion in federal and state funding for infrastructure improvements. How much time and political capital are you spending to try to secure that federal funding and state funding from those legislative bodies? And does that add unnecessary strain on your relationship with those legislatures? While we’ve already heard in this interview, you’re using a lot of that political capital to try to solve the migrant crisis. Is it worth it to spend time and energy on a sports stadium when you need those relationships for other priorities?
Mayor Johnson: So the question is, is it worth spending my time to put forth a vision that puts thousands of people to work and provide public benefit and public use, as well as infrastructure needs for the entire city of Chicago?
Mariah Woelfel: Or does it strain your relationship…
Mayor Johnson: Listen, I hear what you’re asking. You’re asking me, is it worth my time to actually show it for the people of Chicago? It will always be worth my time to ensure that we’re investing in people.
That’s what I promised I would do, and that’s what I’m doing. As far as the infrastructure needs, I’m not sure if enough people get enough opportunity to hear more about the inflation reduction act. We’re talking about billions of dollars.
This is an unprecedented amount of resources available for infrastructure. This is actually what the Biden-Harris administration, this is what they want us to do. One of the top tourist attractions for the state of Illinois is the campus in which we’re talking about.
Now, that’s not the only place that needs infrastructure, so my ask is not limited to this particular development. It’s also a need for us on the southeast side, where there are real environmental hazards that have been there for a generation now. And so we have service lines that need to be replaced.
This is not about one stadium. This is about our vision for the entire city of Chicago. And so I’m always going to show up for the people of Chicago. And because there’s a need for real critical investment, something that has not happened in a substantive way for at least the last 40 years, I am proud to show up for the people of Chicago, calling for those types of investments.
Tessa Weinberg: On the Bears, you know, they also are seeking to keep revenue from other events like concerts that take place at the stadium, which would leave a major hole in the Park District’s budget. Will you commit to not allowing the Bears to keep that revenue?
Mayor Johnson: This is a proposal. So there’s still negotiations that are being done around, you know, revenue sharing. This is a proposal.
Lots of other stuff in there, so go listen to the rest.
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It’s just a bill
Monday, May 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Or, in this case, a resolution. Tribune…
A group of aldermen are calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. J.B. Pritzker to replace embattled Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter.
Nineteen aldermen, including several progressive Johnson allies and other more conservative aldermen, have so far signed onto the resolution that also calls for Carter to resign, according to lead co-sponsor Ald. Matt Martin, 47th. Though nonbinding, it’s the sharpest City Hall rebuke of Carter yet as the leader’s CTA continues to struggle with hiring, service cuts, lagging ridership and a looming financial cliff.
* Sports Betting News…
The Sports Betting Alliance, a coalition representing BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics Sportsbook, is warning Illinois customers that a proposed tax rate increase in the state will seriously affect how they participate in sports betting.
If a proposed sports betting tax rate increase to 35%, up from 15%, in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s (D) state budget is approved, customers will be hit with fewer promotions and worse odds from operators that are already struggling in the state, a Sports Betting Alliance spokesperson told Sports Betting Dime.
The alliance has been encouraging Illinois sports betting customers to reach out to their constituents to oppose the bill. More than 35,000 emails have been sent in opposition so far, said Nathan Click, Sports Betting Alliance spokesperson. […]
“From the consumer side, a 133% tax rate increase will mean worse odds and few, if any, promotions. It means less left for companies to invest in technology upgrades, responsible gaming efforts and their customer support teams. It’s also a subsidy to bookies and illegal market: Legal operators have just started to make serious inroads into Illinois’ robust illegal sports betting market. Worse odds, no promotions, worse product all give the offshore illegal market apps (who pay no tax) a massive leg up when competing for customers,” [Sports Betting Alliance spokesperson Nathan Click] said.
* Majority Leader Lightford…
Parents across the state continue to receive the call no one wants to receive: the call that their child has consumed delta-8 THC and is being transported to the hospital. Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford is spearheading a measure to regulate these pervasive, unlicensed products.
“We are working diligently to protect consumers of all ages, help our cannabis industry flourish, keep the promise to our social equity communities, and not stifle reputable hemp business establishments,” said Lightford (D-Maywood). “Effective regulation is about safeguarding public health and fostering a sustainable, trustworthy market.”
A recent study by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that more than 11% of high school seniors report using delta-8. In response, Lightford is sponsoring Senate Bill 776 to regulate hemp derived THC, including delta-8 products.
The regulation of hemp derived THC products would be similar to how the state regulates cannabis as it relates to taxing, testing, advertisement and more. While the possession limits would be the same as cannabis, limits would be cumulative with the possession limits of cannabis. Therefore, people could not possess more than 500 milligrams of cannabis or hemp concentrate-derived THC products.
Under the Lightford-led measure, businesses making the products would be required to follow the same guidelines as those within the cannabis industry. Any person working with hemp in a non-intoxicating form would simply be required to register their business and pay a $100 fee.
To ensure equality and fairness, only Social Equity Dispensaries – those that are owned by underrepresented individuals or disproportionally affected groups – would be able to sell these products until July 1, 2026. After that, more businesses could sell hemp concentrate-derived products. The transition is similar to the privilege given to medical dispensaries during the first few years of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.
“The current unregulated market undermines social equity license holders who have long worked to establish a legal, well-regulated business,” said Lightford. “As we move toward regulation of hemp and delta-8 products, we must ensure we do so in a way that is equitable and provides opportunities within the evolving industry.”
Senate Bill 776 awaits committee assignment.
* Capitol News Illinois…
With two weeks left before the General Assembly’s spring session is set to adjourn, negotiations continue on a labor union-backed initiative that would allow Illinoisans to skip religious and political work meetings without reprimand.
Dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” Senate Bill 3649 advanced out of the Senate on May 2 with only Democratic support.
The Illinois AFL-CIO labor organization brought the measure to Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, in an effort to ban what the unions refer to as employer-sponsored “captive audience meetings” pertaining to religion and politics. Labor advocates say the meetings give employers an opportunity to coerce employees to listen to anti-union rhetoric.
Employers found breaking the law would have to pay $1,000 per violation and provide relief to the wronged employee as the court dictates, which could involve paying owed wages and reinstating their position. […]
Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, a union ally and chair of the House Labor and Commerce Committee, is the measure’s House sponsor. He said he believes there is enough support for it to pass in the final two weeks – although a minor amendment could be forthcoming.
* Sen. Simmons…
To protect patients from unnecessary medical bills, State Senator Mike Simmons passed legislation out of the Senate on Thursday that would prohibit hospitals from billing a patient who cannot pay.
“When folks get hospital bills that don’t make sense and shouldn’t have been billed to begin with, it erodes confidence in the healthcare system writ large and leaves people afraid to seek care,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “That is entirely unnecessary and this bill will ensure those folks can get to the doctor without worrying about getting a bunch of bills they cannot afford to pay.”
Senate Bill 2442 prohibits hospitals from directly billing a patient who has a household income at or below the 200% federal poverty line, that qualifies them for free care. Last year, Simmons supported the passing of a new law that requires hospitals to proactively screen for and enroll patients in Medicaid, health insurance and financial assistance beginning July 1.
“Healthcare costs should never be the reason people forgo care. Nor should anyone live in fear of sudden sticker shock from unexpected medical bills arriving in the mail,” said Simmons. “When that happens it represents a systemic barrier to accessing healthcare, which leads to untreated medical conditions and premature death for too many of our family members, neighbors and friends.”
Several constituents in Simmons’ district with low or no income have expressed stress and fear from receiving bills from hospitals and healthcare facilities despite demonstrating a lack of income. This legislation is an example of constituent-led policy, a hallmark of Simmons’ office, and will prohibit hospitals from billing patients who do not have the income to pay.
“No individual or family should be forced to decide between eating or paying hospital bills,” said Simmons. “This critical additional step is designed to protect healthcare consumers from unfair billing practices and abusive collection tactics. It will ultimately save lives, and lead to healthier households and communities.”
Senate Bill 2442 now heads to the House for further consideration.
* Leader Hammond…
Legislation filed by State Representative Norine Hammond to assist local road districts with funding challenges was unanimously passed by the Illinois House last month.
House Bill 5190 provides that the allocation to road districts shall be made in the same manner and be subject to the same conditions and qualifications as are provided by current law concerning the allocation to road districts of the amount allotted from the Motor Fuel Tax Fund for apportionment to counties for the use of road districts. It further provides that any funds allocated to a county that are not obligated within 48 months shall be considered lapsed funds and reappropriated in the same fund. The lapsed funds shall be used to provide additional monetary assistance to townships and road districts that have insufficient funding for the construction of bridges that are 20 feet or more in length.
Hammond’s legislation is an initiative of the Illinois Association of County Engineers.
“My legislation addresses the funding challenges that local road districts have had concerning maintaining roads and bridges by updating the current funding formula for local road districts,” said Rep. Hammond. “I’m grateful to the Illinois Association of County Engineers for working with me on this issue and I thank my House colleagues for their unanimous support.”
House Bill 5190 passed the Illinois House on a vote of 114-0-0 and now goes to the Illinois Senate for further consideration.
* Press release…
Advocates for healthy Illinois farm fields are uniting again this spring to urge legislators to provide more support for farmers’ use of cover crops to protect our soils and water supplies.
Environmental advocates and experts are teaming up with Illinois farming organizations to push for $3.1 million in new state funding to support expansion of the highly popular Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program (FCSS), as state legislators debate and formulate Illinois’ next state budget.
The FCSS gives farmers whose applications are accepted a $5-an-acre subsidy on their next year’s crop insurance for every acre of cover crops they plant. These crops are proven to help prevent environmentally and economically damaging soil erosion and other climate and weather challenges. Unlike other similar programs, the more cover crops farmers plant over the years, the more benefit they yield.
Many Illinois farmers have voluntarily embraced this program, giving landowners the flexibility they need to make the best choices for their fields and farm operations to maximize their production and conservation efforts. The main challenge is that the program’s popularity far exceeds the funds available to meet the demand.
In Fiscal Year 2020-2021, 50,000 acres of cover crop benefit were provided under a $300,000 state budget amount. For the 2022-2024 Fiscal Years, the program was more than doubled to a $660,000 budget and 100,000 acres. But in all cases, immediate demand caused all the money to go almost as quickly as the program was opened for applications.
Now, advocates say the time is right to expand the program to provide the incentives for 500,000 acres of eligible land, at a $3.1 million program cost. They expect that will allow 400,000 more acres to take advantage of the powerful benefits of cover crops, including the removal of carbon dioxide that equates to more than 37,000 vehicles off Illinois roads each year, nearly 1,000 rail cars burning coal, and more than 21,000 homes’ energy use.
Cover crops also help build land resistance to floods, reduce the risk that drought causes crop yield losses, improve soil and water quality, and improve farmers’ long-term return on their investment.
The cover crop increased funding proposal is included in Senate Bill 3814 sponsored by Sen. Patrick Joyce, and House Bill 5757 sponsored by Rep. Janet Yang Rohr. Both bills have strong bipartisan support in the Legislature and are expected to be considered in the upcoming budget discussions.
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The most ‘normal’ state?
Monday, May 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Washington Post…
What are the most representative — dare we say, most American — states in the nation? And what does that even mean?
Our friend Lenny Bronner, The Washington Post’s tousle-haired political-stats wunderkind, needed an answer. You may recognize Lenny from his vote-night telecast appearances, or maybe from what his LinkedIn page calls the “Stanford Austria Club — Kaffeehauskulturverein.” Regardless, for his election models, Lenny needed to know how well results in one state could predict those in another.
So he churned through Census variables, creating indexes of how similar U.S. states are to one another — whereupon we realized that his work would be perfect for a less important purpose: finding the most typical and most unusual places in America.
Ever the Austrian, Lenny suggested a careful procession through the data. We started with the variable that, other than party identification, best predicts Americans’ votes. We’ll pause here to give you a chance to guess the answer. But — spoiler alert — it’s race.
So which state most closely mirrors the nation as a whole in terms of racial makeup? By mixing metropolis with corn palace, Illinois reigns as the most demographically “normal” state in America.
They then looked at about 30 other values, including religion, income, education and employment mixture and came up with this ranking…
Discuss.
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Pritzker asked about budget memo
Monday, May 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. JB Pritzker was asked today about the memo from his deputy governor to state agency directors last week telling them that opposition to the governor’s revenue proposals meant they should start preparing to make $800 million in cuts to next fiscal year’s budget…
Q: I’m wondering where you’re seeing that opposition…?
Pritzker: I don’t think it’s some faction or another. Yeah, there were just, there were some some talk in caucus meetings that were occurring in the House or the Senate, in which people had raised concerns or objections, some of which is misinformation or they don’t have the right information about what we’re doing.
For example, there’s some people who think that the increase in the sports betting percentage tax is against sports betters themselves. That’s not the case. It’s only on the sports betting companies, right DraftKings, FanDuel, other companies like that. And similarly on the other manner, which is somewhat complex, net operating loss carry forwards. Not everybody’s familiar with those but we actually have lowered the tax on that operating cost, net operating loss carryforwards from what it had been there’d been a limitation of 100,000 we raised that limitation to 500,000. So more companies could take deductions essentially on their taxes.
So, having said that, we realized that we may not be able to get to all of the members or explain it properly to all of them and just wanted to make sure that they understood, you know, that that, you know, our leaders of our agencies needed to understand, that if those new revenues don’t come through that we’ll probably be hearing from the legislature about cuts that they want to make. And so we wanted to put everybody on notice. That’s the real purpose of that memo.
Sounds like the governor could’ve been working members earlier.
* Back to the governor’s Q&A…
Q: You said within some caucuses.. what caucuses…?
Pritzker: Yeah, I think I couldn’t identify them for you. I think you know, more broadly, obviously, there are Republicans who objected to some of it. There are Democrats who’ve expressed some objection. We’re hoping that people come to a better understanding of it or, or they decide to make changes to the budget. Remember, I introduced a budget in February. This is the normal process, right? It’s a balanced budget. Then it goes to the legislature. It’s really up to the legislature at that point to make decisions about whether they like what was in that original budget, what they might want to change. For the most part, the legislature has accepted my budgets, you know, 90, 95% of them, and made tweaks to them that they’ve seen fit or that we’ve negotiated over time. And then at the end, there’s a vote on it. So, my one principle around this budget is it’s got to be balanced. So whatever happens here, we’re not going to overspend. We’re not going to start sweeping dollars from accounts that had been done before I became governor. We’re not going to go back to the old practices of making us a credit unworthy state. And so we’ve got to balance the budget. And that’s really the real message that I think everybody in the legislature knows that I’m sending.
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Much of the Illinois Statehouse appeared to be girding itself for battle with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson before his Springfield visit Wednesday.
After dramatically announcing to Chicago reporters earlier in the week the city’s families are “owed” $1 billion from state government, particularly education, Gov. J.B. Pritzker sent two distinct messages to the building.
First, Pritzker notified state agency directors to start preparing for $800 million in budget reductions next fiscal year because of lack of legislative support for the governor’s revenue proposals. The directors were told to focus on “grant programs and other discretionary spending that has increased in recent years.”
Then, the governor’s office issued an extensive background memo laying out how much more money Chicago’s school system has received from the state, including a $265 million increase in its annual General Revenue Fund outlays since fiscal year 2019, which worked out to a $1,542 per student hike, or a 30% increase.
The annual Early Childhood Block Grant appropriation was increased by $66.4 million in the same time period. Plus, more money for teacher pensions and enough money from the state’s evidence-based funding formula mean Chicago Public Schools is now funded better than more than 400 Illinois schools and has moved out of the critically underfunded Tier One level to Tier Two.
And then, the Senate Executive Committee, tightly controlled by Senate President Don Harmon, unanimously approved Harmon’s bill, opposed by Johnson, to protect selective enrollment schools from closure, changes to admissions and disproportionate budget cuts until a fully elected school board is seated.
The measure (House Bill 303) was scheduled for a hearing before Johnson made known he was coming to Springfield. But instead of delaying passage out of deference to Johnson, it was put on the agreed bill list, which was quickly zoomed to the floor without debate, where it may be amended.
Perhaps sensing the headwinds, Johnson’s lobbying crew belatedly distributed a one-page memo to legislators containing far more modest budget requests than Johnson had previewed to city reporters and nothing about direct public school funding.
The mayor’s office asked for a little more money from the Local Government Distributive Fund; some lead service line replacement debt forgiveness and more money for lead removal from licensed daycare centers; a change in state law to allow the city to collect more for its 911 services; and money to replace what ultimately turned out to be a federal budget cut for domestic violence hotline funding.
As a result, the mayor did not bring up the $1 billion “owed” for schools during meetings with any of the leaders, I’m told. Instead, he focused on that one-pager, which in one instance was printed from my website to be used during the discussion.
The governor’s office starts putting the budget together in the fall, and they work through February to craft it. That’s the best time to make initial budget requests. A mayoral visit to Springfield in May should be for a victory lap, or to shore up last-minute support for the budget.
A reporter asked Johnson if maybe he should be in town more often or make his budget requests earlier in the process. “Well, look, we’re at the right time,” Johnson said. “As you all know, you all have been covering Springfield for a very long time, you know when stuff gets done. So we’re down at the right time.”
Um, now is when things are finalized. The governor, advocacy groups and legislators have been pushing their own budgetary priorities for weeks, even months. Coming to town with two weeks left can mean settling for leftovers, and if the budget is as tight as the governor says, there may not be any leftovers.
Meanwhile, the Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus was in Springfield the same day for a long-planned lobby day. For whatever reason, the mayor did not attempt to coordinate with the caucus after he belatedly announced his Statehouse trip. That seems odd.
The mayor also held a Springfield press conference. Asked about education funding, the mayor said he wanted to push for that $1 billion over time. When asked whether his proposals would “jump the line” ahead of other school districts, Johnson said, “This is not a zero-sum game. There’s more than enough for everyone.”
Except there’s not, which is what the mayor’s top allies at the Chicago Teachers Union will be told when they visit Springfield en masse for their own lobby day to demand that billion dollars the mayor didn’t bring up.
* Also, the mayor didn’t bring up either of these two topics when he met with the leaders, but Politico asked him about them anyway…
Q: During your trip to Springfield last week, did you get a sense lawmakers might be willing to give an inch on the Bears or Chicago Public School students?
A: Regarding school funding: “The state of Illinois recognizes that the algorithm or the funding formula that they voted on [in 2016] shows the people of Chicago are owed $1.1 billion. So that’s just a fact. Now whether or not they decide to provide the city of Chicago what they deserve. I mean, that that’s something that I’m going to continue to push for. But that really comes down to leadership in Springfield to determine whether or not the largest school district state of Illinois deserves its just right.”
A: Regarding the Bears: “The proposal that the Bears have put forward provides public benefit and public use. It would build a dome stadium that gives public benefit and public use with billionaire dollars and visitor dollars [i.e. hotel taxes]. This stadium would not only be built by billionaires and visitors, it would be publicly owned. If someone thinks we can do better than 72 percent of it being financed by ownership and the other 28 percent with visitors, they should speak now.”
Regarding the Bears, the mayor apparently forgot about the $1.5 billion he agreed to spend of state taxpayers’ money on the project. And he apparently wasn’t reminded via a follow-up question, either.
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Get The Facts On The Illinois Prescription Drug Board
Monday, May 13, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The price-setting board proposed in HB4472 is not the solution for Illinois. It would give bureaucrats the power to arbitrarily set medicine prices, deciding what medicines and treatments are “worth” paying for. We can’t leave Illinoisans’ health care up to political whims. Let’s make it easier, not harder for patients to access their medicines. Click here to learn more.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, May 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI:Mark Walker has been appointed to 27th SD. Here’s the press release….
Mark L. Walker, formerly the state Representative for the 53rd District, was appointed today as the new state Senator for the 27th District.
“I’m honored to become the new Senator for the 27th District,” Walker said. “Over my time serving the 53rd District in the House, I’ve represented most of the people and communities of the 27th District. It’s great to be representing them again and I’m excited to continue advocating for our communities in Springfield.”
Former state Senator Ann Gillespie resigned her seat on April 14th, 2024, following her appointment by Governor Pritzker as the Acting Director of the Dept. of Insurance. In accordance with the vacancy replacement process, the local Township Democratic Committeepeople comprising the 27th District met on May 11 to fill the vacancy. Walker received the majority of votes to become the new Senator for the District.
“Sen. Gillespie was a tremendous Senator and I thank her for her service to the 27th District,” Walker added. “I’m looking forward to a seamless transition into this new position so we can continue working for Illinoisans delivering another balanced budget, meeting our pension obligations, and building an Illinois for all.”
The 27th Senate District contains most or parts of Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, and Schaumburg.
Subscribers know more.
* Related…
Governor Pritzker will be at the Lawndale Christian Health Center at 9:30 am to celebrate Medicaid redetermination efforts. Click here to watch.
*** Isabel’s top picks ***
* Capitol News Illinois | Stateville may close as early as September under Pritzker’s prison plan: Top officials with the Illinois Department of Corrections testified in front of a key panel of state lawmakers. The 12 members on the General Assembly’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability face a mid-June deadline to make a recommendation on the governor’s plan to close and rebuild a pair of prisons in central Illinois and in Chicago’s south suburbs. But no matter what the panel decides, the Pritzker administration can go ahead with its plans so long as money is built into the state’s next budget.
* WBEZ | Local election officials hope to report aggregate vote totals this November: Election officials in Chicago and Cook County are exploring how they can work together to report their aggregate ballot numbers in the days after Election Day following widespread confusion among voters in March’s primary election. The tight race for the Democratic Cook County State’s Attorney nomination saw mail-in, provisional and military ballots trickle in up to two weeks after primary Election Day, with Eileen O’Neill Burke winning by just over 1,500 votes.
* NPR | Medical residents are starting to avoid states with abortion bans, data shows: Isabella Rosario Blum was wrapping up medical school and considering residency programs to become a family practice physician when she got some frank advice: If she wanted to be trained to provide abortions, she shouldn’t stay in Arizona. Blum turned to programs mostly in states where abortion access — and, by extension, abortion training — is likely to remain protected, like California, Colorado and New Mexico. Arizona has enacted a law banning most abortions after 15 weeks. “I would really like to have all the training possible,” she said, “so of course that would have still been a limitation.”
*** Statehouse News ***
* Capitol News Illinois | Labor-backed bill banning ‘captive audience’ meetings awaits House action: With two weeks left before the General Assembly’s spring session is set to adjourn, negotiations continue on a labor union-backed initiative that would allow Illinoisans to skip religious and political work meetings without reprimand. Dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” Senate Bill 3649 advanced out of the Senate on May 2 with only Democratic support.
* Daily Herald | Legislation could help lower concrete’s carbon footprint in Illinois: ‘It’s literally what the world is made out of’: Lawmakers and advocates are looking to offset greenhouse gas emissions from one of the world’s most consumed materials second only to water — concrete. The building material’s main binding ingredient, cement, represents a whopping 7% to 8% of global carbon emissions. But experts say it’s not likely construction projects will slow down any time soon — or that a zero-emission replacement will crop up like EVs have for gas cars, for instance. […] Rather than replace concrete, the leading solution is to transform it.
* SJ-R | Calls continue for an increase in pay for Direct Service Professionals in Illinois: Due to higher turnover rates and vacancies, state legislators and Direct Service Professionals are asking for $3.00 rate wage increase. The call for a rate increase comes after a $2.50 wage increase for the workers in Fiscal Year 2024. Skipping an increase for Fiscal Year 2025 means that there have been two consecutive years without wage rate increases.
*** Statewide ***
* Pontiac Daily Leader | 2024 list of Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois released. Here’s what’s on it: The sites, announced during a Tuesday news conference, include historic homes, banks, places of worship, factories, theaters, office buildings, schools, courthouses and cultural centers. “This year’s ‘Most Endangered’ sites are not only incredibly important places in their communities, but many are large-scale buildings that sit prominently in highly visible areas near city centers, in historic districts or on state-owned land. Their neglect is seen and felt,” Bonnie McDonald, president and CEO of Landmarks Illinois, said in a news release.
* PJ Star | OSF, other medical professionals found liable in $41 million malpractice lawsuit in Illinois: A jury in the Circuit Court of Cook County has awarded $41 million to a 72-year-old lawyer whose cerebral artery stroke was brought on by medical mismanagement at the Peoria-based OSF HealthCare System, according to a news release from the law firm representing him. Craig Pierce was awarded the verdict on Tuesday against OSF, an Illinois nephrologist, a kidney care corporation and a dialysis service. According to his lawyers, this is the largest award in Illinois history for a medical malpractice case with a plaintiff over 70 years old.
*** Chicago ***
* Tribune | Mayor Johnson on the record: The full Tribune Q&A as he approaches 1 year in office: Q: What do you see as the area that most needs improvement within your administration? A: Well, I mean, look, we’ve had 40 years of gross neglect and disinvestment within the city of Chicago, right? And we’re talking about real severe disinvestment. I’m not sure if either one of you were here during the time in which schools were closed. It’s a very profound, lasting impact that it has had on the people of Chicago. And when mental health clinics are shuttered, that creates a lot of frustration that leaves a gaping hole, right? And so part of my responsibility, of course, is to address the age-old systems of failure and to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago, and that is something that I’m committed to doing. That’s what the people of Chicago elected me to do.
* Tribune | Mayor Johnson at one year in office: Former activist grapples with being the boss: Jason McGrath, a Chicago-based strategist who was a pollster for the last three mayors, said Johnson should be concerned about these “calls coming from inside the house.” “It’s a very, very hard job, and I think he’s finding now that it’s a lot easier to throw bombs from the sideline than it is to be in the ring and actually defuse them,” McGrath said. “Right now, there are too many people who are openly criticizing him who should be with them. And if that’s not a flashing red light yet, it certainly will be soon.”
* Sun-Times | Chicago cop convicted in Capitol riot has been fired from the police department: Karol Chwiesiuk spent roughly 10 minutes inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as a mob attempted to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Chwiesiuk was ultimately sentenced to three months of home detention in January. However, his dismissal from the police department is only tangentially related to his case in federal court. A police spokesperson said he was “terminated for a break in service, in violation of the city’s personnel rules.”
* Tribune | U. of C. study shows cops at high risk of misconduct also at elevated risk for off-duty trouble: The study, which examined 10 years of Chicago Police Department data as part of implementing the federal consent decree, found that police misconduct was predictable based on an officer’s history of complaints. It suggested that a relatively simple system of tracking past complaints to prevent future incidents could have a public value of “infinity,” considering the potential to avoid costly lawsuits that result from high-profile incidents of officer misconduct.
* WTTW | Social Service Organization The Ark Celebrates Reopening of $21.5M Renovated Facility Serving Chicago’s Jewish Community: The facility now has the capacity to serve an additional 1,000 clients per year, bringing the total to about 5,000 clients annually. The new building is 60% larger than the original. The renovations include a four-fold increase in the size of its food pantry, which features new walk-in refrigerators and freezers. The pharmacy was relocated to the first floor for better accessibility, and the community space doubled in size.
* Tribune | After repeated blasts of smoke last summer and one of the driest winters on record, Chicago enters the 2024 wildfire season with trepidation: “The conditions are ripe for another bad fire season,” said John Mooney, air quality director for the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional office in Chicago. “The snowpack was down. The ice cover on the lakes was down. If the wind blows in the right direction, we’re going to get hit in the eastern half of the United States again,” Mooney said in an interview.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | DuPage County clerk to county: Pay my bills: In a Tuesday memo to DuPage County Board Chairwoman Deborah Conroy, Kaczmarek requested that all the invoices approved by her office be submitted to the treasurer for payment. The move would bypass approval from the county auditor. If the invoices are not paid, Kaczmarek said she would “instruct the state’s attorney to commence legal action on my behalf in my official capacity.”
* Daily Herald | DuPage County Forest Preserve invites Stephen Colbert to be featured in follow-up cicada video: A viral cicada video that the DuPage County Forest Preserve District put out last week has reached new and national heights, inviting attention from the likes of CNN, NPR and Stephen Colbert. Colbert joked about the video, which features forest preserve district employees acting out the life stages of cicadas, on “The Late Show” Wednesday night. A former member of Chicago’s Second City improv troupe, Colbert quipped that he would have killed for the role of cicada larvae back in his Illinois acting days.
*** Downstate ***
* BND | Cahokia 187 is getting a new high school. Here’s the timeline, design & financing: District 187 will pay back the lease certificates with corporate personal property replacement tax funds it gets annually from the state and interest earnings for the first two years of repayment, Assistant Superintendent Arnett Harvey told the BND. Starting with the third year, the district will continue paying off the certificates annually with revenue it will get from two retiring tax increment financing districts within the school district’s boundaries.
* PJ Star | After 31 years as a Journal Star reporter and photographer, Leslie Renken says goodbye: In May of 1993 I drove up out of the desert to work at the Journal Star. Peoria was literally a breath of fresh air after working for three and a half years in Odessa, Texas. All the things that were missing in Odessa, like humidity, trees, drinkable tap water, and historic architecture, were present in Peoria. And it felt a lot like coming home, since the move meant I would be only three hours from my family in St. Louis, a far cry from the 18-hour drive to west Texas.
* WCIA | Central Illinois woman gets state award for volunteer service: Sarah Rochnowski has been volunteering in the area for over half of a decade. Now, she has won the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award. Rochnowski said she never thought about getting recognized when she set out to give her time to others, but now she has even more motivation to volunteer. She said it’s always been about others.
*** National ***
* ProPublica | IRS Audit of Trump Could Cost Former President More Than $100 Million: Former President Donald Trump used a dubious accounting maneuver to claim improper tax breaks from his troubled Chicago tower, according to an IRS inquiry uncovered by ProPublica and The New York Times. Losing a yearslong audit battle over the claim could mean a tax bill of more than $100 million. […] But when Trump sought to reap tax benefits from his losses, the IRS has argued, he went too far and in effect wrote off the same losses twice.
* Crain’s | Small Midwestern cities are killing it in home price growth this year: Home prices are rising so fast in those and three other small cities in Illinois and Wisconsin that this swath of the Midwest dominated the National Association of Realtors’ May 8 report on U.S. home price increases during the first quarter of the year. In a three-month period when the median price of homes sold nationwide was up 5% from a year earlier, prices in Fond du Lac were up 23.7%, the highest in the country, according to the NAR report.
* WSJ | There’s Not Enough Power for America’s High-Tech Ambitions: —Bill Thomson needs power fast. The problem is that many of the other businesspeople racing into Georgia do too. Thomson heads marketing and product management at DC Blox, which in recent years built a string of data centers in midsize cities across the fast-growing Southeast. The company more recently set its sights on Atlanta—the would-be capital of the region—joining a slew of tech and industrial firms piling into the state.
* Daily Beast | We Asked Baristas, Retail Workers, and Servers About Their Comfiest Shoes: Most people, except maybe people who use the word “summer” as a verb, will work a service job at some point in their life. And while the vocations under that umbrella vary from barista to line cook to showroom sales associate and beyond, they all require one thing: surviving long shifts—and often long shifts on their feet for eight hours straight.
* Independent | Scientists celebrate ‘first step’ in making food allergies history: Sibel Sonmez-Ajtai, paediatric allergy consultant and principal investigator at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This study is enabling us to do something we would never have dreamed of doing before – giving patients the foods we know they are allergic to. “This treatment is not a cure for a food allergy, but what it achieves is life-transforming.
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Open thread
Monday, May 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Isabel is on sick leave for a few days I’ve told her to take it easy, so, as I write this, I’m not sure if she’ll be posting her hugely popular morning briefing today. In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves.
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Live coverage
Monday, May 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You can click here 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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